Call of the Wilds

by Неизвестный

  He headed straight for the enclosure. His ears twitched when the bloodthirsty howls started up again. Overhead, a single hawk spiraled as if waiting for someone to die. His heart clenched, and he picked up his pace.

  The gate stood open, and he streaked through it. He smelled the tension in the pack and Sable’s blood. The wolves crowded together, snarling and crouched for attack. A flash of black fur in their midst caught his attention. He didn’t have time to wonder what brought Sable to the enclosure. He leaped into the fray determined to save her from the others.

  The big alpha had his jaws clamped around Sable’s hind leg while his mate snapped at her. Outnumbered and hurt, Sable flattened her ears back and growled. Malcolm crouched, leaped, and knocked the alpha off his feet. The wolf released Sable’s leg. His mate showed Malcolm her teeth and then snarled at the she-wolf. The rest of the pack fled to the perimeter of the fence.

  He didn’t want to hurt a pregnant female, but he had to protect Sable. He growled a warning and approached her slowly, hoping she would give up. The alpha moved between them, protecting his mate.

  Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sable staring at him. He growled and tossed his head, indicating she should run. She fled, and he relaxed. He intended to follow, but another blood scent distracted him. The alpha came forward and placed a paw on his shoulder. Yipping, he took off, spun, and twirled in the high grass. Malcolm followed and almost stumbled over Karin’s body, half hidden in the underbrush. He uttered a long, mournful wail of pain that resounded through the Wilds, and the pack answered him.

  Bloodlust seized him. His lips curled in a savage snarl, exposing his razor sharp fangs, and he looked for Sable. She was already gone. She never liked Karin, but to do something like this was unthinkable.

  Already shifting, he turned his attention to Karin. He leaned over her motionless body.

  “Karin, baby. Wake up,” he pleaded.

  She moaned softly, and he gathered her into his arms and held her gently to his chest. The pack watched from a respectful distance. She might be dead if not for them. He had no idea how bad her injuries were. He needed to get her into the refuge and call for help.

  Karin had left a blood trail that led back to the refuge, but as he got closer, he detected a new scent. He caught sight of Frank’s body and his chest tightened.

  “Oh, Sable, what have you done?” He should have prevented this. He’d have to go after her, but not until he took care of Karin. He carried her inside and set her down in the treatment room. Shock set in when he saw her battered body under the lights. She was so pale and covered with bruises. One arm was bloody and mangled, and the other looked like it might be broken. There could be internal injuries. She needed professional help. He wrapped her in a blanket to keep her warm and then he called the SAR team. Search and Rescue would give her first aid and transport her to the hospital. No point worrying about Frank. He was beyond help.

  “Karin, wake up, baby.” He cleaned her face, wishing he could do more. “Can you hear me? I promise I’ll find her. I won’t let her hurt you again.” She didn’t stir. If Karin died, he would too. He couldn’t survive the death of another mate. “I’m so sorry.” He laid his forehead against hers. “I love you, doc.”

  When he heard a vehicle coming, he leaned over and kissed her lips, slipped out the back, and shifted.

  Now he could add Karin’s attack to the guilt he carried. Because of him, she almost died. She might still die. He should have seen this coming. Sable was a feral animal who wouldn’t hesitate to kill to get what she wanted. For so long, he focused on hating humans for their brutality, he forgot his own kind were just as capable of savagery, and because of his stupidity, his mate might die. It took a near disaster to make him realize they belonged together. He would give anything to make it up to her, but it was too late. Too late for Sable, too. He had to find her before she killed again.

  * * * *

  Was it only a week since she woke to the smell of antiseptic, surrounded by a sterile white vista and haunted by terrible dreams? Confused and disoriented, she questioned the reality of the circumstances that landed her in a hospital bed. She doubted her sanity.

  Trudy, her only visitor, came with flowers and told her about Frank’s death. That much was real. She told Trudy she didn’t remember anything, and the woman didn’t stay long.

