Soul Bonded (9 page)

At first there was only silence. She couldn’t hear anything outside her hiding place—not Rafe, not their enemies, not even the sound of Shilah’s breathing as he stood guard. The darkness was oppressive and heavy like a thick, woolen blanket, making it hard to breathe. She fought against a wave of claustrophobia that urged her to throw open the closet door for just one whiff of fresh air. It would be a mistake and she knew it. Rafe had told her to stay hidden and shoot to kill if discovered. She sensed that her survival depended upon doing exactly as he said. Perhaps even more than that, she wanted to prove to him that she was trustworthy. That she wasn’t the type of person to run off and get herself killed by being stupid.

Even if recent events suggested otherwise.

A muffled shout raised the hair on Katie’s arms. She held her breath and strained to hear, uncertain whether it had been Rafe’s voice or someone else. Shilah whined anxiously, drowning out everything else for long, tense seconds. After Shilah quieted, the same voice was audible but he spoke too softly for her to make out any words—yet somehow she knew it was Rafe. Another voice answered, deeper and booming. She couldn’t understand anything the newcomer said before a loud crash shook the walls around her. Her mind conjured up a vision of a body falling heavily against furniture. Without knowing who had been attacked, Katie wasn’t sure if she should be horrified or relieved. A wave of nausea rolled over her, then a dull pain throbbed in her stomach.

When you hurt, I feel pain.
Oh, God. Katie clapped her hand over her mouth and fought not to vomit. Deep in her soul, she
knew
that Rafe was the one who’d been hit. She put her hand on the door without thinking, but stopped herself from turning the knob. Though her body urged her to go to Rafe, she knew that wasn’t what he wanted. She also knew that she was no match against someone who could knock down a man of Rafe’s size.
 

The man with the deep voice spoke again, and Rafe answered. Katie sagged in relief at the knowledge that he was conscious. Maybe there was still hope. Maybe he would gain the upper hand. She raised the gun and pointed it at the closet door, in case he didn’t.

The bedroom door opened and Katie’s legs turned to jelly at the sound of Rafe’s tense voice. “Katie, it’s me. Put down the gun and come on out.”

She hesitated. Something wasn’t right. Nothing about what Rafe had said before he left the bedroom had prepared her for the possibility that he would return and ask her to put down her weapon. She wasn’t sure whether she should do as he said, continue hiding, or come out with her gun blazing.
 

As though sensing her internal debate, Rafe said, “It’s okay. A couple of my pack mates dropped by for a chat. That’s all.” He hesitated, then said, “Nobody will hurt you. I promise.”

Aware that staying in the closet forever wasn’t exactly an option, and too afraid to emerge shooting, Katie slowly opened the door and poked her head out. Rafe stood between two men, both of them bigger than him, with blood running from a cut below his eye. The man to his left, powerfully built yet smaller than his companion, boldly appraised her T-shirt clad body as she emerged from her hiding place. Then he smirked. “You heard him, little girl. Drop the gun.”

She would recognize that voice anywhere. Cooper. Confused, she glanced at Rafe, who gave her a subtle nod. Putting all her trust into her bond-mate, Katie set the gun on the nightstand beside the bed. The man who hadn’t yet spoken, who was bigger and older and somehow more primal than either Rafe or Cooper, pointed at the bed. “Sit.”

There was the deep, booming voice she’d heard before. She assumed that meant he was the one who’d hit Rafe. Too afraid to push her luck in a room full of seemingly hostile werewolves, Katie sat on the edge of the mattress without argument. The big man gestured for Rafe to join her on the bed and, to her surprise, he obeyed with a silent nod. He sat close enough that their thighs touched, calming her racing heart without even seeming to try.

Cooper greeted Shilah with a pat on the head while the deep-voiced man stared at her and Rafe for the span of several anxious breaths. Katie sat ramrod straight, unsure whether to let down her guard. As far as she knew, these were Rafe’s friends. But despite the expressionless look on Rafe’s face, he radiated uneasy fear. Acting on instinct, Katie took Rafe’s hand and placed it in her lap, lacing their fingers together. If they were going to die, neither of them should feel alone.

The deep-voiced man’s gaze fell on their joined hands. He frowned. Then he stared hard into Katie’s eyes. “So I hear we’ve got ourselves a human problem.”
 

“Katie is not a problem.” Rafe’s tone made it clear that despite this man’s clear authority over him, she remained his priority. The realization shocked her as much as it appeared to irritate their visitor.

