Unbound (Shifter Night Book 2) Read online

  Ash choked out a laugh as well. “So …” He turned serious and lowered his voice since he didn’t want the other males hearing. Not that anyone was particularly interested in what they were saying to one another. “Is it everything you thought it would be?” Winston looked really happy. There was a big part of him that envied that. It made him want to think of what could have been, but he didn’t go there. Couldn’t.

  “What, being mated?” The male smiled broadly. He was definitely thinking of his mate.

  Ash nodded. “You look happy.” He clenched his teeth for a moment. Thinking back on those early days. Remembering how he felt. The love, the joy, the lust, the togetherness. Mostly, the love.

  “It’s everything and more.” Winston’s voice was thick with emotion. His eyes lifted in thought. His friend stopped walking. The others kept moving, the sound of the pine needles crunching beneath their feet carried back on the light breeze.

  “Yes,” Ash sighed. “It’s a gift and a curse.” With the memories came the pain. Fresh and devastating at times. A dull ache at other moments, but always there. Always with him.

  Winston must have seen some of that pain reflected in his eyes because he frowned, a look of concern appearing on his face. He touched Ash’s arm. “I wish you would consider …”

  Trying again? Taking someone new into his life? His heart? “Nah, fuck …” He ran a hand through his hair, it didn’t help much. It was a bit of a mess after living in the wild for three days. “I had a mate and I lost her … lost so much …” He shook his head. “I have my son, my pack. I’m happy. Very fucking happy.” Ash meant it. He really fucking meant it.

  “I hear you’ve been sniffing around the same female. Are you sure you—”

  “The best fuck I ever had,” Ash could hear the growl in his voice. “That’s all it is.” Again, he meant it.

  Winston choked out a laugh. “Seriously? Here I was thinking that you might be ready to—”

  His gut twisted in knots. “Don’t you dare say it.”

  “You and Ana have so much in common. She knows what you are going through. That’s why you guys get along so well.”

  “She’s easy on the eyes and knows how to cook a steak. What’s not to like?”

  Winston visibly bristled. “Stop with the bullshit comments. Ana has had a difficult time, yet she was able to move on. It doesn’t mean she forgot her mate or the child she lost—”

  “Enough,” Ash snarled. Hearing all of this made things too fresh. His chest felt tight. “I will never take another mate. Never! I may have spent the last few Shifter Nights with the same female, but it doesn’t mean a thing. In fact, I’m done with her.” He had already made the decision. Forgetting to wear a condom. Biting her. What the fuck?! It was over. No more Alice.

  “Look, it’s your life.” Winston put up both hands. “You need to decide for—”

  One of the males up ahead growled. If Ash had still been in his fur it would have bristled. Adrenaline surged.

  “Look at this!” the same male yelled.

  “What the fuck?” one of the others snarled.

  He and Winston raced over to where the males were. They were looking at something on the ground.

  “What the hell!” Winston mumbled. “What the fuck is that?” he added.

  Ash leaned in close, he sniffed. “Nothing. I get nothing.” Surely it should have some scent clinging to it. “Nobody move.” Watching where he stepped so as not to churn up the earth anymore, he moved around the clearing and then scratched his head. Ash sighed, he was at a loss. “That’s it. One fucking print.”

  “It’s huge,” Winston said. “What the hell made it?”

  “Fucked if I know.” Ash shook his head.

  “It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before.” Kane cocked his head, still staring at the print. “Bigger than a bear’s but more like a … fuck … like a cat. Look at the claws and the pads of the paw. That’s feline for sure.”

  “There’s only one,” Cody snarled, looking around them. “How is that possible?”

  “We’re only two miles from our village,” Ash spoke low.

  Winston shifted. It happened in less than a second flat. His fur bristled. His lips curled back in a silent snarl.