  It must be true—all of it. She always believed the werewolf legend was just that, a legend. But she knew what she saw. Sable transformed into a wolf—didn’t she?

  Back in her cabin, surrounded by familiar possessions, it once again seemed like a bad dream. Could wolf-people really exist? She had no one to ask. Only one person had the answers, and he had left town. She assumed he took Sable away to protect her. He needn’t have bothered. She wasn’t talking. Who would believe her?

  She might never have closure. The best she could do would be to put the nightmare behind her and make a new life in the city.

  Most of her things were already packed. Who would have thought she’d miss the little log house. She smiled wistfully. It was never about the house. If she had Malcolm, she’d live anywhere, even a wolf den.

  The cell phone went off, jarring her out of her reverie. Karin picked it up, looked at the caller ID and shoved it back in her bag. Since her replacement had checked into the Black Wolf Lodge two days ago, he had called repeatedly. She gave him the grand tour, and now he was anxious to get started. She kept putting him off. It wasn’t easy to hand the pack over to someone else, but she had to admit the bureau had made a good choice. A zoologist looking for a change, he loved animals and he promised to protect the pack.

  In a matter of days, everything had changed. A new sheriff had been appointed to fill in, someone she didn’t know. She didn’t miss Frank. She felt guilty, but he wasn’t the person she thought he was. Fortunately, he hadn’t harmed the baby, but it could have turned out so much worse. She’d been afraid to go to the police, but a higher authority had meted out his punishment.

  Her mother had an apartment waiting for her in the city, her bags were packed, and nothing held her here. And yet she hesitated to leave. She hoped Malcolm would come back. She just wanted to talk. About the baby. She had so many questions. But he might never come back, and she couldn’t put off the move forever.

  As much as she wanted her child to know his father, maybe it was better this way. Malcolm didn’t frighten her. He was nothing like Sable. She still loved him, but he wanted a different life. They both let lust override good sense. It couldn’t be undone, and she had no regrets. The she-wolf terrified her, but the big city would swallow her up, and no one would find her. How ironic that she fled to Black Wolf for safety and now she hoped to find it back in the city.

  Chapter Thirty

  Karin wrapped a towel around her wet hair and studied her reflection in the mirror. Aside from her thickening middle and a short arm cast, she didn’t look much different than she did before moving to Black Wolf—the changes were all inside. Another twinge of nausea reminded her of the biggest change, the baby she carried in her belly. She leaned over the commode, just in case, but it passed.

  “Yip! Yip! Yip!” Wolfie dropped a fuzzy pink slipper at her feet. She made a grab for it, but he got it first and backed off.

  “Sorry, boy. I’m too tired for tug of war.” The tiny black and tan fur ball looked more like an overgrown dust bunny than a dog, but he had spunk and never ever gave up when he wanted something. The Yorkie had been a compromise because the apartment complex only allowed small dogs, but Wolfie had a big personality in a little package, and she loved him to pieces.

  Having the dog helped, but the city still didn’t feel like home. She missed the woods and the pack. The new wildlife manager called once with an update. There were no more incidents and no talk of delisting. Assured of the pack’s safety, she needed to protect her own so she changed her phone number. That part of her life had ended. She focused her attention on the future.

  The soft flutter of move
ment an inch or two below her navel reminded her that her future would be a busy one. The little kicks got stronger every day. No one would believe she was less than two months pregnant. She told the gynecologist her periods were so irregular she had no idea when she conceived. She counted on the ultrasounds to guesstimate her due date. Other than his growth spurts, her pregnancy seemed no different than anyone else’s. An ultrasound showed a healthy baby boy. She planned to name him Malcolm Ian after his father and her father.

  She missed Malcolm more than she thought possible. They had so little time together. She hoarded each precious memory, kept them close to her heart, and pulled them out when she got lonely. But no amount of time would have been enough. Not with the man she wanted to spend her life with. She learned his secret under the most horrific circumstances, and it didn’t change a thing. She accepted him unconditionally. How could she not? It would mean not accepting her child. It was pointless to try and forget him with a constant reminder growing inside her. Instead, she resigned herself to the fact she would always love him, and her child would know he was created out of that love.

