Running Wild Read online

  Table of Contents

  Running Wild (The Real Werewives of Alaska, #1)

  Seven Years Ago

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Reindeer Games

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  Copyright © 2017 Kristen Strassel All Rights Reserved. This is a work of fiction. All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to [email protected]

  Strassel, Kristen. Running Wild (The Real Werewives of Alaska - Book One)

  Cover design by Sotia Lazu

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  Running Wild

  The Real Werewives of Alaska is the hottest new reality show on TV.

  Each week, a shapeshifting football player finds his forever mate.

  Wolf shifter Sebastian is putting it all on the line by becoming the Alaska Bloodhounds’ running back. He’s been kicked out of his pack and threatened with death if he sets foot in the state again. Getting involved with a reality dating show? Out of the question. Until he meets his forever mate at the Real Werewives welcome party.

  Naomi’s a commitment-phobe, but when her mom signs her up for The Real Werewives of Alaska, she’s game. Forever mates? Nope. She's on the show to get exposure for her travel blog. But when a smokin’ hot wolf with amber eyes wants to take her on a date, suddenly forever doesn’t seem so bad.

  When his old pack comes for him, can Sebastian keep Naomi safe or will she run?

  THE REAL WEREWIVES OF ALASKA

  Running Wild

  Also available:

  Reindeer Games

  Silver Fox

  Catching the Vixen

  Wildcat

  Playing to Win

  Intercepting Christmas (A Sawtooth Shifters Crossover Story)

  Seven Years Ago

  SEBASTIAN

  I was late to my brother’s bullshit meeting. He’d been calling a lot of these since Dad got killed. Our pack was in chaos. They needed answers, safety, and stability. We couldn’t give it to them yet, and making promises we couldn’t keep would backfire.

  Stefan never listened. He was a liability. I’d been distracted at practice today, figuring out how to deal with him. A couple good knocks on my ass ensured I was in no mood to hear what he had to say. My animal was always close to the surface when I played football, and it threatened to burst through. No, push it down. Faraway Island had changed, even if the pack didn’t.

  Don’t ignore me, fool, my wolf growled. You’ll regret it.

  I was the only member of the pack who wanted to change with the island. A cluster of wolves greeted me in their animal form. My brother’s red eyes lit up the room, ready for a fight.

  “That’s what happens when you get hit in the head too many times, boys. You can’t tell time anymore.” Stefan bared his fangs when he grinned. He was in his wolf form, too. I didn’t get the memo on that, either. The wolves behind him broke out in an uncomfortable laughter. “You forget who you are. This is a wolf pack meeting, Sebastian. Not football practice.”

  “Practice goes until eight. You know that. I’m not the one who can’t tell time.” I dropped my gym bag, sending it sliding across the floor into Stefan’s front paws.

  My dream of going pro died when Dad did. I’d have to stay on Faraway Island for the pack. They needed a leader—just one. Which got complicated by the fact that my brother and I were twins, and we hadn’t seen eye to eye on anything since we shared a womb. Probably not then, either, to hear Mom tell it. We gave her hell from the get go. Leading a pack didn’t mean I had to completely stop playing. There was a pick-up league with some of the humans and other animals on the island.

  And maybe I hadn’t totally given up on my dream.

  “You need to get your priorities straight,” Stefan growled on impact. He stepped over the bag toward me, but I didn’t back up. I sat in the only chair in the room so I could be face to face with him. “That’s why I called this meeting,” he said.

  “Nothing’s changed. Why did you really call this meeting?” I crossed my legs, making him move out of my way.

  “Everything’s changed, Sebastian. Dad was killed, but maybe you’re too busy fraternizing with the other animals to notice he’s gone?” Motherfucker, that stung. Stefan huffed as he wound up to strike again where it hurt the most. My heart. “Our pack needs a leader. Someone who understands what’s important to us.”

  “The future of our pack depends on having a leader that isn’t stuck in the past.” I loved my Dad, but he resented the changes on Faraway Island. For generations, we’d been alone on the island. When Alaska became a state, everything changed, and the humans had no idea their idea of progress could incite a pack war at any moment. “That’s what I’m focusing on. You might think football is just a game, but I’m building trust with the other animals on the island. It’s important that more than just our pack sees me as a leader. The entire island has to agree.”

  “You’re dead wrong.” Stefan’s claws scraped the dirt floor of the cabin, kicking up a cloud of dust. “You give more of a shit about pleasing weaker animals, and one of those motherfuckers killed your father. More than that, one of them killed the alpha of your pack. We gave them plenty of chances to play nice. We’re not giving them more.”

  Shift and kick his ass, my wolf begged me. It was about to break through my skin and take care of business. It’s the only reason he understands. But doing that would make matters worse. Senseless violence took Dad from us. We had to take the pack in another direction if we had a prayer of surviving another generation.

  “Decisions like that are made by the pack.” I clenched my teeth together. I could not let my wolf escape. “Not by you.”

