Wolf Mountain Peak Complete Series, page 122
part #1 of Wolf Mountain Peak Series
Loping across the trees, parallel to his mate, he lengthened his strides. The moonlight was their ally that night, showing in plenty of dim patches through the trees. The silver wolf reached his Alpha’s left flank, his gaze settled straight ahead of him. His front, right paw knocked over a small pile of brush. Soft beams of light revealed an opening, less than fifty yards down the forest. Still, they also exposed the shapes of two women. One of them was lying on the ground, whereas the other was on her feet, facing them. The staff in her left hand informed Ray of her identity.
“Slow down!” Helena urged, raising her free arm to her chest. “There is an armed man amongst the vampires!” All the wolves shortened their strides at her words. Averting his gaze from her, Ray looked down at the woman. Much to his content, the skin on Carrie’s face was tingling with fear. Her eyes were wide open; she threw terrified glances up at him and his comrades. “I’m going to need some help here. I can’t drag her all the way to the clearing.”
Not wasting any time, he padded forward, and lowered his snout; Dean’s beast followed his example. The two of them lowered their snouts, parting their jaws. The sensation of the tender flesh in his mouth tempted him. He would love to snap her wrist like a twig. But, Ray did no such thing. This wasn’t much, compared to the punishment Carrie deserved. Instead, he continued forward, dragging her light body across the forest floor with his brother.
“I sneaked a peek into Isaacs’s future, right after you guys left,” The witch informed them while she strolled toward the clearing. “I saw him talking to Adkins. He’s armed to the teeth.”
When they reached the clearing, the moonlight shone on his and his brother’s beast’s fur; the two of them set Carrie’s arms down. Helena stepped into the clearing, while they padded back to their pack.
“Patrick Isaacs!” her feminine voice echoed in the wilderness. “I’ve got someone here who’d like to talk to you!”
“Who’s there?” A deep, masculine voice responded. A cool gust of wind tossed her hair about.
“My name is unimportant,” Helena retorted. If you want Carrie alive, get over here!”
She had barely completed her sentence, when the crackling sound of a bullet ripped through the atmosphere. In a split second, a blinding, red glow shot down the sides of her head, encircling her whole body while a malicious grunt fled her lips. Its shade darkened, the moment the bullet ricocheted off of her. Undeterred, Isaacs opened fire upon her, walking into the moonlight. He was easily 6’3”, and very athletic indeed, with a rifle strapped around his neck. Still, the blasts of his weapon had no effect on her. Every single bullet suffered the exact same fate as the first. A sarcastic smile spread across the witch’s face when his finger clicked on an empty ammo clip.
“Shooting at an unarmed woman: gee, what a catch…” Helena scoffed, pointing the top end of her stick up at him. The red shade in her eyes darkened. She swung it quickly to the left. Isaacs’s body was sent flying through the air and into the forest, his rifle falling off of him, while Ray’s gaze followed his course. He tumbled onto the ground and rolled onto his chest, just inches away from Raul’s wolf. Julia’s frantic yip made the Alpha step aside, letting his brother pad towards their fallen adversary. Moving around her leader, the white beast halted over Isaacs’s chest, keeping her gaze on her mother’s horrified face. Still, Ray could not - and would not - allow her to snuff the life out of him. Thrusting his snout down, he let out a vicious snarl, just before his teeth and fangs sank into Isaacs’s flesh. His scream of agony echoed into nothingness, while he lifted his arms up to the wolf’s neck. The pressure didn’t deter Ray. If anything, it encouraged him to dig his teeth deeper. Tasting the warm blood in his mouth, he pressed his front left paw onto his adversary’s shoulder. The sniper thrashed about beneath him. The human’s heartbeat was weakening more and more by the second. In one quick motion, the silver wolf twisted his head and Isaacs’s arms dropped onto the forest floor.
“You monster…” Carrie whispered, a tear rolling down her cheek as she shook her head in disbelief.
