Wolf Fever (Alpha Project - Book 1) (12 page)

“I’ve seen Marlena’s brothers. They’re huge for any one of us to take on.” Theo’s voice had the edge of concern Ryder knew well. An engine’s roar told him Theo was already on his way.

“She did great, but now she needs to rest.” Thinking of all the things that could have gone wrong, tightened Ryder’s chest. He gritted his teeth and focused on the fact she would be fine.

“You couldn’t have found a better mate, Ryder.”

That was absolute truth. She was braver than any other female he knew. Sure he loved her body and how beautiful she was. Not to mention how fucking amazing sex was between them, but the vulnerability he saw in her eyes, that was what tugged at his heart. He wanted to make this new world better for her—even if she fought him every step of the way.

He continued petting her soft coat. “I know.”

It was long hours before she stirred. The shift took over before she was even fully awake.

He smiled as her naked body, devoid of any bruising or cuts, took shape on the bed. She blinked sleepy eyes open and glanced into his. His gut clenched, warmth spread through him with the smile she gifted him.

“How do you feel?”

“Good.” She frowned and glanced down at her stomach. She slid her small hands up to touch under her breast.

“Are you sure?”

Her gaze shot up to meet his. “How’s that possible? I was in a lot of pain before. It hurt to breathe.”

He clenched his jaw. A knot formed in his throat. Unable to stop himself, he slipped his arms around her, holding her tight in his arms. Her body curled around his in instant compliance. Guilt nagged at him, turning his gut into an acid pit. “I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you when you said she’d be a problem.”

She trailed a finger down his cheek to his lips. “It’s not your fault. She really wanted to be your mate, she said. They’d been planning it for years.”

He kissed her finger. Powerful emotions did crazy stunts in his chest. He didn’t know what it all meant, but he knew he didn’t want to be away from her any more.

She yawned and closed her eyes again.

“Are you still tired?” Concerned, he visually examined her body but didn’t see any external wounds, which only meant whatever was still healing was internal.

“Yes. So tired and my side still hurts.” She groaned.

Ribs did take a while to mend. She drifted off to sleep in his hold again, only now he knew for sure that he needed to claim his mate as soon as possible. They would have to do it before any other females decided to hurt her to get her out of their way.

His pack was tight, but women turned petty, and he wasn’t willing to put Raine’s life on the line because she was still adjusting to their new relationship. If need be, she could figure it out after they were mated.

Focusing on her safety, he listened to every sound from outside her house with precaution. It wasn’t until he heard Theo and his enforcers arrive to clean up, that he lost some of the stiffness from his muscles.

* * *

Ryder gripped her hand in his. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

She bit her lip, looked at the entrance to her parents’ house, and nodded. “Yes. The realtor said she’d start sending people over to see the place, and that I should remove all personal things just to be safe.”

They’d gone back to the place she’d done the sleep study, but no evidence of any kind remained. She didn’t stop asking, daily, for updates on their search for any news.

The hand holding the keys shook. He covered hers with his, pulling her into his arms. “I told you, you don’t have to sell this house.”

“I do. I need to pay their final expenses, and hopefully, figure out what to do with myself.” She rubbed her face into his T-shirt.

“You don’t need money, doll. I have money.”

She patted his cheek. “Thanks, but this is my problem to deal with. I couldn’t take your money. I know what I need to do. I need to figure out where those people who experimented on me went, and I need to get a job.”

It was time to talk to her about their relationship. He’d been good. Given her time to adjust to her new body, even going to the lengths of doing the full human dating thing. But neither he nor his wolf was willing to spend another night without her in his bed. In his home. With the heat so close, he was fighting his animal instincts daily. The instincts that dictated he mate with her, and keep her by his side. The call of the moon was only a few days away. It was getting harder for him to stay away from her. He wanted to protect her all the time.

“Come on. Let’s get this stuff and go. I’m meeting Mandy for dinner, and she’s still upset over her breakup with Joe.” She strolled ahead of him into the house, glancing all around as she went. “I just need to get some personal papers and photos from my room.”

