by Anna Lowe
The problem was, her connection to Stef and Heather wasn’t as strong as it was to her siblings, and their minds seemed so busy with the kids, they were deaf to her screams.
“Of course, you could save me all that trouble — and save them.” Craig wore the look of a cat who’d just gorged itself on a songbird. A cat with bloody feathers around its mouth.
His ragtag gang of supporters crept forward another inch, but Carly refused to step back. She didn’t have room, for one thing. She was mad as hell, for another.
“Save them from you?” she sneered. “Innocent children who’ve done you no wrong?”
Craig went on as if she hadn’t spoken. “Just come with me, baby. No one gets hurt. Not the kids, not you.”
She could see the lie in his eyes. She could smell it in his scent.
“I’d treat you well, baby. Just like I promised I would,” Craig said.
The shine in his eyes was dark, dangerous. On the outside, he was a charming son from a good family who was eager to move up in the world. On the inside, he harbored a devil who’d stop at nothing until he had what he wanted — leadership of a pack.
Craig couldn’t hope to take over Twin Moon pack. But if she acquiesced and went with him, she’d be his entry ticket to North Ridge.
She could see it already: his men pinning her down while Craig ravaged her and delivered the mating bite. Even a forced bite would bind her to that despicable man. It wouldn’t matter if she ran away — he’d be able to track her down. And anyway, she doubted he’d let her out of his sight. As for infiltrating North Ridge, all he’d have to do was drug her or beat her up before bringing her to her father and act as her rescuer. Who knew what the man was capable of?
Carly looked around, hoping Diablo would come galloping back. She could hop on and race away in time to warn the kids.
But no Diablo. Nothing but a grinning Craig, who knew right where he had her.
“You and me, baby. We’d be in charge of our own pack,” he went on. “We could do anything we want with it.”
She held back the words on the tip of her tongue. You’d be in charge. I would be a slave.
She flexed her fingers, ready to fight. She could take Craig on. Well, an outside chance, at least, especially if she were fighting for her life. But she certainly wouldn’t get far as one against eight.
She cast around for another idea. She could climb down the cliff behind her, but it would take a minute to lower herself over the lip. And once she was on the vertical face, what then? Craig could hurl rocks at her and cast her to certain death or simply keep her pinned there while sending his men to attack the kids.
“Just come with me, baby. Nothing has to happen to those kids.”
He pointed. The wagon in the distance creaked to a stop, and the kids came bounding out, milling around like so many cheery hummingbirds.
“You’re a monster, you know that?” she sneered.
Craig just grinned and stroked his chin. His freshly shaved chin. “Call it ambition.”
She barely heard the words, because something about his close shave struck her. His recently trimmed hair, too. Craig had always spent a little too much time looking in the mirror, but now…
She narrowed her eyes on the men behind Craig — the scrappier, biker types. They were freshly shaved, too. What kind of gang cleaned up before launching an ambush? And how did they even know the kids would be out on a field trip?
She sniffed deeply and caught a whiff of a familiar perfume.
Audrey? her inner wolf roared.
She could picture it perfectly — the rogues sniffing around the town where Audrey ran her salon. She could picture Craig strutting in and turning on his charm to loosen Audrey’s tongue.
How’s life, sweetheart? Craig had probably asked, warming Audrey up while she treated him to one of her full-frontal shaves.
Audrey would sigh and thrust her boobs even closer to his face. Life can be lonely on a ranch. Everyone mated but me. And the kids can be such pests. It’s impossible to get any peace.
Craig would have jumped on the chance at information on the pack’s most vulnerable members and wheedled the rest out of Audrey, who would have been too busy pole-dancing the man’s leg to think about what she was saying.
“You snake,” Carly spat, giving Craig the evil eye.
He leaned closer, making her step back. “Maybe all I need is a good woman to tame me. All powerful alphas do.”
His voice was so cocky, so full of himself, she nearly slapped him.
I’ll tame you, all right, her wolf hissed.
