Howl (Winter Pass Wolves Book 1) by Vivian Wood, Amelie Hunt Read Free Book Online

by a bite during the full moon,” Harlan said. Penny nodded, and he went on. “Chase was turned first. When we were stationed in Germany, he spent a night camping in the Black Forest alone. A couple of weeks later he freaked out and disappeared from the base where we all lived, and next thing I knew he’d signed his discharge papers. He came back stateside without so much as a word to Pax or me, even though we’ve been tighter than brothers for a decade.”
    “So… he must have bitten you guys, then,” Penny said, putting another piece of his story in place. “Did you ask him to do that?”
    Harlan gave a bark of laughter.
    “Fuck no,” he said, shaking his head. “I mean… Push come to shove, I am glad that we’re in this together, but… this is a curse, Penny. I wouldn’t wish this on my enemy.”
    Penny wrinkled her nose and bit her lip, not wanting to cross any lines with her questions.
    “What?” Harlan prompted after a minute. “Just ask, Penny.”
    “How did Chase end up turning you?”
    “Pax and I started to worry when he was silent for a few months after his discharge. We got leave together and showed up here. Chase was a wreck, wouldn’t tell us what was wrong. I guess he was afraid we wouldn’t believe him, or maybe that we’d kill him, try to put him out of his misery. Hell, I think he might have asked us to do just that, if the full moon hadn’t been a couple days later. He thought he could control his wolf, but…”
    Harlan shrugged, and Penny felt bad for him. Getting bitten and turned into a werewolf by your best friend was not an enviable fate, but…
    “It can’t be that bad, right?” she blurted out. “Being a wolf, I mean. It sounds kind of cool.”
    “I’m barely aware of things when I shift. I’m definitely not in control of anything.” Harlan rubbed a big hand over the back of his neck, looking uncertain for the first moment since Penny’d met him. “I don’t want to turn anyone else. I had to give up living in the city. I can’t be around anyone but Pax and Chase. I retired from the Marines, took up a job in cyber security. The curse of being a wolf is being alone, I guess.”
    Penny sucked in a breath and blew it out, surprised at his eloquence. She’d felt the same way many times in her life, that she was utterly alone, that she’d never be able to find someone who accepted her for herself. Seeing a gorgeous, smart guy like Harlan struggle with the same thing only drew her to him more, despite the fact that they were having a serious conversation about his turning into a wolf and howling at the moon several days a month.
    Life was really, really bizarre sometimes.
    “What are you thinking?” Harlan asked, cocking his head. “More importantly, why haven’t you turned and run for the hills yet?”
    Penny’s lips lifted, his joke breaking up some of her sad thoughts.
    “We’re snowbound, remember?” she said, giving Harlan a soft smile.
    He laughed again, short and hard like he’d forgotten how. This time, though, his laugh was genuine, lacking the bitterness she’d heard before.
    “Speaking of that… I need to get the Triad together, get us moving. We’re running out of daylight, and I want to get as far away from you as I can before the moon comes up.”
    “The Triad?” Penny asked, arching a brow. “You guys have a nickname for yourselves?”
    Harlan shrugged, and it was Penny’s turn to laugh.
    “Okay, okay,” she said, waving away the thought. “What do I need to prepare for tonight?”
    The humor drained from Harlan’s face, which made Penny want to eat her words. He was even more handsome when he laughed, and she wanted to see more of it. Too late, though. Harlan was all business now.
    He jumped up and went to his bedroom, then returned with a set of keys and a large dark green metal case. He handed Penny the keys, instructing her on their use to open the main lodge, and then opened the case for her inspection. Standing at her side, he