SHADOW
“Thank you, guys. I really appreciate your help.”
“Anytime. And your mate is in trouble,” said Alpha Frye as he joined us with a few enforcers from his pack.
“Luna, we got a bit of a situation here.” Kairo came, whispering, “The sheriff is outside the gate.”
“Let me handle him,” Waylon said.
“No. It’s okay.” I held his arm. “He knows me and Califf. Just give me a minute.”
The gate opened, and the sheriff saw me. “Shadow Stone, why am I not surprised?”
“What’s going on, Sheriff?”
“An SUV registered to your husband is totaled in the middle of the road. There’s a trace of blood in it. Mind if I ask you some questions?”
“A rogue member of our pack takes my husband. The missing elder. Do you remember him?”
“Yeah, Aciano.” He nodded. “So, how do you know he’s not missing and that he’s involved in your husband’s kidnapping?”
“It’s a long story, but I have a man inside, and I don’t think you can write it in your report, Sheriff, but if you wanna help, please come with me.” I gestured to the open door.
“Who’s in there?”
“My people and friends. How do you know where to find me anyway?”
“I called Zack. He told me I could find you here. Don’t worry, I called a tow service to take the car into your compound.”
“Thank you. I appreciate the effort.” I helped him inside the house.
He halted to see at least twenty heads before him. “They’re all like you?”
“Well, I kinda lost my wolf and-”
Most of them had a weird reaction to why I was telling a sheriff, of all people, about our secrets.
“He knew. He’s a friend of one of our allies, Alpha Knight of White Moon.”
“So, are you joining the rescue mission with a little bit of ripping skin and cutting off heads, Sheriff Wade?” Kairo asked the Sheriff, giving a few groans, mostly from my father’s pack.
“I would not miss the fun. Count me in.” He shifted his gaze at everyone with their cynical look. “So, how are we gonna do this?”
“Most of them will go inside since they can shift,” I explained. “You, Zarah, and I will use our hands instead of fangs and claws, but you can’t use your service weapon. I have spares.”
He chuckled, shaking his head. “I wouldn’t ask how you got them, but let’s move.”
Waylon came down with a shirt and jeans. “You need to change, Sheriff. And thank you.”
“I will introduce you later. We’re kinda in a hurry.”
“As far as I can see, this one is an Alpha.” He tipped his head to my father and Alpha Frye. “You, too, sir.” Alpha Frye had long curly hair, was taller than us, and had a body like Dwayne Johnson. So yeah, he was intimidating at first look.
“You’re right. They’re Alphas.”
“Oh, so, they-”
“Could snap your neck with two fingers, Sheriff,” said Alpha Frye.
“Right.” He nodded, seemingly terrified, as he took the clothes from Waylon before changing to the bathroom.
“Are you sure you can trust him?” Alpha Frye asked warily.
“Yes. Sheriff Carter found dead bodies in the woods and ruled them out as animal attacks. He knew about us before we could tell him. And no one would believe we exist if he said those dead bodies were attacked by werewolves, anyway.”
He came back a few moments later. “So, where is the battle?”
“Just hang on, Sheriff.” Zarah started the portal when I felt a hand on my arm.
“What is she doing?”
“Our shortcut to Northpoint. So you better be not passing out, Sheriff.”
The portal was a little bigger this time.
“Shit. Is this what I think it is?”
“Yeah. So don’t mess up with us, or Zarah will throw you into a crater or go directly to hell. Good luck, Sheriff.” Kairo patted his back.
“So we just walk into it?” asked Alpha Frye.
“Yes. Just like how we came in.”
“Well, I’ll be damned. I’ve only been wrapping my head around the fact that you guys exist, and now a witch just created a gateway.”
“You can’t tell anyone about this, or I will melt your organ in your sleep.” Zarah gave a serious, vicious look at the Sheriff.
When the Sheriff stared at Zarah without a word, Kairo chuckled. “I think he got the message, Zarah.”
“See you on the other side. Careful, guys. You could be walking into the trap.”
“You’re not helping, Shadow,” Sheriff said.
I smiled. “You’ll be fine. I’m also a human, Sheriff.”
My father and his men walked in. Sheriff’s eyes widened as he watched them disappear. Everybody entered, and that left me, Sheriff, and Zarah.
“Well, I can’t hold on longer. You two should go first.”
“You can hold my hand, Sheriff.”
“No. I can do this.” He blew his breath before stepping in, and I followed him immediately.
“Oh, my God! It’s unbelievable.” He looked around. We were in the middle of the forest.
“It’s magic, Sheriff,” said Kairo with a laugh. “Believe it.”
My phone buzzed. The call came from Zack.
I answered it. “Where are you?”
“We parked two miles away from the location.”
“We just arrived. I’m sending you where we are.”
Zarah just shut the portal closed.
“See you shortly.”
After I sent our location, I looked at everyone. “There’s still time to walk away. I won’t hold grudges. I can’t guarantee we will all get out alive, and all I can give you in return is I will be indebted to you, and you will have my pack when you need us.”