The prospect of shifting to wolf form and letting her claws rip was so, so tempting. But the rogues would shift, too, and they’d be even less predictable when their animal sides took control. Her only real option was to go with Craig, and she knew it. To distract him and try to make a break for it somewhere along the way.
“There’s a hard way, and there’s an easy way.” Craig gestured down the dirt maintenance road that led to the overlook they stood upon.
The front bumper of a truck showed from around a corner with two motorcycles beside it. The vehicles were parked at the foot of the next upward sweep of the mesa, a sheer vertical wall, which sparked a whole new option in her mind. If she ran ahead of Craig, she could climb that, and—
An engine groaned from around the corner, and her hopes fell. Did Craig have more backup coming in?
But Craig’s brow furrowed and he spun around, his ears twitching at the sound.
“Who the hell is that?” he barked as a beat-up blue pickup swung into view.
The sun glinted off the windshield, hiding the occupants. Carly held her breath. The driver parked, considered for a long, agonizing minute, then slid slowly out of the cab and stretched to full height.
He was big. Bristly. Clearly not amused.
Luke! Luke! Her inner wolf wagged its tail furiously.
Chapter Fifteen
Luke tore his gaze away from Carly — bold, beautiful Carly. Even surrounded by a gang of rogues, she didn’t look the slightest bit afraid.
His wolf grinned in pride. When is my mate afraid of anything?
Part of his soul sighed. Carly was likely to charge straight into trouble just to get a closer look. But he doubted that was the case now, judging by the way her fingers flexed like claws.
He wrestled his attention over to the big guy cornering her. The asshole crowding his mate.
The one I’m about to kill? his wolf growled.
Luke took a few steps to the right, trying to pull the rogues’ attention away from Carly. If he could draw them over slightly, Carly could make a run for it down the road.
She fixed him with a haughty look that said, As if I’d run from a fight.
“Who the hell are you?” the big, clean-cut guy asked.
Luke looked over every member of the gang before answering. He’d never seen the leader before, but right behind him were Steen van Kleij and a couple of his followers. Guys he’d crossed paths with in his wildest, darkest days. The worst kind of bad-hearted rogues who had no business in a place as nice as this. Eight men in total.
“Now look who’s here,” Steen sneered. “A blast from the past.”
Luke inhaled slowly, telling himself not to get riled up.
The kids, Carly’s voice hissed in his mind. We have to keep these assholes away from the kids.
Luke’s eyes darted to the plains far, far below. The second he spotted the kids, his blood ran cold. Ty Hawthorne had sent a contingent of his best men to Colorado as backup in the event of a rogue attack on North Ridge. Evidently, the rogues had given up on that goal but had focused on another — revenge on Twin Moon pack for foiling their plan. A hit-and-run attack of the most cowardly kind.
“Out. Get out.” Luke jerked a thumb over his shoulder, planted his feet wide, and crossed his arms
“Yeah. Get the hell out, Craig,” Carly said.
Luke glanced at her. You know this jerk?
I wis
h I didn’t, she shot back.
Craig laughed and addressed Luke as if Carly weren’t even there. “Yeah, I can see why you’ve been hanging around this ranch. Smells like they have some good pickings here.”
Luke tensed.
Craig nodded to himself. “We’ve been scoping them out, haven’t we, boys? That Audrey sure knows how to take care of a man.”
Luke ground his teeth and shifted a step farther, edging around the group, hoping Carly would seize the chance to run.
“Which one are you after?” Craig asked, talking about women like so many hunks of beef. “The tall one? That feisty brunette? Such a sweet thing. Though I do prefer blondes, myself.”
Luke managed to keep his eyes off Carly, but he couldn’t stop the twitch in his jaw. Just a little twitch, but Craig caught it. He looked between Luke and Carly, sniffing deeply. A moment later, his demeanor went from cocky to outraged.
“Bitch.” He turned to Carly. “Have you been sleeping around behind my back?”
Luke clenched his fists so hard his nails sliced into his palms. He’d never been so close to jumping into a mindless attack, but he had to stay in control if he was going to win this fight.
