Wolf Unbound: Aspen Valley Wolf Pack (3 page)

“
S
o
, you need help from us to capture your Beta?” Garrett asked, as he glanced out at Benjamin Sr., Alejandro, and a third Cross City wolf they’d brought with them.

The old former Alpha, who was nearly eighty years old, nodded slowly. “He’s hard to catch, and he’s turned some of the non-ranking Pack members against their leaders. We’re leaning toward Pack disbandment.”

“He has people working for him,” Garrett said. “I saw a handful of his bodyguards last night.”

“They’ve kept his whereabouts a secret and whenever he’s spotted, the attempts to apprehend him always leads to altercations that increases our death count. We don’t want any more bodies. Finding dead bodies of wolf shifters all over the County doesn’t look good to the human authorities and to the shifter population as a whole.”

Garrett gnawed at the inside of his bottom lip, still a little perplexed at how dysfunctional a Pack could become in a short period in the absence of an Alpha. He sat on top of haystacks inside of a large barn alongside Joshua, Edward, and Rick—the three wolves who’d traveled with him. Evidently, the old man owned so much land that he barely had use for this one other than to hold secret meetings with his most trusted. It looked like the road leading to the barn hadn’t been used in months. There weren’t any animals or anything else kept inside the place. Just barrels of hay, some old beaten down farm equipment, and a few old picnic tables and benches.

“Is there a plan b for taking him down,” Garrett asked.

“We understand that you have a history of completing missions involving the live capture of dangerous persons,” Benjamin replied.

“Dangerous persons? I guess you thought this through and looked at all of the evidence,” Garrett articulated, but he’d seen the hard truth. There was something morally wrong about the man.

“We have good reasons for wanting to get rid of him. With my limited resources, I haven’t been able to capture him. We’ll take over from the point of capture.”

“What did he do?”

“He murdered my son, the Alpha. Calling the human authorities would only complicate things more. They won’t prosecute anyone for murdering a wolf.”

“Wait…” Garrett said. “You think your son was murdered, instead of succumbing to his injuries in the accident.”

“I’m certain of it. I’m even more certain that Simon is the prime suspect.”

There were no reasons for Garrett not to believe the man. The old guy had nothing left to lose, except his life. From the looks of it, he was barely hanging on. Alejandro and the third shifter had to roll him in here in a wheelchair.

“The cause of death was registered as blunt force trauma from being hit by a car—a rather large one—maybe even a truck. My son never even had a chance to fight for his life. He was struck while he was traveling across town in wolf form. He must’ve died instantly, because he never shifted back. If one of our Pack members hadn’t driven by the accident site when he did, the County Road Commission would have had him scraped off the highway and disposed of like road kill.”

“And what about what’s left of your council and the rest of your leaders? Have they tried to take Simon down with whatever resources you have remaining?” Garrett asked.

“The one’s who care have tried. Alejandro and Theo are the only ones I trust completely now,” Benjamin Sr. exclaimed, gesturing to the two men to the left and right of him. “Not that I don’t hold respect for the others, but it’s best to keep my plans unknown until I know for sure who has sided with Simon.”

“Your plans?”

“Our Pack has been declining in numbers for the past few years. If something isn’t done, not only will we have to disband, but we’ll also lose what little resources we have, and that includes real estate. I don’t have any sons left and I’m the only male left of my bloodline. At this age, I’m not interested in another mating and I can’t produce more pups.”

“Who’s the next in line for the Alpha position outside of your bloodline…and not including Simon?”

A hush fell over the group, and Garrett’s inquiry lingered in the air.

“No one?” Garrett asked.

“There are a couple others who haven’t expressed any remote interest,” Benjamin Sr. replied. “Alejandro has been our Enforcer for ten years now and doesn’t fancy breaking family tradition. His younger son is next in line. We weren’t planning on there being two suspicious deaths of the only two males groomed to take the Alpha position over the next two decades. My nephew Roger died in a construction accident last year. And now my only son is dead. Our Pack is small. We’re just shy of two hundred wolves.”

