"Listen, you don't have to say a word," Erich said as he put his hand on Caleb's shoulder. "Those fuckers need to be taken care of, and you know your dad would want you to do things right and go to the Council, but that doesn't mean anything to these people. With your father gone, you're now Alpha, and they know it. You need to make a stand."
"You know I never like to agree with our big friend here," Joaquin said, "but he has a point. Right now they think some dumb kid is going to take over and they have nothing to worry about. They're expecting you to be diplomatic like your dad. They think you're emotional and ready to mourn. But you're not like that, you're stronger."
"You're right," Caleb said. "My dad believed in the best in people, but there are plenty of times people aren't at their best. That Alpha took my father for a fool and he thinks I'm one as well. My father went to negotiate peaceful terms with their Alpha. Since peace isn't what they want, then their Alpha should get what he's looking for."
"I like what you're saying," Erich said.
"What are you planning, Caleb?" Joaquin asked.
"Their Alpha killed my father. He'll pay for that with his own life."
Present Day
Caleb thought back to the night he became Alpha with a mixture of emotion. Now that he was older, he didn't know if he would handle it the same way, but without killing that Alpha and taking over his territory, Caleb would have never been able to acquire as many territories as he had. Because of this, he had a number of trustworthy sheriffs underneath him managing each territory. Creating this system brought him to the attention of the Kabok Shifter Council, which eventually turned into an appointment to the Council.
The real reason he decided to patrol his territories instead of asking his sheriffs was because of that fateful night fifteen years ago. Knowing someone was out there capturing and murdering members of his pack, he couldn't put anyone else in danger. Each of his sheriffs was a mother or father. Caleb refused to be directly responsible for putting anyone in his own pack through the kind of pain he and his mother experienced when they lost his father.
A deer dashed through the trees, and silence enveloped the woods. Sitting on a high tree branch in human form, he looked down to see what the disturbance could be and spotted a small human running towards the clearing, her long, dark red hair flowing behind her.
Just like a human to not listen, he thought to himself as he sighed. Bad enough she entranced him so that she consumed his thoughts. It had to be witchcraft that made him that way. At least, that’s what he tried to convince himself.
Since he had met her, he felt incomplete. He needed her like the air he breathed. Without her, he thought he'd suffocate. Caleb couldn't forget the weight of her body on his wolf form and how badly he wanted to shift back and take her on the forest floor. His lips still remembered her softness and how she tasted of freshly picked berries.
Caleb heard stories of wolf charmers who could not only entrance the wolf but control shifters as well. Some of these tales ended in the old Leeds graveyard where the accused were killed by stoning, pressing, or the common death by burning. He knew these witches were still in existence today, just as his kind had lived then.
But he never heard of such a strong charm to make a shifter, and an Alpha at that, obsess about the caster of that spell. Perhaps it wasn't a spell at all. She did have the scent. Or did he imagine that?
It was the scent every shifter lived for but few ever found. The scent was their reason for being, the acknowledgement from the beyond that yes, there is happiness meant for you. It meant not just the completion but the betterment of one's soul. It all boiled down to one's soul mate; the fated mate.
It didn't make any sense though. While she had the scent his mind and body registered as his, the fated mate was to be one of his kind. A shifter. A werewolf to be more exact.
Her scent was one of warmth and sweetness that he could only describe as reminiscent of his mother's homemade cookies. It awakened a longing and yearning in him, but it also drove his wolf spirit mad with desire. The girl was human though, at best a witch. It made no sense.
Maybe it was part of her charm. She had to be a strong witch to captivate him like this and confuse him enough to think she could be the one. Or maybe she just was.
Using his strong hands to lower himself from the tree, he beckoned his wolf spirit to take over and bring him to the clearing. The cool air rushed past his face as he ran in wolf form. Low branches from the trees and shrubs in the forest whipped against his thick coat until he slowed at the edge of the clearing to spy upon the girl.
