Tristan's Lyceum Wolves

Chapter Twenty-Six

Kalli vomited onto the floor, unable to control the nausea. Unsure of what drug they used, she thought it had to be some kind of an animal tranquilizer. Wiping the spittle from her lips, she cracked her eyes open, trying to assess her surroundings. The irrefutable smell of human urine and feces permeated the small cemented room in which they’d placed her. Her wrist burned as the silver handcuff, attached to an old metal cot, cut into her skin. The threadbare mattress chafed at her legs, but at least they hadn’t entirely restrained her. She struggled to sit up, but managed with a sigh, as she leaned against the cold concrete.

Although it was dark, her eyes quickly adjusted to the light. Taking in the barren accommodations, she noticed a small square window in the wall half way toward the ceiling. More of a hole really, it left no room to escape. The one foot by one foot portal was missing its glass, allowing a cool mountain breeze to seep into the room. Sniffing into the air, a stir of painful memories told her exactly where she was. Wallace pack. Heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains; spectacular waterfalls, scenic vistas, wild flowers. Yet the only thing this place held for Kalli was a lifetime of abuse and torture.

Heart racing, she struggled to remain calm as the door to the room flew open. And although the ray of bright light blinded her, she’d never forget the horrific scent of Gerald or the smell of whiskey on his breath. Telling herself she was stronger this time, she fortified her mind, readying for his attack.

“Look who the cat dragged in. Our little hybrid slut thought she’d hide from us. We always find what’s ours,” he cackled as he approached her, shining a spotlight into her face. “Old Morris lucked out, didn’t he? Thought he’d find something up in the big city. We was lookin’ for some bitches to bring back here. We’re low, ya see. But we knew there’d be plenty of girls we could take. Big city won’t miss ’em. Little did he know he’d find you.”

“I’m not who you think I am,” she protested.

“Oh, yeah, I know who ya are. Fancy degrees, I hear ya made a drug to hide your wolf,” he laughed. “Worked real well too. Dumb ole Lyceums didn’t know we was even there. Well, now that we got ya, you’re gonna make more of those pills. We can sell ’em on the streets. Got big plans for ya, you know?”

Overwhelmed by the odor, Kalli cringed in his presence. As if she were in a swamp at night with gators, she could see the red flecks of light reflecting off his cold black eyes. She wanted so badly to shift, but as long as she was silvered, she couldn’t. If somehow she could get the cuff off, she could summon her wolf. In her mind, she’d made the decision to die fighting. Dying seemed a preferable option compared to a lifetime in Wallace. No matter what happened to her, she wouldn’t let him manufacture the CLI. He’d never be able to do it without her.

“I don’t belong to you anymore,” she spat at him. “My mate. He’ll come for me.”

He ran a finger down her neck. Linking a claw into the rim of her t-shirt, he tore it open, revealing Tristan’s mark. “Claimed, I see. But mated, not yet. I can tell a mated bitch, and you’re not one. Close but no cigar.”

Refusing to give quarter, Kalli defiantly sat with her bra exposed, refusing to let him see how terrified she was.

“My mate will come for you. You’ll be dead by morning.”

“Maybe you’ll be the one who’ll be dead after I let a few of my men go at ya. Not many bitches around here. Now here you are, fallin’ into our laps.”

He ran his hand down her chest, but when he attempted to paw her breast, Kalli struck him between the eyes with the palm of her hand, ramming his nose.

“Fucking bitch,” he screamed as blood spurted from his nostrils. In response, he struck Kalli across the face with the back of his hand. Her head smashed into the cinderblock with a resounding crack.

She saw stars as the pain radiated throughout her face and then through the back of her head. Feigning unconsciousness, she kept her eyes closed. It wasn’t hard to fake given the injury to her head. She sighed in relief as she heard the door slam as he left, leaving a string of curse words in his wake.

