Winter (Rise of the Pride, Book 2) (14 page)

“Alpha of this wolf pack,” Talon snarled.
“You have committed a crime against my pride and the mate of my
heart. You will not be leaving here alive.”

“Fuck you, pussy,” the man snarled, his
mouth elongating, morphing with his shift. His lethal canines
snapped at Talon in warning. The wolf transformed quickly, but he
was cornered by three panthers and one pissed off alpha who wanted
blood.

Talon pounced on the alpha as Savage stepped
aside with a wicked gleam in his eye, leaving enough room for the
panthers to assist their alpha. Noah roared as he caught the leader
by his flank. The wolf screamed out in pain as Noah’s canines sunk
into his flesh. Talon stripped as his brother held the struggling
alpha. It was only a matter of seconds before Talon’s mighty roar
caused everyone in the room to freeze. The alpha wolf howled, but
the sound was cut off when Talon’s mouth clamped over his throat.
Talon’s panther was in charge when he tore the animal’s throat out,
dropping it to the floor.

The fresh scent of blood hit Winter’s nose
when he saw another woman rush them from the hallway. She held a
pistol straight out in front of her, aiming it wildly around the
room. A panther roared behind him when the gun discharged, echoing
in the tiny room. He saw Dane lunge for the woman’s throat just as
the pain registered in his shoulder.

Winter grabbed his shoulder and hissed, and
his hand came away stained with blood when he touched the spot. It
wasn’t a lethal blow and would heal in a few hours, but it pissed
him off.

The two men against the wall took off toward
the back door, but Savage side stepped to block their exit. “Going
somewhere?”

“We didn’t do it!” one yelped. Savage barked
out a sarcastic laugh right before landing a blow to the man’s
temple, knocking him out cold.

The second man jumped on Savage’s back,
hooking an arm around the big ass Guardian’s throat. Winter laughed
and shook his head when Savage spun around, dislodging the nuisance
as if the man was nothing more than a fly buzzing around his
food.

“You really want to play?” Savage
taunted.

The man rolled to his feet, his hands
shifting. Black hair sprouted on the backs of his hands and his
face began to change, but Savage wasn’t going to let the man shift
without a fight. Savage lived up to his name by the way he fought.
Winter didn’t have a death wish and he knew to never go up against
the crazy son of a bitch whenever the Guardians would spar to let
off some steam.

“Ah, ah, ah,” Savage warned. “Boss said no
shifting.”

“I’ll kill you,” the man snarled, attacking
Savage instantly.

Savage stepped to the side and landed an
elbow to the man’s back, sending him to the ground. The Guardian
waited until he rolled over before striking. He grabbed him by the
throat and lifted him again, but used the wall to pin the man to
prevent him from moving.

“How many more of you are here?” Savage
demanded. “Where is Perry?”

“Fuck you,” the man snarled.

“Wrong answer,” Savage said, tightening his
hold on the man’s throat. With one flick of the Guardian’s wrist,
the man’s life was over.

As the others took care of the dead wolves,
Winter searched the home, finding the door to the basement. Savage
passed him a second later and took the steps two at a time to reach
Malaki and his sister. Talon barked his name and when their eyes
met, his leader tossed his head to the side, telling Winter to do
what he needed to do to find Perry.

Flashing his fangs, Winter marched down the
hallway kicking doors open as he searched. He could smell the son
of a bitch from the moment they’d come through the door. Blood
tickled his arm as he moved, but it wasn’t going to stop him from
finding Perry.

“Where is he?” Winter snarled to himself,
his vision sharper now from his partial shift. His panther was
poised and ready to take the wolf’s life. Just as he kicked the
last door open, a body fled through an open window at the back of
the room. Winter’s heart galloped as he used his strength to launch
himself through the window. Perry cursed loudly as he rounded the
house. Winter shouted out a warning, but it was of no use as he
reached the old truck. That wolf was fast in his human skin.

