Finding Our Way (Werewolf Wars) (27 page)

“I can fight,” Daniel said. A part of him wanted to be with Nora—to ensure she was safe. The other wanted to fight with the pack.

“I know, but you are injured, and I already told you I don’t want to lose another brother. But should the fight come to them, I want to make sure that someone strong is there too,” Devon explained.

Daniel opened his mouth to argue, but thought better of it. Devon was trusting him and giving him a big responsibility. Plus he could make sure Nora was safe. “Okay,” he agreed.

“Thank you,” Devon said after a long moment.

***

N
ora shoved both plates of food along the buffet, taking care to scoop an extra helping onto Daniel’s plate. If she was starved, he had to be famished, she reasoned. The wolf already ate at least three times as much as she did.

She used the tongs and picked out a hamburger for her plate and got Daniel both a hotdog and hamburger. Two cans of coke plopped down next to her and she turned to see Daniel standing behind her.

“Everything okay?” she inquired, searching his face. She knew things were tense between the two brothers and hoped they hadn’t had a confrontation.

“It’s good,” he smiled.

Nora stared at him for a moment and sighed returning his smile. “I’m glad.”

“I’ll be with you tonight, watching your back,” he said, walking along the buffet with her.

“Good. I like knowing you are there. When are we leaving?

“I think right after dinner. Dev and Gene are going to address everyone once they get in here,” Daniel said.

Nora finished collecting their food and looked around the packed kitchen for a place to stand. There was a small space in the corner and she maneuvered through the crowd carrying both plates. Daniel grabbed their drinks, napkins, and utensils following behind her.

They had just settled in when Gene, Natalia, Lark, and Devon entered the room. The kitchen quickly hushed to a quiet whisper as the alphas stood at the head of the room.

“We plan to leave here in an hour,” Gene started. “After you finish your meal, be sure to stop by my office and get a neon vest. Lark and Nora will be using the long-range rifles during the attack. Anyone who is not wearing a vest to mark themselves, runs the risk of being shot.”

The crowd murmured around them.

Gene cleared his throat and continued. “We will be leaving by vehicle. Our scouts have indicated that Juarez has men about three miles off our property. Devon and I have assembled a strike team to take them out. Once we get the all clear, we will all leave the ranch. We will stop at the edge of town to transition. From there, it is about a mile to Juarez’s camp. The complex they are in is off the main road and is empty aside from them. So, we shouldn’t have to worry about exposure. All special teams have already been notified of their duties. Does anyone have any questions?”

The room remained silent and Nora glanced around the kitchen. Her heart sped up and she took a sharp breath in. This was really happening. In a few short hours, her and Daniel would either be back here or—she didn’t want to think about the other.

“All right, everyone get some food and we’ll be heading out soon,” Gene called when no one said anything.

***

N
ora watched as Lark walked around the top of the hill. They could see down into Juarez’s compound from here. There were a few of Juarez’s men lingering around outside, but the camp appeared to be quiet.

“This will work. Let’s start setting up,” Lark said, walking to the Jeep. She pulled out a big black bag and set it on the ground.

“We have the area secure,” Natalia said as her and Daniel came back up from the woods.

“Did you run into any trouble?” the blonde asked.

“There were two wolves,” Daniel started. “They won’t be a problem anymore.”

Nora shuddered, letting out a long breath.

“You doing okay?” Daniel asked stopping in front of her.

“Yeah,” Nora said, smiling. It wasn’t exactly the truth. Her stomach was knotted into a big bundle of nerves and her fingers wouldn’t stop trembling, but he didn’t need to know that. Daniel needed to focus on his duties, not on her. She could do this.

Daniel gave her a quick kiss to the temple before heading off back toward Natalia.

“How do these things work?” Emily asked, using the toe of her sneaker to kick the gun bag.

“Em, you’re not thinking about using one of them,” Marcus said skeptically.

Emily shrugged. “They killed my brother, Marcus. Vincent is dead,” she said, her voice dropping to a whisper. Her bottom lip trembled and she looked away. “We both know I’m not a fighter. If I can do good...” she trailed off her eyes intent on the bag.

Nora shifted on her feet, trying to keep to herself. She didn’t know what to say, and honestly, didn’t want to get involved.

