Falling For The Wolf (Crystal Lake Forest Wolf Shifters Series Book 4

by Ovidia Pike

  “They’re just—knocked—” I began, but was cut off when I was frozen, paralyzed all at once. Everyone else was in the same state, stuck in place as the thin man came into view holding Gabriel in one thin, bony hand and Sophie in the other. Both of them were frozen, too, eyes open. Then all of a sudden, they gasped and fell to their knees. Gabriel stood quickly and tried to swing at the faceless man, but the man darted out of the way and Gabriel stumbled back down to his knees.

  “Alright,” the faceless man said. “Now it’s time for a show. Sophie, go ahead and pull out your gun.”

  “Why?” she asked warily, climbing to her feet.

  “I think you know why,” the man said. Sophie went pale as he moved around her to pull Gabriel’s head back.

  “No,” Sophie said sharply.

  “Yes. You’re going to kill him for me. I can’t believe I didn’t think of this before. How very tragic,” he said in a delighted voice.

  “No, I’m not going to kill him,” she said. “I won’t.”

  “If you don’t, I will eat every single other person here. If you kill him, everyone else lives. That’s over a dozen lives you’ll be saving if you simply pull the trigger.

  I saw Sophie staring at Gabriel, her hands shaking. There was a look of ambivalence and horror on her face at the same time.

  “I can’t,” she whispered.

  “You can and you will,” the faceless man said. “Save them. He’s just one wolf and he broke your heart. You want this.”

  “I—” Sophie began, her bottom lip quivering, not taking her eyes off Gabriel.

  “It’s okay, Sophie,” Gabriel said in a gentle voice. “Just do it.”

  “No,” she said, raising her voice this time.

  “You’re going to have to kill me,” she said to the faceless man.

  “What about all of them?”

  “Please,” she pleaded. “I can’t—”

  “Sophie,” Gabriel said. “Please do this. I love you. I need you to do this.”

  Sophie let out a shuddering sob and reached for her gun, holding it out, pointing it at Gabriel.

  “I don’t love you,” she said, her eyes full of tears, the lie written clearly on her face. “This is what I want. I hate you.”

  “I know,” Gabriel said. “It’s okay, angel.”

  Still, she didn’t pull the trigger.

  I saw movement out of the corner of my eye, and I was surprised to see Harley approaching, staying just out of sight.

  “Last chance,” the faceless man said.

  “No,” Sophie spat again.

  “Oh, for god’s sake,” Harley said, leaping out of the shadows, shoving her spear into Gabriel’s back, impaling him through the side. He choked, coughing up blood as the faceless man picked a screaming Sophie up, dangling her over his mouth.

  “Thank you, Harley,” he said. “I was getting tired of waiting.”

  “Put her down,” Gabriel mumbled, eyes rolling back as he clenched his side, trying not to lose consciousness.

  “No—”

  “Put her down! Now!” Gabriel roared, and suddenly he shifted, diving at the faceless man. He dropped Sophie hard on the ground, and before she could grab her gun Gabriel tore into the blank space where the man’s face should have been. I saw the faceless man struggle to get up but knew it was too late when I felt my body start to move again. Gabriel ripped into his face again with a snarl, ripping the empty flesh to pieces. The faceless man’s body disappeared all at once, disintegrating into ash. Gabriel collapsed on the ground and shifted back, the spear sticking out of his side.

  “Gabriel!” Sophie screamed, rushing to him. I ran to him as well while everyone else caught their bearings. Sophie reached for the spear, but I put my hand up to stop her.

  “Don’t move it. Don’t touch it,” I said, kneeling down beside him. His chin was covered in blood and he had already lost consciousness.

  “We need to go back to the village. Now,” I said in an urgent tone. Nathaniel hurried forward, broken out of his sleep. He lifted Gabriel carefully into his arms and started to run. Sophie darted after him and the rest of us followed, the guards stirring and climbing to their feet. I saw Selene being carried by Leo, though her face looked alert and had color to it.

