A Ravenous Pack: Wolf's Hunger 5 Books

by A. K. Michaels

  Bawbag number one was, amazingly, still on his feet, albeit clutching himself and screaming like a banshee. Kirsty slowly walked forward, gun trained on him, ready for any sly move on his part.

  “What was that you said earlier?” she prodded him. “Huh? Not so vocal now, are you? Oh wait, you are, but you sound like a cat that’s caught its tail in a door.”

  Muir joined her, the women and children with him as he ushered them toward Kade’s cabin. “On ye go, get inside.”

  As the women hurried away, helping the injured, carrying the bairns, Muir smirked at the rogue. “Lassie, whit have ye done?”

  “Well, he was threatening to, you know? Have his wicked way with me. I sort of took exception to that and I couldn’t resist.” Kirsty had to raise her voice to be heard over the loud screams of pain from the injured man.

  “I’m afraid we dinnae have time for this.” Muir shook his head, using the stock of the axe and smashing it into the face of the man, knocking him out cold. “I couldn’t listen tae that racket a moment longer. Come on, we’ve a lot more work, lass, the Pack needs us.”

  “I’m right beside you.” Kirsty let out a long exhale, noticing her hands were shaking, the barrel of the shotgun juddering up and down. She tried to still them, concentrating hard, staring at them intently as if her eyes could somehow influence the trembling.

  Muir’s huge paw of a hand reached down, stilling the quaking barrel. “Hey, it’s okay, Kirsty. It’s shock, lass, just try and take some deep breaths and try and focus on what we need to do. In other words, don’t think on what ye’ve had to do, but on the people that need our help. There’s still bairns out there that these rogues are gonna hurt if we don’t stop them.”

  Kirsty looked up into his face, no longer was it harsh, hard, or ferocious. Instead, he gave her a little nod of understanding, his eyes full of concern as he continued. “Kade will be able to help ye once it’s all over with. His power can ease yer suffering, but right now I need yer help. I’m sorry I have to ask ye to kill again, but I can’t do it on my own.”

  “I know,” Kirsty whispered. “I don’t expect you to. I’ve just never done anything like this before and . . .”

  Muir cut her off. “Sorry, we don’t have the time, Kirsty. Look.”

  She turned to where he nodded, a group of massive Wolves closing in on women who were bravely trying to shelter some small kids. There was also a Wolf on their side, but going by the size, it was young, nothing near the size of the rogues circling around them.

  “That’s young Keir, he’s barely seventeen, he won’t stand a chance, Kirsty. We have to move now before they tear him to shreds.”

  “I’m ready,” Kirsty said firmly.

  “I’ll catch up.” Muir was pulling off his clothes. “The time for my axe is long gone. Keir needs my beast by his side. Just don’t shoot me, lass, okay?”

  “How will I know it’s you?” she wailed.

  “Because your lovely pet here will be with me as I come to join you. Plus, my beast is a lovely grey color, nothing like these mangy beasts. Now go.”

  “Leia, stay with him, but don’t you dare get yourself into trouble.” Kirsty didn’t waste any more time, turning around and racing toward the filthy rogues.

  As she ran toward the group her heart beating like a drum in her chest, lungs burning painfully, Kirsty thought briefly, “I really should go to the gym.”

  The randomness of the thought, amidst the total chaos around her, caused a wild sound to tear free. It was part laugh and part sob. The madness and cruelty surrounding her like nothing she’d witnessed before and she prayed she never would again.

  If she survived.

  That was not certain. Not with the odds stacked against them. She’d yet to see another male. Apart from Muir, she had only seen women and children. Had the rogues taken the men out first? Or were they somewhere else fighting for their lives?

  Kirsty’s brain was on overload. So many things stampeding through it at once as she closed the distance between her and the terrified children who were screaming and crying. She saw two of the women stepping to the side, their skin rippling, before they transformed. They hadn’t even bothered to undress, clothes tearing apart as their beasts materialized before her.

