Dawn (The Dire Wolves Chronicles Book 3) (16 page)

I grabbed his arm. Shifting and starting a physical fight with Fielding wasn’t going to help matters. “And that’s why you’re not Alpha.”

Fielding glowered at me, and anger rolled off him in waves. For the first time since meeting Fielding I was legitimately scared for my safety. “Be careful what you say.”

“I thought you weren’t going to hurt me?” I attempted to calm my shaking body. Gage wrapped me up in his arms.

“I wasn’t.” Fielding stepped toward me. “But you seem to be looking for trouble.”

“I’m not.” I leaned back into Gage.

“How did you meet Hunter anyway?” Fielding watched me.

“You already know.”

“Are you sure I do?” He smirked.

“You do.” I was completely sure he knew everything. Every little detail from that night.

“Refresh my memory.”

“We had an accident.” Memories from that night were fresh in my head after seeing the old woman again.

“Oh that’s horrible.” He shook his head.

“Driving in the snow.”

“So sorry to hear that.” He spoke with fake concern.

“It was your fault.” The words flew out without a filter, but I knew they were true.

“Excuse me?”

I forced myself to pull out of Gage’s arm before I spoke. I needed to do this standing on my own two feet. “You are behind everything.”

“How could I be? We’ve only just met.”

“Yes… but you admitted to watching me.”

“I wasn’t the one who caused the accident.”

“Were you there?” I watched his face carefully, looking for any slip or any hint.

“No. I haven’t watched you every second.”

Denny nodded. “Of course you weren’t there yourself. That wouldn’t be your style.”

“I don’t like what your insinuating.” Fielding crossed his arms.

“Don’t worry, we all know the truth.” Denny dug his boot into a pile of frozen snow. “It was one of ours.”

“Exactly. You should be blaming Hunter, yet you’re siding with him.”

“Because he needs to finish changing Gage.”

“I could do it too. We’re twins, we have the same genetics.” He smiled.

“You’re not Alpha.”

“Are you going to start that again?” He rubbed the back of his neck.

I had to take a calculated risk, and I hoped Gage and Denny didn’t screw it up.

“Do you really think you can help us?”

He grinned. “Absolutely.”

“We have to think about it.” I found Gage’s hand behind me and squeezed it. He needed to go along with everything I said.

“Having second thoughts?”

“You’re right. Hunter is the reason we had the accident. He may not have been the one to cause the accident, but he controls his pack.”

“Exactly. And especially his second in command. He listens to everything Hunter has to say.”

“Yes, Chet is completely loyal to Hunter.” I needed to tread carefully, but I needed to break through. That wasn’t part of the plan, but I needed to hear him admit it. To admit he’d caused everything.

“Of course. Chet would do anything for Hunter. He’s even given up his own happiness waiting for him to find a mate.” He tossed the coin again. “Silly tradition isn’t it?”

“What do you mean?” I hoped playing stupid would work for me.

“Chet wants to mate with Marni, or didn’t the two love birds whine about it to you?”

“I didn’t know that. I thought Marni was into someone else.” I was improvising and hoping I was right about him having feelings for Marni.

“Who else?”

“Someone who wasn’t with the pack anymore. That’s all she told me.”

He paled slightly. “Oh. I thought she and Chet were together. My mistake.”

“I guess so. She seemed determined to end up with this other guy. Girl talk, you know?”

“Yes.” He gave a slow smile. “Girl talk.”

“So back to changing Gage?” I squeezed Gage’s hand again. “Are you ready now?”

“We should get the others out first. It might be better if Hunter did it.”

“Would it be?” Gage asked. “I thought you said you could do it as well.”

“I assume so, but it’s a gamble.” He put his hand in his pocket.

“Then we’ll wait.” No matter what we had to get Hunter out of the prison. There was no way in the world I was trusting Fielding to touch Gage. I was positive he’d kill him, and to make it worse, he’d do it with a smile.

I
needed to go faster
. I slammed down on the accelerator and wove in and around the few cars on the turnpike. We’d been driving for hours and had only stopped once. Darkness had set in, and although it was usually my favorite time of day, this time it worried me. Fielding was dangerous day or night, but under the cover of darkness he could get away with far more.

