Wolf on the Run: Shifter romance (Shifters of the Glen Book 4)

by Jones,Skye

I pulled myself up onto the side and then leaned down to give Cait a hand. Boyd powered toward us, and as he glanced up, his eyes widened.

  “Oh, bugger.” Cait’s mouth formed a perfect O as she looked up at me. “Erm, you’ve had a wardrobe malfunction.”

  She treaded water and pointed to my chest. I looked down, and the supposedly trusty safety pins had disappeared. My swimsuit gaped open, and my right boob had popped completely out.

  Mortification swamped me, and I looked back at Boyd, only to see him avert his gaze, cheeks washed in a faint pink tinge.

  Bloody bollocks. I grabbed the fabric around myself and stomped over to the chair, grabbing my clothes whilst fuming. What an idiot I must look. I hoped to God he didn’t think it some sort of desperate move on my part.

  Not even worrying about getting dry, I simply pulled my clothes on over my dripping suit.

  Cait joined me moments later and didn’t say a word. Her mouth kept twitching, but I think she knew better than to try to make a joke right then.

  We got back to her home, and I retired to my room, saying I needed a sleep. I didn’t; I wanted to nurse my wounded pride. But once I’d had a shower and changed into dry clothes, I ended up falling asleep on top of the covers, book in hand.

  Raised voices from the kitchen interrupted my nap, waking me with a start. Jake had clearly arrived home. I swallowed, and my throat hurt. My mouth ran as dry as the desert. All my muscles ached as if I’d run a mile. What the hell? And then it hit me: the dream.

  I shivered and wrapped my arms around myself. I’d experienced the most awful dream, and I thanked God Jake came home when he did and woke me. In my nightmare, Boyd had been towering over me, his face twisted in an angry grimace.

  “Leave here. You dishonor them with your presence,” he’d said, pointing at two graves next to one another. “You want me, I can smell it on you, but you’re not welcome here. Go now, and don’t come back.”

  I shrank back and he growled, so I’d tried to make light of it and reassure him I only wanted to visit with my friend.

  “Liar,” he’d spat. Then his face began to change—his nose cracked and elongated, his lips pulled back, and he growled as thick saliva began to drip from the long, rotting teeth emerging from his snarl.

  Fuck. What did it mean? It didn’t feel real like the foreboding dreams in the forest that I suffered with once or twice a week. The ones where something vague and nasty threatened Cait and the others here at the village seemed so lifelike and lingered for days. This one hadn’t, so I tried to reassure myself it wasn’t some form of premonition but rather my own psyche making a point. Boyd wasn’t about to turn rogue and attack me…I hoped.

  I’d seen Boyd’s expression when he’d clocked an eye full of boob. Yes, most men would be a bit embarrassed, but his expression had seemed to go beyond that. I swore I saw a hunger lurking in the depths of his eyes, and I didn’t think I’d convinced myself of that simply because I wanted to believe it. Jake’s words of the previous evening popped into my mind, but I didn’t revel in the knowledge Boyd wanted me. In fact, knowing what I did now, I’d rather he didn’t find me attractive, because I’d bet good money doing so hurt him. And I didn’t want to hurt him. For the first time in my life, I saw a guy as something more than someone I wanted…or didn’t, as the case may be. I saw Boyd for who he was. Someone so hurt and scarred inside that I didn’t think I’d ever break through, nor should I try. I ought to leave.

  I began to pack my bags when there came a knock at my door. I opened it to find Cait standing there, face angry and hard, not a look she usually wore.

  “What’s wrong?” I pulled her into the room.

  “Jake’s pissed. His father, Adam, won’t hear of females being trained. So Drew’s going to go talk with him in private. But I think it hurts Jake’s feelings, to be honest. It’s my idea and Jake said that in the meeting, so Adam shot it down. But I bet good money that Adam will listen to Drew. He always does. Jake doesn’t say so, but I think it makes him feel like crap.”

  She looked behind me, and her eyes narrowed. “Oh, I see. Running away, are we?”

  “What?”

  She pointed to my half-packed bag. “You should stay a while. Things are up in the air right now, and what with these dreams you’ve been having and Boyd’s sensing of something coming, you ought to stay.”

