Pack Hunter

by Crissy Smith

  Table of Contents

  Legal Page

  Title Page

  Book Description

  Dedication

  Trademarks Acknowledgement

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  New Excerpt

  About the Author

  Publisher Page

  A Totally Bound Publication

  Pack Hunter

  ISBN # 978-1-78184-823-4

  ©Copyright Crissy Smith 2013

  Cover Art by Posh Gosh ©Copyright October 2013

  Edited by Stacey Birkel

  Totally Bound Publishing

  This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Totally Bound Publishing.

  Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Totally Bound Publishing. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.

  The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.

  Published in 2013 by Totally Bound Publishing, Newland House, The Point, Weaver Road, Lincoln, LN6 3QN

  Warning:

  This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature readers. This story has a heat rating of Totally Sizzling and a Sexometer of 2.

  This story contains 91 pages, additionally there is also a free excerpt at the end of the book containing 6 pages.

  Were Chronicles

  PACK HUNTER

  Crissy Smith

  Book Eight in the Were Chronicles series.

  The best hunter for the wolf shifters has met his match when he’s introduced to the small town human who captures his attention and heart.

  Clint Price is enjoying his temporary assignment with the Alpha Council. The best part of every day is his morning visit to the local coffee shop. He soon finds himself enchanted by the human business owner.

  Sara Webb hadn’t known that shifters really existed, so finding out that the large compound just outside of town was full of them was a shock. One look at Clint and she is more than intrigued.

  When the town of Lovington is invaded with protesters and Clint is threatened, the residents come together in support. With the help of their friends and family, Clint and Sara fight for both their newfound love and shifter freedom.

  Dedication

  To everyone over at TEB for their encouragement and support.

  Trademarks Acknowledgement

  The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

  Hunger Games: Suzanne Collins

  Coke: Coca-Cola Company

  Chapter One

  Clint Price jogged down the large gravel drive as he made his way to the guardhouse. The morning sun had already started to shine and bathed the beautiful property in its colorful rays.

  Two guards, Alan and Jody, saw him heading in their direction and opened the side fence so he didn’t have to slow down.

  He waved in appreciation as he passed and they laughed and waved back. They were used to his morning routine by now.

  It had been over a month since he’d first arrived at the Alpha Council compound in northern California and the group of guys he worked with daily had become great friends.

  From the entrance of the compound, he started south toward the town of Lovington.

  He never missed his run. Not only did it help keep him in shape, but the freedom of running also kept him from going stir crazy. Every morning he ran in his human form and every evening he shifted and ran as his wolf.

  The Alpha compound was one of the nicest he had ever been on. Hidden in the northern mountains of California, the compound housed eight wolf Alphas, who served as the Council for the Packs of the United States.

  While the actual location of the Council compound was only known by a handful of people, the property stayed on constant high alert to keep the Council members safe at all times.

  The shifters of the world had revealed their existence not too long ago. While the majority of humans had been shocked, most had accepted the shifters without problems.

  But, like with anything, there were some who couldn’t accept the differences in the shifters—had named them evil and threatened them.

  Four weeks ago, a Pack close to the Alpha compound had been almost devastated by fires around their community. Five fires in total, but luckily no one had been injured or killed.

  The Pack had fought back. Clint’s best friend, Kurt, was a member of the Pack, and Clint, along with two of their buddies, had gone there to help.

  With the assistance of the Pack members, they had been able to capture and arrest eight humans and two shifters.

  Clint and Kurt had escorted the two shifters to the compound for interviewing. Clint hadn’t been involved further, but he knew Kurt remained immersed in the investigation.

  Meanwhile, Clint had been asked to remain there as a guard while the Council members tried to find out what threats still remained. He had also been asked to think about accepting a permanent role as head guard.

  Clint was considering the job offer, but his decision would also depend on Kurt. They’d been friends since they’d first met on the Marine Corps boot camp bus heading to Parris Island.

  Theirs was a friendship made through tough circumstances and loyalty. They’d been stationed together several times before both had been recruited into the Special Forces.

  At the time, the government hadn’t known about shifters. Having one of his kind by his side had made it easier for Clint to get through the last ten years.

  They’d been through so much together. He considered Kurt his brother.

  His footsteps echoed along the empty road as he hit his stride and relaxed into the routine of his run. He let his mind clear and just concentrated on breathing.

  Before he knew it, he’d reached the edge of town. Lovington was a small community, and while they now knew about shifters, they had no idea what a powerful group lived just miles up the road.

