Their Wild One Read online

  “It’ll never happen,” she argued.

  “Why?” Cody asked.

  “They won’t let it happen,” she snarled. “You’ll all die. One by one, they’ll pick you off until there’s no one left who will try to change what should be. You’re going to die.” She blinked up at Derrick, and he was surprised to see genuine tears in her eyes. “I don’t want you to die, Derrick. I love you.”

  “No.” He shook his head. “You love what I am. The power and respect I command. To love me, you’d have to understand and believe in what I’m trying to accomplish. And wolf lives, all wolf lives, would matter to you.”

  “You don’t understand,” she charged. “But you will. When the others are gone, you’ll understand. They’ll make you understand.”

  “They’re my pack. Cody, Adrian, Michael and me. An alpha pack. Come for one of us; you come for all of us. Do you want to stand against four alphas?”

  He watched her swallow, tasted her fear as it permeated the air around them.

  “You need to run,” she whispered. “They’re coming. Despite what you think, I don’t want you to die.”

  He heard it then. The rumble in the air. The vibration of the earth beneath his feet. All-terrain vehicles. Several of them. Coming in fast.

  He nodded at Cody and was already moving off the porch as his friend grabbed Alisha and injected the syringe of sedative into her. It was hard to believe he’d once thought he’d end up mated to her. He felt nothing for her now. If not for her brother, Monty, Derrick would have snapped her neck and left her for her friends to find. Instead, he’d allow her to live. Unless she came at him again.

  Cody let her fall to the ground. He had no such concern. Then again, Cody had never liked her. He’d always said there was something about her he didn’t trust. Derrick should have listened to him more when they were younger. He certainly tried to listen to him now.

  “Split up,” Derrick ordered. “We’ll join up as soon as we ditch them. Don’t engage unless you don’t have a choice.”

  “Same goes for you,” Cody snapped, and there was no missing the banked fury in his gaze. “If you can grab one, do it. I need to know what they laced that fucking dart with.”

  “Go,” Derrick ordered with a growl as the rev of the vehicles came closer. He understood Cody’s anger. Michael hadn’t been himself since the attack. Whatever they’d tainted the dart with was affecting Michael’s system. He was easily angered. His wolf rising to the surface far too quickly and often. He was agitated, unable to keep still. He was in constant motion as if he needed to burn off extra energy but couldn’t. As if it were all trapped inside him.

  Derrick set off at a sprint, dodging trees and skirting low-lying foliage to avoid getting his feet caught. He’d known not to trust Alisha. He’d probably be hearing I told you so from Cody for the rest of his life, which he hoped was long and fruitful.

  He heard one of the engines stop and knew they were checking on Alisha. Most likely, they’d pick her up and get her somewhere they considered safe. There was no such place anymore. Not since they’d chosen to attack one of the alphas. Their fate was set in stone now. He heard the rev of the other all-terrain and tracked the sound as it moved closer.

  It was after Cody. Without a moment’s hesitation, Derrick set a course to intercept the ATV. If luck were on his side, he’d lead them across the old logging road and lose them in the woods on the other side. If not, he’d handle things however he needed to. And try not to disregard Cody’s request they take one alive for questioning. Try being the key word. Derrick wasn’t playing. There was too much at stake.

  Reaching the point that would lead him the direction he needed them to go, he threw back his head and let out a howl that echoed through the woods around him. Cody answered, coming from in front of him. He must have had a similar thought and veered back toward Derrick, leading whoever it was exactly where Derrick wanted them.

  Catching sight of their pursuer, Derrick howled again and forced more speed into his stride. To beat them, he’d need to shift. With some difficulty, he managed to strip as he moved, tossing his clothes aside and noting where each landed so he could find them later. He’d slowed just enough that the ATV was in his peripheral vision. Time to cut, shift, and run. He and Cody would have the asshole exactly where they wanted him soon.

  At their mercy.

