by T. F. Walsh
Father nudged Enre’s shoulder with his own as he stepped around him.
Enre’s response came fast. “Nic’s incarceration is a disaster in the making. If he turns, he’ll reveal we exist to all humans, and you’ll bring the entire power of the Varlac down on your pack. We need to work together on this and get him out.” His hooded eyes pinned Father. “And I ask the questions. What are you doing about Nic? Who’s killing the humans?” Enre’s expression pinched, and his gaze locked onto Father for several deadly silent moments.
“I will get Nicolai out. I don’t need your help.” Father’s glare never left Enre.
“Absurd.” Enre broke into a laugh, loud and for show. “You’ve got issues here. This is why I intended to speak to you about this earlier in private, but if you insist on airing your dirty laundry, I’m thrilled to oblige.”
“I realize I can’t tell you to leave my pack, but you are not welcome here.” The viciousness in Father’s voice startled me.
Enre studied Father intently and spoke through clenched teeth. “I’m here to help.”
I choked on my next breath, drawing Damir’s attention. He shook his head.
“If that’s the case,” my father said, “tonight, after the show, you will accompany the pack to the national park.” He looked my way. “Alena, you are in charge. Plan to leave by midnight, and take Mila with you.”
“No problem,” Enre said, too quick and eager to comply.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“The police are getting a warrant to search the circus tomorrow. I want most of the pack gone.” Father’s orotund tone gave me goose bumps.
“But they’ve already searched the circus.”
“They aren’t convinced.” Father tossed his glare at Enre before continuing. “And if I weren’t already buried in this shit, I’d drag you to my trailer and force you to tell me the truth. Then I’d call your clan to confirm it. And I’ll do it anyway once I deal with our current dilemma. So, you can either play along and pretend to help us, or be a hindrance.”
The tension enveloped me, strangling my lungs.
Finally, Father broke the staring match and turned toward me. “I have a meeting in the city with the council. Prepare the pack for tonight.” A flick of his head toward Damir, and the pair circled Enre without a word and stormed toward the parking lot.
Yep, the day was officially nasty.
Icy winds numbed my face, tugging on my jacket and tossing my hair. I tightened the collar around my chest, unable to force my legs to move.
What else could go wrong? A noose was strangling the pack, and with each passing day, it constricted. If only Nicolai hadn’t been caught, then we would have left Ruse by now. It was my fault for not sticking by Nicolai that morning. And I wasn’t strong enough to break him out of prison. I’d made our situation so much worse.
Nearby, Enre remained, jaw clenched and his focus on the main road. He looked ready to launch an assault on someone’s throat.
Technically, if he hadn’t shown up, our pack’s situation might have played out differently. Ever since his arrival, our troubles had been exacerbated, and yet, staring at him, a part of me fancied inching closer for all the wrong reasons. No wonder my life was in such a knot. I should never allow my wolf to take charge, especially not when it involved my emotions. While my mind scolded me with lectures about staying away from Enre, my body deceived me, burning for a touch.
Enre turned my way, his cheeks red from the cold, his blue eyes piercing and broody. “It’s going to snow.”
Words tangled on my tongue. What could I possibly say? Since arriving, he’d been playing me to get information. So why couldn’t my wolf and the heat between my thighs back off?
He dropped his gaze and vanished behind me.
Ahead, several cars drove along the main road. One of them pulled into our parking area. Probably locals eager to purchase tickets for tonight’s show. Father should have canceled it.
A snowflake caressed my cheek with its icy touch, and another landed on my nose. I stuck out my gloved palm. Around me, a curtain of tiny, white flakes floated down. They melted the moment they landed. My mother had once told me that getting caught outside on the first day of snow was a wulfkin’s blessing—a chance to cleanse and purge yourself of any wrong intent or doings. Letting the feathery crystals find me, I closed my eyes and pretended my life wasn’t a desperate patchwork of bittersweet feelings. Never again would I jump for the first wulfkin who showered me with attention. I visualized every last piece of desire I held for Enre being washed away on the breeze. Please, Mother. Please help me forget him.
