Destiny Unchained (9 page)

“She’s under my protection. No one touches her.”
Cristian caught his gaze and used a low voice packed with
authority. “She is not to be harmed, understood?”

The werewolf nodded to his alpha.

The cabin door flew open with a bang and an
adolescent boy bounded down the stairs. “Alpha, I –”

He stopped short when he saw Natalia and his eyes
widened. “Holy shit! That’s the Huntress! Do you know how high her
bount –”

Cristian was inches from the boy’s face in less than
a second. “Hold your tongue, pup,” he commanded quietly. The boy’s
mouth shut with an audible snap. “I am well aware of who she is.
You will not speak a word of the bounty to anyone. That is a direct
order. Do you understand me?”

“Yes, sir.”

Cristian stared until the boy dropped his gaze in a
sign of respect. Natalia may not be pack but she understood their
dynamics. Breaking eye contact first was a sign of submission. If
the boy hadn’t, it would’ve been considered a dominance challenge.
And Cristian would’ve torn the boy apart. Brutal, but the only way
to govern werewolves – who were sometimes more animal than man.

Cristian gave the boy a small, proud smile then
nodded and stepped away. “Good man.” He clapped him on the shoulder
and the boy beamed.

Natalia watched the exchange with a mixture of
bewilderment and admiration. And when she studied Cristian’s
expression as he chastised the boy, she saw genuine affection. A
pack alpha who cared about his pack more than himself? Suddenly,
Cristian became very interesting.

He climbed the steps and opened the cabin door.
“Ladies first,” he said, gesturing inside.

She looked at the two werewolves expectantly watching
her, then back to Cristian holding open the door. Not that she
planned to, but questioning or defying an alpha in front of his men
was just asking for trouble. She sighed and walked up the
steps.

The cabin was empty save for a plain bed and an old
wooden dresser. With a high rafted ceiling and bare walls, the room
looked all the emptier. No personal objects or mementoes of any
kind. Not a cabin for an alpha.

The door slammed shut. “It’s a sort of…guest cabin,”
he explained.

She spun around and eyed him. “Am I a prisoner?”

“Of course not.” He smiled, a vision of diplomatic
friendliness. “But I need you to stay in here. Just until I get
organized. It’s not safe for you to walk around camp alone. As you
already know, vampires are no friends of ours. I don’t want you to
get hurt.”

She arched a brow. “
Me
get hurt?”

He smiled. “I guess that goes both ways.”

She glanced out the window and sighed. “We should be
heading north now. You’re wasting time.” Only a few hours till
daylight. They’d travelled in the opposite direction to reach his
pack so not only did the Slayer have a head start but now they had
to backtrack.

He glided toward her then stopped. “We’ll leave soon.
I need to meet with this region’s counsel and explain things. You
will stay here until I get back, yes?”

He stared at her when she didn’t respond. If he was
expecting a “yes, alpha,” he was barking up the wrong tree.

“I mean it, Natalia, Do not leave this cabin.”

Or
what?
she wanted to say. But she refused to engage in such
childish power games. She shrugged instead. He sighed and grumbled
something depreciating about women then left the cabin. Outside he
told two werewolves standing guard not to let anyone in.

Natalia walked to the open window on the far side of
the cabin, away from the door, and peered outside. The only view
was the dark woods. She had keen vision at night but the trees were
so thick she couldn’t see much. Not that she was looking for
anything, but it was better than sitting around doing nothing,
waiting for Cristian to return for her. She sighed.

Why was she taking orders from a werewolf?

Oh, right. Because he’d guilted her into allowing him
to help with the hunt. All because she cared about the missing
children. Damn her and her soft spot for kids. She sighed then
turned to make her way to the bed when the scent hit her like a
tidal wave. Her nostrils flared and her heart pounded. It was
subtle, but definitely him. There was no question of whether she
would follow the scent or obey Cristian’s order to stay in the
cabin. Her job came first. Always.

