Wolf on the Hunt (24 page)

“Got it.” Gray tried to sound like she was confident when, in truth, she was scared to death.

“Neither you or Cherise can shift, so you’ll be the last line of defense,” Gwen told her. Then she turned to Sylvie and Anny. “We need to shift, ladies.”

All three of them pulled off their clothing and began to shift before Gray’s very eyes. While she’d known and accepted they were werewolves, actually seeing them shift was astonishing. Shadow whined and she absently petted him with her free hand, trying to reassure him everything would be okay.

The women didn’t shift as fast as Louis, but it didn’t take them long to become wolves. Gwen’s fur was light brown with gorgeous blonde streaks. Anny was a dark brown with shades of black around her head and legs. Sylvie’s fur was mostly black, and Gray was surprised to note that the scar on her face appeared on her wolf’s muzzle. They were all beautiful and fierce.

Gwen padded out of the room, leading the way with Sylvie and Anny close behind her. “Come on.” Cherise urged her out the door and Gray found herself in the living room with the other woman and three female wolves.

Gwen and Sylvie stood just beyond the front door while Anny hurried toward the back door. Cherise stayed with Gwen, but Gray joined Anny in the dining area. She hunkered down by the window with Shadow at her side and peered out.

In the distance, she could hear fighting. Terrifying snarls and growls pierced the night. She held the gun in her hands tighter but was careful to keep the muzzle pointed at the floor.

“There’s a lot of them,” Cherise called out. “Our guys are outnumbered more than two to one.”

“We’ve got to help them.” Not stopping to think, Gray bolted for the door and out onto the porch.

Cherise called out her name, but Gray wasn’t stopping. Louis was out there somewhere, fighting for his life and hers. She couldn’t stay inside in safety while he was putting his life on the line.

Shadow was still with her, the brave dog by her side in spite of the half-dozen wolves fighting in the backyard. Gray could hear more fighting around front.

Then a howl echoed across the space. She might not fully understand wolves yet, but there was an unmistakable promise of death in that howl. She shivered and put her back to the wall so no one could sneak up on her.

“Point and shoot,” she reminded herself.

It was like something out of a horror movie. Wolves slashed at one another. Saliva dripped from massive fangs. Blood dripped from deep wounds and still they fought. This was no staged fight. This was to the death.

She heard the front door bang open and the loud roar of a gun as Cherise shot at whoever came inside. Gray’s mouth was dry, her heart pounding but her hands surprisingly steady.

“I can do this,” she whispered to Shadow.

There was no sound, no warning. At the last second, Shadow growled and leapt at the wolf that jumped over the railing and came straight at her. A huge wolf paw smacked her pet aside. Shadow gave a yelp of pain before he hit the wall with a heavy thud. Her pet fell to the porch and didn’t move.

Fear and anger coursed through her veins and she yanked the gun up and began to fire. It was harder than she’d thought it would be to pull the trigger. And she wasn’t prepared for the kickback either. It threw off her aim. Before she could get more than two shots off, the wolf was on top of her. She instinctually threw her hands up in front of her to protect her head. She rolled, but there wasn’t far she could go. She brought up solid against the railing.

The wolf raked his claws over her left shoulder and landed just beyond. Pain streaked down her back and she could smell blood and gunpowder. She didn’t know if she’d actually injured the wolf or if the blood was all hers. There was too much happening too fast for her to differentiate.

The wolf turned on her and she pulled herself into a seated position and aimed the gun at him. Through it all, she hadn’t lost her grip on her one and only weapon. This time she knew what to expect, knew what would happen when she fired the weapon.

Her finger began to squeeze the trigger when a blur of fur shot in front of her. It was too late for her to stop. At the last possible second, she yanked her hand up and the bullet ended up in the rafters of the porch roof instead of in the wolf who’d jumped in front of her.

Her hands began to shake when she realized what she’d almost done. She’d almost shot Louis.

Louis faced off against her attacker, and Gray got her first good look at the wolf that had jumped her. They were similar in size and coloring and their eyes were identical.

