Read Wolf on the Hunt for Free Online Page A

instincts were telling her that while the wolf was dangerous, it wouldn’t hurt her if she didn’t hurt it.
    She prayed she was correct as she hurried out of the house. She’d seen a rake propped up against the side of the house, so she grabbed it and dragged it over the dirt and smattering of grass on the lawn, desperately trying to obliterate any blood stains. There wasn’t as much as she’d thought there would be. She was thankful for that small blessing.
    When she reached the spot where she’d found the wolf, she hunted around and found several small branches and dipped them in the wet blood. She carefully made her way in the opposite direction of the house and dropped them in several strategic spots. She even snapped off a branch to make it appear as though some large animal had charged through the underbrush.
    It wouldn’t fool an experienced tracker, but she didn’t think whoever was out there was the brightest bulb in the box. Otherwise they wouldn’t just randomly be shooting. “Maybe they’ve been drinking.” That was likely given such reckless use of their weapons.
    Gray was shaking hard now and her knees were weak. She used the rake as a makeshift walking stick to help her keep going. The extra support helped as she hurried back to the house. What if the wolf had died while she was gone? It hurt her to even consider the possibility that the magnificent creature wouldn’t make it.
    Her clothes and hands were stained with the wolf’s blood. She needed to get cleaned up in case the hunters decided to stop by. It wasn’t likely, but she didn’t want to take the risk. First, she had to see if the wolf was still alive. And, if it was, if it would allow her to treat it or would it attack.
    She set the rake against the house, took a deep breath and opened the door.

Chapter Four
    Louis knew he was in trouble. Not because he was going to die, because he wasn’t. Or at least he didn’t think he would. At least six bullets had hit him, but only three had actually penetrated. His body was already rejecting the foreign objects and slowly pushing them out.
    Not every werewolf had that particular ability, but his line had always been particularly strong healers. It was one of the reasons his bastard father had managed to stay alive for so long. LaForge men were damn hard to kill. Louis knew he’d lost a lot of blood, but some rest and food would put him to rights in no time.
    No, the biggest problem was the woman.
    She was either the bravest woman he’d ever met or the craziest. It was still a tossup. What kind of woman approached a wounded wolf and brought him back to her home?
    A compassionate one.
    He wanted to shift but didn’t dare. She’d be likely to shoot him herself if she returned to find a wounded naked man lying on her floor. He gave a small growl and the big dog next to him whined. He was indebted to both the beast and the woman. If left outside, the hunters might have found him before he was able to get away.
    There were a lot of them. At least five, maybe more, and all with hunting rifles. It would have been easier if Louis could have simply killed them, but that would have only brought more hunters searching the area. It had been a stroke of bad luck for him to be seen in the one place where he didn’t have much natural cover.
    One of the men had yelled and shot. The others had quickly followed. He was surprised they hadn’t hit anything vital. Most were flesh wounds, but three were more serious.
    The dog—no, Shadow was what the woman had called him—Shadow licked at one of the flesh wounds, wanting to help. Louis appreciated the effort.
    Maybe he could shift, clean up and disappear before the woman returned. He gathered his strength to try when he heard her on the porch. With a sigh, he closed his eyes. He’d lost his chance and would have to wait until later tonight. Just as well with the hunters still out there.
    The door handle turned, and he opened his eyes a crack to watch her