Desperate for Her Wolves

by West, Tara

  “Lies.” His inky eyes narrowed. “You warned her, didn’t you?”

  Luc didn’t fight when Richter pressed harder on his windpipe. Fighting would only make Richter angrier. He hoped to appeal to whatever morsel of reason Richter had left in his twisted mind. “She belongs on the reservation, where her own kind can look after her.”

  “She’s a murderer.” Richter put more pressure on his neck. “She needs to be locked up.”

  Luc arched a brow. “How do you know she didn’t kill in self-defense?”

  Richter’s smile morphed into a wicked snarl. “Doesn’t matter.”

  “Of course it matters.” Luc’s cheeks burned with anger at Richter’s willful ignorance. “We Amaroki are a peaceful race. We’ve coexisted with humans for thousands of years, and we have a strict code for our shifters that they are only to shift in front of humans in self-defense. Once we find this lone wolf, we will make sure she follows it.”

  Richter let out a sardonic laugh. “Once we find the lone wolf, we will make sure she’s tried for murder.”

  Whose idea had it been to put this moron in charge? “Johnson wouldn’t have been so quick to condemn her.”

  “Johnson was a goddamn softie.” Richter spit a wad of chewing tobacco next to Luc’s head. “There’s a new sheriff in town, and you mutts will behave or suffer the consequences.” He lifted his boot. “It’s obvious you’re not going to be any help to me. You can return to the reservation. We’ll capture the girl ourselves.”

  Luc sat up, clutching his sore throat. “You’re making a mistake,” he rasped before coughing into his hand.

  “No.” Richter fixed Luc with an expression so cold, it made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. “I’m fixing eighty years of mistakes. Our government should’ve filled you freaks full of lead when they first learned of you.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Amara was awakened by Rone’s gentle shake.

  “Wake up,” he breathed in her ear. “We’re out of milk and Hrod’s hungry.”

  Ignoring her dizzy head and growling stomach, she sat up, inhaling the strong scents of coffee and bacon. Her stomach instantly, bile shooting into her throat. Hello, morning sickness, my old friend.

  Though she was just a few days pregnant, Amaroki babies only needed to develop in the womb for five months. Amara wondered if she’d traded a shorter pregnancy for more intense morning sickness.

  She rubbed sleep from her eyes and listened to her family’s boisterous voices downstairs, accompanied by Bunica’s laughter and Hrod’s angry squeal. “Go get him,” she drawled. “I’m too tired to get out of bed.” Honestly, she could’ve slept a few more hours. She recalled how tired she’d been during the first month of her last pregnancy. She was hoping this time would be different.

  “I will,” he said. “But you need to wake up first.” He handed her a steaming cup of tea.

  She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Thank you, sweetheart.” Rone was always so thoughtful. She had no idea what she’d do without him. She grimaced when she took a sip of the pungent brew, recognizing the herbs Raz had given her for morning sickness. Despite the malodorous flavor, she took several sips and then laid back down, her nausea slowly fading.

  Rone brushed a wayward lock of hair behind her ear. “I figured the morning sickness would be coming on soon, so I wanted to start you off with something light.” He handed her a warm blueberry muffin. It smelled like butter and cinnamon, and tasted like sugary heaven. She devoured it, not just because she was hungry but because she was in a hurry. Hrod’s fussy cries were getting louder, making her nipples ache.

  “You feeling any better?” Rone asked.

  “Yeah,” she said with a smile. “Bring me my baby.”

  He returned with Hrod, who gave her the most pitiful whimper. Why was he being so fussy? Instead of diving for her breast, he kicked and squirmed, letting out an agonizing wail.

  She shared terrified looks with Rone. “It’s happening again.”

  Rone grimaced, taking him from her. Rone tried rocking Hrod, but he just fussed harder. Hakon and Drasko burst into the bedroom.

  “What’s wrong?” Hakon asked.

  Fear threatened to cut off Amara’s words. “Hrod is seeing something bad.”

  Hakon slipped his phone out and punched a few buttons. “Father,” he said, “I need you to check on Luc.”

