Christmas with my Off-Limits Alpha (Feuding Hearts Christmas)

14. Liam Shadds

Liam Shadds

Chapter Fourteen

S quinting my eyes to focus in the pitch-black darkness, I call up my wolf senses, but the dark retreats only barely. The taste of dirt and dust coats my tongue, and a sharp pain shoots through my ribs as I move. Fuck.

Cold, jagged stone presses against my back through my leather jacket, and loose soil shifts around me with every breath. I smell engine oil and gasoline. My bike must be close, doubtless as buried as I am in this mess of dirt and roots dangling from above. The earthy scent of fresh-torn soil fills my nostrils, mixed with the musty dampness that tells me this is some kind of old mine shaft or cavern that the landslide exposed.

When I crane my neck back, I make out a broad slice of sky above, framed by towering walls of packed earth and stone. The walls look treacherous, ready to dump another load of debris down here at any moment. The faint light filtering down barely reaches this deep, leaving most of my prison in impenetrable shadow. Even with my enhanced vision, I only make out vague shapes in the gloom—not a good sign for estimating how far I’ve fallen.

What the fucking hell happened?

Memories flood back—the race, chasing, being chased, bike-to-bike fighting it out with Diggs, the ground giving way beneath us. We fell. We’re trapped underground.

I push down my wolf’s surge of panic, easing his fear. Can’t lose it now.

“Diggs?” My voice is hoarse and I call again, louder. “Diggs! You alive?”

Silence stretches for agonizing seconds before I hear a low groan to my left.

I drag myself towards the sound, ignoring the sharp rocks digging into my palms and knees. My eyes are slowly adjusting to the darkness, and I make out a shape partially buried under rubble.

“Diggs,” I growl, reaching out to clear debris off him. “Talk to me.”

He coughs, a wet, painful sound. “Fuck off, Shadds. I don’t need your help.”

Even half-dead, he’s still a pain in my ass. “Shut up and let me get this crap off you.”

I work quickly, tossing aside rocks and dirt. My wolf senses are on high alert, scanning for any sign the cavern might collapse further. The air feels thick, oppressive. How much oxygen do we have down here?

Focus, Liam. One problem at a time.

I finally uncover enough of Diggs to assess his condition. He’s breathing, but his leg is bent at an unnatural angle. Broken, most likely.

“Can you move?” I ask, not bothering to hide the urgency in my voice.

Diggs tries to sit up, then falls back with a hiss of pain. “Shit. My leg’s fucked.”

I stand up and look around, seeing more now that my eyes are acclimated. We’re trapped who knows how far underground. And I’m stuck with the one person I trust least in the world.

“We need to find a way out,” I say, more to myself than to Diggs. “The searchers will see the spot where we fell through…”

“Save your breath,” Diggs interrupts. “No one’s coming for us. We’re as good as dead down here.”

I whirl on him, anger flaring hot in my chest. “That kind of attitude won’t get us anywhere. You wanna give up, fine. But I’m getting out of here and dragging your ass out, too.”

I start feeling along the cavern walls, searching for any sign of weakness or airflow. My fingers brush against cold, damp stone or hard-packed dirt. Nothing.

“Just leave me here to die.” Diggs coughs again. His voice is raw, laced with suspicion. “Why are you bothering to pretend you want to help me?”

I pause, considering my answer carefully. “Because that’s not who I am. And it’s not who my father raised me to be.”

The mention of my father hangs heavy in the air between us. There’s so much history there, so much bad blood. But now’s not the time to dig into ancient grudges.

“We need to work together if we’re going to survive this,” I say, turning back to face him. “Can you put aside our differences long enough to get out of here alive?”

Diggs is quiet for a long moment. I swear the gears turning in his head as he weighs the options make an audible sound.

Finally, he sighs. “Fine. What’s your plan, oh great alpha?”

I ignore the sarcasm. “Get a better idea of our surroundings. Look for a way out, rock falls we can climb, cracks, tunnels, anything. And we need to conserve our energy. No unnecessary talking or movement.”

“Sounds thrilling,” Diggs mutters.

I grit my teeth, reminding myself that punching him won’t improve our situation. “Just shut up and help me search. You can’t move, but use your eyes, your senses.”

As I resume feeling along the cavern walls, the thought nags at me. How the hell are we going to get out of this mess?

