Page 57 of Been There Dragon That
The old man fought impressively, and with a ferocity Wrath respected. He withstood against three younger men for several very long minutes before one got in a really good shot to Leif’s kidney and doubled the older man over. From there, it only took seconds before their friend was bleeding on the floor.
“They will pay for this,” Col said, grinding the words out, thick with vitriol.
“Yes, they will,” Aarav and Wrath said together, a hushed promise of vengeance.
The soundless footage revealed another man, bigger than the other three, breaking the glass on the front door and entering the convenience store. He proceeded to speak to the others, his behavior and body language angry.
“He looks pissed.” Wrath watched the man clench his fists. The man’s body tensed, and he gestured aggressively at Leif and then at the other three men.
“He also looks like the leader of the group.” Aarav pointed at the other three men backing away from where Leif was lying on the ground. “They’re deferring to him.”
Col grunted a noise that sounded like an agreement.
“We still can’t identify any of them. Their faces are all covered,” Owen said, his tone sharp with frustration.
A moment later, the man on the screen who’d been yelling at the others morphed into a giant white wolf and stalked toward Leif, who was struggling to crawl across the floor.
Wrath hissed out an angry breath. The leader of the thieves was a Reylean. He’d broken his protocol. He’d come to a scene. He’d left his scent. And now they would find this wolf and end him.
Nothing would stop their tribe from defending the town.
The wolf on screen was a blur of fur and teeth. It attacked Leif, clamping its jaws down on the man’s throat.
Wrath’s stomach knotted, and he swallowed back bile. He’d seen men killed. He’d killed some himself—but his victims had deserved it. Leif didn’t deserve this.
Aarav flipped off the footage, and the screen went dark. “Fuck.”
They didn’t need to watch the horror of Leif’s death. It wouldn’t bring him back.
“Do you recognize the wolf? He’s white like Knox and–”
Owen interrupted. “Yeah, it’s probably Tai. The scent here is familiar, but I only crossed his path a couple of times, and I wasn’t in the best frame of mind when it happened. Knox and Katherine will know for sure. Tai is Knox’s cousin, and a traitor to his pack.” Owen took a step back from the desk and crossed his arms over his massive chest. The bear shifter was big. Probably outweighed Wrath by twenty or thirty pounds and was a couple inches taller.
“It is Tai,” Knox said, stepping into the already crowded back office. Katherine, Knox’s mate, stood right behind him. Her sleek black hair was tied up in a tight ponytail and her brown eyes flashed an angry gold. She’d nearly died because of Tai. Wrath had heard the story.
“Owen, I’m so sorry for your loss. I know you and Leif were very close. Does Ava know yet?” Katherine’s voice was soft and empathetic, even though Wrath could still see her wolf’s magick burning brightly in her eyes. Knox turned to his mate and took her hand in his, calming her wolf’s tension.
Wrath watched Owen’s shoulders crumple forward slightly, and then he whispered ayes.It was only a short second, but he recognized the pain of loss. He’d lost everything and everyone during the exodus of Reylea. None of his family made it through the portal.
That’s what Leif had been to Owen. Family.
“When do we hunt him, alpha?” Knox asked, his voice respectful but urgent. He held Col’s gaze with confidence.
Col nodded. “We will. Together. No one goes off alone. We don’t know if his group is larger than those three men. We don’t know how they’re armed yet or where they are based. They have to be staying somewhere. We have reconnaissance to do before we act. I do not intend to lose anyone else. Is that clear?”
“Is what clear? What the fuck!”
“Dalmeck!” Aarav growled under his breath. Wrath turned for the door first, he recognized the voice.
The sound of a shotgun being pumped had Wrath scrambling. He pushed his way past Owen. Knox tucked Katherine behind him and allowed Wrath to pass.
“Ryan, it’s the deputy. Put away the gun,” Wrath bellowed at the man. “Now.”
“What happened to Leif? Was it the same people that nearly got me?”
Aarav and the others followed Wrath out of the office slowly.
Ryan’s eyes widened when he saw the rest of them, and he lowered the shotgun immediately. “Shit. I thought maybe it was still going down. I saw your vehicles in the parking lot but didn’t see either of you.” Ryan heaved a huge breath and then wiped his face with his free hand. “What the hell? What are we going to do?”