  HROD FINALLY CALMED down after a few minutes, but there was no way Amara was going to relax until she heard Luc was safe. Though she was famished, her stomach was in too many knots for her to digest food. She sat between Bunica and Bunic Nicolae, letting Hrod lazily suckle from her and watching the clock. What was taking so long? After an interminable two hours that felt like a lifetime, Hakon’s phone buzzed.

  She swore when he took the call outside, but her fathers were noisily arguing about what to do with Katarina. Ever since they’d caught Eilea’s scent, they’d been on edge, snapping at each other like a trio of turtles. She feared how her second alpha father, Jovan, would take the news that they had a human mate. He’d been with her in-laws and his wicked witch wife when Eilea had come over.

  Amara’s heart quickened when Hakon returned from outside.

  “Luc’s coming home.” He grimaced. “They’ve relieved him of duty.”

  She clutched her baby tightly. “Relieving him of duty?” She knew she should’ve been happy Luc was returning to her, but why would they do that and what exactly did it mean?

  “He’s their best damn tracker!” Drasko’s face turned bright red, the veins in his neck popping out.

  Hakon frowned. “They’re sending all the trackers home. Richter doesn’t trust them.”

  Her heart sank. So they didn’t want him anymore? Luc had planned to retire after twenty years, like all trackers did. He loved serving his country. To kick him out now would crush him.

  Nicolae shot up, his nose widening as he let out a deep rumble. “This doesn’t bode well for our kind.”

  “No, it doesn’t.” Hakon’s shoulders slumped. There’s more.” He cast a weary glance in Amara’s direction. “Father has ordered all families to combine homes as a precautionary measure.”

  “What does he think will happen?” Rone blurted. “Another 1911?”

  Hakon mutely pressed his lips together.

  Amara was still stuck on Tor’s orders. “What do you mean, combine homes?” She handed Hrod to Rone.

  Hakon explained, “My fathers, mother, and sister will be staying here, because we have the bigger house.”

  She held her breath, then released it. “And Katarina?”

  “Her, too,” Hakon said somberly.

  Drasko threw up his hands. “Fuck me!”

  Hakon rested a hand on Drasko’s shoulder. “Just until the lockdown is over.”

  “How long do you think the lockdown will last?” she asked. Holy fuck, stuck in the same house with Katarina. Nightmare déjà vu.

  “Until we can get you to Johnson to cure him,” Hakon answered solemnly.

  Yes! If she healed Johnson, he could relieve this new agent of his duties and help restore peace between the Amaroki and the government. But how could Amara get to the hospital if the Amaroki were on lockdown? “Will I be allowed to see him?”

  “No.” He folded his arms and looked out the windows, scanning the forest as if he was looking for threats. “There’s military patrolling the perimeter of the reservation.”

  Frustrated, she said, “Then how can I cure him?”

  Hakon’s features hardened to stone. “I’ll get you to Johnson, even if I die trying.”

  “YOUR GOVERNMENT HAS turned on you. We Romanians are fortunate our ancestors were never foolish enough to reveal ourselves to humans.” Katarina turned up her nose. The others at the table fell silent.

  Amara refrained from swearing. She couldn’t believe her misfortune, stuck in a house with the world’s biggest bitch.

  Tor leaned back in his chair at the head of the table, gazing at Kata
rina with derision. “We’ve had good relations with them since WW2.”

  “Things change.” Katarina dismissed Tor with a flick of the wrist. “Your ancestors were fools to trust the government.”

  “Lamenting something that happened eighty years ago doesn’t help them now, Katarina,” Boris said.

  Amara cringed at the way her alpha father barked at his mate. He’d been treating her with contempt all morning, and she suspected it had something to do with Eilea.

  “Why are you so cross with me?” Katarina asked, pouting.

  “You can’t be serious.” Boris let out a sardonic laugh. “Our daughter’s tribe is being threatened.” His voice rose as his cheeks reddened. “Do I not have reason to be upset?”

  “You don’t need to take it out on me. I didn’t do it.” Katarina’s lower lip quivered.

  Amara badly wanted to smack that fake hurt off Katarina’s face. It was an act, and not a very convincing one.

