The Alpha's Quest Collection (9 page)

“It’s getting late,” Hawk finally said, breaking the heavy silence. “I think we should just rest here for now.”

“It doesn’t seem like it should be so late,” she said, looking up at the dusk sky. “I swear it was noon just a couple of hours ago.”

“The evil is messing with our perception of time,” he said, shaking his head. “I honestly don’t even know how long we’ve been out here.”

“So what do we do?” she asked, not wanting to sleep out in the open.

“There’s a den over here,” he said, pointing towards the cliff face. “I found it when I scouted ahead earlier. Whatever lived there is long gone; its scent is very faint. We can sleep there for the night. There’s a few bushes and a tree in front of the entrance, so it’d be very hard for anything to come in after us.”

“I’m hungry,” Ciara said, suddenly feeling her stomach rumble in a way it hadn’t before.

“Me too,” Hawk agreed. “Let me get you settled into the den and then I’ll mark the area around it to ward off anything else that would be stupid enough to try to get at us. Then I’ll go hunt something to eat.”

“You’re going to kill an animal to feed me?”

“Would you prefer to go hungry?”

“No,” she admitted. “Not at all. Are you going to at least cook it?”

“I’ll start a fire, don’t worry.”

“Hawk,” she said as they began to walk to the cliff face beside the waterfall.

“Hmmm?” he responded.

“Thank you for understanding.”

“It’s my pleasure,” he responded, winking at her and giving her a smile that nearly melted her entire body as easily as his touch did.

Hawk looked up at the sky, grimacing as he watched the sun retreat behind the waterfall. He wasn’t sure how long he had been wandering through the forest now. What if the two weeks had already passed? What if time was so dilated from the evil that he exited the forest a month later with no home to go to?

He quickly tried to push those thoughts from his head as surviving the night and protecting Ciara jumped to the forefront.

There were other wolves in the forest, both wild and domesticated, plus there could be other bears or wild cats as well. A mountain lion probably wouldn’t be any match for a fully grown alpha wolf, but he didn’t want to find out.

“Do you think I can drink this water?” Ciara asked, looking at the waterfall. There was a great deal of splash-off near the entrance to the cavern Hawk had found. All Ciara would have to do was lean over and drink the water.

“Yes,” Hawk said. “It’s fresh water, so you should be fine. I’m not sure how your stomach that’s used to city water and processed food will handle it, but it shouldn’t be deadly.”

“I’m so thirsty. I haven’t had anything to drink since yesterday and I’ve been sweating like a hog.”

“I always heard that women glow, not sweat.”

“Well, then, I’m glowing like a hog.”

Hawk watched as Ciara carefully worked her way to the edge, close to the cliff face, and tried to lean over and drink the run-off. Without warning she screamed and tried to jump backwards, losing her footing underneath her on the slippery rocks as she did so.

“I’m falling!” she screamed as she landed flat on her ass, perfectly safe. “Help me! Please, God, help me!”

Hawk walked over to the screaming girl, barely able to contain his laughter as he stood over her. The absurdity of the whole situation must have hit her at that moment, because she looked up at him with fire in her eyes that quickly turned to amusement.

“You don’t know what vertigo is like,” she said, crossing her arms and sulking.

“I guess I don’t,” he answered, still trying to contain his laughter.

“Well, come on, Mr. Perfect!” she said, standing up and slapping him on the chest. “Help me get a drink, please!”

“Of course,” he answered.

Ciara stepped forward, not wanting to go any closer to the edge. The water was running off a good five feet from the edge, but it appeared she didn’t want to take any chances. Hawk grabbed her by the waist and held tightly, trying to give her some kind of security as she leaned over to take the sparkling water in her mouth.

He watched as she began to drink quickly, quenching her thirst with wild abandon. He held on tightly, enjoying the feel of her body in his hands. Her hips were shapely and they felt nice and soft in his hands, a feeling he had never experienced before.

As she leaned over to take even more of the water, she unintentionally bent at the waist and poked her ass backwards, grinding it into Hawk’s crotch.

Immediately he could feel blood rushing to his cock as her soft, bouncy ass ground into his manhood. It felt amazing; he wanted to start rubbing his cock on it, imagining her swaying her hips in a circular motion.

No,
he thought.
She just rejected me; I can’t get excited right now. I have a mission to complete and she’s already made her feelings clear.

Hawk knew he had to respect Ciara’s request to avoid getting physical right now. This wasn’t the old days; you couldn’t just take a female against her will no matter how badly you wanted to. Hawk wanted to very badly, but it was wrong.

He closed his eyes tight and tried to think the unsexiest thoughts he could. Unfortunately something else had crept into his mind, something that knew what he was doing.

