Saved by the Big Bad Wolf: A Darkhills Romance Read online

  Saved By The Big Bad Wolf

  A Darkhills Romance

  Elizabeth Greene

  Copyright © 2021 Elizabeth Greene

  All rights reserved

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

  ISBN-13:9798566445359

  Cover design by: Elizabeth Greene

  For my beloved sister

  x

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  EPILOGUE

  THANK YOU

  About The Author

  CHAPTER ONE

  Cayden

  Damn, it had been a hot one today.

  Cayden Greystone cursed as he loaded up the back of his truck at the end of his shift. He swiped the sweat from his brow and not for the first time this summer, considered whether he should shave his beard already. The sun had already begun its descent in the sky, yet it was still as hot as Satan’s stove. The mosquitoes were starting to get too familiar and all Cayden wanted was a cold shower and an even colder beer.

  The rest of the crew had long clocked off for the day, leaving him to bring down the last tree on the day’s quota on his own and heft the few remaining felled pines onto the stack ready for removal tomorrow. He had long gotten used to this routine. It was the same wherever he sought work, he was the outsider so didn’t get the privileges that members of the pack received. If he wanted to earn his money, he needed to put in the hours.

  This past week he didn’t even blame the other wolves for their eagerness to get the hell out of the stifling mugginess of the forest. He might be the type that kept his thoughts to himself, but that didn’t mean he didn’t hear the murmurs of discontent from the men in the pack. They were tired, unmotivated and struggling to earn the wages they needed to improve their quality of living for their mates and families. He’d heard the same last summer and it appeared that nothing had changed, if anything the situation had gotten worse. Something that seemed out of kilter with the flashy trucks that the Alpha and Beta drove around the territory.

  Cayden suspected that something was amiss and if it were his pack, he wouldn’t be happy seeing his people at a disadvantage while he had access to luxury. But not all packs believed in sharing resources fairly and it wasn’t his place to investigate or ask questions, despite the niggling feeling in his gut that told him to make it right.

  It was the Alpha in him. The instinct to protect and support the other wolves around him was ingrained. He wasn’t an Alpha though; he didn’t have a pack. So, he told himself it was none of his business and to keep his keen nose out.

  While he wouldn’t do anything about the situation, he could empathize. He couldn’t hold it against the other wolves on the crew for feeling discontented and unmotivated. They seemed like a good hearted, honest crew and if he were a pack member, he would’ve joined them for a trip into the town for a quiet beer in the local bar to dull the feeling of hopelessness.

  Especially if she was working that evening. The beautiful she-wolf with the dark reddish-brown hair and eyes that held his very soul in their grasp.

  Cayden shook his head and reminded himself not to get any ideas. He was a lone wolf and as such was not allowed to mix with the females of the pack- especially the unmated ones. He was entitled to buy what he needed from the town but fraternizing with the townsfolk, especially the females, was off limits. He got it. Females were coveted. Packs would allow matings with other packs if they were on friendly terms, but lone wolves were considered an unpredictable threat. However, he was strong, and hardworking, and so they didn’t mind employing him for the odd contract here or there, just so long as he kept it in his pants.

  Usually that wasn’t a problem, there had always been enough human women who had willingly taken him to their beds when he needed to scratch that itch, but this female was something else. There was a reason other than the seasonal paycheck that kept him returning to this town each summer. The female was too intriguing to shake from his mind. Despite knowing he would never be worthy of any female, never be able to offer her the support and stability that she would need, he kept coming back.

  The first summer he had met her he had been running wild through the forest, his wolf enjoying the lush surroundings and tough terrain. He’d stopped at a stream to drink and there she had been, watching him with those crisp green eyes that had haunted his dreams ever since. Fast forward to last summer and they had spent almost every night in their wolf forms, never shifting to see their human form. They didn’t need to, the companionship they had shared as they had exhausted themselves on their daily sprints and hunts had forged a strong connection.

  This year he had returned, desperate for another stolen moment with the female that he could never have, fearful that he would find her finally mated. To his disappointment, Cayden had not seen her in the forest yet, but her scent lingered faintly at a large cabin in the woods where an elder female wolf lived. His wolf ran past it every evening in the hopes of catching her there. Searching for the prize that was not to be his. Clearly, he was a glutton for punishment. All he ever found was the elderly lady, sitting on the porch, watching him with barely concealed amusement.

  Cayden had finally seen his mystery she-wolf in town the night before. He had driven in to pick up groceries and had followed his nose against his better judgment. He knew he shouldn’t be following the scent of any female, but he had scented her the moment he had gotten out of his truck and his instincts had overridden his sensibility. She had been busy emptying trash into the dumpster out the back of the local bar, her back to him. Then, as though she had sensed him too, she’d turned, and their eyes had locked with an intensity that had caused every muscle in his body to tense.

