Wolf Mountain Peak Complete Series, page 113
part #1 of Wolf Mountain Peak Series
Burying his hands into the pockets of his coat, Ray turned around the corner of his family’s estate, eager to find out more about the recruitment proceedings. Finding himself off the pavement, though, he came across a sight that he didn’t expect. His brothers had barely been in the town hall; and yet, there were at least fifteen cars parked outside, on both sides of the road.
“The town knows,” he thought to himself. “The threat woke them up. Better late than never, I guess.”
A minute afterwards, his boots splashed small drops of water over the road as he crossed the street. People were climbing up the stairs ahead of him, while he strutted towards the building. Ray couldn’t help but smile to himself. Not only was his pack united, but also his fellow residents seemed more than willing to provide a helping hand.
The large, wide entrance filled his line of sight when he stepped onto the landing. Jogging up the staircase, he noticed a familiar figure. Helena was there, pacing up and down the spacious hallway, with her black cloak on and her fingers tightly wrapped around her staff.
“Welcome, young one,” she said, her voice coming out reluctantly, settling her gaze on him. “I trust your mate told you about this.”
“Yep,” Ray admitted, striding towards her. “How come there are so many cars outside? Are all these people here for the recruitment meeting?”
“Indeed,” Helena affirmed, the hardness on her face puzzling him. If anything, she should be glad about the will of the people to assist them. “Raul sent out scouts two hours ago. However, most of the shifters that have walked through this door, so far, are either too old or too young: Sixty or seventy-year olds, and teenagers,” she heaved a long, deep sigh and she pursed her lips. “We can’t expect them to fight.”
“I took the phone over to James,” he said, speaking in a calm tone, even though disappointment unfurled in his chest. “He’ll have results by tomorrow night. He also thinks the shooter was human, and I agree with him.”
“So do I,” Helena gave a sad nod. “It was foolish of me to believe that a vampire could wield such a powerful, sophisticated weapon. They lack the patience to learn how to utilize it. I’m sorry, Ray. Those dead deer confused me.”
“Don’t apologize, they confused us all,” he claimed, softening his voice even further. “What else were we supposed to believe?”
“That recording keeps replaying in my mind,” she stated, her gaze hollow, and her face twisted with sadness. “We may not be able to tell color or deepness, but we can tell that there is a lot of anger in it. That person is literally fuming. Again, I’m afraid we’re dealing with something personal. I have only witnessed this kind of rage in Damian Redfield.”
“Maybe, but the Redfield’s were destroyed,” Ray rebutted, watching a middle-aged couple stroll by him. “The list is pretty long, but at least you can scratch that name off.”
“This has to be someone close to our loved ones,” Helena presumed, the certainty in her tone showing to him that she was absolutely certain about her theory. “Our human loved ones, to be exact. Someone they left behind, when they decided to move down here.”
“I don’t know about my brothers’ mates, but I’ve checked Julia’s boyfriends,” he stated in a steady voice, looking down into the redness of her eyes. “Most of them don’t even live in New York anymore, and the ones that do, work underpaid jobs. They don’t have the resources to do this.”
“No, this isn’t some disgruntled ex-boyfriend,” she rejected that notion, shaking her head sideways, once. “It’s got to be a relative. I discussed it with Cliff this morning, but he can’t think of anyone who got that upset by his decision; so that leaves us with Monica, Julia, and Joe.”
“What if Azazel’s come back for Joe?” Ray wondered, thrusting his arms out to the side. “I mean, vampires are creatures of the underworld. He can rule them, can’t he? What if he’s using them to get his revenge from us?”
“That’s just ludicrous, Ray,” Helena scoffed, tightening her jaw. “Yes, theoretically, every demon can make a bunch of vampires do their bidding, but only if their superiors allow it. Azazel may be ancient, but he still has someone to whom he must answer. Believe it or not, there is order in the underworld. Plus, it would be much too demeaning for Azazel to control a clan of vampires. He’s just too powerful to rely on lesser creatures like them. Last, but not least, if demons were mad at someone, it would have to be vampires, not shifters.”
