“Mason, we need to talk right away. Tyler and Jesse found a wounded wolf in the woods, from a small pack that lived about twenty miles from here.”
Mason let out a breath and covered Dani with a towel. “I’ll come see what is going on after Dani and I finish our conversation,” he said, sounding distracted.
“You don’t understand, Mason,” Phil continued insistently. “He was wounded by silver-cored bullets. If Tyler and Jessie hadn’t found him while they were out scouting, he probably wouldn’t have survived. He says that the rest of his pack was slaughtered by a large group of hunters, and he was the only one who escaped. He thinks they're coming here next. He hid in the woods after they wounded him and he overheard them talking. He says that after we killed those men who took Dani, hunters from all around the region started gathering, and they plan to wipe us out.”
Mason clenched his jaw and clasped Phil on the shoulder. “Alright, go and assemble the pack. I have to talk to Dani and then I’ll come out.”
Phil gave a low growl, and great stress was evident on his face. “Mason, you are the leader of this pack, and we need you right now. I hope that you would not endanger all of our lives simply because Dani has yet to become your mate and you want to chat with her about it.”
As he spoke, Mason’s face grew dark and angry and his eyes burned orange. He stepped close enough to Phil that their bodies were nearly touching, but Phil didn’t back down. He stood his ground, chest-to-chest with Mason.
Dani had never seen two men closer to ripping each other to pieces, and she wanted to say something to calm the situation, but no words came to her and she stood silent and frozen in place.
Phil pointed at Dani but kept his eyes on his pack leader. “Mason, this situation is very serious. I don’t know what is going through your mind, but you can worry about your female later—”
It was as if something snapped inside Mason, and suddenly his face was a mask of pure rage. He growled savagely and shoved Phil hard enough that he was thrown backwards across the room and slammed against the wall. Mason started toward him with lethal intent, but at last Dani found her voice.
“Mason, no!” she screeched in terror, and then grabbed his arm to try to hold him back. Seemingly without comprehending who was holding him back, he tossed her aside. She hit the edge of the tub hard and her vision swam in colors. Dani tried to keep her eyes open but her head hurt too much, and she lost consciousness.
* * *
Phil took a step forward and shoved Mason, hard enough to shake him. “Look! Look at what you just did to your mate! Get ahold of yourself!”
Mason growled and slammed Phil back into the wall before turning around and dropping to all fours. Dani was lying against the tub and there was blood dripping down the side of her face. Mason shook his head in a panic. “I’m sorry… oh Dani, I’m sorry.”
Phil crawled over to Mason and kept very low to the ground. He did not want to cause another outburst, but Mason was in no position to take care of Dani. “I’m going to bring Dani downstairs and call Cal. I need you to go for a run and calm down, Mason, please listen to me.”
Mason shook his head. “No, I did this, and I need to fix it.” He started to reach for her but then stopped, reconsidering. “I am so sorry that my actions caused this. You’re right, I need to calm myself.” Mason stood slowly. “Please take care of Dani.” With that Mason ran out of the room and down the stairs.
Phil managed to find the towel to save some of Dani’s decency as he scooped her up. “Dani, can you hear me?” He pressed his palm to her head and tried to stop the bleeding.
Dani groaned against his chest and opened her eyes at last. “Phil?” She took in a breath. “I’m fine. I’m upset, but I’m fine.”
“Listen, you smacked your head pretty hard, and I just want Cal to look you over.” Phil took his time walking down the stairs, being careful not to jostle Dani more than necessary. Once in the living area, he set Dani down on a couch and then went into the kitchen to grab a few paper towels. When he returned, she was staring up at him with an unreadable expression on her face.
“Here, hold these on your head, right there,” he instructed her. “The wound is almost closed.”
Phil made a decision at that moment to pull her into his arms. To his surprise, she settled against his chest and did not fight him. Searching in his pocket, Phil found his cell phone and dialed Cal’s cell number.
