The Call of Her Wolf (Paranormal Shifter Romance) (Whiskey Springs Pack Book 1)

by Stella Night

  The trees. The place the pack likes to run!

  She felt like one of the rabbits the pack probably liked to hunt and devour. A hand pushed between her shoulder blades, shoving her. Ella reached her hands out before her, trying to keep her balance as she stumbled forward, her feet uneven. She looked down, wondering again when she had lost her shoe. Twigs and rocks cut into the bottom of her foot, causing tears to well up.

  In the moonlight, she could see a faint track stretching into the thicket and the woods beyond.

  “I told you that you needed to leave, but you wouldn’t listen, would you?”

  Her heart skipped a beat as she recognized the voice, finally putting a face to the anonymous texts. She started to turn her head, but was shoved again. She stumbled once more, fighting to keep her balance. She closed her eyes for a moment before she spoke.

  “What do you want, David?”

  Chapter 21

  “Josh, —”

  “Shut up, Celia. I don’t want to talk about it.”

  His sister grabbed the glass from his hand and threw it into the fireplace where it joined its partner. “Well then, listen. Ella would not leave you. You know that as well as I do.”

  He looked at the girl before him and realized how much she reminded him of his mother. Beautiful, sweet, loving. The thought made him angrier and he pushed away from her. “She said she ‘couldn’t do this’, that she ‘couldn’t be with me’. Those were her words.” He rooted around the bar in search of another glass. Giving up, he grabbed the bottle and drank directly from it.

  “So your solution to this problem is to feel sorry for yourself and get stinking drunk?” Mrs. Gilbert’s quiet voice cut through the fog enveloping his brain and he put the bottle down.

  “No. It’s a temporary salve for my wounded ego.” He sneered and downed another gulp. He came around the bar and stood in the middle of the study, surrounded by his beloved books. Josh turned and sat heavily in a chair, whiskey sloshing onto the Aubusson. He looked down at the small puddle and chuckled.

  “Josh Masters, you straighten up right now!”

  He looked up at Mrs. Gilbert’s growl. The glimmer around her body told him she was close to shifting. Her wolf was responding to her anger. His own wolf had settled to a crouch, deferring to her status as elder. She reached up to smooth her white hair and took a deep breath. The shimmer faded as her wolf backed down and she sat in the other chair.

  “Now you listen to me, young man. You are alpha of the Whiskey Springs pack. Act like it! That girl loves you. I know it sure as I know the sun will rise tomorrow. She is the best thing that could have happened to you and your pack needs her.

  There isn’t a single elder, or pack member for that matter, who will disagree other than Liza Anderson. And she’s doesn’t matter right now. You mate is all that matters. So pick yourself up, sober yourself up, and clean yourself up, then figure out how you are going to track Ella down and bring her home.”

  The clock on the wall chimed midnight. As her words began to sink in, Rick Gerald came running in, a woman’s shoe in his hand.

  Celia gasped and grabbed it. “Rick, that’s Ella’s shoe!”

  “It was in the parking lot between the restaurant and Mrs. Gilbert’s house. I thought maybe she just lost it, you know, when she and Josh, were having fun.”

  Josh swayed to his feet and shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. “What the hell?” He grabbed the shoe just as a different yet slightly familiar scent hit him, nudging at a memory. He could quite put his finger on, but he knew it. His wolf sat up and whined. He turned to the elder wolf, his heart in his throat. “She’s in trouble, isn’t she?”

  Mrs. Gilbert turned to Celia. “One of you go make coffee — strong.” Turning back to Josh she said “Don’t assume anything until you have the facts, my boy.”

  As she turned to head down the stairs, Josh grabbed Celia, he kissed her on the top of her head. “I’m sorry, sis, I’m an idiot. Can you forgive me?” When she grinned and hugged him, he asked “Will you help me bring Ella home?”

  Mrs. Gilbert patted him on the shoulder. “We all will.”

  Turning unsteadily, Josh said to the younger man, “Rick, show me where you found her shoe.”

