The Twins Take Over Ch. 07

Anneke was so shocked by Rolf's sudden move she couldn't think for a few minutes. They moved swiftly through the trees as she dangled from his mouth. She struggled in his grasp and tried to gather her thoughts together. If she didn't think of something she'd be dead soon, of that she was certain. She needed a plan. It suddenly came to her.

Rolf ran mindlessly through the park. He didn't even think about where he should be going, just headed back to his compound. His front leg was causing him immense pain but he didn't care. Broken bones could heal later. He had to escape from that cat! What in hell was that? And why did he smell his flesh burning? His little sister would pay for her deceit. He'd make her beg for death. But he wouldn't give it to her. Her suffering would make everyone in the pack think twice before having the temerity to try to escape his pack.

The little brown she-wolf shifted and hit the ground, tucking and rolling until she slowed enough to get her legs underneath her. The safest place now was with her new friends, and she bolted back to Marsh Creek. Luckily for her the broken leg had fully healed thanks to Danielle. She dug into the soft ground and tried to put as much space between her brother and herself as she could.

Rolf was left holding Anneke's tattered shirt in his mouth. He halted and spit out the cloth, looking around for where she had gone. She wasn't as fast as he was, he would catch her again. He ran after his sister. She would pay...for everything. He couldn't wait to catch the little bitch. Should he just kill her when he catches up to her? It was tempting. He focused on her scent and followed as quickly as he could, although the broken leg was slowing him down.

Anneke pushed herself to run as fast as she possibly could. She didn't see the large tree trunk buried under the leaves and ran into it full force. She yelped in pain and faltered. She glanced behind her and saw Rolf gaining on her. No, she wasn't going to give up. She struggled to regain her senses and jumped to her feet. She slid into a hole in the dense brush nearby and managed to slip away in the nick of time. Rolf would have to find a way around. He was too big to get through here.

She howled loudly in hopes she could alert her friends she was coming. She thought she heard a familiar response nearby but didn't have time to think about who it could be.

Rolf heard Axel's howl and smiled to himself. Good, His Betas would help him catch her and then it was time for her punishment. Rolf made his way around the brush and spotted his sister running full speed back to Marsh Creek. He launched himself into the air and came down inches behind her. His teeth flashed as he grabbed at her back leg and pulled her back towards him.

Anneke's nails dug into the ground as she clawed the ground, trying to pull herself away from Rolf. She barked her frustration as he slowly pulled her backwards, the claws of his good leg ripping into her side.

Rolf had her now. She couldn't defend herself and would be at his mercy. He would have none. She had betrayed him, had helped his females escape. Then she would take their places for now. He felt his raging hard on and decided now was as good a time as any to take her. It would be painful for her and oh so enjoyable for him. The more he hurt her the more he would relish it. He could hear Axel's howl nearby and wondered why he didn't hear any of the other Betas. And why couldn't he feel the bond with Axel?

The group of Weres heard the howls in the distance and stopped to listen. Kent and the Jensen Betas recognized Anneke's call for help and Axel's answer. They looked at each other. Could they help? Or were they too afraid of the Alpha?

Carr listened to the approaching wolves. He couldn't match the howls to the wolves but he knew a call for help when he heard it. "Let's go." He shifted and the chocolate brown wolf led his combined pack in the direction of the howls.

Even the Jensen wolves joined them, scared or not. At least now they had someone to help them. Even if they were slaughtered, it'd be worth it to try to stop Rolf.

Axel heard Anneke's fearful yips and cries of pain. His only goal was to save her from Rolf. His own life didn't matter anymore. He saw Rolf holding the much smaller wolf down on the ground, his cock poised to enter her. Rolf's good front leg was hooked around her abdomen. Anneke had no way to get away. He could see her attempts to squirm around to try to bite at him weren't working. She just couldn't reach. Even with one unusable leg he was still able to easily overpower her.

Rolf looked up at the approaching Beta and had a smug look on his wolf face. Good, Axel would watch as the Alpha took what could have been Beta's. As always, the Dire Wolf had a perverse view of Werewolf life and love.

Rolf's smug look ended when he saw Axel didn't stop his approach. He was defenseless in his present position holding down his sister. But his exaggerated self confidence kept him from letting her go to stand up to the advancing Beta. He stood there motionless, unbelieving and shocked that Axel would possibly turn on him.

