Wylde (Xi Force Book 3)
Page 1
Table of Contents
WYLDE
Books by S.C. Mitchell
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
WYLDE
Xi Force #3
S.C. MITCHELL
SOUL MATE PUBLISHING
New York
WYLDE
Copyright©2018
S.C. MITCHELL
Cover Design by Fiona Jayde
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, business establishments, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials.
Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.
Published in the United States of America by
Soul Mate Publishing
P.O. Box 24
Macedon, New York, 14502
ISBN: 978-1-68291-690-2
www.SoulMatePublishing.com
The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
Books by S.C. Mitchell
Hearts In Orbit Series
The Blarmling Dilemma
Pirates Of The Dark Nebula
Captives Of The Kratzen
~ ~ ~
The Heavenly War Series
Son Of Thunder
Daughter Of Darkness
~ ~ ~
Xi Force Series
Z-Bot
Phaze
Wylde
This book is dedicated to Scott Summers,
Cyclops of the X-Men.
Thank you for being that superhero
who also had to wear glasses,
just like I did as a kid.
Acknowledgments
This book would not be possible without the encouragement and commitment of my editor, Cheryl Yeko, who makes me better with every book. Special thanks to my amazing critique partners Helen Johannes, Don Schlising, and Barb Raffin. ♥
Chapter 1
Jonathan Wylde woke with a cold nose pressed against the back of his neck and a warm, furry body curled up behind him.
Kids.
The heat in the cabin had gone out overnight, which meant a trek down the mountain and a report to Aaron to get some maintenance people up here to fix it. Again.
Or he could just live with it, which at the moment seemed the better choice. His old cabin hadn’t had central heating, and he’d been fine.
Hell, he hadn’t even had electricity except for that solar thingie he used to charge his phone. And even in this new, modern cabin he had a fireplace. He just needed to drag his sorry ass out of bed, throw in some wood, and light it.
He was getting too used to creature comforts. So was his wolf pack.
I will not be domesticated.
He pulled in a deep breath and expelled it slowly, finding his center. As the frosty cloud of his breath dissipated, he chuckled.
Really, this was just the author messing with him.
His belief that he was a character in a book was rooted in the absurdity of his life, and probably fueled by his imagination. But he did believe. He’d never had any direct contact with his author or the readers, but deep down, he knew they were out there.
“So now what?”
Not that it really mattered. Even if he did nothing, something would happen to propel him into whatever fucked-up tale the author was writing now. He’d probably end up just another side character in someone else’s story. Still, it did feel like he was being pushed around the page a bit more than usual.
In any case, first things first. He rolled over and looked Bruce in the eyes. “We talked about this.”
Bruce’s peaked ears twitched. His cold, damp nose nudged Wilde’s bare chest. It was cold. You were warmer than mom.
And being a young alpha wolf, Bruce had taken things into his own hands . . . paws, to challenge authority.
“Wanda?”
Dick, Barbara, and Alfred, Bruce’s brothers and sister, scuttled closer to their mother, as she raised her head from the floor.
Wanda snorted. You’re the pack alpha now. He’s your problem. The humor in her eyes didn’t escape Wylde’s notice.
The bed will be mine one day anyway, won’t it? It’s where the pack alpha gets to sleep. Bruce’s question was laced with challenge.
Clark, one of Natasha’s cubs, bounded onto the mattress. Not if I can help it.
“Stop it, you two. Beds are for people.” They were getting domesticated despite his efforts to keep them wild. Too much time spent with humans.
Though mostly human, Wylde wasn’t exactly people either.
Should he just get rid of it? He could sleep easily on the floor with his pack. And it wasn’t something he’d requested or even wanted. The bed had come with the cabin and the other furnishings. They’d just assumed he would want one.
He’d had one in his other cabin, but his old pack had understood the differences between wolves and people . . . and him. But, with the exception of Natasha and Wanda, the old pack had died. These pups needed to learn.
He pulled himself from the covers and padded toward the fireplace. No power, no heat, and the temperatures had plunged below zero last night, but he could fix that. Kindling, wood, match, done.
Fire roared in the fireplace as the cabin warmed, and his thoughts turned to coffee. The pups weren’t the only ones getting domesticated. He’d come to appreciate the wonderfully bitter brew while living in the Xi Force headquarters, where a coffee pot was always on and a cup always hot and ready.
