Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Author’s Note
Lone Wolf
This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.
LONE WOLF
First edition: February 29th, 2020
Copyright © 2020 Kristin Coley
Written by Kristin Coley
Chapter One
Caleb
Cautiously, I scouted the area, Trent’s warnings ringing in my ears. It was slow going with dense underbrush roughly catching against my jeans, but I knew better than to shift. I’d narrowly avoided a rusty trap hidden in a shallow ravine when I’d crossed onto their lands. There was no telling what else lurked in the shadowed forest of the Ghost Pack.
A glimmer of sunlight trickled through the canopy and I straightened to my full height as I found myself in a clearing. I inhaled deeply, but was once again disappointed. No scents lingered here, almost as if the forest was devoid of life and I wondered if the wolf pack we’d dubbed the Ghosts had abandoned the area.
I glanced around, the silent forest eerie in the middle of the day. Not a single bird or animal moved, reinforcing the idea that nothing but ghosts lived here. My gaze skimmed the surrounding trees, alert to anything that would indicate someone had been there at some point.
My eyes caught on a vertical line scarring the trunk of a tree. It might have been natural, but instinct prodded me to look closer. I walked slowly, my gaze sweeping the forest floor, and I froze as my boot hit something buried under the leaves. The dull ring of metal hitting metal echoed loudly as the trap snapped shut, and I took a steading breath as I eased my foot back.
I carefully crouched down, using a stick to brush away the leaves that hid the trap from view. Shiny metal gleamed in the dim light that filtered through the heavy canopy above, and a sharp hiss escaped me. Someone was definitely still here.
I lifted my head slowly and scanned the area again, this time careful to note anything out of place. A single broken branch caught my eye and I exhaled. It was about the right height for a small wolf, a young one or perhaps a female, I judged.
“What are you keeping out?” I wondered aloud, my voice almost deafening in the quiet clearing. I ran my finger over the vertical line someone had intentionally carved into the tree and then back down at the trap I’d just accidentally sprung. “Or maybe, what are you trying to keep in?”
I glanced back the way I’d come, obligation tugging at me to go back, knowing Dom would approve of that course of action, but a decade old curiosity wouldn’t let me. I’d wanted to know more about this Pack since I’d first learned of them, and Trent’s mysterious interaction with them had only intensified the desire. It had taken me years to finally get here, and I had no intention of leaving without some answers.
***
I trudged forward, growing careless in the fading light as I continued to find nothing, not even a hint of life in the rapidly darkening forest. I either had to turn back or make camp, and I was leery to remain on another Pack’s land without invitation.
You shouldn’t be here.
I froze as the words seemed to whisper on the wind, except not a single leaf stirred.
Go.
I remained still, but my gaze swept the area, trying to find who or what had spoken.
Leave and never return.
I licked my lips, fighting the urge to run like hell as the words screamed through my mind, tearing at my sanity as they evoked a fear unlike anything I’d ever felt.
“It’s not real,” I chanted softly, locking my knees when they threatened to give out. Everything about this place was unnatural and my wolf whined pathetically. I knew if I’d been in my wolf form, I would have run without looking back.
I forced myself to move forward, alert once more as I fought through the fear fogging my brain. After a few steps it seemed to lessen and I stepped forward eagerly.
Too eagerly.
Serrated teeth tore through flesh as they snapped bone and blood filled my mouth. I fell to the ground as the trap locked against my leg, teeth clenched to silence the scream that threatened to escape. I lay panting on the ground, each exhale loud in the once again silent forest. I inhaled through my nose, controlling my breathing as I fought the pain, knowing I couldn’t afford to pass out.
My only chance was to spring the trap, something I couldn’t do as a wolf, which meant I had to control my natural inclination to shift and heal my shredded leg.
I inched forward, trying not to move my leg as each pulsing throb of pain pushed me closer to passing out. My fingers brushed metal and I closed my eyes in relief. I traced the razor sharp grooves of the trap, following them down to find the release mechanism.
A flicker in the trees caused me to hesitate and I scanned the area as I wondered if I’d imagined the movement. I fumbled with the spring, sudden urgency driving me as my fingers slipped on the blood coating the metal. I was a sitting duck and it was clear that whatever haunted these woods didn’t want me here.
My thumb found the pin and with a screech the metal teeth entrapping me released. I yanked my foot free, scrambling backwards on my butt as white fur flashed, a beacon in the gathering darkness.
My back hit a tree and I considered shifting into my wolf form, but my leg was broken and without setting it first, I risked permanent damage.
I inhaled, trying to get something, anything, on whatever was circling me, but not a single trace drifted on the still air, nothing but the coppery scent of my own blood.
You should have run when you had the chance.
The light voice almost sang, chiding me, and I blinked. It was a human voice, spinning merrily on a nonexistent wind, and only I seemed to hear it as a black and white wolf lunged from the deepening shadows, teeth gleaming as they locked onto my throat in a death grip.
