Rogue Alpha: Wolf Shifter Romance (Wild Lake Wolves Book 1) (5 page)

I thought I saw a flash of gold through the trees,
but nothing moved and nothing came out into full view. It was a little early
for raccoons, but earlier in the week, one had tried to hop into the shower
with me. Hopefully, whatever it was scampered off after the racket I made.
Still, I kept one eye open as I stepped into the shower and tried to wash that
woodsy smell off me as best I could.

The water felt good. Warm. At least at first. It
helped me clear my head. Maybe Cam was right. I mean, for the love of God, in
this day and age there’s no way Byron Flood could be in the position he was if
he had a history of inappropriate behavior. Was there? Maybe my five brothers
and father made me extra paranoid where things like this were concerned. Still,
I knew how to watch my back. Having Cam around as a buffer should solve any
potential problems. Plus, I really wanted good news on the career front.
Michigan was so different from northern California. I kind of loved it here.
The lakes, the forests, something about it felt familiar. Like home. I could
see myself living here for the rest of my life. I had yet to experience snow. I
was moving into a new apartment off campus over Christmas break and was kind of
hoping for one of the legendary Michigan winters Cam warned me about.

Just as the water started to turn cold, I finished.
I toweled off quickly. Though I locked the door, being the only woman in a camp
filled with men made me extra cautious. I threw a G.L.U. hoodie over my shoulders,
laced up my Chucks, and rolled my jeans down over my ankles. The mosquitoes out
here showed no mercy. I hated spraying repellant all over my freshly showered skin
but had no choice if I didn’t want to get eaten alive. I compromised and
sprayed it mostly on my clothes.

Checking my phone, I had about fifteen minutes
before dinner in the mess hall. Just enough time to stash my stuff back in my
cabin and head out. I left the shower hall and darted across to my cabin. I
could see lights on in the mess hall, but everything else out here was pretty
quiet. In fact, Flood’s Jeep was gone. I noticed as I held out the screen door
to my cabin. Huh. Maybe I had more time than I thought.

I had that unsettling feeling again like something
was watching me through the trees. I turned back toward the woods. Sunlight
pierced through the tree tops, blinding me. I shielded my eyes but couldn’t see
anything. I went through the door and hooked the metal latch, locking the
screen door from the inside.

I threw my towel over the wicker chair in the corner
and grabbed a brush from my dresser and started the process of detangling my
hair. I’d let it grow long this summer, to the middle of my back. I’d inherited
my mother’s thick brown locks but none of her curl. Mine hung stick straight. I
flipped my head over and brushed from the nape of my neck down.

That’s when I saw his shoes.

Brown hiking boots with red laces. He wore them with
everything. He sat on the edge of my bed with one leg crossed over the other.

I flipped my head back over sending a shower of fat,
wet droplets across the room.

“What the hell are you doing in here?” I gripped the
handle of my brush as if it were a weapon.

“Relax,” Flood said. He wore a smirk on his face and
stared me up and down with open, naked lust. My heart thundered in my chest. I
could explain away what happened the other morning. This. This was unmistakable.
The asshole was in my room. He had unlocked the door. He was waiting for me.

Chapter Five

“I just wanted to talk. I sent Cam into town for
tomorrow’s supplies and the other students went out to the river to collect
some samples. Don’t expect any of them back for a couple of hours.” Flood’s
smile and tone didn’t seem to match the naked lust I saw burning in his eyes.

“Look, I think you should go.” Some part of my brain
told me I should play along. Diffuse the situation. Danger signals pulsed
through me. The air felt thick in my lungs as I tried to breathe.

Flood just smiled and cocked his head to the side.
“I’m not going to bite you, Laura. Why are you so jumpy? I told you earlier, I
wanted to talk about your future. You’re talented, Laura. Capable. Bright.
Ambitious. All the things this program needs. If you let me mentor you, I know
you’re going to do great things.”

He leaned back, stretching himself out as he rested
his weight on his elbows. On my fucking bed!

“Look. This just flat out isn’t appropriate.” I
decided to go with the direct approach. Give the guy an out. “I’m not some
prude and I appreciate you’re taking an interest in me academically and
professionally, but that is
all
I’m interested in. For now though, I
need you to get out of my room.”

He kept the smile on his face and tilted his chin
toward me. He rose slowly from the bed and came toward me. I stepped to the
side so he could get out of the cabin, my heart pounding so hard it almost
hurt. I tried to keep my breath steady, not wanting to show him that I was
afraid. Fear wasn’t even it really, shock was more like it.

Flood reached his arm out. I thought he was going
for the latch on the screen door. Instead, he grabbed my arm and jerked me
toward him, his fingers digging into my upper arm.

