“Will ye just haud yer wheesht long enough for me to say this?” Lennox’s hands landed on his hips, and maybe if he were clothed he’d look more menacing. However, standing bollocks naked the effect just wasn’t the same.
Kade inclined his head. “Get on with it.”
“Okay, now this is the part when you just shut yer geggy.”
“I’ll keep quiet, but if you don’t get on with it I’m going home. It’s too damn cold to be standing around here like this.”
Kade glanced at Dara, who’d obviously thought being wrapped up in his nice Wolf fur was preferable to being human, naked, and cold. Good choice.
Lennox stepped away, pacing back and forth before he stopped and throwing his arms up into the air dramatically. “All right, I’ll just say it like it is. All three of us, Betas that is, know you’ve been sneaking out of camp and hunting. Jeez, the last two nights you were gone until dawn. But, the thing is, Fraser, he, well, he . . .”
Kade couldn’t stand the stuttering any longer and he was certain he’d never seen his friend ever at a loss for words before. “Spit it out, Len.”
“He knows what’s wrong with you and you’re not gonnae like it.”
“Just what in blue blazes do you mean by that? What’s Fraser been saying?” Kade fumed, knowing the older man had a hand in these two following him.
Although he respected the Wolf’s wisdom and knowledge, that auld yin simply couldn’t keep his nose out of other folks’ business. Sometimes, he was nothing more than a blethering skite that set Kade’s teeth grinding.
“He knows what’s wrong, so keep yer heid, okay?” Lennox shook his head. “Damn, Kade, just let me finish.”
Kade scowled but kept hold of his tongue as Lennox carried on. “Now, this is the part you’ve not to go daft at. All right?”
“If you don’t get on with it, I’m leaving you here to freeze your balls off.”
“Fraser spoke of old legends, well, it’s not that old because he remembers it happened to several Alphas in the past so . . .”
Kade couldn’t stop the snarl that erupted as he glared at his Beta. “Will ye just get on with it?”
“Aye, right, sorry,” Lennox said quickly, running a hand through his bushy red hair, his face paler than usual, making his beard appear even more crimson.
“Just tell me what the auld yin said.”
“This thing that’s going on with you, there’s a reason for the abnormal Hunger . . .”
Kade interrupted. “Did you just say that with a capital H?”
“Aye, I did and that’s because it’s known to the elders and it’s a, well, a condition that strikes when . . .”
Lennox paused, looking around at Dara as if for moral support. “Thanks, pal.”
Dara merely lifted his head, turning away, giving a clear message: Lennox was on his own.
Striding over, Kade poked Lennox in the chest. “Tell me what the hell is wrong with me.”
He watched as Lennox inhaled, his words rushing out of him so fast Kade had to focus carefully to understand.
“The Hunger means your mate is near and you have to go find her. It also indicates that she may, or may not, be in some kind of trouble. There, I’ve said it, so just accept it and go find her.”
Reeling back, Kade almost lost his footing, his eyes wide and shocked as Lennox stared at him. His Wolf howled in his head, parading around and howling. What the hell? No. This could not be true. He wasn’t looking for a mate. Damn, he wasn’t ready for a mate.
He was still “sowing his wild oats” and had planned to do so for many years to come before settling down. Shitting hell. No. Not happening.
“Yes,” his beast growled back.
“Alpha, you have to accept this or you’ll end up going nuts. Like bampot crazy and you’ll have the Council comin’ and taking you away. I shit you not, Kade.”
Kade prowled around, his beast yelling in his head, his friend talking nineteen to the dozen, and his insides churning enough to make him puke. “This can’t be happening.”
“It is, so just get yer heid in the game and accept it.” Lennox came over, patting his shoulder. “I’m going with you. Just in case there’s trouble. So is Dara. Fraser will take care of the Pack until we’re back.”
“What? Now?” Kade shook his head vehemently. “We don’t have supplies and I’ve got work to take care of.”
Lennox smirked, nodding toward two large backpacks lying on the ground. “We brought some supplies, clothes and such, but we can hunt for food. As for work, I told you, Fraser will take care of it until we’re back.”
