Pack Gems by Kuro Kusai, WhiteWolf Aura (free ereaders TXT) 📖

silver along with her blood and her skin looked more purple than the soft cinnamon it usually was.

Taylor let out a growl, but Axel was distracted and didn't know who it was for.

He started made his way over to Kaden when someone stepped in his path, without knowing who it was or really giving a rat's ass; he lunged for them.

No one was keeping him from his Kaden.

The guy smelled familiar... one of the ones at Mason's house. The blood from the guy's arm gushed into Axel's mouth and with another tug, the arm came out with a sickening guy pop altogether.

He screamed out in pain, clutching the base of his shoulder where an arm should have started.

Axel turned his attention to the pair of wolves and two humans who stood in his way.

He growled at them along with Taylor; each baring their fangs.The longer they stood their ground the more his humanity slipped, letting his wolf step up and taking control. There was no one here dominant enough to contain him. He was an alpha, they weren't suppose to lose control.

This could end very badly.

"Kaden's heroes," The short blonde one clapped in mock admiration, "Pleased to meet you. The name's Chase and this is my second Ryan."Chase pointed to the man missing one arm.

At least he stopped screeching, Axel thought while giving him a disinterested once over.For a Beta, he really was unimpressive.

"Now that introductions have been made, we propose a trade for this filthy stray."

Axel growled in response.

What the hell was wrong with this kid?Did he really think they came for a trade-off?

His patience was quickly waning.

"I want Taylor. She's the one that has Native American heritage right? The one with the powers? I'll give you Kaden for that one."

Axel didn't bother to glance at Taylor to know she disagreed as her growl ripped through the air.

"We didn't come to negotiate. We came here to execute." Mason strode in with Daren, who had a gash down one of his arms, and Akira--who seemed to be intact completely.

"There's no way we're giving her up witho-"Was all Chase was able to get out before Axel lost his control and went after the closest wolf and Taylor leapt for the bleeding Beta.

Axel had the wolf down in a couple of minutes, and Taylor had taken care of Ryan while Akira was still taking care of the others.

He looked back to where Kaden was to discover Chase holding a knife to her throat.She was now conscious, but she didn't cry or tremble in fear.

"You're not getting Taylor, you might as well get used to me or kill me." She spoke softly.

"I want her." Chase rejected any offer of Kaden's.

"Ouch." Kaden gave a half smile, faking a wounded pride.

"What makes you think that Kaden's yours to trade?" Daren asked him, his accent thick because of his rage.

"Ryan made her for me. She was my present and someone took her from me. So this bitch is mine…" Chase declared as he looked straight at Axel, running his tongue along Kaden's left cheek.

"You're so disgusting!"Kaden's sore voice yelled at the Alpha.

That was when Axel lost it.But before he could act on his rage, Taylor dashed past him and clamped onto Chase's arm, pushing him back against the wall as his knife clattered away into the corner.

With the help of Daren, they knocked him out and tied him up. Although Axel wanted to do some much more permanent damage.

As this went on it gave Axel time to regain some of his humanity.When he was calm enough, he started the Change from beast to man.

It hurt tenfold, seeing as the wolf was going through an involuntary Change because it wanted to stay.

He vaguely heard Kaden protesting through his pain,

"Dude, stop the angst, I'm gonna be fine." Kaden growled in response to Taylor's crowding.

Axel rose to his feet in a shakey motion while Taylor growled at Kaden in a scolding manner.

Taylor sat close to Kaden but couldn't touch her.She had explained earlier to them that thanks to her heritage she was extra sensitive to silver.Even more than the average wolf.

"Taylor…go before you get sick as well," Axel muttered, his voice strained.

She gave him a long whine that meant she didn't want to leave her packmate.

"What good will it do if both of you are sick?" Mason remarked.

She gave Axel a reluctant look, then started on her way up the stairs followed by Akira and Daren.

"Axel, you're wounded from jumping through that window, do you want me t--" Mason started to suggest before Axel turned his eyes on him, which were his wolf's icy blue.

That was when Mason decided to leave Kaden to his care.Even lost to his wolf, Axel would never hurt his mate.

Axel watched as Mason went over to where Chase sat tied up, and proceeded to pick him up and took him upstairs.

Axel turned his attention to Kaden's shackles and ripped them from the walls, then took the cuffs off her hands and feet, proceeding to pick her up in his arms.

It was upsetting how easy it was to free her.She had to be drugged pretty heavily not to be able to break those chains with her strength.

It spoke volumes that she was even conscious now.

"I'm fine, I just need some rest." Kaden claimed, pushing his arms away and trying to get up to no avail as her legs kept giving way.

She was just getting ready to try again, but in response, she received a very inhuman growl from him.

"Is this punishment?" She spoke to noone in particular as she let him pick her up, but as he did so, he touched her very sensitive wounds.