  Shit, shit, shit! Their Wolves were large, much larger than a normal, run-of-the-mill beast, but they were so much smaller than the rogues they faced. Kirsty couldn’t believe their bravery in the face of the ferocious beasts before them, and, for a split second, she too wished she could throw off her human form and lock jaws with these assholes.

  She soon changed her mind when one of them leaped toward the nearest rogue who’d swiped out its massive paw at Keir’s beast. The rogue’s jaws locked around her, bringing her down easily as they rolled on the ground. Sounds straight out of her worst nightmare filled the air as the rogue started to tear the woman’s beast apart.

  Kirsty sped up, horror filling her, Leia catching up, barking like crazy as Kirsty screamed, “Nooooo!”

  She ran on for another few yards, watching blood spurt high into the air before stopping to take aim. She couldn’t afford to miss so she steadied her stance and arms. This was something she didn’t want to do but also something she couldn’t not do. If she didn’t do it and do it now the woman was as good as dead. Fuck, she didn’t know if she was too late. There was blood everywhere already. Although the woman was still valiantly fighting back, her claws digging into the underbelly of the rogue and attempting to dislodge him.

  “Hold on,” Kirsty whimpered as she held her breath and pulled the trigger, once, twice.

  She took off running again, watching as the rogue jolted as the slugs hit, both at the back end, shattering its hind leg completely. The roar that tore free from the beast deafening as its head turned back on itself trying to figure out what had happened.

  Leia ran straight toward the children, prancing around, guarding them with snarls and barks. Dear goodness, did she think she stood a chance against rogues? Kirsty’s heart ached at the thought of one of them attacking her beloved Shepherd. She wouldn’t last ten seconds.

  Keir, the young Wolf, sneaked forward, grabbing hold of the ruff of the woman mauled by the rogue and pulling her away. Her whines of pain spearing Kirsty deep inside with jolts of so many emotions that they fought for supremacy.

  Anger, fear, sadness, distress. The list was endless, but she settled on anger. That one would get her through for now. The others could wait until later: if she made it through this madness.

  A huge grey Wolf loped up beside her, nudging her thigh. She almost screamed with fright until she looked into its friendly eyes. “Muir?”

  Its incredibly massive head nodded once before it looked at the rogues. She smirked at his questioning look. “I won’t shoot you. Promise.”

  He seemed satisfied and took off toward them. “Oh hell,” Kirsty ground out. “Kade, where the hell are you?”

  With two more rounds used, she reloaded again her feet flying across the ground, her eyes on the catastrophe before her. Muir was now in battle against two rogues, his Wolf taking a beating, but so far, not going down. The sounds they made were otherworldly and ones Kirsty hoped she would never hear again. It was just . . . too much. She wasn’t sure how much more she could take.

  “Man up!” she told herself loudly. “There’s bairns there that need you.”

  She veered off to the right, going in to the group where there was a slight gap. Slight being the operative word. Most of the rogues’ attention focused on Muir’s battle but one was on Keir and the injured beast he was guarding. The rogue Wolf had his back to her as she ran toward it, not slowing down, she waited until the last moment, the muzzle of her gun touching the fur at the base of its head and fired.

  It dropped like a lead weight and she joined the women and children. “Come on! We can get away while they’re busy! At least we can try. Move, now.”

  It was a slim chance they would make it but it was a chance. The only damn one
they had.

  The women started to lift the smaller kids, cradling them in their arms, some holding two as Kirsty rounded up the older ones. “Right, kids, I know this is scary, but I need you to find an adult and hold on tight to their clothing. Just find someone, anyone, and grab on to them. Okay? Do not let go. Absolutely do not let go, no matter what happens.”

  Just as they were getting organized to move off that’s when one of the women shouted, her voice high and excited.

  “They’re here! Kade’s back!”

  Kirsty turned and looked to where the woman was pointing, her heart almost breaking with relief when she saw a sleek brown and black Wolf stampeding toward them, quickly followed by Kade’s unmistakable beast.

  The roar of anger that tore from his beast almost shattered her eardrums, his gigantic paws throwing up dirt as his claws dug into the earth whilst he sped toward them. She saw so many others fanned out either side of him that she let out a sigh of relief that whooshed from her loudly.

