Silverback Wolf (Return to Bear Creek Book 17)

by Harmony Raines

  “Where did you get this scar?” she asked as her hands explored his shoulders, caressing his skin, and then traveled down his back.

  “In a bar fight.” He smiled as her forehead creased. “I could have lied and said in Afghanistan. But I never want to lie to you.”

  “So, who started the bar fight?” She pressed her lips to his chest and he groaned with need, but he focused on her question.

  “Jonas, he was a hell-raiser before he found his wife. He’d pick fights, and called it target practice. How he lived without ending up with a knife in his chest beats me.” She slid her hand around his hard length and stroked up and down. Wyatt closed his eyes, his world spinning, and he knew if he stepped off the side of the mountain he would soar above the peaks and fly toward the clouds.

  “But you loved him anyway.” Her hand moved in a steady rhythm while she kissed his chest, her tongue curling around his nipple.

  “He was my friend.” Wyatt broke off and took control, lifting her into his arms and laying her down on his sweater on the ground. It wasn’t much of a barrier to the uneven undergrowth, but Monica didn’t appear to care. She wanted him, it was obvious in her touch, in the way she licked her lips as if imagining what it would be like to lick his skin.

  Wyatt bent over her and kissed the swell of her breasts while his fingers dealt with the clasp of her bra. As her breasts spilled out, he cupped them in his hands and lowered his head, kissing the soft flesh before claiming her nipples, one at a time, and torturing them until they hardened into taut buds. She writhed under him, arching her back, offering herself to him. She was everything and more than he could ever have dreamed of.

  “We don’t have much time,” she whispered softly.

  “But we have enough time.” He pulled away from her and hooked his fingers into the elastic of her panties and pulled them down over her hips. She lifted her bottom off the ground to help him in his task, lifting one leg at a time and easing her foot out of them. Then she opened her thighs for him and he slid between them, nestling against her body, the head of his cock brushing against her outer lips.

  He eased himself forward as she guided him toward her entrance. The sun warmed his back and the breeze ruffled her hair as he thrust forward. Closing his eyes, he savored every moment of this life-changing event. He was about to claim his mate, the woman he thought he would never meet. Mates and family were for other people, not for him. That’s what he’d come to believe in the long days and longer nights when he hid himself away, scared he would fail other people as he had failed Jonas.

  But making love to Monica changed his perspective and gave him hope, and the courage that he could finally put his grief behind them. He knew now why Jonas had taken his own life. To have a mate and then lose her was the worst thing that could ever happen to a shifter. Wyatt had only known Monica a short time but already he could not imagine living without her.

  “Are you all right?” she asked, brushing her hand across his face.

  “Yes.” He opened his eyes and looked down at Monica, drinking in the sight of her while the stream bubbled along, the water traveling toward the ocean in a never-ending cycle. Just as life was a never-ending cycle. Birth and death and rebirth. “I understand now.”

  Monica lifted her head off the ground and kissed his lips. “Do you forgive yourself?”

  “There was nothing for me to forgive,” he murmured against her lips. “It was never my fault. If anything was to blame, it was fate, and I am not going to take fate to task over the death of one man.”

  “There, you are free.” She threaded her hands around his neck and kissed him, her teeth nipping his lower lip.

  “I’ll never be free again,” he told her, moving in and out of her as his arousal grew. “Not now.” He watched her face as his thrusts grew harder and the momentum increased. She wrapped her legs around his body and urged him on, faster, harder. Wyatt pulled back, and then lunged forward, filling her completely. She took everything he offered her and made him beg for more. In Monica, he’d met his match, and he reveled in the closeness of her body.

  Monica trailed her fingers down his back, scratching her nails on his skin. He arched his back and lunged into her harder. She cried out, her orgasm close, and he lowered his head and sucked on her nipples, his hand massaging her swollen flesh. Her hips bucked, and she cried out his name as she came, her voice high and breathy. It was too much, and he came, his seed spurting into her, filling her with his essence, with the potential of new life.

