Healing The Alpha Collection (9 page)

Aster looked over at Luke, who was shaking with rage. If it had been Aster, he would have shifted and attacked, try to get the upper hand, but 'that wasn't how Luke operated. He was full of honor—honor that was going to kill him.

Finally Abaddon stopped his disrespectful showing, looking down at the clothing that he had shed. His body was an impressive sight, Aster would give him that, but so was every fully grown male werewolf he had ever seen. It wasn't hard to be rock-hard steel when your metabolism was like a furnace.

"I'll give you one more chance to back down and give me the girl," Abaddon said. "I will hold no ill will if I just have to spin around and get dressed again."

"Fuck you," Luke spat, effectively sealing his fate.

"Have it your way," Abaddon said.

Quickly he began to shift, silver hair sprouting from his body as his bones cracked and twisted into the form of a werewolf. Luke did the same, with brown and gray hair sprouting all over his body as his snout elongated and a row of razor sharp, death-dealing teeth appeared in his mouth. To most humans the change was instantaneous: one minute you were looking at a human and the next you were face to face with an angry wolf. But to other wolves the transformation seemed to last minutes and it felt even longer when you were the one actually shifting as you felt your entire body rearrange. Aster could see every movement, every twist, every turn as both wolves shifted from the naked, pink, vulnerable form of a human to the four-legged hellhound of nightmares.

"Whoa," Rowan said, stepping back.

Aster knew exactly what had taken his friend aback. Abaddon towered over Luke. His fur was an unnatural silver color, shimmering in the afternoon sun and nearly blinding Aster if he looked at it from the wrong angle. His two front fangs were larger than any wolves' fangs he had ever seen, looking more like butcher's knives than teeth. His eyes glowed a demonic red as they fixed on Luke.

By contrast Luke looked like an old, haggard beast. His legs were shaking and he was barely able to stand. His brown fur was streaked with gray all over and he was still bleeding from numerous wounds. Fortunately his condition did not stop his ferocity. He snapped and leapt forward, intending to quickly deliver a death blow to his opponent. Abaddon reared up on his back legs and Luke did the same.

The two wolves met, slapping and tearing at one another. It was a tornado of fangs and claws as they twisted and spun, trying to gain the advantage over one another. Aster's eyes grew wide with surprise as he realized Luke was easily holding his own and not allowing himself to be overpowered by the younger and bigger wolf.

He glanced over at Rowan, who was smiling from ear to ear. He pointed enthusiastically. "That's my dad! I told you he wouldn't be beat by some skinny punk bitch!"

Even Leena had pulled her face away from its hiding spot and was watching her father fight off the demon with a reverent smile. Maybe Aster and Rowan didn't have to get involved; maybe Luke would step up and protect them all, like he had promised.

Unfortunately their joy and excitement was short-lived. Luke quickly began to tire, but the endless energy of the demon fueled Abaddon on. Luke began to back down as Abaddon snapped and slapped at him, causing more wounds to be added to the already deadly tally.

"Dad!" Rowan screamed. "Dad, no!"

Luke took a few steps back from Abaddon, unable to maintain his balance any longer. He slumped over onto the ground, his body refusing to allow defense any longer. He was a sitting duck, ripe for the kill.

"Dad!" Rowan screamed again, trying to rush forward. Aster grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back, shaking his head as Rowan tried to get loose. It wouldn't do any good for Rowan to get involved right now; Luke would die just the same. Aster saw it now: there was no beating the demon.

"Rowan, stop," Leena begged, tears streaming down her face. "There's nothing we can do! I don't want you to die too. Please, Rowan, stop!"

Hearing her plea, Rowan stepped back, clenching his fists and nearly hyperventilating as he watched Abaddon advance on the fallen body of his father. Abaddon stopped right in front of Luke and glanced up at the two boys who were very quickly going to become men. His red eyes studied each one of them before finally landing on Leena. His long, pink tongue darted out of his mouth and licked his lips, causing Aster's stomach to churn in disgust.

"Daddy!" Leena screamed, before burying her sobbing face in Aster's chest one more time.

