Midnight Wish: A Werewolf Shifter Romance (The Protectors Quick Bites Book 1)

by Keira Blackwood

  That’s when I realized—I’d forgotten my helmet. Stupid. It wasn’t the first time, and I was sure it wasn’t going to be the last. It was reckless as hell, but I couldn’t turn back now.

  I had to cut the herd off before they reached the gate.

  Dark clouds boiled overhead, and the first drops of rain fell. The cattle needed to be back to their run-ins before the worst of the storm hit. Add booming thunder to the already startled herd, well, there’d be no bringing them in by myself.

  The tires slipped on wet grass, and I couldn’t see how close the cattle were to the gate from the valley floor. The mountainside curved ahead and blocked my view. They couldn’t be far.

  Not long after, the path turned and opened to wide open grass.

  I was most definitely closing in. The stragglers of the herd were only about one hundred feet ahead. I had to swing wide and get the cows in the lead to turn first. If I spooked the ones in the middle, they’d break off and I’d never stop the rest from getting out. I moved left, riding way too close to a short rocky ridge. It was only a few feet down, but at this speed if I made a mistake, I’d be dead.

  Finally, I could see the front of the herd. Just a few more feet. There. I swerved right again, driving straight for the ringleaders, yodeling as loud as I could. It did the trick, and the cattle turned right, heading back toward the safety of the sheds and away from the gate. Letting the throttle loose, I slowed my pace and turned toward the opening in the fence. The ATV rumbled as I pulled to a stop and hopped off.

  Wiping the wet hair from my face, I stared a moment at the gate. It wasn’t open just a little, it was all the way open, like Dad hadn’t closed it at all last night.

  It wasn’t like him to forget his duties. I’d have to ask him what happened when he got back from the feed shop. First of the week, he was up well before sunrise to get to the farm store and back. He was probably waiting for me back at the house by now.

  Thunder boomed, with it came flashes of light in the oncoming clouds. I had to get back. First, I had to deal with the gate.

  The massive piece of steel groaned as I pushed it against its ancient hinges. I slammed it shut with a clang that echoed through the valley and I slumped to the ground. I let go of the deep breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding and ran my hand through my hair, pushing it away from my face.

  Then I hopped back on the ATV and started back the way I’d come.

  The herd was lazily making its way back toward the barnyard. Today’s crisis had been averted. There was always an emergency to deal with on the ranch, and that was just the way I liked it. But I would have liked it even better if we could afford to rehire some help. Running Mountain Peak Ranch was a lot for just Dad and me.

  My phone vibrated in the pocket of my coveralls. I pulled the ATV back in the barn and slid the phone from my pocket. The number was local, but I didn’t recognize it.

  “Hello?”

  “Harper Wainwright?”

  “Yes. Who’s calling, please?”

  “This is Officer Ward with the Springvale City police.” My stomach was suddenly sick. The open gate—Dad never would have forgotten to close it. Something had to have happened to him. I could feel it coming, news of something terrible, and I was filled with a sense of dread.

  “Your father’s at the hospital. He was brought in last night.”

  I recounted the night in my head, trying to recall when I’d seen him last. I’d done my chores and gone to bed. It must have been dinner. I hadn’t seen him since dinner. What happened?

  “Is he all right?” I asked, panic rising in my voice.

  “You should come to Springvale General as soon as you can.” For all the panic I felt, the officer sounded completely emotionless.

  “Okay.” I ran my hand through my soaking wet hair. “But is he—”

  “Have a nice day, ma’am.” With that, the line went dead.

  Chapter Three

  Chase

  Hospitals made me uneasy. It was the smell—my shifter nose caught everything. The air was filled with medicine and disinfectant, disease and death, distress and suffering. I hated it, but still I stayed.

