Shadow of the Wolf

A/N

Once more I'd like to thank my wonderful editor Lunarosa for doing a great job in helping me with this chapter. Also, thanks for Mapili50 who did the final proofing and corrected all the missed mistakes. To you both, a million thanks!

To all my readers: thanks for your patience. Enjoy!

Chapter Nine

Growls and sounds of battle ripped through the otherwise quiet glade. Troy and Luc faced off with four attackers each, biting and whirling in a series of motions designed to get the better of their opponents. Both were already bloodied from shallow cuts and bites, but determined to hold them off until their Alpha and the rest of the betas arrived.

On the other side of the skirmish, Alex studied the two wolves accosting her. They were circling and looking for a vulnerable spot where they could launch their offensive. She backed into a big tree, making it hard for the two to get behind her. As they neared, she pounced on the wolf who ventured the closest. With hackles raised, her wolf growled and bared its lethal fangs. Biting hard on the wolf's left flank, Alex shook her head hard. The other wolf bumped and nipped her side, trying to dislodge her. Holding on, she tasted blood.

Yuck!

She thought with an inward grimace. But she did not let her squeamishness stop her from clamping on and tearing hard on the muscled flank.

Whirling away, she jumped and evaded the other wolf who snapped at her neck. Eyeing her opponents, she tried to come up with a plan to better defend herself. Although tempted to look where Luc and Troy were fighting, she needed to concentrate on the wolves in front of her. One was limping but still raring to get at her. They crowded her into the tree. The uninjured one lunged and swiped its claws at her head. Ducking, she sidestepped and ran into the injured one who promptly barreled into her.

Crap!

Falling on her sides, she pushed with her hind legs as the other wolf straddled her, raking his vulnerable underbelly with her claws.

The wolf on top of her clamped its jaw on her shoulder. With a yelp of pain, Alex struggled to dislodge him. Biting its ears, she pulled and yanked without much result, just a mouthful of fur.

Her pained yelp alerted Luc to her predicament. Bounding away from his opponents, he threw himself on top of the wolf that had Alex in its grip. Grabbing with his powerful jaw, he punctured its neck and squeezed tightly. Viciously shaking his head, he twisted and broke the other wolf's neck. The wolves fighting with Luc took advantage of his vulnerable flank and converged on them, surrounding Alex and Luc.

Troy saw Luc and Alex's quandary and ran to them. He bit and pulled at one wolf after another, incapacitating them as much as he could.

Alpha, we are in urgent need of reinforcement!

Troy let his Alpha and Prime see through his wolf's eyes the dire situation. He heard the ominous growl of his Alpha through their link.

We're coming. Hold them off. The betas I sent will be there in no time. Rance and I are on our way

. Damian replied. Troy sensed them moving fast toward them.

Rance used his preternatural speed to overtake the betas, leaving Damian behind.

Damian, try to waylay her brothers. I'm sure they are following behind us. I'll take care of this. Slow them down if you can't stop them, until we've neutralized the situation

, Rance commanded Damian.

But --

Damian tried to reason but Rance cut him off.

No buts. Just do what I say. They don't need to see this now. Not until Alex gets to explain everything to her brothers,

Rance responded impatiently.

Malik and Thorn can do the explaining. My place is with you and the Regina. Let me do my job

, he responded stubbornly.

The excruciating pain in her shoulder was making Alex lightheaded. She was vaguely aware that Luc pulled off the dead weight on top of her. She knew that the wolf was dead because she'd heard the snap of its neck when Luc broke it. Luc was covering her fully, straddling her prone body, deflecting and absorbing all the attacks and snapping his jaws at what he could reach. She sensed that he was badly hurt but continued to protect her valiantly. Even Troy was doing his part.

Rance, Hurry! I don't think Luc could hold them off for long. Luc is weakening. I felt him falter,

Alex weakly screamed through the bond. Her torn shoulder was bleeding profusely. The ravaged flesh was red and soaked in her blood.

I'm almost there, Alex

. Rance sent waves of love through their link, soothing his mate as much as he can.

How about you? I felt your pain. How badly are you hurt?

concern and worry laced his voice.

I'll live. It's Luc that I'm afraid for. He's sustained so many bites

. Worry and fear were apparent in her tone.

