The Wolf's Bride (Shifters Unleashed Book 1)

by Natalie Aejaz

  Was he safe wherever he was?

  When the mobile rang, she scrambled across the carpet. She picked it up, hand trembling as she turned it over, praying it was not damaged. Mum? She had also called late yesterday evening, but Leanne did not answer. Her mother was the last person she wanted to talk to but if she continued to ignore her, she would head straight over—and she really could not handle that right now.

  “Darling, I have wonderful news.” Mum was in sickly sweet mode. “Guess who visited me yesterday?” Fucking Dave? “Lovely Dave.” The bloody creep. “Apparently you were rude to him last week? And now will not answer his calls?”

  “I’ve been busy.”

  “Well, whatever you are busy with, you must put it aside and meet him. You do realize he wants to give you another chance?”

  “Give me another chance?”

  “Yes. I found it difficult to believe, too. I have told him you are a sensible girl who knows what is right. We have even looked at possible wedding dates.”

  She could not be serious? “Wedding dates?”

  “Isn’t it wonderful? And it was so lovely to see him again. Didn’t I tell you I always had a good relationship with him?” How was the shithead even thinking of dates after she made it clear she did not plan to get back together with him? More to the point, how much of a doormat had she been to make him think such behavior was okay? “Dear? Are you listening to me?” Do I have a choice? “Dave has a few months before he has to move to Manchester for his new job … he is doing so well, isn’t he? … But that leaves enough time for the wedding. Just do not mess it up this time, dear.”

  “I messed up?”

  “I really thought this was it and you would end up an old spinster”—mum sounded positively delighted by the idea—“so I hope you appreciate how lucky you are. Shall I tell him to visit you this evening?”

  “No.”

  “You might be busy with that silly new job, but this is more important.”

  “I’ve decided not to give Dave another chance.”

  A pause. “What?”

  “You heard me the first time. I deserve better than that idiot.”

  “Leanne, you cannot lose this opportunity. You have no sense of what is good for you—”

  She could not argue on that point. Rex had been good for her, and what had she done? Driven him away. “That might be correct, but I do know Dave is bad for me.”

  “I am coming around now to talk to you—”

  “No, you’re not.”

  “What?”

  She inhaled, deep. “I love you, mum, but would appreciate it if you kept out of my damn business.”

  A long pause. “Well, if that is how you feel ...”

  She released the breath she had been holding. “It is.”

  Mum hung up and Leanne’s hand trembled as she placed the mobile inside her bag, pain searing through her head. Had she really spoken to her like that? A few minutes of guilt and then it was as if a burden had lifted. The endless comparisons with Val, those feelings of never being good enough instilled in her as a child, she was free of it all. I can finally fucking breathe. The chapter with Dave was well and truly over, but what now? Marry a normal guy—more like the best option available—because that was her dream since being a little girl? No way. She would not spend the rest of her life forcing herself to get along with her husband just because he was the father of her kids, like mum did.

  She drew another deep breath, gradually releasing it. At this rate she would be late for work, the only thing going right for her, and just needed to grab a jacket and get out of here. She popped an aspirin before opening the wardrobe, picking out Rex’s jacket. It looked silly over her knee-length yellow dress, but when she wore it, it was as if she could feel his touch. Why the hell had it taken all this heartache to figure out she loved him too? If only she had not been so caught up with those crappy ideas of what she thought she wanted.

  Rex … my mate.

  It felt so right. Happiness slowly bubbled up in her chest and dispersed some of the misery as she realized them being together could actually work. Perhaps it was even meant to be since the first time they met, when they instantly knew there was something special between them. Something very special … As she remembered looking into his ice-blue eyes that day, she was smacked across the head by a moment of clarity … Christ, she was such an idiot! Why the fuck hadn’t she thought of it before? She took the mobile out to call the car hire service she used for the wedding.

  You were right, Rex. We can make this work.

