Ethan ~ CHAPTER TWO...
"Where the fuck are they?!?!" I shout out over my team
I'm furious as I watch over them in frustration as some are still jumping out of the cars as I hear the slamming of doors. I trained them better than this. What the fuck has happened?!
"We've lost their trail sir." Liam says carefully coming to stand beside me.
Fuck, we were so close.
I felt him.
We have been one step behind this whole time.
This has been a fucken shit storm following my fathers rouge pack for 3 days coming across the destruction he has left behind. I know the sight of what we have seen has fell heavy on my men and I can tell it's starting to weigh on them. I push those thoughts aside as I look to Nathan for answers.
"They must have sensed us coming as we circled around.. There's no sign of them." Nathan says his words sounding to casual for my liking.
I look at Him narrowing my eyes as I can't stand the sight of him. This is a massive fuck up again and he's treating it like it's some sort of field day. If he wasn't my best fighter I would of been done with him before we started, but I need him on this.
I take a deep breath to calm my wolf, he's pissed and right now I need my head clear for my men, we need rest.
I look around them all to assess what state they are in but By the looks of them I've pushed them all too far already.
"What pack were they headed for?" I ask firmly directing my question at Nathan.
He nods his head as he turns back to the car behind him pulling out a map. Carefully looking over it before snapping his eyes to me.
"Midnight blue.. We are just on the outskirts of their border." he replies with concern finally appearing in his tone.
I frown at his words.
The other packs my father has wiped out were no where near the size of midnight blue, their alliance with blackstorm pack and how close they are together. Fuck me. I feel my anger grow as I now see what my father has done.
Fucken bastard! Not only has he been framing me the last 4 years but now he clearly has given them proof that we were here.
I watch as my men take a step back from me no doubt from the anger rolling off of me. I feel the darkness within me growing and I'm sure my eyes have changed but I don't give a fuck I no longer fight it as everyday my control of it increases.
"Alpha Hanes right?" I speak to Nathan with no emotion as the darkness has flooded through me.
"Yes sir." he says cautiously. I watch him fold up the map and throws into the back seat of the car, Liam is still on high alert as his eyes continue to bounce around the area we are in.
I'm sure alpha Hanes knows we are here. He's a smart man, I've never met him but mike speaks very highly of him. Fucken mike he's always right! We should of backed off by now.
I look around where we are as my men all stand by for there next orders. I look towards the trees in the distance sensing that's the direction of midnight blue.
We're out in the open.
I shake my head at how stupid I was. My father played me and he played me well. Leading us to one of the strongest packs in hopes they would be able to defeat me. He's fucken stupid! he doesn't realises he is the only one that can bring me down now, I'm stronger now than when he left me, and I will die fighting him before he ever gets a hold of my pack again.
"Wrap it up we're leaving!" I shout loudly as I begin heading back to my car.
I pause in my step from the soft breeze flowing past us.
I spin around staring back at the trees as I feel slightly confused.
My wolf begins to howl within me edging me to go to the trees, I sense my men have stopped their movement as I find myself walking towards midnight blue territory.
"No fucken way." I whisper.
"Alpha what is it?" Liam asks running up to me.
"Mate." is all I say.
My own words hit me like a fvucjvgthunderous earthquake as it swallows me whole. I stand there frozen in my spot as I can't believe it. I softly chuckle to myself as he didn't get her.
Chloe was right.
I thank the gods that my mate is actually still alive and has been well protected in a large pack this whole time.
"Are you sure?" Nathan asks sounding confused from behind me.
"I bet my life on it." I reply keeping my emotions at bay.
"We can't just go in there and get her alpha west, they would be expecting an attack." Liam says firmly.
Fuck there's no way alpha Hanes will just hand her over to me. Especially given my reputation my father has helped create. I'm not sure if I should even take her, there's so much fucken mess around me I'm barely keeping up myself.
"We should leave her sir, she's probably safer staying here." Nathan says cautiously.
I turn to face him as my anger grows at full speed. I would never lay a hand on my mate hurting her, is he fucken stupid! Of course he doesn't see the importance of a mate considering he beats his own, and I will address that when we arrive home, he has no fucken idea what I have planned for him.
