Page 7 of Protecting The Gray Wolf
“I need a complete background on a person, and I need it yesterday.”
“Name?” The voice on the other end of the line sounded neither old nor young and had no identifying accent. It wasn’t distorted because it was distinctly male. The person he was speaking with was a broker, of sorts, paid a lot of money for his efficiency and discretion.
“Luna West.” He rattled off the email account the information should be sent to, followed by her home and work address, and then hung up. A textpingedwith an account number and amount. Confirmation came seconds after payment was transferred.
He ended the call and closed the cover of his laptop before standing and rolling his tight shoulders. All he could do now was wait. The broker provided services to a select clientele—those with money. His network of operatives was extensive. Need a hacker, contact the broker. Need a body disposed of, call the broker. Need a doctor to remove a bullet, call the broker. Need someone killed, call the broker. The list was endless.
Whoever he was, he did have scruples, of a sort. From what Kade had managed to uncover over the years—which was precious little and he’d dug hard—human traffickers need not call. One cartel hadn’t liked being told no and had tried to hunt the broker down. That cartel no longer existed. Whoever he was, the broker did not fuck around.
Part of him hated giving money to a person who worked with criminals, but beggars couldn’t be choosers. Not like he could reach out to the packs for help. Times like this, being a lone wolf sucked.
He should contact Devlin and set up a time and place to meet the white wolf in person. They’d either become friends or they’d kill each other. They were brothers of a sort, without the blood relationship. Although, since they were both a part of the lone wolf, maybe they did share a blood bond of sorts.
Groaning, he tossed the phone onto the bedside table, dropped onto the bed, rolled onto his back, and stared up at the dark ceiling. His stomach growled. He ignored it. Dragging himself out to get food or calling room service seemed like too much trouble. A shower might help him relax. He brought his hand up to his nose and sniffed. The touch had been brief. It should be impossible to smell Luna. Yet somehow it was there, delicate and light.
His dick punched at the front of his track pants. Groaning, he threw his arm over his face and took a deep breath. It was going to be a hell of a long night. With one ear tuned to his phone—he’d get a text when the information came through—he closed his eyes. Best to catch some sleep while he could.
…
Luna wavered on her feet. She blinked several times, as if coming out of a trance. It was like that sometimes when she got into the zone with her work, her hand moving under its own volition, without her being fully in control.
She set her pencil carefully on the table and stared. A fully sketched design covered the entire canvas. Nothing unusual about that. No, it was the subject matter that captivated her.
It wasn’t a wolf or a magical landscape, her usual choices. It was Kade. Wearing a pair of faded jeans that hugged his thick thighs and dipped slightly at the waist, he stood on a mountaintop, hands on hips, and stared out at the night. The muscles in his bare chest rippled with barely leashed power. His flexed biceps were enormous. While there was no ignoring the sheer brawn of the man, what drew her eyes was the tattoo etched right over his heart.
“It’s the same.” The black, sickle-shaped blade matched the one visible on the gray wolf in her paintings.
She flopped down on the comfy blue sofa she’d put in here for times when she wanted a break but didn’t want to quit working. Closing her eyes, she tilted her head back and took several calming breaths. When she looked back, the image was unchanged.
“He isnotthe gray wolf.” He was a man. Unless he was a werewolf. Giving a moan, she dropped her head into her hands. “I’m overtired and had too much excitement.” Both logical reasons for her momentary lapse into the impossible.
He’d bought her painting. The color of his hair and eyes matched her wolf.It also matches yours,a tiny voice in the back of her head reminded. “Coincidence,” she whispered. It made perfect sense for her subconscious to link the two. She’d even had the thought earlier that if her wolf was to come to life he’d look like Kade.
“Time to go to bed.” The thought drifted away, and she remained where she was. She had no idea what time it was, but it was late. In not nearly enough hours, she had to drag herself to work. She was an early riser, and this room got the morning sun. No need to bother setting an alarm.
Stretching out, she pulled the light cotton throw from the back of the sofa and covered her legs. She was still wearing makeup and was fully dressed, but it seemed like too much trouble to do anything about it. The soft cushions molded around her body. She closed her eyes and pulled the covering up so it blocked the overhead light.This is ridiculous.There was a perfectly good bed a few feet away. And a shower. That was the last thought she had as she drifted off…
The chill of the night air sent goose bumps racing down her arms, but nothing could deter her from reaching the summit of the hill. She was shoeless, the bottoms of her stockings shredded by the rough ground. Twigs snagged her dress as she fought through the dense forest undergrowth.
Lungs heaving, muscles in her legs burning from exertion, she broke through the tree line and onto the plateau. The moon rode low in the sky. It was so close it felt as though she could reach out and touch it. Stars shimmered like diamonds on the black silk of the sky. An owl hooted off to her left. A slight breeze ruffled the leaves.
The landscape was breathtaking, but what had her heart racing and joy bursting within her was the wolf sitting on the edge of the rocky drop-off. “You’re here.” Hand extended, she took a step forward. “You’ve been avoiding me.” When he remained seated, she risked another step.
The wolf tilted his head to one side. He’d been fully grown the first time he’d entered her dream world. She’d changed, but he’d remained the same…until lately.
“I thought we were friends.” Not willing to chance him bolting, she sank to the ground, ignoring the chill that seeped through her summer dress. It was colder this high up.
He dipped his head.
“Then why have you been avoiding me?” Even though a part of her realized she was dreaming and that the creature had never spoken to her, she waited for an answer. When the wolf continued to stare, she licked her dry lips. “I met someone tonight. He reminded me of you.”
When his ears twitched, she continued. “If you were human, he’d look like you. Same eyes. Hair the color of your fur.” She absently rubbed her hand over her heart. “He bought the painting of you.” Dropping her gaze, she ran the tips of her fingers over the ragged edge of a rock. “I’m not sure how I feel about that. It was exciting to make my first big sale. I charged him twenty thousand dollars.” It was second nature to confide in her furry friend. “It was supposed to be two thousand, but I panicked. I wasn’t sure I wanted him to have it.”
The wind stilled. The creatures of the forest went silent. A heaviness filled the air. Luna raised her head and met the gray eyes of the wolf. There was a sense of intelligence behind them that went far beyond that of a normal animal.
Her scalp prickled, and an icy shiver skated down her spine. She had been visiting with her wolf for two decades, but tonight he was a stranger, not the friend and guardian with whom she’d spent countless hours sharing dream adventures. Pressing her hands to the ground, she pushed to her feet.
“I’ll leave. I won’t try to find you again.” The wrench in her heart was painful, the wound to her soul devastating. Her wolf was the only one she’d ever been able to depend on, and now she was losing him.
