Savage: Wolf Ranch

by Renee Rose

What the fuck? What. The fuck?

  I couldn’t process what was happening. One minute, we were in bed, the soft hazy afterglow of wild sex surrounding us. The next, I was rolled onto the floor and practically shoved beneath the bed because someone had kicked in the front door.

  Clint had acted so quickly. His instincts to protect me were strong. As I’d laid there… naked, I had to wonder if he’d acted so fast because he’d been expecting it.

  Who was anticipating someone kicking their way into your house?

  This wasn’t a big city. We weren’t even in Cooper Valley. We were above Wolf Ranch in the flipping mountains. There were no houses, no people around for miles. In fact, the nearest place was probably Audrey and Boyd’s or the main house. If any of them came to visit, they’d knock.

  I’d gone from stunned and confused to stunned and scared. The guy… Donald… had accused Clint of some really bad things. Shooting his cousin in the head? I’d expected Clint to deny it, to say there was a mistake. He hadn’t.

  He’d admitted it.

  Clint was a murderer. The crazed guy, the one who I hadn’t even seen since I was shoved under the bed, had every reason for revenge. As I’d laid there, I hadn’t been able to reconcile the Clint I knew from the Clint this guy described. The way only minutes before he’d been inside me, coaxing an orgasm from my body.

  Way back at the bachelorette party, he’d hoisted that handsy guy up by the throat but hadn’t done more. He hadn’t even defended himself or fought back when he’d gotten his nose broken. With Todd the other night at my house, he’d done the same lift-by-the-throat move but hadn’t hurt him. With me, Clint had always been gentle… except when I hadn’t wanted him to be. But even then, he’d checked in with me.

  But murder?

  Things went from bad to worse when Donald stated he planned to kill me. A death for a death. Was this what Clint had been expecting? Was this why he’d shoved me behind the bed to be protected?

  That had all been crazy, but it had gone from that to insane.

  They’d fought and gone out the window like in a movie. When I realized they weren’t coming back, I tugged the sheet from the bed and wrapped it around myself and ran into the front room to watch from the other window. It was then I saw Donald’s dark form change to a wolf.

  It was night. It was dark. There were no streetlights. But the moon was out, and the snow made it bright. I couldn’t miss the outline of the men against the stark white ground. They’d changed from human to wolf.

  Yes, a fucking wolf. Then Clint had done the same thing. I blinked. Then again.

  I stared, trying to process what I knew I’d seen when they loped off out of view.

  I ran to the front door and stifled a scream when I bumped into someone. Big hands gripped my upper arms, and I began to fight. “It’s Boyd, darlin’. Shh, it’s okay.”

  I stilled. “He’s a wolf,” I muttered, holding the blanket snug around me.

  “Yeah, darlin’, he is,” Boyd replied. “You’re safe now. You’re not hurt, are you? The baby okay?”

  I heard snarls and movement outside, but Boyd blocked my view.

  “I’m… I’m fine. Why aren’t you helping? Stop them. Something.”

  “Nah, Clint’s got it under control.”

  Under control? “I… I don’t know what that even means.”

  “That guy, Donald, is a danger.” Snarls filled the air, and I shivered.

  “He said he killed Todd, that he wanted to kill me,” I said, staring at the front of his coat. “For revenge.”

  A growl rumbled from Boyd’s chest. “Like I said, Clint will take care of him.”

  My stomach roiled. “I need to see.”

  He sighed, not letting go of me. “That’s not a good idea. It’s gonna get—”

  “Clint’s going to kill him, isn’t he?”

  “Donald threatened his mate. His unborn child.”

  Mate. Boyd must mean me.

  “He said… he said Clint was an enforcer.”

  Boyd stilled, and his fingers tightened on his arms. “Holy shit. That fucking makes sense.”

  I blinked. “I don’t understand. What’s an enforcer? Why are they wolves?”

  Boyd bent down, so we were eye to eye. “Darlin’, we all are. And that baby of yours? Probably will be, too.”

  I tried to step out of his hold. Boyd, a wolf?

  “Now, don’t be scared,” he said, his voice soft as if placating a child. “You know we’d never hurt you. We’re here to keep you safe. That’s what Clint’s doin’ out there right now.”

