Winter (Rise of the Pride, Book 2) (13 page)

“Go away!” she yelled. Winter flinched when
he heard something slam against the desk.

“Havin’ troubles with your little woman?”
Drake inquired, an eyebrow raised in question. One booted foot
tapped on the wooden floor; the spur attached at his ankle clanging
with each movement.

“No,” Winter scoffed, reaching for the door
handle, but quickly stepped back when the door opened wide. She was
mad at him for having a babysitter stationed at the bar, but he
wasn’t going to budge on the issue.

“What?” she snarled.

“I want you to meet someone,” he said,
ignoring her scowl. “This is Drake Morgan.”

“It’s nice to meet you. I’m sorry for being
rude, but…well, have you met him?” Nova said, nodding for the two
men to enter the office.

“I have,” Drake chuckled, giving Nova an
appreciative nod.

“So, you understand my frustrations.” She
sighed, sitting down heavily behind the desk. She didn’t look at
Winter as she moved a stack of papers out of the way. “Is this my
babysitter?”

Drake took his seat slowly, adjusting the
denim vest he wore. Winter remained standing, just in case she
decided to throw a stapler at his head.

“Drake will be here with you until one of
the pride can take over or you are ready to go home,” Winter
informed her, tightening his fists at his side. It grated on his
nerves that he was going to have this bear be in charge of Nova’s
well-being, because
he
wanted to stay with her.

“You’re not part of the pride?” she asked
Drake.

“No ma’am,” he smirked. “I’m a bear.”

“A w…what?” she stuttered.

“He’s part of a small bear clan in the
area,” Winter explained. “They live pretty solitary lives and
mostly off the grid. He’s a friend of Talon’s and has agreed to
help us out until the wolves are taken care of.”

“Okay,” she said, nodding toward the bear.
“Is there anything I can get you?”

“Beer,” he grinned. “Lots of beer.”

“That I can do.” She nodded, turning her
chin toward Winter. “I guess you can go now.”

“Call me if you need me,” he ordered. “I’ll
be home as soon as I can.”

On Nova’s half-hearted nod, he walked out of
the office and made his way out to the truck. It was time to go
after a pack of wolves so he could concentrate on finding the human
who’d hurt Nova.

And he would find him…

“He’s moving,” Booth announced, turning the
screen on his phone so Talon could see the tracking device that
they’d planted in Malaki’s shoe had been activated.

“Gather everyone and be ready to go in
five,” Talon ordered, standing up from his seat behind the desk in
his office. He would need all of his Guardians for this mission. No
one knew how many wolves were there. Malaki had told him he’d only
seen a handful and their wives. Thankfully, Malaki hadn’t seen any
children.

Talon raced upstairs, taking the steps two
at a time. He needed to see his mate before it was time to leave.
He wanted to make sure she was feeling better. When he opened the
door to their room, Liberty was just coming out of the bathroom
with a towel wrapped tightly around her body. He felt the warmth
coming off of her freshly showered skin as he took her into his
arms.

“I have to leave,” he said, leaning down so
he could press his lips to the mating mark on her neck. “We’ve
found the rogue who was on your land.”

“What?” Liberty gasped. “Who is it?”

“What we know is that it was a teenage
panther who was being bribed by the wolves to find out where I was
and they were going to use you to get to me.” He paused, feeling
his panther push forward. As he looked into his mate’s eyes, hers
also sparked amber.

“Where is the rogue now?” she asked, pulling
the towel from her head, letting the wet strands fall around her
shoulders. Talon brushed them away from her neck so he could still
see the mark.

“We let him go,” he began, but held up his
hand when she started to protest. “We fitted him with a tracking
device. Liberty…they have his sixteen year old sister and have been
using her safety to get this boy to do their dirty work. Malaki
came to the bar tonight looking for Guardians. He told us
everything and I believe him. The kid was malnourished and scared.
His sister isn’t doing much better. From what he says, she’s close
to dying. I
have
to save her.”

“Is this going to be dangerous?” she asked.
Talon swallowed hard, not wanting her to know the truth, but she’d
scent his lies if he even tried to candy coat the danger they could
face.

“These wolves are vicious, Liberty, but I
don’t want you to worry.” He sighed. “We will be in and out quickly
and will get the children back to the pride. It’s the only right
thing to do.”

“Please be careful,” she said. A small hitch
to her voice gave away her emotions. “What can I do while you’re
gone?”

“You stay here and take care of my cub,” he
said, resting his large palm over her still flat stomach. In about
six weeks, his mate’s body would be changing and he couldn’t wait
to feel when the child moved inside his mother.

“I will.” She smiled, stepping away to drop
her towel. Her body was just as beautiful as the day he’d made
Liberty his mate. She would always be the one he loved beyond even
his pride. He understood his father’s love for his mother now more
than ever.

Winter stopped the truck about half a mile
from where the young panthers were being held. Talon growled low in
his throat as he looked out the windshield toward the area where
Malaki and his sister were being held.

“No one should be held against their will,”
Talon said, leaning forward to get a better look at the surrounding
area. They were just over the state line in Tennessee and east of
Memphis. The farmlands looked very similar to the ones back in
their territory, but Winter was sure that most of Talon’s agitation
was over the fact that he wasn’t in his own area. An alpha was only
at ease when he was around his pride and on familiar ground.

