Page 1 of Refuge

Chapter 1

Leeza stood in the shadows as the pack made their way into their small temporary camp. She had wanted to go with them but couldn’t make herself do it. She wanted her revenge but had been too weak in mind and soul to follow through.

Cole Jackson stopped, his dark brown eyes searching until they finally landed on her. It didn’t matter how far in the shadows she hid, he would find her. Cole turned to say something to his brother Kile before walking toward her.

With a deep breath, she stepped out of the darkness to face him. Her heart betrayed her as it pounded in her chest the closer he got. Once, not so long ago, maybe…. Her eyes shifted away from him. Not now. What could have been was no more.

“He’s dead.” His deep voice penetrated so deeply her knees buckled, but she caught herself. She would not show weakness, not in front of others, not in front of him.

The man who had changed her, in the eyes of everyone, was dead. She wanted to speak but didn’t trust herself, so she nodded, still not looking directly at him. “Thanks.” It was all she could manage, was all her brain could form, the only thing she trusted her open mouth to speak.

“Leeza—” Cole was ready to say something but stopped when his older brother and alpha of their pack, Eric, called out to him. With a curse, he shook his head and walked away.

Her gaze slowly moved to watch him walk away, her heart going with him. Hissing a curse of her own, Leeza turned and headed for one of the enclosures. With silent ease, she opened it up and walked inside. Ari was a handsome wolf-dog, who remained where he lay in the back of the enclosure. There was something about Ari that comforted her, as if he knew and understood the turmoil she suffered.

Still cautious, Leeza eased herself toward him with measured steps. His large head had lifted as soon as she walked inside but lowered, showing a trust she had earned in such a short time. Sliding down, she sat next to Ari without saying a word, then leaned against the fence, staring up at the night sky. It was clear with what seemed like millions of stars that blurred from the tears welling up in her eyes.

Ari’s head lay gently in her lap. Leeza raised her hand without looking, her fingers lost in his fur, taking comfort wherever she could find it.

Closing her eyes, she wondered briefly if she should have followed Sherry and left the pack. Her mind returned to that night. She had never liked Foster Manning. He had that creep factor, always staring and whispering crude remarks under his breath. He was a handsome man, no doubt, and the women of the pack flocked to him. His disregard for the authority of their alpha, Eric Jackson, was done without stepping over the line of being kicked out of the pack. No, Foster was always careful of that, being a newer member. There were some who were not as loyal to their alpha, and Foster made sure he sided himself with those people. Leeza hadn’t liked him on sight, and her usual first impressions always proved correct.

Sherry was an innocent bystander who got caught up in Foster Manning’s games. Seeing the attention the man was plying on the younger woman made Leeza nervous. She had tried to talk to Sherry, but Sherry was so excited that an older man who looked like Foster was paying her attention, she didn’t hear the warnings or perhaps she simply made a conscious decision to ignore them. It was a regret both women suffered.

While out for a run in her wolf form, Leeza had stumbled upon Foster Manning, and he hadn’t been alone. Beneath his half-naked body had been Sherry, who’d lain underneath him, bloodied and bruised and being violated. Wide-eyed, Sherry had stared at the sky until slowly, her head had fallen to the side, her eyes meeting that of Leeza’s wolf.

With no thought to her own safety, Leeza had reacted, leaping toward an unsuspecting Foster, knocking him off Sherry. He’d shifted; they’d fought. He’d been stronger, his wolf more experienced in fighting. Taking a quick glance at Sherry, who’d been curled up in a ball silently crying and shaking, had made Leeza’s blood boil. Even then she couldn’t beat the man.

The sound of male voices had stopped his vicious attack on her. With one growl and a grand show of teeth, Foster Manning disappeared, still in wolf form. Hurt, Leeza knew she shouldn’t have shifted, but she’d needed to help Sherry. Shifting into human form, against her better judgment, she’d crawled her way toward the crying woman, noticing her own blood dripping and soaking into the ground. Reaching up, Leeza had touched her face, only to pull her hand away smeared with crimson red. Before she could reach Sherry, they’d been surrounded by male members of the pack, including their alpha and his brothers.

