And then he turned around and Belle’s breath caught.
He wasn’t any commander. He was the commander. In an instant, she recognized exactly who he was. This cowboy wolf was none other than Colt Cavanaugh, high commander of the Grey Wolf armies, infamous Grey Wolf warrior, and one of the fiercest wolves ever to live.
Anytime one of the Wild Eight had returned to their compound near death’s door and clinging to a thread of life, this man had almost always been the one singularly responsible—and that didn’t begin to cover the damage he’d done to the Wild Eight through the information-gathering and patrolling schedules demanded of his men.
If she’d thought his battle scars made him intimidating, the pair of eyes locking onto the bush she hid in, as if he saw straight through the shrubbery, chilled her more than the snow beneath her paws. Irises the color of steel bore into her, distant and cold.
Those steely eyes framed a harsh, handsome face. The brown hair of his close-trimmed beard framed his strong jaw, and she realized the chill of his gaze made him more rugged than his features should have allowed. With high cheekbones and a perfectly straight blade of a nose, he should have been a charming, handsome cowboy. Yet years of a hard life had roughened him around the edges with a rugged, raw masculinity.
As he stepped toward her, Belle hunkered lower into the leaves, hoping it wasn’t this wolf, this cowboy to discover her, because what she saw in those steel-gray eyes told her this wolf showed his enemies no mercy. He drew so close that only the toes of his brown leather boots remained visible. Just as she was certain he had detected her, his horse let out a frustrated whinny, drawing the commander’s attention.
Belle breathed a sigh of relief.
Stepping away, the commander placed his shirt in his horse’s saddlebag before starting on the buckle of his worn, ranch-worked jeans. She averted her eyes, trying not to ogle him, but it wasn’t as if she could move from her position. She watched as he shifted into his wolf—a massive, gorgeous grey, larger than most others she’d seen of their kind—and bounded away into the woods. It was only once he was gone that the tension in her limbs eased. Slowly, she started to ease backward from her hiding spot, causing the leaves to rustle.
As if his horse had known she was there all along, the beast trotted toward her, sniffing across the ground until the soft warmth of its mouth tickled her paw. The beast examined her with dark eyes, sniffing in her scent. It must have decided it liked what it smelled, because it nudged her with its wet nose.
The horse nudged her again, this time harder, forcing her to adjust her balance. When the horse persisted, she finally shifted into human form and stood, taking in the full sight of the beast and the old, worn leather saddle on its back.
Its saddle. Her eyes widened.
Having grown up on a ranch in central Florida and after spending several years working the rodeo, she was an accomplished horseback rider. She knew her way around a stable well enough that she could tell this animal was not only well cared for, but also powerful, fierce in strength and, more importantly, speed. She would move faster on horseback. Deep into the safety of the mountains, far past the Missoula Grey Wolf territory, if she could help it.
What was petty thievery compared to the horrible crimes she’d been charged with? Little consequence, if you asked her. The false accusations failed to take into account the truth of her circumstances.
Treason. Murder.
And now…
“Horse thief.”
Belle froze. She felt the blood drain from her face as she turned toward the sound of the commander’s voice.
Chapter 2
Colt crossed his arms over his chest as he stared at the naked she-wolf holding Silver’s reins. “We can add horse thief to your growing list of violations.”
He’d sensed a pair of eyes on him from the bushes moments ago. He had caught an unfamiliar scent, but then he’d passed it off as his own sense of paranoia. It was only when he’d paused while leaving the clearing and heard Silver huff that he trusted his initial impression. He should have known better by now. His time as high commander had honed his instincts into a lethal weapon. Not to mention that working a ranch the size of the Grey Wolves’ lands tended to teach a cowboy to trust his gut. Colt’s intuition rarely proved wrong.
And neither did Silver’s noises. The horse always made that same huffing sound when he’d found a new loyal subject from whom to demand attention. Silver was the worst kind of bleeding heart. Friend to all and foe to none, as long as they gave him the ample attention he thought he deserved. Apparently, even from a lost she-wolf.
Whoever this she-wolf was, Colt didn’t recognize her. Though he knew every wolf at Wolf Pack Run, he’d only been at the Missoula ranch a handful of days and had yet to meet everyone. Between the dozens of Grey Wolf territories with hundreds of wolves at each ranch, it was nearly impossible to know them all.
Colt stepped toward the pair, shaking his head in disbelief. “Breaking pack curfew and prowling through the woods during a hunting ban, while there’s an active vampire threat, and now stealing my horse.” He ticked off the list of offenses. “Not to mention hiding in the bushes while watching me strip naked like some sort of delinquent. Are you trying to get yourself killed?”
She bristled.
Silver mimicked her outrage, huffing and flicking his tail as he drew closer to the she-wolf, his loyalty instantly gone.
Colt shot him an annoyed look. Et tu, Brute?
“I…I wasn’t watching you strip naked,” she stammered.
“No?” He raised an amused brow. “By my calculations, you’ve been hiding in that bush since well before I shifted.” He stepped closer. “Typically, when a woman wants to see me nude, she doesn’t risk bodily harm from vampires to do so.”
