A Ravenous Pack: Wolf's Hunger 5 Books

by A. K. Michaels

  Zohar had never felt this overwhelming need to protect anyone before. Yes, he’d spent his life as an Enforcer and defending others was part and parcel of his position, but this was different. This was on a whole new level and he wasn’t sure what the hell was going on.

  Was it to do with the spell that had been cast over him? Yet another assault on him? Meant to weaken him and make him vulnerable to attack? Possibly. He had only one person he could discuss this with and that’s who he’d seek out . . . now . . . before things got out of hand and he could no longer carry out his duties.

  He’d do whatever it took to ensure that didn’t happen, including sending for the Council’s Witch, Sherman Kelly, to get to the bottom of this. He’d have to tread carefully though, the Council could never know about any of this. That shouldn’t prove too difficult, he was a master at his job, including covert operations, espionage, and deception.

  First he had to find Danko and alert him to this new threat.

  Looking around Zohar realized he was near the camp, on the opposite side to where he’d seen Maisy earlier. He didn’t transform, not trusting his Wolf to not track down Maisy again, instead he traipsed through the woods stark naked and ignored the cold and wet earth as his feet sank into the ground.

  “Damn it,” he grumped, realizing another shower was in his immediate future . . . after he’d spoken with Danko of course.

  As he drew nearer, his enhanced abilities picked up the low hum of voices. It was late and the camp was in darkness apart from one or two cabins with dim lights filtering through windows, and he could sense his men around the area who were on guard duty, but other than that nobody else should be out. Zohar slowed his pace, lightening his steps so that nobody would ever hear him coming, as he pressed his body against the nearest building. He slid along the edge until he reached the front corner then stopped, listening intently.

  The soft mumble grew until he could clearly distinguish the words . . . and who they belonged to: Danko and Maisy.

  Once again a multitude of feelings exploded inside Zohar, surprise quickly followed by annoyance and irritation that rose alarmingly fast to anger. What was Danko doing outside, in the dead of night, with Maisy?

  Anger flared inside him, burning brightly until the flame felt real, its heat searing his skin and forcing him from his hiding place. His feet moving before his brain had fully engaged, striding forward as he fought to control the fury that was fighting to break free.

  “What’s going on? You shouldn’t be out here in the middle of the night . . . it’s dangerous.”

  Even to his own ears he sounded like an angry and petulant child, Danko looking over his shoulder to raise an eyebrow as Maisy’s head popped around his friend’s massive body to stare at him wide-eyed. Her confusion quickly followed with indignation, her arm moving to push Danko out of her way.

  “Excuse me? I was right there when you killed Marlon, and pardon me, but he was the biggest threat to all of us. And, wait, oh yeah, I was also there when you sent our glorious Alpha on his way too, with his lovely men in tow. So, pray tell, what’s so dangerous here now? Is it you, Zohar?”

  Danko stepped away, his eyes darting between Maisy and him, Zohar’s anger still simmering beneath the surface but under Maisy’s onslaught he was lost for words . . . for a brief moment. He straightened his shoulders, striding forward, forgetting his nakedness, to stand right in front of her.

  “We have no way to know whether Jermaine will attempt to return. He had his sights set on you, Maisy, did he not? You tell me, is it prudent for you to be wandering outside at this time of night?”

  He flinched when he saw fear cloud her eyes, her face, and her body as it began to tremble. The urge to grab her and tell her he’d protect her so strong it took every inch of his iron will to refrain from doing so. Instead, he softened his voice, attempting to calm her mounting anxiety. “I have sentries positioned around the camp so the threat is minimal, but I still don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be out here so late.”

  “I was just going home. Danko was making sure I got there safely.” Maisy’s head drooped before she turned quickly and sped toward a nearby cabin.

  Zohar watched her every movement, the way her body moved, hips swayed, and her blonde hair swung as she almost ran away from him. Her scent cloying in his nostrils teasing him like a sweet torture. So focused on her that he jerked when Danko slapped his shoulder, hard.

  “Aren’t you cold? You are naked, my friend. You trying to impress the lady with your physique, or your package?”

