Bad Wolf by Savannah Reardon Read Free Book Online Page A

back and wait until things calm down.”
    “It
will be time for the next gathering by then.”
    “Probably.”
    “Then
I need to get busy. I have no choice now but to challenge her at the next
gathering. I can’t wait anymore for her to come after me. I can’t take the
chance of another innocent either losing the life they are used to or losing it
permanently because I was too chicken to stand up and fight.”
    Zane
nodded. “You know I can’t officially take sides against the alpha-female, but I
will do what I can. I’ll let Adam know you want some extra training since you
were the one who found Misha, in case you happen to run into any trouble. He
can help you fine tune your attack and defense skills. I know you can beat her,
but Adam is good at helping you expect the unexpected, and that can be a plus
with someone like Sara.”
    He
reached out and grabbed Nikki’s hand and pulled her off the bed and into his
arms. “Just remember what I told you after Rachel’s death. She’s going to be
looking for any excuse to punish you. Please try to watch your mouth around her
and avoid her as much as possible.”
    “Don’t
worry, I will.”

Chapter Ten
     
    “Focus!”
    Nikki
spun and blocked the blow before it landed across the side of her head. Pain
flared through her arm. Sweat ran in rivulets down her skin as Adam continued
to come at her.
    “An
enemy won’t stop. She won’t hesitate. She’ll just keep coming.”
    Nikki
wondered if Adam used the word “she” knowing that a confrontation between her
and Sara was inevitable or if his subconscious did it for him. She cleared her
mind of all conscious thought and let instinct take over. As she let her wolf
climb closer to the surface, her movements became more fluid, and she blocked
the blows before they even came near landing.
    Without
even thinking about it, she spun and planted her elbow in his solar plexus.
Adam grunted and stumbled backward. Before he could regain his footing, Nikki
advanced, sweeping out her leg and taking Adam’s out from underneath him. He
hit the floor with a thud.
    Nikki
stood over him and grinned. For the first time ever, she had managed to knock Zane’s
second in command on his ass. Adam laughed and held up his hands in mock
surrender.
    “I
don’t know what Zane was worried about. You’re good. Almost better than me.”
    “Almost?
Who’s on the floor, wolfboy?”
    “Lucky
shot.”
    “Yeah,
whatever.” Nikki knew she’d taken him fair and square.
    “You
have amazing control. I don’t know if even Zane can call his wolf that close to
the surface without changing.”
    Truth
be told, Nikki had been practicing. She knew her wolf was her secret weapon,
and unlike Sara, it was one she embraced whole-heartedly. No matter what
happened, she swore Sara would not get the drop on her like she had Rachel. In
the three weeks since her death, Nikki practiced every day and sparred with
Adam three times a week.
    Zane
kept a close watch on her and attempted to ensure she was never alone. He
feared Sara would try to ambush Nikki when no one else was around so she could
play dirty with no witnesses. Nikki knew better though. She knew this was one
fight Sara would want everyone to see. Her arrogance led her to believe she would
beat Nikki, and her defeat would make the other women in the pack hesitate
before casting aspirations on Zane.
    Wanting
to fight public actually worked in Nikki’s favor as far as she was concerned.
It would keep the fighting dirty to a minimum. If Sara acted outside the
boundaries of pack law, she’d face the ultimate consequence…death. Nikki
intended to make sure Sara faced it anyway. This was one fight where she would
not offer the chance for her opponent to live. The fight between her and Sara
would be to the death.
    Nikki
held her hand out to Adam and helped him off the floor. “After Rachel’s death
and then finding Misha, I thought it best to practice my control. We all know
the closer the wolf is to the