  “No.” I shook my head and tried to pull away again. “This is nuts. I—” I wrenched away from him. “Let me see,” I said with fierce determination.

  “Clint won’t want you to watch this.”

  “Clint doesn’t have any say,” I snapped.

  “Fuck,” he whispered then studied me. “You sure? It’s gonna be pretty gruesome. I think it’s best if you—”

  “I have to see. I have to know what Clint is.” Everyone knew. Everyone knew Clint was a wolf but me. I’d been in the dark this whole time. The father of my child wasn’t even human. So no, I wasn’t letting Boyd control what I learned about Clint.

  “Audrey’s gonna kill me. But all right. Got some boots? Yeah, there they are.” He brought them over to me, dropped them on the floor and took my hand to balance. “Tuck your feet in them, all right. Come on.”

  I pushed past him and ran outside, past the front door hanging off its hinges. Boyd caught up and kept his arm around me as we watched. Two wolves circling, fighting. Snarling. Biting. Clint was the black one—massive and terrifying. They weren’t like any wolves I’d seen before. They were both oversized. Ferocious.

  Clint lunged and pinned the brown wolf. He went for his throat. A high-pitched yelp pierced the air. Blood splattered the snow and the animal lay still. Clint had won. He killed the other wolf.

  I turned and threw up off the side of the porch.

  And then I ran. I ran back inside and threw on my clothes. My hands shook so badly I could barely make my fingers work.

  Boyd followed me at first, I thought, but of course, when I dropped the sheet and started dressing, he shut the bedroom door and waited on the other side. I hardly noticed the tears coursing down my cheeks.

  I just wanted to leave. Get the hell away from this crazy scene. This unbelievable unfolding. Clint was a wolf. Boyd was a wolf. I’d seen Rob, Colton and Rand standing around watching as we had. I had to assume they became wolves, too. What about Audrey and the other ladies? God, I’d been so dumb. So blind.

  Jesus. I’d thought Todd was bad? At least he was human. And least he didn’t tear out throats with his teeth while his friends stood around watching.

  These people had lied to me—all of them.

  I threw open the bedroom door, smacking Boyd with it. “Is Audrey...”

  “No,” Boyd said quickly, putting an arm around my shoulders again. I shrugged him off. “No, she’s human like you. Marina, too. You look like you’re bolting, and that’s not a good idea right now. Let me take you to Audrey. She can help talk you through some of this.”

  I swiped at my nose. My mouth tasted like bile. “Yeah. Fine.”

  Anything to get away from there.

  To not have to speak to Clint. Or acknowledge what he was. To not see the life he’d just taken.

  It was too much.

  It was all too much.

  Boyd led me outside, and I avoided looking anywhere but right in front of my feet. I threw up again behind Boyd’s truck.

  As I sat in the passenger seat, Clint came running up—naked, covered in blood. When he saw my face, he stopped. His eyes were wide and wild, but he looked… savage, and that scared the hell out of me.

  He was the man I’d said I loved. He was the man whose child I was carrying.

  “Drive away,” I snapped at Boyd, my chin quivering.

  “I’m sorry,” Clint said through the glass. From the expressi
on on his face, I believed him. He looked positively haunted. Of course, that could be the blood that coated his lips and chin. “I wanted to tell you.”

  I forced myself to look away.

  I couldn’t. How had I done this to myself again?

  The pain in my chest just kept getting sharper with every passing breath.

  I needed to get away from him.

  To think.

  I needed this to be over.

  “Go!” I shouted, and Boyd finally put his foot on the gas, and we took off, wheels spinning.

  22

  CLINT

  I dropped to my knees in the snow as Boyd’s truck departed with my mate and pup.

  I would’ve called out to her, but I had no air left in my lungs. She’d taken it all with her.

  The look on her face.

  Fuck.

  Tipping my chin back, I looked up at the black night and bellowed. I might have ripped the throat out of Donald, but my mate had ripped my heart from my chest.

  I would never forget that look as long as I lived.

  Pale. Sickened. Unbelievably hurt.

