A Leopard's Path (3 page)

As a trained spy, Kieran knew all too well that a small vulnerability was all the enemy needed to gain the upper hand. He also knew careless mistakes like the one Vance made several months ago, got people killed. The Onyx Marshal had charged into Ashwood thinking he’d wipe out the Pack. The stupid bastard died and lost a large part the Onyx soldiers in the process.

Hence why Felix had hunted down his mate and freed her from her prison. So she could help the Alpha grow stronger and take his revenge. “How did Felix find the witch?”

Keegan shook his head. “Michaela thinks she started to wake, which allowed Felix to track her through the mating bond.”

Grinding his molars together, Kieran forced himself to stay in his seat and not hunt down the rogue Alpha to put an end to this. However, no one knew where the bastard had gone to lick his wounds after Kieran, Keegan, and the rest of them destroyed the Onyx den.

Not even Ana…Wait. Could Sable know where to find her father?

Standing, Kieran met Keegan’s stare. “Shouldn’t we bring Ana into this meeting? She could know where he hides, or at least know where to find Sable.”

Blaine nodded. “I’ll call Alec and Cora in, as well. They could give us an update on the security of Ashwood.”

“Let’s take a break, cool down,” Luna glared at Keegan and the other males in the room, “and then regroup in an hour. Bring in the senior soldiers, as well.”

Kieran made his escape, too wound up from his argument with Ana and the news that Savannah was free. He’d meant to surprise Ana later that day with dinner and the promise of mating. Something long overdue. However, with the evil witch on the loose now, most likely gunning for those who’d imprisoned her, he couldn’t risk putting a target on Ana’s back.

No, he couldn’t mate with Ana now that Savannah and Felix were working together. There was no way he’d go through losing another loved one. And he loved Ana. Loved her enough to risk the chance of losing her as his mate.

Chapter Three

Cora was a genius. Her knowledge of computer systems and applications blew Ana’s mind as they sat in the “control central” monitoring what they hoped would be the last test of the new security system for Ashwood.

The den was ninety percent reconstructed, and with the finishing touches going on at the nursery, they could return to the den. Ana couldn’t wait to get back to a normal routine again. Well, somewhat anyway. She wasn’t sure she knew what
normal
was anymore.

“Are you alright?” Cora asked, not making eye contact.

Forcing herself to relax, Ana nodded. “Yeah. Just male troubles.”

A soft laugh escaped Cora before she replied. “What has Kieran done?”

“It’s what he hasn’t done.” Ana rolled her eyes.
Damn male
.

The young wolf beside her lifted her shoulders. “I’m not good at relationship advice. Cam told me to push back at Torin, but I’m not sure that would work for you.”

“No. I’ve been pushing, and now it feels like he’s drifting away.” Ana’s chest ached at the omission. Nothing she tried with Kieran seemed to work. She didn’t understand why.

“Maybe you should play hard to get. You know, make him chase you.”

A laugh burst from Ana’s lips, but in reality, Cora was right. All this time, Ana had pushed Kieran and chased him. She’d believed that since they were away from Onyx everything would fall into place. The opposite had happened. Kieran submerged himself into his work and all but avoided her. What if Ana turned the tables? Stopped pushing and started living.

“Cora, you’re a genius.”

“I know,” the female teased, drawing another laugh from Ana.

Ana had never laughed much before coming to Ashwood, now she laughed all the time. The Pack—wolves and leopards combined—had an open sense of love and respect. Sure there were cat versus wolf issues from time to time, but all families had their quarrels.

Leaning into Cora so their shoulders touched, Ana smiled as a soft sigh slipped from the submissive wolf.  She’d been through so much in her short life—losing both her parents and her brother—but she’d learned to overcome her fears. Her mate, Torin, had helped bring the female out of her shell more.

“What’s taking him so long?” Ana glanced at the multi-screened monitor, not seeing Alec in any of the windows. He’d gone out to test the camera system.

“He’s there.” Cora pointed to another monitor, then pressed the intercom key. “We see you.”

In leopard form, Alec lifted his large head to the camera and growled before darting out of sight. A moment later, an alarm sounded a few feet to the north of where they had spotted him. “Damn. We need a camera there.”

