Wolf Pack (9 page)

“I…I needed help,” Trent told him.

“Well looks like you might get it,” Cole responded. “Let’s get you back to the Alpha house.” He reached down and lifted Trent to his feet.

“Let’s get going,” Jamie said. “Hopefully we can get some answers now.”

Chapter Six

Kendra flipped the grilled cheese she was making, then looked at the young man who was freshly showered and sitting quietly on the stool at the kitchen island. The picture of Trent from the file hadn’t been taken that long ago, under a year, but the poor guy didn’t look anywhere close to the same. He’d lost at least thirty pounds, had dark circles under his eyes and was deathly pale.

She plated the sandwich and set it in front of Trent before going back to the stove to turn off the heat under the tomato soup. Kendra poured it into a bowl then grabbed him a spoon. Trent was halfway through the grilled cheese already but stopped and sniffed the soup. “Mmm.”

“Comfort food,” she said. “Alpha Taylor always made it for me when I was sad or not feeling well.”

Trent nodded. “Thank you.”

Kendra had to smile at him. “You’re very welcome. I’ve been trying to find you for a while now.”

“To help convict Shawn,” Trent said. He dropped his head.

“Hey.” She reached over and grasped his hand. “What is it?”

He shook his head. “Nothing.” Trent went back to eating. Kendra wasn’t buying his answer though.

She glanced out of the window to where Taylor, Cole, Zak, Jamie and Luca were talking. Taylor had ordered some of the stronger wolf shifters to accompany the agents in searching the caves that Shawn’s remaining pack were hiding in. Trent had been able to get away but he hadn’t known where exactly they’d been.

“Trent,” she whispered as she sat beside him. “If you have anything you want to tell me you can. I won’t tell anyone.”

“You’re a Marshal. All you care about is taking down Shawn.”

“That’s not true,” she assured him. “Yes, I’m a Marshal but I’m also a wolf shifter. I can probably understand whatever is bothering you.”

Trent pushed his dishes aside before he stood. “Understand?” he laughed. “Yeah, right.”

“Talk to me, Trent,” she urged. “You can’t keep whatever it is inside you. Trust me.”

“Do you know why Shawn started to attack the rogues in the areas around us?”

“No,” she admitted. “Not for sure.”

“He wanted power. The Wolf Council passed him over and it made him mad. The whole point to all of this was so he could scare, threaten or intimate every rogue into following him. That way he would be the most powerful Alpha in the world. Once he’s done with the United States he plans to collect all the other rogues across the world. He’s building an army. He wants to rule.”

“That’s impossible,” she exclaimed.

“That’s what I tried to tell him. Not that he ever listened to me,” Trent said.

“A wolf shifter army,” she stated. “What is this? Some sort of B-rated movie?”

Shawn Langford was a psycho. It was a good thing he was already locked up or they’d have been in big trouble.

“I wish,” Trent said. “I’ve been dealing with this for a long time. He has a lot more numbers than anyone knows. They’re not all here.”

“I thought you said he was doing this because he can’t join the Council?” she questioned.

“No,” Trent replied. “That’s only his latest excuse. He started adding to his numbers before shifters came out, at least ten years ago.”

“How do you know all this?” she asked.

Trent spun around and there were tears in his eyes. “Because he’s my father.”

* * * *

Cole locked Kendra’s front door before he followed the sound of her cleaning up the kitchen. He strolled to the doorway and looked in. She was wiping down the counter but Cole didn’t think it was even dirty. He stalked forward and grabbed her hand, keeping her from scrubbing the marble top any more.

She glared up at him. “Let me go.”

“No.” He ripped the cloth out of her hold with his free hand. “You’re upset but taking it out on your counter isn’t going to do any good.”

“Upset?” she repeated. “Did you listen to Trent?”

There was nothing he could say. Trent had shared story after story about his father and the means he’d used to build his army. “I did. But Shawn can no longer hurt Trent or anyone else.”

“Over ten years of torture, physical and mental, to Trent and those who got in his way. The man is evil,” she yelled.

“I know.” Cole gathered her in his arms. “But now we can help Trent and get the rogues away from Shawn’s pack.”

