Wolf Bound (The White Wolf Prophecy Book 1)

by Kayleigh King

I didn’t think the room could get any quieter than it already was, but it turns out I was wrong. Everyone looks like all the blood has drained from their faces, and their heartbeats are erratic.

  “I think the fuck not!” Ryker growls.

  “Why not?” I ask him, bouncing on my toes. “It’ll be fun.”

  “I’m not going to be responsible for hurting my mate,” he scoffs.

  “You won’t hurt me. Look. See?” I put my head back and point at my neck where the gashes have almost completely healed over. “I heal fast now too.”

  He shakes his head at me, a slightly irritated look now covering his attractive face. “Absolutely not.”

  “What? Come on, please?” I even go as far as batting my lashes at him.

  “No!”

  I cross my arms and glare at him, annoyed he won’t do this for me. I’m about to say something to him when Remington pushes through the crowd wearing a pair of black leggings and a neon green sports bra.

  “I’ll do it.” She grins at me. “Since my brother is too much of a puss—”

  “Remington,” Ranger scolds.

  Ryker shakes his head at his sister. “You guys aren’t doing this.” He scowls. “She doesn’t have any experience with hand to hand fighting.”

  “She held her own with your psycho friend a couple weeks ago, didn’t she?” Remi points out as she kicks off her tennis shoes.

  I think back to when Avery tried to attack me and how fast I was able to move. I pull my long hair into a ponytail, so it’s out of the way. “Yes, I did.” I lift my chin in defiance. “I’m doing this,” I tell him before I also kick off my shoes and walk onto the mats.

  “Pruitt…” he warns me, but I don’t look back at him.

  Remi and I bump fists, grinning at each other as we do. I can already feel my wolf coming to the surface in preparation for the fight. My whole body buzzes with excitement, nerves, and power.

  “I’m not going to go easy on you,” Remi warns me as she pulls her shoulder-length hair into a knot on top of her head. Her gaze slides over to where Ryker stands. “He just doesn’t want to see you get hurt.”

  “I know, but he can’t protect me from everything,” I sigh as I stretch my arms out. “He also doesn’t get to tell me what I can or can’t do,” I tell her, but I also tell Ryker since I know he can hear what I’m saying.

  “That’s my girl,” Remi nods in approval.

  Logan walks over to stand next to us. “No claws or fangs allowed and no eye jabbing either, “he says, speaking to me since Remington knows these rules. I don’t miss the look he gives me as he talks. It’s a mix of fear and respect. “Tap the mat when you’ve had enough.”

  We both nod at him, and he walks away.

  “So do we just begin or—“ I start to ask her when her fist comes flying at my face.

  I barely have enough time to evade her punch, and as I lean back, I feel the air whoosh past my face. I duck quickly when she wastes no time aiming another punch in my direction.

  “Good, you’re quick. That’ll be useful,” she praises, but the moment is short-lived when she spins around and sends a roundhouse kick to my abdomen, knocking the air out of my lungs. I stumble back a few feet, grabbing my stomach and trying to catch my breath.

  “Watch where my muscles tighten and anticipate my moves,” she coaches.

  I nod in understanding and right myself again. I hold my arms in front of me to block any more of her attacks as we begin circling each other. I feel my wolf getting irritated with me that we aren’t attacking first. Like Remi said, I need to learn how to anticipate someone’s advances, so instead of attacking, I watch how her muscles tighten and move.

  When her shoulder tightens up, I raise my hand and block the punch that’s thrown in my face. I grin at this, proud of myself for seeing it coming.

  “Don’t get cocky,” Remi scolds before she kicks out her leg in a sweeping motion, causing me to lose my balance and fall onto the mats. I land on my back with an oof.

  Dammit!

  I see a flash of movement, and I roll out of the way just in time. I watch as Remi’s fist connects with the mat right where my head had been a second ago. But I don’t move quickly enough when her other fist comes down and connects with my chin. I taste blood immediately.

  When I attempt to move out from under her, she grips my shirt, causing it to tear. I push her with all of my strength and send her flying backward.

