The Wolf's Proposal: A Wolf Shifter Paranormal Romance (The Witch's Pack Book 3) Read online

  The Wolf’s Proposal

  The Witch’s Pack Book 3

  By Rachel Medhurst

  Copyright 2021 © Rachel Medhurst

  Please note that the author is English so spelling is in British English.

  CONTENTS

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  The Wolf’s Captive

  Copyright

  Author

  Chapter One

  “Shit,” Malone said, jogging on the spot. “What am I doing?”

  He paced his workshop, huffing as the wolves gathered in the living area below us. It was the first time he’d allowed me into the place where he carved beautiful furniture with his bare hands. Okay, maybe not bare hands, a chisel or something. Hopefully he didn’t expect me to know how carpentry actually worked. I would totally embarrass myself.

  “You’re doing the right thing.”

  His nerves sunk into my skin, putting me on edge. Malone was about to make a confession to the pack, and although it wasn’t about me this time, I was there with him and for him. And I could feel every single one of his fraught emotions as they battled within his chest.

  The bond was a strange phenomenon that bound two people intrinsically together without them even knowing one another. In a way, it was romantic and sexy. In another, it was fucking hard work.

  “You’re right.” Shaking his head, he paced towards me. “I need to show them who I am so they can trust me.”

  His black leather boots brushed against my pumps as he stopped, his arms coming around my waist. I wound my hands behind his neck and licked my lips as I looked into his brown and amber eyes. His pupils dilated as he bent his head and kissed me, burying his hand into my hair and holding tightly.

  Desire pulsed over my body, warming me from the inside. It felt like it had been days since we’d breathed and got lost in one another. I needed the comfort of his reassurance, it soothed my soul.

  Ertha’s death had upset me more than I cared to admit. Yes, she’d been a threat to my brother, and although a week had gone by, I still couldn’t get her slack face out of my mind.

  I had never killed anyone before, it wasn’t something I wanted to do regularly. Malone, on the other hand, had praised my courage, telling me that wolves were more accustomed to fighting, and killing, so I’d get used to it. I wasn’t so sure I would.

  Pulling away, my alpha stroked my cheek. “Let’s do this.”

  Smiling, I blinked slowly before stepping out of his embrace. His deep breath was followed by action, his feet taking him across the room and down the stairs. I followed behind him, glancing back at the workspace he called his sanctuary.

  There were several large wooden tables covered in different tools and instruments. A fierce looking table saw was dusty, the fine wood fragments littered all around it. A half cut piece of timber lay on the floor nearby, the top of it roughly hollowed out. Malone had obviously started something but not had time to finish. How long did it take him to make a table? And how the hell did he get it out of his top floor workshop?

  “Della!” he hissed from the bottom of the steps.

  Shaking myself of my random musings, I joined him, giving his solid arm a squeeze in encouragement. The voices of the pack filtered through to us, some laughing and joking, others serious and sullen.

  When we’d announced the news that Ertha was dead, the pack had been half jubilant, half wary. Once again, I would attract the wrath of the Brighton Coven. I had been on edge, waiting for an attack, but nothing had been forthcoming. Yet.

  I’d used as much magic as possible to hide the camp from the outside world. So far, it had held up, not allowing so much as a human to come too near. I had to do more, though, I couldn’t live in a state of fear, waiting for an attack from both the witches and Kieran.

  “Are you sure this is a good idea?” Malone’s jaw was clenched as he peered down the corridor and into the living area. His thick shoulders were hunched, and his eyes creased at the sides, pulling tight with worry.

  “Yes, this has to be done. Now.”

  Glancing at me, he fought a smile as he straightened his shoulders and lifted his head high. “You’re right, my alpha queen.”

  A giggle burst from me, echoing away from us. The others fell quiet, and I clamped a hand over my mouth. Okay, so now they knew we were hiding in the shadows. It was time.

  Malone tapped my nose and pecked me on the cheek before striding on, his hand reaching back for mine. I skipped to keep up with him, lacing my fingers through his as we passed the bedroom doors and emerged into the living area.

  “Oh, yeah,” Manual piped up straight away. “Busy upstairs, were you?”

  Clenching my teeth as several of the pack chuckled, I glared at Manual. Talk about embarrassing us in front of the whole pack.

  “Nah, I didn’t have time. As if I could do it in a few min…” Malone trailed off, his raised eyebrows quickly dropping when a few of the older members stared disapprovingly.

  His cheeks turned a slight shade of pink as he lowered himself onto the only available space on one of the sofas. So he should feel sheepish. It served him right for playing up to the immature males in the pack.

  The wolves were sat around on all available surfaces, including the floor. They either looked bored, perplexed or intrigued. It wasn’t every day they’d been invited to the alpha’s private apartment for a meeting. In fact, according to Malone, it had never happened before.

  “As you all know,” he started, indicating that I should squeeze in between him and Emiliah, who smiled and patted the sofa.

  I did as I was told, almost losing air from my lungs in the squash between the pair. Lionel was sat on the other side of his mate, watching us closely. Ever since I had taken Ertha down, he’d been… nicer than before.

