Then Leia did something Kirsty did not expect. She took off running at full speed away from her. Kirsty watched wide-eyed as her large dog sped along the edge of the stream, then darted off into the trees, head low, tail high as she ran far quicker than Kirsty had ever seen her do before. “Oh now you go. Stay safe, baby.”
Kirsty’s heart ached as she lost sight of her cherished friend, sad and happy at the same time. Hoping against hope that Leia would avoid the rogues that appeared to be all around. “All right, get your arse in gear and take at least a couple of these bastards down before . . .”
She couldn’t finish the sentence. Kirsty knew how this would end. Instead, she retrieved more shells from her pack, placing some on the ground, and some in her pockets. She prayed she would get the chance to reload before the Wolves reached her.
Kirsty needed some payback for herself and her parents and she figured that this would be her one, her only, chance.
Her body now drenched in a damp sweat borne of fear as she heard sounds of the approaching beasts. They were stampeding toward her, crashing through the forest with no thought of stealth. Kirsty shook her head, groaning. “Hey, if I were as strong as them going after me, I wouldn’t bother being quiet either.”
Double checking the shotgun, or was it triple checking, she made damn sure it was ready to fire as soon as she had a clear shot. She was good with the gun; her father had made sure of that, schooling her in the art of gunmanship since childhood. At school, the other kids thought it was cool, nobody else’s parents owned a gun. So she was an anomaly and was always being asked about it.
At the time, she’d been embarrassed. Now she was grateful for the fact she could at least have some semblance of survival at her disposal. “Stop kidding yourself. You’re not getting out of this alive.”
Kirsty mumbled aloud, before letting out a growl of anger. Knowing she would meet the same end as her parents chilled her to the bone but she would not go down without a fight, her Nan’s fighting spirit surging inside her, and with it came other problems.
She couldn’t help but cry out as her hands started to shake, adrenalin coursing through her and causing her to tremble from head to toe. Kirsty fought it, tamped it down, tightening her grip on the gun and holding it steady. No way would she miss the opportunity to take one, or more, of these filthy bampots out.
Kirsty took a deep breath in, eyes focused on the area to the front, as that was where the noise was coming from. She could hear nothing whatsoever behind her, where Leia had disappeared, so she hoped to goodness that there were no rogues sneaking up on her. If there were, then it was “game over” as her dad would say.
Her father’s face flashed in front of her, and with it came a calm peace, her heart slowing, her hands steady as the first Wolf burst free, heading straight for her.
Her keen eyes took in every detail, the dull brown fur, wild dark eyes, foam dripping from its open mouth. Its jaws widening to give her a clear view of razor sharp teeth capable of ripping her leg clean off in one go. Kirsty raised the gun, getting the beast in her sights, then waiting for a moment until it was just a little closer.
She didn’t want to waste a shot and this thing was huge, so large that if she waited just a second, she was certain she could get it . . . she fired. The recoil a bitch but one she was used to and her reward was seeing the Wolf rear up then collapse to the ground as the large caliber shot hit its mark, smack bang in the middle of its chest.
She hoped that was where its heart was. If so then maybe, just maybe, it wouldn’t get up again. Surely even one of these loathsome creatures couldn’t withstand a shotgun shot to the heart.
Kirsty couldn’t stare at it to find out, not when two more Wolves rushed toward her, and then she glimpsed at least one more of the beasts from hell. Fuck! This was it, her last moments on earth, and she stood alone in the face of ferocious beasts hell-bent on ripping her apart.
Her finger tightened on the trigger, praying that her end would be quick. A flash of images searing across her irises: her parents after the Wolves had finished with them.
She’d be lucky if anyone found her remains, far less identified her, and she doubted she’d be laid to rest next to her mum and dad. No. She would be torn to shreds and nobody would ever know what had happened to her.
A scream tore from her throat as she fired, hitting the lead Wolf in the shoulder. It yelped, but didn’t slow, rampaging toward her as she fired again and again until she heard the gun clicking empty. Holding the heavy barrel up in front of her to fend off the beast as it leapt toward her.
