Copyright © 2019 Nikki Landis

  All Rights Reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Cover by MoorBooks Design

  Edited by Kathy Denver, iPublishGlobal

  Table of Contents:

  Chapter 1 – Cole

  Chapter 2 – Briar

  Chapter 3 – Cole

  Chapter 4 – Briar

  Chapter 5 – Cole

  Chapter 6 – Cole

  Chapter 7 – Briar

  Chapter 8 – Briar

  Chapter 9 – Cole

  Chapter 10 – Briar

  Chapter 11 – Briar

  Chapter 12 – Cole

  Chapter 13 – Briar

  Chapter 14 – Cole

  Chapter 15 – Briar

  Chapter 16 – Cole

  Chapter 17 – Cole

  Chapter 18 – Briar

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  A broken pack.

  A dangerous rogue killer.

  A wolf haunted by his past.

  Cole Baxter blames himself for the tragedy that struck Cedar Creek three years ago and cost the lives of several wolves in his pack. Forced into exile, he’s become almost feral . . . until the one person he promised to protect becomes the target for a ruthless shifter.

  Now Cole must return to the pack he swore never to face again and the younger sister of the girl who died because of his choices.

  Will he be able to stop the rogue killer in time and protect Briar? Or is Cole forever haunted by his tragic past?

  “If you lack the humility to go back and tie up the loose ends in your past, then be prepared to forever be haunted by the ghosts...”

  ― C. JoyBell C.

  Chapter 1 – Cole

  Renleigh Lovell was the first girl I loved.

  It was her smile, I decided, that won me over. The same smile I had seen every day for the last twenty-four years of my life. Those lips captured my heart from the moment I was old enough to understand how boys and girls were different. In an instant, she snagged my heart and loving her was the one thing I got right . . . until the day being my intended mate caused her brutal death.

  Now that same smile haunted my dreams and pushed my wolf to the point of reckless.

  Enslaved by the past and living in a self-imposed exile, I was a goddamn mess.

  Sometimes I wished I could outrun these horrid memories and let my wolf take over until nothing of my humanity remained. Maybe then I’d find some sort of permanent escape. It wouldn’t matter, even if I did. Ghosts never completely faded away.

  Renleigh was still dead.

  Every day I lived with regret and the knowledge that I killed her.

  Me.

  The man who swore to love her unconditionally, to protect her and her younger sister from the feud that existed between the clans.

  I failed her. I failed my Renleigh.

  Nothing was as torturous as that single thought as it raced through my head. I couldn’t take it anymore and I ran out my back door, shifting instantly as my paws hit the ground. Hours turned into weeks until I finally made my way back. Padding through the door on human legs, I didn’t feel any differently than when I left.

  Nothing helped. I was still a lost and haunted soul.

  That was how I coped. I escaped into my wolf and let him take over. He was feral, wild, and borderline mean and he didn’t care about anyone or anything. Not since I had to stare into the big brown eyes of Briar Lovell and tell her that her big sister was dead. I’d never forget the look of horror, pain, and shock that lingered on Briar’s face.

  My fault. Mine.

  Every part of me that was good vanished in a single moment and died that day along with Renleigh. My heart shattered into so many pieces it could never be repaired.

  For weeks, my wolf howled and raced along the forest floor, desperate and hurting, but he never found peace. He never found release or was able to atone for the horror of that day.

  He never would. It just wasn’t possible.

  Cole Baxter was a killer.

  Loving me was a death sentence. I could say that since Renleigh wasn’t the first to die because of me. No, my older brother Seth’s death happened before the love of my life. Maybe I wouldn’t be so horribly at fault if those were the only two, but I lost my mother as well. Giving birth to me ended her life.

  My father still resented me for it.

  The cold hard truth was that I wasn’t a guy who deserved to find peace.

  Tipping back the fifth of whiskey in my hand, I drank straight from the bottle and skipped a glass. No point. Getting shit-faced was my only real escape.

  Dozing off in a drunken stupor, I awakened to the sound of someone banging on my front door.

  “Open the damn door, Cole.” I recognized the voice of my older sibling.

  “Fuck off, Rinnick.” He was a royal pain the ass.

  “That’s no way to talk to your alpha.” The new voice that I heard wasn’t my brother.

  No shit? Theo was here?

  Managing not to fall out of the chair, I rose to my feet slowly and shuffled my way toward the door, flinging it open with a stupid grin plastered on my face. “Theo.”

  “You look like shit,” he mused, bringing me in for a hug.

  “Yeah, well, losing everything you care about will do that to you.”

  Rinnick pulled me close next, smacking my back hard as he mumbled in my ear. “You smell like shit, too.”

  Snorting with mild humor, I invited my best friend and brother inside, not the least bit put off or embarrassed. “Why don’t we skip the small talk since I don’t give a shit about the weather or the pack. Why are you here?”

  Rinnick flinched as if I smacked him. A low growl rumbled in his throat, but Theo held up a hand.

  “This isn’t about the pack.”

