Three Fur All

Chapter Twelve

Mika opened his eyes and felt the stab of pain run from his throat and encompass his entire being. F*ck! What the hell happened? The bright light of the room pierced his eyeballs and made him want to retreat back into the darkness of the world he had been in. But then it all came back to him. The car accident. The naked man standing in the middle of the road. Him latching down on his neck and tearing out a large chunk of it. Mika had crawled a ways down the road, hoping to find someone to help him, but knowing that no one would. Then the darkness from the blood loss took him and he was swallowed up. Shit! He tried to get up again, but a hand held him in place.

“You’re not going anywhere.”

Dawn stood over him with her white coat on, stethoscope around her neck, and a smug smile plastered on her face. He sighed and looked around, seeing he was lying down on a gurney. The harsh scent of chemicals burned his nose. Mika’s rage allowed him to sit up. He gritted his teeth and fought through it. His attacker had done quite a number on him.

“I have to get out of here. October’s in danger.” She snorted. “What happened this time? Did she stub her toe?”

“No.” Fighting with Dawn was exhausting. He was getting tired of doing it. “Can I use your cell phone to call Elliot? There isn’t much time. They’re both in danger. The rogue did this to me. He’s going after October tonight. I need to get to the house or at least warn them.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Sure he is. And your car just happened to be in a ditch because you ran into an elk again.”

“What? No! Please, Dawn. I have to warn them.” He swung his legs over the bed and tried to stand, but the world spun, and he landed back on the mattress. He put a hand on his head. Frustration poured into every fiber of his being, along with the determination that he had to find a way out of Dawn’s office and get back to the house.

“What is it about this woman that you can’t be without her?” 77



Mika met Dawn’s eyes, and for a moment saw the woman he had fallen in love with, the very human woman who was innocent and loved the outdoors. He tried to get up again, and was feeling a little better, but Dawn wasn’t budging. Many moons ago, he thought they could be together after she’d stepped into his world, but he knew now they would never be able to do that. What he had done to her was inexcusable. The human in her had to be in there buried under all the hate she carried for him. The compassion had to be there because she still cared for the sick and was the pack’s healer as well as the doctor for the town. The hard edge she had to her might have been directed only at him, but hopefully he could appeal to her sympathy.


“Dawn, I get that you disbelieve everything I say. I’ve told you I’m sorry a thousand times, and I’ll say it a million more for what happened between us. If I could’ve stopped the wolf from biting you, I would have. I assume you’ll make my life a living hell for the rest of my days, and I’ll accept that for my punishment, but you have to let me go.”

“I could’ve left you to rot on the side of the road, you know.” Wetness lined her eyes.

He nodded. “I know. Thank you for saving my life, but I have to go.” He scanned the room for his clothes, but all he saw was a pile of bloody fabric.

He couldn’t just run around naked.

“What do you see in her?” A tear slipped from her cheek, and he heard the dejection in her voice. Some part of her still loved him even after everything that had transpired between them.

“She’s strong, and she’s survived so much. We unintentionally revealed ourselves to her. After everything she’s been through, October still accepted us. She loves us for who and what we are. It’s nice not to hide when I’m around her. She makes me feel whole, and I want to protect her. I want her to stay and be my mate.”

“What if she chooses Elliot over you? Will you turn her just to get your way?”

“No. But if I don’t get to her now, then there won’t be anything left for me to go back to. Will you help me?”

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Mika saw the struggle in her eyes. She wanted to chew him out again, leave his soul battered, and watch him die of loss, but Dawn closed her eyes and bowed her head.

“Fine. I’ll get you some scrubs, but I’m coming with you. You’re still in no shape to do much. You lost a lot of blood. It was a miracle I came along and was able to save you. I don’t care what you say. As your doctor, I’m coming.”

“Wonderful. Can you get me some pants?”

Dawn nodded and went to a cabinet she had in the room and fished out a pair of scrubs for him. Mika didn’t balk at being naked in front of her, considering their history. He slipped them on and stood up, this time feeling the coolness of the floor. The world spun for an instant, but Dawn caught him, and he regained his balance.

“Thanks.”

They left the office, and Mika found that he was feeling a little stronger when he got into the car. His neck hurt like a mother, but his head wasn’t spinning, so that was a plus, and his wolf was chomping at the bit to go after the a*shole who had bit him. He prayed there was enough time for him to get back and save the day or warn October and Elliot about the impending danger. Not a word was uttered between him and Dawn. Questions raced through his mind that he wanted to ask her, but those inquiries wouldn’t roll off his tongue. They pulled up outside of the house.

