Rebekah Palmer does not believe in love, or men – or werewolves, until she meets Brown, an exotic British gentleman. Then, everything goes haywire.
Chapter 1 TUMBLE IN THE DARK
The biting midnight cold stung his skin. The bushes seemed to have razor-sharp knives attached to the edges of their leaves, slicing through his skin as he raced through them. The debris on the forest floor set traps of stumps on his path, causing him to stumble forward, but he raced through the forest, defiant.
He would groan occasionally as his foot caught in a vine, – or an imaginary puddle – staggering and swearing all at once, but still, he wouldn't stop. He could feel his warm blood trickle over his toe from where he had stepped on a thistle earlier. The scent of the fresh blood would lead his assailants to him, but he didn't mind. He barely had any choice left.
"It's no use running, boy!"
Father's voice echoed through the forest, taunting him. He squinted. He was almost at his destination.
He approached a large mildew-ridden boulder ahead and took a sharp left without slowing down to catch his breath. His instincts were still on high alert. The wolves were still on his heels, chasing him down on every side.
Father's laughter filtered into his ears, scaring him for a split second.
"There's no way to run. It's just a matter of time before I catch up with you, boy. Tick! Tock!"
The moonlit forest that had served as a home to him for these past months now seemed to be a maze – a deathtrap. He heard a howl from a distance and cringed. The Alpha was summoning every wolf in the pack to join the chase.
He approached an unusually large tree and ran even faster now, heading straight for it. He should catch his breath, but the sound of his assailants racing through the bushes around him gave him no such room.
Now about a foot away from the tree he stopped dead in his tracks, staring at the tree.
"No, no, no, no, no" he intoned in obvious horror. He half-limped around the tree and ran his hands over the bark of the tree – or what used to be its bark. Someone had taken the time to strip off the bark of the entire tree.
They knew he would head for this tree. It had been his mother's favorite place in the forest. She had always brought him here whenever father was feeling wild, like tonight.
They had herded him here all along. He steadied his breath and listened. The rustling of leaves about him had gone quiet. He could scent them hidden in the bushes around the clearing at the foot of the tree. Yet, they seemed to be waiting for some sort of command before they attacked him.
"I can hear you breathe" he spat through clenched teeth, listening to the sound of his heartbeat in rhythm with the wind.
A yellow-eyed wolf poked his head from among the bushes, watching him as cautiously as he watched it.
"Oh Troy, now I feel insulted. Of everyone in the pack, he had to send you, didn't he?"
But the wolf would not answer. Instead, it charged at him, teeth first. He charged back in careful long strides, stretching his hand to reveal his long claws. He shut his blue eyes momentarily, opening them to reveal gold-brown eyes. Immediately, his clawed hand connected with the wolf's jaw. The wolf landed on its side and scrambled to his feet, growling.
Another wolf emerged from the forest, then another.
"Just perfect. First Troy, now the Jonas twins? I guess he never really wanted to stop me then" he teased, adjusting his stance. "Why send the weakest three of the pack?"
His jest got to them. Troy bared his teeth at him in unbridled rabid canine fury, priming himself for another attack. One among the newcomers turned back into his human form instead. His white shoulder-length hair and grey eyes stood out in the dimly lit forest.
"I'd enjoy every second of this" he sneered. "...always knew you were a softie."
He pinned his legs to the ground, watching his assailants' every move. Now wasn't the time to speak. He waited and watched.
"Just come with us, I'd make it as painless as ever." Jon Jonas, the white-haired wolf spoke again.
He wouldn't be distracted. He steadied his breathing, appearing to consider the offer for a split second, and then he stopped and held up his middle finger at the wolf.
"Fuck you!"
"Well you asked for it"
The second wolf snapped his teeth and lunged at his ankle. Wrong move. He dodged, allowing the wolf's jaw to clamp shut in mid-air. In one sleek move, he swung over the wolf's head and onto his back like a horse rider. Raising his hand, his claws glimmered in the moonlight before slamming down on the neck of the wolf.
Troy leaped at him. He parried with his arm, wincing as Troy's teeth sank in. He aimed another punch at Troy's neck, connecting just above his jawline. As Troy yelped away in pain, he stood up from the other wolf, grabbing him on his underside and tossing him against the third wolf.
"Fuck!" he cursed again, wincing in pain at the wound on his arm.
Three more wolves emerged from the bushes, all snarling like rabid dogs ready to pounce. They all launched themselves at him, biting and snapping at his arm and legs.
He turned to basic primal instinct at this point, relying on his wolf senses as he dodged the legion of attacks from werewolves. His arms flailed as he struck out against them, sending most of them staggering backward.
"Well, well, well" a cold voice called behind him. All the wolves immediately ceased their attack and retreated.
He didn't need to turn. He would recognize that annoying light voice anywhere. He balled his fists and steadied his breath. Facing the alpha always pushed him to his limits, but not today.
He turned sharply and turned to look at the alpha. For a man who would rather live like a dog than a man, he was better looking than most. His long blond locks sat lazily on his shoulders, glimmering in the moonlight. His blue eyes seemed to reflect the ambiance of the moon even as he chuckled with so much scorn in his tone.
"Why wouldn't you just let me go?" he asked.
"Let you go?" the alpha laughed. "Tell me, what kind of father would that make me?"