by Elle Boon
Atlas tapped the wheel, thinking. “If she’d have stayed, she’d have been under my law. She knows I know what she did to me all those years ago. She watched me kill her husband and lover without trying to stop me. Not that she could’ve, but she was standing there watching him as he attempted to murder her son. Me,”—he pounded his fist on his chest—“It wasn’t the first time she’d watched or participated when he punished me,” he snarled. Old hate surfaced. How could parents have four children yet choose to hate just one? Not that he’d wish what he’d suffered on anyone else, but the crazy twisted mind of his parents freaked him out, making him question if those traits were passed on to him.
“There had been moments when I’d see the mother I always dreamed of. Mind you, they were few and far between, but when they appeared, they were awesome.”
Shauny faced the passenger window, her pain twisting the image he could see in her reflection. “There was something wrong with her, not you or me, or any of us.”
“You really believe that?” Her voice shook as she turned to face him.
Atlas nodded. For years he’d struggled with blaming himself. “Yeah, I really do. I was a seven year old cub, Shauny, what did I do to deserve the way they treated me? I mean, if I’d been the worst kid in the world, I still didn’t deserve...that.” His hand went to his chest and the non-existent scar.
His sister took a shuddering breath. “Goddess, you’re right. Let’s go get a table before two starving bears show up and demand answers,” she said, trying for a lightness neither of them felt.
Before he put the vehicle in gear, he reached for her hand, the calluses on her palm speaking loudly of her hard work. “Things are going to be better for all of us.” His words were a vow and a demand.
After a tense second, Shauny nodded, then he pulled his hand away, shifted into drive and headed toward the restaurant. Goddess, he prayed his promise could be upheld without too much bloodshed.
“Wow, this place is packed.” Atlas sat back, staring at all the cars in the parking lot.
“It usually is since they cater to us shifters. They serve shifter proportion meals, meaning nobody leaves here hungry.”
The times he’d come home, he hadn’t stopped in town for much of anything, feeling accusing eyes on him not high on his list of things to do. “Time to face the firing squad,” he quipped, hopping out quickly. His feet were moving to the front of the SUV before he decided it was a bad idea, meeting Shauny who wore a bright grin.
“This is going to be fun, just wait and see.” She grabbed his arm, dragging him toward the entrance.
“For such a sprite, you sure do have alarming strength,” he grumbled.
The door opened as they stepped on the sidewalk, a well dressed male he recognized from the pack stood there along with a female, both wearing uniforms with the restaurant’s name on a badge pinned to their chests. He stopped, forcing Shauny to jerk backward. “Afternoon,” he rumbled, his bear pressing forward, always ready to protect.
“Good afternoon, Alpha. Are you here for dinner?”
Atlas thought that was a stupid question, since it was just past noon, and they were in the doorway to a restaurant but kept his expression neutral. “Yep. Got a table for four available?”
“The alpha table is always open, sir. Would you like to follow me? Um, you said for four?” The female asked, her green gaze looking behind him.
Shauny coughed, drawing the female’s attention. “Our brothers will be joining us shortly.”
“Oh, that’s fine. Follow me, please.” She ducked her head, not meeting Atlas’s or Shauny’s gazes.
The male gave a tip of his head, turning back to the podium, his hand picking up a pen and jotting down a note on the clipboard. Atlas didn’t know about clan politics; had no clue the alpha had a standing reservation with a table always set aside for him. He waited for the young female to move away, after they were shown to their table, before asking Shauny if she’d known. “Has that always been the way of things, or was crazy Matty the one who demanded this?” He waved his hand to encompass the table they sat at.
“I don’t know. It wasn’t as if mother went to fancy restaurants after—well after she mated again. Especially since he wasn’t named the alpha.”
They both looked around the crowded restaurant, noticing everyone had turned to stare at them. Atlas and his bear wanted to roar at the lot of them. “Stay right here,” he ordered Shauny, getting up before she could argue.
