Bound (The Onyx Wolves Book 1)

by Raven K. Asher

  His skin was as cold as ice under my fingertips.

  Cursing, I quickly change forms and lie close to his body hoping that I could warm him back up quickly with my body heat.

  “Hurry and change into your wolf, Dillon.” I order panicked.

  He kneels down next to Damon and takes his wrist in his hand. “I think it already might be too late, Parker. His pulse is almost too faint to feel.”

  “No, we can’t lose him over something so stupid.” I argue.

  We hadn’t even gotten far on our trip and I had already screwed up by pushing us too far.

  I wasn’t about to lose him like this.

  Dillon stands back to his feet and grabs Harley in his arms pulling her snuggly against himself to warm her up quickly.

  “You know what you have to do if you want to save him, Parker.” He states out loud.

  Harley glances up at him. “How can she save him?” She asks curiously.

  “She can change him into one of us.” He answers.

  “I don’t think he would want that.” I sigh sadly.

  “It doesn’t really matter. If he isn’t changed soon he will die.” Dillon replies sadly as Harley begins to cry softly.

  “Just change him, for me, Parker.” She begs softly with tears streaming down her cheeks.

  “He’s going to hate me for this.” I give in.

  “Probably, but at least he will still be alive.” Dillon sighs being the voice of reason.

  I’d rather him be changed and hate me rather than dead.

  But still I didn’t like to do what I was about to do, it just wasn’t right to force upon someone.

  “If something bad happened to me and the only way to save me was this, I would want you to save me however possible.” Harley interjects.

  I nod and pull the small glass vial from under my shirt.

  All of the wolves carried one for cases such as this.

  It held the essence of a real wolf that we had to take by our own hands.

  It was a sort of rite of passage when we reached a certain age.

  Mine had been a young wolf, a black one with a silver ear. He had fought hard not to be taken. I still could remember the look in his eyes even as he took his last breath.

  Afterwards I had cried, for what I had done, for days.

  But my father had told me not to cry for a lost soul because one day that wolf would have the chance to return, to save someone from death.

  It all made sense now.

  The wolf would return.

  I only hoped he wouldn’t be completely irate with me.

  Opening the top of the vial I hold the clear liquid to Damon’s lips as I begin chanting.

  The words to fuse his life with that of the wolf flow like a silky song from my lips.

  Dillon and Harley fade into the background as I feel a warm sensation wash over me and Damon, we would forever be connected, and he would become part of my pack.

  I wait for the right moment before I tip the vial back pouring the liquid into Damon’s mouth, then I change forms into my wolf and allow her to take control.

  She quickly moves with a hard bite to the side of Damon’s upper shoulder.

  Stepping back she then lets out a piercing howl, which Dillon joins in.

  It was finished.

  Now, it was up to the wolf inside and Damon to recover and return to us.

  With the stubborn attitude both had, I knew it wouldn’t be long before they were both back fighting for life.

  Or trying to kill me for what I had done to them both.

  Either way I was just happy that they had another chance.

  They could live again.

  They would have a second chance.

  17-Second Chances

  “What are we going to do if he doesn’t wake up soon, Parker?” Haley asks as the sun begins to light up the crisp morning sky as it rises.

  I was still in wolf form with her snuggled in close.

  Dillon was behind us in his wolf form asleep.

  The night had gone by slowly with Damon slowly going through his changes.

  At one point in time he had changed into his wolf form, the very same black coat with the silver ear that I remembered so well.

  He hadn’t changed back yet and that was both a good sign and a bad one.

  Good, because he was still fighting.

  And bad, because he hadn’t changed back in order to wake up.

  The last thing I wanted him to do was wake up as a wolf.

  Which was the reason I was still in wolf form, at least then I could do whatever needed to be done in order to keep him out of trouble or out of harm’s way.

  Changing into my human form briefly I sigh and wrap my arm around my best friend. “I don’t know what we will do, but right now we don’t have any choice but to wait. I can’t leave him here to fend for his self, nor do I want to let London get a hold of him.”

  She nods in understanding. “Is he going to be alright?” She then questions.

  I nod. “He will be. He just needs to wake up.” I reply.

  “I wish he would do it already, I haven’t ever been this worried about one guy in my life.” Harley huffs out.

  I grin. “Does that mean you really like him?”

  She smiles shyly. “Maybe, I don’t know, Parker, I’ve only known him for a short period of time.”

  “Are you still going to like him when he’s like this?” I ask curiously as I motion to the wolf on the ground in front of us.

  She bites her lip for a moment deep in thought before answering. “I think I would either way. There’s just something about him.”

  “Why do I feel furry?” Damon’s voice suddenly chimes into my head.

  Instantly Dillon is on his paws, no doubt hearing what I had.

  “What’s going on?” Harley asks.

  I shush her before moving cautiously over to Damon’s side.

  “Something happened earlier, something I couldn’t stop.” I begin to explain out loud. “I had to do something to keep you alive.”

  His big brown wolf eyes peer up at me in question. “What happened?” He asks in my mind.

