by Eva Harper
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
Copyright © 2020 Eva Harper
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
ISBN:9798632220293
Setting Boundaries
Eva Harper
Book 2 of the Boundaries Series
The Calder Girls
Isla’s body disappeared behind a large sycamore tree in the back fields. I grunted, trying to run faster, as her twinkling voice echoed in front of me.
“Isla, please slow down!” I begged loudly, trying to plead with her.
“You’re going to have to try harder than that, Sloane,” she teased. I stopped and resting my hand on a tree, breathing deeply. She appeared beside me suddenly, cocoa brown eyes nearly glaring. “I thought you were a wolf, not a turtle.”
“When I get my hands on you.” I laughed, leaving the vague promise in the air.
“Come on.” She grabbed my arm and tugged it back in the direction of our house. “Dad’s going to be angry if we don’t make it in time for the pack meeting.”
“I thought you were watching the time,” I said in frustration. We began to jog back, realizing we had missed the opening remarks. We slipped in through the back doors of the packhouse and stood behind the mass of people in the meeting hall.
The rest of the pack was quietly listening to the Alpha speak about some shortage in our monthly funds. Isla fixed her hair and smirked at me without turning her head. I breathed out, shaking my head and my shoulder-length, brown waves flew wildly.
She was always the one to get us in trouble. I was always the one to pick up the pieces.
“Isla, Sloane, nice of you to finally join us.” The voice cut down the crowd and back to where we stood. Isla latched onto my wrist and maneuvered around the mass of people in front of us. It wasn’t news to anyone in the pack that we were late, it was almost expected of us by now. Isla liked to make an entrance.
“Why thank you, father,” Isla called sarcastically, a broad, bratty smile on her face.
He rolled his eyes.
“Come stand where you’re supposed to,” he demanded. We took our places behind him, next to our mother. Our father watched as the Alpha continued talking about the state of the pack and how things were changing.
Isla pinched my side, and I nearly shrieked. I looked over at her angrily, and she motioned with her head to a pack member in the crowd. He was elderly and falling asleep while standing up, listening to the meeting. I tried to suppress my laughter but failed. My father turned and shot me a stern look. I avoided his eyes and stared at my muddy shoes.
The meeting was over quickly, most likely because we had missed the first twenty minutes.
“Are you going to show up late to every pack meeting?” our father asked. Isla shrugged noncommittally and grazed the crowd to find our friends. “Sloane, please try to control your sister.”
“You know how well that’ll work,” I said honestly, watching as Isla’s eyes glazed over with disinterest. Isla noticed someone and was gone in a flash.
Our mother sighed behind me. I turned and smiled gently at her aging face. “Hey mom,” I said, smiling gently, lowering my eyes.
“Hi, darling,” my mother greeted, placing her hand gently on my shoulder. A chill ran down my spine at her touch, and she pulled her hand back just as quickly. “Why can’t your sister be calmer like you?”
“You made her that way,” I told her, turning to find Isla in the swarm of people. Her long hair flipped back and forth as she laughed at one of Jett’s joke. She was smitten with him since she was old enough to walk and talk, and he had no idea.
She saw me and her eyes lit up, reaching out to pull me into the group faster. “Sloane!” she twiddled on carelessly. “Jett was just telling us he overheard his father talking about another Alpha visiting tonight for some super-secret mission. We want to go see what it’s about, what do you say?”
“I thought Alphas weren’t supposed to travel right now? Isn’t it too dangerous for them to be away from their packs?” My mind was reeling, looking to Jett, who seemed as confident as Isla was. She shook her head at me, her eyes in a teasing squint.
“Who cares? I’ve never seen another Alpha before, but they’ve got to be more attractive than Titus.” She groaned, looking over her shoulder at our aging Alpha.
I knew it was a bad idea. Everything was so fragile within the packs since our existence became known to humans. For centuries, shifters lived in secret, hiding in plain sight amongst the humans. It had been almost a year now since the Alphas decided they were tired of hiding, and the humans still seemed tense and hostile towards us.
“Isla,” I growled, trying to keep my emotions down. “Can I speak to you…alone?”
She rolled her eyes again, allowing me to drag her away from the rest of our friends.
“Do you really think this is a smart idea? Dad finally just forgave you for sneaking off into town to go to a human bar last month, and you really want to go and do something this reckless?”
“Sloane,” she said placatingly, tilting her head to the side. “Life is about more than pack meetings and training. Plus, Jett told me Ezra is coming along with us.”
My heart stilled; just as Isla had feelings for Jett, I had feelings for Ezra. It was foolish to even imagine something would happen between us when neither of us had found our mates yet. Mates were precious, and we would be fools to ignore our fate to indulge in childish romance.
Isla continued to stare at me, wiggling her eyebrows, and biting her lip as I hemmed and hawed over the idea of sneaking out.
“Sloane, please,” she begged. “I don’t want to be the only girl; you know how much the boys gang up on me.”
“Fine,” I whispered, moving dark hair out of my eyes.