Flashes of evil began to explode in his mind. It was like he was trapped in a dark room, unable to see anything but the pitch black in front of him. His ears did not work, and he could not hear a thing. However, every few seconds a light would flash and his hearing would return as the images in the room became apparent to him.

The first flash was him shoving Ciara off the cliff face and into the roaring river below, ridding himself of her for good.

I don’t want to rid myself of her,
he thought.

Yes you do,
another voice said to him.
She’s slowing you down from your mission and ruining your vows. Do you really want to lose everything you’ve worked for for this girl?

The lights went out again, leaving him alone in the silence.

The next time they came back, the flashes were even more horrid. He was walking down Main Street in Bucklin. The smell was too much for his keen wolf senses and he nearly vomited right there on the street. The sound of flies buzzing was enough to drive a man insane, but he soldiered forward, trying to ignore them. As he looked to his left and right he noticed messages scrawled on the buildings in blood.

“Where were you?” the first one read.

“What took you so long?” the second one read.

“No!” he screamed, covering his eyes and running forward, trying to ignore the other messages.

The horrid smell grew stronger as he ran, finally forcing him to stop in his tracks. His eyes flew open and he looked at the mountain that rose up before him. Right there in the center of town was a pile of corpses comprised of his pack and town mates.

“No,” he said again, dropping to his knees. “I was too late.”

“You killed us,” a voice said.

Hawk’s eyes snapped open as he looked in all directions, trying to find the source of the voice.

“You killed us all,” another voice said.

He looked straight ahead, realizing the voices were coming from the pile. The corpses were alive now, their eyes opening and their heads moving to face him.

“You were too busy getting your dick wet to save us,” another body said.

“You were supposed to be the celibate one,” Rowan’s body said. “You weren’t supposed to mate.”

“You killed us all, Hawk,” Asher said, his body stacked above Rowan’s. “I hope the human was worth it, because she killed all of us.”

“Kill the human,” the alpha Thorn said from high on the pile. “The human is the reason we’re all dead. You were too busy fucking the human to save us.”

“Get out of my head!” Hawk screamed, clutching at the sides of his head as he screamed to the sky.

“You don’t need her,” a voice said behind him. “You have a new mate right here.”

Hawk turned, rising from his knees to face the new challenger who was sauntering down the street towards him.

She was completely nude, her body lean and strong. Her jet-black hair nearly reached her waist, sweeping forward to cover her small, round breasts. Her skin was lightly tanned, like someone who spent a lot of time in the sun, making the perfect lines of her body pop. She was a stunning woman, absolutely beautiful. She had jade-colored eyes that pierced right into Hawk’s soul, nearly knocking him over. Just looking at her he could feel his heart racing and his blood pressure rising.

“Take me as your mate,” she purred, coming closer to him.

There was something terrible, yet wonderful at the same time, radiating off her. It was enough to almost bring Hawk back to his knees.

“Kill the human and find me,” she whispered as she finally reached him. She moved behind him, rubbing her hands on his shoulders. He shivered as he felt the tip of her tongue land at the base of his neck, tracing its way all the way to his ear before sucking the lobe into her mouth for a quick nibble.

He had goose bumps prickling his entire body as he felt her firm breasts press against his back.

“You know you want me,” she whispered. “Take me now.”

He turned to face the strange female, his mind a confusing muddle of lust and fear. There was something about this female. She looked vaguely familiar, like someone he used to know.

As he stared into her jade eyes, it all came crashing down in his mind at once. His eyes grew wide and he pushed her away with force, backing away quickly. She snarled at him and began to shift, her body twisting and growing as jet-black fur sprouted all over her.

“Leena?” he asked. “Leena, it’s me, Hawk.”

He didn’t even have time to scream as the large wolf lunged at him, knocking him to the ground. He tried to shift, but he couldn’t. The monstrous form of Leena was bigger than any female wolf he’d ever seen, pinning him to the pavement with ease.

“Please, Leena,” he begged. “Remember me.”

His plea went unheard as the wolf’s powerful jaws clamped down on his throat, plunging his world back to silent darkness.

Ciara kept shaking Hawk, trying to bring him back to the world of the living, but he remained on his back. He was completely dead to the world, his breathing very shallow and ragged.

“Come on,” she said, feeling the tears start to well up in her eyes. “Don’t die on me. What’s wrong with you?”

One minute he had been helping her get a drink of water, the next he had grabbed his head and screamed before collapsing to the ground. Was it a stroke? Heart attack? Some other ailment that affected wolves only?

She kept stroking his beautiful long blond hair before pulling her hand back to wipe the sweat away. Hawk’s entire body was drenched in sweat as he lay there struggling for life. How could Ciara’s guardian die just like that? She wasn’t even close to being done with her quest.

