The Protector's Heart (Wilde Creek Three)

by R. E. Butler

  He left his men to watch the house and wake him in the morning, and flopped down on the bed in the master bedroom. Unzipping his jeans, he reached for his cock, which had gone hard as granite when he’d started thinking of all the ways to make Nila pay for walking out on him. He fisted himself and closed his eyes, imagining the scent of her tears and her pain-filled cries as he meted out his punishment for walking away from him. He’d start by taking his son away, and then he’d break her until she had no will of her own. He chuckled darkly. Enjoy your last night of freedom, bitch.

  Chapter 7

  Nila felt unsettled all day. She’d almost called off work and kept Jack home, but Malachi promised she’d be safe, and she believed him. He’d sent a protector to the daycare to keep a discreet eye on things, which helped her feel better about leaving him there, and she’d seen a strange car in the parking lot of the clinic and recognized one of the males from those who had patrolled around Diane’s home last night.

  Malachi had been a reassuring presence with her during the day. Even when she was with patients, she was aware of him at the reception desk, keeping an eye on things. No longer only guarding Brynn, but also guarding her. The day crawled by, but by the time she was ready to leave, she felt like she could breathe a little easier. She’d expected Damien to retaliate further, maybe smash the windows again or slash her tires like he’d done two months earlier.

  She and Jack had ridden with Malachi that morning. He’d taken Jack to the daycare first and then picked up Brynn. He’d seemed lost in thought for the drive to the clinic, but she’d had a lot on her mind, too. After her revealing one-sided conversation with him the night before, she’d decided that she wasn’t going to give Damien the satisfaction of scaring her into walking away from Malachi. It had been tempting to just push him out of her life and go back to the way things were with just her and Jack, but the truth was she didn’t want that life anymore. She didn’t want to look over her shoulder forever or sleep on the couch anymore, and she wanted to really share her life with a man who respected and cared for her. That man was Malachi. He’d shown himself to be more of a man than Damien ever had, and she’d be a fool to walk away from him.

  As she pulled her purse from her locker, she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She lifted it and glanced at the screen. It read ‘Mem Hosp’. Her mouth went dry and panic seized her. Why would the hospital be calling?

  “Hello?”

  “Am I speaking with Nila Caruthers?” A brusque female voice asked.

  “Y-yes.”

  “Miss Caruthers, I’m calling from Woodland Memorial Hospital. You are listed as the emergency contact for Diane Gordon. She was brought into the ER earlier.”

  “What happened?”

  “You’ll have to speak to the doctor on call. Come to the ER entrance and check in with the reception desk and a doctor will meet you.”

  The call ended and she stared at her phone. Malachi was suddenly there, and she turned to look up at him. “It’s Diane. She’s in the hospital.”

  His eyes narrowed. He reached past her and pulled her coat out, holding it for her. “Come on, sweetheart, let’s go.”

  He wrapped his big hand around her elbow and walked her out to the reception area. Brynn stood, looking worried. “Is everything okay?”

  “We need to go. Call Sam and Acksel and tell them to meet us at the daycare.”

  Brynn nodded and pulled her phone from her purse as Malachi led Nila out of the clinic and to his SUV. He opened the back door; Brynn climbed in and then Malachi led Nila around to the passenger side and helped her in.

  He left them in the SUV and moved swiftly to the other car with the wolf and spoke to him for a quick moment before climbing in behind the wheel of the SUV and starting the engine.

  “Devin is going to follow us,” Malachi said.

  “Sam and Acksel will meet us there.” Brynn said. “Tell me what’s going on.”

  Nila turned in the seat and looked at Brynn. “Something happened to my friend Diane, and she’s in the ER. I don’t know what it could be, except that someone hurt her.”

  “Your ex?” Brynn asked softly.

  Nila nodded tightly and felt her eyes sting with tears. Malachi’s arm slipped over her shoulders and he squeezed. “Hey, it’ll be okay.”

