by Kimber White
“I understand. Really, I do. I promise, you’ll have my answer in two days. Is that all right?”
“I guess it will have to do. Neve, we are really looking forward to working with you. Our school is large, but our program is small, and we will be like a second family to you if you give us a chance. You have tremendous talent, and I’d hate to see you waste it.”
I smiled. April Ryan got her job for a reason. The loss of my family had cut such a deep hole in me. One that I might spend the rest of my life trying to fill. And I’d heard the “don’t waste your talent” phrase since I was a teenager. It used to work to make me feel guilty. But, for the first time in my life, it didn’t. I have talent. Yes. But it was my talent to use however made me happy. Not my father, not the University. Me. I had only been away from Tucker for less than an hour, and already, I felt like I was taking charge of my own fate.
“Thank you,” I said. “And you’ll have my answer soon. I promise. Thank you, Ms. Ryan.”
I didn’t wait for her to say goodbye before hanging up the phone. I tossed it to the bed and flopped backward, letting my head land on the pillow as I spread my arms wide.
Was Michigan my father’s dream, or mine? Since I was sixteen and recruiters started to call, my father had wanted me to be a Wolverine. It made me happy to see the joy in his eyes. Since my mother’s death, that joy was hard for him to come by, and I’d do anything I could to bring it back for him. The plays, the recitals, the college applications . . . it was something we did together.
And the truth hit me in the chest like an anvil. Michigan was my father’s dream, not mine. I loved to sing. Nothing could ever take that away from me. But my performances were for him. I gave him a reason to get out of bed and go out into the world after he lost the love of his life. He would sit in the front row of every recital or show, beaming with pride. I loved what I did, but did I need it? Could I be happy if I never stepped on stage again? And would being with Tucker and the pack mean that I would have to?
I rose from the bed and walked to the back door of the cabin. The wind kicked up and the trees rustled. A cicada chorus rose all around me. In some strange way, it reminded me of Olympia’s Doll Song, so I joined in, hitting the runs and trills. I hadn’t practiced in earnest in more than a week, and I was already rusty. But, I gave it my full-throated best. The hairs on my arms stood on end as I hit a high G, and held it.
As I walked into the middle of the woods, I switched to a basic arpeggio. I knew I must seem ridiculous to any human happening by. Some crazy, lone girl singing scales in the middle of nowhere, with nothing but the trees and squirrels to hear her. But I realized something in that moment. It felt good. In my voice, I held a different kind of strength and power that only I controlled completely. It was mine, and no one could ever take it away. But I had nothing to prove. Over the last few years, when I performed, I did it for other people. I did it to make them feel good, or to give something away. It wasn’t for me. This. This moment was solely mine. I sang because I wanted to. Because I could.
And it was enough.
Tears filled my eyes as I finally fell silent. The woods fell silent, too. The cicadas had long since stopped chirping. Even the breeze had stilled. For just that moment, I stood in utter silence, as if the birds and animals around me had quieted just to listen to me. I felt a slow blush creep into my face. It was ridiculous. More than likely, I’d just scared the shit out of every living creature within a hundred-foot radius.
Laughing to myself, I turned back toward the cabin. I hadn’t completely made up my mind yet, but I knew one thing. If I decided not to go to school, no one would be disappointed. Ms. Ryan wasn’t my family. Maybe, in time, Tucker and the pack could be. The idea of that thrilled me as much as it scared me. But, at least it made my heart pound in a new way. Whatever happened, it would be my choice. I wouldn’t make it for anyone else.
I felt a new lightness as I stepped once again into the clearing and headed for the back door. I made it three more steps before stopping short.
I wasn’t alone.
The red wolf with the yellow eyes stood between me and the cabin door. The sky itself seemed to dim. All I could see were those menacing golden eyes, and then the length of his glistening fangs as he bared them, his murderous intentions crystal clear. Asher. This was Asher’s pack. The hulking figures of four more wolves broke through the tree line and joined him, snapping their jaws in a clear threat.
My heart seemed to stop for just a moment, then pounded straight out of my chest as I opened my mouth to scream.