  Fool.

  “They’re made by the alpha.” His lips curled up in a predatory grin. “If you’d been here on time, you wouldn’t have missed the vote. The pack wants me, Sebastian. All those old ways you think are foolish? That’s what the pack wants. They want our pack to be strong again. Not bend to the whims of humans. Not be weakened by other packs.”

  Stefan’s wolves took a step forward. They weren’t mine anymore. I’d considered these guys my brothers, but not when I was playing defense. One on one, I could hold my own. But I wouldn’t fare so well against a dozen angry wolves who’d been given carte blanche to attack and destroy.

  You have to fight, my wolf said. It’s all they understand.

  No. The pack would die if we didn’t adapt. The humans had too many advantages over us. They’d push us back to the outer bank—the only part of the island they considered inhabitable. They’d leave us with the leftovers on our own fucking island.

  An alpha didn’t fight his own pack. He made them stronger. Stefan gave me shit about football, but that was the most important lesson I’d learned there. We could achieve more as a team than we could on our own. He’d
fail without me.

  “Dad is rolling in his grave, listening to you,” I rumbled. It was getting harder to stay human. “You’ll ruin the pack with the worst of his ideas.”

  “You were an embarrassment to him, Sebastian. This is what he wanted. Not some jock who smacked a bunch of humans on the ass after rolling around in the grass.”

  The pack laughed at Stefan’s assessment. Worse that it was true. I’d heard it too many times, your pack won’t follow you if you put outsiders first. But it wasn’t just our pack anymore. It was the island. We had a chance live in peace.

  “That wasn’t the only thing you missed. A majority voted to let you stay in the pack. A few of us want to run your traitorous ass off the island, no questions asked. I don’t think it’s the worst idea, but you’re my brother, and that means you have to have a shred of sense in that thick head of yours. But you need to prove to us you’re worthy of staying.”

  “How?” This was going to be a long fucking night.

  “Show us you’re loyal to the pack,” his voice was too even, too calm. “Avenge your father’s death.”

  “We have no idea who killed him.” No pack claimed responsibility. Stefan had been stirring up shit on the island.

  “Send a message to the other animals that we won’t be fucked with.” There it was. The growl. Madness was breaking through. “What’s the buck’s name? The kicker?”

  Oh, shit. “Gunnar.” My best friend and his herd had nothing to do with my father’s death. I was with them the night it happened. Their herd had come to the island with the humans—not to threaten us. Like me, they wanted peace.

  Stefan looked back at the rest of the pack, nodding. “Kill the buck and we’ll know where your loyalty lies.”

  I steeled myself, pushing down my wolf. They wouldn’t attack me as long as I stayed human. “And if I refuse?”

  “We’ll give you until morning to get off the island. As long as Gunnar lives, if I see you on this island, we’re not brothers anymore, Sebastian. And you’re no longer part of my pack.”

  Chapter One

  SEBASTIAN

  On paper, it looked simple. If I took this contract with the Alaska Bloodhounds, I’d die.

  Seven years ago, my twin brother Stefan ran me out of out of my pack with one promise. Come back to Alaska, and we’ll do to you what you wouldn’t do to your best friend. Kill you. My brother didn’t make false promises.

  Without a pack, I wasn’t a wolf anymore. I was just a football player. One with a bad knee who’d run out of choices.

  The Bloodhounds were the only ones who offered me a contract after I tore my ACL. I was playing on borrowed time, and I couldn’t afford to make any mistakes. Cameras were everywhere—a brand new expansion team in the Continental Football Association meant a ton of press. Local guys, regular football reporters, and our very own reality show.

  The Real Werewives of Alaska. The Bloodhounds were an all-shifter team, and someone thought it would be cute if they found us mates. Didn’t know how that was gonna work. As a wolf, I had one fated mate, and chances were pretty good she didn’t make it to the audition.

  Once my brother found out I was here, I’d give the show plenty of drama.

  These guys were solid. It was fucking surreal to be playing the game at this level, where everyone was the best of the best. I convinced myself the expansion draft was the leftovers and the losers, and I was a fucking moron. Every position had been filled to compliment the guys he’d be working most closely with. We’d been set up for success. Failure would be catastrophic.

  I couldn’t fail these guys. Football was the only thing that worked for me.

  “We’re running a fade route to Sebastian.” Landon Fox was a living legend. My brother and I used to fight about which one of us would pretend to be him when we played pick-up games. And now he was my quarterback. Shit like this was worth risking my life for. “Block the first guy and get off him. The defense will cover the receivers and you’ll get a lane. Keep an eye out for the ball.”

  He clapped, signaling the end of the huddle. Everyone headed to their positions for the next play. It was a scrimmage, but we were all fighting for top billing. A chance at the starting lineup. I could not fuck this up.

  Block, then get in the lane. I’d done it a thousand times.

