Tucker was screaming at the beast on Kevin’s chest, pounding on it with his fists. The beast turned its head toward him, and Kevin could have sworn it gave a growl almost of satisfaction. It sank its teeth deeply into Tucker’s neck. Without conscious thought, Kevin rolled to his side, squirming out from under the creature while it was busy with Tucker, and he staggered to his feet. The only thought in his head was that this thing was about to kill Tucker, to rip out his throat. Rocks almo
st the size of his head lined the path leading up towards the circle. Kevin heaved one up without thinking, brought it up as high as he could and crashed it down onto the skull of the monster. It let out one loud sound, half scream, half roar and then slumped down across Tucker’s body.
Suddenly, he was pushed roughly to the side, and he fell on the path, his legs unable to hold him up any longer. A huge brown wolf was crouching over Tucker’s body, while another large gray one suddenly flung itself over him, knocking him on his back. He put up his hands defensively as bile came flooding into his mouth. Not again—he wouldn’t survive this time. He choked back the vomit, and he closed his eyes, letting his head fall back on the ground and giving up. Bright pain radiated down from his chest and across his side. Broken ribs, he thought absently, a part of his mind still trying to work out what was happening to him.
After a few moments he was vaguely aware that hands lifted and carried him, as behind him he could still hear what sounded like a battle raging, with other snarls and growls and howling all surrounding the pathway. He opened his eyes and realized Richard carried him, running fast. Too fast, it seemed, to be real. He had to be dreaming. Others were shouting, but his vision was getting dimmer and there was a strange buzzing in his ear. It must be shock. His mind kept repeating the word as a chill swept over him.
He never lost consciousness, but the buzzing in his ears continued, even as he was taken into the warmth of the lodge and taken upstairs to his room. Someone laid him down on the bed and Richard covered him with a blanket, then said something to the others in the room and ran out again. He’d said something about checking on his son. What? What son? What in the name of God was going on? What had he just seen? The images of the beast that tried to kill both him and Tucker flashed through his mind again and again as he lay shivering on the bed. Richard would come soon. He knew that, and he yearned for him at the same time he dreaded seeing him.
Chapter Seven
Richard had never been so frightened in his life. He’d been near the front of the crowd and had just shifted when he heard the loud commotion near the path. Almost unable to believe what he was seeing, he watched as Gavin’s personal guard, the ones he’d last noticed at the back of the pack, ran toward the loud yelling. His keen eyes picked out Tucker right away, and he was stunned to see him struggling with Kevin.
He’d left Kevin asleep and locked inside his room. How could he be here now? Obviously, he’d witnessed the shifting of the entire pack, and he was badly frightened, maybe fighting Tucker off as he tried to get away. Too stunned to move at first, Richard was aware of Gavin leaping past him. After staring blankly for what felt like an eternity, his body hurled itself toward the scene unfolding by the edge of the woods.
Kevin had broken and run down the path, with Tucker right behind him. Tucker caught up to him after only a few paces, but to his horror, Richard saw Todd, the guard nearest them, wasn’t stopping his headlong rush toward them. Todd had been right at the back of the pack, only yards away from where the men had been standing before they took off running. He plowed into them now, and took them down, his fierce, savage snarls loud and frightening. As incredible as it seemed, Todd was attacking the men, and seemed to be going for the kill.
Kevin somehow rolled out of his grasp and made it to his feet, and before anyone else could reach them, picked up one of the big rocks lining the pathway and hurled it down on the back of Todd’s skull. Richard’s mind registered all of this as he saw the others reach them on the path. Gavin shouldered all of them aside and fell on top of his mate, keening and growling as he forced the shift on himself. Kevin still stood beside Tucker, swaying unsteadily and clearly in shock. Richard took him down himself, trying not to hurt him, but feeling fiercely protective. His wolf needed to crouch over him, needed to make sure no one touched him. Filled with impotent rage at the thought that Todd would dare to hurt either his son or his mate, he savagely hoped Todd was dead, or else he’d kill him himself.
He had seen Tucker lying still on the pathway, blood streaming from him, and his mind shied away from that image. Tucker couldn’t be dead. It became his mantra, and he repeated it over and over as he tried to gain control. Gavin was over him, and the narrow pathway was alive with the snarls and nervous whining of the pack.
The gammas who made up Gavin’s private guard huddled around Todd. Richard saw them rolling him over and checking his pulse. One of them looked up at the others and shook his head grimly, while Marissa gasped and turned her face away. As Richard watched, the body shifted back into its human form, and a few of the other guards were forcing the shift as well, shocked and disbelieving. They all must surely realize that what Todd had done was almost unthinkable. To attack the alpha’s pet, along with a guest of the alpha’s in their home was unconscionable and punishable by death. If Kevin hadn’t already killed him, Gavin would have torn him apart, while the entire pack watched.
All this registered in some part of Richard’s brain, but he was still finding it hard to calm down enough to shift. How on earth had this happened? All of Gavin’s guard had been overzealous, and Richard had warned Gavin about them only a few days before. But why had one of them dared to launch this attack? Had he totally lost his mind?
Todd certainly couldn’t tell anyone now because he was dead, killed by the rock that Kevin crashed down into the back of his head.
He managed to force the shift back on himself and tried to quickly assess any damage Kevin had sustained in the attack. No broken skin, thank God, but he was hunched over his side, and drew in short, sharp breaths. Richard suspected broken ribs at the very least.
Gavin was already running back toward the lodge with Tucker, so Richard forced all of his attention back on Kevin. He murmured soothingly to him. He was still conscious, but his breathing was erratic and he had his eyes closed. He picked him up carefully and took him back to the lodge, wanting to get him somewhere he could examine him more carefully.
When they reached Kevin’s room, he put him on the bed and covered his shivering body with a blanket. Irena, the medicine woman, had come in behind him, along with a few other gammas, who were standing nervously by the door. Yelling at them to call for the doctor, he motioned Irena closer.
“Stay with him, please, Irena, while I go check on my son. I think he’s suffering from shock and broken ribs. I’ll only be a moment. ”
Irena nodded and sat beside Kevin, taking his hand in hers.
When he got to Gavin’s room, he was almost afraid to go in. If he lost Tucker now, after finally finding him again, he didn’t know what he’d do. It made him sick to think about it. Easing open the door, he saw Tucker lying on his back in bed, his face unnaturally pale against the sheets. Gavin was pressing his wrist to Tucker’s lips, feeding him with his blood.
“Is he…” he asked, almost afraid of the answer.
Gavin turned a flushed, worried face toward him. “He’ll be okay, I think. His wound is closing already. Another minute or two…”
Richard nodded. “Thank God. ” He crossed over to the bed to stand beside his son, taking and squeezing one of his hands. His knees suddenly felt too weak to hold him and he sank down beside Tucker on the bed.
“Kevin?” Gavin asked.
Richard nodded. “Some bad bruises. I think he has broken ribs, and he’s in shock. I left him with Irena to come check on Tucker. ”
Gavin nodded, his face set and tight. “What the fuck happened tonight, Richard?”
Richard shook his head. “I don’t know. Todd attacked them both, even though he had to know who they were. I still can’t believe it…”
Gavin made a low growling sound in his throat, but said nothing further, just smoothed Tucker’s hair with his free hand, urging him to take more of his blood.
Richard put a hand on his arm. “I know how you’re feeling, but don’t make yourself sick. He can only take in so much right now. The doctor will be here soon, and he’ll guide you. ” He got back to his feet nervously. “I hate to leave him, but Kevin…”
Gavin nodded. “Go ahead. ”