WOLF (Wolf River Book 1)

by Alaska Angelini

  “Don’t be absurd. The guy’s clearly lost his mind.”

  There was an underline to his tone. One that stirred my suspicions even more as he turned and walked away from me to go back inside. I couldn’t trust him. He was lying and hiding something.

  The door slammed shut and I stared at the red tail lights in the distance. Slowly, I reached down, picking up the pictures to glance through them. A huge part of me begged to go after Alex. To figure out what had happened. I somehow knew he wouldn’t confide in me which only told me one thing—he obviously had secrets, too. Ones he didn’t care to share. It pissed me off how much he held back from me. He confessed how much he wanted me. How he couldn’t think about anything but me. How he wasn’t sure he could leave me alone. But he wouldn’t work with me. He wouldn’t open up and let me see the real him.

  Tires squealed in the distance and his truck disappeared onto the main road. I turned back to the guest house, stopping mid-way as my vision landed on my car. Damn the temptation. It ate at me. I knew it had nothing to do with the dispute and everything to do with what we shared. The need to try to get him to open to me was there. I wanted to ease the pain he harbored. Why I wanted to keep trying, I didn’t know.

  I sighed and turned back to the cabin. If I continued to think about what I wanted over what was right, I was going to end up in a bigger mess than I was already in. But was it right to stay here knowing that Detective Perkins was possibly abusing his authority? If what Alex said was true, he followed him onto private land and shot him with a dart. I could only think of one kind of dart and the possibility that he tranquilized Alex was shocking. Downright terrifying actually. Caleb was certain Alex was a werewolf and I knew that’s what it had to stem from. My only reassurance was that he obviously hadn’t found out what he wanted or else I would know all about it.

  I placed the pictures down and grabbed my suitcase, pulling it to rest on the bed. I had nowhere close to go. And I couldn’t just show up at Alex’s. The timing wasn’t right and the last thing I wanted was to make the situation worse. Truth was, I was screwed. I had to sleep here for one more night. Tomorrow, I’d disassociate myself with Caleb until I knew the entire story. I was going to Alex’s parents. If it happened on his father’s land, maybe Mr. Villani would shed light on what he had seen.

  I unzipped my bag, pulling out my light gray pajamas. They were the warmest I had. With only a small electrical heater, I wasn’t sure how well it’d keep me warm. So far it was okay, but there was still a slight chill to the air. And it was almost dark. It’d be colder, then. From the increasing wind outside, I knew more snow was coming. It was all Caleb had talked about for the last few hours.

  Just imagining it had me shuddering. I grabbed my night essentials, dreading having to use Caleb’s guest bathroom. Luckily, it was right through the side entrance. There would be no disturbing him or having to ask permission.

  I tiptoed over the threshold, staying as quiet as possible as I shut the door behind me and locked myself inside the bathroom. I removed my clothes, turning on the shower. Steam quickly filled the small space and I got in, speeding through my routine. Just as I turned off the water, something triggered my awareness. I wasn’t sure what it was, but I kept quiet, listening, as I grabbed a towel and began to dress.

  Nothing unusual stood out. No sounds or talking. Maybe that’s what it was. The atmosphere was too quiet.

  I tried ignoring my unease as I brushed my teeth. Everything was fine. I was just on guard because of the entire situation. It was bad enough dealing with the horrific circumstances of the case. Now that something was going on between Alex and Caleb, it just intensified everything.

  I collected my things, sliding my jacket back over my pajamas. My arms were full as I entered the dark hallway. The living room light had been on before, but now the interior was almost pitch black. Even the outside light had to be off. There was no glow coming through the far window.

  My pulse increased and I tried to get control of the sudden fear I felt. Caleb just turned it off. It was no big deal. So …. Why were my instincts firing like live ammunition?

  I hurried for the door, only one thing on my mind—my gun. I wanted it so I could feel safe. The moment I came to face the glass screen door, my body locked in terror. A large, dark shadow stood erect, so tall that it was bending its head down to look inside.

