Her Fated Wolf

by Kristen Strassel

  “You’re my babysitter now?” I growled, glaring at him over my paperwork. It only made him laugh harder. The asshole had to put down his coffee so he didn’t spill it down the front of his shirt. “I tried to work with you. You don’t want to listen.”

  Major caught his breath, rubbing his hand over his beard to wipe that fucking smile off his face. “No, you didn’t. You tried to boss me around. Come on, X. You know better than this. Ember’s making a fool out of you. I’m willing to let you put your own ass in a sling, again, to teach you a lesson. But Shadow’s getting pissed. If you fuck up this mayor thing for him, there will be hell to pay.”

  My brother knew more than he was letting on. “Shadow will be mayor, or president, or whatever he wants to be. This has nothing to do with him.”

  “Being a wolf for a month made you forgetful. This is Granger Falls. You don’t have to tell me shit. I know exactly what you did. You and Dallas fucked with the wiring in the villas, and disabled their cars. Half the shop owners in town gave me a heads up that I should expect the Montana pack to come looking for spare parts. But they’ve been in the hardware store an awfully long time. Right under Kiera and Lyssie’s apartment.”

  “Fuck,” I said under my breath.

  Major leaned on the counter. “Ember’s already Lyssie’s biggest fan, since she’s the only one who can beat that bitch. Lyssie has what Ember wants. I’m surprised it’s taken her this long to attack. Maybe she knows she can’t beat Lyssie.”

  Lyssie already had beat her. Ember had marked Dallas and drove him straight to Lyssie’s bed. Chandra’s words echoed in my head. There was something to this.

  “Chandra wants to run with us in the forest next moon.” I put the papers down and met Major’s gaze. The amusement faded from his face as his eyes widened. “Thinks Cass should, too. Connie told her that the unmated she-wolves fight hardest.”

  I’d forever remember this as the day my brother was speechless.

  “Thing is, if she’s right, problem solved. But it’s a one night stand. I have no way to train her. Poor thing was kept away from our kind her whole life. She knows animals, but she doesn’t know shifters,” I continued, taking advantage of Major’s shock. “But if she’s wrong....”

  “We’re back to where we began,” Major said quietly. He took a deep breath. “It’s a great strategy, if it works. But neither of them have any experience fighting, and the price is too high. Are you willing to risk your mate to best Ember?”

  Wager everything I ever wanted to protect everything I knew. Major raised an eyebrow when I didn’t answer him. “Don’t be stupid, X. It’s not even a question.”

  I knew my brother too well to assume what he was talking about. But I didn’t have a chance to ask him before the cowbell on the door clanged. I held my breath as I looked over Major’s shoulder, expecting to see a pack of red-headed wolves invading our shop, the one fucking place that was ours. We’d built this from nothing with our own hands and passion, and I’d be damned if I handed it over to them. I’d never be alpha and it wasn’t looking so hot for Major either, but no one doubted we could take care of ourselves.

  Instead only one man stood in the middle of the showroom, looking small next to the display bikes. Mayor Southworth.

  “Long time no see, gentlemen.” He flashed an oily smile, fidgeting with the manila envelope in his hands. Southworth was more of a squirrel than a wolf. His parents had bought him a mate, and I hadn’t seen him in the forest since he had his ceremony. The jackass had it all and he didn’t even appreciate it.

  Major rolled his eyes before turning to Southworth, with his signature sneer plastered on his face. “To what do we owe this honor?”

  The mayor cleared his throat. My brother could stick to his doing the right thing kick all he wanted, but there was something to be said for brawn and power. Southworth had everything on his side, but Major could make him piss his pants with just a look. “I’m sure you’re familiar with the concept of eminent domain, or did we cover that after junior high?”

  Southworth had the balls to chuckle. Everyone was quick to remind Major that he dropped out of high school. It was twenty years ago, and they needed to get over it. Even I was tired of hearing it. He did what he loved, lived life on his terms, and had money in the bank. Sounded like success to me.

