“What day is it?” The early sunlight told her it was morning, but she had a feeling she had been sleeping longer than just a few hours.
“It’s Monday morning. I found you late Saturday night, and you’ve been asleep since I brought you here and you shifted.”
She nodded, chewing on her bottom lip. Had the males come for her already or were they biding their time?
Bo placed his hand gently on her bare shoulder. “You’re safe here, Reika. I swear on my life.”
His words were as honest and genuine as any she’d ever heard. This was an honorable wolf, and he was promising to keep her safe. A well of emotion threatened to open up inside her, and she swallowed hard, fighting not to fall apart.
Reika looked down at her hands that clutched the sheet to her body and noticed her fingernails were caked with dirt. “I must look awful. Can I take a shower?”
“You look perfect, Reika. But of course you can,” Bo said with a smile as he helped her stand. He showed her the bathroom. “My female alpha brought over some clothes for you last night and some, uh, girly things. When you’re done, I’ll have breakfast for you.”
Leaving her no time to respond, Bo left her in the bathroom, and she shut the door, turning the shower on and dropping the sheet. Steeling herself, she looked into the mirror over the sink and sucked in a breath. Bruises and scrapes dotted her flesh, overshadowed only by the angry claw marks on her side. Thankful for her fast healing, she stepped under the spray and cleaned up.
Reika was warmed through and through by Bo’s sweet words, but what could he really do about a lynx clan that was intent on having her as mate for its males and as a healer for its warriors? She could sense that Bo was powerful, most likely highly ranked in his pack, but that didn’t mean she wanted him to take his pack to war for her.
She couldn’t remember ever waking up and not feeling her impending mating to the lynx males hanging over her head. But she’d woken up feeling safe with Bo. Her wolf growled softly in her mind. She felt attracted to him. Not just physically, but deeper. She stopped her mind from exploring the growing attraction to the handsome wolf before it went too far.
Sighing, she turned off the shower and got out, wrapping a thick towel around herself. Bo wouldn’t want her. She was damaged goods. Arranged to be married to three lynx males. The only way that Bo could break that bond was if he was her truemate. And even then, he would have to fight all three males for the right to mate her.
How did she start that conversation? I feel connected to you, cutie. How would you like to risk your life for a woman you just met?
No, it was better to just be on her way as fast as possible. That was best, for all their sakes.
His alpha female had left a stack of clothes of different sizes, and she chose a pair of comfortable jeans and a thick, soft sweater. The underwear was in a new package, and the bra was a new sports bra.
She brushed her teeth and hair, took one last look at herself in the mirror, and stepped out into the bedroom. The scent of bacon called to her, and she followed it to a cozy kitchen. Bo, now wearing a long sleeved shirt with his jeans, stood at the stove, using a fork to remove bacon from a pan.
“Ouch, shit,” he groused, wiping his hand after grease snapped up at him.
She smiled. “It’s nice to see a man who knows his way around a kitchen.”
Bo looked over his shoulder, his eyes brightening when he saw her. “Don’t get too excited. I can only do the basics. Bacon, eggs, boiling water.”
He returned his attention to the bacon, finished removing the slices from the pan, and turned off the burner. Setting the hot pan on a cool burner, he said, “Have a seat, Reika.”
She sat down on one of the two chairs at the pub table, as he put down a plate of bacon alongside a stack of toaster-heated waffles, a bowl of scrambled eggs, and a pot of coffee. “I know this isn’t all that great, but I wasn’t sure when you would wake up, so I just had one of the wolves bring me some things I could throw together easily.”
“It’s perfect, Bo, really. Thank you.”
She turned her attention to the waffles, putting two on her plate and smothering them with butter and syrup. She sweetened her coffee and added a splash of milk, taking an experimental sip before deciding it was perfect.
“So … where am I?” she asked after taking a bite of waffle.
“Allen.”