  AS HER COLLEAGUES TAPPED AWAY at their laptops or chased up clients and sources for information, Leanne’s mind was in turmoil. She kept checking her mobile, but no missed calls from the car hire company. When would they call? Peter had forwarded some edited images, for publication with today’s articles. She gave them the once-over and responded, telling him to go ahead with the designs. After editing a story, about paranormal activities during an elite London gathering over the weekend, she came back to her emails. Harry had sent another shitty article about an apparent shapeshifter taking down a hunter. Why the hell did he focus on the danger shifters would pose if they turned out to be real? She wrote a reply, reminding him to work on other subjects. And did he even consider that in such situations the hunted acted in self-defense? She ended the email with a note mentioning this was a perfect opportunity to explore the ethics of humans killing animals for sport. After sending the reply she checked her mobile again, but no response from the car hire people. They could not get back quickly enough when she wanted to bloody book their service.

  “Coffee, Leanne?” Diane’s voice startled her. She had come upon her from nowhere; silent, sleek, deadly. With the stealth of a cat.

  “I’ll get it.”

  “No need,” said Diane, smiling. Yep, definitely feline. “You’re super sweet, but I’m a lot better now.” Were her teeth sharper than usual?

  Leanne was already off her chair and heading to the kitchen as she said, “It’s all right, really.” It was not sympathy for her colleague that had her rushing to make coffees over the past week. The woman was a shapeshifter, more than enough motivation. As she prepared the beverages, Diane came in after her. “I wanted to say thanks for being so understanding, Leanne … and for letting me take next week off at such short notice. You’ll probably have to cover for me, and I appreciate it.” She paused, as if considering her words. “You’re a great boss, you know that?”

  Something she had never expected to come out of Diane’s mouth. “You’re welcome.”

  What was Diane planning to do on her week off? She would not try to rescue her brother, would she? Because that would be suicide. Concerned for the colleague she once considered a bitch, and aching at the thought of the threats facing Rex, her hand trembled as she held out a cup. As she took it, Diane did not miss her reaction. “I know it’s none of my business but we’re getting on better now … so maybe I can ask. Is there something wrong?” She looked down at her coffee. “I mean, you’re not your usual self these days.”

  She could say that again. Dreading waking up to an empty bed each morning, waiting for missed calls and messages that never came, crying herself to sleep at night; Leanne was as fucked up as it got. “Some personal stuff going on.”

  “Want to talk?” She needed to talk, because she had not even told Beth yet, concerned about getting carried away and blurting out more than she should to her best friend. She had already caused a lot of harm to shapeshifters through her stories and was not about to risk exposing them further.

  Could she control her emotions around her colleague? Looking into Diane’s friendly but cool gaze, she guessed so. “It’s to do with that guy.” It was a relief to admit it.

  “The one from the car park? Who you were seeing?” Leanne nodded, tears coming to her eyes. What the hell? She grabbed a tissue from the box on the kitchen counter, pressing it to her face. Diane came closer, placing a hand on her arm. “What’s he done?”


  “Nothing. He’s a great guy … I blew it. Big time. I couldn’t see past some things, accept him for what he is ... and now I don’t know how to find him.” She wiped her eyes and stepped back. As she picked up her coffee, it suddenly hit her. “Diane? You mentioned the other day he looked familiar, and you might know him?”

  Her colleague frowned. “Did I?”

  Rex was well-known among the shifters, so there was a chance Diane recognized him. “Yes. You even asked where I met him, remember? I told you we met in the forest.”

  Diane cleared her throat, green eyes glancing around the kitchen, looking at anything but Leanne. “He has one of those faces, feels like you’ve seen it somewhere ...”

  She did not blame her colleague for not trusting her, and she was not about to press further and risk revealing what she knew. “Well, if you do think of something that might help …”

  She forced a smile, felt her lips wobble, and hurried back to the office before she started crying again. Having something to focus on meant she could at least try to keep her mind off Rex, so she opened the company website. As she was replying to comments on a recent article, her mobile rang—the car hire company! The voice on the other side of the phone was formal. “Reception has informed me you are enquiring after the details of a chauffeur you booked several weeks ago.”

