Kayla Gabriel - Winter Lodge Wolves Complete Boxed Set

The sun would warm the world and tamp a little of the snow down by late morning, but until then there was no point in waking Penny up. No car was going anywhere anytime soon, probably not for a couple of days.

Harlan shook of the snow and stripped off his jacket and boots, wracking his brain for a new plan. Last night, he hadn’t thought much farther than get her the hell out of Dodge , but the icy light of morning was proving him a fool.

A snow mobile could get her away from Winter Pass, but where would she go? It could only take her a couple of miles safely, and there wasn’t anything close by that would be a reliable, warm shelter. If Harlan sent her out into the world like that, she’d be in serious trouble again once night fell.

Something, anything …

But no. He had nothing. Penny was stuck here with a bunch of strange men, all of whom happened to be werewolves, and at least one of was way too interested in her every movement. If interest was conveyed in the sense of having a constant hard-on anytime they had to so much as breathe the same air…

If only Harlan was a normal human guy. Even being a fucked up former soldier with PTSD, he’d find a way to pursue his pretty redheaded companion. He sure as shit wouldn’t be standing here staring forlornly at the bedroom door, longing for some attention.

He’d have Penny pinned to the bed, fucking her brains out, ruining her for other men.

Another soft growl slipped from his throat. Harlan needed to get her out of his head, start thinking about how he was going to keep himself from turning her. He didn’t have to glance at the calendar to know that tonight was the first night of the full moon. The moon ruled the wolf, the wolf ruled the man, and therefore the man always knew the calendar by heart.

Moving over to the stove to boil some water for coffee, Harlan turned over different ideas in his head. None of them worked, except maybe…

What if Penny stayed here, or up in the main lodge? Harlan and Paxton could lead Chase as far away as possible. If they left soon, went far enough… when their wolves took over, they might be more interested in hunting animals than backtracking to find Penny.

Harlan sighed. As far as plans went, it wasn’t the best thing he’d ever come up with, but it was all he had. If Harlan led the Triad due east, the opposite direction from town, they’d probably lead the hunters away, too.

“Hey.”

Harlan jerked out of his thoughts, turning to find Penny standing a few feet behind him. She wore her own clothes this time, a nice red plaid shirt and jeans that clung to her curves just right, making Harlan’s mouth water a little. Her wavy red hair was pulled into a braid, fastened at the end with a few threads that looked like they’d come from some part of her shirt.

Her heart-shaped face, big brown eyes, and freckle-covered nose were just overkill. If she kept looking at him like that, all innocent and tempting, Harlan was going to tackle her to the ground and rip her clothes off.

He turned back to the stove and took the kettle off, pouring the water over a filter and some grounds he’d set up earlier, which drained into a large glass container. The coffee’s fragrance bloomed under his nose, comforting him, washing away Penny’s intrusive scent for a few moments.

“Coffee?” he asked after a minute, not turning to look.

“You got cream?”

Harlan turned to find Penny staring out the window at the fresh snowfall.

“Yeah.”

He fixed her a cup and left it on the counter with the cream, taking his own cup and retreating to his armchair. He couldn’t afford a repeat of yesterday’s little scene on the couch, better to sit where Penny couldn’t join him.

“Thanks,” Penny said, taking her cup and sitting on the couch across from him. “So… there’s even more snow today, looks like.”

“Yep.”

“I hate to say this, Harlan, but I think you might be stuck with me for a couple of days,” Penny said. A blush rose in her cheeks after a moment, making Harlan wonder what she was thinking. She was too far away for him to scent her, but yesterday her desire for him had been plain enough. Resisting her pheromones in the air was one of the hardest things Harlan had ever done.

Hell, if she hadn’t just been through a terrible ordeal and almost froze to death in the woods, Harlan wouldn’t have even tried.

“You’re going up to the main lodge tonight, actually,” Harlan said, squirming in his seat, trying to disguise his body’s response to her presence. “I’m the one who’s leaving.”

“What? Why?” Penny’s brow creased. “You’re going to leave me here with a bunch of crazy hunters?”

“I admit, it’s not ideal,” Harlan said. An understatement. “I’m going to lead them off into the wilderness, away from town. That’s why I’m leaving. I already stocked the main lodge and set up a couple of the rooms in the event of the cabin generators going down, so you’ll have plenty of firewood and food. Wifi, even, as long as the power doesn’t go out.”

Penny’s incredulous expression made Harlan’s lips lift at the corners.

“You guys have internet out here?”

“We’re loners, not cavemen,” Harlan said.

“Man, I wish I’d brought my laptop from my car,” Penny sighed. “I don’t know what I’d even look at, though. My Facebook is all weddings and babies, which I find depressing. And there aren’t any good job postings for art teachers in the middle of the school year, which is even sadder.”

After a moment she shook her head.

“Sorry. You don’t need to know all that,” she said.

“It’s okay,” Harlan said. And it was, really; immediate threats of hunters and werewolves aside, a little part of him was mulling over her other problems, seeking a solution.

He wanted to help her, which was… yeah, totally outside the norm for him.

A crackling electronic noise made him jump. Harlan and Penny looked toward the sound, coming from a walkie-talking sitting on its charging base next to the front door.

“H, we got company,” came a staticky voice. Chase. “They’re tripping sensors on the property line. We got about fifteen minutes before they’re in our hair.”

“Shit. Okay.” Harlan jumped up, grabbing for his jacket as he shoved his feet into his boots. “The hunters are back. They don’t know you’re here, and I want to keep it that way. Hunker down in the bedroom. Lock the door, and don’t come out for anyone except me. Got it?”

Penny’s eyes were wide, but she nodded and stood.

“Go,” Harlan said, shooing her.

Penny scampered into the hallway, looking back at him a couple of times. Only when the bedroom door closed and he heard the lock turn did Harlan lace up his boots.

Rifle and extra cartons of shells in hand, Harlan locked up the cabin and jogged out to one of the makeshift firing turrets the Triad had set up. The lodge sat on high ground, surrounded by lots of low-lying woods. Chase had already found the three strongest defense points when Harlan and Paxton arrived, and eventually they’d set up camouflaged blinds.

Like for deer hunters, except in this scenario, the wolves were both predator and prey. The hunters were coming to attack the Triad, nail their pelts to a wall somewhere, but soon they’d find things turned around on them.

Right on time, as soon as Harlan was crouched and ready in the blind, three guys in full Ghillie suits emerged from the woods. They were covered head to toe in white and green camo resembling snowy leaves, and when they stopped walking they sunk into the background, almost undetectable.

Almost. Thanks to Harlan’s super senses, he could still pick them out. These assholes had probably spent thousands on the suits alone, not to mention all the military-grade weapons and equipment they were undoubtedly carrying.