Wild Instinct

by McCarty, Sarah

  “Of course. We at Haven take our promises seriously.” He glanced at Kelon, who was working on Teri, before asking, “Your friend?”

  “A very good friend,” Garrett rumbled from behind her, his drawl slipping along her nerves like honey, soothing the ache of watching Teri die, tucking the stress behind an invisible cover of calm. “She jumped between the rogue and the baby, taking the blow.”

  Sarah Anne found her voice. “You can’t let her die. The pack is in her debt.”

  Donovan cocked a brow at her. “Humans aren’t subject to pack law.”

  Yet another man entered the cave, ducking under the low ceiling of the side entrance. Sarah Anne could only stare in shock as he straightened and crossed the dirt floor in a soundless stalk, his long black hair blowing back from his heavily scarred face. Werewolves didn’t scar, but as he pushed past her, there was no mistaking his scent. Wolf. Maybe even an ancient. Whatever had happened to scar this male must have been horrendous. She stepped back and ran up against Garrett’s chest. His arms instantly came around her. This time, rather than resenting it, she was grateful for the protection. This newcomer was terrifying in the raw power he exuded.

  “Her baby is wolf,” she whispered.

  Silence dropped like a lead weight into the already heavy tension.

  “Where’s her mate?”

  The question, asked in a deep, gravelly voice, came from the newcomer as he reached for Teri’s cheek, not quite touching her skin. His hands were as big as the rest of him, but there was tenderness in the near touch that made her blink.

  Teri was unconscious, dying. It didn’t matter what Sarah Anne revealed now. “It wasn’t a voluntary pregnancy.”

  She expected curses, anger, questions at the heinous revelation, anything except the continued silence. Then it started, almost too low to be heard, a low rumble that grew, taking on intent as it emanated from the big were kneeling at Teri’s side. The vicious snarl didn’t stop, even as he slid his hand under Teri’s head. It just continued to rumble ominously, stopping only when the man snapped at Kelon and Cur as he turned to Teri, “Keep the pressure steady!”

  “In case you haven’t noticed, there isn’t much left to hold on to,” Cur grumbled.

  “Shut the hell up.”

  Donovantooksomethingfromhisbeltandsetitonthefloor.With a snap, the room flooded with light. “Can you save her, Daire?”

  Daire looked directly at Sarah Anne. “Not without sacrifice. How badly do you want this?”

  She wanted Teri to live more than she wanted her next breath. “Do whatever you have to.”

  This time, his hand touched Teri’s cheek, conforming to the soft curve, cradling it. On a murmur she couldn’t understand, he leaned in.

  Teri moaned. Sarah Anne echoed the sound. There was so much blood.

  Garrett turned, taking Sarah Anne with him. When she tried to look around him, he blocked her with a hitch of his shoulder. “You don’t need to see that.”

  “She’s my friend.”

  “And she’s in good hands.”

  She elbowed him in the side. He didn’t even grunt. “And I’m supposed to take your word for that?”

  His eyes were a fascinating mix of browns, golds and greens. A slow curl of heat, totally inappropriate, totally uncontrollable, stretched lazily out from her core.

  “Yes.”

  Meg reached up, as fascinated as her mother. Sarah Anne caught her hand and pulled it back down, needing to put distance between them and the werewolf. He didn’t let her, and when Teri moaned again, Sarah Anne lost the impetus. She needed someone to lean on right now. “Why?”

  “Because you’d know if I lied.”

  There was only one circumstance in which that could be true. “You’re not my mate!”

  His gaze never left her mouth, watching her shape the words, making her so nervous that she licked her lips. That inner heat intensified as his eyes followed every flick. His mouth crooked up, along with his left brow, as he asked, “Want me to prove it?”

  Three

  WANT me to prove it?

  Sarah Anne shook her head as the brief moment of weakness that had her leaning on Garrett’s strength passed. No woman in her right mind would. There was nothing safe in the energy coming off the man who held her. He was everything she’d run away from her former pack to avoid. Wild. Dominant. Aggressive. “No.”