“No!” she yelled a moment before blackness took over.
Kade’s beast led the way, seeming to know where to go, heading toward the neck of their glen. Lennox and Dara in hot pursuit as Kade’s beast ran over their land in pursuit of . . . what? His mate?
Kade was still unconvinced. A mate wasn’t on his agenda and how could that be the cause of the problems he’d been having? He doubted all of it. This was a fool’s errand, and that eejit Fraser was sending them on this wild goose chase to teach him some kind of lesson.
He’d get his revenge on the auld fart, no mistake about it. For now, he’d allow his beast free rein and see where it took them.
Another hour passed, and Kade was getting annoyed, angry even, as the miles fell away. How much longer before his Wolf would realize the folly of this so-called mate hunt.
“Hey, can we go home now?” he asked sarcastically.
There was no response, none. That was a first. His Wolf was ignoring him. Totally and absolutely refusing to answer. Well, damn.
Another ten minutes, and Kade was just about to force a transformation when his beast slowed, raising its snout, sniffing, ears twitching, listening. Then it hit.
Kade felt as if he’d been knocked down by a loose caber at their spring Wolf Games. His chest tightened, he couldn’t catch a breath, and a flash of a red-haired lassie stepping onto his land flashed in his mind.
“Ours!” his Wolf growled triumphantly, taking off like a bullet through the forest.
“Holy crap, it’s true. That’s my mate.” Kade could not stop the feelings growing inside him, first and foremost was one of protection. He couldn’t tell how he knew but he was certain she was in trouble and he had to reach her, protect her, keep her safe and . . . so much more.
Opening his link to Lennox and Dara, he filled them in. “It’s fecking true. She’s here on my land and I’m sure she’s in danger. We have to hurry.”
“What? Are ye kidding?” Dara was the first to respond, every syllable full of disbelief.
“If this is a joke, I won’t be amused,” Lennox cut back shortly.
Kade glanced behind him, pulling his lips back and snarling viciously. “Move your fucking arses now!”
“Hells bells, he means it,” Lennox replied, his Wolf speeding up, hampered by the pack he was carrying. “Dara, drop the packs, we can get them later.”
Dara and Lennox opened their jaws, their loads dropped to the ground as they nimbly pounced over them, not even breaking stride. Kade felt the urgency build inside him as they ran on, knowing they had miles to cover, their large paws eating up the ground as they rushed onward toward the girl he’d caught a mere glimpse of.
She looked to be medium height, on the skinny side, with long red hair that looked wild as it flew around her head. She also looked pale and tired. What was she running from?
That she was running he had no doubt, but from who? Or what?
On and on they sped, until breaking through some thick brush, Kade came face to face with a large German Shepherd. Its tongue lolling out at the side, it looked exhausted as it came forward showing no fear. That was strange. Most domestic pets ran in the opposite direction from Wolves but this one came right up to him, nudging him with its snout before turning and looking behind it.
“I think she’s trying to tell you something.” Dara’s words already saying what Kade had sensed.
His beast lowered its
head, staring into the eyes of the dog and he could plainly see worry and fear there. Not fear for itself. No. It was scared about something else. Or for someone else.
The Shepherd whined, turning around and prancing away a few steps before stopping and looking back at them as if to urge them onward. Kade didn’t need telling twice. Loping over, he licked the dog’s muzzle before taking off again, this time his paws moving even faster. His powerful muscles propelling forward so quickly that everything was a mere blur as he ran.
He didn’t feel the branches as they slapped against him, nor the brambles as he plowed through when he couldn’t get over them. Nothing hindered or slowed his race to reach her in time. His beast snarling as they finally broke through the trees into the clearing at the stream. One he knew so well.
The horrendous sight before him would stay with him for the rest of his life.
