Winter had never forgotten the pain…the begging for death as his body had accepted the blood, making him change into something lethal. He was different now, bigger. He’d been an average sized human five years ago, barely six foot tall and less than two hundred pounds. Now, he towered over many of his pride. At six foot five and almost three hundred pounds of muscle, Winter wasn’t one to cross.
There was something in the shifter’s blood that made him grow, and grow larger he had. He had strength that no human male, no matter his size, would have even with the best training. A werepanther could run at speeds faster than any of his animal cousins. Yes, he was a paranormal creature only once thought to be a myth.
As a human, he’d lived in the worst parts of Memphis, trying to keep himself alive while caring for his mother and baby sister. They’d both died the night everything changed. Winter squinted his eyes, trying not to remember that night, but like always, when he let down his guard…the memories came back.
They’d been at home, the family gathered for a rare family meal. His mother was attempting to stay clean and had cooked a decent meal for them. He was twenty and his baby sister was only eleven. The conversation had strayed to her schoolwork and how he’d just gotten a job with Shaw Security Specialist, making enough money to be able to move them out of the slums within the next few months. That was…until the front windows shattered, bullets flying everywhere.
The kitchen was open to the front room and the first bullet hit his mother in the head, ending her life with no suffering. Winter lunged for Summer, his sweet baby sister, but he was too late. A bullet grazed his shoulder and buried itself in her chest. The next one got him in the leg, but at the time, he didn’t care. His only worry was for Summer.
She died in his arms, gasping for every breath.
It wasn’t until two days later that he woke up in the hospital. He’d been hit more than just in the leg. He’d taken another bullet to his abdomen, barely missing vital organs. Winter had come alive that day, demanding to be released. He wanted vengeance and he would stop at nothing until he found the people responsible for killing the only family he had.
He checked himself out of the hospital against doctor’s orders, and made it his life’s mission to find the killers. He checked into a motel for the first night, planning and preparing. When he arrived at work the next morning, everything changed.
As he stepped into the office, two pairs of icy blue eyes swung in his direction. Savage, his then-boss, and the owner’s brother, Noah, glared at him, their nostrils flaring in what he thought at the time was anger. He’d not had a chance to even explain what had happened before he collapsed on the floor from a fever he didn’t even realize he had…or the infection that almost took his life.
They’d smelled the infection with their superhuman senses. Of course, Winter didn’t know that at the time, but now he understood. It was either let him die or change him. He remembered Savage telling him as much and apologizing for the next few days until the pain would subside enough for Winter to hold a coherent thought.
The day he opened his eyes and wasn’t in pain, Winter stumbled around the room on all fours and thought he was going insane. There was something taking up his brain…his thoughts. No, it wasn’t something…it was someone.
His panther.
Savage had calmed him and had taken him under his wing for the next several months, teaching him how to live and thrive. They grew to be brothers in all ways, even blood. It’d been Savage who’d changed him on Noah’s urging, and in the end, he was thankful for everything they’d done.
The men who’d killed his mother and baby sister were found. The extent of their injuries were unexplainable and they died painfully. It was the right thing to do and Winter had no remorse for the actions of the night he and a few Guardians went hunting in the city.
His phone rang, interrupting his workout. Winter frowned when he saw it was the sheriff’s department phone number. He’d been working with them on a missing child case last week and he thought everything was taken care of when he and Savage had found the kid hiding in the woods about a mile from the playground she’d walked away from only a few hours prior.
“Winter,” he answered.
“Winter, it’s Sheriff Lynch,” he announced. “I need to get in touch with Liberty, but she isn’t answering her phone.”
“What’s going on?” Winter asked, going on instant alert. “Is there something wrong at the bar?”
“I really need to speak with Liberty,” the sheriff replied, a heavy sigh coming through the phone. Winter’s panther sat up straighter in his mind. Warning bells were going off in his head and he knew this had nothing to do with the bar.
“Is it Nova?” he growled, his panther prowling angrily.
“Do you know where Liberty is or not?” the other man asked. “I have to notify the next of kin before I can say anything.”
A deafening roar left Winter’s mouth as the words sank in, words he’d wished he’d never heard. His knees hit the floor as a pain worse than his first shift struck him in the center of his chest.
“Wait!” the sheriff hollered. “Nova is alive, but she’s at the Methodist Hospital. I need you to find Liberty and bring her here.”
“What happened?” Winter demanded, his canines so thick in his mouth, he tasted blood on his lip where they’d nicked the tender skin.
“I really need you to get Liberty,” he replied. “Now, Winter. It’s urgent.”
“I’m on my way,” Winter snarled, disconnecting the call. His panther struggled for dominance, but Winter shoved him back. Now was not the time to go on a hunt to find the human and kill him. As soon as he knew that Nova was okay, he would let his panther out to play. It’d been a long time since Winter had gone on a good hunt.
“She wouldn’t fucking talk,” Perry spat. He’d tried everything to get the bitch to tell him what he needed to know, but she wouldn’t give up any information on the pride. He’d been hard-pressed to keep from killing her when he’d finally snapped, leaving her body at the back of the bar. He wanted to send a message, letting the pride know the wolves were coming for them.
