Limitless: A Reverse Harem Shifter Romance (Crystal Lake Pack Book 1)

by Candace Wondrak

  Still incredulous of what her mother had said, Addie barely managed to squeak out an “I love you” and a “Bye” before hanging up.

  Her mother was wrong. She wasn’t going to ogle any of the guys here, even if they were drop-dead gorgeous and more model-worthy than anyone she’d ever seen. Yes, her body might’ve felt some strange things for Maze and Dylan, but what straight girl wouldn’t? They were cute, funny, the one was a little awkward but adorable anyway, and…

  No. She wasn’t going to start a list for why any girl would like them, because doing so would only make Addie like them more. She was practically twenty years old. She wasn’t a hormonal teenager. She could control herself here, couldn’t she?

  She would have to.

  Chapter Eleven

  After leaving her phone plugged in, because it seriously needed a charge, Addie slowly crept down the stairs. Even without super wolf hearing, she was able to overhear an argument happening in the living room. Somebody was angry, a new voice not belonging to either Maze or Dylan.

  Perhaps it belonged to the infamous Landon? The third guy in this house and her third chosen mate? Addie would never get used to thinking that. Never.

  “She wants to go? Let her fucking go. We don’t need the drama a girl will bring—”

  “She told me she’d give it a few more days.” This one had to be Dylan, though his voice sounded exactly like Maze’s, so Addie couldn’t be totally sure.

  A third, sarcastic voice quipped, “So let’s all do our best not to seem like assholes, yeah? Not that I’m pointing any fingers, but—”

  There was silence for a moment until the first voice angrily muttered, “If you keep pointing that finger at me, I’ll break it off.”

  Addie paused on the steps, about halfway down. A little rough? So far, Landon seemed like a jerk through and through. No way she’d have the same problem with him as she did with Maze and Dylan. Jerks were not her cup of tea.

  She didn’t really like tea in general. Same with jerks.

  “Simmer down there, buddy,” Maze said. “You’ll probably wake her up with all that yelling.”

  “I. Am. Not. Yelling,” Landon said, very much trying not to yell. Addie would have smiled, had the situation been different. Say, had she not been promised like some Middle Age maiden to strangers. At least those women only had one stranger to deal with. She had three. “I refuse to fall over myself like you two. Like pups.”

  “Hey,” Maze sounded offended, “who are you calling a pup?”

  “I thought it was clear. You.”

  Dylan interjected, the calmest of the bunch, “Let’s not rile ourselves up further—”

  Addie knew she could probably stay where she was and overhear more, but it felt intrusive and sneaky. Puffing herself up, she made sure to make lots of noise as she finished her walk down the stairs. They heard her almost instantly, their argument quieting.

  When she rounded the corner and walked into the living room, she said, “Oh, please. Don’t stop bickering on my account. Continue. Let me see how things really are here. I don’t like things sugarcoated.” She planned on saying more, but as she gazed at the three shifters, any further words were frozen.

  The twins stood next to each other, almost identical. Both were so cute she was at a loss for words. So much for not letting her hormones take her over.

  Facing them was a third shifter, the tallest of the bunch. Brown, shaggy hair covering a set of bright blue eyes, a handsome face whose expression of anger only downplayed his looks a small amount. Muscles upon muscles beneath a tight white shirt and pants that hugged his other, lower features perfectly.

  God, when was Addie the kind of girl who noticed those things?

  Landon studied her, his eyes falling to her feet, traveling upward in a slow, agonizing pace. His face gave nothing away, still looking utterly pissed off. “This is her?” he asked, to which the twins only nodded and smiled at her. His legs brought him closer to her, and she braced herself for whatever he would say or do next. The shifter scoffed and shook his head. “She isn’t even that pretty.” He pushed past her, bumping into her shoulder as he went for the door, slamming it on his way out.

  Addie slowly brought her gaze to Dylan and Maze. She wasn’t exactly hurt by what Landon said…more like annoyed. Who did he think he was? Judging her. He had no right to be such a jerk.

  “Sorry about him,” Maze spoke, grinning. “He’s an ass, but he’s our ass.” Beside him, Dylan nodded in agreement. “And don’t believe a word he says. You’re beautiful.” For once, the shifter was completely serious, and it made Addie blush, in spite of herself.

  The only other person who’d ever called her beautiful before was her mother, and she didn’t count. Mothers had to say that about their daughters, didn’t they?

