by Liv Brywood
The cave split into two tunnels. Light filtered into various parts of the den through holes in the rocks, but the tunnel to the healer’s chambers was completely devoid of light. He followed Akila down the path.
Five years ago, when he’d first become alpha, there was no need for a designated healer. But as the hunters encroached on their territory, more and more wolves returned from hunts with injuries. No one but Akila, Alex, and Ryker traveled into this part of the den, so it was the perfect place to hide her while she healed.
Ryker entered the chamber and noticed a new dais in the back corner of the room. “You added another bed.”
Akila nodded. “Two wasn’t enough. Leah and I carved the third while you were gone during the last council meeting. We need to be prepared for hunting season.”
She grabbed a blanket from the built-in shelf that ran the length of the room. She unfolded it and draped it over the bed.
He set the woman down and placed a feather-stuffed pillow under her head. A hole in the ceiling allowed moonlight into the room.
The woman’s makeup was streaked down her face, but under all the muck, she was beautiful. Long ebony hair framed her oval-shaped face and curled around her shoulders. Her flushed cheeks and lush red lips were so tempting, he wanted to brush his mouth across them with feather-light kisses.
A shoulder strap had slipped off of one shoulder, exposing even more of her flawlessly tanned skin. Her wickedly sexy curves made his mouth water. The rise and fall of her chest made the barely exposed swell of her breasts even more visible.
The sudden urge to touch her overwhelmed his senses. He clenched his hands at his sides. He didn’t even know the woman, but a powerful attraction tugged at the heated place between his legs.
He forgot Akila was in the room until she spoke. “Where did you find her?”
“The meadow just off the old logging road. Some psycho was chasing her with a gun. He shot her and would have killed her if I hadn’t heard the commotion and gone to investigate.”
“Humans. I swear. They can’t get along for more than five minutes without trying to kill each other.”
Ryker nodded in agreement. “That’s why we have to stay away from them.”
“And yet you brought her here.”
The muscle in his jaw twitched. He didn’t like being questioned about his decisions. As alpha, he could do as he pleased. “Look at her. Would you have left her in the woods?”
Akila sighed. “No.”
He looked down at the injured woman. Humans and wolves could never live side by side in harmony, so staying as far away as possible was their best option for survival. As soon as the human was stable enough to move, he’d take her back into town and drop her off in front of the hospital.
Alex panted as he rushed into the room carrying the gourd in one hand. A huge pile of wood was tucked under the other arm.
He skidded to an abrupt stop. Water sloshed over the side of the gourd and landed on the dirt floor. “I got the water and wood.”
“Good. Put the water by the bed and get the fire going.” Akila instructed.
After carefully placing the gourd on the ground, Alex dropped the kindling in the center of the room. He set a small ball of tinder in the fire pit. He struck a match, then cupped his hand around the flame as he brought it closer to the tinder. Smoke curled up toward a hole in the ceiling. As the fire grew, he added a few small sticks. He continued to add larger pieces of wood until the fire cracked and hissed.
While Alex built the fire, Ryker grabbed a pot and filled it with the river water. He hung the pot over the fire. Once the water reached a rolling boil, Akila tossed a few surgical instruments into the pot.
Ryker asked. “Do you think you can save her?”
Akila inspected the wound. “It’s not life-threatening. It’s actually much better than it looks. I have something special that will fix her up in no time. You should be able to get rid of her by tomorrow night.”
Relief flooded his body. For the first time since he’d encountered her and the hunter, he relaxed. He rolled his neck to release the tension.
Akila sniffed the air. “Strange.”
“What?”
“She has a scent on her that seems familiar, but I can’t place where I’ve smelled it before. Her blood is everywhere, so it’s hard for me to detect the other scent.”
“Maybe it’s a city scent.”
Akila shrugged. “Speaking of the city, I’m running low on supplies. We’re going to have to send Leah on a run soon.”
Ryker eyed the dwindling supply of gauze and made a mental note to send Leah to a hospital to steal more supplies. He’d buy them, but in a town the size of Full Moon Bay, someone would notice his frequent trips and start asking questions. He couldn’t afford to draw attention to the pack. As far as he knew, no human knew werewolves roamed the forest, and he intended to keep it that way.
The fire crackled and thick black smoke wafted up through the skylight.
Ryker turned to Alex. “Go check on your sister.”
The younger man hurried to the other side of the chamber. Ryker glanced at a stone dais to the left of the entrance. Gwen lay on her side facing the wall. The soft rise and fall of her chest was a good sign.
She’d spent the last two weeks moaning and crying out during the day. She wouldn’t tell anyone what happened. The marks on her body left no need to inquire. Every time he looked at the scratches and gouges, rage bubbled up from his gut. As soon as he was sure Akila could help the woman he found in the meadow, he’d leave to join the trackers. Whoever mauled Gwen would pay with his life.
Ryker watched Akila clean out the new patient’s wound. At least the bullet hadn’t lodged in her body. The faster she recovered, the faster he could return her to the town. He brushed a strand of hair from her face. Yes, she needed to leave before anyone in the pack became too attached to her. The last time a woman stayed with the pack for longer than a month, her life ended in tragedy. His heart clenched to remind him of the dull ache that never went away. He wouldn’t go through that again.
