Chapter 136

Tyler POV

Subduing a rampaging Lycan wasn't on my list of skills which turned out not to matter as Windsor hit Lewis with the force of a train, knocking him off his feet onto his back. The witch, Justice, threw out a ball of energy as big as a beach ball which hit Lewis square in his Lycan face as he scrambled to sit up.

Just like that? He was unconscious.

The whole incident was over in literally two minutes.

Justice took Lewis away with a hand on his shoulder before his body had even reverted to his human form. I wasn't sure where she'd taken him, but I was certain he wouldn't be coming to bother any of us for an undisclosed period of time.

Windsor had handled the conversation with the abductors more than I had.

Blind rage had settled over me as they'd spoken about Rachel in terms of her value, her worth, her price. As if they could put a price on her life!

Windsor took over when I became too enraged to speak. He was the one who agreed to the amount they set for her return and he was the one who was smart enough to insist on instant proof-of-life.

I managed to control myself enough to speak to Rachel over the video call, but my patience ran out when they tried to negotiate the money drop without her return involved.

Windsor stepped in again to reassure them he could control the situation -meaning me, he was telling them he could control me!- while I calmed myself down by focusing on Rachel. Her emotions, her fear, her love through our bond was enough to ground me back in reality by the time Windsor finished taking instructions from a separate call.

"Are you going to be able to do this drop?" Windsor asked, his face grim yet still ridiculously handsome. It was easy for me to no more than look at him and hate him.

Glaring at him, I felt my fangs sharpen in my mouth before I managed to rasp out, "I don't need you to pay for my mate. I can make this ransom drop all on my own."

"Easy, Alpha," Windsor snorted, daring to roll his eyes at me, "I'm not questioning your ability to pay. I'm saying you need me to be there to track the men who took your female. Chances are good? They won't give her back even if you pay."

"What do you mean?"

I couldn't control the danger in my voice any more than I could control the beating of my heart in my chest. The very thought of my mate being withheld from me was enough to make me want to rip and tear through my enemies; the more Art Windsor provoked me, the more I began to see him as an enemy too.

"Abducting the pregnant mate of an Alpha House? It comes with a serious punishment, Wright. The Alpha Council would insist on blood being shed to make up for the danger to Rachel."

"You think they'll kill her to avoid punishment from the Council?"

My lips wouldn't cover my teeth. I could feel the sharp points of them cutting into my tongue as I spat the words at him.

I was too close to the edge. I needed to find a way to back off my anger or my beast was going to overwhelm me utterly and I would not be so easily contained as Nathan Lewis.

"I do," Windsor admitted, having the decency to look apologetic even as he continued to insist on an intolerable possibility.

"You're going with me then?" I asked, phrasing it as a question even as I knew I wouldn't be able to stop the Alpha Inspector from doing exactly as he pleased.

I hated knowing I couldn't control him, too.

Art Windsor was a thorn in my paw; I wanted to use him as a handy outlet for my rage. I kept myself contained by the very tips of my claws.

"I will be present. Yes," Windsor said, caution evident in his tone even if his expression gave no indication of his feelings, "I won't be 'with you' as much as I'll be on location ready to track the abductors any way I can."

The part of me which was human wanted to ask Windsor what ways he could track my mate while the animal part of me, Wynd, only cared if his tracking would lead to results.

With Wynd so close to the surface, I knew I couldn't push for anything he didn't want as badly as I did so I chose to follow my animal instincts rather than any human ones I could still feel.

"Will you be able to track her?" I asked.

Windsor shrugged, "Probably? I have run into very few cases where I wasn't able to track a subject in some way or another."

"Is there any way to guarantee your tracking is more successful?" I tried. I was gritting my teeth to hold back the urge to bite Windsor right in his jugular and shake until the life had bled from him.

Windsor compressed his lips into a thin line. I could tell he wasn't interested in answering me, but I wasn't ready to let him off so easily. If I had to tolerate him, he had to tolerate me the same.

"Tell me."

I wasn't asking. I was demanding.

Windsor sighed, looked away as he answered, "Blood. I can track a blood trail best. I have no way of knowing if they're aware of the nature of my curse. If they know? They will be very careful not to bloodlet at all. A part of me doesn't want to think of them shedding Rachel's blood for any reason either. But. It would be---extremely helpful if they did."

The idea of anyone bleeding my mate was enough to turn my vision completely black as my animal side took over.

Minutes passed while I pulled myself back together. Windsor was quietly crouched at my side when I came back to myself. He was the only one who didn't look terrified.

"I'm not sure I will be able to be very effective on this drop."

The confession hurt more than I imagined any words could hurt. The only thing I could compare it to was being rejected by Rachel; I couldn't think about my rejection without feeling a blackout rage I knew wouldn't help anyone.

"Don't go doubting yourself now, Wright. I might die if you show signs of humility," Windsor drawled.

He was one to talk. Arrogance practically oozed from every pore of his oversized body. I wanted to jump him with an intensity which bordered on primal fury; my mind was stretched to the max as I held onto my humanity with all the self-control I had remaining in me.

"Just keep your eyes on the prize," Windsor offered with a wink.

I wanted to punch him hard enough to put his eye out. Only thinking about finding Rachel kept me sane. No wonder Lewis kept turning into a Lycan: he had no reason to stay a man when all his instincts were linked to his wolf.

We retrieved the money in less than an hour. The majority of our time was spent telling the banker how to cash the ransom out according to the specific instructions Windsor had taken down.

I placed the money under a bench as I had been told to do. I stood beside it for an extra twenty minutes before receiving a call from a blocked number.

"Wright," I answered.

"Back off if you want your mate, Wright," said an electronic voice I recognized as being the same one used by those who'd taken Rachel.

I left the money at the bench, stalking away to get back into my car where Adam waited for me.

The only reason I was able to walk away was the knowledge Alpha Inspector Art Windsor was lurking somewhere nearby, invisible to the naked eye. I could catch his scent if I tried hard enough, but I doubted the strange wolves would be able to pick up on him.

How would they know his scent well enough? Alpha Inspectors weren't big on advertising themselves to the general wolfen public.

Watching through the tinted windows of my sedan, I saw a hooded figure approach the bench, lean down, and take the bag with the money. I could tell it was a male, but beyond that? Nothing about them stood out.

I pushed the button to lower my window to try to get a sniff of the bastard just as Windsor appeared, tackling the hooded figure to the ground with enough force to possibly injure him permanently.

All I could care about was the faint scent of blood coming from the man: Rachel's blood.