Denied Mate by Roxie Ray
Cal
Time slowed down to a painstaking crawl, trudging through the waves of a rising tide with my feet in wet, loose sand. The hospital waiting room had no windows, just the ticking of the clock to tell me it’d been too long since Ma had been rushed to surgery, but not long enough for the nurses to let me in to see her. Jessica had told me her condition was stable and the internal bleeding had been stopped, but no one had given me permission to see her. All I could do was wait.
I crossed my arms and watched the silent television mounted in the corner, staring at the images but not bothering to read the closed captions. I didn’t think the finer plot details of House Hunters International would really hold much distraction for me. But I must have been engrossed because I startled and my wolf bristled when a hand squeezed my shoulder.
“Jumpy, jumpy.” Danny came around the aisle of chairs and slid into one next to me. “Sorry, man. Didn’t mean to scare you.”
I huffed and put a hand on my chest, my heart pounding into my palm. I was a ball of frayed nerves.
“How’s your mom doing?” He opened a paper bag on his lap and a waft of cheeseburgers made my stomach growl.
“Stable but they’re not letting me in to see her.” I gratefully accepted a carton of fries, suddenly aware of how hungry I was. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d eaten something not from a vending machine.
“Hm. So you’re just hanging out here for fun?” He glanced around at the waiting room. “I would have thought the big fancy hospital would have better furnishings. Look at this.” He wriggled his finger into a hole in the upholstery.
“I’m not here for fun,” I grumbled around a mouthful of fries. “You got something to tell me or what?”
“Sorry, man.” He grimaced and unwrapped a burger. “No one knows shit about a hexagon scar.” Danny paused for a moment, considering something. “Well. That’s what they’re saying, anyways.”
I sighed and wiped my hands on a napkin, frustrated and exhausted in equal measure. “So why are you here, exactly?”
“I’m asking you the same thing!” He laughed and elbowed me. “C’mon, something’s up, isn’t it? And it’s not just your momma.”
I snatched a burger from the bag in his lap and shook my head as I unwrapped it. “Nothing important.”
“Mm!” He nodded and pointed at me as he chewed. “Mm-hm!”
“Nuh uh. I’m telling you. Nothin’ is up.” I glared at him with warning.
He chuckled and nodded rhythmically like he was bopping to music. “It’s a girl, isn’t it?”
I growled. Yes, of course it was a girl—not just any girl. The girl who had a throne in my heart, but had abandoned her post a long time ago. (My wolf took the opportunity to remind me that I had rejected her first; he never did miss a chance, did he?) Liv hadn’t contacted me since Ben had kicked me out of her apartment. She hadn’t bothered to apologize for his behavior, let alone check on where we stood. I’d called and her phone went right to voicemail. Clearly, she didn’t give a shit—or if she did, it wasn’t enough to go against what her precious family wanted.
Danny hummed knowingly, without knowing a goddamn thing. “Listen, I’m in the mood for some reality television and fluorescent lighting. Get out of here and get the girl. Or even better, get some rest. I’ll keep an eye on your mom.”
My tongue was ready to argue, but I hesitated. Catching up on sleep or running after Liv… Neither of those seemed appealing. But getting out and finding the asshole who put my mom in the hospital? I couldn’t think of a better way to spend my pent-up frustration.
I thanked Danny with a thump of his shoulder, wolfed down the last of my burger, and headed out. He was a damn good friend and I’d need to find a way to repay him later.
Jessica glanced up from the nurses’ station on my way out, and I offered her a half-hearted wave. Her flirty smile did nothing to thrill me. It just made me miss Liv.
I burst through the doors and was dazed by the bright sunset. Blinking up at the pink clouds, I hooked around the parking lot, then hurried across the grounds at the north end of the hospital and straight into a patch of thick woods.
I wanted to track down the detective Ma had used and get a lead on who had attacked her, but my head was stuffed full with thoughts of Liv, the taste of her mouth, the softness of her skin; how badly I wanted to see more of it… The kind of desire that stirred my cock and my heart at the same time. Both aching, twitching, all-consuming. My wolf whined; he felt the same ache. Why did we have to want things that were bad for us?
I needed to untangle myself from it.
