Alphas on the Prowl (31 page)

“I’m sorry, please forgive the intrusion, GrandAlpha, but this is urgent!”

Gabe looked up at the man with a frown. “What is it, Donovan?”

“Mason.”

A cold chill ran up Sarah’s spine, and if any of the men had been paying attention they would have seen all the color drain from her face.

Gabe’s frown deepened as he looked up at Donovan from his sitting position. “
Zach
Mason?”

“In the flesh, Sir. He was spotted entering Lunar Falls pack territory just a few moments ago. I’ve got men tracking him now. He was last seen on the other side of the falls.”

Gabe couldn’t believe what he was hearing, and in incredulous smile kissed his lips. “Well, he’s either got a death wish or one massive set of balls coming back here.”

He got to his feet and looked down at his cousin. “Sarah, I’m sorry. Don’t leave because I do want to finish this conversation. But right now, I’ve got something important to take care of.”

“Why don’t you go up to the main house, Sarah,” Seth instructed, getting to his feet. “Visit with Carly and Grandfather. We’ll be back in a flash.”

The three men rushed out, leaving Sarah sitting frozen to her seat, paralyzed by fear. What was Zach doing here in Lunar Falls? Why was he putting himself in such danger? Gabe would surely kill him if he got the chance, and she knew that she couldn’t just sit here and let it happen.

Propelled by the terrifying thought that she could lose him, she stood up and rushed to the door of the lodge. She ran out just in time to see Gabe, Seth and a couple of others shift into wolf form and tear off into the woods at super speed. Without a moment to waste, she shifted herself and then took off after them, frantically needing to get to Zach before they did.

Chapter Seven

They raced through the woods like the wind, their Moon Hunter speed and agility carrying them through the brush like streaks of light. Their paws striking the forest floor sounded like a stampede of wild horses, and Gabe could feel the adrenaline and the rage coursing through him. He couldn’t believe that Zach Mason actually had the audacity to betray his orders and show up back in his territory. He knew that he should have taken care of this problem long ago, but that was okay. Better late than never.

He spotted the lone wolf up ahead a few yards, and Gabe’s super speed kicked into high gear as he zeroed in on his target. His ears flattened out, pinned against his head as he leaped through the air. A growl emanated from his throat as he slammed into the wolf with unbelievable force.

Zach let out a high-pitched yelp with the impact. Dirt rose all around them as he and Gabe wrestled on the ground, and suddenly he was flying backward with another aching blow to his side. He slammed into a tree, landing a few feet away and assumed a submissive pose on his back as the huge black wolf loomed over him, and three others appeared around him. He shifted into human form as he looked up at Gabe — a gesture that signified his surrender.

Gabe shifted back into human form, but his arms and hands were still partially shifted as he reached down and grabbed Zach by the neck and pulled him to his feet. Zach could feel the razor-sharp claws sinking into his flesh as he endeavored to pull air into his lungs.

“I thought I made myself crystal clear the last time I saw you, Mason.” Gabe’s voice was much more of a growl than it was actual human speech. “You leave me no choice but to assume you want to die. Why else would you have come back here?”

Zach still struggled to breathe with Gabe’s huge hand threatening to crush his windpipe. But he could still speak telepathically.
“I can’t live with what I’ve done. I don’t want to be a source of shame to my mate.”

“Your what? What mate?” Gabe looked at him as if he didn’t believe a word Zach was saying. “You know what, doesn’t matter. You came back to die? I can grant you that wish!”

He tightened his grip around Zach’s neck, preparing to snap it.

“No!”

The word reverberated all around them, both verbally and telepathically as Sarah finally caught up to them, shifting into human form as she came to a stop in front of them.

“Gabe, don’t!” she screamed.

“Sarah, what are you doing here? You should be with your mother!”
Zach thought at her.

“Sarah, this doesn’t concern you! Go back to the lodge and wait for us there,” Seth said, pointing in the direction she had come.

“Gabe, please don’t do this,” she cried, ignoring her brother’s orders. “Please. He’s my mate!”

