Read Online A Cougar Among Wolves by Kali Willows - Free Book Online

scattered to the forests. We were being hunted.”
    “By what?”
    “First, by our alpha, but, after he died, others were hunted by humans. We never knew who or why. We found a place out in Keystone and settled on new territory. We heard over the years, the clan had died off. Some disappeared, others were murdered, but we never found anyone who could tell us what happened.”
    She stared at the fire as her thoughts slipped into the past.
    “Gee mentioned you and your brother saved a wolf from our pack before?” Rogue watched her.
    “We did.”
    “Who was it?” he persisted.
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    “We never knew his name.” The recall of his beaten face and mangled body was a cruelty she didn’t care to relive. “We wandered outside of the Black Hills territory, trying to find a remote place, free of the scent of humans.” She shook her head to dispel the gnawing recollection of gun oil and tobacco scent. “One night, when we were on a hunt for food, we heard men tracking through the forest. They wore combat clothes and carried rifles. They were chasing something.”
    Klaya slammed her eyes shut and sucked in a sharp breath. She pushed the brutal images aside so she could continue. “They had captured a man. They were doing horrible things to him. They had him chained, they used a cattle prod to torment him.”
    “Why?”
    “They’re sadistic bastards.” She shrugged and grimaced. “Sometimes I wish I understood their motives, but the truth is it doesn’t matter.”
    “What happened to the man?”
    “They put a tracer in his arm and finally made him shift. Then they set him free. The pricks were tracking him down for the fun of it. We found the device in his arm afterward and had to pull it out of his flesh.”
    “Like you?” Seth let out a low growl.
    A shiver snaked along her spine. “Yes, exactly like me…and….”
    “You don’t have to, Klaya,” Rogue cautioned.
    The heat of burgeoning tears filled her eyes. “I need to.” She sniffled through the dribble of grief seeping from her nose. “Griffith and I attacked the hunters and killed them. It was easy. They weren’t aware of us. The wolf was limping and couldn’t run.
    Once the men were dead, we shifted to show him he was safe. I was amazed, he didn’t seem surprised that we were cougars. We got him to our cabin. The only thing he would tell us was that he was a friend of Gee’s. I sent word for him to come and help. We’ve known Gee for years....”
    “Are you ready to talk about when we found you?” Rogue prodded carefully.
    “I am.” She expelled a shaky sigh. “It was early morning; we had finished a long night’s hunt. We were exhausted.” She swallowed hard past the lump in her throat. “I drifted off to sleep until the sounds of shattering glass and gunshots rang through the air.”
    She sucked in a shaky breath, determined not to break down. Seth grasped her hand; his 44

    touch sent an instant peace throughout her mind and body. Rogue gave a slight nod of encouragement.
    She continued, “Griffith ran into my room to protect me. More gunshots littered the air, and pings of wood and plaster scattered down over us from the impact against the ceiling and walls. He said we had to get to the cellar trap door in the kitchen.” The words poured out; the images flashed through her brain like a movie in fast motion.
    “He told me to run. I took off through the open bedroom door down the hallway leading to the kitchen. When I got there, I spotted a shadow of someone lurking behind the curtain of the open window above the sink.” Her stomach tensed. “I grabbed the wooden chair when I saw the barrel of a gun poke through the curtains. I snuck up to the side and slammed the chair through the window. A gunshot zinged past my head and the person dropped with a thud outside.”
    She couldn’t swallow past the lump in her throat, but it was too late to stop. She had to say it out loud, for the first time since it happened. “I shoved the table