“Not a problem?” The intimidating stranger stepped closer, causing Rafe to angle his upper body in front of Katie’s like a shield. “I got a call from Jack Devereaux at three o’clock this goddamn morning. To tell me that one of my wolves had murdered one of his. Over some
human
piece of ass.”

Rafe squeezed Katie’s hand, soothing her bruised feelings almost as soon as they arose. “She’s my bond-mate. Don’t call her that again.”

The man glowered at Rafe and puffed up his chest. “You forget who you’re talking to,
dog
.”

“I haven’t forgotten, Alpha. But you need to know that this woman is not just some piece of ass. We’re bonded—and you know what that means.” Rafe rubbed his thumb over her knuckle. “Two of Jack’s wolves attacked her tonight. She was bitten and nearly raped. If I hadn’t intervened, they would have killed and eaten her.”

Visible disgust passed over Alpha’s face. “I won’t deny that they’re savages. But killing him makes you no better.”

“Katie is my bond-mate. I had to protect her. It was self-defense.” Rafe’s jaw bunched and he sat forward, as though challenging Alpha to disagree. “You know better than anyone what it means to lose one’s bond-mate.”

Alpha stiffened. Clearly Rafe had hit upon a sensitive subject. “The alpha wolf of a larger, dangerously sociopathic pack of werwolves just spent twenty minutes yelling at me about a murder I had no idea you committed. Can you appreciate how embarrassing it was that I didn’t have a clue what—or who—he was talking about?”

Rafe lowered his head. “I apologize, Alpha. My radio was lost in the scuffle. I didn’t realize I didn’t have it until after I’d finished treating Katie’s wounds. Then I didn’t want to leave her alone to go find it. Not after what happened.”

Katie’s shoulders dropped and her stomach turned over. She’d lost Rafe’s radio in the snow and prevented him from reporting to his alpha wolf. She had no idea what the penalty for Rafe’s actions would be, but the entire thing was her fault. If she hadn’t tried to escape from the man who had sworn to protect her, she wouldn’t have gotten injured. Rafe wouldn’t be in trouble. The thought that he might be punished for her own impulsive stupidity made her feel sick.

“Sir?” Katie’s voice came out a bare whisper. She cleared her throat and tried again. “Sir, it wasn’t Rafe’s fault. He told me to stay inside and I didn’t. If I hadn’t disobeyed him, those wolves would never have had an opportunity to attack me. Rafe wouldn’t have been forced to kill to protect me.”

Her defense earned her a withering stare. “You will call me Alpha.”

Katie swallowed. “Yes, Alpha.”

“Good.” He bent at the waist to bring his face to her level. “You’re right, Katie. It is your fault…but only to an extent. After all, you’re just human—which means you don’t know any better.” Alpha shifted his focus to Rafe. “
You
do.”

“I didn’t know we would bond. I was only trying to save her life. For that I’m sorry. To Katie, to you, and to the pack.” Rafe straightened and threw back his shoulders. “But we
are
bonded now. As soon as that happened, Katie became my number one priority. I won’t apologize for that. I would kill that asshole again for what he tried to do to her. I wish I’d killed the other one.”

Alpha moved to backhand Rafe across the face with his closed fist. Katie flinched, but Rafe stayed perfectly still. The veins in Alpha’s neck stood out as he lowered his arm and exhaled. “There’s no point in punishing you for something you’ll do again. I know that. And I know why you did what you did…I
do
understand.” He glanced at Cooper, who crouched on the floor beside Shilah, rubbing the dog’s chest like a doting uncle. “I like you, Rafe. Despite what you did tonight, despite the fact that you’ve always been a bit of a lone wolf, you know I like you. That’s why I’m so glad I managed to talk Jack down from his insinuations that pack wars have broken out over lesser offenses than you committed tonight. I would have hated needing to kill both of you myself to prevent even worse bloodshed.”

Rafe’s fingers tightened on hers. “I’m glad it didn’t come to that, Alpha.”

“We’ve shared this land with our friends across the river for over a generation now. Despite our polar opposite views on human interaction, we’ve managed not to step on their toes, and they’ve mostly stayed out of our way. That’s the only reason Jack is willing to stop short of ordering a full-out assault on our pack. Which means this better never happen again.” Alpha folded his arms over his chest and glared at Rafe, whose expression was tight. “What are your plans for Katie? Do you intend to keep her here? A human bond-mate among hungry wolves?”

