Heart of a Wolf

by K. D. Friedrich

  Grayson growled. He gave Levi one last glare before he returned to his previous position by the doorway. His gaze returned to the surgery door.

  Winter and Tristan helped Levi into the waiting room toward an empty seat.

  Not long after Levi arrived, the surgeon entered.

  "Jane O'Cleery's next of kin." A roomful of supernaturals stood. The human surgeon took a step back. His eyes swung back and forth between those standing. "Okay, who here is for Ms. O'Cleery?" They all stepped forward. "Yes, well, the surgery went well. We relieved the pressure on her brain and were able to stop the bleeding.

  "The damage to her arm was extensive. We feared she might lose it, but the orthopedic surgeon on staff is excellent. We were able to set her arm with a pin and rod. She will probably need several months of rehabilitation, but we feel she should get back full use of her arm."

  "She's going to be okay?" Winter asked, tears breaking over her lashes. Tristan cupped her shoulder. She leaned into him.

  "We'll have to watch her closely over the next forty-eight hours to make sure the swelling in her brain stays down and the bleeding doesn't start again. She also needs to be monitored for infection. As long as the bleeding doesn't start back up and infection doesn't set in, she'll be moved to a regular room sometime in the next day or so. She is a very lucky woman."

  Grayson cleared his throat, the emotion on his face hard to miss. "Where is she?"

  The doctor flashed him an anxious glance. "She's in recovery now and she'll be moved to ICU in about an hour or so, but we are keeping her sedated to aid in healing and to keep her comfortable. Only immediate family may visit and no more than two people at a time."

  Tristan stood at Winter's back. She closed her eyes when his hands squeezed her. Winter shook the surgeon's hand. "Thank you so much."

  The doctor inclined his head. He hurried out of the room.

  Magnus stepped forward. "I will offer her my blood."

  The fact he was willing to share his blood said a lot about his feelings for Jane. Vampires only gave their blood to those they hold in great regard or to valued guardsman.

  "No." Grayson growled. "You will not." He stood in the doorway now, blocking the exit. Dark circles encased his eyes and his pale skin.

  Winter stepped up to Grayson. She rested her hand on his forearm. "It will help her. It will take away her pain."

  After a few tense moments, Grayson groaned. He lowered his head. "Do what you must?"

  Magnus walked off toward the recovery room. Grayson turned to follow.

  Tristan grabbed his shoulder. "Don't kill the vamp, Gray. You hear me?”

  Grayson grinned for the first time and it wasn't pleasant in any way. "I make no promises." He stalked off after Magnus.

  Tristan came back over and slid his arms around her waist. Winter turned, welcoming Tristan's embrace. His warmth grounded her, helped her breathe, but the moment didn't last.

  A loud commotion erupted out in the hall again.

  "What now?" Tristan snapped.

  They rushed out to the corridor to find the Peyton pack's alpha, Niles, growling at a few nurses, beside him stood his top guard Ren.

  "I've been to three hospitals already. Where the hell is my mate? She left in one of your ambulances. Now she's nowhere to be found."

  Niles’s features appeared partially shifted. Blood and black soot caked his face. The cuts on his cheeks and on his throat still bled.

  The young nurse shook. She reeked of fear. "I'm sorry, sir. We don't have anyone here by that name. I looked—"

  Niles roared. The nurse cowered as did the doctors who had come to her rescue. Knowing her gift would help, Winter approached the alpha. Tristan grabbed her arm. "Be cautious, he's feral right now." She nodded and continued forward.

  She approached slowly, inclined her head, tilting it to the side to expose her throat. This man was her friend, but right now instinct to protect his mate drove him. He'd be unpredictable. She heard another growl and knew it was Tristan. She sensed his fear for her, his need to defend her growing with each step she made. She threw Niles a calming wave of power. He spun.

  "What do you want, witch?" His tone sounded inhuman. He eyed her with disdain. His animal ruled him at this moment, not the man. She stood her ground.

  "We want to help you find Celine."

