Secret Seduction: BBW Werewolf Romance (Wolf Pack Protectors Book 1) (5 page)

The horrific image of the last human woman he’d loved popped into his head. He’d already saved Diana once and didn’t want to tempt fate by putting her or his tribe in danger. Besides, he didn’t deserve to love anyone. Not after what he’d done.

Chapter 5

Well that was a disaster. Diana fell back against the bed and kicked off the soft pelt she’d used to cover herself. She shouldn’t be entirely disappointed because she knew the severity of the situation, but still, why did Trent have to show up at that exact moment?

She sighed. When they’d walked through this section of the den, there had been enough daylight to be able to see the other wolves. She could spend the last few hours in the den exploring.

She peeked into the hallway. No one was wandering around so she tiptoed out and started farther down the hallway in the opposite direction from where all the wolves were gathered.

She counted the individual rooms that lined both sides of the passageway as she passed. Most doorways were covered with a makeshift curtain, but some were open. She lingered near the ones that were open.

Most consisted of a dais, a fire pit, and other random items. Most had large gourds somewhere in their den.

She’d just turned a sharp corner when she heard a low moan coming from one of the rooms. It wasn’t a sound of pleasure; it was one of pain.

Diana stopped in front of the den, tempted to investigate. She reached for the curtain just as someone bounded down the hall. A wolf rounded the corner and stopped short. It stared at her with shimmering green eyes.

Before she could react, the wolf shifted. Its bones cracked and twisted. The fur shortened and then disappeared into its body.

The shift only lasted about thirty seconds and when it was complete, Akila stood in front of her.

“What are you doing down here?” Akila asked.

“I’m… I was just… curious.”

“You shouldn’t be wandering around. Ryker’s already going to have to explain himself to the wolves that saw you coming back from the river.”

“Why? I thought he was the alpha wolf.”

Akila frowned. “He is. But he’s also the one who made the number one rule in the den. Never allow a human near or in the den.”

“I didn’t know.”

“Of course you didn’t. But he’s going to have to answer to a lot of wolves once word gets around that you’re here.”

“I’m sorry. Ryker left me in his room and I was bored so I just decided to have a look around.”

“Well you can come in with me, but then you’re going back to his room. How’s the leg?”

“It’s healing so fast, it’s amazing. What did you use on it?” Diana asked.

A mischievous smile spread across her face, making the corners of her eyes crinkle. “A little of this and a little of that. I don’t like to give up all my secrets.”

“Leah said you’re more witch than wolf,” she blurted. She wanted to slap her palm across her mouth. She hated it when something flew out of her mouth before she knew what she was saying.

Akila chuckled. “You throw a poultice and some healing herbs on a wound and suddenly you’re a witch. Some things never change.”

Relieved that Akila didn’t get mad at her, Diana relaxed slightly.

Akila gave her a funny look. “Ryker sure as heck marked you while you were with him.”

Diana blushed. She guessed it made sense that they all had heightened scent detection, but she wished his scent wasn’t all over her body. Akila probably thought she was a total slut.

Akila waved a hand through the air. “Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me. Well, and anyone else you walk past right now.”

“But nothing happened.”

Akila gave her a look that said she knew Diana was lying, but she didn’t pursue the issue. Another long groan came from within the room.

“Come in with me. You can make yourself useful.”

Diana followed Akila into the room. A young woman who looked to be in her early twenties lay on a bed. She writhed on the bed, shoving pelts onto the floor. Her eyes were closed.

“Gwen’s having another nightmare.”

Angry red slashes cut across the woman’s back. Black and blue bruises marred her skin. Sweat matted her short blonde hair to her face.

“No. Please, stop.”

Gwen screamed and sat up straight. She folded her legs up and wrapped her arms around them. Her gazed darted around the room as she cringed against the wall.

Akila spoke to her in a soothing voice “It’s all right Gwen. You’re home. No one can hurt you now.”

The woman stared at them with huge eyes. She pointed to Diana. “Who’s that?”

“Diana. Ryker found her being attacked by a man last night. He saved her and brought her back to the den for the day.”

Diana said, “He’s taking me home tonight.”

Gwen studied her. “Who attacked you?”

“Zane. A total psycho I went on a date with. Some people say internet dating is safe, but that’s just not true. I should have listened to my sister and met him instead of—” She realized she was rambling and stopped. What happened to her was nothing compared to what this woman apparently endured.

Gwen stared at her but didn’t say anything.

Akila sat on the edge of the bed. “Can I examine you to see how things are healing?”

Gwen nodded and lay back. Diana tried not to stare at the bite marks on the woman’s breast. She’d seen enough crime TV to know that the bites were human.

Ligature marks, evidence of torture, marked her wrists and ankles. The woman had been to hell and back but she lived through it.

Akila said, “Please turn over.”

Gwen complied and Akila peered at the deep scratches on the woman’s back. Akila crossed the room and pulled a small opaque jar off a shelf.

“I need to put more ointment on your back.”

Gwen put her face in her pillow. Akila scooped a thick glob of a yellowish cream out of the jar. She smoothed it over the slashes starting from her neck and worked her way down to her ankles.

A thick blanket of silence hung over in the room. Diana understood why Ryker had left her in the middle of their steamy tryst. Whoever did this to Gwen would feel the wrath of the entire pack. She hoped they’d find justice for the girl as quickly as possible.

***

Ryker paced the great room in the center of the den. Even though the sun hadn’t yet dropped behind the mountains, the other wolves were all awake and listening to Trent’s report.

The beta wolf continued, “…we got as far as the town limits before the scent blended in with the town filth.”

“So you don’t know who it was?” Ryker asked.

