by Ellis Leigh
Savage Sacrifice
A Dire Wolves Mission
Ellis Leigh
Contents
There’s no escaping a Dire Wolf on the hunt...
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Epilogue
Also by Ellis Leigh
About the Author
Copyright © 2016 by Ellis Leigh
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
ISBN: 978-1-944336-19-6
There’s no escaping a Dire Wolf on the hunt...
Dire Wolf Phego has a history. One that haunts him and holds him back in ways even he doesn’t want to admit. A mission for one of his brothers bring changes, though, and he’s going to have to figure out how to deal with his past if he’s ever going to have a future.
Michaela likes to be needed. As the doctor of her pack, she’s used to being called out at all hours to assist on everything from accidents to baby deliveries. When an old friend is the one calling, she’ll do anything to help, including putting up with a cranky, standoffish oaf of a man who can’t seem to make up his mind on what he wants from her…if anything.
One soldier fighting demons from his past and his present, one woman doing all she can to save those she cares about, and a shadow that inches closer every day. In the world of the Dire Wolves, time off from missions should be calm and easy. But when ghosts come calling, Phego will have to decide if hanging on to his past is worth giving up his future.
One soldier, one fight…one chance at forever.
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He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind.
Buddha
1
Once upon a time, the sounds a couple made while having sex didn’t bother Phego. In fact, if he searched his memory hard and deep, he’d probably find moments where he rather enjoyed listening in. The soft grunts, the slap of skin on skin, the growl as an Alpha wolf in human form took what was being given to him. There was a rhythm to it, a draw and pulse that appealed. At least, there had been. Once or twice…many, many years ago.
Not on that day.
Because on that day, the banging, slamming, and yelling—the almost violent sounds of two people fucking—haunted him like a bad dream. There had never been a moment in his life Phego had wanted to cut off his own ears more. But that seemed painful and excessive, even for him, so he took off for his favorite spot instead. Looking to escape the symphony of sin and lust before he did something stupid like scream at his neighbors to shut the fuck up.
When Phego had offered the newly mated couple the chance to move in to the old, neglected cabin at the back of his property, he hadn’t expected to spend so much time hiding in the woods along the valley floor. The scenery was beautiful, almost pristine in its lack of human influence. But that wasn’t why he picked it to hole up in. Not the main reason, at least. Mostly he ran to that particular spot because it was far enough away not to have to overhear Thaus and Ariel mating. Again. And again.
Over the past few months, he’d gotten good at identifying the lead-up. It took little more than a giggle or sigh for Phego to pay attention; a single grunt or whispered curse for him to shift and head down the mountain. If anyone had asked him why, he’d have said he was giving the couple their privacy. Truth be told, Phego had grown up in wolf packs. There was no such thing as privacy with ears that picked up every sigh, noses that could scent a woman’s arousal from a hundred yards away, and the keen animal sight that had kept him alive so long. No, privacy was an illusion. What he was doing at the bottom of the mountain was saving himself from the agonizing sense of yearning whenever he heard those two together.
Yearning for something he couldn’t have and didn’t want.
He gave the couple almost two hours to get their lust and desire out of their system before heading back up the hill toward his own cabin, the empty one. The itch of an unfulfilled need tortured him on the way home—as it always did when he’d spent time hiding. The ache of something needed nipping at his heels the entire trip. Both were feelings he’d eventually wrap his fingers around…and strangle.
There was no time for such ridiculousness, no sense in craving things you couldn’t have. He had a job to do, a breed to protect, and a newly mated couple to help keep safe. Besides, he wouldn’t have allowed a mate into his life, even if one did somehow magically show up. Let his brothers deal with all that; he’d never trust a strange woman to get so close to him. How could he? It’d taken him centuries to truly have faith in his brothers, his pack. No shewolf would stick around and wait for him to grow comfortable with her. It would be a wasted effort on the fates’ part even to offer him the option.
But knowledge didn’t quench his thirst for something he didn’t have. A fact that made his blood boil and his mind spin with dark, angry thoughts. He needed to tuck those away, though. Ariel would sense his mood in a second if she saw him, and he didn’t want to upset her. She was a woman he’d almost instantly trusted, one he befriended easily. An anomaly in his life, and one that caused him great stress. It wasn’t until he’d accepted Ariel so easily that he’d begun to think of his own possible mate. Of the chance that maybe…maybe.
He shut that thought down quick. No chance, no mate, no trusting random shewolves. Period.
As Phego approached his cabin, as he worked to settle his thoughts and calm his mind, he thrashed and pounded through the brush so the couple could hear him coming. Just in case. He wouldn’t head to their place, but at least he’d given them a warning that he was back in the area. Maybe if they heard him, they’d realize he could hear them. That hadn’t happened yet, but he hoped. He hoped every single day.
