Inferno: Werewolf Romance (Smokey Falls Wolves Book 1) Read online

  Inferno

  Smokey Falls Wolves Book 1

  V. Vaughn

  Sugarloaf Press

  Copyright © 2018 by V. Vaughn

  All rights reserved.

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

  Cover by Croco Designs

  Editing by Jodi Henley, Red Adept Publishing and Angie Ramey

  Contents

  About This Book

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  About This Book

  When werewolf Juliet goes on a camping trip with her human girlfriends, the last thing she wants to run into is a group of male wolves on the prowl for mates. She’s been acclimating herself into the human world just to avoid the cocky-as-all-get-out type of men who break her heart. But when she meets Roman, her life without a true mate is about to change.

  Roman is the alpha of his pack, and with pressure from all sides, he’s in search of a mate who can handle the challenge of a strong leader. When he finds her in Juliet, he discovers the very woman who can steal his heart and help lead a pack is also the kind who will challenge him in ways that could cost one or both of them their lives.

  * Formerly titled Stand by Your Wolf

  One

  “Juliet!” I turn toward the voice of my college roommate, Alisha, and take in her impossibly long legs and wavy salon-blond hair. Damn it. She didn’t get fat. Not that I thought she would. She’s one of those people who actually likes to run and competes in marathons. I’d hate her if I didn’t love her so much.

  I ignore the groan of the ancient conveyor belt as it begins to move to bring in luggage, and rush over to her. She lifts me off the ground in a huge bear hug. She’s a foot taller than I am, and I squeal when she spins around like I’m a rag doll. “Put me down!” I cry out.

  Alisha sets me back on my feet and twirls one of my curls around her finger. “I’ve missed you so much. I love, love, love your hair! I always said you should cut it in a bob like this.” She steps back to inspect me further. “Whew! You’re still smoking hot.”

  And this is one of the reasons why Alisha, a human, was my best friend in college. No matter how down I’d get about being a curvy girl, she always thought I was sexy. She helped me get to a place where I appreciated my body.

  I link my arm with hers. “I missed you too. Where’s your luggage?”

  She waves her hand in dismissal. “It didn’t make the connection. The airline is going to deliver it to the RV park later.”

  “Well, that sucks. You know you can borrow anything of mine that you want.”

  She smiles at me, and I grin back. “I knew that. Thanks.”

  I ask, “How long until Chelsea and Jayden get in?” Our two friends lived in the other half of our suite at Winter Valley University and are human too. As a werewolf in a pack with very few females, I was the odd one out when I couldn’t find a mate—a fact that is apparent every day now that we’ve graduated and my girlfriends have moved to other places.

  “They should be here in about an hour,” she says.

  The four of us are going on a camping trip in Deep Water Creek. While I would have preferred a beach vacation, Alisha is getting her masters in elementary education and has limited funds. The wheels of my bag rumble behind us as we approach the waiting area. She proposed a bare-bones vacation, but I put my foot down at the tent and carrying everything on our backs. I can’t imagine sleeping in the woods in human form, and my friends don’t know what I really am, so we’re renting an RV instead.

  “Good,” I say. “We can go get a coffee while we wait.”

  We find a place that has every version of caffeine one could want, and we get in line. Alisha is going on about the kids in her class when a familiar scent makes my stomach sink. Werewolves. When we hear their laughter, it doesn’t take more than a second for Alisha to stop talking and turn to gawk at them.

  “Holy hotness at one o’clock,” she says.

  She whispered, but with their acute hearing I have no doubt they heard her, and it’s confirmed as the four of them look our way when I glance over. Great. This isn’t how I want to start my get-away-from-it-all vacation.

  I sigh, and Alisha says, “Yeah. They’re not your type. Big, muscular, and cocky as all get out.” She chuckles, knowing she’s right. I swore off my kind and searched out quiet, nerdy human males when we were in school, while Alisha lusted after the werewolves who would only date casually unless she was a mate. I watch Alisha slowly scan the men with her gaze. She lets out a low noise of appreciation. “You know, Juliet, it might be time for you to let that prejudice go.” She nudges me with her elbow. “We’re on vacation after all. Live a little.”

  She has no idea that these guys are not my type in their other form either. “I make no promises, but since they’re definitely your type, we can sit at the table next to them.” I’m not being as generous a friend as I appear. I’m interested in why these guys are in a small-town airport and where they might be headed. I might even get some info about the local packs and make sure we aren’t headed toward trouble. Being in an RV park will keep us safe at night, but if we go hiking like the girls have planned, I don’t want to invite danger with my scent.

  A guy takes my order, and a marker scratches as he writes my name on a paper cup before he hands it to a woman who is making the drinks. Alisha ordered before me, and she says, “Grab my coffee? I’ll go save our table.”

  I grin at her because I know what she really wants is to make sure nobody steals the spot next to the hot guys. “Of course,” I say. I watch her walk over, and before she sits, she manages to strike up a conversation with them. I roll my eyes as I recall how boy crazy she was in college. Not much has changed, but at least I’ll get the CliffsNotes version of what the group of werewolves are up to by the time I join her.

