Call of the Wilds (28 page)

“You’re all alike. My people killed for food and survival. Yours kill for fun. You set traps and hang our heads on your walls. Who’s the real monster?”

“I would never hurt you—”

“You already did. You put me in a cage and fucked my mate. In my world, females fight for their men. You impotent weaklings use deceit and seduction. Karma is a bitch.” She let out a sinister laugh. “A bitch named Sable.”

“I didn’t know—”

“I believe you, and it doesn’t make one bit of difference.”

“I’m leaving the Wilds. You’ll never see me again.” Surely there was some shred of humanity in this creature that she could appeal to.

“It’s too late. As long as you and your brat are alive, you’re a threat to me. Your kind never gives up when they want something. Even in the woods, I couldn't live in peace. I do what I have to, to survive.”

Sable’s words made her flesh crawl. The awful truth broke her. “You killed the hiker.”

“Yes.” She prodded Karin's back. “Now move.”

Her feet would not obey. “Why don’t you just kill me and get it over with?”

“Me?” she said in a high-pitched, girly voice. Her eyes opened wide. “I’m no killer.” A callous shove between her shoulder blades set Karin moving forward. “Your pack will do the killing.”

Sable walked behind her toward the enclosure. She didn’t want to die, and she didn’t want her pack blamed for this monster’s bloodshed. A cold knot formed in her stomach. She forced back the panic. If she had any hope of surviving this night, she needed all her wits. Surreptitiously, she looked around, hoping for inspiration. Fighting was not an option. She was no match for the she-wolf, but she had to do something. Foliage surrounded them, but she remembered an old trail past a copse of fir and birch trees.

When she spotted the overgrown opening, she took off. She heard Sable behind her, but as long as she ran, she had a chance. Branches tore at her bare legs and scratched her face, but she made no effort to push them aside. What difference did a few more scratches make?
If it’s my time to go, let it be here and not the enclosure.

Panting, she slowed down and looked for a place to hide. She almost made it to a thick growth of underbrush. Strong arms tackled her from behind and pinned her.

Sable laughed in her ear. “Even on two legs, I’m faster than you.”

“Please. I just want to go away with my baby. If you have any feelings—”

“Move.” Sable released her and set her back on course.

Exhausted, she started walking. Tears ran down her cheeks like a waterfall. This monster had no pity in her. What did she fear from a poor innocent baby who wasn’t even born yet? Already she grieved for her child who would never draw a breath. She would never get to hold her baby in her arms. She dragged her feet, her useless arm hung at her side, and her eyes and throat hurt from crying.

The howling got louder as they approached the enclosure. Sable threw the gate open and shoved her forward. The pack huddled together, watching them. Beowulf had never looked so menacing.

Sable jostled her, and Karin took a step and froze.

“What’s the matter? Surely you’re not afraid of your own pack?”

Yes.
She trembled, frightened of them for the first time.

“Go on,” Sable prodded her.

Her legs buckled, and she pitched forward, slamming her knee against a rock. It hurt like hell, and her vision blurred. The fearsome silhouettes of the wolves stirred. Beowulf and Lyka came closer. The pack followed. She lay there quivering as they converged around her, their heavy breathing agitated. Did they smell her fear? Her body was a mass of aching bruises. Would the scent of her blood send them into a frenzy and provoke them to turn on her? She couldn’t blame them. They were animals after all.

“What are you waiting for, you stupid curs?” Sable raged at them. “Did the humans make spiritless pets out of you?”

Karin shut her eyes tight. She rubbed her medal and prayed.

Saint Francis, help me! Save my baby!

“Do I have to cut your meat for you?” Sable screamed. “Okay then, I’ll show you what a real wolf does with her prey.”

The pack howled in unison. Tonight, the eerie music Karin loved sounded sinister in her ears.

A snarling growl close to her head terrified her. Sable would rip her throat open, and the pack would finish her off. She curled in a fetal position, folded her arms over her stomach to protect the baby, and prayed.

She felt warm breath on her cheek.

* * * *

Malcolm finished his run, secure in the knowledge of what he had to do. Fifteen years ago, his mate and everyone he loved were murdered, and he was powerless to stop it. Now he had a chance to make it right. He and Sable might be the only two surviving Lycans. Together, they could save their kind from extinction. He didn’t love her, not the way she wanted, but they could still make a life together.

What he wanted didn’t matter. Karin loved Frank. Even without Frank in the picture, there’d never been a future for them. They were too different. Somehow, he would put Karin out of his mind and fulfill his duty to Sable and his people. He would mark her tonight, bond her to him, and seal their connection. His seed would take, and she would conceive.

Surprised to see the window shut, he shifted and entered by the front door. Ralf came straight to him, obviously agitated, and led him to the window. He scented the air for intruders but only detected the familiar odors of Sable and the hybrid.

He climbed the stairs, knowing the loft would be empty before he reached the top. Worry gnawed at him. No signs of a scuffle or an unwelcome guest. His anger mounted. Sable knew not to go out alone. She disobeyed him and locked Ralf in. He scanned the room for a note even though he didn’t expect to find one. His frustration dissipated when he realized she must have gone looking for him. He’d stayed out longer than he intended, and maybe she’d panicked. If anything happened to her, it would be his fault. He raced downstairs, opened the window and shifted.

