Three Fur All (10 page)

Mika stood outside Dawn’s office and contemplated whether or not to go inside. If he did, he would cause a scene. What October had told them last night played in his mind. He tried to get close to her after that, but she wanted to be left alone. During the night, he heard her crying, and it had shredded his heart because he couldn’t comfort her. Then he thought about Samuel and how he had requested Mika come to the station and give a statement. This wouldn’t have happened if Dawn hadn’t gone back on her promise. Soon the rest of the pack would hear about it, if they hadn’t already.
Damn her! Why does she always have to ruin everything? Why can’t she keep her mouth shut?

“Looking for me?”

He turned, and Dawn was behind him, dressed in her white coat with a pair of jeans underneath it, with a cup of coffee in her hand. He forced a smile, but it took everything in him not to lunge at her and rip her throat out.

“Yes.” Mika walked over to her and slipped his hand around her waist before she could get away from him. He steered her into an alleyway, where no one would see them.

“Let me go, Mika, or I’ll scream.” She tried to twist away from him, but he wasn’t going to let her go.

“Scream. I don’t give a flying fuck. You already got me booted from the pack. Now you had to spill the beans to Samuel about October.”

“I had to be sure she was taken care of. I saw how you were looking at her. Once you can sink your fangs into her, you will. She has to go back to her own life.”

“You don’t get to dictate her life.”

“I’m a doctor. I do what’s best for my patients. And the best thing for her is to be away from you.”

Dawn wrenched herself away and headed toward her office. She got halfway and then turned back around, pointing her finger at him. “Don’t come after me again, or I’ll make sure the pack drives you out of this town once and for all.”

Mika growled, but she would be good to her word. He glanced back at the police station across the street. Samuel was waiting for him. He tried to reel in his temper before he entered, knowing he would face several members of the pack, one of them being the sheriff. He walked in.

Once the others realized he had come in, all activity stopped. Three other cops stared at him. The friction rose in the air. The hairs stood on the back of his neck. They had been talking about him. There was a slight buzz in his head. Even though the attachment to the pack had been severed, he could still sense when the other wolves were communicating. No one got up from their desks. He knew they we all wondering what he was doing there. Ever since he had been expelled from the pack, he had been tolerated in the town only because it was neutral territory. Samuel emerged from his office and flashed him a controlled smile.

“Mika, good of you to come down.
Step into my office, please.” The sheriff moved aside and waited for him to enter before he closed the door.

Mika sat in the chair across from him and glanced around the office. Besides the map of the area, and the official awards the sheriff had gotten, his walls were bare. His desk was neat, sporting only a coffee mug and a name plaque. His files were behind him, and a computer sat on the corner of the desk. One would expect him to have photos of his family, but Samuel was almost as much of an outcast in the pack as Mika. The only thing that separated them was that he was an accepted member of the community. The other man was considered a pariah to any woman because he couldn’t switch his shape, so no one wanted to marry him in case he spread that strangeness to his progeny. Mika used to feel sorry for Samuel.

“Did you need me to elaborate on what I told you last night?”

The sheriff rubbed his chin and then sat down. “Well, I wanted you to tell me again why you didn’t call me in the first place to tell me the truth.”

Mika rolled his eyes. “I told you. I thought if I could find this fucker, bring him before Cooper, then I could be accepted back. That’s all.”

“So it had nothing to do with keeping this woman all to
yourself
? Dawn had made some accusations that maybe you were thinking about bringing October into the pack. If you did, you’d immediately be banned from this place and, depending on Cooper’s mood, given a death sentence.”

“This has nothing to do with bringing her into the pack. I hadn’t even considered it. Honestly, Dawn has it out for me. I’m already dead to the pack. So what does it matter?” Mika shook his head and groaned in disgust.
What more can they do to me? I want to live in peace. The slightest chance I had of getting back into the pack is slipping away, and Dawn’s trying to sabotage me any way she can.

“Why do you stay? You’re barely tolerated for what happened. The only reason you haven’t been run out of town is because you keep to yourself and avoid coming onto pack land. You’re a lone wolf. You could go somewhere else and start over again. Take the girl with you and turn her if you want. She’s not my type, but even I can see she’s pretty fuckable. Nice tits too. Good thing you found her when you did.
Didn’t want her to get captured again.”

“No. I wouldn’t want her to get caught again. She’s been through enough. And the reason I stay is because this place is home. I’ve never wanted to go anywhere else. Is there anything else that you needed?”

Samuel flipped open his notebook and then clicked his pen.
“One last thing.
I am sure you figured out we’re keeping this internal. Have you found the lair? Tell me the truth now.”

“No. I tried to follow him, but he’s good at masking his scent. We even took October back out there, but she can’t find it either. It was dark, and she doesn’t know the way.” Mika kept his gaze locked to the sheriff and wondered if he would take the information directly to the pack leader. If Samuel expected they had already brought October back to the place, then Samuel might not harass her or have any more of the pack come looking for her. If they did, he would protect her with everything that he was worth.

The other man nodded and shut his book. “Well that’s a shame. I’ll be happy to let Cooper know you haven’t found him. He has more hunters out searching. Thanks for coming in, Mika.” The sheriff stood up, and Mika followed a moment later, itching to get out of there.

He made it to the door and then turned back to Samuel. “What do you mean more hunters are out in force now?”

