Wolf's Fall (21 page)

“Is he . . . ?”

“No. But Selene doesn't know if he's going to make it.” Suddenly he looked stunned, as though that reality was just sinking in. “I've been so fucking angry, so intent on making him pay again and again for our past. And now I might lose the chance to reconcile with him before I even get my head on straight about him and me.”

“You need to go to him.”

“Yeah.” Looking lost, he ran a hand down his face.

“I'm going with you.”

He didn't argue with her as they left the dining room in a hurry. Silently, she sent up a prayer to whatever powers were listening for Nick's brother to survive.

For both of their
sakes.

N
ick was losing his mind.

None of the vampires could teleport him to his brother's Pack in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, because none had ever been there before. Nick himself was sketchy on the exact roads, since it had been more than twenty years since he'd last set eyes on what was little more than a camp.

So Tarron had his private jet carry him, Calla, and Zander, plus a few Alpha Pack members, as far as Gatlinburg, and had a car waiting to take them the remaining thirty miles to Damien's clan. With every mile, Nick berated himself for holding on to his anger for so long. Yes, he had reason to be furious with Damien. The man had thrown him out of the clan and taken Nick's child to raise.

But Damien had been following Pack law to the
letter. Their father had raised them to adhere to the strict rules, and everyone knew there was no excuse not to obey them. Nick deserved to pay a steep price for using his gift to the detriment of another, even if his heart had been in the right place.

That didn't make Damien's actions hurt any less. Didn't make the ache in his soul go away. Losing the brother he had idolized. His mate. His daughter.

Even with Calla at his side lending her quiet support, the thoughts chased around and around in his brain. The guilt.

He'd promised he would try to meet Damien halfway, to repair their relationship. So far he'd done nothing to make good on that promise. Dozens of deleted messages weighed like an anvil on his chest.

When the car turned down the road to the clan's spread, Nick found it hard to breathe. The last time he had been there had ended so horribly, with such finality, he knew he'd never be back. And yet here he was.

His first impression was one of near shock. Instead of the ramshackle sprawl of wooden cabins he'd left behind, a well-ordered village of brick buildings had taken its place. The family homes were small, but they were attractive and well maintained, set back from paved streets and sidewalks. There was even a store or two nestled among them.

Damien had provided well for their clan. Better than Nick could ever have done.

Memories flooded his mind, and along with them a sense of melancholy. Time hadn't stood still, and when Nick found himself searching for the modest house he'd shared with Jennifer and Selene, he was a little saddened to realize it no longer stood. That caused an ache in his heart he figured might never totally go away.

“Honey? We're here.”

A gentle touch on his arm brought him from his musings. Calla was looking at him with compassion, and his throat tightened. “I don't know if I can do this.”

“You can. He wants you here, so focus on that and nothing else, okay?”

Nodding, he took her hand and they got out of the car. After giving her a quick kiss on the lips, he turned at a woman's voice calling to him. He saw Selene jogging toward them from a two-story building across the street. For a second, he saw her as a smiling little girl with platinum blond hair running toward him with open arms.

The image faded and the girl was grown. But she was no less happy to see him as she threw her arms around him.

“Dad,” she said with a sob, burying her face in his chest.

“Sweet girl. How is your uncle?”

Pulling back, she wiped her face with her hand.
“I'm sorry. Actually he's better. It's just that when I heard what those bastards had done to him, and then I saw the shape he was in when I got here . . . I kind of lost it.”

“That's understandable,” he said quietly. “What about Tag? Is he all right?”

Taggart was Selene's lifelong friend, and a wolf determined to mate with her before she'd met and mated with Zander. Tag hadn't taken the news well at first, but after leveling a warning at Zan to treat her right, he'd backed off.

“Tag wasn't in the car, thank God.” She sniffed. “I don't know what I would've done if I had lost him.”

“Well, there is me,” Zan said, stepping from behind Nick. Immediately he had his arms full of his mate.

“You know what I meant.” She gripped Zan tight. “Tag is one of my best friends.”

“I'm glad he's okay, sweetheart. Why don't we go see Damien?”