  “I can’t.”

  “Why? Because Boyd saw half your breast? I’m sure he’s seen worse.” She waggled her eyebrows, but then her face grew serious. “I get it’s embarrassing, babe, but it’s not a reason to leave.”

  “It’s not only Boobgate.” We both chuckled. “I think my being here is somehow hurting him. I can sense it, and I don’t want to hurt him.”

  “Even if it means not seeing him anymore?”

  I nodded and swiped at the stupid tears gathering in my eyes. Why did I even care? I’d only spent a limited amount of time in his company. None of this made sense.

  “You’re a better woman than me. I think when I got shifter fever—”

  “Shifter fever?” I interrupted.

  “Yeah, it’s what me, Brooke, and Iz have nicknamed it. It’s like getting so sick you go delirious and lose all your faculties, and then there’s the burning… So, yeah…shifter fever. Anyway, I put you all at risk during that crazy camping trip, so you shouldn’t feel bad. You’re not at my level of cray cray.”

  “Not yet.” I gave her a small smile. “I think I need to go home, though. Lick my wounds and forget all about Boyd. In time, I hope I’ll be able to come visit and be fine. But right now, it’s too raw. Which is a sign of the craziness again, as I don’t even know him.” I blew out a breath, sick of myself. “I’m going to finish packing and drive out of here before it gets dark.”

  “What’s the car like?” She thrust her head in the general direction of the outdoors and the off-roader I’d rented to come here. There were no roads, so you either hiked, biked it, or used an off-roader to reach the village. The residents generally frowned on vehicles, but they allowed city types like me to visit using them once in a blue moon.

  “It’s fine. Comfy and has a great sound system. It handles the rough tracks and the bits of open field well. Dread to think how the little thing I use at home would cope. I’d probably still be in a ditch, miles away.”

  Cait pulled me into a sudden hug. “Don’t stay away licking your wounds for too long. Jake and I talked a little last night. He told me how he senses Boyd’s attraction to you, but he knows he’ll find it too hard to act on it right now. Maybe with time…”

  Oh, no. I didn’t need her to go giving me hope. When it came to time, Boyd had a hell of a lot more of it than I did. I didn’t want to settle down immediately or anything, but I didn’t want to waste years mooning after some guy, when said guy may or may not ever come around to the idea of another relationship.

  “Maybe you can come visit me next month, and me, you, and Gemma will hit a club?”

  “Sounds like a plan.” She pulled me into a hug and then turned and left me to pack up.

  I tried hard not to feel sad, but I loved being amongst the pack. It felt like a safe and secure place for me. Somewhere where I’d be free to be the me underneath the girl who’d been obsessed with the fickle world of fashion and appearances. I think, deep down, I was a lot less bothered about those things than I’d previously thought.

  I looked around the room to check I had everything and smiled at the homey touches I attributed entirely to Cait. Jake didn’t seem like one for bright throws and extra cushions on the bed.

  Once I’d finished checking, I headed downstairs and said my good-byes. I ignored the lump in my throat as I clambered into my huge rental and forced a cheery smile while I waved good-bye.

  Needing some music, I punched the stereo on and found a station playing some dance tunes. I hummed along to a few tracks I knew and then switched things up for something mellower.

  As I drove, a sense of unease began to wrap around me. Like a heavy
shroud, it filled the car and settled over me, trapping me in my seat as I stared out at the landscape, senses on full alert.

  Despite the daylight, my big, heavy car with the massive bull bars, and my satellite phone, I still felt intensely vulnerable, knowing what sort of monsters stalked the woods. I heaved a huge sigh of relief when I reached the first town.

  I finally pulled up outside my flat and killed the engine. Stepping out of the car, I angled my neck side to side, and it creaked with tension. My muscles killed. I needed a long soak and an early night.

  A few hours later, I slipped into bed and pulled the covers up over my head, tired and despondent. As I closed my eyes, I prayed for a dreamless sleep.

