13: Unseen Cargo

HARPER

I was restless, my foot tapping a rhythm of its own. Ian had tried to bring up Lady Sierra a couple of times, but I wasn’t in the mood to discuss her. I didn’t want to lose my cool, and I certainly didn’t want anyone speaking ill of my true mate, especially when they didn’t understand our connection.

Yet, I couldn’t shake off her scent. It was as if my inner beast was on edge, urging me to utter her name, as if that would magically summon her. I had expected the distance to be more challenging.

But surprisingly, I didn’t feel any growing gap. It was as if I was still with her, which was odd considering I should be feeling guilty for leaving her behind. After all, I had slept with her, marked her as mine.

Maybe I was just lucky. Perhaps it was just a matter of time before the effects of our intimacy wore off and I started feeling the strain.

My thoughts were interrupted when Zen pointed out the fast-approaching headlights. I squinted, trying to figure out who it could be. Something felt off, and the way the car was speeding toward us, it was clear they were trying to catch up.

“Do you guys still have your weapons?” I asked, and both nodded.

I noticed Ian shifting in his seat, ready for a possible attack. It wouldn’t be the first time. Being Axel’s beta meant I had my fair share of enemies. And this deserted stretch of road was a perfect spot for an ambush.

“If they try anything crazy like a pit maneuver, aim for them or their tires,” I instructed.

Ian nodded. I turned to Zen.

“If it comes to that, we’ll stop and confront them,” I said, and Zen nodded in agreement.

My eyes turned black, my mind shifting into strategic mode. Zen sped up, but the other car was faster. It overtook us, then braked abruptly, clearly trying to force us to stop.

Zen tried to swerve around, but the car matched our movements, trying to block us. Suddenly, I felt a strong mental pressure. I decided to let it in.

~Pull over. Lady Sierra is missing and I need to check your car.~ The voice was unfamiliar. It wasn’t Adis or Kaven. I glanced back at Ian, confused.

“What was this guy talking about?”

“She’s not in our car. We’re not stopping. Do you think we’re idiots?” I retorted.

“I know she’s in that car. I’m her bodyguard and you will stop. This is your last warning,” he replied.

I chose not to respond.

“He claims to be Lady Sierra’s bodyguard. Says she’s in our car,” I relayed to Ian and Zen.

“Is he out of his mind? The car was empty when the servants brought it to us,” Ian retorted.

“Zen, stop the car. Right here, in the middle of the road. Be ready to jump back in. Ian, leave your door open. If anything goes south, we’re out of here. Got it?”

They both nodded.

“Keep your weapons ready. Shift if you need to,” I added as Zen brought the car to a halt.

I got out immediately, my eyes black, claws out, and my features slightly distorted. If this was a trap, they were in for a surprise. I wasn’t some naive young wolf. I was a lycan, older and powerful. I had killed my own kind and vampires. I wasn’t going down without a fight.

As I rounded the hood of the car, Zen was already out, gun in one hand and I knew he had a few blades. Guns might not kill a vampire, but they would definitely slow them down. A headshot might even do the trick.

The man, Miguel, was out of his car in a flash. His face was bruised and healing. He marched toward us, gun in hand, his eyes red with anger.

“Open your trunk,” he demanded, not even bothering to check the open doors.

He tried to move past me, but I gestured for Zen to comply. I followed Miguel, glancing at his car. He seemed to be alone.

“We didn’t take her,” I said, my voice laced with anger.

Miguel was already at the back of our car, the trunk slowly opening with a push of a button.

“I know you didn’t. She’s still in your car,” he snapped back, leaving me stunned.

What? When did she get in our car? Was this a setup? Was he high? This was getting weirder by the second.

As the trunk fully opened and Miguel moved to push it faster, something unexpected happened. Sierra, with a battle cry, launched herself out of the trunk and onto Miguel.

For a slender woman, she packed quite a punch. She took Miguel down and started fighting him. It took me a moment to process what was happening. Then I was moving, shouting for Ian to grab Miguel as I went for Sierra.

