The blue eyed wolf skulked through the preserve. He hadn't been out to hunt in almost a week and needed to run, needed to kill something. He wanted to feel the bones breaking and the blood flowing in his mouth. He hadn't been able to find Karen and he was seething. That damn pack dog must have her. He'd never be able to get into their compound. And since he hadn't been able to mate her yet, that mutt probably had. Gary was sure she was covered in his scent by now. Saliva dripped from his mouth as he pictured tearing out his throat. His blue eyes gleamed with hatred. She deserved to die too if she was no more than a pack whore like the rest. He'd have to find another woman who was worthy of him.
The black SUV had been parked across the street all week. The tinted windows hid the occupants who were alert, watching their prey. James was on the phone with Brett letting him know that Gary had been spotted. He hung up the phone and waited. As soon as the wolf disappeared into the woods, they left the car and quickly shifted to follow him. James and Trey were excellent trackers and would trail him as long as possible. But they'd wait for back up before they tried to take him into custody. Wolves or not, they still thought like cops.
The ground felt good under his feet. He always hated wearing shoes and clothing. He preferred being a wolf anyway. When he found his true mate, they would live the way they were meant to, as wolves. He stopped to lap water out of the stream and looked at his reflection. His light brown fur was tousled by the wind. This was the only time he felt free.
He heard a twig break and turned his head to see the four point buck up wind of him. It hadn't smelled or seen him yet. He lowered himself, his belly almost scraping the ground. Slowly he crept along the ground, closer. He could smell it. He licked his lips. He could almost taste it. Each step was carefully placed so as not to disturb a thing. He barely made a noise as he stalked the unsuspecting deer. He could hear the buck chewing grass. Stupid animal didn't know this was his last meal.
The deer sensed danger and stopped chewing, picking up his head and turning in time to see the brown wolf launching towards his throat. He had no time to run or defend himself. The wolf's teeth sank into the tender flesh and tore open the buck's throat in one bite. His mind pictured Cole's face as he savaged the deer.
James and Trey exchanged glances as they watched the wolf devour his kill. They stayed upwind and out of sight. The last thing they wanted to do was get his attention. Rogue wolves were known for their fearlessness when fighting. This made them more dangerous because one thing they did not fear was death. They had lost their minds and the bonds with others that gave them their humanity. While those in the pack would battle to the death to protect their families, a rogue would kill for the enjoyment of it. And if they themselves were going to die, then they would kill as many before that as possible.
The brown wolf lifted his head, blood dripping from his mouth, red covering his muzzle. Did he hear something? The blue eyes scanned the horizon, not seeing anything moving. Sated for the moment, he trotted away from the carcass.
The two black wolves followed from a distance, never losing sight of their quarry. He exited the preserve into a nearby warehouse. The hunters watched and waited but saw no further movement. Trey checked the perimeter of the building and found a padlocked rear door. No way out but the front. When he returned to James' hiding place, Troy and Brett were there as well as three other Betas. Trey shifted and joined the group, his brother throwing him some sweats.
Brett stood for a moment, staring, deep in thought. He wanted to capture Gary with the least number of injuries possible. Tasers worked on normal humans and wolves. But a rogue was more like a human on drugs. The electricity may or may not effect him. He didn't want to take a chance. "Tranquilizer darts." The men retrieved the tranquilizer guns from Brett's car and took up their positions around the building.
Brett, James, Troy and Trey entered the building and began an organized search, leaving three outside to watch for anyone trying to leave or enter. The old warehouse was drafty and sounds reverberated throughout the open space. They could hear the movement to the rear and slowly moved that way as a unit. They saw Gary just as he saw them. For a fraction of a second they all froze. The four Were Police Officers raised their weapons and fired as Gary shifted and leaped onto the nearest, not feeling the darts hitting his body. His only thoughts were to kill any pack dog that came near him and this would only be the first of many.
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Karen was giggling at Cole's bright red face while Lila and Trina were telling her tales of his youthful forays into the cave system underneath the compound. He really didn't appreciate their telling her how he cried when he got lost in the labyrinth below them. "Hey, I was eight years old, OK? I think I deserve a little sympathy. Besides, if you remember correctly, Carr picked up every bread crumb I dropped behind me."