Chapter Fifteen
The rival wolves moved in and surrounded me. I would never make it to the cabin door. Even if I could, it wouldn’t matter. Ash and his pack could easily tear through it, and get to me. A white haze clouded my vision as cold tendrils of panic threatened to paralyze me. I tried to breathe. I tried to scream again, but where moments ago I had command of my voice, now it failed me.
“It was an accident,” I said in a croak. “She wanted to die.”
Ash took a step toward me. His paws were massive as he dug them into the Earth, just a few feet away from me. He snapped his jaw. The rumble of his low growl vibrated through me like a diesel engine. He leaned back on his haunches, ready to spring forward. I put my hands up, knowing instinctually it would only spare me from the lethal force of his jaw on my throat for maybe a second. Maybe less. Two other wolves came behind me, cutting off the only feeble escape route I had.
Then Asher closed in. He leapt forward, splaying his paws wide, his black claws large and deadly as meat hooks. I fell to my knees and held my hands over my face.
Then the woods came to life, erupting in growls and screams. I saw a flash of silver. It was as if the dirt exploded in a cloud before me. Tucker burst through the tree line, and landed on Asher’s back.
A hellish growl rent the air as the rest of Tucker’s pack . . . my pack came into the fray. Tucker and Asher rolled end over end, a melee of deadly fangs and fur as they bit into each other, tearing flesh and cracking bones.
Another of Ash’s wolves leapt before me. He looked to his leader, but Ash was fighting off Tucker’s deadly advance. I sat transfixed at the brutal, deadly beauty of Tucker’s wolf in battle. He was massive and powerful, and the muscles of his back rippled under his silver fur. He and Asher were perfectly matched. Tucker was a whirl of silver and black as he twisted and turned, seeking the advantage. Asher was golden and red. He raised his front paw and brought it down in a murderous arc, landing a devastating blow on Tucker’s snout. Tucker rallied, and launched himself at Ash.
Hot breath came at my neck. I turned. Jake moved himself in front of me, protecting me with his body as one of Asher’s smaller wolves advanced. I put a hand on Jake’s back, clutching his thick, blond fur for dear life. Another of Asher’s wolves came at me. Two against one, they could tear Jake apart. Still, he didn’t move. At the edge of the circle, Reed and Barrett warred with two more of Asher’s pack.
I tried to scream, but still couldn’t find my voice as Ash twisted out from under Tucker and made a leap for his throat. Then Mal launched from the tree line. He took Ash by surprise, thrusting his powerful head into Ash’s body. I heard the crunch of bone and Ash was on the ground. Then Mal moved away. If he chose to, I knew instinctively this was Tucker’s kill.
In one great bound, Mal came to Jake’s side, fending off the two other wolves just before they would have torn into him. One of the wolves caught Jake in the shoulder. He sank his razor sharp teeth into Jake’s beautiful blond fur, tearing flesh from bone. Blood sprayed in a sickly arc, landing across my face. I crab crawled backward until my back hit the door of the cabin. Mal shot me a look. With his glowing, golden wolf eyes, his meaning was clear. Don’t move!
Then Mal drew blood. He grabbed the wolf who attacked Jake, pinning him down with his powerful front legs. Mal threw his head back. He looked like the hound of the devil with his ebony fur and blazing eyes. His howl filled the air, forcing a temp
orary halt in the melee. Then Mal brought his head down hard, tearing into the jugular of the wolf beneath him.
Ash rolled away from Tucker. He howled back. This caused the rest of his pack to freeze. The wound Mal had inflicted was mortal. Ash’s pack member bled to death, staining the Earth red. I kept my back pressed against the door, drawing Jake’s head into my lap. The hot, sticky blood of his shoulder wound soaked my jeans and I pressed my hands against it, trying desperately to staunch the flow.
And then it was over. Asher howled once more and the rest of his pack retreated. They disappeared into the tree line, as if they had been no more than ghosts.
I found my voice and screamed.
Chapter Sixteen
“Tucker,” I screamed. He froze as he was about to give chase. His chest heaved with exertion. Foam poured from his mouth. But, at the sound of my voice he turned. His silver eyes widened as the man within him started to wake.