“I thought you’d heard. Another body was found last night. She was badly mauled, and we’re still trying to identify the remains. I’m not sure if we ever will.
Poor family.
Our little town and our pack hasn’t had this many deaths in a long while. If you get any more information, you’ll let us know.”

Mika forced a smile.
“Of course.”
As he walked out, the pack master strolled into the police station.
Not that my day could get any worse.
And in walks in my doom.

Cooper stopped and looked at him. The animosity that came off the pack leader was palpable. He should have moved out of the way, but something in him wasn’t about to let the other wolf, no matter if he was the lead alpha,
show
his dominance. It was just that kind of day, and Samuel had made it worse. Not to mention the tension that lingered when he thought about what October might be doing with Elliot. He was afraid she was slipping away from him.

“Is there a problem?” Cooper asked.

All went silent as the whole station waited to see what would transpire between them. The pack leader was a couple of years older than him, and growing up, Cooper had always flaunted the fact that he would follow in his father’s footsteps and rule the pack. He hadn’t changed. He was still a smug bastard. When Mika had been kicked out of the pack, Cooper was ecstatic because he had his sights set on Dawn. Of course, she hadn’t wanted anything to do with him.

“No problem. I was just leaving, and you happened to be in my way.” Mika began to walk by him.

Cooper placed his hand on Mika’s chest. A zing of energy shot thought him. His wolf bared its fangs. It took everything in him not to show his teeth to the pack leader. If he ever wanted to regain his place in the pack, then he had to play nice.

“Mika, I’ll say this once. Elliot told me what you’ve been doing. I commend you for that. But leave the hunting to those who are assigned to it.”

“Don’t think I’m wolf enough to find the bastards who are killing all those women?”

Cooper chuckled. “You don’t want to know what I think. You’re making a noble effort. Now stop before you get yourself, or those around you, hurt. Don’t want anyone else close to you going through the same thing you did. Have a good day now.” He walked off toward Samuel’s office.

Mika fought the urge to turn around and go after him. Instead, he gritted his teeth and made his way back to the house. During the ride back, he tried to empty his mind of all things, but the animal was close to the surface. The full moon was coming. Soon he would have to run no matter what the circumstances. He hoped that that it wouldn’t freak out October any more than it already had. He focused back on the road and saw a naked man standing in the center of the street with his arms crossed, waiting for the car to hit him, with a big old grin on his face. Mika slammed on his brakes and jerked the steering wheel to left, sending the car into a spin until it went into the ditch, landing on the passenger side. He was going to have to walk home and call a tow truck.

He hit the steering wheel, beeping the horn and leaving a large dent in the wheel. He tried to open the door, but before he could, the man pressed his face against the window. His chest was riddled with scars, and his eyes were wild. The corners of his lips curled higher into his cheeks than a normal human. Mika growled and then tried the door, only to find it was stuck. The other man moved in blur and was on top of the hood. He drew back his fist and slammed it into the windshield. Mika undid his seat belt and shimmied into the backseat. He was able to get out of the car by the back door. The sudden fresh air was good, but his adrenaline was pumping. The other man was now on top of the roof.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

The other man threw back his head and laughed. “I’m coming for her. There’s nothing you can do about it. I’ll have her for my own.”

The color drained from Mika’s face as he realized who this was. He lunged at the aggressor, but the other man grabbed a hold of his arm and held it behind his back. Being so close to him, Mika realized that he didn’t have a scent. That must have been one of the reasons they were having trouble tracking him. He only had a scent when he was in wolf form. He wrenched his arm harder, and Mika cried out.

“Do whatever you want with me, but leave October alone.”

“You care about her. That makes it all the better and more interesting. Maybe I won’t just kill her. I’ll bite her and watch her turn. Then she’ll be my bitch to do whatever I want. Or maybe I’ll give her to my associate. You don’t want to know what he does to all the ladies. He’s even more depraved than I am.”

“What you are going to do with me?”

The other man kissed his cheek. “You taste so good. Too bad you’re not my type, or I’d bring you back to be my plaything. Right now, you’re going out of the equation. Your friend can’t protect her from me. I’ll have her tonight, and you won’t be there to stop me.”

Mika tried to free himself of the other’s grip, but couldn’t break free. He twisted around, but the pain of teeth ripping into his throat descended over him. He felt the blood spill from his body, and the darkness of losing consciousness wash over him. Mika fell to the ground and landed face-first on the asphalt. The wolf in him tried to emerge, but he was sliding too fast.

Have to get to October. Have to warn Elliot about them coming for her. Can’t let them get her.

Chapter Eleven

October sat outside with a cup of peppermint tea in hand. The steam wafted in the breeze and helped to calm her nerves. Elliot had left her alone all day, but she kind of expected that. It was nice to have the space. Now she prayed to have warm arms around her keeping her safe from the darkness that lived in her soul. Spilling her heart to the sheriff had been helpful in dealing with the trauma imprinted on her soul. He had demanded Mika come down to the station so he could answer more questions. She hadn’t wanted him to go, but it wasn’t her place to say anything. The more she thought about the two men, the more her heartstrings were being tied, twisted, and pulled in all different directions. The fire between all three of them was intense. Mika had been ready to take Elliot’s head off because he had found them together. It had irritated her at first, but she was starting to understand how territorial wolves were.