Relief suffused Nash. Rella, Carsha’s
mother, and her twin sons had been gone
on their hunt for a week now. Everyone
had been worried, but figured they were
likely trying to find an outlet for the grief
of losing a husband and father. Nash was
glad they were finally home.
“Just Lark,” Stacia clarified.
Nash’s brow furrowed with confusion.
“Where are Rella and Lord?”
Stacia peered into the house and
spotted Maralee standing near the desk.
His mother’s eyes narrowed. She pulled
Nash out on the porch and closed the door
behind him.
“Lark is tore up pretty bad,” his
mother said, free to speak her mind now
that Maralee was absent from the
conversation. “The three of them were
attacked by wolves. Apparently, Rella is
in estrous. The animals tried to kill her
pups and mate with her.”
“Damn it. Why didn’t she come home
sooner? She had to know her fertile time
was approaching.”
“You know why she didn’t return.”
He sighed. He did know. It was
because Maralee was in the village.
“I’ll go find her and Lord,” he said.
“I’ll collect some others to help you.”
“No, I’ll go alone. She won’t want
everyone to realize her predicament.”
Rella nodded and then blurted, “How
much longer do you plan to keep that
murdering whore in your cabin?”
Nash glanced at his door to see if
Maralee had heard his mother’s harsh
words. “Mother, she’s not—”
“Don’t tell me what she is. I smell her
all over you,” she said. “I have a mind to
get rid of her myself, since you are
obviously too cowardly to avenge your
own brother’s murder.”
“She’s the key to breaking the curse.”
“You have proof of this?”
Nash hesitated. “No,” he admitted.
“It’s just a feeling I have.”
She scoffed. “You’d better get over
your infatuation. Come the full moon, if
the curse still drives us to madness, she’s
dead.”
“I need more time.”
Her eyes were as hard and cold as
glacial ice. “She’s dead, Nash. I’ll kill her
myself.”
She turned on her heel and stepped off
the porch, walking in purposeful strides to
her cabin to mend her grandson. Nash
cursed under his breath, stifling the urge to
kick something. After a moment of self-
collection, he reentered the cabin.
Maralee was standing just inside the door,
waiting anxiously for his return. Her
beauty stole his breath. The concern in her
eyes stole his heart.
“What has happened?” Maralee asked.
“I should have gone looking for them
days ago. Lark managed to get away, but
Rella and Lord…”
“Get away?”
“Wolves,” he murmured wondering
how many there must be to overpower
Rella. She was a strong woman. “I’m
going after them.”
“I’ll come with you,” she said at once.
“I’ll need my sword.”
“No!” he barked at her. When she took
a step backwards, he softened his tone.
“They’re not that kind of wolves anyway.”
“Oh.”
“I’m not sure how long I will be
gone,” he said. “Lock yourself in the
house. Don’t let anyone inside.”
“No one?”
“Especially not my mother,” he said.
He couldn’t curtail a tremor of fear for
Maralee. He knew how much his mother
despised humans. And a Hunter? Nash
couldn’t imagine how deep his mother’s
hatred ran.
“Nash?” she said uncertainly.
He crossed the room in three long
strides and pulled her into his arms.
“Promise me, Maralee,” he demanded,
crushing her head against his chest with
desperation.
“I- I promise.”
He eased her away from him and
looked down at her. His emotions were
raw and exposed. He didn’t want to leave
her to fend for herself. He lowered his
head and kissed her gently. She clung to
him as if she did not want to let him go.
He felt the same. Forever like this is not
long enough. When he pulled away, he
smiled down at her.
“I guess it can’t be helped,” he said.
“What?”
“That I love you.”
She stared at him wordlessly, quite
obviously stunned. He waited for her
return sentiment, but she just gawked at
him.
He couldn’t wait for her to gather her
wits. His family needed him. “I’ll be back
as soon as I can,” he promised and then
left.
He paused on the porch, listening. He
heard her cross the floor and the door
lock. She should be safe with the door
locked, he told himself. She should be
safe.
Nash walked to the edge of the village
before removing his clothes and taking his
other form. He had been so careful to
guard his secret from Maralee over the
past week he’d not reverted into a Wolf
the entire time. Remaining human for so
long was stifling. He wagged his tail as he
sniffed around the area to catch Lark’s
scent. He found the young Wolf’s trail and
surged forward.
