Wolf Hollow (Wolf Hollow Shifters, Book 1)

by Nikki Jefford

  “It’s been worse since my parents died. My time has been devoted to the council. I suppose Raider is a friend.”

  Tabor scowled. “If that tree stump wasn’t so in love with himself, he’d likely challenge me for you.”

  Sasha lifted her head and grinned. “Actually, he supported my decision to claim you without question.”

  “Oh.” Tabor’s shoulders dropped. His surprise made Sasha chuckle.

  “You see? You shouldn’t go judging others so quickly. Haven’t you learned your lesson with me?”

  “Apparently not, but I’ll keep that in mind,” Tabor conceded. “But I do want you to have real friends, starting with Heidi. We’ll be seeing a lot more of her soon.”

  Sasha hummed thoughtfully.

  Would she be content to remain in the den raising pups, or would she miss the freedom to stretch her legs during patrol? Once their children were old enough, she could have things both ways.

  Sasha paused briefly to remove a small pebble that had imbedded itself between her toes. Tossing it aside, they continued past the gardens. She stared down the raised beds, looking for movement.

  If any voles popped up and blinked their beady little eyes at her, they were so dead.

  All Sasha could make out was a glistening layer of dew over the leafy greens, runner beans, and various underground plant tops that had gone gangbusters beneath the brilliant summer sun.

  The den’s communal clearing was as quiet as it had been the evening before, which pained Sasha to see. Pack members shouldn’t live in fear. The hollow was their sanctuary, a place that should always feel safe.

  The vulhena had changed that.

  As Sasha veered toward the shed, Tabor touched her arm.

  “I’ll return these to Peter first and find you right after,” he said, lifting the clothes he carried.

  Sasha nodded and continued to the shed.

  Devan sat on a stump out front leaning against the shed’s wall. When he saw Sasha, he stood up slowly.

  “Good morning,” Sasha said.

  “Morning,” Devan said with a nod.

  Inside the shed, Kallie lay on her side atop a table padded with blankets staring at the wall.

  “Hello, Kallie. I am so sorry this happened,” Sasha spoke softly. “We will do everything we can for you.”

  “Can you give me a new foot?” Kallie demanded, so unlike her usual cheery self that Sasha stopped in her tracks.

  “No, but we’ll do what we can to heal your injury.”

  Kallie huffed. “My foot feels like it was pulverized.” She turned and sat up, eyes narrowing on Sasha.

  Sasha didn’t meet her gaze for long; she had reached the edge of the table and was inspecting Kallie’s foot. Seeing the exposed bone turned Sasha’s stomach. The remaining skin had turned a purplish blue and doubled in size.

  “Real beauty, isn’t it?” Kallie asked. She didn’t look at it, as though she couldn’t bear the sight. “I’m sure to attract a mate now.”

  Sasha looked from Kallie’s foot to her face. “Is that what’s worrying you? You think this means you won’t find a mate?”

  There was no judgment in Sasha’s tone. If Kallie wanted a mate, her mangled foot wasn’t the end of the world. If, on the other hand, she wanted back on patrol, that would present a problem.

  Kallie scowled at Sasha as though she’d insulted her, but Sasha knew well enough not to take it personally. Being brutally attacked would put anyone in a dark mood.

  “What I want is to be able to walk and run,” Kallie snarled. “I want a chance at a normal life, including a mate. I heard the elders are urging new pairings. Now that Hector’s out of the picture, are you claiming someone?” She threw her last sentence at Sasha with a glare. “Will you go after Raider?” she demanded.

  Footsteps shuffled over the compact dirt outside. Sasha glanced over her shoulder, catching Devan hovering in the open doorway, listening in.

  Sasha turned around and smiled at him. “Oh, good. There you are, Devan. Would you please fetch a warm mug of chamomile tea for Kallie?”

  Devan scowled. “Sure,” he said, storming off rather than linger a moment longer.

  With a wry smile, Sasha turned her attention back to Kallie. “No,” she answered.

