by Jessica Ryan
It took a moment for the situation to finally take hold of Ciara. She was alone now, in the middle of the most dangerous forest she had ever encountered. She had no assurance Hawk would be back. For all she knew he could be heading to Beorn’s right now and leaving her to die.
Maybe this was the time in her quest where she had to strike out on her own, trying to find the way to confront the dark side of her personality alone.
No, she thought, striking those fears from her brain. He’s not going to leave you. He’s doing exactly what he said he’s doing. Stop freaking out. You’re not alone.
Somewhere in the distance she could hear water dripping, although a quick visual inspection of the den didn’t reveal any water. It must have been from the waterfall just outside the den.
The den was probably the size of somebody’s bedroom, but it smelled like an old storm cellar. She scrunched up her nose and tried to ignore the smell as she stared at the opening to the cavern. Hopefully Hawk wouldn’t take too long and she could curl up and go to sleep.
Even though this was all a dream, a very lucid dream, she was exhausted. For all she knew, she was wandering around the forest near the campsite instead of sitting perfectly still and dreaming.
That thought disturbed her a bit; she didn’t need to be wandering around the forest alone in the dark while she was hallucinating. Chalk up another one for the brilliant Doctor Haley.
Several minutes passed, but Hawk still didn’t walk back into the den. Her eyes were beginning to get heavy and the sound of the water dripping was very calming. She lay back on the pallet and tried to close her eyes, giving up on her fight against sleep.
With a start Ciara set up, not knowing how long she had been asleep. The fire Hawk had built was dying down and the moon was high in the sky, bathing the chamber in silvery light.
“I thought I heard a noise,” she said, rubbing her eyes. As she scanned the den she realized she wasn’t talking to anybody; she was still completely alone. “Hawk?”
There wasn’t an answer; instead, she heard the sound of laughter behind her. She turned and rubbed her eyes, realizing there was a door at the back of the den. She was positive it hadn’t been there before, but she could have missed it in the darkness.
The sounds of laughter and loud music were cascading out of the door, getting louder as Ciara stared at the doorway. Somebody was talking through the doorway, too, several people as a matter of fact.
She leaned over and strained to listen, barely able to make out what they were saying. Her eyes opened wide and her ears perked up as she heard her name said several times. There was someone on the other side of that doorway talking about her.
Ciara stood up, not wanting to sit alone in the cavern any longer while Hawk had a party just down the hallway from her. Where did that jerk get music, and why was he laughing at her? She was determined to find out.
Without a second thought Ciara confidently strolled through the dark doorway, not realizing what waited beyond.
Chapter 17
Hawk stopped just outside the den, sniffing the air and taking in all the smells of the night. His senses were keener than a normal human’s when he was in his human form, but when he shifted they increased with potency tenfold. It was like a whole new world had opened up in front of him the moment he opened the cage and drank in that first free breath.
Like most of his Bucklin brethren he fought the animal inside and insisted he was a civilized human being. But, just like the rest of them, when he shifted for the first time in a long time a rush of exhilaration overtook his body that made him wish he could forever stay shifted.
He’d never felt like his human skin was a prison or a cramped cage, like Forrest often complained, but he still felt a little more free when he was shifted. It was like he had taken off a suit of armor and had allowed his muscles to breathe for the first time in months.
It didn’t take long to leave his scent in the area around the cave, warding off any predators that might decide to enter. Hawk’s odor was strong, much stronger than any regular shifter’s. It would be obvious to anyone who happened to catch a whiff that he was a powerful alpha wolf.
With that completed, he contemplated going back into the cave and falling asleep next to Ciara, but then his rumbling stomach made him think otherwise. He was hungry, very hungry. It had been almost two days since he had eaten, probably the same for Ciara. She had told him she was hungry, but seemed a little turned off at the thought of eating his kill.
The air hung heavy with the smell of the river raging below, but he didn’t detect much else in the area. It would be hard to find any game this high into the hills, away from the water. Perhaps he should just wait for tomorrow, wait to see if there was any game around Beorn’s cabin. He didn’t bank on the crotchety bear sharing his food, but maybe Beorn would surprise him.
