Shared for Love (Kagan Wolves) (27 page)

Chapter Thirty-Three

The invisible tether connecting Noah to Hannah led him to a large clearing surrounded on three sides by trees. The fourth overlooked the river. He surveyed the area through his wolf’s eyes, then settled his gaze on Greg, who waited there with a helicopter and the Tanner pack protectors—Ron and his scarred twin, Don.

How they were able to get away from the human agents, Noah didn’t know. They were supposed to have been taken into custody immediately after Ethan rolled out his plan to trip up Michael.

Noah let the confusion fade. The answer wasn’t as important as countering the threat they posed. While he didn’t see Hannah, Noah felt her. She was close. He zeroed in on the helicopter, and the tug on his heart intensified. His breathing quickened with a mix of excitement and awe at the proof of their bond. He acknowledged the truth, then turned his attention to the bear shifter carrying Maria as if she were a sack of potatoes.

Duct tape bound her wrists and ankles, while another piece covered her mouth. The bear shifter tossed her on the ground. “Package delivered. Where’s mine?”

One the protectors stepped around the side of the helicopter. He held Hannah by a bruising grip on her shoulder. Her clothes were torn and bloody, but otherwise okay. Noah took comfort in that, but didn’t calm. The shifter holding her held a gun to her head.

Noah scanned the area, looking for the best way to sneak up on them. He focused on the thick patch of rhododendrons on the other side. He moved toward the cover it provided in a slinking crawl.

Motion from his side froze his steps. Quinn, Sean, and Nic, in their wolf forms, approached just as stealthily as Noah moved. Quinn took his human shape and lowered his voice to a near whisper. “There’s a vehicle headed this way. Once it gets here, we’re making our move. I’m going for Maria. Nic and Sean are taking out the guards. And Alex is leading the agents this way.”

Noah reached for the tether to his wolf in order to shift so he could tell Quinn that at least some of the humans had betrayed them. Greg’s voice stopped him.

“I’ve got your package right here.” Greg motioned toward Hannah, and Don, the scarred protector, led her forward. “She’s a little cut up but damn strong.”

The guy glanced from Hannah to Greg. “I don’t give a shit about the little cunt. You promised me the Hunter.”

“He’s coming.” Greg reached for Maria. The bear shifter dropped his booted foot on her chest. She winced, and Greg glared at the bigger male. “We had to double the tranq dose. It’s delayed them.”

“You’re not getting the female until he’s in my hands.”

The sound of squealing tires broke the tense moment. The SUV Noah had driven to reach the Kagan building skidded into the clearing and hit a tree. A loud crash, and the sounds of cracking wood and smashing glass followed.

The bear shifter turned toward the wrecked SUV, and Greg dashed forward. In one quick move, he grabbed Maria and tossed her over his shoulder. The bear shifter cursed, and Noah made his move. In his wolf’s form, he bounded through the woods toward Hannah, not wanting to attack directly for fear the shifter holding her would shoot her. The snarling of wolves coming from the clearing carried throughout the night. A peek at the fighting males showed Quinn and the others driving their targets away from Maria. Noah turned his attention to Hannah.

The protector holding her dragged her toward the helicopter. Noah burst from the tree line behind them right as another car came to a lurching halt behind the SUV. Ethan jumped from it. His gaze collided with Noah’s. In that split second, a lifetime of love and commitment flared between them. It was all that was needed to set their path. Ethan trusted Noah to save Hannah. The knowledge strengthened him.

Ethan faced the crashed SUV and leapt at the human crawling from the driver’s seat. A gun went off, followed by a scream. The sound chilled Noah, but he didn’t look to see what had happened. Noah believed in Ethan’s skills and his instincts.

Noah focused on his fight. Head first, he rammed into Don’s legs, knocking him to the ground. Hannah fell too. She grunted with the impact, then shifted into her wolf a moment later, her clothes splitting with the change in shapes.

Her snarl spoke of her rage. She lunged for the male’s throat, and he turned his gun on her. Noah drove in front of her, blocking her with his body and knocking her away from them. The bullet meant for her struck Noah’s flank, leaving a fiery burn behind. He landed in a heap next to the shifter who’d tried to kill Hannah.

Don grinned and rose to his knees, sick triumph on his face. He reached for the gun, which had fallen on the ground. Hannah maneuvered herself between them and crouched in front of Noah, head down and fangs barred—protecting him. The sight warmed him, but no way would he let her get hurt, not because of him.

