Wolf Love: Wolf Series Prequel Read online

  Wolf Love

  Wolf Series Prequel

  M.R. POLISH

  Copyright 2019 M.R. Polish

  All rights reserved.

  Editing: C. Wilcox

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  The Wolf Series

  by M.R. Polish

  Prequel: Wolf Love

  Book one: Wolf Spell

  Book two: Wolf Dream

  Book three: Wolf Fate

  Book four: Wolf Prophecy

  CONTENT

  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

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  What Next?

  Acknowledgments

  More Books by M.R. Polish

  CHAPTER ONE

  1924

  Adonia

  The solemn atmosphere clung to me as I paced the wooden floor in the spacious home of William Black, the head of the BOMB. The freshly wallpapered walls with blue flowers common in nearly every 1920s home, stared back at me as I sought out a distraction from the meeting being held upstairs. It almost mocked me in my attempt to remain calm. I couldn’t shake the sensation of dread as it crawled over my skin.

  Hela, please, talk to me. My husband’s spirit wolf was my only form of communication to Torres while he met with the BOMB officials. The Bureau of Magical Beings had never before requested Torres’s presence without me. I wrung my hands out and began pacing again.

  The uprisings against the Le Coterie, witches and warlocks who have fallen to the evil side of magic, were increasing. It was no longer safe to be a magical being. Witch, vampire, guardian… No one was protected, despite all the efforts of the BOMB.

  What could they possibly need from my husband?

  Torres was the first guardian in our existence. At least the first we knew of. Even after a hundred years, we were still learning things about his gift, and trying to pass it on to those who had become like him. He was connected to a spirit wolf who could lend him power. Hela, my husband’s spirit wolf, and Torres were as one, and together they were complete. But it had changed Torres in many ways. Although, not all changes were bad.

  I smiled to myself. They weren’t bad at all.

  Magic had little to no effect on him anymore, which was a good thing because of the conflict with the Le Coterie, but it wasn’t certain. My magic seemed to be the only power to work on him, but I feared there could be others who could slip past this barrier as well. And then, there was the fact that Torres had once been mortal. However, he had stopped aging after he was thirty years old, so that gave me hope too. My fingers were crossed, hoping that meant he had become immortal.

  The wolves had saved my husband and in return, I had been able to bestow a gift of my own upon all guardians that passed down through the mystical guardian line. One that I didn’t realize would be so monumental until later in life. Each guardian could choose one power to wield.

  I hadn’t realized when I gave Torres the gift that the ability to choose a power would flow to all those in the pack. Not that I was complaining. It was just all new territory for us all.

  I stopped pacing long enough to close my eyes and listen for Hela. What’s going on?

  Hela’s gravelly voice filled my mind as if he were really in my head. The meeting just ended. Torres is on his way down to you now.

  As if on cue, footsteps fell on the staircase winding up to the floors above. I rushed over to meet my husband at the last step, my hands falling gracefully to the wooden banister as I looked up to stare into his eyes. His sorrowful stare couldn’t lie to me. Something was wrong.

  “Adonia, my love. You paced more than a wild animal caught in a cage.” His gentle banter couldn’t cover the alarm his expression conveyed. Standing a head over me, his large frame shadowed my own. He had always made me feel protected, even though I was the one with magic. Now, I searched his features looking for clues of things he might try to hide from me.

  His straight nose led to thin lips. His dark midnight black hair was quite the contrast to my own fiery red tresses. And a hard jaw that I loved to caress, clenched in concern as he gazed down at me.

  “I feel like a caged animal with no answers. What is wrong?”

  As he took the last step to stand next to me, Torres winced before taking my hands in his. His black oxford shoes landed softly on the wooden floor in front of me. He stared wistfully at the empty staircase then returned his gaze to me. “We should talk back at the hotel. Not here, my dear.”

  My heart pounded so hard that my chest ached. I didn’t want to wait until we returned to the hotel to talk. I needed answers. “It’s bad, isn’t it?”

  He tried his best to smile at me as he took my shawl off the coat rack by the door, placing it around my shoulders. “It could be worse.”

  The walk back to the hotel was quiet. I could feel the tension surge off Torres in radiated pulses.

  He held open the door to our room for me, but he stood in the open doorway unmoving, watching me. I was used to his eyes roaming over me, but this time it was different. There was a sadness penetrating his stare.

  Casually, I lifted the shawl from my shoulders and placed it on the end of the bed. “Are you going to stand there all day or come in?”

  That seemed to break the spell holding his movements hostage. He closed the door behind him and took a step further into the room.

