by Kele Moon
Not knowing how she found the strength, Brandi dragged herself up and ran again. She was going to die in the woods. She knew the wolf would recover. She didn’t know how much longer she was going to survive. Not long, judging by the way her body was slowing. She wasn’t in the best of shape. She had a treadmill but her limit was two miles. She had never run this fast or this hard in her life.
She heard a sound and turned to look back. A wolf was coming up behind her quickly. Overtaking her was easy—but then he sped up and crossed in front of her, blocking Brandi’s escape.
She turned and tripped on a thigh-high furry body, dropping like dead weight.
Brandi was too exhausted to lessen the fall and landed painfully. Two wolves surrounded her, growling and showing their teeth. She rolled on her back, panting, and the struggle to breathe made everything seemed hazed. Even with so little oxygen, she still managed a piercing scream of horror.
One of the two brown wolves hunched his front legs and then launched at her. She tensed and tried to roll away but she could barely move. She stared in horror at the large wolf coming at her.
This was it. They were going to tear her apart with their sharp teeth.
Before he could attack, a black wolf seemed to appear out of nowhere, hitting the other wolf coming down on her and knocking him to the ground.
She blinked, still fighting for clarity as the two wolves rolled over each other, a swirl of brown and black fur as vicious snarling and growling filled the air.
She watched in shock, realizing the wolves were fighting, and it was a brutal battle, especially when the other brown wolf jumped into the fray. The two brown wolves were clearly trying to gang up on the black one, but she wasn’t so sure they were winning. That black wolf was noticeably bigger, and he was definitely faster. She saw blood and fur fly before she started gathering her bearings.
Brandi rolled, crawling away from the gory fight, and managed to get to her feet. She stumbled. The world swayed wildly and she couldn’t get a clear look at anything, but she started running again. She didn’t know why they were attacking each other and she didn’t care.
She heard snarls and whines coming from behind, and against her better judgment, turned back to look, wanting to see how much time she had. Unexpectedly, she slammed into a low branch and found herself flat on her back once more.
The pain in her head was excruciating, forcing Brandi to fight the blackness that threatened. She touched her forehead, feeling something wet and warm. She lifted her arm, seeing blood dripping off her fingers, and then tried to get up but a wave of dizziness hit. She collapsed and lay there as the world started to fade to gray.
Trying to fight against passing out, she turned on her side, looking back once more. The three wolves were still fighting, jaws snapping as they rolled on the ground, leaving splatters of blood in their wake. The two smaller brown wolves were still ganging up on the bigger black one, who really was an impressive wolf, broader and more powerful than all the others she’d seen.
With a furious growl, she saw him grab the neck of one of the brown wolves. A loud whine rent the air when the black wolf shook his head savagely, his teeth buried deep. Blood flew everywhere. Then the black wolf tossed the now limp wolf aside and turned on the remaining brown wolf, who was biting at his hind leg.
Her eyes went to the prone wolf on the ground. She could see that his throat had been ripped open. Blood pooled around the unmoving body. The black wolf had killed it. He’d torn out its throat and threw it away from the fight.
In seconds, the black wolf batted out a paw, tearing open one side of the other brown wolf’s face.
The injured wolf howled in agony, but the cry was cut off as the black wolf bit into its throat. There was a sickening crunching sound, more blood flew, spraying the black wolf and the earth, and then the brown wolf went still.
The black wolf released its dead prey and turned.
He stared at her as he took slow steps toward Brandi, and she couldn’t look away. His fur was midnight black. He had hypnotizing brown eyes, the color of warm chocolate, a complete contrast to his otherwise deadly aura. He took another step and Brandi moaned in fear. She touched the bleeding spot on the left side of her forehead, knowing he was about to tear her throat out next.
He stopped and sniffed the air. Then lifted his head and let out a howl. It was a long one, loud and eerie. It left a warning in the air that was hard to ignore.
Brandi was surprised when another brown wolf ran into view a few seconds later, obviously realizing his mistake as he came to a skidding halt. Too late—the black wolf attacked as the brown one backed up, trying to turn and run.
Brandi swore she saw panic and fear in the pale green eyes of the new arrival. It wasn’t without merit. He was dead before he had a chance to realize what was about to happen. The black wolf had gone right for his neck, grabbing him, and tearing out his throat in one violent clamp of sharp teeth and a strong shake of the head. The black wolf seemed to spit out the blood as it threw the dead wolf’s body aside.
Tears filled Brandi’s eyes, and she wasn’t even sure what was causing her to fall over the edge. There were so many reasons, it was impossible to pinpoint. The black wolf slowly turned and took a step toward her. She tried to get up but all she got for her trouble was a wave of dizziness. The pain in her head was so sharp she almost blacked out again. She stopped moving and just stared into the black wolf’s warm eyes.
He moved in closer, pausing about four feet from her and tilting his head curiously.
Then he did something surprising—he wagged his tail.
She felt a wave of confusion wash over her as the deadly wolf shut his mouth, his tail now wagging furiously. He made a soft whining sound and then slowly inched closer to her. He lowered his head and kept wagging his tail like an offer of friendship.
