by Kasey Belle
Catching Her Wolf
The Shifters of Sanctuary
Book 5
Kasey Belle
Copyright 2018
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Catching Her Wolf (A Howls Romance): The Shifters of Sanctuary, Book 5
Text Copyright © 2018 Kasey Belle
First E-book Publication: March 2018
Cover and art copyright © 2018 Anna Josey/Sin City Book Art
Digital Formatting by Kasey Belle
ALL RIGHT RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, incidents are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations is entirely coincidental.
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Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Epilogue
Acknowledgement
About The Author
Please Stalk Me
Other Works
Scars are beautiful when we see them as glorious reminders
of what we courageously survived.
Lysa TerKeurst
Prologue
Helmand Province, Afghanistan
Devon stood his post glancing over at McAdams and their K-9 Samson. The dog was acting weird today. He seemed on edge but there wasn’t anything to cause it. The day so far had been quiet to the point of boring. Devon’s wolf didn’t sense anything out of the ordinary either. Then again, Dev felt as if his instincts had been off lately so what the hell did he know.
“We aren’t re-signing when the time comes,” his wolf stated.
“No. Eight years is enough.” Like his alter-ego, Devon had had enough.
Samson whined and paced again.
“Dude, what is up with him?” Devon nodded at the Belgian Malinois.
McAdams shrugged. “Dunno. He’s being an ass. Stupid dog.” The affectionate look McAdams gave Samson belied his words. McAdams snapped his fingers. Samson sat immediately but remained watchful.
“Here comes the B-team.” McAdams nodded toward the road leading to the base.
“That is so wrong.” Still, Dev couldn’t help but snicker at McAdams’ snarky comment.
Devon raised a hand in greeting to Baseer Madad and his sister, Hajira as they approached. Baseer was a member of the Afghan National Army. Devon’s task force worked with the Afghan Army and National Police who were struggling to contain the still-formidable Taliban insurgency.
A few of the Marines in Devon’s platoon had previous experience in the province giving them a leg up on certain things. If you weren’t familiar with the history and you’re trying to sort out what the Afghans were telling you and what the intelligence was telling you, you were going to be kind of lost. However, in a country where battle lines, political and tribal alliances seemed to change as often as Devon changed his underwear, an over reliance on the past often proved dangerous because you started to imagine situations that no longer existed. In other words, you were looking over there when you should be looking over here. Devon was glad he at least had his wolf. He had saved Devon’s ass more than once.
A lot of Afghan soldiers didn’t want to come to the Helmand Province―not that Devon blamed them. It was pretty much the end of line. However, Baseer was not one of them. The Afghani soldier had grown up in the area and felt duty bound to defeat the evil plaguing it. Devon respected the man’s sense of honor to his family and country.
Hajira was dressed in a maroon fariq partugan. An embroidered black hijab adorned her head. Today she’d added a black shawl to ward off the chill in the air. Hajira was a sweetheart. She was a bit on the quiet side and had sweet, big, brown eyes that if turned on you made you want to indulge any whim that crossed the young woman’s mind. Telling her no felt like kicking a puppy.
Hajira was at the base whenever Baseer was regardless of his shift. Devon certainly understood the man’s need to keep his little sister close and safe. She was eighteen years old and the only family Baseer had left. Hajira worked in HQ doing translations and other administrative duties that sounded equally torturous to Devon. Being stuck indoors all day was not his idea of a good time.
Hawkins, one of many female Marines on duty with Devon waved the brother and sister over.
Baseer shook his head and explained to Hawkins they didn’t need to go through security because they had clearance.
“Sorry, man,” Devon called out. “New protocol. You should have gotten the memo. Everyone goes through a security check. Even us if we leave the base for any reason.” He made his way over to Baseer. “If you want to speed things up, I can run through your check while Hawkins handles Hajira.”
Anger rolled off Baseer in waves. The man looked ready to take sister and leave. Dev didn’t blame the man for feeling insulted. After all, they were partners in a never-ending war. However, threats had been made against the base according to the chatter coming down the chain. Just as he was about reassure Baseer it wasn’t personal, the hairs on the back of Dev’s neck. Devon’s raised hackles sent his wolf into immediate alert. There was a threat, and it was close.