Cora shook her head. “It’s next to impossible to cover every inch of the perimeter.”

“Could we make them move and scan the area?” Ana didn’t like leaving even a small chance for the rogues to get in. “Alec, how’re the wards?”

Ana’s brother came into view, in human form and naked.
Good lord
. Shifters didn’t have qualms about nudity, but the acting leopard Beta was her brother. Besides, Ana learned from a young age not to get caught without clothes. Mutants and Felix’s guards had no problem taking advantage of females, no matter how old or young.

Luckily for her, Sable had been there to protect her.

“The wards are sound, I can’t penetrate them. We’re good to go. Everything else can be monitored by sentries.” He paused and tilted his head, listening. “Blaine and Luna have called a meeting.”

At that moment, the door to the security room opened. Ana didn’t need to turn to know who it was. Kieran. “We’ll meet you there. Kieran just got here.”

Alec nodded and shifted into his leopard before taking off.

After standing, Ana moved to the door. Kieran’s dark brows bunched together, and the corners of his mouth dipped into a frown.

“What?”

“Cora, we need your brilliant mind and your notes on the system.” He softened his expression with the submissive, melting Ana’s heart. How was she going to play hard to get when she saw the side of him that he hid away.

Cora glanced from him to Ana. “I…Okay.” She gathered her notepad and tablet and stood.

Nodding at her, Kieran said, “Please wait for us in the truck.”

“Sure.” She darted out of the room.

Studying Kieran, Ana sensed that something wasn’t right. “What?” she asked again.

“Felix is plotting something big. I’ll let Luna explain more at the meeting, but I need you to get in touch with Sable to see if she knows where her father is hiding.”

Scanning his features, she noted something she hadn’t seen when he arrived. Fear. “It’s that bad?”

He caressed her cheek with his knuckles. “Yes. I also believe both you and Sable are in danger. Try to talk her into coming to Ashwood.”

“No. I can’t. They’ll lock her up like a prisoner.”

“She has committed crimes on her father’s behalf.”

Ana crossed her arms. “She’s not that person anymore.”

“She’ll get a trial.”

Shaking her head, Ana knew she wasn’t going to ask her sister to turn herself in. “I can’t ask her to do that. I’ll talk to her. Alone. But I’m not asking her to turn herself in to the Council.”

She pushed by him, not giving him a chance to argue with her. The rebels needed Sable to lead them, to stop Onyx and other rogue groups. Sure they were working above the law, but they’d made progress that Ashwood couldn’t.

No, Ana was not going there with Sable.

****

It was a full house, literally. Kieran leaned against the far wall of Keegan’s temporary home listening to Cora and Alec run through information on the security system, the double layer of wards, and the third inner layer of magickally charged sensors. None of it made a whole lot of sense to him, other than the fact that someone would have to be stupid and desperate to try and break through it all.

Alec draped an arm around Cora’s shoulders, ignoring the low growl from Torin. “We are good to go home thanks to Cora. She’s brilliant.”

The submissive wolf dipped her head while her cheeks turned bright red. Torin held out a hand, and Cora drifted over to him, allowing him to pull her onto his lap. He kissed her mouth, then her nose, before addressing the room.

“I have a few young wolves who are ready to move up to soldier position. Brenna and Bryce are two. The twins never cease to impress me with their skills and strength. Plus, the psychic connection they have is amazing.” His lips twitched, and the sense of pride he felt for the teens lit up his features. Glancing over to Christa, the twins’ aunt and guardian, he nodded to her. “You did good with their training.”

Christa smiled and gave a short nod as she leaned into her mate, Hayden. “They’re great kids.”

Luna cleared her throat and spoke up from where she sat on the sofa. “I called everyone here because Michaela, the tiger Elder from Evers Creek, informed Keegan this morning that Savannah Darwin has been released from her spell and prison.”

“For those who don’t know, Savannah is Felix’s mate and Sable’s mother. She’s a powerful dark witch. She was the reason Felix was able to attack so many dens in the short period of time he did.” Keegan paused and met Kieran’s gaze.