There’s an end to open space we’re in and I turn back to where Diggs lies. The stench of blood and sweat is stronger and as I reach him, I realize he’s hurt worse than I thought. The broken leg bone is poking through his skin. My priority changes instantly. His injuries need attention now.

“Fuck, Shadds!” Diggs hisses through clenched teeth. “If you hadn’t been so reckless during the race, we wouldn’t be in this mess!”

“That’s not how I remember it, Diggs.” I bite back a sharper retort. “And I’m not playing the blame game. Shut the fuck up while I look at your leg.”

I fumble to open the chest pocket in my riding gear, saying a prayer in hopes my phone survived the crash. As I pull it out and power it on, the light is blinding in the near total darkness and I blink fast to adjust, turning the light toward Diggs.

“Your leg’s bad. We gotta set the bone if we’re gonna have any chance of getting out of here.”

Diggs’ eyes widen, a flicker of fear breaking through his tough exterior. “Don’t you fucking touch me.”

“You want to bleed out down here? Because that’s what’ll happen if we don’t do something.”

He glares at me, jaw clenched. I feel the hatred radiating off him. It’s an old hatred, one that runs deeper than our current rivalry. But I push those thoughts aside. Right now, survival trumps everything else.

Putting the phone back to sleep, I take a minute to adjust to the darkness again before moving to my bike.

“Where you goin’, Shadds?”

“First aid kit. Once that bone goes back inside your leg where it belongs, we have to plug the hole and stop the bleeding. You got a kit on your bike, too?”

“Yeah. Left side pouch. Good thinking. “

His teeth grind when he realizes he complimented me, and I grin in the dark. “We’re gonna have to MacGyver the hell out of this, Diggs.”

Working as fast as I can, I pull my emergency repair toolkit free of the bike. I’m not sure who is breathing harder, me or Diggs, but aside from our grunts, the only sound is a steady drip of water not far away. The silence is oppressive.

“Hold on, Fireclaw.” I cast a quick glance at Diggs. Seeping blood has darkened his jeans, stark against the broken white bone sticking through his skin. The sight twists deep within me and fuels my determination to get us both out of this mess. Once Diggs was my best friend. Feels like I never totally gave up on him.

“What’s taking so long, Shadds?” Diggs snaps, his voice strained, laced with pain and anger.

I focus on the wreckage of my bike. The frame looks twisted, and parts are scattered like broken dreams around it. Time feels like it’s slipping away. I have no idea how long it will be before they realize we’re missing, let alone find us.

So, get busy, Alpha.

The handlebar looks relatively intact, despite the crash. That’s the best choice. Without hesitation, I unscrew the bolts and yank the handlebars free. They are heavy, but they will serve our purpose. Continuing to work on the bolts and screws, I break the metal down to its smallest components and am satisfied it’s going to work… assuming I get his bone back inside his body where it belongs.

Returning to Diggs, I kneel beside him, feeling the urgency. Pillaging through the first aid kits, I pull out what I want to use and put aside the rest.

I hand him the rubber grip from the handlebar. “Bite down on this. It’ll help with the pain.”

Diggs eyes the grip suspiciously. “Why should I trust you?”

“Because right now, I’m your only shot at getting out of here alive.” The words come out harsher than I intend, but they get through to him.

“This is going to hurt. There’s aspirin in the kit, but you’ll have to swallow it dry.”

Diggs shakes his head no. “I’ll manage.” His voice wavers as he takes the rubber grip in his hand.

Using a quick breath to steady myself, I lift Diggs’s leg, angling it carefully. Diggs lets out a sharp gasp, his face contorting with pain. “Damn it, Shadds!”

“Get that rubber in your mouth. I need to move the leg a little higher.”

I spread out my empty roll-out toolkit bag and lay out the handle bars. Adjusting their position until it looks like the handlebars will flank the broken bone, I duct tape the bars to hold them in place on my toolkit bag.

I lock eyes with him, trying really hard not to think of a dog with a bone as he bites down on the rubber grip. Whatever our differences, we need each other to get through this—alive.

“Try not to move.”

Before he can respond, I grip his leg firmly. In one swift motion, I pull the bone back in place and realign it as best I can. Diggs’ muffled scream through clenched teeth still echoes. His body goes rigid, hands clawing at the ground.