“Then you’d rather risk your Pack disbanding than placing an interim Alpha in the position?”

“That’s why we’re asking your Pack for help. We want to enact a union. Just like my son and I planned before he died. That hasn’t changed, but we can’t do this if we can’t keep Simon from bidding for the position.”

Garrett and his men looked back and forth between each other.

“As you know, this isn’t the first time a union between our Packs have been entertained,” Benjamin Sr. said. “Your late father offered us the chance to join forces about five years ago when things started going south for us. I didn’t take him up on the offer because I thought my son could turn the Pack around. I never said anything, but I forced the position on him because I believed in him. When my son failed, we started losing members. Now my son is dead and Simon—who has become a spearhead in leading the Pack down this backward path while under my son’s leadership—has made it clear that he wants us under his complete control. This isn’t about keeping the Alpha title close to home; this is about protecting our kind. The union would have ensured that. I see that now. And I didn’t take his offer when I had the chance.”

“I remember when my dad told us about his plans,” Garrett said. “He was really counting on a union like that to build wealth for both Packs and to form a stronger alliance for putting up with any foe, human or otherwise. We’re neighboring Packs, so it would’ve worked in our best interests. That’s the extent of my knowledge. But then, I wasn’t being paid to play nice with other Packs or anyone else. I’m an outlaw and my loyalty has always been with Aspen Valley. As Alpha, playing nice and offering unions was my dad’s prerogative and now it’s my brother Dane’s responsibility. I’m not sure Dane will be so forgiving of you turning down the offer the first time or picking up where you last Alpha failed.”

Garrett hated being so blunt to the old man, but it was the truth.

Benjamin Sr. shook his head in disappointment. “That would be unfortunate for us. If Simon steps up, he’ll never agree to a union like that. More than likely, he’ll cause issues for your Pack down the road just like he tried to convince my son to raid another neighboring Pack for their land.”

“I seriously doubt he’ll be causing any issues for us. We protect our borders with deadly force,” Garrett warned. “Turning Simon over to you is no problem. I’ve have handled situations more difficult than this. What makes it especially easy is that it doesn’t appear that Simon will run away. He wants this Pack, which means he won’t go very far,” Garrett said. “Your issue is convincing Dane to accept that offer you’re talking about once again.”

“I’m prepared to offer more than I did last time,” Benjamin Sr. replied. “I understand that real estate is something you have less of down in Tellevue County. I know how important land is when it comes to us wolves who like to roam free and in our natural habitats.”

“I can’t speak for my brother,” he said.

Yet, Garrett knew the old man spoke the absolute truth. Aspen Valley Pack had the numbers, but they were weak in the area of working capital and land. It wasn’t in Garrett’s place to reveal that information either.

“Then you can get word to him? About our intentions once we get rid of Simon?” the old man asked eagerly.

“I will, but how long will it take you to have a Pack that is free and clear of a leader who’d be opposed to this type of union?” Garrett asked.

“That’s where I knew you might come in handy.”

“Right. The research.” Garrett cast a knowing look at Alejandro, and then folded his arms across his chest. “Seems like you’ve been planning a lot lately.”

“I’ve also been saving a lot.” Benjamin Sr. pulled out a suitcase and revealed wads of cash inside. “I need Simon captured, immobilized, and brought to me. Preferably alive, not dead.”

“I’m not a wolf slayer if I don’t have to be,” Garrett said. “I don’t end lives unless my life or the lives of any of my Pack members are in jeopardy. Just so you understand that up front. Sometimes potential clients misunderstand my intentions.”

“I’m not in search of slayer. I want Simon to suffer before he perishes, and that’ll be up to me. I have a connection out west that tells me what your normal rates are, and I’ve doubled it. It’s all in the suitcase. All up front. What say you? Or do I need to find another outlaw willing to do the job. I heard your brothers are in the same profession.”