  “Why did Mr. Black want to speak with you, alone?” I went about the room as if it were a normal day and a normal conversation, slipping off my shoes to replace them with slippers. Even in a hotel, I made myself at home. Maybe if I played it off as normal everything would be fine. It was the only way I knew how to calm myself. Pretend everything was fine and ignore the stress piling up.

  “He had some concerns that he thought I could help with.”

  “Tell me about them.” I bit my bottom lip and sat down in front of the vanity, reaching up to unclasp my necklace. Seeing the reflection of him standing behind me, I smiled. The dark gray suit he wore did little to conceal the perfect tan complexion and the fedora did nothing to hide the gold specks in his dark brown eyes that sought me out. He was flawless in my eyes. He always had been, always would be. He was my soulmate in every way.

  But he wasn’t acting normal. His usually proud demeanor was lost.

  Torres chuckled, but sobered quickly. “He seemed to be under the impression that I had something to do with causing the war.” His slight Spanish accent had faded over the years, but still lingered en
ough for me to remember the days past of when we met in Spain.

  I wanted to curse William for saying such a horrible thing. I could too, but I wouldn’t. Yet. “That’s absurd. You’ve had nothing to do with the war other than trying to help end it.”

  Torres plucked the hat off his head and tossed it to the bed next to my scarf before walking back up to me, smoothing my hair to the side with gentle fingers. Those same fingers helped me with the necklace. “What if I did?”

  I reached up and grabbed his hand. “My darling, I know you. You would never do such a thing. And William should apologize for making such a ridiculous accusation.”

  “There’s more.” He held the necklace out for me.

  I took it and began the process of pulling the pins from the top of my hair. “By all means, tell me. What more could the BOMB dream up?”

  “They’ve assigned you a seer.”

  Picking up the brush, I began sweeping it through my long red strands. “A seer? You’re serious? I don’t need some lady telling me my future. Some gypsy ready to tell me lies. This is absurd.”

  “It’s not so much your future she has seen as it is our daughter’s.”

  I stilled. My breath caught in my throat. Slowly, I raised my gaze to his reflection. “What are you saying? We don’t even have a child yet.”

  Torres softly placed a hand on my shoulder. “No, not yet. But we will.”

  “You don’t seem happy about this.” Not that I was overly ecstatic. Bringing a baby into the world, especially our world was scary.

  Torres’s face fell ashen. “I have to be honest with you. I’ve made choices in my life. Choices before I met you. I’m worried they will affect our daughter.”

  No. I wouldn’t let anything happen. I twisted on the small bench to look up at my husband. “There’s nothing that you could have done in your past that would hurt us now. That was a long time ago.”

  He kneeled down, meeting my gaze straight on. “Adonia, my love…” His voice cracked.

  “Don’t.” I placed a finger to his lips. “There is no need to beat yourself up over something that isn’t, nor will it be. You have done nothing to our future daughter. Whatever it is, don’t let them fill your mind with such guilt. Do not take the Le Coterie’s accountability.”

  He squeezed his eyes shut and hung his head, leaning forward to rest against my chest.

  I placed my hand on his head, pushing my slender fingers through his thick mass of hair. Whatever had transpired out of the meeting was truly ripping him apart. I wanted to help him, but if he wouldn’t disclose everything to me, then there was little I could do. I knew pushing him into talking tonight would be fruitless. I wanted to know more. Especially about our future daughter, but the strain on him was too much and I knew there would be time for more conversation.

  “So what does the BOMB want you to do about this? Help me understand.” My voice cracked at the low whisper.

  He leaned back, raising his head. “They want me on the front lines. A spy of sorts. They know the witches are using seers, so the Le Coterie will never suspect a guardian.”

  My heart thumped rapidly in my chest. “They can’t do that. You don’t have magic. You’ll be killed!” I will curse them all!

  “I have to try. We need all the knowledge we can gain before we attack. This has to end, Adonia. It has to.” The years of being on watch shown in his eyes. He was just as tired as I was. Always moving, never trusting anyone, afraid of letting our guards down.

  “So, it’s true. War has been declared?” I stared at my husband, fearing for an answer I already knew. Months of fighting the Le Coterie left me uncertain and weary.

  War had officially broken out in our world, and our daughter would be a prize.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Torres

  I was restless and couldn’t sleep. Finally, I rolled to my side. Adonia slumbered next to me, the steady rise and fall of her chest assured me that she was deep in a dreamworld. At least one of us were.

  Carefully, I touched the side of her face. Her skin was smooth and creamy. So different than my own rough skin. Her dark lashes shadowed her cheeks in the dim light, but I knew the brilliant green that hid beneath those lids. Her eyes always had a sparkle for me, especially on the first night I met her.

  So many things had changed since then. Now I was older, wiser… more experienced. Now I was a guardian. I was her protector. There wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do for her.

