Wicked Cowboy Wolf

by Kait Ballenger

  Chapter 4

  What had she gotten herself into? Mae swallowed—hard—as Rogue tugged on the reins. His deep voice wrapped around her, smooth as velvet.

  “Almost there now,” he said.

  Those were the first words he’d spoken to her since they’d escaped Wolf Pack Run. For the past several hours, they’d ridden in silence, only the late-night sounds of the forest and the bright summer moonlight guiding their way. Cradled in the darkness and with the gentle sway of the horse beneath her, she’d lost herself in the passing of the trees, so much so that she’d almost allowed herself to forget the mysterious wolf at her back.

  She had no such comfort now.

  As his horse slowed, Rogue dismounted, making quick work of removing his remaining weaponry from the leather saddlebag. Mae watched as he retrieved three extra blades. He slipped one into each boot before he passed the third to her. “For protection,” he grumbled. “Helluva a lot better than a kitchen knife.”

  “You say that like a chef’s knife is useless for stabbing someone.”

  He pegged her with a hard look. “In untrained hands, it is.”

  Mae averted her gaze. Somehow, she got the impression he knew that from experience. She turned the knife over in her hands. She was still perched in the saddle.

  “You gonna dismount?” he drawled.

  “We’re stopping here?” Mae arched her brows as she looked around them. “We’re less than a mile from the border of the packlands.”

  “I’m aware of that.” He drew a flask from the back pocket of his jeans. “We’ll walk from here.”

  “Why?”

  He swirled the whiskey inside his flask. The smoky scent drifted to Mae’s wolf senses on the summer breeze. He didn’t answer. Instead, he drew a long swig from the flask. “Are you incapable of walking?” he asked. “I offered you protection, not pampering, Princess.”

  She scowled. “If you’re implying I’m high maintenance, save it.” With one quick swoop of her leg, she dismounted, landing in the dirt with a graceful thud. A layer of grime covered her bare feet and her nightgown hem, and she clutched his blade in her hand. She knew she looked every bit the stubborn country girl. “For your information, I figured we’d at least find a rogue house.”

  The cottages—which, from Mae’s understanding, were scattered throughout the country—provided a safe haven for packless wolves.

  A bemused grin crossed his lips. “How’s a pack wolf like you know anything about that?”

  She shrugged. “My cousin, Belle. The one you met in the vampires’ cells. She’s told me plenty about rogues.”

  A once-rogue wolf and physician who’d been coerced into a nefarious pack called the Wild Eight, Belle Beaumont was now as Grey Wolf as they came, considering she was mated to the Grey Wolf high commander, Colt Cavanaugh.

  Rogue cast Mae a dark glance. “If you’ve got a problem roughing it, you can thank your brute of a brother. There’re no rogue houses within a hundred-mile radius of Wolf Pack Run, thanks to him.”

  She bristled. “Maverick is fearsome to his enemies, but he’s not a criminal.”

  “I might be a criminal, but you can trust in that.”

  “I do.” Her hand rested on the leather of his mustang’s saddle. Her features tightened and her eyes flashed to those of her wolf, drawing into a look that was meant to be threatening. “You knew about that attack,” she accused. “Are you in league with the vampires?”

  He smirked. From his display of amusement, he thought she was no more a threat to a wolf like him than a fly. If she was honest with herself, she likely wasn’t. He held the upper hand between them, whether she liked it or not.

  “If you truly believed that, you wouldn’t have come with me. You wouldn’t be trusting me to find the bloodsucker to create the antidote for you and your packmates.” He pocketed his flask. “I’ve done a lot of things, but colluding with vampires isn’t one of them.”

  “How can I be certain?”

  “Says the woman who alerted them to our hiding place.”

  She gaped at him. “What was I supposed to do? Let them kill Tucker?”

  “Last I checked, you could have chosen not to endanger our lives for the sake of a hog.”

  She wrinkled her nose in disgust. “Tucker’s not a hog. He’s a teacup pig.”

  His brow furrowed. “There’s a difference?”

