by Liv Brywood
“He swore he wouldn’t say anything.” Ryker knew she was right, but there wasn’t much he could do about it now.
“Well, what’s done is done. What do you need me to do?”
“She needs a bath. I’d like you to take her to the river. Go upstream to the pool so the others don’t see her.”
“What was she doing in the woods?” Leah asked.
“Running from a lunatic with a gun.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Afraid not. The guy shot her but only hit her leg. She’s understandably on edge and I don’t know if other humans will be out searching for her, so I need you to be alert.”
“Where’s Tala? She’s alpha female and would be the best person to protect the human.”
“She’s with the tracking party.” His patience was wearing thin. As the beta female, Leah had a little more leeway to question him, but not much.
As if sensing the change in his mood, she said, “No problem. Is she in your chamber?”
Her territorial tone surprised him. Was she jealous of Diana? She’d be gone from the den that night, so Leah didn’t have anything to worry about.
He decided to ignore the loaded undertone of the questions and responded in a neutral voice. “She’s in Akila’s chambers.”
Leah flashed a seductive smile. “I’m always happy to do anything you need.”
He had no doubt about that. In the months after he’d lost Trista, he’d accepted the comfort of her body. He admired her intelligence but she wasn’t his mate. He needed a mate who could match his dominant position. Someone who could take on the position of alpha female and help oversee the pack.
“When you’re done at the river, bring her back to my chamber.”
Her smile faltered but she nodded. “Will do.”
“Thank you.”
He left the room and made his way toward the entrance to the cave. The closer he got to the light, the more he wanted to run. The tension in his body needed to be released.
Sunlight streamed through the branches of the pine trees. He inhaled the fresh air. So pure and clean. He couldn’t understand why humans insisted in living in disgusting, smelly cities.
When he shifted, he welcomed the painful crack of his bones as they elongated and stretched. Fur grew to cover his body. The canine teeth he used to rip prey apart extended.
He loved this form. It was far more comfortable and practical than the human form. He almost wished he’d been born pure wolf. But he learned never to curse his body. There was no use in fretting over something you couldn’t change. It wasted energy which could be used for other things, like running.
He raced into the forest. His paws pounded the ground as he accelerated to full speed. Wind whipped through his fur as he jumped over small boulders. Pure joy flowed through him. Even though he was alpha, he needed time to himself. Time away from the pack helped him clear his mind and relax.
As he rounded the great white oak and turned toward the meadow where he found Diana, he realized he couldn’t rest yet. Now was the perfect time to track the man with the gun.
***
Diana paced the length of the room. She’d almost kissed the werewolf. What the hell had she been thinking? Yes, he was virile in a barely domesticated kind of way, but still. She’d never been so reckless. Instead of feeling terrified by the situation, she’d turned into a hormonal schoolgirl. Nearly getting killed by Zane had clearly clouded her judgment. She’d need to be more careful until the wolves took her back to Full Moon Bay.
She glanced up at the hole in the roof. Judging by the angle of the sun, it couldn’t be much past noon. She still had to wait at least another six to eight hours.
“Hello.”
Diana jumped and turned toward the sound. A lithe woman entered the chamber. Apparently everyone walked around naked here.
The woman was a few inches taller than her, maybe five foot nine. Diana tried not to stare, but she couldn’t look away. The woman’s caramel skin radiated health. Wavy chestnut-colored hair swept down her back, ending just above her waist. She had the body of a marathon runner, tight, sleek and without an ounce of fat. She probably could have outrun Zane without breaking a sweat.
“I’m Leah. Ryker sent me to take you to the river for a bath.” She scrunched up her nose. “I can see why.”
Diana bristled. What did they expect? She’d outrun a madman and slept in a cave overnight. Of course she smelled terrible.
Diana asked. “How far is the river from here?”
“About a half a mile. Far enough to keep any predators away, but close enough for us to gather water and bathe. Let’s get going. I don’t like to get burnt and the sun’s already directly overhead.”