He had told his mother he wanted to
do this on his own to spare Rella’s
feelings. In truth, he doubted anyone
would be willing to follow him. His entire
pack was angry with him. Nash expected
to be challenged as alpha male soon. He
knew how it worked. They’d gang up on
him and wear him down until he could
barely move. Then they would stand back
to allow the chosen leader to force him
into complete submission. Perhaps it was
time for him to stand down. His mother
would probably hate him even more for
allowing her to lose her place of
significance within the pack, but things
were changing for him. His priorities
were different now, which was likely a
grievous error on his part, seeing as how
he was the pack’s Guardian.
Maralee. Sweet, loving, beautiful
Maralee.
Giving,
passionate,
strong
Maralee. How could he do anything but
love her? Could she ever forgive him for
being what he was? He didn’t expect her
to accept it. How could she, being who
she was? They were born enemies.
Nothing would ever change that. Unless he
could break the curse.
Nash turned his attention to his task.
Lark’s condition was obviously severe.
Nash found the evidence of his nephew’s
wounds along a confused trail towards the
village. Spots of blood littered the ground
wherever the youth had paused to catch
his breath. Had Lark been mortal, he
would have undoubtedly lost his life on
the journey to find help.
Nash continued farther into the forest.
He seldom ventured this far from the
security of the village. What had Rella
been thinking?
The sun was just touching the horizon
in the West when Nash found his nephew,
Lord. The young, white wolf was lying on
his side in a puddle of his own blood. His
mouth hung agape and his tongue lolled.
His fur was stained pink around his throat
and all along his side. Nash licked his
face to rouse him. After several moments,
the boy’s eyes opened. He whimpered and
tried to stand. Nash pushed him down with
his nose and began to clean the deep
wounds on his side. Lord whined
piteously, weak from loss of blood. Once
the wounds on his side had stopped
leaking blood, Nash turned his attention to
his throat.
Lord whined again and then emitted a
long, low howl. Nash understood him
perfectly. Leave me. Find mother.
Nash couldn’t abandon him in this
condition. He would have never left him
at all, if Rella’s anxious howl hadn’t cut
please. Lark, Lord. Get help.
Judging by the volume of her howl,
Nash determined she was relatively
nearby. Nash lifted his nose to the sky and
howled, long and low. I’m coming. Where
are you?
There was no answer.
Nash tried again. His voice carried for
miles. Rella, tell me where you are.
Still no answer.
Lord pulled himself into sitting
position and lifted his snout to the sky. He
howled to his mother. Uncle Nash is here
to help.
Rella’s answer was hard for Nash to
take, but it didn’t really surprise him. I
won’t accept help from a traitor.
Nash ignored the meaning behind her
words and simply followed the sound of
her voice.
Please mother. Lord tried to reason
with her.
Nash heard a yip of pain, but it was
not in a language he understood.
Is Lark with you? Rella continued.
No. I don’t know where his is. Lord’s
reply sounded frantic.
Nash could now hear the warning
growls of the common wolves.
Lark is safe at the village. Nash
informed them to put them at ease.
This howl alerted the pack of common
wolves that Rella was no longer fighting
alone. She’d been holding her own
admirably, but Nash could tell she was
weary.
The six males circling her seemed to
have formed an alliance. Nash supposed
after they’d worn her down, they would
fight, and the victor would be awarded the
honor of mating her. A scraggly-looking,
gray wolf jumped on Rella’s back and she
bit his leg viciously, snarling a warning.
The wolf yipped in pain and limped
several paces away before circling back
and trying again. Nash charged at the wolf,
hitting him in the side with the top of his
head. The wolf spun sideways and then
turned his attention from Rella to Nash.
The band of males decided they would
have to get rid of Nash before they could
concentrate on Rella. It seemed as if they
refused to let the new guy have their bitch
after they’d fought so hard to wear her
down.
They charged Nash as a unit, teeth
ripping into his forelegs, throat and the
back of his neck. Rella took this
opportunity to make her escape. Nash
could have used her help. He wasn’t used
to fighting common wolves. His kind
fought with a basic set of rules, but these
wolves were animals. They didn’t have
morals or a sense of fairness. They
wanted him dead—the sooner the better.
