Authors: Virginia Cavanaugh
The next day Luken smiled as he walked into the control room
in the heart of the den. Last night he’d nearly lost Julie, but he was glad
she’d stayed. The bond being absent bothered him too, but he knew what he
wanted. She was it for him. He could only hold on to the hope that the bond not
forming was due to her recent change. Maybe her wolf was still testing the
waters.
When he’d realized why she was upset last night, it felt as
if someone had driven a hot poker into his chest. It took all he had to not
panic. How in the hell could he and his wolf feel so possessive of her and her
not be his mate? It was baffling. He had come to need her like he needed air.
And if he had to prove that to her every day to keep her with him then he
would. Because he would be damned if he let another have her.
“Why ya growlin’?”
Luken snapped his gaze in Javin’s direction and plastered a
smile on his face. “No reason. Don’t you have somewhere to be?” He wanted to
laugh when Javin made a sour face and gave a vague nod of his head.
“You suck, you know that?” Javin replied.
This time Luken gave in and let the laughter flow free.
“Hey, you deserved it.” Javin had been taking Kendall twice a week to Brock’s
den to visit his lady love.
“You know, at first it was funny as hell to watch her shoot
Kendall down, but now it’s just fucking depressing.”
“Ah. So he hasn’t made any headway with the girl, I take
it.” Luken felt sorry for the teen. He knew how much it sucked to wait on that
damn bond to form right.
“Yeah. Today is her eighteenth birthday and Kendall
supposedly got her something good. Hell, maybe she will be in a better mood
when we go today. Girls usually like presents. But then again she has walked
off and left any other gifts he brought her. So who the hell knows. If there is
anything worse than dealing with a woman it’s dealing with a teenage one.”
Javin gave a mock shiver. “All those damn hormones.”
Luken laughed harder. “Good to know. If you act like an ass
again, I can assign you to watch the teenage girls. Maybe you can go get your
nails done with them or some shit.”
Javin flipped off Luken as he walked out the door.
* * * * *
Ivan led a group of wolves toward their target. In the last
month he had put aside his own wishes and helped his cousin build an army. They
had quickly dealt with the alpha’s pack who had turned them. Some of the weaker
wolves had fallen in line and sworn allegiance to Arik.
After that they had taken down a few smaller packs. Their
numbers continued to grow as wolves came to them, but Arik wanted more. He
wanted to raise up an army from birth. Train them to be lethal killers from the
get-go. One of the older wolves was quick to let Arik know that breeding season
for most females would start any time. In fact, the wolf named Marco was a
preverbal fount of information, wanting to stay in the good graces of Arik.
Ivan couldn’t stand the ass kisser.
Arik had given the order to raid dens close by for females,
but Ivan had been sick of waiting to seek out Julie. So he convinced Arik to
send men this way as well. That he would lead them and Arik could work more in
the north.
For two days he and his men had watched this area in the
Ozarks, and he was pleased to find that no fewer than four packs occupied the
area. It only took a matter of a few phone calls and Arik sent more men, or
wolves. Damn, it was hard to think of himself and his friends as something
other than human.
A smile pulled at the corners of his lips. It was time to
make their move.
* * * * *
Julie stared at herself in the mirror. The bite mark on the
skin between her shoulder and neck had almost healed. She tried not to be sad
as she pulled on a T-shirt. Luken loved her, and if she were human, love would
be the best thing she could hope for from a man. And she was honored to have
his love, but she couldn’t help but hold out for the mate bond.
In her mind she knew Luken believed all he’d said last night
about not leaving her regardless, but she couldn’t help to fear the outcome of
his finding a mate in someone who wasn’t her. Tyra had said she could go into
Konrad’s pack if things didn’t work out between her and Luken, but it might be
smart to actually talk to Konrad about it. She needed a contingency plan in
case, because she sure as hell wasn’t strong enough to sit back and watch Luken
with another woman.