An older sedan approached the base at a high rate of speed sending everyone into motion. Dev
on and the rest of the Marine’s guarding the gate formed a line, weapons at the read. Sergeant Brown yelled at the driver to stop or immediate action would be taken. Swift and lethal. Movement in Dev’s periphery caught his attention. He glanced and noticed Baseer and his sister entering the base. Devon shouted at them to wait. The base was on lockdown, nobody in or out, but Baseer had already made it inside the gate by the time the words left his lips. The man and his sister were moving quickly. Something wasn’t right. Devon was torn between backing up his team and going after the brother and sister. He tried to tell himself they were just trying to get to safety in case the men in the sedan had ill intent. Instinct said Devon was wrong.
“Go.” McAdams jerked his head. “We go this.”
He moved his rifle from the sedan and placed Baseer and his sister in his sights. Devon called after Baseer again, yelling at him to stop. He moved away from the sedan to get a better angle on Baseer and Hajira. He noticed others running toward their location from inside the base.
“Baseer! Stop!” he called out again.
The man wrapped an arm around Hajira’s shoulders and turned. Their eyes met. Devon didn’t see a friend in Baseer’s gaze, but cold, deadly calculation as the man said something to his sister. Hajira’s hand disappeared under her shawl. It was a setup. The car was a distraction. Devon opened his mouth to shout a warning at the same time he fired a shot being careful to aim for Hajira’s head. If she was strapped to blow like he thought, he didn’t want to set off whatever unknown explosive she concealed under her clothing.
A BOOM rocked the base. The massive explosion knocked him off his feet. Flames, smoke, white-hot shrapnel, and debris bombarded the area. Devon was propelled backward several yards from where he originally stood. He hit the ground with a heavy thud. He lay stunned for several moments. As his senses came back to him, he realized his body felt as if it were on fire. He glanced down to see flames licking at his uniform. His ears filled with animalistic screams, he eventually realized were coming from him.
He used what strength he had left and rolled to his belly extinguishing the fire as gunfire erupted around him. His mind ordered him to get up. Fuck. He couldn’t move. The pain was excruciating. Searing, soul-sucking agony radiated from his left side. He coughed up blood and sand. Darkness encroached. He was slowly losing the battle of consciousness. Devon wondered if he was dying. His wolf could save them both, but he couldn’t risk a shift. Their life wasn’t worth the cost of exposing millions of their kind. Maybe it was best this way. With him dead his mate could move on. He had nothing to offer her at this point, anyway. He was already dead inside, killing his body just made it official. It came with a cool death certificate and everything. Fuck. He must close to the end if he could joke about it.
Devon’s eyes were heavy, and his body had grown numb. The last thing he saw before he gave in to the darkness was his mate’s beautiful face. Blue eyes that lit up every time he’d proclaimed his love. Dimples in her cheeks he loved to nibble on. Soft, plump lips he could kiss for hours. Lips that shouted his name when he was inside her. Lips that now beckoned him with a sweet smile and even sweeter words. “I love you, Devon Stone. It’s time to come home.”
Chapter 1
Koda stacked another block onto the giant tower he and Stephanie Ann were building together in the gated play area designed specifically for her in their backyard. Vinny was lounged in the corner napping on and off. The hybrid rarely fell into a deep sleep when he was outside with Stephanie Ann. Vinny had appointed himself guardian of the princess and he took his job seriously. Koda’s cellphone rang from where it sat on the table. He hopped over the thirty-inch plastic gate and made his way up the deck steps. He glanced at the screen on his phone and grinned. “Hey, Dad.”
“Hello, Son. How is my grandcub?”
“She’s great and currently trying to turn Vinny into her very own play pony. She does it every time my back is turned.” Koda snickered and shook his head as he leaned back in his chair settling in for what his father’s tone suggested would be a long conversation.
“I have no doubt she will accomplish the task.”
“Takes after her mother in the hardheaded determination department.”
“Sure. Her mother. Right. We’ll go with that.”
Koda loved the easy teasing that had found its way back into their relationship. He hadn’t realized how much he missed it until he reconnected with his family. If it hadn’t been for Ella, Koda would still be a miserable bastard.
“I’m assuming your mate isn’t within earshot,” his father stated as if reading his mind.
Koda snorted. “You didn’t raise no fool.” His father huffed a laugh. “What can I do for you, Dad?”
“Can’t a father call to check on his family?”
“He can,” Koda responded with care. “But I know you and that tone. What’s up?”
His father sighed. “It’s not just one thing.”
“Okay. Start with the easiest thing.”
“Your cousin Dev is coming home.”
