Shifters, Beasts, and Monsters (40 page)

Chapter Eight

“Rach, I’m home!” Nikki bounded through the door of
their shared apartment, the delicious ache of the repeated fucking of the
weekend still felt between her legs. The cuts and scrapes obtained during the
game she played with Zane had already healed, but the soreness in her pussy
remained. “Rach?” Nikki walked through the apartment to Rachel’s room. “No…NO!”
she screamed as she entered the room and saw the empty closet and the drawers
hanging open, their contents gone.

Her grief overrode her senses, so she didn’t smell or
hear Zane as he came up behind her. “Shh,” he murmured as he gathered her into
his arms.

“Not Rach, please tell me it’s a mistake.” Tears rolled
down Nikki’s cheeks.

“I’m sorry, Nik. I’m so sorry.”

“Who? Who challenged her?”

“Sara.”

Nikki jerked upward, pulling her head from Zane’s
shoulder. Her voice shook with grief. “What? But why would…nevermind, I know
why she would. She did it to get to me didn’t she? She’s trying to provoke me.”

“I think it’s more than that, Nik. She knows she can’t
beat you in a fair fight, so I think she’s trying to rattle you. If she can
knock you off-balance, then she has a better chance.”

“How did happen? Rachel was supposed to be leaving
right after I did.”

“Sara ambushed her on the way to her car. She hid
behind a nearby tree and landed on Rachel as she was opening her car door. By
the time she managed to change, it was too late. Too much damage had already
been done. I don’t think she even got a hit in.”

“That bitch! It wasn’t a fair fight!”

“But well within pack rules, Nik. You know that. We
must be aware of our surroundings at all times. Danger is a constant companion
for people like us. Rachel should have sensed her coming, but she didn’t. By
pack law, since Sara got first contact while Rachel was still in human form,
she didn’t have to back off and wait for her to change.”

“It’s a horrible rule!”

“Maybe, but now some of the newer cubs will be more
aware of what’s going on around them. They see it as a warning.”

“You know as well as I do that Sara didn’t do it as a
warning for the cubs.”

“I know, but she broke no laws within the pack. There’s
nothing I can do.”

“But I can.” Nikki pushed away from Zane, but before
she could reach the door, his hand closed over her wrist.

“Stop.” Zane’s voice lowered in warning.

“She was my best friend, Zane. I can’t just let it go.”

“I don’t expect you to, but there’s a time and place
for it. You can’t challenge her here. You know that. Any aggression you show
towards her until you can formally challenge her will be seen as
insubordination against the alpha female, and she’ll punish you for it, and
she’ll be well within her rights to do so. As it is, she’s going to do
everything she can to make your life miserable until the next gathering.”

Nikki screamed in frustration and then dissolved into
tears as Zane drew her into his arms once more. He held her tight and let her
mourn the loss of her friend until her sobs quieted, and her body stilled.

“I hate her, Zane. She will pay for this.”

“I know she will. In the meantime, you must hold onto
your temper. She’s going to do anything she can to goad you into exploding, so
she can do more than just have fun with your body. Don’t let her do that.”

“I’ll try, but it’s not going to be easy.”

Chapter Nine

Nikki knelt and placed flowers on her friend’s grave.
Since Rachel had no family, and no other friends outside the pack to question
her disappearance, she had been buried on pack land near the cabin. Nikki hated
the fact no service had been held and no stone marked the grave, but it was the
pack way. Only members with family or friends outside the pack received a
traditional burial. Those deaths were usually explained away as a wild animal
attack. Luckily for the pack, very few of them had family, so the official
burials were few and far between and had not attracted the attention of the
authorities.

“I’m going to make her pay for this, Rach. She’s going
to die a slow and painful death. She doesn’t deserve mercy.” Tear drops slid
down her skin and dripped onto the fresh turned earth that marked the grave. “I
know she’s going to make my life hell until then, but she’s already done her
worst. Nothing she can do now would ever be worse than taking you away. She
screwed up and used her trump card first. You were right when you said she
doesn’t fight smart. She doesn’t deserve to be alpha. She’s too damned stupid.”

The wind brushed against Nikki’s face and brought with
it an unfamiliar scent. A concentrated sniff brought the scent back and
identified it. Blood. Human blood. “What the hell?” Nikki jumped to her feet
and ran in the direction of the scent, sniffing as she went to remain on the
right track. When she reached the source of the scent, anger boiled inside her.
Lying unconscious on a bed of leaves was a naked young woman. Scratches filled
with blood and dirt marred her alabaster skin. Several ragged holes oozed blood
on her shoulder. Nikki knew she’d find matching holes on the woman’s back.
“Shit.”

***

“We’ve got a rogue wolf.” Zane paced back and forth
across Nikki’s living room.

“You think?”

“You forget your place,” growled Sara. “You will be
punished for your insolence.”