  I couldn’t help but rake my gaze over her small frame. How a woman as little as her held as much magic as she did was beyond me.

  Laying there, my mind went back to memories I could never forget. I could still remember the pain of the night she was taken from me. It was a different time, but the same darkness we fought now was just rearing its ugly head.

  Nicholas had taken her and hid her in a void where her magic did no good to save herself. Plus, she was heavily guarded with Le Coterie leaving no way for me to get her out. I followed her to the protected building, but there was nothing a mere mortal like me could do to save her. I didn’t even know the cell they kept her in was a void until later.

  I still felt the cold night air that bit into my skin as I trudged into the woods that night, begging the wolves to help me save my wife. She had told me many times that the wolves carried a magical spirit, and I believed with my whole heart that they could save her, for I was a mere mortal with nothing to help her. I was weak and powerless.

  I hated that feeling and shook it off. I was no longer that version of myself. That Torres was long gone.

  My mind went to the first time I saw Hela. The massive white wolf carried his head tall as he sauntered toward me, eyeing me as he approached.

  “Please, help me. Save her.” I had spoken to the wolf who stopped just feet away from me. I had no idea what to expect, if anything at all. I was desperate and wanted to save the woman I loved. I didn’t even know if coming to the wolves would work. No one had ever tried, as far as I knew.

  Hela had looked at me with empathy in his eyes, a bond started between us then, and for the rest of my life, I would forever remember the first bite.

  The wolf lunged at me, jumping on my chest, knocking me over. His razor sharp claws dug into my flesh as his jaw clamped down on my chest.

  My heart raced remembering the moment. I closed my eyes giving it the respect it deserved, because it truly was a moment that changed not only my life but everyone in our world’s lives, too.

  A mix of fear and adrenaline took over, but I didn’t move. Something had told me that this was my sacrifice to save my wife, and as long as she lived, I didn’t care how I went. I would give my body for the wolves to eat over and over until I was mere bones if that was what it took.

  I remembered laying there, bleeding out on the ground as I stared up at the starry sky, the wolf who had just bitten me laying only a foot away. The writhing pain ebbed like fire through my veins, burning out my mortality.

  I didn’t think I was going to survive that night. I remembered fading in and out of consciousness as I fitfully tried to detach from my anguish. Rolling over on the ground, back and forth, the blood didn’t seem to stop. The pain grew to a level higher than I ever thought possible.

  It was not until morning that I realized I would live. I blinked back the bright light after spending the last half of the night unconscious.

  Strange. I felt strange, not hurting as I had throughout the night.

  Touching my chest, I no longer felt the bite marks or scratches from the beast’s claws. Dried blood took its place as a reminder of what happened, and the only proof.

  But what of my wife? Had she survived the night unscathed?

  A warbled voice calmly entered my mind. Sitting up, I shook my head, trying to clear it. Everything was fuzzy. I wasn’t sure what had happened, or how.

  Again, the voice echoed in my head as though there was a person right next to me. How are you feeling?

  My heart rate picked up, and the feel
ing of panic began to override me. I looked around, but no one was there except the white wolf who lay calmly next to me.

  “I’m going mad.” I tried to stand, but wasn’t quite ready after everything that had transpired.

  Not mad. You have been through much. Our spirits are now joined as one. It was painful for me as well.

  Now I knew I was certifiable. The voice was talking to me as another human being.

  Down here.

  I’ll never forget glancing down cautiously at the white wolf. He looked up at me and cocked his head.

  You asked the wolves for help. The spirits have answered. I will help you.

  Slowly, I leaned closer to the wolf, a little leery about his teeth as I learned from the night before were deathly sharp. “You can talk? In my mind?”

  The wolf stood up. I am Hela, Alpha of all Guardians. The spirits have not only blessed you, but me as well. I am humbled to have joined with an honorable man who has a great heart.

  I jumped back, not sure of what was happening. I didn’t want to correct him. I was far from honorable. But I was trying hard to bury my past and start anew.

  Peering closer at the animal, I studied him as I spoke. “Hela? And we are… joined? I don’t understand.”

  The wolf took in a long breath, releasing it slowly. You will. But for now, we must move quickly. We have wasted too much time here already waiting for you to heal. Your body fought the gift, but finally subdued around dusk. I believe you are healed enough to travel.

  My mouth went slack. But I did as the wolf instructed and stood, feeling revived, energized. A tingle throughout my limbs spread to all my nerves telling me I was different. I had never healed like that on my own before.

  I nodded at Hela. If he meant we were to save Adonia, then I would do it. I wasn’t sure how, but I would try. If I could survive a night like I had, then anything was possible.

  Leaving the woods, Hela stopped. I’m not sure how we will do this, but together we will figure it out.