The Taking

Chapter 29

[Celeste]

"For god's sake wake up!" Someone yelled.

His voice sounded familiar, I swear I knew who it was that was yelling at me, but my eyes refused to open. My chest felt like it's been punched by a mallet and it hurts to merely breath. My clothes were soaking wet that my body was violently shivering.

"Wake up, wake up!" The voice repeated. "You're not dead, damn it, so don't act like you are!" He sounded aggravated. "If we don't find a good place to hide, we will both be dead!"
What was he talking about?
From the distance I could hear the sound of gun shots echoing from the distance. My subconsciousness thought maybe I was still dreaming, so I kept still. Assessing every inch of my body, I felt that Everything was fine--nothing broken. I was still alive. I could still feel my fingers and toes, but they were numb from the cold. The last last memory I had was drowning at the lake and thinking about Greyson.
"Greyson."
The word just came out of my lips, I didn't realize I had said it out load.
"Yes! Finally, you are awake!" The man sighed in relief. "For a second I thought I'd have to perform CPR on you but I don't exactly know how to do that."
The person hastily pulled me up by my wrists in a sitting position and when he did I felt every inch of pain in my lungs. I started coughing violently and I could feel the remaining bits of water I swallowed from the lake earlier clogging my air pipe.
"Hey, are you okay?" He asked, while pulling my wrists to get me to stand up.
"Sto-
I tried telling him to stop pulling on my arm but I coughed again, spitting out the last bits of water from my throat.
"We can't stay here, it's dangerous. Can you hear those gun shots?! One of those bullets could send us to an early grave."
My eyes finally opened but it took a while for my vision to focus. Unfortunately, when it finally did I wished I had kept my eyes closed.
"What the...why are you naked?!" I screamed. I slapped his hands away from me and I bragged my butt as far as I could away from the crazy ass nude man.
Oh my god, this freak must be big foot! Werewolves are real; who would have thought big foot was too!
He had short curls of hair across his chest, but I didn't want to look anywhere south from there. Immediately, I covered my eyes and tired to get myself up on both feet to run from this man.
He looked down and cursed. "I forgot my clothes." He said more to himself.
I moved a few feet farther but my back hit a bush and I squeaked grabbing his attention.
His brows arched. "Hey, do you think I'm going to hurt you?"
"What am I supposed to think when a naked man forces me awake in the middle of the woods? I was also kidnapped by my deranged grandfather!" I shuddered at the reminder.
Where was Remington anyway? I bet he assumes I'm already dead. I never want to see that man again.
"I'm not going to hurt you." He exclaims and puts both his palms up in surrender.
"Wow, buddy!" I cover my eyes. "Can you please hide that thing?!"
He realizes his state of undress again. "Shit, where did I leave my pants?"
His comment made me shudder. Why was this man naked in the first place? I didn't trust him and there was no way I was going to let him less than three feet next to me.
"Listen, I know these woods like the back of my hand." Lie. "I can get myself out of here and in safe hands without you. You were the one that saved me from drowning?"
He looked at me annoyed, but nodded his head. "yeah..."
"I am grateful to you for saving my life. If there's anyway I can repay you, I'll do it in some other time. We can exchange numbers and get in touch, yeah?"
It didn't look like he had a phone on him, thank goodness and I obviously didn't have a phone on me. If I had one, it would have died in the lake anyway.
"My name is Marty!" He yelled.
I paused for a second to figure out where I had heard that name before.
"Marty from town. Marty of the long line of Martys'. I come from a long line of tracking wolves and I found you using my nose!" He laughed like an idiot for a few seconds. "I can't believe I found you and in a lake! It's usually impossible for wolves to track people when they've been in water, but I found you!" He seemed proud of himself.
He continued talking on and on and eventually I recognized him.
Marty the shop keeper.
What a small world. The most random person ends up saving my life...naked.
"Wow there." I stop him from his ongoing rant. "I remember you. You're a werewolf right?"
"How do you think I got naked?"
"Right."
"We were looking for you and-
"Who is 'we'." I interject,
"Greyson, Leo-
"Greyson!" I interject him again which looks like I pissed him off a little.
"Why does everyone always cut me off?" He groans and tilts his head up in frustration.
Again I shield my eyes. "Can you please contain that thing?"
He looks down again. "Oops, sorry." He turns around an I get a perfect view of his behind. I think I'm going to gag.
We both hear another gun shot but this time it's closer.
