Wolf in the Woods

by N. J. Walters

  If Cole had been intimidating and scary, this wolf was off the charts. This had to be the alpha.

  “Jacque.” Elias nodded toward him and then glanced at her. “Jacque LaForge, this is Addie Fuller. Addie, this is the alpha of the Salvation Pack.”

  Yup, she’d been right about him being the alpha. They could put that in her obituary. Jacque was well over six feet, with shaggy brown hair that touched his shoulders and golden-brown eyes that were unnerving in their intensity.

  Worst thing was she didn’t think he was trying to frighten her. She had the sense he was naturally this intimidating.

  “What the hell is going on?” the alpha demanded.

  Elias began to unwind the bandages she’d so frantically put in place. Addie wanted to be the one taking care of Billy. After all, she’d tended him for hours and hours, saving his life. But his family wouldn’t let her near him. Not now, maybe not ever.

  Her wolf clawed inside her, whining and growling by turns, upset and wanting out. She kept a tight control on the wild part of herself. Shifting would only create bigger problems. And quite frankly, she had more than enough to deal with.

  A part of her wanted to lay claim to him and was scared of what that meant, for both of them. But she couldn’t deny the possessive feelings welling up inside her. Was it because she’d saved his life after he’d saved hers, or did it mean more than that? She really had no idea.

  A wave of exhaustion washed over her. It was only sheer will keeping her on her feet. She didn’t feel safe around all these strangers and neither did her wolf.

  They were all staring at her, waiting for an explanation. She took a deep breath and gave them the truth. “I was out running with two members of my pack.” She paused for a breath and to gather her thoughts.

  “Keep going,” Jacque commanded.

  There was no way she could deny him. She licked her lips, feeling helpless as Elias kept peeling away the bandages.

  “I thought it was going to be a larger group, but I wasn’t worried when it ended up being just two.” Her lip curled at the memory. “I’d gone with them many times before. We’ve been friends since we were kids. But this time was different. This time, one of them decided he was going to mate with me even though I’d told him no before.”

  Cole growled and took a menacing step forward. Addie took one back. Terror all but bled from her pores. She didn’t know these people at all. Why had she thought for one second it was a good idea to bring Billy here? She should have jumped out of the truck and run back in the parking lot, but she couldn’t bear to leave him.

  “Fuck.” Jacque put his hands on his hips and glared at her. He wasn’t pleased either. And why would he be? A member of his pack, his family, had been hurt because of her.

  No matter how she presented the fact, they’d all soon know what she already did—it was her fault Billy had been hurt. Yes, Simon had attacked him, but she should have suspected something was off before she’d ended up alone with him and Jude. This was on her.

  She wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to forgive herself for that.

  “Jacque, you need to see this.” Elias’s voice was low and strained.

  The alpha moved closer to the bed and studied Billy’s body. “A wolf ripped into him.”

  Needing to be closer, she sidled up to the bed and touched Billy’s foot. Someone had removed his boots and socks. His skin was warm but not too hot. “He was camping nearby and heard our altercation.”

  “And he stepped right into the middle of it.” It was a statement, not a question, but she answered Elias anyway.

  “Yes, he did. I told him to leave, but he saw Simon in his wolf form, knew what he was. After that, things got out of hand.” She swallowed. Her throat was dry, and although she was hungry, there was no way she’d manage to hold down any food.

  She was in a precarious position here. These wolves loved Billy. He was human, or had been when they’d last seen him.

  The long claw marks were red against his tanned skin, but they were closed and already healing, looking several weeks old instead of less than a day. As for the vicious bite mark on his neck, the skin was still raw, but it, too, was closed. And it shouldn’t have been. Not without stitches.

  Sue tentatively touched the mark on her son’s shoulder before pulling her fingers away. “What does this mean?”

  “He died, didn’t he?” Jacque pinned Addie in place with his golden stare.

  She couldn’t move if she wanted to. Her heart was racing, and a bead of sweat trickled down her spine.

