Loribelle Hunt - Once Bitten

“You want the witch version?”

He nodded.

“The wolf telling is better,” she said softly with a shake of her head before going on. “Red wasn't only young, but beautiful. Light and carefree. Every man and boy in the village was half in love with her, and as she grew she came to prefer one in particular. The woodsman who often escorted her to see her grandmother.”

And here their myths diverged. He rested his chin on his fist, caught up in her story. She told it like they were sitting around a campfire.

“Her heart was set. Most accepted she would never be theirs and wished her well. Most but not all. One young man was determined she would be his.

“He came up with a plan to save her, convinced that if he saved her from the wolf known to haunt their woods, her affections would switch to him.

“He watched and waited for his chance. Then one day he saw her set off on the forest path alone. He raced for a different path, donned the wolf skin he'd hidden, and lay in wait. When she appeared around the bend, he jumped out and howled. But instead of turning back on the path, she ran into the woods.

“Forgetting to toss aside the wolf skin, the boy gave chase, for there were not only wolves in these forests but bear and boar. But Red, being the gentle soul she was, didn't know how they were trapped and killed. A fate, as it turned out, she would share.

“It was too late when she discovered the trap, a deep hole in the ground filled with sharpened stakes. Alas, the boy couldn't save her, and he howled his sorrow and rage to the sky, falling to his knees beside the pit.

“And that is how they found him, the woodsman and the grandmother. Her lover wanted to slay her killer, but the grandmother stayed his hand. She couldn't bear the thought of living out the rest of her life without her precious Red, and she knew the boy couldn't either. But she also knew the woodsman wouldn't be happy without his revenge. She wanted the boy to suffer as they would, all his life. He would have no easy death. No quick end.

“And so she cursed not just the boy, but all of his line who followed, to be half man and half wolf, a reminder of Red's death he could never forget or ignore.

“Since that time witches and wolves have been mortal enemies. So it is. And so it shall always be.”

“I can't believe you got her to tell that version.”

Zach jumped. He hadn't even heard the car pull up, much less Caleb come in. The other werewolf set three bags on the table, two from the local hamburger joint and one from the sushi place that had just opened. Why the hell was Caleb buying raw fish? The mystery was answered when Liza grabbed the bag and unloaded two containers. The smell of rice and undercooked fish assaulted his nostrils. She looked up, saw his expression, and laughed.

Chapter Seven

Caleb watched Liza struggle not to laugh at Zach's disgusted expression. She must realize people only fell into two camps with sushi, because she didn't continue to tease. They either loved it or hated the idea of it so much they refused to try it. There were no chopsticks, but Caleb handed her a fork. She speared a bite and offered it to Zach. “Wanna a bite? It's good.” So much for not teasing. Zach shuddered while unwrapping a burger, and Caleb sent her a stern look. Rather than egg either one of them on anymore, she ate in silence. She'd just pushed both cartons away when her phone rang. Eyes narrowing, she looked around for it, her eyes suspicious when Caleb brought it out of his pocket. She held her hand out for it, but he just shook his head, sent the call to voice mail, and set it by his cup on the table. Out of her reach.

“So what's wrong with Dad?” he asked while reaching for a fry. She had that stubborn look that even five years hadn't erased from his memory. Damn it. She picked the worst times to be difficult.

“It's pack business.”

He couldn't deny she had a point there. He stood and dragged Zach into the other room. “I hate to admit it, man, but she's right.”

He expected his old friend to take offense, but he just smiled. “She is my business. Just as much as you are.”

The inflection he used, the possession and determination and heat in his eyes, could only mean one thing. He'd never seen that look from Zach before. Possession and heat sure, but not protectiveness. Neither one of them needed a protector. Hell, only one woman in the world made Caleb react that way. Apparently she also pushed Zach's buttons.

“She is not going to appreciate having two mates.” At least not at first. But it pleased Caleb immensely, solidly tying the three of them together.

Zach shrugged. “She'll get over it.”

Caleb smiled, knew Zach had reached the same conclusion as he. “She can be convinced.”

“Oh yeah,” his friend answered in a voice gone deep with arousal.

Liza grabbed her phone when they left the room. The missed call was from Grant, the pack alpha. The line was busy when she called back, but her phone rang again as soon as she flipped it shut. A glance at the screen confirmed her suspicion. Since the alpha hadn't been able to reach her, the beta was trying.

“Hey, Dad.”

Caleb reentered the room with Zach on heels. Both looked pissed. She so didn't have the patience for them right now.

“Did you find him?”

“Yeah.”

“And?”

“No progress.” She sighed. She'd told them Caleb wouldn't come home if she asked. Why hadn't they believed her? Her father responded after a brief muffled conversation on his side.

“Fine. Leave him there and come home.”

She blinked. They were going to give up that quickly?

“Why?”

“We're going to pick a successor. You need to be here for that.”

“I'll see if I can charter a plane. Otherwise, it'll take two days to drive back.”

“No, don't do that. Just drive. This decision is going to take at least that long anyway.”

“Okay. I'm on my way.”

“Good.” She heard him take a deep breath. “Be careful.”

“Always,” she answered, but he'd already hung up. She stared at the phone, not believing they were actually going to bypass Caleb in the new hierarchy. That could spell disaster for the pack. She needed to hurry home, and convince Caleb to come with her.

“What is it?”

She wanted to tell him everything, but Zach was still there, and no matter how attracted she was to the other werewolf, he wasn't Redhawke.

“Zach is with us. Spill it, Liza.”

She rolled her eyes. Leave it to Caleb to know just what she was thinking and try to steamroll right over her. And fuck it. She was tired, and it would be days more before she could even consider rest.

“If you care anything about Redhawke, you'll come home.”

“Dad said the same thing.”

“You talked to him?”

“Yeah. I don't know what game y'all are playing, but I don't believe for one minute his rule is in jeopardy.”

“You've been gone a long time.”

He didn't answer, but his disbelief and suspicion were easy to read. She grabbed her keys from where he'd dropped them on the table. “Right. Believe what you want. I have to get home.” Caleb stepped aside, and she ignored the pain in her heart that he was going to let her go so easily. But when she got to the kitchen door, Zach blocked her, his arms crossed over his chest and his expression making it damned clear she wasn't getting out so easy. Damn it, they were really starting to piss her off. She turned back to Caleb, tongue sharp and caution forgotten.

“Even werewolves age. And even alphas get weaker.”

“He's not old,” Caleb scoffed.

“He's seventy .”

“Your father—”

She cut him off. “Is older than yours.” She took a steadying breath, tried to get control of her anger and her fear. “Look, there are only four soldiers strong enough to hold the pack.