Matthew's Return [Wolves of Climax 3] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever - Serialized) (2 page)

She may be new to town, but decided she needed to stick up for the people who counted in her life, rather than trying to be accepted by virtual strangers. “If a human’s responsible for the attacks, I know for a fact the men at the Gregor Mine have nothing to do with it.”

One of the men laughed. “You’re vouching for the whole lot of them? Truth is you don’t know any of them miners from Adam. They’re not right in the head over there, creeping in the woods under just the light of the moon. What man in their right mind would spend so much of their off time traipsing through the bush? They ain’t hunters, so God knows what they’re up to.”

It was true she hadn’t known them long, but there was something indefinable between Cassidy and each man. She was drawn to them, inexplicably connected on a level deeper than just her intense sexual attraction.

“Meaning they look for lost hikers to tear apart?” She didn’t hide the sarcasm in her voice. “Garret runs a successful business. What you’re suggesting is ridiculous.”

“Maybe it’s a rich man’s game to them. Why else wouldn’t they sell that massive stretch of land? I hear the loggers to the north are ready to pay a pretty penny.”

Cassidy scoffed. “Thanks,” she said to the waitress before heading to the door. If Scott hadn’t been in the diner, she had no more business there. It angered her when the townsfolk judged the Gregor miners unfairly, but it also forced her to think too much. Why
did
they spend so much time in the dark, cold wilderness? Were they keeping something from her? Garret, Travis, Evan, and Patrick were unlike any men she’d ever met before. They had a raw, untamed quality, and Cassidy knew they kept secrets from her. As much as she should stay away from them, she couldn’t stay away. One word, one touch, an empty promise and she was lost.

“You be careful, little lady. I’d hate to hear about your body being discovered next,” called one of the hunters as she opened the door to leave. She ignored them, bursting out of the suffocating air into the crisp, night chill. It felt invigorating rather than sinister after feeling cornered by those ruffians in the diner.

Cassidy leaned against the brick wall around the corner, one leg bent up. She tried to calm her breathing, clear her thoughts. Her half brother was somewhere in Climax, but where? She felt helpless not knowing where to turn next.

“Troubles?”

She dropped her leg and stood at attention. The trickle of adrenaline made her breath catch in her throat. The voice originated deep in the shadows, coming from the direction of the forest. She didn’t recognize the voice. “Who’s there?”

A soft chuckle echoed around her, but it calmed her somewhat, no hint of a threat in the sound. “You must have heard of the Rockford Mine.”

She tensed. “You’re from there?”

“I am.” He stepped into the faint moonlight. Despite the evening chill, he only wore a white wifebeater and low-cut jeans. He was scruffy in appearance, but devastatingly handsome. She didn’t feel scared of the stranger, but still associated the name Rockford to everything base. But shouldn’t she judge for herself? Since she barely knew the Gregor miners, it was premature to side with them without hearing from their so-called enemies first.

“What’s your name?”

“Corbin. And you must be Cassidy.” Her name on his lips was pronounced with the utmost of care, as if he revered the sound of it. It made her feel special.

“How do you know my name?” Then she thought better. Climax was a speck on the map, and a new dispatcher at the competition would likely be big news.

He smiled, his bright white teeth dazzling as the moonlight reflected off his face. He stepped closer. Where had he come from? There were no cars in the parking lot. She looked from side to side, suddenly feeling leery being alone with him. If she screamed, surely the hunters in the diner would come to her aid. Or would they cower in fear of the serial killer they’d concocted?

“My brother, Ryder, tells me many things. His descriptions don’t do your beauty justice.” He reached out to touch her face, but she turned her head away to the side. “Cassidy and Corbin. That has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?”

“Look, I’ve got to go. I’m looking for someone.” He may be cute, but she had no interest in Corbin. Her heart was already taken by her Gregor miners whether she liked it or not. A woman couldn’t command her heart where to place its loyalty.

“Tell me who you’re looking for.”

