I'm Not Afraid of Wolves (The Cotton Candy Quintet Book 4) (8 page)

“You in there, Sugah?”

I stuck my head out from the shower, using the curtain to cover up my body. “Miss Siousxie?” I called out blindly.

A plush towel was pressed into my hands. “Here,” she said. “I think Colton’s ready to go.”

Of course he is.

As Colton’s truck was somewhere out in the Georgia wilderness, we had to take another option for travel, which was apparently Siouxsie’s old Jeep. Colton said that he had to check the oil and a few other things, which didn’t inspire confidence in the vehicle. We were going to hit the road hard.

I used that time to take a quick shower. Something about the fur and claws always made me feel like I couldn’t get clean. I felt like I was violated from my fight with the wolves. I scrubbed for as long as I dared.

But I still couldn’t get completely clean, and I still felt like I’d been hit by a freight train.

“Clothes are laid out for you,” Siouxie said. The steam cleared enough for me to see her face and the old woman winked at me. “You’re a bit bigger than me, but I found some things that should fit. And a few changes for later.”

Right, I didn’t have any other clothes than the flowy nightgown I woke up in.

“Thanks,” I said.

I rinsed off as fast as I could and when I stepped out from the shower a few minutes later, I saw that there was a t-shirt and a pair of mom jeans folded on the counter for me. Not bad. Not that I was being picky anyways. Although the shirt did say, “World’s Number One Grandma”. I bet Colton gave it to her when he was younger.

Siouxsie was in the living room when I emerged, reading a book on her Kindle. With a sinking feeling, I realized that I’d left my books back at the cabin. So much happened in such a short amount of time.

She set down her Kindle and her face crinkled into a wide grin as she looked up at me.

“He’s out in the driveway, dearie.” She got up from her seat and hugged me. “Take care of him.”

“Me take care of him?” I asked, not sure if she realized that this was her grandson she was talking about. The big man that was a park ranger and an alpha werewolf. I was a fish out of water when it came to this stuff.

But Siouxsie just continued grinning at me. “He likes you, you know.”

Oh
. “I…”

She chuckled. “I know, he’s silly. But Colton always fell hard for pretty girls. Especially when they’re strong, independent women like you.”

I hadn’t dated much since I divorced Shane. Why would I, when I had such a bad experience? I’d rather be alone than risk that again. But, thinking about it, was Shane still controlling my life even though I hadn’t seen him in a decade?

Still, I was tongue-tied. “I…”

“Oh, don’t take it like a marriage proposal. Attraction is pretty instantaneous. Or has it been that long since you dated and you forgot?” It actually had been, and I pressed my lips into a fine line. She waved me away though. “I’m just stating the obvious. The big lug won’t.”

“Okay.”

“Here’s a few changes of clothes for you and Colton,” Siouxsie said, handing me a tote bag with folded clothes and I also noticed a Tupperware bin full of cookies. “Lord knows you’ll shred your clothes from shifting. Just don’t do it more than three times, and you’ll be fine. There’s also a Febreze bottle in there. Because, well, you know. You don’t want them being able to sniff you out.” She sighed, crossing her arms, looking a little sad. “And, with that, you should get going.” She nodded towards the door. “He’s waiting.”

“You’re not coming?” Suddenly, I wanted a buffer between us. Not just because he was attracted to me, but because I was afraid that I was going to end up being attracted to him. And make bad decisions.

But Siouxsie shook her head. “These old bones of mine would just slow you down. I will be here when it’s all over.”

I hugged her. “Thank you so much,” I whispered honestly. “For everything.

She hugged me back. “Don’t mention it. Now go.”

As I pulled away, her eyes caught me off guard. They sparkled in very much the same way that Colton’s did and I fought a blush as we walked out to the driveway. Whatever it was with werewolves and their sparkly eyes, I’ll never know.

For raining so much the night before, the morning was fresh and bright. Humidity made the shirt immediately stick to my body, but I marveled at how beautiful the area around me was. I saw the appeal of living out in the wilderness.

And there was the Jeep. An Army-green color, it was old and looked like it had been in a few wars. I wasn’t even sure that it would be able to make it to the main road. There was no top, and the hood was up as a shirtless Colton bent over the engine. Hot damn, he was good looking without a shirt on. It was the first time I’d seen him shirtless in daylight, and I wouldn’t mind seeing him like this more often.

The good thing about shifters was that we tended to lose our shirts all the time.

As if sensing my eyes on him, Colton stood to his full height and shut the hood. He gave me a grin, and I averted my eyes, remembering what Siouxsie said.