  I jerked back and threw my weight into the wooden door, locking it and scrambling away. “Caleb!” I was already spinning around and running for the gun cabinet that rested in the living room. A light flipping on had me nearly screaming out again.

  “What?” He was rushing toward me from what I knew to be his room. He was only wearing a pair of pajama pants and had a shirt held up against his chest. What I saw along his hip was enough to have my feet stumbling. But I didn’t stop in throwing open the intricately decorated glass door to grab one of the rifles.

  “It’s outside. That … thing. It’s—”

  The image replaying in my mind had me jerking a shotgun free.

  “This is fucking empty! Caleb, ammo!”

  He stood staring between the door and me, as if he didn’t understand what was going on. “You’re sure? Did you hear something?”

  “I fucking saw it! Ammo, now!”

  I bent for the drawer at the bottom, throwing it open and grabbing the shotgun shells. My hands were trembling as I pushed the ammunition in and locked the first shot into place. For seconds, I waited for it to try to break in.

  Nothing.

  Caleb jerked the shirt over his head and rushed to grab a gun, beginning to load it. “Do you think maybe the light was playing tricks on you? I don’t hear anything. I just can’t imagine something being out there without it trying to tear through the place.”

  “I know what I saw. And there was no light,” I snapped. “Only shadows.”

  Caleb frowned and walked toward the side door. I followed, holding to the gun like it would save me. After seeing what I had, I wasn’t so sure it was enough. That thing had been huge, standing erect. It had to have at least been seven feet tall. Maybe a little more.

  “Wait,” I breathed out. “Don’t open it yet.”

  “How are we going to know if something’s there unless we look?” He eased open the barrier, peering into the darkness before he flipped on the outside light. “I don’t see anything.” Minutes dragged out and I saw his tense frame relax. “I don’t know, Erin. Maybe it left? I don’t see anything.”

  I felt like a child who was afraid of the dark. Like I’d imagined it all. But I hadn’t.

  “I swear. It was right there, peering through the glass door. Whether the light was off or on, I know what I saw, and I’m positive it saw me.” My clothes and overnight bag were lying on the floor. I scooped them up, still holding the shotgun. Caleb seemed to battle with what to do. He’d yet to see it and I wondered if he believed me at all. Sure, he saw the damage to the cabin. And the wolves, they had tried to attack me, but they were just wolves. Not the creature I was catching glimpses of. My only saving grace was that he wanted to believe so badly that they existed. For all he knew, I could have destroyed the cabin, myself. I could have been the bad one and I seriously think he would have believed anything I said. As long as it pointed to Alex.

  Caleb locked the door and an array of emotions shone on his face. He was thinking something. And it looked to be very deep. Almost as if what he was thinking was something he wasn’t comfortable with. Or didn’t want.

  “You can have my room. I’ll take the couch.”

  “I can’t stay in here. If I can just keep the shotgun.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. You can’t go outside if that thing is out there. It’ll tear that guest house to shreds within seconds. At least in here, I can be prepared to help if it tries to get in.”

  I clenched my jaw at the anger of my situation. Leaving town was starting to sound like my only option. “I’ll take the loveseat. I can’t sleep in your bed. I doubt I’ll be doing m
uch sleeping anyway. We can take turns with shifts. Come morning, we have to get the townsfolk together for a meeting. We have to put a stop to this.”

  Chapter 20

  Alex

  I smelled her fear before I sensed it. Even enclosed within walls, the hint of the sweet scent drew me closer. Another threatening fragrance mingled within and the concern pushed me through the woods faster. I was already running, being driven to her side by my selfish, obsessive needs, but now it was more than that. The wolf within was more protector than predator at the moment and I didn’t fight his desire to eliminate what was lurking ahead.

  I cut through the trees, whipping and weaving through them as Erin’s voice tore through the night. The hair on my arms stood up on end and my heart nearly stopped at the loud explosion that erupted. I knew it was a shotgun, but I also knew it wasn’t going to kill what she was up against.

  My wolf detonated like a bomb within my skin, forcing my body to adjust to the form that wanted to come. By sheer will I managed to hold off the change. Pain was zinging through my limbs at a crimpling rate and I could feel myself slow and stumble. Another shot pierced the air and a howl followed. It wasn’t of my race, but of an actual wolf. I gripped to my side, pushing forward.

