Hunter's Heart: Wolf Shifter Romance (Wild Lake Wolves Book 5) by Kimber White

been called back. Fire’s almost burned out in the
storage shed. They haven’t done any more damage. The two that were circling the
south entrance aren’t there anymore.
    Derek barked again and pressed his shoulders against
the door. He could have easily torn through them, but then we couldn’t lock
them behind him. “Are you sure?” I asked. Derek went up on his hind legs and
dropped down again.
    “Shit,” I said. I went to the metal cabinet near the
wall and pulled out a duplicate AR-15, slinging the strap over my shoulder. “Fine.
But I’m not letting you go out there alone. I’ll watch your six. I think I’ve
proven more than once I know how to shoot straight when I have to.”
    Derek growled and pushed me backward with his snout
against my leg.
    “Get used to it,” Grammy called out. “My Jessa’s got
her own mind. And she’s not wrong. Besides, anything comes within a hundred
feet of her, you’ll be able to sense it and move fast enough to stop it.”
    Derek kept right on growling and narrowed his golden
eyes. A thrill ran through me as he fixed his gaze on me.
    “I’ll go with you,” my father said. But, when he
tried to stand up, his legs gave out and he would have hit the floor if Grammy
hadn’t been right there to steady him.
    “You’ll stay put,” Grammy said. “Derek and Jessa can
take care of themselves. Besides, just in case one of those bastards is out
there just waiting for the chance to get in here, I’d really rather not be here
by myself. Or alone with that one, even if he is out of commission.”
    The wolf in the cage squeezed his eyes shut. I
almost felt sorry for him. Almost. Then, the vision of him charging Grammy with
bloodlust in his eyes cured me of it.
    I flipped the safety off the rifle and gave Derek’s
wolf a nod. “Let’s get this over with. I go where you go.”
    I reached over Derek and slipped the bolt. Grammy
was right behind me. “Don’t open this up again unless you’re sure it’s me. Keep
your eyes glued to the monitors. We’ll head to the south end of the yard first.
That’s where it looked like they were headed. And if you spot any more of them
headed this way, shoot them.”
    “Oh, don’t you worry, honey. Not my first time at
the rodeo.”
    I gave Grammy a hug and a firm kiss on the forehead,
then turned and followed Derek out the door. Grammy slammed it behind me, and I
heard her engage the deadbolt. Nothing was getting through there unless she
allowed it.
    I turned toward Derek. Smoke quickly filled my lungs
along with the smell of burning rubber and gasoline. I covered my mouth with my
arm and kept my eyes on the white underside of Derek’s tail as he loped toward
the south end of the lot.
    An eerie silence settled over everything. Ash
covered a lot of the cars as we drew closer to the burned out storage shed,
adding to the post-apocalyptic vibe. Derek waited for me. I came to his side
and put a hand down, threading my fingers through the thick fur on his back. He
pricked his ears, turning the left one sideways. His heartbeat slowed as he listened
for danger. His black nostrils flared as he sniffed the air. Then, he kept
going.
    We were alone. No distant howling. Not even crickets
or frogs from the swamp on the other side of the north gate. We walked the
perimeter, looking for damage to the fence. We found it at the southernmost
edge of the lot. Just a tiny hole made with wire cutters, probably. So, they
hadn’t ripped through it with their teeth. They’d come prepared. But now, they
were gone.
    I felt the tension go out of Derek’s back when I
rested my hand against his spine again. He stretched out his front paws and
raised his tail high again. His fur rolled, and I stepped back, sensing a
change in the rhythm of his pulse. I remembered what Grammy said. Don’t get too
close to him during a shift.
    This time, Derek’s movement was seamless. Quick and
full of power. He rose to his full height, fur replaced with tanned skin
glistening with