  I sat back on the couch, picking up the bottle of whiskey to take another swig. “Everything is about the pack,” I contradicted.

  Theo sighed. “I guess that’s true enough. But this is serious, Cole. I came myself so you would listen to Rinnick.”

  My eyes met my brother’s, the exact same shade of steely gray. A signature trait of the Baxter bloodline. “Well, out with it.”

  Rinnick folded his arms across his chest, probably annoyed with my attitude but I didn’t care. I wasn’t home and under his thumb anymore. He didn’t have a say in my life. A lone wolf wasn’t tied down to any pack and I preferred it that way.

  I only answered to the ghosts that haunted me now.

  “There’s been a few murders.”

  I nodded. News like this was unfortunately common. Gather a bunch of hotheaded shifters together and they’re bound to stir up trouble. Add in the alphas and bam, shit went down fast. “And?”

  “Someone is targeting the Baxter clan.”

  Shit.

  “There’s more,” Theo added, “a death threat was sent to Briar.”

  Fuck!

  I jumped up and ran a hand through my black hair, concerned for the only living child of the Lovell family. My sobriety was quick to return with this news. “Where is she?”

  “The compound. For now, at least.” Rinnick shook his head. “I offered her my place, but she refused. Stubborn little thing,” he chuckled.

  I instantly felt a twinge of possessiveness at his tone. Briar was too good for my brother. The alpha of the Baxter clan was wild and loved to party. Briar was a sweet kid attending college who planned on pursuing medicine. It suited her. Briar should have been long gone and far away from the feud that cost her sister’s life.

  She should have run when I did.

  “Who’s been assigned to her protection?”

  “Brand, Rudie, and Dane.” Theo watched closely for my reaction.

  I wasn’t a fan of Dane. The guy was a self-serving piece of shit. “Why the fuck –”

  “Dane wants to mate Briar,” Rinnick explained, cutting me off.

  What. The. Fuck.

  “Hell no! How could you even consider the possibility of that whoring asshole courting Briar?” I began to pace as rage boiled under my skin. My shoulders rolled back as I cracked my neck. Seething, I knew I had to calm down. My wolf snarled as I reined him in. “Who agreed to this?”

  There’s no way Briar said yes.

  “Dad,” Rinnick replied with a smirk. “She doesn’t have a mate and she’s vulnerable.”

  My jaw pumped a few times as I tried to find the right words. “What did Briar say?”

  “She said she’d follow her alpha’s orders.”

  I sank into my recliner, feeling more restless than I had in a long time. Why was this knowledge affecting me so much? I left the pack and couldn’t get away fast enough.

& nbsp; The bottle of whiskey was too great a temptation. I picked it up and downed most of the contents as the familiar and welcome burn trickled down my throat. A few minutes later and I began to relax, staring at Rinnick and Theo hard enough to let them know I didn’t want any more company.

  “You can leave now,” I announced, grinning as my head spun. Three more bottles filled the kitchen cabinet and I’d probably consume them all by the end of the weekend after this news.

  “Not without you,” Rinnick replied with a scowl. “When did you become such a drunken mess?”

  I didn’t answer. Arguing with my brother was too much effort.

  “You have to come back, Cole.”

  “Fuck if I do,” I slurred, looking down the bottle at the fiery amber liquid I knew intimately.

  “Listen, Cole,” Theo demanded, the smile vanishing from his face. “We need you to help track down this bastard that’s killing wolves.”

  I didn’t answer as my eyes shut.

  “Briar needs you, bro.”

  I wanted to ignore the pain in my heart and the throbbing in my head, the overwhelming fear that clenched my spine with those words. No one’s life should be in the hands of Cole Baxter. Sighing, I opened my eyes. This was sure to be a mistake, but I had to return home. Theo was right. There wasn’t much choice.

  Briar Lovell was in danger.

  Chapter 2 – Briar

  “They found another body.”

  Sinking to the seat of the couch, I barely noticed my bottom land on the plush ivory cushion. Those dreaded words had been repeated too often lately. “Who is it?”

  Brand picked up my hand and held it, clearing his throat. “Joe Harley.”

  I shot to my feet in shock and backed up a few paces, shaking my head in disbelief. “No. Tell me that’s not true.”

  I’d seen Joe only yesterday. He walked home with me after I stopped at the market to speak to his sister. Vickie was one of my best friends. Their family was as close as my own. Vickie, Landon, and Joe had grown up with me, my sister Renleigh, and the Baxter boys.

  “I’m sorry, babe.”

  Sorry? When was someone going to stop this killer? “Don’t say that,” I spat, disgusted, “this never should have happened.”

  He didn’t disagree. “Briar, honey, don’t be angry with me. You know we’re going to catch this bastard. Rinnick is doing everything he can.”

  Brand was right. It wasn’t fair to take out my anger and frustration on him. Sighing, I blew out a breath of frustration. “Does Vickie know? Have you told Landon yet?”

  He sighed. “No. I thought you might want to come with me. Vickie and Landon are gonna take it hard, but Elena . . .” he trailed off and cleared his throat, “she’s pregnant, Briar.”

