Taken By The Wolf: Collection

by Jessica Ryan

  "It happens, I suppose. Would you really be shocked, with all the other stuff in the world? Demons are real, just like angels. In the ensuing chaos Talbot and my mother were killed."

  "You and Aster drove him away, though, right?"

  "Sort of," he said, looking away.

  "Sort of?"

  Rowan stood up and walked away, unable to face Eva any longer. She ran up behind him, the heat from her body radiating through her clothes to his naked skin. He couldn't face her. She didn't want to know the truth.

  * * *

  "Tell me," Eva said, putting her arms around his waist and pressing her face into his heavily muscled back. "It's okay."

  "It's not," he said, his voice quivering for the first time ever. "I did something terrible to get rid of them."

  "Just tell me," she said. "I promise I won't judge you."

  Rowan spun around, holding Eva in a tight embrace. Finally he pulled back, looking down at her. She couldn't believe how much pain was in his eyes, how terrible this must be for him.

  "Promise?" he asked.

  "Of course," she said. "You have my word."

  "Very well," he said, looking away. Finally he turned back to her, his grief-stricken eyes locking with her own. "Abaddon coveted my sister Leena. She had a relationship with Aster, who wanted to claim her, but she would never let him. She loved him, she just had to make sure he was worthy. She was the most beautiful wolf in the world. One look at her and Abaddon was head over heels. He claimed she was the reason for his holy war: a bride who would have his demonic children."

  "That's horrible," she asked. "Did he really have a purpose for coming to town? Or were they just raiders?"

  "They were raiders," he said. "Most biker gangs thrive on chaos all around them. That's what Satan's Angels do—they create chaos in their wake. Abaddon wanted Leena, he wanted her badly. My father, Aster, Leena and I met with the Satan's Angels. Leena volunteered to go to save everyone. I wouldn't allow it, but my father being the alpha told Aster and me to stand down. I couldn't, and I tried to fight, but my father stepped in to take my place. In the end Abaddon killed him and took Leena, promising not to return to this area now that he had his queen. It was my fault my father was killed and my fault they took Leena."

  She looked up at Rowan, who was beginning to choke on his words. It was obvious he had carried this guilt with him for a long time. He had mammoth shoulders, but they had carried a burden too large for them.

  "I'll never forget what she said as they drove away on his motorcycle. She told me she forgave me. Forgave me for what? Letting her go? Letting my father die? In the end Aster and I were hailed as heroes. We formed a new pack and he suggested I take over as alpha, but I couldn't do it. I just couldn't do it."

  Eva stood for several minutes in silence, looking at her distraught mate as his chest began to heave. He was visibly shaking, upset by the telling of the story. So much blame, so much guilt.

  "It's okay," she said, pulling him tight again. "You did what you could. It's okay."

  "You don't want to run?" he asked, sounding confused.

  "No?" she asked. "Why would I?"

  He forced a smile and then looked away from her again. "I forget you're human. Nobody in the pack would forgive me if they knew I’d let an elder die for my sins. You fight your own battles here. I should have died with my father. Letting him die in my stead is unforgivable."

  "I don't think that way," she said, trying to be reassuring and soothing. "You did what you could. You're here now for a reason."

  "Am I?" he asked.

  "If you had been killed that day, then you would have never met me, and you never would have found out that she's in these woods. Think about it. You're alive for a reason, to save the pack."

  "I can't do it," he said. "I've been pulled off the case by Aster. I can't deny him. He's put Hawk in charge of this."

  "Would Hawk have discovered the truth if not for you?" she asked, putting both of her hands on his face, forcing him to make eye contact. "Would he have known?"

  "Maybe," he said.

  "But we don't know that for sure," she said. "We do know that you figured it out. You can give this information to him and he can rescue her."

  "I know," he said. "Then we have to give her back to Abaddon."

  "She's been with him for ten years Rowan," she said, shaking her head. "Maybe she's happy where she's at."

  "Maybe," he said. She could tell he didn't want to believe it.

