I had never known fear like this. Those evil men were clear about what they planned to do to me when they caught me. I was doing everything in my power to prevent that.
I tripped over a thick tree root protruding from the ground and twisted my ankle. I cursed under my breath and dragged myself forward across the rough terrain until I could bear to rise to my feet again.
I spotted a fast-moving stream in front of me, and on instinct, I bolted upright and half-ran, half hopped toward it. I had read or saw something somewhere about how wolves tracked by scent. If I entered the water, there was a good chance that the wolves would lose me. But I couldn’t be sure. These weren’t natural wolves. They were half human. I had to give it a try, anyway.
I entered the stream and proceeded to wade across it to get to the other side. The moment the water rose above my waist, my body responded. I didn’t know if it was from the cold temperature of the water or my fear.
The howls behind me in the distance urged me to move harder and faster. I couldn’t give up. Somewhere in these woods, there had to be someplace I could hide out until morning. I knew it was a long shot, but maybe people lived out here. I could’ve sworn I saw smoke billowing up from the trees in the direction I ran.
Finally, I reached the other side of the stream and took off at a full run again, but this time my soggy sneakers and drenched clothes weighed me down. Despite my efforts, I heard something barreling through the bushes behind me. I turned completely around, stumbling backward and put some distance between myself and the new threat, trying to decipher whether the noise came from the bad wolves or something else. I got my answer soon.
The wolf raced from a distance out onto the path where I was running and bared its teeth. It growled rabidly with spittle flying from every which direction.
Just before the wolf leaped up in the air, I turned around swiftly and made a quick pivot to the right. The wolf landed on the dry earth with a thud. I caught hold of a branch and broke it off. When the wolf came at me again, I screamed loudly and swung at it, beating it across the face. It let out a painful yelp and used its paws to stroke at the fresh cut on its nostrils. I took the thick branch and hit it across the face again.
Not waiting around to see how much damage I did the second time, I got up and ran again. I didn’t have enough time to gain my bearings or sense of direction. I heard the sound of the stream again and wondered if I was running in circles. Just as I was about to take another turn down a path that looked like it had been walked before, two wolves began circling around me. A tan wolf and a two-toned brown wolf. As wolves do to their prey, they had cornered me. Probably right where they wanted.
The tan wolf blocked my path, growling and snapping its canines. I shrieked and shrank back, tripping over my own two feet. When I landed ass first on the ground, I knew I was deader than dead. I shielded my face with my forearm, hoping and praying they wouldn’t maul me to death. If they were going to kill me, I wanted it to be quick.
Something else was running toward us through the bushes, I heard it loud and clear. Even the wolves surrounding me paused to listen. There had been six of them. With the two standing over me breathing on my face and another one coming from somewhere else, I knew it was over for me.
But before the tan or two-toned wolf could attack me, the third black wolf sailed through the air out of nowhere and barreled through both of them. The black wolf placed its body in front of mine and growled viciously at the other two.
I was confused and dazed. What was this? Were they fighting over the right to kill me now?
Sure enough, all three wolves began fighting in a frenzy of fur and teeth. But it wasn’t what I thought. The black wolf seemed to be fighting against the other two. It took blow after blow from the tan and two-toned wolf. Realizing that this would probably be my only moment to get another head start, I sprang back up. I only made it two steps before a wolf jumped on my back and mowed me down to the ground.
A sharp pain struck me in my right shoulder area and I screamed in agony.
I rolled over in shock to face the wolf. I touched my shoulder and my fingers came in contact with something slippery and wet. I brought my fingers up to the moonlight and saw the blood. The tan wolf had bitten me!
I looked in horror and witnessed the victory marked in its pupils. How odd that I could sense that—his pride over biting.
One moment the tan wolf was hunched over me, and in the next, there was a bloody mess on one side of its face. Some blood sprayed on my nose and in my mouth as the black wolf finished off the tan wolf, tearing into its throat, dragging the carcass away from my body, and shaking its head from side to side with the dead tan wolf still between its jaws.
