Wolf Chosen (Lone Wolf Series Book 3), page 1
Table of Contents
Title Page
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Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Wolf Revealed
Also by Heather Hildenbrand
Wolf Chosen
Lone Wolf Series, book 3
By Heather Hildenbrand
© 2021
All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written consent of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are a product of the authors’ imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, either living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the authors.
Cover: Design by Definition
Editing: Dawn Yacovetta
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Chapter One
I blinked sleepily against the sunlight slanting into my dimly lit bedroom. For a fleeting moment, it felt like any other morning. Soft light, dust motes dancing, and my body slowly waking from what felt like a really deep, really satisfying sleep. Clutched in my arms was some kind of stuffed toy. I looked down and wracked my brain as to why and how I’d come to possess a plush llama.
Then I spotted Oscar.
My uncle had dragged a chair in from the living room and apparently sat so long he’d passed out in it. His head leaned against the back of the chair, his mouth open as he breathed steadily in and out with soft snores.
That alone wouldn’t have alarmed me—okay, maybe a little. Oscar wasn’t the type to watch me while I slept—but he was also fully clothed. Right down to his biker boots. And his facial hair had grown out to longer than seemed right for a night’s worth of sleep.
“Oscar?”
My voice felt rusty like I hadn’t used it in a while. Oscar didn’t stir. I tried again.
“Oscar.”
Louder this time. My voice scraped across my throat, and I grimaced at the dryness it left behind.
Oscar jolted awake, his eyes flying wide open when they landed on me.
“You’re up,” he said, too many emotions flitting across his tired face.
I frowned. “What’s with the llama?” I asked.
He leaned forward, his hand reaching for mine. My muscles bunched at the gesture. Worry clawed its way up my parched throat. Oscar wasn’t a toucher. Something was wrong.
“What is it?” I asked. “Tell me what happened.”
His forehead creased, but his hand didn’t ease its pressure around my own. “You don’t remember?”
“I…” My foggy brain worked slowly in the direction I sent it. “I remember the fight. Baron. Drake. His twin brother.” I looked back at Oscar, searching his expression almost like one would a teacher. Had I hit on the right answer yet? He nodded, encouraging me to keep going. “Cohen,” I said which perked him up enough that I knew I was getting close.
Memories returned in jagged pieces.
Irritation rose, followed fast by impatience.
“I don’t know, Oscar, can you just tell me? This is getting really freaking weird.”
My words were short, but Oscar only looked sad. “Cohen demanded you fulfill your blood oath. He threatened Kai.”
My breath hitched as his words triggered my memory—finally. The warm, cozy feeling of waking in my own bed drained out of me. I shivered at the horror growing in the pit of my stomach.
Kai with guns aimed at his head.
Cohen ordering his men to kill him.
And the magic.
I fumbled at my throat, feeling for a pendant that I already knew wasn’t there. Oscar watched me knowingly and nodded when I met his eyes again.
“My necklace,” I whispered. “The magic is… it’s in me. And I caused—what happened, Oscar?” My voice rose the longer I talked. “Where is Kai?” I demanded, looking wildly around the otherwise empty room. “Tell me where he is. Is he—”
“Kai is fine,” Oscar said firmly. He used his other hand to cover both of my own reassuringly.
“Where is he?” I asked.
“He’s been here almost non-stop since you… He got called away on pack business.”
“Since I what?”
Oscar didn’t answer.
I pulled my hands away from his, unable to accept any more of this strange, comforting version of him. It left me unsteady. And I was already reeling, trying to wrap my head around what was going on.
I grabbed for the llama, which I now remembered with crystal clarity. Callie, a little girl from the pack, had given it to me. For bravery. I sure as hell needed that bravery now, and I was not too proud to hug a stuffed animal in an attempt to find it.
“What did I do?” I pressed, my voice trembling. Because I knew. Even if I couldn’t remember, deep down, I knew I’d done something terrible in that field. I knew because there hadn’t been anything off-limits for me in that moment. Not with Kai’s life at stake. I knew because I’d bring the whole world crashing down around us if it meant saving my mate. Living with the consequences afterward was a different story.
“What did I do?” I repeated when Oscar didn’t answer.
He stared at his hands. “There was an earthquake,” he said quietly. “It was enough to knock Cohen and his men on their asses and send them running. It also took out everything else in the process.”
“What? How?” This didn’t make sense. North Carolina didn’t have earthquakes.
“You, well, you were an earthquake,” Oscar said.
