Wolf on a Mission: Salvation Pack, Book 6

by N. J. Walters

  “Sure.” Her son loved to be outside. If he had it his way, he’d never come inside. But she didn’t like him being out alone, not all the way out here. A wild animal had attacked Anny two years ago. The authorities still debated what kind of animal was responsible, but Sue didn’t care. All she knew was that Anny had almost died and everything between them had changed.

  It had been the first loss in a series of them. Now it was just her and Billy.

  “Why don’t you wash your hands and then you can help me get the burgers ready to grill.”

  “Marshmallows too?” He grinned his sweet little boy grin that never failed to melt her heart. She saw it so rarely these days.

  “Why not? Marshmallows for dessert,” she agreed. She could cut a couple of branches for them to use to roast the marshmallows. It was a warm August evening, perfect for a family barbecue.

  * * * * *

  “Don’t go far.” Elias knew his warning was probably falling on deaf ears but he trusted Reece and Sage not to do anything too stupid. They were well aware there were other werewolves close by.

  Sage waved a hand in acknowledgement as both boys disappeared into the surrounding bushes to explore. He wasn’t worried about them getting lost. They had their wolf senses to guide them. If the unthinkable happened and they did get lost, it wouldn’t take Elias long to find them.

  Elias surveyed the campground they’d set up. It was rudimentary to say the least—three sleeping bags and a propane stove for cooking. They didn’t need more than that. If the weather turned bad, he could build a shelter out of branches.

  He hadn’t wanted to stay in town and draw unnecessary attention their way, so they were camped just beyond the limits of Salvation. It was a small town, but they had a grocery store, a couple of restaurants, a school, churches and various other businesses. Salvation was holding its own at a time when many towns were struggling to survive.

  Still, a hot shower would be nice. Unfortunately, he was going to have to settle for a wash in a creek that flowed not too far from here. He couldn’t complain too much. It was a far cry from the Alaskan wilderness where he’d been born and raised.

  The forest called to him and his wolf longed to break free and run. He kept a tight rein on the primal urges inside him. Until he knew it was safe, he wasn’t taking any chances. Elias yanked his T-shirt over his head and rolled his shoulders, unable to rid himself of the tension permeating his body.

  He knew Reece and Sage needed time alone. He had to give them some freedom. They were no longer children he could keep by his side.

  “Fuck.” Elias tossed his shirt aside and stalked off in the direction his nephews had gone. They’d just have to be pissed off with him. He couldn’t leave them out there alone. He couldn’t shake the sensation that something was wrong.

  If he shifted, he could sneak up on them and watch over them without their knowing. He shook his head before the idea took root. If they ever discovered he’d done that, they’d never trust him again. Better to be upfront and blunt even if it irritated them. This parenting business wasn’t easy. It didn’t come with a how-to manual. He was winging it every single day. Being a doting uncle was a lot different from being the one in charge. He’d gained a whole new respect for his brother and sister-in-law.

  Elias sniffed the air and quickly picked up their trail. The dirt and moss were soft beneath his sneakers. The air brushed over his skin like a warm caress, but it was growing cooler as the sun sank low in the sky. It would disappear totally in another hour or so.

  Not that it mattered. He could see just as easily in the dark and so could his nephews. He knew Reece would be okay, but he worried about Sage. It had been a big blow to the boy to discover his brother could shift and he couldn’t.

  Elias was still shocked at Reece’s ability to shift into a wolf. As far as he knew, no half-breed had ever done such a thing. Of course, Reece was three-quarters werewolf and that likely made the difference. But if he could shift, why couldn’t Sage? There was no answer, and that made it doubly hard on his nephew.

  Elias picked up his pace. Warning bells went off inside him. Something was wrong. He didn’t question the feeling. As a werewolf, he lived by his instincts, and his were screaming that his boys were in trouble.

  He ran, jumping over downed trees and several large rocks. He startled several squirrels and a deer, which loped off in the opposite direction. A flash of color caught his eye and he detoured toward it. He slowed and eased to a stop. He recognized the folded T-shirt and jeans. They belonged to Reece. He’d shifted.

