Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf [Wolf Creek Pack 6] (19 page)

smell.”

“So do I,” Ben growled. He crept along the side of the house until

he came to a door. He turned the handle, not surprised to find the door

locked. Gripping it tighter, Ben turned the doorknob until he heard the

lock snap and the door opened.

He cocked his head to one side again to listen and then walked

inside when he heard nothing. He found himself standing in a wellmaintained kitchen. His only interest in the place was the door Prince

Zacarius pointed to.

“Is that the basement door?” the prince asked.

Ben crossed the room to the thick wooden door. Again, he found

the door locked. Another quick turn of the handle broke the lock, and

132

Stormy Glenn

the door swung open. Ben could barely stop his gasp of shock as he

stepped back from the doorway.

So many scents wafted up the stairwell leading down that it was

hard to separate them all. Ben could smell fear, heartache, and pain. It

was overshadowed by the stench of blood and sweat.

Ben crinkled his nose in distaste. He could feel his claws digging

into the wood surrounding the doorframe. If the blood he smelled

came from one of his mates, Ben would rip Oliver and Dane limb

from limb.

Ben sniffed the air once more and then slowly stepped down the

steep stairwell. He sniffed the air with each step. Ben wasn’t about to

let Oliver or Dane creep up on him. The plan was for things to happen

the other way around.

The bottom of the stairwell opened up into a small landing area.

Three gray stone-walled hallways led off from this point. Ben walked

to the entrance of each hallway and sniffed the air until the scent of

his mates was the strongest.

He pointed down the hallway he intended to go down, getting a

nod from Joe, Devlin, and the prince. He stepped carefully down the

hallway, not putting Dane above booby trapping the floor or walls. He

wouldn’t put anything past the bloodsucker.

The first door Ben came to was unlocked, which surprised him.

He listened for a moment, then pushed the wooden door open. It

looked like a storage room, with shelves lining the walls and boxes

stacked in every bit of floor space. Ben sniffed the air, and then shut

the door when he detected no scent of his mates inside.

The next door was several feet farther down the hallway. And it

was locked from the outside this time. Ben inhaled. The scent of

Stefan was very strong. He pressed his ear to the thick wood and

listened.

Ben’s heart pounded painfully in his chest when he heard

whimpering through the wood. He instantly knew Stefan made the

Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf

133

small cries. There was no mistaking the tone of Stefan’s voice, even

when he cried.

Ben clenched his teeth to keep from growling as he unlocked the

door. His mate was inside that room. Nothing—and no one—would

keep him out. It was all he could do to stop himself from letting his

rage loose and kicking the door in as he really wanted to do.

The sight that met Ben’s eyes as he opened the door and peered

inside took all of the air from his lungs. He stood frozen to the spot in

shock as he watched his very naked mate swing from a large hook in

the ceiling. His hands were tied together, looped over the hook.

“Stefan?”

Stefan started wiggling, his cries getting louder as he struggled

against the bonds around his wrists. Ben hurried over and wrapped his

hands around Stefan’s waist. He turned Stefan until their eyes met.

“Ben!” Stefan cried out. “Oh, my God, Ben. Oli–Oliver and D–Da–Dane, they have Audley.”

“I know, baby,” Ben replied. “Joe, Devlin, and the prince are here

with me. We’re going to get you out of here.”

Ben quickly looked at the contraption holding his mate, trying to

figure out the quickest and least painful way of freeing Stefan. He

finally grabbed the latch attached to the wrist restraints on Stefan’s

arms and pulled until they snapped.

Stefan fell down into his arms with a small grunt. Ben hugged the

man for just a moment, inhaling his strong scent, and then set him on

his feet. “Find your clothes, baby, and get dressed. We need to go find

Audley and Nate.”

Stefan sniffled and shook his head. “Dane cut my clothes off of

me. I don’t have anything to wear.”