Her stomach dropped. This was Louis’s father. This was Pierre LaForge, the man who wanted to kill them all.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Louis faced off against his sire, his composure threatened for the first time. Gray was bleeding. He could smell her blood and it was making him and his wolf crazy. He needed calm now. He needed to think. Going off half-cocked would only get himself and Gray killed.

Getting his wayward emotions under control, he stared at Pierre LaForge and wondered, not for the first time, how he and Jacque had come from such a man. The fighting was all around them. They were under a massive attack. This was the final showdown. At the end of it, either Pierre or they would be dead.

As scared as he was for Gray and his family, he was glad their war was almost at an end. Living in a state of constant preparedness and worry wasn’t good for the women. Or for the men either.

Pierre growled and took a step forward. Then he paused.

Louis shifted back to his human form. “Put your back to the wall and watch behind me,” he ordered Gray without ever taking his eyes off his opponent. Pierre rarely fought alone. He probably had one of his men sneaking up behind them. He heard Gray move and knew she was getting into position. She might not be a full-blooded werewolf, but he was glad to have her at his back.

“Afraid to fight me?” he taunted. “Waiting for backup? I wonder what your pack would think about that?”

Pierre growled, his eyes narrowing and saliva dripping from his teeth. Louis had pissed the old man off. He shifted just as his father leapt at him. He didn’t try to avoid the attack and threw himself at his father’s underbelly.

The surprise attack left Pierre vulnerable. He twisted to the side and avoided the worst damage, but Louis still raked his claws over his father’s exposed belly, drawing blood.

Savage pleasure rushed through him, but he quickly pushed it back. He could not allow himself to get lost in bloodlust. That wasn’t who he was. That was his father.

Gray was his priority.

His wolf’s priorities immediately swung back to protective mode. Killing was not something Louis wanted to do. It was something he’d been left little choice about and it left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Gray was hunkered down against the wall next to Shadow. She had both hands wrapped around the grip of the gun. He sensed her fear but also her determination. If he hadn’t already been in love with her, that would have sealed it for him.

She glanced at him and her eyes went wide. Louis whirled and saw a blur of fur and claws coming toward him. He threw himself to the side and slammed against the side of the house. He’d just barely managed to avoid getting his head ripped off. He picked himself up and faced this newest threat. He had no choice but to engage the other wolf, which meant Pierre was free to attack. He’d known his father was waiting for backup.

Louis growled just as a gunshot rang out. It was so close it made his ears ring. His newest attacker yelped and stumbled. That was the only opening Louis needed. He jumped on the wolf, clamped his powerful jaws around the wolf’s neck and bit down hard. His opponent fought hard, but Louis held on.

He prayed Gray would use the gun on Pierre and that it would be enough to slow him down. Louis didn’t want to die, not when he finally had so much to live for.

Louis dragged himself around so he could keep one eye on his father while he dealt with the wolf who’d jumped him from behind. Gray had the gun trained on Pierre. Louis could tell his father wanted to kill both him and Gray but was wary of the gun.

Just when he thought his father might back down, he lashed out, moving with tremendous speed. Pierre struck Gray’s hand as she fired. The bullet harmlessly flew past Pierre, but his father’s deadly claws didn’t miss. Gray cried out as the sharp razor-like claws raked over her hand.

Louis dropped his opponent. The man wasn’t dead yet, but hopefully, he was incapacitated enough that he wouldn’t be a problem. He leapt at his father and the two of them toppled over, slamming to the porch floor. Fighting in such tight quarters was difficult and dangerous.

He had no idea how long they battled, each of them trying to outwit the other and gain the upper hand. They were both bleeding and tiring. It took an enormous amount of energy to fight so down and dirty.

Pierre tossed him aside and jumped toward Gray.

Louis’s soul screamed in agony. His father knew where Louis’s heart lay and he was going to rip it out by killing Gray. He scrambled after Pierre, his claws digging into the wood beneath him.

Gray was cradling her injured hand but by some miracle was still holding the weapon. Her hand was shaking and Louis wasn’t sure she had enough strength to pull the trigger. He had no idea what kind of damage Pierre had done to her.

Just as Pierre went in for the kill, another wolf came out of nowhere and slammed into him from the side. The wolf had been going at top speed, so both of them went sprawling.

