Wolf Cursed (Lone Wolf Series Book 1)

by Heather Hildenbrand

  “Good, and make sure to use those words too,” she said. “Drake wouldn’t know a brake cable from an internet cable anyway.”

  Isaac hooted. “You tell ’em, Ma.”

  “Don’t start with me,” she said, her eyes narrowing as she looked at him. “You still haven’t replaced my blender, and don’t think I’m going to forget.”

  “What happened to the blender?” I asked.

  “Uh, you know what? Let’s grab those waters and head out,” Isaac said, steering me out and through the house toward the back. “We’ll meet you out there, Dris,” he called and then barreled through the back door with me in tow.

  Idrissa called out something I couldn’t hear as we hurried across the back deck and down the steps to the yard.

  “Your mom is cool,” I said.

  Isaac snorted. “Sure, as long as you don’t break her kitchen stuff.”

  “What’s the deal with the blender?”

  “It’s classified.”

  We both turned as Idrissa walked out. She tossed us each a bottle of water and dropped a couple of towels on the bottom step before crossing to where we waited.

  “Mom’s ranting about that damned blender,” she told Isaac.

  He snorted, looking not a bit remorseful. “She’ll get over it.”

  “I still can’t believe you tried mixing your clay mold in that thing,” Idrissa said. “If you hadn’t broken it, I would have, because no way was I using it ever again after that.”

  “What clay mold?” I asked.

  Isaac pretended not to hear me.

  “He made a clay mold of his dick and then put it on the mantle in the living room,” Idrissa said.

  “Seriously?” I turned to stare at Isaac, who winked at me.

  “Mom said she wished she’d kept more of our old artwork from school, so I decided to give her something to display.”

  “You just wanted to see Dad’s face when he realized what it was,” Idrissa said.

  He shrugged. “And there’s that.”

  “What happened?” I asked, unsure whether to laugh or be afraid for Isaac’s life.

  “Nothing,” Idrissa said. “I moved it before the fallout could take place.”

  “Where did you move it?” I asked, but Idrissa only smirked.

  “She won’t tell me,” Isaac said.

  “And that’s what’s called sweet irony,” she said.

  I laughed. “So, your parents have no idea what you used the blender for?”

  “Not a clue,” Isaac said, grinning. “Yet.”

  “You’re an idiot,” Idrissa said.

  “Why?” he protested. “I think Dad would be proud of me.”

  Idrissa shook her head and then turned to me. “Okay, you ready to do this?”

  “Depends on what this is,” I said, still laughing about Isaac’s dick mold.

  “For starters, we need to trigger your wolf,” she said, and my smile vanished instantly.

  “How?” I asked.

  “Well, for most of us, shifting happens naturally around the age of puberty,” she explained.

  “Yeah, that didn’t exactly happen for me,” I said.

  “I know, and I’m so sorry you had to grow up without a pack to support you, Ash. I can’t imagine how hard this must be. Our wolves emerge because we’re surrounded by our pack. And the first changes can be rough, which is why having another wolf or your pack with you through those first few shifts is so crucial.”

  “So, we need to call up my wolf or whatever?”

  She nodded. “For starters.”

  “Okay.” I blew out a breath. “Well, I can’t exactly get a redo on puberty, so how exactly do you propose we call it?”

  She hesitated. “The other option is to force it out due to a threat.”

  “A threat,” I repeated. She nodded, and her words sank in. “You mean against me?”

  She smirked. “Show me your hands.”

  “No way.” I took a step back. “I saw what you did to Vinny. I’m not trying to get knocked out.”

  Idrissa rolled her eyes. “I’m not going to hurt you, Ash.”

  “Really? Because you just said you need to threaten me.”

  “Yes, but I can do that without knocking you out.”

  I scowled.

  “Do you trust me?” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Okay. Then show me your hands.”

  Reluctantly, I lifted my fists in front of my chest. “Like this?”

  “Dear God,” Idrissa muttered. “Isaac? If you would?”