I knew it wasn’t over yet. The two-toned wolf came for the black wolf again, but the black wolf must have had it with this game—this lottery—whatever. The black wolf’s jaws came down on the throat of the two-toned wolf, canines first, and ripped through fur and flesh. The two-toned wolf dropped like deadweight and a chilled silence riddled the night.
My breath came out in a rush. My fingers dug into the ground beneath me as I gathered up dirt and rocks, prepared to use any weapon to stay alive amid the carnage.
The black wolf set its gaze on me and took several slow steps toward me. Our connection was cut off when another tan wolf darted out into the clearing and then came to an abrupt halt when it observed the mess. It looked at the black wolf once, jumped back, and tried to take off in the direction whence it came. But it was too late. The murderous black wolf pounced and instantly ripped out the throat of the third wolf.
When the night was silent again, the black wolf turned his pupils back on me, and all I could recall was what the Alpha said before he told me to run: ‘We’ll take turns breeding you.’
I dragged my pained body backward, putting some space between myself and the lone wolf. I covered the spot where the wolf bit me with my hand, applying pressure to it. The bleeding had slowed, but something felt odd about the way the bite affected me. My vision clouded over and a wave of nausea folded over me.
The wolf sat on its haunches and stared at me. He made a low whining sound, almost like a sad dog. Its teeth were no longer barred and its tail wagged from side to side parallel with the ground. Before I knew it, the wolf had closed the distance and was now sniffing me and touching me with its snout and paws. It seemed like it posed no threat, but I couldn’t be sure. After all, my body seemed to have a mind of its own as I fought to keep my eyes open and my focus steady.
Right before I thought I would pass out, the wolf stood on all fours and its body began to change, morph, and shift. Right before me, the murderous black wolf became a muscled, flawless, and naked man.
He kneeled next to me and slipped an arm between my back and the ground. His hair was a deep black, just like his fur, and his eyes were a mossy green.
“I’m not going to let anybody hurt you.” His voice was deep and mesmerizing, and the tone of it put me further into a trance.
Some of his victim’s blood must have transferred over because red stains marred the lower half of his face. Yet, he was still exceptionally good-looking. His jaws were set like granite and I remembered the way he had effortlessly ended my attacker’s lives. There was a dusting of a five o’clock shadow around his jawline.
He wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand, but his gaze never left me. My attention shifted to his muscular body. He was big as hell. As big as any average man I had ever met. He towered over me. Sweat rolled down his face and neck before finally settling down between the ridges of his rock solid core. My gaze lingered on a distinct tattoo on the upper left side of his chest in the shape of a crescent moon. Then my curiosity got the better of me and I blinked several times before peering through my heavy eyelids and taking in the part that made him male. He was full, thick, and aroused.
I gasped and grabbed his forearm for support, trying to propel myself upward.
“Don’t worry. I’m not going
to hurt you either. I want to help you, but I can’t do that out here on this land,” he said, looking behind him.
“Okay…” I mumbled, my limbs shaking as a cold draft slithering across my skin.
“The bad men are dead,” he stated.
“There’s more…six. There were six. And…an alpha,” I whispered, and swallowed to soothe the dryness at the back of my throat.
“Then I have to get you away from here. Right now.” He held out his hand. “Please?”
I slipped my palm in his and nodded.
He hooked an arm behind my knees while the other supported my back and lifted me up into his arms. Warmth engulfed me like a blanket, and oddly, I felt safe. He stood without faltering. When the stranger began to hurry through the forest, I let fatigue take me.
CHAPTER THREE
JAYCE
I jogged as fast as I could back to my log cabin with the injured female in my arms. Her face was pressed against my me as she slept. She breathed lightly on my chest, which was my only indication that she was still with me.
