Wild Instincts - Complete Edition (Werewolf Erotic Romance)

by King, Claudia

  Not a single tree stood that wasn't ablaze. I could barely recognise the path I'd taken, and every footstep felt as though it was shaking something loose within my battered body.

  "You're bleeding." Ellie's voice was a distant whisper in my ear over the roar of the blaze. I murmured something reassuring in response, telling her that it was okay, that it wasn't bad.

  As we approached the orchard's entrance I staggered, my legs refusing to obey even as I caught sight of the small pathway looming ahead, the trees on either side mercifully spared from the blaze. I couldn't see the others. They must have gone, abandoning the dangerous area for the safety of the open meadow beyond.

  All of them except two.

  Framed in the firelight, two hulking wolves prowled in a circle, panting and snarling, their glistening eyes shining with ferocity. I stopped dead in my tracks, fear clutching at my heart as the two alphas stared each other down. The blaze might have driven everyone else away from the orchard, but it hadn't been enough to dissuade Thorne and Cyan from their duel. Both of them were ragged and exhausted, my mate limping on an injured foreleg while his opponent's muzzle dripped with blood, the old wounds I'd given him freshly opened by Thorne's claws.

  "Th-Thorne—!" I choked, but my voice was weak and strained. From the entrance I saw Niya step out of the shadows, gesturing frantically at me, but my whole body throbbed with pain, my knees giving out under me as I tried to move. Thorne's eyes darted in my direction, and the moment of distraction was all Cyan needed to pounce. The dark-furred alpha descended on my mate with a savage howl, sinking his teeth into Thorne's neck and driving him to the ground before he could react. Ellie clutched at my hand, trying to pull me along as I crawled forwards, but I couldn't take my eyes off the fight.

  Thorne's wounded leg beat weakly against his attacker's flank, but Cyan knocked it away easily with a bat of his own paw, a snarl of victory in the back of his throat as he struggled to finish his opponent off.

  A gasp of relief left my lungs as Thorne tore away at the last moment, rolling over and wrenching his neck from Cyan's grasp with a spatter of blood, before stumbling to his feet and backing away again, eyes fixed firmly on his rival this time.

  Cyan licked his muzzle, prowling to the right to try and attack Thorne on his injured side. The pair circled slowly, my mate trying to turn but unable to keep up as he limped sideways, his leg hindering the movement.

  I felt someone tugging at my shoulders alongside Ellie, Niya's voice yelling in my ear.

  "Get up, Lyssa! It's not safe, we need to get away from the flames!"

  I nodded unconsciously, allowing her to help me up, my muscles thick and leaden as I staggered forward. My hand rested on Ellie's shoulder as she supported me from the other side, making sure she stayed close, but my eyes remained fixed on the two wolves.

  Cyan was edging closer, snapping viciously at Thorne to drive him back as he feinted again and again, trying to exhaust my mate and throw him off balance on his injured leg. Thorne held his ground, never taking his eyes from his opponent for a second, but his movements seemed sluggish and lazy by comparison.

  Don't let him win, Thorne. Please don't... don't...

  Cyan lunged with a growl, and this time he didn't pull back. Thorne responded in an instant, lashing out with his wounded leg and raking his claws across his opponent's neck with a viciously powerful blow. I could practically feel how much it hurt my mate as he grit his teeth and snarled in pain, but the unexpected attack from his weakened side had taken Cyan completely by surprise, and he stumbled away in a daze, shaking his head frantically and snorting fresh droplets of blood from his muzzle.

  Thorne was limping harder than ever now, barely able to put weight on his leg as he moved forward, but he didn't let his momentary advantage go to waste. He dived in before Cyan could recover, butting the other alpha in the side and driving him to the ground, going for his throat. Thorne's teeth latched around his opponent's neck, but they didn't tighten. I clutched at Niya's shoulder as I limped towards the safety of the orchard's entrance, desperately torn.

  Part of me wanted Thorne to kill him, to finish it all while he had the chance. At least then he'd be safe. I couldn't bear to see him fight, knowing every minute could be his last. But at the same time I pitied Cyan, knowing how relentlessly his instinct tormented him. Did he really deserve to die for what he'd done?

