To Catch A Wolf: BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance (Wolf Valley Raiders Book 2)

by Harmony Raines

  Then there was another wolf amongst them. For a moment her heart stopped—she thought they were under attack—but then she recognised Sol.

  I guess he didn’t want another cupcake after all, she thought crossly.

  Sol ran all around the field, startling the cattle and making them turn back towards her. Son-of-a-bitch, she was seriously going to put him in his place when they got home. First she had to dodge the stampede heading her way.

  Chapter Two – Hugo

  Grabbing his jacket, Hugo ran out of the front door and across the field, his wolf itching to be free, to fight off anyone who dared trespass on his land. He had heard a disturbance down in his bottom meadow and there was no way anyone was going to steal the herd he had spent years building up.

  His cattle were his most prized possessions; he had bred them into the strong, healthy herd they were today by sheer hard work and determination. He had lost count of the many hours he had spent in the barn on cold nights, watching over them as they gave birth to their calves. Then watching in wonder as those same calves, only hours old, took their first determined steps. There was no way he was going to let someone just take them from him.

  As he made his way down to the scene, he was hit by an unusual feeling; his senses tingled and he felt light-headed. Great. If he had to fight, he needed to be in the best possible shape, not all wobbly at the knees and spaced out. Inside, his wolf had stopped moving too. What was wrong? These rustlers must have some secret weapon, a drug they sprayed into the air to stop his kind in their tracks. If he couldn’t pull himself together, this was not going to end well.

  He really should have called in a favour and picked up the phone to call some of the other local ranchers who had been attacked by these raiders. Or he should have bought his gun. But no matter what these guys were up to, he didn’t relish the thought of actually shooting someone. Just because they looked like wolves, Hugo knew only too well, they were people underneath. Humans. And murder was not his thing.

  Out through the gate, he was now able to see what was going on. Two wolves were in the lower meadow, trying to round up his herd, which had been startled. Two other wolves were off to his left. One looked as if he was tangled in the wire fence and the other was trying to help free him. Who did he go for?

  The two after his cattle. If he could get the herd away from them, then they would leave, surely. It didn’t occur to Hugo they might attack him. He expected the wolves to run like the cowards they were. He started towards them, turning into his wolf as he ran. But as soon as his four paws touched the ground, his wolf had other ideas. He turned to head in the directions of the wolf who was stuck in the fence.

  Only when he got close, with Hugo frantically trying to get control of him, did he realise why his wolf was drawn here. The scent didn’t just tickle his nose: it stirred things deep inside him, very deep inside him.

  Here, in the middle of his field, trying to steal his cattle, was his mate. Of all the twisted fates he could think of. To find the very woman he was supposed to spend the rest of his life with here in his meadow was just too unbelievable.

  And when the she-wolf turned and looked at him, he saw the recognition cross her face too, and knew she felt the same. He was right, this was not going to end well.

  Chapter Three – Bliss

  Her wolf turned and looked at the male coming towards her; it wasn’t one of her brothers. It was someone entirely different. As she looked at his thick wolf pelt, wanting to press her body against the tawny fur, her head swam. Bliss had to fight the sudden urge to leave her brother lying tangled in the wire and run to him. What the hell was wrong with her? Her loyalty lay to her brother. Not when it came to a choice between him and her mate.

  Her mate. No, it couldn’t be.

  This had to be the worst timing in the world. Who would want to find their mate here in the middle of a muddy field, when you are trying to steal from him? If things couldn’t get any worse, Bliss was wrong.

  Sol growled, low and deep, thrashing about and tangling himself up even more as the other wolf came nearer, crouched low to the ground, ready to attack. Looking back towards Sol, she knew the only way to get him out of there was to turn back to her human form and use her hands. That would leave her vulnerable to this other wolf. Your mate.

