Prey to the Heart

by Kristen Banet

  Abigail listened to the broken heart she heard behind Thomas’s voice. She looked around and saw it in their eyes. They knew this was different, and they were trying their best to pretend it wasn’t.

  “I’m always available,” she reminded them.

  “We know,” James answered, finally rolling his head to where his hazel eyes could land on her, that long hair falling from his forehead. “We’re just trying to get settled into our new place and deal with some old politics. Then we’ll worry about the…other stuff. Like the bar we’re thinking about buying. I’m excited about that.”

  “Oh?” Abigail was curious. She knew what they meant by the new place, but politics? And a bar? These guys were serious about just getting on with their lives.

  “I’m in talks with the new Alpha in South Dakota,” Thomas sighed. “Making sure she knows we’re not trying to come after her and…maybe get our stuff back. And some of our money. We won’t be able to get all of it, but we all had our own personal vehicles and assets that weren’t related to the Pack. I want to get us set up again.”

  “That’s good,” Abigail acknowledged. It was smart thinking, to approach the new female Alpha. She would help them, and they would stay out of her way. It was the best any of them could hope for. Normally, new Alphas went out of their way to destroy and crush competition. If you didn’t support the Alpha before they rose to power, they wouldn’t give you a chance afterwards. Most of the time.

  “We hope so,” Antonio grumbled, leaning over to her. “What about you? What’s your plan out here in Wild Junction, Colorado?”

  “Work?” She frowned at him. “Obviously. I just came out here today for a small break, explore a little. The Pride is too busy to have made their appointments.”

  “Get your shift on?” Antonio teased, and Abigail felt another blush heat up her cheeks.

  “I hadn’t planned on it, but it was calling to me. All of this.” She smiled at him, waving around at their surroundings. “It’s been a long time since I’ve gotten out like this. Thank you again for helping me.”

  Helping her? They had saved her damn life and now they were just hanging out in the woods.

  “What do you normally do to shift?” James asked, sitting up and looking confused.

  “A few minutes in my condo every so often?” she answered, shrugging.

  “Madness,” James growled low to himself. “Thomas, do you hear that? She never gets out. Every so often?”

  “I hear it,” he replied thoughtfully. “You should have mentioned wanting to come out here. As we can tell, it’s dangerous for prey to run wild.”

  “I wasn’t planning on it,” she repeated. “Why are you guys all the way out here?”

  “This is our new territory,” Thomas informed her. “And you’re about 3 miles from our property.”

  “What?” Her eyes went wide. “Does the Colorado Wolf Pack know this?”

  “Funny thing about Wild Junction? The Colorado Wolf Pack wants nothing to do with it or the immediate surrounding area.” Thomas chuckled. “He considers it the Pride’s territory.”

  “Felines don’t hold territory,” Abigail said blandly, as if he was an idiot for suggesting it.

  “They don’t, but when a Kingson claims something as home, no one else is going to mess with it,” Antonio laughed. “So we talked to the Pride, and they were willing to let us become the Wild Junction Wolf Pack, along with the house.”

  “In return for remaining allies,” Thomas added. “I need to call the Colorado Alpha, too, though. Just to make sure everything is clear, so he knows that we aren’t a threat.”

  “You three moved fast,” Abigail noted.

  “Got to,” James yawned, “or we’re dead.”

  “If we don’t establish some sort of territory or loyalties to someone, we’ll be run off,” Antonio groaned. “Especially since we have an Alpha.” He waved to Thomas, who shrugged.

  “If someone wanted me to leave and it kept you two safe, I would go,” Thomas told them.

  “That’s not going to happen,” Antonio scoffed, grinning playfully at him. “You’re stuck with us.”

  “Oh, I know it,” he mumbled, trying to sound dismayed at the idea.

  Abigail started giggling again. They all played off each other well and it was entertaining to watch.

