Alpha Pack 4 - Hunters Heart (7 page)

heart monitor. Melina and Noah straightened her broken

arm as well, causing the woman to moan in agony even in

her unconscious state, and making Ryon’s wolf very

unhappy again. But he kept a leash on the beast.

Once the arm was in a sling, Daria was declared fit for

transport. Carefully, with Nick’s and Jax’s assistance, they

transferred their patient to the basket, strapped her in,

secured the basket to the pulley and ropes, and began to

guide it up the incline. It was a long, tedious process that

had them all sweating by the time they reached the top, and

everyone was relieved to start the journey back to the

Huey.

Ryon remained glued to her side as his friends carried

the basket toward the trail. Her color did appear better.

She was far from healed, but she would be. He couldn’t

wait to get to know this woman who had reached out to

him, and in doing so, had set them on a path that would

alter their destinies.

Would she be shy and kind? Or brash and loud? She

worked alone, at one with the nature around her. She

loved wolves. That had to be a positive sign, right? And

she apparently treated herself to a bit of the hair of the dog

once in a while—no pun intended. The recollection of the

little bottle of whiskey made him smile. Getting to know

her might be fun.

And maybe he wouldn’t feel so alone anymore.

When they reached the clearing where they’d found the

mutilated body, Ryon wasn’t surprised to see the entire

area crawling with park rangers, the county cops, the

medical examiner’s people, a crime scene unit, and

Deveraux himself, standing tall among the ordered chaos,

a thunderous expression on his rugged face.

“Westfall!” He strode toward Nick, a man on a mission.

“Why is it that every single time things go to shit in my

county, you and your band of misfits are smack in the

middle of it?”

“Good to see you, too, Jesse. Hey, are you putting on

weight? Don’t worry. You carry it well.”

“Don’t fuck with me, friend. Not today.” He jabbed a

thumb in the general direction of the remains. “What do

you know about this?”

“Not a damned thing, nor do I want to,” Nick replied

drily. “That’s why I called you. I think you’ve either got a

rogue grizzly, or a serial killer. Neither of which are my

problem.”

The sheriff’s gaze went to Daria. “Yet this injured

biologist
is
your problem? How does she fit in with the

killing?”

“I don’t think she does, except I’m speculating she

found the body and something scared her into running.

We’re going to find out, though.”

“Then I’ll need to question her,” Deveraux persisted.

“You taking her to the hospital?”

“No, to the compound.” Nick pinned the other man with

a steely glare. “I need you to keep her whereabouts quiet.”

“Goddamn.” He blew out a breath. “As much as you

fuck me up the ass, I ought to start keeping lube handy.”

Nick fell silent for a few seconds, a faraway look in his

eyes. Ryon recognized it, having witnessed it before, and

no doubt so had the Pack members present. Their

commander had “seen” an event, something vital to their

future.

Whatever the vision was, Nick shook it off. “Come to

the compound when you’re free. I’ll explain as much as I

can.”

“What, you’re actually going to let me enter the exalted

inner sanctum? Tell me what the holy hell you guys do up

there?” The sheriff shook his head. “Miracles never

cease.”

“I know I can trust you,” Nick said simply. “And for the

record, I was wrong—your body over there isn’t just your

problem, nor is it the last one. I have a feeling we’re going

to have to work together on this case. Just buzz the security

box at the gate and someone will let you inside.”

“Fine. I’ll see you later.” The sheriff stalked off,

barking orders to anyone within earshot. Everyone jumped

like rabbits to do his bidding.

Nick waved on his team. “Let’s get her out of here.”

As they walked to the Huey, Ryon mulled over Nick’s

intriguing statement to the sheriff. Something big and scary

was in the shadows, waiting.

And he suddenly knew with absolute certainty that it

wasn’t just his and Daria’s lives that were about to be

changed forever.

• • •

For an endless stretch of time, there was nothing but

blackness. Pain.

Then there were voices. Snarling. A dog? What was a

dog doing here? Then hands, lifting her body. Agony.

More discussion. The snarling ceased, and there were

soothing words. One of the voices sounded familiar. He

was important, but she couldn’t recall why.

Then, something incredibly sweet trickled into her

mouth. The taste was amazing, but her throat refused to

work and she feared choking. Gradually, that changed.

Something began to happen. Synapses fired, creating tiny

explosions in every cell, making them come alive. At last

the muscles in her throat cooperated and she drank the

essence, greedy for more and more. When the wonderful

liquid was taken away, she felt the loss like a physical

blow.

The letdown didn’t last. Her arm was lifted and a warm

pair of lips settled against her flesh. Lips? Before she

could think on it further, sharp twin points pierced her

skin, and a silent cry lodged in her chest. She couldn’t

scream, and even if she could make a sound, it wouldn’t

be from agony.

The greatest pleasure she’d ever known shot through her

veins. Spread liquid heat to every part of her and

detonated into a million shards of white-hot crystal, then

solidified into a golden cord. She should’ve been

frightened, but she wasn’t. The cord bound her firmly to

the stranger. Her stranger, and yet it seemed she knew him

somehow. She struggled to capture the memory, but it

escaped.

The sharp points withdrew and she felt bereft, but not as

badly as before. She could handle it now because she

sensed him hovering close. Watching over and protecting

her. How could she know this? But she did. Secure in the

knowledge that all would be well, she drifted. Fell into a

deep abyss.

When she surfaced again, it was to the sensation of

floating, and an occasional rocking motion. The movement

made her nauseated, but she was too weak even to throw

up. Just as bad was the deafening noise threatening to split

her aching head in two. It dawned on her that she was

being transported, and the rapid
whump-whump
sound told

her she was in a helicopter.