  “Try to stay calm.” Ash looked him in the eyes. “Whatever made this is long gone. You can see how the wind has blown the edge. A leaf is lying in the center. I’d say at least,” he pursed his lips in thought, “four, maybe five hours. I don’t scent blood or …” He let the sentence die when Winston growled. “Let’s head back. I need to speak with the Alphas.” It might have been a fake, but Ash doubted that. There was something in these woods. Something had attacked Ward a few months ago. Something that was very real and potentially dangerous.

  They would be able to scent if the village had been attacked. He forced himself to calm down.

  The same couldn’t be said for Winston though. The male whined and clawed at the ground. “You can go back to your mate.” He was governed by his instincts right now.

  Winston howled as his claws dug up the earth. He soon disappeared amongst the brush through the trees.

  “I don’t like this.” Cody looked around them, his eyes scanning the dense forest.

  “You should be looking up,” Ash said.

  “Up?” Cody frowned.

  “Yeah, up. I don’t know why we didn’t realize it before. Whatever is doing this can fly.”

  “Sounds like a far-fetched tale to me.” Kane shook his head.

  “Where are the rest of the prints?” Ash pointed around them. “Show me one.”

  “That’s feline. The last time I checked, cats don’t fly,” Kane shot back.

  “Yeah, and they normally leave a scent but there isn’t one of those either. Whatever is doing this has no scent, can fly, is as big as fuck and faster than anything I’ve ever seen.”

  “Shit, you’re probably right.” Kane’s whole stance turned rigid. “We’d better get back.”

  The male was scared. Ash couldn’t blame him. Everyone held their ground though, waiting for his signal. He looked around them one more time, a low growl forming in his throat. “Let’s head home.”

  10

  Five weeks later …

  “So he was a no-show?” Meredith asked as she turned on the coffee machine. They’d both arrived early for work. Alice arrived early every day so that she could open up and get things ready. Meredith on the other hand hardly ever arrived at this time. Fishing for information. Well, Alice was about to disappoint her.

  “I wouldn’t call it a no-show. He said he would text and he hasn’t. Ash never made any promises about anything.”

  “So it was a no show then?” She raised her brows, turned and opened the cupboard. Meredith took out two mugs.

  “Last weekend was one month since his last time here … he didn’t text. I told you it was over. It had become a bit weird between us after what happened.”

  Meredith made a face. “You mean his mating behavior.” She huffed out a breath. “It’s a pity. A real shame. I was so sure he had the hots for you.”

  “He did have the hots for me. That was the sum total of his interest though.” Alice spooned a sugar into her cup. The scent of brewing coffee permeated the air. “Forget Ash. I have.” It wasn’t entirely true, but hey. “I’ve decided to start dating again though. For real this time.”

  Meredith’s face became animated. “Shut up. You have? I thought you were never going to give another guy a chance ever.”

  “That was just the hurt talking.” She shrugged. “I guess being with Ash showed me that I’m lonely. I enjoyed his company and … the sex, I enjoyed that too. Problem is, the whole one-night-stand thing isn’t really for me and that means putting myself out there and dating again. I’m not talking one or two half-assed dates just to go through the motions, I'm talking about meeting a guy and giving things a go. For real!”

  “Wow! That’s a big step.” Meredith smiled. “I’m proud of you and I’m
happy for you. There’s a guy out there who’s going to make you very happy,” she gushed. “Have you met anyone yet?”

  “No. I’ve only just made the decision. I’ve joined one of those online dating sites though.” Alice forced a smile. If she had the choice and was really honest with herself, she’d choose to date Ash, to get to know him better, but that was never going to happen. He had made that abundantly clear.

  “Dating sites …” She shook her head. “I’m not so sure about that.”

  “Why not?”

  “Lots of weirdos and guys looking for a hook-up.” She waved a hand. “I wouldn’t recommend it.”

  “What should I do then?”

  “Come out with us on Saturday night. Bella and I are …”

  Alice shook her head. “No way! There’s no way I’m going anywhere near the Dark Horse ever again.”

  “Bella and I’ve decided to give the Dark Horse a skip for a change. We’re going to that cocktail lounge in town, are you game?”