Isla’s face turned ecstatic, and she let out a blunt laugh. “I knew there was a little bit of danger in you, Sloane Calder!” I laughed with her, and we walked back to where the boys stood. “Sloane’s coming with us.”
They seemed moderately surprised but didn’t say anything in opposition. I glanced at Ezra, his blonde hair bouncing as he nudged Jett’s shoulder with his own. I’m sure my cheeks were filled with red.
“Well,” Isla declared. “Until tonight, boys. Ten sharp.”
We left the meeting hall and walked home with our parents. Dad had been named Beta to Alpha Titus years ago, just after Isla was born. I knew he was proud of the position, though our mother would much rather he give up his title. After so many years, she wanted nothing more than to settle into a mundane routine, somewhere out in the mountains where we wouldn’t need to worry about the intrusive eyes of the humans.
Our mother cooked dinner, and we stayed around to talk about our curfew for the night. Dad told us that pack business required us to be inside tonight. Isla smiled smugly and agreed.
At 9:50, my bedroom door creaked open, and Isla’s silhouette blocked the light from the hall. “Come on,” she whispered, glancing over her shoulder.
“Isla,” I moaned. “This is not a good idea.”
She sighed and stepped fully into my room, closing the large wooden door behind her. “Sloane. I love you, but you play it safe. When you’re old and grey, are you going to want to tell your grandkids stories of all the journals you filled or are you going to tell them that you snuck out against Beta’s orders to spy on an Alpha?”
“If we’re dead, it won’t matter what we did or will do.” I
glared.
“Fine,” she whined. “I’m going to meet up with the guys. If I end up dead, just remember I can still haunt you from beyond the grave.”
She closed my door, and I debated what to do. I heard her bedroom window slide open and bolted out of my desk chair. I slipped out of my room and walked down the hall to her bedroom. Her window opened to a trellis in the backyard. She climbed out first, and I followed her, closing her window behind me.
Jett, Ezra, and Maverick were waiting at the side of our house.
“This way.” Jett motioned, leading us towards the training grounds.
“Which Alpha is even coming?” I wondered.
“Does it matter?” Isla asked happily. “Anyone other than Titus is automatically better.”
We reached the training grounds, where the Alpha, Beta, and Head Warriors stood. They were waiting patiently, staring into the woods.
We crouched down behind blockades meant for training and waited. The pack officials were halted near the tree-line, standing in a tight formation.
From the woods, groups of footsteps crunching through the brush filled the silent, night air. Titus greeted the Alpha happily, and they began talking about some issue or another. It was difficult to see behind everyone since I was the smallest, and I got pushed to the back. Isla stood on the balls of her feet, giggling at something across the field.
Her foot slipped, and one of the blockades tumbled loudly to the ground. Everyone froze.
Across the field, someone started cursing. “Is this some sort of ambush?” a deep voice growled.
“No, Alpha Weston, I swear I don’t know what that is, probably just a raccoon or something,” Titus tried to soothe him.
“I smell other wolves,” the voice growled again. Isla’s head moved under cover of the blockade.
“They’re walking over here,” she whispered frantically.
“Shit,” Jett groaned.
“You guys go, I’ll distract them,” Isla ordered, preparing herself to walk out in front of two angry Alphas.
“Isla, no,” I hissed, nails sinking into her arm as I grabbed her. “You don’t know this other Alpha; he could kill you for spying on them.” She scoffed and wrenched her arm out of mine. I looked behind me and saw the three boys fleeing quickly.
Cowards.
When I turned back, Isla wasn’t in front of me anymore. She had left the barricade and walked towards the angry men. Alpha Titus growled and shoved Isla to her knees in front of them. Her body shook. I closed my eyes momentarily until I heard the other Alpha’s fierce growl.
My heart stopped, and my body began moving on its own.
I stepped out from my protection, intending to help Isla, but with one look at the Alpha, I was useless.
His head slowly lifted from Isla’s eyes to meet mine, constantly growling low in his chest. Something sparked in his body, and his chest quaked inward like someone had punched him. He stepped over Isla’s crouched body.
His eyes never left mine, staring at me in wonder. My neck crooned to keep his gaze as he moved closer until he was right in front of me.
My hands were shaking, there was nothing I could do to stop them. Once he was in front of me, I wanted nothing more than to reach out and touch his tanned skin. I heard my father scoff from behind the Alpha.
The Alpha turned and sent a demonizing glare at my father, who snapped his mouth shut. As he turned back to me, the Alpha’s Caribbean eyes danced across my face, the corners of his mouth perked up, and he let out one choppy breath that was intended to be a laugh.
“You’re in a lot of trouble, little wolf.”
Two Days
“It wasn’t her fault,” Isla shouted frantically, crawling a few steps towards the Alpha. He looked over at her and smirked, a deep line settling in between his eyes.
“And you are?” He dragged out his words.
“I’m her big sister. This was all my idea, punish me, not her.” For once, Isla sounded remorseful.
The Alpha chuckled, though I don’t think it was in humor, and took two strolling steps toward her. “You’re very brave,” he praised. “But it won’t save you.”