  She could use the mating bond to her advantage because he wouldn’t hurt her, that she was sure of. Bliss would free Sol and let him get out of harm’s way; then she could change back into her wolf and run. Her mate wouldn’t stop her. Bliss was confident she could outrun fate...

  A brief disturbance in the air and she was kneeling on the ground, fingers twisting the wire to loosen it from Sol’s neck.

  “Will you keep still, Sol?” In front of her, on the ground, Sol writhed, pulling away, but only managing to get himself wrapped even tighter in the wire. When she bent forward to loosen it again, she was rewarded with a scratch across her forearm, tearing her clothes and making her bleed. “Great.”

  Gritting her teeth, she made one last effort to free him, ever conscious of the big tawny wolf who was getting closer. With each step, she could feel herself being drawn to him. Fighting it with all her strength, she placed her hand on Sol’s shoulder, pressing her weight down onto him to keep him still. Then with her other hand, she unwrapped the wire from around him. In true Sol style, he jumped up and, without a backwards glance, ran off. To Bliss, loyalty only ever worked one way.

  Glancing at the wound on her arm, she winced at how deep it was, but she had to run now, while she still could. Getting to her feet, she prepared to change into her wolf and hightail it out of there, before things got more complicated. But her wolf had other ideas—unusually disobedient, she wouldn’t come forward to join with her. Bliss was stuck on two legs. Bliss had no choice; she would have to run from the wolf behind her, on two legs not four.

  Heading to the truck, knowing they needed to abandon the cattle get out of there, she was relieved to see Cole and Riley lifting the ramp of the trailer and securing it. As she watched, they raced around to the front of the truck and got in. As soon as she was in the back they could escape. As far as she could tell, Sol had gone; no doubt run into the trees; she would look for him later once they were safely away.

  All she had to do was shake this guy off and get in the back of the truck. Only the back of the truck was disappearing into the distance.

  “Shit,” she shouted. “What the hell are you doing?” But the truck and her brothers were gone. Disappearing into the distance at such a speed, she would never catch them, even if she turned wolf.

  Bliss never faltered. She kept her head down, running, not daring to look behind her, but knowing the wolf would be hot on her tail and she needed a new plan. However, the wolf was no longer behind her; instead, the man had appeared, shifting so quickly Bliss had missed it. Only when his hand closed around her jacket, and pulled her back did it register she was about to be tackled to the ground by her mate.

  Inside, her wolf leaped up and down with excitement, revelling in the first contact between her and the mate she was supposed to bond with for the rest of her life. Only Bliss wasn't leaping for joy, instead she was falling down to the ground, hands out to break her fall, landing in a puddle of wet mud.

  “Get off me,” she screamed. However, he didn’t budge, and used the weight of his body to keep her down despite her arms flailing around wildly.

  “Promise you won’t run if I do?” he asked.

  In answer, she tried to use her body weight to shove him off, twisting and turning underneath him. But he was too strong and held her firmly in place. “Damn it. You bastard, get off me!” She then commenced a tirade of verbal abuse, words she had picked up from her two elder brothers.

  “You know, honey, I might have to wash your mouth out for using language like that.” His tone was much too good-humoured, and it made her want to be free of him even more.

  “I am not your honey. So let me up.” She hated the way the wet mud was seeping
through her clothes, chilling her skin. But not as much as she hated the way he made her body wake up to his presence. The heat of his touch spread across her skin and ran deep to her core, flames of desire licking her stomach.

  “OK, I’ll let you up,” he said, loosing her a little. However, before she could get up, he grasped one of her wrists and then the other one, and pulled them behind her back. Too late to react, she felt him slip a rope around her wrists and tighten it.

  She pulled against the rope, but it held fast. “What the hell are you doing?” Bliss demanded.

  “I am making a citizen’s arrest. You have been raiding a lot of farms and stealing a substantial amount of property over the last few weeks. You and your friends. So I think I have every right to restrain you.” His hand sliding up her back sent delightful shivers along her spine, which she tried to ignore.