“She’s going to be okay.” Michelle spoke softly, but I heard it loud and clear.

“You don’t know that.”

“She’s not alone.”

“No, she’s not.” I clenched my jaw. She was with Gage.

“Stay focused. We are almost there.”

“I am focused.” I tightened my grip on the wheel.

I was worried about Mary Anne, but I also couldn’t shake Jocelyn’s words about Chet. Why would he have been talking to Isaac without me? She’d implied it was an important conversation. No matter what it was, I had to get to Fielding now.

I turned off at the exit for Baymill and only slowed down slightly. I glanced at Michelle. She was staring straight ahead. A few minutes later I saw the weathered service station on the left side. A black SUV that looked like something Denny would have procured was the only vehicle in the parking lot. I parked a few spots down. I unbuckled and jumped out. Michelle followed.

We followed the drive back around to the side of the building, and we found everyone. Mary Anne was cradled against Gage with another girl and Denny at their side. Fielding was standing in front of the rest of them, holding court. He was all about being the center of attention. He had been since day one.

I walked over, and he heard me approach.

“Hello, brother.” Fielding grinned. “We were just talking about you.”

“That conversation will need to wait, because you and I need to talk.”

“We do. I’m so glad you made it to our fun get together.”

“Let them leave. We can talk about everything else as a pack.”

He laughed. “As a pack? I left your pack years ago.”

“Yet you always seem to be nearby.”

“Seems like you are following me right now.”

“It’s done.” I gritted my teeth. “Over.”

“What is?” He feigned innocence.

“All of this. The hunt would be over if you could just stop—”

He laughed. “Oh, little brother. So naïve. The hunt will never be over as long as the Pterons are in power.”

Michelle tensed where she waited beside me.

“Who’s your new friend? Gave up on the former redhead already?” He smirked.

“This is between you and me.”

“Except it isn’t.” He strut over.

“It is.” I stared him right in the eyes.

“You made a new cub I see.” He gestured to where Gage stood holding Mary Anne. The discomfort of watching them was second to my relief that he was keeping her safe. Someone needed to, and I needed to focus on Fielding.

“This isn’t about me turning someone. It was life or death and completely my choice.”

“Everything is your choice, brother. Isn’t it?” His eyes were dark, almost soulless. He was so full of anger that he seemed to have lost everything else.

“You have made plenty of your own choices.”

“I have.” He stepped toward me. “And I plan to make many more.”

“Make the right choice for once.”

“Like you?” He sneered. “Where are Chet and Marni? Or did you leave them to rot in The Society prison? Some Alpha you are.”

Denny looked at me worriedly.

“Marni is safe,” I assured Denny before turning back to Fielding. “I had to get out, with or without them.”

“Ah. And your new friend is one of them too.” He turned his eyes to Michelle. “A Pteron?”

She glared back at him. “Yes, so watch it.”

“Oh, a threat. This one is fun.” He clapped. He had lost his mind truly and completely.

“Leave her alone, Fielding. This doesn’t involve her.”

“Then who does it involve?”

I locked eyes with him, searching for something of his soul, but I found nothing. “Us.”

“No, I think it involves a whole lot more.” He winked at Mary Anne.

Gage growled.

“Oh little cub, how cute.”

“Leave her alone.” Gage pushed her behind him.

Fielding only laughed.

“We need to talk as brothers.”

“We haven’t been brothers since you stole my pack.”

“I stole nothing. It wasn’t my choice.”

“You should have abdicated.”

“I was born to be Alpha, and I was born to end the hunt.”

He chuckled. “Some job you are doing at both. Can’t even keep your second in command on board.”

“What do you mean?”

He grinned wickedly. “You haven’t figured it out yet?”

“That you’ve been working together.” I knew how Fielding worked. I wouldn’t play his games. If things didn’t unroll the way he wanted, he’d get sloppy.

His eyes widened in surprise. “Very nice… maybe that’s why you left him.”

I shook my head. “I left Marni too.”

