Rogue Wolf (15 page)

A rational response. “So when a wolf goes Lone, you said they have rules and laws?”

“Yes. No mating. No alliances. No intrusion on pack territory unless invited. No revealing to humans…standard stuff. The idea is if you are alone, you are alone.”

“He dislikes you because you helped him?”

“Hmm.” She sighed then shook her head. “No, not because I helped him. Even at seventeen, he was a powerful wolf. He also grieved for his parents and, in hindsight, likely for his mate.” Margo pursed her lips. “He didn’t like the rules and he liked my appearances even less. So, to make short order of any potential rebellion and to keep him in line until he could control his own temper, I beat the crap out of him.”

Salvatore didn’t smile, though pride expanded in his gut. No wonder the Alpha didn’t like Margo. Dominance fights weren’t unusual, but they could leave a nasty flavor in the mouth. “More than once I presume?”

“At least until I couldn’t beat him anymore, though it was only a couple of real fights. Mason’s a good wolf, a solid one. He built alliances of his own and that’s all the information on him you’re getting out of me.”

Yet, she’d already given him a great deal more insight than he possessed earlier. “You like him. You’re proud of him.” As she should be. She’d been tasked with his survival, and he’d grown strong enough to take a pack. Recalling Julian’s dig at her for losing track of one of her wolves—“He’s the one who got away from you.”

“Not exactly, but we’ll leave it at that for now.” She merged onto a highway and turned her headlights on. “Let’s hope that your sister is still where she was. Y’know, if she’s calling your mother…she’s not being held captive.”

He nodded. The thought already occurred to him. For all their sakes, he hoped his sister had a good explanation.

Four hours later, the clock approached midnight and they’d found the location his sister called from—soaked down in bleach. Livid, Nelson stomped to his bike as Margo explained they needed to contain the information. Luciana had to have used the landline, though the number appeared to be disconnected. The house was bigger than the last. They’d verified the address with Nelson’s list of wolves. It belonged to one of his Lone Wolves.

Salvatore couldn’t pretend to misunderstand the meaning. Bleached interiors, vanished wolves, and no trace to follow…whatever was going on with Rayne and Luciana, they were involved with the missing wolves. The only question remaining was whether Rayne was behind it and how he’d dragged Salvatore’s sister into a disaster of epic proportions.

“Julian will need to notify the Alphas,” Nelson growled and Margo nodded.

“I agree. They need to know. This is getting bigger. All the Enforcers need to track every missing wolf. If they are moving west, we’re heading for Willow Bend, Delta Crescent or Sutter Butte.”

“Why not Hudson River? From all reports, the pack is still in disarray over what happened…”

Margo waved her hand. “I was there, not four days ago. They’re buttoned up tight and they are not trusting anyone. If this is a coup attempt, I don’t think they’d get past the sentries and Hunters, much less get to the Alpha. Brett is in the least forgiving mood I’ve ever seen him in.”

“What are you going to do about him?”

As the him in question, Salvatore regarded the pair of the Enforcers. “I am going nowhere until I find my sister.”

“Not asking you to,” Margo said, exhaustion etched into every part of her face. “We need to regroup, and we need to know where they’re heading. Who are the closest Lone Wolves to this location?”

“I’ve got a couple in Alabama. They’re south about four hours, but that’s right on the edge of Delta Crescent.”

Salvatore concentrated on the link to his sister. It was so faint as to be almost non-existent, but it was still there. “They’re not going south.” The tug was west.

Margo narrowed her eyes. “That’s useful…where are they going?”

“I only get a sense of west—not north or south, straight west.”

“That’s takes them toward my territory. Oklahoma City has three Lone Wolves in it, they keep their distance from each other, but they have a monthly poker game.”

“Margo.” Nelson seized her arm, jerking her around. “That’s against the rules.”

Crossing the intervening space before he could even consider the action, he had Nelson’s arm in his grip and he squeezed. “Let her go.”

The wolf’s eyes widened and met his in a clash of wills. Done with the games on all sides, Salvatore let the other man see his wolf, understand exactly who he was dealing with. The dark-skinned wolf opened his hands, releasing Margo and Salvatore walked him backward, away from her.