Nick led his family inside the building, which turned out to be the clan's hospital. It was a nice facility, almost as well-appointed as the Pack's new hospital. He couldn't help but be even more impressed. It didn't escape his notice that Damien's care and attention to his clan's needs might ultimately save his life.

A clan doctor met them on the second floor, and Nick made introductions. The doctor introduced himself.

“I'm Dr. Simon York,” he said politely, shaking Nick's hand. “Why don't we talk in the family room for a moment?”

Once they were settled, with the doctor seated in front of them, Nick asked, “How's Damien?”

Dr. York nodded. “Weak, but hanging in there. He suffered multiple lacerations, sustained both from the wreck caused by the attack, and the fight itself. He's had internal bleeding, which we've managed to stop, and a few broken bones, which will mend when he shifts.”

“When will that be?”

“Depends on Damien. The Alpha is healing quicker than we thought he would, which is a terrific thing. Could be tonight, but more likely tomorrow.”

“So, in your opinion, he'll survive?”

“Yes. He passed the critical point while you were en route, took a turn for the better. I'm confident he'll be good as new in no time.”

Nick pushed aside the relief he felt. “May I see him?”

“Sure. Room two twelve. He's been asking for you.”

He had? That choked Nick up all over again, and Selene, too. Now that the crisis was past, he was tempted to run again. Far and fast. But he couldn't do it. Not this time. Not when he'd almost lost his brother.

He did let Selene and Zan go in first, though.
Selene had been in already, but Zander wanted to pay his respects to her uncle. Then a couple of Damien's clan, but they didn't stay long. Too soon, it was Nick's turn.

Walking to the room on wooden legs, he had no idea what to say. Then he was out of time to think, because he was through the door and Damien was lying there, face cut and bruised, lip busted. His arm was in a cast and there was an oxygen cannula in his nose. Dark hair was swept back from his face and he stared at Nick hard for a few seconds before his expression crumpled.

“I thought I was being a good Alpha. I followed the letter of the law instead of my heart,” he whispered. He didn't bother to hide the sheen of moisture in his eyes. The devastation. “Forgive me, brother, please. I can't stand to face one more day knowing I drove you away when you needed me most.”

Nick's legs started moving, and before he knew it, he was crouched at Damien's bedside. Pulling his brother into his arms, he choked, “I forgive you. I've got a long way to go to forget, but I do know I don't want to be without my brother in my life.”

“That's a good start.”

“Yes.”

After a few moments, Nick forced himself to let go and took a seat in a nearby chair. He wasn't
sure what to say, so he settled on his first impression. “You've done so much for the clan. You've turned it into a community to be proud of.”

Damien's smile was pleased, but not for himself. “The clan pulled together to do all the work. I just made the money available from the clan account to make improvements and boost our businesses and jobs.”

“You know, you sound nothing like Dad in your vision of what community looks like,” Nick observed. “He didn't believe in spending clan money. We never could convince him that funneling the yearly dues back to the community would help everyone in the long run.”

“Thanks.” Damien flushed at the compliment. “He was a good man, but stuck in the seventeenth century.”

“Literally.”

“Yeah.”

They were sharing a smile, and it was weird. But good, too. His brother's exhaustion took over, and slowly his eyes drifted shut. Nick sat by his side for the longest time, studying his face and thinking about how lucky he was to have the chance to rediscover their bond as brothers.

This time, Nick meant it.

More people came in to visit, and left. Nick began to doze, and at some point he realized that the sun had vanished and he was covered with a
blanket. His chair had been reclined and his head was resting on a pillow.
Calla.
She always knew what he needed, and right now that was to be here.

Before he knew it, early sunlight was filtering through the drapes. Yawning, he stretched and looked at his brother—to find him curled up in wolf form. He couldn't help but laugh softly at the sight of the big brown wolf taking up the bed, snoring. At least he was healed.

Rising from the chair, Nick slipped from the room and went in search of his mate. He didn't like that he'd been away from her, but surely she'd understood. Spying the nurses' station, he walked over.

“Excuse me. I was hoping to find—”

“Ooh, you must be the Alpha's brother,” one young nurse enthused. “You look so alike!”