I whirled around and ran to the big top to organize the pack’s outing.
• • •
The show flew by without a hitch. Every wulfkin’s anticipation to run free in the national park spiked their cheery mood. For weeks, we’d all been eager to release our wolves. I smiled to myself as I sat in the pack bus with other wulfkin and pulled aside the curtain at the window. Night clung to the circus tent. We’d switched off the fairy lights for concealment, and after the customers had left, everyone had jumped into action. Our plan came together perfectly; we’d leave the circus grounds through the back to avoid being seen by the police out front.
Damir and a few other wulfkin Father had asked to stay behind grumbled for most of the performance, but nothing could be done about it.
The bus was loaded with eager wulfkin, chatting and laughing like the happier days before the complications of dead bodies and land restrictions. Most of us filled up the front three-quarters of the vehicle, but I sat on the second to last row of seats with Mila, who crouched in the aisle near me. Her leash chained her to the back exit doors. There was no need for a cage. Once we reached our destination, she’d be free to run as much as she desired.
Mila grumbled at other wulfkin climbing onboard. When Enre entered, she shot to her feet and wagged her tail. Really? She’d fallen for his charm, too.
He strolled down the center aisle toward me. A few wulfkin snarled as he passed. Yep, he’d managed to become even more unpopular.
Please don’t sit next to me. Please don’t sit next to me.
A shiver slithered in my belly and moved farther south the closer he got. It shouldn’t have. I’d purged him out of my system. Goddess of the moon, help me.
He slumped into the seat in front of me and pressed his back to the window, staring at me with a flat expression. Despite the lack of light, even with the curtains pulled shut, his pupils gleamed.
“Can’t say I’ve ever been on a group trip,” he said.
His soft voice was silk against my skin. What was wrong with me? “From what I’ve heard, Varlac aren’t much into family gatherings.”
He cocked his head and studied me.
I shouldn’t have said anything. It’s better if I ignore him.
“And what exactly have you heard?” He draped a bent arm over the back of his seat.
“Oh, you know, the usual. How you spend most of your time cutting off wulfkin heads, dine on our blood, and bathe in the riches you steal from packs.”
He chuckled. “We sure have a terrible rap, and such exaggerated stories. How can you bear speaking to me?”
“It’s difficult.”
Mila raised her muzzle and bellowed out a howl. A few wulfkin joined in, including Enre. The sounds vibrated through my body, rousing my wolf to attention. When more wulfkin jumped into the chant, I couldn’t resist the lure to release a howl too.
It was liberating. When Enre glanced my way, I scowled. How dare he make me enjoy myself in his company!
Ivitka, our designated driver, climbed in. Everyone broke into a cheer of excitement.
“This is more like it,” Ivitka said. “Time to go.”
Mila brushed past my leg, strangling herself in the process, to reach Enre. Her tongue dangled out of her mouth, her front paw stretching toward him.
I rubbed her ear and attempted to draw her backward by pulling on h
er leash.
Enre scratched her head.
When Mila whimpered, I asked, “Want to swap? She might settle down.”
He shrugged, stood, and then inched closer. But Mila refused to budge from the aisle in front of my seat, trapping me in. Mila gawked at Enre with huge, adoring eyes. He stepped over her, and I scooted against the window.
The vehicle’s engine groaned and grunted awake, and the pack clapped and cheered.
Enre flopped down beside me. Mila leapt onto him, her front paws on his shoulders, her sticky tongue licking his cheek.
I chuckled but stayed in my corner, trapped by Enre endeavoring to throw off a two-hundred-pound wulfkin. Soon, he succeeded, and we sat shoulder to shoulder. Mila was there too, her chin resting on Enre’s thigh. He scratched her head.
“Looks like we’re stuck,” he said, giving me a sly grin.
“She only behaves this way with Nic.”
“I do have a way with the ladies.”
“Well, considering Mila is still in her mid-teens, I’m not sure you should say that out loud.”
He glanced at Mila and rubbed her ear. “She’s lonely. And I’m sure I remind her of your brother.”