“Let me show you who the real monsters are, you joke of a mother,” Helena grumbled, thrusting her staff to the right. The middle-aged woman’s body was lifted off the ground, and then tossed up into the woods as Ray’s beast padded off Isaacs’s body. The witch pinned her against the thick trunk of a cedar tree, facing the clearing. “Look who his friends were,” She added, before shifting her attention to the pack. “Kill them all!” Helena cried, banging the lower end of her staff onto the muddy soil. The Alpha threw his head back, letting off yet another loud howl as she spun around. One by one, the wolves of Paxton charged forward, following their leader and the witch. Staying on Raul’s left flank, Ray felt the desire to wreak havoc upon their rivals, aching to unleash his wrath. He stormed out into the clearing, sweeping the area. The pack’s growls and stampede shattered the silence. Unsurprisingly, his gaze was met by dozens of pairs of yellow eyes. Focusing on the vampires closest to him, his initial thought was to engage the one standing ahead of his clan. Leonard Adkins, the 6’4” Alpha, indeed presented himself like an appealing target. Yet, this was a job for his brother. Taking on their strongest adversary had ever been Raul’s duty. Therefore, he shifted his gaze to the left, up at another, smaller vampire. The remainder of his clan was using quick bursts of speed to blur nearer to the pack, but, for some reason that Ray couldn’t fathom, he was rooted to his spot. Staring down at the silver wolf, he bent his knees, and assumed a fighting stance, while the beast tore through the grass.
A raging snarl fled the wolf’s lips, his jaws parting; then he leapt onto him. Sadly though, he was in for a surprise. The vampire blurred to the right, causing him to miss altogether. His jaws snapped shut with a powerful crack. His heavy body tumbled to the ground, flattening the grass.
“So predictable…” the vampire smirked, jumping onto Ray’s beast. Before he knew it, his cold arms were around his back, squeezing him in a tight grip. In a quick move, his foe rolled them over. An agonizing yip escaped him while the vampire flexed his muscles yet again. He could feel his ribs ready to crack under the pressure. The lupine thrashed about, desperate to break free of the creature’s hold. However, in the midst of his desperate motion, he noticed his brother Dean, almost directly across from him, hurtling towards his spot. Ray barked out, watching the light-brown wolf shorten his strides. Bypassing the vampire’s leg and torso, he halted over his rival’s right shoulder. Amid a hail of menacing snarls, growls, and screams of pain, Dean thrust his snout down. In an instant, Ray felt the grip loosening, his adversary’s agony tormenting his ears. Ray’s body slid down and fell onto the ground, while his brother’s teeth dug further and further into the vampire’s skin. The hair-rising sound of bones cracking was heard when Dean ripped their rival’s arm completely off. Bouncing right back up, Ray placed his left front paw onto his chest. Fuming with rage, he dropped his snout, and sank his teeth into his neck. He felt the vampire’s ice-cold skin against his lips. He used his weight to pin him down, the vampire’s screams growing louder in Ray’s ears. Tiny shards of ice were thrown across the grass, while the immense force in his jaws snapped his bones. The wolf jerked his head to the side, tearing his adversary’s head clean off and a large patch of land glowed red in front of him. Helena had trapped four more vampires in a bright-red circle. Gripping her staff with both of her hands, she tapped her index finger on its top end. The witch then tipped her head down. A small flame sprang from the tip. Ray started off towards her, just before she sucked in a deep breath. Her strong puff turned the flame into a huge blaze that roared up and shot towards their enemies. One by one, their bodies were scorched, their ashes flying up in the air as Raul’s wolf sped past him.
Ready for more fighting, his brother’s gaze followed the Alpha. Nevertheless, Ray soon realized that his Raul did not need his help. He wasn’t chasing after anybody. The massive, gray wolf was merely running along the higher ground he had used to celebrate their victory over Redfield’s clan, his eyes settled on the full moon. Galloping along the edge of the clearing, his tail straight out behind him, he headed towards two, towering elm trees, causing his brother to let out a long, happy yip. Raul’s beast slowed down at the gap between them, turning to face his comrades. Bringing himself to a halt, he tossed his head back, his tremendous howl of pride rising into the air and tearing through the night.
Ray swept the open ground, noticing the many dead bodies and several severed body parts of their foes. But, just then, he also discovered that they were not done yet. Julia’s wolf was hurriedly making her way towards the tree where Helena had left Carrie. Jumping over a severed arm, he burst across the clearing, in the hope that his mate would not do anything reckless. The fact that she was not making any noise encouraged him to believe that she would maintain her composure, but he could not be certain. It was a good sign; yet, it was not definitive proof of her intentions.
