Wolf Mountain Peak Complete Series, page 92
part #1 of Wolf Mountain Peak Series
“Hey, you guys,” she waved at them, her lips curving into a sweet smile, as she strutted towards them. “How have you been?”
“Hey, it’s ‘Ms. Relaxation’!” Ava exclaimed, turning towards her. “What’s up, darling? How was the massage? Feeling any better?”
“Hey, Ava; and, yeah, it was fine,” Olivia muttered, not even considering sharing the events of the afternoon, as she took a few, furtive glances around her. “Guys, can we go inside? I need to talk to you about something.”
“What’s the matter, Liv? Don’t you like it out here?” Ava inquired, smiling up at her.
“It’s important,” Olivia said, her tone firm. “I’d like some privacy.”
“Okay, then,” Ava chirped. “Come on in.”
Olivia continued to sweep the main road, fearing that her Alpha’s agents could be watching her. Happily though, a quick scan sent a feeling of reassurance into her. Most lights were on in the buildings across the street, but her fellow citizens were showing no interest in her. They were on their porches, having drinks, as they conversed with one another.
A shot of adrenaline rushed through her veins, as she crossed over to her friend’s house. Her request was much too crucial and dangerous for all of them. Should they follow her, they would have to deal with their Alpha’s wrath. Raul would not appreciate it all, if the females decided to break the rules. The least he would do was kick them out of the pack. Olivia didn’t even want to think about the worst case scenario. At any rate, their attitude would determine if she could rely on them in the future or not.
“Alright, sweetheart…” Ava started, as they stepped onto her back porch. “What’s the big emergency?”
“I have a favor to ask,” Olivia declared, as her friends gathered around her. “I still don’t know why David is interested in me. I should have asked him today, but I didn’t have the heart to. I can’t go back to that beauty salon. The pack could be watching. When I chased him off, he headed west. I want to see where he went. It’s a long shot, but it’s my only option right now.”
“Wait a minute,” Ava interjected, as her face twisted into a scowl. “Are you telling me that you spent, I don’t know, an hour with him today, and you didn’t ask him anything personal? And you want us to go out there, break a rule, because you didn’t have the guts to talk to him about it?”
“It was too awkward,” Olivia’s tone of voice assumed an emphatic edge, while narrowing her eyes at Ava: “For crying out loud, Ava. I was lying half-naked on a massage table. Can you imagine how weird it would get?”
“She’s got a point there,” Amy voiced her opinion, casting a serious glance upon Ava. “I wouldn’t dare to ask something so personal to a massage therapist during a massage. Things would become pretty tense between us. Anyway, I’d be happy to help, if you had any ideas on how to avoid being detected by our guards.”
“Our guards are up on Warrick’s mansion,” Olivia rebutted, her eyes gleaming with appreciation. “They may have a great vantage point, but, as long as we use the trees as cover, and stay silent, we’ll be ok. Look, Ava…” She added, shifting her gaze to her. “I know it is dangerous going out there, but tell me, which is worse: recon under cover of darkness; or me visiting him at his workplace in broad daylight? If I knew where he lived, I wouldn’t be asking this favor.”
“Ok, you lost me,” Ava confessed, crossing her arms over her chest. “You said you’re not interested in a relationship with him. Why is this so important to you?”
“It’s not,” Olivia claimed in a calm tone. “I’m just curious. I mean, why would he bother doing all those things? What’s so special about me?”
“I’m in,” Breanne stated her intentions. “Just promise me we’re not engaging anyone.”
“No, we’re not,” Olivia assured, as a smile of contentment spread across her face. “We’re looking for clues, not trouble.”
