Heart of the Wolf (The Heart Chronicles Book 1) Read online

Justin’s arms came around me. I wanted to fight him off, but I couldn’t. My entire body hurt. I was exhausted.

  “Come on, let’s get you home.” His voice was a whisper against my skin.

  My eyelids felt as heavy as weights, and I accepted the darkness. “Home.” I thought. Home sounded perfect. I pictured my bed. My room. Maybe I could go to my parents’ house. That would be nice. I thought about all the places I had ever called home before. Even my freshman dorm would be okay. That mattress wasn’t so bad.

  I should have fought him off, but I was too tired to fight anymore. It was hopeless. There was no land for miles and no one around but staff, who obviously knew what was going on and didn’t care.

  I was stuck there. Forever. Because I would never agree to sleep with him. Never. He was crazy. And what the heck was with the wolf?

  I moved in and out of consciousness, hearing bits and pieces of Justin’s voice.

  “I told you to sit down.” Justin’s voice sounded far away.

  “Wolf. There was a wolf.” I managed to get the words out. We were out of the water, but I felt as though I was still bobbing. The breeze was cold against my skin.

  “That was me. I am the wolf. I’m a shifter.”

  “No.” I was too tired to say anything else. How could I talk sense to a crazy person?

  “It’s not a lie. That’s my other form. It’s not scary. Your kids will be able to change too.”

  “My kids?” I wasn’t sure if I spoke out loud or not. This was getting worse. His delusions were getting even crazier, and unfortunately they all seemed to involve me. There was no way Mirabella would actually leave me here forever. Eventually the guilt would get to her. She’d be back.

  “Yes kids. I want at least two. Maybe three. Or up to six if you’re interested.” More about kids? Was he that delusional? Yes. He was. And I had also been delusional. I knew I wasn’t getting saved.

  I heard the sound of a door open. My eyes were still shut. It was too hard to open them. My wet clothes stuck to me, making me even colder.

  I felt something soft below me, then the sensation of someone tugging on my wet clothes.

  “Get your hands off me.” I struggled to fight him off.

  “Hope, you have to get the wet stuff off.”

  “I’ll do it myself.” I tried to sit up, but I couldn’t.

  “Let me help you. I promise I won’t do anything.”

  “I can stay in the wet clothes.” I wasn’t going to accept help from him. I wouldn’t accept anything from him.

  “No.” His voice came from right above me. “I’m not going to let you get yourself sick. That defeats the purpose of any of this. It’s my job to take care of you.”

  “Please.” I forced my eyes open.

  His face was inches from my own. “You really think you can do it alone?”

  “Yes. Leave.” I needed him far away. I felt tears streaming down my face.

  “I’m not going to hurt you.” He was wasting his breath. I would use every ounce of strength I had left to get him to leave.

  “Leave.” I pushed the word out, mentally calculating how much energy it would take to kick him in the balls.

  “I’ll check on you.” He stepped through the doorway.

  As soon as the door closed, I struggled out of my wet clothes. No wonder swimming had been so hard. They weighed a ton.

  I selected the first thing I found out of the dresser—an oversized white shirt and pulled it over my head. I dragged myself over to the door to look for a lock. Nothing. I used every ounce of strength I had left to push a small dresser over to block the door. I made it far enough to pull the extra blanket off the bed, but the bed was too high up, so I curled up in the blanket on the floor.

  Maybe it was all a dream. Maybe when I woke up the nightmare would be over.

  Eight

  Carter

  I waited in the car just long enough to make sure I knew what I was doing. I was facing another wolf—one who could influence magic—but technically I was supposed to be able to do that too. I still wasn’t sure if I believed it. I needed more time. I needed time to digest the new job and what abilities I was supposed to have. But life never makes things easy. That’s not the way it works.

  I looked down at my navy sports coat and slacks. Dressing up had never been my thing, but as Asher explained, I couldn’t exactly go to the interview in the clothes I’d been wearing for two days.

  I opened the car door and braced myself. It was time to be Ryan Carter. I shook my head thinking about it. Either the Rangers were really stupid, or the Wellingtons were. Maybe both.