  The road ahead would not be easy. Raising a son alone would be hard enough. Helping him make the most of his special abilities would require a Herculean effort. But when had anything in her life been easy? Besides, children didn’t come with guarantees. She had the best doctor, a good hospital nearby, and she was a vet. She'd do her best to give Malcolm's son the love and care he deserved.

  She lived in a safer neighborhood too, thanks to financial help from her mother. Mom begged her to move in with her, but she refused. She didn’t want to live under her mother’s eagle eye. No one would know the truth about her son if she could help it, not even his grandmother. If it meant she’d have a lonely life, then so be it. Most people, and men in particular, couldn’t be trusted anyway. Better to stick with furry friends. They never lied to her, and they offered unconditional love.

  Giving up on the slippers, she went to the bedroom for her security robe, the blue fleece with the fluffy white clouds. The wolf kachina doll watched her from its place on the night table. She picked it up and rubbed her cheek against the carving. It was all she had to remind her of Malcolm—except their baby. If only she’d taken some pictures. An animated slideshow played in her head—Malcolm fighting Jude, Malcolm rescuing her after her fall, Malcolm making love to her. As each scene replayed, a knife pierced her heart.

  She wouldn’t forget what he looked like but could she describe him to his son? Her eyes got all misty. Damn him! He left his mark on her and then discarded her for someone else. She had to stop this. She promised herself she wouldn’t think like that. He came into her life when she needed him the most, and she would always remember how he made her feel—safe, desirable, and special. Some women never found true love. At least she had. It would have to be enough.

  She padded barefoot to the kitchen, looked regretfully at the coffeepot, and poured some milk instead. Her mother promised that a Starbucks Double Chocolaty Chip Frappuccino would be waiting for her immediately after she gave birth. Her mouth watered thinking about it.

  Sighing, she looked up at Kit-Cat, an art deco treasure rescued from her mother’s attic. It hadn’t told the right time since 1960, but the tail still swung to and fro, and it usually made her smile. Today, it would take more than a whimsical wall clock to lift her melancholy mood.

  She settled into the overstuffed armchair in the tiny living room. The classifieds lay untouched on the hassock. Ignoring them, she put her feet up. She still had a cast on her arm, and with all the uncertainty about her due date, she wasn’t ready to look for a job yet. She’d get by on her savings and help from her mother.

  A yawn escaped, and her eyelids drooped. How ironic. Only twenty-eight and sitting here with her feet on a little footstool like Whistler’s mother.

  She dozed until a loud knock and Wolfie’s yapping startled her. Not many people knew she had moved back. Curious, she pushed aside the hassock and went to look through the peephole.

  All the color drained from her face and her body stiffened in shock. Hope bubbled in her blood and disappeared just as fast. Was Malcolm here for her? Or did Sable tell him about her pregnancy and convince him the baby would be better off with them? It could be a ruse to harm her son. The she-wolf was capable of anything. But Malcolm wasn't. She knew better. Second-guessing his motives was useless. He was here and she had to know why.

  What he had to say would determine how much she’d reveal to him. She slipped her pepper spray in the pocket of her robe in case he hadn’t come alone. Then she pulled the towel off her head and reached for the knob.

  Chapter Thirty-one

  A light-gray blur streaked past and almost knocked her off her feet. Two strong hands grabbed her shoulders and held her steady. So much for keeping her distance.

  “Looks like Ralf forgot his manners again.” The crooked grin didn’t make it to his eyes.

  “What are you doing here?” She twisted out of his grip and backed halfway across the room.

  “I was in the neighborhood?” he replied with an attempt at lightness.

  She tightened her lips in what she hoped looked like an expression of annoyance, and his smile vanished.

  “Can I come in?”

  She nodded reluctantly and fiddled with her damp, tangled hair. He always did catch her at her worst.