He held his pot under the faucet and turned the knob.
Nothing.
Duh. No power, no pump, no water.
Damn.
Okay, there was a spring-fed stream on the other side of the mountain, less than a mile away. Time to be the pack alpha.
“Clark, Bruce, I’m running to the stream to get some water. If either of you can get to the stre
am and back before I do, you can sleep in the bed tonight.”
There wasn’t a chance. Probably not Parenting 101, but the pups perked up and scuttled for the exit determined to prove their place in the pack.
At some point he’d probably have to teach them not to be so predictable, but that was a lesson for another time. Today they would be reminded they were not the pack alpha.
Water jug in one hand, door knob in the other, he opened the door. “And go.”
Wow, it was suddenly cold. The sun hadn’t crested the trees yet, and the temperatures were still below zero. Maybe he should have put on some boots.
Pants might have been a good idea as well.
But if he wasn’t going to coddle the pups, he couldn’t very well coddle himself.
Keep moving, stay low. Use the trees and ground cover to stay out of the wind.
Which was howling like a lone wolf.
He crouched, going to all fours, and bounded into the underbrush, trusting his high metabolism and special enhancements to keep him from any permanent harm. He might not be covered in wolf fur, but his body would regenerate any frozen skin or body parts. Still, there were certain body parts he probably should have been more protective of.
Well, even if that fell off, it wouldn’t make his situation any less awkward next spring when Natasha and Wanda went into heat. Within the next few months he’d need to find an adult male to fill the alpha spot in his pack. He couldn’t continue to fill the role, at least not during mating season. A loan from a zoo or something could fix the problem in the short term, give his pack a somewhat larger gene pool, and give Clark and Bruce time to mature into the role. Long term, the pack needed a full wolf in the alpha role.
Yeah, maybe a zoo. He’d have to run it past Dove. She might have some contacts.
But that meant he’d need to shower, get dressed, and go among people again.
I suppose I could just call her. If he could figure out how to use that new phone they’d given him. He knew how to answer, but that was about it. He didn’t want to talk to people.
He ducked under a low-hanging branch and picked up his pace. He could hear the two pups scurrying behind. One day, maybe, they’d be able to catch him. But not today.
Today was all about teaching them who was the pack alpha. And keeping them out of his bed at night.
Despite the freezing temperatures, the water near the spring hadn’t iced over. Clear and cool, it bubbled up from below. He just needed to plunge the bottle under for a few seconds to fill it, cap the container, and run back. The coffee he made after would warm him up, and the pups would learn their lesson.
Overall, a pretty good start to the morning.
“You’re going to freeze your sexy ass off, John.” Dove Locklear leaned against a tree trunk across the pond.
What was she doing out here?
“Are you spying on me?”
He’d known Dove since they were both children, playing with the animals in her dad’s lab, reading comic books together, sharing fantasies about being superheroes. But she wasn’t a kid any longer, and she sure had grown up beautiful.
Warm brown eyes that sometimes seemed to be looking straight into his soul, long jet-black hair she usually pulled into a pony tail, and lush curves that tempted him to forget she was his friend.
Even though he wasn’t quite human, his body seemed to embrace human desires and passions.
But he didn’t need . . . She was just . . . Why did his mind splinter whenever she was around?
Chuckling at him, she shook her head. “Heaven forbid. I was just coming up to check on the pups one last time before I leave. You here for a bath?”
God, he was completely naked.
Well, people weren’t supposed to be up here. This was a posted area. His pack’s area.
But Dove was one of the exceptions. She was the Xi Force veterinarian and came up the mountain occasionally to check on the wolves.
He held up the bottle. “Power’s out in the cabin. Needed water for coffee.”
She tilted her head at him. The right side of her luscious lips quirked up. “If you don’t have power, how are you going to make coffee?”
As usual, she was a couple of steps ahead of him. He lived in the moment, solving one problem at a time, and hadn’t gotten that far in the puzzle. He needed the water first. But he would have figured the rest out.
Pot on fire boils water. Pour through grounds into a cup. Bingo. Coffee.
Or something that somewhat resembled it, and that was really all he needed this morning.
But Dove’s words niggled at the back of his mind. “Did you say you’re coming up here one last time to check on the pups? You’re leaving?”
