Saving the Pack

  Saving the Pack

  Crystal Lake Forest Wolf Shifter Series

  Prologue

  By: Ovidia Pike

  © Copyright 2019 Ovidia Pike - All rights reserved.

  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.

  Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction

  Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Cover Image by Charmaine Ross.

  Contents

  A Dedication to You, Dear Reader,

  Chapter 1: Gabriel

  Chapter 2: Sophie

  Chapter 3: Gabriel

  Chapter 4: Sophie

  Chapter 5: Gabriel

  Chapter 6: Sophie

  Chapter 7: Gabriel

  Epilogue: Nathaniel

  [Preview] Chapter 1: Nathaniel

  [Preview] Chapter 2: Lily

  [Preview] Chapter 3: Nathaniel

  A Dedication to You, Dear Reader,

  This book is the prologue to my Crystal Lake Forest Wolf Shifter Series. It is shorter than the books in the series, so I can give you a taste of my writing. If you like it enough to keep reading right on through the next book—you can find that as a gift for joining my Readers Circle. You’ll find more information after the story and you can also find it online at www.OvidiaPike.com.

  My goal is write books that help you relax and escape for a bit. Let me know if I did it!

  Love,

  Ovidia

  OvidiaPikeBooks@Gmail.com

  Chapter 1: Gabriel

  I woke up to knocking on my door and grumbled as I got out of bed, throwing it open to see Harley on the other side.

  “What is it?” I asked her.

  “There’s been a killing,” she said in a nonchalant voice.

  “Another one?”

  “Uh, it’s—not one of the pack,” she said. “This one is different.”

  “Harley, tell me what is going on,” I said to her. “Out with it.”

  “The ranger—Jo—was found dead just outside of the village last night,” she said, almost wincing as she said the words, as if afraid I’d punish her for telling me.

  “What happened to her?” I asked sharply, already following her out of the hut and across the village. “Was she mauled?”

  “No, uh—her throat was cut,” she said. I inhaled sharply.

  “Show me,” I said. She nodded and led the way, and I followed her, looking ahead to see a group of people had gathered at the edge of the village, all of them wide-eyed and curious as they stared down at something. They quickly parted for me as soon as they saw me coming, clearing a wide path to the body on the ground. The ranger who was assigned to this area of the forest was pale and lifeless, eyes wide open, a gaping slit in her throat. The blood was dark, pooled underneath her body. I grimaced and stood up, turning around.

  “Who did this?” I asked them.

  “We—we don’t—”

  “Who was on watch last night?” I snapped. A handful men stepped forward, all of them looking down at the ground.

  “Why didn’t you stop this?” I asked them.

  “We—were on the other side of the village, near the walls,” one of them replied, a big shifter named Oscar, who usually kept watch in wolf form.

  “Why were you together?” I asked them. “You are supposed to patrol at opposite ends of the village, are you not? You’re supposed to be split up.”

  There was no answer. I could see Oscar shaking and I grew annoyed with how fragile he looked, how afraid.

  “Speak,” I commanded sharply.

  “Five of us have died already,” Oscar said. “Five men. We don’t want to patrol alone.”

  “So you’re saying you don’t think you can protect yourselves?”

  “We don’t know what’s happening,” he said, his voice trembling.

  “Oscar, look at me,” I said. He looked up and met my eye, his own filled with nothing short of terror.

  “Your job is to keep this village safe, is it not?”

  “It is, but—”

  “Did you do that job last night?” I asked.

  “No,” he said.

  “Maybe I need to put you to work elsewhere, then,” I said to them coldly. “Both of you are to spend the next week out foraging. Separately. You will go out alone into the forest and bring back what you can.”

  “But what if it gets us?” Oscar asked, looking down at the ground again.

  “That’s a risk I’m willing to take to get you to stop being a weak coward,” I said to him. “Now go. Start now. I’m sick of looking at you.”

  They scampered off and I looked down at the body on the ground, sighing.

  “I’m going to the ranger station,” I told them. “Clean her up and get her body ready to take back.”

  “Yes, sir,” someone said. I went back to my hut to get dressed, lace up my boots, and prepare for a long walk. It was prohibited for me to approach the ranger station in wolf form, but I didn’t mind walking, looking around as I did. It felt like I knew every tree I passed in an intimate way, having climbed or sat under so many throughout my life in the village. It was summer, but the sky was grey and it was drizzling. The water felt good on my skin, felt like it was rinsing me clean of the sight of Jo with her throat gaping open.

  It took me close to an hour to get to the ranger station and I approached it slowly, carefully knocking on the door.

  “Just a sec,” I heard a woman call out, and when the door opened I froze, looking down at her. There was a soft smile on her full, perfect lips as she met my eye with no hint of fear. Her eyes were a vivid green, greener than the summer colors that surrounded us in the forest, and her hair was the color of honey, tied up in a messy knot on her head.

