Chapter 58

Kane watched the man drive up. Mud flew from the big truck’s tires. The stranger couldn’t have been older than forty. Being right about the location of this meeting didn’t resolve the mystery of what the kid wanted and how he knew Bianca was Kane’s daughter.

Kane never moved as the vehicle stopped just inches in front of him. Crossing his arms over his chest, he stared down the driver who glared back at him. The driver got out, walked over, and pulled a wicked-looking machete from his belt.

Kane’s brow rose. I’ve never seen a wolf carry a knife. Interesting. Kane smelled wolfsbane on the blade.

They didn’t speak for a long moment, and then the man’s lips twisted in a malicious grin. “Your daughter is very beautiful. I’m looking forward to carving her face off.”

Even with all the practice keeping his expression impartial, Kane couldn’t stop his flinch. “I don’t have a daughter. Finn Montgomery, I presume.”

“You’re here, aren’t you? We both know what’s true. You murdered my father. You impregnated a human. You have something I want. Those are the truths we need to discuss.”

Kane’s eyes narrowed. “Your father was an interloper. You’re mistaken about the woman. Whatever you think you want, let me assure you that you’ll want your life more.”

Finn’s dark eyes blazed with crazed intensity, and he bared his fangs. “I want women. We will take twenty females, pure-blood or females with one pure-blood parent, in exchange for Bianca Foster.”

Kane’s heart hurt with the burst of shock. It always comes down to women, doesn’t it? Women or money. Kane sighed and stroked his goatee. “I may be a first-class bastard, but I’m not a proponent of slavery. No women are leaving the pack. If you touch a single hair on Bianca Foster’s head, I’m going to rip your throat out, just for the fun of it, but you should know the woman isn’t my child. I’d never allow one of my offspring to suffer by remaining human. She’s the daughter of Tobias Monstre.”

A momentary flicker of panic in Finn’s eyes made Kane’s lips twitch, and he fought to keep his emotions from showing. Finn didn’t have a very good poker face, and Kane watched the man’s expression go from confusion to anger to worry.

“Well, she’s still your niece,” Finn finally said.

“I hated my half-brother. I’d never claim a human as anything. The only reason I demand Mrs. Foster’s safe return is she’s mated to one of my alphas. Killing her will gain you nothing but enemies.” Kane blinked rain from his eyes as the mist became a light patter of fat drops.

Finn lowered his machete. Kane enjoyed a surge of superiority. Finn frowned. “It’s too bad you don’t care that I’m going to kill the human. I’ll just have to be satisfied with your death.” Distant thunder shook the ground.

The slap of feet caused Kane to look over his shoulder. Six men poured out of the dilapidated barn. His muscles tensed and the change began. Hair sprouted on his face as his body changed and his features elongated. Adrenaline stole the pain of his metamorphosis as he readied for battled. Lightning flashed, and the rain fell harder.

These young men didn’t honor the old way. They didn’t take on the wolf, but instead carried guns. Bittens, all of them; they would only hold a monstrous half-form without the full moon, and without their firepower, Kane would easily win.

The first bullet tore through his shoulder. Wolfsbane. Poison coated the silver tip. Pain laced through Kane’s body like fire. Another blast and agony ripped through his side. Stumbling, he dropped to his knees. His transformation halted as the poison entered his bloodstream.

“Fuck!” He’d underestimated this enemy.

“Lock him in the barn!” Finn ordered.

* * * *

Two of the ugliest men Kane had ever seen hauled him roughly to his feet and pulled him stumbling through the mud. Moaning, he didn’t fight back as he was led toward the only structure standing on the property.

Kane growled when he saw the well-built cells in the barn. The outside was as rickety as ever, but inside someone had spent a great deal of time and money to make sure they had a functioning prison. How long have these bastards been in my town?

From the looks of things, they planned to have more than one prisoner. Rain and chill entered where boards were broken. A crack of thunder was followed by the illumination of lightning and showed someone lying in the shadows.

“Mrs. Foster?” Kane tried to hide the worry in his voice.

Bianca sat up. “Kane?”

“Everything will be okay.” Kane tried to disguise his injury as they hauled him into the cell across from her, but when they pushed him inside, he had to hold the wound because of the throbbing heat. The wolfsbane kept him from healing.

“Liar. How badly are you hurt?”

He scowled. “I will live.”

