Savage Wolf

by Natalie Kristen

  Talon kept away from the other wolves as much as possible. He was a lone wolf, and he liked his solitude. There were many shifter packs in Wolves Hollow, but he never wanted to be part of a pack ever again. His mother had been betrayed by her own pack mates, and he had watched her die a brutal, violent death.

  Most shifters were territorial and predatory by nature. There would always be power struggles and fights for dominance and supremacy when you threw a bunch of shifters together. Wolves Hollow was by and large a shifter town. Talon had heard of the turf wars and pack battles that went on in Wolves Hollow. The fights were always dirty and bloody, and Talon wanted no part of it.

  He had chosen to build his home in the woods, away from the madding packs. He was a good hunter and fighter, and he was more than capable of defending himself and his property.

  But he knew the true, immeasurable value of peace.

  And he would do everything to keep the peace that he had found.

  When he heard that deafening explosion, Talon had stepped out of his house to investigate. He knew all the sounds and smells of the forest, and this sounded and smelled like trouble.

  He had shifted into wolf form and slid into the forest to track the strange scent.

  The smoking car on the highway proved to be the source of that burning stench. But there was another scent, a sweet, unfamiliar scent that provoked and aroused him.

  That lovely, feminine scent wound through the trees, pulling him back towards his house.

  That exquisite scent belonged to the red-haired, human woman.

  Talon had caught a glimpse of the woman’s face, and for an instant, his heart had stopped.

  Her curly red hair had come loose from her ponytail and her wild curls framed a pale, heart-shaped face. Her green eyes were wide with terror as she looked around desperately.

  Something had risen in Talon when he saw and scented this strange, beautiful female. Something primal and powerful.

  Every protective, possessive instinct in him had flared to life.

  Talon growled as he pushed out of the shadows. The three black wolves turned to face him. Talon stalked towards them, growling louder to warn them off his property.

  Cliff and his sons backed away as Talon stood in front of his house, his hackles up and his teeth bared.

  Cliff chuffed and jerked his head towards the window. The woman was peeping out the front window, her bright green eyes round with fear. Cliff took a step back, his gaze fixed on the woman. He was telling Talon that he would leave once he had the woman.

  Talon snarled.

  He would never let them have her. The woman was his to protect.

  Cliff lowered himself to a crouch. He barked a command to his sons, and Talon saw Rake and Rufus fan out to surround him.

  They were going to try and take him down.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Talon stared at the Woodrow wolves, and saw their aggression and arrogance.

  Cliff and his sons clearly thought that they had the advantage since Talon was outnumbered. The black wolves had been coming to the forest and hunting near his house every night with impunity. It was a big forest with enough small animals for the wolves to hunt. Talon hadn’t bothered confronting them because so far they hadn’t damaged his property or showed any aggression towards him.

  Talon wasn’t a mean, petty-minded man who took offense at the slightest things. He preferred giving people the benefit of the doubt. He never liked looking for trouble. But tonight, trouble had come looking for him.

  It was evident that the Woodrow wolves had taken his patience and forbearance for weakness.

  Talon’s eyes flashed silver, his wolf fully engaged.

  He was going to show them the error of their ways.

  Cliff was the first to attack. The large black wolf lunged at him, jaws snapping just inches from his throat. Talon slashed his claws down Cliff’s side and heard Cliff’s angry, agonized howl.

  At Cliff’s command, Rake and Rufus charged forward. Rake jumped on Talon’s back and bit into his shoulder. Snarling, Talon twisted round and managed to throw Rake off.

  As Rake rolled on the ground, Talon kept up the attack. He slashed his claws across Rake’s face just as Rufus slammed into him.

  Rufus was the youngest Woodrow wolf, and he was also the fastest and strongest. His movements were swift and sharp, and he managed to inflict quite a few injuries on Talon’s legs and sides.

  Finally, Talon got within striking distance. He bit down hard on Rufus’s hind leg, and twisted viciously until he heard the sickening snap of bone.

  As Rufus collapsed, Rake was already charging up behind him. Talon moved just in time. Rake skidded and crashed into his brother, aggravating Rufus’s injuries.

  As Rake and Rufus struggled to untangle themselves, Cliff snarled and glowered at Talon. But he didn’t attack.

  Talon stood and faced Cliff in silence.

  If Cliff learned his lesson, Talon was prepared to let them go.

  Cliff glanced at his wounded sons. Rufus’s hind leg was bent at an awkward angle and he was panting with pain. Rake was shaking the blood out of his eyes and whining softly

  Talon growled.

  Take your sons and go. Go home, Tend to their injuries.

  Cliff lowered his eyes. When Talon took a step back, Cliff looked up suddenly with pure rage and hatred in his eyes.

  With a growl, he flew at Talon.

  His claws slashed across Talon’s face. As Talon reeled back, Cliff went for his jugular.

  Talon ducked and feinted to the right. When Cliff charged again, Talon tripped him up and slammed him to the ground.

  In a blur of teeth and claws, the two wolves fought, each trying to score a decisive blow.