  The line of trees ahead had me lowering as I got closer. My steps were determined, but calculated. I kept nearly silent as I came to a stop and crouched. The pack was surrounding the house, testing the boundaries. Two lay dead not feet from what appeared to be a slightly broken window. Through the darkness I could see Erin pointing the barrel of the gun through the hole resting at the bottom corner. She was afraid, as well she should be. The wolves weren’t backing down and they seemed determined to get in.

  I scanned the yard, looking for what I knew had to be hiding in the vicinity. I could smell him not far away. The foul stench gave off an odor of blood mixed with rotted flesh. He’d killed tonight, but nothing human.

  Another shot blasted, but not from Erin’s gun. My browed furrowed. It had to be Caleb from another part of the house. Shit. In human form I couldn’t do anything to help. If I tried to run off the wolves by projecting the alpha within, I’d bring out the real wolf. And if I did that, they’d see there was more than one.

  My hand gripped to the tree beside me as I tried to figure out what to do. I couldn’t just hide here and let this continue. I couldn’t. My wolf refused to back down.

  “Do you see it? I don’t see it!” Erin’s yell echoed over the distance and Caleb’s voice followed.

  “Just the fucking wolves. I keep thinking I see a shadow in the woods, but I’m not sure. It’s pretty far in there.”

  BOOM! BOOM!

  Erin’s gun kicked back against her shoulder at the force of the shot and a gray wolf slid to a stop just feet from the window, followed by darker one. Her fear was peaking as panic set in. They were getting braver. Trying new things. And me… I was moving along the tree line before I even realized it. I took in everything, from the smell of the earth, to every heartbeat within distance. Heat singed my eyes, making my vision so much clearer. In jerky movements I tore through the forest with my gaze, hunting the one thing I’d longed to take out now for years. The consequences I’d considered only moments ago were gone, lost with the majority of my humanity. I was seconds away from changing. Without fighting the transition, the pain was nearly nonexistent. My bones slid into place fluidly and between strides I went from man to beast. My hands connected with the dirt and my claws tore into the earth at my speed. I continued to run on all fours, eating through distance twice as fast. Scent overpowered everything. The difference was night and day compared to my human sensitivity. The killer within came to life, snapping my attention to my target like light breaking through the darkness.

  Within seconds he was in my sights. Teeth bared as his head swung in my direction. The shock of what I was seeing was enough to almost stop me, but the wolf in me refused. This creature wasn’t my maker. He wasn’t the one I’d caught scent of throughout the years. This monster was new to me. Maybe even somewhat new to being a werewolf. A year or two old?

  Large, sharp teeth became even more exposed as his jaw widened and he pushed from his feet, right at me. My own sound of dominance broke free and we collided in a mass of claws and snapping jaws. Where he was quick, catching me across the neck with his nails, I was stronger. We hit the ground and I sent him flying right through the trees into the opening of Caleb’s property.

  BOOM! BOOM!

  “Oh, shit! Erin, I think got it!”

  Caleb’s voice had my ears perking. The distraction almost sidetracked me completely. If it wasn’t for the loud growl that left my new enemy, I would have gone after Caleb, instead.

  Blood oozed from the beast’s side as he scrambled back to his hands and feet and began rushing me again. I stayed focused, letting him make the mistake of fighting too wildly. His need for survival had his claws and teeth coming at me in hard, swift attacks. I stayed just out of distance, circling around fast. I knew the moment before he sprung. I ducked low, countering his leap toward me. My nails raked down his face and I sent him flying off to the side. Where I expected him to come back at me for more, he didn’t. Foliage flew in my direction as he darted right for the tree line.

  Mine.

  It was the only thing that registered as I chased after him toward Caleb’s house.

  Light flashed in my peripheral as I exploded from the trees. The air divided into multiple high pitched sounds and I heard the pellets in the shell split off in all directions even as the blast still resonated around me. None of that mattered as I fixated on the wolf only a few feet away.

