8

“I told them you would be,” Tabby said, hobbling over, Kai’s coat still around her shoulders.

“How did you know?” I asked as Kai put me down, and I stepped around him. He refused to let me go, tucking me under his arm and keeping his hand on my lower back.

“I told you. She is not what she seems.” Tabby smiled, looking over at Enzi. Derik looked down at her.

“She pulled you back?”

I nodded. “Yeah.”

Then my heart sank; I only had two alphas here.

“Brax,” I whispered, looking over the pack members who were slowly giving us privacy and dispersing. But I could feel them listening in, feeling the pack link for any signs of trouble.

I appreciated them looking out for me, and the tangible feeling of relief of me being back was nice, but I really needed Brax to be okay too. I was going to find it really hard not to have a breakdown about everything that just happened if he wasn’t.

“He’s fine. Breathing. Just sore. He’s pissed though, beautiful. We’re giving him some space.”

“Why?”

“Because Kai is a brute with no compassion.” Derik eyed him, and Kai shrugged.

“He left you behind, Little Luna. I was not going to let him off easy. Now he knows not to do that again.”

My jaw dropped, and I shoved Kai away.

“Fucking hell, Kai,” I shook my head and went to find Brax, using my shadows. He was in the healing tent, and I went straight in.

“Lorelai,” Brax breathed, slowly sitting up. I wrapped him in my arms.

“It’s Spitfire, actually,” I murmured into his shoulder, but he didn’t chuckle.

“It wasn’t your fault. Don’t blame yourself,” I said, but he didn’t answer, just held me closer. I left it there, knowing the guilt was something he had to give up on his own.

All I could do was reassure him it was misplaced, and I fed that through the link to him and to the others—strongly at Kai. Derik came through holding Enzi with Kai and Tabby behind.

“The beast came through,” Kai murmured, and I swallowed.

“And? Did it find Adrenna yet?”

Derik shook his head.

“No, but it sniffed the air then took off, so I think it’s got her scent. The wolves are tracking it, but the thing is fast,” Derik shook his head. I stood up and pulled Enzi into my arms, holding her, missing her little body against mine.

I let it soothe my head for a minute so I could figure out what to do next. I had no idea whether the beast was going to hurt Zale to get to Adrenna or whether Adrenna had a fail-safe in case she got caught.

That meant the only way to make sure nothing happened was to follow the beast as it chased her. Not camp out and wait.

“We need to get ready to move. We’ll pack camp up later, only take what we need.

We’re tracking that beast properly, and I want to be there when it catches up to Adrenna,” I said, and Tabby smiled at me with a small nod.

“This beast. It was human once, does it understand our language?”

“Averagely. It is…difficult for it. Some things are clear, others not. Same with its vision. The only thing it sees, feels, and smells clearly, is Adrenna. At the moment, sensing her after not having her for so long, is probably sending it into a frenzy.”

“Then let’s go make sure she gets what’s coming to her,” I murmured before turning to Brax and placing my hand over him.

Cain had been teaching me bits of magic, enough to heal my alphas, and I did, sealing all of Brax’s wounds and taking away every ache and pain before looking at my alphas.

“Organize the hunting teams. We’re leaving within the hour,” I said, determined as anything. I had just been through so much to get that beast here, and I was not going to let it be for nothing.

Adrenna wanted a war; now she had it, and I’d be damned if I let the vampires get near us before I had Zale back.

The Beast

LORELAI

I was on Kai’s back, perched high between his shoulder blades with Enzi nestled in a wrap against me, as he ran. Derik had a team coming in on the left, while Brax had his coming on the right. We had found the beast, and he almost had Adrenna.

It was hot on her tail, her fear permeating the air. It gave me a sick sense of satisfaction that she was as scared as we had been. She was running fast, but I could feel Zale; he was so damn close.

I threw my shadows out ahead, letting them shadow the beast as he huffed and roared, shaking the forest with his bellow. He gnashed his teeth, his feral eyes darting through the trees as he slowed down.

He came to a stop, sniffing the air, before narrowing his eyes in the dark. He let out a huff and circled the trees. He was still circling when we caught up to him, and we all waited.

I looked at the eyes in the trees. Derik, in his wolf form, was creeping forward to see what was going to happen. Brax was hanging back with the others, creating a surrounding line of defense.

“What is it doing?” Tatum asked, his want to attack creeping into all of us thanks to the link.

“I think she’s hiding—with magic or not, I’m not sure, but he knows it. I can feel it in the air. She’s here somewhere; stay alert,” I said back through the pack link, then spoke to just my alphas.

“I’m going to use my shadows to find Zale. If we find him, we find her. Get ready for her; I don’t think she will go quietly,”  I said, reaching out with my shadows.  

I searched over the snow, looking for any disruption in the air, trying to sense any kind of magic, but there was nothing there that I could sense.

I almost cried at that fact, my heart about to burst from the pain and hopelessness that tried to fill me. I just wanted him back; I’d barely been able to hold him or see his face. I needed him, and Enzi did too.

It was a constant ache that was enough to bring me to my knees, and the thought that we might be searching another day was almost too much.

Tears prickled at my eyes as my shadows found nothing. They climbed up the trees and hovered around the beast, who huffed, his eyes meeting mine through the dark. He knew I was here, sensed me from the caves, and probably sensed Brax too.

“Kai, let me down,” I said.

He growled, “No.”  

“I wasn’t asking, Kai. I need to talk to it,” I said, and Derik emerged from the tree line in wolf form, the others hanging back. Kai dipped his head, and I climbed off, holding Enzi close as I walked forward.

Derik and Kai were there with me, watching, tense, and ready in case they needed to intervene. But I was pretty sure I’d be okay.

The beast wanted Adrenna, not us. It watched us warily, its eyes darting between the three of us before landing on the bundle of baby I had on my chest.

I held Enzi tighter, stepping closer.