Silence of the Wolf (24 page)

“If they're the ones who kidnapped you, why would they want to harass our farmers?”

“What if they instigated the situation with the farmers to distract the pack from North and me? It's clever, really. They created a situation that not only kept the pack occupied but made the farmers antsy
specifically
about wolves, thus making Darien want to limit the pack's shifting,” Elizabeth said.

“So they thought that by distracting us with the farmer problem, they could slip under our radar and get away with stealing your deed and North's evidence,” Tom said, nodding. “But they weren't planning on you and me getting involved.”

Tom cast her an elusive smile.

She kissed his cold cheek. “You're right. And all this time, you were tracking down your cousins and not the wolves actually spooking the livestock.”

“I suppose so. But we still don't know for sure if Eric is up to something.”

“True,” Elizabeth agreed.

Not finding any sign of the others, she and Tom had been walking for about an hour when she paused, spying a footprint half-hidden by snow. “There.” She pointed to another place beneath a tree about three hundred yards from the other. “Smaller boot. Wait a minute. Look at the track marks. Somebody's been hauling something fairly heavy.” She studied the snowshoe prints. “Three people. A girl and two men.”

“A girl? Silva's out here. Anna, too, but she was with us.” Tom studied the girl's footprints. “Small. Lightweight. She sat down over here and took off the snowshoes, then continued to walk without them.”

Elizabeth sniffed the air. “Minx?”

Tom sampled the air. “Cody and Anthony are with her. I bet none of them had permission to come out here. Not with the problems we've had with the rogue wolves. The boys haven't given the pack any grief in the past six months, and next year, they're supposed to work as ski instructors. We hoped that would give them enough to do to keep them focused and out of trouble.”

“They're good kids,” Elizabeth said. “It looks like Cody and Anthony pulled a sled…” Elizabeth paused and turned, looking off to the side where the girl's footprints stopped. “Wolf tracks, Tom.” She felt a chill race up her spine. Whoever hauled the sled had left it some feet from the first sign of the wolf prints.

“Darien said no one was supposed to be in wolf form,” Tom said.

“Groceries and one set of snow… wait, three sets of snowshoes,” she whispered, getting a really bad feeling about this.

Tom wanted Elizabeth to stay with the groceries, but he couldn't leave her alone. And he didn't want her to continue following the tracks in case they came across real trouble. When Bjornolf and Anna had been with them, that was one thing. Tom had felt a sense of security when he'd thought the rest of his cousins would also turn themselves in.

Tom and Elizabeth followed the trail, both of them trying to be as quiet as possible. The kids wouldn't have left the groceries behind unless they had run into trouble or had gone after the wolf tracks quietly, trying not to catch anyone's attention.

They should have returned to Silver Town at once with word of what they'd found. Not that Tom or his brothers wouldn't have done the same thing when they were the kids' ages.

Elizabeth whispered to Tom, “Any reason they would be hauling groceries this way?”

“Nothing here but Mr. Winston's house. He lives way out. He's a wolf, but when he got cut off from the pack during the snowstorm, he said he didn't need any help. Looks like the kids thought to take something to him anyway.”

“But the wolf tracks?” she asked, glancing at Tom.

He shook his head. “The house is just beyond those trees. The kids wouldn't have left the groceries back there without some good reason. Like they were in trouble. Or Mr. Winston was.”

“We should get backup, or I should shift,” Elizabeth said.

Tom listened for any sounds of people or wolves moving about in the trees. Nothing. “Let's get closer to the house. Mr. Winston should be the only one there, except for the kids.”

“Unless your other two cousins are here. Brett said they had split up, but I'd assumed he meant they were all out looking for CJ.”

“Yeah,” Tom said.

Moving in closer, Tom and Elizabeth used the shelter of the snow-laden spruce to study the one-story log cabin. The living room curtains were open, smoke drifting out of the stone chimney, lights on in the living room and kitchen. Eric paced across the living-room floor.

“Eric,” Tom said.

Of all the cousins, Eric was the tallest, six-one, and the most muscled. He wore a gray sweatshirt and jeans and appeared highly agitated.

A girl wearing a bright blue sweater and with blond hair in braids crossed in front of the kitchen window. She peeked outside, turned, and walked out of view.