“A man new to town. His name’s Scott but I don’t have a physical description.” Cassidy didn’t even know what her own brother looked like. She’d never even seen a picture, but had imagined him somewhat similar to her with brown hair and blue eyes. It would be indescribable to look at another person who shared her DNA. They’d likely reminisce for hours, compare traits, and detail their lives thus far. She wouldn’t have too much to tell. Her life had been a game of survival, trying to fit in, and a constant search for her own happily ever after. She’d begun to believe she’d found her place in Climax, but that was yet to be seen.

“I did see a newcomer earlier today.”

Her interest piqued. “Really? Where? What did he look like?” All her fears and insecurities fizzled away with the new revelation.

“Whoa there, you’re making my head spin with the questions. How about I show you. You can ask me anything you want on the way there.”

The temperature was dropping. She had no other leads to go on and felt desperate to locate her brother if he was still in Climax. Garret would already want to kill her for running off on her own again. In the very least she wanted to accomplish what she set out to do and find her brother. “Okay…Is it far from here?”

“No. Actually, he’s camping not far from here. He said something about looking for
lions
. I thought he was half-mad so I left him be.” He ran a hand through his tousled hair. “There
is
a serial killer on the loose, you know. We can’t be too safe.”

“Lyons. My last name is Lyons! It must be him. It has to be. Please, take me to where he’s camping.” Excitement made her nearly giddy. She’d found Scott, and he was looking for her. A sense of peace and love filtered through her veins. Nobody had ever made such an effort to find her before besides Garret and Travis.

“I hope you’re not afraid of the forest at night.” There was an odd inflection in his tone. She wasn’t sure if he was serious, teasing, or threatening. Should she go or stay? Her instincts warned her to refuse his offer, but then again, he’d mentioned Lyons. It had to be Scott. Why should he suffer in the freezing Climax night just because she was too afraid to go with Corbin? Her inner doubts didn’t matter, not when she was so close to finding Scott. Cassidy swallowed her fears and followed the man who’d lead her to her flesh-and-blood brother.

“There’s their truck!” shouted Garret, grabbing the steering wheel from Evan. He turned the truck sharply to the left to block the road. Evan slammed on the brakes.

“Warn me next time,” said Evan, unimpressed as he left the truck. Garret joined him, only the beams of light from both trucks creating illumination in the pitch darkness around them. Forests closed in from both sides of the road, creating only a narrow alley for cars to pass. Nature continually tried to reclaim the land from human development.

Two more truck doors slammed shut before Travis and Patrick joined them. A flurry of insects danced in the light between both vehicles, briefly scattering as the other two men cut across to lean against the front of their truck.

“What is it?” asked Patrick. “You going for a run?”

“We’re looking for Cassidy,” said Garret. It was hard for him to hide the urgency in his voice. He couldn’t wait to have his woman safely in his arms. She was obstinate, not listening to a word he said. After her last close call, he thought for certain she’d heed his warning about running off on her own. This wasn’t a safe area, certainly not a place for a helpless female to be roaming around, encouraging all the predators she didn’t know existed. There was a fucking stalker after her, the Rockford wolves knew she was important to them, and a killer roamed the forests.

“What for? I thought she was with you.”

Garret growled low in his chest, but loud enough for his pack mates to hear. “She’s run off on another goose chase, this time thinking she’ll find that bastard brother of hers. It’s dark and I don’t like her wandering around Climax unprotected. Did you see that truck of his around town?”

The cowboy shook his head. He could feel Patrick and Travis’s concern before either of them spoke. The curse of being alpha.

They’d said they knew something was off with her brother when they’d caught up with him originally. It was Scott’s scent near Cassidy’s house, and they suspected him of leaving the threatening letter on her door, even though he denied it.

Garret hadn’t even had a chance to do a thorough check on this guy. For all he knew, it was some gold digger trying to benefit off Cassidy’s inheritance, or some crazed boyfriend who couldn’t take no for an answer. There was no proof he was a blood kin, and even if he was, that didn’t make him a saint. Whoever Scott claimed to be, Garret didn’t feel safe knowing his woman was alone with him. Neither did his pack. The malevolent energy emanating from the men was palpable. Their thoughts were bombarding his mind, making his blood race with the rage they each felt.

“Then let’s find her,” said Travis.

“No sign of her or the brother at the diner? Nothing suspicious around town?” asked Garret.