“You can consider it a done deal.”

In under a minute, the old man sent Alejandro across the room with the suitcase.

“I never fail an assignment, so it looks like you’ll be killing two birds with one stone,” Garrett said. “I’ll get rid of Simon and you’ll have a Pack free and clear of any Alpha to bargain with my brother.”

“Let’s hope that your brother accepts.”

“I’ll tell you one thing, you’ll have to bring more than money to the table.”

Benjamin Sr. nodded. “I’ve heard the rumors that your family is well off, but hides it well.”

“Then you know we mean business. Give me at least a week at the most,” Garrett said, turning with the suitcase in his hand. “I’ll give Dane a heads up in the meantime.”

“
Y
ou’re leaving
out on the next bus out of that town, right? You better be…” Hope’s voice sounded frantic on the other side of the line as she tried to convince Autumn to leave right away.

“Not now…soon,” Autumn replied, stuffing handfuls of toiletries into a pink duffle bag and then rushed over to her closet. “He thinks I’m going to cooperate with him. If I can get over to the tavern and out before he realizes that Melisandra left town he won’t notice anything. I told him to stay out of my hair for twenty-four hours, but I’m not waiting around that long.”

“I can’t believe you’re going back to the tavern!”

Autumn sighed. “Honestly, you don’t know how relieved I am to find out that you and Melisandra are out of Cross City, but I have to go back. All of dad’s legal documents are in the safe. Even the check we just got from that life insurance policy he had is still there.”

“So leave them…what more can we do? Dad is dead,” Hope exclaimed.

“The old deed to the property is in there too. The one from before he made that deal with the Montagues. Maybe there’s something in there that can help us get the tavern back or, better yet, get me out of this mess. I can’t marry Simon. I can’t look at that bum ass bastard for a year. Not even six weeks.”

“Well don’t! Just get on the bus and come stay with Melisandra and I in Montana. We’ll live off of what Melisandra managed to take from the cash vaults and then save up enough to build another restaurant like we planned. We did it once before with dad and we’ll do it again.”

“In three hours, I’ll be on the bus. I promise. It’ll only take me fifteen minutes to pretend I’m clocking in to work. I’ll empty the safe and then head out of there.”

“I couldn’t forgive myself if I knew you were stuck in a marriage with that scumbag while I lived it up at college.”

“About your education…?”

“Don’t. I’ll find another college to go to. There are plenty of community colleges out in Montana.”

“But your scholarship—”

“Never mind the scholarship. What about your freedom? Your freedom and safety are worth more than a five thousand dollar scholarship. The Alpha is dead and Simon is the most unfit Beta to date and he’s only pulling the Pack down with him into a sinkhole. I can’t see how all those wolves deal with him. Melisandra says the worst is yet to come. It’s best we get out while we can. Melisandra is willing to be a lone wolf without a Pack for a little bit if need be.”

Although Melisandra was their stepmother through a mating with their dad, Autumn still respected her. The woman had taken care of their dad when he was going through some really rough times with losing a wife to an accident and with his health. They had all grown close over the years, especially after Autumn realized how much Melisandra loved her dad.

Autumn frowned. “I wish things had been different for us. I don’t think dad had any idea what he signed up for when he made that business deal with the Montagues. I think the only thing he was really concerned about was keeping the tavern operating on a day to day basis.”

“Yeah, well, he didn’t count on Simon growing up to be an asshole either. What’s done is done. Do what you have to do and call me as soon as you leave the tavern, okay? I want to know as soon as you get on that bus.”

“I will. Love you, sis.”

“Love you, Autumn. See you in Montana.”

