Greyson - Part 4: An Alpha Billionaire Shifter Romance (The Silver Moon Pack) (5 page)

“If Flint’s on the move, we need to do this now, before he disappears. Juno will lose it if she has to constantly look over her shoulder, wondering when that fucking bastard will come back for her.” Greyson needed to hunt him down and put an end to it. It’d be the only way for them to truly move past what happened to her. Because as long as Flint was out there, Juno would never stop worrying.

“My men are tracking him. If we leave now, we can catch up to Flint and get this taken care of once and for all. But it’s your call.” Thayer shifted his weight and leaned back against the sofa, stretching his long legs out in front of him. “I can take care of it for you, if you want. And since he wronged my pack, I’d have every right to, though I’m deferring to you on this because of Juno, and all she went through.”

“No…I want to do this.” He’d failed to protect Juno the first time—but he wouldn’t fail her again.

“Then we need to get moving, especially since it’ll take some time to get a jet ready.” Thayer pulled out his phone and started making arrangements, as Greyson headed out to the pool to let Juno know they’d need to leave.

But first, they’d have to take Sadie home, though by the looks of it, Ryder would be happy for the privilege. It was rare to see Ryder so smitten with any woman. Not that he wouldn’t flirt up a storm with any pretty girl. But Greyson knew his friend, and there was something far more sincere and intense going on with Ryder when it came to Sadie, even if Thayer looked like he’d be more than happy to give him some competition for her affections.

Greyson sat down by Juno’s side and took her hand in his, pulling her close for a lingering kiss before whispering in her ear. “We’re going to need to go, love. Flint’s on the move, and we don’t want to lose him.”

She tensed at his side, and he swore he could hear the pounding of her heart as she nodded. “I’m so sorry, Sadie. We have to head back to Wild Creek. Something’s come up, and we need to take care of it.”

“Yeah…sure. No worries. Anything I can do? Do you need me to come with you?” Sadie looked genuinely worried about Juno, and this time, when she asked about heading to Wild Creek, it was clear her interest had nothing to do with Ryder or Thayer, and she was just concerned for her sister.

“I honestly appreciate the offer, but it’s just business and local town politics.” Juno managed to give Sadie a reassuring smile, though he knew just how anxious she was about finding Flint. “Honestly, there’s nothing for you to worry about.”

If only that were the truth.

***

Their flight back was tense but uneventful, though they didn’t discuss Flint or their plans to deal with them. But one thing was certain. Juno would
not
be coming with them. All he had to do is find a way to keep her safe, and stop her from getting into any trouble.

It was close to midnight by the time they got to their home, and luckily, Cullen had gotten Greyson’s message and was already there waiting for them. As his dad swapped their suitcases for guns and ammunition, Greyson saw Juno to the front door, though he didn’t want to linger, knowing that they needed to catch up with Flint and time was of the essence.

He pulled her close and kissed her, not wanting to let her go, even though he knew he had to do this, and he’d see her again before long. “Promise me you’ll behave yourself, Juno. Do
not
do anything stupid or dangerous. Just stay put with my dad, and if you need anything while I’m gone, just call my brother.”

She went up onto her toes, wrapping her arms around his neck and stealing one kiss after another, as tears rolled down her cheeks. “Please come back to me, Greyson… I can’t have this baby without you.”

“You won’t have to, June bug…I’ll always find my way back to you.” Greyson wiped her tears, and then kissed her one last time, as if it might be their very last, and then somehow found the strength to step away from her, even as she clung to him. “I need you to be strong for the three of us, love. And I promise, I’ll be back to you by morning. You have my word.”

She stole one last kiss and then let him go, though he waited for her to go inside, his heart aching when she turned to look at him one last time, her eyes dark with worry. But he had to let her go…had to make sure he put an end to her nightmare—even if it cost him his own life. He just had to make sure he kept her and their child safe. Nothing else mattered—even if he had every intention of making it back to her.

They drove for the next hour and a half as Thayer relayed the directions he was getting from his men. And then they started heading deeper into the forest, until they finally came to a stop. “Flint’s supposed to be just up ahead in a small clearing, at some sort of hunting lodge. My men are waiting for us a safe distance from there.”

