by Cassidy, Cam
She flashed her wedding ring. ”I’m done. My life is now with Jax.”
”I’ll help you file for an annulment,” her father snapped.
Jax stepped in, towering over her father. ”Try it.”
Her dad’s mouth hung open without saying a word. Jax took her hand and led her from the hotel. They spent the night at the bar where they met, this time finishing a beer before he looked at her and said the two magic words.
“Hotel. Now.”
A few days later, they made their way home to Los Lobos. She still wasn’t sure how comfortable Drew was with the way things had turned out. When she saw him standing in the middle of the road, her heart leapt into her throat.
When Jax stopped, a smile appeared and he walked to the car window. “I wanted to welcome you two home and remind Jax he has some work to finish tomorrow.”
He tapped the side of the truck and Jax drove off. Home. What an odd sense.
She and Jax stood on the porch, the moon rising high in the sky. This was their first full moon. Jax and Drew had both expected her to freak and run through the woods when they explained they were wolves. With the stories of her grandmother and the memories of Magnum in her head, she was ready and accepted them without a second thought. It somehow made her love him impossibly more. Jax gave her one last kiss before he backed away to strip and shift in front of her.
She grinned and sang, “Who’s afraid of the big bad wolf.”
He pulled her against his naked body and licked his way to her ear, his tongue warm against her throat. “I’ll huff, I’ll puff, and I will blow your fuckin’ mind. Think about that until I get back.”
Jax jumped off the porch, shifting midair then bound out through the trees. The sight stole her breath. Sitting on the step, Ange listened to the howls filling the night and smiled. I’m home.
~A LETTER FROM THE AUTHOR~
Thank you for purchasing… A Wolf Awakens... I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I had writing it. Jax started out as this fun playboy with smooth moves and lines. It was fun watching as his dominant male took over. I know watching is crazy but I don’t just hear the voices in my head they show me pictures too.
Contact me at [email protected]
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The Wolf and the Butterfly by Kerry Adrienne
Chapter One
Blood.
Nika rested his front paws on the warm, rough rock and scented the air. His hackles rose, bristling at the trespasser.
Wolf.
He tilted his head and took another whiff to be sure. The fragrance of late summer’s buttercups and honeysuckle floated atop the breeze, overpowered by the coppery tang of blood and the musky odor of Wolf.
Female.
His ears pricked to attention. First day as pack scout and he’d found something out of order near Los Lobos. Something wrong. His heart hammered when he breathed in the information carried on the air.
Danger.
The smells pulled at him, and he paced. Being a scout required him to trot the perimeter woods of Los Lobos and report anything out of place. He’d trained hard and had been so excited to be promoted. Scout was a lot of responsibility, and he couldn’t screw it up.
Not on his first day. He sniffed, trying to sort out the signals on the wind.
Pain.
Nika whimpered, the faint strains of the she-Wolf’s pain branched through his mind like a mosaic of frost on a cold windowpane. She suffered.
He’d been chosen scout in part because he was young and agile, but Gee had singled him out above the others because of his empathic tendencies. He sensed feelings and right then, with his nose to the west, he knew he had to save the hurt she-Wolf.
He sent up a short yip, followed by a high-pitched howl then, as procedure required, repeated the signal. Any pack member within earshot would be alerted to the potential trouble and notify the proper authorities. He’d scouted a thousand yards into the woods before picking up on the scent, so other pack members were close enough to hear his call for help.
Danger. Too close to Los Lobos. He barked the warning one last time, knowing the sound would carry well over the cacophony of insect song.
A brief burst of wind swirled by, carrying dust and crumpled leaves, and the promise of fall. He scanned the forest, listening and hoping to pick up a return call from someone in the pack. He wasn’t supposed to go check out the injured Wolf on his own. Protocol dictated he take someone with him to investigate, but if no one was near and he didn’t check the situation out, the ramifications could be devastating to the pack.
Besides, the she-Wolf smelled so good, as if she needed him and him alone.