She was collecting stones again. Her collection wasn't as large as last time, and he could hear her cursing the moon for not being full. Her brazenness made him smile.
Shifting back to his human form, he inhaled deeply when he realized her scent was stronger tonight than it had been last time they met. He wondered why that was. Oddly, she smelled almost like a shifter. But not quite.
Still, her scent made his blood rush. He wanted to hold her, to feel the softness of her skin and her warm body against his. He needed to bury his face in her luscious hair and breathe her in. At a minimum, he had to be near her.
Spotting a large white stone at his feet, he picked it up and entered the clearing. He knew if any of his pack saw him in such a vulnerable state, it could mean his death. But at that moment, he didn't care about being Alpha. All he cared about was her.
With her back towards him, he watched her for a moment before stepping closer, knowing she had no idea she wasn't alone. It was why she was in danger. Why he tried to warn her. None of that mattered anymore. As he moved closer to her, her scent overwhelmed him and he vowed to protect her at all costs.
"I told you to never return to these woods," he growled at her.
"Yes, yes, oh so dangerous," she said as she turned around then looked at his hand. "Is that for me? Or were you planning on using it to bash my head in?" She grinned wryly at him before picking up another rock.
"It's for you," he said as he held it out to her.
"So now you're helping me?"
"I know your kind. Stubborn, inflexible, challenging. You'll do whatever it is you want despite what I say. Maybe even because of what I said."
"So, you admit there's no danger besides yourself."
She was playing with him, of that he was certain. Growling softly, he forced himself to calm down as he wondered if she was right. Maybe he was a danger to her.
"Human, my pack has seen many deaths recently. I've taken it upon myself to make sure even the neutral zones on the outskirts of my territory remain safe."
"Are we in your territory now?" she asked with her head tilted to the side.
"No. This area and this clearing were spoken for centuries ago by another."
"Then I don't need to worry. If anything, you're trespassing, right?"
He refused to answer. This territory hadn't been touched by a pack for as long as he could remember. There were tales the clearing was haunted, but Caleb didn't believe in such nonsense.
"The danger isn't just for my pack. Your small human mind cannot comprehend the enormity of these acts."
"Stop talking to me like that! Do you realize how much of an asshole you are?"
"How dare you talk to me that way, witch!"
"It's Hannah," she said, correcting him.
"Hannah," he said huskily and caught her smiling. "I'm sorry I've been rude. I'm Caleb Overstreet."
"So, Caleb...don't you get cold?"
He laughed, realizing she was referring to his nudity. Slowly, he admitted to himself that what angered him interested him as well. Not only did this woman have the scent of his mate, she also wasn't afraid to speak back to him. He enjoyed the challenge.
"Yes, I do feel the cold, but not the way you do."
Stepping closer to her, he felt the warmth her body gave off. As he looked into her bright green eyes, he felt like he had been struck by lightning, and the world around them disappeared. The win
d whipped her hair into her face and he gently pushed it back behind her ear. With his fingers now at the back of her head, he pulled her close to him, slowly tilted his head to the side as he breathed her in, and lightly touched his lips to hers.
Her heat filled him as it had during their first kiss. Softly, his tongue traced her bottom lip before he pulled it into his mouth. He wanted to consume her. Pushing his tongue into her mouth, her tongue slid against his and he wondered how a human would smell and taste so sweet to him.
But was she human? As her arms slipped around his shoulders, he noticed she felt stronger than she had when she rode him. It didn't make sense, but she definitely had a stronger scent, too. He stepped back, confused and unsure if he would be able to control himself if he did more than kiss her.
Slipping his hand out of her silky hair, he rubbed his cheek against his palm, letting her hair slide between. He couldn't get enough of her, but he needed to go. A run in the cold air would do him good.
"I must leave you. It's dangerous, and I beg you to go," he said, unsure if he was the danger he warned her about.
"No. I just need a few minutes. I need to talk to Pea. I'm so confused. My mother...and Night Shift..."