  "You have me now," she said, pulling him down for a long, slow kiss. Her entire body tingled as his lips touched hers. She had never felt more right than when her body was in contact with his. He had claimed her and would not let her go because his wolf wouldn't allow it, but at this moment she knew she could never let him go either. There were bigger things at play than the two of them, but they played a very important part in it. Everything about their pairing was right—Eva knew it in her heart and soul.

  "I'm here for you," she said, pulling away from the most electrifying kiss of her life. "Let's just tell Hawk so we can rescue your sister. We'll cross the other bridge when we come to it."

  "You are simply amazing," he said, smiling and shaking his head. "You are truly a gift from above."

  "I know," she said, giving him a cocky smile. "Count your blessings mister."

  Rowan didn't say another word; instead, he shifted into wolf form, pointing at his back. Eva knew what to do after earlier, quickly gathering up his clothes and hopping on.

  This is my story, she thought as they took off. They wouldn’t be able to save the day without me. Look at me now dad, saving a bunch of werewolves.

  Together they bounded into the forest, ignoring the tree branches whipping at their faces. They were coming and they were bringing the best possible news to Bucklin.

  Taken By The Wolf Part 3

  Chapter 21

  Eva took in a deep breath, soaking up the late afternoon air. This had been a wonderful trip for her relationship with Rowan. They had made love in the most sacred of places: the meeting spot of the five packs. The magic and connection she felt with him afterward couldn’t be denied. The small forest clearing was a special place.

  As she smiled her mind traveled to Rowan’s story, his heart pouring out to her right there in the clearing. He carried so much guilt from his past, so much self-blame. It was amazing he had made it this far in life; he was truly torn to pieces by his past. Hopefully her reassuring words had been enough to lift some of the burden.

  Things had to look up for Rowan now. He had his mate and he was going to find his sister. After listening to the story Eva wasn’t sure that meeting would be a good thing. She just wasn’t sure Aster and Rowan would like what they saw when they came face to face with her again. Ten years was a long time to spend with someone else, even if that person was as big of a psycho as Rowan described Abaddon to be. Still, things were obviously good with him if Leena hadn’t tried to escape or return to Bucklin in the last ten years.

  She could tell by the look in Rowan’s eyes that he was unconvinced. Eva didn’t have any siblings; she didn’t know what it was like to grow up with your own flesh and blood. She could only imagine what Rowan was going through, but it was obvious he thought he was getting his sister back. Maybe he thought she had been miserable or abused the last ten years. One look at her long-lost brother and former lover and she would come running back into their arms and forget about Abaddon and Satan’s Angels forever.

  Eva wasn’t holding her breath for that outcome. She knew Leena had to be found, but she also had to be returned to Abaddon to avoid bloodshed.

  There were several things that didn’t make sense to her, though. There were close to three hundred wolves in Bucklin. Why were they so scared of forty bikers? Rowan had easily killed one of them by himself when he met Eva. The five packs of Bucklin clearly outnumbered the bikers, so why the apprehension and fear? There was something about this Abaddon character, something sinister. Just hearing his name mad
e Eva shudder—he was bad news.

  Maybe three hundred wolves wouldn’t be there to fight the bikers, though. That was another thing that bothered Eva: who had kidnapped Leena? It was obvious from Beorn the bear that wolves had brought her into the forest, but why? Was there a rogue pack or just rogue wolves within the town? Was one of the alphas in on it?

  Eva had just moved to this perfect little town. Bucklin was like Mayberry, the perfect place to grow up and raise a family. She didn’t even have to worry about locking her door at night; no wolves would dare mess with Rowan Phoenix, the top enforcer of Bucklin.

  That was the image she'd had of Bucklin yesterday, but now there was a seedy underbelly revealing itself. Obviously someone wanted to bring the town as they knew it to an end. Was it for power? Money? Both? She had no idea, and she hoped she never had to find out. Hopefully Rowan and the alpha council would find a way to end this before more blood was shed.

