“Something isn’t right,” Hunter suddenly says as he stands and starts to look around.
“What?” I ask, also standing and looking around, but all I can see is the people standing around, talking, laughing, eating, some women dancing around with the loud music, but I don’t see anything that could be threatening.
“I’m not sure yet, but something is wrong.” He looks down at me. “I’m going to take you inside until I’m sure everything is fine. Bring the food you can eat there,” he says as I start to put my plate down. To be honest, I’ve lost my appetite, knowing that there is a threat, but I won’t tell him that, as he was adamant about feeding me. He places his arm around me and starts guiding me around groups of people towards the entrance, when the first bang sounds above the music, and then pandemonium breaks loose.
HUNTER 15
The minute I hear the shot, I have Dakota on the ground and I am leaning over her, food scattered all around us from the plates she was carrying. Another three shots follow the first, which has most people on the ground, but some idiots are trying to run inside, and from those, I see two fall. Wounded or dead, I can’t tell at the moment. I can feel Dakota shaking under me in shock and fear, which has my blood boiling at the fact that some asshole is placing my mate in danger. Whoever it is has no idea that he is already dead. The minute he decided to attack us, he made the biggest mistake of his life.
We will track him, and then we will kill the fucker. “It’s okay, babe. You’re safe. Don’t worry, everything will be okay,” I murmur against her hair.
“Who is shooting? Is it the Hades guys? Are King, Goliath, and Frost okay?” I can hear the panic in her voice.
“Shh, they are okay, and no, it didn’t come from that side.” If anything, the shooting came from the opposite side. I need to get Dakota inside, and then I can go after the fucker who thinks it’s okay to threaten us. Lifting my head, I look around to see what is going on. There is a biker a few feet from us who is clearly dead, and a woman who if not taken care of soon will die too. Who the fuck would do this?
“Let’s move, babe. When we stand, I want you to hurry up into the house. Don’t hesitate. I will be right behind you.”
“Is it safe?”
“Yes, I think he has left.” I see King and Frost disappearing into the trees from the corner of my eye. I don’t say anything else. Instead, I stand and lift Dakota from the ground. As soon as her feet are on the ground, she starts to run towards the entrance. I am just behind her. Rushing in, we stop just inside and encounter an explosive situation, as men have their weapons out, and women are screaming in fear.
“Calm the fuck down,” Fang says from the other side of the room.
“What do you mean calm down? Someone is trying to kill us,” a burly biker near us says.
“Whoever it was seems to have gone,” I call out, which has everyone looking at me. Dakota steps back as everyone’s eyes fall on me, her back against my front. I can feel her body shaking in reaction, and I wish I could just take her upstairs, but first, we need to calm all these people before fear and some drunkenness has others killed. Placing my arm around her waist, I pull her tight against me to assure her that I’m here to keep her safe.
“Seems doesn’t mean they have,” someone calls out.
“We have men outside looking for the person. We will know as soon as it’s safe. Now calm down,” I say as Fang approaches.
“Who was it?” he asks quietly for no one to hear.
“Could be Hades MC, as there were four of them here,” I say, and Fang’s eyes widen.
“The fuckers,” he says.
“I need to go out and find whoever it is. I’m sure Hawk is out there already.” Hawk and I are the best when it comes to tracking. If whoever it was is out there, we will find him. Dakota hurriedly pulls away from me and then turns, her eyes wide in fear.
“You can’t go out there. There is someone killing people,” she states as she points outside. “There were people on the ground who might need help. Who’s helping them?”
“Nothing will happen to me, babe, and don’t worry, Gunner was helping those who were shot.” I pull her back towards me and kiss her lips tenderly. Lifting my head, I look at Fang, who nods at my silent plea. I need him to look after Dakota while I go out there. I can’t be worried about her while I track, or I might miss something.
“Fang will take you up to our room. I’ll be with you as soon as I can.” I take a step back to leave, but she takes hold of my hand, squeezing it tightly.
“Be careful,” she pleads.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon.” I turn and make my way outside again. When I reach the door, I stop and look around. There are three people on the ground. Two are dead by the looks of them, and one Gunner is trying to help is still alive. By the looks of it, the shooter meant to kill and not just create havoc. Whoever this asshole is, he needs to be stopped. I head out towards where I think the shots came from. When I’m away from prying eyes, I quickly change into my wolf, as I can track as a wolf much better than I will ever be able to in my human form.
My senses sharpen, and my hearing becomes clearer. The smell of the earth around me guides me, and I’m running. I can hear my brothers ahead of me. I sense my Alpha close, and I know that they have found where the shooter was but not yet the person. I listen to every nuance around me until I hear a combination of twigs being broken and leaves rustling, which tells me that someone is walking in the forest. I know it’s none of us because we don’t walk as heavy as this person is doing. I take off, heading towards where I hear the disturbance. As I get closer, I can smell the man’s perspiration. Strange, as it’s laced with fear.
Why would the shooter be feeling fear? If anything, he should be elated, as he knows that he has killed people. If that was his goal, there shouldn’t be any fear. I see movement ahead and know that I have caught him. When I am just a few feet away, I jump, hitting him square on the back. The man cries out in surprise as he falls. I won’t attack him, as the others are close and will be here soon to take him in for questioning, but I feel like ripping his throat out for frightening Dakota and for placing her life in danger.
Looking at him as he sees me, I have a feeling that I have the wrong man. This man doesn’t seem like a killer. He has a gun strapped to his waist, and meanwhile, instead of going for it, he is trying to crawl away. Something is wrong here; I growl threateningly and hear him weep in fright.
“Stop,” King threatens as he approaches. The man jumps in fright at King’s voice but then sags in relief.
“Th . . . There’s . . . a wolf,” the man stutters as he points at me.