“Hey,” he said. “Jeep’s ready.”

He took a towel and mopped the sweat off his body before putting on a tee that stretched a little too tightly across his biceps. That was almost as bad as him being shirtless.

“We’re driving in that?” I asked, not meaning to sound off-putting.

“Yeah,” he said. “It looks worse for wear, but it’s built like a tank.”

I knew that time was running out and there was no other option for us getting to Atlanta. It was either this or I was going to let Sara and Emily down. And I wasn’t about to do that.

I took a deep, steadying breath. “Let’s go.”

***

Siouxsie’s words distracted me the entire drive. Being stuck in a Jeep with Colton felt incredibly awkward after she told me that he was attracted to me. And then I found myself looking too long at Colton’s biceps or wondering if those words were true. He kept it casual, watching the road, driving effortlessly when I had so much trouble in the rain the night before. He knew these back roads better than I knew swimming.

And I was a professional mermaid, so that said a lot.

He noticed my eyes on him at one point and shifted uncomfortably under my gaze. “What?”

“So you’re the pack alpha?” I asked. Best to cover up my staring with a blatant question.

He quirked an eyebrow, but answered. “Yeah.”

“So what does that mean, exactly?”

He shrugged. “It’s really just a title.”

“I thought titles and rank were important in werewolf packs.”

“Yeah. A bit.” He frowned. “Okay, maybe a lot.”

We drove in silence for a while before he sighed and acquiesced to my question. “It means that I’m the biggest wolf in the pack.” I snorted, but he kept talking. “We help each other, while I protect them if something happens. We live and die by each other, and once a pack member, always a pack member. Yet, at any time, I can essentially pull rank on any of the lower wolves to do something that I want them to do. If my pack was a town, I’d be the mayor.”

“So…to become the mayor of Werewolf Town,” I said, using his metaphor, “are you voted in?”

He glanced at me. “What, mountain lions don’t have alphas?”

“We more tolerate each other than anything else.”

Thank god for that, too. I couldn’t imagine being a werewolf in the same situation with Shane and getting out of that way of life with my hide intact. I managed to keep my job with Neptune’s Mermaids, while Shane had to adhere to a restraining order. It also helped that I shamed him in front of the other werecats. Ruined my reputation, but it ruined his as well.

Colton’s jaw moved slightly as he considered my question. “You fight your way to the top. Not to the death or anything—except in
some
cases…” His voice trailed off, and I didn’t press the question. “But that’s extreme cases. And that didn’t happen when I fought my way to alpha. Although I did end up—” he coughed “—fighting my grandma.” He scratched his head. “I think she let me win.”

“Why’d you do it?” I asked.

He smirked. “You ask a lot of questions, don’t you?”

“I just want to know what we’re up against.”
And what kind of world Sara will be joining if we don’t find her in time.

He seemed to understand my meaning, and he nodded. “My grandmother talked about it, briefly. My family has been werewolves for the past seven generations up in this area.”

I hummed the dueling banjos song and he laughed.

“Yes, exactly like that. But, we’d all been werewolves. And when I was eighteen, my older brother…” He stopped, and I realized that he was venturing into too-personal territory.

“You don’t have to talk about that, if you don’t want to,” I said gently. I put my hand over his and gave a gentle squeeze, which, I realized after the fact, wasn’t like me at all. But conversations between us were natural, and I wanted to comfort him like this.

Even though we just met. After last night and today, comfort was all we had left.

Colton let out a sigh and shook his head. “No,” he said, his voice slightly strangled. “I should talk about it. My older brother, Stephen, was a werewolf, meant to carry on the family line. I was supposed to go out west somewhere like San Francisco and go to college. I wanted to be an English professor.” He chuckled darkly, then sobered. “But then Paul got into a car wreck.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“It’s been
years
, but we were close. So…I became a wolf to carry on the family line. Because it was expected, no matter what Grandma says.” He gestured vaguely, and I got the idea that he was just trying to do something with his hands—anything to take his hand away from mine. Which was all right. “I had to carry on the family business. And I had to move up in the ranks.” That wolfish smile was back, although it was bittersweet. “Being a lower wolf sucks, especially if you have a bastard of an alpha. Not that Grandma was a bastard.”

“But Sara would be dealing with one,” I said.

He nodded. “And she’d be stuck with them.”

My stomach dropped at the thought. I couldn’t bear the thought of her going through this. Based on what Colton said, her situation would be worse, and I wouldn’t wish that upon anyone. Well, except maybe Shane and Andrea, the “friend” who betrayed us. Was she doing that of her own free will? Or did some alpha tell her to keep an eye on us?

