Sondrae Bennett - Alpine Woods Shifters 4 (3 page)

Always curious, Cody had spent years learning everything he could about mating. The mating pull was nothing more than animal attraction. An instinct the creatures inside them developed. True mating happened when animal attraction met human love, an emotion that developed in their human half after time. The attraction was instant and couldn’t be faked. Cody had been attracted to women before, but never
the
attraction. The pull indicating he’d found his mate. His fox hadn’t taken notice of anyone. Until her… But that didn’t immediately mean they were meant for each other. Love and destiny were never that easy.

Did he regret not meeting Samantha before Jason? Sure he did. Who knew what might have happened? But not enough to refuse help when it was needed. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that Jason and his pack would be there if the skulk needed them. He could offer no less.

Besides, Jason wasn’t the only one in danger. Although he’d never been friends with Julie, he had seen her around, and knew many in the skulk were friends with her. She’d been a bit of an outcast in elementary school, but from what he’d seen, she had never let the experience make her bitter. She was as much a member of the Callahan pack as any wolf in the town. Especially recently, since mating Brendan, one of the wolves.

Moreover, someone kidnapping a member of a neighboring pack, no matter who, was a threat against him and his. And that was something he wouldn’t ignore.

He paused, lifting his head in the air and sniffing. No foreign scents. Although his sense of smell was stronger in animal form, it would never rival the wolves’ or dogs’. A grunt of frustration escaped, until a whine caught his attention. He turned to face his skulk and saw Misty standing sideways, staring off to the left. Her ears perked forward and one paw hovered above the ground. She whined again, turning and barking when she caught him looking at her.

What was she hearing? The rest of the skulk mimicked her strange behavior until Cody heard it–growling. Putting his ear to the ground, he heard the unmistakable sounds of a fight. The wolves were closer than he’d anticipated, barely outside the town barriers. Without a second thought, he took off toward the noise, the crunch of twigs behind him indication of his skulk following.

A lion roar blasted through the forest, freezing him in place. Lions? What were lions doing here? And what would they want with Julie? A lion pride could easily overpower a fox skulk, whose sheer size alone put them at a huge disadvantage.

He looked over his shoulder at the foxes following him. True to her word, Misty trailed at the back of the skulk with Jen. The sight of the two women in fox form made him hesitate. If they were going up against lions, there was a good chance someone would get hurt. Sure Misty was his friend, but something else made him pause. Some deeper concern. The thought that she could be hurt swamped him with anxiety.

As the sounds of fighting grew more intense, a sense of urgency filled him. The noises were just over the next rise, at the abandoned cottage between their two towns. He didn’t have time for this indecision, but for once, he didn’t know what to do. All of a sudden, the noises tapered off, and Cody knew he needed to move. Whatever apprehension held him back would have to wait until later for analysis.

Sparing one last glance at Misty, Cody dashed forward and saw five wolves holding down a cat–although it appeared the fight had left the animal. Not a lion, but a hybrid. Lion-cheetah, if he had to guess, based on the spots in his fur. Lucky for them, there was only one. Especially lucky considering how many wolves surrounded the large cat, holding it down. If it took that many wolves to restrain one of these hybrids, he didn’t want to imagine having to fight an entire pride.

A wolf moved from the cat’s hind quarters to the head of the beast and Cody recognized Jason’s markings. He didn’t need to be told what was about to happen–the rage simmering off the wolf said it all.

Cody glanced at the surrounding wolf pack. Julie was nowhere to be seen. The cottage stood dark and his animal senses told him no one was inside. This feline might be their one chance of locating her. Gathering all his energy, he rushed through the shift, taking to his human form in seconds. A grunt escaped him, the only evidence of the pain caused by rushing a normally fluid process.

“Jason, no!” he shouted, stumbling to his feet. His head throbbed and he shook it, trying to clear the cobwebs before focusing on the scene in front of him. The wolf remained still, the cat’s neck firmly in his mouth, but he did raise his eyes.

