Wolf Mountain Peak Complete Series, page 97
part #1 of Wolf Mountain Peak Series
“Hey, girl,” the Alpha tipped his head down in a polite gesture. Olivia’s hesitant footsteps closed the distance between them. “I’m sorry to drag you out here, but Helena says we’ve got a problem.”
“Indeed,” the witch affirmed, moving around her desk while Dean took a step back, exposing her crystal orb. “You all know that I peer into your future, every now and then. This is what happens tonight,” she continued, tapping her index finger onto the glass. The sphere started to spin, assuming a dark-brown shade; they all leaned over it. The brown turned to black, bringing a view of a familiar place. It was the main road that ran through Paxton, outside “Joe’s” diner. The lights in it were out. Lampposts on either side were illuminating the dark street. Suddenly, the peace and quiet was shattered by a loud bark. Olivia’s light-brown wolf was speeding down the road, its fur shining in the moonlight. Six more beasts were right on her tail. One of them was in front, leading this hint of a pack: a silver wolf, with a large patch of white on his left side. It was none other than Jimmy, her ex-boyfriend. Her beast sped past the empty diner, a split second before a deafening roar rose above the sound of hurried paws on the asphalt. Close to the edge of Lockhart forest, David’s bear was standing on his hind legs, his lips were trembling, extending away from his face. Still, the sight of the massive beast did not deter Olivia’s foes at all. A grayish and a black lupine broke off to the right, while the remaining four continued straight ahead. The two wolves did not give her a chance to reach him. They leapt onto her, charging her from behind. Her agonizing yip tore through the night; her body tumbled down to the ground. Led by Jimmy’s lupine, the rest of them leapt onto David’s bear. Not even a creature of his size was strong enough to support their weight. His body swayed backward while her former lover sank his teeth into the flesh of his chest. He dropped heavily to the ground and his rivals knocked him off balance.
“Fuck!” Raul roared in rage, banging his fists onto the desk. Olivia covered her mouth with her hands, feeling her stomach churn in horror and disgust. “I told them not to lay a hand on her!” He cried, raising his gaze up to Helena.
“I know,” Helena gave a condescending nod. “I’ve been afraid of this, ever since you took over. No matter how well you treat them, the fear of insurgence is always there. I just couldn’t imagine ‘who’ would defy you or ‘why’.”
“I used to date Jimmy,” Olivia informed, lowering her hands as she stared into the void. “We quit seeing each other a few weeks before I joined the pack. I guess he’s mad at me for moving on.”
“You dated him?” Raul scoffed, shifting his gaze to her. “Are you kidding me?”
“No,” Olivia said on a breath. “We went out for a year, give or take a few days.”
“Liv, you were too good for him,” The Alpha voiced his opinion, folding his arms across his chest. “He’s a great scout, but I’ve seen him around other women. He can’t keep his goddamn hands off. I don’t know if he told you anything about it, but he cheated on you.”
“He did!” Olivia squeaked, cold sweat washing over her in waves: “When?”
“Back when Dominic’s pack was on our border; I sent him and Martin out on a recon mission.” Raul began, his voice dropping an octave. “They were gone for hours. I thought something bad had happened to them, but I was wrong. They came back, chuckling and teasing each other. Martin said that Dominic had offered both of them two of his females each, saying they were a token of good will.”
Her former boyfriend’s infidelity might have come as a surprise, but listening to her Alpha’s narration, Olivia realized the simple fact that it had no affect over her at all. Sadness did not overwhelm her. It didn’t even come anywhere near her heart, thereby proving her words to David, when she told him that there was no love between her and Jimmy.
“I know the answer to this, but I’ll ask anyway,” Dean interjected. “What do we do about them?”
“The mastermind dies,” Raul grumbled, his voice coming out even deeper while still staring down at her. “I don’t care if it’s Jimmy or anyone else. If he’s planning on killing his comrade; then he’s dead.”
“Will you please let me talk to him?” Olivia requested, even though her own voice shook, her Alpha’s words sending slivers of fear slicing through her. “He may be an idiot, but he’s still one of our best scouts.”
