A Ravenous Pack: Wolf's Hunger 5 Books

by A. K. Michaels

  “Stop it,” she muttered as she pushed open the door, finding Skye waiting on her.

  “How did it go?” Skye asked, her eyes not quite making eye contact.

  “It went well, surprisingly well, but I put that down to having Leia with me.” Kirsty patted her dog’s head. “She seemed to know I needed her and found me. With her beside me, I had a confidence I didn’t know was inside me. So, it went much better than I anticipated, all down to your expert advice too, I might add. Thanks, Skye.”

  Skye blushed, scarlet. The red covering her face the darkest crimson Kirsty had ever seen anyone blush. “Och, it was nothing. I was just trying to help. You’re going to be Kade’s mate so you need to start off right. Are you hungry? I’ve made some scones, they’re just out of the oven.”

  Kirsty’s hand flew to her chest, grinning widely. “Are you kidding? Fresh made scones are my favorite . . . well, one of my favorites. Lead the way, and I hope you’ve got lots of butter and jam.”

  “I do,” Skye said with a ghost of a smile. “I’ve got blackcurrant, strawberry, blackberry, and a couple others too. I make my own so there’s always a good supply in the larder.”

  “I’ve just died and gone to heaven,” Kirsty said dramatically. “You can never leave, ever, ever, ever. You’ll be working here until you’re old and grey, Skye. I mean it.”

  “I’m happy working here,” Skye replied, looking over shyly. “I was a little worried you might not want me here. Not every woman wants another in their kitchen.”

  “I’m not one of them.” Kirsty sat down at the table. “Firstly, I’ll take all the help I can get, and secondly, you were here before me. It’s not right to come in and tell you to get on yer bike. That’s just not on. Not in my book anyway. You have nothing to worry about, honey, I promise.”

  “Thank you,” Skye said as she brought over the still warm scones, pausing with them mid-air, head cocked to the side.

  At the same time, Leia’s ears pricked up, a second before her hackles rose right along her back. Kirsty looked between the two, Leia’s growl sending shockwaves of alarm through her. “What’s going on?”

  Skye’s eyes widened, her face chalk white, the plate with the scones dropping to smash on the stone floor. “Rogues! Rogues are here!”

  Kirsty didn’t think twice, bolting for the stairs and her backpack. “Cartridges for my shotgun are upstairs. I’ll be right back. Stay inside, Skye, don’t go out there. I’m ordering you to stay inside. Okay?”

  She knew that Skye was a Wolf, but she was under no illusion that the girl would be a match for rogues. She had obviously gone through something terribly traumatic and she would freeze. Kirsty knew it; she could sense it in the girl, so she had to protect her at all costs.

  She had already killed two rogues with her dad’s shotgun. She would kill as many as she could this time too. First, she had to ensure Skye was hidden and safe, and then she would go and help the Pack.

  Tearing down the upstairs hallway, she thudded against the door, banging her shoulder hard. She barely felt the pain, too intent on retrieving the cartridges for the shotgun. Grabbing the box from her pack, she pushed as many as she could stuff into all her pockets, in her jacket, jeans, and then held the box in her hand as she ran back downstairs.

  Skye waited for her, terror in her eyes. “Skye, is there a cellar or something here?”

  The girl nodded so Kirsty pushed her. “Go, go there now and lock yourself in. Do not come out until it’s safe. I’ll come back for you, I promise I will. Now go and take Leia with you.”

  “Where are you going? You need to come with me.” Skye was openly crying now, tears streaming down her face, Leia whining and pacing back and forth.

  “I can’t do that, Skye. I’ve got to go help the Pack. You have to take Leia and go hide, please.”

  Skye didn’t move, holding her hand out to Kirsty who changed tone, saying firmly. “I’m ordering you as the Alpha’s mate to go to the cellar and stay there until it’s safe. Now, Skye, go now.”

  She saw the change, Skye’s eyes lowering submissively as she took hold of Leia’s collar and led her away. Kirsty didn’t wait, rushing to the dresser and loading up the gun and once again thanking the lord her father paid for such an expensive top-of-the range model. At least she should be able to take out a few of these fuckers. “What the fuck are they thinking? Attacking the camp?”