With a short nod, Kieran finished the story. “Keegan, myself, and a few others hunted the witch down and captured her. At the time, there were three Elders who had magickal bloodlines. They were able to cast a spell to put Savannah into a deep sleep, and then locked her away inside a manmade bunker just north of the Tennessee/Georgia border.”

Feeling Ana’s stare, Kieran glanced her way. She’d left her long, black hair down. The silky strands cascaded over her shoulders, melting into the black tee she wore. Her grey eyes bored into him for a few moments before she spoke to the group. “Does anyone know where Felix and Savannah would go now that the Onyx den has been destroyed?”

“We were hoping you could help us with that,” Luna said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Ana cut a glare to the wolf Alpha, then to Kieran. “Why me? How can I help?”

When no one spoke, Kieran averted his gaze from his mate and shook his head. “As I mentioned to you earlier when we were alone, you are the only one who can contact Sable.”

“And?” She folded her arms.

Kieran glanced to Keegan. “She would know of his hiding spots.”

A humorless laughed escaped Ana. “I hate to state the obvious, but he would hide where Sable couldn’t find him. In case you need to be reminded, she betrayed him and took over ninety percent of the Pack’s survivors.”

“That makes him desperate and likely to make mistakes.” Kieran pushed off the wall, clenching his jaw. Ana was being difficult, and he wondered if it was because he had been the one to ask her to contact Sable.

Keegan broke brief silence. “Ana, could you speak with her? Please?”

Ana worked her jaw for several moments before nodding. “If she answers my call, I’ll set up a meeting. But like I told Kieran earlier, I go alone. No one is to follow me.”

“Agreed,” Keegan said while casting Kieran a warning glare.

Turning his attention to Cora and Alec, Keegan asked, “When can we start moving back to Ashwood?”

Cora checked something on her tablet. “Today, if you’d like.”

Alec nodded. “There are a couple of buildings still under construction, but the nursery is ready. We have the Blackrock bears to thank for helping out with the rebuilds.”

With the focus off him, Kieran eased around to the door and stood outside. Breathing in the crisp fall air, he waited for Ana to join him. And she would join him. Her heated gaze during the meeting, and the fact that she stood on the opposite side of the room from him told him something bothered her.

When she walked past him without a word, he gripped her upper arm. She whirled around, her eyes flashing silver for a brief moment, indicating that her leopard was close to the surface. “We need to talk.”

Jerking her arm out of his hold, she held his stare for several long moments before relaxing. “I’m done talking. I need to focus on helping Keegan and the Alphas secure the future of the Pack.”

She turned and stormed across the yard toward the forest. Kieran ground his teeth and tried to calm his cat. The female had dismissed them. All instinct pulled at him to chase her down and demand her attention, to make her understand just how much losing her would pain him. “Ana. Where are you going?”

“To find Sable. Alone.” She disappeared into the thick trees surrounding MoonRiver.

Kieran fisted his hands and let a growl rumble through his chest. His leopard needed to know she was safe. The man wanted to keep her at a distance until Felix was taken out. However, the cold shoulder treatment from Ana would drive him insane.

Dismissing her warning not to follow, he tracked Ana’s scent into the forest. For once in his life, he’d open up and tell the truth. It’s what she deserved.

Chapter Four

Ana stopped running when she came to the ruins of the Onyx den. The entrance was blocked by large rocks from the explosion. Felix’s plan had been to blow the hidden den’s cavern with Keegan inside. With a heavy sigh, Ana lay down and rested her head on her paws.

For years, she’d dreamt of the day she would escape Felix’s control. However, at the time, she didn’t know she’d been kidnapped from her real family.

A snap of a twig brought her head up. A moment later, Sable came into view. Ana’s heart pounded. She wasn’t sure if it was from fear or glee at seeing her sister. Whether they were blood-related or not, Ana didn’t care. Sable had always protected her from Felix’s wrath, but her sister being out in the open was dangerous.

Sable sat beside her and ran her fingers through Ana’s fur. “It’s good to see you, sis.”

With a sigh, Ana shifted and wrapped her arms around Sable. “I’ve missed you.”

“Why are you so sad?”

Ana pulled away and drew her knees to her chest. She lifted one shoulder. “Kieran has lied to me.”