by Claudy Conn
She had to run faster.
At her back…she could hear them at her back, all three, driving her pace harder, faster.
Fuck!
What—were they on steroids?
Panting, she knew the moment had come. She needed help.
Bracken land was just ahead. No more than a mile. She picked up her head and howled while she weaved through the trees. Her pack would hear her call. Her family would know that her howl was one of distress, and they would drop everything and rush towards the sound.
She knew they would zero in on her now. They would locate her because of her howl, but she also knew she had had no choice.
She could hear them making progress, drawing closer. Their strides were long and they were determined.
Her silver and black fur blended in with the night and she had an advantage over them. She knew where she was going. She knew her way.
However, the wind had picked up and would take her scent right to them.
This was crazy, she told herself. How could they not care that she was the daughter of an alpha—and as thus, untouchable? Pursuing her like this was virtually signing their death warrants. They had to know that? They had to know if they harmed her, her pack would tear them apart. They must be rabid? Her father, brothers, and her pack would hunt them down, no matter where they went. Was something else behind the attack? Were they doing this for Rocco?
Whatever the reason, they had put a target on their backs.
From the testosterone scent in the air, she knew they had sex, and therefore rape, on their minds. She would die stopping them from touching her, and she would damn well draw blood before she went down.
Should she take a stand, pick her spot?
No. She had been taught to be smart. Run when outnumbered. Run and wait for the right time to dole out punishment. Run and give her pack a chance to close in.
She had to lead them to Bracken land, where the rogues would find themselves surrounded by her pack.
Saliva dripped from her tongue, and her speed began to slacken. She had put miles between herself and her jeep, but she was tired and slowing. She couldn’t allow herself to give in to her fatigue. Run, Zoie, run. They were nearly at her heels.
She released another long baleful howl to alert her father, brothers, and the pack of her exact location. They had to hear her now. Were they already on their way? She had not heard a responding howl yet. But they might not want to let her hunters know they were coming for them?
My fault, my fault, she thought as she ran. Her mother had been concerned about the three rogues and had asked her to come straight home tonight. She had said with Rocco’s recruiting these rogues, she should not be alone. So, of course, she didn’t pay any attention to that. She had thought she would be safe enough in Wolfe territory.
They were near…too near.
One of them actually nipped at her heels, and she spun around, pulling back her canines in a display of her fury.
She heard a distant howl. Her father. The rogues heard it as well and glanced at one another.
Would they run off now?
Apparently not. They were here and thought they could accomplish what they set out to do before her family and pack found them.
Yeah right.
A dark brown wolf, who was poised between the other two, was the first to transform. He stood aggressively, naked and wild-eyed, his puny cock at full attention.
“This little half-breed is mine,” he told them.
“What if she doesn’t turn?” another one asked as he left his wolf form behind. Naked and with a belly that overhung his ridiculously small erection, he took a step towards Zoie.
She curled her lips back even more and jumped at him threateningly, and he actually jumped back. Had she been in human form she would have laughed.
The first one bent and unsheathed the knife that hung from a chain around his neck. He brandished it, slicing air, like the big man he wasn’t. “I’ll hurt her just enough and she’ll turn. Then, she is mine, first.” He actually stroked his needle-sized dick and Zoie howled once more.
“Shut up, shut up,” he yelled at her as he swooshed the blade warningly in front of her.
The third male wolf turned human, and Zoie clearly saw that his limp cock didn’t look like it could harden. No wonder these three were bent in the head, none of them had the attributes of most wolf shifters.
She played a mantra in her head. She wouldn’t turn human, no matter what they did. All she needed to do was put up a fight long enough to give her pack time to find her.
She growled, her head low, her neck near the ground, and her eyes glared her thoughts as they tried to move in on her. She charged towards one and as he moved away, she turned on the other, keeping them momentarily at bay. She knew she couldn’t keep this up long, but apparently they were cowardly enough that none of them wanted to get hurt if they could help it.
“Hurry up, let’s make her turn and then I’ll fuck her ass…while you get her…”
It was then, and seemingly out of nowhere, that the largest black wolf Zoie had ever seen lunged and came flying to land hard on all fours between her and the naked shifters.
The big newcomer’s growl was a roar that echoed in the stillness of the night air. He never hesitated as he immediately tore into one shifter, throwing him by his ripped and torn neck into the one at his back. The other rogue was bug-eyed and squealing as he watched his accomplice’s head severed from his neck and flung into the woods.
The black wolf turned on him without hesitation and brought him down, ripping at his arm, tearing it off before opening the rogue’s jugular. Zoie saw the rogue’s eyes go glassy as his life’s blood drained.
Her canine mouth hung open, and her panting came in spurts as she licked the air. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from the newcomer and watched the enormous black wolf turn to the last rogue who was in mid-shift—back into wolf.
The huge black wolf allowed the rogue to shift and stood a moment as the multi-colored shifter attempted to run.
He allowed him a head start, as though in fairness before he lunged, flying an unbelievable distance and landing on the rogue shifter’s back.
Zoie heard the rogue’s wail. She heard bones crunch, and knew one more wolf lay dead and headless.
