Rebel Wolf

by Lowe, Anna

  Not just a werewolf, a corner of her mind reminded her. It’s Chase.

  Coco came up beside her, sniffing warily.

  She whirled, because Dell and the other bear were still out there. Then she exhaled, because the lion was chasing McGraw into full retreat. McGraw had never fully committed himself to the fight, and now he was cutting his losses, it seemed.

  Sophie turned back to Chase, petrified. How bad were his injuries?

  Slowly, she reached out and touched the wounded wolf’s sides. The fur was softer than she had imagined, and it was easy to recall running her fingers through Chase’s hair.

  “Chase,” she whispered, caressing his wolf ears.

  It really was him, and he’d risked everything for her. But he was totally, terrifyingly still.

  A tear rolled down her cheek, followed by another. More followed, and soon, a whole river of tears blinded her while she whispered his name.

  “Chase…”

  She didn’t know how long she sobbed for the man she loved, and for Darcy. For everything, it seemed like. The greatest sorrows of her life all welled up at the same time, and she felt lost.

  Then a callused finger brushed her cheek, and she blinked. “Chase?”

  The wolf was gone, and the man lay in its place.

  “Sophie,” he croaked.

  A drop of water hung from his brow, and his chestnut hair was wet, just like the wolf’s had been.

  She held her breath. Was Chase really back? Then she gasped at his wounds. His left shoulder was torn open, and four parallel claws raked across his chest. But Chase just cupped her cheek and stroked it with his thumb.

  “Are you okay? Please tell me you’re okay,” she begged.

  “I’m okay,” he rasped. “And sorry. I’m so sorry.”

  She wiped away her tears and hugged him as carefully as she could. “Sorry for what?”

  “For everything.”

  She straightened. “You saved me. Again. I’m the one who should be sorry. You were trying to tell me, weren’t you?” Her stomach lurched. “Please don’t tell me it was something else. Something bigger than this.”

  He shook his head. “Just the shifter part. No other surprises, I swear.” Then he clasped her hand and looked up at her so warily, it broke her heart. “But what about—”

  She shook her head. “I love you, Chase. Nothing else matters.”

  Sure, she’d need some time to swallow the whole wolf shifter thing. But nothing would shake her love for him.

  “Nothing,” she whispered, hugging him.

  She could have stayed there forever, listening to his heart thump. But when she cracked open her eyes, she caught sight of the blood on his chest, and the reality of the situation slammed into her again. She sat back and fluttered her hands helplessly, staring at his wounds.

  “Oh God. We have to stop the bleeding…”

  Chase grasped her hands, calming her down. “It will be okay. We heal fast.”

  We meant shifters, she reckoned, but all that mattered to her was that he would be all right.

  Roars sounded in the distance, and Sophie cringed. Part of that sound was the call of victory, but the other was the last gasp of death.

  She gripped Chase’s hand. “Was that Dell or the bear?”

  “Dell,” Chase said. “I mean, he got the bear. I mean…”

  Sophie closed her eyes, trying not to picture the details. Then her eyes flew open in panic, and she whirled around.

  “Darcy!”

  The dog was lying where he’d been thrown by the grizzly, completely still. Boris stood near him, sniffing the air, afraid to approach.

  Sophie rushed over. “Darcy…”

  Slowly, carefully, she cradled him, and the tears returned when he didn’t react.

  “My sweet, brave Darcy…” she mumbled, rocking him helplessly. She could barely see through her tears, and the heat emanating from the locket increased.

  How Chase had summoned the energy to limp over, she didn’t know. She just wished Darcy had the healing powers of a shifter. His pulse was weak, his body motionless. Was she witnessing the final moments of Darcy’s life?

  “Talk to him,” Chase whispered. “Tell him.”

  Her throat felt too thick to speak, but she choked out a few words. “My brave, brave Darcy. Such a good dog.”

  Hope drained out of her. It could only be a matter of time now. She closed her eyes and thought of “Rainbow Bridge” — the children’s poem that described dog heaven in simple yet beautiful terms. Usually, the idea comforted her, but it did little to help now. Her eyes stung, and her heart ached.

