Awakened by the Wolf

by Kristal Hollis

A few more stretches, then Cassie started a light jog around the track. On the second lap, she found her groove. Tiny dots of sweat beaded on her skin and moisture seeped into her eyes. She dabbed at the sting.

  By the time she finished her seventh lap, the sun had set and the field lights illuminated the track. The steady plod of her feet against the pavement hammered out all conscious thought, and Cassie was simply in her zone. The place where she had no constraints. The place where she could breathe without responsibility, without worry, without fear. The place where she was free.

  Something blurred in her peripheral vision as she rounded the turn. Suddenly a large wolf with fur the color of freshly baled hay darted in front of her. Cassie skidded to a stop.

  Her heart thudded from exertion, fear and more than a little irritation. Her palm tightened around the cold aluminum canister.

  Cassie recognized the highfalutin disdain in the animal’s glittery eyes as it jumped at her. Knowing better than to run, she stamped her foot. “Get out of here, you flea-bitten fur ball.”

  The wolf’s face contorted. A second later, Victoria Phalen rose from where the wolf had squatted. Her angelic features twisted in a wicked sneer. “How dare you? I have impeccable breeding.” Contempt weighted every word. “Unlike you.”

  Years of enduring whispers, snubs and downright rudeness had hardened Cassie against jabs from her so-called betters.

  “You shouldn’t parade around naked, Miss Phalen. In the civilized world, we have laws against public indecency, so why don’t you scamper into the woods where you belong.”

  Elegant and proud, Victoria strode toward Cassie. “Where I belong, Little Miss Ragamuffin, is with Brice.”

  “Well, he isn’t here.” Cassie rocked on her toes to stretch her calves. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to finish my run.”

  “Trampling an asphalt loop isn’t running.” Victoria snickered.

  “At least I don’t have to worry about ticks.” Cassie got some satisfaction in Victoria’s waning smugness when the lady-wolf saw the black dot stuck to her stomach.

  Victoria plucked the nuisance from her skin and flicked it at Cassie. Instead of landing on the intended target, the tick fell harmlessly to the ground. Cassie squashed it beneath her sneaker.

  “Have a nice evening,” she said, not feeling the sentiment.

  “Not so fast.” Victoria blocked Cassie’s path. “I’m only going to say this once. Brice is mine.”

  Hearing someone else claim him didn’t bother Cassie.

  She bit her lip. Okay, it did bother her, which prompted Cassie’s mouth to disengage from her brain and operate independently of her common sense. “Brice said you meant nothing to him. And ever since I bit him, he has insisted that I’m his mate.”

  “You little bitch.” Victoria’s fingers clamped around Cassie’s throat, lifting her so that she stood on her tiptoes.

  Gasping, Cassie aimed the pepper spray can at Victoria’s face. A faint, empty hiss escaped the nozzle.

  Victoria laughed, then choked on a scream when the hiss became a potent spray. She dropped Cassie to claw her own face.

  “I don’t care who you are or what you are, Miss Phalen. Stay the hell away from me or you’ll get more of the same.” Cassie stomped to her car.

  Plopped behind the steering wheel.

  Slammed the door.

  “Freaking werewolves!”

  Chapter 28

  The cabin was dark, except for the light beneath the bathroom door. Brice knocked. “Cas, I’m home.”

  He heard her bumping around before she answered. “I’ll be out in a minute.”

  The odd feeling that had preyed on him for the last hour intensified. “Everything okay?”

  “Yeah.” She opened the door. “I’m sleeping on the couch, and I swear if you don’t leave me alone, I’ll sleep in my car.”

  Brice’s night vision sharpened. The way she clutched the collar of her worn terry cloth robe bothered him. He blocked her exit. “What’s wrong? You okay?”

  She stared straight through him. “Leave me alone.”

  “I’m not inclined to do that.” Brice’s tugged Cassie’s housecoat.

  “Stop!” An uncharacteristic tremble softened her demand.

  The tug-of-war didn’t last another second. He yanked opened the collar of her robe. “What the fuck?”

  He slammed the bathroom door shut to prevent her from leaving.