  “Yeah. And more familiar with the law. Eminent domain is only valid if the land will be taken for public use. Not private interests.” Major grabbed the paperwork away from Southworth and read it over. If he had anything to say about my brother’s reading skills, I’d jump over the counter and pound him. Major sighed and threw the papers back at the messenger. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”

  “What?” I couldn’t wait to hear this fuckery. No one answered. Major and Southworth were locked in a glare so intense I thought I’d melt when I stepped between them. “Tell me what those papers say.”

  “The municipality of Granger Falls has a non-controlling interest in the proposed resort that will be built on Main Street.” Southworth’s voice shook. “A percentage of the profits will go directly into improved infrastructure, public transportation, and the school system.”

  “Do you even remember what you are?” Major growled, taking a step toward Southworth, who cowered on the other side of me. “You’re willing to destroy what generations of your family worked their asses off to build. Centuries of tradition gone so you can line your pockets. You better take that money to another country, because if you do this, you’re dead to me. And I’ll make sure you’re dead to everyone else, too.”

  “You’re not looking at the big picture, Major.” Southworth didn’t run. He actually believed the shit he was spewing. “It’s good for the whole town, not just a small part of the population. We have to look to the future instead of living in the past.”

  “I’m not going anywhere!” Major stomped and Southworth had his hand on the door in a blink of an eye. “I’ll fight this with everything I have. In a month, Shadow Channing will have your job, and this nonsense will be over. Get out, Southworth. Don’t cross my path until you’re ready to fix this.”

  The door slammed shut. Southworth was gone, but his paperwork littered the ground of the showroom, like scars that would forever remind us of this day. Major had yet to exhale.

  “It will never happen before the election.” I couldn’t even convince myself of that.

  “Fuck.” Major slammed his fist down on a bike, nearly knocking it over.

  “Still content to push paper at that bitch?” I never expected Southworth would be the one to prove my point.

  If looks could kill, everyone in Granger Falls would’ve been obliterated. “No.”

  Chapter Eleven

  CHANDRA

  I couldn’t wake up from my dream. I’d partially shifted, half of my body covered in fur, fingers curled into claws. I twisted in my sleep, trying desperately to commit to one form. Shifting should be quick—if it wasn’t, it hurt like hell. This had been my nightmare ever since my first shift, when I found out what I really was, and that I needed to hide. It always happened someplace that people would find me, like school or work. I didn’t have to worry about that anymore. Everyone here knew what I was.

  The fur was still there when I opened my eyes. My skull cracked. Hopefully no one would think my scream was anything more than a cry of passion. It wasn’t the full moon, and this shouldn’t be happening.

  “X?” The word slurred. I reached for him with my human hand.

  He wasn’t there.

  “X!” I cried.

  My skin split when I bolted upright, and my wolf ripped free.

  X was gone. His side of the bed was cold. I sniffed, and he’d been gone for a while. I jumped off the bed, investigating the dark hallway. Someone snored behind a closed door, and a fan whirred from behind another one.

  I bound down the stairs, searching for my mate and for answers. This had never happened to me before. In the short time I’d been with the Lowes, no one
had ever mentioned the possibility of shifting anytime but the full moon. Nothing about it in Dr. Aldo’s book so far, either. No big surprise there. I wasn’t sick, but my heart pounded and I knew my shift wasn’t the only thing wrong with this night.

  X was nowhere to be found. The Lowes’ house had a dog door. The only one I’d ever seen use it was Emma’s dog. But it came in handy tonight.

  The moon was still a skinny crescent. I stood alone in the yard, wondering if I’d lost my mind. Where the hell was X? I tipped my head up and howled, my cry easily carrying through the bare trees.

  Someone answered me.

  “Xavier!” I cried into the wind. I never used X’s full name, but I wanted there to be no mistake who I called for.

  Nothing. I trotted toward the trees anyway, finally free in the forest. This is what I’d been waiting for, but I wanted X. Damnit, I needed him. My first time in the forest was meant to be shared with him, by his side as I explored his beloved land. I sniffed the mossy ground, hoping to pick up his scent. I’d follow it as far as I could.

