Page 35 of Protecting The Gray Wolf
A cab, a subway ride, and a short walk later, they stood in front of a converted warehouse in Brooklyn. Most buildings like this contained multiple apartments. This seemed to be a single-family dwelling. It had to be about six thousand square feet. Having grown up with opulence, she was well aware it came with a hefty price tag.
“Why here? Why not another hotel?” It would certainly be cheaper.
“Too easy for someone to find us.” He guided her toward the front door. “There’s housekeeping staff, front desk people, security guards, bellhops. Not to mention video cameras. We have no idea what kinds of resources Solange and her associates have, but we have to assume her pockets are deep.”
There was a keypad on the door. He punched in the code he’d been given, and the lock clicked. Once they were inside, he dealt with the security system. They bypassed the main floor and went straight to the ancient elevator, complete with metal gate, and up to the second floor.
Iron beams were visible in the fourteen-foot ceilings. The concrete floors gleamed. The room was broken up into zones by furniture and rugs, all of it high-end. At the far side, there was a kitchen area with dark cabinets, stainless steel appliances, and stone countertops. A long island with seating separated it from the rest of the area.
“You know a guy who can get you a place like this with one phone call?”
“Yes.” Dropping his bag onto a chair, he headed toward the kitchen. He pulled a bottle of water out of the fridge and placed it on the island. “I’m sure you have questions.”
She slid onto one of the stools and rubbed her hands over her face. When she’d woken late this morning, her biggest worry had been getting to work on time. She’d had no idea a secret world existed alongside humans or that she’d be dragged into it.
She’d never believed in destiny. A person set a goal, worked hard to attain it, and prayed for some luck along the way. Now, she no longer knew what to believe. Magic or fate—whatever it was, she wasn’t being given a choice. Whether she wanted it or not, she was in this until the end.
What shedidwant to do was find a bed and crawl in. Fatigue pulled at her. A low-grade headache made concentrating difficult. The few hours of sleep she’d managed last night had been disturbed by the dream about her wolf and Kade. But it was time to stop reacting and get proactive. “There’s so much I don’t understand.” It didn’t seem possible that they’d met last night. It seemed like a lifetime ago rather than hours.
Kade paused while filling the coffeemaker and sighed. “It’s a long story.”
“I have a right to know. I feel like I’m the only one who doesn’t know the entire truth. I’m fighting… I’m not sure what the hell I’m fighting. That’s the problem.” God, she couldn’t remember ever being this exhausted. Adrenaline had given her a short boost, but she was close to crashing. Before that happened, she needed answers. “Kade, talk to me.”
He stiffened, as if bracing himself. “Condensed version—I’m a lone wolf.”
“What does that mean?” Whatever it was, it was important. She rested her elbows on the countertop and propped her chin on her hands.
“In the history of werewolves, there’s always a lone wolf. We belong to no pack, answer to no alpha. Our job is to chase down rogues and eliminate them to protect the werewolf nation from detection by humans.”
Her jaw dropped, but she quickly closed it. Her wolf wasn’t just a badass; he was the king of the badasses. “That can’t be easy.” She understood what it was like to be alone, to live on the outside of the rest of your family. “How do you become this lone wolf? Is it an inherited duty?”
“No.” His jaw tightened, and a deadly vibe radiated from him. Whatever his story, it wasn’t good. “I had parents, a sister, a pack. I turned fifteen and made my first shift. It’s a big deal for a werewolf to make their first transition, to meet their wolf for the first time.” He paused to pour them both a cup of coffee. “I had brown hair and eyes.”
She stared at his gray locks and eyes. “How is that possible?”
He shrugged. “It’s the way it happens. When I shifted, it was like I’d been struck by lightning. I thought I was going to die. My hair and eye color changed that day. So did my entire future. The packs fear the lone wolf. My mother told me to run, to never look back. She stopped my father from attacking me.”
“I’m sorry.” The words were totally inadequate for what he’d suffered, but they were all she had.
“Me too. But that’s where the story takes an even stranger twist.”
“Of course it does.” Her dry tone made him chuckle.
“Since the beginning of our kind, there’s been one lone wolf in the world at a time.” His voice deepened. “The lone wolf is known by the purity of his fur and eyes. Both are white, gray, or black, and the wolf bears the mark of the lone wolf—a circular blade, the sickle.” He rubbed his hand over his chest. “It is visible as a marking on the wolf and as a tattoo on the male. No one knows why a particular wolf is chosen. That’s up to Fate and the spirit of the lone wolf.”
“So you’re the gray wolf.”
“Yes, but there are also a white wolf and a black wolf in the world.” He slid onto the stool beside her. “All of us bear the mark.”
“I thought it didn’t work that way.” She took a sip of water.
“It never has before. Did I mention I’m immortal?”
Water flew out of her mouth as she began to choke and cough. Surely, she hadn’t heard him right. He thumped her on the back several times, helping to clear her throat. She waved him off. “You’re what?”
“Immortal. I feel pain, but I heal at an extraordinary rate. My senses are keener than a normal werewolf’s. I can die if I’m beheaded.”
When the room began to spin, she held up her hand. “Give me a second.” She dropped her head down onto the countertop.
