“Yes. You won’t find any sign of her attackers there now. I checked before bringing her to you. From what I could see, she must have dragged herself quite a distance before her strength gave out.” Nikolai’s gaze never left the wolf being examined on the floor. He had been strangely reluctant to put her down. His body was tense, waiting, for what he didn’t know.
The female wolf that must be Carol came back with the requested supplies. As Alex moved to clean her wounds, Nikolai gave warning. “Be careful. I had to place her under compulsion before I could get close enough to her to help. She was very defensive and half-crazed with pain.” He watched closely as Alex tended to her injuries, ready to snatch her away should the doctor make a wrong move.
“While many of her wounds are severe and need stitching, none are life-threatening.
She’s already beginning to heal,” Alex informed them.
Nikolai’s Wolf
11
“Do you recognize her? She doesn’t smell like pack,” the other wolf asked Alex.
“Yes, I know who she is,” Alex said. “She’s not one of ours. Her name is Shannon. She belongs to the Sparrowhawks. Her brother’s the alpha.”
“Are you going to contact him? Tell him what’s happened?” Carol questioned.
Alex shook his head. “We don’t know what happened, but until I do, this stays between us. We’ll keep an eye on her and protect her while she’s healing. She would heal faster if she could shift, but she’s lost too much blood.” Nikolai approved of Alex’s answer. Any brother who would allow something like this to happen to his sister didn’t deserve to be contacted.
“We have got to keep this from getting out,” Alex continued. “The pack wouldn’t normally be a problem, but this is a small area and news travels fast. We can’t take a chance on word getting back to the wrong ears.”
Alex stitched up the worst of her injuries and poured some kind of liquid on them.
Then he injected her with a shot of something. Finally finished, he removed his gloves as Carol quietly began to clean up. “She needs to be watched for a few hours.” Putting what was left of the supplies back in the bag, Carol responded, “She can come home with us. She’ll need clothes and stuff. If we’re keeping her presence a secret, we won’t be able to send someone to her home to pick up her things. If necessary, I’ll tell the pack I need some more items for Kiesha. Let them believe you got her size wrong.”
“Do whatever you think best.” Alex turned to Nikolai. “Is there any way that she could be tracked here?”
“No, but I’ll backtrack and make sure.”
“Thank you. You have the gratitude of the Raven pack for bringing her to us.” It was a formal way of saying that the pack was now indebted to him.
Nikolai nodded, not particularly concerned with vamp/shifter politics and shifter protocol at the moment. He took one more lingering glaze at the she-wolf he’d rescued before striding out the door.
Outside, Nikolai breathed in deeply of the night air. Opening his senses, he gathered information from the wind. The evening was quiet, the animals of the forest still as if they recognized the predator in their midst. Other than himself and the people in the house, the woods were empty.
He shape-shifted into a large raven, flew back to the spot by the ridge where he’d found the she-wolf, and made sure her whereabouts couldn’t be traced to Alex. Then, compelled beyond all reason, he tracked the she-wolf to the home where she was resting, using her mental signature as a guide. Masking his presence from her caretakers, he turned into mist and entered the home, reforming himself at her bedside.
He gazed at the she-wolf who’d managed to spark his interest after all these years of ennui and wondered what she looked like in human form. Not one to deny himself anything 12 Zena Wynn
he truly desired, he fully connected to her mentally and commanded her to shift. She flowed seamlessly from a wolf into a beautiful redhead. He studied her naked form, surprised to realize that his penis was hard. It had been so long since he’d felt real physical desire, it took him a moment to recognize the sensation.
While he luxuriated in the forgotten pleasure of arousal running through his veins, he tried to figure out what it was about her that called to him. He’d seen beautiful women before, ones with better figures. She was a bit too petite for his taste. He liked tall women to complement his own six-four stature. He’d be lucky if this one came to his chest. She had to be five-two, maybe five-three if she stretched herself.
The word “pixie” came to mind.
His gaze followed the slight curve of her stomach to the apex of her thighs. The sight of the red curls there caused his cock to jerk in his pants. How interesting!