  Sue began to sob, and Elias wrapped his arms around his mate.

  “Yes.” Addie tugged nervously at the tail of the shirt she wore, very conscious of having nothing on beneath it. “Simon attacked. I shifted and tried to help.” She could still hear the snarls mixed with Billy’s cries of pain. She shuddered and pulled herself together. “Before I could stop it, he was hurt.” She stared down at the man lying still on the bed, and her heart gave a little jump. “Simon left, knowing Billy was dying. No human survives such a deadly wolf bite.” She knew that. They all did.

  “But he did survive,” Sage pointed out.

  She didn’t understand why people other than the alpha were talking. That was unusual in a situation like this. The alpha was always the one in charge. She glanced at him, but he didn’t seem upset with the other members of his pack.

  “Why did they leave you behind?” Suspicion tinged every word Cole spoke.

  She shook her head and lowered her gaze in shame. “They knew I wouldn’t tell my pack. If I did, my daddy wouldn’t let me out of the house on my own again. And there was always the possibility the alpha would make me mate with Simon or another of the single members of the pack.”

  “I don’t fucking believe this,” Jacque muttered.

  “But you stayed and helped him,” Elias pointed out.

  “I had to. I had to try to save him.”

  “You could have left him there.” The soft female voice almost sent Addie to her knees.

  She looked at Billy’s momma and shook her head. “No, I couldn’t.” They might have just met, but what they’d been through in that short time had solidified their bond. Addie really didn’t understand it, but she accepted it was there. They’d saved each other’s life. That would always bind them together.

  Another man walked into the room, carrying a large plastic tote with a red cross on it. He had tattoos running up both arms and looked as though he ate nails for breakfast.

  Every older male in this pack radiated a strength that was scary as hell. She remembered Jude voicing his thoughts that the pack must be weak if they allowed humans. Nervousness bubbled up inside her, and she almost laughed aloud before swallowing it. If anything, this pack had too many strong males. She had no idea how they lived together without killing one another.

  “Billy had a little trouble, non?” She caught the man’s accent and wondered about it.

  “More than a little, mon ami,” Jacque told him. “Check him out.”

  He put the large first aid kit on the floor and leaned over the bed. She had to force herself not to throw herself on top of Billy to protect him.

  A large hand landed on her shoulder, making her flinch. It was Jacque touching her. “Gator won’t hurt him.”

  Gator scowled in her direction, but when he looked at her, his expression eased. She could only imagine what he saw on her face. “I’ll take good care of him, chère,” he promised.

  She believed him. There was a lot of love in his pack.

  Conscious of the alpha’s hand on her shoulder, she held very still, barely daring to breathe.

  “What happened next?” Jacque asked.

  “Billy mentioned he was part of a wolf pack. He wanted Simon to know there would be consequences if he was attacked. He was hoping to avert a battle.”

  “That’s just like him,” Sue murmured. She hovered beside Gator, watching his every move.

  “But he attacked anyway.” Jacque sig
hed. “The young ones are hot-headed.”

  “Sometimes the older ones are no better,” Gator muttered.

  Addie took a deep breath and continued. “After Simon left, Billy managed to let me know his gear was nearby. I got it, found his first aid kit, and bandaged him as best as I could. I put him in his sleeping bag and dragged him to a nearby cave.” She didn’t mention the heart-pounding terror that had engulfed her or the stench of his blood as it flowed out of him until she’d gotten the bandages in place.

  When Jacque gave her shoulder another squeeze, she flinched again, unable to help herself. He released her and took a step away. Had she offended the alpha? God, she had to be more careful, otherwise she might find herself kicked to the road, or worse. She was already in a heap of trouble.

  Her thoughts and emotions were scattered all over the place. She was exhausted and scared out of her mind. Had Billy survived the night only to die now? Why wasn’t he waking up?

  “Then what?” Jacque prompted.

