The Pack Rules Boxed Set: The Complete Series of Wolf, Bear, and Dragon Shifter Romances

by Michele Bardsley

  “You, too, man.”

  They shook hands, and Nolan watched Andrew leave the cafeteria.

  The back of his neck prickled as the sense of danger heightened. His nostrils flared as he picked up a strange scent ... no, a stench. The awful smell was familiar, something he’d smelled for a brief moment at the mall earlier. He scanned the cafeteria. Just a few people were seated and none seemed to be out of place.

  His inner wolf was edgy, and he felt the impression of his ears pricking forward. He wanted to growl, but he managed to keep his cool. He wandered around the space, covertly checking out the diners. Not a single one seemed interested in him—and none were responsible for the stink clogging his nose.

  What the hell? His first thoughts were for Stephanie. He’d left her with Randall and the two guards on his room. She should be safe for the moment.

  He circled back to the table. The dishes had already been bussed by a cafeteria worker, but as he got closer, not even the citrus scent of the cleaner used on the table could overpower that odd, terrible smell. Then Nolan remembered. He berated himself for not realizing earlier. If he hadn’t been half-sick with worry and fear for Stephanie at the mall, he might have remembered sooner.

  The shame totem that had been tossed through Stephanie’s window … it smelled bad like this. Death. He straightened, chills racing down his spine.

  Garrett.

  He’d been following them all day, at the mall, maybe Swan Lake, and definitely, he’d been here in the lunchroom. Nolan’s heart pounded as adrenaline surged through his veins and threatened to split his skin with fur and fangs.

  That Wendigo bastard was in the hospital.

  7

  FOREBODING COATED STEPHANIE like a light frost. She shivered, settling back into the chair and stared at the sleeping form of her father. He looked so fragile strapped to the bed with wires and tubes coming out of him. She knew he was recovering. Before the pain meds had kicked in, he’d been as ornery as hell—every bit the werewolf she’d always known. Seeing him vulnerable, almost human, made her worry. He’d always seemed so strong, so confident. She couldn’t imagine him being felled by such an ordinary and common ailment. Knowing she could lose her only family had sliced her off at the knees.

  Added to the weight of that worry was the constant fear that Garrett would get to her. The two werewolves standing watch at the hospital door should’ve provided her with a sense of security, but she couldn’t quell her fear. She rubbed her arms as if she could brush off her growing unease. She’d told Nolan to go have lunch when they’d arrived, but now Stephanie wished she’d asked him to stay. The only time she felt safe was when he was near.

  With a deep sigh, she tried to shake the negative thoughts from her mind and stared at the door for a moment, hoping Nolan would walk into the room. No such luck. Why was she so drawn to him? She’d thought her attraction to Garrett had been strong, but his pull on her was nothing compared to Nolan’s. The thought scared her. She couldn’t fall down into that rabbit hole again. It wasn’t that she believed Nolan was anything like Garrett. No. It was her desire to be strong on her own. She wanted to reclaim her confidence.

  Stephanie stood and stretched, feeling the bones in her back pop. She walked to the hospital window and pushed aside the curtain. She looked at her reflection. Unbidden, came the memory of Garrett’s snarling face, and his image interposed with hers on the pane. A cold chill zipped straight down her spine.

  The roar of a car engine drew her attention to the parking lot. Instinctively, she stepped back and let the curtain fall. Her heart skipped a beat, and she placed a hand against her throat. She was in a room ten stories up, for heaven’s sake! No one could see her from the parking lot, not even a Wendigo. Right?

  She was safe, she told herself, though she didn’t really believe it.

  Stephanie placed her hand against her stomach, stroking her abdomen. The anguish crashed through her so suddenly she thought she might drown in it.

  “What are you doing?” she cried as Garrett backhanded her onto the bed. She scrambled backward against the pillows, wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth. The thick red substance smeared the back of her hand as she thrust her arms in front of her to thwart him.

  “No,” she screamed, as he tore at her clothes, “No!”

  Desperation made her fight back. She didn’t want him to know about the baby. He was too strong, too persistent. He ripped off her shirt and shredded her shorts with violent tugs until she was naked and exposed.