  “Hello,” she said, her head cocking slightly to the side in curiosity. “Are you—from the village?”

  “I—uh—” I stammered, my eyes compelled to look her over, to drink in the golden tan of her skin and the sight of her long legs. She was of average height and slender, though she didn’t look fragile to me like most human women did. She cleared her throat after a moment of me looking her over and when I met her eye, there was an amused look on her face.

  “Can I help you, mister?” she asked.

  “I’m—um—I just—” I began, but cut myself off quickly. I took a deep breath to steady myself.

  “I’m the leader of the village. There’s been—an incident with Jo.”

  The woman frowned in concern.

  “What happened?”

  “She was killed early this morning or last night.”

  “Oh,” she said, her face filled with shock. “What—how?”

  “I’m not sure. The body is back in the village,” I said to her. “Can you come get it?”

  “God, no,” she said. “I’d get fired if I even thought about going within three miles of the village.”

  “But Jo—”

  “I have to call my boss to send someone out,” she said.

  “Okay,” I said to her, staring into her eyes. I felt captivated all at once, like I was falling through endless depths. “Um, what is your name?”

  “My name is Sophie Alexander,” she said. “You must be an Alarick. I was told that only one of you is allowed to come here in emergencies.”

  “My nam
e is Gabriel Alarick,” I told her.

  “Gabriel,” she said with a beaming smile. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  “Excuse me?” I asked her, the words not clicking in my mind. Nothing made sense in that moment—it felt like my mind had melted. She let out a soft giggle of laughter, her face lighting up. The sound of her laugh and the way her eyes crinkled at the corners made me feel completely lost and even dumber than before.

  “I said it’s nice to meet you,” she said. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” I said quickly, tearing my eyes away from hers. “When do you think that they’ll come get the body?”

  “I don’t know,” she said. “I’m not sure who they’ll send. Only one person was allowed to go anywhere close to your village, and that was Jo.”

  “They’ll have to replace her,” I said. She nodded, sadness passing over her face.

  “I liked her,” she said. “She was kind to me.”

  “I’m—sorry,” I said, the words tumbling out of me, words I never said for any reason.

  “Will you be the one replacing her?” I asked.

  “No,” she said. “I would love to, but—I’m not really qualified.”

  “Jo was military,” I said. She nodded.

  “Unfortunately. I’d love to come out there but you know the rules—”

  “Yes, those rules are mine,” I said to her. She laughed.

  “So you’re the reason I’ll never get to see who I’m guarding?”

  “Yes—I’m—yes,” I said to her. “That’s me.”

  “Think you can bend the rules a little?” she asked. I stared at her, unsure of how to answer, wanting for a moment to bend every rule I had for her. I forced myself to shake that thought free.

  “No,” I said to her stiffly. “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay,” she said slowly, still smiling, still so soft and warm. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

  “Yes,” I said. “But I’d better get back.”

  “Okay, Gabriel,” she said, eyes sparkling as I turned to hurry away from her. When I was far enough away, I slipped out of my clothes, shifted into wolf form to fly through the trees, leaving the girl far behind.

  Chapter 2: Sophie

  I stared after the man for a moment before he disappeared into the trees, smiling to myself when I thought about his expression, how he’d stumbled over his words. It was adorable and charming to me, and I wondered who he was, what he was like. The curiosity about the village overwhelmed me again, and I found myself leaving the ranger cabin despite any fear I should have had, hurrying after him, knowing it was a bad idea. In the back of my mind was Jo’s fate, how she had died in these woods, but something compelled me forward anyway, the same excitement that always came with even the slightest bit of information about the village. I wondered if I could get him to talk to me—Jo never had, nor had she ever given any details about the village or the people who lived there.

  I stopped in my tracks when I saw a pile of clothes on the ground, went to them and picked them up to see that they were Gabriel’s. I looked around for him in confusion.

  “Gabriel?” I called out, carrying them as I looked around the trees.

  “Gabriel!” I said again, but there was no answer, no sign of a naked man making his way through the forest. I turned around, preparing to head back but paused when I heard a noise behind me. I looked over my shoulder and scanned the area behind me, not hesitating a second when I heard the noise again. I didn’t see anything, but it didn’t matter—I flew through the trees back to the ranger station and locked myself in, my heart pounding. I tossed Gabriel’s clothes on the counter and sank down in my chair, pulling down the radio.

  “Boss?” I said. “This is Sophie.”

  “Sophie,” came Eric’s voice over the crackling radio, which had needed to be replaced before I had even started working for the parks. “What’s going on?”

  “Jo is dead,” I said to him. “Her body is at the village.”

  “She’s—she’s dead?”

  “Yes,” I said. “I mean, that’s what Gabriel told me—”

  “Gabriel Alarick? The leader of the village?”

  “Yes, he came by just now. He says Jo was murdered, but he didn’t give any details.”