  I paused for Camilla to catch up to me and she paused when she did, taking my face in her hands and kissing me softly. I kissed her back and we started walking again without another word, our hands locked together. It would have been a warm, comforting feeling if I could stop thinking about Gabriel, about the fact that he would surely die.

  By the time we got back to the village, Gabriel had already been rushed into the medical hut. Everyone else was huddled outside, and Sophie was pacing back and forth, nervously chewing on her fingernails. There were whispers amongst the others, and I turned to look at Selene, who was standing next to Leo.

  “How are you feeling, your highness?” I asked her, drawing closer, looking her over.

  “I’m okay,” she said.

  “Why did I hear you screaming?” Leo asked.

  “We...got surrounded by more of the zombie things. I got pushed away from the guard and...almost bitten. I shifted and killed it before I could.”

  “How did you end up passed out?”

  “I don’t remember,” Selene said.

  “I wonder why he didn’t kill you,” Camilla said. “He could have just eaten you.”

  “He was scared,” Leo said. “Too scared to hurt her. I think he knew that he was going to die.”

  “What is taking so long?” Sophie interjected.

  “It’s okay, Sophie,” Lily said, going to her, pulling her into a hug. “He’s going to be okay.”

  “He’s going to die,” Sophie sobbed. “I told him—I told him I hated him. I love him so much.”

  “We know you do,” Lily said. “And he loves you.”

  “I’m going to lose him,” Sophie said in a quiet voice, tears rolling down her cheeks. Nobody had anything to say to that—I wanted to comfort her, but in reality I knew the truth—a wound like that was fatal. We waited for a long time outside, Sophie still pacing, until Alicia came out with her clothes covered in blood, wiping her hands on a towel.

  “So?” Sophie asked impatiently. “Is he alive?”

  “For now,” she said grimly. “But it doesn’t look good. I don’t think...he’ll make it through the night.”

  “Oh,” Sophie said and sniffled, and I felt an empty ache inside at the tone of the word, nothing but heartbreak and pain.

  “Can I go in and see him?” she asked.

  “He’s not awake or alert,” Alicia said. “I don’t think he will be again.”

  “I just want to hold his hand,” Sophie said, shaking now.

  “Of course,” Alicia said, wiping tears from her own eyes. “Go in.”

  “Thank you,” Sophie said, and disappeared inside.

  Chapter 21: Camilla

  Sam was already standing outside when I approached his hut, and the warm smile on his face sent a flutter through my chest, same as it always had.

  “You ready?” I asked him.

  “Yeah,” he said. “I almost went without you.”

  “I’m glad you didn’t,” I said as we started walking toward the medical hut.

  “You hate him,” Sam pointed out.

  “He saved all of us,” I said. “He’s saved me more than once.”

  “That’s true,” Sam said. He knocked on the door when we got there and Alicia let us in.

  “How is he?” Sam asked immediately.

  “No change,” she said. “Same as yesterday. He hasn’t woken up, but he’s stable. He got extremely lucky with the location of that spear.”

  “I’m just glad he’s made it through the week,” I said. Alicia nodded.

  “Thank you, doctor,” Sam said to her. “For keeping him alive.”

  “It’s my job,” she said with a stressed sigh. “I just...hope he wakes up.”

  “So do I,” S
am said. “I suppose we don’t need to go in and see him?”

  “You can, but there’s not much to see. The girls are in there right now.”

  “The twins?” I asked.

  “Yes, they’ve been here all morning. They’re decorating the room,” Alicia said with a smile. “Balloons and everything.”

  “We’ll come back and look at it tomorrow when it’s done,” Sam said, taking my hand with his and wishing Alicia good morning before we left together.

  He continued to hold my hand as we walked away, leading me away from the huts and toward the woods.

  “Where are we going?” I asked.

  “I want to show you something I found,” he said.

  “But we have training in twenty minutes,” I said.

  “Nope. Cancelled it. I’m taking you on a date.”

  “A date?” I asked. “In the woods?”