  His hands stilled when he saw her swollen stomach.

  “You kept this from me. ME!” His face changed, morphing from human to Wendigo in seconds, the monster’s face was gray and gaunt with eyes as yellow as a poisoned moon. “You bitch.”

  Nausea cramped Stephanie’s insides, and she bent over, drawing deep breaths until the sick feeling passed. She glanced over to see if her panic attack had awoken her father, but he slept peacefully. Goddamn it. She couldn’t stay here alone with her thoughts. She couldn’t stay here and fight the ghost of Garrett. Not by herself. Hands shaking, she grabbed her purse and went to the door.

  She had to get out of here and find Nolan. Now.

  NOLAN STRODE toward Stephanie as she stepped into the hallway, relief sliding through him. Her shoulders were hunched forward, and she held her purse tight to her body. “Stephanie!” he shouted.

  She jerked and let out a startled yelp, fumbling to keep the contents of her bag from spilling out.

  “You okay?” He’d ran most the way to the room, even taking the stairs, because the elevator was too damned slow. Garrett had been in the hospital and might still be around. His first priority was to get Stephanie somewhere less crowded, more fortified. Somewhere he could protect her.

  “I don’t know. I guess.” She glanced at the two werewolves standing on either side of the door. “I’m ready to go home.”

  Even though he could see she didn’t know about Garrett, he knew something had spooked her. He looked at the guards. “Stay with Randall. Team Two will follow us back to the house.”

  The men nodded.

  Nolan kept his werewolf nose tuned to the horrendous smell of Wendigo, but the stench wasn’t as apparent as they left the hospital and entered the parking lot. All the same, he kept a firm grip on Stephanie’s hand as he steered her toward the car.

  She scooted into the passenger seat. “You seem on edge.”

  He shut the door, and then slid into the driver’s seat. “I could say the same to you.” He smiled. “Want some music?”

  “Nolan.”

  He didn’t want her to worry, but he didn’t want to keep anything from her either. Even though she was already pale and wearing her fear like a thick winter coat, he knew she was strong enough to take it. “Shit. Look, your husband’s been tracking us. Him or one of his brothers. The stench is unmistakable. Like the totem.”

  “I’m glad I don’t have a werewolf nose,” she said. She sucked in a shaky breath. “I’ve been feeling skittish as all hell.”

  “Instincts are powerful,” said Nolan as he smoothly backed out of the parking spot and headed to the freeway. “You should always trust them.”

  “Now you tell me,” she said. A wry smile tightened the corners of her mouth. Her voice was filled with such weariness it tore his heart out.

  “Don’t give up, Stephanie.”

  “I’m not.” She offered him a genuine, yet wavering, smile. “I won’t.”

  “Good.” They were in this together, whether Stephanie knew it or not, and he’d be damned if he’d let Garrett or any other bastard take her from him. He held his hand out, palm up. Stephanie took it, twining her fingers with his. “Good,” he said again, and with a quick nod, focused on the drive to the Draper mansion.

  When they arrived, Nolan pulled into the large driveway and the headlights flickered across the garage door. He heard Stephanie’s gasp at the same time he saw the dark letters smeared across the panels. Pure horror uncurled in his sto
mach. The message scrawled across the white garage door was a vicious accusation—written for the entire neighborhood to see.

  BABY KILLER.

  8

  GARRETT WATCHED HIS wife climb out of the werewolf’s vehicle. A grin twisted his lips as he watched her shoulders collapse. It almost seemed like she was shrinking inward, getting smaller and more pathetic, as she stared at his work. Luckily, his hiding spot was far enough away for him not to be spotted by humans or shifters, but close enough for him to see her reaction.

  The werewolf rounded the car and wrapped his arms around her.

  Garrett’s fury surged.

  How dare that mangy creature touch what belonged to him! Oh, he would pay for that.

  And so would his whore mate.