Noah ignored the sharp pain in his hip and moved to stand, but crumpled instead. Numbness left his hind legs shaky, unable to support him. He felt them, could move them, but couldn’t get them to obey him. Helplessness and frustration gripped him. He couldn’t save himself from danger, let alone the woman he loved.

The irony of their situation wasn’t lost on Noah. He’d failed in his role again. Curses whipped through his head. He refused to accept defeat. He dragged his body forward, snarling at the male. Planted firmly in front of Hannah, he stared down his opponent. Don’s hand wavered ever so slightly.

A flash of white fur announced Ethan’s arrival. He collided with the Tanner male. In the next heartbeat, Don shifted into a gray wolf, more strips of clothes flying, and snapped at Ethan, who easily avoided him. Ethan hopped back, then came in from the side in a blur of motion Noah could barely follow. The two wolves fought. Gray and white fur blended in a melee of wrestling bodies.

Unable to help as a wolf, Noah drew on his human form. The change came with a searing agony that churned his gut. He swallowed the rising bile and hooked an arm around Hannah’s wolf body, tugging her behind him and away from the fighting males. She wriggled in his arms, no doubt wanting to get to Ethan. Noah tucked her closer. If he couldn’t fight for her, he’d be her shield.

She shifted, and her warm body pressed against his. She reached around him and pointed. “Owen.”

Noah looked in the direction she indicated. The bear shifter who’d tossed Maria to the ground was dragging Owen’s unconscious body into the helicopter. Without the use of his leg, Noah wouldn’t be able to get to him in time. Noah didn’t bother trying to move or yell for one of the other Kagan males to help. Noah swept his gaze over the ground for the gun the Tanner protector had dropped. Noah caught a flash of silver out of the corner of his eye. He snatched it, aimed, and fired.

A piercing scream came from behind Noah—Don meeting his fate—a heartbeat before the bullet struck the bear shifter. The hulking male fell forward, landing on top of Owen.

Another garbled cry preceded a heavy silence. The fight was over.

“Good aim, lover.” Ethan dropped a hand on Noah’s shoulder.

Noah glanced at Ethan. Sweat and blood clung to his skin, but Noah had never seen a more gorgeous male.

“Thanks.” Noah peered past Ethan’s body to the dead shifter who’d shot Noah. “Better than his.”

“I’m glad.” Hannah squeezed his hand. “He would’ve killed me if you hadn’t knocked me aside.”

“Yeah, well, he would’ve finished the job if it hadn’t been for Ethan. He’s the one who saved you.”

“Not alone. It was teamwork. For all of us. Look.” Ethan motioned toward the clearing. “The packs came together to protect our loved ones.”

Noah swept his gaze over the area, and pride swelled his chest. They’d won. Maria was in Quinn’s and Alex’s arms, while Nic and Sean hunkered down in front of Owen. The knowledge wasn’t what spurred the warm feeling. It was seeing the other shifters who’d shown up to help. Males from the Jager pack stood among the Kagans and the humans. They’d worked together.

Noah grinned and glanced at his lovers. “Yeah. We’re better together than apart.”

Hannah laid one hand on his cheek, the other on Ethan’s. “And I never want to be separated from either of you again.”

“Agreed. I’ve missed waking up next to my true mate.” Ethan pressed his lips to hers, then leaned into Noah, kissing him just as tenderly. He eased back and caught Noah’s gaze. “And falling asleep in the arms of the male who holds my heart.”

Noah pressed his forehead against Ethan’s and dragged in a breath, filling his lungs with his mates’ scents and knowing he’d found his heaven. The spirit wolf had gifted him with a second chance, and Noah knew in his heart that Mindy would get hers too.

“Me too.” Noah grinned. “But I think we might need to postpone our night together so I can visit Riley’s Haven and get patched up.”

Ethan gently examined the bloody wound on Noah’s thigh. The bullet had passed through his muscle, taking a good chunk of flesh with it. “I don’t think it’s serious.”

“No, but I think I’ll ask Riley to treat it with salt.”

“You’ll scar.” Hannah gripped his arm. “Why would you do that?”

Noah shrugged. “As a reminder of what I survived.”

“And the prize you won.” Hannah offered him a knowing smile.

“No prize.” Ethan shook his head. “The gift, and we’ve been doubly blessed.”

“Yeah.” Noah took their hands and linked their fingers. “We have.”

Epilogue

Colors streaked across the morning sky, harkening a new day and a new chapter for Ethan, his mates, and their species.

Ethan propped his elbows on the railing of his deck and watched as the fiery reds faded to shades of pink before dissipating. A lifetime he’d waited to survey his pack’s lands as alpha, knowing it and every member belonged to him.

