Untamed Wolf

D
ylan Royce
, Willow Bend Hunter, is a natural flirt and courted his fair share of she-wolves, but he’s never found the woman who makes his pulse race. With the new pack’s borders verging on Willow Bend territory, he’s tasked with keeping an eye on them. His job grows more challenging daily, especially since one seductive female keeps crossing the line.

Chrystal Landros knows she’s supposed to keep to her side of the Three Rivers-Willow Bend line. But she loves to explore, and Willow Bend is home to some spectacular sites. As a former Lone Wolf, she hasn’t always been certain of her welcome, but her new home in Three Rivers opens a wonderful world of unfamiliar opportunities. Too bad the wolf who makes her blood heat is tasked with keeping her away from the places she wants to visit.

While Dylan and Chrystal clash repeatedly over her border incursions, the game between them threatens to turn deadly. Tensions between Willow Bend and Three Rivers continue to rise. Could their forbidden dalliance be the spark to ignite a war?

H
ello old friends
, and welcome to all newcomers. Thanks for picking up the latest installment in the Wolves of Willow Bend. Untamed Wolf is the sixth book in the Willow Bend series, though you may call it the seventh if you count the Wolf at Law prequel. The first three books Wolf Bite, Caged Wolf, and Wolf Claim comprised The
Rise of the Alpha
arc of Willow Bend. They established Mason Clayborne’s rule over Willow Bend and the changes his return provided his pack.

Untamed Wolf is the third of the
Dawn of Three Rivers
arc, which began in Rogue Wolf. In the rich lush world of the U.S. packs, we have only just begun to scrape the surface. Novellas such as Wolf Next Door (featured in the Under a Wolf Moon anthology), and the upcoming Wolf with Benefits (featured in the Romancing the Wolf anthology) are bridges between the arcs.

Though each book is designed to stand alone, you will reap so much more from the series if you read them in order. The next arc will begin later this year called
Wolves of Change
, and we will return to the Alphas we met in Bayou Wolf with River Wolf (Brett’s tale), Desert Wolf (Cassius’ journey), and Snow Wolf (Diesel’s hunt). Be sure to sign up for my
newsletter
so you don’t miss a moment.

Many kind regards,

Heather

M
ason Clayborne
—Alpha of Willow Bend, mate of Alexis, father of Melissa, son of Andrew and Melissa Clayborne (both deceased).

Alexis Clayborne
—Mate of Mason, mother of Melissa, daughter of Ryan and Tiffany Huston (adopted by Ryan), older sister to Kyle Huston.

Ryan Huston
—Attorney for Willow Bend pack, father of Alexis (adopted) and Kyle, mate and husband to Tiffany. Counselor to Mason.

Tiffany Huston
—Wife and mate of Ryan, mother to Alexis and Kyle. Turned wolf.

Toman Carlyle
—Former Alpha of Willow Bend (Deceased)
Felicia Carlyle
—Widow Mate to the former Alpha of Willow Bend, counselor to Mason.

Owen Chase
—Senior Hunter, Willow Bend, counselor to Mason. Mate of Gillian
Gillian Whitford Chase
—Healer, Mate to Owen Chase, travels with Owen on his routes.

A.J. Buckley
—The eldest of the Buckley triplets. Willow Bend Second, First Lieutenant and counselor to Mason Clayborne, mate of Vivian
Vivian Knox Buckley
—Software programmer, mate to A.J. Turned wolf.

Tyler Buckley
—Youngest of the Buckley triplets, Tyler works with the juvenile boys for training and anger management
Claire Buckley
— Mate of Tyler, recently returned to Willow Bend and instructor for mid-year group youths.

Claudia Buckley
—Mother of A.J., Linc, Tyler, and Ranae. Mate to Virgil.

Virgil Buckley
—Father of A.J., Linc, Tyler, and Ranae, Mate to Claudia. Virgil works as a vehicle mechanic
Ranae Buckley
—Youngest Buckley sibling, student
Emma Halifax
—Pack Healer, mate to Thomas
Thomas Halifax –
Mate to Emma, retired Army Medic, gardener
Dylan Royce
– Hunter, second to Owen Chase, taking lead in Owen’s absence
Collin Freeman
– Hunter, assigned to liaise within Three Rivers, monitor and report.

M
argo Montgomery Esposito
— Former Enforcer, southern region—now mate to Salvatore Esposito, Alpha of Seven Hills in Italy.