Cody almost staggered back in shock. The savage look in Jason’s eyes was contrary to the reasonable man he knew. He was so taken aback, he didn’t even notice the other wolf shifting until Jason’s brother, Ethan, stepped forward as human.

“Stay out of this, Cody. It doesn’t concern you.”

What was wrong with these people? He’d known these brothers practically his whole life. Considered them good acquaintances. This ruthlessness wasn’t like them. Yes, their sister had been kidnapped–Cody understood their anger and frustration–but they weren’t even thinking about the larger picture. Jason always thought big picture.

“We need him to find Julie,” Cody reasoned, trying to break through the rage surrounding the pack.

“How do you know about Julie?” Danny, the third and youngest Callahan brother, stepped forward to stand beside Ethan. At least he seemed more coherent than the other two.

“Samantha called.”

The statement caused a growl to burst from Jason’s throat. Cody couldn’t prevent a smirk from curling his lips. Antagonizing the feral wolf in front of him probably wasn’t the smartest idea, but he couldn’t help it.

From the few times he’d spoken to Samantha in the past few months, he knew the wolf resented the time Cody had spent with her. He couldn’t get over his mate needing to borrow Cody’s clothes when she’d gotten lost and stumbled into Vulpes Creek as fox. Even though they both knew nothing inappropriate had occurred, seeing his mate in another man’s clothing had brought Jason’s alpha wolf instincts a bit too close to the surface.

“We’ve got Julie. This is tying up loose ends.” Ethan’s voice was more animal than man. The tone as much as the words surprised Cody. They’d already rescued Julie? It only took him a moment to connect the dots. What was in front of him wasn’t wolves protecting their pack, their territory, or their loved ones. This whole scene screamed of revenge.

As a Premier, Cody stayed informed of the going-ons in other packs, prides, and skulks. He knew what happened to those who acted out of vengeance. While the council accepted a killing done to protect, a killing done for any other reason–even revenge–wasn’t tolerated. Any shifter who acted on those impulses became rogue in the eyes of the council and was sentenced to death. Jason knew that. Looking into his eyes, Cody realized the wolf in Jason had too much control over the man.

He saw Jason’s mouth tighten on the cat’s neck and knew he had to do everything possible to turn this around.

“Stop. If Julie’s safe, killing the cat is vengeance.” Cody came forward and stooped down. “You know the repercussions this kind of thing can bring.”

They’d both heard the stories. The most recent had happened last year. A zebra Premier and his zeal killed a gorilla shifter who had raped the zebra’s mate. Word reached the council and they sent their assassins after the man. The poor woman lost her mate on top of everything else, but it had served as a warning to other shifters. Kill for anything other than defense, and suffer the consequences. The council was created to maintain order, and they would do whatever they deemed necessary.

“We can’t just let him go,” Ethan raged. But Cody saw the understanding in Jason’s eyes. His brother might not understand, but the Premier did. Cody breathed a sigh of relief, knowing he had broken through.

The cat wouldn’t live. He’d not only endangered Jason’s pack, but involved a human. The council wouldn’t forgive that. But there was a right way and a wrong way to handle the situation. Right now, it fell upon Cody to ensure the proper procedure was followed. He’d need some of the wolves to help get the cat to the city jail, but from there, he would contact the council personally. There would be a trial, but without a doubt, the cat would be dead within days.

Despite the understanding in Jason’s eyes, his mouth remained wrapped around the other man’s throat.

“Your rage makes sense after what he did to your family. But don’t let it rule you. Go. Take care of your sister. If your pack will help bring him to our jail, I’ll make sure he’s delivered to the council for judgment. You and I both know what will happen to him.”

Cody saw the internal struggle as Jason eased off the cat. Every muscle bunched with the wolf’s movement. He couldn’t help but feel for his friend. Not only had his pack been attacked, his sister had been kidnapped. Sympathy filled him, but before comforting the man, he had a job to do.