“We’ll keep working on your fighting technique. Guns are dangerous, Em,” Marcus said quietly. “You could do more damage being inexperienced.”

“How hard is it?” Emily asked. She looked to Lark first, but the blonde was talking with Daniel, Amelia, and Natalia. The wolf quickly turned her gaze on Nora.

“Oh, um,” she stuttered.

“Could I learn? Now?” Emily’s emerald eyes widened as she asked.

“I’m not sure I’m the person to ask. I do all right, but Lark’s the expert,” Nora answered, her gaze shifting between Marcus and Emily.

“You want to learn to shoot?” Daniel asked as he rejoined them.

“I want to pull my weight and help out. Fernando Juarez was going to ship me off to become a breeder for his pack. His men
killed
our brother and Sarah. They killed Rick and Preston and so many others,” Emily ranted, her voice growing stronger with each word she spoke.

Daniel looked to Nora, then back to Lark. “I’m not sure tonight is the night, Em. We’ll talk to Lark about training you properly when you can have time to practice. Guns are dangerous and tonight isn’t the night to have any mishaps. I’m sure Lark will train you when we get back home.”

Nora was thankful Daniel had taken over the conversation. Although, he wasn’t a leader, he did possess qualities of a leader

Emily sighed. “I’m not a fighter, Daniel. I just want to help.”

“I know,” he said simply. “We’re just here as a backup. If all goes according to plan, you won’t have to worry about it.” Daniel smiled. “However, I do know you have impeccable eyesight and hearing. We have two vulnerable points, they are going to come from that ridge,” he pointed to his left, and then in front of himself. “Or they most likely will come from this direction. I want you to stand over there and keep watch. Lark and Nora will be shooting into the camp. You can be an extra set of eyes to make sure no one sneaks up on us.”

“I feel like you’re just feeding me a line, Daniel,” Emily said, jabbing her brother playfully. Marcus laughed behind her and shook his head. “And if things go wrong and I have to fight?” Emily asked.

“Then you hang back and look after Nora and Lark. Only engage someone if they break through our ranks,” Daniel offered.

“Okay,” Emily mumbled.

“You’re stronger than you think, Em. I saw you hold back that wolf that was attacking me. You’ll be fine,” Marcus said, wrapping Emily in a tight hug.

“Devon just texted,” Lark said as she approached. “They are in position and ready to attack. So far, none of us have been spotted.”

Nora patted Daniel on the arm as she followed Lark to the bag on the ground.

“The guns are loaded,” Lark said, handing her a rifle. “I’ve got plenty of ammo packed and we have two extra guns just in case we need them.”

“Okay,” Nora whispered.

“Remember, just take your time and concentrate,” Lark advised.

Nora took in a steadying breath. “Got it.”

Lark lifted up her rifle and squinted, peering through the scope. Nora followed her example. She pressed the tiny circle to her eye, blinking a few times until her eye adjusted.

The trees rustled in front of her and she watched as a black wolf slinked across the ground toward Juarez’s camp. The wolf’s neon green vest shone in the moonlight and followed his movements as he drew closer. This was it, she thought.

***

D
evon crawled across the grass, his belly dragging against the ground. Male voices carried from Juarez’s camp. One of the men was saying something vulgar and the others were laughing hysterically. His anger grew with each step. Did they have no respect—no conscious, he thought.

One thing was for certain, they clearly weren’t doing their job. Not that he minded. The Harris pack’s were now close enough that they should have been spotted, at the very least Juarez’s men should smell them. Goodness knew Devon could smell the rank scent of sweat, blood, and fast food on Juarez’s men.

He turned to his right and met Gene’s golden eyes. The alpha nodded at him, they both turned back to look at their men. The wolves’ neon vests shone in the moonlight a bright contrast to the dark foliage around them. Nearly the entire pack was here. A few men had stuck close to home; they were ready to run to the ranch, or here if needed. Devon hoped neither would be needed.

Warmth swelled in his chest. Anger and hope; it was an odd combination. He wanted retribution for everything Juarez had done to his family, and yet he had hope that things would end tonight. That his pack and Gene’s would finally be safe—that Lark would be safe.

