Chapter 54

“NO!”

Cassidy yelled at the same time the gun went off. It wasn't much, but it was enough time for James to be watching her face, see her emotions change from pleasure to fear as she locked onto the weapon. He turned his head to see what she was looking at and when he seen the gun, he grabbed Cassidy roughly by her arms and prayed she would be safe as he dove into the water taking her with him.

She wasn't expecting to go below the water again and was at least able to hold her breath just as James was taking her under. The gunshot had been loud, ringing her ears and as James pulled her to the deepest water along the rock face behind the waterfall, five more shots were heard as the gun discharged into the water.

Cassidy and James stayed under until she couldn't hold her breath any more. She surfaced along with James, he lifting her up onto the small rock shelf just under the waters surface so she wouldn't have to fight the current from the falls. Cassidy was shaking as she looked through the curtain of water, her heart racing. “They shot you…” she said when she looked down at James, a line of flesh missing from his shoulder where the bullet that had been meant for his heart just grazed him. Had he turned the other way… they would probably not be having any kind of conversation just now.

“She…” James corrected her and grunted, looking at his shoulder where he had been shot as he hung onto the wall.

“She?” Cassidy asked. She hadn't paid attention to who was shooting the gun. All she had seen was the weapon pointed at the two of them before she was forced under the water.

“Yes. She. It was Jennifer.” He said with a little ache in his voice. Despite the jealous she-wolf acting out before, James had always been somewhat of a friend to her. Once Cassidy came alone, he had done nothing but bark and snarl and banish her from his home for her actions. Aside from being a friend… she was pack. With what she had just tried to accomplish, whether she was aiming for him or Cassidy, just signed her death warrant. ► Jennifer Marston… Is kill on sight. She just tried to murder the Luna or myself at Bear Falls. Six rounds fired. Find her and kill her. ◄ James said aggressively to his Beta, Gamma, brothers and captions of his guard, the anger he felt reflecting on his face for a moment before Cassidy lightly touched his cheek.

Cassidy wasn't shocked when James said it had been the she-wolf. She had heard tales from her grandfather and Jett of the rivalry and jealousy that can happen between she-wolves going after the same male. “We cant stay here James. We need to get home. Quickly. Before she comes back to finish what she started.” She said just loud enough to be heard above the rush of water. She wanted to get James to the pack hospital before he went out hunting Jennifer. His wound wasn't healing right and it kept a steady stream of blood dripping from it into the water that worried her more than the threat of a crazy she-wolf.

“It was silver. The bullets. Its why it isn't healing.” James said with clenched teeth before he looked out past the water. “You stay here. I'm going to go and make sure the coast is clear. I will come back for you.” He said without giving her any say on what he was going to do. It was dangerous, he could be walking right into a trap blind but it was a risk he was going to have to take to try and get Cassidy out of there alive.

Just as she told him no and to wait, he let go of the wall, diving back down under the falls and disappearing from Cassi’s sight much to her distress. She had no link to Jett let alone the pack and was unaware of what he had said to them. What was only minutes felt like hours until James returned back to the ledge under the water.

“Come on… I cant find her anywhere around but she is masking her scent somehow. As soon as you hit dry land, shift and run. Run home as fast as you can. Understand?” he asked, taking ahold of Cassidy’s hand and giving it an encouraging squeeze. When she looked like she was about to argue with him, he shook his head. “I will be right with you. Run. Do you understand?” he asked again and once Cassidy reluctantly nodded, James helped her back down into the water and under the falls.

Cassidy’s heart was slamming in her chest once she broke the surface of the water. She swam as fast as she could over to the shore and true to her word, she shifted half in and half out of water. Fear and tension strangled her, she expecting a gun shot at any moment now That they were out in the open. Cassidy got out of the water, fully transformed into her wolf, her bright eyes looking back to James. Satisfied, seeing he was shifting as well, she took off back the way they came, running as fast as her legs could travel.

She broke right through the tripwire, not paying any attention or looking for it on her way back and soon after, James was caught up and running beside of her. Halfway back, Cassidy could feel the units of wolves they passed, the men on the way to the falls to track down Jennifer and bring justice for her betrayal at their Alpha’s orders. They met up with Hunter who shifted and took a knee before her and James, breathing fairly hard from how fast he had been running to catch up with the other wolves.

“Half the men are out looking. We will find her.” He said and looked up with a frown, his eyes tracking the small splatters of blood along the ground back to his brother. “Get that taken care of James.” He said as if he was ordering his older brother around which earned him a low snarl from James before the Alpha nudged Cassidy back towards the pack and hunter went on his way.

The pair ran until they were back in the back yard of the pack house where they had left their clothes well hidden within the trees. Shifting, Cassidy went to James’ clothes first.

“What are you doing? I can dress myself.” James growled at Cassidy in annoyance when she intended on helping him into his clothes, holding his pants for him to get into.

“Dont be stubborn.” She growled right back at him. “You are hurting. I can see it in your face and the way you carry your arm. You don't have to be the unbreakable Alpha BlackStone around me James. Now get these pants on.” She ordered and he obeyed, grumbling the entire time.

“Get in the pack house.” James said once he had his sweats on and Cassidy had pulled on her own dress. “Jett will guard you while I am at the hospital.” He said as he put a hand to her lower back to escort her in through the back where they had left earlier. He got her inside and grabbed her by the hand, turning her to face him for a moment, his expression full of guilt. “I'm sorry Cassi… She ruined-”

“Hush. She didn't ruin anything. Our time together was wonderful and no one can take that away from us.” Cassidy said and smiled, leaning up on tiptoe, giving him a loving kiss. “I'm just glad she missed. Your mother wouldn't forgive me if you were late to dinner. Now go get your arm fixed up.” She said to James with a soft smile.

James stared down at Cassidy, disbelieving how this small slip of a she-wolf could take such a bad situation and make it good. And then joke about it to ease his own stress. He grinned down at her and returned the favor with a brief kiss back. “Gods help me woman. There is no one else like you.” He said and led her to the gathering room where Jett was waiting.

Leaving Cassidy in Jett’s care, James quickly left the pack house again out the front towards the hospital. Except instead of going straight down to the town and the road, he turned and went right back into the forest.

If anyone was going to hunt the she-wolf down… it was going to be him.