  Finally, Talon managed to pin Cliff down. He looked down at the older wolf and raised his claws.

  He had given Cliff enough warning.

  Cliff could have left, with his dignity and body intact.

  But enough was enough. Talon preferred not to kill but he would do whatever was necessary.

  Talon would spare Cliff’s life, but he had to send a message. It had to be done.

  With a snarl, Talon slashed down and took out Cliff’s right eye.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Bianca dragged a shaky breath into her lungs and leaned away from the window. She could hardly believe what she had just seen. She had just witnessed a vicious, savage fight between that pack of black wolves and a lone gray wolf.

  She hadn’t even seen the gray wolf emerge from the forest. That huge, magnificent wolf had just appeared out of nowhere and forced those black wolves away from the house.

  Bianca couldn’t even breathe as she watched the gray wolf take on all three black wolves. When the gray wolf looked up at her, those silver eyes seemed to soften. For a moment, the fierce, feral light receded and those eyes seemed almost...human.

  Bianca pressed her hand to the glass and looked out the window again. The wolf’s gray fur was streaked with blood, but he was standing tall and proud as he watched the black wolves slink away.

  The two smaller black wolves were flanking the largest male, who was evidently the alpha of the pack. The alpha turned and glared towards the house with his one remaining eye.

  The other side of his face was a bleeding mangled mess.

  The black wolves were all gravely wounded. They limped away, leaving a trail of blood in their wake.

  Bianca swallowed audibly when she saw the hate and menace glittering in the alpha’s eye.

  She hoped that this would be the last she saw of these savage black wolves.

  Once the black wolves disappeared into the woods, the gray wolf padded softly up the front steps of the house. Bianca pressed her face to the window and saw the wolf standing guard just outside the door, his silver eyes scanning the darkness.

  “Thank you,” she whispered. “You saved me.”

  The gray wolf pricked his ears and turned towards the window. Had he heard her?

  The wolf
looked at her, and she startled at the intensity of his gaze. His bright, intelligent eyes seemed to stare right into her soul.

  After a long while, the wolf put his head down on his front paws and settled down on the front step. He licked his wounds, diligently cleaning the blood off his fur.

  Bianca put her hand on the door handle and hesitated. She wanted to go and tend to the wolf’s injuries. The wolf had put his life at risk for her. Shouldn’t she do something for him?

  Gulping, she opened the door a crack. Immediately, the wolf shot to his feet and turned round to face her.

  Bianca stood in the doorway, unable to move. The wolf sniffed the air and growled.

  The silver light returned to his eyes, and the wolf bared his sharp teeth at her. When Bianca still didn’t move, the wolf crouched as if preparing to pounce on her.

  Bianca squeaked and slammed the door shut. “No,” she panted. Her pulse was racing and sweat had beaded on her brow. She pressed her hands to her flushed face and swallowed repeatedly.

  The wolf seemed angry at her for opening the door. She saw the heat in his eyes, and heard the warning growl.

  It felt as if the wolf wanted her to stay in the house. He didn’t want her to come out.

  “I don’t understand...” she whispered. How could she have understood what the wolf wanted? It was just her imagination. Had to be.

  Backing away from the door, Bianca walked further into the house. She stepped carefully through the living room and saw a door opening into a bedroom.

  She gulped. Maybe there was someone home all along. There could be someone lying in bed, unable to get up.

  “H-hello?” she stammered. “Is anyone in here?”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Bianca called out again and knocked lightly on the door before stepping into the bedroom.

  There was a king-sized bed in the room but it was empty. The bed was made and there was a lamp and a pen on the bedside table.

  Bianca turned and saw some clothes on a chair beside the bed. Jeans, a flannel shirt and a jacket. All men’s clothes.

  There was no dressing table in the bedroom. No sign of a woman’s presence at all.

  Sucking in a shuddering breath, Bianca tiptoed to the other room in the house. It looked like a study with a simple writing desk and a swivel chair. There was a laptop and some paperwork on the desk.

  “Who lives here?” she asked the room.

  She saw a small, neat kitchen at the back of the house and checked the fridge.

  Nothing looked out of the ordinary. No chopped up body parts in the freezer.

  Feeling calmer, she went back to the living room and looked out the window. She was oddly relieved to see that the gray wolf was still outside.

  She knew that the wolf on the other side of the door wasn’t a tame, docile creature. She had just seen the gray wolf defeat three huge black wolves and drive them away with their tails between their legs.

  And he had ripped out the eye of the alpha black wolf.

  That gray wolf guarding the house was a fearsome, lethal predator.

  Yet the wolf’s presence comforted and soothed her. She felt safer knowing that the wolf was near.

  Going back to the corner of the living room, Bianca pulled her knees up to her chin and curled in on herself.

  The chairs all looked nice and comfortable, but she didn’t feel right sitting in any of the chairs. In fact, she had no right at all to be inside this lovely house.

  She was an intruder, a trespasser. She should leave, but she was afraid that those black wolves were still lurking around the forest, lying in wait for her.