***
Diana groaned as she regained consciousness. Her body felt like it had been run over by a truck. She pushed herself up using what little strength she had left.
She peered into the dim room. In the center of the room, a shaft of sunlight illuminated the remnants of a fire. Red coals glowed from within a pile of ash.
In an instant, the events from the previous night rushed in. She slapped a hand over her mouth to suppress a scream. The last thing she remembered was being shot by Zane.
Her gaze darted around the room. No one lurked in the shadows. She breathed a sigh of relief and tried to remember how she ended up in a cave.
The wolf.
She shook her head to clear it. She must have passed out after the wolf saved her from Zane because the last thing she remembered was the wolf transforming into a man. A very naked, very sexy man. It had to be a hallucination.
Diana swung her good leg over the edge of the bed. A sharp pain radiated down the leg which had been shot. She stared at it. A bandage held a thick piece of gauze in place. She peeled back the edge of it and stared at her leg. The deep wound had a scab on it. She’d expected it to look much worse. Who could have healed her so quickly?
She slowly stood, putting most of her weight on her good leg. Her injured leg didn’t hurt nearly as bad as she thought it would. As she hobbled around the room, she pushed one hand against the cool stone wall for support.
Two stone daises were set several yards apart. Each platform was covered with a clean white sheet. The only other feature in the room was a shelf carved into the stone. Bottles in all shapes and sizes littered the shelf. Some of the bottles were filled with liquid and others with what looked to be dried herbs. None of the bottles were labeled.
A cool breeze stirred dirt into a mini dust devil at her feet. She staggered away from the wall and hobbled toward the only exit in the room, a curtained door.
&nbs
p; She took a breath and then pushed the heavy fabric back. The other side was pitch-black. She hesitated. At least she was relatively safe in the room. She could defend herself if there was only one entrance. But the need to escape overrode her preservation instincts.
She stepped into the void.
Her hands scraped along the wall. She used it not only for purchase, but to find her way back to the room if necessary.
When she’d traveled about ten yards, she turned and looked behind her. Darkness enveloped her in every direction. As a wave of panic set in, she hurried down the corridor. She was just about to panic and run when she spotted a thin shaft of light streaming from around a bend.
The tunnel took a sharp turn to the right. As she rounded the corner, she slammed into a solid wall. She jumped back. The naked man from her hallucination filled the space, his exquisite body bathed in golden sunlight. She yelped and backed away.
“Don’t be afraid.” His commanding voice did nothing to calm her nerves.
“Who are you? Where am I?”
“You’re in my den.”
Den? Oh God, the wolf. The floor swayed beneath her feet. The wolf man took a step forward, but she recoiled in fear. “Stay away from me.”
The corners of his mouth turned down. “I saved you from the human that was trying to kill you.”
A chill shimmied down the backs of her thighs. She held the tattered edges of her dress together in an effort to cover her exposed skin.
In a softer voice he said, “Don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt you.”
Something in his tone made her want to trust him, but she knew better. To trust any strange man after the date from hell would be foolish.
“I want to go home.”
A soft feminine voice came from behind the man. “You’re not going anywhere, missy, at least not until tonight.”
A naked woman with long gray hair sidestepped the man. “I’m Akila and that’s Ryker. He found you last night and I patched you up.”
Diana averted her eyes. “Thank you.”
“Do you have a name?”
“Diana.”
“Good thing for you that hunter was a bad shot.”
“He wasn’t a hunter.”
Akila cocked an eyebrow. “Did you know him?”
“I was on a date.”
“Worst date ever, or was he your boyfriend?”
Ryker’s wandering gaze snapped to attention.
“He wasn’t my boyfriend, just a guy I met through an online dating site.”
“An online what?”
“I’m guessing you don’t have internet here.”
Akila gave her a blank look. “Nope.”
Ryker watched her with inquisitive brown eyes. She couldn’t help but wonder at his sudden interest. A dull ache curled in her belly. She was hungry, but for what? As tempted as she was to let her eyes roam lower, she forced herself to keep her head up.
“We can’t let you leave yet,” he said.
“Why not?”
“You know what we are.”
She swallowed the lump in her throat. “What do you mean?”
Ryker glowered at her. “You saw me shift.”
“I’m not sure what I saw,” she lied.
“You saw me shift from wolf to man.”
“No,” she whispered. “It’s impossible. Werewolves are just a myth.”
“We’ve been around for thousands of years, but humans are afraid of us. They like to pretend we don’t exist because the alternative is too frightening, which is why we can’t let you leave.”
“You can’t keep me a prisoner.”
The muscles in his face relaxed. “We won’t, but you won’t be allowed to leave until tonight. We can’t have your people finding our den and killing us.”
“I wouldn’t tell them, I swear.” She cringed realizing she’d said the exact same words to Zane.
“We can’t take that chance. We’ll take you back to town tonight when it’s dark. But for today, you’re going back to bed to rest.”
She opened her mouth to protest, but he raised a hand.
“This is not negotiable.”
