by Ellis Leigh
“They said it would be just past one of these switchbacks.” She glanced at Colt, and he nodded, letting her know her plan not to show Reggie where the shifters lived was a good one. She waited for a solid mile before pointing at the side of the road.
“There.” She smiled at Reggie again. “They told me to stop at the purple mailbox.”
Reggie frowned. “I don't know how comfortable I am leaving you two young ones out here by yourselves. Are you sure there isn't someone I can call for you?”
Ha. If only he knew that they were probably the most dangerous creatures in the woods.
Michaela was already clambering out of the car, impatient to see her friend. “Oh, no, we’ll be fine. I'm sure they're not far from here. Besides, we can call them ourselves and tell them to come down and meet us along the way. I'm sure that won't be a problem.”
Colt joined her beside the car, his backpack thrown over his shoulder. He grabbed her suitcase from her hand, looking like the polite new husband he was supposed to be. “Thanks for everything, Reggie.”
The old man waved as he pulled away, driving slowly around the next curve. Colt and Michaela waited until he disappeared before turning back the way they'd come.
“It was a good plan to make him go farther.”
Michaela stared at Colt. Gaped, really. Unable to believe he'd complimented her. “Thanks.”
“Let's get moving. I want to reach the cabin before dark.”
Michaela followed him through the woods and up the trail. With every step, she cursed herself for wearing the impractical shoes she had, but she’d wanted to look nice. Rookie mistake on her part. The road was long, the trek difficult, and Colt certainly didn't make it any easier. He refused to slow down, pushing her to hurry, ignoring every complaint and request to slow down. The bastard.
“Oh, thank God,” she said, pointing at the dark, metal roof peeking through the tree line. “There it is.”
Colt grunted, following where she indicated to see the little cabin set back in the far copse of trees. “Quaint.”
“Please be nice,” Michaela said, ready to beg if necessary. “This woman is very important to me. She's more than my friend. Practically a sister. She’s an Omega like I am, and she needs my help. Don't make this harder on either one of us.”
Colt stared down at her, his face serious. “I promise, though you're the priority. Not her.”
Michaela took him at his word, understanding his opinion. Her Alpha had set the rules, and Colt would follow them to a T. She really had no other choice but to give him leeway to focus on her. Or maybe she was just too tired to fight anymore.
The two followed the trail all the way to the clearing that served as the front yard of the little cabin. Colt had been right about one thing—it was quaint. That word was the only way to describe it. Warm, golden light shone through the windows, flowers bloomed along the steps leading up to the porch, a brightly painted swing hung on one side with matching blankets tossed across the seat as if waiting for the next person to come sit down. The cabin was low, small, and postcard pretty. The perfect place for Ariel.
“I think I like it here,” Michaela said, her voice a little too quiet. A little too covetous. She looked around once more, taking in every detail. “It’s perfect.”
She took a deep breath, relishing the energy in the air. Anticipation tingled along her body in response to that energy. Something she sensed, something she could almost feel on the wind. This was where she was meant to be. Standing in this forest, right in front of this cabin.
She grinned up at Colt, grabbing his arm, ready to tug him inside. “Come on. I can't wait another minute.”
But as they took their first step toward the porch, as the front door swung inward and the woman Michaela had been called to see appeared behind the screen, the energy turned. Twisted darker and more volatile. Danger flitted across Michaela’s skin in a warning of sorts, one Colt’s low growl told her he felt as well.
Before Ariel could even step outside to welcome them, Colt was in motion.
“Colt, no.” Michaela reached for his arm, but it was too late. He'd shifted and was racing toward the corner of the house. Toward the huge wolf barreling down on them. Toward the threat headed her way.
3
Phego stalked through the woods, trampling through the brush and flushing out game. Without prey animals to attract them, there would be no predators lurking through his woods. And though he could have easily bested a mountain lion in his wolf form, a bear would have taken too much of his attention away from his mission. He wanted Ariel safe and protected, wanted her to be at ease during these last days of her pregnancy. He owed that much to Thaus. There was no greater pressure than the one Thaus had put on him. Responsible for the Dire’s family, his mate, his child… Phego could not fail.