“Not for long,” Finn said as he came into the barn. “But long enough for a nice father-daughter or uncle-niece chat. Don’t worry, I have a use for Mrs. Foster. You, however, not so much. Once I have the women you owe my pack I want to savor your death, but for now, you get to suffer a bit.” Finn took a gun from one of his lackeys and fired three more rounds into Kane, missing vital organs.

Bianca screamed. Kane collapsed back, unable to hide just how much he hurt.

“You’re a monster!” Bianca stood up.

Finn laughed and pointed the gun at her. Kane snarled.

“Bang,” Finn said, grinning. He lowered his arm. “I can kill you at any time, but for now it serves me to keep you alive. Don’t mistake necessity for mercy. I’m not fond of your family.” He left without another word, his cronies following him in mute subordination.

Bianca turned toward where Kane lay bleeding on the wooden floor. “Kane. Oh my God, can you heal from that?” She grabbed the bars of her cage, shaking them vigorously. Desperation and anxiety played across her face, and her lips turned down as her brows drew together. “If I can find a way out of here, I’ll help you.”

Kane chuckled, but that caused him to cough. Blood flew from his lips.

Bianca gasped. “Are you dying?”

“Most probably, Mrs. Foster, most probably.” He coughed again, and pain wracked his torso. He moaned, curling up.

Bianca began trying to dig at the wood around the bars on the floor with her fingers. “I just wish I knew why they were doing this. That man has some crazy idea that you’re my father.”

Kane closed his eyes and concentrated his strength on speaking. He was weak, and his body demanded he become his primal form. He didn’t have long before that happened, and it was long past time he confessed. Her life depended on it now.

“You are my daughter, Bianca.” Kane didn’t look at her. He couldn’t. There was too much to say and too little time left. “For three months of her life, your mother was my mate, and I loved her very much. I couldn’t protect her from Tobias. He kidnapped her and raped her. She fled, married her human ex-boyfriend, and had you.” Kane let the pain of his past wash over him. “I always thought you were Travis Archer’s child. I don’t know why she didn’t tell us I’m your father, but when I had your DNA tested, our biological ties were confirmed.”

Bianca said nothing. Curiosity forced Kane to turn his head and look at her. He jerked with agony as his flesh burned as it tried to heal around the silver bullet. He had to get the bullets out before the wolf took him, but all he wanted to do was see the reaction on his daughter’s face. He’d wanted her to know, but he thought he could protect her by keeping Jossy’s secret. Finn made the truth clear—he couldn’t keep her safe any better than he had her mother.

She was digging at the wood with a single-minded determination that would have amused him under other circumstances. Her fingers bled.

“Bianca, stop. Look at me,” Kane demanded.

She glanced up, scowling, and went back to working at the wood around the bar. “If I can just get this loose, I might be able to get between the bars.” She paused, her face contorted, and she turned away, retching hard. Nothing came up, but the spasm made her whole body shake.

Kane shook his head. Clearly, she wasn’t thinking straight.

“What have they done to you?” Kane’s rage made it harder for him to fight his wolf back. Sweat beaded his forehead, and he moaned.

When the episode ended, she wiped at her mouth with the back of her hand and huffed out a dry sound that was caught between a laugh and a sigh. “Law Foster did this to me. I’m pregnant. I guess that means if I live long enough, you’re going to be a grandfather again.”

Resolve roared to life inside of him. He would save his daughter or die trying. “Don’t be afraid. I need to heal, and I need my wolf’s help, but first I have to get the bullets out. Look away.”

Kane forced his hand to change, so his nails were caught between wolf claws and man fingers as he probed into the first wound. Screaming, Kane pulled out a bullet and let it fall to the floor. He panted a moment. Turning, he looked at his daughter. She watched with horror.

“Turn away,” he ordered gruffly in a voice roughened with the start of the change.

She did.

Kane gathered his courage and dug for the next bullet. Two had passed through him, but he managed to get the remaining two out using his grit and claws. “I must become the wolf.”

He turned to look at Bianca. She was bruised and battered, but beautifully courageous. Pride made his throat tighten.

She nodded. “I get it. Do what you have to do. I guess I suspected you were more connected to me than I wanted to admit.”

Kane frowned. Water dripped in his face from a leak in the roof. Thunder shook the barn. “I’m not such a terrible person. I’ve only done what I must to protect my pack.”

He turned from her as his strength ebbed. A scream tore from his throat as he let the wolf take him.

“Kane!” Bianca’s cry was the last thing that his consciousness as a man registered.

The wolf lay in a puddle of blood, whimpering.