  She leaned against him, the seatbelt biting into her hip and chest, but she wanted to be close to him. “Why is this happening?”

  He didn’t answer her, but he didn’t have to. She knew exactly why it was happening. Damien was going to get to her one way or another, but first he was going to go after the people she cared about. She looked at Malachi; the grim determination on his face, the tight set of his jaw.

  He glanced at her. “Don’t.”

  She blinked in surprise. “Don’t what?”

  “Don’t look at me like you’re saying goodbye because things just got fucked up. I’m not going anywhere.”

  She pressed her forehead into his shoulder and closed her eyes. “Good.”

  It took only a few minutes for her and Malachi to pick up Jack. By the time they exited the building, there was another SUV in the parking lot and Brynn was talking to Acksel.

  “I already moved the car seat,” Acksel said.

  Malachi had explained to her inside the daycare that Brynn was going to take Jack home with her so that she and Malachi could go to the hospital. Malachi was concerned that Damien might try to take Jack if he were with them at the hospital.

  Nila didn’t want to leave her son, but she knew Malachi was right. Malachi opened the passenger door of the SUV and Nila strapped Jack in. He babbled at her, and then looked over her shoulder to Malachi.

  “Carrot?”

  Nila glanced backward. Malachi was grinning, and it made her stomach flip. He was sexy, and this situation sucked big old donkey balls. In a perfect world, she would be going home with Malachi and spending the night with him while Jack slept in his crib in the next room. But her world was far from perfect.

  She pulled a sippy cup of juice from the diaper bag and gave it to Jack along with a few of the toys she kept tucked inside. She kissed his cheeks and whispered that she loved him, and then she slipped from the SUV and told Brynn what things he liked to eat for dinner.

  Brynn hugged her. “He’ll be fine with us, honey. I hope your friend is okay.”

  She stood with Malachi and watched the wolves get into the SUV, Brynn sitting in the second row next to Jack.

  “Let’s go,” Malachi said, nodding to Devin, who was going to follow them.

  She let him lead her to the SUV and shut her inside, and then they were on their way. She didn’t know what she would see at the hospital, but she hoped that Diane was okay.

  * * * * *

  Malachi listened as the ER doctor explained that Diane had been beaten severely when she left her house earlier that day. Neighbors had found her after she crawled to their house and called for help.

  “She’s heavily sedated now, but you can see her. She’ll be here for a few days, and then she’ll need to be released into someone’s care.”

  Malachi answered before Nila could. “We’ve got it covered.”

  The doctor nodded and left, and Nila turned and leaned heavily against him. Immediately he wrapped his arms around her.

  “Are you ready to see her?”

  “No. I’m scared for what happened to her. You heard what the doctor said.” She lifted her head and looked at him, her eyes wide with fright. “I never wanted this for her. I screwed up.”

  “How?”

  “I should have gone home with you. You wouldn’t have been caught off guard by Damien and his buddies and beaten within an inch of your life. I put her in danger. She could have been killed because of me.”

  He saw panic and guilt tighten her features. He growled lightly and cupped her face. “You didn’t cause anything. Your ex is a vicious nutcase. No male of honor attacks a female for any reason. You made a choice, and Diane welcomed you. She’s your friend
and there’s nothing wrong with helping friends.”

  She swallowed hard and blinked tear-filled eyes at him. “I can’t take care of her during the day, I can’t lose my job.”

  “I said it’s handled, trust me.”

  She smiled briefly and tears surged over her cheeks. He brushed them away and kissed her forehead. “Go see Diane. I’m going to make some calls.”

  She gave him a watery smile, took in a shaky breath, and pushed open the door to Diane’s room. Malachi waited until the door shut before pulling out his phone.

  By the time visiting hours were over, Devin was sitting on a chair outside of Diane’s room to guard it, and arrangements were made for Diane to go home with Kammie, one of the omegas.

  Nila held his hand as they walked out of the hospital. “What’s an omega?”

