2. Raul

2

RAUL

C reaking bones, along with a huge sense of agony in my chest stirred me out of my slumber. I gritted my teeth and held in a grunt, opening my eyes to slits. A white ceiling met my gaze. It didn't resemble any of the lashed-together planks in my cabin. I couldn't see their grayish color, or the rope tied around their ends. A strange mix of scents flew through my nostrils. Alcohol, antiseptic, and iodine made my stomach churn. I turned my head left to discover their origin. It wasn't far. On a coffee table were bundles of gauze, an empty box of bandages and wipes covered with my blood. Beyond that table, lay the most interesting sight I had come across in some time. A woman was asleep with her arms folded across her chest. She was in a chair, leaning over the armrest on her right. Strands of her whiskey-colored hair cascaded down her cheek, their strands brushing her chest. Her scent was strong, perhaps even stronger than I anticipated. The scent of sweet caramel…

I pushed the coffee table aside and put my foot down on the floor. Keeping her in my sight as I stepped around the table. As I bent down, the smell of medicine grew in intensity. No surprises there. This woman had treated my wounds. Closing my eyes, I left a tender kiss on the top of her head. I knew it wasn't much. I knew I had to do much more than this to thank her appropriately. Still, for both of usto keep out of trouble, this was the only way. And although I had been in that same sort of trouble for what seemed like a million times in the past, she had no idea about it. Her kind has a saying for situations like this.

Ignorance is bliss.

It was better for her to stay in the dark. Information about me and my kind could—and probably would—jeopardize her life.

"Oh, my God…" I heard her feminine voice behind me. "Where do you think you're going? You need to rest."

"Home…" My response was sharp. "Thank you."

"Get back here!" I have never reacted well to commands and this one was no exception. She was being too bossy, and I couldn't have that. A deep snarl rattled in my throat. The beast peered out of my eyes, causing them to flash yellow in the dark. Letting off a growl, I looked back at her. The woman recoiled and huddled up in the corner of her couch, wrapping her arms around her knees as her face twisted into an expression of fear.

Logic tried to intervene. It didn't appreciate what I had done. But logic wasn't in charge, not after what I had been through. It was the animal that dictated my actions. Suffering from hurt and a bruised ego, it had to leave this human house. It had to head back to the place I called home. Dawson Valley, which lay beyond the road. Down there, I would get a chance to lick my wounds and ponder over tonight's events…

Slamming the door shut behind me, I breathed Mother Nature's free air once more.

Cold and rain embraced my body, my quick strides leading me across the street. I felt the muddy soil beneath my feet, before jumping over a pile of brush. My gaze down on the valley, I put distance between me and that human home. Trees spread out in front of me, small flickering lights in the distance reminding me of Dawson's beauty during the night.

Halting behind a thorny bush, I exhaled and closed my eyes. The vapors from my breath hadn't even dissolved into the air, and the beast was already desperate to take control. I felt it stirring inside of me, knowing that I needed it, too. My human form was not suitable for running through rugged terrain. Claws sprang from the ends of my fingers and toes, and my legs shortened and thinned. My hips reshaped and narrowed, and a muzzle took the place of most of my face. Dark-brown fur surged from the top of my ears, while I pressed my front paws down into the mud and threw my head back. A raging howl shook the night air, its echo filling the valley.

I bounded forward, crushing the upper part of a bush. Hackles raised, and I let the wolf guide me through the blackness. Immersing myself in the familiar scents of my homeland, I galloped into the wilderness. Cedar trees. Elm trees. Balsam fir, the most dominant of them all, along with the sweet smell of smoke emanating from chimneys. Speeding past a thick trunk, I recalled that impeccable sight I had left behind me. It wasn't her fear, though I enjoyed instilling fear into my enemies she wasn't one. I savored that woman's peace while she had roamed through the land of dreams. She had been right there, silent, away in a dream, her form in all its glory, ready for…

No!

Logic had its own, special way of messing with my instincts. Back in that house, it screamed "leave." While I galloped, it wanted to prevent me from thinking about that noble creature. In both instances, logic was helped by instinct. And sadly, the reasoning was identical. I had to stay away from her. Failing to do so, would doom her to a brutal death, worse than any nightmare she had ever dreamed of.

Hurtling into town, my luck became clear to me. It was much too late for anybody to be up. Indeed, the narrow streets around my cabin were empty. The alluring scent of burning wood was weaker than usual, indicating that the fires in the hearths had long since died out. Loping into my neighborhood, the view outside my home was not welcome by any means. Sam and Ray, my two brothers, were standing in the street, and as I came into view, their gazes locked with mine. Both of them barked out a few slurs while I closed in on them. Of course, I could suspect why they were there. I had been gone for almost six hours.