  “You nearly froze to death.” I huff out. “You didn’t even tell anyone that you were that cold, if you did I wouldn’t have pushed us so hard.”

  Leaning up farther he glances around quickly. “Is Harley alright?”

  I nod with a small smile. “Yes, she is fine but you’re going to hate me when I tell you what I did to save your life.”

  Fiddling with my hands I stall for time.

  Damon huffs out. “Just tell me, it can’t be all that bad.”

  I let out a sarcastic snort before looking at him in the eyes. “I made you into one of us.” I answer motioning between Dillon in his wolf form and myself.

  His eyes close for a moment before opening them back up. “Is that all that could have saved me?” He asks sadly.

  I nod with my head bowed. “I didn’t want to, I mean, I didn’t know how you would feel about being forced to become one of us but it was all we, I, could do to fix my mistake.”

  “I’m really sorry.” I add with a whisper.

  He sighs roughly. “I’m not happy about this and I can’t imagine what the Hunters are going to think but I trust you, Parker. I know you wouldn’t have done this without thought or without regard to my feelings.”

  He grunts as he stands to his four feet. “I have to admit this is pretty cool.”

  “I know it’s cool right now but I need you to change back into your human form so we can get back onto the road before London catches up to us.” I interrupt his fun.

  He nods his head as his tongue rolls out the side. “How exactly do I do that?”

  “It’s easy, just think about being human and push the wolf part of you to submit.” I answer inside his head.

  He pauses, standing incredibly still as his eyes shut.

  Nothing happens.

  “What’s wrong?” I ask curiously.

&n
bsp; “The wolf doesn’t exactly want to play nice.” He answers.

  Cursing I begin to pace. “It figures, I should have known he’d hold a grudge.”

  “What do you mean by that?” Harley interjects.

  Turning to her with a sigh I bow my head. “I had to kill the wolf that I used to save Damon. Wouldn’t you hold a grudge too if you died and then were brought back?”

  She nods. “Yeah, I guess I would but this isn’t the time to be playing around with a wolf that wants to play games.” She grunts in Damon’s direction.

  He lets out a low snarl and then lies down on the ground into a ball to sleep.

  I groan in frustration. “What do I have to do to make you give him up?”

  The wolf glances up me with one eyes open. “What are you willing to give me?” The wolf questions in his own raspy voice which meant Damon no longer had control he was just along for the ride until the wolf finally gave him control again.

  “I’ll give you anything you want.” I answer silently.

  When he peers up at Harley I sigh and bow my head I knew then what he was going to ask of me and I didn’t know whether or not I could say yes.

  “Both me and the human want her. Make her ours when the time comes and I will work with you.” He answers surprising me.

  “I can do that, but I won’t hurt her in order to give you what you want.” I reply.

  “Hurting her was never what I wanted but if she faces something she can’t survive that’s when you will act and give her to me.” He replies.

  “Fine, I can agree to that.” I nod.

  Harley steps forward for a second. “Wait a second, exactly what did you just agree to?”

  “It’s nothing you need to worry about, Harley.” Damon answers for me, now in his human form.

  She continues to stare at me for my answer.

  I sigh. “He’s right it’s nothing to worry about, it’s just something personal between the two of us that’s all.” I lie slightly.

  It really was personal to want my best friend like that, but he was part of my pack now and soon enough she would probably be joining us.

  At least with the answer she had given me earlier about becoming a wolf I knew she wouldn’t be angry with me when I did have to save her.

  I would be angry for the both of us in that case.

  Agreeing to his wishes had been a bit selfish of me.

  “We better get going, Parker.” Dillon joins us. “I can hear someone coming down the road and if I had any guess at who was coming I would say that it’s probably London.”

  I curse and motion to our bikes. “Hurry, we don’t want to be caught out in the open like this.”

  Everyone jumps into action and within a few minutes we are back on the road speeding in the opposite direction of London.

  “Do you think he heard us leave?” Dillon questions in my mind as he hangs on tightly behind me.

  “I hope not.” I reply.

  “He probably didn’t hear our engines over his own.” Damon chimes in.

  I had to admit, that him being inside our conversation was a little bit unnerving.

  I hadn’t really trusted him being a Hunter and I still didn’t trust him being a wolf, slash Hunter, slash pack member.

  It was a lot to wrap my head around.

  The wind blows through my hair as the air howls in my ears as we ride on.

  I was the only one who had forgone the helmet, choosing to be able to see my surroundings better instead.

  Closing my eyes for a moment I imagine being in a different place and time, a place and time where I wasn’t running, one where I was in Gage’s arms.

  “I’ve got the bike.” Dillon states as his hands come around me taking control of the handle bars.

  I smile and open my eyes as I move to stand up on the bike.

  With my hands raised into the air I raise my face to the sun shining down on us, and with a deep breath in I let my wolf come to the surface just enough to let out a loud howl.

  Seconds later Dillon and Damon join in with their own matching howls.

  It warmed my heart to hear my pack, my own little growing family.