  “A non-ranked wolf.” He opened the passenger door and helped her inside, and then shut the door and climbed in behind the wheel. “How much do you know about pack hierarchy?”

  “Next to nothing,” she admitted. “I only know the alpha is the boss.”

  He smiled at her as he pulled away from the hospital and headed to Acksel’s home. “That’s very true. So the alpha is the boss. Under him is the beta, who handles discipline issues among other responsibilities, and is the authority when Acksel isn’t around. Our beta is Ren. Then there’s the theto, who’s like the beta but accountable to him, and is the head of the protectors. The protectors, like me, are ranked underneath the theto, from the fourth position down. Then you have the omegas. They’re not ranked, either because they’re female or they’re males who are too weak through injury or age to be of use to the pack, or decide not to engage in rank fights.”

  “The females are automatically omegas?”

  “Yes. Females are part of the general omega population and aren’t ranked, except for Brynn, who’s the boss of everyone except Acksel.”

  She snorted a laugh. “I think she believes she’s the boss of everyone.”

  He grinned and reached over for her hand, which she freely gave. “I’ve heard of packs where females are ranked, but it’s not our pack’s way. The females and the pups are important, the life blood of the pack, and the protectors are to keep them, and the other omegas, safe.”

  “Are wolves ranked right away when they shift?”

  “No. We’re automatically omega. The alpha allows rank fights during the full moon, and a male can fight his way out of omega status and become a protector.”

  “So it’s just alpha, protector, and omega?”

  “It works best when it’s simple.”

  “You’re a protector.”

  “Yep.”

  She didn’t say anything for a moment, and he glanced at her when he came to a stoplight. “What?”

  “I was just wondering how hard it was for you to fight your friends in the rank fights.”

  He shrugged. “It’s not fun, but the pack works best when people are ranked appropriately. When I came back, I fought for the fourth rank because that’s what I was when I left, and I knew I was the best male for the position.”

  “You don’t want to be theto or beta?”

  He shook his head. “Their positions come with a lot of responsibility. I like being fourth because I’m still highly ranked but I don’t have the burden of leadership.”

  She hummed in her throat and said nothing. He let the conversation drop, thinking over what he’d said. He enjoyed sharing pack life with her. She seemed completely out of her depth with wolves, and he could thank her asshole ex for that. Females were not treated well in her ex’s pack, and Nila hadn’t even had the luxury of being a true mate to him, protected and cared for by his pack. Malachi could admit that it was better this way, though, at least from his perspective. She wasn’t wearing her ex’s marks on her neck, and Damien’s pack hadn’t come for her.

  He parked in front of Acksel’s house and turned in the seat to face her. “When I was a kid, there was a she-wolf in the pack whose mate was a real jerk. He didn’t treat her well. He had a gambling problem and wasted what little money they had at the OTB. They had young pups, and there were times when I remember my mom taking food over to her, and my and Mia’s old clothes. One night, he hit her and trashed their house. In the morning, our alpha banished him from the pack and dissolved their mating. She moved into the home of a widowed she-wolf and was taken care of by the pack.” Nila looked at him curiously but said nothing. “What you’re going through now isn’t supposed to happen. Damien abused you. His alpha should have stepped in and protected you.”

  “Damien is the alpha’s son.”

  “Doesn’t matter. Females are to be protected at all cost, treasured members of the pack that are never to be harmed.”

  She swallowed audibly and the scent of fresh tears filled the air. “I’m human.”

  He shook his head. “It still doesn’t matter. You’re precious, no matter what your DNA is.”

  He hugged her, finding the seatbelt release with his fingers so she could be freed, and pulled her closer. She was here with him, and no matter what hell was going on outside, in the end it only mattered that she was his.

  “When you’re free, Nila,” he said softly, “I mean really free, I want you to choose me. I want to be your mate and take care of you and Jack.”

