by Kimber White
“You can’t hurt me unless I allow it,” he said, but his tone was more defeatist than threatening. I kept my hands steady, my finger on the trigger. This was a military-issued Sig Sauer. There was no safety, nothing to cock. Just point and shoot.
Something changed about him. It was barely perceptible, but he swayed to the side. His silver wolf eyes slowly faded, turning back to their human, pale blue.
“I am not working for the Pack.”
“You left Lowell alive,” he said. “Is that what they told you to do?”
“Lowell. The guard? I could have killed you Gunnar. I didn’t.”
“Right. Better to keep me alive so I can slip up. Tell you things. Betray my friends.”
His color wasn’t good. He’d seemed so much better after he shifted. Now, whatever benefit he’d taken from that was wearing off. God, what had they done to him? I kept the gun steady. Maybe he would trust me sooner if I lowered it, but he was still a shifter. He had twenty times the strength and speed that I did. Probably more.
Gunnar’s eyes rolled in the back of his head and he swayed to the side. He dropped to his knees with the grace of a falling tree. His heartbeat slowed. I could feel it thumping inside of me, taking my breath away.
“Gunnar!” I shouted. Still, I kept the gun aimed at him. But, I took a cautious step toward him. The wind picked up again.
“Run,” he said, his voice a choked whisper. “Jett, run!”
Thirteen
Jett
A black shadow moved across the ground. My senses weren’t sharp like Gunnar’s were. I couldn’t sort out the sight from the sound. The woods echoed with a menacing growl. First Gunnar’s, then someone else.
A hulking form burst through the trees and skidded to a stop right in front of me. It was an enormous black wolf, its yellow eyes narrowed, his lips curled, revealing glistening fangs.
Gunnar crawled forward, trying to put his body between me and the wolf’s. He seemed familiar somehow. I knew him. He snapped his jaw shut and took a slow step toward me, his tail up and his back arched.
My legs shook, but I kept my arms steady and my weapon aimed straight at him. Gunnar made a sound. He was trying to move but couldn’t seem to make his legs work. It was the Pack. They were trying to control him. I chanced a desperate glance at Gunnar. He begged me with his eyes. The wolf let out a fierce growl and came at me.
There was just a moment, not even the span of a heartbeat, but the black wolf’s eyes changed, going from yellow to red. It gave me the only chance I would ever get.
I squeezed the trigger.
My shot echoed off the trees but found its mark. The black wolf let out a strangled cry and lunged for me. In the same instant, Gunnar shifted. He did it with such remarkable speed, going from man to wolf in less time than it took me to blink.
He went for the black wolf, but he was already dead. My shot had taken him straight through the heart. Adrenaline and the last spark of nerves propelled him forward. Gunnar’s teeth sank into his back. With a mighty snap of his head, Gunnar threw him against a tree. His limp, lifeless body fell to the ground with a sickening thud.
My heart jackhammering in my chest, I slid my gun in my belt holster and went to the dead wolf. In death, he was already shifting back. Blood poured from the wound in his chest.
He was young. Just a kid, really. He had matted black hair and smooth, rosy cheeks that probably didn’t need a daily shave yet. My heart broke for him. He would have killed me, but those blood-red eyes told me everything I needed to know. This kid had been controlled by the Pack. His mind and body weren’t his own.
“Are you all right?” Gunnar said, gasping. He rose to his feet. He came to me, running his hands over my arms, my back, pressing a palm against my head. He was looking for wounds that weren’t there.
“He never touched me,” I said. “I’m all right. It’s you I’m worried about.”
Gunnar’s color was normal again. His wolf eyes receded.
“We’re not safe here,” I said. Gunnar knew it too, but the presence of this Pack wolf affected him far more than it did me. Whoever controlled this kid was still nearby. Gunnar could be next.
Nodding, he rose to his full height. My eyes traveled up and up. Fresh from his shift, his pants had torn and fallen off. He stood before me naked, glistening with sweat. Every inch of him was chiseled perfection from the rippling cut of his chest and biceps, to his solid quads and the perfect, muscled curve of his ass. I couldn’t help myself. My eyes were drawn to his manhood. His cock swung huge and heavy.
