Defiant Wolf: White Wolves, #1

By Julie K. Cohen

Letting her leave is smart. Pursuing her... pure instinct.

April volunteered for a dangerous mission to escape Nathan.

Now Nathan's pulling strings to be her guard.

He plans to mate her, blood-bond her, and bring her back.

April has other ideas.

When the mission goes horribly wrong, they must put aside their differences

And face the greatest threat to them both…

Their Alpha.

 

◆◆◆
Fight Hard. Love Harder.
Defiant Wolf is a wolf shifter romance about a male who is desperate to save the woman he loves and a woman who finds herself in an impossible position. The novel includes steamy scenes, heartache, redemption, and a very happy-ever-after.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Julie K. Cohen
• Release date: Jul 28, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201854294

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

APRIL

J ust so you know, Jacob Novak whispered in April’s ear, the guard you choose on this mission has total authority over you. He answers to me, not you. He is there to bring you back alive, but foremost to ensure the mission succeeds. You will do what he says, when he says it. If he says to run, you run. If he tells you to kill, you kill. If he tells you to fuck him, then you damn well better fuck him. Is that clear?

Yes, Alpha, April said, her voice barely a whisper. The alpha’s hot breath remained on her neck, stirring the shorter hairs in a way that cemented the sense of doom overtaking her.

April kept her eyes trained on the group of five wolf-shifters lined up in front of her, not daring to meet her alpha’s eyes as he stepped to her side. With a final grunt, he faced the five guards once again. Terror ran through her, but shaking was not an option, at least not here in front of her alpha and the guards he had chosen as contenders.

The smell of the guards’ unwashed bodies was another reminder of the hell to come. Fresh from patrol, these shifters were not the least bit tired. No, they were too aroused, too eager to claim her, to be tired.

April’s fingers dug into her jeans. She had no escape, no way to avoid this. The only choice she had on this mission was which guard would protect her, which guard would screw her.

She should be focusing on which guard had the best skills to keep her alive, but all she could think about was each guard’s reputation with the females in her pack. Each one of these guards was large, powerful, brutal. Her stomach rolled at the thought of them touching her. None would be gentle. Their alpha, a wolf no one dared defy, had just given whichever guard she’d choose the right to do to her as he pleased, as long as the mission succeeded. Jacob’s guards eagerly volunteered for dangerous missions, because screwing the females in their charge was their reward.

Why the females ‘volunteered’ was a whole other matter.

April quickly squelched the tiny flutter in her stomach upon seeing Nathan, a tall shifter with jet-black hair and equally dark eyes, approach from the cover of the trees. The way he merely lingered behind the line of guards suggested he wasn’t here to help her. No one could get her out of this mess, not even the alpha’s middle son.

Nathan’s eyes traveled over the five guards and then settled on his father, the alpha. Not once did his eyes find hers. Why the hell was Nathan even here? Probably seeking out the alpha for another matter. His presence wouldn’t change the outcome of her predicament, unfortunately. He’d arrived too late to hear the alpha’s instructions.

Not that Nathan cared about her.

Despite the way their relationship had ended, April couldn’t take her eyes off of him. Staring at the guards, knowing one would be having her, made tears build behind her eyes. For as long as she could remember, she had always been drawn to Nathan. Probably always would be. Nathan had always been the place she felt safest, and now she was exposed, vulnerable in a way she never wanted him to see her.

Nathan’s black t-shirt hugged his form nicely, accentuating his chiseled pecs and biceps. That shirt she once yanked off of him tapered to a trim waist, drawing her eyes downward. His powerful thighs were a sign of a strong shifter who ran miles and miles each day and had no trouble thrusting into a female for as long as it took for her to reach her peak.

April’s cheeks flamed at the memory of all those nights they’d snuck off together, to be alone, to explore each other’s bodies. Nathan’s black eyes suddenly bore into her; he’d caught her staring at him. His square jaw clenched as a growl erupted from his throat. That growl had been directed at her, for good reason.

The five guards straightened and puffed out their chests when Nathan growled. These shifters were prepared for a challenge; they would defend and claim what they saw as theirs.

Her.

Especially now that Nathan had made it apparent to every wolf in the pack that he no longer cared about her.

Nathan’s entire body tensed as he shoved his hands behind him, likely to hide tight fists that would betray his anger, the anger she had caused.

