Primal Instincts

by Melissa Schroeder

  “Oh!” Alex said.

  He cocked his head to the side and approached the bed. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and stood, then kneeled down to his level. She rubbed her hand against his fur.

  He turned his head into the palm of her hand and slid his tongue over her fingers.

  She shivered against him.

  “It was you,” she whispered. “I saw you the other night.”

  The breathless quality of her voice danced over his nerves, and he had to transform back.

  The light crackled, the burst of energy, and he was himself again. He saw the arousal in her gaze, and he knew it had more to do with the situation than with him. If she were some kind of conduit for their pack, his wolf would attract her.

  “Yes, it was me.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  He rolled his eyes and pulled on his knit boxers and sat on the bed next to her. “We talked about that. If I had walked up to you and said, ‘Hey, babe, I’m really a man who can turn into a wolf,’ you would have never believed me.”

  “First, I don’t like being called babe. I had a boyfriend do that to me, and I realized it was because he could never remember which woman he was with.”

  “Noted.”

  “Secondly, okay, it would have been weird; and true, I might not have believed you. But, hey, you could have shifted in front of me. Like you just did.”

  Admitting his real reason for not explaining was beyond him. He had been raised to be Alpha, and acknowledging his vulnerabilities was not something he knew how to do. Especially in front of the woman he knew was his mate.

  “And you would have freaked.”

  “Maybe.”

  “No, you would have. Also, you would have left town. I couldn’t have that.”

  “So, that was what was important to you. I needed to be here to do my job.”

  He felt the Earth shift beneath him, and knew what he said at this moment was important. But before he had to make the decision, there was a knock on the door and it opened. Caleb stuck his head in.

  “Your mom’s awake, and she wants to see you two. Especially Alex. She says she remembers some of the attack.”

  “Alex needs her rest.”

  She frowned at him. “Your mother was attacked, and you want me to stay in bed and wait?”

  The tone of her voice told him exactly how she felt. There was a tinge of irritation and a lot of disapproval.

  How did he explain it to a woman who didn’t understand pack dynamics? He knew his mother would be safe now. His father was there and, while he did love and cherish his mother, he had his mate to consider now. She was his most prized possession, the one thing he couldn’t live without. Literally.

  He opened his mouth to respond, but she plowed ahead. “Please, don’t disagree with me because we’re sleeping together. I can take care of myself and this town. Give me a second to wash up, then I’ll be ready to go.”

  She stood up and wobbled a bit, but she made it to the bathroom. After she had shut the door, Caleb chuckled. Jake shot his cousin a dirty look.

  “Hey, don’t give me that look. You knew as well as I did when you found your mate that she would be a handful. You were never one for weak women, and we need a good, healthy mate to help you lead us.”

  “Yeah, well, do me a favor, keep your voice down. She might know we’re wolves, but that doesn’t mean she is ready to accept her place in our world.”

  What the hell happened to her ordinary life? The one she thought so damned boring she didn’t know if she could take it, was gone. Replaced by wolves and some freaky powers she didn’t want to deal with. Oh, and the man who made her body melt with the sound of his voice was a fucking wolf.

  She bent over the sink to rinse her face. When she looked at herself in the mirror, she paused. Alex expected to look bad. Hell, when she first worked on Abigail, she thought she would pass out. Now, though, there was a glow about skin, as if she’d had a full night’s sleep. Energy hummed through her blood.

  Before she could discern what that was about, there was a knock at the door.

  “Alex, are you okay?”

  She rolled her eyes. Jake was going to be a handful to deal with from now on. If what she knew about wolves was true, she was pretty sure he was the Alpha of the pack, and that would make him a pain in the ass.

  Alex closed her eyes. She was actually standing in a bathroom thinking about her lover—the werewolf.

  “Alex?”

  “Don’t get your panties in a wad. I’ll be out in a second.”

  She was sure she heard Caleb laugh. There was a low murmur of male voices, and then silence. With a deep breath, she opened the door.

  She caught Jake off guard with his hand in the air, ready to knock on the door. Unfortunately, he had dressed again.

  “What the hell, Jake?”

  He lowered his arm and stared at her. For a second, something clicked between them when their gazes met. She had always thought things like that were just crap made up for movies. But something shifted in her—a need curled deep within her belly, then filtered out through her blood. It pulsed through her as her flesh heated and every ounce of moisture dissolved in her mouth. She didn’t have to check her nipples to see if they were hard. Hell, they ached, waiting for his touch again. Alex was also pretty sure that her panties were now damp.

  Shit.

  “I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

  She didn’t roll her eyes again, but it was close. She needed space. And time. Thinking had always helped her in a situation like this, but she knew that matters at hand weren’t going to give her the space she needed. “Let’s go.”

  She felt his presence hulking behind her.

  By the time they reached his mother, her skin was crawling and her temper was boiling. Still, she didn’t want to argue in front of his parents.

  “They won’t care,” he said.

  She turned and looked at him. “What?”

  “My parents are accustomed to heated debates. It’s part of our lives.”

  “I didn’t say that out loud.”

