The Hunter's Heart (Wilde Creek Book Seven) Read online

  He kissed her snout and then she trotted next to him around the side of the house, to find her cousins in their shifts, along with Malachi. Jack was climbing on Mal, who looked like he was grinning.

  “Carrot! Woooofff,” Jack said, giggling wildly as he tried to sit on Mal like he was a horse.

  Nila shook her head with a smile. “Wolf, little guy. Not woof.”

  Jack screeched in happiness. “Woooooffff!”

  Mal shook his head, a wolfy chuckle rumbling from him. She lifted Jack from Mal, bent and kissed her mate on the top of the head, and then said, “Have a great hunt, guys.”

  Jack waved as Mia and her family left, heading into the woods. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Lucian blow her a kiss. He would patrol the house, keeping the non-shifting mates and kids safe while the pack hunted. When she was finished, she’d find her mate waiting for her, and once his duty was finished for the night they’d head home and celebrate the rest of the night however they wanted.

  She was sure it would involve nakedness and a lot of pleasure.

  And she couldn’t wait.

  * * *

  Lucian stared into the woods at the exact spot where Mia had disappeared with her family. He wasn’t jealous of her going off to hunt, but he missed being with her.

  “I’d like to say it gets easier,” Nila said as she joined him, “but it doesn’t. It’s weird to be on the outside of things. We’re part of the pack but not wolves, and that’s different no matter what courtesies Acksel extends.”

  Eveny and her mate, Luke, opened the sliding door. “I’m starving,” Eveny said. “Who else is hungry?”

  “Carrot?” Jack said.

  Lucian looked down at the little boy, and he grinned up at Lucian. “You like carrots, kiddo?”

  Nila laughed. “That’s what he calls Mal.”

  “Priceless,” Lucian said.

  “Are you coming in? The omegas made a great meal for us,” Brynn said.

  “I’m on duty. I’m going to patrol.”

  “Oh, right. Well, I’ll try to leave some food for you. I’m not making any promises. Adam and Dani made brisket for us, and it’s so freaking good.”

  When he was alone, Lucian inhaled deeply and then opened his senses, letting his nature free. He could feel his body change slightly as the berserker rose to the surface, but he didn’t need to change entirely in order to be a good guard. He’d draw on his full nature if he needed to, but he was hopeful that this first night, everything would go smoothly and there wouldn’t be any emergencies.

  He could hear the wolves howling in the distance as they hunted in small groups. Somewhere in that inky darkness, Mia was stalking something, which he hoped was a small, harmless bunny and not anything that could hurt her. He headed for the front of the house, planning to walk the yard several times and keep an ear out for trouble before he took up his post and watched the woods. The pack wouldn’t be back for several hours, and then he’d get to take his sweetheart home and enjoy the remainder of the night.

  A few hours later, Lucian had just finished a third perimeter check and was talking to Luke on the deck about the bar that he owned, and the drinks his mate had been inventing, when they heard a series of high-pitched barks cut through the night.

  “Was that one of our wolves?” Luke asked.

  “It sounded young,” Lucian said.

  “Randi’s pretty new to shifting. She’s only had a couple of full moons. Maybe she’s in trouble?”

  It happened again, with a series of short barks that morphed into a howl. Lucian knew then that whether it was the young wolf or not, whoever it was seemed to be in trouble.

  “I’m going to find her,” Lucian said.

  “I’ll keep an eye on the house. If any wolves come back from the hunt, I’ll send them to find Acksel.”

  “Thanks.”

  Lucian let his nature out entirely, and the berserker took over. His body morphed to the tall, muscular creature, his clawed feet digging into the ground for a brief moment as he lifted his head and searched the night. The moment the barking howl came again, Lucian pinpointed the sound and raced into the woods. Branches slapped at his skin, but he ignored them as he rushed toward the distressed wolf.

  The noise became louder as he drew close to the wolf, and when he reached the creek, he saw a wolf backed up against a tree with a coyote snapping and growling nearby. He leaped over the creek and stepped between them, baring his sharp teeth and roaring at the coyote. The beast took one look at his red, glowing eyes and heard the menace in his roar and turned tail, taking off in the opposite direction.

  He waited until he was sure the coyote was gone, and then he turned and knelt in front of the wolf. He scented and found it to be the young female, Randi. Judging by the heavy smell of blood, she’d been injured. His berserker eased away, and Lucian lifted her into his arms and carried her back to the alphas’ house. By the time he reached the edge of the woods, pack members were returning and shifting.

  Brynn rushed from the deck.

  “Oh Lucian! You found her! What happened?”

  Acksel met them as Lucian stopped in the yard. “I don’t know. I found her on the other side of the creek. She’s bleeding, and there was a coyote trying to get her.”

  Acksel looked past Lucian. “Coyote? A shifter?”

  Lucian shook his head. “Natural. It was pretty scrawny, I think it must’ve been on its own or maybe young. I scared it off.”

  “Good.” He looked over his shoulder and said, “Where’s Ren?

  Sam shrugged. “I haven’t seen him since before the hunt.”

  “He’s probably still out hunting. Sam, grab some protectors and patrol the woods all the way out to the edge of our territory. Make sure the coyote isn’t hanging around.”

  “If he stuck around after seeing Lucian’s berserker, then he’s got a death wish,” Sam said.

  Lucian agreed.

  Acksel said, “Randi, stay in your shift. You’ll heal faster. Lucian, you can carry her into our house. I’ll send for Doc.”

