by Bianca D'Arc
“My information was that the ritual would start at moonrise. Tonight, that’s at about nine o’clock I got here way early to set up because I knew I wouldn’t be able to do that after dark. I was just going to stick around for the next few hours until moonrise and see what happened.”
“Hoping nobody would discover you before then,” he finished her thoughts for her. “Did you have a backup plan if you were spotted?”
She didn’t want to tell him, but he seemed to have figured out the bare bones of her game plan already anyway. Sexy Shane was proving to be rather irksome that way.
“I left my car under a tree on the ridge.” The small ridge that separated her backyard from the pack’s lands. It was farther away than her current position, but she might still be able to see something from the higher elevation with her telescope. And she could always claim to be out there stargazing. It was a plausible excuse. Sort of.
Sexy Shane sighed again, the look on his face speaking of annoyed resignation. “Let’s go to your vehicle and then we’ll figure out what to do about your situation.” He didn’t have to look so thrilled about it, she thought rebelliously. Nobody had asked him to butt his big wolf nose into her business.
“What about my tree stand?”
She didn’t really care one way or the other about the device she’d struggled to put in the tree. It had stopped being her friend about a half hour ago when she couldn’t get it rigged properly. She’d been tempted to chuck the whole thing into the nearby stream after having to re-rig it three times, but it had finally gone up and she’d given it a reprieve.
Getting it down out of the tree though…that would require more patience than she had at the moment. As far as she was concerned, it could stay there permanently.
“There’s probably not enough time to get it down and packed up before nightfall and I want you off the ridge before it gets too dark for you to see. Leave it for now and I’ll come back and get it down for you later,” Shane said, sounding entirely too reasonable.
She wanted to be pissed at him, but she was beginning to realize he’d probably saved her an uncomfortable—and potentially dangerous—night up a tree. What had she been thinking? She wasn’t some warrior-huntress. She was a sociology professor on sabbatical from the nearby university while she settled her aunt’s estate.
“You had better be telling me the truth about there not being a ceremony tonight,” she muttered, suddenly wondering if she could trust him. She’d thought she could trust the conversation she’d overheard at Maude’s, but what if it was Sexy Shane who was selling her a bill of goods and hustling her away before the festivities started?
“I swear to you, there is no ritual tonight. Or tomorrow. Nothing scheduled all week, in fact. We’re not big on schedules, in any case. We’re more instinctive, following the cycles of nature and the call of our wolves.”
Did she believe him? Hmm. She gave him a sideways glance, weighing the situation in her mind.
Sexy Shane looked way more reliable than the shady looking guys who had been sitting in the booth at the diner. Based on looks alone, she would much rather trust the Alpha in front of her than the two in the booth.
“A bird in hand…” she mumbled to herself, shaking her head as she gave up and walked toward Shane. “Okay. I’ll trust you on this. Let me just get my pack and I’ll head up to my car. You’ve run me off, Mr. Alpha, and I won’t darken your door again.”
“I’ll go with you,” he said, falling into step beside her. She didn’t want to admit how safe he made her feel. Now that she’d agreed to leave, she wanted to be rid of him—and the embarrassment of being caught—as well, but some instinct warned her that there really might be danger out there looking for her. She settled into a quick walk up the slope to where she’d left her vehicle.
It wasn’t a long trek, though the terrain was steep. She had to concentrate on her footing, so there wasn’t much time for talk, thank goodness. She felt so sheepish, being escorted off the pack’s property by Sexy Shane. She was confused too. Confused by him. By her reaction to him. By his words of warning and by the whole situation. Was she being bamboozled by the wolf-man? Or was she truly in danger? Neither option held much appeal, to be honest.
When she broke over the ridgeline and spotted her trusty old car, she made a beeline for it, but Shane’s arm shot out and blocked her path. It dawned in her that if she went forward into the open area between the trees, she’d be silhouetted against the sky.
What was going on? She looked over at him and saw him frown as he looked back down the slope toward where they’d come from.
Night was falling fast and it was already too dim for her to be able to make out much of anything, but she thought maybe she saw some movement down there. Her blood turned cold. Had some miscreants really come after her?
Sexy Shane stepped closer to her under the cover of the trees. He dipped his head close to hers so that she could feel his hot breath against her ear and neck. She shivered, not entirely from fright.
“Go up a bit more and skirt the clearing. We’ll stay in the tree line ‘til we get to your vehicle. You have binoculars in the car?”
She took her cues from his low-tones and turned to face him. She nodded and mouthed the words. “Telescope. Night vision.”
He smiled and the impact of his grin at close range was nuclear.
The man was potent and her lady parts stood up and took notice—at the worst possible time. She wanted to know if some assholes had set her up, and her traitorous body wanted to play with Sexy Shane instead. Down, girl.
Chapter Three
Maria did as he suggested and walked a circuitous path through the cover of the trees to her trusty, rusty friend, the WWII vehicle she cherished. She’d set up the telescope in the back before she’d left, so all she had to do was step up, uncover the lens and look through the eyepiece.