“Is that in Kentucky?” She’d never heard of the town before, and she had no idea where she’d been when she stopped in the park or how long she’d run in her shift.
He frowned. “Yes. Where are you from? Is there someone you’d like to call? Your family?”
Her heart panged in her chest. She desperately wanted to call her parents, but she didn’t dare. What if the lynxes had their people watching her house? She couldn’t risk her parents knowing anything.
She’d never really been a good liar, but the less that Bo knew about her, the better. “There isn’t anyone to call.”
She busied herself eating, feeling dejected at not only lying to him, but also pretending as if her family didn’t exist.
He didn’t ask any follow-up questions, and she was grateful. They ate in silence, but she could feel him watching her. She found it incredibly arousing but tried to banish the lustful thoughts from her mind.
When they were finished eating and the plates were washed and set in the drainer, he dried his hands off on a kitchen towel and led her to the overstuffed tan suede couch. She sat and sunk down into a cushion.
Bo paced for a bit, and there was a definite hitch in his gate. She zeroed in on his right leg. She knew her initial healing senses had been right. His leg was badly injured. For a wolf, that was bad news. It meant that either he had been too young to shift and heal himself, or he hadn’t been able to shift to help himself heal correctly.
He eased down onto the coffee table and rubbed at his thigh. His movements stilled when he noticed she watched him, and embarrassment flushed his cheeks.
Clearing his throat, he said, “So, want to tell me why three lynxes tried to kidnap you?”
Right to the point, of course.
“I, um,” she started, unsure of whether she should tell him anything or just leave.
“Listen, Reika, it’s pretty clear that you were running from them, and they’re not the sort of males who are above seriously injuring a female. I saved you, and I just want to know what I’m getting myself involved in, so I can figure out how best to move forward.”
“What? You don’t have to get yourself involved in anything.” She stood. “Thank you for saving me, Bo, but you don’t need to get mixed up in the shit I’m eyeball deep in.”
He pushed himself from the coffee table, standing more than half a foot taller than her 5’5” frame, and gripped her arms. His fingers flexed lightly, restraining but not hurting. “I’m not the sort of male who rescues a woman in distress and then lets her go on her merry way, so get that thought far from your mind. I’ll help you in whatever way you need so you’re free. You’ll stay here, with me, until that happens.”
Reika opened her mouth to protest, but the determination in Bo’s eyes told her that she could argue for a week, but it wouldn’t make a difference. He had no intention of just letting her walk away. She dropped her head as tears of relief mingled with worry — worry that she would never really be safe, worry that she had brought hell into Allen, and worry that Bo would get hurt or killed trying to keep her, a stranger, safe.
Not a stranger, her wolf seemed to growl, mate.
Bo took in a surprised breath, and she heard the answering growl of his wolf. She lifted her head slowly, following the broad chest and shoulders up to the perfectly kissable lips that parted ever so slightly as he panted. Arousal — both of theirs — filled the air around them. She could drown in it. Gladly.
But then reality slapped her in the face, and she remembered the three lynxes who were intent on taking her.
She knocked his hands away from her arms
and stepped back, putting the couch between them. Reigning in the tight desire that swamped her, she told him what had happened, from Ben’s accident to the rose at her front door to the WAA to the males catching her in the woods.
Bo cracked his knuckles, anger marring his handsome features. His eyes flashed, from hazel to amber, and her first thought was that he was the sort of male she had dreamed would take her away, save her from the lynxes’ promise, and be hers forever. But reality was too brutal to contemplate the safety that he promised her. No matter how well intentioned, one male wolf was no match for three determined lynxes. She knew that. He had to know that, too. But wolves could be stubborn and equally determined. She didn’t want his determination to get him killed.
“You’re not going anywhere, Reika. You’ll stay here with me until we get you free of the promise to those males. And you really should call your family and let them know what happened. I’m sure they’re worried about you.”
