Hunger of the Heart (Wolves of Ravenwillow Book 1)

by Magenta Phoenix

  Glaring at the sight, she walked toward the bars. Reaching out she flipped a switch on the nearby wall, with a hesitant flicker, the few lights above lit the room with a dim glow. Her brother sagged in his bonds, his head down. He wore only a pair of dirty pants. His skin was dirty and cover in sweat from his attempts to free himself. His once beautiful hair was now long and fell in shaggy strands.

  “I have good news my brother.”

  With a growl rumbling in his chest, he slowly lifted his head. His glowing eyes met hers with feral rage overtaking them. Flashing his fangs at her, he attempted to smile at her, but locked in his feral state for years he no longer looked like his beautiful human self. His face was a mix of wolf and human, perfect and terrifying.

  The elders would pay for what they did to him. Eric would pay for his actions of going against the pack law. Then the humans would finally know the strength of the shifters that no longer would hide in the dark. The humans would finally know death.

  * ~ * ~ *

  “What do you mean you didn’t tell him?!” Damon exclaimed.

  Wincing, Rebecca glanced around the empty kitchen to make sure that Damon’s outburst hadn’t drawn any attention. “Shh!” her eyes scolding him. “Try not to tell everyone, alright?” she bit out.

  “Don’t you realize what you’ve done?” Damon hissed out as he began to pace back and forth in front of her. His eyes quickly began to glow with the presence of his rising beast.

  “I tried to tell him, Damon, but Eric wouldn’t let me.”

  Damon’s agitated pacing strides came to an abrupt halt. “Wouldn’t let you?” he eyed her with heavy suspicion. “Wouldn’t let you?!” his voice rose once more.

  Not liking his attitude, Rebecca crossed her arms over her chest, leaning back against the kitchen sink. Lifting her chin at him with a hard look, she replied. “It wasn’t from lack of trying, Damon.”

  Eyes flashing, he shook his head at her. “How about the lack of a painful death, Rebecca? The Gathering is in a few hours! By that time, there will be hundreds of wolf shifters all over these grounds. You are a human alone without someone to speak for you. If you suspect that some know your secret, you need Eric’s protection.”

  “Eric has asked me to stay in my room tonight. I’ll be fine for one night.”

  Damon gave a humorless laugh. “If your secret is out, you will be hunted down and killed, Rebecca. You need the protection of the Alpha. You need to go to him right now and tell him.” He urged, giving her a desperate look. She was surprised to see that Damon almost looked…scared.

  Lips parted, she shook her head slowly, almost in a daze, she answered. “Eric isn’t here.”

  Earlier that morning, Rebecca had awakened to a note and a tray laden with breakfast food upon her nightstand. In the note; Eric had told her that he had some things to take care of before the Gathering later that night. According to Sarah; Jason and Chris had been taken with him.

  No one could tell her where he’d gone or what was so important that he had to leave easily in the morning. Without Eric hovering over her as he had in the past few days, Rebecca felt her cowardice of discovery return. She should have forced Eric to listen to her yesterday at the falls. No matter how afraid she had in that moment, she should have told him!

  Scrambling for a course of action, Rebecca dropped her arms, her teeth biting down harshly against her bottom lip. “Perhaps there’s no proof that anyone knows.”

  Damon’s tense muscles relaxed; not out of assurance, but with defeat. “Proof isn’t needed. All is needed is a shifter stating that their existence is threatened because of a human. That’s all they would need to kill you and all they will care about. Though only some shifters; that I know of, are prejudice against humans, with the wolves within Eric’s pack; its worse.”

  “Why?” she breathed out.

  “Many of my kind have been harmed by human poachers. Mates and children murdered in their animal forms and their families unable to have the closure of justice. Families have been torn apart because of it. Pain like that can become like poison within the mind and many would kill you out of revenge.”

  Pressing a hand to her throat, Rebecca turned away from him as the seriousness of the situation hit her. Looking out the double kitchen widow above the sink, she stiffened when Damon moved closer to her. The heat of his body brushed against her back even without him standing too close to her.