“I’m not going back! I’m not his damn property!” Sierra yelled, struggling with Miguel.

It was clear she had psychic abilities as blood trickled down Miguel’s nose. He seemed to be resisting it, trying to gain the upper hand. But Sierra fought like a wildcat. I could tell Miguel was trying not to hurt her, but it was clear he would have to.

I managed to grab Sierra’s waist as she got on top. She wrestled the gun away from Miguel, but I held her arm down. I was stronger, but she put up a good fight. She was of an old bloodline, not your average vampire.

Meanwhile, Ian had pulled Miguel up, who was wiping blood off his face. I had a feeling Sierra didn’t want to hurt Miguel, so she wasn’t using her full powers.

“I’m not going back. I won’t. I’d rather live in the dirt than be used as a breeding machine!” she yelled at Miguel.

“Let go of me!” Sierra tried to push us away. I had to lift her off her feet to prevent us from ending up on the ground next.

“If I don’t take you back, my nephew will die!” he yelled at Sierra, who halted in her tracks.

“I don’t care if you want to flee or stay, but I can’t let you. They’ll let him die. Do you think I keep an eye on you because I enjoy it? Wake up, Sierra. We’re all just pawns to your father, but some of us will die if we fail him,” Miguel spat out.

Sierra fell silent, no longer resisting me.

“Ian, hold him down,” I ordered. Miguel looked ready to retaliate. I had the gun now, aiming it straight at him. “Don’t do anything rash. I don’t want to have to kill you. Just follow orders. He’s not going to kill your nephew just yet, and we all know it. There’s no point if you’re not there, right?

“Everyone, take a deep breath,” I commanded. Miguel didn’t have much of a choice. It was three against one, and Sierra seemed ready to fight.

“Get him in our car. I’ll take the lady to his,” I instructed. Miguel was silent, his gaze fixed on Sierra and me. I still had a firm grip on her.

What a mess this was turning out to be, huh? I turned my attention to Miguel.

“Were you ordered to come here?” I asked.

“No, I followed. She knocked me out in the car. I have access to some surveillance to track her if she runs. I saw what she did immediately,” he replied.

So, Sierra had managed to get in our car, and her guard hadn’t informed the others of her actions. It was quite a gutsy move to chase after three lycans alone.

“Do any of them know where you’ve gone?” I demanded.

“Not yet, but they will. They’ll check the cameras to see where we went. They’ll see what she did and that I left to follow her,” Miguel responded.

“If he dies, I won’t forgive you for this. There are better ways to escape,” he said to Sierra.

“You wouldn’t have helped me. Don’t lie to my face,” Sierra retorted. “If you knew how to escape, then your family and nephew wouldn’t be there. Your sister wasn’t even in our territory. You’re lying.”

“They had to come back. It wasn’t a choice. It was survival for Adam…,” Miguel began, but I cut him off.

“That’s irrelevant right now. We’re in the middle of the damn road in fae territory with dawn approaching. Ian, get him in the car. Let’s move, princess,” I said to Sierra, frustrated with the whole situation.

Was I glad she was here, that I was touching her? Absolutely. Was I pissed that the Red Coven might accuse us of kidnapping, even if the evidence suggested otherwise? Yes.

“Princess? Let go of me,” Sierra demanded. I released her after a quick weapons check. We stood face to face, and I held the gun. Miguel was shoved into the back of the SUV. I looked at her.

“I’m not going back. If you try to return me, you might as well shoot me in the head, Harper. I’m not going,” she declared. I could see the determination in her eyes. My hazel eyes met her green ones.

“I wasn’t planning on returning you. Let’s go, Sierra. You want to run away,” I said, turning to walk toward the smaller car that had passed us. “Here’s your chance. You’ll never escape your father otherwise. So get in the car.”

I extended my hand as I passed the driver’s side where Zen was. He immediately handed me my phone, and I knew Sierra was following me. It looked like Axel was about to receive a call to prepare for something reckless.