Charmed Wolf by Aimee Easterling (best ereader for pdf TXT) 📕

spoke, Rune pressed something soft against the wound he’d created. I’d never been a heavy bleeder. In seconds, I knew, my blood would clot.

But I didn’t wriggle away. Instead, I stayed where I was until he released the pressure and peeked beneath the makeshift bandage. Lowering the square of fabric—it was a cloth handkerchief—he swiped at the trail of blood that had slipped down onto my collarbone.

Each stroke was soft yet firm. His fingers on my bare skin left me lightheaded. I clenched my teeth against a pleasure-filled hum.

Now his cloth dabbed lower, following the blood trail. The stain had slid past the ledge of my collarbone and down between my breasts. Rune’s eyes rather than his hands followed, but I still heard him swallow. Felt the immaterial touch.

When he averted his gaze, it was as if a cloud had passed in front of the sun.

“Let me help you,” Rune repeated, pressing the handkerchief into my hand.

I blinked, not quite able to understand what he was asking. I was quite willing to have him help wipe away the blood, but he’d halted that job prematurely. When I dabbed at the sticky residue myself, I couldn’t help imagining his fingers there instead of mine.

No wonder my voice was husky when I answered. “You already did.”

Rune shook his head even as he flowed upward onto his feet. The back door creaked once. Twice. Then my clothes landed with a limp flop behind me. The artificial chime of a cell phone powered up.

“The R line is a local bus,” Rune said, telling me what I knew already. “If it’s running on time, it’s made four stops since picking up Kale. You need eyes you can trust hunting for the child.”

“My pack....”

Rune had been studiously looking away from me until this point, but I felt the moment his gaze seared back in my direction. My shirt was already on and it was long enough to cover my privates. Still, I froze like a fish caught in a net.

“Fae can glamour themselves to look like anyone,” Rune reminded me.

“The alternative?”

“Samhain Shifters. Some of us can hunt for the child. The rest will sniff through your clan in search of fae intruders. We can’t be sure the fae aren’t using glamour to masquerade as one of your own.”

And, just like that, the soap bubble of pleasure popped. Right. I wasn’t some damsel in distress being seduced by a knight in shining armor. I was Alpha and dominant outsiders were a danger to my pack.

I yanked on my pants then stuffed my feet into shoes while asking the obvious question. “Are any of these Samhain Shifters half-fae like you willing to provide their true names as collateral?”

As expected, Rune shook his head. “No, but they’re the only ones other than you who I’ve told my true name.”

I hesitated. That meant something. But did I really trust Rune enough that his trust in others should sway me away from my duty? The web of trust sounded awfully convoluted to me.

I shook my head just as Rune’s voice curled back around me. “The one who isn’t dominant is able to see through glamour. May I invite Athena into your pack?”

He was so polite. So sturdy. Like a fencepost to lean on. I yearned to accept his assistance.

Still, my father’s words hung in my mind: “The Alpha must depend on no one.”

No. I tried to force out the single syllable, but couldn’t quite manage it. Not when doing so would send away the sole ally who eschewed my job title and instead used my name.

Instead, I left the tiniest crack of willingness open. “We don’t have time for this,” I called over my shoulder as I strode toward the front of the house. “Kale needs me. We can discuss your fae hunt after he’s found.”

Chapter 14

I’d hoped Rune would follow, perhaps promise to help without including the rest of the Samhain Shifters in Whelan business. But he didn’t. Instead, he dragged his heels in the backyard while I came to terms with the obvious flaw in my plan.

Storming off, I decided as I side-eyed Rune’s convertible, is considerably more effective with your own set of wheels.

But I wasn’t stuck waiting for a pack mate to pick me up if I didn’t want to continue accepting Rune’s chauffeur services. Airport garages weren’t within Natalie’s budget, so she’d returned home between dropping off the kids and rushing to catch her flight. It was cheaper, she’d told me, to take a cab.

Plus, her old junker didn’t always want to start.

It started for me, though. Started with the key Natalie left under the mat, the doors unlocked around it. “If someone’s desperate enough to steal Old Nellie,” she’d told me once, “they shouldn’t have to break a window first.”

Which meant I didn’t need to break a window either. The battery light stayed on as I pulled out onto the street, but the vehicle was moving. When I stopped at the end of the block, I wasn’t at all surprised to see a silver convertible on my tail.

Rune’s car peeled off to the left, though, when I turned right. My stomach lurched, although I couldn’t say why I was disappointed. Rune had his job to do and I had mine.

A job that included protecting my pack as well as finding Kale. The sullied glitter couldn’t be ignored, even if Kale was the more timely danger. Plus, I hadn’t specifically told Rune no about his non-alpha friend....

I drummed fingers on the steering wheel, considering. What were the chances one of my trusted pack mates was really a fae using glamour to fool us? Slim, but I wasn’t willing to take that chance.

Which meant I couldn’t contact any of my obvious lieutenants. After a moment, I chose a number off my phone.

When Caitlyn answered, she was breathless. As if she’d been running...or shifting. “Alpha.”

Remembering Rune’s admonition, I greeted the teenager by name before diving into business. “Caitlyn. I need to speak with you.