  A growl rumbled up through his chest, erupting ferociously when he spun around to face his friend who stepped back, hand up before him. “Hey, no need for that, I’m joking.”

  Zohar shook his head, trying to clear it from the red haze of fury that had overtaken him as Danko eyed him warily. Finally, he felt as if he could talk without saying something to further embarrass himself. “We need to talk. Now.”

  “I agree,” Danko replied, giving him a look that said far more than those two words. “We have a room in Gwenola’s cabin, on the bottom floor with our own bathroom. You can shower and maybe calm the hell down before we have our talk.”

  Zohar saw his friend shake his head before taking off toward the cabin, muttering under his breath.

  “Damn it.” Zohar glanced back to where he’d last saw Maisy, his Wolf yipping wildly in his head as he pulled his eyes away and followed Danko.

  This magical spell was growing stronger and he had to get Sherman here pronto . . . before he lost control and his fucking sanity.

  Danko waited for him at the door of the cabin. His friend cocked his head to the side as he came in. “You okay now? I thought you were going to explode out there.”

  “I’m fine,” Zohar replied curtly. “Until we’re certain that Jermaine won’t try to return then it would be best if nobody is wandering around at night.”

  “I’m not sure I agree.” Danko closed the door before leading Zohar to their room. “First, Jermaine is a coward so I can’t see him coming back here. Second, our men are the best so they’d soon deal with any trespassers long before they got anywhere near the camp. And lastly, I’ll go out on a limb here and say that if it were anyone other than Maisy out there that you would not have reacted as you did. Why don’t you just admit what’s staring you right in the face, Zohar?”

  Zohar stomped through the bedroom toward the only other door, assuming it was the bathroom. It was, so he disappeared inside, refusing to answer the pointed question. “What’s more to the point, Danko, is who the fuck is in charge here . . . you or me?”

  Not waiting for a reply, he kicked the door closed and leaned against it while taking in great gulps of air. Never had he come so close to losing his temper, not once, but several times in one day. It was unheard of for him. He was Zohar, the most feared Enforcer and he didn’t gain that title by losing his cool at the drop of a hat. Yet here he was hiding in a bathroom so his friend couldn’t see how close he was to flipping out completely.

  Shit. He had to calm down and get help and the only person he knew that had the power to do that was Sherman Fucking Kelly. He didn’t look forward to being in the Witch’s debt but he had no choice in the matter. When magic was involved there was only one place to turn and that was the Council’s top Witch.

  Now all he had to do was explain to Danko and get Sherman here to do his voodoo hickery pockery and finally rid him of these damn feelings.

  When he reappeared from his shower he found Danko sprawled on one of the two single beds in the room. His friend keeping watch on his every move as he grabbed his pack and pulled out some clothes and threw them on before sitting on the opposite bed.

  “I’ll be contacting Sherman in the morning.” Zohar started. “He needs to come here and deal with this damn spell before I go out of my mind.”

  Danko didn’t look surprised but he shook his head. “I don’t think that’ll be possible.”

  “Why?” Zohar asked quickly
, worry eating away inside him at the thought of not getting his issue dealt with as quickly as possible.

  “I’m sure I mentioned he was away on a mission. He won’t be back for at least a week, possibly longer.”

  Zohar’s jaw clenched his words grinding out through his teeth. “No, I’m certain I would’ve remembered that.”

  “I didn’t tell you?” Danko frowned. “I thought I had? When you said about speaking to him . . . surely I said he was away? No matter, the fact is that he’s not available right now.”

  “Fuck.” Zohar jumped to his feet, pacing back and forth in the small room.

  “Zohar, you’ll be fine. Trust me, my friend, I’m certain after a few days here that you’ll feel much better. Just try and relax and stop getting so worked up. Get some rest and tomorrow we can discuss how to help this Pack get back on its feet. Okay?”

  Zohar couldn’t believe how blasé Danko was being when he felt as if he was about to crawl out of his skin. Between his Wolf acting like a soppy pup and Maisy’s scent affecting him as if it were some sort of love-potion, Zohar was anything but relaxed. How could he be? He wasn’t in control of his mind or body, never mind his damn beast.

