The Werewolf Cowboy: Werewolves of Montana Mating Mini #6

by Bonnie Vanak

  “She’s mine by right. I am alpha!” Cedric yelled.

  Until one female stepped forward. With dark red curls spilling down her back and deep green eyes, she looked regal and commanding.

  And mighty angry.

  “Cedric, pack is pack. Grayson will always be one of us until he leaves. Now either fight him for the leadership of our pack, or stop blathering. You’re beginning to bore me.”

  Growling, the alpha whirled, and stared at the outspoken female. “How dare you!”

  On the sidelines, Chase grinned. “Oh damn, Sienna, you’ve done it now. Challenged the alpha.”

  But the redhead refused to lower her gaze and only rolled her eyes. Katy hoped Cedric would see reason.

  And then the alpha stepped forward and hit Sienna hard. Gasping, she fell backward. Chase barked out a curse and rushed forward to help her up. He gently touched her cheek and then glared at Cedric.

  “You’ve taken this too far, old man. If you don’t fight Grayson, damn it, I’ll take you down myself,” Chase threatened.

  “Show some respect. I am your alpha. No one tells me what to do,” Cedric snarled.

  All the while Grayson was inside her head.

  Use your powers, Katy, darling. There has to be a reason why he went to all this trouble to kidnap you. It isn’t for sex or breeding. It’s something more. He could choose any female among his pack. Drill into his thoughts, see his true purpose. I can’t, not without him detecting me. But he doesn’t know you.

  Closing her eyes, she envisioned Cedric, the thick silver hair spilling down to his collar, the thin nose and the upper lip lifted in a sneer. Katy took a deep breath, and as if she dove into a deep pool, plunged into his mind.

  She found his thoughts blinking on and off like a bright purple neon sign in the night. Katy slipped through them as if they were pages in a magazine, and what she found shocked her.

  She’s young, not tainted with the darkness yet. Fresh. More energy, more power than my last mate. I’m not going to die. Get a baby on her, fuck her, then drain her. I’ll be younger, last a hundred more years with her energy and the baby’s. She is purebred, good fight to the death.

  Cedric didn’t want her out of pure lust, to make a baby with her and secure his line, as most male Lupines desired. He wanted to mate with her, breed with her, and then…

  Kill them both. Katy and her unborn child, so Cedric could siphon away all their energy, leaving her a dried husk of a Lupine, her baby dead.

  And he planned to fight Grayson to the death to achieve his goal.

  Instantly she telegraphed this information to Grayson. His last mate didn’t die from natural causes. Right after he became alpha of this pack, he started to lose energy and die. So he killed her, siphoned out her energy so he could live longer, stay younger and remain in charge of the pack. I have some powerful magick he wants. He wants…to drain me of life. Me and the child he plans to make with me.

  Like hell he will. Reckon I’ll have to fight him for you.

  NO!

  I must, sweetheart. Don’t fret. Knew it would come to this.

  Grayson knew when he returned to Wolf Haven, he took a huge gamble. He’d been gone too long, busy living in the Skin world.

  But in all the years of his absence, he never thought his alpha would turn mad.

  Stinging pain from the lacerations didn’t hurt half as much as Cedric’s betrayal. The alpha had taken him in when Grayson’s parents were killed, raised him, taught him all a dark Lupine needed to know to survive.

  And now Grayson faced the task of killing the very male he’d held in high esteem above all others.

  Or dying at Cedric’s hand.

  There remained only one choice. No backing away now. He had to make a stand for what was right, what he knew in his heart he must do, no matter how difficult.

  The slick, coppery scent of blood filled his nostrils. His blood, and perhaps his death. But he must do this to save Katy, because no one taught her how to use her enormous powers to protect herself. She deserved a chance at life. With Cedric, she would surely die.

  Grayson wiped the blood off his cheek. “I’ll fight for her, Cedric. To the death.”

  For the first time, the silver-haired Lupine looked uncertain. Before Grayson could utter another word, before Cedric gave the official acknowledgment of the battle, the alpha struck him. Long talons cut into Grayson’s chest.

  He gasped from the pain.

