by Liv Brywood
Stryde whispered, “Goodbye.”
Before she could respond, he’d sprinted into the forest and vanished behind a wall of trees. She touched her fingers to her lips. As long as she lived, she’d never forget that kiss. It had sparked something inside her that had been slumbering for too long.
Once she got out of this mess, she’d search for someone like him. Even if it took her the rest of her life, it would be worth the wait.
She turned and strolled down Main Street. She hadn’t been to town in at couple of years but it was as if time stood still. Lamps flickered on to cast a yellowish light across the street. She’d often wondered why they weren’t white until her father had explained that they were better for navigating the fog.
She glanced toward the end of the street, where the town’s small harbor lay hidden behind a thick fog bank. As a child she’d spent hours on the fishing boat with her dad. He’d taught her everything about different types of bait and tackle. Just off the coast, she’d caught her first and last fish. She couldn’t stand seeing the beautiful creature flopping in the bottom of the boat.
Even now, the memory of that fish made her stomach churn. She couldn’t imagine being so helpless in the face of a predator, and completely unable to escape.
She shook her head. Hopefully her uncle would be able to stop the man hunting her. With his help, she wouldn’t end up like that fish on the end of a predator’s line.
Most of the shops closed at sunset, but a few stayed open to capture the last few customers. As she passed Caroline’s Sweet Shop, she inhaled the sugar-laden air. Inside the shop, families with frolicking children feasted on everything from chocolate candy bars to milkshakes.
She envied their carefree lives. Had she ever been that happy? Maybe. Maybe when her mother was still around, before her family fell apart, it might have been possible.
The front window showcased the large cotton candy machine she’d worshiped as a child. It magically spun threads of gossamer sugar into her favorite summer treat. Her mouth watered at the sight of it, but she didn’t have time to stop. She vowed to come back after her stalker was captured. Only then could she celebrate.
She hurried past the shop, past darkened windows decked with the latest fall fashions. Main Street was only a few blocks long. When she reached the end, she turned onto the small oceanfront promenade and headed toward her uncle’s house.
The tall Victorian sat on a slight hill directly across the street from the harbor. Brandy had always thought of the house as the queen of harbor. The regal home overlooked the bay as if it were one of her subjects.
Lights glowed in several windows, including the kitchen and living room. Good, he was home. She’d been afraid she’d have to wait on the porch until he arrived.
She walked up a stone-paved path that curved through a bright flower garden. A series of wooden steps led to the front door. As she reached for the doorbell, she took a breath. Finally, she’d have someone on her side.
She pushed the bell and waited. Seconds later, a woman who couldn’t be more than twenty-five years old opened the door. Clad in a white tennis outfit, she looked as if she’d just stepped out of a high-end catalog.
Brandy said, “Oh, I’m sorry. I was looking for my uncle, Sheriff Watkins. He used to live here.”
The woman gave her the once-over before replying. “He’s not home yet, but he will be in a few minutes. And you are…”
“Brandy, his niece.”
“I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m Luna, his girlfriend.”
Brandy tried not to raise an eyebrow. Her uncle was only thirty-two, but he always seemed a lot older, wiser. She was surprised he was dating someone so young.
“Please, come in.” Luna stepped back to allow her to pass.
As Brandy followed her into the living room, the subtle scent of very expensive perfume trailed behind Luna. The house was very different from the last time she’d visited, two years ago. Instead of the casual, bachelor-style mismatched furniture and decorations, the house looked as if it had been dressed by a professional decorator.
A coastal-style, cerulean-blue-and-white striped sofa and chaise sat in the center of the room. A seafoam-green throw rug covered part of the glossy wooden floor, and matching pillows decorated the sofa. A navy-blue wingback chair and ottoman pointed toward a huge wall-mounted television.
“Wow, the place looks so different.” She perched on the edge of the sofa, suddenly self-conscious about how dirty she must be from running through the forest.
