Cursing and growling drifted up to Lucas' sensitive lycan ears even with his music playing. He turned down the volu, tilting his head to get a better listen. Was he imagining it? He padded out onto the deck in his bare feet.
Zoe was back to sitting in her chair staring out into the cross section of woods that was visible this high. Her vision had always been very good, and right now she was watching one solitary golden leaf rocking with the breeze, clinging on to its tree in a futile refusal to submit to the season.
It would fall, just like all of the rest of them. Why wouldn't it just let go?
She beca aware of Lucas' presence after he stood frozen by the railing, focusing on sothing below. It was the tension in his body that drew her attention.
"Is sothing down there?"
"Fuck," he cursed to himself. "It's Andreas."
He heard the girl's breath hitch and beco shallow as she drew her legs up into herself—making herself smaller.
"It will be okay. Stay here," he growled as he passed her, grabbing his phone in the living room and placing a call to Grae on his way to the door.
The other male picked up on the first ring.
"Andreas is here at the treehouse, but for so reason he's pacing down below."
Grae cursed on the other end of the line and then proceeded to give a brief explanation of Maggie's enchantnt. Lucas couldn't help but chuckle. So the elder was stuck, prevented from coming any further.
"Should I go down and confront him?" Lucas asked, poised at the top of the stairs leading around the tree.
"No, Sam and I will be there."
"Oh wait," Lucas pulled the phone away from his ear and listened to the movents of Andreas down below. "He's leaving."
"Well there's only one place he will go. Thanks, Lucas," Grae grunted before hanging up and turning to his Beta. They were still at Sylvia's, though he and Sam had moved into the front crystal room as soon as Lucas' na ca up on the phone.
"Pack house?" Sam asked.
Grae nodded. "He still practically lives there. There is nowhere else he would go, especially if he failed to retrieve Zoe."
"So he knows she is cooperating with us. What will he do?"
"We're going to have to throw him in the dungeon after all," Grae growled. "Just so he doesn't get any stupid ideas. Who knows what a cornered Andreas will resort to."
"Greta and August?" Sam's eyebrows shot up in question.
"We can et them afterwards. It won't take long."
Grae peered back into the middle room where everyone was still seated and caught his mate's eyes. She was glowing so beautifully in the dim light—like an artist's rendition of so celestial being or goddess set against the night sky. His expression softened, and he tilted his head, gesturing for her to co to him.
She stood, graceful and flowing in her approach, and he had to swallow back the instant desire that arose as she did—his eyes taking in every ripple of movent from the sway of her hips to the swing of her arms… the subtle brush of hair against her cheeks and shoulders…
"What is it?" the soft, searching concern tugged him free of his distraction, and he grabbed her hand to lead her back into the glittering room of crystals and plants.
"Andreas showed up at the treehouse, so he knows Zoe is out and talking with us. We are going to put him in the dungeon just to be safe. It shouldn't take long," the depth carved with his voice sought to shelter and protect—to reassure. 'I am leaving, but not for long. You are safe.'
She seed to hear that which was deeply felt but left unspoken; despite the news, a small smile curved on her face, and the blush that he loved returned to her cheeks.
"Will you be okay?" she asked, reaching for him and gravitating toward the warmth of his chest, but sohow it was him who was being held and reassured this ti.
"Will I be okay?" he chuckled, smoothing her hair and letting his chin rest atop her head. "Do you have your phone?"
She nodded against him.
"We will catch up with you at Ethel and Agnes', but if anything else happens, I'll call you. So don't leave your phone lying in the woods sowhere," he teased. She seed to always misplace or lose things—like her cara.
She giggled. "Okay. We will be fine."
"You better be fine. You said we would have tonight," he breathed into her hair.
"And we will, Bun," she chuckled and withdrew her heat from him.
After the rest of the females as well as Sage were filled in with the reason for their departure, Grae and his Beta left to make the short trek to the pack house.
The pack's excitent was palpable as they passed the road to the market. Pups were whooping and laughing, chasing each other with lanterns and wooden horses covered in sheets and eating snacks that would spoil their dinner.
Pumpkins and gourds were piled on hay bails further into the vendor area. There was a scent Grae picked up that was only ever detectable on these few days surrounding Samhain. Like most scents, it was complicated—the separate origins not easy to parse, but it elicited an excitent in him every ti with the nostalgia that accompanied it.
He had been a pup darting around these woods, seeking mysteries and excitent and relishing in the ritual of sothing sacred that ca only once a year. It made the hair on his arms bristle with excitent, regardless of the task that he and Sam were set to complete at the mont. If anything, it actually added to it.
He and Sam were out to track a monster this Samhain—one that he would have never expected. One that had been living amongst them all along.
Saliva pooled in his mouth and a growl puttered in his throat in anticipation.. The hunt was on.
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