  A cooler breeze blew through the trees around them and she fought off a shiver. She hadn’t been cold while running and coming down from it, but she was relaxed now. It was chilly.

  “Let’s get you back to your things,” Thomas said gently, smiling at her. “Shift back into doe form.”

  She nodded as she stood up, still trying to make sure they didn’t see everything about her. By the time she was in doe form, she had three wolves around her. She wasn’t scared this time, though, knowing they weren’t true threats, and her doe was calm.

  “Just stick with us, we’ll set a steady pace that shouldn’t wear you down,” Thomas’s voice echoed in her head. She gave a nod in doe form as he watched her, his eyes still blue in wolf form. It was kind of them to do this for her. It was necessary for her, but it wasn’t for them. They could have just wished her well and let her figure her own way back.

  “How far did I run?” she asked as they moved through the forest.

  “Not too far,” Antonio answered, jumping to her side as if they were having a conversation in person. She looked down at the grey and tan wolf next to her. She was a short deer, but she still had some height on them. “I wouldn’t even say a mile.”

  “Antonio is quick as lightning,” James said to her, bringing up the rear. “The moment we realized you were going to keep running, he turned and went to head you off before you went deeper into the woods.”

  “Thank you,” she said quietly, trying to keep it to Antonio. The big wolf head nodded at her but didn’t say anything else. “Are you sure the mountain lion isn’t still around?”

  “Positive,” Thomas answered her, walking about five feet ahead of her and Antonio. “Once we get you to your car, we’re going to run the whole area and make sure it’s not a permanent resident. If it is, we’ll mark the trails and hope it stays off them.”

  “I don’t recommend you coming out here alone again,” James added. “We’re not here to chase off the local wildlife. It was their space first.”

  “Of course,” Abigail agreed. “If I do, I’ll just stay on the well-populated trails and in human form.”

  They made it to the stream, and Abigail quickly shifted back into her human form so she could get her clothing on. She ignored the watchful eyes of the wolves making sure she was safe.

  “I guess you three are going to stay wolves as we go back to my car?” Abigail turned to the blue-eyed Thomas. The wolf nodded. She figured as much, since they didn’t have clothing and walking nude on the trails might look strange if another hiker was around.

  She began to walk away, and the wolves disappeared into the brush, hiding from sight. She could hear them walking, the soft panting as they moved. She wished, for a moment, she didn’t need this, but she did. She was just a doe and she shouldn’t have been out here to begin with. She knew better.

  She heard them slow down as she hit the end of the trail and made it to where she parked her car. They didn’t come out to say goodbye and she slid into her car.

  She drove away, still silent from the walk. Once back at her hotel, she laid down on her bed and texted Riley. When she got no answer an hour later, she closed her eyes for a nap.

  The day had been much more eventful than she had wanted. The one group she wanted to avoid was the one she ended up spending her afternoon with.

  They had saved her life, of all things.

  6

  Abigail

  It was the next day when Abigail’s phone started to blow up. She groaned over her notes and looked down at the screen. Why was Zachary Woods blowing up her phone? She unlocked it and read them over, having saved all of the Pride’s numbers in case any of them needed her persona
lly.

  Zachary: You need to get Riley out of the house.

  Zachary: Now. She’s got cabin fever and needs a break from all this shit.

  Zachary: Go do some girly shit. Talk to her or something. Get your nails done. Something.

  Abigail put the phone back down and sighed, shaking her head. Well, if that wasn’t a hint that Riley needed a friend in that moment, then she didn’t know what was. Abigail closed up her notebooks and slid the loose papers into folders so she didn’t lose them. She opened her laptop and thought for a minute. She looked down at her fingers and nodded.

  “I do need to get my nails done,” she noted, talking to no one. She did a quick Google search and found what she wanted. A nail salon.

  She picked up her phone again and hit Riley’s number. It only rang once before someone picked up.

  “Riley Stern,” the cheetah answered, sounding annoyed.

