Rogue Alpha: Wolf Shifter Romance (Wild Lake Wolves Book 1) (6 page)

Chapter Seven

Mal skillfully navigated the backwoods trail,
dodging fallen branches and deep divots in the road. But, he couldn’t go much
faster than thirty miles an hour. It seemed painfully slow as the five wolves
gave chase behind us. I chanced a look in the rearview mirror.

“They’re gaining. How can they be gaining?”

Mal kept his eyes straight ahead, white-knuckling
the steering wheel. He spoke through gritted teeth. “They’ll have to fall back
as soon as we hit pavement. If we make it that far.”

Terror gripped my heart. The wolves kept coming. We
passed the mile marker and the trail sign pointing to the ranger station. But,
Mal veered the Jeep in the other direction toward the highway. I pressed my
eyes shut, in some childish attempt to hide from the wolves. If they I couldn’t
see them, they couldn’t see me. I could pretend the last hour hadn’t happened. That
I hadn’t nearly lost my life. My career. My friend. Fucking Cam.

I opened my eyes and looked at Mal. God, he was big.
Strong. Shirtless, his shoulders flexed as he took a hard curve, making me
lurch toward him. He wore faded jeans that hugged his thigh muscles. I looked
down. He was barefoot. What had he been doing alone in the woods dressed like
that?

“Where are we going?”

Mal took his eyes off the road for an instant and
looked at me. His amber eyes sparked as he clenched the muscles of his jaw. “I
have a safe house. They can’t keep up this pace for very much longer.”

Mal took another sharp turn down a trail heading
east. It led to nowhere. The closest paved road was a few miles in the opposite
direction. Suddenly, I understood. He meant to lead the wolves on a chase until
they wore out. Only then would he start for his true destination.

“Why are they after us? Where did they come from?
Where did
you
come from?”

“Later,” Mal said. “Let’s just focus on losing them.”

I nodded and checked the side mirror. Sure enough,
the pack began to lose ground. They still followed, but they’d dropped back a
few yards. Mal pressed the gas as hard as he dared. A low-hanging branch
slammed against my door, startling me.

“Hang on,” Mal said. “There’s a sharp turn coming
up. I don’t want to slow down.”

I gripped the dashboard and braced my feet on the
floor. Mal jerked the wheel hard right. The wheels spun, and for an instant, I
thought we would tip. But, Mal executed the turn and pressed the accelerator
again, taking the Jeep up to almost forty.

We drove through the trails like that for a few more
minutes. Mal took so many turns I knew he had to have circled back at least
once. I’d gotten hopelessly lost and hoped he knew where he was going. He
seemed to. Then finally, when I felt brave enough to turn and look, the wolves
were gone. I heard a plaintive howl; turning to Mal, I saw the hairs raise on
the back of his neck. He kept his eyes on the road and his fists gripped the
steering wheel. He made one more turn, and the dirt trail beneath our tires
gave way to gravel. We were headed toward the highway.

I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been
holding. Mal turned on the headlights. A mile marker appeared, indicating we
were just three miles from the nearest town. For the first time, I felt my
heart begin to slow. We’d made it. Or, we’d almost made it.

Mal made the turn onto the highway and I could
almost breathe normally again. Though my hands shook as I raised them to pull
the zipper on my hoodie. Full night now, a chill ran through me. He drove for a
few miles, then took an exit back toward the forest.

“We’re almost there,” he said. “When we stop, stay
in the car for a minute until I make sure it’s clear.”

“Okay.”

Mal turned down a dirt road deeper into the woods.
He parked the Jeep beside a big oak tree and got out. Its occupant, a pissed
off owl, hooted in protest. Mal got out of the Jeep and put his finger to his
lips motioning me to keep quiet.

He rounded the front of the Jeep and disappeared
into the brush. My heart started to pound again. I was alone in the woods, far
from anyplace I knew, with a virtual stranger. I should have been terrified,
and I was. But somehow, I trusted Mal to keep me safe. That said, I wasn’t an
idiot. I unbuckled my seatbelt and crawled over the seat to get to the back of
the Jeep.

Flood kept supplies under a tarp behind the
passenger seats. I lifted the corner and felt along the floor. The moon
provided a little natural light, and I was afraid to switch on the interior
lights. I found a flashlight, a canteen. I stuffed that into my backpack and
kept looking. My fingers closed around the cold metal barrel of his 12 gauge
shotgun. The one he’d used to shoot at the black wolf the other day.

“Gotcha!” I whispered. I pulled the gun over the
seat and laid it flat. I felt around on the floor. He had a small box of ammo. Twelve
rounds. Hopefully, I wouldn’t need any of it, but there was no point in leaving
it behind. I shoved that in my backpack, grabbed the shotgun, and crawled back
over into front passenger seat to wait for Mal.

He came through the thick of the trees. The
moonlight caught his eyes, making them glow a familiar gold that sent a ripple
of fear and recognition through me. I shook it off. My eyes were playing tricks
on me. It had been a rough hour and a half.

“Come on,” he said, coming around to the passenger
side he opened my door. He gave me no more than a slight eyebrow raise when he
saw the shotgun in my hand. “We need to get inside. You sure you can handle
that thing without shooting yourself in the foot?”