  He had stood rooted to the spot, mentally fighting against his wolf as it scratched and clawed at him to move towards the female. She was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. Petite yet curvy, lush red lips, glossy mahogany locks that fell about her shoulders in wild, thick curls. And her eyes, they were the same mesmerizing green as her animal. He could scent her wolf within. Could practically hear her whining to him. She was still unmated. He couldn’t fathom why such a strong she-wolf hadn’t been claimed. Her pheromones were off the scale and if he didn’t know any better, he would’ve thought her an Alpha female.

  Cayden had been relieved when she had slowly backed away into the bar once more, never taking her eyes from his. If she had turned her back on him, he wasn’t sure if he could’ve contained his wolf. The instinct to hunt its prey would’ve been too great. He had no right to even scent her, let alone act upon his animal’s instincts towards the female.
He was a lone wolf. She was off limits.

  Cayden shook himself from the memory again, his wolf pacing deep inside. He should know better than to revisit that moment. He should know better than to keep running in the forest in the hope of finding her, so they could run free again. Yet he couldn’t stop himself from wanting another moment with the only other wolf that he had felt a connection to ever since leaving his pack.

  And that was where his musings needed to end.

  He slammed the back of his truck shut and marched around to the cab, climbing in. He didn’t have connections. He didn’t have a pack. He never would. It was better that way.

  Resigning himself to another solitary night, Cayden turned the ignition and drove along the winding forest track in the direction of his trailer. He didn’t mind being so far from the town, he honestly preferred living amongst nature. It gave his wolf easy access to roam and in a world where shifters and paranormal creatures were still considered legends from fairy tales, it was best that his wolf could run free without the risk of being discovered.

  The night-time bugs and critters were busy making a racket by the time he climbed out of his truck and unlocked the door to his trailer. It wasn’t huge. Hell, it wasn’t even big, he had to keep his six-foot five frame hunched over whenever he was inside, but it had all a bachelor like him needed. A bed-come-couch, a small shower room, a kitchenette and a TV.

  He ducked his head as he stepped inside. The confined space drew a sigh from him. He’d make up one of the instant ramen dinners he’d picked up from town the night before, grab a quick shower and crack open a beer before turning in for the night. His gaze flicked to the compact bed that was a mess of rumpled sheets. It was hardly inviting. Then again, he knew his dreams would be filled with images of the she-wolf. Cayden smiled at the prospect. Although it would be bittersweet, it would be the highlight of his night. But before he gave in to any of that- it was time for a run.

  He shucked out of his boots and dusty work clothes and shifted as he stepped down from the trailer, back outside into the warm evening. Smooth, tanned skin transformed into thick, dark fur, his face lengthened, and his teeth sharpened as lean muscles contracted and morphed Cayden’s body from human into animal. His paws landed with soft thuds on the hard forest floor. He shook out his aching limbs, stretching and rolling in the cool, dry dirt. It felt good to be back on four legs. The woody scent of pine and damp moss assaulted his nose and the sounds of the nocturnal animals waking and moving around the dusky forest intensified in his ears. Cayden’s wolf smiled, teeth gleaming and tongue tasting the air. This was what he needed. This was where he belonged. Just him, his wolf and the forest.

  In a flash of ebony fur and amber eyes, he disappeared into the trees.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Rose

  “Yeesh it’s slow in here tonight.” Rose’s friend and fellow bartender complained as she wiped down the bar top for the umpteenth time. “I’ll do another tour of the place to collect empties then I might take another break to call Clint. Nothing much else to do.”

  Rose smiled at her friend’s comments- she was right. Tonight had been dead. Only a few of the regulars were still hanging about the place, nursing a bottle of beer or a bowl of nuts. No one could afford a big night out, so nights like this had become the norm.

  “Don’t sweat it, take your break. I’ll sweep the tables and see if anyone needs anything else. It’d be good if we could close up early.” Rose offered.

  “Thanks hon, an early finish would be great. Clint’s been so tired lately, by the time I get home he’s always snoring his head off. I keep trying to tell him that we ain’t gonna make any pups just by holding hands.” Carly wagged her eyebrows and smiled mischievously as she grabbed her phone and headed out back, her long blonde hair swishing behind her.

  Rose chuckled at her friend. On the one hand she thought it was the cutest thing that Carly was so desperate to start a family, but on the other hand she worried that she was putting a strain on her husband.

  They weren’t long mated and usually a male wolf couldn’t wait to knock up his female. But Clint was making excuses. She knew he couldn’t be that tired. A male wolf was never too tired to satisfy his mate. She had been in the same class in school as Clint and knew him to be one of the most conscientious and sensible wolves in the pack. She suspected that the real reason was that Clint was worried about being able to afford to have pups.