“She’s leaving as soon as the roads clear.” Rafe didn’t look at her as he delivered the news. “This won’t happen again.”

Katie’s stomach dropped at Rafe’s pronouncement. Her imminent departure wasn’t a new concept—she’d wanted to leave this place for as long as she’d been conscious and had nearly killed herself to escape. Yet somehow one brief, heartfelt moment with Rafe had thrown all her earlier convictions into doubt. The comforting press of his fingers entangled with hers made it hard to remember what it was about her life that she was so eager to return to. It wasn’t that her career, her apartment, and her parents, sister, and few close friends weren’t important. Just that Rafe was too, to a degree that defied all logic.

Alpha must have noticed her ambivalence, because he smiled cruelly. “Is that what you want, Katie? To leave your beloved bond-mate?”

She gave Rafe a sidelong glance. No matter how strongly her soul responded to him, he wasn’t her beloved. He couldn’t be. They would need to have more than just a handful of conversations and a quick kiss for her to call what she was feeling love. Right now it felt more like a craving or an addiction. An itch she was desperate to scratch, because he made her feel so damn good.

Not that she was going to admit that much aloud.

Katie chose her words carefully. “I want to be safe. And I don’t feel safe out here right now.”

“Nor should you.” Alpha bared his teeth in a vaguely menacing grin. “Jack promised me that none of his wolves would seek vengeance for the one you killed tonight. He’s ordering them to stand down in the interest of not shedding a lot of wolf blood over a…” He paused, then smirked. “A woman.”

“Good. We need to make sure he understands—that
everyone
understands—Katie is my bond-mate.” Rafe’s voice took on a dangerous edge. “She’s off-limits, full stop. She’s
mine
.”
 

Rafe’s possessive tone triggered a rush of arousal that left Katie hoping that werewolves didn’t have a heightened sense of smell. Otherwise everyone in the room would know she was soaking wet. That she was even capable of feeling desire after the night she’d had was almost impossible to believe. It had to be their bond. There was no other explanation.

“She’s yours, but she’s leaving.” Alpha kept his gaze locked on Katie’s face as he spoke. “Well, I hope for your sake, dear Katie, that the roads clear before tomorrow night. Because although Jack is a wolf of his word and he’s commanded his pack not to seek vengeance, we all know that there’s no controlling a werewolf during his time of the month.” His expression became deadly serious. “So I suspect that you’ll have at least one visitor tomorrow night. Probably more. And Rafe will be…out of commission.”

“No, I’ll be protecting my mate.” Rafe reassured her with a single look. “The moon won’t stop me.”

“I hope not, for both your sakes.” Alpha finally backed away, crossing the room to stand at Rafe’s bedroom door. “If you make it through tomorrow night, come see me. We’ll talk about how you can start making reparations for the damage you caused to this pack.”

“Yes, Alpha.” Rafe’s jaw tightened. “I apologize for the trouble. I’ll do everything in my power to make sure no more blood is spilled.” He hesitated, then threw back his shoulders and said, “But if they come after us tomorrow night, I’m afraid that will be impossible. Like you said…there’s no controlling a werewolf during his time of the month.”

“Indeed.” Alpha gestured to Cooper, who came to him like an obedient pet. Shilah looked sorry to see him go. Pinning Rafe with a hard look, Alpha said, “Keep her inside. Even if you have to tie her to the bed. Don’t let them catch a whiff of her. Find a place for her to hide during the transformation. I have no idea what will happen, but I know it’s going to be a long night for both of you.” His features softened slightly and he grimaced at Katie. “Especially you.”

She didn’t even want to imagine the terror of hiding for hours in the dark with bloodthirsty werewolves roaming around outside, determined to hunt her down. The thought alone was enough to nearly drive her mad—until Rafe wrapped his arm around her waist and eased her fear with his calm strength. “We’ll be fine. Thank you.”

“We’ll see.” Alpha left the bedroom and Cooper followed. “Make sure to lock up after us.”

Rafe grumbled as he released her and stood. “Of course.”

Katie didn’t move to follow Rafe when he left the room. She wasn’t entirely sure her legs even worked after the scare Alpha and Cooper had given her. She was desperate to talk to Rafe—about what was happening between them, their plan for tomorrow night, and then what they were supposed to do beyond that—but she was content to wait for him to return. She knew he wouldn’t stay away long. That he couldn’t.