Addie (Pack of Misfits #1) - Raven Kennedy Page 0,49

was the one to take the call. That prick Holder was on his way as my back up. I knew that if he got a look at her, he’d know that the metal around her neck weren’t no necklace, and he’d scurry her off to the dicks at Rockhead. Didn’t want that to happen, especially with her being female and all, so I hightailed it outta there. She didn’t make it easy, though,” Mac added, gesturing to his bruised and swollen eye. “She’s got a mean right hook.”

“I can’t keep a rogue shifter here against her will.”

“I understand, but I figured you could talk to her,” Mac says. “I couldn’t just let her go. Half of the town is Pack Rockhead territory. Maybe you can talk some sense into her, because she won’t listen to me.”

Hugo looks to Stinger and one of the other enforcers, Joseph and nods to them. Wordlessly, the two males stride forward to the cop car to let the female out.

As soon as the door is opened though, she sends a fierce kick to Stinger’s shin, making him stumble back, and then nails him in the chin with a hammer hit using the heel of her palm.

Stinger barely manages to stay on his feet when she hurls a fist into his stomach, and then she pushes past his keeled over form to sprint for the woods, but Joseph overtakes her by wrapping his arms around her middle and hauling her back, kicking and cursing.

“Let go of me!”

It takes another two enforcers to help Joseph bring her inside the gate and stop her from hurting anyone. Stinger limps over, a terrific scowl over his usually easygoing face.

She keeps fighting, straining to kick, bite, or punch anyone she can reach. She’s striking looking, with the left half of her hair solid black, and the right side so blonde that it looks white. The half-hair color carries from her ponytail, down to her long, blunt bangs, giving off a Cruella vibe, except cooler. She has pale, milky skin, which is only highlighted by the torn fishnet tights she’s wearing under ripped shorts, combat boots, and a worn leather jacket.

“Enough!” Hugo roars, making everyone in the vicinity shudder with the alpha powers that roll off of him.

The female immediately freezes, only because an alpha’s magic, especially one as strong as Hugo, is too powerful to ignore.

“If you continue to harm members of my pack, I will set you loose, and you will be picked up by Pack Rockhead in a matter of hours. Believe me, you don’t want that. We’re trying to help you,” Hugo tells her.

She pants, sneering at him, and I can see everyone is honing in on the thick iron collar wrapped around her neck. Except for me. Because as soon as I see her face, I recognize her.

“Holy moley.”

I rush forward, pushing past enforcers on my way. “Jetta?” Her head snaps over at my voice, and her dark eyes lock with mine. “It’s me. Aderyn Locke.”

Her dark, thick brows bend together in a frown as she takes me in, but then recognition dawns on her. “Addie?”

Hugo looks at me with a questioning scowl. “Tell your friend to calm down, kid,” he says.

“You’re safe here,” I tell Jetta. “I swear it.”

She snorts disbelievingly. “I’m not safe anywhere.”

I haven’t seen her since I was fourteen years old. We’d been kids back then, but I’d know her anywhere—even with her extreme dye job. She was the only shifter to have ever been my friend, even if it hadn’t lasted long.

When I knew her, she’d had plain glossy black hair, but she’d worn the same fierce expression on her face that she’s wearing now, her striking eyes narrowed suspiciously over her prominent cheekbones.

“Please, Jetta. Let us try to help you.”

She hesitates, wary of me, but after another sweep of her eyes, she finally relents with a terse nod. “Fine.”

With a look from Hugo, the other two enforcers let go of her and move away, but Joseph moves to the side, keeping hold of her left arm just in case.

“How do you know each other?” Hugo asks.

I share a look with Jetta, and I can see that the fire behind her eyes is still there, just like it was before. And just like I remember that fire, I remember how private and prideful she always was. She would detest having me talk openly about her in front of everyone like this.

“Can we talk in private?” I ask Hugo.

He purses his lips