“From the start, the Alaskan pack is with you all the way, Luna Shadow,” Alpha Frye said.
“Thank you.”
“I won’t let you walk there alone, Shadow, and that’s my son, and our pack is at stake here.” Waylon nodded.
I may be human, but I could feel his fear and worry, and so did I. They could probably feel my fear and hear my racing heartbeat. Was I afraid? Yes, mostly of what they could do to Califf.
“I don’t have to say anything, daughter. Let’s go get your mate back.”
“Thank you, father.”
“He’s your father?” Sheriff whispered to me.
“Yeah. The Lycan Alpha King.”
“Oh, that’s a big deal, right? Like a royalty.”
“Yes. Technically, I’m a princess.” There you go. I said it out loud.
“Oh.” Before he could say another word, the reinforcements arrived with Lyon.
“Oh, my God.” I ran in their direction and looked at his bloody shirt. “Lyon.”
“Luna.”
I couldn’t contain my relief, so I hugged him tight. “I’m glad you’re okay. Did you see Califf?”
He nodded as he looked at me. “We have to move. They put him in a cage, hung him up, and piled wood under. We don’t have much time. They’re gonna burn him alive and let Waylon watch him.”
“What’s our advantage, Lyon?” my father asked as we joined.
“The compound is big with a military-grade gate, but no barbwire-two posts on the main gate and one at the back. I had to climb the tree to see what’s inside. The wall was pretty high, but it’s accessible. We could climb through.”
“How many are they?”
“At least thirty or more, but most of them are human under Aciano’s payroll, and they call him Alpha.”
“Jeez. He made himself one. Unbelievable.” I shook my head in disbelief.
“What about my uncle?” Calder shrugged. “Technically, the copycat.”
“What do you mean?” Sheriff asked.
“He’s a shapeshifter.”
“Jesus. That’s a lot to take in. My brain hurts.” Sheriff scratched his head.
“You can arrest me later, Sheriff, but I have to save my brother,” Calder shrugged.
“We’ll explain later.” I patted the Sheriff’s shoulder. “Is he still with us?”
“Yes. Alpha was able to reach out to me. He explained the situation inside.”
“Tell us,” said Alpha Fryer.
“All are heavily armed with automatic rifles and pistols, but they have silver bullets, so be careful. Someone should be fast enough to get in the crane and take Alpha from the fire.”
“And then I’ll do the rest. I need a high ground to settle. I’ll take care of the guard before you can get in. How tall is the wall?”
“Fifteen feet or higher.”
“Right.” I looked at everyone. “How do you plan the attack, guys?”
Alpha Frye raised his hand. “We will go from the back and climb the wall.”
“I will distract them,” Waylon volunteered.
“That’s dangerous, Waylon.”
“He wants me dead, Shadow. This is my decision. I hope you will not stop me.”
I stole a glance at my father, and he agreed.
“Okay. You all use your pack link. I need someone who could tell me if Alpha is secured.”
“I will stay with you, Luna, but I need a powerful weapon.”
“Thank you, Kairo.” I looked at everyone. “Be careful. The compound could be rigged with traps, and we lose our element of surprise.”
“We will be there on time, daughter. Be careful.”
“It means a lot, father.”
“Hey, be careful, okay.” Everlee hugged me tight.
“You, too. Califf will be so mad if something happens to both of you.” I smiled tightly at Calder and Everlee before they joined Lyon, Zack, and the rest of the enforcers who came with us.
Every pack was scattered to surround the compound.
“I don’t wanna ask what’s in here.” Sheriff opened one of my cases and grabbed the gun and ammo. “I’ll go with Waylon.”
“Are you sure?” I looked at him, but all I saw was determination.
“Yes.”
“Be careful.”
“Don’t worry about me. Just save your husband.” He stuffed magazines in his back pockets and loaded the pistol.
“Thank you, Sheriff.”
“Let’s go find a good spot for you,” Kairo said.
I grabbed the case of my gun and tried my luck for a thousand and five hundred yards or more to Aciano’s fortress. We found the best spot on a hill.
“I can help if I’m close enough.”
“Zarah, I can’t risk you.”
“Just do your thing.”
I nodded as I set up the bipod, attached the sniper rifle, and adjusted the scope. “Shit.”
“What is it?”
I swallowed hard. My pulse raced. “They’re gonna burn Califf alive.”
“I informed the guys to hurry, but are you okay here alone? I’ll go down with Zarah. Maybe she can help put off the fire when we get close enough before the packs enter the fortress.”
“Kairo, please watch her back.”
The moment they left, I drew a deep breath and pushed away the pressure in my head. I thought of Califf and what I learned from Alpha Frye, and then, I looked at the lens of the scope.
“For you, Califf.” Target locked. I blew a breath and pulled the trigger.
One down.
Fire.
Two down.
Then, I adjusted to the cable that hung the cage until gunshots erupted.
“Shit.”