He shifted. Dropping to the ground, his body contorted, and fur flattened into flesh. He rose before me, naked and glorious. His body glistened with sweat. Three long gashes cut through his chest where Asher had slashed him. I could see from here the wounds weren’t deep, though they’d need to be stitched. Mal, Reed and Barrett shifted as well. The four of them came to me, standing before me naked and primal. My wolves. My men.
Jake moaned in my arms. He’d shifted with the others, so quietly I hadn’t even noticed. His shoulder wound looked bad when he was in wolf form. Now, it looked horrific. A great swath of flesh across the broadest part of his shoulder was just gone. Raw flesh glistened and blood oozed out.
“Get him inside,” Tucker ordered. Reed and Barrett took Jake away from me, lifting him like he weighed nothing. I tried to stand but my legs seemed made of rubber. It was Mal who came to me first. He hooked a hand under my arm and lifted me straight off my feet.
“See what you can do for him,” he said, his tone dark and demanding.
Tucker had moved quickly. He had Jake laid out on the kitchen table. Jake’s skin had gone gray.
“Is he going to die?” I asked. I stood at Tucker’s shoulder. Jake’s eyes found mine and he lifted the corners of his mouth in a smile. His hand found mine, though he seemed to have no strength to grip it.
“No,” he coughed. “I’m okay. It’s not that bad.”
I smoothed the hair away from his brow. His skin felt so hot, and sweat beaded at his temples. Reed and Barrett came in. Reed carried a large, red metal tool box. He opened it. Rather than tools, the thing was filled with medical supplies. Gauze, iodine, suture needles and thread. Reed threw a wad of gauze at Tucker. He caught it one-handed. Then he grabbed the iodine and poured it in Jake’s wound.
“Just keep him talking,” Tucker whispered at my ear. “We just need to get the bleeding stopped and he’ll probably be okay.”
“Probably?” Mal snorted.
I squeezed Jake’s hand again. I didn’t like the shallow breaths he took. I stood at his good shoulder and placed a gentle hand there. I leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.
“You saved my life,” I said. “You were so brave.”
Jake smiled and it melted my heart. But, his skin was so gray. He flinched as Tucker cleaned out the wound and pressed a dressing to it.
“Hang in there, Jake,” he said. “You’re gonna have a hell of a battle scar after this one.”
I smiled and smoothed his hair back again. “Chicks dig scars, Jake.”
“What was that you were singing?” he asked, pausing to breathe between nearly every word.
I drew back a little. “You mean before? You could hear me?”
He nodded. “Of course.”
“All the way back at the ranger cabin? That’s like four miles.”
“We could all hear you,” Mal said. His voice was little more than a snarl. He too, had an ugly gash across his chest, from where the wolf he killed slashed at him.
I narrowed my eyes at him. “And just what the fuck do you mean by that? You think this was my fault?” A rage boiled within me and it took me by surprise. But, I was sick and tired of Mal’s thinly veiled hostility. I hadn’t asked for anything that happened to me.
Mal answered by way of a low growl. Tucker shoved him hard, sending him reeling backward. “Later,” he said, his tone deadly.
“Sing it again,” Jake said. “I liked it.”
I turned my attention back to him. Still clutching his hand, I sat on one of the kitchen stools. “Not that,” I said. “That was the Doll Song. It’s sort of hideous. How about something more soothing. This one’s not really a lullaby, but it sort of sounds like one.”
I leaned in close and sang the first few lines of O mio babbino caro. Jake smiled. His eyes took on a dreamy quality. Gooseflesh raised across his chest as I hit the highest note. My eyes found Tucker’s. He gave me a slow nod, encouraging me to keep going as he pressed the flaps of Jake’s torn flesh together. We finished at the same time as Tucker bound Jake’s wound with the wrap and taped it into place. He’d done all he could; the rest was up to Jake. By the time I trailed off the last note, Jake’s eyes had closed and he’d fallen into a deep, healing slumber.
