Lone Wolf (The Westervelt Wolves, Book 8) (15 page)

“I understand we are to be hit very soon.”

She nodded. “You seem very calm.”

“Would my getting very worked up change anything? Would Gabriel not be leading my father’s army of wolves if I screamed, yelled, and got the entire population of this island into a state of chaos?”

“You’re wise, my Alpha.” She bowed her eyes again. “It’s an honor to know you now and to have known you before.”

“Very few can say that to me, sister. Particularly the female population here.” He walked over and put his hand on her shoulder. “Much of who I am, who all of us are, is because of Gabriel and the role he played in keeping us all together.”

“He knew he couldn’t leave all of you. Our dying meant abandoning the pack in a time of trouble.”

“His reasoning falls into the ‘it’s complicated’ category. It’s not that I don’t understand. I do. But I can’t let him get away with this unscathed. He’s been lying to me for forty years.”

“I know.” She swallowed past the lump in her throat. “What if I could suggest a way that this battle never has to happen?”

“You have my attention.” He tapped her head until she looked him in the eyes. “Go on.”

“The thing is, I don’t think, curse or no curse, that Kendrick can actually make Gabriel do what he wants him to do.”

“How? The curse made us all do things we couldn’t control.”

She nodded. “Yes. Because when it was cast, Kendrick was our Alpha. Kendrick is not Gabriel’s Alpha. Not at all. You are and have been for quite a long time now.”

“So you want me to simply tell my brother that he has to listen to me and not our father? Like he’s just going to drop out of the war because I tell him to?”

“That’s exactly what you’re going to do.” She nodded. If only she were more coherent, more capable of explaining herself. But forty years of Kendrick had not made her anything but confused and unsure of herself. “If you’re willing.”

Tristan shook his head. “I’m more than
willing
. However, I just don’t think it’s going to work. If beating a curse required only my say-so than this would all be over by now.”

“You have Elizabeth. She can remove a curse. Ashlee removed a curse before, right? She took it from you. How did she do that?”

“Because she ran the ceremony correctly.” Tristan rubbed his temples. “Trust me, I’m not likely to ever forget that.”

“The way I hear it, and I’m only repeating what I was told, and in this case Kendrick didn’t get this from Gabriel, you had to finish the curse removal. After you took the pack from Michael.”

“Correct.” He groaned. “How many leaks have we had?”

She took a deep breath. “Too many, but that’s neither here nor there. Gabriel needs his pack. He needs you. Give it back to him. Kendrick will never win over that. Ever.”

Chapter 13

“Father.” He stared at Westervelt from the dock. It looked quiet in the morning sunlight, bathed in a beauty he knew he would not find on the island once he stepped foot on its shores. “Will you be joining us for Tristan’s defeat?”

“I will.” Kendrick raised his head to the morning sky. “I know this isn’t going to make a lot of sense to you now, but bear with me.”

Gabriel nodded. “As you wish.”

“Years ago I made a decision to have my offspring’s blood kept pure. That meant I had to keep Drea on the back burner for far longer than I wanted. But we plotted together and today is the day all my dreams will come true. I will have a pack I can control, the island magic I need to sustain us, and you leading me to the finish line.”

The purple haze floated around him. His brain tried and failed to follow his father’s train of thought. Maybe some day he’d understand. For now, killing Tristan ranked number one in his concentration. Everything else could wait.

“I’m glad to be of service.”

His father put his arm around him. “I know you are and that’s what makes this so wonderful. You see, I didn’t anticipate when I took Mary Jo from her mate that you would all be so much
like
her. The Kane blood should have filtered her goody-two-shoed nonsense out of you before it had time to rise to the surface. Not that your mother didn’t have her disloyal times. She did. Rex is an example of that.”

Again Gabriel had to let the words flow through him without dwelling on them too much. “We’re ready when you are.”

Gabriel’s wolf stood up. He always loved a good fight.
Let’s go kill
.

“Follow me to the boats. This is the only way to get to the island unless Drea has brought down their defenses.” He turned to the witch. “Any luck, dear?”

She shrugged. “Afraid not. Once we get over there and I can get my hands around Elizabeth’s neck, the defenses should all come down. I’m afraid it’s going to have to be an on-site situation.”