Louis howled and his heart raced as he recognized the female wolf who’d protected Gray. It was his mama. Before he could even begin to wonder what she was doing here, Pierre turned on her. His father had hurt his mama too many times when they were growing up. He’d been too young and weak to do anything about it then, but those days were over. No one hurt a woman on Salvation Pack land and got away with it. He owed Pierre for hurting Gray and for the many times he’d hurt his mama.

Louis attacked. Pierre sensed him coming at the last second and turned to face him. Something clicked inside Louis, blocking off all emotion. He became a fighting machine with only one goal—Pierre’s death.

The battle was brutal. Louis used his powerful jaws to bite his father and tasted blood. His deadly claws raked over every part of Pierre’s body as he maneuvered himself into attack position over and over again.

His mama was guarding Gray so Louis could concentrate solely on his father. This time, there was no one coming to Pierre’s aid. He was all on his own.

Louis knew Pierre was getting desperate. He could sense it. The tang of his father’s fear stung his nostrils. He didn’t want to kill the man but he’d been left with no choice. Pierre would not go back home and be content with what he had. If he lived, he’d attack again and again, threatening everyone Louis held dear.

Digging deep, he found both the physical and mental strength he needed to keep fighting. Pierre turned to run, but Louis had been expecting such a move. He jumped on Pierre’s back and clamped down on his throat. His father bucked and fought, but Louis held on. When Pierre collapsed onto the porch, Louis still held on, not falling for his father’s trick. Sure enough, Pierre began to fight again, but there wasn’t as much power behind it this time.

Louis waited until the last breath was expelled from Pierre’s lungs. Then he released him. His father’s head dropped to the floor. Louis was numb. He’d expected to feel something—anger or at least triumph. But there was nothing but a void. His father had been given so much but had squandered it all without ever fully appreciating what he had.

“Louis.” Gray called his name and he immediately turned toward her. He wanted to go to her side but he had to end this first.

He tipped back his head and howled. It was a challenge to all those who’d come here with Pierre. He’d beaten his father in a fight.

The enormity of the situation slammed into him. By pack law, he was the new alpha of the Louisiana Pack.

Louis shifted back into his human form, ignoring the various gashes and injuries that he’d sustained. His body was already healing. He was tired and hungry but he’d be back to full strength in a day.

Gray moved closer to Shadow, cradling the animal’s head in her lap. Louis was glad to see that the dog’s eyes were open. If Shadow had been killed, Louis didn’t know if she ever would have gotten over it. As it was, her hand was injured. He had no idea how severely. Gray was an artist. Her livelihood and her passion was her painting. What if the damage was something debilitating?

He couldn’t think about that. Not yet. Not until her safety was assured.

All around him, the fighting slowed and then stopped. Louis picked up his father’s body, still in wolf form, and walked down the stairs of the porch and into the yard.

“Louis.” Jacque was by his side and started to take their father’s body, but Louis shook his head. Jacque peered deep into his eyes and nodded.

Knowing he needed to get this done, Louis set Pierre’s body on the ground. “I killed him.” He glanced around the yard and his anxiety eased when he saw all his friends. They were looking a little worse for wear, but they were alive. Several dead bodies littered the ground around them. These were the men who’d followed Pierre LaForge all the way from Louisiana.

Such a waste of life.

Joseph Blanchard stood next to a female wolf that Louis recognized as Cole’s mama. He glanced over his shoulder and, sure enough, his mama was sitting next to Gray, still in wolf form. Yeah, that was a good thing. The last thing he wanted to see was his mama naked. Werewolf or not, that was something a guy just didn’t want to witness.

The other women had shifted and hurriedly pulled on clothes and were standing on the back porch. Gwen went to Gray’s side, removed the gun from her grip and wrapped a towel around her injured hand.

Jean Paul Dupointe stepped forward. “I challenge you for the right to lead the Louisiana Pack.” There it was, exactly what Louis had been waiting for.

Gray gasped, and he could feel her fear. It grated on him like fingernails on a chalkboard. All Louis wanted was a quiet life with Gray and his pack.

Beside him, Jacque growled. “What do you want to do?” his brother asked him.