Racking her brain for a way to escape, she needed to get out of the cuff. She was no Houdini, but she’d watched plenty of television shows where people unlocked their own handcuffs. What did they use? A credit card? No, that was for doors. Come on Kalli, think. A paperclip? A pin? Where the hell would she get a pin? Her hair, still in a ponytail, only had a rubber band in it. She still had on her shoes but they only held laces. Then it occurred to her that she was wearing a wired bra. She wasn’t crazy about the idea of stripping inside of her hellhole prison but if she could get the cuff off, she’d open the door, shift and wouldn’t need her clothes.

After managing to unhook her bra, she bit at the fabric with her teeth until a small hole emerged. Threading the wire out, she bent it back and forth until it broke into two pieces. She proceeded to shim the lock by inserting the small wire between the notches and the ratchet. Within a minute, the lock clicked open. Smiling to herself, she had her own plan for Gerald, and it involved him and a dirt bed.

Challenging the Alpha while silvered may not have been the brightest idea she’d had, but damn if she’d deny her mate. Tristan was coming for her. Released from the poison shackle, she could feel it in her blood. Her wolf called to the surface, and she swore she could sense him on the land, in the air. She was certain, in that moment, that Gerald would, indeed, end up a cadaverous, lifeless piece of flesh by sunrise.

Locked and loaded, Lyceum Wolves hit the ground. In a smooth landing, the plane taxied onto the private airstrip nestled on a small strip of land within the mountains. As soon as they came to a grinding halt, Tristan, Logan, Declan, Gavin and Shayne poured out of the plane into two waiting SUVs. Tristan could feel her as soon as they hit the rocky soil. The smell of blood hung in the air, and he swore he’d have vengeance.

The Wallace compound was set against a mountain face, with a myriad of trails leading into the dense brush. They’d parked about a mile outside of the perimeter. Nearly midnight, the waning moon lit the forest floor as they stealthily navigated the terrain. As they neared the housing complex, Tristan signaled to Simeon to take the highest point. Simeon, a former Navy SEAL, was a precision shooter. Aware that the Wallace wolves had a proclivity toward weapons, Tristan had instructed Simeon to pick off any wolf brandishing a gun. But not Gerald. No, Gerald was Tristan’s only.

Holding a hand up, Tristan pointed to the right, around the large dilapidated structure. Scenting Kalli, he could tell she was close, within a hundred yards at the very most. Logan, also catching her scent, had been assigned to take Kalli to safety. As beta, he was the only wolf Tristan trusted to ensure her rescue. No words were needed to convey his meaning as they exchanged glances. Furtively, Logan took off with Gavin around the building, as loud music whipped a cadence into the night.

Tristan’s primary mission was to annihilate Gerald. The man was a menace who needed taming. In a deliberate manner, with his usual confidence, Tristan strode up to the front door. Armed with silver bullets, Declan and Shayne flanked him. Like a homing missile, Tristan kicked in the door and strode into the melee. The sounds of bullets breaking the windows resounded, while Tristan shrewdly assessed the wolves around him, searching for Gerald. Shayne and Declan started fighting as soon as they entered. Shifting into wolf, the fur literally started to fly. Five wolves fell to the ground in a pool of blood as Simeon carried out his orders.

Tristan’s eyes locked onto the stocky wolf crouched in the corner, growling as each of his wolves hit the ground. Intrepidly approaching the wolf, his feet never stopped moving. Images of Toby lying dead in the ground ran through his mind followed by his mate, abused and nearly broken, at the hands of the monster before him. Tristan didn’t want to kill Gerald quickly; he planned on making him suffer the way he’d done to the others.

“What you want wolf? Can’t you see here that we’re just enjoying a drink?” The words had barely left Gerald’s mouth before Tristan had him by the throat.

“Gerald? Alpha of Wallace pack?” Tristan asked with a snarl.

“Yeah, what’s it to ya? This is my land, here. Ya need to get off.”

“Where are the women and pups?”

