Dark Wolf: Wolf Shifter Romance (Wild Lake Wolves Book 2) Read online

  “Can he hear me?” I asked the newest nurse as she adjusted the leads to one of about a dozen tubes sticking out of my grandpa. He looked so frail on that bed. His ashen skin seemed paper thin; I couldn’t imagine how they even found veins to use. I leaned down and put a tender kiss on his weathered forehead. I brushed his silky white hair away from his face and pulled a chair as close to him as the machines would allow.

  “Hard to say,” the nurse said. Her name was Corrie Blackstone. She had a short, stout build with strong arms and wisps of graying black hair framing her face like a halo. Her father had stood on the stage with Grandpa just a day ago reciting the history of Oodena. She tapped something into the machine pumping medication into my grandfather’s veins then gave me a warm smile. “He’s heavily sedated right now. That will help ease the stress on his heart. But, he’s not in a coma. It’s possible he can hear you. The doctors will probably tell you he can’t. But we know better, don’t we? Don’t be afraid to talk to him. It might help if he knows you’re here. Just don’t . . . er . . . try not to upset him.”

  Right. Corrie might not have been in the theater or witnessed the drama afterward, but this was Oodena, after all. Of course she knew.

  “Thanks. I’ll take it easy on him.”

  Corrie came around to my side of the bed and put an arm on my shoulder. “Don’t worry, honey. Wyatt Redbird is as tough as they come. I know it’s been hard for you. You’ve done a remarkable thing coming back here for him. We all see it. Until you came back, we hadn’t seen light in that man’s eyes since . . . well, since your mom and dad passed.”

  I wanted to keep it together. But, Corrie’s kind words and gentle touch opened a floodgate of emotions in me. I found myself sobbing against the sleeve of her green scrubs. She was patient and kind, pulling the hair from my face as she handed me a tissue.

  “I’m sorry,” I snorted as I looked up at her. “Thanks. There’s just been so much going on.”

  She nodded. “And you haven’t had a lot of support. Do you have any family left, other than your grandpa? Friends maybe back in Florida? Isn’t that where you’ve been all this time?”

  I tried to give Corrie a confident smile, but she saw right through it and crossed her arms in front of her after she sank into the chair next to me.

  “Not really. I was with some friends of my father’s most of the time. Different families. His folks passed away before I was even born. Anyway, those folks have done more than their share for me. None of them were . . . family, you know? Any debt they owed my dad, they’ve paid it off plenty.”

  “Hmm,” Corrie’s expression didn’t soften. “Well, you’ve still got plenty of friends here, honey.”

  “Right, that’s what . . . uh . . . Beau and his dad said.”

  Corrie cocked her head to the side and rolled her eyes. “I’ll just bet they did. Couple of vultures, those two.”

  The last bit she said half under her breath. When Corrie looked back up at me, her face turned beet red. “Oh, honey. I’m sorry. I forgot. I heard a rumor Beau was your man now. Don’t pay any attention to me.”

  “No, no. It’s all right. I mean, he isn’t. Beau’s got ideas, but we aren’t a couple. That’s just a rumor.”

  Corrie reached over and patted me on the back. “Well, just forget I said anything. None of my business. Except the part about you having plenty of friends around here. You need anything at all, you just let me know. In the meantime, why don’t you go on home and get some sleep? Wyatt’s going to be out of it for hours. The doctors won’t do rounds again until tomorrow morning. If he wakes up or if there’s any change, I promise I’ll give you a call. And my shift just started. I’m here for the next eight hours. Probably more. I’ll keep a close eye on Wyatt. Promise.”

  Corrie’s words lifted a weight from my shoulders. I blinked back a fresh set of tears. I hated to leave Grandpa’s bedside. It seemed every time I left him, bad things happened. But, I was desperately worried about Luke. The longer I stayed away from him, the more I feared I’d lose him. He’d told me time and again how much easier it was for him to stay in his wolf. What if he couldn’t find the strength to ever shift back without me?

  “Just for a few hours,” I said, thinking out loud. “I’ll just go home and check on some things. I can be back here first thing in the morning. You promise you’ll give me a call if absolutely anything changes?”

  “On my life. Besides, when the doctors come back to talk to you later, they’re going to want you to sign some consent forms. If he needs surgery, that is. Do you have his power of attorney?”