  The shifter lifted his eyes to Tristan. His gaze narrowed on the only other alpha in the room. Immense in size and presence, Niles radiated strength, dominating the entire room, not just his pack. The only one equal in power was Tristan. Niles's bear recognized this fact.

  "What do you know?" Niles maintained control. Had he been anything less than an alpha, he would have torn the hospital apart by now.

  Winter turned to see the look on Tristan's face. He looked like he had an idea where Celine might have disappeared to and the idea not only terrified him but infuriated him. "Maxwell Lancaster." He growled. "All my instincts are saying the vampire has something to do with her disappearance. I'll bet my life on it."

  Ren's cell phone rang. The wolf answered. "Tell me some good news." His sudden curse spoke volumes. "Search every damn inch of the vehicle and around it for a mile radius. Nothing goes unchecked."

  Ren hit end. He shoved the phone in his pocket.

  Niles growled.

  Ren hesitated. "They found the ambulance. It was abandoned over by Chelsea Piers. They found her scent. She wasn't there."

  Niles let out a roar that shook the hospital.

  Chapter 22

  After leaving the hospital, Tristan and Winter headed to the hotel that Magnus had arranged for all of them. With Celine still missing, Jane in the hospital, and the bombing investigation turning up no leads, going back to the mansion all the way out on Long Island's east end wasn't an option. They needed to stay in the area. Close to the investigation.

  Tristan took a long, hot shower. He hadn't expected to arrive exhausted mentally and physically. He had planned to make love to his mate that night. Show her with his hands and mouth how he had never forgotten her, never betrayed her. But as he stood on the cold balcony of his hotel suite, glancing out over the city, all he could think of how much they could have lost.

  He had left Winter with Magnus in the conference room several floors down, along with the other guards in her unit. Walking away from her was the hardest thing he ever had to do. More difficult then becoming a young alpha to his pack. That was child's play compared to leaving his mate as she spoke and plotted with her former witch lover and a pack of her guard colleagues.

  Before he left her side, Tristan watched Aric wrap his arms around her. He knew the embrace was nothing more than two friends trying to comfort each another. They had almost lost a dear friend and another one of their friends had disappeared without a trace.

  Regardless, the sight filled his wolf with jealous rage. He should be the one comforting his mate, not the witch. She should have turned to him. Yet, it was Aric's arms she sought out, not his.

  The logical side told him the embrace offered her the comfort she needed right then. However, the possessive side in him didn't want to hear it. So, before he let his wolf dictate the situation, he walked away.

  This was her job. She made a commitment to the guard, a powerful and honored pledge only worthy of the best. He had to trust her.

  Jesus, he still couldn't believe how sexy she looked taking down that shifter. She was strong and skilled, efficient, and so damn fast. It scared the living shit out of him to see her fighting that vamp.

  A dark revelation struck him right in the gut. He could have lost her a million different ways. He could be in the same position as Niles, near feral, ready to tear anyone apart to keep her safe.

  Without a doubt, he wasn't strong enough to live another day without her. But, was he strong enough to let her go out there every day and risk her life?

  Damn it, he didn't know.

  A sudden shift in power let him know that Winter had entered his suite. Her presence, like a sudde
n ray of warmth, erased the cold chill of the room. Sweet arousal tinged the air. Needing to feel lost in it, he took a long inhale, flooding his lungs with her sexy scent.

  He didn't turn to her like he wanted. Instead, he waited for her to come to him. Any reconciliation would be on her terms.

  "I thought I'd find you out here." Her voice heated his blood. "You never did like being cooped up inside. You were always romping through the forest back home. Never sitting still." She sounded tired. He didn't like the weariness in her voice.

  "I don't know how any shifter can live here." He frowned as he glanced out over the rows of skyscrapers, nothing, but metal and glass for miles. "There's no space. No room to run and hunt."

  "They adapt. Some have no choice. They live where their alpha chooses." She rubbed her arms with a shiver. "How are you standing out here with no shirt or shoes on? I know you shifter's run hotter, but its freezing."