“Is everything alright?” Cal’s voice came through the phone without a hello.
“Are you working today? I really need you to come over and look at Dani’s head.” Phil tilted her head up so that he could get a better view. “She had a bad cut that is almost closed but she hit her head pretty hard.”
“I’ll be right over. Is she conscious?” Cal’s voice had taken on an urgent tone.
“I’m sitting here with her; she’s awake but she might have been knocked out for a minute,” Phil said, and let go of her chin.
“Alright, I’ll be there as quickly as I can. Don’t let her go to sleep, even if she wants to.” Cal ended the call and Phil set the phone back on the coffee table. He looked down at the woman in his arms and wondered what she had been thinking. He slowly began to understand that she had been afraid for him.
“I’m really sorry that I was such a bitch to you the other night,” Dani said suddenly. Her tone was back to normal. That had to be a good sign.
Phil took in a breath. “Listen, if you hadn’t tried to hold back Mason in the bathroom a few minutes ago—as reckless as it was—Mason could have hurt me very badly. You might have saved my life. He didn’t mean for you to get injured, and I know that it’s killing him that you did, but honestly I have never seen him this way before.”
The door banged open and Alisha ran in, followed closely by Portia.
“Is she okay?” Alisha asked immediately.
“She’s going to be fine,” Phil responded, “but I have Cal coming to check on her just in case. He’s the only doctor we have in the pack, and he should be here soon.”
“What happened to her? Where is Mason?” Portia asked in a fearful voice.
“He’s out for a run, and he’ll be back soon. Enough questions for now,” Phil said firmly, and with much more confidence than he felt. Mason had better pull himself together and get back here in a hurry, Phil thought, before things got further out of hand.
* * *
Cal was shining a penlight into each of Dani’s eyes.
“I told you that I’m fine; I don’t even have a headache anymore,” Dani protested, her arms crossed in front of her.
“Are you always this disagreeable?” Cal asked in an exasperated tone.
Dani ignored the question. “Where is Mason? Why isn’t he back yet?” she asked, glancing toward the door.
Portia wrapped her arms around Dani’s shoulders and guided her to lie back down on the couch. “Don’t worry, it hasn’t been that long,” she told Dani, stroking her hair gently.
“How long does a run take?” Alisha asked, and then curled up on Dani’s legs. Portia ran her hand through Alisha’s hair too.
Portia looked up at Phil and then to Cal before patting Alisha’s head. “For Mason it could be a while. He must have been very agitated to have thrown Dani that way, and the run will help him clear his head. I’m not sure how long it will stay clear, though. When I was young, the leader of my pack once told me that once an alpha finds his true mate, he has no choice but to claim her. If he doesn’t, he will go mad with need. He said that it sometimes takes a little while, but once it starts it comes on fast. He said that the wolf part of an alpha doesn’t care what century it is, or whether the mate wants it or not. I didn’t believe him at the time—I thought he was just trying to sound like a tough guy alpha—but after seeing Mason today I’ve changed my mind.”
“I’ve got to go find Mason,” Dani spoke up suddenly, then flexed her toes, tossed her towel aside, and stood up, which caused an uproar from Portia, Alisha, and Cal.
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“Even if you don’t have a concussion, Dani, you really need to lie down a little longer. I know you heal quickly but pushing yourself is not a good idea right now,” Cal told her. He reached out his hand to lead her back to the couch, but Dani growled in response. Cal looked over at Phil.
“Dani, lie back down on the couch or I will have Cal sedate you, your head be damned. I’m sure it’s not serious but there is too much going on right now. Mason will be back very soon.” Phil took a breath to keep his eyes clear.
Rather than obey him, Dani growled and shifted, then bolted for the door before he could react. She was a beautiful mixture of red fur and darker burgundy, but her beauty was lost on him at the moment. She pushed through the flimsy screen door and raced outside before he could decide how to respond.
“Damn it, Dani!” Phil shouted after her, and then slammed his hand against the wall in frustration.
