And there was a moment…
She couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe as she stayed captive to his striking gaze. There was no hostility or hatred, only curiosity and something more. Concern?
And then he broke their connection and turned, jumped off the porch with the scratch of nails on wooden boards, then trotted off toward the tree line without a single look back until he reached the woods. And there he sat for a few minutes, watching her.
Ten minutes ago, she would’ve sworn he was waiting for her to come out so he could attack her, but now she wasn’t so sure. Not after that look they’d shared. Maybe he’d been Buck’s pet, if wild wolves could really be called such a thing.
With a long, steadying inhalation, she gripped the barrel of the rifle and cracked the door open to test him. The animal sat just where he’d been, eyes steady on her, but body relaxed. Okay. She stepped one boot out onto the porch, then jerked her body back inside the door when he twitched. The wolf lifted his hind leg and scratched the back of his ear languidly. If he was waiting to attack her, his body language wasn’t giving him away, that was for sure.
Limbs shaking from nerves, she stepped out of the safety of the cabin and scuffed the thick soles of her boots as she sidled toward the fish. It was so fresh its gills still moved, poor thing. She bent down slowly, carefully, then picked up the large fish by the toothy bottom lip and bolted back into the house. Feeling rude, she opened the door a crack again and called out, “Thank you for the fish! And for not eating me!”
The wolf turned and disappeared into the light snowfall like a ghost in the woods while Nicole stood by the front window, astonished, heavy fish dangling from one hand and her rifle solid in her other.
As she stared into the forest where he’d disappeared, she realized something incredible.
The bright-eyed wolf wasn’t trying to eat her.
He was trying to feed her.
Huh. She frowned and leaned the gun against the wall with the others. She didn’t know much about Buck’s death, but she knew one thing. He was killed by a wolf while he was out trapping some distance down the Yukon. This wolf might seem friendly enough, but she could never forget their brutal nature. Whether he brought her fish or not, that animal was a natural-born predator and not to be trusted.
Chapter Five
For some reason, Nicole wasn’t using her generator, and if it was broken, Link couldn’t use his paws to fix the damned thing. But the thought of actually talking to Nicole again in his human form was terrifying. She felt big. Important. She felt like Elyse, Lena, and Vera to him, but more.
The day she’d taken his fish inside and called out her gratitude had done something strange to Wolf. He’d quieted as he’d watched her on that porch, clutching her rifle, strange, caramel-colored eyes locking with his.
Mine.
Link gritted his teeth as he loaded another can of paint into the back of his Bronco. It did neither of them any good that his inner monster suddenly felt possessive of Nicole. And this wasn’t like with the Silver mates. Those three women were good friends, but it had never felt like anything more. And now Nicole—fragile, human Nicole—was calling to the wildest parts of him like some damned siren. He would have to find her a buyer the second she decided to sell Buck’s cabin just to get her out of here as soon as possible.
He’d decided not to bring her food anymore so he wouldn’t encourage his animal’s obsession, but that had only lasted two days before Wolf forced a Change and brought her another fish anyway.
Link wanted to kiss her.
Fuck her, Wolf corrected.
No, kiss her. The human side of him wanted to take her out, treat her like a lady, buy her dinner, and show all of Galena she was with him, which was insane because he’d only said a few words to her more than a week ago. She didn’t know him, didn’t know what he was, and she couldn’t ever find out about the dark parts of his life. Any relationship with her or anyone else was doomed before it started. Maybe in his early twenties, before the onset of the McCall madness had crept in, he could’ve dated someone, but now? He was twenty-nine and on a short ride to the claws of one very capable bear shifter enforcer—Ian Silver. If he took Nicole out on a date now, it would only make the fate he’d accepted even harder. Hell, it was nauseating just thinking about being put down without ever having the chance to talk to the woman again, and she was basically a stranger. No, getting to know her was a horrible idea.
McCalls only caused pain, and Nicole deserved better.
But she’s mine. Ours. We can share her.
Ah, the promises of a psychopath.