Greyson hated these sort of situations, especially when he didn’t have his men at his side. Sure, he trusted Thayer—but only to an extent. And though Ryder was with him, and they’d have each other’s backs if this thing went sideways, it still left him on edge that they were outnumbered. Yet, if it put an end to Flint so Juno could live her life in peace, then it was well worth the risk, even if he didn’t make it out of here.

Greyson grabbed what weapons they had from the back of his SUV, and armed them all like they were going to war. A ten-minute run in the dark through the trees brought them to Thayer’s men, who were waiting for them, weapons at the ready. “We’ve kept our distance, so we’re hoping he hasn’t picked up on our scent. From what we can tell, he’s alone, and just holed up in the cabin there.”

“We’ll need to man all exits to make sure he doesn’t escape. Double up if you can.” Greyson wasn’t sure how many men they had in total, but Thayer nodded to his men, approving Greyson’s command. His guy relayed the info to the others, and then once everyone was ready and in place, they closed in.

Greyson kicked down the door with Ryder and Thayer at his side, guns drawn.

Except that the man in the cabin wasn’t Flint. “What the fuck?
Where’s Flint?
”

“Flint…
who?
” But the man—another shifter—just gave them a smug smile, and it was clear he damn well knew who the fuck Flint was.

And then it became so fucking clear. This was nothing but a distraction.

Flint was going after Juno
.

Juno couldn’t help but worry about Greyson, knowing just how dangerous Flint could be, especially when they wouldn’t know what they’d be walking into. All she wanted was for this nightmare to be over, though waiting around, without a clue as to what was happening to them, was making her crazy. And though she appreciated having Cullen there for protection, she’d much rather be alone to climb the walls with worry, rather than try to contain it for appearance’s sake.

Worse still, her worry had her body surging with adrenaline. She could barely contain the energy that was racing through her, though whether it was her curse or her body needing to shift, she couldn’t really tell. And maybe it was that one thing was building on the other, all of it fueled by the adrenaline racing through her.

The last thing she wanted was to lose it in front of Cullen—or worse, have him somehow get hurt, since she couldn’t really control her curse or contain her need to shift. And if she did shift, then matters would only get worse, since she wasn’t mentally present when in the form of the wolf.

Cullen brought her over a tray with a sandwich and a drink. “You should try to have a bite to eat. I doubt you had time for dinner, and you need to keep your strength up.”

Which likely meant that he, too, could tell she was pregnant.
“Thanks. I appreciate it, though I don’t have much of an appetite, I’m afraid. I just want Greyson to come back. Screw Flint and going after him. He doesn’t matter if it means Greyson might not survive this mess.”

“He’ll be okay, Juno.” Cullen sat by her side and gave her hand a comforting squeeze. “He’s been through a lot during the course of his life, and somehow, he’s always managed to pull through. And now that he has you in his life, there’s nothing that will stop him from making it back to you. You need to believe that.”

“I’m trying to, but this attack isn’t something he had a whole lot of time to think over or prepare for. What if it’s a trap? What if Flint knew he was being followed, and set them up? They don’t know what they’re walking into, and the only person Greyson can trust entirely is Ryder, especially when things have been a bit uneasy with Thayer.” Thayer had made it clear that his own interests came before his friendship with Greyson and maintaining the peace between the packs. It’s not that she didn’t want to trust him. She just wasn’t sure she could, even if she appreciated his help.

“You can’t let yourself worry like this. And frankly, it has to be done, darling. It’s the only way to guarantee your safety. After all that bastard put you through, even if he pays with his life, it won’t be enough.” Cullen’s voice was laced with a barely contained rage, and though Juno hadn’t known Cullen long, she’d never seen him so angry.

“Trust me, I’d murder the bastard with my own hands, given half the chance.” Not that Greyson would let her.

Cullen then cocked his head toward one of the windows, listening and breathing deep, no doubt trying to pick up on any scents there might be.

“Is it Greyson?” Her sense of smell was nowhere near developed as most shifters, though whether that was because she was also
human and
Laighir
, or because she’d only gone through the
Change
recently, she wasn’t sure.