  The thought of one of the alphas, and his entire pack, turning on the town and joining up with the bikers brought a chill to her spine. Rowan would be at the forefront of such a battle. Would he even survive? She was highly invested in this man, whose back she currently rode on. She couldn’t let him go; he had to be with her forever. Eva’s heart was fragile, one that had suffered through too much loss and pain—she couldn’t lose the best thing that had ever happened to her so soon after he had entered her life. It would be a difficult conversation, but she had to talk to Rowan about it. Hopefully his pride wouldn’t be wounded; she was sure he wasn’t used to a woman keeping him from his duty.

  With a heavy sigh she glanced down at the thick, soft fur her hands were dug into. Hearing her release of air Rowan turned, his big amber eyes fixated on her.

  “It’s okay,” she said. “Just thinking.”

  He let out a low whine, obviously concerned with her thoughts.

  “Don’t worry about it,” she said. “We can talk about it later.”

  Rowan turned forward again, still whining a bit. Ever since they had first made love she had felt a connection of some sort in the back of her mind. It was as if she could feel Rowan and his emotions. She wasn’t a supernatural creature, though, and she wondered if the connection was stronger for Rowan. He always seemed to know when she was upset or happy and he responded in kind. There was so much more she still had to learn about these wolves and their way of life.

  Did they have a creation story? How were werewolves even created? What about vampires? She hoped one day Rowan would tell her these tales, but for now they had a more pressing matter: getting this information to Hawk so he could move.

  Rowan had told her during their drive that the Skyvale pack were the best trackers in town—nothing escaped their watchful eyes.

  She looked down at Rowan’s back again, a sudden urge to laugh overtaking her body. She tried to stifle it, but a chuckle escaped anyway.

  Rowan glanced back up at her, a look of confusion in his beautiful eyes.

  “It’s okay,” she said. “I just thought of something funny.”

  He growled a tiny bit, wanting to know what was so funny. It was amazing how quickly she had learned to communicate with him in wolf form. They were truly meant for one another.

  “It’s nothing,” she said. He continued to look at her; it was obvious he wasn’t going to drop this. “Fine. I just never thought I’d be in a position where I was riding my mate’s back through the forest like he was a horse. I never thought I’d ride a wolf in my life, especially not one that turns into the sexiest man alive.”

  Rowan barked his approval and turned back around, picking up his pace. The sun was beginning to set now; darkness would be upon them soon. Time had escaped them. It had only been early afternoon when they arrived in the forest, ready to hike their way to the magic place. Now they were rushing home.

  Another thought hit Eva as they rode: were there spies in the forest? Would someone really kidnap a girl as important as Leena and leave her unguarded? The bear knew she was there, but they didn’t want to mess with Beorn. She could tell it wouldn’t be any trouble for Beorn to kill several wolves at one time; he could be a powerful ally in the upcoming fight.

  I wonder if anyone thought of that? she thought. Why don’t they get the bear to help?

  She glanced up at the trees, psyching herself out as she looked around. The forest felt like it was closing in on her. Birds suddenly sounded like whispers and each gust of wind sounded like death breaking through the thicket and lunging for her. Paranoia was setting in and she didn’t like it. She gripped Rowan’s fur hard and lowered herself down to a hunching position on his back. She suddenly wanted nothing more than to be out of this forest forever. They had traveled to a magical place, but now she was sure there was evil in the air.

  I wonder if my supernatural link to Rowan is doing other stuff to me? she thought. It wasn’t just in her head—she definitely felt evil in the forest. It was like a darkness settling on her heart, tightening her chest and making it hard to breathe. She had an extreme urge to cry and she didn’t know why.

  “Rowan, can we hurry?” she asked. “I don’t have a good feeling about this place.”

  Rowan stopped and lowered himself, allowing Eva to step off of him. Suddenly he shifted back into human form, quickly grabbing her clothes from him and pulling them on.

  “You feel it too?” he asked.

  “The sense of dread?” she asked.

