The Werewolf’s Bride: The Pack Rules #1

by Michele Bardsley

  “What’s the story?” she asked. She stood up and studied the three of us. I wondered where a woman in a soiled nightgown and a man carrying an oversized injured wolf fell on her scale of weird.

  Grey looked at me, his expression one of panic.

  “We’re on our honeymoon,” I blurted. “We have a cabin up at Mount Charleston. We heard … um, noises outside.”

  “I went to investigate,” added Grey. “I found him. He’s got some cuts, and I think he’s lost a lot of blood.”

  She lifted a blonde brow. “I see.” She reached under the counter, and we heard a buzzing sound. “Let’s go to exam room three.”

  * * *

  GREY PUT COLT onto the metal examination table. Swiss Miss slid on a pair of plastic gloves.

  “You’re the doctor?” asked Grey.

  “Yes. My name’s Lisa Pearson. I know he’s a shifter,” she said as she began examining his wounds. “You want to tell me what really happened?”

  “He got into a fight,” said Grey.

  Lisa snorted and rolled her eyes. “You werewolves give a new definition to ‘succinct.’ He’s got bites from fangs and slashes from claws. What’d the other guy look like?”

  “Like he was dead,” said Grey.

  “Hmm.”

  “Are you a shifter, too?” I asked. As a citizen of Bleed City, werewolves were par for the course. While I knew there were other shifter species, I had never met another kind.

  Lisa nodded. “Werebear. You’re lucky you got me instead of the other vet. He’s a human, and he would’ve called animal control. Beck’s a rulebook nerd.” She jerked her head toward the wolf. “So, what’s his name?”

  “Colt. He’s my brother,” said Grey. “We’re Shadow Pack. I’m Grey Burke, the alpha.” He put his hand on my shoulder. “This is my wife, Arabelle.”

  “Good to meet you.” Lisa stepped back, her gloves now bloody and her expression grim. “I’ll need to take X-rays. He appears to have some broken ribs. You were right—he’s lost a lot of blood. He might have some internal bleeding. He definitely needs stitches, and he probably needs surgery.”

  “I can give you blood for a transfusion,” said Grey.

  “Good. I’ll call in one of my nurses—she only lives a few minutes away. And she’s a werefox, so you don’t need to worry about her discretion.”

  Werebears. Werefoxes. Werewolves. How many other kinds of shifters existed? I supposed it was a question for another day, when we weren’t fighting for our lives.

  After the werefox nurse, who was small-boned and had ginger hair, arrived and took blood from Grey, she went to prep Colt for X-rays and then surgery.

  “There’s not a lot you can do for him,” said Lisa as she led us back to the small lobby. “It’s probably best to go home. I’ll call you when I’m done stitching him back together.”

  “Will he be okay?” I asked.

  “Shifters have amazing regenerative abilities. But sitting here and worrying about him won’t help at all.”

  “I can’t leave him alone,” said Grey. “He’s not safe.”

  “Look, if you guys are in trouble—”

  “Nothing we can’t handle,” interrupted Grey smoothly. “It’s pack business.”

  Lisa considered Grey for a long moment then she nodded as if she’d made a decision. “My brothers are werebears, and they have a bodyguard business,” she said. “Pearson Security. They’re really good at protecting people—and shifters.”

  “They’re hired,” said Grey. “I want Colt to have someone guarding him twenty-four-seven.”

  Lisa made a phone call and within minutes she returned to the lobby. “Gabe’s coming himself. He’s the oldest, and he’s a bad ass.” She paused. “Don’t tell him I said that. I try not to encourage the growth of his already sizeable ego. Even so, trust me. No one who isn’t me or the nurse will get near Colt—at least not with their arms still intact.”

  “Excellent.” Grey reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. He removed a credit card. “For your services and that of your brother’s. Keep it. Give Colt everything he needs.” He handed her his business card next. “You can reach me at this number.”

  “Okay.” She looked us over. “You guys look like hell. Try to get some rest. Your friend’s in good hands.”

  “Thank you,” said Grey.

