WOLF (Wolf River Book 1)

by Alaska Angelini

  “Know what?” Sweat poured from the top part of Alex’s body and he swayed as he held to the door.

  “Shit,” I breathed out. “See,” I snapped at Caleb. He’s right here and just as sick as you, if not sicker. Are you happy?”

  There was a shock on the detective’s face, almost as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. It gave me hesitation before Alex’s voice drew me back to him.

  “What are you two talking about?”

  The words were almost unrecognizable as he slurred through them. Deep breaths left his mouth and he coughed while he leaned his head against the wooden barrier.

  “She saw one,” Caleb burst out. “She saw a werewolf eating a kid. You happy now?”

  Alex’s eyes cut up to me and his breath turned to pants, but that wasn’t what caught me off-guard. His eyes. They were extremely bloodshot and the gold was prominent again. So much so they were practically glowing. I swallowed hard, forcing myself forward. I knew fever could have somewhat the same effects. I had to find out if he was warm so I wouldn’t jump to conclusions. Because I was. So much so that I feared Alex. I had to stop this. It was impossible.

  My hand rose and Alex didn’t move as I came up and placed my palm over his wet forehead. I immediately jerked back.

  “Jesus, you’re burning up. You need to lie down before you pass out. You can barely stand as it is. How did you even get home? Your truck isn’t here.”

  “Got a ride from my employer.” His grip tightened on my arm enough to have me staring at him concerned. Fuck, he was going to fall. “I told you to stay inside,” he rushed out. “To lock the door.”

  I helped him lower to sofa. The cushions were wet, telling me he’d been lying there for quite some time. The realization put me at ease and immediately erased all suspicions I had. He wasn’t that thing. He wasn’t. The evidence was right before me.

  I grabbed the blanket, putting it over him as he immediately closed his eyes.

  “Mr. Morrison’s youngest. I believe he’s one of the victims, Alex. He and his two friends went missing and I found three boys. I have to go back. I have to make sure of their identity and if there’s any survivors.”

  “No. You have to…” The words again were almost unrecognizable. Coughing had him curling into a ball as he groaned out in pain.

  “Come on, Erin, we have to go.”

  I looked between the two men, torn about what I should do. Alex was extremely sick. To the point where I feared he needed to go to the hospital. His temperature had felt so high. But those kids… There still might be time. Maybe I scared the thing away and they were injured, but alive.

  I had to return.

  “Give me an hour or so. Leave the door unlocked.” I froze in my retreat. “Actually, don’t. Where is your key? I’ll lock you in behind me.”

  Alex pointed to the far table, but he didn’t speak. He was beginning to shake almost convulsively. I paused in my conflict, only to lunge to the table.

  “I’ll be right back.”

  I grabbed the keys, practically running out. Caleb kept quiet as we headed back to the car. The moment the door shut, he cursed under his breath.

  “This changes things. This changes everything,” Caleb muttered.

  I wasn’t sure what he’d meant, but I prayed he was ready to drop this crusade against Alex. Alex wasn’t the bad guy here. Not even close.

  Chapter 16

  Alex

  The engine dying off in the distance following their departure had my wolf going wild inside of me. He wanted back out. He wanted to hunt. I had never in all my years been able to shift back into my human self on a full moon, but tonight had been different. I’d gone looking for Erin, tearing into her house like the predator I was, only to find she wasn’t there. The anger in that moment didn’t compare to anything I’d experienced before. It was instant and sent me into a blind rage. But after the fury began to fade, concern somehow crept through my fog. It ate away at the evil inside of me until I was able to use my mind even more. Erin was gone. Out of harm’s way from my wolf. She’d have been dead if she had listened to me and stayed inside.