As he stared at those curls, he imagined himself parting them with his tongue and tasting her essence. Lost in his fantasy, he didn’t immediately notice her breathing had sped up. Nikolai glanced at her face. Seeing that she was still asleep, he let his gaze wander again.
Her breasts caught his attention. Where before they’d been lax in her drug-induced sleep, her nipples were now pointed little beads, proclaiming her arousal. He could smell her desire. It amazed him that she was so attuned to him.
Nikolai closed his mental link with her, stepped away from the bed, and backed himself into a corner of the room. He wanted to determine if it was his thoughts or his presence to which she was responding. He looked away and willed his body to cool down.
He thought of the mundane and kept his gaze off the bed until he was in control again.
As his arousal subsided, he glanced once more at the woman. Her nipples were still peaked, and the curls between her legs glistened as the juice of her arousal dampened them.
The beast within him rose, and he lost a good deal of the control he’d just attained.
Unable to resist the temptation, he crossed to the bed and dipped his finger in her honey-dampened curls, being careful not to touch the flesh below. Once his finger was coated in her juice, he brought it to his mouth. The taste of her caused his fangs to explode in his mouth as his beast jerked on its leash. In this instance, retreat was the better part of valor.
Nikolai quickly streamed out of the house and headed home, tightening the leash on his beast as he left. His sense of fair play wouldn’t allow him to take an unconscious woman.
Had he stayed any longer, he’d have taken her, right or wrong. It didn’t help knowing that on some level of her consciousness, she’d been aware of his presence and her body had responded, welcoming his. He needed to research what that meant.
* * * * *
Nikolai’s Wolf
13
Rory took his time returning to the pack, not wanting to face them just yet. Sometimes being their leader was a real pain in the ass. All around him, the sounds of howling, yipping, and growling could be heard as males found and subdued their mates.
He entered the clearing as others began returning from the hunt. First, the unsuccessful males filed in. Then, little by little, the newly mated pairs arrived. He was glad to see some of the troublemaking females had been mated. Those females were cock-teasers. Having so many males to choose from had made them prima donnas, holding out, always waiting to see if someone better was going to come along.
One female, Yana, was a particular thorn in his side. She’d made sure everyone knew she had her sights set on being his mate, as if he’d have her or any other female in this pack that kept throwing herself at him, trying to attract his attention. He hadn’t touched any of them since his father died. He hoped all of them had been claimed. It would be one less headache for him.
As he’d expected, Rory was immediately confronted by the members of the council.
The council was made up of three of the older men in the pack. Their job was to advise him and to help enforce pack law. Among them were Graham, the pack’s historian; Bertram, a former alpha of one of the packs his father had taken over who had been allowed to step down, a rarity since his father normally killed them; and Wesley, newest to the council and the most arrogant.
“Where’s Shannon?” Graham demanded.
“What do you plan to do about her? This can’t be tolerated. A female that refuses to do her duty and submit? What if word gets out?” Bertram added.
“The problem’s been dealt with.” Rory hoped his tone told them this discussion was closed.
Wesley was unwise enough to push the issue. “How do we know it’s been sufficiently dealt with? She should be brought before the council. We’ll make sure a suitable punishment is devised. After all, Shannon’s your sister, and you’ve always been protective of her.”
“Are you questioning me?” All the anger and pain that he was feeling burst loose. Rory shifted and attacked. Quicker than a blink, he had Wesley on the ground, his teeth locked down on his throat.
“No, alpha. Forgive me.” Wesley pleaded for his life while the acrid scent of his fear rose.
Having sufficiently made his point, Rory released Wesley and shifted back to his human form. His power swelled until it filled the air around him, and he angrily demanded,
“Does anyone else have any more questions?”
People dropped to their knees, assuming a submissive position before him until only he was left standing. No one said a word.
14 Zena Wynn
“Then I suggest we turn our attention to formally recognizing the newly mated pairs.
Let the ceremony commence.”
* * * * *
Shannon paced her room, waiting to speak with Alex for the second time that day.
