Savage Moon: Wolf Shifter Romance (Wild Lake Wolves Book 4) (5 page)

Chapter Six

Cole brought me lunch and dinner. He’d made a
remarkable recovery from this morning’s torture session. He looked miserable,
though. His sad eyes traveled to the metal cuffs around my wrists. They didn’t
hurt. Not really. And we both knew Kane didn’t really need to use them to keep
me here. Jax’s picture bound me more than any chains could. Until I knew he was
safe, Kane could keep me from running, and he knew it.

“I’m sorry about this,” he said as he put a tray of
sandwiches and fruit on the nightstand.

I reached out and put a gentle hand on Cole’s
shoulder, feeling along his collarbone. He was whole. The bone, so grotesquely
misshapen this morning, had reknitted, leaving only a slight bit of swelling
behind. “I’m sorry about this.”

Cole tried to shrug, but the effort made him wince.
“He could have done a lot worse.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of. You’re pretty much the
only friend I’ve got out here. Well, you and Christian.”

Cole squeezed my hand and smiled. I reached up and
brushed a chunk of hair from his eyes. He reminded me so much of Jaxson
sometimes. They had the same soulful gaze. The same restless spirit. Each of
them chafed under the yoke of a powerful shifter who had different ideas about
the way they should live their lives. In Cole’s case, it was Kane. In Jax’s
case, it was our father. But bears are different. They aren’t bound by pack
rules. Still, my father was king of the territory where he lived. Until Jax
found a place and mate of his own . . . I choked past a lump in my throat. Jax
might never get the chance to do any of those things if I couldn’t find a way
to get to him and set him free.

“Hang in there,” Cole said.

For what? Cole tried to be kind, but I couldn’t help
feeling my own anger rising. Cole and Christian
could
do something if
they wanted to. They could rise up. Take Kane out. But, even as I thought it, I
knew the futility of that plan. Kane was Kane. I’d learned over the last months
his leadership over his pack was different from other wolves. He exerted total
control. A tyrant. There was a name for it.
Tyrannous Alpha
. Linked as
he was to the pack, he would sense their betrayal the second they formed the
thought. And he had Wade and Brandon on his side. They would tear Cole and Christian
to pieces, just like he’d tried to do this morning.

“You too,” I said, touching his cheek.

A chorus of howls rose outside my window. It was
late afternoon, and the pack grew restless. I’d not seen Kane since this
morning but could feel his urge to hunt. My skin blazed hot from it.

“I should go,” Cole said. “You’ll be okay here?”

I held up my wrists, jangling the chains. “What else
am I gonna do? My chains reach to the bathroom, at least. And I’ve got this
nice buffet of PB&J and iced tea. I can go nuts.”

I’d tried to say it lightly, get a smile out of
Cole. But, his eyes seemed to grow even more hollow and haunted. The howls rose
and his back stiffened. His wolf eyes flashed gold and the hairs on the back of
his hands rose.

“Off you go,” I said. “I’ll be fine. Let’s just both
put one foot, er, one paw in front of the other and keep moving forward. It’s
all we can do for now, Cole.”

He nodded and leaned forward, pulling me into a
quick embrace. “We’ll bring you back something delicious,” he said.

I waved my hand at him, rattling the chains again.
“Fat chance. If all six of you are going, there won’t be anything left.”

Cole shot me a sheepish smile then closed the door,
leaving me in my silent prison alone. I drew my knees up and looked out the
window. The pack gathered in the center of the compound and shifted together.

Alec’s wolf came through the brush and joined them.
He stood inches taller than the others, his white coat gleaming under the
setting sun. Kane raised his head and howled. The rest of the pack, except for
Alec, joined him. Instead, Alec looked pensive, side stepping. He swung his
head left, then right and sniffed the air. Then, he turned toward my cabin, his
blue eyes shining like sapphires. He seemed to see straight through me. My
blood simmered and my breath caught. Kane sensed it. He didn’t see Alec looking
but turned his head toward me too. I squeezed my knees against my chest to
still my pounding heart. Then, Kane led the charge and the rest of the pack
followed as they disappeared into the tree line.

