War: Feral Hearts Book One Read online

  She’d had a childhood dog named Benny. She’d talked to him like a person. Scolded him like a child when he snatched things he wasn’t supposed to, cried into his furry shoulder when she was sad. She’d been sure that he’d understood her in some way, but wasn’t that what Hollywood wanted her to believe? That animals had emotions that allowed them to relate to humans in a way that blurred the lines between their species.

  Pushing up on the door before she lost her nerve, Emma peered into the darkness. She couldn’t hear anything except the pounding of her heart against her rib cage. It was now or never. She either went through with this—tried to warn her mate and his people that death was coming for them within the next day and a half—or she ran back to the safety of the fort and abandoned her duty as alpha female to help keep the pack safe.

  She raised the door up as she walked, then turned as she exited the tunnel, kneeled, and lowered the door into place as quietly as she could. She stayed in her crouch and looked around to get her bearings. All she saw was trees lit by the full moon overhead. Then she looked beyond the trees, turning in a slow circle and staring intently until she oriented herself, finding the lights from the safe zone’s wall and corner guard tower. She was a hundred yards away, too far for the guards to see her, but close enough she could make out the flag that flew atop the southern wall. Turning her back to the fence, she straightened from her crouch and tilted her head, listening.

  She didn’t hear anything for a long moment, and then she picked up a faint bark. It was the sharp reprimand of a wolf who was putting another in line. She’d heard it many times as War had courted her, bringing her to meet with his people in human and wolf form many times. A nip accompanied the reprimand, and she heard the soft yelp of pain. Probably a parent correcting a child. Or perhaps War teaching a young one how to behave. Either way, that was the direction she needed to go.

  The wolves would find her. They’d smell her scent on the air, and they’d find her. She only hoped when they found her, that they didn’t kill her immediately. She hoped she could call War’s name, and he’d hear her and make the connection that they were mates. Even if he was entirely animal, there had to be a part of him that recognized what she was to him.

  Because if he didn’t recognize her at all, she was as good as dead.

  It was tempting to turn back and disappear into the tunnel. But she wasn’t about to take the cowardly way out. Wasn’t taking on challenges, facing down fear, and accepting hardships what being an alpha female was all about? She was afraid, but she would not let fear stop her from trying to help.

  She loved War. If he died because she did nothing, then a part of her would die too. And that wasn’t acceptable on any level.

  As Emma made her way deeper into the woods, leaving behind the safety of Fort Allegiance, her spine tingled, and the fight-or-flight response in her subconscious kicked up a thousand notches. She heard nothing at all, but there was no denying the feeling that came over her.

  They’d found her.

  And she was being hunted.

  3

  A bitter scent prickled his nose.

  The wolf lifted his head and drew in a deep breath, his nostrils flaring. There, carried across the breeze, the scent of something warm and metallic.

  Blood, he realized.

  And not the blood of his surrounding brethren. No, this was different. Sweeter, sharper, familiar. Without a thought, he inched forward, his instincts leading the way. The closer he came, the stronger the scent until he finally placed it.

  Human.

  Fresh with grief from his brother’s death, rage surged through him. There was a human on his land. He could hear it now—the soft patter of footsteps through the foliage and the quiet snap of twigs as the human tore through his forest.

  The wolf slipped soundlessly into hunting mode, his nose wedged against the earth as he stalked through the trees. His haunches ruffled as he pictured himself ripping the human in half as justice for his brother’s death.

  A soft inhalation rose to his ears, one quickly followed by a frightened squeak.

  Female, then.

  Disappointment dulled his rage. The wolf hungered for the man atop the tower. This woman hadn’t been responsible for that. But she was human. For now, she’d suffice as payment.

  He’d barely taken another step when he heard her cry out and suddenly start sprinting through the trees, her steps clumsy like a baby deer. His pack immediately darted after her, their desire to chase spurring him faster. He loved this part. The feel of the air rushing through his fur, the many scents of the forest attacking his nose, the ground melting beneath his feet as he moved. He and the Pinelands were one and the same. Two beings, one soul.

  He stumbled over a log the instant that thought bounced through his head. Two beings, one soul. He’d heard that somewhere before. When he wasn’t pure wolf.

  No. He’d never not been a wolf. This was who he was.

  He focused on the chase, catching back up to the pack. The human’s scent smacked him in the face and knocked his legs out from beneath him. He faltered and fell, his head ricocheting off the cold, hard ground. Instead of clamoring back to his feet, he held still and fixated on that wonderful scent.

  It belonged to the female. But how? And why was it so familiar?

  A quiet snap to his left had the wolf leaping to his feet. She’d doubled back and was closing in on him. Why? What did she want? Another step, another snap.

  The wolf’s lips peeled back as a threatening snarl rumbled up from his throat. His pack circled around him, all waiting for permission to attack. If the female came within view, he’d give the command and she wouldn’t live to see another night. But the human didn’t sense how close to death she’d come. She continued closer, her steps growing louder and louder until finally, he spotted her.