Passing them by, I entered my home and shifted back into my human form. I went upstairs and put on a pair of jeans and a black sweater, before heading back down. To my satisfaction, they were not where I'd left them. They were in my kitchen, hands on their waists as their gazes followed me down the staircase.

"Where the fuck have you been?" Ray groaned, tossing his arms out to the side. "You said you'd have a drink at ‘Kayleigh's' and come right back."

"Watch your mouth, kid." I assumed a stiff tone, stepping off the bottom landing. "Thanks for your concern, but…"

"For once, I'm with Ray." Sam interrupted. "You don't do this sort of thing. Three hours after you were gone, I got a call from Steve Colton, saying he'd found your truck on the main road to Shandaken. What if Brad had found it first? What do you suppose would happen next?"

"He, uh…" I faltered, squeezing my lips together. "He couldn't have. That's what I've got to tell you. I was having drinks with Bill Dexter when Brad and Kenny walked into the bar. I tried to ignore them, but they wouldn't give me a moment's peace. They started saying some real nasty shit about Nora and what they'd do to her when she comes back from Miami. And I'd be damned if I let them talk like that about my little sister."

Sam puffed air out of his cheeks. "So, you got into a fight with them."

"You bet your ass I did," I admitted, intensifying my stare. "I took them both out back, I did a real number on Brad. I busted one of his front legs and was ready to take him out when Kenny joined in. Then, Michael and Sean tried to defend their Alpha's honor. I couldn't take them all on, so, I hopped in my truck, and got the hell out of there."

"You fought our Alpha and his lieutenant, and you came back in one piece?" Sam wondered, shuffling closer to me.

"Not quite," I answered, easing down my sweater to reveal the wound on my neck. Then, I pulled it up to show him and Sam the other injuries on my stomach. "After my crash, I woke up in this woman's house. She must be a doctor. She patched me up. I had stitches in me before I shifted."

"You're still bleeding," Sam remarked, his eyes on the left side of my stomach. "Pull your sweater back up."

"I can't believe those pricks," Ray grumbled, looking away from me. "They won't shut up about you and how you keep on breaking the rules, but all they do is provoke you all the time."

"Maybe it's time you went to Miami, too," Sam suggested, using a wet cloth to wipe away the blood. "Stay down there for a while. Let things cool off around here."

"You think that will make a difference?" Ray cocked an eyebrow, pitching his voice higher.

"Junior's right," I commented, feeling the cuts in my skin. "They won't stop, Sammy. They'll harass you guys even more, knowing I'm not around to defend you."

"Look, I don't care," Sam responded, maintaining the calmness in his tone. "They can insult me all they like. I'll ignore them as I've always done. The alternative though? No. This family's seen enough death, Raul. I don't want to have to bury you, too."

"Nobody's going to die, Sammy," I assured him, patting him on the shoulder. "This shit has been going on for almost a year. Brad and Kenny show up, sputter some bullshit about us, we wrestle around, repeat. Those two get a major kick out of doing this. They don't dare kill me. They won't dare kill me."

"What happens if they decide this stupid little game of theirs isn't fun anymore…?" Sam assumed a firmer tone, his gaze darting from me to Ray and back to me. "You just said you were ready to rip Brad's throat out. He's the Alpha, Raul. You don't get to kill an Alpha without a pack's consent unless he's turned against your own family. That's the rule."

"Well, fuck the rule!" I regretted shouting the moment my voice echoed in my head. "Sorry, man." I lowered my tone, tearing my gaze away from him.

"Fuck the rule," Ray repeated my words with more emphasis, stepping between me and our brother. "From now on, I'm not leaving you guys alone. Either of you. Brad and Kenny mess with one of us? They mess with all of us."

"That's the spirit," I praised with a smile. "Boys, if there's one thing I regret doing tonight, it's not engaging those two sons of bitches."

"What are you talking about?" It was Sam's turn to get curious.

I drew in a sharp breath. "The woman who saved my ass. She told me to lie back down, and I just looked back at her in anger."

"Then, you should make it up to her," Sam advised. "I don't mean any grand gestures. Just show up at her place and thank her."

"That's easier said than done," I commented, recalling her curvaceous figure. "She's not some middle-aged spinster. She can't be more than thirty years old, and she's unbelievably beautiful."

"My big brother thinks he can't restrain himself," Ray teased with a grin. "She must be hot."

"Well, he has to," Sam pointed out. "If he doesn't want her to think he's an asshole, he has to fight back his instincts and pay her a visit."

"I just might do that."

Might? No, that was a lie. I had every intention of taking Sam's advice. I liked that about my brother. Unlike the hotheaded Ray, he was good at keeping a cool head and giving advice. And I agreed with him that that human had earned my gratitude. I would remember her as a kind soul who didn't let me draw my last breath in her home. The least I could do was show up at her doorstep and express my gratitude to her…