He followed behind her, entranced by the way her long hair swung down her back, bringing focus to the sexy curve of her ass. When they reached her bedroom, he tore his gaze from her backside and glanced around.

A couple of moving boxes sat around the floor. He scented her pain as she picked up framed photos and placed them carefully into a box. His wolf didn’t like seeing her in distress, and Ryder didn’t like knowing he couldn’t fix things for her.

He walked up behind her and cupped her shoulders. She turned in his arms and allowed him to hold her.

“I’m sorry.” It didn’t feel like enough, but he knew how painful it was to lose a loved one.

“Thanks. It hurts coming here. I miss them a lot. I feel so alone.”

Grief for her loss clawed at his gut. “Sweetheart, you’re not alone. You have me.”

Disbelief flashed through her eyes, but quickly disappeared.

He cupped her face in his hands and peered deep into her amber eyes. “Listen to me, Raine. I’ve been trying to give you time, but I want to be with you. You are my mate. The only woman for me.”

Raine’s heart flipped. She swallowed at the knot in her throat. “We don’t even know each other that well.”

That was the weakest excuse she’d ever heard. She’d gotten to know him so much better in the past week, more than any of her previous boyfriends in the months they’d dated. He was caring, generous, and genuine in his interest of her well-being. She’d been fighting her feelings from the minute she’d stepped into that bar and locked gazes with him. Maybe it was time to see where a relationship would lead.

She’d sense his stress every time she stayed home and he had to leave. Some evenings, things got wild, but he always dressed and gave her the space she’d said she needed.

Why keep fighting it when all she wanted was to be with him?

“I know all I need to know, to know I want you.” He kissed her softly on her lips. “You’re mine, Raine. My mate.” His deep voice sent sparks straight to her pussy.

She’d researched the whole mating business, and she couldn’t disagree with him. He was her one. The only man she wanted.

“So what do we do, then?” Her heart overrode her mind and took the decision away from her. “I want to be with you too.”

He kissed her so fast and hard she ended up breathless.

“I know this is still new to you, so why don’t we start with you moving in to my place?” His hopeful smile calmed the fears she’d initially had about moving.

She grinned. Lifted on her toes to touch their lips. “Alright. I can work with that.”

His eyes twinkled. “Perfect. Now I’ll have your body near me all the time.”

“I still need to find a job, so it won’t be all the time.” She giggled.

He kissed with that expert precision she had come to adore. Dipping his tongue into her mouth and drawing hers out to play.

“No.” He kissed the corner of her mouth. Then her cheek. “I’ve thought about this. You’ve worked as an accountant before, so I have a job for you.”

Curious, she lifted her brows. He hadn’t mentioned a job before. “What job?”

“I need someone to keep the books for the bar. That will be your new job.” His hands crawled down her arms, around her waist, and hugged her tight.

“Wait.” She frowned, ready to cease all talk of jobs and focus on the hardness poking at her belly. “Who did it before?”

“I did, but this would give me time to focus on other issues relating to the pack.”

She blinked. “Really?”

“Anything for you, sweetheart.”

If there had been any walls around her heart, they crumbled with that sentence. She saw the sincerity in his gaze. He truly wanted to make her happy. And that was enough to make her forget all about her insecurities.

“Then lets go move my stuff to your place.” She dropped the photo she’d had in her hand in the box.

“Why the rush now?”

She licked his neck. A grin split her lips when he moaned. “Because I can’t wait to be done with that so we can explore all the rooms your cabin has.”

“Then, by all means, let’s go explore.” He picked up the box of photos. “Is this everything?”

She laughed and picked up the one of papers, rushing after him. The move in would be easy, it was the learning to live together that scared her to death.

* * *

Raine hated driving through the long stretch of road between her parents’ house and the bar. It was too damn quiet. And isolated.

This was the first time she got to do it alone in a while. Someone always drove her to and from. Thankfully, she’d convinced Ryder she could handle something as simple as driving. Took long enough, dammit.

She sighed. Things were getting better. She’d started to control the animal most of the time. Now all they had to do was find Ryder’s cousin, who still hadn’t contacted him. Her stomach clenched, hating that Ryder was so worried. There was nothing she could do.

