Shadow Wolves

Nineteen

Suddenly the world stood still and all Chloe could hear was the pounding of her heart and the breath she sucked in. She was paralysed and yet she could feel everything from the icy bite of the winter winds to the scorching trails of Lucas' gaze on her flesh. Her clothes suddenly felt inadequate and unable to keep her body hidden from the male prowling towards her like an enraged tiger.

No, not enraged. Determined.

Something stirred within Chloe, battling against the fear that wrapped around her like cutting chains. Whatever it was waking up inside of her reacted to the presence of this male as he dominated the space around them. The winds had cut across his cheeks and nose to leave them pink and flecks of snow clung desperately to the wisps of jet black hair peeking out from under his woollen hat. He looked different in what appeared to be fatigues. There were crisp sharp edges that were almost as deadly as the assault rifle strapped to him. The black of the material seemed to absorb the light around it. He looked deadly and it had Chloe's mouth drying up as a curious thirst wracked her.

A growl burst through the vacuum, shattering the trance Chloe had fallen into before a grey coated wolf lunged over Chloe, landing between her and Lucas.

Get out of here, Chloe. Omar's voice came through then as he continued to bare his pointed teeth at Lucas. For once be selfish and save yourself!

Chloe didn't answer immediately, his blue eyes wide as they watched Lucas size Omar's wolf up. It occurred to her then that she didn't know Omar's wolf's name. She actually knew very little about him and yet here he was trying to give her a chance of freedom even if it got him killed. The problem was, they had already failed. Freya was too sick to defend herself and the other girls had barely made it to the tree-line before being apprehended by more soldiers in combat fatigues.

She had no time to react though because Omar was suddenly charging at the other male, jaws snapping as he aimed for Lucas' shin. Lucas was faster despite being in his human form but his eyes flashed amber as he darted out of the way with ease and grace. Omar was quick to recover though, twisting in a flash to lunge again. This time he did connect with Lucas but the male was there to use Omar's momentum against him, the giant wolf's body slamming into the snow with a thud.

A scream from a distance told Chloe Katie had seen the way Omar hit the ground and yet the blonde could do nothing but watch as Omar forced himself into his paws while Lucas removed his rifle and his jacket, eyes focused on the wolf but features giving nothing away. Surely he didn't intend to fight Omar in human form? It was suicide! And yet Chloe quickly realised that the one at a disadvantage was Omar. Lucas was a machine; avoiding and blocking everything Omar threw at him without any effort.

Omar! Stop! Chloe finally managed to find her words. He's going to kill you!

The distraction cost Omar. A split second was all Lucas needed to go on the offensive, sending Omar flying. The yelp gave away that Omar was injured by the impact with the ground but the sound snapped Chloe out of her shell-shock like a knock to the lungs.

Before she could fully comprehend what she was doing, Chloe burst into a sprint, moving past Lucas was he stalked towards the injured wolf.

"Don't hurt him!" Chloe blurted out as she shielded Omar with her smaller frame. "Leave him alone!"

Lucas froze, his hazel eyes still hard but the slight tilt of his head and the lift of his scarred eyebrow gave away his surprise.

What are you doing? Omar asked incredulously. You need to get away!

"It's over, Omar!" Chloe replied as he looked at the injured wolf, finger clutching loosely at his thick pelt. "We are surrounded. There is nowhere else to go. I'm sorry."

I promised I'd get you all to safety. No more stripping or being a slave. Omar replied. I've failed you all.

"You haven't." Chloe choked out, her lower lip quivering as tears threatened to fall down her cheeks. Her sky blue eyes turned to the male looming over them. "Omar didn't do anything wrong."

"He escaped from custody and is a suspect in our investigations." Lucas finally spoke, his voice clipped and sharp like a filleting knife. "Take him back into custody."

For a moment Chloe was confused. Lucas was looking right at her when he made his demand but it was clearly not meant for her. Then shadows danced across the ice, lengthened by the sun as it began to dip low in the sky. It too had witnessed enough for today but let its last rays of orangy light pour over everyone as two males approached to apprehend Omar.

"No, please! Don't arrest him!" Chloe begged only to scream as an arm wrapped around her waist and dragged her away.

Lucas didn't even flinch as Chloe struggled in his grip, her screams and protests echoing around them as he carried the blonde towards a waiting vehicle. He was like steel while Chloe felt like she was coming apart under the tidal wave of emotions. She felt sick and worst of all, helpless. All she could do was watch helplessly as her friends were herded and stewarded towards the awaiting arms of complete strangers.