“I got a bitch downstairs if ya want her, but we don’t got any others right now. We’ve been pickin’ them off up north,” Gerald freely admitted, not recognizing Tristan as Alpha of Lyceum Wolves.

“Declan! Downstairs, now! Make sure Logan’s got Kalli out of here,” Tristan shouted.

Furiously shaking Gerald by the scruff of his shirt, he jammed him up against the wall. A tiny red dot appeared above Gerald’s brow as Simeon’s laser locked on the broad prominence of his forehead.

“Stand down, Si,” Tristan instructed, holding two fingers into the air. A bullet to the brain was too good for Gerald; too easy. After all the pain and suffering he’d inflicted on men, women and children over the years, he’d go down old school. Tristan, not one to be accused of going outside of pack protocol, sought to have him submit as wolf, and die as wolf. There was no other way that would make amends for the bloody atrocities the man had caused to so many.

With a grunt, Tristan threw him clear across the room where he slammed into a pile of aluminum chairs. Aside from the sound of scraping metal, Gerald’s heavy panting was the only audible sound. Dead Wallace wolves, well departed from life, provided a macabre background to Gerald’s impending demise. Tristan smiled coldly as he noted that Morris, the wolf who had helped to kill Toby, lay among the dead, a silver bullet to his head. Simeon had picked him off; still dressed, the wolf gripped a small handgun. Giving the lifeless body a nudge with his boot, a small bottle of pills spilled out of his front shirt pocket. CLI. Never taking his eyes off Gerald, Tristan effortlessly scooped up the bottle and tossed it over to Shayne, who’d shifted back to human.

Disgusted by Toby’s needless death and Kalli’s abduction, Tristan stalked toward Gerald, who was eyeing a Glock that had fallen into the debris. Kicking the grey metal out of reach, Tristan stood towering above the seething brawny wolf. With an ominous delivery, Tristan informed him of his death sentence as if he were a judge in a courtroom. His menacing stare bored into the malevolent creature who’d taken his mate.

“Gerald, wolf of Wallace. Consider yourself informed of my challenge to your pack. From this minute forward, any females or pups you’ve hidden will be placed under my protection. I command you to shift. In front of my wolves, we will do this challenge,” Tristan demanded, with a cool demeanor. It had to be done this way. The respect of his own wolves was as important as eradicating Gerald. Wolf versus wolf, it was how he was raised, and how he would die.

Tearing off his shirt and pants, Tristan transformed to wolf within seconds. Gerald’s husky brown wolf charged at him, jaws snapping, but Tristan sidestepped the attack, snarling in response. Standing proud, the black Alpha wolf circled around the brown, eyes locked on his. With his ears forward and tail lifted, Tristan bared his fangs. His wolf demanded the death of the one who’d dared to challenge him for his mate. Eyes wild, threatening and locked onto Gerald, Tristan’s wolf kept low to the ground, readying for attack. Taking flight, he rushed Gerald, and in a submissive move Gerald took off out of the building. With his prey on the move, Tristan gave chase; a rush of adrenaline flooded his system, anticipating the kill.

Gerald only made it a few hundred yards before Tristan pawed him downward, dragging him to the leaf-covered ground. Engaged in a ritualistic combat as old as time, Tristan pinned the brown wolf with his forepaws, exposing his vital areas. Unwilling to submit, Gerald continued to fight, biting a small gash into the black wolf’s back leg. With an arched neck and bared fangs, Tristan seized Gerald’s vulnerable soft throat, tearing out a huge chunk of fur and flesh. The smell of fresh blood spattered the woods. Furious and violent, Tristan tore apart the brown wolf’s neck until the head dangled by a single vertebra.

Tristan. Kalli felt him the instant he landed on the mountain ridge. His unique scent, carried to her on the wind, provided a renewed energy. She hoisted herself to her feet, but wavered. Overwhelmed with dizziness, she fell back to the dirty cot. She thought she should shift, but her head pounded in protest. Reaching her hand into her hair, she felt the large knot of swelling on her skull. I need to shift. But then a rustling outside her window called her to the night. Feeling as if she’d faint, she grunted, pushing onto her knees until her fingertips felt the rim of the small window.