“Don’t ever touch her again. Do I make myself clear?” He would tear out his throat if he so much as dared any other action than acquiescence.

“Salvatore.” Margo’s voice was soft, brushing against the rage flowing through him. Then her fingers stroked down his arm, and he let Nelson go. She replaced Nelson in front of him as the other wolf retreated several steps. With careful hands, she framed Salvatore’s face, cupping his cheeks. The light tug dragged his gaze from Nelson to Margo.

“There he is. I’m fine. I can totally kick Nelson’s ass.”

“You wish,” the other man said, then shut up abruptly as Margo growled.

Fascinated by her growl and satisfied with the other wolf’s distance, Salvatore kept his focus on her. “You don’t have to defend yourself if I am here,” he told her. “I promised to keep you safe.”

“Yes you did. You did a great job.” The barest note of patronizing humor penetrated the quiet fury and he glared at her.

“You’re mocking me.”

Her sudden smile erased his irritation. “Only a little. Better—you’re back.” She patted his cheek. When she would have stepped away, he caught her fingers with his. “Hey, now. Keep the handsy-grabbsy stuff to a minimum.”

The sub vocal words reminded him of the other wolf’s presence. Salvatore didn’t give a damn what that wolf thought, but he did care about Margo’s needs. Releasing her reluctantly, he stared at the other wolf. He needed to keep his distance.

“Thank you.” Very real gratitude occupied her tone and she pivoted, facing Nelson and raising her voice. “Yes, it’s only borderline breaking the rules. They play a monthly poker game, but they are loose friends. They don’t socialize outside of the game and it helps satisfy their need to be around other wolves.”

“Julian’s going to kill you.”

The threat rooted Salvatore.

Margo shrugged. “Right now, that’s the least of our problems. I know them. I’ll call and check on them and warn them about what’s coming. In the meanwhile, we need to get ahead of them. Whoever
them
is.”

Scrubbing a hand over his face, Nelson dropped his gaze and nodded. “I’ll keep your secret, but not going to keep it long. You let Mason slip your watch, and he a took a whole
pack
…”

“You know that’s a bunch of bullshit. Mason had every right to Alpha Challenge for his pack. Toman Carlyle was a piece of shit, and we know that. We’ve always known it. Mason’s a better Alpha. If you want to blame me for him taking a pack, knock yourself out. I sleep just fine at night.”

The animosity flaring between the two kept Salvatore completely focused on Nelson. The Enforcer gave more ground, then said, “Look, we’re all tired. We should get some sleep, and get hunting tomorrow.”

“Not a bad idea.” Margo rubbed the back of her neck. They’d been going most of the day. The reminder of her earlier weariness decided Salvatore.

“Go away,” he told the Enforcer and didn’t bother to disguise the power in his voice or the violent need he had for the wolf to disappear. He didn’t have to say it twice. The Enforcer headed down the hill to reclaim his motorcycle, leaving Salvatore and Margo alone.

“Hey,” she said, spinning to face him. “You need to dial that cr—”

Covering her mouth with his hand, Salvatore crowded her. “Enough. No more arguments or semantics. You’re exhausted, and so am I. I needed him gone. I was going to kill him if he kept speaking to you as he was.”

Her eyes widened with surprise.

“So, he lives because you care. He’s running away because I care that you care. You need sleep.” Margo needed real rest, safe behind a locked door where he could look after her.

“Can you track your sister through pack bonds? If I’d realized you could still sense her, I’d have asked earlier.”

Salvatore shook his head, half-listening to the bike’s motor retreating in the distance. “I only have a vague sense of her. I know she’s alive. I know she’s heading west. I can’t tell anything else. It wasn’t until we were here that I even picked up the sense of her again.”

It was why pack bonds had to be renewed. The greater the distance, the harder the thinner those ties became. What happened if she went too far from him for too long? He didn’t want to contemplate the idea.

“Okay.” Margo put her hands on her hips and surveyed the house with a troubled expression. Fear added a sour note to her scent.

“You’re afraid.”

She didn’t deny it. “Worried.”

“About what?”

“About why so many wolves would go missing. There’s no way they aren’t participating. Take out one or two? I can see some killers doing that, but this is too many. Too fast to not leave a trace.”

Salvatore frowned.

