Wicked (6 page)

She wanted to ask what kind of werewolf would be good for her. Right there, on the tip of her lips, she almost argued with her cousin that Perry would be one hell of a catch.

What the hell was she thinking?

Already she had a list longer than her tail why he’d be a very bad catch.

She had a hell of a jaunt before she reached the bus station. There was only one way to get across town. She’d have to risk running.

“What makes you think the
Amyx
den is there?” she asked, changing the subject while darting across the street, clutching her phone to her ear.

She’d have to get off the main drag. Humans knew
lunewulf
were thick in Prince George. That didn’t mean they liked a visual reminder. If she took off in a sprint in her human form, running faster than any human, more than one of them would call the police, complaining. No way did she want the pack leader pissed at her. Already more attention focused in on her than she liked having.

Taking a minute to look up and down the street, there was no sensation of being followed, or watched. More than likely she’d imagined it. That or darting into the donut shop had thrown off her scent and she’d lost her tracker.

Now why did that leave an empty feeling inside her?

“I’m sitting next to the ticket counter. Earlier I smelled their angry stench. But I don’t see the
lunewulf
that I saw earlier.”

“Stay where you are. Call me back if you get scared again. I’ll be there soon.”

Wendy agreed
,
sounding more relaxed than when she’d first called. With little den left alive, Jaynie would protect her cousin with her life. Wendy’s den, her aunt and uncle, were good people. Her aunt had been her mother’s sister. Jaynie hadn’t seen them much as a cub. But since her parents had died, they’d tried including Jaynie in den affairs. Jaynie had been the one who’d been reluctant to get close to Wendy’s den. Losing her parents had been enough pain for a lifetime. She wouldn’t allow her heart to suffer like that again.

Shoving her phone into her jeans pocket, she headed away from the busy street. There were miles of neighborhood to cover before she hit the industrial part of town where the bus station was. If she could hit a full run, she’d be there in less than ten minutes. But she’d have to be careful, ensure that not too many people saw her.

Maybe she should make a few phone calls, seek out help. Figure out how to call Perry.

“What the hell are you thinking?” she hissed through her teeth.

She’d made it quite a few years now on her own, enjoying freedom, not needing or wanting another werewolf for anything. Ten years since her parents had died. Ten years that she’d made damned sure no one got too close.

Calling him would be as bad as putting the collar around her neck by herself.

Half an hour later she wiped sweat from her brow, twisting her hair off her neck and taking a slow breath as she walked toward the bus station. She stopped in her tracks when she saw Wendy being escorted out of the bus station by the older
lunewulf
who’d been at her den that morning.

“Whoa. What’s going on here?” She hurried toward them.

Wendy looked up, her cheeks stained with tears.

“Get in the truck.” The older
lunewulf
ignored her and pulled open the passenger door, shoving Wendy forward.

“Like hell she is.” Jaynie grabbed the guy’s shoulder, shoving him out of the way and then taking Wendy’s arm. “Let’s go.”

“I’ve about had enough of you, bitch.” The
lunewulf
had some foul-smelling breath.

“That makes it mutual. You have no right to her, and you damn well know it.” Anger rushed through her, her bones popping while her muscles started growing.

No way could any of them allow the change while outside the human bus terminal. But a little strength wouldn’t hurt anything in dealing with these lowlifes.

“You don’t have your
Cariboo
here to protect you this time,” the
lunewulf
sneered, glancing over her shoulder.

The little hairs on the back of her neck prickled. Anger smelling so spicy she almost sneezed filled the air around them. “I’ll give the unruly one here a lesson on how much I do have a right to Wendy,” someone said from behind her.

Strong hands clamped down on her shoulders. The
lunewulf
behind her reeked with so much outrage she drowned from the stench of it.

“She’s my dead brother’s mate. And now she’s mine,” he whispered in her ear. “Get both of them in the truck.”

* * * * *

Perry glared at Johann.