Abaddon snarled and dove forward, his powerful jaws clamping on Luke's throat. With a quick twist of his powerful head and the unmistakable sound of snapping bone it was over—the head alpha of Bucklin was dead.

Leena's body lost all strength and she collapsed to her knees, wrapping her arms around Aster's leg and resting her face on his leg. "You son of a bitch. I'll never love you. I'll never be yours."

Abaddon popped up from the ground, shifting back into the despicable form of the biker that they had all come to know. He smiled at Leena and held his arms out to the side. "I don't believe you have a choice, my dear. Who is going to protect you now? These two?"

"You're damn right we are," Rowan said, stepping in front of Leena and peeling his shirt off. "Let's see you do that to both of us."

Aster could feel the fear inside of him, but he knew it was now or never. He pulled himself away from Leena and stepped up to join his oldest friend, pulling his own shirt over his head. "You still have to get through both of us to get her, Abaddon."

Abaddon rolled his eyes and flipped his hand dismissively. "An easy task to get my bride. Are you both going to come at me at once, or are you going to tag in and out?"

"Make your jokes, tough guy," Rowan said. "They'll be your last."

"No!" Leena screamed, jumping up from the ground and pushing her way between her brother and her mate. "Stop it! Both of you, stop!"

"Leena…" Aster said.

"Just stop, Aster," she said, putting her hands on his cheeks to try and calm him. "I love you, Aster, I always will. You're the only man I've ever wanted and the only one that I'll ever want."

"I love you too, beautiful," Aster said, feeling a sickness rising in his stomach. He knew what was happening and he couldn't bear to stand by while it did.

"And you," she said, moving to her brother and grabbing him by the face too. "You're the best older brother anyone could ever ask for. I never would've made it this far in life without you."

"I can't make it without you," Rowan said, fighting back tears. "Who else is going to take care of me?"

"You have to take care of each other now," Leena said, wrapping an arm around each of their necks and pulling them in for a group hug. "You both have to take care of Bucklin and the packs."

"Leena, please," Aster said. He was cut off again, this time by her lips against his. It was the last time he would ever feel those lips. They were amazing against his, always the right taste as they danced across his own. As they stood in a final lover's embrace, Aster could feel his heart being rent in two. He would never love anyone again.

"This is bigger than me and you, Aster. It has to be done. Take care of each other," she said, her beautiful face stained by tears. "I love you both."

Leena turned to Abaddon, her lip curling in disgust as she looked at the gang leader who was casually getting dressed. "I'll go with you, Abaddon, but you have to promise to leave Bucklin alone forever."

"No worries," Abaddon said, finishing up his outfit. "We have a pact now. I promise I won't return to this town to cause trouble as long as I have you."

"Very well," Leena said, bowing her head. "Let's go."

As she climbed onto the back of Abaddon's motorcycle Aster stepped forward, reaching for her, but it was too late. She gave him and Rowan one last long, mournful look as Abaddon's motorcycle roared down the street and out of sight.

Aster watched her until the motorcycle disappeared into town, leaving the two friends alone on the hill. Rowan was silently crying, trying to fight back his tears and be strong. Aster patted him on the shoulder before looking up at the sky. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. It was an absolutely beautiful day, and Aster was right: beautiful days would never be the same again.

Chapter 11

"Are we going to die?" Eva asked. They had all sat in silence in their little cell for what felt like an eternity.

She looked up to see Rowan looking out the window, a distant look in his eyes. He hadn't been the same since they had been captured. She had tried to love him, kiss him, hold him and make him feel better, but it had all been for naught. He had gone through the motions by kissing her, embracing her back and telling her that he loved her, but it was just habit. She could tell the lights were on but nobody was home behind her love's eyes. It didn't bother her like it would another person; she knew that he was going through absolute pain.

"This isn't what I signed up for," Ciara said, sitting up from her spot on the other bed. She had been lying against Hawk, staring at the ceiling, but now that Eva had spoken, it had roused the short redhead from her daze. "I didn't think we were going to be put in this situation."

"I offered to take you away," Hawk said, rolling onto his side and looking up at the woman he had claimed as his mate. "You said it would be wrong. You wanted me to stay and help."