The screen popped out easily and she climbed outside.
She slipped into the shadows of the buildings and followed the
scent as it weaved around the back of the camp. For five minutes
she managed to stay out of the hateful werewolves’ sight. Just when
she thought it might steer into the trees, leaving the pack behind,
it intensified and headed straight toward the center of camp. But
he was close. So close she could almost taste the victory.

She walked straight into the middle of the camp, head
held high, focused on her mission. The first werewolf that
approached her she kicked in the stomach, snagging the dagger at
his waist when he hunched over in pain. Deep growls broke the
silence of the night as half dozen werewolves stalked toward her.
She didn’t slow her pace. The scent was too strong. Letting a few
stray dogs stand in her way wasn’t an option.

“Where do you think you’re going?” a voice said from
behind her. She spared a glance over her shoulder, taking note she
was surrounded.

The scent headed east, exactly where two walls of
muscle stood, blocking her path. She ran at them, full speed,
catching them off guard. The first she slashed across the belly
with the knife then sunk her booted foot into the knee of the
second. Before she could knife that one too, something grabbed her
from behind. A muscled arm wrapped around her throat as she was
bent forward in a headlock. Someone punched her in the gut and her
breath left her with a
whoosh
. The werewolf’s grip was merciless as he cut
off her oxygen.

Memories flooded to the surface. Her body broken and
bloody, heartbeat fading, knowing she would die and begging for
help.

If she had breath to growl, her anger would have
echoed in their ears for centuries.

She resisted the urge to grab the arm holding her
around the neck since she knew she couldn’t pry him off. Instead
she punched him in the balls and when he bent over, she pushed her
foot in front of his and leaned forward toppling him off balance.
When he started to fall she grabbed the arm around her throat and
yanked backward as hard as she could. A loud pop reverberated
across the camp and he roared out in pain as he released her and
fell to the ground. She’d effectively demolished his shoulder
joint.

She scanned the figures around her then did a double
take at a young man wearing a scrap of her shirt around his head
like a bandana. In a matter of seconds, she had him on the ground,
knife at his throat, knee in his chest.

“Hey, shit-for-brains,” she said, pressing the tip of
the knife hard enough to prick his skin. “Where’d you get the
bandana?”

A rumble of agitated growls erupted around her but
they wouldn’t raise a hand near her while she had a pack member at
knifepoint. They protected their own. Always. Another memory clawed
into her mind. Faces of people she trusted, their eyes glazed over
with indifference. Werewolves protected their own, except when
their own was an outsider.

The young werewolf opened his mouth to answer but a
furious roar tore through the night like an angry tornado, cutting
him off. Every one of the werewolves froze then lowered his head.
Natalia turned slightly to face the source of the terrifying sound.
She’d seen plenty of alphas in her day, but none so commanding as
the one who stalked toward her. Fighting the impulse to flee, she
scolded herself for being so cowardly.

Cristian stood several feet in front of her, his
blackened eyes filled with rage. He raked his gaze over her body
before a barely intelligible voice grated, “Get off of him.”

She spared the boy a last glance then sliced through
the bandana and stood to face Cristian.

Cristian closed his eyes and counted to ten. Maybe
she’d been right – this was the worst idea ever. Once he was sure
he could maintain an even voice he faced Natalia. “Are you
okay?”

She nodded and he released the breath he’d been
holding. He hadn’t felt this angry and out-of-control since Laurel
was killed. He’d been rounding up his best hunters when whispers of
a vampire loose in camp reached him. Before he entered the scene he
could hear the breath leave Natalia’s body as a fist slammed into
her stomach. He didn’t know who was hurting her or why, and he
didn’t care. His vision went red at the thought of her being harmed
under his watch.

Looking around the camp at the dozen or so men,
standing at attention, awaiting his orders, he realized she wasn’t
the only one who’d been hurt. She’d taken down three of his best
fighters. Another growl left his throat. He didn’t tolerate random
violence in his pack. If his men had something to prove they could
do it in a ring with a referee to be sure they didn’t kill each
other.

His eyes narrowed on Natalia. Every man had lowered
his head when he’d entered the area. Her chin jutted out as she
glared at him, holding his gaze far longer than was acceptable. And
the little witch knew it too.