One rogue lay dead, a passing thought of how she had managed to kill him flew through his mind, quickly replaced with a roar of anger when he saw another lying on top of her. All he saw was blood, crimson staining the grass, her hair flowing out from beneath the large grey beast pinning her down.
There were two, or possibly three, other rogues still coming, but he ignored them, leaving those for Lennox and Dara to deal with. His focus was on the filthy fucker on top of his mate. He would rip its heart out, then tear its body into tiny pieces for daring to touch his mate.
That’s if she were alive.
God forbid, if she weren’t, then he’d hold and torture the rogue for eternity.
His beast flew into a frenzy, howling, snarling, jaws snapping as it launched at the rogue. Kade was surprised it didn’t even attempt to defend itself. Well, until he knocked it flying off the fallen woman and realized it was dead, three shotgun wounds bleeding profusely from its body. One was right between its eyes, the gaping hole bloody and splattered with brain matter.
Holy hell, his little mate had taken down two rogues on her own and she was human. Human. Not Wolf. It had never crossed his mind that his mate would be anything but a Wolf. Hell, it didn’t matter. Not to him. She was his, and he was hers, and to hell with anything else.
Kade glanced at the fights going on behind him, or rather, fight. Only one rogue was present, the other two must have scarpered when they had arrived. Lennox and Dara were dealing with the straggler quite easily. Kade planted his paws either side of the woman, sniffing around for signs of any blood or obvious wounds, finding none.
His beast huffed out a loud exhale in relief before sending out his Alpha power to search more thoroughly. He checked for broken bones or internal injuries, once again relieved when he came up with nothing. It appeared she had been knocked out when the rogue had landed on top of her. Thank the goddess.
He stayed in place, guarding her in case any rogues reappeared. He would be better able to protect her in Wolf form than human and so he waited, hoping that she’d come around on her own. If not, he would transform and carry her back to camp.
Lennox stomped over, his face covered in blood. “Is she goin’ to be okay?”
“I think so. Looks like she was knocked out when she shot that Wolf and it bowled into her. It’s a big one and it had her pinned down.”
“Kade, there’s something you should know.”
Kade swung his head around, looking into his Beta’s eyes. “What?”
“The rogue over there, the other one she managed to kill, and by the way can I just say how freaking amazing she is? She took two of them out on her own, that’s . . . well it’s kinda cool dontcha think?”
Kade’s lip drew back as he snarled, “Yes, it is but get on with it. What about the other one?”
“Oh yeah, sorry. I’m afraid it’s Andrew Gates.”
Lennox stepped back as Kade’s head snapped around, inhaling to take in the scent of the dead Wolf. His Beta was right. It was Gates. He’d been a member of their Pack but after repeated instances of him being cruel, unruly, and just downright bad to the core, Kade had banished him.
“Always knew the bastard would come to a sticky end,” Kade spat out, anger coursing through him.
“Aye,” Lennox agreed moving away to the stream to clean himself of rogue’s blood.
Kade remained in place, guarding his mate, taking the time to take in her beauty. Marred with grime and dirt, but she was still the most beautiful being he had ever laid eyes on. His heart soared to the heavens as he realized Fraser had been right and he had managed to find his soul-mate before she had been harmed, or worse.
It was at that moment when her eyes popped open. The most gorgeous jade green orbs he’d ever seen staring up at him, confused for a moment before they widened, her mouth opening to scream.
“Get off me!” She shouted so loud it hurt his sensitive ears.
Then she lifted her hands that still held the damn shotgun and whacked him on the nose, before scooting out from beneath him. He was surprised at how quickly she moved, and doubly surprised at how fast she managed to grab some shells and reload the gun.
Oh shit. She thought they were rogues and she was going to shoot him at point blank range. Even an Alpha would not survive that. He wondered if he could transform before she fired, her finger already tightening on the trigger. He could see the tension and knew his time was up.
Great. He’d finally found the one person in the universe that was made just for him and she was going to blow his brains out.