  To the outside world, the Council pretended to be just another Pack. Packs contacted them by phone and email and only the highest ranking Alphas knew the location.

  Clint slowed when he came to the post office. He started his stretches and waved at Mrs Carson as she passed on her way to the flower shop she owned. The older woman beamed at him and returned his wave.

  Relaxed and loose, he made his way into the post office and checked his box. There were only three items. A bill, a magazine and a letter. He looked at the return address and snorted. His buddy Samson wrote him every month. The letter could contain information about Samson’s job or his family, but most of the time he sent jokes or raunchy articles.

  Samson was a character—however, he was also a dependable friend that Clint was glad he’d met in the military.

  Samson was human but Clint didn’t hold that against him. He was still a badass.

  Clint tucked his mail under his arm before giving the man behind the counter a smile then he headed back out to the stree
t.

  His next stop was his favorite. If Clint was being completely honest with himself, the reason why he ran toward town instead of taking the route around the compound was because of his next stop.

  The Blend and Brew Coffee House was located right in the middle of town in one of the store fronts on Main Street. He and Kurt had found the coffee shop their first week there. The atmosphere was homey and comfortable, the coffee perfectly blended, but it was the service that had him going back every morning.

  He pulled open the door, breathing in the intoxicating aroma of freshly ground coffee, absorbing the hum of the espresso machine and laughter from the patrons.

  He grinned at the sight of the woman behind the counter.

  Today she had her light brown hair pulled back in a ponytail away from her face. Her hazel eyes sparkled while she joked with the college-aged kid behind the counter with her, while she dumped espresso shots into paper cups.

  She was several inches shorter than his six-foot-one frame. Just the right size, in his opinion. She wore her usual uniform of jeans and T-shirt under her brown apron with a picture of three coffee beans dancing on the front.

  She threw her head back and laughed loudly and Clint’s cock woke up behind his running pants.

  He knew very little about her except that every morning when he woke up she was the sight he wanted to see.

  She looked up and spied him by the door. She smiled widely and called out to him.

  “Hey, Clint!”

  Sara Webb did her best not to let her hands shake as she spotted the man standing by the front door.

  Every morning like clockwork, Clint Price walked into her shop and she had to suppress the urge to leap over the counter and jump him.

  A silly reaction for a grown woman, but damn he was fine.

  Clint had been coming in every day for weeks now and she still didn’t know much more about him than his name. Sometimes he had a friend with him, but she really liked when he was alone. Since he was on his own today, she took the opportunity to stare at him without having to avoid his friend’s knowing gaze.

  Clint strolled up to the counter and she tried her best not to drool watching his hard muscles as he walked forward. His sun-bleached blond hair, dark chocolate eyes and easy smile were always a welcome sight.

  She finished the two drinks she was working on and placed them on the counter, calling for Christina to come pick up her order. Then she turned back to him and grabbed a towel to wipe her hands.

  “You want your usual or do you want to be daring and try something new?” she asked like she did every morning.

  He chuckled and shook his head. “The usual, please.”

  She waved a finger at him. “One of these days I’ll get you,” she teased.

  His eyes darkened and her breath caught. Damn, that flash of arousal on his face made her ache. She actually leaned toward him.

  Then his face blanked and the spell was broken.

  Hoping to hide her blush, she turned, grabbed a large cup and started to fill it with the day’s fresh house blend coffee. She placed the lid on before passing it over the counter to him.

  “One large house blend, no sugar, no cream.”

  He placed three dollars on the counter and pushed the money toward her before he winked and picked up the cup. He lifted it to his mouth and drank deeply. Sara was caught up watching his throat work but had to turn away when she almost moaned out loud.

  Her barista, Cecil, caught her eye and was smirking at her. She glared but couldn’t really put any heat behind it. It wasn’t his fault that every time Clint came into the shop she wanted to lock the doors and have him bend her over the counter.

  She flushed and waved a hand over her face. It really was hot in the shop today.

  Clint grunted and drew her attention back to him.

  “I swear the coffee gets better every day,” he praised.

  Too aroused to think straight, she couldn’t have come back with a witty comment if her life depended on it.

  He patted the counter before turning and carrying his coffee to a table by the window. He dropped what looked like mail onto the table top and took his seat.

  His back was to her now. He stretched his long legs out under the table, and Sara actually had to grip the counter to stop from offering to drop between those powerful thighs.