Julie dressed quickly, wanting to get out of the house for a
little bit. She didn’t have to go into the boutique today so she planned on
surprising Luken with a picnic lunch. The weather had turned colder, but she
still enjoyed being outdoors. Once she had everything packed and ready, she
shot him a text and couldn’t help but smile when he accepted.
Basket in hand, she started for the park next to the control
station. The sky had become overcast and the bite in the wind suggested snow
was forthcoming. Before the change she would have needed a winter coat, but now
a light jacket sufficed most of the time. Her body heat seemed to stay
regulated with more ease.
As she walked down the sidewalk she smiled and waved at a
few people who were busy putting up Christmas decorations. It had been a long
time since she’d strung lights and put up a Christmas tree. Ivan had always
paid someone to decorate the house. Couldn’t let the neighbors outdo anything.
Holidays had quickly become about rubbing elbows and climbing ladders. Damn sure
no reason to be jolly. But things were different now. This whole new life Luken
had given her came with a new sense of belonging. Family. Finally excitement
came with the thought of the approaching holidays. She made a mental note to
ask Luken what the pack usually did for Christmas. She couldn’t imagine that
they would not do something as a whole at least one night. Also she wanted to
ask him if they could get a tree for the house. Being a bachelor, he might not
even have decorations, and if he didn’t they could pick out some together.
Something white skimmed across her nose, and Julie tilted
her head up. Small white flakes danced through the air, swaying gently as they
headed for the ground. Only a few flurries, but there wasn’t any guarantee it
wouldn’t get worse. She’d hoped they could have eaten outside, but from the
looks of it they would be eating in his office instead. But that was okay,
because the door had a lock and she had an idea about what they could do on his
desk.
The howl that pierced the air had a cold shiver shooting
down her spine. It was far away, but soon it was picked up by others. Julie
glanced down the street, her pulse rate climbing and then her gaze darted back
to the family a few houses down. Terror was written on the woman’s face as her
husband shifted on a whirl of color. The lady recovered quickly and shooed her
son into the house as the wolf joined others in a mad dash down the street.
Julie’s cell phone chirped and she jumped in a rush to pull
it from her pocket. She touched the screen to answer. “What’s happening?”
“Where are you?” Luken asked.
Julie couldn’t keep her eyes from darting around as chaos
ensued. “About two blocks from the control station.”
“Get here. Now!”
The line went dead and Julie didn’t waste time. She dropped
the basket and beat feet the last two blocks. When she entered the front door
she stopped, searching the faces of those in the reception area. But she never
saw the face she sought. Some were on phones speaking excitedly as others paced
in their wolf forms. She reached out and grabbed hold of a slim teenage boy as
he tried to speed walk past. “What is going on? And where is Luken?”
The boy opened and shut his mouth with a slight stammer.
“We’re under attack, ma’am. Our alpha is with the others. Fighting.”
Julie dropped his arm and her hand floated to her stomach as
a wave of nausea struck.
Ivan
. It had to be. Who else would do this?
“Julie!”
She spun in the direction of her name and spotted Jasmine.
The blonde strode across the room.
“Julie, Luken said to wait here.”
“What in the hell is going on?”
“From what we can tell, another wolf pack is striking
against all the other packs in this area. They have some serious manpower with
them. I have to go. They need extra people on the west side to hold that line.”
Julie swallowed hard and watched as Jasmine ran out the
door. Each person seemed to have a job to do. No way was she going to sit back
and do nothing. Not while Luken and the others were out there risking their
lives. Jasmine said they needed wolves on the west side.
Her hands found the hem of her shirt and she jerked it over
her head as she headed for the door. Shedding clothes as she went, she made for
the west side. She made a small pause as she shifted. It had become easier to
take on her new form, but still required an initial boost of concentration.
Four paws slapped against the pavement as she ran. The rush
of voices filled her head. Above the chatter she could hear Luken issuing
orders. The heaviness in her heart lifted some. He was alive. And as long as
she could hear him she knew he was safe.
Julie, what in the hell are you doing? Get back to the
control station
.
I’m fine, Luken. I am going to go help on the west side
.
