Odessa had been quiet since their arrival in Moscow. Correctly interpreting that this introspection was connected to his disclosure about her father, Lowell remained silent during the cab ride from the airport to the hotel. He was content to watch her expressive face as she viewed the city at dusk. It was a relief to have her with him, since the road signs were all in Russian and their cab driver spoke no English. When they arrived at the hotel, it was grand on an imposing scale, with furnishings that harked back to Russia’s imperial past. Odessa conversed in quick-fire Russian with the check-in clerk before turning to bestow a heavy old-fashioned key on Lowell.

“Separate rooms?” His lips twitched. “Seriously?”

“I booked online before we left New York.” A faint pink blush stained her cheeks. “I guess I wasn’t prepared to assume anything.”

He carried their luggage to the elevator. “You can assume we won’t be needing one of these keys.”

Her soft indrawn breath tested his self-control to its limit. Despite the heat between them, they maintained a discreet distance apart in the elevator. The presence of several elderly couples had more to do with that than any restraint on Lowell’s part. Conscious of his cell phone buzzing furiously, he checked it, frowning at the display.

“Problems?” Odessa asked, as the elevator reached their floor.

“I’m not sure.” Each of the other six members of the brotherhood had been trying to contact him while he had been traveling. When he didn’t reply, their messages had become increasingly frantic. The final voice mail simply said, “Wherever you are, find a news station, then call me.” Lowell recognized Samson’s voice. The brotherhood’s largest and toughest member wasn’t usually inclined to overdramatize a situation.

Using one of the keys, Lowell entered a vast, luxurious room. After trying and failing to get a decent internet signal on his cell phone, he turned to Odessa. “Can we get an English news channel on the TV?”

If she was taken aback by the change from raging desire to brisk efficiency, she gave no sign of it. “We should be able to get the world service.” She switched on the set and found the right channel.

He didn’t have to try and guess which news story his friends were contacting him about. He was immediately confronted with an image of his own face filling the screen.

“Police in New York are still seeking this man in connection with the bomb that destroyed part of an office block earlier today.” The newsreader’s cool tones filled the room. “Detectives believe the targeted attack was part of a campaign against Santin Creative. It is not yet known how many people were injured in the explosion . . .”

“What the fuck?” Lowell glared in disbelief as his picture was replaced by a video clip of him leaving Odessa’s offices, then another of the same building with smoke and flames pouring from the windows.

Odessa scrambled in the pocket of her jeans for her cell phone, giving a whimper as she stared at it. She held it up, showing Lowell the blank screen. “No charge.” Her eyes were huge as she gazed at him. “My colleagues . . .”

He caught hold of her with one arm, pulling her hard against him. She clung to him and he got the feeling he was the only thing keeping her upright. “Let me see what I can find out.” He found Samson’s number with fingers that weren’t quite steady.

Samson answered immediately. “Where the fuck are you?”

“Moscow.”

He heard Samson draw a breath. “If you are in Moscow, how come your picture is all over the news as the guy who blew up the Santin Creative offices this morning?”

“Maybe the same reason Odessa Santin was filmed pouring poison over the Arctic tundra when she was actually in Florida.” Odessa was trembling violently, and Lowell ran his hand up and down her spine in an attempt to soothe her.

“You’re saying it’s a setup?” Samson’s voice was calmer now, a note of relief mingled with incredulity creeping in.

“Of course it’s a fucking setup.” Lowell couldn’t believe he was having to say the words to a man he had worked alongside for centuries. “Did you seriously believe I had turned into some kind of terrorist since you last saw me?”

“I’m sorry.” His friend sounded genuinely apologetic. “It’s just . . . it was you in those pictures.”

“Yeah, well that’s something we’ll have to figure out when we get together. For now, I need to know if anyone was hurt in that attack.”

“They haven’t released that information yet, but I’ll do what I can to find out more and get back to you.” Samson became businesslike. “Why are you in Moscow?”

“It’s a long story, but I’m on my way to Siberia with Odessa Santin.” Lowell ended the call abruptly. That should give his friends something to think about.