  Kallie snorted and rolled her eyes upward, which looked much friendlier than the glare and scowl from moments before. “Unlike Devan, I’m not above asking. Who will you claim—if there is someone?” Kallie sat up taller, seeming to forget her foot momentarily.

  “There is.”

  Sasha met her stare, dragging the moment out. Unlike most shifters, she could hold her silence for a long time without feeling any pressure to break it.

  Sasha had opened her mouth to give Kallie her juicy tidbit when she heard footsteps approaching. Devan shouldn’t have been back that quickly unless he was disobeying her command. As the shifter stepped inside the shed, Sasha sensed it was Tabor before his voice confirmed her guess.

  “Excellent, you’re sitting up. Let’s check your leg. How are you feeling? Did you get any sleep?” Tabor walked swiftly around the table, shooting Kallie a smile. He took a box down from a shelf and set it on a side table.

  Kallie’s eyes followed Tabor as he turned his back to rummage through his box on the table.

  “I didn’t sleep much with the throbbing in my foot.”

  Tabor moved down to the table.

  “Let’s check on your leg, shall we?”

  Sasha rubbed Tabor’s back as he was unwrapping Kallie’s leg, making him still, and his cheeks fill with color. Sometimes actions spoke louder than words.

  A smile twitched over Kallie’s lips. The shifter raised her brows at Sasha. “The two of you?” When Sasha nodded, Kallie sighed wistfully. “Maybe there’s hope for me after all.”

  Devan didn’t take the news as well as Kallie. He stood gaping from the doorway, tea spilling from the mug as he lowered his arm. A series of expressions flashed across his face. First, his jaw dropped; then he blinked rapidly, and lastly, he glowered. After discarding the mug, he took a menacing step toward Tabor that made the hairs on the back of Sasha’s neck rise.

  When he opened his mouth and attempted to speak, Sasha cut him off, both physically and in speech. She stepped in front of him, eyes flashing.

  “Unless the words out of your mouth are to express congratulations, you best not speak at all.”

  Devan clamped his jaw shut and glared over Sasha’s shoulder at Tabor before spinning around and stomping out of the shed muttering, “That half-breed better keep to his cabin. We don’t want him and his bastard pups in the den.”

  Rage coiled itself around Sasha’s stomach, breathing fire up her throat. The urge to go after Devan and tackle him for insulting Tabor made it difficult to breathe. The only way to release the tension would be to take him down.

  She took a step toward the doorway. It wasn’t diplomatic and it wasn’t her usual style, but now she had a future mate to defend.

  Acting on emotion, Sasha stormed toward the open door. The only thing that prevented her from going after Devan was Tabor’s firm grasp on her arm. He pulled her back inside the shed and spun her around to face him, his eyes wide with surprise.

  “He’s not worth it,” Tabor said.

  “He insulted us both. I’ll have his tongue for that,” Sasha snarled.

  Tabor grasped Sasha by both shoulders and stared into her face. His grin startled her.

  “While I am honored that you’d spill blood on my behalf, it might not be the best way to handle things. Devan’s just the beginning. The hollow will suffer if you go around dismembering every shifter who disapproves of us.”

  Sasha snarled, barely able to form coherent words.

  Soft laughter brought her back to her surroundings. She and Tabor faced Kallie, whose shoulders shook. As soon as
their eyes were trained on her, Kallie covered her mouth with her hand.

  “Sorry,” she said, lowering her hand. “I wasn’t laughing at the two of you. I just thought I was missing out on all the activity last night and now here I am front and center of the most scandalous pairing ever to occur in Wolf Hollow, which I’m all for, by the way,” she added with a grin. “Congratulations, truly.”

  Sasha exhaled. Kallie’s cheer helped calm her, as did Tabor’s close proximity. It was funny to think how their roles had reversed. Only three weeks ago, Sasha had been holding Tabor back from attacking Zackary. Now it was Tabor’s turn to help her cool down. They complemented one another better than she could have ever imagined. Her devotion to him flooded her with happiness that even Devan couldn’t dampen with his foul attitude.

  “Thank you, Kallie,” Sasha said. The look she gave Tabor must have reassured him, because his hold on her loosened.

