When they reached the glade, Jager stood near the center, leaning on a stick. Gathered near him were Sasha, Palmer, Camilla, and Sydney—all naked, as though they’d recently shifted. Wolfrik emerged from the forest in human form, the only shifter who had on clothes, other than Jager. He kept his distance, watching the group with his arms folded across his chest.
Ford shifted, followed by Garrick and Raider.
“Those sons of whores,” Garrick repeated, cradling his bloody hand.
“What happened?” Jager demanded before Raider had a chance to look up from the ground.
As soon as he lifted his head, Camilla gasped and her jaw fell open. “Raider, what happened to you?” She ran over and touched his face gently.
“I’m fine,” Raider answered gruffly, rising to his full height, which she’d have more difficulty reaching.
The ache in his face and feet had faded away during the return trip, but there must still be bruising around his eye, given the way Camilla clutched her heart and stared into it. His father was the one who had been truly harmed.
“I stepped into one of their fucking steel traps,” Garrick snarled, cradling his bloodstained hand. “I had no choice but to shift and pull the damn thing open one-handed. Pussies knew they didn’t stand a chance against us without their traps and guns.” Garrick sucked in through his nose then spit on the ground.
Ford nodded. “They were ready for us.”
Sasha’s eyes flashed and her nostrils flared. “How many were there?”
“Two,” Raider answered.
“Did you see any sign of David?” Jager asked.
Raider’s gut twisted as he shook his head, his shoulders sagging beneath defeat’s brutal weight.
Garrick, on the other hand, puffed out his chest and jutted his chin. “Raider made it inside the house. Fuckers took a shot at my boy.”
“Ohhh,” Camilla cooed, eyeing the long red sear along Raider’s arm.
He’d been lucky the bullet only grazed him.
Camilla stretched her fingers toward Raider’s arm in a stroking gesture he avoided by taking a large step out of her range.
“They wanted to shoot you,” he said to his father. “I barely made it in time to stop them.”
“Shoot me?” Garrick’s eyebrows slashed across his forehead, and a vein pulsed in his neck.
Raider had waited to communicate this news until they’d safely reached the glade. He’d hoped that Garrick’s paw and hand would heal enough to use again if they got away before the humans could do any more damage or attempt to shoot them down. The men had wanted them all dead.
“They were after a female,” Raider said.
“A female? Why?” Camilla’s voice came out shrill.
Sydney gaped at her with wide eyes.
“Breeding,” Sasha said through clenched teeth. She glanced at Wolfrik, who had his eyes locked on Raider.
“What exactly did they say?” Wolfrik asked.
Everyone went silent as Raider repeated what he’d overheard and the contents of the brief exchange he’d had with the human.
“No use for him,” Sasha repeated, going back to the beginning of the conversation Raider had walked in on. Her brows furrowed. “But I thought they wanted strong males, in addition to females.” Again she looked at Wolfrik.
Darkness swirled inside his eyes.
Jager lifted his stick and jabbed it into the earth. “It doesn’t matter what they want or why. You could have all been killed. I’m calling off the search for David.”
“No.” Sydney sobbed and covered her face with her hands. Palmer moved to her side and gave her several light pats on the back.
“The boy is gone,” Jager said.
“If he’s lucky, he’s dead,” Wolfrik said under his breath.
Camilla’s head snapped in Wolfrik’s direction. “How can you be so heartless?”
“Heartless?” He sneered.
Sasha put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at Camilla. “Shouldn’t you be patrolling?”
Camilla mirrored Sasha’s stance, placing her hands on her hips. “Shouldn’t you?” she shot back. “I had to make sure Raider returned unharmed.”
It was no surprise that Jordan hadn’t felt the same level of concern for his safety. She was nowhere to be seen. Not that Raider would want her to come running on his behalf and leave their patrol area. He’d join her soon enough.
“As you can see, he’s fine,” Sasha said, waving an arm at Raider.
