Saved by the Big Bad Wolf: A Darkhills Romance

by Elizabeth Greene

  He bowed his head and took off his baseball cap to run his hand through his sweat dampened hair.

  Cayden felt for the guy. He had no idea that the situation was so bad within the pack. He earned enough from his various contracts to keep himself comfortable, but then he supposed he had no dependents, no family and he lived in a tiny trailer which he owned outright. His wolf stirred inside him, rising to its feet. Cayden felt uncomfortable and the need to offer support thronged deeply through his veins. He shook his head and clapped a hand on Clint’s shoulder.

  “I’m sorry man.” He uttered sincerely.

  “Ain’t you going out with the Alpha this week though? Couldn’t you ask him for a pay rise?” Nate pitched in.

  “Don’t remind me.” Clint replied, fidgeting with his cap. “Carly’s so excited; thinks this means our problems are solved. Honestly, I wish we didn’t have to sit through an evening with him while he creeps on Rose, and I ain’t so sure I’d like to earn my money the way the Alpha does business.”

  Cayden removed his hand and stepped back casually. This definitely was not his place. Hearing the Alpha wasn’t acting in an honourable way put his hackles all the way up and he needed to remind himself that this wasn’t his pack, and therefore wasn’t his problem.

  “Yeah, I see your point. I don’t like the way he is with her. I’ve known her since kindergarten, she’s a good female.”

  “Yeah, she is. So why don’t you ask her out instead?” Clint perked up at the possibility, “I’d sure as hell rather double date with you.”

  The other male chuckled.

  “And get my ass handed to me on a plate by the Alpha? No, thanks. Besides, I’m waiting for the mating pull. Seems like us simple country wolves like to dream of happily ever after.” At that he made a dramatic sigh and batted his eyes.

  “Oh, you think its funny huh?” Clint launched himself at the other wolf and the two immediately began rough housing. As they continued to banter back and forth.

  Cayden laughed and shook his head; he liked these wolves. They seemed like good folk, it just sucked that they were in a shitty situation and couldn’t find a way out of it. The rumbling crunch behind them made Cayden turn to see the Beta’s gleaming red truck pull into the clearing. Clint and Nate jumped up from their wrestling match and dusted themselves off as he climbed from his truck.

  “Break time’s over boys. Plenty of time for snuggling on your own time.” The Beta, a wolf called Russell, called out as he approached them.

  He had said it with good humour, but it was obvious that they had been rebuked.

  “Sorry Russ. Good to have you here, these pines are beasts; the extra muscle will make this job a piece of cake.” Nate replied.

  Cayden inwardly cringed. It was probably not a brilliant idea to draw any attention to the fact that the Beta had been slacking in his duties. Looked like Nate tended to put his foot in it.

  Russell’s spine straightened slightly, giving him the extra inch or two to be able to look down his nose at his pack members. He stared the other wolf down for a moment before turning his head away disinterestedly, the sun glinting furiously off whatever gel or wax he had put on his swept back, ginger hair.

  “Change of plan. Alpha needs a job doing. Rose is heading up to see old lady Woods, Alpha wants an opportunity to speak with her alone before she gets there.”

  “Why? Why can’t he just see her when she’s working the bar later? Or give her a call?” Nate interrupted, earning a warning look from Russell.

  Cayden had been mildly interested in the new orders up until now, it wasn’t every day you had to stop logging to play cupid for an Alpha. But the mention of a female that worked at the bar had his ears twitching. Rose. Was that the name of his she-wolf? Not your she-wolf. He tried to remind himself, but his wolf was alert and attentive. His animal did not like the idea of the she-wolf having other males sniffing around.

  “Alpha wants to talk to her in person to help her realize what he is offering her. Our job is to stop her, keep her distracted while we ensure she’ll need to pull over further up the track so Sam can come to her rescue.”

  “I don’t like this Russ.” Clint spoke up, squaring his shoulders. “What exactly are you expecting us to do, slash her tyres?”

