The Lost Wolf's Destiny (The Pack)

by Karen Whiddon

  They made it within a few hundred feet of Sanctuary when the sound of gunfire had Lucas knocking her to the ground. “Stay down.” Grim, he hoped like hell he could protect her. “I can’t even tell where it’s coming from.”

  Several more shots came in rapid succession. “Is that an assault rifle?” Blythe asked, not bothering to mask her horror.

  “Possibly.” Continuing to stay close to the ground, he indicated the direction they’d come. “We’ve got to get out of here. We’re sitting ducks, since there’s nowhere to take cover.”

  She looked sick to her stomach. “What do you want to do?”

  “Make a run for it,” he said. “You first. I’ve got your back.”

  Standing, she took off, with Lucas right behind her. He ran blindly, wondering if at any moment a shot was going to tear into his back or worse, take Blythe down.

  Surprisingly, they made it back to where they’d left the truck.

  “I’m sorry,” he told her. “But we’ve got to leave.”

  Though clearly she didn’t want to, she knew he was right. “Fine. Let’s go.” Continuing to glare at Sanctuary, she wouldn’t look at him. “Let’s get out of this place.”

  That, he could agree with. “Come on.” He climbed into the truck and turned the key in the ignition. Waiting until she was securely seated beside him, he shifted into gear and they took off.

  Back at the motel, she jumped out of the truck and rushed the door, waiting impatiently for him to produce the room key.

  “What the hell was that?” She rounded on him a split second after he closed and locked the door. “How can the place be empty? They were there, I swear to you.”

  “I believe you. Obviously, someone was. They shot at us.”

  “Then where are the rest of them? Where did they take my Hailey?”

  Guilt, that familiar emotion. Fresh and strong and raw. His gaze locked with Blythe’s before he pushed it away.

  “I don’t know,” he told her, swearing silently that this time, he wouldn’t fail a little girl in danger.

  Narrow-eyed, she glared at him. “You know, I can’t help but wonder if you’re in it with your father. You’re the one who suggested we wait till dark. And waiting gave Jacob time to escape.”

  Though he supposed he couldn’t blame her for her thoughts, that didn’t stop her accusation from hurting. “I can assure you that I’m not working with that monster.”

  Without breaking his gaze, she circled around him, her nostrils flaring as though her wolf was trying to break free and take measure of his scent.

  He let her. What else could he do? Either she trusted him or she didn’t. Her choice. He was here trying to help.

  Finally she stopped. “I believe you,” she said. “I don’t know why, but I do.”

  He dipped his chin in acknowledgment. “Thank you.”

  Barely contained panic lurked behind the anger sparking in her eyes. “There’s got to be an explanation.”

  “I’m sure there is.” He kept his voice even. “There’s no way they evacuated all those people out of Sanctuary in one day.”

  “All those people? How many are there?”

  He crossed his arms. “I’m not sure. It’s been a long time since I was last inside those walls. I’d guess he has at least one hundred followers. Maybe more.”

  “Then where did they go?’ she cried. “Wherever it is, they took my daughter with them.”

  Since he didn’t have an answer, he didn’t respond.

  She began to pace. He stood still, arms crossed, while she flung herself from one end of the room to the other. She looked wild—restless—and her heightened color highlighted her exotic beauty. Even as he couldn’t help but admire her lithe, curvy body and high-cheekboned face, he knew she was dangerously close to losing all reason.

  He couldn’t let that happen. A panic-stricken woman—or man—made bad decisions. Right now the last thing they needed to do was draw attention to themselves.

  “Listen to me.” Grabbing her arm, he spun her to face him. “Breathe. Deeply. You’ve got to get yourself under control.”

  “Why?” Her eyes spit fire at him. “My daughter is missing. They’ve all disappeared. They’ve taken her who knows where.”

  “Listen to me,” he began.

  “No. You listen to me.” Her voice had begun to rise. She was seconds away from full-fledged hysteria. If the other guests at the motel heard a woman screaming and hollering, they’d alert the local police, who, if they recognized Blythe, might report to Jacob Gideon.

