Read Online Deadly Pack (Deadly Trilogy Book 3) by Ashley Stoyanoff - Free Book Online
Authors: Ashley Stoyanoff
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up off him and he rolled up to his knees. He was older. Probably mid-forties, with a pot-belly and beady black eyes. He had a full head of black hair, and a thick salt and pepper beard. He held out his hands, showing surrender, but he never once lowered his eyes from mine.
From the corner of my eye, I noticed my pack was closing in around us. With a quick glimpse up, I saw a lump of beige fur about ten feet away lying motionless, and the rest of the cougars were gone.
Disgust rose up around me, as I turned my focus back to the man in front of me. His pack abandoned him without even a thought, leaving him at our mercy.
I shifted and rose up to my feet, towering over him. He looked up, a cruel smile on his face, and he laughed. “You should have killed me,” the man said, his voice higher than I expected.
Probably, I thought. He deserved death even if it was only because he came into my territory and attacked me. My aching, bloody shoulder was proof of that. It was enough to end his life, whether he was showing signs of submission or not. And if he hadn’t shifted, I would have ended him, but it felt sickeningly wrong to do it while he was human. While he had no chance of defending himself.
I gritted my teeth, glowering down at him. “Not sure how you do this in your pack, but here, once someone submits and shifts, we don’t kill.”
“Pathetic.” The man laughed. “Just for the record, I would have killed you.” He laughed again, muttering something about me being weak, and then said, “I shifted to give you a message. The girl needs to be with her family and we will take her back.”
Growls erupted and my wolves stalked closer. Clearly the bastard had no sense of self-preservation, because he started to shift, his face reshaping into that of a large cat. Long fangs descended first, slowly, as if he were taunting me, and then his bones began to break.
Luken was on him as his shift finished, not giving him a chance to run. The others were snarling and snapping around us, ready to take him down. But they didn’t need to be. The meaty sound of flesh tearing, ripping, pulling, filled my ears, as I watched Luken’s white coat stain crimson. The cougar screamed, a high-pitched sound that ripped through the air, and then his body went limp.
Jeff sent his cougars in the middle of the night to collect Jade. In that moment, that was the only thought I had. The girl the cougar had been talking about was Jade. I had no doubt about that, and the knowledge rattled me to my core.
I closed my eyes, sucking in breath after breath. The rain felt like pebbles smacking against my bare flesh, stinging my skin. My wolves had quieted, now that the threat was gone, but I could feel them watching me, waiting.
“Aidan, what’s going on?” Jade’s voice came from behind me, and I spun around. “I heard howling and a scream.” She was standing in the doorway wearing only one of my hoodies that hung mid-thigh on her, rubbing sleep from her eyes. Her hands dropped. She paled, as she looked past me, most likely at the wolves who were still growling. She turned a little gray as she looked down, spotting the dead cougar on our deck, and then her eyes came up and landed on my shoulder, and her expression changed from sick to concern. “Jesus, what happened?”
“I’m fine,” I said, my voice sounded rough and growled. “Just a small flesh wound.” I shook my head, and stepped toward her. Rainwater dripped from my arms as I lifted a hand to her cheek. The thought of telling her to go inside crossed my mind. She’d been through hell today, and she didn’t need anymore, but I couldn’t do it. She needed to know and there was no way I was going to start hiding things from her again. “It looks like your dad was serious about wanting you home. And I’m thinking he’s done with pretending to have an alliance with us.”
The sound of bones
From the corner of my eye, I noticed my pack was closing in around us. With a quick glimpse up, I saw a lump of beige fur about ten feet away lying motionless, and the rest of the cougars were gone.
Disgust rose up around me, as I turned my focus back to the man in front of me. His pack abandoned him without even a thought, leaving him at our mercy.
I shifted and rose up to my feet, towering over him. He looked up, a cruel smile on his face, and he laughed. “You should have killed me,” the man said, his voice higher than I expected.
Probably, I thought. He deserved death even if it was only because he came into my territory and attacked me. My aching, bloody shoulder was proof of that. It was enough to end his life, whether he was showing signs of submission or not. And if he hadn’t shifted, I would have ended him, but it felt sickeningly wrong to do it while he was human. While he had no chance of defending himself.
I gritted my teeth, glowering down at him. “Not sure how you do this in your pack, but here, once someone submits and shifts, we don’t kill.”
“Pathetic.” The man laughed. “Just for the record, I would have killed you.” He laughed again, muttering something about me being weak, and then said, “I shifted to give you a message. The girl needs to be with her family and we will take her back.”
Growls erupted and my wolves stalked closer. Clearly the bastard had no sense of self-preservation, because he started to shift, his face reshaping into that of a large cat. Long fangs descended first, slowly, as if he were taunting me, and then his bones began to break.
Luken was on him as his shift finished, not giving him a chance to run. The others were snarling and snapping around us, ready to take him down. But they didn’t need to be. The meaty sound of flesh tearing, ripping, pulling, filled my ears, as I watched Luken’s white coat stain crimson. The cougar screamed, a high-pitched sound that ripped through the air, and then his body went limp.
Jeff sent his cougars in the middle of the night to collect Jade. In that moment, that was the only thought I had. The girl the cougar had been talking about was Jade. I had no doubt about that, and the knowledge rattled me to my core.
I closed my eyes, sucking in breath after breath. The rain felt like pebbles smacking against my bare flesh, stinging my skin. My wolves had quieted, now that the threat was gone, but I could feel them watching me, waiting.
“Aidan, what’s going on?” Jade’s voice came from behind me, and I spun around. “I heard howling and a scream.” She was standing in the doorway wearing only one of my hoodies that hung mid-thigh on her, rubbing sleep from her eyes. Her hands dropped. She paled, as she looked past me, most likely at the wolves who were still growling. She turned a little gray as she looked down, spotting the dead cougar on our deck, and then her eyes came up and landed on my shoulder, and her expression changed from sick to concern. “Jesus, what happened?”
“I’m fine,” I said, my voice sounded rough and growled. “Just a small flesh wound.” I shook my head, and stepped toward her. Rainwater dripped from my arms as I lifted a hand to her cheek. The thought of telling her to go inside crossed my mind. She’d been through hell today, and she didn’t need anymore, but I couldn’t do it. She needed to know and there was no way I was going to start hiding things from her again. “It looks like your dad was serious about wanting you home. And I’m thinking he’s done with pretending to have an alliance with us.”
The sound of bones
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