That was the day she had lost herself. That was the day Foster Manning had sealed two women’s fate.

Her injuries were more severe than she’d realized, but she’d refused to shift because Sherry had needed her, begged her to stay with her. Even when Sherry shifted to heal, Leeza had remained human. It wasn’t until days later that Leeza, once alone, had shifted, but only for a short time. It was enough to heal everything, other than the slash down her face and her heart.

During the time she’d taken care of Sherry, she had felt like an outcast. No one talked to her, the men avoided her, and the women seemed uncomfortable around her. She was devastated; she had failed to keep the younger girl safe. Taking care of the younger and weaker was important in their pack, and she had failed. Yeah, she should have left with Sherry.

A lonely howl brought her eyes open, and she realized that Ari was feeling her emotions. Still beside her, he had lifted his head without her realizing it and howled.

“I’m sorry.” Leeza touched his ear then rubbed. “I’m not good company tonight.”

Ari settled, but Leeza didn’t. The agitation in her body was annoying to the point she wanted to shift and run as far as she could, as fast as she could. And yet, she just sat with her back against the enclosure fence and stared.

Not even a day ago, they had up and left their homes to start fresh at Stone’s Wolf Sanctuary. Their alpha, Eric, had found his mate in the owner, Gemma Stone. Not one person was against the move, herself included. She was ready to move, had thought about doing it alone, and then this opportunity presented itself. Some of the older pack members stayed behind to keep an eye on their small town until things were ready to finish the move.

As soon as Leeza had stepped out of the car she had ridden in with a few other pack members, she felt at ease, the wolf-dogs calling to her. She had immediately been drawn to them, their needs, and she was more than happy to lose herself in the work that needed to be done.

The only downfall was to find out that Eric’s mate had been taken by the man who had attacked herself and Sherry. Fear, hate, a deep need to kill, indecision and confusion weighed her down, shut her down, because what if she failed again?

She had watched the males as well as a few higher-ranking females of the pack leave, while she’d stood back shaking. Cole had looked at her only once before shifting, then followed his alpha, his brother. She should have gone. Regret that she hadn’t was like a cold hard knot in her stomach.

People she knew her whole life looked at her differently. Every look sent shards of frustration and turmoil through her. She was who she had always been, wasn’t she? Slowly, she ran her fingers over the scar on the side of her face. She used her long black hair as best she could to hide it, not because she was ashamed, but because it seemed to bother others. Especially Cole Jackson. Whenever it was exposed and his eyes found it they turned hard, and his whole demeanor changed.

The thoughts of Cole had her stomach fluttering. Her feelings for the man were intense and she thought he felt the same, but now she wasn’t sure. With her brother, Riley’s, sickness, their relationship, if she could even call it that, had been slow. The thought of Riley brought tears to her eyes. She missed him so much. His death had almost killed her, but Cole as well as his brothers and her pack had been there for her because of their respect for Riley. She wiped an escaped tear from her eye.

Her scrambled thoughts went back to Cole. They had made a strong connection, interacting more and yet, there always seemed to be something pulling them apart. She knew what her strong feelings toward him meant; at least, she thought she knew. Yet since the attack, she wondered if she had been wrong. The future she hoped for with Cole Jackson… no longer seemed attainable. Maybe he wasn’t her mate, but she had been so sure. She reached up, touching the scar.

Even with the scar, she was still Leeza Snow, wasn’t she? That didn’t change anything, but then again, maybe it had changed things for Cole. The self-doubt, the indecisions, and internal questions were driving her insane. She honestly felt like she was going crazy, and that scared her more than anything.

“Hey.” A woman’s voice came from the darkness outside the enclosure. “I need to give Ari his medicine.”