A BROKEN BOND - A Wolf Tracks Novel by Stacey Kennedy
Two years ago, Cash lost his mate and abandoned his Montana pack. Now, he has found a reason to return. Rylie, daughter of the Wyoming Alpha, life has been uprooted. Her father killed and succeeded by her mate, Layne. A wolf she will spend a life time running from. On her journey to free herself, destiny brings her Cash, a wolf determined to give her aid to right his wrongs. But how far will he go? When Rylie's life is on the line, will he forget his pain to save her or will his loss seal her fate?
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Rylie shifted in the passenger seat of the lime green Volkswagen Beetle as Wyoming mountain passed by in all its beauty. It was the hundredth time she’d fidgeted on the drive down Beartooth Highway. The night was dark as thick storm clouds covered the sky while rain beat against the windshield and the wipers worked madly to keep up.
She took a quick glance toward Chloe and noticed the firmness in her best friend’s posture hadn’t changed. Her hands where stuck at ten and two, her knuckles white from the death grip on the steering wheel. Rylie sighed, then glanced back out to the wilderness.
A short time later, they crossed over the state line into Montana. Chloe let out a loud breath and sank back in her seat in relief. “Guess Layne was none the wiser.” Her tone was relieved.
Rylie nodded as she let out a deep breath of her own. “Apparently not.” If Layne had known what she was attempting, she wouldn’t have made it out of Wyoming. Her death would have come first. Harsh, but that was a pack rule. She was bound to him, his mate for all eternity, and since she was immortal, that meant forever.
Layne would have killed her for her betrayal―no one would have stopped it. Her father, Edwin, once Alpha to the Wyoming pack, had been succeeded by Layne only days before. Layne had unofficial business that brought him into Cody, and even Rylie couldn’t deny they were destined to be bound.
The problem? Layne was scum-bag central. Greedy and cold-hearted was only the tip of the iceberg. He also lacked character. Sexy, of course, as were all werewolves, but his strong, sculpted body and tall, dark, and handsome features were of no interest to Rylie. She may only be twenty-four, but she had enough sense to not fall for a man on looks alone.
In a matter of twenty-four hours, Layne had issued a challenge to claim the status of Alpha in the Wyoming pack, claimed Rylie as his mate, and killed her parents. Her father fought with valiance, but in the end, it hadn’t been enough. Her mother, loyal to her mate right to the very end, refused to submit to the new Alpha. The end result—she died right along with him. In thirty minutes, her entire family had dwindled down to nothing.
Now, Rylie focused on her survival. Besides, she wasn’t entirely alone. Chloe, her best friend, was her anchor. Born a day apart, destined sisters born from different mothers, they always joked. Friendships like the one with Chloe weren’t formed through time. It was a bond that lay soul deep, and one that Rylie was going to miss tremendously.
Chloe may only be five-five with auburn hair that coiled between her shoulder blades and a pretty face with sandy-colored eyes, but she was as tough as any man. Chloe’s courage and in-your-face attitude was something Rylie envied. She had yet to find the balls that Chloe seemed to be naturally born with.
“We’re only ten minutes from Cooke City,” Chloe said, drawing Rylie away from her thoughts. “Are you really sure you want to do this? You’ll be on the run forever.”
“What other choice to do I have?” Rylie sighed. “I can’t stay with Layne―he’s horrible.”
“That fucker,” Chloe growled. “Treating you like he has. You’d think when he found his mate, he would treat her like a queen. Not like a door mat.”
Rylie wasn’t going to argue that point. Layne had been nothing but wretched to her. He’d barely spoken a word to her since their bonding ceremony, and even that Rylie wished she could erase from her mind.
Virgins should be handled with care―with consideration. Something Layne had obviously never been taught. Her first sexual experience held no touching except when he put lubrication on her opening and then shoved his dick in. If she never had sex again, she’d be perfectly fine with that.
“All right,” Rylie finally said, willing herself to leave the past behind her. “Go through it again with me?”
“Again?” Chloe groaned.
“Yes, again. I want to make sure you have your story straight. I don’t want this coming back on you.”
