Wolf Cursed (Lone Wolf Series Book 1)

by Heather Hildenbrand

  “No. His name is—”

  Behind me, the cabin door crashed open. I released the hexerei and whirled in time to see a very classy-looking Silas barreling through the open doorway, his tie tossed over his shoulder. He glared at me and closed the distance, grabbing me before I could slip past.

  “Hello, Ashes.”

  I pulled against Silas’ hold, but his grip was like iron.

  “Don’t even try it,” he snarled at me, and I knew, this time, there’d be no talking my way out. “It’s time to prove yourself once and for all. It’s time to fight.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Silas dragged me outside, and I hurried to keep up so I didn’t land on my face in the mud. My boots squished over the soft ground, and I surveyed the scene that had changed drastically from when I’d entered the cabin. Vinny was no longer lying unconscious. Now, a brown wolf stood in that same place, a lump clearly forming on the top of its head. When he saw me, he growled.

  And he wasn’t the only one. Several more wolves lined the perimeter, and I sensed them closing in behind us as we made our way farther out. But then my eyes caught on something ahead, and I stared in horror at the two wolves wrestling violently near the trees.

  Silas gave a shrill whistle, and they broke apart and looked over at us.

  My stomach dropped as I recognized Kai’s wolf huffing breathlessly as he looked over, first at me, then at Silas’ hand on my wrist. Beside him, the other wolf looked at Silas expectantly. His cream-colored coat and sharp eyes were strangely familiar.

  Presley, I realized.

  Kai had fought Presley. For me.

  My heart warmed at what he’d just given up for the sake of protecting me. At the same time, worry and sadness speared through me. I hated seeing him have to choose like this.

  “We have a traitor in our midst after all,” Silas yelled.

  At the sound of his voice, more wolves emerged from the trees.

  I swallowed hard at the sight of them coming slowly forward. As they passed Kai, they growled in warning. The warm feeling Kai’s protection had given me was quickly replaced by cold fear.

  Shit.

  There were too many of them.

  This wasn’t going to end well for either of us.

  Behind them, two human figures raced out of the trees toward where I stood. Isaac and Idrissa—both with matching expressions of fury and determination.

  My chest swelled as Idrissa screamed at Silas.

  “Stop this now,” she called.

  But he ignored her. To the wolves, he said, “Kill him.”

  They raced past us and into the cabin.

  “No!” I wrenched away from Silas. Or tried to. But all it got me was a sharp pain up my elbow and a tighter grip. I winced both from my own pain and from the sound of the hexerei’s screams that rose then abruptly cut off.

  I stared at Silas in horror.

  “You didn’t have to do that,” I said, my voice cracking as I imagined the wolves ripping the man apart. He’d hated them, and they’d just proven him justified. It was horrible.

  At the sound of the screams, Idrissa and Isaac stopped short. They stared past me at the cabin with wide eyes. Kai appeared between them, back in his human form. I hadn’t even seen him shift, but now I couldn’t look away.

  He stood completely naked and completely unconcerned about that fact, glaring at Silas with raw murder in his dark gaze. If I hadn’t feared for my life, maybe I could have appreciated the view. Instead, all I could think about was who Silas would order the wolves to attack next.

  “Let go of her now, Silas.”

  Kai’s tone was the only warning Silas would get. We all knew it.

  Silas loosened his grip but didn’t let go.

  “I won’t tell you again,” Kai said.

  “You’ve gone too far,” Silas snapped at him.

  Isaac pulled a pair of shorts from his back pocket and held them out to Kai. “Here, dude. No sense blowing in the wind while you kill this asshole.”

  Without breaking eye contact, Kai snatched the shorts and pulled them on. “Good point. I won’t be using my wolf for this,” Kai said. “I’d rather feel the air slip from his lungs through my own hands.”

  He took a step forward.

  “What the hell, man,” Silas demanded. “You would throw away our friendship for this?” He shook my arm.

  Kai bared his teeth. “You threw it away when you touched her.”

  “Whoa, dude.” Presley stepped up beside me. He wore a tiny pair of shorts and nothing else. Blood coated his throat and mouth.