  I clenched my teeth, wanting to yell something, anything, to persuade Thorne either way. But my mate hesitated, trying to force Cyan to submit with his teeth around his neck, and that moment of indecision was all his rival needed. With a sudden swipe of his paw Cyan drove his claws into Thorne's wounded leg, sending him stumbling back with a yowl of agony. The dark-furred wolf clambered back to his feet, panting and snarling with his teeth bared, not even noticing the burning leaves crunching beneath his paws as he prowled forward.

  Thorne was on the defensive now, limping away towards the flames with his leg tucked in close to his side. He wouldn't be able to surprise his opponent with another unexpected blow again, nor could he move as fast. Cyan didn't waste a moment. From the ferocious sound of his ragged breathing he wanted to end it now, before the last of his energy deserted him. Hunching back on his hindquarters he propelled himself forwards in one last powerful leap, ignoring Thorne's snapping jaws as he bulled into him with as much raw power as he could muster.

  The pair crashed to the ground in a cloud of smouldering leaves, rolling over and over as their teeth flashed and tore, fur and blood filling the air amidst the deafening roar of the flames and their furious howls.

  I was frozen in place, my eyes glued to the fight, barely aware of the voices murmuring around me. I was clinging on to Ellie and Niya so tight I must have been hurting them, but they stayed silent, supporting me as the three of us stared back into the orchard.

  When the tussle came to a halt only one wolf stood up.

  It was Cyan, his body heaving in exertion as he stumbled away from Thorne's still form, dazed and bloody as he struggled to lift his head.

  I cried out, finally finding my voice as the pain and fear of loss clutched my body like a thousand piercing knives. "Get up Thorne! Get up! Get up..."

  But my mate didn't move, the flames creeping across the dry leaves towards him as Cyan looked up at me, amber eyes reflecting the fire that danced all around him. With a snort he turned around, barely able to stand he was so exhausted, his legs trembling with every step as he moved back towards Thorne to finish what he had started.

  Every moment was agony. It took Cyan almost a full minute after he rose to his feet to return to his position standing over Thorne, a full minute without my mate moving, without any attempt to fight back.

  I saw Thorne's side rise faintly with breath.

  A full minute to recover his energy.

  Cyan drew his lips back from his fangs, rearing back for the killing blow, and lunged. Thorne twisted around and kicked upwards with all four legs at once, striking his opponent's unprotected belly and driving the wind from him with bruising force.

  Cyan's breath caught in a single thin whimper, his eyes widening as he stumbled back, his legs refusing to obey as they crumpled beneath him and sent him crashing to the ground.

  Thorne climbed to his feet. He was breathing hard, but his green eyes still shone keenly. He stepped forward, prodding Cyan with a paw, before diving in to close his teeth around his rival alpha's neck one last time.

  I held my breath. Thorne's teeth tightened, dug in, and then stopped. He limped backwards towards us, dragging Cyan after him, away from the flames. His defeated opponent gasped weakly for breath, but made no attempt to fight back.

  He was finished, exhausted, hopelessly defeated by my mate's last cunning trick.

  I pried my hands away from Ellie and Niya, stumbling forwards to wrap them around Thorne's neck as he dropped Cyan at our feet, ignoring his bloody, singed fur as I stroked and kissed him, sobbing with relief. He sunk down on his hindquarters, ruffing breathlessly as
he left an affectionate lick on my cheek, before shifting back into his human form.

  "You beat him," Rowan's gruff voice sounded from behind me.

  Thorne nodded, but his eyes were fixed on mine, pulling me in for a tender kiss that I returned with equal passion.

  I was emotionally numb. Exhausted. But his kiss was a warm breath of reassurance seeping through the veil. He put his arms around me and let me slump down by his side, before looking up at the others.

  "What about the Mine Pack?" he said, glancing at Rowan.

  The older alpha grunted, his arm resting in an improvised sling made from his jacket. "Turned and ran once I finished off Hail. I sent Ethan and Sirrus with some of the others to go after them, to make sure they find their way out of our territory."