“No,” he muttered.
“Excuse me?” a woman asked as she walked past him to cross the street.
“Nothing.”
Talking to oneself. Just another symptom, and one that always made Elyse look sad if he slipped around her. Good God, he missed the Silvers. They were basically his makeshift pack, and he was missing out on time with them.
The scent of werewolf hit his nose, and Link closed his eyes to calm Wolf’s roiling need to bleed the shifter standing behind him. “Braydon,” he greeted low as he turned and laid eyes on the lanky blond-haired man leaning against the white Subaru next to him.
“Lincoln,” Braydon McCall drawled out. “I’m surprised a traitor like you is still hangin’ around town. We thought for sure you would’ve gone into hiding after the shit you pulled on that bitch’s homestead last winter.”
“Don’t call her that. She’s got a name. Elyse. She’s good.” Better than all the McCalls combined.
“You ruined our hunt.”
“Yeah, well, you shouldn’t have been hunting a human, and you sure as fuck shouldn’t have been hunting a woman. Now piss off, Braydon. I have work to do.”
“Your brothers would be ashamed at what a weak link you’ve turned out to be. Get it? Weak Link? That’s what we call you now. Well, all the pack that is left of course. You and that bitch killed off half of us.”
Link slammed the door to his Bronco and strode toward the grocery store, determined to leave Braydon behind, but the asshole quickened his steps and followed too close for comfort. Link swatted at the fine hairs that had lifted on the back of his neck. He hated giving his back to another predator. A long snarl rattled his throat and was answered by one just as lethal from Braydon.
“You could’ve been alpha. You were strong enough. Your wolf was dominant enough. You could’ve been great, but you turned fuck-up on your family instead. You just sat back watching us take, watching us hunt like we were fuckin’ born to do, judging us like you’re any better, acting all submissive to the humans like a little bitch. And then you became an errand boy for those fuckin’ traitor bears? You’re a McCall! Don’t that name mean anything to you? You have a life-long free pass to do whatever the hell you want and you turned Boy Scout on us instead.” Braydon spat behind him, then growled out, “Miller would be ashamed of you if he was still alive. Which he ain’t, because of you. I’m talking to you, Weak Link!” Grabbing the shoulder of Link’s jacket, Braydon yanked him around.
Wolf revolted. Link gripped his neck and slammed him against the side of a jacked-up pickup, rocking it up on two wheels with the impact. “You listen to me, you crazy fuck. Elyse thinned out a pack of deranged monsters in self-defense. Good on her. I’d help her again. I’m no McCall alpha. I’d rather bleed out than take that worthless title.”
Braydon made choking sounds and scrabbled at Link’s hands.
“Lincoln? Are you okay?” Nicole asked from the sidewalk near them. Her eyes were wide and her mouth slightly parted. Shit.
Link released Braydon and lurched backward.
“He came after me,” Braydon said in a deceptively submissive voice, holding his throat like a victim.
“Bullshit,” Nicole said, calling him out. “I saw you chasing after him. I saw you grab his jacket.”
Braydon’s naturally dark eyes narrowed to dangerous slits and lightened to green. “Is she yours?” he a
sked Link.
Link barked out, “No,” but Wolf disagreed. “Yes!” Link snarled unintentionally, then clutched his own throat to keep any more damning words locked down.
Braydon gave him the most satisfied predatory smile he’d ever seen, then backed slowly away. “Weak Link has a weak spot. This ain’t over, traitor.” He turned and strode for the bar across the street. “I’ll see you when I see you.”
“That sounds like a threat,” Nicole said softly from behind where Link was pacing in the dirty street snow, staring after Braydon. “Link? Was he threatening you?”
“Dammit, Nicole, I had it handled.” He turned on her. “You don’t know what you’ve done.”
“Done? I didn’t do anything. I just saw you and I—”
“You can’t talk to me anymore. You can’t talk to me, can’t be around me, can’t mention me, can’t even think about me.”
“But why?”