Before Dawn even pulled to a stop, he had the door open, and jumped out when she slammed on the brakes. He was steadier on his feet, but moving too quickly hurt like hell. Mika pushed the pain aside and ran to the house, only to find the front door ajar. He pushed it all the way open and listened. His ears didn’t pick up any heartbeats in the house. The one thing he smelled was the coppery scent of blood. There wasn’t a lot of it, but it was October’s blood. A growl spilled over his lips, and the hairs stood up all over his body. His muscles trembled with the oncoming shift, but he had to fight it off until he figured out what had happened. Mika went into the dining room, where he smelled the most of October’s blood and saw the broken glass glistening in the moonlight. He hopped over it, avoiding it the best he 79



could, but still landed on a couple of shards. Below him he saw a naked form moving around near the bushes. He rushed down the stairs and saw Elliot crawling toward him. He fell to his knees, and Dawn was on the other side of him. Elliot grasped his hand and peered into his eyes.

“He took her. I tried to stop him, but he was too strong.”

“I know. Dawn patched me up. Do you know where he took her?” Elliot gasped when Dawn helped him sit up. Mika saw the scratches and bite marks where the other wolf had attacked him. “No. He knocked me out cold. I’m sorry. I tried. F*ck, Dawn. Watch what you touch.” He jerked away, but Dawn held his arm and pulled and twisted it. With a loud pop, it went back into place. His friend winced.

“Sorry, but it was starting to heal wrong. The rest of your wounds are superficial abrasions and already healing. Nothing to worry about.” Elliot got up and then looked at Mika. “What the f*ck happened to you?”

“I was coming back from the police station, and he was waiting for me in the middle of the road. I slammed on the brakes, car swerved and ended up in a ditch. He taunted me that he was going to take October. I woke up in Dawn’s office.”

“Good thing I found him too. He was bleeding out on the road, his throat nearly torn out.” Dawn plucked the shards of glass from his feet.

“I’m sure he’s grateful that you saved him.”

Mika felt like flipping him off, but he forced a smile while he scoured the ground for any sign of October or the way the kidnapper had gone. He noticed the depressed grass and how the branches were broken on a few trees. His hunter’s trained eye saw the human footprints in the scattered pine needles.

“Can you run?” Mika asked Elliot.

His friend got up and cracked his neck. “Of course I can. How are we going to track him if we can’t find his scent?” Mika got up and investigated the trail he had seen in the pine needles. He walked a few more feet and saw one of Elliot’s socks lying on the ground. He reached down and picked it up, only to notice it was still wet with blood. He 80



brought it to his nose, and instantly October’s scent assailed his senses.

When he looked down at the leaves, he saw the smattering of dark spots of her blood on the ground.

“What did you find?” Elliot asked.

He handed him the sock. “It seems she’s trying to leave us a trail. We have to get to her in time.”

“You’re in no position to shift, Mika,” Dawn chimed in.

He glanced at her and saw some concern in her eyes. That told him there was somewhere inside of her that still cared for him, but they would never have a future together. Besides, he wanted to be with October, and he would do anything to make sure she was safe. She was going to be the woman who bore his pups. That will never happen if we don’t get to her first. Every second we waste means that she is in more danger. He flashed Dawn a smile and then slipped out of the pants he wore. He tore the bandage from his neck, feeling the wounds flex with him as he moved his muscles. Dawn was going to say something, but he bounded off and felt the pain of the oncoming shift. It only took a few seconds between his feet touching the ground and him being on all fours. Mika hadn’t made it very far when he heard Elliot’s footsteps running next to him. And there was another pair. When he glanced over to his right, Dawn was there as well. He put his nose to the ground and inhaled October’s scent again. This time the coppery aroma of the blood was stronger than it had been when he was human.

He growled when he thought of what he was going to do with the a*shole who had kidnapped her once more. If he hurt her, I am going to rip his dick off. Regardless, I’m going to tear his throat out and make him wish he never thought of coming after me and mine.

The moon above gave them ample enough light to see by. It was close to full, anyway, and his wolf rejoiced in being free of the human flesh. Together they were stronger. Together they were going to avenge October and then beg her to stay with them and be their mate. The trail of blood led the trio deep into the woods, where he didn’t hunt. When he stopped, his sides were heaving. In the distance he heard the thundering sound of a waterfall. The blood trail had stopped in the middle of the forest. He glanced at Elliot, 81




wishing he could communicate with him, but being cut off from the pack didn’t allow him to. Elliot whined and then motioned he was going to head off to the left.