  “Yeah, right,” he threw himself down onto the tiny bed, his feet hanging off the bottom so he had to lie on his side and bend his knees. “Relax you say? As if that’s going to happen anytime soon. Not until Sherman can release me from this fucking spell some bastard’s sicced on me. That’s when I’ll be able to relax and not a second before.”

  Danko turned over, his back to Zohar. “Hey, I’m here, I’ll make sure you don’t go crazy enough to be carted off to our illustrious prison. Well, hopefully. Goodnight, Zohar, I’m bushed and need some beauty sleep so try and keep your grumbling to a minimum, please.”

  “If you can stop snoring like a damn steam train,” Zohar retorted, closing his eyes and trying to get some much needed rest.

  The last thing he saw in his mind’s eye before being drawn over into the darkness of slumber was impossibly green eyes staring into his as they sobbed beside a grave. His heart lurching in his chest as he felt her raw grief wash over him. One thought cascading through his mind . . . mine.

  Danko smirked to himself as he turned away from Zohar, curling up to get himself comfy on the bed not made for someone as large as he was.

  His plan was coming together . . . if not particularly nicely, it was still heading in the right direction. In other words, he had Zohar still trapped here with Maisy. He’d been right there watching intently while she’d been at Libby’s grave and seen Zohar’s beast arrive. Although surprised, he’d been entranced when the Wolf had approached and it was now clearer than ever to him that Zohar and Maisy were fated mates.

  Now all he had to do was keep Zohar here and have the two of them constantly in each other’s presence and let the Goddess’ gift do the rest. Easy. Probably not, but he’d do whatever it took to help Zohar, and Maisy.

  The girl deserved this as much as his friend did. There was no mistake about that and Danko would work as hard at this mission as he did any other. Or die trying. Hell, if Zohar’s anger earlier was anything to go by, that might not be out with the bounds of possibility.

  His mind whirled around coming up with scenarios for the next day in which he’d have Maisy and Zohar together. Not until he’d fine-tuned his scheming did he allow himself to fall over into much needed rest, hoping that his friend didn’t call and check whether Sherman was indeed away on another job.

  Shoot, that would certainly put the cat amongst the canaries if he did. As far as Danko knew, Sherman was back at base doing absolutely nothing. Then again, he could be on another case, just not the one he’d concocted.

  His mind closing down, the smile remained on his face as sleep pulled him under. Flights of fancy running through his dreams where the mighty and fearsome Zohar ran through the forest chasing after a child . . . a boy that bore a striking resemblance to the Enforcer.

  Danko was rudely awakened by Zohar shaking him roughly. “Wake up and stop mumbling about babies!”

  “What?” Danko rubbed his eyes then glared up at a Zohar who was obviously fresh from the shower, towel drying his hair and already dressed.

  “You were talking in your sleep,” Zohar grumbled. “Something about babies and some other mushy stuff. I tried to shut you up and gave you a prod or two, but you just kept on and on. What the hell is going on with you?”

  “Me?” Danko unfurled himself from the bed, cracking his neck as he rose. “Nothing, nothing at all. Wait, what is that glorious smell? Food, wonderful food. I won’t be long.”

  He rushed into the steam filled bathroom and had a quick shower, returning to an empty room. Zohar was probably already in the kitchen, eating. No wonder, if he’d been wakened earlier he’d already be headed in the direction of those mouthwatering aromas.

  Danko threw on some fresh clothes, grateful for his shaved head and the time it saved him, as he sped out of the room and toward the kitchen. As he suspected, he found Zohar already filling his face with a hearty breakfast, Gwenola fussing over him as if he were visiting royalty.

  “Morning.” He grinned before sitting down. “This is amazing, far better than what we get back at base.”

  Gwenola handed him a plate, “Help yourself, there’s plenty to go ‘round.”

  “Thanks.” Danko didn’t need telling twice, piling his plate full as Gwenola gave him fresh brewed coffee.

  “Where are your daughters this morning?” Danko looked around.