I spent approximately two minutes sifting through the papers and envelopes on the kitchen table when I got home. Bill, bill, ad, magazine subscription, bill. Nothing even remotely suggesting a private detective. Frustrated, I stripped down in my kitchen and I shifted. The crunch of shifting bones was a different sort of pain altogether and gave me something else to focus on. The discomfort lingered even as my paws took their proper shape and I shook out my thick fur. My wolf didn’t feel much better, to be honest—my intuition was caught up in Liv too. I huffed and let myself out the oversized doggy door (a bit embarrassing, really, but I hadn’t come up with a better solution to get through doors without thumbs yet). I trotted down the empty road and towards the scraggly underbrush near the end of the street. The dirt under my feet did nothing to soothe me. I pawed at the ground in frustration. There was no hint of Liv’s scent on the breeze, but it didn’t stop me from lifting my muzzle and sniffing for her. My whiskers pricked and my nose twitched. Eastern white pine. Pitch. Fresh, upturned earth. Squirrel. Chipmunk. Gopher? Nothing out of place in the old New England forest. With a growl, I took off deeper into the woods. I couldn’t outrun the haunting feeling, but fuck, I could try.
Undergrowth snapped and damp earth thumped under my paws as I powered through the brush. Harder. Faster. I leaped over tangled roots shooting up through the soil and scrambled up a boulder just to make my muscles burn. With a long leap, I made it to the top of a small rise and sunk my claws into the moss to stop from sliding back. I caught a musky, sharp scent like jasmine—an old marking from another wolf, designating a long run along the riverbank. Good, I needed to sprint.
I bolted, back legs powering me forward and front leading me over fallen logs, around tight turns, and up the gradual incline. My mind emptied as I chased the scent and deep intuition kicked in. Protective urges grumbled in my gut. I flashed through every possible idea of who could have attacked my mother, and who could have attacked my… My what? I meant, who attacked Liv. Nothing landed as a certainty, but I had an inkling I was going to get more information sooner rather than later.
The scent of river water snapped at my nose as I burst through the tree line. Lapping waves and their echo off the rocky riffles tickled against my ears. I slowed as I took in the scene. I’d run wild, hoping my senses would lead me to something new… and I’d ended up where I always did. The river leading away from the sheer edge where my father was last seen.
I grumbled in frustration but padded across the moss and sniffed for anything new. Twelve years of looking for clues at the same spot had turned up nothing at all, but I had to keep an open mind. I’d go crazy if I didn’t hold a tiny light of hope. This time might be different was my mantra.
I nosed around the edges of the grass, looked closely at the rocky ground for any markings, and sniffed by the fence. The scent of clean laundry and blood oranges burst like a tingle up my nose and brought me to the edge of a sneeze but without the release. My fur stood on end, and my pulse roared in my ears like the rush of the river beside me. Liv… Mine.
A bark cut through the air and I spun. Shocked I hadn’t sensed them approaching, I snarled as three gray wolves stalked toward me. I knew them. Younger members of the Bridgehaven pack, a group of dumb jocks who had been promoted from “high school buddies” to “enforcers” when Ben had become alpha.
I pulled my lips back in warning, but they flashed their teeth right back. The front of the trio, Hayden, barked with his upper lip quivering—a rough, husky sound designed to strike fear in my heart.
Too bad the three of them had never spent a night in the Westend. I wasn’t scared of rich, spoiled wimps.
My bark was louder and I stepped toward them, unafraid. A tussle with teeth was exactly what I needed to get my head straight.
Hayden lunged first, straight for my throat. I bounced sideways and he caught air with his teeth. I swung and scraped my fanged jaw on his flank and he yelped as he wheeled back. Just a fleck of blood hit my tongue, but it was enough to make my pupils dilate and my heart beat wildly. Adrenaline surged through me. My gaze locked onto him as he dashed toward me again, front teeth gnashing. I rushed just as fast, and leaped with all my effort just as he became airborne too. We smacked together midair as a mess of muscle and growling, snarling, frothing jaws, then landed with a heavy thud. My strength dominated and I came down on top of him. A warning bite to his throat would be enough to fairly win the fight and scare them off.
