Taken By The Wolf: Collection

by Jessica Ryan

  She groaned as work entered her brain. The mall would open in thirty minutes and she was supposed to be there to unlock the store: then tonight she was working at the bar.

  “Can I call my work and tell them I won’t be making it in?” she asked.

  “No,” he said, his jaw line growing tight and stern. “No contact with the outside world.”

  “Look, I was okay with you trying to protect me,” she said, feeling anger starting to well up again. “But I’m not cool with you completely cutting me off like some kind of prisoner.”

  “Well, that’s too bad,” he said. “We can’t let anyone know you’re here. You don’t think they’ll try to figure out where you live and work?”

  Eva slumped back in her chair, her appetite suddenly fluttering out the window. She had gone from one prison to another, only this one she hadn’t created. Bill was looking at her like he was waiting for her to explode, like he was preparing for an inevitable shitstorm. She wasn’t going to give him that satisfaction.

  “Well, Bill,” she said calmly. “I’m not happy about this and I want you to know I hope you shift into a bird and fly straight up your own ass.”

  Bill’s face twisted into confusion, one eyebrow shooting straight up and his upper lip curling.

  Damn, she thought. He’s even hot when making stupid faces.This is going to be tough.

  She’d never spent so much time around a guy she found so attractive without eventually giving in to her baser desires. It was evident Bill was attracted to her, but she didn’t want to give him any of the joy she knew she could provide—he didn’t deserve it.

  He did save your life, a little voice in the back of her head reminded her.

  Quiet, you, she thought, stomping the little voice of reason back down.

  Bill had been looking at the table, like he was trying to figure out something she’d said. Finally he looked up, like he wanted to say something, but at the last minute he put his fist over his mouth.

  “Yes?” she asked. “Spit it out.”

  “Who’s Bill?” he asked.

  Was this some kind of game? Was he screwing with her? She fixed her eyes on him, not breaking eye contact and said, “You’re Bill.”

  “No, I’m not,” he said.

  “You told my boss last night your name was Bill,” she said, growing frustrated. “Do you have a twin?”

  “No,” he said, scrunching his face up as he thought hard. Still hot, even with wrinkles in his forehead. “Oh, I got it! That’s the mundane, boring human name I’ve used since I was undercover. I’m Rowan.”

  Eva nearly fell out of her chair. She’d been thinking of him as Bill all morning. In the back of her mind she felt a slight bit of relief. It was such a blah name, very 1950s. Bill was your neighbor, Bill was your uncle, Bill was your dad’s golf coach, Bill was not two hundred and fifty pounds of pure, rugged, sex appeal. Rowan was.

  “So where are we going?” she asked.

  “To see our alpha leader and alpha council,” Rowan said. “Hopefully they’ll let me keep you here and protect you.”

  “Wait a minute,” she asked. “They don’t know I’m here?”

  “Nope,” he said. “And if you want them to let me keep you, then you’d better follow my lead.”

  “What lead?” she asked.

  “Well, look at the time,” he said, glancing at his watch. “We’re going to be late. Let’s go.”

  “What lead?” she asked again.

  “Just agree with everything I say!” he said forcefully, grabbing some keys off the counter and walking toward the back door. “Let’s go!”

  Eva rolled her eyes and followed Rowan. She barely knew him and already he was frustrating the hell out of her. It was obvious he didn’t want to be questioned; he thought his way was the best way.

  At least he’s not a dick about it, she thought, remembering how Jason would get when she disagreed with him. Yet.

  She followed Rowan out the back screen door, finding herself in a perfect little backyard with a white picket fence and a perfectly groomed oak tree growing in the middle. As she looked around, her eyes followed Rowan to where he was walking.

  “A detached garage behind the house, of course,” she muttered, rolling her eyes. “Wait for me!”

  Eva had to hurry across the yard to catch the larger man. He was moving with haste and he’d already started the pickup. It was an older model Chevrolet, its clear coat rubbed off the hood, leaving it with a rusted look. She climbed up into the passenger seat, finding that the inside was surprisingly clean and intact compared to the outside.

  “A werewolf drives a Chevy?” she asked, raising one eyebrow.

  “I have to get around somehow,” Rowan said. “You sure do have a lot of strange questions and comments. Are all humans like this?”

  “I, assume all humans who find out werewolves are real would act like this,” she said.

  “Well, my experience with your kind is limited,” he said, putting the truck into drive and pulling forward.

  “Likewise,” she said.

  As they pulled out of the driveway she got a look at the street they were on and her eyes grew even wider.

  “You really do live in Mayberry,” she whispered, trying to take in the sight before her.

  Rowan lived on a street with little white houses, straight out of 1950s America. Each house had a perfectly manicured lawn to match the perfectly kept house. As they drove down the street, other people waived at Rowan. He, smiled and returned the gesture as they eyed her suspiciously.

  “Why are they all looking at me like that?” she asked.

  “They’re wondering what a human’s doing with the Sheriff,” he said.

  “Do humans not come to this town?” she asked.

  “Of course they do,” he said. “When we get downtown you’ll see all the little shops we have. We have a thriving economy, but nobody lives here except wolves.”