“Because I’m a fucking time-bomb!” The look on Nicole’s disappointed face had him scrubbing his hand down his two-day scruff. His mind raced. That dumbass, Braydon, would go tell the remaining McCalls about his whereabouts and about Nicole. Everyone in this town knew everyone. All Braydon had to do was ask one friggin’ townie who she was, and he could get her name, her dad’s name, the cabin she lived in, everything.
“I don’t understand,” Nicole whispered. She bit her bottom lip to stop the tremble he’d seen there. Wolf fell to pieces, practically scrabbling his way out of his skin to get to her. To touch her.
To avoid an unplanned Change, Link gave in, strode the three steps that separated them, and pulled her against his chest. He let off a long sigh of relief at holding her, which made no sense at all because she’d never been in more danger. His life was bathed in darkness, and now she was in the McCalls’ crosshairs, just for talking to him on the street.
“Why did you tell that man I was yours?” she asked softly, her hands still clutching her shopping bags at her sides.
“It was a mistake.”
Liar. You shouldn’t lie to her. She’s mine. Ours. Lie to anyone else, but not ours.
Link squeezed his eyes closed and did his best to resist the growl clawing its way up his throat.
“I’m bad,” he murmured against her hair. “You should stay away from me.”
The sound of the bags hitting the icy pavement was loud in the quiet moment, and slowly, she slid her hands around his waist. “You don’t feel bad to me.”
Link huffed a soft, humorless laugh. If only she knew how messed up his life was. How messed up he was. But then, he didn’t want her knowing about that. He wanted her to see him like she did right now. Like he was normal.
“I want to go out,” she said, clutching the back of his jacket with her gloved hands.
“With me?” This was a bad idea. Bad, just like him.
Ours.
Her breath was shaky, and when he held her tighter, he noticed her body shaking as well. “Are you cold?”
“No. Scared. Happy. Nervous. I didn’t like the way that man grabbed you.”
“But you’re fine with me choking him?”
“In self-defense,” she argued.
Wolf was practically purring in his middle like a damned housecat. Good mate.
“Don’t call her that.”
“What?” Nicole asked in confusion. She eased back and searched his face. She wouldn’t see much, though. His sunglasses hid most of him.
“Coffee.” God, this was a horrible idea. Braydon would see them, but then again, Link had already told him she was his, so he might as well pile on another mistake. And now he was seriously justifying this decision? Pathetic. “There’s a coffee shop across the street. It’s not a date.”
“Okay,” she said in a stunned voice. “Let me just put my groceries in the truck.”
“Let me,” he muttered. After reluctantly releasing her from his arms, he bent and picked up all her bags, then jogged to her truck and set them in her passenger’s seat.
“Those were really heavy.”
Link shrugged, uncomfortable under her scrutiny. “Yeah. So?”
“So you made it look like you were carrying empty bags. And you lifted that guy off the ground like he weighed nothing at all.”
“Alaska turns people hard,” he muttered in a half-assed attempt to explain his werewolf strength away. If Ian had seen him showing it in public, he would’ve had to put him in his place. If Clayton caught wind of his actions…well, the head of the Shifter Enforcement Agency, and the Silvers’ asshole father, would issue a kill order on him. Which was probably a healthier option for Nicole. Maybe the McCalls would forget about her if he was dead. He didn’t know. The pack’s vengeance wasn’t based on rational decisions. They were man-eaters, every last one of them, without sanity, logic, or remorse.
“I’ll pay since I asked you,” she said as he held open the door to the small coffee shop.
Wolf didn’t like that, though, and neither did Link. He wanted to take care of her. Needed to. “Can I pay? It’ll be my apology for…everything.” For the hell he’d just dumped her into without her knowledge.
“Okay. I don’t like coffee.”
“Hot chocolate?”
“Sounds perfect. Extra whip cream if they offer it, please,” she said through a shy smile. At least, he thought she was smiling but that damned green scarf covered most of her face, and he could only see her eyes dance and crinkle at the corners.