Diana followed her along the dark corridor. It only took about a minute to get to the entrance of the cave. She would have tried to escape if she’d known how close it was to the room they held her in.
Leah led her into the forest. “I didn’t catch your name.”
“Diana.”
“Ah, lady of the hunt.”
“More like lady of the hunted,” Diana grumbled.
“Ryker told me about that. What happened?”
Diana told her about the disastrous date and explained how she ended up in the meadow. She ended by saying, “And then a wolf scared him off.”
Leah walked alongside her. “You mean Ryker.”
“Well yes, but he’s a wolf.”
“He’s not a wild animal.” Leah smirked. “Well, sometimes he is.”
Heat crept up Diana’s face. God she wished she didn’t blush so easily.
Leah glanced at her. “He’s handsome, isn’t he?”
“I hadn’t really noticed,” she lied.
“Mm-hmm.” Leah arched a skeptical eyebrow.
“I mean, he does have a nice body… but wait, why are we even talking about this? Are you his wife?”
Leah threw back her head and laughed. “No. Not even close. I’ve mated with him in the past, but just to scratch an itch. Ryker’s the alpha of the Silver Creek Pack, our pack. He probably won’t marry. Most alphas don’t, after all. Why should they when they can have any female in the pack anytime they want?”
“What if the female doesn’t want to sleep with him?”
“Ryker would never take a woman against her will. You don’t become alpha without respecting all of the members in your pack. The position is mutually agreed upon.”
Intrigued, Diana asked, “Do you vote or hold elections?”
“No, nothing like that. Once someone becomes alpha, they hold the position for life. When they die, the new alpha is someone everyone would assume would take over as leader. Most of the time it’s the beta of the group.”
“What’s a beta?”
“Second-in-command. If Ryker were to leave to go on a hunt, the beta, Trent in our case, would take over until Ryker returned.”
Diana was silent as she processed this information. What an interesting social structure. She wondered how well it actually worked. What would stop a beta from trying to overthrow an alpha?
“We’re almost there,” Leah said.
“Do you think it’s okay to get in the river with the scab on my leg?”
Leah stopped and leaned down. “Let me see.”
Diana gingerly peeled the bandage off. “I just can’t believe how fast it’s healing.”
“Akila has some magical herbal stuff she puts on wounds. No one knows where she goes to harvest the plants, but some of the wolves think she’s more witch than wolf.”
“I can see why.”
Leah skipped ahead. “There it is.”
Just beyond the trees, the river glistened in the sun. Diana listened to the rushing river gurgling over rocks. Excited by the prospect of getting clean, she increased her pace. Once they hit the beach, hot sand squished through her toes. She mewled with pleasure.
Across the river, a sheer mountain blocked the sun from half of the beach. She covered her eyes with one hand and
looked up at the rocky cliffs.
Leah jumped into the water and splashed around. “Come in, the water’s perfect.”
Diana stuck a toe in the water then recoiled. “It’s freezing.”
“You’ll get used to it once you get in.”
Diana debated whether or not to get in while still wearing her tattered dress. She hadn’t thought to ask if they had any clothes she could borrow.
A large fallen tree stump lay across the beach. She could wash the dress after she bathed, then let it dry before putting it back on.
Leah ducked her head underwater. Diana took the opportunity to strip off the filthy dress and hang it on the lone branch protruding from the stump.
She crossed her arms over her breasts and rushed into the river. The icy water took her breath away. She gasped.
Leah snickered. “Stick your head under. You’ll get used to it faster.”
Diana counted to three then ducked her head under the water. When she surfaced, she sputtered and spit water out of her mouth.
“There you go.”
“I’m going to turn into a Popsicle.”
“What I wouldn’t give for one of those.”
“You’ve had Popsicles before?”
Leah grinned. “Yep. My favorite flavor is cherry. That’s all I ate during the summer when I was a kid.”