Gunnar didn’t meet my eyes. He turned and grabbed his torn jeans and pulled them back on. They covered all the important parts, but one more shift like that and they’d shred to pieces.
I made a decision. The Pack was close. Even if I couldn’t sense it myself, I could see it in Gunnar’s eyes. He was scared.
A few moments ago, Gunnar didn’t know if he could trust me. I still didn’t know if I could trust him. But, if we were both going to survive, one of us had to take a chance.
“Come on,” I said, holding my hand out to him. “I know a place,” I said, my throat running dry. “We’ll be safe there.”
Swallowing hard, he took my hand and nodded. We would take a leap of faith together.
Fourteen
Gunnar
The Pack was close. Closer than I was willing to tell Jett. But, she moved fast. Her strength amazed me. Her fire compelled me. For a brief moment back in the clearing, I had touched the Pack mind just enough to see what was coming. The black wolf had been sent to kill her.
We raced through the woods with me at Jett’s side. I had the strongest urge to shift and put her on my back. It would be so much faster that way. But, it would also make it easier for the Pack to find me. They’d already done it once.
Jett took a zig-zag path then stopped in the middle of another clearing. She scanned the trees, trying to get her bearings. I was about to fling her over my shoulder and keep going. We needed to put more distance between the Pack and us.
“Here!” she shouted. She went to a tall poplar. Its bark was blackened from a lightning strike. Jett kicked the ground then leaned over. Smiling with triumph, she pushed back a clump of rotted leaves to reveal another deep hole in the ground. She slid into it and called me. Without hesitation, I followed.
This tunnel was narrower than the last and newer. Rocks and tree roots tore into my shoulder as I followed her. After a few yards, we reached a fork. Jett went left. The tunnel expanded here, making it easier for me to get through.
I was impressed. This system was vast. Of course, it was nothing like the miles of underground caverns we’d discovered in Mammoth Forest. But, this underground network took us far away from the Pack and made us equally undetectable. There could be no doubt shifters had made these. They were crude, probably clawed out with bare hands and claws. A tremor of fear ran through me. If shifters made them, could the Pack know about them? It made no sense though. Why would they have let me escape through them?
That same flicker of doubt uncoiled inside of me. Maybe the Pack let me escape with Jett so she could gain my trust. I followed her anyway, deciding to trust my heart and instincts instead of my head.
It took hours, but finally, Jett made another sharp turn and clawed her way up. I emerged beside her into the fresh morning air. We were both covered in dirt. To anyone watching from a distance, we had to have looked like underworld creatures crawling up from Hades. Jett dusted off the mud as best she could. On instinct, I reached for her, smoothing clumps of it out of her hair.
She coughed. For a moment, my heart lurched. She had to be okay. She put a hand up in reassurance. I followed her out of the woods. We emerged near a small lake, the water still as glass.
It was early morning, past dawn. The sun was high and bright. Jett went to the water’s edge and cupped her hands. She let the cool liquid run over her face. She bent at the waist and got her hair wet. I went to her, testing it. It was shallow here, but
I could see a sharp drop off just a few feet out. I walked past her and dove in. Weeks of mud and sweat sluiced away from my body. It occurred to me that I must have smelled awful to Jett all this time.
I dove deep, touching bottom. It was the freest I’d felt in months, maybe years. In that moment, I didn’t care if she was working for the Pack. I think I would have given her anything. I’d told her things I hadn’t revealed even to Liam and the rest of the Mammoth Forest wolves. They didn’t know about Sean Sutter. They knew his name, but not what he was to me. For a time, we’d been best friends. Sean had been skinny and pale, unsure of himself. I was the one who convinced him to join up and train with the Pack. I covered for him when he couldn’t keep up. I thought we would have each other’s backs. How wrong I’d been when he drove a knife into mine.