  But they were probably too old for babies, for children of their own. Instead, they would make a different kind of life, one that held meaning, one that served other people as they had both served for most of their lives. But not the Army. That life was behind them.

  “Attention on me, soldier,” she said and placed her finger under his chin and swiveled his head around to face her. They kissed as he jerked the last of his seed inside her.

  “We could just stay like this forever,” he said as he kissed her neck. “You and me, wolf and bear.”

  “You don’t really mean that.” Monica stroked his back, her touch awakening his arousal once more. After so long without sex, he was more than ready to make up for lost time.

  “No, I don’t. We must end this. But afterward.” He lifted his head and looked down at her. “What plans do you have for when this is finished?”

  She chuckled. “I have a pop princess who needs a bodyguard. I’m supposed to start work in ten days.”

  He sagged forward and then rolled to the side. “Are you going to walk out of my life?”

  “You could always come with me. I have a lot of downtime in between work hours. She’s a nice kid who likes to play video games when she’s not working.” Monica turned onto her side and rested her head on her hand, letting the sun warm her. Through half closed eyes, she continued. “I thought she was going to be some spoiled little bitch, she thought I was going to be some tattooed sergeant major shouting orders at people.”

  “You’re fond of her,” Wyatt said.

  “Yeah, her mom is a bitch, so she likes to come and talk to me about stuff. I’m like her surrogate mom. She’d like you, she never had a dad.” Monica sat up. “Or I can tell her I have to cancel.”

  “You’d do that for me?” Wyatt asked, propping his head up on his hand and watching as Monica retrieved her clothes and got dressed.

  “I would.” She tilted her head. “I’d rather not because I hate letting her down. But I don’t want to walk away from us. Not when we’ve just found each other.”

  Monica stood up and stepped into her combat pants, pulling them up over her hips. Wyatt rolled over and gathered his clothes, dressing quickly while he gave some thought to her offer. “I’ll come with you. I’d like to get out of town for a while and let the dust settle. Jay is starting up a bodyguard business aimed at shifters. Maybe I’ll take odd jobs with him.”

  “Look at you, a changed man.” She approached him and grabbed him by the sweater, pulling him close. “I like this new man.”

  He shook his head. “This is the old man. The man I used to be, the man I want to be again. It’s like a switch flipped when Jonas died, and now it’s flipped again.”

  “Now, let’s flip into our animals and run back down this mountain.” She stretched her legs, warming up her muscles. “Or we could walk down like this, hand in hand.”

  He laughed. “We could, but my wolf likes your bear and wants to spend time with her.”

  “Well, you need to tell your wolf my bear is not fast over long sprints.” She shifted into her bear and took off down the trail they had climbed less than an hour ago. Despite her words, she set a good pace, obviously finding going downhill easier than coming up. Wyatt followed, not because he couldn’t pass her, but because he liked the view better from back here. He no longer wanted to outrun fate, he was ready to do what needed to be done, so they could all get their happy ever afters.

  Chapter Fifteen – Monica

  They arr
ived back at the house, both changed, both ready to complete the mission that had been thrust upon them.

  “Hey there, Jack. How are you?” Monica held out her arms as he came running toward her and gathered him up. “Are you okay?”

  “I miss my mommy and daddy.” He laid his head on her shoulder and took a big trembling sigh.

  “We were saying goodbye,” Fiona said as she joined them on the porch. “Harlan Jr. gave me a cuddle and a kiss.”

  “And you wanted a kiss and cuddle off your mommy?” Monica asked.

  “I do. I want to see her again. I want her to read me a bedtime story. She does all the voices and everything.” Jack’s lip trembled, but he didn’t cry. It broke Monica’s heart that he would hold in his emotions. “It’s okay to cry.”

  “My dad said that I’m getting too old to cry.” Jack sighed again, his breath shuddering in his body.

  “No one is too old to cry,” Wyatt told him, rubbing his back. “I still cry.”