“No matter. Gabriel will make sure we’re successful.”

Drea grinned. “Yes, Gabriel and the spell he carries with him. I have no doubt of his success. We’re guaranteed a win.”

What did she mean?
His wolf growled.

Gabriel wished he could answer his wolf. Even contemplating the question made pain surge through his eyes. He couldn’t lead a battle under that much distress.

I’ll figure it out later
.

But
… His wolf objected and Gabriel hushed him. The purple haze surged through his vision. If he couldn’t find a way to get it to back off, he wouldn’t even be able to see the wolves he trained. That wouldn’t work at all. Taking several deep breaths, he centered himself and the fog gave way enough for him to focus on the present again.

“Then shall we board the boats?”

They all nodded and he followed his father aboard the first of the many rented vessels his Alpha had brought for the occasion. Piloted by the made wolves, there would be no one left alive to report what happened if they failed. Not that Gabriel saw much chance of that happening.

He patted the man on the shoulder who currently handled their first ship. “You know how to do this?”

The man panted. Even in human form, his father’s creations couldn’t manage to speak. Their transformation stripped them of that ability. In twenty-four hours of working with them, Gabriel had managed to understand them better than he’d imagined he could. They did understand him and this one indicated he could pilot the boat.

“Good. I don’t want us all to drown before we get there.”

The spray hit him in the face as the boat pulled from shore. In ten minutes or maybe a little bit more they’d be on Westervelt. There would be no time for anything other than war once they got there.

“Come down below where you’ll be warm,” Drea called out to him.

“Thank you, but if it’s all the same to you and Kendrick, I’d rather stay here.”

“Whatever you’d like, darling.”

He hated her little pet names.
Darling. Sweetheart. Sugar.
They made him want to gag.

Or eat her face.

He grinned at his wolf’s remark.

If he were Tristan, he wouldn’t let them get off the boats before destroying them. Gabriel sniffed the air. They were close enough, and the wind blew in the right direction, so he should be able to get something from the beach. Small details that would make a huge difference. How many waited in the woods to attack. Maybe even specific things, like which wolves would be the first to attack. He’d pick his first opponent himself.

Yet nothing came to him. He took a long, deep breath. Gabriel couldn’t get the scent of one wolf near the edge of the island at all.

What the hell?
He looked toward his wolf for answers.

I’m not sure. This feels off to me
.

Could you be more specific
? He’d love a little help.

His wolf shook his head.
Not with all this purple crap dancing all around. Can you make it go away?

No. I’m not in control of that
. Although why he had the purple haze begged to be discovered. Had he always been surrounded with the stuff or had that happened recently?

The boat pulled up to the dock. Gabriel charged to get off the boat. “Dad,” he called over his shoulder. “We’re here. I’m taking the first round and going ashore.”

“Right.” Kendrick came up the stairs. He looked left and right. “Where is the resistance?”

“I’m not sure. I’m going to find out. Stay back where you can’t be hurt or ambushed.”

Kendrick laughed, a hard cackle of a sound. “I’m not worried about that with you around. Drea and I will be fine.”

Maybe Drea didn’t have to be
fine
. Maybe he could find a way for her to be dead.

Now, now. We have no time for plotting. Tristan needs to go first
.

Right
. His wolf reminded him of what had to be important.
Then let’s go see to that
.

He hopped onto dry land, sniffing the air again.

Shift?

Gabriel shook his head.
I don’t think that’ll help anything
.
If they’re all disguising their scents, then being in your body won’t make anything better. I want to be on two feet as long as I can. If Tristan greets me as a wolf then I’ll do the same
.

Whatever you want
.

“Any idea why they’re not here?” Kendrick yelled out to him and Gabriel winced. “Do you suppose they’ve abandoned the island?”

“Anything is possible.” He walked over to his father, deliberately keeping his voice lower. “Perhaps we shouldn’t yell. I’m not sure how we could have the element of surprise but if we do, my Alpha, I’d like to keep it.”

“Good point.” Kendrick gestured ahead. “Continue on.”