How long have they been trying to turn Sara into a wolf?

So many thoughts were swirling in my head, I jumped when static crackled over Colton’s handheld radio.

“Dispatch, Donnelly. Dispatch, Donnelly.”

“Donnelly, copy,” Colton said, holding the handset to his mouth. “Vicks is a werewolf too,” he added so that only I could hear. “My right-hand guy, really. I’m having him keep an eye out for suspicious activity.”

After the initial, proper greeting, Vicks went into casual conversation with Colton. “Do you remember Connie Sue at the Gas ‘n Pass?”

Gas ‘n Pass? Why did that sound familiar?

“Yeah,” Colton said into the handset.

“Well.” Vicks hesitated. “Godwin saw a bunch of wolves go in there early this morning. Connie Sue was on duty and didn’t report anything.”

Colton’s face darkened. “Do you think she got the alert to look out for a bunch of wolves too late?” he asked.

“If so, why hasn’t she reported it since?” Vicks asked.

“True. You’ve got a point.” Colton accelerated the Jeep to go even faster and we began bouncing down the road at an even faster clip. I held onto the frame for dear life as we flew down the road. “Heading out her way. Will let you know what comes out of it. Good job, Vicks.”

“Thanks.” The other man sounded grateful for the compliment. It was direct evidence of the pack structure. “I’ll keep an ear out for any more.”

“Over and out,” Colton said for good measure.

He put the handset down and looked at me. “We’re going back to the gas station from yesterday,” he said evenly. “And Connie Sue, the attendant that you met? She’s a wolf herself.”

I remembered the attendant that flirted with Colton. They seemed more familiar than just a park ranger and a gas attendant. They were in the same pack.

I froze remembering that Andrea ran in ahead of us. And it had been her suggestion to stop there, as it was “on the way”. She must have run in there, alerted Connie Sue or called someone from the Atlanta pack before Emily, Sara, and I went in there.

“So if she didn’t report a bunch of werewolves after receiving an alert,” Colton said, gritting his teeth, “then we have a traitor on our hands.”

“There are quite a few traitors in Werewolf-Town,” I whispered. Colton glanced at me. “I think Andrea ratted us out even then. They were working together. They knew we were coming.”

“Officer Donnelly,” the attendant hailed from the counter as we entered the convenience store. “Two days in a row. I should be honored. And you,” she said, her gaze falling on me. “Welcome back!”

She seemed just as cheery as she did yesterday, which made my stomach twist into knots. Maybe this was all a big mistake. And maybe Colton and I were going to entering a trap by coming in here and threatening her.

But he proceeded anyways.

“Did you get my alert?” Colton asked. “About the persons of interest and kidnapping?”

Connie Sue nodded gravely. “Absolutely. Terrible situation, that.”

Colton glanced at me, and I could read it in his eyes.
Lying
. I moved closer to the entrance of the store. I didn’t know if there was a back entrance, but I wanted to make sure that she wasn’t leaving through those barred doors.

“So why,” Colton asked, turning his attention back to the attendant, “would Godwin have spotted a pack of seven werewolves—fitting my exact description—stop at this gas station, and I haven’t heard anything from you?”

I saw the immediate change in Connie Sue. The cheeriness evaporated like water on a hot stove, replaced by unadulterated fear. She knew she was caught.

And she chose that moment to bolt.

Faster than I could follow, Colton reached out, grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her over the counter, snarling in her face. He had partially shifted; his hands were both long, with monstrous claws and his face was an anthropomorphic wolf’s.

All the better to see you with, my dear.

“That was all the answer I needed,” he said. “Connie Sue, you have betrayed our bloodlines, our faith, our trust—”

The woman screamed, something between a howl and shriek. It split my ears, making my headache worse. He held her fast, but she twisted away, shifting into her wolf self as she did so. Apparently, the entrance wasn’t the only way out of there, because she scrambled along the floor, aiming for the area with the bathrooms.

I was expecting that.

I shifted into a mountain lion as I moved to intercept her. She came up short in front of me, and I saw the confusion on her wolf-face. She hadn’t been expecting another were in her presence.

Too late for that now.

I growled at her, barring her path. The she-wolf howled unhappily and paced. As a human, Colton closed the gap between us, effectively closing her in. She was trapped, and we all knew it. Her eyes went wild and she acted like a caged animal, glaring at me with those unnerving eyes.

I knew that if I let off an inch, she’d go all over me. I tried looking as intimidating as possible in front of her. Maybe she was smart enough to get the hint. I doubted it though.

