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  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Scent of the Hunt

  Copyright 2015 by Cam Cassidy

  ISBN: 978-1-61333-945-9

  Cover art by Fiona Jayde

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work, in whole or in part, in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

  Published by Decadent Publishing Company, LLC

  Look for us online at:

  www.decadentpublishing.com

  Table of 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

  A Wolf Awakens by Cam Cassidy

  Dear Readers,

  For one year and thirty-five plus books with over twenty authors, we have journeyed with the Tao pack as they returned from the brink of destruction thanks to one mad Alpha thanks to the return of Drew Tao. Drew’s not the perfect Alpha, nor is he the perfect man, yet he remains committed to his pack and to making the Black Hills a fantastic place for them to live and thrive once more.

  The four-book mini-series includes novels by Cara Carnes, Cam Cassidy, Rebecca Royce and Heather Long. Though each is designed to stand alone, they tell a cohesive tale that is enriched by reading them in order.

  Book 1 – Scent of Murder

  Book 2 – Scent of the Hunt

  Book 3 – Scent of his Woman

  Book 4 – Scent of Madness

  We’ve seen changes in the pack, healing, and a rebirth hope and generosity of spirit. It is true that every journey faces a trial by fire, and this is the crucible, which will forever change the Black Hills Wolves. I invite you to join us as we rediscover what it means to be pack when murder comes to Los Lobos.

  Heather Long

  Dear Reader,

  Thank you for joining in on the Murder in Los Lobos adventure. This has been such an exciting project for me not just writing the mini series but being able to work with such great authors. It has been an honor. I have grown to love the entire Black Hills Wolves world, waiting as the rest of you for the next book. I hope you enjoy!

  Please feel free to contact me anytime at [email protected].

  Dedication

  To all who stood beside me when things got rough. My Besties and Betas, Susie, Sonja, April, Margarita, Bernice, couldn’t do it without you. My kids who put up with me spending hours in my writing loft eating mac and cheese… again, you are my heart

  Black Hills Wolves Stories

  Wolf’s Return

  What a Wolf Wants

  Black Hills Desperado

  Wolf’s Song

  Claiming His Mate

  When Hell Freezes

  Portrait of a Lone Wolf

  Alpha in Disguise

  A Wolf’s Promise

  Reluctant Mate

  Diamond Moon

  Wolf on a Leash

  Tempting the Wolf

  Naming His Mate

  A Wolf Awakens

  The Wolf and the Butterfly

  Infiltrating Her Pack

  Omega’s Heart

  Rebel’s Claw

  Claiming the She-Wolf

  Worth Fighting For

  Dangerous

  Uncaged

  Promiscuous Wolf

  Disquieted Souls

  A Cougar Among Wolves

  Long Road Home

  A Mate’s Healing Touch

  Winter Solstice Run

  Wolf’s Holiday

  Winter Magic

  Winter Secrets

  Winter Solstice Ménage

  Wolf in Winter Clothing

  Murder in Los Lobos

  Scent of Murder

  Scent of the Hunt

  Scent of his Woman

  Scent of Madness

  Also by Cam Cassidy

  A Wolf Awakens

  Scent of The Hunt

  Brogan James came to Los Lobos for a quick, simple meeting with Ryker, but things get complicated when the town is rocked by their Alpha being shot and the human mate of one of their pack members murdered. One of three wolves cleared of the crime, with Ryker at the time of the murder, Brogan sets out using his skills as a tracker to catch the killer.

  Natalie Gabbin accepted her destiny when her one true mate chose to walk away years ago. Now that he’s back in town, will she have the strength to turn away from him or give in to the desires of one more night in his arms?

  With Brogan close by, a murderer on the loose, and tensions in the pack rising, will Brogan forget the past and claim the other half of his soul?

  Scent of the Hunt

  A Black Hills Wolves Story

  Murder in Los Lobos

  By

  Cam Cassidy

  Chapter One

  Hours before, Brogan Jones had traversed the rough terrain of the path leading to Los Lobos, his dark-black F250 truck navigating the rocks of the road—at least the pack called it a road. A more accurate description would be a wide animal track, cleared of the deadfall of trees. A trip home to meet up with Ryker, Thane, and Colt for a brief exercise then he would be back out in the world again. The town held too many memories, most of them bad. Too many temptations, ones he didn’t deserve.

  When he hit the final clearing, he stopped the truck. He shifted into park before he swung the door open. He hefted his large frame to stand and look out over the old town. It looked a damn sight better than it had when Magnum ruled as alpha. Drew and the Tao Pack had obviously been bustin’ ass bringing the place back to life.

