5. Chapter 5

Chapter five

“ I ’m so sorry, Miss Redford.” The young woman behind the counter pushed her horn-rimmed glasses up the bridge of her nose until they rested against her eyebrows. They were too large for her narrow face and slid back down. “Your family’s suite is no longer available, in light of—”

“It’s fine …” I paused to read the name printed on the plastic tag pinned to her black blazer. “Really, Amy. I don’t want the suite. I’ll take whatever room you have available.”

“Uh, let’s see what we have.” She huffed an errant strand of mousy blonde hair out of her face as she entered my information into the system with a clack of the keys and a click of the mouse. “There’s one room available for a long term stay. A ground floor efficiency.”

“I’ll take it.” I pulled my wallet out of my pack and handed her the debit card which much to my relief hadn’t expired.

Amy swiped the card once, twice and a third time—which proved not to be the charm.

“It’s declined.” She explained, wincing as she slid the useless piece of plastic back across the counter. “Do you have another card you’d like to use?”

“Even if I did, she would have canceled them too.” I grumbled and fished the last of my cash from the bottom of my bag. I counted it out and stacked it on the counter. “This should cover two nights.”

“If you’d like to switch to one of our short-term stays—”

“Miss Redford, can I offer some assistance?” A tall, blond stranger saddled up to the counter and interjected himself into my somewhat embarrassing conversation with the concierge.

“I’m sorry, I have a policy never to talk to strangers.” Something about him raised my hackles, but I didn’t recognize his scent any more than I did his face.

As much as I wanted to retreat to the Williams’ residence and take Eliza up on her offer, I also made it a policy never to turn my back on a stranger.

“A sound policy to have. Allow me to introduce myself and allay your fears.” He extended his hand, retracting it when I didn’t make a move to accept the offer of a handshake. “My name is Ethan Tremblay, from the Pacific Northwest territory.”

His smile revealed as much about him as his introduction—no elongated canine teeth. It appeared Mr. Tremblay was bitten.

“Nice to meet you.” I slipped my left arm through the strap on my backpack and hitched it higher on my shoulders. “I’ll swing by this afternoon with a card to secure the rest of my stay.”

Amy’s gaze flicked to Ethan Tremblay and back to me. She seemed as turned off by him as I was. After collecting the stack of cash from the counter, she slipped me the key without mentioning the room number.

It seemed Amy had some policies of her own.

“Thanks.” I cupped the keycard as if it were a hand in a poker game and checked the number before tucking it into my pocket.

I left Ethan Tremblay hanging at the counter without so much as a goodbye, but I felt his gaze on me until I turned left down the corridor at the far side of the lobby and slipped out of his sight.

My borrowed cell buzzed in the back pocket of my jeans. After fumbling with swiping the key card, I unlocked the door and tossed my stuff on the bed before checking the missed call. A text came through from Lucas at the same time.

Lucas: You promised me a run.

Me: I made no such promise.

Lucas: You said yes. Same difference.

Me: Rain check?

Lucas: Sorry, limited time offer. No rain checks .

The encounter with Ethan Tremblay left me unnerved. I couldn’t place why, but I wasn’t in a hurry to run into him any time soon. Avoiding him and everyone else for that matter sounded like a good idea.

I stared at the phone waiting for a witty retort or legitimate reason to skip the run with Lucas, but nothing came to mind. Even through text Lucas was in tune to my feelings—which unnerved me even more. It left me feeling exposed, vulnerable and I hated that he read me so easily.

Lucas: What’s wrong? And don’t say nothing.

Me: Nothing.

Lucas: Lina.

I could hear the warning growl in his voice as I read the text.

There wasn’t a good reason for why Tremblay’s offer of help put me on edge—apart from my own embarrassment. I was a Redford, easily recognized by my auburn hair and word traveled fast in the pack lands. Ethan no doubt had heard of my return and was looking to earn points with the council for helping the former alpha’s daughter. At worst, he had a hero complex and a weird way of hitting on women.

Me: It’s nothing. Really. Just tired.

Lucas: You’re overtired. Too jittery to sleep. You need to run.

Me: Fine.

Lucas: Your place or mine?

The best hunting grounds were around the lodge where it was wooded, but level. Which was hard to come by in the mountains. I started to reply, but backed out of the word mine before I hit send. I wasn’t in the mood to put on a show for the wolves in residence at the lodge. There would be plenty of that once the council meeting concluded and a formal announcement was made. I’d kissed my privacy goodbye the moment I agreed to Benjamin’s terms.

Me: Yours. On my way.

***

“Lina, tell me you changed your mind.” Eliza greeted me with a warm smile and an even warmer hug even though it had been less than two hours since she had last seen me.

“If I do, you’ll be the first to know.” I said, returning the hug while I scanned the room behind her for signs of Lucas.

“Ready?” He called out as he walked out of his room and took the stairs two at a time.

Lucas looped his arm through mine and pulled me away from his mother before she had a chance to launch into another campaign for why I should stay with them instead of the lodge.

Lord help me if she ever found out about Ethan Tremblay.

“Sorry about my mom.” Lucas led me through the house and out onto the deck. “She’s been like this ever since she found out you were coming home.”

“Like what? Overbearing?” I asked, half joking.

“I was going to say hopeful, but that works.” Lucas left a trail of clothes behind him as he tore off into the woods.

“Someone’s feeling better.” I chuckled as I unbuttoned my flannel.