With no regard to his own safety, Winter
slid across the hood of the truck as the engine fired to life. His
hand wrapped around the door handle, but Perry was already pressing
on the gas. The tires spun as he cut the wheel, turning the truck
around in a tight circle, slinging Winter off and barreling off the
property.

Winter blinked rapidly and shook off the
pain in his shoulder, feeling more blood trickling from the wound.
A heated curse left his lips as soon as he realized Perry had
gotten away.

Dane’s panther approached, pacing in circles
around his fallen brother. Winter lifted his hand in a sign that he
was okay, but Dane whined and snarled, looking back toward the
house.

“I’m okay, just pissed,” Winter promised,
rolling to his side. He took a deep breath and climbed to his feet
as Savage exited the house, carrying a tiny female in his arms.
Winter’s wound was forgotten as he rushed forward to help
Malaki.

“Where’s Talon?” Winter demanded.

“He’s fine,” Savage said, gritting his
teeth. “The others have been taken care of, but there is evidence
there were more numbers to their pack. They are about to torch the
house.”

“It won’t matter about the others,” Winter
said, taking Malaki by the arm. “Their alpha is gone.”

“Will they die?” Malaki asked, his eyes
never leaving his sister.

“More than likely,” Savage replied. “If they
find another pack, they can be saved, but there isn’t a wolf pack
anywhere near here.”

“Okay,” Malaki nodded, pulling away from
Winter to walk closer to his sister. “It’s okay now, Calla.”

“M’kay,” she mumbled, nestling down into
Savage’s hold. She looked severely malnourished and weak. Her short
blonde hair was caked with dirt and dried blood coated her neck
around a thick collar that had been imbedded with spikes, ensuring
that if she’d shifted, Calla would’ve been killed instantly.

When they reached the trucks, Booth was
there with a blanket to bundle up the girl. Malaki scooped her up
into his arms and climbed inside the truck. Booth gave a nod and
turned the truck around, heading back toward the panther’s
territory.

Winter saw the faint orange glow coming from
the direction of the house a few seconds before he heard paws
racing up the road. Talon was in his human form as he slid into the
passenger seat of the truck. Panthers took to the bed of the truck,
shifting into Guardians. Winter drove them back the way they’d come
while Talon handed clothes through the back window.

He looked into the rearview mirror and saw
the fire had swelled, the glow burning brighter in the sky. The
only good thing about that night was the fact they’d saved two
children from torture and death at the hands of the wolves.

Now, he was on the hunt for the one that got
away.

Chapter Ten

It was midmorning when Nova tiptoed down the
stairs, hoping she didn’t wake up Winter. She’d heard him come in
around three that morning. The bear shifter, Drake, had left her at
the doorstep the night before, promising to be at the bar that
afternoon, unless Winter advised him otherwise.

As she turned the corner to enter the living
room, Nova froze. Winter was sitting in the blood red chair, a
bottle of beer dangling from between his thumb and forefinger. His
eyes were glowing amber, but he seemed to be staring off at a spot
on the floor.

“Winter?” she whispered, hoping not to
startle him. She knew not to come up on these shifters and surprise
them, because it could agitate their animal. Liberty had snapped at
her about a week after she’d been changed, scaring Nova so bad,
she’d thought her sister was going to bite her head off for
real.

Winter didn’t speak, but a soft purr rumbled
out of his chest. He was frozen in his spot, only his fingers
moved, rolling the bottle back and forth. He looked drained and she
gasped when she saw the blood on his shirt.

“What happened?” she asked, rushing forward,
but halted when he stiffened.

“I found him,” Winter growled, his canines
were extended, biting into his bottom lip.

“Who? The boy?” she asked, confused.

“The son of a bitch who hurt you,” he
replied.

“Where is he? Did you call the sheriff?”
Nova knelt at his feet, wanting to touch the bloody shirt, but she
refrained because this frozen shell of the man she cared for was
honestly scaring her.