  “Not slash them, what kind of a monster do you think our Alpha is? We’ve just been told to stick them with some nails or something, to let the air out slowly. She won’t be in any danger, but she’ll have to stop and will need his assistance.” Russell replied.

  “And what if we refuse?” Clint held the Beta’s gaze.

  “Then you’d be refusing a direct order from your Alpha and unless you fancy challenging him for the position, you’ll be punished for your disobedience.” Russell said, the snootiness in his voice told Cayden exactly what kind of a wolf he was. Entitled and felt his position gave him the right to lord it over the other pack members.

  “Is that a threat Beta?” Clint snarled.

  “Let’s just say it would be a shame if your wage packets went missing for a few weeks.” Russell sneered, drawing a deeper growl from Clint who stepped forward with his fists clenched.

  The son of a bitch.

  Cayden snarled, unable to hold back his wolf as it revolted against the scene playing out in front of him.

  “This don’t concern you, wolf. You’d do well to keep your nose out of pack business.” Russell snapped at him.

  Cayden’s wolf paced, hackles up. It’d be so easy to tear this wolf limb from limb, the pretty boy with his flashy truck probably hadn’t won a fight in his life and honestly, he deserved to get his ass kicked.

  “Let’s not get ourselves worked up over this.” Nate chimed in, shouldering his way between the Clint and Russell. “Sounds like Sam just wants a chance to act the hero and try to romance the lady a little. We’ll do it.”

  “Glad one of you still has some sense.” Russell goaded. “Come on. She’ll be passing through any minute. I’ll keep her distracted while you boys take care of her tyres.” He turned and stomped off in the direction of the main track through the forest. The two pack members followed, shoulders slumped, and brows furrowed.

  “Oh, and you can get lost, wolf.” The Beta called back to Cayden, “We don’t want no outsider thinking he can sling his dick around near our females.”

  And there it was, clear as day. He shouldn’t care. He was an outsider. He shouldn’t want anything to do with what was going on with this pack. It did not concern him.

  But Cayden couldn’t deny the fact that he was concerned as he marched back to his truck. He saw good wolves being downtrodden by their leaders and kept from bettering their situations. What drove his wolf to the point of madness, however, was the thought that the female who was about to fall into the Alpha’s manipulative trap, could be the female that called to him like no other.

  Rose. The name suited her. Beautiful and strong. He pictured her in his mind, dark auburn hair that had shone even in the darkness of the evening, green eyes that captivated him, and the call of her wolf; loud and decisive.

  The memory of her triggered his wolf’s mating instinct. It wanted to hunt her and claim her for his own. The very thing that could never happen. Cayden angrily swung himself up into the cab of his truck and started off up the track that would eventually lead to his trailer. The journey was uncomfortable, and not just because he was tearing up the bumpy track at such a speed that his body was being bounced around behind the wheel. His wolf was clawing at him, snapping angrily, wanting to be let out. He fought to contain himself. Shifting while behind the wheel of his truck would be suicidal. When he reached his trailer, he stumbled out of the cab, grunting and growling with the effort to stop the shift from taking over.

  What the hell was happening to him?

  He had never had to fight his wolf for dominance like this before. He’d felt desire before, he’d been interested in women in the past, but this burning and guttural need to claim her was overwhelming. Cayden breathed deeply,
snarling and huffing as he slowly pushed his wolf back down with an invisible force that caused it to still and submit. He hated it. It felt wrong to battle with his animal like this, they were entwined souls that lived and fought as one. But finally, he could breathe again, his head was still pounding with the effort it had taken to gain control, but he was no longer about to shift.

  Cayden slumped back against his truck. He had no way of knowing that this Rose was the she-wolf. She could be just another female. But the same conclusion was being reached every time he tried to convince himself that although a female was potentially at risk of harm, he should stay out of it:

  Pack law be damned, he needed to act.