  Then it hit her. This was their plan all along. While Kade and the guards were away, they’d come to attack the camp. Kirsty’s mind ran over who she’d met on her little trek earlier: mostly women and children with only a few men.

  Damn. They were in trouble but she’d be damned if she would go down without a fight.

  She opened the door, made certain the safety was off and stepped out to protect her people and kill as many rogues as she could.

  That thought slammed into her brain: her people.

  She realized in a split second that something magical had happened since she had met Kade MacKenzie and his Wolves. Kirsty felt, possibly for the first time in her life, that she belonged and she would fight for every person here until she drew her last breath.

  She just prayed that Kade and his guards returned before that happened.

  Just as she jumped down from the porch, her resolve resolute, she heard little Jimmy roaring, “Get off me! I’ll tear yer throat out, ya mangy mutt.”

  Kirsty turned just in time to see a large Wolf with its teeth wrapped around the boy’s thigh, blood spilling from the horrendous wound. She didn’t think twice, raising the gun and sighting the beast. It was huge compared to Jimmy, but he was struggling and she was terrified she’d hit him so she shouted, “Jimmy, down, now!”

  The boy’s eyes found hers, widening in shock briefly before he gave her a nod, dropping quickly to the ground a second before she let loose two rounds in quick succession. One hit the beast in the middle, the second straight through its head as it whirled around in pain and anger at being injured. She hadn’t aimed for the head, it was a lucky shot, but one that left the beast stone dead next to a bloodied and injured Jimmy.

  Kirsty darted over, staying close to the ground. “Oh, Jimmy, that’s a bad wound, we need to get you some help.”

  “Och, I’ve had worse,” the lad replied bravely. “If I can get the bleeding stopped I’ll be okay. We heal quick, Miss Kirsty.”

  “Okay, but we need to get you inside,” Kirsty said quickly, a dark furry streak joining them. “Leia! What the hell are you doing out here?”

  Kirsty looked to the cabin, Skye’s terrified face peeking out of the door. Kirsty didn’t have time to think, hauling Jimmy over to the stairs and up to the door. “Here, take him inside and stop that bleeding.”

  “I’m sorry, Leia broke free. I couldn’t stop her.”

  “Just help Jimmy.” Kirsty didn’t have time to talk and with her Shepherd at the bottom of the stairs, guarding them, it didn’t look as if she was going to get her back inside anytime soon.

  “Okay, sorry,” Skye whimpered, tugging the bleeding boy inside.

  “Stay close, Leia, no heroics, girl. Okay?”

  Leia tilted her head then gave her a soft yip as if she understood. “I’m not kidding. If you go all Alpha on me, you’ll get no treats. You hear me?”

  Leia’s head lowered, whining. “Good girl, now let’s go see who else we can help.”

  Kirsty turned back, scanning the camp, the sights filling her with terror and dread. Rogues appeared to be everywhere, some in Wolf form, others in human. Either way, they were attacking anyone they could, viciously.

  She saw Muir wielding his axe, swinging it high before dealing a devastating deathblow to a dark brown Wolf that leaped toward him. The blade almost severed the beast’s head, blood spurting everywhere, covering Muir so that he looked like something out of a horror movie. The man looked scary as hell, his features set in a mask of hate as he glared at the dead rogue.

  It was at that moment she saw Fiona at his back, her face wh
ite, eyes wide as she locked eyes with hers. Kirsty sprinted toward them, gun at the ready, skidding to a stop and turning her back to stand face out, fearful of attack.

  “What the fuck is going on?” she asked, her voice tight but controlled, Leia prowling in front of her, sniffing around the fallen Wolf.

  Muir reached out, patting her back. “The rogues must’ve planned this. They’ve waited until the Alpha and the guards were far from home and then attacked. By the way, lass, I saw you rescuing young Jimmy. That took guts, Kade would be proud of you.”

  “I only did what I could.” Kirsty shrugged. “That fucker attacked a child! What the hell is wrong with these people?”

  “They’re rogues,” Muir said simply, as if that explained everything. “Fiona, we’re going to get you over to the Alpha’s cabin where you can help the lad, and you’ll stay there. We’ll try and get any injured to you. You do not, I repeat, you do not leave that cabin. You hear me, my bonnie lass?”

  Kirsty heard Fiona take in a huge breath before she started to argue. “Muir, I can’t hide away when the Pack is under attack.”