  Tristan shook his head. Truth was, the heat inside him from the need to mate made him burn with fever. He was so hot for her no cold would cool him.

  He turned to her now, needing to see her beautiful eyes. Dressed in her black guard uniform, he admired the way the material wrapped snugly around her curves.

  "How did the meeting go?"

  "No updates on the vehicle. It was wiped clean. No traces of scent left behind, either, except for Celine's and the other human taken. It's like a ghost stole Celine." She stepped up beside him. "Why didn't you stay in the meeting?"

  He was quiet a moment. "You want me to be honest?"

  "Absolutely."

  He gripped the metal railing tight enough to dent it. "I didn't think I could be in the same room as you and Aric right now. My wolf…he's close." His glowing gaze reflected off her smooth skin. "I wouldn't be able to stop myself from ripping out that witch's heart and then claiming you if he dared laid another finger on you."

  He had it with the Aric's free hands. Just the thought made him killing mad. "The man doesn't know when to keep his hands to himself."

  The sudden spicy sweetness of her arousal struck his scenes hard. She liked his possessive response. He growled and the sound morphed into a deep, raspy purr. "God, you smell like mine."

  She stayed quiet for a moment and then she said three words that made his wolf howl. "I am yours."

  "Are you?" he questioned as he drew closer.

  Her warmth urged him even closer. So close, he tasted her, felt her deep inside him where he let no other enter. A spot reserved for her and her alone.

  His woman.

  His mate.

  She sighed. "I've always been yours, Tristan. I just wasn't sure if you were mine." She lowered her gaze. He felt her uncertainty. Her pain burned him like a razor slicing through skin. For as long as he lived, he'd hate himself for planting those seeds of doubt in her head. "I have seen too many other women being offered what I alone should possess."

  He closed his eyes. "I'm so damn sorry, Winter. I hurt you and I doubt even a lifetime of groveling would make up for it." He stared at her. The dark shadow of uncertainty still hovered between them. He saw it in her eyes. Felt it in her presence. "I swear to you on my position as alpha, I didn't sleep with Lina that night."

  "How do you know for sure? Like you said you were drunk, you could have—"

  He cupped her cheeks. He wanted her to look him in the eyes. See the absolute truth burning in their depths. She was all he wanted. "Trust me. After I tasted your perfect lips that night, I couldn't even think of taking another's. That one kiss changed me, Winter. It forced me to see what my wolf knew all along. You were ours. Our mate." Emotion reflected in her eyes. "I wanted to tell you, to claim you after that day, once my drunkenness subsided, but you were already gone."

  "Why didn't you come for me then? I waited and hoped."

  He closed his eyes as if the memory caused him pain. "Kian told me what happened. He said to give you time. So, I waited. Then I heard how happy you were. You'd made new friends and were doing well with your studies. I didn't want to take you away from your new life. I didn't want to take away your happiness again."

  "Goddess, I was so angry." Tears gathered in her eyes. A rogue drop broke over her lash and traveled down her cheek. He caught it with his thumb. "After Lina answered your door in her underwear, I thought leaving was the best thing I could do for my sanity. I held onto the notion that if we were mates you would come for me, but when you never did, I tried to let you go. That's when I started seeing Aric."

  He held back a growl. "I couldn't deal with the cold loneliness anymore. Aric understood. He cared for someone, too, that he could never have. He took away the chill, but it didn't work for long. I still couldn't get you out of my head, which made the truth even more painful, because even though you were still in my heart, you had forgotten all about me."

  "Jesus, Winter, I never forgot you. Ever. Not a day has gone by that you haven't consumed my thoughts. Not one single fucking day."

  She pulled away from him. He growled at the distance she put between them. "How can this work? I have a life here now. Being a guard is all I have ever wanted since I stepped foot on the training field."

  "I wouldn't take it away from you. I know how important being a guard is to you."

  "Come on, Tristan. You don't want me running around dodging bullets and fighting criminals. You need a pretty little alpha female who says and does the right things."