  “Maybe later.”

  That didn’t imply acceptance of her rejection. The pounding in her head increased. She didn’t need this complication. All she needed to know was what was happening to Teri, but she couldn’t see anything but the ancient’s broad shoulders. She didn’t trust the big wolf any more than she trusted Garrett. Leaning back, she could just make out Kelon and Donovan. They were her new pack Alphas. She didn’t trust them, either. She took a breath and squared her shoulders. That being the case, she needed to gather some semblance of control.

  “Let go of me.”

  To her surprise, he did.

  He countered her look with a smile. “I’m not a monster. I can give you time.”

  There was no point arguing with a male werewolf intent on mating, so she didn’t waste her time. Stepping around Garrett, she tried to get a better view of Teri. All she could see was a spreading dark stain and the ancient’s back as he shifted position right along with her. Was he deliberately blocking her view?

  A touch came on her shoulder, almost too much for her heightened senses to bear. So much blood.

  “Sarah Anne . . .”

  She shrugged off Garrett’s hand. “What I need is for you to leave me alone.”

  For a moment she didn’t think he would, but then he gave a short nod. “I can do that, too.” There was another short pause, before he added, “For the moment.”

  He made her feel so threatened. Physically, emotionally, mentally. She balled her hands into fists, still staring at that pool of blood. Was it getting larger? “Thank you.”

  The sarcasm bounced off Garrett’s confidence like a ping-pong ball off a hard surface. “You’re welcome.”

  Donovan looked up and motioned to Garrett. Garrett glanced at her, then Meg, and hesitated a split second before crossing the small distance with an easy grace. Despite her tension and her fear, Sarah felt a tiny trickle of desire.

  Dear God, was he really her mate? If he was, it would be ironic. She had left the pack eight years ago to avoid a werewolf mating, and the second she found a new pack, what happened? She took a deep breath and let it out. Meg leaned her head on her shoulder and wrapped her arms around her neck.

  “Josiah?”

  Sarah Anne kissed the top of her little head. Meg smelled of dirt, sweat and fear. She needed a bath. She needed safety. Sarah Anne glanced at the men surrounding them. Big men all, radiating the power that was unique to Protectors. Her eyes moved to the two dead men lying in the cave. These men were now her pack. They’d come for her and her children. They’d fought to protect them. She remembered the awful moment when Colin had prepared to bury his claws in Meg’s fragile body. Glancing over at Garrett, she remembered the snarl when he’d lunged, the brutality with which he’d fought, for her. And as the sounds of the battle refreshed in her mind, along with that moment of utmost horror, she realized something else. Apparently the word was out that she was a female who was capable of producing offspring with more than one male. A rarity in the werewolf world. Colin would not be the last werewolf who would try to mate with her by force. Or the last to try to murder her children. As long as she remained packless and unmated, her children were in danger.

  Along with the bath, she admitted to herself with a sense of inevitability, her daughter needed protection. She rested her cheek on Megan’s head and studied the men in the cave, starting with the McGowans. The dark hair and dark eyes common to werewolves were a striking asset to the sharp-edged profiles of the twins, giving weight to their reputation. The McGowans were the most feared and respected Protectors in centuries. They were legendary for their ruthles
s defense of those under their protection. Tension gathered in her gut, spreading outward. Her daughter would need the protection of such strong men. Her mind reluctantly went to the next logical conclusion as her gaze moved to Garrett. Any wolf running with such men would share the same code of honor. And even if he didn’t, as much as they wouldn’t interfere between mates, pack hierarchy would ensure that they would for her offspring.

  Want me to prove it?

  She studied Garrett’s hard face. Dear God, she didn’t want him to prove it, but it looked as though she couldn’t afford for him not to.

  MEGAN’S sense of empathy chose that moment to kick in. Her little hand touched Sarah’s cheek. “Mommy sad?”

  Megan’s voice carried in the cave. All the men except Daire looked at her. She wasn’t sure how to answer. No doubt, any response would be interpreted according to the needs of the man hearing it.

