by Rhea Regale
Aya stilled. The wolf shifted and turned toward her. Its silvery-gold eyes focused on her. The creature was beautiful. Deadly. It turned its snout up. Triangular ears pricked. Aya gasped out a breath, unwilling to acknowledge the way her body reacted to the animal. She warmed and weakened at the same time. Her breasts grew full and heavy. Her womb coiled, excreting a different kind of moisture from her core.
“You started the fire,” she whispered. The wolf cocked its head, listening. Never once did its gaze lower from hers. It stared, stirring strange feelings in her body. Feelings she despised.
Aya switched on the headlights. White washed over the wolf. Its jowls pulled back, baring sharp, white teeth. She focused on the wolf as she eased the Explorer onto the connecting side road. The instant she knocked the gear into drive, she flicked the wolf her middle finger and punched the accelerator. A new life awaited her in the wake of burnt rubber, smoke, a pile of rubble, and the unknown.
Chapter Two
Nox glanced up from the pile of wood he’d agreed to bring inside for Mase, and wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his sleeve. The sun beat down on WolfCreek this unusually warm fall day, leaving a false sense of summer throughout the small town. He couldn’t help but smile when he watched Mase’s two boys set up the sprinkler and take to water games like summer had never ended.
The echo of tires crunching over gravel drew closer to his pack mate’s bed-and-breakfast. Nox straightened up, shielding his narrowed eyes against the blazing sun with his hand. He duly noted a half-dozen members of his pack sitting on Mase’s front porch stop in the midst of their numerous activities to watch the dark vehicle climb up the windy street.
“Boys, go inside to your mother,” Nox called to the children. They paused in their water fight and looked at him. He pointed to the screen door and arched a brow. Even the pups knew better than to cross the alpha. “Now.”
“Uncle Nox!” Ash whined. Nox pulled back his upper lip and bared his human teeth. The boys’ shoulders slumped, and they shuffled to the house. He dropped his hand from his forehead and brushed the dirt on his faded jeans. He shook his head when he heard the boys call him a “meanie uncle.”
Until he determined whether this rickety vehicle rapidly approaching Mase’s homestead presented a danger, he’d lock those kids in the basement if he had to.
“Hey, Nox,” Mase said, jogging up behind him. “Who’d you think be coming up here? Can you smell anything? I’m getting a noseful of nasty.”
Nox’s nostrils flared as the poignant scents of burnt metal and wood drifting along the uphill breeze struck him. He moved to the side of the house, just behind the porch, and leaned against the wooden slats, folding his arms over his chest.
“Smells more like that thing on four wheels trekked through a damn welding shop,” he muttered. “Regardless where the truck’s been, I’m not getting danger from this one. I’ll stay here. Go greet your guest.” He chuckled, glancing at his dark-haired friend. Mase’s green-gray eyes misted mischievously. “I’d be on your best behavior. You can’t be callin’ this place a bed-and-breakfast if the only occupants are your family and a few straggling pack mates. IRS will be knocking on your door.”
“I’ll bite his hand.”
“I’m sure that’ll get you some dog treats.” Nox clapped Mase’s thick shoulder. A loud pop split through the serene afternoon. He growled as a residual ring lingered in his ears. Mase snorted, rubbing at his temple. “I don’t think that piece of shit’ll make it to the front door.”
Mase snickered a moment before what used to be an Explorer stalled a few yards from the front porch. A whoosh preceded a heavy cloud of white steam that poured from beneath the hood. Nox swallowed back a laugh, but his fellow pack mates didn’t bother with courtesy. Some howled, some cackled, and some just muttered unfriendly terms to their cohorts. Hands slapped legs, feet stomped on the porch, and one male tumbled off his chair.
Nox rolled off the wall and started back to the woodpile. The hinges of the vehicle’s door shrieked in protest as the driver forced it open, earning several snarls from the curious wolves.
Every muscle in his body stiffened. He stopped in mid-step and inhaled the crisp mountain air, tainted by the foul odor of metal and exhaust.
The sweetness that entwined through the less pleasant scents stirred his wolf awake.