  Landon barked out the play. Everyone around me was moving at warp speed, and my feet were in concrete shoes. The players in the CFA were bigger and stronger than the guys I played against. I ran into a mountain of a man and attempted to keep him the hell away from my idol.

  Get in the lane.

  I couldn’t get off this guy. He matched every move I made. Landon called my name, begging me to get open. His voice kept getting louder as the lineman backed me into the quarterback.

  I would’ve got half credit for the sack if I hadn’t knocked down my own guy.

  “Sorry, man.” I held out my hand to help him up.

  Landon didn’t take it. “Figured a pro knew how to fucking tackle.”

  “Sebastian, get over here,” Coach yelled from the sideline. “Watch Landon run the play a couple times.”

  Fuck. It took me exactly one series to relegate myself to bench warming status. The rumors were true, and I lost something after the injury. The game moved faster in the CFA, too fast for my excuses.

  After practice, only a few guys were still in the locker room. Some of them were like me, their squirrelly eyes darting everywhere, afraid to leave and never be asked back. Then there was Landon Fox, who had no reason to worry about his job.

  I headed to the gym; lifting weights would get my head straight, and give me a chance to end the day better than I began.

  “Need a spotter?” I recognized that voice. It was the same one that barked my name before I got backed into him on the field. I almost dropped the weight when I turned around to find myself alone with Landon.

  I’d never let him think he intimidated me. He might not be a wolf, but he was all alpha. Guys like that ate fear for breakfast. There was a reason I wore this guy’s shirt when I was a kid. I wanted to be like him in more ways than one. I’d been run out of Alaska once and I’d be damned if I let it happen again.

  “I’d like that.” I racked the weight I was using and grabbed a heavier one. I lay down on the bench, Landon stood behind me. Even with the silver streaks in his hair, the guy was still impressive. The muscles strained underneath his shirt to conquer the iron. But this game wasn’t about strength or speed. It was about smarts.

  “Let me know when you’re ready,” he said.

  “I was born ready.”

  I cursed under my breath as my muscles trembled. Not the time to show any weakness. Mind over matter. I’d been human too long, and with all these shifters around me, my wolf was begging to come out. My wolf hated weakness, and I pushed through the last rep.

  “I watched your films,” Landon said as he racked the weight. “Not something I usually do for a rookie. I let you guys prove who you are on the field. What you did in college ball doesn’t mean shit in the pros. But Coach said you were special, and I wanted to see what the hype was about. I wanted to know what you could do. We need to have total trust in each other if we’re going to win games.”

  “Film doesn’t mean shit. What happens on the field matters. I couldn’t block that guy.” I wrapped my hands around the bar again. “I deserved to be benched.”

  “One bad play won’t kill your career. Unless you let it get in your head. You’ve got to set yourself up for success instead of expecting failure.”

  “I’ve got no room for failure.” He had no idea what was on the line for me. Or that I was playing on borrowed time.

  “None of us do. That doesn’t make you special. You’re part of this team now. We’re only as good as our weakest player.”

  And today, that was me. “Won’t let it happen again.”

  “I treat every guy in the locker room the same, no matter what people are saying about them.” Landon sat on the ben
ch beside me. “There are a lot of people who are excited for you to be here. Coach is probably your biggest fan. But your confidence faded when he pulled you out. You’ve got real talent. Don’t let the other guys think they’ve got your number. The absolute best have terrible games. The ones that can come back are the ones who rise above it.”

  If he dug deep enough on me, chances were good he knew what happened with my brother. “I’m not supposed to be here.”

  He squinted in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

  “My brother kicked me out of my pack. Said he’d kill me if I ever came back to Alaska.” I’d never said it out loud before. Just told everyone I wanted to concentrate on football. The only wolves who knew the truth were in a place I could never go back to. My home.

  My wolf rumbled in approval. Been a long time since I heard from him.

  “Guess that’s in my head a little bit,” I added when he didn’t say anything. I just told the guy I was a ticking time bomb.

  “Give your all to this team, and you’ll get it back.” After all his time in the league, Landon couldn’t be a stranger to pack wars. “You fight for these guys, and they’ll fight for you.”

  It had been a long time since anyone said they’d fight for me. “I’ll be better tomorrow.”

  “You’re not starting at less than zero tomorrow because you had a shitty practice today. Same if you blow it out of the water. Every day, it’s a new game.”

  He’s giving you a second chance, my wolf said, in case I was too thick-headed to get it.

  Landon didn’t lead by fear and intimidation like my brother did. This was the kind of leader I wanted to be. A piece of me wanted my pack back. “Thanks for coming to talk to me. I needed to hear that.”

  He grinned. “Get the fuck out of the gym, you’ve worked hard enough today. We’ve got a party to go to.”

  “That’s right. The Real Werewives.” I’d been handed an itinerary by a smiling woman on the way into practice but I left it in my locker. I’d been considering skipping the party to focus on tomorrow’s practice, but Landon expected me there. “What’s your take on that?”