Wolf Bound (The White Wolf Prophecy Book 1)

by Kayleigh King

  Almost at the same time, each of the guards begin to fall to their knees, their screams of pain piercing the night. I have never seen so many grown men break down into tears so quickly.

  When I see William withering in the dirt with them, I can’t fight the smile of satisfaction that grows on my face. This man put everything into motion all those years ago, and it’s finally coming back to bite him in the ass.

  Movement coming from the trees behind Jax draws our attention. We knew there was a chance not all of the guards would rush to help William, and it looks like we were right. A handful of men rush out from the treeline and move toward Jax.

  “Watch out!” Remi shouts as she breaks in a sprint down the road.

  Jax disappears just in time to avoid one of them. I don’t see him reappear, not even when I follow my sister’s lead and charge down the road. I slam all of my weight into the nearest guard and send him flying backward. He lands with a satisfying grunt on the ground a couple yards away.

  I spin to face another one who is coming at me with a silver knife. From my peripheral vision, I see my brothers take on one of the larger guards, and I hear my father fighting with someone else not far away.

  I don’t have time to take in how amazing it feels to be working as a team with my family again because the asshole with the big blade takes a swipe at my chest. I’m able to jump back in time to avoid adding another scar to my ever-growing collection. I wait for him to strike again before retaliating. When he does, I grab hold of his wrist and twist his hand around, so it’s pointed toward his chest. This man is human and doesn’t stand a chance against my strength. No matter how much he tries to push me away, he’ll never be strong enough. He grunts and his eyes go wide when the blade disappears into his chest.

  My focus is on the man bleeding at my feet now. I don’t hear the other coming up behind me until it’s almost too late. I turn to face him just in time to watch him fall to the ground and scream in pain. Jax stands behind him with his hand still out and a cocky grin on his face.

  “Man, you’re going to owe me big time when we leave here.” Jax smirks. We both look around, and every one of the guards is on the ground, either dead or still feeling the effects of the hellfire. Jax turns to me and says, “What are you still doing here? Go find her.”

  I look at the building looming in front of us and back at my family. I’m hesitant to leave them out here alone.

  “We’ll be fine, Ryker.” Remi steps forward with speckles of blood that isn’t hers now decorating her face. I didn’t see her take a guard out, but apparently, she did. “Go!”

  That’s all I need to hear before I take off running down the road toward my mate.

  Every step I take toward the dark building, I expect a guard or Nicolai to appear, but I make it past the gate and all the way to the entrance to the building without anyone stopping me. In fact, it’s almost too quiet as I make my way up the stairs leading to the door where Jax said I could find Pru.

  It’s also extremely dark. There isn’t a single light coming from this building or smaller surrounding buildings. The only illumination provided is from the moon and the stars in the sky.

  I hear a heartbeat and pick up on the scents behind a door a couple seconds too late. When I swing the door open, I barely have time to take in my mate’s scared expression, and her shouts of warning before two very large wolves launch themselves at me. I’m able to put my arms in front of my face and neck in time, so instead of their teeth sinking into my jugular, they embed in my forearms. The momentum of the wolves’ attack sends us flying backward, and down the short flight of stairs I had climbed moments before.

  “No!” I hear Pru scream.

  All three of us roll multiple times before landing in a heap at the base of the stairs. The wolves don’t waste any time before continuing their attack. I slash at them with my own claws and use my legs to kick them away. Through the snarling and growling, I hear Pruitt’s voice. She’s screaming at Nicolai to call them off. I can’t quite make out what he yells back at her because one of the wolves moves in closer to my ear. He is so close I feel his hot breath on my face and neck.

  We continue to fight against each other in a mess of claws and teeth. If I had enough time to shift into my own wolf, I could take both of these bastards out within seconds. I’m a good fighter as a human but have always been more skilled at disabling my attackers when I’m in wolf form. I can feel myself losing this battle since I’m at such a disadvantage being stuck on my back while they fight me from above. I’m barely able to keep their teeth away from my neck and face. I know for a fact I have dozens of bites covering my arms and legs already, but at least they aren’t fatal.

