Chapter Three
Cat jolted awake into an immediate defensive crouch. Her heart raced, thrumming erratically against her chest as her breath heaved in unison. Disoriented, she turned and growled, looking for the needle she knew was coming…
Until she realized her claws were digging into soft mattress and blankets instead of the hard, cold floor of the cage.
She looked around at the beautiful room through hazy eyes. The day before came back to her in sudden flashes. Killian taking her from the cage, waking up in something called a trailer, eating meatloaf of all things with a pack she wasn’t a part of, and Killian’s sad face when he realized she wasn’t going to shift back last night.
A clatter of pans and dishes from somewhere in the house startled her, and it was followed by a very confident deep male singing. The smells of ham, spinach, eggs, and cheese wafted up the stairs to her room and were so deliciously enticing they spurred Cat to movement.
She jumped down off the bed, then looked back for a mournful moment, wishing she could have slept longer. It had been so long since she had slept on anything even remotely comfortable, and the mattress had been heaven. Already the ache in her bones had dissipated.
A knotted rope hung from the door handle, and Cat pulled down on it to exit the room. When she entered the kitchen, Cat was not prepared to see Killian standing in front of the stove in only his green plaid pajama pants. He held a spatula in his right hand, angled toward his face like a microphone as he belted the song playing over the speakers in the kitchen.
A country tune played in the background with a mix of twang and electric guitar. Killian’s deep voice was surprisingly good, and Cat couldn’t help but smile. Two days ago if someone had told her she would be standing in a kitchen, watching a sexy man in his pajamas singing to country, she would have laughed her ass off.
Killian was comforting in a strange way—something she never expected. She had planned to come down the stairs grumpy and scared of the overbearing man in front of her, but his personality seemed the opposite of his appearance. Plus, what young woman could resist the way the waistband of his pajamas hung low on his hips, hinting at the rear end beneath? Or the way they shifted with each move of his hips to the tempo?
The song ended, as did Killian’s dancing and singing, so Cat moved farther into the kitchen, making her steps louder to the man who obviously had no fear of her, as he wasn’t paying attention enough to notice her presence. Or so she thought.
“I thought you were never going to get out of bed, or work up the nerve to walk into this kitchen with me.”
Killian turned down the music and dumped the omelet he had made onto a plate on the counter. Two plates stood side by side on the island, each with three omelets, a huge pile of hash browns, and a half dozen pieces of sausage all haphazardly stacked together. After setting up his masterpiece, he looked up at Cat and grinned, but not before she saw the flash of disappointment in his eyes. “Hope you’re hungry!”
Giving a huff, Cat lay down on the ground in the same spot as before, and Killian set the plate in front of her. Why it was so important to him for her to be human, she didn’t understand. Because she’d be easier to control?
They ate in silence, but Killian kept glancing over at Cat, making her fidget with discomfort. The food was amazing, but it turned over in her stomach as her anxiety increased. Her only solace was she could see out the large windows to the forest behind the house. The depth of the trees looked so comforting, and she wanted to go beneath their cool limbs and run free.
“How about we go for a run after breakfast?” Killian asked abruptly, causing Cat’s gaze to dart his way. He had finished all his food and watched her as she looked out the window, his hands folded comfortably behind his head. A knowing smile tilted the corners of his lips.
Cat’s heart lifted, and she couldn’t help the impulsive thump of her tail against the hard floor. She could already feel the pine needles digging into her paws, the smell of the trees and rush of wind as she ran through the cool forest. And it would be the first time in forever she had run with another Shifter…
But she couldn’t think like that. She needed to think of a way to get out of the situation she was in. Maybe out in the forest there would be a way for her to slip away from—
“Trying to give me the slip out there won’t work, by the way.”
Killian stood up from his chair and gathered their dishes. Something in her look must have given her away. Analyzing herself, she realized her body had gotten tense as she thought of her plan of escape, and forced it to relax.
“We’re in California,” he continued, “and that means it’s not wolf friendly out here. If you try to leave Wolf Creek, you’ll get captured by rangers, maybe even shot by some civilian in a neighboring town. And then they’ll come straight here and shut me down.”
He set the dishes in the dishwasher and turned to look at her, a glint of danger in his golden eyes. “I want you to be comfortable here. But if you threaten my pack in any way by exposing us to that kind of situation, I will have to take you down.”