Sliding my makeshift splint beneath the break, I adjust its position until it looks like the handlebars will flank the broken bone and gently lower his now straightened leg.

“Talk to me, Diggs. Where else are you hurt?”

Diggs’ eyes bore into me, a mix of pain and fury swirling in their depths. He spits out the grip as I sit back, waiting for him to respond. “You enjoyed that, didn’t you?” he snarls.

I meet his gaze, unflinching. “Believe it or not, Diggs, I don’t get my kicks from causing pain. Even yours.”

He scoffs, but I see a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes. Good. Maybe he’s starting to realize we need to work together if we want to survive this.

“I’m beat up to hell and back and maybe a cracked rib, but don’t think there’s anything else to patch.”

I nod and pull the first aid kit closer. “Good. I gotta plug up this hole.” Unrolling cotton gauze, I stuff a bunch in his leg.

“FFUUUKKK!” Diggs pounds the ground with his fist. “Hurry up, man.”

I concentrate on winding the stretchy gauze around his thigh, keeping his leg as still as possible. After layering extra padding over the spot where the bone pierced through, I bind everything tight with tearable white medical tape before I slap a massive adhesive from the kit over the whole thing, then rock back on my heels to examine my work.

“Best I can do to stop, or at least slow, the bleeding. You need a doctor. If you’re thinking of shifting, I wouldn’t. If I screwed up getting the bone realigned, it’ll heal wrong, so I say you should stay human for now.”

“Yeah. Agree. Won’t shift until we’re sure the bone is right. What’s next?”

“Now we strap it.” I pull the ends of the toolkit together, using the velcro strap to hold the splint in place while I scramble for a stable binding.

“Duct tape?” Diggs growls as he spots the spool in my hand.

I grin and hand it to him to hold. “Yep. The magic tool. Hold this. I’ll be right back.”

I look around and spot a likely rock. Rolling it into place, I ease his loosely splinted leg up and use the rock as a base to keep it off the ground. “I know you don’t have much control at the moment, but try not to bend your knee until I get this splint wrapped tight.”

Taking the duct tape from him, I wrap tightly, but not too tightly, I hope, around the handlebar splint bracing his leg.

“Get it right, Shadds.” Diggs hisses, his dark eyes blazing with a mix of pain and snarling bravado.

“Fuck, man. I’ve never done this before.” I snap back, frustration mingling with adrenaline.

There’s no time to waste. Diggs’s leg throbs beneath my hands. Blood still seeps through the makeshift bandage. With a last tear, I pat the tape into place and finish securing the splint. “It’s done. For now, anyway.”

Diggs winces, trying to shift his leg as I roll the rock out of the way and lower it to the ground. He grimaces at the pain. “You think that’ll hold?”

“It has to. Can you move?” I offering my hand.

Diggs hesitates, eyeing my outstretched palm like it might bite him. Finally, he grasps it, allowing me to help him into a sitting position.

“I can move,” he grunts. “But don’t expect me to be dancing anytime soon.”

I nod, surveying our surroundings. The cavern is dark and oppressive, the air thick with dust and the lingering scent of our blood. We need to find a way out, and fast.

“Alright,” I say, more to myself than to Diggs. “Let’s get back to figuring out how the hell we’re getting out of here.”

I watch Diggs’s face contort as scoots back a few feet to rest his back against a boulder. The pain in his leg, even after being set, has to be excruciating. His eyes burn with an intensity that catches me off guard as he sees me watching him.

“You think you’re so noble, don’t you, Shadds?” Diggs spits out, his voice dripping with venom. “Playing the hero, just like your old man.”

I clench my jaw, fighting to keep my expression neutral. “We need to focus on getting out of here, Diggs. This isn’t the time for…”

“No!” He slams his fist against the ground. “You don’t get to decide when it’s time. Your father, Kennedy Shadds, he’s the reason we’re in this mess. He’s the reason my family lost everything!”

My stomach twists. “What are you talking about?”

Diggs laughs, a harsh, bitter sound that echoes in the cavern. “Oh, he never told you? Typical. Your precious father Kennedy betrayed us and stole our birthright. Kennedy masterminded our banishment from Snowy Pines.”

I feel my wolf stirring, anger rising like bile in my throat. “You’re delirious from the pain. My father would never…”

“Wake up, Liam!” Diggs snarls, leaning forward despite the obvious agony it causes him. “Your father isn’t the saint you think he is. He’s a thief, a liar, a traitor!”