The tree line next to the cave led down a steep hill, the reason they had exited the forest and began climbing the cliff face. It was difficult to navigate such a steep hill with so many trees around. One stumble and he could break something falling into a tree. The cliff face had much better footing, which was the main reason he had taken Ciara out onto it earlier.
Hawk tried to ignore his rumbling stomach and turned to go into the cave, then stopped dead in his tracks.
There was someone coming, another wolf. He inhaled deeply, taking in all of their scent. No, there were two wolves coming.
Hawk quickly dove into the bushes, concealing himself from sight. He activated his camouflage, blending in with the foliage around him.
“I smell him and a human up this way,” a voice said.
“He’s hiding here somewhere,” another one said. “The boss said he’s got powers that other wolves don’t have. That’s why those other two idiots never found him.”
“He can’t hide from us,” the first voice said. “We’ll gut him and his bitch.”
Hawk tried to avoid growling as they spoke about Ciara in such a derogatory manner, but he maintained his composure, staying perfectly still in the bushes. Whoever was coming was not his friend, they were the kidnappers.
His eyes nearly bugged out of his head as he saw the two men who appeared up the path, both completely nude and strutting along like they didn’t have a care in the world.
The taller one stood about six foot two with a mess of shaggy blond hair on his head and a long beard that hadn’t been trimmed in years. His body wasn’t the sculpted statue that many of the other wolves sported. Instead, he had an impressive gut from years of living on his farm. His entire body was covered in unkempt hair, making him look very much like the ragged country man he was.
Timber, Hawk thought, recognizing the beta male of the Oakdale pack.
Coming up beside him was his son, Sapling. His real name was Bray, but everyone called him Sapling since he was a miniature version of his father. The younger generation of wolves was moving farther and farther from the naming conventions of the older ones.
Hawk’s parents’ generation, and even some of Hawk’s generation, had names that were closer to nature, like Rain, Eden, Timber, Forrest, Black Oak, Thorn, Starlight or Boulder. These days, kids were being named Bray, Trevor, Kevin, Sierra, Jace and Savannah. They were growing closer and closer to the humans.
It was odd that someone in the Oakdale pack would break away from this naming convention, but political pressure had probably forced Timber into giving his son a human name. He was the one who came up with Sapling as a nickname for his son, to avoid calling him Bray.
They had both shifted recently, but had transformed back as they approached. They probably wanted to talk shit to Hawk before trying to kill him. It was obvious he wouldn’t get out of this diplomatically. A fight against the two of them would be difficult, but not impossible to win. Sapling was nothing in a fight; his father was the one who worried Hawk. Members of the Oakdale pack were great fighters, due to staying closer to their animal side than the other packs. The strongest of course were the Da
wnguard, but that didn’t help Hawk at this moment.
“Where did he get those powers at?” Sapling asked.
“His daddy wasn’t a normal wolf,” Timber answered. “He ran off a long time ago with those Satan’s Angels before bringing them back to our town.”
“Didn’t they say that Abaddon guy was some kind of demon?”
“Yeah, some sort of demon wolf. His daddy probably got something from him, because when he came back to collect Hawk and his mommy, that kid was never the same again. He refused to go with them, but it was shortly after that that he started showing off these powers and taking on this role of watcher.”
“So he’s not a real wolf?”
“Not anymore, son.”
Was that really what they thought? Did others in town think the same thing? Hawk’s powers were not demonic in nature, not even close. His ability to blend in, hide, change his hair color, change his eye color, all of it was due to his mother, a secret he hoped to carry with him to his grave.
Hawk didn’t have time to reminisce about the past, though; he had to defend Ciara before they got any closer to the den.
“Well, look who it is,” Timber said, chuckling as Hawk exited the forest.
He didn’t make any move to shift back to human form; he had a better shot as a wolf to finish them both off. As an alpha he was much larger than the two of them, which gave him more of an advantage.
