Isabell? Isabell!
She heard his voice in her mind as if he was standing right next to her.
I’m here, Nash. I don’t know how long she will let me communicate with you, but we are okay. I’ve made shelter and fire. Look for the smoke!
The feeling of calm came over her, and somehow, she knew it was him, working through their link.
I see the smoke. I’m coming for you, my mate.
And like a sudden unplugging of the light, the feeling of her mate, the alpha, was gone.
“He’s close,” Isabell announced, tightening her hold on Harper as they waited for her new mate to find them.
As much as Nash wanted to run across the landscape to find his mate, he knew he had to tread carefully. There were no signs of animals in the forest, and he took peace in knowing his mate and cousin were safe.
He felt pride in knowing she’d found them shelter and started a fire. If there was a more perfect mate out there for him, he didn’t want it. Isabell was everything he would ever need and want in a partner.
By the way his heart galloped in his chest, he knew his wolf already loved her. If he was being honest with himself, he was falling fast and hard for her, too. Now, he just needed to find her.
“Isabell connected with me,” he announced once Mason and Fury came to his side. “She’s started a fire and said to follow the smoke.” Nash pointed above him, and they could see the smoke, but couldn’t exactly pinpoint the location.
“I need to get up and out of the forest,” Mason admitted scanning the landscape. “If I can get on that ridge, I might be able to pinpoint their location.”
Ahead of them was a small rise in the land. Not quite a mountain, but it was tall enough to give them the advantage of seeing over the tops of the trees.
The three males hurried along, climbing over downed trees. The wind was picking up out of the west, and Nash kept eyeing the sun as it got lower in the sky. “We have to find them tonight.”
“Look!” Mason hollered, pointing to the east. “They’re not far.”
“Thank the gods,” Fury exhaled. He was just as wound up about his lost mate as Nash was about his, and he knew everyone would be less anxious when they were back at the compound.
Nash wanted nothing more than to bundle his mate up and carry her back to his cabin to provide her with a hearty meal and a warm fire. His instincts to protect her were even more heightened since she’d gone missing at dawn.
He hated their gods for making them into animals on the full moon. There was no safety when it came to the shift. He couldn’t lock them up in a contained area for their shift each month, because that would be unethical. It was better to teach them, and their wolves, the lay of the land. This brush with disaster just pushed him to come up with a plan to get everyone better acquainted with the land outside of their normal range.
The males continued, ignoring the need to eat or stop to rest. He’d called out to Aspen earlier, giving her directions to follow their scents before they disappeared. She’d gone back to the cabins to grab clothing, and she finally met them as they reached the end of the ridge.
“I can smell the smoke,” Aspen announced.
“There they are,” Fury cheered, breaking away to run toward the small fire and makeshift shelter Isabell and Harper had constructed. Nash took off, running at full force behind Fury.
And when he burst through the trees, she came running for him…jumping into his arms. “Oh, Nash!”
“Are you okay?” he blurted, pushing her back as Aspen frantically dug through the backpack full of clothes. He brushed his gloved hands over her brown hair, checking every inch of her body. She didn’t have a scratch on her.
“I’m fine,” she admitted, sliding her arms around his body. “I’m just cold.”
“Here, put this on,” Aspen ordered, handing over a pair of sweats and waterproof pants. Next, an undershirt and a jacket. “We can make it home before dawn, but we have to get moving.”
Nash waited for his mate to cover her body. Once she was dressed and boots were on her feet, he took her home. It was a long night in the woods, but they worked together as a pack to find their way back to the compound, arriving as the sun was just breaking the horizon.
Chapter 11
“We need to work on expanding our range,” Nash announced as they all gathered at his cabin the next evening. He’d spent the next day caring for his mate, making sure she was filled with good proteins to give her and the wolf strength. “I don’t want what happened two night ago to ever happen again.”
“I agree.” Fury held Harper tighter than ever, and Nash was happy his cousin had the male for a mate. He would protect her and treat her right for the rest of their lives.
Isabell was sitting to his left just as his mother had supported his father; the original alpha to the Ward pack. They’d spent the day working on his airplane and just spending time together. He’d run a few ideas by her for the pack meeting they were having, and she’d given him advice on his plan.
“Isabell and I talked this afternoon,” Nash began. “We’d like to take a few days, when we have no clients, and hike out past our usual radius. We need to teach ourselves, and our wolves, the mountains and forest beyond that.”
“I’d like to go on a hiking trip,” Harper announced. “We have been secluded here for a long time.”
His cousin was right. “I thought that by keeping us to the smaller territory, it would keep us safer, but I was only thinking of our enemies, not our safety and knowledge as a whole.”
“I remember the way to the spot where Harper and I shifted,” Isabell stated. “I have worked out a map of a new radius of the compound. Sixty miles is a long way to hike, but we can do it.”