  When Harley joins in we all break into laughter.

  Taking my seat back on the bike I reclaim control of the bike, but quickly stop us when I hear the slightest return call to our howls.

  I cut the engine just in time to listen to the next howl as it comes out loud and familiar.

  “Who is it?” Dillon asks out loud.

  “That would be Derek and his pack. They are calling us to them for protection.” I answer with a worried smile.

  “Word must have traveled quickly.” Dillon states what we were all thinking.

  I nod in agreement. “Yes, because this will change every pack out there. My father’s pack kept order for well over a century.”

  Damon curses. “What are we going to do?”

  “We are going to go to them and gain their trust so we can stay on top when everything hits the fan.”I answer turning my engine back on.

  “Can we trust them?” Damon questions before we take back off.

  I nod again confidently. “Yes, Derek would never harm me.”

  “But would he harm us?” Damon questions seriously inside my mind.

  “Maybe, he doesn’t love you like he does me.” I tease trying to make light of the moment.

  Riding down the road Dillon brings up a good question. “I thought he lived far away, what would he be doing so close?”

  “I thought so to, and if he does then that wasn’t a call for protection, that was a cry for help.” I reply revving the engine to speed down the roadway as fast as I could.

  Turning one corner at breakneck speed we turn right onto an all out war in the middle of the road.

  Wolves were in plain daylight fighting against one another.

  We stop the bikes and before the engine even shuts off Dillon and I were already changing into our wolf forms.

  I look back to Damon as he slides off of his bike. “Tell Harley to ride away, we will find her later. This will be too dangerous for her to get caught up in.” I command.

  He nods turning back towards Harley talking quickly.

  I face forward once more scanning for the familiar wolf form I knew so well.

  Unfortunately, I spot Derek directly in the middle of the mayhem.

  If we didn’t act now he would surely be killed by the two larger wolves stalking him from either of his sides leaving him vulnerable.

  “Where’s the rest of his pack?” Dillon asks.

  Looking around at the bodies on the ground my wolf whines sadly.

  His pack was dead, women, children, and men, where all lying in pools of blood.

  Dillon’s wolf whines sadly as he realizes the carnage.

  “What do we do?” Damon questions as he joins us in his wolf form.

  “We fight, and we kill.” I answer before lunging at one of the wolves closest.

  18-No Guts, No Glory

  With a rip and tearing of flesh another wolf succumbs to my strength, falling down to the ground in human form, dead.

  I search for the next target.

  Damon and Dillon were taking out the larger wolves together so I wasn’t so worried about them, but I was worried about Derek.

  I could tell he was wearing down quickly.

  With a moment of rest for me I watch as he barely takes down his current opponent.

  Once their last breath leaves their muzzle he falls to the ground in exhaustion.

  I’m about to go to his side when I’m suddenly hit from the side.

  “I warned you that I would find you.” London snarls as his fangs tear at the skin on the back of my neck.

  “You may have found me but that doesn’t mean I’ll go with you without a fight.” I answer twisting myself so I could get back to my feet.

  “You will come back with me one way or another, Parker.” He growls.

  We face each other with our teeth showin
g and our fur standing on end.

  Damon and Dillon join me as they tap their selves into my sides for support.

  Derek joins us as well limping on one of his front legs.

  Staring at London I take notice of the lack of wolves on his side, or rather the absence of his pack.

  “You came alone?” I question.

  “My pack is coming.” He growls out fiercely.

  If that was true we had this moment to end this all now.

  An alpha like London could be taken down by us if he was truly alone.

  With my eyes firmly planted on London I barely notice Derek take on his human form.

  “I’m sorry for this, Parker.” He whispers out loud just before I feel something slice through my back.

  My wolf cries out twisting as the offending weapon is then pulled out. Turning towards Derek I change into my human form.

  “Why?” I whisper confused as I collapse to the ground.

  “He has my mate and pups.” He answers honestly as he plunges the knife he was holding into my shoulder this time.

  Dillon attacks just as Harley pulls back up on her bike with a gun drawn.

  She fires a few shots hitting Derek right on target making him scream out in pain as he pulls away from me.

  Behind me London also screams out in pain as she fires off shots at him as well.

  “Get onto the bike, Parker.” Damon orders as he runs towards me.

  I stand to my feet and run as he and Dillon move to my sides protecting me from anything further.

  Stopping by the bike I look up to Harley gratefully. “I can’t move my arm.”

  She nods and moves back as she motions to the front seat of the bike. “You can ride between my arms, but hurry because we’ve got more company coming.”

  Nodding I hurry to get on with some help from Dillon.

  Once I’m on both Dillon and Damon change back into wolf form.

  “We’ll be right behind you.” Dillon grunts.

  I nod. “Let’s go, Harley.”

  She doesn’t hesitate for a moment before we are taking off down the road back the way we had come, back to the path we should have stayed on.

  I had been taken for a fool.

  The pain was quickly becoming unbearable as we traveled on with Dillon and Damon running alongside us in wolf form.