Protected by the Rogue Wolf

by Kristen Strassel

  “This isn’t about being a good girl, Willow. This is about survival.”

  “I never questioned all the rules I’d been taught about my pack. I assumed they were right. I can’t believe how much was taken away from me. That I just accepted that I wasn’t worth more. It was like they didn’t want us to be wolf. What were they so afraid of?”

  “What do you think now?” If I kept talking, maybe I could stay focused. I had no idea who those wolves were, but this next howl guaranteed one thing. They were getting closer.

  “I don’t like being lied to.” She tipped her head, and her hand rested over my heart.

  “Do you think I’m lying to you?”

  She shook her head.

  “Good. Because honor is everything to me. There was a long time my word was all I had.”

  “But you just said you were here to kill Tate.”

  “I am.” But it had become so much more complicated. She’d never forgive me if I did it. And suddenly, that mattered to me. A lot.

  There was no way I could honor this contract and have her as my mate. Making this woman happy could destroy the Sawtooth pack.

  “What’s your idea of justice? Because something tells me that we’re more alike than you think, Carlos. That you’ve accepted a bunch of stuff you don’t really believe is right. You just don’t know any other way.”

  “That might be true.”

  “There’s another way. It’s not the easy way—not that I’m discounting what you’ve been through. But doing the same thing, over and over, doesn’t make it right.” She winced, closing her eyes for another long blink. “I want to go home.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Willow

  I was playing with fire. This man had been contracted to kill Tate.

  A lot might have been wrong with the way things were in the Sawtooth pack, but everything hadn’t suddenly become perfect when Shadow Channing took the reins. Shadow might have to play nice in public, but he’d never ask his hitman to do the same.

  Tate had made no secret how far he’d go to get me back. Or of his hatred of Shadow. Carlos could be using me as a pawn to lure him. Or a weapon he planned to detonate.

  But none of that changed the fact I really wanted to kiss him right now. My she-wolf was close to the surface, dying to break free, and begging me to make a move.

  When I left my husband, I promised I wouldn’t ignore her anymore. I’d told myself I was doing it for Hazel, but here alone with this strange wolf in the middle of a freak storm on a freak night in the forest, my desires had nothing to do with my little girl.

  I wanted this wolf.

  I leaned forward, loving the way Carlos’ eyebrows rose with surprise. I gave him a split second to object, to tell me why we couldn’t do this, but he closed his eyes. He was as ready for this as I was.

  He reached for me, grasping my nape and pulling me close to him.

  I wanted to know what it felt like when it was real.

  Carlos’ lips slanted over mine, and the first stroke was soft and sweet, but then it was like this wolf remembered who the hell he was, and the kiss became more urgent. He pulled me even closer, and my lips parted.

  Electricity jolted through my body. I forgot where I ended and he began. Kissing this wolf was the most natural thing in the world. He challenged me to go deeper and further than I’d gone before. I didn’t know it was possible for a kiss to make me feel like this.

  His hand slipped down my back, warm and possessive. I was aware of those wolves howling, and that they couldn’t possibly be our pack. Just like that, I’d accepted Carlos as one of us. He’d fight for me, not against me.

  I pulled away before he did. Not because I regretted what I’d done. I’d give almost anything for a lifetime of kisses like that. But the realization of what true passion could be, instead of what I’d been forced to settle for, was sobering.

  “I take it you’re feeling better,” he said with a chuckle.

  “Now I am.” I was still a little lightheaded, but I wanted to believe it was from the kiss and not the accident.

  He rose from the ground. This was the first time I really got a good look at him. Tawny skin, broad shoulders, and muscles everywhere. I knew those biceps were huge but seeing them bare made my long-neglected core muscles flutter.

  Snow swirled around him when he opened the door. “It’s bad out there.”

  I crawled over to my pile of clothes and pulled my cell phone out of my jacket pocket, sucking in a harsh breath when I saw how much blood was on it. I tapped my head until I found the giant egg that had bloomed while I was passed out.

