Lesser of Two Evils

by K. S. Martin

  ***

  She was lost. That much she knew. The bird in her jaws wouldn’t last much longer. She could already taste the bitter foulness of it turning. If she had to go back to her Alpha empty handed, dirty and late, well, she knew what her father’s reaction would’ve been. The bird was a total loss if she didn’t find the house soon.

  There were other houses, but none that she recognized, and she couldn’t shift because she had no clothes. Humans didn’t like naked women running around. Well, most of them didn’t, anyway. Her wolf huffed and spit the turkey out. Damn. She’d wanted to eat that bird. Circling around, she scented the ground. Nothing was familiar, and it occurred to her how stupid it was to climb out of that window without Ethan to show her around first.

  Coming upon a small stream, she sniffed it. The water was bad, run-off and polluted with oil. Kerry was so thirsty, but even if she shifted, she had no money to go into a convenience store to buy water. She’d never been lost before and started to panic. An engine rumbled nearby and she went toward it. If she found a road, maybe she could get a sense of where she was and find her way back. Something pinged off a rock five yards to her right. A shot. Someone was shooting at her. She turned and bolted in the other direction. She heard another but no ping. Either he’d missed or had hit dirt. Kerry flew, her feet moving faster than ever before, and then she felt the sting. Damn it, that hurt. Her left leg burned, but she kept moving.

  It was stiffening and becoming useless, but the other three still worked and she kept on. She heard them laughing and congratulating each other. There were two.

  Kerry slowed to a stop after hours of fleeing. She didn’t have the energy to go on. Her leg was bleeding. She was thirsty and hungry. She couldn’t remember a time when she’d been the wolf this long. The sun would come up soon. The men had given up following her a long time ago. The squirrels were staying high in the trees, so there was no chance at breakfast. Kerry licked the wound. It was bad. Something, a bullet probably, was lodged in there, and she couldn’t free it. Exhausted, she crawled into a space under an old dead tree and tucked her head in to sleep.

  Chapter 5

  “Well?” Ethan stood with his hands on his hips at the foot of Connor’s driveway.

  “I was out all night, Ethan. She’s nowhere. Thelma is still out looking. Tom, Greg, and Donovan, none have checked in. Everyone else came back to eat, drink, and rest. Honestly, even if we’d all gotten a good whiff of her wolf, the rain this morning would dash all hopes of scenting anything.”

  Ethan gave him a sharp nod. “Get some rest.” He lowered himself back into the car and moved it to the garage. He grabbed his bag and went inside. She wasn’t here. He’d stupidly pushed the car too hard and had engine trouble three hours into his trip. Luckily, there was mechanic in the part in the town where it gave up. The failure had delayed him though, and now it was almost lunchtime. Connor had been out all night. The rest of the pack was helping, and none of them knew her well enough to know where she would go. The freezer was full, so what was she after?

  He heard them then, wild turkeys behind the house. She’d heard them, too, and had probably given chase because there was no turkey in the freezer. “Damn it,” he swore. Ethan shifted and went out the door. He bolted into the woods and got as close to the birds as he could. If she had chased them and he couldn’t find her scent, maybe he could scent the birds. They warbled at him, then scattered. Ethan nudged at the ground. The forest litter was wet, but he caught her scent and headed in that direction. His pack could scent, of course, but none of them had done it for a living. None of them had tracked down another wolf for payment, and none of them had the experience that he had. Ethan lost her scent, and then picked it up again. He saw Thelma in a clearing ahead and yipped at her. She looked tired, and he nodded his head in the direction of home. She yipped and went back the way he came. He didn’t need two missing she-wolves.

  Ethan continued. After losing and gaining the scent several more times, he finally found blood drops on the leaf litter. She was hurt. He was sure that it was Kerry. The blood had her scent, and it wasn’t far from what he’d buried his mouth in a day ago. Kerry. He followed the drops. They were erratic. Then he scented her. His she-wolf. Curled tightly under a tree, and bloody. Kerry’s breathing was labored. He shifted into his human self and pulled her out from under the tree. Her eyes rolled in her head deliriously. She snapped at him, but her bite had no strength. Love bite, he thought and grinned.