  Chapter Five

  A month had passed since my mortifying visit to see Cait and the pack. In that time, I’d healed some more physically. My leg felt better, enough for me to do more exercise, but the weight didn’t shift. It did, however, turn more to muscle, so I became a curvier, more muscular version of my previous self, and I actually began to like it. For the first time in my life, I’d begun to do weights, and my body grew fit and strong. Whereas before, I had spent hours on the treadmill and doing cardio, now when I hit the gym, it became all about strength training and some short sessions of high-intensity training.

  The noise of the gym managed to penetrate my headphones, even with the Groove Armada track I had playing loudly. I neared the end of a fifteen-minute interval training set on the treadmill. I glanced up and saw a man watching me. A year ago, I’d have been all over him. Slim and toned, he’d taken off his shirt at some point and owned a set of chiseled abs, with a handsome face to top it all off. He gave me a smile, and his blue eyes crinkled attractively at the corners.

  I smiled back, but more on instinct than anything else. The polite response to a friendly overture. I had no interest in any man except Boyd. My month’s cold turkey didn’t seem to be working.

  I still dreamed of him, and the other strange, foreboding dreams still haunted my nights once or twice a week. It all meant I didn’t sleep too well and spent my days strung out and wired.

  Finally, the treadmill beeped to indicate the last of my high-intensity sets, and I dropped from a run into a jog and then a walk. Mr. Hot Features kept casting glances my way, and I didn’t want to get involved in a conversation, so I cut my cooldown short and stopped the treadmill, hopping off and scurrying to the changing rooms.

  Once showered and dressed, I headed out into the cool night air. Despite only being mid-September, autumn’s bite made itself known, and I sighed. I hated autumn. I didn’t mind the early season when the sun still shone most days, but once the chill of November set in along with the dark nights, my mood always dipped.

  As I walked the short distance back to my flat, I kept shooting glances behind me. The sensation of being watched made my skin crawl, but I didn’t see anyone else around; only a couple walking in the opposite direction on the other side of the street.

  The lights of Edinburgh Castle shone in the distance. I loved Edinburgh. The views over the city and to the mountains beyond from the castle were stunning. We had plenty of great bars and cafes, and life for me here had been fantastic for many years. But now I wanted something else. I craved a change, but I didn’t know what. For a while, I’d thought the change I craved might be Boyd, but now I knew better. My childish crush needed to be put to one side.

  Five minutes from home, I popped into the corner shop and grabbed a bottle of wine. I didn’t usually drink at home alone, but I felt like shutting my mind down for one evening. Some wine and a brainless action movie were in order. The guy behind the counter gave me a friendly smile as he rang up my purchases and placed them in a bag for me. He glanced behind me, and the smile dropped from his face. My neck tingled, so much so that I put my hand there, touching the nape where my skin lay exposed by the ponytail I’d pulled my hair into. A soft breath touched the flesh of my hand, and I turned around.

  A tall, rough-looking man stood behind me. His eyes did a sweep of my body, and I didn’t like the way he smirked. I didn’t like to think of people as ugly. I’d always been into art and photography and saw the human body as beautiful. Young, old, big, or small, everyone possessed his or her own unique beauty. This guy, though, something about him repulsed me.

  His small, hard eyes observed me, and he licked his lips before cracking a full-on grin. His teeth were yellow and stained, and his canines were weirdly long.

  I suppressed a shudder and turned away. The guy at the till handed over my stuff and gave me a small smile before turning a more serious face to the guy behind me.

  “Can I help you?”

  “Yeah, twenty cigs, mate, and a bottle of whisky.” His voice echoed in the small space of the store, guttural and loud but also somehow weak, as if worn away from years of overuse. At the end of the sentence, his voice cracked, scratchy and jarring.

  I scuttled out of the shop as quickly as possible and jogged down the street, wanting to be around the corner to my road before the guy came out and saw where I’d headed.

  A couple of times during the two minutes it took me to get home, I glanced behind me but didn’t see the man. With fumbling fingers, I let myself into my building and jogged up the stairs to my apartment door. Only once I closed and locked the door behind me did the tension drain from my body.