The sable wolf hurdled through the air and hit the Alpha with all his might square in the chest. His momentum sent him and the Alpha tumbling on the wet ground. Axel quickly jumped to his feet and barked at Anneke, trying to get her to run. He snarled at Rolf, trying to keep his attention from the she-wolf.

Anneke wouldn't leave Axel. They would fight her brother together. She leapt off the ground and faced the Alpha, hackles up, teeth bared.

Rolf got up and steadied himself on three legs. His injured foreleg seemed to be deteriorating quickly. He looked at his former Beta and his traitorous sister. This was all their faults.

The howls of the nearing pack were getting louder by the second. Rolf's attention was taken away for just a moment. Just enough time for Axel to leap forward and sink his teeth into the rotting flesh of his injured leg. He barely felt the sharp teeth as they broke more bones. He pulled back fast and forcefully and stared in horror as he saw his foreleg in Axel's mouth. He looked down at his own leg and saw a stump.

The howls from the Baxter and Jensen packs were louder. They were almost here. Escape! That was the only choice now. The jumbled thoughts of the Dire Wolf could only think of one thing. He had to escape. He spun around and took off on his three remaining legs towards his compound. He would have to deal with Anneke and Axel later.

Axel and Anneke watched in surprise as Rolf retreated. Axel spit out the disgusting limb and felt Anneke's presence before he saw her standing next to him. He was astonished when she flicked out her tongue to lick his face. Was it just thanks? Or could he hope for more?

When he saw the two standing alone, Kent bounded across the clearing to greet them.

"Anneke, how did you get away?" Kent practically crushed the poor woman after she'd shifted. He looked over her shoulder and saw Axel. "I thought you were both dead for sure. What happened?" Axel just shrugged his shoulders. For someone who had escaped from certain death with his best friend he looked decidedly unhappy. Kent was hoping he'd have time to get him alone later and find out what was up.

Anneke was quickly surrounded by her new friends. Rebecca and Danielle hugged her tight and noticed the claw marks along her side and bite marks on her leg. They seemed to be healing, although slowly. Anneke pulled herself away and addressed the blended group of Jensen Pack and the new group which she assumed were the Baxter Pack.

"I think Rolf was afraid of the panther and didn't want to stand and fight." Anneke glanced at Rebecca. "And something about your bite affected him Rebecca. His flesh looks like it's being eaten away by acid." She walked over to the discarded leg in front of Axel and carefully picked it up and held it with two fingers away from her like she didn't really want to be touching it. "Look, Axel grabbed his leg and tore it right off Rolf's body." She wrinkled her nose in disgust and threw the leg onto the ground.

The group stood and stared at the flesh that still sizzled on the severed limb. Xylon and Logan walked forward to inspect it. They stood side by side and quietly discussed the possibilities and implications. Logan picked up the leg and turned it over and over, not wanting to miss anything that might be important. They would have to take this with them to test later.

Anneke was distracted by the new faces surrounding her and wondered which was the Baxter Alpha. There were several that looked like Alphas, tall, broad, muscular, imposing. As she eyed the group she noticed Axel grinding his teeth. Now what had him so upset now? They were safe and with friends.

Trey stepped forward and took Anneke's hand, leading her over to the group of Alpha males. "Carr, this is Anneke, she helped us escape."

Anneke was surprised the Alpha was the younger of the males she'd been appraising. He had a broad smile and seemed happy to meet her as he shook her hand. He bore a striking resemblance to the Beta standing at his shoulder. Brothers? They both had the exact same shade of brown hair and green eyes. She heard a low growl behind her and turned to see Axel with a scowl on his face. Now what is up with him? Upset from what happened with Rolf? At some point they'd have to find time to talk this all through. But for now they had more important things to think about.

"Anneke, I'd like to thank you for saving my Betas and their mates. You are welcome on Baxter Pack lands any time. I'd like to introduce you to the head of the Were Council." He turned to the tall white haired male. "This is Alistair Alexander."

Alistair gave her a fatherly smile. "Hello Anneke. I'm so glad to meet you. I knew your father well. I was very sorry to hear what happened to him and your older brothers. I wish we'd realized sooner the circumstances." He remembered Leif talking excitedly about his cubs so many years ago, and he knew that Anneke had been very precious to him.

Anneke had heard of Alistair from her father. He'd spoken of how they'd met and become friends three hundred plus years ago. "I'm very glad to meet you too Sir. I wish my father was here to greet you himself. Thank you for coming to help." She looked up at the immense Were standing next to Alistair. "Excuse me Sir, are you the Chief Archivist?" She looked up at him in awe. He was the biggest Were she'd ever seen. She'd heard about the black haired Welsh Werewolf. He was almost a legend among the western packs.