  “In the prettiest part of the woods,” he amended, lifting my hand, kissing the back of it as we entered the trees. I couldn’t help but to smile at him when he made such amorous affections. He dragged his teeth over his lip.

  “I can’t even look at you right now,” he said. I laughed, caught off-guard.

  “You can’t look at me?”

  “No. You’re too pretty. It’s distracting. I’ll get us lost and then we’ll have to build a treehouse to live in and you’ll have to wear coconut bras.”

  “Coconut,” I giggled. “Where the hell are we going to find a coconut?”

  He shrugged, casting a grin at me.

  “Guess you’ll have to go braless,” he said with a shrug.

  “I guess I will,” I said. “Is that why you’re bringing me out here? You expecting to get a good look?”

  “Oh, yes,” he replied instantly. “I’m very much looking forward to it.”

  “You sound pretty confident.”

  “I am confident,” he said, looking over at me again. “I’m going to kiss you all over.”

  “Everywhere?” I asked. He chuckled.

  “Are you asking if I’ll lick your pussy again?” he asked. I blushed deeply, looking forward, and he lifted my hand to kiss my fingers again.

  “How close are we?” I asked him.

  “Close. Listen,” he said. “You’ll hear it.”

  “What...am I listening for?”

  “Hold your breath,” he whispered. I did as he said, closing my eyes, listening closely. I heard the sound of running water then, the bubbling of a creek close by. I looked over at him as he led me closer, and we emerged into a clearing with a cool, clear creek running through it, emptying into a pond. It was a shaded area, surrounded by trees, but the sun shone on the rocks where the water trickled down. I looked over at Sam and he came to me, and I let him undress me with slow, deliberate hands. I did the same for him, looking into his eyes, so full of kindness and gentleness.

  “Let’s swim,” he said, taking my hand before I could stop him and jumping into the pond, pulling me with him. I let out a soft scream as I landed in the water and he pulled me into his arms, against his naked body.

  “It’s cold,” I said, shivering a bit.

  “I’ll warm you up,” he said, kissing me on the forehead, then on the lips. The pool was shallow enough that we could stand in the water, and we stood there for a long time with our mouths connected, my heart pounding against his chest. He pulled back and looked into my eyes.

  “I love you,” he said softly. “I do.”

  I didn’t say anything, but I felt my heart swell in my chest. I smiled at him and suddenly sent a splash of water into his face. He backed up, blinking, then opened his eyes with a beaming smile.

  “That was...so rude,” he said.

  “What are you going to do about it?” I challenged him. He laughed and dove forward, grabbing ahold of my waist and pulling me under the water. He kissed me quickly, sucking my lip before letting me rise again. I laughed and splashed him again, feeling light and perfect. Then he wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me gently to the edge of the water, grabbing my hips and sitting me on top of one of the rocks.

  “Camilla,” he said, looking into my eyes. “Marry me.”

  I stared at him for a moment, but it had already been decided.

  “Okay,” I replied.

  “Yeah?” he asked. I nodded.

  “I love you, too,” I said to him, the words feeling natural and safe.

  “Good girl,” he said, climbing out of the water, lifting me into his arms. He carried me carefully down the rocks and into the grass below, leading me around the pond to the back, hidden by a wall of stone. There was a blanket on the ground and I shook my head at him as he pulled me down on top of it.

  “You were expecting to get laid?” I asked.

  “Well, you liked it so much the first time—”

  “Maybe I was faking it,” I said in an aloof voice. He rolled over on his back and pulled me on top of him, aiming his cock into my pussy. I sank down onto it right away, not hesitating, my hips starting to squirm against him. I started to ride his lap automatically, sighing each time his cock hit the back of my walls. I reached down to rub my clit, needing even more. His hands went to my breasts and he played with my nipples just the way I liked.

  “Guess I’d better try extra hard, then,” he said, pulling my face down to taste my mouth, lifting his hips to bounce me up and down. It made him hit extra deep, and I let out a whimper as my climax built in seconds, then came all over his cock, as easily as I had before.

  “Did you fake that?” he asked with a playful voice.

