Running Wild

by Kristen Strassel

  He handed me my crutches before we headed down the street. “It’s because I love my blog. The show wants me because they think I’m a hot mess.”

  I winked at Tessa when she made a face.

  “I’m excited for you,” he said. “Big things are about to happen.”

  “Same for you. We can be the world’s cutest celebrity couple.” I bumped into him as he stopped in front of a storefront. A miniature version of Faraway Island was on display in the window, complete with the mountains and a train roaring over a wooden bridge. The other window had what looked like elves in a workshop with Santa watching over them. The banner over the door read Santa Stocks Up at Faraway Island Toys and Games.

  “This is Gunnar’s store, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah.” Sebastian put his hand against the glass. “I don’t even know this guy.”

  I tugged on his arm, but I couldn’t make him budge. “This was the plan, remember? I go in first with the camera crew. Make it a blog piece. Test the waters. No matter what, I’m going into this store because these windows make me feel like a little kid waiting for the Christmas parade and I automatically love anyone who can make me feel that way.”

  “I remember.” Sebastian ran his hand over his face, his gaze still fixed on the window. “Guess I wasn’t ready for how it would feel to be back here.”

  “It’s okay.” I knew he wanted to run. Old habits die hard. “I can already tell I’m going to love Gunnar.”

  Sebastian growled and pulled me back into him. He grinned when I crashed against his chest. “I should’ve marked you before we came.” The kiss was the second impact. Hot and needy, and no one in Faraway Island would dispute I was his. Hottest thing ever. He punctuated it with a slap on the ass, in case he hadn’t got his message across.

  “They’ll all know.” It took everything I had to break away from the amber fire that burned in his eyes.

  It was possible that Gunnar shifted into Santa Claus. The store smelled like Christmas morning—fresh cut pine with a top note of cinnamon and vanilla. The store was full of intricately carved wooden toys. Cars, animals, miniature towns. Everything worked, and some of the toys lit up and moved. My credit card would be crying after all the things I sent home to my nephews. I stopped at each display, taking the time to appreciate every detail.

  “See anything you like?” A deep voice startled me, and I almost knocked over the miniature zoo. I was greeted with a chuckle when I turned around, wiping splashes of cider off my jacket. “You’re not the first one to get lost in that display. I take it as a compliment. Wait a minute, are you Naomi from the travel show?”

  “Yeah. It’s a blog. Naomi Harts Travel.” My heart pounded, standing face to face with Sebastian’s best friend. He definitely was nothing like Santa. His energy was like Sebastian’s, which had to be the shifter thing. He was taller and leaner than Sebastian, with lighter hair and the most amazing caramel eyes. That could’ve been a shifter thing, too. The eyes. “How did you know I’d be here?”

  “It was on the news site this morning that you’d be coming to Faraway Island to film some pieces.” He laughed when I turned to glare at Tessa. It might not have seemed like a big deal on the surface, but she could’ve tipped off Stefan’s pack to our arrival. Given them a head start. “Did you just get here? Need any suggestions? I’m sure you have your itinerary set already. I’m glad you made Faraway Toys one of your stops. It’s not often we get celebrities in town.”

  I’d never had anyone gush over me like this. And I needed to put strangle Tessa on the top of my to-do list when we got back to Holiday Falls. “I’m here with Sebastian Connall.”

  Gunnar’s excitement faded. He pressed his lips together and nodded. “Oh.”

  And there went our plan, down the drain. I should’ve told Tessa to stop filming, but she didn’t seem to matter anymore.

  Shit. Sebastian said he talked to him, but it didn’t sound like he’d mentioned me. I tried not to let that hurt. “Weren’t you expecting him?”

  “I was.” Gunnar leaned against a column, peering past me to the front of the shop. Maybe he was looking for him. It was a good thing I came in first. I tried to convince myself of that. “Just not like this.”

  “He doesn’t want trouble.” My voice trembled. “He told me about you. About your herd. How much he admired what you’ve done on Faraway Island.”

  “Things have changed a lot since he’s been here.” Gunnar picked up one of his wooden figures. “Some things for the better, and some for the worse.”