Dawn bit Mika’s tail to get his attention. He growled and felt the hair rise on his back. When he glanced in her direction, he saw a faint pair of footprints in the mud. She motioned she was going to explore around the area.

Mika looked closer and saw a crack in the ground. The way the pine needles and other debris were arranged on the forest floor weren’t natural.

He yipped a warning, but it was too late. Dawn stepped forward and then disappeared. He heard a yelp. Elliot bounced over carefully, and they both edged toward the hole. In the middle of the pit were jagged tree branches buried in the dirt as spikes.

Luckily Dawn had landed on the side, and her body had twisted enough that she wasn’t hit by any of them. It was obvious when she didn’t move right away she was hurt. Elliot shifted back and then poked him. Mika did the same.

“We have to get her out of there.”

“Yeah. And we have to save October.” Mika glanced around and saw another set of footprints leading further toward the waterfall he heard deeper in the woods. “Try to get her out of there. Go back for help if you need to.

Call in the pack. I don’t care at this point. I’m going after October.”

“Okay. But be careful.”

Mika nodded and ran off in the direction of the footprints. They led him closer to the falls. Then they stopped, and so did the trail of October’s blood.

He examined the ground and again saw a faint split in the soil that shouldn’t have been there. Mika listened harder, and he thought he heard a hum that wasn’t caused by the water rushing over the rocks of the nearby river. He bent down and noticed a small branch that was shaped like a handle. He grasped it, and he was able to pull it back, revealing a door. In the darkness, he heard a loud and long howl pierce the night air. Elliot was calling in the pack. It didn’t matter to him anymore if the pack was coming and they 82



punished him later. All that mattered was that October was going to be rescued and the man who stole her from them was going to be punished.

Before him was a staircase that led into a faint darkness. The overwhelming sense of danger washed over him, but he gritted his teeth and faced his fear to descend into whatever was awaiting him. He went down carefully, holding on to the railing, which was rotting away under his fingers.

The stairs had been reinforced with new wood where the foundation was crumbling. This has to be some cellar from an old house. I know they used to have houses back up here in the old days, but I never suspected anything like this.

When he reached the bottom, he entered a large room. Two hallways branched off the main room, leading left or right. Now that he was underground, he heard the hum of a generator. The air was heavy with the smell of the kerosene used to run it. Above him was a chandelier all lined with candles, and a rope that was tied off to the side, where someone would lower it. Underneath the chandelier were piles of wax from the candles. He sniffed and caught October’s scent. Lights flickered in the hallway, but none were in the great room. Mika caught the smells of other women who had come and gone through the room. He glanced around looking for a weapon, but saw none.

Mika looked down the left corridor and saw five doors scattered along both walls. Three of them were closed. When he checked down the right corridor, there was another large room at the end of the hall and only four doors on both walls. One was closed. He figured the open room at the end of the hall was where the generator was. He looked closer and saw more drops of blood going down the hallway. Shit. She could be in any of the rooms. He tried the left passage first. When he came to an open door, he saw an old mattress and a bucket thrown in the corner. Rusty manacles, like the ones used to bind October, hung on the walls. There was nothing strewn on the floor that he could use as a weapon.

He eased out of the room and passed the first closed door. He peered through the bars and saw a woman huddled in the corner. Mika tried the door, and she glanced over at him. A whimper left her lips.

“No more. Please.”

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“Shh. I’m here to help you. But you have to be quiet, okay?” He saw the hesitation in her eyes, but she nodded slowly. Her face was smeared with dirt. Her lip was swollen, and bruises adorned her arms. She wore nothing more than a red negligee, and that was torn. It revealed her legs, and he saw even more bruises. A pang of sympathy went through him knowing that October had to have endured the same treatment this poor creature had. It took everything in him to smile, press his finger to his lips, and then move away. As he inched closer to another open door, the stench was horrendous, like a dead animal. Inside were the remains of a woman strewn about the room. The wolf growled inside his head. In the two remaining cells, he found half-starved women huddled on the mattresses.

Another was rocking back and forth. Her eyes were glazed over. Mika shook his head and made his way silently back toward the other end of the passageway. He made it to the stairs, when a large red wolf bounded out before him, lips pulled back, showing its teeth, with its eyes glowing red. Its claws were fully extended. Behind the wolf was the man who had kidnapped October. He was bare-chested and wore nothing more than a loose pair of gray sweatpants.

“My, my. I thought it’d be the other one coming to look for her. You were as good as dead when I left you on the road. Guess you got some help.” Mika glanced at the other wolf. It didn’t look familiar to him. Still, he wasn’t letting the other beast out of his sight. He inched along the wall and felt something scrape along his back. He glanced up the stairs, the only way of escape, and saw the deteriorating railing. He gripped it behind his back and pulled. It gave way a little.