  He returned to the task of redressing Kallie’s wounds, applying healing balm on the outer skin before wrapping it in fresh gauze.

  “Your leg is healing nicely,” Tabor said. “I still recommend shifting before you sleep tonight. Shifting with a broken foot will be painful, but your leg will heal faster and we’ll get a better idea of the state of your foot.”

  Kallie glanced from her foot to Tabor and swallowed. “Does anyone else have plans to claim a mate at the full moon or in the coming months?” she asked.

  Tabor glanced at Sasha, head lowering, before he looked back at Kallie. “We don’t know yet. We, um, skipped the announcements and dinner last night.”

  “When you find out, will you tell me?” Kallie looked at Tabor with wide eyes.

  “Of course,” Sasha said. At the sound of her voice, Kallie turned to Sasha and smiled gratefully. Sasha nodded then looked at Tabor. “Speaking of which, we should leave Kallie to rest and get ourselves food before patrol.” She shifted her gaze to Kallie. “We’ll make sure someone brings you breakfast—and a fresh cup of tea.”

  “Heidi’s already on it,” Tabor said.

  “Thanks,” Kallie mumbled, once more staring at the walls.

  “Can we get you anything else before we leave?” Tabor asked.

  Kallie shook her head. “You’ve done everything you can for me.”

  “Let’s go,” Sasha said to Tabor.

  If they didn’t hurry, they’d miss breakfast. Sasha could always hunt down a rabbit or squirrel on the way to the bluff, but she’d rather eat food that was ready now. She also wanted to step out of the shed and see if Devan was foolish enough to linger in the clearing. There might yet be enough time to remove his tongue before grabbing a bowl of porridge.

  The clearing was empty when Sasha stepped out of the shed. She must have looked disappointed because Tabor chuckled softly.

  “Still gunning to take Devan down.”

  “You know me so well,” Sasha answered sweetly.

  Tabor took Sasha’s hand and squeezed it gently before letting go. As they crossed the clearing, his voice lowered. “Kallie is struggling with her injury. Did you hear how quick she was to change the subject? We gave her the perfect distraction. Even after the news settled in she tried to deflect attention away from herself to ask about claimings.”

  Sasha sniffed. She didn’t find it surprising. “Kallie wants to know if Raider’s been claimed.”

  Tabor turned his head toward her. “Does she want him?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “I hope for her sake that he’s still unclaimed, if that’s what she wants. A mate would boost her spirits in ways the rest of us never will.”

  “She seems to think no one will want her now,” Sasha said with a huff.

  Tabor blinked at her. “There’s no reason she can’t have a mate just because of a handicap.”

  “I know,” Sasha said. “Hopefully, she’ll realize that soon. Any shifter who would reject her because of her injury isn’t worthy of her in the first place.”

  If Raider and Kallie had something going on between them, Sasha hoped Raider would be more honorable than his father and do right by her.

  An image of Raider’s crestfallen face during the council meeting returned to her. Sasha had a hard time believing Raider had gone and claimed himself a mate right after his partner had been attacked.

  She’d find out soon enough.

  chapter fourteen

  While they’d checked on Kallie, the sun had risen above the tree line and brightened the forest trail. Light filtered through the foliage and birds sang.

  The nutty, smoky smell of the bonfire wafted through the trees, curling up Sasha’s nostrils. Her stomach growled.

  The clearing was full when she and Tabor reached it. Most shifters stood around doing more talking than eating. At least arriving late meant there was no line to the cauldron. Sasha dished up a heaping bowl of hot grains. When she offered it to Tabor, he shook his head and laughed.

  “That one’s for you. I’m not as hungry.” He proceeded to fill up a bowl with about half the amount that Sasha had taken.

  She didn’t understand how he wasn’t famished after their nocturnal activities. Well, she didn’t have to be told twice. Sasha began scooping porridge into her mouth, barely chewing, as she swallowed mouthfuls while walking alongside Tabor.

  He led her over to Chase and Hudson, who stood beneath a tree watching the morning gathering. Hudson held on to a bowl filled with half-eaten grains. An unfinished bowl sat on the ground near Chase’s feet.