  “Having a bad day?” Abigail asked calmly, knowing she was probably going to get an annoyed cheetah if Zachary was saying she had cabin fever. “I was wondering if you wanted to get your nails done with me.”

  “Really?” she snorted. “Did someone ask you to call?”

  “I may have gotten an angry text message from one of them…” Abigail trailed off into silence and Riley gave a heavy sigh. That wasn’t good, she thought. She needed to save this. She genuinely wanted to give this a chance with Riley, but having the guys force it probably didn’t look good. “Really, though, I think you need to get out of the mansion for an afternoon, and there’s no other female shifters around to get my nails done with.”

  “I’ll need to get my guard, and make sure Brenton knows, and…” Riley trailed off, still sounding like she was going to strangle something in annoyance. “You know, all of that.”

  “Of course,” Abigail laughed. She kind of did and kind of didn’t, but the feline drama wasn’t her business she reminded herself. “I was thinking sometime around one. That should give you enough time to get everything worked out. There’s a place in the next town over where we can go.”

  “I know the place,” she confirmed. “Make an appointment, and I’ll tell everyone the time and get it worked out…I do want to talk to you about something, so this works out.”

  “I’ll text you when I get the time!” Abigail answered, feeling more excited already. Some girl time sounded good, and it was a place where she wouldn’t get eaten by mountain lions…or wolves.

  That thought made Abigail moan and lean back in her chair. She needed to avoid them, she really did. The last time she’d gotten involved with wolves on a personal level, it had gone completely sideways and her heart had been shattered. She didn’t need to do it again and it was worse because these wolves could very well know who she was.

  “Politics,” she groaned to herself. “I should have never tried to get into the politics. Should have never dated an Alpha or gotten engaged to him. Stupid.” Stupidly in love, Abigail thought with a heaping serving of bitter.

  She shook her head and tried to stay focused on the girl time with Riley. She knew Riley would want to talk about things on the trip and Abigail wanted to have a clear mind. This was supposed to be girl time, but she could sneak in some help too. She felt a little guilty planning for it, but that’s what friends did, right?

  She called the nail salon and quickly scheduled the appointment. Then she texted Riley with the time and asked for a ride. It would be easier if this protection detail the Pride had gave them both a ride. It would give them more time to talk.

  Abigail heard the knock on her door and jumped up. She hadn’t wanted to wait out in the cold and the front desk had been told to send anyone up to her room if they needed her. It was normally something she did for patients she trusted to visit her outside the office or when she was traveling and didn’t have a set office.

  She pulled open the door and smiled at the jaguar shifter.

  “Abigail Harris?” he asked, looking her over, as if to check if she was a threat. It nearly made her laugh. She was the least threatening shifter on the planet. What was a doe going to do to a jaguar? She didn’t even carry a gun and hadn’t used one since she was a teenager in the Herd.

  “That’s me,” she answered brightly. “Let me grab my purse.” She ran back into the room and snatched it. “What’s your name?”

  “Call me Cortez,” he answered blandly, trying to avoid conversation. He didn’t offer her any way to continue, so she didn’t press.

  She followed him down to the Range Rover waiting out front. She slid in and smiled at Riley. “Are you ready to have a girl’s day?” she asked, unassuming. She didn’t want Riley to think she was expecting any information or a serious talk.

  “Sure, why not?” Riley gave her a thumbs-up. “I’ve heard of this place before. Apparently, they do a good job, but I wouldn’t know from personal experience.”

  “This doesn’t seem like your thing.” Abigail chuckled softly. A fiery girl like Riley? She felt she might be taking Riley on a new adventure. “How did you hear about it?”

  “My friend Ha-” Riley stopped and leaned back in her seat. “A human named Haley used to talk about it.”

  “Haley?” she asked quietly. Abigail didn’t know the name, but with the young woman’s deflection, she knew the human was once important.