  Alice poured some coffee into a cup and stirred. “You know what? Yes, that would be great.” She smiled, feeling both nervous and excited for the first time since … since him … in other words, it had been a while.

  “Wonderful!” She was sure that if Meredith hadn’t been holding a cup of coffee she would have clapped. “I’m so glad. And you’ll see, once you start to put yourself out there, you’ll meet guys. Good guys.”

  Alice wasn’t so sure, but she had made the decision and was going to stick with it. She was only thirty dammit, far too young to stay single for the rest of her life. It would probably take time for her to get used to this new mindset. Once that happened though, it would be full steam ahead. She was sure of it. Unfortunately, she still thought of Ash often but it had only been a couple of weeks since they were last together. To be honest, she had been hoping to hear from him again. Even though deep down she knew it wasn’t going to happen. Oh well, give her just a couple more weeks and she’d forget all about him.

  “You must be so relieved about that little scare.” Meredith took a sip of coffee. “I know I would be. I’m normally seriously depressed whenever PMS hits, I’m even more depressed when the cramping starts.” She made a face and laughed. “I won’t even mention when it actually starts. The floods,” she whispered the words, “if you know what I mean, but you on the other hand, must have danced a jig.”

  At first Alice wasn’t too sure what Meredith was on about but then she realized that she was talking about that time of the month, her menstruation. She frowned. “You’re right, I will be. I’ll be totally stoked.”

  “What do you mean you will be?” Meredith put down her cup of coffee with a clunk, some of the brown liquid spilled over the side.

  Alice shrugged, she looked at Meredith in such a way that conveyed to her that she had lost her ever-loving mind. At least she hoped that was the message she conveyed because Alice sure as hell felt that way. “I will be when I actually have my period again. I’m sure it’s going to happen any day now.”

  Meredith bit down on her bottom lip, she looked worried. She shook her head, looking deep in thought. “I’m sure you’re supposed to have had it by now. It’s been a good couple of weeks since …” She widened her eyes. “The accident.”

  “I’ve never been all that regular. When it happens it will happen. No biggie.” Alice shrugged. A sliver of unease moved through her and not for the first time since that day. “Ash was very sure that I was nowhere near my ovulation and,” she emphasized the word, “I took the morning after pill and well within the window period. There is just no way.” She laughed, sounding nervous, even to her own ears.

  Especially since Meredith was still looking at her with very wide eyes, moreover, her face was very pale. “Still, I’m sure it should have happened by now.” She reached for her phone on the countertop and began typing. Her focus on the small screen. “It says here that the menstrual cycle lasts somewhere between 23 and 35 days. That includes your period. Thirty-five days at the most.” She looked Alice in the eyes. “That means that you should have had your period by now.”

  “I told you I’m not all that regular. I don’t really pay attention to my cycle.”

  “Aren’t you the least bit worried?” Meredith pulled in a deep breath. “I know I would be shitting bricks by now.”

  “I wasn’t worried. Not at all.” It had crossed her mind a couple of times, but she refused to stress over something that was highly unlikely. The insert of the morning after pill she’d used said that it was Ninety-five percent effective; that coupled with the fact that Ash had said she was nowhere near her ovulation cycle, meant that she was safe. Wasn’t she? Shit! Now she was panicking. “At least, I wasn’t worried until now. Now I’m petrified.” She held a hand out horizontally and true enough it was shaking. “I can’t be though Meredith. I’m not, am I?”

  Meredith shrugged. “I’m sure you’re not. I’m sure this is all just one big scare, but I think we need to find out one way or the other and ASAP.”

  Suddenly Alice was desperate to know, but only because she was sure she wasn’t pregnant. Alice forced herself to smile. “We are going to laugh so hard about this when it’s over.”

  “We so will.” Meredith smiled but it quickly turned into a frown. A determined look appeared on her friend’s face. “You wait right here,” Meredith instructed. “I’m headed for the pharmacy, I’ll be back in no time.”