“Over fifty scared or enraged shifters that are hiding from us,” she said. “Yeah, we’ll be able to help them all.”

Cole sighed. “It’s going to work out. We’re already searching for them. Trent will be okay now that he’s away from his father. Now come to bed with me so we can get a little sleep before we have to get up and join in tracking down the rogues.”

“And do what with them?”

“Help them,” he answered.

She scoffed. “Sure.”

Okay, enough was enough. He bent down, put his shoulder to her stomach and lifted her up.

“What are you doing? Put me down,” she ordered.

“No,” he said calmly. “We’re going to bed.”

“Cole!”

“You’ve had a rough night,” he told her. “I can see how much you care about the people around you. But you can’t do any more tonight.”

Finally she went limp in his hold. “You win.”

“Of course I do,” he joked. He pushed open her bedroom door and stopped in the threshold. He hadn’t been inside yet and he was pleasantly surprised. “Well…well.”

“What?” Kendra kicked her legs.

Cole hit the switch to turn on the light. The walls were painted a soft gray, except for the one her headboard was up against. That was a bright red. Scattered around the room were black-and-white paintings and sketches. Hardwood floors continued in here like the rest of the house. A rug the same color as the paint covered most of the floor.

“Sexy,” he said as he laid Kendra on the dark-red comforter of the black metal bed.

“Me?”

“Yes, especially in this surprisingly bold room.” He pushed several gray decorative pillows to the ground.

“It’s my sanctuary,” she admitted.

“I love it,” he said. “Now strip.”

Kendra popped up on her elbows. “I thought we were going to get some sleep?”

“We are,” he assured her. He yanked off his shirt. “And what better way to relax quickly than tiring ourselves out?”

“Okay.” She pulled off her top before pushing down her sweats. “Hurry up.”

Cole laughed as he finished undressing before he kneeled on the foot on the bed. He crawled forward while Kendra settled back on the pillows. “Play with yourself for me,” he demanded.

Kendra’s grin was wicked.
Okay.
She cupped her breasts then trailed one hand down her stomach.

As Kendra slipped a finger inside her pussy, Cole grasped his cock and stroked. He could come just by watching her but that wouldn’t be nearly as satisfying.

“Are you only going to watch?” she asked.

“Oh no,” he answered. “Although one day soon I will.” Cole scooted up closer until he was poised at her entrance.

She lifted her hips, allowing him to inch inside. “Come on.”

Chuckling, he finished sliding into her. “It feels amazing to be connected with you like this.”

Kendra gripped his shoulders. “I know. I can’t believe I’ve only known you for a couple of days,” she said, panting.

He nodded as he withdrew. “What if I hadn’t scented you that night? I might have missed you and I wouldn’t be here now.”

“But you are,” she told him. “Now take me like you mean it.”

He laughed. “Okay.” Cole plunged back inside. Thrusting deeper and faster each time, he gripped Kendra’s hips tightly as he drove himself closer to the peak of completion.

Sparks of electricity traveled down his spine in the most erotic way as his arms and legs shook. Cole clenched his eyes closed and gave himself over to the pleasure of being buried in Kendra. He knew he was close. He cried out as he came with Kendra digging her fingers into his muscles as she climaxed.

“This just gets better and better,” Kendra stated.

Cole wiped the sweat from his brow. “Let’s get some sleep,” he said as he pulled out and settled next to her in the bed.

Kendra rolled over to her side and laid her head on his chest with her arm going around his waist. She cuddled close and Cole hugged her. Things had been rolling fast in the last few days and it was nice to be able to bask in the afterglow with Kendra.

He looked down and saw that she’d already fallen asleep. Her chest rose with a steady rhythm, and he placed his hand over her heart. God, she was beautiful, smart and kind. Kendra was strong and everything he’d always wanted in a partner. It amazed him that he had such powerful feelings for her already.

Cole realized that his feelings of loneliness hadn’t resurfaced since he’d first laid eyes on Kendra. As much crap as he’d given his friends when they’d settled with their mates, he really hadn’t expected to be knocked off balance by meeting someone.

It would be funny if he weren’t lying in bed as he stared down at her. He closed his eyes and pulled forward his wolf. Cole wasn’t surprised when he felt that the animal deep down was content and happy. He smiled.
Things should get interesting.

