Cruel Alpha Daddy (Silver Meadows Wolves #4)

Chapter 23 - Rider

The night passes with agonizing slowness. There is no sign of where Fiona went, and no trace of Tobias. When I return with Ryan, we go straight to the hall for updates.

“Anything?” Lilah asks when we come through the doors.

I shake my head. “He went by car from the first main road. How are things here?”

“No sign of Tobias’s goons,” she answers. “Luke and Donny have been gone quite a while, though.”

“Actually, we’re back,” Donny announces from behind us. Lilah runs to embrace her mate.

“What did you find?” I ask.

“The young ones went into Sawpit,” Luke says. “We didn’t follow them in. There is an incredibly strong scent in there. Lots of wolves coming and going.”

I growl through my teeth, trying to contain my wolf. Sawpit is a tiny place, and if there are that many wolves there, it must be for a reason.

“Last time I was there, some of the wolves supported me. Do you think that might still be the case?” I ask.

Luke and Donny look at each other, their faces grim.

“Tell me!”

Donny sighs. “Old Frank was hung up on a tree about a mile out of town, cut to ribbons. They tortured him for a while, I’d say. It was definitely a message, boss. Anyone who follows you is going to get the exact same treatment.”

The news hits me hard. It wasn’t just the young ones I wanted to save.

The old dogs deserve a comfortable retirement. They shouldn’t be dying alone in the snow.

It fills me with fury that I took over the pack to stop this kind of thing from happening, and in doing so, I damned Frank to a horrible end.

“He was a good man,” I murmur.

“We’ll get Tobias, boss,” Donny says. “I promise, we’re all with you.”

“Rider!” a voice yells from out front. “Are you here?”

I race outside to see Kayla coming from a nearby cabin.

“What is it?” I ask her.

“Jen’s awake!”

I rush inside, finding Jen on the sofa in the living room. She reaches out to me, and I kneel beside her as she takes my hand.

“They got her, didn’t they?”

“Yeah, Jen. They did.”

“Curses on ’em,” she growls, shaking her head. “Tobias must have tracked me. I’m sorry, Rider. I should have been more careful.”

“You should have told me,” I chide her bluntly. “Then none of this had to happen.”

She nods, looking away from me. “I understand. But the note—”

“Contained details of a sensitive nature,” I finish for her. The entire pack doesn’t need to know about Fiona and her lover.

Jen nods, understanding. “The meetup point was the lookout near the junction of Summit Creek,” she says. “I’m assuming that’s where he took her.”

“Thank you, Jen,” I answer, giving her hand a squeeze. She nods, and I turn and run from the room, heading towards the forest.

“Wait, boss!” yells Donny. “You aren’t going by yourself!”

“Then keep up!” I holler back, tearing off my clothes and shifting before I hit the tree line. It doesn’t take long to reach the junction where we keep our trucks, and from there, it’s not far to the lookout.

When we get there, the light is beginning to change across the tops of the mountains. The parking area is empty, and the campground is deserted.

I can smell Fiona, though, that rich vanilla scent mingled with sweet honey. The tang of her blood is only a hint on the wind, but I track it to a point at the edge of the clearing.

“She was here,” I say, looking around wildly.

“So was Tobias,” Ryan adds. He and Donny were the only ones to follow me out of the village.

“I can smell Bailey, too,” I mutter, lifting my head. “Not recent, though. What the hell is he up to?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” a teasing voice lilts out of the nearby trees, and Gage comes out of his hiding place.

“You fucker!” I yell, striding towards him. “Where is she?”

“With Tobias,” Gage says casually. “Pleasing his every need, I should imagine.”

I wrap my hands around his throat and shake him. “Where?”

Gage laughs. Even though I’m closing his throat, the maniac still has the gall to look gleeful about this.

“Go on, kill me!” he wheezes. “And you’ll never see her again!”

I shake him once more, then step back. “Tell me, you useless piece of shit.”

“Well, here’s the thing. If I tell you, you’ll kill me, and if I don’t tell you, you’ll still kill me.”

“So, what do you suggest?”

“Follow me,” Gage says, grinning. “Get in your trucks, I’ll get in mine, then chase me to your lady love. I promise I’ll drive real slow.”

I glare at him, trembling with my need to attack him and tear him to pieces. I can almost feel his blood on my knuckles as I pound the life out of him.

“What’s it going to be, Alpha?” Gage taunts me.

“Fine,” I growl. “Get in your fucking truck. But she better be there.”

“Oh, she will,” he says, bending his head in a gracious bow. I choke down another insult and watch him walk over to his truck.

“It’s a trap, boss,” Donny whispers.

“You think?” I retort.

“Calm down,” Ryan says. “We’re here to help.”

“Just stay out of my way,” I growl, turning and running for my truck. Gage has kept his word. He’s waiting for us at the turn for the main road.

Donny and Ryan hurry to catch up with us, keeping their truck a good distance behind mine. Gage obviously knows they are following, and it’s a very bad sign that he’s just letting them come.

What am I walking into?

It doesn’t matter. I have to save her.

It is no surprise to me when Gage leads us straight into Sawpit. The town is deserted, even though it’s late morning and there would normally be people around. I follow him through the central part of town, expecting him to go to the bar, but he keeps driving out to one of the side roads. I realize he’s taking me to the abandoned cabin of the old alpha, the one before Jethro.

Not abandoned anymore.

As we get close, I can see shipping containers and sheds set up around the perimeter. Vans and delivery trucks are parked all around the grounds, making the old cabin look tiny.

This is it. This is Tobias’s base. I never guessed he’d be up here.

Gage parks in the driveway, and I stop behind him. I can’t see Ryan and Donny behind me, but it doesn’t matter.

