Wolf Rock Shifters Books 1-5: Five BBW Paranormal Romance Standalone Novels (14 page)

“So, how about some food?” said Maddox, seemingly unfazed by the events of the last few minutes.

“I’m in,” said Kyla, trying to snap out of her daydream. “The guys here cook a mean steak.”

“Coming right up, Ky,” said Cam, who was listening intently, amused and interested in the new development.

They sat down back at the booth with Jay, after Maddox had gathered his clothing off the floor. His shirt was still intact of course, and so were the chaps, which apparently were designed to tear away from his form in this sort of situation. Kyla sort of wished he’d put them back on without the jeans, which were now a write-off.

She settled for gratitude that he didn’t seem in a rush to put his shirt back on.

“So,” said Jay after things had settled, “what’s a bear like you doing in Wolf Rock?”

“A fine question,” said Maddox. “I’m looking for someone.”

“Anyone we can help you find?”

“Probably not. But thanks.”

“Is it a girl?” asked Kyla, attempting to make the question sound innocent and indifferent, though she knew perfectly well that it was far from it.

Maddox turned to her with his crooked, knowing smile. “No. Not a girl. It’s just a guy I knew when I was younger. I’ll find him sooner or later.”

“Well,” said Jay, “I’m pleased to meet you, and that you two deemed me a worthy dinner companion, but I’m going to head out and let you get to know each other.”

With that, he winked at Kyla, who was moderately annoyed and extremely grateful.

“Ky,” Jay added, “you’re not on patrol tonight, are you?”

“No, it’s Dascha tonight. He’ll be happy about it. He loves responsibility, that enthusiastic young pup. I think I’ll go sleep at the cabin so I can check in first thing and see how he made out.”

“Maybe he won’t be the only wolf making out tonight,” replied Jay, who was beginning to tread on thin ice. Kyla glared at him and let out a low growl.

“I’m speaking, of course, of myself,” said Jay. “I plan on picking up a puma on my walk home.”

“Good luck with that. I hear they’re prudes,” said Maddox.

“I’ll just have to work my charms on him then. I’ll see you tomorrow, Ky.”

“Yeah. Have a good night, Jay. Don’t get bitten.”

“Good to meet you, brother,” said Maddox.

“Is it typical for you guys to patrol at night?” asked the bear shifter when Jay had left.

“Yeah. Every night at least one of us is on the lookout through our territory. Since the show aired we’re especially careful; people are always trying to find our cabin and the last thing we want is for anyone to figure out its location. Of course if they did, there’s not much we could do about it. It’s not like we’re going to kill them, regardless of the fact that a lot of people seem to think we would.”

“There’s too much of that: paranoia and interest in shifters lately, ever since that damned show. No offense. I know it was your pack’s project.”

“None taken. I was against it from the start. And it wasn’t our new alpha’s idea. It was Craig, the ousted wolf, who’s gone to a better place.”

“Yeah? Where’s that?”

“New York.”

“I see.”

“He has it in his tiny brain that he can get a job as an actor now that he’s been on TV. The sad thing is that he’s probably right.”

Kyla found herself studying Maddox closely as they spoke. She gave herself an excuse to stare at his body by examining the black markings on his pronounced shoulders.

“What can you tell me about your tattoos?” she asked.

“Oh, these,” he said, looking down at his chest and arms at the dark designs. “They were inspired by my heritage. My father is Maori.”

“Really? I’ve heard about them. Warriors, right? It’s not often that you meet a Maori in this part of the world.”

“My mother was a big traveler when she was younger, and she and my dad met when she was in New Zealand on a trip years ago. They came back here…well, not here. Montana. And settled down on a ranch.”

“So are they both morphs?” It was possible to become a shifter if only one parent had the genes, but not all that common.

“Yes. My mother’s a bear, like me. My father is a little special,” Maddox said, grimacing slightly. “He’s a true shape-changer. He can morph into a number of things, though it’s been a long time since he’s done any of that.”

“Why’s that?”

“A number of reasons that I don’t want to get into right now. Let’s just say that he’s grown cautious over the years. So has my mother.”

“It can be hard on people, this life,” said Kyla. “I know. You know Nikki—the one from the reality show; our alpha’s mate. Her parents’ marriage split up because of it.”

