A Wolf’s Deception
Sherilee Gray
www.escapepublishing.com.au
A Wolf’s Deception
Sherilee Gray
He’d been an outcast his whole life, but it never mattered with her by his side. Then she betrayed him in the worst way possible, and he will have his revenge.
Gabriel Reed knows rejection. There’s no room in a pack for a hybrid. But he finally found happiness when he met Tressa McCray. He thought love would save him from a lifetime of loneliness—until Tressa broke his heart and mated with another. Now her mate is dead, she’s on the run, and Gabe is asked to bring her back safely. He is the only one who can keep her and her son safe. There’s no reason for Gabe to get involved—no reason, except that while he can never forgive her, he’s never stopped loving her.
Tressa McCray sacrificed everything—including her own happiness—to protect the man she loved and their unborn cub. Now her nightmare may finally be over—if she can make it safely back to Black Hills land. Her mate’s pack can never know the truth, or take control of her young son. But the one man she would never call, the one she could never forget, has shown up to help. With the lies and the secrets and the pain, can she really ask him to risk his life to save hers and that of the son he doesn’t know he has?
About the Author
Sherilee Gray has always had a big (some may say warped) imagination, and as a kid scared herself conjuring up tales full of terrifying creatures. All grown up, she still has the big imagination and monsters in her stories…only now they’re chasing their happily ever after. Based in beautiful New Zealand with her extremely supportive husband and their two children, she spends her time writing, hoarding books, and eating copious amounts of chocolate.
Acknowledgements
First, I want to thank my family for their unwavering support. Vaughan, thank you for the food deliveries. Love you! I also want to thank some of the amazing women who have helped me in so many ways, whether through beta reading, being a sounding board, or giving me a kick in the butt when I needed it. Kelly, Mel, the awesome BOCHOK babes, and last but not least, my friend and critique partner Nicola Davidson. I couldn’t do it without you guys!
For Dad. Love you!
Contents
About the Author
Acknowledgements
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Epilogue
Bestselling Titles by Escape Publishing…
Chapter 1
Tressa McCray hitched her squirming cub higher on her hip and rang the bell on the reception desk for the third time. The service at this dump was terrible, but then that was what you’d expect from a place with water stains on the ceiling and unidentifiable dark patches on the bedspread.
After what she’d just run from, she’d put up with anything to make sure they didn’t have to go back to that nightmare.
She darted another glance out the large window, to the dimly lit parking area beyond. All clear, thank God. Still, her palms grew sweaty and a shiver moved through her, amping up the nerves already fluttering in her belly.
Sawyer wriggled in her arms again, and she hitched him back up, holding him close.
Just a little longer and they’d finally be safe.
She had to believe it was true. If she let fear overwhelm her she’d fall apart and she didn’t have the luxury of a breakdown just yet.
Ringing the bell again, and keeping her back to the parking lot, she forced herself to stop chewing on her bottom lip.
The door behind the counter opened, an overweight man with grease-slicked hair and an odour that stung her nostrils, shuffled out. It was the same man who’d checked her in two days before. A bottle of beer was wrapped in one meaty fist and he took a swig before acknowledging her.
‘What?’
Nice.
Sawyer chose that minute to let out an ear-splitting wail, slapping her on the side of the face with his sticky little fingers. ‘Wanna get down,’ he said, squirming in the arms and trying to get to the floor. Tressa held him tight. No way in hell was she letting her son play on that floor. God only knew what the tacky surface was coated in.
‘I’ll read you a story soon, honey. Just be a good boy while mama talks to the nice man.’ Glancing up from her wriggling, whining cub, she plastered a smile on her face. The guy took another swig of his beer and scowled.
‘The thermostat on the air conditioning unit seems to be broken. I was wondering if we could change rooms?’
He shook his head. ‘Nope. We’re full.’
A growl crawled up her throat, but she choked it back down. He was lying through his rotten teeth. Why would anyone in their right mind stay here? Only desperate people stayed at a place like this. People like her.
‘Um…the rooms on either side of ours look empty, as do the one’s above.’
In fact, the whole damn section she was on looked empty.
‘I told you, we’re full.’ He drained the rest of his beer and tossed it in the trash. His beady, bloodshot eyes raked over her from head to toe, then slithered back up to pause on her breasts. He licked his lips. ‘But I’ll come take a look. Maybe I can help you out, sweetheart.’
A stab of fear, not to mention a good dose of revulsion curled low in her belly. If it wasn’t for the fact she hadn’t eaten in two days, she was pretty sure she would’ve thrown up all over the bastard’s dirty floor.
Sawyer stilled suddenly, his struggles to get free ending along with his constant chant of down, down, down. Like her, her son was a good judge of character. His animal senses were nowhere near their full potential. But he was able to pick up on danger when it was near, had been around enough of it to know the way it felt, the way it tasted; more than any child his age should.
She took a step back. ‘Look, it’s fine, really. Sorry I disturbed you. I think I saw a spare blanket in the closet. That’ll be fine. I shouldn’t have bothered you.’