Patrick tested the air. “We didn’t think to look. As far as we knew Cassidy was at the mine with the two of you.” Garret could also hear Patrick’s unspoken words thanks to his so-called gift as alpha. The blame, the accusations.

“Red, if you have something to say, say it,” he goaded.

The crazy shifter crossed his arms over his chest. “For a male claiming to be mated, you’re being pretty lax with Cassidy’s safety. You should have marked her for the pack while you had the chance.”

“I didn’t let her leave. Evan did.”

“Well, nobody told me she was a fucking prisoner. If I had known she’d leave the mine on her own, I would have stopped her, so don’t look at me like that.” Evan began to walk around to the driver’s side of the pickup truck. “Are we driving back to town or breaking out the fur?”

Garret couldn’t think clearly. He’d finally found the woman he knew was his mate, the one he planned to offer his pack as their one and only. Now she was out of his protective grasp, and he felt like a cornered dog, desperate and dangerous. His wolf clawed at his innards, begging to be freed. It took all his control to keep his human skin and focus on the task at hand. Garret opened the passenger door, but paused before entering.

He swore he could sense the fifth member of the pack now that they stood silently on the edge of the forest. He’d traveled these woods in search of Matthew for weeks and never felt such a connection. Was it his imagination or a sign that Matthew was still alive? Or was his mind such a mess he couldn’t think straight? Right now Cassidy had to come first.

“Let’s drive by her place and then hit the town. If she’s not there, we’ll regroup and decide what to do.” Garret got in the truck, eager to get moving. Evan didn’t spare any time, reversing on the gravel road and doing a three-point turn so they could check out Cassidy’s house.

She hadn’t lived in her cottage-like home since she first arrived in town. It needed too much work, and after the threatening note pinned to her door, Garret didn’t like her being there alone. Not to mention she claimed to hear wolves clamoring outside the walls by night, wolves not belonging to the Gregor Pack.

“You’re sure about her?” Evan asked after a lengthy silence. Garret had his window rolled down as they drove, listening to the drone of insects, trying to pick up anything out of the ordinary. “She’s the one. The woman you choose for our pack?”

He knew Evan wanted to claim Cassidy. She’d been a topic of conflict between them ever since she arrived and Evan got a hard-on for her. He wasn’t good at masking his emotions like Patrick and Travis, making it more than clear he wanted Garret to mark her for the pack. He’d gone so far that Garret wondered if he’d defy him, turn on his alpha for the love of a female. So far he’d remained loyal, but Garret wasn’t foolish enough to think it would have lasted much longer if he hadn’t claimed the human girl.

“I’ve already made my choice clear. After spending those nights alone with her, I discovered what my wolf already knew. She’s ours. Explaining that to a hotheaded human isn’t going to be so easy.”

“She feels it, too. She must. The gods wouldn’t bless us with the mating call for nothing.”

Garret shrugged. He wasn’t sure about much, not even the wisdom of the gods—not with his friend missing for so many weeks. But he knew Cassidy was the one woman for him. Her body was ripe, responding to his touch as if they were made for each other. Her scent aroused his beast, called to him like a beacon. He had no doubt. Yet, he was foolish enough not to mark her. He had to stop thinking like a man and listen to his wolf in matters of the heart.

“Maybe.”

Evan pulled in the small clearing beside Cassidy’s deserted house. There was no fire burning inside so he doubted she was there. The night was cold, and Evan had cut her enough wood to last a lifetime when she’d originally moved in.

“I’ve missed her,” Evan admitted. “I was looking forward to having her in my bed tonight.”

“Apparently our little wildcat likes being punished.
When
we get her back, I’ll enjoy branding her ass.” He slipped out of the truck as the other pickup pulled in behind them, crunching along the gravel and twigs. There was no fresh scent of Cassidy or a male near the house, but he could make out the rancid markings of foreign wolves. Those bastards from Rockford thought they owned everything in sight, but Garret would never give up his land, his mine, or his woman.

“Well?” asked Patrick. He’d pulled on one of his toques, the evening chill setting in quickly. Garret couldn’t help but imagine Cassidy scared, cold, and alone somewhere.