“He got away,” he sneered, finally looking
up. Nova stifled another gasp when she noticed that his face had
partially shifted, his upper lip was thick and his nose had
recessed slightly in his face.

“Why are you covered in blood?” Nova
whispered. “Please tell me, Winter.”

“I was shot,” he swallowed. “We killed the
alpha of the wolves.”

“Winter,” she whined.

“I’ll heal, little one,” he promised,
leaning forward and setting the bottle down beside the chair. His
face was only a few inches from hers when his eyes changed back to
ice blue, his mouth and nose returning to his normal human
features. He stayed like that, inhaling deeply a few times before
leaning back in his chair.

“Take your shirt off and let me get
something to clean you up,” she said, leaning back when he obeyed.
Tears welled in her eyes when she saw the amount of blood on his
skin. “Winter?”

“The bullet is out,” he said, dropping the
shirt on the floor. “I’m going to shower.”

“Is there anything I can do?” she asked,
watching him walk away from her position on the floor.

“Don’t leave,” he mumbled as he disappeared
into his room.

She picked up the shirt and took it straight
to the trash can in the kitchen. She started the coffee and pulled
down two cups from the cabinet. She knew he liked his coffee with a
small amount of sugar and had a cup waiting for him when he
returned to the kitchen.

He was shirtless and there was only a small
pink mark on his shoulder where the bullet had entered. Nova wanted
to ask him more, but thought better of it since his mood hadn’t
improved.

“I scented you on that son of a bitch’s
truck,” he growled. “It drove my panther mad.”

“I’m sorry,” she apologized, taking a seat
across from him at the small kitchen table. “I’m so sorry.”

Winter’s eyes landed on her cast and he
stared at it for a moment before taking a deep breath. “When I find
him, I will kill him. There will be no humans involved.”

“Sheriff Lynch wants him in custody,” she
reminded.

“It’s no longer a human concern, Nova,” he
growled, looking up with his eyes sparking amber. “Perry is a
werewolf.”

“W...what?” she gasped, scrambling
backwards. Fear raced up her spine at hearing the man she’d been
attacked by was not even human. The chair clattered to the floor as
she shivered all over. Winter was out of his chair and around the
table in a matter of seconds, making a protective barrier in front
of Nova, but he still didn’t touch her. “He…he’s a shifter?”

“It’s going to be okay, Nova,” he swore,
looking deep into her eyes. “I’m not going to let him hurt you
again.”

“But he got away,” she retorted.

“Not for long,” Winter replied, resting his
long arms against the wall. Nova stilled when Winter caged her in,
his hands within inches of the side of her head. His massive chest
was right in front of her face.

“I don’t want you to get hurt protecting
me,” she whispered.

“Any amount of blood spilled to protect you
will be worth it, Nova,” he said, tilting his head to the side. She
licked her lips as her eyes trailed down over his sculptured pecs
and further past the ridges and valleys of his abs. Nova ignored
Winter’s harsh curse when her eyes fell on the tight denim jeans
that cupped his hardness.

“Like what you see?” he growled.

“I know what I’d like to see,” she smirked,
looking up into his eyes that were sparking amber.

“You’re playing with fire, little one,” he
said, leaning in closer. Nova didn’t dare move from her spot as he
leaned in to scent close to her neck, but still didn’t touch.

Bumps raised all over her body when Winter’s
panther purred, rumbling deep in his chest. She could smell his
wildness and something different. Was it his soap? Perfume?
Whatever it was, she wanted to lick it from his skin.

“I like fire,” she breathed, looking up at
him through her lashes, giving him a naughty smirk.

“I should take you over my knee,” he
warned.

“Chicken,” she pushed.

“And maybe shut you up with my cock deep in
your throat,” he replied, leaning forward, his breath tickling the
side of her neck. “I’m going to touch you and when I do, my panther
will take over and he’s agitated right now. Are you sure you can
handle that?”