  Alisha’s drink comes up quickly, and since mine is a fancier one that I expect will take forever, I carry the coffee over to her. When I hand it to my giggling friend, the drink maker calls out, “Juliet!”

  “Whoa.” A guy with hair to his shoulders hits the one who’s wearing glasses. “Romeo, did you hear that?”

  I let out a sigh because the Shakespeare joke is way overdone when your name is Juliet, and I imagine Romeo feels the same way. His nostrils flare, and he definitely looks uncomfortable, too. I go get my drink, and when I come back, Alisha says, “These guys all work together and are here on vacation too.” She points at each one. “Dean, Byron, Alex, and Roman, but they call him Romeo.” She waggles her eyebrows at me. “Star-crossed lovers?”

  I give her a wry smile to be polite, but I have no interest. Although, something about Roman intrigues me, and I take a moment to study him further. He’s not the usual kind of attractive. His nose is crooked as if it’s been broken, and his eyes are the kind of intense that’s scary. The expression on his face isn’t helping, either. He’s sitting next to Alisha at his table and scowling.

  It’s strange that I’m drawn to Roman. While he’s just as built as the other guys, his shirt is looser, and I think he
might be less of a jerk. I notice a muscle along his jaw twitching as he glares at me, and it makes me wonder why he’s pissed off. When his nostrils flare again, I react by doing the same. And that’s when I get it. The heavy odor of their combined testosterone floods my senses, and my stupid wolf snaps to attention. I grab my coffee and take a big swig to tamp down my primal urges before they all smell them. The hot liquid scalds my tongue, and I grimace. These guys are on the prowl, and I think Roman isn’t happy his friends are flirting with a human.

  Alisha continues talking. “They’re camping close to where we are staying, so I invited them to come join us one night.”

  I cover my mouth to keep from spewing out my second sip of coffee. “You did?” Maybe that’s why Roman is mad. Some werewolves don’t enjoy human female company, and I bet he’s one of them. I say, “I don’t know.”

  “Oh, come on,” says Alisha. “They’re all single. We’re all single.” She shrugs as she smiles at the guys. “You never know what might happen.”

  That’s what I’m worried about. I glance at the guys and hope they get my hint. “Alisha, we don’t know anything about them. We’re all just simple school teachers, and what are they?”

  “Firefighters.” Alisha sits back and crosses her arms in satisfaction as she smirks at me.

  I want to groan, because there’s no way I’m going to keep Chelsea and Jayden away from these guys now. I’m also suspicious because the story sure sounds like a line to me. It would be just like a group of male werewolves to spin a tall tale just to hook up with human girls on vacation. I glance at Roman again, and his gaze flits quickly back up my body as if he’s trying to hide that he just checked me out.

  More than annoyance begins to simmer in me. “Really.” I squint in doubt. “Who’s putting out the fires in your town now?”

  “There are a lot of us,” says Alex as he smirks at me with confidence.

  What these guys don’t realize about me is that I’m as headstrong as female werewolves come, and I’m so onto their games. I cross my arms and say, “I’ll bet.” Unfortunately, my primal side would love to play their game, and my skin tingles with the urge to reach out and touch Roman. My chair scrapes as I push it back with the intention of getting up to find a cookie or something so I can get away from their intoxicating musky odor. But in my rush, I manage to hook a chair leg around the table and jostle it enough to make our coffees tip over.

  I move quickly to grab them before they spill too much, and Roman reaches to do the same. Our heads smack, and as I blink with stars he grabs the cups. Hot liquid splashes on him, and a small growl comes from Roman as he pulls back. I notice his hands are trembling.

  Alisha says, “Oh my gosh!” She gives him a napkin. “Did that burn you?”

  “No.” He glances at me as he says, “I’m fine.”

  Alisha looks at me. “Are you? You guys hit your heads pretty hard.”

  I’m not willing to give Roman the satisfaction of letting him know I’m in pain so I glare at him. “It was nothing.”

  “Oh,” Alisha lets out a sigh of relief and says to Roman, “Thanks for saving our coffee.” She touches his arm. “Do you guys ever get hurt?”

  I can’t comprehend why she’s flirting with him, but Roman’s face lights up before he turns toward her and says, “We’re good at our jobs, and if we do get hurt, it’s worth it to save a life.”

  Oh my God. What a guy won’t do to impress a pretty blonde. I guess he is into humans after all. My raging hormones are messing with me, and my wolf is pissed now. She’s wishing Roman was trying to impress me instead. I breathe through my mouth to help block the odor that’s making me crazy and try to make Roman’s nerdy appearance lose its appeal. Fortunately, I’m saved by the ding of a text.

  I glance down and read it before I say, “Looks like we need to go. Jayden and Chelsea are here.”

  When we stand, Alisha says, “You know where we’ll be staying.” She waves her fingers at them as I tug my bag behind me. “See you soon.” I don’t bother to watch the four guys drool as she walks away, and I wonder how I can get out of a night around the campfire with four horny werewolves.