  Alice swallowed hard, she nodded once. She’d never been more afraid in her whole life.

  11

  Three weeks later …

  Ash might have her number, but she didn’t have his. That’s why she was there. Back at the Dark Horse. A place she had promised herself that she would never return to. These were not normal circumstances though.

  Flip! Did she really want to do this? Did she really have a choice? No, unfortunately, she didn’t.

  She gulped in a couple of deep breaths, pulling her jacket more firmly around herself. She could do this. Come on, you really can do this, Alice. Before she could change her mind, she pushed the door open and entered the bar. As usual, it was full to the brim with scantily clad women all throwing themselves at the shifters. How had she ever allowed herself to be a part of all of this in the first place?

  It didn’t matter. She had to do this. There was no other choice. The last thing she wanted was to see him again. Flip! Part of her wanted to spot him immediately and get this over and done with, while the other part of her hoped and prayed to god that he wasn’t there.

  She scanned the crowded bar, starting with the actual bar area and then moving to the dance floor and beyond. Her breath froze in her lungs and her whole body turned to ice. Her heart hammered a whole lot quicker inside her chest. There he was. Ash was everything she remembered him as being. Tall, brooding, breathtaking. He was also a gigantic asshole. That wasn’t entirely true, even though he had his arm around some woman. Her skirt was so short it barely covered her ass.

  She couldn’t do this. He was whispering something in the woman’s ear. Alice could only imagine all the dirty things he was saying, because once upon a time he’d said them to her. She felt sick to her stomach. Nausea rolled through her.

  There was no way she could approach him. She felt like a complete coward. A total failure. She couldn’t do it though. Unfortunately, somewhere, somehow she had developed some sort of feelings for the guy. She’d had sex with him a couple of times and maybe she was just wired that way. Thing was, Ash had never promised her a thing, not a single solitary thing, so that didn’t make him a bad person. A manwhore, yes, a bad person, no.

  The woman he was talking to laughed again, throwing her head back this time. She couldn’t see Ash’s face, but she was sure that he was throwing around that half-smile of his. No way! Not going there.

  Alice reached into her purse and pulled out the note she’d written earlier, thanking her lucky stars that she had done it. She had been so sure that she’d be able to face him, no matter what
. There was a small part of her that hadn’t believed it. That small part had written this note.

  Dear Ash,

  I need to speak to you. It’s very important. You have my number, and if for whatever reason you don’t have it anymore, you know where to find me.

  Kind regards,

  Alice

  So damned formal considering. She grabbed the arm of the first shifter she came across. The guy didn’t flinch at the fact that she was touching him. He was obviously used to women throwing themselves at him, left, right and center. “Please, can you give this note to Ash? I don’t want to bother him, he’s over there.” She pointed in the direction she had just come from.

  Maybe it was the desperation in her expression, or something else entirely, but he took the note and nodded once. “Sure thing.”

  She wasn’t crazy enough to believe that he would actually do what he had said. That he would actually give Ash her note. If he did, there was a possibility that Ash wouldn’t read it. Women must try all sorts of things to get a shifter’s attention. There was still time if the shifter didn’t come through for her, or if Ash chose not to contact her, she’d simply come back next month. At some point in the near future, she was going to have to face him. There was no other way around it.

  “What did you say your name was again?” Ash asked. Fuck! He would think that he would get something as simple as that right. His mind wasn't on the game though. It had been two months since he was last at Shifter Night. Two whole damned months. He was horny as hell, desperate for female attention. Yet, he couldn't seem to make himself care about this female, or any other female here for that matter. Ash suppressed a sigh.

  What the hell was wrong with him?

  Alice. Alice was what was wrong with him. Unfortunately, he kept thinking about her. At least, his cock kept thinking about the female. Every time he pictured her, whether it was naked or smiling or laughing or any which way, his dick hardened up immediately. It seemed that, despite his decision to stay far away from her, he still wasn’t quite done with her yet. No way! He had to be done.