“Can I get you something? Tea? A mint julep?”
“I don’t drink alcohol, but I would love some tea.”
While Luna disappeared for a few minutes, Brandy tried to figure out how to tell her uncle about her stalker. She decided to start from the beginning. He knew about the accident and trial already, so she just needed to tell him about the threatening phone call.
As Luna returned, her brown ponytail swung behind her. “I forgot to ask if you want sugar.”
“That would be great.”
Luna turned just as the front door opened.
“How is my naughty little tennis master?” her uncle called.
Luna blushed slightly and bounced across the room to greet him. After a passionate kiss and hug, she waved her hand toward Brandy. “Guess who’s here?”
Her uncle smiled. “I had no idea you were coming.”
“I didn’t have a chance to call.” She’d been in such a panic that she’d left without telling anyone.
“Let’s go sit in the back garden. Honey, can you bring me a glass of lemonade with just a hint of extra pep?”
Brandy frowned behind his back as she followed him to the backyard. She hated being around people who drank. But, her uncle wasn’t anything like her father. Ben could actually hold his liquor. She often wondered if the difference was just a case of genetics. She hadn’t even known about her uncle’s existence until four years ago.
On her deathbed, her uncle’s mother, Joyce, had confessed that she’d had a secret child when she was sixteen years old. The child, Brandy’s father, had lived less than ten miles from his biological mother and he didn’t even know it.
Her father had taken Brandy to the beach across from his biological mother’s home for years. He had no idea that he’d been adopted, so he never had the chance to meet her. But he did meet his brother. It had been an awkward reunion, but in the end, Ben had embraced his half-brother.
After getting settled in a garden chaise, Ben asked, “So what brings you here? How’s your father doing?”
“He’s still in prison. Other than that, I don’t know.”
“You haven’t been to visit him?”
“No. I can’t bring myself to see him locked up. What he did was terrible, but he needs help. Locking him up like an animal won’t change anything.” Her heart thumped in her chest as she prepared to ask for his help.
“I haven’t been to see him either,” Ben admitted.
“I will, soon. There’s something else I needed your help with.”
Luna returned with the spiked lemonade. She handed it to Ben, then sat on the edge of his chaise.
Ben took a sip. “Shoot.”
“Well, this is probably going to sound a little crazy, but someone is stalking me.”
He lowered his glass. “What?”
“Someone left me a threatening message the other night and they’ve been chasing me.”
He sat up right with a look of intense concentration. “Tell me everything.”
She relayed the details to him, ending with being attacked in the forest. “…and if Stryde hadn’t saved me, I would be dead right now.”
Her uncle’s face darkened. “Did you say Stryde?”
“Yes, he mentioned that you know him.”
“Yeah, I know him.” He scowled.
“What’s wrong?” Brandy asked.
“Stryde’s dangerous. I know this is going to sound nuts, but he’s not… normal.”
“Because he’s a werewolf?”
Ben narrowed his eyes. “How do you know that?”
“He showed me. The stalker was right behind me and Stryde shifted into a wolf.”
Luna shifted in the chair, suddenly looking uncomfortable. “Those wolves are disgusting animals. You should stay far away from them before they ruin your life.”
Ben said, “Honey, why don’t you go inside while we talk.”
“Okay, honey.” She kissed him on the cheek and left.
Brandy didn’t like where the conversation was headed. “The stalker almost killed me. I jumped on Stryde’s back and he ran to safety. I owe him my life.”
Ben stood. His tone took on a dark undercurrent. “You don’t owe him shit. He’s been warned about interacting with humans. I don’t want his kind around here. Stay away from him—he’s a feral animal.”
Stunned by the ferocity with which he spoke, Brandy bit the edge of her lip. “He wasn’t mean to me at all. In fact, he was nothing but nice.” And sexy, and filled with angst and longing… of course, she kept that to herself.
Ben said, “You can’t trust those things.”