Well, I’ll be fuckin’ damned.
Nox slowly turned back to the driveway. He honed in on the raspy breaths of this newcomer, the throb of her heart hammering against her chest. His gaze landed on a woman stumbling over to Mase. Dirt, blood, and soot smudged a face built over impeccable features. Her bottom lip was swollen, a newly scabbed wound marring the tender flesh and her soiled chin below. In fact, as he observed every inch of her otherwise beautiful face, he noticed her skin housed a bunch of small cuts and light purple bruises. Dark circles hung thick and deep under sky blue eyes that flickered with wild paranoia. A dead leaf hung in the wispy flips of her black hair. She cradled her left arm close to her chest. A crumpled envelope was clenched in her dirty hand.
Nox watched the woman shove past Mase, her gaze burning with a fierce survival instinct.
Mase shot him a concerned glance and pointed to his nose. “Recognize that?”
Nox nodded. His friend caught the potent scent of a white wolf.
The members of his pack had all stilled to observe the woman in their presence. He felt the probing gazes some cast toward him scrape his bones. He had to tamp down the possessive growl that threatened to rumble long and hard in his throat.
Mase lunged for the woman and caught her shoulder. The woman spun on a gasp. Nox edged closer toward them while her back was to him.
“Dear, what’s happened to you? Should I call for help?” Mase asked. His brows cinched as his eyes swept over her filthy appearance. Nox fisted his hands against his legs. He didn’t care for anyone to scrutinize the woman in such a way. She was for his eyes, no one else.
“Please,” the woman rasped between shallow gasps. She held out the envelope. The flimsy piece of paper shuddered in her trembling hand. Nox’s nostrils flared from the sting of saltiness and the repulsive scent of fear. He could see how badly she tried to hide her trembling body. She sniffed and added, “My uncle told me to find Carter. He left this in my sack.”
“Carter?” Mase whispered. Again, his friend’s attention flew to Nox as he silently crossed the front yard. Mase took the envelope, tore it open, and withdrew a crumpled piece of paper. “What’s this?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t looked at it. I haven’t stopped driving since late last night. I’ve been to four different towns, trying to find this Carter. Please, tell me he’s here,” the woman entreated softly. She added in a whisper, “Please.”
Mase unfolded the paper. Nox paused a few feet behind the woman, trying his hardest to suppress the building fury of beholding a sacred white in such a state of dishevel. The backs of her hands were marred with burns and scabs. He caught sight of a long cut along the back of her neck where the ends of her hair parted. He wanted to hear what the letter said, about as much as everyone else.
Especially if she was searching for a Carter.
Mase’s jaw dropped open. His eyes widened. Every muscle in the man’s face went lax.
“Where have you been all these years? You couldn’t be found,” he breathed. His gaze scoured the woman before he held the note over her shoulder for Nox.
The woman jerked around.
“I think that might explain the treasure hunt to get here. One of the Smith relatives?” Nox asked, relieving the pathetic piece of paper from Mase’s hand. He glanced over the scribbled writing, some worn from having been crumpled so tightly. It confirmed every call in his body down to the most important detail of all. She’s my white wolf. “I’m Lenox Carter. And you are?”
“You’re the Carter?” The woman’s bright blue gaze looked him over. A light rose touched her dirty cheek. She dipped her head and wiped at a smu
dge on her chin. Nox smiled, cupping her face in one hand and wiping away another streak of dirt. Emotions pummeled him, but nothing more powerful than the need to protect his mate from the dangers he knew followed her.
“Must be. I’m the only Carter in this neck of the woods.”
“Ayasha White,” she said. “Aya for short.”
“Nice to finally find you.” Nox plucked the leaf from her hair and dropped it at their feet. “Well, you look like hell.”
“I just came from there.”
Nox chuckled and took her scraped hand. He stretched out her arm, gently pushing the sleeve of her jacket to her elbow. Long welts marred the delicate flesh, dotted by several small burns.
“Were you followed here?” he asked, turning her arm over. Anger heated against his veins. His wolf howled to come out and maul those responsible for harming his little white. The shadow paced relentlessly just below the surface, grazing the underside of his flesh until every hair on his body thrummed with residual motion.