  Boris pushed away from the table, leaving a half-eaten bowl of oatmeal. “Must you make everything about yourself, Katarina? You said you’ve changed, but you’re still a spoiled bitch.”

  When Katarina looked to Jovan for support, her second alpha glowered back. Amara’s fathers had undoubtedly filled him in on Eilea or he’d picked up on the human’s scent. He’d been restless since he’d arrived, acting like he’d drunk three pots of coffee.

  Her fathers’ sudden attraction to an unwilling mortal had to be the work of the Ancients. She couldn’t help but resent her gods for the cruel trick they’d played on them. They’d meddled with her fathers’ love lives before, tricking Amara’s birth father, Marius, into mating with Amara’s human birth mother. There was no telling why they’d chosen a human for them when they still had a mate, but Amara feared this wouldn’t end well for anyone.

  “Aren’t you going to say anything, Jovan?” Katarina said accusingly to her second alpha, “or are you going to pretend you didn’t make love to me last night?”

  “Making love?” He snarled. “Is that what you call it? I pushed you off me three times until I finally let you have your way. We should’ve severed the bond when we had the chance.”

  Amara’s breath hitched at the look of hatred in Katarina’s eyes.

  Jumping from her chair, Katarina slapped Jovan so hard, the sound ricocheted off the walls.

  A cacophony of growls rose from the table.

  Hakon latched onto Amara’s arm. I don’t want you getting caught up in this.

  She hadn’t finished her bacon and eggs, and she was famished, but Hakon was right. It was best she stayed out of the drama. Please get my food.

  Hakon grabbed her plate and led her to the far end of the kitchen bar.

  Rone and Bunica appeared after putting Hrod down for his mid-morning nap. They both stood on the stairwell, gaping at Amara’s fathers and their mate as they engaged in an eye-dagger showdown.

  “If I miscarry this baby, it will be your fault.” Katarina spat, clutching her belly. She gave them a smile so fake, her face looked ready to crack from the effort.

  When she pushed in her chair and casually strode from the dining room into the kitchen, Amara’s heart pounded.

  “Are you happy now that you’ve turned your fathers against me?” Katarina said with a sneer.

  Amara barely held on to her temper. “I didn’t turn them against you.” Eilea’s scent had turned her fathers away from Katarina. Luckily nobody had told Katarina about Eilea, and Amara hoped she’d never find out. Eilea couldn’t defend herself against a crazed she-wolf.

  “If not you, then who?”

  “You did,” Bunica said at her back. “By being a hateful, selfish cătea.”

  Katarina stiffened but did not turn around.

  Amara thought she saw Katarina’s eyes glow a bright silver before she closed them, but wolves went dormant in pregnant Amaroki. That meant Amara was imagining things, or Katarina was faking this pregnancy.

  When Katarina’s eyes flew open, the gleam was gone. She strolled over to the other end of the counter, opposite Amara, and right next to a block of butcher knives.

  Hakon pulled Amara off her stool and stepped in front of Katarina, holding out a staying hand. “Back away from the knives,” he said in a deep protector voice.

  Katarina stepped back when Hakon’s face shifted and Drasko and Rone both converged on her. “I wasn’t going to touch them.” She feigned innocence, batting her lashes.

  Amara wasn’t fooled.

  Bunica pushed past Rone and jabbed a finger in Katarina’s chest. “If you harm my granddaughter, I’ll tear you limb from limb.”

  “I already said I wasn’t going to touch the knives.” Katarina paled as she backed away from Bunica. Then her cheeks flushed. “You would dare harm me while I carry your future grandchild?”

  Bunica gritted her teeth. “You’re lying about this baby.”

  Katarina gasped, dramatically clutching her throat. “How dare you!”

  “I can tell if she’s pregnant.” Amara felt smug satisfaction when Katarina’s eyes bulged, then narrowed. “If I lay my hands on her, I can sense the child in her womb.”

  Katarina pressed against the refrigerator, issuing a shrill scream. “Keep your damn hands off me!”

  “I knew it.” Drasko threw his head back with a laugh. “She’s lying.”

  The bitch ignored Drasko and turned her sharp gaze on Amara. “Who’s to say you won’t lie to spite me?”