Wylde didn’t have many friends, and Dove was probably one of his closest. It had been great having her around these past weeks. Reconnecting with a friend he’d thought lost for over ten years.
Not that he really needed anyone.
“You said yesterday that you wouldn’t be bringing Natasha and Wanda into the field with you anymore. And the pups are getting big enough to be left on their own anyway. Mary can handle any emergencies that pop up. I’m no longer needed here. I’m heading home.”
Very logical and completely correct.
So why did it bother Wylde?
She had a life of her own. Probably a boyfriend or significant other.
Though she’d never said anything about a boyfriend.
Sheee-it, why was his mind jumbling?
Most likely because the author of his life’s story was messing with him again.
He really needs to leave me alone.
“The pack is all good, no need to check on them, but I could walk you down the mountain, back to the headquarters.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Naked? John, it’s freezing out here. You should get back inside.”
“Oh yeah, that. I . . . um . . . well, I hope to see you again soon.”
She shook her head, but her wonderful smile lit up her eyes. “You know where I live. Feel free to stop by any time. But maybe put on a pair of pants first.”
The city. Cars, noise, the stink of civilization. No, he could run around it, stay to the forested areas. Dove’s home was in a rural area on the other side of Megopolis. It would only take him a couple days to get there. “Yeah, I guess I could do that.”
“Well . . . bye, John. I’d give you a hug but . . .” Her eyes traveled down and back up his naked frame.
Yeah, pants would have been a really good idea. It was fucking freezing out. But despite the chill, warmth filled his gut. His cock tightened.
What a curious reaction.
Still he stood and watched as she spun around and walked away, right up until she turned the corner in the pathway and disappeared into the foliage.
He didn’t need anyone but his pack. He liked his solitude and his place on the mountaintop. Still, maybe he should visit her sometime. She was his friend and he did like being with her.
Light snow began to flutter through the air on his trip back to the cabin. Water. Coffee. Warmth.
Clark and Bruce sat, their tails thumping the ground as he approached the front door.
Sheee-it. He’d be sleeping on the floor tonight.
~ ~ ~
As Dove parked her car in front of her family home, she rested her forehead on the steering wheel and sighed. “Well, that sucked.”
At least she was home. The drive back from the Xi Force secret headquarters had taken five hours because of snowfall making the roads slippery and asshole drivers making the slick roads dangerous. Idiots in the ditch had slowed traffic to a crawl a dozen times.
Yes, it was the first significant snow storm of the season, but shit, learn to drive. Snow happens every year up here.
On the plus side, the longer drive gave her more time to think about what she’d just experienced with Xi Force. God, real superheroes. Who would have thought?
Well, John would have. John Wylde had believed he would become a superhero from the moment he discovered comic books. Wolverine, Deadpool, the Hulk. He’d always gravitated to the tortured, loner heroes. That was probably because he was so tortured himself.
If only she’d realized what he was going through back then. But John had always been closed off, secretive. To the world he only showed the crazy, nerdy little kid. He’d kept all the turmoil inside.
He used to believe he was a character in a comic book. “I’ll be a superhero when I grow up. Just you watch.”
And now he was. Could it be he hadn’t been so crazy after all?
He’d confessed only a few days ago that he still believed his delusion of being a fictional character, though now he believed he was in a book, not a comic. “Too much adult shit, too much horror in my life, even for today’s comics. This author just enjoys fucking with me.”
It wasn’t her place to question his delusion. There were plenty of others at Xi Force Headquarters to give him shit about his beliefs. She was his friend, and she accepted him as he was. She always had.
His imagination had inspired so many fun-filled adventures back when they’d been kids playing in her family home where their fathers shared a laboratory.
Her dad and John’s father, Dr. William Wylde, had collaborated on cutting edge animal DNA studies. Gene splicing, hybridization, and cross-species trait transfer.
Her dad had always been careful to never harm an animal. It was in his nature. He and Dr. Wylde had had numerous arguments over how far they could take their studies.
No one knew Dr. Wylde took his work home each night. He’d used his son as a test subject. Then, when hints of what he was doing were about to leak, he’d taken his son and disappeared. In notes left behind on his computer, Dr. Wylde detailed countless experiments he’d performed. Splicing wolf DNA into John’s system, treating him like an animal.