“I’m your Alpha and you’ll do as I say. Anyone touches her, they’ll answer to me. And I’ll punish you for it, too.”
With wide eyes, his brother coughed out an “okay.”
Not bothering to wait and see if Ethan followed his orders, Owen finished stripping and shifted to his wolf form. Unlike the beauty of Gabriela’s shift, which he’d seen hundreds of times back when they’d been friends, his was more brutal. He held in a growl as his body underwent the change. Bones broke, shifted and realigned with a painful burst as fur quickly grew, covering what had once been skin.
Then he was running. He raced through the forest, tracking her sweet honeydew scent. When he’d received that call from his brother telling him what Ethan had done, Owen had seen red. He hadn’t seen Gabriela in about nine years and hadn’t spoken to her in ten. Not since he’d been seventeen years old and stupid and had screwed up the best thing in his life.
She’d been his best friend and he’d hoped they’d be more. But he’d lost even her friendship. It had made his decision to join the army at eighteen easy. Some days it was hard to believe so much time had passed since he’d spoken to her.
He bounded over icy patches of dirt and grass, barely feeling the cold. As a shifter he had a higher body temperature anyway, but right now all his focus was on finding Gabriela. He felt practically numb as he strained to run faster, faster.
That familiar sexual hunger he’d experienced when he was a teenager was back, only this time it was stronger, needier. His entire body craved her in a way he didn’t quite understand. Or didn’t want to.
Back then he’d been too stupid to realize what she was to him. Then he’d somehow hurt her and it had been too late to explore what might have been. She’d refused to see him. Absolutely wouldn’t talk to him or take his calls and hell, at seventeen he’d been full of pride. He hadn’t been willing to beg her to explain what he’d done wrong.
Now he had to talk to her. To see her and convince his inner wolf she was real. Her honey-brown hair was shorter than it had been years ago, falling a few inches below her shoulders. She was still tall, about five-feet ten, and lean and lithe. The way she moved as a human mirrored her movements as a jaguar and it had always fascinated him.
Now her speed and agility frustrated him.
The deeper into his territory he went, he realized where she was headed. Owen’s father had been Alpha before him—right up until the day he’d died five years ago—and had given the Segura family an area of the forest to hunt. With the growing attacks against humans lately, Owen had rescinded his father’s offer and taken back his pack’s land. It had been a difficult choice, but he’d needed to calm his pack’s growing anger.
But she wouldn’t know that. She probably assumed the cabin her family had once used to store extra changes of clothes and food was still protected.
Instead of following her trail toward the river bed where he knew she was headed in an attempt to try to cover her scent before doubling back to the cabin, he ran west toward the cabin in her family’s former territory. Why follow her when he could just beat her to her final destination?
Once he neared the small building, he slowly circled, making sure he was alone. Then he rolled around in pine boughs to mask his scent before he shifted to his human form. Using a side window that was unlocked, he climbed inside and found himself in one of the guest rooms. The place had the bare minimum of furniture but he found clothes that fit him and settled down to wait, bracing for the coming confrontation.
Chapter 2
Gabriela waited until she was on the front porch of her family’s cabin before shifting to her human form. Breathing hard from the run, she glanced around the surrounding forest but didn’t see anyone lurking in the trees. She could faintly scent wolves but the smell didn’t seem recent.
Not surprisingly the front door wasn’t locked. People rarely ventured out here and there was nothing to steal inside, anyway. The first step she took inside, she realized her mistake. The scent of wolf and pine subtly hit her. Inwardly cursing that she hadn’t smelled it sooner, she tried to move back.
Before she could run, the door was slammed shut behind her and she found herself pressed up against the door by a very large, very angry-looking Owen. Thank God he was at least clothed, though it didn’t matter because she wasn’t. She could feel the heat and muscles of his body through the shirt and pants she was pretty sure he’d stolen from one of the closets.
When she swung out at him, he easily caught her wrist and pinned it against the door above her. Angry at his strength, she let out a growl. Faking a blow with her other hand, she slammed her knee into his groin when he went to grab her other wrist. She wasn’t afraid he’d physically or sexually assault her but she wasn’t going to let him hold her hostage. And she’d fight him to escape.
He let out a pained groan but didn’t lessen his hold and managed to grab her free wrist in the process.
She’d never felt so exposed or vulnerable in her life. In her clandestine profession she was used to being the one in control. Being able to get out of any situation. Of course that was because of her agility and her ability to sneak into places undetected. Not because of super strength. Right now she wished she was physically stronger. “What’s wrong? Nothing down there to hurt?” she taunted. It was definitely not true. She could feel him, but when his eyes darkened, she took perverse pleasure at pissing him off.
His eyes watered slightly and she realized he was containing his pain. “Why the hell did you throw those cuffs at my head?” he rasped out.
A burst of sharp laughter escaped despite her fear at being held captive. “Seriously?”
“When my brother called and told me what he’d done I rushed in from the woods. Taking you was stupid. An impetuous decision.” There was an edge to his voice and she realized it wasn’t directed at her.
“Impetuous? That little psycho kidnapped me at gunpoint.” Gabriela subtly tried to wiggle out from his grasp, but it was useless. With the cool air of the unheated cabin rushing over her body and the sharp adrenaline surge she’d just experienced, she was horrified that her nipples were hard. Okay, she was horrified to be completely naked in front of Owen.
Her only saving grace was the fact that he didn’t seem to notice. He hadn’t looked down at her once. She wondered if she should feel insulted or relieved.
“His gun wasn’t loaded—not that I’m excusing his behavior. The attacks around here have been escalating and he thought our pack could use you.” His voice was grim.
“What attacks?” When she’d questioned Ethan he’d clammed up.
Owen’s eyes darkened and she saw his inner wolf staring back at her for an instant. He sniffed, not subtly, as he tried to see if she was lying. Apparently satisfied she was innocent, he continued. “Humans in the area have been killed—massacred—by a large feline. Law enforcement thinks it’s a cougar but there aren’t any around here. Not with two other apex predators in the area. Not enough hunting grounds and…the humans have been targeted too close to town. One in his backyard. There’s no way this is a normal animal. The last victim was definitely hunted down.”
Gabriela frowned as Owen’s words sank in. Her parents hadn’t said a word to her about this. Of course she hadn’t been home in four long years so she didn’t really blame them. “Wait a minute. You think my family has something to do with this?” He shrugged and it infuriated her. There had never been any bad blood between her family and his pack. They weren’t friends, but they respected each other as shifters. “You’re insane.” When he didn’t respond she continued, “So your psychotic little brother decided kidnapping me was a genius plan?”
Now Owen sighed. He looked tired and much older than his twenty-seven years. “Ethan thought we could hold you hostage and try to bargain with your family. Convince them to turn over the perpetrator for you. He figured if it’s one of your brothers they’d