  “Chandra!” he called out. I stopped dead in my tracks when I heard my name. The wind carried it from the mountain. It was pitch black, even at the edge of the yard, but I knew exactly where to go.

  I ran as fast as I could. The wind felt amazing in my fur. “I’m coming.”

  “No. Go home.” He answered quickly this time.

  Like hell. I wouldn’t argue with him over the airwaves. Everyone in our world knew we were dancing on the thinnest piece of ice, and they were taking bets on when it would crack. If X was in trouble, I wouldn’t stand by meekly and let it happen. This was my pack, and I needed to protect it.

  Everything inside me burned but I couldn’t stop. The forest opened to me like the path had been well worn, even as I jumped over downed trees and waded through thick brush. Bald Mountain was an immense blackness in the distance, dotted by only a few lights at this hour. The road widened as I approached the mountain, and I followed the signs to the resort area.

  X was at the villas. I knew it.

  Ember’s headquarters.

  It was time to take this bitch down.

  Chapter Twelve

  X

  Bald Mountain slumbered in the small hours before dawn. I hadn’t been out here in the middle of the night as a human in years, all those drunken escapades well in my rear-view mirror now. My wolf was sluggish inside me, just past the new moon, regaining strength. The legends said the new moon was a time of renewal and beginnings. The metallic aftertaste of the dog fights lingered. It took months for it to go away, tonight it was like we were back at Ryker’s farm. I could practically feel the chains scraping against my raw skin, dragging me to the ring.

  “How far do we go?” Shadow asked. I never expected him to come with us when we approached him yesterday. He’d always wanted to do the right thing. Being alpha blurred the lines on how to get there, and Major and I were pleased with his decision.

  “Don’t kill any humans.” Major’s voice sounded flat.

  “How bad can we hurt them?” Shea had been restless, needing this release. He’d turned down every fight Jacques offered him at The Redheaded Stepchild since Christmas, when he lost for the first time to one of these Montana wolves. Rumors had been swirling around town he’d gone soft, that he was afraid. It pissed him off, but I was proud of my brother. Violence never solved his problems.

  “Bad enough to get our point across. We want them gone. Before sunrise. You guys focus on the guards. We don’t know what shape Ember’s in, this close to the new moon, but we know she’s pissed.” Major’s eyes glowed with fury despite the lack of moonlight. I’d never felt so powerful this close to a new moon. “No more security here. She got run out of her own forest, and tonight, she’s getting run out of Sawtooth.”

  “I want a crack at her,” I growled, my animal fully awakened inside me.

  “Me too,” Dallas rumbled.

  “Fuck, I want in, if it’s a free for all.” Shea tipped his head back and howled. Shadow and Major glared at him—he’d just blown our silent cover. “Sorry. It feels like I’m gonna shift. But you know once shit starts going down, rules are out the window. Let’s do this.”

  “I am gonna shift,” Baron said. He shocked the hell out of me by coming in the first place. After we’d been freed from Ryker’s farm, he refused to fight anymore. Said it only caused more problems. He ripped his jacket off and stripped out of his clothes, fur breaking through his skin like fault lines, chasing his mission. His transformation was much quicker than usual.

  “I feel it, too.” My animal thrashed inside me, the heat unbearable. My skin didn’t split, it melted away. I ripped at my clothes, trying to keep them intact as my claws broke through. The plan had been fast and loose, and shifting hadn’t been part of it.

  “What the fuck?” Shadow said in disbelief. “Has this ever happened before?”

  “Not that I know of.” Major circled me, holding his hand over my fur but not touching me. “Pretty convenient, though.”

  Good fortune didn’t shine on the Sawtooth packs often. We’d take whatever we could get, no questions asked.

  Shadow shifted next, then Major.

  “New plan?” Shadow laughed, rounding us into a group. “Pack rules.”

  “We take the forest back tonight.” Major tipped his head back and howled before breaking into a full run. We fell into step ahead of him and Shadow, just like we always had. This was how it was supposed to be. No holding back.