He doesn't know that amy came to me just before we left telling me everything he's been doing to her. Seeing the marks on her body almost had me hunting him down on the spot. It makes me fucken sick and if I didn't need him I would kill him right now like she begged me to do so.
"We will not be leaving until my mate is safely in that car leaving with us!" I spit out slowly with my voice laced in anger, the need to know she is well and safe has overwhelmed me, I need to know she's not around a wolf like Nathan.
He steps back looking at me surprised. I shake my head that's he's probably noticed I've been short with him the past few days but all I see is disgust when I look at him now.
"We are going in..prepare yourselves for a fight but I will do everything I can to spare the lives here." I announce louder so all the men can hear me.
Upon hearing my words the men all scatter back to the cars as they reappear in there wolf form. I turn back to the forest as I begin walking towards my mate. I feel the shift as I now know I have crossed into their territory, if they didn't know we were here they do now.
I walk quickly and quietly through the trees dodging broken branches looking around me as I watch my wolves stalking their way through with me, I'm proud to hear no noise just dead silence as we get closer to the clearing finally I see those long hours of training are beginning to show through.
I feel them, there's many of them.
I start doing calculations in my head seeing if we have the upper hand but I feel we are out numbered, not a good thing. Throwing my senses out as far as I can I hear the low growls coming through the trees helping me pinpoint how many wolves we are up against. I need to try a different tactic or we wont be walking from here after.
"Spread out!" I mind link my team.
I watch down the left side of me as the line forms a bit straighter and they open up the gap between them I check my right side to find it perfectly aligned.
I see the sun beaming in from the open clearing we are slowly approaching, i reign in some of the darkness trying to calm myself before facing alpha Hanes, I have to avoid a fight.
"Alpha you should shift." I hear Liam's voice coming into my mind sounding slightly worried.
I chuckle out as this is Liam's first hunt with my attack team as I don't think he realises but I don't need to be in wolf form to win my fights not right now anyway.
"They will see that as a sign to attack." I mind link him staying focused.
He's still learning and for that I can't fault him.
"Stop just outside the tree line keep on guard." I demand using my alpha tone to all.
I can't risk fucking this up it's too important.
I let the wolves break through the trees first, as Liam and Nathan come closer flanking me on either side.
I look ahead across the meadow as I see them all in a line and there ready. I briefly wonder where they got their information because they clearly knew we were here even before I knew myself.
I steady my pace as I pass my wolves heading straight for the middle of the meadow between our packs. I scan the wolves before me not giving anything away. I see alpha Hanes dead ahead of me and guessing his beta is next to him.. Does he not have a third in command?
"Keep aware of your surroundings!" I mindlink my team as his third could be coming behind us.
I stop in the middle with it clearly indicating I want to talk as I carefully watch alpha Hanes movement. I hope what mike has said about this man falls true.
I see his wolf hesitate only slightly before trotting off to the side out of sight.
Relief washes over me that he is willing to talk. My men know what to do if this turns ugly and I pray that it doesn't.
I stand there still as a statue as I sense my mate is close.. too close. My eyes snap to the right as I swear I saw movement. My eyes fall on a white wolf with a black paw slightly fidgeting
Mate!
I close my eyes for a second as I struggle to calm myself.
"My fucken mate is in their first line of defence!" I shout through the mindlink to all my men.
I can't believe it. If we weren't tracking my father he would of hit here next and my mate would of been one of the first to fall.
my heart drops at the thought. I'm surprised at myself feeling so protective of her already I'm conflicted and confused of these new feelings I begin to feel angry as it builds inside me.
"Where?" Nathan speaks up.
"White wolf black paw if this turns bad there better not be a broken strand of hair on her head or you will never live to see another day!" my voice is laced in fury sending the msg to them all.
Fuck what's happening I don't fucken do feelings! Alpha Hanes brings me from my inner struggle and I watch him making his way back to the middle. I see that he is a tall man a lot larger than I thought he would be as he than pauses.
I watch on as my eyes flick back to my mate as the large wolf next to her pushes forward looking at her slightly before meeting alpha Hanes and the beta as they make there way towards me.