  “We will know soon enough.” Jovan clutched her elbow in a white-knuckled grip, his left cheek flaming from Katarina’s hand print. “She won’t be able to fake it for long.” He pulled her out of the kitchen, ignoring her protests as he dragged her down the stairs to their makeshift bedroom in the den.

  Amara apprehensively shared looks with her mates. Did you see the wolf in her eyes? she asked them.

  I saw it, Hakon answered. The bitch isn’t pregnant.

  She didn’t know if she should be pleased or worried about that. Katarina didn’t need knives to attack Amara when she could unleash her wolf.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Takaani, still in wolf form, knew she needed to hide when she heard the swish of rotating helicopter blades. The sun was centered directly overhead, illuminating even the darkest recesses of the forest. She found a cave at the bottom of a dried up ravine. Dragging a branch between her teeth, she worked hard to clean up her tracks as she and Mako backed into the cave.

  It was much bigger than she expected. An overturned cart and dirt-crusted shovels and picks told her this was an abandoned mine. At least, she hoped it was abandoned.

  The cave branched into three smaller tunnels. Her heart plummeted when she scented each one. They all smelled like other animals, from smaller nocturnal creatures to wolves and even a bear. But the smells were weak, so hopefully the animals had left long ago.

  She picked the center tunnel, the one with the lightest animal scent. As her wolf eyes adjusted to the darkness, and Mako followed her, she prayed they would find a sanctuary and wouldn’t be discovered by the men chasing her.

  AMARA, TATIANA, AND her bunica played with Hrod the rest of the morning, trying to ignore the sounds of her fathers and their mate arguing downstairs. Though she didn’t enjoy spying on her parents, she couldn’t help feeling vindicated when she heard Boris holler at Katarina for being a bad stepmother to Amara.

  Amara’s mates and their fathers and mother were scattered across the living room and back deck, giving each other eye rolls every time Katarina’s voice turned shrill.

  Amara considered herself blessed that she had her sweet little Hrod to keep her occupied. She needed the distraction to get her mind off worrying over Luc and the future of her tribe, and Hrod was a far more pleasant diversion than the blowout downstairs.

  Hrod had finally started crawling, and he was on a mission to hunt down dogs and pull their tails. The dogs collectively ran from him like a herd of elk fleeing a pack of wolves. They alternated between their cozy bed b
y the fire and the rug under the dining table, keeping a wary eye on the baby when he headed their direction. Hrod’s infectious laughter cut through the tension in the house, easing everyone’s worries. He finally wore himself out, passing out in the dog bed. The pups weren’t too happy to find him there, circling and whining and casting forlorn looks at Amara.

  All was forgiven after she rewarded them with jerky strips, and Rone carried the sleeping infant upstairs to his crib. She took time to lavish attention on Max, who’d been such a good boy through all the turmoil, adapting to his new surroundings without complaint. She scratched behind his ears and that magic spot between his hips, earning several sloppy kisses in response.

  “Hey, don’t give him all our kisses,” Rone pleaded as he came back down the stairs.

  She shot him a sideways grin. “There’s always plenty to go around.”

  Everyone jumped at the sound of a roaring engine.

  Drasko’s nostrils flared. “Luc’s home.”

  Without a second thought, she raced for the front door but was halted by Hakon.

  His eyes glowed yellow as his protector voice took over. “He’s not alone.”

  She stayed with Rone, nervous tension twisting her insides while Drasko, Hakon, and their alpha fathers went outside.

  She wanted to look out the window and see what was happening, but Grandfather Nicolae forced her to wait in the downstairs den with the other women while he kept guard at the top of the stairs. Rone joined them with Hrod strapped to his back. What the hell was going on? Were they preparing to flee? Her fathers took up positions along the back porch, looking like sentinels as they watched the trees, clutching rifles in white-knuckled grips. Ancients save them all. Her family was preparing for war.

  HAKON TOOK LUC FROM the soldier with the same care he used to carry Hrod. He handed his bruised and battered brother to Drasko, his inner protector screaming to get out and demanding revenge for what they’d done to Luc.