Cat’s eyes widened in shock. Killian had always seemed so easygoing besides that time he snapped at Aurelia, and now she understood why he was the Alpha. The pack loved him for his good nature, but he could be firm and protective when needed.
She bowed her head slightly, letting him know she heard him and understood. It seemed she was out of her element, in a strange place, and with no plan to get away. It was stifling to know she was confined to the land around the house, and not able to roam the wild.
Killian nodded, his mouth still in a tight, grim line, a very unfamiliar look for his face.
“Just stay here a second. I’m going to go change.” And then he was gone. She had never seen a Shifter leave to change to their wolf form before. She and her parents had grown accustomed to being able to shift when they pleased, so nudity was no different from wearing clothes for them.
A few seconds later, a black wolf almost twice her size walked into the kitchen, taking up the majority of the entryway. The hair on her back and neck stood at attention. She flashed her canines, and Cat had the momentary sense of her wolf taking over. But a pair of familiar gold eyes locked on to hers, and the intoxicating scent of pine and spice and…Killian whirled in her senses.
She let herself relax and dropped her head, and he strode toward her to sniff. They circled each other, mostly for her benefit to get used to having another wolf in her presence. Killian hesitated before he jolted out of the open back door of the house.
When Cat poked her head out, Killian was already in the middle of a grassy field separating the house from the trees. The black wolf tilted his head toward the forest, encouraging her to run with him. Unable to resist the temptation of freedom, Cat sprinted out the door toward the shady depths.
The minute her paws met the pine needles and soft ground of the forest, she laughed inwardly, so thrilled to not be confined inside something. As she ran the wind rushed around her, bringing with it all sorts of unfamiliar scents. She focused in on the few she was accustomed to: fresh air, the smoky scent of bark, earth, and…Killian.
She had forgotten he was running next to her, and Cat turned her head to the left to see him keeping pace with her. He watched the direction they ran with an intent glare, inspecting for possible dangers. Suddenly, he bolted ahead and turned to the right, herding her in the direction he wished. Irritated, Cat sprinted to catch up with him and shot ahead. He might be bigger, but she was faster.
They both weaved in and out of trees, jumping over rocks and fallen branches as they maneuvered the acreage of land that made up Wolf Creek. Once, they came across the other pack that lived on the land. A large gray wolf lay on the ground with his pack surrounding him. They turned toward Cat and Killian but immediately dismissed them as no danger. Strange for such territorial creatures to dismiss other wolves, but maybe they knew the bigger dog of the area, so to speak. Killian ran around them, and the two of them soon ended up at a small creek.
The cool, clear water rolled over rocks smoothed by constant water flow. It looked so inviting to a wolf that had been running for over an hour. Killian stood on the other side of the creek, lapping up the refreshing liquid but always keeping his eyes on Cat.
Is he watching to make sure I don’t run off? Like I would do that after the warning he gave me.
Cat was insulted he thought so little of her intelligence, and looked down to continue drinking.
A huge splash of water smacked her in the face, soaking the fur on her head and neck. She shook away the rivulets dripping down into her eyes. Killian bowed his chest low to the ground with his rear raised up in play position. His mouth hung open, panting in excitement.
So he wants to play, huh? she thought with a small laugh.
Cat raised herself to her full height on all fours but dropped her chin slightly and growled low. She gave off the appearance of being furious at the splash, bristled and ready to bite, but inside she held back the excitement for play.
Killian’s eyes narrowed on her, and he stood. His ears dropped back, and he bared his teeth in warning that Cat wasn’t supposed to be reacting this way. Cat moved forward until the cool water touched her paws. Killian stayed planted, just like she knew he would. He wasn’t one to be intimidated by the tiny white wolf. She lowered her head, whining high, as if giving in to the Alpha. She saw the confusion flash in his eyes, right before she used her head to splash him back.
Not giving him the chance to register what had happened, Cat bolted back into the depths of the forest, away from the irritated wolf behind her. Excitement bubbled inside her belly at the fun of a chase, a common game with wolves. Behind her she could hear the crack of pine needles as his large form barreled after her through the trees. She weaved through the brush, and once or twice Cat thought she could feel the hot breath on the tip of her tail.