  Mitch Wainwright was my neighbor, even though I barely knew the man. It didn’t seem like anyone else was coming, so I took it as my duty to remain by his side. I tried to talk to the police officer who came in to file a report, ask him if Mr. Wainwright had anyone that they could call. With the size of the ranch, there had to be at least some farmhand who knew him better than I did. But the officer wouldn’t tell me anything. He just asked his questions, scribbled down the answers, then he was gone. There wasn’t much for me to tell him—I didn’t know what had happened.

  I knew when I returned to the manor, there’d be hell to pay. By staying out all night, I’d missed my interview with the Therion Tribunal. It was a bittersweet pill to swallow. I’d never wanted to join the Tribunal, yet I had intended to be there in time to accept my fate. I had meant to fulfill my father’s wish, but now I’d have to face his wrath instead.

  The machines that kept Mr. Wainwright alive beeped and hummed, the numbers on the screens varying slightly but mostly holding steady. I didn’t know what any of it meant, but I’d caught most of what the doctors had said. It seemed like the old rancher would pull through. Still, I didn’t want him to be alone when he woke. And, if I was being honest, I wasn’t looking forward to returning home to face my father. So I spent the long sleepless night in the hard plastic chair in the corner of the room, into the better part of the morning.

  My eyelids grew heavy and I started to doze.

  Something changed in the air, a pleasant scent that overshadowed everything else. I sat up a little straighter, my tiredness all but forgotten. Gentle and sweet like baked pears, a beautiful scent under so many layers of tragedy. And she was coming closer.

  Her footsteps echoed down the hall, and I rose from my seat. My breath caught when she stepped into the room—destiny.

  In lace-up brown boots, short denim shorts, and a fitted white tank top, the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen lingered in the doorway. Her skin was tan, her long legs thick with muscle. Platinum blond curls cascaded over her bare shoulders and framed her face. I was completely enchanted. Then I noticed her eyes—dull blue orbs of despair.

  She spared me only a questioning glance before moving to Mr. Wainwright’s bedside.

  “Daddy.” She took his limp hand and held it tight.

  I had no idea Mr. Wainwright had a daughter, but our families had always kept to themselves, so it could have been that he lived with his parents, a whole slew of kids, and even grandchildren. It was a reminder that this man was a stranger to me.

  Flicking my gaze between the two, I wasn’t sure what to do, so I remained still. Tears began to stream down the woman’s rosy cheeks, and my heart ached. I had to console her—I had to do something.

  “They said he’ll be all right, in a few days.”

  She looked up from her father, eyes wide, as if she had forgotten I was in the room.

  “Who are you?”

  I’m Chase and we’re meant to be together.

  “Chase Lennox,” I replied.

  She looked me up and down, then stepped around from her father’s bedside.

  I admired the curve of her breasts peeking from the top of her shirt, the flare of her wide hips. Her blue eyes narrowed with accusation, and I wished I could backpedal to start our first meeting over again, even though I didn’t know what I’d done wrong.

  “Okay, Chase, better question: why are you in my dad’s room?” She wiped the tears from her cheeks and crossed her arms.

  Fair question—I should have led with that. Her closeness set my nerves on edge. I wanted to touch her. Her sweet scent enveloped me, obliterating every negative thing I’d felt before she arrived.

  “I brought him in last night. I found him just over the fence of your ranch, in the woods,” I said.

  She let out a deep breath, letting her guard down,
letting me in. “Thank you, thank you so much.”

  We stared into each other’s eyes for I didn’t know how long before she reached out and took my hands in hers.

  Her touch was warm and gentle. It was as if I was feeling for the first time, as if I’d been living in a fog waiting for her, waiting to truly see. It was crazy, and it was wonderful.

  I had heard older members of the pack talk about the mating instinct before. That when you know, you just know. But I’d always been skeptical. No more. This feeling was beyond anything I had ever imagined. I had to have her.

  Even though she was human.

  Humans didn’t bond like shifters. She couldn’t feel the pull like I did, could she? I knew that if she rejected me, my shot at happiness was over. This stranger, this human, was my mate. And without her, I would never be whole.