  I looked away, my stomach twisting at the mental images of what he’d just done in that cabin.

  “She was helping the hexerei,” Presley said. “She’s a traitor.”

  “I wasn’t helping him,” I protested.

  “Prove it,” Silas snarled.

  He released my arm as the rest of the wolves joined us, surrounding Kai and the twins and me. I saw Kai’s gaze flick to them and back to me. Even without Silas holding me down, we were trapped.

  “If you’re one of us, fight and take your place,” Silas said. “It’s the only way we can trust you. Otherwise, you become our prisoner and are subject to interrogation.”

  “Silas, don’t make me kick your ass like I did in the seventh grade,” Idrissa said.

  “It’s pack rules,” Silas said.

  “It’s bullshit,” she shot back. “Stop letting your asshole of a wolf run things and be a human fucking being. She’s not trying to bring us down. She’s a friend.”

  “Well, now we know where you stand,” Presley said. “If you’re not with us, you’re with her. And that’s a bad place to be right about now.” He looked at Kai. “What’s so special about her, anyway?” He grinned. “Is it her ass? Because I do agree she’s got a killer ass.”

  Kai growled and started forward. Isaac grabbed him and hauled him back again, but Kai’s eyes glowed yellow, and I knew his wolf was way too angry to calm down now.

  Shit.

  This was going from bad to worse.

  I bit my lip and then turned to Silas. “Okay,” I said. “I’ll fight.”

  “Ash, no,” Idrissa said, her expression filled with horror.

  “It’s the only way,” I said.

  “Ash, don’t,” Kai said through clenched teeth.

  “I won’t let you get hurt because of me,” I told him.

  The look in his eye made my heart ache, so I turned away. “I’ll fight,” I told Silas firmly.

  “Baby girl, this is a bad idea,” Isaac said.

  “It’s fine. Silas is going to pair me with someone equal,” I said, relieved when my voice came out sounding even. I gave him a look that hopefully appeared braver than I felt. “Won’t you?”

  Silas nodded. “Rules are rules.” He paused, and for a moment, I actually had myself convinced I stood a chance. “Unless, of course, someone challenges you directly. If that were to happen, I wouldn’t be able to step in.”

  “No one’s stepping in,” Idrissa began through clenched teeth. “And no one’s fighting. She’s going home.” She pinned Silas with a look, and I watched as her form began to shudder. “We had a deal. If you’re backing out, you’re going to pay for it.”

  “I challenge her.”

  Drake stepped forward, and I could only stare in shock at his naked form currently too covered in blood to even make out.

  “What?” Isaac screeched.

  “This is insane,” Idrissa said. “Why would you challenge her? She’s not a threat to you at all.”

  “She’s strong,” Drake said. “I can sense it. And my wolf feels the threat.” He stepped closer, eyeing me. My mouth twisted in disgust at the blood coating his skin. None of the others were this much of a mess. It was like he’d done it on purpose. Like he’d enjoyed the kill. “My wolf needs to secure its place in the pack, or who knows what it’ll do,” he said, the lie so obvious, it made me sick.

  “Give me a fucking break,” I
saac said. “Your wolf has lost its fucking grip, man.” He looked at Silas. “You have to stop this.”

  “Rules are rules,” Silas repeated, and it was such a cop-out, I wanted to claw his tongue off.

  “Fine,” I said, heart pounding. I looked at Drake. “Let’s fight.”

  “Oh, I don’t plan to fight you, sweetheart.” His expression was colder than I’d ever seen. The look in his eye far surpassed anything Silas had ever said or done. “My wolf would rather hit you where it’ll hurt the most.”

  He swerved suddenly, shifting as he twisted his body—and slammed into Kai.

  I screamed.

  Drake’s claws raked over Kai’s body, drawing ribbons of crimson across his skin, and I lost my grip on reality as the two went rolling. Somewhere along the way, Kai shifted, and then they were both wolves. Both murderous. Each clearly trying to kill the other one.

  Someone grabbed me, and then everyone was moving at once.

