Wrecked: Knight Pack – Wolf Shifter Paranormal Romance (Knight Pack Series Book 1)

by Elissa Daye

  She felt the air change around her slightly the further she walked. Brina made it to the path where she had run into Killian the night before. At the time, she hadn’t even thought to be afraid of him. Perhaps she should have run as fast as her feet could carry her, but even then, she had been starting to feel the magnetic pull between them.

  She shivered slightly as the cold returned, which turned her thoughts away from the handsome werewolf who had been so close to changing the course of her fate. If their fates weren’t destined to cross.

  “What is going on here?”

  Brina felt an energy source pulsing around her. It seemed to be drawing her in deeper into the forest. Was that where Killian had come from last night? Was it possible that he knew what was going on in these woods? Not that she would be asking him about that any time soon.

  Brina left the safety of the path and stepped into the cover of the trees. As she walked, Brina found little shapes carved into wood and stone throughout the dense forest. The triquetra, a three-cornered knot that had no beginning or end, was a protective symbol used by the lightworkers here. It stood for protection, and was one of the strongest symbols of the Triple Goddess. While this was supposed to keep the woods safe from the outside world, it was also being countered by something very dark and evil. Brina could not quite put her finger on it. That darkness could be the exact thing that had sent the imp to attack her last night.

  Even though she had been walking for an hour or more, Brina was still not finding anything substantial. Brina pulled her phone out of her pocket and took a quick photo of some of the symbols. She got a little closer and found a small pouch on the ground by a tree nearby. Picking up a stick, she poked at it and found blood seeping through the cloth. She sighed and shook her head. “When will they learn?”

  Using the same stick to dig a small hole, Brina started to bless the dirt below. She opened the bag and saw some kind of rodent, or the remnants of one, that had been sacrificed probably the night before. Brina could feel the dark energy siphoning from it and held her hands over it. She cleansed the contents with a healing white light and said a silent prayer for the animal that had lost its life so brutally. When she was done, the dark feeling had lessened. Reaching inside her other pocket, she retrieved the small packet of Celtic sea salt that she always carried with her. She tossed a few granules over the bag and continued to pray over it. When she was done, Brina filled the hole around it and buried the poor creature.

  She reached into her shirt and pulled her pentacle up to her lips to kiss it. Then she let it fall closer to her as she looked up to the sky above her. “As above, so below. As below, so above. So, mote it be.”

  Brina felt the fingers of light touch her neck and knew she was no longer alone. “Hello?”

  The voice that had led her here was floating closer to her ear. Danger lurks.

  The ghostly whisper was for her ears alone. The voice was female, almost old and brittle. While some were attached to corporeal forms, not all of them were. Brina much preferred the voice to the projection, although sometimes it was tricky to ascertain if the entity speaking to her was from the light or dark, when all she had was a voice to go on. It took a lot of gut instinct to figure it out.

  Darkness.

  “I can see that. What do you want me to do?”

  Find the one.

  “Which one?” She really hated when the spirits spoke in riddles. Sometimes they could see the natural world better than the humans could, but they refused to give more than what was needed.

  “Hello?”

  The cold fingers no longer tickled her skin. Instead, the world went back to the way it had been moments before. Clearly, she wasn’t going to get anymore from the ghost at the moment. What she had found out was that whatever was making the woods so dangerous to the lightworkers was one person. Unfortunately, she had to agree with the spirit. The longer she stayed within the forest, the easier it was to see that it was filled with something dangerous. She almost felt as if she were marked with the evil eye right now. Every step she took seemed to be punctuated with a foggy feeling. The forest was starting to affect her. Today was not the day to tackle this. She had no choice but to return to the inn.

  As if to indicate her body’s willingness to return, her stomach started to rumble, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten a thing. She didn’t really want to head back. Pulling out her phone, she looked up the road conditions in the area. The text alerts on the page indicated that the road would probably be safe to travel tomorrow.