  Dark light pulsed around the alpha, not the strong bluish-white light of each dark Lupine in this world, but a more sinister power, as if Cedric could no longer summon anything good. He stretched out his claws. Yellow venom dripped from the tips.

  Ah shit. Poison. This more than anything else confirmed Grayson’s suspicions. His alpha and foster father had embraced evil in return for power. He felt the poison seeping through his bloodstream, slowing him down.

  As Grayson started to move away from the deadly venom-tipped claws, Cedric whirled and slashed out. The move cut Grayson across the throat. Blood spurted and he gasped with the pain and shock as Katy screamed. Groaning, Grayson clapped a hand over his bleeding throat, trying to stem the flow, knowing he could die if he didn’t call upon his healing powers.

  He’d been gone from Wolf Haven far too long. He either could use his inner light to destroy the alpha and save Katy, or save his own hide.

  Katy came first. She always had.

  Summoning all his magick, he forced his powers to surge, and threw two energy balls at the Lupines holding Katy. Shrieking, they dissolved into puddles of dark goo. Grayson lifted a trembling hand to the stunned Katy.

  “Run, darling,” he called out hoarsely. “Go inside the cottage. That ole bastard can’t get to you there.”

  He turned to Chase. “Teach her, buddy. Teach her to use her magick and kill Cedric. He’s going to kill her, just like he did to Edith. He doesn’t want a mate, he wants to live forever and siphon out all Katy’s energy until she drops dead.”

  Shocked gasps rippled through the pack, but he was too weak to care. Grayson collapsed on the ground. He tried to call upon his magick to heal. No use. Poison already started seeping through his veins, destroying cells, killing his magick.

  Grayson struggled for breath, knowing the inevitable truth.

  He was going to die.

  This could not be happening. Not Grayson, her friend, the male who risked all to come here and bring her back from the darkness. He was her light, her love…

  She loved him.

  Grayson shifted into wolf and struggled to stand on all fours. Lupines healed faster in wolf form, but she didn’t know if that applied to this world.

  Cedric laughed. “You think shifting will save your life? You’re dead.”

  Use your magick, Katy. Your powers and free yourself. You have the powers of light and darkness inside you. You are a child of this world. Do it.

  She felt his light dying, winking out like a sputtering candle. You’ve got to hang on. Grayson, please!

  Sorry, sweetheart. I’m trying, but his claws are poisoned. As long as you’re safe, I can die in peace.

  Screw that. You are so NOT DYING!

  Pure instinct drove her, fueling her with strength. Calmness settled over her. She remained quiet, despite the blood gushing from Grayson’s throat. Power gathered within in, such power she wanted to burst with it.

  Katy centered herself, focusing on the calm. She was a tsunami, collecting energy in her wake, a destructive force ready to unleash a terrible power. The magick pushed to the surface with inexorable force, and kept rising and kept coming until she knew the exact moment to release it.

  Focused and centered, she ran to Grayson and knelt before the magnificent wolf. Katy put her arms around his neck, stroking the blood-soaked fur where the alpha’s talons had gouged skin.

  Light shimmered around her, an ethereal bluish-white light that warmed her but did not burn. She pushed all her magick to the surface and centered her powers in her hands, will
ing them to heal Grayson’s terrible wound.

  Others rushed forward to pull her back, but were forced away from the light shimmering around her. Katy focused all her attention on Grayson, healing him, watching the deep gouges in his throat slowly close, feeling the poison turn muted and ineffective.

  She felt him inside her mind, stronger now, forceful. Thank you. That’s my girl. Now step back, stay safe.

  What are you going to do?

  He’s going down. Right now.

  Then Grayson spoke again, but not to her. Chase, buddy. Create a diversion.

  The other male raced forward, danced before Cedric, shadow boxing. “You bastard. So you think you can take whatever you want, whenever you want? Ignore us and what we need?”

  Cedric lunged forward to attack, but Chase darted away. “Save your strength, old man. Your days in this pack are done.”

  “I am not a man,” Cedric snapped.

  “Oh yeah? Could’ve fool me. I saw that trunk filled with Viagra so you could get it up with the ladies.” Chase winked at a few watching females.