“How did you get…wait, were you always a…” Her voice trailed off.
“Werewolf? It’s okay to say it. I’m not ashamed of it. I was born human.”
“How did you become a werewolf?” Diana asked.
“When I was sixteen, I took a walk in the woods and met the sexiest guy I’d ever seen. He was bathing in the river. I just walked over and started talking to him.”
“That was brave.”
“Or stupid. I got lucky in this case.”
“Did he turn you into a werewolf?”
“Not at first. I didn’t even know Stryde was a wolf until one day when I followed him. He wouldn’t tell me where he lived so I tracked him back to the den. He shifted to his wolf form just inside the entrance. I was fascinated. I stepped out of the woods and that’s when he saw me. He shifted back and warned me that I couldn’t go into the den. He said he was sorry that he hadn’t told me the truth, but by then it was too late. I was completely in love.” Leah smiled at the memory.
“What happened after that? Did you see him again?”
“Yes. We spent the entire summer together. At the end of the summer I couldn’t stand the idea of being apart from him so I begged him to turn me.”
“And he did?” Diana asked.
“At first, Stryde refused to turn me. But I pleaded with him and eventually he gave in. He loved me too and couldn’t stand the thought of being apart.”
“How did he turn you?”
“He bit me.”
“Is that the only way to become a wolf?”
“No, you can be born a wolf if one of your parents is one.”
“Does Stryde live in the den also?”
A dark shadow passed over Leah’s face. “No. Stryde and Ryker were best friends, but only one could become alpha. The den chose Ryker. When he became alpha, Stryde left for the mountains and formed the Dark Moon Pack.”
“Why didn’t you go with him?”
“Stryde was so bitter and angry that he wasn’t chosen. I waited for him to calm down, but he kept pushing me away. One day, he told me he didn’t love me anymore.” Leah pressed her palm against her heart.
“And you believed him?”
“No. But I couldn’t take his anger anymore. His den is high in Howling Mountain and very isolated. I couldn’t live like that, so I returned to the Silver Creek Pack. I haven’t seen or talked to Stryde in over a year. When he comes to the den for council meetings, I hide in my room. I can’t bear to see him.”
“Do you still love him?”
Leah wiped a tear from her cheek. “I’ll always love him.”
Diana placed a hand on her arm. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you cry.”
“You didn’t. But you know something? I have no regrets. I love being half-human, half-wolf. It’s like getting the best of both worlds.”
“How so?”
Leah swam to a calm pool of water that was surrounded by rocks. She floated on her back. “When I’m a wolf, I can run faster than I can in human form. I can roughhouse with the other wolves and no one gets hurt. When I’m human, I can work with my hands and make things out of wood and stone. I’ve always liked to create functional art.”
“I’ve never been much of an artist. I’m going to a college of dentistry.”
Leah sat up. “You should see Trent’s mouth. Talk about a disaster.”
“What’s wrong with him?”
“He likes to gnaw on sticks. I’ve told him it’s not good for his teeth but he doesn’t listen. He’s so stubborn about listening to anyone’s advice.”
“Maybe I can take a look to see if there’s anything I can do to help.” She hadn’t been paying attention to any of the werewolves’ teeth, but now that Leah mentioned it, Ryker’s seemed unusually sharp.
***
Ryker tracked the scent of the gun-wielding human to the town of Full Moon Bay. At the edge of the forest, he surveyed the people walking down Main Street. There were too many out right now so he couldn’t continue his search in town. He’d have to continue tonight after he brought Diana back.
He had to find the man and kill him. He couldn’t risk word getting out about werewolves in the forest. He wasn’t sure how much the man had seen after he took off, but he wasn’t taking any chances.
After studying the faces on Main Street one more time, he backed into the woods and then turned and ran.