She backed out of the door before he had a chance to answer. Yanking the hood of her sweatshirt over her head, she tucked Sawyer in close, and walked quickly towards her room. The sound of the motel’s reception door opening then slamming shut echoed behind her, followed by the scuff of shoes on the path.
Shit.
Walking faster, she got the key ready in her hand, and unlocked the door as soon as she reached it. Without a backwards glance, she slammed it shut behind her and threw the lock.
A few seconds later he put those solid fists to good use and pounded on the door. ‘What the hell are you doing? Let me in so I can fix the damn thermostat.’
‘No thank you,’ she backed up a step. ‘I said it’s fine.’
Sawyer whined and buried his head against her shoulder. Her young son didn’t know his alphabet, couldn’t count past four, but he knew what happened when a big male like the one outside got angry; what happened when the door opened.
She wrapped her arms around his slight frame and tried to comfort him. ‘We’ll be safe soon.’ Her mother had assured her the new Black Hills alpha was sending someone to take them home, away from all the pain and fear. Away from the living hell she’d barely survived.
The rattle of keys came next and she scrambled back further. ‘Shit.’
The door opened a second later and the motel owner took a step inside. ‘Not very nice of you, locking me out like that.’
Her inner wolf growled, bared its teeth. ‘Don’t you need tool
s?’
‘Nope.’ His dull gaze landed on her then slid to Sawyer. He wiped the back of his hand across his lips. Lips that were fleshy and red and looked out of place on his suddenly hard face.
‘Put the kid in the bathroom and shut the door.’
And just like that, something snapped inside her. A part of her she’d been forced to contain for so long that supressing it had become second nature. But now it reared up, clawed its way free, lighting every nerve ending, heightening every sense, every instinct.
Without a word, she ran her fingers over her son’s baby-soft hair and carried him to the bathroom. ‘You be a good boy and stay in here.’ After laying a towel down, she sat him on the floor with the few toys she’d managed to grab when she’d left. ‘Mama will be right back, sweetheart.’ Sawyer looked up at her, his pale blue irises wide. He popped his thumb in his mouth, but didn’t say a word. He knew when to be quiet.
She shut the door carefully and stepped back, colliding with the male’s large frame. His soft belly pressed into her lower back and his hot, sweaty hands landed on her shoulders. She felt disconnected in that moment, like she was floating above herself, watching this from afar.
‘Mmm, that’s right,’ he whispered, damp, beer breath against her ear. ‘I knew you’d be up for it.’
‘Shut the door,’ she said in a voice she barely recognised.
He released her and shuffled across the floor, doing as she asked. When he turned back, he gestured to the fly of her jeans. ‘Take’em off.’
Sweat beaded his forehead as he watched her, darkening the underarms of his shirt. She kicked off her boots and slid her jeans down her legs. Her sweatshirt and tank were next, followed by her bra. His Adams apple bobbed as he swallowed loudly, groaned. ‘Jesus.’
His gaze moved over her body, but she didn’t feel disgusted or ashamed. She didn’t feel much of anything—anything except pure, white hot rage.
To keep her son safe, she’d do anything, would suffer through anything. No matter what it took, she’d make sure he got the life he should have had. The life that would have been his if she’d been stronger, if she had fought instead of cowering, allowing someone else to dictate her future.
When she was completely naked, she took several steps back, making sure he was away from the exit. He reached down and massaged the bulge behind his zipper.
‘You’re one hot piece of ass.’ He looked down and fumbled with the button of his pants. ‘Come here and suck my cock.’
Tressa didn’t give herself time to think about what she was about to do, instead she let all that pent-up rage flow through her body, let her wolf rush forward.
The animal inside her took control and within a few seconds she’d shifted, taking her wolf form. Her predator’s instincts, instincts of a mother willing to do whatever necessary to protect her cub, took over. Pushing off with her powerful back legs, she leapt up and latched onto the stunned male’s throat before he could open his mouth to scream for help.
She pulled him down the floor and, without hesitating, tore open the pulsing artery there. She held him tight in her jaws as his struggles became weaker, until eventually they stopped completely. With a snarl, she backed up and watched him as he bled out on the dirty carpet.
She’d killed a man and she felt nothing. Not one thing. He would have hurt her and Sawyer and she was through being the victim.
Using her jaws, she dragged the bedspread down off the bed and used it to cover the body so Sawyer didn’t have to see it.
No one was hurting her or her baby ever again.
Chapter 2
Gabriel Reed drove to the rear of the dive motel, where the street lights didn’t quite reach and killed the engine.
Yanking open the glove compartment, he pulled out the information he’d been given to double-check the address. The photo he’d been trying to avoid since he’d seen it the day before tumbled into his lap. He stared down at it, trying to ignore the way that traitorous face affected him. Sliding his fingers over the image, he picked it up, staring into those dark eyes.
What the fuck am I doing here?
As a Guardian—one of a group of hybrids who enforced shifter law—he spent a lot of time with the packs in the area he policed, sorting out territory disputes, hunting down the odd rogue wolf…but they never called him and invited him in. No pack welcomed his interference into their business.