  Then again, not many people knew who I was anyway. Still, I’d have felt better using more of an alias.

  I walked toward the four-story white building. It didn’t look like much from the outside—definitely not the kind of building I’d think a wealthy business family like the Wellingtons would have. I wondered what other expectations of mine would prove to be off. That was the problem when no one gave you a briefing before a mission. It was insane. I was used to knowing more than I wanted to, but working with the Rangers was something entirely different.

  None of that mattered now. I had a job to do. I pressed the bell outside the single glass door. I tried to look inside, but the glass was opaque to stop those passing by from looking in.

  The door wrenched open. A quick glance inside didn’t reveal anyone, so I stepped inside. The door closed behind me.

  “You must be Mr. Carter.” A blonde with a big smile waited across the small and rather austere lobby.

  “Yes. I have an interview with Clayton Wellington.” This was the moment of truth.

  “An interview?” She wrinkled her nose. “No, I was under the impression that you already had the job, and this was just an informational session.”

  “Oh yes. That’s what I meant.” Again, helpful information that would have been nice to know, but at least they expected me. I was grateful for that. I still wasn’t going to get too comfortable. As my dad always said, never count your eggs until they hatch.

  “Right this way, Mr. Carter.” She gestured for me to follow her.

  We left the lobby and reached an equally underwhelming elevator bank. She pressed the call button as we waited quietly. Normally I would have tried to make small talk, but I knew so little about the situation I didn’t want to lead the conversation anywhere that might tip her off to who I really was. The silence continued on the elevator ride up and didn’t change until the doors opened at the top floor.

  “Here we are.” She stepped out.

  I blinked. The entrance to this floor was nothing like the lobby downstairs. Black marble floors, triple crown molding, and elaborate chandeliers were only a few of the details that set it apart.

  “If you would follow me.” Her heels clicked against the floor as she led the way down the hallway.

  She opened the door to a room. “Please shift. Mr. Wellington will be right with you.”

  I froze. “Shift? As in into—”

  “Is there more than one animal you can shift into?” She wrinkled her brow.

  “No. Just one.” I stepped into the large conference room. There was a single long table down the center, surrounded by chairs.

  “Wonderful.” She nodded before exiting the room and closing the door behind her.

  Shift into my wolf? Seriously? I guess I needed to prove what I was. I stripped out of my clothes and reached for my wolf. He was roaring and angry, as uncomfortable with the situation as I was. Fortunately, he was more than willing to take over.

  My vision tunneled, and heat seared through me as I transformed, holding onto enough of my human side that I wouldn’t do anything too reckless.

  With my wolf senses I could view the room differently. Most significantly, I could smell much better and detect the hint of other wolves. Not that I expected to be the only one here. But I smelled at least a dozen. Asher wasn’t kidding; everyone who worked here was a wolf. Except that girl. She had smelled
human. Maybe she was someone’s mate?

  Before I could think about it much longer the door opened, and a man walked in. He had dark hair cut short, deep blue eyes, and an expression that could only be described as brooding.

  The expression changed quickly, and his lips twisted into a smile.

  He walked around me, studying me from every angle. I eyed him warily, ready to pounce if he sprung an attack. If my cover failed, I wasn’t going down easy.

  He stopped circling and returned to the doorway. “Excellent. Thank you, Mr. Carter. You may shift back again.” He turned his back, and I realized he was giving me time to change. I reached for my human side, knowing I’d miss my wolf senses, but feeling more normal about doing an interview in a blazer. I also knew any hope of moving things forward required conversation. That was something my wolf couldn’t accomplish for me.

  I was buttoning my shirt when the man turned around. He held out a hand. “Clayton Wellington. It’s not often I get to meet a new Kenai wolf.”

  I accepted his firm handshake. “I could say the same to you.”

  “I understand you were raised outside of a pack. Are you looking to align?”

  Align. That had to mean with a pack. “I am considering it. There is only so much I can do alone.”