Weeks. He had avoided her for weeks, and now he showed up in the one place she didn’t want to see him. All her mental preparation for this moment, being forced to choose the guard who’d make this mission a living hell, fizzled into the black pit that was her soul. Seeing Nathan destroyed what little courage she had left. She needed to be strong and resilient for her mother and sisters.

Nathan didn’t approach his father or motion that the alpha was needed. No, his presence here was far worse than bad timing. Nathan had come to see who she’d choose, as if she’d asked for this mission into Boulder.

Did Nathan know what the guards did to their charges on missions? No, of course not. As second-in-command to the alpha heir, his older brother Slater, Nathan didn’t mix with the guards much. He strategized, counseled, and carried out Slater’s orders.

April was now in a similar position as Nathan. Except it wouldn’t be the tough-yet-fair alpha heir giving her orders, but a rough, hedonistic guard.

Choose, her alpha commanded. You leave in an hour.

From behind the guards, Nathan glowered at April but said nothing as he waited to hear who she’d choose. The vein pulsing in his neck said enough. He held no empathy for her. She had destroyed any compassion he’d had for her when she dumped him last month with how she had dumped him. Heinous, compassionless, spiteful.

Tears filled April’s eyes. She wanted to call out to Nathan, but she didn’t dare. This wasn’t his problem. She was no longer his concern.

Choose! Jacob yelled, causing her to jump in place.

Miller, she cried out as the air left her lungs and all hope drained from her soul.

The shifter with light brown eyes and a scowl a mile long grinned. Of all the guards, he would hurt her the least. Not that he would be gentle. He’d use her body for his pleasure, again and again.

April ran from the center of the compound into the thickly wooded forest and down the trail that led toward her family’s cabin. Her lungs tightened from the cold air, even as her wolf howled from within, begging to be free. Her wolf would run for her, but she’d follow her instincts and run toward the pack. Her pack was the last place April wanted to be right now.

April! Miller called after her, his thunderous voice sending pure fear through her entire body.

She wasn’t ready for this, for him, for Miller to see the blubbering mess that she swore she wouldn’t be. She stopped abruptly, though, and waited on the trail. Leading Miller to her family’s cabin was out of the question. She trusted nothing about the shifter and couldn’t let any part of this mission touch her family more than it already had. She wouldn’t risk her sisters’ or her mother’s safety.

Using the back of her hand, she wiped away the messy tears and stood her ground. This was her reality, the one she had chosen. The wind whipped her face, carrying Miller’s foul scent to her.

Climb, April, climb high as you can. Nathan’s words from years ago, when a rogue shifter had breached the perimeter, came back to her. Nathan had sent her up a tree while he’d fought the intruder.

April found herself climbing the tree. Surely, Miller would find her up there. He was a border guard; tracking was one of his skills.

If he gets past me and climbs, Nathan had said, hold on to the tree for dear life and kick the hell out of him. Let him fall and break his fucking neck.

Could she do that to Miller? Jacob would punish her for disobeying his orders.

To her surprise, Miller appeared on the trail below seconds later. He spun around, sniffing in all directions. The wind had died down, leaving him no scent to follow, except for what already lay on the ground. The way his nose scrunched, she knew he caught her scent, except he couldn’t figure out which direction she’d gone. Her trail had ended, leaving him puzzled and cursing to himself. The idiot never thought to look up.

Playing games with me, April? he called as he continued down the trail.

Shaking, April clung to the tree, twenty feet off the ground. It gave her a moment to collect herself. There was no avoiding this mission, or Miller. The moment she had appeared before the alpha, taking May’s place, she’d known what was involved. Jacob had been quite explicit about the mission details.

With Nathan out of the picture, her family was all she had in the world.

He wouldn’t be coming back to her, especially not after she’d dumped him in public, humiliating him with her insults. She’d been so angry, so hurt, but he hadn’t deserved that from her, despite what he’d done.

For weeks afterward, he had avoided her.

Then, yesterday morning at breakfast, he’d slipped that note to her, under her tray, like when they were teens. Her heart melted at that small action, a reminder of how easily he could brighten her day.

She’d pocketed the note, afraid to read it since she didn’t want to be late for her meeting with Jacob about the mission. It had taken all of her energy and focus to leave Jacob’s house without falling apart. When she’d returned to the safety and comfort of home, she’d locked the door to her bedroom and curled up on the bed and cried into her pillow. She’d clutched the note against her chest the entire time, holding onto the only connection to her greatest love and her greatest loss.