She sighed. “Can we put that aside for a minute? I have a much bigger problem. Someone shot at me.”
“What were you doing in the forest, anyway? Why didn’t you drive here?”
“I was afraid to take the road over the mountain. I thought he might be waiting for me to run. I snuck into the forest. I didn’t even realize he’d followed me until he found me in the cabin.”
“What cabin?”
“I don’t know. I got lost in the storm and found it. I took shelter there and that’s where I met Stryde.”
His mouth turned down. “Are you sure the guy was tracking you and not that wolf?”
“Yes, and I think I know who it is.”
“Who?”
“Hugo Lorenzo, Annabelle’s father.”
Ben stopped pacing. “How do you know it’s him?”
“Do you remember the way he looked at me all throughout the trial?” A shiver zigzagged down her spine.
“He could hardly contain his rage, but that doesn’t mean he’s trying to kill you. Do you have any proof that it’s him? Did you save the message?”
She shook her head. “I panicked and deleted it. I know I should have kept it, but I wasn’t thinking.”
“Do you have any other evidence? A shell casing from the bullets?”
Anger flooded her veins. “I couldn’t exactly stop to collect any while he was shooting at me.”
He must have seen the rage in her face. He approached her and patted her shoulder. “All right, I’ll see what I can do about this tomorrow. Do you have a place to stay tonight?”
“I was hoping I could stay here,” she said sheepishly.
He looked away. “I’m sorry, but I can’t have you staying here if that wolf knows where you were headed. I don’t need that kind of trouble, especially now that Luna’s living with me.”
“I don’t have anywhere else to go.” He wasn’t going to make her sleep outside, or in the woods, was he? She’d be safer back at that cave with Stryde.
“I’ll get you a room at Ocean Front Motel. I’ll have a security detail make rounds tonight. In the morning, I’ll give Hugo a call and tell him to stop bothering you.”
“He’s not just bothering me, he’s trying to kill me.”
“So you say.”
“What? You don’t believe me?”
Her hands trembled in her lap. She couldn’t believe he was acting so nonchalant about the situation. This was a total nightmare, not at all what she’d expected. It was as if knowing she’d met Stryde had completely clouded his judgment.
“You have to see it from my perspective. You have no evidence, not the phone call, not the bullet casings, nothing. I can’t go off half-cocked until I have more information. Don’t worry, you’ll be perfectly safe at the motel.”
***
Brandy waved goodbye to Ben as he left the parking lot at the motel. He’d reassured her that he’d make some calls in the morning to see if the phone company had any record of the phone call. Even if they didn’t, he’d still call Hugo and talk to him.
She closed the door and pulled the chain lock across. She also locked the deadbolt. The exhaustion she’d been fighting for hours finally overwhelmed her. The room wasn’t much, but it was clean and safe.
She pulled back the comforter on the bed and although she wanted to climb right in, she decided a quick shower was in order.
As she waited for the water to get hot, she undressed and hung the clothes on the hangers in the open closet. She didn’t mind the missing doors. It would give her stalker one less place to hide.
Not that he could have known she’d end up here. She hated the sense of dread that clung to her like a second skin. She wanted to wash away the evil she’d felt when she was being chased.
She tentatively checked the temperature in the shower. The tepid water wasn’t what she wanted, but it would have to do. She could have a long, hot bath when she got home. Maybe the phone call to Hugo would be enough to get him to stop harassing her.
As she showered, she couldn’t stop thinking about Stryde’s lips. That last kiss had almost made her melt into a puddle. She didn’t have much experience with guys. Most of them couldn’t get past her father’s drunken rages. It only took him one or two dates to run them off.
He’d been locked up for three months, but dating had been the last thing on her mind. She was a waitress at a diner with no prospects and no other skills. She wanted more from life but she didn’t know how to get it.