“I wasn’t risking bodily harm,” she shot back.
“Really?” He gestured to the surrounding forest. “What else were you doing standing out here in the middle of a vampire raid?”
She gaped at him as a flush of pink colored her cheeks, reaching all the way to her beautiful hazel eyes fringed by heavy black lashes. Standing where she was, her lower half was shielded by the darkness, but her breasts were barely covered by the shadows and her shoulder-length brown hair. The dark curls glittered with bits of fallen snow in the moonlight. She looked every bit like Eve, standing in a wintery Garden of Eden.
She was breathtakingly beautiful with thick, mouthwatering feminine curves that stirred something low in his belly—and that didn’t even begin to cover her scent. A delicate mix of baby powder, lemon verbena, and wildflowers, like spring in full bloom.
Shaking his head, Colt tried to clear his mind. He needed to remain focused. Not only did he make it a point to keep his fair distance from the females of the pack while working, but this woman—whoever she was—was in jeopardy, standing out here in the middle of the woods during an active vampire raid. He needed to protect her.
You’re meant for violence, not love. The words of his birth father echoed in his head.
He’d already failed to protect one she-wolf in his lifetime. He had no intention of doing so again. Colt cleared his throat, falling into the role of stern commander with practiced ease. “So, delinquent horse thief, what do you have to say for yourself?”
“I…” She stared at him like a doe caught in a hunter’s sights.
Suddenly, she shifted into wolf form and bolted into the trees.
Colt swore. He stepped forward, prepared to chase after her, but he hesitated. He had more pressing matters to attend to than some she-wolf’s disobedience. He turned to mount Silver and continue his search for Lucas, but he caught the scent of a vampire on the breeze.
The vampire was headed in the same direction as the she-wolf, but downwind from her. She wouldn’t detect it. She was in real danger now. Instantly, Colt’s protective instincts took over.
“Shit.” Colt shifted and sprinted after her, running as fast as his four legs could carry him. She was fast, but he gained on her quickly. She dodged left, then right, trying to throw him off her trail. Had he been any other wolf, she might have outmaneuvered him. But he wasn’t just any wolf. He was Colt Cavanaugh, high commander of the Grey Wolf armies, and he’d made it his life’s work to be outplayed by no one.
Anticipating her next move, he leaped from the bushes, tackling her. They rolled in a tangle of legs, teeth, and limbs until Colt came out on top, pinning her underneath him by biting onto the scruff of her neck as if she were no more than a pup. In wolf form, he outweighed her by at least fifty pounds and was nearly twice her size. Dragging her by the scruff, he pulled her back into the bushes with him and into hiding.
The vampire likely drew closer by the second.
Under the cover of the brush, Colt pinned her on her back, using his weight to keep her down and still before he shifted into human form. She followed suit.
As his fur receded, he clapped a single hand over her mouth, silencing her. She struggled against him and let out a strangled cry against his hand.
Lowering his mouth next to her ear, he whispered, “Vampire. To the left.” The bloodsucker was still a considerable distance off. But that didn’t mean it couldn’t turn in their direction.
Immediately, she stilled.
As if in confirmation, a hiss sounded in the distance. Her head turned toward the noise, and Colt felt her breathing quicken.
Slowly, he removed his hand from her mouth. She didn’t make any further sound. There was fear in her eyes, but there was also resolve—a will to survive he’d seen before—which meant whoever this she-wolf was, she was more than beautiful. She was brave. As they lay there together, naked bodies tangled in hiding, he watched her face. Adrenaline heightened every sensation, and the strength and force of will in her hazel eyes entranced him.
She clutched his bicep and braced her other hand against his chest.
Another flicker of sound rustled off to the west, moving away from them. The vampire could still circle back, but for a moment, they had a reprieve.
Colt leaned down until his lips brushed her ear. “I’ll protect you,” he whispered. “You have my word.”
At his promise, she relaxed against him.
It was a gloriously awful mistake. Her acceptance of his touch changed the situation entirely, bringing a whole new awareness of the smooth, creamy softness of her skin, the hint of wildflower that lingered in her hair. Her naked breasts pressed against his chest, deliciously warm and soft. He could feel every inch of her—the hourglass shape of her waist, the wide curve of her hips. He tried to fight his arousal, but he couldn’t. Not with her naked against him like this. His cock stiffened and brushed against the warm crease of her thighs.
In response, her breath caught, and what Colt saw reflected back in her golden wolf eyes gave her away. It was unmistakable.
Desire. Intrigue.
His own eyes flickered to the gold of his wolf. She inhaled a sharp breath. Slowly he shook his head, urging her to remain quiet. In response, she bit her lower lip, drawing his attention there. Their mouths were only a hairbreadth apart, so close to touching, he could practically taste her on his tongue.
If only she granted him permission…
Minutes seemed to stretch into hours as they slowly drew nearer to each other. Just when Colt felt certain he couldn’t take the torture a second longer, that he would close the gap between their lips and kiss her, the rustling of the vampire drawing closer to them once again broke the silence. They both froze, the spell between them instantly broken. He felt the terrified thrum of her heartbeat against his chest. So many creatures had prowled through the forest tonight, Colt hoped it was enough to mask their scents.