Lincoln Buckley
—Second eldest of the Buckley triplets. Mate to Serafina Andre of Delta Crescent, no longer living in Willow Bend.

Luciana Barrows
– Alpha, mate of Rayne. Sister to Salvatore Esposito, Seven Hills.

Rayne Barrows
– Mate of Luciana. Former Hound Delta Crescent, former Lone Wolf.

Veronica Shaw
– Submissive, formerly Yukon Pack and Lone Wolf
Chrystal Landros
– Former Lone Wolf, photographer and painter
Brick
– Former Lone Wolf, burgeoning Hunter for Three Rivers

Julian
– Chief Enforcer, most senior Enforcer for the U.S.

R
acing the wind
, Dylan Royce danced over a thin shell of snow without sinking into the powder. A recent blizzard dumped three feet of fresh accumulation in twelve hours, all of it atop the ice-hardened pack beneath. Cold, crisp air flooded his lungs with his every footfall. Invigorated by the chill, he kept his mouth open to sample the breeze. The natural wonder from the weather made running his circuit a pleasure rather than a chore as he spun through the remote pack campgrounds.

Human families escaped to these campgrounds during the warmer summer months. The remote location, coupled with the bordering state park, also made it ideal for young wolves to learn to hunt, stalk and play away from day-to-day life. Winter often proved the second favorite season for families with older youths to escape and romp in the snow. With Three Rivers’ border so close, however, Mason slapped a moratorium on any vacation plans to the area for the pack.

The usually populated area remained virtually abandoned during Dylan’s tenure as Hunter guarding the border, a downside to Mason’s order. Such a critical position would typically have fallen on Owen Chase, but their Senior Hunter left for Hudson River eight weeks prior with his mate to train the pack’s young healer and to provide assistance to the Alpha.

So, while Dylan landed the miserable position, at least he got to enjoy the snow. And, in a few hours, he would get to enjoy Tawny, the sleek, svelte law student interning with Ryan Huston. Dylan pursued her for months before she finally consented to a drink.

Where he spent his weekend off hinged on the date. His wolf thrilled at the challenge. They would definitely enjoy taking a bite out of her taut ass. Still, better to burn off some of his frustrations…plus, he had all the gorgeous unbroken snow to himself. After climbing to the highest vantage, he growled his approval. Pristine powder lay in smooth waves down the hill.

Testing the ice crust, he found only soft powder. It clung to his fur and bunched between his claws. The swirling breeze carried the promise of more snow. Panting, he arched his head back and loosed a single call. Infusing power into the call to demand a response, he cut it off abruptly and listened.

Any wolves within his range would respond. Flicking his ears, he heard only the wind brushing the trees, the faint groan of branches heavily laden with winter’s kiss and the whuffs of his breathing. No scents teased his nostrils, no sounds alerted him to intruders, and all the magnificent snow lay waiting for him to play.

Tail wagging, he danced away from the edge and trotted several paces. Judging the distance to be perfect, he dashed forward, rushing on adrenaline-fueled muscles until he reached the edge and flung himself onto the slope, legs sprawling out. His trajectory and angle gave him additional speed. He flew to the base of the hill and crashed into a snowdrift.

Bounding out, he shook to free his coat of the snow and sneezed.
Damn, that’s fun.
He turned to make another climb and repeat the wild ride when a tangle of lemon and orchid teased his nose.

Whirling, he raised his head to catch the direction of the scent, because beneath the citrus was the musk of wolf—a wolf he’d already tossed three times in as many weeks.

Dammit, Chrystal.
All at once, his plans for the evening began to disintegrate. If the Three Rivers bitch hightailed it over the line again, he’d have to track her, catch her, punish her, and drop kick her ass back to Luciana “I Have No Idea What the Hell I’m Doing” Barrows.

Tawny wouldn’t wait for him, either. Five minutes late, she’d warned, and he would be out of luck.

Snarling to himself, he trotted west slowly and caught the trace of Chrystal’s scent again. The swirling wind kept yanking it away from him like a tease, but he was a Hunter.

He
would
find her.

An hour of stalking and two false trails later, he’d finally narrowed her scent to a tract of land below the campgrounds near the old falls. The snow continued, fat heavy flakes crusting on his coat. His phone—like his clothes—were in his truck, parked more than a few miles away. He tried to bury his sour mood, knowing his date with Tawny slipped further and further out of reach.