  “You are not turning me over to the sheriff!” He was her mate; he wouldn’t dare!

  He leaned down and his warm breath on her ear made her tremble deliciously. Why did her body have to betray her in such a way? “We’ll have to see if you behave yourself when I question you.”

  She kicked her legs, trying to land a good shot on him. “Let me go. I will not answer any of your questions.”

  “Oh, you might. When I’m done with you, you’ll be singing like a bird.” He pulled her up, and faced her to him.

  “Is that what sort of man you are? The type that tortures a woman to get his way?” That would be just typical—after putting up with two overbearing brothers all these years, she would get a mate who was just as bad. Wait! She was not planning to stay with him anyway. The first chance she got, she would run. All she had to do was make him trust her and let his guard down.

  “Oh, there is a kind of torture you might well beg me for,” he said, running his finger over the front of her wet jacket, catching her nipple, which was a hardened bud of desire.

  “I can assure you, there is nothing you can do to me that I will ever enjoy.” She tilted her chin up to reinforce her words.

  He chuckled, making her mad; he was so self-assured. “I think you have more than one lesson to learn. And although I don’t plan to hurt you, a spanking might just be what you need to teach you a lesson.”

  She pulled back from him, but with her hands tied behind her back, she knew there was no point trying to run. He would easily catch her, and then administer his punishment right here where her brothers might see. The humiliation would be too much. But she doubted her brothers were even giving her a second thought right now. “If you lay one hand on me, I’ll scream.”

  “No one will hear you, honey, and no one will care.”

  “Then I’ll never forgive you. If you as much as touch me, I’ll never be your mate. I’ll never accept you.” Tears threatened. She hated being at his mercy; she wanted control of her life back. Wasn’t it enough to be caught up with looking after her brother and dad, then to be stuck with the blood oath? Now she had a controlling man to contend with. Life was just not fair.

  “Knowing what you’ve been up to these last few weeks, and I’m guessing it was you who stole the car last week, and broke into a couple of ranches, I think the only way you are going to learn to behave is if I touch you. I think you need breaking, and I am the man to do it.”

  “I do not need breaking,” she spat at him fiercely. Bliss felt her eyes misting up with tears, not of sorrow, but of rage. She would not let this man treat her cruelly.

  “We’ll see about that. Now let’s get you back to my house. You need to get out of those wet clothes.” He hooked his hand under her arm and made her walk with him.

  Bliss should have kicked him hard, where it would do the most damage, and run for it. Her temper was flaring, and not only because of this brute of a man who had hold of her. She was also angry at her wolf, who was wagging its tail with joy and positively panting for this man, her mate, to punish her in an exquisite way.

  Did no one have any loyalty to her?

  But she had to admit, it was hard to resist the feel of his hand on her arm, and the closeness of his body to hers. She longed to strip out of her wet clothes in front of him, and allow him to watch her undress and then to touch her body. Even her bottom kind of tingled in anticipation of the promised spanking, but she soon put an end to those thoughts. If this mating bond were going to survive, he would have to see her as an equal, not a woman he could boss around. And not a thief. Once more, she blamed her father for the mess she was in.

  Chapter Four – Hugo

  Hugo had never considered himself an alpha male. So why was he acting like one now? Because he wanted her, and he would do anything to get her into his bed. At least his wolf would. It strutted its stuff inside his mind, wanting to show off to their mate. Who at this moment, was threatening to gouge his eyes out, and then tear his throat out for good measure.

  “Will you just walk properly,” he said as she dug her heels in, making any progress slow. He was very aware of the fact that her brothers might come back and try to rescue their sister at any point. Although it looked as if they had completely abandoned her.

  “No. I will not. You let me go. You have no right to do this. Untie me now!” As she struggled, her breasts rubbed against his arm, and he could feel the tight buds of her nipples through her wet clothes. It was hard to resist simply stripping her here and making her understand who was in charge. No. That was not who he was. He wanted to tame her, capture her heart with kindness, not bend her to his will.

