Last Wolf Watching. Rhyannon Byrd
canât stop him,â Elise Drake argued, stepping forward to stand by her brotherâs side in a show of support against their father, though her nerves revealed themselves in the tremor of her husky voice and the violent trembling of her hands. Not that Brody blamed her. Elise had been through a hell of her own the week before when her father had used her in the attack on Jillianâs life, and now she had to deal with this.
For a moment, the misogynistic Drake stood rigid with fury in the face of his daughterâs defiance, and then a soft gleam slowly began to burn in the wintry depths of his eyes. âYouâre right,â he murmured, straightening his cuffs in a purposeful act of indolence. âI canât stop Eric should he choose to malign his honor in such a fashion. But I can enjoy his failure.â He all but purred with malicious satisfaction. âFate has a way of righting all wrongs. Itâs been many years since weâve taken the responsibility for a Novitiate in this pack, but the rules remain the same. If the human breed fails to pass judgment at the end of his training, which Iâve no doubt he will, the punishment still stands and Max Doucet will be executed.â
âYou bastard!â Michaela hissed, suddenly jerking forward, but Brody was already tightening his hold on her. She strained against his arms, but couldnât break away as she shouted at the Elder, the horror sheâd just endured pouring out of her in an uncontrollable flash of fury and pain. âIf you hurt my brother, Iâll see that each and every one of you dies. Your town, your way of life. Iâll bring the entire world breathing down your neck. Just see if I donât! And Iâll be damned if heâs staying here! Iâll do whatever it takes to get him away from you! Iâll get the goddamn army up here, and weâll see how powerââ
Cursing foully under his breath, Brody pressed his palm over her mouth, silencing the words he knew were only going to land her in deeper trouble. Muffled sounds of outrage vibrated in her throat, but it was already too late. The damage had been done. Drake hated all humans with a passion that went beyond obsessiveâand because of their close association with the Runners, theyâd known the Doucets would garner special attention from the unstable Elder and his followers. And now that Michaela had openly challenged him, Drake wouldnât stop until he made her pay for the insult.
âThe human is too unstable to be allowed her freedom,â Stefan Drake announced with a gloating smile, spreading his arms in a gesture of entreaty. âSurely the pack realizes what must be done. She cannot be allowed to interfere with our dealings.â
âYour so-called dealings sought out her family,â Mason growled, ânot the other way around. We know youâre the one behind the rogues, Drake, and it wonât be long before weâve caught youâalong with the bastard working with youâand brought the both of you down.â
âDespite the slanderous accusations you and your kind have been tossing around like confetti,â the Elder argued, his hateful stare burning with maniacal triumph while whispered words traveled among the members of the pack, âmy guilt remains unproven. The truth is that you have no evidence to back your claims. Theyâre all based on nothing more than hearsay and conjecture. And regardless of how it happened, her brother is now here and the fact remains that she is a threat to our well-being. I call for anââ
âThereâs no need to call for anything,â Dylan growled, cutting Drake off. âShe can be assigned a guard and the problem is solved.â
âI agree,â Fuller called out before Drake could argue, the Lead Elderâs relief to have ended the disagreement without bloodshed obvious in the softened lines of his expression. âThe only question is who. Who is willing to accept accountability for her actions and watch over the human while her brother completes his training?â
Brody narrowed his eyes, his chest aching as he prepared to say the words he knew were going to change his entire life. It was insanity. Madness. The action of a fool. And yet, he didnât have any other choice. He never had.
âI am.â The two roughly spoken words echoed through the clearing with the force of a cannon blast, and Michaela instantly stilled, stiffening against him as all eyes turned toward them. âUntil this is over,â he growled, âthe human is mine.â
Chapter 3
The human is mineâ¦
The unbelievable words echoed through Michaelaâs head, the evocative warmth of Brodyâs breath against the sensitive shell of her ear enough to make her tremble with something sharper, darker, more visceral than shock or fear. She struggled for the source of her reaction to the possessive wordsâthen realized it was hunger, urgent and sweet, spreading hypnotically through her system. A cravingâa primal, instinctive needâthat moved like warm, thick honey in her veins, settling deep within her like an intimate, pulsing glow of heat that she wanted to curl herself around. And it centered on the Bloodrunner who held her in his hard-muscled arms, the resonating beat of his heart banging out a powerful rhythm against her back.
Oh God, this canât be happening.
âIf you promise to behave,â he whispered in a low, husky rumble, his lips moving against her hair, âIâll take my hand away from your mouth. Do you promise, Doucet?â
She gave a jerky nod, and sensation pierced through her like a physical jolt as her lips rubbed against the masculine roughness of his palm; the musky, outdoors scent of his skin filling her head.
Shocked murmurs continued to work their way through the surrounding pack, marked by low snarls and grumblings of disapproval, but a strange buzzing noise, like static, started to fill her ears as everything sheâd experienced in the last few moments crashed down on her. She shook her head, trying to clear the confusion, but couldnât escape the growing feeling of unreality. Through a hot sheen of tears, she watched as the Elders huddled into a tight circle. Only Dylan Riggs cast a sharp glance in her direction, before lowering his head and joining the other Elders in a heated conversation while the pack clustered together in groups of their own. She could see a few human mouths, as well as Lycan jaws moving, but couldnât hear the words they produced over the frenzied noise thudding against her skull.
When a nearby group of Lycans suddenly stepped toward them, Brody moved with whipcord strength, shoving her behind his back before she even knew what was happening. âMason, get her back to the Alley,â he grated, and she almost sighed with relief as the words sank into her system, the static whir slowly fading away. âThe others can help me deal with things here. Weâll meet back up with you at the cabin when weâre done.â
Vaguely aware of Torrance grabbing on to her wrist and pulling her away, Michaela stumbled, looking back over her shoulder toward the clearing, watching as Eric Drake walked toward the incredible creature her brother had become, his dark fur gleaming like black satin in the moonlight. Eric began talking with Maxâs guards, reaching for the chains that bound him, when his father broke away from the Elders and advanced on them. She struggled to see what was happening, but everyone was moving around and too many bodies blocked her view.
Looking back to the spot where Brody had stood, her muscles clenched with panic when she found him gone, lost somewhere in that swarming chaos of activity. What if something happened to him? It would be her fault, wouldnât it? Male voices, raised in anger, reached her, and she knew instantly that it was Brody arguing with Stefan Drake. They both sounded furious, but she knew the Runner would win. And then heâd come to the Alley, where he expected to find her waiting.
Michaela had never considered herself a coward, but after the crushing experience with her last relationship, sheâd grown wary of putting her trust in the opposite sex. And more importantly, she no longer trusted her judgmentâor her bodyâs physical desires. And God only knew the powerful way she reacted to Brody Carter was enough to make any sane woman cautious. It was too much. Tooâ¦everything.
No,