Haven (Stone’s Wolf Sanctuary #3)

Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

“ D id you find anything?” Kile asked as he emerged from the woods. He and his brother Cole searched the property for over an hour. Earlier, Alex had discovered tracks at the edge of Stone Wolf Sanctuary that circled the property before vanishing.

“Not really,” Cole replied, his frustration evident. “You?”

“No. The rain this morning washed away most of the evidence,” Kile said as they made their way back to the Sanctuary. Stone Wolf was managed by Gemma Stone, an incredible woman who had captured the heart of their older brother, Eric.

“I did find this.” Cole pulled out a piece of yellow cloth from his back pocket. “Don’t know if it’s anything, but it was hooked on a bush. It isn’t weathered, so I’d say it was recent.”

Kile took the cloth, rubbing it between his fingers. Cole was right. It was definitely recent. The smell of wild strawberries overwhelmed his senses as he rubbed the soft cloth between his fingers. Okay, maybe he was imagining things since he was starving. Glancing at his watch, he noticed the time.

“Let’s get back and let Eric know what’s going on. I have a meeting in town that I don’t want to be late for.” Kile started toward the Sanctuary with Alex following them. Alex was a quiet kid. He wasn’t really a kid; he was maybe a few years younger than himself. All they knew about him was that he was a loner who moved from place to place. For now, he promised Gemma to stick around and help with the Sanctuary, but when he felt the urge, he would be gone. Kile envied the guy, not having any strings attached, and to roam whenever and wherever he wanted.

“Do you still plan on sticking around for a while?” Kile ventured to ask. Alex was a hard worker with fantastic tracking skills. He’d been a tremendous asset to them.

“Not sure,” Alex replied honestly. “Right now, I’m content, but I never know what tomorrow will bring.”

Kile didn’t say anything, just nodded. He knew they would feel his absence. Even though their whole pack had moved to the Sanctuary, many of them had to find other means of work to make money. Gemma had been in the red when Eric stumbled upon the Sanctuary, so her ability to pay employees was limited. Most of the help she got was on a volunteer basis, but in Alex’s case, free room and food were given to him, which he seemed okay with.

“Don’t worry, I won’t leave Gemma in a bind. She’s done way too much for me to do that to her. She’s one of a kind for people like us.” Alex assured him without looking his way.

“I know you wouldn’t do that,” Kile replied, walking into the back way of the Sanctuary. He spotted Eric’s mate, Gemma, working with one of the new wolf-dogs someone had dropped off. “And you are right; she is one of a kind.”

When Eric had first told him and Cole about Gemma and what she was doing for the Shifters in the area, he hadn’t believed it. What human in their right mind would put themselves in danger like that? Then he remembered the rumors they had heard about a man who had a place where Shifters could go when wounded or in trouble. That man had been Gemma’s grandfather. When he passed away, she took over, running the place just like he had. The respect he had for his brother’s mate was immeasurable.

Spotting Eric watching Gemma, they headed that way. Kile felt a surge of jealousy at how Eric stared at his mate. His brothers mercilessly messed with him about finding his own mate. They considered him the playboy of the three, but nothing was further from the truth. Not that they would ever know it. He kept that close to his chest. He loved women but was ready for the one he could spend the rest of his life with. So far, that hadn’t happened, but he knew when it was time, it would.

Thinking of the cloth in his pocket had his wolf stirring restlessly. A little confused by his thoughts and the actions of his wolf, he frowned. Before he could think more about it, they reached Eric.

“How’s he doing?” Kile asked, nodding toward the wolf-dog Gemma was talking softly to. It stood away from her in a defensive stance, head hung low, glaring at her. How Eric could stand there while Gemma stood before the massive beast that could take her down in a second flat was a mystery to him. Gemma was human, not Shifter. If the wolf-dog decided to attack, his brother would be the only thing to save her. Still amazed she had been doing this well before meeting them, he glanced at his brother. Eric’s total focus was on the wolf, and his body was poised to move if things went south.

“Scared,” Eric said without looking his way. “It’s going to take a while to earn his trust. People need to stop cross-breeding dogs and wolves. They are too unpredictable.”

“Any animal is unpredictable,” Alex murmured beside them. “And I wouldn’t blame people too much. Wolves and wild dogs meet, get it on, and well, can’t blame a human for that.”

Kile smirked. “True.” He nodded, then frowned when the wolf-dog growled, taking a step toward Gemma.

Just as Eric began to move, Gemma shouted over her shoulder. “Don’t you dare come in here, Eric Jackson.”

“Shit.” Eric cursed with a growl of his own. “She is going to send me to an early fucking grave.” He said low in his throat, but Kile heard him and agreed. Knowing the wolf-dog could attack Gemma at any moment was hard to watch.

“He’s just giving me his boundaries,” Gemma called out, still focused on the wolf-dog. “Aren’t you Snarls?”

“Snarls?” Kile frowned, looking over at Eric, who was frowning. “She’s already named him?”

“Name fits.” Cole chuckled but watched intently, ready to move at any sign of trouble.

“She names them all unless they are Shifters.” Eric cursed when Snarls growled again. “She says he is only snarling, not growling.” Eric snorted with a shake of his head.

“There’s a difference?” Kile cocked his eyebrow at that just as Snarl’s growled again, this time with more aggression.