Spots formed in her vision, but she stubbornly held on to consciousness. Alex attempted to lift her head from the ground and nudged Luc off her. Head swimming, she groggily stood and backed into the tree behind her.

Luc and Troy stood in front of her, standing tail to tail and facing off with the wolves left standing. The attack was relentless. As much as she did not want to appear weak and continue to hide between the twins, she did not want to endanger her unborn baby. They were still outnumbered. The wolves kept circling around the twins, looking for any opening to get to Alex.

She saw Luc falter and stagger on his hind legs. Three wolves immediately converged on him. One latched its huge jaws on his neck, and pulled Luc down. Alex howled in anger and worry. She pushed herself off the tree and started for Luc. Seething in anger, she focused her eyes on the wolves, especially on the one who had its jaws on Luc's neck. Suddenly, a tingling originating from her belly slowly spread over her lupine body wrapping her in warmth and making her fur stand on end. A crackling sound like static reached her ears. Suddenly, to her astonishment, all three wolves flew in the air, as if swatted by a giant hand. They flew with such speed that the thwack of flesh hitting trees and ground was audible.

"Alex!!!" Rance's voice reached them before he ran pell-mell into the clearing. His green eyes glittered with apprehension and tension, but upon seeing Alex standing, most of it drained away. Leaving only cold wrath at these wolves who'd dared to come into his territory and try to harm Alex.

I'm fine. Help Troy while I look after Luc,

she urged Rance.

Rance immediately shifted to his hybrid form and grabbed the neck of the other two wolves on top of Troy. He slammed their heads together and the crack of their bones sounded loudly, blood and grey matter spattering as their skulls caved in, killing them instantly. Troy immediately dispatched the wolf he was fighting with by violently digging his claws into its soft belly and breaking its neck with his strong jaws.

Alex crouched over Luc's unmoving body. She could barely see him breathe. Nudging him with her snout, she tried to wake him. Luc remained unresponsive. A little panicked, she promptly shifted and yelled "Rance! Troy! Come here! Luc is in serious trouble!"

The two came in wolf and hybrid form. They shifted as they neared her and Luc. Rance kneeled beside Alex, who at that time was cradling Luc's bloody lupine head on her lap.

"How is he?" Rance asked gravely, brows furrowed in concern.

"He's hurt really bad," Alex ran her eyes on Luc's body. It was covered in blood and his fur was torn in places showing raw flesh and muscles.

Troy stood quietly. He still bore some of the battle wounds, but most had closed and healed after he shifted. He knew his twin's condition was grave since Luc hadn't regained consciousness yet. He watched as Rance put his hand on top of Luc's head and willed him shift back to human form. Luc looked so pale. He noticed the long jagged tear on his neck which was starting to scar over, a stark reminder that his brother almost died at the hands of these wolves made his anger simmer. The betas finally arrived with Damian. They took stock of the scene and gathered the unconscious wolves together on one side and the dead ones on the other.

Damian made a call to the Pack clinic for them to bring a stretcher for Luc and other three wolves. The dead wolves would be bagged and cremated later. The unconscious wolves would be taken to the basement for interrogation after they regained consciousness.

"What happened before I got here?" Rance asked Alex and Troy.

The two related the events of how they were already on their way back when suddenly they were surrounded by the wolves. Alex then told them of the baffling detail of how the three wolves were thrown in the air. Rance looked at her curiously.

We'll talk of this more later

, he promised. Alex nodded her head. Troy left the two, giving them some privacy.

Rance gathered Alex into his arms and breathed deeply, savoring her unique smell. Luna, if anything had happened to her, he would have torn apart these woods and personally disemboweled and dismembered all of the wolves who'd ambushed them. Then he would have hunted any conspirators involved. Kissing her gently on the forehead, he ran his hands down her back.

"Are you okay? I felt your pain. Where did you get hurt?" Rance cupped her face and turned her head left and right. He then visually examined her from head to toe. She looked fine, a little pale, probably from the fright of Luc nearly dying.

"One of the dead wolves bit me on the shoulder, but I'm fine," she gingerly touched where the wound should have been, but was surprised to encounter smooth, unblemished flesh. Her eyes rounded in astonishment. Uncertainly, she looked straight into Rance's eyes. "Shouldn't I have a scar like Luc?"