  A scent reached me just as Malone was about to open his mouth. Drake. He was in one of the bedrooms, not able to attend the pack meeting. My chest squeezed, a pang making me inhale sharply. It felt wrong to be sitting among those who were technically my new family without him there.

  Panic started to grip me, my skin heating and sweat breaking out on my forehead. How could I sit here while my brother sat alone? We had never been apart, never gone with other people enough to leave one another behind.

  Malone’s hand found my knee, clenching gently to remind me that I was there for him. My torn emotions raged within me, bubbling up in my chest and making it hard for me to breathe or listen as the alpha spoke.

  “… Ertha was stopped in her plan to turn the Crawley Pack into her familiars. Kieran has taken control of the pack and isn’t giving the wolves a choice. We don’t know what their next move is or whether the witches are still working with them. I just know that we’re under a great threat and we need to be united.”

  The wolves watched us, barely looking away from their alpha. They were used to being in the firing line. Tom, Malone’s father, had pissed off enough wolves to last a lifetime. And yet, here we were, once again, the focus of another pack’s anger. This time, it was on us.

  Clearing his throat, Malone dropped his gaze to the grey fluf
fy rug and licked his lips. The others were silent, waiting for him to continue. A person could fart and it would be heard, that’s how quiet and intense everyone was.

  After the brief pause, Malone lifted his head and looked at Joe, who raised his eyebrows. He had been Tom’s best friend and second in command. He’d held a grudge ever since Malone had turned me, even been the ring leader inciting the pack to kill me. And now, he waited patiently to see what Malone had to say.

  “Frizz was dying of cancer.”

  The collective gasp ran around the room, the height of it rising and ebbing. Malone clenched his hands into fists, gripping my knee on reflex. My heart bled for him as the others stared, their frowns etching lines into their foreheads.

  “Why didn’t she say anything?” Emiliah muttered, wiping a tear from her eye. “I thought she was high from doing drugs with Kieran.”

  Malone’s gulp was audible as they waited for an explanation. “She hid it from all of us for a long time. She was desperate to get away from Kieran and…” His throat closed, strangling his words. “She came up with the plan for me to help her end it. I… I wish I’d never done it, but…”

  “You had to do it,” Joe said, his gravelly voice cracking. “In order to keep her honour.”

  The alpha’s chin wobbled as a film of water covered his eyes. I held his hand tightly, my own woes forgotten as the pack grieved all over again, in truth this time.

  “She always was a bad arse,” Lionel said flatly, “she would’ve hated cancer to take her. I suppose, we’re the only type of creature able to euthanize one another without the powers that be questioning it.”

  I snuck a glance at the hard man who hated me. His tone might have been flat, but a tear escaped from his eye before he quickly swiped it away. Wolves could heal when injured, yes, but normal illness obviously took them the same way as the rest of us – except vampires, they’d obviously died already.

  “I refused, numerous times, but when I…” His throat closed again. “…found her passed out, I finally agreed. She concocted the plan, ordering me to tell you that she was dying after she was gone. I… I was too ashamed of my actions, unable to face you all.”

  “Why would you be ashamed?” Henry asked, rubbing his eyes.

  Frizz was obviously a loved member of the pack. I hadn’t seen any pictures of her or heard anyone else speak of what she was like. Clearly her death had created a rift and Malone hadn’t realised that honesty would’ve healed it.

  Lifting his head higher, Malone looked at his friend, his eyes still red from his grief. “Because I killed my sister, regardless of the reason why. I was able to…” He dropped his head as a sob wrenched from his throat.

  I rubbed his back as I bit my lip, allowing my own tears to drop from my eyes. I could feel his angst and agony as it whirled inside him. He hadn’t allowed himself to face what he’d done. Admittedly, I’d been shocked to learn that he’d been capable of killing his sister, and even now, I wasn’t sure if I could do it to Drake, regardless of what he asked me. However, I admired Malone for helping Frizz when she was in so much pain.

  Manual stood and walked behind the couch, putting his hand on Malone’s shoulder. Emiliah reached across me, clasping his knee with her fingers. Joe came forward and knelt on the floor in front of Malone.

  Every one of them were crying, their grief shared in a way I had never experienced. No wonder the wolves were so loyal, they loved and supported each other fiercely.

  “What happened is done,” Joe started, nodding his head and flicking his grey ponytail over his shoulder. “It is time to move on. I expect you to be the alpha your sister would’ve been proud of. If you put your pack first, with your… mate… beside you, you’ll lead us forward well.”

  My eyes narrowed on the elder, although I couldn’t be too pissed about his pause when mentioning me. He had basically accepted me into the pack with his words. So, it was a case of swallowing down the sting and getting on with it.

  Wiping his eyes, Malone lifted his head and looked the elder in the eye. His cheeks were red and the vulnerability sent my heart racing. If we’d been alone, I would’ve wiped his tears with my tongue before soothing his soul with my body.

  “Thank you,” Malone said, his voice strong.