She closed her eyes, fighting hard for clarity. She took a few breaths and then forced her eyes open. The black wolf was almost touching her. She could have reached up and stroked his face. He was a big damn dog.
Wolf, she corrected. He had to be two hundred pounds at least, certainly bigger than any dog she’d ever seen, with his thick body and muscular chest and legs. He blinked…and then his face started to change.
The long snout began to shorten. The hair on his face receded. His body shifted from being on all fours to sitting down so he sat on his back legs. His paws turned into deeply tanned hands. She couldn’t look away as the wolf changed into a naked, muscular, tan man with the same midnight-black hair. Even kneeling, he was noticeably tall and powerfully built.
Intimidating on a primal level.
Incredible, beautiful brown eyes the shade of chocolate stared at her from beneath a pair of long, thick eyelashes.
He stretched out his hand toward her.
A big, powerful human hand.
He touched her, and she would have screamed if she weren’t frozen with shock. His caress was surprisingly warm and soothing as he stroked her forehead.
“It’s going to be all right.” His voice was deep and husky, like expensive whiskey. “You’re safe.”
Enthralled, she was too dazed to look away. He had strong cheekbones and a granite-hard jaw that had gone a few days without shaving. She saw dark whiskers on his chin. He had a cut on his full bottom lip and he wiped away the blood impatiently as though it was nothing.
She noticed a tattoo on his shoulder, but she couldn’t see exactly what it was because of how his body was turned. A sheen of sweat covered his skin. His arms were as thick and defined as the rest of him. His stomach was rock hard and she could see the deep lines of his abdominal muscles. This wolf was massive as a human. Beefy and muscular and just wide all over.
Her gaze dipped lower and she was shocked to find him totally naked and undeniably aroused. This guy really was large and wide all over.
Her gaze flew up to meet his once more.
“I’ve got you. I’m going to pick you up. My place isn’t too far from here
. You’re safe now. I killed them.”
She opened her mouth but nothing came out. She was obviously in extreme shock if she was noticing this guy’s muscles and hard-on. She wanted to say something. Maybe scream? She wasn’t sure which. All she managed to do was mutely study him. He slipped one of his hands under her back and hooked his other arm behind her knees. He lifted her into his arms as he stood.
She felt a wave of dizziness again. The man was staring into her eyes, confusing her with the feeling of comfort that look caused. She felt blackness coming and this time she didn’t fight it. She was living in a nightmare and she wanted an escape. Sleep seemed the only option, and she gave in to it.
Chapter Two
For one split second, Jason thought she’d died.
His chest tightened with fear as he cocked his head, listening for a heartbeat. He breathed a sigh of relief when he heard it, finding it steady, if not a little fast despite the fact that she was completely unconscious.
He wasn’t sure if she’d passed out from shock or injury, and he wasn’t going to wait around to figure it out. Walking fast, he carried her back toward his cabin on the edge of the pack’s territory. He lived on the outskirts of pack land by design, so he could patrol and protect the northern border from wolves stupid enough to trespass, like the ones he’d just eliminated.
Still feeling furious and feral, Jason’s lip curled back and he growled low in his throat when he thought of those wolves attacking this small, curvy woman. Her light brown hair was long and wildly curly. Even dirty and tangled with leaves, it felt soft as it tickled his bare thigh. Her face appeared almost angelic, her lips full, pink, and tempting. He would’ve thought they’d been chasing her for sex, considering how aggressive male wolves could be when they were after a sweet-smelling female.
The Weres’ methods of seduction weren’t exactly socially acceptable in human society.
Forcing a human female was forbidden in their culture, but chasing after one for the chance to convince a prospective mate of their strength and cunning happened more than it should. It would’ve been easy to understand a few young, untrained wolves pursuing a pretty female into another pack’s territory, but those wolves hadn’t been after her for her curves, and this wasn’t a bitch in heat. This female was one hundred percent human—and they’d been hunting to kill.
Jason growled again, this time louder and more territorial as he looked down at the cut on her forehead that still bled. He wished he could go back and kill those bastards again just for the fun of it.
When he reached his cabin, he kicked at the door that had been left partially open when he ran out after hearing the woman’s screams.
He walked to the fireplace that still had a strong blaze going. He’d been roasting some rabbit he’d caught this morning for lunch, and now it was too burnt to be edible, but that was the least of his worries. At least he hadn’t burned the place down.
He laid the human gently on the large couch in front of the fire and covered her. Hoping she’d rest more comfortably, he took off her shoes and socks, but left the rest of her clothes on because he knew humans were strangely shy about their skin.
She didn’t stir, which worried him. He sniffed her in concern once he’d put her shoes aside, looking for the stench of death that could cling to the gravely injured, but he didn’t smell a life-threatening injury. She actually smelled nice, in a human sort of way. Even under the layers of dirt and blood, she had a sweet, wholly feminine scent that set off every protective instinct Jason had.
Those rogue wolves died far too quickly. Not for the first time, he wished he’d thought to make them suffer first.