* * * *

The sun was bright but the cool breeze of the wind helped Kendra to continue searching one cave after another. The pack, Coalition and a couple more Marshals had broken off into groups to find Shawn Langford’s missing pack and kidnapped rogues.

Technically her part of the investigation was over since she’d found Trent, but her boss was letting her finish out with the Coalition because of her connection to the pack and Taylor.

Taylor was concerned that with such a large number of rogues loose in his territory, his entire pack was in danger. Rogues weren’t used to following an Alpha and they could go against the rules he’d put in place to keep his pack safe. Kendra agreed with him.

Not only were her friends and family at risk but the rogues had to be scared and angry. They’d been taken away from their homes and put in danger.

The more she learned about Shawn Langford, the more she hated him. If he wasn’t locked up and under guard, she’d give shifting and tearing out his throat a real consideration.

If there was one thing she could do, Kendra was going to ensure that Shawn suffered. There was a chance that the human justice system would fail to convict him but luckily the Wolf Council wouldn’t allow Shawn to go free. The shifters had another level of punishment for crimes like those Shawn had committed. Shawn would pay for his sins.

Movement to her left had Kendra ducking behind a bolder. A man stepped out of a nearby cave opening and looked around. Kendra crouched and took a deep breath. She was downwind of him so he shouldn’t scent her but Kendra picked up on the slight whiff of wolf. So this was either one of Shawn’s pack or a rogue.

She glanced around for Cole, Jade or Zak, who were all part of her team. Kendra didn’t spot them. Hopefully they were there but out of sight. She needed to get closer to the entrance to see if anyone else was inside but she didn’t want to risk detection yet.

Staying low to the ground, she crept forward as she took careful steps not to make any noise. Taylor had taught her to stalk through these woods. She knew how and where to walk. If she stayed hidden behind the trees, Kendra would be able to sneak near enough to hear inside the cave.

As she continued to move quietly and with stealth, she glanced around for the others. Still, she couldn’t see them. They had to be close by. There was no way Cole would go too far from her.

A twig snapped ahead of her and she dropped down. In front of her a large tiger was watching her. Kendra really hoped that it was Zak. She didn’t know the shifter well and hadn’t seen his other form until earlier that morning.

Kendra was no match for a tiger shifter right then. One of the reasons wolves could fight against a powerful animal like a tiger was because they hunted and lived as a pack. Since she was alone and didn’t want to draw attention to herself she really didn’t want to fight the feline.

The tiger nodded and she relaxed. He turned his head to the side and Kendra followed the movement. Jade was crouched farther away behind some other boulders. Jade held up her hand to keep Kendra where she was. Kendra settled down, hoping they had a good plan. She still didn’t see any sign of Cole.

Jade was human so Kendra was surprised when she was able to move toward her so silently. Once Jade was crouched by her side, Jade held up her phone. Kendra looked over at the man standing guard then back to Jade.

“Stay here.” Jade smiled before she stood and started to take a series of pictures.

What a good idea. Kendra hadn’t thought about that. Of course in her shifter form it wasn’t like she could have her phone with her. Zak had stayed in the same position, keeping an eye on his partner.

“Okay,” Jade whispered.

Kendra realized that Jade wasn’t speaking to her when Zak stalked closer to the wolf shifter.

She rose to her paws and watched.

Zak crouched on a ledge directly above the guard’s head. With the angle of the rock, Zak had an advantage of being hidden.

“As soon as he jumps you need to get inside the cave. There are rogues inside that need to be saved but Zak thinks there’s also another guard. You need to be careful,” Jade said.

Kendra pawed her arm to show Jade that she understood.

“Let’s do this then,” Jade whispered.

She moved with Jade until they could go no further without being detected. Zak launched himself off the rocks and landed on the wolf shifter. Kendra rushed into the cave and was surrounded by darkness until her sight adjusted. Six dirty, scared-looking women and two men were chained to the wall of the cave. Kendra didn’t see another guard but she wasn’t going to assume there wasn’t one. Instead of releasing the rogues right away she sniffed around for any other scent that shouldn’t be there. She stalked down into the dark, taking her farther away from the mouth of the cave.