Rance was running his thumb tenderly over the skin, disbelief and relief warring inside him. "Yes," he replied gruffly. "We heal fast, but we usually bear the scars of the wound for several days before it completely disappears. And for serious wounds such as this, takes a long time to disappear..." He trailed off as he searched her face for clues.

"Could it be...do you think-?" Alex hesitated to speak it out loud since the small clearing was bustling with activity and lupine's hearing was acute.

Quirking a brow at her,

go on

, he encouraged. He used their mate bond to speak privately since the clearing was teeming with packmates who could easily hear even hushed conversations. Rance held her snugly in his arms.

Before the wolves flew off Luc, I felt the tattoo tingle and warmth enveloped me. Did you feel that at all

? Alex sounded so uncertain, still unsure of what was going on in her body.

No, I could only sense your hurt and panic. Do you remember what you were thinking or feeling before then?

I was so mad at what was happening and fearful for Luc. One of the wolves had him by the neck and it was obvious he was going to die. I felt so helpless because I was too far to stop the wolf from breaking his neck.

She lifted watery eyes up to Rance,

I don't want to ever witness one of my friends dying in front of me if I can help it.

Breathing deeply she burrowed her face into his chest and held him tightly. His scent comforted her and his solid presence gave her a sense of safety.

Rance ran his hands down her back soothingly. Allowing Alex to gather her thoughts, and examine everything clearly. After several moments of telepathic silence while everyone bustled around them, Alex finally lifted her head.

I remember focusing on the wolves, and willing myself to go and help. But before I even covered half the space between us, I felt power surge out of me, then those wolves went flying. I think... I believe that I also got healed during that. I recall that I did not feel pain from my wounds anymore.

I thought as much,

Rance replied musingly, meeting her gaze steadily.

I see the hand of Luna is already strong on our pup

. His hand covered her lower belly.

His or her power manifested, even inside your womb. The pup must have felt your frustration and anger and reacted by pushing those he or she perceived as a threat. Thank Luna for that. I cannot imagine my life without you in it. I love you, Alex.

I love you too,

she responded with her heart in her eyes. They kissed tenderly and held each other in the midst of the chaos surrounding them.

"Will Luc be okay?" Alex asked after breaking apart. She watched as more pack members arrived. They were obviously workers from the clinic since they carried portable stretchers for the unconscious wolves. Two of them went to where Troy stood over Luc. They laid the stretcher, unfolded it and gingerly loaded Luc in. They strapped him in snugly to transport him.

Rance nodded his head, "Yes, he should be fine." Although he answered in the affirmative, his countenance was grim. Usually a shifter wakes up shortly after shifting back, but the wounds in his beta's neck were quite serious. He hoped to Luna that Luc would be fine. Alex would be devastated if anything happen to the beta while protecting her.

Alex brows were furrowed in thought as she took note of the disquiet in Rance. Uttering a short quiet prayer for Luc, she started tugging on Rance's hand. "Where are my brothers?"

"Some of the betas are taking care of them. Don't worry."

One of the betas approached the couple, bowed his head and addressed Rance. "Alpha, we have a problem. Prime would like for you to come to the other side of the clearing."

"Why?" Rance asked with raised brows. "Are there more rogues?"

The beta's eyes flitted to Alex then returned to Rance. "No Alpha, it's not rogues." His gaze flicked back to Alex then bowed his head, "it's one of the

Regina's

brothers..."

******

Upwind from the clearing, Andrew crouched high up on a branch of a tree overlooking the scene below. With Jake's help he was able to slip their watchdogs and follow the rest of them here. He had to use his tracking ability to follow Rance, but by God he was able to do it without any of their knowledge. From the little information he'd garnered there had been some kind of ambush. To his consternation, he could not find any other casualty except for the scattered wolves and one lone male being loaded in the stretcher.

On the far side, Rance and Alex stood locked up in a tender embrace. Something was seriously fucked up here if wild animals ambushed and attacked humans in broad daylight. And why was Alex taking a stroll in the middle of the thick woods? Besides, he knew there were no wild packs of wolves roaming Ohio. So where did those fucking wolves come from? And how about the unbelievable speed with which Rance moved? Not to mention his uncanny ability to know what was happening with Alex. Andrew intended to find out what the hell was going on, and there was no better time than now.