“Did you leave our calling card?” Franklin snickered, his booted foot resting on an old, rickety coffee table that had seen better days. He’d recently moved the pack from the little cabin after the alpha’s bitch had been rescued and his cousins had been killed by the pride. The small wolf pack had gathered in their new home east of Memphis, keeping far enough from the pride so they wouldn’t be found. The old farmhouse was the perfect hiding spot. Franklin’s plan was to get in, destroy the pride, and take over their home, but Perry was having doubts they could actually pull it off. It was how the wolves fought for land, faking documents when the need arose and making their mark on the area by multiplying their numbers and building an army.
“She was at the point of death when I left her.” Perry laughed, rubbing at the scratches on his arm. “She was a fighter, too. I just wished I’d had a go at her before she passed out.”
“You may get your chance again,” Franklin said, then laughed.
A female sauntered through the door, one of Franklin’s wives. Her name was Sissy and she was strung out from all of the drugs Franklin kept her supplied with daily. Perry tossed her a sack of white powder, sending the female back out of the room. He wasn’t done talking to the alpha.
“When?” he asked, licking his bottom lip. For a human, Nova was sweet tasting and he sure hoped he’d be able to have another date with her in the near future.
“Keep your scent covered and go after her again when she is almost healed,” Franklin ordered, cracking open a cold beer. “She’s bound to talk when you threaten to hurt her again. Humans are weak. She’ll cave, I’m sure of it.”
“How long do humans take to heal, anyway?” Perry asked, running his hand through his dark hair, pushing it back so he could slap an old baseball cap over his head.
“Fuck if I know,” Franklin shrugged. “Give it
two or three weeks.”
“Perfect,” Perry snickered, accepting a beer from his alpha. Too bad she was involved with the pride, because he would’ve loved to have that tiny brunette as his first wife. She had a fire about her that made him hard just thinking about her fighting off his advances.
Chapter Two
Winter stood at the nurse’s station, tapping his foot impatiently. Liberty was encased in her mate’s arms, getting Nova’s room number and signing paperwork for her sister’s care. As soon as the number left the nurse’s lips, Winter turned for the elevator, not caring if his alpha and mate followed him. His panther was in charge and wouldn’t stop prowling until he found her.
“Winter, wait,” Talon ordered, causing him to pause at the entrance of the elevator. “Stand down.”
“Fuck,” he mumbled, running a hand down his face. “Talon.”
“I know, my friend,” Talon said, pressing the call button. “I’m not going to stop you from seeing her, but I am ordering you, as your alpha, to calm yourself. The last thing she needs is to have you charging in that room like a raging bull.”
“Do we know what happened?” Winter asked, nodding his understanding of his alpha’s orders.
“Sheriff Lynch is waiting upstairs,” Liberty whispered, tucking herself into Talon’s side.
The elevator opened and all three of them stepped out. Winter turned left, following Liberty and his alpha. Another nurse’s station met them and beyond that, the sheriff was standing there, a phone stuck to his ear. As soon as they approached, he disconnected the call and looked toward Liberty. His face gave them the answers they were seeking.
It wasn’t good.
“They have a room where we can talk,” he said, holding his arm out to the side, indicating a room just down the hall.
Winter took a seat next to the door, allowing Talon and Liberty to sit against the furthest wall. As Talon’s second in command, Winter’s job was to protect the alpha and his mate, but at the moment, he only wanted to go to Nova’s room to see her.
“Who was Nova with tonight?” the sheriff asked. Winter’s deadly growl turned all heads in his direction. “Do you know?”
“She was on a date with some guy named Perry,” Winter replied, his hands turning to fists as he held on to the arms of the chair. A loud cracking noise echoed in the room as the wood under his fingers split. He’d been reduced to taking his anger out on furniture.
“Do you know his last name?” The sheriff noted something on his paper and looked up at Winter, waiting for a reply.
“No,” he answered, seeing an amber haze to his vision. “Now, tell me what the hell happened!” Winter stood, his panther pushing forward. He breathed deep, sending his animal back.
“Your bartender found her when he took the trash out back,” Sheriff Lynch began. With each word that passed his lips, Winter’s knees weakened, sending his ass right back into the chair. “Nova was dumped at the back door of The Deuce, she was unconscious and in very bad shape. Cole called 911, and I was the first one on the scene.”
“I’ll kill the motherfucker!” Liberty snarled, jumping to her feet, but immediately swayed. Sheriff Lynch reached out to catch her, but stopped himself when Talon was there, pulling her back down into the chair.
“Liberty, you must stay calm,” Talon whispered. “It’s not good for the cub.”
“Cub?” the sheriff gasped, his eyes narrowing on Liberty.
“Shit,” Winter barked, rising from the chair and stepping toward the officer. “This is not to be known.”
“I’m not going to say anything,” he replied, turning toward the alpha. “I’m on your side. You all know this.”
“I just found out today,” Liberty said, wiping a tear from her cheek. “I need to see my sister.”
“I need a description of this guy,” the sheriff announced, turning toward the group.
