Werewolf CEO 2, page 17
Mia was putting up one hell of a fight, and the Beta who had gone for her looked pretty beaten up. His shirt had been ripped open by her claws, and his stomach was bleeding profusely. Carter was still standing there watching from the shadows, and the anger inside of me bubbled and burned.
I was pretty sure I could take this guy, but I didn’t want to leave anything to chance.
So, I reached into my pocket and pulled out the inhaler Mia had given me, and without a second thought, I put it up to my mouth and inhaled the vapor as I activated it. The cool smoke inside rushed through my lungs, and I gasped at the sharp sensation. It felt like pure ice sliding down my throat and cooling the heat inside.
My hand started to shake, enough to make me drop the glass inhaler, and it shattered on the ground. My whole body convulsed as it got used to the adrenaline pump, and my vision grew even clearer than before. I could see Carter’s smug smirk drop a little as I started to heave and growl, and in the blink of an eye, I was charging toward him.
Despite the distance, I reached him in seconds, and even I was surprised by how fast I’d moved. My fist was colliding with his greasy face before he could do anything about it, and when he went to swing at me, I ducked out of the way like it was nothing.
I could sense his every movement before he made them, and it felt like my brain was running a thousand miles a second. It was like I hardly had control of my body, like it was on autopilot, and I was just sitting back and enjoying the ride. I wasn’t too worried about how weird it felt, though, not when I was pummeling Carter like he was made out of clay.
Time was moving too fast, and I had no choice but to let my body do what it needed to do.
The Beta spluttered on a mouthful of blood as my fist collided with his face yet again, and I hauled him up into the air by the collar of his shirt. I glared up at him with venom, and I flashed my fangs at him with a snarl.
I could feel him shaking in fear, but then his eyes traveled behind me, and that annoying fucking smirk made its way onto his bloodied face. I froze as I realized Mia was still fighting the other Beta, and when I heard her yelp in pain, I dropped Carter to the ground and raced over to her.
The guard I’d ordered to help was knocked out cold, and the remaining Beta had managed to throw her to the ground. Pure rage rocked my body like a bolt of lightning, and I didn’t think I’d ever felt fury like this in all of my life.
Saliva shot out of my mouth as I heaved, and the Beta’s smug face dropped as he slowly turned to face me. I didn’t even want to think about how insidious I looked right now. His face paled, and his eyes widened like saucers as he stared at me with an open mouth.
I felt huge, like a goddamn skyscraper as I stalked toward him with my claws out threateningly at my side. He didn’t run. He couldn’t. He was too scared, and I knew that because I could smell the sweat running down his neck and the piss trickling down his leg.
He had hurt my mate. He had hurt her. And I was not gonna let him get away with that. I wasn’t gonna let fucking anyone get away with that.
I grabbed his head with my hand and felt him tremble beneath my palm. His bright yellow eyes stared up at me in horror, and he clutched his hands to his chest as he waited for me to finish him off.
And so I did. I slowly started to squeeze his head until I felt his skull beginning to crush beneath the force, and my claws started to pierce through the bone. He whimpered as blood started to drip down his face, and with one last squeeze, his head exploded beneath my hands.
I didn’t realize how hard I was breathing until his body dropped lifeless to the floor, and my chest felt like it was about to burst. The comedown from that drug was like a punch in the gut, but I had other concerns.
I turned to Mia, who was picking herself up from the ground, and I rushed to her side.
“Are you okay?” I asked, and my voice was a little garbled due to the adrenaline and fangs. “Are you hurt?”
“I’m okay,” she reassured me as she dusted off her shirt and wiped her bloodied face with the back of her hand. “He just threw me down. He didn’t hurt me.”
I grabbed her shoulders with my bloodied hands and looked her over. The blood I could smell on her wasn’t hers, and I couldn’t smell any open wounds or anything, just the scent of her sweat from the fight. Her heart was beating fast against her chest, and her breathing was a little labored, but she was okay.
She was okay.
“Get a clean-up crew out here as soon as possible,” Mia said to the two guards who’d hauled off the ginger Beta to god knows where. “And get someone to take him to the infirmary.”
The guard who’d tried to help my mate was still out cold, and as the adrenaline started to wear off and my body started to shrink to its original size, I realized I’d abandoned Carter.
I whipped my head around to look at where we had fought, or rather, where I’d handed his ass to him, but there was no one there.
“Goddamnit,” I hissed. “He’s gone.”
We needed to get rid of that son of a bitch once and for all. If he was ballsy enough to come here and attack us, then it wouldn’t be long until he tracked us down to either the penthouse or the den. And we couldn’t be caught off guard. Luckily, I had sensed him before he’d attacked, but if he’d tried something like he did in the car, then it might have been a different story.
I immediately wanted to run after him. I could probably track his scent, especially his blood. But I couldn’t run off half-cocked. I needed to be smart about this.
“Mia, we need to find him,” I said as I kept a hold of her. “We can’t let him catch us off guard again. And we can’t just wait for him to raise his numbers.”
“We can find him,” Mia said confidently. “But we can’t do it alone.”
“The pack,” I said as I finally started to catch my breath. “I’ll tell them to come here.”
