Conquering Theana (20 page)

"Call
Walter and ask him," Rafael ordered Gregori. He then turned to Tim when
Gregori raced from the room. "Wake up the pack. We need to go hunting, and
the more wolves with her scent, the faster we will find her."

"I'm
on it," Tim answered, running out of the kitchen. Rafael heard Tim's howl
reverberating through the house, as Gregori came back into the kitchen his
frown answering Rafael's question.

"He
did," Gregori affirmed out loud.

"Dammit.
Walter should have told us," Rafael argued.

"Yes,
he should have, but he didn't think it would be an issue as Camden hadn't gone
after
Theana
when she'd left Seurri."

"His
wolf was probably triggered when we staked claim on her. His wolf was probably
more settled when no other wolf was sniffing around her. Wolves that were
stronger than his," Rafael said.

"You're
probably right. What a fucking mess. We need to get her back," Gregori
whimpered, resting his head on a granite countertop.

"Of
that you can be sure of. We will not leave her to him, and Camden will have to
be punished for what he did. I hear our wolves moving. Let's go into the main
room." Gregori nodded and followed Rafael into the front of the house. As
ordered, Rafael's wolves were in the room, in varying states of undress. Tim
must have told them some of what was going on, if the looks of anger and
surprise were anything to go by. Before Rafael could say a thing twenty males
stepped forward, already stripped of their clothing.

"We
will leave now to track what we can find, alpha. We will get
Theana
back. The women have already decided among them who
will stay behind to watch over the pups, and who will go to the other houses
and alert them of what has happened," Reese said. He was a wolf that
Rafael would have been sure may have been his beta had he never bonded and
befriended Gregori. The large man, dark haired and blue eyed, was massive. Even
larger than Rafael, Reese tended to be a loner, even among the pack. His sheer
size made him uncomfortable, at times, around the women of the pack. There were
rumors that he had a hard time with one of the women of the
Mingan
pack, and hadn't tried again to be with a woman. Rafael knew that he hadn't
hurt her, but whatever had occurred made Reese self-conscious of his size. At
this moment, though, Reese was the perfect wolf to send out on the initial
team.

"Godspeed, brother.
Do not engage, unless your alpha bitch is in
jeopardy. I will leave Tim here for you to report to and—"

"I
want to go, alpha," Tim interrupted, inclining his head respectfully when
Rafael looked at him. "She's my friend, and I should have gone to look for
her sooner. Maybe if I had I would have been able to stop what happened. I need
to go," Tim finished, his cheeks growing ruddy. Rafael sighed. He
understood where Tim was coming from, but if Camden had a mate claim on
Theana
he may very well fight to keep her, and so would the
wolves on his side. Rafael didn't want to see him get hurt.

"Tim,"
Rafael began.

"Alpha,"
Narina
called, stepping from the crowd. "Let him
go. He's one of the best trackers we have. If anyone can stay on
Theana's
trail, it's him. I'll send
Jace
to guard his back."
Jace
,
Narina's
nephew, stepped forward. Rafael had wondered why the wolf hadn't been in the
initial group of wolves that had stepped forward to search for
Theana
, but now he understood. Rafael believed that Tim had
talked to
Narina
, even before Rafael had entered the
room.
Jace
was a powerful wolf and Tim's teacher in
martial arts. If his focus was to back Tim, then Tim would be safe.

"So
be it. Lead the team with Reese," Rafael said then, and Reese smiled at
Tim, a rare occurrence.

"We
are going with them right?" Gregori asked.

"That
goes without saying," Rafael returned. "Get what wolves you can and
follow when your jobs are done. We are getting our alpha bitch back," Rafael
said, and shifted as his pack howled around him.

The
others followed, and Tim raced from the house, the rest of them close on his
heels. Rafael kept pace, his nose to the ground to pick up
Theana's
scent. Tim traced back to where he'd turned around and then slowed, his muzzle
swinging back and forth. He raced forward with a yip, and the wolves flanked
him. Rafael's heart pounded, each step, he knew, bringing him closer to his
mate. He would find her. He had to. His heart couldn't take the thought of her hurt,
or scared. He'd seen
Theana
angry, confused, soft,
pliable, filled with passion, but never fear. He didn't like the acrid taste of
it on his tongue. He never wanted her to feel such feelings again. His job was
to cherish her, protect her,
love
her. He
hadn't thought he could feel the emotion before he met her, but he knew it now.
The minute he'd realized she was
gone,
his heart had
contracted to painful proportions. He'd wanted her back, in his arms, safe, and
wanted to taste her. He wanted to make love to her, and show her with his body
what he felt for her. The wealth of his emotion swelled within him, and he
whimpered. Gregori brushed against him, soothing him. Brothers in the same
moment, two men that desperately loved the woman they'd taken for their mate.

Tim
broke through the clearing, and Rafael slammed to a halt. He could see the
signs of a struggle clearing in the mud, streaks of blood making him grow cold.
He sniffed around, taking in the scents of the traitors deep into his lungs. He
marked all of them for punishment as he searched for
Theana
.
Tim found her first, whimpering and lying down on the ground. Rafael streaked
to his side and saw the blood on the edge of the water, the lapping liquid
washing it away even as he watched. Rafael shifted.

"They
hurt her, but not enough to incapacitate her," he said through gritted
teeth. Tim and Gregori shifted as well.

"There
are footprints around her. The wolves shifted once they had her. I don't see
her prints, so she never shifted back.
My guess?
They
knocked her out," Tim said.

"Would
explain why I can't reach her," Gregori said.

"If
they knocked her out, then we only need to follow their path from here on out.
Do you see where they went Tim?" Rafael asked.

"They
traveled along the lake, in the water." Tim shifted and ran up the edge of
the lake, sniffing before he returned and shifted again.

