Windham Werewolves

by Shawntelle Madison

  “Is that it?” he asked.

  “Of course.”

  He tilted his head. “You don’t lie very well.”

  Clever little wolf. She pulled him toward the door. “Let’s go.”

  He gestured with his fingers for more. When she didn’t move, he did it again. “I can’t protect you properly if you go ape-shit on the family during our first dinner together.”

  “Oh, c’mon! I don’t even have a gun and silver bullets.”

  “As if that makes a difference.” There was amusement in his voice.

  “Don’t you trust me?”

  He ran his fingertips down her arms, but she backed away.

  “I don’t trust human nature,” he said.

  “Human...nature?”

  “Werewolves still have a human side,” he explained. “That’s the human nature I’m talking about. People say and do things they believe are right, but, in the end, things can still go wrong.”

  “Throw me a bone, Kaden. And yes, pun intended. Let me have something.”

  His hands went up in surrender. “I’ll concede if you do the same. If you’re willing to leave a few toys here, I’m willing to back down.”

  “No strip searches?”

  “Would you like one?” His voice became silky, and she laughed.

  “As nice as that sounds, that would make us late. Ugh, just give me a second.” She went into the bedroom. From her ankle, she plucked the switchblade. Just the knife. At least she conceded something.

  There was no way in hell she wasn’t going into the werewolves’ den without some insurance against injury.

  ***

  The noise outside the cabin was a preview of what was to come. The largest cabin was filled with werewolves. The moment Kaden walked through the door with her trailing behind him, Cyn expected silence, maybe even furtive glances in her direction, but the unexpected happened. No one looked her way.

  “Kaden!” one of the men called.

  Kaden leaned over to speak into her ear. “That’s my brother Rhys. This is his cabin. My other brother Bastian is sitting with Naomi.”

  “Finally made it!” a blonde woman said as she darted between the tables set up for dinner.

  “And that’s Rhys’s mate, Eva,” Kaden added. “The two boys who are here are hers. She has an older son somewhere.”

  Even though no one greeted her, she had to admit that so far, the gathering seemed like one from a hunting clan: loud and rambunctious. Eva’s two youngest boys chased each other around the tables. Naomi, Kaden’s sister, argued with a dark-haired man on the other side of the room. The dark-haired guy must be Bastian.

  Almost like home. She smiled. Her brother, Zach, was always the loud one, talking to everyone and making others feel at home. Back home, the newer hunters sat on the outer tables and took turns working as servers. That was the way of the clan. You worked your way up in rank and proved yourself in the field.

  Compared to Kaden’s simple home that didn’t have any personal photos or knick-knacks, Rhys’s home had family photos, hand-drawn pictures made by the kids, pretty much all the things that made a home comfortable. She took a deep breath, sucking in the decadent smell of fresh bread and all the fixings of what could be an excellent meal.

  One figure in the corner though caught her eye. Compared to the others, this man had pale skin and snowy, white hair that fell to his shoulders. He was an albino werewolf. She was sure of it. The young man talking to the albino kept up their conversation, but the moment she got closer, the albino’s red-eyed gaze seemed to focus on her. A cold feeling brushed over her, but she ignored the sensation. Deadly predators roamed this room, but showing any fear wasn’t wise.

  So she focused on learning what she could. Like the hunting clan, the werewolves appeared to have a pecking order below the pack alpha. The table where Bastian and Naomi sat had to be where the dominant werewolves ate. There was only one free seat left for Kaden by the time they got there.

  Kaden glanced at his sister. “This is rather preschool of you, Naomi.”

  “I didn’t set up the table. It was Eva.” Naomi didn’t even look at him.

  “So that makes it better?” he said tersely. “As much as you’d like to have things be difficult between us, this is the way things are. Help me out here.”

  He waited. This scene felt familiar, too. How many times had Cyn fought with her stubborn brother Ty? Well, when he decided to show up, she got to fight him.

  Naomi stood and adjusted the placement of the plates. And gee, there happened to be plenty of room for another place setting.

  “There,” she said with a voice drenched in sarcasm, “I made a place for the hunter to sit.”

