Hunter's Heart: Wolf Shifter Romance (Wild Lake Wolves Book 5) (17 page)

“Pull over! Pull over?” Dad’s voice raised an octave
and he racked a round. I floored the gas, weaving around a slower vehicle. A semi
ahead of that car tried to swerve into the left lane, cutting me off. I slammed
on the horn and went even faster. The trucker swung back into his lane. The
black SUV kept pace with me.

“Derek,” I said, my voice shaking. “Baby, we’re
almost out of gas.”

The pavement changed, going from smooth to rough as
I finally crossed the state line.

“Pull over!” Derek shouted. His wolf eyes flashed.
Hair sprouted on the back of his hands. The vibration of his impending shift
skittered through me. There was a rest stop just up ahead. I swerved again and
crossed over to the exit.

“Derek?” I screeched to a halt as Derek pointed. I
hadn’t even put the truck in park before he pushed the passenger side door open
and barreled out.

“Derek!” I shouted. But he was already running
toward the SUV. The driver got out and ran toward Derek.

“Dad?” Dad trained his rifle on the burly driver
just as he reached Derek. Derek froze. So did the driver. Then Derek let out a
howl, half human, half wolf, then launched himself at the other man.

Chapter Eighteen

Derek’s howls turned to deep laughter as he thumped
the driver on the back. My heart leaped along with Derek’s with love and
recognition.

“His pack,” I said. I reached over and put my hand
on the barrel of Dad’s rifle. “It’s Derek’s pack.”
My pack
. I put a
tentative hand on the door latch, then climbed outside into cool air of dusk.

Derek’s smile lit me from within. He had an arm
around the driver’s shoulders.
Adam, this is Adam.
Knowledge poured
through me as I locked eyes with Derek. Adam wasn’t so tall as Derek, but he
was wider through the shoulders, making him look more bear than wolf beneath
his checkered flannel shirt. Adam had dark, tanned skin and he flashed a row of
white teeth when he caught sight of me. The rest of the men piled out of the
SUV.

Steven. He came toward me first. Tall and blond with
deeply tanned skin. A vision flashed behind my eyes, and I saw Steven’s wolf.
Sandy brown with warm, brown eyes. “She’s here, Cam!” Steven said. Cam ran
ahead of Steven, a wild cowlick waving in the breeze as he came to me and held
out his hand. Derek and Adam walked up, and I found myself in the center of
five strapping men, all eager to meet me.

Blood roared in my ears as I felt the echo of
Derek’s urge to shift. I felt the others, through him. He was connected to this
pack, and I to him. It overwhelmed me, took my breath away. My mark flared hot.
Derek steadied me by taking my hand in his. One of the men hung back by the
car. The others parted to let us through.

“Owen?” Derek’s brother gave me a slow smile that
melted my heart. God, he looked almost exactly like Derek except leaner,
younger, fresh-faced. A teenager with thick, brown hair that hung into his
eyes. I reached up and smoothed it back. He needed a haircut. Owen laughed and
held his arms out.

“Hey, Sis,” he said. “Is it okay to call you that?”

My heart melted as I stepped into his arms. Just
like with Derek, this felt like home. Natural, like I belonged.

“Now why the hell didn’t you call us sooner?” Adam
said, his voice booming over the parking lot. He faked a punch to Derek.

“What, and share all the glory? No way.” Derek
laughed it off, but I sensed the thread of tension running through the men.
Derek had stories to tell. He’d been in danger and away from his pack. But, there
would be time for that later. I sensed Derek’s need to put more distance
between us and the Ohio border.

Derek made quick introductions of Grammy and Dad
with the rest of his pack. Brutus and Sofie took to the pack members right
away. Brutus even jumped into the SUV. Sofie, being Sofie, hung back, unsure. Grammy
seemed instantly at ease around them. She recognized them as something so
different from the wolves she’d known before. Dad was as unsure as Sofie. The
scowl never left his face, but he shook hands and said the right things. It
would take him longer to acclimate, I realized.

For now, though, we still had five hours ahead of us
to make it to Wild Lake. A thrum of excitement went through the group. The rest
of the pack took the lead while I climbed back into the car and followed them
up the interstate. My heart directed me better than any GPS, though. The
further north we went, it lifted. The air crackled with energy with each mile,
and city after city fell behind us.