"I
picked up a trail on the other side of the lake," Tim said then.

"That's
toward
Convel
lands. Would they be stupid enough to
go back there?" Reese asked then.

"It
would be the place they know best. With her knocked out and at this time of
night, they wouldn't come across too many who would bother them. It would make
sense," Gregori answered.

"His
funeral," Rafael stated, and shifted. The other wolves followed, and they
raced towards
Convel
lands on foot, with wings. Now
that they knew a destination they didn't stop to track. Tim kept signaling with
yips they were on the right track, but Rafael could feel it, deep inside, that
they were. Every pound of his paws made his heart race with the knowledge that
Theana
was getting closer. The terrain
shifted,
Convel's
point in Seurri designed like a military
installation. The main house was like a large air hanger, sectioned off with a
multitude of rooms for the trained male and few female wolves. Around that
large structure were smaller single family homes for the mated wolves. Patches
of open land with training equipment flashed passed Rafael's vision as he raced
for the main house. Some of the
Convel
clan exited
their homes when they heard the commotion. Rafael ignored them, knowing that
one of the females in his pack had probably begun alerting the pack to what had
happened. Some even shifted and joined in the run while others raced after them
in human form, yelling for the others to follow. Rafael was heartened, at
least, that these wolves stood behind him, and would stand beside him.

The
main house loomed before them before they finally slowed to a stop and shifted
one by one. In the darkness lit only by the moonlight, because they all had
exceptional sight, Rafael relaxed his muscles, prepared for what was to come.
Tim paced next to him, Gregori on the other side, and the others around them.

"Camden,"
Rafael roared over and over, until his voice was hoarse. If the bastard didn't
answer, then they would tear down his house, piece by piece, until they found
him. Glass shattering and bodies slamming into the walls greeted Rafael as the
main door swung open and Camden and five wolves, one severely wounded, tumbled
from the door.

"Traitors,"
Camden roared at the men who barred him from reentering the home.

"We
found your mate, alpha," Darin,
Convel
pack's
gamma, announced, tossing his long black hair over one shoulder, his green eyes
narrowing as he snarled at Camden. "I have Erin bringing her out now.
She's still in wolf form. The bastard must have slipped her something. She's
out cold."

Growls
peppered the air, Rafael's foremost as he stared at Camden. A woman emerged
from the house, and Camden went wild when he saw the wolf in her arms.

"
Theana
," Gregori whispered and rushed to Erin's side
to take
Theana
from her. Once Gregori had her Rafael
felt lifted, his soul free, but his anger spiraled to match. But before he
could move, Tim leapt forward.

"You
bastard," the pup roared, shifting in mid air.

His
slammed into Camden, moving faster than Rafael had ever seen. Camden was
surprised, sliding across the ground before he gained purchase. He roared as he
shifted and lunged at Tim. The pup may have lacked some brute strength, but he
was
Ulric
, and powerful and quick as lightning.
Rafael honored his choice and didn't stop the fight. He watched, proud, as Tim
bit at Camden, leapt back when Camden took a bite at him, and lunged forward.
Tim landed on Camden's back and sank his teeth into Camden's neck. Camden
howled
,
rolling on the ground with Tim latched on,
trying to dislodge him. Unable to, he slammed into the side of the house with a
sickening thud. Tim lost his hold and slid to the ground. Rafael prepared to
shift, when Tim rolled and then slid between Camden's legs in a move that
Rafael had never seen a wolf do. Tim was on his back, raking at Camden's
stomach and biting his legs. Camden fell, trying to protect his stomach, but
Tim was relentless. The wolves rolled, drawing blood, and wounding each other
until Tim landed on top and latched on to Camden's neck. He held firm as Camden
struggled and scratched him. He didn't even let go when Camden succeeded in
taking a chunk out of his shoulder.

Tim
shook his head, viciously, before Camden whimpered and went slack, his form
shaking like a rag doll. Tim shook harder, ripping flesh and sinew. Rafael
rushed to his side, not wanting the pup to kill Camden. He may have wanted him
dead, but he didn't want that on Tim's hands. The pup would never be the same,
if he killed a man. Rafael grabbed Tim by the scruff of his neck and pulled the
wolf toward him. Tim struggled to hold on to Camden.

"It's
okay, pup. You won. He can't hurt her anymore. You've done your clan proud.
It's
okay, son. You did it." With a whimper Tim
released Camden and shifted. Rafael pulled the bloodied boy into his arms and
hugged him.

"Couldn't
have done it better myself," Reese congratulated the boy, patting his
shoulder.

"Hot
damn, I taught you good,"
Jace
agreed, smiling.

"I
guess he's done with the house?" Gregori said, petting
Theana
and laughing.

"What?"
Tim asked, his expression confused.

"You
just beat an alpha, Tim. Don't you know what that means? Welcome to the big
leagues, my boy, you're one of us now," Rafael said, and laughed, lighter
than he'd been since the moment he'd realized that
Theana
was missing.

Chapter Fourteen

Tim
entered his room with the weight of the world on his shoulders. His life had
changed tenfold in a matter of days. It seemed like months ago he had been given
the tragic news that both of his parents had perished in a trip away from home.
He could not understand it at first, being that he was only a pup, but when he
realized that they were not returning, it became very evident that he was alone.
Just when he was reaching the limit of despair, wondering who would care for
him, provide for him, protect him, his alpha stepped in as a leader and
thereafter a father.

Being
groomed under any alpha was a great boon, but to have the lead alpha and beta
of an entire society personally sculpting you into a man was something that
many would kill for. Now things would change. He would need to take everything
that he was taught and bred to do and implement it in his own clan.
My own clan?
That was a bite he did not have the most
confidence to chew.