“Fine?” Camilla challenged. “He’s all bruised up and has a bullet wound.”
Raider ground his teeth. He really wished Camilla would stop fussing over him.
Sasha glared at Camilla, running a hand absently down her hip to her thigh where she’d taken an actual bullet—one that had required digging out. A round scar like a welt marred Sasha’s otherwise smooth, tan skin. She’d always healed faster than other shifters, and bruises rarely clung to her body for long—the perfection of a pureblood. But Wolfrik was walking proof that purebloods weren’t invincible. With raised lacerations covering his torso, he bore the markings of human brutality.
Raider’s bruises would heal. He didn’t appreciate Camilla cooing over him like a mother wolf to a pup who’d merely stubbed his toe.
Jager cleared his throat. “There’s nothing left to discuss. It was a gallant attempt by Garrick, Raider, and Ford to locate David, but now we all need to keep close together—in the hollow. The best thing we can do for the pack is give them a sense of safety and normalcy. Day and night patrols will remain the same for now, but during the new pairings I will announce the return back to standard day patrols and add extra shifters to night patrol. Wolfrik, are you still game to make the rounds at night?”
“I can sleep when I’m dead.” Wolfrik grinned wolfishly.
A tight frown formed over Sasha’s lips. “The council will come up with a rotation system.”
“The council can do whatever it wants, so long as they leave me out of it.” Wolfrik saluted the group with a mocking smile then walked out of the glade into the woods.
No one spoke until Sydney began sniffling. Palmer’s eyes expanded, and he inched slightly toward his young daughter. When his gaze found Camilla, his eyebrows jumped like they were shouting a silent command at her to come over and comfort her younger sister. Camilla looked sideways at Raider and chewed on the inside of her cheek. After Palmer lifted his brows a second time, throwing in a glower, Camilla sighed, walked up to Sydney, and rubbed her arm.
“You’re okay, little sis.”
“David isn’t,” Sydney whined.
“He’s gone. You have to let him go.”
Sydney shook her head violently.
While Camilla proceeded to comfort her sister, Sasha drifted over, her brows knit together as she looked over Raider—from head to foot and everything in between.
Raider felt his groin stir. Sasha was unavailable, and it’s not as though he had ever wanted her that way, but she was still an attractive female—a presently naked attractive female.
Her expression softened as her lips parted. “When I said you were fine, I didn’t mean it unkindly. I’ve been in your situation—trapped in a room with those animals.”
Raider’s chest shook with soft laughter at her word choice. Sasha’s entire face lit up when she smiled. It faded just as fast. She blinked several times, voice dropping.
“I still have nightmares sometimes. If you ever need anyone to talk—”
“I appreciate that,” Raider said.
“And I’m glad they only grazed you.” Sasha eyed his arm. “I’ll never forget the roar of their guns—more terrible than any sound ever made by beasts—nor the sharp burn like flames eating their way through my flesh.” She rubbed the scar on her thigh.
Raider meant to look at the wound, but Sasha
’s hand covered it and his eyes somehow slipped to the thatch of hair between her legs. Blood rushed to his groin, but luckily Sasha’s gaze was aimed above his waist.
“Does it hurt?” she asked gently. She moved in closer and touched the skin below his wound.
His breath hitched and his cock jerked to attention.
“What the hell is this?” Camilla screeched. She rushed over and threw herself between Raider and Sasha. Leaning forward, she pointed a finger in Sasha’s face. “You need to keep your hands to yourself, Sasha.”
Hands on hips, Palmer stomped over, likely relieved to find an excuse to move away from Sydney and her sniveling.
“What’s going on over here?”
Ignoring him, Sasha held her ground to address Camilla in a patient, if not exasperated, tone. “You’re not the only one who’s concerned about Raider.”
“He’s not yours to worry about.”
Raider ground his teeth together. He could say the same thing to Camilla, but Sasha was already snapping back at her. “I worry about all my packmates.”