"What's going on?" I ask him frantic.
"I'm not sure. I heard the shots the same time I reached your scent. My wolf took over and all I concentrated on was finding you because my alpha had ordered it."
"Did't you say, Greyson was with you?"
He nods. "He was following me."
"So you mean he is there in front of the gun fire!" The image of Greyson getting shot again makes every inch of my blood turn cold. "We have to get him out of there!" I scream.
Without thought, I quickly get on my feet and head towards the direction of the bullet noise.
"Are you crazy! People usually run and scream away from danger!" He grabs my arm firmly so that I can't shake it off.
"Greyson is there! I have to be with him." I didn't need an excuse. I knew deep in my bones I had to be right next to him.
"He can take care of himself!" Marty said.
"And how would you know that?" I hissed. "He's already hurt, how is he able to take care of himself?" I challenged.
"He's my future alpha. He can manage." The sheer confidence in Marty's eyes made me speechless. It must be a pack thing; all wolves trusted the leadership of their alpha. They treated Bennett like their leader and they look up to Greyson because he will one day take up that position.
Seeing this, I finally understand why Greyson is so devoted to his pack. These people depend on him to keep them at peace as a community and a family.
Remembering how much Greyson has neglected his duties as the future-alpha to spend more time with me shows how much he thinks I am important to him.
Although he hasn't said it.
He loves me to in his own weird ways.
A little flutter warmed my heart and it made me so much more determined to be by his side right now.
"Marty, take me to him. He needs to know I'm alright. How can he think straight if he still thinks I'm in danger."
Marty's expression looked like he was arguing with himself. "Alright, but as soon as he sees you, we leave."
"Fine by me."
"This way, I can sense him that way." He pointed to the right and without warning he shifted into his wolf and ran.
Stupid wolf didn't realize, i can't catch up with him in his wolf speed.
"Marty!" I yelled. "I only have two feel here!"
He turns his large head back and doesn't watch were he's going. He ends up tripping and rolling like a pinwheel, crashing into a tree trunk.
"Marty," I scream and run to his side.
He's lying on his back with all fours up, panting.
"Are you okay?" I ask.
He whimpers and his large brown eyes stare at me like a lost puppy.
"Oh boy...you are really clumsy huh?"
To my utter surprise the big wolf starts crying and I find myself wondering how to consult him. So I started awkwardly petting his head.
"Hey, hey, why are you crying?" That makes him whimper loader. To me, he sounded like a hungry panda. "Are you hurt anywhere?" I said with a kind motherly voice. HIs reaction was to place his head on my thigh which freaked me out because if he were in his man form right now, the scene would look inappropriate.
Thank goodness Greyson couldn't see this.
"Come on, pull yourself together. What would your Alpha think if he saw you like this?" I said, hoping maybe that would brighten him up and it did.
His body stood up straight and his nose lifted to the sky and began sniffling. He looked at me with a different face. Follow me. Was what I thought he was implying.
This time he walked in a slower pace for me to keep up.
As we continued walking the sound of the gun shots subsided.
I took a couple steps closer to stand next to Marty when he stopped in his tracts at a clearing that lead back to the lake. We were invisible behind the shadow of the trees.
The lake was rather large, so we couldn't see the full scope of the body of water. While I viewed the vast landscape, Marty disappeared behind a tree to shift. He came back with a broken tree branch hiding his...lower region.
"I forgot where I put my clothes." He said.
"Is this where Greyson is?" I asked.
"I sense him in the area but we are stopping here because it's a safe place for us to hide. I'd fairly new to this tracking thing so I can't pin point his exact location, but he is here."
"But you found me...submerged under water." I pointed out. "You should be able to find him now."
He shook his head. "That was a miracle that I found you in time. My wolf took over that time and lead me to you, but I don't know how to do it again. So don't ask me to try."
"Okay...so are we just going to wait here until Greyson shows up?"
"Most likely. The gun shots are gone, but that doesn't mean we are safe."
The sound of growls radiated across the lake. I turned my head and searched for any sign of a fluff of black fur.
"Was that Greyson?" I asked Marty.
"No...that wasn't him. I know his tone by memory, I know that isn't him."
"Leo...maybe it's him."
He shook his head again. "It's not him, or his brother. As a pack, we are able to recognize each others tones even though we may not know each other more than acquaintances. That growl wasn't anyone I recognize."