  So he did the only thing he could think of to distract her. He kissed her, crushing her against him.

  Chapter 6

  As he slanted his mouth over hers and breathed in her scent, he dimly realized he didn’t know how she’d react. If she was truly intent on spiraling out of control, she could fight him, in which case he’d immediately withdraw.

  Or she could freeze. Shut down. Turn all that wild fury and panic inward, into self-regret and loathing.

  In fact, she did none of those things.

  Instead, she focused all of that passion toward him, singeing him so badly he thought they might both go up in flames in a blaze of heat.

  Damn. Aroused, on fire, aching, he desired her, this woman he barely knew but with whom he had shared the most intimate of acts—the change from his human form into his wolf.

  And now he wanted more. More than wanted, craved.

  So, of course, he pushed away from her, crossing to the other side of the room and struggling to get his breathing under control.

  “What now?” Color high, eyes wild and hair tangled, she taunted him. “I need this. I need you. Hard and fast and deep. Now.”

  Even as her words inflamed him, he knew he had to stay strong. Instinctively he knew that having sex with her would change things for him forever. He’d been content living his life alone. Safe. Furious with himself and with her, he reined in his temper and his need.

  “No.” He lifted his head, letting her see in his face how much letting her go had cost him. “This isn’t the time or the place. You’re hurting. You’re fighting feeling powerless. I refuse to take advantage of that.”

  For a moment, the thudding of his heart in his chest was the only sound he could hear. He thought she might argue—she looked spitting mad as she eyed him, almost as if she wasn’t sure if he was serious or completely insane.

  Then, just like that, all the air and bravado and anger went out of her. Deflated, she sank back onto the bed and covered her face with her hands. “What are we going to do?” she asked, her voice so low he could barely make out the words. “What on earth are we going to do?”

  He thought fast. “I think a confrontation might be in order.”

  “What?” When she raised her face, twin tear tracks shone silver on her pale cheeks.

  Ignoring the sudden tightness in his chest, he continued. “Give old Jacob a call. His biggest weakness is his own ego. Play to that.”

  She cocked her head, considering. “You might have something there. If I do it right, I might be able to waltz back into Sanctuary under the guise of repentance.” Her voice rose with excitement as she gained momentum. “He might even let me see my daughter. Or at least I could find out where he’s hiding her.”

  Horrified, he stood stock-still, frozen, unable to believe her words. “No,” he said. “Absolutely not. There’s no way I could let you face down the monster who still haunts me all by yourself. Even if I thought you’d be safe, and I don’t, there’s no way.”

  “It might be our only hope.”

  Exasperated, he shook his head. “That’s not what I meant when I said force a confrontation. I meant a call only, to see where we stood. Then we could figure out where we need to go next. Maybe a meeting with the two of us, on our terms.”

  “He’ll never agree to that.” Stubbornness coloring her expression, he saw that she’d made up her mind.

  “Listen, you don’t know what he’s capable of.” Desperate
to stop her, he gave her as much of the truth as he could. “He’s already killed—I saw him do it. I was there.”

  Rather than swaying her, his comment only appeared to strengthen her resolve. Lifting her chin higher, she met his gaze. “All the more reason for me to try to get in. I’ve got to get Hailey away from him.”

  “But—”

  “No buts. I’m going to try it. Either you’re with me or against.” Though her voice echoed with bravado, he saw the raw hope darkening her eyes.

  Though he had a sinking feeling, he finally nodded. “We can try,” he said. “Maybe a phone call will be enough. At the very least, maybe you can learn where they all disappeared to.”

  * * *

  As her head cleared from the blind desire, Blythe wished Lucas had been right. She wished she’d only been looking for a channel for her mixed-up, crazy emotions. That was part of it, true. But Lucas made her want him, made her want to lose herself in him. Lucas. No other man would have done.