  Two guards stood in front of Ember’s villa. The unexpected shift hadn’t crossed state lines, and the Montana wolves were still human, their eyes growing wide as we approached. We were a growling, snarling wave of destruction, fueled by pride and tradition, about to crash against them. They reeked of fear as they dropped their weapons and abandoned their posts. Their emotion tasted so sweet, I wanted to spray whipped cream on it and top it with a cherry.

  “Open the door,” Shadow growled. “Or we’ll break it down.”

  Shea circled one of the guards, nipping at his arms and thighs. The human stood his ground, wincing in pain. The other guard muttered something under his breath that I was glad I didn’t hear, and opened the door.

  He’d pay either way.

  The stench of dried blood and illness hung heavy in the hotel room. Ember lifted her head weakly off the bed. She was in her wolf form, but her shift wasn’t fresh. She’d just woken up, dazed, and it took her a moment to realize what was happening. She rambled to her feet, shaky on the mattress. Our bodies filled the free space in the room. I pushed past my brother and Shadow, needing a front row seat for this show.

  Ember laughed, and sat on her haunches. “This is the best you have? Attacking me when I’m ill. I could’ve done the same thing to you last month, Xavier. But I have something your pack doesn’t. Actually, I have a lot of things your pack doesn’t, which is why I’m enjoying taking your forest from you. It’s amazing, how willing the residents of your beloved town are to turn their backs on you. I’ve made more progress on my sick bed than I have in the forest.”

  “Get out,” Shadow growled. “Leave peacefully, or we’ll rip you to shreds.”

  “No.” She lay back down. “You’ve already proven you can’t.”

  Shea jumped on the bed. Ember howled as his teeth connected with her leg. He twisted his neck, tightening his grip until the bone snapped. She screamed.

  “Bet you’re feeling homesick now.” Major nudged Shea away from her.

  “Nope.” Ember winced, pulling the broken limb closer to her body. Blood blossomed on the sheets beneath her. “My pack is on its way for that pretty doctor of yours. You’ve haven’t been very welcoming to her, either. But we know what hospitality is.”

  “She’ll never help you.” Each word was like a bullet shot from a gun. They’d pry Chandra from my cold, dead claws.

  “We’ll torture her if she doesn’t do as I say.” Ember smiled, but it ended in a whimper. “If you’re lucky, I’ll l
et her put you back together after we rip you apart. Again.”

  A familiar scent flooded my nostrils. Vanilla. Fresh earth.

  Chandra.

  I’d told her not to come, but there was no fucking way I wasn’t thrilled to see her. She pushed past me, growling, snarling.

  “Hey, Chandra.” Shea jumped off the bed, nudging Ember on the way down. “Say it to her face, bitch.”

  “Still want to tell me what to do?” Chandra circled Ember, her paws sinking in to the comforter. Ember cowered, her eyes wide. “Didn’t think so. Even from a distance, they sounded like empty threats.”

  Ember snickered. “You’re not a real wolf. Look at you. Covered in bumps and bruises from your first time in the forest.”

  Chandra lurched forward, and Ember visibly trembled. No matter what Chandra’s experience level was, there was no denying she was strong and running on the pure adrenaline of her first time free in the forest, and Ember would struggle to withstand her enthusiasm.

  Chandra’s lips curled upward. If she were human, it would’ve been a smirk. “You’re the one who’s not a real wolf. Turning on your pack for your own profit. What happened to loyalty and tradition? Do you know how long I wanted what you threw away? You’re hellbent on destroying the same things here, and I’ll be damned if you succeed.”

  “What are you going to do to stop me?” Ember curled her body tightly into the blankets.

  Chandra’s gaze locked with mine, her dark eyes brimming with a power she didn’t know she had. For the first time, she was a predator, with her prey so close it made her mouth water. My mate nodded at me, understanding what it meant to be a part of the pack. The hunt. Strength. Loyalty. And most of all, forever.

  When Chandra lunged at Ember, sinking her teeth into her flesh, the wounded wolf crumpled immediately. Ember’s body heaved and she did her best to stifle her. Chandra showed no mercy, shaking Ember’s weakened body with her jaws.