  He climbed back up into his truck, he’d meet the main road if he cut back through one of the underused tracks through the forest and then he’d find the female. It didn’t matter if this Rose was his she-wolf or not. He would help fix up her tyres and see that she was able to avoid a run-in with the Alpha.

  If the wolf wanted to court her, he could do it the honest and proper way. By asking her out and respecting her answer. If Cayden lost his employment for the summer because of this, then so be it.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Rose

  Well, that was weird.

  Rose put her little jeep back into gear and carried on up the road that led to her grandmother’s house.

  Russell had gone on and on, asking her about her new apartment and whether he could do anything to help her fix the place up. She’d laughed when she’d reminded him it was a newly refurbished apartment and didn’t even need a lick of paint. He’d kept her there, asking about work at the bar and whether her grandmother needed any errands running. It was sweet of him to offer but she couldn’t help but feel like there was ulterior motive. Rose rolled her eyes. She hoped she didn’t have the Beta suddenly sniffing around her like the Alpha was. Russ was nice and all, but she had zero interest in him. Her wolf practically ignored him.

  Clint and Nate hadn’t said much to her and considering they had been friends since school it had felt weird. She couldn’t think what she could’ve done to have offended them, maybe it was just the heat making them grumpy. She certainly didn’t want to be working under that sun today. She’d take the warm evening air in the forest over the midday sun anytime. She was due a couple days off soon, maybe she’d stay over with her grandma for a night. The two of them could watch trash TV and chew the fat until Gram fell asleep in her chair, then Rose could shift and sprint through the forest, chasing the moon. Maybe she’d see the lone wolf.

  A shiver went through her at the thought. He was off limits, but damn did she want to see him again, want to run with him until they both ran out of breath. Maybe she’d come back after her shift tonight and spend the rest of the week up in the forest.

  Ah Hell!

  She had that stupid double date. Rose’s stomach churned just thinking about being in the Alpha’s company and what he would read into it. That’s why she was here. She reminded herself. She needed to get some advice from her grandma. Judy Woods was a no-nonsense kind of a woman who called things as she saw them, but she was also the most kind-hearted and giving person. Her door was always open to members of the pack and she was liked, even a little revered by everyone. She had raised Rose as though she were a daughter, not a granddaughter ever since Rose’s parents had passed. If there was anyone who would help her figure out a way of staying within the pack while avoiding the advances of the Alpha, it was Grandma.

  Either that or Rose would have to leave.

  Lost in her thoughts, Rose hadn’t noticed that the ground had started to become more and more difficult to navigate. She had driven this road a million times and her old jeep had never had any problem with the rough surface. She frowned as she realized it felt like she was driving a tank. She continued for another quarter mile before the bumps and jolts became too much. She pulled over to the side of the single track and killed the engine.

  Rose climbed out of the jeep and walked around it, looking for any sign of trouble. Her grandfather had insisted before she got her license that she knew enough about a car to be able to maintain it and fix any easy problems herself. He had said it would save her money on the little jobs and help her know when she needed a mechanic, or if she was being ripped off. She certainly didn’t need a mechanic now to see that her tyres were flat. All of them.

  Suspicion flared in her mind. She’d had the odd flat tyre before but never all of them at once. She knelt to take a closer look at one of them. A rusty looking nail was imbedded in the rubber. She checked each of the others in turn and found the same thing. Her wolf growled low, and Rose agreed. Someone had deliberately punctured her tyres. When this happened, and who had done it; remained unknown, but she’d find out.

  She scented the air but all she could smell was the forest around her and the faint lingering scents of Clint, Nate and Russell. That didn’t exactly help; her friends had stood around her jeep and chatted to her as she’d made her way up the road, of course she’d scent them.

  With a frustrated huff she stood and went round to the passenger side. She leaned into the back and felt around for her tyre pump. She’d re-inflate them and get to her grandmother’s where she could take another look at them. Her grandfather’s tools were all still there, possibly even a spare tyre or two. She’d be able to fix things up enough before getting to a mechanic.