Trent’s chest puffed with pride. “We know. We traced the man to a bar on the outskirts of town. We couldn’t attack because there were too many other humans in the vicinity. The risk was too great. But now that we have his scent and know where to find him, we can attack tonight.”

“Great. After we drop Diana off, we’ll find this man and kill him.”

One of the young wolves yelled from the back of the room. “Are you talking about the human you brought back to the den?”

Several wolves gasped then started chattering amongst themselves.

Ryker held up his hand. “Silence.”

The wolves immediately complied.

Ryker addressed the crowd. “She’s was attacked by a man last night. If I hadn’t brought her here, she would have died. Now if any of you have a problem with this, come and talk to me when this meeting is adjourned.”

The same young wolf yelled. “You broke the number one rule by bringing her here. It was your rule. If one of us had broken it, you would have kicked us out of the den.”

Ryker clenched his teeth, then took a deep breath. “Yes, I did break the law. But I used my judgment and I stand by my decision. I haven’t brought a human to the den in almost five years and I won’t bring another one back. You have my word.”

The wolves seemed satisfied with his pronouncement so he decided to end the meeting. “We’re taking a pack of ten wolves plus me and Trent to hunt the man who hurt Gwen. If you want to join the group, please see Trent and he’ll give you details. We’ll meet at sundown.”

He stalked away from the group. Humans. Most of them weren’t worthy of living. All they seemed to bring was death. It was good that he was returning Diana to the town. As much as he wanted to spend more time with her, he knew it would never work. Humans and wolves couldn’t co-exist. History proved that fact.

He stopped at the central juncture. If he went down the right-hand path, he could go back to his room, but then she’d be there. He wasn’t convinced he could resist her tempting body, so he shifted and bounded out of the den and into the forest.

***

Shadows stretched across the floor of Gwen’s room. Diana knew it wouldn’t be long before Ryker came for her.

As if reading her thoughts, Akila stood. “We should get you back to Ryker’s room before he gets back. I don’t want him to have to go searching for you.”

“I can’t believe I’ll be leaving soon. I feel like I’m just getting to know everyone.”

Akila patted her hand. “It’s for the best. We have enough trouble keeping everyone in the pack safe from the humans who try to hunt us. There was a human woman here once. Gosh, it’s almost the five-year anniversary of her…well anyway, it’s not a good idea for humans and wolves to mix.”

Diana followed Akila back to Ryker’s room. Diana noticed a pile of clothes on the bed. Leah must have brought them while she was in Gwen’s room.

Akila hugged Diana. “You were great with the poor girl. You’d make a great assistant.”

“I’m actually studying to be a dentist.”

“Really? Trent could sure use a teeth cleaning.”

“So I’ve heard.”

Akila smiled. “Goodbye. I wish you luck.”

“Thank you.”

After Akila left the room, Diana pulled on the pants and shirt. They were a little snug but she couldn’t walk into town naked, even in the dead of night.

At least two hours passed before Ryker entered the room. Diana was ready to go looking for him when he padded into the room in wolf form. He lay on the ground and motioned with his head for her to climb on.

Disappointed that she couldn’t talk to him, she mounted him and held onto his thick fur. He maneuvered along the corridor, careful to slow when she started to slip too far to one side or the other. By the time they reached the entrance to the den, she’d gotten the hang of riding him.

Ryker strode to the front of the pack. She quickly counted eleven other wolves in the gathering near the entrance. They were all in their wolf form. Apparently they already knew the plan and didn’t need to communicate further.

As Ryker trotted into the woods, she tightened her grip in anticipation. She felt the tension coiled in his body and within seconds, he’d broken into a full stride. The trees rushed past her on both sides. He leapt over logs and dashed around outcroppings of rock.

He ran in circles and loops until she couldn’t figure out which way they’d come from. It was probably part of his plan. He’d said he needed to be sure no one would be able to find the way back to the den.

As they finally reached the edge of the woods, Ryker’s pace slowed. He seemed reluctant to approach the edge of civilization.

He stopped and lowered himself to the ground. She climbed off his back and stood in front of him. She wanted to tell him she’d miss him and thank him again for saving her life, but he looked away. She could feel the other wolves staring, but she had to do something to say goodbye.

She smoothed the fur on his head with her hand. Her voice shook as she whispered, “Thank you for everything.”

As she turned to leave, she felt a tug on her sleeve. Ryker had the edge of it in his mouth. He licked her hand then rubbed his head against it as if marking her.

“Goodbye, Ryker.”

She turned and stepped out of the woods. When she looked up, she froze. Directly across the street, Zane leaned against the wall at Tommy’s Quick Stop Mart. He tipped back a bottle of beer and chugged. When half the beer was gone, he stopped drinking. He wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve and looked up.

She couldn’t move as a slow smile spread across his face. He hurled the bottle against the side of the store. It shattered into a million pieces as he ran toward her.

Consumed with terror, she could only stand and stare as he closed in on her. Someone slammed into her from behind.

She cried out and turned to find Ryker, still in wolf form, standing behind her. He dropped down and she jumped onto his back. They turned just as the first shot rang out.

The other wolves scattered. A bullet whizzed by her head. Ryker shot forward. She dug her fingers into his fur and held on.

Another bullet cut through the air. A few yards ahead, one of the wolves jerked then tumbled, casting up a cloud of dust.

Ryker didn’t stop for him. He raced toward the mountain. Diana turned to look over her shoulder as the downed wolf howled.

Zane stood over the wolf and fired a shot point blank. The wolf’s head exploded.

“No!” she screamed.

The pack rushed into the woods at full speed. When the sound of Zane crashing through the bushes stopped, so did the wolves.