He pulled me against him, smashing his lips down on
mine. I stiffened. His tongue invaded me, he pushed me forward, angling me
cruelly backward so that I nearly lost my balance. I pushed back hard, biting
down on his bottom lip until I tasted blood.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

He pulled away but didn’t loosen his grip on my
arms. He tightened it, his fingers cutting into me hard enough I knew he’d
leave bruises. I went outside of myself for an instant. This was happening. He
was actually here and pushing this to a level I hadn’t been prepared for.

“Fuck!” He shouted, licking his lip where the blood
flowed. “Try that again and you’ll be sorry.”

“Get your fucking hands off me,” I said. Rage made
my voice low, sinister. I didn’t sound like myself.

He shoved me hard toward the bed. I landed face
down. Before I could scramble away, Flood was on me. He flipped me over and
pressed his knees between my thighs, trying to pry them open. I brought my knee
up hard, but I didn’t have enough leverage to do any damage.

“You’re a tease,” he hissed in my face. “I know
girls like you. You prance around in your tight jeans. You like the attention.
Admit it.”

“Go to hell, you sick freak.” I pushed against him
but he held me down. Some far corner of my brain even now told me this couldn’t
be happening. Not really. He couldn’t actually be thinking of doing this to me.

“Grow up!” he said, jerking me up hard then pushing
me flat against the bed again. “This is how it works, Laura. You want something
from me, you gotta give a little.”

“That’s not how it works, asshole.” I pushed against
him. “That’s how rape works. Is that your deal? I see you set this up perfect
for yourself. Got rid of Cam.”

Flood smiled. He held me down with his forearm
across my chest. He took his free hand and brushed the hair out of my face.
“God, you’re beautiful. What the hell are you doing out here? You could be a
model.”

I couldn’t help it. I laughed. I felt the first icy
fingers of panic snake their way up my spine. It was such a ridiculous line.
One more suited for someone in a seedy bar, not pinning me down ready to hurt
me.

“Don’t pretend you don’t want this, Laura. It’s me.
I’ve seen the way you look at me. I know you wore those tight skirts in class
just so I’d notice. Well, I did.”

What? “No!” I shouted. “Is that what you need to
hear to get it through your head? No! I don’t want this. I want you to get the
hell off me and get out of here. I’m going home.”

He loosened his grip a little. His eyes widened as
if something I’d said really did surprise him. God, could he be that
delusional? Did he really think this was something I wanted?

“You go home you’re finished. I’m offering you your
dream shot. One recommendation from me is all you need to get into the honors
program and the grad program after that.”

“I said get
off
me! I don’t want anything
from you. Least of all this. No means no, asshole.”

Flood’s eyes widened again then darkened. My blood
ran cold as I swear I saw a decision settle in his mind. He clenched his teeth
and pressed his forearm against my chest even harder so I could barely breathe.
At that moment, I understood fully. This man was capable of hurting me. Really
hurting me.

“Stupid little bitch. Fine. We can play it this way
too. Do you know what I can do to you? You have no idea who I am or what I can
do.”

He reached down and fumbled with the zipper on my
jeans as I started to struggle in earnest, trying to bite, kick, claw at him
any way I could. I felt his fingers digging into my waistband and pulling
downward. It was then I let out a scream. It came from some deep, primal part of
me, so loud Flood winced for a moment but didn’t stop his advance.

He had his own jeans undone and began to pull mine
down. I took a breath and screamed again. I got a hand up and managed to rake
three fingers down the side of his face, drawing blood.

A growl rose behind Flood’s shoulder. So deep and
loud I felt it in my body as much as I heard it with my ears. Something shifted
in the air around me. I saw a dark flash in the doorway, moving fast. Then, the
screen buckled and tore from the door frame.

The dark wolf lunged in a great arc, its massive
paws ripping into Flood’s back. He never even saw it coming.

But I did.

It pulled Flood off me, sending him tumbling to the
ground. He landed hard on his ass and scooted backward, pressing his back
against the wall.

Flood screamed. I saw terror fill his eyes as the
wolf stalked closer to him. “You can’t. You fucking can’t! They’re gonna kill
your ass so dead.”

Some detached part of my brain tried to make sense
of what Flood said. He was talking to the wolf as if the creature could
understand him. Who were they? Who was going to kill him?

The wolf hovered over him, teeth bared, his lips
curled. He snapped his jaws once and advanced on Professor Flood. I scrambled
off the bed and moved toward the door. The black wolf took his eyes off Flood
for a moment and turned them to me. His eyes flashed and he tilted his snout up
slightly.

My world flipped upside down. In that instant,
everything I worked for crumbled to dust. My arms ached from where Flood had
bruised me. But, when the wolf looked at me, somehow I understood him with
perfect clarity. A single thought flooded my brain.

Run!

I had the presence of mind to grab my backpack from
the floor by the door. Then I burst through the ruined screen door and ran out
of the cabin as fast as my feet would carry me.