But instead of sleepy breathing, soft sighs, or the flat-out collisions of flesh from another round of fucking, what he heard was the sound of Ariel crying coming from the little cabin in the woods. He was on their porch in seconds, shifting to his human form and yanking on a spare pair of shorts before he could even take a breath.
“What is it?” he asked as soon as he opened the door. He hadn’t even knocked, something Thaus would certainly understand, though. When it came to Ariel’s safety, there was only one rule. Do whatever it takes.
“Hey, Phego.” Ariel tried to smile, but her eyes were red and her face puffy. She’d been crying for a while.
No threat, no intruders, no sign of danger. And yet, Ariel cried. Phego couldn’t put the pieces together. “What’s going on? Where’s Thaus?”
The man walked out of the back bedroom as if summoned. Phego blinked, unable to tie the sad, sorry-looking being with the shifter he knew Thaus to be. Shoulders slumped, head tipped forward as if submitting, Thaus stood with a hangdog look on his face Phego had never seen before. Phego couldn’t fathom what had happened in the few hours he’d been gone, couldn’t imagine what could upset the couple so horribly. At least, not until Thaus dropped his black mission bag at his feet.
“Shit,” hissed Phego, wanting so badly to reach out and grab Ariel’s arm. To hold her up as she swayed slightly in her fear and grief. “Can I go in your place?”
Thaus shook his head, unable to tear his eyes away from his mate for more than a second at a time. “It’s explosives trading revolving around a direct threat to Blaze. Luc feels I’m the only one who could pick up code words or patterns if they’re selling, and he’s worried what a slip might mean for the entire shifter population should that occur. He wants me on this mission.”
The urge to say fuck Luc was strong, but it wasn’t something Phego could do in good conscience. If Luc—their leader and pack Alpha—needed Thaus on a mission, there was a damn good reason. And protecting Blaze—the president of the National Association of the Lycan Brotherhood, the ruling power of all wolf shifters in North America—was a damn good reason. In fact, he was just about the only reason other than another Dire Wolf in jeopardy that would override all other policies and procedures for the pack. While the other Dires knew enough about explosive devices to get by, even Phego had to admit Thaus possessed the most knowledge of the bunch in that arena. The entire team relied on Thaus in moments where explosives were needed or feared, including Luc. Their intrepid leader wouldn’t pull a mated pair apart when there were other options, especially not considering Ariel’s condition.
As Phego watched, Ariel’s hand slipped down to her belly. Rubbing her condition in an almost unconscious way.
“It’ll be fine,” she said, standing tall and trying so hard to be brave, even though he knew Thaus could see right through her. Just as he did. “We’ll be fine. I’m just spoiled since you haven’t had a mission outside of protecting me in all these months.” She swallowed hard, her eyes filling again, her lips twisting as she fought back some emotion that looked painful. “When do you think you’ll be back?”
Thaus growled and hurried to kneel in front of her, resting his forehead against the baby bump that had been slowly growing over the past few months. “Soon. I promise you. I won’t be able to call, but I’ll make sure to be here before this little wolf is born. I swear I’ll make it back.”
“I know you will.” But even as Ariel said the words, she was looking at him with flat, almost disconnected eyes. Doubting his ability to keep that promise. Phego had gone on two missions since the one that rescued her, and both times his timeline had gotten completely fucked by unforeseen circumstances. Her view of their missions was one of lengthy absences and missed deadlines, so of course she doubted her mate. But her baby was coming, whether Thaus was there or not. A fact that couldn’t be denied. This was the most horrible timing for a mission Phego had ever seen.
“I’m sorry,” Thaus whispered, clinging to her hips. “If there was any way I could get out of it—”
“I know,” Ariel replied as she ran her fingers over his shorn head. “You’ve got six weeks until the birth. Plenty of time to go save the shifter world. We’ll be here, waiting.”
Thaus kissed her belly and gave her hip a squeeze before climbing to his feet once more. The sad puppy look was gone, replaced by one of fierce determination and downright rage. Thaus was back. “Phego, I’m going to need you to look after my life for me.”
Phego’s response was easy, almost instinct. “Done.”
“I don’t want her left alone.”
“Understood.”
Thaus tore his gaze from Ariel’s face, giving Phego a stern yet pleading look. “I know this is a lot to ask, but I’d like it if you’d move in here while I’m gone. Ariel will be more comfortable in her own home, and she needs someone with her all the time. I don’t want to risk her or the baby.”
Phego darted a look to the shewolf, who seemed almost relieved at the idea. Fuck. He liked Ariel, liked her a lot, but living in the same house with her would probably test his patience in ways he wasn’t even aware of yet. He was very used to his solitude, his quiet times in his own den.