For as much as it should have caused me stress to
wait chained to the bed, a new peace settled over me. In the six months since
Kane had brought me to the compound then marked me against my will, I hadn’t
been alone this long. The quiet solitude with the bright moonlight outside
settled over me.

I slept. I dreamed. I thought I heard the white
wolf’s howl rising above the others far in the distance. But they
were
distant.
Kane must have taken them to the farthest reach of the territory he claimed.
Maybe they’d even ventured beyond it. They’d gone so far I couldn’t feel Kane’s
pulse beating alongside mine. Though the heavy chains made my shoulders ache,
my heart felt lighter. At least for a little while.

I don’t know how late it got. Past midnight maybe. A
thick blanket of clouds rolled in and covered the moon. The room grew so dark I
almost couldn’t tell whether my eyes were open or closed. Then, my heart jumped
in my chest and something thumped against the wall near the window.

I sat up and drew my knees close. Two shining blue
orbs hovered just above the window ledge. Eyes in the darkness. Watching.
Before I could even react, they sank below my line of sight. Then, the whole
cabin shook as the door burst open.

“Alec?” My heart beat a thundering rhythm.

He struck a match, washing the room in flickering
orange. He lit a candle by the window ledge and came close. Sweat glistened
from his temples. His black hair stuck to his forehead and his chest heaved
from the force of his shift. Then, he squared his shoulders and straightened
his back as his eyes scanned the room and traveled over me. He saw the chains
and fire lit behind his eyes.

I became aware of his nakedness. Fresh from his
shift, he hadn’t had time to dress. He was marbled perfection from the hard
angles of his jaw to the slope of his shoulder and curve of his well-muscled
ass. And he was huge. Everywhere. I rested my chin on my knees and blinked
hard, adjusting to the low light. Alec moved quickly, grabbing a towel from the
bathroom to cover himself.

“What the hell is going on here?” he said, his voice
filled with an emotion I couldn’t place. Concern, yes. But his body seemed to
tremble with contained fury.

“If he finds you here, he’s going to kill you.” My
own voice sounded so far away. But it was true. Kane was just looking for an
excuse to drive Alec off at best. If Alec gave him a reason, he’d try far
worse.

Alec took a tentative step toward the bed. He drew
his brows together, etching his face in hard lines as he reached out and took
my hand, running his thumb along the cold metal cuff. I felt that same spark as
his skin made contact with mine, like an electrical charge. It made Alec’s eyes
flash and a muscle jump in his neck. He sank slowly to the edge of the bed and
sat beside me. I don’t know why I let him get so close. A new, strange wolf
with power coming off him in waves. But, as his skin warmed mine, it felt
natural. Like I’d known him my whole life. And with Kane so far away, my mark
didn’t flare a warning. For now, at this moment, I felt like I could sense Alec
for the first time.

“Tell me,” he said. He kept his eyes locked with
mine and his body still except for a tiny pulse beating a furious pace in his
temple.

“It’s not safe for you here. And it’s not safe for
me if they find you here.”

Alec looked toward the window. He closed his eyes
and sniffed the air. A slow smile lifted the corners of his mouth. “We’re safe
for now. I kicked up two monster bucks near the edge of Kane’s territory. About
eight miles to the north. They’ve caught up with them and they’re going in for
the kill. They’re pure wolf now and will stay that way for a while.”

A tremor passed through Alec. I felt it as a low
vibration across the bed. He was a strong wolf indeed to be able to keep his
wolf at bay when his lust for the hunt simmered below the surface.

“Tell me what Kane’s done. That’s why I’m here.
We’ve had concerns about some of his behavior in the last few months. I need to
know how bad it is.”

I barked out a bitter laugh. It would have been so
easy to just unload on Alec. But I didn’t know him. He was another wolf
shifter, after all. The last time I’d trusted one blindly . . . well. No matter
how natural it felt to be near him, I’d been down this road before.

I think he sensed my thoughts. He ran a thumb over
the metal cuff then let go of my hand. I shivered from the absence of his
touch.