---

They arrived back at the pack proper late in the evening. The velvety night sky shimmered with stars as if they were spilt glitter and the crescent moon cast its silvery glow across the snow covered land. The temperature had dropped dramatically and Lucas couldn't deny that he was grateful to be inside the main residence where the heating quickly melted the chill in his toes and fingers.

Most of the rescued women had been given rooms on the lower floors of the alpha residence but the long-term plan was to transport them to one of the committee's bases where they could be properly provided for. However that could only happen once they were deemed healthy enough to travel and unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

One girl was missing. Another was seriously sick and three more were starting to show symptoms of being unwell. Everyone else was either exhausted, traumatised or both.

Chloe, however, would stay with Lucas even if right now she wasn't aware of what was happening.

Hazel-coloured eyes instinctively sought out the feminine form currently curled up in the middle of the large bed. Lucas couldn't remember exactly when Chloe had passed out but she had been sound asleep by the time they got back. Without even second guessing himself, Lucas had bundled her into his arms as if she was a sleeping bride and carried her to his room. He didn't care who saw him. This was his mate and he had no intentions of letting her out of his sight anytime soon if he could help it.

Instinct and logic warred within him though. Chloe (as well as the others) had been through hell. Waking up in a stranger's bed would probably not help matters but Lucas just couldn't let her go. Inside of him Ares continued to reach out for Chloe's wolf but there was nothing. It was radio silence and Ares was becoming agitated.

Pulling his jacket off, Lucas wandered over to the small bar opposite the giant bed and poured himself a drink. He was exhausted. That was understandable but he had hoped Chloe's presence would settle him down. Instead he found himself even more worried and stressed. Something was wrong with his mate. Something was wrong with all of the girls and no one knew what. Also, he couldn't shake the line of thought about Chloe's blood being at the blood bath they had stumbled across. What had she witnessed? Did she see who killed those men?

He eased his body into an old chesterfield armchair, muscles relaxing as the soft worn leather welcomed his tired body. What had meant to be a simple mission was becoming more and more complicated with each passing day. Lucas was used to moving from one mission to the next with nothing tying him down. He liked his work. He had all the benefits of being part of a unit without any of the drawbacks of pack rules and customs. Now he had a mate and was the interim Alpha to a pack on the verge of collapse. The former didn't upset him but it had every basal fibre in him wanting to protect Chloe and given how dangerous this place was, it had him on edge.

Chloe feared him.

He had sensed it amongst the maelstrom of other emotions that poured off of her and flooded the mate bond. She had no idea that everything she felt was projected through that sacred channel. Lucas could feel it all and it wounded him that his mate was scared of him. He couldn't blame her though. Every male in her life had abused her and used fear as a weapon.

Alex says that debriefing is in ten minutes. Sierra spoke up through the mind-link. Will you be joining us.

I will be. Lucas replied. I will see you in a few minutes.

For a few moments he didn't move. Hazel coloured eyes remained transfixed on the blonde curled up on the bed. His mind was already making a list of things Chloe would need from clothing to hygiene products. She would need to be seen by the doctor to make sure she wasn't sick and then there was the matter of food. All of the girls had lost weight since going on the run.

Finally forcing himself from his seat, Lucas finished his drink and set the empty glass on the small coffee. The urge just to crawl into bed and wrap Chloe up on his arms was strong but two things stopped him doing just that; he had work to do and no doubt Chloe would freak out. So, he headed for the wardrobe, grabbing a fresh t-shirt from his bag and changed. He would deal with what to do with his mate later. Right now, he had work to do.

“Alpha,” Johnny teased with his signature smirk when Lucas entered the meeting room.

“Beta,” Lucas clapped back without blinking internally pleased when Johnny grumbled.

Turning away from his best friend, he found Sierra and Bobby near the head of the table discussing something on Bobby’s tablet. Behind them, the screens they had installed showed the local and national news along with weather forecasts and video feeds across the pack territory. Lucas spared it a momentary glance but not much else. The weather looked to be finally warming up. A young woman had been found dead near a national park and all was quiet on the borders of the pack territory.

“Cousin,” Sierra greeted the younger male with a smile. “I wasn’t sure if you were going to join us. Congratulations on finding your mate.”

Lucas let out a grunt of annoyance. “Not sure there is anything to celebrate yet. I need a favour from you both though.”

“Oh?” Bobby raised an eyebrow curiously.

“I need you to keep an eye on Chloe.” Lucas explained. “I won’t be able to take care of her right now and I think she’s likely to trust you more as you’re not men.”

“Babysitting duty?” Sierra huffed. “Alright cousin, but you owe us. Just let us know what she needs and we will be right on it.”

“Thanks,” Lucas nodded. “I’ll send you a list. Oh and one more thing.”

“What?”

“You can’t tell her I’m her mate.”