“I’ve never seen him.” Liberty sniffled. “He’s new to town. Nova said that he’d been coming in for the past few weeks, but it was never while I was on shift.”
“Same,” Winter growled. “I never saw him in the bar when I was there.”
“What about the other Guardians?” the sheriff asked.
“I already told her not to date that loser,” Winter snapped.
“You know him?” Liberty frowned.
“No,” Winter replied. “But he was probably a loser. You sister could do better.”
Liberty smiled softly and walked around the other two men, Talon close on her heels.
“By the way, Sheriff,” Winter said as he walked out of the room. “If the other Guardians had seen this guy, I would’ve known everything about him.”
Liberty made her way down the hallway, searching for the room number she’d been given. A nurse looked up as she exited the room, a soft smile playing on her lips.
“Ms. Raines?” she asked. The nurse was around his age. Her blonde hair was pulled up into a bun and her green eyes were kind. Winter felt a bit of ease around the nurse, which he thought was odd, until he realized the human woman was with young, although she wasn’t showing. He didn’t think he’d ever get used to the feeling of peace when around a pregnant female.
“Yes,” Liberty answered.
“My name is Carol and I will be your sister’s nurse,” she replied. “Nova is resting comfortably right now. The doctor will be in first thing in the morning to talk to you about her care, but I can give you a rundown of her injuries.”
“Please?” she asked.
“She was beaten and choked.” The nurse paused, composing herself. “Her left arm is broken and she has road rash on that same side. Nova has a lot of bruising and cuts all over her body. The worst part is the fact that she has a very bad concussion. We are keeping her comfortable right now.”
“Does she know what happened?” Talon asked. “Has she said anything?”
“No,” Carol replied, shaking her head. “She’s been sedated since she arrived.”
“I’m going in,” Liberty said, obviously ready to see her sister.
The moment Liberty entered the room, Winter’s heart squeezed from the cry of agony that came from the alpha’s mate. The moment his eyes fell upon Nova, another deadly snarl of rage left his lips. Liberty moved quickly to the right as Winter fell to his knees at Nova’s bedside. He didn’t know what came over him, but he had to be close to her.
Her face was battered, her left eye black and swollen. Her scent was there, even though it was almost overpowered by the cleaning chemicals in the hospital. Winter raised his head, inhaling deep, in hopes that he could get Perry’s scent off of Nova’s body. He needed it to track the son of a bitch when the time came to teach this human a lesson. He was disappointed when he found no other scent.
She had several stitches over her left eye and at her hairline. Her left arm was bandaged in a thick beige covering. The tips of her tiny fingers were mangled, her nails broken and jagged. The white blanket covered her body, hiding any other injuries from his view. She was already small, but looked like a child laying in the large hospital bed. Winter’s heart broke, knowing he could’ve prevented this from happening if he’d only followed her home so he could’ve met this asshole. He would’ve sensed this man’s malice toward Nova.
“I want a blood oath,” he choked out, fighting back tears.
“What?” Liberty asked, looking toward her mate in confusion. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“A blood oath?” Talon asked, his voice deep and solid. “Are you sure?”
“One of you better answer me,” Liberty growled. Winter didn’t reply, just turned back toward the bed. His eyes assessed Nova as Talon explained to his mate the meaning behind a blood oath.
A blood oath was a singular request made to the alpha to allow a Guardian deal out justice without the consent of his leader. In other words, Winter could break away from the pride to find and kill the man responsible. Being a rogue shifter was dangerous. Without an alpha, Winter could become weak and
eventually die if he wasn’t brought back into the pride after an extended period of time.
“No!” Liberty snarled, moving to Winter’s side. “You will not go off on your own to find this guy.”
Winter cursed, knowing that Liberty’s order was just as binding as Talon’s. His eyes flickered toward his alpha. Talon nodded sadly, agreeing with his mate.
“The pride will help you,” Talon stated, his voice firm. “We do this together.”
“Yes, sir,” Winter said in defeat. He knew he couldn’t disobey. Even his panther sat back, relaxing when the alpha gave the order.
Nova’s body protested as she tried to roll over on her side. Her head was fuzzy from sleep. She gasped when a pain raced up her arm. Blinking to clear her head, she saw that she wasn’t at home asleep in her bed. A machine beeped beside her head and a calming scent invaded her mind as she tried to come fully awake. A memory tickled her brain…something about Perry. God, why was she so groggy?
“Nova?” a deep voice greeted her. She stiffened when she realized who was there with her. As soon as her eyes opened, everything came rushing back.
“A…am I going to be o…okay?” she asked Winter. He was standing over her bed, his huge body shielding her in a protective manner.
“You’re going to be just fine, little one,” he answered. His face was a hard mask as he attempted to smile to ease her fears, but Nova knew she probably looked just as bad as she felt.
Guilt swamped her as her mind finally came back online, remembering Winter arguing with her about going out with Perry. “You were right.”
“We are not even going to go there right now,” Winter said, his words final. “You are going to focus on getting better.”
Winter (Rise of the Pride, Book 2) Page 2