“Afternoon,” he boomed. “Tomorrow night, I’d like to invite you all to the alpha house. Clearly, I’m new to the title, and as such, I’m going to be learning as I go, so I hope you all can bear with me. Pun intended.” He grinned as many of the people in the room chuckled. “I only want to do what’s best for the clan, but I also want to reassure you I’m just a man, who like all of you, will make mistakes. Now, if you have any questions, or issues, be sure and make an appointment through Shauny. She’s going to act as my secretary for the time being. Alright, shows over, please enjoy your lunch.” He smiled as the waitress hovered in the background, waiting to move forward.
He reached over the table, using two fingers to close Shauny’s mouth. “You’ll catch flies like that, sister dear.”
“Are you two ready to order?”
“We’re waiting on our brothers for the main course, but I’d like to get some appetizers and a beverage. How ‘bout you?” He snapped his fingers, getting Shauny’s attention.
“Did you just invite everyone to the house tomorrow and tell them all I was y...your secretary?” she sputtered.
Atlas flicked the napkin over his lap. “Yep.”
Joni and Annie closed up the convenience store just as the final rays of the sun were setting. She couldn’t remember the last time she actually felt like she’d accomplished something good.
“What’s put that satisfied smile on your face?” Annie asked, walking next to her with her own satisfied grin for a whole other reason.
After Hollis had left, Joni couldn’t help but know what they’d done for the forty-five minutes while the two had holed up in the office. Even if she’d not been a shifter, the look on Hollis’s face when he’d walked out would’ve been a clear sign to any and all who’d seen him. His words of warning against talking to the creepy Mikey guy just before he’d left, weren’t needed.
“I’ll follow you home.” Joni tossed her keys in the air, catching them easily.
Annie paused. “We should ride in together tomorrow. It seems silly for us to have two cars here and all.” Her words were said gently, but they weren’t exactly a suggestion.
Joni was used to dealing with alpha males, or rather steering clear of them. The alpha females she’d come in contact with had been her friends. Annie exhibited the same aura as Taryn and Sky, only on a different level. She wished she had a small bit of alpha bitch in herself, but then again, Keith would’ve beaten it right out of her long ago if she had, both mentally, psychologically, and probably physically as well. She shuddered; goosebumps rose all over her when a slight breeze blew past her. She swore she heard a man’s voice whisper through the breeze, the sinister sound of his deep voice promising retribution.
“What’s wrong?” Annie moved forward, facing Joni, her hands rubbed up and down Joni’s arms while her head looked left and right.
At her touch, Joni jerked back, her fight or flight instincts kicked in. “Did you hear that?”
Annie looked around, her eyes widening while she inhaled deeply.
Goddess, she was losing her ever loving mind. Maybe she should’ve stayed in Mystic or entered one of the mentally insane facilities.
“I didn’t hear anything, Vanessa. Are you okay? Did I work you too hard today?” Annie reached to touch Joni again, but then dropped her hands.
“No, I...I just thought. Never mind, it was probably just my imagination. Come on, I’ll follow you home.” Joni tried to sound convincing, tried to make her tone even and assured, but inside, her wolf didn�
�t even rise. She wondered if she’d been in mortal danger if the stupid beast would come to her aid.
“You sure you’re okay to drive?”
Joni nodded, not trusting her voice to be steady. Several beats passed before she spoke. “Yeah, I’m just a little tired. I think I’ll skip dinner tonight and go to bed early if that’s alright?”
Annie bit her lip but nodded. “I’m not your boss away from here,” she assured her.
Following Annie’s car gave her something to concentrate on, something other than herself and the strange voice whispering in the wind. Fog had creeped in, and with it a scary foreboding, if you believed in things that went bump in the night. Joni hadn’t until she’d seen what Keith could become. Not many from their pack had truly seen the beast beneath the façade, but because she’d made a pact with the devil himself, she’d seen it. She shivered even though it was hot in Texas at night. She turned the heater on in the little beater car she’d bought, the warm air taking away some of the chill. “I’m so damn tired of being scared all the time.”