  The sound of multiple guns cocking above us suddenly draws all our attention to the guards that now stand there. The wolves release my arms from their mouth, and their weight is lifted off my torso. Three men keep their guns that are most likely filled with silver bullets pointed directly at me while two grab me and pull me to my bloody knees. They twist my arms behind my back and hold me in place. I feel blood dripping down my arms and face now that I’m upright. I don’t even bother to look down and assess the damage. Instead, I look to my mate.

  As I look up at the last place I saw Pru, I see her fighting against Nicolai as he pulls her down the stairs with him. I take a quick survey of her body to check for any wounds or damage. Aside from looking exhausted and a little malnourished, she looks to be okay. Even though I’m on my knees with a gun pointed at the back of my head, I can’t help but find relief in seeing her breathing.

  “Ryker!” I hear Remi scream from my left. She runs toward us, my brothers and father close on her heels.

  “Oh good, the whole family is here,” Nicolai comments dryly when he sees them. “I was hoping for a family reunion. Very well, we’ll just have to take care of them all at once.”

  Nicolai motions to one of the guards who raises his large gun at my family as Pruitt and I both struggle against the men holding us in place. Nicolai nods at the man, and I watch in horror as he pulls the trigger. I feel like I’m watching this all happen in slow motion.

  The bullet flies through the air directly toward my sister, and I’m completely helpless to do anything about it. I’m filled with remorse, knowing I’m the reason Remi’s even here. If I’d listened to my gut and refused to allow my family to come they would all be safe, and now here I am holding my breath and watching her scared face, waiting for the moment it reaches her.

  But it never does. She stands completely unscathed, but it’s Jax who lies bleeding from his chest on the ground in front of her. He had appeared in front of Remi just in time and had taken the bullet instead.

  “Now look what you’ve done!” Nicolai shouts at Pru, who is staring wide-eyed at Jax. “You and your goddamn family have been fucking up my plans for years, and now you got my prized medical miracle shot. You couldn’t behave and hate the demon like the rest of us? You had to go make friends with him and now look—he’s probably going to die tonight just like your mate is.”

  “No, stay away from him!” Pruitt cries when Nicolai passes her off to another guard who holds her tight against his chest. “If you hurt him, I will kill you! I swear to God, I will rip you to shreds!” she screams at the back of Nicolai’s head as he makes his way down the stairs to me.

  As always, he walks with an air of arrogance around him. When he grins down at me, I see the sharp points of his own fangs, and his eyes shift into their wolf form. And when he takes the place of one of the guards and stands behind me, I expect to feel his claw wrap around my throat. Instead, I feel the hard metal of a gun barrel pressing into my back.

  “Any last words for your little mate before I kill you?” he asks with a sneer.

  I look at Pruitt, who is thrashing and fighting to break loose from the guard holding her in place. The whole time she keeps her eyes on me, never removing them from my face, and the look of pure panic and fear on hers breaks my heart.

  “I lo
ve you,” I tell her through the link in our heads.

  “I’m going to enjoy watching you bleed,” Nicolai growls at me before pressing the gun harder against me.

  42

  Pruitt

  Everything I was trying to avoid when I left them is happening before my eyes, and there is nothing I can do to stop it. Remington is pressing her jacket into Jax’s chest to slow the bleeding from his gunshot wound. Elias, Ransom, and Ranger each have a gun pointed at them, and then there’s Ryker. Ryker is covered in bleeding bite and claw marks, and Nicolai stands behind him with a gun pressed to his back, fully intending to shoot him while I watch.

  My heart is beating so fast and loud I can’t make out what Nicolai says to Ryker. Ryker doesn’t respond to Nicolai. Instead, I hear him in my head, telling me he loves me. Having his voice in my head is usually calming, but the way he says, “I love you” sounds like goodbye, and I refuse to accept that.