  “He wants to make things right.” No one else may agree, and it wouldn’t be easy. “It will be good for him to have you back in his life.”

  Gunnar scoffed. “How long have you known Sebastian? If you knew what was good for him, you would’ve kept him away.”

  Strangle Gunnar zoomed up to the top of my to-do list. Tessa could wait her turn. This was an emergency. “Is Stefan still alive?”

  Gunnar shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. His pack will live longer than he will. There are some of them who know nothing of Sebastian besides thinking he’s a traitor.”

  “He had your back, no matter what the cost. I hoped I could say the same for you.” I was out of here. This guy wasn’t worth it.

  “Naomi.” He stopped me before I left. “I’ll fight with him. Because he’ll always be my best friend, and it’s for the good of the island.”

  I turned around, careful not to knock any of the figurines off the tables with my crutches. “Then you should understand that nothing—not me, not you, not his pack—could keep him away. Faraway Island is his destiny.”

  “That’s the other reason I’ll fight with him.” Gunnar’s lips curled up. “Wasn’t sure how much you knew about pack politics.”

  “I’m learning more every day.” And I had an excellent teacher. “I’m Sebastian’s mate.”

  “I know.”

  I wanted to ask how, but danger pricked my skin. This beautiful little town and Gunnar’s store would lull me into a false sense of security. “He’s out front if you’d like to see him.”

  “I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time.” Gunnar sighed. “When Sebastian came home and took care of his pack. The island needs this, Naomi. We’ve had too much turmoil for too long.”

  I motioned for him to follow me. It was hard not to ramble, gushing about how hard Sebastian had worked and how much I was absolutely, positively smitten with him. Like my words could be a band-aid and make this okay. But I also had the possibility of making things much worse.

  When I got out to the sidewalk, Sebastian was gone.

  Chapter Twenty

  SEBASTIAN

  “Pretty convenient that you’re banging the reality show slut.” Stefan wasn’t dead, or even injured. Fuck. He breathed his hot, foul breath down my neck in the middle of the Main Street sidewalk. It was no surprise, I’d been able to sense him since I stepped off the ferry. His vibration rattled through my veins. “The show made sure everyone on the island knew some wanna-be blogger would be gracing us with her presence. Why didn’t you tell her, brother, that you’re not welcome back here?”

  Facing him was like looking at myself, but with every ugly thing I’d ever done on display. “I’m bringing my mate home.”

  “Your mate.” Stefan scoffed. “All those hits to the head didn’t make you any smarter. Good thing for you, I’m feeling charitable today. Must be the little buck’s toy store. I’m giving you a head start. Get the fuck off my island and never come back. The blogger is welcome to stay. We’ll show her how to have a good time on Faraway Island.”

  “Don’t touch her. Don’t even think about her.” I growled, and the guys in Stefan’s pack—guys that I’d grown up with and had at one time sworn loyalty to me—inched toward me, daring me to make the next move. Stefan had made a fool out of me when I was too young and stupid to know better. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  I didn’t need his approval. I was tired of being a man without a past. Withou
t a home. Without a pack. Even though I could never trust the men who stood behind him again, I came to take my life back. I couldn’t be proud of my future if I was ashamed of my past. It was more than me now. It was Naomi and the Bloodhounds. Like hell I’d let Stefan lay claim to them.

  “I gave you a chance, Sebastian.” Stefan’s voice softened, like he wanted me to think he didn’t want to do this. Manipulative bastard. Some things never changed. “But I don’t tolerate weakness on this island. Thought you learned your lesson the first time. Looks like I have to remind you how weak you are.”

  “Not here,” Not in front of Naomi. She didn’t need to see this. “Let’s take this to the forest and fight like fucking wolves.”

  “Want to kiss your girlfriend goodbye?” Stefan asked. “Something tells me she won’t miss you for very long.”

  My wolf was raging, ready to bust through my skin. My brother wasn’t getting anywhere near my mate. “She won’t have a reason to miss me.”