  As the realization dawned, I was able to somehow steer my way to my cabin instead of the woods. I held enough control and I used it to make it to the shed. That’s when I had heard it. The siren. The loud noise was headed in my direction and I knew I’d never get myself locked away in time. Something had happened in our town again. There was no other explanation as to why they’d be out on a full moon. And Erin. She was close with Caleb. The fear that she’d be with him, that they’d catch me, had me stumbling into the cabin and using every ounce of will I possessed to push my wolf away. My feelings for her, my care over her safety, it was all that mattered to me. I wanted her, dammit. I wanted her in my life! Not dead. The pleading and urgency consumed me and I crashed to the ground, turning into my human self. I barely had enough time to slide on a pair of jeans before the pounding started on my door.

  At catching Erin’s voice and scent so close, my wolf almost came back. Caleb’s words about her seeing a werewolf caused a shock to my mind, preventing my wolf from returning. But it was only temporary.

  The tickling in my throat caused me to curl more into myself as I fought the hacking. He was raging a war inside of me. He was coming. The question was when. I needed to get caged before she returned. But she’d know something was wrong if I disappeared.

  I ran my hand down my sweaty face. Did it matter if she suspected me? It was better than her being dead. But what if Caleb returned with her? He might want proof that I was still human. That I was here instead of out there killing.

  Jesus. I couldn’t think. I was going to be sick again. And it was all a reaction to the power the moon held on me. The tickling triggered my gag reflex and the pain twisting my insides were enough to do me in.

  Somehow I managed to stand and stagger toward the restroom. My shoulder slammed into the door as I fell to the floor and heaved. The bones in my hip locked and then shifted. The scream that left me was murderous. One by one, my bones started adjusting and breaking to fit my other form. My nails tore into the wood next to the shower sending shavings falling to the ground at the sharps tips that had push out and morphed to my other form.

  “No. No!”

  My body thrashed as I fought what I was so sure was coming. But it didn’t. At the heaviness that settled over me, I almost couldn’t believe that my human body had gone limp. Again.

  Deep breaths left me and minutes passed before I could stand. Every inch of me ached as I pushed to my feet.

  Fuck suspicions. Fuck Caleb’s blame. None of them mattered when compared to human life. And I wasn’t going to take anyone’s tonight.

  I headed out of the front door and stumbled to the shed, closing myself in. The trap door rested ahead, under the tarp. I moved it out of the way, grabbing the circular handle to pull it open. The black hole that appeared held my salvation.

  The lantern sitting off to the side was waiting for me and I grabbed it, turning it on as I lowered myself inside. The sight of the titanium cage had my wolf panicking. It knew what was coming and the roar that filled my head was enough to have me nearly collapsing in pain all over again.

  I pulled the trap door closed, barely able to shut myself in the cage before my transition began all over again. This time I couldn’t hold it back. The silver combination lock burned into my fingers like acid as I pushed and secured it closed. My body collapsed against the earth’s floor and I didn’t fight what I knew was coming. Thrashing was immediate. My tall frame jolted back and forth as the wolf blood inside of me coursed through my veins at the speed of light.

  Erin’s face flashed in my mind, the man in me holding to the endearing image. The wolf in me showed nothing but ire at having what he wanted taken away. My legs kicked out against the bars, lengthening as they contorted and grew thicker with muscle. Like a wave, the change traveled up me, tearing through my jeans as I rolled through the cracking sensations.

/>   “Fu-ck.” The word drew out while my voice changed. It was almost here. Loud pants were followed by an even louder growl. The room flickered in vivid colors as my eyes adjusted and I was up, crashing into the bars before the room came into focus. Erin was still there, tempting every part of me as I repeatedly threw myself into the titanium cage. The power at which I hit would have injured any man, but not my beast. My skin was thick, my muscle damn near impenetrable.

  Sharp claws ripped into thin air, reaching for nothing, searching for anything. I was truly gone in my mind as I pushed from the bars, jumping across the space to hold myself sideways near the top. I lunged and hit the opposite wall with everything I had. The killer only saw the need to bring death and he was in such an unstable state that nothing I was doing was making sense. Clarity wouldn’t come until this part passed. Until my wolf got ahold of himself and tried calculating a way to break free without using sheer force. It’d be a good hour or two of demented actions, but it would come. Even as I went through the motions, I somehow knew that. Usually it wasn’t this bad. Only when I fought the change. And I’d done so like hell, tonight.