“Yes, I remember hearing about that. Has she ever talked about finding her father? It sounds like she hasn’t seen him since she was little.”

“She does talk about it sometimes. Meanwhile she’s working on getting her mother on board with the idea that she’s in love with a wolf.”

“There’s a reason that shifters tend to mate with their own,” said Maddox earnestly, his dark eyes staring into Kyla’s. “Only we understand one another. It’s very hard for a normal human being to get what it’s like to live in our bodies, with our instincts and our troubles.”

“Yeah, it is.” Kyla thought now of her own youth, spent largely ostracized from the society of her peers for her size and for her strangeness. It was a hard life for a child.

“You asked about my parents,” said Maddox. “My father is a good man but aggressive, which isn’t surprising when you think about his heritage. He grew up being taught the traditions: how to fight, how to be strong. How to be a
man
.”

“It sounds a little like you don’t approve of it.”

“I think you can be a man, be strong and powerful, and still treat others properly. Sometimes my father was harsh; hard on us kids and hard on my mother. She’s a strong woman and hell, it’s not like she couldn’t turn into a grizzly and rip him a new one if she’d wanted to. But she’s kind and patient with him, more than he sometimes deserves.”

“Well, it sounds to me like you’re a sort of mix of the two, from the little I know of you. Gentle and strong, threatening, even.” Kyla was surprised at the honesty of her own words.

Maddox laughed. “Not really threatening. Protective, maybe. But I was just playing with those tourists. I try to be good, like my mother. It’s funny that the bear genes are the patient ones and the other side of me is the wild one.”

“So do you have siblings?”

Maddox paused before replying.

“A brother. I had a sister…but she died when we were kids.”

“Oh my God, I’m sorry, Maddox,” said Kyla softly, wishing now that she hadn’t asked.

“It’s okay. It was a long time ago.”

For a moment a look of profound sadness shrouded Maddox’s handsome face and Kyla felt that she could sense the pain in him. Her wolf felt a longing to curl up next to him and protect him from the hurt.

Seeming to swallow the moment of sorrow, Maddox changed the subject.

“So tell me, are there a lot of female wolves in your pack?”

“Only a few. Four of us now, including Nikki.”

“Ah yes, the reality TV star.”

“Yep. She’s a nice woman though. I like her a lot.”

“And the others...the men. Is one of them your mate?”

“Well, that’s a direct question.”

“Sorry, it’s kind of my nature to be blunt.” Maddox smiled. “So, mate or no mate?”

Kyla let out a laugh.

“No, I’m very single at the moment. You’d think I’d be excited by my fellow wolves but somehow they’re like family to me, not potential boyfriends, lovers, spouses, whatever you want to call them. I know that I’m expected to take one of them eventually as a mate. Breeding and all that. But I can’t say I’m inclined and Tristan—that’s our alpha—doesn’t force the issue.”

“Hmm.”

“And you?”

“Oh no. I’m a lone wolf, if you’ll pardon the expression. I’m on my own until I ‘find myself.’ Isn’t that what they call it?”

“So really you’re saying you’re alone until you find a chick who gets your juices flowing.”

“Something like that. And yet not at all like that. Let’s say that I have some baggage to deal with, and leave it at that for now.”

“We can leave it for now. But hopefully sometime you can tell me about it.”

Maddox smiled, his dimple reappearing.

“I’d like that, Kyla,” he said.

The bear shifter’s attention was diverted suddenly to the door, which had just opened. A man was walking in, looking around at the clients. He was dressed in camouflaged clothing and carried a heavy-looking pack.

“Listen, Kyla…I should go,” said the she-wolf’s half-naked companion, gathering his things.

“Really? But you haven’t even begun to eat.” Kyla looked over at the stranger who had entered the establishment, wondering what about him was ruining her pleasant evening.

Maddox threw some money on the table and said, “This should cover our food. Sorry to rush off but I really do need to find this guy I’m looking for, and soon.”

“Okay.” Kyla was struggling to hide the disappointment in her voice, and Maddox seemed to pick up on it.

“But listen…I’ll see you around. I’m likely to be here for a while. I liked meeting you, she-wolf. A lot.” The smile re-emerged.

Kyla couldn’t help grinning now.

“Yeah. I liked meeting you too, grizzly man.”

