Her Wolf Protector

by Ellen Lane

  Georgia gaped at him. For a split second, she was terrified that shifters had somehow evolved to read minds. “That...is creepy.”

  When Duke smiled again, melancholy touched his expression. “That’s the bond.”

  “But...what am I supposed to do?” Georgia’s voice was suddenly frantic. If Duke knew that the bond could exist between Shifters and humans, did that mean there was a way… “Walk away? Pretend it never happened?”

  “Jesus Christ, Duke. Now you’ve got her worked up.” Titus finally intervened, raking a hand through his short, spiky hair in agitation. “Look, Georgia, you gotta talk to him yourself. Solomon may be pig-headed, but he’s one of the best Alphas I’ve ever met. And he’s smart enough to know when to fight and when to strategize. I know fuck all about mating bonds, but if you want him to come back to you, you’d better go and fucking inspire him.”

  Georgia didn’t know whether to be embarrassed or emboldened by this particular outburst. Two virtual strangers who had little reason to help her had, in effect, become her cheerleaders. She would never understand Shifters.

  “...Thanks.” She finally managed, looking from one massive man to the other. “You guys...please be safe tomorrow.”

  “We’ll bring your man back in one piece, Georgia.” Duke winked before Titus tugged him in the direction of the gate. “Just don’t tell him we were soft with you.”

  Georgia suppressed the smile that rose to her lips. Despite her encounter with Anne, it seemed like all shifters didn’t have it out for her. Hunter was decent, and Tempest kept her smiling constantly.

  If she stayed here, she could bring Everly and-

  “Stop.” She shook her head, forcing herself back to the present moment. It sounded nice when Duke talked about mating bonds and connections, but how the hell was she supposed to know what was really going on? After all, he had a point: two weeks was far too soon for you to know you were meant to be with someone.

  Unless it was the bond…

  Steeling herself, Georgia hurried up Solomon’s front steps, hesitating for only a moment before she knocked at his door.

  “Come in.”

  Jesus, would she ever get used to that rich, deep baritone? The man could bark across the settlement at her or whisper in her ear - either way, she was putty in his hands. When she entered, Solomon’s broad back was to her as he brewed coffee on the stove.

  Georgia’s eyes traced every jagged scar that marked his spine and shoulder blades, realizing how violently he must have fought to get each and every one. In working with shifters, she’d found that only the most serious wounds left scars - and Solomon had more than his fair share.

  At that moment, she wanted to tell him everything. That she gave two shits whether she was human, and he was Shifter - that he’d made her feel things she was certain she’d never feel again. But none of the words would come.

  Carefully, she crossed the living room and stepped into the kitchen, folding her arms around his hard waist to press her cheek against his spine indulgently. “Promise me…” She breathed, “Promise you’ll come back.”

  For a long beat, Solomon said absolutely nothing at all. Georgia thought he might turn her away - that the fit of emotion that had drawn her to his side was not only irrational, but unreciprocated. When she began to pull away, however, Solomon’s hand covered hers as he pulled her around him to face her. “Sweet...”

  She loved when he called her that. Solomon lowered his head to press a kiss to her forehead. “Hellfire couldn’t keep me away.” When he kissed her, it was desperate - almost violent in its intensity. Georgia clung to him, wishing everything in her life could have been different. That she had never met Vincent and he had never filled her head with such horrible things about Shifters. That Everly was whole and well. That she had been born a Shifter so she could be with the one man who had ever truly cared about her.

  “Solomon…” She whispered his name as he lifted her into his arms to carry down the hall. “I’ll wait for you, I swear it. I’ll heal your wounded - protect your walls. I’ll give you pups, I swear it-”

  He silenced her with his mouth on hers, laying her against the cool sheets of his bed.

  Tugging at her lower lip, he dropped his attentions to ply his lips and teeth against the hollow of her throat until she moaned. “No words tonight, Georgia.” He growled against her shoulder.