  “Dylan told me what happened,” Maze added, glancing to his twin. “I’m sorry we didn’t tell you at your mother’s house but, you know, we kind of figured you wouldn’t want to come if you knew. Well, Henry decided it. I went along with it because he’s an elder of the pack and I pretty much have to agree with anything he says.”

  “I don’t care about Henry,” Addie said, the understatement of the year. She hated the man, especially his haughty, I’m-better-than-everyone attitude. “You should’ve told me the whole truth. Lying to me is not the best way to get me to stay here with you, it should go without saying.” She crossed her arms, trying to look mad. And she was mad, she just…felt less and less upset the longer she stared at the twins.

  Weird.

  “I’m sorry,” Maze said, stepping closer to her. “Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?” He grinned, dimples appearing on his cheeks. “Anything I can say or preferably do to convince you that you belong here with us?”

  She laughed. “With the three of you?”

  “Well, I meant the pack, but yes, the three of us, too.” Maze continued to smile, and Addie felt her stern attitude melting at a rapid pace. She couldn’t let the shifter’s good looks influence her decision, even if she wanted to kiss those dimples off his cheeks.

  Whoa. Where the heck did that thought come from?

  Before Addie could even formulate a response, there was a quick knock on the front door. The three of them turned to look, and Addie felt her mood souring. Henry walked in, wearing a suit. The old man looked ridiculous and stuffy, and she hated him even more. He must’ve showered, for his grey hair was slicked back and wet, his goatee freshly trimmed.

  “Henry,” Maze spoke first, “if it isn’t our favorite elder.”

  Henry shot him a glare. “Be lucky I’m not here for you right now, Maze.” He added in a harsh mumble, “I’ve had enough of your ceaseless chitchat.” His hazel stare moved to Addie. “Change into the nicest clothes you’ve brought.” He spoke it as an order, as if he were the boss of her, like he could freely tell her what to do.

  As if.

  She wanted to tell him to stuff it, but she knew it wouldn’t be nice. As Addie bristled and tried to think of something to say, Dylan spoke, moving beside her, “She looks good now, I think.”

  Addie wanted to tell both Maze and Dylan she was more than capable of holding her own against Henry, but she kind of liked having them at her side. It was something she shouldn’t get used to.

  “The pup could at least shower.” Henry turned up his nose at her. “She smells like she’s been marinating in a warm car all day. Not the best first impression to give to her new pack.” A cold smile formed on his wrinkled mouth. “Wolves have a better sense of smell, you know. Once you’ve shifted, you’ll see.”

  Just for that, she wasn’t going to shower. She might not shower the entire time she was here, for however long it turned out to be. All for Henry, to make him miserable. A worthy goal, Addie thought.

  “I think I’m fine,” Addie said.

  As it turned out, Henry wanted her to bathe and look nice because she was to meet the entire pack tonight. Dozens of shifters had already gathered in the park before
they arrived, and Addie could smell the scent of barbeque filling the air. A cookout. Hotdogs and hamburgers. Seemed a human thing to do, but she wasn’t about to complain. She didn’t want to eat raw deer or whatever it was wolves ate.

  The shifters there stared at her, and Addie thought about ignoring them, but what would be the point? So she stared back, figuring it was rude to stare no matter what society they were in. Human, shifter. There were just some things you didn’t do.

  Addie, Dylan, and Maze walked behind Henry, who led them to a table where a bunch of old men sat, wearing nicer clothes, chuckling at whatever story was being told. Henry sat on the end, and Addie couldn’t help but notice there were hardly any women in the pack over fifty. Did they die? Did they not live as long? Did they—

  “My granddaughter, Adeline,” Henry introduced her with a harrumph.

  “Looks like her mother,” one of them spoke, his wrinkled gaze zeroing on her, judging her for what her mother had done.

  Another said, “And her father, the bastard.”

  Well, wasn’t that nice?

  Henry looked around. “I don’t see Landon. Where is he?” He ground his teeth, shooting his glare at Maze. “Find him. Make sure he’s here before Forest arrives.” As Maze nodded and wandered off, tossing Addie an apologetic glance, the old man turned to Dylan. “Introduce her to who you can. Forest will do the big introduction, but we need Landon for that.”

  Addie was about to ask why Landon needed to be present—because she never agreed to become their mate—but Dylan grabbed her hand and led her away from the table of elders. Also known as old men who thought they knew everything. Old men, one in particular, that Addie wanted to punch, and normally she wasn’t a violent person, floating book aside.

  “Despite what everyone says,” Dylan remarked, bringing her away from the group, from the park and the delicious smelling food, “we don’t have to listen to what the elders say. Maze is just a suck-up, since he constantly gets himself into trouble.”