Chapter Six

I tore off toward the trail not knowing exactly
where I’d go. I just knew I needed to get as far away from Byron Flood as I
could. The wolf’s howl rose again, sending a flash of heat through me. I wasn’t
scared of him. I knew I should be. What happened with Flood was horrifying.
Maybe I was in shock. But the wolf. He . . . spoke to me. Not with words, but
still, somehow I swore I understood him. A rational corner of my brain told me
this was impossible. I was in shock. This couldn’t be happening.

Even as I put distance between myself and Flood,
something in me wanted to go back. I wanted to be where the wolf was. I wanted
to see him again. Yet somehow, I knew what he wanted me to do. As much as I
felt compelled to go to his side, I knew I had to do what he told me. Run. Get
away.

I tore off down the trail, adjusting my pack on my
shoulders. I still had enough daylight to make it to the ranger station before
dark. I could get there. Call for help. Get on a bus. Anything to get me as far
away from the camp as possible.

I don’t know how long I ran. Maybe a mile. Then, as
I rounded a curve, the Jeep came barreling toward me from the other direction.
For a split second, I thought Flood had followed me. Then, I realized the car
was coming from the wrong way. I saw Cam behind the wheel. He slammed on the
breaks just before hitting me as I dove toward the trees. Mud splashed all over
my jeans. Cam rolled down the window.

“Jesus! Laura! What the hell are you doing out
here?”

Cam stepped out of the Jeep and helped me back to my
feet. I don’t know what I must have looked like to him. My damp hair hung in
strings with leaves and twigs stuck in it. Beads of sweat poured down my face.
His eyes widened in shock as he looked me up and down.

“What happened?”

“I’m done,” I said past a dry throat.

“What?”

“Your boss is sick, Cam. He was waiting for me in my
cabin as soon as you left. He tried to . . . he wanted to . . .”

God. I couldn’t get the words out. How could I
explain it to him? Cam just looked at me, his brow furrowed, shaking his head
from side to side.

“He’s a pervert all right? Straight up. Can you
drive me out of here?”

“Where are you going to go?”

I lost it then. My voice rose to almost a shriek. “I
don’t care. Anywhere! To the ranger station. To the bus station. Anywhere Byron
Flood isn’t. I’m calling the fucking police, Cam. He assaulted me. If it hadn’t
been for . . .”

I stopped. I don’t know why. But, I just couldn’t
bring myself to tell him about the wolf. Not yet.

“What? Why? Laura. Just hold on. What happened?”

I’d lost my temper and my patience. My blood boiled.
Cam had left the Jeep running and I tried to brush past him to get to the
driver’s seat. Cam curled his fingers around my arm and stopped me. I winced,
as he gripped me where Flood has bruised me.

“Hang on! Laura! Wait, will you?’

“I don’t want to wait! I want to get as far away
from this place as possible. You can either come with me or get out of the
way.”

Cam hesitated for a fraction of a second. He looked
toward the camp, then back at me. I knew what I was asking of him. If he went
with me, it wouldn’t just be my academic future in the shitter. But, one way or
the other, Byron Flood was done too. I didn’t care what happened to me. That
fucker was going down. I had the bruises on my arms to prove it.

Cam’s shoulders dropped and he nodded. “Yeah. Yeah.
Okay. Just get in. I’ll drive you.”

 I let out a trembling sigh and let Cam help me into
the passenger seat of the Jeep. He reached over and buckled me in. Then, he got
behind the wheel and started to drive.

Except he was going the wrong way. He was heading
straight back to the camp.

 “Cam,” I said, trying to keep my voice even. “Flood
just tried to rape me. Do you understand me?” I pulled up my sleeve and showed
him the bruises. The deepest ones on my upper arm were already beginning to
blacken. You could clearly see the outline of four fingers and a thumbprint
near my armpit.

I saw a muscle twitch near Cam’s eye, but he didn’t
say anything. He blinked slowly and kept his eyes on the road. New dread made
my blood run cold.

“Cam, turn around.”

Cam just pressed his foot harder on the gas. He was
going too fast for me to jump out. I smashed my fist against the side of the
door.

“Cam, please turn around.”

He gritted his teeth together and shot me a
rage-filled look. “Just sit quiet. All you had to do was keep your mouth shut.
He wouldn’t hurt you.”

“He
did
hurt me. That’s what I’m trying to
tell you. What the fuck is wrong with you?” As soon as I asked the question, I
saw the answer in Cam’s eyes. He wasn’t my friend. He belonged to Byron Flood.
His right-hand man. His protégé. I felt deeply stupid. I was completely on my
own now and headed back to a place of danger.

We headed through the wooden arch over the entrance
to the camp. I don’t know what I expected. Cam slowed the Jeep to a crawl to
avoid the large, pocked holes in the driveway made from last night’s rain. I
kept my eyes trained straight ahead, looking at the still open door to my
cabin. The torn screen flapped in the breeze.