  She was kicking and hollering like a hellion; probably half the valley was awake by now wondering who was being murdered. He could think of no way of silencing her, short of stuffing something in her mouth. No, not your cock, idiot. She would probably bite it off. He winced to himself.

  “Damn it. Maybe you’ll get that spanking after all,” he said and lifted her up, putting her over his shoulder, despite the wet mud on her clothes. He carried her kicking and screaming to his house, all cave-man style, feeling like a prize jerk. This was not the way to conquer his mate and he wondered what irrevocable damage he was doing to their relationship.

  Shouldering the door open, he made it inside and kicked it shut, before taking her to the sofa and depositing her down. She was up on her feet and charging him down in an instant. He dodged, and her forward momentum had nothing to stop it, so she careened towards the wall. Hugo grabbed hold of her hands to stop her hurting herself, pulling her back towards him.

  Making her face him, trapped now in the circle of his arms, he spoke to her calmly despite his racing heart and the hardness of his cock, which wanted to be inside her nice hot sex. And she would be hot; this woman was fire. So intense it ignited the blood in his veins and invaded his senses.

  “Listen. Let’s get this straight and maybe we can start over.” She still struggled against him, but not so much. He began to understand her a little then. This woman, his mate, had her pride. And he had injured that pride. Now even if she wanted to give in to him, she didn’t know how. Not without looking like a weak fool. “Are you the only girl in your family?”

  His question caught her off guard, and she stopped wriggling around and looked up at him. “Why do you say that?”

  “Because you have something to prove. And my guess is that you grew up with brothers that you learned to compete with or get trampled on. That’s who you run with? The other raiders?”

  She looked down at his chest, staring at it hard and he wondered if she was going to cry. Wow, she fascinated him. Such a contradiction: one minute hell-bent on doing him mortal harm, the next all soft and vulnerable.

  “Three brothers,” she admitted grudgingly, before adding, “Not that it’s any of your business.”

  “Hey, everything about you is my business now. Whether you like it or not, we are mates.”

  “I don’t like it. So the sooner you let me go so that I can get back to my life, the better.” She raised her eyes to his and the softness had gone.

  “You are a fighter, a
ren’t you?” He lifted his hand and stroked a stray piece of auburn hair, matted with mud, from her cheek. “You don’t need breaking. You need taming.”

  “Well, if you think you are man enough for the job, you are mistaken. There is no way I am going to stay here with you. Things will be a lot easier once you get that idea through your thick Neanderthal skull.”

  “We’ll see.” He looked down at her and then noticed the cut on her arm. “You’re injured. Let me have look at it.”

  She pulled away when he went to touch her arm. “It’s fine.”

  “Listen. It’s my responsibility to look after you. I am going to look at your arm. We can do it the easy way. Or I can pin you down on the floor again. Your choice.”

  She sighed, and his eyes were drawn to her wonderful breasts, hidden by her jacket. He had never wanted to strip a woman so much in his whole life. But he didn’t want to go too far too fast; he needed to catch this little wolf’s heart in a trap she would never want to get free from.

  It was good that Hugo was a patient man. Because she was going to test every bit of his resolve.

  Chapter Five – Bliss

  “You can’t look at it properly unless you untie me,” she said as he eased her jacket down over her torn arm. The jacket was ruined, so too was her sweater underneath. Maybe he had a shirt she could borrow. One that smelled of him, one she could keep to remember him by once she ran from him. Breathing in his musky scent, she wondered if she would ever have the strength to run. Her wolf said no.

  “I’m not some backwater hillbilly,” he said, smiling at her in such a way her heart fluttered in her chest, making her throat contract with a thirst only he could quench.

  “Really,” she said sweetly. Letting her breath caress his neck as he leaned down to assess her wound. She saw him shudder with desire. Dare she play him at his own game and disarm him with her sweetness before running?