“I’m going after her,” Portia said without warning, and then jumped up and pulled off her top. This was an even bigger surprise to Phil than what Dani had done.
“Wait! Wait a damn minute,” Phil growled under his breath. “Sit down and stay put.”
Portia pulled off the remainder of her clothes. “Someone has to go after her, Phil, and it might as well be me. If you don’t like it, you can blister my ass when I get back.” She shifted without further discussion and then bounded outside.
Phil shook his head. “I swear she’s getting her attitude from Dani,” he muttered, while considering going after her.
He looked around the large living room, though, and saw that more and more members of the pack were gathering. As far as he could tell, none of them knew about the threat from the hunters yet. He had ordered Tyler and Jesse to keep that to themselves until Mason could address the pack, and they seemed to have obeyed his orders… so far. Nonetheless, every wolf in the room could sense that something very serious was going on, and all of them knew by now that the leader of their pack wasn’t around to protect them.
Fear was starting to spread, and in a situation like this fear could quickly turn to panic. Phil was Mason’s second-in-command, and if he went running off after Dani and Portia while Mason was still gone, quite a few of the wolves might abandon the pack and run for it. Even worse, some of the stronger males might decide that they could do a better job as pack leader themselves, which would lead almost instantly to bloody confrontation. If Phil left now, Mason might not have a pack to defend by the time he got back. Reluctantly, Phil decided that Portia and Dani were on their own until Mason returned.
Chapter Four
Dani was running through the woods at full speed, trying to catch Mason’s scent. She did not know these woods and she had long since lost the scent of the pack, but she ran on. Her thoughts were simpler in this form, and more focused on the immediate situation. She did not concern herself with regrets about the past or worry about what the future might bring with Mason—she just wanted to find him.
She ran back and forth through the woods for what seemed like hours, sniffing constantly for the Mason’s trail, but she found nothing. Maybe he had gone back to the house and was waiting for her? Should she go back and rejoin the pack? But what if he was in trouble and he needed her? What if he had been injured or captured by the hunters? Even in her wolf form these questions still dominated her thoughts. Dani hung her head. Maybe she had been stupid to run off into the woods halfcocked without anyone assisting her.
Dani had just about decided to head for home when the loud crack of a gunshot echoed through the woods. Mason! Without hesitation she changed direction and headed in the direction of the shot, running as fast as she had in her life. If Mason was hurt, she would kill every one of those hunters herself!
As she got closer, though, she heard a loud, painful sounding whimper. It was not a sound that an alpha was capable of making, no matter how badly injured he might be. The sound of the whimpering grew louder, and suddenly an unexpected scent caught her attention. It was the scent of a wolf, but not Mason… it was a female scent… one she knew. Portia!
Dani slowed as she reached the edge of a small clearing, and silently peered through the darkness. In the center of the clearing lay a wounded wolf. Dani had never seen Portia in her wolf form before, but she was certain it was her. Three men, all dressed as hunters, stood about ten yards away, and they were walking carefully toward Portia. Fury filled Dani, along with something else she had never felt before… a deep, intense urge to protect her fallen friend. In her wolf form Dani did not stop to consider what she was feeling, the only thought that burned in her mind like liquid fire was the absolute need to defend an injured female of her pack.
“Finish her off, Rufus,” one of the three said, and the hunter nearest to Portia started to raise his rifle. With a terrible, savage growl, Dani exploded from the edge of the clearing faster than she had known she was capable of moving. She leapt into the air almost ten feet from the hunter and sank her fangs in at the place where his neck met his shoulder, ripping out his throat before he hit the ground. One of the remaining hunters froze in shock, while the second tried to aim his rifle with shaking hands.
He had time for only one shot, and he didn’t make it count. She felt the bullet graze her fur, and then she was on him. He lasted no longer than the first, and in seconds his body lay motionless on the ground. The last hunter managed to regain control of himself, and he turned and ran for his life… but he wasn’t even close to fast enough. She caught him before he had gone ten feet and finished him as quickly as she had the others.