  She would just have to wait for the owner to return home. She would explain the situation to him and apologize for charging into his house. She thought she spied a truck at the back of the house, so maybe he could give her a ride into town.

  Bianca sighed, suddenly feeling terribly tired.

  She was just outside Wolves Hollow, so maybe she could try to find a job in Wolves Hollow.

  She closed her eyes, thinking of Old Rusty. Her car had gone to car heaven, but it had served her well. Old Rusty had taken her away from Dew Pines and given her her freedom.

  Dew Pines seemed a million miles away. She never wanted to go back there, and she didn’t miss anyone from that town at all. No one really cared for her there. After her mom died, she had been so utterly alone.

  Bianca yawned.

  She was here now. And she was alive.

  As long as she was alive, she would find a way.

  “Thank you,” she whispered.

  Behind her eyelids, images of the gray wolf flickered. She looked deep into his silver eyes and thought she saw the shadow of a man. The shadow grew until the wolf and the man were superimposed over each other.

  Bianca whimpered in her sleep. Her feverish mind kept conjuring up strange, surreal images, but her dream seemed to center around the gray wolf.

  Finally, she stopped dreaming and fell into a deep, exhausted sleep.

  She was sleeping so soundly she didn’t even hear the back door open.

  Someone walked into the house and stood over her.

  The man stared down at her, watching her sleep.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Talon stood in silence in his living room for a long, long while, staring at the most beautiful female he had ever seen. The human woman looked so tiny and vulnerable in her sleep, and Talon wanted nothing more than to scoop her up and hold her close. He wanted to protect her, comfort her and provide her with everything she would ever need.

  Dragging a ragged breath into his lungs, Talon breathed in her intoxicating scent and closed his eyes. Clenching his fists tightly, he kept his hands at his sides.

  He ached to touch her and feel her soft, pale skin under his fingers. But he knew that if he approached and woke her, he would only spook her and cause her fear and alarm. He would never give her any cause to be frightened of him.

  Talon crouched slowly, unable to tear his eyes away from the lovely little female. Her red hair fell across her face, obscuring some of her bruises. Her long lashes quivered as she groaned softly and muttered in her sleep. Talon suppressed a growl when he saw the dried tears on her cheeks.

  Talon stood and glanced around his house, making sure all the doors and windows were secure. He had waited until the house was completely still and quiet before getting up and padding away from the front door. In wolf form, his hearing was acute and he could hear the woman moving around in his house. He could hear her walking through his house, moving around in the rooms and kitchen.

  When he detected no more movement and sound from the house, Talon had circled the house slowly, checking every corner. He scanned the shadows and tested all the scents in the air.

  Only when he was satisfied that Cliff and his sons were truly gone did he shift back to human form.

  Soundlessly, Talon had gone to the back of the house and grabbed his spare key from under the flowerpot. He had swiftly unlocked the back door and let himself into the house. Once he was inside, he’d made sure that every entrance was securely locked and bolted.

  As he followed the alluring female scent to the living room, he had been dumbfounded to see the woman squeezed into a corner of the living room. He had expected to find her sleeping on the couch. But the poor terrified woman hadn’t even dared to curl up in one of the chairs to rest.

  Talon guarded his privacy fiercely and he would never have tolerated a stranger traipsing through his house uninvited. But the thought of the woman trailing her delicate, feminine fingers along the walls and across the furniture as she explored his house made his heart swell with pride.

  He had built his house and made all his furniture himself. He was a skillful carpenter and he was good with his hands. Talon never cared what others said and thought about him, but he found himself eager and hungry for her approval. He wanted this human woman to find his abode pleasing. He wanted her to like what he had built...for her.

  The realization struc
k him with the force of a physical blow.

  All this, everything he owned and made and accomplished, was hers.

  Everything he did was for her.

  This was the mate he had been waiting and longing for. He hadn’t allowed himself to hope that he might one day find his fated mate, but his wolf had always known that she would come to him one day. That was why his beast hadn’t allowed him to rest until he was done building his house and put furniture of the highest quality in his home. Talon had slept for a week after finishing this massive project.

  This was his best work. The home that he had built for his one true mate.

  His mate had finally come home.

  The woman shivered and whimpered in her sleep, her brows deeply furrowed. Very gently, Talon pushed a lock of her curly red hair away from her face.

  The woman shuddered and opened her eyes suddenly.

  CHAPTER TEN

  “Oh!” With a startled cry, the woman gasped and jerked away from Talon.

  Instinctively she raised her arms over her head, her fingers curled tightly into fists. She thought he was going to attack her.

  Talon’s gut clenched. Why did she think that he would hurt her? Had some bastard hurt her before?

  Talon closed his eyes for an instant to control his wolf and his rage. His beast had risen at the thought that someone had dared hurt his mate.

  Fighting his beast down, Talon said very quietly, “You’re safe here. I will never hurt you.”

  The woman lowered her arms and peered at him with wide, frightened eyes. Talon moved back a little, putting up his hands to show her that he was unarmed and he meant her no harm at all.

  “You’re in my house,” he said by way of introduction.