  Grunting, I roll and spring to my feet. I look down at what’s left of the shirt I’m wearing and quickly pull it over my head. Now standing in a plain black sports bra, I throw the damaged shirt to the side, wipe my mouth with the back of my hand, and keep my eyes on Remi.

  “Pru, that’s enough. You’re—” Ryker starts to say from the sidelines.

  “Shut up, Ryker!” I yell, silencing him.

  I don’t have enough time to worry about the look on his face when I say it. Instead, I’m too focused on the she-wolf that’s circling me and the vibrating power building in my chest and limbs. I feel my eyes shift into wolf form, and I know they’re now glowing bright-green. I sense the wolf side of my subconscious take over mine, and I’m unable to stop the grin that appears on my face.

  My wolf is in charge now, and she’s ready to fight.

  My body springs forward and in rapid-fire succession, delivers two blows to Remi’s head and face. While she’s still recovering, I wrap my hands around the back of her neck and force her chest forward at the same time I bring my knee up, ramming it into her middle.

  She’s hunched over trying to catch her breath, and even though now would be a good time to attack again, I don’t. I want her to be able to fight back when I do.

  Remi is breathing hard when she straightens. “Good. Now it’s a fair fight.” She smirks, her eyes now glowing in wolf form too. Unlike Ryker’s gold or my green wolf eyes, Remi’s are a vibrant silvery-blue.

  She snarls before launching herself at me again, and I barely feel her fist connect with my cheek or the second blow to my stomach. I retaliate with my own punches and kicks to her body.

  I grab hold of her arm when it flies in my direction and use the momentum behind her swing to flip her over my shoulder. I allow my body to fly back with her, and we roll multiple times onto the mat.

  When we finally stop spinning, I find myself positioned behind her. I wrap my arms around her slender neck and apply pressure, slowly choking the air out of her.

  I feel the strength and power seeping out of me as I hold onto Remi, and I also hear the voices all around us, but I don’t understand what they’re saying. I’m too focused on getting my opponent to surrender. Remi still struggles against my hold, and I apply more pressure to her airway. I watch her hands, waiting for her to tap out.

  It feels like forever when she finally bangs her hand on the mat. I remove my arms from around her neck and roll out from beneath her body weight. When I stand, my legs are shaky with adrenaline, and I’m out of breath.

  The room is still silent as I glance around at the people who stand there. Everyone looks at me with shock and wonder on their faces, and honestly, I understand why. They think since I can’t shift into my wolf, I’m weaker than them. But they just learned that isn’t the case. I’m just as strong as they are, whether or not I can shift.

  The proud and total look of astonishment on Ryker’s face makes me break into a big grin, and before I know what I’m doing, I’m running across the mat and launching myself at him. I wrap my legs around his middle, and my arms circle his neck. I hold him close when he spins us around. The room erupts into cheers and laughter as they watch us.

  “I hated every second of that,” he tells me as I slide down his body and stand in front of him, “but you were absolutely amazing.”

  “I let my wolf take over and…” I shrug not needing to explain further since he witnessed what went down.

  “Are we sure we want you to learn how to shift?” Remi has a slight limp as she comes up behind us. “She’s ki
nd of a brutal bitch,” Remi says, referring to my wolf and wincing as she touches her ribs.

  “Seriously.” Ranger nods his head in agreement. “The power that was coming off of you when you were in the ring was intense.”

  “Of course it was, she’s a powerful fucking alpha wolf!” Ransom cheers and I high-five his out-reached hand.

  Some of the people loitering around hear Ranger, and they shout and nod, approving his comment. Their reaction makes my face heat up some. Regardless of the fact I’m not their alpha now, they still look at me as a leader, and that thought makes my stomach flip with nerves.

  I duck my head quickly, turning toward Remi. “Are you okay? I’m sorry. I didn’t know that was going to happen.” I wince when I see her busted lip that mirrors my own.

  “Shut up. I was the one who punched first.” She grins at the thought. “That was a good punch, though.”