  That was when the place went dead silent. Even the two dudes eager to feast stopped in mid-stride.

  Shit.

  “Are you crazy, Kaden?” Eva nearly dropped the bowl of food she held and bared her teeth. With one glance at her children, they ran to her. The other pack members all looked at Cyn as if she’d pulled a gun.

  Kaden closed his eyes for a moment, and then flashed Naomi a dark look. Even Cyn sensed the searing heat radiating from him. His sister looked at her plate and didn’t move.

  “They deserve to know from the beginning what she is, Kaden,” his sister whispered. “I have nephews to protect.”

  “So violence instead of meaningful conversation is the best approach?” Kaden’s gaze flicked to Eva. “Cynthia McGinnis is under my protection.” His voice grew sharper. “Anyone who touches her will have to face me.”

  The tension in Rhys’s body didn’t ease, but Kaden’s brother nodded. “I’ve always trusted you, Kaden. My mate and I will do as you command. But, I expect you and I will be having a long conversation on this matter.”

  Eva briefly looked at her mate Rhys with a question in her eyes, but she let go of her boys.

  Tension knotted Cyn’s stomach to the point where she lost her appetite. Slowly, everyone began to move again, but the vibe was different. Almost as if she’d sat in the room with a ticking bomb in the corner.

  Kaden directed her to her seat next to Bastian and leaned over to kiss her neck. “You’re gonna be fine. Relax.” He even massaged her shoulders a bit. They had to be bricks by now. “I’m going to get you something to drink and make sure it’s not poisoned.”

  She laughed then stopped. Was he serious?

  So...here she was, sitting at a table as the odd woman out. Making conversation with Bastian and Naomi wasn’t gonna happen. For a moment, they stared her down, but she didn’t look away. This was the first time she’d seen Kaden’s brothers up close and she could see the resemblance in their faces. They had the same dark hair, handsome angular lines on their faces, and strong chins. But that was where the similarities ended. Kaden didn’t smell like a high-class stripper joint or wear clothes better suited to picking up chicks.

  Naomi’s Cheshire-cat grin widened. “Cynthia,” she whispered, “it’s all downhill from here.”

  “Oh, really.” After the fight she had with Naomi a few weeks ago, she expected as much.

  “There’s a bunch of snow cabs outside now. It might be in your best interest to consider using one of them someday.” As Naomi spoke, Bastian began twirling his spoon on the wooden table. The noise was rather annoying. Was he trying to prevent Kaden from hearing their little conversation?

  “The one in the back has plenty of fuel,” Bastian added.

  “How helpful of you.” As much as she disliked Naomi, she did have a point. One of those snow cabs could take her home. They’d help her reach Prince George and, from there, find her way to Vancouver. Once there, maybe she could help her brother Zach. Since she’d been gone, she couldn’t stop worrying about him. As a fellow hunter, Zach got into trouble more times than she could count.

  When Cyn continued to stare right back at them, they gave up and began to annoy each other again as if she weren’t there. They really needed to find a better way to pass the time.

  “
I’m surprised you didn’t bring a little friend with you to dinner,” Naomi said to Bastian.

  “As much as I’d like to find a mate, there are too many vixens who need my attention,” he replied smoothly.

  “What about that girl you left behind in Toronto?” Naomi smirked. “She wasn’t enough to tame the bad wolf in you? Or was it easier to just mess everything up with her father and have Kaden come clean up your mess?”

  Bastian paused. “That’s a low blow for even you, sister. What about you and your past lovers? Isn’t it sunnier back in Los Angeles? Or maybe the reception there is too cold for your taste?”

  Her body tensed. “You’re an asshole.”

  Apparently, both of them had enough baggage to fill an airport terminal.

  Not too long ago, Kaden had told her about the problems he had taking care of his siblings. Bastian seemed as troublesome as Ty was for her.

  “The past always clouds our judgment. Especially when a lost love and a betrayed brother are involved,” an unfamiliar voice said from close to Cyn.

  Cyn turned to see the albino right next to her. Holy shit, she hadn’t even heard him walk over.