  “The point of the matter is that we’re out of time, Rebecca.” He said gently at her back. “You need to tell Eric now. He is the only one that can protect you now.” he stressed with a tone full of worry.

  Turning around to face him, she crossed her arms over her chest, attempting to comfort herself against his words. “What do you mean?” she asked perplexed. “You told me that you would protect me. Would you just…let them kill me if it came to it?” a shuttering breath accompanied her words as they emerged. Her stomach knotted at the thought, making her feel sicker than she’d ever felt before.

  Closing the space between them, Damon looked down at her with eyes filled with gentle determination. Gently, he pulled her shaking frame into his embrace. His strong arms enfolded her against his chest. In effort to calm her, his hands running in soothing circles over her back as he held her tightly.

  Resting his chin on the top of her head, he sighed wearily. “I do not tell you this to scare you, Rebecca, but the fact is; I am not a member of Eric’s pack. I cannot protect you if the Act of Revealment is called. I would kill anyone that tried to harm you; but that wouldn’t keep you safe. The only one that has the power to spare you and prevent the pack from harming you—is Eric, your mate. You need to tell him so that he can prepare you for what will happen.”

  Pulling out of his comforting embrace, Rebecca shook her head dejectedly. “Eric isn’t here. He left early this morning.”

  Damon’s gentle expression turned grave in an instant. “By the time they get back it will be too late.”

  Desperately, Rebecca tried to search for a solution. Shaking her head at him, she waved a hand in the air between them as her hushed voice rose. “How can you say that? You don’t even know—”

  “I know because I’ve seen this happened before!” he snarled.

  Eyes wide with fear, Rebecca took a step back from Damon as his eyes began to glow with the presence of his inner wolf. She’d never seen Damon this enraged. It almost was as though his worry was turning to near rage.

  Ignoring the way she flinched from him, Damon gripped her shoulders. His glowing gold eyes burned into hers demanding she listen to him. “I won’t let the pack hurt you.” He vowed with a soft voice.

  Blinking against the hopeless tears that burned her eyes, she shook her head against his comforting words. “How?”

  “Wait until sunset. If Eric isn’t back by then, you can’t wait any longer.” Reaching into his pants pocket, Damon withdrew a silver ring with two gold keys dangling from it. Forcibly taking hold of her hand, Damon pressed the keys into her palm before forcing her fingers to close around them. Keeping his hand blanketing her closed hand, he lowered his voice. “These are the keys to my car and hotel room in town. At sunset, if you haven’t seen Eric yet and told him the truth, I want you to use these. Take my car and go to my room for the night. Tomorrow; when it is safe for you to return I will come for you.” Slowly, he inhaled a breath. “If I do not come for you and you don’t hear from me—”

  Sensing where this conversation was going, Rebecca recoiled from him attempting to pull her hand from his. “Whoa! What are you saying?” when he wouldn’t let go of her closed hand, she glared up at him.

  “If Eric doesn’t declare you his before the pack and state you are under his protection; nothing can save you.”

  “You want me to run?”

  “I don’t want you to run—I expect you to run.”

  Shaking her head stubbornly, she attempted to pull her hand free once more with the intention of giving his keys back to him, but his gripping hand pr
evented her from doing so. “I’m not running, Damon. I promised Eric.”

  Letting go of her hand with a jerk, Damon looked at her with anger. “If you don’t; you could die.” gripping her shoulders roughly, he bit out. “Eric will be more upset if you let yourself get killed. Eric will find you when this is all over if it comes to that.” taking a breath, he attempted to calm his temper. “Promise me you will do this, Rebecca.” His eyes softened as he pleaded with her. Seeming to fight some internal struggle with his beast, Damon released her only to turn and stride from the kitchen, leaving her standing alone.

