Wild Hearts_A Wild Lake Wolves Prequel

by Kimber White

  Luke moved like an avalanche, throwing his body between Able’s and mine. Four of Able’s wolves broke formation and charged him. But, Able put up a hand, halting their progress. He wanted Luke all to himself.

  “You can’t win, McGraw,” Able said. His eyes had gone full on wolf. So had Luke’s. In that instant, I realized the only thing tethering Luke to his humanity was me. His urge to shift overpowered him, making his legs shake. He curled his fists and his fingers turned black as a low rumble vibrated through him.

  He turned to me, eyes flashing. He transmitted a single word which my body had no choice but to heed. Run!

  I scrambled out from between Luke’s legs and ran toward Harold. He lay facedown on the ground a few yards away from the fray. Beside him, Victor’s wolf lay crumpled and broken. The black wolf and his companions had moved off and retaken their place along the perimeter of the yard. Victor looked at me. His eyes dimmed and his chest rose and fell with his dying breaths. I placed one hand on Victor’s front paw, the other on my brother’s legs and prayed.

  “Dad!” My anguished cry ripped from my throat. I couldn’t do this. Not again. My last moments with my mother tore through my mind as she lay dying on the bed in the living room.

  My father came to me. Tears streamed down his face as he hooked his hands under Harold’s armpits. Harold let out a weak groan as my father started to drag him toward the house.

  “Get him inside!” Grandpa called. “Quick!”

  I took one last look at Victor’s wolf. He’d thrown his body between my brother and instant death. Whether Harold could survive his wounds, I couldn’t tell, but he owed this brave wolf whatever time he did have left.

  Through a choked sob, I thanked Victor and ran my hand over the thick fur between his ears. Victor exhaled one last time and died.

  “Patsy!” My father’s cry snapped me away and I ran to him, grabbing Harold by the ankles so we could carry him into the house.

  I felt Luke behind me, circling Able. My Alpha’s mark flared hot with Luke’s need to fight. I couldn’t watch. One on one, I knew Luke was stronger. As connected to him as I was, I felt Able’s strength too. The power of the mark of one Alpha let me see into the soul of another. Luke was more powerful, quicker, and he had more to live for. But, I could also feel the undercurrent of Able’s hold on the other wolves. There were so many. I sensed close to fifty. At one word, Able would send them to cut down Luke’s pack one by one.

  “Get him to the couch,” Grandpa commanded. Dad gently laid Harold’s head against a pillow. It soon became soaked in red as the wounds on Harold’s face bubbled with blood. He coughed some of it up and tried to roll to his side.

  “Don’t try to move,” I ordered my brother, trying desperately to keep my voice calm. He bore three deep gashes across his face straight down to the bone. Grandpa came forward with a kitchen towel. I pressed it to Harold’s face to try and staunch the flow of blood. The pressure made him recoil in agony, but there was no help for it. He would soon bleed to death.

  “We have to get help,” I said. How, I didn’t know. Able would never let an ambulance or anyone else come up that hill.

  “Hold this,” I ordered my father.

  “Where are you going?”

  “I have to see if I can help Luke and the pack. I have to see if there’s a way.”

  “Patricia,” my father put a firm hand on my wrist. “We can’t. I told you, this isn’t our fight.”

  “Yes it is!” I wrenched my hand away. “That’s my pack out there fighting for their lives now. You saw it with your own eyes. That wasn’t just some wolf who got between Harold and the others. He made a choice. His name was Victor. If Harold lives, it’s because of him.”

  “She’s right,” Grandpa said, though his words faltered through his tears. “By God, Lloyd. You know she’s right. You can’t stick your head in the sand on this one. Bess wouldn’t have stood for it, and you know it. We might all die today, but at least we’ll do it fighting for each other and for this farm.”

  I exchanged a grim nod with Grandpa and reached for the shotgun he still held. Harold groaned then mercifully passed out. I just prayed he could hang on just a little while longer.