“Why?” he squinted down at her, putting his hands on his waist.
“Because the underworld needs human souls,” The witch emphasized, leaning closer to him. “Vampire clans haven’t had much luck in that department, since they decided to start a war against us.”
“Look, I’m getting tired of speculating,” Ray said, his voice losing volume, and his eyes taking a few glances around him. “What can I do to help?”
“There’s not much you can do, until we have something solid,” Helena replied, her tone returning to its usual registers. “Go talk to your mate; see if anyone would try to hurt her. Patrolling together would not be a bad idea, either.”
“Hmm…” he hummed, tipping his head back to peer ceiling-ward. “Let’s see: cold; rain; tons of mud; small possibility of snow; yeah, that’s a great idea.”
“You asked me a question,” she said, tossing a fierce glare up at him. “I just gave you a…”
“I’m just teasing you, Helena,” Ray interrupted, tilting his head back down to meet her gaze, a wicked smile bursting upon his lips. “I like it. We haven’t been out in the woods together in a while. Thanks for the advice. I’ll see you later.”
“The mighty witch-protector has no sense of humor. Some things never change,” he told himself, making his way out of the building. Still, Helena’s inability to appreciate sarcasm was the least of his concerns. Although he had examined Julia’s past thoroughly, Ray had to have a long conversation with his mate. Of course, he didn’t doubt that it would annoy her. His significant other would take it as a sign of mistrust. Nevertheless, the young Bradford had to ensure that her past had not come back to haunt her and this was the only way he could do so.
Chapter Six
Ray’s initial thought was to speak with Julia upon his return to his cabin. All the same, he had to put it aside. The surroundings of his home were not suitable for such a discussion, particularly so soon after her outburst in his workshop. He knew her like the back of his hand. Most likely, she would accuse him of being insecure, scream, and slam the door in his face. Ray had to be smart. He would only proceed with the conversation outside, in the company of the moon and the stars. Julia was a romantic soul. A stroll in Lockhart forest would work to his advantage, mellow her out, and prevent any type of argument. His only hope was that the skies would be clear. Patrolling the woods in the rain would probably yield even worse results than confronting her in his cabin.
Daylight was fading into darkness, when he stirred the logs in his fireplace. A glance up through the window in his living room splashed a warm sensation onto his face. There was not a hint of a cloud in the sky. The brilliant red, pink, and other colors of the sunset were fading to indigo. Without much thought, Ray rose from the floor, a mix of anticipation and tension storming through his system. Picking up his brown coat from the rack on the wall, he headed towards his front door.
“Where are you off to?” Julia asked, emptying out a spoonful of coffee from the pot, watching him walk into the kitchen.
“Well…” he snorted, while his eyes sparkled with amusement, “I’m in the mood for something romantic.”
“Me, too,” she nodded, a sexy smile lighting up her face placing the pot in the machine located on the counter. “Maybe we can, uh…” she paused speaking to him in a raspy voice, but started towards him: “... go upstairs? It’s a lot warmer.”
“Not that kind of romantic,” Ray replied, swallowing hard, disappointed that he had to turn down her advances. He was longing to touch her, but - sadly for him - her timing could not be worse. “Come on,” he urged, reaching his arm forward to wrap his fingers around the door handle.
“Your loss, pretty boy,” Julia responded in a snobbish tone, grabbing her red jacket from the chair in front of her. “Where are we going?”
“To the woods,” he answered, swinging the door open. “It’s been a while since I took you there.”
“Fine, but don’t get any cute ideas,” she grumbled, strutting out of their home.
“Cute ideas?” asked Ray with a raised eyebrow. “Like what?”
“Close encounters!” Julia explained, her voice picking up volume when she turned around to face him. “We’ll freeze our asses off out there!”
“No,” he uttered, holding in a snicker, dropping his gaze from her, while he closed the door behind him. “That’s not what I have in mind.”