G
arrett should’ve known better
than to visit the small tavern again where he had first seen the Beta of the Cross City Wolf Pack, but neither he nor Benjamin Sr. had any time to waste. He’d have to confront Simon Montague sooner, rather than later. There was still a chance that Simon could suspect something or catch wind that Garrett was after him and flee. It was too bad that Garrett didn’t catch the Beta’s scent the first night he saw the guy at the tavern. An advantage to having so many bodyguards around him was masking his scent. All he had to do was lure Simon away from his gang. And then if that failed, he’d have to confront him
and
his gang.

More than half of Simon's Pack wanted him gone for good, so Garrett wondered why the guy wanted to claim the Alpha position in the first place. Then again, more than half f the Cross City Wolf Pack had left already following the news of their Alpha’s death and the threat of disbandment. There was hardly anything left of them, besides their capital…and the land.

This time Garrett took a seat at the bar and ordered a beer. Joshua, a guy from his crew, was right behind him. He sat off in the far right corner of the tavern. He served as backup just in case Garrett got himself into too much trouble. Actually—and eventually—Garrett would find himself in trouble. That’s what he was being paid for.

The tavern door opened again bringing in a gust of fresh air with it. It had rained just over an hour ago, so the wind carried a humid, but strong acidic smell to it. Just enough to mask hardly anyone’s scent. Whoever entered the tavern didn’t make much noise or garner any attention. He wanted to look up, but to prevent blowing his cover, he remained seated at the bar and diverted his attention down to his smartphone. Joshua had a better view of the door anyway.

Garrett sent him a text message:
You see anything?

Just moments after the door slapped closed, he got an alert on his phone:
The city bus just dropped off two people. Women. The other went around the back. Still no sign of the Beta or his gang.

Garrett huffed and then took another swig of his bear. He’d give it another half hour or so, but if the Beta didn’t show he’d have to go wolf hunting on private property.

As he placed his beer bottle back down on the coaster, he caught a strong wisp of a woman’s scent. Not of acidic rain, food, or wolves, but of a very delectable human woman. She smelled of nutmeg and cinnamon. All the things that reminded him of the love of family and togetherness.

Her scent had him rooted to the booth seat. Before he could turn around to get a full view of her, she whipped right past the bar and rushed down a narrow hallway leading to the back rooms. But there was one feature that he didn’t miss. The women had a full head of dark mahogany-colored hair. She was the same woman from the day before. Even her flawless skin reminded him of cinnamon.

She looked behind her one time with the same fear in her demeanor she had had when he’d last seen her. As if someone was after her…

Garrett’s wolf reared up as her scent engulfed him. His ears perked up, his mouth watered, and the hair on the back of his neck stood on end. All those sensations came at him full force, causing his libido to go into overdrive and taunting his wolf. Her scent wasn’t one he’d come across before, but for some reason his wolf side seemed almost too aggressive about going after her. He reined back his yearning for her, but if he were in true form, there would’ve been no stopping his wolf. Even now, while he was in human form, he had a hard time fully suppressing the urges of the wolf.

“Dammit,” Garrett muttered.

He pulled out his wallet, took out some money, and thrust a few bills on the countertop. After texting a message to Joshua that he was following a lead to the back, he got up and slipped through the crowds in the direction of the hallway.

He found her easily. All he had to do was follow her signature aura all the way to a door clearly marked “Management”. The sign was nailed on the door and engraved in big, bold, black letters.

She could have very well been a manager at the tavern, but why did she appear to look around so cautiously when she walked right past him to get here. No one had stopped her on the way down here, so maybe she wasn’t really in violation of entering the management offices without permission. Then again, no one had stopped him either. The security in this place was lax, probably even non-existence. But what did he expect? This wasn’t the nightclub that he was used to back home. As far as Garrett could tell, the patrons weren’t as rowdy as he’d often witnessed at LIVE.

The door was closed, but when Garrett pressed his ear to the wood, he sensed someone moving around inside, talking on a phone. He couldn’t make out the words. Her voice was low and muffled.