“Who’s we?” I asked.

Alec smiled. He looked toward the window again and
jutted his chin, deciding how best to answer me. “How much do you know about
the Wild Lake packs?”

I blew out a breath. How much should I tell him? My
head told me to stay quiet. I had no reason to trust him. Except my heart told
me something very different. I felt drawn to Alec by some powerful thread. It
scared me. And yet, he’d risked himself the other night to draw the pack away
from me. And here he was again, putting himself at great risk just to talk to
me.

“I grew up in and around Wild Lake, but further
north near the great ridge,” I finally answered. “But I’m not a shifter. So, I
suppose I know what most people know who live outside of all of this.” It told
him nothing and everything. Alec’s eyes were soft and kind as he took my hand
in his again.

“Don’t get up there much myself. Wild Ridge is bear
country. Why is Kane keeping you in here like this? What’s so dangerous about
you?” His voice dropped to barely a whisper.

I bit my lip and stared at the wall. I wanted so
desperately to trust Alec. But, Kane had destroyed my ability to trust my own
instincts. Especially where wolves were concerned.

Alec was bold. He took his other hand and slid it
around the nape of my neck then pressed his forehead to mine. It was such an
intimate gesture. One I should have shied from. But, it felt so natural to let
him touch me like that. My body cried out for it. I don’t think he meant
anything by it. Then, his fingers brushed my skin and he found the small,
crescent-shaped scar just below my hairline. His body went rigid and he reared
back like he’d been shot. He dropped my hand and moved away from me.

He was on his feet, pacing. His hands curled into
fists and he punched the wall hard enough to shake the whole cabin. He tore his
hand through his hair and turned to me. “You’re. Not. His.” His voice came out
as a low threat, barely more than a growl.

I tried to be stoic. Cautious. Alec was a stranger,
after all. But that simple statement, those three little words. The weight of
them settled around me, binding me more than the chains. Then they broke
something inside of me and set me free. I got to put voice to the feeling
inside my heart, the one I’d not been able to say out loud before.

“No,” I said. “I am
not
his.”

Alec ran a hand across his jaw, still pacing as he
tried to process what I said. “My God. He can’t . . . you aren’t . . . you’re.”
He stopped and towered over me, his muscles frozen. “Did he force himself on
you?”

A shudder passed through me. I shook my head. “He
didn’t rape me if that’s what you’re asking.” And he hadn’t. But it was the
only thing he hadn’t done. My mind took me back to that night. We’d sat on a
fallen log near the lake. A full moon blazed above us, just like tonight before
the clouds rolled in. He’d been sweet and kind. The Kane I thought he was. He
pulled me close and tilted my head, ready to kiss me like the dozens of times
he had before. But then, his fingers grew rough, caging my head between his
hands. It happened so fast I hadn’t realized what he meant to do. He bit me,
sending equal pain and pleasure through my whole body. He had awakened
something in me, a powerful desire rising to the surface. But, as my nerve
endings flared hot, something went wrong. It was just like Alec said. It was as
if my body recognized the foreign invasion before my brain did. Kane’s mark
wasn’t meant for me, and even as the connection knit between us, revulsion
replaced desire. In those precious few seconds, Kane’s bite revealed him for
what he truly was. My enemy. Except by then it was far too late.

Alec’s shoulders dropped with relief for just an
instant. But, a new rage seemed to settle over him, and he clenched his jaw.
“But you didn’t consent to the marking, did you?”

I shook my head. “No. I tried to stop him, but he
was so much stronger. He bit me before I even knew what was happening. Now, I
can’t get him out of my head. He’s everywhere. That’s why it’s not safe for
either of us if you stay here.”

“Well, fuck that,” Alec said. He reached forward and
took my hands in his. Though his movements were strong, he touched me gently.
As though he meant to be careful now that he knew what Kane had done. I
couldn’t know. Not really. But every instinct in my body told me Alec was
different. Still, I’d been so wrong before. “I can bust these open. We’ll have
to hurry, but I can get you out of here.”