“That’s the easy thing? Shit.” Koda’s gut clenched. The last time he’d seen his younger cousin was at Walter Reed four months ago. Koda along with his father, Uncle Greer, and Aunt Celia had flown out to see him after Devon was injured by a suicide bomber. Devon suffered injuries to his face and burns to his legs and torso. Dev was only in his mid-twenties.
“Devon needs a soft place to land, Koda. I can’t think of a better place than your sanctuary. We didn’t handle it right when you came home injured and angry.”
“Dad―”
“We didn’t,” his father cut him off. “We thought if we didn’t draw attention to what you lost and your limitations because of that loss, you’d adjust to your new normal that much easier. We were wrong to ignore the elephant in the room, so to speak.”
“You couldn’t have known.”
“You’re right. We didn’t understand what you were going through. We couldn’t fathom the isolation you felt. Perhaps we could have been more empathetic. We just knew we loved you and wanted you to be…”
“Normal?”
“That’s sounds so horrible.”
“If you would have asked me before I met Ella, I would have agreed with you. Now? I get it. You hated watching me suffer and thought if you treated me like nothing happened I wouldn’t feel so broken. How I acted after I came home is on me. I could have tried to make you understand, instead of shutting you out. I could have gotten over myself, gone home, and asked for help, instead of hiding out here. We can’t change the past.”
“No, we can’t. I will be forever grateful to Ella for snatching a knot in your ass and making you see the light.”
“Hey, now. I wouldn’t go that far. I’m bigger than her. It’s not like she can make me do anything I don’t want to do.”
“Really?”
“No not really.”
They shared a laugh, breaking the tension of the past few minutes.
“Back to Dev. He’s so angry. Worse than you ever were. Greer and Celia don’t have a clue how to help him. I think the only person who could reach him is you and your friends, especially you and Storm. You both had to adjust to living with your injuries.”
“His injuries are far worse than mine and I’m not talking physically. He was betrayed by people he considered allies. By a man he called a friend. That’s hard to reconcile.” Koda wasn’t sure he could reach Devon, but he loved his cousin and had to try. “When is he scheduled to arrive?”
“He flies into Missoula on Friday. Greer and Celia are driving over to pick him up.”
Koda knew from experience how bad of an idea that was. Doting parents bent on overcompensating for Devon’s anger was a recipe for disaster “No. Tell them I’ll pick him up. It will be easier. On Devon. I’ll call them when we arrive home and if he’s up for it they can come by and see him.”
“Son―”
“No, Dad,” he stated in a firm tone. “You asked for my help. If you st
ill want it, you do it my way.”
“Fine. I’ll let your uncle know there has been a change in plans and have him call you with the flight information. If you run into an issue, call me.”
“I won’t, but duly noted.” When his father didn’t say anything after a few moments, Koda prompted him. “I hate to ask because I’m sure I don’t want to know, but… what was the hard thing on your list-of-things-to-discuss-with-Koda-today?”
“I received a call from Elder Friel on the Shifter Council. He inquired about the new pack of sorts my youngest son has formed.”
Koda growled.
“Son, you need to register your pack with the council. You know this.”
“We aren’t a pack and I’m not their alpha.”
“You may not want to be Alpha. You may not have intended to be Alpha. But you became a pack and their Alpha the second you welcomed Nikki and Casey onto your land and placed them under your protection. You know how the older elders feel about lone shifters. Especially when they gather in groups. The attitude is changing but the old guys still look at them as a threat.”
Stephanie Ann toddled over to the gate and called out to him. Koda went over and picked her up. He settled back into his chair and held the little girl securely on his lap because his cub had a habit of trying to escape. Stephanie Ann shot him a grin then grabbed for the phone. Koda pulled back out of her reach. “Hold on, princess. Let me finish talking to Grandpa first.”
“Pa. Pa. Pa,” she squealed.
“I can’t promise anything, Dad. It has to be a group decision. Everyone will need to agree on forming an official pack.”
“Have that discussion with your friends sooner rather than later, Dakoda. I held the council off by saying I was mentoring you, but that will only work for so long.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. Glad that’s settled. Now, let me speak to my princess.”
****
Three days later Koda found himself waiting outside the security gate for his cousin to deplane. He had no illusions this entire situation would suck of major suckage proportions. He knew his aunt and uncle thought Koda could impart a few words of wisdom and Devon would revert back to his old self. He hated to break the news to his Uncle Greer and Aunt Celia, but their boy died in that desert and he was never coming home. All Koda wanted to do was teach the man Devon was now how to live and thrive in the present. To prove to him there was life after injury. To show him he wasn’t as hardhearted and jaded as he felt.