  Thorne looked to Baya next. The rest of our old pack were gathered in a group behind her, watching the remaining Wood Pack hunters nervously as they clustered together outside the orchard's entrance.

  "And what about you?" he said.

  A faint smile lit Baya's lips, and she nodded at Cyan, the fallen alpha twitching and panting in the middle of the path. "We follow our alpha. That's you now, Thorne."

  My mate shook his head. "I challenged him for the Wood Pack. You should join up with Rowan, you'll be safer with him."

  "Don't you dare, Thorne," Rowan said, and for the first time I thought I caught a hint of respect in his voice. "You beat him, not me, and as far as I remember you're still an exile from my pack. Whoever followed Cyan, they're yours to lead now."

  I smiled at Thorne. "You need your own pack."

  "And we need a good leader after Cyan," Baya said. "Just because we followed him for all that time, it doesn't mean we were always happy with the decisions he made. Believe me, sometimes I wondered whether we'd all have been better off running away like you two did. You know we're not bad people. We'll be a loyal pack to you, Thorne, just like we were to Cyan."

  My mate nodded, rising to his feet with a groan, the pair of us supporting one another on the way up.

  "We can talk about that later," I said. "We need to make sure everyone's looked after right now, especially you. And Ellie—" I glanced at my sister, and my tears returned as I beckoned her over. The smile on her lips flooded me with joy as she threw her arms around my waist. "You're not hurt, are you honey?"

  She shook her head, then looked up at me and Thorne. "Is this your boyfriend, Lisa?"

  Thorne gave me a weary smile, and I couldn't help but chuckle in relief, the outpouring of emotion feeling like months worth of bottled up anxiety running out of me.

  "I guess so, but he's a little more than my boyfriend now."

  "Why didn't you tell me about him?" Ellie frowned.

  "I never had the chance."

  "She never told me her old name was Lisa, either," Thorne said. "Lisa, Lyssa? Not very imaginative, is she?" He shared a smile with my sister, and I hugged the pair of them tight, letting the presence of the two people I cared about most in the world soothe away all the terrible memories of the evening. I knew this wasn't the happy ever after I'd always dreamed of, not yet, but it was as close as I was likely to come after everything we'd been through. I needed the comfort of it tonight more than ever. Perhaps it was finally over.

  Behind us Rowan limped off to growl orders at more of his people, and a tired looking Agatha hobbled over on her walking stick, gazing past us at the burning orchard.

  "I helped plant those trees when I was just a little girl," she sighed. "Guess I'm going to have to plant them all over again." She lowered her eyes to the dark shape of Cyan lying in the path. "What are you going to do with him?"

  "I don't know," Thorne replied, grimacing. "Send him back out on his own? Keep him locked up here? With the Mine Pack still out there who's to say he won't show up with them again some day."

  "He's got a bad instinct, doesn't he?" Agatha said, kneeling down to examine Cyan's wounds. "And nobody ever taught him how to deal with it. Keep him here. Leave him with me, and I'll see what I can do while he heals up."

  I pressed my lips together. I didn't know how I felt about giving Cyan a second chance, not after everything he'd done. If he'd had his way Thorne might be dead right now, and he'd left my sister in the heart of a blazing inferno.

  But despite all that, I still pitied him. I wasn't a killer, and neither was Thorne. Given the choice between executing Cyan, locking him up, and trying to rehabilitate him, I'd rather give him a chance to atone for what he'd done.

  Thorne hesitated, as though waiting for my approval. I gave him a small nod.

  "Alright," he said. "Do what you can for him. Let's just hope it turns out for the best."

  "Oh, don't worry, I'm good at fixing stubborn young wolves." She gave me and Thorne a knowing look, then straightened up and called for Niya and Sabi to lend her a hand.

  "Our own pack," Thorne mused. "One safe sister." He ruffled Ellie's hair. "Things could have turned out a lot worse."

  "I know," I sighed, resting my head on his shoulder and smiling down at Ellie. "I just hope it'll last this time."

  "Does this mean I can come to stay with you now?" Ellie said, her eyes lighting up with excitement. "And be a werewolf?!"