  The light from the lantern casts shadows along the wall, driving me on as I took in my massive frame. My speed, my size, it boosted my ego showing me just how deadly I truly was. I could have anyone. I could tear open their flesh and leave them in pieces if I chose. And I wanted to. I wanted to bathe in their blood and have the satisfaction of taking any life that crossed my path. Power. Yes, the need to display it was ingrained in my DNA right now.

  Time passed until my movements became slower. I stalked the bars, back and forth, snarling and snapping at my prison. The moon was slipping away, leaving the worst sense of mourning in its departure. I never heard an approach, nor did I have a recollection of Erin’s scent. The night was becoming a blur of hatred and loss. Of sadness and defeat. My wolf was accepting that it wasn’t getting out of here. I was growing tired and heavy. Soon this would all end and I’d finally be able to breathe and prepare for another month of it all happening again.

  My wolf collapsed to the floor, unable to continue. Ragged inhalations shook my frame and the minutes flew by as I drifted in and out of consciousness. When the shifting of my bones began to transform back into my human self, it awoke me enough to know I needed to get back inside. It was over and Erin had survived … this time.

  ****

  I awoke to the sound of my front door opening. My wolf stirred, but rested so far back that I could almost believe he wasn’t there. It didn’t change how sensitive my senses were. I caught Erin’s scent, followed by footsteps.

  My eyes closed again and I rolled over in the bed, facing away from the door. I couldn’t help but wince from the soreness.

  A mixture of pine and earth filled the room as she got closer. Sniffling had me blinking through the sensitivity. Even my eyes were aching. I turned back over, feeling my heart stop at how swollen and puffy her face was from crying. Emotions stirred, so strong that it threw me off for a moment. I couldn’t breathe as I recalled what she’d said the night before. It was hazy, but I did remember her mentioning something about three boys. And my wolf … he was back, watching her through my eyes. Wanting her, regardless of my concern over her state.

  I lifted my hand and I didn’t have to wait long before she rushed toward me and climbed into my bed. Wetness slid over my skin from her tears and she buried her face in my chest, holding to me tightly. Sobs shook her body and her cheeks and nose felt like ice.

  “Talk to me. What happened?”

  I stroked her hair, eating up the intimacy like it was the best thing there ever was. The crying slowed and she leaned her head back to look up at me.

  “We searched the woods all night. Mr. Morrison went crazy. He and the other two fathers of those boys lost it. When I relayed that they were dead,” again, she sobbed, “they broke in front of me. I’ve never seen so many guns in one place. They were on a mission like I’d never seen. Us, the deputies, and even a few townsfolk searched all over. I’m not sure how many miles we walked through the woods.” She sniffled. “I feel so…” She trailed off as she began to cry again. “There’s something wrong with this place, Alex. What I saw last night...”

  I clenched my jaw as she grew quiet. I waited for her take on what I was, but it never came.

  “Tell me again what you saw? I’m sorry, I barely remember last night. I wasn’t very well at all.”

  Erin squirmed and pushed herself to a sitting position. She was pulling away from me now. I could feel it not only in her actions, but in her energy as well.

  “What attacked you wasn’t a bear, was it?”

  “It was a bear,” I said, cautiously.

  She narrowed her eyes. “I don’t believe it was. I saw the photos from your attack, Alex. Those marks on your friends, on you, on Kelly Morrison and all the others; they were the same marks covering those boys. You may have thought you saw a bear, but I’ll bet you anything, what hurt you was no bear.”

  I pushed to sit up, groaning as my muscles stretched. “What are you saying, Erin? What exactly do you think attacked me?”

  Her eyes searched mine. “I don’t think you’re one, too. I don’t. And I don’t know what it is. What I do know is I watched it eat a boy’s intestines and share its food with two wolves. It appeared to be half man, half … animal. It was covered in black hair. Its features held no resemblance to a bear, nor any other animal I have seen. Werewolf? I just don’t know.”