  “She was a friend until I met the guys.” Riley sighed. “And she ended up not being a very good one. I had two human friends, Haley and Phoebe, before I knew the guys or that I was a half-breed.”

  “I’ve been given some information about what happened,” Abigail said, now in professional mode. She’d forgotten for a moment about what Brenton had told her about the humans of Wild Junction. “Haley and her husband were recruited by the hunters after the Pride returned to Wild Junction, along with a couple others?”

  “Yeah,” Riley whispered. “She told me about this place, but she could never convince me to go.”

  “Where’s Haley now?” Abigail continued, processing the information further. A friend turned ultimate enemy, and one Riley wanted to forget if she got the chance.

  “Around Denver?” Riley said, with another shrug.

  “All the humans associated with the attacks on the Kingson Pride are being monitored,” Cortez said from the other side of Abigail. She turned to him and raised her eyebrows. “Haley is currently living in Denver and has been issued a restraining order. She’s not allowed within five hundred feet of the Kingson Pride. She’s not allowed back in Wild Junction, and she’s been convinced to give up any association with the hunters. Jeff was also given the same treatment, once he was released from the hospital.”

  “Thanks,” Riley groaned. “I didn’t really need to know all that.”

  “Change of topic in order?” Abigail asked, elbowing Riley a little. If Riley wanted to let the topic go and forget about those friends, she would let her - for now.

  “Please,” Riley begged with a groan. “I just want a couple hours without…all of this.” She waved around, and Abigail understood what she was saying.

  “I can’t blame you, though you said you had something to talk about?” Abigail asked, maintaining her professional attitude. She wanted to get through the serious stuff, since it had been brought up.

  “I’ve had nightmares the last couple of nights,” Riley mumbled. “Being chased and not getting away.”

  “Oh, Riley,” Abigail sighed, feeling her heart ache. What Riley had gone through was awful and horrendous, and she had encountered all of it before. “I’m sorry to hear that. I could have warned you that what you did…it wasn’t truly going to help.”

  “I felt like it did for those first couple of days. And today, after you texted, Brenton accidentally freaked me out. I had run from him and-”

  “You don’t need to explain,” Abigail whispered, cutting her off. She knew exactly where Riley was going with this. In Brenton’s brief about her, he made sure to mention that Riley’s attacker in the compound was another lion, and not the first t
o try and hurt Riley. They had been Brenton’s family, of all things. “You don’t. It’s easy to forget, with everything going on, how fresh this all is. Nothing is going to be perfect and better overnight. It could take weeks or months for everything to even remotely feel normal again on a consistent basis. And nothing is wrong with you. This is natural, and it sucks.” She took a moment to think and Riley just watched her. “I’ll talk to Brenton, if that’s okay, about things he can do to help not accidentally freak you out. That way you and he don’t both end up just constantly feeling guilty over something you can’t control.”

  “Thank you,” Riley gave her a weak smile, and she just took one of Riley’s hands and squeezed.

  “I already told Brenton that I can stay in town for as long as you, or any of the others I’m seeing, need me,” Abigail told her with that soft smile. She’d meant that. She would stay in Wild Junction until she was certain that the job was done.

  “Let’s go get our nails done,” Riley chuckled, trying to shift the topic.

  “All right.” She nodded.

  Abigail walked them inside the nail salon when they got there and began choosing colors for them both. She felt Riley was completely out of her depth and took charge of it. She talked to one of the technicians about a design she thought would suit Riley.

  “Red with little skulls,” Abigail whispered, grinning as Riley ignored them and flipped through a magazine. “Can we do that? Oh, and black toenails. She doesn’t know we’re here for pedis yet.”

  “We can,” the technician laughed.

  “We’re getting what?” Riley’s head came up from the magazine and she was frowning at Abigail.

  “Pedicures,” Abigail giggled. “You’ll like it, I promise.”

  “All right,” Riley sighed.

  Abigail was led to her seat and leaned back in it to enjoy the afternoon.