  At least that had led to this. Her idea—to contact Jacob and see if she could worm her way back into Sanctuary—was not only more productive, but made more sense. When the idea had occurred to her at first, she’d wanted to reject it out of hand. It was just too risky, too crazy. There wasn’t the slightest chance Jacob would believe she wanted to rejoin his little fold, not after she’d busted out the window and called the police.

  “I have to give it a try. I don’t have my daughter, don’t even know where they’ve taken her, so I have absolutely nothing left to lose.”

  When he didn’t respond, she glanced at him, noting his set face and clamped mouth. He wasn’t happy with her decision, but then he didn’t have a daughter who’d been taken prisoner.

  “Can I borrow your phone?” she asked. Lucas handed it over without commenting. “You said this is untraceable, right?”

  “Yes. Keep it.” Gesturing to his backpack, he gave her a grim smile. “I have others.”

  “Okay, then. Thanks.” Taking a deep breath, she dialed the number the police dispatcher had given her. It must have been Jacob’s direct line, because she didn’t have to go through a secretary to get to him.

  He answered with a curt hello.

  “Jacob, it’s Blythe Daphne,” she began.

  “I see you broke into my house,” he said, without preamble. “First you damage a window and leave, then you sneak back in the middle of the night, in your demon form, and roam the halls of my house.” He might have been making a political speech or preaching a sermon.

  A chill skittered up her back. She’d much rather hear a genuine emotion—whether fury or glee. Something, anything, other than this phony banter.

  Then his words registered. They’d been wolf when they’d gone back to Sanctuary. Obviously he must have had security cameras.

  “You mean as wolves? That’s irrelevant.”

  “Is it?” he asked smoothly. “Then you won’t mind telling me about your companion? That particular beast looks very familiar.”

  As if he could hear them, Lucas shook his head in warning. She inclined her head to show she’d understood. “That’s none of your business. Where is Hailey? What have you done with her?”

  “Are you upset?” He sounded genuinely surprised. “I don’t understand. I told you I would heal her and that’s what I’m doing.”

  “Not without me,” she began. “You had her removed from my room while I was showering, without my permission.”

  “You’re the one who broke out of Sanctuary,” he spoke patiently, as though addressing a rebellious child. “We would have brought her back to you after she’d finished with her first treatment.”

  Of course, she knew he was lying. “First off, you don’t lock guests in their room. Second, I just plain don’t believe you. Bring her back to me now. I’ve changed my mind. I don’t want you to heal her.” Since she was trying not to alienate him, she had to bite back the rest of the words trembling on the tip of her tongue. She didn’t want him anywhere near her. In fact, she’d didn’t want him even breathing the same oxygen as her daughter.

  For the space of one heartbeat, then two, there was only silence on the other end of the line. Then he laughed, a dry, humorless sound that made her throat tighten.

  “What kind of a mother says something like that?” Now anger—no, righteous indignation—rang in his voice. For the first time she wondered if he was playing to an audience. Or worse, if he was recording their conversation.

  “A mother who is worried about her child. Who you’ve kept from her child, and lied about to the police. You have no right to do anything to Hailey without my permission.”

  Again the dry laugh. “You gave your permission, remember? Back when you signed the documents consenting to her care.”

  “I’ve signed nothing,” she said. “So stop acting as if you’re in the right.”

  “But you did,” he told her, the smug self-righteous tone making her grit her teeth. “Right after you arrived at Sanctuary. Ginger asked you to read and sign some papers.”

  “I didn’t sign them. And this is irrelevant. Don’t try to confuse me. There’s nothing you can say that makes me lose sight of my position on this. I want my child. Give her back to me.”

  “I honestly wouldn’t understand your selfishness, if I didn’t know you were a demon.” Now Jacob’s deep voice was tinged with both hurt and self-righteousness. “Either way, I thought we were in sync with this. You want the best chance for your daughter to live. I’m going to make sure she gets it. Are we in agreement on that, at least?”

  “I no longer feel you’re her best chance. In fact, you might be her worst.”