Maybe it could be Remington.
"Marty, you can find things right?"
"Yeah." He wasn't going to like what I was about to ask.
"Can you track down the location of the gun?"
Where the gun was, the shooter will be and hopefully that would lead us to Greyson.
"Oh-no! Are you crazy!?"
"Probably..." I smirked, because I couldn't believe myself either.
"Hell no, if something happened to you...the future alpha's mate, I would be on my way to death row." He shook his hid vigorously that I thought I could actually see his eyeballs shaking too. "I'll have you know...Greyson threatened to kick me out of the pack if I didn't find you!"
That sounded a little extreme, however the thought Greyson losing his cool over me made me feel giddy.
I really missed him. For the past few weeks we never been this far apart for so long. His duties were usually no longer than three hours and as soon as he was free we would spend most of the day together. He always kept me company to make sure I was never board or uncomfortable.
"He said he would exile me from town!" "Greyson was kidding." I snort. He would never lash out at a pack member. When I was with him he was always so kind, except when Leo ticked him off.
"No! The man looked like he was going to throw me off a cliff! As alpha, he was able to control his temper, but I could see how much he wanted to let his wolf loss. He was so upset over you being taken from him. I can't blame him; you are his mate. I wouldn't be surprised if he decided to lock you up after he sees you again. You have him tied to your little finger. He would destroy mountains for you if you'd ask him."
His comment made my face fluster. "Was he really that upset?"
Marty took a long hard breath and exhaled. "If you can't see how much that boy has it hard for you, then you my dear, are as thick headed as an iron block. Coming from me-it means a lot!"
Speechless, I stared into space thinking about when I would be able to see Greyson again and tell him I'm okay; there was no need to worry, or threaten pack members to leave town.
I chuckled mentally. When I see him, I should tell him how much he sounded kind of like his dad. He would frown at me for it.
Marty turned his head off to the side and his brows pulled together in concentration.
"Marty what is it?" I asked.
"Shhh...I sense something coming this way."
I turn my head to the direction he was focusing on. "Is it someone you recognize?"
"It's a new scent." He said silently. ""Get behind me." He instructed.
The seriousness to his tone made me feel uneasy. "Should I hide?"
"That would be a good idea."
There was no were to actually hide. The trees maybe, but they didn't provide very much coverage and the bushes were out of the question-they were too small. Besides, if the incomers were werewolves, they could easily sniff me out.
"Maybe I should jump into the water?"
"No. You just recently almost drowned in there. Do you think I would risk you going back in there?"
I rolled my eyes. Will I live the rest of my life with over protective males? I will have to get used to it.
"Hurry, I sense them coming closer!"
Unfortunately, I had slow reaction time. While unsuccessfully climbing up a tree, a man appeared out of no wear staring at me with his head tilted to the side assessing my action like a exhibit animal. His hands were locked behind his back and he stood with his feet spread wide apart very intimidatingly. He was rather tall,fair skinned and red haired. His piercing blue eyes looked me up and down, then narrowed at the sight of Marty.
"Who are you?" Marty placed himself between me and the strange man.
The man lifted his chin and continued staring down at us.
"Who are you?" Another voice asked.
Behind the tall man a much younger guy appeared. He looked to be about my age, maybe younger, but he was rather skinny and everything from his snarky tone, waist tucked t-shirt and cleft chin screamed spoiled brat.
"He asked first." I shot back.
The shorter boy glared at me. "I wasn't talking to you, human."
Marty tensed in front of me. "That's not how you treat a lady."
"That's how you treat a human." The boy spat and I swear I wanted to kick him in the groin, but there was no doubt the tall guy would stop me.
"Why are you in this territory?" Marty asked. Beneath his tone, I could here a small volume of his wolf coming out.
"I thought...this was a human only territory." The boy scowled. "It appears, there are others like us."
The taller man remained unmoved. He was like a statue. He too was wearing a tucked t-shirt under his pants, except, he covered it up with a coat jacket. The two were too formal for a trip into the woods.
"You don't smell rogue." The boy commented.
"And you don't smell like a man. What is that perfume?" Marty mocked.
The boy's teeth clenched and suddenly his eyes dilated. "Watch your mouth old man. I'll have you know, I am a future alpha. My name is Gregory Tort."
"Listen, Tart-