  Anger and fear warred inside him. Elias sniffed the air and set off after them again. He and Reece were going to have a long talk about responsibility when he caught up with him. He was putting not only himself, but also his brother in danger.

  Sue put away the last of the dishes. The barbecue had been a huge success. Billy had eaten his burger and several marshmallows, and even laughed at the antics of a squirrel that had chattered endlessly from his perch in a nearby tree.

  He’d stayed outside on the back porch to play while she’d cleared away and washed up. Even though it was still light out, Billy should have already had his bath. “Relax. It’s summer,” she reminded herself. He’d have to be on a stricter schedule once school started. They both would. Better to let them both enjoy these last days of summer.

  She glanced out the window at the back porch. Her heart skipped a beat and she tossed aside the dishtowel. Billy had been there only a minute ago. She hurried to the backdoor and pulled it open. “Billy?” His toy trucks and cars had been abandoned and he was nowhere in sight.

  “Don’t panic. Don’t panic.” He had to be here somewhere. “Billy, where are you? Billy?” She turned in a circle, taking in the entire yard. There was no sign of her son.

  “The creek.” He liked to play by the water. She ran toward the path, her heart pounding and chest aching. “Billy!” He knew he wasn’t supposed to go off on his own. This was the first time he’d ever done such a thing. “Billy!”

  A vision from the past slammed into her. She could still remember coming out to visit Anny that fateful Saturday morning and finding her friend’s bloody body. The paramedics had saved Anny’s life, but nothing had ever been the same again.

  Sue kept her gaze on the path ahead of her and picked up her pace. “Billy!” she yelled. “Answer me.” Her phone was in the charger on the kitchen counter. She should have grabbed it in case she needed to call the sheriff’s office.

  No, she wouldn’t think like that. She’d find Billy looking for frogs by the edge of the stream. Thankfully the water level was low at the end of the hot summer and her son could swim, or at least dog paddle.

  She hurried around the final bend and her feet skidded to a halt. For one brief second, she was paralyzed, her limbs refusing to work. Then she broke free and started to move toward her son at a slow and steady pace.

  Billy must have heard her coming, because he turned to her and smiled. “Doggy.” His joy was evident, but she couldn’t share it. His doggy was huge and was no dog at all. It was a wolf.

  A wolf had attacked and almost killed Anny almost two years ago. Was this the same beast? Sue reached down and grabbed a decent-sized rock. She’d played baseball in high school and knew she had a decent aim. At this distance, she couldn’t miss. “Get away from him, Billy. You know better than to touch a strange animal.”

  Her son frowned at her. “He likes me.”

  As if he understood her fears, the animal whined and licked Billy’s cheek.

  Obviously, wherever this animal had come from, he wasn’t vicious. She was lowering her hand when she realized the dog or wolf or whatever it was, wasn’t alone. A man stepped out from behind a tree. No, not a man, a teenage boy. He was tall for his age, at least six feet, maybe more.

  He held his hands out in front of him. “We didn’t mean any harm. Reece and I were j
ust out exploring.”

  “Reece?” Her fingers tightened around the rock.

  He grinned and pointed at the creature sitting next to her son.

  “Billy, come here.” She used her mom voice. The one Billy knew meant business. He sighed and reluctantly left the animal and came to stand beside her, dragging his feet all the way.

  “Where did you come from?” she asked the teen. He might seem harmless, but she didn’t know him at all, and she knew everyone who lived within a fifty-mile radius of town, because at one time or another, everyone came through the diner where she worked.

  He pointed off in the distance. “We’re camping and just decided to go exploring. We didn’t mean any harm.”

  Now she was starting to feel a little ridiculous. She lowered the rock but didn’t drop it. “You shouldn’t be out here by yourself.”

  The teen grinned. “You sound like our uncle.”

