Page 55 of Little Red and Her Creatures of Chaos
Mason barks a laugh. So wolves can laugh, too?“No, Little wolf. We passed him on the way out here.”
I start walking again, still a little suspicious.“Is Margie okay?”
“Yeah. She and Ava are hiding at her place,”Nash answers.
“What are we going to do?”I can’t keep the worry out of my voice, and Mason falls back to press against my side.
“We’re going to protect this place. But I need you to listen to me. When we get back to camp, go straight to Ava’s. We can’t fight if we’re worried about you. You aren’t ready yet, Radley.”
“So I just hide?”
“Until you’re trained, yes,”Nash answers without hesitation.“We won’t risk you.”
We run back to camp, listening to the howls and yelling. I have no idea what to do, and I’m worried about the ones who can’t fight. Nash and Mason said they had it under control, so why was Ava out there alone? I shake that thought from my head. I have to trust my alphas. They’re only two people. We finally skid to a stop on the gravel, and Mason barks once. I take that as my cue and run straight to the cabin. Someone laid out something for me to wear on the front porch, so when I shift back, I slide on the dress. I knock quickly and push the door open. I lose it when I see Bryce standing there. I fling myself in his arms and wrap my legs around his waist. He grabs me in a tight grip when I bury my face in his hair.
“I was so worried. Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine, My love.”
“How did you get out?”
“Mason’s mom.” I jerk back to look at his face, and he gives me my favorite crooked smile. “She showed me how to get out, and I ran like hell to get back to you.”
“Did they touch you?”
Something flashes across his eyes, and then it’s gone. “We’ll talk about all that later. Radley, I met your dad.” I let my feet slide to the floor, my mind reeling. “He’s the one that ordered them to come get you, but he couldn’t find you, so they got me.”
“My dad is behind this?” I don’t even know the man, so it shouldn’t have hurt this bad. Can’t I have just one good parent? “Why?”
“He said he knew about you, and he was just waiting until you shifted for the first time. I guess he had to be sure.” Bryce stops and cocks his head to the side. I hear the howling in the distance, but this is different. “The cavalry has arrived. That was Luther.”
Margie rushes past us, but I grab her arm. “You can’t go out there, Margie. It’s bad.” I look back at Bryce. “Was that a signal?”
“Yeah. He was letting us know that he was here. I have to go.”
“What?” My face pales, and I grab his shirt. “No, you don’t.”
“I do, My love.” He tucks a lock of hair behind my ear. “We need to end this.”
Margie wraps her arms around my waist, and I put mine around her shoulders. She’s just as scared as me because her entire pack is also out there. “Please be careful.”
“I will.” Bryce grabs my cheeks and kisses me softly. “I hear Cadence’s truck. Grandma is almost here.” He gives me one last kiss and walks toward the door. He turns when he gets to it. “I love you, Radley.” He pulls it open and shuts it behind him before I can answer.
I love you, too.
Chapter 23
Mason
When we step inside the camp, my stomach rolls from everything going on around us. Even though it doesn’t look like it, we still have the upper hand. Their pack is uncoordinated, and they have no idea how to work together. We have that to our advantage. We can plan coordinated attacks without even talking. I wait until Radley walks into Ava’s cabin and feel her relief when she spots Bryce. Nash and I exchange a look and jump into the mayhem. I lunge for a big wolf snapping his teeth at one of the older betas. My teeth sink into his neck, and I shake my head, making sure he goes down. When he does, I don’t spare him a second look before going after the next one. Killing my own species is not something I ever want to do, but they chose this path. They could have aligned themselves with a pack but decided being feral was better for them.
I hear a familiar howl in the distance, instantly recognizing Dad. The relief that comes with that is immense, and I can feel it from Nash, too. We might run our own pack, but Dad is still the one we look up to. I see Dad, Cruz, and Teddy loop in front of us, so we start picking these assholes off one by one. I’m locked in a heated battle with a wolf when I feel teeth sink into myflank. I turn around to lunge and the alpha I was fighting takes advantage of the situation. He knocks me on my back, and his teeth almost sink into my throat. I throw my paws up to push him away, but he’s already gone. I look over and see Bryce’s light-colored fur and blood running down his chin. He barks once and jumps over me, running the other way. I pop back to my paws and try to shake off the fatigue.
A short, sharp howl echoes around me, and I follow it. A wolf has Cadence backed up against his truck with Radley’s grandma hovering behind him. I jump, landing on the wolf’s back, and roll him over. I sink my teeth into his throat and pull my head back. Blood fills my mouth, and I let his lifeless body drop to the ground. I turn toward Grandma, and her eyes are wide, staring at me. I lick the blood from my mouth and slowly walk toward her. To my surprise, she wraps her little arms around my neck.
“Thank you,” she says, squeezing me tight. She pulls back and ruffles the fur between my ears. “You’re a big boy.” I nudge her arm, hoping she gets the hint. She sinks her fingers into the fur on my shoulder, and I start leading her to safety. I can see why Radley adores this woman. I can smell her fear, but it’s not for herself. It’s for everyone else. I walk her toward the backdoor and nod my head toward it. “Is Radley in there?” I nod again. “Good.” She pats my cheek like I’m not a giant fucking wolf and goes into the house without another word.
“He’s here,”Nash growls through the bond.