Kade shook his head again, striding away, his beast arguing inside his head as his stomach churned. Funnily enough, he noticed he was no longer hungry.
Raising his head, he sought the Cairngorms, staring at the snow-capped range to calm himself. He wasn’t sure how long he stood there, but it was sometime later he felt soft fur and a wet nose nudging his hand. Looking down he met Dara’s dark brown eyes, his Wolf whining up at him.
“Okay boy, I’m all right.”
“Are you?” Lennox asked quietly.
Kade could sense the concern flowing from both of his Betas, great waves running over him and causing his inner-Alpha to rise and appease them. “I’ll be okay. I guess we have a mission on our hands, laddies. Seems I’ve got to go find me a mate.”
“Thank feck,” Lennox said, laughing. “I thought you were going to go mental on me earlier.”
“Me?” Kade feigned a hurt expression. “Now when have I ever done that? No, wait, don’t answer that.”
Dara’s Wolf lifted its head, howling, as Lennox’s laughter erupted. “Aye, right.”
“So, tell me, did Fraser give you any idea how I do this impossible task?”
Lennox’s eyes slid away as he shrugged. “He was a little vague on that but he did say to allow your Wolf to lead the way. Supposedly, he’ll point you in the right direction.”
“He said that, did he?”
“Aye,” Lennox looked away. “Sorry, he wasn’t much help with details, just that if you acknowledged what was wrong, then nature would take over, and the Goddess would lead you to your mate.”
“Oh, so the Goddess is going to help me now?” Kade asked, in disbelief.
“That’s what he said,” Lennox replied.
Kade stood for a moment longer, realizing that if what the auld Beta said was true that his life would never be the same again. Was he ready for the changes a mate would bring? He wasn’t sure. All he knew was that he had to do something and it appeared that this was the something he had to do. He took a deep breath in, exhaling slowly, before turning back to his friends.
“Come on, let’s get started.” Kade looked over at the packs. “And just so you know, I’m not carrying those.”
Dara padded over, his large beast easily picking one up in its jaws before Lennox transformed and did the same. Kade took a deep breath in, forcing his own change, his Wolf eager to be on its way, its mind now focused on one thing only.
Finding their mate.
Dang. This was not the way he’d envisioned the day ending.
Kirsty ran through the trees, Leia, her German Shepherd, a few strides ahead. Her dog’s dark eyes flitting back to her repeatedly as she whined. “Shush, babe, they’ll hear you.”
Kirsty’s heart hammered in her chest as they ran, knowing if they did not escape that they’d probably meet the same fate as her parents. Apparently killed by freaking Shifters. Werewolves! Jeez, she knew about them. Everyone did, but she hadn’t exactly had firsthand experience with them until the Police called to tell her that her parents had been killed. She’d been in shock that they were dead but the ensuing investigation had been a joke.
Why? Because the authorities were useless. What did they do about the deaths? Absolutely nothing. Not a damn thing. Nope. They had told her that it was up to some Wolf Council to deal with them, that the human police could not go after Wolves, let alone rogues. Yeah, thanks for
that.
Now here she was running for her life, miles from civilization, and she was bone tired. Being on the go all night would do that to a girl, and although she couldn’t hear them, she was taking no chances, so on she jogged, Leia her only companion.
Her shoulders hurt, skin rubbed raw by the straps of her backpack, after hours of trying to escape the damn rogues that came calling at the farm. The farm that had been repossessed, but where she’d still been staying, breaking in and sleeping in her own bed. After all, she had nowhere else to go, nobody to turn to for help, what was she supposed to do? Sleep rough?
“Be doing that now, wontcha?” she gasped out as she carried on behind the only being she could count on, the one that showed her unconditional love and devotion: Leia.
She dreaded the thought of the Wolves catching up to them because she knew, without a shadow of doubt, that her dog would fight to the death to protect her and she could not bear that thought. It was her job to take care of her pet, not the other way around, but she was under no illusion that her German Shepherd would attack any threat to Kirsty.