  She cocked her head and furrowed her brow. “But why’d you ride in the ambulance with him?”

  “We didn’t ride. I carried him.”

  “You carried him?” She let go of my hands, and I grieved the loss, though I didn’t let it show. “Why didn’t you just call 911?”

  “I found him all the way up near the hundred-year-old oak. They would have had to call in a chopper to reach him. I didn’t have my phone, and I knew he wouldn’t make it that long if I didn’t do something. So I carried him, and ran here.”

  “That’s at least fifteen miles, there’s no way you did that faster than the medivac could have gotten here.”

  You’d think she’d be glad I saved her dad. I had to be careful how I answered her questions so I didn’t reveal anything about my other nature. She had a sharp mind.

  “Only a couple miles if you take Barlow Pass.”

  “Barlow Pass? That’s nearly a straight drop. Through the rockiest terrain in the county.”

  “I’m used to it.”

  “Carrying a hundred eighty pounds?” She put her hands on her hips.

  “I do Crossfit.” I shrugged.

  “In the dark?” Her eyes narrowed further, and I wondered how she could even see out of the tiny slits.

  “I eat a lot of carrots.”

  She made a sound of disbelief.

  Why did it matter how I got her dad here? He was safe. It was like she was looking for a fight, with her firm stance and combative tone. It was both infuriating and hot as hell.

  “When did you find him? What were you doing out there?”

  More questions. How many would she ask? If this was what we were doing, I was going to ask her a few questions, too.

  “Around midnight, I was out for a walk. Helps me think. And I was on my family’s land, that’s where I found your dad, unconscious, and hurt.”

  She looked surprised.

  “What was your dad doing out so late?” I asked. “And what’s your name? I’ve told you mine.”

  She dropped her arms and let the tension in her shoulders go. The scent of distrust still clung to her, but the gesture suggested we were getting somewhere.

  “I’m Harper.”

  Harper. I nodded.

  “After dinner he went out to shut the gate and check the fence,” she said. “Sometimes deer break through the wire, and it has to be patched. We’ve seen a few wolves lately. They’ve been spooking the deer and the herd.”

  I looked down at my hands. Was it me they’d seen? I’d been careful, or at least I’d thought I had. Was I not the only one running on that side of the property? I was sure I hadn’t been near the cattle. No one in the pack would do that.

  “Maybe that’s what got Dad,” she said. “Wolves.”

  I shot my attention back to Harper. “No, no way.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “How can you be sure?”

  What the hell was I supposed to say to that? I met her gaze and kept my mouth shut.

  She stared back at me, and the silence was palpable.

  One of the machines beeped, and Harper turned.

  “It does that,” I said. “It’s nothing.”

  She sighed. “All right, Mr. Crossfit, thanks again for rescuing my dad. I think it’s time for you to go.”

  I nodded and turned for the door. I should have been home hours ago, and though I couldn’t avoid it any longer, I wished I could. And as I walked away, I clung to hope that I’d see Harper Wainwright again. Maybe next time, she’d actually trust me.

  Chapter Four

  Harper

  It wasn’t until a silhouette filled the doorway that I realized I’d been staring. I’d been standing there staring since Chase had left. I shook the fog from my head and looked up to the woman in a white coat who stepped into the room with me.

  Her hair was pulled up in a tight bun. She wore a floral dress beneath her long coat and a stethoscope around her neck. She took her clipboard in one hand and offered me the other.

  “Hi, I’m Doctor Metcalf. Are you Mr. Wainwright’s daughter?”

  “Yes.” I took her hand and shook. Her fingers were cold, but her eyes were warm. “Harper Wainwright.”

  “I can see the resemblance.” Her smile was friendly. I tried to push down the mix of emotion swirling in my gut and mirrored her gesture.

  “Do you happen to be his medical power of attorney? His closest relative?”

  “What?” Panic rose through my gut, leaving a sour taste in my mouth. “Yes, it’s just me and him. Why does he need...is he going to be okay?”