Gabe, Seth and the others all froze and stared at her.

“What did you say?” Seth glared at her, sounding every bit as disgusted as he looked.

“You heard me,” she screamed, shooting a tearful glance at him before she looked back and Zach and Gabe. “Gabe, please, don’t do this. Zach, why would you come here? Why did you do this?”

“Don’t listen to her, GrandAlpha,”
Zach thought, looking from Sarah to Gabe.
“Just do it. Just get it over with. Please. She can’t live in exile with me. She doesn’t deserve that.”

“Zach, what are you saying? I want to be with you; wherever you are. I don’t care where that is. Please don’t do this!” The tears streamed down her beautiful face unchecked as she cried uncontrollably.

Gabe tore his horrified gaze away from Sarah and looked at the man he still held by the throat.

“Why is it that you keep getting women to plead for your life, Mason?” he growled. Then he turned back to his cousin. “Sarah, I am so sorry for all you’ve been through the past couple of years. I really am. But it appears we have a problem, because the last time I saw Zach Mason he was conspiring with your father to kill me. They kidnapped my mate! The only reason I spared his life back then was because Carly begged me to. And now you’re asking me to spare his worthless life a second time just because you had the misfortune to bond with him? Give me one good reason why that should matter to me, Sarah!”

“Because I’m pregnant!” she screamed. The chirping birds sounded odd in the ensuing awkward silence. Then she fell to her knees in front of them, looking up at Gabe with imploring eyes. “Please, Gabe, don’t do this. I’m begging you. Please don’t take my mate away from me! I’ll do anything. We’ll leave here and never come back, I promise. Just don’t do this.”

Zach felt Gabe’s hand tighten around his throat as the man’s deep agitated growl rumbled in his ear. He gurgled as he struggled to breathe.

Gabe pulled Zach in just a hair, getting close to his ear.

“You listen to me. You may have bonded with my cousin, but you will never be my family. You will never be part of my pack again. Do you understand me?”

Zach nodded his head.

“For her sake, you are free to live in the Moon Hunter territory of your choosing. Join their pack if they will have you. But you will never hold another Enforcer position, a council position, or an Alpha position. When I come to whatever pack territory you have chosen, for whatever reason, you will leave until I am gone. Sarah is free and welcome to come and go from Lunar Falls as she chooses to visit her family. But you will stay the hell out of my town, because if I ever lay my eyes on you again, I. Will. Kill you. Do you understand what I have said?”

Again, Zach nodded.

Gabe turned to Sarah. “Do you understand what I have said?”

“Yes,” she answered, wiping her tears as they continued to fall. It wasn’t the ideal situation she’d been hoping for, but it was something. They wouldn’t be able to live in Lunar Falls with their families, but at least they could still be in Moon Hunter territory, just an hour or two away, depending on which pack they chose. Close enough that she could visit often.

Gabe let go of Zach then, dropping him to the ground, and Sarah rushed to him. She took his handsome face in both her hands, peppering him with kisses as they cooed telepathically to one another. She ran her fingers over the deep gashes in his neck left by Gabe’s claws as the wounds slowly healed themselves and closed up. Then she leaned in to kiss them. Zach took her into his arms and held her tight.

“I can’t believe what you were about to do,”
Sarah thought.

“I would do anything for you, Sarah. You deserve better than me,”
Zach replied.

Gabe watched the scene with so many conflicting emotions. Everyone had been so worried about Sarah since she ran off — not just her mom and her brother, but their grandfather, and the rest of their extended family as well. They all wanted her back home where she belonged.

He smirked as he thought about the fact that all of his enemies had been defeated now — all except for this one. And he wondered what kind of karma it was that would bring Sarah back home bound and mated to the one man he had shown mercy in battle. The one man whose life he had already spared once, against his better judgment. And now again for a second time. He clenched his jaw tight as he watched the two of them. He knew that Carly would tell him he had done the right thing by Sarah in showing her mate mercy, but he wasn’t at all certain how he felt about it. He couldn’t afford for this act of mercy to be construed as weakness. He turned to walk away, ready to shift and go back to the house.