“Head home, Roth,” the pack leader said, a bit too calmly. “I’ll call you if I need you.”

“They’re at the
Amyx
den. They’ve got to be.
Won’t take too much if you simply head over there and explain to them that our den doesn’t approve of them having the bitches.”
Frederick Rousseau, a silver-haired
lunewulf
, hugged his mate reassuringly while addressing the pack leader.

“We’ve scoured the entire city. I’ve got pack members with the police force keeping an eye out for them. I’ll head over to their den. If they’re there, we’ll bring them to you.” Johann nodded to the older Rousseau couple.

No way would Perry simply go home, being dismissed as if his services were no longer needed.

“I’ll meet you over there.” He’d keep this simple.

Johann headed toward his truck, giving Perry a sideways glance. “You’ve known her a day, Roth. You’re running on too many emotions right now. That’s not what I need in a tracker.”

Perry wouldn’t honor the comment with a response. Storming over to his Expedition, he climbed in and stuffed the key in the ignition. Responding to Rousseau’s comment would have brought a lie from him. He’d deny such emotions. And he wouldn’t insult his pack leader like that. His emotions were running strong. A little
lunewulf
bitch had gotten under his skin. He needed to find her, know where she was. Never had his protector’s instinct coursed through his blood with such vengeance.

Gripping his steering wheel, he hated Rousseau for being right. The emotions that tore at him must smell worse than yesterday’s trash. In as little as twenty-four hours, he’d fallen hard for a bitch who shouldn’t appeal to him at all. Headstrong and disobedient, she’d run from him and then managed to disappear. He’d combed the neighborhood looking for her after she left her den. No werewolf got away from him. Yet she’d managed it. Within blocks of her house he’d lost her scent. He’d combed the area, covering well over twenty blocks of neighborhood and hadn’t found her. After a couple of hours he knew that she’d obviously gone in an opposite direction from him, and had hightailed back to where he’d initially lost her scent.

His common practice when losing the scent of a werewolf he tracked would be to start questioning nearby dens, see who’d seen them last. But Johann had called him, bringing him in. He’d been forced to give up looking for her.

After watching her kick ass while taking on the
Amyx
den, he almost pitied the fools if they had managed to take her to their den. She’d tear the place apart.

Maybe time to clear his head would do him some good. He knew her scent still lingered on him. It had driven him nuts most of the day. Johann would have smelled her on him, would have known he’d fucked her. Not that he’d deny that. Hell, he couldn’t wait to have her again.

By the time he reached his cabin, he’d convinced himself a nap was in order. Being up all night and then not enjoying his usual respite the first half of the day had to be affecting his line of thinking. No female got under his skin this fast, or this hard. And hard was an understatement. His cock had throbbed throughout the day thinking about where Jaynie might have disappeared to and what he’d do once he found her.

After a quick shower, he collapsed on his bed, her smell wrapping around him as he closed his eyes. No way would he fall asleep any time soon.

It took a few minutes for him to register that his phone was ringing. Grumbling, he rolled onto his back, the pressure in his groin immediately bringing him fully awake.

“What?” his voice cracked, sleep leaving him groggy.

“I need your help.” There was worry in
Johann’s
tone.

Perry sat up, grabbing his hard cock, willing all the blood that had rushed there back into his body. His breath came out with a hiss. “What’s wrong?”

“The two bitches, Jaynie and Wendy, have disappeared.”

Perry leapt out of bed, almost sending the top drawer of his dresser flying when he pulled it open looking for underwear. He should have fought the pack leader, insisted on tracking Jaynie until he had her.

“Where are you right now?”

“Just left the
Amyx
den.
I sent two werewolves after their scent. But I want you on this.”

Perry wouldn’t tell the pack leader he’d finally come to his senses. One glance toward his only window in the cabin and he realized he’d slept a hell of a lot longer than he’d thought. Darkness had settled.

“If that
Amyx
den hurt them…” He would personally hold Johann Rousseau responsible. He let his threat go unspoken.

