The sun was already sinking from the sky. Shannon looked at her watch as she pulled up in front of Alex’s home. “Shay, please work as fast as you can. I’m already pushing it.
Arguing with Rory wasted time I didn’t have.” As they exited the car, Shay responded, “Don’t worry. We’ll be in and out before you know it.”
Alex answered the door. His eyes grew round when he spotted her and he seemed disturbed, even dismayed, by her appearance. “Shannon, I didn’t know you were coming with Shayla. Shouldn’t you be home preparing for tonight?” He cast an uneasy glance over her shoulder to the yard behind.
“I couldn’t let Shayla ride over here by herself. She’s unfamiliar with the area. She might have gotten lost. We couldn’t afford for that to happen, not tonight of all nights.” She watched Shayla follow Kiesha into the den where she had her home office set up, then wondered what was wrong with Alex. He’d never seemed unhappy to see her before.
“Why don’t you head on home? One of us can drive her back, or she can stay here tonight if it gets too late.” Alex sounded a bit desperate. What’s up with him?
She looked at him strangely. “That’s not necessary. I’m here now, and Shayla said it wouldn’t take long. There’s no sense in you leaving your house when I’m already here.
Besides, the only males in scenting distance are you and Rory. Otherwise I’d be more concerned. Most of the males live closer to town, and that’s where they will be heading, where the females are most abundant.” At least that’s what I hope they’ll do. That little bit of uncertainty was why she’d let Rory hang around.
Alex stalked off toward the kitchen muttering, “Stubborn females, always messing up my plans.”
Shannon followed slowly behind him, wondering again what his problem was. She joined the ladies in the den, where Kiesha was watching Shayla work, asking the occasional question.
“Kiesha, what’s wrong with Alex? He seemed upset to see me. In fact, he tried to get me to go home and let one of you bring Shayla back, or he said she could spend the night here and wait until tomorrow.”
Kiesha’s eyes narrowed in speculation. “He actually said that to you?” Shannon nodded. “Not only did he say it, but when I pointed out that I was already here and that there was no sense in leaving, he stalked off muttering about ‘stubborn women and messed-up plans.’ What ‘plan’ was he talking about?” Nikolai’s Wolf
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Kiesha thought about it for a moment; then her eyes widened in alarm. “Shay, stop what you’re doing. You have to get out of here. Both of you. He’s trying to find a mate for Shayla! He knew she was coming tonight, and probably invited a few of the alphas from the pack to come over. He didn’t say anything to me because he knew I’d be pissed.” Shannon’s eyes rounded like saucers. “Oh, shit. Did you say alphas? Shay, hurry. We have to go. Now!”
“I’m coming,” Shay mumbled, shutting everything down as fast as she could. “When I see that cousin-in-law of mine again, I’ll have a few things to say to him. Too bad there’s no time for it now.”
She ran through the door on Shay’s heels, giving her a gentle shove when Shay paused to throw a glare over her shoulder at Alex as they bypassed him in the kitchen.
Outside, Shannon ran for her truck, keys in hand, with Shay close behind. Damn, I should have listened to Rory. Then she wouldn’t be in this mess. She hated that he was always right.
She started the truck and shoved it in gear before turning around in the yard to head back to the main road. “We have to get back to the house. The minute they catch my scent, they’re going to be all over me. I wish I knew who he’d called, what time he expected them to arrive, and how they were coming -- in vehicles or on all fours.”
“From his reaction to your presence, I’d say he expected them to arrive at any moment, which was why he was trying to rush you out of there.” Shannon spun out onto the little two-lane dirt road that ran up the mountain and through the woods. They bounced up and down inside the cab as the tires navigated over ruts and dips, sometimes coming off the ground entirely. Shannon cursed as the truck began losing power, shuddering and shaking. She beat the dash. “Come on, you piece of shit. Don’t do this to me now.” Apparently it wasn’t listening; the engine stalled, and the truck came to a rolling stop in the middle of the road.
“I should have replaced you when Rory wanted me to. This is how you repay my loyalty? Sentimental reasons! Hah! I should have dumped your sorry, sometime-working ass when I had the opportunity.”