When they’d talked earlier, she’d been reluctant to share the private details of her battle with Rory. At the time, she’d only known he was alpha of one of the most feared and respected packs around. She’d also believed the man was looking for a mate.
Now, she knew better. She’d met Kiesha, Alex’s true mate. According to Kiesha, Alex hadn’t settled for just any female but was willing to wait however long it took for the right one. Not only that, but his second-in-command was a female beta named Carol, who was also mated to her true mate. This gave Shannon hope he’d understand her stance on not mating with anyone because it was expected, and her refusal to submit during the hunt.
Unlike Rory.
As she paced, she noticed she was feeling better and stronger than she had last night.
She wondered what was in the shot Alex had given her. Whatever it was, it had sped up her healing process. She’d never healed this fast in her life.
A knock sounded at the door. “Shannon, it’s Alex.”
“Come in.”
Since she knew Alex wasn’t interested in her, she allowed herself to study him. He was a very handsome man. He had the kind of rugged good looks that you expected in action-adventure movie stars, with his deep brown eyes and his cropped black hair with just a touch of gray at the sides. He was in his early forties, about the same age as Rory.
“Kiesha said you wanted to speak with me?”
“Yes, there’s been a misunderstanding. I didn’t know you were mated when we spoke earlier.”
He looked puzzled. “I fail to see why that would make a difference.”
“Rory’s been pressuring me to take a mate. Last night, he called a hunt.” Shannon could see Alex’s mind working as all the pieces fell together. “I think you’d better start from the beginning. You mind if I sit down?”
“No, go right ahead.” They both sat on the bed, and Shannon told him everything about the hunt and the events that led up to it.
When she was finished, Alex asked, “Will there be any repercussions for your actions within your pack?”
Shannon shrugged. “I don’t know. There might be some tension. Until the other night, no one except Rory really knew how strong my wolf was. Rory’s trying to bring the pack into the twenty-first century. It’s been an uphill battle all the way. There are a lot of males Nikolai’s Wolf
15
that took issue with what I did and how strong I am. It’s okay for me to be the strongest female; that just means my cubs have a better chance of being alphas. But to be the strongest wolf, second only to Rory?” She shook her head.
“Then there’s Caleb and Michael. I’m sure they’re not too happy with me right now. If our pack was more progressive, MacDougal would be right to fear for his position. He’s always been power hungry.” The more she considered it, the more she began to dread going back home.
“Don’t be afraid.”
She knew then that Alex could smell her fear.
“I know from the dealings my father had with yours, and my own when I became alpha, that your father was archaic. Magnus followed the old ways faithfully. I still can’t believe he forced his own son to kill him to prove he was strong enough to lead. If your brother’s trying to bring the pack forward, he’s got his work cut out for him.” Alex paused, then asked, “How familiar are you with the inner workings of the Raven pack?”
“I know the Raven pack doesn’t have dominance struggles that most packs do. You have several alphas in your pack that have no desire to lead. Rory said he admired the way that the Ravens operate more like a corporation than a pack of wolves.” She leaned back against the headboard. While the Raven pack wasn’t an enemy of the Sparrowhawks, neither were they allies. Alex had helped her. She needed to consider her words carefully. “The first thing Rory did was change the way omegas were treated. When my father was alive, omegas were little more than slaves to the rest of the pack. Now they’re treated with much more respect. He appointed the two strongest shifters as his second and third to help run things. They meet regularly to discuss leadership issues.”
“That was smart, giving his closest contenders positions of power and then using their skills. Cuts down on discontent.”
Thinking of MacDougal, Shannon wasn’t sure how correct Alex’s analysis of the situation was. “Rory’s opened several business enterprises and put the pack to work, for the betterment of us all. He gave the elders a voice, banned dominance fights to the death, and got rid of the hunt. Well…until the other night,” she finished ruefully. “He also wants to garner equal opportunity for the women, but the males of the pack, particularly the council, aren’t ready for it. In their narrow minds, women are for mating and breeding, nothing more.