  “Darcy…” she sobbed, holding him close.

  Something brushed Sophie’s elbow, but she didn’t care. Not even when it brushed her a second time. But the third time…

  She glanced down. Wait. Was his tail wagging? She held her breath.

  Darcy’s eyes cracked open, and he licked her hand. So weakly, it scared her, but hope rushed into her at the same time.

  “Good boy, Darcy,” she cried, petting him gently. “Good boy.”

  Heat pulsed through her arm, and she closed her eyes, tracing it in her mind. That was her locket, not just giving her strength, but pouring into Darcy, too. Was that just love at work there, or something more?

  Darcy’s eyes slid shut again, which terrified her, but Chase touched her back. “Tough little guy. He’s going to make it.”

  “How can you tell?”

  Chase bit his lip. “Um…I can just tell. Just keep holding him.”

  Oh, she’d hold him, all right. Just like she’d hold Chase when she got the chance.

  “Are you sure?” she squeaked.

  Chase nodded. “I’m sure.”

  His eyes flashed, reminding her of the wolf, and suddenly, Sophie understood. Not the details, perhaps, but the gist of it. Dogs could communicate with one another, so wolves probably could too.

  Coco and Boris came up to lick Darcy, and Sophie petted them, laughing and crying at the same time. She gripped Chase’s hand, and the heat from the locket extended in that direction as well.

  Love is the most powerful force on earth…

  Sophie had certainly experienced her moments of doubt. But now, she was sure. Love really could conquer all.

  Then footsteps scraped over the rocks, and her heart leaped. She looked up, frightened of who that might be. But when the familiar faces of Chase’s friends came into view, she exhaled. Tim was the first to approach, followed by Hailey. Anjali wasn’t far behind, though she cut over to intercept Dell, who was limping back, still in lion form.

  “You okay, man?” Tim asked, looking more serious than she’d ever seen him.

  Chase nodded slowly.

  “What about Darcy?” Hailey asked, coming over to Sophie.

  Sophie stroked his smooth, damp fur. “I think he’s going to be okay.”

  Hailey came closer, looking between Sophie and Chase. Then she tilted her head and asked, ever so softly, “What about you?”

  Sophie bit her lip. Shaken up didn’t begin to describe how she felt, especially at the thought that Hailey and the others were probably shifters. Her heart hammered away as she studied their features closely.

  A moment later, she shook the thought away. Shifter or not, it didn’t matter. Their love for Chase was palpable, and they’d proven their kindness to her again and again.

  “Sophie?” Hailey asked, concerned.

  Sophie looked at Darcy then at Chase, who squeezed her hand. God, did she love him.

  “I’m okay,” she whispered, keeping her eyes firmly on Chase. “Really okay.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chase woke slowly, still not quite ready to believe. A week had passed since that awful day on the rocks — the day he could have lost Sophie. He could be forgiven for holding her close all night long and not wanting to let her go now that it was morning, right?

  “Mmm,” she sighed, snuggling closer.

  Coco and Boris snuggled clo
ser too, and Chase sighed. But, hell. He could deal with a couple of dogs at the foot of the bed.

  “Heya, buddy,” he murmured, reaching down to pet Darcy, who didn’t even flinch. In fact, he seemed to like it.

  The little Jack Russell had spent the night on a pillow directly beside the couch — the plushest, biggest pillow to be found. It was huge, and the golden tassels at the corners made Darcy look like a goddamn maharajah. Anjali had brought it over sometime after the fight, and Sophie had spent the first forty-eight hours afterward fussing over both him and the dog.

  Chase looked up at the loft. His injuries made climbing up out of the question at first, so they’d bunked out in the living room. He’d patched up pretty quickly, but they’d kept sleeping on the sofa bed to keep an eye on Darcy. Now that he was past the worst, Chase had hopes of moving up to the loft come nightfall. The dogs would have to stay at ground level, but they could live with that.