“Tristan!” she screamed over and over, praying someone would hear her.

Her breath hitched as a hand found hers. Unable to see, she desperately grabbed onto it.

“Kalli!” Logan yelled into the small dark cavity. He could barely make out Kalli’s face through the mask of blood; tendrils of black curls adhered to her skin. As he peered in further, he swore. Tristan was going to kill Gerald a thousand times over for attacking his mate.

“Logan. Please,” Kalli coughed. Between vomiting and screaming, her throat was raw. “Door’s locked. There’s no way out. I need to shift. My head.”

Logan looked to Gavin. “Kalli, this here’s Gavin. He’s ours.”

Gavin knelt down next to Logan, and allowed Logan to put his hand into Kalli’s.

“Take his hand. It’s okay. He’s gonna stay with you. I’ll come round to get you. I’ll be right there. You’re going to be okay.”

“Tristan? Where is he? Please, nothing can happen to him,” she cried.

“Trust me, Kal, Gerald’s the one who’s got to worry. Tris will be fine. Just hold tight. I’m coming.” He heard her give a small sob at his words. She might have been strong, but he could tell she was on the verge of breaking.

Without a doubt, Tristan was going to go ballistic when he saw Kalli’s face. His Alpha, a well-oiled killing machine, didn’t need yet another reason to rip into Gerald. Fearing the sight of her could distract him in his quest, Logan took off in a full sprint. Once he found the back entrance, Logan heard growling followed by an eerie silence emanating from another room. Staying focused, he made his way to a staircase that was tucked into an alcove in the kitchen. Making his way down the steps, he found himself in a complicated series of tunnels.

Taking a minute to sniff the dank musty air, he caught her scent. In the dark recesses, he heard crying, voices of children and women. Exploring the cavernous passages, Logan swore, realizing this was some kind of underground prison. He’d need to work on freeing these wolves, but Kalli’s injuries warranted his immediate attention. Finally arriving where he believed she was being held, he pulled on a rusty doorknob. Locked. A noise alerted him that someone was close behind. Relieved, he found Declan’s wolf padding toward him.

“Hey Dec. I need you to shift. Help me break open this door.”

Declan shifted back and prepared to help Logan. Heaving their shoulders into the heavy wood, it splintered open. Logan rushed into the room, finding Kalli stretched upward still holding tight to Gavin. Gently uncurling her fingers from Gavin’s, he took her into his arms. She was shaking, presumably from shock. Logan wrapped his shirt around her. He needed her to shift so she could heal.

“Come on Kalli, girl. You’re okay,” he cajoled, more trying to convince himself than her. He felt the significant goose egg on the back of her head. Blood still trickled out of the gash on her face; her eye was swollen shut. Tristan was going to freak the hell out knowing they’d done this to her.

“You need to shift, baby,” he insisted.

Kalli shook her head, shivering in his arms. “I know…I just need a minute. I’m tired. My head…”

“You’ve got to shift, Kalli.” Feeling as if he was losing her, he made a split decision to take her to Tristan.

Caught up in the kill, Tristan froze at the scent of Kalli’s blood. He quickly turned his head and caught sight of his beta, carrying a broken and bloodied Kalli in his arms. Trudging into the forest, Logan fell to his knees.

“Tristan, please. She needs to shift. I’m guessing she’s got a concussion, but I don’t know how bad it is. She’s in and out. Please,” he pleaded softly, aware that Tristan was still very much wild; his feral beast on edge. Seeing his mate hurt would only inflame his animalistic fervor, but Logan knew that she needed her Alpha. He was the only one who could reach her, force her wolf to resurface.