  My fingers came away tacky.

  “Head wounds like to bleed. Once we get off the mountain, you should go see Chandra.” She was the only doctor in Granger Falls who worked with shifters.

  “As a mom, I’ve had to get used to a lot of bodily fluids, but blood still makes me woozy.” I looked down at my phone and wasn’t surprised that there were no bars. Not unusual on the outskirts of Granger Falls. Didn’t stop me from trying to get a message through to Jasmine that I wouldn’t be home for a while. I looked up at Carlos, and the pain was raw on his face. “What’s the matter?”

  “I’m not used to blood, either. Like that.” He exhaled, and his gaze shifted outside. “It reminds me of...”

  He didn’t need to stay it. It reminded him of the night his mate was killed. Every muscle in my body protested when I stood, but I wanted to go to him. I slipped my arms around his bare waist and grazed my lips against his shoulder.

  “No, it’s not like that,” I said softly, hoping it would make the tension in his body ease as he relived that horrible night in his mind. I was trying to comfort the wolf hired to kill Tate.

  He nodded. “I know you want to get home, but we’re better off staying here. Where the guys can find us.”

  I peeked out the door. The new snow was fluffy and drifting. “Where’s the camera?”

  He kissed my forehead before letting go of me, his gaze lingering before he pulled away. “You understand why I had to hide it.”

  My heart pounded but I nodded.

  A faint green light glowed under a layer of snow. Carlos dusted the device off and put one of his arms out straight, and the other one around me.

  I laughed. “Did we just selfie for her little camera?”

  “She probably doesn’t have reception, anyway.” He grinned and dropped it on the clothes pile.

  “I wonder if we’ll have to go on a fake date to make up the footage she missed on this one.”

  “I don’t plan on taking you on any fake dates, Willow.”

  His tone made my breath catch in my throat. “But they’re missing all the good stuff.”

  “What would we do on our fake date?” He stepped closer and closed the cabin door behind him. I could forget the rest of the world for a while and concentrate on what it could possibly mean to have this man in my life. “Would we have to recreate the moment my wolf realized that he could have a mate again?”

  I nodded. Words would fail me.

  “They got that already.” He brushed his fingers against my cheek. I sucked in a sharp breath. The skin was tender. I had to be running on adrenaline. “Because I knew the minute you bumped into me at The Stepchild that it wouldn’t be the last time we saw each other.”

  “What does it feel like?” There were electric currents running through my veins. Totally uncharted territory. “Because I’ve never had this feeling before. I...”

  I felt so foolish. A grown-ass woman who couldn’t tell if this was the real thing. One that insisted she’d listen to her she-wolf but questioned everything she had to say.

  “For years, I had to rely on my animal to keep me safe. I learned to trust him. Sometimes more than I trusted myself. He saw you, and he knew. I told him it was impossible. He said nothing was.” He lowered his gaze, and took my hand in his, running his fingers over mine. “I knew he was right when I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

 
; We were already so close but taking this one little step closer felt bold. Our lips met, and it didn’t matter who started the kiss. Carlos led me down my knees, running his warm, strong hands over my arms, squeezing my shoulders. It was a possessive move, and my wolf liked it. A lot.

  He sighed when he pulled away. “I have to keep reminding myself you’re hurt.”

  A wolf’s howl ripped through the cabin, way too close for comfort.

  “Javier and Rick on a rescue mission?” I asked hopefully. “We just sent that selfie. Maybe she did have reception.”

  His expression changed, and I swore he said, stop talking. But he hadn’t. Was it our wolves talking to each other? And did this wolf outside the cabin hear it too?

  Another howl. This one ended in a growl. Whoever was out there, he was close enough we could hear them growl. Not good.

  Whatever was out there had brought his wolf to the surface. “I’m going out there.”