Zane whirled to face Sara. “It will be my decision to
punish Nikki if I see fit. Her insolence was directed at me, not you. It seems
she isn’t the only one who forgets her place.” Sara rocked back in her seat as
if the words were an actual blow. “Besides, we have more important things to
worry about.”

Adam burst through the door. “What’s this about an
attack? It seems like the entire building is congregated in the lobby, and they
are all talking about it.”

“Nikki found her up by the cabin. The girl can’t be
more than 21.” Zane leaned against the door frame the separated the living room
from the kitchen.

“Bit?”

“Oh yeah. Huge one on her shoulder.”

“Any ideas?”

“Either it’s a wolf from another pack or a lone one
poaching on our territory, which I doubt, or it’s one of our own gone rogue. I
hate to say it, but my guess is it’s one of us. The closest pack is over a
hundred miles away, and there haven’t been any reports of any lone wolves
around. It’s too big a coincidence for the attack to have happened on our land.
It’s got to be someone from the pack.”

“But no one is missing.” Nikki volunteered from her
spot on the couch. “Aren’t rogues usually easy to identify?”

“When they follow the usual pattern, yes,” answered
Zane. “Rogue wolves are usually the result of blood lust or a mental break
down. We don’t have anyone in the group who fits that pattern. The symptoms
from both always show up long enough before a melt down for us to intervene.”

Adam perched on the arm of the couch. “So we have a
killer in our midst?”

Chills raced down Nikki’s spine. Rachel’s words from
the weekend came back to her.
For her, it’s all about the kills.

“Did you think of something, Nikki?”

Nikki glanced over at Sara, her eyes glittering as she
waited for an answer.

“No. I don’t have any idea who could have done it.”
Nikki thought she saw a flicker of something in Sara’s eyes but it was gone
before she could figure out what it was. Had Sara lost control and attacked
that girl? Or had she done it simply for the fun of it? Nikki didn’t know the answer,
but she felt it in her bones that Sara was the one responsible. “I’m going to
go check on her. She’s got to come around soon, and she’s going to be scared
when she does.”

Nikki felt a pang of sadness as she entered the room
that used to belong to her best friend. The injured young woman lay upon
Rachel’s old bed. They had called in a doctor who knew preternatural creatures
existed and could be depended upon to keep their affairs confidential. He
examined the victim and declared she would be fine once she regained
consciousness. Of course, she’d become one of them because of the bite, but
there was nothing to be done about that now.

She sat on the bed beside the girl and brushed tawny
hair away from her forehead. If the young woman was twenty-one, she wasn’t much
younger than Nikki. At twenty-five, Nikki would be considered by most people to
still be too young to know much about the world. Unfortunately, Nikki knew more
than she wished she did. Had her sire been a member of most existing packs, he
would have been put to death immediately for biting Nikki. Instead, he was the
alpha of his own pack, and therefore, set his own rules. Most packs prohibited
turning a minor, and a small number were beginning to prohibit turning anyone
who didn’t consent. Her sire’s pack followed none such rules. She had been
bitten at the tender age of thirteen.

Her sire had been a horrible alpha, and the pack
suffered because of it. The numbers dwindled quicker than they could be
replenished, and eventually only she and he remained. They moved from their
home in search of another pack he could dominate, which lead to him challenging
Zane. Her sire made the mistake of thinking he could defeat Zane because he was
younger than most alphas. Zane killed him in the fight, which automatically
meant any of his pack now belonged to Zane. In the space of two years, Nikki
had risen through the ranks without having to kill anyone. She had also learned
how a true alpha ran his pack. Zane was tough, but he was also honorable.

The girl stirring brought Nikki out of her reverie. Her
eyes fluttered open, and she shrank away from Nikki. When the girl opened her
mouth, Nikki knew by the wild look in her eyes a scream was seconds away.

“Shh, it’s okay. You’re safe.” Nikki gently stroked the
young woman’s arm, and instead of screaming, she simply whimpered. “My name is
Nikki.”

“Where am I?”

“You’re at my apartment. I found you out by the cabin
and brought you here.”

“Why here? Why didn’t you take me to the hospital?” The
woman’s voice rose an octave as fear gripped her. “I was attacked by an animal.
Couldn’t you see I needed help?”

“It’s okay.” Nikki continued to stroke her arm in an
effort to calm her. “I’ll explain everything to you, soon. I promise. What’s
your name?”

“Misha.”

“Okay Misha, I know you’re scared, but I need you to
try and remain calm. Look at your arms. What do you see?”

“I…there’s just dirt. How can that be? There were long,
deep gashes! I saw them!”

“I know. But you heal faster now.”

“What do you mean?”

Nikki sighed. This part was always tricky. Very few
cubs actually believed it when they were first told. Most had to be held
against their will until the first change, when they had no choice but to
believe. It made things difficult to say the least.

“I know you aren’t going to believe me, but you need to
keep an open mind. The animal that attacked you wasn’t an ordinary animal.”