Her face twisted into a grimaced as a long hiss escaped her lips, "Yeah it's gotta be…"

"I promise, this'll all be over soon. Just sleep." Axel soothed as her determination caved and she gave into her exhaustion, letting her eyelids flutter close.

Chapter 17: Traveling in Style

~Taylor's POV~

Taylor waited back and forth, barely holding back her 'breakfast' of half a strawberry pop-tart and an orange Gatorade.

"Taylor," a voice sounded above her.

She growled, whipped her head to the sound, seeing Mason look down at her with concern.

What? She tried to snap the answer at him but it came out as another irritated growl.

That was one draw back to being in Wolf form. You couldn't communicate actual words to another, Werewolf or not.

He seemed to get the jist though and folded his arms over his chest,"No need to get crabby. We have a van ready, no need to pace inside here. I don't trust the after effects of this gas. Its suppose to have dissipated by now but I still smell traces."

Taylor hoped her look of contempt was clear in her wolf eyes.

She'd wait for Kaden.It was the least she could do.

Before Mason could start arguing, Axel was there, carrying an unconscious Kaden up the stairs.

This was her fault, she thought numbly.Somehow those wolves had known about her…How?Who had told them?

Taylor willed her body to move forward, dragging her tan paws across the last of the marble tile until they reached paved driveway and the ugliest van she had ever seen. The front end was a metallic orange, while the back was a plain cardboard brown. It looked like the owner had started painting and then changed his mind on the color.

Where the hell had they gotten this from?

Akira spoke up in the silence, it seemed everyone was thinking the same thing,

"Daren and I found this around the block, abandoned. It started with a few love taps. This is bigger than the car we rented and unmarked."

"…Couldn't you have gone a few more blocks and jacked a nice soccer mom van?" Mason wrinkled his nose.

"Coming through," Axel broke through all of us loitering around the orange brown van, "Open the back , it had two double doors in the back that swung open and revealed plenty of empty space.

In fact, all of the van was solid metal flooring except for the long seat up front for the driver and one passenger.

It looked like a kidnapping van but it was perfect.

 Mason took the clothes that had been Akira's and laid them down on the hard floor.

They couldn't leave her in those bloody and silver soaked clothes.Stupid boys.

With an agitated snort, Taylor shifted.Within a minute and a half, she was done. Where a sand colored Werewolf had once stood, a female with dusted olive skin and long dark brown hair so dark it almost appeared black, replaced it.

Taylor wasn't self conscious, being a Were didn't give you that privilege.

So she stood to her full height of 5'8 and stretched.When you first changed it always took a minute to adjust from four paws to two feet.

A collective gasp sounded.

Taylor turned her tawny-brown eyes to survey the boys. Guess they hadn't seen her change before. It wasn't like a normal transformation, it was fluid and started from head to toe in rapid succession.

One good point to them, they were looking at her face.

"Give her to me." Taylor didn't bother to not hide the order.

Axel growled at Taylor's outstretched hand.

"Don't play with me, pup. Give. Her. To. Me."

Taylor's eyes were aglow with gold, because her eye color was already fairly close with her wolf's own muted golden ones, normally no one would even notice when she was going feral. This time, however…Taylor could see the reflection in the van's chrome bumper, her eyes glittered with an animalistic fury.

Mason tried to lay a hand on her shoulder but she ghosted out of his reach.

"We need to get her out of those clothes and there's no one here I trust to do that but myself,"Taylor snatched up her own forgotten clothes and motioned for Axel to put Kaden in the van.

Axel and Taylor stared at each other for a minute, each silently studying the other.

"Fine, I understand." he nodded putting her gently inside.

Without any acknowledgement, she shut both doors and began undressing her friend as carefully as she could.Wiping any access blood or silver off with her relatively clean socks, she then proceeded to dress her in Taylor's clothes. Stepping back, she surveyed her friend's sleeping form and decided that was as good as it was going to get.

She hadn't had any broken bones, thankfully-- just cuts, holes and silver burns all throughout her skin.

Taylor's own hands were now aching. She had touched Kaden; who was right now, equivalent to a soaked silver sponge, and Taylor's hands were on fire. Even her nose and throat burned with her being so close and in an enclosed space.

How inconvenient.

A normal Were…okay let's face it there was no such thing as a normal one--A basic Were could withstand this little amount of sliver, especially when it was just traces on the outside of their skin…but I guess it was her price to pay.

Taylor opened one door to find everyone standing around nervously.

"Lets go. Those other wolves will be waking up soon," Taylor hopped out to breathe in the pure air which felt raw on her throat.

Mason noticed her singed knuckles and furrowed his brow,

"You're riding up front. Axel and Akira will stay in back with Kaden."

Taylor opened her mouth to argue but Axel had already hopped in with Akira, who was still in his lithe dark brown wolf