  “You can’t do this. It’s kidnapping,” she hissed.

  “Sue me.” He pointed at the commode. “Sit down.”

  She flipped the lid down and shot him a look that said she’d like to flip him off. Her knuckles turned white from clenching the robe beneath her chin.

  Worry twisted everything inside him. “I won’t touch you if that’s what you want, but I need to see your neck.” Brice knelt in front of her. “Please, Sunshine.”

  Finally she dropped her hands.

  Brice slowly parted Cassie’s robe. The bruises around the slender column of her throat appalled him. Brice’s hands shook as he inspected her for a bite mark. Finding none didn’t temper his anger. “Who did this to you?”

  “It doesn’t matter. I took care of it.” Cassie closed the robe.

  “Why would you hide this from me?”

  “I didn’t want you to overreact.”

  Overreact? She had a goddamn handprint on her throat. If there was ever a time to overreact, it was now.

  “I defended myself,” Cassie continued, “and came out the better of the two of us. I don’t think she’ll bother me again.”

  “She?” Brice screeched. Immediately he thought of Victoria.

  Cassie worked her mouth over her bottom lip, her eyes anxious and uncertain.

  Brice reined in his temper so she wouldn’t think he was angry with her. “Are you all right? Should I call Doc? No, I’m taking you to the ER.”

  “I’m fine,” she insisted. “My throat isn’t swollen. I can breathe and swallow without pain. I’d rather avoid a medical bill for a stupid, ugly bruise.” She dropped her gaze, and a little color reddened her cheeks.

  Cradling her against his chest, Brice pressed his lips to the crown of her head and stroked her hair.

  “This isn’t necessary,” she muttered into his shirt.

  “It is for me.” He could’ve lost her so easily, and the last words they exchanged had been angry and terse.

  Cassie thumped his back. “You can let go now.”

  Brice touched his nose gently to her neck to verify the lingering scent on her skin. Another burst of anger surged through him. He banked it for Cassie’s sake.

  “I know you don’t want to talk about this.” He pulled back to see her face. “But I can’t ignore that someone assaulted you in our home.”

  A guilty look flashed across her porcelain features. “I was at the high school track.”

  “What?” Brice clamped his mouth closed. “I didn’t mean to yell at you.” He’d warned her that morning about going out alone, but this wasn’t the time to tackle that subject. “What happened tonight isn’t your fault.”

  “I know it isn’t.” She frowned. “You pointing it out makes me believe that you think it is.”

  God, she stretched his patience. He had to stay focused and not take the bait of her deflection. She put up a brave front, but he knew she was afraid. “Baby, trust me enough to tell me how this happened.”

  “I am not your baby.” She fidgeted with her hands in her lap. “I run the track twice a week and never had a problem until tonight.”

  Brice’s heart squeezed. Cassie had lost another important thing in her life. From now on, she would always associate the track with the attack. “Go on.”

  “A wolf cut me off.” Cassie tucked her hands beneath he
r legs with her feet turned inward. “It was Victoria. She said that you were hers. I told you I don’t want to be anyone’s competition, Brice.”

  “You aren’t, because I only have a nose for you,” Brice sang the last few words.

  “Don’t patronize me,” Cassie snapped.

  “I’m not.” Frustrated, Brice rubbed his jaw. “I choose you as my mate. Not Victoria.” Brice tucked a curl behind her ear. “I’ll make sure she doesn’t bother you again.”

  “No need.” Weariness shimmered in Cassie’s eyes. “I handled the problem.”

  “It isn’t that simple. Wahyas have laws to protect humans.”

  “This wasn’t an interspecies incident, okay? She was just being bitchy, and I ended her tirade with pepper spray. Situation resolved.”

  “You pepper sprayed her?” Brice felt his smile to his ears. His delicate little human mate-to-be stood up to a jealous she-wolf twice her size and bulk and came out the winner. Damn, he was proud.

  “In the face.” A bashful glow brightened Cassie’s skin.

  “That’s my girl.” Brice pressed her knuckles to his lips, then helped her stand. “Come on, let’s go to bed.” He snagged her comforter off the couch on the way to the bedroom.