Palmer cleared his throat and stared pointedly at Sasha. “Isn’t it time you returned to your mate?”
A smug smile appeared over Camilla’s lips. She looked at Sasha and lifted her brows.
With a small sniff of amusement, Sasha looked from Camilla to Palmer and nodded slowly. “It’s time we all returned to our duties.” She took a step back and with a warm smile said, “Welcome home, Raider.”
His heart sank as she retreated to the woods. Talking to Sasha came easier than it did to other shifters, and he’d always felt a sense of ease in her company—the exact opposite of how he felt with Palmer and Camilla.
Raider rubbed his chin. “She’s right. I’ve neglected my partner far too long.”
Camilla’s smile went out like the sun covered by a thick storm cloud. Palmer, on the other hand, nodded approvingly, stealing Raider’s fleeting moment of triumph.
It was that look of ownership on Palmer’s face that traveled with him through the forest and to the grassy knoll. In his irritation, he’d stormed the distance on two feet. Having heard and scented him, Jordan and Devan met him in the clearing at the base of the knoll and shifted into human form. Jordan got to her feet first, smiling with what appeared to be relief, but when Raider looked at her, all he saw was another one of Palmer’s tiresome daughters.
“We heard you return,” Devan said. “No David?”
“No sign of him. Ford can fill you in on the rest,” Raider said brusquely.
Devan frowned. He gave a jerky nod before getting on the ground to shift. Raider could feel Jordan’s open stare—she didn’t avert her eyes. He avoided looking at her. He didn’t feel like talking. Actually, he had felt like talking—to Sasha—but Palmer didn’t want him talking to any other females unless they’d come from the randy bastard’s blasted loins.
While Devan ran off on four legs, Raider lifted his chest. “When did you last patrol the perimeters?” He looked side to side, anywhere but the naked female watching him.
“We were just completing our fourth circuit of the day when we heard your return call.”
“We’ll go around again.” Raider got to the ground and began his shift while Jordan watched with her lips twisted in a frown. Shift complete, he growled at her with impatience. She glared at him and took her time crouching to the ground. Raider waited only long enough for her body to turn furry before taking the lead.
Jordan followed him during the first circuit, but when Raider began a second round without so much as a pause, she growled. Ignoring her, he jogged along the narrow, wooded path. When the trees thinned, Jordan tried to pass him and get in front, only to have dirt and leaf debris tossed at her legs as Raider sprinted ahead, smiling at the sound of her flustered snarls.
Every time Jordan got near Raider, he dashed forward, as if they were in a race he intended to win by any means necessary. His wolf was as boorish as the man. Is this what three days outside the hollow with Garrick did to him? Raider was acting like an ill-tempered ogre. Thanks to Devan, she’d had enough chauvinism to last her the rest of the week.
If that’s the way he wanted to behave, then he had another thing coming.
chapter fifteen
Jordan stopped trying to get anywhere near Raider, biding her time until they reached their starting point at the knoll. There, she stopped and shifted. Raider had already disappeared into the woods, not noticing she’d ceased following like an obedient dog. By the time he figured it out, she had her clothes on.
Raider shifted and jumped to his feet with such swiftness that Jordan’s heart lurched. His upper lip curled, causing Jordan’s heart to thump harder.
“Why are you on your feet? Dressed?” he demanded.
Pressure built inside her brain, expanding until she felt on the verge of explosion. Why was he treating her this way? What had she done besides worry every second he was away and beseech the moon to watch over him!
Jordan’s nostrils flared. “I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but I’m not joining you in patrol until you stop behaving like a brute.”
A cruel smile cut across Raider’s cheeks, causing Jordan’s heart to sink. “Like it or not, you’re my patrol partner, and you will do your duty.”
“Spoken just like an elder.” Jordan spit the words at him.
Raider sniffed with cold amusement. “As a council member, I have the same authority as an elder.”