  Her knees felt weak, her body stiff, held in place as the Wolf that had been in front met the first rogue, leaping high into the air and landing on its back. Kirsty had the presence of mind to shout out. “Shield the kids, they don’t need to see this.”

  She wasn’t sure whether they should stay where they were, or move away. What was safer? She looked for a familiar face, one she’d met earlier possibly. There. The woman with light brown hair, and now with horror on her face, Elspeth, she’d spoken to her.

  “Elspeth, should we stay here or move?”

  Elspeth turned, her eyes focusing on Kirsty then lowering. “They’ll be fighting, Miss, we should stay where we are so we don’t get in their way.”

  “Okay, thanks.” Kirsty nodded. “I’m not used to . . . this.”

  “Neither are we,” Elspeth whispered. “Rogues have never attacked us before, but I’m sure I saw Archie McDonald earlier. That black-hearted bastard will be behind this. Kade threw him out of the Pack ages ago because he was, well, a black-hearted bastard.”

  “I’m so sorry.” Kirsty turned to the injured Wolf. “Is there anything we can do for her?”

  “Not right now. Her Wolf will do what it can, and if she needs Fiona, then we can get her after Kade’s dealt with these, excuse my French, fuckers.”

  “I think fuckers is the right word,” Kirsty agreed wholeheartedly.

  The sounds of the raging battle rose to a crescendo, her eyes drawn back to find Kade. When she did, she almost cried out in alarm. His light brown beast fighting off two rogues, one grey, one dark brown. Both looked mangy in comparison to her proud mate’s. Their fur dull whereas his gleamed as the sun shone down on them. His body thick and powerful, muscles rippling beneath his fur, obviously well-fed and theirs were the opposite. The rogues were still fearsome beasts and it was nevertheless two against one, so her heart beat wildly against her ribs as her breathing raced out of control.

  She couldn’t just stand here and watch this. She had to do something. The sight of him in such a dangerous struggle rammed home her feelings for the Alpha: she loved him with every cell in her body.

  Raising her shotgun once again, she stepped forward, rushing to his aid. Kirsty had no thought of her own safety, weaving around Wolves in the midst of combat, making her way toward Kade.

  The nearer she got the more she saw, blood marring all three Wolves, with wounds appearing before her eyes. A few yards to go and one of the rogues fell to the ground, mortally wounded, but to her horror two more joined the fight. Kade now faced three.

  “Hell no,” Kirsty spat out, levelling her gun and closing the remaining distance that separated her from the man she’d finally admitted to falling for.

  Kade’s huge paw swiped at one, throwing it away so that it rolled over and over, and landing right at her feet, dazed. She didn’t think twice. Lowering the barrel between its eyes, she fired point-blank and killed it stone-dead. The loud report causing Kade’s eyes to spin toward her, confusion and surprise first, then fear in his ice-blue eyes before one of the rogues snapped its jaws onto his shoulder, causing him to howl in pain.

  Kirsty screamed as Kade fought to release its hold as the second rogue leaped onto his back, bringing him to the ground. Tears stung her eyes as she watched his struggle to free himself from beneath them, she couldn’t fire again for fear of wounding Kade. Kirsty did the only thing she could, she turned the shotgun quickly around, holding the barrel in both hands and raising it high above her head.

  Stepping forward, her feet dancing to try and keep herself out of the fray, she swung with all her might, the stock of the gun landing right between the ears of the grey beast hanging onto Kade’s shoulder. It yelped but held on so she lifted it again, and again, the thud of the hard walnut as it crashed against the skull of the Wolf was lost in the cacophony of noise around her. Several times her aim was off, landing on a shoulder, or missing altogether as the beasts scrambled around with limbs, claws, and fangs in the vicious mêlée.

  Kirsty refused to give up. Her movements frenzied until she saw blood pouring from her victim, bones cracking, and finally it fell to the ground: dazed not dead.