“Minx,” Tom said under his breath. Something had to be wrong. The kids wouldn't leave the groceries out here without having a good reason. They wouldn't have forgotten them. “Damn. Cody and Anthony must also be in there.”

“Eric and his brother wouldn't hurt the kids, would they?” Elizabeth asked, her voice soft and concerned.

“No. But why would the kids leave the groceries in the snow—” Another man crossed the living-room floor. Not Eric's brother Sarandon. And it wasn't Mr. Winston. Tom didn't know the gray-haired man.

“My Uncle Quinton,” Elizabeth whispered, her rosy cheeks losing all their color as a shudder ran through her.

Was Eric working with Quinton?

Elizabeth's brow was furrowed deeply, and Tom saw the fear in her expression as they crouched in the trees surrounding Mr. Winston's house. He reached out and touched her cheek with his gloved hand. “I don't know what's going on. Maybe Eric was caught unaware and taken hostage.” Though he didn't look like it. “I… don't… can't believe my cousin is in cahoots with your uncle. I want you to return to town for help.”

“You can't confront them alone.” Elizabeth was ready to give him hell if Tom even thought to do so.

“I won't. As long as everyone seems relatively at ease, I'll leave them alone and just keep an eye on them. If anyone exits the house, I'll make plans. But I want you safely in town.”

She glanced at the small shed where Mr. Winston kept his tools and gardening supplies. “I could shift and wait with you here.”

“No, Elizabeth. I want you as far away from your uncle as possible.” Just thinking of her being anywhere near the bastard gave him heart palpitations. “We need reinforcements.”

The front door squeaked open. Tom's heart pounded faster. They turned to see who had opened the door. North and Minx. North sported a black eye and it was half-shut.

A chill slid up Tom's spine as he watched Minx with North. How many were in the house? He had to get Minx away from North.

North shut the door behind him and followed Minx through the fresh tracks, directly toward Tom and Elizabeth.

“What will we do now?” Elizabeth whispered.

New
plan.
His blood pumping furiously, Tom grabbed Elizabeth's hand and squeezed, hoping this worked. “Elizabeth, I'll take out North. You grab Minx and take her home. And get help.”

From Elizabeth's reluctance, Tom could tell she didn't want to leave him. She finally nodded and squeezed his hand back.

Minx looked furious. She swung her arms back and forth, matching the pace of her hat's swinging pom-poms as she stalked through the snow. “Darien will make you all pay for this.”

“I haven't done anything wrong,” North growled.

“You're going along with the others, and that means you're in the wrong as much as they are. You can help us stop this before it's too late.”

“Just tell me where that sled is and—” North didn't say another word except, “Oof,” as Tom lunged for him and slammed the butt of his rifle against North's temple, knocking him out.

Elizabeth had moved just as swiftly to clamp her hand over Minx's mouth and muffle the scream that escaped.

“Oh, oh, oh,” Minx whispered after Elizabeth let go, tears collecting in her eyes. “I am so glad to see you.”

“Shh,” Elizabeth whispered, giving the girl a quick hug. “How many others are in the house?”

“Eric, Cody, and Anthony. And some guy named Quinton.” Minx looked at North as Tom dragged him to the sled. “And him.”

Tom untied the ropes keeping the food on the sled, then whispered, “Help me dump the groceries.”

Elizabeth and Minx assisted him in turning the sled over, depositing the groceries into the snow. Using the ropes, Tom tied North to the sled. “Change of plans. You and Minx take North back to town with you.”

“Okay,” Elizabeth said.

“I don't want to leave Anthony and Cody,” Minx said, tears streaking her red cheeks.

Elizabeth gave her a hug. “I don't want to leave them either, but we won't do them any good if we stay here. Let's go before my Uncle Quinton wonders what's taking you and North so long. We'll send help.”

Glad Elizabeth wouldn't argue with him any further about staying here with him, Tom embraced her and kissed her lips. Afterward, he gave Minx a reassuring hug. “Take care of each other. I'll be waiting.”

“No heroics,” Elizabeth said, frowning at him.

“Only if I don't need to be a hero.”

Elizabeth reluctantly nodded, hating to leave him behind, but she didn't want Minx to be in any danger, either. She and Minx took hold of the tow rope and moved as quickly as they could through the snowdrifts.