But the new Bridgehaven pack enforcers didn’t play fair. I was about to end the battle with a quick nick of teeth through fur when I was thrown sideways. One of the two other wolves had charged me, slamming against my side with the full force of their bodyweight. The two dark wolves were fucking massive. Pain shot through my shoulder where I landed against a sharp rock, and then burned at the back of my neck where sharp teeth pierced my skin. Everything flashed red and I was stuck, unable to move, while the sting shocked my system. I barked and threw them off, but Hayden leaped onto me in their place.
One of the three of them suddenly shifted into their human form and leaned over me. Before I could look up, he pressed his bare foot over my head. Fear jolted through me and I failed to wrench myself free from Hayden’s foot as he pressed down on my neck. Even without clothing, the man was heavy, easily 200 pounds of muscle and spite. He laughed as I scrambled, and one of the others bit at my legs.
“Hey, Brad, finish him off and we’ll go take care of his little girlfriend, too.” Hayden spat at my face, his saliva stuck to my snout. “She won’t get away again.”
Liv…
Hayden. Recognition struck me first. Hayden was one of the assholes Ben Burns used to play football with. Jason and Bradley had been Hayden’s goons before...but with Ben as alpha, all three of them belonged to Ben now. Power loved power, or something.
Panic hit me, cold and hard, shoulder to shoulder with realization—Hayden, or someone like him, had attacked Liv. And they didn’t just want to scare her. They were going to kill her. That didn’t make sense. Liv was Ben’s sister. The alpha’s sister! Of course these fucking jerks wouldn’t have a problem with it; they were some of the shittiest jerks from Bridgehaven High.
Confusion morphed to disgust. Protective rage boiled my guts. Just as Hayden smashed another kick to my belly, my muscles burned hot with wild intention. I wrenched my neck back and pulled free. Hayden staggered backwards, unbalanced, but the others quickly crowded in. Still wolves, Jason and Bradley were much faster than their fearless leader. I snapped at the nearest snout and broke Jason’s skin. Blood spilled down my jaw and coated my fur as the dirtbag howled and stumbled back on his ass. Bradley braced to lunge, but hesitated when I snarled up at him.
I could have launched and taken out his windpipe with my fangs. But I hesitated. This one wasn’t the leader; the human was the one I needed to deal with.
Hayden made a sound akin to a growl but more desperate, thick with frustration. His eyes flashed with determination and he lowered his shoulder, no doubt ready to put his football practice to good use to throw me off the edge of the cliff. He rushed at me, but I was faster on four feet than he was on two, and danced easily out of the way.
A memory flashed through me. Liv, cowering under the attacker in her apartment. I spun around. My pulse found a fast, steady pace, and I began my attack. I was all teeth and claws, digging at soft, pale flesh. What a stupid idea, shifting back to human form to gloat over a wolf. Blood sprayed across the ground and he cried out, just as I avoided a bite from his buddy and returned one of my own. He crumpled forward and fell down with a thud, red blossoming near one eye. Jason scrambled backward, still on his ass, and I was about to knock him out too, but I stopped. He whined, ears flattened against his skull. His tail was swept against his hind limbs as his shoulders bowed. He was the smallest of the three; just a lackey. He was just following orders…
My hesitation was a mistake.
Hayden threw a chokehold around my neck. It was strong, but not stronger than me. I smashed my head back against his dripping nose, and a blast of hot blood splattered the back of my ruff. He yelped, the sound garbled by the fluid pouring into his mouth.
Free from his grip, I hit the ground running and blasted across the cliff and into the woods. This fight was fucking stupid. I was wasting time! I had to get to Liv. She was in danger. Her own pack was out to get her and I knew from personal experience it was a fucking perilous position to be in. She’d have no way to fight them off, no way of knowing who was against her, and nowhere to hide. I had to protect her—or at the very least, warn her. My wolf would allow nothing else.
Darkness had swallowed the sunset and the woods stirred with the change-over from day animals to the nocturnal sect. I kept my ears pricked for hints I was being followed, but the henchmen had clearly given up. I was truly alone as I scrambled in the brush at the edge of town and shifted back to my human form. Bloody and dirty, I hugged the back streets and shadows as I followed my wolf’s senses toward Liv’s building. We had to talk.