He brushed some of the curls away from her face gently, wondering why they’d been after her. Everything about her scent compelled him. It was soft, inviting enough to make his skin tingle. She was startling beautiful for a human, more so than any of the others he’d come across. Not that he sought them out that often. He knew them well enough, hell, he was part human, but Jason’s past taught him that his kind didn’t blend well with humans.
He dropped his gaze to her chest, using the excuse of inspecting her breathing to eye her breasts that were lush and tempting—too tempting.
He stood, feeling more than a little uncomfortable checking out an unconscious woman who was obviously having a very bad day. He understood enough about the human culture to know she wouldn’t appreciate having a big, dirty, slightly bloody and extremely naked Were hovering over her if she woke. Especially one who’d sported a rock-hard dick since the moment he’d laid eyes on her.
Needing something to do with his hands that were itching to wake her up in a way she probably wouldn’t appreciate, Jason pulled on a pair of jeans. It wasn’t an easy task with the raging hard-on he was dealing with. He used a washcloth to clean his lip that still bled. Then he threw out the burnt rabbit. She’d probably give him some shit about killing Thumper. For all he knew, she could be a vegetarian.
Jason shuddered. One of many reasons why humans confused him.
Even as he went through the mental list of reasons why a human female was completely off-limits, he found himself hovering back over her. This time he covered her with a blanket as he studied her round, angelic face and worriedly touched the cut on her forehead.
The sight of it bothered him so much, he found himself leaning down to lick the wound to help it heal faster. He was fairly certain it’d work on a human just as easily as it would on another Were. Then he stroked her hair softly as he sniffed at the curve of her neck and listened more intently to the steady beat of her heart.
The protective instincts washed over him stronger than ever.
Jason shot to his feet. The foreign sensations surging through his bloodstream made him feel angry and irrational that this woman had almost died in the forest. In Nightwind territory. My territory.
He didn’t know why those wolves were hunting her, but he was going to make damn sure it didn’t happen again.
He walked into the kitchen and grabbed his cell phone off the counter. He called one of the pack alphas, his leg twitching as he waited for it to ring. It went to voice mail. He’d have to leave a message and hope it was returned sooner rather than later.
Jason ran a hand through his hair and craned his neck to stare at the sleeping human on his couch. “Des, we’ve got a major problem.”
After he was done, Jason decided to go upstairs and take a very cold shower. Not only to wash away the dirt and blood from the fight, but hopefully find his common sense while he was at it.
****
Brandi’s head hurt. Lying on something soft, she was covered up and warm. Curious, she opened her eyes and found herself staring at a crackling fireplace with red and gold flames dancing over the logs behind the grate. She inhaled the scent of burning wood and something else, the rustic aroma of cooked meat.
She looked around without moving, finding the raw masculinity of the small area completely foreign. She’d never been in this room before.
“There were three of them, Des.” It was a whiskey-rough voice speaking softly from somewhere. “I don’t know what the hell they were doing in our territory but they weren’t just messing around with this woman. They were out for her blood, and I didn’t recognize any of those wolves. That’s what I can’t figure out. Why the hell were they going after a human woman? It makes zero fucking sense.”
She knew that voice. Memories of a big, powerful black wolf turning into a sexy man in his mid-thirties with warm brown eyes flickered in the back of her mind, amidst flashes of a nightmare come to life.
“She took a big bump to the head and she’s scratched up. I thought about taking her to the hospital, but she had no identification on her. I don’t know what her story is. I’d like to keep her here until we know more. I can protect her. If I took her to a hospital, it could lead more of them to her if they’re still hunting her, and we know they probably are.”
Silence followed, making it obvious he was listening on the phon
e. Somehow she knew he was the only other person in the house and was simply waiting for whoever he was talking to on the other end to say their piece.
Then she heard him huff in frustration. “She’s very attractive, but they came at her in fur, Desmon. This wasn’t about raping her. I barely got to her in time. Two of them were about to tear her apart. I caught one of them in mid-strike. It was a killing attack. Send a few of our guys out to clean up the area and scout it out to make sure there aren’t more. I’m going to find out who she is and see what the hell’s going on.”
Silence once more, then a deep sigh. “I’ll feed her when she wakes, and try to get some answers. Tonight, I’ll slip something into her drink so she sleeps through the night. We’ll meet up at the scheduled run. I better get off here now. She could wake up at any time.”
Brandi heard a click after a quick goodbye, and then a chair creaked. She looked toward a door, which probably led to a kitchen. A good minute passed. Then she saw the man from the woods walk into the living room. He was drinking something from a mug, probably coffee.
He’d showered. His short black hair was wet and pushed away from his face. He had a small cut on his bottom lip, but otherwise he looked almost too perfect standing there shirtless in only a pair of snug, faded blue jeans that hung low on his hips. His feet were bare and she stared at the sheer size of them until he suddenly stopped walking. She instinctively looked up. His brown gaze locked with hers as he strode toward the couch she lay on.
Her gaze instinctively darted up. His brown gaze locked with hers as he strode toward the couch she lay on.
“Hey,” he said softly as he loomed over her, big, powerful and wholly intimidating. “You’re safe here. I need you to know that. You’re protected.”
She swallowed. She didn’t try to speak. She just stared at him as terror flooded her system and memories of the hunt bombarded her mind.