Reed stepped into view. He carefully raised Jake’s head and placed a pillow underneath it. Barrett covered him with a blanket. “We’ll sit with him now,” Reed said. “We heal fast. His color’s already looking better.”
And it was. The gray pallor had given way to pale pink, and it did my heart good to see it. I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. Then my knees went weak again. Tucker was at my side, hooking a hand under my arm, and he caught me before I could fall.
I smiled. “Thanks. Let’s see about the rest of you.”
Reed and Barrett appeared to have come through mostly unscathed. I didn’t like the angry look of the slashes across both Mal and Tucker’s chests, though.
“Sit,” I said to both of them. I heaved the metal box off of the table and pointed to the couch in the living room. “Let’s line you both up and see what I can do.”
Though Tucker may have been alpha and Mal his second, they seemed to understand I meant business. They sat shoulder to shoulder on the couch, waiting for me to nurse them.
We made a strange group. Just a few days ago, this scene would have rocked my world. But, now it seemed natural. I was in a room with five strapping naked men, tending to wounds that, to ordinary men, would be fatal. But these were no ordinary men.
I dipped a strip of gauze in iodine, and carefully dabbed the deep gashes on Tucker’s flesh. He sucked his breath in sharply but remained still when I shot him a look. He kept his hands clenched on his knees. Something stirred within me as I caught a glance at his powerful cock. He wasn’t aroused now, but I was still struck by the size of him.
Then, I moved to Mal. He was stoic, except for the flash of his dark eyes as I touched him. I wouldn’t dare look down to see what hung between his legs. But, it was like he could read my mind. My not looking seemed to make the whole thing more obvious. A sultry smirk lifted the corner of his mouth. So, I pressed a fresh strip of gauze against his torn flesh just a bit harder than I needed to. He flinched. Now, the smirk was mine.
“He’s coming around again,” Reed whispered from the kitchen. I looked over my shoulder. Jake groaned and shifted on the table, but his color was almost back to normal.
“Thank God,” I said. My shoulders sagged with relief.
I turned back to Tucker. He looked at me with the tenderest expression, his beautiful mouth curved in a smile.
No. These were no ordinary men. These were strong, powerful hunters. My protectors. My men. My wolves. Today, they had defended me with their bodies, risking their lives to keep me from harm. Just like Tucker had promised.
Something new and potent awakened in me. An emotion I couldn’t quite name. Not yet. But, as I looked around the room and met each of their eyes, I felt something I hadn’t experienced since I was very young . . . before my mother died. I felt like I belonged her
e.
I felt like I’d finally come home.
Chapter Seventeen
A strange calm settled through the cabin after I finished tending to Tucker and Mal’s wounds. Reed and Barrett escaped with just minor bruising. We moved Jake into the bed. I learned werewolves heal fast, and I thanked God for that. I didn’t know if I would be able to live with knowing Jake had suffered a deadly wound on account of me. Though he was much, much better, he was still too weak to move. As the rest of us congregated in the front room, Jake slept soundly, though snoring loud enough to rattle the windows.
“You sure he doesn’t have bear in him, too?” I whispered to Tucker. He and the others sat at the table. In the afterglow of their wolf battle, they had become ravenous. I whipped together a giant pot of spaghetti from the supplies I found in the kitchen. They ate through that plus just about everything else in the pantry. The place was trashed, and I started clearing plates.
Tucker smiled and wagged his eyebrows at me. He scowled when I slid his empty plate out from in front of him. He was in the process of scraping sauce from it with his fingers.
“Stop that!” I smacked his hand away. “You may be a pack of wild things, but you can act like civilized men when you’re under this roof.”
Tucker smiled and swatted my ass as I tried to walk past him. He caught me, pulling me toward him with his hand on my hips. He nuzzled against me, sliding his hand under the hem of my t-shirt he caressed the underside of my breast. I grew instantly wet for him. My breath came hot and hitched. Tucker looked up at me, those pale silver eyes shining. I leaned in and smoothed a hand over his coarse, black hair and moved to kiss him. I meant for it to be just a peck, but Tucker darted his tongue against the corner of my mouth, sending a shiver through me.