  “You know this isn’t appropriate.” She stalled at the foot of the bed. “I can understand why you wanted me to sleep next to you the first night. You were exhausted, in pain, and didn’t want me to tell anyone you were home. And then Margaret died.” She paused. “Last night you were drunk and I was tired. Well, that sounds bad. You know what I mean.”

  “I wasn’t drunk.” He unbuttoned his shirt. “I sleep better when you’re beside me.” He winked. “Admit it. You like sleeping next to me, too.”

  “I admit nothing.” Cassie climbed into bed. “Except that I don’t want to argue all night. Since you’re too stubborn to give in, I have to. You might be able to sleep all day if you wanted, but I have places to go and things to do.”

  Brice kicked off his shoes and traded his pants for the cutoff sweats he donned for her modesty. He slid beneath the covers and curled against her.

  She huffed. “You’re supposed to stay on your side of the bed.”

  “Remember, Sunshine, both sides are mine.”

  Within minutes, Cassie fell fast asleep. Once he knew she wouldn’t wake, he slipped out of bed, redressed and headed to the resort.

  He’d expected Victoria to retaliate by attacking his personal possessions. Instead, she’d struck straight at his heart.

  Renewed anger welled inside him. He stalked to the elevator. The mechanical drone of the hydraulics intensified the molasses crawl up the shaft. Jackhammering the button didn’t prod the lift to ascend any faster.

  Brice slumped against the brushed gold paneling. What the hell was wrong with him? Five years ago, his carelessness had killed Mason. Tonight, his carelessness in handling Victoria could’ve seriously injured Cassie.

  A polite ding announced arrival at the fourth floor. Brice peeled the doors apart the second the elevator stopped. Walking down the corridor, he counted silently to bank his temper.

  Heads bent together in muffled conversation, his mother and Doc stood in the alcove outside Victoria’s suite.

  “Is Victoria all right?” he asked Doc through clenched teeth.

  “No permanent damage. She’ll be fine.”

  “Victoria said Cassie attacked her in the parking lot without provocation,” Brice’s mother said. “The accusation is ridiculous, but your father and I will need to speak to Cassie.”

  “No.” Brice anchored his arms over his chest. “Victoria stalked Cassie at the high school track in her wolf form. When Cassie didn’t cower, Victoria shifted and wrapped her fingers around Cassie’s throat. Cassie used pepper spray in self-defense.”

  “Is Cassie all right?” His mother fingered her mouth.

  “Yes, except for the handprint on her throat.”

  “Where is she?” Doc folded his coat over the arm carrying his medical bag. “I want to check on her.”

  “She’s asleep in the cabin and I don’t want her disturbed. She didn’t have any swelling or problems swallowing or breathing. I’ll get her to the ER if anything changes.”

  “Make sure you do,” Doc said.

  “Your father is coming back from a patrol with Cooter and Tristan. He’ll want to talk to you when he arrives.”

  “He knows where to find me.” Brice glanced at the electronic lock on the door. “Mind letting me in?”

  His mother held his gaze, assessing his threat level. Despite his anger, Brice had no intention of harming Victoria. However, he would make sure she left the territory tonight, even if he had to hog-tie her and toss her in the back of the truck.

  Apparently satisfied Brice wouldn’t physically retaliate, his mother swiped her master card through the electronic lock. A warning flashed in her green eyes before she left with Doc.

  Brice punched open the door, driving the handle through the drywall. “Victoria!”

  Propped in the middle of a fluffy four-poster bed, the pitiful looking she-wolf appeared almost comical. Golden hair matted around her splotchy red face, Victoria aimed her swollen eyes and pointed her puffy nose in his direction.

  “See what your tramp did to me,” she howled. “I want her punished.”

  Brice’s nails dug into his palms, and he locked his fists behind his back.

  “Consider yourself lucky, Victoria.” Brice hated that she reclined in a luxurious bed, surrounded by overstuffed pillows. Cassie deserved that kind of royal treatment, not Victoria.

  “Lucky?” Hands balled in her fluffy bedding, Victoria glared. “That rabid redheaded tramp tried to kill me!”