  “Very true. Wolves are not meant to be solitary. We are much more powerful when we work together.” His expression darkened.

  I nodded even though I didn’t know enough about wolf shifters to agree or disagree.

  “I appreciate you coming in on short notice.” He walked over to the table and pulled out a chair. He gestured for me to walk around to the far side of the table across from him. “Please have a seat.”

  I made my way around the table and sat down. “It was no trouble.”

  “You out of work?”

  “Between jobs at the moment.” I hoped he wouldn’t ask about my past job. I didn’t know enough about what a shifter doctor would do to even fake it.

  “No shame in that. I imagine working as a physician would be difficult for our kind.” He rested his hands on the table. “Working for humans would get tiring, and shifters don’t have a need for all that many doctors.”

  “You wouldn’t believe it.”

  “Lucky for you, I have an opportunity that can change all that for you.” His eyes set on mine.

  “You are in need of a Kenai physician?” It still seemed rather sketchy to me. But I wouldn’t have been called in if the situation wasn’t sketchy.

  “I won’t actually need your medical expertise.”

  I silently let out a sigh of relief. Good. That was something, but I also couldn’t let that relief make me slip up. “What will you be needing?”

  “I requested a physician because I need an excuse to get you there.” There was no apology in his voice.

  “What will you be needing me for?” The momentary relief was gone. It was replaced with worry. Going undercover was fine, but committing any heinous crimes was out of the question.

  “My family has a few islands we use for various reasons. One in particular, the one located in the Pacific, is used for seclusion purposes.”

  I nodded. At least Asher had prepared me for this part.

  “Right now my younger brother is there with the girl he hopes to make his mate.” He rubbed the back of his neck.

  Anger flooded me. I didn’t know the girl, but I was sure she wasn’t there willingly.

  “He is there for—” Clayton stopped as if choosing his words carefully. “He is there for several reasons, none of which are for him to mate with her. Are you following?”

  Wait. I dialed down my surprise. “Yes, I believe so.”

  “The girl is not to be his. She is only there to keep my brother occupied.”

  “Occupied?” This whole thing was getting weirder and weirder, I was getting angrier, and my patience was wearing thin. My wolf roared inside me. A human was not a toy. She should not be used to ‘occupy’ anyone.

  “Yes. None of those details matter to you.” His gaze was deep and left no room to argue.

  “Ok, so what do I need to know?” I studied the wood paneled walls of the room to keep my temper at bay. I may have been good at taking orders from my superiors, but not for being talked down to.

  “Your job is to make sure my girl gets off the island before the explosions.”

  “Excuse me?” I wanted to act nonplused, but when someone suddenly brings explosions into the conversation you can’t ignore it. I also couldn’t ignore the use of the word my before girl. Had that been a mistake?

  “Don’t worry about it. All you need to know is that in exactly eighty-three hours there will be a series of explosions. The girl cannot be on the island.”

  “I have a few questions.” I had far more than a few, but I wasn’t going to push my luck.

  “Ask away.” Clayton leaned back in his chair. He was far more laid back than I expected, but I wouldn’t let that fool me.

  I started with a harmless yet important question. “Why did you request a physician?”

  Clayton barely blinked at the question. “Because I needed a pretense to send you.”

  “What is that pretense?”

  “My brother wants to mate with her. Therefore there could be a pregnancy, and Kenai wolf pregnancies are rare with how few true matings occur. Although most aren’t dangerous, there is always the off chance of something going wrong. Of course your services will not be needed, but Justin doesn’t know that.”

  “This may be outside of the knowledge I need, but I like to know what kind of situation I am walking into. How are you so sure the girl isn’t going to mate with your brother?” I was unused to using the term mate. It was something I’d never given much thought to for myself.

  I waited. This was the moment when he explained she was unwilling.

  He straightened in his chair. “Because she has been in love with me for years.”

  I had not seen that coming. “Oh.”

  “She’ll be my mate, whether my father wants it that way or not.”