  * * *

  WE SLIPPED INTO the back seat of the Mercedes. Sam turned around and offered me a plastic bag. “The gas station was attached to a souvenir shop,” he said. “I found a T-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops. They didn’t have a big selection, so I’m afraid you’re stuck with Vegas tourist apparel.”

  “Thank you,” I said. “That was very thoughtful.”

  “Good thinking, Sam,” said Grey. He patted my leg. “Go ahead and change, sweetheart.”

  I looked at him, horrified.

  He lifted an eyebrow. “What?”

  “I can’t just … just change.” I lowered my voice. “I’ll be naked.”

  “Oh. Well, don’t worry. Sam won’t look—will you, Sam?”

  “No, sir.”

  Grey smiled. “See?”

  “What about you?” I asked in a furious whisper.

  “Oh, I’m gonna look,” he said. “Let’s go, Sam. Stay off the Strip if you can.”

  “No problem.” He pulled out of the clinic’s parking lot and began winding the Mercedes through the back streets of Vegas.

  I took the items from the plastic bag, which included a mini-hairbrush and a scrunchie. God bless, Sam. My hair must’ve looked a true fright if he’d thought to pick up the tools needed to fix the mess. Either that, or he understood the love-hate relationship most women had with their hair.

  I spied a pair of pink-stripped runner’s shorts that would probably cover my derriere—if I was lucky. I shimmied them on under my nightgown and put the flip-flops on my feet.

  Grey stared at me, a smirk hovering on his lips as I tried everything to not get completely naked. Finally, I had no choice but to draw the blue silk over my head. My heart thudded in my chest. I’d been naked with him only hours before, but my skin heated as my upper torso and breasts were exposed to Grey’s greedy view.

  “Do you need any help?” he asked huskily. His gaze roved over me with such heat, my nipples beaded and my skin prickled.

  “No, thank you,” I said primly as I tugged on the black baby doll shirt. The graphic, glittered with pink and white crystals, proclaimed, “I Lost My Heart in Vegas.”

  Well, I nearly had. No thanks to Rick.

  “Nothing like truth in advertising,” I muttered. I stuffed the nightgown into the bag. Then I used the hairbrush, drawing the bristles through my tangled locks until my hair was smooth enough to wrangle into the scrunchie. I tossed the hairbrush in with the tattered nightie and put the bag onto the floor.

  “You’re beautiful, Arabelle.”

  I looked at Grey, my first instinct to argue with his compliment, but in his eyes I found sincerity. He looked at me as though I was the most revered art piece at the Louvre. How could I allow my womanly insecurities to ruin his praise?

  “Thank you,” I said. “You’re very sweet.”

  He looked away, staring out the window for a long moment. He turned once again to face me. “If Kelt is successful and becomes alpha of the Shadow Pack, I’ll become an outcast—or I’ll be killed.”

  My heart turned over in my chest. “Killed?”

  “I’m an alpha, Arabelle. Some are born to the privilege—and others take it. Kelt is trying to take it. If he succeeds, pack law is on his side. If I’m not strong enough to repel his attack and keep the reins of Shadow Pack leadership, I’m no better than a scruffer. I’ll lose the respect of those I’m supposed to protect and lead.”

  “He won’t win,” I said.

  “If he does … you will not have to honor your obligation to me,” he said. “In fact, you should take your family and disappear. I’ll give you the funds you need. It’s the only way t
o ensure that you and your loved ones stay safe.”

  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Grey must’ve been truly rattled to consider the possibility that the Shadow Pack would accept a liar, betrayer, and murderer as their alpha. Someone who took leadership by force intended to rule by fear. The pack would do as Kelt said, as he demanded, because otherwise they risked their lives and the lives of their families. Kelt was a despot. With him at the helm, the Shadow Pack would become as chaotic and fractured as the Blood Pack.

  “You’re my husband,” I said softly. “I stand with you.”

  “You’re brave and strong. Your duty and integrity guide your decisions. You are amazing.” His gaze offered me such tenderness. “But, sweetheart, if Kelt wins he’ll make sure that neither one of us sees the light of day again.” Grey cupped my face and swept his thumb over my jaw. My flesh tingled where he touched me. “I’m giving you your freedom. You can go somewhere—anywhere you like—with your parents. Return to school. Live the life that Carolyn stole from you. Fall in love with someone of your own choosing.”