  “Right. Yeah. God, I completely forgot.” I stood up and wiped the tracks of tears from my cheeks. “I don’t know what I was thinking. I should have brought that stuff with me when I drove out.”

  “You were thinking you needed to be by Wyatt’s side, of course. And you’re by yourself, Tamryn. You’ve taken on a lot. Don’t beat yourself up.”

  I put a hand on Corrie’s arm and smiled at her. “Anyway, yes. He made me his patient advocate as soon as I came home. I’ll bring all the forms.”

  “Good. A homework project for you. Crazy as it sounds, having something concrete to do can help. I know all of this is probably pretty overwhelming for you.”

  “Corrie, thank you. I really mean that. My grandpa’s a very proud man, and he didn’t like to ask for help. I guess he’s passed on a lot of that to me. I’m finding out the hard way that . . . well . . . that’s the hard way.”

  Corrie smiled and put an arm around my shoulders. “You’ve got that right. Gruff as he is, this town loves Wyatt. And we love you too. Old Gerard Karrow thinks he owns this place and everyone in it just because he’s probably got the biggest bank account. You stand your ground with that old fart. His kid’s cut from the same cloth, of course.”

  Corrie reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. She wrote her phone number on it and handed it to me. “You call me direct if you have any questions. Day or night. And I’ll see you back here in a few hours once you’ve gotten some real sleep and a solid meal in you. Got it?”

  I nodded and gave her a mock salute. A genuine smile lifted the corners of my mouth. Corrie Blackstone was a virtual miracle worker at what she did, and I was more grateful than I could express. I leaned down to plant a kiss on my grandpa’s head. He snorted in his sleep but didn’t show any signs of waking. Though I hated to leave him, Corrie was right. I was no good to him if I didn’t handle some things for myself first. Her words of encouragement played back in my head as I walked out to Grandpa’s Jeep.

  Real sleep and a solid meal. Those were a foreign concept to me, though my stomach growled in affirmation. I left the hospital parking lot and headed through downtown. When I approached the lone traffic light, I could have driven straight through and up the winding hill toward home. Or, I could take the back trail, away from the town limits of Oodena and toward Luke’s cottage.

  I scanned the horizon. The sun dipped low in the sky, only an hour more of daylight. Rolling down the window, I listened hard for any sign of Luke. Only the rustling trees and a few barking dogs met my ears. If Luke was out there, he stayed hidden. The cautious, responsible thing to do might be to head up that hill and get the sleep and dinner Connie ordered me to. But, my heart burned with longing and fear for Luke. I had to know where he was and if he was all right. When the light turned green, I headed up the winding trail and prayed I wasn’t already too late.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Torn from its top hinge, the front door of Luke’s cabin slammed against the frame. Snow drifted over the threshold. The only remnants of the cabin’s owner were the dying embers of the fire he’d stoked just a few short hours ago. My heart heavy in my chest, I scanned the tree line. Then, I turned toward the highest hill; squeezing my eyes shut tight, I tried to will him into existence. But, when I opened my eyes, only the swaying pines with their tops laden with snow seemed to acknowledge my presence.

  The interior of the cabin had been pos
itively ransacked. The furniture was overturned, and the leather couch was torn to shreds with great claw marks. Stuffing covered everything and blended with the snow. But, none of that caused me alarm. Despair, yes, but it was the dead quiet, the vacancy that gutted me.

  Luke was violently gone. I pulled his coat tighter around me, grateful for the warmth it provided as well as that last lingering connection to him. God, he’d left me all alone. I sank down onto the torn carpet in front of the fireplace. Just twelve hours ago, he’d kissed me there. Erotic images flashed through my mind, superimposed on the carnage that faced me now. How could he be gone? How could he share what he did with me and then just disappear? And worse than that, he drove me away.

  I felt different. How could I not? Twenty-four hours ago, I’d been a virgin. Now, I didn’t know what I was except for alone. I’d only known Luke for a few short weeks, and he’d changed everything. Now, he was gone. I couldn’t let myself think it was for good.

  Even though I couldn’t physically sense him, I knew he had to be out there somewhere. Wild Lake was still his home. Whatever had drawn him to me, to this place, still had to matter. God, please let it still matter. I felt like the moment I’d really found Luke, I’d lost him again. It was just too much.