  "No, I don't. I need you. A tough, strong female who knows how to shoot and isn't afraid to throw a punch." He spun her around to face him. "You were incredible out there. The way you faced down that man. I was so damn proud of you. Did it scare the shit out of me? Hell yeah. But I have never respected a female more."

  His hand came up and planted on her hip. "Not to mention, I've never seen a sexier sight than you knocking down that vamp. I'm getting hard just thinking about it."

  Her eyes fell to his crotch. She licked her lips and his cock jerked.

  "Keep looking at me like that and I'll have to do something about it." He grinned. He couldn't help it.

  She grinned. "What will you do?" Her interest confirmed with a sexy flick of her tongue over her top lip. His magic flared. In return, he felt her presence drift within him, petting his wolf, making him as hard as steel.

  "Shall I go into detail, Win?" His hand slid up her hip slowly, giving her plenty of time to escape if wished. She shivered beneath his fingers. However far they decided to go would be her choice. If she wanted to stop, he would.

  She didn't. Instead, to his delight, she lifted her hand to his chest, ran a fingernail along the arch of his throat, and then finally speared her fingers through his hair. "Better yet, actions speak louder than words."

  He kissed her, because he couldn't wait one more second to taste those full lips. Their tongues spared, played, and toyed. Her flavor exploded across his senses, an enticing combination of exotic hot spice and some rare sweet nectar that men would risk their lives to possess.

  Her arms locked around his neck, she clung to him, a priceless jewel of light and fire.

  His mate.

  His strong, beautiful mate.

  "Goddess, your skin is so hot," she whispered against his throat.

  "I need you so bad, Win. So fucking bad."

  He had to bring her closer. Not even an inch would separate them.

  With stark determination, he reached around her hips and planted both palms on her sweet round ass. God, he loved her ass, soft, full globes a man could hold onto. She gasped when the outline of his hard jean-covered cock pressed deep between her thighs.

  Thirty stories up from the crowds of the city street, they kissed in the cold-night air like horny teenagers desperate for more. Wind whipped around them on the balcony. Above, a bright-white winter moon hovered with a vibrant glow against the deep-black sky. The orb sent them waves of energy. They let the lunar rays empower their lust.

  He felt her inside him. All around him, consuming him and he loved every fucking second.
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br />   Suddenly, she stepped back. Their heavy breathing filled the silence. He reached for her.

  "If you don't want this. If you aren't ready, I'll respect your wish, but you just might kill me."

  His heart pounded like a jackhammer. He held his breath as he awaited her answer.

  "Stop and I'll never forgive you."

  He chuckled. She kissed him this time, ending his amusement in seconds. Aggressive in her action, she drew an instant growl from deep within his chest. Her blunt teeth nipped his throat above his racing pulse.

  "Keep it up and I'm going to come right here," he confessed.

  "We wouldn't want that would we?" This time she flashed a smirk.

  Waves of her seductive magic danced over his skin, beckoning his power. A burst of electrified energy responded to her tease and she moaned.

  Her lips closed over his earlobe. She bit hard and he groaned at the pleasured pain.

  Tristan's hand traveled up her spine, over her shoulder, and fisted her hair. It was his turn to bite and his fangs grew in anticipation. He nipped her delicate flesh none too gently. Not because he didn't want to claim her. Sinking his teeth deep into her shoulder and making her his was all he wanted, but he also knew, she wasn't ready.

  Doubts continued to creep in her mind. As long as those uncertainties lingered, he would resist the call to mate her. Defying his instincts was a torturous pursuit, but for Winter, he'd happily fall to his knees and worship this torment.

  Her magic flared again, this time the powerful surge drew his energy deep within her.

  "Tristan," she moaned.

  The sound of his name on her lips sparked the possessiveness of his wolf. She knew who gave her such pleasure and he wanted to hear it again and again.

  "Say it again. Whose holding you, Win? Who?"

  "Tristan. My wolf."

  "Always yours."

  They stumbled back into the hotel room, refusing to let each other go for even a second. Heavy breathing and lusty moans vanquished the stillness of the space. Her scent, her taste, fed his addiction for her.