Wild Heat (Wilding Pack Wolves 3) - New Adult Paranormal Romance (10 page)

He examined her carefully but didn’t press further about the Wolf Hunter. “Very well, then.” He leaned forward, lacing his fingers again. “I’m assuming these are not the only two wolves you have managed to procure photographs of?”

“No, I have dozens I was able to shoot this morning.”

“Did you happen to see any…
white
wolves?” His blue eyes were intent on her now.

A prickle crawled up the back of her neck. “A white wolf?”

“I know they are very rare,” he said. “Although our new candidate for Representative, Grace Krepky, is apparently one.”

“Yes, I know.” This turn was making her very nervous for a reason she couldn’t quite identify. It wasn’t possible for Julius to know the Wilding family had a white wolf in its past—it was just a legend in her family, until very recently when her cousin, Noah, had revealed that
he
had been turned into a white wolf by the experiments the government had performed on him. He claimed that it proved he was directly descended from the white wolf that broke up the Wilding pack to begin with, back in her grandfather’s generation. Noah also said he, and the previous white wolf, were really male witches, just as the rumors that have circulated for years in her family had claimed. 

Terra was as surprised as everyone else when he revealed all this. And of course she wondered, just like every other member of the family, if any of the rest of them had white wolf tendencies. She didn’t shift often, but when she did, her fur was very black.

The problem was… Julius shouldn’t know any of that. With the secret kept locked away, deep and dark in the Wilding pack. Had he somehow heard about Noah’s revelation?

Even more importantly, why was Julius bringing up white wolves at all?

“I didn’t see any white wolves today,” Terra said cautiously. Which was the truth. “But I don’t understand—why are you asking?”

“I know it must seem odd,” he said ducking his head and toying with the tablecloth. Then he looked up. “As you may have ascertained, I have a bit of a fascination with shifters and especially those of the wolf variety. When Grace revealed that she was a white wolf, I realized there was so much more to being a shifter that I didn’t understand. I investigated, doing my research, and I came across these ancient stories about the white wolf and how it was powerful. Magical. More so than the average shifter.” He cleared his throat and gave her a small embarrassed smile. “Please forgive my over-exuberance. Sometimes I get excited.”

“No, it’s all right,” she said, patting his hand. “Have you talked to Grace?”

“In fact, I have. But, of course, she knows little more than I do. It was a surprise to her to be a wolf at all! And apparently her parentage is a little bit of a sensitive topic.”

Grace was mated to Jared River, Jaxson’s older brother, so Terra knew the complexities involved in that whole situation. And that Grace was the bastard child of a shifter who had a fling with her mother—had, in fact, seduced her just like the hate groups like to accuse shifters of doing all the time. She could understand why Grace might not want to talk about it, especially with a human.

“Well, even though Grace is a white wolf, she’s only a halfling,” Terra said. “Obviously, her mother was human.”

“She may only be a halfling, but she has extraordinary healing powers… or so I hear.”

Terra didn’t think that was necessarily secret, so she nodded.

Julius leaned forward again, looking fervent. “Don’t you see? The power of the white wolf must be extraordinary. If even his halfling offspring could have such extraordinary healing powers, what must the original white wolf possess?”

The original was quite possibly a witch—but Terra wasn’t about to say that. “I suppose.”

“It’s just a theory.” Julius waved his hands around. “But I have this gut feeling… that if I can just find this white wolf, this mythical pure being, that maybe he could somehow bring peace to the city. Perhaps there’s something in this white wolf that could bring us together.”

Terra frowned. This idea of a white wolf being a savior… she didn’t want to burst Julius’s bubble about that. Besides, she didn’t really have much in the way of facts—just the rumors of her family and the fact of Noah being a white wolf himself. All she really knew was that, for the Wilding family, a white wolf had left nothing but destruction in his wake.

She cleared her throat. “Well, I guess I can keep an eye out for this white wolf, if you’d like, while I’m doing my work.” She hoped that would be good enough for him.

His eyes lit up again. “Excellent! And if you could perhaps ask around, as you mingle with the shifters of the city, perhaps we could piece together some clues. Any scrap of rumor or legend, anything would be helpful. It’s like a grand mystery!” He looked bashful again. “It’s a teeny bit of an obsession of mine, but I realize it’s rather… eccentric. I appreciate your discretion in this. It wasn’t something I wanted to bring up in front of the others because, well honestly, it makes me look a bit foolish. And I endeavor to be taken seriously most of the time.”

That brought a smile to her face. “Your secret is safe with me, Julius.”

He smiled wide. “Terra, my child, you’re more of a treasure every moment I spend with you. If I were a wolf, you would be in serious danger of me asking you out on a proper date.”

She grinned, but before she could respond, her phone buzzed on the table next to her.

There was no image, but she recognized Kaden’s number.

Oh shit.

“Oh dear,” Julius said, peering at her phone. “I hope I haven’t gotten you in trouble.”

She rose quickly from the table. “I’m afraid I have to go. You can keep these.” She slid the portfolio and its photographs across to him.

“Of course! Of course! Run along.” He waved her up and away.

She snatched up her phone and debated not answering Kaden’s call at all. She knew that would be worse for her in the end, but she didn’t want to take his no-doubt angry call in front of Julius.

She let it ring as she hurried out of the café.

Jesus, she’s on the run.

Kaden was having a legit heart attack. The pain in his chest, as he stared at Terra’s torn-apart window coverings, as he realized that
she wasn’t fucking here
, couldn’t be anything other than his heart seizing up and stopping dead still. He couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think.

He’d lost her.

Fuck!
No. His brain restarted as he launched across the room and shoved the dangling black drapes aside to stick his head out the window. The narrow alleyway outside the window was empty, but it dumped out onto the street. He climbed out, leaving a bent screen behind in his haste, and sprinted down the narrow passage to the front. Maybe she’d just left a moment ago. Maybe he could catch her before she got too far.

