Wolf Tracks - Bianca D'Arc Page 0,70
Cove how much trouble they’ve attracted by grouping together in that little town of theirs.”
“Bears are a lot more magical than us, and we’ve always lived in Packs,” Joe said, pushing back a bit.
Jim relented. “I hear you, but even though we won here today, evil is growing stronger and bolder all over the world. Things seem to be coming to a head, and we all have to be extra careful right now.”
“Agreed,” Joe said, moving to intercept as Shane walked in the door.
“Perimeter secure,” the sheriff reported, moving into the room. He glanced at the two bodies and then at the wolf slowly getting to its feet and walking out of the crate as Helen helped him.
“If you could clean up here,” Joe suggested to the sheriff, “we’ll take Calum home to his family.”
“The woman’s body is safe. No magic left,” Jim reported to Shane as he passed. “But be careful with the male. He might be booby-trapped or something.”
“Understood,” Shane replied quietly, already on the radio to his deputies, speaking in codes so that anyone listening in on a police scanner wouldn’t notice anything different about this sheriff’s department from any other in the country.
Helen and the boy in wolf form walked slowly to where Joe and Jim waited. Joe crouched down to look at the young wolf, talking quietly with the boy, even though the youngster couldn’t answer back in his present form. Helen went to stand next to Jim, and he put his arm around her shoulders. She slumped against him, and he realized she’d given the boy a lot of her energy.
“You okay, sweetheart?” he asked gently, leaning down to nuzzle a kiss to her temple.
“I’ll be fine. Just give me a minute, and we can head out. I suspect Calum’s going to need a little help, though. He was as close as I’ve ever seen someone to being drained dry.”
Jim frowned and snuggled Helen closer into his side. Joe reached out for the wolf pup and gathered him into his arms. He caught Jim’s eyes and jerked his head toward the exit then walked out with Jim and Helen following behind.
Joe carried the teen all the way to where Helen had left the rental car. He got in the backseat with Calum still in wolf form, sitting on the bench seat with his head resting on Joe’s knee. Helen took the passenger seat and immediately rested her head back with her eyes closed. Jim drove and headed back toward town. Joe gave him directions to Calum’s home.
When they arrived, Calum’s mother and father were outside, waiting to meet them. Tears ran down the woman’s face as she saw her boy carried in Joe’s strong arms. They followed their Alpha into their home, pointing the way to Calum’s room, where Joe placed him on the bed.
Jim had followed behind, tugging Helen along with him when she would have held back from entering a stranger’s home. Jim knew they would be welcome for Calum’s sake, and with Joe there, as Alpha, Calum’s family wouldn’t turn them away.
They stood in the doorway of the teen’s room while Calum’s mother fussed over her child and his father talked in low tones with Joe. The man kept glancing at Jim and Helen, and Jim realized he must be asking the details of his son’s rescue. After a few minutes of this, the conversation ended, and the man came over to Jim, his hand outstretched.
“Thank you for finding my son,” he said as Jim shook the man’s hand.
“Jim Hanson, Helen Richards, this is Ephraim and his mate, Audrey,” Joe made the introductions. “Audrey is our Pack healer,” he added, looking at Helen. “She went to medical school, and in the human world, she’s a doctor. She’s actually the town’s only licensed General Practitioner, and her clinic is just next door,” Joe explained. “Audrey doesn’t do magical healing, but she understands the concept and will accept any further help you can give, once she settles down and reassures herself that her pup is whole and mostly undamaged.”
“I can’t imagine what you both have been going through,” Helen said, offering sympathy to Calum’s father. He shook her hand, in turn.
“Thank you for all you’ve done to help our son,” he said, and Helen could feel the true emotion behind the man’s words. This was a father who deeply loved his child.
“It was our pleasure to be able to help,” Helen assured the man. “And I’ll happily do what I can to restore