As he ran through trees and raced over the hills, circling the little cabin in the woods that had become his home base, his mind wandered. Family and threats went together in his reality. It hadn't always been that way, though. He'd grown up in a pack much like the other wolves in the world. One Alpha leading a large group of shifters who lived, hunted, mated, and fought together. But that all changed the day his brother came to retrieve him from a hunting run. He'd never forget it. How could he? It wasn't every day your own brother led you to your death. Wasn’t every day your family turned on you in such a horrific way. But he’d been lucky that a certain Dire Wolf shifter caught sight of what was happening and risked his own life for Phego’s. A certain Dire whose mate he now protected.
That was why Phego would try so hard for Thaus. That was why he refused to think of failing for even a second. Thaus, with Luc’s help, had saved his life, had rescued him from the death his own parents had planned and his brother had attempted to enact. Phego could not let his real brothers down.
He circled closer to the cabin, not wanting to be out of earshot of Ariel just in case. She knew to yell if she needed him or if anything, even the smallest of feelings, made her nervous. Still, he stayed nearby as he flushed out the small animals who’d been brave enough to live so close to a wolf. As he did so, as his feet pounded on the ground and his heart pulsed in his chest, the memories of his youth kept him in a weird sort of company. He could never relax from his vigilance. His world had shattered once, and though his Dire Wolf brothers had replaced his traitorous family, he still worried. Not about his brothers so much, not anymore, but their mates. The sudden rush of new women in their lives. All seven Dires had gone thousands of years without finding those fated connections—until one mission, one trip to the swamp, changed everything. Within a couple of years of the first mating in their pack’s history, four of the seven had found their matches. Stunning odds, really. Unbelievable ones. Not normal ones. He continually questioned why, after so many centuries alone, they suddenly began to fall prey to the manipulations of fate.
The thought that he might find a mate, that he might match to a shewolf of his own, was enough to set his fur on end and bring out his snarl. He'd never be able to trust her. He would never know if their mated bond was strong enough to hold them together or just tenuous enough to keep him in the path of danger until it was too late to escape.
As Phego turned around the north end of the property, he heard the rumbling sound of an engine drawing near. There were very few cars that came out this way: a couple of old human mountaineers still trying to make it in the harsh peaks rising above his land, a handful of people choosing to live deep in the forests to stay off the grid, even an old miner or two still hoping to hit a vein of gold. The truck sounded familiar, the engine pattern something he'd heard often. He knew that vehicle, knew the man who drove it. What he didn't know was why the truck was stopping so close to his property.
He stood solid and still, ears up and listening, every sense on high alert. Doors slammed, and the murmur of voices that shouldn’t have been there added to the sense that something was off. Sounds of new people, of trespassers, whispered along the wind, not
loud enough for him to truly know what was going on, just enough to keep him wary. To pull out every protective instinct he had.
After a few moments, the engine rumbled again, the truck moving on along the road. But Phego didn't trust that the threat was gone. Why had the doors slammed? Who had been speaking? And where were they now?
He crept back toward the cabin, running along a path that would lead him toward the road just to be on the safe side. There was no way he could leave Ariel unprotected enough to explore the scene, but he could edge that way. Hunt for more signs. Look for anything out of the ordinary. But as he made his way on a broad arch, the woods remained silent, almost too silent.
Phego picked up his pace, the tension in the air feeding into his own fears. Something was coming. Something big. Something bad. Something he’d need to protect Ariel from. If he could just find it…
At the murmur of voices, voices he didn't know, he sped to an all-out run. Someone was in the woods. More than one someone. And they were getting closer to the cabin, closer to Ariel.
They were also getting closer to their own deaths.