  “I heard it,” he said, leaning closer and brushing his mouth against her cheek. “Just like you heard me this morning. Get used to it.”

  She shook her head. “I’m not sure I can handle all that.”

  He said nothing, but his smile told her he wasn’t really going to give her a choice. And sadly, she wasn’t really sure she wanted him to. She turned away from the temptation he represented and walked through the doorway into Abigail’s bedroom.

  Abigail was, once again, in her human form, dressed and under the covers. Her skin had lost some of its golden color, and she had dark circles under her eyes. Beyond that, she looked okay. Bud was sitting beside the bed, holding her hand as if he were afraid to let her go.

  “Alexandra, thank you so much for saving me.”

  “You’re welcome,” she said. “Caleb said you remembered something.”

  “Don’t push yourself, Aunt Abigail,” Caleb said from the corner.

  The older woman leveled her nephew with a look that would have had Alex backing up.

  “You just sit there and be quiet. I have things to say, and then I want to sleep. And for the record, I did survive the attack because of being an Alpha’s wife.” Then she turned to Alexandra. “We have a killer in our pack, and I don’t think she’s done yet.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Every hair on the back of Alex’s neck stood on edge. She knew that Abigail Sanderson was not a woman given to hysterics. There was no doubt that she was telling the truth. The look in the older woman’s eye was all that Alex had to see. She might be weak right now, but Abigail’s determination was easy to see.

  “You think there are going to be more murders?” Jake asked from behind her.

  His mother looked over Alex’s shoulder and nodded.

  “You said she,” Alex said. “Are you sure it’s a woman?”

  “I would know Mildred Foster
’s voice anywhere. She was ranting about some kind of injustice done to her and her family.”

  “Wait, I thought she was in jail,” Caleb said.

  “We can only hold her so long and she does have the best attorney on retainer,” Alex said. I always knew there was something off about her. I never guessed she was this bat-shit crazy.”

  Alex smiled. There was something in Abigail’s tone that told her Jake’s mom would have a go at Mildred if the woman were present.

  “Did she and Wilbur ever have any children?” Alex asked.

  Abigail shook her head. “Which is odd, but it happens from time to time. Especially when you don’t marry your true mate.”

  “Someone else was her true mate? You mean the drunk she has been putting up with all these years isn’t her mate?” Jake asked. “Why would she put up with him, then?”

  Abigail sighed. “Appearances.”

  Bud looked at his wife and patted her hand. He looked at Alex. “Mildred came from one of the most powerful packs in North Texas, the Denton Wolf Pack. Or, at least, they were pretty high and mighty back in the day. Urban crawl has cut into their territory. At the time, Mildred’s family was considered the second most powerful family in that pack. The rumor was that her true mate left her. I never knew why, but I’m starting to wonder if it had something to do with insanity in her bloodline.”

  “Why did she come here?” she asked.

  “Wilbur’s family had a lot of money. Besides, her chances of attracting another mate within her pack would be low. Rumors had already started to circulate.” Bud shook his head. “We are an inclusive species. We’ve taken in humans from time to time, but when you start talking about tainted bloodlines…that’s serious.”

  Abigail nodded. “And from what I heard today, he was right to run the other direction. There is something seriously wrong with that woman.”

  Alex thought over the last few months she had been there and everything she knew about the Fosters. The idea that a woman with that much pride had settled for someone like her husband boggled her mind.

  “But Drunk Wilbur? What happened?” she asked.

  “Oh, he still has some money, and at the time, he was just one of those crazy, fun guys. He drank, but not to the point he does now. Truthfully, though, he started to drink more and more after the marriage,” Bud said.

  “That all makes sense, now,” Bud said. “If she’s as crazy as you’re saying, then it would drive anyone to drink.”

  “And, the loss of money—that can’t help,” Abigail said. “Wilber just doesn’t have his father’s knack with finances, and too much pride to step down and let his younger brother take over.”

  “And when he married Mildred, everything seemed to fall apart,” Bud said. “He couldn’t seem to make anything work.”

  “I can understand that,” Jake said. “The woman could make the most virile man impotent with her voice.”

  “So, they lost money?” Alex said.

  “It had something to do with a land deal. They were going to build some kind of shopping center outside of town. Way outside of town, but it was close enough that they would catch our traffic.”

  She shook her head. “You’re telling me this may have nothing to do with the pack, but a bad land deal?”

  Bud cocked his head to the side as if thinking about it. “It makes sense. There was a time when Jake had indicated he wasn’t interested in Alpha.”

  “Wait, you mean there isn’t some kind of challenge and a fight and stuff?” She felt her face heat. She sounded like a teenage girl who had read one too many paranormal romances.

  Jake chuckled as he sat on the bed beside his mother. “No. Well, there can be, but at that point, I was eighteen and wasn’t in the mood to be in charge. The rumors filtered through Texas. When there isn’t an Alpha to take over, there can be a bid to take control.”

  She looked at Abigail. “But you have nephews.”

  Abigail chuckled. “She assumed they would just let it go.”