  “I pledge my allegiance to you and your way of doing things.” Joe raised his hand.

  Malone stretched out his clenched fist, clearing his throat when Joe lowered his forehead and touched his knuckles.

  Other wolves got up from their resting place and came over to do the same thing. Malone’s shoulders lifted, his head coming up also. His pride was being restored by his pack. And it was about time, too.

  Once everyone, including Lionel, had touched their heads to Malone’s knuckles, he rose to his feet, a humble smile coming to his face. “Right,” he said, huffing out a breath. “It’s time to grow our pack and take down those who are determined to get to us first.”

  Chapter Two

  “I’ve just got an email from a witch named Heather,” I announced to Drake and Malone, who sat at the kitchen island, eating Chinese. “Wanting us to meet the Brighton Coven elders at the standing stones.”

  The pack had left an hour before, heading back to the camp. We’d promised to follow, but it looked like our plans were about to change.

  “It’s not safe.” Malone chomped on a battered chicken ball before throwing one at me.

  Catching it, I rolled my eyes and dipped it into the sweet and sour sauce, savouring the flavour as I placed it in my mouth.

  Drake shook his head, his concern etched in the creases around his eyes. “I agree with Malone.”

  So when had it become okay for them to gang up on me? They’d only known each other for five minutes, surely it was against the rules.

  “They’re vulnerable right now,” I countered. “It could be our only opportunity to persuade them to unlink Drake from the stones.”

  “Whatever happened to our quiet life?” Drake muttered, his light eyes twinkling for the first time in a while.

  “You really want me to answer that?” I shot back, working hard to hold back the bite of resentment in my voice.

  I didn’t hate my brother for taking the painting commission or for accidently attacking a wolf. However, I was a tad sad that he hadn’t felt that he could tell me what Ertha was asking of him. We had told each other everything before now.

  Tapping a reply to the email, I got up from my stool. “Fine, I’ll go alone.”

  They both surged to their feet, blocking my way out. I put my hands on my hips and regarded them. “Are you going to force me to stay? You know I’ll win in a fight.”

  Snorts echoed from both of them, their arrogance almost matching. The hard truth was the elephant in the room, despite their good humour. My magic was more powerful than both of them. Not that I wanted to use it. Unless I had to, of course.

  Drake and Malone looked at one another, clearly having a private bromance discussion with their eyes. Ugh. Maybe they should’ve been fated mates instead.

  “We’ll come,” Malone said.

  Throwing my hands in the air, I spun and went to the bedroom to retrieve my bag. My heart fluttered as I pictured the coven and their stern faces. I understood why the others were concerned, but my gut instinct told me that they wouldn’t try anything stupid in their vulnerable position.

  “Thank you.” Malone’s deep gruff voice travelled under my skin.

  Turning, I licked my lips, my chest pounding even more as I studied him. He leant against the wall on one shoulder, his arms crossed. The bulges of his muscles almost bursting from the tight Tee sleeves.

  Tilting my head to the side, I smiled. “For what?”

  He pushed away from the wall, his slow footsteps bringing him closer. My head fell back as I strained to look up at him.

  The memory of his vulnerability, and the scent of pine, made me shudder. How could one man affect every nerve in my body, setting it alight?

  “For being by m
y side when I faced the pack. It went better than I expected.”

  Stroking my hands up his arms, I rested them on his shoulders. “I knew it would. See, all it took was honesty. Sometimes, you just need a little nudge from a little witch.”

  His dark eyes sparked, the wicked grin that spread over his lips giving them a glint. I had no idea what innuendo he’d taken from my words, but it wasn’t the time for him to be looking at me as if he wanted to devour me like a cake. Ugh, even the thought made me shiver for him.

  “As much as I want my legs wrapped around your waist,” I said, dragging my nail across his collar bone, “we need to go and see these witches.”

  Lowering his head, he captured my bottom lip in his teeth and nipped gently. A sharp shot of pleasurable pain slipped through me. I grasped his head, flicking my tongue into his mouth before tracing his lips slowly.

  “Let’s get this done quickly,” he murmured gruffly.

  Stepping back, I spread my arms wide. “My point exactly.”

  Making our way out to the front room, we linked our fingers together and approached Drake, who waited patiently by the door.

  “There’s no need for all that walking,” I said, waving my hands to our feet. “We’ll teleport so we can scope the place out first.”

  Drake frowned, his hesitation obvious in the worry that crossed his eyes. Was he afraid of my magic?

  “I promise it’ll be quick.” Waving my fingers, I smiled when he grasped them.

  Picturing the woods near the standing stones, I shuddered when we materialised under the canopy. Drake gasped and shook his head, his eyes widening when he focused on the greenery around us. Malone moved to the edge of the woods and peered down into the valley. I followed after squeezing Drake’s arm in reassurance.

  “Are they there?” I whispered.

  The scent of them wafted up my nose before Malone replied. They were most certainly there. I recognised the smell of every single witch who stood beside the stones, talking casually. There were five of them, the rest of the elders left in the coven.