The further north we traveled, it seemed like we’d
entered a different world. Cool, clean air. Blue skies as we drove through the
night and into the morning. Trees, hills, and lakes. The air itself seemed to
heal Derek the closer we got. Though blood still caked the jeans I packed him,
I knew the deep wound in his thigh had closed.

“You need to hunt,” I said when we came within sight
of a huge water tower. My heart surged as I read it. Wild Lake Outfitters.

“That’s us,” Derek said, pointing to the large store
beneath it. “Our company.”

“Wow. I didn’t realize I’d hooked up with a
corporate man.”

Derek laughed. “You didn’t think I was planning to
have you live off the land, did you? I actually have a job, baby. One of the
other Alphas and I handle online marketing for the store.”

He directed me to an exit beyond the water tower.
“We’re close,” he said. “Just a few more miles. I want to stop at the Bonner
farm first. We’ll stay there overnight before heading up to my place in the
Upper Peninsula. And I want you to meet Pat and Harold.”

“Right. Pat and Harold Bonner. You said their farm
is kind of a home base or sanctuary for all the packs.”

“Pat Bonner?” Grammy said, whistling low. “That
scrawny little thing?”

Derek raised a questioning brow. “When was the last
time you saw her?”

“Sixty odd years, I guess.”

I made a winding curve through rolling hills. We
took a dirt road off the highway, then down another path. The car jostled as
the woods around us grew thicker; a foreign sedan, it wasn’t built for off-roading.
I just hoped we wouldn’t get stuck after everything else that happened. Then,
just over a rise, we reached a clearing. Fertile farmland stretched down into
the valley below. A bright yellow farmhouse with a wraparound porch and white
picket fence nestled against deep woods at the northern edge and trails behind
it. A huge, red farmhouse sat behind the house. It looked like a picture
postcard.

“There it is!” Derek said. “Pull up alongside the
house and be prepared for a bone-crushing hug. Pat’s kind of famous for them.”

I did as Derek instructed. No sooner than I put the
car in park, the screen door on the porch flew open and a woman charged out. She
wore a bright green dress, her gray hair blew wild around her face, and she
came to us with open arms.

Grammy stood at my shoulder and straightened her
back when Pat approached. Pat put her hands on my shoulders and smiled. She had
kind, green eyes and a wide smile. She couldn’t be five feet; she and Grammy
were almost the same size, though Pat Bonner was considerably wider.

“Well, Patsy,” Grammy said. “You haven’t changed a
bit.”

Pat Bonner cocked her head to the side and looked at
Grammy. For an instant, she didn’t recognize her. And then she did. Pat let out
a warm laugh and threw her arms around Grammy.

“Oh my God, Althea Crow? Oh my word!”

Grammy hugged her back, but kept her posture stiff.
Tears played at the corners of Grammy’s eyes. Whatever history she and Pat
Bonner shared, I was certain Grammy never thought she’d see her again. Clearly,
Pat shared the sentiment.

“You were just a little bitty thing, last time I saw
you,” Grammy said, finally softening. “Running around here trying to keep your
baby brother out of trouble. Harold still around causing it?”

“Who’s there?” A booming voice caught me by
surprise. An old man came out from around the porch, sliding his hand along the
railing. His sightless eyes aimed just above our heads.

“Hello, Harold,” Grammy said. “It’s Althea Crow.
Well, Lyle now. I used to babysit you if I recall.”

When Harold got closer, Grammy’s breath caught. So did
mine. Harold had a deep scar across his face, making his eyes opaque. Claw
marks. Old and healed.

“Well, Harold,” Grammy said. She went to him and
traced her finger along the track of the scars. “I guess the stories I heard
were true.”

“Agh,” Harold said. “You should’ve seen the other
guy.” Then, he drew Grammy into an embrace. Pat put her arm around me.

“We’ve got a lot to talk about,” she said. “And you
need to get settled. I can’t tell you how glad we are to have you, Jessa. I
never thought I’d live to see the day when Derek Monroe finally brought home a
mate. I’d almost given up hope.”

She brought me into the house. It was old, charming.
Well-built with finished wood floors and arched ceilings. I looked behind me,
expecting to see Derek and the rest of the pack, but he was gone. My heart
skipped a beat.

“Hush now,” Pat said, leading me down the hallway to
a bedroom off to the right. It was airy with bright yellow wallpaper and a
double bed with eyelet sheets. Queen’s Anne’s lace in a vase by the window.
“The boys have been separated for a long time. They’re going to need some time
to acclimate and hunt. I expect they’ll be back around dinnertime or a little
after. You’ve got to be bone tired, darling. I can draw a bath for you if you’d
like.”