  Though he had barely touched her, the hand that slipped beneath her jeans found her wet and wanting. She was always ready for him. “When I return,” He slipped a finger into her clenching depths and a shudder suffused her, “we will talk. About anything. Everything.”

  It was a promise she desperately hoped he would keep.

  Solomon barely undressed her, shoving her shirt up far enough so that he could ply her breasts with his talented mouth as he jerked her jeans down long legs. She tugged at his pants in turn, unsheathing his erection hurriedly as she arched against him in a blatant plea to be filled. “Mine.” His growl spoke to the very core of her. “My Georgia.”

  She had never thought she’d belong to anyone, but she belonged to him.

  When he thrust home, she cried out at the sublime pleasure that suffused her. The tighter she clung to him, the deeper he cleaved within her, until Georgia thought she couldn’t stand the delectation that coiled in her belly. She might have gasped his name - might have screamed it - all she knew was that his hand was tangled in his hair and his mouth on hers as he worshipped her.

  Completed her.

  When they finished, for once, she refused to drop off to sleep, no matter how tired her body might be. Instead she clung to him, listening to the sound of his breathing and the night wind just beyond his window.

  Could she ever truly have him?

  She would only know once his people were saved.

  Georgia only hoped that he could grant her heart the same safe haven.

  Chapter 15

  Finally.

  Vincent felt he had waited forever for the most opportune moment. The Belleviews were planning to ambush the Doziers, just as they were planning to annihilate the Belleviews themselves.

  Classic asinine animal behavior. Predictable. Irrational.

  But it would provide him with the opportunity he needed to steal back his bride. Of course, no matter what papers he’d signed or promises he made, Georgia never stopped being his, and she never would. After he got her back to town, he’d take his time convincing her that they were meant together. Perhaps he could even use her sister for a little more persuasion…

  But he had to get to her first.

  Dawn was breaking over the Belleview settlement, but the animals were already up and about. They were always so ready to kill one-another...and that was perfectly fine by him.

  **

  He didn’t want to leave her.

  Solomon knew he was being selfish - that when he returned, he’d have to deal with every reason why they couldn’t be together. He’d have to send her back down the mountain and take up his stalwart position as Alpha once more…

  But God if she hadn’t enticed him with her promises.

  He watched her sleep, stroking a finger over the pale curve of her shoulder as she breathed softly. He couldn’t have her. The Elders would never allow it. The pack would oust him immediately.

  You could fight for her.

  A sly, tempestuous voice in his head whispered his innermost desires, filling him with a hope he didn’t deserve. Even if Georgia did want to be with him, this was no life for her. Shifters were rough and tumble - as at home in the woods as they were indoors. They were one with the forest, and that meant bruises, scars and fights over territory.

  Territory he could never leave.

  Would she really want such a life for her children? Tied to one place, their lives on the line should they choose to leave? Would she want to watch shifters struggle to be seen as equal to humans even as they continued to stay in the shadows?

  He couldn’t do that to her.

&nbs
p; She was young, brave and beautiful - she deserved every chance to live. Truly live.

  “Solomon.”

  He glanced over his shoulder as Hunter edged the bedroom door open quietly. “Titus and Duke are back. We need to be ready.” There were no jokes on his tongue - and the humor had left his eyes. He spared the human in his brother’s bed the briefest look. “We’ll figure it out when we get back. You know I’m with you, whatever you decide.”

  Hunter may have been a pain in the ass, but Solomon had always been glad to call him brother.

  “Give me a few minutes.”

  With a curt nod, Hunter made his exit. When Solomon turned back to Georgia, she shifted against him, a smile curving her lips. She was dreaming...of him, he hoped.

  The idea was enough to repel any threat that might come his way - even Ephraim fucking Dozier.

  He managed to slip from bed without waking her. No surprise there - she’d been running herself ragged trying to keep up with the wounded. With luck, once Ephraim was out of the way, they could retrieve Anne and she would no longer have to work alone.

