The Lost Wolf's Destiny (The Pack)

by Karen Whiddon

  Martin nodded, as though he’d expected no less. “He works for us. He’s deep undercover. And it was hinted that headquarters is aware of the situation at Sanctuary.”

  “They know about what’s going on and they haven’t intervened yet?” Lucas said. “While Shifters are being tortured?”

  “I’m sure they’re working on getting them out,” Martin said.

  “What about my daughter?” Blythe grabbed his arm. “You said you had good news.”

  Martin turned to her, his expression relieved. “Yes. Your little girl is safe.”

  Blythe tightened her grip on his arm. “Where is she? What happened to her?”

  Again, the other man glanced at Lucas before removing Blythe’s fingers from his arm. “Kane’s been tracking you.”

  “How?” Lucas interrupted. “I made sure we weren’t followed.”

  “Best guess, some sort of GPS device.” He took a deep breath, then faced Blythe fully, his resigned expression letting her know he expected an explosion. “I’ve been told his people were the ones who came and took your daughter.”

  Stunned, her first instinct was to punch him. Her second, outright disbelief. “That makes no sense. He helped us escape. If he wanted Hailey, why wouldn’t he have taken her then?”

  She had to give him credit. This Martin Hunter didn’t back down. “He got new orders. He’s trying to get the children out one by one. The Society wants to make sure they are all safe.”

  Clenching her teeth, conscious that she’d balled her hands into fists, she glared at him. “She was safe. She was with us.”

  “She needs access to medical facilities.” Something flashed in his eyes—pity? concern?—and she knew he was about to tell her something she wouldn’t like. “There is some concern that whatever experiments this Dr. Silva performed on her might have stressed her heart.”

  Just like that, all the air went out of her. Somehow, she made it to the couch and sank down. “How do you know this?” she asked quietly. “And how certain are you?”

  “Ma’am, I’m sorry.” Martin shook his head. “I can only report what I’m told.”

  “Fine.” She struggled to understand. “But why take her this way? Without telling us? I’m her mother. I want to be with her.”

  “That’s one reason why,” Martin said promptly. “Kane has reported that Jacob Gideon has worked himself into a frenzy. He’s vowed to get you and Hailey back, no matter what it takes. He also seems especially interested in your friend, Lucas, here. Of course, now that you’ve told me Lucas is his son, I understand.”

  Glaring at him, Blythe crossed her arms. “So the stories are true. The Protectors have gone beyond a simple request that Griffon children be raised by them. You’ve now resorted to stealing them.”

  Her statement appeared to anger Martin. “That’s completely uncalled for,” he said with quiet dignity. “This is a special case. Our job is to protect, not cause harm.”

  About to respond, she swallowed her words when Lucas squeezed her shoulder, giving her a gentle reminded that none of this was Martin’s fault.

  Martin grimaced, showing he understood her frustration. “Look, I know you love your daughter. Believe me when I say the best thing for her right now is to stay where she is.”

  “At least tell me that,” she pleaded. “So I can go find her when this is all over.”

  But both Martin and Lucas were already shaking their heads. “It’s better if you don’t know. If Jacob finds you... We’ve got to take every precaution. When this case has been closed, you will of course be allowed to go to her.”

  Though Blythe nodded as though it all made perfect sense, as if she understood, her heart was breaking. If Hailey’s condition was weakening, who knew how much time she had left? Blythe wanted to spend every possible moment with her daughter, right up until the end.

  Chapter 14

  Blythe took a deep breath. “There’s something you need to know. Hailey’s very ill. Though her heart condition alone could be enough to kill her, she mustn’t be allowed to change into wolf. The Pack doctors I saw felt such a thing would destroy her already-fragile heart. She’ll die, do you understand?”

  Martin attempted a smile. “She’s a bit young to even be thinking about changing, don’t you think?”

  “She’s a Griffon,” she reminded him. “You know they’re different than other Halfling children. There’s no telling what she might decide to do.”