“It was a wolf. I saw it. What’s not ordinary about a
wolf?”

“Was it the same size as a normal wolf?”

“Well, I don’t remember, but I’m sure it was.”

Nikki shook her head. The rationalizing had already
begun. No matter what the girl had actually seen, her brain was going to tell
her it couldn’t be true, and it was going to fill in the blanks with something
more rational.

“I don’t think so, Misha. If you think real hard,
you’ll remember this one was larger than normal. Wasn’t it?”

“I don’t know. Maybe. But so what?”

“It wasn’t a normal wolf, Misha. It was a werewolf.”

Misha sat up suddenly. “A werewolf?” She laughed
derisively. “You’re crazy, lady. There’s no such thing as werewolves.”

Nikki’s hand tightened on Misha’s arm to keep the young
woman from springing out of the bed. “I’m not crazy, Misha. Werewolves are
real. I should know. I am one…and so are all of the people who live in this
building.”

Misha attempted to pull her arm free from Nikki’s
grasp, but the young cub’s strength was no match. “Let me go.”

“I’m sorry, Misha, but I can’t do that. Until you go
through the change once, you won’t be able to control yourself. It’s too
dangerous to allow you to be among regular people right now. You have to learn
how to reign in the beast within you.”

“You can’t keep me here against my will!”

“I’m afraid we have no choice. The pack is responsible
for you now. I found you on our land, so it had to be one of us who bit you. I
promise we will find out who did it and when we do, that person will be held
accountable. It’s against pack law to turn anyone against their wishes.”

Misha tugged against Nikki’s grip once again. “Please
let me go. I just want to go home.”

Nikki felt a tug at her heart. She hated the lost look
new cubs had. “I’m so sorry, Misha, but this is how it has to be.”

The bedroom door opened and Zane strode through.

Misha looked toward him, her eyes pleading. “This crazy
lady won’t let me go. She’s talking about werewolves and crap. She wants to
keep me hostage!”

Zane smiled and gently caressed Misha’s check. “Sorry
little cub, but Nikki’s telling you the truth.” Before Misha could make another
sound, Zane pulled the hypodermic needle from behind his back and stabbed it
into Misha’s arm. The young woman’s eyes rolled back into her head, and she
fell back onto the bed. “Adam!”

Adam strolled into the room and nodded at his alpha. He
knew the drill. He loped over to the bed and scooped up the young woman and carried
her from the bedroom. He would make sure she was comfortable in the holding
room before he left her.

Nikki slumped back against the headboard. “Oh, Zane,
this is awful!”

“I know, but we’re doing what we have to do. It’s been
awhile since we’ve had a non-consensual bite, but at least those were from
wolves not in our pack.”

Nikki ran her fingers through her hair. “You’re not
going to like this, but I have a gut feeling I know who did this.”

Zane grimaced. “Yeah. I bet I know who you think it is
because I’ve got that same funny feeling. She can’t be doing it herself though.
I didn’t smell her on the girl.”

“Why, Zane? Why would she do this? Why now? And how is
she doing it?”

“Honestly, I think it’s been coming for awhile. With
every challenge and every kill she’s gotten hungrier for blood and power. I
think killing Rachel was enough to throw her over the edge. If you hadn’t shown
up to Rachel’s grave, I’m afraid Misha wouldn’t be alive right now. She’s come
across a rogue wolf somehow. I don’t know how she’s managed to entice him or
her into attacking people for her, but I still have a gut feeling she’s behind
it.”

“Damn her! The attack on Rachel was bad enough, but
this just takes the cake. I hate this! We can’t prove she is the one behind who
attacked Misha, so nothing to can be done right now to stop her.”

“Sara might be unbalanced, but she’s not stupid. I
don’t think she’s going to orchestrate an attack on anyone else right now. She
knows we’ll be on the lookout for the rogue. We always send out regular patrols
after something like this happens. She’ll sit back and wait until things calm
down.”

“It will be time for the next gathering by then.”

“Probably.”

“Then I need to get busy. I have no choice now but to
challenge her at the next gathering. I can’t wait anymore for her to come after
me. I can’t take the chance of another innocent either losing the life they are
used to or losing it permanently because I was too chicken to stand up and
fight.”

Zane nodded. “You know I can’t officially take sides
against the alpha-female, but I will do what I can. I’ll let Adam know you want
some extra training since you were the one who found Misha, in case you happen
to run into any trouble. He can help you fine tune your attack and defense
skills. I know you can beat her, but Adam is good at helping you expect the
unexpected, and that can be a plus with someone like Sara.”

He reached out and grabbed Nikki’s hand and pulled her
off the bed and into his arms. “Just remember what I told you after Rachel’s
death. She’s going to be looking for any excuse to punish you. Please try to
watch your mouth around her and avoid her as much as possible.”

“Don’t worry, I will.”