The lights were all on at the big farmhouse, showing the silhouette of Hollis in the window, clearly waiting on his wife. Joni wished she’d had a mate, or even a man who loved her the way Annie and Hollis loved one another. Their love was a destiny that was sure to be denied to Joni forever. What she’d done, what she’d agreed to go through with Keith all in the name of friendship, had all but stolen her wolf. “I’d do it again a hundred times,” she promised.
Instead of parking behind Annie, she maneuvered closer to the barn where they’d shown her to park, waving at Annie as she got out. “See you in the morning, Annie.” Not waiting for a reply, she jogged up the stairway to the loft apartment, holding her breath the entire way in hopes the older couple didn’t try to stop her. She just needed a night to regroup, a chance to take in all the changes to her life and even cry a little, silently of course.
Hollis stood by the entryway to the kitchen, waiting for his mate to come inside, the taillights of their guest’s small vehicle headed toward the barn. “Where’s Vanessa going?”
Annie placed her purse over the chair in the dining room as she walked in, her head turning toward the window. “Something spooked her tonight.”
He straightened from the door. “Did you see or smell anything?”
His mate shook her head, then moved into his arms. “Someone hurt her, Hollis. I can feel it in here.” She placed her small hand over her heart, looking up into his eyes like she thought he could fix it.
“I’m assigning one of the boys to watch over the shop for the next few days. Something doesn’t feel right. I know she’s a wolf, but she’s suppressing her for a reason. Hell, if I wasn’t an alpha, I don’t think I’d have known what she was.” He rubbed his hands up and down her back.
“Do you think she knows?” Annie asked, tilting her head back to look at him.
Everything stilled in him. “Shit, I didn’t think of that. She runs like a gazelle, walks with the agility of a predator, and even tracks people with her eyes like one of us. Maybe that’s natural, but you could be onto something. I’ll introduce her to Thadd tomorrow, he’s our best when it comes to things like this.”
Annie pushed away. “I don’t think so. Thadd is not going to interrogate that little girl.” She stomped into the kitchen, the sound of pots and pans banging on the stove louder than usual.
Hollis sighed loudly before following. “I won’t let Thadd interrogate her, just meet and talk as if he was stopping by for a quick chit chat. Believe me, I wouldn’t hurt a little bit like her.” He didn’t mention unless she was a danger to his crew. He and Annie had been together for a very long time, taking in who others deemed lost or lost causes, but they were not too far gone that Hollis and his mate couldn’t save them, couldn’t salvage the humanity that was still within their beasts no matter what animal they were.
“I will be here when he stops for his chit chat, Hollis,” she said, pointing a spoon dripping with spaghetti sauce at him.
He eliminated the space between them, covering her hand with his own while he dipped his head to taste the heavenly flavor of tomatoes and seasoning his mate had in the slow cooker all day. “Damn, Annie, you sure do know how to win a man through his stomach,” he teased, licking his lips.
Annie raised a brow. “Well, you mess with that little girl out there, and that’s the only thing you’ll be eating for a long while, mister.” She poked him in the chest with one finger.
“You know I’d only do what was best for you and our crew, darling,” he whispered close to her ear.
“I know,” she agreed. “There’s just something broken about her.” She sniffed as she turned back to the pot, putting pasta into the boiling water.
Hollis rested his head on top of hers. “There’s always something a little broken in all our people. That’s what makes them ours. We can only offer them a safe place to rest, help them heal, or let them realize their broken pieces aren’t so bad. Being broken is part of life. You get back up and realize those pieces are now stronger, and sometimes even better, prettier than the smooth surfaces because they’ve got character, grit. There are way too many pretty people out there in the world. We need more folks like us with scars and cracks that’ve healed up. One day, she’ll realize grit will get you a lot farther than pretty. Now, I ain’t saying you’re not gorgeous, ‘cause I’d be damned if my dick doesn’t still get hard at the sight of you, the smell of you ‘cause, darling, I’ve never seen and never will see a woman more gorgeous than you. I’ve seen you, I know every inch of your body, and could tell you where you got that scar on the inside of your left thigh, but then, we’d have to put dinner off,” he growled.