“You’re not even going to shift?” Timber asked, raising an eyebrow at Hawk. “You’re going to die either way, but you don’t want to talk to us before you die?”
Hawk responded by growling and snapping at them both. He could see the fear in Sapling’s eyes as he took in all of the alpha wolf, but there was no such fear in his father’s eyes—Timber had prepared for this.
“Forrest is going to love it when I bring your carcass back to him,” Timber said, still chuckling.
That made Hawk pause as he turned over the words in his head. Forrest. The alpha wolf had turned on the rest of them. That wasn’t good; it meant the entire pack was in on it.
“Yeah, you didn’t know that, did you?” Timber said, obviously reading Hawk’s eyes. “Your whole city is going to come crumbling down.”
Hawk growled and snapped, advancing on the two men. They were making a big mistake not shifting; Hawk was almost within striking distance.
“You can growl and make a big show all you want, freak,” Timber said. “You’re too domesticated to intimidate me. You all are.”
Hawk kept advancing, his massive fangs bared. Sapling was beginning to back up, a steady stream of piss running down his leg. He didn’t have the gumption for this work. He could talk big but he just didn’t have it in him to be an enforcer.
Timber wasn’t worried; he just made a motion with his hand, inviting Hawk to keep coming. He was going to shift any minute now, rushing at Hawk as he lunged.
Instead of taking on the stronger Timber, as he appeared to anticipate, Hawk shifted directions and lunged at the scared teenager, shocking both him and his father.
The alpha wolf hit the kid with a thud in the chest, knocking him to the ground with ease. He was completely pinned under Hawk, unable to shift or move. Hawk turned toward Timber and snarled. The cocksure look of determination on Timber’s face had changed to one of sheer terror. He hadn’t expected Hawk to go after the boy, since most wolves tried to neutralize the biggest threat first.
Hawk Timberhad envisioned a battle between the two older wolves with his son darting in to nip at Hawk’s heels and give the advantage to his father. Instead, Hawk had chosen to go straight for the weaker link, both physically and mentally. Timber’s entire persona was shattered in this moment, reducing him to the same weakling his son was.
Keeping his eyes on Timber, Hawk stooped his head and snatched Sapling’s head in his jaws, holding him off the ground.
“Please let me go,” Sapling begged. “I’ll go back to Bucklin and forget about this whole thing.”
“Shut up, boy,” Timber said. “He ain’t going to kill you. He’s too soft for that.”
Timber had managed to call Hawk’s bluff already, completely defeating the purpose of his attack. The cocky smile returned to Timber’s face and he crossed his arms.
“Go ahead, big bad alpha,” he said, laughing. “Kill my boy.”
“Dad, what the fuck are you saying?” Sapling screamed. “He’s going to kill me!”
“No, he’s not, son,” Timber said. “He’s a pussy domesticated wolf. He doesn’t have the guts to kill anyone. He doesn’t have the stomach for it.”
Hawk was enraged at this point. He didn’t like his manhood or his ability being questioned in such a bold manner. He didn’t have any plans to kill the boy, but he felt backed into a corner now.
He could taste the boy’s salty blood in his mouth. He hadn’t bit down or caused any damage, but his sharp fangs had punctured the boy’s skin in several places. The taste of blood was driving his wolf insane; it was hard to fight him off and remain calm.
Slowly Hawk let the boy go, listening to him thud against the ground. Timber smiled, thinking he had won the day. Hawk didn’t give him a chance to gloat; instead, he leapt forward, intending to kill this time.
Timber was ready for him, shifting quickly into his wolf form. He was much smaller than Hawk, with shaggy hair and scars all over his body. He didn’t have time to react before Hawk slammed into him, rolling him across the ground.
The elder wolf was up quickly, his jaws snapping at Hawk as his front paws slapped. Hawk easily dodged around him and slammed into his side with the top of his head, sending the elder wolf rolling again.