Louis ignored his challenger and the others in the yard. He looked deep into Jacque’s eyes and found what he always did—love, acceptance and support. Why would he leave that? Even more importantly, why would he put Gray in danger by taking her into an unknown and most likely volatile situation?

Jacque nodded and stepped back. Louis stared at Jean Paul. He could see the calculation in the other man’s eyes. He wondered if this wasn’t the outcome Jean Paul had been hoping for.

Louis was tired of fighting, tired of the games. All he wanted was to take Gray inside and tend to her. “I don’t want the Louisiana Pack, Jean Paul.” He could tell he’d shocked all the wolves from back home but none of his friends. It warmed his heart that they knew him so well.

“What are you saying?” Jean Paul demanded.

Louis narrowed his gaze and took a step forward. “I’m saying go home and fight among yourselves. All we ever wanted was to be left alone.”

“But you won the right to be alpha,” Jean Paul insisted.

He shook his head. “Your first mistake, Jean Paul, is thinking that everyone has the same values and beliefs as you do. I’m happy here. I have good men and women at my side that I can depend on. Unlike you, I don’t have to worry about someday being stabbed in the back.”

Jean Paul gazed intently at Louis, studying him for a long moment. “You’re serious.”

“Oh yeah. What you don’t understand is that any male here could be alpha of his own pack.” His eyes went to Cole, Armand and finally Gator. “We’ve learned that a pack that respects and combines its strengths is stronger than one that fights from within.”

He rubbed his hands over his face. “Go back to Louisiana. And this time, stay there.”

Gray’s hand hurt like a son of a bitch, but the bleeding had almost stopped. Her werewolf genes were showing themselves in her quick healing. Beside her, Gwen applied pressure and the two of them watched the scene unfolding.

Louis had really killed his father to protect her. She tried to swallow, but her mouth was just too dry. Beside her, Shadow whined. She didn’t know how badly he was hurt, but her first priority would be his care. She stroked his fur but was unable to take her eyes off of Louis.

He could be alpha of his own pack in Louisiana but he’d turned it down, once again showing her he was a man of great character and depth.

The wolf beside her chuffed and sidled closer. Gray had no idea who the female was, but since Louis wasn’t worried about her, Gray wasn’t concerned either. She was a pretty medium-brown wolf with several other shades of brown running through her.

She was just starting to relax when a man strode forward. He was huge, his shaggy dark blond hair and features somehow familiar.

At first, Gray thought he might be another challenger. But Cole strode forward to stand beside the man, and Gray blinked when she saw the resemblance. “That has to be his father,” she muttered.

Gwen, who was hunkered down beside her, nodded. “And his mother.”

It was then Gray saw the pretty wolf next to Cole’s father.

“Joseph.” Jacque held out his hand to the older man who took it.

“Thank you for saving my life.” Louis’s sincere thanks sent a shudder down her spine. She had no idea what had happened, but things might have unfolded differently if not for Cole’s father.

Gray patted Shadow on the head and stood. The dog immediately pushed to his feet to stand beside her. She hoped that meant he’d only been stunned and not seriously hurt. With Gwen beside her, Gray walked to the edge of the porch. This unknown man had saved Louis’s life. Gray liked him already.

“Robert is dead,” Cole’s father told Jean Paul.

Sylvie came up behind them and whispered in a low voice. “Jean Paul Dupointe,” she pointed at the man who’d challenged Louis. “Robert was his brother.” Gray sometimes forgot that Sylvie had grown up in the same pack as the men.

Jean Paul accepted that announcement calmly. Gray couldn’t tell if he was good at hiding his emotions or he just didn’t care.

Joseph rubbed a hand over his chin and addressed Jacque. “Corrine and I were thinking about moving up north,” he began.

Jacque nodded and glanced at Cole, who inclined his head. “That sounds like a fine idea,” Jacque told him. “We’ll talk more as soon as these other folks head home.”

Jean Paul wasn’t stupid and immediately took the hint. “We will be going and will bother you no more.” He hesitated and added, “I paid a visit to that local hunter who bothered your woman. He should no longer be a problem, but I’d keep an eye on him if I were you. Just in case.”