I sent the order through the bond for everyone to meet me at the Lunar Corp. building, and I got an immediate response. Moments later, three medics dressed in white lab coats rushed out of the main door with a stretcher, and they carefully hauled up the knocked-out guard. Then the clean-up team, which consisted of about ten men dressed in hazmat suits, filed out and started to take care of the crushed body and blood on the floor.
No one had seen us. In fact, no one had even come down here, which was a relief. I didn’t exactly want murder charges on my hands, let alone people discovering the CEO of Lunar Corp. was actually a werewolf.
We moved to the side as the clean-up crew did their job, but I told them to stay away from the area over the road. We’d need whatever blood and stench Carter left behind in order to track his scent.
The pack arrived within five minutes, and I had no idea how they’d gotten here so fast, but they had, and that’s what mattered.
“Josh, what happened?” Katie asked with a stern look as she looked me up and down.
“Carter happened,” I said dryly. “We need to track his scent.”
“Are you sure we’re ready?” Luke asked with a nervous look.
“There’s no harm in looking,” I said. “We need to know what we’re up against, either way. And after the shit he pulled here tonight, I can’t just let him run for the hills.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” Mia asked with a confident smile. “Let’s go find this asshole.”
Chapter Eleven
My pack and I headed across the road to the dark building where Carter and I had fought, and I could immediately pick up on his scent. The chemicals from the clean-up crew hung in the air, but even beneath that sharp stinging scent, there was a powerful trail of his coppery blood and a general stink that still made me want to hurl.
The guy must have not showered since leaving the subway station, and judging by how Drake made them all live, it had probably been some time since he’d actually washed. It would seem not every wolf was eager to use their newfound freedom to actually take care of themselves.
“Have you got it?” I asked the rest of my pack as I breathed in deep until I could envision the scent trail in front of me.
“Sure have,” Klaus said with a confident smirk. “This guy reeks.”
“Yeah, it’d be hard not to smell him,” Luke joked.
“Alright, stay out of wolf form for now,” I warned. “We were lucky no one saw us fighting here, and I don’t wanna push our luck.”
“Understood, Alpha.” Katie nodded. “Lead the way.”
I put all of my focus on the scent trail and let it guide me right down the road. The further we got away from Lunar Corp., the stronger it got, and it wasn’t long before my pack and I were running down the streets and weaving in and out of dark alleys and over roads in order to keep track of the scent.
It had taken us five minutes, but we’d run all the way to the Lower East Side which, thankfully, wasn’t too far away from the Lunar Corp. building. But I didn’t know whether or not that was a good thing. If his den or hideout was here, then it was pretty damn close to where we worked.
Too close.
“I’m picking up other scents,” Mia said as we paused to catch our breaths.
“Me, too,” I said as I smelled the air.
Carter’s rancid stench started to merge with similar scents that were equally as repulsive. It was like if damp and rot had a baby with mold, but then there was something else underneath that. It smelled like dust and old wood.
“Let’s push on,” I said. “We’re getting close.”
I focused on the scent as hard as I could as we carried on down the street. We must have looked like one hell of a suspicious group, to say the least. Five fully-grown adults prowling down the road focusing on the path in front of them and moving with expert precision. Yeah, I bet we were getting a few looks from the late-night drivers passing by.
The scent grew stronger down a dark side street that had no streetlights whatsoever. We were in a neighborhood, but apparently, everyone had turned in for the night because there were no house lights on, either.
In the distance, I could see the spire of a chapel sticking out above the roofs of the brickwork houses, and I knew the dust and old-wood smell was coming from there.
We stuck to the shadows as we got closer to the chapel, and I could see faint firelight peeking through the cracks in the boarded-up windows. The whole place looked derelict and like it hadn’t been touched in years, but the scent trail of Carter led right through the front doors.
There was scaffolding surrounding the top level near the spire, and ivy and other weeds clung to the side of the stone and wove their way up the entire side of the building. It merged and became one with the metal structures bordering the weakest points of the building, and overall, it looked like something you’d see in a horror movie.
“What do we do, Josh?” Amy whispered to me as we hung back so we didn’t alert Carter or whoever else was inside.
By the strength of the smell, there were definitely more wolves than what he’d brought with him to Lunar Corp. inside. And the last thing I wanted was a full-scale assault on me and my pack where we were grossly outnumbered.
I need to get a look inside, I said down the bond. We need to know what we’re up against before we do anything reckless.
I’ll come with you, Luke said as he puffed out his chest and nodded firmly.
No way, Amy immediately protested and pulled on her brother’s arm. What if something happens to you?
I’ll be fine, Amy, Josh won’t let anything happen to me, the spiky-haired Beta reassured his sister. I’m just as much a member of this pack as you are. And I’m not gonna blow this thing. So, let me do it.
I waited for Amy to relent as Luke stared her down with a confident look in his eyes, and, eventually, she let go of his arm with a reluctant nod.
Fine. But if anything happens to you--
It won’t, I quickly cut in. We’re not fighting anyone. Not right now. I just want to see what’s inside that place.
Alright, Josh. Amy nodded. I trust you.