  He stepped up and crouched low, hands open, palms out. His eyes were sharp on hers. “Bring it, bitch.”

  Idrissa didn’t say a word before she flew at him.

  The next few seconds passed in a blur of punches, kicks, twists, and turns that left me dizzy by the end of it all. When they finally stopped, neither one had gotten a single hit in on the other, but I was positive I’d never seen two people more deadly.

  Idrissa looked at me expectantly. “Got it?”

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” I looked back and forth between them, realizing, for the first time since I’d volunteered myself, that I was inevitably going to get killed in that fight.

  “Just put your hands up,” Idrissa said impatiently.

  I did as she asked and then was promptly tossed onto my ass.

  Rubbing my hip, I glared up at her from the ground. “What the hell?” I demanded. “You said you weren’t going to hurt me.”

  “You have to plant your feet,” she said.

  “This is going to take a while,” Isaac said and wandered off to drag over a lawn chair.

  I took a deep breath and climbed to my feet for round two.

  Two hours later, my ass whooping was complete, but my wolf hadn’t so much as stirred. Isaac had switched with Idrissa halfway through, and I now knew better than to think he would be easier on me than his badass sister. He was not.

  If anything, he was harder because he “believed in me” as he put it. Between punches and kicks, he shouted inspirational quotes like “you only get out what you put in.”

  I wanted to punch him but damn if I landed a single swing on that encouraging mouth of his.

  Sweaty, exhausted, and pretty convinced I was going to die in that fight, I sprawled on the grass and waited for my lungs to either fail me or recover. I’d surrendered to either option at this point.

  Isaac stood over me, drizzling water into my open mouth. Idrissa tossed a towel at my feet and paced.

  “You need some serious conditioning,” she said.

  “How does conditioning help trigger my wolf?” I asked, mostly because the thought of hard exercise kind of made me want to eat donuts and yell curse words.

  “Our wolves need the freedom of running, especially on the full moon. If you offer that up, maybe she’ll take the bait and want to join you,” Isaac explained.

  Idrissa nodded her agreement. “We’ll start with running every morning.”

  I groaned.

  “Push-ups, Sit-ups,” she went on as if I hadn’t spoken.

  “The bag at the gym would help with the sense of threat,” Isaac said.

  She stopped and gave him a look. “Yes, except the gym is full of Silas and his crew.”

  “Assholes,” Isaac muttered.

  Idrissa went back to pacing. “You also need to work on your—”

  “What’s that?” Isaac asked.

  I looked up at where he stood over me, bottle of water poised to pour into my mouth. He was staring at something on my stomach. I followed his gaze and realized with horror that my leggings had tugged down on my hips.

  Shit.

  The mark.

  “Nothing,” I said, pulling the waistline up as Idrissa marched closer.

  “It looked like ink,” Isaac said.

  “It’s my zodiac sign,” I said.

  Isaac gave me a weird look. Idrissa huffed.

  “We need to focus,” she said.

 
“I’m focused,” I told her.

  “Okay, but can we just take this break to go back to the elephant in the room?” Isaac asked, taking a seat beside me in the grass.

  I braced myself for the question he was about to ask. I didn’t want to lie to either of them. But Oscar had made it clear no one could know about the tattoo.

  “What elephant?” Idrissa asked.

  “Kai Stone took our girl here for a bike ride yesterday, and there’s a serious gap in time from when they rode into the sunset and when he brought her home.” Isaac wiggled his brows at me. “You said we’re friends now, so spill.”

  Idrissa stopped pacing and looked over at me. “For once, I’m siding with my brother on this one.”

  “Traitor,” I muttered.

  She smirked.

  “We’re not getting any younger,” Isaac declared pointedly.

  “We’re not aging either,” Idrissa said with an eye roll.

  “Wait, what?” I asked.

  Isaac rolled his eyes. “Drissa is referring to the fact that wolves age differently than humans, which I will fully explain right after you tell me what went down. Was it Kai? Did Kai go down…on you?” He made a licking motion with his tongue, and I groaned.