  Chapter Two

  “Do I really need to define sabbatical for you?” Jess forced herself to relax her jaw as she spoke. That would teach her to automatically accept a call while she was driving. She’d been expecting her dad, who she spoke to nearly every day. Instead, she found herself listening to her boss, soon to be former once she could get him to accept her resignation.

  “We need you here, Dr. Mueller. Our research is cutting edge, and we need—”

  “Sabbatical. In Hebrew, Shabbat. Latin, sabbaticus. Greek, sabbatikos. It literally means a ceasing of work. A rest or break, if you will, lasting anywhere up to a year.” Since he’d been unwilling to take her resignation at the time, she’d gone with her father’s favorite way of taking time off. He’d taken several sabbaticals over the years, the first after her mother’s death.

  Just thinking of her father had her smiling. Professor David Mueller was a one-of-a-kind man and the best father a girl could ever ask for. He was her rock. Her co-conspirator. Her inspiration and her biggest fan. Soon, she’d need to go for a visit and spend some much-needed quality time with him.

  “You’ve been gone for over four months now,” Silas Driven exclaimed, making her sigh. She should have known better than to work for a man called Dr. Driven. She bit her lip to keep from snorting aloud.

  “Which means I have plenty of time left.”

  “I need you back here now!” There was a snap of temper to his voice, and Jess found herself intrigued despite herself. What could possibly make the impeccable Dr. Driven lose his cool?

  Jess had been enamored with him when she’d first gone to work for the university-backed pharmaceutical research and development company. Eventually, she’d realized it was his brain she’d admired. His personality, or lack thereof, had killed even that. The work of testing animal DNA in relation to human diseases had been fascinating. She’d spent long hours in the labs, working and discovering through trial and error. A chance encounter with a visiting professor had pointed her in a new direction. One that had her running from the labs and into the woods of Oregon with one goal. Find the wolves she’d spent her entire life searching for.

  “Dr. Mueller!”

  Silas’ screech brought her back to the conversation and pulled her attention briefly from the winding road she traversed.

  “Silas, I appreciate the phone call, but we both know I’m far from irreplaceable.” She wasn’t replaceable, but admitting it would be rather crass of her.

  “You work for me. There is no sabbatical. I expect you back here first thing tomorrow morning.”

  “No.”

  Silence met her response, as if he’d never expected her to give such a simple reply.

  “I cannot approve any further time off.” His tone was sullen with just a touch of something else. Concern? Fear? Either way, it didn’t matter.

  “I understand. As soon as I get to a place I can access my laptop, you’ll have my resignation.”

  “You can’t… Jess, this isn’t a job you can walk away from.”

  “I already did.” She glanced down to thumb the red end button on the vehicle’s screen and looked up just in time to catch what looked like a man running naked in front of her car.

  “Shit! Shit! Shit!” She jerked hard on the wheel, losing traction briefly and going into a spin. She turned her head, tracking the man in hopes she could avoid him. Time seemed to slow to a crawl. The man turned his head toward her, and she swore his eyes glowed a deep, dark silvery gray, almost as if they couldn’t decide on an exact shade. In one blink, the man was gone. Replaced by the biggest gray wolf she’d ever seen.

  She swore
her heart lodged in her throat, choking not only her breath but her thoughts. Then it galloped as she struck an ATV, and the wheels on the passenger side of her vehicle left the road. She pitched over the edge of the paved lane and into the steep decline that led straight into the wooded wilderness, clawing at the wheel as she tried to guide the plunge. She hit bottom with a bone-jarring jolt, glass flying as a tree limb shattered her windshield on impact. She jerked forward, her seatbelt locking to hold her in place, fighting against her body’s natural momentum. Pain exploded in her right wrist and left temple as she slammed forward and darkness sucked her under.

  * * * *

  Jess blinked, moaning as she tried to get her eyes opened. Something covered her face. She moved her hand then whimpered as pain shot through her. Black tinged the edges of her vision again, and she took several deep breaths. Her right side radiated with pain. Her wrist, her ribcage, her hip. It all hurt. She lifted her left hand, determined to free her vision, so she could take inventory of her injuries.