  “And I’ve seen your daddy cry,” Monica confided in Jack. “He cried on the day you were born because he loved you so much.”

  “He did?” Jack asked eagerly.

  “He did. Which is why I know he’ll be doing everything he can to get you and your mommy back. And we’re going to give him all the help we can.” Monica let Jack slither down to the floor, his small feet making a dull thud on the porch.

  “Tomorrow. Tomorrow this will all be over,” Wyatt told him. Monica closed her eyes, not wanting to agree with Wyatt because it would get Jack’s hopes up. True, tomorrow it would all be over, but possibly not in a good way. So many things could go wrong. Which was why they had to do whatever it took to ensure it all went right.

  “We need to go into town now. We have to go and speak to Liam. Will you be okay here?” Monica didn’t want Jack with them. Not because she didn’t want to spend time with him or because she thought it was no place for a child. But because the CCTV surveillance cameras might show them images they didn’t want to see. They knew Yolanda had been kidnapped, but since Trent hadn’t been allowed to speak to her, they had no way of knowing if she were still alive and unharmed.

  “Yes, Harlan’s going to take us for a walk in the woods.” Jack backed up and turned to go back into the house. “I can wait one more day.”

  Fiona raised her eyebrows. “I hope for his sake this is over tomorrow.”

  “It will be one way or another,” Wyatt replied firmly.

  “Let’s hope it’s the right way,” Fiona said curtly. “If not, I might have to do what I have not done for a few decades.”

  “Which is?” Wyatt asked as Fiona stepped off the porch and walked toward her car.

  “Rip a few heads off.” Her eyes glowed as she spoke, and smoke came out of her ears. “I will not tolerate this kind of thing. Not here.”

  “I would not like to get on the wrong side of Fiona,” Monica told Wyatt quietly as the dragon shifter got into her car and drove away.

  “Me neither.” He put his arm around her shoulders and guided her into the house. “Let’s get what we need and go. We’re short on time. But I’m glad we went into the mountains, it’s cleared my head.”

  They gathered the things they needed, including Yolanda’s phone, and said goodbye to Jack. “Keep us informed,” Harlan told them as they left the house. “We’ll be ready if you need us.”

  “Thanks, Harlan. We’ll call as soon as we have an update.” Monica hugged him quickly and then headed to her car, time was of the essence now. Liam should be on duty at the Bear Creek sheriff’s station and they could finally start to piece the puzzle together.

  “We’ll figure it out,” Wyatt told her as she drove toward Bear Creek.

  “I hope so. For Jack’s sake.” She pushed away the thought that insisted on bugging her ever since their conversation with Jack. “What happens if it’s not okay?” The words popped out of her mouth before she had a chance to stop them.

  “Then we pick up the pieces together,” Wyatt said quietly. “I can’t promise to make it right, but I can promise to be there every step of the way with you.”

  “We’re stronger together,” Monica murmured.

  “We are.” They sat quietly as they reached Bear Creek and Wyatt gave her directions to the sheriff’s station. “There’s Liam’s truck. Let’s go see what he’s found out.”

  “Are we supposed to take donuts?” Monica asked. “What? We’re both Army, I figured since we’re asking the police for help, we should bribe them with their usual diet of donuts.”

  “I think we’re okay, they will help us without the bribes.” He got out of the car, chuckling. At least she had made him laugh and lightened the mood. Although neither of them would forget how serious this was.

  “Here they are.” Liam looked up as they entered the sheriff’s office. Seated at a computer, he had a sheaf of handwritten notes beside him. “I have news.”

  “What?” Monica asked, hurrying over to him. “You’ve been here a while.”

  “I have. I woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep. I wanted to get a good start on this for you. For Jack.” He leaned back in his chair. “Having a child of your own makes you see things more clearly. I couldn’t get out of my head how I would feel if this were me.”

  “Neither of us has kids,” Monica told him. “But I can understand it must be easier to relate.”