  “Katel is resting, she didn’t have a good night,” Gwenola said sadly. “She has nightmares sometimes and last night was one of those nights. Florine and Jacinthe are taking inventory of what’s in our warehouse. We have no idea what’s there because, well, my asshole of an ex never allowed anyone but himself, or his men, access to it. We need to know what’s there and then Zohar will be better equipped to start dealing with the mess Jermaine has left.”

  Zohar looked up from his food, surprised. “That’s good thinking on your part, Gwenola, I’m grateful. I was going to send a couple of my men to start that task today so it saves some time.”

  Gwenola’s face flushed but instead of stepping away she came forward, lowering her eyes and asking, “If I may, Alpha, I have some ideas I’d like to run by you?”

  Danko watched as Zohar bristled at the title before agreeing. “What’s on your mind?”

  “This used to be a profitable Pack, years ago, when my father was Alpha and before Jermaine took over . . . or rather before he murdered my father in his damn sleep and took the Pack by force.”

  She stopped, her hands shaking. Danko cut in. “Why don’t you sit down and tell us?”

  Gwenola nodded. “Thank you.”

  Zohar pushed his food away, focusing on the woman as she sat opposite Danko. “Jermaine always had his eyes on the Alpha position, but he was never strong enough to take it from my father. He was a good looking young man though, and I was a young and stupid girl when he caught my eye. It wasn’t until it was too late I realized I was just part of his damn plan to get his hands on the Pack.”

  She stopped, heaving in several large gulps of air and for the first time Danko saw the depth of her despair as tears filled her eyes. He could feel her pain as he urged her to carry on. “You were young and not the first, nor the last, girl to be caught out by love, Gwenola.”

  Her eyes found his in a thankful look. “I suppose, but I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.”

  Danko saw her struggle to carry on and used his years of working with victims to help her. “Gwenola, why don’t you tell us everything? Take your time, and start at the beginning. Please, believe me when I say we’ve heard just about every horror story there is. So, don’t think you’ll be shocking us in any way. We’re here to help and maybe, if we know the background as to how the Pack got to this stage, it will aid us in moving forward.”

  Gwenola gave him a sad smile. “All right, I’ll try . . .”

>   Gwenola looked over at Zohar then down at her hands in her lap, taking a large breath in before she continued. “Anyway, Jermaine had been planning things for years. He had Marlon and several of his other men as backup but he needed to get in here, and I was that way in. Plus, to be accepted by the Pack afterward, he needed me by his side. So, he courted me, wooed me until I believed he loved me, adored me, and we mated and we moved in here with my father. My mother had died in an accident barely a year before so my dad was a little preoccupied, otherwise I’m sure he would’ve realized the deception.”

  Again she stopped, the retelling of the story obviously painful. Zohar’s face his usual inscrutable mask as he stared at her so it was left to Danko to coax the story out of her. “What happened?”

  “It was only two days after we’d mated, or rather, two nights. I woke in the middle of the night to find him gone from our bed, so I got up to go look for him and what I found is something that I’ll never forget.” Her hand flew to her throat as if the words were painful as she spoke them aloud. “First, I saw Marlon on the landing outside my father’s room, which scared the hell out of me. He should never have been in our home, but there he was, all cocky and when I opened my mouth to ask him what he was doing there he slammed me up against the wall and told me to shut up or he’d take pleasure in doing it for me. The next minute Jermaine walked out of my dad’s room with a knife in his hand, blood dripping from it and a huge smile on his face.”

  Her words caught in her throat as she fought to control herself. Zohar snarled and Danko couldn’t stop the curse that flew from him. “Fuck!”

  “When he saw me he came over and ran his tongue over my cheek before whispering, ‘I’m your Alpha now. You say one word about this and I won’t punish you, well, not at first. No, my sweet Gwen, I’ll start by gutting your best friend, then the next, and the next. And while I’m doing that I’ll allow Marlon and his friends to fuck you every which way, darling. By the time I get around to you, you’ll wish you’d never opened your fucking mouth.’ Then he laughed in my face, turned to Marlon and told him to prepare the Pack for the sad news the Alpha had died and that he, Jermaine, was now in charge.”