  For what felt like forever, we stared at each other. A part of me wanted to spill everything. To tell her the truth and beg her to help me. But she couldn’t. No one could. And if I exposed my secret, I’d become a monster trapped in a cage forever. They’d experiment on me and I’d never be set free. No one could know. No one.

  “I’m sorry. I wish I knew what to say. I see it in my head and what I see is s a really large bear.”

  She nodded after a few moments and stared ahead. “Maybe it is some form of bear and the darkness was playing a trick on its features.” She went back into a daze, gazing into the distance, but it didn’t last long before she began shaking her head. “No. I will not allow my mind to trick me into comfort. That thing wasn’t a fucking bear. I know what I saw.”

  “Don’t think about it,” I said, pulling her back to lie down against me. “You’ve had a long night. You have to be exhausted. Let me hold you.”

  “I should really be going home. I just wanted to check to make sure you were alright. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have cried on you.”

  She went to ease off the bed when flashes of my rage in her cabin registered. Panic had my arm looping around her waist to keep her from leaving. She didn’t need to see that right now. Not while she was clearly so upset.

  “Please,” I said, quietly. “Don’t leave. Stay with me.”

  Erin searched my face and just when I thought she was going to tell me no, she reached up and unzipped her jacket. I took a deep breath, letting go as she finished undressing. When she was just wearing her bra and panties, I drew her body into mine. I was already so hard, watching her skin become exposed. God, she had the most amazing body. Feeling the curve of her hip as I moved her in closer nearly did me in.

  “Make me forget.” Her lips pressed against my chest and I closed my eyes at the feeling. Knowing that she wanted me, there were no words for the happiness it brought. In the moment, I wasn’t forgotten or alone. I was needed.

  My thigh pushed between hers, bringing her up closer. My head lowered and I sucked the side of her neck into my mouth causing her to push her pussy against my leg. That action had her rocking against me. I couldn’t bear knowing her urgency. Mine was just as strong. I rolled us, placing my body on top of hers. Before I could kiss her again like I wanted, the engine of a car registered. It was coming in our direction and only one person came to mind on who it could be.

  “Someone’s coming,” I said quietly.

  Erin tensed, listening. “You have to let me up,”
she said, already trying to wiggle out from under me. “I have to get dressed.”

  More of my weight settled on her and a smile pulled at the side of my lips. “One condition.”

  She stilled, narrowing her eyes. “What’s that?”

  “You can’t run. When they leave, you come back to my bed. We’re not finished.”

  Panic was surfacing within her. She nodded, quickly. “Deal.”

  My arm lifted and I rolled to my back as she scrambled from the bed and began pulling her clothes on. I took my time, climbing out to grab a new pair of jeans and a T-shirt. I was so damn sore I couldn’t move very fast. Odd how I didn’t feel the pain when I was so caught up with her.

  Just as Erin slid on her jacket, a knock sounded at the door. I glanced at the clock, taking in the blurring numbers.

  “It’s eight in the morning.” My statement had Erin glancing over at me. “You were out walking the forest until eight in the morning?” As I asked, I was already heading for the door. She followed.

  “Yes. We went everywhere you could possibly think of.”

  I frowned as I reached for the knob and pulled the door open. My body immediately went rigid. “Dad. What … are you doing here?”

  He glanced at Erin, and then came back to me. “I helped with the search last night. Erin mentioned you were sick with the flu. I thought I’d come over and check on you. See if you needed anything.” He gave me a sad look. “See how you were. How are you, son?”

  My lips separated and I felt myself take a step back. My mind was muddled with confusion. How should I act? What should I do? He wasn’t safe around me. But hell… I didn’t want him to go. Tears burned my eyes and I swallowed hard trying to push it all away. I couldn’t remember the last time I had cried, but seeing him so concerned... That he’d come at all after the years of isolating myself and pushing them away…

  “I’m feeling a little better. Please, come in.” I stepped back even more.

  Erin had a grin on her face as I turned around and I wasn’t sure whether to explode at her for having him worry about me, or give her the biggest kiss in the world. I couldn’t think.