  What a difference a day made. No preliminaries were needed; all four men knew each other and what to expect. The most accurate way to describe Ryker would be a man of few words, but, when he did speak, his tone commanded attention. Meetings and exercises around the town were nothing new. Keeping the town safe and secure from detection from outsiders was a job given the utmost priority. Boundary lines were in place, large rock formations and deep crevices created with the intent of keeping away unwanted visitors. The Tao were reclusive, and, now, thanks to Drew, again proud of their self-sufficient ways.

  They had taken only a few steps toward the forest when screams rent the air, the hackles rising on Brogan’s neck. For a brief moment, memories of the past, Magnum’s rule of torture, the murder of his friends and family, flashed through his mind. Ryker let loose a low growl, immediately turning toward the sound. Brogan, Thane, and Colt close behind, ran toward the old barn, the site of some of Magnum’s most heinous crimes against the pack. A place where, no matter how much the pack worked to repair it, or how many coats of paint were applied, the horrors still remained.

  Brogan clenched his fists in barely controlled rage as they approached the scene. Drew lay on the ground, bracketed by me
mbers of the pack—a doctor and a healer from the looks of things. They would take care of him. Brogan could do nothing to help him. Surveying the scene, he studied the female dead on the snow. Sonya? Sandra? Something—he didn’t know her name. She lay on her side, arms folded to cushion her head as though asleep. The odd bend of her neck revealed her permanent slumber. Her slender neck had been snapped. The frail human would have had no chance. Turning away from the scene, he inhaled deeply, closed his eyes, and let the let his senses tell him their story.

  Scent.... One of the few senses with the ability to take you back, transport you to a different time or place. Sometimes to a good place, others to one you would rather forget, or, more often in his case, a place you tried to forget but your mind refused to let go. His lungs filled with all the scents of home.

  He turned slightly and inhaled. Sharp and spicy pine. A scent which brought back memories of a childhood long forgotten. Games played that made a young boy into the man he was today. Another scent caught on the breeze. Earthy, musky. The moss he knew could be found near the forest floor, covering the rocks and boulders never touched by the light of the sun.

  Scent.... Pungent. He would have laughed at the scent under different circumstances. Only one place in Los Lobos offered it up. Gee’s diner and his damn fried pickles. Nothing reminded him more of home than that specific scent. He scrubbed a hand down his face, catching the next one as the breeze shifted a bit.

  Scent.... Sweet, fresh. “Fuckin’ wildflowers,” he murmured to himself. As always, he could be anywhere in the world and the scent brought a specific image to his mind. Sometimes it felt more like a damn vision quest he refused to take. For years, he’d tried to forget the image and failed. It didn’t live in his mind; it had been burned into his soul. Hazel eyes, tipped-up nose, hair as dark as the midnight sky. One thought of Natalie Ann Gabbin, or Gabby as most of the pack called her, caused his chest to tighten. His alpha lay near death, and yet the thought of her caused his jeans to tighten and his heartbeat to grow stronger. He was kidding himself. The damn thing beat a rhythm more powerful than any shaman’s drum. He groaned and pressed the heel of his hand against the growing tightness. He could waste his time and come up with reasons he didn’t live with his pack. When, in truth, it only took one word: Gabby. He groaned on the exhale and discovered, much to his relief, the wind had changed. Unfortunately, now the breeze told a new tale. One no longer belonging here.

  Scent…. Heady, metallic. One that caused the hair on the nape of his neck to stand on end. The scent of blood…Drew’s blood. Whose blood wasn’t even a question that needed to be asked; any member of the Tao pack would know it was the blood of the alpha.

  At one final scent, his body tensed, on alert. Fetid, repulsive. It clogged his throat, threatening to choke him. It seemed to seep into his soul and refuse to leave. The scent of death.

  Ryker growled out an order with unadulterated rage. “Secure the perimeter. No one leaves pack land.”

  Murmurs of shock rippled through the members of the pack, the same phrase echoed over and over. “Drew’s been shot.”

  He hadn’t needed to hear the words. He felt them, as did every member of the pack. Each would remember the moment the bullet took their alpha down. Brogan forced back any worry. Drew was tough as hell. He’d fought his old man, Magnum, for control of the pack and sent the bastard straight to Hell where he belonged. Of course, Drew wasn’t invincible, but Brogan prayed it would take more than a bullet to bring the big wolf down. Fear for the survival of the pack wasn’t even a thought. Ryker would step up; the pack would survive and thrive under his command. But, the loss of Drew…he couldn’t process even the thought and pushed it out of his mind.

  Brogan joined Ryker, Thane, and Colt as Gee arrived. The old bear would be feeling the same emotions as most as the pack; of course he would never let it show. The old bear even managed to keep his voice stoic when he spoke to Ryker. “They’re looking to you for direction. Don’t coddle. Not now with their alpha clinging to life.”

  “What do we know?” Ryker growled.

  “Best we can tell, Drew came across Sonya’s killer. Damn near bled out before the patrol came across the scene. Bastard shot him point-blank in the chest. Repeatedly.”