“I guess if everybody else is going…” Ava shrugged, tossing a calculating glance up at her. Olivia gave her an appreciative nod, understanding that the time for words was over. Now, it was time for action. In a matter of seconds, gunfire sounds tore through the night, as the four wolves’ ribs crackled and rippled. Their hips narrowed, their legs shortened and thinned, and fur sprang from the top of their heads. Olivia’s face lengthened into a snout, just before her light-brown beast padded off towards the exit of her friend’s backyard, which was in front of her. Ava’s black wolf, Amy’s silver and Breanne’s gray ones walked off behind her, as the four shifters set off into the unknown.
The massive paws of the brown lupine were soaked in dirt and mud, as she crossed into the forest. Unlike the night when she had run after David’s bear, Olivia did not run. She had been fortunate then; the guards at the dead Alpha’s mansion had failed to notice the commotion. Now though, she had her friends with her. The noise that they would make would be considerably higher. Warrick’s residence lay more than five hundred yards northwest, but it had an unobstructed view of the woods. It would be very hard for guards not to spot the dust that would rise up in the air. Therefore, Olivia chose to pad through the vegetation, hackles raised, her tail straight out behind her, at the same time seeking the bear’s smell.
Slivers of moonlight were seeping through, defining the trees in massive, wild shadows, as she picked up his scent. The fact that it was faint didn’t surprise her. It had been days since his visit. Raising her snout, she let it guide her through the forest, as darkness and moonlight flowed like ink over her back. Moving around a large rock, Olivia’s wolf glanced right, as one more, rather unpleasant scent filled her nostrils. “Joe’s” diner was close. Her comrades were simply doing what was expected of them: having fun, drinking, and being their usual, loud selves. The she-wolf cringed, wishing she was further away from that smell. However, she soon realized that it was working in her favor. Shifters’ super senses diminish, when they are intoxicated, and this impairment was precisely what she needed, in order to slip by undetected.
Pacing past a towering elm tree, she focused her attention on the clearing that David’s bear had used. Nevertheless, as she and her friends approached it, it occurred to her that they couldn’t simply stroll outside the forest. Despite their intoxication, her pack mates could still see them. Olivia’s wolf lengthened her strides, her paws squashing dry leaves, as she stole glances up at the diner. Inches before the clearing, she leaned back on her haunches, her gaze fixed on the sizeable bush across from her. Her paws picked up dust, as she jumped across the street. Predictably, there was no grace in her landing. Her body brushed the bush, ripping off a shower of leaves, as it hit the ground. The brown wolf trotted away from the spot, shaking off any leaf matter that had lodged on her back.
One by one, her friends made the jump, with similar results. Olivia looked over her shoulder, as Breanne’s beast landed with a thump. Finding herself among vegetation that reached up to her muzzle, she headed off into the forbidden portion of Lockhart forest. She held back a happy hip, upon discovering that David’s scent had not vanished. It was still lingering, but, she could not enjoy this, for good reason. Second by second, she was getting closer to the battlefield where three of her comrades had laid down their lives. Olivia was going to suffer the memory of their deaths even more vividly than in the past few days. More importantly though, she had absolutely no clue of what lay beyond that wide clearing. She could only keep her eyes and her ears open, watching out for any enemies that she might cross paths with, in the hope that no harm would befall her and her friends that night.
Ava’s black beast nudged her in the ribs with her muzzle, as she padded past a pile of brush. Apparently, she desired to tease her. Yet, Olivia was not amused. They had a bigger task ahead of them, and playing games in the woods could prove catastrophic. She raised her upper lip, as a feral snarl rattled in her throat. Much to her frustration however, she had to swallow that as well.
The vegetation was thicker now, and the bright moonlight only reached the forest floor in a few, scattered patches around them. Olivia didn’t appreciate the lack of illumination, but she did welcome the growing darkness. It meant that the trees and the bushed around them would conceal their figures, and stifle any sound that they might make. Digging her paws into the forest floor, she picked up the speed, feeling her heartbeat escalate. Within moments, she left her friends trailing behind her, as she loped across the woodland. In her rush, she sped past evidence of another battle, the one against Dominic and his pack. The trunk were Helena had ended Victoria was still covered in her enemy’s blood. A few trails reached almost all the way down to the tree’s roots. All the same, Olivia was not interested in studying anything, particularly a battle before her time. The sacred ground of the pack’s fallen heroes was drawing nearer. Keeping her gaze on the harsh landscape ahead of her, she noticed the opening, between a cedar tree and an elm tree, which the pack had used on the night of the battle against Redfield.