  “Yes,” he said, shaking his head. “When wolves mate they form a bond, a link between their minds and souls. I didn’t think it would happen with us since you’re human, but it’s obvious it’s happened.”

  “So why do I feel so bad?” she asked.

  “I think it’s enhanced even more because you’re human,” he said, a grim look appearing on his face. “I feel something, like there’s something not right out there. The fear I feel radiating off of you, though, it’s just too much. You shouldn’t be having the feelings you’re having.”

  “Great,” she muttered. “I guess I found the drawback to being mated to a wolf.”

  “I’m sorry,” he said, kissing her on the forehead for reassurance. “I didn’t think it would happen like this.”

  “It’s okay,” she said, fighting back the tears that wanted to explode so badly. She wasn’t a cry-baby, so why the hell did she have this urge? “I know it comes with the territory, but why do I feel so bad?”

  Rowan’s eyes stared off into the distance, like he was looking past the trees.

  “Because there’s something out there,” he said. “Something evil.”

  “The wolves who betrayed Bucklin?” she asked.

  “Worse,” he said. “This forest isn’t safe anymore. No wonder Beorn was acting the way he did. He feels it too.”

  “He was scared?” she asked.

  “Very cranky,” he said. “I thought it was because of his age and his desire to mate. I thought he was getting territorial because of that, but it’s worse. He doesn’t feel safe in his own home anymore.”

  Eva buried her face in Rowan’s shoulder, unable to bear the thought of living in a place like this, even if you were a tank like Beorn.

  “Can we go?” she asked. “I appreciate you shifting to reassure me, but we’ve been standing in one place for too long.”

  “Very well,” he said, putting an arm around her and forcing her down the path. “We aren’t in any immediate danger, but we should leave all the same.”

  Eva looked back at the trees, which appeared to be moving in on them as they left. She was certain she heard whispers this time.

  Chapter 22

  Rowan moved hastily, practically dragging Eva down the path towards where they had parked his truck. She was trying to keep up with his long strides, but her legs couldn't move as fast as his.

  "Slow down," she said after nearly tripping.

  "I'm sorry," he said, still moving at the same pace. "Your fear is really disturbing my wolf. It's one of the reasons I shifted. He's snarling and bitin
g in my mind, wanting to rush back into the woods and destroy whatever is upsetting you."

  "Can't you control it?" she asked, sounding exasperated.

  "I can't, but it's difficult," he said.

  "What do you mean, difficult?" she asked, cocking one eyebrow at him.

  "If it gets too out of hand, my wolf can force a shift," he said. "Then you're all alone out here while he runs back to fight."

  "But you said we're in no immediate danger," she said.

  "I know that, but he doesn't. He's an animal, remember? He acts on instinct and right now his instinct is telling him that something is upsetting his mate and he needs to deal with it."

  "He can force a shift?" she asked, her voice rising at the end.

  Rowan looked back at her, pausing briefly. It must have taken a second for the realization of what he'd said a few moments ago to set in.

  "In very rare instances he can," Rowan said, trying to sound soothing. "Don't worry; he's only been able to do it to me once."

  "When your father was killed?" she asked, a look of sadness falling across her face.

  Rowan took a deep breath, looking at the dirt below them. "Yes."

  "I'm sorry, Rowan," she said, rubbing his arm reassuringly.

  "Let's go," he said, pulling her again. "We're almost to the truck."

  She tried to keep up with him, practically jogging, but it was no use. Just as they reached the end of the trees she slipped and fell, rolling forward down the hill as Rowan grabbed for her.

  "Eva!" he yelled, feeling panic set in.

  "Ouch!" she yelled as she finally came to a stop at the bottom of the hill. "What the fuck?"

  "I'm sorry," he said, rushing down to meet her.

  She shoved at him instinctively, upset that he had been the reason for her fall. "Careful, you big lug!"

  Rowan began to look her over, trying to find any source of blood. Hopefully she hadn't banged her head again; she was still recovering from her concussion.

  "I'm okay," she said, shoving him back. "Let me get up on my own."