  Sue took a good look at the teen. He was a handsome young man with his brown hair and blue eyes. There was something about him she liked, in spite of the fact he was a stranger. “You should listen to your uncle.”

  The wolf growled and Sue took a step back.

  “Knock it off, Reece,” he told the animal. “I’m Sage Gallagher.”

  She wasn’t quite ready to introduce herself. “Is that a wolf?”

  Sage nodded. “Yeah, it is, but he won’t hurt you. Honest.”

  The hair on the back of her neck rose and a shiver of fear raced down her spine as a man stepped out of the woods. He was big. At least six-two with short brown hair and dark eyes. He also wasn’t wearing a shirt. It was impossible not to notice his broad shoulders, the dusting of dark hair on his chest and the bands of muscles that rippled on his abdomen.

  It was also impossible not to notice the scowl on his face.

  He pinned her with a ferocious glare. “What the hell is going on?”

  Chapter Two

  Elias managed to swallow his temper. This was the last thing they needed. If the lady called the law and reported a wolf in the woods, they’d have to pack up and leave. He’d expected better from Reece, but maybe he shouldn’t have. The boy had been pushing the boundaries Elias had set lately.

  Problem was, Elias understood. Making that first transition to wolf form changed everything. It was natural to want to shift often and test the limits of your wolf. Reece was only being a normal teenage werewolf. Problem was, they weren’t on safe turf. There was no pack land for them to run wild on.

  He ignored his nephews and focused on the woman in front of him. She was around average height, but that was the only thing average about her. Her shoulder-length blond hair sparkled in the evening sunlight, framing a very expressive face. Her eyes were light blue, her skin smooth and her lips full. Right now, those lips were pulled into a tight line.

  He could smell her fear. It burned his nostrils and made his wolf growl with displeasure. Neither of them liked it. A small boy peeked around her. He had the same features as the woman, the same light hair and blue eyes.

  Her son. She was married.

  Something dark and dangerous welled up inside him. She had a mate, a husband. She was fully human and he shouldn’t want her.

  His wolf chuffed in protest, but he ignored the creature. He had bigger worries than finding the woman in front of him attractive and alluring.

  He turned toward Sage, but the woman moved, putting herself in front of Sage. She kept her son behind her as well. She was protecting his nephew. From him.

  He didn’t know whether to laugh or applaud her courage.

  “Who are you?” she demanded. She raised her hand slightly, and he noticed the rock she clutched tightly in her fingers.

  He raised his hands in surrender. “Hey, it’s okay.”

  “It’s okay,” Sage told her. “That’s my uncle.”

  “Elias Gallagher,” he offered.

  She swallowed but didn’t lower the rock. “What are you doing here? This is private property.”

  Elias wanted to take her into his arms and reassure her that everything was okay. That he’d protect her and her son. He clamped down hard on his instinctual response. She was off limits. She had a husband and son.

  “Where’s your husband?”

  That was the wrong question to ask. Her shoulders tightened and she began to back away. “That’s none of your business.”

  She started to say more but her son interrupted her. “He’s gone.”

  “Gone?” Was her husband dead? “I’m sorry.”

  She bit her bottom lip and glanced at her son. “We’re divorced. Not that it’s any of your business, Mr. Gallagher.”

  Pure elation shot through him. She didn’t have a mate. What kind of idiot would abandon a woman like this one? Not to mention his own son. He didn’t know her name, but she was beautiful and courageous. The way she’d stepped in front of Sage told him she had a protective streak as well.

  “Call me Elias.”

  “I don’t plan on calling you anything at all.” She grabbed her son’s hand. “Come on, Billy, it’s time to go home.”

  The little boy glanced longingly at the Reece. “Doggy.”

  Elias crouched down and motioned to Reece. If the boy wanted to shift into his wolf, he could damn well help Elias deal with this situation they were now in. “He won’t hurt you,” he promised.

  Reece trotted over to stand beside Elias. In his wolf form, his nephew stared at Sue. Elias could see a longing there. The boy might almost be a man, but he missed his mother.