  I refuse to sit back and watch as the family I’ve created for myself is killed. I refuse to be a pawn in Nicolai’s sick game.

  “Don’t do it!” I shout as I kick and scream against the man holding me back. At one point, I’m able to break free of his hold for a second, but I only get a foot away when his arms wrap around my middle, and he hauls me back. My feet aren’t even touching the ground anymore as he holds me against his chest.

  My wolf is going nuts in my head. She’s fighting and growling just as hard as I am to get free. I feel the same panic she does, knowing her mate is in grave danger. I feel the same amount of desperation as she does, watching Nicolai stand with a sickening grin on his face behind Ryker.

  “You really should have listened when she told you to stay away,” Nicolai tells Ryker before the deafening sound of a gun going off echoes through the night.

  My whole world stops as I watch Ryker’s body jerk as the bullet enters his back and exits through his chest. His beautiful blue eyes blink slowly as he looks away from me and down at the spot on his chest where a bloodstain blossoms. His blue eyes find me again, and already it looks like a light has gone out in them. I hear the twins and Elias roar as they watch from the sidelines, and all I can do is watch as Ryker slumps over and falls to the dirt on his back. I can’t breathe or move anymore—just watch in horror as my mate collapses at Nicolai’s feet.

  My wolf howls so loudly in my head, I flinch at her cries of pain. With a tenacity I’ve never felt before, she crashes against the binding that keeps her trapped inside. I hear her pounding against it, and it almost sounds like someone banging on bulletproof glass. Just this dull thud over and over again.

  The man holding me allows me to fall to my knees in front of him, and every ounce of pain rushes forward, and I scream, “No!” at the top of my lungs.

  And then I feel it. Something shatters inside of me, and an overwhelming amount of power rushes forward. The banging sound silences and I know it’s because she’s no longer behind the glass. My body shakes and spasms as she rushes to the surface. My human screams of pain turn into howling and snarling. My hands that were digging into the ground below me shift into paws.

  I fell to the ground as I human, but I rise for the first time as a wolf.

  I’ve never felt stronger in my life, and I refuse to let that strength go to waste. Through new eyes, I look up and take in Nicolai. He still stands above my wounded mate, but the look on his face is no longer full of arrogance. Instead, a look of panic now sits there.

  Good.

  I don’t test the waters of being a wolf. I don’t take a couple steps to find my footing and figure it all out. I don’t have time for that. Instead, I launch myself down the stairs in one fluid movement, landing right in front of Ryker and Nicolai. No matter how much I want to look at Ryker and see if he’s still breathing, I can’t draw my eyes away from my enemy. I lower my head, and my ears flatten when I let out a menacing snarl.

  “If I had known getting your wolf out to play only required I shoot your mate, I would have done it days ago,” Nicolai snarls at me.

  I bare my teeth again at him before I use all my strength to catapult my body into his. My front—paws—ram into his chest, and I send us flying backward. He lands on his back with a satisfying grunt. He tries to sit up and he can back away from me, but I put my large paws on his chest, stopping him from escaping. I wish I could communicate with him now and tell him I will savor the taste of his blood on my tongue, and I will enjoy watching the life drain from his eyes. But by the look of fear on his face, I think my intent is pretty clear.

  I snarl at him one last time before I shoot forward with a speed I’m not used too. I sink my new, sharp teeth into his throat and bite down as hard as I can. The coppery taste of blood fills my mouth while Nicolai struggles against my hold. He pushes at my head, but I don’t budge. I refuse to let go of him. I hear him gargle and struggle for breath. Seconds later he isn’t moving, and I want to let go of him, but something instinctual overcomes me, and my wolf wants to hold onto her kill.

  I hear footsteps come up from behind us, and I growl, warning that person to not get any closer.

  “Pruitt…” Elias says softly, trying not to spook me. “You can let go of him now. He’s gone.”