As Maddox rose and turned away, she watched his body; his muscles tensing, his defined back screaming to be scratched and pawed. And his butt---well, his butt looked amazing in that towel.

He put his shirt on and walked out of the bar, towel around his waist, chaps in hand.

Kyla wished she knew where such a man might stay in Wolf Rock.

W
hen she’d finished eating
and paid the bill, Kyla drove up to the cabin which was concealed beyond miles of thick forest, nearly impossible to find unless one knew the way intimately. As she went, she couldn’t stop thinking about the bear shifter; the man who seemed to stimulate every one of her senses; to make her salivate and laugh all at once. The strange series of flashes that had occurred when she touched him was the most interesting thing, and a little frightening. What did it mean about her? Or was it about the visions themselves?

The cabin loomed before her as she approached, its dark wood blending into its surroundings. She’d always liked the building, and preferred to sleep here in one of the spacious second floor bedrooms to her own small apartment in town. Since she was currently taking a break from her job in town at a local coffee shop to get away from the tourists, this seemed like the perfect refuge. And there was a sense of community among the wolves which made her feel surrounded by a protective force, and as though this was her true home.

“So,” said Nikki when Kyla arrived, “I hear you met a dreamy bear today.”

“I guess you talked to Jay.”

“Yeah, well, you know what a gossip he is, as well as a good friend. Don’t worry; he didn’t say anything incriminating.”

“Sadly, there’s nothing incriminating to say. Nothing happened. But the bear is dreamy, if by dreamy you mean huge, gorgeous, delicious-smelling and holy shit, I would so like to slide my tongue all over him.”

“That’s what I mean.”

“Oh my God, Nikki. I’ve never seen such a creature. He’s beautiful.”

Nikki smiled. “I know what you mean. That’s how I felt the first time I laid eyes on Tristan. It’s pretty special to be so attracted to a guy.”

“But you got your guy. It’s not going to happen for me and Yogi.”

“Why’s that?”

Well, for one thing I’ll probably never see him again. Besides, even if I did, I’m not supposed to be hooking up with grizzlies. I’m a member—one of the few female members—of a wolf pack.”

“There’s no rule that you can’t fall in love with someone outside the pack, Ky.”

“I’m expected to mate within the pack, though. You know that.”

“I know. I nearly ended up with the wrong alpha, remember?” Nikki shuddered with the recollection. “But Tristan wouldn’t force you to be with someone you didn’t care for, alpha or not. He’s not the sort of man who would judge you.”

“No, he’s not. He’s a good guy. But the fact remains that Maddox the bear shifter is far away by now and I don’t know if I’ll meet up with him again.”

“But if you do?”

“If I do he may just find out what a she-wolf is like in the sack. Over and over and over again.”

“Speaking of which,” said Nikki, her eyes straying to the staircase, “I believe I have a horny alpha waiting for me upstairs and I know better than to keep him waiting.”

“God, I’m so fucking jealous.”

“Well, soon enough you may simply be fucking, dahling. Have some hope. I’ve discovered that when a thing is meant to be it happens, and I have a funny feeling that you’ll see your bear again, and soon.”

D
awn was approaching
as Dascha patrolled the territory, the smell of pine and fallen leaves denoting the calm and peace of the woods. The giant wolf padded softly, his paws coming down on the moist ground in gentle, almost inaudible thuds in spite of their great size.

Dascha, like the other males of the pack, was a slim, muscular man. His hair was light sandy-brown, as was his wolf. At twenty-four he was young, and managed the delicate balance of getting along with everyone while still being meticulous in his duties. His personality rendered him an excellent pack member, though his youth occasionally caused him to make decisions based on an emotional reaction rather than a practical one, and only now was Tristan entrusting the more important duties to him. It was a sort of trial period during which the alpha would determine if Dascha was able to keep his emotions in check.

The younger pack members saw it as both an honour and a chore to work the night patrols, and this was the first time that Dascha had been entrusted with the task on his own, which meant that his alpha had faith in his abilities to be vigilant and observant.

His shift was about to end. He’d been wandering the territory for eight hours now and had come across nothing out of the ordinary; only the odd evidence of a deer who’d found a place to sleep before running off into the night as a giant wolf approached or old tracks left by other pack members. He was mildly disappointed at the lack of interesting goings on, but knew that he should feel relieved and grateful that another night had passed uneventfully and that his pack was safe.