He climbed down the tree, not even bothering to keep quiet or hide his presence. Even before he reached the bottom, he noticed that several men were waiting for him, including Damian, and he looked pretty pissed. His arms were crossed over his chest and his face scrunched up in a frown that would have put fear in a lesser man. But Andrew was not daunted, he had stared down death on many occasions and one pissed off male would not deter him from finding out what his sister got into.

Readily will I display the intestinal fortitude required to fight on to the Ranger objective and complete the mission, though I be the lone survivor, for fuck's sake

.

Jumping down the last couple of feet, he slowly straightened and faced the welcoming committee. Smiling amiably, he flexed his hands loosely on his sides, readying for an attack if needed. Andrew met the gaze of Damian head on. Blue and steel grey eyes clashed. The tension was palpable in the air. The two betas standing next to them shifted restlessly on their feet. Although smiling, Andrew's stance and flinty gaze was issuing a clear challenge to Damian.

Their silent battle for dominance would have continued on if not for Alex's shout ringing loudly in the quiet of the woods.

"Andrew! What are you doing here? Damn it! You just have to stick your nose in my business. Why couldn't you have waited for me in the mansion?" Alex rushed over, with Rance trailing behind her.

"And hello to you too," Andrew said sarcastically, turning his inscrutable gaze toward Alex. Looking her up and down, he ascertained that she was not harmed or hurt in any way. Breathing through his nose, he let his muscles relax from his battle-ready stance.

"Besides, my business is to make sure that you're okay," Andrew replied without heat.

Stomping her foot, Alex cried, "See I just knew you'd say something like that." Trying to keep her irritation in place was hard, knowing that Andrew was just being himself made it harder to hold on to her annoyance. Even though she was older than he, he had always been protective of her even when he had been physically smaller. Now, with all his training in the military, he took it to extreme levels. It was endearing before, and sometimes infuriating; but now, it was downright dangerous. A whole community of shifters was on the verge of exposure because of her. She had no clue as to how Andrew, or her family, would react once the cat -- er - wolf was out of the bag.

"As you can see, I'm fine." She felt Rance stand behind her and put his hands on top of her shoulders. He squeezed gently to offer his silent support. Looking back at him, she smiled and turned back to Andrew.

"How did you manage to follow us?" Rance asked.

"I tracked you. Even if you made it hard for me to do so," he paused for a second and directed his steely gaze on Rance. "No natural man could move as fast as you can, even if they're Olympic sprinters. So tell me, Rance.... What are you? And what have you involved my sister in?"

Alarm colored Alex's face, as she took a step forward. Rance held her still and shook his head. "Allow me to answer him." Rance put his arm around her shoulder and faced Andrew squarely. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions for me, and I'm willing to answer all of them. But I'd rather take this inside where Alex can be comfortable. Let my men do their job here." Turning, he did not wait for Andrew to answer. Rance knew that he would follow, if not out of curiosity, then out of concern for his older sister.

Andrew followed after Alex and Rance after nodding briefly at Damian. He did not fault the man for being contrary; after all he must be following Rance's orders. He did not sense personal antagonism from Damian. Andrew had no ill feeling towards the man, in fact he approved of Damian's loyalty to his future brother-in-law.

******

Anytime now...

she mused

.

She had bided her time. Watched and carefully observed her captors' routines and activities. Last week, they were agitated for some reason. She'd noticed that the monsters who had snatched her originally were now missing. And today, a bunch of them passed by her cell earlier, talking quietly about a raid they were planning.

Although her captors deliberately fed them as little as possible, probably to control them, she'd noticed that she had more strength than expected. Her eyesight had improved immensely too. She could see clearly in her dark cell and her hearing had become acutely sensitive. Maybe it was the deprivation of her freedom that made her hyper aware or the abominable experimentation that had been done to her and the other women, she was not at all sure. Whatever it was, she knew for certain that she was no longer HUMAN.

Today God had finally answered her pleas. Today was the day she had been waiting for.