Before Cat even realized it, they had reached the tree line and faced the house on the other side of the field. Panting heavily, the burn of the cool air in her lungs, she stared. She didn’t think she could face going inside the home yet. Considering the height of the sun in the sky, it was probably around one or two, or so her father had taught her, and she was getting hungry. But the thought of walking back inside…
So instead, she lay down right at the edge of the trees. In no way was she concealed. Her white fur clashed against the dark green and brown of the forest, but she needed a minute before she walked back inside. Killian’s black fur, on the other hand, was perfectly camouflaged. He lay down beside her and closed his eyes, and Cat was grateful for his quiet understanding.
They lay in silence, the only sounds being the whisper of the cool breeze in the trees and the scurry of animals as they ran or flew by. And it swept her to another time and place…
* * * *
“Catrina Joy Macintyre, what in the world are you doing? Get your butt down here right this second!”
Cat crawled out farther on the tree branch, at least twenty feet up from the ground. She giggled down at her mother and shook her head in defiance. It was a game she loved to play with Mama, pulling her strings, testing her limits. Her mother shook her short hair, the same white-blonde color as Cat’s, and sighed in resignation.
“Callan! Come out of the house now, please, and help me with your daughter! It’s not my turn to climb the tree!”
“Coming, coming…” her father muttered as he walked around the base of the tree and glanced up. Instead of being angry, Callan Macintyre smiled knowingly at his brave little girl with a mischievous glint in his darker blue eyes. Mama called it the Macintyre Mischief, and she swore up and down she could see the same look in Cat’s eyes sometimes.
“Now…my wee kitten, what made you think to climb that high up in the tree?” He lowered his head and looked up at her through his lashes. “Find anything interesting up there?”
Cat giggled again. “I did, Papa! I found my old kite, and up on that tree branch there is a bird’s nest.” She pointed one tiny finger up to the stack of twigs and other miscellaneous objects the birds deemed fit for their home.
“Ahh…I see, then. Well, now that you’ve gone and found your kite, don’t you think you should make your way on down here? We could play with the kite while Mama works on something delicious for lunch. You know how much I love your mama’s cooking.” He looked at Erica and gave her a cunning little wink. Exasperated, she sighed and folded her arms over her chest.
“Okay, Papa, but first…I want to see if there are eggs in that nest!” Cat declared, already scooting her little body into a squatting position and holding on to the branch above her. Being fit and agile, lifting herself onto the higher limb was not as difficult as it seemed.
“Argh! Cat, don’t! That branch is too small—”
The small branch cracked next to Cat’s right foot. Her whole body shifted forward and dropped from lack of support. Leaves and branches smacked Cat in the face as she fought to find anything she could cling to. Her hands gained purchase with a thick branch after it struck her in the stomach and left her dangling. Breath whooshed from her lungs at the sheer force.
Head spinning, she tried to take a deep breath and swallowed down the shriek of terror. She could hear the muffled voices of her mother and father yelling below her, begging her to keep holding on. As if she would ever let go!
Rough bark cut into the tender flesh of her palms. Blood trickled down her arm in a lazy flow, drawing Cat’s eyes upward. Through hazy red vision, Cat could make out a piece of wood sticking through her finger. Raw flesh circled the brown stick, and Cat whimpered. She couldn’t feel the pain, which worried her more than the actual injury.
“Papa…” she whispered. The word croaked from her dry mouth. She rolled her eyes upward, seeing nothing but blue sky and black lashes.
“Catrina, honey! Look at me!” Callan yelled in his thick Scottish burr. “Look at me!”
Cat finally listened and turned her head toward the sound of her father’s voice. He would get her out of this. She knew he would. His face was pale, and his eyes were wide with fright as he extended his arms up toward his little girl. Letting out a shuddering breath, he managed to show her a quivering smile. Even though she was a Shifter, she hadn’t gained the ability to heal or shift yet. Her wolf hovered just beyond the surface, watching carefully and whimpering in fear.
“Okay, lassie, I need you to trust me. Can you do that?” At her quick nod he continued. “You’re going to have to drop down to me. I’ll catch you. Understand, Cat? I will catch you, and everything will be okay.”
She knew she could trust her papa. Everything he did was always right, and she was pretty sure he knew everything. So she turned back around, squeezed her eyes shut as hard as she could, and let go of her iron grip on the tree. No sound escaped her throat, because she was frozen in a silent scream. The wind rushed around her, but the fall wasn’t nearly as long as she’d thought it would be.