I slung it over my shoulder. “I’m sure. You got a
problem with me taking it?”

Mal shrugged and shook his head. “No ma’am. As long
as it doesn’t slow you down.”

With that, he turned and headed into the thick of
the trees. He didn’t order me to follow him. I could have turned around and
gotten back in the Jeep. Maybe that was the wisest choice. And yet, as Mal’s
silhouette in the moonlight got farther away, my heart raced. A different kind
of panic rose in me as the distance between us widened. Before I could even
process the thought, I took a hesitant step toward him. Then another. I left
the Jeep and everything familiar to me as I followed Mal Devane deeper into the
woods.

Chapter Eight

We walked for almost an hour. The forest grew thick
around us. No trails marked the way, but Mal knew exactly where he was going. I
had to practically run to keep up with him with his long, powerful strides. He
looked back to make sure I was there but otherwise didn’t stop. It seemed like
a test. Could I handle myself with him? God. None of it made sense. I’d been
operating on nothing but base instinct since Byron Flood attacked me. And
though I couldn’t explain it, it
mattered
that Mal knew I could handle
myself.

Finally, we made it to another clearing. At the
center, another log cabin much like those back at the G.L.U. outpost, but I’d
never seen this one before. We were still in Manistee Forest, but as far as I
knew, this place wasn’t charted on any of the maps.

“It’s mine,” Mal said though I hadn’t voiced my
question. “Or at least, it is now. We should be safe enough for the night. The
pack’s lost the scent by now. They’ll retreat until morning.”

Mal opened the door of the cabin and walked inside.
I followed. He shut it and latched it behind us, leaving us in total darkness.
Blind, I could somehow still sense Mal as he moved deeper into the room. He
fumbled with something then a propane lantern flared to life, casting ghostly
shadows across his face.

The cabin was simple. One rectangular room with a
bed and blankets on one side, a fireplace in the center, and a kitchen on the
other side with a coal burning stove and a sink.

“Running water from a well out back,” Mal said.
“Sorry, that’s the most luxurious thing I’ve got out here.”

“Thank you,” I said, and the room got quiet. He knew
I wasn’t talking about the cabin’s accommodations. He didn’t know me. He owed
me nothing. But, he’d very likely saved my life back there and risked his own
to bring me here.

Mal raised a brow and nodded. I noticed the cut
above his eye again. Fresh blood oozed from the corner of it. He must have
scraped it against a branch or something while we walked. It didn’t seem to
bother him as he set the lantern on a stone ledge above the fireplace. He
grabbed another one from against the wall and lit it, casting the cabin in
warm, flickering orange light.

He stood there for a moment regarding me. His eyes
glinted as he towered over me. I hadn’t looked at him before. Not this close.
Not this way. Dark stubble peppered his square jaw. I wondered what it would
feel like brushing against my skin. As soon as the thought entered my mind,
heat flashed through me and took my breath away.

“Are you all right?” He kept his deep voice low,
barely above a whisper. Still, the sound of it vibrated in my ears.

I looked behind me. The only furnishings in the room
were the bed and two cane chairs against the wall. I grabbed one of those and
pulled it into the center of the room. My knees felt weak all of a sudden. This
was the first moment I’d had to take a breath since everything started. I sank
slowly into the chair.

“Where did you come from? I mean, what were you
doing at the camp?”

Something flickered behind Mal’s eyes. He rested one
arm on the stone mantel and brushed his chin with his fingers as he considered
my question. Then, he looked back at me, his eyes boring straight through me
hard enough to make me shudder.

“Did he hurt you?”

He? My breath hitched as my mind flashed to the gray
wolf as he tried to claw his way through the passenger door and get to me.
“No,” I finally said. “It just scared me. I mean, you saw. It never even
touched me.”

Then, I finally lost it. A lump traveled from low in
my gut and settled in my throat. Tears welled in my eyes and I knew I’d go very
near the edge of hysteria if I started crying now. But, I couldn’t help it. Flood
would have hurt me, really hurt me. Cam was supposed to be my friend, and his
betrayal stung the most. He led me back to that asshole like he meant to serve
me up to him like dessert. Then there were the wolves. Except for the black
wolf, they meant to tear me apart. There was no mistaking that. I couldn’t help
the dark thoughts that rose up within me as I fantasized about the lethal force
the black wolf used to tear Flood off of me.

“What made them do that?” I said. I drew my knees up
and hugged them, knowing full well what I must look like to Mal, huddled in
that chair like that. He came to me, kneeled down on one knee and put a hand on
my shoulder. His touch seared me and made me jolt.

“What’s your name?” he said, that deep timbre of his
voice skittering across my skin. “I don’t even know it.”

“What? Oh, right. It’s Laura. Laura Prince.”

A smirk lifted his mouth and he brought his hand up
and ran the pad of his thumb across my forehead. “Princess, huh? Seems
fitting.”

I choked back a sob and it came out as an
undignified snort. “Prince. I’m nobody’s princess.”

