Wolf Cursed (Lone Wolf Series Book 1)

by Heather Hildenbrand

  “We go tonight,” he said.

  “Whoa, crazy boyfriend say what?” Isaac said.

  Idrissa nodded. “Use the weather as cover. The rain will mask our scent.”

  “It’s a start,” Isaac admitted reluctantly. “But we need more than a thunderstorm to throw Silas off our trail.”

  “Isaac’s right,” I said. “Anytime I’ve deviated from where I’m supposed to be, they always find me.”

  Idrissa frowned. “I can distract Silas. The others, not so much.”

  “How?” I asked.

  Isaac’s expression lit with understanding. “Oh, shit, sis. No way.”

  He looked more amused than worried, but still, my nerves twisted.

  “Idrissa,” I said.

  She sighed. “Remember how I told you I made a deal with Silas to keep you from fighting for a little longer?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, if he held up his end—” She hesitated. “—I promised him a date.”

  “A date,” I repeated. “With you?”

  “Yes. Ugh.”

  She made a face, and my eyes widened.

  “Silas…likes you?”

  “Oh, gross, don’t say it like that,” she wailed.

  I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing. But watching Idrissa freak out was sort of like watching Isaac have a normal day. Super dramatic and entertaining.

  “You don’t have to do it, sis,” Isaac said. “We can find another way.”

  “Yeah, but this way is more entertaining,” Kai said, trying to hold back a laugh of his own.

  Without lifting her head from the couch cushion where she’d buried it, Idrissa flipped Kai off.

  He snickered just as the doorbell rang.

  “Pizza’s here,” Isaac said.

  Kai got up and paid for the food while Idrissa pulled herself together so she could call Silas and plan their date.

  Kai returned a moment later with pizza in one hand and a soda in the other. Isaac pouted at that.

  “No beer?” he asked.

  “In the fridge if you want it,” Kai told him.

  Isaac and Idrissa both disappeared into the kitchen for drinks.

  “Here,” Kai told me. “Someone told me you don’t drink.”

  “Thanks.” I took the soda and noticed he’d grabbed one for himself too. “None for you either?”

  He shook his head as he cracked his can open. “My dad and yours have that in common,” he explained. “Looks like so do we. Cheers?” He held up his soda, and I did the same, clinking our cans together.

  “Cheers,” I said, feeling strangely bonded by our matching drink choices.

  Afterward, we ate pizza and plotted exactly how we were going to do this mission in the middle of a thunderstorm that bordered on hurricane and with Idrissa trying not to throw up during her date-slash-distraction.

  When the food was gone, the rain started.

  I looked at Kai across the table just as lightning flashed through the window behind his head. “It’s time,” I said.

  He nodded, the look in his eye criminalistic yet panty-melting. “Let’s do this.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  I stood in the open doorway and watched through the rain as Idrissa drove off. She was headed home, to change for her date and the rest of us needed to get to our assigned spots, too. But the rain was relentless. In the end, I simply stepped outside. There was no point in running. The rain soaked me through the moment I cleared the doorway. Kai stepped out beside me. He looked over at me, water running in wide streams onto his hair and down his angled jaw.

  “Ready?” I called over the thunder.

  “Babe,” he said, reaching over and grabbing me by the waist. He pulled me against him in one smooth move. I gasped as my chest pressed against his, and suddenly the cold rain felt hot between us. My nipples had never been harder. I wondered if Kai’s wolf shifter senses knew that. “You have no idea. Let’s break this curse so I can make you mine.”

  He kissed me like this was it, and for a second, my body forgot all about our dangerous mission to befriend a hexerei. All that mattered was Kai’s mouth on mine.

  “A-hem.” Behind us, Isaac cleared his throat loudly. “You two wanna save it for the victory lap?”

  Kai grinned. “Only because it would be weird if you watched.”

  “Not for me,” Isaac shot back.

  Kai chuckled and took off at a run for the aging pickup truck parked at the edge of the yard. I glanced over my shoulder to see Isaac staring after him open-mouthed.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Did your boy toy just make a joke?” he asked incredulously.