  “Yes. I … erm, forgot to tip him.”

  “It is against our policy to provide such information and in any case, we have nobody of that name working with us.”

  “Perhaps I got the name wrong?” Rex had been covering for a friend, but it looked as if the company was unaware of this. “Please could you put me in touch with the chauffeur booked that day?” He would know how to get through to Rex.

  “He does not wish to speak to you.” Great, now she was being treated like a damn stalker. “But we do hope to welcome you back as a valued customer.”

  She resisted the urge to tell him what he could do with any future custom, forcing back tears as she placed her mobile on the desk. Where are you, Rex? She glanced around the office as she massaged her temples, to see Diane watching from her desk, but her colleague averted her intent gaze and turned to her laptop.

  The rest of the day passed with Leanne wallowing in self-pity. God, she hated feeling like this. That evening, as other staff left, she stayed behind to do overtime; not ready to return to an empty apartment. And she had to cover for Diane’s leave, so might as well start now. When the office was nearly empty, she popped to the kitchen to grab a coffee, returning to her desk to find a post-it note on it. No name on the note but the messy handwriting was familiar. Diane? But what was it with the message? When the Great Wolf cannot be found, he runs in the forest.

  The Great Wolf … she had to be talking about Rex. The forest … where he took her? He did mention it was where he went to be alone. Yes! If Diane was here, she would have given her the tightest hug ever. Instead, she switched off her laptop and hurried out to catch a taxi. She found one quickly, thank God, and got into the back of the spacious black vehicle, giving the driver directions.

  “Sure you want to go all the way out there?” Concern furrowed the taxi driver’s brow. “It’s getting late.”

  She could not wait any longer to see Rex. “I’m sure,” she said, voice firm.

  Getting out of the London traffic took a while, and it was almost an hour later before they left the busy city behind, turning on to a narrow and isolated country road. It would be dark soon and the thought of finding her way through dense trees and wild growth made nerves clutch at the pit of her stomach. “I don’t think this is a good idea.” The driver was behaving as if she was asking him to go trampling through the forest. “The authorities have been putting out warnings about being careful around forest areas these days. Wild animals and all that—”

  “I’ll be okay.” As long as she was there before it turned dark. And once she was with Rex, she would be safe. “How much longer?”

  “We’ll be there soon, love.”

  She inhaled a few times, trying to relax. Perhaps she should come back tomorrow? But the need to be with him was too great. They entered a lane straight out of a horror movie, and as the trees on either side became more dense, she kept an eye out for anything familiar. There was that broken sign with the picture of a car, and soon they were turning into the car park. Relief flooded through her at the sight of Rex’s Porsche. He was in the forest. There was also another vehicle parked, so there were people around. She pulled cash out of her purse. “Thank you.”

  “Are you sure, lady?” The driver glanced at the darkening sky. “I’m not keen on leaving you here.”

  “That’s my boyfriend’s car.” She pointed at Rex’s Porsche. “So no need to worry.”

  “Bloody weird place for a date,” he mumbled, taking the money. She got out of the taxi, and he drove off. Shit. She should have asked him to wait, just in case … too late now and anyway, she would find Rex.

  With that determination she set off, in the direction where she was more or less sure he had led her that day. The trees grew thicker as she walked deeper into the forest. Each time she thought she was near the area he had taken her to, she ended up among another bunch of trees. It suddenly hit her that it would have been a better idea to wait for him at his car. Damn, why hadn’t she thought of that before? She turned around, intending to find her way back to the area where his car was parked, but now had no idea which direction she had come from. Shit. There was no option but to keep walking … She was still walking through the forest over half an hour later. It was now dark, the light from the moon now her only guide. All the bloody trees looked similar. Shadows lurked between the thick branches and the sounds of creatures, so calming that day, were frightening as hell. It was so tempting to call out for Rex, but what else might hear her? She stumbled and fell, getting up as she brushed away tears. What if he left the forest? Drove off, leaving her alone?