“Why do they want you?” Minx asked.

Elizabeth said, “Shh, Minx. We need to be really quiet all the way back to town.”

If Tom's other cousin, Sarandon, wasn't with Eric, he could very well be out in the woods somewhere. Maybe he and Eric hadn't planned to have a truce with Darien and the pack. Or they had changed their minds.

The going was slow as they lugged the sled. Elizabeth wished they could move faster, but leaving North behind with Tom would have been a mistake. If North came to and yelled for help while Tom watched the house, Tom would have to face down at least three of them—Eric, North, and Quinton. Maybe Eric's other brother and her half brother, too.

Minx's comment continued to plague Elizabeth as they trudged through the snow, and she finally whispered to the girl, “What do you mean that
they
wanted me?”

“North arrived at Mr. Winston's house right after we did,” Minx said, her voice ragged as she tugged the sled with Elizabeth and they tried to move as fast they could. “Eric was already there. Mr. Winston let North in, and then Quinton and some other guy barged into Mr. Winston's house waving guns. I guess they had followed North. Quinton said that North would pay for having brought you here and the plane going down. Then Eric got really mad and punched North in the eye.”

“Eric did?”

“Yeah. He said that was for thinking he'd want to get back at the Silver Pack. He said he'd kill North for nearly getting you killed. North said he didn't know what Eric was talking about, and that he'd been in hiding from Quinton. He said Quinton was the one who had you kidnapped,” Minx explained breathlessly.

“How did North end up at Mr. Winston's?” Elizabeth asked.

“It sounded like North found out Eric and his brothers were looking for you because they had been asking about you at the ski resort. North had followed them to Mr. Winston's place to ask them if they knew where you were.”

“That must be why Eric thought North was the one who had hired kidnappers,” Elizabeth said.

Minx nodded. “Then the other guy who came with Quinton—no one ever said his name—asked why we were there. Said he figured a bunch of teens wouldn't come out all this way for nothing.” Minx paused to get her breath.

“We had to tell him about the groceries. We hoped if anyone saw them there, they'd know someone was in trouble,” she said.

“We assumed as much.”

“But… what happened? Were you really in an accident?”

“Yes.” But Elizabeth didn't want to discuss that now. “What happened after you told him about the groceries?”

“Quinton told North and me to go get them. And not to do anything stupid.”

“Like run away?”

“Yeah.”

They walked for another good twenty minutes. Elizabeth's mind continued to run through all that had been said and not said. “The other man. What did he look like?”

“Ohh,” North groaned.

Elizabeth glanced back at him. His eyes were still closed, but he began to stir. She whispered to Minx, “Keep moving.”

“What… what happened?” North mumbled.

This wouldn't do. If he started yelling, they'd be done for.

Elizabeth stopped pulling the sled and hurried around to the left side of it. She unwrapped her long woolen scarf from around her neck and was about to tie it around his mouth when he opened his eyes and narrowed them.

“Elizabeth. I'm… I'm on your side.”

“Maybe you are, but I can't trust you right now.” She tied the scarf around his mouth, then returned to Minx, whose eyes were huge. Elizabeth tugged on the rope. “Come on. Let's go, Minx.”

They hadn't trudged very far when Elizabeth thought she saw movement beyond one of the spruces. Adrenaline shot through her veins. A wolf, she thought.

In a rush, she began removing her gloves, hat, and parka and piling them on the sled.

“What are you doing?” Minx whispered.

“Shifting.”
If
Elizabeth could only strip out of her clothes fast enough. Her wolf teeth, stealth, and speed were the only protection she could offer to keep Minx safe. “Keep moving toward town. If you can't pull him,” she whispered to Minx, her teeth chattering from the cold as she removed her sweater, “leave him and get to the nearest safe place from here.” She fully intended to watch Minx's back while she attempted to track down whoever was out here with them.

“Darien's house,” Minx said.

“Yes,” Elizabeth said, peeling off the last sock.
Cold… cold
. “Go.”

Elizabeth shifted into her wolf form, thankful for her winter-coat protection. The warmth surrounded her so quickly that she nearly forgot she'd been freezing seconds earlier.