  A sharp pain stabbed at the back of my thigh, and my knee buckled. I went down just as Isaac appeared next to me, hauling me back up again. He carried me toward the trees, back in the direction of Kai’s truck, but my body screamed with each step.

  I sucked in a ragged breath as fire spread from my leg up to my chest and all the way down to my feet.

  “Something’s wrong,” I heard myself say.

  All around us, wolves growled and surged to where Kai and Drake continued to fight. A few watched us, but none approached as Isaac continued trying to back me away from them.

  “Isaac.” My voice broke, and I nearly fell again.

  “Shit, Ash, you’re bleeding.” Isaac’s voice sounded far away. Black dots laced my vision. “Driss!”

  Isaac screamed for his sister, and a dark brown wolf tore itself away from the throng pressing in around Kai and Drake. She streaked toward us and stopped, sniffing at my leg with concern in her eyes.

  She looked up at Isaac and let out a whine.

  Isaac lowered me to the ground, studying the wound more closely.

  “Motherfucker…she’s bitten,” Isaac said grimly.

  He didn’t sound quite as concerned as he should, considering my insides felt like they were about to burst through my skin. The sensation built until I couldn’t stand it any longer.

  I screamed, and my body just…exploded.

  Cracks and pops echoed around me as my bones literally broke and reformed. I squeezed my eyes shut against the pain, and when I opened them again, gagging and gasping for air, I saw fur.

  Fur where my arms should have been. Fur for legs. The ground was closer. Too close.

  What the hell.

  I looked up and met Isaac’s wide eyes.

  “Holy shit,” he breathed. “Ash, you’re a—”

  Somewhere farther out in the muddy field, Kai howled.

  I had no idea how I knew that sound belonged to him. I just did.

  Tipping my head back, I let out a howl of my own. It was reflexive. Something I didn’t even know was happening until the sound escaped me.

  And then I knew what Isaac was trying to tell me.

  I was a wolf.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  The animal inside me felt both foreign and familiar. Like a piece of me that had always existed and was just now making itself known to the rest of me. And the first thing I knew for sure was that my wolf side was a bossy bitch. She didn’t use words, per se. More like urges. Feelings. And I knew instinctively how to let her exist alongside my human self. My mind sort of just…made room for her.

  And the moment I did, her instincts took over.

  The need to protect rose so strongly that I didn’t even have time to question my actions before I was up and shoving past Idrissa and Isaac. My paws felt clumsy and strange against the soft mud for about three seconds. After that, the speed and senses of my wolf took over, and I flew past the other wolves, shoving my way through their ranks with an ease that surprised me.

  My wolf sighted Drake and Kai and went straight for its prey.

  Opening my mouth, I leaped the final few yards and closed my canines around Drake’s furry shoulder, yanking him off Kai’s wolf in a quick and violent move. Drake yelped, and I felt the moment his flesh tore. His blood filled my mouth, but I didn’t let go.

  Drake’s wolf writhed against my grip, but I held fast.

  The asshole would not hurt my mate again.

  Mate.

  My wolf held no hesitation as she thought the word.

  If anything, she strained harder in her urge to protect. To hurt. To kill if necessary.

  That last thought was enough to make me finally release my jaw and let Drake up again. He twisted away and rolled to his feet, whining. When he spotted me, his wolf eyes narrowed, and he crouched low, ready to attack. I could feel him about to spring, and my wolf welcomed it.

  Bring it, asshole.

  Before Drake could leap, another wolf stepped between us. Then another.

  Silas and Presley. My wolf seemed to recognize them somehow. Smell maybe? God, this was weird.

  A third wolf brushed my shoulder, and I jumped, then settled when I recognized Kai. He brushed me again, and this time, I pressed in closer.

  My wolf didn’t take her attention from Drake, though. She still wanted his blood to run. I could feel it and feel my own disgust at the same time. At least, she wasn’t quite so in control anymore, and I held my ground beside Kai while Silas and Presley pushed Drake farther and farther away from me.

  Idrissa appeared, her wolf form graceful, lithe, and deadly as she helped to block Drake from where I stood.

