Sword of Mercy (29 page)

Angus snapped his fingers toward Byte, turned
and headed toward the small SUV. “Can you lock onto Gordon’s
scent?”

“What? Yes, although not as easy now. Before
was a lot stronger. In fact, everything was amplified. Vision,
hearing, taste, everything.” He followed Angus and slid into the
front seat talking the entire time.

“Yep, you’re Hawke’s boy.”

“What?”

“Curious, like Hawke. The man’s a genius,
dissects everything. When we find them, have him teach you how to
shift. You can do it anytime, it’s not difficult.”

“Then why didn’t you teach me?”

“Had other things on my mind. Where’s Gordon?
Which way do I go?” They were at an intersection with cars behind
them.

Damian pointed. “That way.”

Angus made the turn.

“Back in the tunnel, the other scent, it was
Master Lancaster. He left with Master Gordon.”

Angus was surprised. “Thought he skipped town,
must’ve grown a conscience.”

“Why didn’t you teach me to shift?”

“Didn’t have time.”

“The wolf affects my limbs, my computer went
silent. Everything on the inside stopped when I became
wolf.”

“You are wolf and human. Both. Is your
computer on now?”

Damian hesitated. “It’s running an assessment
on my legs. Turn right.”

Angus glanced at Byte on the back seat. The
animal lifted his head and met his stare. Angus chuckled. Three
hundred years, no mate, but he got a mutt. Where was the justice in
that? At least this one was loyal, followed directions and covered
his back. When Byte attacked the bluebird and brought it down,
Angus had been surprised at the ease and confidence of his pet.
There had been nothing left for him to do except swing his blade
and remove the head. Whoever created Byte had definitely been on to
something, the beast would make the ultimate weapon.

The road led them out of town into the rural
areas.

“I would like to return to the
wolf.”

Angus glanced at Damian and then the road. “I
need you to give me directions. Can’t do that in wolf
form.”

Damian cleared his throat. “Hawke, my sire, he
talked to me… in my mind. He said it is how people like him
communicate. Can that happen while I am wolf?”

Angus hid his surprise. Hawke linked with the
pup, he hoped Asia’s secrets were protected. “Yes, it can happen.
Can you contact him now? Find out if he is alright? If he knows
where they are?” Angus had been reaching out through their link and
had no luck. But this would be good for the pup to build a
connection with Hawke.

Damian frowned. “How do I contact
him?”

“Think about him and start talking in your
mind, he’ll hear you…. If he can. Otherwise, it’ll be quiet, a
different kind of quiet though.”

Angus continued down the road, but glanced at
Damian from time to time. If this young pup was the final product
the Liege produced, he was impressed. Damian drank knowledge with
determination and excitement.

“Nothing,” Damian said, looking
disappointed.

Angus nodded. “Tell me about the place you
grew up. How many were in your classes? What did you do during the
day and at night?” He asked the young pup a barrage of questions to
get a better understanding of the program and the cost to the wolf
nation. One thing for certain, over the decades, hundreds of pups
were taken, Angus prayed they hadn’t all been destroyed in
experiments or trying to escape.

Chapter 29

Granira watched as Lancaster’s minions carried
Hawke, his mate and Gordon down the long corridor with an equal
measure of pleasure and trepidation. Verrick nodded at her with a
smug smirk and followed. She wanted to kick him. He was no better
than her, using the Liege to get what she wanted. Niall wanted that
Alpha spot and now they had the means to challenge that interloper
Muzik.

Holding the box Lancaster had given her close
to her chest, she waved to Niall to hurry before Angus or La Patron
discovered what happened. Angus made a horrible enemy, but it was a
chance she and Niall decided to take for this lifetime
opportunity.

Once they cleared the main corridor, they
increased their speed toward the area leading to their pack lands.
Excitement coursed through her veins as they crossed into their
border and headed for her home.

“Did you see that?” Niall asked, his eyes
wide. “All of them, knocked out on the ground. The mist worked. One
day we will look back on the day the Farkas pack rose through the
ranks, not by flexing our muscles but by using our
minds.”

She smiled but kept her thoughts to herself.
Wolves would always rule with muscle, that was their nature and the
reason she made a deal with that devil, Lancaster. “Let’s see how
this works.” She moved into her inner room and locked the door
behind him. “Sit here.” While he moved to the chair she opened the
box and took out the instructions. He booted the laptop to access
the codes to start the transformation.

“What does it say?” He asked, taking the paper
when she handed it to him. “Seems pretty straightforward. Do you
trust him?”

“No. Not at all, that’s why I have something
extra.” She pulled the metal necklace from the box and placed it on
the table. Niall picked it up and inspected the three symmetrical
rings that created the band.

“Lancaster said the device was a modified
version of what they used on the Hybrids, something they marketed
to militia groups.” She chanted for the spirits of the Black Wolf
to guide their next steps.

When done, the neck brace was warm. She waited
a few seconds and touched it again. Taking the cooled brace, she
returned to Niall. “Ready?”

“To avenge my brother, my Alpha? Yes.” He
straightened in the chair so she could clasp it on his neck. Once
in place he keyed in the codes to activate it.

Granira stood to the side with a prayer in her
throat. This had to work, otherwise they were dead, literally.
Angus and Hawke would not forgive easily. Niall needed to be Alpha
in order to find a way to survive their wrath for betraying
them.

