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

“I scent nothing.” He kicked the tire of his truck. “Damn it!”

“What if she’s back at the mine already?” asked Travis.

He shook his head. “We would have passed her.” His mind was reeling, trying to decide where to look next. He was the alpha and had to make the decisions for the pack. So far he felt like a failure, not worthy of the title. Matthew was missing, and he couldn’t even keep tabs on his mate.

* * * *

Cassidy followed Corbin as he approached the black wall of forest ahead. He didn’t even have a flashlight, but walked with confidence, not the least bit leery of the darkness about to engulf them. She wasn’t so sure about her decision to follow this stranger into the secluded woods. Nobody knew where she was, not even Evan. With each tentative step, she thought more about all the recent events in Climax. There were either man-eating wolves or a serial killer lurking in the shadows awaiting their next victim. Garret continually blamed the crew at the Rockford Mine for all his troubles, including Matthew’s disappearance. She wasn’t sure if his claims had any validity, but she knew the foreman loved the missing miner like a brother. Every time he spoke about his memories of the man, his eyes would take on a different light and the energy around him would soften.

“How far out is he?” she asked when she could no longer see her next step.

“Not too far. Try and keep up.”

“But I can’t see.” With her luck she’d trip over a downed log or get whipped in the face with sharp twigs. All she could go by was the sound of Corbin’s voice because even his steps were silent as if he walked above the grass.

“If you want to see your brother, you need to try your best.”

She decided to stop complaining and just follow before he got tired of leading her. As much as the situation screamed for her to escape, to run back to her car and the safety of the Gregor Mine, she had to find her brother. Not only were the elements a danger to him, but he may give up his search for her and leave town, stealing away her only chance of meeting him. She put her fears aside for the sake of her brother.

Cassidy trudged through the forest, feeling around, and cautiously stepping her way along. Occasionally Corbin would whistle and shout back for her to keep up. His voice was her only link, the only thing grounding her in such a frightful place. She could hear leaves crunching and twigs snapping to her sides. Animals scurried in the branches high above and wolves bayed in the distance. Her body was stiff with fear, her heart racing as she followed blindly through the obstacle course of old-growth trees.

“Are you sure you remember where he is? Should we go back for a flashlight?”

There was no response.

She stopped dead and listened. “Corbin?” Her own voice startled her now. Even the forest critters seemed to silence at once. Cassidy felt as if she were in a black void, a vacuum in time where no light or sound existed. She’d never find her way out of the forest alone. Not tonight. Corbin had led her a good twenty minutes into the thick of it. “Corbin!” she screamed, just the once. Tears welled up in her eyes. She didn’t dare to keep calling him and rouse the attention of bears or wolves. What else lurked around her? Fear of the unknown nearly brought her to hysterics. Instead, she squatted down, determined to bunker down until the light of day gave her the courage to move again. A small part of her, deep down, hoped Garret would rescue her. Why hadn’t she listened to him?

“You smell sweet.” The male voice came from behind her. It didn’t sound like Corbin. She stayed in her position, not moving, not speaking. How could someone see her if she saw nothing? Did they have special night-vision goggles?

“Delectable,” said another male from her left. What the fuck was going on? She heard no footsteps, no rustling of leaf litter. It was as if ghosts were tormenting her, whispering in her ears to drive her mad.

“Who’s there?” she finally asked. Cassidy wanted to wake up in her bed with the blankets over her head. She felt like a terrified child—cold, alone, and vulnerable.

“Get up, Cassidy. It’s not much farther,” said Corbin. He reached down and grabbed her upper arm, tugging her to her feet. “You have to walk. I’m in no mood to carry you.”

“What’s going on? Who else is here?”

He laughed, the sound no longer safe and comforting. It had a sinister edge, making her shiver like a fingernail scraped down a blackboard. She believed his intentions were honorable when she had first agreed for him to lead her to Scott. There had been no hint of deception in his tone. That false assurance had motivated her to follow him into the darkness. She should have listened to the concerned voice in her head, but now it was too late.

“It’s just you and me, Cassidy.”