  Leading the small group through the parking lot, Rick stopped almost exactly halfway between his parents’ restaurant and Mrs. Gilbert’s house. Josh walked in a circle. He carefully sniffed the air, pausing here and there as he dissected the different scents held by the night. He found her purse laying on the ground and handed it to Mrs. Gilbert.

  Then he picked up Ella’s scent. Spice, fresh rain and that calming woodsy smell washed over him. He picked up the other scent which caused his wolf to snap and snarl.

  Celia shoved a thermos of coffee at him. He drank as much as he could, not caring when it scalded his tongue, hoping the caffeine and adrenaline went to work fast. He scanned the area, trying to piece together what might have happened. He prayed that nothing had happened to her. He couldn’t wait for the coffee to kick in or for a slow gathering of help.

  Throwing caution to the wind, he lifted his head and howled, calling his pack to him.

  ***

  Another shove threatened to send her sprawling. Her mind raced as she tried to think of a way out of this. Stand your ground, Ella Jane. You are stronger than you realize. She could hear her mother’s words as if the woman were there with her. Where had that voice been these past few years?

  “I told you. I wanted you to go home. I wanted you to leave. But you decided not to listen. Why the hell did you end up here anyway? Stupid Bitch. You don’t belong with him, E.J. You’re all mine.”

  Ella could hear their footsteps crunching in the leaves that littered the trail. David’s non-stop litany was loud in the darkened thicket. The tall cedar elms and bur oaks made for a dense wood just ahead of her. She knew that bald cypress grew along the nearby river. She could hear the breeze sighing through the upper branches of the trees, the sound like a brook running over rocks.

  She closed her eyes for a moment, thinking it would be so soothing on a summer’s night, held in Josh’s embrace, deep in the woods, on the bank of the river. That would never happen now.

  She suddenly realized she heard nothing else. No insects, no frogs, no small animals rustling in the leaves. It was as if the forest knew a predator was in its midst.

  David spoke up again.

  “You shoulda listened. You shoulda left, you stupid bitch. Now I’ll have to kill him, his sister, and you. Maybe I should make him watch you die. Or maybe I should make you watch him and his sister die. That would bet better, havin’ you know that you were responsible.”

  Ella bit back a retort as she concentrated on her footing. The trail had steepened and the footing was difficult without her hands to help. As they reached the top of the hill, everything opened up into a clearing ringed by the tall trees with short scrub brush beneath. Faint trails went off in different directions, shining silver in the pale moonlight.

  David told her to stop. She looked around trying to get her bearings. She spied a large branch that had probably fallen in the very storm that brought her to Whiskey Springs.

  Another shove sent her sprawling.

  Chapter 22

  “Well E.J., I guess you got nothin’ to say. What? No pleadin’, no beggin’, nothin’?”

  She cringed every time he used that hated nickname. But she concentrated on that branch, her eyes never leaving it. She merely shook her head in response to his questions.

  “You shoulda left. You mighta lived if you had just done what I told you. Just like you to be a stubborn bitch!”

  Ella felt the barrel of a gun against the back of her head. “You’re going to kill me now? I thought you wanted me to watch you kill Josh.”

  The bark of his harsh laugh echoed in the clearing. “Good point E.J. I should make you wait. Move over there against that tree.” He shoved the gun into her shoulder, hard enough to make her stumble a bit before
she regained her footing.

  The howl of a wolf split the night. The primal sound sent chills running down Ella’s spine.

  David was distracted enough that he took the gun off her. Seeing her opportunity, she bent forward and grabbed the branch. She swiveled as she stood.

  Then she swung with all her might. The branch connected with a sickening thud that almost caused her to lose her grip. She watched him drop to the ground. Ella swung again, making solid contact. She dropped the branch, then she took off running.

  Another howl split the night. It was answered by two more. They were getting closer. With her heart in her throat, Ella took off in their direction.

  ***

  Ella ran through the underbrush with her hands held out in front of her. She stumbled and prayed she wouldn’t fall. She knew she wouldn’t be able to save herself if she did. She could hear him behind her, crashing through the underbrush.