Craig spun back at him, sputtering. “You’ve been sleeping with my woman?”
“She’s not yours.”
Craig sneered. “And what makes her yours?”
“She’s not mine,” Luke shot back. It hurt to say it, but it was true. “She’s her own person.” Luke pinched his lips together and looked at Carly, who was staring at him.
He let out a heavy breath. No matter how much he wanted Carly, she wasn’t his and never would be. She’d made that perfectly clear when she stomped away.
Craig advanced, practically snarling. “After we’ve taken care of you, I’ll take care of her. I guarantee I’ll take very good care of her.”
Luke’s blood boiled, and he rolled his shoulders, preparing to shift to wolf form and tear the bastard’s throat out. But the rogues spread out — all eight of them — making his mind spin. How the hell were he and Carly going to overcome those odds?
“Like I need to be taken care of,” Carly scoffed.
Then another voice called out, and everyone whipped around.
“Hey! What’s going on?”
For a heartbeat, Luke’s hopes lifted. He could use some backup for sure. But, man. It was Kyle stomping up the road, leading a fidgety black horse wearing a bridle but no saddle. Kyle, who hated him to the bone, no matter how hard he tried to prove himself.
“You okay, Carly?” Kyle’s eyes shifted to the rogues. When they skipped to Luke, they retained the same hard look, as if Luke was one of them.
Luke gritted his teeth. When would Kyle understand that he meant no harm? That he was one of the good guys?
When hell froze over, he guessed.
“I’m fine,” Carly grunted.
“I got this, man,” Luke said, pointing down at the plains. “You take care of that.”
Kyle followed his gesture with a cutting look that turned to one of horror the second he recognized the danger the kids were in. His son as well as his mate.
I said, I got this, Luke said, gathering all his willpower to force the words into Kyle’s mind.
No, he was nowhere near as confident as he sounded. But if Kyle could help Carly get away, it hardly mattered what happened to him. Kyle and Carly could rush back to the ranch and raise the alarm while Luke held off the rogues as long as he could.
How long do you reckon that might be? the dark voice of doubt murmured in his mind.
A dozen possible outcomes flashed through his mind, and they all ended with him dying under the onslaught of so many rogues.
Are you really ready to risk your ass for a pack that’s just cast you out?
Luke thought about it a second. Yes. Yes, he was. Twin Moon might not be his pack, but it was a worthy cause. Worthy enough to risk everything for.
I can hold them off. Go, he urged Kyle. Take Carly. Protect your family.
Kyle looked at him with a startled expression, then tilted his head.
Why should I trust you?
Luke scowled. You don’t have to trust me. Just get Carly out of here and raise the alarm. Go!
Kyle glared at him, then the rogues.
Luke wanted to shake him and yell. No, I am not plotting anything behind your back. Yes, I have enough honor to do the right thing. Just go, already!
Sweat broke out over Kyle’s brow, and Luke could see him warring with himself. Clearly, Kyle was used to being the honorable one, but his family was in danger.
Just go! another voice insisted — Carly’s.
No way, Luke told her. No way do you stay.
No way do I go, she barked.
Come on, Carly, Kyle pleaded.
She planted her feet in a clear signal. You go. Luke and I will hold them off.
Luke’s inner wolf grinned. “Luke and I.” I like the sound of that.
Yeah, he did, too.
Kyle gave him one last, hard look, then sprang onto Diablo’s back and thundered away.
“Shit! Stop him!” Steen yelled. “He’ll warn the others.”
“Let him warn them,” Craig scowled. “I have what I want.” His greedy eyes landed on Carly.
“Like hell you do.” Carly stepped forward, her eyes aflame.
“Carly, wait—” Luke shouted, suddenly aware of what she was about to do.
Stop me, her eyes screamed. She rolled her shoulders, hunched, and shifted.
For a second, Luke was breathless. Immobile. Craig and the others were too, and thank goodness for that. In one quick flash, Carly went from lithe, confident woman to raging wolf. Her back hunched. Her shirt split down her back, and gloriously smooth skin showed briefly before fur broke out all over it. Fur the same golden hue as her hair. She shook her body once, taking his breath away.
