Free Hunter's Heart: Wolf Shifter Romance (Wild Lake Wolves Book 5) by Kimber White Page A

by
another wolf who wanted to take his spot.”
    “That’s generally how that happens, yes. With Alphas,
I mean. Not with marking. Again. Can’t stress enough. Consensual, Jessa.”
    “Good. What about you? Is that why you have those
scars on your face?” I drew three fingers down my own temple, simulating the
wound Derek bore.
    He nodded. “Yes. This happened when I became an
Alpha. I challenged my pack leader, and it got a little intense.”
    “You killed him.”
    “I did. But it wasn’t brutal. Well, I mean . . . sure
it was. But, it was meant to be. He was older. His time had come. More
importantly, my time had come. It was noble. It was natural.”
    “A mercy killing?”
    “Yeah. Except for the part where he tried to rip my
face off.”
    I wanted to touch it. The urge to curve my fingers
around Derek’s face took my breath away. I couldn’t stand not touching
him. Noble. Natural. Oh, God.
    “You have four other wolves in your pack?” I tried
to steady my erratic pulse. A shadow came over me. Not a shadow. Something
warm. As if Derek reached out and put an arm around me. His even heartbeat
stilled mine, making me calm.
    “Yes,” he said. “Adam, Cameron, Owen, and Steven.
Owen is my brother. The others grew up with me. There were more. The old guard
from the pack leader I took over from. But, they’re all gone now.”
    “You live together?”
    “We hunt together. We fight together. We’re
connected. But no, we don’t live together.”
    “Do they know about . . . uh . . . what I did to
you?”
    “I haven’t exactly had a chance to text them or
anything.”
    “Oh. I just thought, uh, you said you’re connected.”
    “They’re six hundred miles away. There’s connected,
and then there’s connected.”
    “Oh. Okay, good. I don’t suppose they’re going to
like me much considering I shot their Alpha.”
    “They’ll get over it.” Derek’s eyes danced with
mirth as he took another step toward the bars. I gripped them tighter but
didn’t move. My words became a barrier as much as the cage bars did. A shield.
With each step he took, with each steady beat of his heart, a different kind of
wall disintegrated.
    “Jessa,” he said, his voice soft but commanding.
    “What?”
    “Come here.”
    “I’m right here.”
    “Are you going to let me out of this cage anytime
soon?”
    “That depends. At the moment, I think if I did my
father would probably put another bullet through you. And let’s be honest. This
time it would probably kill you.”
    I said it as a joke, but the instant I did, terror
tore through me. God. The idea of losing him. If I hadn’t been holding on, I
might have dropped to the ground then and there.
    “I’m not going anywhere,” he said. “Give me a chance
to talk to your father. I need his help, anyway.”
    “You’re not getting better, are you? The toxin.”
    Derek’s eyes went dark for a moment. “Well, I don’t
feel like I’m going to pass out. I feel stronger. But my wolf is still . . . stuck.
It’s not very pleasant.”
    “God. Derek. I’m sorry. I really am. I didn’t know.
I thought . . .”
    “Shh. No more apologies. I won’t hold your past
prejudices against all werewolves and your trigger finger against you; you
won’t hold me responsible for what happened to your grandmother or anything the
Kentucky wolves have done. I can make you this promise though. If you want it .
. . I’ll lay my life down for you. For her too. That’s what fated mates really
means, Jessa.”
    Swallowing hard, I nodded. Derek took that last step
and curled his fingers around the bars just above my hands. His breath blew
sweet and hot in my face. He leaned down and pressed his forehead against the
bars. At this angle, we were eye to eye. My breath hitched. It was time. I had
to know.
    “Derek,” I whispered.
    “Yes, Jessa.”
    “I’m scared.”
    “You don’t have to be.”
    I leaned forward. We had just a four-inch gap
between the bars. I pressed my lips against