"Ah, poor baby. You were irreparably damaged by that I'm sure." Trina ruffled his hair but was distracted by the commotion coming down the corridor.
They all heard yelling and the word "STAT" coming from Jeff. Trina ran into the treatment room next door as Trey was carried in by Troy and James. Brett held a bloody hand over the open wound.
Troy kept talking to him, not sure if Trey could hear him, but he didn't care. They had a unique connection as identical twins and he wasn't going to let his brother think he was alone, even for a second. "Trey, you're gonna be OK bro. Jeff's gonna fix you up. You'll be good as new."
Trina touched his arm, needing him to move so she could get close enough to start an IV. He looked at her, and she saw tears forming in his eyes. "Troy, I'm sorry, I need you to move. You know we'll take good care of him." Troy stared at her for a minute not sure of what she was saying. "Troy, you have to move." She said it quietly, and he finally understood and backed away, moving near James and Brett.
Cole stopped behind Brett, seeing the blood covering all three men. "What the hell happened? Is all that blood Trey's?" He said the last in a hushed voice, almost embarrassed he had said it in front of Troy.
Brett looked at him and slowly nodded his head. "We shot him with tranquilizers, but he jumped Trey before he passed out. That rogue needs to be put down. He did all that damage in seconds. God only knows what he could have done if he hadn't been tranquilized. We had to pry his jaws off even after he was out. I thought Trey was going to bleed out before we got here."
Lila was standing at the window looking in, not able to hear the conversation going on. She was intent on watching Jeff and his assistants working to save Trey's life. She suddenly realized Karen was standing next to her, holding the wall to keep standing. "You shouldn't be out of bed Karen." She said it quietly, not wanting Cole to hear. "You don't want to see this. I'll take you back to your room."
Karen was watching wide eyed. "What happened? Was he shot?" She was shaking and suddenly realized she was about to fall. Lila held her up with one arm. Karen thought to herself that Lila must work out for her to be strong enough to hold her up with one hand.
They both stood by as Carr ran into the treatment room and stopped next to his Betas. He spoke quietly to the men. "We need to let them work. James, stay here with Troy and keep him out of the way." James nodded. "Cole, Brett, with me." The three walked into the hallway as Lila was helping Karen back to her room. Lila made a motion for her to stay put and walked into the hall.
"Brett, what in hell happened?" Carr had a feeling he already knew but waited for the answer from the trusted Beta.
"We found Gary. He did that after being hit with four darts! I told Steve to get him into the holding cell."
"He's here?" Cole turned and ran. "He's fucking dead! Dead!"
Karen couldn't hear the conversation but she watched as Cole took off running out of the hospital with Carr, Brett, and Lila running after yelling for him to stop and think. She didn't need to think, she needed to be with him. She took a couple of deep breaths before getting herself out of bed for the second time today. She stayed close to the wall to keep herself upright and stopped frequently to catch her breath. She was able to follow the yelling to find her way. She ignored the pain. She had to be with Cole, she just somehow knew it was important.
She heard Cole yelling at someone, calling him every swear word she had ever heard in her life, and a few she didn't know. He was threatening to kill him with his bare hands. Karen was scared as she walked slowly up to the doorway. Who was in here that he could be so mad at? He had seemed so gentle when she was around him. She'd never seen, or heard, him acting this way. Of course she hadn't known him long, but she had a good feeling about him. She was sure she wasn't wrong.
She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the man chained in the cell. Cole was in front of the plexiglass wall arguing with Carr. Lila was pleading with Cole to calm down. It looked like Brett was on Cole's side, and Carr was trying to calm everyone down. They were so intent on their own argument, they didn't notice her walking up to the plexiglass. They didn't notice until they heard her. "Gary I trusted you! I helped you! And you tried to rape me, you tried to kill me!" She was screaming as loud as she could. She started beating on the wall with her fists. "I want you dead Gary! Dead!" She was hysterically crying as she pounded her hands on the see-thru wall.
For a few seconds, the whole group was shocked into silence and inaction. But then Cole moved to her. "Karen, pet, please, its not good for you to get this upset, you'll hurt yourself. Please baby, please, let's go back to your room." He gently placed his hands on her shoulders, tugging her away from the cell. Her body was shaking, and he was afraid she would collapse as she turned in his arms.