“That you did. You were always good at leaving people.”

“Not as good at you are.”

“So you say.”

“What the fuck?” Gage yelled as Mary Anne screamed out in pain.

I looked over, and could see nothing, but by the look of agony on her face, something had to be going on. I dashed over, but Gage grabbed for her first. His body jolted, and he fell to the ground as though he’d touched some sort of invisible electric fence. He immediately transformed into a massive grey wolf and stood back up. He was larger than the last time.

I turned to Fielding, warring with my desire to change, but determined to get the answers from Fielding I could only get in my human form.

“You aren’t the only one who likes to play with witches, Hunter.” He grinned.

Vanessa walked around the corner with an older woman I didn’t recognize. “Nice to see everyone again. Especially you, Sprinkles.”

Gage lunged for her, but he was jolted to the ground in the same way he’d been with Mary Anne.

“Vanessa?” I stared at the witch who’d betrayed me.

“Hi, baby. Nice to see you too.” She smiled, revealing two rows of sparkling white teeth. “Miss me?”

“Let. Her. Go.” I seethed before running toward Vanessa. As soon as my body made contact with hers I was hit with a searing pain and my entire body jolted. I fell to the ground.

“Come on, you can’t still be hung up on this girl. She doesn’t even have red hair anymore.” Vanessa snickered.

“Please let her go. She has nothing to do with this.” I slowly returned to my feet.

“So? What does that matter?”

“She’s innocent.” I pointed toward Mary Anne who stood frozen as if she were a statue.

“As though that has ever stopped me before.” Vanessa turned to the older woman. “And there’s why we didn’t work out. He never took the time to get to know me.” She gave a fake pout.

“Who are you?” I demanded of the old lady.

“A friend of a friend.” Her eyes twinkled.

Before I could ask more questions Mary Anne screamed again. I didn’t think, I transformed and lunged for Vanessa. She was doing something to hurt Mary Anne, and I had to stop it.

I was electrified in midair and once again found myself on the ground. Vanessa laughed again, and in my Dire form it was louder and rang through my ears.

She walked over to Mary Anne. “I thought I’d gotten rid of you, but turns out Hunter liked you after all. Not that I’m surprised. I did send you straight to him.”

Mary Anne seemed to be trying to open her mouth. She was frozen and unable to talk.

“Wait, you don’t still think it was random that Chet caused your accident do you?” Vanessa laughed. “That’s so adorable.”

“What are you talking about?” Was she somehow part of their accident?

“You must realize by now that Mary Anne ending up on your doorstep wasn’t an accident. Can’t even keep your second in command on your side. Fielding is right. You were never meant to be Alpha.”

“Oh shut up.” Michelle’s eyes darkened and large black wings spanned out of her back. I’d never seen beauty in a Pteron before, but that’s what her wings were. She flew toward Vanessa and the old lady, and she slammed them both to the ground.

Mental. It had to be mental. Pterons were immune to mental magic, that’s how she was succeeding.

“Watch out!” Genevieve screamed.

Before I could react, Fielding lunged for me in his wolf form. The element of surprise gave him the upper hand at first, but not for long. He gnashed his teeth at me as I lay on the ground covering my face. His eyes beat into mine, and I knew the moment had come. I twisted with all my strength tossing him over. I transformed and jumped on top of him, using the burst of strength from taking my Dire form to pin him to the ground.

I slashed at his face the same as he had mine so many years ago. It was time to end him. I hesitated, and I felt something sharp pierce through my side, knocking me off my brother.

I turned and saw a large saber tooth tiger staring back at me. The Saber had to be Isaac. Of course he had been working with Fielding. Chet wasn’t the only one who’d betrayed me.

I struggled to stand back up onto my paws. My brother still lay on the ground recovering. I looked at my side as a steady stream of blood dripped to the ground from the spot where I must have been bitten. I slowly walked toward Isaac careful not to expose my weak side. He appeared less confident now without the element of surprise. As I backed him against the wall of the station with no place to run, Fielding lunged for me and went right for my neck. I needed to fight back, but my energy was waning.