  “I’ll make sure to pass that on,” he said.

  “If I give you my phone number, can you have them let her call me? I really want to talk to her, to explain. A lot has happened to her in a short amount of time. I don’t want her to be frightened or worried.”

  “I’ll take your number,” Martin answered. “But I can’t make any promises. I’m sure everything was explained to her.”

  “Right.” Blythe couldn’t keep the bitterness from her voice. Nevertheless, she scribbled down her number on a scrap of paper and handed it to him. “Just like Jacob Gideon explained everything. I’m sure that reassured her.”

  Martin frowned, but didn’t comment. Taking the paper from her, he stuffed it down into his pocket.

  “What about the other children?” Lucas asked. “Surely you’re not relying on just one man to get them out? Kane helped us escape and had to fire two of the security detail. I’m afraid they’re liable to talk. Even if they don’t, I believe someone’s going to notice.”

  “Others are also working behind the scenes.” Now Martin smiled. “An entire team of Protectors out in West Texas are building a case against Sanctuary. Now that I’m involved, I’m being immediately reassigned. I’ll meet them there.”

  Blythe exchanged a quick look with Lucas. “We’ll go, too.”

  Martin’s smile vanished. “That’s probably not a good idea.”

  Lucas crossed his arms. “We have more reason than any of you to get those children out and stop Jacob Gideon.”

  “Your being there might endanger the other children.”

  For a second Lucas appeared taken aback. Then he grimaced. “Or we might be exactly the distraction you need. Have you thought about that?”

  Passing his hand across his eyes, Martin suddenly appeared tired. “This is not my decision to make. I promise, I’ll pass that on, too. But I’ve got to go. They’re flying me out later tonight.”

  “All right then,” Lucas said, sounding mollified though Blythe knew him well enough already to recognize the fierceness burning in his eyes. He wasn’t about to give up.

  “For now, until I hear differently...” Martin gave them both a sharp look. “I’d like you two to stay out of the way and let us handle this.”

  Let them handle this. A quick glance at Lucas told her he shared her thoughts. That would be a cold day in hell. Wisely, Blythe kept that opinion to herself.

  “We’ll consider that,” Lucas responded, his voice noncommittal. Nodding, Blythe continued to keep her mouth shut, afraid of what she might say if she opened it.

  “Well, then. Take care.” Martin actually smiled, appearing to believe he’d contained the situation. After handshakes all around, he climbed back into his rental car and left.

  Only then did Blythe exhale. Fist curled, she inhaled deeply, trying like hell to get herself under control. She wanted to punch something, a way of finding an outlet for the overflow of mingled emotions coursing through her blood.

  “Hailey is safe with someone who risked his life to save her,” Lucas said, no doubt trying to comfort her. “You’ll see her again after we take Jacob down. And we will take him down.”

  “I know.” While she did agree with him, she realized she needed movement. Something physical. A punching bag or...sex. Rough, hard and hot. Something to help her forget, if only for a few moments. A little relief in a world she no longer understood.

  Glancing at Lucas from under her lashes, she debated going over to him and savagely ripping his clothes off. Instead, she swallowed hard and, hands still fisted, stalk
ed to the window, aroused and fuming and aching as she watched Martin drive away.

  * * *

  Even with her back to him, ramrod straight, Lucas still shared Blythe’s roiling emotions, which radiated off her in waves. Hell, her entire body vibrated from it. The air around her practically shimmered, as if at any moment, her body would begin the change to wolf.

  Desire clawed at him, a given constant since he’d met her, but even more so after the passion that had flared between them earlier. Furious, he shoved that away. Not only was it out of place, but she was vulnerable. He could not, would not, take advantage of her in this state.

  Yet that didn’t keep him from burning for her.

  He made a sound, low in his throat, completely involuntary. With her fist up like a boxer, she spun to face him.