  “Come on, sweetheart, I’m taking you home.” Kerry was a big wolf, brown and well-muscled. He was impressed with her size and strength. Her wolf was a fine match for his black one, and she would give him strong pups. He carried her through the woods toward home.

  When the wind shifted, the breeze brought the scent of death with it. He scented dead bird and knew that his earlier assumption was true. She’d chased a damned turkey and someone had shot her. He could see the wound and knew it was caused by a bullet. Probably a farmer since they were near the edge of his territory. If she’d crossed the line onto a farm and the farmer spotted her near a flock, a bullet would find her. Farmers around here were particular about what got near their land.

  Hours later, nearly dinnertime, he settled her in his bed. Connor clapped him on the shoulder. “I knew you would find her.” Ethan took her face in his big hands and commanded her to shift. An Alpha could force a shift, and at first, she resisted, or was so out of it that she couldn’t hear him. When he commanded her a second time, she turned into the human. Connor averted his eyes out of respect. Nudity was not uncommon in a pack, but this was the Alpha’s mate, and she was new here. It would be different if Kerry chose to strip and shift in front of them, but she’d had no choice, and Ethan covered her quickly with the sheet. He appreciated Connor’s respect for her privacy.

  “Get the doc. She’s been shot.” Connor’s face went pale when the blood began soaking through the sheet, and he ran from the room. It wasn’t a life-threatening wound, but coupled with not shifting for so long and the fact that she hadn’t eaten, it was serious. She moaned and squirmed in her sleep. Her face was twisted in agony. Ethan brought water from the bathroom and urged her to sip. He scooped her shoulders off the pillow and cradled her. Her head lolled in one direction, her eyes in another. Where the hell was Connor? “Drink, Kerry.” Ethan held the cup up to her mouth again. For a second, half a second, she locked eyes with him. “Drink.” She let some of it slide down her throat, then she was out again.

  “Ethan.” The doc came in and put his bag down. “How is she? Did you get any water in her?”

  Ethan shook his head. “A drop maybe. This isn’t good, doc.”

  The doctor wasn’t really a doctor in the human sense of the word. He’d never been to medical school, but he’d been tending wounds for most of his life, and that was a very long time. Ethan estimated that he could apply for council soon if he wanted, but he didn’t know why anyone would want to.

  “Keep trying. Hold her close and don’t let her move. The slug is embedded deep, and if it wasn’t so deep it would’ve come out when she shifted.”

  “I should’ve left her as the wolf. I should’ve known that. I shouldn’t have made her shift.” Ethan brushed the back of his hand over her cheek.

  “Water, Ethan.” The doc waved the long silver scalpel in his hand at the cup. “Eye on the ball. There isn’t time for ‘should’ve’ right now.” Doc was digging around in Kerry’s leg with the tool, and Ethan turned his head. Blood and guts never bothered him before now, but now it was his mate, and now it mattered. “You found her, and you got her home. Anyone would’ve done the same. Get her to shift. It should cure all of her ills. That’s common knowledge, but sometimes it’s not enough.”

  He twisted the silver tong-looking things around and pulled the slug free. It was brass, the tip jagged. They’d used hollow-points to shoot his mate. He’d thought that it was a farmer scaring a predator away, but now he knew that this was someone’s sick idea of fun. If he c
aught whoever did this, they would pay.

  . The doc packed the hole in her leg with salve and herbs that curled Ethan’s nose for a second.

  “It’ll help.”

  “It stinks.” Ethan was still trying to get her to drink.

  “It smells better than a festering rotting wound.”

  Ethan shrugged. That was a good point.

  “Keep trying with the water, and as soon as she can, get her to drink some broth. You should bathe her, too. She’s filthy.” Ethan nodded while looking into her dirty face. What was she thinking? “I’ll be back to check on her in a few hours, and I’ll give her this for the pain.” The doc pulled a syringe out of the bag and tapped it, then stuck it in her thigh near the wound.

  “What’s that?” Ethan watched him, feeling the wolf grow anxious inside him. It didn’t like his mate getting poked.

  “It will numb her and help with the pain. I’ll give her more when I return. Remember: bath, water, broth, get her to shift, oh, and keep her warm. You might want to crawl in there with her. It’ll calm your wolf, too.” The doc picked up the bag and turned to leave. “She’ll be okay, Ethan, but it will take time. See you in a bit.”