He moved to her and reached out, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. The feather-light touch made her shiver all over. His concern, coupled with the thought of her family suffering, made the dam break loose, and she fell into his arms and wept.
He held her tightly, stroking her hair and murmuring soft, soothing things to her. Reika let go of all the tears she’d held in for so long concerning the situation, and she cried new tears thinking about her family’s suffering and how her situation had drawn a kind, amazing man into the middle of the disaster that was her life.
She cried until she couldn’t cry anymore, and Bo never wavered, never stopped stroking her, talking to her, holding her. Reika felt right with him. Safe. Cared for. And drawn to him … so drawn to him. Her body tensed as the word she’d tried to ignore pounded through her mind again.
Mate.
Bo … a male who had run to her in her time of need, drawn only by the scent of her fear, was her truemate. The one male capable of setting her free. And the one male who she now wanted to protect more than anyone.
She wouldn’t ask him to fight for her, and she wouldn’t let him know that she was aware they were mates. She would keep him at arm’s length until she could find a way out of here, and she’d leave him safely — and far — behind.
Her wolf howled piteously in her mind, but she jerked herself out of the sadness and straightened. It was the right thing to do. She would respect and protect her mate by leaving him behind and taking her problems far, far away.
She leaned away, and he released his tight hold on her and stroked the stray tears from her cheeks with his thumbs. Their eyes met and held, and in that moment, she knew that walking away from Bo Elliott was going to be the most difficult thing she’d ever done in her life.
But she would do it.
For him.
Chapter 4
Bo stood a few feet away from Reika as she called her mother and told her what had happened. He had never heard of the Were-Animal Alliance, and he made a mental note to speak to Jason about it. If there was a group that was helping wolves like Reika escape dangerous situations, than their pack would want to get in on it.
He’d never had a woman cry in his arms like that before. It had broken something inside him to see her so completely torn up. He had a feeling that a lot of the tears she cried were ones she’d been holding in for a long time. She struck him as the sort of woman who didn’t burden others with her pain, the sort who would smile in public and weep in private. He was humbled that she felt comfortable enough with him already to let go like that.
Because she’s my mate.
He shook the thought away as quickly as it entered his mind. He knew she was his, but he wasn’t so damn selfish as to tie her to a broken creature like himself. It would kill him, but he would set her free and then watch her walk away.
A knock on the front door pulled Bo’s mind away from his morose thoughts, as Reika spoke in low tones to her parents. He admired her for trying to get away and doing so without involving her family. He’d get her back to them safely, but not before he put those lynxes down for good.
Teller stood at the door. The ebony-skinned wolf was the best tracker in the pack, orphaned at a young age and adopted by a childless, mated pair in the Tressel Pack. He was younger than Bo by a few years but was a good friend and an even better wolf to have at his back.
Bo let Teller in. “They’re skulking around, three lynx males. Let me tell you, man, cats reek.” Teller made a face, and Bo laughed.
“Have they come into Allen?” Bo offered Teller some coffee, but he declined.
“Yes, last night. A pickup truck with out-of-state plates was seen driving slowly through town. Jason alerted Trick to keep an eye out for strange things, and Trick called him last night. Logan and I went out looking for them, but the truck was gone by then. We shifted and ran the perimeter of town. I caught the scent of two of the males over by the trailer park, but it was several hours old.”
Patrick Flannigan, aka Trick, was Allen’s chief of police, human, and married to a she-wolf in the Tressel Pack.
“So the lynxes hunted for her in their form and then came back with their truck to sweep through town?” Bo asked, rubbing his chin in thought.
Reika, having ended the call, joined him and Teller. Her voice was soft, filled with worry. “No, they tracked you, Bo. The trail of my scent would have ended when you put me in your truck. But your scent is probably all over this town.” She wrung her hands in worry. “I should go. Keep moving, or call the WAA and ask them to help me disappear.”
So that was her plan? Hell no. Bo’s wolf growled angrily. “You don’t have anything to worry about, Reika. I told you that you would be safe here with me, and I meant it.”