  Her heart leapt as she heard more howls, closer, surrounding her. She didn’t know if she was afraid or hopeful. She just prayed they were coming to help, just like Josh promised. Heaven help her if the pack had decided she really didn’t belong in Whiskey Springs.

  She slowed, trying to catch her breath while her heart pounded. Then she heard gunshots and the yelp of an injured canine. Please don’t let that be a pack member! Let them all be safe!

  Steeling herself she turned to keep running and skidded to a halt at the sound of the voice she dreaded.

  “Stop, E.J. I’ll shoot you if you keep running.”

  She turned and faced David as he stood in a clearing behind her. Blood streamed down the side of his face from where she had hit him with the branch. Her heart was pounding and her breaths were coming out in hard pants. Sweat trickled down her back even though the night air was cool.

  “You never did say how you found me, David.” Surprisingly, her voice sounded calm. She hoped it hid the chaos she felt inside.

  “You wanna know how I found you? You sent those messages to Patrice - told her you were safe, told her you ‘landed’ here, like you done flew away or somethin’.” He laughed and waved the gun. “Oh yeah, she couldn’t wait to tell me. We had ourselves some good laughs.” He sneered at her. “Who do you think was keepin’ me company when I couldn’t stand to be around you?”

  Ella felt tears of anger falling down her face as he continued.

  “Then you used your freakin’ credit card! Goddamn, you are so stupid, E.J. My brother’s a cop, traced the calls and the transactions. All that time you told me you didn’t have no money. I should just shoot you for lyin’ about crap!”

  More howls cut through the woods. They sounded closer this time. Ella didn’t take her eyes off the man standing in front of her.

  David’s hand shook life a leaf in a gale as he held the gun on her. His eyes were huge in his pale face as he glanced around the clearing they were in. She had the odd thought that he could never have been that attractive, or that compelling after all. All she saw before her now was a coward.

  His lips pulled back, baring his teeth. “I told you over and over that you don’t belong here. You shoulda paid attention and gone home like I said.”

  Ella couldn’t catch her breath to speak. She had gotten things so wrong. She had kept the texts secret from Josh because she thought they were from Liza.

  I should have just told him what was going on. I can’t die without telling him that I love him.

  She watched as David raised the gun higher, pointing it at her face. His hand shook more every time he heard another howl. As another wolf sounded nearby, he turned to look over his shoulder and screamed.

  Huge wolves poured into the clearing. Six lined up shoulder to shoulder in front of Ella, one pure white with glittering green eyes. She could swear the wolf grinned at her.

  Ella felt a tongue licking her fingers and looked down at a smaller wolf, tawny brown with hazel eyes, tongue lolling out.

  “Celia? You shifted?” she whispered. The wolf replied with a tail wag. Ella put her hands on the wolf’s head, her fingers lost in the soft fur. Celia leaned against her leg. The touch was somehow comforting.

  The largest wolf Ella had ever imagined loped into the clearing and stopped in front of David. It crouched menacingly, snarling, snapping, teeth bared. She remembered what Celia had said. It’s when they growl and bare their teeth that you have to be careful. Then the wolf stood to its full height, its shoulders level with David’s chest. It’s growl rumbled through the clearing like thunder.

  She knew who it was, recognized the tawny coloring and the glowing eyes. She recognized the regal bearing of the alpha. Her heart would have recognized him anywhere in any form.

  David’s skin turned gray. His eyes were like saucers. In the bright moonlight, she could see the sweat beading on his brow and darkening his t-shirt. He turned in a circle, the revolver waving wildly in his hands. When he moved toward Ella, the alpha stepped toward him. The six wolves in front of her began to fan out around him.

  “Stop! Get back!” David’s voice was high, hysterical. “I’ll shoot you, every one of you. Stupid dogs!”

  Just as he pointed the gun at Josh and pulled the trigger, a sleek black wolf blazed into the clearing and grabbed David by the throat.