  “Fucking shit!” Caleb yelled. “Erin, get ready! There’s two! They’re coming your way!”

  Growling from the wolves grew louder as we closed in. Faster, I forced myself, but the creature sprung to the left, dodging the shot aimed for it. The second one came right on top of the next, but he was already launching himself right for the window. Glass shattered as he perched in the opening. The seconds it took me to get there felt like forever. I tore into his back, throwing him as hard as I could away. Deep pants left me as my wolf’s stare connected with Erin’s bloody body. She lay on her back, gazing up at me with wide eyes. Something flickered in with the terror. I wanted to go to her. To check to see if she was the one injured … by him.

  Sounds coming from inside had me backing off and my head whipping around to the other werewolf. I barely caught his staggering figure disappear into the woods. Caleb was coming. Getting closer, from the sounds of it. I took off running in the werewolf’s direction, determined to catch up with him. Wolves caught up to me as I dove into the tree line. They were nipping toward me, but not threateningly. They were confused. Looking for direction. I wasn’t sure how to communicate with them like he did. I understood their language, but getting them to follow me? To do my bidding? That went beyond my knowledge. In truth, I wasn’t even sure I wanted to tap into something like that. These wolves needed to be their own pack. Only problem was, they’d had a taste of a real alpha. They’d never be the same again.

  The scent of blood got stronger as I broke to the right. The werewolf was nowhere in sight, but I could smell him. I stayed on his trail letting it take me deeper into the woods. The wolves kept to my side while I tracked every drop of crimson staining the earth. When I approached the river, it all disappeared. The rush of cold water pulled at me from the current and I managed to cross, searching to pick up the area that he’d gotten out at, but there was no more blood. No more clues to his location.

  My pulse stayed in a steady thud while I scoured the edge of the bank, going for what seemed like miles trying to locate where he’d come out at.

  Nothing.

  For hours I strained to listen for Erin or anymore gunshots. Silence. With the wolves being with me, I wasn’t fearing for her safety, but I knew I needed to get back to her. I had to make sure she hadn’t gotten any of his blood in her mouth or eyes, or… Fuck. She’d been
covered in the red substance. I couldn’t imagine what this meant. I was too afraid to find out.

  Chapter 21

  Erin

  I knew. Whether I wanted to admit it to myself or not—I knew.

  Steam rose from the coffee mug I was bent over and I let it heat my face while I inhaled the strong scent, deeply. The blanket around my shoulders did nothing to warm my bones. I was ice to my core and I couldn’t shake the chill no matter what I did.

  My head came up and I took in the single laceration on my wrist for the millionth time. And I knew—the symptoms had been almost immediate. I was injured by a werewolf, and now I was sick. I was becoming one of them. A monster that fed from children and innocent people.

  A tear splashed against my forearm not inches from the cut and I brought my gaze back to where Caleb was sleeping on the recliner. He didn’t know yet. Or maybe he did. Fuck, I wasn’t sure what to believe anymore.

  Heavy knocking brought my shoulders up. I stood, making my way to the door on shaky legs. Caleb let out a groan behind me, but he was still sleeping. How, I wasn’t sure. Even had I not been scratched, I probably wouldn’t have been able to drift off after what I’d seen. After what I knew.

  Just as I went to open the door, the knocking impatiently sounded again. I cut it off, swinging the barrier just far enough for me to fit through the opening. It was still dark and the time didn’t register until I was staring into Alex’s face. Into those eyes.

  “Little early for house calls, don’t you think?”

  “I had to come.” He swallowed hard, trying to peer around me and the door.

  “Caleb is sleeping. Did you come back to fight with him some more? I doubt he’ll be up for it after the night we had. But you know all about it, don’t you?”

  A frown surfaced and I could see him shifting nervously. It only confirmed my suspicions. “We should talk in the guest house.” I took off walking, not bothering to wait for his reaction. The snow crunched under my feet and it was still falling. He didn’t speak until he was shutting the door behind us. I sat on the bed, looking between the coffee and my cut. I was numb to emotions. There was no other word for it. I should have been terrified, but I wasn’t.