Betrayal: Reckless Desires (Dark Wolves Book 2)
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Authors: Elianne Adams
Tags: #Reckless Desires Collection
Betrayal
by
Élianne Adams
Copyright © 2016 by Élianne Adams
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Cover Art by Jacqueline Sweet
ISBN 978-0-9948858-7-6 (EPUB)
Amalija ducked beneath a branch and pressed her back against the rough bark of the huge pine. Someone was following her. She had yet to catch sight of him. The bastard was smart. He—at least she thought it was a he—had yet to slip up. He kept his body downwind so that the warm breeze wouldn’t give him away, but the fine hair on her arm stood on end, and she had learned long ago to listen when her body sent her a warning.
Gripping her bundle tight, with her heart pounding, she peered around the tree. She’d rather die than be taken back to the Mahehkan pack. It had been her home for most of her life, and she had loved it until Roger had taken over the pack. Her uncle had led the pack with honor and integrity. They had thrived under his leadership, but all that had changed. Women, once revered by their mates, were now nothing more than a means of gratification. Beta males were beaten and humiliated by the stronger members of the pack. They rationed the meat to suit their gluttonous wants, regardless of who the successful hunter was or who needed it most. If it hadn’t been for her brother James and a few other good men, she would not have survived. Many hadn’t.
Now she had a home with the Komoro pack. One that the old Alpha had welcomed her into seven years ago. After a brutal attack, her brother had taken her from the only home she’d ever known and left her in the forest with nothing more than the clothes on her back and a promise of a better life. With many broken bones and a concussion, it was a miracle she’d survived the night out in the woods alone. But she had, and the following morning, the Komoro men had found her shivering and disoriented. With one look at her, the Alpha had roared. Without asking questions, he’d picked her up and taken her home. Too afraid and too broken, she’d never uttered the words of condemnation for her pack, and though she suspected he knew, the Alpha had never pressed her for answers. Now, she couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. Up until a few months ago, she had thought that her brother, James, would join her there someday, but now, she wasn’t so sure.
Amalija steadied herself, ready to bolt at the first sign of movement, but other than the dust motes floating in the sunshine filtering through the trees, nothing moved. A chickadee sang from one of the branches high above, making her jump. Minutes passed with nothing, but goose bumps still rose on her flesh. Whoever was out there hadn’t gone away. But if he hadn’t approached her, that could only mean he hadn’t found her, and she’d be damned if she’d be the one to move first and give away her position.
Roxie, the Mahehkan she-wolf her bundle was intended for, needed her help. The message she’d received three days ago was cryptic at best, but she knew her brother well. If he was reaching out for her aid, Roxie had to be in bad shape. All he’d asked her for was a bundle of clothing and some dried meats, but she’d added a few extras to the pack. The young female would appreciate the soap and hair brush. It wasn’t like the items would weigh anyone down. Amalija would never forget how grateful she was when Delana, one of the Komoro women, had brought her home, allowed her to have a bath, and given her clothes to cover her body with. It had been more than she’d had in months. She’d also left a note. If nothing else, perhaps encouraging words from another survivor, a friend, would help Roxie get through the times ahead.
Behind her, a twig snapped. The sound, barely there, had her whirling around and crouching into a defensive position. Legs shoulder width apart, she dropped the package and prepared to shift.
“You’re a long way from the village, Amalija,” Wesken, their pack’s second said, his voice low and growly. It was always low and growly. And as always, when she heard it, delicious shivers raced down her spine, and her inner wolf wagged her tail like a lovesick puppy.
He stood only three feet from her. How had he gotten so close without her knowing? Damn, the man was sneaky. She should have at least caught his scent as he came around her, but no, with his superior tracking and hunting skills, he’d gotten around her without alerting her. She really had to be more careful. Releasing the breath making her lungs burn, she gave him a shaky smile. She couldn’t tell him why she was out there, but at least she wasn’t in any real danger. “It’s a beautiful day for a stroll in the woods,” she answered.
He stared at her for a moment, and she struggled not to lean closer. He was her mate. She had no doubt about it. The moment they’d met, her entire being had screamed it loud and clear. Each time he was near, it was all she could do to keep from going to him and taking a long lick of his skin to find out if he tasted as good as he smelled. More than anything, she wished she could do just that. Maybe once things settled down and the Alpha’s fury with the Mahehkan pack subsided, she’d be able to come clean and tell him who she was. Until then, she had to keep her distance.
***
Wesken stared at the pretty brunette, waiting for an explanation, but when she smiled in his direction with her big brown eyes shining up at him, it was obvious none was coming. What was she up to? This wasn’t the first time he’d caught Amalija leaving the village boundaries unaccompanied, but the other times, she’d managed to evade him. And that was no easy feat.
The only reason he’d found her this time was because she’d all but walked right into him a few miles back while he was patrolling the forest. Suspicious of her fast, purposeful pace, he’d had to follow. The fact that this woman, in particular, was in the forest without protection had nothing to do with it.
