FINDING MY KEYS

"Flynn's car." I said as I half slid down the icy embankment.

Harvey was quick to my side. He reached before me and pulled open the door. There were no passengers. The windshield was cracked. But the car was warm.

- Dad?

I mindlinked.

- Sam? What is it?

- We found Flynn's car.

"Harvey, report to my dad." I told him.

Harvey straightened up from the car. He took out his phone and stepped back. I could hear the faint dial tone.

I turned my attention to the car interior, there was blood on the seats.

I kept reminding myself that vampires didn't like Lycan blood. Maria said so.

I walked around the other side, there was a bloody trail leading to the back of the truck. I ran over, as before in my dream, the back was not locked. I pulled it open.

"Flynn! Hank!"

Their bodies lay motionless, Hank dumped carelessly on top of Flynn.

I climbed into the truck to move them. They couldn't be dead!

"I wouldn't move them, goddess." A low voice drawled, "Neck's broken."

I shuddered and turned to the voice. There was a cage, and a dark haired man. Even chained and cuffed, he looked like a male wolf in his prime, his shoulder length hair was wild, but more striking than that were his eyes, a blue one and a green one.

I was immediately drawn to them. Perhaps because they reminded me of my own unnatural eyes.

{My beta}

I reached out a hand as if in a trance into his cage.

"Princess!" It was Harvey.

I withdrew my hand.

"Please be careful." Harvey said.

I looked at the man in the cage, he had a pained expression as he turned his face away from me.

I knelt down in front of his cage and spoke softly, "It's ok. You're safe now."

He growled at me, "Don't f*** with me, goddess."

Harvey growled and kicked the cage, his expression cold and and his eyes hard.

"Why are you calling me goddess?" I asked, and then I realized, my hair and eyes were blue. I laughed out loud.

"Do you think the goddess would ever appear in pigtails and gym clothes?" OMG, I was totally ruining her image.

"Who are you?" The man growled at me.

"My name is Sam, I'm your new alpha." I told him.

My wolf agreed.

His growled lowly at me, "You're a kid."

"A kid who's busting you out." I boasted.

"Where are the vamps?" He asked.

"Dead." I said, "Now think what I will become when I'm all grown up."

"They'll send more." The man said.

"Old people are so pessimistic." I sat cross legged in front of him. There was his name printed and slotted on one side of his cage, "Keys".

Harvey shut the truck door with all of us inside to keep out the cold.

"You brats." The man said.

Harvey growled at him, but he had a gun cocked and was on guard.

"What are we waiting for?" Keys asked.

"Reinforcements." I said. To tell the truth, I was worried about the vampires Keys said they would send .

"Tell me something old man, how do the vampires track their shipments?" I asked.

"The truck has an inbuilt navigation system and GPS. If the engines off too long, they'd send guards to check." Keys said.

"You know a lot, old man." I told him.

"I've been in this business for too long." The man said.

"Harvey, could you turn on the engine, please?" Harvey nodded and opened the truck door to let himself out.

"They'll know the truck isn't moving, goddess." Keys grumbled.

"Who said we won't move it?" I shrugged.

The engine came on and warm air blew out of the vents into the truck.

{Alpha is near}

{Beta is near}

{Gamma is near}

{Delta is near}

{warriors are near}

Wow, dad has brought a whole army. It was really unnecessary.

- Dad?

- What is it Sam?

- Don't bring too many people.

I took out the phone from my pocket and checked the map, there was a lake nearby.

"Do vampires get drunk?" I asked.

"Feeding on drunk human? Sometimes." The man in the cage said.

"These two? Would they get drunk and drive straight into the lake by accident?" I asked.

The man's bi-colored eyes widened at me. He started a low rumbly laugh, "Yeah, these two would."

Harvey returned to check on me, "Is everything alright princess?"

{Alpha is near}

{Beta is near}

{Gamma is near}

{Delta is near}

{Warriors are near}

"If I let you out, will you promise to behave and not cause trouble?" I asked the man.

"Yeah right, goddess!" Keys looked down at all his chains and made a derisive sound, "How would you do that?"

I pretended to think about it, "If I could get you out all on my own, what will you give me?"

The man laughed bitterly, "I have nothing to give you princess." Then he wagged his brows at me, "Except this sexy body."

"Good enough. What's your name old man?" I asked.

"John." The man lied.

I laughed at that.

"Okay Keys, here's the deal." I said, "I free you, you swear your allegiance to me."

Keys laughed, "So you read my name off the cage. Fine, little girl. If you set me free on your own, I will be your dog."

I wanted a beta, but I'll work with what I have.

"Okay, wait here." I carefully stepped over Flynn and Hank's bodies and hopped out of the truck. I really hoped, since Keys said these two vamps were idiots, that they'd leave the keys to his cuffs and chains in the glove compartment or something. Or else I'd have to send Harvey out in the snow to search their dead bodies.

Lucky again! I was not disappointed, they actually left it on the car seat on top of a clipboard. Ohhh... It had all the details to Key's travel schedule and feeding schedule etc. Looks like Keys was on a fight tour too, starting from the Central Covens before ending at the Royal Covens.

{Alpha is near}

{Beta is near}

{Gamma is near}

{Delta is near}

{Warriors are near}

I returned to the back of the truck. Harvey opened the truck door for me to enter.

I jingled the keys in front of the cage.

Keys smirked, "The cage is number locked."

He pointed to the familiar key pad on the side.

