Darkest Wolf

by Rebecca Royce

  She swallowed, her mouth had gone dry. “I think you overestimate yourself.”

  “No.” He sniffed the air. “Even now, you want me.” His damn nose. There would never be any hiding anything from him. “I’m not an animal.” She said the word with more disdain than she actually felt. “I can control my baser instincts. I can decide to ignore my hormones. Particularly if I don’t like the person for whom those feelings are directed.”

  “We’ll see.”

  She was working on a clever retort when the first shudder wracked her body. Her body seized up under the onslaught of pain. She screamed out but heard no sound. Tears plunged from her eyes. This was death. It had to be. She would perish in this hospital bed never having done any of the things she wanted to accomplish. Despair for chances not taken warred with the physical distress destroying her from the inside out.

  “Oh no.” She tried to swallow, forcing herself to remember she could breathe.

  “Elizabeth?” Rex voice penetrated her haze of pain. “What is it?”

  “The twins.” She could barely get the words out as another shudder drove into her body. She hoped her mother knew how sorry she was she would never be able to help her. If only she’d been stronger, better, more than she was…

  Rex pulled her into his strong embrace, holding her head up against his chest. She could hear his strong heartbeat. After a second, the pain in her body receded. How was that possible? They’d hit her hard. Time would stop their magic assault but the twins had too much power to wait out. They’d knocked over Rex’s car and not even been drained for a full day.

  “How?” She had to ask even as her eyes started to close. Her body needed to heal, to recharge her magic after the energy assault she’d taken.

  “They can’t hit me. For now, although it won’t last forever, I am protected from them by a wolf-spell my sisters-in-law bestowed on me. You are in my arms. They can’t touch you.”

  She rubbed her nose against him, not caring, for the moment, if it made her look needy. “If only I could spend forever in your arms.”

  Elizabeth could feel the blackness of sleep pulling at her. It was seductive and more powerful than she was at the moment.

  Rex whispered against her ear. “You can.”

  Nothingness took her in its arms.

  Chapter Five

  Rex scooped Elizabeth up in his arms. He didn’t have time to wait for this damn CT

  test. He had to get her out of there. One way or another, he had to transport them to Florida and deal with the mother of the horrific twins who were attempting to kill his mate.

  Her neurological exam had been good. He was going to have to hope she was fine.

  His sisters-in-law could examine her in Westervelt if there was no one in her pack who could help her first. Now he just needed to figure out how to sneak her out of the hospital without getting arrested. He scoffed at the thought. No human jail would hold him.

  Keeping his head down, he carried his small mate as if he had every right to exit the hospital with her in his arms. She was still wearing the paper gown but he didn’t dare take the time to dress her. Instead, he’d scooped up her clothes and carried them out with her. She could change later when she woke up.

  Rex gritted his teeth and moved forward as fast as he thought it was safe to do without drawing attention. Perhaps he need not have worried. The humans didn’t like to look at Elizabeth. It was their loss as far as he was concerned. If they couldn’t see past the curse, then they were simply blind or stupid.

  His next problem? He didn’t have a means of transportation. This was not an insurmountable issue. Like his newly borrowed phone, he would simply take a car for as long as he needed it. He couldn’t help the grin that crossed his face. Elizabeth had hated when he had called his taking of the phone “borrowing it.” Her moral indignation had been plastered all over her face.

  She was going to be upset all the time while in his presence. He stole things when he needed them. As much as possible, he returned the items when he no longer needed them.

  Perhaps if he left the island more often, he’d be better prepared for what he needed on the outside. In any case, he wasn’t going to concern himself too much with the right and wrongness of things. He had never promised anyone he would be a hero. Certainly his pack didn’t think of him as heroic.

  Moving into the parking lot, he pulled Elizabeth even closer. She might get cold. He didn’t feel the chill the way she would, and to make matters worse there was the issue of the paper gown. Horrendous the way these humans treated their sick.

  One-handed, he managed to manipulate the car door open to a black SUV he hoped would blend in pretty well on the drive to Florida. There seemed to be a lot of them on the road.

  Hurry up, people are coming.

  His wolf had been monitoring the surroundings while he focused on taking the car.

  Once upon a time, Gabriel had brought him out to learn how to do this type of thing. It had been an odd outing. Rex had been around ten years old and although his second oldest brother had looked thirty, he’d been hundreds of years old at the time.

  Why had Gabriel done that? He’d never questioned it before but Rex couldn’t get the question out of his head. Why had Gabriel taken him out at ten years old to break into cars they didn’t need and ultimately wouldn’t even drive away in?

  He felt the latch give under his hand. After getting the door open, he laid Elizabeth down gently in the passenger seat. It was dangerous to leave her alone even for a second—no way did he want to give the twin witches the opportunity to continue their assault on Elizabeth. Still, he needed to get this done without getting caught. He’d have to be really fast.

  Working meticulously to start the car, he let his wolf fill him up inside. Together, they were stronger. As one, they never failed. It was only when he lived by his own dictates he screwed everything up.

  Don’t be so hard on yourself.

