Cliff Royal


An abrupt shove began to wake me up but evidently not fast enough, since it soon turned into biting.


"O-Ow!"


Shhhhh. Get up and get in the closet, now.


I was going to argue, but Cole was bearing his teeth at me and holy shit did he look pissed. There was no retort from me as I quickly jumped up and ducked inside his closet, closing the door behind me before replying back, what's wrong? Did I do something?


No. Stay there and don't move.


What the hell.


~Cole~


Why in the world did they still have a tracker on Tanner?


There was no other reason there would be a member of the Cliff Royal pack on my doorstep, much less their master tracker, Kine. Rowin and Orlando were right behind me when I opened the door to greet the man with a forced smile. He had short, dark blond hair and was dressed in a simple pair of maroon and black basketball shorts and a black wife-beater, but he wasn't fooling anyone. Trackers often dressed like that to be able to shift quickly, 'take care' of what they found, and then head home without tearing up their clothing too much.


"Hello, Kine. What brings you to my territory?" I asked with a calm yet stern tone. I had met this man two other times while he was tracking through the area, but he hardly ever spoke and was always business. Thus, it didn't surprise me when he quickly pulled out a photo and held it up so we could see.


Tanner.


It was a picture of him at one of his concerts a few weeks back. Hmph, darn trackers were fast. I was kind of hoping the Cliff Royal pack would forget about Tanner or at least let him be, but if they have Kine on his trail, that was extremely unlikely to happen.


"I'm looking for Tanner Royal. I tracked his scent around this town, but it is strongest here. I would like to avoid any negative issues in this assignment so if you would please let him know that he is to come with me back to his pack now."


Shit. We need to figure out how to call this guy off.


Alpha, you know the Cliff Royal pack doesn't just leave tracking targets alive by request. They probably see his escape as a shame to their laws, especially since he has somehow survived. If they knew that you are the reason for his actual survival, they may make you their next target.


Rowin's thoughts made sense, but I already knew that Kine likely wouldn't simply leave. The Cliff Royal pack was extreme and were set in their ways to the point one could often end up dead, if they got in the way or started a dispute.


"I—"


"Think wisely, Alpha Cole of the Moon pack. I know he is in this home, and you know the repercussions of denying me my tracking target."


Shit. There is no way I can hand Tanner over to his death, but if I don't, I am condemning myself.


His dark brown eyes narrowed on me, making the blood in my body chill several degrees.


"Make your decision, Alpha Cole."


"If I decline..." I paused to think of the correct, and safest way to say what I needed, before continuing, "I alone will be the target of your pack's anger, correct?"


Kine nodded once, sternly. "You will likely become my next target, though whether it is for an elimination or retrieval track is up to my alpha. Your pack, however, will not be of interest unless they try to hinder my ability to procure you. Then those who interfere will become marked for the next track or killed immediately."


Dammit. I would have loved to say that Rowin, Orlando, and I could easily kill him since it would be three against one, but that would've been a complete lie. He might not be an alpha, but he was definitely an incredibly good tracker and an even stronger wolf. Packs didn't just hand that job out to anyone, the wolf had to earn it and be strong enough to keep his life while on orders.


"Alright...if I decline to hand him over, will he still be on your tracking order? Is it a fatal order?"


Kine seemed to be getting annoyed, but he was hiding it relatively well. This was probably the most he had spoken in months.


"His order stands. As of this moment, it is a retrieval order, but if he refuses to come quietly, then I was told the order changes to a fatal track."


"Understood. Well... I refuse to allow you into my home. Please leave."


Kine nodded once and turned as he headed down the stairs, left hand going to his pocket and pulling out a cell phone. Err. Well, that went much better than I thought it would. I calmly closed the door, only to hear a knock on it not a minute later. Did he forget to tell me something? I'm pretty sure the life-threatening thing was all I needed to hear... With a quiet sigh, I opened the door.


"What do you—whoa!"


Everything happened so quickly. Kine reached forward. Yanked my arm toward him so hard that it popped free of its socket. Then I was suddenly flying, but definitely not upward. He must have known I'd recover my balance before landing if he threw me up and out, so I got down and painful. My dislocated shoulder broke the last wooden step leading up to my porch before my left side hit the concrete walkway, along with my head. I then slammed into the grass with the extra momentum after a very hard bounce and finally skidded to a halt against my mailbox.


