Chapter One

 

It wasn’t the worst summer job.

She could have been in charge of cleaning the public toilets or on duty at the septic dump site. Caroline decided working at the entry gates was rewarding in comparison. 

Most of the staff were students, so she felt like the odd man out at thirty-two. The guy in charge of hiring didn’t ask her age, so she didn’t offer. This was only supposed to be temporary, anyway. She leaned out the ticket booth, taking a deep breath of country air. The place was definitely growing on her.

A week after Christmas she’d been laid off her temporary teaching position, and even though she had managed to land a new assignment relatively quick, it didn’t start until September. Eight months with no income wasn’t going to work for her. When she’d seen the job blitz for provincial park positions, she jumped at the chance. They’d sent her way, way up north to one of the larger parks with a growing summer camping program. It was too far to commute, so she had to scramble to find accommodations after accepting the job.

Rent wasn’t cheap, even in the middle of nowhere, neither were camping or rooming fees, so she ended up making a deal with a one-star motel a mile up the road from the park entrance. They charged her half price if she forfeited room cleaning and signed an eight-month commitment.

She’d lost everything—apartment, furniture, the little savings she’d had.

That had been five months ago.

A blue minivan pulled up to her window. “I have reservations.” The man handed her a computer printout, then turned to yell at his kids. According to the paperwork, there were five kids and their parents. She took down their license plate number, checked the man’s ID, and then confirmed the reservation code. “I hope you enjoy your stay with us.”

The minivan drove into the park, the next vehicle taking its place.

The car pulling up had two girls who looked to be in their early twenties. They were laughing, their music too loud to hear them. The driver finally turned down the volume. “We’ve booked a camping site for two nights,” she said.

Caroline went through the usual drill.

The passenger leaned over the center console. “Are there any dangerous animals here?”

“There’s information in your welcome package,” said Caroline. “Just be sure not to leave any food out and the wildlife should keep away.”

She didn’t tell them that over the past few months the animals had been getting too close for comfort, knocking over large containers and trying to get into tents. The park had to hire a full-time animal control worker to patrol the campsites every night. She’d been given strict instructions not to spook the campers, so she kept her mouth shut.

By the time her shift was over, she was tired of all the bullshit. Some visitors were nice, but a lot were rude and treated her like a second-class citizen. She supposed her teaching position was more respectable, but being a substitute really wasn’t much better. Especially when the vice-principal had been a womanizer and complete asshole. Even though she’d been through a lot recently, she was ready to move onward and upward. She’d start over once she moved back to the city, work her way up in the new school, and maybe, just maybe, she’d find Mr. Right. She craved love and companionship. Even though her track record with men was deplorable, she wasn’t ready to give up just yet. It seemed every time she turned around there were happy couples, reminding her just how lonely she was.

Caroline started her long walk to the hotel. The sky had begun to turn shades of pink, the quiet soothing. Only the sound of her shoes hitting the dirt path broke the peaceful hush. She didn’t make it far when a pick-up truck barreled down the road, skidding to a stop beside her.

“Caroline, come on. I caught it!”

She narrowed her eyes. Wayne, the new animal control guy, leaned out the driver’s window. “What are you talking about?”

“Let’s go. I’ll show you.”

What else did she have to do? Her nights were lonely, and her television only got one local channel. She ran around to the passenger door and climbed into the pick-up. The rumble of the engine took over as Wayne hit the gas. He drove around to the utility buildings behind the campgrounds and parked.

She followed him as he entered one of the larger wooden buildings.

He flicked on the light and pointed to a big cage with thick metal bars. Wayne had trapped a wolf. It snarled and lunged, saliva dripping from its mouth. Caroline gasped and bolted back against the wall. She’d never seen one up close.

“Huge, eh? I set out traps and finally got lucky.”

“This is the wolf coming into camp?”

“Has to be.” He kicked the cage, and Caroline cringed.

“What are you going to do with it?”

He shrugged. “If I release it, it’ll only come back. I’ll have to kill it.”

She crouched down, far from the cage, but close enough so she could examine the beast. It was a mix of grays, and it wasn’t happy. It seemed wrong to kill such a stunning animal, so feral and beautiful in equal parts. There was such intelligence in its eyes.

“There has to be another way, Wayne. You can’t just kill it. Aren’t there laws protecting them?”

“I have no fucking clue.”

She frowned, standing and crossing her arms over her chest. “Aren’t you supposed to be an expert?”

He laughed out loud, taking a seat on a stool. “I used to be a janitor. You think the city would shell out cash for a professional? I’m the best they’ll get.” He used a stick to prod the animal, making it lash out and rock the cage.

She rolled her eyes, feeling sorry for the wolf, and hating Wayne more by the minute.

“Make sure you don’t do anything stupid until you find out the laws. Just … just leave it alone, for God’s sake. It’s getting late, shouldn’t you be doing your patrols?”

He sighed, pushing himself to his feet. “Guess you’re right, another day, another dollar.” He secured a deadbolt to the door once they left. Part of her felt responsible for the wolf, something inside her wanting to ensure its safety. It was innocent, after all. Her conscience weighed heavily on her.

She trekked back through the park, refusing a drive from Wayne. Men seemed to get ideas way too quickly, and she’d had enough drama back in the city to last a lifetime. By the time she got back to the main road where she’d started, darkness blanketed the lonely street.

Great.

After seeing a real life wolf, her nerves were on edge. Now she had to walk alone for a mile without a flashlight. She’d never needed one because she’d never left this late. Caroline sucked up her fears and put her shoulders back. Nothing bad would happen. She just had an overactive imagination. Maybe she should cut back on the suspense novels. There were stacks piled high on her nightstand. She reminded herself that real life was way more boring than fiction.