“Gabe?”

He turned around to see Sarah rushing toward him, and she threw herself into his arms.

“Thank you,”
she thought.
“Thank you so much! You don’t know what this means to him.”

Gabe closed his arms around her.
“I didn’t do this for him, Sarah. I did it for you.”

“I know that, and I am so grateful. Thank you!

Gabe pulled away and looked down at her, lifting her chin so he could look into her eyes.
“How is he treating you?”
he thought, continuing their private telepathic conversation.

Sarah smiled through her tears.
“Like a goddess. I know you won’t believe this, but he is such a good man, Gabe. He loves me, and he takes care of me. He would never tell you this, but he hates himself for what he did to you. He hates that he betrayed you.”

Gabe just stared at her for a moment, and then he glanced over at Zach. He looked back at Sarah and placed a hand on her cheek.

“You let me know which territory you two choose, and I’ll see to it that their pack accepts you both with open arms. Welcome home, Sarah. And congratulations on the baby.”

“Thank you, Gabe.”

He looked over at Zach. “I’m giving you a twenty-four hour pass, Mason.” There was a steely edge to Gabe’s voice, but the rage had clearly gone out of him now. “Visit your family. Take care of whatever business you have here, and then get out of my town.”

“Thank you, GrandAlpha,” Zach said. “I appreciate the time. I’d like to see my folks.”

Gabe didn’t respond, but he turned back to Sarah and kissed her on the cheek. Then he shifted into wolf form and ran off into the woods toward home.

Sarah watched him go, and then she rushed back to her mate’s side. “Where should we go first?” she asked, smiling at him.

“Go see Mom,” Seth said.

“He’s right. You should go see your mom,” Zach agreed.

“Well, how about we call my mom and have her meet us at your parent’s place?” She was so happy, she was practically gushing. She turned to Seth and giggled. “Call Sophie and have her bring that nephew of mine. We’ll make it a celebration!”

“How about we do this in baby steps, sugar?” Zach said, pulling her close. “We have a whole twenty-four hours before I have to leave Lunar Falls. Go spend a little time with your mom, and I’ll meet you there in a few hours after I’ve seen my folks.”

“All right.” She agreed with a reluctant smile as she hugged him.

“Come on. I’ll walk with you back to the car.” He pulled her close again as they started to leave.

“Mason!”

They both turned to Seth.

“You remember that Gabe is not your only problem,” he said, looking Zach in the eyes. “Because if you ever hurt my sister in any way, I will kill you myself.”

“You don’t have to worry about that, Seth,” Zach said. Then he turned to look at his beautiful mate. Sarah smiled at him. “You don’t ever have to worry about that.”

The End.

Exiled: A Lunar Falls Novella is a short story based on characters from the

Lunar Falls Trilogy by Lashell Collins.

You can find book one of that trilogy, Secrets of Lunar Falls,
right here
.

And you can connect with Lashell Collins in the following ways:

Website

Facebook

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By Bethany Shaw

Chapter One

The spicy cologne of a male wolf permeated the air, causing Marcia to come to a jarring halt. Already in her wolf form, she perked her ears up. Footsteps thudded across the earth about a mile behind her, and if they stayed the course, they’d run right into her. A tremor of fear rippled over her, and the hackles on her back rose. Why was another wolf here?

In the time she’d lived in the city, she’d yet to come across another wolf. Who was the mysterious animal? Not many wolves were crazy enough to live close to a bustling metropolis. New York City was full of humans and prying eyes. But Marcia knew her way around, and there were safe places to shift and stretch her legs.

Apparently another wolf thought the same thing. She chuffed as she wiggled her ears. Her wolf yearned to seek out the other werewolf, but the human, and thankfully the mind in control, told her to hightail it to safety. Until she knew if the wolf was friend or foe, erring on the side of caution was her best bet. Still, the wolf’s aroma was intoxicating. She inhaled again, breathing in the tantalizing air.