  Pulling my scarf around my ears, I went outside and circled the cabin. I scanned the snow-covered ground for some sign. Anything that might tell me where he’d gone. But, great gusts of wind blew snow all around me, swirling and taunting me, leaving very little hope that he’d left any trace behind. I walked to the edge of the tree line.

  “Where would you go?” I whispered. Would he try to head back to the pack he’d left? If only I knew how to find them.

  Finally, I saw something that shouldn’t be there. A few of the brittle branches on the smallest trees had snapped off as I headed deeper into the woods. Something big had torn through here. Then, I saw tracks. Deep paw prints heading northeast, then circling back. My heart thundered in my chest as I grew hopeful again. Maybe he hadn’t gone far at all. Maybe he was waiting for me somewhere. I started to run, following the footprints until finally, I’d gone so deep into the woods I wasn’t sure I could find my way back out. Tufts of silvery gray fur stuck to some of the outstretched branches. I must be close!

  I went a few more yards and my heart sank. The tracks disappeared. If Luke had come through this way, it was as if he just vanished on the spot. I looked back the way I came, but the woods closed in all around me. I took deep, steadying breaths. Panicking now wouldn’t help one bit. But, I was alone in the frigid woods with night fast approaching. Somewhere out there was a half-crazed werewolf. Even if I did find him, what the hell could I do if he pushed me away again?

  Oddly, it was Corrie Blackstone’s words that came to me just then. Once again, here I was trying to handle this all alone. I sank to my knees and fought back the wave of panic and fear that threatened to immobilize me.

  “Dammit! Luke! Where are you? I can’t do this by myself. You have to help me help you!”

  Only the wailing wind answered. I couldn’t stay out here anymore. Once it got fully dark, I might not be able to find my way back to the cabin and the Jeep. I wasn’t dressed or equipped to spend the night in the Michigan wilderness in the deep winter. As much as I hated letting Luke’s trail grow cold, I dusted myself off and headed back toward the cabin. Mercifully, I was able to find my own trail back. By the time I reached the clearing and saw the shadowy outline of the cabin, it was pitch dark. I couldn’t feel my hands and feet anymore. I looked one last time inside the cabin, hoping against hope that Luke came back. Of course, he hadn’t. Even the fire had finally died out.

  I climbed into the Jeep and rubbed my hands together as I started it and waited for the heater to kick in. I was out of ideas and out of time. Leaning my head against the steering wheel, I let out a sigh.

  “Shit! Shit! Shit!” I couldn’t help my grandpa. It didn’t seem I could help Luke. And I didn’t like either one damn bit.

  My hands were stiff inside my gloves. I peeled them off and tried to blow some life into my fingertips. My hands felt fat as I tried to stuff the gloves into the pockets of Luke’s coat. As I did it, my fingers closed around something cold and hard in the outside left pocket. Slowly, I pulled it out.

  Luke’s cell phone.

  With stiff fingers, I tapped the screen. Merciful God, it wasn’t password protected. His icons popped into view, and my heart raced. I pressed my finger on the contact button. Only one name appeared.

  Mom

  I cocked my head to the side and smiled. Then, I hit call.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “Yallo!” She answered on the first ring, her high-pitched twang emphasizing the first syllable.

  My heart pounded so loudly in my ears I had trouble hearing myself talk. “Uh. Yes. Hello. Are you Mrs. Tully? Luke’s mother?”

  “Who is this?”

  “I’m a . . . I’m a friend of Luke’s. My name is Tamryn.”

  “Well, hello. I’m Pat Bonner. Yes. Luke’s my son. Is he all right?”

  I didn’t know how to answer. I pressed the back of my head against the seat back and looked toward the darkening sky.

  “I think . . . I think Luke’s in trouble, and I’m not sure how to help him.”

  Pat Bonner let out a weary sigh that tugged at my heart. Just that small noise gave me hope that I at last had an ally.

  “Where are you, honey?”

  “I’m at the cabin. Luke’s cabin. At the edge of Wild Lake. He’s not here, though. That’s part of the problem. He’s run off and I don’t know how to find him.”

  “Hmm. Can you stay there?”

  I looked around. The moon rose high and the wind stirred even more snow, drifting several feet of it over Luke’s shattered threshold.

  “Uh. He’s kind of trashed the place. But, I don’t live very far. I’m from Oodena.”

  Pat let out a soft, not unkind chuckle. “I see. Tamryn, honey, who are your people?”