He picked up Sable's trail immediately. Easy enough to track but he didn’t like where it took him. If she intended to follow him, this is not where his trail would have led her. She had no reason to confront Karin. He hadn't seen or talked to her since that night at his house. Halfway there, he heard it, a chilling chorus of howls, then silence. He froze. If Sable was hurt, he’d never forgive himself for leaving her alone.

He headed straight for the enclosure. His ears twitched when the bloodthirsty howls started up again. Overhead, a single hawk spiraled as if waiting for someone to die. His heart clenched, and he picked up his pace.

The gate stood open, and he streaked through it. He smelled the tension in the pack and Sable’s blood. The wolves crowded together, snarling and crouched for attack. A flash of black fur in their midst caught his attention. He didn’t have time to wonder what brought Sable to the enclosure. He leaped into the fray determined to save her from the others.

The big alpha had his jaws clamped around Sable’s hind leg while his mate snapped at her. Outnumbered and hurt, Sable flattened her ears back and growled. Malcolm crouched, leaped, and knocked the alpha off his feet. The wolf released Sable’s leg. His mate showed Malcolm her teeth and then snarled at the she-wolf. The rest of the pack fled to the perimeter of the fence.

He didn’t want to hurt a pregnant female, but he had to protect Sable. He growled a warning and approached her slowly, hoping she would give up. The alpha moved between them, protecting his mate.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sable staring at him. He growled and tossed his head, indicating she should run. She fled, and he relaxed. He intended to follow, but another blood scent distracted him. The alpha came forward and placed a paw on his shoulder. Yipping, he took off, spun, and twirled in the high grass. Malcolm followed and almost stumbled over Karin’s body, half hidden in the underbrush. He uttered a long, mournful wail of pain that resounded through the Wilds, and the pack answered him.

Bloodlust seized him. His lips curled in a savage snarl, exposing his razor sharp fangs, and he looked for Sable. She was already gone. She never liked Karin, but to do something like this was unthinkable.

Already shifting, he turned his attention to Karin. He leaned over her motionless body.

“Karin, baby. Wake up,” he pleaded.

She moaned softly, and he gathered her into his arms and held her gently to his chest. The pack watched from a respectful distance. She might be dead if not for them. He had no idea how bad her injuries were. He needed to get her into the refuge and call for help.

Karin had left a blood trail that led back to the refuge, but as he got closer, he detected a new scent. He caught sight of Frank’s body and his chest tightened.

“Oh, Sable, what have you done?” He should have prevented this. He’d have to go after her, but not until he took care of Karin. He carried her inside and set her down in the treatment room. Shock set in when he saw her battered body under the lights. She was so pale and covered with bruises. One arm was bloody and mangled, and the other looked like it might be broken. There could be internal injuries. She needed professional help. He wrapped her in a blanket to keep her warm and then he called the SAR team. Search and Rescue would give her first aid and transport her to the hospital. No point worrying about Frank. He was beyond help.

“Karin, wake up, baby.” He cleaned her face, wishing he could do more. “Can you hear me? I promise I’ll find her. I won’t let her hurt you again.” She didn’t stir. If Karin died, he would too. He couldn’t survive the death of another mate. “I’m so sorry.” He laid his forehead against hers. “I love you, doc.”

 
When he heard a vehicle coming, he leaned over and kissed her lips, slipped out the back, and shifted.

Now he could add Karin’s attack to the guilt he carried. Because of him, she almost died. She might still die. He should have seen this coming. Sable was a feral animal who wouldn’t hesitate to kill to get what she wanted. For so long, he focused on hating humans for their brutality, he forgot his own kind were just as capable of savagery, and because of his stupidity, his mate might die. It took a near disaster to make him realize they belonged together. He would give anything to make it up to her, but it was too late. Too late for Sable, too. He had to find her before she killed again.

* * * *

Was it only a week since she woke to the smell of antiseptic, surrounded by a sterile white vista and haunted by terrible dreams? Confused and disoriented, she questioned the reality of the circumstances that landed her in a hospital bed. She doubted her sanity.

Trudy, her only visitor, came with flowers and told her about Frank’s death. That much was real. She told Trudy she didn’t remember anything, and the woman didn’t stay long.

It must be true—all of it. She always believed the werewolf legend was just that, a legend. But she knew what she saw. Sable transformed into a wolf—didn’t she?

Back in her cabin, surrounded by familiar possessions, it once again seemed like a bad dream. Could wolf-people really exist? She had no one to ask. Only one person had the answers, and he had left town. She assumed he took Sable away to protect her. He needn’t have bothered. She wasn’t talking. Who would believe her?

She might never have closure. The best she could do would be to put the nightmare behind her and make a new life in the city.

Most of her things were already packed. Who would have thought she’d miss the little log house. She smiled wistfully. It was never about the house. If she had Malcolm, she’d live anywhere, even a wolf den.

The cell phone went off, jarring her out of her reverie. Karin picked it up, looked at the caller ID and shoved it back in her bag. Since her replacement had checked into the Black Wolf Lodge two days ago, he had called repeatedly. She gave him the grand tour, and now he was anxious to get started. She kept putting him off. It wasn’t easy to hand the pack over to someone else, but she had to admit the bureau had made a good choice. A zoologist looking for a change, he loved animals and he promised to protect the pack.