Niall had gained a new appreciation for pack
life and politics while living in the city working for a large
pharmaceutical company. Perhaps the disappearance of pups or the
downward spiral of the quality of life of his pack-mates set the
nostalgia in motion. He could not pinpoint the exact catalyst that
caused him to return home to plot and make changes.

Alpha Muzik had been suspicious of his motives
when he crossed pack lands because the seed of Alpha Nikolas was
destined to always rule the Farkas pack. It had taken some
side-stepping to avoid having his throat ripped out, but he played
the role of omega and moved to the outskirts of pack land with
Granira where they plotted Muzik’s downfall.

She had heard about the Hybrids and he had
researched the technology. The merging of technology and human
flesh fascinated him. They recognized he needed more strength and
cunning to challenge Muzik. Adding an extra hybrid would be the way
to go if it could be done safely with him retaining
control.

Planning had taken almost a year and Hawke’s
liberation happened at a perfect time. Muzik constantly worried
Hawke would return and unseat him. Although Niall never would have
allowed that to happen, Hawke’s genuine disinterest made easier.
After months of hacking into databases to insure the device worked,
he initiated this plan.

With her love of power and prestige, Granira
was the perfect accomplice and would serve well as the pack
historian again. Muzik had not seen the value in having someone who
knew more than him in his ear and dismissed Granira as soon as he
came to power, shaming the older woman. Niall understood her
motives for helping him were not just about him, but also to settle
a score with Muzik and a few pack members who rejoiced at her
dismissal.

Niall stiffened as jolts of energy shot
through his body. At first the pain wasn’t too bad, but given he
had never had a high threshold for discomfort, after a few seconds
he tried to remove the damn thing. It wouldn’t come off. He glanced
at the laptop, watched the irrevocable download and tried to turn
off the laptop.

“Don’t fight it. The instructions say once
initiated it cannot be stopped, it’s coming from someplace that
only uses the computer to start, not to finish. The entire process
is five minutes,” Granira said, standing to the side holding the
instructions.

Five minutes. He’d be dead by then. No way
could he last that long with this fire running through his veins.
His stomach rebelled, his throat tightened. There wasn’t a part of
him that did not hurt and wish for death. In the recesses of his
mind, his wolf howled its displeasure over the intrusion. Niall
sunk into his beast, seeking comfort and found a measure of peace,
not enough to negate the debilitating distress that made him curl
into a fetal position on the floor, but enough to stop from crying
like a pup for his mam.

Cool hands rubbed his forehead and stroked his
back as his body shook like a twig beneath the force of the
transformation. Sweat soaked his shirt and jeans, his head throbbed
and his eyes had a gritty feel as the pain ebbed. Had Hawke gone
through this? His mate? Or was this something completely
different?

“Drink this.” Granira placed a cup next to his
lips. He sipped at first and then drank it all appreciating the
cool beverage running down his throat.

“Thanks. I think that’s the worst of it.” He
pushed up from the floor and looked around. “That hurt worse than
fire.

She smiled and cleaned the floor from where he
soiled himself.

“I can do that,” he protested,
embarrassed.

“No. You must rest for an hour or more to
complete the transformation. While you take care of that I will
find out where Muzik is hiding so that you can make a formal
challenge.”

Niall nodded and stood on shaky legs. Grabbing
his laptop, he moved to the long sofa and lay down. Now that the
necklace was activated he needed to make a few changes so that no
one could access it again, that included Granira and Hawke. A file
appeared on screen, when clicked a series of codes and information
raced across the screen that he was able to decode and accept.
Defensive strategies, offensive maneuvers, healing herbs and
techniques to keep his new Hybrid form in tip-top condition. With
so much information being fed directly into his mind via the
device, Niall wondered what the street value of the necklace was.
There was a sense of empowerment he’d never had before.

Intuitively he knew he could win the Alpha
challenge against Muzik and set the pack on a different course of
safety and prosperity. When the last file downloaded, Niall
accepted the mantle of Alpha and refused to allow anyone to stand
in his way, including Hawke.

Granira left the house and he slid off the
couch and shifted to his wolf form. No matter what happened, he
needed peace with his beast. While in this form he rested, allowing
his beast to experience the changes in his body and accept them. He
remained on the floor in that position until Granira returned. The
smile she wore didn’t bear well for Muzik. The fool must have done
or said something to piss her off which was never a good
thing.

She sat on the floor next to him and stroked
his fur. He purred beneath her hand. “He boasts that he has changed
history and that one of his seed shall always be Alpha. Fools, all
of them. No one can change that which was spoken. They listened and
applauded his words as if he were the Goddess spouting
truth.”

He looked at her and purred.

Granira met his gaze and smiled, a real one
filled with warmth. “How are you feeling? I was gone longer than I
thought. Are you hungry?”

Niall hadn’t thought about it, but he could
eat. He morphed into his human form and helped her stand. “I’ll get
us both something,” he said, heading toward the kitchen.

She followed. “You’re Alpha. Alpha’s don’t
cook.” She took the steak from his hand and pushed him
aside.

“This Alpha cooks and takes care of his space.
Until I meet my mate, I will handle those things myself. I refuse
to lose myself, who I am at my core.” He met her gaze. “Do you
understand that? I’m a geek at heart and will use force when
necessary without delay, but I will always try to make life better
for the pack using my mind first. That’s who I am.” He hoped she
understood, but if not, she would come around or leave.