“Well, too bad,” she muttered, once more using a snobby tone, jutting her chin out. “I’m wearing those fishnet stockings you love so much.”
“Oh, God…” Ray huffed in exasperation, banging the palm of his hand onto his forehead. “Will you make up your mind already?”
“I freaked you out again,” Julia chuckled, pointing her index finger up at him, while sparks of mischief danced in her eyes. “God, I love teasing you. You’re always so gullible.”
“You’re a huge mess…” he mumbled, circling his fingers around her palm.
“And you love me for it,” she chirped. They began walking down out of his yard.
“Yeah, I do,” Ray admitted, gazing down at the freckles that dotted her face. “I love every little thing about you.”
“Awww, you’re so sweet,” Julia purred, tilting her head to the side. “Save the romantic talk for the forest, though. We’re still too close to our place. You don’t want me to drag you back in there, do you? Because that’s exactly what I’ll do, if you keep saying things like that.”
“ Okay, I’ll stop,” he assured her, tearing his gaze away from her face. “When was the last time we went for a walk in the woods?”
“Late August,” she was quick to respond, her smile still staying on. “It was beautiful out there: a full moon; hundreds of stars in the sky; so quiet that I could hear a pin drop; my man looking me in the eye, speaking words of love. It was the perfect night in my book.”
“You asked me to save the romantic talk for the forest,” Ray teased, throwing a sarcastic glance down at her.
“I know I did,” Julia admitted with a nod. “It’s just that night’s become my ‘happy thought.’ It comes in handy, especially at times like these. Nothing beats a man declaring his love for his woman in the moonlight.”
“What about a man declaring his love for his woman in public?” Once again, he lifted an eyebrow, keeping his gaze fixed on hers. They then turned right and onto the main road. “You know, with flowers, a band, four thousand eyes on you?”
“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” She answered his question with a question of her own, a hint of suspicion in her voice, staring up at him.
“I know where you stand on this,” Ray said, dragging his gaze away from hers to look up ahead, he clenching her hand in his. “You don’t need social contracts to be with someone, but why not? It’s going to be a great, great ceremony, we’ll get to have lots of fun with our friends, and you’ll be the center of attention.”
“My answer is still ‘no.’” Julia murmured, her voice almost bass-deep. “We don’t need a fancy ceremony, Ray. And, I’m definitely not the kind of girl who needs all that attention.”
“Have it your way, then” he said, a touch of discomfort in his baritone. “Don’t say I didn’t ask.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t,” she assured him, her smile reappearing. “You’re not mad at me, are you?”
“No. I just wanted to uphold tradition,” Ray confessed, his tone coming out slower than usual. “We’re shifters, Jules. This is our way. Unlike humans, we mean every word in our vows. We only do this once. We don’t throw away thousands of dollars on a wedding, and then run away the first chance we get.”
“Marriage lost its meaning in my life long before you and I were even born, baby,” Julia stated, making her voice sound sweeter. “Anyway, if it’s that important to you, let me think about it, okay?”
“ Okay,” He agreed, feeling his heart leap with joy. Yet, he quickly came to regret this reaction. Yes, Ray loved the fact that his beloved mate had not rejected his proposal, but she hadn’t accepted it, either. Any celebrations were premature. At any rate, he didn’t need a mating ceremony to bind himself to her. Ray was more than certain about her love for him. Julia had proved it, over and over again. However, he meant to mate with her, because he wanted to make her remember that night for the rest of her life. It wasn’t the actual ceremony he was interested in, but what would follow: festivities, ample wine, food, and plenty of dancing before his entire hometown.
Keeping his mouth shut, he stared at the trees that drew nearer with each step. By then, the glorious moonlight was washing over the valley, painting the leaves a dimmer shade of green. Recalling Julia’s words about “the perfect night,” Ray couldn’t help but feel lucky. Mother Nature had been kind to him, saving torrential rain and thunderstorm that so often plagued his town for another day.
