Read Online Deadly Pack (Deadly Trilogy Book 3) by Ashley Stoyanoff - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Ashley Stoyanoff
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snapping and reshaping drew Jade’s attention from me. I dropped my hand from her face and turned to find Luken, blood caked around his mouth and on his chest, rising to his feet.
He opened his mouth, but I lifted a hand to silence him. “How the hell did they get this close?” I demanded. “And where is the team?”
“Aidan,” Jade said softly, her tone, her scent, both urged me to calm down, and I took a deep breath, holding my fury at bay. The other wolves backed up a few steps, dropping their muzzles to the ground. Not one of them shifted, most likely so they wouldn’t have to answer me.
Luken cleared his throat and he looked as if he were regretting not staying in wolf form. “The team …” he looked down to his toes, let out a breath, and whispered, “We tried to call them when we first spotted the cougars, but we couldn’t reach them. The cougars came straight here, Aidan. They knew where they were going.”
“I’ll call Beck,” Jade offered, and she started to shuffle back into the house.
“No,” I barked, way too harshly, and I instantly felt sick. I turned to her. Her eyes were wide with surprise. “Sorry, sweetheart,” I muttered. “Leave them for tonight. We’ll talk to them in the morning about it.”
Her face fell. She knew exactly what that meant. That I hadn’t changed my mind about chatting with them. And I thought she got that not answering a call during an attack seriously didn’t help their case. She must have thought it, too, because she didn’t argue and nodded in agreement, looking grim but resolved.
She looked back to Luken. “Did anyone else get hurt?” she asked. She was making a conscious effort to keep her eyes on our faces. I could see it in the stiffness of her neck and the stillness of her eyes. There was a slight blush coloring her cheeks, and I thought that it was kind of cute. Even with an animal dead on our deck, she was still acutely aware that she was standing in front of two naked men.
Luken’s nostrils flared and I was sure he was picking up the scent of Jade’s unease. It was a tangy smell and hung thick in the air. He shifted from foot to foot, nervously, and looked back at the wolves, gathered around us. “A few scratches,” he said after a moment. “Nothing that won’t heal. There’s another dead cougar on the lawn.”
“Can you and the others deal with this?” she asked, waving a hand toward the dead cougar. “And the other one? I want to look at his shoulder.”
“Yeah, sure,” he said, and he looked at me, as if he wanted me to confirm his order.
“Thought we were past this, Luken,” I said, my gaze hard and cold, so was my tone. “She gave you an order.”
Luken threw up his hands and backed up a step. “I didn’t mean any offence. It’s just her scent,” he said. “It’s uncertain. Uneasy.”
I chuckled, my anger dissolving. “It’s because we’re naked,” I said, and smirked back at Jade. “You really have to get over that, sweetheart.”
Jade gave me an adorable dirty look, before forcing a smile on Luken. “Sorry, still not used to all of this.” She sighed and hugged her arms around her waist, shifting her weight to her right foot. “Bring the dead back to the headquarters.” She moved her gaze to my face, and blushed a little more. “I want to give them back to my dad, but I don’t want my mom there when we do it.”
I gave her a little smile. “Sounds like a plan, sweetheart.”
CHAPTER 8
~ JADE ~
“This is a waste of time, Aidan,” I said, and swallowed down the rusty taste of guilt that gathered in my mouth. I pulled in a deep breath and shut my eyes for a second. That shivery, breakable feeling filled my chest again. I wasn’t one-hundred percent sure exactly where the horrid feeling was stemming from, because, well, Aidan wasn’t entirely wrong, but I felt it nonetheless.
The feeling first
He opened his mouth, but I lifted a hand to silence him. “How the hell did they get this close?” I demanded. “And where is the team?”
“Aidan,” Jade said softly, her tone, her scent, both urged me to calm down, and I took a deep breath, holding my fury at bay. The other wolves backed up a few steps, dropping their muzzles to the ground. Not one of them shifted, most likely so they wouldn’t have to answer me.
Luken cleared his throat and he looked as if he were regretting not staying in wolf form. “The team …” he looked down to his toes, let out a breath, and whispered, “We tried to call them when we first spotted the cougars, but we couldn’t reach them. The cougars came straight here, Aidan. They knew where they were going.”
“I’ll call Beck,” Jade offered, and she started to shuffle back into the house.
“No,” I barked, way too harshly, and I instantly felt sick. I turned to her. Her eyes were wide with surprise. “Sorry, sweetheart,” I muttered. “Leave them for tonight. We’ll talk to them in the morning about it.”
Her face fell. She knew exactly what that meant. That I hadn’t changed my mind about chatting with them. And I thought she got that not answering a call during an attack seriously didn’t help their case. She must have thought it, too, because she didn’t argue and nodded in agreement, looking grim but resolved.
She looked back to Luken. “Did anyone else get hurt?” she asked. She was making a conscious effort to keep her eyes on our faces. I could see it in the stiffness of her neck and the stillness of her eyes. There was a slight blush coloring her cheeks, and I thought that it was kind of cute. Even with an animal dead on our deck, she was still acutely aware that she was standing in front of two naked men.
Luken’s nostrils flared and I was sure he was picking up the scent of Jade’s unease. It was a tangy smell and hung thick in the air. He shifted from foot to foot, nervously, and looked back at the wolves, gathered around us. “A few scratches,” he said after a moment. “Nothing that won’t heal. There’s another dead cougar on the lawn.”
“Can you and the others deal with this?” she asked, waving a hand toward the dead cougar. “And the other one? I want to look at his shoulder.”
“Yeah, sure,” he said, and he looked at me, as if he wanted me to confirm his order.
“Thought we were past this, Luken,” I said, my gaze hard and cold, so was my tone. “She gave you an order.”
Luken threw up his hands and backed up a step. “I didn’t mean any offence. It’s just her scent,” he said. “It’s uncertain. Uneasy.”
I chuckled, my anger dissolving. “It’s because we’re naked,” I said, and smirked back at Jade. “You really have to get over that, sweetheart.”
Jade gave me an adorable dirty look, before forcing a smile on Luken. “Sorry, still not used to all of this.” She sighed and hugged her arms around her waist, shifting her weight to her right foot. “Bring the dead back to the headquarters.” She moved her gaze to my face, and blushed a little more. “I want to give them back to my dad, but I don’t want my mom there when we do it.”
I gave her a little smile. “Sounds like a plan, sweetheart.”
CHAPTER 8
~ JADE ~
“This is a waste of time, Aidan,” I said, and swallowed down the rusty taste of guilt that gathered in my mouth. I pulled in a deep breath and shut my eyes for a second. That shivery, breakable feeling filled my chest again. I wasn’t one-hundred percent sure exactly where the horrid feeling was stemming from, because, well, Aidan wasn’t entirely wrong, but I felt it nonetheless.
The feeling first
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