  Everyone in town was feeling the pinch. Wages had been declining in the past few years, but things still cost the same. At first it hadn’t been too noticeable; people tightened their belts and made do. But recently it had been taking its toll. Rose wondered if the Alpha and Beta knew how bad things had gotten. Then again, she had noticed a few anomalies in the accounts for the bar, rent to the Alpha had been higher than usual, increasing almost every month. Perhaps even he was feeling it too, although you wouldn’t think it by the lavishness of his home in town or the shine on his new truck.

  Something was going on, but Rose couldn’t prove much, nor was she in a position to raise her concerns with the Alpha or Beta. She was an oddity in the pack. Not really a full member but one of them, nonetheless.

  Rose had belonged to another pack; she was the first-born female of the Alpha couple. When an aggressive leadership challenge had been made, she was sent to her mother’s parents for safe keeping. Her parents had been confident that the challenge would be dealt with quickly and everything would return to normal. However, things didn’t work out that way and by age three, Rose had found herself orphaned, unable to return to her pack and adopted by her grandparents.

  The Alpha at the time had welcomed her into her new pack, there was a blood bond through her maternal line after all, but it was under the proviso that when she was of age, she would need to consummate her membership to the pack through mating with one of the pack’s males. With no other options her grandparents had agreed to the terms. Mating with a male from your pack was deemed normal and they supposed she would fall for one of the young males in the pack as she grew into womanhood.

  However, her coming of age had long since passed and Rose hadn’t felt the mating urge with any of the males in the pack. She liked plenty of them. Had even shared naive fledgling kisses with some of them during high school but none of them called to her wolf. Clearly none of them had been interested in her either as she had watched the males pair off with other females and start growing their own families.

  Time had ticked on; the old Alpha had passed, and his only son had stepped into the role while Rose had been a young teenager. She had grown to be such a part of the pack, a beloved friend to all, that nobody had mentioned the caveat of her needing to mate in order to stay. Either that or they were all too respectful, or terrified, of her battle axe of a grandmother to say anything.

  That was until a year ago.

  Since her grandfather passed away, her bond to the pack had become even more tenuous. Her grandfather had been a deeply respected member of the pack, a good friend to the former Alpha, and her grandmother still held a position of respectable status. However, Judy Woods was getting older and frailer. Rose didn’t know how much longer she would be around before she joined her mate in the afterlife. Without her grandmother, she would have no living blood bond to the pack. She’d have friends and those who loved her like family, but blood was blood. And in wolf society, blood and mating were everything.

  Rose hadn’t been the only one to realize her position within the pack was under threat. The Alpha, Samuel Wyatt McClaw, had noticed too. For the past year he had been subtly raising the subject with her. At first it had been friendly enquiries as to whether he would need to officiate any mating ceremonies in the near future, but more recently it had turned into directly asking her on dates or fabricating reasons for the two of them to be alone together.

  The Alpha’s previous mate had left him, and they had never been successful in producing pups. It was also unspoken knowledge amongst the pack that his mate had fou
nd another male a few states over. Rose understood his desire to secure his leadership by mating and producing an heir to take on the mantle of leadership. He was getting older, so she supposed he felt time was running out for him and perhaps he was lonely. However, he was technically old enough to be her father and not only did he make her skin crawl, but her wolf also outright growled at the thought of being mated to him.

  Any suspicions she had that he was messing with the bar’s finances and taking profits that weren’t rightfully his, had to be kept to herself. If she wanted any chance of staying in the town she loved, she couldn’t challenge the Alpha.

  Rose had thought of speaking to the Beta about her concerns, Russell had always been sweet and friendly towards her. Everyone liked Russell and he was often the good cop to the Alpha’s bad cop routine. But considering he was also driving around in a brand-new truck and wore the only designer clothes ever spotted in the town, she couldn’t help but wonder if he too had been benefiting from the Alpha’s skimming of the books.

  As Rose collected the few remaining empty bottles from the deserted tables she sighed heavily. She loved the people in this town, those who weren’t shifters were aware and respectful of the pack. Families were close and everyone looked out for each other. As the last remaining elder male wolves rose from their seats and shuffled towards the exit, she received warm bear hugs from each of them and waved them off with a genuine smile. She sure would miss this town if she were forced to leave.

  Just as she were about to lock the door and set about cleaning down, the door swung open and a pale faced, haggard looking man burst into the bar, his tan-coloured trench coat hung unevenly off one shoulder. Rose plastered on a pleasant smile, even though the last thing she wanted was to have to stay open and chew the fat with a stranger.