  NOLAN ARRANGED FOR Josiah Cave, a police officer and one of his enforcers who was already familiar with Stephanie’s case, to answer the call. Cave asked Stephanie questions about the graffiti and took the report. The words had been written in blood. Fucking blood! Nolan had no idea where the Wendigo acquired the fetid, black blood. Was it his? It didn’t smell human and it wasn’t werewolf, either. Regardless, Garrett definitely knew what buttons to push. The psychopath had beaten Stephanie until she’d lost her child. It had been Garrett’s own hand that had killed his unborn son. All the same, Nolan saw how the words “Baby Killer” had shaken Stephanie to her core.

  Cave’s cop car parked next to Nolan’s SUV was only a show for the humans living in the neighborhood—to let them know they were still secure and ultimately protected from bad guys.

  One small silver lining was that no one else could see the horrendous act of vandalism. The garage was separate from the massive home, and it sat at the very back of the long drive. At least none of the neighbors would ask questions about Stephanie and her father.

  Nolan quivered with an animalistic need to stop Garrett. Fucking asshole! Oh, yeah, Nolan would definitely do something about that prick. The rage lashing through him clawed to the surface, and he could barely contain his shift. Inside, his werewolf snarled, wanting to be unleashed.

  Not yet.

  But soon.

  After Cave finished his interview with Stephanie, he helped Nolan clean off the ugly, thick blood dripping down the garage. They took a sample to give to the Moon Pack’s enforcers—maybe it would help track down the Wendigos faster. He couldn’t believe Garrett or his brothers had been able to hide from the werewolves. He’d never met a shifter able to escape the persistence and cunning of a werewolf.

  It took more than half an hour with both him and Cave scrubbing like crazy, but finally the awful words had been erased.

  After Cave left, Nolan joined Stephanie inside the house.

  He immediately did another check of windows and doors—and goddamn this house had a lot of ‘em. He returned to the living room and saw Stephanie curled on the couch, her eyes closed. Given the rhythm of her breathing and the fluttering of her eyelids, he knew she wasn’t really asleep.

  He sat next to her and patted her thigh. “Hey. You hungry?”

  Her eyes flickered open. “Not really.”

  “I’ll take you to the best eats in town.”

  She smiled, and it made his heart skip a beat. “You’ve made that promise before.”

  “Well … let me keep it.”

  She stared at him for a second then nodded. “Okay.”

  STEPHANIE SHIFTED IN the SUV’s passenger seat and peered out the windshield. Nolan said he would take her to the best restaurant in town. Get her something to eat. Calm her nerves. She didn’t care. He could drive all the way to New Jersey, and she wouldn’t care. Hell, drive the car into the Atlantic and let her drown in the salty, cold sea.

  God. All she could see was the bloody accusation scrawled on the garage door. And that face, that awful face with its toothy grin staring at her in the rain-soaked window. Garrett was trying to terrify her.

  And he was succeeding.

  Now, after driving down the bumpiest road Stephanie had ever been on, Nolan pulled into the gravel driveway of a modest two-story house. It was too dark to see much of it, but she could make out the huge wraparound porch. This was definitely not a steak house. “This is the best restaurant in town?”

  “Yep.” He grinned, but she saw the worry in his eyes, and behind that, the anger. He’d taken her burden as his own. “I make a mean bowl of chili.”

  “You took me to your house?” She blinked. “For chili?”

  “If you stop acting so cynical, I might even throw in cornbread.” He opened his door. “C’mon.”

  Nolan got out of the car. Yeah. She’d definitely seen the worried looks he’d been casting in her direction. Several times, he’d opened his mouth, and then closed it again. She knew he was trying to figure out what to say to her. Werewolves weren’t exactly the warm-fuzzy type.

  She got out, too, grateful her legs held up. Her insides might feel wobbly, but her body was still functioning normally. She leaned against the car, partly to get her bearings, partly to keep from going into Nolan’s house. She soaked in the soothing effects of the Oklahoma night. Honeysuckle perfumed the air, crickets chirped, and a warm breeze rattled the leaves of the trees surrounding the house.

  The crunch of gravel warned her of Nolan’s approach. He stood, silhouetted in the light of a half-moon, his angular face shadowed, and his stance casual as he looked at her.

  She stared back as he raked a hand through his hair.

  “You all right?” He grimaced. “That’s a stupid question. Of course, you’re not.” He looked at her, his gaze serious. “I just want to make you feel better. I want you to feel safe. You can trust me.”

