by Kimber White
I balled my hands into fists at my sides to keep from scratching his eyes out.
“Next full moon, Olivia. That’s as long as I’ll wait.”
I stepped away from him until I had my back pressed against the opposite wall. I couldn’t breathe. Could barely see past the boiling rage mixed with fear. He would force me. He would bite me again and claim me even though he’d sworn he wouldn’t. Just one more lie to stack like cordwood with the others he told me.
“Get out,” I said, knowing full well I couldn’t make him leave. But, I was done pretending tonight.
Kane’s smile didn’t leave his face as he reached into the pocket of his pants. He pulled out his phone and swiped his finger across the screen. “I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this. I thought maybe you’d come to your senses without me having to do this. But, you can’t lie to me. I know you’re plotting another chance to try and run. So, here’s a little further incentive.”
He held the phone out to me. From the edge of my vision I could see he’d opened it to a photograph. The air hung thick between us and some childish part of me wished I could make the image go away if I just didn’t look at it. But, I wasn’t a child. I kept my hand remarkably steady as I reached out and took the phone from Kane.
I hurt. From the roots of my hair to the tips of my toes, fire raced through my veins. My fingers did tremble then as my eyes combed over every inch of the image he showed me.
Jaxson.
My strong, beautiful brother, Jax. His dark hair, normally soft with natural waves stuck to his forehead now, pasted there with sweat. He laid on his side, his body curled halfway into a fetal position. Heavy metal shackles circled his wrists and neck. They were connected to a heavy chain bolted to the center of the cement floor on which he lay.
His bright, clear eyes had dulled as he winced in pain. God. His eyes. I spread my fingers over the screen to zoom in on his face. He was in pain. Yes. But there was something else. Something worse. I squeezed my own eyes shut and Jaxson’s handsome face swam in my mind. Keen, bright brown eyes that flashed dark when he was angry or passionate about something. He was drugged. He had to be. No way Jax could keep his bear in check if he were fully feeling the pain he was in, much less let somebody shackle him like that.
I dropped the phone.
“He’s well. For now,” Kane said as he leaned down and picked up the phone. The screen shattered, but Kane simply pocketed it and reached out to run his fingers along my shoulder. I would have flinched if I hadn’t gone numb.
“How long he stays well depends on you.”
Then Kane leaned forward and gave me a kiss on the forehead that set my nerves on fire.
Chapter Four
Kane left and I tore at the collar of my shirt. It felt heavy and constricting, as if I could feel the phantom pain of my brother’s shackles. I sank to my knees at the edge of the bed and prayed. Something I hadn’t done, at least not formally like this, since I was a child.
“Jaxson,” I whispered as I lowered my head and pressed it against the thin sheets. “This is all my fault.”
I wondered what would have happened if I’d made it across the lake tonight. Would Kane have hurt Jax just to spite me? For weeks . . . months . . . I’d lived with the fear of what had happened to my brother. First, he’d stopped answering my texts and phone calls. Then, Kane took my phone away. I knew in my heart what must have happened. He had probably come looking for me. Kane set a trap. I shuddered to think what Kane had to have done to overtake Jaxson. Had the rest of the pack gone along with it? God. Kane was their Alpha. Just like me, he could take away their power to choose for themselves. Which meant any hope I harbored that one of them might help me when the time came withered.
I stayed in the cabin alone, but I couldn’t sleep. Hours later, when sunlight stabbed through the gap in the curtain, I finally decided to venture out. Kane left me alone, but he wouldn’t for long. Most days, he kept me close. I played ranger station secretary and dispatcher, answering calls and filing paperwork while he worked out of the office. Sometimes, he’d take me on patrol with him. The best days were when he’d let me stay behind with another member of the pack to watch over me.
I threw on a clean pair of white shorts and a tank top and headed across the compound barefoot, dangling my tennis shoes in one hand. Someone should have come for me. If not Kane, then one of the others. It wasn’t like him to leave me alone for this long. I heard voices coming from the cabin near at the northern edge of the compound. We used it as a mess hall, though I often did the cooking.
“You’ll double up tonight.” Kane’s voice. Deep and stern. “If he crosses the boundary lines again, we’ll be ready.”