  Hair. Her hair was in her face, obscuring her sight. She brushed her forehead and hissed. She wiped the wet away and knew what she’d find before she held her fingers up to her eyes. Blood. She wasn’t sure what she’d hit her head on, but at least, she didn’t seem to have a concussion.

  First thing to do was take stock of the pain lighting up the right side of her body. She vaguely remembered hitting her wrist during impact. It was already swollen and discolored. It hurt to move, but she could move it, so she hoped it was merely a bad sprain. She was almost certain it wasn’t broken, though she couldn’t dismiss the possibility of a hairline fracture. The tree limb that had shattered her windshield had pierced the back of the driver’s seat. Thankfully, it hadn’t pierced her, but it had ripped through her shirt and outer layer of skin. She was scraped raw. Unfortunately, it hadn’t hit her seatbelt which held her tightly bound to her seat.

  Second thing was to get her bearings. Her memory was a little fuzzy. She remembered driving and talking on the phone to someone. Her dad? That didn’t sound right, but she couldn’t recall who. There’d been something in the road. She’d hit something. A man? No, a wolf. No, an ATV. Oh, God! She’d hit someone.

  She jerked her head to the side, desperate to see if anyone lay outside the vehicle, and nearly passed out as pain lanced through her side, making her see stars. She closed her eyes again and panted. No sudden moves. She lost a few more moments gaining her breath and allowing the world to stop spinning. The next time she blinked her lids open, she made a point of only moving her head and saw nothing save the tree she’d hit. She needed to get out of the vehicle and back on the road. Maybe whoever she hit was up there. They might need help.

  Seatbelt. She needed the damn thing off. Her fingers fumbled with the release mechanism, but it wouldn’t give. No matter how she manipulated it—and her range of motion was limited—the damn thing wouldn’t release. With her focus turned toward it, she realized part of the reason she had trouble breathing was it had cinched tight, too tight. She had a knife in her backpack, but she had no idea where her bag was. Everything should have fallen forward. So where was the bag?

  Looked like she was the one who needed help, and her phone was no longer in the holder on the dash.

  “She’s human.” The words were snarled from somewhere close.

  “I told you she may have saved my life. He was getting ready to shoot. We’re returning the favor whether you like it or not.” The second voice was hard, commanding.

  “Here! I’m here!” she yelled. “Please! I’m here.”

  Silence. Deafening silence. Then a face appeared shrouded in thick waves of black hair. A pair of piercing gray eyes met hers through the driver-side window. Eyes she remembered.

  “I saw you.” A naked man…who’d turned into a wolf with glowing silvery eyes. “I’ve searched my whole life for you.”

  “Have you now?” The voice came from behind him, and her gaze flicked over to search for the speaker. Another man appeared by her wolf’s shoulder. She noticed his eyes first—bright emerald green, lighter toward the center. They were mesmerizing. Even more so when contrasted against his white-blond hair.

  Her wolf leaned toward her. “You’re hurt.” He reached out and cupped her face, smoothing his thumb over her jaw as he turned her face toward him.

  “I…I found you.”

  A slow smile curved his lips. “Looks like I’m the one who’s found you, beautiful.”

  “I’m stuck. I mean, my seatbelt’s stuck. I can’t get free.”

  “Get out of the way, Derrick, and let me check her over before you try to move her.”

  Derrick stepped aside, and the other man took his place.

  “Knot on your temple to go with that cut. Shouldn’t need stitches, but I won’t know for sure until I get it cleaned up. How’s the head?”

  “I’ll live.”

  “That’s a lot of blood. Are you sure there’re no other injuries?” Derrick asked, but she wasn’t sure if he was speaking to her or the other man.

  “Head wounds bleed a lot,” she answered automatically before answering his question. “My right wrist was injured on impact, but I don’t think it’s broken. And the limb snuggling with me took a layer of skin off my side. Superficial wounds at best. I’ll be fine.”

  “We’ll let the doctor be the judge of that,” Derrick said, glancing at the other man. “Cody?”