With his eyes he told her,
“Don’t you dare challenge me in front of
my men.”
It was enough to justify killing her, but he’d at
least have to punish her. And, oh, he wanted to punish her. But not
like this. He preferred some rope, a bed, and a few hours of
privacy.

After a tense moment she dropped her gaze. He exhaled
a relieved breath.

She pointed to the young man who’d been under her,
now standing at attention just beside her. “He’s working for the
Slayer. He reeks of him and this is my shirt.” She held out the
bandana she cut from around Jack’s head.

“I-I didn’t know,” Jack said nervously. “Some guy
gave me fifty bucks to wear it. I had no idea –”

“Be calm. You’re not in trouble.” He leveled the
werewolf with a stern glare. “Though next time you’ll think twice
before taking something from a lone werewolf.”

“Yes, sir,” he answered.

He focused his attention back on Natalia, who
suddenly looked vulnerable amidst his towering men. The bandana
proved the Slayer was playing with her. He knew of Cristian’s
involvement. A pit of fear settled in his gut, which fueled his
temper. Now, more than ever, it was important for them to work
together. Yet she continued to refuse his attempts and defied his
orders to keep her safe. He took another deep breath and counted to
ten, pushing the wolf in him away from the surface. Slow to anger,
quick to deliver justice. He was known for it.

“Go back to the cabin,” he told her.

She pursed her lips and he thought she might refuse,
but with a humble nod, she obeyed. A surge of pride filled him, and
his respect for her grew. She may have caused some problems by
leaving the cabin without him, but the woman knew when to pick her
battles. And she clearly understood pack politics, which made him
even more curious about her past.

He watched her enter the cabin then turned and
addressed his men. “Give me the facts.”

After he went through the events with his pack, he
praised their efforts in controlling the situation and explained
the circumstances surrounding the ill-tempered vampire in their
camp. He couldn’t blame them for interfering. All the rangers in
his employment cared for the wolves they protected. They’d seen too
many of them killed for no reason other than a temporary high for a
wayward vamp. He could tell by the fire in their eyes they didn’t
approve of Cristian working with a vampire, but they would fall in
line. He was a fair leader, yes, but he kept them on a short leash.
A few of his best offered to help hunt the Slayer. Back-up would’ve
been nice, but if tonight was any indication of how the vampire
played with others…well, he had enough trouble dealing with her on
his own.

He thanked everyone for their continued service to
the wolf population then made his way to the cabin.

One problem down, one more to go. He wished dealing
with Natalia would be as easy.

The door flew open then shut with a bang. Natalia
turned from the window to face a full six and a half feet of muscle
staring down at her. Gods he was a magnificent beast.

“I thought I told you to stay in the cabin.” His
voice remained quiet but with a confidence that made her shiver all
over.

Pull yourself together!
She cleared her throat. “Don’t you pull
that ‘I am werewolf, hear me roar’ crap on me. I’m not your pack.
You’re not my alpha. I don’t take orders from you.”

His voice dropped and he crossed the room. “You do
now, sweetheart. Being an alpha isn’t just what I do. It’s who I
am.” He stopped a few feet from her. “Someone has to take the lead
on this. I’m willing to follow your recommendations since you’ve
been at the Slayer a long time. But I can’t stop being who I am.
Understand?”

She stared at him for a long moment. So he expected
her to fall in line like his pack just because he was an alpha?
Didn’t he know what he was asking for? Trust. Natalia, the
Huntress, did
not
trust werewolves. He held her gaze, steady and
confident. She tore away. “That’s it. Partnership absolved.”

He blinked. Then he sighed and crossed his arms over
his chest in that obstinate male way. “You don’t get to absolve the
partnership. You’re in my territory. You want access to it? You
want to hunt down your killer? You go through me.”

“Then I’m out,” she lied, making a move for the
door.

“That’s it? You’re just going to give up because of a
little conflict? You’re not even going to try to resolve it? I
didn’t peg you for a quitter.”