Mila barked once.
Enre shifted and stretched his arm across the seat behind me. “Wake me up if I snore.” He shut his eyes.
Despite us sitting mostly alone and in the dark, Enre didn’t make one move. Not that I craved it … Of course not. It was what I expected from him. Still, the niggling fire from where his thigh touched mine spread through me. Stealing glances wasn’t helping matters, no matter how much I studied the sharp edges of his cheekbones, the stubble covering his square jawline, or the lusciousness of his lips. How would he react if I kissed him? His scent was hypnotizing, tingling my insides.
Mila stared at me, her pointy ears up.
Enre had made it obvious that he was only here for insider information on the pack. I was his stepping-stone.
I settled into the seat and hugged my arms across my chest.
• • •
My nose tickled. Knowing my luck, it was probably a persistent mosquito. I swatted it away, but it returned. Grumbling, I twisted to hide in the pillow. Wait, why did my pillow smell of musky wulfkin?
My eyelids flipped open, and my face was buried in Enre’s chest.
I straightened in the seat and wiped my mouth, praying I hadn’t drooled on him. From the aisle, Mila watched us.
Enre wore a stupid grin. “Knew it wouldn’t be long before we slept together.”
“Real funny.” I scanned the empty bus, with exception of the bus driver who sat there, watching us with an arched brow, and my pulse ran two notches too fast. “Where is everyone?”
“They got off.”
I grabbed my bag off the floor and shot up.
He made a swiping motion with one hand, stopping in the middle of his chest, and glanced down at his shirt. “You drool?”
Fire claimed my cheeks. Thank goodness for the dimness. “You going to just sit there?”
Enre got up and took a step past Mila, giving me space to pass him. “I feel dirty now, violated.” Amusement laced his words.
Refusing to meet his gaze, I unlatched Mila from the back doors of the bus and hooked the leash on her collar. We hurried off the bus, Mila taking the lead, dragging me behind.
Outside, the cold, damp air soaked my clothes, but once I changed into wolf form, I’d barely sense it. I couldn’t wait.
Lights from the vehicle lit up the blanket of snow coating the narrow parking lot. No other cars were there. Farther ahead, the enormous fir trees towering over us had to be at least one hundred feet tall. Lush foliage with long branches, laden in snow, hung low around the trunks, resembling the perfect Christmas tree. To my right, a white clearing between the spectacular firs revealed footprints leading into Rusenski Lom Nature Park. My insides jumped with excitement to be free. The park was protected and owned by the Ruse council, meaning people were forbidden from living in these woods. If this weren’t the case, Father would have set us up as rangers to live here years ago.
Enre emerged from the bus. “What happens now?” He hugged himself, rubbing his arms for warmth.
“This is your chance to go and have a bit of fun. Release your wolf, run wild, and enjoy, but you must return here just after dusk tomorrow.”
“Why? What happens? We turn into pumpkins?”
I rolled my eyes. “We return to the circus. That’s what.”
The bus started up, a great backfire exploding. We didn’t need humans suspecting anyone of trekking into the woods during the night. It might spark a massive search and reveal monster wolves in the national park.
Mila tugged at her leash and dragged me into the clearing. I stumbled over a dead log and kept slipping on the freshly fallen snow while I stared behind at the bus leaving. No sign of Enre. Hadn’t taken him long to jump into action … but who could blame him? My flesh already rippled with the urgency to transform. After a short stint of running and finding the familiar huge tree, I yanked on Mila’s chain. “Stop.”
Her jaws snapped at me, but she stopped, though she continued to whine.
“Calm down. Give me a few seconds to get ready. Geez, impatient much?” I unlatched the leash from Mila’s neck. “Now, stay.”
The bright moon revealed her ears, rotating like a radar dish, taking in the crunch of footsteps from other wulfkin running wild in the distance.
In a rush, I stripped and stashed my clothes, shoes, and backpack inside the hollow at the base of the tree, stuffing them deep. The snow wouldn’t reach them. Before I stood, my wolf flooded me, pushing with urgency and flowing free. Silver fur covered and embraced me, and I dropped on all fours with a howl roaring past my throat, echoing through the dark.