She knew what she’d heard, but didn’t argue. Maybe she really was losing it. They finally reached a slight clearing where the faint light from the moon was able to cast a soft glow. She could see shadows, the outlines of trees, and the large man in front of her. Corbin backed her up until she struck a large tree. She reached behind to stabilize herself. The moist moss covering the tree trunk had her pulling her hand back.

“What are you doing? Where’s Scott?”

He chuckled, cupping her face in his palm. She cringed away from his touch. When her head turned slightly to the left, she noticed the figures of several other men. She swore her heart stopped. If she were with Garret, Travis, Patrick, and Evan, she knew she’d feel safe, aroused, and at peace. But being surrounded by these strange men crippled her with fear. She wanted no part of them.

Cassidy nearly laughed out loud. She’d gone her whole life living in the so-called bad areas of the city and never had a problem. Now she was faced with God knew what at the hands of these bushmen. So much for safe country living.

“Who?” He lowered his head and nuzzled her neck, his stubble scratching her sensitive skin.

“My brother. You were supposed to lead me to him.” She tried so hard to keep the fear out of her voice, somehow knowing it would only encourage such a predator.

“You’re getting weak in your old age, Corbin,” said another man. “You have to resort to tricks to get a female to follow you.” The group of men laughed, the sounds coming from all around her. She was surrounded with no chance of escape.

“She looks more frightened than a prairie mouse trapped by a barn cat. What are your plans? Are you claiming her for our pack?”

How many men were out here? How could they see with such ease?

Corbin snorted. “Are you kidding me? I wouldn’t take her as a mate. She’s been soiled by our rivals.” His hand traveled lower, down her arm and around her back. He tugged her against the firmness of his body.

“Please…” she pleaded.

“There’s no room for mercy in these parts. I’m just sorry we didn’t meet under different circumstances.” Then he leaned forward and crushed a bruising kiss to her mouth.

Patrick shoved open the door to the diner. There were a few hunters sitting at the counter wearing heavy orange reflective coats and beaver hats. Earlier in the evening, he’d left with Travis as soon as they came in. There was no love between the Gregor miners and the hunters and loggers of Climax. They represented a threat to their inner wolves, an enemy of nature’s delicate balance. Since Garret banned them from hunting on his land, the hunters hated them just as much in return. They had to either travel far east or risk hunting illegally. Garret wasn’t friendly with trespassers.

“Back so soon?” asked the waitress.

His other three pack mates entered the diner behind him. “A girl. Brown hair, blue eyes. You see her in or around here recently?”

“You talkin’ about that little thing you hired at the mine? She only left here about twenty minutes ago.”

Patrick’s heart began to race. She’d seen Cassidy. “She say where she was heading?”

The woman lowered her brow and fiddled with the straps of her apron. “Can’t say I recall. She said something about looking for a stranger to town.”

He stifled a growl. Patrick had no patience for the woman in front of him or the men eavesdropping.

“You have any luck finding that missing miner of yours?” asked one of the larger hunters. He had a thick beard and rounded gut, his skin glistening from a diet rich in fats.

Garret brushed past him. “Why you asking?”

“Just curious with all the wolf killings in the area.”

Patrick placed a heavy hand on his alpha’s shoulder. The topic of Matthew’s disappearance was a sensitive subject for him. None of them were sure where to point blame. Hunters? Loggers? The Rockford wolves? Patrick often blamed himself. If they hadn’t split up in the forest that fateful day last month, Matthew would likely still be here. Life wasn’t the same with a pack of four. As much as Patrick kept his feelings to himself, losing Matthew was like missing an arm or a leg. He could function, but even the simple things in life made him weary.

“Let’s go,” he said. Then he whispered for Garret’s ears only. “We’ll be able to pick up her scent outside if she was here recently.” His alpha butted shoulders with him as he turned, reluctant to leave without a fight.

The four of them left the warmth of the diner and regrouped at the side of the building. Garret wasted no time in losing his skin, not even checking to see if a human was nearby before tearing at his shirt and snarling as he forced the shift. There weren’t many residents in Climax, but they still had to be careful. Once shifted into his fur, Garret shook out his thick coat and pawed the ground, sniffing for a lead. Even though they could all see and track fairly well as humans, their skills were nothing compared to the ones they possessed in their wolf forms.