“I keep looking for your companion, yet I see no one.” There was no hard and fast rule about leaving the village alone, regardless of gender, but Argram, his brother and the Alpha of the Komoro pack, had made it clear that going unaccompanied was unsafe and, therefore, frowned upon.
“That’s because I don’t have one. I refuse to live in or be ruled by fear ever again,” she blurted out with her brows drawn low.
She shouldn’t be living in fear, not anymore, at least. Wesken and his men were a part of the Komoro pack now, and each one of them would lay their lives on the line to protect them all. He opened his mouth to ask her but then shut it again. It didn’t matter. He’d keep her safe, just as he’d keep all the other members of the pack safe. And that began with getting them to see what should be plain but obviously needed a little more explanation. “Exercising caution isn’t an unreasonable request, Amalija. Should the enemy be in our area, having someone else with you would increase your chances of getting to safety.”
She tilted her head and smiled again. It wasn’t a sweet, or even flirtatious, smile. It was an I’ll-tell-you-what-you-want-to-hear-so-this-can-be-over smile, and it made him want to growl. He didn’t want to be humored. Least of all by her.
“You’re right. And now that I’m no longer unaccompanied, I suppose it’s safe enough to be out. It really is a beautiful day.” She came closer.
Wesken stepped back, keeping the distance between them the same. The last thing he needed was to give her any ideas—about anything. He would have to be blind not to see how gorgeous she was or be dead not to want her. And by the looks she sent his way when she thought he wasn’t looking, she wasn’t immune to him, either, but he wouldn’t fall into that trap again. Ever. Not that she’d given any indication that she wanted anything more than a passing acquaintance, but he wouldn’t chance it.
He glanced at the bundle she’d dropped on the ground when he’d come up behind her. “You’re forgetting something.”
Her cheeks turned a deeper shade of pink, and her lips formed a little O. “Yes, I… thanks for the reminder. I packed a lunch,” she said as she turned and picked it up again.
Wesken forced his gaze away from her ass as she bent at the waist to retrieve the parcel. He had no business looking at her bottom, or any other part of her, for that matter. No matter how much he desired Amalija, he would never touch her. Erritrol wolves had but one destined mate and he’d found his years ago. The fact that she had turned out to be a murderous traitor cemented one thing—he was meant to be alone.
Amalija didn’t dare look at Wesken as they walked back to the village. Only the constant chatter of the chickadees interrupted the silence, which was fine with her. She still had her package tucked in the crook of her arm. She’d almost made it to the drop-off point when Wesken had found her, and now she’d have to try to sneak away again to deliver the supplies. Getting away from the pack had become increasingly difficult over the last few months with the new Alpha and his men guarding the village. Sure, they’d never been safer, but moving about undetected was next to impossible.
She had less than seventy-two hours to get the package there. Otherwise, she’d let James—and more importantly, Roxie—down.
She glanced over at the mountain of a man walking next to her. His arms, even relaxed as they were, bulged with muscle. With the summer heat beating down on them, he had taken his T-shirt off, and his skin glistened with a fine sheen of sweat. Thick, pinkish-white scars ran down his chest and around his ribs. She could imagine the battle he had to have survived to have healed yet still sport such noticeable scars. But rather than detract from his appeal, the ruggedness made him sexier. She really should tear her gaze away from the rippling display making her mouth water. Drooling over the man when she was alone at night was one thing, but tripping over her tongue when he was right there beside her was out of the question.
“I can put my shirt back on if me removing it displeases you,” he said, startling her.
“No,” she said, her voice much too loud for what the situation warranted. “I mean, you don’t have to. It doesn’t. Displease me, that is.”
Amalija groaned and turned her head so that he couldn’t see her face as heat that had nothing to do with the outside temperature rose on her cheeks. So much for playing it cool and not letting the man know how much he affected her.
***
Wesken grunted. It was either that or moan. The heat in her gaze as she’d looked upon his body had sent his blood rushing to his cock. Only his T-shirt dangling from his hand kept her from seeing how hard it had become under her scrutiny.
She turned away, but not before he caught the pink flush flooding her cheeks. He was a bastard for embarrassing her, but he’d had to do something, otherwise, he would have given in to his desire to back her against the nearest tree and rip her clothes off. But he had nothing left to give to any female. He’d do his duty—protect her and every other Komoro woman in their pack—but he would not take another mate. And that’s what he would be doing by bedding the lovely Amalija. His wolf had made that decision the moment he’d met her, but he, of all people, knew how much his wolf could be trusted. It couldn’t. Kendra had proven that months ago.
A few moments passed before she looked in his direction again, her expression shuttered, but her cheeks still bright red. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to stare.”
Guilt burned in his gut. Just because he couldn’t allow himself to get close to Amalija didn’t mean he should make her feel bad. The girl was kind to everyone. Not that he’d been watching her, specifically, but it was impossible not to notice. When another pack mate was in need, she was first in line to help. She didn’t deserve the poor treatment.