  I’m alpha of our little pack, he explained to Darcy. But you’re my lieutenant, and you’re in charge down here. The one who makes sure no bad guys get past you. Can I count on you?

  Darcy wagged his tail. Yes, sir.

  Chase petted Darcy’s ears, careful to avoid his wounds. The little guy had been slow to warm to him at first, but everything had changed since the fight, when they’d faced a common enemy to save Sophie.

  Couldn’t have done it without you, man, he said into the dog’s mind.

  Darcy flashed a smug little grin then closed his eyes. It would be a while until he could truly take on guard dog duties, but he would be all right.

  And as for Sophie…

  She saved herself, a little voice murmured in Chase’s mind.

  He ran a hand over his mate’s side. So much had gone wrong, but somehow, it had ended up all right. On the morning before the fight, he’d hurried to the police station, only to discover they’d booked the wrong man. When he’d rushed home, Sophie was gone. His pack mates were getting ready to hunt down the shifter intruders, who had eluded Connor and Jenna on Oahu by leaving a false trail. That left Chase and Dell to catch up with Sophie, and they’d had no choice but to take on the intruders without waiting for backup.

  The memories were ugly, but Sophie had been amazing, keeping her wits and fighting with amazing grit. She’d judo-flipped a full-grown man, for goodness’ sake, and that pull-push move she’d managed to propel David toward the blowhole with had been pretty impressive too.

  Where’d you learn that? he’d asked at one point in the past few days.

  Sophie had made a face. As a kid, I had to learn a lot of things I never wanted to use.

  She glanced down at her locket and moved her lips as if to add something, but in the end, she didn’t speak.

  His eyes dropped to where the locket rested against her bare skin. At times, he’d felt power surge from it. He’d concluded that was a byproduct of his muddled, love-struck mind. But now, he wasn’t so sure.

  Still, he wasn’t ready to ask any more questions. Sophie had already revealed plenty, telling him all the details of the militia she’d grown up in. All the morning marches, all the training, all the crazy propaganda that she’d left behind.

  My aunt was my shining light throughout that whole time. The only voice reminding me there was love in the world, not just fear and hate.

  Chase had kissed her hand. You sure learned the love part right.

  That brought her smile back, and they’d spent a good ten minutes hugging to reinforce it all.

  Love, his wolf murmured.

  Chase nodded along. Love really was the most powerful force of all.

  He’d had the chance to open up to Sophie too, explaining about his childhood. Or rather, his puphood, seeing as he’d grown up in a wolf pack. He’d been scared that would turn Sophie off, but she’d been fascinated by every detail.

  You mean, you got to howl at the moon and everything?

  That had made him laugh and hug her again. Of course, it made sense that a woman who loved dogs could relate, but still. He couldn’t believe his luck.

  We don’t howl at the moon. We howl to it. Someday, I’ll show you.

  She seemed to like the thought of that, and he brightened again. She’d mourned at the details, though. How grueling life in the wild could be, and how difficult it had been for him to transition to his new life. How often he’d thought of turning his back on the human world.

  I know what you mean, she’d sighed. Humans can really suck sometimes. But there are moments of such beauty too.

  Love. Beauty. Sunshine. They were all easier to find with Sophie around.

  He looked at the ceiling. Never had he felt more firmly in the human world. The possibility of going feral had vanished for good.

  In the end, he’d managed to tell Sophie everything he’d been holding back. He explained about shifters and mates, and how easily shifting came to them. He’d also told her about different shifter species: wolves like him, bears like Tim, lions like Dell, and dragons like Connor.

  Sophie had gone pale at the mention of dragons, but she hadn’t run screaming. She had just taken a deep breath, nodded, and quietly processed that information.

  “Nice dragons?” she’d whispered after a long pause.

  He held her closer. “Really nice. I promise.”

  She’d pressed herself to his chest even more tightly after that. But eventually, she went back to asking about wolves. Questions that didn’t come from fear so much as curiosity and even…envy?

  I’d love to run free like that, she’d sighed, making his hopes swell.