Teller introduced himself to Reika and then asked Bo to step outside. Once they were standing on the snow dusted front porch, Teller said, “It’s not going to take those lynxes long to find you. All they’d have to do is break into Pete’s garage and search the files for your address, or ask one of the humans around town where you live. The humans in this town wouldn’t think twice about helping out a stranger, damn southern hospitality and all.”
“I’m not letting her run off on her own, T.”
“I didn’t say you should, Bo. I get what’s going on here. I’m just saying that you need to be smart. Jason wants you to bring Reika over this afternoon so that Cades can meet her and the upper ranked can figure out what to do.”
Nodding, Bo shook Teller’s hand and watched his friend get in his car and drive off. As a tracker, Teller wasn’t really ranked within the pack. He was a unique entity, under the rule of the alpha, but not part of the ranking system. A talented tracker was worth his weight in gold, and no alpha in his right mind would put a tracker in the ranking and allow him to fight for his place. If a tracker was injured, he couldn’t track. Teller was highly regarded in the pack, a good man to know and a wolf who could find anyone, anywhere.
Bo walked back inside. Reika was sitting on the couch, his cell still in her hand. He had been able to overhear the majority of her conversation with her parents. They had been frantic when she disappeared, especially when the leader of the lynx told them that his grandsons, the three males who had hurt her, were already on their way to bring her home.
The whole situation was rotten and worse than he’d imagined. He didn’t fault her alpha for what had happened. He’d sacrificed one wolf for his pack, and after knowing Jason his whole life and seeing what he dealt with on a regular basis as leader, sometimes the good of the many really did outweigh the needs of the few. Or the one sweet she-wolf who was trembling on his couch as she tried to keep it together. He could taste her fear like a bitter pill on the back of his tongue.
Something she said had stuck in his mind. “You mentioned them breeding on you.”
“Yeah?” She looked up at him, her blue eyes luminous and sad.
“It sounds like there’s more to it than just creating the next generation of lynxes. What is it?”
She pursed he
r lush lips together and then sighed, rubbing at a spot between her eyes with her thumb. “I’m an apex.”
“I don’t know that word.” He joined her on the couch.
“A healer. In my family, all the females are healers. My family is rumored to be one of the oldest family lines in the history of wolf-kind, maybe even as far back as the first wolf, depending on the lore you read. I’m a blue-coat. You’ll only see my coloring in my family line. Not only is my coloring unique to my family, but the females are magically powerful. Not physically, necessarily, but powerful with old magic. Healing magic.” She glanced at his leg before speaking. “The lynx king sensed what I was, even at seven, and decided to take me instead of the money to replace his horse. It was either promise me to the three lynxes or watch Ben die at that point. My parents, my alpha, they made the right choice.”
“Reika …” he started, but she cut him off by picking up his cell and opening a blank text message.
“Who are you texting?” He had a sneaking suspicion he knew the answer.
“The WAA. I hope they’ll be able to get me out of here fast and that they won’t hold me responsible for what happened to the two wolves who came to help me.” He snatched the phone from her fingers. “Hey!”
“No way, Reika. If you think I’m going to just let you disappear with those lynxes able to scent you out, you’re out of your ever-loving mind. What I will do is figure out how to break the promise that was made on your behalf and send them packing. Once you’re safe from them, you can go back to your family. In the meantime, you’re staying put.” He adjusted the settings on his cell and locked it so it required a password. He glanced up from his cell, and she glared at him. He was sure that she knew exactly what he’d just done to his phone.
“I don’t want anyone to get hurt because of me, Bo. If I stay here, I’ll bring them into your town. Innocent people could get hurt. Will get hurt,” she insisted.
“You’re not going anywhere. Teller is going to go find your rental car so it can be returned to the company and your bag can be brought here.”
The Wolf's Mate Book 5: Bo & Reika Page 4