Are you with me or not, Hot Stuff? she growled as she launched herself at Craig.
Luke shook himself out of his stupor and stepped forward.
Hell, yes.
His wolf ripped right out of him, taking over from one stuttering heartbeat to the next. His canines tore through his gums, extending as he turned to take out the nearest rogue, and his jaw narrowed painfully into wolf shape.
Nowhere near the pain these assholes are going to feel, his wolf murmured as all hell broke loose.
Carly knocked Craig over, but the intruder managed to roll clear. Two of his followers shifted and pounced on Carly, but they were too slow. She leaped backward, snarling wildly.
Luke barely tasted the blood of the first rogue he killed, nor that of the second. His pulse hammered as he struck out at one opponent after another, trying to work his way closer to Carly.
“Kill him!” Craig yelled, rallying his men. “But don’t hurt the woman. She’s mine.”
A second later, Craig shifted into wolf form. Carly snarled. Luke roared, swiping at the nearest rogue. No way was he letting anyone drag Carly away. No way.
Adrenaline carried him through the next minute, giving him a high. But the enemy fought back in twos and threes. Steadily, the rogues — lean, mean wolves hardened by a lifetime of fighting — regained the upper hand, pushing him and Carly closer and closer to the cliff’s edge.
He gritted his teeth and fought on. For Carly. For the kids. The longer he kept the intruders busy, the longer Kyle had to get the kids to safety.
Steen darted forward. Luke slashed at the rogue’s muzzle with his claws and immediately turned to repel the next attacker. It barreled at him with its nose low, protecting its throat. Luke feinted left, then shoved the beast right. The wolf’s momentum carried it toward the cliff’s edge, and it scrambled desperately for some hold before tumbling out of sight.
The wolf screamed as it fell, reminding Luke just how long that drop was. How lethal.
Carly grunted. Three down, five to go.
The other wolves paused momentarily, staring at the spot where their comrade ha
d fallen. Luke half expected a thump when it smashed into the ground, but there was nothing. Just a deathly silence and the eerie whistle of the wind.
Luke peeked over a shoulder at the kids. It was hard to tell through the sweat in his eyes, but the kids appeared to have clustered around the wagon again. Had they been warned? Was help on its way?
With a snarl, Carly jumped into a counterattack, and Luke snapped his focus back to the fight.
Craig let out a bellow, and the other wolves growled, pushing forward as one. Two of them slammed into Luke at the same time, gaining precious ground. The earth crumbled under Luke’s rear foot, and for one terrifying moment, he clawed at thin air. It wasn’t terrifying in the sense of his own death — just knowing that if he fell, Carly would be on her own. She could fight like a banshee, but even she couldn’t beat so many rogues on her own.
Carly butted one of the two rogues, giving Luke enough time to get all four paws earthbound again. But crap, had it been close. His pulse raced in a staccato beat, and he let out a roar that echoed off the hill behind them.
Will not let my mate down, he howled, powering forward again. He slashed at the side of the wolf facing Carly, then shoved it off the cliff.
Get them, Craig bellowed.
Luke grinned at the frustration in his foe’s voice. He and Carly were doing a damn good job holding back the remaining wolves, but how long could they hold out?
Long enough, his wolf promised. As long as it takes.
Every second bought Carly an extra chance. Kyle would rush to the kids first, but he’d get word to Carly’s family, and they’d come racing for her.
As long as it takes, Luke promised himself.
But the wounds he’d sustained sent red flares of alarm through his body. His right shoulder had been torn open, making him feel lopsided. One ear had been sliced lengthwise by the enemy’s fangs, and blood trickled over his snout, stinging his eyes.
Every second counts, he told himself, squinting into the midday light.
A rangy wolf with a dark coat — Steen — darted forward, making for his injured shoulder. Luke sidestepped and snapped just as a scuffle broke out behind him.