As he began to head back towards the cabin, he stopped abruptly in his tracks as the smell of blood hit him like a fist to the gut.

He knew immediately that it was no animal’s scent that he’d picked up. This was human. Why, out in the middle of the wilderness, was there a bleeding damned human?

The young wolf considered running to the house and alerting the pack, but most would be scattered at this hour, some sleeping, others off to work. No, this was his job and he’d been entrusted the task of using his own judgment.

He took it upon himself to solve the mystery, and he began to lope towards the source of the scent.

It didn’t take long to find the man, who was unconscious, bleeding from a gash to his chest. He was clothed in a camouflage outfit which conveyed the impression that he must be a hunter. But he had no weapon, and hunting was forbidden in these woods anyhow. There was no backpack, even, which meant that the man might simply be the sort of idiot who thinks he can handle the woods unequipped.

Still, he was human and the wolves protected the woods, and that meant any living creature within them, unless it was a threat to the wolves themselves. Dascha couldn’t very well leave him lying here.

The shifter knew that he could carry the unconscious man on his back, but the question of how to get him up there was a problem. He had to make the difficult decision to run for help and hope that the victim would still be here when he returned.

W
hen he arrived
at their cabin, Dascha immediately knew that Tristan, their alpha, was awake. The young wolf’s nose picked up the smell of sex as soon as he entered the building and didn’t even need to guess what the alpha and his mate were up to.

“Those two never stop fucking,” he thought, his irritation getting the better of him. “Amazing that Tristan manages to keep control over this place.”

Dascha shifted into human form and covered himself.

“Tristan!” he yelled up the stairs, unconcerned about interrupting the love-making. A few moments later the door opened, and the large, naked man loomed at the top of the staircase, looking down.

“This had better be good,” he growled.

“There’s a body. Well, not a body, exactly. An injured man in the woods. Looks like some animal’s attacked him. I can carry him but I need help getting him on my back.”

“I’ll be right down.”

Another door cracked open and Kyla peeked out. “Need my help, Dasch?”

“Sure, why don’t you come with us? The more hands, the better.”

“Be right there.” Kyla backed into her room and shifted, her body morphing into a giant light-coloured wolf, and strode down the stairs to the front door.

Seconds later, Tristan was running, the handsome dark-haired man changing to a black wolf with bright blue eyes as he sprinted down the stairs. Dascha followed him out the door, dropping his blanket and changing in mid-stride, and he guided his leader to the place where he’d found the man. To his relief, the victim was still there, and still breathing.

Kyla looked around at the scene. There had been a fight, she could tell by the snapped branches and disturbed ground. And there were tracks; large ones. Those of an animal.

The man was clothed in camouflaged outerwear, and at first Kyla studied him, wondering if it was the same person who’d seemed to prompt Maddox to leave the pub. But this was someone else; the clothing must simply have been a coincidence, she thought.

In seconds Tristan was standing, breathing hard, next to the wolves.

“We’ll get him on your back, Dasch. We’ve got to drive him to the hospital; these wounds are pretty bad,” said the alpha.

Dascha panted in silent agreement as the powerful alpha hoisted the man over his back, trying to be careful not to aggravate the wounds further. He wished he’d thought to bring gauze.

The way back wasn’t so quick, as Tristan jogged next to the wolves, trying to ensure that the man wouldn’t go bouncing off of Dascha’s wide back.

When they arrived at the cabin, Nikki was awake. The alpha’s curvy companion had gotten dressed and made coffee for the others.

“Jesus,” she said, wrapping a robe around Tristan. “You should have let me help.”

“You are helping, sweetheart,” said her mate, taking a cup from her and swigging it after kissing her cheek. “But we’re going to have to head into town and get our friend here some medical treatment. Look after the place while we’re gone. Kyla, can you drive?”

The female wolf dashed upstairs to shift and clothe herself, then raced back down.

She grabbed the keys and the two men hoisted the camouflaged stranger into the back of the SUV.

“Let’s head out,” said Tristan when everyone was fully clothed.

Kyla drove the car over the rough terrain as gently as she could, Tristan in the passenger seat and Dascha in the back, keeping the wounded man as still as he could during the bumpy ride through the woods.