Plus they had really connected; Hawk was the best man she’d ever met in her life. Even though he was a complete figment of her imagination, she had grown attached to him. It couldn’t end like this.

“Ci…Ciara?” he asked, slowly opening his eyes.

“Yes, Hawk,” she said, cradling his head onto her lap. “I’m here. I’m with you.”

It took him a minute to come to as his eyes fluttered and recognition returned to them. Finally he opened them wide and sat up with a jolt.

“Are you okay?” he asked, his large hands traveling over Ciara’s body, looking for any damage.

“I’m fine,” she said, pushing his hands down into his lap. “I think I’d ask the same of you. What the hell happened?”

“I don’t know,” he said. “I was holding you while you drank some water and then next thing I knew I was in another place, seeing things I didn’t want to see.”

“Like what?”

“Horrible things,” he said, closing his eyes and turning his head away from her. “It was the evil in the forest, showing me a potential future. It was trying to influence me.”

“To do what?”

Hawk stared at her for several tense seconds, his face falling as he looked at her.

“It’s not important,” he said, standing up. “We have to think about safety right now.”

“Safety?” she asked, not liking the fact that he was changing the subject so quickly. It was obvious he didn’t want to share the full story with her.

“Yes, we’re out in the open and it’s almost dark. A lot of other animals like to hunt at night. We need to get inside the den and get set up for the night.”

“But, Hawk…” she started to say, reaching for him as he turned from her. He dodged her hand and gave her a pitiful look before ducking behind the bushes and into the den.

Ciara felt a knot in the pit of her stomach. Something was very wrong right now and she didn’t like it. She looked up at the darkening sky, trying to find some clarity and peace in the chaotic situation she found herself in. Unfortunately, the sky provided no answers. It just continued to be beautiful, without the light pollution of the city. There was an almost purple sheen to it as she stared at the blanket of stars beginning to shine down on her.

“How could there be so much bad in the world when there’s so much beauty?” she asked. Mother Nature didn’t bring her any answers; she just continued to exist around Ciara. At this moment she felt more cold and alone than she had in a long time. Hawk was there, but it was obvious his mind had been taken to another place.

“Come on, Ciara,” he said, poking his head out of the bushes. “Get inside so I can get us situated.”

“Coming,” she said, giving the beautiful night sky one last look.

She had to duck underneath the large tree that was growing close to the den entrance and behind several large bushes before she came to a small opening between the rocks. Hawk had to duck to enter, but she was short enough to walk right in.

Inside, she was immediately hit with a musty, moldy smell that she wasn’t ready for. The cavern was pitch black, and she felt like she was going to stumble and fall over something at any moment. However, Hawk grabbed her by the hand and led her through a winding tunnel that opened into a large cavern. There was a bit more light in here due to a hole in the ceiling that opened to the outside world. The moon shone in, eerily illuminating the cavern. It didn’t go any deeper than this, so if something came after them through the door, there would be no escape.

“Are you sure it’s safe?” she asked.

“It will be shortly,” he answered, squatting down at what appeared to be a fire pit in the center of the room. It appeared he had broken some sticks off when he had ducked behind the bushes and now he was striking a flint across a large stone, trying to create a fire.

Smart thinking,
she thought.
He knows how to create a fire and came prepared. I don’t even have a bottle of water.

Of course, she had been chased away from all of her supplies, so maybe she had been prepared enough—just not for a raving, naked redneck who would chase her away.

Finally, a small fire illuminated the den even more, revealing a pile of pelts in the corner that made up a makeshift bed.

“What was this place?” she asked.

“A shifter lived here,” he said, looking around.

“What if he comes back?”

“This place hasn’t been used in a long time,” he said, sniffing the air. “Their scent is very faint. They haven’t been to this place in months.”

“What happened to them?”

“They either moved to a more desirable location or they were forced out. Or they were killed.”

“Let’s hope nothing kills us while we’re here,” she said, rubbing her arms quickly, as if she was freezing cold. She left them crossed, trying to retreat into herself.

“We’ll only be here for a night,” he promised. “Besides, I’m going to mark the area around here to warn off any predators.”

“Mark the area?” Ciara could feel her lips curling in disgust. It wasn’t voluntary, but damn, it sounded gross.

“Yes,” he said, starting to sound exasperated.

“Like some kind of animal?”

“I
am
half animal!”

“Yeah, but you’re going to pee around the entrance to the den?”

“Would you prefer I leave no scent behind, so any roving shifter or wild animal will think it’s okay to enter the den while we sleep? I mean, if you want to wake up and see if I can shift fast enough to fight a lunging mountain lion, then be my guest.”