  Silence greeted her words. Belatedly, she realized she might have gone too far.

  He sighed. “It seems we have a difference of opinion on this. I can—and will—help her. And you do have a choice, you know. You can come back. Let me save you, too. You have a chance to be the kind of supportive mother Hailey needs.”

  She was too horrified to find her voice. Had Jacob already begun trying to save Hailey in the way Lucas believed he would? If he had, then he’d already started to torture her little girl.

  Resolve strengthened, she knew she had to play her part to the hilt. She didn’t have to try too hard to sound shocked. “Come back?”

  “It’s your choice.” He sounded so earnest, she almost believed him. Only a monster could come across as being concerned when he was possibly torturing her baby. Now he was offering to torture her, as well.

  Swallowing back her revulsion, she played along.

  “If I came back willingly, would you keep me locked in?” she asked, trying to sound tearful and repentant, as he seemed to expect.

  “It’s for your own good.”

  On the verge of losing patience, she managed to rein herself in. She was close, so close, to getting a chance to be near Hailey. “I am not your prisoner.”

  “Either way, Ms. Daphne. Your choice. You can come back to Sanctuary and oversee your child’s return to health, or stay away. If you come back, I promise I will give you regular updates.”

  Stunned at the way he made everything sound perfectly reasonable, she found herself at a loss for words. If she spoke, she might wind up making it more difficult to get to Hailey because she was on the verge of announcing her intent to rip this guy’s throat out.

  “One more thing,” he continued. “Your wolf companion. Bring him along. It’s been too many years since I’ve seen him.”

  Caught by surprise, she gasped. He knew? How had he recognized Lucas’s wolf after all these years apart?

  “Take all the time you need,” he said soothingly. “Then call me and let me know what you decide.”

  While she was still trying to gather her thoughts so she could make a coherent response, he ended the phone call, his chuckle echoing in her ears.

  Staring at the phone, her throat so tight she couldn’t speak, she told herself to just breathe. Her eyes filled with tears. Turning away, she rubbed them furiousl
y, not wanting Lucas to see her cry.

  “What did he say?” Lucas asked, coming up behind her to put his hand on her shoulder. She almost let herself lean into the touch. Almost. Instead, she moved away, turning to face him and lifting her chin.

  “A lot of nothing really,” she said, then relayed the rest of the phone call. “I got a feeling he might have been playing from a script or recording the call for his own protection.”

  “That’s possible. Though he generally thinks he’s invulnerable, he believes he’s doing the right thing. That’s what makes him so frightening.”

  Frightening didn’t even begin to cover it. Jacob Gideon—people like him—terrified her. They operated from their own, twisted agenda, and viewed anyone who didn’t see things the same way as evil.

  And he knew they were Shape-shifters. This made him even more dangerous, especially to Hailey. Blythe realized she’d been hoping all along that Lucas was wrong, that Jacob didn’t really believe her little girl to be a demon.

  “Now what?” Twisting her hands together, she tried to think of another plan, but came up with nothing. “I’m thinking I should return to Sanctuary. At least there, I’ll have a chance to get Hailey out.”

  “I’m pretty sure they’ve abandoned the place,” he said. “Other than one armed guard, that is.”

  “Maybe. Maybe not. He did invite me. Why would he do that if no one was there?”

  “Good point.” Now Lucas began to pace, reminding her of a caged wolf. “What do you want to do?”

  He wasn’t going to like what she had to say, but she had to say it anyway. “I’m going to have to go back and pretend to agree with his agenda.”

  “You do realize this means you’re going to be tortured?”

  “I have no choice if I want to get close enough to Hailey to have a chance to save her,” she shot back.

  “Call in your Pack,” he said, letting her know the full measure of his desperation. “If any situation ever called for you to need their help, it is now.”

  “I can’t,” she swallowed. “If I do, they’ll want to take her. She’s special. The Protectors have tried to make the parents of her kind agree to turn their children over to them.”