The only thing that matters is killing Tobias.

“C’mon, li’l pup. Let’s go,” Gage says in a sing-song voice. I clench my fists and follow him.

All around me, men and wolves start to appear. Some come out of the cabin, others from the surrounding sheds and trucks.

A hundred of them at least.

My heart sinks in my chest as I realize just how big this thing is. Tobias always had the numbers. He was just waiting for his moment.

When I reach the open clearing at the back of the cabin, Tobias is standing there with his arms outstretched. “Welcome to Thunderdome!” he says with a laugh. “I’ve been waiting for you!”

I stand in the circle, feeling horribly exposed but not scared in the slightest. The only thing I’m truly worried about is that I can’t smell Fiona anywhere. If I’m going to give up my life, I want it to at least be in exchange for hers.

“Where is Fiona?” I demand.

Tobias shrugs. “Fuck if I know. Back with her kind, I imagine.”

“What?” I growl.

“I gave her back to Bailey,” he laughs. “She’s not here.”

“What the fuck do you want, Tobias?”

“You! Your fucking head, on a stick. I’m going to take it, too. Then I’m going to take the pack and all those fine women you boys have been hoarding. Once we have full control, we’ll take Bailey’s women, too.”

“You’re fucking delusional,” I scoff.

“Oh, no,” he counters. “You’re the one that’s delusional. Thinking Fiona was all yours when she’s writing love letters to someone named Caleb.”

“You shut your damn mouth!”

He shrugs. “Don’t blame me for the fact she’s a traitorous whore. All you do is lose people, you know that? Your brother Pete was quick to tell me all about it.”

“What?” The words are so shocking, I can barely absorb them.

“Your twin brother,” Tobias laughs. “I ran into him some time ago. I thought it was you at first, tracking me on my private business. When I figured it out, I thought Pete would be a nice little ace to have up my sleeve.”

“Fuck you,” I breathe, barely able to speak through my rage. “I don’t believe you, and it doesn’t matter, anyway. Even if you kill me now, you will never survive Bailey.”

“Oh, I had a nice chat with Bae,” he says. “Seems like a good fellow. Damn shame I’m going to have to kill him. I made a sweet deal with him, and when he falls for it, it’ll be a cinch to mop up those pups of his, then take all his bitches.”

I take a step towards Tobias, and all around me, his goons close in. I realize that if I move, they’ll tear me apart.

They are going to tear me apart, anyway.

I glare at Tobias, squinting in the late afternoon sun. The day has passed, though I’ve barely noticed. I was so intent on what I had to do.

I’m calculating the distance between him and me and all the other wolves in the circle. There’s a good chance I can kill him before the others get me, but only just.

“Go on,” Tobias says, grinning. “Bring it on.”

Just as I ready myself to spring, a casual voice breaks through the tense silence, startling everyone.

“Thanks for the invite, Tobias,” Bailey calls out. “But it wasn’t very nice of you to start the party without us.”

Tobias looks up eagerly, seeing Bailey standing on a nearby hill. At first, he looks excited and gestures to his army to get ready.

Aw, how cute. He really thinks he can win.

Before Tobias or any of his men can move, Bailey’s wolves begin to stalk out of the surrounding forest. Waves upon waves of them appear like streaking shadows, surrounding Tobias’s pack.

“You didn’t bother to show up at the last fight, did you?” I ask Tobias with a chuckle. “You have no idea how many numbers Bailey commands.”

Tobias looks around, white showing at the edges of his eyes.

“Don’t even think about running,” Bailey commands. “You’re surrounded, and I believe Rider has private business with you.”

Tobias looks at me, his confidence dissolving into shock. A grin creeps on my face as I realize I’m going to go one-on-one with him, finally, and no one else can get in the way.

“I appreciate you stopping in, Bae,” I call to the alpha. “Do you know where Fiona is?”

“I’m right here!” she shouts, coming out of the forest.

I’m so relieved to see her that I almost waver on my feet.

Suddenly, there is a commotion behind Fiona in the ranks of Bae’s wolves. People are shouting and jumping around just out of sight.

“What the fuck?”

“Who let him come?”

“Are you kidding me?”

“Catch him!”

Fiona whirls around to face the woods, trembling. “No,” she whispers.

I close my eyes, feeling my heart break.

It’s Caleb. It has to be.

“Mommy!” a tiny voice shrieks.

I can’t breathe. All I can do is stare at Fiona, feeling every inch of my body tremble with shock as I wait to see what happens next.

The next word out of her mouth is impossible.

“Caleb?” she cries.

The shock is so powerful, I stagger, almost falling. It feels like I’ve been struck right through the heart with a sharp sword.

Like I’m bleeding, dying, and I can’t even feel the wound.

A tiny boy, about six years old, comes running out of the woods and into Fiona’s arms. She grabs him, picking him up and holding him against her chest.

“What are you doing here?” she yells. “I told you to stay!”

“You also said anywhere you go, I go, too!” he says, sticking out his chin in defiance. “I wasn’t going to let you go away again!”

I can’t feel my heart beating or the breath in my lungs. My muscles feel too weak to hold me up as I stare at Fiona and the small boy in her arms.

Caleb. That’s Caleb!

Fiona looks up, and our eyes meet. Her lip trembles as tears well in her eyes, and she gives me a slight nod.

Caleb… is her son…

Our son!

Everything Fiona said or did over the last week suddenly makes complete sense. As all the memories and uncertainty catch up to me, I feel my strength returning. Faith and love flood my heart, bringing unbelievable hope to my soul.

I turn towards Tobias, a fierce grin on my face.

I’m ready for the fight of my life. And now, nothing on this earth can stop me.