No harm in checking out the situation then reporting his findings.
He bolted toward the injured female, his emotions in all directions from the mixed signals she gave off. His Alpha, Drew, would be proud of him if he handled the threat by himself.
He ran. His paws brushed the ground, and the wind hummed through his lungs, urging him faster.
The setting sun slanted through the dry forest and dust swirled like snow in the streaming sunbeams. Nika smiled a wolf smile, and his heart soared as he slalomed around tree after tree in the dense forest that had been home to wolves since the dawn of time. He panted, and his muscles burned with the delicious warmth of exertion. Being free, running at top speed through the woods, even toward danger, invigorated him.
He slowed to sniff again, adjusted his course, and ran. His tail swung straight behind him when he leapt over fallen limbs and dashed into the head of the valley where the White Spring ran cold and crackled through the rock-lined hills.
Wet.
The smells of fresh water, mud, and fish overwhelmed his nose. He stopped and scanned. Where was she? The scent still played through the air like a counterpoint to late summer’s melody of wildflowers. Every cell in his body strained to hear her, smell her, feel her.
His ears pricked at a slight moan from up ahead. There! He trotted toward the sound. Gee’s voice played in his head on an endless loop. The pack helps each other. We do things together. Only Ryker works alone. He pushed the words away.
He dipped his head, his tongue lolling. He panted to cool himself. Fall temperatures would be a welcome change, and even running in the snowiest winter felt better than this summer heat.
He scanned as he moved. Gee wasn’t here, nor were Drew or Ryker or anyone else. The duty to protect the pack fell to him, then.
I can handle this female. I am Wolf.
Nika stilled and listened.
Alive.
Her heart beat, thumping a steady rhythm, unfazed by her injury. He zeroed in on where her smell led him, and crept forward. Her faint moans gave away her position, and the coppery tang of blood flooded the air when he neared. She lay on the ground beside a large boulder, her back toward him, and her long, black hair splaying in the mud like broken reeds.
His body screamed run to her, but he held back, trotting in a wide circle around her, checking for any other threat. No tracks, human or Wolf, besides hers.
She was alone, Wolf, and injured.
Unshifted and dangerous.
He circled her once more, to double check no one else was near, and then climbed above her onto the boulder. Her small form was thin, and she had skin not quite as deep brown as his own, though reddish. Native American, no doubt. Probably Lakota Sioux, since their reservation was nearby. But what was she doing in this area of the woods, so close to Los Lobos? This wasn’t her territory. Rarely did Lakota wander through these woods without the Alpha’s permission. And why wasn’t she in Wolf form? Her healing would be much more rapid if she shifted.
He cocked his head and pawed at the boulder, his claws scratching against the rock. He was unsure of what to do. He could send another signal, but she would know he was there.
She moved and struggled to lift up on her elbow. She pushed the hair from her eyes and stared straight at him.
And screamed.
He jumped backward on the boulder, flattening his ears against the piercing sound. So much for not being seen. Rookie mistake. Good thing Gee wasn’t near enough to see. He’d put him back in training.
“Go away.” She flung a pebble at him. It bounced along the boulder like a rock skipping along the water’s surface. Fear radiated from her in thick waves and pummeled his psyche. He wanted to comfort her, take care of her, explain he wasn’t a threat. He shook his head. What was he thinking? What made him want to talk to the enemy? She was beautiful, but….
All things unknown are potential dangers to the pack. Especially outsiders.
He backed away, his snout twitching. His dark-brown Wolf form, not large in the Wolf world, but huge to a human, likely scared her, even though she was a Wolf. Injured, she was likely delirious.
Always be wary of unfamiliar Wolves.
Maybe if he shifted, she wouldn’t be so afraid. Shifting was yet another reason he’d been a good candidate for Scout—he could transform at will, not something all Wolves could do. He’d had to practice changing and work hard to control the process, but by the time he was sixteen, he’d mastered shifting on demand, and he was pretty proud of his ability.