Diana shot a hopeful look at Akila, but she nodded in agreement. “Come with me.”
Ryker stepped in front of the women, blocking their path. “I’ll take her.”
Akila cocked her head to one side as if she was considering something. “Let me know if you need anything.”
The muscle in his jaw quivered as he turned and disappeared into the darkened hallway. Diana hesitated. She could turn and run the opposite direction and hope to escape into the woods. But realistically, there was no way she could outrun a wolf, or even a man. She’d tried that last night and failed miserably. She sighed and scurried after him.
Back inside the room, she sat on the bed she’d woken up in. Ryker leaned against the far wall, one leg casually draped across the other.
The skittering in her stomach slowed. He hadn’t attacked her. In fact, he’d saved her and taken care of her wounds. She relaxed slightly. Maybe she could trust him, but that didn’t mean she wanted to spend the rest of the day looking over her shoulder.
She mustered up as much courage as she could and in a firm tone said, “If I’m stuck here until tonight, I’d rather be alone.”
“I was going to offer you some food, but suit yourself.” He brushed past her on the way to the door.
“Wait. I’m sorry. This is so surreal.” She grabbed his firm upper arm to stop him, but he yanked it away.
“If you want to be alone, I get it. I can send someone to check on you from time to time. Even if you don’t think you’re hungry, you’ve lost a lot of blood and need nourishment.”
She prided herself on not being a sniveling crybaby, but the compassion in his voice destroyed the last thread of control. She hung her head as a tear rolled down her cheek.
He mumbled something under his breath as he tried to draw her into his arms. She pushed away and turned her back on him. She didn’t need another man touching her right now. She sniffed back the flood of tears that her body threatened to unleash.
Ryker spoke in a soothing voice. “You can trust me. If I’d wanted to kill you, I could have easily done it after you fainted.”
“That was so embarrassing.”
“It happens. Not everyone gets chased by a gun-wielding psycho and saved by a werewolf in one night.”
She smiled. He had a point.
He smoothed the unruly curls away from her face then gently rubbed her back. His smooth skin smelled like rainwashed pine. She didn’t push him away this time. Instead, she tilted her head up. Her cheek grazed the stubble on his chin. His lips were only inches from hers. But she couldn’t close the distance between them. She didn’t know anything about the wolfman. For all she knew, he change back into a wolf and tear her throat out.
But the more she looked at him, the more she wondered if she could trust him. He had saved her from Zane. Why would he have done that if he’d wanted to kill her too?
Chapter 3
Ryker resisted the urge to nibble on the edge of her pouty bottom lip. His hands wrapped around the small of her back just above the tempting curve of her hips. Her eyes went wide as he pulled her against his body. She placed her palms on his chest as if ready to fight his advances, but she didn’t. Instead, her eyebrows knitted together in confusion.
The scent of her sticky skin intoxicated him. Pheromones radiated from her body, coaxing him into a state of arousal more intense than anything he’d felt in the last few years. After he’d lost Trista, he never imagined he’d ever feel anything for another woman. The disconcerting sensation struck him like a bolt of lightning.
He stepped back as if scalded. “You probably want to get cleaned up.”
Confusion marred her pretty features. A dark blush crept up her neck into her face. “I’d take a bath if you had one.”
He backed into the shadow of the doorway hoping she didn’t see how much he desired her. “
I’ll have Leah come and take you to the river.”
“Thank you.” Her bold gaze traveled from his face down until it rested on his cock. She must have liked what she saw because she bit the edge of her lip in the most alluring way.
He pivoted and raced out of the chamber. He couldn’t risk staying another second, because at the slightest invitation, he would have laid her on the bed and done everything in his power to enflame and then soothe every inch of her.
At the fork in the tunnel, he turned left to get to Leah’s chamber. Most wolves preferred to live in the communal room, but Leah liked privacy. He didn’t blame her. Sometimes constantly having to make decisions for the pack weighed on him. When that happened, he needed time alone to think.
He poked his head behind the curtain. Leah lay on her pallet under a quilt of woven cotton. He hated to wake her up during the day because the wolves were nocturnal. But Diana needed a bath and he didn’t trust himself to take her to the river.
Leah rolled toward him and propped up on one elbow. Waves of thick chestnut hair dangled across her ultra-fit body. “Well, hello, sexy. I was wondering if you’d ever be back in my bed.”
He smiled. “As much as I’d love to crawl in there with you, I need your help with something.”
Her gaze traveled to his erection. She grinned. “Having a hard time with something?”
He chuckled. No wonder she thought he was there for sex. “Yes, but not with what you’re thinking.”
She tossed back the quilt, slid off the bed, then sauntered toward him. “How could you possibly know what I’m thinking?”
She reached for him, but he grabbed her wrists in a gentle but firm hold. “Last night I found a human in the woods. She was hurt so I brought her back here.”
“You did what?”
Ryker shifted from one foot to the other. “She would have died if I hadn’t brought her back.”
“Who else knows about this?”
“Only Akila, Alex, and now you.”
Leah clucked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. “If you told Alex, everyone will find out. That boy couldn’t keep his mouth shut if his life depended on it.”