A frenetic yip escaped her, as she looked over her shoulder. Ava, Amy and Breanne, were running parallel to one another, closing the distance between them, fast. Without much thought, Olivia’s wolf burst out into the clearing. Large patches of flattened grass filled her view, as she put all her strength in her legs. She knew very well why most of the vegetation was not upright. Images of the brutal battle flashed before her, gripping her heart, as she galloped across the clearing. But then, something else distracted her; something that blocked out every terrible memory. Incredibly enough, the scent of David’s bear was getting stronger.
“That’s funny,” she thought to herself. “Where does he live? I can’t see any houses nearby.”
Spotting a line of trees at the edge of the clearing, the brown wolf shortened her strides. She was about to go where she had never been; and, even though she had not caught any other scents, she had to remain cautious. Still, as she approached the trees in question, a wave of surprise washed over her. They were not part of the forest. They were alone, forming a barricade, on the top of a steep, shallow ditch. Olivia slowed down further, breathing heavily, as she brushed past a balsam fir tree. A glance at the hillside across from her convinced her to carry on. It was taller than the ground they were standing on, and there was soft light rising up from whatever lay behind it. Starting down, she hoped that her quest would not be in vain. She was getting tired, and so were her friends. They couldn’t keep this up for much longer.
Padding up the hill required a lot of effort. Olivia could feel the strain in almost every muscle in her body. More than halfway up however, a mix of scents and fragrances reminded her of her own birthplace. Freshly cut grass, wet soil, flowers and blossoms were in the air. And, when she reached the top, she found out the reason behind all of them. Dozens of town lights spread out before her. The faint sound of children’s voices in the distance filled her ears. Before she could turn to her friends though, many more different scents informed her that this was no human town. It was actually a bear shifter town.
Ava, Amy, and Breanne came to a halt beside her, as she found herself in a dilemma. Just as it was the case with bears in Paxton, wolves were not allowed in there. A sad yip escaped her, as she pondered her next move. This was what she had been searching for; she’d reached her destination. David’s home town was right in front of her, yet, everything inside her rebelled at the thought of invading it. Staring down at the wide, main road, she sat back on her haunches, exhaling hard, when a white vehicle caught her eye. It was going fast, faster than one would expect in an inhabited area. Its diesel engine roared, as it sped down the road. Intrigued, Olivia’s wolf got right back up, as she intensified her stare. All of a sudden, the driver stepped on the brakes. Its tires screeched, as the car in question was brought to an abrupt halt, a few feet away from the house on the edge of town. Two men stormed out of the vehicle, holding something in their hands. Olivia couldn’t make out shape or color. They hurtled towards the side window, and tossed those objects into the residence. The four friends watched on in shock and awe, as a huge, explosion rocked the house, causing the ground to vibrate beneath their paws. Thousands of shards of glass, as well as chunks of cement, shot upwards, as a plume of black smoke rose up into the air. This development provided all the incentive that Olivia needed. Obviously, the bears were in turmoil. What she had done with David was more than enough reason for them to turn against each other, but, she could only find out if she ventured into town. She had to move quickly, as the smell of burning wood and cement would help cover her own.
Small stones rolled down the hill, as she began her hurried descent. Locking her gaze on the building, she felt her heart thumping against her chest. Olivia could well be starting a war by doing this, but, in her mind, her actions could also help prevent one. How could she believe this logic? Because she would assume full responsibility, should the root cause of this dispute be her encounter with David. She could claim that her pack had nothing to do with her decision. If anyone had to die, it would have to be her, not her fellow pack mates.