* * *

Odessa pressed tight against Lowell’s body, wanting to absorb him, to get inside his skin. For the first time, she didn’t fight or question her craving for him, she simply allowed his nearness to overwhelm and soothe her. Whatever it was, this attraction between them went deeper than sex. His touch calmed her and she needed that now, needed to feel his strong arms around her, his lips on her temple. She still had no idea how many people had been harmed in the attack on her offices and her imagination was running wild, picturing the scene, tormenting her with images over which she had no control. The weight of her responsibility to her pack felt unbearably heavy, yet she couldn’t figure out what action to take against this enemy who lurked in the shadows.

“Who is doing this?”

“I don’t know.” There was frustration in Lowell’s voice as he made the admission. “The only person I can think of who would be capable of this sort of villainy and trickery is dead.”

Odessa raised her head. “Who was that?”

“Have you heard of Jean Chastel?” Odessa shook her head. “He was a werewolf bounty hunter. A man who used powerful sorcery to wage war on werewolves, no matter who they were. He vowed to destroy all werewolves and was doing his best to wipe out the Arctic species when the brotherhood stepped in to prevent him. These attempts to set the Siberians against the Arctics are exactly the sort of things he would do to get us to wipe each other out.”

“But he is dead?”

“Yes. Samson killed him a year ago. It’s a long story, but it was an encounter that had been foretold in ancient cave drawings.”

She tilted her head back to look at him. “You seem to lead an interesting life.”

A smile quirked the corners of his lips. “I could tell you more, if you’re interested.”

Odessa rose on the tips of her toes, fitting her body to his. “Not now.”

“No? Why not?”

“Because that’s not what I want from you right now.” Her voice grew husky as she traced the line of his lower lip with her tongue.

“It’s not?” His hands moved to grip her hips.

She shook her head. “Right now I need you to make me forget everything except that I’m a wolf.”

The gold of his eyes flared brighter than ever. Within seconds the mood had changed, just as she intended. As his lips claimed hers, he was already wrestling her out of her shirt and her body ignited. As he drove her toward the bed, the rest of their clothes were flung to the four corners of the room. Forcing Odessa down into a kneeling position with her upper body on the mattress, Lowell reared over her, his chest against her back, the front of his strong thighs tight to the back of hers. Mounting her like a wolf.

“Like this?” His voice was rough in her ear. “Is this what your wolf wants?”

She arched her back in acquiescence, lifting herself to him, losing herself in the sensations he aroused in her. The movement caused the head of his cock to tuck tight against the swollen lips of her cunt and she threw her head back, gasping at the rush of pleasure that thrilled through her. Growling softly, Lowell worked himself slowly into her, stretching her delicate internal muscles. Odessa exulted in his groan as her tightness caressed his sensitive flesh.

It was so good it was maddening. Reaching back, she raked her nails lightly over his sac, feeling him draw up and tighten in the wake of her touch. In response, he gave a muttered curse and drove deeper into her. Slow, steady strokes that made her cry out. She could feel the raw, animal energy he was holding in check and she wanted all of it. All of him.

“More.” Odessa barely recognized her own voice. There was a definite wolfish snarl in the words. “Now.”

With an answering growl, Lowell gave her what she wanted. The thrusts built from slow and steady into wild and frenzied. He slammed his cock into her with blinding, savage strokes as she continued to beg for more. He kept her hovering close to orgasm, her muscles clenching around his shaft as she burned with a combination of pleasure and pain. Fire and lightning tore through her, tugging at the edges of her consciousness, waiting to send her spinning out of control.

As he pounded himself into her, Odessa felt the first contractions of her muscles signal her release. Her vagina gripped Lowell’s cock like a fist, keeping him tight inside her as her world tilted off balance. She was flung into space, bright stars exploding inside her head as she cried out his name. At the same time, she felt Lowell’s own climax claim him. He thrust one final time as deep, hot spurts shot high inside her and he buried his head against her neck.

As Odessa’s legs gave way, Lowell held her against him, lifting her onto the bed and cradling her close. “Try and get some sleep.” His breathing was still ragged as he whispered the words into her hair. “Tomorrow could be a long day.”

And, despite everything that was going on around them, in his arms she felt the first stirrings of slumber tug at her consciousness.