  He ignored his wolf as he finished hot-wiring the car. The leather seat of his stolen—

  or borrowed—SUV crunched under him as he adjusted things to his liking. Really, he felt badly for the person who was going to come out and not find their vehicle where they’d left it. Unless he or she worked there, it was bad enough they had to be in the hospital in the first place.

  But he had to get a move on to Key Biscayne. The witches had to be dealt with before he returned with his witch to Maine. When Rex had phoned Tristan earlier, his brother, the alpha, had been clear on that point. Westervelt needed Elizabeth, and to not bring her there as fast as possible was akin to betrayal.

  His words had stung. It seemed every time Rex breathed, someone spoke of his betraying everyone around him.

  They just don’t understand you and you don’t do a good job of explaining yourself.

  Yeah … well … everyone else seems to get the benefit of the doubt except me.

  He pulled the car out of the parking lot, careful to avoid going too fast. What he really wanted to do was speed away as fast as he could without stopping until he reached Florida.

  Patience.

  He sighed. I know.

  Rex rubbed his eyes. He was tired. There was no question, but it would be days before he would be able to rest and it’s not like he really required much sleep. Wolves could go a long time without having to close their eyes for rest. These days it was more likely he was mentally exhausted than anything else.

  He glanced over at his sleeping mate. Yes, she defined fragility. She would need to be protected at all times, and unfortunately he was all too aware he was not the wolf for the job.

  Do you think she’s close enough to me? Or do I need to move her closer to protect her from the magic assault?

  His wolf looked back and forth between them. You need to adjust her.

  I’m not sure exactly how to. I need to drive this car.

  Adjust her so she’s on our lap.

  Rex knew his wolf was correct. He also suspected Elizabeth would hate to wa
ke up with her head on his lap like they’d been doing something really raunchy in the car.

  Grinning at the thought, he tugged on her gently until he had her where he could protect her if there was a bump or a jolt in the car. The witches had already proven they could take down cars. This time, however, he had to hope the fact they didn’t know Elizabeth was on the move would protect them for a little while. Also, it might help they didn’t know in which direction he and Elizabeth travelled.

  Perhaps his holding her alone would make it impossible for them to magically detect her.

  His wolf snorted. Maybe.

  Rex couldn’t disagree. He was basically flailing around in the dark, looking for a way to get through this.

  Of course it doesn’t help you’re still on the outs with the alpha. We could have used him on our side.

  Yes. Rex gripped the wheel tightly with one hand as he followed signs for the turnpike south. He could basically straight shoot the car all the way to Florida if he stayed on that particular highway. Then when Elizabeth regained consciousness she could help him get to Key Biscayne.

  He couldn’t help but feel deflated after his phone conversation with Tristan. It had started out well. He’d told Tristan he’d found his mate and she was a witch.

  His older brother’s voice had brightened considerably at the news. They’d just had a massive battle Rex had missed and their sister had returned to them. Rex still couldn’t remember her. Their father’s plan to kill all the women had caused his mother to cast a spell hiding the unmated women from their father, consequentially making it so they couldn’t remember the missing females of their pack until they were confronted with them face-to-face.

  At least that was how it seemed. Maybe one day—poof—all the magical barriers keeping them from their women would fade and the pack would suddenly recall each and every one of them. He didn’t consider that especially likely. When he’d told Tristan he’d had to go to Florida before he could come home, well, his announcement hadn’t gone well.

  Try not to dwell on it. He’s stressed.

  I know. Rex nodded. But if I get accused of being a traitor one more time I might decide to actually become one. Perhaps my father could use my help.

  His wolf sighed loudly. You’d rip out your own tongue first.

  The sad part was his wolf was absolutely correct. He would never, could never, betray Westervelt in any way, despite what his brother thought. Rex would probably live and die being accused of all sorts of horrendous acts without ever committing even one.

  He wondered if that made him pathetic.

  No, just loyal to a fault.

  On his lap, Elizabeth stirred. He ran his hand through her luscious hair. It was thick and soft in his fingers. How could anyone—even a human—perceive it as anything else?

  She groaned a second before she opened her eyes. Blinking, her face held the look of a woman who had no idea where she was. Eyebrows tilted downwards, her brown eyes looked dazed and unfocused. It couldn’t have been okay that she was struck with so much magic while she battled a concussion. Rex wanted to throttle those two witches. He might not kill them right away. He might torture them for a while.

  “I don’t think I’m in the hospital anymore.”

  He shook his head. “Clearly not.”

  “And my head is on your lap.” She said the last word with such horror he would have grinned if he hadn’t felt such a tinge of longing in his gut. He couldn’t be hoping she’d want to be there. The idea was downright absurd. Other mated couples might enjoy some kind of emotional intimacy, but it was highly unlikely love would ever happen to the two of them.

  He was a wolf and she was a witch. They’d be lucky if they didn’t kill each other.

  “I stuck you here so I could drive and protect you from magical assault. I assure you, nothing happened you wouldn’t want. You were unconscious. I’m not, despite what you think, a monster.”

  Why did his voice sound so tight? He cracked his neck to try to relieve some of the tension he felt well up in there. Rex didn’t suffer from human aches and pains, so what the hell was going on?