“In Gemma’s world, there is,” Eric said, shaking his head.

“Well, I, for one, will say if a woman could have a set of balls on her, that woman right there would have a huge set,” Alex said, in his fucked up way, giving her props. “When I first arrived here, I did everything but attack her to get her to leave me the hell alone. Nope, she just kept on until hero there jumped in and scared the shit out of me.”

“You did bow down pretty quickly,” Eric said with a slight grin but kept his eyes on Gemma.

“Fuck yeah I did.” Alex snorted. “Have you seen you?”

Kile completely understood what Alex meant. He had witnessed Eric in battle, seen his fury firsthand, and despite being his brother, Kile knew he would never want to face Eric head-on. He wasn't a coward; as the eldest, Eric commanded respect and loyalty. They had their share of brutal fights, and Kile could hold his own, but when Eric reached a breaking point, it was best to either back down or brace for the worst.

“What did you all find?” Eric ignored Alex, focusing on Gemma, who was still talking to the wolf-dog.

“Nothing new,” Alex answered with a shrug. “The rain washed out all the tracks I found. They belonged to either a tiny man or a woman. I’m leaning more toward a woman.”

“Why’s that?” This time, Eric glanced at Alex before returning his gaze to Gemma.

“Cole found a torn yellow piece of cloth on a bush, but hell, that could have been from one of our people,” Alex replied, then frowned. “I don’t know any dudes who wear yellow, so I say a woman, most likely.”

“I’ve got a yellow shirt,” Cole replied, looking offended. “What the fuck is wrong with yellow. Leeza says it makes my eyes sparkle.”

All three men looked at Cole, but it was Eric who spoke. “Makes your eyes sparkle?” He frowned, his eyes narrowing. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“Maybe Mom should have called him Colleen.” Kile snorted, shaking his head, but gave Cole a sideways glance. Eric snorted back in agreement.

“Yeah, well fuck you guys,” Cole growled with a huff. “Leeza likes me in my yellow shirt, and that’s all that matters.”

“If you say so,” Eric mumbled, shaking his head, then turned his attention back to Gemma.

“Guess if I had a woman who looked like Leeza, I’d tuck in my balls and wear a yellow shirt too.” Alex mused, staring into the enclosure.

Cole snorted. “My balls are too big to tuck anywhere, my man. I’d have to sling those fucker?—”

“I swear to God, if you don’t shut the fuck up, I’m going to choke you with your yellow fucking shirt.” Eric's growl sounded more like his wolf than the man, indicating he was done hearing about Cole’s yellow shirt and balls.

“Could the old footprints be from Foster Manning’s crazy ass mom?” Kile cut in when Cole started to say something else, possibly saving his brother’s life.

“Let’s hope that’s the case,” Cole said, still sounding butthurt about his yellow shirt. “We need a break from crazy.” The woman had come to avenge her son’s death and almost killed his brother Cole. She was as insane as that bastard son she had birthed.

“The cloth seems too fresh to be from a week ago. It doesn’t take long for things to get weathered this time of year in this humid climate,” Alex replied, looking sure of himself. “Plus, it rained a few times since then. Tracks would be washed away from a week ago.”

Kile nodded in agreement and then looked at Alex. “How in the hell did you learn all this shit?”

“When you roam a lot, you notice things,” Alex replied as if it wasn’t a big deal. “To stay alive, you become your own teacher. Learn or die.”

“Well, I hope your roaming days are over for a while,” Eric said as he jumped the fence and looked at Alex. “We can sure use your skills around here.”

“I’m content for now.” Alex gave him the same answer he had given Kile.

“Good,” Eric said to Alex, then quickly glanced at Kile before heading toward Gemma. “Let me know how the meeting goes with that meat guy Lance set up. We need a back-up. The more wolves and wolf-dogs Gemma takes in, the more meat we need. Cole, sling those balls of yours over your shoulder and help finish that last enclosure.”

Kile laughed, watching Cole stomp off, mumbling about his balls, then glanced at his watch. “I’ll see ya around, buddy.” He slapped Alex on the back as he passed.

Getting in his truck, he sat for a minute, his eyes going back and forth between the two couples. Cole flipped his hand toward Eric and then pointed to his balls while talking to Leeza. He then pointed toward Eric, who stood directly behind Gemma as she tried to tame a wild wolf-dog. Kile chuckled, shaking his head. With a half smile, happy for his brothers, he started his truck and backed down the dirt driveway to head into town.

Maybe he would find his mate along the way. He laughed at the thought as he turned the radio up and settled in for the drive. Yeah, fat fucking chance of that happening. He’d have a better chance of finding a little green leprechaun at the end of a rainbow holding a pot of gold.

He snorted again at his thoughts as his gaze lifted toward the sky. “What the fuck?” The wheel jerked as he leaned forward, almost running himself off the road.

“You have got to be shitting me,” he muttered, staring at the faint rainbow in front of him. He blinked rapidly a few times, thinking maybe he was seeing things, but the rainbow was still there. How could that be? The last rain had been in the middle of the night. Glancing from the rainbow to the road, he frowned when he realized the rainbow looked to end in the direction he was heading.

“Guess I might find my damn leprechaun with a pot of gold after all.” He shook his head, still frowning, his eyes constantly drawn back to the rainbow, trying to make sense of his thoughts becoming reality.