Her little body landed heavily in her father’s arms. He didn’t even flinch at her weight, but crushed her to his chest in a warm embrace. She started shaking and crying on her papa’s shoulder, letting him know how terrified she had been and that she was so sorry she climbed so high.
“It’s okay, my wee little kitten. Sometimes, a little fear is what it takes for a person to become stronger. And sometimes, it takes a little help from someone to get out of a scary place.”
* * * *
A wet nudge on her shoulder woke Cat from her dream. How long had it been since she had heard her father’s voice and not his screams? How long since she had dreamed of anything but that night? She had almost forgotten what his face looked like, and the warmth of his arms. Was it the forest that brought him back?
A slow whine from the wolf next to her made Cat jump. She had forgotten with whom she was lying. Standing up slowly, she stretched her long legs, yawned, and turned to the black wolf. He tilted his head toward the house, and only then did she realize the time of day. The sun was getting closer to the horizon, turning a beautiful shade of pink and orange, like a melting sherbet. By the time Cat trotted up to Killian, he was already on the porch.
* * * *
Once inside the living room, Killian disappeared to change into human form again and re-dress himself. Cat contemplated her dream as she watched him make his way up the stairs. She hadn’t dreamed of anything besides the night of the murders for six years. There had to be a reason why she’d had dreamed of her parents now of all times. Was her mind telling her it was time to try to trust again?
She didn’t know who these people were, but some instinct in her was sensing that Killian wasn’t bad. Yet she couldn’t fully put her trust into someone. Even a man who pulled at her to trust him with pleading golden eyes.
“Hey, I have something to show you. Would you come with me?” Killian stood on the bottom step in nothing but low, baggy gray sweats and tennis shoes. Cat’s insides churned with an unfamiliar heat at the picture of his bare chest, covered in ridges and a vast scar across his pec and shoulder. Claw marks.
He was gigantic—a predator as a wolf and as a human. His arms rippled as he tucked rough, long fingers into his pockets, guiding her eyes to the grooves of his hip bones. They dipped into a sharp and sensual point, which led straight to areas she was entirely unfamiliar with but wanted to explore. Trying to stop her salivation at his appearance, she jerked her head in agreement.
He led the way to a simple, small elevator tucked to the side of the living room out of sight. The tiny area was very intimidating, but Cat refused to move away from Killian and show him fear. After the run, a certain level of trust had formed between the two of them. If Killian wanted to hurt her, he could have done it as they ran in the wild. His wolf was undoubtedly stronger than her in either form.
There were only two buttons on the elevator: the basement and living room. It required a pass code in order to go to the basement, and Killian pressed in a quick sequence of numbers.
Memories from her childhood basement flashed in her mind, and she shook them away. She smelled no obvious danger, but doubted she would even know what to look for in the first place.
When the door opened, they walked down a short hallway with three doors: one on the left, one on the right, and one directly in front of them. Cat used her senses to take in her surroundings and calm herself from the overwhelming sensation of being boxed in between the elevator and the tiny hallway. The obvious slap of flesh meeting flesh and grunts of pain echoed down the hallway. It muffled the obnoxious beeps and hum of electronics in one of the other rooms. Cries of victory sounded from the door in front of them. The metallic tinge of blood and sweat permeated the air.
Cat stepped backward and growled from deep in her chest. Her heart beat erratically, but whether from fear or anticipation of a fight she did not know. What was clear was that she wouldn’t go down without doing her best to get out of there. It’s a trap.
Killian turned around, eyes open wide in disbelief. Why did it surprise him, she wondered, to have her defending herself against an impending attack?
“Now, now there, little wolf. It isn’t what you’re thinking.” She growled again and narrowed her eyes in accusation.
“If I’d really brought you down here to hurt you, wouldn’t I have used some kind of force? Clearly you’re a wolf and would sense something. Do you hear any screams? Let me open the door so you can see what’s inside. I’m not gonna hurt you.”
She looked at him with doubt but stopped growling. Keeping her defensive stance, she quirked her head to the side to tell him to open it.
The ideas of what could happen unraveled in her head as she tried to process every possible scenario and how she would handle it. No matter what, she was trapped with no way to get up in the elevator. Depending on how many others were on the other side of the door, she was pretty much helpless against any attack. But she’d sure as hell take down at least one of them with her.
Still facing her, Killian twisted one hand behind him to open the door.