Jumping over a bush, Olivia landed just after a large shard of glass. Three, almost simultaneous yips rang in her ears. Her friends were urging her to stop, but, by then, she was much too close to the house. However, before she could go inside, a sparkle to her right grabbed her attention. A broken, silver picture frame was lying on the ground. Its shattered glass had scattered all around it. The photograph it housed sent her heart into a flurry of wild beats. It was David, along with four other men, smiling for the camera, with a white mountain in the background. Their arms were on each other’s shoulders, and they were all tall, almost as tall as he was. The one on his left bore quite a resemblance to him.
“Brothers,” Olivia thought to herself. Without wasting any more time, she bent her head down, as she parted her jaws. The brown wolf picked up the picture in her mouth, as the leaping flames reflected in her sky-blue eyes. Concerned about what she had just witnessed, she flipped around. She raced up the hill, the fire defining her body in a large shadow, as she left the smoldering house behind her. At last, she had found a clue.
Chapter Eleven
The four friends padded back into Paxton later that night. Much to Olivia’s liking, neither Amy nor Breanne decided to follow her back to Ava’s cabin. Indeed, moments after they entered the part of Lockhart forest that surrounded their town, the two of them went their separate ways. She might appreciate their assistance, but she had a very good feeling about how the rest of the night was going to play out. Hours and hours of speculation about the picture awaited her: more questions that she could not find an answer to just yet; more frustration; more helplessness.
However, the same could not be said about her dear friend, Ava. The black wolf did not stop at her cabin. Instead, she paced along through the woods beside her. Olivia didn’t like it, but she would not show her discomfort. Once again, Ava had stood by her. She had broken a rule for her. By no means would Olivia complain to her, or send her away. As soon as she reached her home, she shifted back into human form. She strode through her back door, left the picture on the table, and went to her bedroom. Opening her closet, she grabbed two, pink blankets. She wrapped one of them around her body, and then returned to her living room. Ava was in human form, sitting on her couch, studying the picture.
“Here,” Olivia said, tossing the blanket over to her friend. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“They take after each other a lot,” Ava spoke, grabbing the blanket in midair, and then continued; “Five brothers? I feel sorry for their mother. They had to have been a handful.”
“That’s what it looks like,” Olivia sighed, joining her on the couch. “I don’t get it, though. Why would they do that to his house?”
“I don’t know, girl,” Ava murmured, handing the picture over to her. “I got pretty scared out there. I should be yelling at you right now.”
“Ava…” Olivia sucked in a deep breath, deciding that her friend did not deserve to be kept in the dark anymore. “I made a mistake today; a big mistake.”
“What, you trespassed into bear territory?” Ava wondered, her eyes glinting with amusement, as she turned her head to the left to face her. “We both did that.”
“Well, uh…” Olivia faltered, dropping her gaze from Ava. “David is very good with his hands. That massage was just out of this world. He made me feel comfortable, right from the start. He played some really sensual music, too. And, that was the problem,” She paused once more, as her gaze shot up to meet her friend’s. “The whole atmosphere gave me dirty thoughts. One thing led to another, and…”
“A happy ending massage?” Ava squeaked, her eyes popping wide open, as she leaned over towards her. “Are you out of your freaking mind? You did that with your stalker: your bear stalker?”
“I’m not proud of it,” Olivia’s voice lowered and wobbled, as she pursed her lips. “Ava, I swear to God, I was so relaxed I thought I was going to melt, right there on that massage table. Helena saw it in her orb. She said he played that music to seduce me, but I don’t think it mattered. It was all up to me, and I didn’t resist.”
“Holy God…” Ava whispered, closing her eyes, as she lifted her hands up to her temples. “This is unbelievable.”
“I only realized my mistake after we were done,” Olivia went on, feeling the sting of tears in her eyes. “He wanted to know when we could see each other again. I blew him off.”