  “What if someone wants to move in?” she asked.

  “They can’t. None of our houses ever go up for sale. One time a vampire tried to negotiate a housing development with us, but we told him to take a hike.”

  “VAMPIRE!?” Eva shrieked, more in amazement than anything else.

  Rowan jumped, startled by her reaction, nearly taking the truck into the curb. “What in the hell is your problem?”

  “I’m sorry,” she said, feeling sheepish. “I thought you said a vampire tried to build a housing development here.”

  “I did,” he said, looking at her seriously. “Oh, yeah, I forgot, they’re real too.”

  “Anything else I should know about?” she asked.

  “Not really,” he said. “I mean there’s also witches, demons, angels, faeries and other shifter creatures like werebears.”

  “Good to know,” she said, looking out the window at the perfect little downtown that they had driven to. There was a whole world out there, and she hadn’t even known it existed. She might have been held against her will, but her eyes were being opened and she had to admit: it was a bit exciting.

  Chapter 5

  Rowan parked right in front of City Hall, getting out and waving to the citizens who walked by. A couple of Red Moon wolves sauntered by, shooting a cocky smile Rowan’s way.

  Lousy punks, he thought. This town would be better without your kind.

  He looked over at his beautiful captive, who was standing on the sidewalk, slowly turning in amazement. Bucklin was truly one of a kind, a fact that made Rowan proud. The five packs had formed an alliance long ago, tired of scrounging for food in the wilderness and nearly starving in the winter. Together they’d taken over this town, driving out or killing people who wouldn’t leave. In the end they gained complete control of the town, rebuilding it to fit an ideal the head alpha had discovered in the time he’d lived with humans. He thought of a better time, when people could leave their doors unlocked and kids could play in the street after dark. He’d wanted it for his wolves, believing it was better than sle
eping naked and cold in a cave somewhere surrounded by other savage wolves.

  The downtown exemplified this ideal more than anything. Bucklin was very small, with a population of only about three hundred. All commerce was situated around the intersection of Main and Cherry, the town square. Businesses lined the streets all around the four-way stop those streets formed. Beyond the square were some houses and an odd business or two, but everything happened right here. On the southwest corner was City Hall, a two-story brick building that housed the Alpha Council, the rulers of Bucklin. The police and fire departments flanked the building on each side, creating a government center.

  As he stood on the street corner Rowan was very aware that every wolf who walked by was staring at Eva. Normally they didn’t give humans a second glance in Bucklin—after all they liked it when humans spent money at their businesses—but it was odd to see the Sheriff riding around in his personal truck with a human female in the passenger seat.

  “So what are we doing?” Eva asked.

  “We’re going to meet the alpha council and get approval for you to stay here,” he answered, feeling like he had already been down this road. Why couldn’t she just follow his lead? It was maddening how headstrong she was.

  “What if they don’t let me stay?” she asked.

  “Well, then, you’re going to be in a for world of hurt,” he said, giving her a grim look. “Satan’s Angels will track you down.”

  Rowan did not want this to happen, but he would be powerless against the council’s decision.

  “What if I don’t want to stay, and I want to take my chances?” she asked.

  “You don’t have that choice,” he said, walking towards the doors of City Hall.

  “Why the hell not?” she demanded, chasing after him in a huff.

  “Because I said so.”

  “So if your alpha council tells me to take a hike, then you’ll kick me to the curb, but if I want to leave I can’t?”

  “Bingo,” Rowan said, reaching over and patting Eva on her head. Her hair was so soft, and he could already smell her scent on his hand as he pulled it away. His wolf was going mad wanting to mate with this female, to mark her with his scent for good. The council had to let her stay, he wouldn’t let the gang harm another innocent person.

  “That’s bullshit!” she hollered as he opened the door to City Hall.

  “You want to keep it down?” he asked, spinning back towards her, his eyes narrowing. “We’re in a place of business.”

  * * *

  Eva was starting to get angry again as they walked through City Hall. She barely registered anything around her as she marched behind Rowan, thoughts of kicking him in the back of his stupid head dancing through her brain.

  If I can kick that high, she though. Maybe I should just way-lay him with a baseball bat.

  She knew any violent confrontation would probably end badly for her, but he was holding her here against her will, and she was fit to be tied.

  I could just leave, she thought. Is he really going to stop me if I just call my dad and ask him to come get me?

  Her dad could protect her from all of this—he had the money to hire security and keep the bikers away. Surely they wouldn’t find her at his giant gated mansion in North Edmond. Then again, her father would need to start speaking with her again before she could even call him for rescue. When she’d dropped out of college to marry Jason he’d let her know in no uncertain terms that she was on her own and no longer welcome in his house. She hadn’t spoken to him since that day.

  Before Eva knew it she was standing in front of a large set of wooden double-doors, like a courtroom. There were benches lining the hall, each of them occupied by what she could only assume were werewolves, staring up at her.

  Suddenly she felt completely on display, like their hungry eyes were trying to figure her out. Did werewolves eat humans? Was she a tasty snack or an intruder at this point? She knew what dogs did to intruders.

  “Where are we?” she asked Rowan. He was standing patiently beside her, intently staring at the double doors.

