Wild Nights (21 page)

stunning her at a crucial moment.

“Don’t you dare, Ayasha White. Don’t you—”

Aya lunged forward as the woman turned toward her.

“No one dares to threaten my men, unless it’s me!”
Aya snipped

back at Lenox as she came down on the woman’s shoulders. The

weight of her body, along with the force of her leap, brought them

both to the ground in a tumbling heap. Aya snapped her teeth,

catching the crook of the woman’s neck. Blood coated her tongue.

Shouts and curses filled her ears. Sharp pain ignited in her rear

haunch, but she ignored it, wrestling with the woman as her human

shape fluidly melted into a dark gray wolf.

“Ayasha, your back!”

Riley’s warning struck through the dark mist of her mind. She

clawed at the ground, shifting her body beneath the woman’s as one

of the rebel wolves dove at her. Her teeth lost their grip when Eliza

snapped her head back. Flesh tore open, and blood rained over her

face. Eliza growled and stumbled off her, shaking her head. Aya

scrambled to her paws and cast a short glance at the two wolves

engaged in a fierce battle filled with snarling growls and chilling

rumbles.

She turned back to Eliza.

The woman retreated into the denser forest. Aya took off after her,

maneuvering through the unfriendly terrain, leaving the battling packs

behind.

“Aya, get back here! Let her go. I’ll handle her later.”
Riley’s

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demands caused her to pause, but a moment later, she forged forward,

following the acrid scent of blood and the sharp crackling of dead

leaves beneath paw.

“Sweetling, listen to Riley. Please,”
Lenox breathed into her

mind. Her gut clenched, her heart squeezed, but she ignored his plea

and severed the telepathic link between both men. She was ending

this now, just as Lenox’s pack ended Eliza’s back at the tree.

She loped down a steep incline and slid to a halt. She lifted her

nose to the sky and sniffed the thickening air of the breaking dawn.

The sky had lightened to a dark blue, casting eerie shadows through

the dense canopy. The clean scent of untainted forest filled her lungs.

Aya turned and sniffed again. Clean. She cocked her head and

listened. The only sound that touched her ears was that of a lone bird

chirping. She trekked back the way she came, pausing every few steps

to assess her surroundings. Her spirit thrummed on high alert. Her

wolf sensed danger lingering just out of sight, but she couldn’t hook

on to a scent path.

How did she lose Eliza?

Leaves crackled behind her. She spun.

Eliza pounced on her, knocking her to the ground. She grappled to

right herself as she slid down the incline. A whimper escaped her

throat. Her nails failed to slow her descent. She rolled over and tried

to slow her slide, digging her paws into the earth.

Aya straightened on her legs and turned to face Eliza.

The dark gray wolf edged closer to her, jowls quivering as she

bared white fangs at her. Aya growled low and long, the fur along her

spine standing straight up. She measured every carefully gauged step

Eliza took, waiting for the right moment to strike.

Eliza’s front paw slipped over loose leaves and dirt. Aya lunged

forward and swatted out her front legs. The gray stumbled to gain

footing, but quickly lost control. Aya grabbed hold of the wolf’s

shoulders as they slid down the incline together. She avoided the

vicious snaps of Eliza’s teeth aimed at her face until they rolled to a

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stop at the base of the hill.

Aya found herself beneath Eliza, one front leg wedged between

their bodies. Eliza dug her back paw into Aya’s belly, her sharp claws

breaking through the tender flesh. Aya yelped and thrashed, trying her

damnedest to throw the beast off her. Teeth clamped down on her

shoulder. Pain blossomed through her left side. If she could only get

her paw out from between them…

Eliza snarled. The vise on Aya’s shoulder released, only to

reignite a new wave of agony from her neck. Warmth flowed over her

belly and sifted through her thick fur. She dipped her head and

grabbed hold of Eliza’s cheek with her teeth. She bit down, hard, until

she broke through flesh. Eliza whimpered. The claws in her belly

shifted. Teeth in her neck lifted.

Aya pulled up her hind legs, wedged them beneath Eliza, and

shoved the wolf away. Eliza pawed her injured face, snorting wildly.

Aya righted herself, brushing aside the pulsating throb of pain

throughout her body.

She crouched back and prepared to leap.

A tawny blur shot through the air and barreled into Eliza. The two

wolves skidded to a halt more than ten feet from where Eliza last

stood. When Aya reached the tangled duo, Riley had a death grip on

Eliza’s neck. The woman’s struggle quickly slowed. Her growls

melted into pants. Riley jerked his head, issuing one final tear into

Eliza’s throat before he backed away from the dying wolf and turned

to her.

Aya stepped back when he approached her. The feral glow of his

eyes struck the humming chords in her spirit and she cautiously

opened the telepathic link to Riley. The line remained silent as he

observed her through his wolf senses. Aya’s gaze strolled over her

mate in wolf form. He was a magnificent, powerful creature with an

imposing disposition. He radiated warning from ear to tail. His black

nostrils flared, and the shorter white fur along his snout twitched, but

the amber glow of his gaze never faltered.

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Aya took a single step into him, pressing the side of her face to

his. She flicked her tongue out, his soft fur tickling her gums. Riley

pulled back and licked her snout once, twice.

“Let me get you home,”
he murmured at last. Aya lowered her

head and turned to press her entire body against his. She nestled her

face against the thick fur of his neck and sighed. Riley rested his head

atop of hers.
“You can relax now knowing you’re safe. It’s over.”

Yes, the nightmare was over, but something warned her a new

challenge came with the rising sun.