Then let’s go, Luke, I said to the young Beta.
Wait, Mia’s voice stopped me from walking away, and I turned to her expectantly.
What is it, Mia? I asked her, and my brow furrowed in confusion as she stuck her hand into her pocket.
Take these, she said as she held out a small packet of pills to me. They’re my scent suppressants. They’ll work on you two, and you’ll need them if you’re gonna want to stay undetected.
I thought I told you to stop taking them, I said as I took the packet from her and popped one out for me and Luke.
I did, but I always carry them with me… just in case, she admitted. Looks like it was for good reason, too. If you’ve got Carter’s scent, that means he’s got yours, too. So take them.
Nice work, Omega, Finn commented with an impressed nod. You might have just saved their skin.
Yeah, she might have, I said as I put the pill in my mouth and swallowed it.
Luke did the same after he took the other one from my hand, and we both just sorta stood there for a moment waiting for it to kick in.
Uhhh, how long do these things take? the young Beta asked as he looked from me to Mia.
A couple of minutes, my mate explained. Just take it slow, and it should kick in before you get there.
If they discover you, we’ll cause a distraction, Katie said as her eyes found mine and flashed yellow. Lure them away to give you and Luke enough time to get the hell out of Dodge.
Sounds good to me, I agreed. But just… be careful. Please.
We’ll keep her safe, Alpha, Finn said as he noticed my longing look at Mia.
I couldn’t let anything happen to her. Not again. Sure, the Beta had only thrown her down to the ground, but even that had turned me into a bloodthirsty maniac.
I looked over at the looming chapel that stuck out like a sore thumb in this neighborhood. I wasn’t surprised they’d managed to get away with using this as their den, what with it being so run-down.
Alright, Luke, let’s take it slow, just like Mia said. I put my hand on the blond Beta’s shoulder and started to lead him down the road toward the chapel.
Your scent is already weaker, Alpha, Finn said down the bond, and I turned around to give him a thumbs up.
If we can’t go through the front door, where can we look? Luke asked as we approached the black metal fence bordering the chapel.
We could try and see if there’s a big enough gap in the boarded windows, but I don’t like the idea of being that close to them, I said as we both hopped over the fence smoothly. The scaffolding is probably the best route to do this.
There’s a ladder over there, Luke said and pointed to a particularly weed-filled part of the chapel.
Shrubs and greenery wound up a rusted metal ladder that looked like it could fall apart at any moment, but if we had the high ground, it would mean they’d be less likely to spot us.
Alright, we’ll give it a go, but be careful, I warned him. We don’t wanna make any noise.
Even though the group inside was loud and rowdy, they still had super hearing. One slip, and we could alert the entire place that we were there.
And I did not fancy another fight if it was against a hundred Betas.
We still needed to train, and we still had to get prepared. I didn’t like the idea of throwing my pack into the deep end of something they couldn’t handle, which was why it was so important we figure out exactly what we were up against.
I led the way over to the ladder and made sure to prowl low to the ground. The darkness was our ally, and the scent suppressants were clearly working their magic because the raucous noise inside didn’t stop, even as we got closer.
You go up first, I’ll keep watch, I said down the bond to the spiky-haired Beta.
Luke nodded and carefully started to climb up the rusted ladder. Thankfully, the quiet creaking was covered by the wind blowing through the shrubs around us, and the rustling noise canceled it out.
Once he’d climbed up the ladder and was crouched on the wooden platform about twenty feet in the air, I slowly started to make my way up, too. I took it one step at a time, and I stopped every few rungs to listen for any suspicious movement inside the chapel.
When I got to the top, Luke had crawled over to the other end of the rickety platform and was sniffing the air to make sure we were still in the clear. Then his head whipped to the side, and he shuffled forward a little more to peek around the corner of the building.
Josh, Luke said down the bond and motioned with his hand for me to go over to him. There’s a window.
I slowly crawled along the rickety wooden panels and followed Luke around the corner. There was a half-shattered stained-glass window just above the scaffolding, and Luke ushered me closer. The warm orange firelight lit up his face as he peered in, and I could hear the chattering and raucous laughter even clearer now that there was an opening.
I tentatively poked my head up to look inside, and my stomach dropped at the number of Betas gathered inside. There were about twenty-five of them, and they all looked as greasy and as dirty as Carter did. I recognized a few of them from when I defeated Drake, but the others I’d never seen before.
Some danced around the barrel fire pits completely naked and with their junk swinging around. Some were having arm wrestles on turned-over tables, while others smashed up the remaining pews with vicious laughs.
All of the religious paraphernalia had been torn down, and at the very back of the room, I saw Carter. The Beta was running his hands through his greasy hair as he paced back and forth, and two other Betas were trying to calm him down as he hissed out vile words about me and how I’d bested him.
“I don’t fucking understand!” he spat. “I did everything right, I did everything Drake would have done! I showed up to his turf, and I threatened him.”
“It’s not that simple, Carter,” a small female Beta tried to tell him.
Carter roared, grabbed an empty beer bottle from the head table, and threw it at her in response. The female Beta dodged out of the way just in time, and an insidious glare made its way onto her face.
