Worth Fighting For

Chapter 1

The cellphone trill cut over the music pouring from the juke box in the corner of The Watering Hole. Misty set down her beer. Being the only pub in Vulpes Creek and the cool place to hang out in town on a Friday night, the place was packed. But she didn’t need to look through the crowd to know whose cell rang. That jazzy piano riff belonged to only one man in town.

Sure enough, out of the corner of her eye she watched Cody, Premier of the Vulpes fox skulk, push his way out of the crowded bar. Misty sighed into her beer and tilted her head to the side as he swept past her booth. No denying the man had a great ass.

“Still crushing on Cody, huh?” her friend Jen asked, following her gaze to their skulk’s Premier.

“He’s not a man easily forgotten.” Something Misty knew well. God knew she’d tried hard enough to get over him the past couple months.

Jen reached for her hand resting on the table and squeezed in sympathy. They’d been friends their whole lives, so Jen knew the ridiculous amount of time Misty spent pining for a man who thought of her as one of the guys.

“It’s fine,” Misty lied. “You can’t make someone love you, right?”

She’d tried that, too. But ever since Cody and Misty had met, the first day of middle school, they had become fast friends. Once puberty hit, Misty had developed feelings. Cody hadn’t. And because they were the best of friends, she hadn’t stood a chance. Not even wearing skimpy outfits or dating other guys had budged her position as “friend.” She’d done some stupid things trying to get his attention, but nothing had worked. All she’d ended with were nights full of regrets. She included her get-Cody-drunk-and-take-advantage-of-him night in the regret column. After everything that happened afterward, Misty was grateful he didn’t remember anything.

Or maybe he did and was trying to spare her feelings. He’d been remote since that night, almost as if avoiding her. Her gaze drifted to the exit.

“Have you tried talking to him since then?”

Misty’s gaze shot to her friend’s concerned one. Jen couldn’t be reading her mind...right? As close as they were, she hadn’t told Jen about that night. She hadn’t told anyone, too ashamed to even talk about it.

“Since when?” Her words were measured. Misty hated uncertainty. Her father had always told her when she needed to make a decision, make one and deal with the consequences later. Don’t pussy foot around an issue. Okay, so he told her that while teaching her to drive, but the lesson worked on so many different levels. Then again, maybe it wasn’t the best advice considering recent events.

“Since the morning you saw that slut in his apartment wearing his clothes.” The sneering tone of Jen’s voice told Misty how the “other woman” ranked in her friend’s eyes.

A snort escaped Misty and the first real smile of the evening curved her lips. Fierce loyalty was one thing she loved about Jen. Ever since Misty had confessed the morning she’d gone to Cody’s house and seen a woman coming out of his bedroom, Jen had insisted on calling her a slut. Even after learning the woman was an arctic fox who had gotten lost while hunting, and was now mated to the Premier of the neighboring wolf pack. It didn’t matter nothing had happened between the woman and Cody, or that she’d been dating the wolf when she’d stumbled into Vulpes Creek. All that mattered to Jen was the hurt her appearance had caused Misty.

“She’s not a slut. And don’t let any of the wolves hear you talk about her like that. Or Cody, for that matter. They adore her.” Cody had been moping around town ever since she’d left with the wolves months ago. According to the rampant town gossip mill, he’d thought he’d found his mate and was heartsick after learning she’d already been attached to Jason, the wolves’ leader.

To Misty, Cody thinking he found his mate wasn’t all that much different than him actually finding his mate. Both put him out of reach.

“Whatever. Now that she’s mated and marrying Jason, maybe things will change. Not that Jason isn’t attractive, but why anyone would choose a wolf over a fox is beyond me.” Jen strove for a light tone but Misty read the doubt in her friend’s eyes, belying the words. Jen had been quite vocal about trying to get Misty to move on, until she’d realized it was hurting their friendship. Clearly Jen didn’t believe anything would change, but being the good friend she was, she kept those thoughts to herself.

“What about you and Nick? Things seem to be pretty hot and heavy from what I can see.” Misty had to change the subject. She didn’t want to talk about Cody. She didn’t want to see the doubt and disbelief that she and Cody could ever be more than friends.

