Untamed (Wolf Lake) (21 page)

Nafarius' chest heaved, rage thick and rancid roiling in his gut. His fingers tightened on the banister, splintering the worn wood and driving slivers into his palms. "Maddie wasn't the target."

Roland blinked. "How do you know?"

"You said the shooter could see into the warehouse?" Roland nodded when Nafarius glanced back at his beta. "Sam was there first. The shot was meant for Sam."

Roland watched as Nafarius bent over the banister, his knuckles turning white where they gripped the wood. He waited for the bellow of fury he could feel rolling down the pack bond, surprised when it didn't come.

Nafarius clenched his teeth as white hot rage turned his vision red, threatening to override his common sense.
 

My fault
.

He'd underestimated Dimitri, either that or the male was further gone than even his daughter knew. He should have been thinking and seen this coming. Dimitri was old, but he wasn't stupid. He had likely predicted Nafarius' moves and was already two steps ahead of him.
 

"We can't stay here," Nafarius said. "Whoever took that shot missed."

"You think he'll be back?" Roland asked, his eyes scanning the windows of the warehouse.

"I think he'll want to finish the job. He's lost the element of surprise, " Nafarius said, thinking out loud. "We either hunker down and wait for him or risk exposure by moving."

"You're thinking of drawing him out?" Roland asked, surprised. It wasn't like Nafarius to consider using the females as bait by moving them.

Nafarius shook his head. "No, I won't risk anyone that way. Take Jeff, head into town and rent a couple of cars. It doesn't matter what. We'll split up, give them too many targets to track, and meet up at a new location."

Roland nodded and went to find the other male.

"Natasha," Nafarius called, listening as the female hurried from the bedroom. "I need you to help Sam get Maddie ready to move."

"Where are we taking her?" Natasha asked.

"Your father's plan failed." Nafarius ignored Natasha's question, watching her face closely. He couldn't help the moment of doubt, the worry that she might have had something to do with the attack.

Natasha nodded. "You think he went after Maddie?"

"No, I think he went after my mate," Nafarius growled.

Natasha shivered as the alpha's rage infused power washed over her skin. "Of course..." That made more sense. Natasha had wondered why her father would have had Craig target the small, blonde werewolf. But he hadn't. Her father would have fixated on Sam and seen her as the key to Nafarius' betrayal. Killing Sam would be a devastating blow, crippling Nafarius and leaving the pack weak.

"I had no idea - " Natasha started.

"Are you sure?" Nafarius' eyes narrowed.

Natasha's spine snapped tight, her shoulders rolling back as she looked Nafarius in the eyes. Not an easy thing to do when the alpha male was glaring at her with eyes gone gold.
 

"I swear to you, I had nothing to do with this. I owe Sam my life." Natasha had got a glimpse of Sam's power as she worked to save Maddie. Something had stirred, a memory of someone calling to Natasha's wolf as she struggled for life.

Nafarius searched the female's face. She stood unflinching, her raised chin challenging him to call her a liar.

Nafarius nodded, satisfied. "I believe you. But your father is still out there and so is Craig. We need to move some place safe."

"Is there any place safe from my father?" Natasha wondered.

"I'll keep us safe," Nafarius promised. He wouldn't fail again.

****

"That's the last of it," Natasha said, three hours later. The ride to the hotel had been dicey, and painfully tense. They had loaded Maddie into the back of a rented SUV, Sam kneeling beside her the entire way. The rest of the pack had split up between the remaining vehicles. Heading out together, they had separated, moving in different directions with orders to double back and rendezvous at the hotel.

The hotel was several miles out of town and cheap. Roland had managed to snag two outside rooms on the end, Nafarius backing up the SUV and slipping the injured wolf inside.
 

Jeff was stationed outside, watching the parking lot with strict orders - nothing and no one got past him alive.

"Can I get you anything?" Natasha asked. Sam was once again curled up on the bed, her body wrapped protectively around the sleeping wolf.

"No, thank you." Sam whispered, her hand resting over Maddie's heart, counting the seconds between each beat.
 

"I can stay with her if you want to shower," Natasha offered. Sam hadn't left Maddie's side, her clothes covered in dried blood.