I shook my head, equally confused and frustrated. “I don’t understand.”
He sighed. “All I know is that when Cohen ordered them to kill Kai, you screamed bloody murder, and then the ground shook and tore itself apart.”
The ground. I remembered. Not all of it but enough. Pictures flashed in my mind. A fissure had opened. Not just one but several. Cohen had run. The barn had collapsed. And people were falling.
I tried to refuse the idea of that kind of chaos coming from me. That I could do something like that was… impossible. Right?
“How could I…?”
“The magic,” he said grimly.
I’d known it even before he said the words. But hearing it made it real. Made all of it way too real. I swallowed hard, a lump sticking in my throat.
“Was anyone hurt?” I forced the words out—forced myself to sit still and hear the answer.
“A couple of Cohen’s men,” he said in a hard voice, and I knew he held no real sympathy for the men who’d tried to kill Kai. And would have killed me if I hadn’t been holding their precious magic hostage.
“Anyone from the pack?” I asked.
He hesitated.
I practically tore my hair out at the images my mind conjured. I didn’t even know if they were real memories or just torture devices created by my worst fears.
“Idrissa, Isaac,” I began.
“Are fine,” he assured me quickly. “There were multiple injuries,” he added at last, and my heart squeezed until it nearly broke. “But no one died.”
I couldn’t even feel true relief at his words. Instead, I latched onto all the people I’d hurt. All because I couldn’t control my anger. Because of the magic.
“Where’s Idrissa?” I asked. “And Isaac?”
“Idrissa is running an errand,” he said, and apparently my next question was obvious because he added, “she’s been working with Kai to try and find a way to get this magic out of you.”
“Have they found anything yet?” I asked, hope soaring quicker than I could rein it in.
Oscar shook his head. “Not yet.”
I tried to not notice the disappointment that sent me hurtling back to reality. “And Isaac?”
“He’s been by a few times. Mostly, I think he’s trying to help Kai figure out what’s next for the town.”
Picturing Kai out there, doing alpha stuff, was at least one bright spot in all this.
“Is he very
“Actually, he’s run most of the pack business through his phone so he could be here with you,” Oscar said. “But the demands of an alpha don’t stop. Something you’ll find out soon enough, I s’pose.”
My heart strained with anticipation; an excitement that was squashed quickly with nerves. “It’d be nice if I knew one damn thing about being one.”
He leaned back, confidence in his gaze now. “You’re going to do fine. It’s in your blood.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” I muttered.
His eyes narrowed slightly. “You still blame your old man for his part in all this.”
“Don’t you?” I shot back.
He frowned. “Caleb did what he thought was best to protect us. And now we know why. Without Claudia to lead them, the hexerei are hell-bent on destroying us.”
“Not all of them are like that,” I said, thinking of Kel. But hadn’t she just stood by and watched as Cohen had nearly killed my mate?
Oscar lifted a skeptical brow. “Unfortunately, the bad eggs are the ones carrying the basket.”
I sighed. He had a point.
“But things aren’t as bad as all that. At least, not today,” he said, clearing his throat. He seemed to be reaching for a more upbeat note which was so unlike him; it only made me feel worse.
“The pack is coming together in a way I’ve never seen it. Takes me back to a more peaceful time. Folks helping one another instead of wreaking havoc. You’ll see when you venture out,” he added.
My stomach swirled with an unfamiliar feeling. A nausea that had nothing to do with my physical state.
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” I whispered, refusing to look at him.
He leaned forward again, earnest now. “Ash, listen, I don’t want you to beat yourself up over this. You had no control over what happened. Do you hear me? You can’t blame yourself for something you didn’t mean to do.”
“Isn’t that the point?” I asked. “Having no control? Who knows what I’ll do next.” I fell back against the pillow, blinking back hot tears. “You should just keep me locked in this apartment. It’d be safer for everyone.”
“I think you’ve been in this apartment long enough.”
I rolled my eyes. Oscar had been overprotective since the moment I’d arrived and introduced myself as his family. “I hardly think a nights’ worth of sleep qualifies as being locked away.”
“Ash.” His expression reflected a distress that made me pause. “You’ve been asleep for two weeks.”
Chapter Two
Oscar’s words shocked me enough that I shook loose of my own turmoil and forced myself to get up. After a shower and food, I felt like myself again. That fact alone made my mysterious two-week-long nap even more worrisome. I waited to see Oscar’s reaction to my strangely miraculous recovery, but he didn’t comment on it. In fact, it was kind of embarrassing how hard he was trying to pretend everything was fine.