  I couldn’t have fucked this up worse. I’d just killed a man in front of her. No, I’d killed a wolf. The first time she saw my wolf, and it was in a fight to the death.

  I’d always known my job as council executioner would end my life early. I just hadn’t known it would be from heartbreak.

  Losing a mate I’d never believed I could have.

  Before I ever really had her. And a family.

  “Come on, buddy, let’s get you in the cabin.” Two guys hauled me up by my arms—Rob and Rand. Rob spoke with a low, authoritative growl, but I barely heard it. Barely registered.

  “Mate,” I murmured through numb lips.

  “Boyd will take care of your mate,” Rand promised. “I still don’t understand why that shifter was here. And what did he have to do with Becky?”

  I could barely move my legs to get into the cabin. They all but shoved me into the shower, and Rob turned on the spray. It was cold, but I didn’t feel it. I went through the quick motions of getting the blood and mud off me then stepped out to dry off. I found clothes on the vanity, and I put them on then went out and dropped on the couch. Rob, Rand, Colton and a shifter I’d never met were waiting. I smelled coffee. Someone must have started a pot.

  “You gonna fill us in now?” Rand demanded, tossing a sweatshirt at me. I let it lay where it landed in my lap.

  I glanced at Rob, who nodded.

  “I’m a council enforcer,” I said. “Well, I was.”

  The room went still. “You knew this?” Colton demanded of Rob then muttered, “Of course, you did.”

  “Fuck, brother. For how long?” Rand asked. He sat in one of the kitchen chairs.

  “Years.”

  “Do Mom and Pop know?”

  I shook my head. “Only Rob, until now.”

  “Jesus, no wonder you’re so fucking… chill when you’re home.”

  “Thanks,” I said, not feeling it.

  “That guy was someone you’d been tracking?” Rand asked, leaning forward and propping his elbows on his thighs.

  I shook my head then dropped it into my hands, elbows propped on my knees.

  Rob took over explaining. “Clint carried out a council execution last week—shifter who’d been murdering convenience store workers in Wyoming.”

  “I heard about that,” Colton said.

  Rob nodded then leaned against the counter, as if settling in with his tale. “This was his cousin, Donald, who was after Becky to make Clint suffer, but Donald ran into her ex at her place first and killed him.”

  “Fuck, I heard about that, too,” Colton added, taking off his hat and rubbing his head.

  “Then Donald somehow found Clint up here.” Rob came over, dropped a hand on my shoulder. “I’m sorry, bro. I don’t know how he found you. No vehicles came up the road past the ranch.”

  “I’ve been tracking him by scent,” the stranger in the room said.

  Everyone looked at him. It wasn’t like I’d been ignoring the guy, but I knew he was an enforcer, and I wasn’t going to out him. I also wasn’t going to ask his name. The less I knew, the safer it was for him.

  “I’m Ben Davies,” he offered. “The council sent me.”

  “Another enforcer?” Colton asked, dark brow raised.

  “That’s not for us to know,” Rob reminded him.

  Colton huffed out a laugh.

  Rand stood and went over to shake the guy’s hand then dropped back into his chair.

  “I got his scent over at your mate’s house,” Davies said. “He must’ve been there in wolf form.”

  “He ripped my mate’s ex’s throat out.”

  Davies nodded. “Makes sense then. I followed it to a motel by the highway. Then it cut up into the mountains. I’ve been trailing it all night. When I realized it led to the cabin where Rob said you’d be, I called him for reinforcements.”

  I should’ve said thank you. I knew I should’ve, but I couldn’t make my lips work. None of it mattered—none of it—with Becky gone.

  No, that wasn’t true. Donald was dead. I’d protected her from him. She was safe with Boyd. My pup was safe. That was important. But she’d left. She wanted nothing to do with me, and it made me want to howl at the moon again.

  “All these years… all those trips. That’s where you were going?” Rand asked.

  “Yeah.” I spoke into my hands. I forced myself to lift my head and look at him. He was my younger brother. The kid who’d looked up to me. Who’d tried to emulate me. And now he was finding out I put down rogue shifters. That I’d lied for years. “Do you hate me, too?”