  The diversion worked, for Chase’s distraction gave Grayson time to regain his strength. When Cedric turned back, Grayson had shifted back to Skin. But as the alpha charged, Grayson did not attack. Instead, a shimmering purple light glowed on his opened palms, bright as the sun. Katy could barely look at it.

  Cedric flipped out his hands, but only two small globes of grayish power hovered above his palms. The pack murmured as the twin globes flickered and then winked out. For a moment, Katy almost felt sorry for him.

  The alpha looked at Katy, his expression anguished. “My power is waning. Please help me.”

  Help him, when he nearly killed Grayson, and had her kidnapped, wanted to kill her? Katy backed away.

  “Your time here in the Dark Kingdom is over, Cedric. I’m sorry,” Grayson told him.

  Then he flung out his hands, releasing his light. It poured over Cedric as he howled and screamed. Katy shuddered, but did not look away. Grayson did this for her, to protect her, and keep her from that lunatic, whose mind had aged into madness.

  They watched the alpha dissolve into a puddle of bones and blood, and then the earth siphoned it away until there was nothing.

  Silence fell over the pack. Cedric had liquefied before their eyes, and yet she sensed no anger or fear. Just sadness and resignation.

  Sienna knelt down, touched the earth where Cedric had once stood. “Sleep in serenity, dear alpha,” she murmured, and then the others did the same, one by one.

  Grayson was the last to do so. When he arose, dusting off his hands, the rest of the pack bowed their heads.

  “Welcome back, alpha,” Chase murmured.

  Dismay filled her, but she knew what had happened. It worked the same here as the Skin world. Grayson was now their new pack leader.

  An alpha’s duty was to his pack. Aiden had demonstrated this time and again. But what did that mean for her?

  Did he plan to make her his mate and keep her here, forever?

  Chapter 12

  Alpha of his pack. Last thing he wanted or needed. But Grayson understood the rules. The pack felt lost with Cedric gone, and needed continuity. Other rival packs, like the Belcher clan, could sniff them out, discover they were weak and vulnerable if he refused.

  So he said yes, and when Chase insisted on a formal ceremony, Grayson took Katy’s hand.

  “Later. Chase, I appoint you as my beta wolf. Take the pack, return to the ranch.” He lifted Katy’s hand to his mouth, gently kissing her soft, sweet skin. “I’ll be along later. If anyone gets unruly, kick ’em in the ass.”

  Chase laughed, but it was an uncertain sound. Sienna scowled. “Are you abandoning us again, Grayson?” she demanded.

  Dropping Katy’s hand, Grayson went to the outspoken redhead and stared her down until she flushed and looked away. “I have business here, and a woman who needs tending. Go with Chase.”

  His best friend grabbed Sienna’s hand. “C’mon, Red, before you get your ass in trouble again.”

  Sienna scowled. “You try to touch my ass and I’ll knock you flat, Chase.”

  Chase winked. “Doubt it. The things I would do to that pretty lil bottom of yours, darling, you’d be too busy screaming in pleasure to use your fists.”

  Grayson silently watched them leave his yard, and then he turned to Katy. Wide-eyed, pale, she stared at him.

  “Your pack is very sexual. Is that what you intend for me, Grayson? What am I? What’s wrong with me that I was able to heal you when you almost died?”

  What he intended for her sang through his blood and bones. More, so much more. But he looked at her face, the fear and worry in her beautiful green eyes. Katy didn’t need a wolf raging with hard lust. She needed to know what she was, and how he felt about her. The woman had risked all to save his ass.

  He never imagined he’d feel this way about another living being. All his life, Grayson kept his feelings private, because sometimes in the Dark Kingdom, emotions could kill.

  But Katy—ah, sweet, wonderful, brave Katy—stole his heart. He’d do anything to make her happy.

  Anything except letting her return to the Mitchell Ranch. She belonged here, with him, in his bed and in his pack. This was her true home.

  Taking a deep breath to quell the desire threatening to override all reason, he clasped her hand and tugged her inside the cottage. After sitting her on the sofa, he went into the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face. A lot of cold water.