The cascade of water diminished and turned freezing cold. She yelped and quickly turned off the faucets. At least she was clean. She wrapped a thin white towel around her body and another around her hair. As she dried off, she glanced in the mirror. Dark circles rimmed her eyes. Her pale complexion and downtrodden gaze were unsettling. She’d always tried to see the positive in every situation, but the last three months had taken their toll.
The only good thing that had happened was her brief time with Stryde. She couldn’t stop picturing his coppery skin, or those piercing gray eyes that seemed to see right into her soul.
He’d been through hell in his life too. She understood his pain more than he could ever know. She just wished she could have spent more time with him.
She dried her hair and then slid into bed. Maybe she’d feel better after getting some rest. As she drifted off to sleep, she wondered what it would be like to make love to a man like Stryde. He could be tender as well as fierce. She had no doubt that he’d be an amazing lover.
Several hours later, she bolted upright. Her gaze darted around the room until it fell on the shadowy figure standing outside her window. It took a second to register the scraping sound. When she did, her body went rigid. He was trying to pry the front window open.
Chapter 6
Stryde strolled through the forest. A sense of loss cornered his heart. But there wasn’t anything he could do about it. Brandy was human, and completely off-limits. He hadn’t even entertained the idea of sex with another wolf during the past few months, but less than a day with her and he couldn’t keep his body in check.
The embarrassingly obvious erections should have sent her running for the hills, but she hadn’t run. She’d wanted him. He could see it in her eyes.
But it didn’t matter. She was gone, so he needed to go back to being alone. Once he apologized to Ryker and Diana for missing their life-mate ceremony, he could return to his solitary cave and spend the rest of his life in peace.
He approached Ryker’s den by making a wide sweep so he could avoid the river. He was just a few feet from the entrance to the cave when Diana waddled out.
“I thought I smelled you.”
Her very pregnant form prevented her from walking too fast, so he hurried to close the gap. “You look beautiful.”
“I look like a boulder.” She grinned and embraced him.
Her strong grip surprised him. She’d only been living with the Silver Creek Pack for the last few months. After Ryker had rescued her from Zane, she’d packed a few items from her home in Full Moon Bay and moved in with Ryker.
“You look stunning. Where’s your mate?” he asked.
A deep voice sounded from somewhere inside the cave. “Brother! I was about to send a search party out for you.”
Stryde kicked at the ground and hung his head slightly. “Something urgent came up and I couldn’t get here in time. I’m sorry. You know I would have been here if—”
Diana hooked her arm through Ryker’s. “Don’t worry, I’m sure you can tell us all about it later. Will you be staying the night?”
“No. I have to get back to the den.”
Ryker said, “So you moved back home?”
“Um…”
“Before you start lying, you should know that Nosh sent a few wolves into the forest to look for you. He expected you to mourn alone, but he didn’t expect you to abandon the Dark Moon Pack.”
Stryde didn’t like his accusatory tone. “Nosh is more than capable of running things while I’m gone. I just need a little more time.”
“How much more? It’s been six months.”
Diana stepped between them and held up her hands. “Now, now. If he needs more time, he needs more time. He lost someone very close to him and it’s his right to grieve as long as he needs to. Besides, now’s the time to celebrate, not the time to fight.”
Ryker gently took her hand and kissed it. “Alright, honey.”
Stryde relaxed. “So, tell me about the ceremony.”
Diana beamed. “Everyone from our pack attended. Nosh sent some people from Dark Moon Pack, but he wasn’t able to make it. Kyran and most of his pack from Phantom Lake attended. They brought me several new blankets and helped construct a bassinette.”
“I wish I could have been here.”
She shook her finger at him as if to scold him. “Just don’t miss the baby-naming ceremony.”
“Any ideas on whether it’s a girl or a boy?”
Ryker slapped him on the back. “A boy, of course.”
Akila, the healer and midwife of Silver Creek Pack, stepped out of the shadow of the den. Her long gray hair billowed behind her wiry frame. “Stryde!”