Annie shivered against him, her ass rubbing on his already extremely hard dick. Hell, he’d come running to the shop earlier, uncaring if Vanessa would be alerted, when she’d called out to him through their link as fast as he could, her fear at seeing Mikey the prick had his coyote seeing red. Now, his dick was up and ready to go like he’d not just been inside her hours ago.
“Are you hungry?” she asked.
Hollis turned her in his arms. “How long before the pasta is done?”
Annie looked at the boiling water. “It’s done now.”
He nodded, helped her drain the water, then maneuvered them both to the kitchen counter, smothering her giggle with his lips. “I’ll teach you to tempt me, woman.”
His mate raked her hands down his chest, ripping open the buttons on his flannel, the soft ping of the buttons flying across the room made him chuckle. “My mama always told me kitties were wild,” he teased.
Annie purred, a sound he’d always love for the rest of their lives, then neither said anything for a long time while he made love to his mate, dinner forgotten as he claimed his wild cat.
Chapter Six
Joni couldn’t sleep. A glance at the clock showed she’d gotten a total of four and a half hours sleep, and she was wired still. “At least I didn’t have any bad dreams tonight,” she muttered. She shoved the blanket back and walked to the huge window overlooking a cornfield. Never in her imagination did she think she’d live over a big red barn with a cornfield for a backyard, but there you go, life hands you lemons, you make a freaking lemonade or some shitting ass analogy.
She stretched her arms above her head, wincing at the pull of muscles. It had been almost two years since...well, since her last torture session with the evil bastard. At one time, she’d thought her parents were clueless to what had been going on. She’d tried so hard to hide her pain from them, going so far as to buy over the counter painkillers. Not that they did much, but when taken in the dosage she’d taken, they’d helped. Unlike her friend, she wasn’t allowed to shift to heal. One of Keith’s deals. However, he’d never said she couldn’t take human medicine.
One day, after a particularly vicious beating Taryn had suffered, and in turn she’d had to suffer, Joni nearly wrecked her mother’s car, driving into town for more meds. Go
ddess, the anger both her parents rained down on her could’ve been heard two counties over. She cringed thinking of the words that had come from her mother as her father sat in his favorite leather reading chair.
“Joni, what were you thinking, stupid girl. If you need pharmaceuticals that badly, you can ask me or your father, or just order them online. As much as that friend of yours gets her penance, I’d think you’d have a standing order,” her mother said evenly.
“You...you know what he does to me, to T?”
Her father waved his hand, the sound of his paper rattled. “It is none of our business. You made your bargain. You’re lucky we don’t tell him what you’re doing.”
Joni met his cold brown eyes, seeing the truth of his statement in them. It would be nothing for them to tell Keith, their alpha, the daughter they were supposed to love was...taking painkillers after he tortures her. Goddess, she hated him and her mother. “Ah, but if you do, I won’t be able to do the job the two of you pretend you do, now will I. I mean, if I’m too hurt to get the fuck out of bed and all.” She turned at her mother’s gasp, ignoring them both as she limped to her small bedroom at the back of the house. She didn’t slam the door when she entered. She’d learned early on that would do nothing but create more hostility.
Her hand shook as she uncapped the ibuprophen bottle, taking six gel caps out even though that was probably too much for someone of her size. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, she sang in her head, swallowing the green pills without any liquid. Her throat burned as they got stuck in her dry throat. She looked around the small space, finding a half empty bottle of Gatorade. “No, the bottle is half full.” She chugged the contents, then went to lay down, hoping the little pills would dull the pain. Jeez, what the hell had Taryn gone through this time, she wondered. Her insides felt on fire, every single rib felt as if they’d been broken, and Joni was sure one of her lungs had been punctured, but thanks to her shifter ability, it had already begun healing by the time she’d gotten home. Fucking Keith was such a sadistic prick. He didn’t even have to be in the same room as her to inflict the pain and injuries anymore. Now, all he had to do was connect through their ‘private link’ and bam, she was writhing on the floor, wishing for death.