  Rand scoffed. “No, way, Clint. You just moved up four notches in my book. You’re the guy who does the dirty work, so the rest of us can stay blissfully ignorant. Like Colton with the Green Berets.” He thumped his chest with his fist. “Respect.”

  I bowed my head again. I didn’t give a shit about respect if Becky had none for me. “My mate’s gone.” I said it out loud to the whole group of shifters.

  Yeah, I was a fucking pansy. But I’d just had my heart ripped out by the female who’d made it beat in the first place.

  “This was probably a shock to her,” Colton said. “Give her some time and space. She’ll come around.”

  Would she, though?

  She’d been clear with me about not wanting anything messy. She’d already had enough drama for a lifetime with Todd. Now I was responsible for Todd’s death. I’d kept secrets from her about who I was and worse—what I did for a living. It was my fault she’d been in danger even though I told her she was safe with me. The complete opposite was true.

  Todd had been a liar. I was a liar. Todd had been an asshole. I had a darkness in me that wasn’t going to go away. A past filled with death. She’d witnessed it firsthand. I might walk away from being an enforcer, but it was a stain that could never fade from my soul. For a shifter like Rand, he could feel proud. For a human like Becky, she was repulsed.

  I wasn’t sure we’d recover from that.

  I wanted to hop in my truck and go to her, but getting pushy now wasn’t going to fix things. No, I had no choice but to let her go, even though it made my wolf howl like he’d never stop. I stood, kicked the coffee table, which flipped over, landing on the hardwood. I probably broke my toe, for the pain shot all the way up past my shin.

  “Easy,” Rob said, his voice low and deep. The alpha in him was trying to calm me, but it wasn’t helping.

  “I’m not needed here any longer. I assume I can pass on your resignation to the council?” Davies asked, zipping his coat.

  I nodded. “I’m done.”

  “I’ll take care of the body.” He nodded to Rob then left. Since the front door was still hanging by a hinge, he didn’t close it behind him.

  “It’s going to kill me and my wolf not to be near her, protecting. Providing,” I told the guys. Rand was my blood, but Colton and Rob were brot
hers just the same.

  “Time and space,” Colton said again. “Human women are stubborn as fuck.”

  “I’m going to find a nice, mild she-wolf and settle down without all the bullshit you all faced,” Rand declared.

  “Good luck with that,” I countered. Whomever Rand’s wolf chose as a mate would take him for one hell of a run.

  “I agree with Colton,” Rob said. “Boyd won’t let anything happen to her. Hell, he’s going to be stuck with two pregnant humans carrying shifter babies. I pity him.”

  I could only imagine him hunting down avocados and whatever weird food Audrey craved.

  “Audrey will be your biggest ally, brother,” Rand said.

  Rob and Colton both nodded. “She’ll be able to explain things better than anyone else.”

  Fuck. I had to rely on a human female to guide my mate in shifter ways.

  It should be my job. My right. It killed me knowing I may never get that privilege. To share with her the joy of having a wolf within. Of being with a mate who would do anything for her.

  I’d watch over her. I’d protect her. At least not up close. I might be relegated to protecting and providing from afar. Begging for glimpses of her, scraps of time with the pup.

  Oh fuck.

  How would I ever survive without her?

  23

  BECKY

  I didn’t want to be at Audrey’s. I didn’t know where I wanted to be. Certainly not my house where Todd had been murdered. God, he’d had his throat ripped out by that wolf I just saw bleed out in the snow. I never wanted to go to my place again.

  I felt as if everyone I knew, everyone I thought I cared about, led a secret life. Todd and his underhanded plans for me. Clint, obviously. Even my best friend knew about shifters and hadn’t said anything. Hell, just the other night, we’d gabbed around Willow’s table about my relationship with Clint, and none of them had said a word. Not Rob when he’d let us in. Not Audrey, Marina or Willow all the time I’d stuffed my face with snacks.

  They must have been laughing at me when I left. How did I look Audrey in the eye?

  Then there was the whole shifter thing. Holy fuck, I’d never seen that coming. What the hell was that about? Was it just the guys around the ranch… holy shit. Wolf. Ranch.