  I heard him pause, then sigh.

  “Sophie, hold tight. We’ll be there soon. Keep the doors locked.”

  “Okay,” I said to him, hanging up the radio. I sat there numbly thinking about Jo and how warm she had been, despite the fact that I probably annoyed her with all of my questions. It didn’t matter how many I asked her—Jo was almost entirely close-lipped about the village and its inhabitants. I wondered who would take her place and if I’d have any more luck with them, though somehow I doubted it—whatever kept Jo quiet had had her in an iron hold, and I wondered what that meant about the people there.

  It wasn’t long before there was a knock on the door and I opened it to see Eric standing there, holding a shotgun in his hand. I stared at it in confusion as he pressed it into my hands.

  “You know how to use that?” he asked, coming inside and locking the door behind us.

  “I—yes,” I said. “But—”

  “You have a handgun in here, too, right?” he asked.

  “Yes,” I said to him. “What’s going on? Are we in danger?”

  “You are about to be in grave danger, Sophie,” he said. “I have to warn you of that.”

  “What are you talking about?” I asked him.

  “We need you to replace Jo as the go-between to the village,” he said. I felt excitement bubble up within me the moment he said the words.

  “Really?” I asked him, before I remembered why I hadn’t been chosen before. “But—Jo had military training. I don’t.”

  “You know how to use those guns, correct?” he asked. “And you’re the most experienced female ranger we have around here. Almost a decade of training and experience in the woods.”

  “That’s true,” I said. “But—”

  “I would never ask this of you if I had any other choice. We could bring someone in, but we need someone there now who is available immediately. You know the map to the village, at least, and you know how to get there safely.”

  “Jo was murdered,” I pointed out. “She was capable of protecting herself.”

  “I know,” he said, looking at me seriously. “You’re taking on a big risk, here. But we need you.”

  “What about you?” I asked him. “You have training.”

  “Their leader has made up his mind not to allow human men near the village. Only a woman is allowed to get within three miles of it.”

  “Human men?” I asked, baffled at the phrase. He nodded.

  “What I’m about to tell you cannot leave this room,” he said gravely. “Do you understand?”

  “Yes,” I said to him, nearly holding my breath with anticipation.

  “I’m giving you all the details that I have. The rest is up to you. There are quite a few things that even I don’t know—Alarick keeps his village quiet and under tight control. Nobody comes or goes.”

  “Except for Jo,” I said.

  “Except for you,” he said.

  “So what—you’re saying these people—aren’t human?”

  “They are a race of people called shifters,” he said. “They are able to transform themselves into wolves.”

  “I’m sorry?” I asked blankly. “They what, now?”

  “I know,” he said. “I know. It sounds ridiculous, but you need to be prepared for what you will see.”

  “I don’t—understand,” I said. “You’re saying they’re werewolves or something?”

  “Not quite like that,” he said. “And that’s about all I know. Only the go-between gets briefed on all the details. Like I said, Alarick is close-lipped.”

  “So I noticed,” I said, unable to keep myself from smiling when I remembered how flustered he’d been.

  “I really need you to accept th
is assignment,” he said. “Really, we don’t have any other woman half as qualified.”

  “Why is it so dangerous?”

  “The rules at the village are very strict. Jo had to follow them to the letter. We don’t know what happens when they’re broken, but we don’t want you to find out. You do absolutely everything Alarick tells you to do. He has assured us that he will keep his go-between safe and out of harm’s way. Can you do that?”

  “Depends on what he asks me to do,” I said. He shook his head.

  “You don’t argue, as long as he’s not asking you to risk your life.”

  “Okay,” I said. “I’ll do it.”

  A look of relief passed over his features, as if he hadn’t expected me to say yes.

  “Are you sure?” he asked me.

  “Yes,” I said, my smile turning into a grin. I had never felt as excited as I did in that moment, though my head was spinning at all I had learned.

  “Don’t get too excited. It’s not a fun job,” he said.

  “I’m—I’ll do my best,” I said. “Really, I’ll be safe. What—uh—are you going to do with Jo? Won’t the cops come?”

  “We’ve told her family that she was killed in another part of the park. They will lead the investigation elsewhere.”

  “Oh,” I said, feeling sad that Jo’s family would never know the truth about what happened to her. It only served to prove to me how important it was to keep everything a secret.

  “I should get going.”

  “Good,” he said, standing up. “You have the map, yes?”

  “I have it memorized,” I said. “There’s an access road to the village just west of here, right? And the jeeps?”

  “There’s one vehicle left. We’ll need you to retrieve Jo’s body and bring it back tonight.”

  “Okay,” I said to him, feeling slightly uneasy at the thought of seeing a dead body. Still, it didn’t really dampen my excitement as I opened the drawer and pulled out the map to the village.

  “Alright,” he said, giving me a wary look. “Please be careful. Radio when you’re back at the station, and do your best to be here by sundown.”