The road was straight, so as long as she kept walking where the dirt met the grass, she’d get to the hotel. She moved briskly, feeling the chill set in, goosebumps appearing on her forearms. When a wolf sounded in the forest, she broke out into a run.

****

Grey watched the woman from the thick underbrush. She reeked of wolf—their missing wolf. He could kill the human right now, drag her body away, and no one would ever find evidence of a crime. But Rhaina was still captive, and he needed more information. He followed her step for step, and she was completely oblivious to his presence. She was night blind, occasionally tripping over her own feet. When a wolf bayed in the distance, the sharp scent of her fear tainted the air, and she started running. She didn’t get far, clumsily falling onto her knees and rolling into the ditch. It was surreal.

How could she be a threat?

She began to cry, brushing the gravel from her knees. He could scent her blood and his mouth instantly salivated. Grey forced himself to back off, despite his feral instincts.

He ran.

He never stopped running through the forest until he reached his den. Not even stopping to catch his breath. His packmates were waiting. It had been a state of chaos since Rhaina disappeared in the afternoon.

“You find anything?” asked Jacob.

“I have a lead. A human female. She works at the park, so I’ll find out more in the morning.”

“There’s no time! What if Rhaina doesn’t have until morning?”

“Relax. If we rush the park, they won’t stop until they hunt us into extinction. We have to use level heads,” said Grey.

Rhaina only had herself to blame. He’d been warning that bitch to stay away from the campsites. She claimed it was easy pickings, but any contact with the human world only ended badly. When they were in their fur, they needed to hunt like wolves, not become lazy like the fucking scavengers of the forest. She’d embarrassed their pack, and now their focus was on rescuing her rather than handling their business. He had his own shit to worry about.

Grey bunkered down for the night. It wasn’t easy forcing his natural sleep and wake cycle to work against itself, but if he wanted to live a truly integrated life with the humans, he had to adapt. Things were different than they were in his grandfather’s day. Without mixing their human and wolf halves, he had no doubt they’d become extinct before long. His parents had been firm believers in nurturing their human sides. Adaption was key for any species, especially shifters, beings born to live in two worlds.

He remembered the scent of the woman’s blood. It made his cock hard. He hadn’t expected that gem. She was the enemy, yet his urge to claim her had taken him by surprise. He’d run away because he didn’t like the vulnerability she brought out in him. It would be a cold day in hell before he considered claiming a human for a mate, so the thought of dealing with her tomorrow made him uneasy. He’d blame the fact she had Rhaina’s scent all over her, but that wolf was more like a sister and a pain in the ass. Grey had no desire for Rhaina, which only left the human.

His pack was small, shifter populations down across the globe. His urge to reproduce kept him up some nights. He wanted to keep his unique bloodline alive, the same one hidden from humans since the beginning of time. They had no clue of the species living right under their noses.

Zeke entered the den, curling up in the corner. “That so-called animal control asshole thinks he’s God or something. I know he has something to do with this.”

“I warned Rhaina to stay away. She didn’t listen.”

“So you’ll abandon her, let them skin her alive?”

He growled. “I said I’d deal with this shit in the morning. Let me sleep.”

Grey hoped Rhaina survived the night, but she was a strong wolf, and anything short of a gunshot wouldn’t bring her down.

****

Walking to work in the early morning was immeasurably more pleasant than coming home last night. She’d never do that again.

Her knees and palms were scabbed over from her fall, and she couldn’t get rid of the shaking feeling that someone had been watching her. It was straight out of a damn horror film, and it had probably been nothing but her silly fears.

The birds sang, squirrels scurrying in the branches above. Even though she’d lived her life in the city, she’d fallen in love with the northern territory. The peace, the natural beauty, the fresh air—it was all addicting. Everything had a slower pace, even at work most days. If she could get over the loneliness, her life would be perfect.

She’d left earlier than usual today because she couldn’t get that wolf off her mind. Such a gorgeous creature needed to be free. There was so much intelligence in its eyes, and she didn’t trust Wayne not to do something stupid.

There were a couple cars waiting at the entry gates, but it wasn’t opening time yet. She hurried past the barricades toward the back shed where she’d seen the caged wolf. When she got there, the padlock was in place, no sign of Wayne. He probably didn’t start work until later since he was on the evening shift.

She rattled the lock, pressing an ear to the door. Was the animal still there? Still alive? Caroline walked around the building, looking for another way in. There was a window at the back, so she rolled over a small log to stand on, peering in on her tiptoes. The wolf looked right back at her. The intensity in its eyes nearly made her fall on her ass. The window was locked, so she climbed down, pacing the area. She had no doubt Wayne would do something to kill the wolf when he returned tonight, and she couldn’t stomach the idea. Pretty much everyone in management had the same anti-wolf mentality, so she had nowhere to turn for support.

Caroline started walking back to her post. It was almost time to open the gates. A man stood in her way on the dirt road, and when she tried to move around him, he blocked her path.

“Can I help you?” she asked.

“What do you have in that shed?” he asked.

She narrowed her eyes. “It’s just supplies and stuff.”

“Do you have the keys for that lock?”

Caroline swallowed hard. “It’s off limits to campers.”

A shiver of fear crept up her spine. He was a really big guy with a gnarly scar on his right cheek, and she didn’t remember seeing him before. She recognized most of the campers as she was at the main gates six days a week.

This time, he grabbed her arm when she tried to pass, squeezing too hard. “What game are you playing here?”

Caroline gasped, tugging her arm away. “I’m calling security,” she warned, jogging down the path away from him. What a psycho. It was way too early to be that drunk. She exhaled in relief once she got to the busier area at the front of the park. It was time to start her day, and it was already proving to be as shitty as yesterday.