Phego crossed into the clearing surrounding the cabin just as he heard the front door swing open from the other side of the house. Even so far away, Ariel’s scent—fear and bravery and the uniqueness that was her, all mixed together—blasted him, warned him that she was in harm’s way. That she was coming outside to investigate the threat. That she was scared of something. He couldn't leave her to face a fear alone. He had to protect her from whatever was coming. Whatever it was that was heading her way.
As he came around the corner of the porch, he zeroed in on the biggest threat. A man, huge and dark and menacing even in his human form, stood ten feet from the porch, looking focused and attentive. Too attentive. Phego would fix that. He clawed at the ground a little harder, growled a little louder, letting the bastard know he wasn’t alone. The man spotted him, his lip curling in a threatening move, his shifter scent hitting Phego hard. It would be a tough fight, but Phego would win. He had to. His Dire brother needed him to.
The man took one look at Phego, took one second to curl that lip and growl, and then shifted. Shredded clothing flew out from around his lupine form, and a vicious snarl left his lips before his paws hit the earth.
But Phego was ready for him.
He raced across the clearing, adjusting his path so as to stay between the enemy wolf and the porch. Blocking the target of the attack. Keeping Ariel safe. He met the beast in a crash that sent them both rolling, his teeth bared, his claws out and slicing through flesh from the start. Ready to fight. Ready to kill.
The sound of women screaming burned his ears, the fear from both eating at his concentration. Women… Plural. Fuck, the bastard wasn’t alone. He couldn't take his eyes off his threat, though. Couldn't risk a moment of distraction as he slashed and bit. He kept his tail pointed toward the house, kept his prey in front of him, kept his body blocking access to Ariel. The male would not sneak past him. Would not win. He’d deal with the other female once he had the wolf on the ground.
But just as the two clashed again in a brutal dance of death, a scent unlike any other captured his attention. It called to him, stole every ounce of his focus. Overtook his thoughts. He was unable to resist the lure. The turn of his head was automatic, the way his eyes sought the source of that smell an instinct. Something unstoppable and irrefutable.
A woman stood at the edge of the porch, close enough to the steps to be a threat to Ariel, though Phego didn't think she was. Something about her, something about the way she watched the fight, the way she seemed so nervous and afraid, spoke to him. Not a threat. At least, not to Ariel.
But she was the most dangerous thing he’d ever seen.
A distraction in a fight was a deadly thing, especially one as enticing as her. Before he could pull himself from his obsession, before he could turn back to refocus on his enemy, the slice of claws along his shoulder threw him off-balance.
He'd been hit.
The slice sent him stumbling back a few steps, caused him to limp with his injured leg. For one brief moment, he was ready to dive back in and kill the fucker who’d clawed him. But then Ariel appeared, shoving herself between the two wolves, her baby belly out and unprotected.
He’d never known such a feeling of failure. He’d screwed up and caused Ariel to be in more danger, something he’d vowed not to do. But he was still alive. Still ready to go again. Still snarling. Down, but not out. At least until the other woman joined Ariel, putting herself in front of Phego's competitor. Shoving him backward while yelling.
“Colt, stop. He’s not a threat to me.” She shoved again, the two moving farther away. Their distance helped to soothe Phego’s rage, helped to give him the clarity to calm himself. As did Ariel whispering in his ear.
“It's okay. She's my friend, and he’s here to guard her. He scared me at first, but they won’t hurt me. I’m fine now. Calm down, I need you to shift so I can look at the damage to your shoulder.”
Phego wouldn't shift back, though. Couldn't risk going human in such a dangerous situation. Just because Ariel trusted her so-called friend didn't mean he would. And the male—Colt. Guard or not, he wasn’t welcome on Phego’s land. Thaus would have thrown that Colt’s ass back to the road for daring to be near his mate, and he’d want Phego to do the same.