Before Jen could answer, Cody strode back through the door of the pub and stood inside the entrance, capturing everybody’s attention. Misty stared at him, a sense of foreboding filling her as she studied his frown. In their fifteen years of friendship, Misty had never seen Cody look this angry before. Whatever that phone call had been about, something seriously bad had happened.

“I just got off the phone with Samantha.” Great. Misty couldn’t escape that damn arctic fox. She rolled her eyes and took a swig to hide her sneer. “Someone has taken Julie, the youngest Callahan.”

The beer stuck in her throat and Misty coughed to clear her airway. Cody’s words replayed in her mind. Even though the foxes preferred to keep to themselves, the Callahan wolf pack was right next door. The two communities often worked together. Their middle schools and high schools were separate, but school lines bunched the two communities together for elementary school.

Julie had been four years behind her in school, but Misty remembered her well. How could she forget? The girl had gotten picked on for being a full human born to wolves. The bullies had been careful not to tease Julie around her siblings, but Misty had seen it happen and informed Julie’s sister, Laurie, who was in her grade. Misty didn’t know what Laurie had done. Truthfully, she didn’t want to know. But whatever she’d done had stopped the bullying.

Misty had been a bit of an outsider herself, being a runt, and as a result she’d always sympathized with the youngest Callahan. The thought of someone taking her left a sour taste in Misty’s mouth. Okay, that might be the beer. But this situation didn’t sit well.

The wolves were family. Maybe the red-headed stepchild of the family, but still family. Some of her red hair fell into her face, catching her eye–maybe the wolves were the non-red-headed stepchildren. Looking around the bar, Misty knew she wasn’t alone in the feeling.

“What do you mean, taken?” A male called from the bar.

“Kidnapped.”

At Cody’s reply, someone unplugged the juke box, cutting off Billy Joel mid-sentence. The silence in the room deafened. An attack against the Callahans hit too close to home to ignore.

“They don’t know who, but the wolves are tracking her scent. Samantha says they’re heading our way. I’m going to run out and see if I can help. I’m looking for volunteers to come with me,” Cody announced.

Chairs scraped against the floor as all around the bar, people stood. It was a busy night, but almost every male and quite a few females made their way toward the door, ready to help.

Misty took one look around the bar and the flood of people leaving, and made up her mind. Doing nothing didn’t sit well with her. If she could help, even in some small way, she owed it to herself and to the wolves to do it. She turned to Jen and raised her eyebrows, even as her friend frowned.

“You’re kidding, right? I’m not real great at the fighting thing, and unless you’ve been taking lessons I don’t know about, neither are you.”

Misty pushed out her lip and gave Jen her best puppy dog eyes.

They stared at each other until Jen rolled her eyes and sighed. “Fine, let’s go. But if you get killed, I’m taking your movie collection and if I get killed, I’m coming back to haunt you.”

“Deal.” With a big smile, Misty grabbed her purse and held out a hand for Jen’s. She ran to the bar in the back and hailed Jarrod. Being the bartender, he would have to stay behind and since he was a friend, could watch their purses for them.

He studied her a moment before tilting his head to the side and opening his mouth.

Misty frowned at him before he could speak. “Don’t lecture,” she warned.

He held up his hands in compliance before reaching for their purses. “I’ll watch your purses, but if you get hurt, I’m selling them to the highest bidder.”

“What would I do without friends who would steal my movie collection and sell my purse when I’m hurt?” Misty joked before she jumped up, leaning over the counter to kiss his cheek.

He stood back as she struggled to reach him.

“You could make this easier, you know.”

He simply smiled and crossed his arms over his chest. The jerk. Somehow, the two purses hanging from his hand didn’t subtract from his manly demeanor at all.

“Fine. No cheek kisses for you. Your loss, I give a mean cheek kiss.” She smiled as she backed away from the bar. Already, the cracks and pops drifted in from outside, signaling people had begun shifting. As she turned, she saw Cody guarding the door, brooding in her direction. She stood staring at him for a moment before squaring her shoulders and making her way to join the others.

Where did she think she was going? Cody had seen Misty stand up with the rest of the crowd and pass her purse over to the bartender. He stood and watched in amusement as she flailed around trying to kiss Jarrod’s cheek. His lip hurt where he’d bitten it in an attempt not to laugh. God, she was entertaining.