“Connie Sue, transform back into a human,” Colton said tiredly. “Christine can’t understand you when you’re both different animals.”

Connie Sue snapped at him once, but he stepped towards her threateningly and she cowered, her tail between her legs. A second later, she shifted back into a human, and quickly moved to the souvenir stand to put on a huge, oversized shirt that said, “Georgia on my mind.”

The woman looked flustered, terrified out of her mind. I didn’t blame her. But she started speaking, to my relief.

“Speak,” Colton commanded. I
felt
the authority in his voice at that moment, and I realized why he was the alpha of his pack. He commanded the wolves with an iron fist when he needed to.

Connie Sue nodded, her eyes darting between him and me, as if debating who to speak to. “They contacted me about a week ago.” Her voice was soft, almost ashamed. “They said that a wanted wolf-to-be was going to come through here with two other women and a fellow werewolf. They said that I was to alert them when that happened.”

“Why’d you help them?” Colton asked, his voice low and dangerous.

She blanched. “I wanted to get away from here.” Her eyes shot daggers at him. “I wanted to get out of this hell hole. And they offered me a place in their Atlanta pack. One where I’m not working at a gas station because some big guy tells me to.”

“You were excited to take it,” Colton said.

“Yeah, well, I hate it.”

She must have been the world’s greatest actress. I thought she liked her job from earlier. Her cheeriness, her smile…they felt genuine.

Colton’s face went very neutral before he sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, cursing under his breath. “You could have just asked, Connie Sue. There are no laws keeping you here.”

“Except the pack,” she shot back.

“And I make the laws of the pack.”

She scoffed. “You wouldn’t have let me leave.”

“Don’t tell me what I would and wouldn’t have done,” Colton growled.

She shrank back underneath his gaze, and if she wasn’t partly responsible for Sara’s and Emily’s disappearance, I would have felt bad for her. As it was…I felt nothing towards her.

“You know that in other packs, treason is punishable by death.” Colton kept his eyes on her as he spoke, using that power to intimidate her. “You’re not getting off to a good start by betraying this one.”

She shivered. “What are you going to do?”

He considered his answer, his eyes flicking to me for a response. I didn’t know what to say, as this wasn’t in my wheelhouse—not to mention that I was still in mountain lion form and he wouldn’t be able to understand me. Even if he did, I didn’t know what their pack rules were. If treason was punishable by death, I’d have been killed by my fellow werecats when I divorced Shane. I hurt him badly. But then again, he hurt me back.

Still though, she ratted Sara out. Sara, who had done nothing wrong. Sara, who meant well, even when she messed everything up.

But we needed to know where they were. That thought dampened the rising anger in my body.

Colton nodded, as if reading my thoughts. “Tell us where they went, and there’ll be a lesser punishment.” He quirked a smile. “Such as banishment to some place else.”

It was far less than what she deserved. I couldn’t believe that he’d just let her off like that, essentially giving her exactly what she wanted, but he knew our priorities. He knew that we had to get Sara and Emily back.

And I guess we’d never have to deal with her again. I could live with that.

Connie Sue looked at him, astonished, before closing her mouth, and then nodding quietly. “Atlanta, they’re going to Atlanta.”

At least we were traveling in the right direction. For some reason, even though Atlanta was its own concrete jungle, it seemed easier to navigate than the wilderness.

“Do you have any more than that?” Colton asked. “Do they have two women with them?”

Connie Sue licked her lips. “Yes.”

“Any idea of where they’re going in Atlanta, then?”

She shook her head. “No,” she said, only halfway apologizing. “I have no idea. I didn’t think to ask that, because I was happy that I was getting out of this hellhole.”

That was no good. I moved behind the aisle, the same one where she grabbed a shirt, and called back my werecat, transforming me back into a human. I grab my own “Georgia on my mind” oversized t-shirt to put on temporarily.

“Can you find out?” I asked. “My sister has been kidnapped by one of them, and they’re going to turn her into a full werewolf tonight. She doesn’t want to join our world. And she’s going to be in the same position as you in a few years, wanting to get out.”

Connie Sue blinked at me, like she couldn’t believe that I was the same woman who came through the gas station the day before.

“
Please
,” I added for good measure, trying to appeal to her humanity, if there was any left.

She nodded to Colton. “So long as he promises that I’m free of any sort of treason charge.”

Colton’s upper lip curled, but I shushed him before he could say something to ruin all of it. “Yes, he promises. Just please see if you can find out.”

She narrowed her eyes, waiting.