But it was Thaus asking and Ariel agreeing to the idea. Phego might be able to turn down one, but he’d never be able to argue against both. Especially not if Ariel kept looking at him as if he was about to save her somehow. She was a weakness to his strength, a sliver keeping him from closing himself off to people. He’d been amazed by the spunk and grit of the little Omega shewolf since he met her. Her bravery and strength belied her small stature, though, and her huge, loving heart welcomed even an asshole like him. He trusted her more than any of the other Dire Wolf mates that had come along in recent years. Trusted her more than anyone other than his Dire brothers, for sure. Phego would just have to get over his aversion to having people around—for Thaus. For Ariel.
“Done,” Phego said, making sure his response was strong and sure for their sake. “I can take one of the attic rooms.”
“You don’t have to do this,” Ariel said, but the way her shoulders had relaxed the second he’d agreed was enough for Phego to know her words were a lie.
“Yes, I do. It’ll be fine.”
“Good. Done.” Thaus grabbed his phone and tucked it into a pocket in his mission bag. “Phego moves in, I go save a pack from some really bad guys before they make the world go boom, Ariel sits tight and doesn’t do anything that could bring on early labor.”
The shewolf rubbed her belly again, a sure sign of her nerves. “Not happening. No Thaus, no baby. I’m making that a rule. We’re a team.”
Phego felt the conviction behind her words, could practically see the connection between them. The love and trust and faith they had in one another. And for one brief moment, he coveted it. For a single second before he locked that door in his mind tight.
“Mine,” Thaus growled as he moved in and nuzzled into her neck. “All mine.”
Something Phego knew he’d never say about another person.
But the light mood of the good-bye changed in an instant, grew heavy and dark. Sad even as Ariel whispered, “Come back soon to me.”
“Promise,” Thaus said, matching her somber tone.
Phego stepped back, tucking himself into the entrance to the kitchen, giving the couple another illusion of privacy. This would be hard on both of them; hell, it would be hard on Phego as well. But he’d signed up to be their protector, had volunteered his woods and extra cabin to keep them close. Dealing with a lonely shewolf pining for her mate was part of his life for the moment, and he’d make sure he did a damn good job taking care of her.
Thaus growled low, squeezing his mate as close as he could with all that baby in the way. “I swear I will find a way to get back in time. No matter what.”
Thaus looked over her shoulder and right at Phego, making his point clear. Making his doubts clear. Phego nodded, knowing he and Deus would have to work together to help Thaus from afar. The tech god that was Dire Wolf Deus would know what to do and how to manage monitoring a covert operation for sure, and Phego would be ready to roll out in Thaus’ place should the need occur. Thaus would be at his baby’s birth. Phego would make sure of it.
“Okay.” Ariel eventually nodded against Thaus’ chest and took a deep breath before pulling out of his grip. “I think I’ll call in Michaela a little early.”
Phego growled, unable to hold it back as she threw a wrench into his plans to keep her safe. “Who’s this Michaela guy, and why is he being called at all?”
Thaus frowned. “Michaela is a woman, a shewolf Ariel knows from her med school days. She’s also a midwife and will be delivering the little angel my mate’s carrying.”
“And you think this is a good idea? Bringing in strangers when I’m the only one here to protect her?”
“I trust Michaela,” Ariel said, looking determined and sure. Phego had learned early on that there was no pushing her once she got that look. She’d simply set her heels and refuse to budge if you tried. He’d need to be cautious.
“You may trust her, but I don’t know her. You and the baby are mine to guard while Thaus is away. It would make my life easier if I didn’t have to be wat
ching an extra wolf who may or may not be here for the right reasons.”
Ariel crossed her arms over her chest. “And if the baby comes? Are you going to crawl between my legs to help me? Are you going to put your hand inside of me to check the progress?”
Thaus’ growl shook the windows, his eyes swirling silver as his wolf pushed forward. “Phego—”
“No.” Phego held his hands up and took three steps back, giving the wolf time to settle. “I would do whatever I could to keep you safe, but Thaus would skin me alive if I tried any of that.”
“Exactly. So Michaela’s coming. Don’t worry—you’ll like her. She’s amazing.”
Amazing. Right. Phego hated the thought of a stranger in his woods, but Ariel was right. She’d need someone to help her through the delivery whether Thaus was back in time or not. Thaus would have understood if Phego had needed to deliver the baby, but it would have altered their relationship for sure. A mated wolf would never want another male anywhere near his shewolf’s pussy, even if it was for medical care. That was instinct, plain and simple.
So Phego would move in with Ariel, and he would allow this stranger to come live in the cabin in the woods with them. And he would keep his eyes on Ariel every second of the day. She may have trusted this person, but he didn’t. He didn’t trust anyone outside his pack brothers and maybe their mates. Maybe.
“Stay safe,” Thaus said as he kissed Ariel on the forehead. The move was so sweet, so intimate in a nonsexual way, that Phego couldn’t watch.
“Come back to me,” she whispered. There were low growls and the sounds of good-bye kisses, but Phego didn’t look. Didn’t even attempt to sneak a peek at their affection. This should have been private time for the couple, and he hated being any sort of witness to such things.