Chapter Two
Caleb
“It’s time to come home.” My shoulders curved as Dom’s words settled over me heavily. It wasn’t a command….yet. But how could I tell him that the place he called home had never felt that way to me? That after years of wandering I still hadn’t found that elusive thing he’d found with Jess. I clutched the phone in my hand, taking a deep breath, as I fought the urge to argue. My silence seemed to echo on the line and I heard him exhale. “We’re worried.”
We…..always we. I scratched my eyebrow, hating the bitterness I felt, but understanding why didn’t change anything. Jess’s appearance in our lives had changed everything, including my friendship with Dom, and my own envy over their relationship didn’t help matters.
“I know,” I muttered, knowing he needed something from me. “It’s just –”
“Just what?” Dom interrupted tiredly. “There’s always an excuse, Caleb. Some reason you can’t come home, and I admit I don’t understand. Help me understand.”
I closed my eyes, wishing I could.
“You haven’t seen the kids in years. When was the last time you ran with a Pack?”
Did running from a lynch mob count?
I bit back the automatic response, knowing it would cause Dom to order me home immediately and I wouldn’t be able to ignore an Alpha directive. “It’s
been awhile. But I’m good,” I reassured him and he scoffed.
“Jess wants to know if you’re eating,” he said instead of lecturing me, and involuntarily I smiled. “She says send a picture because she won’t believe you otherwise.”
“I can do that,” I replied quickly, sensing a reprieve. Dom didn’t speak for so long I wondered if we’d been disconnected. I glanced at the phone screen but the call was still active.
“Do you want to form your own Pack?”
The question was so unexpected I sat back on my haunches, stunned.
“Is that the reason you won’t come home?” He sighed as I tried to figure out how to respond. “You can tell me, Caleb. I won’t judge. You were Alpha and I forced you into my Pack.”
“No,” I managed to blurt out. “No, Dom. That’s nothing…..no.”
“Caleb, I would understand.”
“I know you would,” I burst out. “But that’s not why. I appreciate what you did. You saved my life that night. I can never repay that, not in a hundred lifetimes.” He must have heard the truth in my voice because he grunted. “I’ll come home, just…not yet,” I gritted out, not wanting to admit how close I actually was to home.
“I don’t like that we need a phone to communicate,” he growled in frustration and I grimaced. “Lone wolves don’t….they don’t do well, Caleb.”
“Good thing I’m not a lone wolf then, isn’t it?” I joked, but it fell flat as he remained silent. “I swear I’m fine and I’ll send a picture as soon as I hang up. I’ll be back on Pack lands before you know it.” I glanced at the edge of the border between Navarre Pack lands and the Ghost Pack. I was at the extreme northern edge of the border, at a crossroads that had once been Hanley land until Dom had taken them over. One step to the right and technically I would be standing on Pack land, but I didn’t move.
“Fine, but you check in.”
“No problem,” I agreed, relief filling me.
“Every day.”
That was a problem. “Weekly?”
“Every. Single. Day.” His tone brooked no argument and I swallowed my automatic argument. “I mean it, Caleb. You miss a check in and I’ll come find you.”
I believed him and knowing Jess, she’d be right there with him.
“I’ll check in,” I promised, crossing my fingers behind my back even though he couldn’t see me. An angry scream cut across the line and Dom muttered something unintelligible.
“I have to go,” he spoke over the sound of crying and I ignored a familiar pang in my chest. “One of the kids just broke something. Hopefully not another kid. Check in,” he finished, the order clear as the line went dead.
I waited a second and then hit another number in my phone.
Trent picked up almost immediately, greeting me almost fondly. “To what do I owe the pleasure of a call from the proverbial lone wolf?”
“Tell me again about the Ghost Pack,” I answered, making myself comfortable on the hard ground.
Chapter Three
Caleb
She hates intruders.
The blithe words barely registered as the wolf above me growled, the sound reverberating through my chest as the she wolf’s teeth tightened on my throat.
Good to know, I thought distantly and was rewarded with surprised laughter.
You, I like, the voice decided, sounding faintly disappointed as it added, too bad you’re going to die.
Thanks, I managed to reply as I decided to risk the shift, catching the female pinning me to the ground off guard as my shape suddenly changed and she was forced to rebalance.
Her scent surged through me the second I shifted into my wolf form and I staggered. She pounced instantly, going for my throat again, and I brought my head down, snarling. She paused, clearly assessing how much of a threat I was now that we were more evenly matched.
You’re a wolf? The astonished question echoed through my brain and I fought the urge to glance around to find whoever was blasting thoughts through my mind with the ease of a Pack mate.
You couldn’t tell? I grunted, keeping a wary eye on the female sizing me up.
Well, no. The voice suddenly sounded uncertain and young, distracting me just long enough for her to attack.
Her teeth snapped entirely too close to my throat and I rolled her, using my heavier weight to pin her to the ground, grateful she wasn’t in heat as she struggled to buck me off.
Stop, I roared in frustration as her scent threatened to take me down. It took a second to realize she’d stopped moving and suddenly I wondered if she was the voice I’d been hearing.