  He leaned in closer to her, and she caught his scent: sweet pine resin. How strange. Unlike most werewolves with flawless skin, this particular werewolf had a long scar from the corner of his eye down to his chin.

  “Uncle Damien,” Bastian said with his gaze fixed on the table.

  He shifted to Bastian’s seat right beside Cyn, and Kaden’s younger brother swiftly vacated it. “I’ve yet to have the pleasure of dining with a hunter. In the past, I’ve dined on them, but we won’t let that get in the way of pleasantries, will we?”

  Awkward pause.

  “Of course not,” Cyn managed to murmur. What in the hell could she say? The dude sounded dead serious.

  Damien looked around the table with a broad grin. “I’ve tried to teach these two tact, but they’re rather incorrigible.” He leaned his head toward her as if to share a secret. “In all honesty, they’re pretty harmless. Naomi used to only eat ketchup as a child, and Bastian likes to eat his peanut butter and jelly sandwiches inside out.”

  “Oh...How do you eat them inside out? What about Kaden?” Cynthia tried to hide her amusement. She even ignored the exasperated expressions on Bastian’s and Naomi’s faces.

  “I have countless stories to embarrass him! He used to sleepwalk as boy and we’d find him curled up in the dryer.” Damien laughed. “I love conversations like this. Our hunter here makes for the most satisfying meal. This is more fun than the time your aunt Becca streaked naked across the front lines in World War II!”

  When everyone looked at her as if it were her turn to say something, Cyn glanced away to see Kaden returning. Thank goodness. He was the tallest guy in the room, and he was so beautiful. Even among werewolves, he had something she couldn’t place, a charisma that made her want to listen to him, to follow him wherever he went.

  For the first time, she wondered what she would’ve done if she’d met him on the street. Would she have asked him out? Maybe spoken to him? Relationships for hunters were rare, though. She lived a life in which she wasn’t home often and her last boyfriend wouldn’t have understood her lifestyle.

  Once Kaden put some punch into her hands, Cyn pushed thoughts of her past boyfriends and her strange company away.

  “So we have punch now?” she asked. The liquid was red and smelled sweet.

  “They snuck up some additional provisions,” Kaden replied, “including liquor and a bunch of other things I wouldn’t have recommended.”

  She took a sip and enjoyed the fruity taste. Not bad.

  Dinner was served and everyone ate, including Uncle Damien, who ate far slower than anyone else. Between the smacking and clatter of utensils, bowls were passed around, but no one touched her. Matter of fact, they went out of their way not to touch her, except for one of Eva’s kids.

  “Hey, you want a rock-hard biscuit?” he asked. The blond-haired boy appeared to be no more than ten or so.

  “Sure, why not. Thanks.”

  “I’ve never met a hunter before. You sure don’t look like one,” he remarked.

  Now, that made her laugh. “Yeah, I’ve heard that before.” From her targets, anyway.

  “I’m Peter,” he said, extending his hand. He was bold. She liked that.

  “Nice to meet you, Peter. I’m Cynthia.” She shook his hand.

  “Yeah, I caught that already.” He leaned in to put the biscuit on her plate. “Be careful with Mom’s cooking. She kind of experiments in the kitchen.”

  “Peter!” The sharp word came from the other side of the room. “Get away from her and get back to work. You should mind the company you keep.”

  Cyn’s grip on her punch glass tightened.

  Kaden glanced at Eva. “Don’t start tonight, Eva,” he said between clenched teeth.

  Eva looked at Cyn then Kaden. “I’m Peter’s mother, and I’ll protect him as I see fit.”

  The conversation wasn’t loud enough for Cyn to hear, but, then again, reading Eva’s lips wasn’t too hard. Cyn was surprised she hadn’t outright called her that hunter bitch.

  “I won’t tolerate her,” Eva added.

  “I want peace, Eva,” Kaden said. “This place is a haven.”

  “And it can be.”

  “As long as you get what you want.” Kaden gripped the edge of the table until his knuckles turned white.

  Eva stared him down and a standoff ensued. Many others in the room looked away as if to ignore them. Only Damien smiled as he continued to eat. The two glared at each other until Eva finally glanced away. A moment later, she stood and stormed out.