The bloodsucker lingered for a moment, then pivoted north. It must have decided to follow a different scent. After several minutes, when Colt felt certain the immediate threat had disappeared, he whispered, “It’s gone.”
He pushed into a plank position and lifted himself off her. Like a bat out of hell, she tore from the bushes, brushing the mixture of dirt and snow from her behind. He tried not to notice how her round, ample ass and hips swayed as she did so, but it was a lost cause.
Colt mimicked an owl’s hoot, ordering Silver to return. A minute later, the steed trotted through the trees toward them, having been trained to follow close by whenever Colt made chase. When the horse came to a halt, Colt opened his saddlebag, digging inside. He retrieved an extra pair of pants from his bag and slipped them on, eager to cover his massive cock-stand.
Locating an old T-shirt balled at the bottom of his saddlebag, he extended it toward her. He half expected her to refuse it, to shift again and run, but she didn’t. Instead, she accepted the shirt. Once his jeans were on and fully fastened and he’d given her sufficient time to cover herself, he turned around to find her standing, arms crossed. The shirt proved just long enough to cover her most intimate parts. Not that he wasn’t well acquainted with the feel of them by now.
“Did you just…?” She gestured to his lower half, struggling to find the words until finally she settled on glaring at him.
If Colt hadn’t been so apt at reading facial cues, he might have actually believed her outrage. She was obviously trying to save face and cover up her embarrassment. He’d smelled her desire clear as day, but his closeness had been a necessity to keep her safe, plain and simple. She had to know that. Engaging in a battle with the bloodsucker would have made her a target as well—and he couldn’t have that. It was his duty, his honor, to protect her and their packmates.
He would have said as much, but something about those narrowed eyes pleased him, and he found he didn’t need or want to explain himself. He knew exactly what she meant, but he wasn’t going to make this easy on her. Not by a long shot.
“I’m not certain what you mean,” he said, feigning innocence.
A defiant spark lit in her eyes. When she looked at him like that, he wanted to bend her over his knee and make that gorgeous behind of hers as pink as the blush on her cheeks. She indicated the lower half of his body again, making some bizarre, ridiculous signals with her hand as she pantomimed. From the growing fire in her eyes, she had to know how amusing he found this.
“A banana? An eggplant?” he teased. “I’m not very good with charades.”
Her hands clenched into fists. “You know exactly what I mean.”
A wicked grin crossed his lips. “My cock…” he finally offered, putting her out of her misery.
The blush that burned on her cheeks and spread down her neck caused the appendage in question to stiffen. She had looked downright delectable flushed pink and bare in his arms. At least this time, the evidence of his thoughts was safely tucked beneath the fly of his jeans.
“Yes… Yes, that,” she finally managed. “First, you accuse me of stealing your horse and watching you strip nude, and then you mount me with something that may as well have been attached to Biscuit over there.” She cast a quick wave toward Silver.
Colt didn’t know where to begin. He wasn’t certain which part of that sentence he was hung up on more. The fact that she had been trying to steal his horse and watching him nude, that she thought Silver’s name was something as ridiculous as Biscuit, or the fact that she’d announced he may as well have been part horse between the legs.
At least the last point was a fair assessment.
“You were trying to steal my horse,” he said, deciding to start there.
The horse in question gave a small, enthusiastic shake as he lifted his tail and batted his large, dark eyes. He puffed up like a damn peacock, eating up all the attention as if it were sugar cubes.
She released an impatient huff. “That’s beside the point.”
As far as Colt was concerned, that was entirely the point. But as amusing as thi
s frustrated little she-wolf was, he didn’t have time for this. “Look. I don’t know why you’re running around the woods during a vampire raid and stealing horses, but I won’t allow it. Not in my woods.”
“Your woods?” She looked at him as if he were the insane one. “Last I checked, I had every right to be standing on this mountainside, no less than you do, and I didn’t steal your—”
“That’s beside the point.” He turned her own words against her. Releasing a steady sigh, he raked his fingers through his hair. “Let’s start with something simple, then. What’s your name, sweetheart?”
“I’d prefer not to start there, Commander.” She uttered his title as if it were little more than a participation trophy. From the way she said it, she knew who he was. She just didn’t care.
Colt fought down a growl. Few would dare to defy him, but from her, there was something he almost liked about it. The woman was as frustrating as she was beautiful, and she had a saucy little tongue to match. In any case, he needed to get her to safety and fast. It was his duty to protect the pack, even viper-tongued she-wolves.
“Fine,” he said coolly. “But you’re still going to march that sweet little ass of yours over to Biscuit,” he said, highlighting the absurdity of the name, “and get on the godforsaken horse so I can take you to safety.”
At the very least, Silver had the presence of mind to look confused at the unfamiliar name. He stared at them while chewing on a blade of grass.
The she-wolf looked at Colt as if he’d grown two heads. “No one has ever called my ass little.”
That was what she gathered from this? He couldn’t help raking his gaze over her. She was fuller-figured than many women of their kind, but to him, she was perfect. All luscious feminine curves to his hard muscles.
Cowboy in Wolf's Clothing Page 2