Flying. Another reason to be sick, if she had the energy.

She was an earth-loving girl. If she’d been meant to fly,

she would have been born with feathers. Her distress

must’ve been apparent somehow, because a man’s gentle

hand stroked her hair, caressed her face. She wondered

whether he was speaking to her, too, though there was no

way to tell over the racket from the aircraft.

Despite the noise, her sickness, and fear, darkness

pulled her into the depths again. She surfaced once more,

when the helicopter landed, and there was a flurry of

activity as she was rushed into some sort of building. A

hospital? Her brief glimpse of it gave the impression that

it wasn’t like any hospital she’d ever seen. The area

outside seemed rural, lots of trees. No parking lot filled

with cars, no activity.

Strange. But all of that was swept away when, inside,

she was rolled into a small, sterile room and a pretty

woman—doctor?—with long, curly brunette hair smiled

down at her.

“Miss Bradford? Just relax. We’re going to take care of

you, and you’ll feel better soon. I promise.” She patted

Daria’s arm. “Do you understand?”

She nodded. Or thought she did. Then the good drugs

must’ve kicked in, and she knew nothing else for a very

long while.

• • •

The Huey landed and Ryon jumped out, watching

helplessly as the medical team whisked Daria out of the

transport. He jogged after them as they rushed the gurney

through the double doors, down the hallway to the

infirmary, and into one of the trauma rooms. There,

however, he was blocked by Noah, who placed one palm

on Ryon’s chest.

“Sorry, man. You have to stay out here,” he said firmly,

not without sympathy. “Better yet, head back to the waiting

area.”

“But—”

“No buts. We’ll let you know how she’s doing soon.”

The nurse wasn’t going to be budged. Worse, Ryon was

holding the man up from doing his job. With a sigh, he

gave in. “All right. But let me know the second you can

tell me how she’s doing.”

“You bet. Don’t worry, okay?” With an encouraging

smile, the nurse disappeared.

“Dammit!” Raking a hand through his hair, he made his

way back to the waiting room. Frustrated, he paced like a

caged animal for several minutes, until Aric showed up,

Rowan with him.

“You’ve gotta settle down or you’re gonna give

yourself a stroke,” the red wolf observed. “Sit.”

“I can’t. She’s back there, suffering, and there’s not a

goddamned thing I can do about it!”

Rowan stepped in front of him, clasped his shoulders,

and tried to soothe him. “Daria isn’t feeling any pain right

now. She’s in good hands, and she’s going to get better

fast, thanks to your bonding.”

“She’s not hurting
now
, but she will be when she wakes

up,” he rasped. “And I’ll have to tell her what I did to

save her life.”

“One step at a time. You don’t have to get into that right

away.”

“Yes, I do. If I let it slide, even just until she’s better,

it’ll be the same as lying. What if she hates me for it?” The

possibility had him breaking out into a cold sweat. His

wolf would go insane, taking the man right along with him.

Taking his hand, Rowan pulled him over to sit in a chair

and took a seat beside him. “She might be scared or upset,

at first. Don’t let that eat at you. There’s nothing you

could’ve done differently under the circumstances except

allow her to die, and then you would have been next. Once

she understands that, everything will be fine.”

“I hope you’re right.” If she rejected him, the

consequences he’d suffer didn’t bear thinking about

further.

A couple of hours passed. His Pack brothers came and

went, checking on him and asking for word about his mate.

At the moment he was alone. Tired from his constant

pacing, he slumped into a chair again and stared out the

window, contemplating this turn of events.

Why did he care so much about Daria? On both a primal

and intellectual level, he knew what she was to him.

Unlike Jax and Aric when they’d met their mates, right

from the start there had been no question in his mind, or

his wolf’s, that Daria was his mate. His wolf’s reaction,

the beast’s attraction to her, was like a blow upside the

head with a tire iron. His beast wanted to claim her, mark

her with his scent. And much more. But the
man
cared

more than one would for a stranger. It both excited him

and scared the shit out of him.

Odd that he’d met her twice already—just not in person.

On both occasions she’d reached out to him across miles.

Had she somehow sensed their bond, causing her to act?

“Ryon?”

Pushing to his feet, he saw Melina Mallory coming

toward him. The doctor’s short cap of dark hair was

growing out, almost touching her collar, and framed her

elfin face in a flattering way. It softened her features, made

her more approachable. The rare warm smile hovering on

her lips boded well, and he just about fell over in relief

before she could speak. In typical fashion, the no-nonsense

doc got right to the point.

“Daria is lucky to be alive. She sustained a broken arm,

a broken rib, various cuts and bruises, and serious internal

bleeding, which is what almost killed her. That said, she’s

doing well.”

He gave a humorless laugh. “Doesn’t sound so good to

me.”

“I’ll be honest. If it hadn’t been for the mating bite, her

story would’ve ended in that ravine. But you reached her

in time, did what had to be done, and that’s what matters.

She has no serious head injury and her other wounds are

healing faster than I’ve ever seen on a human,” she mused.

“Really?”

“Yes. It’s quite extraordinary.” Melina gazed at Ryon

thoughtfully. “I’ve seen shifters heal rapidly plenty of

times. It’s just part of your abilities. However, this is the

first time we’ve been able to observe the same healing

property at work in a newly mated human. I would love to

know whether the bite is only capable of mending one’s

fated mate, or if it would work on any human.”

“Well, it’s not like we can go around chomping down

on random injured humans in order to find out.” A thought

struck him. “When our SEAL team was attacked in