  "Oh no. You've got school to get back to. Oh-!" I groaned. "What's Mom going to think? You must have been gone for days."

  "I'll say I ran away to come and see you."

  "I guess... I guess that'll have to do."

  "Can't I stay?" she repeated. "Please?"

  I shook my head. "It's not as nice out here as you think. Didn't you find it scary, everything that happened this evening?"

  "It won't be scary with you around."

  I sighed, and Thorne chipped in, "Maybe one day, right Lyssa? And until then your sister can come visit you as often as she likes."

  "Right!" I nodded, suddenly very tired, the weight of the evening and the ache of my injuries dragging me down. "C'mon you two. We can talk about all this tomorrow."

  As we staggered back down the path towards the camp I couldn't help but feel my wolf sitting at the back of my mind, quiet and attentive, but very much still there. She warmed me with her presence, giving me the strength to keep my aching legs moving forward.

  Why did I ever fight you? I wondered, and my thoughts came back with the instinctive answer of my wolf.

  Because you didn't know me yet.

  Epilogue

  It's been almost a full year since the night the Mine Pack attacked. It was hard on all of us, but with the help of Rowan, Agatha, Thorne, Niya, and the others, the pack came through it stronger than ever. A lot of us were hurt that night, but there were no deaths apart from Hail and a pair of his wolves who were caught in the blaze. I still wonder about them sometimes, whether they were as cruel and unhinged as their alpha, or whether they were just good people in the wrong pack, like Sabi had been.

  If anything positive came out of that night it was that the Mine Pack scattered and broke apart. We had half a dozen of their refugees coming back to us over the next few weeks, telling tales of how the group split into a series of smaller packs, all fighting over their old territory without a single strong alpha to unite them. Rowan kept the camp on alert for a long time afterwards, but eventually it became clear that the Mine Pack weren't a threat to anyone any longer. One of our patrols scouted their old territory recently, and the few wolves they found still living in the mine decided to run and hide rather than standing up to our people.

  Maybe one day they'll rebuild and regroup, hopefully into a better pack than they were before.

  We talked about going back to our old camp, Thorne and Baya and I, but we all agreed we needed a fresh start. Rowan consented to let us stay near the edge of the Wood Pack's territory, building our own little community near another of the abandoned logging camps. It wasn't much to work with at first, but we're doing our best to make it into a home for our new pack.

  Along with Cyan's old followers we took in most of the Mine Pack refugees, and a handful of
the Wood Pack who were grateful to Thorne for what he did to protect them. Sabi signed up right away, and after a few months Niya came to join us too. It was obvious she still found it hard dealing with how she felt about Thorne at first, but I think deep down she just missed her old friend. They've put the past behind them, like we've all had to.

  I tried my hardest to persuade Agatha to come along, but she wouldn't budge. I can't blame her, really. The Wood Pack is her whole life, her family. From what I hear she's been working night and day to tend the orchard and look after the new saplings we planted after clearing away the mess left by the fire.

  Ethan decided to stay behind as well. Sirrus has become one of Rowan's top hunters, and Ethan didn't want to abandon him and his family to make a fresh start with the rest of us.

  I'm happy for all of them, even though I still wake up at night feeling guilty about the conflict Thorne and I brought to their door. As much as we all try to move on and let the past stay in the past, it's not always easy.

  Thankfully I don't have to face any of it alone. Thorne is always there beside me when I wake up, ready to hold me and soothe me, his powerful alpha ever protective and considerate towards his mate. We practice controlling our instincts together, and with his help I've learned to hold mine in check almost indefinitely, but it's never easy. His bothers him as well. I can tell he's fighting the impulses of his wolf whenever he's impatient or distracted, putting off making a big decision or deferring his leadership duties to someone else when the pack turns to him for help.

  I go to him then, and I make sure his wolf has the outlet he needs.

  We're so in tune with each other's instincts now that I can almost recognise when his is rising to the surface before he does, and he's the same with me. We still have some bad days, where it feels like our wolves are struggling to fight us every step of the way, but we never have days where we have to tackle that by ourselves. It's like there's an invisible thread of understanding connecting us at all times, and remembering it's there is the greatest source of comfort I've ever known.