Garret motioned with a jerk of the head and then bounded off toward the tree line on all fours. He must have picked up Cassidy’s scent.
Why the fuck would she go into the forest in the dead of night?
Didn’t she realize Matthew disappeared in these woods and he was a skilled fighter and tracker? Didn’t she learn anything from the tragedy?

Patrick commanded the change to envelop his body. His bones contorted, his fur pricked his skin, and he dropped down as his form morphed from man to beast. He still remembered the fascination on Cassidy’s face when she ran her hands through his fur. It was at that moment his love for her doubled, tripled. She accepted his wolf, even though she didn’t yet know it was him. If Garret had his way, maybe she never would. Her innocence, curiosity, and scent captured him, body and soul, and she didn’t even realize it. But he didn’t give away his love lightly. It was his little secret, a weapon she could wield against him if he gave it over too quickly.

“This way. Her scent is strong,”
said Garret.

The four of them raced soundlessly through the trees and underbrush. This wasn’t their forest but they’d traveled it many times when searching for their missing pack mate.

“Can you smell the males? It’s the Rockford wolves.”
Travis’s voice had a menacing tone. Texas loved a good fight, especially when he had a worthy reason. If their rival pack had done anything to Cassidy, there would be bloodshed. Patrick was ready for it, his hackles up, and fangs fully lengthened in preparation. Life had hardened him to the point that death no longer held fear for him.

The scent grew stronger the closer they got. He could practically see her in his mind’s eye, taste her skin on his tongue. If one hair on her pretty little head was harmed, he’d show no mercy to those responsible.

“I hear her,”
said Garret.
“She whimpers.”

Those few words were fuel to the pack. Their female needed them. Patrick forced his legs to run faster, his muscles burning as he pushed his wolf to the limit. Evan brushed his side, keeping a similar punishing pace. Only the sounds of their labored breathing and odd brush of leaves could be heard as the four of them charged for their target. Their wolves greatly exceeded the native species in size and strength. Anyone daring to get in the way of four determined males had a death wish. Patrick had no clue what awaited him, but it didn’t matter. A real man would sooner die than allow their female to suffer. And Garret had declared Cassidy theirs. He may not have officially marked her, but the choice had been made.

“How many?”
asked Patrick. Garret was in the lead. There was a break in the trees ahead. Already he could make out human forms.

“Enough. But we have the advantage. It’ll take them time to shift.”

His lips naturally rolled back off his canines. He wanted blood for blood. Then he heard Cassidy’s voice, a desperate plea to her aggressor. Patrick only saw red.

* * * *

Corbin pressed himself tight to her body. She could feel his cock hard against her hip. He ground it against her as he groped her ass with both hands. Were all these men going to rape her? Force her to have sex with the lot of them and then leave her for dead like all those hikers? The reality of her situation filtered through her fear-laden mind. This was it. No one was coming to rescue her, and there was no escape. Screaming for help would only draw attention to the wildlife, not anyone who would actually be of help to her. They were in the middle of nowhere. The town of Climax was a good half hour away from their remote spot in the woods, and after that there was no civilization for many hours of driving. She was isolated and felt stupid for trying to take on more than she could handle. Garret was one hundred percent right. It wasn’t safe to be roaming around on her own.

“Please, let me go…” She wanted no part of this man. He wasn’t giving her a choice. Nothing excused the fact. Corbin may be handsome and fit, a dream catch to most women, but her heart was already taken. It may be foolish to give her love away so quickly, to men not ready to commit, but it happened with her four Gregor miners.

“Beg me to stop. It makes my cock harder.” He reached down to unzip his jeans. She tensed, her blood running cold. Even without sight, she had to at least try to save herself. Cassidy struck out, raising her knee to Corbin’s groin. Every move was on instinct, fueled by her adrenaline-riddled blood. She clawed at his face, anything to give her a few precious seconds to escape. If she could just get free of his grasp, she’d try and run, hopefully not straight into a tree or one of his perverted friends. But just as quickly as she’d lashed out, Corbin took control of the situation. He shackled her wrists, squeezing hard enough to leave bruises, and tsked mockingly in her ear.
Oh God, no.