  I just laughed and ran after Kai.

  An hour later, we’d parked off the main road on what Kai explained was an old hunting trail. The pickup was tucked out of sight behind some trees that bordered Silas’ land—not that we needed the cover. The storm made it impossible to see beyond a dozen or so yards ahead. No one would notice us here unless they knew where to look.

  Rain came down in sheets against the windshield, and Kai had the heat on to help ward off the chill, thanks to my soaked clothes. In the quiet, Kai’s fingers were drawing patterns against my arm. Even after we’d dropped Isaac off to borrow his mom’s car for recon, I’d kept my spot beside Kai on the truck’s bench seat. He hadn’t let go of my hand the entire drive over. My skin hummed at the contact, but my thoughts wouldn’t quite let me forget what we were here for.

  “Shouldn’t Idrissa have called by now?” I asked, turning my phone over and over in my other hand.

  “Relax. I’m sure she’s just waiting until we’re all clear.”

  He was right.

  But I still couldn’t settle. Not until this was done.

  “What would Silas do if he knew I was the curse breaker?” I asked.

  Kai frowned, thoughtful. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “But I don’t want to find out.”

  “He’s your best friend,” I said. “Right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Is this hard for you? Deceiving him?”

  “It might be,” he admitted. “If I wasn’t doing it to protect you.”

  “Was he always like this?” I asked. “I mean, growing up together, was he always so . . . cruel?”

  “No, Silas was actually one of the nicest guys I knew.”

  “Seriously?” I couldn’t picture it. “What happened?”

  “He went camping one weekend after graduation. The rest of us were all busy doing our own thing, so he headed out alone. He’d done it plenty of times before, so no big deal, we thought. He was gone for a couple of days, and when he came back, he was just different. Angry. Restless. Always looking for trouble.”

  “You think something bad went down on that camping trip?” I asked.

  “No idea. He won’t talk about it. But it doesn’t matter, does it? Now, he’s just like the rest of us. The longer we remain untethered to an alpha—unmated—the closer we get to becoming our beast permanently.”

  I thought of some of the wolves I’d seen at the barn the other night. The energy coming off them was raw and primal.

  “I think some of them wouldn’t mind that,” I said.

  He didn’t look thrilled as he said, “I think you’re right.”

  “What would Drake do if he knew I was the curse breaker.

  Kai didn’t even hesitate before answering, “He’d kill you before you could do it.”

  “You sound sure.”

  “Drake isn’t like the rest of us,” he said. “He showed up here three years ago, bloody and wounded and barely hanging on. Said his pack turned on him. We took him in, and when he was well enough, he fought for his place. He’s wild like us, sure, but there’s something else in him too. His wolf doesn’t want to tether.”

  I shuddered. Drake was bad news—even to a pack of rogue, criminal wolves. That said a lot about the guy.

  Before I could answer, my phone rang. Isaac’s name lit up the screen. We
ll, actually, it displayed the words “Main Dish” since I hadn’t yet changed it from Isaac’s initial entry.

  Kai looked up at me with raised brows.

  “Don’t ask,” I told him and then hit the button to answer the call. “Hey,” I said, putting it on speaker.

  “The eagle has left the nest. I repeat, the eagle has left the nest.”

  I rolled my eyes.

  “No one’s listening to this conversation, Isaac,” Kai said. “You can drop the spy talk.”

  “You don’t know that for sure,” Isaac hissed. And then louder, “I’ve got eyes on the target. Asset’s secure. You may proceed.”

  Kai shook his head.

  “What about Drake?” I asked.

  “My sources say he’s on a barstool at Bo’s bar right about now. Three beers deep to Presley’s four. We’re a go, people. I repeat, Operation Hex-’em is a go.”

  “You did not just call it that,” I groaned.

  “It’s brilliant, I know. Mother Hen over and out.”

  I looked down at my phone and saw Isaac had hung up.