Releasing a growl, Tristan eyed Logan, holding his injured mate. The animal in him, already agitated, possessively snarled at Logan. His mate. Blood. He stalked toward him, baring his fangs.

Logan lowered his eyes and gently laid Kalli onto the cool earth. “Tristan,” he whispered. “Your mate. Gerald, he hurt her. She needs you to tell her to shift. I think she knows she’s gotta shift but she’s too weak. But she’ll listen to you, her Alpha.”

Logan slowly backed away from Kalli’s body, careful not to look at Tristan directly. The other wolves lowered their heads and flattened their ears, closing their eyes to slits, demonstrating submission. Satisfied that no challenges would come and all wolves were reverent, Tristan crept over to Kalli and licked her face. His wolf whined loudly as it continued to nuzzle her.

As consciousness of Kalli’s predicament took hold, Tristan shifted to his human form. Pulling her gently into his arms, against his naked skin, he brushed the hair from her face.

“Mon amour.” He stifled a cry. What had they done to his mate? “I need you baby, come on now. I need you to shift for me.”

Kalli’s eyes fluttered open. “Tristan,” she whispered. Her Alpha. He was near.

“Chérie, listen to me now, you’ve got a bad head injury there. I’m going to help you, okay? Close your eyes, that’s it,” he coaxed in a gentle tone as she obeyed. Willing himself to remain calm was extraordinarily difficult, but he needed his aura to remain placid. Taking a deep cleansing breath, he concentrated on sending her his power; tendrils of love flowed from his mind to hers.

“Remember our trust, Kalli. Picture your wolf. She’s right there on the surface. Now shift,” he commanded.

Kalli felt a wave of emotion rush through her psyche. The sound of Tristan’s voice spoke to her inner wolf. Listening to the command of her Alpha, she emerged. Cuddling into his arms, she ran her muzzle along his chest, licking, tasting.

Tristan blew out a breath, thanking the Goddess she’d listened. His little wolf was perfectly nestled in his arms. Safe. He caught a glimpse of Logan, who’d watched in awe. Nodding in thanks to his beta, Tristan returned his attention to Kalli.

“You’re beautiful, baby. Look at you.” He kissed her head, rubbing her pelt until her head fell back in pleasure.

“Logan, we’ve got to get out of here,” he told him, not letting Kalli move away from him.

Logan shuffled up to his feet. “Tris, there’s women and pups below. Maybe seven or eight souls from what I could scent. I don’t know for sure, but we’ve gotta get them.”

Wiping his face with the back of his hand, Tristan groaned. “Christ, I knew he couldn’t have done away with all the pack. Take Dec and the others with you. Get em’ out. We’re taking them home. When we get back, we’ll figure it all out.” Tristan looked around, spotting Simeon in a tree.

“Simeon, get the plane ready. Any chance we can get a charter set up for the others?”

“Yeah, sure boss. I’m on it,” he replied, climbing down.

“Right, thanks.” Tristan acknowledged. He looked back to Logan and extended his hand upward to his beta. “Logan, I can’t thank you enough for getting her out. I’m going to take Kalli back now. I’ll meet you back at the cabin.”

Logan took his Alpha’s hand, with great respect. What they’d done hadn’t been easy, but it had had to be done. No longer under threat, they’d return to their territory.

As Logan turned to retrieve the imprisoned pack subordinates, Tristan transformed back into his black wolf. Waiting patiently for Kalli to get her bearings, he contemplated loose ends. What still remained a mystery was who had staged the attack on Marcel’s wolves. Neither Gerald nor Jax had claimed responsibility. Yet, clearly the wolves who’d attacked his sister belonged to an Alpha, he was sure. Lone wolves rarely engaged in territorial war tactics. He reasoned that Marcel still had cause to remain cautious.

Kalli approached, jarring his mind back to his first priority. Watching her pad toward him, his heart swelled. His mate. As soon as they returned, they’d make it official. Soon he’d rule Lyceum Wolves, no longer alone.