  Then he returned to the sofa and took another deep breath. Damn, she was absolutely lovely, her eyes huge, her hair soft and silky, her mouth red and kissable. She stepped out with courage to interfere with the alpha, had used magick she did not yet understand to heal his wounds.

  Perhaps what he’d tell her would frighten her, but Katy needed to know the truth about herself, before she used her powers and hurt herself.

  “Katy, darling, there is nothing wrong with you. You’re not a normal Lupine like those in the Mitchell pack. You’re a dark wolf, born here in the Dark Kingdom.”

  Blinking, she shook her head. “I don’t understand.”

  “Your folks were purebred dark Lupines, just as you are. Your father was alpha of our pack, and after you were born, your folks worried so much magick and darkness would influence you to turn evil before you could fully mature. They made the decision to take you into the Skin world, but they had to cross the Feral Forest.”

  Katy stretched out her quivering hands. “My parents died in that forest. I sensed it. It’s a very evil place.”

  He placed a palm over her shaking one. “If you let it get inside you.”

  “I’m part of your pack, not Aiden Mitchell’s?”

  If only it were so simple. “No. Mitchell’s pack raised you. When your folks died, whatever pack raised you after became your pack. Unless you choose differently.”

  “How come my parents died in the forest and I didn’t?”

  Grayson’s stomach churned as he studied the sorrow on her expression. “After we didn’t hear from them for four days, Cedric, your dad’s beta, sent out a search party. I found them. They had killed themselves after the madness got to them. We thought they were strong because they were alpha wolves, but their fear and worry for you and the life they were leaving behind here got to them. Wolves who let the fear rule them, they don’t survive long in the Feral Forest. But strong wolves, like you, do survive.”

  “I don’t remember any of it.” She frowned, two deep lines indenting her forehead.

  “Cedric put a powerful memory spell on you to make you forget. I found you weeping and starved, took you back to the pack, and Cedric decided to fulfill your folks’ last wishes. I gave you my amulet to protect you. You were just a mite, only eight, and the look in your eyes haunted me for the rest of my life.”

  “How did you get me through the forest? All I remember is wandering down the dirt road and seeing a man on horseback.”

  He reached
out and fingered a lock of her long hair. “I blindfolded you and carried you in my arms. I sang a song and talked to you until I went hoarse.”

  “‘Smile,’” she whispered. “‘Smile’ by Nat King Cole. No wonder I adore that song. I remember it well. I remember feeling cherished and protected. I remember how you kept swearing you’d never let anything happen to me.”

  “Kept that promise, too,” he said fiercely. “But I had to return to the Dark Kingdom, and my pack, until I came of age. And then I returned to the Skin world when I turned twenty-one and came into my powers. Traveled all over, stopped by the ranch in the guise of buying a horse to check on you.”

  “But you came back to Montana to live.”

  “Bought the spread next to Mitchell’s soon as I heard it was for sale. I worried that when you got legal you’d explore your powers and find everything confusing. Kept watching you, hoping those powers would never manifest, ’cause other Lupines wouldn’t understand, and might get scared. Even kick you out of the pack.”

  He slid a caressing hand over her cheek, stroked a thumb over her soft skin. “Never intended this to happen, Katy, darling. I only wanted to watch over you, make sure you were okay. And then you turned twenty-one and drove me mad with the wanting. I’m not a good wolf. I’m dark, and in the Skin world, dark turns feral real fast.”

  Trembling beneath his touch, he could smell her arousal, taste her desire in the air. Damn, he was fast losing control. His hand shook as he stroked her cheek.

  Katy slid closer to him, her eyes huge. “I’m like you. A dark wolf. What do you want from me, Grayson?”

  Unsmiling, he pointed to the bedroom. “Get in my bed.”

  Grayson wanted her badly. No romance, sweet words or flowers. Only hard lust and need.

  He’d said nothing more, only took her hand and tugged her into the bedroom, and then he stripped.

  Nude, Grayson faced her. Sweat slicked his muscled flesh, and from its nest of ebony hair, his shaft sprung out, thick and erect.