  “Fat chance of that,” Caleb said, crossing his arms over his chest.

  Abigail smiled. “But still, Mildred was a woman who needed status. The push to get Alpha and Wilbur was always trying to make a quick buck.”

  “So, the land deal?”

  Bud took over. “They invested in that land just south of town. It would have been close enough to San Antonio to draw some of the smaller communities west of the city, as well our own town. But the deal fell through.”

  “Does anyone know why?”

  Bud made a face. “There were some discrepancies with the money and the way it was being handled. Most of the partners came out okay, but…Wilbur didn’t. He was never the brightest bulb, so there were rumors he was taken advantage of. They recovered, but nothing compared to what they had before.”

  “They even had to sell their ranch north of town. Wilbur started drinking even more and that was it.”

  “What were the names of the partners?” she asked, her mind already leaping ahead. For a woman who craved stature, being the one losing partner of a land deal would not have set well with Mildred.

  Bud rattled off the names.

  Jake gave her a sharp look; suddenly, understanding lit his eyes. “Oh, damn. That has to be it. The girls.”

  “Yeah. Everyone but the Bufords.”

  Her blood chilled. “They still live in town. Doesn’t their daughter run the flower shop here in town?”

  She had met the woman once or twice, but she didn’t really know that much about her. She had a sweet smile and always waved when Alex walked by the shop.

  “Yeah,” Jake said.

  “What’s her name?”

  “Sarah.”

  She already had her phone in hand and was dialing. Adrenaline was pumping hard, her entire body pulsing with the need to take action. She knew without a doubt that this was definitely the connection they had been trying to make.

  Dillon picked up on the first ring.

  “Chief,” he said, his voice indicating he was bored. “What’s up?”

  “I need to you to get over to Sarah Buford’s house.”

  “Is there a problem?”

  “There is a good chance she’s Mildred’s next target. Get your ass there now.” She didn’t wait for him to respond. She clicked off the phone.

  Jake followed on her heels as she walked down the hall. She stopped abruptly and he ran into her back. “I need my gun.”

  He shook his head and went to a locked case. After unlocking it, he waved his hand. “Take what you want. We really don’t use them, but they’re cleaned and in good working order.”

  “And registered?” she asked, picking up a nice 9 millimeter.

  “Of course, officer.”

  His voice rolled over the word officer, and she looked up at him. She heard the arousal in his voice.

  “What?”

  He shrugged. “It’s kind of hot when you get all official.”

  “You’re telling me you get aroused when I start barking orders?”

  He nodded with a stupid smile on his face.

  “Oh, good Lord.” She turned and walked to the entrance and down the stairs. “We need magazines.”

  “Stop by the family room. Dad stores them there.”

  Which made them smart. Of course they were smart. They were the leaders of a pack of wolves.

  Good Lord, she was sleeping with a wolf.

  “You know the way to her house?” she asked as he handed her the ammunition.

  “Of course.”

  “Good, let’s go.” As soon as they were heading down the road, her phone buzzed again. “What’s up, Dillon?”

  “She’s not here, but there are signs of a struggle, Chief. Someone definitely took her.”

  “Dammit.” She thought through the conversation she’d just had. “Hey, Jake, where was that shopping center supposed to be built?”

  “Over off of highway eight-four.”

  “I know where you’re talking about,” Di
llon said on the phone, and she could tell he was already moving.

  “Call Jed, have him come.”

  Jake pulled over.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I can make it faster through the fields running. You take the car.” He gave her the coordinates of the location, and she punched them into the navigation system. Then, he slipped out of the cab of the pickup. She moved over to take the seat he’d vacated. She opened the window and he leaned in. He took her face in both hands and kissed her. It was hot and fast and filled with so much possessiveness.

  “Go. I’ll head through the fields. We can cut the chances of not getting there in time. You stay safe, Alex.”

  “You too.”

  He nodded and stepped away from the pickup. Then, he stripped out of his clothes, handing them to her.

  “Go,” he said.

  She took off. There was a bright flash in the rearview mirror, and she watched as he loped off into the field. She pressed the gas to the floor, hoping they made it there before it was too late.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Alex stopped when she saw the clearing. There was a fence that was mostly on the ground and overgrown, but there was no sign of Jake. It was eerily silent, with a wisp of fog hugging the ground. It was odd to see this time of year, but the area was closer to the river.

  She took the Beretta and stepped out of the car. The moment she did, she realized why the area seemed so odd—there wasn’t an animal in the vicinity. She would have sensed something…rodents, predators…something. But, there was nothing. It was as if some deathly silence filled the area.

  Tightening her hold on the gun, she walked around, at first keeping her back to the truck and allowing her gaze to take in the entire scene. There was nothing, not even another car in the area. She saw a path that led out of the clearing and decided that was the best bet. She moved away from the truck, and had only taken three or four steps when she heard a rush of footsteps behind her.

  She turned just in time to get a fist to her face. It was enough to knock her off her feet, sending her flying backward. She landed on the hard ground with a thud, her head smacking violently enough to leave her dazed. When she sat up, she realized she had lost her gun.