A Gifted Curse (The Cloven Pack Series: Book One)

by D. Fischer

  Just the thought of him abducting another woman makes me glad that I left Kenna at home where she is safe. She could easily become his next target if she were here.

  Thinking of Kenna, I search the corner of my mind that now belongs to her. I told myself I wouldn’t do that while we were out here looking for Chris because it could prove to be a distraction.

  I frown as my wolf growls at me. Kenna’s heart rate is accelerated. That explains why mine started to beat faster, but it doesn’t explain why hers is. The thought has me paying more attention to my wolf’s panicky state.

  Kenna, what’s wrong? I send telepathically. I wait for her to respond but get nothing.

  Dyson takes in my frown. “What’s wrong?”

  Standing up, I quickly stride out of the bar. It is too distracting being in there and I need to concentrate to find the source of her accelerated heart rate.

  Once outside, I search again and feel her fear. A whole lot of fear. I whip around and face Dyson who had followed me out. My expression must be grave.

  “What is it, Evo?” Dyson demands.

  Flint and Ben had followed us out the door, and their bodies stiffen with tension when they take in our expressions. Before they can ask what is going on, I say, “We have to go. Now!”

  We run to the car and hop in with me behind the wheel. This is my mate and I will be damned if I am put in the passenger seat. I wouldn’t be able to handle not having any control here.

  “Damn it, Evo. What’s going on?” Ben asks, holding onto the safety handle as I peel out of the parking lot.

  “Something’s wrong at the house. Kenna’s terrified.”

  “Can’t you just ask her?” Flint asks, referring to the telepathy.

  “I tried that,” I growl.

  “What about everyone else on the territory? Did you try them?”

  Shit. No, I didn’t think of that. I reach out to Jeremy and get nothing; same with Kelsey and Jazz. I reach out to Brenna this time.

  Brenna?

  Yeah?

  Thank God someone answers. What’s going on at the house?

  I don’t know what’s going on at the house—I’m running patrol with Jeremy, but it sounded like Jeremy got injured. I’m on my way to see if he’s okay.

  Brenna, no! Something is going on at the house. Check that first. Something’s wrong with Kenna.

  Are you sure I shouldn’t check on Jeremy first? You know how clumsy he can be. Last I checked, Kenna and Kelsey were on the front porch.

  Just do it, damn it.

  Okay, okay! Give me a few minutes.

  I feel selfish that I want her to check on Kenna first. But if we are under attack at the territory, the attackers will go after the Alpha. Kenna is the only Alpha home. I push the car faster as my fear begins to take over.

  “Words, Evo. Use your words,” Ben says.

  “Jeremy, Kelsey, and Jazz aren’t responding. Brenna is the only one who responded and she said that she heard Jeremy’s wolf get hurt. I sent her to the house to check on Kenna first.”

  A slicing pain rips through my arm. “Fuck!” I look down at my arm but there is nothing but normal skin. My wolf howls inside my head as realization hits me. “I think Kenna’s hurt.” I push the car even faster, racing back to the territory. Speed limits be damned.

  Evo! Chris and Jazz—

  What?! Did you say Chris? Chris Kenner?

  Yes! Shut up and listen! They have Kenna and Kelsey. Kelsey isn’t conscious and I can’t tell if she’s injured. But Kenna … Evo, they have her strapped to a chair and are cutting into her.

  I growl and I know without looking that my eyes were glowing wolf. My wolf is fighting for the surface and I am struggling to reason with him. He won’t be able to get there faster than my car.

  Why didn’t I see this coming? Pieces begin sliding together. Jazz’s behavior and trips alone to town and Chris’ absence in abductions. Of course, they are working together. I am going to kill them both.

  What’s going on, Brenna?

  They’re cutting her, Evo, she says in an agonizing voice as I feel another slice of pain on the other arm. Evo, what do you want me to do?

  Makenna Johnson

  I breathe through the pain from the gashes Chris has made up my arms and on my calves. At this rate, I am going to bleed to death. I am running out of time and I know it, even now I can feel my heart rate slow as my body starts to feel cold.

  I am out of ideas for distractions. Trying to use Evo—who I can feel is in a blind panic—as an anchor, I can’t even muster the strength to lift my head, let alone respond vocally to the pain I am enduring. The only thing I can see, with the position my head is slumped, is the pool of blood expanding on the wood floor in front of me.

  “One more, Makenna, and then I’ll kill you. I’m sure you’ll prove to be the most delicious meal. Your head will make a great center piece for this dining table, don’t you think? It’ll be a good reminder to these wolves of exactly why Jazz will be Alpha.”

  “That doesn’t sound sanitary,” I barely manage to whisper. With his wolf hearing, I know he will be able to hear me.

  My will to fight is strong, but my body is growing even weaker. The struggle to stay conscious is becoming a losing battle. I can already feel a weight begin to pull me under and my connection to Evo slip away.

  I’m not going to show him fear, even though fear is coursing through my veins. I don’t want to die. Not when my life has just begun.