Stefan’s words only increased Ben’s anger. No one should see

either of his mates naked, ever. He whipped his shirt over his head

and handed it to Stefan. It had a few rips and tears but it would cover

most of the man.

134

Stormy Glenn

Once Stefan was sufficiently covered, Ben grabbed his hand and

pulled him toward the door. He peeked out to make sure no one was

coming, then continued down the hallway to find his other mate.

Audley’s scent was strongest at the door at the end of the hallway.

Ben paused outside the door and listened once again. He frowned

when he heard a strange noise that he couldn’t immediately define.

But he did recognize the sounds of Audley crying out.

Ben pushed Stefan to the side of the door, flattening him against

the wall. He took a deep breath to calm himself, then pushed the door

open and stepped inside the room. The sight that met his eyes was

even more horrific than finding Stefan dangling from a hook in the

ceiling.

Audley hung from the ceiling just as Stefan had, naked and

crying. Only this time, Oliver stood there, a long black leather whip in

his hands. Ben’s eyes went from the whip to the deep red marks

marring Audley’s pale skin.

He growled and unleashed the beast fighting to get out and protect

his mates. Leaping across the room, Ben dove at Oliver. The man was

surprised by his entrance just long enough for Ben to reach him, but

the moment Ben’s teeth latched on to his arm, Oliver started fighting

back.

Ben felt several kicks to his legs and stomach. He ignored the pain

they brought and ripped into Oliver. He didn’t care what Prince

Zacarius said. He didn’t care that this attack might start up the war

between werewolves and vampires. He just cared about killing Oliver,

the man who took his mates.

Ben was determined that Oliver would never have the chance to

attack his mates again—no matter what happened to him. He could

hear shouting, but it was muted, as if coming from a great distance. It

didn’t seem important, so Ben ignored it and renewed his attack on

Oliver, striking out with his claws.

Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf

135

Pain exploded in Ben’s body. It stunned him enough for Oliver to

pull away. Ben looked down at his shoulder, surprised to see a trail of

blood dripping down his arm from a small wound..

He turned to glare at Oliver. “You took that which did not belong

to you. Now you will die.” Ben said it so matter-of-factly that he

could see Oliver’s eyes widen in fear. As far as he was concerned,

Oliver was already dead. His body just hadn’t caught up yet.

“Audley is mine!” Oliver snapped. “By our laws, his brother gave

him to me.”

“Audley is my mate!”

“You’re a dog!” Oliver shouted. “We do not
mate
with dogs.”

“I am a werewolf, a soldier for the Wolf Creek Pack,” Ben

snapped. “I know all about what is and is not lawful with werewolves

and vampires. By your laws and mine, once Audley mated me, he

belonged to me and you know it.”

“He’s mine!” Oliver shouted. “I claim him by right of family

endowment.”

“He’s been mated!” Ben shouted right back. “Your claim is no

longer valid!”

Ben took a step toward Oliver, pausing when Oliver moved his

hand and revealed the gun he held. He could smell the silver in the

gun and knew Oliver had prepared to kill him from the very

beginning.

He didn’t mind dying to save his mates. He’d do anything for

them—even if it meant his life. Stefan and Audley would still have

each other, and they would be safe because Ben had every intention of

taking Oliver down with him.

Ben took another step toward Oliver, then another. Oliver raised

the gun and fired just as he lunged. A sharp pain entered his chest,

blossoming outward until Ben almost passed out from the intensity.

But he couldn’t overlook the hatred in Oliver’s eyes, the gleam of

insanity. He knew if he didn’t kill Oliver, his mates would suffer from

136

Stormy Glenn

it. Ben pushed the pain to the back of his mind and went for Oliver

again.

He swung out with one hand, exhilaration spiraling through him

when his claws connected, ripping a large gash in Oliver’s chest. He

swung out with the other hand, just missing Oliver as the man jumped

back.