Still, when he and his mate strolled by “Joe’s” diner, the sight of two of his fellow shifters on the road between the building and the forest puzzled him. He parted his lips to address them, but remained silent because their posture baffled him even further. Tommy Farrell and Larry Bishop were not at all casual or relaxed. On the contrary, they were pacing up and down the road in total silence.
“Boys, what are you doing here?” Ray asked, his surprise sending his voice up an octave. “Aren’t you supposed to be up at Warrick’s mansion?”
“Not anymore,” Tommy replied, padding towards him. “Raul says it’d be too dangerous for us to be up there.”
“Awesome,” Ray groaned sarcastically, averting his gaze from them. “Now, we’re too scared to guard our own border.”
“He’s just trying to protect them,” Julia voiced her opinion, striding with him towards the nearest tree.
“Yeah, but our western flank is blind,” he retorted, stepping into the forest. “Those two can’t guard anything there. I can’t believe we’re actually hiding from humans.”
“Ray…” she spoke, her voice just a little higher than a whisper, tightening her hold on his hand. “Calm down,” she urged him. He halted between a cedar tree and an elm tree. “I don’t like this either, but it’s not what we came here for.”
“Right,” He said on a breath, turning to face her. “Jules, when, uh…” he faltered then tried again. “How did your relatives take your decision to leave New York?”
“What?” Julia squeaked as her brows shot up. “What does that have to do with anything? Is this your idea of romantic talk?”
“Just answer the question,” Ray continued, tightening his jaw.
“I only have an uncle, and we’re not that tight, so, I don’t think he cared much about it,” She declared, lowering her tone. “We only saw each other on holidays, until my mom moved to L.A., six years ago. After that, I’ve seen him three, four times maybe. Why are you asking?”
“Helena believes that a relative of Joe’s, Monica’s or yours is behind all this,” He explained, his green eyes darkening with concern. “She thinks that…”
Ray wasn’t given enough time to finish his sentence. A bullet hissed past him, freezing the blood in his veins. Small splinters of wood were thrown across the forest floor as it lodged into the trunk of a tree on his left.
“Get down!” He cried, thrusting his arms forward, leaping onto Julia. Her body tumbled down onto the muddy ground and Ray landed on top of her. Gripping her shoulders, he rolled them over, while more bullets ripped through the atmosphere, shearing twigs and leaves off the trees around them in their wake. Within seconds, the blasts quickened, throwing chunks of mud up into the air. Ray stopped behind the thick trunk of a cedar tree. Opening his eyes to slits, he craned his neck up, and looked over the fork, only to see small, bright flashes in the distance. The fact that they came before the sound reached his ears told him that the shooter was quite far into the woods. All of a sudden though, the shooting ceased altogether.
“Are you okay?” he inquired, bending his head down towards her as the echo of the last bullet resounded through the wilderness.
“I’m fine,” Julia spoke too fast, nodding at the same time, while her chest heaved. Just then, his ears picked up a much fainter, yet familiar sound to him. Large, frantic paws on the forest floor, getting louder by the second. Whirling his head right, Ray noticed a gray-white tail, disappearing behind a sizeable bush. His comrades were sprinting across the woods. Ray would not let them search for the shooter alone. The human had made a fatal mistake. He had threatened both his and Julia’s life, and the young Bradford was not going to leave this unpunished.
“Wait here,” he commanded in a voice that sounded more wolf than human. He felt his inner beast aching to be unleashed, a gray glow spreading across his eyes. In a split second, the silver fur of his wolf sprouted from his head, while his face lengthened into a lean muzzle. Ray’s hips reshaped, his legs thinned and shortened as his ribs crackled and rippled. Letting off a feral snarl, he hopped over Julia, and exploded forward, desperate to locate whoever had dared to threaten their safety. But, despite the rage that had been rushing through his veins, he had to be extremely careful. This was a foe he had yet to encounter, who could snuff the life out of him, at the squeeze of a trigger. Therefore, Ray’s beast chose to avoid any wide gaps that would leave him exposed, and run parallel to the trees. His quick, long strides wouldn’t allow his figure to be visible by more than just an instant.