  I ran to the porch. Able’s wolves had closed in. In the center of the circle stood Luke and Able. The rest of Luke’s pack was pinned against the barn. Charlie, Jody, Roy, Joe, and Pete’s wolves stood shoulder to shoulder, snarling. I counted at least fifteen of Able’s pack advancing on them. Only Marcus was missing and I said a quick prayer that he’d gotten away in time with the twins. It’s the only thing that could have kept him from fighting right by Luke’s side.

  Able was calm while Luke’s wolf raged to get out. Sweat poured down his back and he threw a command to me to keep my distance. I raised the shotgun and put Able in the crosshairs, even though I knew my bullet would never be fast enough to reach him.

  “It’s over,” Able said. “You know you can’t kill me. But, you can still save her and the rest of your pack, Luke. I’m offering you that chance.”

  “No!” I shouted.

  Luke turned. When he leveled his gaze at me, it broke my heart in two. He would fight to save me, but if he lost, he wanted me to put down my weapon and live. I knew I wouldn’t. Grandpa was right, I’d rather die than submit to Able Valent.

  “You put up a good fight,” Able said, taking a step back and smiling. He spread his hands out, palms up in a conciliatory gesture. “You can be proud of that. You’re a good Alpha and you’ve led your pack well. But, it comes to an end like this for all of us. If you tell them to submit to me now, I’ll spare the rest of your pack. They can live under me and thrive. I’ll let your boy live too.”

  The moment Able said it, I felt it for the lie it was. Jarred might be just a boy, but he had Alpha blood coursing through his veins. Someday soon, he’d be a threat to Able. I just prayed Luke’s desperate gambit had worked. Everything else Able said was true. The clarity of it burned through me like acid. This was a fight Luke couldn’t win. As strong as he was, he was no match for Able and the circle of almost three dozen murderous wolves waiting for the command to kill him. Now, Luke could only stall for time so Marcus could get the twins to safety.

  “Wild Lake belongs to us,” Able said. “It’s our destiny to roam and hunt here. It called to you too. You can’t deny it. If it hadn’t been my pack, it would have been another. We’ve lived far too long under the shadow and threat of men. It’s time to take back what was stolen from us. I told you, you’re strong. That’s commendable. But, your time is over. Mine is the new way. The best way.”

  “You’re an abomination,” Luke said. “You take and steal by threat and murder. It’s not our way and you have no right to these lands.”

  Able shrugged. “So be it then. Now, you get to watch while I let my wolves rip yours apart. Then, maybe I’ll let you live long enough to watch while they have their way with her.”

  Able jerked his chin toward me and my blood turned to ice. “Cheer up, honey,” he called to me, laughing. “You’ve got just enough Alpha in you now, you’ll probably enjoy it. At least for the first few minutes.”

  Something broke inside of Luke. He couldn’t keep the beast at bay a second longer. He lunged at Able; his claws tore out of his fingers and his back rippled. His shirt tore at the seams and he got within an inch of Able’s throat before the pack closed in.

  I screamed, hurtling down the stairs. I couldn’t pick out a single wolf in the melee. Able shifted into his wolf. The larger pack stayed back, letting the two Alphas tear into each other. I knew how this would go. Luke would seize the advantage, but just before he went in for the kill, Able would call to his pack to save him. Luke’s plan tore through me. He was hoping he’d be able to take Able down with him, but he knew he too was going to die.

  I did the only thing I could and took aim while the other wolves were distracted. At the barn, the rest of Luke’s pack howled in unison, stirred by the spilled blood of their Alpha. But, Able�
�s wolves kept them back by their sheer numbers.

  I found my target. The black wolf, Harold’s attacker, moved with the circle surrounding Luke and Able. His focus was trained solely on his Alpha. It occurred to me that if I succeeded, killing him was a kind of mercy. It would free him from Able’s control at last. I knew that was the rational part of my brain talking. The passionate part didn’t give a shit. He had to pay for what he did to my brother no matter who ordered him to do it.

  I knew by instinct that only two shots would kill something so powerful. One through the heart, or one through the brain. An inch to the left or right and he would recover quickly and come straight for me.

  I squeezed the trigger.

  My aim stayed true and I hit the black wolf straight through the heart, killing him instantly.