Another primal desire ignited. His cock thickened and swelled against the zipper of his pants. His blood heated with hunger he hadn’t been able to quench with any woman he fucked. Her scent intoxicated him, threatening to make him mindless in the swells of his increasing need to claim her. He’d waited too long for this very creature. Too many years of futile searching, hunting, and prowling for his sacred white, only to have her stumble into his life looking like bear food.
“I don’t know. I don’t think so.”
Nox nodded. To Mase, he said, “Pack me a meal.” To Aya, “Do you prefer tea or coffee?”
“Coffee.”
“And a large coffee.”
“What are you doing?” Aya asked. Nox caressed her cheek with the pads of his fingers. Her skin was sticky with grease and dirt, but couldn’t curb the rising hunger that threatened to consume him, coil and constrict around his mind. The wolf pacing inside him panted.
He cleared his throat.
“Getting you some grub to eat at my place. I want you to fill me in on everything that happened.”
Nox narrowed his gaze on her mouth. Her bottom lip was slightly plumper, forming a pout that beckoned him to kiss her. Generous curves created a nibble-worthy upper lip. He brushed his thumb over that pliant lower lip. Her thickly lashed eyelids drifted half shut, the tip of her tongue brushing over the pad of his finger. He was pleased to hear her heart calm its ramped pace and the tremors that drifted through her body subside. The anxiety he sensed upon her arrival dissipated.
Twenty-five years of searching for this woman and here she is.
The inner satisfaction of being united with his mate came with a tenuous lead of dread. Her uncle was most certainly dead, which meant only one thing.
The breeze shifted downhill, but not before he scented that one reason.
Riley had located them, and he wouldn’t stop until he had a white wolf.
* * * *
“Smart fucking bastard,” Riley grumbled, guiding his Escalade along the narrow road. The sun filtered through the dense redwoods that lined the mountain pass, shimmering rays reflecting off the chrome trim of his truck. Eliza leaned forward, tipping her head to gaze skyward. Her thick fall of brown hair cascaded down to her thigh, caressing her jeans.
“It’s no wonder we haven’t been able to locate them. He left his trail in every direction except for his,” she cooed. She lifted a manicured nail to her lip and nibbled. Riley shot her a feral glance, earning him a sharp arch of her dark brow. “What?”
“We found White because a buddy snitched. That was nothing more than luck,” Riley reminded.
He observed the side of the road, searching for a turnoff. The stench of car fumes continued to curl through his vents, assuring him he was on the right path. Finding Charles White came with a surprise, one that left a bitterness in his spirit and an overwhelming ache in his dick. He never expected to cross a white wolf in his days, believing them all to be dead.
Only a week ago, a member of his pack came to him with disturbing news: A white wolf had returned to HoodRiver, and there might be more that survived the massacre. Well, he sure as hell found another survivor.
As hard as he tried, Riley couldn’t erase the image of the woman from the night before. He caught himself several times looking at his latest bedmate, comparing Eliza to the brazen young white. Eliza was beautiful, from the perfect contours of her curvaceous body to the defined structure of the bones in her face. Most of all, she was an expert in the sack and her endurance almost matched his.
But that damned white, who had to be Charles’s niece, plagued his darkest thoughts. Every minute she toiled around his mind, the beast in him wanted to come out. During their drive, the sexual hunger that enveloped him left him shifting in his seat, trying to ease the pain in his cock until Eliza soothed the ache with her mouth. He imagined that pretty white wolf fucking him with her mouth, drinking him dry and leaving him in a state of satiation.
That happened three hours ago and he hurt again. The delicate features of White’s niece’s face burned against the back of his eyes. He tried every way to extinguish the image to no avail, leaving him even more agitated than he had been while waiting to burn Charles’s house to the ground with the bastard in it.
Retribution was supposed to be gratifying. Instead, it left him aching for something he couldn’t quite put a finger on.
Wrapped so tightly in thought, he nearly missed the turnoff he’d been searching for. The brakes grinded. Tires squealed. He snapped the wheel to the right, barely turning off the road before passing the driveway. Eliza cussed, rubbing the back of her neck. She threw him an angry look.