Looking down, he wiped a hand over his face, hiding the small smile that escaped. Was it any wonder they were friends? Back in middle school when he had been way too serious about grades and football, Misty had whirled into his life and made him laugh. She’d shown him that sports were not the most important thing in the world and that being silly wasn’t a bad thing. In fact, he’d wager Misty had been the biggest influence on who he was today. She’d taught him to laugh at himself.

But being friends for as long as they had been, Cody also knew a lot about Misty. Like her struggle with asthma. And the fact that Misty was not a fighter. At all. Even when she hunted, she more chased the squirrels than captured them. She had no business going with the pack when she would be a liability.

Their eyes met as she turned away from the counter. Cody stared at her until she squared her shoulders and started to walk past him. He knew that look. Misty might be goofy, but when she got an idea in her head, there was no changing her mind. Logic wouldn’t dent her determination.

Still, he had to try. He had no clue how dangerous the night would be. Surely, this one time she’d listen to reason.

“Misty.” Cody reached out and clasped her arm.

She didn’t try to fight him, stopping at his touch. But when she turned to him, he sucked in a breath. A strange plea shone out from her eyes, tearing into him. Maybe she was just putting on a brave face. Did she want him to stop her?

“I don’t know how this is going to go down. It could be dangerous. I don’t think you should go.”

She huffed out a breath, but ruined the effect by smiling. “Someone’s gotta watch your back, chief.”

Ever since he’d taken over as Premier of the skulk, she’d called him chief. He still remembered the day it first happened. The way she’d uttered it during one of her rambling rants and how she’d blinked afterward, looked straight at him, and told him she was always going to call him that from then on. True to her word, she did. Some people might get annoyed, but he loved it. It was silly and exactly the kind of thing he liked about her. Through that one word, she made sure he didn’t take himself too seriously.

And it was the reason she had to stay. Misty was goofy, and silly, and sometimes drove him insane with her lack of logic, but she kept him grounded. His mind hitched on the thought. How could the same thing drive him insane and keep him grounded? Yet somehow, that’s exactly what she did.

Shaking his head, he gripped her arm tighter. Risking her wasn’t an option. Determined to try again, or order her to stay if need be, Cody opened his mouth to protest but was cut off when Misty grabbed his arm and pulled him outside.

“No time for arguments. They’re waiting for us.” She pulled him out the door and he saw the rest of his skulk, already shifted, sitting in a group, staring at him. As much as he hated to admit it, Misty was right. There wasn’t time to argue. Still…

“Promise me you’ll stay toward the back. And if things get out of hand, you and Jen take off and go for reinforcements.”

“Yeah, sure,” she muttered, pulling off her shirt.

Focusing on her eyes instead of the appealing flesh she’d revealed, Cody pulled her around until she met his gaze. “Not, ‘Yeah, sure.’ Promise me.”

She huffed again, stirring her bangs, and rolled her eyes. “I promise I’ll stay to the back and go for reinforcements if things get out of hand,” Misty replied in monotone.

Having her along still didn’t sit well with him, but they needed to get moving. If Jason needed help, he couldn’t afford to waste any more time worrying about this. Everything should be okay if she stuck to the back of the group. Enough members of the skulk were coming, she would be protected. Right now, he had bigger concerns.

Samantha had been frantic on the phone. The panic in her voice had pulled at every protective instinct in him. It was silly to still want the woman now that she was mated to Jason, but he couldn’t help it. He couldn’t get her out of his head. So when she asked him to try and help her mate, he hadn’t even thought about saying no. Months ago when they’d first met, he’d told her he would be there whenever she needed his help. Now the time had come to step up to the plate.

Quickly stripping off his clothes, Cody dropped the reins of control and allowed his fox to take over. He gasped as the stress he’d been holding in his shoulders surrendered. The tension increased before fading to a dull ache as his muscles stretched and shrunk to his animal form. Skin rippled as fur surged down his body. The shift forced him to his hands and knees as his bones reformed.

When the shift completed, he stood and shook. It took a moment for his brain to assimilate with his new body, reconnecting nerve ending and pathways. But soon, it had cleared and he focused on the task at hand.

Facing his skulk, Cody let loose a battle cry and heard the sound echoed from the foxes around him. Without another word, he turned and took off.