Gabriel walked at a brisk pace toward the center of the island. Dense with wildlife, the forests held adequate protection for the wolf pack that resided there. They might be able to hide inside the branches without his detection. That all seemed rather off. Tristan didn’t hide.

He came to an abrupt stop. How did he know that? Did he actually have some stored information about Tristan other than battle tactics somewhere in his memory?

“Is there a problem?” Drea appeared next to him.

He growled. Why did the woman always have to be there? “No.”

Tristan’s scent floated into his nose. He sniffed again. Faint but clear. No one else seemed to be there, but Tristan had to be close by.

Gabriel ran, leaving Drea in his wake. His wolves, trained to follow his orders, took off after him. The training he had given them stuck. He could hear from the way their feet struck the ground that they’d stayed in formation.

The silence of the island struck him as odd. The wildlife had long grown accustomed to wolf shifters. Birds chirped all the time whether the population walked as men or padded like wolves.

Silence surrounded them. Gabriel stopped moving and swallowed past the lump in his throat. This had to be crazy. He didn’t get afraid. So what if the birds weren’t singing their songs?

“Hello, brother.”

Gabriel jumped. A surge of adrenaline made him growl and whirl around.
“Where are you, Tristan? I didn’t take you for a coward. Come out and fight me.”

“As you wish.” Tristan sauntered out into the clearing. “I can speak to you any way you like.”

Where are the others
? his wolf questioned.

“There’s no way you’re here alone. Michael and Cullen would never allow it.”

Tristan nodded. “That’s true. I think it’s only fair to tell you that the others are around but not presently here. I know that doesn’t make sense and I’m sorry for that. I suspect it will. Shortly.”

“Aha,” Kendrick yelled triumphantly. “He meets us alone. Gabriel, kill your brother. Let’s get it done.”

Gabriel narrowed his eyes. Nothing about this worked for him. Kendrick out in the open and Tristan alone? What the hell?

Tristan laughed. “No. I don’t think so. Gabriel isn’t going to kill me.”

“He most certainly is.” Drea flicked her fingers forward. “Go on and get rid of this pest.”

“You see, there’s a problem with that.” Tristan walked forward, his eyes on Gabriel. His brother had yet to look at Kendrick directly. “Gabriel swore an oath of allegiance to me. I am his pack leader.”

Now Tristan stared at Kendrick. Goose bumps broke out on Gabriel’s skin as he watched.

His brother continued. “I don’t give him to you. He belongs to me. Not you. You’re nothing.”

“I’ve cursed him. He’ll do what we say,” Kendrick growled. “Gabriel. Do as I say.”

“Gabriel.” Tristan put his hand on Gabriel’s arm. “I forgive you. Come home to me. Your mate and I both forgive you for your mistakes. It’s time to come back. Your Alpha orders it.”

Gabriel’s wolf howled.

* * * *

Carrie couldn’t stand it. She needed to get to Gabriel right now. Michael grabbed her arm.

“Be patient.” Michael spoke through gritted teeth. He didn’t seem to be enjoying this either. “Tristan is doing his thing. If this is going to work we have to let him.”

She could hear Gabriel; she just couldn’t see him. Elizabeth stood by the door to Tristan’s residence, her head bowed. In a few more seconds, she would teleport them all out to where Tristan stood and the fight would begin. Hopefully, before then, Tristan would have managed to have gotten Gabriel back.

That is, if Carrie hadn’t made a horrible mistake in suggesting all of this.

I want Gabriel
. Her wolf whimpered.

Me too
. She couldn’t whine aloud. Not with so much at stake. The fact that her wolf felt the ache too helped.

Tristan wore a microphone, which everyone had found really amusing when they’d attached it to him. All the magic in the world and a small barely visible human tool attached to his shirt collar let them know what happened out there while they all remained in here. Of course if he shifted they’d lose the signal and that would mean a fast change of plans.

Tristan continued to speak. “Look where we are, brother. This is where we burned their bodies. The bonfire blazed into the sky, showing the gods our terrible loss, the destruction of our family. We stood side by side and watched those flames turn their bodies into ash. None of us could move. I could barely breathe. Kendrick holds responsibility for that night and all the pain since. There can be no forgiveness for him. But you need to come home. Your Alpha orders it.”