Ariel rubbed her hand down Phego’s shoulder, soothing him, calling to his human side as she inspected his injury. “C’mon, Phego. Come back to me. There’s no danger here, but there is an injury. I need to look at it. Will you shift for me?”
He growled low in his throat, keeping his eyes on the two interlopers.
Ariel sighed. “Quit being stubborn.”
But he refused to shift, refused even to sit down so she could get a better angle while looking over his shoulder. He needed to keep her safe, and he was a better fighter in his wolf form. Though, he’d need to figure out what the fuck that scent was and why it had distracted him so. He hadn’t messed up that bad in a fight since he was a kid, and the fact that it happened at such a vital time only fueled his rage.
Ariel ignored his snarling and raised hackles, though. She ran her fingers along his injured shoulder, spreading his fur so she could get a better look. Phego wasn't willing to flinch, wasn’t about to let that bastard across the clearing see an ounce of pain on his muzzle, but it hurt. It hurt a lot. The cuts ran deep, all the way to the bone, he guessed. But he'd been hurt worse and by better than the other male. Fucker never would have gotten close to him had he not been distracted. Which reminded him, where was the woman?
As Ariel finished with his shoulder, he searched every bit of the property that he could see. The male wolf guarded the tree line, looking right at Phego. Ready to fight again, his head down, his hackles raised, his body language all challenge. Phego snarled and took a step toward him, refusing to give the bastard a single shot.
“I want you to quit that.” Ariel stood, stepping forward in a move that only exemplified her bravery. Moving closer to the enemy she didn’t know. She wasn’t comfortable around strangers, especially not strange men. Her taking a step in his direction was a solid sign of trust. “Neither of you is a threat to the other or to us. Michaela, where are you?”
The other male growled low and hard, taking a step toward Ariel. She shuffled back, instincts taking over, fear ratcheting up a notch. Phego refused to allow that. He stalked forward, brushing her body with his bigger one, keeping his eyes locked on the threat. Ariel patted his head like a dog and sighed, though her body also seemed to relax with his touch.
“Seriously. He’s not a threat to me. Right, Michaela?” Her voice rose on the name, grew louder. Phego wasn't sure why she was calling for the female when the male, the true danger to her, was right in front of them. At least, not until a woman walked out from the trees.
Her black hair sat in tiny ringlets, creating a soft, cloud-like halo all around her head. Her dark skin glowed in the bright light of th
e early afternoon, luminous in a way he’d never seen on another woman. Tall and slender with a high neck made for biting and licking, she captivated him. Yet she wasn’t looking at him, a fact that he wanted remedied immediately. He wanted her eyes on him. Wanted her hands in his fur or on his skin. He wanted.
His entire body locked down, every sense alerted to her. Nothing else could break through, nothing could penetrate. All he saw, all he felt, all he focused on was her.
Which sent a sliver of ice careening down his spine.
She was a threat to him. He didn't know how and he didn't know why, but she could destroy him.
The other male wolf walked beside her as she approached, staying a single step in front of her, leading her and offering a wall of wolf to block any attack. A good move, but one Phego could have taken advantage of if he’d wanted to.
The woman scratched her wolf’s head, an act that seemed unnatural and forced. “Please stop. And will you shift back? We don't need another incident here.”
Colt glanced up at her then back at the Phego, obviously still wary. But eventually, he shifted. He stood on two feet beside the darker female, naked as the day he was born, still looking as if he'd kill for her. Phego didn't care about him, though. Not really. The female seemed the greater threat. So he kept his hip against Ariel's legs as he took a step back, forcing her away, creating distance between them all.
But he couldn't resist the pull to the other woman. He couldn't ignore her even as she refused to meet his gaze. He wanted her eyes on him, wanted to know what they looked like dead on. Wanted to feel her looking at him. Something he couldn’t understand.
“Phego,” Ariel said. “This is Michaela. She's my friend, my Omega sister, and my midwife. Michaela, this is Phego. He'll be playing the role of bodyguard while my mate is away.”