  Lucian followed Brynn into the house, where she spread a blanket on the couch for him to put the young wolf on. She whined when he set her down, and he rested his hand on her head and said, “You did the right thing, Randi. You were in trouble and you called for help. You’re safe now, and that’s all that matters.”

  “The question is, why was she alone, though?” Brynn said. “Acksel doesn’t allow any wolves to go off on their own.”

  “Maybe she got separated from her group,” he offered.

  “Thank you for finding her,” Brynn said.

  “Just doing my job.”

  “I know. I’m so glad that you and Mia are together and can both be in the pack.”

  “I’m pretty happy myself, Alpha.”

  She smiled. “You can call me Brynn unless bossy-pants is around.”

  “Could you not call me names, woman?” Acksel said as he walked into the room.

  “You are, though,” she said.

  He grunted. “Randi’s cousins were hunting with her, and apparently they were chasing some deer and got separated. They didn’t realize she wasn’t with them and went to look for her, but couldn’t find her. It sounds like a young wolf got turned around in the dark, and that happens to the best of us sometimes.”

  “Yeah, like when you forget where you park at the mall,” Brynn quipped.

  “Woman,” Acksel said, his voice tipping to a growl.

  “Don’t growl. You know you love me.”

  “It’s true. Still…I’m the alpha.”

  “I’m going to wait for Mia on the deck,” he said.

  Acksel turned to face him and extended his hand. “Thank you for protecting the pack, Lucian.”

  “I’m glad I was able to help.”

  “Tell Mia I want to have dinner next week,” Brynn said.

  “Will do,” he said.

  Lucian excused himself and walked through the kitchen and out onto the deck. He looked toward
the woods and saw Mia, Mal, and her cousins as they padded into the yard. She yipped happily and raced to him, and he walked off the porch and went to his knees, wrapping his furry sweetheart in a hug.

  “Missed you,” he said into her soft, furred neck.

  Setting her on her paws, he grabbed her clothes off the deck and met her at the side of the house, where she shifted and kissed him.

  “How was your night?” he asked.

  “It was good to be out hunting. Was everything okay? One of the pack members called for Acksel to come back to the house.”

  He explained about Randi’s injury.

  “Will she be all right? It’s weird that a coyote would be in our territory, even a natural one.”

  “I don’t think he’ll be back.”

  “Good. How much did you miss me?” she asked.

  “So much, sweetheart.”

  “I missed you, too.” She pulled on her clothes and then went onto her tiptoes, kissing him. “I want to go home. And not leave for a week.”

  “Just a week?” he teased, lifting her into his arms and heading for the car.

  “To start.”

  “I love how you think.”

  He opened the car door and set her on the seat, then strode around to the other side and settled behind the wheel. The engine rumbled to life and he pulled away from the curb and headed toward their home.

  It hadn’t taken long for Wilde Creek to become a place that he thought of when he thought of home, and it wasn’t because he’d been raised in the town. Mia was here, and wherever she was, home was with her. He often wished that their life together had started years ago, that he hadn’t been afraid of his berserker, but as his mate liked to say, things worked out the way they did because it was the right time for them. It was easy to look back and poke holes in their past and wish and want for different things, but he couldn’t deny how much Mia meant to him and how content he was to be her mate. Their lives could’ve gone in vastly different directions, but instead he was supremely blessed to have her at his side and in his life.

  He lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles. “You mean the world to me, Mia.”

  “Me, too.”

  “I love our life. I can’t wait to meet our baby, and see what the next chapter will bring.”

  “Probably a lot of sleepless nights,” she said with a chuckle.

  “It’ll be worth it. Love you, my amazing wolf mate.”

  “I love you, too, my sweet berserker.”

  Wilde Creek Series

  Wilde Creek Volume One

  Available Now!

  Wilde Creek Volume Two

  Available Now!

  Wilde Creek Volume Three

  Available Now!

  The Hunter’s Heart (Wilde Creek Book Seven)

  Available Now

  The Beta’s Heart (Wilde Creek Book Eight)

  Coming September 10, 2018

  * * *

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  Website: http://www.rebutlerauthor.com

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  * * *

  Also from R. E. Butler

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  Dasher’s Fated Mate

  Prancer’s Fated Mate

  Vixen’s Fated Mate

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  Hyena Heat Series

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  Every Blissful Moment

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  Norlanian Brides Series

  Paoli’s Bride

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  Norlanian Brides Volume One

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  The Wiccan-Were-Bear Series Volume One

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  The Wiccan-Were-Bear Series Volume Three

  Wilde Creek Series

  Volume One (Books 1 and 2)

  Volume Two (Books 3 and 4)

  Volume Three (Books 5 and 6)

  The Hunter’s Heart (Book Seven)

  The Beta’s Heart (Book Eight)

  The Wolf’s Mate Series

  The Wolf’s Mate Book 1: Jason & Cadence

  The Wolf’s Mate Book 2: Linus & The Angel

  The Wolf’s Mate Book 3: Callie & The Cats

  The Wolf’s Mate Book 4: Michael & Shyne

  The Wolf’s Mate Book 5: Bo & Reika

  The Wolf’s Mate Book 6: Logan & Jenna

  The Wolf’s Mate Book 7: Lindy & The Wulfen

  Stand Alone Stories

  Purred Promises (Kindle Worlds)

  The Alpha’s Honor (Howls Romance)

  * * *