  “Oh. I see.” Things had just gotten even more convoluted. Clayton wanted to mate with the girl, yet he sent her to an island with his brother? And now he was going to blow up said island, while relying on a stranger to get her out in time? This was beyond crazy; it was insane.

  “Sending her had two purposes. She is keeping Justin away, and she is keeping herself far away from the other Kenai wolves. We’re involved in a large merger. I wasn’t taking a chance of letting another find out about her.”

  But he was sending me?

  My thoughts must have been clear on my expression. “You aren’t from a pack. You’re harmless. You bring her back, and you can align with us. We’ll need a replacement for Justin after all.”

  Replacement for Justin? He was talking about killing his brother. This family was seriously screwed up. But that wasn’t my problem. My problem was figuring out what was going on with the weapons. “How do I get her off the island? Get back on the plane?”

  “No. The plane will drop you off and leave. I have a boat scheduled to anchor a hundred yards from shore in eighty-two hours and forty-five minutes.”

  “Wait. You are only leaving a fifteen minute window?” I was officially certain of one thing: Clayton Wellington was insane. There was no other explanation for his behavior.

  “You’re a Kenai. You can make it work.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket and typed something.

  I waited a few moments, but when it didn’t seem like he was going to put the phone down, I decided to interrupt. “When does the plane get here?”

  He glanced up from his phone. “It will be ready within the hour.”

  “Is there anything else I need to know?”

  He set the phone down on the shiny mahogany table top. “Hope isn’t going to come with you easily.”

  “Hope?”

  “That’s the girl’s name.”

  Hope was a pretty name, and it was also something th
e girl was going to need a lot of to get out of her current situation. “So how do I convince her to come with me? Tell her I’m working for you?”

  He shook his head. “You’ll give her this.” He pulled a crisp, white envelope out of his suit jacket. He held out the envelope.

  I accepted it and put it inside my own jacket. “Do I give this to her early on? Or right as we are ready to leave?”

  “The first time you can get her alone. And that’s not going to be easy. Justin is obsessed with her. It’s sickening.”

  “Ok.” I held back the retort I wanted to give about him being just as sick. He was the one who sent her to the island.

  “Make sure you watch her open it. She needs to read it, and you need to make sure she understands.”

  “And if she doesn’t understand?” I didn’t even want to know the answer. Either way I would get her to safety in time, but I wasn’t sure just how desperate Clayton was.

  His hands balled into fists on the table. “You get her off the island in any way you have to.”

  “Understood.”

  His hands relaxed. “Once on the boat I will contact you and arrange a pick up.”

  “Consider it done.”

  “Good. Our mutual friend assured me you could handle this.”

  Our mutual friend? I had no idea who the Rangers used to get me in. “Absolutely.”

  “Impress me with this one, and you will have opportunities you never dreamed of.” He stood up from the table.

  I nodded. “Thank you.”

  “You can thank me when you get her to me safely.” He strode to the door, opened it, and disappeared through the doorway. I was officially done having any expectations.

  Explosions. Sending the girl he wanted for himself to a mating island with his brother. Scheduling the rescue ship for fifteen minutes before the island might blow up. Trusting a stranger to make sure the girl lived. Nothing that Clayton Wellington told me added up. The questions were still circling around my head hours later as I sat on a private jet headed to the middle of nowhere.

  I stared at the envelope for most of the flight. It was a nondescript envelope without any writing on it. What could he have said in there that would make the girl trust me? Was it that she loved him, and thus even a few words from him would be enough to convince her to do anything? And that was another thing. If she was in love with him and therefore interested in mating with the older brother, why the hell would their father send her with the younger brother? Admittedly I didn’t know much about Kenai wolves—but I highly doubted the younger brother got the longer stick. That would be unheard of for shifters. Besides, if finding mates who could carry on the gene was that hard, the dad wouldn’t send her away. Especially not to face explosions. One thing was for sure, the dad had no clue what was going on. No patriarch of a wolf pack would play this kind of messed up game. Not unless he’d completely lost his mind. Maybe it was father like son and both of them were crazy. I was already pretty sure the younger one was crazy too. He’d gone along with this whole plan after all.