  “You’re a doctor?” she asked, though the questions hovering on her tongue were something different. Are you like him? Do you shift into a wolf, too? Can I watch? Can I touch you? You’re beautiful.

  “Let’s get you out of there first, then we’ll figure out the rest. Close your eyes for me.”

  She didn’t want to miss anything, not one moment with them. They’d disappear. She’d blink, and it would all be a dream. She didn’t want that. Not again. Not this time.

  “We won’t leave you,” Derrick said as if he read her fear. “Close your eyes, so we can work on getting your door open.

  She wasn’t sure what closing her eyes had to do with opening her door, but she complied.

  “I’m sorry,” Cody told her. “This will hurt.”

  She was ready to ask what when the sound of wrenching metal filled the vehicle. Her Jeep rocked, jarring her against the seatbelt and the limb. Pain shot through her side, and it took all her will not to throw up.

  “Breathe slow and easy for me,” Cody said, his voice a soft croon at her ear. She felt warmth as his hands moved over her. One part of her mind understood he had medical knowledge. His touch was sure and capable. He knew what he was doing. The other part wanted to lean into his touch, to rub against him, to burrow into him. Maybe, she’d hit her head harder than she’d thought.

  “Easy,” he urged again, and she realized she was whimpering.

  “You’re hurting her.” There was a snap of anger in Derrick’s voice.

  “No,” she whispered. “I’m fine.”

  “You’re doing good. You’re right. Everything seems to be on your right side. I’m going to reach across you and see about releasing this belt. It must have locked in the crash. Once we get it off, you should be able to breathe a little easier.”

  “It’s jammed,” she warned him.

  “Let’s see what I can do to help.”

  His arm grazed the underside of her breasts as he reached across her. She couldn’t hold back the gasp of pleasure. Her nipples tingled, puckering into tight buds that pressed with wanton need against her shirt. What the hell was wrong with her? A sane woman wouldn’t be reacting in such a sexual way with two strange men, one of whom she knew was more than human.

  “Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Derrick snarled, and she blinked her eyes open just in time to see his hand reach toward her. Instead of fingers with normal nails tipping them, she saw wicked claws extending from what looked like a blend of a human hand and a paw. He sliced the belt. Tore through it as if it were something soft and pliable.

  “Are you try
ing to fucking scare her?” Cody snapped.

  She wasn’t scared, though. She was fascinated and even more turned on. She reached out, wanting to touch him, but he was quicker, eluding her fingers.

  “We’ve got an issue.” Cody’s words brought her attention back to him, but his gaze was on Derrick.

  “Already picked up on it,” Derrick replied, then his gaze flicked to her. “We’ll have to take her with us.”

  “Way ahead of you there. Trying to figure out the best way to handle it.” Cody looked at her again.

  “Handle what?” she asked, but they ignored her.

  “Hand me the bag I brought with me.”

  She glanced back and forth between them as Derrick moved out of sight then returned carrying a fanny pack.

  “You carry a fanny pack?”

  Cody growled, and she would have sworn it was from an animal and not a man. She placed her hand on his chest, felt the vibration of sound and wanted to sink inside it. She closed her eyes and sighed. She’d found them. All her searching. All the trips, chasing one story after another in search of one kernel of truth.

  “I found you. Finally,” she stated, opening her eyes and soaking them in. Validation filled her. She’d been right all along. God, how she wished her mother was here to see them.

  Both men lifted their heads, tilting them in a way that made her think they were listening to something. She tried mimicking them but heard nothing unusual.

  “You found more than you bargained for. Hurry up, Cody. We need to go. Now.”

  Cody nodded, and she barely caught sight of the needle before it entered the side of her neck.

  “Sorry, love. We need to make a quick exit, and that side of yours is going to be an issue. I’ve given you a little something to help you sleep. Don’t worry. By the time you wake up, you’ll be back home in your bed. And we’ll be nothing more than a dream you had.”

  “No.” She shook her head frantically, blinking as she fought to stay awake. “Don’t make me forget you. I won’t forget you. Please! Please!”