Nash’s heart swelled at his mate’s involvement. He wasn’t sure how having a once human mate would affect his pack, but he could already tell she was going to be an asset. When she reached up and touched his leg to get his attention, he realized he was staring at her.
“I’m sorry, what did you say?” Fury’s eyes widened. He’d been perfectly content with keeping their territory tight, but Nash knew Isabell was right in her suggestion.
“Have you ever tried carrying a pack on your wolf? Is that even possible?” Isabell asked the others.
“We’ve never tried it, but it’s not impossible,” Nash replied, pinching his brows together as he wondered where her train of thought was leading. “Why?”
“If we could pack out supplies with us, it would make for an easier trip.” She shrugged and turned for the others. “I was thinking about what Nash wanted; to train our humans and wolves. If we shift and carry a pack, we can camp in our human forms and travel as wolves. It might be the right thing to do.”
“We can cover more ground in our shifted forms,” Harper said.
“We have enemies, Isabell,” Aspen reminded her. Nash had thought of that, too, but his mate was brilliant in her plans. She was going to make for a strong alpha mate.
“Okay, but listen,” his mate smirked. “In the daylight hours, we travel as wolves. We can scent humans a mile away, and should we come across some, we can change our course. At night, in our human form, if an enemy shifter comes along, he won’t immediately know we are wolves unless they get close enough to scent us. I’m sure a shifter would hear human voices or see a camp and assume we are nothing to them. It’s safe, and having a pack on a few of our wolves will ensure we are protected from the elements while human.”
“She has a great idea.” Mason smiled, nodding his head in agreement.
“Let’s make our plans and head out next Tuesday,” Nash announced, reaching for his mate’s hand. The other members of the pack noticed and climbed to their feet. “We will meet again Monday night to prepare our packs.”
After everyone’s nod of agreement, they left the cabin with promises of seeing each other the next day. Until Tuesday, they had to work, and supplies were scheduled for delivery to the humans who lived out in the bush. Isabell
had to finish her article and get it emailed to the editor. He wasn’t sure how they were going to handle her residence outside of the city yet, but they’d figure things out before winter set in.
“Did I overstep?” Isabell asked as she came into Nash’s arms.
“No, love, you didn’t,” he promised, taking a moment to cup her face and kiss her. “You are perfect for an alpha’s mate.”
“I don’t know about that,” she blushed, but raised up on her toes so she could mimic his pose by taking his bearded face between her palms. “I do know that I feel at home here, and I want everyone to be safe. I want them to have the knowledge of the land. It’s obvious you all have secluded yourselves from the outside world for a reason, and I get it. I really do. But you shouldn’t limit yourselves. This land is beautiful and should be explored, Nash.”
“And that’s why I love you, Isabell Palmer,” he whispered, kissing her again to cover her gasp. “You came into my life when I wasn’t looking for a mate. I’d resigned myself to hiding out and keeping the rest of us safe instead of finding a partner. I don’t ever want to go through what happened to my family again.”
“I pray you never have to experience that again,” she whispered.
“Now, you blew through here with a beautiful face and an even sexier mind. You’ve shown me the beauty I’d long stopped caring for because of my past, and I know we haven’t known each other long, but I love you, Isabell. I do, and I want you to love me and help me run this pack.”
“Oh, Nash,” she whispered with tears building in her eyes. “I love you. I think I loved you before you even touched me that night in the woods when you protected me with your life.”
“I’ll protect you with everything I have…for the rest of our lives…if you’ll have me,” he vowed.
“I’ll take you, Nash,” she promised, taking his lips.
Nash picked up his mate, wrapping her legs around his waist. It was time to start their mated life together and live the life that was meant for him long before the tragedy that stopped the pack from caring about the world around them.
About the Author
About Theresa Hissong:
Theresa Hissong is the bestselling author of the Rise of the Pride series. She writes paranormal romance, rockstar romance, and romantic suspense.
She enjoys spending her days and nights creating the perfect love affair, and she takes those ideas to paper. When she’s not writing, Theresa spends her free time traveling and attending concerts all over the United States.
Look for other exciting reads…coming very soon!
Other Books by Theresa Hissong:
Fatal Cross Live!
Fatal Desires
Fatal Temptations
Fatal Seduction
Fatal Intentions
Rise of the Pride:
Talon
Winter
Savage
The Birth of an Alpha
Ranger
Kye
The Healer
Dane
Booth
Noah
Taze
Storm
Morgan Clan Bears
Mating Season
Mating Instinct
The Ward Wolf Pack Novella Series
His Lost Mate
Incubus Tamed
Thirst
Standalone Novella
Something Wicked
Book for Charity
Fully Loaded
Club Phoenix
The Huntress
Cycle of Sin on Tour
Rocked (A Rockstar Reverse Harem Novel)
His Lost Mate (The Ward Wolf Pack Novella Series, Book 1) Page 8