Ben growled and raised his clawed hand once more. He started to

bring it down, aiming for Oliver’s neck, when the man turned the gun

in his hand toward Audley’s dangling body. Ben froze. His heart

pounded frantically.

“Move and he’s dead,” Oliver snapped.

“He’d rather be dead than left with you,” Ben replied, hoping it

was true. Well, he was pretty sure it was true. Audley seemed to hate

Oliver and Dane.

“So be it.”

Ben watched Oliver’s fingers pull on the trigger as if in slow

motion. He knew he’d only get one shot at this. Either he would die in

the process or Audley would. Ben leapt into the air and dove at

Oliver, putting his body between the bullet and Audley’s dangling

form.

He heard a loud scream and the bang of a gun just before he felt a

searing pain in his chest. The momentum of his leap carried him to

Oliver even as the bullet entered his chest. He swiped at Oliver’s neck

and had the satisfaction of seeing gushes of Oliver’s blood spurt out.

Oliver dropped the gun and grabbed at his throat, his eyes looking

wild, desperate. Even as he sank back onto the floor, Ben watched,

knowing that he had done what he set out to do. Oliver was dead.

The pain in Ben’s chest weighed him down. He felt dizzy and out

of breath. All of the strength in his body seemed to be slowly seeping

away with the blood that dripped from his numerous wounds.

Ben had just enough strength to turn his head and look at his

mates. He could see Devlin and Stefan helping Audley down to the

Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf

137

floor. Stefan quickly ripped the restraints off of Audley’s wrists, and

then both men scrambled over to kneel next to him.

“Don’t you dare die on me, Benjamin Nobles,” Stefan whispered.

“You promised to always take care of me and you can’t do that if you

die.”

Ben smiled weakly. “Love you so much, both of you.”

“Then stay with us,” Audley said.

Ben frowned at the tears he could see sliding down Audley’s

delicate face. He reached over and wiped one away. “No crying, little

one,” he said. “You’re safe now.”

“I’ll never be safe without you, Ben,” Audley said.

“You have Stefan,” Ben reasoned. “He’ll take care of you.”

“No!” Audley shouted as he wiped at his tears. He surprised Ben.

Audley didn’t shout very often, if ever. “You’re supposed to be the

center that we gravitate around, remember? How can we do that if

you leave us?”

Ben could feel himself weakening from the loss of blood. He

knew he only had a few moments more with his beloved mates. He

took in as much of their beautiful features as he could, hoping that he

would remember them in the afterlife.

“Love you both,” he murmured, then slowly closed his eyes. Ben

could hear Stefan and Audley cry out his name, both of them

shouting, but the sound grew farther and farther away until Ben heard

nothing at all.

138

Stormy Glenn

Chapter 10

“No! Ben!” Audley shouted as Ben’s eyes closed. He lightly

smacked the side of Ben’s face but received no response, not even the

flicker of an eyelid. “Ben, wake up! Ben!”

His brows drew together in an agonized expression. He wasn’t

going to lose Ben—not after finding him. He loved Stefan more than

his next breath, but Audley needed both of his mates. Ben was just as

much a part of him as Stefan.

Audley smacked Ben a little harder. “Damn it, Ben! Wake the

fuck up. We’re bonded now. We die when you do, remember? We

need you.”

“Audley!”

Audley glanced up at Stefan’s shocked face. If he hadn’t been so

scared, he might have felt embarrassed, but right now he was too

worried about Ben. “Help me,” he pleaded.

“Audley,” Stefan said sadly. “He’s been shot with silver bullets.

Can’t you smell it? He can’t heal from that kind of injury.”

“He can if we dig the bullets out,” Audley insisted. “We can give

him our blood to replace the blood he’s lost, as much as he needs.”

Stefan looked back down at Ben. “Dig the bullets out?”

Audley frowned. Stefan asked his question in such a way that it

seemed like he had never thought about digging the bullets out. “Yes,

we dig the bullets out. Once the silver is out of his body, we can use

our blood to help him heal.”