“I understand my responsibilities perfectly. I’ll patrol, but not with you.”
Before she could storm away, Raider’s hand shot out, catching her above the elbow and dragging her against him. His fingers felt like flames against Jordan’s arm. Her heartbeat accelerated, and her breath quickened.
“Patrols are served in pairs.” Raider ground out the words furiously.
“I have no intention of leaving our territory,” Jordan shot back. She yanked her arm out of his grasp. “I’ll stay on one side. You stay on the other.”
Raider shook his head. “It’s not safe to patrol alone.”
Jordan huffed. “Yeah, it’s real dangerous around here. Never know when a rabbit will jump out at you.” She took a step back, followed by another, until the prairie was at her back. Feeling the tickle of the tall grass at the back of her arms, Jordan spun around and dashed into the soaring meadow.
“Jordan!” Raider didn’t say so much as roar her name. Her heartbeat raced, but not nearly as fast as her legs, which moved her forward in wide leaps as she whipped grass aside with her arms, stinging her exposed skin.
She expected Raider to yell her name again—to give chase—but the only sound she heard was her own heavy breathing and thwacking through the prairie. The lack of pursuit was almost more unnerving.
She kept moving, making her way through the blinding grass. Finally, she was free of the stinging strands that scratched her skin and spiderwebs that clung to her face. Sweet oxygen filled her lungs the moment she broke out into the forest, running faster the moment fresh, moist air rushed forward to embrace her. Jordan sprinted past trees, avoiding thorny brush and jumping over fallen logs. The exertion was exhilarating. Her wolf had done a lot of running lately, but she hadn’t realized how much her human body craved movement, too.
Her anger dissipated, and her mind emptied of all unnecessary thoughts—anything beyond the next step, and the next, and the one after that. Her only concern was for obstacles in her way. She pivoted to avoid a cauldron-sized boulder, swinging around it then leaping over a shrub covered in prickles. Enlivened, she jumped onto a thick fallen log and ran its length, sailing from its end and landing nimbly onto the earth below.
As she pushed off the ground, a chilling snarl made her stumble and freeze.
She spun around, searching the foliage for a face, eyes, or some other indication of where the ruthless growl had originated.
The hair stood up on the back of her neck.
“Raider?” She hated how small her voice sounded. Only because she knew in her gut it wasn’t Raider who had snarled from low in the bushes. No, foolishly, she’d told him to stay away, and now her pride might have put her in peril.
Taking the time to shift would leave her vulnerable. She could climb out of harm’s way and attempt to spot her foe, but the nearest tree was surrounded by thick ground foliage, from which she could have sworn the snarl had originated.
Jordan kept still, holding her breath, listening. The only part of her that moved was her eyes, which darted every which way, watching her surroundings and roving over the ground for anything she could use as a weapon. A heavy fallen branch would be nice, but all she saw were twigs she could snap with her pinky. There were some fist-sized rocks three feet away, but they were half buried in hard soil. Jordan inched her way toward them, crouching as she went. Before she made it the last foot, a snarl from behind pulled a yelp of dismay from her lips. She flipped around, facing a gray wolf with bloodshot eyes and drool dripping from its growling lips.
Jordan’s blood ran cold.
The tree! her mind screamed. It was behind her. She could make it.
But before she could turn to make the mad dash to the tree, the rabid wolf lunged.
Jordan screamed.
The mad wolf’s snarl magnified in Jordan’s ears, mingling with her shrieks. As it charged her, a spurt of adrenaline propelled her to jump aside at the last second. She could feel the brush of fur against her arm as the crazed wolf dove alongside her, passing with an eager snap of its jaws and a snarl that turned ferocious when it realized it had missed its target.
Jordan scrambled to her feet and drew her lips back. “Get back!” She punched her fists into the air in front of her in a last-ditch effort to scare the rabid creature away.
Mating Games Page 18