  As she got to work on the first tyre, she heard the rumble of another vehicle approaching. She turned to see a beaten up, old truck she didn’t recognize heading down the road towards her. Her wolf stood and stretched in response to the unknown presence. As the truck came closer her wolf let out a whine and Rose had to clutch at her chest as the sudden thrill of excitement coursed through her. The truck pulled to a stop and she locked eyes with him.

  The lone wolf.

  God, he was handsome. Dark hair, almost black, piercing amber gaze that held her captive, high cheekbones, straight nose and a dark, slightly unkempt stubble that could almost be considered a beard. Rose wondered how it would feel against her skin, would it be satisfyingly scratchy, or would it tickle?

  Her blood began rushing in her veins heating her as she anticipated his scent again. It had taken all her will power to walk away from him the other evening when she’d first laid eyes on him in his human form. The brutally handsome face staring at her through the windscreen seemed to be warring with the same thoughts as her. They were desperately attracted to one another, but pack law forbid them from acting on their desires. She, as a pack member, would be cast out and every pack in the area would hear of what he had done; he’d be shunned and liable to attack for the rest of his days.

  Nothing could happen. If he were a smart wolf he would drive on. If she were a smart she-wolf, she’d forget about him and wouldn’t try to find him running in his wolf form by night.

  Turned out he wasn’t smart.

  The man climbed out of his truck stiffly and stood for a moment, closing his eyes as his nostrils flared. He was scenting her. She loved that he was, and a sadistic part of her got a thrill out of seeing the way his broad shoulders and arms flexed as he fought his reaction to her scent. She took small shallow breaths through her mouth. She didn’t trust her resolve not to act on the enticing, woodsy scent of the impressive male in front of her.

  The man’s eyes darkened with determination as he strode towards her. Rose straightened her spine as he approached, watching the way his body moved. Arousal flooded her at the thought of how his hard body would feel against hers. His nostrils flared again, and a low growl rumbled from his throat. Her wolf practically purred in response. Rose cursed herself for her reaction and for her inability to control it.

  He halted directly in front of her, his big frame taking up so much space she had no option but to look up into his amber eyes and breathe in his musky, masculine scent. A growl of her own crept out of her mouth. Rose blushed and bit her lip to stop from going any further.

  “Do you need any assist
ance?” The deep baritone melted over her.

  He was just there to help, that was all. He wasn’t going to put his livelihood at risk for the sake of some pack female he had an attraction to. Rose chastised herself and tried to reign in her libido.

  “I’m good thanks.” She muttered, trying to move past him. She needed space. “I’ve got it covered.”

  He grunted in response, moving in closer to prevent her escape. She could practically feel the heat rising from him and instead of feeling intimidated, the desire to leap onto him and crush her mouth to his was dangerously powerful.

  He leaned in and brought his face alongside hers. The tickle of his beard against her bare skin was torturous and the slow deep inhale he took below her ear made a gasp escape her.

  Damn this male, didn’t he know what he was doing was dangerous?

  As if he could hear her thoughts he pulled back, hands fisted at his sides. She could sense the inner battle going on behind his intense gaze, he knew he was crossing a line but the determination she saw in the way he looked at her said he had control. An awfully bad part of Rose wanted that control to break.

  “You need to be careful; your Alpha is planning something.”

  That shook her from her lustful haze. She frowned and tried to comprehend what the delicious male had said.

  “Sam? What is he planning? Did he have something to do with this?” She gestured to her tyres.

  “He wants you and doesn’t seem to care about how he pursues you.” He growled out, clearly his wolf was not happy with her Alpha and frankly, nor was she.

  She knew Sam was manipulative and was turning to underhand tactics to try to press his suit, but she never expected he’d go so far as to tamper with her car, forcing her to break down in the forest.

  “And what? He was going to come to my rescue?” She bit out, furious at the Alpha.