Sure enough, there were the two assholes from the diner, destroying her brand new tree stand. “Those bastards!” she whispered as she watched.
Shane tapped her on the shoulder and she reluctantly stepped down so he could take a look. She watched his face, noting the way his lips tightened into a grimace as he saw what was going on farther down the slope.
He stepped away and there was a scowl on his face. It was the most troubled expression she’d seen from him yet.
“Let’s get you away from here,” he rumbled so low, she barely heard him. “Get in and steer. I’m going to push us part-way so they don’t hear the engine.”
She would have asked more questions, but he positioned himself as if he expected her total compliance, and there was no point in arguing, anyway. She wanted to get away from the two degenerates who had tricked her into coming out here and putting herself in harm’s way. She also wanted to ask Shane a hell of a lot more questions, which she couldn’t do here because those two jerks might hear with their super-sensitive shifter ears.
So she got in, slipped the transmission into neutral and steered, keeping her foot hovering near the brake in case it picked up too much speed. They were heading down the other side of the ridge, and parts of the trail she’d taken to get up there were a bit steep.
Sure enough, when they hit one of the steep patches, Sexy Shane leapt into the passenger seat, making her jump. He was altogether too silent when he moved and the sneaking-up-on-her shit had to stop.
“Coast from here if you can. Go easy on the brake,” he advised in a low tone just audible over the quiet crunching of the tires over the terrain.
Much to her surprise, they were able to make it all the way to the road without cranking the engine. When the old vehicle ground to a halt at the side of the ribbon of asphalt, she turned to look at her passenger.
“Is it okay to talk now?” She whispered, just in case.
“Yeah, but I recommend we don’t stick around here too long. I want you safe before I go after them.” His words were tinged with the growls of his wolf and she felt shivers go down her spine again.
“Wait. You’re gonna do what now?” She turned to face him fully in the confines of the roofless utility vehicle.
“Whatever their plans for you tonight, they weren’t good, professor. That sort of behavior is unacceptable in my pack and they’re going to learn that lesson as soon as possible. We don’t hunt people for no reason.” He seemed to get angrier and angrier as he spoke, but oddly, she wasn’t afraid of him.
On some basic level, she knew he wouldn’t hurt her. His ire was directed at those who had tried to dupe her. So, really, he was protecting her. She had no idea what to say to that.
“Look. Just drive us back to your house. I want to make sure it’s safe—that you’re safe—and then I’ll come back and deal with my pack issues. Look at it this way. At least you learned more about pack life tonight than you would have otherwise. Not the good side, unfortunately, and for that you have my apology as leader of this mangy group of mutts. They’ll learn their manners if I have to pound it into their heads.”
“You’re growling,” she told him, unsure if he was aware of the evidence of his wolf so close to the surface.
“I get that way when I’m pissed. Now, drive woman. The longer it takes for me to be sure you’re safe, the harder it’ll be to catch those two assholes.”
“So go get them now. I can drive home by myself.” He was freaking her out a bit with his growly mood, but she still found it sexy. She must be warped.
“No can do. Need to be sure you’re safe first. Wolf won’t let me do otherwise. Just drive, Maria.”
It was his use of her name that did it. She turned the key in the ignition and set off down the two lane mountain road at a brisk clip, the wind whipping through their hair.
His inner wolf wanted her to be safe? Had she just acquired a two hundred pound guard wolf? She might’ve laughed at the idea if she didn’t sense it just might be true. At least for right now.
Something about her situation had sparked the Alpha’s protective instincts and she knew enough about the mysterious werewolves not to fight that sort of thing. Wolves were said to be loyal and steadfast, and once they chose a person to protect, they did so to the utmost of their ability. Rumor had it that Alphas had even more protective drive than others of their kind. They were driven to look after large groups of their fellow werewolves and whoever else they deemed under their jurisdiction.
Maria might just have become part of Sexy Shane’s responsibilities somehow. Maybe the jackasses in his pack luring her out into the woods to do who-knows-what to her, had set off his instincts. Maybe he was starting to like her a bit. Or maybe some rare planetary alignment had caused his sudden concern.
Whatever the case, she wasn’t about to turn down his offer to make sure she was safe. She knew damn well she wouldn’t have stood a chance on her own against those two wolf-men in the woods. If they’d planned to scare her, or hurt her, or worse… She would have been completely at their mercy. That didn’t sit well with her, but she was realistic enough to face the truth.
It was too windy, and she was too busy with her racing thoughts, to speak with him during the quick ride to her place. Aunt Lulu’s house still looked as inviting as it always had, only there was nobody waiting inside to give her a smile and a warm hug anymore. The place was lonely without her aunt, though she was grateful to have been bequeathed the house where some of her fondest memories had been made. She’d loved her aunt and still mourned her loss.
Maria parked in the driveway and cut the engine.
“Why do you smell sad?” Shane surprised her with the softly-voiced question.
“You can smell emotions?” She turned to look at him.
“Sometimes,” he replied vaguely. “What made you sad, Maria?” He was like a dog with a bone, unwilling to let go of his question.
