Greyson - Part 3: An Alpha Billionaire Shifter Romance (The Silver Moon Pack) (2 page)

“Let go of me. I’ve got to find her.” Greyson pulled out of Ryder and Cullen’s arms, desperate to go after Juno, to follow her scent while it was still strong. The pain, his injuries…none of them mattered. Not when her life was on the line and he didn’t know who had taken her or where they’d gone. If he lost her…if they hurt her…he’d never forgive himself.

“Son…we’ve already got men tracking her, but you’ll be of no use to her if you’re dead.” Cullen shook his head and crossed his arms in front of his chest, looking at him with eyes that were clouded with worry, even as Greyson shrugged out of his bloody clothes and tossed on a clean t-shirt. “You’re healing fast enough and it looks like the bleeding has nearly stopped, but given your wounds, you shouldn’t even be alive, let alone conscious, and if you push your body beyond its current limits, it’s doubtful you’ll survive it.”

“If she’s taken from me, if she ends up dead when I was supposed to be protecting her, I won’t care if I don’t fucking survive this.” Ignoring the sharp pain in his chest and side, he headed over to the bodies of the men he’d killed, needing some answers, some clues…anything that might help him find her. He couldn’t fucking lose her…couldn’t bury yet another person he loved. Losing his parents was bad enough. He couldn’t lose his mate too.

“Do you recognize these guys? They’re wolf shifters and look vaguely familiar, but…I don’t really know anything about them.” Not when he’d been gone for the last four years.

Ryder tilted his head toward the men Greyson managed to kill before they’d shot him, one gutted and the other with his throat ripped out, the blood pooling on the hardwood floors. “You’re not going to like this, but both of them are from Thayer’s pack. They’re members of Broken Ash, though I don’t think either of them were in Thayer’s inner circle. “

“I’m going to fucking murder Thayer. Not that I’m surprised he’d pull a stunt like this—just surprised he didn’t bother to do it himself.” Greyson hadn’t seen Thayer, nor had he picked up on his scent. Yet the day had gone from bad to worse, especially when it came to Thayer and how he’d reacted to Juno. From the very start, Thayer had been a man obsessed, and clearly, he had no problems resorting to violence to get what he wanted.

Ryder shook his head no and pulled Greyson away, not looking happy. “I’m sorry, man, but this isn’t going to be a simple matter of pointing the finger at Thayer. Both these guys also worked as mercenaries. Which means that if someone was willing to pay their price, they’d do just about anything. They may very well have been hired by Thayer or just done this at his command—but they could also be working for someone else entirely. We won’t know until we have more information to go on.”

Cullen looked at the two of them in question, clearly confused about some of the details that they were discussing. “Why the hell would Thayer start a war with our pack out of the blue? You, especially, have always been on good terms with him—and what would anyone want with Juno anyway? I could understand the bears being involved in this mess, but…if it’s not them, this doesn’t make any sense.”

It had all happened so fast—and so recently—that Greyson forgot that his father didn’t know about Thayer’s interest in Juno. He never should have gone to visit Thayer—or at the very least, delayed his visit or left Juno at home. But how the fuck was he supposed to know that a simple visit to see someone he considered a friend would end up changing everything?

Trying to find the patience to fill in his dad when he couldn’t think of anything but Juno and what she might be going through, he did his best to relay what had happened. “The reason Thayer could be involved is because Juno is a
Laighir
, and her kind have traditionally been tied to the Broken Ash pack. We headed over there this morning to meet with Thayer in order to keep up the peace between our packs, when he realized what she was—not that any of us knew about it, her included. But the day instantly snowballed from there. First, he wanted to fight me for her—and then he offered her a place in his pack, saying it was where she rightfully belonged. Things only got worse when we ran into him at Wild Creek. And fuck…I’d have killed him right then and there if I knew he was going to come for her.”

“A Laighir?”
Cullen cocked his head in disbelief, his brow furrowed. “And she didn’t know? How could she not? Fuck…
The bear
. She killed him, didn’t she?”

Greyson growled out his response, not caring that this was his father. “It was self-defense. He attacked her, and she defended herself—and until this morning, she didn’t have a clue as to what she was, other than thinking of herself as cursed. But before you go blaming her for any of her troubles, she’s also the reason I’m alive right now. She flooded my body with some sort of healing energy, though they yanked her away from me before she had the chance to finish. I tried to go after her, but…
Fuck
… I was still too weak.”