  My what? I swallowed over a hard knot in my throat and took a deep breath before answering. “Redbird. My grandfather is Wyatt Redbird.”

  I meant to say more. I meant to tell her where she could find me. But, I’d said more than enough for her. She knew the name.

  “Just go on home, Tamryn. Stay safe. We’ll come to the top of that hill and meet you by morning.”

  I wanted to ask her a thousand other questions, but she clicked off. Luke’s phone faded to dark and the low battery light flashed once. Whoever . . . whatever Pat Bonner was would have to wait until morning. A renewed sense of hope flared inside me to join the constant fear I felt for Luke and my grandfather. I put the Jeep in gear and headed away from Luke’s cabin and back up the hill.

  The house was dark and quiet when I got back. I half expected one of the Karrows to be there with another ominous warning or criticism. But, the driveway was empty. I trudged up the front door. There was something taped to the front of it. A note. The tape had come loose from the bottom corner and the paper flapped in the breeze as if to wave a taunting greeting.

  My heart soared, and I quickened my step. God. Please let it be from Luke! Even as I thought it, I knew how absurd that would be. He wouldn’t leave me a note. He’d just be here. Still, I tore the paper from the door and rushed inside so I could see what it said. As I passed through the foyer and into the lighted kitchen, my heart sank again for the thousandth time that day.

  “Are you fucking serious? Are you absolutely fucking serious!”

  My fingers shook with rage as I read the note for the third time. The words “Foreclosure Notice” stared angrily back at me in big, black, bold print.

  This was Beau. Pure and simple. It was his way of reminding me how limited my options were. I crumpled the notice and threw it across the room. It bounced harmlessly off the refrigerator.

  Rage bubbled up inside of me, making me taste bile. I wanted to punch something. Or someone. Part of me hoped Beau would have the balls to show up
on my front door. I envisioned stuffing that foreclosure notice right down his throat. With shaking fingers, I clutched the banister and practically snapped off the wooden pineapple finial my grandfather had carved himself. Then, oddly, it was something Nurse Blackstone said that brought me back down. I needed a project. A homework assignment. I couldn’t find Luke right now. I couldn’t do anything but wait for news about Grandpa. So, I bounded up the stairs and went to his bedroom.

  Grandpa’s room was cold and dark. His wooden four poster bed cast shadows on the wall, reminding me of a spider on its back. I approached the bed and ran my hands down the red and white checkered quilt he used as a bedspread. Grandpa said Grandma Jesse made it with her own hands. I gathered the ends and wrapped it around me. Though she died long before I was born, I felt her presence in the room. It was hard not to. Grandpa acted as though she might come home any minute, never touching the faded bottles of creams and lotions on her nightstand table. He still refused to sleep on her side of the bed closest to the window. God, he’d lost so much. First Jesse, then my mother. No wonder he clung to what he could.

  I went to the closet and slowly opened the door. I crouched down and pushed aside the neatly stacked cardboard shoe boxes. Grandpa kept a small, unlocked safe in the corner of the closet. I only learned it existed when I came back to town nearly seven months ago. This is where he kept his important papers. I opened the door and slid out the single fat brown envelope he kept inside it. I clutched it to my chest and went back out into the bedroom. Spilling the contents of the envelope over the bed, I leafed through them until I found his medical power of attorney. Grandpa’s shaky signature in purple ink was on the last page. He’d had me sign too. I folded the document and started to put the rest of them away, making a mental catalog of everything I found.

  His will was missing, but he’d told me he filed that at the probate court already and that I had nothing to worry about. The deed to the house was here too. On stained, yellowing paper, I found a large, folded map of the Redbird property. Cocking my head to the side, I traced a new line of ink forming a circular pattern near the northeast quadrant. He’d drawn orange triangles inside the deepest part of the woods. I traced a finger along the wavy blue line representing Miskwaa Creek. God, Luke was out there somewhere. I wished I could cast a spell and illuminate where. I folded the map again and slid it back into the envelope. The last document on the bed was the thickest. It was a survey report dated five years ago. It too contained a detailed map of the property, but with grid lines running up and down it. Copper. That’s what it said. The Redbird property was rich with copper ore. Rage bubbled inside of me as I finally realized what Beau was likely after all along. My eyes started to blur, and I slid that back into the large envelope too.