"I didn't think the girl we rescued would turn out to still be possessed," Ciara said, shrugging her shoulders. "I thought the demon was loose in the forest or possessing that Forrest guy, or something. Your fucking names are confusing me!"

"Sorry," Hawk said nonchalantly.

It was obvious he cared for Ciara, but she had turned into a bit of brat since their capture twenty-four hours ago. Hawk had fought so hard to save the town, he had done everything possible to rescue Leena and his mate, but it had all blown up in his face. It was a devastating blow to such a prideful wolf and he seemed resigned to accept death as some sort of punishment.

Eva was trying to be brave for everyone. It was sad that she had been an outsider less than two weeks ago, but now she was the one trying to keep two alpha wolves and a hysterical mate level-headed and in the game. She had already been through so much since she had learned werewolves, demons and other things that go bump in the night were real.

"You should have burned her when you had the chance," Ciara said, turning back to Hawk.

"She made a convincing argument," Hawk said, sitting up beside her on the bed. "It's a demon. 'They're very good at deception."

"Nobody is blaming you," Eva said. "You did everything you could."

"I heard one of the guards whispering last night," Ciara said. "They captured Beorn and Rain."

"What?" Eva asked. She had been convinced the bear and her spunky friend would be able to elude capture out in the forest. "Who does that leave?"

"Aster," Rowan said, finally breaking his silence. "Aster is our only hope."

Everyone sat in silence, taking in the gravity of the situation. Eva didn't know much about the head alpha of Bucklin. Rowan talked about him with such reverence and respect that Eva thought he walked on water. Unfortunately they had kept so much from him, so much that he would need to know in a situation like this.

"What if he sees Leena?" Eva asked.

"What if he does?" Rowan responded.

"Well, she fooled us…" Eva said.

Everyone returned to silence, looking at the floor. They knew the implications of what she had said—Aster was as good as dead.

"Would they let him live?" Ciara asked. "Hawk's filled me in on some details about what happened to you guys in the past."

"No," Rowan said firmly. "There is no way in hell they would let Aster live."

"You wolves live a pretty fucked-up life," Ciara said. Everyone turned to her. Rowan cocked one eyebrow and Hawk's eyes widened in shock. "I'm just saying. I did some crazy shit in my past."

"I'll say," Hawk mumbled.

Ciara slugged him on the shoulder. "But I've never encountered a demon that's trying to kill all of us."

"Until now," Eva said, trying to smile and lighten the mood.

"Yeah, until now," Ciara said, rolling her eyes. "This is insane."

"We wolves live a brutish life," Rowan said, turning back to the window. "And somehow we've decided to try to become human. It all comes back full circle, though. Life finds a way of letting us know we aren't human and we have no business playing at it."

Eva looked at Rowan a little bit longer; he wouldn't make eye contact with her, though. Finally she got up and crossed the small cell they were locked in and put a hand on his shoulder. His nerves had caused all his muscles to tense, and she felt like she was grabbing a rock.

Rowan looked down at her with sadness in his eyes. "I haven't been fair to you."

"What do you mean, you haven't been fair to me?" she asked.

"You're a human and you have a human life. I've selfishly pulled you away from all of that. You lost your job, you lost your apartment and you lost your parents all because of me."

Eva took a deep breath and put a hand on Rowan's scruffy cheek, turning his face towards hers. "Let's get a few things straight, mister. I love you and I want to be with you. The job and the apartment aren't important. My parents lost me, I didn't lose them. They didn't care about me or love me enough to fight for me when I was missing; my dad only cared about his reputation. You're the only man 'who's ever cared about me, and I'd go to the ends of the Earth for you."

"Would you even give all of this up?"

Eva looked around at the tiny jail cell. "Give what up? There's nothing here."

"I mean this," he said, pointing out the window towards the city of Bucklin. "I'm not meant for this. I'm a werewolf. I'm not meant to live in a city with humans. I'm supposed to run a pack in the wilderness."

"What are you saying?" Eva asked.

"If I get out of this alive, I'm giving it all up, Eva," he said. "I'm returning to the wilderness and I'm going to live as I was intended to. I'm not human, Eva, and I'm not supposed to be here."