Instead of excitement, a sense of calm settled over him, similar to the peace before a storm. The analogy his mind supplied fit. A storm was brewing, and fear would fuel it. It wouldn’t be just the humans who experienced it either. Shifters too would be just as susceptible. Change was hard. And scary. How they dealt with it would determine if they conquered the crippling emotion or allowed it to fester within them until hate ruled them.

It wasn’t the first time his kind had plunged into the unknown. It wouldn’t be the last either. Following the Middle Ages, many packs had moved to the New World. Migration had given them a short reprieve, but there was nowhere left to relocate. The tract of land in West Virginia that shared a border with the Kagan pack was home. They weren’t giving it up. The only way to keep it was to make a stand. He had. It just so happened his choice set the precedent for all shifters—proving they could abide by both human and shifter law.

“It’s a beautiful morning, isn’t it?”

Hannah’s voice drifted to him. He glanced over his shoulder. She leaned against the open patio door with a cup of steaming coffee in her hands. “Yes, it is.”

“Peaceful too.”

“For now. We’re supposed to get some bad weather.” His thought from moments ago returned. He chuckled with the irony of it. “A storm is coming.”

She walked across the deck and mimicked his position next to him. “We’re under a tornado warning too, but I don’t think it’ll affect us. We don’t live in an open area.”

“That’s a myth, you know. Tornados can strike anywhere, anytime. If it does hit us, we need to be prepared to take shelter, not run from it.”

“Do we have a safe room?”

“Basement?” He shrugged. “I guess that’s best.”

“I know there’s going to be one in the new Shifter Affairs’ building.” She took a sip of her coffee. “Riley mentioned it. She was impressed by the government’s foresight, but also wanted to see an emergency clinic added, just in case something happened to the Haven. It’s not as if we can go to just any hospital. We’d be outed.”

“That’s a good idea. Are they going to add it?”

She nodded. “Yes, and a couple of cells too. That was Nic’s suggestion. He wanted to have the option of locking up our criminals instead of following pack law.”

Which demanded the deaths of anyone who posed a danger to the pack.

“It’s a step in the right direction, but it won’t be a popular choice,” Hannah went on. “Many shifters will always worry that those who break our rules will act again.”

He brushed her hair from her shoulder and skimmed his fingers over her mate mark, which carried Noah’s scent, not Ethan’s. “Some should be broken.”

“And we all deserve a second chance at life and love.” Noah joined them at the railing, taking the spot next to Hannah. “Whether that’s in this life or the next.”

Ethan reached around Hannah and laid his hand on Noah’s hip. Ethan didn’t need his lover to explain who he was talking about. Ethan had seen Noah staring at a picture of Mindy and some other members of their pack before Ethan had slipped onto the deck to watch the sunrise. “And true mates always find their way back to each other.”

With a small smile, Noah glanced between them. “Only sometimes it takes pain and loss to make a person realize how precious the gift he’s been given truly is.”

“And the courage to fight for it,” Hannah added.

Noah grinned. “I don’t know if courage is always necessary. I’d say it’s more stubbornness than anything.”

Ethan took Hannah’s mug, set it on the ledge next to him and drew both his lovers close. “I, for one, am glad neither of my mates gave up on me, and I know I certainly didn’t make it easy for either of you.”

“The best things in life are worth waiting for.” Noah squeezed Ethan’s hand. “And I would take on the world to hold on to the keeper of my heart and my true mate.”

Hannah stood on her tiptoes and kissed first Noah, then Ethan. “Me too, but we don’t have to do it alone. We have each other.”

“And our pack.” Ethan eased out of their embrace and faced the section of woods that separated them from their sacred circle. “I’ve sent word to our pack mates to gather in the field at noon. We have much to talk about. There’ve been a lot of angry comments made about my decision to hand Michael over to the humans.”

“Not to mention a formal introduction to make,” Hannah said.

Declaring his mate to the pack, so all knew who deserved their respect and protection. The ceremony his pack—the Jager pack—would witness would be the first of its kind.

Ethan glanced at his lovers. “Not everyone is going to approve of our relationship.”

“True.” Noah nodded. “Change isn’t easy, but it’s inevitable. The spirit wolf understands that. So will our pack. It’s just going to take time.”

“Until we’re sure we have their support, we won’t be able to bring Owen home.” Ethan hated to admit it, but his brother was safer with the Kagans.