  “Ugh. Now, I just have to make it through one more day.”

  Brina put her phone back in her pocket, amused by the fact that last night her phone had not worked, yet today it had four bars. The cloud cover last night must have affected it. She crossed her fingers that the weather stayed constant and steady until she could find a place in town. While she would still need to investigate Witch’s Hollow, she was pretty sure she could use the entrance on the other side of the town.

  Chapter 6

  At the house Killian was doing his best not to tear his brother to shreds. “What the hell do you think you’re doing, Karter?” He ran his hands through his hair as anger shook him to the core.

  “Well, if you don’t want her, she’s fair game, right?” His voice was teasing him, but Killian didn’t seem to catch the humor.

  “No, she’s not!” Killian’s fingers bit into the palms of his hand. He was having a serious control issue right now. Usually he was pretty even keeled, but the minute Brina had touched him something inside him had snapped. His control had unraveled and he wanted to make his claim over her. But he couldn’t let the beast inside take over all his senses. Killian was raised better than that.

  “He sure is testy,” grumbled Kyle.

  “It’s his own damn fault. Had the perfect opportunity and tossed it out like trash.” Kam had just come into the door, slamming it behind him. “You know you’re an ass, right?”

  “I didn’t throw her out.” Killian narrowed his eyes on Kameron, his oldest brother and biggest pain in his ass.

  “You might as well have. Poor thing was a little peeved to learn that she wouldn’t be able to drive away today.” Kam shook his head. “Funny thing, the weather. Did Mother have anything to do with that?”

  “No. Quite the opposite.” His mother came into the living room. “I tried to talk some sense into him. Apparently, he listened.”

  “You’re no fun!” Kyle plopped down on the couch and crossed his arms. “You do know the leader goes first, right? What about the rest of us? We’re all waiting too.”

  Killian sniffed in slight irritation. “It’s not my fault you peaked early.”

  Kyle held his hands up, “Well, some of us are downright—”

  “Sex-crazed?” suggested Killian, then he saw his mother shake her head at him. “Sorry, Mother.”

  “You should be. You have to choose wisely, boys. Not just any woman will do. This is the one you’ll be with for the rest of your mortal lives.” Amber Knight walked across the room almost regally. She sat down in one of the small armchairs and looked over the bunch of disgruntled men in the room. “Waiting never hurt anyone.”

  “Woman, what are you teaching those boys?” Kenton Knight walked into the room. He kissed his wife on the top of her head and turned to see a room filled with men in various degrees of annoyance. Then he turned back to their mother. “What did you do, Amber?”

  “Don’t blame me if he has a conscience,” she chided her husband.

  Killian refused to meet his mother’s eyes. He had a conscience, but he also had a growing need inside him that did not want to be ignored. Killian wasn’t sure how much longer he could continue to hold out. Especially considering the lack of interest in the rest of the female population.

  “And what’s wrong with this young lady...there is a young lady, I presume.”

  “She’s a witch—a nosy one at that.” Amber crossed her arms over her chest.

  Kenton almost l
ost it completely. His laughter boomed around the room. “Woman...so are you! That didn’t stop me.”

  Amber narrowed her eyes on him. “Are you calling me nosy?”

  Kenton was the only one of the Knight men who wasn’t afraid of Amber Knight. He gave it right back to her. “Yes. Nosy, opinionated, and sometimes manipulative.”

  Killian and the rest of his brothers averted their gazes, all of them knowing that all hell was about to break loose. In a matter of one, two, three—

  “KENTON KNIGHT! Bite your tongue! I won’t have some three-ring circus erupt in my household. Do you know that woman has a reputation?” She glared at him.

  “Oh?” Karter’s eyebrow rose curiously. “That could be interesting. Maybe I should throw my hat into the ring.”

  “Shut it!” Killian growled at him. There was no way in hell he would let any of his brother’s lay claim to Brina. They could go find their own. If he couldn’t have her, none of them would.