Desire quaked through her.
Yum. He smells delicious. What?
Get yourself together. Run. She gritted her canines and narrowed her eyes, taking in her surroundings. Nothing, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t there. At least in her wolf form, she was prepared for a fight if need be.

Lunging forward, she sprinted through the woods, putting distance between her and the unknown wolf.

The night air was cool from the recent rain, filling the sky with a dewy wet moss aroma. Small animals scuttled throughout the woods. Hopefully between the rain and the wildlife she would be harder to track. Too bad her run had been interrupted. The weather was perfect.
You can run again later, get out of the area before the wolf gets wind of your scent.

The wolf’s perfume was unfamiliar, but being a wolf on the run, she had to be cautious. Her pack was looking for her, and if they found her, she would be drug back and punished. She shuddered, spurring her wolf to sprint faster. Capture was not an option.

Marcia charged ahead, darting through a clearing and under a low bridge right outside of Central Park. She shook out her long white coat and closed her eyes, preparing for her change.

She grunted as she dropped to her belly, her limbs snapped and jolted as they realigned themselves. The shift
was
always a pleasure pain, a beautiful agony. One she enjoyed. Gasping, she opened her eyes, fully changed. Marcia pushed to her knees and gathered her clothes from the ground. Quickly she dressed and ran a hand through her snarled blonde hair. Satisfied she
was
decent, she ambled up the path from the bridge and began to jog on the sidewalk.

Inhaling
sharply, she tested the surrounding air. Damn it the wolf
was
closing in on her.
He’s following me.
She grumbled under her breath.
I have to get out of here. I can’t risk being found.

Marcia began a steady, but grueling pace, making a beeline directly for the street.
Hail a cab and get a ride home
. Finding her would be harder once her scent was gone. She let out a relieved breath as she pushed up a hill and fled out of the park.

Frantically waving her arms, she called to an approaching cab at the end of the street. The driver slowed and pulled to the curb, coming to a stop in front of her.

Prying the door open, she hopped in. “The Grand Central Apartments on Fourth please,” she rattled off, tugging the door shut. She peered out the window as the cab eased off the curb. No one was in sight. Good.

Marcia let out a shaky breath as she twirled a long blonde lock around her pointer finger. Why was another wolf in the city? Were they here for her? Of course. What reason would a wolf have to come to the big city?
You did it
, she reminded herself. She closed her eyes and sighed.
I need a plan.

Astrid. I need to talk to Astrid.
Her friend might have some insight. Astrid had fled the pack with her, neither woman keen to the life their alpha wished for them. Forced mating’s were barbaric, humiliating, and downright crude. She and Astrid were forever running.
I’d rather constantly watch my back than be raped repeatedly by the pack.

She tore through her tan bag and pulled out her sleek black iPhone. Her fingers skimmed quickly over the touchscreen as she typed her message.

There is a wolf in the city. Have you heard anything?
– Marcia

She tapped her fingers on the screen as she worried her bottom lip. It could be a minute or an hour before her friend replied back.
Please don’t let it take forever.

Her phone chimed, vibrating in her hands.
Thank God.

Kendrick hasn’t heard anything, but his contact in the pack has been quiet recently.
– Astrid

Great.
Astrid’s mate was the alpha’s brother. He had limited connections with the pack at times because of his status, but he didn’t always get the best information

Did something happen? Are you all right? We’ll come get you.
– Astrid

Marcia grinned at her friend’s thoughtfulness. Astrid was safe—for now. There was no point putting her in danger too. Besides, finding her in the city would be difficult for a wolf, even one that knew how to track well. There were many smells and people. It’s not time to panic—yet. The optimist in her liked to think the wolf was passing through. Please let that be what it is.

I’m okay. Stay put. I didn’t recognize the scent.
– Marcia

Her phone buzzed.

If you’re sure. Unfamiliar scent doesn’t mean anything. Killian sent someone new after Kendrick and I in Tuscany. He went rogue and tried to kill me. Be careful and keep us posted. At the first sign of trouble call.
– Astrid

Marcia nodded even though her friend couldn’t see her.