“Where’s October?”

The other man smiled smugly. “You don’t have anything to worry about.

She’s soon going to be all mine.”

He gritted his teeth and then pulled again, hoping the other two wouldn’t notice. He winced when he heard the groan of the wood. The wolf stepped closer. “She isn’t yours. If you did anything to her, I’ll rip your balls off.” He tugged again. This time the board came with him. He stepped forward at the same time the wolf sprang at him. Mika swung with all his might and hit the 84



wolf across the skull. The wolf dropped to the floor, and the piece of rotten railing splintered into a thousand pieces. The kidnapper growled, but Mika kept on running, head down, and tackled him. They both went down to the floor. The landing knocked the wind out of him, but he straddled him and began to pummel his face.

The kidnapper grabbed the place where he had bitten him and squeezed.

Bolts of white-hot pain seared his nerves, and he saw stars from the pain.

The other man hit him again across the nose and broke it. Mika concentrated through the agony and poured all of his energy into shifting one part of his body. His hand twisted. His fingers thinned, and his fingernails sharpened.

He slashed at the other man and caught him with his claws. The attacker staggered backward toward the center of the great room. Mika had gotten him across the chest, and he could see bone underneath. The other man looked down at his wounds and only smiled.

“You may think this will stop me, but it won’t. We have other holdings.

My partner will make sure the other girls will suffer for what you’ve done.


You can kill me, but you won’t stop us.”

Mika stood over him and growled. The rage that burned in him nearly blinded him. It took everything in him not to tear at this man’s throat.

“Where is she?”

“You must really love that tail. She’s by the generator, but be careful if you move her. The whole place could go boom. You really didn’t think that I was going to let you get away free and clear from this. None of you will get out of this alive,” the other man laughed.

Mika hit him across the face, and the kidnapper fell to the floor. Mika saw the other wolf was under the chandelier. He rushed toward the rope, and with one swipe, he cut it with his claws. The kidnapper looked up as the chandelier fell, pinning him underneath it. Mika waited for the dust to settle.

When he did, the other man was still breathing. A trickle of blood ran down the corner of his mouth. Mika stood over him and raised his hand for the killing strike, but it was caught. He turned around, ready to snap at whoever had stopped him, and saw Elliot, covered in mud and scraped up. It appeared he had gotten Dawn out of the pit.

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“Leave him. The pack is on the way. We want to make sure he gets justice for what he’s done.”

“What about the other one?” Mika asked.

His friend’s brows knitted together. “What other one?’

Mika glanced back to where the wolf had been lying. The body had vanished. F*ck! “His accomplice. There was a red wolf just there.” He pointed to the pool of blood near the right hallway. “Didn’t you see him when you came down here?”

“No. There wasn’t anyone else. We’ll find him, don’t worry. Go get October and see if she’s okay.”

Mika nodded and ran down the hallway. He heard October’s distinct heartbeat, and it was hammering in her chest. When he got into the room, she looked up. The stench of the kerosene was overwhelming and made his eyes water. Piled in the corner were other buckets and a couple of shovels.

He saw some other tools, but could only guess what they were for. His heart dropped when he saw his beloved. She was covered in bruises, and there was a gag in her mouth. Mika dropped to his knees and gently pulled the gag from her mouth. Her eyes were wide, and her lip was puffy from where she had been hit. Her arm was sliced open. She was pale, but she was awake. Her shirt had been ripped open, exposing her breasts, and there were superficial scratches running over her chest. She was tied to a pole. He reached for the ropes.

“Stop. There’s a bomb.”

He glanced behind her and saw the thin wires lying on top of the loose earth. He followed the wires and discovered the generator was full to the brim. On the back side was a bundle of dynamite attached to a cell phone.

There was a timer next to it with only thirty seconds on the display. Oh shit.

He traced the wires back to a plate that October was sitting on. They had to get her out of there.

“I’m not going to let anything happen to you. You’re not going to die in this place.”

A tear slid down her cheek. “You need to go.”

“No. I won’t leave you here. Did he bite you?” 86



“No. Just the scratches.”

Mika nodded more to himself than to her. “Good. Then he didn’t infect you. Do you know anything about the other wolf, his partner that was with him?”

October shook her head. “No. I never saw his face. He was rougher with the girls. They screamed and died quicker. He came for me once, but the other got to him first and said I was off-limits. He got the left hallway.

Sometimes I wished I was his so he would just let me die.”