Shortening her strides, the white wolf moved around the tall grass, and stepped into the muddy soil. Much to Ray’s relief, her legs lengthened, and her hips reshaped, while her muzzle was replaced by her human face. The fur vanished, her ears shortened and her paws stretched into human hands and feet. Julia strode towards her shocked mother while Ray brushed past her.
“How does betrayal feel?” she asked in a firm voice. “How does it feel to know that your precious boy had been lying to you all along?” Carrie dropped her gaze down to the ground, without dignifying her daughter’s question with an answer. Two tears streamed down her cheeks, the silence lengthening. Julia stopped just inches away from her. “When I found out about all this, I couldn’t wait to just…” she paused; “rip your throat out. But, you know what? I think death is too good for you. Living with the pain is a lot harder. You’ll always remember what happened here tonight. You’ll never forget what I took from you. And don’t you dare tell anybody about happened here; otherwise, my pack and I will rip you to shreds.”
Finishing her sentence, she didn’t even wait for Carrie to say anything, especially not to her. Instead, she shifted back into wolf form, and left the tree behind her. Amazed by her behavior, Ray decided to follow her. His mate had not answered the call of darkness. She was still intact, resisting any notion of revenge, even though she had every right to end her mother. Julia was the same girl who had enchanted him. Her ordeal had not changed her one bit. Now, they were free to enjoy the fruits of their efforts, and able to plan their future together.
Chapter Twenty Two
Something unprecedented happened on the short walk back to Paxton. As soon as the Alpha emerged from Lockhart forest, a crowd’s deafening roar filled the air. Most of their fellow residents were on either side of the main road cheering the triumphant Wolves for once again saving their hometown. Ray couldn’t believe his eyes, when he saw men, women, and children clapping their hands together for the band of brothers and sisters. He was expecting a celebration with the pack, not such a warm community welcome. But then, it occurred to him that they had not just achieved victory over a rival pack, or a vampire clan, which they had done in the past. They had eradicated an unholy alliance between humans and their natural enemies. More than that, they had done so without allowing any of them into their town, keeping their civilian population out of harm’s way. Perhaps, he should have seen this coming.
Ray caught himself in the middle of a victory parade, full of applause, loud voices, and more cheers as they padded along the street. Swelling with pride, he marched on by his brother’s side, throwing glances around him. People even went to hug him and his siblings, and, although they delayed his well-deserved rest, he was not going to complain. Snarling at the individuals he had just rescued was a rather stupid idea. He hadn’t fought for himself; he had fought for them as well. They were simply expressing their gratitude. Getting mad at them would ruin this moment of glory, and destroy their opinion about him.
Just after the Bradford’s turned around the corner of their property, Julia reached her mate. The two of them waited for Melissa to pass them by, before shifting back into human form. Walking into their cabin, she ran ahead of him, and rushed up the stairs. Still in awe about the way she had handled the issue with her mother, Ray wondered how to phrase his next sentence. His slow footsteps brought him closer to their bedroom. By the time he reached her, she was sitting down on their bed, trying to pull up a pair of skin-tight jeans.
“I keep wondering when you’ll run out of ways to amaze me,” he muttered, strolling towards her. “What in the world did you do back there?”
“Well…” she snorted in amusement, her lips curling into a small smile, “I punished her. She took my father from me. I proved to her that her boyfriend was a big, fat liar, and now, she’s going to have to live with that. I didn’t want to be remembered as a mother killer, Ray. I don’t care about what others might say. How would I face our children someday? I mean, what kind of example would that set?”
“I hear you,” he said with a nod. “Man, what a night…” he said sighing and tipping his head back. “Helicopters; vampires…”
“There should be a picture of Helena in every house in town,” Julia remarked, rising from the bed. “We’d be dead if it wasn’t for her.”
“That’s true,” Ray admitted. “She took the humans out singlehandedly. What else can we do for her?”
“I don’t know about you, but I, um…” she faltered, a sly smile bursting upon her lips. “I’ve come up with a new handle for her: The Matriarch.”