“I don’t care!” Raul yelled, unfurling his arms while throwing her a nasty glare. “He’s plotting to kill one of our own, one of our sisters in arms! He’s not getting away with it!”
“Sisters?” gasped Olivia, her lips shaking. “I’m…”
“Yes!” the Alpha responded, bobbing his head up and down in emphatic agreement. “I need to verify his involvement in this. Head over to his place tonight; eight-thirty is good. Don’t worry about your safety; I’ll be close by. If he’s the one who thought it up, I’m going to rip his fucking throat out. Are we clear?”
Olivia’s only response was a quick nod. Her emotional condition did not allow her to offer him anything else. Jimmy was not dear to her, but he was still a member of her pack, and they had suffered enough losses lately. Now, everything pointed in the direction of yet another battle, a fight between two of her own kind; and whoever emerged victorious, one thing was certain: more death would follow.
Chapter Eighteen
Distraught and anxious about her visit to Jimmy, Olivia wondered about her options. What could she do to spare him from his fate? Yes, Jimmy’s fate hung in the balance; not Raul’s outcome. Her ex-boyfriend was six feet tall and had a great build, but he was no much for her Alpha. Even in human form, Raul towered above him, and he was much larger and stronger than he was. His beast was vicious; he had hardly suffered any wounds in the battles against vampires. In truth, the Alpha had nothing to fear from Jimmy. Although Olivia kept wracking her brain for hours, there wasn’t much she could do, other than pray that her ex would be quick enough to escape Raul’s wrath.
With a heavy heart, she left the safety of her cabin. A shot of adrenaline rushed through her veins. Whatever transpired between them, it would only happen after she risked her life. Despite her Alpha’s reassurances, she was still afraid of meeting her aspiring killer. However, if she had any desire of getting rid of him, this was something that she had to do.
Jimmy’s house lay on the left side of the road, less than a hundred yards away from Ava’s abode. Ava - the friend she had been relying on for decades - had disappeared from her life, because Olivia had not been able to resist temptation. Over the past few days, she had called her over and over again, but she would not pick up, or return her calls. Nevertheless, she had not lost hope. Her friend needed time to process the circumstances of Olivia’s life, and she would give it to her, believing that Ava would understand her mistake. Much to her relief, the lights in Ava’s cabin were out.
Her heart started to pound like a war drum as she laid her eyes on Jimmy’s house. Before long, she spotted a massive shadow on the street. Raul was there, standing behind a parked car, a few yards down the road. Olivia looked through the window as she crossed her ex-boyfriend’s yard. Sadly though, the red curtains prevented her from discovering if he was there or not. Sucking in a deep breath, she knocked on his front door, feeling her tension rise more and more by the second.
“Well, well, well…” Jimmy smirked, pulling his door open; “... if it ain’t the bear lover. What are you doing here, blondie?”
“I suggest you drop that smile,” Olivia grated out, pursing her lips. “What am I doing here? Do you really not know?”
“You’re a disgrace to our kind, you little whore,” he barked out, his face twisted in a mocking leer. “I mean, fucking a bear?”
“What I do with my life is my business, not yours,” she growled, her beast twitching inside her, aching to be released. “You want to punish me? Go ahead. I’m right here,” she urged, thrusting her arms out to the side.
“You’re goddamn right I do!” he cried, a forked vein leaping in his forehead. He leaned towards her, continuing. “And I’m not the only one! I brought it up to a few friends the other night. They all agreed we should do something about it.”
Olivia let out a huff of frustration, dropping her gaze down to the ground, understanding that his debate was not leading anywhere. Regardless of what she said to him, it was crystal-clear to her that he had made his choice. When she lifted her eyes to his however, she felt a large amount of pressure on her left hip. The big hand that had pushed her aside belonged to her Alpha. Raul reached towards Jimmy, and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.
“Who’s the disgrace, you fucking piece of shit?” snarled Raul, spinning Jimmy around. “Who is it?” His stentorian voice roared like thunder as Raul tossed him away from his house. Jimmy fell hard down onto the ground, close to the open iron gate of his house; but he didn’t stop there. Instead, his body rolled over and out into the road. The Alpha strode towards him. “Plotting against a member: a female; six against two?” he continued, stopping over him. “Well done, you coward.”