Tears stung her eyes at the thought. No. She could not lose her too. That would be the last straw. Kirsty knew if she lost Leia that she would just give up and wasn’t sure if she could go on. Not after everything else. Kirsty refused to think about that, she would do anything to protect herself and her loyal pet, anything.
And that included weighing herself down with her father’s shotgun.
As a farmer, he was one of the few people licensed to have a firearm in Scotland, and a shotgun to fend off predators was one of the few firearms permitted. He’d used it to scare off foxes in the past and she’d grown up knowing how to use the dang thing, even if it scared her to death. It was cumbersome, and heavy, but it was the only thing that she could think of that would possibly give her an edge over a freaking Wolf.
No silver bullets, unfortunately. But surely being shot with the large bore caliber would slow one down. Wouldn’t it? She hoped so because it was all she had. Well, that wasn’t strictly true. She did have several knives from her grandmother’s antique cutlery set, solid silver too. However, she’d have to be close to use those, and Kirsty definitely didn’t want to be that near to one of those bastards. Not after what they’d done to her parents.
She still could not figure out the why, even the police had said they were baffled. Although one had snorted and said, “Damn rogues don’t need a reason.”
Didn’t make any difference the why, her parents were still dead and she was still alone, apart from Leia.
Blowing a puff of air upwards to remove hair from her eyes, she sighed when it didn’t budge. Wet with sweat, it stuck like glue to her face, so she swiped it back with one arm, holding tight to the shotgun with the other, its strap over her shoulder, and the large double barrel across her chest. She prayed she didn’t need to use it. Although her father had taught her how to use the firearm when she was young, and she was confident in her proficiency, it was a whole other ballgame when her target was a fast moving, vicious killer.
Then the thought of a Wolf sinking its teeth into her Shepherd flashed into her head and she ground her jaws together. Not happening. If it meant she had to shoot the damn thing, then she would.
Leia slowed, whining and panting. “Soon, we’ll find you some water and rest up for a wee while.”
Leia’s tail wagged, her head cocking to the side as she looked up at her. Her dark eyes trusting and full of love. Damn. Kirsty could not allow her beloved animal to be hunted down by these filthy rogues.
Looking around she realized she had no clue where she was, miles from home, that was for sure. Hot, sticky with sweat, and exhausted, all she wanted was to find somewhere safe to rest. Ahead she saw what looked like an opening going into a glen, one she was not familiar with and she thought she knew them all. She wasn’t that far from the farm so she was a little confused that she didn’t recognize the area.
Anyway, where there was a glen there was usually a stream, so she headed in that direction, staying under cover of the trees as she rushed onward. Leia leading the way, her head swinging side to side, on high alert.
Kirsty’s red hair had long since broken free of her braid, flying around her head as she sped up, her face wet with sweat. Oh wait, not sweat. “We don’t sweat, dear, we glow,” her Nan used to say.
Yeah right. Kirsty laughed softly, she was glowing bright as the damn sun if the liquid running down her face was anything to go by.
Leia whined again, her tongue lolling out the side of her mouth. “Poor puppy, I’m sorry. We’ll stop soon.”
Kirsty patted Leia’s rump as she caught up, passing through some bushes to find a fence at the neck of the glen. Looking around she saw some signs of the “Keep Out” variety. “Sorry,” she said, as she slipped over and into the lush valley.
As soon as her feet touched the ground her body quivered, a strange sensation passing through her. Pausing, Kirsty tried to figure out what it was. Was her sixth sense trying to warn her of something? Her Nan always told her to listen to her intuition. She said that it was a gift, one that she should cherish and allow to grow. Aye, right. Just after that, her Nan had gone and died on her without further explaining. When she’d asked her mum about it, she’d been warned not to talk nonsense.
Didn’t matter now, she had to find water, for her and Leia. There must be water nearby, she was sure she could hear it, and when Leia rushed past her, she knew she was right. Her pup must have scented it and ran headlong toward the liquid, to quench her thirst. Kirsty followed, her head spinning around in search of any threats.