  “No, baby. I’m just tired.”

  Tired of the prison of her heritage. Tired of being damned if she did, damned if she didn’t. She sighed. Garrett frowned, and ran his eyes over her from head to toe. Looking, she knew, with a potential mate’s obsessive need to regulate and control everything surrounding his woman. She gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile.

  Her acting skills must not be up to par because Garrett walked away from Donovan, something one never did to his Alpha. Donovan frowned. Part of her had the panicked thought that maybe the Alpha didn’t think she was worth one of his Protectors’ trouble. That would be very bad. An Alpha could prevent a mating. Garrett stopped in front of her. His fingertip came to rest against her jugular. A threat?

  “There’s no need for you to worry. We will take care of everything.”

  “My son is out there. My friend is out there. My other friend is dying, so you tell me—how do you expect me not to worry?”

  Garrett grimaced. “I guess, when you put it like that, I can’t.”

  Beneath Garrett’s finger, Sarah Anne’s pulse raced like a freight train. Her anxiety rose around them in an acrid addition to the coppery scent of blood. Inside Garrett, the need to fix things for her increased in a silent howl. He wanted to pick her up, carry her to his home, settle into the big recliner in his living room, wrap a blanket around her and, well, coddle her. Which was a hell of a note for a man who’d never coddled anything.

  The little girl stuck her grubby thumb out, looked at it and then popped it into her mouth. In all his speculations about his future, his mate coming to him with children by another man had not been a scenario he’d envisioned. As confident as he was about his ability to make Sarah Anne happy, he had no confidence in his ability to shine as an instant father. The little girl smiled at him. A strange emotion churned in his gut. He frowned. Her smile faded and she turned her face into her mother’s neck. He felt like a heel. More so when Sarah cupped her daughter’s head in her hand and held her close. Her lips lifted, showing her small canines in warning. What in hell did she think he intended to do?

  He didn’t get a chance to find out as Donovan called, “If you can drag yourself away from your flirting, Garrett, I’d like to finish our conversation.”

  Megan turned her head when Garrett grunted. After what had happened last time, he would have expected a frown. Her smile was a total surprise. Incredibly sweet, it touched, again, something inside him. He reached out. Sarah Anne growled, and hunched her shoulders protectively around her daughter. He dropped his hand to his side and stepped back. Donovan called him again. Garrett turned on his heel and headed toward Donovan.

  “You’ll have to make your peace with that,” Donovan said as soon as he got alongside.

  There was no question what “that” was. “I like children.”

  “Just not the child of your mate, fathered by another man?”

  Garrett didn’t appreciate the implication. “What makes you say that?”

  From the floor where he cradled Teri, Daire offered, “Any werewolf would have that moment of jealousy.”

  “The question is,” Kelon interjected, “what are you going to do about it?”

  The scent around him changed. Despite their outward appearances, the men were on guard. Prepared to attack should he threaten the child. He should be used to this by now. No one ever gave a mixed-breed the benefit of the doubt. He lifted his lip in a sneer.

  “Don’t worry. Your newest pack member is safe tonight. I only eat little girls for breakfast.”

  Too late, he caught Sarah Anne’s scent. It came riding the accusation in her snarled, “Bastard.” He closed his eyes for a second, fighting down the violent flare of anger. The others had to have known she was there. He tracked her progress across the room, frowning as she tucked herself behind the small outcrop of rock, as if it offered some sort of protection.

  He turned to the nearest Protector, who just happened to be Kelon. “You set me up.”

  Kelon snarled right back at him. “Only because we thought you’d have enough sense to say you wouldn’t have a problem with the child.”

  “I don’t have a problem with the child.”

  “You’re going to have a hell of a time convincing that woman of that,” Daire offered without looking up.

  “Shut up, Daire.”

  Donovan cocked an eyebrow at him. “You know who you’re talking to?”