  “Yes, it was.” I laugh. “Hopefully we all heal quick—”

  The sound of a blood-curdling scream echoes through the house, piercing my eardrums. Even without wolf shifter hearing, someone could have heard it from miles away.

  My heart skips a beat, and my stomach flips when I watch as everyone sprints out of the room. With Nicolai’s threat looming over my head, I’m afraid of what we’re going to find upstairs.

  27

  Ryker

  Sawyer and Avery found her hanging from a tree on the edge of the property when they were on patrol. She had been strung up with her hands tied behind her back, and her feet were bound. Her bound limbs weren’t necessary since she had been killed before they hung her by her neck. The deep claw marks that extended ear to ear were clearly the cause of death.

  Hallie was only twenty-three years old. Her usually tan skin is pale, and her once vibrant hazel eyes stare lifelessly back at us. Blood and debris are stuck in her curly blonde hair, and her clothes are covered in dirt.

  “She put up a fight,” Ranger sighs, gesturing to the defensive marks marring her forearms and hands.

  “Too bad it wasn’t enough,” Ransom whispers back to his twin.

  Dad made most of the pack leave the room where Hallie’s body is laid out. Her mother, who had been the one to scream, refuses to leave her daughter’s side. My mom had tried to get her to walk away, but she declined, so she sits, holding her daughter’s lifeless hand and stroking her hair.

  Pru had nearly thrown up on the floor the second she saw the lifeless form lying on the kitchen table. Remi had gone with her to the bathroom, and I haven’t seen either one of them since.

  I can’t even imagine what Pruitt is thinking right now. Knowing her, she’ll blame herself for the death of Hallie.

  “Kate, I’m so sorry,” I tell the mourning woman. Apologizing for the death of her daughter doesn’t seem like enough, but what else am I supposed to say to her? What do you say to a woman whose daughter died because a psychopath is hell-bent on taking your mate as his own? Right now, saying sorry is all I have to offer her.

  Kate shakes her head, tears streaming down her face. “I can’t believe she’s gone.”

  “I promise we’re going to kill this fucker for what he did,” Ransom assures her.

  “What happens tomorrow?” Kate lifts her head and looks at my father, who stands respectfully off to the side.

  “I’m not sure I know what you mean?” Dad’s eyebrows draw together in confusion.

  “What happens tomorrow when Pruitt refuses to go to him? Will he kill someone else’s child?” Kate’s voice is cold and bitter when she speaks. Not that I can blame her.

  Dad frowns at the woman. “We tried very hard to prevent this, and we’ll try even harder tonight and tomorrow. But we can’t very well go turning over my son’s mate to a man like Nicolai Volkov.”

  “So, people will just keep dying,” Kate snaps, “and you’re okay with it as long as it’s not someone you love?”

  “Kate!” Mom gasps.

  “What Margot!” Kate whirls around to face my mother. “My daughter died because you people refuse to think of the greater good of the pack. If you would just turn her over then—”

  “Then what?” I push off the wall I’ve been leaning on and stalk closer. “Then a man will torture and violate my mate, that’s what. We’re incredibly sorry for your loss, and we truly thought we had a plan to prevent something like this from happening, but we failed. We failed you, and we failed Hallie. But that does not mean you get to suggest I hand my mate over to this monster.”

  The cold look she gives me is so chilling it has me taking a small step back. “She never should have come back to Montana. We were safer without her here.”

  “You’re probably right.” I didn’t hear Pruitt enter the room and spin around to face her after she speaks. A little bit of color has returned to her face, although her cheeks are slightly flushed, and her eyes are wild looking. “I’m sorry that me coming back here—back home—has caused you to lose your child. I know nothing I could ever say will make this okay or bring Hallie back, but I want you to know we will do everything in our power to avenge your daughter’s life.” Pru now stands behind Kate. She reaches forward and grips the woman’s shoulder. “We won’t let her die in vain.”

  Kate tries to keep a stern face, but the second Pru touches her shoulder, Kate breaks down in tears. Pru lets the woman sob against her, holding onto her as she does, and never looks away from Hallie’s body as she tries to soothe the distraught mother.