  There, in the distance. A woman dressed in clothes black as night eased toward him. She braved another step before removing the dark knit cap atop her head. It was her hair that stood out to him first—a blond halo of perfection, tucked into a neat knot at the nape of her neck. A few strands framed her soft cheeks. But it wasn’t until she lifted her head and stared at him with the bluest eyes he’d ever seen that a sudden pain exploded within him.

  Snap!

  He choked out a pained howl and stumbled to the ground, his trembling limbs unable to keep him upright. He’d never felt anything like this before—the agony was unimaginable. Almost like every bone in his body was breaking all at once.

  His pack turned toward him, their own howls blending with his. A few of his brothers braved closer, tentatively sniffing the ground as though searching for the source of his pain.

  Crack!

  The wolf’s back arched toward the night sky, the force of the sudden movement nearly lifting him to his feet. He panted for breath and squeezed his eyes shut. Every inch of him shattered as what smelled like magic assaulted his body.

  The attack seemed to last forever, with every passing second a new lesson in pain. Distantly, he was aware of his fur melting away, of his four legs melding into two, of his body lengthening into the thing he detested the most.

  Human.

  Only when he finally stood on two legs did the magic release him. He lifted his head and met his beta’s gaze. Hatred and fear burned brightly in his pack mate’s eyes, and for a moment, he feared an attack, now that he was the one thing they despised the most. Instead, his second unleashed a long howl, one that sent the pack scattering into the trees, abandoning him to the forest.

  Relief coursed through him, and he collapsed into the undergrowth, his chest heaving as he fought to catch his breath. Refusing to move, he stared up at the damn moon as a chill swept over his nude body, the cold lifting the coarse hairs on his arms and legs.

  “War?” came a soft whisper.

  The wolf’s head jerked to the side at the sound of her voice.

  No. Not a wolf anymore.

  War. His name. He knew it without a doubt. Just as
he knew this body was his. Or what had once been his before…

  “War!”

  Someone toppled into the undergrowth next to him. Before he could utter a word, they threw their arms around his neck, their lithe body trembling against his.

  The human.

  He lifted his arms, intending to shove her away when her delicate scent invaded his nose. And with it, every single memory came screaming back to him all at once. If he’d thought being forced back into human form was painful, it was nothing compared to now. His head felt as though it might burst as all his memories flooded him.

  Him as a child, running through the woods with his father. Him as a shifter, learning how to control his abilities. Him as a teenager, sharing his first kiss. Him as an adult, dancing with the witch.

  Him as an alpha, proclaiming himself to his mate.

  Two beings, one soul.

  Emma.

  Emotion suffused him, and instead of shoving her away, his arms instinctively curled around her waist. He pulled her close, reveling in the wondrous feel of her pressed against his chest. It felt like it’d been months since he’d last held her.

  “War,” she whispered as she buried her face against his neck.

  His eyes fluttered shut, and he turned his head toward her, his lips brushing her cheek. Because of her, he’d found himself again. She made him feel like everything was falling back into place. She was the string that tethered him to this world, that had kept him sane when others had lost their minds.

  “Emma…” War’s voice came out rough from lack of use.

  She eased up from him, her face hovering over his. The sight of her damp cheeks sparked something in his chest. He ran his hands up her back and cupped her throat, his thumbs caressing her lips. Lips he so desperately wished to taste. His gaze caught hers, then he dragged her toward him. The second their mouths came together, War’s body relaxed. She was the balm to his tortured soul.

  His fingers slid up the nape of her neck and slipped under her bun. A quick twist and her hair tumbled free, shielding them from the rest of the world. He swept her hair back and deepened the kiss, their tongues coming together in a heated frenzy. War gently fed at her mouth, his entire body hardening beneath hers. Man, he’d missed this. Missed her. And he never wanted to be without her again.

  Emma slowed the kiss and pulled back, her lips a bit swollen. She smiled sweetly, but fresh tears welled in her eyes. “I missed you so much. But how is this even possible?”

  War frowned. How was what possible? But before he could ask, he remembered. Zara. Her threat. The spell and how the world had suddenly reeked of her magic. The ground shaking beneath his feet. The pressure to shift into wolf form.

  His gaze shot back to the moon. It hovered in the middle of the sky, as full now as the night they’d lost themselves. It had to be all Zara’s doing.

  Damn witch! And damn her revenge. All because he didn’t love her? Wasn’t this taking things a little far?

  Growling, War turned back to Emma. “Tell me everything.”

  A slight frown turned down her lips. “The world isn’t the place you remember, War. That witch, she did something.” Sighing, Emma dropped onto her back next to him in the undergrowth. “We haven’t seen a hint of sunlight since the day the ground shook. It’s like she stole the sun from us. Every day is the same. Eternal darkness. The moon never moves, never wanes. It’s always full up there. And it traps you guys in wolf form.”

  “How long?” he demanded, his voice guttural.

  “It’ll have been a year in two days.” She blew out a long breath, her arm brushing his.

  War savored the feel of her skin against his. It’d always been this way for them. As though her touch reinvigorated him. To think he’d gone a year without it…

  “The world suffered,” she continued. She turned her head and peered at him from beneath thick lashes. “You aren’t going to like this.”