She padded towards the black wolf, even as he slowly returned to her.
The black wolf’s green eyes stared at her for a long moment, and Zoie had the feeling she knew him.
Just then, a large brown wolf with black markings pounced towards her, weaving through the body parts and came to nuzzle her.
Zoie was so relieved to push her head against her brother, Ralphie, and too stunned to do more than nod at the hero of her nightmare, the hero with the bright green eyes.
She had never witnessed a multi-kill by one wolf ever before. She had been trained in the art of hunting, and fighting to protect herself and loved ones, but this was a first. She wasn’t sure how she felt.
Ralphie inclined his head towards the big black wolf, who nodded and immediately turned to lope off. He vanished into the darkest part of the woods just as Zoie’s father and quite a few members of their pack arrived and surrounded her.
A great deal of nuzzling went on before they escorted her home, all in wolfen form.
Chapter Two
ZOIE LOOKED AGONIZED as her eldest brother and father lectured, all under the stony, silent glaring of her mother, as she recounted the events that led to the previous night’s incident, for what felt like the hundredth time.
Only Ralphie, closest to her in age and therefore sympathetic to the fact that she, like he, had undergone years of teasing and torment at their older sibling’s hands, did not join in the group lecture.
“Knock it off,” he told his older brother, Brock, as he poured himself another cup of coffee. “I was there first.” He grinned broadly, enjoying the fact that he was the fastest paced wolf in the pack and never lost an opportunity to remind them of it. “And saw
what Zoie was up against. She stood her ground, ready to have at all three of them. Bravest little wolf there ever was.”
Zoie reached for a fresh baked Danish, and bit into it. “What you all should be doing is asking the question, why put themselves in that kind of mortal danger just because they weren’t admitted to our pack? Doesn’t make sense. Did they think they would have protection? Also, who was that huge black wolf that saved me?”
Zoie’s father put up his hand and stalled the immediate suppositions his family began throwing out. “Hold on. I am meeting with Tristan Wolfe today, and we will look into the matter together. All this speculation doesn’t do us any good. We need facts, and that is what we will ask the enforcers to produce for us.”
Belva, Zoie’s mother, touched her husband’s arm. “Yes, but Raymond, our Scenting Ceremony is tomorrow night. We have single shifters from so many packs due to arrive. What if there are more of these insane shifters out to cause trouble…”
“Rogue shifters will hear of last night’s work. There is the key. They will hear that three set out to hurt a Bracken, and were stopped and destroyed. No one is going to be too quick to try and harm anyone on Bracken land. So, for now, leave it to me. I have a thought or two and I agree with Zoie’s assessment. They wanted payback, but they believed they would get protection, no doubt from Rocco, afterwards. Perhaps they meant to hide themselves in Rocco’s pack for the time being. I am wondering now if Rocco has a personal fight with me that I am unaware of. He was out to hurt Zoie, no doubt, to display he wasn’t afraid of my pack.”
“Rocco is a loose screw,” Ralphie said, and bit into a Danish pastry. “That is all there is to it.”
“Perhaps, but he is shrewd and we don’t want to underestimate him. There can be no doubt now that Rocco sent those rogues to join our pack and create dissent…at the very least.” He patted Belva’s hand and brushed her long black hair away from her lovely face.
Ralphie watched them thoughtfully for a moment and nudged Zoie, who was sitting next to him. “What was your feeling, sis? Did you get any other vibe or scent off them?”
“No. They seemed to be just what they were, disgusting shifter rogues with no morality, ethics, or concern for the consequences. And I totally agree with Dad. These guys work for Rocco and expected protection from him. They meant to do what they set out to do and rush off to the Rahound pack and hide.”
“Then, what? This is totally getting out of hand,” Brock said, and paced before he stood and looked at his father. “Rocco had to know we would call him out.”
“Indeed, but we would have no proof that they were attached to him. If we started a war, then we would not have the backing of our neighboring packs, who, by the way, dislike him, but want peace.”
“What if compulsion was being used?” Zoie asked suddenly. “What if Rocco has found a vampire to use compulsion on the rogues. Could that be it?”
All eyes went to her, and her mother said, “That makes sense. They had no way out. They had been compelled to attack Zoie.”
“Yes, but we get along with the local vampire clan,” Ralphie said.
“That’s true, and I have so many dear friends amongst them, but, you know, there are a couple, I think…that miss the kill. Drinking of blood isn’t enough. They like the seduction, and the kill. I have heard some talk.”
“I do think,” her dad took her mother’s hand and kissed it, “Zoie, you have made a good point. I do know that when they came looking for a place in our pack, I saw something in each of their eyes that suggested someone else was behind their request,” her father answered. “I mean to meet with Tristan Wolfe today.”
Ralphie said, “Okay, gotta go. Come on, Zoie, I’ll drive you to your car, then I have an appointment with International Lumber about a big contract.”
Ralphie was an attorney and handled all the family’s legal affairs for their lumber company.
Zoie got up and Brock grabbed her hand. “Hey, kid, you were smart to go wolf and head for us. I don’t know who that Big Bad Wolf that jumped in was, but we owe him.”