  “Where are we going?”

  “Florida.” Hadn’t he told her this? She jerked upward, and he grabbed her shirt with his hand. Before she could speak, he finished his thought. “By all that is sacred, do not let go of me. I will not have you losing consciousness again because those lunatics magically abuse you again. Do you understand? It’s simple. At least one hand on me at all times.

  More would be better but one hand is the bare minimum. Do you understand?” She visibly swallowed, her neck muscles clenching. Finally, she spoke. “Yes.” As she reached out to put one hand on his arm, he felt himself relax. He hadn’t expected her to agree. Somehow, he’d thought she’d put up more of a fight, he would have to battle her to get her to do what she should do.

  Not everything in life is going to be a fight, Rex.

  He didn’t like the pity he heard in his wolf’s voice. Everything was a fight. All of the time. From the moment he opened his eyes until he went to bed at night he fought for the right to exist. He was a dark creature whom no one wanted around. Just to exist was a trial. If he didn’t have to struggle against this witch for one moment, then he’d consider himself lucky. For the moment.

  “We should not be going to Florida. That is the middle of their den. I can’t stand the thought of something happening to my mother.” Her hand shook on his arm. “Maybe I should turn myself in to them. They’ll probably just torture me for a few years.”

  “This is all going to end. They are bullies. This kind of behavior has to be put to a stop. I will end it for you. Then we will go to Westervelt and you will help me.” She shook her head. “It’s never going to be simple. I promise you, if it were just a matter of standing up for myself, I would have done it years ago.”

  “Hiding out from something does not make it go away. I know this for a fact. It will never end. It will only get worse.”

  Elizabeth slammed her free hand on the console. “How can you be so sure?”

  “Because we sat still for thirty years after my father destroyed nearly my entire pack.”

  “I don’t understand. Tell me. Make me comprehend what you’re talking about.” Rex had never had anyone want to know more about him than Elizabeth. It was kind of … nice.

  Mating happens for a reason.

  He ignored his wolf. “You know what happened almost forty years ago. My father, who was alpha of our pack, got together with a man named Claudius. They hatched a plan to make more of us, to create soldiers or something. I’m not sure what their ultimate goal at that point was. I was the youngest. Well, sort of. It turns out I have a sister I can’t remember but she was just a baby.”

  An emotion he couldn’t identify flashed through her eyes. Elizabeth was such a consistent mystery to him. “Go on. Please.”

  “They couldn’t get the pack’s support.”

  Elizabeth interrupted. “I thought alphas had supreme rule.”

  “They do. But there is an advisory committee of elders. If they all get together to go against the alpha, they can out rule him.”

  “More democratic than I would have thought.” She mumbled her words and looked out the window.

  “You have to understand how nearly impossible it is for a wolf to go against his alpha. Those elder wolves would have to feel in their hearts a huge amount of agony to even say no. It’s so hard on them.”

  “Then only a very bad decision by an alpha would make the elders act.”

  “Correct.” Rex rubbed his head. He felt tired down to his bones. “My father didn’t accept that decision. He found a witch. They paid her.”

  “And?”

  Her gaze had shifted to his face. He had her full attention now, which was good. She needed to understand how he felt about witches, about what one had done to his entire existence. “She put a curse on the island, on all of us. For a time, a male could not be mated. If he was, he would become consumed
with the need to kill his mate. And that is what happened close to forty years ago. All of the mated males on Westervelt killed their women.”

  “No witch would…”

  He slammed his fist down on the steering wheel. “I assure you. One did. I heard you earlier when you insisted no witch would. I can promise you, this woman did it and there are others working for my father doing equally horrible things now.”

  “Then they aren’t legitimately practicing the craft. The goddess does not want evil from us. It’s a perversion of the gifts. To do so would be to go against all we are taught.” He wanted to be moved by her words. How nice it would be to believe her. But all Rex could think was she was naive. Horribly and truly unaware of the nature of life even as she walked through her days with a curse distorting her features, put on her by the same group of people she now diligently defended.

  Elizabeth held within her a good soul. She deserved better than to be paired up with him. Nevertheless, he had to take what fate had given him and make it work. At least until Westervelt was safe again.

  You want her, Rex. Why deny it?

  I want lots of things. I get almost none of them.

  His wolf harrumphed. Yes, but you actually got this.

  “Well.” He forced his mind back to the present. “It happened. The witch cursed us.

  All but two of the mated men killed their women. Two of my uncles managed to kill themselves instead.” And Rex had admired them more than anyone else in his whole life.

  They were strong and they hadn’t let anything—even a powerful curse—make them hurt their women.

  “So all of those men have just been living with the knowledge they killed their mates all this time?” She sounded horrified, and he hated to tell her it was much worse than she imagined.

  “We can’t live without our mates, once we’ve found them. Not for very long, not without agony. My aunts, the ones who weren’t killed, managed to endure for a while to keep the pack together but it was hell for them. When our mates die, if we do not die with them, we commit ritual suicide to join them. It’s a compulsion. We must be together in this world and the next.”