  Two

  Chelsea’s the bossy one in our group, though we don’t let her make all the decisions, so while I was the one who booked the RV, I decided to let her drive. Jayden called shotgun and got the passenger seat, while Alisha and I made ourselves comfortable in the back. I think we made out with that deal because we’re on couches, and I lean back on the soft cushion as I gaze out the window. We’re far enough south of Winter Valley that the rhododendrons are in bloom, and the bright splashes of magenta flowers catch my eye. Our first stop is for supplies, and we load up on food for the week and plenty of alcohol. My soda fizzes when I pop the can open and take a sip.

  Alisha says, “I sure hope they manage to get my luggage to me tonight. I’ve got nothing I need.” Even though she bought the necessary toiletries when we stopped, she’s the girl scout of our group, and it’s bothering her that she’s not prepared.

  I say, “You know we’ll all lend you anything you want.” I reach over and touch her arm as if I can take away her distress. “Relax.”

  “Thanks. I know I need to let it go.” She sighs. “I’m trying.”

  “Hey, want a beer?” I ask.

  Jayden calls out from up front. “That’s it. Get her drunk, and then she won’t care.” She swings around to face us and tucks a strand of her thick brown hair behind her ear. “Grab me one too.”

  “Hey, no open containers, ladies,” says Chelsea.

  “Oh, please,” says Alisha. “Put it in a plastic cup, and nobody will ever know.”

  “Fine,” says Chelsea as she moves the RV smoothly onto the off ramp of the highway. “But I know nothing.”

  “Never did. Never will,” says Jayden, and Chelsea holds up her middle finger as we chuckle.

  Metal caps clink on the small countertop as I open the bottles and hand one to Jayden. She says, “Tell me more about the firefighters.”

  “There’s not much else to say. They’re definitely hot and claim to be single. Sounds like trouble to me. What else do you need to know?”

  “You don’t trust them.” She swallows a mouthful of beer. “Why?”

  I shrug. “It’s not that I don’t trust them. But we hardly know these guys, and I want to make sure we’re safe.”

  When I hand Alisha her drink, she says, “We’ll grill, have a few of our own drinks, and that’s it. Nobody goes off into the woods with some guy all alone. Promise.”

  “Then what’s the point?” Chelsea chuckles.

  Alisha says, “I forgot to tell you the best part. One of the guys is named Romeo, and he’s Juliet’s type. Broody, glasses, and he’s got a killer smile.”

  “Roman,” I say, “And he wanted nothing to do with a Juliet. He was all about the Alisha.”

  “No way,” Alisha says. She drops to her knees in front of me and reaches her hands up as if she’s Romeo in the Shakespeare play. “Juliet, call me but love.”

  I shake my head and laugh with everyone. My friends are the only ones who can tease me this way. When Alisha gets back in her seat, she says, “He was trying to make you jealous.”

  I scowl. “Why do you say that?”

  “You practically growled at him when he checked you out, so he tried another way to get your attention.”

  “I don’t think that was it,” I say. Roman might not have been happy that I wasn’t impressed by him, but it wasn’t because he was into me. I think he flirted with Alisha to make sure I knew he didn’t like me.

  “Trust me,” says Alisha. “I know what I saw.”

  “My God, boys are stupid,” says Jayden.

  Alisha grins. “Not all of them. Just my favorite kind.”

  Chelsea glances at us in the rearview mirror. “You know, one day you’re going to be ready to settle down and fall for a guy like Roman instead of torturing men.”

  “I probably will.” Alisha sips
her beer and gives me a coy smile. “Maybe you’ve had it right all along. Perhaps I should work on Roman. He is the perfect mix of hotness with brains on the side.”

  I know she’s teasing me, but my heart clenches with a spasm of jealousy before I ask, “How could you tell he was smart?”

  “He was reading the menu when I started talking to them, and it didn’t even have pictures.” We all laugh with her, but even though I’ve sworn off werewolves, mating, and having a family, the image of Roman’s smile floods my mind. Could he be… I gulp down a mouthful of beer, and it’s cool in my throat. I’m being foolish, and I know better. If I were supposed to have a mate, it would have happened already.

  We pull into the RV park a few minutes later, and everyone gets out while I check us in. I approach the office and inhale the sweet scent of honeysuckle as the others go peruse the gift shop to buy firewood and any trinkets they decide we must have. When I get inside, I detect another scent right away, and the guy behind the counter squints at me as if he’s recognized me as a werewolf too. He asks, “Here for the jamboree?”

  “I’m here with my friends from college.” I whisper, “Human.”

  He nods. “Stay away from Walkers Peak if you decide to hike.”

  Oh boy. I think I know what the jamboree might be, and it hits me what an idiot I’ve been. My pack is isolated up north, and we don’t interact with other clans, even though my mateless status makes me wish we did. It’s not the same in the south, though, and I think this jamboree is about packs getting together to find mates for those who don’t have one. I bet that is what Roman and his friends came for. Before I can ask about it, another couple enters the office, and I immediately recognize them as human. The clerk hands me my parking pass and I thank him. The paper is smooth in my hand as I fondle it, and I watch the werewolf behind the counter interact with his customers. And it strikes me how good my kind is at keeping our secret.