Sam shook her head.

"How is she?" Natasha asked, moving one of the hotel chairs up next to the bed.

"She's hanging in there," Sam said. She was feeding Maddie a slow, steady supply of strength along the bond, helping to fuel the healing process as much as possible.
 

Lifting her eyes, Sam considered Natasha. Dressed in clean jeans and a t-shirt, she'd pulled her hair back, unsuccessfully trying to tame the curls that even still rioted around her face. She looked tired, almost as tired as Sam felt. Was it really just today that they'd sat across from each other, the three of them sharing pie?

"Thank you," Sam said. "For what you did earlier." Natasha had bought them a few precious seconds, keeping Maddie from bleeding to death until Sam could reach her.

Natasha shrugged, uncomfortable with the gratitude. "Nafarius wouldn't let you go. Somebody needed to."

"He's likely to skin you for it," Sam said, brushing at the tears that escaped.

"He may have already mentioned something along those lines," Natasha said. Leaning forward, she started to reach for Maddie, her eyes darting to Sam for permission.

Sam nodded, watching as Natasha wrapped her hand around one of Maddie's paws. It was the simple touch of a friend and would have meant more to Maddie than Natasha could possibly know.

"You saved her," Natasha said, staring down at the small blonde wolf. It had been amazing - and a little bit disturbing - watching Sam pull Maddie's wolf from inside the unconscious female. "Is that how you saved me?"
 

Sam just looked at her, not saying anything.

"It's something that always bothered me," Natasha said quietly, her fingers brushing the line of Maddie's fur. "How I ended up in animal form. You helped me to shift, didn't you?"

Eventually, Sam nodded.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Natasha asked, watching Sam. She realized that she owed the female her life. She had known as she lost consciousness, her father's feral face above her, that she was going to die. The moment had both terrified and freed her.
 

"I'm not a big fan of letting people know I'm different," Sam said. She was coming to appreciate her gift. Natasha and Maddie would both be dead without it. But Nafarius still worried that it could make her a target and right now they didn't need any more bullseyes pinned to their tails.

"Well, thank you." Natasha said, knowing it was inadequate.

"Don't thank me yet," Sam said, watching as Natasha settled back in her chair. "Nafarius may undo all my hard work."

Natasha slid down further in her chair, resting her hands on her stomach. "It's not like he can give me orders. I'm not pack," she huffed.

"Oh, you're pack," Sam said. "His taking a strip from your hide will make it official."

Natasha blinked. "But I thought - "

"None of that matters now," Sam said, her fingers tightening in Maddie's fur. "You're pack."

Natasha looked away, swallowing past the sudden lump in her throat. "I...ah...thank you."

"Like I said, don't thank me yet." Sam said, feeling a ghost of a smile at the edge of her lips. "You still have to deal with Nafarius. Not to mention Roland when he finds out."

Natasha groaned, dropping her head back against the edge of the chair. "I am so screwed."

"Yep," Sam said, completely lacking in sympathy. "Welcome to the family."

****

You're pack
.
 

Hours later and Sam's words were still ringing in her ears. Turning onto her stomach, Natasha pounded the lumps out of her pillow. Too bad she couldn't pound out the lumps in the mattress as well.
 

She was lying on top of the comforter. The bed, the room - this place - all of it just smelled wrong. She was anxious to get home.

Home
.

Home could be with Nafarius' pack, with Roland.
 

The sound of the door opening broke into her thoughts. "Roland?"

"You were expecting someone else?" he asked, his voice quiet in the dark.

"Just the latest in a long line of lovers. Be a dear, flip the do not disturb sign and he'll get the message." Natasha teased.

Roland grabbed Natasha by the ankle, flipping her onto her back and dragged her beneath him as he crawled onto the bed. "I'll kill any male that comes through that door," he growled.

Natasha laughed. Wrapping her arms around Roland's neck, she buried her hands in his hair, happy to see that he was leaving it down. Pulling him down for a kiss, Natasha tasted pine and the crisp, clean scent of the outdoors.