  “You should have come after me, Victoria,” Brice said. “Not Cassie.”

  “I didn’t lay one finger on the runt.” Victoria’s haughtiness matched the smugness on her face.

  “How about five?” Brice countered.

  Victoria threw him a halfhearted shrug.

  “What the hell were you thinking?” Brice leaned against the bedpost. “You attacked a human. One under my direct protection.”

  “The gutter rat had no right to claim what is mine,” Victoria hissed.

  “Cassie told you that she bit me?” Through his anger, Brice’s heart thumped a happy, ridiculous beat. Whether she realized it or not, Cassie believed in their bond. And defended it.

  “Her bite gives me justifiable cause. It’s my right to fight for what’s mine.”

  “I’m not yours.”

  “You will be.” Victoria’s haughty eyes glittered. “Your father wants your mateship to be with someone acceptable. Something your human will never be.”

  “My mateship isn’t about what my father wants. It’s about what I want.”

  “What you want is irrelevant. Your father wants a suitable heir to continue the Walker lineage, and Adam wants someone by your side who won’t embarrass the firm. Gutter rats need not apply, if you get my drift.” Victoria’s malicious laugh soured his stomach, and he wondered how the hell he’d become involved with her.

  “Get out.” Brice yanked Victoria from the bed. “Out of Walker’s Run and out of my life.”

  “No.” She twisted free. “If you would get your head out of that redheaded tramp’s lap, you would realize we are a perfect match. We’re both on the fast track at Adam’s firm. We have the same tastes, the same friends, the same interests. And I have an excellent pedigree.”

  “All we have in common are the projects we’ve worked on together. Your tastes are not mine, your friends are pretentious, your interests are tedious and I don’t give a fuck about your pedigree.” Brice tossed a suitcase on the bed. “Start packing.”

  When she didn’t budge, he gathered some of her belongings and threw them into h
er luggage.

  “How dare you choose that scrawny bitch over me?” Victoria gnarled her fingers in Brice’s shirtsleeve. “Come the next full moon, you’ll regret this, Brice Walker.”

  Brice seriously doubted he would.

  Chapter 29

  “Come back to bed.”

  Contemplating Brice’s sleepy grumble, Cassie grinned.

  Barefoot and wearing the cutoff sweats he slept in, he rubbed his fingers through his bed-head hair. His eyes drooped in a grumpy, it’s-too-early-to-be-awake scowl. Elbows pointed outward, fingers laced over his mouth, he stretched his back in a full-body yawn.

  Tall. Sleek. Magnificent.

  The scars slashing his golden skin only added to his powerful beauty and larger-than-life presence. Cassie would have been a liar if she claimed that she didn’t like cozying into the heat of his body. Truth be told, she enjoyed the comfort of his warmth far too much. Especially early in the mornings when his temptations were strongest and her resistance at its weakest.

  It would be so easy to succumb to his assertions to provide, protect and pleasure. If she were in a more secure position, financially and emotionally, she might give in.

  Might? Who was she kidding? She’d be the one dragging him back to bed.

  Forcing her gaze off his sexy reflection in the bathroom mirror, she finished pinning her hair. “I won’t skip class. After the first absence, it’s too easy to miss the second, then third.”

  Dressed in her drab resort uniform and an old, faded scarf around her neck to hide the ugly bruises, Cassie could’ve been a billboard ad for hideous fashion don’ts.

  Being poor sucked. Someday she’d be able to afford the stylish accessories she saw in the magazines at the campus library. She’d even splurge for a decent haircut instead of trimming the ends herself. Until then, spending one unnecessary penny was as much a fatal distraction to her future as entertaining romantic notions about Brice.

  His hands cupped her waist and her pragmatic resolve wimped out. She loved how he never let an opportunity to touch her pass. Maybe it was rapid conditioning. In the beginning, he’d pulled her close for her scent and she had offered no resistance. Lately he didn’t stop at smelling her skin. He boldly proceeded to lick and kiss the trail he nuzzled. Since she failed to protest the progression, her body whirred with expectancy.