  Another low rumble comes from my chest, and I back up.

  “Listen for his heartbeat.” Elias squats low, so he’s eye level with me now. “It isn’t there anymore. You can let him go now, he can’t hurt any of us anymore.”

  He puts his hand out, and for reasons I don’t understand, my wolf takes that as a threat, and she growls at him again and backs up even farther, dragging the lifeless man with her. I can’t do anything to stop her. The instinct of a wolf’s prey is strong, and though I would like to let go and check on Ryker, I can’t.

  “Pru…” From my left, I hear Ryker’s breathless voice. Immediately my ears perk up, and my eyes shoot to him. Ryker is now in a sitting position thanks to Ransom helping him up. His shirt is completely soaked with blood, and he looks pale, but he’s still breathing. “It’s okay, baby, let him go. You’re okay—I’m okay.”

  It’s like something clicks when I see Ryker is still alive. The adrenaline and fear I had been feeling moments before subside and my wolf calms down. I let go of Nicolai and back away from him. I look around at the people surrounding him. Remi has helped Jax sit up, and they’re both staring at me with shocked looks on their faces. The men who had worked for Nicolai have dropped their guns and are looking a little green. Ranger walks up behind Elias, and they both have a look of awe on their faces.

  They must be shocked I was able to shift because I sure as hell am. I thought I was never going to be able to do this, and now I stand before them as a wolf.

  43

  Ryker

  My chest still feels like it's on fire, and it’s a little hard to breathe, but luckily, I’m still alive. Since the bullet went through my chest and didn’t lodge itself inside, the effects of the silver will be minimal. If the bullet had gotten stuck in my chest, the silver would have leaked into my bloodstream and caused my heart to stop. Although the small amount of silver from the bullet passing through will most likely leave me weak for a short while, I’ll live. I can’t say the same for Nicolai Volkov, however. My strong mate made sure of that, and now he lies lifeless at her feet.

  Even though my body was in shock from being shot, and my vision was a little blurry from the pain, watching Pruitt shift into a wolf was the most amazing thing I have ever witnessed, and I know everyone around me can agree because not only is she finally able to shift, but she has shifted into a white wolf.

  Her fur is as white as snow, and her eyes blaze a brilliant green. She’s taller than most female wolf shifters but still leaner than a male. She’s absolutely stunning even with the blood covering her muzzle.

  The second Nicolai’s guards saw her shift into a white wolf, they dropped their guns and stood in shock as she crushed Nicolai’s throat. They saw her temper and how fast she is, and I have to assume they were a little nervo
us about being on the receiving end of her bite seeing how it didn’t work out so well for their boss.

  “Holy shit,” Ransom whispers from my side, “she’s the white wolf.”

  “She’s amazing,” I agree, never taking my eyes off my stunning mate. I’m still feeling weak, and my legs are a little sluggish when I try to stand so I can go to her. Ransom helps steady me once I get my legs and feet under me. “Go check for more of Nicolai’s people, I’m going to try to get her to shift back.”

  The scariest part of shifting for the first time is having to shift back to your human form. It can take some young shifters hours to accomplish, and I can tell by the look in Pruitt’s eyes she’s already starting to panic. That’s the worst thing a shifter can do when trying to shift is panic or overthink it. The trick is relaxing and allowing your body to do what it already knows how to.

  I push through the pain as I crouch down in front of her. Her eyes stay on me before shooting back to look at the people standing yards away from us.

  “Don’t worry about them,” I tell her through our link, “just look at me. Wow, baby, you are so beautiful, and I’m so proud of you.”

  Her body stills for a second, and she focuses solely on me. “Ryker, I’m scared. How do I shift back? As cool as it is to finally be able to be a wolf, I would like to be human again right now.”

  “It’s okay, just relax. Remember when we tried to get you to shift before, and I told you to visualize paws and fur? This time visualize what you look like as a human.”