Pausing in the shadow of a tree, he scanned the rocky slope where the water spilled from any icy crevice and flowed down into a sluggish moving pool. Ice shimmered around the shores, slicking the hard surfaces. Despite the wind, Chrystal’s scent grew stronger with each blast of wind skimming the pseudo valley.

With so much white on every surface, he expected to find her swiftly, but it took him some time to pick her out. She climbed the icy rock face along the edge of the waterfall.

His irritation switched to concern.
What the hell is she doing?

Dressed in jeans, a sweatshirt, and a too-thin jacket, she climbed with determination, fighting for every hand and foothold as the slippery ice gave way beneath her grip. Straightening, he followed her progress and eyed the landscape in search of his best route to the top. A skittering of skin and shoe against the slick rock jerked his attention back to the curvy little pain in his ass. She’d dropped a foot from her upward progress and clung to the rock through will alone.

The little minx needed a damn keeper. Inch-by-inch, she continued her creeping ascent of the sheer shale. Between the composition of the stone and the ice, she risked serious injury to her bare hands. Even from his position, he could see the dampness soaking her jeans.

What the hell could be worth courting frostbite?
With a leap, he bounded into the dip and sank into the wetter snow around the waterfall’s pool. Fording through the dense drifts, he found the path he’d been seeking and began to climb along the outer rim. Worn by the passage of many feet over the years, faint stone steps existed deep beneath the snow. In midsummer, the waterfall served as the perfect diving point. The pool below was a good twelve to fifteen feet deep, which meant high divers didn’t usually crack their skulls. Of course, the water wasn’t half-frozen or frigid in the middle of summer either.

Chrystal continued easing her way to the precipice. Ahead of her finally, Dylan scrambled onto the ledge and leaned over to judge the distance between them. He’d need to shift to grab her. She was beyond his neck range, even if he were able to snag her damp jacket. If she ascended another foot or two…only she didn’t. She stopped.

Dylan stared, disbelief sinking into his bones. Instead of climbing—or even holding on with her flimsy grips—she slid her free hand into her jacket and pulled out a cell phone. She stretched the phone away from her, angling toward the plunging water…
why?

Forgetting the idiocy of her actions, he rushed his shift. Fur slid away, muscle twisted and bones snapped. Part of Hunter apprenticeship required shifting under high-stress situations. His mentor’s lesson had been brutal on the point. They needed to be able to change on the fly and, since they were at their most vulnerable mid-shift, hurrying the process was the only alternative.

Bliss and agony intertwined until he suddenly knelt in the icy snow with his palms flat against the chilly surface. The cold assaulted his overheated and sensitized skin like so many needling daggers plunging into his flesh.
Fuck me
. Blowing out a frosty breath, he did his best to ignore the wind shivering his balls and threatening to geld him.

The trembling in his muscles had more to do with the temperature than his shifting. Pushing to the edge, he found the idiot wolf with her phone angled at the spraying water, her thumb hovering over a button.

What. The. Hell?

He opened his mouth to snarl at her, but she hadn’t glanced toward him once and her scent hadn’t changed. Focused on whatever the hell her goal was, she failed to notice his position or the precariousness of her own. If he snapped at her…he clamped his teeth together, molars grinding, and waited.

Hating himself—and her more—he flattened to the snow. Working to ignore the way his dick threatened to fall off, he stretched out an arm. He could reach her. The snow blew sideways and a faint flicker of sunlight broke through the cloud cover. The light hit the water as his fingers brushed the back of her jacket.

“Yes!” she whooped. Her thumb slapped against the shutter control, snapping several shots in a row. The thin tendril of sunlight lit the water, dancing off the frost and ice around it, to shatter into prisms. Dylan might have even enjoyed the sight, save for Chrystal’s enthusiasm as she leaned further away. One moment, she dangled precariously. The next, she slid.

Even a wolf would take a beating on the rocks below.

Fisting her jacket, he ignored the scream in his bicep from lifting her falling deadweight and hauled her upward.
Yes. I have her.
Her howl of surprise gave him a measure of satisfaction. So did jerking her over the edge then tossing her sweet ass into the snow. She came up spluttering as Dylan rose above her and scowled.

“What the fuck are you doing Chrystal?” Not bothering to disguise the growl rumbling in his voice or the fury filling his veins, he glared at her. Instead of responding to him directly, however, she let out a sub-vocal moan and began to scramble through the snow.