I froze. A large oak tree stood in the center of the compound, and I pressed my shoulder against it, hiding. Foolish, maybe. Kane and the pack could sense me easily enough from this distance. But they seemed more interested in their heated conversation.
“Wade, are you sure you couldn’t tell anything from his scent?”
Wade was Kane’s number one. He was thick and menacing, with a deeply tanned, shaved head and a dark goatee. It made him look like the devil himself. In some ways, I was more afraid of Wade than I was of Kane. He was unpredictable. Violent. Deadly. Where Kane at least saw the political value of keeping me around, Wade just resented me. He spent more time in his wolf than the others. It made him unstable, in my opinion. But no one ever asked.
“He was careful. Probably came from the water. Whoever he was, he didn’t want us to know too much about him. That alone is enough to make me think this can’t be good."
“We should reach out to the other packs,” Christian said. From my close proximity, I could sense the turmoil in the pack at his question. He’d voiced an unpopular opinion. One that seemed reasonable. Kane would no doubt reject it, and his two closest lieutenants in the pack, Wade and Brandon, would back him up.
“That’s the last thing we need,” Kane said. “We take care of our own business out here. And the other packs know the rules. If they choose not to abide by them, then I’m not going to think twice about dealing with it in whatever way I see fit. I have that right and they know it.”
“Did anyone get a good look at him?” Daniel spoke up. I edged closer so I could see through the window, but kept myself shielded behind the tree. If anyone saw me, I could claim a version of the truth. They were discussing pack business; I could assume Kane would want me close by but on the outside. Daniel pushed his glasses up his long, hawk-like nose. Of all of them, he looked the least like a werewolf of any shifter I’d ever known. Tall and wiry, he looked more like a banker or an accountant. You’d expect him to shift into a badger, not a wolf. But his wolf was useful to the pack in ways that surprised me. Though not the strongest in the pack, he was by far the quickest. If my white wolf stranger had been able to outrun Daniel, he was very fast indeed.
“No,” Christian said and Kane let out a noise of disgust. It was like him to blame the rest of the pack for not catching the white wolf, even though he’d been out there right alongside them. “I can’t even say for sure who or what he was. Shifter, for sure. But that’s all I could smell.”
I couldn’t suppress my smile. The white wolf had outsmarted him. Whatever he’d been up to last night. He’d stayed by the water, covered himself in the scent of whatever he’d killed. It meant he knew how to evade notice from the pack. I could learn from that. If only I could figure out a way to break Kane’s tenuous mental link to me. If I had any hope of doing that at all, he’d set the timeline. By the next full moon he meant to mark me again whether I liked it or not.
“You sure it’s not Caleb Lord?” Daniel said, and my heart tripped in my chest. I held my breath so I wouldn’t miss a word of what Kane said next.
Kane let out a snort of derision that made me wish I had shifter strength. I wanted to curl my fingers around his neck and shake off the look of scorn I knew he had on his face. “Caleb knows better. He might be big, he might be strong. But h
e’s slow. No way he would have been able to outrun us. No. The day the Lord of the Bears decides to charge into this camp is the day he’s decided he wants to die.”
My stomach roiled and I doubled over. I wanted to vomit. Caleb was my father. My strong, stubborn, proud father. Contempt dripped from Kane’s mouth as he said “Lord of the Bears.” He was no such thing. Not in the way Kane insinuated. Lord was just a family name, not a title. He’d earned respect from the other werebears in the region. It wasn’t a birthright. Something Kane would never understand. He ruled by brute force, fear, and aggression. But, my father was fierce and powerful in his own right. That is, until Kane came into our lives and destroyed everything.
“When’s the last time you spoke to Caleb?” Christian asked. I pressed my forehead against the rough tree bark and tried to slow my breathing.
“Last week or the one before that.”
My knees gave out and I sank to the ground. A week ago? God, what had he told my father? Did he know about my brother? It would kill him. Kill him if he saw that same picture I did. If my father blamed me for it, I would understand. I brought Kane into our lives. I let him close. I gave him the power to take away everything that had held my father together since the day my mother died. The same day I was born.
“And talking isn’t what I’d call it,” Kane said. “He spent most of the time staring into a beer bottle. No. That wasn’t Caleb last night. It was someone else. Is there anyone here who really believes we aren’t dealing with a trespasser?”