“Yes,” Colton grunted, “fine. I promise not to punish you and you can go wherever the hell you want, so long as it’s not here.”

Despite his angry words, her face broke into a huge, wide grin, and I felt slightly sick that she was going to get her way. People like her didn’t deserve a happy ending.

But I bit my tongue.

“Let me make a few phone calls,” she said. “And see if anyone knows where the initiation is taking place tonight.”

Did I trust her? No, but she was the only one who could help us right now.

She moved behind the counter, and pulled out her cell phone. Amazing how she was able to get reception out here when I couldn’t, but then again, I was on a cheap prepaid plan, so it shouldn’t surprise me that she had a better network. Still, I wondered how things could have changed if I only had reception.

“You okay?” Colton asked me, coming up to my right. His voice was low, to the point where it was breathy and it tickled my ear. It was to keep her from overhearing our conversation, but I still had to gulp down my nerves as he spoke to me like that.

I nodded. “I mean, I can’t believe she’d do something like that, but then again, she seems desperate to get out of here.” I looked up at him. “Would you have really killed her for betraying your pack?”

He hesitated before answering. “That’s a question for later.”

I didn’t know if that meant he would or if he wouldn’t. But I hugged my arms to my body and shivered nonetheless. His gaze softened at that.

“Let’s just say I’m not a monster,” he said, offended.

I frowned as he walked towards Connie Sue, who was busy on the phone, and I focused on her conversation again. From my vantage point, I could hear the person on the other end, but the quality of the call wasn’t great.

That made me feel better about not having great reception.

“…Well of course I want to go, I’m going to be a part of the pack now, right?” Connie Sue said in the receiver, her voice that cheery attendant-speak from earlier. She really was a great actress—she should try Hollywood. She turned around and froze when she realized that Colton was coming closer to her. She gulped and nodded. “Yes, yes. Okay. I’ll see you there. 8pm on the dot.”

She hung up and addressed Colton, her voice slightly uneven.

“They’re doing it at Old Plow Company, tonight at eight o’clock.”

I frowned. “What’s that?”

She shrugged. “Look, I don’t know. I just know that they’re taking her there. And that I’m betraying the Atlanta pack by doing this.”

“It didn’t seem to bother you to betray ours,” Colton sneered.

Connie Sue widened her eyes. “Well, that’s because…”

Colton waved her away. “I don’t want to hear it. You have my word that I won’t execute you, but you’d better be gone by the time I’m back here.”

She froze. “When would that be?”

“As soon as possible.”

It felt like he wasn’t joking. And from the fear in Connie Sue’s eyes, she believed him too.

“Let’s go, Christine,” Colton said, looking at me. “We’ve got another three hours at least to get there, and I want to be ready.”

I think Connie Sue passed out from relief as soon as we left the gas station. And as I put on my second change of clothes in the backseat while Colton drove (not exactly legal, but hey, I was with law enforcement), I wondered how many times I’d have to change clothes trying to find Sara and Emily.

***

Not too long after we left the gas station, my phone beeped with text messages and emails galore. I frantically checked through them to see if there was anything from Sara, on the slim chance that she had access to a cell phone.

“Anything?” Colton asked, as he kept his eyes on the road.

I shook my head, unable to hide my disappointment. “No. Nothing.”

“It’ll be all right.” His fingers drummed on the steering wheel. “We’ll get there in time. We’ll stop them. Your sister will be all right.”

Would she? I hoped so.

We had alerted the rest of the wolves in Colton’s pack that they were in Atlanta, although they couldn’t exactly come down here without inciting a war. A few were coming down, although they’d arrive too late. Colton also radioed the Atlanta police, telling them to keep an eye out for two women fitting Sara’s and Emily’s descriptions.

But, for all intents and purposes, Colton and I were Sara’s and Emily’s only hope.

I saw that I had a text from Alaina, showing a picture of her newborn baby boy. She looked absolutely smitten at the new addition to her little family. Lucas, her son, was about three weeks old, and cuter than any baby I’d seen. And that’s not just because I’m biased because it was a friend’s baby.

He really was adorable.

The text was accompanied by a simple, “Hope all is well in your world.”

I smiled despite myself and responded with a quick, “You too. <3.”

I wasn’t going to burden her with my worries. She wouldn’t believe me, just like I didn’t believe Sara when she approached me about her problems. Besides, I didn’t want to drag her into this world—she obviously has enough to worry about with Lucas on her hands. She didn’t even know that I had gone on vacation. We’d drifted apart since she left the mermaids to raise her child.