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Chapter Thirteen

Nox noticed the pain had dulled in his body since his pack pulled

him from the forest and returned him home. A day and a half of

drifting between consciousness and unconsciousness, with much help

from medication, finally gave way to a manageable level of

discomfort. His shoulders still ached from having tendons and

muscles stretched and torn, but they were almost healed. The deep

wounds over his wrists had closed, and the only evidence of injury lay

in the red scars that were nearly gone.

The gashes along his chest made by Eliza’s silver claw remained

in a state of slow improvement. His flesh was irritated, red, and

swollen. One of his pack mates had stitched three of the deepest

wounds.

Nox watched the fading orange glow of the sun from his place in

bed. He listened to the sounds throughout his home. A television was

on, the volume turned low. The mouthwatering aroma of food caused

his jaw to tighten. His stomach rumbled. Damn, it had been two days

since he last ate, and he was hungry.

He was about to try his strength when the bedroom door opened.

He looked up and smiled. Aya rushed over to his bed and crawled up

alongside him. Her eyes shimmered, and her smile trembled, but she

wrapped her arms around his neck and clung tightly. Nox chuckled

and leaned back on his pillow, wrapping his arms around her small

frame.

“We’ve been so worried about you.” Aya let out a deep breath

against his throat. “You’re not gonna slip back into the unknown on

us, are you?”

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“I don’t think so,” Nox assured. He cleared the heaviness in his

throat and gave her a gentle squeeze. “How’re you holding up? You

weren’t hurt, were you?”

“Nothing compared to you. I managed to escape with only a

couple scratches.”

“When I’m up to my full strength, I’m going to have a little chat

with you about putting yourself in danger.” Nox glanced up when the

floorboard creaked beneath weight. Riley leaned against the door

frame, arms folded over his chest. His expression was disturbingly

indifferent.

“I’ve already had a talk with her about that,” Riley said. Nox

glanced down at Aya. She shrugged with a small nod, but the

mischievous grin that touched the corners of her mouth set him to

doubt she’d taken him seriously. “She’s a stubborn one.”

“Well then, I guess she’ll be an equal to your stubbornness,

wouldn’t you say?” Nox kissed the top of Aya’s head and settled back

into his bed. Riley came up to the bed, dragging a chair from the desk.

He straddled the seat, folding his hands on the back, and rested his

chin on his knuckles. Aya nestled against Nox’s side. She didn’t sling

her arm around his chest, but kept her hand on his shoulder.
“What’s

eating at you, Riley?”

“Been contemplating the events from the past couple days. No,

more like the past couple decades.”
Riley’s gaze drifted to Aya, and

for the first time, Nox glimpsed the unfettered adoration his lost

friend held for their mate.
“She loves you.”

“And I’m certain her feelings echo the same for you.”

“How could they? I’m responsible for her uncle’s death. I’m

responsible for bringing Eliza to her. There’s nothing in this man she

could love, or should love.”

“You know, secret conversations are rude,” Aya murmured. Nox

chuckled. Riley quirked a half grin.

“We’re trying to devise a plan to keep your precious little ass out

of trouble,” Riley said.

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She shook her head against Nox’s shoulder.

“You think my ass is precious? How endearing,” she teased.

Nox looked up at Riley and saw a crack in his indifferent shield.

Christ, of all things to happen in such a short period of time, watching

Riley fall in love with a woman was not one of them. He had prepared

himself for weeks, months, hell, even years, of frustration at the

thought of getting Riley on the right path and eventually accepting

being fated to a white wolf.

And here, while he lay in a limbo of recovery, something

incredible had happened.

“I have a feeling that task will be hard to accomplish,” Nox

offered. Riley nodded against his hands.
“There’s plenty of goodness

inside you, Riley. You proved that in a matter of a few hours the other

night. You came for her, saved her, took her into your care and

protection. You were willing to listen to what we had to say, how

you’d gone astray, and you were able to swallow the truth. She needs

us both, just as much as we need her.”

“Friend, it’s been too long since I last ventured into the realm of

emotions. In part, I’m not sure I have the human tenderness in me

enough to suppress the wild wolf. I’m not about to find that out at the

expense of Ayasha.”
Riley arched a brow. “Not if I have say in it. I’ll

be sure to bribe her with a treat if she shows good behavior. Did she

tell you the extent of her wounds from Eliza?”

“Riley, quiet!” Aya warned. Nox stiffened. He pushed himself

against the headboard. Aya shot Riley a glowering glance before

turning a soft smile up to him.

Nox shook his head. “Not gonna work.”

“They were scratches.”

“The bitch got her good in the shoulder and the neck. Nearly got

her jugular.” Riley lifted his chin from his hands and pointed a finger

at her. “You, darling, are too special to place yourself in that type of

situation. Do you know what your loss could have done to us?”

Aya’s smile waned. Nox cupped the side of her face and brushed

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his thumb over her bottom lip.

“It’s true, little one. You’ve come to mean more to us than you

obviously realize. We’re not saying these things in an attempt to

control you. We don’t want to lose you to something that could be

prevented,” Nox explained. He graced her forehead with a light kiss

before settling her head on his shoulder again. Riley didn’t argue with

his surmise and it drew his attention.
“It’s written all over you,

brother. You’re a fool to try and fight it.”

“Well, this fool needs to take leave. I have to sort through some

things on my own.”
Riley’s mouth twitched, and he pressed to his

feet. “Yes, we don’t want to lose you.” He turned his back and

stretched his arms over his head.
“I will not tell her I’m leaving. She’s

better off with the more levelheaded, intelligent member of this

threesome. Trust me, Lenox, this is taking more than just a bit of