I’d seen the cold look of jealousy and hatred burn in Sutter’s eyes. I’ll never forget it. He wanted the Pack to kill me. Most of all, he wanted to do it himself. It’s a wonder I ever let myself trust anyone again.
I let myself sink, digging my toes into the thick blanket of seaweed. Looking up, the sun shimmered above the waves. I saw Jett’s outline as well. She looked for me. Then, she dove after me.
She was like some sea nymph slicking through the water. She didn’t see me. The bottom was far too murky for human eyes. I watched her bare feet kick up, her lungs not allowing her to stay under as long as I could. Finally, I pushed off the bottom and came up for air.
Jett was already on the beach trudging through the sand. I swam to her. She turned, almost smiling. She’d stripped down to her black bra and panties. Her nipples cut hard peaks through the fabric. The weight of the water dragged her cotton underwear almost past her hips. Jett’s muscle tone was the kind that came from hard work and survival, not yoga or weight machines. With her hair slicked back, I saw her in a new light. Her dark brows slashed straight across her perfect skin.
I rose. Water dripped off my skin. I felt good and clean for the first time in such a long time. If only it were that easy to leave the Pack behind. I went to her.
This close to her, with just that thin bit of fabric shielding her nakedness, my cock grew hard. She ran her hands over her face, pushing the water away.
“You sure you’re okay?” she asked. I was about to say the same thing to her.
“Where are we?”
Jett bit her lip. She was still tentative with me but comfortable here. There was a rocky outcropping about a hundred yards away. Some brush had been cleared out and I saw the remnants of a campfire. She’d trusted me enough to bring me back to her encampment. Someday soon, I may have to decide if I could do the same for her.
“Safe for now,” she answered. “The Pack doesn’t venture this far usually. We’re near Carter Hollow.”
“Carter Hollow,” I said. Jett’s eyes widened. “Are there still twelve of you?”
Jett’s arms went up, crossing in front of her. I’d learned she did that every time she wanted to guard her words as well. “No,” she said. “I told you, Jade died.”
“How?”
“A close call,” she said. “About a year ago, before we found this place. We have to move around a lot. We’ve tried to cross the border into Ohio so many times. The Pack always finds us.”
“Of course,” I said. “Most of the patrol is on border patrol. It’s why men like me...Alphas...have a harder time crossing over. And their numbers are growing.”
Jett meant to say something else, but she didn’t get the chance. My back went stiff and the hair pricked along my spine. We weren’t alone. Two women emerged from the woods, each of them holding rifles pointed straight at me.
Jett turned. For a moment, she seemed caught between them and me. Every protective instinct in me flared to life. I couldn’t keep my wolf completely in check. Jett put a hand on my chest. Just that simple touch tethered me. If she hadn’t done it, I would have shifted on the spot.
“Wait here,” she said, through gritted teeth. She grabbed her shirt and pants off the beach and pulled them on. The two women didn’t wait. Rifles still drawn, they descended out of the woods shoulder to shoulder.
The taller woman had a shaved head with black stubble covering it. She had a fierce gaze and a broad nose with full mouth drawn into a straight line. She wore a gray tank top and held her rifle with well-muscled arms. Her companion was smaller, thinner with wheat-blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail.
“Vera, wait!” Jett said, calling to the larger of the two women. Vera didn’t stop. She edged in front of the other woman. It was such a slight movement. She probably didn’t even realize she’d done it. I recognized it instantly for what it was. These women were human, but that was an Alpha move. She was protecting her mate.
“You move, you die,” Vera said to me. She had a hard look for Jett. “You kidding me with this?”
“He’s not one of them,” Jett said. “And he knows about Jasmine and Birch Haven.”
The smaller woman’s eyes widened and her lips parted. She dropped her rifle just a little. Vera nudged her shoulder and she raised it again, the hint of a smile going hard again.
“This is Gunnar,” Jett said. “He’s the one I’ve been telling you about.”