  “Probably not. But I need to know.”

  She nodded. “All right. The night you guys changed, you went berserk. Attacked everything that moved. It was like you had no control over yourselves.”

  War’s eyes narrowed. He couldn’t quite remember that. A side effect of the spell?

  “Wolves slaughtered any humans they could find. The first few weeks were horrifying. I don’t remember how many died. But last I heard, only half the world’s population remains.”

  War sucked in a sharp breath. “That can’t be. There aren’t enough of us to cause that much devastation.”

  “Unfortunately, there were quite a few humans who survived the attacks and became shifters themselves.”

  “Holy hell…” War dragged a hand down his face. This was the worst thing imaginable. And all because he’d scorned a witch. He’d known getting involved with Zara was foolish. Tangling with witches never ended well. But when she’d caught his eye at the bar, she’d intrigued him.

  They’d had their fun.

  But soon afterward, he’d met Emma, and they’d just clicked. He’d known instantly she was his mate. He’d done the right thing by both women. He’d been upfront with Emma that they needed to wait until he ended things with the witch. He’d gone to Zara and confessed everything. Told her he’d found his soulmate, and they were finished.

  She’d smiled so calmly. He’d left her house believing everything was fine.

  But then she’d shown up at his and Emma’s mating ceremony.

  A ceremony they’d never even finished, thanks to Zara.

  “Then what happened?”

  Emma placed a hand against his bare chest, her fingers playing idly with his hair. “The world sort of just…crumbled. We couldn’t handle it. It was a war, and we lost. After the government fell, the militia stepped up and established safe zones. Places where we could live without fear.”

  “The walled encampments,” War supplied.

  “It worked. Your people stopped infiltrating, and our people stopped dying. But I’m afraid it didn’t end there.”

  War’s head lolled against the ground until he caught her gaze. “What do you mean?”

  “We’ve been at each other’s throats since then. The militia refuses to lose any more territory to the wolves. They want to take back what they’ve lost.”

  That didn’t sound promising.

  Sighing, Emma rose onto her elbow and stared down at War. “They’re coming for your pack. In a little less than two days, these woods will be infested with General Taylor’s men. He plans to wipe you all out and take the land back as ours.”

  War almost laughed. “Let them try.”

  “But they will try,” Emma murmured, fear evident on her face. “I heard them discussing a delivery tomorrow night of more guns and ammunition. They’re planning an attack the night after—Friday at nine o’clock. Believe me, War. Your pack is outgunned and outmanned. They’ll kill you all.”

  4

  Emma sat up and looked over her shoulder. She could feel the pack. They weren’t close enough to see, but they were around. Probably wondering what the hell was up with their alpha. “It’s so strange,” she said.

  “What is, love?” War asked.

  “After the darkness came, and you left me, I couldn’t really feel a connection to the pack anymore. When we were together before the darkness, I felt a communion with them, and I know it was because of you. I felt not only your loss when you shifted, but the entire pack’s loss.”

  War frowned and sat up. “When I was forced to shift, I didn’t feel human at all. I was just a wolf. I think the curse changed everything. Not just shifters, but how humans interact with them. I can’t believe you came here to warn us. We could have killed you.”

  “I know. But I couldn’t just let the militia destroy the pack without trying to alert you.”

  He raised a brow. “How were you going to do that? Did you really think we’d be able to understand you?”

  “I had to try, War! Come on. If the roles were reversed, tell me you wouldn’t have done everyt
hing in your power to save me?”

  He let out a little snarl, his eyes flashing. “Of course.”

  “Then you understand.”

  “I just don’t want you to put yourself in danger.” He rose to his feet and pulled her up with him. “Speaking of, we need to get to safety.”

  “The fort?”

  “What? Hell no. I need time to think. And we need to talk.”

  She looked up at her mate, and her libido, which had tanked after the darkness came, roared back to life. War’s nostrils flared, and he growled softly. “I said talk, love.”

  “Talk like talk-talk, or talk like sexy times? Because I’m okay with both, but mainly interested in the latter.” She wiggled her brows, and he huffed out a chuckle.

  “Only you would have sexy thoughts on your mind in the middle of the woods with an attack imminent.”

  “You’re naked. I’m just going to point that out.”

  He glanced down at himself as if not even realizing that he wasn’t wearing any clothes. Then his cheeks pinked in the most adorable way, and she fell a little more in love with him right then.

  “Damn it.”

  “Don’t be upset. I missed you. All of you.”

  He tilted her chin back up so she couldn’t see all his sexy goodness. “Shelter first, then talking.”

  “Then?” she asked, her voice tipping up hopefully.

  He slid a hand to the back of her neck and pulled her in for a kiss. “Then you’re mine.”

  “I always was.”

  He flashed her one of his devastating smiles that made his eyes crinkle at the corners. He gave her neck a gentle squeeze, and she closed her eyes, letting out a quiet sigh. It felt so good to have his hands on her. Even if they were in the middle of the woods and not planning anything sexy-fun, anytime soon.