  “I can’t believe this. The Pack—my Pack—broke in here and stole my child. Without even asking my permission, or at the very least letting us know what they’d done.” Her eyes burned, green fire full of frustration and anger and the pain of betrayal. “How could they do such a thing? How could they not care that I’d be frantic with worry when she simply disappeared?”

  Once, he’d told her that her Pack sounded similar to Sanctuary. Now, they’d proved it. Though he saw no need to point this out now—surely, she already realized that—he had no idea why these Pack Protectors thought he and Blythe would take orders from them. Especially after they’d high-handedly broken into his cabin and kidnapped her daughter.

  Unless they planned to motivate Blythe and Lucas to action, manipulating them while appearing not to.

  The idea seemed so bizarre, so impossible, that he kept it to himself. If Blythe independently reached the same conclusion, then they could discuss it.

  “At least we know she’s safe,” he said, because he could think of nothing else that might comfort this woman who mattered to him.

  “True.” But she didn’t appear placated. “And this Martin Hunter. Does he really think we’re going to sit around here and twiddle our thumbs?”

  Lucas wasn’t sure how to respond. Though he didn’t like the idea of becoming the Pack’s unwitting puppet, Blythe was right. They had to take action.

  All through the years, he’d imagined getting his revenge. He’d thought so long that he had the details worked out, right down to the look of shock on Jacob’s face. But he’d never imagined Jacob was crazy enough to amass a collection of other children. Knowing the scope of Jacob’s hatred toward those he considered demons, Lucas couldn’t help but wonder how many of them had already been killed.

  Looking down so Blythe couldn’t read his thoughts in his eyes, he swallowed hard at the thought.

  Forgotten children, suffering untold torture before they were murdered and unceremoniously tossed in some sort of communal burial pit like wild animals.

  The image broke his heart. Unfortunately, he knew from experience the scenario was not only possible, but extremely likely. Because Jacob Gideon, fanatical preacher of a church he called Sanctuary, was pretty damn close to murderously insane.

  “These other children,” he said slowly, considering his words. “How in the hell did Jacob get away with it? Surely someone had to have reported their children missing. They couldn’t all be in the same situation as you and Hailey, convinced to join his church for a promise of healing. Someone in the media would have picked up on that.”

  “Good point,” she agreed. “But Hailey has no reason to lie. She had to be telling the truth.”

  “Agreed. We’ve got to do something. We just need to make sure it’s the best possible move. No matter what your Pack thinks.”

  “Quit calling them my Pack.” She grimaced. “I can’t shake the feeling that they’re manipulating us. They took Hailey because they want us to do something. What exactly, I’m not entirely sure. And why the heck they couldn’t just ask us rather than take such extreme measures....”

  Instead of finishing her thought, she rounded on him, shooting him a look of such blatant heat it felt as if a bolt of lightning went straight to his gut.

  At first, he didn’t respond. He could barely think, never mind speak. Every instinct he possessed had him aching to touch her, curling his fingers against the urge.

  “You probably think that’s paranoid, don’t you?” she asked, her restless movements impossibly sexy.

  Clenching his jaw, he tried to clamp down on his overheated senses. “Actually, I don’t,” he managed, his voice rough. “The thought had already occurred to me.”

  She nodded, sweeping her hair away from her neck, the sensuality of the movement drawing his gaze. “Then what do you think we should do?”

  Do. If he didn’t get out of there and away from her, he didn’t know how much longer he could resist yanking her up against him and covering her mouth, hard, rough and dangerous, like a beast making his claim.

  This was something he definitely needed to get over. His body ached to make promises he couldn’t keep. He wasn’t going to stop being a loner. Problem was, even his inner wolf could smell the desire in the air, see the electricity arcing between them.

  Surely she had to sense it, too.

  When she raised her head and looked at him, he saw from her enlarged pupils that she did. The passion of the kiss they’d shared, with the promise of so much more...

  Damn. A shudder, strong as an electric shock, ran through him. He needed to look away, turn away. Instead he stood frozen, as though shared desire had cast some sort of spell on him.