  “We are waiting for the council to call us in,” he whispered angrily. It was pretty obvious he didn’t want her to speak right now, but she had questions that needed to be answered now. Eva had never been the patient type.

  “Are all these people waiting?” she whispered.

  “Yes,” he said, sounding angrier.

  “Are they all werewolves?” she whispered even lower. Several of their ears perked up and they glared at her; even as humans their hearing was extra sensitive.

  “Yes,” Rowan said, now sounding exasperated.

  “None of them are human?” she asked.

  “Did you not listen to my last answer?” he said, shooting her an annoyed look.

  Eva looked around as their eyes landed on her. She suddenly became very aware of her body as she stood there, and she didn’t like the feeling. She tried to turn to the side, so they couldn’t fully look at her curves, but it was no use. There was not a fat or chubby person in sight. Every male was either wiry or built. The females were even worse. Each one reminded her of a dancer: long ropey muscles and not an ounce of fat anywhere on their body.

  When Rowan had told her their blood metabolized alcohol too fast, it hadn’t occurred to her that they all had high metabolisms. They were like that skinny kid at school who pounded pizza and cake all day while Eva gained five pounds just looking at it.

  Wonderful, she thought. I’ve been kidnapped and sent back to high school. Can this get any worse?

  She started kicking herself for even having such thoughts as one of the heavy doors opened, revealing a short—but still built like a linebacker—bailiff.

  “Rowan Phoenix?” the bailiff called out, looking down at his roll sheet. His eyes grew wide and he paused before reading the next part in confusion. “And his human?”

  “Don’t act like you’ve never seen one before,” Rowan said. He turned to Eva and flipped his head. “Let’s go, mouth shut.”

  Eva followed him into the room, sulking at his admonishment. She wasn’t used to being given orders like this, it really pissed her off. It was indeed like a large courtroom. Five men sat above everyone else, like judges presiding over a trial.

  Four men, of various shapes and sizes sat on a lower row. They barely registered, as her eyes were locked on the one sitting above the others. He was larger than Rowan, if that was possible, with wild black hair that looked like it’d never been combed. He wore nothing but some furs around his waist, revealing a bare chest marked with scars. His eyes were a bright green that burned like wildfire. His face was a stone mask of seriousness, and he looked like a man who had never laughed in his life. As he stared down at Eva, she felt uneasy, like an intruder who had stepped onto his turf. The others were giving her a similar disapproving look, but they didn’t matter; the one at the top was the only one that mattered.

  His eyes darted back and forth between Eva and Rowan, like he was trying to figure out who to attack first. Finally he rose from his seat, revealing more scars further down on his stomach. This man had seen a battle or two in his life.

  Eva wanted to be anywhere but here, anywhere. She looked to her left, seeing several frosted windows that led to the outside world. She imagined her body hurtling through one, falling to the ground. An ambulance would pick her up, take her far away from this place. Surely they didn’t have a hospital in Bucklin? It was too small. It would take her back to Cedarville, far away from this place.

  “What do you have to say for yourself?” the head wolf asked.

  Eva turned, afraid he was addressing her. His eyes were planted firmly on Rowan. The large sheriff stood beside her, not blinking, his back rigid, his chest puffed out, his face a mask of quiet determination. A lesser man would have already cowered and run from the council that stood before him, but Rowan was facing them down without any fear. At this moment any thoughts of running away completely fled from her mind. He really was here to protect
her, and she couldn’t imagine anyone else doing it.

  Chapter 6

  Rowan stared back up at the alpha of the Dawnguard pack, Aster, as he tried to intimidate him. Aster knew better: Rowan respected him, but he feared no man or wolf. This was all a big show for the other alphas; he had to assert his dominance as head alpha. In reality he knew Rowan was every bit his equal.

  “I was sent by the alpha council to investigate the rumors that Satan’s Angels were back in Cedarville,” Rowan said.

  Aster instinctively touched the scar on his chest as Rowan spoke of the other pack, a harsh reminder of the past.

  “We sent you to investigate,” Crow, alpha of the Red Moon pack said. “Not start a war!”

  The Red Moons were always looking for any excuse to grab power; they were the second strongest pack and coveted the top alpha position. They would use any excuse to force Aster out, but Rowan wouldn’t give them that.

  Rowan fixed his steely glare on Crow, trying to bore a hole right through the smaller wolf. Crow had achieved his position through cunning and deception, not through physical prowess. He was a short, skinny wolf who held his pack in check through feverish devotion rather than brute strength.

  “It was unavoidable,” Rowan said.

  “The rest of the council will refrain from speaking until I have finished my questioning,” Aster said, still staring straight ahead and not acknowledging Crow. It was obvious this disrespect stuck in Crow’s treacherous craw; he crossed his arms and sat back, a scowl appearing on his vulture-like face. The other three alphas, more sensible and willing to toe the line, all leaned forward, eager to hear the story.

  “I scouted the other wolf well, but he got into a fight with humans and got himself thrown out of the bar. I tried to find him after that but I could not, until I saw him attacking this woman in the parking lot. I intervened to save her and ended up killing him in the process.”