My hands ball into fists. I want to shut him up, to defend my father’s honor. But something holds me back. A nagging doubt I’ve always pushed away.

My father wasn’t perfect, but a betrayal? Is that what Diggs really believes?

“Even if what you’re saying is true—and I’m not saying it is—that doesn’t change our situation now. We need to work together to…”

“Work with a Shadds?” Diggs scoffs. “I’d rather die in this hole.”

His words hit me like a physical blow. The weight of my father’s legacy, always a presence in my life, now feels crushing. I think of Ava, of the future I’m hoping for. I run a hand through my hair and shake my head, raining dirt on me.

“Diggs, I don’t know what happened between our fathers or grandfathers for that matter. But I’m not the Chief or Kennedy, and you’re not Victor or Frostbite. They’re all either dead or retired. We are here. In serious trouble. And we, you and me, who’ve known each other since birth practically, have a choice to make.”

Diggs glares at me, his face a mask of pain and hatred. “You sound just like Kennedy, you know that? So reasonable, so fucking righteous. It makes me sick.”

We stare at each other, the air between us crackling with tension.

My fists clench at my sides. Blood boiling over, I snap, “You’re full of shit, Diggs. We were friends. What the fuck happened to you?” I growl, barely containing the urge to lunge at him. “My father worked his ass off to keep the peace in this town. He protected everyone, not just the Shadow claws.”

Diggs let out a harsh laugh, his eyes glinting with malice. “Protected everyone? Is that what you call forcing my family out of their home? Stripping us of our power?”

“What the hell are you talking about?” I step closer to him. The cavern shrinks around us as we suck in the stale air, only to shout it out at each other.

I feel my control slipping, my wolf pushing to the surface. “You want to know what makes me sick? Being trapped down here with a man who’d rather cling to old grudges than work to survive!”

“Your precious father,” Diggs spat, “only cared about one thing—making sure the Shadow claws were on top. He manipulated the council, turned the other packs against us. We lost everything because of him!”

Shouting, I shake my head, denying his lies. “That’s not true. My father was a fair leader. He…”

“Fair?” Diggs interrupts, his voice rising. “Was it fair when he accused my father of crimes he didn’t commit? When he turned the whole town against us based on lies?”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about!”

Diggs presses on. “Oh, I know exactly what I’m talking about, Shadds. Your father was a master manipulator. He played the role of the benevolent leader while he systematically destroyed anyone who threatened his power. Frostbite told me all about it.”

My wolf stirs. Rage and confusion battle within me. “Shut up!” I roar, my voice echoing off the cavern walls. “My father was a good man. He taught me everything I know about leadership, about protecting our people…”

“Protecting your people,” Diggs sneers. “What about my people, Liam? What about the Fireclaws who were forced out of their homes, their businesses? Where was your father’s protection, then?”

I open my mouth to argue, but the words die on my tongue. Could it be true? Could my father have done something I never knew about? The doubt must have shown on my face because Diggs’ expression shifted, a mix of triumph and bitterness.

“You really don’t know, do you?” he said, his voice quieter now but no less intense. “Your perfect father, the great Kennedy Shadds, built his legacy on the backs of those he crushed.”

I feel like I am drowning. Memories of my father’s teachings clash with Diggs’ accusations. The weight of leadership, always heavy on my shoulders, suddenly feels crushing.

Could my father have done something I never knew about? Or is Diggs consumed by bitterness and lies? The thoughts race through my mind, each one more unsettling than the last. Either way, this feud is tearing us apart. If we don’t resolve this, we’re not getting out of here alive.

A faint sound catches my attention. My ears prick up, wolf senses on high alert. I hold up a hand, silencing Diggs mid-rant.

“Shut up,” I hiss. “Listen.”

The cavern falls silent, save for our ragged breathing and the steady drip of water. Then I hear it again—a soft scraping noise from above, like rocks shifting against each other.

Diggs’ eyes narrow. “What the hell is that?”

I shake my head, straining to hear more. Hope and fear war in my chest. Could it be a rescue? Or is the cavern about to collapse on us?

As my eyes adjust to looking up into the bright opening above us, I see a head and shoulders silhouetted in the opening...