Wolf at the Door Read Online Free

proves we really can’t let it
continue.”
    “But to get her to cooperate we need her
trust. Gotcha there. I’ll run it myself, see what I can find.
Anything else?”
    “How’d Bannock take the news?”
    The two nearest wolf-shifter alphas couldn’t
have been more different. Where Timber took in misfits and used
subterfuge to keep them safe, hiding in the shadows, Nathan Bannock
was a powerhouse. Delphi was the largest wolf pack in Colorado, and
its alpha was a force to be reckoned with. But Bannock also made
sure every wolf in his pack was registered with STE so he couldn’t
be accused of doing anything shady.
    And he also made sure that every other wolf
pack out there knew to stay the hell away from what was his.
    “Pissed as all get-out. There were a few
moments there where I was pretty sure you’d set me up to get a fist
in the face.”
    “Bannock’s got control.”
    Tate huffed. “He’s also got one hell of a
temper. Still, they’re on guard, he’s pulling in his pack. He took
the picture of Rebecca Morgan. I wouldn’t be surprised if everyone
in his pack with brown hair ends up blonde by the end of the
night.”
    It was smart, but it might not be enough.
    “He was already ordering a buddy system as I
was walking out the door. What the hell is this guy? Former
military?”
    Brandt nodded. “Marine. He works security
now. Delphi is probably the safest, especially now that we’ve
tipped off Bannock.”
    He rubbed the paper under his fingers. Unlike
Bear Creek. They would be prime pickings for a madman, and that
worried him. Tension gnawed his gut, chasing out the exhaustion.
“Get me that background check.”
    “Yes, sir.” Tate gave a brief nod of
acknowledgement and left his office.
    Brandt glanced back down at the paper,
carefully unfolding it so he could read the names. She had fifteen
wolves in her pack. He swallowed. They’d known of six. She’d
smuggled in more without bothering to register them—crappy fake
identities or not.
    But at least he had a list. He couldn’t rule
out the possibility that Wolfman had come here to hunt someone
specific. It might not be likely, but there was a chance. And he
had to work this case from every angle.
    With a sigh, Brandt swiveled to face his
computer and got to work.
     
    ***
     
    Timber hadn’t actually expected to sleep that
night, but she’d been hoping. Instead, she stared up at the
ceiling, covered with cold sweat, as she fought to gain control of
her breathing again. Her heart still raced with panic. Normally
after a bad night she might have a few quiet ones, when her body
was too exhausted to dream.
    Not tonight.
    Not after the Hound had shown up to warn her
about the possibility of a serial killer. Not after seeing Becky’s
dead face in that picture. Timber squeezed her eyes shut. Poor
Beck. The woman had run from an abusive ex, one who’d threatened
her so many times she finally fled in fear of her life. And as much
as she felt guilty for it, Timber hoped it had been Becky’s ex
who’d found her. Hoped that she’d died quickly. Because Becky’s ex
didn’t have a reason to go after anyone else.
    With a groan, Timber rolled out of bed. She
couldn’t just lie there mourning and feeling sorry for herself. She
could only do what she could do. The rest was up to the universe
and its crappy version of fate. She threaded her fingers through
her scraggly hair, pulling at the knots until her hands slid
through easily.
    Sleep wasn’t an option. What she wanted, she
realized with a start, was to run. To let the wolf out, shift under
the sliver of moon in the sky, and just run it out. A laugh stole
up her throat then, surprisingly bitter. She might have done it
last night, but only a fool would go out alone tonight. Until this
killer was caught there’d be no more late, solitary runs.
    She sighed and trudged down to the front room
and her book. If she couldn’t run, maybe she could lose herself in
another world. The book was still where she’d