“Even if we did, he’s not ready. He has his own battles to fight.” Noah rested his fingertips against Ethan’s arm. The simple touch eased the tension he hadn’t realized had gripped him. “Owen wants to go back to where he was held, or maybe go after the doctors who experimented on him. Until he lays his demons to rest, he won’t be able to find peace.”

“If he ever does.” Ethan met Noah’s gaze. “Ella called while Riley was patching you up. She said they’d found out more details about what has been done to Owen, and it’s…”

“And it’s not good.” Noah finished Ethan’s statement.

“No, it’s not. He was an early attempt at extending a Royal’s immortality to a single shifter, but they’d considered him a failure and pulled him from the program. The incident with Hannah in the car suggests it might not have been completely unsuccessful.”

That was another shock Ethan hadn’t been prepared for—learning there was a subspecies of shifter who held multiple animal souls within their bodies. Royals were incredibly strong, immortal, and feared for the connection they shared to the gods.

And Owen? He was… A mistake? A miracle? Ethan didn’t know exactly, but there was one thing he was positive about. They would protect him and help him cope with whatever had been done to him.

“How’s he taking the news?” Hannah looked at him, concern in her expression.

“I told Ella not to say anything to him yet. That I’d go along with her in a few days to talk to him. I want to make sure he knows he has our support.” Ethan gazed in the direction of Michael’s old house. “She also wanted to give us an update on Michael and the agents who betrayed us.”

“I thought you said Michael was taken into custody.” Noah frowned.

Ethan nodded. “He was, but he won’t be joining his family any time soon. His mate asked the humans to help her get away from him. She’s worried his twisted ideas about worthiness will affect how their children view the world.”

“I’m sure that pissed off Michael.” Noah cursed. “No way is he going to help the humans now.”

“I wouldn’t be so quick to say that. Michael’s mate wants him to make amends for what he’s done. Once he does, she’ll welcome him back.” Ethan smiled, thinking about the quiet woman who often complained about being torn between her love for the male she mated and her responsibility to save their pack from the male he turned into. “She might be lying through her teeth and won’t give him the time of day, but Michael will buy in to it.”

“And the agents who betrayed us?” Hannah asked.

“They traced some phone calls and arrested a couple more human agents who were connected to the one who tried to sell Owen. Ella also apologized profusely about what happened and promised the government would be putting in more stringent checks to ensure their people are loyal.” Ethan took a slow breath in an effort to keep his anger in check over the rest of Ella’s update.

“Ella also wanted to talk about Owen and his unprecedented ability.” Ethan glanced at his lovers. “It seems the human government has requested to bring in a special group of shrinks who will evaluate him to see if his new ability affects how he perceives reality.”

Hannah tilted her head, a considering look on her face. “They’re worried he won’t be able to tell the difference between his dreams and real life?”

“Yes,” Ethan admitted. “When he called to tell them about his dreams so he could go after Maria, he was incoherent and grew agitated because he kept contradicting himself over the timing of what he was seeing.”

“Owen admitted to me he wasn’t sure if he’d actually met the bear shifter I shot or had only dreamt of him.” Noah’s lip thinned, and anger darkened his eyes. “Those bastards who pumped him full of drugs should be punished for what they did. He’s never going to be able to live a normal life.”

“We’ll do our best for him,” Ethan assured him.

“So will the spirit wolf.” Hannah glanced between them. “It provided us with the means to find peace. It’ll do the same for Owen.”

Ethan opened his arms for his mates. Both stepped into his embrace. “You’re right. It will, even if it has to break the rules for him.”

“And why not?” Hannah tipped her head back. “The gods did break the rules when they created us.”

“I’m glad they did.” Noah laid his cheek over her head. “I can’t imagine my life without either of you in it.”

“Me neither.” Ethan took their hands and led them toward the patio door. “And I want to make up for the time I spent away from you.”

Noah slid the door open. “What do you have planned?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Us naked. Hannah held between our chests with our cocks inside her.” Ethan grinned. “Or something. I’m open to suggestions.”

“Good.” Hannah brushed her knuckles over his dick trapped within his pants. “Because I have a long list of fantasies to play out.”

“Then let’s get started.” Ethan swept Hannah into his arms and headed to their bedroom. Noah tackled them, knocking Ethan and Hannah to the bed. Hannah’s laugh rang out, followed by Noah’s chuckle. Hearing their happiness brought a smile to Ethan’s lips. He was glad he’d taken the chance on love and not acted like a fool, too stubborn to open his mind and heart.

Noah held out a hand to him. “Are you going to join us or what?”

Ethan curled his fingers around Noah’s palm. “I wouldn’t miss it for anything.”