With one last hit to the steering wheel, she turned to Shayla. “Leave your laptop. We’ll get it tomorrow. We’re going to have to run for it. The house isn’t that far if we cut through the woods. It’s still light enough for us to see.”
“Then what are we sitting here for? Let’s go.” Shay opened the door and jumped out.
Shannon slid across the seat, climbed out of the passenger side, then grabbed Shayla’s hand before taking off. The light wouldn’t be as good once they were deep in the woods.
Since she was a shifter, she could move much faster than Shay. She didn’t want to accidentally leave Shay behind because she couldn’t keep up, although Shay was surprising 58 Zena Wynn
her. She was running, jumping, twisting, and turning through the thick undergrowth just like a shifter.
The adrenaline pumping through her system was intensifying the heat. Oh God, if the males are close, they’ll smell me. Just as the thought crossed her mind, she heard crashing in the undergrowth, headed in their direction. She could see the house in the distance. They stood a better chance of making it if they split up.
She dragged Shayla to a halt. “They’re coming. We need to split up. It’s me they’re after.” She pointed straight ahead. “There’s the house. Keep going, and you should make it.
Tell Rory not to worry about me. I’m going to head upwind and try to lose them. If you get into trouble, scream for Rory and he’ll come running.” While speaking, she’d been stripping out of her clothes. “I’ll make better time in wolf form. Wish me luck.”
Shayla shook herself and forced her legs to move. She could think about what she saw later, when she was safely behind closed doors. She fixed her gaze on the house and ran, thankful for the years she’d spent running track and the many times her father had taken her hiking as a child.
As the front yard came into sight, she heard a sound close behind -- too close for comfort. She didn’t waste time looking behind her to see what it was. Instead, she screamed at the top of her lungs. “Rory!”
She hit the driveway just as the front door crashed open, and Rory came charging out.
He paused at the top of the stairs, searching. When he saw her and then what was behind her, something savage came over his face. He roared, “Mine!” in a voice that couldn’t possibly be human, then cleared the porch, the steps, and a few feet of yard in one single bound.
Shay didn’t know what was behind her, nor did she care. She was focused on the open front door. All her energy was concentrated on reaching it and the safety it represented. She heard the sounds of growling and fighting behind her as she sprinted for the porch. As she prepared to leap up the steps, a huge wolf came from out of nowhere, directly in front of her.
She stopped so abruptly she actually skidded and had to windmill her arms to keep from falling on her butt.
Oh damn, what to do now?
Nothing in her life had prepared her for this moment. She had two werewolves fighting behind her and one on the porch in front of her, blocking the way to safety. She could run to her car and try to lock herself inside, but would she make it? Would it do her any good? Maybe she could talk her way out of this.
It was worth a shot.
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Before she could give that option a try, there was a heavy thud followed by a high-pitched yip, then total silence behind her. She really wanted to know who’d won the fight, but she couldn’t afford to take her gaze off the wolf in front of her. She prayed Rory had been the victor. Her motto for the moment was better the devil -- or, in this case, shifter --
she knew than the one she didn’t.
She sidled slowly to the side, a few steps at a time so that she could see what was behind her, but at the same time keep the wolf on the porch in her sights. Then she heard a god-awful growl behind her that she felt right down to her bones. The hackles on the wolf rose, and he crouched, fangs bared. She dived out of the way just as he sprang at whatever had issued the challenging growl behind her. She heard flesh meeting flesh as she scrambled to her feet and virtually flew up the porch stairs and into the house.
She opened the basement door, pushed it shut, then locked it behind her. Running down the steps so fast that she almost tripped, she rushed through the second door. Using her body to push it closed, she twisted the locks into place. Okay now, that was better, she thought as she propped her hands on her knees and tried to catch her breath. Supposedly the only way anything could get into this room was with a key. She was safe, but she wouldn’t feel safe until she knew what happened to Rory and Shannon.
She wasn’t sure how much time passed before she heard the door at the top of the stairs crash open. Shayla backed away from the entrance, looking around desperately for a place to hide. The measured tread of heavy footsteps sounded loud as they came down the stairs. She was hoping like hell that it was either Rory or Shannon on the other side as she heard the scrape of a key, the locks unlatched and the door began to silently swing open. If it wasn’t, there was nowhere to run, no way to escape.