Certain in the knowledge that the others would follow, he didn’t bother glancing behind him. Instead, he allowed his mind to wander as he ran toward the edge of town, passing homes along the way, and every now and then, picking up another fox. Whether word had spread or they joined the group out of curiosity, he couldn’t be sure. His own ranch-style house was the last, standing guard between the town and the surrounding woods. Cody sprinted past it into the fields where he’d first met Jason’s mate.

It occurred to him that if something were to happen to the wolf Premier, nothing would stand between him pursuing Samantha. But as soon as the thought came to him, he pushed it out of his head. That wasn’t him. And he didn’t want to be the type of person who could stand back and let something bad happen to a friend for any reason.

Sure, when he’d first met Samantha, his fox had stood up and taken notice. He’d felt something, a pull for her. Had even considered mating with her. His inner animal had been attracted to the little arctic fox who’d stumbled into their town. Samantha had been–and still was–a woman he imagined falling in love with.

Always curious, Cody had spent years learning everything he could about mating. The mating pull was nothing more than animal attraction. An instinct the creatures inside them developed. True mating happened when animal attraction met human love, an emotion that developed in their human half after time. The attraction was instant and couldn’t be faked. Cody had been attracted to women before, but never the attraction. The pull indicating he’d found his mate. His fox hadn’t taken notice of anyone. Until her… But that didn’t immediately mean they were meant for each other. Love and destiny were never that easy.

Did he regret not meeting Samantha before Jason? Sure he did. Who knew what might have happened? But not enough to refuse help when it was needed. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that Jason and his pack would be there if the skulk needed them. He could offer no less.

Besides, Jason wasn’t the only one in danger. Although he’d never been friends with Julie, he had seen her around, and knew many in the skulk were friends with her. She’d been a bit of an outcast in elementary school, but from what he’d seen, she had never let the experience make her bitter. She was as much a member of the Callahan pack as any wolf in the town. Especially recently, since mating Brendan, one of the wolves.

Moreover, someone kidnapping a member of a neighboring pack, no matter who, was a threat against him and his. And that was something he wouldn’t ignore.

He paused, lifting his head in the air and sniffing. No foreign scents. Although his sense of smell was stronger in animal form, it would never rival the wolves’ or dogs’. A grunt of frustration escaped, until a whine caught his attention. He turned to face his skulk and saw Misty standing sideways, staring off to the left. Her ears perked forward and one paw hovered above the ground. She whined again, turning and barking when she caught him looking at her.

What was she hearing? The rest of the skulk mimicked her strange behavior until Cody heard it–growling. Putting his ear to the ground, he heard the unmistakable sounds of a fight. The wolves were closer than he’d anticipated, barely outside the town barriers. Without a second thought, he took off toward the noise, the crunch of twigs behind him indication of his skulk following.

A lion roar blasted through the forest, freezing him in place. Lions? What were lions doing here? And what would they want with Julie? A lion pride could easily overpower a fox skulk, whose sheer size alone put them at a huge disadvantage.

He looked over his shoulder at the foxes following him. True to her word, Misty trailed at the back of the skulk with Jen. The sight of the two women in fox form made him hesitate. If they were going up against lions, there was a good chance someone would get hurt. Sure Misty was his friend, but something else made him pause. Some deeper concern. The thought that she could be hurt swamped him with anxiety.

As the sounds of fighting grew more intense, a sense of urgency filled him. The noises were just over the next rise, at the abandoned cottage between their two towns. He didn’t have time for this indecision, but for once, he didn’t know what to do. All of a sudden, the noises tapered off, and Cody knew he needed to move. Whatever apprehension held him back would have to wait until later for analysis.

Sparing one last glance at Misty, Cody dashed forward and saw five wolves holding down a cat–although it appeared the fight had left the animal. Not a lion, but a hybrid. Lion-cheetah, if he had to guess, based on the spots in his fur. Lucky for them, there was only one. Especially lucky considering how many wolves surrounded the large cat, holding it down. If it took that many wolves to restrain one of these hybrids, he didn’t want to imagine having to fight an entire pride.

A wolf moved from the cat’s hind quarters to the head of the beast and Cody recognized Jason’s markings. He didn’t need to be told what was about to happen–the rage simmering off the wolf said it all.

