All was quiet in the guesthouse as I returned. I wondered if any other guests had checked in since my arrival. There wasn’t any sign of Chloe and the children. They must have gone into their living quarters to relax. I returned to my room, noticing the maids had made the bed, and left clean towels on the comforter.
They hadn’t touched my recording equipment. It was stacked in the corner of the room where Peter said it was. A large brown envelope caught my eye. Someone had propped it up on my pillow. It looked important. I emptied the contents onto the crisp white sheets, finding the keys to the car, Peter’s email address on a piece of folded notepaper, and the log-in information I needed. As if the universe thought I needed a break, my phone rang. It was my mother.
I swiped my finger across the touchscreen to answer the call. “Hi, Mum. How are things at home?”
“Great,” Mum replied. “I’m just checking in with you to see how you’re settling in.”
“Everything’s fine. I went into Lakewell town today and picked up a couple of bits and pieces. You know me, I love to shop.”
Dad muttered something about me being a spend-a-holic, poking fun at me. “What was that?” I asked, grinning.
“Oh, ignore him. You can indulge as much as you like. You’ve earned it,” she defended me in a soft humored tone.
We chatted for another few minutes before saying goodnight.
I was missing them tremendously, and I hadn’t been gone for long. I was such an overthinker, second-guessing everything and panicking over trivial things. That resulted in a headache. I took some pain meds to sleep it off. Then I woke around 10 p.m., drenched with sweat, so I took a shower to freshen up. My mind flitted from one thought to the next, overthinking everything as the soap sluiced down my legs and then down the drain hole. I decided that if the wolves were to howl again tonight, I would sneak outside to take a few photos.
After I dried off and changed into a simple nightdress, I checked that my camera had sufficient charge. The humid night air was too hot and muggy. I could barely stand it as I used my hairdryer, so I opened the window, thinking that would help. My room is filled with the scent of fresh forest pine. I found it calming. I loved the smell of the outdoors, providing it didn’t smell of cow shit. As I glanced at my phone, I saw it was almost midnight. My eyes were dropping, but suddenly I heard the sound that I’d been hoping for.
I pressed the remote to turn off the television, plunging the room into a darkened silence. Then I grabbed my camera and crept towards the window, hoping that if I peered out of it, I would see wolves roaming around the grounds. It would be amazing if I caught evidence on my second night here. I struggled to see a thing in the pale moonlight. The trees cast eerie shadows on the lawn, making the scene below seem almost ghostly. Just as I was about to give up the search, another ear-splitting howl came from the edge of the forest. It sounded closer this time.
My keen eyes scanned the tree line, searching for any sign of life. Wolves tended to hunt at night rather than in daylight. The thought of spotting one so soon made me buzz with excitement. I had to be careful when encroaching on their territory, not wanting to disturb the natural order of things. This was amazing.
I just wanted to see a wolf . . . just one, and I could sleep comfortably tonight. Last night exhausted me, but tonight it pumped me full of adrenaline. I couldn’t tell if it was a trick of the light, but I could make out eight glowing orbs among the foliage. I blinked for a second letting my eyes adjust to the dark, then I leaned out of the window to get a better look. Just as I suspected, wolves were prowling around down there. One of them stepped onto the lawn, and then bowed his head low. I could hardly believe what I was seeing. It was a huge black wolf – bigger than any wolf I had ever seen before. I watched with intrigue as it cautiously sniffed the air, then looked up at my window.
There was no way I could miss this. I pulled my backpack from the hook on the door and snatched my sneakers from beneath the bed. It wasn’t like wolves to encroach onto human territory, and it was my job to find out why they were here. Maybe they were being forced from their natural habitat or maybe their food source was depleting. Whatever the circumstances, the university would want to hear about it. I darted downstairs in a hurry, only stopping to pull on my footwear. It wouldn’t do me any good to go traipsing through the garden in my bare feet. I flung the camera strap over my head, and then tiptoed to the back door. The back door had one of those safety locks that didn’t need a key to unlock it from the inside, so I was able to open it and slip away as quietly as I possibly could. I pulled the lens cap off the camera and altered the settings to night-vision mode.