  “Fi, you’ll do no good if you end up dead!” Muir’s voice rose, fear and worry for his mate clear in every syllable. “Now’s not the time to argue. We need to move.”

  Kirsty agreed. “Fiona, he’s right. The Pack needs their Healer and you’re it. Let’s get you to Jimmy, I saw the wound and it’s bad. He needs you.”

  “Fine,” Fiona said in the tone women used worldwide that meant anything but.

  They moved as one, quickly covering the distance back toward Kade’s cabin, a large man appearing to bar their path. An evil smirk on his face as Leia ran forward barking. Kirsty didn’t think twice, raising the shotgun and firing twice, straight through the chest. Two large, gaping holes appeared, blood splattering out behind him over the porch steps a second before his body slumped to the ground. Kirsty noted the surprised look on his face as she stepped over his corpse.

  Once again, she thanked the lord for her father’s gun, and the large bore cartridges. Anything less and she doubted they’d do much damage to Shifters.

  As soon as Fiona was safely inside she looked up at Muir. “What now?”

  “We help as many as we can, and hope to hell Kade and the rest return before the rogues massacre the lot of us.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” Kirsty smirked up at the huge man. “Not a great plan, but I don’t have anything better, so let’s go.”

  “I’m not so sure you should.” Muir frowned down at Kirsty. “I’m sure Kade would prefer you stay with Fiona.”

  “Aye, right.” Kirsty shook her head. “Like that’s going to happen. I am not sitting on my arse while there’s bairns out there being attacked by fucking Wolves. Are you nuts? Just shut up and let’s get going.”

  Kirsty took a step then stopped. “Oh wait.”

  Muir patted her shoulder. “Glad you saw sense, lass.”

  “What?” Kirsty frowned. “No, I’m just reloading.”

  She sorted out the shotgun then jumped down the steps to join her Shepherd, turning to quirk a brow at Muir. “You comin’ or what?”

  She saw him hesitate for a moment but the sound of women screaming, children crying, and men fighting, soon had him by her side. She nudged his arm. “Let’s help as many as we can and try and stay alive. Deal?”

  “Deal.” He looked around motioning off toward the left where a small group of women were attempting to shield some children from several rogues, both human and Wolves. “Let’s start there.”

  “Oh goody,” Kirsty quipped, her mouth suddenly dry as a bone as they ran toward what looked like certain death.

  The air she inhaled had a metallic odor, decidedly unpleasant, especially when she realized it was blood. There were other smells, nasty, disgusting, and almost causing her to gag, but then she had no time to think about the stench assaulting her nose as they drew closer to the group in front of them.

  The kids huddled together, some barely toddlers, with the older ones trying to hold them, take care of them, while the women fought off the rogues. The damn bastards thought it was some kind of game, the men taunting the women, the Wolves reaching out with the huge paws and raking their claws along flesh to draw blood.

  They could, obviously, have taken out the women and, god forbid, the kids too. But no, they were fucking playing with them. Having fun with them while inflicting pain on the adults and terrorizing the bairns. Kirsty’s fury ignited to levels she never knew existed, her stomach clenching, her heart almost bursting with indignation as she raised the shotgun.

  “No fucking way,” she ground out, firing as she ran.

  She zeroed in on a mangy grey beast that had been attacking the women, her first shot not hitting its mark. She’d been aiming for its head but ended up striking it mid-way on its side, causing it to howl and swerve toward her. That was its undoing, because in turning around, the second slammed right between its eyes, dropping the beast in a heap with brains and gore seeping from the huge wound left behind. Kirsty barely registered it as she kept moving forward toward the women and children.

  They were still meters away but she didn’t slow down, or stop shooting. Her next target a huge man that she’d seen slapping a woman’s face so hard she fell to the ground, clutching her bleeding nose and mouth. Her aim was better this time, the shot searing into the base of his back, severing his spine and rendering him useless. Kirsty didn’t bother wasting another cartridge on him. She doubted even a Shifter could heal from that anytime soon.

  That left two shells before she would have to reload. However, there were two Wolves, and three more men. Damn. That was not good odds. What should she do? She made a split-second decision, shouting to Muir. “I’m reloading. I need more than I’ve got.”