  A feral rumble rose from the enforcer when he glared at Thane, Brogan, and Colt. “Find the bastard and bring him to me. Alive.”

  “Charles and Sonya were real loud earlier tonight, got into it right after the pack meeting. She stormed out, and he chased her. No one seems to know what the row was about, but his scent is all over her.” Gee crossed his arms. “Hard to imagine anyone in the pack doing this.”

  “No one except Thane, Brogan, and Colt are above suspicion. They were with me when this went down,” Ryker growled.

  A new commotion began when Dani pushed her way through the gathered crowd. That wasn’t his concern. Thane would handle the female. He had a job to do and a different female to worry about.

  For a moment, he felt relief as he did a quick survey of the pack, which gathered not far from the scene. Gabby wasn’t there. Why not? Constantly sticking her nose in where it didn’t belong, it wasn’t like her to not be in the crowd. His protective instincts regarding her raced through him. A fine tremor shivered up his spine at the thought she could be in trouble.

  While in town, he planned to check in on Gabby. Something he would normally have others do for him. Being around the nosey little female always brought back memories and emotions he wanted no part of. This didn’t mean she wasn’t watched carefully. If she needed something, friends within the pack would let him know, and he would make sure she got it. If something broke, he would pay a member of the pack to fix it. He’d managed over the years to take care of her without Gabby being any the wiser. Explaining he was the one behind the good deeds and why simply wasn’t going to happen.

  Taking care of one another was the way of the pack. Years ago, Gabby had become the little sister to almost all of them. Brogan’s thoughts were definitely not of a brotherly nature, though. His chest heated at the thought of her. To him, the female seemed to offer sweet salvation. But after all the shit he had handled for Magnum over the years, he didn’t deserve salvation and refused to claim the potential offer. In the end, it didn’t matter. While he hadn’t claimed the female as his, he would make damn sure she was safe and had what she needed.

  Chapter Two

  There wasn’t much of a difference between Los Lobos or any other town for the most part. Especially where the gossip and rumor mills were concerned. Every town had one place to sit around and catch up on the latest rumors and there was no better place in Los Lobos to find out the latest than sitting on a stool at Gee’s bar. The pack seemed to divide, half going to the scene, and the other half waiting for news at Gee’s. The place always managed to gather a crowd. But, today, finding a place to stand proved the ultimate challenge. When Gabby first entered, the tense vibe threatened to suffocate her.

  Earlier that day, she’d been shopping and visiting with friends and had the same reaction. Walking down Main Street, she caught the scent of blood drifting on the wind from the old barn. She had no desire to go up to the scene. It would be better to imagine what happened than to see it with her own eyes. Fine hairs at the nape of her neck stood up, and her muscles twitched with the need to shift. Tamping down on her finely honed survival instinct instead of shifting and running for home had been nearly impossible, but she’d managed. When word reached her that Ryker wanted the pack to gather at the bar, relief, washed over her. The old barn held too many ghosts.

  Since the word spread, Gee’s place had been packed. The entire pack was in a state of shock. Sonya dead, Charles missing, and Drew shot. These things happened in cities, with humans or those nasty wolf packs she had heard about out West. Bad things had happened in Los Lobos. Memories of a past they all fought desperately to forget. The Tao Pack had more than their fair share of death and misery with Magnum as alpha. Under Drew, the new
town and new pack had risen from the blood of those who’d died fighting for the unity they now had. She shivered at the memories she tried so hard to forget. She sometimes felt like a living, breathing reminder of the evil Magnum left behind. Only with the power and strength of the pack had she managed to reach a point in her life where she could forget. Of course, she hadn’t, but those memories remained under emotional lock and key.

  Settling onto a barstool, she wanted nothing more than a shot of tequila to calm her nerves. Before she could order anything, Gee placed a Coke in front of her.

  “Clear mind, clear thoughts, clear actions.”

  She had a brief thought of arguing with the grumpy old bear despite knowing what a useless endeavor it would be. No ever talked Gee into anything. Instead, she smirked. “Strong tequila, strong will.”

  For a second, she thought she heard a low growl. Gee was never exactly what she would call fun, but today someone needed to place a sign on the door. Don’t Poke the Bear. His attitude, she completely understood. Gee had only entered the bar moments ago, probably having been up at the barn with Ryker and the others.

  The temperature of the room changed as if suddenly being thrown into a hot sauna on a cold December day. The palpable tension kicked up to nearly intolerable levels. Trembling from the need to shift, she grabbed her Coke, turned from the bar, and found out exactly why everyone seemed ready to jump out of their skins. Ryker entered the room. Worse, he headed toward the bar, his lips twisted into a snarl. Getting out of his way became her number one priority. She skedaddled to find an empty chair. No way, no how did she want to cross his path.