"Wait," Ty said. "What people? Charlotte..."
I didn't respond, leaving her at the base of the well. As soon as I rounded the corner, my legs stopped working. I fell backwards against the stone wall, covered my face with my hands, and sobbed.
"Are you hurt?" Liam asked.
I pulled my hands free from my damp cheeks. Liam rested his palm on my shoulder and my heart burned.
I didn't care how he got there. I wrapped my arms around his waist and buried myself in his chest.
"Hey, it's okay," he said, holding me.
I ran my sleeve across my face one more time. "How did you know where to find me?"
"Your note," Liam said. He motioned behind him and I saw Steve standing in the shadows along with the others.
"I went to go find a phone and ran into them just outside the barn," Steve said.
Liam grumbled something under his breath.
"It wasn't his fault," I said. "I didn't give him a choice in coming here." I sniffled, trying to compose myself. "What about Aaron? Ty's a werewolf."
"I know," Liam said, and brushed the back of his hand down my cheek. "Steve filled us in on the way down here. I'm sorry."
"I'm right here, darling," Aaron said, pushing in between Byron and Flynt. His auburn hair dangled over his mocking, blue gaze. My stomach turned and a ripple threaded up the underside of my arm.
Liam snarled at Aaron to stay back, but I couldn't contain my anger. "How dare you?" My body lunged for Aaron, but Liam held me back. I scrambled and struggled against his hold. He would pay for what he did to my friend.
"Charlotte, stop," Liam said.
Aaron gleamed at me from behind Liam's back.
"I told you I was fond of the cute little thing," Aaron said with a chuckle. "I'm not the brother who lies."
"Shut up," Liam said. His human jaw snapped at his brother.
"You bastard!" I yelled. My skin began to quiver. "You ruined my friend. You went and brainwashed her to your messed up psycho schemes and then turned her. How could you? You're evil. I hope Liam bans you forever!"
Never in my life had I felt so angry. I didn't even recognize myself. Aaron didn't even look sorry.
"Where is she?" Aaron asked. He ignored my rant, which fueled my rage even more. He lifted his nose, sniffing the air.
"Like you really care," I said.
Aaron's eyes flashed gold and his lips rose with a snarl. "You don't know anything about me."
"Aaron?" Ty's voice wavered, echoing through the cavern.
His nostril's flared and he turned towards the voice. Moving more wolf-like than human, he moved past us, and disappeared down the tunnel.
"Don't touch her," I said. Liam caught my arm. "What are you doing?" I asked.
"She's his mate, Charlotte. They've mated. I'm sorry, but you don't challenge for someone else's mate."
"Well I do."
This was insane. I freed myself from Liam's arms and took off after them.
I could hear Liam and the others moving behind me, but I refused to look. My legs had never moved so fast. My muscles burned as I ran around the corner into the large open cavern, but I stopped short.
Aaron sat on the muddy floor with Ty, locked in an embrace. His hands threaded up through her blonde curls as they kissed. He looked...choked up.
I was speechless.
"Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" Ty asked.
"No. Nobody hurt me," he said. Over the back of Ty's shoulder, his gaze caught mine, daring me to say something. My skin crawled, and his focus went back on Ty.
"I'm sorry, Aaron. She wouldn't listen to me."
"Shh," Aaron whispered, stroking her hair. "It's okay."
Liam growled behind me, glowering at his brother. He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me to his chest. "Was that what you intended to do Aaron, talk to her?"
Aaron feigned an innocent smile. "Of course. What'd you think I would do?"
"A bit of an elaborate plan for a discussion, wouldn't you say? What'd you plan on doing, Aaron? Get away from me, come back here, and kill her?" I could feel his muscles tensing.
"Don't be ridiculous." Aaron nuzzled his nose into Ty's soft curls. "I would never hurt Charlotte. She's a friend of Ty's."
The back of my neck crawled.
"Sure you wouldn't," Liam said, "even if she were the one thing stopping you from becoming Alpha?"
Ty's blue orbs turned up to Aaron. "What's he talking about, baby?"
"Nothing. I think my brother hit his head in the woods. Are you okay though, love?" Aaron asked, cupping Ty's chin. "How did you get those bodies in there anyway?"
"Steve told us about them too," Liam said. "Don't worry. Your friend will be safe. We'll cover up the deaths and then we'll teach her how to control her shifts. She won't hunt a human again, I promise you."
The reality of the situation crashed down on me. Ty couldn't have...
"What bodies?" Ty asked.
Aaron faked a laugh. "That's cute, honey, but seriously. We all know." He rolled his eyes. "It's okay. I wasn't here to help you through your first change and I'm sorry. It's my fault."
"Aaron," Ty said with a straight face. "I haven't changed yet."
"What do you mean?"
"I haven't shifted into a wolf. I didn't hurt anyone."
The color drained from Aaron's face. The walls of the well began to feel too close, and my image of the dank tomb haunted me. Everyone realized it at once.
We weren't alone.
Chapter 23
Liam shook and trembled. The pheromones filling the air blinded me. I could feel the entire pack readying to shift. "We need to get out of here," Liam said. "Everyone. Right now."
Aaron scooped Ty up in his arms, and joined us. Liam's firm arm cupped me around the waist as he pushed me towards the corridor.
"What's going on?" Ty asked.
"Did you see anything funny while you were in here, Ty?" Aaron asked. "You didn't see anyone did you?"
Ty shook her head. "No, just the wolf that you left to watch me." She paused, her face showing the dawning realization. "You didn't leave anyone with me, did you?"
Aaron's face twisted into a contortion of lines. "No."
"Oh, God." Ty gasped.
Aaron ignored her, and tucked her into his chest as he sprinted to the passageway with Liam and me following. Reaching the exit, a low chuckle echoed off the walls, pausing us. I gripped Liam's sleeve. My entire world spun as the scent hit me, too familiar. I saw it then, the razor sharp jowls ripping into my shoulder, the haunting memory of those following me all those years. They were here. It was them. I began to shake.
"Liam," I said in a small whimper.
Liam didn't move, his back bristling.
Two large men with eyes blazing gold, appeared blocking our route. I watched in horror as razor sharp claws broke through the tips of their fingers.
"Going somewhere, boys?" An older male said behind us.
The hairs on my arms stood.
"Thomas," Liam said under his breath. Slowly we turned around. Standing, leaning against the base of the well shaft, was a cocky looking man in his mid-thirties. He had short, cropped, rust brown hair, with a matching goatee.
"You know him?" I asked.
The man smiled, and dropped the cigarette he'd been smoking; squishing it out with his steal toed Dock Martins. Even without the werewolf factor, he was intimidating.
"What are you doing here?" Liam asked, his body stone.
"Please, Boy. Is that a way to greet your father?"
"You're not our father." A wave of pheromones rolled off Liam, and the skin on his arm rippled against my shoulder.
The man sighed as if wearily trying to explain something to a child. "Technically no, but I did find you two orphaned mutts in the woods all those years ago." He shook his head. "You two had such promise too, considering you were both born this way. It was a pity that you stopped growing at seventeen, but oh well."