Feral (Wolf Ranch 3)

As part of my prep, the real Natalie had told me she’d talked with Boyd Wolf a month ago, that they’d found her fence cut and Markle’s cattle on her land.

The Shefield property was beautiful. Honestly, I thought I’d never want to see another ranch in my life after I left my foster home, but some silly part of me fantasized about staying here.

If I were the real Natalie, what would I do with the place? When I’d first arrived, my opinion had been she should do the repairs necessary to sell, to take the cash and run. Now? I wasn’t so sure. Cooper Valley was gorgeous—the view of the mountains was breathtaking, and the big blue sky and open range gave a spaciousness to my thoughts and spirit I didn’t find in Phoenix. Everything was so green. In the winter, it would be white, a frozen wonderland.

I was lost in those ponderings when I felt the hard pound of galloping hoofbeats. Tugging out an earbud, I heard a shout from the distance. “Natalie! Stop!”

I slowed, then stopped, even as it took me just a couple seconds to process that I was supposed to be Natalie. Rob was on a dark horse that galloped toward me at a breakneck speed, and he was pointing to my left.

I whirled and froze.

A bull, about fifty feet away, was squared off to me and running, horns lowered. The beast was black. Big. Pissed off.

Holy shit! Where the fuck had he come from? I got in a zone when running, but I didn’t think I was so focused to miss a fucking bull. What in the hell was it doing on this property? Natalie didn’t own a bull. Or cows.

I immediately knew.

Markle.

Mother. Fucker.

That asshole let his bull onto my—Natalie’s—property. Whether it was to take advantage of this land or to get me back for being with Rob, I couldn’t be sure. Right now, scrambling for my life, I felt pretty damn antagonized.

I veered right, not taking my eyes off the angry beast.

It ran straight for me, and it moved much faster than I could. I had to be quicker. My runners skidded in the dirt as I darted in the direction of Rob’s approaching horse. Maybe he could somehow swing me up on the saddle with him, Wild, Wild West movie-style.

His horse whinnied and snorted as he approached, racing to get ahead of me and distract the bull. My heart pounded as I swerved and slid out in the dirt, falling onto one knee. I narrowed my eyes, trying to figure out which way to go to get away.

The bull ignored Rob and kept coming after me.

Then Rob did the stupidest thing possible, and swung off his horse, his boots landing hard in the grass. “Get on—get out of here!” He shouted, reaching for me. The bull turned around and came back toward us. It was almost upon us and the horse had taken off in fear, leaving us both behind.

Now there was nowhere for either of us to run. No tree to get behind. No fence to jump.

Where was my gun when I needed it? I didn’t want to die like this. Seriously, it would be bad for my legacy, the DEA agent who’d been killed by a stupid bull in the line of duty.

A terrible, animal-like snarl came from Rob, coupled with the sound of tearing clothes and cracking bones. I’d had my gaze on the bull, and from the corner of my eye, pounced a huge wolf. The fierce animal attacked the bull, teeth bared, snapping for its throat.

I was cool-headed in emergencies. It was my job to keep my wits about me and do what had to be done. I’d been held at gunpoint. I’d seen sick fuckers do bad shit and took them down without even blinking. But I froze now, shocked by what I saw.

Rob’s cowboy hat lay in the dirt at my feet.

A ripped pair of jeans and white t-shirt hung off that giant wolf’s hindquarters as it chased the bull back, antagonizing it with ferocious nips on its shoulders, then flanks, as the beast spun and veered away.

What. The. Fuck.

The wolf remained, watching the bigger animal trot off, nose flaring and breathing hard. Finally, the wolf turned and loped toward me, its familiar amber eyes glowing bright.

I should be afraid. Very afraid. It was a fucking wolf.

And I wasn’t.

I stooped to pick up Rob’s cowboy hat, looking from it to the wolf as he approached. The animal was dark gray, the fur thick, a long line raised at the spine. It was huge—terrifying in size, especially after I’d seen those ferocious jaws snap. It body-checked my legs, making me stumble away from the bull, even though he was some distance away. Another body slam to move me, and then it showed its fangs.