“Cute,” he gave a quick chuckle, softly shaking his head. “Don’t tell her, though. She’s way too modest. She won’t like it.”
“It’s a cool nickname!” Julia exclaimed, her brows popping up. “I’m telling her, next time I see her.”
“Jules, I mean it,” Ray assumed a more serious tone, intensifying his stare. “I don’t care how cool it is. Helena is against this kind of stuff. I don’t want her to turn you into a frog or something.”
“She can do that?” she squinted up at him. “Really?”
“I wouldn’t want to know,” he replied, flashing a bright smile. “Anyway, there’s something else I wanted to talk to you about. You accepted my proposal the other day, but we forgot to set a date.”
“We had bigger things to worry about than that,” Julia responded with her own smile vanishing. “Any time is fine, pretty boy. We can do it tomorrow, for all I care.”
“Hold your horses, mess,” Ray urged, leaning over towards her. “We need to invite people first, find you a dress, choose the decorations, and…”
“Okay, stop,” She interrupted him, slightly raising her tone. “I can understand the ‘invitation’ part, but everything else you said just makes no difference to me. I would mate with you in my pajamas. I don’t need a new dress; or a venue for that matter. We can do this outside, can’t we?”
“It’s going to be a little cold, but sure,” he responded, his baritone losing volume. “Why?”
“Because I can’t think of anywhere better than Acheron River,” Julia uttered, making her voice sound even sweeter. “It was our first date; our first night together. It was…” she paused, “Magical.”
“Acheron River it is, then,” Ray agreed, curling his arms around her waist. “Technically though, our first date was at the Hudson. You’d called it that the night before.”
“Nah, that was just a dare,” she rejected that notion, her tone somewhat lazier than usual. “I wanted to see if you had the guts to go out with me.”
“So, how’s Sunday?” He suggested, gently pulling her closer. “It’s six days from today, plenty of time to send out the invitations.”
“Sunday’s just fine, baby,” Julia purred, resting her head on his chest. “Sunday’s just fine.”
Her attitude had not come as a surprise. Most women love the idea of a perfect wedding, but she had made it crystal-clear to him that she was not part of that majority. For her, this was a festive occasion that could be celebrated anywhere, as long as they were together. Every other detail was secondary. In essence, Julia didn’t want a fancy ceremony, an extravaganza with expensive dresses and tons of flowers. She simply desired a marriage; a mating.
Chapter Twenty Three
In the six days that followed, life returned to normal in Paxton, but with one, major difference: each and every pack member was treated like royalty. Wherever they went, people expressed their gratitude to them, just as they had done on the night of the battle. Pats on the back, jokes, and praises on their heroism became common place. Predictably, the shifters of Paxton were even more cordial to Helena. Their beloved witch-protector had yet again spared them from an ugly fate. More than ever, she had proven her quality as a fierce warrior. Within forty-eight hours, her cabin was filled with all kinds of presents, like home appliances and healthcare products.
When Sunday afternoon arrived, Ray’s compatriots showed to him and his family that their appreciation ran deeper than gifts and compliments. The ceremony was scheduled to begin at 6pm, but, just after five, most of them were already on both shores of Acheron River, in spite of the cold.
The sun was fading away, hiding behind large, white clouds, with the soft shades of orange, red, and pink lining the sky and Ray patiently waited for Julia, in a light-brown suit and a red tie. Dry leaves swirled in the cool breeze in front of the altar, putting a smile on his face. It reminded him of the threat against their town, the menace that they had managed to scatter in the wind. Two eagle’s calls tore through the air when the love of his life stepped into the aisle, in a plain, purple dress, a red coat and matching heels, holding on to Monica’s arm. Julia was wearing her most radiant smile, glancing around at the crowd, while her steady footfalls led her closer to the altar. Ray could feel his heart thumping against his chest, just like when he was about to tackle an enemy. Yet, this was not a battle. It was the most beautiful journey of his life, one that he would soon embark upon with his mate. The two friends halted, just a single pace away from the end of the aisle. Monica leaned over towards Julia, and laid a tender kiss on her cheek while another powerful gust blew through her red curls. The doctor turned around and started off towards her seat, while her friend headed towards him.