  Cecil came up beside her and hip-checked her. “You keep staring at him like that and we’re all likely to catch on fire,” he teased in a low tone.

  She smacked his back and moved away to start to clean up a little, taking advantage of the lack of customers. Cecil had gone back over to wipe down the espresso machine, so Sara began clearing used cups and pastry wrappers from empty tables.

  As she glanced around, she saw that in addition to Clint, there were two women giggling at one table, a group of five college kids in the couch and chairs and two business men in suits.

  Business was good and for that she was thankful.

  It had been a big chance opening her own business, but she had saved her money knowing what she wanted.

  She had a love for coffee and books. A perfect day for her would be to curl up in a comfortable chair with a hot cup of rich coffee and the newest mystery book.

  She was a book geek, enjoyed her quiet, small-town life and never wanted for more. That was, until a handsome stranger had first stopped in for his morning cup.

  Now she often fantasized about more.

  Not that she wanted her life to change. She was really happy, but meeting Clint had reminded her of an element she hadn’t realized she was missing.

  She’d had plenty of relationships in the past, even a semi-serious one while attending college, but no attraction had ever been as strong as how she was drawn to Clint.

  Remaining far enough from him where she could admire him without the threat of being discovered, she continued to watch him. He’d arrived in town a short time ago with Kurt. The town gossip had placed him at the shifter place several miles up the road, so she had to assume that he was one of the shifters. She didn’t actually know much about what that meant, though.

  She’d grown up in the small town. Her dad still worked as the sheriff. Her mom, before she’d passed, had volunteered at the local library.

  When the news about shifters being real and not mythical creatures had come out, it was only then that the town had learned that the large property close by was not just owned by a rich family but actually housed a small group of shifters. She wasn’t even sure what type of animals. She’d read some news stories and several articles, but since the residents of the big house just outside of town had rarely visited, no one knew much about the local group.

  It was only recently that the shifters had started to appear in town regularly. Most of the younger ones, like Clint, stopped by the coffeehouse, went shopping and even grabbed a bite to eat at one of the restaurants on occasion.

  Unless you knew what they were, you would never know they were different.

  Her dad had come clean with her after the shifters went public. He had known and had been committed to keeping the shifter existence quiet.

  When she’d asked why he’d agreed to keep their secret, he’d explained to her that having the shifters there meant they would always have protection. Plus, he had informed her, it had always been that way. Even back when her great-grandfather had settled in town, the shifters had already been there. The humans had moved in and a truce had been reached.

  The humans brought in businesses that were much needed to make the town look normal, while the shifters in Lovington vowed to protect everyone, shifter and human.

  She could understand the logic, and really it didn’t make much of a difference to her. She was intrigued, but until she’d met Clint, she had never given shifters much thought.

  Movement drew her eye back to the man she had been thinking about. He turned and tilted his head to her with a frown on his face.

  She hoped that he hadn’t been bothered by her atte
ntion. He had never seemed to mind before.

  He didn’t look back at her as he rose, then pulled open the door and disappeared onto the street. The two men in business suits from the table next to him scrambled up and quickly followed after him. She called out a farewell to them, but they didn’t even acknowledge her. Clint’s abrupt departure bothered her more than it probably should have. He normally smiled or waved when he left.

  Sara scurried back around the counter where Cecil was almost done with cleaning. She glanced at her watch and saw it was almost time to start on the books.

  She enjoyed working the counter for the morning rush, talking with her regulars and hearing the latest gossip. But once it started to slow down, Cecil could handle the rest of the shift.

  “I’m going into the office,” she told her employee.

  Cecil nodded. “Don’t worry about me,” he told her. “I’ve got this.”

  She smiled and headed into the back where her office was located, the blond-haired, brown-eyed man still foremost in her thoughts.

  Chapter Two

  Clint continued down First Street, keeping his senses open. He pretended to window shop before he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and pressed the speed dial number for Kurt.

  His friend picked up on the second ring. “Don’t tell me, you’ve finally decided to stay in town and take that pretty coffee shop owner up on her unspoken offer to go into the back office,” Kurt said, laughing.

  Clint growled. Kurt had been giving him a hard time about his daily visits to the coffee shop, asking why Clint didn’t just skip the coffee and take the woman.

  “I’m being followed,” Clint told him instead.

  “What? Where?” Kurt was immediately serious.

  “There were two men at the coffee shop. Blue business suits. They didn’t say one word to one another the entire time I was inside. But they had their eye on me without trying to be obvious about it,” Clint explained.