  As if the thought of her had summoned the healer back to the Settlement, Solomon caught the barest whiff of her scent and stopped in the midst of pulling his shirt on. For a moment, he thought he must be mistaken. Had she escaped the Dozier encampment herself - somehow made it back without detection?

  Quietly, he shut his bedroom door and made his way towards the front door.

  It was then that he noticed how eerily quiet it was. Before Hunter had come to wake him, the settlement was bustling with preparations to attack the Doziers - but now, there was hardly any sound at all.

  Even so, Solomon was barely prepared for the nightmare he walked into.

  There were Dozier wolves everywhere.

  While they had been caught unaware before, Solomon had taken careful precaution this time. Several of his own pack were stationed beyond the gate, and the wind was in the favor. As alert as they were, and in broad daylight, it should have been impossible for the Doziers to sneak up on them.

  And it might have been...were they not covered in bundles of dried skin that smelled horribly familiar.

  “And there he is.”

  The moment Solomon stepped onto the porch, he met the icy gaze of Ephraim Dozier - his fingers wrapped around his grandfather’s neck. “We were wondering when you would emerge, Alpha.”

  Rage and horror warred within Solomon.

  There were far fewer Dozier wolves than there were Belleviews - he could only imagine how many of his own pack Ephraim had killed off. But they weren’t facing the Belleviews one to one. Instead, no less than seven Doziers swarmed around Natalia and the pups in her care. The woman herself was pinned to the ground, her face in the dirt, unable to help any of the children she doted on. Though there were other wolves prowling around his pack, there were few Belleviews who would attack when their pups were threatened. Even those without children weren’t so callous.

  Ephraim had already killed one. Solomon didn’t think he would hesitate to kill seven.

  “I’m here, Ephraim,” he finally managed, his voice admirably steady. He wanted nothing more than to rip the upstart wolf’s windpipe from his neck, but he was too far away - and Ephraim was flanked by a guard three deep on either side. “So, state your business.”

  “My business?” Mockery caressed every syllable Ephraim spoke. “I thought it would be clear by now, Solomon. I want you dead. And I want your territory. Anyone who has a problem with that can answer to me personally...the little ones will go first.”

  Somehow, Solomon swallowed a furious growl. “Then you have no need to hold an Elder hostage.”

  “Never mind me, boy.” Considering that Ephraim Dozier quite literally held his life in his hand, Thomas was remarkably calm. “The sooner you snuff this one, the better.”

  “This is why I could never abide by Elders.” Ephraim shook his head, his tone exasperated. “They get off thinking they can rule the better generation.”

  Solomon knew what Ephraim planned the moment before he acted. His stomach clenched and he braced himself for the sight. When Ephraim struck Thomas, the impact echoed through the clearing. The force was enough to dislocate the older wolf’s jaw and send streaks of blood across the forest floor.

  One of the captive children wailed in terror.

  Of course, Hunter was the one wolf Ephraim knew to keep restrained. Two of the Doziers held him fast against an oak tree as he shouted curses at their Alpha. “I don’t understand how you could let them rule you.” Ephraim turned back to Solomon, his eyes gleaming with triumph.

  One by one, the Elders were dragged into the clearing. To their merit, none of them came quietly. They might have twice Solomon’s years, but his uncles had always fought tooth and nail when called upon - they were no different now, the Doziers who held them already bleeding profusely. The women were hardly any different - though the sight of their bloodied faces were enough to make Solomon step from the porch. “You’re strong Solomon.” Ephraim didn’t seem intimidated. “Stronger than your father was before you...stronger than your squabbling Uncles. The strongest Alpha in a century, some might say. Why do you think that is?”

  Solomon stopped, horror seeping through him.

  He knew, all at once, exactly why Ephraim had come. Why would he risk more casualties on Belleview land when he could fight in his own territory? Why bring his entire pack when he knew that he was outnumbered?

  Ephraim didn’t intend to kill them all - he planned to turn them against their Alpha.

  “Where,” Solomon demanded, “Is Anne?”

