“That was a female bear?” she asks. “I didn’t see any cubs.” Her eyes dart around looking for the black bear to return any moment.
“If you see the cubs, then you’re in real trouble. Gotta know the other signs. We’ll teach you anything you want to learn,” West says. Fighting a smile, he adds, “I bet there are some things you’d like to learn about wolves, too.” He says the last part slowly and I know what he wants to teach her. Hell, I want to teach her the exact same thing.
Wolves have a primal instinct for pleasure—and we will hunt it down until we find it.
“Is that your way of avoiding the question at hand?” she asks. She must no longer see us as a threat because she pushes past us toward the ruined tent.
West, River, and I share a knowing look. Just how much do we tell this stranger?
“Okay, well, if you’re gonna be creepers about it, whatever. I’ve had a helluva night and I don’t need more bullshit.” She shakes her head and throws a backpack over her shoulder. As she does, her body reminds her of her injury. “Fuuuuck,” she shouts. “Motherfucking fuck.” She drops the bag and reaches for her arm. Blood has soaked through her light jacket and she bites her bottom lip to stifle a cry.
“Hey,” I say, moving toward her and knowing she needs help even if she doesn’t want to accept it. “Let us help.” I take the bag from her hand and sling it over my shoulder. It’s not much, but it’s a start.
She looks up at me, her eyes shimmering in the light of the moon. But she isn’t a soft glow with silver streaks—she is red fire and guns blazing. “Help me? Are you crazy? I don’t even know what you are.”
I run a hand over my jaw, the day-old stubble reminding me that it’s late. We need to get this girl out of the woods, now. The scent of blood will attract more wolves—and that’s the last thing we need right now.
“Look,” I say. “You wouldn’t believe us if we tried.”
“Try me.” She pushes her lips forward as if daring me to talk.
West shrugs and River sighs, and the truth is this woman could be eaten alive in these woods. Or worse, a member of our old pack might find her here, in the wolves’ territory, and stake claim on her before we do.
“We’re shifters,” I tell her, pulling back my shoulders and looking at her headlong. “Wolf shifters. And we come out at night and hunt. That, and save innocent women about to be mauled by wild bears.”
She cocks a brow at me. “I’ve never in my life, been called innocent.”
West snorts, and River smirks… but me? I’m turned the fuck on.
“And what is it you’re usually called?”
“Remedy. That’s my name at least.”
“What, like, you’re the cure?” I ask.
She twists her lips, an eyebrow raised, as if not buying it. “Yeah, but I think I’m usually the problem.”
“Still, tonight you need fixing,” River says, stepping toward her. “That shoulder needs to be bandaged.”
“And you know how to do that, you wolf-shifting-whatever-you-are?”
I nod. “We do.” I glance around the dark forest. “It’s getting late, it’s not safe out here for anyone, let alone you.”
“Me?” Remedy scoffs. “I’m stronger than I look.”
I shake my head, stepping closer to her. “I don’t doubt it. You look plenty strong, believe me.”
“Then why so worried?” she asks.
“Because I don’t want to lose your scent and have to start all over tomorrow.”
Her eyes narrow. “You’ve been tracking me?”
I nod. “We’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”
“How long?” she asks, the timbre of her voice shaking for the first time. “How long have you been looking for me?”
“Remedy,” I tell her, my body thrumming with intensity. “Would you believe me if I said forever?
Chapter 5
Remedy
If the situation had been different—if I weren’t running from the police for killing a man or if I hadn’t already been attacked by a mama bear tonight, maybe I wouldn’t have followed their lead—but all this had happened. I was alone and lost and really fucking in over my head.
The truth is, wolf-men or not, I need them tonight. At this point, the idea of braving the wilderness alone is more than even I can handle. And after hiking for a few hours in the woods, I am grateful that they found me.
The one with a cocky face and a stubbly chin is Callum, they tell me. The one with the full beard, eyes with golden flecks, and a smile that makes me forget all about the past is East. And River has a smooth face, eyes are so blue they’re practically ice, and he walks behind me, at the back of the line, as we hike through the woods. I am not sure if he is my protector or the one who makes sure I won’t get away. Right now, I’ll take either if it means I make it through tonight alive.
“You okay?” River asks, his voice a soft hush against the stark night.
“I’m fine,” I say, though it’s a lie. My arm aches and my head spins. “No biggie, just a woman alone in the woods with a pack of wolves.”
“You can call me by my name you know,” he says, his pace quickening so he is right behind me. A chill covers my spine at his proximity. “And are you sure you’re alright? I can carry you the rest of the way.”
“Uh, thanks, River is it, but I’m good.” Truth is, though, the idea of River holding me, my face against his solid chest, sounds more than a little inviting. I’m unaccustomed to feeling safe and content. I can feel myself fighting against it already.
“You don’t have to put on a brave face for me, you know,” he says, reaching for my hand. “You can be yourself with me. With all of us.”
“Not sure you’re up for that. I’m a bit of a challenge, or so I’ve been told.”
“Hey,” he says, stopping, and forcing me to turn and face him. “Challenges don’t make me run.”
“No?” I ask, his hot breath so close to my mouth, and I wonder if the other guys even notice that we’ve stopped walking. “Why not?”
“Because I don’t scare easy. And besides, Remedy, it looks like you could use someone to watch over you.”
I don’t tell him he’s wrong, that I’ve been on my own forever, thank you very much-because there’s a hint of something gnawing at me. Something that whispers my name. Something that says maybe he is exactly right. Maybe, right now, I am against a rock and a hard place and these wolf-men are the soft landing I need.
They look at me like they could catch my fall. Hell, like they would brace themselves for whatever wreckage I might leave in my wake.
And god knows, if my life says anything, it screams disaster.
It feels good to hear River say that I don’t scare him. The idea of him watching over me causes a tingling to run up my spine. I have a compelling desire to stop walking all together and let him press his body against my back. I haven’t felt that in a long time.
Maybe in forever.
That need for someone to wrap their arms around me and not let go.
I swallow the emotions wanting to surface. I don’t do feelings. I don’t do tears. I don’t do heart-to-hearts.