* * * * *
Shannon ran as fast as she could through the thick undergrowth and up the side of the mountain. Her goal was to climb high, then circle around and come back down behind the house and enter through the back door.
She’d told Shayla she would try to get upwind of her pursuers and slow them down.
Under normal circumstances, that’s exactly what she would be doing. However, she was hampered by her need to stay downwind of the males. With this traitorous heat racking her body, the last thing she wanted to do was catch the scent of hot, ripe male pheromones.
With a little luck, it wouldn’t be long before she was safe and sound at home. She’d left Shay not far from the house. When Shayla arrived at the door without her, Rory would know something had gone wrong and come looking for her. Not that she needed his help.
Still, it was nice knowing big brother would be running to the rescue.
Dusk bled into darkness as the full moon crested above the tree line. Its mellow light barely penetrated the forest in which she ran, but with every fiber of her being she could feel its presence. Thinking she had climbed high enough to avoid detection, she turned in 60 Zena Wynn
the direction of home and began circling back. With her change of course came a shift in the wind, bringing the mouthwatering scent of male wolf to her nostrils. Her beast took over as instinct rose to the forefront, overriding human reasoning. She let loose a howl, a primal mating call that made the human part of her wince. The night air resonated with the melodious sound of howling wolves, as unmated males from miles around responded to her mating call.
Her beast firmly in control of her actions, she pranced around the area until she found a spot suitable for her needs and settled down to wait. She quivered with expectation as she felt them drawing closer to her. They entered one by one into the clearing where she stood, so excited she was almost dancing in place, stirring up the cushioning bed of needles and leaves beneath her paws with her antics, until there were three of them gathered. She sat down on her haunches, her ears tilted forward expectantly as she waited for them to settle which one would have the privilege of mounting her. She’d waited a long time for this moment.
She would only mate with the strongest. She needed a worthy male, one who could give her strong, healthy pups. He had to be strong enough to protect her and her pups. She was an alpha female. Only an alpha would suit.
She sat regal as a queen surrounded by suitors vying for her attention. They strutted and preened before her in all their masculine glory before settling down to the serious business of eliminating the competition. They’d already proven their ability to hunt by finding her. Now came the test of strength.
A large brown wolf with white markings aggressively came forward, head held high, ears and tail up, and teeth bared in challenge to his opponents. His chest vibrated with the almost-silent growls emanating from his being.
An equally large brownish black wolf met his challenge. He puffed up, bared his teeth, and crouched, prepared to fight for the right to mate.
The two males circled each other warily, each searching for an area of weakness, a lowering of the defenses in the other. As the minutes passed and nothing interesting happened, she yawned, bored with all of the posturing. Come on and fight already, she thought. You’re burning moonlight. Can’t you smell how ready I am? Can’t you see how anxiously I’m waiting to be mated?
Finally the brown-and-white wolf made a move, charging directly at the other wolf, hoping to intimidate him into backing down. The brownish black wolf was prepared and leaped out of the way at the last minute, swiping at the flanks of the charging wolf as he passed, leaving behind a large gash that bled profusely. After a few more fruitless attempts, the brown-and-white wolf gave up in defeat and conceded the prize to the stronger, more determined male.
The brownish black wolf approached her proudly, head held high, ears straight up and tail high as he strutted to her like the champion that he was. When he stood before her, she Nikolai’s Wolf
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came to her feet, and they licked muzzles in greeting. They rubbed their bodies against each other as they circled, sniffing and getting accustomed to one another. She stood still as he worked his way behind her. Once in place, he sniffed and licked at her sex, testing her readiness to be mounted as she stood patiently waiting.
Just as he positioned himself to mount her, a huge black wolf came barreling out of the darkness and into her potential mate, causing them to flip and roll in a growling and snarling tangle of fur, teeth, and legs. The black was ferocious in its attack, ruthlessly subduing his opponent and showing his willingness to kill to claim his mate. The brownish black wolf, sensing it was no match for the black, reluctantly surrendered his prize and slunk off.