Mal shrugged and rose. “We’ll see about that. In the
meantime, Princess. Why don’t you try and get some sleep? You’ve had a long
day. I’ll take you back to civilization in the morning.”

The air seemed to go out of my lungs. Shit. It had
to be the trauma of the day. I wasn’t myself. But, the idea of Mal taking me
anywhere that wasn’t where he was filled me with cold fear. I flat out didn’t
want to leave his side. It made no sense. He was a stranger. I’d just been
through so much I latched on to the first person who acted like a human being.

“Take the bed.”

“What about you?”

Mal stood near the door. He cocked his head to the
side as he regarded me. “I don’t need much sleep. Not tonight anyway. I want to
do a sweep, make sure they didn’t pick up the scent.”

Fear shot through me, making my heart race again. “I
don’t understand it. Why did those wolves attack like that? Why did they chase
us? Why weren’t they attacking Cam or anyone else at the camp?”

Mal blew out a breath. His eyes fixed on some point
over my head. This was the second time I’d watched him pause like that before
answering my question. It made me angry this time. He knew far more about what
was going on than he seemed willing to tell me.

“Look,” I said rising. I took a step toward him. “What
happened back there wasn’t normal. I’m no expert, but I know wolves don’t
behave like that. And they don’t belong this far south. And I believed you when
you said those fuckers were after me next. I know it sounds strange, but I
could see it in their eyes. They wanted to rip my throat out. Why? And how the
hell did you know to come out there? You’re half-dressed and in bare feet. Why
didn’t they rip
your
throat out?”

Mal clenched his jaw hard. I didn’t mean to snap at
him. I was grateful for what he’d done. But, at that moment, panic, fatigue,
maybe a little post-traumatic stress . . . all of it won out,, leaving me
quaking with rage. I wanted answers. I wanted everything that happened in the
last hour to make sense. This man knew something. He didn’t belong in the camp.
He just happened to be there when everything turned upside down. As I thought
it, fresh panic crept through me, spreading icy tentacles across my spine.

“Just go to sleep, Princess,” he said. I reeled back
from his words as if he’d slapped me. What the ever loving fuck?

Then, Mal’s face softened as he sensed the rage and
indignation boiling to the surface in me. He took a step forward and placed his
hands on my upper arms. His touch was gentle but I winced. My tender skin ached
where Professor Flood had bruised me.

Something passed through Mal’s eyes. A muscle
twitched in his temple.

“Show me,” he said, his voice dark with menace.

“What?”

“Show me where he hurt you.”

I took a step back, but Mal kept his hands on me
with a firm but gentle grip.

“I’m fine.”

“I won’t ask you again. Show me.”

I jerked myself away from him. It was in me to
protest. It was none of his business. But, the way Mal looked at me, his eyes
filled with equal parts rage and concern, my heart cracked down the middle and
I didn’t want to deny him anything. Something powerful was happening inside me
as I stood in that room with him. I didn’t understand it. I knew I should
probably be afraid of it. But, I wanted nothing more than to give in to it.

Slowly, I unzipped my hoodie and pulled my arms out
of the sleeves. Underneath, I wore a thin, white tank top. Cool air brushed
across my skin, raising gooseflesh on my arms. I shuddered. Mal stepped closer,
holding one of the lanterns in his hands. He closed his fingers around the
elbow of my right arm and gently lifted it so he could see the deep, purple
bruises covering my upper arm. They formed the perfect outline of Flood’s
hands. The bruise on my left arm was even worse, mottled black and green.

Mal’s whole body went rigid as his eyes darted over
my marred skin. His jaw quaked as he ground his teeth together. A low rumbling
came from his throat that sounded primal, animalistic.

“It could have been worse,” I finally said, trying
to break the tension. Mal didn’t take his eyes off the bruises. “He wanted to .
. .”

Before I could finish, Mal looked at me. “You think
I don’t know what he wanted? I could fucking smell it on him. I never should
have let you go back to that place with him. I’m sorry I didn’t get there
faster.”

“What are you talking about? How could you?” Then, I
remembered Mal’s warning when I first met him at the general store. Was he
trying to tell me he could sense Flood’s intentions even then?

I took a step back and this time, Mal let me go. I
wanted to ask him a million other questions, but something in his face, his
posture, made me stop. “Just try and get some sleep,” he said, his voice
softer, calmer now. It made me calmer too. I couldn’t explain it, but it was
like his moods affected mine. Was I so traumatized that I couldn’t even
regulate my own emotions? The idea of that unsettled me almost as much as
everything else that happened today.

“I’ll keep watch,” he said. “I swear. Nothing’s getting
near you tonight. You’re safe.”

I nodded. Suddenly, the need for sleep became so
powerful, I think I might have dropped right there if the bed weren’t so close.
I went to it, crawling to the head. The mattress was firm. A soft down
comforter covered it, and all I wanted to do was sink into the thing and
disappear for a few hours. I kicked off my shoes and pulled the covers around
me, already overcome with drowsiness.

“You can take the shotgun,” I said, yawning and
pointing to where I’d leaned it against the wall.

Mal gripped the doorknob and watched me as I settled
under the covers. “Thanks, but I’m deadlier without it.”