I grinned back at him, "Don't forget your end of the bargain, Keys."

I pressed the numbers 696996. The cage unlocked with the click. Key's face was priceless. Harvey's shocked expression was a nice bonus. Hahahaha.

The actual physical keys took much longer. Keys had to be a donkey about it and wouldn't tell me where to all the locks were. Harvey was angry enough to want to enter the cage and pummel him, but I told my beta to stay outside.

"Be gentle. He's sensitive." I told Harvey.

Keys and Harvey both scoffed at that at the same time.

I smiled to myself, we were going to have so much fun together. I just need to free Keys and make him agree to be my beta.

{Alpha is near}

{Beta is near}

{Gamma is near}

{Delta is near}

{Warriors are near}

They must be very near by now. Was my dad and the entire army speeding?

"Better go get your truck, Harvey."

"But..." Harvey looked worried about leaving me alone with a half freed fight dog.

"Don't worry. He has Wolfbane in his system anyway." I told Harvey, "Just go get your truck, the others are very close."

Harvey left.

"What do you want from me goddess?" Keys asked. He sounded pained. I got the feeling he wasn't really talking to me, but to the Goddess herself.

"Come out of the cage and I will tell you my secret." I told him.

Keys was more helpful then, and moved his body for me to reach the last of the locks.

We both stepped out of the cage. Keys wore a look very much like Rebel's when I suggested we stepped out of his cell for a walk.

"Now swear to me." I prompted Keys.

"I swear to be your dog for life." Keys said. He didn't seem to value his life much.

"Okay. I accept you Keys as my dog and future beta. You will be the Keys to free many Lycan slaves one day. That is the secret." I told him.

"Who are you?" Keys asked.

"I told you, my name is Sam. From now on, I am your alpha. You're only a dog as long as you want. When you're done being my dog, you're a free pack wolf of the Night Leaf Pack."

I opened the truck door and jumped off. "You can go run if you want."

Keys jumped out nimbly. In the light of the moon, I realized he was probably around Flynn and Hank's age. He was also eye candy.

He breathed the air, and then he walked past the tree line.

Harvey's truck pulled up, followed by the sound of other vehicles. Dad's here with the cavalry.

I ran over to Beta Lucas' car. Dad got out and engulfed me in a bear hug.

- Princess, where is the fight dog?

Harvey mindlinked as he got out of his truck.

- Stretching his legs.

There was a howling sound. It was mournful and happy at the same time.

- He'll come back.

I mindlinked Harvey confidently.

Then I told my dad about my plan. I gave Dad a pointed look, "That's why I told you not to bring too many people."

"I didn't, this was the right amount of people." Dad insisted.

The warriors were sent to collect the vampire bodies.

"Don't forget the heads!" I called after them and laughed. I was in a good mood. The relief at seeing my dad and the others, the feeling that things were definitely going to be okay now... I didn't expect it to wash over me so hard, it shook me.

Delta Simon had carefully put Hank and Flynn into special neck braces to allow for them to heal. Once we got them back to our pack hospital, Alpha James had promised to send a white wolf to help speed up their healing.

Gamma Harry supervised the towing of Flynn's car. They even brought a tow truck.

It started snowing, which was good. It would cover our tracks.

Soon the vampire bodies and heads were thrown into their truck on one side. The bloody snow dumped into the back of the truck.

The warriors drew straws to see who had to drive the truck.

Keys returned still shirtless, and in the same tight leather pants and boots I always saw Rebel wearing. I suddenly missed Rebel a lot. I don't know why. Stupid mating bond.

"What? Falling in love with me already?" Keys asked cockily, but he had the sense not to be heard by the other men.

I shook my head, "My mate is a fight dog too."

His expression turned grim, "He's as good as dead."

I shook my head again. Rebel will come back for me. Aloud I said, "Old people are so pessimistic."

Harvey came by, he growled at Keys to take a step away from me, but handed Keys a sweat shirt. Keys put it on.

"I found a road while running, I can drive the truck and send it into the lake if you want." Keys offered.

"No." I said without thinking.

"Don't you trust me?" Keys asked.

Did I trust that he found the road to the lake? Yes.

Did I trust that he would drive it into the lake and make it look like a believable accident? Yes.

Did I trust that he would come back after? No. Part of me was afraid he would go down with the truck.

There was something broken inside Keys.

"You ride with Harvey and me." I told him.

In the end, Gamma Harry decided he would drive the truck to the lake. It was a good choice. Gamma Harry naturally drove wildly.

We didn't have more time to decide anyway. The tow truck and medical van had already left. It was just Beta Lucas' and Gamma Harry's car.

I got Keys. For a moment, part of me wished it was Rebel though.

Dad told us to go back first, so Harvey, Keys, and I got into the pick up truck.

"Wanna sit on my lap goddess?" Keys offered.

"No thank you." I answered firmly.

Harvey growled a low warning but Keys just laughed low and rumbly.

"Hey, Keys." I said, "You're mine now, right?"

"Yes, goddess." He said placidly.

"You will listen to me." I said.

"Yes, goddess." He said, but he was no longer smiling.

"You're not allowed to die." I told him, "You are the Keys to the freedom of many Lycan slaves. Remember that. I need you."

"Yes, goddess." He replied, by now, his voice was quiet.

That was the best I could do for him. Unlike physical injuries, I don't think the pain Keys had could be put in a cast or healed by a white wolf.

Keys was broken, but I had no idea how to fix him.