  She closed her eyes, remembering the long hours of terror. “His fever was up, so I got him to a stream to try to bring it down.” She gave them the bare facts, leaving all emotion out of it. “It didn’t work. He died.”

  It hurt her to say it, but it was the truth. She looked at Sue, feeling as though his momma deserved her full attention. “I pulled him to the shore and tried CPR. I don’t have training, but I’ve seen it done on television.” And that sounded really lame. “I didn’t know what else to do.”

  She wanted this over so she could concentrate fully on Billy. Gator was cleaning his wounds and muttering under his breath in broken French and English.

  “He came around and his fever spiked again, so I took him back into the stream. He seemed to recover. We needed to get out of there, so we did.”

  Tears streamed down Sue’s cheeks as she pulled away from Elias and came toward Addie. She braced herself for Sue to blame her for her son’s plight. It was nothing less than the truth.

  But Billy’s momma didn’t attack her, didn’t yell or level any accusations her way. No, she wrapped her arms around Addie and hugged her. “You saved my boy.”

  Hadn’t she been listening? “It’s my fault he was hurt.”

  The alpha scowled at her. Inside, her wolf whimpered in fear.

  “I know him,” Jacque stated. “No way would Billy walk away from a woman he thought needed his help.”

  “But he’s human.” She paused and gave voice to what she’d almost been afraid to believe. “Or he was.”

  Sue looked from Addie to Jacque to Gator to her son. “What are you saying? Is Billy a werewolf now?”

  Addie wished one of the men would explain, but they remained silent. “I think so.”

  Jacque touched Sue’s face. “I think your son is very lucky.”

  Elias put his arm around his mate and supported her weight against him. The other men continued to stare at Addie. She fought the urge to run. You never ran from a wolf. That immediately made you prey. She might be a wolf, but these men would run her to ground as easily as if she was a rabbit.

  “You nursed him through the transition.” Gator stood and wiped his hands on a towel. “All on your own.”

  She nodded. What were they all thinking? Why weren’t they yelling at her for allowing Billy to be hurt in the first place?

  “Who is your pack?” the alpha asked.

  She didn’t want to tell him, didn’t want to be forced to go back there. Most of all, she didn’t want to leave Billy, at least not until she knew he was going to be okay. She shook her head and took a step back.

  Jacque gave a deep sigh. “I’m guessing the Pike County Pack since you were running near their home base.”

  Of course, he would know about them. Their packs had a history. The Salvation Pack was isolated, but they certainly weren’t weak. The alpha gave off an aura of strength, but there was also a hard gleam of intelligence in his gaze as well. This older wolf was nobody’s fool.

  Cole growled, low and deep. Addie was almost afraid to move lest his attention land on her.

  She gave a slight nod and then waited for the order to leave. Maybe one of them would give her a ride home so she didn’t have to run the whole way. She wasn’t about to call her daddy and ask him to come get her.

  Addie began to sway. What energy she’d had left she’d spent giving her explanation. She’d pushed herself harder both physically and emotionally than she’d ever had to and was about to pay the price.

  She tried to tell herself that she didn’t care what any of them thought of her. She’d made the best choices she could, given the circumstances. But that didn’t stop her from feeling guilty.

  When no one ordered her to leave, she slowly made her way to the side of the bed, making no sudden movements. She half expected them to stop her and was vaguely surprised when Gator actually stepped out of the way and let her pass.

  Billy was so still. She eased down on the bed beside him and placed her hand over his heart. The thud was slow, but it was there. That was all that mattered. He would get well. His family would take good care of him.

  Their time together was done.

  Inside Addie, her wolf howled. Her chest constricted and breathing became more difficult. She tried to force herself to get off the bed, but she couldn’t make herself move. What was wrong with her?

  As though he sensed her distress even while unconscious, Billy’s eyelids fluttered open. He stared straight at her and tried to speak. He didn’t make a sound, but she knew it was her name he’d mouthed.

  For her, the others in the room disappeared. She lay down beside him, put her head on his shoulder, and gave in to the exhaustion pulling at her.