  He wore the same work shirt and jeans he had on the first time she saw him. The day-old growth of beard and unruly mane were endearingly familiar and incredibly sexy. He looked good enough to eat. She lost herself in his masculine beauty. His son would look just like him, a tangible reminder of the man who stole her heart. How could she want to pummel him and wrap herself around him at the same time? Already the apartment felt ten degrees hotter than it had five minutes ago. It could have been one of her flushes, but she knew better. She had to remind herself he didn’t belong to her anymore. He never had.

  Ralf’s warning growl broke the awkward silence. He backed out of the bathroom dragging Wolfie with him, one end of a pink slipper in his mouth, the other in Wolfie’s.

  “Ralf! Drop it!” Malcolm scolded. The hybrid dropped his end of the shoe and trotted over to Malcolm, sitting sheepishly at his feet.

  Karin took one look at Malcolm’s horrified face and burst out laughing.

  “Believe me, Wolfie can hold his own.” She sat on the floor and the victorious Wolfie dropped the slipper in her lap. “Come here, Ralf.”

  He slunk over, and the two dogs eyed each other warily.

  “Okay, boys, get acquainted and no pissing contests in my house.” With the requisite sniffing over, the two dogs settled down and snuggled up like best buds.

  Malcolm gaped in disbelief. “Well, I’ll be damned.”

  “I think they’ve made their peace.”

  “What about us, doc?”

  If only it were that easy. “Why are you here, Malcolm?” She’d imagined this meeting a hundred times in a hundred different ways—how he would look, what he would say, what she would say, how difficult it would be. It was ten times worse. Now that it was actually happening, she had no idea how to react. Looking at him opened up the hole in her heart she tried to fill with Wolfie and the baby.

  “I’ve been worried about you.” He looked older, tired. “We didn’t have a chance to talk.”

  “You were the one who left.”

  “I didn’t have a choice.”

  “There’s always a choice.”

  “Maybe I made the wrong one,” he said in a voice so low she almost missed it. “When I came back, I went to the refuge, but your replacement told me you moved back home and didn’t leave a forwarding address.”

  “I had my reasons.” She gestured to the couch and sat in the armchair. “So how did you find me?”

  “I called every Stone in the phone book.” He smiled faintly. “There’s quite a few.”

  “I’m not in the book,” she said dubiously. “Neither is my mother.”

/>   “Myra Stone is.”

  “Oh no.” She rolled her eyes. Her mother’s sister could never keep her mouth shut.

  “I told her I worked for the Wildlife Bureau and needed your address so I could mail your last check.”

  “And she just gave it to you?”

  “Don’t be mad at her. She asked me all kinds of questions.”

  “Only to find out some gossip I’m sure. I didn’t leave an address because I didn’t want to be found.” Her heart fluttered with fear. “Is anyone with you?”

  “No, just me and Ralf.”

  “Does Sable know you’re here?” An uneasy pulse beat beneath her ribs.

  “No.”

  “I thought you left town with her.”

  “We left town, but not together.” He stared at her cast, and his eyes darkened with pain. “Are you okay, doc?”

  “You heard about the attack?”

  “I was there,” he said brokenly. “I wish I’d gotten there sooner. I could have spared you all this.”

  “I don’t understand. I was told someone called the paramedics. We all assumed it was Frank, that he made the call before he died.”

  “I brought you inside and called SAR.”

  “You called? Why did you leave?”

  “I didn’t want to leave you, but I had to follow the wolf’s trail before she hurt someone else. I waited until I heard the rescue vehicle, and then I slipped out. I couldn’t do anything for Frank. I’m sorry,” he said wearily.

  “It’s not your fault. I saw his body, and I knew he couldn’t survive an attack like that.”

  “I know what it’s like to lose someone you care about.”

  “Frank wasn’t the friend I thought he was, but then neither were you.”

  “I just wanted the best for you. I care about you, doc.”

  “Right. That’s why you dumped me for another woman.”

  “You’re wrong. Frank told me to back off. He said you were getting married. I knew I had no right to be angry or jealous, so I kept my distance. I’m not good at showing my feelings, but I always cared.”