Ciara sat down on the pelts and looked up at Hawk, standing close to the entrance of the den with his fists clenched at his sides. He was still tense, on edge, from the episode he’d had. She realized immediately that she wasn’t helping matters by questioning him and being a brat. She was in his domain; he knew what it took to survive. Besides, if she was killed during her dream, she might never complete her vision quest.

“I’m sorry,” she said, not breaking eye contact with the alpha. “I shouldn’t be arguing with you. I appreciate everything you’re doing for me.”

“It’s fine,” he said dismissively. “I’m going to shift now. Don’t be alarmed.”

Ciara took a deep breath and held it in, feeling the excitement growing inside of her. She had seen the redneck shift out of wolf form, but she hadn’t seen someone change into a wolf yet. She could feel herself tingling all over; there was just something so hot about what Hawk was going to do.

Is that weird?
she wondered.
Should I be so excited about a man turning into a wolf?

It was just another one of those mysterious things about Hawk that got her engine running. The fact that he was
literally
an animal kind of made her horny. As a matter of fact, there was just too much about Hawk that made her horny. Being a good girl as they slept that night would be one of the biggest challenges of her life.

Hawk didn’t say anything else. Instead, he peeled his shirt off, revealing a perfectly shaved yet muscular chest and a perfect row of a six-pack abs. She unconsciously licked her lips as she looked over his entire body, enjoying every inch of what she was allowed to see.

He must have noticed her interest because he laughed as he put his hands on the top of his pants, getting ready to pull them off. Unfortunately for Ciara, she didn’t see anything, as he began to shift the moment he lowered his pants.

She backed up onto the pelts a little, a tiny bit of fright washing over her as she heard a loud popping sound like someone cracking the world’s largest set of knuckles. Fine gray hair sprouted all over his body as his face elongated and his teeth grew into sharp fangs. The transformation only lasted ten seconds, but it was the most intense ten seconds of her life.

Standing before her was no longer the nervous man who acted like a boy placed into a situation too great for him. Instead, a monstrous gray wolf, almost as big as a bear, stood before her. He didn’t make any noise; he just turned and rushed down the tunnel and out of sight.

It took a moment for the situation to finally take hold of Ciara. She was alone now, in the middle of the most dangerous forest she had ever encountered. She had no assurance Hawk would be back. For all she knew he could be heading to Beorn’s right now and leaving her to die.

Maybe this was the time in her quest where she had to strike out on her own, trying to find the way to confront the dark side of her personality alone.

No,
she thought, striking those fears from her brain.
He’s not going to leave you. He’s doing exactly what he said he’s doing. Stop freaking out. You’re not alone.

Somewhere in the distance she could hear water dripping, although a quick visual inspection of the den didn’t reveal any water. It must have been from the waterfall just outside the den.

The den was probably the size of somebody’s bedroom, but it smelled like an old storm cellar. She scrunched up her nose and tried to ignore the smell as she stared at the opening to the cavern. Hopefully Hawk wouldn’t take too long and she could curl up and go to sleep.

Even though this was all a dream, a very lucid dream, she was exhausted. For all she knew, she was wandering around the forest near the campsite instead of sitting perfectly still and dreaming.

That thought disturbed her a bit; she didn’t need to be wandering around the forest alone in the dark while she was hallucinating. Chalk up another one for the brilliant Doctor Haley.

Several minutes passed, but Hawk still didn’t walk back into the den. Her eyes were beginning to get heavy and the sound of the water dripping was very calming. She lay back on the pallet and tried to close her eyes, giving up on her fight against sleep.

With a start Ciara set up, not knowing how long she had been asleep. The fire Hawk had built was dying down and the moon was high in the sky, bathing the chamber in silvery light.

“I thought I heard a noise,” she said, rubbing her eyes. As she scanned the den she realized she wasn’t talking to anybody; she was still completely alone. “Hawk?”

There wasn’t an answer; instead, she heard the sound of laughter behind her. She turned and rubbed her eyes, realizing there was a door at the back of the den. She was positive it hadn’t been there before, but she could have missed it in the darkness.

The sounds of laughter and loud music were cascading out of the door, getting louder as Ciara stared at the doorway. Somebody was talking through the doorway, too, several people as a matter of fact.

She leaned over and strained to listen, barely able to make out what they were saying. Her eyes opened wide and her ears perked up as she heard her name said several times. There was someone on the other side of that doorway talking about her.

Ciara stood up, not wanting to sit alone in the cavern any longer while Hawk had a party just down the hallway from her. Where did that jerk get music, and why was he laughing at her? She was determined to find out.

Without a second thought Ciara confidently strolled through the dark doorway, not realizing what waited beyond.