* * *

Yakutsk was a bleak city, a snow and ice encrusted scene draped in a blanket of fog. The few hardy souls who braved the streets were encased from head to foot in fur. Odessa explained that twenty minutes was the maximum amount of time people spent outdoors in winter.

“Not freezing to death is the preoccupation here.”

Although they had both made the pretense of dressing for the weather, Lowell was secretly delighted to be in the city that claimed to be the coldest on earth and Odessa was clearly at home here in Siberia. Lowell, watching her as she hired a jeep to take them to the Olyokminsky district, wondered at her desire to make New York her home when this was clearly her natural environment. Here, her eyes shone brighter, her pale skin had a healthier glow and, as she threw back her head and laughed at something the car rental clerk was saying, she had a renewed vitality. Odessa might try and hide her inner wolf from others, but Lowell wondered how long she was going to try and hide the Siberian within from herself.

Since Odessa knew the route, she did the driving. Once they left the city, the roads they took were poor, many of them little more than rough gravel tracks taking them past vast lakes and through fields and forest. Although they traveled through villages, the weather meant they saw little sign of life along the route. Lowell’s Arctic sensed the snow and ice and tugged at him for release.

With surprise, he realized the last time his wolf had run free for any length of time was when he and the brotherhood had met on the remote Alaskan island of Ulu twelve months earlier to confront Chastel and his evil band of followers, known as the Hellhounds. Other than that, he had snatched only brief chances to shift and run in the woods near his home. His human work had kept him so busy since then he barely had time to think. His inner wolf was giving him a timely and very insistent reminder that his body had other, more basic needs.

Gradually, the forest became denser and the road dwindled until it disappeared altogether. Finally, Odessa cut the engine. “We will have to continue on foot.”

They were in a valley of conifer forest carpeted with alpine wildflowers. Although it was warmer here than in Yakutsk, the temperatures were still below freezing and their breath plumed on the air. The ground was iron-hard and through the trees, Lowell glimpsed snow-fringed mountain ridges.

“I’ve got a better idea.” He started to undress. Odessa raised a questioning brow. “These bulky clothes are annoying me.”

“If we leave our clothes here, we will have nothing to change into when we arrive.” It was a practical point, but one that didn’t appeal to Lowell’s sense of adventure.

He continued undressing until he was naked. “It won’t be the first time I’ve had to improvise.”

The icy ground under his feet felt heavenly. The cold air on his skin and filling his lungs was a reminder he was alive. Siberia wasn’t his home—the unique light of the midnight sun was missing and the curious buzz of the taiga insects was irritating—but it came close. He turned to face Odessa, who was still regarding him as if he had lost his mind. Lowell felt a twinge of sadness. What had caused this? How had she become so far removed from her inner wolf?

“Join me.” He held out his hands to her and she took a half step back.

“I haven’t done this for a very long time.” Her eyes were wide and almost fearful.

“You never forget how.” Just like you never forgot how to breathe. Shifting was part of the werewolf DNA. Odessa could pretend it wasn’t, but only for so long.

The outcome hung in the balance for a moment or two, then she nodded decisively. Slipping out of her fleece-lined outer clothing, thermal undergarments and heavy-duty boots, she faced him. Licking her lips, she flicked back her long hair.

“I’m ready.” She didn’t sound ready. She sounded like she wanted to run away, as far and as fast as she could.

Lowell tried to remember the first time he had shifted. It was so long ago, it was almost lost in the mists of time. He could hear his mother’s voice, soft and soothing. “Close your eyes as a human, open them as a wolf.” He said the same words now to Odessa, watching as her eyelids fluttered closed. “Deny your human instincts. Forget you can read and write. Forget technology and machinery, put the cares of the material world behind you. Feel the forest around you, become one with it.” He could sense her beginning to relax now. “Mold your body. You no longer have a foot, you have a paw. Your leg has become a hind leg. Your arm is your foreleg. Your nose is a snout.” He let his voice drone slowly on, observing the swift, subtle changes as her beautiful features lengthened and her muscles relaxed into the shape of her wolf.

