Page 51 of His to Claim

I was no exception, my hard push against my true nature masking my abilities for several years, including the time I’d spent with Vanessa. Maybe if I’d paid closer attention to the beast clawing at the surface, I would have accepted the fact she was my mate.

So many things continued to nag at me. I wasn’t able to read her thoughts and she certainly couldn’t read mine. There was a block between us, one created by nature, not man.

As I picked up speed, the rush of wind was exhilarating, the sights and smells rich and inviting. I could still feel the wolf clawing at the surface, more excited than usual, the pull toward Vanessa increasing.

Vanessa wasn’t my prisoner, nor did I have the right to keep her in a cage, no matter if the bars were made of gold. There’d been no answer I could give her that would have made any sense. I could tell in her eyes that she believed I was truly a wolf, but there’d been no fear. I’d made her promise to remain behind locked doors, insisting that I would find and give her some answers, even if I had to be creative.

I had her phone number and she had mine, promising to call me if there were any signs of disturbance. Hmmm… I wasn’t entirely certain I believed her.

At least I had an idea of where to begin looking for reasons for the attacks. Montenegro must have a connection to the Wolfen, but in what regard? If anyone was to have a general idea, an older member of the council would certainly be the one to ask. They’d pinpointed everyone in close proximity, including every influential human who was considered an enemy. The cult had merely been a small issue, although they’d drawn unwanted attention to Roselake.

What I hadn’t told her is that there was a group of hunters, their numbers increasing every few months, all of them hell bent on killing as many Wolfen as possible. While Roselake and the surrounding areas including the village where the majority of the Nightwalkers lived were heavily guarded, there was always a possibility that they would find a way to infiltrate our systems.

I doubted they’d consider using a wolf as a front man, which is why Max didn’t even consider the possibility. However, if a man like Montenegro was behind the attacks, he had an entirely different reason for his actions and Vanessa had merely gotten in the way.

One thing was for certain. If what I suspected about Vanessa’s connection with me was true, I had to devise my own security detail for her.

The road opened up, allowing me to press down on the accelerator. Riding was the only thing that seemed to make me whole, curtailing the demons that had plagued me for years.

I thought about my life, the man I’d become over the years. My father had been the one to convince me to go to medical school in the first place. Perhaps he’d done so to pull me back from the trenches, as he liked to call my desire for the open road, traveling to unknown destinations.

If the truth had to be told, I’d been running away from my own wolf, as if that was a remote possibility. What the freedom of backroads traveling had allowed me was the ability to shift more often, enjoying the autonomy. For me, there’d been nothing better than camping in the mountains, shifting at night to savor the scents of the forest. I’d even hunted on those occasions, returning to my true self in a way that was considered forbidden.

Hell, I missed it more than I cared to say, but my position as head of the Nightwalker pack was required, considered a true honor.

As with all Wolfen, I was much older than I appeared, having lived a cautious life around anyone who might question my youthful appearance. My decision to leave Roselake the first time had been out of anger, bitterness toward the Nightwalker pack being tossed out as second class citizens to the Wolfen. We were the same breed, the same wolves, only a separate pack created from the second wave of the initial disease.

I’d known the actions of my father had destroyed several friendships, including his close ties with Blackhawk Cordero. His inability to save Blackhawk’s wife had been deemed unforgivable. The entire friendship I’d shared with Max and Gregor had been destroyed, leaving nothing to ground me.

The loneliness and the darkness became my friends.

Perhaps my life had come full circle, returning home to take my father’s place as leader, only I wasn’t capable of being Roselake’s doctor. Maybe I was more bitter than I cared to admit, but I knew that life had a way of working itself out.

Or so my father had told me.

After working with Jonas, I’d spent some time earlier preparing my Nightwalker soldiers, making certain there was additional security placed around the perimeter of our village. While there was no cause to believe the rogue wolf would strike, I refused to ignore the possibility.

As I turned down the road leading to Roselake, my senses were on high alert. I wasn’t a damn politician, loathing the council meetings. Then again, Max was only beginning to accept his role as leader. He’d attempted to make changes to the council meetings, providing a place of leadership for both Gregor and me to partake in the decisions made.

While I appreciated the nod, I was happy working in my body shop instead of kowtowing to rules and ancient prophecies. However, this particular meeting was unavoidable, and I would speak my mind as requested. Unless this was all about punishment for my mistakes. The closer I came to the town, I couldn’t shake the ominous feeling that enshrouded me. There was another dark cloud hanging over the Wolfen.

As I roared into the city limits, I realized I hadn’t been in town since the string of murders had threatened to expose us. Up to this point there’d been no need to call a special meeting of the council. I slowed down, realizing the good people of the city had no idea their lives were in jeopardy once again.

The concept pissed me off.

I found a parking space close, the meeting itself private at this point. There was no need to get the town involved. However, given the number of vehicles in the parking lot, I was obviously late in arriving.

Oh, too bad.

I cut the engine, jerking off my helmet. The moment I did, the door opened and Gregor walked outside. He eyed me with disdain, shaking his head as he walked down the stairs.

“Just in time,” Gregor said.

“What’s your beef, Gregor?” I confronted him immediately, tired of being second guessed.

“Who says I have one?”

I walked closer, knowing he had something on his mind. “Then why are you out here?”

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