  And now…

  Chase looked down as Sophie stretched in his arms and looked at him through luminous, forest-green eyes.

  “What are you thinking about?” she whispered.

  He kissed her softly. “You. Me. How lucky I am.”

  They’d had time to talk about everything — and not just the big things. Sophie shared all kinds of little details, like her favorite colors and flowers. The stuffed animals she used to have, and her first day at work on that farm in Vermont. He’d told her about moving into the top bunk in the room he, Tim, and Connor had shared as teens, and he’d rambled on about some of the pranks his brothers had pulled in the military. It was amazing, how that felt like a lifetime ago. Everyone had grown up since then — becoming more serious, finding mates, settling down.

  His grin stretched. That was him now too.

  Sophie touched his cheek. “Did you sleep better last night?”

  He nodded firmly. And how. The first few nights after the fight, he’d been in too much pain to sleep well. Then he’d been haunted by nightmares about poachers hunting his home pack. But out of nowhere came the best news he could possibly wish for. Tim was friends with a bear shifter clan in Arizona that ran a funky little place called the Blue Moon Saloon. A branch of that clan had moved to Montana, and they had rushed over to check on Chase’s home pack. According to them, whatever poachers had been around were gone or keeping a low profile. Still, Todd Voss and his mixed band of shifters had vowed to stick around, making sure the danger really was gone.

  “Tim said we can count on Todd and his clan. If anyone can sniff out trouble, they can.”

  Sophie drew a lazy circle on his chest. “The Blue Moon Saloon. I love the sound of it. We really have to visit someday.”

  Every time Sophie said we, Chase’s smile grew. And when she talked about shifters in a positive light — especially bear shifters, who she’d had such a negative impression of for so long — his soul rejoiced.

  He kissed her hand. “Maybe on the way to Montana.”

  “Someday.” Sophie smiled. Then she sighed and fingered her locket absently. “Once we get things settled here, I guess.”

  His inner wolf wagged its tail. Getting settled. That means mating.

  Chase held his tongue. There were a lot of aspects to getting settled, and he didn’t want to rush Sophie. She had a long enough list as it was.

  “I have to talk to Mr. Lee,�
�� Sophie said, looking off into the distance.

  She was dead set on returning to work at Sunshine Smoothies, and now that the danger from David had passed, Chase couldn’t really object. In truth, he loved the idea of her being close to the Lucky Devil. They could commute to work together, visit at break times…

  He reined in his imagination before it took off.

  Gotta mate first, his wolf insisted. Make her ours forever.

  He wanted to — desperately — but he’d need time to break the details of mating to Sophie. He figured she wouldn’t have a problem with the forever part, but wouldn’t a nice girl like her balk at the idea of a mating bite delivered at the height of sex? And, crap. How exactly would he phrase all that?

  So, we have to get naked, have sex, and just when we’re both about to come, I bite you…

  He blushed just thinking about saying such a thing aloud.

  “And it’s high time to go check with my aunt’s lawyer,” Sophie said, looking troubled.

  That made him smile. He loved so many things about Sophie, and that was one. She knew the value of money, but she didn’t make it the center of her world.

  “Then I can research good causes to donate it to,” she added, brightening.

  He chuckled out loud. “What if it’s a lot of money?”

  She shrugged. “Then I can donate to several groups. I was thinking about the animal shelter, for starters…”

  Most people would shake their heads at such a crazy suggestion, but Chase thought it was great. He listened to her mull over ideas for a while, then drifted off into a pleasant haze. But then Sophie said something else, and he stared. Whoa. Had she just brought up mating, or was his wolf messing with his mind?

  “Um…say again?” he managed.

  She blushed and looked down. They were both naked because they’d made love the previous night. Sweet, slow sex Chase could have spent the whole day dreaming about — or better yet, trying out a few more times.

  Lots more times, his wolf insisted, going all dreamy again.

  Chase blinked the thought away, trying to focus on what Sophie was mumbling. He cocked his head, still not catching her words.

  Finally, she sighed and play-smacked him on his shoulder. “I said mating. That’s also on my to-do list.”