He came up snarling, obviously pissed off that Hawk was so much quicker. Timber had thought this was going to be an easy fight, but he was hopelessly outmatched by the alpha wolf.
Hawk hazarded a glance behind him, to see if the boy was going to interfere, but Sapling was too busy clutching his head and sobbing on the ground. It was a tactical mistake to look back because Timber was on him quickly, raking a massive paw across Hawk’s face and drawing blood.
Ignoring the hot, sticky blood that was starting to blur his vision, Hawk dove forward again, this time sliding on the ground until his head came up underneath the other wolf. With all his might he lifted his head and body into the air, flipping the other wolf onto his back.
When Timber tried to rise Hawk caught him again, barreling into him and sending him perilously close to the edge of the cliff. Timber must have realized what Hawk was doing because he tried to circle away from the edge of the cliff. Hawk didn’t allow him to, though; he snapped and darted in front of Timber every time he tried to get away from danger.
“Dad!” he heard Sapling call out behind him.
This was war, and Hawk had to be the victor. If he let them go, they would come back with reinforcements and kill him and Ciara.
Ciara. The thought of her in the cave, helpless and alone, was enough to drive his wolf over the edge. These two had attacked him and his new mate in a place he had claimed as his own. Hell, he had claimed Ciara as his own—at least his wolf had. The man was coming to terms with that, but in his wolf’s mind Ciara was his and nobody else’s. How dare they threaten her.
Timber made one last-ditch effort to get by Hawk, but the rage of the alpha wolf was too great. His wolf took completely over, his head slamming into the smaller wolf’s throat and pushing him backwards until his back paws left the safety of the ground. He began to shift quickly, his paws transforming into a man’s hands that were able to grab onto a root that poked out of the ground.
“Dammit, Hawk, I’m sorry!” Timber screamed. “Help me up and we’ll go back to town! I swear!”
Hawk sauntered forward, sniffing the man that the wolf had become. His wolf could smell the lie on him, that he was a traitor. With deadly efficiency Hawk bit his wrist, forcing him to release the root as he fell to certain death.
“No! Dad!” Sapling screamed from behind Hawk.
; The pissed-off alpha wolf turned, his yellow eyes locking on the boy as he lay on the ground, still bleeding.
He came for my mate, his wolf thought. He deserves the same fate.
Hawk hoped Ciara wouldn’t hear the sound of the boy’s screams as he advanced on him, a snarl of pure hate on his face.
Chapter 18
The doorway didn’t open into a dark hallway like Ciara thought; instead, it opened to the outside world.
“Holy shit,” she said, nearly breathless as she looked at the scene stretching out in front of her.
She was back home, in Stillwater, the night her life had changed forever. There was a huge group of people in front of a house, all of them drinking and making a lot of noise. Her old boyfriend Mark was the center of attention; everyone was looking at him and talking to him.
Ciara walked right up to him and took a swing, hoping to connect with his nose perfectly like she had the last time. Instead, her fist went right through his face as the momentum of the swing sent her barreling to the ground.
“It’s not real,” she said, realizing what was going on. “I’m not really here.”
But how could her mind show her this? She hadn’t been present for any of this; she had been inside the house, passed out drunk.
“Oh, god,” she said. “I’m going to have to watch it again.”
She tried to cover her eyes and look away, but no matter how hard she closed her eyes the scene was still right there in front of her. She turned to look away, but it appeared in front of her again as she turned. No matter what she did she was forced to watch it all play out again.
Everyone was talking to Mark and laughing at every joke he made. Why wouldn’t they? He was one of the most charismatic men Ciara had ever met. With his broad shoulders, shaggy hair right out of the 1970s and million-dollar smile, he was the perfect All-American boy that men wanted to be and women wanted to be with.
Ciara’s life had begun to turn around the moment she began dating Mark. She didn’t drink as much, she stopped doing any drugs at all and she started going to class more. Sure, they still drank on the weekends, but the constant binge drinking had ended. He was the kind of influence she needed, one that would save her from the path she was embarking on.