  “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

  “No.” His body shuddered. “But whoever’s out there wants what belongs to me.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Carlos

  Tonight had totally backfired. I’d thought we’d take a cute little ride close to the human paths and wrap the night up at a ski cabin just outside town that served legendary hot drinks and had a fireplace.

  I should’ve known Willow would have something to prove. That the moment she was given a little bit of freedom, she’d run with it.

  I’d fucking failed this date on every level. All I’d had to do was keep her safe. I couldn’t get her home, and I’d told her the deepest, darkest secrets of her own pack, including the one where her ex-husband would probably wind up dead and I’d be responsible.

  After all that, she still wanted to kiss me. And my wolf was dead wrong to not stop her when she had a head injury. But being so close to her, with that intoxicating scent...

  I couldn’t make another stupid move. The wolves outside the cabin weren’t here by accident. I should’ve shifted and greeted our visitors in my animal form. But the selfish, reckless part of me wanted to stay human for Willow.

  This woman could very well be the death of me.

  “Carlos!” My head whipped around at the sound of my name. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me when I saw Javier and Rick. The storm had intensified to cyclical, dizzying flakes that only happened at this elevation.

  I hadn’t scented them. I should’ve known they were this close. I should’ve done a lot of things tonight. But I let myself get distracted by this woman. If she was working with Tate, she’d be his greatest weapon against me.

  “What happened to the snowmobiles? We found one of them in a ditch.” Rick circled me, making his questions known.

  “Willow had an accident. She hit her head—”

  “Is she all right?” Javier stopped dead in his tracks.

  “I think so.”

  “Think we can get her back to the Werewife van?” I asked.

  “Can she shift?” Rick asked.

  I shook my head. “She’s Sawtooth pack.” “Look at the moon. It’s like a day away from being full.” Javier tipped his snout at the sky. “She’ll never make it down there as a human. We sent Stephanie back into town because the roads were getting bad.”

  Shit. Javier wouldn’t send Stephanie away unless there was danger. I forced myself to chuckle, because we were knee deep in snow and shit. “Tessa will have our asses when we don’t come back.”

  Rick nodded. “She’s got to try to shift. Especially if the snowmobiles are out of commission and she’s hurt. Otherwise, there’s no telling when we can get her back into town.”

  If she couldn’t shift tonight, she’d shift soon. The moon wouldn’t deny her forever.

  “Maybe you can convince her.” I motioned for them to follow me.

  I froze when I opened the door and saw Willow. She’d positioned herself against the wall, her head slumped forward. Fuck. When I wasn’t looking, she didn’t have to put up a strong front. My wolf wanted to come out again, like he could do fuck all about this.

  Rushing over to her, I swept her into my arms and whispered her name over and over until she woke with a yelp.

  “There are wolves in here.” Her frantic heartbeat thrummed against my skin.

  “It’s Javier and Rick.” I didn’t know how to tell her we couldn’t get her home. “They want you to shift.”

  “I can’t.” Her words slurred slightly. If I didn’t know something was very wrong, I might not have caught it. “Not ‘til the full moon.”

  “The moon’s pretty full,” Rick said. “You might be able to pull it off.”

  “If she’s not too weak.”

  We both shushed Javier. If Willow didn’t realize what bad shape she was in, we didn’t need to tell her. I needed my mate to be strong.

  Mate. I couldn’t think of her as anything else.

  “There are wolves in here,” she said, like she’d totally forgotten what she was. Images flashed before my eyes. Those last moments with Sarah. As usual, they were interspersed with my favorite moments with her. Our mating ceremony. Our adventures, and the nights we’d spent in each other’s arms in front of the fire.

  No. This story had a different ending.

  This time, I saw Willow. These weren’t flashbacks. They were glimpses of our future. I’d fight like I’d never fought before to make sure they came true.

  “It’s Javier and Rick.” I kissed the side of her head and gently guided her to her feet. Like hell I’d let go of her. “They came to help us.”