A glance at the rearview showed a big, black truck speeding up behind her, closing the distance. The hairs on her arms stood on end. She gripped the wheel and moved her rusty old Nissan to the far right to let the truck by.

The truck sped up. Then it stayed level to her left side. She glanced at the towering vehicle. Her breath caught in her chest. Something wasn’t right. The passenger side window opened and a bullet flew straight to her car. She hit the accelerator. Adrenaline pumped through her so fast she swore everything had slowed down.

Glass shattered with each of the flying bullets hitting her poor car. The truck sped up. Slammed into her side. She lost control and went flying into the drop on the right. She screamed. Everything tilted. Repeatedly. The car rolled down a hill. She covered her face from the glass raining in. Her body was held by the seatbelt, but that didn’t stop her from hitting the crunching metal on the door. She hit her head hard. Blood dripped down her face and arm. A large piece of glass had embedded in her right side.

Finally, the car stopped. Upside down. She dangled from her seat.

“Stay here.” A voice said at the distance. “I’ve got this one.”

“What are you going to do?” Another voice asked.

“Eliminate.”

Her enhanced hearing allowed her to hear what was going on while she tried to catch her breath. Hell, they were going to kill her. She unbuckled the seatbelt. Her body slumped over the wheel. Her hand landed over her cell phone. She pressed a button to link her call to Ryder. He’d find her. The man was beyond paranoid. He’d told her if she ever found herself in trouble with shifters again—Marlena had a large family—that she should press his number and leave it. He’d trace it and find her. She struggled out of the car’s window. Her hand went to her side. The piece of glass had to come out.

Hands shaking, she grabbed the glass and yanked. She gritted her teeth. Pain lanced the wound. Blood coated her fingers. Fucking hell, that shit hurt.

She leaned into a tree before setting off in a run. Branches swooshed past her. Shots rang out behind her. Fear escalated. She struggled to run and breathe. She used a burst of speed and hid behind a large trunk. The man closed the distance.

Shift!

Of course. She shrugged out of her clothes. Knew this was her chance to keep herself alive. The shift took hold fast. Her wolf was ready to come out. She crouched on the ground. Waited. A tall, younger man in fatigues and an automatic military weapon appeared between trees.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are.” He grinned. The smile didn’t reach his eyes. “You’re pretty sexy when you’re not bleeding.”

He stopped and listened. Pointed his weapon and did a full circle. A radio went off. He continued to take steps in her direction. She moved through the trees, until she was directly to his right.

“What is it?” He yelled into the walkie.

“Do you have her, Roman?”

“If you gave me a minute, I could exterminate the bitch.”

A soft rumble worked up her throat. Instinct told her to attack. She ran for the man. Time to pounce.

“What the–”

The brown wolf caught him off guard. Clearly he’d been looking for Raine to be a woman. He dropped the weapon when she knocked him off his feet. Thump. He landed on his side, the big rifle a few yards away.

“Fuck!”

She growled. Dug her claws deep into his face and pulled. Skin tore. Blood gushed. He punched her off him. Turned to reach for the rifle. She bit into his arm, crunching hard. Bones broke.

“Ahhhhh!”

He yanked a knife out of his waist. She clawed at his chest and stomach. She wasn’t in charge. The beast was.

“Fuckin’ bitch.” He plunged the knife into her side. Red anger hazed her vision. She doubled her efforts. Biting the arm holding the steel.

He struggled against her canines. She bit him everywhere she could reach. But he used a mangled hand to stab her again.

“You’re dead, mutt.” Blood spurted from his mouth.

She zeroed in on his neck. Bit down and locked her jaw closed. The man struggled to breathe. She crunched. More bones broke. The beast inside wanted him dead. Now. His struggles diminished, until they stopped altogether.

“Raine?”

She jerked her head sideways and growled. Ryder. He was running toward her. Theo some feet behind. She dropped the limp attacker.

“Baby, are you okay?” He dropped to his knees a few feet in front of her.

“Wow. Think he pissed her off?” Theo huffed behind him.

“Go see if you can get anything out of his truck to help us figure out who he is and what he wanted with her.”