Damn it, Julie, you’re not ready for this. I don’t want
you out there
.
The words that filled her head weren’t a command from her
alpha but those of a concerned lover.
I’ll be careful, Luken. But I can’t
just sit back while my pack is out here risking their lives
.
Damn. All right
.
He went back to giving commands to the others and Julie
continued her fast pace west. The snow fell in earnest now, and the grassy hill
she climbed became covered in white. Cold wetness bit into the pads of her
feet, but she pressed on. Nothing could prepare her for what she saw when she
entered the dense cover of the trees.
Wolves locked in battle. Bloodstained teeth dripped as they
ripped through flesh. Growls, snarls, whimpers and yelps sounded throughout the
area. Her pack had begun to push the enemy back.
Some had been injured badly enough that they no longer held
their wolf forms. She scanned those that were injured looking for familiar
faces. She spotted Rodney, Kele’s mate. His long blond hair was streaked red,
and a nasty-looking bite marred the skin on his left thigh.
Not wanting to do more damage, Julie shifted so that she
could pull him out of harm’s way.
What a way to get comfortable with my
nudity,
she vaguely thought as she gripped his arms and pulled him back the
way she’d come. A scream pierced the air, female if the shrill note was any
indicator. Julie’s gaze shot to the tree line. Things sounded as if they were
getting rougher in that area.
“I’m good, Julie.” Rodney grimaced. “Help the others.”
Julie swallowed hard as she looked down at Rodney and gave a
stiff nod. Without another word, she turned and headed back into the trees. The
wet flakes burned cold against her bare skin, and the rough ground cut into the
soles of her feet. But it didn’t take long for a familiar numbness to take the
place of the pain, and she was able to move quicker as she looked for survivors
from her pack.
She tried really hard to ignore the tightening and pain in
her chest when she would see a familiar face lying in the snow, devoid of life.
There would be time to weep for those who had fallen, but for now she had to
concentrate on the ones she could save. She took comfort in knowing that just
as many of their enemy had also fallen.
After pulling a few more members to where she’d left Rodney,
she was happy to see someone had brought a few trucks to load the wounded and
carry them back to the control station for medical attention. But as she forged
on, looking to help where she could, she found herself closer to where the
fighting was taking place. For safety she went ahead and shifted, ready to do
battle if needed. She’d taken a few classes on defense, but she wasn’t anywhere
near as good at fighting as these soldier wolves.
Something caught her eye and she took a closer look at the
person lying on the ground. She recognized him. Ashok. His eyes were closed.
Her gaze scanned his golden-brown skin, looking for any injury, but only found
a small dart. She pulled it from the large toned muscle of his thigh with her
teeth and spit it out onto the snow covered ground. Her nose picked up a sick,
sweet scent. Tranquilizer? She could see the steady rise and fall of his chest
and his pulse thumped at his neck.
This was definitely a game changer. Over the next hill the
battle raged. Her gaze went to the rise of the hill as she heard someone
approaching. Her heart rate accelerated as she caught sight of a stumbling
Jasmine.
Julie watched with horror as Jasmine’s hand shot out as she
steadied herself against a tree and then pulled a similar dart from her
shoulder. Fear made it hard to hold her wolf form, and on a wave of color she
found herself kneeling in the snow next to Ashok, holding Jasmine’s gaze.
That’s when a large-muscled male with a skull trim came
bursting through the tree line and grabbed Jasmine, tossing her over his bare
shoulder. Fury had Julie charging their direction. No way would she stand by
and let that brute carry off her friend.
But before she reached her target she was hit from the side.
Her back hit the hard ground and her breath whooshed from her lungs with the
painful impact. Spots of darkness permeated her field of vision.
She struggled to draw air, but her lungs wouldn’t cooperate
and she gasped like a fish out of water a few times before she recovered. As
the dots became more like sparkles, and her line of sight cleared, the first
thing she noticed was blond hair. That, accompanied by a familiar evil laugh,
had her stiffening beneath the body covering hers.