Nash concentrated on putting one wolf
out of commission at a time. His teeth sank
into the back of the wolf’s neck, which
was tearing into Nash’s right foreleg.
Nash shook his head vigorously and felt
the wolf’s neck snap within his mouth. He
dropped the wolf’s body and went for the
next one, managing to get this one on its
back before he sank his teeth in its throat
and silenced its snarls permanently.
Two of the wolves stepped back for a
moment, deciding they had taken on a foe
more dangerous than anticipated. Nash
crashed into the trunk of a nearby tree to
get the others off his back. Both fell to the
ground. One of them yipped in pain and
then made another lunge at him. Nash
silenced him as well.
Nash was bleeding heavily from his
throat and right foreleg. He could feel the
warmth of his blood leaving his body. In
the darkness, it was visible only as black,
shiny puddles on the ground around him.
Nash growled, raising his hackles, trying
to look as threatening as possible. Ears
back, lips curled, he barked and snapped
at one of the three remaining wolves. He
didn’t really want to kill these animals,
but he had to protect Rella and Lord. The
wolf backed down, licking its nose and
lowering its head. Nash didn’t want this
wolf’s pledge of submissive loyalty
either. The last thing he needed was for
the village.
Nash snapped at the wolf again and it
turned tail and ran into the forest. The
other two decided this was their best
option as well, and followed. Nash
watched them go and then limped towards
where he had left Lord.
He found both Wolves waiting for
him. Rella was cleaning her son’s wounds
with her wide, pink tongue. Lord seemed
to be asleep again. Rella looked up, her
amber eyes glowing in the moonlight. She
stood up and trotted over to Nash. She
turned around, lowered her head and lifted
her tawny-colored tail, waiting for him to
breed her. His body responded to the
smell of her, but he denied his lust.
Instead, he returned to his human form,
shivering in the cold night air.
“I thought you didn’t want help from a
traitor,” he said.
He was irritable from the pain and the
loss of blood. He had never felt any sort
of animosity towards his brother’s mate
before that moment. The idea that she
would allow him to breed her, with Cort
scarcely cold in his grave and her son
looking on, appalled him.
Rella took her human
form as well.
“My mate is dead. Someone has to breed
me.”
Nash knew he was responsible for the
change in this normally warm and loving
woman. The loss of her husband was
much more devastating to her than she was
projecting. As was expected, she was
remaining strong for her children, but in
denying her grief, she was failing them.
“You know as well as anyone I’m
sterile,” he said.
The last Wolf Guardian had also been
plagued with sterility. Nash had mated
numerous times in the past in the hopes of
having children of his own, but females he
could not impregnate, had no problems
conceiving with other males. He had given
up twenty years ago, although he still gave
into his instincts for the simple pleasure of
it from time to time. Now would not be
one of those times.
“I’d rather drink silver than whelp
your pups,” she hissed.
He merely looked at her, and then
glanced pointedly at her son, who would
become an orphan if she did something
that
impulsively
selfish.
Obviously
ashamed by her unthinking declaration, her
eyes dropped to Nash’s chest, which was
covered with his blood.
“You’re bleeding.”
“I am aware of that. Let’s go home.”
He reverted to his Wolf form.
Before he could move away from her,
she wrapped her arms around his broad
neck, fingers burrowing into his thick fur.
“Tell me what to do, Nash. I don’t
know what to do without him.” A sob
erupted from her and tears she had been
holding at bay streamed from her eyes in
rivers.
He allowed her to hold onto him until
her sobs subsided. He couldn’t offer her
any advice, because he didn’t know what
to do either. He continued to live his life,
continued to try to break the curse,
allowed Maralee to take him to a place far
from reality, but he too was lost. He never
expected to be found again. Cort was
gone.
“Mama, are you all right?” Lord
asked. He had returned to his human form,
his stark white hair glowing in the
moonlight. His skin was roadmap of angry
scratches, welts and bite marks.
Rella released Nash and wiped her
tears away, putting on a brave, forced
smile. “I’m fine,” she said. “It’s you I’m
worried about. We need to get you home.
Do you think you can walk?”
“I can walk.” Lord took his Wolf form
again and climbed to his feet. He wobbled
unsteadily for a moment, but managed to