Keeping to the edge of the tree-line, Kirsty followed her Shepherd, knowing Leia would never lead her into danger. With an excited yip, Leia sped up, darting around a corner and out of view. Kirsty’s heart thudded in her chest, trying to keep up, speeding headlong to come skidding to a stop when she saw Leia at the edge of a stream, head down and lapping up water.
“Thank you,” Kirsty whispered, her eyes rising to the sky as she joined Leia.
Dropping the shotgun and her pack to the ground, she fell to her knees, using her hands to cup the cool water up to her mouth and quenching her raging thirst. Until those first drops of cool liquid ran down her parched throat, Kirsty hadn’t realized just how thirsty she’d been, her hands working double speed to get more into her mouth, swallowing so quickly she ended up having a coughing fit.
Spluttering and choking, she fell back onto her backside, the damp grass soaking her jeans as Leia licked her face, whining. “I’m okay.”
Kirsty pushed Leia’s wet nose out of the way. “I’m all right, lass, leave me be.”
Leia wagged her bushy tail, her nose sniffing Kirsty all over before heading back to the stream once more. Kirsty grabbed her pack, tugging it over to get some kibble out for Leia. It wasn’t how she usually fed her dog. Her Shepherd was used to being fed raw, not manufactured dry food, but since her parents died, and money had slowly dried up, it was the best she could do. Especially after the freezers in the barn had been depleted.
Leia seemed to know she was doing her best, and had only turned her nose up the first time Kirsty placed the kibble before her. Now she gobbled it up but Kirsty hated that she could not provide the food her dog was used to. She had noticed the difference in Leia too, her coat wasn’t nearly as shiny, her teeth not as clean and white as they used to be. What else could she do? She just didn’t have the money available to provide for her the way she used to.
Even if she did, how could she get the food delivered? She had no proper address anymore. Overall, she felt as if she were failing her pooch and that hurt her more than anything right now. She didn’t care she’d lost weight herself, she’d carried a few extra pounds anyway, but Leia was a different matter. Kirsty would have to find a way to get some more money soon if she were going to keep her dog with her. The alternative was not an option.
Her mind on other things, she hadn’t noticed Leia moving away from
the stream. Or her body language. Tail straight out, hackles risen along her back, lips curled back showing her teeth. It was the low snarl that brought Kirsty out of her inner-thoughts and scrambling for the shotgun.
Snatching it up and quickly loading it before flicking the safety off. Kirsty was relieved her father had opted for a pump-action that held five cartridges, because she doubted one, or even two, would do much damage to a damn Wolf; not going by the size of the ones she’d caught glimpses of before she’d ran from her home.
She was under no illusion that if there were more than a couple that she’d be dead before the day was out. Although she could use the gun, and load it fast, she doubted she would be able to do it quickly enough to keep the rogues at bay.
“Leia,” she called urgently. “Come.”
Leia’s head spun around, then back the way they’d come, still snarling. Kirsty needed her dog to come to her and, hopefully, heed her command to leave. She couldn’t bear the thought of the Wolves tearing her apart. No. She could not allow that to happen.
“Leia.” Kirsty’s tone changed, commanding and harsh.
Leia slunk toward her, tail between her legs, looking up at her with eyes that tore at Kirsty’s heart. “Go, now. Go, Leia.”
Kirsty pointed away with the gun but the dog stayed in place, refusing to budge. “Oh hell, baby, you have to go. Now. Go.”
Her Shepherd whined, nudging her thigh but refusing to move from her side. Kirsty’s eyes filled with tears as she crouched down, patting Leia’s head. “You have to listen to me, baby, you need to go and hide. Please. I can’t lose you too. Go!”
Leia’s body language told her everything she needed to know. Her dog was going nowhere. Shit. What was she going to do now?
“Damn it, Leia.” Kirsty groaned, watching as her dog’s ears pricked up, her head swinging away and cocking to the side. Her eyes focused on the trees behind them, in the opposite direction from where they’d come. Kirsty’s heart sank. Her throat constricting as she muttered, “Oh great! We’re surrounded.”
A Ravenous Pack: Wolf's Hunger 5 Books Page 13