I was beyond infuriated over what those Black Ridge wolves had done to her, so much so that I had killed every last one of them. When the tan wolf bit her, that was the last straw. I had snapped. The recent memories made me sick to my stomach.
Who was she? And what was she doing running through the woods? I could tell she wasn’t from around here. Even with wet clothes and mud caked on her skin, she was a beauty. Her hair was thick and curly and several hues—brown, some blond highlights, and streaks of red. Her face was oval-shaped and her lips were full, slightly parted, and tempting. I remembered her eyes mostly, which were almost surreal—a mix of blue and something else.
I growled again when my attention landed on the bite on her right shoulder. One of them had marked her. That one detail told me what they were after, but I didn’t want to think about that now. The thought of them trying to lay claim to her the way they did sickened me. She’d said something about there being more of them just before she fell asleep in my arms. I left three dead wolves on the ground, so if she was right, there were three more of those bastards searching the woods for her. If the woman wasn’t injured, vulnerable, and alone, I would’ve gone back and hunted them all down and murdered them. I didn’t care about whose territory I trespassed on. They had no right to treat anyone this way.
The door to my cabin was unlocked, just like I had left it. I had been in the middle of putting up some canned goods in the pantry and cooking a meal when I heard the woman’s screams in the distance. I had tracked her noisy struggles through the forest until I caught her scent near the stream where she had crossed.
I laid the woman on my couch and threw a few more pieces of wood in the fireplace to rekindle the blaze. I took off her wet, soggy shoes and socks, but nothing else. Instead, I hoped the fire would dry and warm her. The last thing I wanted to do was strip her clothes off and make her feel uncomfortable, especially after what happened to her.
Tired of seeing that rogue wolf’s bite on her, I grabbed a bowl of warm water and a first aid kit and tended to her wound. Bites from our kind were different. Although painful, they healed faster than a natural wolf’s bite. But her skin was still marked by his essence. Since the wolf was now dead, the essence would likely fade as the bite healed. I applied some antiseptic to her skin and covered the bite with a bandage.
I was still in my birthday suit, but I didn’t want to leave her side. I grabbed a pair of shorts from the basket of unfolded clothes sitting in the living room and tugged it on. I knelt back down near the couch and listened to her, making sure that her breathing hadn’t changed.
Some of her corkscrew curls were flattened to the side of her face and I stroked them back, notating how she sighed softly in her sleep. She looked like an angel. Why had the rogue wolves hurt her?
I leaned in and sniffed her. Among the scent of the tan wolf who bit her, I caught a spine-tingling whiff of her aura, which was so feminine and so pure. She smelled like a bed of flowers that I could roll around in for hours on end and lose myself in.
Her breasts were full and round. Neither her bra nor the fitted white tee she wore could hide the fact that her nipples were taut, probably from the cold. I felt bad for looking at her this way, but my mind wasn’t the only thing I was losing. My hard-on hadn’t subsided since she had touched me in the forest.
She shifted and moaned softly, but didn’t wake up.
I heard something outside and rose up swiftly. A branch broke and the sound of bushes rustling followed. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as I went to stand by the window. I pulled the curtains aside and peered out into the dark.
No one would dare come uninvited onto my property to harm or take the woman. And if they did, they’d meet a swift demise just like the rogue wolves did back in the forest. I’d protect her with my life again if I had to. I was chosen as one of my pack’s enforcers for several reasons. Cowardliness wasn’t one of them.
Overhanging branches from the big oak tree on my front yard scraped at the side of my house. The winds were picking up and blowing all kinds of debris across the ground.
After a few minutes of staring out and seeing no signs of a trespasser, I closed the curtains and returned to the woman. I pulled out a blanket and covered her with it.
Tired of smelling blood and death all over me, I left her on the couch to take a much needed cold shower. Only this time, my shower was lightning quick. The last thing I wanted to do was lose her.
I couldn’t let her get away.