After crying herself out, she’d read the note.

Nathan had invited her to meet the next morning.

A simple breakfast picnic by the falls. He wanted to talk.

She had considered going.

Everything had changed yesterday, with that one meeting with the alpha. She could no longer be with Nathan. She wouldn’t be the same shifter after this mission.

I’m warning you, April! Miller’s voice boomed through the woods, shocking her out of her memories and nearly causing her to fall from the tree.

From her estimate, he’d been searching for her for a good five to ten minutes. The growls accompanying his words suggested he had lost his temper. Already.

What the hell had she gotten herself into?

Maybe I’ll head down to your cabin and wait for you there, he shouted, his voice getting more distant. He was heading farther away. It’s been a while since I’ve seen that sweet sister of yours. What’s her name, May or June? The knockout blonde with the big tits.

April scurried down the tree, fearing he’d do it. Go after May.

Here, she called out as she buttoned up her jean jacket, covering as much of her body as she could before Miller caught up to her.

Seconds later, he strolled up the path. Massive. Intimidating. Her new protector. Except no one would protect her from him.

He towered over her, backing her against the rough bark of the tree. I’m glad you like playing games, he said, snaking a hand under her jacket. We’ll be playing plenty over the next few days.

Inside, her wolf howled, even as April tried to ignore the shifter’s clammy touch. He’d do much worse to her in the days to come. It was better to submit now, not anger him.

Except when he found her nipple, it became too much. She shoved his hand away. My j-job is to—

Miller’s face pulled tight. Your jobs it to obey me! Get your stuff. You’ve wasted enough time making me track you. We’re leaving in fifteen minutes.

Jacob said an hour. I want to say goodbye to my family.

Enough, you defiant bitch! Miller raised his hand, ready to strike.

NATHAN

Nathan shoved his hands behind him so no one would see his clenched fists. His wolf clawed at him from within, trying to force a shift, eager to tear into each and every guard standing in front of him. They were not the problem, though, not entirely. Their alpha, Nathan’s own father, posed the greatest threat to April.

These missions to blackmail rich men by taking pictures of them in compromising positions with females had ended two months back at Slater’s urging. It hadn’t been easy convincing Jacob to stop using their females in this way, but he and his brother had made a convincing argument. Or rather Slater had. Jacob often listened to Slater, his heir. Now wasn’t the time for Nathan to bemoan being Daddy’s second, no, third favorite son.

The alpha before Jacob, Nathan’s grandfather, had invested in real estate in several major cities in Colorado. Those investments had brought in enough cash for the pack to buy supplies they needed to live deep in the mountains. As funds ran low, Slater had convinced Jacob to sell off smaller holdings instead of sending their shifters into harm’s way, and the alpha had agreed.

So, why was April being sent out on a mission? Nathan swore under his breath, certain that if Slater had known about this latest mission, he would have told Nathan. Hell, Slater would have stopped it. Jacob must have cut Slater out, too. Which meant Jacob urgently needed cash. What for?

And why April of all the females to send out? She had been Nathan’s girl. Jacob knew that. Was this yet another way of keeping Nathan in line?

Nathan’s wolf rose up. The reason no longer mattered. He couldn’t let April go out on this mission. Hell, he couldn’t let any female go out, not with how the guards had been brutalizing them. Nathan’s own father had given the bastards outright permission to rape and abuse the females in their charge. Unforgivable!

Nathan let his eyes wander over the alpha’s three personal bodyguards. If he challenged his father, they’d cut him down at his father’s command. Nathan was expendable, after all. Logan, his younger brother, would move up and become Slater’s second if anything happened to Nathan. Jacob would probably like that, given how Logan could do no wrong in Jacob’s eyes.

April spotted him and quickly averted her eyes. What the hell was going on with her? Why would she volunteer for this mission? Why had any of the females, for that matter?

The guards that Jacob hand-picked for these missions were brutes. Nathan had spied on them while they drank and caroused around their bonfires deep in the woods while they were off duty. He’d heard them talking about the females they accompanied on missions, speaking of them as if they were toys they’d used, owned, controlled. Yet not one of the females had dared to speak out about the guards’ abuse, even in private when Nathan had confronted them. They’d been too scared, too traumatized.

The females of his pack already had very little say in anything other than child-rearing and some of the most menial chores, such as working in the cookhouse or catching fish and small game. The alpha had repeatedly allowed the wanton abuse and rape