“We’ll get them out safely,” Winter
promised.

“I don’t like this,” Talon worried. “It’s
too quiet.”

“Savage and Booth are here with the others,”
Winter announced as he looked in the rearview mirror at the truck
approaching without any headlights. “We have plenty of men.”

Winter followed his alpha as he slid out of
the truck and walked quietly back to Savage’s brand new blue truck.
Noah, Storm, Dane, and Ranger were already stripping down so they
could shift. The plan was for Talon, Winter, and Savage to go in as
human. Booth would remain with the vehicles. They would bring the
rogues to him and it would be up to Booth to get them back to the
pride while the rest of the Guardians took care of the wolves.

The moon hid behind passing clouds, only
casting light on the old dirt road ahead of them momentarily, but
they didn’t need the light to see. With a slight shift to his eyes,
Winter was able to focus on the scenery as well as if it were the
middle of the day. The sounds of small animals quieted as the pride
moved forward as a whole, Talon walking ahead of them to the
opening of the drive leading to an old brick home surrounded by
trees.

As his eyes scanned the area, Winter saw an
old Buick. It was the same one that had picked up Malaki. Winter’s
panther rushed to the surface when he saw an old, white Ford truck
parked on the side of the house. He knew immediately that it
belonged to the man who’d hurt Nova.

“Talon,” Winter snarled, crouching low.
“Perry is a wolf.”

“Hold up, Winter,” Talon warned, his eyes
meticulously taking in every inch of the home’s exterior. Winter
looked as well and noticed there were no guards outside the home.
These wolves must have thought they were hidden well and had no
need for security. This also told Winter that Malaki’s tracking
device hadn’t been found. If it had, those wolves would’ve been on
high alert.

“He is mine,” Winter demanded. Talon nodded
his agreement. Both men knew their promise to the sheriff would be
broken if Winter got his hands on Perry. This was now a shifter
issue, and as far as the panthers were concerned, the human laws no
longer applied. Winter’s fingers flexed as he breathed deep,
calming his panther.
Easy. We will get him.

“I want panthers to surround the outside
until I give the signal,” Talon ordered. “Savage, take Noah and
Ranger; go in the back. Winter and I have the front with the
others.”

“Remember, Malaki said they are being held
in the basement. There are three males besides the alpha. The alpha
has four wives,” Winter growled out, his panther getting more and
more agitated as they made their plans. He had to fight the need to
shift and find the one who harmed Nova, but he would get his chance
to deal out his own brand of justice.

“Once the main floor is clear, Savage, go
for the basement,” Talon ordered, only continuing on Savage’s nod.
“Let’s go.”

Winter ducked low, creeping along the weed
covered fence that skirted the property. As Talon led the way, each
panther moved silently behind them. They paused as a unit behind
the old Ford truck, allowing Winter to scent the door frame. The
strongest scent was of the wolf, which he assumed was Perry. Nova’s
scent was still there, but it was faint…almost non-existent.

“Easy,” Talon whispered, placing a hand on
Winter’s shoulder and reminding him they were there on a mission to
save the young panthers. “You’ll get your chance.”

The door opened and a female came stumbling
out, dropping a trash bag on the ground next to the steps that led
up to the door. As soon as she turned her back, Talon gave the
signal to rush the door.

Winter was the first one inside, ensuring
that his alpha wasn’t harmed. Savage was through the back door only
a second later with two panthers at his side.

The woman who’d taken out the trash gave a
shout, but Storm was on her before she could escape down a hallway
to his right. Two men stood from an old, worn out couch, one fell
to his knees. The one on his knees begged for his life. He was
older, maybe in his sixties, but was of no concern to Winter,
because he knew that male wasn’t a threat. From his cowardice, he
had to be the omega and had little or no ranking in their pack.

There were two men against the far wall who
were scanning the room as if they were looking for a way out, but
found none. They were younger, maybe in their mid-twenties. Both
were large, but nowhere near the size of the Guardians. They looked
similar and could pass for brothers with their shaggy, dark
hair.

The one still standing next to the couch
gave a throaty growl, his eyes flashed a hazy yellow and all of the
panthers felt a push of power that didn’t belong to their alpha.
Winter searched the room, hoping and praying that one of them was
Perry. He had to find him…had to kill the son of a bitch for
putting his hands on a female. His panther snarled in the back of
his mind,
my female.
None of the men in the room matched
Perry’s description. Winter took a deep breath, calming himself.
He’d find him eventually.

“Don’t even think about shifting,” Talon
warned, a hefty push of power spreading through the room like an
invisible fog. Even the wolves felt the impact of the alpha’s
force. The two men by the wall didn’t fall to their knees as they
should’ve, but their shoulders slightly dropped in defeat.

They were not submitting to Talon like
Winter had hoped. Even as Talon said the command, the two men and
the lone one standing by the couch glared around the room with the
hazy yellow eyes of their wolves.

“Get out of my house!” the man by the couch
roared. He was older, possibly in his late fifties, early sixties.
His gray hair was greasy and his skin was weathered so much, it
looked like cracked leather.