  “Thanks, doc.”

  He waved over his shoulder without looking back. Ethan and the doc had only spoken once previously, when Thelma had fallen and didn’t want ‘any damn shit shot into her.’ Ethan had sided with Thelma, and the doc hadn’t liked it, but she’d recovered just fine. Ethan figured if she’d lived this long she was wise enough to decide on her own medical care. He suspected it was why the doc didn’t ask before sticking Kerry. He didn’t want that argument again. Ethan didn’t blame him, that argument was epic. Kerry groaned and squirmed. He held the cup up to her lips again. She took some, but not enough to suit him.

  “Drink, Kerry,” he urged. He poured more into her mouth, but it dribbled out and down her cheek.

  Once he had her settled so that she looked comfortable, he went to the kitchen and found a large bowl. He filled it with warm water, brought it to the bedside, and dipped a washcloth in to wet it. Ethan gently washed every inch of skin except the stinky salve-covered area. Kerry seemed more relaxed. He didn’t know if it was because she was clean, or if it was because the meds had kicked in. He didn’t care why, just that she was. He tried for more water, and she took some, but wouldn’t let him give her more than a sip. He climbed in bed with her to keep her warm the way doc recommended. Ethan pulled her against him and cuddled her gently, then pulled the blanket up around them. God, he was tired. He’d been up since yesterday morning and it was nearly midnight now.

  “I need to sleep, little one. Rest and heal for me,” he murmured against her temple. She shifted closer and growled softly. Ethan smiled against her skin and kissed her hair.

  His wolf stirred and pranced in his mind. Ethan woke but didn’t move her. His eyes went amber. The wolf was near and angry.

  “Easy, Ethan,” the doc said softly in the dark. “I came to check on Kerry. I told you that I’d be back.”

  Ethan nodded.

  “Your wolf doesn’t like me giving her shots,” the doc chuckled softly. “I’ve repacked the wound, and she’s had her meds. I’ll be back in the morning. You must really be exhausted.

  “See you in the morning, doc.”

  The doc gave him a wave and left. Kerry moaned, and he looked into her face. It wasn’t twisted in agony, but she didn’t look as comfortable as earlier either. Ethan got up and refilled her cup. He lifted her and cradled her head so that it was still, and he tried to give her more water. Surprisingly, she drank. He kept offering, and Kerry kept sipping until she finished the cup. He went for more.

  “Drink for me, princess.”

  She scoffed, and he smiled. She was awake, a little, anyway. “Come on, drink. It will make you feel better, and it will help you heal.” She sipped more for him, then turned her head.

  “Okay, for now it’s okay.” Ethan put the cup on the side table and crawled back in bed beside her. Her body relaxed, and he fell asleep almost instantly. She would be okay.

  Chapter 6

  He looked tired. She wondered how long it took him to find her. The wolf had crawled under a tree, and since she was brown, she was camouflaged well. It did a good job of hiding, but even then, Kerry worried that it would be too good. The hunters were out there though, and since she was unable to go any farther, she’d let the wolf decide what was best at the time.

  Looking back, it was a good call. They’d stomped by at one point looking for her, but they hadn’t seen her. That would’ve been tragic. She didn’t really remember Ethan finding her, and wasn’t sure that he had, but she was sure that she’d tried to bite someone when they dragged her from the hole under the tree. At the time, her only thought was that the hunters were back.

  Ethan was snoring softly. His breath puffed over her hair, and every once in a while a growl would rumble softly from his chest. She liked that noise. Her wolf liked it especially. Her leg hurt. It was a dull ache now, but she knew it had felt like it was on fire not long ago. She heard a door click closed, and her wolf urged her on. It was afraid. The Alpha was sound asleep. Kerry tried to relax, but an old wolf came into the room carrying a black bag. The sky outside the window was starting to lighten, and she wondered what time it was. It seemed early for someone to visit, and strange for them to just walk into the Alpha’s den.

  “You’re awake. That’s good,” he whispered and winked. “I can give you a shot for pain, and it will make that wound numb. Do you want it?” Kerry’s brow knitted. “Yea or nay?” He had the needle at the ready.