  Cyn took a bite of the casserole and forced herself to chew. The food had a strange texture. Almost as if the chicken used for the dish had pieces that were overcooked and other pieces that were slightly undercooked. Chewy yet crunchy. Peter wasn’t kidding. But for damn sure, she’d smile like crazy Uncle Damien and show these werewolves she wouldn’t back down for anyone.

  Chapter 2

  The dinner had ended—with everyone still alive—but the night wasn’t over for Kaden.

  He still had work to do.

  Eight months and three days ago was the last time he’d seen his pack on a rain-soaked road in Seattle. When the werewolf hunters got too close and began killing his people, he sent them away to safety. Their return should’ve been a special day—until he had a suspicion that something was up. While he was greeting his pack and getting them settled, he never had a chance to inspect everything.

  As the others retired to their cabins, Kaden walked over to the snow cabs. Not more than ten feet from the one in the rear, he caught a strange stench, oh so faint, yet quite familiar: death. It didn’t have the musk of an animal, but that of a human.

  The bitter Canadian cold couldn’t mask the scent of dead human flesh.

  He marched along the snow cabs, checking between each to see where the smell came from. So far, so good. But as he approached the one in front, the putrid odor grew stronger.

  Once he reached the snow cab in front, he spotted something strapped to the cargo hold in the back: a dead body.

  Who in their right mind brought a dead body to a safe haven? Didn’t he always tell them missing humans left trails that only led to ruin? With werewolf hunters on the prowl for rogue werewolves, the world wasn’t a safe place anymore.

  Kaden’s nostrils flared and the wolf within him churned, ready to strike. How dare they do this? The layers of plastic weren’t enough to keep the smell hidden.

  He approached the wrapped up plastic. Whoever lay within the layers was now stiff as a board, yet the corpse stank like rotting meat. No lingering perfumes or colognes. To a werewolf, even the dead told tales. His pack would have to know that. He reached for the body, but a figure approached him from behind.

  The wind brought the werewolf’s scent to Kaden’s nose and the tension that filled him rose. Only one man would wear such
expensive cologne in the far Canadian north where he’d be miles away from civilization and any women he’d want to attract: Bastian.

  “What are you doing, Kaden?” Bastian’s loosely cropped black hair ruffled in the wind. Bastian grinned at him and his green eyes shined as if such a gesture could make what was strapped to the snow cab disappear.

  “Would you prefer ‘Good evening, Bastian’? Or maybe ‘What the hell is a dead body doing here?’” Kaden asked. He was proud he didn’t sound too pissed.

  “We ran into trouble on the way here,” Bastian said.

  Kaden reached for the plastic to unwrap the body but froze as suspicion hit him. His brother didn’t stop him this time.

  Bastian grew quieter. “Micah wanted to rip him to shreds, but I stopped him and did what was necessary to protect everyone.”

  Micah was Eva’s eldest son. Protecting the boy was important, but a terrible mistake had been made.

  “This man is a hunter, isn’t he?” Kaden asked slowly.

  Bastian hesitated before he inhaled. “How did you know?”

  So Bastian had killed a hunter. Kaden remained still. If he moved, it would be to throttle his brother. “This is the wilderness, Bastian. Most trouble for our people involves hunters.”

  He was tempted to search the body for a clan tattoo, but he needed time to process the whole thing. A shit storm was coming soon. There was no way he could tell Cyn about this.

  “What happened?” Kaden asked. “Tell me everything. And I mean everything.”

  “A biker was following us on our way to Prince George. At a rest stop, he followed Micah and me into the woods. We confronted him and killed him.”

  “Is he a freelancer?”

  Bastian glanced toward the woods and took a deep breath. “I don’t know, but he—”

  “So it’s possible a hunting clan might be looking for him?” Kaden asked.

  Bastian didn’t blink. “I did what was necessary to protect the pack. I’m the one who’s been with them for the past few months.”

  Kaden snorted. His brother’s attempt to cut him down wasn’t gonna work. “You forget your place. I put Rhys in charge. Not you.”