Odessa opened her eyes, blinking at him before dropping onto all fours. She was a stunning wolf. Her pelt was mostly coal black, but that spear shape of pure white down between her eyes and onto her muzzle highlighted the light blue of her eyes. She prowled around him, nudging him with her snout, clearly impatient for him to join her and Lowell shook himself.

Lowell didn’t need any reminders of how to shift. For him it was as quick and easy as blinking and as natural as breathing. A second later, his huge Arctic wolf towered over Odessa, resting his snout on her back. Pure white and muscular, Arctics were bigger and stronger than Siberians. This wasn’t a test of power, but if it had been there would be no doubt about the winner.

The Siberian female nudged the Arctic male again, showing him the direction they needed to take, before breaking into a run. He fitted his strides to hers, slowing his pace so she could lead the way and stay at his side. Her dark head reached his pale shoulder and his long limbs outreached hers. But this was her homeland and she grew in confidence as she ran, scenting the air and skirting fallen tree stumps. The canopy overhead grew denser. The blue of the sky appeared to have been almost completely covered by the dark branches that stretched across it. In their wake, trees creaked, and the sounds of forest life stilled. The wolves felt eyes upon them as nervous watchers observed their progress through this rich habitat. Scurries and flurries of movement ebbed and flowed around and above them, but the wolves ignored the temptation to hunt for the time being. Single-mindedly, they continued until the female paused on a high, snow-dusted ridge.

She was breathing hard as she looked down on the scenery below. There was undulating Siberian forest as far as the eye could see. The Arctic came to stand beside her on the edge of the rock, taking in the view upon which her icy eyes were fixed. He could sense her distress. Below them, a plume of black smoke disturbed the beauty of the scene.

* * *

They shifted back as they approached the burning building. The acrid smell was out of place in the freshness of the forest and Odessa wrinkled her nose.

“This happened recently.” Lowell took in the scene with a swift glance around. “Stay here while I check it out.”

“I’m coming with you.” It was hard to be authoritative when they were both naked, but she did her best. Part of the problem was that she wanted to yield to Lowell on this. Odessa’s instincts were crying out to let him be the alpha, to put her in her place. Because she really didn’t want to see what was inside that building. She tried to tell herself it was her brain’s natural reaction to her body’s fear. To the heart-pumping, sweat-making, gut-churning that had been her initial reaction to what she was seeing. But this was the Siberian headquarters. Her pack was in there . . . what was left of it.

Lowell’s eyes narrowed, and she saw him weighing up the situation. “Okay, but stay close.”

“I was planning on it.”

The headquarters had been a typical Soviet building, designed for function rather than style. Long and low, it was built from an ugly gray concrete that jarred with the beauty of the encircling forest. No attempt had been made to match it to its surroundings. Ironically, now that it was burned, its charred walls blended more closely with the forest than ever before.

Odessa led Lowell to the entrance. The solid wooden doors were blackened and charred and swung open easily when she pushed them. With the feeling of dread mounting, and her heartbeat thudding in her ears, she stepped inside.

“Although the Siberian packs live all over this vast region, my father built this place so that he could train his fighters here.” Her voice echoed in the empty corridor. Residual smoke stung her eyes and tingled in her nostrils. “As people drove deeper into our territory, my father believed we needed to be prepared to fight.”

“He also trained them so he could take over the territory belonging to other werewolves.” Lowell moved ahead of her, checking the rooms that led off the corridor, they were all empty. All burned-out shells. “Santin’s long-term plan was for the Siberians to wipe out the Arctics and move into our lands.”

Odessa bit her lip. She was starting to accept that Lowell knew more about her father than she did. “I didn’t know that. It is not an ambition I share.” She wasn’t about to declare a truce with the Arctics, but it mattered to her that Lowell should know she wasn’t planning the destruction of his species.

After a few yards, they couldn’t follow the corridor any further because the roof had fallen in. Smoke rose from the charred mass of beams that blocked their way. Flickering orange embers were an indication of just how recent the fire was.

Lowell gazed around at the windowless corridor with its low ceiling. “Is there another entrance?”

“We need to go back outside.”