  She nodded, but I had a feeling she’d remember none of this. “I want to go home.”

  “I’m bringing you outside.” I hoped to hell the moon could give her some of her energy back. “The fresh air will be good for you.”

  “Yeah, this place reeks of other wolves.” Rick shook his snout.

  Willow clung to me as we took slow steps toward the snow, but she stopped dead in her tracks at another howl.

  She pointed to Javier and Rick. “That didn’t come from them.”

  “The forest is full, waiting for the full moon,” Javier said. “There are a lot of scores waiting to be settled.”

  Willow closed her eyes for another long blink. “Tate,” she said softly. “I have a feeling he’s out there.”

  That was actually good news. “If he can shift, so can you.”

  Her lips parted, and it took everything I had not to kiss her again. But with the guys here, and her shift this close, we had a real chance of getting off the mountain.

  “That’s right.” She looked at Javier and Rick. “I’ve never tried to induce a shift before.”

  My guys huffed, but one look from me cut that off. They would not discourage her or make her feel like less of a she-wolf because her pack had served her such a giant disadvantage. “How does it feel when you shift?”

  “Like I’m doing something wrong.” She sighed, and her body swayed. I pulled her closer to my body. Her temperature had skyrocketed, and I believed her animal was close. That instinct would take over. “Tate always insisted on handling pack business, and he had some score to settle every month.”

  “So he left you behind.”

  She nodded. “If I shifted, I stayed near the house. The moon energy called to me. But if I wasn’t human by the time he came back, he’d tell me I’d put myself in danger.”

  I fucking hated this guy. Tate wasn’t even here, but he was putting Willow in danger by mind-fucking her the whole time she was married to him. She’d been his possession, and he hadn’t taken care of her.

  Tate Ulrich needed a lesson in what it felt like to lose.

  “Can you feel the moon energy now?”

  “I think so.” She took a few careful steps into the snow and tipped her face up to the moon. I gave her a little space, but I didn’t dare let her go.

  She was so beautiful, even injured and scared. This woman had pride. She might not know her full power, but it d
idn’t mean she didn’t have it. It would be a pleasure to watch her blossom. I could make her my fucking queen.

  “Maybe you should shift, Carlos,” Javier suggested. “You know how sometimes it causes a chain reaction?”

  Willow turned her face to me, eyes wide and round, the moonlight reflected in them. “Don’t. Not yet,” she whispered.

  “I’ll stay human until she shifts.”

  Her breath quickened, and I expected a surge of heat to come through her body that would trigger her transformation. But it didn’t come.

  I stepped closer, taking her chin in my hand and kissing her. My wolf was ready to burst through my skin, and I’d give her all the power she needed until the moon could take over.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Willow

  Raw power surged through my body with Carlos’ kiss. It flowed through my veins and sent sensations through my body I was totally unfamiliar with. My she-wolf was begging to be set free. Writhing inside me, looking for a way out. She was tired of being told that she didn’t matter. That she didn’t have a place in this pack.

  But I wasn’t strong enough to shift. Without Carlos’ touch, I felt the full effect of my injuries. My head was swimming when he walked out of the cabin. At first, I thought it was just the snow making me dizzy. At the time, that seemed perfectly logical. But I was a freaking Sawtooth she-wolf. If snow could beat me, I didn’t stand a chance in this pack.

  I was being unfair to myself, and Carlos knew it. His hand was firmly on the small of my back, pressing me against his strong, hard body. There was so much promise in that simple move. So much protection. Another wave of emotion overwhelmed me. This time, it was sadness. In one night, this man had shown me something Tate hadn’t in almost twelve years.

  Carlos had been brought here to kill Tate.

  It couldn’t come to that. We weren’t the same old pack that resorted to violence every time something pissed us off. Our history was long, shitty, and divided. If we were ready to come out of the shadows and stand beside humans we had to seriously consider what it meant to be an animal.