  “You remind me of her,” Kate chokes out after a couple of minutes, then she pulls back from Pru so she can look at her face.

  “Of Hallie?”

  “No, Genevieve—your mother.”

  Tears form in Pru’s eyes, but she quickly blinks them away. “Thank you. I’m sure Hallie was a lot like you too.”

  “She was always stronger than me,” Kate sniffs. “I don’t know how to be strong for her.”

  “I’ll help you,” Pru assures her.

  We all stand around my father’s office later that day. Everyone has been pretty quiet since we found Hallie’s body. No one knows what to say to each other or how to make the situation better. It’s never easy when a pack member dies. Even though they weren’t your blood, they were part of your family, and they’re still important to you.

  Avery and Remi aren’t here since they volunteered to be one of the other patrol teams. Since the attack this morning, we decided to have multiple teams working at one time. I hope Avery and my sister are keeping their cool around each other, both of them have such strong personalities, and I can see them clashing.

  “How are we going to stop him?” Pruitt questions from where she stands, leaning against my father’s large desk.

  “We could always challenge him,” Ranger suggests. His usually carefully styled hair is wild and sticking up in odd directions on his head. He looks a lot more like Ransom right now because of it.

  “What does that mean?” Pru asks the group. Sometimes I forget she isn’t accustomed to pack law.

  “It’s a fight to the death between two challengers,” Dad explains. “It’s used most often between two wolves vying for the alpha position of a pack, but it can be used in other situations as well.”

  “Does someone always die? Or can they tap out?” She sits up straighter as she listens.

  “The fight isn’t over until one of the wolves is dead,” I tell her.

  “Well, we aren’t doing that.” She shakes her head. “Nicolai is strong. There’s no guarantee we could win.”

  “Ryker could beat him,” Ransom tells the group. “He could challenge Nicolai.”

  The growl that rips through room has everyone turning to look at a pissed off Pru. She’s no longer standing in front of the desk. Somehow, she moved across the room so quickly no one saw it. She stands in front of Ransom and is glaring down at him.

  “Don’t ever suggest that again,” she snarls at him.

  The look of fear on my brother’s face has me moving toward them. When I take hold of h
er shoulders and pull her away from him, her skin is burning hot to the touch.

  “Pru,” I whisper, “it’s fine.”

  “I’m sorry. It was j–just a suggestion,” Ransom stammers.

  Pru keeps staring at Ransom as we back away together, then takes a big breath after a couple seconds.

  “I need a minute.” She slips out of my grasp and stalks out of the room. The door slamming behind her makes us all jump.

  “Her wolf is a hothead,” Ranger says after we listen to her stomp down the hallway.

  “Yes, she is,” I agree.

  28

  Pruitt

  I pace in front of the fireplace in the living room, trying to figure out how my life has come to this. People are being killed to protect me, and I don’t know how I’m supposed to come to terms with that. How am I ever going to look at these people, knowing a young girl died because I needed protecting?

  And her mother…

  I don’t think I’ll soon forget the gut-wrenching scream that came from her when she saw her dead daughter. It still echoes in my head as I stand in the quiet room. How is she ever going to forgive me for her child’s death?

  She was right when she said the pack was safer when I was away. My mind starts going through different plans that could draw Nicolai away from the pack. I don’t think if I left like my parents did, he would leave the pack alone. He would just continue to hold their lives over my head until I returned.

  I wish I could go home and see Addison, but everyone agreed it would be safer for both of us to stay where we are. She’s in good hands with Noah, I know, and I have almost the whole damn pack protecting me. I wish she were here so I could cry on her shoulder about Hallie’s death and the whole unfair situation.

  “Are you okay?” Ryker leans against the wall, watching me with his intense blue eyes.

  “No, I’m not fucking okay, Ryker.” I don’t stop pacing as I talk to him. “How long are we going to be able to protect the pack from Nicolai? We can’t keep this up forever, and he won’t give up.” I spin on my heels and switch directions.