I have no time to think why his third was off to the side and I couldn't help notice the look he gave her, I block her from my thoughts as I focus back to alpha Hanes and his 2 wolfs approaching me.
"Alpha Hanes." I speak staring him down keeping my face neutral.
"Alpha west I presume." he replies stiffly.
I mentally chuckle at the things he must of heard about me but not all of them are untrue I look deeper into his eyes as I try to confirm he will be willing to negotiate.
"You would presume correctly." I say smirking trying to reign in my darkness happy the threat my name holds.
He nods his head as he doesn't lower his gaze and I feel my wolf tipping to the edge. It's always hard in this kind of circumstance being an alpha you need to dominate, and him staring back straight in my eyes is rising my wolf to a challenge. I love his courage already this man is living up to his name. After searching his eyes he is a good man and wants to avoid a fight just as much as I do so upon that I abandon all negotiating ideas and cut straight to the point.
"There is someone here that I will not be leaving without and if you deny me this wolf it will not end nicely for your pack. " I linger on the word pack as he picks up on my extended meaning, we won't stop on just there fighters, yes I'm taking my fathers Work and for this moment and this moment only I will claim them as my own.
I know he won't call my bluff but If it came down to it, the darkness that lurks within me, scares me as I may even follow through.
His eyes flick behind me scanning my wolves before landing back on me.
"Who is the wolf you are wanting to take and for what purpose?" He says sounding slightly confused
"My mate" I say as a fact. Still struggling to come to terms with it.
He looks shocked before it's wiped from his face at the same time from the corner of my eye I see his third in command look back to my mate.
What's going on? Fuck if they're together! He's already dead. I mentally frown at my strong feelings towards my mate. it all feels so foreign to me.
Alpha Hanes stands there looking at me thinking something through, i can sense his mind is changing in all possible outcomes if he refuses me.
"Are you not aware of the gods rules of mates, alpha Hanes?" I say casually throwing his mind onto a different thinking path. thank fuck for Chloe's random history lessons that I actually remembered that.
My eyes wonder to his third in command as I study his wolf, he's big for a third I mentally compare him to Liam and unfortunately I believe Liam would lose that battle.
I look back to alpha Hanes as he still hasn't answered me. He has no ground to deny me and i can feel he knows it.
His beta growls angrily out as I slightly go stiff from his sudden vicious outburst, I glance to him assessing his body movements but he doesn't make a move.
Both Liam and Nathan growl out and scratch at the ground as I sense them both feeling slightly threatened by the beta.
"Calm the fuck down!" I say feeling frustrated at the whole situation before me.
"Have you decided?" I say clearly frustrated looking back to alpha Hanes as I know we are both feeling distracted.
"Your mate looks as though she's gonna make a run for it" Liam comes into my head.
Fuck there's no doubt she's going to be scared of me. But right now I couldn't care less. Shes my mate and she's coming with me now.
I don't care if I have nothing to do with her back home but I've come this far I can't exactly turn around and say thanks but Ive changed my mind. But I want her my wolf needs her, I struggle with the decisions...
that doesn't mean I don't need her.
"I understand alpha west but you can see the predicament we are in." he replies glancing to his beta. His question throws me off.
I frown at his words as I sense a hidden meaning. His beta looks extremely stressed he's not keeping his cool at all I search his eyes as I come to the realisation the beta is family he must be her brother. Fucken great.
"I give you my word alpha Hanes no blood will be shed as long as my mate leaves with me." I say firmly as I feel myself losing my patients.
Alpha Hanes takes a deep breath as my eyes quickly flick to my mate. She's definetly thinking about running.
"Keep you eyes on her." I mindlink Liam.
I ignore my wolfs wine within me at the fact I told another unmated male to watch my mate.
"Give me the day." he says slightly lifting his head trying to take control of the situation.
Don't fucken push me.
"You have one hour." I say staring him down with finality.
He looks at me carefully as he than steps forward raising his hand.
I shake his hand at our deal made and before anything else can be said or fucked up I turn and make my way back to my side of the meadow.
This is going to be interesting.
A/N *** just a little sneak peak into the working of his mind***