Until now. And like a damned idiot he’d agreed to help the Black Hills alpha. He’d taken one look at the picture in his hands and his mouth was agreeing to bring her home before his brain had caught the hell up.
This had nothing to do with him, this was pack business. Yet…here he was.
Tressa McCray.
She was the last female he wanted to see again, but being a cold-hearted bitch didn’t mean you deserved the shitty treatment she’d apparently received while living with her mate’s pack. With her mate now dead, and a small cub to take care of on her own, she wanted to come home to her mother, to her people.
If Tressa was telling the truth—a fucking first for her—about the repressive environment they’d been living in, then leaving was probably for the best. For her and her cub.
He glanced out the window, blew out a frustrated breath.
Stop goddamn stalling.
‘Shit.’ Shoving the door open, he climbed out and made his way to the motel office.
The place was a complete shit hole, it was also unmanned. He rang the bell on the counter a few times and waited, but it seemed no one was home. Glancing back outside, he looked for any sign of the owner. Nothing.
A book sat on the desk and he spun it around, flicking it open. He’d been given the address, but not her room number. Running his finger down the list of guests, all three of them, he stalled when he came to T Reed scrawled in a familiar hand.
Reed?
She’d used his surname? Why the hell would she do that?
A black SUV skidded to a stop outside the small reception office, pulling him from his current position: body frozen, eyes glued to the coffee stained pages with his goddamn name there.
Gabe glanced up and the scent hit him before the driver had even left his truck. Wolf.
There was no sign of the staff and no sound coming from what he guessed was the owner’s apartment attached to the office. The driver’s door of the truck swung open at the same time as he slid around behind the counter.
Gabe plastered an apologetic expression on his face when the guy strode in. ‘Sorry, my man, can’t help you. No rooms available.’
The other male sucked in a breath through his nose, scenting the air. ‘I’m looking for a woman…’
‘Aren’t we all?’ He shook his head and leaned on the counter. ‘But you know what they say…a good one’s hard to find.’
The guy scowled, a low growl slipping through his gritted teeth. ‘You have a female staying here.’ He held Gabe’s gaze, letting him know without words he was aware of his hybrid status, and that this was pack business. Well, Gabe wasn’t part of any pack and he sure as hell didn’t follow their rules. ‘She has a small cub with her. We tracked her to this shitty little town and a woman at the gas station down the road said she sent her down here two days ago.’
There was no point lying. He hadn’t seen Tressa in close to four years and even he could smell her scent hovering in the small room. Not that he could have forgotten that sweet, earthy fragrance. Tressa smelled like no other female he’d ever met. Yeah, she’d been here, not long ago, and going by the look on that giant assholes face, he knew it too.
‘Your mate?’
The guy’s jaw hardened. ‘Sister-in-law.’
‘Family troubles, huh?’
‘You could say that.’
Gabe stayed where he was, all the while fighting to control the adrenalin pumping through his veins. The urge to kill the bastard in front of him was near overwhelming.
‘Yeah, a female with a kid came in here less than twenty minutes ago. She asked for di
rections. They headed out for dinner.’
The prick looked smug as hell. ‘Room number?’
He spun the book around and flicked through the pages. ‘12B, upper level.’
The smug grin turned sadistic. ‘Thanks. I think I’ll wait for her to get back. Surprise her.’ He climbed back into his truck then he and the goons with him moved to the other side of the car park, where the light was sparse.
Time was up.
Leaving through the front door was a no-go. The dick hiding in the shadows, getting off on tormenting a defenceless female and her cub, would be watching his every move. So with a casualness he didn’t feel, he left the office and went through the adjoining door into the owner’s apartment.
‘Jesus.’ The place smelled like sweaty ass, and the person who lived here could be on an episode of Hoarders. Even the back door had boxes stacked up against it. He shoved them aside. The door was locked. No key. Gripping the handle, he rattled it, testing its strength. The thing was flimsy and the lock cheap. It didn’t take much to yank it open.
There was no lighting out back and when he stepped down, the sodden ground squelched under his boots, the plumbing more than likely shot. What the hell was he walking in? Shit, the smell.
The air was heavy and—he slapped at his neck—buzzing with mosquitoes. As he moved closer to Tressa’s room, the faint scent of blood hit him, strong enough to reach him over the stench of what had to be a leaking sewer pipe.
Skidding in the mud, he half ran, half slid to the rear window of her room. He yanked off his jacket, wrapping it around his fist and smashed the glass. The sound of it shattering was muted, but still loud enough to be picked up by a wolf’s sensitive hearing if they were paying attention. Reaching in, he threw the latch and sprang up to the ledge. His boots crunched on broken glass as he dropped to the bathroom floor. The smell of blood was stronger now and dread crawled up his spine.
Gripping the door handle, he yanked it open.
Holy shit.
The sight that greeted him had him stalling in his tracks, frozen like a damned statue. Tressa stood naked in the centre of the room, eyes round as fucking saucers. A large lump was on the floor at her feet, covered with a blanket. The missing owner of this dump, he guessed by the scent.
A Wolf’s Deception (Novella) Page 1