As an only child, the closest thing he had to siblings were his best friends. He thought about Misty being kidnapped, and rage bubbled up, almost blinding him. Claws bit into his palm as his hands fisted, telling him how close he was to losing it. He needed to get it together.

Gesturing to the wolves holding the cat down, Cody turned to head back to town but stopped in his tracks. It was mean to tease the wolf when he was down, but the devil inside him couldn’t resist. Besides, a little teasing would help keep his own beast at bay.

With a smile, he swung back around. “Oh, and call Samantha as soon as you can to let her know you’re okay. She’s freaking out. Made me promise to come out here and save your ass.” He swallowed a laugh as Jason’s growl filled the night.

* * * *

Misty strained her neck, trying to see over the heads of the foxes in front of her. She huffed in annoyance as she realized the pointlessness. If she hadn’t promised Cody she’d stay in back, she would have already crept forward. Admitting she wouldn’t see anything, she swung both ears forward, trying to at least hear what was happening.

Even the words were muffled. Her curiosity almost forced her forward, but she bit her inner lip, remembering her promise. At least the tone of the conversation didn’t seem confrontational.

Giving up trying to hear anything either, Misty dropped her butt to the ground and sat. She might as well have stayed at the bar. At this point, it didn’t seem like she would see anything interesting.

Misty coughed to cover the chuffing laughter bubbling up as Jen looked over and rolled her eyes. At least she wasn’t the only bored one. A couple foxes glared at her over their shoulders at the noise, before turning back to the action. Apparently they had a decent view.

With a tilt of her head, she gestured Jen forward. Cody had made her promise to stay back, but he hadn’t said anything about Jen. If Jen saw what was going on, she could fill Misty in later over beers. Not ideal, but at least she’d know what happened. How sad would it be to come all this way and still be out of the loop?

Luck was with her and Jen understood the unspoken request. Misty watched her snake through the crowd to get a better view. After she was gone, Misty raised her head and stared at the pattern the leaves on the trees made against the sky.

She should be grateful the situation was settled before they’d gotten here. It wasn’t like she knew how to fight. But the pull of adventure had been too strong to resist. Like those people who strapped a bungee cord to their ankles and jumped off bridges, the element of danger excited her. Personally, Misty thought those people were crazy, but then again, many people would think running toward a potentially lethal shifter fight was crazy, too. To each their own.

Besides, the thought of Cody fighting, potentially hurt, while she sat in a deserted bar, sipping her warm beer, would never sit well with her. She’d be half out of her mind with worry if she’d stayed behind. It would never have worked.

Bored from lack of action was a better alternative to crawling out of her skin with worry. Plus, Jen could give her all the gruesome, or not-so-gruesome, details later. Even if the skulk had arrived late, surely something exciting was happening or else they wouldn’t still be here. They’d have turned around and gone back to town.

A stick snapped behind her, the noise jerking her to her feet. She twisted to find the cause, but it was too late. A giant black cat, unlike anything she’d ever seen, leapt straight toward her. Misty had no time to move before being tackled to the ground.

The impact forced the air from her lungs as the ground scraped against her cheek and shoulder. The weight of the animal crushed her as they slid to a stop.

Misty lay stunned, struggling to breathe. Her mind screamed to fight, to get out from under the cat, but her body refused to listen. She heard foxes barking, growls from nearby wolves, and even some human shouts, but pushed up against the belly of the beast, couldn’t do anything to help or reassure.

Her lungs fought to drag in air but could only take in shallow breaths, even as her mind compelled her to move, to struggle, or wriggle, or something. She heard the foxes and wolves surrounding her, knew they fought the black cat, but none managed to remove him.

Without warning, the cat moved, his heavy weight crushing her chest. Her lungs, still struggling to draw breath, became even more constricted.

Finally, her body registered her mind’s pleas to fight. Her arms flailed uselessly against the beast. The longer he sat on her, the harder it was to focus. If she didn’t get him off soon, it would be too late.