“Yes, I'm Nick Westfall,” he said politely. “I'm looking for my mate but I'm not sure where she went.”

“I think Taggart put her in cottage number eight. It's just across the street.”

“Thank you.”

The nurses were giggling as he walked off, though he couldn't fathom what was so amusing. He quickly crossed the street and knocked on the cottage door. Before he could open his mouth or knock again, the door was yanked open and Nick was pulled inside.

Calla hugged and kissed him soundly before
ushering him to the sofa. He sat with a groan. “Feels good. That chair about did me in.”

“Sorry. I should've got you up to come to bed.”

“No, I was glad to be with him.” He squeezed her hand. “I think we've finally made a start on repairing things. It'll take a while, but it can be done.”

“That's so great,” she said, smiling.

“Yeah.”

When his cell phone rang, he groaned again. “I'm seriously going to run over that thing with my SUV if it rings one more time.”

He looked at the screen. “It's your brother,” he told her. “Crap, it's early.” He had barely greeted the prince when Tarron broke in. “Nick, I need you back at the stronghold! You and your men. Leave Calla there, but come back as soon as you can!”

He frowned. “Why? What's going on?”

“Teague found the file that Graham sent Ivan before he died. It was a detailed blueprint of the fucking stronghold!”

“Shit!” He met Calla's eyes. So
that
was how Ivan planned to destroy the coven—a direct attack. God.

“Every single fucking room, corridor, doorway, every detail! We're already evacuating the women and children—”

Tarron's words were cut off by a loud noise coming from the other end. A boom that echoed
through Nick's brain and made his blood turn to ice. “Tarron? Tarron!”

There was no answer. The line went dead.

“What is it?” Calla asked, voice rising. “What's happening?”

“The file Graham sent to Ivan contained detailed blueprints of the stronghold. Tarron was telling me about evacuating the women and children, and the line went dead.”

Her face paled. “Oh, my God!”

“I'm going and I need you to stay here—”

“No! I can help! You'll need me to teleport you there and bring men back here to get the rest of your team, now that I know where it is. It'll be much faster than hours traveling by plane and car. If they're under attack, they need us now!”

One look at his mate's determined expression and he knew there was no point wasting time on an argument he wouldn't win.

“Fine. But when you get my men back to the stronghold, you get the hell out and go to the Pack compound. You'll be safe there until your brother and I hand those guys their asses.”

He didn't wait for an answer but rounded up the rest of his team and explained the situation.

“This isn't going to be easy,” he finished up. “They've been ambushed, and it's up to us to turn the tide in our favor. Questions?”

“How soon can we kick some sorry ass?” John growled.

“That's the spirit.”

They were going to need more of it to beat some really bad odds.

*   *   *

Calla never thought she'd experience the terror of actually watching her beloved mate rush headlong into battle. Especially to save her coven.

The grand foyer was smoking rubble, the scene chaos. Blood ran thick on the stone floors, and everywhere the screams of the injured and dying rang out in the morning air. Horrible. Incongruous with the start of a new day that had been filled with such hope.

Losing sight of Nick, Calla forced herself to focus on her task. She summoned three guards who were running past.

“Princess, we have to fight!” one cried.

“First you have to come with me to get the rest of the commander's wolves! We need all the help we can get!”

The number of rogues and hunters was almost overwhelming, perhaps two to one in the enemy's favor. She couldn't believe what she was seeing.

Just then, a pair of hunters appeared, carrying rifles. Quickly, Calla grabbed the guards and vanished, teleporting back to Damien's compound. Nick's men were waiting on the lawn in front of the hospital building, along with every able-bodied man, it seemed.

And Damien himself. The man looked
exhausted, but fiercely determined. “My men are at your disposal, Princess.”

Tears stung her eyes. “I'm grateful, but do you understand the risk? Chances are you'll suffer losses.”

“There's no greater loss I could suffer than to lose Nick now,” he said. “Our clan is behind you.”

“All right. You have my thanks, and my friendship. Whatever you need after this day, I'll see that you have it. But we have to go. I'll send more guards after you and your wolves.”