Kade lowered his head, locking eyes with hers and pleading with her. He saw her falter, indecision on her face, and then Dara had to go and spoil it by “coming to his rescue” and rushing over, all fangs and bloodied fur.
Damn. Could he not catch a break today or what?
Kade caught a black streak in his peripheral vision a second before the Shepherd they had met in the forest bounced on top of his mate, knocking the gun from her hand. It went off, a loud bang reverberating around them as the woman screamed.
“Leia! What the hell are you doing?”
Leia? She called a magnificent beast like that Leia? Hell, he hoped it wasn’t after the well-known Princess of the same name. Dang, he couldn’t help but snigger, and in his beast form, he guessed it looked odd as his head shook from side to side, his fur rippling along his body.
The dog licked the woman’s face before coming over to Kade, bowing low before him then bouncing up and licking his nose. It was the one, and only time, he would allow any animal to do such a thing. However, it was obvious the dog was his mate’s pet and if his not eating the face of her animal was a step in the right direction, then that is what he would do.
“Leia!” The woman shot to her feet, reaching for her dog. “Come here! What are you doing? Are you crazy?”
Kade decided the time was right to introduce himself, but before he did, he looked around for something to cover himself with. There was not a lot of choice apart from a small backpack. That would have to do. He trotted over then transformed, quickly grabbing the bag and holding it in front of his groin as he raised a hand in greeting.
“Hi, my name’s Kade and this is my land. We found you earlier with a rogue lying on top of you and some others were just about to attack. We . . .”
Her eyes had slowly been taking him in, then landed on his face, when she stomped over, prodding him in the chest. “What did you do to my dog? She never goes to strangers and she sure as hell doesn’t go around licking Wolves.”
Said dog was at that very moment doing just that. Over at Lennox, licking his face and pawing him as if she wanted to play. Kade raised an eyebrow, nodding to the side. Her eyes followed, her face turning scarlet as a blush crept up her throat, then her cheeks.
“See! That’s what I mean. She never does that sort of thing. Have you used some kind of magic spell on her? Tell me now because if you have then I’m telling you right now, release her or I’ll . . . I’ll . . . I’ll kick your arse into next week.”
She looked so angry but adorable and gorgeous at the same time. How was that even poss
ible? Kade had no idea but she did. He saw her eyes lowering to his chest, her face growing even redder before she raised the shotgun and pointed it at him. Again.
“Hey, there’s no need for the gun. We’re not rogues and we’re not here to hurt you. In fact, my men and I rescued you.”
She frowned, skin puckering between her eyes as she glared at him. “Rescued me? I don’t think so. I was doing all right on my own. Well, I think I was. I’m pretty sure I hit two of those filthy animals and I would’ve gotten the rest too.”
“That would’ve been a good trick,” Kade drawled, raising an eyebrow.
“What?”
“You were unconscious and couldn’t breathe because a huge damn Wolf was on top of you, and there were more of them just about to gobble you all up. So, tell me, how were you going to deal with that?”
He saw outrage flitting across her face first, then shock, and lastly realization dawned. That’s when her shoulders dropped, the shotgun lowering as tears sprang into those impossibly green eyes. The urge to go to her surging through him but if the last few minutes were anything to go by, he thought she’d probably shoot his arse. He stepped closer, slowly, lowering his voice as he tried to keep her bag covering his naked groin.
“Hey, I’m just saying that things weren’t as clear cut as you thought. There were other rogues and your pup there had some sense about her. She came, found us, and urged us to come find you. So we did, and we got here just in time. By the way, my name’s Kade and I’m Alpha of the Pack that owns this land. I wish it were under different circumstances but I’m pleased to meet you.”
She switched the safety on before expertly unloading the gun, and then turned those eyes up to meet his. “I’m Kirsty Carmichael, and you’ve already met Leia.”
“She’s beautiful and smart.” Kade saw how much Kirsty loved the Shepherd and thought it would be a good way to break the ice. It worked, sort of.
A Ravenous Pack: Wolf's Hunger 5 Books Page 14