 
Roland slipped between Natasha's lips, enjoying the familiar taste of her. She was warm and soft beneath him, her heartbeat steady against his chest. Easing back from the kiss, he realized that she was slow to respond, her body remaining still. "Are you okay?"

Natasha stared up into Roland's concerned face. She should have known he would pick up on her disquiet.

"You've been distracted," Roland said, fresh worry chilling his skin. They hadn't been together long and he didn't know her well enough to guess at her thoughts. Perhaps the last 12 hours were too much for her and this was where she told him she wanted to leave.

"Sam made me pack," Natasha whispered, watching Roland's face carefully.

Roland blinked, his mind momentarily going blank. "Oh."

Natasha's eyes narrowed. "Oh? That's all you can think to say?"

"At the moment," Roland said, tightening his grip when she would have pushed him off. "Just give me a minute."

Roland's mind whirled. Sam made Natasha pack, which meant she could stay. It also meant that she didn't need the claiming or Roland's protection. "Oh."

"You're sticking with 'oh'?" Natasha wasn't sure what she'd been hoping for.
Egads, when had she started lying to herself?
She knew exactly what she had been hoping for and so far, this wasn't it.

Roland eased back, sitting on the bed beside Natasha. "Is that what you want? To be pack?"

Natasha pushed herself up so they sat face to face. Searching his face, she wondered at what she saw there. "Yeah, I miss my pack. I miss being a part of something bigger than me. And I like it here, with Sam and Maddie and...you."

"It means you don't need the claiming, or my protection," Roland said, rubbing his suddenly sweaty palms on his jeans.

"Do you honestly think the only reason I was with you is because I had no place else to go?" Natasha asked, getting to her knees and slowly closing the gap between her and Roland.

"No," Roland answered, eying Natasha carefully. Something about her tone warned that he was walking a very thin line.

"And do you think my reasons for being with you would change just because of something Sam says?" Natasha eased herself onto Roland's lap, lightly pressing against his chest until he took the hint and leaned back on the bed.

"No," Roland said, his heart pounding as she straddled his hips, her core hovering over the front of his jeans.

"So, you realize that my need for you has nothing to do with the claiming?" Natasha asked, her face hovering above his. Roland's eyes were bright, something primal moving behind them.

Roland slid his hands up her thighs, grasping her hips. Her body was tense, belying the casual self-assurance she would have him believe was all she felt. "What if I need the claiming? What if I want to make you mine, forever?"

"A claiming isn't forever," Natasha reminded him.

Roland stared up into her angular face. Gently brushing the hair back from her face, he cradled her head and drew her down into a kiss. Soft and gentle, he didn't try breaching her lips, instead he opened to her, offering his half of the mate bond.

Natasha's heart leapt as Roland brushed against her barriers. Warm and dark, the bond felt familiar, containing elements of Roland and his wolf. Opening herself, Natasha answered with her half of the bond, shuddering when the two halves met, converging into one and snapping into place.

"
Tasha
," Roland whispered against her mouth, his hands clenching where he still held her head. Fully in place, the mate bond rippled with information, thoughts, feelings, emotions - all of it flowing in both directions.

"Oh, wow," Natasha sighed, lifting her head, and concentrating on the bond. She could feel Roland's awe, his senses struggling to accept the emotional outpouring. Instinctively, she pulled back, tried to reduce the flow to a more manageable level.

"No," Roland said, his eyes snapping to her face. "Don't. I want to feel it." Natasha had opened herself up to complete the bond, holding nothing of herself or her wolf back. He could feel them both, Natasha's pleasure and her wolf's confusion.

"I'll give you everything," Natasha told him. "But I want the same." Roland had given her everything the male had to offer, opening up and creating the start of the bond, but he'd held his wolf back.
 

"He's still feral," Roland reminded her, ignoring the animal snapping for release.

"No, he's not," Natasha countered. "He's wounded, there's a difference." Still, Roland hesitated. "Don't deny us this," she said quietly, knowing the bond wouldn't truly be complete until he let the animal go.
 

Wrapping his arms around her waist, Roland rolled them over, pinning Natasha beneath him and searching her face. He knew she was right, he also knew he'd never forgive himself if anything happened to her.