Nope, a now familiar voice piped up, and sensing my relief, quickly ruined it. She’s my sister.
The wolf under me snarled and I raised up slightly, taking some of my weight off her. She immediately tried to escape and I slammed back down, hearing her breath whoosh out of her.
Be still, I barked mentally and felt more than heard her growl at the command. She hadn’t spoken to me telepathically, but she seemed to understand me just fine.
Care to explain? I asked tiredly, certain I’d lost my mind somewhere in this unnatural forest. I was communicating telepathically with an unknown female, which should have been impossible since she wasn’t Pack, and the wolf I’d pinned seemed to understand me.
Explain what? The same voice chirped, confusion marring her voice.
Our strangeness, another voice snarled, snapping my attention back to the wolf under me as she pulled my trick and shifted. The white wolf disappeared and in her place was a striking woman.
“Now, get off, you foolish idiot,” she snapped, her fingers burying into my thick coat as she shoved at my chest, sharp nails digging as her eyes flashed a warning. I quickly rolled off of her, shifting back into my human form. I stood, hiding a grimace as my leg protested. The break hadn’t healed properly and I didn’t need to look down to know a scar had formed on my flesh.
She raked her gaze over me, not bothering to play at modesty and I stood silent, letting her look. The scar across my chest had faded over the last decade but there was no mistaking it had been a killing wound. An Alpha fight only had one outcome but thanks to Dom, I’d been the exception. Her eyebrow lifted as she came to my privates and I had a sudden urge to cup them protectively. Her gaze continued and I felt as much as heard her sigh when she saw my leg.
“Are you sure it’s a wolf?” She muttered under her breath and I snorted.
“Would you like another demonstration?” I retorted, catching the smallest twitch of her lip before she resumed her blank expression. “Or perhaps you’re the one who is unclear on the various animal forms?” I asked snidely.
Ballsy, I like it, a voice joined in, sounding practically gleeful.
“And who the hell is that?” I growled, glancing around like the ghost girl would suddenly appear.
“My sister,” they answered in unison, one echoing in my head as the other echoed in my ears.
“I got that,” I replied tersely, scanning the clearing warily. The second I’d shifted back to human form I’d lost the scent of the woman in front of me, a fact I was both grateful for and disturbed by – losing my normally acute sense of smell was practically like amputating a limb but her intoxicating scent was a distraction I didn’t need.
“Then why ask?” She snipped back, rolling her eyes – one a deep amber and the other a blue so light it might as well be white. She was distinctive, not beautiful, and I couldn’t help but stare. Those mesmerizing eyes cut toward me as she added mockingly, “Let me guess…you’ve never seen a woman’s bare breasts before.” I blinked, shaking off my stupor before it got me killed. She sighed, shaking her head and making the messy bob she sported catch the last rays of sun. I swore each strand was a different shade of blonde ranging from the darkest gold to pure white.
“You have the strangest coloring I’ve ever seen,” I blurted out, still caught off guard by her appearance. She seemed to practically glow in the encroaching darkness, a beacon for the weary and l
ost.
“Way to state the obvious, Captain America,” she grunted, dismissing me with a turn of her shoulder.
“Caleb,” I introduced quickly, hoping she would give me her name at least. She glanced over her shoulder, but didn’t bother to introduce herself.
“I don’t want to know your name, Captain America.” Her eyes never left mine. “You. Are. Not. Welcome. Here,” she enunciated slowly. Her gaze shifted over my shoulder to the darkening forest. “Exit’s that way.”
I raised my hand, wanting to stop her, but froze when she flinched, the movement so subtle I shouldn’t have been able to detect it, much less react to it. She stared as I lowered my arm awkwardly. “I’ve been searching for you,” I blurted out. “Years. I’ve wandered all over the country, just looking for something. For you. For this. This place,” I rambled, my tongue darting out to wet my lips as those striking eyes held mine. “I can’t leave. I don’t know when I’ll be able to come back,” I admitted, knowing the second I returned to Navarre land I’d be stuck there.
She twisted back around and my heart gave a hard thump. She marched up to me, her finger stabbing my chest, those brilliant eyes flashing. “That’s the point, Captain America. You don’t come back. Not sure I can make this much clearer for you.”
I grabbed her wrist, tightening my grip when she tried to slip from my hold. I didn’t let go even as I sensed her panic in the heartbeat that suddenly began to race under my fingertips. “You felt it,” I murmured. “There’s no way you didn’t.” I inhaled deeply, my lip curling in frustration at the absence of her scent. “I don’t know what this place is, but there was no mistaking that scent,” I growled, desperate for her to acknowledge what I’d felt.
She leaned forward, her heart rate slowing as she forcibly controlled her panic, and I couldn’t help but feel a surge of admiration. “Forget it. Forget me. Run as far away from here as you can and never come back.” She yanked her wrist from my hold, backing away as her eyes warned me it wouldn’t be so easy to catch her next time.
Lone Wolf (The Pack Book 5) Page 1