Cody glanced at the surrounding wolf pack. Julie was nowhere to be seen. The cottage stood dark and his animal senses told him no one was inside. This feline might be their one chance of locating her. Gathering all his energy, he rushed through the shift, taking to his human form in seconds. A grunt escaped him, the only evidence of the pain caused by rushing a normally fluid process.

“Jason, no!” he shouted, stumbling to his feet. His head throbbed and he shook it, trying to clear the cobwebs before focusing on the scene in front of him. The wolf remained still, the cat’s neck firmly in his mouth, but he did raise his eyes.

Cody almost staggered back in shock. The savage look in Jason’s eyes was contrary to the reasonable man he knew. He was so taken aback, he didn’t even notice the other wolf shifting until Jason’s brother, Ethan, stepped forward as human.

“Stay out of this, Cody. It doesn’t concern you.”

What was wrong with these people? He’d known these brothers practically his whole life. Considered them good acquaintances. This ruthlessness wasn’t like them. Yes, their sister had been kidnapped–Cody understood their anger and frustration–but they weren’t even thinking about the larger picture. Jason always thought big picture.

“We need him to find Julie,” Cody reasoned, trying to break through the rage surrounding the pack.

“How do you know about Julie?” Danny, the third and youngest Callahan brother, stepped forward to stand beside Ethan. At least he seemed more coherent than the other two.

“Samantha called.”

The statement caused a growl to burst from Jason’s throat. Cody couldn’t prevent a smirk from curling his lips. Antagonizing the feral wolf in front of him probably wasn’t the smartest idea, but he couldn’t help it.

From the few times he’d spoken to Samantha in the past few months, he knew the wolf resented the time Cody had spent with her. He couldn’t get over his mate needing to borrow Cody’s clothes when she’d gotten lost and stumbled into Vulpes Creek as fox. Even though they both knew nothing inappropriate had occurred, seeing his mate in another man’s clothing had brought Jason’s alpha wolf instincts a bit too close to the surface.

“We’ve got Julie. This is tying up loose ends.” Ethan’s voice was more animal than man. The tone as much as the words surprised Cody. They’d already rescued Julie? It only took him a moment to connect the dots. What was in front of him wasn’t wolves protecting their pack, their territory, or their loved ones. This whole scene screamed of revenge.

As a Premier, Cody stayed informed of the going-ons in other packs, prides, and skulks. He knew what happened to those who acted out of vengeance. While the council accepted a killing done to protect, a killing done for any other reason–even revenge–wasn’t tolerated. Any shifter who acted on those impulses became rogue in the eyes of the council and was sentenced to death. Jason knew that. Looking into his eyes, Cody realized the wolf in Jason had too much control over the man.

He saw Jason’s mouth tighten on the cat’s neck and knew he had to do everything possible to turn this around.

“Stop. If Julie’s safe, killing the cat is vengeance.” Cody came forward and stooped down. “You know the repercussions this kind of thing can bring.”

They’d both heard the stories. The most recent had happened last year. A zebra Premier and his zeal killed a gorilla shifter who had raped the zebra’s mate. Word reached the council and they sent their assassins after the man. The poor woman lost her mate on top of everything else, but it had served as a warning to other shifters. Kill for anything other than defense, and suffer the consequences. The council was created to maintain order, and they would do whatever they deemed necessary.

“We can’t just let him go,” Ethan raged. But Cody saw the understanding in Jason’s eyes. His brother might not understand, but the Premier did. Cody breathed a sigh of relief, knowing he had broken through.

The cat wouldn’t live. He’d not only endangered Jason’s pack, but involved a human. The council wouldn’t forgive that. But there was a right way and a wrong way to handle the situation. Right now, it fell upon Cody to ensure the proper procedure was followed. He’d need some of the wolves to help get the cat to the city jail, but from there, he would contact the council personally. There would be a trial, but without a doubt, the cat would be dead within days.

Despite the understanding in Jason’s eyes, his mouth remained wrapped around the other man’s throat.

“Your rage makes sense after what he did to your family. But don’t let it rule you. Go. Take care of your sister. If your pack will help bring him to our jail, I’ll make sure he’s delivered to the council for judgment. You and I both know what will happen to him.”