  There was a rustle behind her and her veins turned to ice, breath catching in her throat. “Rex?”

  The disembodied voice scared the crap out of her. “Who are you?”

  Where was it coming from? One thing was for sure—it did not belong to Rex. “H-hello?” A shadow stepped forward. A man—a very handsome man—with blue eyes as cold as his voice. Fear clutched at her insides. He was a fucking shifter, she just knew it. There was an animal aura about him, like the one that emanated from Rex. His face had a similarly defined structure, and that gaze held the same intensity. In fact, they could be … She gasped. “You’re Rex’s brother?”

  “Yes. Tyr.” He paused, inhaling deep, in that way Rex did when he had his face buried in her hair. “That scent … I recognize it, from Rex.” His lips curled up in disgust. “You must be Leanne?” When she nodded, he narrowed those cold blue eyes. “What are you doing here?”

  “Looking for Rex.” She glanced around the trees, dark and eerie against the light of the moon. “He’s here somewhere, isn’t he?” Tyr came closer. He was smartly dressed in a black two-piece, but she recognized a threat when she saw one. Rex would never hurt her, but she was not so sure about his brother. “I need to talk to him. And I reckon he’ll want to hear what I have to say.”

  “He’s in a bad state.” His eyes flared. “No thanks to you. So leave, before I forget we’re not supposed to attack humans unless in danger.”

  She shook her head. “I’m not leaving.” Not when Rex needed her.

  Tyr’s hand went to her throat, and he had her pressed against a tree. “Your kind killed our father,” he spat out. “And you hurt my brother. Badly. Why shouldn’t I kill you and get it over and done with?”

  Her voice was a whisper. “Because of what it would do to your brother.” Something in his cold expression changed, and he let go of her. “Look, I know I hurt him, but I only want to make things right. Trust me.”

  “Trust a human?” He stepped back, the hatred on his face even more vivid under the moonlight. “No fucking way.”

 
She tried to instill confidence in her voice, not easy when faced with a potentially violent shifter in the middle of a dark forest. “Have it your way then and leave him to go on being miserable.” Tyr hesitated … Was she getting through to him? Rex had revealed little about his relationship with his brother, but what he mentioned made it obvious that both were close, despite their differences. “I get it, you’re angry—but how will punishing Rex make you feel any better?”

  His eyes flashed amber, and when his claws shot out, she could practically feel the sharp fuckers slicing across her neck. Despite her unsavory expectation he just stood where he was, staring at her. Eventually he waved his hand, cutting through the silence with those blades. “I hate the thought of my brother being with one of you,” he said, “But he’s got it bad. And you’ve got no idea of what an unbearable asshole he is in this condition.” He clenched his jaw as if grinding his teeth. “I’ve no other choice, but if you cause him any more pain, or tell anyone about us—”

  “Never. I promise.”

  “Keep your promises to yourself.” He turned, his back to her as he walked. “Come on, he’s near here.” She practically ran, stumbling over branches as she struggled to keep up. When he suddenly stopped and lifted his hand, his claws had already retracted, thank God. “Over there.” It took a few moments before her eyes adjusted, and she could make out trees from the shadows. He was indicating toward a clearing—the spot where Rex had brought her the first time they met? She took a step closer, her heart speeding up when she saw him sat on a blanket with his back against a tree. “I’ll leave you to it,” said Tyr.

  “Thank you so much,” she told him, “For this.” He might have scared the shit out of her, and hated her kind like hell, but had brought her to Rex. Some day, could he even adjust to his brother having a human for a mate?

  “No need to thank me,” he snarled. “I’m doing this for him, not you. Remember, if you ever hurt him …”

  “I won’t.” Never again.