“Yeah, sure. Go grab us a seat. There’s a heater right above the booth over there.” Which he’d never cared about before, but Nicole was still shaking from cold, nerves, or both. He had the distinct and consuming urge to make her okay again. Dammit, Wolf. He was going to spread his obsession to Link and muddy them both. Nicole should run.
He watched her walk toward the table, her boots squeaking across the tile floor. She pulled off her jacket but left the scarf on her face.
Don’t like that. She hides too much.
And for the first time in a long time, Link agreed with his inner monster.
He made his way to the table with two hot chocolates and settled into the booth across from her. He actually liked coffee, but he didn’t know how big her dislike for the fragrant drink was, so he’d do hot chocolate with her instead.
Good human.
Link gritted his teeth and fought the urge to tell Wolf to fuck off, even if it was just for the hour he had with Nicole.
“Are you a construction worker?” she asked as she cupped her hands around the warm mug he offered her. “Both times I’ve seen you, you’ve been loading repair supplies.”
“Handyman, more like. I’ve always been good at fixing things. I pick up odd jobs and have a house outside of town.” Two miles away from her cabin, but Nicole didn’t need to know that.
“Do you always wear sunglasses? Even inside?”
“Do you always wear a scarf?”
“Touché.” Looking around discreetly, Nicole pulled the scarf lower, but not all the way off.
Her birthmark was as big and dark red as he’d remembered.
I like it. She looks different from everyone else. Pretty markings on our mate. Fuckable. We should kill Hardware Jack for the way he talked about her.
Link jerked his head and kicked himself in the shin with the heel of his boot.
“It’s pretty hideous, I know. This is what it looks like with regular make-up on. I tried to layer it, but the damned mark shows through. My mom would shit herself if she saw me going out in public like this.”
“When did you start wearing make-up to cover it?”
“Age three.”
Link choked on his hot chocolate. “What?”
“The place I grew up was really different from Galena.”
“Where are you from?” Mars?
“A little town right near Kansas City called Mission. Lots of wealthy folks live there, and my family was in society. All my life, I thought covering up the birthmark was for the sake of my mom’s vanity. S
he needed her family to act and look perfect. But then I found out Buck had one down his neck, and now I don’t know. Maybe my mom was hiding it so she wouldn’t be reminded of him when she looked at me. Or so my dad…er, stepdad…wouldn’t be reminded I wasn’t his. Or maybe it was to hide how different I was.”
“You didn’t fit in?” He knew all about that. He wasn’t a man-eater like the rest of his family, but he wasn’t a bear like the pack he’d chosen either. He had betrayed the McCalls to save Elyse, but he would always ghost the outskirts of the Silver family until the day Ian put him down. He hated that Nicole didn’t feel like she belonged either. It was the loneliest feeling in the world.
She shook her head and moved her scarf down a little farther, exposing her chin now, too.
Good mate.
Link gritted his teeth and barely resisted telling Wolf to shut up again.
“I always felt different, but I couldn’t figure out why. I spend way too much time thinking about it.” She sipped her hot chocolate with a thoughtful look in her soft brown eyes. She wore her hair down today, and it fell in dark, shiny waves down her shoulders. In the stark lighting of the shop, it looked like black silk. He wanted to touch it.
Do it.
Link gripped his cup harder.
“I didn’t find out about Buck until a month ago.”
“About his death?” Link asked, surprised.
“No, about his existence. My mom and dad—er, stepdad, who I thought all along was my real dad—just got divorced. I know it’s supposed to be easier if your parents split up when you’re an adult, but it kind of shattered my world for a while. It was an ugly divorce, and my mom was awful, just spewing hate all the time at my stepdad. She was the one who’d been unfaithful, and I was so angry at her for breaking up our family. She showed zero remorse, so I picked a side. I wanted to spend more time with my stepdad and make sure he was okay, you know? My sister and brother were doing the same thing, and he was receptive to their attention but, for some reason, he didn’t want me around. And when I showed up at his office one day to ask him to go to lunch with me, he told me.”