  Following my brother out of the town center looked like I’d already lost this fight, but I had the upper hand. He just didn’t know it yet. He was obeying me. Been a long time since that happened. Things had changed since I left Faraway Island, and it wasn’t the new buildings on Main Street or Gunnar’s toy shop. Real fear emanated from my brother. He had much more to lose than I did in this fight.

  Didn’t stop Stefan from talking shit. Same tiresome crap about how this was his island and how Dad would be disappointed in me. That hit it right in the gut, but I couldn’t let him see he got under my skin. I wasn’t the only one in the family who’d made a career out of exploiting weaknesses.

  A howl ripped through the forest, and the guys in Stefan’s pack were on point. One of them started to shift. The battle cry didn’t come from one of theirs. Good. Things were going according to plan so far, and it would only take a moment for it all to go sideways.

  The howl got closer, and we were surrounded. Wolves, bears, lynx . . . and a fucking dragon?

  I had no idea we had a dragon shifter on the Bloodhounds. Fuckin’ A.

  “What the fuck is this?” Stefan’s voice shook. He held his hands up. “I don’t want any trouble. This is my island, and this guy—”

  “Is your brother.” Landon stepped closer, his eyes glowing like lasers.

  “Holy shit, that’s Landon Fox,” one of the guys in the pack said. “Dude, I’ve been watching you play since I was a kid. That championship game—”

  “Shut up!” Stefan roared. He glared at me. “What the fuck is going on?”

  “This is my pack, Stefan.” I never thought this day would come. “You picked on me because you knew your guys would follow me instead of you. You don’t understand what a pack is. It’s not divide and conquer. It’s coming together as a team and working together to make everyone stronger. That’s what a real leader does.”

  “So you brought your team here to kick my ass?” He snickered. “You’re not a leader. It won’t take them much time to figure out.”

  “You’re not gonna fight Landon Fox, Stefan,” the same guy said. “You idolized him.”

  Stefan scoffed. “I don’t care who he is when he comes to my island looking for a fight. He’ll get a fight.”

  “Careful what you wish for.” Landon growled. “You might be sorry when you get it. You’re a weak leader. Your own brother won’t follow you, and your guys sound like they’re more loyal to me than you.”

  “Yup, too many hits to the head.” Stefan’s fur broke through his skin. “You’ll make a fool out of yourself, Fox, when you die on this island.”

  Like fuck I’d let that happen. Landon came here to fight with me, and he would not become a casualty. I howled, unleashing my wolf. Fur ripped through my skin, claws pierced my fingers.

  “This is how you want it to end, brother?” Stefan probably thought he was giving me one more chance to back down. He had no plans of letting this end peacefully.

  Fuck, he didn’t get it, and he never would. “No. This is how I want it to begin.”

  The shift ripped through the two packs, a chain reaction. The Bloodhounds were unrecognizable in their animal form, but one thing remained the same. They didn’t back down from a fight. They snarled at the guys I’d grown up with, the ones I thought I’d be fighting to protect. But they waited for me to make the first move.

  “Sebastian!” Everything came to a halt at Naomi’s shriek. She jumped out of the van before it came to a full stop, wincing when she landed on her bad ankle. No crutches. She skip-hopped over to me and roped her arms around my neck. The camera crew chased after her, adjusting their gear. “You scared the hell out of me. The crew kept an eye on you, and that’s how we found you.”

  Stefan rolled his eyes. “Your girl is crazy.”

  Naomi turned around and gave him the finger, like she understood what he’d said.

  The guys in his pack laughed. That was short lived when Stefan glared at him.

  “So, still want to fight?” I asked, stepping away from Naomi. Stefan wouldn’t hesitate to attack her. “Pick up where we left off in the forest?”

  “Damn straight I do,” he growled.

  The wolves behind Stefan shifted their gaze. It could’ve been a trap, a way to catch me off guard and give my brother an opening to strike me. Or worse, hurt Naomi.

  My team growled at the intrusion. I turned around to see the red fur and blazing caramel eyes of my best friend in buck form, ready to fight.

  “Let him through,” I said. “He’s with us.”