Johann’s
relaxed nature grated on Perry’s nerves more times than not. Now was no exception.

“That den was in an uproar over those two bitches. Sounds like Jaynie tore into a few of
them,
destroyed more than a few pieces of furniture and then escaped with her cousin.”

“The entire
Amyx
den deserves their throats clawed out.”

Johann ignored his comment.

“I’m more concerned for Wendy at this point.
Sounds like Jaynie is
more than a bit wild. I believe wicked was the term the
Amyx
den used for her.” He chuckled at that. “Not sure what I’m going to do with her.”

Perry knew exactly what he was going to do with her. “I’ll let you know when I have them.”

He hung up the phone, tying his clothes around his waist instead of dressing. He grabbed a small blanket and folded it before sliding it under his clothes. In his fur, it would look like he’d secured a saddle to his back, but he didn’t give a rat’s ass. Once he found the little bitch, he would take all the time needed to talk sense into her. Running away from him instead of to him wasn’t her smartest move.

There were at least three males in the
Amyx
den that he’d had the displeasure of meeting. Jaynie had been dragged into their den, forced to protect her cousin and take all of them on as well. Damn impressive that she’d escaped.

But where had she gone? There were werewolves tracking her. Probably meant they’d chased her even farther into the wilderness. She wouldn’t plan on leaving the pack.

Wherever she went, he’d find her. That hot little bitch defied every rule in the book. Running
on her own
, taking her cousin with her…

Fire burned through his veins. Muscles quivered, contorting and changing. A howl escaped him as the change ripped through his body. Jaynie had no fear of running into any situation, taking on anyone. That’s how she’d entered his life.

If another werewolf got his hands on her, or God forbid, if it were a
Cariboo
…

His spine hardened, blood rushing through his veins while his heart pumped harder than his human body could handle. Thoughts of another male touching her, fucking her, taking what was his…

Perry screamed, bolting out the door that he’d yet to fix before the change had completely taken over his body.

His.

Fur spread through his hardening flesh, the prickling sensation devouring him while his face
changed,
his mouth and nose growing. The color of night changed, shadows fading as his vision grew more acute. He took in the night air, many scents invading him while he dug through the earth with long, extended claws.

Taking a wide curve around town, he reached the backside of the
Amyx
den, moving quietly through the predominantly werewolf neighborhood until he picked up the scent of where werewolves had recently taken off running. Years of tracking made it easier to pull out scents in the air. The only ones he focused on were those of the trackers, and the marks in the ground where they’d stampeded into the night.

He hadn’t bothered to ask Johann who he’d sent off to hunt down the females. Other males stalking her, trying to bring her in, didn’t sit well with him at all. Assuming Johann had called right after sending the trackers after Jaynie and Wendy, he’d give them no more than a fifteen-minute lead on him. Reaching high speed in minutes, he didn’t slow until well beyond the city limits of Prince George. Then keeping his nose close to the ground, all senses on red alert, he picked up their scent, stronger than it had been at the den.

Crouching over the ground, he watched the fools Johann had sent out. Obviously he had little to worry about with these pups chasing Jaynie. She’d run them around in circles before they realized what she’d done. The noise they made was enough to send all wildlife in the area running.

Circling around them unnoticed, he focused his attention on
Jaynie’s
scent, letting his instincts take over. Possessive instincts, raw and unleashed, tracking a female whose fire ran through her veins as hot and wild as it did through his. Before he’d met her, he would have denied a bitch like that would be a good mate. But now, he clearly saw how she could be the only mate for him. No one else would be able to handle her.

No one else would ever touch her.

Chapter Six

Sleep sounded better than anything else at the moment. It had been a good fifty-mile run to the next town where there was a bus station. After seeing Wendy off safely, knowing she’d be in Banff later that day with relatives who were excited to see her, took a load of worry off her mind. The
Amyx
den wouldn’t mess with her cousin anymore.