The bright light of the forest was a welcome contrast to the gloomy interior of the building. Odessa drew some welcome fresh air into her lungs. She wanted to move her feet, but she couldn’t. Her mind was blank and then she was falling. It was that feeling just before she went to sleep and something jerked her awake. Falling but never hitting the ground. She was never going to stop falling . . .

Strong arms came around her, holding her close and she clung to them, steadying herself. “I don’t know what just happened.”

Lowell’s voice had a calming effect on her and she allowed it to wash over her. “It’s the shock, and maybe the smoke as well. Take a moment to get over it.”

She rested her forehead on the firm muscles of his chest, breathing in his scent. How had this happened? How, when her world was going to hell around her, had this man had become her anchor? In that moment, it didn’t matter. He grounded her and supported her. Would she be able to do this without him? She liked to think so, but she was glad she didn’t have to.

Squaring her shoulders, she drew away from Lowell before leading him around to the side entrance of the building. There was less damage here and the door was intact. Odessa tapped in the security code on the panel at the side of the door and pushed it. It didn’t open easily and she frowned.

As she began to push harder, Lowell put a hand on her arm. “Wait. This could be a trap.” He scanned the building. There was a line of undamaged windows on either side of the door. “What are these rooms?”

“This is the accommodation block. Those are the bedrooms.”

Lowell walked along, checking the windows. When he found what he was looking for, he stopped and went into the forest, returning with a large, flat stone. Using this as a lever under one corner of the partly open window, he applied pressure on it until the frame gave way and he was able to pry it fully open. In one agile movement, he sprang over the ledge and was inside.

After a few moments, he reappeared in the window. “All clear.” He held out his hands to lift Odessa through.

When she was clear of the window frame, Odessa looked around. There had been no special treatment for the leader, and she had stayed in one of these rooms on the few occasions she had been here. It was a stark military box, containing a bed and a wardrobe. Lowell was already opening the wardrobe and throwing the contents on the bed. Pulling on sweatpants and a T-shirt that stretched tight over his muscles, he grimaced.

“They will be too big for you, but it’s better than nothing.”

Odessa found a pair of shorts with a drawstring waist. Cinching them tight enough so they didn’t fall off, she pulled on a T-shirt that hung almost to her knees. The clothes were clean, although they smelled of smoke, but at least this way they weren’t going naked into the unknown.

“Ready?”

She nodded and Lowell opened the door a fraction. When he was satisfied with what he was seeing, he opened it fully, beckoning Odessa to his side. This corridor was narrower than the previous one and, although the tang of smoke was strong, the fire had not reached it. There were no windows, but they could see their way along it through the skylights set at regular intervals in the low roof.

When they reached the door where Odessa had tried to get in, the reason why it wouldn’t open became apparent. A man’s body was on the floor, pressed up against the lower panel. Lowell crouched and turned him over. He was a Siberian and his sightless blue eyes gazed up at them. His throat had been ripped out.

“Do you know him?” Lowell looked up at Odessa, who was staring at the dead man in shock. She had seen enough wolf kills in her life, so why did this one make her nauseous?

“His name is Ivan. He was one of the guards.”

Lowell rose, confirming what she already knew. “This was a wolf attack.”

Odessa moved closer to him. “So the fire wasn’t an accident?” She supposed she had been clinging to a vain hope that it might have been.

“It doesn’t look that way.” He took her hand. “Let’s find out.”

They continued along the corridor, moving in the direction where it would meet up with the main part of the building. As they walked, Odessa became aware of a familiar scent. One that should have been welcome to her, but that was out of place. It was the warm, coppery tang of blood. Lowell lifted his head, sniffing the air as he caught it at the same time.

“Is this where the fighters eat?” He stopped walking.

Odessa shook her head. “There is a separate building where the hunters bring the fresh kills. The entire pack meets there for communal meals.”

“So we shouldn’t be smelling blood here?” He tilted his head again. “And we especially shouldn’t be smelling a lot of it?”

Fear began to track its way down Odessa’s spine like an icy finger. “No.” The blood was overpowering now. As if a huge kill had taken place. But instead of attracting her, it was repulsing her. There could only be one reason for that. “It’s werewolf blood, isn’t it?”