"It's TORT." The boy fumed.
"Whatever...you are in my Alpha's territory, so you better scurry out of here before he kicks you out himself."
"We had no knowledge of a claimed territory in these parts. I would like to meet your alpha before I leave. This shocking news will be of interest to the other pack territories. My friend and I were patrolling our usual routes and suddenly we felt something kind of odd in this direction. We decided to investigate."
Oh shit.
Wasn't Bennett always anal about something like this happening? This situation just had to get worse.
"My alpha is a rather busy person." Marty said.
"Aren't we all." Gregory rolled his eyes. "I demand to see him." He literally stomped his feet.
"I'm the alpha of this territory." A loud authoritative voice sounded from behind them.
Bennett stood meters away with Robert and a group of men crowding behind them. Not more than seven, but their presence made the forest seem a little smaller. The air around us suddenly turned electric.
"State your name." Gregory ordered.
For a younger guy, he wasn't faltered by Bennett's monstrous glare.
"Alpha Bennett and this territory is mine. You do not belong here."
"Why have I only heard of you now." Gregory probed.
"You're not important enough to know who I am." The half smile on Bennett's face meant he wanted to pick a fight. His pupils shifted to me and what looked like relief washed through his features. "Celeste, thank god you are okay!"
Ignoring Gregory and the other guy, Bennett bypassed around them and firmly wrapped his arms around me as making sure I wasn't hurt.
"Where is Remington? How did you escape him? And why are you with Marty?" He asked another set of questions but those three were the only things I grasped, because he said them so fast.
"Remington tried drowning me in the lake; Marty saved me before I drowned."
Bennett gave Marty a sincere gaze and grasped his shoulder. "Thank you, thank you, Marty...I never doubted your abilities. I knew someday you would find your inner wolf someday and perform a brave such as this. Your actions will not be left forgotten, I promise you. Your family will be so proud."
Marty looked like he was about to burst into tears again. "Thank you, Sir. It means a lot hearing you say that."
"Umm...hello. I'm still standing here!" Gregory yelled.
Bennett snapped his head to the side to growl at the younger guy without letting me go. He kept his arm lazily around my shoulders as if afraid I would disappear again. "I don't have time to deal with you right now, kid. I have a pest problem and he's been causing trouble on my pack for almost three and a half decades. Can you wait a little while before we talk."
Gregory snapped and he leaned forward as if getting ready to lunge.
"Gregory," The tall man finally spoke. "We can't cause trouble. Your father wouldn't like it."
Gregory hissed and relaxed, standing with his arms crossed over his shoulders. "Fine." He sighed, then addressed Bennett. "If this problem of your were to be solved, then would you answer all my questions?"
"Maybe." Bennett responded.
"Dillion and I will wait, but we will join you on your mission."
"Whatever, just don't interfere," Bennett said. "Robert, assign some guards to watch over Celeste."
Robert nodded and looked over his shoulder to two men. They immediately walked to my side.
"Celeste, these two are Max and Levi. If you remember a few weeks ago, they were newly shifted wolves. They just finished the first part of their training and are now under Robert's care as they graduate from pups to full fledged pack wolves. Your brother will go through this training when he is ready."
"oh." Was all I could say.
Someone's stare was burning a hole at the back of my head. Gregory was now curious about me.
"What are you looking at?" Bennett noticed this too.
"Who is she?" Gregory rudely pointed at me.
"She's...none of your business. Aren't you supposed to keep your trap shut until we deal with our problem?"
Gregory growled again, but was cut off my his friends hand pushing him back.
"We will just observe." Dillion said firmly.
He reminded me of a robot the way he spoke. There was never an expression on his face and I was curious to know if the man had feelings at all.
"Marty, how did you end up looking for Celeste?" Bennett asked.
"He and Robert's sons came to my shop and demanded me to help them look for her. We got separated during the gunfire, but I was able to find Celeste."
"Thank god for that or I think I would have died." I commented for Marty's sake. He needed more praise; I couldn't thank the guy enough. Bennett should give him his own town holiday, or a medal of honor!
"Good job, man! I never knew you had it in you!" Robert clapped Marty hard behind his back and Marty lost his grip on his bush, hiding his lower regions.
Bennett shielded my eyes just in time and I heard a crowd of collective groans. "Someone get him some pants."
"Here, take this." I think three men said at the same time.