At that, Jimmy flashed Raul a sarcastic smile, reached his hand into his pocket, pulled a small knife out of it, and raised his arm as his Alpha bent towards him. Maintaining eye contact with Raul, Jimmy drove the blade into his kneecap. The pack leader let out a cry of agony, squeezing his eyes shut as Olivia watched in horror. Jimmy twisted the blade in the wound, leaning forward as his smile broadened.
“Coward?” cackled Jimmy, putting his free hand down on the road. “I don’t think so,” he added, swinging his right leg up in the air. A well-placed kick in Raul’s ribs sent him flailing backwards on an unsteady leg with blood dripping down its calf. He landed flat and hard on his back, banging the back of his head against the asphalt. Jimmy arose to his six-foot stature as Olivia felt her blood pumping in her veins and pounding in her temples. Her Alpha was in mortal danger from the same wretched creature that had so blatantly confessed to her his plan to destroy her. A ferocious snarl stirred in her throat and a reddish glow spread over her eyes. Her beast could not be contained anymore: light-brown fur sprang from the top of her head; her hips reshaped; her legs thinned and shortened; her face lengthened into a lean muzzle; and the gunfire-like sound of her ribs crackling ripped through the night. Jimmy whirled his head right. She pulled her lips back to reveal white teeth and fangs. Without wasting any time, she charged forward, dying to succeed where her Alpha had failed. Nevertheless, her rival remained fast. Within moments, he shed his human skin. Jimmy’s silver fur shone under the moonlight, and he turned to face Olivia. However, before she could engage him, another sound drew her attention away and his as well. A tremendous roar reverberated throughout the entire neighborhood. The Alpha clutched his battered leg. Olivia’s beast whirled her head to the left, in the direction from which the roar had come. It was dark, making it difficult to see the creature on the far end of the road. However, its shape, and its distinctive roar, left no doubt in Olivia’s mind: David’s grizzly bear hurtled towards them at top speed. Her heart fluttered with hope. He was there, ready to protect her. However, she could not afford to be distracted. Olivia turned back to Jimmy, but when she did, she realized that he had fled. The silver wolf was already galloping towards the bear, his tail swishing out behind him.
Unwilling to let him fight the battle alone, Olivia exploded towards David. Raul’s pulled the knife out of his kneecap. One more thundering roar rocked the neighborhood as David’s bear hurtled along. Seconds afterwards, he came to an abrupt halt: stole a glance down at Olivia; and stood on his hind legs in the middle of the street. Yet another growl escaped Jimmy’s wolf before he pounced on the impressive beast. A swipe of David’s right paw sent the unfortunate lupine flying to the left, over a parked car, and up against the outer wall of a house. His bones cracked and shattered from the throw. The silver wolf dropped to the pavement, his tail twitching. Olivia shortened her strides. An almost inaudible yip was heard while she scanned his body. Jimmy’s chest puffed one last time, his eyes rolling back into his head and his eyelids fluttering shut. But, their troubles were far from being over. The sound of eight, furious paws on the asphalt forced Olivia to look away from him. Bob Norris and Pete Wilcox’s beasts, a dark-brown and a white wolf were galloping towards David’s bear, parallel to one another. Apparently, his invasion had not gone unnoticed by the guards.
“Stop!” tore Raul’s voice through the atmosphere. He staggered towards Olivia. “Turn around! Get back to your post,” he commanded, bending down, agony causing him to bite his lower lip. “Jimmy was going to kill me and Liv. He stabbed me,” He went on, pointing down at his injury. “The bear saved our skins. Now, get out of here.”
Upon his order, the two guards spun around, and started running back in the direction they had come from. The bear and the Alpha’s gaze met across the street and Olivia’s heart leapt for joy. Comprehending that they had to discuss this, she left them alone. Amazingly, there was nothing about which she had to worry. There was no hostility between them. Neither male moved a muscle as she rushed back to her cabin. She and David couldn’t have a conversation wearing nothing but their skins. Shifting back into human form, she put on a denim skirt and a red t-shirt, grabbed a blanket from her closet, and ran back outside. Her boyfriend and Raul had remained rooted to their spots.