  Finally, I watched as Drake shifted back to his human form. Naked and bleeding, he stood in the mud. His hair had fallen into his eyes, and he made no move to brush it back again. His gaze wasn’t on the wolves standing before him. Instead, it was on me.

  I’d never seen a person look more cruel.

  “You’re going to pay for that, you little bitch,” he said to me.

  My wolf bared its teeth at him.

  Fucker.

  Beside me, Kai growled and edged forward.

  Silas and Presley shifted back, and they both gave Kai a warning look then turned to Drake.

  “You fought and she won,” Silas said.

  My wolf was not impressed with the sight of their naked asses aimed in my direction. All she wanted to do was spill Drake’s blood and then run off with Kai into the woods. My human side was pretty much okay with the latter but the blood running…not so much.

  Gross.

  “Dick move using Kai as a proxy,” Presley said.

  “It’s not against the rules. Besides, it’s obvious Kai’s protection of her makes him a traitor too,” Drake spat. He glared at me again. “But you’re right. I should have just killed the bitch outright and been done with it.” He shifted his glare to Idrissa, who had circled around to flank him, still in wolf form. “I thought you said she couldn’t shift.”

  “Someone bit her,” Isaac said from behind me.

  My wolf had scented him coming, which was the only reason she didn’t turn and attack him for sneaking up on me.

  With a wary glance at me, he stepped just a little closer to where I stood, clearly aligning himself with me and Kai. “The bite signaled her wolf and forced the change.” He glared at Silas and Presley. “I told you she’s not a witch.”

  “Who the hell did it?” Silas demanded.

  “One of you is obviously responsible,” Isaac accused.

  “It wasn’t me,” Presley said.

  “I didn’t fucking touch her,” Silas snapped. Behind him, Drake growled again.

  Silas looked back at Drake. “Fight’s over. Go home.”

  “Fuck that. She cheated.”

  “No rules for the fight,” Silas said. “You know that. Besides, you’re the one who attacked Kai like a dumbass. If anyone cheated, it would have been you.”

  Drake didn’t answer. I could feel his wolf rising to the surface, and my wolf welcomed the idea of
another round. All she wanted was to shut him up. For good.

  “Ash is one of us now,” Isaac said. “Now, get your asses over here, and welcome her to the pack.”

  A few of the other wolves inched closer, and I dropped my head to growl at them. But the intent rolling off them wasn’t to harm. Isaac was right. They were coming to welcome me.

  “You attack her now; you go against the pack,” Isaac warned. He pinned Drake with a challenging glare. “You want to go against all of us, be my guest.”

  Drake spit out a mouthful of blood, glaring at Isaac then at me and Kai. “This isn’t over,” he said and then slowly turned and walked away.

  I watched as he disappeared into the trees, but my wolf didn’t relax until all trace of his scent had faded.

  The other wolves approached me slowly. I tensed, but Kai stayed close. He didn’t seem too alarmed by them so I forced my wolf to remain still.

  One by one, they walked up and dipped their head at me in acknowledgment. My wolf watched in confusion, then curiosity, then satisfaction. She seemed content with their recognition of her. Meanwhile, I wanted to flip them all off. How could they think we were friends—just like that? Wolf customs were going to take some getting used to.

  After that, they dispersed, most of them not bothering to shift back as they padded silently into the trees and disappeared.

  Silas and Presley were the last to leave.

  They stood a healthy distance from us, eyeing my wolf with interest and what she perceived as respect. It was the only reason she didn’t try to attack them outright. Their nakedness didn’t bother her. Me, on the other hand … yeah, this was awkward.

  “Look, Kai,” Silas began.

  He pulled his lips back and growled at them.

  Silas sighed. “You know how our wolves get,” he said. “But I didn’t bite her. And you know I won’t condone it if Drake tries to come at her again.”

  “Yeah, dude. She’s one of us now,” Presley said.

  Isaac snorted. “Just like that?”

  I huffed. Took the words right out of my mouth.

  “She fought,” Presley said with a shrug. He eyed Kai. “And she’s important to you.”

  It wasn’t a question, and somewhere in the back of my human brain, I knew that was going to be a problem. But Kai merely pressed himself closer to me, confirming Presley’s words as true.