  “No,” I said, but despite my protest, my cheeks heated. The very thought of Kai’s mouth on my—

  “She wants him to, though,” Idrissa said with a smug smile.

  My eyes widened. “No way,” I protested, but it was a weak lie.

  Idrissa’s smile widened.

  “Is he a good kisser?” Isaac asked.

  “Isn’t this conversation more middle school speed?” I asked. “Dishing about who kisses better?”

  Isaac shrugged. “You said you never had friends. We’re giving you the full tour. So… is he?”

  “You’ve lived in town with him all your life, and you don’t know?” I shot back. “I thought small-town gossip would have treated you better.”

  “Kai’s never kissed anyone in town,” Idrissa said.

  I blinked. “Seriously?”

  The twins shared a look with enough unspoken words I wondered if they had telepathic powers.

  Idrissa answered aloud. “Kai’s dad was one of the original pack members. He was the pack beta, actually,” she said. “The rumors say he suffered when the alpha bond broke and it changed him.”

  “Changed him how?” I asked.

  “Not for the better,” Isaac said. His expression darkened.

  “Kai’s mom died in childbirth,” Idrissa said. “And Kai’s dad blamed him for her death.”

  “That’s terrible. It wasn’t his fault,” I said.

  “No shit, but Victor Stone wasn’t someone you could explain things to.” Isaac shook his head. “That guy was scary as hell.”

  “Was?” I echoed.

  “He died a couple of years ago.”

  “Kai doesn’t have family?” My heart hurt for Kai just thinking about it. I knew what it was like to grow up without a mom. And to have a dad who wasn’t exactly Father of the Year.

  “It’s better this way,” Isaac said. Idrissa shot him a look. “What? Kai’s old man was fucking terrible to him. Everyone saw the bruises.”

  “That’s horrible,” I whispered.

  “Kai’s always kept to himself a little more than the rest of us,” Idrissa said. “And he’s always been tough as hell. He’s undefeated among the other pack members, which has sort of made him our unofficial alpha.”

  “What about Oscar?” I asked. “He seems sort of important too.”

  “He’s the leader of the elders,” Idrissa explained. “Our council of original pack members is a sort of acting governing body for the pack, but they don’t hold much sway these days, compared to the younger members.”

  “Like Kai,” I said.

  They both nodded. “Our wolves care about who’s strongest,” Idrissa explained.

  “And that’s our boy, Kai,” Isaac added.

  “That’s why everyone acts like everything has to go through him,” I said. And why Silas and Drake deferred to him during my interrogation.

  “They defer as much as their instinct will allow,” she explained. “But it’s not enough to settle our wolves completely.”

  “Or break the damn curse.” Isaac tossed a piece of grass away, scowling.

  “Kai told me about it,” I said, and both of them looked up sharply.

  “He did?” Idrissa asked.

  A slow smile spread across Isaac’s face. “He likes you.”

  “I don’t know about that. He basically yells at me every time he sees me.”

  “For what?” Isaac asked.

  “He says I shouldn’t be here, that it’s not safe, that I’m going to get killed, that I’m stupid. You know, friendly stuff like that.”

  Isaac snorted. “He’s worried for your safety. It’s hot.”

  Idrissa shook her head. “I hate to admit it, but I think Isaac’s right. Kai’s never shown interest in another female.”

  “We were beginning to think maybe he played for the other team,” Isaac said, wiggling his brows.

  “You hoped it,” Idrissa corrected. “I never actually thought it.”

  Isaac sighed. “A girl can dream.”

  I laughed.

  Idrissa’s expression sobered. “But you should know there are other pack members who would love to take that alpha role out from under Kai.”

  “Silas?”

  “For one,” she said. “Just be careful. If they find out he’s interested in you, it could make you a target.”

  I snorted. “I’m already a target.”

  Neither one bothered to argue that.

  “So, does Kai want to be alpha?” I asked.

  “He’s never refused the recognition,” Idrissa said. “Why?”