He trotted out of her sight and concentrated on his human form.
Saliva filled his mouth, and he longed to howl. His Wolf did not want to hide in this dangerous situation.
Not now. You’ll scare her even more.
He closed his eyes and savored the slipping of beast into man. Electricity shot through the air in jolts of blue and purple and sounds muffled. Like a long string of hot taffy forming and reforming at the hand of an expert cook, his body plied and flowed into his human shape.
Wolf essence poured into a human-shaped cup.
He opened his eyes and took a deep breath. He breathed almost sterile air when he was human. Colors weren’t quite as vibrant around him, but he’d be used to the differences within minutes. He did welcome lesser hearing in human form because the sounds of bugs in the forest sometimes drove him nuts.
He flexed his fingers, stretching out the warmth and numbness accompanying his shift. He checked to see if his clothing had rematerialized. Yep. T-shirt, jeans, and Converse sneakers—confining, but very much normal for a human.
Let’s try this again. He put on his best smile and finger-combed his hair.
“Hello?” Nika kept his voice low and calm as he approached the wounded female. If she shifted and attacked, he’d only have a split second to do the same, or risk being torn apart by her Wolf. Any Wolf would win against him in human form, so he was extra cautious, and nothing was more dangerous than an injured Wolf. He moved from behind the rock to the grass beside her.
Curled into a fetal position on a bed of leaves, she didn’t look threatening. Her pale yellow dress was pulled taut around her, and she covered her face with her hands. She wore curious leather slippers—one of which lay in the dirt near her legs.
“I won’t hurt you.” He cocked his head to listen, then shook off the wolfish gesture. “What happened?” He knelt. Even in his human form, he sensed her Wolf, her fear, her utter femaleness. Something deep, savage, compelled him to touch her, hold her, mate with her. He shuddered, and feral desire rushed through him.
What the hell?
“Go…away,” she whispered.
“No. You need my help.” He edged closer, his knees near hers. Heat flowed off her, and he leaned forward to savor the warmth piercing straight to his soul. Being so near felt right, like he’d known her forever, and for a moment, he wanted to lie down beside her.
He wagged his head with more force than necessary and backed up a little. He didn’t know this she-Wolf, and his duty was to keep pack safety foremost in his thoughts. Impress everyone, especially Drew, with his scouting abilities. The pack Alpha was more of a father figure than anyone in his life. He wanted Drew’s respect. Prove he was man enough to take his place in the pack. Earn the title, Scout, and no longer be little orphan Nika who always needed someone to take care of him.
She laid still, her short, shallow breaths punctuated by sobs. Someone so small couldn’t be a risk to the pack—right? He looked left to right, but saw no one. Not an ambush.
Might should’ve double-checked, Nika.
“Why are you alone in the forest? And what’s your name?” He winced at his high-pitched tone. He had to stay in control. Gee had warned him his hormones would soon surge and the urge to mate would overtake him. But he hadn’t told him he’d act like a blithering idiot around a female he just met.
An injured and possibly dangerous one.
Some scout he was. Alone, babbling, and rocking a hard-on.
“Kimi.” The woman pushed the hair from her face and peered at him with beautiful large, brown eyes. Her nose made a regal line down to full lips, holding no hint of a smile. “Please go. You don’t want to be around me.”
His mouth hung open and he couldn’t do a damn thing about it. The woman’s gaze held him in a thrall so tight he froze. Think. “Of course I do.” He licked his lips. “My name’s Nika.”
Awkward.
She sat up, wincing when she held her arm close to her side. An open sore, red and angry, dripped down her forearm. No wonder he smelled blood. Was it a gunshot wound? Were there hunters nearby?
“Back away from the female, Nika.” Drew’s voice rang through the woods and snapped him out of his trance.
He scurried backward, bumping into something solid. The werebear, Gee, towered behind him.
I’m fucked.
“Get up.” Gee grabbed him under the arms and yanked him to standing. “Looks like you found some trouble.”