“A bath? Lord, I haven’t had a real bath in maybe
ever.”

Pat’s warm laughter filled the room. “Then you’ll
have one. We have everything you need here. Let’s just say I’m used to my
Alphas bringing women home in need of rest. I’ll see to Althea and your father
too.”

We heard laughter out in the yard. “Never mind,” Pat
said. “Take a look.”

Harold had his arm around my father. They were
headed out to the barn. Brutus and Sofie, tails held high, ran circles around
them, their noses skidding across the green grass. “Well, they’ve all made fast
friends.”

“Tinker Lyle,” Pat said. “Your Pa’s a little bit of
a legend around here. Glad to see he’s going to be using his skills for the
good of the pack now. At least, I hope. Derek said he’s handy. Harold will put
him to work out in the barn in no time.”

“Good. Dad likes to stay busy.”

Grammy stood on the porch and watched them go. She
had a wistful look in her eye.

“She’ll be all right,” Pat said. “It’s just been a
long time since she was back this way.”

“It has.” I watched Grammy. Though she still had
tears in her eyes, she almost looked happy. At peace, even.

“She’s going to get to go home,” Pat said. “We can
take her into Oodena tomorrow. My son lives there with his family. I’ll
introduce you to my daughter-in-law. The two of you have a few things in
common. And there are a few old timers still around. Her brother Randall’s
still alive. Althea can take all the time she needs. There will be a place for
her. For all of you. If you want.”

“She never told me she had a brother,” I said, my
voice catching. I let out a breath. Pat leaned in the doorway smiling.

A place for me. A place for all of
us.

I couldn’t explain it. We’d only just arrived. But,
as I breathed in the fresh, clean air, I
felt
it. Home. Wild Lake was
home. How had I ever questioned it? Pat nodded, then pushed herself off the
doorframe. She walked across the hall, and a minute later, I heard the soft
rush of water as she filled a bathtub.

***

He came to me later that night. Pat laid out a huge
feast for us. Fried chicken, corn on the cob, mashed potatoes. Dad and Harold
Bonner seemed to be soulmates. Dad’s wheels were already spinning with how to
improve on a rope system Harold had in the barn to help him get around. Grammy
grew excited about visiting Oodena in the morning. She broke down when she
heard about her brother. Pat wanted to take her to see him first thing. I sat
at the end of Pat’s long kitchen table and watched Grammy grow more and more
comfortable with her as they caught up on old times when Grammy was young.

My heart thundered in my chest, and Derek’s warm,
strong hands slid over my shoulders. He leaned down and put a whisper of a kiss
on my cheek.

“Let’s take a walk,” he said. He didn’t have to ask.

Hand in hand, we walked behind the house. Derek led
me down the trails through the thickest part of the woods until we reached a
clearing. I saw Wild Lake for the first time under a full moon hanging low and
bright. Deep blue water, still as glass, stretched across the horizon to the
forest on the other side.

“It’s beautiful!” I gasped. “Like it’s never been
touched.”

Derek drew in a great breath, letting the pure air
fill his lungs. He walked to the water’s edge and turned to me. His eyes
glinted gold as he peeled his shirt off. Heat rushed through me as I did the
same. I took a tentative look around. We were out in the open. Out of sight of
the main house, but still exposed.

“Relax,” he said. “The lake is ours tonight.”

I shed my clothes and went to him. Derek stood tall
and straight. The moon bathed him in heavenly light as I brought my hands up
and slid them down his shoulders. He brought his arms around my waist and
walked backward, leading me into the cool water. He kept me warm. We swam out
until my feet couldn’t touch. I straddled Derek’s waist with my legs as he
turned me. Water sluiced over my shoulders, cool and clean.

“I love you,” he whispered. “More than you’ll ever
know.”

I smiled. “I’ll know. Remember? I feel what you
feel. And I love you too.”

“Thank you,” he said.

“For what?”

“For trusting me. For leaving everything to be with
me.”

“Leaving everything? Derek, you’ve given me
everything. Things I never knew I was missing. My father too, I think. He can
do good work here. I think you
need
him in Wild Lake. Maybe not soon,
but someday, the Kentucky packs
might
try to come. My father can help
you be ready. And Grammy. Derek, I never knew. She belongs here. She belongs in
Oodena. I want to go there with her tomorrow. I want to see the places where
she grew up. I want to help her heal.”