The deeper he got into the forest, the more sure he was about where he was headed. He reached the base of Howling Mountain. As he ascended the steep trail, he carefully chose each step. Wind whipped through the narrow passes. An ever-present mournful howling sound snaked through scattered pine trees.
Most wolves refused to climb the mountain out of respect for the Dark Moon Pack. But Ryker had known Stryde, the pack’s alpha, since they were children. The council agreement between the tribes allowed wolves to pass through other territories without harm, but they were strictly forbidden from approaching the other wolves or hunting in their territory.
Ryker didn’t plan on violating the treaty. He only broke rules when it was absolutely necessary.
He continued up the switchback trail that lead to his favorite place in the world. When he reached the overhang, he quickly checked the small cave. He kept a few supplies here for when he needed a place to think. Everything seemed to be in its place.
Thirsty from the climb, he nudged the lid off a large gourd and lapped up water. When he was done, he picked the lid up with his teeth and secured it.
He pawed toward the edge of the overhang and stared down at the river below. Diana and Leah splashed in the pool at the edge of the river. The women were both in their human form and he couldn’t help but notice their differences. Leah’s stomach was a smooth plane which ended at her narrow hips. He’d enjoyed mating with her over the years, but beyond that, he didn’t feel anything more than friendship toward her. She seemed more interested in Trent anyway. The beta didn’t mind sharing since he also had a wandering eye, so the arrangement worked well.
In contrast to Leah, Diana’s belly was soft and round. Her hips were curvaceous and tantalizing. It had only been about an hour since his hands held those luscious hips, but his body remembered. The stirring between his legs distracted him. In his wolf form, desire often overrode common sense. He’d have to be very careful about shifting too close to her, especially if they were alone.
Even from a thousand feet above, he could smell the sweet essence of her. The river had worked wonders and the foul city smell was gone, and so was the scent of fear. He lowered down to the ground and rested his head on his forepaws, content to simply watch her.
**
*
Zane clamped the custom steel bullet mold into place. A bead of sweat worked its way down his forehead and dripped into his eye. The workshop in his garage didn’t have any climate control but only the wicked needed such worldly things.
He needed to line the mold with a thin layer of carbon. If he poured pure silver into the mold, it would react with the steel and ruin the finish on the bullet. He could probably have gotten away with skipping this step, but people who cut corners were weak, lazy creatures.
He lit a Bunsen burner then turned off the supply of oxygen. A yellow flame bloomed. He waved the mold over the flame a few times to create the carbon layer.
Satisfied with his work, he turned off the burner. He carefully set the mold on the refractory brick on the table, then used a clamp to hold it in place. He opened the furnace and used industrial grade tongs to pull out the crucible filled with silver.
As he poured the molten silver into the bullet mold, he prayed over it. “Lord, make me the instrument of your wrath. Let these bullets pierce the werewolves’ evil souls and send them to hell where abominations against God belong.”
When the molds were filled, he put the crucible to the side and waited. He’d hunt the wolves tonight. He almost couldn’t believe his eyes when the wolf who attacked him transformed into a man, but suddenly everything made sense. Women were only part of the evil walking the earth.
As a boy, he hadn’t realized the extent of their wickedness until the first time his mother beat him over the head with her thick, leather Bible. She’d hit him so hard his head cracked against the kitchen table. As blood oozed from the growing lump on his scalp, God spoke to him.
At ten years old, he thought he’d known his purpose, but now he knew better. God made him an instrument of His will and he’d never stop until he killed every werewolf in the woods.
Chapter 4
Diana froze at the sudden shiver of awareness. The distinct feeling of being watched washed over her, sending her heart skittering in her chest.
Leah frowned. “What is it?”
“I feel like…never mind, it’s silly.”
“Come on, you can tell me.” Leah playfully splashed her.
Diana stared up the mountain. Someone was definitely watching her, but she couldn’t see who it was. A shadowy movement caught her attention. On a ridge high above the river, she spotted a wolf peeking over the side of a shelf in the cliff.