  I have just found my mate—the man I am destined for. I’ve never done anything but be alone and avoid people. Having just found out that I am not some crazy chick with multiple personality disorder and instead, have this amazing creature living inside of me—a part of me—I finally discovered my true self. Just when I find where I belonged, it seems I won’t get to keep it. Or, rather, it won’t get to keep me.

  As he brings his scalpel down to make another slice in my skin, a window crashes to the floor at the front of the house and a fierce growl rips through the air, vibrating off the walls.

  Slowly, I raise my weak eyes to the fierce sound as Chris and Jazz began transforming into their wolf halves to defend themselves.

  Evo and Bre stand in wolf form, while Flint, Ben, and Dyson stand behind them, shaking with anger. Evo’s wolf eyes meet mine for just a second. I can feel his rage as his eyes sweep over my wounds and flowing blood, and his growl deepens even further.

  Fighting consciousness, the last of my strength is useless. Just before the black takes me under and swallows me whole, I see Evo’s wolf tackle Chris’ partially transformed body as Bre’s wolf jumps behind me toward Jazz. The sound of vicious snarling and snapping begins to fade as the black descends. I know, however, that this isn’t a challenge. This is going to be a quick kill. The Pack will be safe and that gives me comfort as I give up my struggle.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Makenna Goldwin

  Beeping machines wake me from such a deep, dreamless sleep. I can smell chemicals and am just about to stretch when a hand gently comes down on my arm.

  I flinch at the sudden unexpected touch and my eyes fly open. Evo stares down at me, a relieved smile playing at his lips. He looks exhausted and his hair is standing on end as if he’d been tugging on it for hours.

  “How are you feeling, baby?” He reaches out to me and brushes my cheek.

  I shut my heavy eyes for a moment, curious to the reasoning of his question. The beeps—I am surrounded by medical equipment. I can feel the tape on my hand from an I.V. Am I in a hospital? Searching my mind for the last thing I remember, it comes back in full force. My eyes open and I see my arms covered in bandages. My legs are covered with our thick comforter which answers my question—we are home.

  Recognition crosses my features and Evo begins explaining, “Chris is dead, but Jazz was able to escape. We haven’t been able to find her yet.” His voice is flat with barely contained anger. “How are you feeling?”r />
  I glance around. Evo has pulled up the reclining chair next to our bed. A pillow and blanket sit on the floor beside it. Under the bedroom door, I can see several shadows moving and pacing. It seems the Pack is camped out there.

  All my wounds are bandaged and taped up. I lift one of my arms and wince when I felt the pull of stitches.

  “A little sore, but I’ll live. How long was I out for?” My voice croaks.

  Evo frowns at my flippant attitude. I can feel how worried he is and how much he is trying to reign himself in and not upset me while I am still so weak. However, through our mating, I can feel just how on edge he is.

  I don’t want to worry him any more than he already is. At this point, I think if Evo could, he would bring Chris back to life just so he could kill him again.

  “Two days.” He comes to sit on the bed, brushing hair out of my face. “You almost died, baby. I could feel you slipping away.” His lips softly brush mine. “You can’t ever do that to me again, baby. I don’t think I could survive the stress of seeing you injured and almost dying again.”

  My mind flashes back. I remember going in and out of consciousness. There was a lot of shouting as I was being carried somewhere. I remember Evo trying to talk to me, but I couldn’t focus on what he was saying at that time. I remember the jostling as my clothes were being ripped off for better access to my wounds.

  “Well, that wasn’t my intention, I assure you. The bitch drugged me. My entire body wouldn’t work right. How did you get all this medical stuff in here? Who brought all this stuff?”

  Evo looks at all the machines, refusing to take his hands off my face. “One of the Riva wolves is a doctor. They were kind enough to lend her to us. Luckily, she was just leaving work at a hospital not too far from here. She got here pretty quickly.” He looks down at me after a moment. I can tell he is reliving everything that happened through his mind. “Baby, what happened?”

  I explain everything to him. From the drugged iced tea, to the confirmed suspicions, up until he arrived. He remains silent as I explain everything. I keep the painful things to myself, though.

  “Jazz and Chris were mates?” He runs a hand through his hair. “That explains why she would be okay with attacking her own Pack.”

  “How so?”

  “Remember when I said that mates are supposed to balance each other?” When I nod, he continues, “Chris was completely Rogue. He wouldn’t be able to fully accept the mating, just like my parents. But if Jazz gave all of herself over to mate him, then she would become just as Rogue as he was. She had to have known for a little while now that they were mates and kept it from us, probably at his request.”

  “So, by fully handing herself to him, the crazier she became.”

  “It sort of explains everything.” Evo sighs. “It’s driving me crazy that I never really saw how different she had become. And when I did notice something was up, I ignored it. If I didn’t shove her behavior off at the dinner table the other night, I could have solved all of this before it even started.”

  “You’re not the only one who shoved off her behavior. Even though I didn’t know her like you guys did, I ignored my instincts when it came to her. I should have known better, too. But there’s nothing we can do about it now. It’s over and done with. Are you sure Jazz is still alive?”

  Evo sighs. “No, we aren’t. But we haven’t been able to find a body. She’s likely survived the death of her mate, though she’s going to be physically weak for a long time. I haven’t been able to contact her for a while—not even when we were driving back from the bar. She had cut the connection to our Pack, and therefore, her Alpha, as soon as she stepped through our door with the intention of killing you.”