Consumed by rage, Dani was just about to dash into the woods to look for more hunters to kill, but then a new sound came from behind her. It was the sound of a woman in pain… a human sound, not a wolf sound. She turned quickly, and saw Portia lying on the ground, naked, in human form. Blood was streaming from a gunshot wound in her right shoulder. Dani ran up to her, but even in her wolf from she could tell that something was terribly wrong. Why had Portia shifted back, when she would heal just as fast in her wolf form? At least in that form her fur would keep her warm in the cold night air…
As she got closer, she saw that the flesh around the wound was turning black. Something tugged at Dani’s mind, and she shifted back to human form to think more clearly. Back in human form, it hit her almost immediately. Silver-cored bullets! Portia couldn’t stay in wolf form because the silver was poisoning her, Dani realized quickly. She had to get Portia back to the house, and she had to get her there fast.
There was no way she could possibly carry Portia while in wolf form, so she would have to run back this way. Fortunately Portia was a good deal smaller, and Dani was able to gently lift her and set the smaller woman over her shoulder. Then, calling on every bit of luck she hoped she possessed, she headed in what she thought was the direction of the house.
The rough ground hurt her feet, and sticks and thorns slashed at her naked body as she moved through the forest as fast as she was able. That same liquid fire of need she had felt earlier still burned in her mind, though, and she barely noticed the pain. This female was a member of her pack, and she was in danger. At that moment Dani finally realized what it meant to be not just a member of a pack, but the dominant female of a pack. It was as if Portia was her sister and her child and her friend all rolled into one, as far as her wolf instincts were concerned, and Dani would make any sacrifice to protect her.
In the distance, Dani heard the sound of a pickup truck engine coming in her direction. There must be an unpaved road somewhere in the forest nearby; the only people who would be out in these woods right now were hunters, she thought darkly. She heard the sound of a second vehicle, then a third, and then more. She quickened her pace, praying she could make it to the house before they caught up to her.
* * *
Mason had been running for quite a while, and he knew it was long past time for him to return to the pack. This long run in his wolf form had calmed his mind and simplified his thoughts. Two things needed to be
done as fast as possible. First, he had to protect his pack from the hunters. Then, he needed to claim Dani. The time for talk with her was over, and being in wolf form had opened his eyes to what he needed to do. The decision to claim Dani whether she liked it or not calmed him further, as if a great strain had been taken from his mind. First, though, the hunters…
As he approached the house, he shifted back into human form to avoid alarming his pack more than necessary. He found a clean pair of clothes by the back door, and thanked Phil silently in his mind. Phil truly was the best second-in-command a wolf could hope for. After dressing quickly, he walked into the living area to address his pack.
As soon as he entered the room, however, he knew something was wrong. Phil was pacing back and forth, and Cal was sitting on the couch next to Alisha, but Dani was nowhere to be seen.
“Mason, we need to talk—” Phil began.
Mason cut him off. “Where is Dani?” he demanded fiercely.
“She ran off looking for you,” Phil answered quickly. “Portia went after her,” he continued, “and I’m sure they’ll be back any minute once they realize you aren’t out there.”
Dani was out in the woods. There were hunters out in the woods. Dani was in danger! These thoughts hit Mason like a sledgehammer, and suddenly all the effort he had put into calming himself was undone. He saw red, and his mind was clouded by the same rage and fear which had taken him earlier that day.
“You let my mate go wandering in the woods by herself? You worthless piece of shit!” he shouted, advancing toward Phil.
“What did you expect me to do? Leave everyone else in the pack confused and unprotected because our idiot leader didn’t bother to claim his mate and can’t keep her in line, or himself for that matter?” Phil was just as angry, and showed no sign of backing down. So be it, thought Mason, his mind becoming cloudier every moment. If his second-in-command wanted to challenge him, then it would end right here!
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