  She swallowed, the movement drawing his gaze to her slender throat. “About last night,” she began, her voice husky with traces of sex and sin.

  “That was a mistake,” he cut in, letting her hear his frustrated fury. He teetered so close to the edge of losing control, he didn’t think he could survive discussing the heat that constantly simmered between them.

  “No.” Apparently undeterred, she moved closer, her stride sure and confident. A blatant invitation, sexy as hell, making his body thrum.

  “It wasn’t,” she continued. “Like I said, the timing was off. And I’m glad we didn’t. I’d never have forgiven myself if I’d been making love with you when my daughter disappeared.”

  Making love. Not having sex. A fresh surge of arousal had him harder than he’d ever been.

  He somehow managed to nod, hoping now that she’d said her piece, she’d go. “Yeah, well, it’s late. Maybe we should both try to get some sleep before heading out. I figure we’ll leave in the morning.” Despite his best efforts at sounding normal, he knew he didn’t.

  “Okay.” But instead of leaving, she came closer still, making his heart skip crazily. She stopped when she was only a few feet from him, close enough so that he couldn’t breathe without her scent filling his nostrils. “I’d rather have sex.”

  It took a major effort to keep from groaning out loud. “You don’t owe me anything,” he managed to say, attempting to sound casual in spite of the edge of desperation that had crept into his voice. Sex. Every throb of his heartbeat seemed to be repeating the word.

  She made a sound, husky and sensual, that went straight to his groin. “I don’t use my body as a form of payment. The truth is, I want my daughter back so badly it hurts. I can’t turn off the screaming in my head. I need to do something to erase the pain.”

  Heat suffused him, making him sway. Even his inner wolf sat up and took notice. Though he recognized she wanted to use him, he understood. “You’re playing with fire,” he warned. “Don’t start something unless you have every intention of finishing it.”

  “Oh, I promise you, I do.” She reached up and pulled him to her. As her lips touched his, he gave up the fight and let go of restraint and threw caution to the wind.

  They came together like a forest fire, raging in the vortex of pine and stone and mountain, consuming everything in its path. Parched, he drank her in, while she devoured him as though every fiber of her being had been starved.

  Mouth to mouth, skin to skin, they impatiently
tore away the unwanted barrier of clothing, craving closeness and refusing to allow even the tiniest bit of space between them.

  They clutched each other as they tumbled backward onto his bed. Mindless with passion, he let them fall, knowing he would cushion her. Riding him down, the half-lidded droop of her eyes fierce and unbelievably arousing. When she took him inside her, sheathing him in her hot wetness, he nearly lost control.

  No. He desperately needed this to last. More than that, he wanted them both to find equal pleasure. Gripping her tightly to keep her from moving, he somehow managed to rein himself in.

  “Slow,” he ground out.

  “Fast,” she countered, struggling to move and damn near driving him insane in the process.

  “Not yet.” Guiding her with his hands, he kept her movements much slower than the frenzied rush she wanted.

  With a sigh, she shimmied, almost causing him to lose it again, and then she began to settle down. The instant she relaxed her defenses the tiniest bit, he gave a savage grin and rolled them both over, taking the dominant position.

  “Now,” he growled, nuzzling her neck. “I will show you how to do this taking our time.”

  And so he did.

  * * *

  Killing her slowly: that was what he was doing. Blythe moaned, arching her back as Lucas entered her, inch by fully engorged inch. Using what had to be phenomenal self-control, he withdrew equally slowly, torturing her and filling her with a mindless need.

  She needed more. Fast and hard, she wanted him to drive into her until they both reached mindless oblivion. Not like this. This languid exploration felt far too intimate, too personal.

  So she fought him, struggled against his hands on her wrists, writhing and using her body to entice him to abandon his Herculean command.

  Instead, her attempts only shattered the small remains of her self-control. With a wild cry, she let herself go, her world exploding as he brought her to the peak again and again. Each time, as she began the dizzy descent back to reality, he teased her body back to life, sending her spiraling to release again and again.