Isla’s head dropped, and I heard her gently whisper a prayer to the moon. Her slight frame curled against the ground just to put more inches between her and the Alpha.
“Alpha,” Titus addressed. “Please, this is my Beta’s daughter.”
“Maybe we can come to some sort of arrangement.” He turned around and smiled at me; his eyes crinkled warmly in the corners.
“Anything,” Alpha Titus promised.
“Then, you’ll allow me to take my mate back to my territory?”
Alpha Titus paused and looked around at us. “You don’t mean Sloane, do you?” The confusion was evident.
“Sloane,” the Alpha tested on his tongue, cheeks flushed at the sound.
My father stepped forward angrily, grabbing Isla by her arm and hauling her to her feet. “You are not taking either of my daughters, I don’t care if you are an Alpha or not. This is a bad time, and they need to be with their family. They need to be protected.”
The Alpha raised an eyebrow, asking if my father was indeed speaking to him in that tone. When my father stood his ground, the Alpha set a smug smile on his face and moved toward him.
“Beta, are you suggesting I don’t know how to protect my mate?”
My father took a deep breath and closed his eyes as he spoke. “That’s not what I’m saying. I just think it would be best that my daughters stay with me until this ordeal with the humans is sorted out.” He opened his eyes. “You don’t want Sloane running around your pack while we are dealing with the humans, it would be too much work.”
“I assure you, I am more than capable of protecting my own mate from some humans. And she wouldn’t be work, as you so eloquently put it.” The Alpha’s voice was dominating, though his words were precise.
My father looked down, his grip on Isla’s arm tightening, and he seethed quietly.
“Sloane?” The Alpha looked at me, his voice softening at my name. I looked up and waited. “Would you please return to your room, pack your belongings, and say goodbye to your family? The cars are waiting, and it’s a few hours before we will reach my pack.”
My heart began jumping in my chest.
“You want me to leave right now?” My voice was breathless and weak.
“Yes,” he said, nodding empathetically. I shook my head, smiling like it was a joke. “Sloane?”
“No, you cannot just drag me away from my family within the first five minutes that you meet me,” I told him, stepping back, outrage filling my shivering body.
“Sloane, I am an Alpha, I have a pack to run. I have no time for games or unnecessary arguments. Gather your things, we will leave as soon as you are done.” He didn’t seem to understand what he was asking of me. His arrogant tone settling roughly in my stomach.
“No.”
He narrowed his eyes at me.
“No?” he tested.
“I said no,” I spat out in a huff, physically shaking because of my nervousness. He noticed my quivering limbs, and his face quickly looked less aggressive.
“Sloane,” he said softer.
“No, I won’t go. Not now.”
“I will give you two days,” he told me, stepping closer. “Two days, from this exact moment, and then you will be in my territory. If you are not, I will come back here and drag you there if I have to.”
I nodded. It was generous of him to offer me any time; most mates demanded immediate relocation.
He sighed and reached his hand out, gently brushing it along the outside of my arm. I shook from his hand, not in fear, but in the pleasure of his mere touch. He seemed pleased and began to walk back to his pack members.
“Two days,” he called, walking away from me. The other pack disappeared into the woods swiftly behind him.
Isla clambered away from our father and took me in her arms. “I’m so sorry, Sloane,” she heaved
, tears collecting in the insides of her eyes. I squeezed her back and whispered to her that we were okay. She clung to me, apologizing over and over again.
Our father grunted behind her. Isla released me and turned to look at him. “You embarrass me every chance you get.” His lip curled back over his teeth.
Isla didn’t answer, just looked over and me and smiled sadly. We followed our father and Alpha Titus back to our house, where we were yelled at and scolded for hours. In the morning, I began packing my things into a few duffel bags.
Isla and I had lunch with our friends and dinner with our parents. The next morning, I said my goodbyes to my family. My father would be driving me to the Alpha’s pack, which was about three hours to the west.
It was a quiet drive. My father didn’t usually speak unless there was something to discuss. I didn’t really mind the silence; it gave me a chance to think and settle into my new mindset. Two days should have been plenty of time to come to terms with the situation, but to me, it felt like seconds.
After three hours, we pulled off the main highway and followed a winding, dirt road through the trees. I saw wolves behind the trees, and I couldn’t tell if they were Warriors or regular wolves wanting to see me. Either way, it made me uncomfortable, and I moved to look at my father.
He was cold and unwavering as he drove. His brown eyes didn’t flicker over to me or break his concentration from the road ahead. I knew he could feel me looking at him, but he didn’t acknowledge me.
We arrived before a grand building, most likely their packhouse, which was much larger than ours. There was a group of guards waiting by the front doors and three women who were standing on the grass, two of them smiling wildly at me, one glaring.
I suddenly became nervous and looked at my father, but he had already left the car. He was unloading my bags from the car, setting them carelessly on the ground. He was no comfort.
The doors to the packhouse opened, and my mate stepped out from them. He walked with excitement, smiling as soon as he saw me. I smiled back apprehensively and reached for the knapsack near my feet in the car.