  Damn, Gunnar looked meaner than I remembered him. His herd has been all about keeping the peace when I left. But I always knew they’d do whatever it took to keep their place on Faraway Island.

  “You know fighting won’t solve your problems, Stefan,” Gunnar said. “It only gives your pack problems you can’t handle. It makes you smaller. Weaker.”

  “He’s right, man,” one of Stefan’s wolves said.

  “Shut up!” My brother roared. “We’ll fight until we restore order on the island, cheechako. Until you follow the ways of our pack.”

  “Stefan,” one of his wolves said. “You’re really going to fight Landon Fox? The Bloodhounds?”

  “If that’s what it takes.” He clawed at the dirt and huffed.

  “I’m not doing it,” the wolf said. “Sorry man, I can’t take on my idol. This fight is crazy. We can’t win.”

  “Listen to your wolf, brother,” I said. “You’re willing to drive yourself into the ground for the sake of your pride. But you give your pack no options but to fight for an island they can’t win.”

  “What do you know about pride?” Stefan said.

  “Sebastian’s the best we’ve got,” Landon stepped closer. “You think we’d risk the team for just anyone?”

  Stefan’s eyes glowed red with anger. He scanned the packs behind me, a combination of the Bloodhounds and Gunnar’s bucks. Only a few wolves stood behind my brother, and they’d made it clear they wouldn’t fight with him.

  “Traitors. All of you.” Stefan growled, lunging at me but stopping before he made contact. “You’ll be sorry, brother. I’ll fight you when it’s fair.”

  “That never bothered you when the odds were on your side.” Fucker was backing down.

  “Have fun with your crazy girlfriend—”

  “Mate.”

  “If you say so. And your football team. I’ve got real shit to deal with.” He disappeared into the forest. His pack didn’t follow.

  The rest of the pack looked at each other and shrugged. “Can’t wait to see you play this season, Fox,” one of them said before trotting after my brother. “Big fan.”

  Naomi grabbed my face hard and kissed me. “You scared the hell out of me. Are you okay?”

  I nudged her, wishing she could understand me in wolf form.

  “My ankle hurts like a dirty bitch, but I can hook a ride back into town with Tessa.” She hugged me. Man, she smelled good. “Spend some time with your pack, Sebastian. Take all
the time you need. I’ll be waiting.”

  “Hey man,” Gunnar said, nudging his snout against me. “It’s about time someone makes a fool out of that asshole.”

  “Damn, it’s good to see you,” I said. “You herd alpha now?”

  “Yeah. We’ve got a lot to catch up on.” He gazed at Naomi. “Got some time for a run?”

  “We’ll make sure the ladies get back into town,” Landon said. “We’ll wait for everyone to shift back. Take your time, Sebastian. You’ve been waiting a long time for this.”

  “HEY, NOT ALL OF US are professionals!” Gunnar called after me. “I’m not so fast anymore.”

  “Sorry. I missed running through these woods.” I stopped to let him catch up. “Ever think about playing again?”

  “Nah. I’m busy with the herd now. And the shop.” He sniffed the air. “But I wouldn’t say no to a game or two.”

  “Talent like yours doesn’t go away. I’ve played with a lot of guys, and you’re still one of the best kickers I’ve ever seen.”

  Gunnar laughed. “I’m a kicker. Anyone can do that.”

  “Not like you.” Gunnar was good because he was smart, and he was always aware of what happened around him. “Tell me about the shop.”

  “I always knew I’d stay on Faraway Island. I want it to grow, and give people a chance to take a little piece of it home with them. See it the way we did when we were kids. Like it was the whole world. So I started carving wood, and when I got good, I made them into toys. Some of them have moving parts, some of them are collectibles.”

  “The stuff in the window looked incredible. I’m proud of you man. You did good.”

  “Thanks,” he said. “Can’t wait to watch you take the field with the Bloodhounds. Always knew you’d make it.”

  “You should come to a game. Stay with me and Naomi.” It would be incredible to have him come. I’d show him around the facility and introduce him to the guys. He still had football in his blood. Even if he wasn’t interested in playing anymore, it didn’t go away.