Cullen put a caring hand on Greyson’s shoulder, looking apologetic. “I’m not blaming her for anything, son—and I’m sorry if it sounded that way. I’m just shocked by it, is all. That sort of thing is passed down in a bloodline, but it too often skips one generation after another, which means they’re extremely rare. It’s why so little is known about them. But that would certainly explain why Thayer wants her, especially given the ties to his pack. That said, if you have mercenaries now involved, someone might have completely different plans for her.”

That was the last thing he wanted to fucking hear. It meant she could be anywhere—and their motives for taking her could be just about anything.

“Based on the information we have, I think we need to start by paying Thayer a visit. Even if it’s not him, these two fuckers are members of his pack, and he might know what they were up to.” Greyson turned to Ryder, who was ready to go, as were the other pack members who were waiting for their command. “But, in the meantime, I still want our men following her trail.”

Cullen shook his head, looking concerned, which meant Greyson wasn’t going to like what his dad was about to say. “There’s a good chance we’ll be crossing into Broken Ash territory to get her—
if
she’s even there. We don’t know what sort of situation we’ll be walking into and the last thing we need is for Juno to get caught in the crossfire or for someone to do something stupid because they suddenly feel cornered. If Thayer isn’t involved, get him to help, so we can try to avoid having this turn into a bloodbath. They already killed two of our pack to get onto our territory, and if there are mercenaries involved, we don’t know who we’re dealing with or what they’re capable of.”

“
Fuck
… Who did we lose?” Despite not knowing who’d been killed defending the pack’s territory, the loss he felt was immediate. Whoever was behind this attack was going to pay dearly for what they’d done—and so help him, if he found out Thayer had something to do with this, he’d water the earth with his blood.

“Austin and Rafe. They were walking the border.” Ryder’s jaw clenched, and Greyson felt gutted and furious. They’d all grown up together and had known one another all their lives. To have them taken away in their prime only made it all the more bitter a pill to swallow. “I’ve already sent word to let their family know.”

Fucking hell…
He’d need to speak to their kin—but it’d have to wait. Time was ticking, and with every minute that passed, they prolonged Juno’s captivity. And who the hell knew what they were doing to her—or where they were taking her. “We need to go—and we have every right to cross into Broken Ash territory if they’ve taken one of our own and invaded our lands to do it. They’ve stolen my wife, and killed our men. Whoever did this will pay for what they’ve done.”

“We just need to make sure Juno is brought back to us safely.” Cullen was already heading for the door, motioning with a nod to some of the pack who were waiting for his orders. He might be getting ready to step down as alpha, but for now, he was still leader of their pack. “Let me track her, while you go and speak to Thayer. You know him best, and you’ll be able to tell if he’s lying to you. And just remember to keep your head about you. As important and rare as Juno is, they won’t kill her. If that was their intention, they wouldn’t have bothered kidnapping her. They’d have just taken care of her here.”

Greyson knew it was the truth, though it was of little comfort when he didn’t know who had her or what they might want. And though they might not kill her, it didn’t mean they wouldn’t make her suffer. But he had to control his rage…had to focus on finding her. He couldn’t be distracted by his anger when her life was on the line. “Who’s currently tracking her?”

“Kiernan, along with the Greyhawk brothers. I’ll join them with a few others, and then let you know what’s going on once we have a better idea as to where they may have taken her.” Cullen gave him a fatherly hug. “I won’t tell you that you need to stay put and heal further, since I know there’s no chance of that happening, but stay safe. And though I know you’ll have Ryder, you should think of taking a few of the others as well.”

“I’ll keep you updated.” Greyson watched his father and a handful of his pack mates take off at a run for the tree line, as Ryder stepped to his side. A few other men lingered, waiting to follow them. “Ready?”

“Yeah. Though we’ll take the quads. You’re in no shape to shift and run and I don’t trust you not to jostle your insides and start bleeding internally, the way you ride that bike of yours.”

They still rode like maniacs as Greyson ignored the pain, and before long they were crossing over into Broken Ash territory. Their sentries immediately surrounded them, some of them shifting into their human form. “We’re here to see Thayer. If you let him know, I’m sure he’ll see us.”