They brought the victim to the small hospital in Wolf Rock. Fortunately, aside from the odd twisted hiker’s ankle or broken arm, they were never terribly busy and this morning was no exception.

“We’ll have to stitch him up. Some pretty sharp claws went at him,” said the doctor who came out to talk to the pack members. “Any idea who did this?”

“I think you mean what,” said Tristan, annoyed at the insinuation that it might have been one of their ilk.

“Sorry, that’s what I meant.” The doctor knew better than to annoy three people who could turn to wolves at the drop of a hat.

“There were tracks,” said Dascha, “but honestly I didn’t stop to study them. I’ll go back and take a better look. Pretty sure it was a wild animal, though. I know our guys wouldn’t do this. Besides, I was the only wolf out on patrol all night.”

“Okay. Well, you know the police might want to get involved, so if you can determine that it was an animal and not a shifter before they get wind of it you’ll be better off. Obviously, if this man regains consciousness he can tell us what happened but meanwhile you’d be best to do some damage control.”

“Understood,” said Tristan.

W
hen they returned
to the house, Kyla turned to Tristan.

“Dascha and I will go check out the tracks,” she said. “He’s been wanting more responsibility anyhow, and there’s no need for you to come with us.”

She knew perfectly well that Tristan would like to stay with Nikki, but more than that, Kyla wanted a chance to think about her strategy. If the tracks that she’d seen by the man’s wounded body were those of a bear it could put Maddox onto dangerous footing with the pack.

“Let me know what you find,” said Tristan as he sprinted up the stairs towards his mate and their bed.

Jesus, to be an alpha.

The two wolves found their way back to the sight where Dascha had found the man.

“The tracks are over here, and it looks like there was a fight, judging by all the broken branches,” said Dascha after he shifted, seeing only now the abundant evidence Kyla had noticed hours before. He’d carried a robe with him, which he wrapped around his body.

Kyla did the same, and crouched down to take a better look.

“They’re too big to be a wolf’s; even one of ours,” said Dascha. “I think it might have been a bear.”

Kyla felt her heart leap into her throat. She was hoping he’d have another opinion. These were the last words she’d wanted to hear, and yet she realized that she’d been dreading them. But still, there must have been other bears in the area; these were the mountains and grizzlies were common.

Grizzly shifters, on the other hand, were rare, sexy and hopefully too sensible to go attacking strangers in the woods.

“Makes sense,” she said, trying to keep her voice steady. “Bears generally don’t eat their victims and it probably just clobbered him and left him to suffer. Maybe it was a mother and the guy got too close to a cub or something.”

In the afternoon, after they’d spoken to Tristan and Nikki about their findings, Kyla and Dascha drove back into town to chat with the doctor, whose name was Cooper, about the unknown victim in the woods.

“Any idea who he is?” asked Kyla.

“He hasn’t regained consciousness and he had no I.D. on him, so no. We’ll have to wait til he comes out of the anaesthetic. We had to perform surgery because of some internal bleeding, but he should be okay. Do you know what did it?”

“The tracks were a large bear’s,” said Dascha. “Probably a grizzly protecting its cubs. Either that or he came on one and surprised it. It happens sometimes to the most experienced woodsmen.”

“It seems odd, wouldn’t you say, that he had no identification, no gear? You said that he was deep in the woods.”

“It is odd. But who knows what he was doing out there? Maybe he’s not quite right in the head.”

“We’ll see what he has to say when he comes to. Give me your number in case we need to learn more about the location of the attack.”

Kyla gave the doctor her cell number and she and Dascha headed back to the cabin.

“I hope this is the end of the mystery,” said Dascha. “The last thing this pack needs right now is more media attention.”

“I agree with you on that. There’s no way we could keep the cabin’s location secret any longer if cops and forensic teams started roaming around the area. It would be the worst thing to have to move our location.”

“Well, honestly I’m amazed it’s been hidden this long. And this hunter, or whatever he is, that I found was too close for comfort, really.”

Kyla could see that Dascha was thinking about something.

“Do you suppose that he was looking for the cabin? For us?” she asked.

“I hope not, Ky. I don’t know why he would be, other than curiosity. But he wasn’t dressed like your typical tourist. He meant business, this one.”

A nagging worry was growing inside Kyla’s mind, but she tried her best to let it go.