  “Mother Hen?” I repeated.

  “Terrible code name,” Kai said. “Come on. Time to get wet.”

  He winked, and I laughed. “You did not just say that to me.”

  “Punish me later, gorgeous.” He got out and turned around to offer me his hand. I took it and slid out of the truck and into the pouring rain. Flirty Kai could convince me of anything, including standing out here in the worst thunderstorm I’d seen in years. When he looked at me like that, wet didn’t even begin to cover it.

  Kai slammed the truck door shut, and together, we ran through the woods toward the tiny cabin.

  By the time Kai pulled me to a stop, I was soaked through and blinded by the rain in my eyes. I had no idea how he could see, much less know where we were, but he apparently did. When I stopped, he leaned in close to make sure I could see him and held a finger to his lips.

  I nodded.

  This was the part of the plan that excited me.

  Kai backed up a few paces and then, like he’d done it a thousand times before, he shifted.

  The defined arms and broad chest became front paws. Kai Stone, the human, was gone. In his place was the same black wolf I’d seen in the woods the night of the full moon.

  He was even larger than I remembered. And his eyes were completely aware of me. His fur matted with the rain which he kept shaking out as if the wet annoyed him.

  I remained perfectly still just as he’d coached me to do earlier.

  But instead of marching off to complete the next part of the plan, he walked over to me and rubbed his enormous body against my hip. My hand fell to his head and trailed down his back as he slid past. Then he turned, and our eyes met.

  My breath caught.

  Kai was gorgeous and amazing—in any form.

  And he was mine.

  I smiled at him, holding out my hand, palm up.

  Kai approached and stuck out his tongue, licking a trail across my open palm. I yanked my hand back, laughing at the way he wrung himself out again.

  He looked at me uncertainly.

  We were about to sneak into a heavily guarded cabin, under the threat of real danger, and he was worried what I thought of his wolf’s wet fur?

  “You look fine,” I told him, reading his emotions, which was weird and exciting all at once.

  Clearly satisfied, Kai turned away and disappeared into the trees ahead. I waited, crouched against a tree for cover, and listened. The thunder masked most of the noise, but I caught a grunt and then a yell and then nothing.

  A moment later, Kai’s wolf reappeared.

  I let him lead the way into the clearing. Just ahead sat a small cabin. I started toward it, and my eyes flicked to something on the ground near the door.

  A body.

  I recognized Vinny, the werewolf from Bo’s that Idrissa had knocked out my first day in town. My chest tightened, but when I got close, I saw the rise and fall of his chest. Alive.

  Damn. Apparently, Vinny had a habit of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

  Kai’s wolf gave me a look that said he knew what I was thinking. Then he ducked out of sight. I knew he’d stay close and keep watch to make sure we weren’t disturbed.

  I crept up to the cabin, slipping inside quickly, mostly to escape the damned rain. Outside, thunder shook the walls, and I stood for a moment, dripping all over the dusty wooden floor while my eyes adjusted to the dim lighting.

  The cabin was empty except for a gas stove in the corner and a single chair against the back wall. Tied to the chair and gagged with a gross-looking rag was the hexerei.

  He stared back at me with wary curiosity, eyes swollen but open.

  His clothes were dirtier than I’d last seen. More stained with blood. As was the rest of him. His face and arms were covered in cuts, some fresh, some scabbing already. My heart ached at what they’d done to him. I took a step forward, and the man growled at me through his gag.

  I stopped and cleared my throat. “My name’s Ash. I only came here to talk. I promise I won’t hurt you.”

  I waited, and when he didn’t make another sound, I took another step.

  No growl.

  Progress.

  I stepped up to the man and reached out, pulling down the gag with as little contact as possible. Drool, dirt, blood. The thing was disgusting. The moment his mouth was freed, the man sucked in raspy breaths then started coughing.

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  “Water,” he said quietly.

  I shook my head, irritated I hadn’t thought to bring any, but he nodded at a jug in the corner. I grabbed it and uncapped the top, doing my best to feed it to him without drowning him in it.