It didn’t take long before they were escorted to Thayer’s home, where he was waiting for them on the front porch. Pent-up anger had Greyson ready for a fight, but before Greyson could charge at Thayer, Ryder stopped him, a strong arm across his chest, holding him back. “Listen to what he has to say before you tear his throat out. Because at the moment, I’m not catching her scent here.”

“Not that he’d be stupid enough to bring her here even if he did have something to do with her abduction. But I’ll listen to what he has to say first.” And then, if Thayer had anything at all to do with the attack, he’d fucking tear him to pieces.

“What’s going on?” Thayer took the few steps down to meet them, his brow drawn low as he took in Greyson, no doubt realizing he was injured. “What the hell happened? Where’s Juno?”

“That’s what I want to know. We were attacked—
in my fucking home
. I was shot repeatedly,
and then they fucking took her
.” Greyson grabbed Thayer’s shirt in his fist and resisted the urge to pummel him.
“Where the fuck is she?”

“Fucking hell, Greyson…
I don’t know
. You have my word, I had nothing to do with her abduction.” Thayer truly looked distraught—and pissed off. And if Greyson had to guess, it wasn’t an act. “What do you know? Do you have people tracking her scent?”

“What I know is that I killed two of the men who attacked us—
and they were both members of your pack.
”

Juno was trying to stay brave, hoping that if she held onto her anger, held onto her pain, she’d be able to stay strong. But Flint…he was a sadistic bastard who had time to kill and figured she’d be the one to provide him with suitable entertainment as he found new ways to humiliate her, to break her, to make her suffer. And when she couldn’t help the tears that stung her eyes and rolled down her cheeks, she hated herself for showing him how weak she was. “You’re a fucking bastard.”

Flint leaned in, nuzzling her as she did her best to get as far away from him as possible, trying to choke back and swallow down the sob that wanted to escape. But she couldn’t get far enough away from him, not even when he ran his tongue over her skin to catch her tears, his stubble rough against her cheek…his gold eyes and dark hair too reminiscent of Greyson’s.

“Don’t worry, princess. I promise to take good care of you. And by the time I have to hand you over to the highest bidder, I have no doubt you won’t remember anyone’s touch but mine.” When he trailed his tongue down her neck and bit her, she could barely hold back her scream. “A
Laighir
…I couldn’t fucking believe it when I heard. You’re so fucking rare, I just knew you’d fetch a pretty penny. You’re already close to half a million dollars, and the bidding only started an hour ago.”

“You can’t just sell me, you sick fucker.” Panic set in, knowing that if she was simply handed over to the highest bidder, she could end up anywhere, and Greyson would never find her. A fresh wave of tears spilled down her cheeks even as Flint gave her a smug smile, clearly happy that he’d gotten a rise out of her.

“You seem like a smart enough woman. So then how is it that you still haven’t wrapped your head around the fact that I can do whatever I want to you? Maybe I’ve been too gentle…maybe I haven’t been convincing enough. Maybe what you need is a firm hand and a hard cock. Because most people would know to behave themselves by now, instead of mouthing off to me. But you, my dear, are different. You somehow think that you’re going to be spared, that someone will swoop in to save you before I have the chance to fuck you every way possible.” He sat up and pulled his t-shirt off, tossing it aside as she was confronted with just how muscular he was—broad shoulders, rock-hard abs, massive biceps…all of them covered in tribal tats. And then there was that infuriatingly smug smile that continued to terrorize her as he doled out his abuse and punishment. “Now it’s time for the real fun to begin. Because I have questions I want answers to. Information is valuable…and I want to know about Greyson.”

Without her gift, she didn’t stand a chance against him physically, but if he thought she’d betray Greyson in any way, he could guess again—though what was there to tell, really? “You can fuck off. I don’t care what the fuck you do to me—I’m not telling you a fucking thing.” And once she did get her hands free, she’d fucking fry his sorry ass.

“Feisty.” Flint’s smile kicked up, making her realize that he’d actually look handsome and charming if it hadn’t been for the fact that he was a fucking sadistic dick. “I can see why Greyson—and Thayer—fell for you. But let me make myself clear—if you don’t cooperate, I’ll make sure you regret ever setting eyes on Greyson. And after I’m done having my way with you, I’ll hand you over to the rest of my men, before finally selling you to the cruelest bidder out there, so that you’re guaranteed a lifetime of hell.”