  She tucked her head into his neck and sighed, but said nothing. He was going to take her non-response to mean she was thinking about it, and that was better than a flat-out no. He knew they were a long way from really being together, but the first step could come from him setting things right in her world and making her safe.

  Chapter 8

  Nila laid Jack in the play pen in the master bedroom at Malachi’s house. He hadn’t woken up when they’d taken him from Acksel’s house, or when she’d changed him into his footy pajamas and put him to bed. She looked down at him, and then around the room, sighing. The room was very masculine and smelled spicy and dark like Malachi. The furniture was dark wood, the navy carpeting plush under her bare feet. Her emotions were all over the place, her mind a riot of all the things that had happened recently.

  Malachi had one of the omegas pack another bag for her and Jack, because when the protectors had gone to Diane’s house to check on things, they’d found the bag she packed for herself and Jack destroyed, the clothes and personal items ruined. Two protectors were stationed at her house to make sure nothing else happened. She probably could have argued to go home. The windows had been replaced, the entire house cleaned, and everything that had been damaged had been thrown away. But she didn’t want to go home. She didn’t want to be in a place where Damien could get to her and Jack again.

  Malachi whispered from the doorway, “It’s late and I’m going to turn in. I’ll be sleeping on the couch in the family room. Call if you need me.”

  She turned and looked at him. He smiled briefly and moved to leave, and she said, “Wait.”

  “Yeah?”

  She blinked, glancing down as Jack slept soundly in the play pen that had been brought from her house, and then letting her gaze roam to the big bed. “Will you stay with me?”

  “I’m not leaving the house,” he said, his head tilting in confusion.

  She grimaced. “No, I mean in here. With me.”

  The silence between them made her fidget and kind of wish she hadn’t said anything. Wasn’t it enough that he was in the house with them? Shouldn’t she just be grateful for all Malachi had done?

  He moved so quickly and silently that she gasped in surprise when he was suddenly in front of her. “You have a very expressive face.”

  “Um, thanks?”

  He chuckled. “I wasn’t saying no to the request, I was just arguing with my wolf a bit.”

  “You talk about him like he’s another person inside you.”

  “He is, in a way, but not a person. I have normal human thoughts, but then sometimes the more wild part of me makes itself known. The wolf can be very vocal about certain things.”

>   “What things?” Her voice came out breathy.

  “You, mostly. Being around you makes him antsy.”

  She didn’t have to ask what he meant by that, because she could see the answer in his eyes. Before she could say anything else, he said, “I’ll sleep in the bed with you, Nila, but you have to promise to keep your hands to yourself.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I think I can control myself.”

  He grinned, that adorable dimple showing, and walked into the adjoining bathroom. She heard the water running in the sink and took the opportunity to change into the sleep shirt that was tucked into her bag. She was staring into the bag when Malachi came into the room.

  “Something wrong?” he asked.

  “Who packed my stuff?”

  “Jeremiah, why?”

  “He touched my things.”

  He looked confused. “And? Since your other bag was trashed, I asked him to pack you a new bag with a few days of clothes. Did he forget something you need?”

  “No, it’s just weird that a stranger went through my drawers.” She lifted up a black lace thong. “He only grabbed my sexy undies.”

  Malachi chuckled. “He might be a non but he’s still a man.”

  “What’s a non?”

  “A full wolf who can’t shift. Do you want me to beat him up for touching your sexy things? I really don’t mind that he packed that kind of stuff.”

  She snorted. “I bet you don’t.”

  After cleaning up in the bathroom, she joined Malachi on the big bed. She didn’t even have time to wonder if he wanted to cuddle with her, because as soon as she climbed onto the bed he hauled her up next to him and covered them with a blanket. A click sounded and the table lamp next to the bed was turned off.

  The room was bathed in darkness, but a sliver of light from the hallway was showing through the cracked door. Malachi curved himself around her back, letting her use his bicep as a pillow. He was naked save for a pair of boxer briefs, and she felt the ridge of his arousal against her back.