After a quick glance in both directions down the hall to make sure he wasn’t being watched, he grasped the doorknob and turned it slowly. He thought the suppressed sound of the door separating from the frame would’ve blown his cover sooner than he wanted, but the woman was knelt on the floor in front of a safe jamming documents into an oversized handbag.

Garrett cleared his throat and the woman immediately rose up to her feet. She spun around slowly and eyed him with a deer caught in the headlights stare.

“Who are you?” she asked. “What are you doing in here?”

“I thought I’d come ask you the same question,” he said.

Her gaze narrowed as she sized him up. “You’re a shifter,” she said.

He nodded once.

She snatched up her handbag and took a step back. “If you’ve come to take me to Simon, I’m not going. I told him to give me until tonight. I still have several hours left.”

“I don’t work for Simon,” Garrett said, his gaze falling on the empty safe on the floor beside her. “You’ve just about emptied the whole damn safe out, haven’t you?”

“The safe is mine. I can do whatever the hell I want with it.” She swept her gaze swept over him and then her focus dropped to his bare arms. “You’re not a Cross City wolf. You wear the mark of a different wolf pack. Who are you?”

Not many humans understood wolf pack dynamics, so for her to look for and identify his pack’s insignia both surprised and alarmed him.

“Garrett.”

“Garrett who?”

“Garrett, the wolf who caught you red-handed,” he replied.

She swallowed visibly. “You don’t work here either. I can just as well have you arrested for breaking and entering.”

Garrett turned slightly and pointed to the door. “Sign says management. I came to see the manager.”

“Well, you won’t find him here.”

“Him?”

“Look, I don’t know what you want but I really don’t have time to make small talk with you,” she said, slipping the straps of the handbag onto her shoulder.

“Not even ten minutes?” he asked.

“I don’t even have ten minutes,” she said, maneuvering around a desk in an attempt to circumvent him.

“Who are you running from?” he asked.

The question got her attention and she stopped mid-stride. She didn’t answer.

“I saw you with the Cross City Beta the other night,” he continued.

She flinched. “You did…?”

Garrett thought back to that night when she had been cornered by the jerk. He had a feeling that when he caught up to Simon again, he’d have a hard time convincing himself not to lay hands on him. And not in a good way. But his job was to hand the man over to be dealt with by someone else—not kill him.

“When did you see me with him?” she asked.

“Just the other night. You were about to leave, and then he had you cornered.”

He hated that he was making her uncomfortable, but for some reason he didn’t want to let her out of his sight. His instincts—both human and wolf—told him that she needed help and that she was scared. He wanted to help her. Not because she obviously had connections to the man he was hunting down, but because he felt propelled to do so.

She walked briskly toward him, but the room was so small she had no choice but to come near him.

“Answer me. Are you running from him?”

“I don’t know you, so I can’t trust you,” she said. “My cab is on the way. I have to go.”

“I can help you,” he offered.

“Why would a guy like you want to help me?” she asked. Her tone came across as bitter, but she had every right to question him. He was a stranger, after all.

“Because no woman should feel afraid…the way you feel.”

“How do you know I’m afraid?”

“I’m a wolf. I don’t see anyone else in the room giving off such a strong emotion.”

She shook her head. “You can’t help me. You don’t even know me. And…Simon's dangerous.”

“So am I.”

“I don’t have anything to offer you.”

“You might be surprised what you can offer me in return,” he replied.

“I don’t have money,” she mumbled.

“I don’t want your money.”

“Then what do you want?”

“Information…”

“Information?”

“About Simon—the Cross City Beta.”

“You’re insane.”

She rushed passed him.

He caught her gently about the arm.

“Wait—”

“Didn’t you hear what I just said? Simon is a very dangerous man. Here’s some
free
information: Stay far away from him and far away from Cross City. Go back to your Pack or wherever you came from.”

She yanked the door open and fled out of it.

Garrett frowned, biting at the inside of his lip as he processed the information. Her warning was clear and he already had concrete evidence that the woman had every right to run. Before he risked being caught in a place where he wasn’t allowed, he exited the small office and headed back down the hallway. By the time he got back to the bar, the woman had already exited the building.