  She placed her hands on her hips. “Of course there is.”

  Rogue adjusted his Stetson. “A hog by any other name still rolls in sh—”

  “Hush your mouth,” she hissed. “He takes buttermilk baths, you monster.”

  He chuckled again as he stepped away from her. “Is that to make the bacon more flavorful?”

  Her jaw dropped. “Tucker will never be bacon,” she growled.

  “You work on a ranch,” he countered.

  She knew as well as he did that the Grey Wolves sold their livestock to make a living. It was the way most people—werewolves or not—made their living around these parts. But that didn’t mean she had to consume the product the pack produced.

  “Yes, but I’m a vegetarian,” she said.

  “Of course you are. A vegetarian rancher who names their livestock,” he gently mocked.

  “I can respect the work of my pack without endorsing it.” She placed her hands on her hips. “And I don’t see how naming Tucker is any different from you naming your horse.”

  “Bee is not food.”

  “Neither is Tucker.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “What kind of a name is B anyway? It’s a letter. Not a name.”

  “Like Tucker is so much better. It rhymes with fuc—”

  She growled again, interrupting him. “It’s because he loves to tuck his blankets into a pile with his snout.”

  “He’s a pig. It’s called rooting, like when they look for acorns in the wild, and Bee is a nickname. His full name is Beelzebub.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “What a horrible name for such a gentle giant.”

  “You’ve never seen him backed into a corner.”

  As if in response, the horse in question stomped one of his front legs and started biting at his reins to get free. Rogue reached into the horse’s mouth and removed its bit, only for the beast to snap at his hand in response. He cursed at it beneath his breath as Mae examined the forest around them.

  Still on edge from the vampire attack, every sound, every movement alerted her.

  “If we slow our pace, they could find us,” she warned.

  From the dark grin on Rogue’s lips, her response amused him. “So worried Big Brother will come after you?” He cleared his throat. “Don’t worry, Princess. Your brother and his minions won’t notice you’re missing yet.”

  She scowled. She’d meant the vampires, not her packmates, but he’d meant to irk her and he’d succeeded. “Those minions are the Grey Wolf elite warriors,” she grumbled. “And my packmates. The same packmates I want to protect from the vampires and their serum.” She paused and drew in a deep breath. What sort of damage had been done to her home, her family and friends?

  Rogue seemed to read the concern on her face, and the harshness in his features softened. “Forget about your pack and the vampires for now. Come sunrise, we’ll be long gone.” He stepped forward, pegging her with a dark stare. Even in the moonlight, his eyes were stunningly blue, chilling and as cool as ice. “And you will be safe.”

  It was a brutal reminder of all that was at stake—the antidote, her pack, her life—and everything he’d done to save her.

  He’d been so heroic. Nothing like the criminal character his reputation painted.

  Mae was about to say as much, but Rogue froze. His eyes flashed golden. Had he been in wolf form, his haunches would have risen in fierce warning. Mae stiffened. She heard it too. A rustle in the bushes.

 
Slowly, as the rustling grew louder, Rogue reached to his boot, grabbing the dagger he’d secured there. He eased it from its sheath, crouching in preparation for a fight as Mae clutched the blade he’d given her until her fingers turned white. Her heart raced.

  But instead of a threat, a small pink-and-black-spotted piglet emerged from the bushes.

  “Tucker!” Mae squealed, instantly dropping the knife.

  “Shit,” Rogue swore.

  Mae raced toward the piglet, scooping him into her arms and cradling him against her as she cooed. “Oh, you sweet, sweet baby.”

  Rogue quirked a brow. “How the hell did he get all the way out here?”

  “Maybe he hid in one of our bags?” Mae shrugged. “What does it matter? He’s here now.” She tickled under the pig’s chin. “You found us, you smart little piggy.”

  “Intelligent bacon,” Rogue grumbled. “Who knew?”

  The horse gave a huff of acknowledgment.

  “Pigs are incredibly smart,” she shot back.

  Rogue was shaking his head. “Pigs aren’t smart. They’re easy to train. They’re gluttons motivated by food.”