“Greyson and my pack will hand you your fucking head.” Yet Greyson was already injured. She didn’t even know if he was alive—and she had no doubt whatsoever that Flint would follow through on each and every one of his threats.

“Who will? Your husband, when he already has one foot in his grave? Or are you hoping Thayer will seize the opportunity to steal you away from Greyson, and will come to your defense?” He scoffed at her with a shake of his head. “Princess…no one’s coming to save you. And by the time I’m through with you, I can guarantee you’ll have told me everything I want to know.”

“What the hell is there to know? The biggest secret he has is that I’m a
Laighir
—and how the hell did you even find out about me?” Something didn’t make sense. The only people who knew what she was were Greyson, Ryder, Thayer, and some members of the Broken Ash pack, since they were there when Thayer first met her.

“People talk when something unusual happens. They just can’t help themselves. And you’re rare.” He gave her an easy shrug. “As for Greyson…there’s always information to be gathered, especially when a man is primed to be alpha—and believe me when I tell you, that man has secrets.”

“Well, if he does, he hasn’t told me anything.” And yet it also left her wondering if Greyson was keeping something from her. She and Greyson hadn’t been together long at all, but she’d told him everything about herself. Yet in some ways, he was still holding back—and at the moment, with everything that was going on, it broke her when she needed to stay strong. She squeezed her eyes shut against the hurt, hating the fact that Flint was watching her.

“Princess…did you really think this was some sort of fairy tale and he was your perfect Prince Charming?” Flint brushed the back of his hand against her cheek, and it was the first time he’d showed her any level of kindness. “He’s an asshole—all men are. Some just do a better job of hiding it. And some even make you believe that they’re sweet and honorable—but they’re not, Juno. Not once you look past the façade and dig a little deeper.”

“Well, if you’re looking for secrets, I’m afraid I haven’t exactly had the chance to
dig deeper
.” Not that she’d tell him anything, even if she did know what Greyson was hiding—which she didn’t, because even when she’d asked him about him becoming alpha, he was always quick to brush away her concerns and change the subject.

“He’s not worthy of being alpha, you know. Not when it’s his to take and he can’t be bothered.” The annoyance and anger in his eyes made her wonder if there was more to all this than him simply wanting to kidnap her and sell her to the highest bidder. “Too many of the alphas have forgotten how to lead.”

“What the hell is all this really about? Did someone bump you as alpha of your pack—or are you just unhappy with the leadership in yours? And what the hell does that have to do with me?” She was getting damned tired of nothing in her life ever making any sense.

“The alphas have gone weak, trying to keep the peace, instead of holding their ground and doing what’s right for their packs—and you’re a prime example of that. You’re a
Laighir
—and you should be with Broken Ash—or with a pack that values the importance of your kind. Yet Thayer let you walk away. He let you go because of a day-old marriage, when he should have done everything in his power to ensure you ended up with his pack, where you belong.” Flint’s eyes hardened as they locked on hers. “As for your role in all this, just think of it as me wanting to make sure you make it to a pack who’ll appreciate your value.”

“And will pay you a generous sum in return.” If he managed to sell her…if he managed to move her to a different pack, the chance of Greyson finding her would become nonexistent. And though she was trying to stay strong, trying not to freak out, it was becoming harder and harder to hold it together.

“But until I decide who’ll be lucky enough to have you, we have some time to kill, and I intend on making good use of that time.” He stood and undid the button and zipper on his jeans, kicking them off so he now stood before her naked, wrapping his hand around his long, thick cock and stroking himself, the veins in his muscular arm bulging with the tension. “Like what you see, princess?”

She told herself he could smell her fear…that he was toying with her. And yet, she knew he’d show her no mercy, and she’d be helpless to stop him from doing what he wanted to her. “What I see is a sadistic fucking asshole.”

“I’ve been called worse.” Humor filled his voice and lit up his eyes, reminding her that this was no more than a game to him, even if the consequences for her were dire. And she fucking hated him for the fear he sent racing through her. She’d already been on the receiving end of his abuse, and knew that he was capable of things that would make her wish she was dead. “You know…you might enjoy yourself. I can’t imagine Greyson’s been sufficient.”

She couldn’t help but laugh as she tilted her head toward his cock, even if she knew he’d make her pay for it. “
Guess again.
You don’t even come close to being the man Greyson is.”