  Billy started to sidle forward, but his mother stopped him.

  “Really, Reece would never hurt your son.”

  Sue didn’t know what to do. The two strangers and their pet wolf were all staring at her as though she held their futures in her hands. Not to mention the way her son was looking at her. She knew he was enthralled with the wolf and wanted to pet him.

  Her first instinct was to protect her son. But none of them had hurt him or made any threatening moves. She freely admitted that the past was coloring her reaction to them. She didn’t trust good-looking men, thanks to her ex. And the sight of a wolf was enough to want to make her run screaming.

  They were all waiting for her. Billy was practically vibrating with impatience. He was tugging on her hand, trying to break free of her grip so he could go to the wolf.

  She nibbled on her bottom lip and finally made her decision. “I’m Sue Walsh and this is my son, Billy.”

  The wolf chose that moment to trot forward. He sat in front of her and waited. Tentatively, she put out her hand and touched the creature’s head. “Nice dog.” Elias winced, and she cocked one eyebrow in question. “Well, he is a dog, isn’t he?”

  “No, ma’am. He’s a wolf. To call him a dog is an insult.”

  The wolf seemed totally unperturbed.

  “I think he’s tough enough to handle it.” The wolf licked her hand in response. Billy had sidled closer while she’d been distracted and had his hands buried in the wolf’s fur.

  Sage was standing off to the side, watching her touch the wolf. There was a look of longing in his face that, as a mother, she couldn’t ignore. The teenager looked lonely.

  “You said you’re camping, Sage?” she asked, wanting to draw him into the conversation.

  He stepped closer and nodded. “Not too far from here.” He glanced at his uncle. “We set up camp and went to explore. We weren’t supposed to go far.”

  Sue suddenly understood the uncle’s anger and his lack of shirt. It was fear. He’d discovered his nephews missing and had charged off to find them. She’d done the same with Billy, running off without a thought to anything else.

  Billy had his face buried in the wolf’s neck. The animal was certainly patient with her son. It was startling to note that the animal’s eyes were blue, not brown. In fact, they were
identical to Sage’s. They also had that same look of lost loneliness.

  Sue was not immune.

  “I was just about to put coffee on if you’d like some,” she told Elias. She was simply being neighborly. “I have some homemade oatmeal cookies too,” she offered Sage. “No dog biscuits, I’m afraid.”

  Sage grinned. “That’s okay. Reece likes oatmeal cookies too.”

  “Okay.” What the heck. A wolf who liked oatmeal cookies was no crazier than anything else that had happened this evening.

  But first, she had to deal with her son. She dropped the rock that was still in her hand, crouched down and gripped Billy’s shoulders. “You don’t ever run off like that again. You hear me. You know you’re not supposed to go away from the house without me.”

  His lower lip trembled and the wolf whined, but she stayed firm. “You scared me,” she told him.

  “I’m sorry.” Her son’s whispered apology just about broke her heart.

  “I know you are, honey.” She brushed his bangs out of his eyes. He was due for a haircut, but she was putting it off as close to his going to school as possible. She’d trim his bangs herself later.

  She stood and took his hand. “Let’s go back to the house.” She led the way, very aware of the silent procession behind her. The hair on the back of her neck rose. It wasn’t that she was afraid of them, as much as she was aware of them. Especially the uncle.

  Elias Gallagher was one handsome man. She didn’t need a man, she reminded herself. And certainly not one who was just passing through.

  Elias followed Sue and her son. Reece, the young devil, was sticking close to Billy. As if sensing his uncle’s scrutiny, Reece turned around and sent him a pleading look before turning back.

  The last of Elias’s annoyance bled away. Both his nephews had been through so much in the past few months. He couldn’t begrudge them their fun, especially since there didn’t seem to be any lasting harm done.

  Sage walked quietly alongside him. Elias wrapped his arm around the boy’s shoulders and gave him a squeeze. Sage leaned into him for a moment and then hurried on ahead to walk beside Reece.