  The rest of the pack was so focused on the battle raging at the center of the circle, none of them noticed the loss of one of their own. I closed my eyes and tried to see through Luke’s. He had gained the advantage, pinning Able down. Luke went for his neck. The pack moved as one, ready to take him down before he got the chance.

  Then, the air split in two with the chorus of scores of wolves coming in from all sides. The sound nearly deafened me and drove me to my knees. Luke froze in the circle, his thoughts reaching out to me.

  I’m okay, I shouted with my mind.

  Wolves poured in from everywhere. I recognized the golden-red fur of Philippe Lanier leading the charge. His pack of a dozen wolves surrounded him. To the east, another large gray Alpha came along with his pack, their paws skidding in the dirt as they reached the yard. From the north, another pack burst through the tree line. Two more rounded either side of the house.

  Luke came into himself again, his blood raging hot as he let his wolf go and rose on two feet. Able stayed low, but shifted too.

  Philippe Lanier stepped forward. He reached the edge of the circle of Able’s wolves then shifted.

  “It’s over when we say it is,” Philippe said.

  Able rose. His wolf eyes flashed golden and his fangs were still long, but he kept his wolf in check. “You have no claim to this land. It’s not your fight. This is between my pack and the McGraws.”

  “No, it isn’t!” My grandfather’s presence at my shoulder startled me. He stood tall and strong, no trace of the tremor that usually weakened his legs was there, for now. “Wild Lake is my land now. As long as I or any of my family draws breath, this land is sanctuary for the McGraw pack and any that they deem worthy.”

  “Lanier,” I whispered to Grandpa.

  “That includes the Lanier pack,” Grandpa said. “Let all the Alphas hear me. I speak for the Bonners. Our land is your land.”

  Luke put his shoulders back. His nostrils flared from the exertion of the fight, but his voice rang clear and strong. “And it includes the Monroes and the Matthews.” Two more Alphas stepped forward, leading their packs behind them.

  Able searched the line of wolves. His own pack fell in around him. The circle they had formed threatening Luke was now surrounded by four other packs. They were matched nearly wolf for wolf.

  My heart lurched. I prayed it would be enough. Able could still choose to fight. He didn’t have overwhelming numbers now, but this could still be a bloodbath.

  “You heard them,” Philippe said, closing in on Able. “Our packs fight together. Any move you make against one of us, you make against all of us. The Bonners are friends of the McGraw pack, so they are friends of all of us.”

  Able shifted again. His wolf tore out of him as his rage swelled. He arched his back and brought his head low in a fighting stance. But, to move on Philippe now would have been suicide. I felt Philippe’s struggle to stay human as my mark flared.

  Able’s wolf backed away. His pack parted, letting him put distance between himself and the line of Alphas that had formed in front of my porch. Luke’s wolf stood directly in front of me, his jaws snapped and he held his tail high.

  I envisioned Able fighting to the death. I felt his need to do it. But, something snapped inside of him and he chose another path. With lightning speed, he turned and darted down the hill. His pack moved out, widening their defensive line. Then, they turned tail and shot after him.

  Luke shifted. He turned to me and pulled me close to him. “Are you all right?”

  Gasping, I nodded.

  “Go!” Luke commanded. The two gray Alphas standing sentry on either side of the yard jerked their heads toward their packs. Then they split off and poured over the hillside after Able’s pack.

  “Your family is safe?” Philippe turned to Luke.

  Luke gave him a grim-faced nod as he held me close. Victor’s loss tore through his heart and mine. Something else flared beneath that. Luke knew it was a good death.

  “Harold.” I choked out my brother’s name. “Victor’s sacrifice means nothing if I lose my brother.”

  With Luke at my side, I turned back toward the house and prayed. I forced my way back into the house. My father knelt beside my brother, pressing the blood-soaked towel to my brother’s eyes.

  “Is he?” I couldn’t finish the sentence.

  Tears spilled out of my father’s eyes as he turned to me. “He’s alive, Patsy. But he’s lost so much blood.”

  My own blood seemed to leave my head, rushing straight down to my toes. “Call an ambulance,” I said, turning to Luke.