  When the two saw Tabor, they lifted their chins in greeting.

  “You two still unclaimed?” Tabor asked.

  Chase grunted and folded his arms over his chest. “The elders have dictated enough of my life this week. They can’t force me to claim a mate within the year with one snap of their fingers.” He kept his eyes on the shifters mingling in the clearing while he spoke.

  Hudson nodded.

  “What about the rest of them?” Tabor asked, pointing his nose into the clearing.

  Chase looked at him sideways. “Weren’t you around last night?”

  Sasha slipped her arm through Tabor’s. “We were busy.”

  Ever since she’d told the council her intentions to claim Tabor, she felt like sharing the news with the rest of the pack. Let the elders try and stop them now. They’d asked her to wait, but they hadn’t said anything about keeping it quiet. Sasha’s smile stretched to her eyes.

  Chase turned to get a closer look at them. “You two?”

  Hudson turned his back to the clearing to stare at them. “The two of you are making a claim?”

  “That’s right,” Sasha answered, lifting her chin. “Don’t worry, I didn’t force him or anything, didn’t use my clout as a council member or pureblood.”

  “I would think not,” Hudson said, humor dancing in his eyes.

  Their small group broke out into laughter. It eased the tension and felt good after all the bad things that had happened over the past month.

  “Well, hey, congratulations,” Hudson said, smacking Tabor on the back.

  “Umph, thanks,” Tabor said, recovering from Hudson’s heavy-handed slap.

  Hudson gave Sasha a hug, which made her eyes water. His warm gesture reminded her that while she no longer had family, she still had friends in the pack who wished her well.

  Chase hugged her next then shook Tabor’s hand. “Glad something good came out of this,” he said. “Though I imagine this isn’t what the elders had in mind when they asked shifters to step forward and claim mates.” He chuckled. “Good on you for turning things around on them.”

  “Did anyone else express interest in claiming a mate?” Sasha asked, repeating Tabor’s earlier inquiry.

  “They’re all just beginning to mull it over,” Chase said. “Let the games begin.” He tilted his head sideways, indicating the shifters milling around the
clearing. “They’re all sniffing each other out.”

  Hudson snorted. “Chase and I don’t want any part in it. Well, I don’t anyway. Chase doesn’t have to hold out on my behalf.” Hudson turned and smiled slyly at his friend. “Wait too long and Palmer might snatch up more she-wolves.”

  Sasha’s lip curled. “Don’t remind me,” she growled.

  Chase shook his head. “It’s moments like these that I’m relieved my parents are no longer around to see what’s become of the council. That and Becks. I’m glad they weren’t around for that.”

  Hudson hung his head solemnly.

  “You’re not leaving the council after you shack up with your wizard wolf, are you?” Chase’s head jerked when he looked at Sasha. “Please tell me you’re not leaving pack matters entirely in the hands of Jager, Garrick, Palmer, and Raider.”

  “Never,” Sasha said with a snarl. “Speaking of Raider, did he make a claim on anyone last night?”

  Chase huffed. “No, but from the looks of it Emerson, Camilla, and Sydney are trying to get their claws into him.”

  Sasha followed the direction of Chase’s eyes to the center of the clearing where three of Palmer’s daughters had surrounded Raider. They invaded his personal space, fighting for his attention. Raider’s usual relaxed stance was rigid and his jaw tight as Camilla placed her hand on his muscled arm. Her giggles echoed across the glade.

  “May the best sister win,” Chase said, rolling his eyes upward.

  “Or he could ask the council’s blessing to mate all three,” Hudson said. “Would serve Palmer right. Poetic justice, don’t you think?” He glanced sideways at Chase. “At least Jordan has more sense than the rest of her family. Where is she, anyway? I didn’t see her last night.”

  “Probably pretending she’s not related to Palmer or those three,” Chase said, inclining his head. “Speaking of sisters, yours is glaring at you, Huds.”

  Hudson turned his head, searching the clearing until spotting Taryn who was, indeed, glaring in the direction of their group.

  “More likely glaring at you,” Hudson said, elbowing Chase.