Cody saw the internal struggle as Jason eased off the cat. Every muscle bunched with the wolf’s movement. He couldn’t help but feel for his friend. Not only had his pack been attacked, his sister had been kidnapped. Sympathy filled him, but before comforting the man, he had a job to do.

As an only child, the closest thing he had to siblings were his best friends. He thought about Misty being kidnapped, and rage bubbled up, almost blinding him. Claws bit into his palm as his hands fisted, telling him how close he was to losing it. He needed to get it together.

Gesturing to the wolves holding the cat down, Cody turned to head back to town but stopped in his tracks. It was mean to tease the wolf when he was down, but the devil inside him couldn’t resist. Besides, a little teasing would help keep his own beast at bay.

With a smile, he swung back around. “Oh, and call Samantha as soon as you can to let her know you’re okay. She’s freaking out. Made me promise to come out here and save your ass.” He swallowed a laugh as Jason’s growl filled the night.

Misty strained her neck, trying to see over the heads of the foxes in front of her. She huffed in annoyance as she realized the pointlessness. If she hadn’t promised Cody she’d stay in back, she would have already crept forward. Admitting she wouldn’t see anything, she swung both ears forward, trying to at least hear what was happening.

Even the words were muffled. Her curiosity almost forced her forward, but she bit her inner lip, remembering her promise. At least the tone of the conversation didn’t seem confrontational.

Giving up trying to hear anything either, Misty dropped her butt to the ground and sat. She might as well have stayed at the bar. At this point, it didn’t seem like she would see anything interesting.

Misty coughed to cover the chuffing laughter bubbling up as Jen looked over and rolled her eyes. At least she wasn’t the only bored one. A couple foxes glared at her over their shoulders at the noise, before turning back to the action. Apparently they had a decent view.

With a tilt of her head, she gestured Jen forward. Cody had made her promise to stay back, but he hadn’t said anything about Jen. If Jen saw what was going on, she could fill Misty in later over beers. Not ideal, but at least she’d know what happened. How sad would it be to come all this way and still be out of the loop?

Luck was with her and Jen understood the unspoken request. Misty watched her snake through the crowd to get a better view. After she was gone, Misty raised her head and stared at the pattern the leaves on the trees made against the sky.

She should be grateful the situation was settled before they’d gotten here. It wasn’t like she knew how to fight. But the pull of adventure had been too strong to resist. Like those people who strapped a bungee cord to their ankles and jumped off bridges, the element of danger excited her. Personally, Misty thought those people were crazy, but then again, many people would think running toward a potentially lethal shifter fight was crazy, too. To each their own.

Besides, the thought of Cody fighting, potentially hurt, while she sat in a deserted bar, sipping her warm beer, would never sit well with her. She’d be half out of her mind with worry if she’d stayed behind. It would never have worked.

Bored from lack of action was a better alternative to crawling out of her skin with worry. Plus, Jen could give her all the gruesome, or not-so-gruesome, details later. Even if the skulk had arrived late, surely something exciting was happening or else they wouldn’t still be here. They’d have turned around and gone back to town.

A stick snapped behind her, the noise jerking her to her feet. She twisted to find the cause, but it was too late. A giant black cat, unlike anything she’d ever seen, leapt straight toward her. Misty had no time to move before being tackled to the ground.

The impact forced the air from her lungs as the ground scraped against her cheek and shoulder. The weight of the animal crushed her as they slid to a stop.

Misty lay stunned, struggling to breathe. Her mind screamed to fight, to get out from under the cat, but her body refused to listen. She heard foxes barking, growls from nearby wolves, and even some human shouts, but pushed up against the belly of the beast, couldn’t do anything to help or reassure.

Her lungs fought to drag in air but could only take in shallow breaths, even as her mind compelled her to move, to struggle, or wriggle, or something. She heard the foxes and wolves surrounding her, knew they fought the black cat, but none managed to remove him.

Without warning, the cat moved, his heavy weight crushing her chest. Her lungs, still struggling to draw breath, became even more constricted.

Finally, her body registered her mind’s pleas to fight. Her arms flailed uselessly against the beast. The longer he sat on her, the harder it was to focus. If she didn’t get him off soon, it would be too late.