Devon stared at the trees on the opposite side of Juarez’s camp. He saw a blur of white fur and knew that Jackson and April had reached their destination. Juarez’s camp was surrounded on all sides.

Ready to attack, Devon rose up to his full height and darted forward. Paws pounded on the dirt behind him. The men who had been talking and joking turned. Their eyes widened in horror as the pack descended on them.

Devon lunged, tearing into one of the men. He sunk his teeth into his enemy’s throat, relishing in the metallic taste that flooded his mouth.

A bell tolled to his right, alerting Juarez’s men of the attack. Gene dove at the man ringing it, dragging him to the ground with a growl.

Men sprang out of hotel rooms. His pack attacking before they had a chance to change. Gunshots rang out and echoed off the walls in the compound.

***

F
ernando Juarez stood up from his desk and briskly walked to the window. Howls and gunshots filled the air. Men frantically ran through the motel parking lot, some towards the fight, others cowardly ran into the woods. He was under attack; he couldn’t believe it.

Anger surged through him. No one had ever dared to attack his camp before.

His door burst open and Malakai ran in. “Papa, we are under attack,” he shouted as if it weren’t already obvious.

Fernando rolled his eyes. “Get the men assembled now. We need to drive them out. I won’t have my home destroyed by the Harris’.”

“Papa we haven’t yet received the men from the camps yet. I think we are outnumbered,” Malakai said.

Fernando growled, realizing he had waited too long to bring in his reinforcements. He’d wanted to bring them in all at once, in force so the Harris’ wouldn’t have any warning. However, the West training camp had fallen behind, a mistake they were soon going to pay for.

He stared out the window as anger gnawed at his vision. Damn the Harris packs for not cowering in their homes as everyone else had. Sure, the others had fought back, but never to this extent. No one had ever sought him out before. They’d always stayed and defended what they considered theirs.

“Get all the men out there. Anyone who runs is a traitor and will be treated as such. Let’s fight,” he growled, striding to the door. “We will not lose! And for God’s sakes get someone up there to take care of those guns.” Damn humans and their weapons, he thought. There weren’t many things he feared, but that rifle was one of them. Although, he hadn’t met a wolf yet, that wasn’t afraid of them. It was in their instinct. “Tell them to leave Lark and the other women alive,” he added. He was highly interested in Lark Davies. She was unusually strong-willed—alpha material.

D
aniel paced back and forth. Lark and Nora fired their rifles in rapid succession. Wolves and humans dropped to the ground. Devon and Gene seemed to be holding their own too. He caught a glimpse of black fur every few seconds and knew both alphas were still fighting.

“Daniel,” Emily screamed, running toward him.

Daniel spun to meet his sister’s wide eyes. “There are men coming. Five wolves and three men.”

Daniel let out a long breath. Eight men could be swiftly dealt with if he had a good team. He looked around at his companions. Natalia was the only one here who had some combat experience and training. Although Amelia had handled herself the other night, she’d never really been in a full-blown fight before. And as much as he loved Emily, she really wasn’t a fighter. Marcus was a good guy and he approved of him for his sister, but the wolf had no skills as a fighter either. Not to mention there was his injury too. That left Nora and Lark.

“Nora,” Daniel called as he slowly approached her. The metal gun in her hand made the hairs on his arms stand on end. He was not a fan of the weapon, but did understand its importance. “I need you over here,” he said.

Nora turned to him. “What’s wrong?”

“We got company coming. I need you to help thin them out before they get up here,” he explained.

“You need my help too?” Lark called over the bang of her gun.

“I don’t think so. There are only eight of them. Keep your eyes peeled though and try to help our guys at the camp.”

“Got it,” Lark hollered.

Daniel took Nora’s hand and they dashed over to the other side of the hill. He pointed to the tree line. “Can you make them out?”

Nora squinted and placed the scope up to her eye. She bit her bottom lip and Daniel remained quiet, letting her concentrate. Her finger curled around the trigger and she squeezed. One of the wolves slumped to the ground. The rest scurried into the confines of the trees, they didn’t stop their pursuit, but they had slowed down.

“We should transition, and come at them from both sides. I’ll take Amelia and you and Marcus take the other side,” Natalia said observing. She took a step back and he heard the rustling of clothes.