  If I had gotten this offer a mere two days ago, I might well have grabbed onto it and ran, never looking back. Yet, I’d had a taste of the life that could be mine with Grey. I had mated with him, and I was bound to him not only in body, but in soul. He was a good man. He’d rather let me go and suffer the consequences of Kelt’s betrayal alone than risk my life.

  But that risk, that choice was mine. And not even my alpha husband could take it from me.

  “I stand with you,” I said firmly.

  He stared at me for such a long time I began to squirm under his scrutiny. Finally, he let go of me. “You have the heart of a werewolf, Arabelle.” He pulled out his cell phone. “Call your parents. Tell them to get out of town and go to the Drift Resort in Vegas. They can stay in my suite, and I’ll arrange for Pearson Security to send a bodyguard to ensure their safety.”

  My parents didn’t answer their home phone, and with panic creeping across me, I tried Mom’s cell phone. My mother picked up on the second ring. “Arabelle! Where are you? Are you okay?”

  “I’m with Grey,” I said. “Are you and Daddy all right?”

  “Yes. We’re holed up at Aunt Lila’s with some of the other townsfolk. We initiated the emergency phone tree, but only a couple of dozen got the warning. The werewolves are holding everyone else at the library. What’s going on?”

  The fear in my mother’s voice chilled me to the core. She was whispering, and I had a vision of her hunkered down in some dark room with other scared families, waiting for help.

  “Mom, I love you. Everything’s going to be all right. Now, give Aunt Lila the phone. Grey needs to speak with her.” As I handed him the phone, I noticed my hand shook. I threaded my fingers together and laid them in my lap. I knew Grey had noticed the tremors, and I was glad he hadn’t said anything comforting. I felt like the smallest act of kindness might shatter the courage I’d knitted from ragged remnants. However, I would punch him in the face if he said another word about severing our marital bond.

  What Grey couldn’t understand, what I didn’t really understand myself, was that he was my only buoy in this raging storm. I clung to him because I knew he would save me—from Kelt, yes, but also from loneliness. The ache that had been part of my life since Carolyn’s suicide had disappeared the moment I lay in Grey’s arms. I could have no more an adventurous life than one lived as the mate of an alpha werewolf.

  These were the thoughts that swirled in my mind, useless really, but I couldn’t fathom what would happen in the next few hours. I was terrified for my parents—for all of Bleed City. And for Grey—Grey who had the most lose, including his own life, if Kelt wasn’t stopped.

  Kelt wasted no time taking control of the small town and its citizens. He’d already rounded them up like war criminals. The fear I’d been attempting to hold at bay spiderwebbed through my chest, making it hurt. What if Kelt didn’t stop with the Shadow Pack? He’d been plotting with the beta of the Blood Pack … what if Kelt attacked them next?

  What was his ultimate goal?

  As I wrestled with my own thoughts, Grey spoke in a low murmur to Aunt Lila. He finished the conversation and pocketed the phone.

  “Several werewolves loyal to me escaped the compound and managed to get to Aunt Lila’s. They saved as many townspeople as they could before Kelt started rounding them up. It’s a goddamned mess.”

  “What are we going to do?”

  “Everything we can.” Grey looked at me. “I want to tell you all will be well. I want to give you comfort.”

  “I prefer the truth,” I said. “Comfort has its time and place, of course. But now, now we need to assess, plan, and implement.”

  “You’re a practical woman.” He leaned over and whispered, “I find that a very sexy attribute.”

  My face burned with embarrassment. Mercy! I really needed to get used to Grey’s compliments, no matter how ribald. He was my husband, after all. He chuckled as he placed his hand over my clasped ones. “We’ll get through this, Arabelle. Now, why don’t you rest? No one will be sleeping much once we get to Bleed City.”

  I didn’t think I would get even a wink, but I underestimated my own mental and physical exhaustion. It seemed that Grey’s suggestion to sleep was all that I needed as I leaned my head back and closed my eyes.

  In no time at all, I’d drifted off.

  Fourteen.