“Olivia?”
I jumped. Cole stepped forward and hooked a gentle hand under my elbow, urging me to my feet. He’d come from behind me. God, I’d been careless. I should have counted heads in the cabin. Cole had soft brown eyes and a smiling face. It almost pained me to look at him. As if I hurt so badly inside I couldn’t take the slightest kindness. He cocked his head to the side and curled his fingers around my arm.
“Are you all right?”
I wanted to rage and scream. Don’t ask me that. How can you ask me that? Cole saw it. He and his brother Christian suffered the worst treatment from Kane. They knew what he was and how he led. Every time Kane was near, Cole and Christian would shoot me looks of concern and empathy. But, they were powerless to help me. Kane was their Alpha. Those cursed looks of pity were all they could offer me. I wanted none of it.
“I’m fine,” I said, pulling my arm from his grasp. “Was there an intruder last night?” I played dumb. Maybe Cole would slip and tell me what he knew about the white wolf. “The pack is talking about it. Is there trouble? Should I prepare for something?”
I put a light smile on my face. Cole couldn’t read me like Kane could. My bond with his Alpha wasn’t that strong. Not yet. But, when Kane marked me again, that could change. Then, I’d never be safe around any member of the pack. They could sense my moods, perhaps even read my thoughts and communicate them to Kane in a telepathic instant. For now, though, I could hide my feelings. Cole was kindhearted enough to believe me. I hated him for it just a little. Wade was easier. Black and white. I could just hate him. Cole, Christian, and even Daniel were harder. They had good inside of them.
Cole parted his lips and took a breath. Then, something came over his eyes and he clamped his mouth shut. It was Kane. I knew it. He transmitted some message to Cole I couldn’t hear. A pained look went through his eyes and he clenched his jaw. Then, Cole reached out and took my arm again.
“Come on,” he said. “Kane’s waiting. We need to get inside.”
“You didn’t answer my question.” I planted my feet in a wide stance, daring Cole to use more force. He narrowed his eyes then flicked a look toward the cabin.
“What are you doing?” he whispered through gritted teeth. His fingers tightened around my arm.
“I have a right to know what’s going on, Cole.”
He shook his head. “You’ll have to take it up with Kane.” He put a hand to his forehead and rubbed his brow. “Please, just come with me. Please don’t make me hurt you.”
I looked toward the cabin. Kane stood in the doorway, his hands folded in front of him, his eyes flashing black menace. First toward Cole, then toward me. My blood ran cold and the air went out of my lungs. Kane looked like he meant to do me serious harm. Cole saw it too and did something I wouldn’t have expected. He stepped in front of me, shielding me from Kane with his body. He’d done it on instinct. A reflex. If he’d taken a second to think it through, he never would have tried it. But he did, and Kane reacted.
He stepped forward, eyes flashing. A low rumble seemed to emanate from his entire body sending a vibration through me. Every cell in my body made me want to go to my knees, or go to Kane’s side though my mind recoiled from it. Cole’s hand burned hot where he touched me, then he dropped it to his side. Whatever effect Kane’s power had on me, it devastated Cole. He winced and his knees buckled. God. I blew out a breath and walked toward Kane. My simple act of defiance wasn’t worth Cole’s suffering. I wouldn’t add one more man to the list of those who’d been hurt because of me.
“Stop it,” I said, raising my chin. “I’m right here. Cole hasn’t done anything wrong.”
“Stay out of it!” Kane said, but he wasn’t talking to me. He was talking to Christian. Cole’s brother. Christian had rushed out of the cabin and moved toward Cole. Cole was having trouble getting back up. Whatever Kane had done seemed to have short circuited his nervous system. He dropped to the ground and shook on all fours. His gold wolf eyes flashed and his shoulders bunched and contorted to grotesque angles. Kane kept him locked mid-shift. The agony of it made all color drain from Cole’s face. A blood vessel burst in his eye.
Oh, God. Blood drained from my head and I went to Kane’s side. I’d been stupid to act this way in front of the whole pack. I knew better. I’d challenged him in front of the others. And Cole had been stupid enough, or noble enough, to try and stand up to him. Now, he was paying the price. He managed to roll to his back, and clutching his stomach he looked up at his Alpha with pleading eyes.