  Ephraim’s answering grin made his stomach churn. “The healer, I presume. She was fun while she lasted...even helped us get past your walls. Though she wasn’t living for that part.” Ephraim patted the chunk of dried flesh tied to his belt.

  Fucking monster. “She was a wealth of information, you know. So many secrets flying around the Belleview pack.”

  Fuck this. Solomon didn’t care if Ephraim had a guard of six or twenty, he couldn’t let him continue running his mouth. “Did you know,” Ephraim raised his voice, addressing everyone assembled, “That your Alpha favors a human female?”

  “Old news.” Thank God Tempest had joined Hunter in scorning their attacker. “So he ruts a human, big deal. I think we’ve all had a go at least once.”

  “Fucked, perhaps. Personally, I’d never sullied myself on even that level.” Ephraim’s dark gaze gleamed with disdain and Solomon snarled. No human woman could survive something like Ephraim. “But favored? That is a huge step. One far too close to mating for my liking.”

  In that exact moment, Solomon gave fuck all what anyone thought of him and Georgia, and he didn’t mean to discuss it. “Ephraim, let the pups go,” Solomon commanded with authority he wasn’t sure he possessed any longer. “Let the Elders go. This is between you and me.”

  “Between Alphas, wouldn’t you say?” Ephraim continued to bait him, relentless in his cruelty. “Pure-blooded Alphas - wolves of the finest blood.” When he tightened his hold on Thomas’ throat, the Elder grunted in discomfort. “Only you’re not a pureblood at all, Solomon. You’re not even a wolf.”

  The whispers that suffused the crowd made him tense. Unless he could shut Ephraim’s mouth now, there was no avoiding it. The Dozier Alpha meant to undermine everything Solomon had ever built.

  “Blasphemy.” Eunice’s mouth was filled with blood, but she still defended her Alpha. “Violence has addled your brain, Imposter!”

  “Am I the imposter?” Solomon took one step forward, and then another. From their places around him, Ephraim’s guards move to intercept him. “Or is it someone a little closer to home?”

  “Don’t speak of something you know nothing about, Ephraim.” It was the only warning Solomon would give him. He would take his head next.

  “But Solomon, I know everything. That your father had no better choice in mates than you do. That he chose a Hunter, of all women, from o
ne of the oldest bloodlines still in existence. And I know that that woman was your mother - making you a half breed, and an insult to our race.”

  Chaos erupted.

  Half of the Belleviews screamed in denial of the accusation, the others in sheer outrage. Every Elder save for Thomas wore an expression of horror, and Solomon felt his world crumbling.

  “It’s true!” Ephraim barked, his passion enough to silence the crowd. “Your Alpha has Hunter blood running through his veins - the blood of those who have killed and persecuted our race! He even brought the kin of a Hunter among you!”

  Solomon’s blood ran cold. Kin of a hunter? What the fuck was he talking about?

  “Bring him!”

  Four Dozier’s approached from the direction of the gate, carrying between them a man who struggled so violently Solomon was surprised he didn’t tear himself apart.

  And then, he felt it. The prickling at the back of his neck and warmth in his blood that told him one with the Spark was near.

  Ephraim had wrangled a Hunter.

  “Found this just outside your walls, Solomon. Truly, you should thank me. Who knows what evils he might have wrought.” Ephraim finally tossed Thomas aside to grasp the Hunter by his hair. “Introduce yourself, human.”

  “Fuck you!” The Hunter snarled, his eyes crazed. “Give me Georgia. I want my wife.”

  His words rang through the clearing with astounding clarity.

  His...wife?

  It couldn’t be true. Georgia told him that she’d separated from her husband - and she’d never even begun to mention a Hunter.

  He struggled to process the information being laid out before him.

  “Never thought to check on who you allowed among your ranks, did you?” He barely processed Ephraim’s gloat. “Perhaps it was the traitorous blood within you.”

  “...Solomon?”

  Georgia’s sweet, terrible voice pierced the air, and Solomon turned to look at her, his entire being numb.