“No, it’s not.” Cullen handed her a handgun, clicking off the safety. But before he could say anything more, something crashed through the window, lighting the floor and wall on fire, the same happening again on the other side of the room. He grabbed her, shielding her body with his as he escorted her to the back of the house, near the back door. “Stay inside as long as you’re able to, back to the wall, and ready to shoot. I’ll do my best to take out as many of them as I can, but they’re trying to flush you out. If you have to make a run for it, shift. You’ll be much faster, and your instincts will kick in.”

Juno jumped into Cullen’s arms and held him tight, desperately wanting him to stay with her, even though she knew he couldn’t.
“Please be careful.”

“I will, darling. Stay safe, okay? And do whatever you have to do to survive this—without hesitation. Our pack will come to help.” And then he was pulling away from her and racing for the front door.

She heard gunshots and more smashing glass, as flames and smoke engulfed the home. And yet she waited…desperate to know Cullen was okay and hoping help would come before it was too late. Although as spread out as the homes were, she wondered if anyone would even know they were under attack, especially when Greyson’s cabin was on the edge of pack territory.

Her eyes and lungs were burning—and then the window closest to her shattered as a flaming bottle crashed through it, the flammable liquid within catching alight as it smashed open and sprayed across the floor, spreading the fire. She had to get out, but was worried Flint or his men would be waiting for her. Not that staying here was an option as the fire grew and she had no way of putting it out. Coughing as her lungs filled with smoke, she knew she had to get out of there and take her chances—yet before she could head for the door, it was kicked open, a massive form filling the doorway.

“Greyson!! Juno!!” And then he spotted her—
Sawyer
. The head of the bear clan knelt down before her. “I’m not going to hurt you, but you need to get out of here. Where’s Greyson?”

“He’s not here.” It was all she could get out before coughing uncontrollably, her lungs burning from the smoke.

“Come on…you need to go.” He scooped her up into his arms and carried her out of the burning home, but before she could panic, he set her down. “I’ll do what I can to hold them off and help Cullen.
Just run
.”

And then she saw him—and he saw her.
Flint
.

Yet before he could come after her, Sawyer was tackling him, the two of them clashing mid-air as they shifted, bear and wolf dropping to the ground in a warring tangle of fur and deadly jaws and claws. She was desperately worried and wanting to help, and yet she knew they were all fighting to give her a chance to get to safety, to keep her and her child alive. And maybe, if she got away, she could get them help.

With shots ringing out, she ran for the trees, deeper into pack territory, and though she thought of shifting like Cullen had said, he didn’t know how wrong it’d gone the first time around. And then she heard him—or sensed him—and turned just in time to put her hands up defensively as Flint tackled her to the ground and knocked the gun from her grip. She tried to gather her up her energy and unleash it on him, but he punched her in the gut and then grabbed her wrists, pinning them to the ground so she couldn’t touch him.

“Miss me, Juno?”

“You fucking bastard.” Juno tried to buck him off as the pungent smell of blood filled her head.
Flint was injured
. She doubled her efforts, kicking and bucking. Somehow, she managed to get a hand free—and that was all she needed.

Grabbing Flint’s wrist, Juno unleashed every bit of energy she could muster, jolting him hard enough to have him falling back as he screamed in pain. Lunging for him, she used both hands this time and tried to jolt him again, though her energy was mostly spent.

She had to run, knowing that he’d come after her as long as he could draw breath.
Her gun
. Frantically, she searched the forest floor.
There.
Her fingers wrapped around the cold, hard metal of the gun, and then she was running…her feet hitting the ground as fast as she could manage.

There was no fucking way she’d let him take her again, no fucking way she’d be his victim, no fucking way he’d ever touch her again.
She refused to lose this fight
.

His snarl echoed in the night.
He’d shifted
—and she knew he was coming for her, her thighs burning as she ran. She sensed him upon her and turned just as he leapt for her, his massive wolf form ready to maul her, when she squeezed the trigger—
again and again and again
. She emptied her gun into his body as they fell to the ground; she was pinned beneath him, trying to hold him back as he tried to tear her throat out, and she swore, the bastard would never fucking die.

Red-hot pain shot through her body, and she knew this was it. One of them was going to die here.

She just had to make sure it wasn’t her
.