Mila’s voice joined in with the chorus of several other wolves in the area. My heart drummed against my rib cage.
My muzzle grazed Mila’s side. Together, we launched into a fast romp, dodging trees and letting the wind sideswipe us. This was living, and I couldn’t wait until we moved to Transylvania in the Carpathian woods forever.
• • •
The whole night and day had passed too quickly. During our run, we’d crossed paths with a few of the other wulfkin, but surprisingly not Enre. I wondered where he’d gotten off to.
Now the sun was vanishing behind the horizon of trees as the second night closed in. Mila and I, in wolf form, squatted near shrubs several feet from the parking lot, watching the wulfkin emerge from the woods in human form, climbing onto the bus, chatting, and laughing. Father had demanded I remain in the forest with Mila for a second night in case the authorities were still snooping. They’d pick us up the next morning. The other wulfkin had been told so they wouldn’t make a huge deal about our absence.
The snow on my belly cooled the adrenaline. We’d run for most of the day and chased endless rabbits. Mila’s heavy breaths steamed against my side, and the scent of her last meal of wild boar floated in the air.
When the bus engine started, and the side door clanked shut, I became aware of a problem. Enre hadn’t boarded the bus.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
ENRE
I leapt out from behind an overgrown shrub and released a short, sharp snarl. My paws sank into the snow.
Alena spun to face me. The backpack dangling from her mouth dropped to the ground, and her lips peeled over fangs. Her jaws snapped in my direction, her nose wrinkled with anger.
Mila pounced and crashed into my side, and then rebounded off me, stumbling. In wolf form, I overshadowed her, but who didn’t love rough play? I nudged her aside and approached Alena, who scooped the belongings back into her mouth and trotted away, head high.
Alena’s unblemished silver fur glistened each time the radiance from the waxing moon pierced the canopy.
She wore her stubbornness as armor. Didn’t she realize donning her animal form meant letting the wolf take charge, being wild and free? She reminded me of Daciana
, pushing me away. I should keep my distance, considering how my situation with Daciana had ended. She’d chosen a human over me. I’d accepted it, even congratulated her, but the rejection stung.
I’d come to Bulgaria for a simple task, no matter how much my wolf protested and demanded we claim Alena instead. I hadn’t had sex for months, so that was the real problem.
With Mila by my side, I soon caught up to Alena, and the three of us ran deeper into the woods. The snow had stopped, and a light breeze blew. Alena’s scent—earthy and sweet with lavender—wafted to my nose.
To my right, movement. I froze mid-step.
A rabbit?
I lunged after it, Mila on my tail, and captured the delicious morsel in seconds. New record.
Mila prowled close, snarling for her share. I dropped the dead animal into the snow, and Mila snatched it. Within a few quick bone-crunching bites, it slid down her throat.
We walked for another hour, maybe more, and Alena finally halted, near a small clearing. If I were alone, I’d have run halfway across the woods by now. Instead, we traipsed around like girls. Okay, fair enough, I was with two girls, but lucky for them, they were two females I enjoyed, and I wouldn’t change our time together one bit.
Alena scanned the area encircled by pines with low-hanging branches. Only a thin layer of white covered the ground. She dropped her backpack near a tree, then shimmied out of her wolf form, and stood on two feet, completely nude, shivering and hugging herself.
My pulse drummed as my gaze traced the curved lines of her delicious breasts and the ruby, erect nipples. Her tapered waist and flat stomach led to stunning hips and long, firm legs. I craved her body wrapped around mine.
She reached for a coat from her bag, folded herself in it, slipped on her gloves, and stepped into boots.
No matter how much I told myself to keep a distance, I struggled to listen to my own advice. Not when the most gorgeous creature with admirable determination, loyalty, and courage stood a few paces away.
“Why didn’t you get on the bus?” she asked while retrieving a leash from her pocket.
I can do bondage if she insists.
“Come here, Mila,” Alena said.