  Luke shook his head. “There’s no time.” He pushed passed me and went to Harold. In one, swift movement, he hoisted my brother into his arms and went to the doorway. Then, he carried him out into the yard. Luke took one great gulp of air, then he started to run. He was a blur of motion and lightning speed as he hurtled toward town.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Six Weeks Later…

  “No more! I lost my eyes, not my damn teeth!” Harold batted a hand in front of him. I dodged just in time before he sent a spoonful of green Jell-O splattering against the wall. His accuracy had improved, becoming damn near deadly.

  He sat on the couch, propped against a mountain of pillows. White bandages wrapped around his head, covering two round cotton pads over his eyes. He was alive and for that I thanked God every second. Luke saved him that day, getting him to the hospital quicker than any ambulance could have. But, Harold would never see again. He bore three deep gashes across his face. Deep scars that would mark that horrible day for the rest of his life. My heart twisted as he reached in front of him. I grabbed his wrist and put the empty spoon in his hand.

  “Potatoes at three o’clock, meat at six. Jell-O at nine.”

  “Sis, I got it. Will you quit hovering?”

  He might have been getting more accurate with the spoon, but he still couldn’t sense it when I leaned in to put a smooch on his forehead. “I love you, you pain in the ass. Don’t ever forget it.”

  Harold reached out and caught my arm. Squeezing back, he gave me a half smile. Anything more still caused him too much pain. But, he would heal. Until he learned how to manage on his own, I would be his eyes and he would let me.

  “Now, go on,” he said. “Get out of here. I lost my eyes, not my damn legs. Grandpa and I can manage for a few hours without you.”

  “Here, here!” Grandpa came to Harold’s defense, waving his own spoon in the air before he carved it into his green Jell-O.

  “You two are a pair, that’s for sure. If I say you deserve each other, take it as a compliment. Don’t forget, we’re still having a party later, smartass. Can’t wait to see how you do trying to blow out your candles. Keep giving me grief and I’ll let you burn your damn face off.”

  Harold stuck his tongue out at me, but the edges of his mouth quivered and I knew he was holding back a laugh. Score one for me.

  “Happy birthday, baby brother,” I said, blowing him another kiss.

  I rose from the edge of Harold’s couch and leaned over Grandpa, planting a smooch on his head for good measure. I pulled my apron off and flung it over one of the kitchen chairs before heading for th
e front door. I slung the handle of my picnic basket over my arm as I stepped outside.

  The sun shone bright and a chorus of cicadas rose. They started hatching down by the lake just this week. I shielded my eyes as I stepped off the porch and into the yard.

  “Faster! I want him to run!”

  “Now, hold on, Missy,” my father said. He led Rascal with a rope. Lucia sat high in the saddle, kicking her little legs to try and get the horse to move. But, Rascal knew who his master was today. He trained a big, black eye on my father.

  “Maybe next week,” Dad said. “Today, if you follow directions, we might work up to a slow trot. But first, you gotta learn how to control him without me standing right here.”

  “Good luck!” Jarred said. He poked his head out from the window of the loft. He lay on his stomach on a bed of hay resting his chin in his hands. He’d been trying to convince Dad all morning to let him jump onto Rascal’s back from that height.

  “Well, I see you’ve got your hands full!” I called out, laughing.

  “Patsy, lookit!” Lucia called out. She’d let me braid her hair this morning. They hung down her back, festooned with red yarn bows. She looked like a proper farm girl with her checkered red shirt and cutoff jeans. Dad found a pair of my old cowboy boots from when I was about her age. Lucia loved them so much she wanted to sleep in the things.

  “You’re a natural, kiddo!” I waved to her. “But listen to Grandpa Bonner. He knows what he’s talking about even if he is a pain in the butt while he’s saying it.”

  Both Lucia and Jarred erupted in a fit of giggles as my father shot me a stern look. I winked at him and bounded down the porch steps. I led Barney out of the paddock and mounted him bareback.

  “Ooh! I wanna do that too!” Lucia called after me. “This saddle hurts my butt sometimes.”

  “Rascal’s rib bones are gonna hurt a lot worse, Missy,” Dad cautioned. I laughed and Lucia’s voice faded as she launched into her next argument. I dug my heels into Barney’s side and let him have his head. He knew the way as much as my heart did.