parked her car.
When she entered the cabin, she called out Garret’s name. There was no response, and as she expected by now, there was no one home. At this hour they were always home with a fire lit. There would be laughter, roughhousing, food cooking on the wood stove, and a sense of belonging. She found Patrick’s toque on the back of the sofa. She brought it to her nose and breathed in deeply. The scent reminded her of her sexy Viking. She missed him, missed them all.
Why am I here? Cassidy felt lower than the wooden floorboards. She had no one to run to, no open arms to comfort her. She thought she’d found that security, but she was wrong. If only she’d found her half brother when he’d come looking for her. Maybe he’d offer her the roots she sought. But he was like the wind, passing through but impossible to hold on to.
With no electricity in the rural cabin, she grabbed one of the extra two-way radios from the tabletop and used the buttons for illumination. There was wood stockpiled out back. She’d start her own fire to create some heat and light for the night.
Cassidy hated the woods. Evan said Gregor land was the safest place in the world for her, but she didn’t believe it. The black wall of forest surrounding her as she walked around the side of the house was not comforting. Frogs sang, her familiar nighttime melody, but they only blocked out the sound of encroaching steps. It wasn’t until those footfalls were right behind her, crunching the dry leaf litter, that she finally twirled around. Before she could scream, a moist rag was held to her face and she felt herself slipping away.
* * * *
“ Her scent is strong here,” said Matthew. He’d always been excellent at tracking. They’d shifted and bounded through the treeline along the roadway until they reached the town limits of Climax. Cassidy’s sweet fragrance was most powerful in the area around the gas station at the edge of town. Not just her scent, though. Corbin, the leader of the Rockford Mine, had also been here. Why couldn’t he leave them the fuck alone? Matthew had gone through hell for a month. It was one of Rockford’s own men who managed to finally free him. He had hoped there would be peace between their packs after the incident, but no such luck.
Corbin had tried to steal Cassidy from them once, and apparently he was up to his old tricks again. What did he hope to accomplish?
“ Rockfords were here, too,” said Patrick. “ I smell Corbin’s stench .”
They scoped out the area, testing the air and land for any signs which might lead them to Cassidy. There was nothing to go on. She must have continued south in the vehicle, effectively masking her trail.
“ So it wasn’t enough to report us. Now he steals our woman? Again ?” Garret howled a warning to the half moon. If any Rockford wolves were in the vicinity, they’d hear it as the threat it was. An alpha wolf had set his sights on revenge, and the pack would follow him into hell if need be. Matthew owed everything to Garret. He also loved Cassidy.
“ What’s our next move, boss?” asked Travis.
“We’re going to knock in their front door. I don’t give a fuck how outnumbered we’ll be. Cassidy’s ours, and this time I’m claiming her properly.”
“What are we waiting for?” asked Patrick. The red wolf dashed off into the undergrowth, heading north. They’d have to pick up Evan from the mine. Five strong was better than four.
The night was abnormally chilly for this time of year. Matthew worried about Cassidy being out in the elements. He knew what it was like to freeze, to starve, to survive brutal beatings just to live another day. He wanted nothing negative for Cassidy. She was a delicate female, his little human prize. He had to find her.
They arrived at the mine. Both trailers emitted a warm glow in the inky blackness of the closed mine, the office trailer and Garret’s private quarters. Matthew didn’t know what he expected to
When she entered the cabin, she called out Garret’s name. There was no response, and as she expected by now, there was no one home. At this hour they were always home with a fire lit. There would be laughter, roughhousing, food cooking on the wood stove, and a sense of belonging. She found Patrick’s toque on the back of the sofa. She brought it to her nose and breathed in deeply. The scent reminded her of her sexy Viking. She missed him, missed them all.
Why am I here? Cassidy felt lower than the wooden floorboards. She had no one to run to, no open arms to comfort her. She thought she’d found that security, but she was wrong. If only she’d found her half brother when he’d come looking for her. Maybe he’d offer her the roots she sought. But he was like the wind, passing through but impossible to hold on to.
With no electricity in the rural cabin, she grabbed one of the extra two-way radios from the tabletop and used the buttons for illumination. There was wood stockpiled out back. She’d start her own fire to create some heat and light for the night.
Cassidy hated the woods. Evan said Gregor land was the safest place in the world for her, but she didn’t believe it. The black wall of forest surrounding her as she walked around the side of the house was not comforting. Frogs sang, her familiar nighttime melody, but they only blocked out the sound of encroaching steps. It wasn’t until those footfalls were right behind her, crunching the dry leaf litter, that she finally twirled around. Before she could scream, a moist rag was held to her face and she felt herself slipping away.
* * * *
“ Her scent is strong here,” said Matthew. He’d always been excellent at tracking. They’d shifted and bounded through the treeline along the roadway until they reached the town limits of Climax. Cassidy’s sweet fragrance was most powerful in the area around the gas station at the edge of town. Not just her scent, though. Corbin, the leader of the Rockford Mine, had also been here. Why couldn’t he leave them the fuck alone? Matthew had gone through hell for a month. It was one of Rockford’s own men who managed to finally free him. He had hoped there would be peace between their packs after the incident, but no such luck.
Corbin had tried to steal Cassidy from them once, and apparently he was up to his old tricks again. What did he hope to accomplish?
“ Rockfords were here, too,” said Patrick. “ I smell Corbin’s stench .”
They scoped out the area, testing the air and land for any signs which might lead them to Cassidy. There was nothing to go on. She must have continued south in the vehicle, effectively masking her trail.
“ So it wasn’t enough to report us. Now he steals our woman? Again ?” Garret howled a warning to the half moon. If any Rockford wolves were in the vicinity, they’d hear it as the threat it was. An alpha wolf had set his sights on revenge, and the pack would follow him into hell if need be. Matthew owed everything to Garret. He also loved Cassidy.
“ What’s our next move, boss?” asked Travis.
“We’re going to knock in their front door. I don’t give a fuck how outnumbered we’ll be. Cassidy’s ours, and this time I’m claiming her properly.”
“What are we waiting for?” asked Patrick. The red wolf dashed off into the undergrowth, heading north. They’d have to pick up Evan from the mine. Five strong was better than four.
The night was abnormally chilly for this time of year. Matthew worried about Cassidy being out in the elements. He knew what it was like to freeze, to starve, to survive brutal beatings just to live another day. He wanted nothing negative for Cassidy. She was a delicate female, his little human prize. He had to find her.
They arrived at the mine. Both trailers emitted a warm glow in the inky blackness of the closed mine, the office trailer and Garret’s private quarters. Matthew didn’t know what he expected to
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