  When I lowered it again, I gave him a rueful smile. “Sorry about that. Looks like we’re both the same amount of soaked.”

  He grunted, looking me up and down with suspicion. “I’m not going to talk, and you can tell the rest of them sending in an innocent girl won’t change that.”

  “The others don’t know I’m here,” I said.

  “Huh.” He eyed me with renewed interest. “What do you want?”

  “I’d like to ask you about the curse.”

  He blew out a breath, instantly stone-faced again. “Like I said, I don’t have anything to say—”

  “Do you recognize this?” I peeled the waistline of my jeans away to reveal the wolf mark on my hip.

  The hexerei stared at it then finally looked up at me. His eyes were wide with disbelief and something else. Wonder.

  “I don’t understand. She said you’d work with us. But you’re here with them.”

  “Who said?” I asked. “Who am I supposed to work with? Your people? Can you tell me what I’m supposed to do?”

  His eyes narrowed again. “This isn’t how it’s supposed to be.”

  “Well, then, tell me how it is supposed to be,” I said. “A life for a death, is that it? Am I supposed to defeat someone or something? Or kiss someone? That one is definitely a weirder option, but I’m willing to do what needs to be done. Well, except for murder. I don’t think I can do that. But kissing a weird stranger, I guess, is doable.”

  He shook his head. “I don’t understand. You’re the savior we’re waiting for. And you think you have to kiss someone? This isn’t Snow White.”

  “Good, because if a bunch of dwarves show up, I’m out. This is all very witches, werewolves, and what the fuck. You know what I mean?

  He stared at me. “You don’t know about any of this, do you?”

  “No,” I admitted. “I was hoping you could help me with that.”

  “But you have the mark.”

  The impressed look he’d given me before was gone. Now, he just looked annoyed. Impatient. That made two of us.

  “I do have the mark, but I didn’t even know what it meant until recently,” I said. “All I know is that I can supposedly break the pack’s curse. Give them back their humanit
y. Let them choose an alpha and mates and hopefully settle them the hell down so they stop trying to kill me. But how?”

  “Humanity.” He curled his lip. “The wolves cannot regain what they never had.”

  I frowned. “What does that mean?”

  “That curse belongs where it is.”

  “But the mark—”

  “The mark bearer is our chosen one. It signifies the power you hold. The wolves will know who rules them, and it will not be one of theirs.”

  “I don’t understand. Your chosen one? You think I’m the chosen one of your tribe? Why?”

  He shrugged. “The mark chooses its champion, and we must honor it.”

  “If I break the curse, am I still your champion?” He didn’t answer. “Answer me,” I demanded. “If I set the wolves free, what then?”

  “The lupin are beyond saving.” He closed his eyes, his expression anguished. “The only peace that awaits the lupin is on the other side of their destruction. The curse will accept nothing less for our sworn enemies.”

  I huffed. The guy either talked in riddles or not at all. And we were running out of time. My phone buzzed in my pocket, but I ignored it and leaned closer.

  “Tell me how to break the curse, and I’ll let you go before Silas comes back,” I said.

  He looked at me, considering.

  Outside, a wolf howled, and I knew we were out of time. But I couldn’t leave without an answer. There was no way I’d get this chance again.

  With my heart pounding, I grabbed a fistful of the hexerei’s disgusting shirt and shook him. “Tell me,” I repeated.

  “The magic demands a sacrifice,” he said.

  Damn. Okay. Apparently, that part was non-negotiable.

  Outside, the growl and clash of wolves rang out between rolls of thunder that grew farther away with each new rumble. The rain had nearly stopped from the sound of it. The storm was passing. We were out of time.

  “What sacrifice?” I demanded.

  “Like I told your friend before, it’s a yin and yang. A hexerei and a wolf must become one. No more separation.” His eyes flashed with renewed hate. “But he reminded me why that will never happen. I will not help you anymore. He saw to that.”

  “Who? Who did you talk to? Was it Silas?”