“Come on, we’ll worry about it tomorrow.” She headed for the car, not waiting to see if he followed. He was hot on her heels, however. They were silent all the way to a hotel. She chose one off the highway, and he selected a room on the back of the building. Once they were inside, she disappeared into the shower and he checked on his wolves—all of them—the ones at home and the others in Canada. No further messages had come in from Luciana, though his mother was reportedly furious with him for tapping her phones.

A scratch on the bathroom door got his attention and he opened it to find Margo’s wolf waiting for him. The wolf paced out of the bathroom and leapt onto the bed. She turned in a circle until she could lie down.

Salvatore laughed. “So, you choose to sleep with me in this manner?”

With a huff, she settled and he left the bathroom door open while he showered. Striding out nude, he was aware of her attention. She hadn’t quite gone to sleep yet. Dragging the sheets back, he slid into the bed between her and the door. When she would have moved, he wrapped an arm around her and dragged her back into place. “Right here,” he told her. “Right next to me. Now sleep.”

Shutting off the light, he kept his breathing even. With his fingers buried into the fur of her neck, he was well aware of her respiration and heart rate. She wasn’t happy. Stroking her gently, he waited for her to lull into sleep. Only then did he allow himself the same.

What are you doing Luciana?
The thought haunted him.
Where are you are going?

Chapter Nine

They spent the next several days repeating the same frustrating cycle. They trailed the disappearances, sometimes by mere hours. She and Salvatore pushed and pushed until exhaustion sent them to a hotel.  Since Salvatore insisted on sharing a room, she always shifted and he always got naked. His rich masculine scent surrounded her every night and not even a shower washed it away fully. She did her best to dismiss the erotic nature of their companionship, but she clung to her shifted form every night because no way could she sleep at his side in human form. The temptation to become lovers was too powerful.

He was trying to kill her.

Their most recent disappearance had only an hour’s lead, but they were unable to locate the trail leaving what had once been the home of a wolf Margo relocated personally to Little River Kansas after she left the Yukon. A sweet natured wolf, she was too used to being alone and preferred to live as a Lone Wolf rather than seek another pack. Veronica was not the type to roam. Hell she worked in a fabric store. She also wasn’t the type to make trouble. Her absence struck Margo like a physical blow.

Little River lay on the edge of Willow Bend territory, close enough to escape into if Veronica needed assistance, but far enough away the Hunters wouldn’t bother her.

“We should go.” Only a few feet behind her, Salvatore said nothing of her reaction to their discovery in Little River. The tiny town was a speck on the map, but it was a tight-knit community. Veronica thrived on the gossip, the familiarity of knowing everyone who lived there and the welcome she received. She’d moved in two years before and never looked back.

“I know. Any luck out back?” He’d walked a gradually widening perimeter. Maybe whoever cleaned the houses and the scenes could bleach the interiors, but not the exteriors. Little River was a small town, and Veronica’s place settled in an isolated location. How could they possibly clear all scent markers?

“Some human scents, old though. Some wildlife, also not recent.”

“This is fucking impossible. How the hell are they getting in and out and clearing their scents so efficiently?” The impossible bordered on terrifying. His warmth at her back warned her seconds before he settled his hands on her shoulders. Strength braced her, offering her a rock to lean against. As comforting and tempting as it was to let him bear the weight of her worry, she didn’t dare.

“I have a theory,” he said, his tantalizing accent teasing her with every syllable. “I do not believe you will care for it.”

“I don’t care for anything we’ve run into on this hunt so far. What’s one more frustration?”

“I think they are using humans to clean up after them.” Puzzlement increased his accent. “Though it seems unusual to employ humans to muddy the waters as you say.”

Of all the possible options, she’d avoided considering the possibility that humans and wolves were working in concert, mostly because the suggestion meant some humans had become aware of them. “Maybe.”

“You know something.” Absolute certainty underscored his statement.

“Not exactly.” Willow Bend boasted the largest population of humans within the pack structure. Though not wolves, they were considered pack—sheltered as pack, and cared for as pack. Unlike wolves, though, they were not as restricted. They could leave Willow Bend territory, cross into other pack territories with little to no harassment. As long as they observed the rules, they went unnoticed.