  I DREAMED OF the ocean. I’d never seen the Pacific—never gone outside the borders of Nevada—yet I stood on the beach, my toes digging into cool, wet sand. Night clung to the water and to the sky, clutching both in slippery black folds. A curl of moon hung in the midnight sky, the only light in an otherwise stygian world.

  I stared into the distance, waiting. For what, I wasn’t sure.

  The ocean began to churn and the ground beneath my feet shook. There came a horrible, screeching roar and in it, the cries of a familiar voice.

  Grey.

  Noooo! Sweetheart! Arabelle!

  I awoke to Grey reaching across me and unsnapping my seatbelt. He shoved open the door. “We have to go. Hurry!”

  I barely had time to process that the car wasn’t moving before Grey pushed my shoulder to get me going. I scrambled out, the flimsy flip-flops nearly tripping me. Grey clambered out of the car after me. I could see now that the Mercedes had not stopped of its own accord. The luxury vehicle rested at an angle across the two-lane highway, the front tires flat. In the driver’s seat, Sam slumped over the steering wheel.

  “Sam!” I moved toward him, but Grey hauled me back.

  “He’s dead. They shot the tires and then him.”

  My stomach pitched. Oh, Sam.

  Grey grasped my hand and tugged me along. I pulled out of his grip. “I have to get Colt’s sword.”

  “I’ll open the trunk.” Grey ran to the driver’s side and reached through the busted window.

  I went to the rear of the Mercedes. The second the trunk popped open, I reached inside and grabbed the sword and the black leather scabbard. Grey took the items from me, and together, we walked quickly away from the Mercedes and into the bleached unknown of the Nevada desert. By the time we stopped, the road we’d left behind was only a dark squiggle in the dirty sand.

  “The shots came from a distance—probably a sniper stationed in the cliffs waiting for us. Damn it! Kelt knew I’d come back here the minute I figured out what he was doing.” Grey made a gesture for me to turn around. I did so and he cinched the sword’s holder over my shoulders. Then he slid the blade inside. The tip of the sword stopped just short of my tailbone, and the large inlaid handle rested against my head. Once again, I noted that it wasn’t as heavy as I thought a sword should be. While wearing it on my back was uncomfortable because it didn’t fit well, at least I could bear the weight.

  I turned around and saw my husband stripping off his clothes.

  “I’m going to shift,” he said as he tossed his shirt to the ground and unbelted hi
s pants.

  “Grey, why aren’t we dead, too?”

  “My assumption is that Kelt wants to assert himself as the new alpha by killing us in front of the pack. Sam was shot after the car stopped. He was taken out.” Anger stuck to Grey’s tone like hot tar. “Kelt’s out for blood, Arabelle. He won’t settle for making us outcasts.” In seconds, Grey was completely naked. “Enforcers are probably on the way. We’re not far from Bleed City, but it’ll take me at least half an hour to get to Aunt Lila’s. As soon I become wolf, get on my back—and hold on as tight as you can.”

  I’d seen werewolves, of course. You couldn’t live in Bleed City without seeing one or two lope through a street or behind a building ever now and again. But I’d never seen one fully shift.

  Grey dropped to all fours, and I immediately saw fur ripple down his hunched back. His knees buckled inward and his calves shrank into the thick, furred legs of a beast. A large tail unfurled like a flag from the end of his spine. Then his face lengthened into a massive maw, and his bones clicked and clacked as his handsome human face assumed the shape of a very, very large wolf with gray-blue eyes.

  When the transformation was complete, I was staring at my alpha husband in his purest form.

  Werewolf.

  His silvery gray pelt gleamed like found treasure even in the faint light of the half moon. The black stripe on his head was the only splash of contrasting color on his gorgeous hide, as though someone with a paintbrush had playfully swiped at his fur.

  Grey was as handsome in this form as his other. However, I’d seen smaller horses than the massive creature that stood before me now.

  He looked at me, tilting his head and uttering a sharp bark. I didn’t need to speak wolf to understand that meant, “Hurry!”

  I grabbed at his scruff, my elbows and knees digging into his flesh as I scrambled onto him with no grace at all. I balanced across his back, pressing my legs in at his sides and clutching his thick fur. “I’m ready!” I cried.