  ****

  Jacque watched the two younger wolves curled up on the bed together. He jerked his head toward Gator and Cole, and the three of them stepped outside onto the deck. Not that the others couldn’t hear them, but it gave the illusion of privacy.

  “What do you think?” he asked his friends.

  Gator glanced back into the room. “He’s been converted.”

  Cole said nothing, his face set. Jacque knew he was thinking about his last run-in with Addie’s pack all those years ago.

  Jacque rubbed his hand over his jaw and nodded. “He has the healing ability, for sure. But will he be able to shift, or will he be more like a half-breed?” Sometimes a converted human had a wolf’s strength, enhanced senses, and healing ability, but was unable to shift. Sometimes, they were fully werewolf.

  Gator shrugged. “Only time will tell.”

  Cole dragged a hand through his hair and sighed. “It doesn’t matter. He’s ours.”

  “Yes, he’s ours,” Jacque agreed. They’d work the rest out in time. “Conversions are a bitch,” he reminded them. Two members of the pack had been through them years ago. They were brutally painful, and it had taken all of them to get his mate through it. “She did it on her own.” He had a growing respect for the young woman who’d brought Billy home.

  “Oui. She must have been scared out of her mind, but she stayed.” There was admiration in Gator’s voice. “No wonder she collapsed.” He glanced back into the room. “With everything she’s been through, it’s a wonder it didn’t happen sooner.”

  “She will be okay.” Jacque wouldn’t have it any other way.

  “Oui.” Gator slapped him on the back. “We will make it so.”

  “This is going to cause problems,” Cole pointed out. Jacque knew he was worried about his mate’s reaction to the situation, to having Addie here. Cherise was originally from the pack in Kentucky, and her history with them wasn’t good.

  Looking at them together, seeing Billy pull himself awake when he’d felt her distress, watching the way Addie looked at him, it was obvious to him that they’d bonded. Jacque didn’t think either of them was aware of it. Whether that led to a mating was anyone’s guess. “It just had to be the Pike County Pack, didn’t it?” he murmured.

  Gator slapped him on the back.
“We will deal with it as we did before.”

  “Damn right, we will.” Right now, it was Sue that Jacque was more concerned about. How would she feel about her son being a wolf? Elias had decided not to try to convert her, as most humans died during the attempt. Their pack had been extremely lucky in that regard. It was best not to push their luck.

  “If you don’t need me, I’m heading home,” Cole told him.

  “Go.” Cole would want to tell his mate what was happening, to prepare her for what might come.

  When Jacque stepped back into the room, all eyes landed on him. “Sue,” he began. He wished he’d brought Gwen with him. His mate would know what to do in this situation. But he was alpha. This kind of thing came with the job whether he liked it or not. And it was definitely or not.

  She gave him a soft smile. “I’m okay. While I wouldn’t have wished the attack and conversion on him for anything, he’s alive. That’s all that matters.” She straightened away from Elias, who continued to hover behind her. “That young woman saved his life.”

  Jacque understood her unasked request. “Don’t worry. We won’t let anyone hurt her.” And that included letting some male wolf mate her without her consent. What century was her pack living in for that to still be an issue?

  Yes, it was instinct to want to mate. Yes, it was in the best interests of the pack for the men to have mates. But no one forced a woman. Not on his watch. Not ever.

  He’d seen too much of that in the pack he’d been born into. It was one of many reasons he’d left Louisiana behind and struck out on his own to form a new pack with his brother and three of his friends.

  He wondered about her parents and what they thought of the situation or if they were even aware. He stared at the two curled up in the bed, their arms around each other, and sighed. He had many more questions, but there would be no answers forthcoming until they woke.

  ****

  Something was wrong with his pack. Ryan Hatfield had sensed it in a way he couldn’t really explain, but years of being alpha had taught him to trust. It wasn’t until moments ago he’d discovered exactly what the problem was.