“Just thinking about my aunt. I love her house. And I love that she left it to me, but I miss her.” Maria stepped down from the car with jerky movements, unwilling to let Sexy Shane see even more of her vulnerabilities, or—God forbid—smell her private feelings. How did he do that, anyway? Freaky werewolf senses.
When she would have stomped up to the front door, Shane stopped her, his hand gentle but firm on her arm. She looked up at him and saw how alert he was all of a sudden, then she looked back at the house. The front door was ajar.
“I did not leave that open,” she whispered. “I locked it before I left.”
“Stay here,” he said. “Better yet, get in the car and put the key in the ignition. If anyone other than me comes out of the house, hightail it for the police station. The sheriff will take care of you until I can put a stop to whatever is going on here.”
She didn’t want to blindly obey, but Sexy Shane was very commanding and he did have a point. She’d already acknowledged that she wouldn’t stand a chance against a werewolf, but she was very well able to run and get the cavalry. Come to think of it…
“Shouldn’t we just call the cops now, to report the break-in?
“If we do that, I lose my chance to police my pack on my own terms. I assure you that any penalty I impose will be more severe, and more permanent, than anything the human authorities can dish out. Put them in jail for a bit and they’ll be gunning for you even more when they get out. If I deal with this it’ll be fast and clean, and nobody will bother you again.”
She frowned. Was he saying he would kill them? Because she didn’t really want anyone to die over her. Not when she was essentially unharmed. Then again, she didn’t want to be harmed and all things considered, Shane probably knew how to discipline a werewolf better than the human justice system, which couldn’t even get it right when dealing with regular people most of the time.
She decided to trust that Sexy Shane wouldn’t go too far with whatever he decided to do. So far, he’d seemed pretty reasonable about everything—even finding her trespassing and in more trouble than she realized. Come to think of it, he’d been pretty damned decent about that whole situation, and for some reason she didn’t fully understand, she felt safe with him.
“Okay. I’ll be in the car, ready to roll.” She turned back toward the vehicle.
“Give me ten minutes and then split if I don’t come back out. Leave right away if you see anyone else. Go directly to the sheriff and tell him you suspect shifters broke into your house. He’ll know how to deal with this.”
She nodded and left, noting that he waited until she was in the car before he headed into the house. He moved swiftly and smoothly, his animal traits showing through, even in his human form. She held her breath, watching her surroundings carefully as the clock ticked.
It was only a little over five minutes until Shane reappeared, looking grim. He jogged back to the car and rested his hands on the roll bar, leaning in from the passenger side to meet her gaze.
“Somebody was in there,” he told her quickly. “They broke a few things—particularly the locks on all the doors and windows. There’s no way to secure the house for the night now.”
Maria felt faint for a moment. She gripped the steering wheel hard while she tried to process what he was saying.
“Was it them? Those two men? Is there any way you can tell for sure?” She wanted their heads on a platter if those two assholes were responsible for violating her home. She made herself get out of the car and walk toward the open doorway to see for herself what had been done to her sanctuary. Shane was right beside her.
“It was them,” he confirmed in a gruff voice. “I know their scents. And I promise I’ll resolve this problem. One way or another.” Now that sounded ominous, but she couldn’t dwell on what his solution might involve.
She was too busy taking in the broken glass and shattered doorframe. The bastards had made it impossible for her to feel safe in the home where she’d always felt welcome and loved.
“I want them to bleed,” she said, surprising herself with the bloodthirsty words. “How dare they?”
Outrage was filling her body and she was trembling with reaction when Shane’s
strong arm settled around her shoulders. He gave her a squeeze that somehow communicated understanding and concern. Did he really care that she was upset? After all, his pack members had done this.
“They’ll pay for this. I promise you. But for right now, it looks like we’ll need to find you another place to sleep tonight. Go fill an overnight bag and I’ll take you to the pack house. I’m extending you a rare invitation to take shelter with the sane part of my pack, under my protection, while I hunt the two who did this to your place and find a way to make this right.”
“Wait a minute.” Her first instinct had been to turn him down flat, but if he was willing to let her see this pack house—whatever that was—and maybe meet a few more of his people, she might be able to ask questions and could very possibly learn something useful for her studies. “You’ll let me stay on pack lands for the night?”
“I don’t normally invite humans into my territory, but I can’t leave you on your own with no protection. My pack did this to your place. I need to make it right.” She bothered the hell out of him, but the idea of her being in danger made his wolf want to howl in protest. “What do you say?”
She looked like she was weighing her options. His inner wolf wanted to nip her and make her choose the only safe option.
“I’m not sure.” She pursed her lips and Shane had to squash the impulse to kiss those puckered lips of hers. Damn woman was too sexy for her own good. “You guarantee I’ll be safe?”
“Of course. I’m the Alpha. Any of my wolves step out of line, they answer to me. I’ll make sure you’re safe.”
Sighing, she turned toward her bedroom. Good girl.
When she reappeared a few minutes later, she had a bag slung over her shoulder and a sad look on her face. He understood. He’d seen the mess they’d made of her bedroom, pawing through her things. Stupid dogs. They were going to pay for terrorizing this sweet woman.