“Ok, shift,” she urged, spreading the blanket in front of David. Straight away, the massive animal shortened to David’s height; his fur sank back into his skin. His long claws retracted, his face, his back and his hips narrowed and his human hair sprouted from his head. Olivia tucked the blanket around his shoulders, but he would not take his eyes off Raul.
“David…” the Alpha croaked, starting off towards him, “... you may not be one of our own, but…” He paused, and drew in a sharp breath. “You’re more than welcome to stay in Paxton. We’d be dead if it weren’t for you.”
A tidal wave of joy washed over Olivia. A blissful smile burst upon her lips. No longer would she have to fear her own. No longer would she look over her shoulders in her hometown. They were free to savor what they had, in familiar territory, without worrying about any disgruntled wolves. Still, just after Raul had uttered those few sentences, she realized how wrong she had been about him. His determination to end Jimmy, along with his other statement, when he called her “sister in arms” were signs that she had failed to notice, but this was much more important and much clearer.
“Thank you so much,” she said, her voice wobbly, as tears of bliss sprang into her eyes. “This means a lot to me. I’ve misjudged you, Raul. I’m very sorry.”
“Don’t mention it,” he waved his hand in front of his face. “My girls would be a lot sorrier, if your man here hadn’t shown up.”
“What about the rest of them?” Olivia asked, steadying her tone. “Jimmy’s pals, I mean. What are you going to do about them?”
“It depends on what they say, when I show them their buddy’s corpse,” Raul replied, assuming a commanding voice. “If they still think David can’t live here, I’ll force them to fight him, one-on-one. That should be fun. You kids have a good night.”
“Goodnight,” she said with a grin. The Alpha nodded to her, and then to David, before turning his back on them. Ecstatic, Olivia turned to face David. Eager to show him how happy she was about this development, she could not hold herself back. Yet, just when she was about to embrace him, a red plume of smoke shot up from the ground in front of them. Helena had once again interrupted them, but, the tension on her face prevented Olivia from voicing her discomfort.
“Olivia, David, you need to come with me, right now,” She spoke too fast, her voice fraught with panic. “This concerns your future.”
“But…”
“Don’t!” Helena interrupted Olivia, raising her tone. “He can borrow a change of clothes from Dean or Raul. Now, come with me.”
Chapter Nineteen
Sighing in frustration, Olivia obliged. Whatever feelings of bliss coursed through her veins, turned into stress, in the blink of an eye. David kept quiet, but, a mere look up at him told her more than his mouth could say in an hour. The corners of his eyes had tightened; his face was contorting in agony and fear, while he pursed his lips. As they walked along the empty street though, the question that popped into her mind made her realize that he had to break his silence.
“I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, but how did you know I was in danger?” she inquired, throwing a sideways glance up at him.
“Annabelle,” he responded sharply, his voice bass-deep. “According to her, I would save you on the sixtieth day, after my twenty-ninth birthday. It’s on April 11th. Today’s the tenth of June.”
“Ok, I picked a hell of a time to ask that,” Olivia thought to herself. “It doesn’t matter. We’re safe. God, this uncertainty is killing me.”
The four of them turned around the corner of the Bradford estate, with Raul limping in front of them. Olivia’s heart pounded away in her chest. Dean’s mate, Kate, was in the yard, behind a table, with an open book - glowing pink in the darkness - lying on it.
“Let’s find you some clothes,” Raul suggested, heading towards his cabin. David followed him inside, leaving the three women alone.
“Hey,” Olivia said, bringing her gaze to Kate’s face. “I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Olivia Hunt.”
“Nice to meet you,” Kate murmured, offering her hand for a handshake, her lips curling into a hesitant smile. Olivia might not have known her personally, yet her reputation preceded her. She was also a witch - she had defeated Damian Redfield in battle - but, most of all, Dean’s mate was a kindhearted woman and an optimist. One would have to try hard to wipe her smile off her face; and, for some reason, she didn’t have the courage to try at all.