“Kane, please,” I touched his arm and tried to draw his attention away from Cole. This too might be foolish. Cole was full-blooded were. As much as he suffered, he had superhuman strength and could heal. If Kane ever decided to turn that level of anger toward me, I wouldn’t survive it. And I had to survive. No matter what. Jaxson’s life depended on it. Maybe my father’s too. I had to find a way.
“I’m sorry,” I said, my voice caught in my throat. I tugged on Kane’s arm, but he kept his gazed locked on Cole. Christian made it down the cabin steps and I made a gesture to him. I couldn’t take it if Kane hurt another member of the pack because he was pissed at me. I went up on my tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. “I’m sorry. I’m right here. Please don’t hurt Cole because you’re angry with me.”
But, Kane couldn’t hear me. The fuse had been lit, and poor Cole was going to pay the price.
“Kane, please,” Christian pleaded. “He gets it.”
It happened so quickly. Kane merely shot a look toward Christian and he too dropped to his knees and shifted. Compelled by his Alpha it took no more than two seconds. Christian’s gray wolf whined and sidestepped. He tucked his tail between his legs and ducked his head to Kane. He sat back on his haunches, neutralized for now. Kane looked at the only other member of the pack who might have given him any issue for hurting Cole or me. Daniel. But he stayed inside the cabin with the others. Only Wade came out to stand at Kane’s side, ready to back up his Alpha if he needed it.
I thought that would end it. Surely Kane wouldn’t take this any further. But a bloodlust seemed to come over him. He didn’t hear my voice or Christian’s before the shift. His singular focus was Cole. Kane stepped off the porch. I moved to follow him. To keep trying to reach him. But Wade’s hand fell hard on my shoulder, immobilizing me.
Kane went to Cole. He knelt before him and cocked his head, curious to watch Cole’s suffering. Cole foamed at the mouth and his chest heaved in and out as he
struggled to breathe. God. He was suffocating. His body wasn’t meant to stay like this, suspended between wolf and man. I think his lungs had collapsed. Kane stayed human, but barely. He leaned forward on his hands and got right in Cole’s face. Whatever he whispered in his ear made Cole close his eyes in defeat. If death was his punishment, he seemed ready to give in to it. At least it would set him free from Kane’s torture.
I couldn’t watch. “Make him stop! Are you just going to stand there and let this happen? Cole is part of this pack!” I glared at Wade, but his eyes had gone completely wolf. If there was any part of the man inside him, he wasn’t in control of Wade’s emotions right now. The rest of the pack stood on the porch and watched. Pain etched hard lines in Daniel’s face, but he stayed immobile, his hands digging into the wooden railing. Brandon stayed behind. He wasn’t much better than Wade.
To hell with it. I made a move to step off the porch. Wade clamped his hands around my upper arms, holding me back. This was madness. Insanity. I couldn’t believe Kane would actually kill one of his own pack members. Over what?
Blood trickled from Cole’s nose, and Kane leaned even closer. I wondered if he could kill him just by saying it. Cole’s eyes found mine and I got my answer. Yes. Kane had that kind of power over his pack’s physiology. He could will Cole’s heart to stop beating with just a word. And he was about to do it.
Then all hell broke loose.
So focused on the spectacle on the ground before us, none of us heard the rumble of the engine. A black Hummer tore through the trees, barreling down the main path into the compound. It came to a screeching halt just inches from Kane and Cole. Kane threw himself backward and out of the way. He stayed human but crouched low, ready to attack this new threat.
That brief break in Kane’s concentration was enough to give Cole the space he needed to shift back to human. He lay heaving on the ground. Naked. Exhausted. Damaged. But alive and healing.
The driver’s side door of the Hummer opened and its driver stepped out. I saw nothing but cowboy boots, denim, and swagger. My eyes traveled from his shining belt buckle to his black t-shirt, stretched taut over hard muscles, to his jet black hair with that shock of white through the left side of his crown. My white wolf. My stranger and savior. Now Cole’s temporary savior. He arched a dark brow and looked from Cole to Kane and back again. Then he focused those bright blue eyes on me and his mouth curled into a smirk.