Get up...I need...to...get up.


While I lay there trying to force my body to move, I was silently thankful that Rowin and Orlando weren't trying to help. They had heard him, and they knew I wouldn't want them to get in the way just to get hurt on my account.


Alpha, we've got Tanner. He heard you shout and tried to come out. He's crated in your room.


Keep...him safe, I replied to Rowin quickly.


Yes, Alpha. Please stay safe yourself.


Ha...ha...I'll try.


Managing to finally get to my feet, I bared my teeth at Kine and did my best to straighten up to my full height. My arm was basically useless, but that didn't stop me from charging him. My wolf wouldn't just allow me to lie down and be killed. Not a chance in hell. I charged him in my human form, not daring to shift because he hadn't yet. I wasn't going to risk getting caught off guard for the split second it would take to change. Unfortunately for me, he had gotten in damage beforehand so he easily dodged my attack and slammed me back down against the ground, my head hitting for a second time, making stars dance in my eyes.


I wanted to get up and keep fighting, but everything hurt. Normally my wolf would just shake off a broken bone or dislocated shoulder, but I didn't feel the kind of power I normally did and after hitting my head twice, I couldn't really see straight with my one good eye. I probably could get up if I put forth all my energy and focus, but with my handicap and having my arm out of commission already, it would be a complete waste of what little energy I had left to work with for healing. I saw Kine fish his phone from his pocket through my blurry eye and listened to the conversation after he dialed.


"Alpha. I have Alpha Cole of the Moon pack. Calling in confirmation. The two pack members present did not try to intervene in his capture in any way."


My hearing allowed me to catch some of what his alpha was saying about returning to capture Tanner later.


At least he'll be safe for a little while.


"Understood, Alpha," Kine replied before he nonchalantly flipped his phone shut and walked over to where I was lying near the sidewalk. I could tell that he wasn't very happy that he'd had to go after me instead of Tanner, but at least traffic was rather slim and no one had stopped to see what was going on yet. I could feel sharp pangs, likely from several broken bones, as I was lifted into Kine's arms, then brought over to his car so he could place me in the back. He chained my right arm and left leg to fasteners on either side of where I lay before getting into the driver's seat. The drive was quiet because most of the time I was drifting in and out of consciousness. Snow was falling from the sky lazily the few times I was able to see out the small back windows. I could feel Kine sifting through my thoughts but couldn't push through the headache pounding behind my ears to really fend him off. At least most of what I was thinking was just pain and upset. I didn't want to be in this kind of situation, but at least it made me feel a tiny bit better about not giving Kine any kind of useful information.


About four hours later, he took a sharp turn and we were pulling into a gravel driveway, judging from the rocking of the car and the sound the tires were making. When we came to a stop I could see a giant mansion through the window but not much else. It was likely used as the pack house. Hearing the front door of the car open, I closed my eyes and sighed, readying myself to be moved again and for the pain to surge from it. When he got the cuffs on my limbs unlocked and lifted me out, I bit down hard on my lip to keep from whining.


"You may cry, Alpha. I know I have hurt you greatly, though I am surprised it was so easy. You never seemed like one to get caught off guard or hurt without a fight."


I growled quietly at his words, drawing his attention downward as he began walking toward the mansion. Unintentionally, I let my eyes look up at him and immediately saw his eyes widen in surprise.


"You are blind in your left eye. No wonder you are losing your normal alpha abilities."


Losing? I am not losing anything.


"Do not bare your teeth at me, Alpha Cole. I do not take well to challenges, even from disabled wolves."


I wanted to cuss him out for being so cocky, but I knew he wasn't bluffing about attacking me again if I goaded him on. So, dropping that subject for the time being, I turned my attention to the door we were now stepping through...but I only saw one other wolf lazing about on the sofa in the large room that the front area opened into.


"Wait...where is the alpha?" I asked, honestly confused about what was going on. Surely the alpha would be there to decide what to do with me. My question was evidently overheard by the wolf on the sofa because it snapped its head up and seemed to snicker before stretching out and flopping back down. Confusion clouded my already tired mind as I looked back up at Kine. And that's when I realized how stupid I was. He'd been playing everyone.


"Welcome to my home, Alpha Cole."

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