  “Maybe,” I said to him. “Maybe you should try a little harder.”

  “I’ll do my best,” he said, rolling me over, covering his body with mine as he buried his face in my neck, nipping at it while he moved his hips against mine.

  “I love you, baby,” he said, bringing his lips to my ear. “Are you mine?”

  “Yes,” I said as he stopped moving, holding onto my hips with his hands and looking into my eyes.

  “Are you?” he asked. I nodded.

  “I’m yours,” I said. “And you’re a wolf. You’re my wolf.”

  “I am,” he agreed, beginning to move his hips again. He took my legs and wrapped them over his elbows, holding my thighs apart as he grinded deep within me.

  “Rub your pussy,” he commanded. I reached down and did as he said, flicking and playing with my clit just the way he would.

  “Such a pretty pussy,” he said, his voice a purr. “I like it when you rub yourself like that, all shy. Do it faster, baby.”

  My hand sped up and my hips jerked against his as I came again, flooding his cock.

  “That’s my girl,” he said with a smile, continued to fill me again and again, until the afternoon got hot and sticky. When we were finally finished, he picked me up again and pulled me into the water for us to rinse off and cool down again. He held me against the rock, kissing me over and over again.

  “Sam,” I said to him, meeting his eye. “I want to say that I’m sorry. About everything. About looking down on you and your kind—I just...grew up hearing it all the time. I know better now. I never want you to think that I look down on you anymore. I know better now.”

  “I know,” he said. “I can tell. I’m proud of you.”

  I bit my lip and leaned in to kiss him.

  “Do you forgive me?”

  “Are you gonna be my wife?”

  “Yes,” I said to him, smiling against his lips.

  “I’ll forgive you for anything just to wake up with you tomorrow morning,” he said. “Anything.”

  “I think I can do that,” I said, stroking his cheek with my finger. I leaned in to kiss him again, wrapping my arms around his neck, and we stayed there until the sun started to go down. Afterward, we held hands as we headed back toward the village, and he pulled me into his hut to make love to me again. I fell asleep with my head on his chest, knowing that I was safe, that I would always be safe in his arms.

  Chapter 22
: Gabriel

  I woke up slowly, my head pounding, and rubbed my temples as I opened my eyes. I pulled the tubes out of my nostrils and put them aside, looking around the room in surprise. There were balloons everywhere, dozens of them covering the ceiling with no strings attached. On the wall were brightly colored flowers made of construction paper and drawn with crayon. I shook my head, wondering for a moment if I was still in the long dream I’d been having before I woke up, but the decorations were still there.

  I looked around to see a table next to me, with two pieces of folded colored paper on top, along with a bottle of water, which I opened gratefully and drank down. I picked up the cards to see drawings on the front—one of a smiling man holding hands with two young girls. The other featured me in a cape, brandishing a stick. I put them down in confusion as the door opened and Alicia entered, a look of surprise washing over her face.

  “You’re awake!” she said brightly. “Oh, how—how are you?”

  “Who did all this?” I asked, pointing around at the room.

  “That was Jane and Chelsey. They’re pretty taken with you. I think Chelsey has a crush—she drew the one where you’re Superman.”

  “The...twins? The witches?”

  “Yep,” she said. “They come in here every day. Sometimes they bring you flowers, but they brought a cat with them last time and it knocked over the vase.”

  “They brought a cat,” I said slowly.

  “They hoped it would wake you up if they put it on your bed,” she said.

  “I see,” I said, barely following and completely bewildered.

  “I’d better go get Sophie,” Alicia said. “I told her I’d get her the moment you woke up.”

  “She’s still here?” I asked, perking up in the bed.

  “Yeah, she’s been staying here,” Alicia said. “I’ll go get her.”

  As she went to leave, I heard voices outside.

  “Speak of the devils,” Alicia said with a smile, opening the door. The two girls rushed in, jumping up and down.

  “He’s awake!” Jane said.

  “He’s awaaaake,” said Chelsey. I stared at them in bemusement, having no idea how to respond.