He’d even told a dad joke about a pirate who won at chess exclaiming “checkmatey” to his opponent. It was awful but also the complete opposite of normal for Oscar. And for some reason, that made me panic more.
What if taking on that magic had done something irrevocable to me? I’d lost my mind to fear when I thought Kai was in danger. Lost control too, apparently. Without knowing what triggered it—or how to avoid that trigger—it could just as easily happen again.
The idea of causing more damage—especially when this pack was just leaving behind all the chaos and darkness of the curse—left me heavy with guilt.
I had to be careful. To do whatever it took to protect the people I loved. Kai, Idrissa, Isaac, Presley, Oscar. Even Silas. They deserved a life without danger for a while. And I refused to be the one that brought it back to their doorstep.
By the time Oscar had deemed me alive and awake enough to leave alone, I’d made up my mind. If the magic took me over again, I’d do what it took to protect them from it. From me.
I had no idea exactly what that might mean, but I’d figure it out.
I had to.
With Oscar gone, the quiet only lasted a few moments longer before the air compressor in the garage below me clicked on and filled the entire upper level with a hum that shook the floor and thin walls with a soft vibration.
The unsettled feeling in my stomach grew.
I needed to find Kai. To see for myself that he was all right.
The last thing I remembered was Cohen ordering his death, and even though Oscar had assured me Kai hadn’t suffered a single scratch, I needed the proof.
I also needed to get out of these walls. My wolf hadn’t so much as stirred, but I knew she needed air too. Two weeks of sleep meant no shifting and no runs, and that couldn’t be good. Hell, she was probably giving me the silent treatment over being ignored.
I showered and dressed and made my way downstairs, feeling strangely rested and steady considering my lack of consciousness. If Oscar hadn’t told me how long I’d been out, I would never have known.
Two weeks.
I should have felt some kind of loss.
Some kind of disconnect or, at least, physical weakness. Two weeks without food, and I’d barely touched the pancakes Oscar had made earlier.
That alone felt like a red flag, but what could I do?
Cohen could return at any time.
The pack needed leaders. And I couldn’t just sleep through whatever came next. Besides, I’d already fought off three monsters to earn my spot as alpha. The hard part was over.
Right?
I stepped into the office just as the front door opened and Kai walked in.
My heart leaped at the sight of him.
His jaw was covered in stubble, and his full mouth was downturned into a frown that looked etched into his face, judging by the lines pressed into his skin. He wore a hood pulled low over his head, but it didn’t hide the dark circles under his stormy eyes. Even with the changes that clearly marked my time as Sleeping Beauty, he was perfection.
Kai was a tempest, and I wanted desperately to be the anchor that held us both steady. But seeing him now, with Cohen’s kill order still echoing in my mind, broke me down.
“Kai,” I said, my voice breaking.
He took one look at me and closed the distance, vaulting over the counter and pulling me up into his arms in a hug that stole my breath. His fingers tangled in my hair as he pressed his nose to the hollow of my neck and breathed me in.
“Ashes,” he whispered. “God, I was so fucking worried.”
I clung to him, aware that, just for a moment, the fear and the heartache and the desperation had been beaten away. Kai was my shield against everything terrible in the world. He protected me—even from myself. I’d never imagined someone like that existed for me. Kai’s love would never not overwhelm me, but that was exactly how I wanted it.
He finally drew back just enough to cup my face in his rough hands. Then he kissed me, his mouth telling a story of sleepless nights and worry so thick I could taste it on his lips.
I kissed him back like I felt every second of our separation. I kissed him like I’d already made the decision to sacrifice myself for him. Because I had.
His scruff scratched at my lips, and I shuddered with the pleasure of it.
“Sorry,” he said against my mouth.
“Don’t be.” I ran my fingers over the scratchy stubble. “I like it.”
His lips curved against mine, but the smile died quickly.
“You’re really okay?” he asked, pulling away to ask the question and to search my gaze for the answer.
“I’m fine,” I assured him. “Are you?”
My hands ran the length of his muscled arms as he nodded.
“Thanks to you.”
Appreciation shone in his stormy eyes, and it took me a second too long to realize what he meant. The earthquake. Cohen’s kill order—nullified because I’d been the one to nearly kill him instead. Ashamed, I almost choked on the pride that radiated from him. Instead, I ducked away, unwilling to see how eager he seemed for more of whatever destruction I’d caused.
“What’s happening?” I asked instead. “Has Cohen been back?”