  She didn’t know how long she stood there staring sightless across the empty space of the kitchen. Her fingers tightened around Damon’s keys as they pressed painfully into her palm. It seemed impossible to wrap her head around what Damon had told her. She’d never thought that she’d be in danger for just being there. She recalled when Eric had told her to remain close to their room for the night. Had he known that she could be in danger for simply being a human amongst shifters?

  Looking down, she opened her hand to stare down at the two dissimilar keys. Their slight weight in her palm felt like a thorn in her skin that she desperately wanted to pluck out and toss away. Could she really do as Damon asked her? Could she chance not running if it came to it?

  She didn’t want to go back to the way things had been since she’d been attacked, the constant fear and running. She trusted Eric to protect her; there was no doubt in her mind about that. But what if he arrived too late to protect her? As Damon had said, he wasn’t a member of Eric’s pack and therefore; he could do nothing to sway the others. Only Eric’s voice carried power here.

  Closing her eyes, she wished she didn’t have to face the hopeless odds laid before her. She was now forced to chose between running from the man she’d come to care deeply for or risking her life.

  “Eric, where are you? I need you now more than ever…” she whispered to the empty air around her.

  22

  Glass crunched beneath Eric’s boots as he stepped into the mess of the kitchen of his home. The aftermath of the attack through his home was startling. The kitchen and dining room windows were shattered to pieces across the floor. Dark bullet holes marred the side walls like discolored pot-a-dots against the soft blue wallpaper. The dining table had been shoved away from where he’d thrown it during the fire fight; tell him that whoever had attacked them; had entered his home as they’d fled.

  The thought had his wolf rising with the need to seek out vengeance. Someone had attacked his children, his mate and they’d done it with human weapons! Though the memory angered him, he couldn’t help but wonder why? Typically when shifters attacked one another, it was face to face, not hiding from a distance and shooting them. It was a matter of pride for shifters to take down an enemy. You wanted your enemy to look at you when you defeated them and for others to see your strength when you did. It was even more so if someone was stupid enough to sneak up and attack an Alpha in their own homes.

  None of it made sense. Shooting was something that one did when they didn’t want to risk discovery. Though he doubted he or his beta’s would have been killed by the bullets as shifters were difficult to kill due to their regenerating abilities, he knew that Rebecca and his pups weren’t strong enough to with stand the trauma of a bullet wound.

  After thinking more on it, he came to realize that it didn’t matter who or why his family was attacked. It was meant as a statement. Someone wanted him out of the way. Could it have to do with the disappearances of the shifters he’d been looking into? Or the alliances he’d been making against the judgment of the elders?

  Whoever had thought to take him out by such cowardly means; he would find them and make them suffer. He’d nearly lost his true mate and pups that would never go unpunished. At the thought of losing any of his family, his heart shuttered with fear as his wolf snarled with rage.

  “Eric.” the sound of Chris’s voice as he stepped through the doorway of the living room.

  Not turning to face him, Eric folded his arms over his chest in thought. He’d left the lodge and the warm embrace of his mate before dawn this morning against his better judgment. There was much for him to do before the Gathering tonight. He’d asked Chris and Jason to come with him to search for clues on who had attacked his family. Even if he exposed the culprit at the Gathering tonight, he couldn’t just met out justice. He needed proof or he’d be creating a bigger mess than he already had to contend with.

  Late last night as they’d lain together in his bed, he’d asked Rebecca to remain out of sight for the night of the Gathering, but he now worried it wouldn’t be enough to prevent the elders from getting suspicious of her. It wasn’t common for any of his kind to bring a human around them; much less to their sanctuary at the lodge. Many that resided at the lodge were loyal to Eric without question and they knew Rebecca was his pup’s nanny. But that didn’t stop the confused and discontented looks that had followed after Rebecca in the last few days.

  He longed to allow his binding thread to bind them together, to mark her and make her like him. But the knowledge that he couldn’t declare her his mate without exposing her to the whole pack first made him hesitate. If others discovered her first…no. he shook his head, shoving the darkening thoughts from his mind. He wouldn’t let her be harmed. He would protect her by any means.