She bounded into the trees, searching for whoever had come upon them. She hoped it was someone with one of the search teams, though that would mean he was in wolf coat when he wasn't supposed to be. She thought from the quick flash of fur that it was a red wolf, not a gray.

She saw Minx run as fast as she could toward town. She'd abandoned North.

Glad for it because Minx could make more headway that way, Elizabeth made a wide circle around Minx, trying to catch sight of whoever was out here with them. She saw a flash of a black-tipped tail. Red wolf. North was tied to the sled. Quinton was at Mr. Winston's home, unless he had left the house and gotten ahead of them. Only one other person who was a red wolf could be in on this. Sefton. Her dear, sweet half brother.

Minx screamed. Elizabeth's heart dropped into the pit of her stomach. Her fur stood out in aggression as she bolted for Minx.

As soon as Elizabeth saw the wolf, she recognized him. It was Sefton. And he was trying to corral Minx in the direction of Winston's house.

Elizabeth didn't care if he was bigger than she was, or a full wolf when she was only half. She lunged at Sefton, biting him in the neck before he knew what hit him. She feared that would be the only good bite she'd get in, but she hoped it would give Minx time to get away.

Sefton tore loose and snarled and growled. But he didn't attack.

Minx ran off. Thank God.

Sefton's failure to attack her made her pause. He'd wanted to kill her before when she was little. Why not now when she had attacked him?

Fine. She'd run into town and get help for North and Tom and make sure Minx got in safely.

As soon as she bolted off, Sefton lunged at her. She saw the furred body flying at her out of her peripheral vision. She had only a second for her heart to give a start, and she made a startled yelp. Right before he slammed into her.

***

Darien had discovered tracks that indicated someone had been hauling supplies somewhere, and he and Jake started following the trail.

Sam and Silva were a few feet away searching for more tracks.

Sam finally said to Silva, “I know why you're doing it.”

Silva looked over at him. “Yeah?”

“You've been wanting to remove that old glass mirror from behind the bar forever, and I didn't want to. It gives the place character.”

She snorted. “
You
give the place character.”

He smiled, then grew serious again. “You've wanted to update the windows. Even the ceiling fans.” He paused and glanced at her. She waited for what he had to say next. “Well, it's time to make a few changes.”

“You can do whatever you want with your tavern, Sam. But I'm opening my tearoom on Saturday, eleven o'clock sharp.”

Darien took a deep breath and shook his head at Jake.

Jake gave him a small, knowing smile back.

Sam didn't say anything for a while as they trudged through the snow. “For a long time now, I've thought of the tavern as being
ours
. You've worked
with
me for years.”

“I've worked
for
you for years. There's a big difference.”

Darien didn't think they'd ever resolve their differences. He didn't remember it being this difficult between him and Lelandi, and for that he was eternally grateful.

“I can't find anyone to replace you,” Sam growled.

She didn't respond, but she smiled.

“Don't look so smug,” he said.

“You're looking for someone who's just like me. Am I right? Find someone who's not. You know. Hire someone who's blonde and tall, with green eyes.”

He stopped in his tracks and seized her arm.

She raised her brows at him. Darien and Jake came to a halt, warily watching the two of them. Darien knew Sam and Silva had to resolve their issues on their own, but he wanted to step in as pack leader and as a friend and tell them to get it over with and mate already.

“I don't want anyone new, Silva. I want you.”

“I'm not working at the tavern anymore.” She jerked her arm free and stalked off.

Sam stared after her, then as if he realized Darien and Jake were watching them, he glanced in their direction. With a furrowed brow and a frantic wave of his arm, Darien encouraged Sam to go after her.

Sam scowled and hurried after her. “Silva, wait up.”

She didn't, of course, and instead walked faster. “We're supposed to look for tracks. Not air our personal business out here.”

“I don't want anyone else. I want
you
.”

“I'm not working at the tavern any longer. When will you get that through your thick—”

Sam pulled Silva into his arms and kissed her. Darien and Jake stared, jaws hanging open. It wasn't that they hadn't seen them kiss before, hot and passionately and way too often for them not to have mated by now, but Darien just hadn't expected it here and now.

Darien nudged Jake to follow him, and they continued to look for the sled tracks.

“What was that for?” Silva asked, sounding out of breath and awed.