I will.
– Marcia

Everything would be fine. New York was a bustling metropolis, and she knew her way around. If she caught the wolf’s scent again, she’d consider leaving.

***

Declan came to a halt as he reached the end of the trees. Damn she was gone. He didn’t know who the mystery female was, but he’d been compelled to follow her scent. Her perfume called to him. The urge to find her—to meet her was overwhelming.

She’s gone now. Her delicious aroma permeated the air, but he couldn’t venture after her in the middle of the park. Not in his wolf form. The last thing his kind needed was a wolf spotted in Central Park. Too bad he didn’t have clothes with him. He could follow her on foot.
I’ll find her again.
Her distinct lavender scent imbedded in his brain. He wouldn’t soon forget it.

A wolf chuffed behind him, and he turned, bowing his head to his brother and sister. The trio had been out for a run when he’d deviated from their formation. They no doubt had smelt the other wolf too. What did they think?

His brother tossed his head to the side, indicating the trees behind them. They should get out of sight. He bobbed his head up and down in understanding and trotted after his siblings as they made their way to their clothes.

Rhea, his sister parted to the right, and ducked behind a thick, round tree. Declan followed his brother, Bray into a clearing. Their clothes lay in neat piles in the leaves.

Declan turned his back to his brother, and closed his eyes, focusing on his human form. His bones popped and snapped as they twisted into place. Blinking, he stared down at the dead brown leaves littering the ground, giving himself a moment to adjust to his new form.

Bray’s body crackled loudly as he too finished his change. Declan stood up and walked to his clothes, dressing in silence.

“Who was she?” Rhea inquired.

“I’m not sure. I didn’t recognize the scent,” Declan admitted.

“Was it a good idea to chase her? It’s unlikely she is alone,” Rhea pointed out, wrapping her arms protectively around her belly. “We don’t want a run in with a jealous mate, or an alpha from another pack.” She shuddered, no doubt thinking of their alpha back home.

“If there are wolves in the city we need to find out. We should track her down,” Bray added.

“She’s alone,” Declan spoke up. He didn’t know how or why he was so certain, but instinct told him the beautiful wolf survived on her own. No alpha would allow a female to run solo. Female wolves were coveted, protected to the point that they were prisoners within their own packs.

“There are no packs in New York. They would never be able to keep our secret so close to so many people,” Declan assured
. I don’t want Rhea to worry.
His baby sister had enough problems without adding to them.

“A female wolf by herself?” Rhea whispered quietly. “Is that even possible?”

“We fled our pack to protect you. Is it so hard to believe she wouldn’t run to ensure her own freedom too?” Declan responded. 

“We should be cautious. Just in case,” Bray warned. “I want to track her down and ensure she’s by herself and isn’t working with, or a part of a pack. We’ve come too far to be captured.”

“I don’t want to scare her away,” Declan warned. “If she catches our scent, she’ll think we are after her.” Judging by her rapid departure, she’d caught wind of them already. If she weren’t already packing her bags to leave, she would be the next time they crossed paths.

But how will you find her if you don’t seek her out? Her sweet lavender perfume tickled his nose. It was intoxicating.
I have to find her.

“I’m not putting Rhea in danger,” Bray argued.

Declan growled low in his throat. Protecting Rhea was his first priority, but he needed to find the female wolf. The compulsion to do so was unnerving. The woman called to his wolf.

“If she’s not a threat, maybe she can help us,” Rhea spoke out loud. Declan turned to look at his sister. Rhea shrugged. “What? If she’s alone, she might like some company. Besides, it would be nice to have another female wolf around. You two are so moody sometimes.”

It’d be nice to have another wolf around. Especially
this
female. His cock stirred at the idea. A shudder rippled through his body and he closed his eyes.
I need to stay in control. Why am I having this reaction to her? I haven’t met her.

“We’ll search for her in the morning. Tonight, let’s find something to eat. I’m starved,” Bray commented, patting his belly.

Declan grinned as his stomach rumbled. Tomorrow he would find the mysterious woman.