Vera moved fast. I moved faster. She tried to grab Jett by the arm. I got in between them, my blood raging. “You don’t touch her,” I said. Jett put a hand on my back.
“Stand down, Gunnar,” she said. “I know what she wants.” Jett moved toward Vera. She turned and pulled her hair to the side. Of course. Vera gave me a hard glare then ran her hand over the nape of Jett’s neck.
Vera didn’t drop her weapon, but she reached for me this time. Her cold fingers traced the outline of the tattoo on my chest. “You’re one of them,” she said.
“Them? What do you know about them?” I asked.
She snorted. “I know they have made things a hell of a lot harder around here for the rest of us.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Every time one of your people stirs shit up, the patrols around here increase. Makes it harder for us to move freely. Harder to get the supplies we need. Harder to live. You heard about the night raids? Innocent people being dragged out of their homes on suspicion of collaborating with you. Some of them disappear. I’ve even heard neighbors reporting on neighbors just to save their own skin. Everybody’s suspicious of everybody in the smaller towns. You think you’re playing it safe staying out of the big cities. Everybody’s afraid.”
My pulse raged. My fists clenched. “You have no idea who I am or what we do.” Hell, even admitting that much was more than I’d told the Pack interrogators. If this was a setup, it was a good one.
“Gunnar,” Jett said. “This is Vera. And this is Melanie.”
“Is that it?” I asked, turning to her. “Is this all that’s left of your twelve?”
“Son of a bitch!” Vera raised her weapon again. “What the fuck are you thinking, Jett?”
“I’m thinking about not dying. And I was thinking about helping someone else for a change. ‘Cause what we’ve been doing isn’t working.”
“I’ve kept you alive!” Vera shouted. Sweat formed on her upper lip. Her fingers trembled as she gripped the rifle.
Jett stepped between us. I let out a growl that made Vera’s color drain. Melanie stepped back. There was something off about her. The moment she saw me, her fear took on a different character than the others. She seemed to be having trouble even moving right. She was terrified, as if she were seeing something other than what was right in front of her. I’d only seen that kind of fear one other time, on my mother after she’d been marked against her will by a different wolf after my father died.
“Shit,” I said, leveling my stare at Vera. “You’re worried about what I’m going to do? You got a goddamn human tracking device standing right next to you. Her mate decides to come looking, there’s no place far enough to hide.”
Vera lost it. She took a shot. It ricocheted off the trees behind me.
I stood my ground, not even giving her the satisfaction of flinching.
“Enough!” Jett shouted. “Vera, I swear to God if you don’t put that thing away, I’m going to let him loose. Gunnar’s not the enemy.”
“You think he’s your friend?” This from Melanie. She had backed away, shaking her head. “You have no idea what he’s capable of.”
“Fine,” Jett said, throwing up her hands. “What is it they say about the enemy of my enemy then? He’s had a hundred chances to hurt me. I told you. He knows about Birch Haven. You see his tattoo. You know who he is. We need help.”
“Jett saved your ass,” Vera said. She lowered her weapon but not her menacing gaze. “You pay her back by following her here? You know the Pack can track you a hell of a lot better than they can track Melanie. You let me worry about her.”
I had a million things to say. A keening howl stopped me short.
“Bloody fucking hell!” Vera shouted.
“You have a safe place?” I asked, my voice rising with alarm. Melanie started to cry. She whipped her head in the direction of the howl. Her ponytail swished to the side. The mark at the nape of her neck flamed red.
“Jett,” I said. “We’re going to run.”
“No,” she answered. “We have a place.”
“Underground?”
A look passed between Vera and Jett. Vera gritted her teeth and rolled her eyes. “Goddammit. Come on!”
As a second howl joined the first, I followed all three women as they ran toward the woods.
Fifteen
Jett
Gunnar stayed glued to my side as we hit the hidden cave entrance on the other side of the lake. Vera practically pushed Melanie into it before she turned and trained her gun back on Gunnar. His low growl might have scared anybody else, but I knew Vera better than he did. She would take on even Gunnar to protect Melanie.