CHAPTER FOUR
VIOLET
Before I opened my eyes, a splitting headache pounded my head. I honestly didn’t expect to see the light of day again or anything at all for that matter, but when I saw a warm fire blazing in the fireplace, I lifted myself up and stared around me. I was on a couch and in a home I didn’t recognize.
I heard someone walking across the hard floorboards on the other side of the house. By the way the footsteps sounded, I doubted that they belonged to my friend, Janet. But of course, they didn’t. I had never made it to Janet’s house. I knew that much.
I swallowed down the lump in my throat and waited for the person to emerge. A door crept open and then the aroma of soap wafted under my nose. It was a clear reminder that I was dirty as heck and needed a shower badly.
When the mossy green-eyed savior from the woods turned the corner and came into the living room, my breath caught in my throat. He was still breath-taking. Instead of sweat beading on his skin, droplets of water clung to him. Instead of the tousled black hair, he sported in the forest, his hair was now wet and slicked back. He wore nothing but a pair of long jogging shorts that looked one size too big for his waist and hung low on his hips. A trail of black hair descended into the waistband of his shorts which accentuated his perfectly formed Adonis belt.
He stood about three feet away from the couch where I sat, but his nostrils were flared and his chin was tilted in my direction. Was he sniffing me?
Suddenly reality set in again. This man wasn’t really a man at all. I had seen him shift from wolf to man.
“You’re one of them,” I croaked out.
The man frowned and shook his head. “No. I’m from a different group. I’m not one of them.”
“What are you?”
“What did you see?”
“A wolf,” I whispered. “You are like them. You changed. I saw it. I’m not crazy.”
The man came closer and I dragged the blanket up to my chin, shielding myself.
“I’m nothing like those wolves. I saved you. Remember?”
I nodded. “Why did you help me?”
“Because you needed help. Why wouldn’t I help you?”
I sighed and looked around. “I don’t know what’s going on. I’m so confused. I just want to go home.”
“Where is home?” I asked.
She glanced up at me wearily and said, “Green Bay.”
“Hey. Don’t worry. We’ll get
you home. In the meantime, try not to work yourself up. It looks like you were roughened up a bit out there.”
I frowned and squeezing my eyes closed. I was trying to forget the morbid fear the bad wolves caused. Pressing my hand to my forehead, I took a few deep breaths in and out.
“I’m sorry. We don’t have to talk about that.” He came and knelt down next to the couch. “I have some painkillers if that’s what you need to feel better. I also have whiskey if you want it. Or something warm to drink. Would you like some water?”
I nodded. “Water is fine. Those painkillers might help too.”
“Be right back.” The man rose and disappeared down the hallway again.
While he was gone, I peeled back the cloth bandage and inspected the nearly invisible wound on my shoulder. Odd. I remembered the wolf’s canines going so deep that it had almost paralyzed me. Why was I so calm? I shouldn’t be here. This man was just as much a stranger as my attackers were. As soon as I found out where the hell I was, I was getting out of here. Whatever this place was, it was plain to see that the majority of these people had no regard for human life.
But they weren’t people…
It was a lousy choice on my part to have chosen the one town where the men shifted into wolves.
The wound didn’t look infected or anything, but I couldn’t be sure if the half-men were carrying rabies or not.
“Our bites heal faster than that of a normal wolf.” The man was suddenly standing over me again with a glass of water and a bottle of painkillers.
“Our…? I thought you said you weren’t one of them.”
“No, it’s not what you think. I’m a wolf shifter, but I’m not a rogue. I’m part of the Timber Rock pack. The rogue wolves you encountered back there are not.”
I glanced at my shoulder. “It doesn’t appear infected or anything. I should get checked for rabies. Do you have a hospital out here?”
“We have a small hospital north of town, yes. There are plenty of doctors too. If you’re concerned with rabies, shifters don’t carry diseases. Not like that.”
Jayce: Shifters of Timber Rock Page 2