I knew it was close to the end as Fielding appeared ready to strike a final blow. Just as he opened his jaws he was shoved off me as Gage attacked him, ripping flesh from his neck.

Gage trapped him beneath him on the ground and ripped away at Fielding’s neck. I heard a final whimpering sound before a sudden silence.

The searing pain in my side seemed to worsen as I lay in a puddle of blood.

“Don’t move, it will only make it worse,” Michelle ordered.

She didn’t need to tell me, the pain was only getting worse. My vision darkened and my eyes started to close as a flurry of black wings descended toward us.

“
H
unter
?” A soft voice called from somewhere far away.

I blinked a few times and forced my eyes open. “Hello.” I locked eyes with Mary Anne.

She smiled. “Hello? Is that all I get?”

I felt the hard blacktop beneath me. We were still in the parking lot. “You’re okay. Where’s Vanessa? Isaac? Were those Pterons?” I fired off a round of questions, but immediately regretted it. My side ached. My injuries usually healed quickly, but a saber-tooth bite wasn’t any small thing. I immediately noticed a small bandage over the wound.

“Levi and his men showed up and took Isaac and the witches into Pteron custody. Michelle really did a number on the witches.”

“Gage?” I was tired, but she hadn’t mentioned him yet. He’d risked his life to save me, and by attacking my brother he’d saved Mary Anne. Had he been injured? I knew he was alive. Mary Anne wouldn’t have been so calm otherwise.

“He’s talking to Levi.”

I struggled to sit up, but I couldn’t lie there any longer. Mary Anne or someone had laid a piece of fabric over my lower body. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry for what?”

“Failing you.” I looked underneath the bandage on my side. The wound was starting to heal up.

“You didn’t fail me… you kidnapped me, but that’s a different story.”

“I couldn’t save you.”

“I didn’t ask you too.”

“My brother is dead.” It was a statement rather than a question. I’d never felt a connection to him in life, but I felt the absence of him in his death.

“He is.” She looked down. “I’m not sure if I’m supposed to say I’m sorry for your loss or something like that.”

“He’s been dead to me for years.”

“That’s not the same thing.”

“He was about to kill me. To kill you.”

“He was still your brother.”

“He was.” I blinked a few times, and my vision finally returned to normal. “What did I miss? How long was I out?”

“Not too long, but you missed quite a bit. It turns out Fielding has been working with Vanessa’s coven.”

“And the older woman? Was she a witch?”

Mary Anne nodded. “Yes. We first met her the night of the storm.”

“How? Before your accident?” I knew there was more to the story. Now that I knew about Chet, I had to doubt everything he’d ever told me.

“She was with an older man, and we thought they were a nice old couple, but really they contacted Fielding and Chet and set everything up.”

“That still doesn’t make sense. How could they have known you were the girl from my dreams?”

“I wasn’t that girl.”

“We’ve been oven this.”

She put a hand on my shoulder. “We have, but I understand it now. Vanessa didn’t help you. She manipulated you. She made it so you’d think any redhead you met matched the image exactly. That’s why when the witch saw I had red hair she went for it.”

“But why?”

Levi walked over. “Because this was all Chet’s idea. He wanted you to overthrow The Society and take your place as leader. He knew you wouldn’t do that without a push.”

“He also wanted you to take a mate.” Mary Anne shrugged.

“Then how did Fielding get involved?” He wasn’t one to join up with someone else’s plan.

“Chet needed help, and he knew Fielding would be more than happy to participate. Of course Fielding planned to take you out as soon as you took power.”

“Why didn’t Fielding try it himself? I have been expecting him to for years.”

“He had followers, but not enough. You were the true Alpha. The only one who could claim legitimacy and take the crown if you took me out.” Levi’s face darkened.

“What would have happened if they didn’t see me that night?” Mary Anne asked him.

“Nothing until they found one. They were actually eating dinner and realized they got lucky.”

“That’s insane.” I refused to believe Mary Anne wasn’t the girl. It had been her. If it hadn’t, I’d been obsessed with a figment of my imagination for months. “It’s you. You knew my nickname for you. I felt the connection. You did too.”