  What a wuss. I rolled my eyes at myself and poured a tall glass of water, downing it as I went into my bedroom and changed into a long T-shirt, which doubled as a nightie. I washed my face and slapped on some of my stupidly expensive night cream, courtesy of mother dearest, who spent tons of money making sure I retained my looks. She’d been legitimately scandalized by my recent weight gain. An ex-beauty queen, she’d always wanted me to follow her example, but I didn’t want to have any part of that world. I did enjoy the luxurious toiletries she showered me with, however.

  I wandered back into my living area and unscrewed the wine, eyeing the phone on the countertop as I did so. I longed to call Gemma, invite her over, and tell her all about the strange experience I’d had this evening. But I’d want to say more, to talk about Boyd and my hurt at the situation, and I couldn’t go there.

  When we’d gone camping with Cait the previous year, we’d ended up discovering that the eco-village where Jake lived was so much more. Due to an attack by rogues, we learned all about the wolf shifters and their way of life. Sadly, despite being offered the rare gift of keeping our memories, Gemma opted not to. She said the idea of the rogues terrified her too much, and she didn’t want to go through life knowing such things were out there.

  I’d disagreed at the time, wanting to remember Boyd and the fantastic beings in his pack. Now I wondered if I’d made the right choice. I’d stupidly felt a part of something amazing, something so much bigger than ordinary life, but my recent visit had shown what a sham my feelings were. Not only did Boyd not want me, but also there was no room for me in the pack. So now, here I stood, outside and alone and, frankly, a little scared, because now I knew things did go bump in the night and scary monsters were real.

  Maybe I ought to go back and ask them to wipe my memory, too. At least then, I’d get my close friendship with Gemma back.

  With the massive wall of knowledge between us, it made being natural hard, which meant I limited the amount of time we spent together. I knew this hurt her; she viewed Cait and me as her family, having none of her own. Now Cait had moved away, and I’d been in contact less than usual.

  I took a sip of cool, crisp Chardonnay and resolved to call Gemma tomorrow and spend the weekend with her.

  Rummaging through my fridge, I pulled out a microwave meal for one and nuked my sad little dinner as I glugged back more wine, suddenly feeling inordinately sorry for myself.

  An hour later and my eyes were drooping as I watched a talent contest on the TV, so I decided to head for bed. Over the weekend, I’d carve out some time to think about what I wanted moving forward. If my feelings didn’t change, I might well
end up back at the village, drinking Marissa’s tincture to make myself forget all about Boyd and the wolfen.

  The wolf stood stock-still, ears forward and nose twitching. He’d been coming here for three days now and watching, observing. He stank of fox shit, but he’d rolled in it on purpose to disguise his scent.

  In front of him, four rogues came and went into the small, dilapidated cabin. The place hadn’t been used for years by anyone and lay over two miles away from the pack’s territory boundary.

  The previous evening, the pack had held a meeting to discuss the rogues living nearby, and Adam declared he’d be speaking not only with the pack elders but possibly with other packs to plan a way forward. He didn’t want to attack without having discussed things first, because he worried the rogues were part of something bigger. A preemptive strike might precipitate attacks on other packs around Britain, maybe the world.

  Boyd huffed out a breath. Personally, he’d go in there, kill the fuckers, and then raze the building to the ground. Only his fierce loyalty to his pack kept his actions in check.

  Memories hit him, so sharp and clear they nearly made him howl out. His mate, his beautiful Ali on the ground, blood everywhere. Her neck gaping open like something out of horror film, her belly too.

  He’d gone insane in that moment. Wanted to rip everyone and everything to shreds. He’d never known pain like it, didn’t believe it could exist. When he’d looked up from her lifeless body, the whole world had changed. Nothing looked the same; nothing felt the same. It never would again.

  At first, he’d been furious. Angry beyond belief, and not merely at the rogues who’d taken her life and the life of his unborn young, but also at those in his pack who still held on to their mates. He hated the way people went about their life as if things were normal, when all around him, a huge black hole of grief enveloped his world.

  Only training as an enforcer—and working tirelessly to protect the village from rogues—gave him any sort of satisfaction. As the months turned into years, he made a tentative peace with his fate, mostly due to the fact he still felt Ali around. Heard her voice in his dreams, woke up to her scent wrapped around him. He’d become convinced she remained in their spirit world, from where she visited him.