Joshua was still seated at the same table with a bowl of French fries and a beer in front of him.

Garrett’s phone alerted him that he had a text message from Joshua:
Got anything?

He dialed Joshua’s phone instead of texting. “The woman that just left…did you see her?” He tried to keep his voice down.

“What woman?”

“The pretty brunette.”

“The one that walked in here about fifteen minutes ago? No. I’ve been watching the door since you walked to the back. No women have come and gone since then.”

Garrett glanced around. “Well, she’s not here, but said she was leaving.”

“Does she have information?”

“Maybe…”

“Hold on…I think something’s happening outside…”

Garrett directed his gaze in Joshua’s direction just as the man parted the window blinds and peered outside. He then rose from the table with a wide-eyed stare in Garrett’s direction.

“What’s the issue?” Garrett spoke anxiously into the phone.

“I think we’ve got a strong lead to Simon outside. A few of his men from the other night just showed up.”

Both men got up and headed toward the door.

Sure enough, a yellow cab was surrounded by two pickup trucks in the parking lot. Three men that had already been identified as having an affiliation to Simon yanked the driver’s side door to the cab opened and jerked the driver out of it. He landed on the hard, dusty pavement and held up his hands in instant surrender. The woman inside—the same one who’d emptied the safe—put up more of a fight. It took Garrett only a split second to realize that the men were trying to kidnap her.

“Let’s get ready,” Joshua said. “You said the woman had connections to Simon? They’ll led us to him.”

“No,” Garrett said. “We’re not using her as bait. They’re not taking her anywhere.”

“Fuck…” Joshua mumbled under his breath. “You don’t mean to save her…? Ah Fuck.”

Before Joshua could utter another word, Garrett propelled himself toward the men struggling to apprehend the woman. She kicked and screamed and caused so much commotion that other customers started flowing out of the bar. No one intervened. They just looked on at the altercation like they were viewing the aftermaths of a train wreck, just like the night before. What was wrong with these people? Didn’t they help their fellow neighbors?

“Move. Step aside,” one of the men said once Garrett blocked their path. He uttered something else in his thick, Russian accent and spat on the ground.

“Let her go,” Garrett said.

“Are you dense in the head?” he continued. “I said step aside…wolf.”

“And I said let the woman go. Or there will be problems.”

The Russian wolf laughed. “Don’t you see you’re outnumbered?”

The woman screamed again as the two men nudged her closer to their trucks.

“Depends on how you look at it,” Garrett replied. “Only weak wolves prey on human women.”

The Russian produced a short blade and stood his ground. “I’m only doing my job and the only thing standing in the way of me collecting my check is you.”

“Then you and I have something in common. You can hand her over willingly or we can demonstration for the people here just how weak you are.”

A second knife dropped from the Russian’s sleeve into his palm. “We’ll see.”

“Garrett…” Joshua warned behind him.

“Leave,” Garrett said between clenched teeth. “I’ve got this. Inform the others. Meet me back at the hotel.”

“Garr—”

Garrett growled. “Now! Go! That’s an order.”

Right after Joshua took off on his bike, the Russian charged him with the knife. All hell broke loose from there as Garrett and the Russian squared off. Some of the guests in the tavern came outside to view the fight, forming a small circle around them on the lot. It wasn’t uncommon for two wolf shifters to square off. People were less likely to intervene or call for help when it came to wolves. They fought all the time. It was part of their rituals. It was unlikely that anybody would be calling the human authorities to an establishment like this.

As he wrestled with the Russian on the ground, dirt and debris flew up his nose and got into his mouth. The knife had slashed him a few times already, but the Russian never had a chance to go deep enough to cut through to the flesh. Garrett kicked the Russian across the face while he was doubled over, spitting blood on the ground. The force sent him about three feet across the lot.