  “Hush,” she hissed at him, drawing closer to where he and Bee stood. But as she did so, Tucker let out an angry grunt, snapping and biting at the air as they neared Bee.

  In response, Bee growled. Actually growled. The horse bared its teeth, snapping its jaws at Tucker as his dark eyes flashed in anger. Mae was certain she’d never heard a horse growl before, except for Black Jack, a hellion of a beast belonging to Wes, the Grey Wolf second-in-command. In an instant, Rogue’s typically sweet horse suddenly looked as if he’d been possessed by a demon. Hell, it put even ornery old Black Jack to shame.

  Mae blanched, scurrying back with Tucker still grunting angrily in her arms.

  “Easy. Easy.” Rogue tugged on Bee’s reins, fighting to calm the mustang.

  “Apparently, Beelzebub is a fitting name,” Mae muttered.

  Rogue shot her a look of I told you so. “That was nothing. I suggest you keep that monstrous little hog away from him.”

  She stroked Tucker’s smooth hide in an attempt to calm him. “It isn’t Tucker’s fault. It’s his instincts. Pigs are very territorial.”

  “He’s no match for Bee’s temper when he lets loose, and unlike your pig, Bee isn’t destined to be food.”

  “No, but if he comes after Tucker again, he may be glue when I’m through with him.”

  Rogue ignored her comment. Gripping the reins of his horse, he led the mustang alongside him, heading into the shadows.

  “Where are you going?” Mae asked.

  “To the river.”

  She quirked a brow. “The river?”

  The river ran just along the outskirts of Grey Wolf territory. It was the marker the pack recognized as the end of their lands. She and her closest childhood friend, Jared, had ventured there once when they were children. It’d taken them all day to make the trip, and they’d returned so late after dark that the Grey Wolf soldiers patrolling the packlands had needed to escort them back home. Their parents had nearly skinned both their hides. But the adventure had been worth it.

  Rogue sauntered into the darkness, leading his horse behind him.

  The shadows swallowed them both, leaving Mae standing there alone.

  She hesitated, staring at the spot where Rogue had disappeared. Despite the fact that she was alone and rarely trekked this far from the ranch, this part of the forest felt familiar, safe. She was still within the reach of her packmates. But just up ahead, near the river, the shadows looming over her might as well have been screaming.

  This way lies danger.

  But if she stayed…

  She thought of her brother, her packmates. The Grey Wolves wouldn’t surrender. The vampires might have caught the pack off guard this time, but she knew the fierce warrior wolves among her pack wouldn’t allow the vampires to overrun them. Even as she and Rogue had made their escape, it was clear from the sounds and the few glimpses she caught that the wolves were winning. She hadn’t been able to take in the full scale of the attack, but she suspected there were some casualties. Her heart broke at the thought. Innocent wolves, her friends and distant relatives, had been taken unaware by those bloodsuckers.

  And if Rogue was right, they’d come to Wolf Pack Run for her.

  And they would keep coming, keep hurting more innocents…

  Unless she put a stop to it.

  She set Tucker down before she finally charged after Rogue. Immediately, Tucker began rooting for acorns under a nearby tree. The piglet would follow her eventually. Using her wolf senses, she tracked Rogue’s scent until the roaring river rush sounded in the distance. She rounded a large pine, pushing its needles aside. The riverbed glittered as the moonlight slowly faded and daylight drew nearer. Each ray of the rising sun lessened the threat of vampires following them—for now. They were upwind, so if the vampires were still coming, they’d notice the bloodsuckers’ scent. Rogue’s horse stood at the edge of the water, enjoying a long drink as his dark rider lingered next to him. He seemed to be searching for something.

  With careful footing, Mae made her way to the river. When she reached Rogue’s side, she glanced toward him, only to instantly regret it. In the time it’d taken her to scuffle down to the riverbed, he’d stripped off his shirt and cast it onto a large rock nearby. Every muscled ridge of his abdomen was visible. His was a body of a cowboy, a testament to working long, hard hours on the ranch, and his core reaped the benefits.