  “I know.” Stephanie realized she meant it. For the first time since she’d left California and escaped Garrett, she wanted to reach out to someone. Share the weight of the pain she carried with her … let someone help her take the load.

  She didn’t have to feel alone.

  “Let me take care of you, Stephanie. Or at the very least, make you a meal.” Nolan held out his hand and she took it, enjoying how his big, warm palm enveloped hers. She marveled that such a small gesture made her feel more secure than all the werewolves who’d taken a perimeter around the house.

  NOLAN HADN’T BEEN kidding. He did make a mean bowl of chili—the mild heat warmed her blood, but it hadn’t been so hot as to make her eyelids sweat. His homemade cornbread had been moist and light, with just the right amount of sweetness. It had paired perfectly with the spice. All in all, one of the most satisfying meals she’d had in a very long time... Although the company might have had something to do with the way she felt about the food.

  While Nolan had cooked, Stephanie had wandered the big house, discovering more about the man who wanted to save her, to take care of her. She warmed when she thought about how he’d taken her in his arms earlier in the day. She drew her fingers to her lips, touching them, remembering the way Nolan’s kiss had sent butterflies through her stomach. Her lower body clenched at the memory. Shoot. She had it bad for this wolf. No doubt about it.

  His library was stocked with Shakespeare and Robert Ludlum—and the fact that he had a library at all made her fall even harder for Nolan. His video collection included “The Quiet Man” and “While You Were Sleeping.” Photographs, paintings, and sketches crowded the walls. Framed photos decorated the fireplace mantle in the living room. She knew she should still be afraid, but being here, surrounded by everything “Nolan” had chased most of the fear away. For the first time in hours, Stephanie felt like she could breathe again.

  After dinner, they’d retired there. Restless, Stephanie took her wine and studied the photos on the fireplace. She found herself picking up the framed photo of a dark-haired woman who looked remarkably like Nolan.

  “Who is this?”

  Nolan joined her and took the picture. “My sister. Hallie.”

  She felt a light release of anxiety, and berated herself for the reason. Hallie was beautiful, and she’d been a l
ittle jealous. “She’s your only sibling?”

  “Yes. Half-sister. My mom and dad were werewolves. My step-dad was a human. Hallie’s not a shifter.”

  Stephanie saw his fingers tense on the metal frame as he placed it back on the mantle. She didn’t have brothers or sisters. She’d been so alone when she’d first met Garrett. Vulnerable. Needy. And he’d been so understanding and loving and kind. The flood of memories threatened to break through, so she turned away from the snapshots of Nolan’s family.

  Then Nolan dropped a bombshell. “Hallie was almost beaten to death by her ex-husband.”

  Pain, sharp and swift, buckled Stephanie’s knees. The wine glass slipped out her hand, bounced off the thick carpet, and rolled under a wingback chair near the fireplace. The red wine stained the crème-colored carpet in a pattern that looked too much like blood spatters.

  Nolan put his glass on the mantle and grabbed her arm, guiding her to the couch. “Are you all right, sweetheart?”

  Stephanie tried to stop her shaking. It was too much. It was all too much.

  “I’m sorry, babe.” He sat next to her and took her hands. “Fuck. I shouldn’t have just blurted that out.”

  His voice was so gentle, so kind. His eyes were filled with understanding and concern, and he did understand, didn’t he? He’d seen his own flesh and blood go through the trauma of an abusive relationship.

  She was tired of crying, of running, of feeling broken and battered. No more. She wanted the comfort Nolan offered—no matter how temporary it might turn out to be. She needed someone to take away the chill inside her body, the cold squeezing her heart. If only for a moment, a night, to feel safe … looked after … cared for … oh, how she wanted that.

  Stephanie gathered her courage, her heart pounding a mile a minute, and looked at Nolan. Then she asked, “Will you make love to me?”

  Nolan said nothing. Instead, he swiftly scooped her up from the couch and into his arms as he stood. His whole body seemed to vibrate around her, and she was pretty sure she could hear a hint of a rumble in his wide, muscular chest—which she just happened to be pressed against. She barely caught her breath as he carried her down the hall to the master suite and kicked the door open.