This had nothing to do with the stupid urban legend. No idiotic kids were streaking across the green with their dicks flopping about. No naked men waiting in the wings to drag me into the forest. Just me and the wolves, who probably came here searching for food.
The black wolf seemed a lot bigger than he looked from my bedroom window. I could hardly believe it was a wolf at all, but I could tell it was a ‘he’ by the size of his bollocks. Everything about him was big. He stood as tall as a horse and as wide as a bear. I clicked away with my camera as I walked around the edge of the garden, careful to maintain a safe distance between me and the enormous wolf.
“That’s it, I’m not going to hurt you,” I murmured, getting some great close-up shots.
The wind rustled through the trees, whirling my nightdress around my thighs. It was enough to raise the hairs on the back of my neck, making me shudder. I zoomed in, focusing all my attention on the wolf through the lens, and that’s when I saw it too little too late – in the reflection of the silvery wolf’s eyes, I saw a guy sneaking up on me. But before I could react, he fucking grabbed me and clamped his hand over my mouth.
I bucked and thrashed to break free of my kidnapper’s iron grip, but it was useless. Whoever he was, his strength exceeded my own and all I could do was scream bloody murder as he dragged me deep into the forest. No one would know where I was. I dropped my backpack on the lawn. My camera was still dangling from the cord around my neck, weighing me down and biting into my nape. My terrified screams turned to desperate sobs. At one point, a hand pressed down so hard over my mouth that I thought I might pass out. I could scarcely see a thing as he pulled me through the thicket. All I could hear was ragged breathing and the sound of heavy footsteps beating on the ground — until the bickering started.“What part of ‘let me handle it’ did not sink into your thick skull?” an angry voice roared. “Can we not discuss this now? I'm kind of busy here, in case you haven’t noticed,” the guy holding me answered him.“Go easy on her, she still needs to breathe,” a raspy voice snapped.There are thr
He turned me around and pulled me to the couch, the soles of my sneakers squeaking against the varnished floor. The men darted back from the adjoining room wearing shorts and nothing else. One guy flung a pair through the air and my captor caught it with one hand, then whirled me into the arms of a blond guy. He wasn’t as rough, but he showed no signs of letting me go, pulling me back on the couch and onto his lap. The guy who dragged me from the door put on his shorts and then went to join the others. They huddled together and muttered between them, “Why don’t you say something? You’re the eldest.” Two of them shoved the nominee forward — a strapping guy with dark hair, a cropped beard, and silvery grey eyes. He seemed like such a bad-tempered bastard, turning to snap at them like a rabid dog. But then he dragged his gaze to me and held it there as if he was contemplating what to say. “I’m Alex Bennett,” he introduced himself; his tone remained firm. “On behalf of me and my brothe
They wanted to wait until Alex came back from the kitchen, which was fair enough. This concerned him too. He carried a red mug by the handle, treading carefully so as not to spill a drop onto the floor.So, he’s houseproud — noted. I could tell a lot from someone by their actions. The way they respected their living space and the people around them.“Here, I hope I’ve made it right,” Alex handed me a mug of steaming hot tea then put a coaster onto the coffee table in front of me.I took in every detail, making a mental note of their behavior patterns. It would help me to figure out what made them tick. After inspecting the tea, I risked a sip. It wasn’t too milky, and it wasn’t too strong . . . it won my seal of approval. We were off to an impressive start.Alex watched me, cringing to see whether the drink was to my liking. He wanted to impress me, but why would he care? Kidnappers were supposed to be wretched, horrid, despicable human beings with agendas. They don’t offer their hos