  “Is Kelsey alright? Jeremy? What about Bre?” I try to sit up, but Evo gently keeps me from doing so.

  “They’re all fine. Kelsey has a few stitches, but doesn’t remember anything. Brenna doesn’t have a scratch on her. Jeremy was trapped in a net and was completely unharmed, though extremely pissed that he wasn’t paying attention to the trap.”

  “I’m sure he’s angrier that his mate was in harm’s way.”

  I keep trying to shove off Evo’s hands, but they aren’t budging. As soon as he speaks again, my hands still.

  “There’s something else, Kenna.” Evo sits in his chair and leans back, scrubbing his tired face with his hands.

  “What?” I mentally groan. Evo’s uncomfortable emotions mean I’m surely not going to like the next topic.

  “Ben had done some research on Chris before all this went down. While discovering information on him, he also ran across information on you.”

  “My parents?” My heart skips a beat and my wolf sits up in attention. She doesn’t like my anxiety shortly after I went through a torture session.

  “You’re from the Gray Pack—the same Pack as Chris. The Gray Pack has a very controlling Alpha. This Pack isn’t allowed to leave the territory and no visitors are allowed. Chris was the Alpha’s son.”

  “Okay. So, I come from a Pack that’s run like a cult. Got it. What about my parents, Evo?” Though I feel slightly ashamed that I come from the same Pack as Chris, I care more about learning about my parents. I want to find them—to know them and talk with them.

  He waits for a moment to continue. I can tell he doesn’t want to tell me, which is infuriating. If he doesn’t want to tell me, I already know I won’t like what he says.

  “Your mother abandoned you to save your life—to save you from the rule of her mate. Her name was Darla Kenner. The Pack Alpha’s name is George Kenner. Your birth name is Skylar Kenner.”

  I frown. “What? Kenner? But that means—”

  “Chris Kenner was your little brother, baby.”

  Epilogue

  Makenna Johnson

  I sit at the edge of my safe haven, watching Bre skip tiny rocks she’d found on the shore of the pond. I’ve been uncharacteristically silent the last few days of my recovery, and out of everyone in the Pack, aside from Evo, she’s been hovering the most. I don’t mind—being alone is something I don’t want right now. I am grateful for the comfort she provides with her presence.

  Coming to sit beside me, she begins a conversation, breaking her silence as she lets me mull over my own thoughts. “Have you and Evo talked about pups yet?”

  I give her a small smile. “A little. I’m not ready for it, though. I need to find my groove, first.” Having kids wasn’t something I ever saw for myself. Not before I found out what I am. But now that I know, the idea of having mini Evo’s running around is something I find myself dreaming about. It will happen, but not until I am ready.

  “How are you doing?” she asks after a long pause.

  I blow out a breath, continuing to stare at the water. “Numb. My mind is having a hard time processing this.”

  “You just went through something traumatic. That’s to be expected.”

  I look at her. “That sounds like that’s from experience.”

  She nods and looks away from me, crossing her arms over her knees. “It is. My father was a cruel man.”

  I knew that Evo and Bre had a terrible past with their father, but I never knew she had endured physical pain from him. Someday, I hope that she will be able to share that with me.

  “What do I do from here? How do I cope with this?” I ask her.

  She shrugs. “I have no advice here. Those are demons I’m still working on.”

  I nod and then lean my head on her shoulder. “We’re going to have to be prepared. My father will likely retaliate and if he comes here, it’s likely he’ll find me. I’m just not ready for that yet. Evo said he doesn’t know if my mother is even alive.”

  “We’ll keep it from George as long as possible. If he comes here, he’ll have a fight on his hands. The Riva Pack has agreed to help.”

  “That’s good,” I say distractedly.

  She pats my shoulder. “This will get easier over time. E
ventually, your mind will heal and you’ll feel a little of the pain each day until eventually, you have it all worked out.”

  I hope she’s right but I wish it didn’t take so long. If George is going to go to war with our Pack, I need my mind to be in the right place. An Alpha with issues wouldn’t be useful.

  Evo has been very patient with me. Even with sex, he’s been gentle and reassuring. He took the time to let me think this all through and has been uncharacteristically patient. I love him for it, too. This can’t be easy for him. With my gift, he can probably feel how little I am feeling and how shocked my system is. I can feel that it was making him panic, but there is little I can say to comfort him right now.

  I have to trust Bre and her advice. This will soon pass and I’ll be whole again.

  Sometimes, we get dealt what’s undeserved and we fall into the dark. The dark never lasts forever—it can’t. Eventually, we learn how to find the light. The light is my mate and Pack. Their light is what will get me through my dark.

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  To my lovely readers:

  Thank you for reading the first book of the Cloven Pack Series. I hoped you enjoyed it.

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  About the Author

  D. Fischer is a mother of two busy boys, a wife to a wonderful and supportive husband, and an owner of two hyper, sock-loving dogs and an attention-seeking fat cat. Together, they live in a quiet little corner of a state that’s located in the middle of the great USA.