I waited until I was well beyond the tree line behind his house before stripping out of the rest of my clothes. Folded and piled at the base of a hemlock tree, I’d have a much easier time getting dressed when we returned. Still, Lucas’ reverse strip tease had the potential to be equally entertaining—well, almost.

A hush fell over the forest. Instinct drove the smaller animals into their dens and nests. Predators were among them. I listened for the crunch of leaves or snap of a twig, but Lucas moved with precision. He disappeared among the dense trees and fallen logs that littered the forest floor. He had mastered his environment when he was a pup. I was the best of my siblings when it came to wilderness skills, but never as good as Lucas. There was no way I would find him.

Unless he wanted me to.

I called to my wolf and shifted. She was eager to give chase and picked up his scent with ease. In fact, it was too easy. Any wolf within a mile could have tracked him. I couldn’t see him, but I could smell him. It seemed Lucas wanted to play hide and seek.

My favorite game.

The scent trail grew stronger. I pushed harder, ran faster to cover more ground. I was gaining on him. He led me down the mountainside, through a cluster of sugar maples, over boulders embedded in the ground from a rockslide several years back and down to the creek at the bottom of the ravine.

And that’s where I lost him.

He didn’t cross. It was too obvious and not his style. Which meant he went left or right, but there were no tracks or scent to follow. He stole a move out of my playbook and doubled back. That accounted for the stronger trail. I retraced my steps, searching for a faint offshoot of his scent that would provide a new heading.

There.

I kicked up dirt and leaves with my hind paws as I darted back up the hill and to the right. He was headed toward the overlook. My tongue lolled to one side as I panted, sucking in air to combat the fatigue that settled into my bones.

I seriously needed to work on my cardio.

Lucas was already basking on the rock jutting out from the mountainside by the time I reached him. I padded out and settled beside him. The stone, warm from absorbing the sun’s full rays all morning, eased the cramps building up in my muscles. I dozed off without even realizing it.

He attempted to wake me by nudging me in the ribs with his nose. When I refused to get up, he nipped my ear. There was nothing playful about it. Something was wrong. I jolted awake and was up on all fours, but didn’t see any immediate threat. I was about to bark my discontent at being awoken for no reason when the smell hit me.

His smell.

The rogue wasn’t headed for pack lands. He was on them, and he was watching us. Lucas bolted from the rock and headed in the direction where the scent was strongest. Our last run in hadn’t ended well for Lucas, but that didn’t stop him from running off half-cocked into a possible trap.

After barking a series of warnings—all of which Lucas ignored—I tore off after him. The rogue led us deeper into the dense forest, further away from the safety of the Williams’ residence and the alliance offices inside the lodge. He wanted to isolate us from everyone else.

It was a trap, and we ran right into it.

Something whizzed past my ear. I spared a glance behind me and saw an arrow lodged into a tree. A millimeter to the right and it would have hit its target. I picked up my pace and ran in a zigzag pattern. Lucas was within view. Another arrow whistled through the air, and I realized I wasn’t the intended target.

It was meant for Lucas.

My wolf’s instincts to protect her mate kicked into hyperdrive. She’d claimed him when we were in high school. Whether or not I was on board with that plan had been irrelevant—and it still was. Fortunately, we were back on the same page where Lucas was concerned. I may not have been ready for the werewolf dream of a split-rail fence and a litter of pups, but Lucas was mine.

No challenge or deranged lone wolf would change that.

For once, I was grateful to be born a Redford and a red wolf. Compared to our gray counterparts, we were built for speed. Lucas was one of the few exceptions, outrunning me on most occasions, but with the right motivation I proved faster.

My paws pounded against the ground, claws tearing up dirt as I ran faster than I had in my entire life. I closed in on him and matched him stride for stride before I pivoted hard on my left paw and rammed into his side knocking him off course.

The rogue launched another arrow, missing Lucas, who had tumbled out of the line of fire and into a thicket of sticker bushes. In the process of saving Lucas, I’d put myself in the rogue’s direct line of sight. I heard the shot before I saw it and veered right.

The arrow pierced through my left shoulder and left a blaze of fire in its wake. The extreme burning sensation led to one conclusion. The arrow had been coated with silver nitrate. I dropped down and crawled on my belly to reach the cover provided by the sticker bushes. The pain intensified. I wouldn’t be able to run away, never mind run down the rogue in my condition.

We were sitting ducks.

Lucas refused to leave my side when he smelled the blood that seeped from the hole in my shoulder. When he sniffed around the wound, his lips curled back, and exposed prominent sharp canines. A guttural growl built in his throat once he got a whiff of the silver. He let out a series of howls to alert any wolf within earshot.

The rogue mocked us by answering the call.

It took less than a minute for a chorus of howls to reach us. Wolves match pitch, their howls resonating at different tones to form Mother Nature’s deadliest choir. The sound was music to my ears. The cavalry was coming.

The lone wolf had managed to hit me with a lucky shot, but his luck was about to run out. He may have injured me, claiming a victory in our skirmish, but every tracker at the alliance’s disposal was onto his scent and they were relentless.

I knew from experience.

Wolves descended on the valley like a stampede. They were hot on his trail, and I wanted in on the action. That son of a bitch shot me with a silver laced arrow and almost took Lucas’ leg off with a bear trap. More and more it looked like he was the prime suspect in my father’s murder.

I was in no condition to give chase, but I refused to let that stop me.

We had our man, and he had a lot to answer for. Answers I intended to get one way or another.