  I didn’t answer.

  My thoughts were taking me into territory I wasn’t sure I liked. For one, Kai knew about my mark. And according to him, whoever broke the curse would also become alpha of the pack. If he was in line to become alpha already, didn’t that make me a threat to him?

  The twins claimed he’d never shown interest in anyone before, which was a nice sort of flattery for me. Except what if he was only showing interest now in order to get close to the one person who threatened to take away the one thing he wanted? What if he was only manipulating me so he could get me to break the curse and then get me out of the way so he could claim his alpha role?

  I needed to play this carefully. Idrissa was right. I was even more of a target than I’d thought. And I was done playing the victim in my life. It was time to take control.

  Chapter Seventeen

  For the next several days, I bounced between working at the Throttle and training with the twins. Idrissa and Isaac tag-teamed it so that I was constantly with one of them, sparring, conditioning, or doing some weird wolf-triggering exercise that Isaac dreamed up. None of it stirred my wolf to make an appearance, but it did exhaust me as a human, that was for damn sure. Every night, I fell into bed, too tired to panic about any of the terrifying things going on in my life.

  Oscar and I maintained our routine. Work during the day. Dinner at night. He grilled me about my training, but he also spent time telling me stories about growing up in the Falls. He even told me a few about my father as a kid.

  Silas and Presley left me alone. I didn’t see them at all, which was both a relief and terrifying. They’d gotten what they wanted. I was going to fight. Even Drake left me alone, ignoring me or keeping our conversations strictly about work. Invoices. Customers. Not a single accusation that I was a witch or a spy for witches. Twice, I caught him studying my necklace, but I refused to break the silence between us to ask why. Instead, I made sure to always have it tucked away underneath my shirt after that.

  Drake wasn’t a good person.

  I wasn’t sure how I knew or why I knew, but the feeling only seemed to grow more certain with each passing day. Besides, he’d thrown me under the bus during my interrog
ation, and I wanted nothing to do with him.

  I saw Kai mostly in passing, and even when I was forced to interact with him, it was brief and clipped. Just like before our kiss, he was distant and completely uninterested in me. The fact that he’d gone from hot to cold so thoroughly only fed my suspicions. He’d gotten close to me and tried to gain my trust so he could find my weakness, and now that the fight was looming, he’d left me to face it on my own. Hell, maybe he didn’t even care about breaking the curse so long as I was out of the picture.

  That hurt way more than I wanted to admit, and despite his betrayal, I felt the constant tug to be near him. When he was in the shop, I knew exactly where he was. Like a hot-guy GPS, except I was pretty sure it was my lady parts pointing the way.

  At least, Devon and the other guys had stopped coming around to flirt with me. I did wonder if Kai had something to do with that, but I wasn’t about to ask him either.

  At night, when my eyes were drooping closed from exhaustion, Oscar talked to me about wolf culture and proper etiquette for when the fight came. I tried not to let it terrify me more when he talked about deferring to a stronger beast by showing my belly. Or never turning my back on a threat.

  I was definitely going to die.

  There was no way around it.

  I could either run and risk them hunting me down—not to mention Vorack—or march myself right into the executioner’s arena.

  Sometimes, I wondered what my dad would think if he could see me now. He’d said, “Don’t let them put you in a cage,” and in some ways, that’s exactly what he’d done when he’d died and sent me here.

  But I couldn’t hate him.

  He was my dad, and he’d loved me the best way he’d known how.

  That would have to be enough.

  To escape the constant stress of my own thoughts, I poured myself into learning the client invoicing system and motorcycles in general. Oscar had trained me on the basics, and I was using my free time between customers to go back and audit any unpaid invoices he had. And Google motorcycle parts I didn’t understand.

  My phone rang while I was knee-deep in line items and part names I had never heard of.

  “Hey,” I said when I saw Idrissa’s name pop up on my screen.

  “Hey, I need to bail on our training session tonight,” she said. “My dad’s taking me to an auction in Grandville to see about this DRZ.”