  Once his work here was done, he needed to get his mate alone and tell her everything. His chest tightened when he thought of her looking at him with fear once she knew what he was. He would have to be gentle in explaining and do all he could to keep her calm, but he had to do this before others had a chance to go after her.

  “What have you found?” Eric said harshly, finally responding to Chris.

  “Jason has picked up that scent trail again. It’s faint and nearly faded, but he believes that he can track it to its source.”

  Eric nodded with a grim look. “Do it.” when Chris turned to leave, Eric turned towards him. Eric's arms dropped to his sides. “Not you, Chris.” He stated firmly. When his second beta paused to turn and flash Eric a confused look, Eric went on. “I need you to return with me to the Gathering tonight.”

  Walking back to him, Chris narrowed his eyes at his Alpha assessing. “Is there something I should be concerned about?”

  Sighing, Eric walked to the empty kitchen window pane. Small chunks of glass still clung around the edges like jagged teeth. Looking out over the land that surrounded his home, his eyes looked further toward the forest stretching in the distance.

  “I want you to stay close to Rebecca tonight while I deal with whoever is after my family. You are to protect her from anyone that tries to come near her tonight.”

  “Do you expect someone to make another attempt against her?” Chris asked, tucking his thumbs behind his silver belt buckle.

  “I’m not chancing it.” Eric answered.

  After a pausing moment, Chris approached closer to Eric until he stood a foot from him. Tilting his head to the side, he seemed to study Eric before speaking. “Are you worried about exposing her to the pack?” when Eric didn’t look his way; much less respond, Chris’s eyes widened with realization. “You didn’t tell her did you? You haven’t claimed her yet?” he asked nearly aghast with shock.

  “She’s wasn’t ready.”

  “Then get her ready! Eric, why would you wait?” Chris nearly shouted.

  Though it wasn’t customary for a beta to speak to his Alpha in such a manner, Eric didn’t allow it to faze him. Chris and Jason had been his friends long before they were his betas and he valued their opinions.

  “Where is Jason now?” Eric asked, shifting the direction of their conversation for the moment.

  Huffing out an irritated breath, Chris motioned toward his office through the living room. “He’s waiting in your office for your orders.”

  Without another word, Eric strode across the glass covered floor, quickly making his way to his office. The door was wide open, all
owing him to see Jason leaning against his desk with his arms crossed lazily over his chest. When Eric entered the room with Chris following close behind him, Jason straitened with an expecting look.

  “You found the trail.” Eric stated more than questioned.

  Nodding, Jason’s lips pressed together in a firm line. “Yes. Eric, I have no doubt in my mind that this is the same scent that we’ve both encountered before.”

  Frowning, Eric settled his hands on his hips. “Regardless if it is, Jason, I want you to track it but not engage. Observe.”

  “Is it possible that this could be related to the disappearances that you’ve been looking into behind the elder’s backs?” Chris asked from his position by the doorway.

  Rubbing a tired hand over his face, Eric looked between his two betas before answering. “I have considered it. But I need to know who is behind this and why. I cannot risk them striking back at my family and me again until I know what I am dealing with. Doyle Mackenzie and his mate do not believe it is the same people we’ve faced before. But I am taking no chances. Track them and report back once you’ve found something.”

  With an affirming nod, Jason straightened from his lazy position. “I won’t return until I have something.”

  “Good.” Eric said.

  Turning toward Chris, Eric found that he was regarding both Jason and him with a contemplating look. Eric knew that he must be curious about what the significance of the familiar scent was. But Chris was never one to question things in the beginning. Chris was a gleaner with his personal thoughts. He preferred to gather what information he could from others by simply listening. If Malca was truly behind the disappearances of shifters, he would have to confine in Chris about what he knew.

  “Come.” He said to Chris as he strode past him out of the office. “We need to return to the lodge. There is much I have to do before the Gathering in just a few hours.”