"Yes my dear, my name is Rhys Davis. Very nice to meet you. I too knew your father and extend my condolences. We hope we are able to give you some assistance now." Rhys had actually spent many years with the Jensen pack after the death of his mate and cub. If it hadn't been for Leif Jensen he may have gone rogue. He remembered Anneke as a wild little thing. He also remembered her favorite playmate and partner in crime was a sable wolf cub. He wondered if it was the same one whose eyes never left her as they spoke.

"So what is this about Rebecca's bite causing some strange reaction? Do you think it's all the panthers? Or just her?" Carr looked to the Council for answers. "Xylon, any clues?"

Xylon stopped his discussion with Logan and watched as Logan deposited the leg into a bag for safe keeping until later. "I'm thinking it could be some sort of allergic reaction to panther saliva. As to whether it's all the panthers or just Rebecca I can't say. Definitely something to investigate further." Xylon was already busy constructing his experiments in his mind. They'd need to do a complete assessment of the proteins in the saliva and the changes in Rolf's tissue. Interesting, very interesting.

"I wonder if there's something different about each panther? When Anneke's broken leg wasn't healing Danielle had this instinctual urge to lick the injured leg. And it healed!" Troy held a protective arm around his new mate. Now that things had slowed down for a bit his wolf wanted to be sure to keep all of these strange wolves away from her. He wasn't even too sure about his own pack. She was in heat after all.

"What? Why wasn't your leg healing Anneke?" Rhys was concerned now. Was she ill? Had something happened to this pack that they were being weakened?

"My brother was giving me some concoction he'd made up that pretty much stopped me from healing. If it wasn't for Dani I don't know what would have happened."

"Was he giving it to others as well?" Rhys looked around at the Jensen Betas. They looked healthy enough. "What about the rest of you? Have you had any injuries that haven't healed?" He watched the shaking heads.

Axel was thinking. Now things were making sense. "Some of the Alpha's females had bruises that didn't go away. And other injuries that didn't seem to heal. Was he doing this to them too?" Axel couldn't believe he'd allowed himself to be duped by Rolf. How could he have been so stupid. How did his wolf bond to him? Was he just some stupid follower?

Anneke knew that look on Axel's face. He was beating himself up. She stepped up close to him and whispered. "You couldn't have known Axel. You're a loyal Beta. Your wolf needed to serve the Alpha. No one will hold that against you." She laid a hand softly on his arm and smiled up at him. He smiled back but only half-heartedly. "Axel, you're too hard on yourself. I need you Axel. We've been friends for too long to not get through this together now. You're going to help us against Rolf, aren't you?"

He looked into her expectant face. "Yes Anneke, I'll help you. I'd do anything for you." Anneke smiled back at him as Danielle pulled her away to speak with the Baxter Alpha. His eyes followed her every movement. Why couldn't he look away?

Kent watched his two friends closely and smiled. Finally! He elbowed Axel. "About time."

"Huh?" Axel gave Kent a confused look as the Betas gathered around Anneke and the Baxter Alpha. He envied the Baxter Pack having a real Alpha, a real pack. Four years was too long.

Carr looked at the Jensen Pack Betas. They seemed like a good group. They'd done the best they could with the hand they were dealt. Carr had a feeling they'd done well to just stay alive. He'd learned pretty quickly that Dire Wolves were unpredictable and deadly. He couldn't imagine living in fear of your Alpha for four years. He tried to picture himself in that position. It took a lot of strength to keep your family safe. A wolf had to do what he had to do.

Carr's gaze slowed when it reached Axel. He smiled when he saw how the Beta never stopped looking at Anneke as she was talking to the group. He remembered that feeling. Finding out your mate is one of your oldest friends is a different feeling than when you meet a stranger. Well, he'd figure it out. Carr had a feeling Axel would have his hands full with Anneke. She didn't seem like any Omega he'd ever known.

"Anneke, we'll need you and the rest of your pack to tell us everything you know about your compound. We need to figure out how we're going to trap Rolf so he can't escape again."

Anneke nodded. "We'll tell you anything and everything Alpha." She looked around for Axel and saw him standing on the other side of the group. She tried to get his attention but he seemed distracted. What was wrong with him? She'd have to talk to him sooner rather than later. She couldn't stand him being mad at her.