“Shh. Don’t worry about it. I’m going to be right back.”

“Okay.”

Mika returned to Elliot, who was with Cooper. He saw other wolves opening up the cells in the right hallway, freeing the other women in them.

The pack leader looked up at him. “You catch this one?”

“Yeah. I thought I had his partner too, but he got away.” The kidnapper chuckled and shook his head. For the first time, Mika saw how truly mad he was.

“You’ll never find him. And the best part of it is, he’s been among you all along.”

Cooper grabbed the other man’s face and pulled him closer. “What do you mean? Who is your partner?”

“I’ll never tell.”

Cooper gripped the man’s face and growled, “Tell me!” The other man spit on the pack leader. He wiped the spittle from his face and then slugged him.

“Take him upstairs and let the others bring him back into town. Help bring the remaining victims to safety. Be quick about it. See they are cared for. The same with Dawn,” he said to Elliot. Cooper glanced at Mika. “Is your girl back there?”

Mika nodded. “Yeah. But there’s a bomb. I’m not sure I can move her.” He led Cooper back into the room at the end of the hall. October looked up at him with a hopeful light in her eye and a small smile.

Cooper glanced at her and then to the setup. He knelt down and picked up the wires. “This isn’t good. If we move her, the timer will be triggered.” 87



Mika stayed with her and kissed the top of her head.

“How much do you weigh?” Cooper asked.

October blushed and then glanced at Mika. “One thirty. One forty. I don’t know. I haven’t been on a scale in a while. You know, being a prisoner and all.”

The pack leader grunted and then left the room. Mika stayed behind and chuckled.

October glanced at him. “What’s so funny?”

“Just how you are with him. He hates attitude of any kind.”

“Let me guess, he’s the type of guy who thinks he can look at someone and they will bow down and suck his dick, right?”

“Actually, I prefer a hand job rather than a blow job. Maybe when you get out of here, you can give it a try.” Cooper came back in carrying a woman over his shoulder.

“What do you think you’re doing? You can’t substitute another life for hers.”

“Relax. This one was already dead. I’d say within the past hour or so. She seems to be about your weight. I don’t know how long we have, but when we switch, we have to run like hell.”

“Do you think it’ll work?” Mika asked.

Cooper shrugged. “I have no idea. I’m going off an Indiana Jones movie here. I’m not a bomb expert.

Samuel never showed up, and he’s the only one who had training with this kind of thing. We try it or we leave your girl down here.” Mika glanced at October. “Do it,” she said. “I’m not going to die down here no matter what. He won’t get the better of me.” She held up her bound hands, and Mika sliced through the rope. He carefully undid the bindings around her. Cooper knelt down next to them.

Mika glanced at the pack leader and then nodded.

At the same moment, he scooped up October, and then Cooper set the body on the plate. It all seemed seamless. They glanced at one another. Mika heard a faint click.

“We gotta go!” Cooper yelled and took off down the hallway.

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They raced against time. The first explosion rocked the cellar. Mika was halfway up the stairs when he felt the heat of the flames. October whimpered, but he made it up another couple of steps before he leaped to solid ground and landed safely. The rest of the pack was nowhere around. He tried to catch his breath, but felt the earth rumbling beneath his feet. He and Cooper met eyes and then kept on running. They didn’t stop until they were safely away from the cellar and Cooper had rejoined the other wolves. Dawn was looking over the girls, who were being cared for by other members of the pack. Mika set October down. She looked up at him and then went over to Elliot and kissed him. A pang of jealousy went through Mika, and he couldn’t help the small growl that escaped his chest.


“If you love her, then you’ll figure a way to work it out. You have to fight our instincts.” Cooper motioned toward them.

“I don’t want to lose her because I’m being an ass. Thank you for coming.”

Cooper eyed him. “You have more balls than I gave you credit for. You did something that even my best hunters couldn’t. I’ll take that into consideration when I meet with the council. Maybe we can think about reversing the decision about you being banned from the pack.” Mika nodded, not sure what else to say. He had never expected any praise from the pack leader. Cooper walked away. Mika joined Elliot and October. He ran his fingers over her face and then looked at Elliot. His friend’s muscles were tensed as if he was waiting for Mika to strike out at him.

He offered his hand to Elliot. The other man smiled and then pulled him into a hug.

“Why don’t we get October back home and get her cleaned up? I think our girl needs to get some rest.”

October glanced at both of them. “I’d like that.” Mika kissed her cheek. He would do anything to keep her happy. Even work out whatever schedule they needed so the three of them could be with one another. However it was going to work out, he would make an effort for the love of the woman who was with him.

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