His heart pounded in his throat.
“What the hell is going on?” Drew paced, his breath coming in short bursts. “I’m all for being a good scout, but I think you forgot some of your training.”
He snuck a glance at Kimi. She sat, staring straight ahead, rocking.
“Speak.” Gee’s voice rattled through him.
The old werebear didn’t often show annoyance, though Nika sensed his moods similar to how others might get a taste of cologne in the air. Only annoyance didn’t smell good, it smelled like rotting potatoes. Drew was pissed, and Gee wasn’t far behind.
He swallowed. “I-I was out scouting. I was supposed to patrol the forest. I hadn’t gone far when I scented the injured female. I sounded the alert and came to check things out.” Nika dipped his head in submission. Thank the gods Drew was in human form. “I figured I could handle the situation. Since I’m a full scout now. I wanted to show you I could handle things all on my own.”
Drew growled and pointed to Kimi. “Why didn’t you send out another alert when you found her? You know that’s what you’re supposed to do. I have no doubt Gee made procedures clear.”
“I figured I could handle an injured female. I didn’t think—”
“Exactly.” Drew scowled. “You didn’t think. Maybe I think you aren’t ready to scout on your own. We’ve got to protect Los Lobos, you know that. We can’t risk our pack’s safety.”
“He’s young, Alpha.” Gee turned to Nika and drew himself up to his six-foot-seven height. “You know better than to engage on your own.” Gee sniffed the air and wrinkled his nose. “Sometimes the biggest threats come in the smallest and prettiest packages.”
“He didn’t do anything wrong,” Kimi said.
Gee swung his head to look at her so fast she dropped her gaze. “We’re not talking to you right now, clear?”
She nodded.
Gee turned. “I taught you better.”
“Yes….” He stared at the ground. The first time he had a little responsibility he blew it. “I’m sorry, Alpha, Gee. I’ve failed you both.”
Drew snorted and kicked at the ground. “Now, we have to fix this somehow. You’ve put the pack in a delicate situation.”
“She needs medical attention.” Gee kneeled beside Kimi, his heavy form folding on i
tself as he positioned himself on the ground. “She’s sick.” He examined her arm. “Gravely ill.”
She whimpered but didn’t pull away.
He longed to comfort her. He held back. Gee knew what he was doing, and the last thing he should do was interfere. He was in enough trouble already.
“Drive her away from here. Far away from Los Lobos. The humans will help her if you take her to one of their hospitals.” Drew spat on the ground. “We’ll figure out what lessons Nika needs to repeat so he can remember to put the pack first.”
He peeked at Drew. The Alpha, always strong, wasn’t being cruel. He had to protect them all, and he respected him for that. But not much hurt worse than the disappointment on Drew’s face.
“She needs more than a human healer can handle.” Gee frowned. “Nika and I will take her for treatment.”
“Not to Los Lobos. Take her far away.” Drew stood over Kimi, his hands on his hips. “She’s caused enough disruption around here, dragging us all out into the woods when we have other things we need to be doing. She’s a threat to the pack—anyone in our territory is. Besides, we don’t even know her story.”
She moaned, and Nika’s heart sped. He kept quiet, letting the older pack members sort out what was to be done. His body ached with the need to be near her, but he held himself in check. A wrong move, and he could end up in an even worse situation. His place in the pack was one of deference to the Alpha. Always. No matter what he wanted, his Alpha’s wishes came first. That’s how things worked in the pack.
“I know a healer.” Gee stood.
“Who?” Drew asked. “Not too close?”
“Her name is Wen. She works alone, deep in the Black Hills sanctuary. Nowhere near Los Lobos.”
Drew nodded. “Perfect. Nika, I want you to think about what might have happened if we hadn’t been close by to handle this situation. Not only could our pack’s safety have been an issue, but you could’ve been killed.”
“Yes, Alpha.”
“Gee will remind you of the procedures, and next time, you’ll follow them.”