She walked forward with cautious steps, surprised by the room in front of her. It definitely wasn’t what she’d expected. It was a huge gymnasium with padded black flooring and pristine white walls. The whole room was an obstacle course, containing large walls that looked like ladders, swinging ropes, tightropes to walk across, and other things she couldn’t name. One whole wall was covered in a miscellaneous array of weapons.
A large black square with red ropes surrounding it sat in the middle of the room. Cat recognized it as a boxing ring from pictures her father had shown her. Jessica, Aurelia, Kelly, and a man Cat hadn’t met yet surrounded it. Jamie and a second guy with a burly, pale body and ginger hair faced each other in the ring.
They were across from each other, panting and clad in nothing more than sweats. Fresh gashes and bruises marred bodies already scarred from previous battles as wolves. A Shifter only ever scarred if attacked while both were in their wolf form, or from an incident as a child. A crisp, almost palpable energy filtered through the air, smelling slightly of rain and feeding off the encouragement of the audience.
A low chuckle rumbled from Jamie’s throat, and he gave a cocky smile underneath matted blond hair and a black eye. He raised one hand to beckon his opponent forward.
They fought with the viciousness of animals, tackling and hitting each other without remorse. Pack members being encouraged to practice such harsh training seemed odd to Cat, but she was intrigued. A couple of times it seemed as though the red-haired man would win, especially as he knelt with his knees on either side of Jamie and punched him in the face. But Jamie merely laughed and regained the upper hand by flipping his opponent onto his back.
Cat was entranced at their show of strength. No matter the number of hits they received, neither shifted. Even at home, if Cat became the slightest bit angry she would transition, and the wolf would act smug at her loss of control. She turned her eyes toward Killian, and the corner of his mouth was lifted in approval. He looked down at her and answered the question she had been mentally asking.
“We practice fighting and control down here. It’s important for a Shifter to know these things, especially in this world. There is always a chance of danger around the corner, and the control is so we can be in public without letting our wolf loose. Right now Jamie and Brian are mostly practicing control. If it were a real fight, they would have changed by now.” He shuffled his feet and pointed toward Jamie.
“Jamie is a lot stronger than Brian, but he’s going easy because Brian isn’t as controlled as him. Brian was alone for a long time until he met us. It made him quick to anger, but he’s working on it—for Jessica and for himself.” Killian crossed his arms over his chest and continued to watch.
After five minutes of constant beatings, Brian finally gave in to his wolf and transitioned. A Shifter’s transition wasn’t like the werewolves of myth, but quick and painless. Clothing shredded and landed at the floor by his paws. His light brown fur shook as he panted with exertion and glared at Jamie with fury.
Jamie’s usually lighthearted demeanor turned to something darker. Shadows crept into his face where she had not seen them before, and his back got a little straighter, bristling like a dog’s. Strength emanated from him, pouring over all the wolves in the room, including the frenzied one challenging him. The energy in the room changed to something more alarming and powerful.
“That’s enough, Brian!” he asserted, all childish manner gone.
Brian stood there for a few seconds as every person in the room held their breath, Cat included. The possibility of a fight between the two of them was strong, and she was sure Brian would leap toward Jamie’s throat anytime. This was no longer a game or training between the two of them, but a battle of wills.
Killian tensed beside Cat and took a step forward, but she noticed the hesitation behind his eyes. A good Alpha lets his pack settle things out before getting involved. With Jamie being his Second, Killian had to trust that he could handle the problem.
Brian gave in, dropping his ears to his head and giving a high-pitched whine. His eyes drooped, and his whole body seemed to relax from its previous state of madness. Everyone let out an audible breath of relief.
Next to Cat, Killian nodded in approval. Despite the tension and intensity of the scene that just took place, everybody acted like it was completely normal. The rest of the group rallied together, a swarm of friends within the ring, and Jessica put her arm around the small ruddy wolf in comfort, careful not to agitate his wounds. They supported each other as a pack, as a family. And it was beautiful. Cat’s heart ached with longing, a longing she couldn’t acknowledge.
Killian turned toward the exit and waved for Cat to follow him. “I’ve shown you what I wanted to. Let’s go get some dinner upstairs.” She followed him down the hall, too distracted by the possibilities floating through her head to notice the tight confines of the elevator.
She might have finally found what she’d been waiting for. A key to revenge.