  Elena was mated to Joe and they were expecting their first child. She would be devastated by this news. The whole pack was going to take it hard.

  “I’ll go with you.” I grabbed my rain slicker and headed toward the door, pausing as I watched the fat, heavy drops of rain beating down on the valley of Cedar Creek. “Where’s Theo? He should be there.”

  “He’s out with Rinnick. I couldn’t find him.”

  Shit.

  “Who found Joe?”

  Brand cleared his throat. “Me and Rudie. Rinnick has been keeping us all on a tight schedule. I don’t know how this asshole made it into our territory let alone had the balls to attack a member of our pack.”

  My chest felt tight as tears stung the back of my eyelids, but I wouldn’t give into the emotion that threatened to overtake me. “That’s not much consolation. This murderer is trying to induce fear and he’s succeeding.”

  “Nothing is going to happen to you, Briar. I mean it. We’d all die to keep you safe, especially Rinnick.”

  The reminder only made me feel more stressed and saddened with recent events. Rinnick was all wrong for me and I wasn’t at all what he needed. The two of us had been through a lot since my sister died and Cole left. We’d been devastated by the double loss. Both of us in pain, we recognized the mutual suffering in one another. A close friendship had formed between us but nothing romantic.

  I knew Rinnick was attracted to me. He was a handsome man. All the Baxter brothers shared their father’s trademark good looks with silvery gray eyes, tall muscular builds, and deeply seductive voices that lured a woman’s heart. Brand and Rudie inherited their mother’s soft brown eyes but still had those same strong genetics. These men were handsome to a fault.

  Unfortunately, I was haunted by only one brother and he was no longer a part of my life.

  “Hey,” Brand called softly, snatching my attention, “don’t focus on those letters, okay? We’re gonna get this piece of shit. Don’t worry.”

  “Easy for you to say. You’re not receiving death threats.”

  He didn’t reply, frustrated by the fact that I was right.

  As I opened the front door, a figure nearly barreled right into me. I knew the familiar scent as it wafted past my nose. With wolves, that’s how we recognized one another. Elena’s eyes were bloodshot as our gaze met and confirmed she already heard the news about Joe.

  “Elena, I’m so sorry.”

  She stumbled into my arms as I reached out and pulled her close, hugging my friend as tears filled my eyes. “I can’t believe it, Briar. I just can’t think of a world where I have to raise his son without him.”

  “I know,” I whispered, leading her into my living room. “I’m in shock myself.”

  Brand stood by the front door, his eyes darting outside and back in my direction a few times. He was restless. We all were. This was the third murder in the last two weeks. All wolves, too.

  Our clan hadn’t been targeted until today and the reality of a serial killer among our kind was both disturbing and frightening.

  “Briar, I don’t want to leave you alone, but the rest of the compound needs to know what happened.”

  “It’s fine, Brand. Grab Rudie and make the rounds. Just come back and check on us when you can.”

  “Will do. Stay safe and keep a close watch on the perimeter of the property. Go nowhere alone. I’ll text Rinnick.”

  Same rules my entire life. I think I had it covered. “Done. Now go,” I shooed, closing the door behind him and locking it.

  His wolf howled as Brand shifted and I heard the massive thud of his paws hit the floorboards of the front porch. A moment later silence was the only company besides the sniffling of my friend.

  “Elena, come sit down.” I led her to the couch, biting my lip with concern. A bad habit that I was unable to break since childhood. My nerves were on edge. Another note had appeared on my front door this morning within moments of the discovery of Joe’s body. No way was that a coincidence. “I’m here for you babe, I’m just shocked,” I admitted.

  “He left this morning with a kiss and promised to meet me for lunch.” Her voice cracked on the next words that she spoke. “He never showed up.”

  As my friend broke down, I hugged her close, trying to whisper comforting words. What could I say that would make this situation better? I already knew what it was like to lose someone you loved. I wouldn’t wish that feeling of loss and devastation on my worst enemy. Rubbing her back, I tried to be understanding as her shoulders shook with silent sobs.

  Pounding on my front door drew my attention and I approached with caution. I doubted any killer shifter was polite enough to stop and knock first, but hey, I was a little more spooked than I let on. “Who is it?”

  “It’s Rinnick, Briar. Let us in.”

  Relieved, I opened the door and met his worried gaze. “Are you both alright?”

  Nodding, I stepped back to let him in. Theo’s thick head of dark hair barely missed the top of the doorjamb as he ducked inside.

  “Theo, Elena needs you.”

  Our eyes met as he nodded grimly and crossed the room to his cousin, enfolding her in a hug as she cried into his shoulder. Closing the door, I nearly shut it on the hulking form of the most breathtaking and charismatic man I’d ever known.

  Like a specter straight out of my dreams, Cole Baxter stood on my front steps as devilishly handsome and dangerous as I remembered. The weight of his stare nearly buckled my knees, but it was the cocky grin on his lips as he assessed me that sent my brain into haywire.

  “Cole,” I whispered, my entire body frozen in shock. “You came back.”

 

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