“Where is it?” she muttered, not glancing at him once. “Where is it?” Plunging her already reddened palms into the slush, she spun onto her hands and knees. Panic wreathed her.

Insane.
The little she-wolf was categorically insane. Seemingly oblivious to continued saturation of her clothing, she kept digging until she let out a whoop. “There you are!”

She rose to her feet, phone clasped in her hands. Rubbing it hurriedly against her shirt, she checked the screen twice before she turned those walnut colored eyes on him. Nose wrinkling, she held her phone toward him. “I thought I lost it. Give a girl some warning next time. Do you know how hard I had to work to get that angle?”

Folding his arms, Dylan wiggled his toes to test for feeling still in them despite being calf deep in snow. “You’re in Willow Bend territory,
again
.”

“No, I’m not.” She returned her attention to the phone and let out a deep sigh of relief. “Oh good. The snow didn’t hurt it. And, yes!” Her shout, accompanied by a fist bump to the sky sent a shock skating through him. “I got it! Isn’t it perfect?” She thrust the phone at him again. The thin tendril of sunlight refracting through the snow and water created an almost ethereal glow, rainbows exploding like fireworks.

Despite admiring the shot, he riveted his attention on her face, locking gazes with her. Aggravated both by her careless disregard for her own safety and the loss of his possible date with Tawny, he tapped two fingers on his arm. “You are on Willow Bend territory. You crossed the border more than a mile back.”

“No, I didn’t,” she protested, though her gaze slid away from his first to glance at her phone, then at the snow. She shuddered. “I mean, I don’t think I did. Sir.”

Sir?

Shock mingled with his disbelief. “My name is Dylan.” Which she knew, since they’d met several times over the last four weeks. “Not ‘sir.’”

“Well, I know your name, sir, but Luciana said we’re always to use proper address with outsiders, to show how polite we are.”

Really? Because polite excused trespassing?

Shaking his head, Dylan snagged her arm. “You’re going to freeze to death, since you’re soaking wet,
and
…” He flipped her hand over. The red, chapped skin across her palm boasted several slices. Chances were, she didn’t feel the damage. Her low squeak of surprise confirmed his assessment. “Did you drive?”

“What?” Her gaze jerked to his again. Her pupils dilated a fraction and her nostrils flared.
Yes, little missy
,
I am indeed angry
. She bit her lower lip, and her shoulders collapsed inward as she angled away from him. “No, I hiked.”

Hiked
. Dylan closed his eyes and counted to fifty.

While they were less than a mile from the border of the territory granted to Three Rivers, none of the Three Rivers wolves lived within fifty miles of the actual border. Most were contained within their town, located more than seventy-five miles from their current location. “How far did you hike?” Maybe if he displayed patience he didn’t feel, she’d give him a more accurate answer.

Chrystal rocked on her sneaker covered feet—which were likely soaked from the snow. Squirming, she tugged her arm. The motion wasn’t enough to really challenge him, but sufficient to demonstrate her desire for release. Refusing the nonverbal request, he tapped her chin with a light finger, urging her to face him.

“How far?” he demanded.

“I don’t know,” she admitted. Her chapped cheeks turned a deeper shade of rose. “I...I’ve been trying to get some shots for my next set of paintings. You have so many spectacular sites here. I’ve been trying to find them, so I just...sort of…wandered.”

Wandered. In a blizzard.
Well, to be fair, it was a steady, but light, snow. Still, wandered? Her pack needed to assign her a keeper. Grinding his teeth together, he nodded once. “I’ll drive you back. My truck is a few miles from here, so we can get there faster if you shift.” She’d also be warmer. Plus, it would give her time to heal the injuries she’d given herself.

“I can’t leave my phone here. It will be ruined!” Panic resurged in her scent. Dylan fought the urge to roll his eyes or haul her over his lap and spank her silly ass for suggesting the phone was more important than her personal safety.

Snarling once, he plucked the phone from her hand and released her. “Strip.” Command flowed through him and he knew his order would be obeyed. She didn’t have enough dominance to fight him. “Now. Shift.”

Still, she apparently intended to try. “But…?”

Implacable, he drilled his stare into her until she began to fumble with her clothes. He caught her jacket before it hit the snow and used it to make a bundle. One by one she passed him the other garments until she danced in the snow, her teeth chattering. He set her phone in the center of the driest piece of clothing then wrapped the others around it, one-by-one, until the jacket became the outermost layer. It was at least mostly waterproof.