"The bar? What were you doing there? That's not a place for someone like you. The shifters there..." he stopped speaking as he realized he was becoming possessive for no reason.
"I was looking for you," she said.
Grabbing her cloak, he yanked it open as he pulled her close once more. He ran his face along her neck, breathing her in. His hands firmly moved over her soft breasts and he felt her nipples harden through her sweater. Growling, he restrained himself, fighting his desire and his hardening cock before kissing her roughly, claiming her mouth as his.
Quickly shifting into his wolf form, he forced himself away. At full speed he plunged into the woods, his long claws ripping through the earth. He needed this run to clear his head, but he would keep an ear out in case Hannah needed him.
Chapter Seven
Breathless from his touch, Hannah stood there, her panties wet and her body needy and alive for him. Words couldn't describe the effect Caleb had on her. And with how quickly he shifted and ran, Hannah needed to pinch herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. Ouch! Okay, definitely not dreaming.
Looking up at the sky, she had no idea if Pea would appear on a night like tonight. Hannah usually visited Pea during full moons because that was when she was at her most powerful, not because she couldn't summon her other times throughout the month.
Still holding the rock Caleb handed her as if it was her prized possession, she finished constructing her small circle. She didn't have much time left. The edges of the sky were already lightening into a pale blue.
As she stood in her circle, she closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind of everything except Pea. It was harder than she thought. Caleb kept creeping into her mind, making her smile and her core throb as she wondered where he was and when she'd see him again.
"It's been a long time since I've been in this clearing."
Hannah's eyes flew open when she heard the unfamiliar woman's voice. Standing in front of her, fading in and out as if there was a bad connection, stood a woman, not much older than her, but dressed in the plain clothing Hannah recognized as what they wore during colonial times.
She wore a long pale green cotton dress with an apron over it. Even with her hair tucked into her white bonnet, Hannah could see auburn wisps brushing against her cheek and spilling onto her neck. Hannah knew her hair would do the same thing if she tried to contain it and because of that, she knew the woman was an ancestor.
"Who are you?" Hannah asked.
The woman blinked at her for a moment, a look of surprise on her face, then she rushed closer to her circle. Stunned, Hannah resisted the urge to step back, reminding herself she was safe.
"It's really happening! You're really doing it!" the woman exclaimed. "The curse is being lifted. You must be the thirteenth. Oh goodness, where are my manners? I'm Rebekah Crane, but most people know me as Mother Leeds."
"Mother Leeds? As in Leeds Point? The Jersey Devil?" Hannah asked in awe.
She disappeared briefly then looked more vibrant. "I lost faith for so long. The thirteenth daughter. Oh and look, you have my hair and his–"
Mother Leeds suddenly faded and was replaced by Pea.
"Go home, Hannah! It's too dangerous here. And cut your damned hair!" Pea yelled.
"But Pea–" Hannah said, surprised at her grandmother's anger.
"I thought it was Eliza, but it's you. I did what was needed to protect you both. Now please cut your hair. Your scent stems from there. It's how he found you."
Pea disappeared. Alone again, Hannah tried calling either woman back, but it was useless. There was too much light in the sky. Picking up the stone Caleb gave her, she broke the circle, put the stone in her pocket, and started the walk home.
The sky was an odd combination of blue and pale yellow layers. The sun still hadn't broken the horizon. Noticing the forest was oddly quiet, she picked up her pace. By this time, the birds usually began their morning chorus, but there was nothing. As Hannah stroked the stone in her pocket, she exited the woods with the feeling she was being watched.
Feeling anxious, she ran down the road towards her home. She tried convincing herself she was just spooked, but it was no use. She couldn't shake the feeling that she wasn't alone.
As she stepped onto the sidewalk leading up to her door, a thin animal, no larger than a medium-sized dog, stepped out of the trees. Surprised, she stopped and watched it approach as she tried to figure out what it was. One thing was certain, it was a shifter.