  “Your father’s prognosis is hopeful,” she said. “We expect him to make a full recovery. But he’s lost a lot of blood and his wounds are significant. He’s been through surgery, so what’s left is time. We need to monitor his vitals, watch for infection. He’s lucky that man found him and brought him in so quickly. Had it taken any longer, we’d be having an entirely different conversation.”

  Chase. He really had saved Dad’s life. I should have been nicer to him. He was the reason Dad was still alive.

  “What do you think happened?” I asked.

  “I’m not in the business of making guesses,” the doctor said. “But the lacerations are consistent with an animal attack.”

  Animals—wolves. It had to be. That or a mountain lion. Dad shouldn’t have been out there alone. He should have brought me along. And he shouldn’t have strayed into the woods beyond the fence. What could have made him wander? He had to have seen something.

  “A nurse will be by with papers for you to sign,” the doctor said. “And your father could wake up any time now, but rest is what he needs. If he stays asleep, that’s okay, too.”

  “Thank you, Doctor Metcalf.”

  “That’s just what we do here.” She smiled one last time, then she left.

  The thin mattress gave as I sat beside my dad. He looked too pale, with dark circles under his eyes, and white lips. I should have been there.

  “Hey, Daddy. It’s me.” I touched his hand, but he didn’t respond. “I’m sorry this happened to you.”

  His lips flattened into a line, and his closed eyes wrinkled up.

  He was in pain. Of course he was in pain.

  I followed the needle in his arm up to the bags that hung over him. I hoped one of them was pain medication.

  “Harper…” His voice was a whisper, broken and hard to hear, and it filled me with hope.

  “I’m here.”

  His fingers wiggled against my palm.

  A smile spread across my lips—he was waking up.

  “Harper, what happened?” His eyelids flickered and opened.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Where am I?”

  “You’re in the hospital.” I squeezed his hand. “They say you were attacked by an animal.”

  He rested his arm over his stomach and winced, then slowly moved his hand back to his side.

  “I don’t remember.”

  “It’s okay.”

  “What about the cattle? I need to...I need to…”

  “I’ll take care of everything. You just focus on getting yourself better. Everything’s under control.”
Except it wasn’t. The ranch was too much for the two of us. There was no way I could do it alone.

  His eyes fluttered shut, and I sat there watching the slow rise and fall of his chest.

  There was no time to waste. I had to get home.

  I signed everything the nurse at the desk wanted me to sign, and then I drove back to the ranch, threw on my coveralls, and got to work. I cut the grass around the farmhouse, collected the eggs from the chicken coop, and gathered the ripe vegetables from the big garden. All the while I was thankful that the morning storm was gone, and the midday summer heat had returned.

  Clouds rolled over the valley, but the determined sun broke through. I tossed grain in the cattle troughs and ran the hose to fill the water. As I turned on the spigot, the hiss of rushing water carried over the stomping and chomping of the cattle.

  I stood and watched the water, waiting for it to rise. And all the while, my mind was somewhere else. Part of me was still back in that hospital room, and not even thinking about what I should have. I wasn’t thinking about my Dad. Instead, I was thinking about him—Chase Lennox.

  Too pretty. He had that all-American look, like a college football star. Those types didn’t know anything about a hard day’s work. He was probably privileged, used to having girls throw themselves at him, with those massive biceps, those broad shoulders. He had the kind of face that dropped panties—not mine. He had a whole sexy, gorgeous nice guy thing going on—not that it affected me. I could still feel his thoughtful hazel eyes as he looked at me, knocking down every barrier I hadn’t realized I’d built. He seemed so genuine. And he had helped my dad. Maybe he wasn’t so bad. Maybe he was more than not so bad.

  I didn’t have time for fantasies.

  A snort pulled me back to the present, to the water that overflowed from the trough.

  Fuck. I turned the knob and wound up the hose, and sighed.

  When I turned around, there stood Riblet. I blinked hard. How had she crept up on me? Probably the same way I’d let the water spill.