  The butt of her precious gun was ruined, however, she prayed the working end was still viable as she swung it around, firing into the fallen beast’s brain. She was more than a little surprised when the dang thing worked and didn’t blow up in her face.

  Kirsty had barely drawn a breath when she went soaring through the air before her back slammed against the hard ground. A rogue Wolf pinned her beneath it as its head lowered to snap at her face. She scarcely had time to panic as she automatically raised her arms, using the shotgun to hold off the beast. She rammed it firmly between the largest teeth she had ever seen.

  Her vision closed in on those horrendous, blood-soaked, razor-sharp implements of her impending doom. Everything else around her started to fade out as she fought for her life. This was what today came down to. Her on the ground, a mere human against a magical beast that outsized her a gazillion times over.

  Aye, she wasn’t getting out of this one alive. Not without her fairy godmother popping up and blowing its arse to kingdom come. Kirsty was pretty damn sure that wasn’t happening.

  Didn’t stop her fighting with every last ounce of strength she had left though. Her legs kicking wildly, her arms straining but losing ground quickly. She screamed as its claws raked her side, blood and goodness knew what else dripping down onto the ground beneath her. Holy shit, she couldn’t hold out any longer. She. Just. Could. Not.

  Blackness started at the outer edges of her eyes, pain in every part of her body. Her heart felt as if it were about to explode in a bloody mess in her chest. And the stench. Fuck. The stench of the rogue’s breath as it snarled down had her gagging in her throat.

  Don’t puke, don’t puke, she thought again and again, knowing she’d choke if she did. As if that were the most important thing right now, instead of being ripped apart by this monster that wanted nothing more than to eat her alive.

  The darkness grew and grew until Kirsty was certain her next drawn breath would be her last. Her final thought was, Wonderful. I find Mr. Perfect and lose him the next day.

  Her eyes slid shut, the briefest of moments before unconsciousness took hold. She waited for the pain to encompass her as the rogue finally devoured her. But it never materialized. Maybe fate was being kind and sparing her those last seconds of agony. Finally, she slipped under, nothing but cold darkness waiting.

  Kade broke through the trees with a desperation he had never experienced. His eyes taking in the scene in his camp, in his home, his anger growing to heights he never thought possible.

  Then his eyes landed on Kirsty. His mate stood with that damn gun of hers surrounded by rogues, Muir already in battle, young Keir standing guard over a wounded female and his beautiful mate trying to protect the women and children.

  What the fuck was she thinking?

  He had no more time to think as he sped toward the threat and into
battle. Kade had to destroy the rogues that endangered his camp, his people, and his mate. He would rip them all to shreds and then he’d deal with his feisty and reckless mate.

  He plowed into the fray, heading straight for the ringleader. He’d recognize that bastard Archie McDonald’s beast anywhere, even though he was trying to sneak away. Unfortunately, two of the traitor’s men had other ideas and slammed into him, forcing him to fend them off and allowing McDonald to slink away. Never mind, he would get that fucker one way or another, once he had taken care of his rogue followers.

  The rogues were filthy fighters, sneaky and tag-teaming. Kade’s anger rising by the second he used all his strength and guile to fatally wound one, its body dropping to the ground with a thud. Great. Nope, not so great. Two more joined the battle. Now he was facing three. Hell. He would make these dirty bawbags pay for what they had done this day. Starting with these three.

  His huge paw swiped one, knocking it out of the way, so he focused on the other two when he heard the unmistakable report of a shotgun right next to them. His huge head swung toward the sound, his eyes locking with Kirsty who stood over the dead body of the Wolf he had knocked away.

  Emotion overwhelmed him, anger at her stupidity, concern, and downright fear for his mate. Kade made to go to her, ready to grab her and whisk her away to safety, but the two rogues had other ideas as they attacked him full force once more.

  He had his hands, or rather claws full fending off their attack but his mind was definitely not in the game. His only thought was “Where the hell was Kirsty?” and was she safe? He knew he was not giving his best in the fight, the rogues scoring hits that normally he would never allow, but he couldn’t help his mind wandering to his mate. Not to mention him trying to catch glimpses of her.