  Mae gaped. “What are you doing?”

  He reached for his belt buckle. “Making use of my time.”

  Her eyes widened as he unbuttoned his jeans. “By stripping naked?”

  “Last I checked, even pack wolves didn’t shy away from nudity.”

  She gaped at him.

  “I’m covered in vampire blood. The river is as good a place to bathe as any, Princess, or are you too good for a bath in open water?” He cast a glance over his shoulder.

  The now-open material of his jeans rode so low on his hips that Mae could see a thin trail of dark hair that led down to…

  Her cheeks flamed.

  His eyes transitioned to his wolf’s. He gave her a once-over, his gaze lingering at her bare, dirty feet and the muddied hem of her nightgown. “You may be a pack wolf, Princess, but you strike me as a woman who doesn’t mind getting her hands dirty—or her feet, as it were.” One side of his mouth kicked up.

  She frowned. “Says the man who sneaks into women’s bedrooms.”

  “We’ve been through this, Princess. You had fair warning. There was no sneaking involved. But I’ll take it you’re not joining me?”

  If she’d been a braver woman, she would have joined him just to spite him.

  And to fulfill her own fantasies…

  “Not a chance.” She turned away, refusing to watch him for another second. No matter how curious she was.

  A moment later, a gentle splash told her he’d waded into the water. When she turned, he was submerged in the river, the moonlight shining down on him. She watched him disappear into the depths to wet his hair and then resurface. Beneath his Stetson, it had looked like he sported a close-shaved military buzz, but his Stetson had hidden an undercut, the top of which revealed a patch of jet-black hair. The deep ebony reminded her of the streaks of black that were in his coat while in wolf form. He may not have been Grey Wolf Pack, but that coloring was still rare among their species. She’d only seen it once before.

  The thought immediately soured in her stomach. No. She wouldn’t sully the memory of her dearest friend by comparing him to this wicked wolf. Handsome as sin or not.

  “Are you certain you can really protect me, make me disappear, and retrieve the vampire we need to create the antidote?” she called out to him. She needed to distract herself. She wouldn’t
dare let him think that she was standing here out of curiosity or for the sake of watching him bathe.

  Because she wasn’t.

  “Having second thoughts?” He scrubbed a hand over the planes of his chest.

  She tried not to notice the ample muscle there. But she was failing—miserably. “No. But you’re only one wolf.”

  For some reason, she got the impression that amused him.

  He slicked back his hair, the damp coils tamping down to his head. “Leave the details to me.”

  She crossed her arms. “And what comes next? We find the vampire and force him to create the antidote for widespread use before the bloodsuckers find me?”

  He washed his face as he nodded. “I have several associates searching for information through the back channels, the underground. Sources your brother and packmates can’t even begin to tap into. We’ll find someone who’s seen something. We always do, and once we negotiate the intel, we’ll have the scientist’s location and the antidote will follow.”

  “And what if someone else finds the scientist before we do? You said yourself that the other shifter clans would soon be after the antidote, too, that Seven Range Pact or not, they wouldn’t hesitate to double-cross my brother.”

  “We’re several steps ahead already. Time is on our side, and even if they did, it wouldn’t matter. Your blood is the key to the antidote. In this chess game, you’re the queen, the most valuable player on the board, and that’s why our highest priority is for you to stay off the radar. You need to disappear.”

  “You make it sound so easy.”

  “Our key advantage is that no one will know where you are. That gives us time.” Even in the moonlight, his gaze darkened as his eyes sparked gold again. “And for a wolf like me, it is that easy.” He faced away from her and stood.

  Mae’s eyes grew wide as he rose naked from the river depths. The bare muscles of his back moved with such grace and fluidity that his tanned skin glistened with water droplets in the moonlight. A black tattoo of a dragon snaked over his spine. Wide shoulders tapered down into a lean waist. She followed the lines of the ink on his back, which only brought her sight lower to the two delectable dimples just above his perfectly muscled…