  The shot went wide, missing Josh and the rest of the pack. The black wolf wrestled him to the ground, muzzle still attached to his throat, snarling. Blood pooled beneath David as he lay still. Ella’s bound hands flew to her mouth.

  In a shimmer of moonlight, Josh stood naked before his pack in human form. “Shift! Now!” His voice roared through the trees.

  The black wolf lifted its bloody muzzle and turned gold eyes toward Ella, then toward Josh. Ella watched as a glittery shimmer surrounded the wolf before it became Liza. The naked woman fell to her knees in a crouch before Josh, head bowed, not meeting his eyes.

  “You know pack law, Liza. We do not kill humans!” Josh kept his eyes on the her. The rest of the pack sat still, the only sound from them their soft panting.

  “I know pack law, Alpha. He’s not dead.” Liza’s voice was not raised, yet Ella could hear each word clearly. “No one else is dead, either.”

  Josh paced, anger rolling off him in waves. “Had I not stopped you, you would have killed him. Say it.”

  Ella looked down at Celia. Her wolf’s ears were cocked forward, intent on the voices of the people in the clearing. Ella turned her attention back to Josh and Liza.

  Liza lifted her eyes to meet Josh’s. “Had I not stopped him, he would have killed you, Alpha.” She paused, her eyes finding Ella, then she turned her steady gaze back to Josh. “And he would have killed her. I could not live with either on my conscience.”

  “Why are you here, Liza?” Josh’s voice was. He seemed bigger than usual, even though it had been several minutes since he had shifted back. “I told you to leave.”

  Liza dropped her eyes again. “I heard your call for help from the pack. I answered, as any wolf would.”

  She looked at Ella again. “Take care of them, Ella.” The air shimmered around her, then she took her wolf form and walked away into the woods.

  Josh directed someone back to the town to get help. Two wolves took off at a run.

  “Josh — ” Ella started to go to him. He looked at her briefly, then shifted back into his wolf form and trotted toward the town. At Celia’s nudge on her leg, Ella followed, her mind reeling.

  Exiting the thicket, she saw two pack members in human form carrying David’s body on a stretcher. His old car was parked nearby. Rick Gerald stood next to her car, waiting to take her back home.

  Josh was nowhere to be seen.

  Chapter 23

  Josh waited in his study. He heard her steps on the stairs as her scent reached him. He took a deep breath, holding it in so he would always remember it. Then he closed his eyes, dreading what was coming. He wasn’t sure he was ready to lose her now.

  Our mate! He quieted his wolf and pushed it down.

  Ella
didn’t bother to knock. She ran into the room and threw her arms around him. He hesitated for a moment before he put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her away gently. What he really wanted to do was hold her close and keep her with him, but he was not going to stand in her way. If she wanted to leave, he would have to let her go. His wolf whined in distress.

  “Are you alright?” His voice was much gruffer than he had intended.

  Ella nodded and wiped tears from her face. Her deep blue eyes had lost their luster. The purplish shadows beneath them made her skin look pale and fragile. Still, her beauty took his breath away.

  She reached for him again but he quickly sidestepped her. He wanted her in his arms so much that it hurt, but it would only add to the pain he was going to feel when she walked out the door.

  Josh made his way to the coffee pot. He poured a cup and walked back toward her. As he handed her the coffee, his eyes took in the scratches on her face and arms. She was barefoot, one foot bandaged. There were marks on her wrists where they had been bound.

  His wolf turned circles, snarling, eager to tear out the throat of the man who had caused her pain. It wanted to make sure no one would ever hurt her again.

  Mark her! Make her ours!

  He shoved that thought away as quickly as it formed. He was afraid he would never have that privilege now. He could feel his heart breaking.

  She sat down in one of the chairs, not moving to the floor like she usually did. Confusion clouded her eyes when he met her gaze.

  Silently, Josh watched as she held the cup of coffee in both hands and put it to her lips. She breathed in the aroma and closed her eyes, a small smile on her face. The memory of their first meeting hit him in the gut like a wrecking ball.