"Alpha, what do we do next?" Someone-Robert I think-asked.
When Bennett removed his hand from my eyes, Marty was sporting a pair of camouflage pants that were a little too big on him.
"We look for my son. He maybe injured but he's stubborn. He thinks he can deal with that rogue by himself. I blame myself for raising him to be overly confident. My wife has always pestered me for it. Now I think she's right."
"After we find him, how are we going to deal with the rogue?"
"What we will do is form a blockade around the perimeter of the lake, we need to make sure that Remington doesn't slip past our grasps ever again. Then we will take him down for good. He won't be able to hurt anyone in my family again. From there we can figure the rest out." He eyed the two foreigners.
All the men nodded in agreement. Bennett gave each of them a location around the lake to position.
"Alpha Bennett, what can I do?" Marty said enthusiastically.
For once, he actually looked eager to do something.
Bennett grinned at him. "You're going to be using your nose again."
The smile on Marty's face wavered. "Again...?"
"What's with the frown, you are a tracker aren't you? Finding Greyson won't be so hard."
Marty's face looked white as a sheet. He chuckled dryly. "Right."
"Umm...Marty and I heard gun shots." I stressed the word gun to remind Marty of our earlier conversation. "Remington has a gun and he must have fired it at Greyson again. I'm worried that Greyson might be hurt again."
Marty's eyes widened in understanding. "Right! There was a gun!"
Bennett placed his hand over my shoulder blades and patted my back gently the way my father used to do. The familiar sensation almost made me want to cry.
"Greyson is okay. I'm sure of it. My son is solid as steel, he won't let anything kill him. Not when he has finally found you. Cheer up, we can't have you frowning when that time comes. You need to give him the biggest smile when you see him."
I nod smiling. "Okay, I will." Then Greyson and I can start over. This time I will be the kind of girl that deserves him.

NOTE: Dec 24, 2016

HAPPY HOLIDAYS YOU FREAKISHLY AMAZING PEOPLE!!! I'M BACK!!! I've graduated and I'm ready to write again after a year of constant chaos. I have edited this book again so you will find some changes to the style of writing. This book has been closed off from the public but I have made it visible once more. SO YOU BETTER BE GRATEFUL, you marshmallows! Let's make one thing clear though IF YOU COPY MY BOOK...I WILL FIND YOU.

BE WARNED. xo