  “At this point, I don’t care.” All he cared about was Sarah Anne. It was going to take him years to remove the suspicion that he wanted to kill her daughter. He wanted to hit something, someone. Preferably Daire. The ancient’s superior manner of speaking irritated the shit out of him. Unfortunately, Daire didn’t rise to the challenge, so it was either provoke a fight or find something else to do. He settled for the latter.

  “I’m going to go scout and make sure there’re no more rogues around.”

  No one pointed out the obvious—that they knew there weren’t. For that, he was grateful. Killing a member of his new pack was bound to put a dent in his acceptance.

  Four

  GARRETT didn’t need to look to know who followed him out of the cave. He and Cur had been together so long that Cur’s scent was barely distinguishable from his own. Metal grated against stone as Cur leaned against the cave wall.

  “I guess you can take the wolf out of the pack, but you can’t take the pack out of the wolf.”

  Garrett shrugged. “We knew the acceptance would be limited.”

  He scanned the valley below looking for any sign of life. He didn’t find any. More was the pity. He was in the mood for a fight. He picked up a rock.

  Cur pushed his hair off his face. “What are you going to do?”

  Garrett tossed the rock up once, twice, before catching it in his fist and squeezing—remembering the expression on Sarah Anne’s face. She really thought he’d hurt her child. “About Haven or my mate?”

  “You choose.”

  He couldn’t. That was the problem. “We could leave.”

  “Away from your mate? I don’t think so.”

  Garrett dropped the rock and pressed it into the ground with the sole of his boot. “A mate I’d have to force. You saw her face.”

  “I also saw the way she leaned into you during the rogues’ attack.”

  “That was fear.”

  He shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. We’ve created success out of less.”

  Yeah, they had. They were a good team. Cur, given an edge, could manipulate any situation. And Garrett could always find an edge. He leaned back against the opposite wall. “Anyone ever tell you you’re a goddamn optimist?”

  Cur smiled, revealing his canines. “No matter what happened in there, whether you decide to stay with Haven or not, there’s no denying that you’re better off tonight than you were when we rolled out of bed this morning.”

  “How do you figure that?”

  He hooked his thumbs into the pockets of his jeans and leaned his head back against the stone wall. “Tonight we have choices.”

  “All of them bad.”

 
With a jerk of his thumb, he indicated the interior of the cave. “Only a pessimist could call that pretty little thing in there bad.”

  That pretty little thing was the scariest thing he’d ever seen. She made him hope. “That pretty little thing cherishes the same prejudices as the McGowans.”

  “That pretty little thing belongs to you, body and soul, by pack law. It doesn’t matter what she thinks. All that matters is what you want to do about it.”

  Yeah. As if it would be that easy. He’d snap his fingers and everything would fall into place. “You think the McGowans are just going to let me walk out of there with her?”

  Cur smiled, baring his canines. “I don’t imagine we’re going to give them much of a choice.”

  It was tempting. And it wasn’t as if taking what they wanted wasn’t the norm for them. Packless wolves had to scavenge the best they could, for what they could. Some thrived. Some died. Some went mad from the loneliness. He and Cur had found a way to thrive. Sarah Anne was a fighter. From every indication, she’d learn to thrive, too. “Tempting.”

  Cur pushed off the wall. “So, why are we still standing here?”

  Garrett remembered Sarah Anne’s courage as she’d fought to the bitter end, the disbelief when she’d thought she’d run out of options, the rebirth of hope as she realized her pack had come for her. The wonder when the McGowans introduced themselves. He’d been a lot of things in his life, some of them less than flattering, but he did not want to be the man who took away Sarah Anne’s dream. As much as he longed for pack, a woman with children would long harder. “Because I like to think we’re not total bastards.”

  “Fuck.”

  “Yeah, fuck.”

  “Couldn’t you wait to try out decent until after we get what we want?”

  The “we” made Garrett pause. “Apparently not.” The coldness built in his gut. “However, there’s nothing holding you here if you want to pick up that job we turned down for this one. It’s pretty doubtful anyone else has jumped on it.”