Claimed by the Wolf (3 page)
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Authors: Taylor McKay
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Claimed By The Wolf by Taylor McKay
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Hunting The Wolf
Channing’s Wolves 2
By Taylor McKay
COPYRIGHT 2011 by Taylor McKay
Gavin leaned back in the hard plastic chair. Hairs on the nape of his neck tingled and his nerves were strung tight. Wolf instincts sensed danger. Tension built. “And they think we’re animals.”
Representatives from the state and the federal government were here for input on the wolf introduction program. Ranchers, folks from town, activists, and conservationist filled the auditorium…and they were getting restless.
A hard-assed rancher, Cliff Jenson, vaulted from his seat. “I want every last one of them dead,” he bellowed to the city council members and officials from the US Fish and Wildlife Service sitting behind the long scarred and nicked table.
“Please refrain from outburst. We can conduct this meeting with decorum and have a respectful debate.”
“Wade.” Gavin glanced left and right, ascertaining their position and making sure there was a route of escape.
“Easy.” Wade leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “Patience. We listen…then we plan.” He might sound calm, but Gavin could feel the tension rolling off his boss. This wasn’t a simple town meeting.
“The wolves have rights.” One of the conservationists tried to reason with the dissenters. But Cliff wasn’t alone in his thinking. For years, wolves had been hunted, nearly to extinction and pushed further and further out of their environments. With the increase of elk and other animals, natural predators, grey wolves, were reintroduced into the remotest areas of Idaho, Wyoming and Montana. Their numbers had grown and now they were targeted again.
Gavin glanced to Wade Channing from the corner of his eye. Wolves ran wild on Channing land. But Channing’s wolves weren’t causing problems for the ranchers. By night these wolves hunted in the woods and fucked in the thickets. During the day, they worked the land. Men with secrets—shifters who lived on more than fifteen thousand acres, their sanctuary in eastern Idaho. They coexisted with humans and used their distant wolf cousins as camouflage. Gavin was one of the pack. Wade was their Alpha.
A few incidents and ranchers like Cliff wanted the wolves gone. Channing’s wolves would lose their cover.
“I have a right to make a living. Are you going to pay me for the loss of my stock? The only good wolf is a dead wolf.”
The meeting continued. Wade didn’t contribute to the debate. However, as one of the largest land owners, Wade’s opinion carried a lot of weight in the community.
“There isn’t a rancher in these parts that ain’t going to shoot a wolf on sight.”
Wade shifted, his chair legs scraping along the floor. A few heads turned. Wade didn’t smile, didn’t speak. Gavin wanted to jump from his chair but he followed his Alpha’s lead.
“You got something to say Channing?”
Wade arched a brow. “Wolves are safe on Channing land.”
Grumbles erupted from several ranchers and a few conservationists clapped.
“Then your input isn’t needed in this debate. Ranchers in these parts want the wolves gone.”
Wade pushed off his chair and slowly rose. “Not all of us.”
“You agree with your boss?” Cliff asked Gavin.
Gavin stood, showing solidarity. “Do you really need to ask?”
Wade stalked towards the door, but Cliff blocked his way. “I’ve got traps set. I catch one of those wolves you’re so fond of, I’ll send it your way gift wrapped.”
“Step foot on my land and you’ll be buried on it. I shoot trespassers.”
“But you won’t shoot a worthless pack of wolves.”
“I’d give a wolf my last scrap of food while I watched you starve.”
The sea of bodies parted and Wade strode out of the room. Disbelieving words were whispered in his wake.
“Watch your back, Channing.”
Wade didn’t respond to Cliff. He didn’t have to. Six-two, solid muscle and a don’t-fuck-with-me attitude were enough to keep most people at a distance. But not everyone. Cliff Jensen stood with several other ranchers, glaring at Wade as he walked away, the sound of his work-worn cowboy boots on the hard flooring a harsh echo of his position. He was done talking. If the anger in Cliff’s and the others eyes and the hard line of their mouths were any indication, the wolves weren’t the only thing they wanted to see dead.
“We listened,” Gavin said. And nothing they’d heard gave him a reason to think this dispute was going to blow over.
Wade gruffed. “They’re full of shit. The wolves keep the elk population under control. No fucking way this is about wolves. This is about land and resources.”
“They sounded serious to me.”
“We need to plan. The others need to understand. If Channing land harbors wolves, and the ranchers sway the Fish and Wildlife Service to sign off on their proposal, we’ll have hunters all over our territory.”
“Do you think they will?” Gravel crunched beneath their boots as they crossed the parking lot to Wade’s truck.
“This isn’t the first time I’ve had to defend Channing land. Won’t be the last. We need Shiloh.” Shiloh and Wade had a special connection. Shiloh had been on Channing land as long as Wade. They’d built the ranch together. Lifelong friends.
None of the men on the ranch longed for the traditional ways of the lycan. Neither had they the instinct to take females as mates, had no desire to breed. But that hadn’t lessened their need to hunt, to chase, and fuck. Whether to dominate or submit, it would only be to another male.
“We’ll need to set up patrols.” Wade opened the driver’s side door of his truck and Gavin climbed into the passenger side. “No one goes out alone.”
“Maybe it would be best if the pack stayed close to home.”
Wade keyed the ignition. “And live like a caged animal? I’d rather be dead.”
Other titles by Taylor McKay
Available from Demanding Romance
Cowboy Tamed
Rough Rider