She smiled and Ralphie said impatiently, “Come on, sis. I don’t want to be late for this meeting.”
* * * * *
Zoie didn’t talk much on the drive to Blue Creek. She hadn’t told her family that she was pretty sure she knew who the black wolf with the bright green eyes was. Well, that was the thing. She didn’t really know who he was, did she? But she was fairly certain he was the hottie—Owen Slade—who had introduced himself at the Wolfe’s Den last night and wanted an introduction to her father.
She smiled ruefully to herself. Well, his saving her life was cause enough to win him that intro.
Ralphie dropped her off at her jeep and she waved him off as she got her second set of keys out and watched him drive down the narrow road. Later, she decided, she would retrieve her clothes and bag from the alley. She unlocked the car and jumped in.
If she didn’t get a move on, she would be late.
She didn’t enjoy teaching and was insecure about it. Teaching wasn’t what she wanted to do. She wanted to research and write. She had brushed through her masters and had always been the youngest in her class, but achieving her PhD was such a completely different experience.
Her morning started by taking on a class of students who believed they were smarter than she was and made many attempts to trip her up. However, while Zoie tended to fall into shyness with strangers, she knew her stuff and it didn’t take long for her to prove it.
She left the classroom with a happy smile and a small breath of relief, and continued on to her graduate courses. By four o’clock, she bid her farewells to the University and headed for her Jeep once again.
Now, she thought, as she gripped the wheel—Blue Creek, Wolfe’s Den, and Aric. She had questions about the big black wolf and Owen Slade.
Fifteen minutes later, she walked into the Wolfe’s Den and scanned the place for Aric.
She saw his tall body bending over a box of supplies, and called out his name as she made a beeline for him.
He turned, shook his head of shaggy black hair, and immediately reached for her hands. “Zoie, I heard about last night. I am so sorry. I never saw those pigs lurking around outside. I should have walked you to your car. I haven’t heard the end of it from Jordan.”
“I never gave you the chance, so don’t be silly.” Zoie smiled at him as he released her hands. “Aric, I have a couple of questions.”
He led her to a quiet corner. “Sure, shoot.”
She could see real concern in his eyes and heard it in his voice.
“Okay, you sent Owen Slade over to introduce himself to me so that I could give him an introduction to my father. Why didn’t you just take him over to meet my father yourself? He implied that he is a friend of yours…soooo?”
Aric sighed heavily. “Because your father has a set opinion about certain things, and that opinion is something I didn’t want to grapple with. It was formed a long time ago and well, I thought in this case, the request would be better received from you.”
“What set opinion?” Zoie frowned.
“Not my place to tell you that if your father never has,” Aric said.
“Well, I think it was Owen Slade who was the big black wolf that saved my ass last night. I was nearly at Bracken…howling for my pack, and they were on their way when he jumped in out of nowhere and took down those three rogue shifters. I mean, boom, bam, heads off, dead. I thought I recognized the wolf’s green eyes. So, you tell me, was it Owen Slade? Because if it was, he left before I could thank him.”
“I am sure he left because there was no thanks needed.”
“Aric, won’t you tell me where I can find him?”
“Here is the thing. I don’t know.” Aric’s crooked smile matched his glib answer.
Zoie sat back. “What does that mean, you don’t know? Isn’t he your friend?”
“Yeah, but he never stays in one place too long, so where he is camped out now…”
Aric shrugged to finish the sentence, but then stalled her and added, “Look, there are reasons for some discretion where Slade is concerned. We need to respect his need for privacy.”
“Okay, then tell me where does he come from? What pack, or is he a rogue?”
Aric stood up. “You will have to ask him the questions you want to know. If he can answer, he will. Now, do you have a pack member arriving to escort you home, Zoie?”
She frowned. “No, why? Should I?”
“Because, as of today, I have announced that no female leaves Wolfe’s Den after dark without an escort. It is already getting dark, so if you are staying for a meal, you need a beta to escort you home.”
She made a disgusted sound and got up from the table. She couldn’t very well stay for a meal, even if she wanted to, as she had promised her family to come right home. Thus, she didn’t need an escort. She glanced at her watch. Damn, she was late again. She was supposed to help with the last minute preparations for the Scenting Ceremony.
“Okay, I’m going, but I will find him,” she said.
Aric grinned. “If he doesn’t find you first.”
The notion of Owen Slade finding her sent a ripple of heat through Zoie’s body and settled in her lady bits. She felt her sex clench and tighten. Hot fricking damn, but she wanted the big black bad wolf to find her.
Chapter Three
ZOIE GOT INTO her car and slipped the key into the ignition, but even as she put her hands on the wheel, the passenger door opened and the man of the hour slid onto the seat.
Her mouth dropped open. She tried to speak, shit, shit, shit—her lips wouldn’t move. She was frozen in place and staring at him. Holy sizzling fuck, but he was gorgeous and something about his aura settled itself comfortably inside of her. It was as though his eyes spoke and said, Lay back, spread your beautiful fucking legs, and let me in.
“Hi, Zoie,” he said, and his voice was low, husky, and dripping with primal sexuality.