What the fuck was she doing?

He stumbled to a stop at the curb in front of the safehouse. There was no sign of her. He hurried down the sidewalk, looking everywhere, but it wasn’t like he could go shouting her name through the neighborhood. They were supposed to be lying low, for fuck’s sake! Kaden paced back to the front of the house, wracking his brain while he ran both hands through his hair, trying to reel in the panic enough to
think.

Why did she leave?
He raced back over their “fight”… he’d been so damn close to kissing her, sending all the wrong signals because he couldn’t fucking control himself, and then, like an ass, he’d pulled back and given her some shit about just doing his job. She’d rightly told him to fuck off and stormed into her room.

In retrospect, it made perfect sense that she would bail—not “perfect sense” for a calm, rational person, but for Terra? To run off in a fit of anger? Completely consistent. And the fact that he didn’t see it coming just underlined how messed up he was around her.
Completely fucking incompetent.

And now she was gone.

He slammed a fist against his forehead. He would have time to deconstruct how much of an idiot he was later. Right now he had to find her again.

How long had she been gone? It had been over two hours before he banged on her door to check on her. Maybe she’d left right away and had time to cool down. Maybe she was wandering the streets right now wondering what the fuck to do… or worse, contemplating something truly dangerous, like going after the Wolf Hunter or some damn thing.

He pulled in a breath and blew it out through his teeth. Dammit, Kaden,
think.

His phone.

He yanked it out of his pocket. If she were calm now, maybe he could reason with her. Talk her back in. He dialed her number, and it rang and rang… he was about to give up when she finally answered.

“Hello.” It was her.

Thank God.
“Jesus, Terra!” The air rushed out of him along with the relief at hearing her voice. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I’m okay. I… went out.”

“What the—” He had to mute the phone against his chest as a string of curses burst out of him. He quickly got a grip on himself. “Where are you?” he ground out through clenched teeth.

“Kaden, I just had to—”

“Where are you?”
He was on the edge of completely losing his shit. So much for calmly talking her in.
Jesus.

“Downtown bus thirty-four.” Her voice was chastened. “I’m boarding now, heading back, I promise.”

“Stay on that bus.” Downtown?
Fuck.
What was she doing there?

“What?” It was like she didn’t think she’d heard him correctly.

“Stay on the fucking bus, Terra!” He was shouting again… so he just hung up. He had to calm the hell down, and the only way that would happen was if he got eyes on her again. He sprinted to the sedan parked under the carport next to the safehouse, climbed in, threw it in gear, and let loose another string of curses as he zoomed down the street. He couldn’t peal rubber the way he wanted to—he couldn’t afford to attract attention to the safehouse—but he
needed
to get to that bus.

It was a good ten minutes before he’d sped across town and finally glimpsed Bus 34 trundling down the mainline, past shops and weaving bicycles. Kaden executed a highly illegal U-turn and came around the back of the bus. Only then did he trust himself to call her again.

This time, she picked up on the first ring. “Hello?”

“Are you still on Bus 34?”

“Yes.” Her voice was quiet.

“Stay on the bus,” he ordered in no uncertain terms and then hung up again.

Then he let out a long sigh, releasing some of the tension coiled deep inside him. He couldn’t see
her,
but he had eyes on the vehicle. He would just tail it, watch who boarded, and make sure she stayed safe until the bus reached the stop nearest the safehouse. The vehicle was maddeningly slow and belching noxious fumes onto his car, but it wasn’t much longer before they were crossing over to the neighborhood branch of the line.

When it finally reached the stop, Kaden gripped his steering wheel and watched as she scurried off. Terra didn’t notice his car at first, but when the bus pulled away, she saw him glaring at her from the driver’s seat. He put the car in gear and headed for the carport down the block, not stopping for her. He didn’t trust himself not to make a scene, and that would attract too much attention. Her eyes were wide as he passed her, and she had damn well better get the hint that she needed to walk the final leg to the house by herself. He checked the rearview mirror. If she didn’t get that pretty little ass in gear and haul it to the house, he’d double back and get her.

But she started moving.

Kaden swung the car back into the carport and checked to make sure she was still headed toward the house. She was, head down, fists at her side. He couldn’t tell if she was angry or upset or what… but he was mad as hell. He was relieved to see her, and the panic had subsided, but his adrenaline was still pumping like crazy. He strode in through the front door, closed it, and waited for her just inside.

He ran his hand through his hair and tried to breathe out the stress.

She was okay. She was back. This was all going to work out.

But only if she stayed.

That thought ratcheted the tension through his body again.

The door swung open.

Terra stood in the doorway, wide-eyed and uncertain. Kaden reached for her hand on the doorknob, pulled her inside, then shoved the door shut behind her. Somehow she ended up in his arms, flat against his chest—he had a hold on her like he’d just snatched her back from drowning.

“Goddammit, tell me you’re all right.” He felt her head moving against him—
yes
—but that spilled her cloud of dark hair all over his hands. It worked some kind of magic on him, and suddenly he was getting lost in it, aching with the feel of her small body tucked against him. He bunched his fist in her hair and pulled her head back, tipping her face up so he could get a good look, but those big, dark eyes sucked him right in.

His mouth was suddenly on hers like it belonged there.

Her lips were hot and soft, her tongue welcoming him inside. His kiss was angry and hard and demanding, as if he was suddenly possessed, his tongue intent on owning every inch her mouth had to offer. The small whimper in her throat made his blood race. He leaned into her until he found the wall with her backside. Then his body was a cage, surrounding her, protecting her, pressing against every delicious soft curve she had. His hands found her wrists and hauled them above her head, pinning them against the wall. He could feel her heart pulse in them.