  “Well, if she turned you down, I might still have a chance.” Karter was clearly having fun stirring the nest. Several voices were now talking at once, all of them trying to get control over the conversation.

  “She didn’t turn me down.”

  The room went quiet, so quiet a feather could have dropped and everyone would have heard it. Six collective pairs of eyes were now trained on him in slight fascination. Killian let out a loud huff of air and clenched his teeth. His brothers were counting on him to choose a mate soon. His mother was counting on him not to make the wrong choice. His father was the only one who seemed to care about what he wanted.

  “And you turned her away, Killian?” Kenton’s voice was soft as he tried to determine his son’s state of mind.

  “Yes.”

  “Uhm, I’ve got some work to do in the...back room.” Karter was the first one to slip out of the room.

  “Oh, right. Me too.” Kyle slid off the couch and quickly followed after him.

  Killian looked over at Kam, waiting to see if he was going to go too. “Kam?”

  “What? I’m fine where I am.”

  “Kameron Knight,” Amber chided him.

  “Right. But before I go, perhaps you should know your castoff is heading into Witch’s Hollow.” He left the room muttering about his jackass brother. “Has a perfectly willing woman and doesn’t know what to do with her.”

  Killian was about to go after him when his father put a hand on his arm. “Let me go.”

  “Sit, Killian,” he ordered him.

  Killian did as his father asked him. He moved to the couch and almost threw his body onto it. He leaned forward and slumped over his knees. What was he supposed to do? Kam was right. He had literally tossed her out like the trash. Killian had sensed her anguish through the walls.

  “What do you need to do, Killian?” Kenton asked him.

  “What do you mean?” Killian looked up at his father.

  “What does your beast tell you?”

  “Kenton,” Amber interrupted him. “You can’t suggest he go after her.”

  “Woman, I’ve been lenient on many things. Let you run this house as you saw fit, supported your every decision. But this I cannot abide. If I had listened to my family, you and I would never have happened. This family would not exist. Even if it meant losing my pack, I would do it a hundred times over.”

  Tears filled Amber’s eyes. “I didn’t mean to....”

  “Do you trust him?” Kenton asked her.

  “Well, yes. But it’s not him that I don’t trust.” Amber tried to wave away her husband’s words.

  “Do you love me, wife?” Kenton knelt down in front of her.

  “Yes. More than anything.” She smiled at him and closed her eyes. It was as if she had realized finally what her husband was trying to say. “Killian, you do not need my approval. You never have. If she is the one you want, above all else, then you have my blessing.”

  Killian let out a deep breath. He was so conflicted he couldn’t sort out what his human heart wanted versus what the beast beneath needed. More than likely, he had ruined his chances anyway. He had not handled the situation very well at all.

  “It’s probably just as well that she’s leaving.” Killian rose from the couch and moved to the other side of the room.

  Amber rose and put her hand on his arm. “I’ve been selfish.”

  Killian put his hand over hers. “No. You just care about us.”

  “You’re my children. You’ll always be my baby.” Amber pinched his arm. “Don’t you dare roll your eyes at me, Killian.”

  “I’m thirty-three, hardly a baby.” He smirked at her.

  “And not in your prowling days any more. As much as I dread the day you leave our house, all of you, it’s time for you to find the next stage of your life.”

  “I wouldn’t wait too much longer, Killian. Your brothers might skin your hide,” his father cautioned him.

  “Well, if one of them had won the rites of passage, then they would have been able to go first. It’s not my fault,” he grumbled.

  His brothers were always giving him grief. Amazingly enough, Kam, who was thirty-five, was less interested in finding his mate than his youngest brother, who was twenty-five. Of course, Kam had been able to prowl longer than the others. Unfortunately, there was no rhyme or reason where their beasts were concerned. When they were ready for their mates, there didn’t seem to be any reasoning with them. Even now he felt the wild growing stronger within him, if that were even possible. His wolf spirit wanted its mate, and would not be satisfied until he had her.