  “Go ahead, lass,” Muir replied but he didn’t slow down.

  Shit. She expected him to wait on her. Damn.

  Kirsty stopped dead, skidding on the grass, Leia looking at Muir then back at her, barking wildly. “I know! I’m coming.”

  She reloaded quicker than she ever had before, dropping one shell and leaving it where it was, not sparing the seconds it would take to bend down to retrieve it. As soon as she rammed home the last one, she took off again, closing the gun as she ran. Not exactly good gun etiquette, and she could see her father shaking his head and giving her a good telling off, but bloody hell, this was a fucking war zone.

  Leia took off, sprinting ahead as Muir reached the first Wolf, his axe landing with a dull thud and sinking deep into its back. The blood-curdling howl that split the air made her skin crawl. Its head spun around, huge jaws gaping wide to snap at Muir; he barely managed to wrench his axe and arm free in time. She saw the razor-sharp teeth snap shut as Muir jumped clear, his axe already rising and falling again to lodge deep within the skull of the Wolf.

  The remaining Wolf and men now turned their attention away from the women. Good. Well, good for the women and bairns, Kirsty thought, not so good for Muir and her. In her mind, the massive beast was the scariest thing she’d ever seen, its fur matted with what appeared to be blood, its jaws wide, fangs showing as it snarled viciously.

  “Oh hell,” Kirsty gasped as it padded away from the women, headed straight toward Muir.

  The men were coming in her direction, one of them stripping off his clothes. Shit. She didn’t want to see his naked body, far less the Wolf she knew would soon be materializing. Her eyes flitted between the Wolf and the man, making her decision she zeroed in on the man, whispering as she fired two rounds in quick succession. “Sorry, Muir.”

  She stood no chance against three. Two men and a Wolf equaled her quick demise, or worse: her capture.

  She took out the biggest threat first, the rogue just about to morph into a terrifying killer Wolf. Her aim was true, both shots slamming into his chest, destroying it completely and leaving gaping holes in their wake. Where his heart used to reside was now a cavernous void of blood and gore.

  One down. T
wo to go. For now, anyway.

  Her eyes flitted to Muir, she’d already seen how capable he was with his large axe and she hoped he would be able to stand firm against the Wolf that now stalked him. All she had to do was take care of the dirty bawbags heading her way with scowls on their faces and hate in their eyes. Aye right. That was going to be a breeze. Not.

  There was nowhere to run. The time for that was long gone, even if she had a fleeting longing to be holed up with Skye, she knew she could not have stayed there. Not when kids were being hurt by these damn rogues. Kirsty locked eyes with the large man nearest her; his were black as the Earl of Hell’s Waistcoat and just as evil. An involuntary shiver ran up her spine when his tongue darted out to run across his lips. Eww, gross.

  She snatched two shells, reloading the gun to capacity as he spat out.

  “Yer gonna be mine, ye feckin’ cheeky bint. Think a wee human can stop us?”

  Kirsty raised an eyebrow at the same time as she locked and loaded, using the tip of the gun to point to his dead companion. “Seems like I just did. Why don’t you round up the rest of yer manky mutts and get out of here, before more of you end up like him? Because I’m tellin’ you straight, I’m ready to lose my rag and if I do, you definitely don’t want to be anywhere near me.”

  He stopped, his head falling back, hands on his waist as he laughed loudly. The second rogue stopping to look at him as if he was mad. “Did ye hear her? That lassie’s heid’s full oh mince. Aye, she’s gonna gie me loads oh fun. No be much fun fer her but I’ll sure enjoy it.”

  “Haud yer wheesht an just grab her before she hurts anyone else! Archie will gie ye a right doin’ if ye dinnae get her under control soon.”

  Kirsty let out her own laugh, shaking her head at them. “You obviously don’t know me. Nobody, and I mean nobody, ‘gets me under control’, especially not a couple of daft bawbags like you.”

  She’d had enough, swinging her trusty gun up and aiming quickly. Firing at bawbag number one first, hitting him in the groin area, which she thought very apt, before swinging to bawbag number two. This one she aimed higher, much higher, and although she’d hoped for his head, she was just as pleased when she saw a gaping hole appear in his throat, all the way through so his head tilted awkwardly to the side before he crumpled to the ground.