“What the hell was that for?” she groaned.
Riley snarled, slapped the truck into park, and climbed onto the side of the road. He took off up the tree-infested incline. Eliza hurried up behind him, jogging every few steps to keep up with his long strides. The car fumes intensified as he drew closer to the top of the drive. He could hear rapid talk, none of which made sense this far away. Scents of food combed down the mountainside, teasing his hunger and making his stomach roll.
The wind shifted down and brought with it the sweetest scent he’d ever experienced. Immediately, his erection swelled, and he groaned. The muscles in his chest tightened. He fisted his fingers.
She was here, and she wasn’t alone.
Lenox, you prick.
The vile memories of years ago resurfaced in a flash of images. He and Nox racing through the Oregon forests, hunting fresh meat with claws and teeth. The two of them taking to the small towns, winning over pretty women for a night. Nox coming to him the night after the white wolf massacre, three wolves at his back.
Riley cursed him that night. His closest friend, the man who he trusted with his hide, turned against him with a single sentence.
“The spirits have announced I am mate to a white wolf.”
Riley had been wild with rage. His wolf reared up in the wake of his anguish and threatened to consume him. Somehow, he retained enough human sense to denounce Lenox Carter as a friend, a comrade, and an honest man. The closest thing he had to a brother accepted a fate as mate to a white wolf, a creature who had slayed his father.
The very next day, Riley learned Nox had left HoodRiver with his new pack of male wolves. He never cared to trace the friend-turned-foe.
Until now.
Riley lowered on his haunches, tugging Eliza down behind him. She fell into his back.
“Quit it, Liza.”
“Stop being a bully, Riley,” she sneered.
Riley craned his neck and peered around the tree trunk providing cover for him. He saw the broken-down vehicle, steam swaying over the truck in the gentle breeze. A group of feisty wolves sat around the long porch.
Then there was Lenox. Riley anchored his fist against the rugged ground and leaned farther out. The white wolf came into view, and he all but fell onto his side. His body quivered at the sight of her, grimy and hellish but delicious as
sin.
A low growl vibrated in his throat. Why the fuck did this single woman evoke such raw emotions in him? He wanted that woman…dead.
Mase, Nox’s right-leg pack mate, crossed the front yard with a large plastic bag. He handed the mystery items to Nox. His nemesis pressed a hand low on the woman’s back, guiding her to a chrome-trimmed black Silverado. Proper as always, Nox held the door open for her, helped her into the high cab, and handed her the bag.
The truck door slammed. Nox turned, squaring himself toward the forest.
His eyes flickered, holding steady on Riley’s location. Carefully, Riley began to slink deeper into the protection of the trees. Eliza scurried to him on hands and knees.
“He sees us?” she whispered.
“No,” Riley lied. He wasn’t sure if Nox saw him or not, but his wolfish instinct told him the man knew they were watching.
“I’m waiting for you, Riley. It’s been a long time.”
After twenty-five years of silence over their private telepathic link, Nox’s words confirmed his previous inclination. Riley’s blood boiled. The hairs on his arms began to elongate as his wolf’s coat threatened to sprout from his skin. His fingernails stretched and curled into razor-sharp claws. His gums tingled as his teeth grew points. He crouched back, prepared to spring from the protection of the trees.
“A long time agreed, but our next encounter won’t be pleasant chatter to catch up on old times, Lenox.”
Riley growled over the link. He forced the wolf to retreat, the subtle symptoms of his nearness to transformation disappearing within seconds. Now wasn’t the time to rip the man to shreds. Riley might be one fucking crazy wolf, but he wasn’t stupid. One against a dozen would leave him hurting.
Just then, two men from the porch leaped over the banister. Bodies elongated and narrowed, fur bristled out from flesh, and limbs thinned and shortened. Paws hit the ground instead of feet. Sharp nails threw up dirt, pebbles, and grass around their canine forms. The wolves didn’t pause for an instant. Riley snarled, backing up slowly as he watched the two bound toward him.