  “So, here’s what I have.” He tapped on the keyboard and brought up some grainy images of a boat. “I tracked it all the way back to here.” He jabbed a finger at a name on the map.

  “Wadepark?” Wyatt leaned in and looked closely at the screen. “You mean they followed the river all the way?”

  “Yes. Makes sense. The boat had been moored on the river for some time. Then two days before Yolanda was kidnapped, they took it down to Reaminster.”

  “They? Do you have a sighting of them?” Monica asked, a sense of excitement coursing through her. The same excitement, coupled with nervous energy, that she always got before going out into enemy territory.

  “Yes. And no.” Liam tapped the keyboard again and took them back to the scene of the boat going under a bridge. “Unfortunately there are gaps in the images between the cameras. I don’t have an image of them leaving the boat.” He tapped the keyboard once more and then looked up at them with a well-deserved self-satisfied grin on his face. “But this is them on their return journey. Or so I hope. I mean it could be a random bunch of shifters, but they do go all the way back to Wadepark.”

  Wyatt snapped back as if someone had hit him. “What’s wrong?” Monica asked, concerned.

  “Can you zoom in?” Wyatt asked sharply.

  “Sure.” Liam used his mouse to scroll in. “Although we do lose picture quality.”

  “Him.” Wyatt pointed at the screen, his face pale. “I know him.”

  “Who is it?” Monica asked, knowing she was not going to like the answer. Was he a terrorist, an enemy from Wyatt’s past?

  “It’s Jonas.

  The breath left her lungs and she swung her head back to stare at the image on the screen. “Are you certain?”

  “Yes. Absolutely. When you’ve been around someone long enough, you would know them anywhere, in the way he walks, the movement of his head. The color of his fur.”

  She stared at the screen. “The coyote?”

  “A coyote.” Wyatt walked away from the desk, his face thoughtful. “He never died.”

  “You are absolutely sure?” Liam asked, flicking through more images of the group, which included a wolf and what looked like a couple of hyenas.

  “I am.” Wyatt nodded. “I need a moment.”

  He left the sheriff’s office and went outside. Monica gave him a few minutes to compose himself. While she waited, she asked Liam, “Do you have any images of when Yolanda was taken?”

  “I am waiting for clearance from the local police to access them. That’s why I figured I’d look these up first. There’s more.” He clicked his mouse and the images of
the shifter group were replaced by the outside of the old Army training barracks. “This is from the day she disappeared.”

  Monica watched as a van drove up to the gates, which opened, letting them inside, before closing shut. “She was in that van.”

  “If I had to guess. Once we get the go-ahead, we can be sure.” Liam swung his chair around and faced her. “We need a plan.”

  She nodded. “I know. We have to act quickly.” She sighed, casting a look toward the doorway where she could see Wyatt leaning against the wall. “Who else knows about this?”

  “No one, only us. But we are going to need help. If they truly are going to do a trade, they’ll be leaving Wadepark tonight, ready for a rendezvous in the morning. And if they are not...”

  “We have to get there before they hurt Yolanda.” She folded her arms across her breasts and considered their options. “Do we leave Trent to his own devices or send backup to him?” Then they had to consider whether they stormed the barracks or risked leaving their ambush until the kidnappers left and were more exposed, but they had no idea if they were going to leave with Yolanda or not.

  “We need to talk to Trent and find out where he is supposed to meet them. It could be back here at Wadepark, in which case it doesn’t look good for any of them. Killing them and dumping their bodies would be the easiest way to cover their tracks. Or it could be along the river anywhere.” Liam pulled up a map of the area.

  “If they were going to kill them both, my guess would be out in the middle of the countryside where no one would see them.” She pointed to the screen. “This section here goes through open farmland.”

  “I don’t know. It’s a long way to take an escaped prisoner. As soon as Trent makes his move, the whole area will be on lockdown.” Liam shook his head thoughtfully. “We’re missing something.”

  “Keep working on it, I’ll be back once I’ve spoken to Wyatt.” She got up and paused to say, “Thank you, Liam.”