  “Stick her, doc. She’s still in pain,” Ethan said without opening his eyes. The doc pushed the needle gently into her thigh, and Kerry’s mouth quirked. That wasn’t the most pleasant of feelings. The doc winked again.

  “That’s the last one you’ll get. How does it feel? Hot?” She shook her head. “Good. Now you need to eat, and you need to shift, and do it several times. You’ll be tired, so eat first. Clear broth for now, meat in a few hours.”

  “Bacon?” Kerry asked, perking up. Ethan laughed softly.

  “I was thinking steak, but whatever you fancy, as long as it stays down. You should bathe, too. Clean this up as best you can with plain soap and water. I’ll leave the salve. Smear some on after you bathe and that should be the last time. If you need me, Ethan has my number.”

  “Thank you,” Kerry said, and she meant it. He smiled softly, then waved goodbye. She heard the door click closed a few seconds later. She looked up at Ethan’s face. His eyes were closed, and he still looked tired. He had a strong jaw and sharp cheekbones. He had a cleft chin and black stubble covered his jaw His hair was dark, thick, wavy, and short. Eric’s was a lot longer. This wolf still had her trapped against him, but she didn’t try to escape, because she felt safe and warm. She wondered what that stubble felt like and if he would mind her touching it.

  “Now tell me what you were thinking, little one, when you took off into the woods without a hunting partner and without being shown around first.” Ethan’s silver-blue eyes opened on her. She loved those eyes. The color was a lovely shade, and she silently hoped her pups would have those eyes.

  “There were turkeys, and you didn’t have any, but you said that you liked it. I wanted to get it for you.” She kept her eyes lowered out of respect for the Alpha and because she was submissive. She had no wish to challenge or anger him, but she stole a look just to gauge his mood.

  “Ten seconds for all of them?” He raised a brow, his eyes clear and intent on her now. She swallowed nervously.

  “I think it was two minutes for the biggest one.” She dropped her gaze again, and he lifted her chin with a finger until she was looking into his eyes once more. His expression said that he wanted more information. “She had me lost within ten minutes and shot within an hour or two, I don’t remember.” She tested her leg and found that she could move it without wincing. “Then it took too long to get back, and she st
arted to stink.” He gave her a slow, appraising look. “I won’t do it again.” She lowered her eyes, feeling ashamed.

  “I’ll show you around, and we’ll go out with the pack if you want to hunt. I don’t want you out by yourself. Ever. Again.” Lifting her chin again, Ethan kissed her chastely.

  “Okay,” she said softly.

  “You put yourself and the pack in danger.You were nearly exposed, and worse, you were nearly killed. No one slept last night because they were looking for you. You were selfish.”

  “I know,” Kerry said, her voice whinier than she wanted it to be. “I won’t do it again.” She tried to move away, but he held her still. Ethan waited until she looked up at him again, then continued.

  “You need to do what the doc said. Will you eat for me?” She nodded. “Okay, stay here and I’ll get you some broth.” She crinkled her nose, and he smiled, got up and went to the kitchen. She rolled off the bed and shifted, then shifted back several times. Her leg was completely healed, no scar and working perfectly. She opened the jar of salve and capped it quickly after sniffing it. The strong, herbal, medicinal scent made her eyes tear. She put down the jar and went into the bathroom and turned the shower on. She climbed in.

  Feeling grimy, Kerry washed her body, but didn’t have the energy to shampoo her hair. She knew it was gross, but she really felt like sitting down. There was a bench at one end of Ethan’s luxurious shower. She went to sit, telling herself she should stay off her leg. It was beginning to stiffen, and she didn’t want it to hurt again, so the bench was the smart move, she decided. She leaned back and let the warm water soothe her.

  “What are you doing?” Ethan startled her awake. The water snapped off, and he wrapped her in a soft, warm towel. “I said, stay there. The doc said to eat first.” Her eyes wouldn’t stay open. “Oh no you don’t. Kerry! Wake up.” She blinked several times. “You will eat before you pass out again. I mean it.” He put her down in the wing chair and handed her the mug of broth. “Drink it.” He towered over her, scowling. He was scary when he was angry. She sipped, then gasped. “It’s hot. Drink it all. When I come back, it better be gone,” he thundered. His bedside manner sucked.