“Fine―once more, then that is it,” Chloe said with a firm look. “You called me up and told me you wanted to go for a drive into Cooke City.”
“Yes...and?”
“We went into a little store, I was looking at a book, then I turned around and you were gone.”
“Right! And what are you going to do when you drop me off?”
Chloe rolled her eyes, exasperated. “Call Layne and report you missing.”
“Exactly,” Rylie responded, ignoring the look. “Just stick to that story and you’ll be fine.”
“I have no idea why you are worrying about me. You’re the one who could end up six feet under.”
Wasn’t that the truth? “He won’t find me.” Rylie hoped, begged, prayed. “I’ll just keep running until he gets tired.”
Chloe’s expression shifted to knowing. “Let’s just hope he gets tired of hunting soon.”
A wave of fear mingled with annoyance as it washed through her. All of this was true. What if he never grew tired? Layne seemed the type of man who would chase her till the end of the earth. Not for romantic reasons, only because she belonged to him. He owned her, and what he owned, he kept.
Cooke City’s downtown lit the sky minutes before they entered the town. Wild-Wild West still played a serious role here. If a cowboy came out with the whole chaps and spurs get up, Rylie wouldn’t have been surprised. Cody, her home town, wasn’t a busy city compared to some, but it was definitely bigger than this hick town. A couple of gas stations sat on either side of the road, small stores―hardware, a local store, used book store, couple knickknack junky places and a few clothing shops―that was about it.
Chloe pulled the car off the road, put it in the park, then met Rylie’s gaze. “This is it then, I guess.”
“Yup, guess so,” Rylie replied, a lump forming in her throat. As much as leaving Chloe behind was gut wrenching, she was happy within the pack. Her mate, Devan, was a man to drool over and who loved her silly. Her place was with him.
Chloe breathed in deeply, then blew it out as she hugged Rylie tightly. “Be safe, okay?”
“I’ll sure try.” Rylie laughed, a nervous sound that said just how she felt.
Chloe backed away, her eyes filled with tears. “If you get in any trouble, call me. Devan said he’ll come and help you if you need it.”
Rylie kissed Chloe’s cheek. “Tell Devan I said thank you, but I’m just going to get as far away as I can. Layne will get bored. He will move on. I am sure of it.”
“Of course he will,” Chloe responded. “Give it a week and he’ll forget all about you.”
If Rylie hadn’t known her so well, she would have believed her. But as it was, she knew Chloe had just lied. “I’ll miss you,” she managed, her throat tight.
“Me too,” Chloe squeaked.
Rylie grabbed the door handle, opened it, then gave a push against the door with her arm. “So, I’m going.”
Chloe’s tears spilled over. “Yes, you’re going.”
“Right now,” Rylie said. Her own tears formed.
Chloe gave a firm nod. “Go.”
Rylie willed herself out of the car, forced her body to move, and soon, she was standing outside of the Bug with her hand on the door. With a firm shove, she slammed it closed. Tears overtook her vision―the world went blurry. Chloe’s cries echoed through the dark sky.
A cold rain came around Rylie. She raised her head to the sky and let the sensation ease her. She was free from Layne, from a lifetime of mistreatment, from years of unhappiness.
The sound of a phone beeping snapped Rylie back to focus. It was time. She needed to run. With a deep sniff, the scent of wolf surrounded her. Her heels dug into the ground, then she pushed off and ran as fast as she could.
A muscle car rested outside the local store, the headlights on, and a figure sat in the front seat. Whoever sat in that car was a male and he smelled rouge. A lifeline had just been thrown her way at the opportune moment. A rogue wolf wouldn’t be opposed to helping her. He wouldn’t know who she was or care what she was doing―he wasn’t bound by loyalty.
The rain splashed up as her feet banged against the ground. She never stopped running. This was a good way out. She continued to run toward the car, her need to get out of the line of sight growing more urgent.. The moment she met the passenger door, she slammed into the side, grabbed the handle and flew in, shutting the door behind her. She met the driver’s bewildered gaze. “Go―please, just drive.”
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