The animal had a reddish coat and long pointy ears. It was too big to be a fox. A coyote? No, coyotes weren't brave enough to approach alone like this. Slowly, it dawned on her. Wolf. Red Wolf.
"Renfield?" she asked, remembering their conversation from earlier.
The wolf walked behind a bush and when he was done changing to human, Renfield stood up, using the foliage to cover his private area. Why did he follow her? Something deep inside her told her to run inside the house, but she ignored that and waited to find out what he wanted.
"They look down on me," Renfield said. "They call me Omega. They're Beta. They follow their Alpha mindlessly like sheep. How does that make them better than me?"
"What are you doing here?"
"I caught your scent earlier in the woods. It's too good to pass by and it's getting stronger," he said as he stepped forward, forgetting his modesty. "You haven't been claimed yet. I have no desire for a mate, but that doesn't mean I can't have a little fun."
Hannah watched in horror as Renfield quickly shifted back into the red wolf and charged towards her. Frozen to the ground in shock, she willed herself to move, to run into the house, but she couldn't. With her breath caught in her throat as Renfield was just several feet away from her, she managed a whisper. "Caleb."
A strong gust of wind and the coarse hair of a grey wolf brushed against her as it collided mid-air with Renfield. The wolves' upper bodies rose into the air as they stood on their hind legs. Caleb easily flipped the smaller wolf, pinning him down on his back, and stood over him, teeth bared and snarling.
The rush of relief that ran through her body enabled her to move once more. Taking a step towards them, she was startled when the grey wolf turned to growl at her. Understanding he wanted her away, she ran up the steps of the cottage and waited.
Caleb focused on the smaller wolf, his teeth still bared, a low growl coming from deep in his throat. In an effort to shake the larger wolf, Renfield bucked and twisted. Caleb's jaws snapped onto his neck.
"No! Don't!" Hannah called out as she left her porch.
Caleb stopped. His teeth had already punctured the skin. Slowly transforming back to human, Renfield whimpered, his neck bleeding as he turned to Hannah.
"You didn't have to do that," he said. "I was wrong. I even smelled the Alpha on you, but tha
t didn't stop me." Caleb released Renfield, who reached up to check his neck. "I've lived through worse." He took a step towards Hannah when the grey wolf snapped ferociously, stopping Renfield in his tracks. "Hannah, you're in danger," Renfield said. "My master knows of the Crane curse. His pack has waited centuries for you. Please, go back to your old life."
"What are you talking about?" Hannah asked.
"Your scent. He's going to follow your scent. Even if I tell him nothing, he will find you," Renfield's voice heightened with fear as he turned to the grey wolf. "He will use her to destroy our kind!"
Caleb shifted back and grabbed Renfield's arm. His eyes were intense as he loomed above the smaller man. "Speak! What do you know?"
"Nothing, I swear I know nothing. Just that he's been looking for the emerald-eyed witch who can charm wolves. The thirteenth daughter. He hates your kind." Renfield turned back to Hannah. "Your scent grows stronger the more you're with him. Please, save yourself!"
"Is your master behind the slaughter of my pack?" Caleb demanded.
Renfield yanked his arm away from Caleb. "I don't know for sure, but it's why I'm here. I needed to find out more when I heard of the deaths. He is not my master by choice. He saved me, and for that I owe him my life. You think of me as Omega, but I know honor and respect like my wolf brethren. Something other shifters do not."
"Who is your master?"
"Hawthorn. Coyote."
Renfield turned around, revealing four large misshapen scars that resembled a bear's claw. He shifted back into wolf form and trotted down the street before disappearing into the woods.
Caleb turned to Hannah and as he stepped towards her, she jumped into his arms. Relieved to be safe and in his embrace, she melted into him and let him support her body as she clung to him.
The Crane Curse Series Complete Boxed Set (Shape Shifter Romance) Page 4