Cam stopped the Jeep in the center of the path
separating the cabins. I just stared straight ahead at the flapping screen door
to mine. Was Flood still in there? Was the wolf? Cam opened the door and
started to get out.

Maybe I could still make a run for it. If the black
wolf was still there, I knew he wouldn’t try to hurt me, crazy as that seemed.
I watched, hoping Cam would get careless and leave the keys in the ignition.
Then, an unmistakable howl rose from all around us, the sound echoing off the
buildings.

“What the fuck was that?”

I never had time to answer. Cam stood half in and
half out of the Jeep. A silver flash came through the trees, and before I could
even react, a set of jaws clamped down on Cam’s arm and pulled him from the
Jeep the rest of the way. It was another wolf.

Cam screamed, so did I. Blood spurted from the wound
on Cam’s arm and he slumped to his knees. His skin was white and waxy. It was a
deep wound, but not fatal. I fumbled with my seatbelt and tried to get out. Two
giant paws smacked against my window. They belonged to a different, snarling,
gray wolf. His fangs glistened as he tried to break through the door and get to
me.

Ahead of me, two other wolves tore out from behind
the other cabins, joining in the center of the camp. Another wolf, this one
bigger than the rest loped slowly around one of the cabins. He stood in the
center of the camp and howled. He had golden eyes, just like my black wolf. But
this one was different. He had deep red fur and when he turned to me, stone
cold fear ran through me. He squared his body, turning to face me. His eyes
bore straight through me.

“Laura!” Cam screamed as he held the wound on his
arm. Then Cam staggered off behind one of the cabins, leaving me alone with the
wolves. The gray wolf beside him looked up at me; blood covered its snout as he
snapped his jaws. This one’s eyes were green and filled with bloodlust. There
were wolves everywhere, but I didn’t see the black one. Maybe he was still with
Flood.

The instant I thought it, I saw Flood stumble out of
my cabin. His shirt was torn and his chest lay open with gaping wounds made
from claw marks. He staggered toward the car. The rest of the wolves merely
watched him go but made no move to attack him.

I tried to climb over the console and get to the
driver’s seat. Two wolves at the center of the camp walked toward me heading
straight for the Jeep. The great red wolf, their leader, stood stoic as he
watched the other members of his pack close the distance between us.

The red wolf stood frozen, staring at me, before he
lifted his head and let out a howl that rent the air and speared through me.
The other wolves froze and turned to him. Then they turned and stared at me.
God, I understood it somehow. Me. He wanted them to go after me. The red wolf
began to walk toward me slowly as the other wolves fell into step beside him.

Flood got to me first. He held his arm in front of
him at an odd angle. A small bone protruded from his forearm.

“This is your fault, you bitch!” Flood gasped.
Madness clouded his eyes and made his voice raise an octave higher than normal.

“Go to hell,” I said, my own voice ragged.

“You’re finished,” he said, clutching his wrecked
arm. “At the college. Everywhere. You think I’m going to let some little cocktease
slut like you get away with this? You’ll be lucky if expulsion is the worst
thing that happens to you. This is my park. My people.”

His what? I kept my eyes fixed on the approaching wolves.
Three of them advanced. The only protection I had was the Jeep, and another
gray wolf pawed at the window beside me. His great claws seemed sharp enough to
cut through the glass.

“That’s right,” Flood screamed. “I hope they rip
your fucking guts out!”

Why the fuck weren’t they ripping Flood’s out? I got
my leg out from underneath me and moved toward the driver’s side. If I could
just get there and get the car in gear before the rest of the pack descended on
me.

Then, the wolves stopped coming. The driver’s side
door flew open.

“Move over.” A deep voice penetrated the panic in my
brain and I turned to look to its source.

He stood there, appearing out of nowhere. His broad
shoulders filled the door frame. He was shirtless; a muscle at his neck
twitched as he looked down at me, and those amber eyes flashed with menace. His
dark hair was plastered to his forehead with sweat.

Mr. Devane. Mal.

With one swift movement, he climbed into the
driver’s seat and slammed the car into reverse then spun it around. The wolves
charged us. There were five of them now. The red leader had joined his pack, and
now each of them was hellbent on getting to me. Flood stood in the center of
the camp, his body quaking with crazed laughter.

Mal downshifted and pressed the gas. The wheels spun
in the mud. Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. He swore,
clenched his jaw, then gripped the gear shift hard then slammed it home. The
Jeep lurched forward, rocked back, and then tires found purchase and Mal hit
the gas.

I turned at last, pressing my hands against the
window. I leaned my forehead against the window as the wolves broke into a run
behind us.

 “Buckle up!” Mal shouted. He turned to me, his eyes
blazing. “They aren’t going to stop until they tear you to shreds!”