  “Nevertheless, your lack of a mate does put a damper on them. As much as your mother wants to keep you all near, there is a reason we had the separate houses built,” Kenton reminded him.

  “And what if my journey takes me farther?” Killian asked them.

  “Then we will have to keep in touch.” Amber wrapped her arms around him and hugged her son.

  Killian turned around and wrapped his arms around her. “You’re really okay with this?”

  “Yes. But she’d better be good to you, or I’ll hex her,” Amber threatened.

  “Women....” Kenton rolled his eyes as he shook his head.

  “I’ll have you know it’s actually women who run this world,” Amber chided him as she walked over to kiss him on the cheek.

  Kenton refused to rise to the challenge. Instead he chuckled softly. “Yes, dear.”

  “What are you waiting for, Killian?” Amber asked him.

  “She’s probably upset with me.”

  Kam had just re-entered the room. “You think?”

  “Kam, so help me!” Killian was half tempted to lay his toothy grinned brother out flat, but at that moment the hairs on the back of his neck rose. Trouble. His eyes met Kam’s and found the same thing reflected there.

  “I’ll get the others. Go, Killian. She needs you.”

  Killian didn’t wait any longer. He ran out the door and raced to the woods, where he could transform without anyone seeing him.

  Chapter 7

  Brina looked around her. Was she lost? She was pretty sure this was the way she had come in—wasn’t it? The more she looked around her, the more she realized that nothing looked familiar at all. How was that possible?

  Trees lined the area to her right. None of them had the symbols of protection. While the sun was shining, the cold air bit against her lungs. A fog seemed to cover the ground, which was not uncommon for fall, but this felt heavy and mysterious. Was this part of the magic of the area?

  She reached her hand down to feel the energy at her feet. The fog didn’t feel negative, nor did it feel positive. The energy was somewhere in the middle, which in itself wasn’t anything to worry about. The absence of life, however, that did make her slightly cautious. But it wasn’t enough to make her turn around, so she continued to walk through it.

  As Brina continued to walk through the tree line, her thoughts turned to Killian. She had never met a man who made her blood boil just from proxi
mity. Not one to jump into things, she was actually surprised that she had practically thrown herself at him. Okay, so not practically, but actually. Brina had actually thrown herself at him, and he had turned her down. That kind of made her feel justified in keeping to herself even more. Her feelings were more than troubled—they were mixed up, torn, battered, and bruised. She should have expected that, though.

  Putting herself out there wasn’t something that came easily to her. Experience had taught her that the only person she could ever trust was herself, although after last night, she was starting to doubt that as well. Brina sighed. This was a whole tangled mess; one she would hopefully be able to push far from her mind when she left this place. If not, she could always drink herself into oblivion.

  “But you don’t drink,” she reminded herself. Right. Well, maybe she should start. Maybe that would make the madness of the moment settle to a low annoyance, a blip on the radar of massive mistakes she’d made in her lifetime. She had a fair share of those. Mostly because she went on fool’s errands, chasing one paranormal creature after another, solving crimes committed against them that normal law forces wouldn’t even touch.

  Call it paranoia or disbelief, but the law never seemed too interested in helping when anything paranormal was involved. If it was something that fell out of the normal mold of the world around them, they had trouble understanding it. It was far easier for her to understand. She lived it, every day of her life. When spirits called, she answered. When witches were being hunted, she was there to bring them justice, no matter what it took. Someone had to.

  As far as the other creatures that went bump in the night, Brina found it was not usually them that created the problems. It was normally regular mortals that got off on killing innocent people. These so-called normal people had trouble accepting anything that scribbled outside their lines. Acceptance wasn’t something that was embroidered into their moral codes. Which was unfortunate, because there was so much more beauty in the world than their eyes could see.