“Isobelle, stop!” Alex’s commanding voice sent a jolt through my heart.My startled scream rang through my ears before a rough hand covered my mouth.“You’re bleeding,” Lucas’s raspy voice accompanied a hot gust against my ear.He was behind me. Alex was in front of me. My fingers attempted to peel away Lucas’s grip as I wrestled against him. Then two wet snouts nudged against my elbows, causing me to whimper helplessly.“Are you trying to get yourself killed?” Alex berated. “The forest isn’t safe during the day, let alone at night.”“Hey!” Lucas barked back, “Lay off her. Can’t you see that she’s scared?”Lucas curled his arm around my waist, pulling me against him. The heat from his skin seeped through the thin cotton of my nightdress, permeating through to my heart. Warmth. Protection. Safety. Those feelings surfaced, instilling somewhere within my inner core, enabling me to relax. There was no way they would let me get ripped apart by wolves. Alex stepped forward and brought his h
Isobelle Grayson finished cleaning my wounds and wrapped bandages around the nasty ones. The cabin was quiet. Nobody else came into the bedroom while he was tending to me. They got the hint I needed some space. Grayson grinned, holding a fistful of colorful Band-Aids for me to choose from.I cocked my head to one side. “Seriously?! I’m not five,” I muttered sarcastically.He was taking the whole ‘Daddy’ thing to the extreme. If I misbehaved, would he put me on the naughty step or force me to stand in a corner and face the wall, or worse . . . would he put me over his knee and spank me? God, why did I secretly want that?His brows jumped a few millimeters. “Humor me.”I sucked in a languid breath through my nose then tapped a pink one with sparkly princess crowns on it.“Give me that one,” I replied with an exhausted sigh.Grayson coughed to clear the back of his throat as if he was prompting a further response from me. I waited for a couple of seconds before adding an exasperated, “P
Alex“Jesus, how much does one woman need?” I stared at Isobelle’s luggage with disbelief.My car was on its ass, fully loaded with all her essentials.Fuck me, where are we going to put it all?Lincoln Anderson lent me a bungee cable to secure the trunk after I fought to keep the door closed.“Do you think it's a good sign that she has pink Playboy bunny symbols all over her luggage?” Grayson mentioned.I envisioned an illuminated light bulb hovering above his head as his mind whirled with possibilities. Is she kinky? Or does she just like pink? Lincoln cast him a puzzled look, probably wondering what the fuck he was talking about. That brand isn’t well known here in Whitehaven, only Grayson had an outside subscription.“There . . . that should hold it,” I announced, flustered, sleep-deprived, and agitated. This business with Isobelle tied my stomach in knots.Grayson let out a low whistle. “Holy cow, that’s a serious amount of stuff. Where is it gonna go? We clearly didn’t think thi
IsobelleI had the most amazing soak in the world’s largest bathtub, then emerged from the room in a cloud of steam. Holding a fluffy white towel around my body, I crept back to the bedroom, tiptoeing past Alex in the kitchen. He was busy scrubbing a pan in the sink, and the heavenly smell of pancakes wafted past my nose.“Good morning,” he muttered over his shoulder. “I hope you slept well?”“I . . . uh, yes, thank you,” I replied, surprised by his pleasant tone.“We brought all your belongings from the guest house, and I charged your cell phone while you were taking a bath,” he mentioned, up to his forearms in soap suds.What?! He’d gone to the guest house, and Chloe and Lincoln had just let him take my things without asking questions. I had a pile of dirty laundry on the floor by my bed. Did he get that too? My cheeks flushed with embarrassment, but I could sense the repentant tone of his voice and figured he was only trying to be helpful. There were still so many questions that ne
Isobelle“You are?” Grayson spluttered with disbelief.Alex collapsed with relief. Lucas slurped his coffee as if he hadn’t been worried at all. His cockiness was cute, and I could see straight through it.Mason looked as if all his Christmases had come at once. “You won’t regret it,” he gushed, sounding ecstatic.“Can I just ask you something? If everyone around here is a shifter, does that include Chloe and Lincoln?” I inquired, dodging the subject of sex.It was bound to crop up next, and I was stalling for time. Sue me. My body was trembling with nerves, terrified of what it would feel like to be shared between them.“Lincoln is a bear shifter from Forest Hills,” Alex informed me. “Chloe is human, like you.”“And she didn’t mind Lincoln being a . . . you know? A,” I cringed as I use the word, “bear shifter?”Alex flashed a tight-lipped smile to mask his amusement. “Apparently not.”I bobbed my head in an awkward nod. “That’ll explain the ‘cub’ remark.”“Does that scare you?” Lucas