  As he led her to the lake, Addie could only focus on one thing: his hand, and how it felt wrapped around hers. She was losing her mind the more time she spent with him. She hated it. Mostly hated it.

  Okay, a teeny part of her might’ve liked it, but probably because she’d never held hands with anyone before. It was kind of nice.

  “You can be introduced to everyone later, if you want,” Dylan said, walking them to the nearest dock. “I figured you might have some questions.” When she said nothing, he blinked behind his glasses. “Unless you want to meet everyone now?”

  Addie laughed. “No, no. I’m fine right here.” They stood at the edge of the dock, more than twenty feet over the lake. Below the wood, the water was crystal clear, small fish swimming under the boards. The lake’s bottom was made mostly of rocks, though she still couldn’t tell how deep it was. “Are all those people shifters? How big is this pack?”

  “Total, I think we’re near two hundred.” Based on a quick count as they’d gone through the park, Addie realized only a quarter or so of the pack was there. Wow. “And no, some of them are human.”

  “I thought you didn’t let humans stay here?”

  “Some males got permission to mate with humans. They brought them in, hoping their kids will turn out to be shifters. Half are, half aren’t.”

  “Out of all the women, how many are shifters?”

  Dylan shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe ten? Fifteen? Forest keeps a strict count, but it’s not something I pay much attention to.”

  Addie rose her eyebrows, turning to him. “Why? Because you knew you’d have me?”

  “Honestly, I thought I’d never get to meet you. I didn’t think Maze and Henry would be able to bring you back.” Dylan let her hand go, which allowed her to kneel at the edge of the dock. “Henry looked for you for years, and the way he talks, it’s like…”

  She stared at her reflection, almost a perfect mirroring of her pale face, her green eyes, and her brown hair. Addie knew exactly what Dylan was trying to say. Getting back to her feet, she said, “It’s like he thinks he owns me, has the right to control me.”

  Dylan nodded once. “I’m worried he’ll…use extraordinary means to keep you here.”

  “Do you think I should be worried?”

  “No. If anything, I’ll talk to Forest about it. If anyone can keep Henry in line, it’s him. Elder or not, he’s the alpha. Whatever he says, Henry will have no choice but to listen.”

  The word of the alpha was not law though, Addie knew. More like guidelines.

  Addie no longer wanted to talk about her grandfather, so she changed the subject. “What do you guys do all day? Do you have jobs? How does this place get money?” Some useless questions, but at least they would get her mind off of Henry and pack life. The latter didn’t seem too bad, even if she was an outsider.

  “Some of us go into town for jobs. We pool our resources. Forest makes it work.” Dylan chuckled. “Being alpha is a lot more than keeping the pack controlled, at least today it is.”

  “And Forest…” Addie trailed off. Forest was the alpha, and she assumed the same alpha her mother was supposed to be with. Would he hate her because Sarah had run away? Would he take her mother’s actions out on her? “What kind of man is he? I know my mom was supposed to be his.”

  She would never say her mother was supposed to be his mate. The words would feel gross coming out, and probably sound even worse.

  Dylan knew what she meant. He ran a hand through his blonde hair, sticking its length straight up. Messy hair was cute hair—another thought Addie never had before today. These freaking wolves would kill her at this rate. “You’re worried he’ll take it out on you.”

  Addie lifted her shoulders, dropping them instantly. It was a valid concern, wasn’t it? Her mother had screwed him over, especially if female shifters were so rare.

  “Forest is not like that. I don’t know what you’re expecting from him—maybe you have some preconceived notions because he’s the alpha—but he isn’t what you think. He cares for everyone, takes care of all of us equally. He’s a good man, and a better wolf. We’ve…been having rough times lately. I think what your mother did to him all those years ago is the last thing on his mind.”

  Rough times? It was not the first she’d heard of it, for Maze had mentioned the pack had lost some of its members. Addie tilted her head, asking, “What kind of rough times?” Was she walking into the middle of a pack war? Was there a disease going around only wolves could catch?

  What else were these shifters keeping from her?

  Dylan coughed, awkwardly looking away. “Sorry, I—I shouldn’t have said anything. It’s not my place to—” Before he could say anything else, and before Addie could pry it from him, Maze ran up to them, slightly out of breath.

  “Landon’s scent…it’s gone,” Maze said.

  “What do you mean it’s gone?” Dylan asked. “Scents don’t disappear, not that fast. He has to be—”

  “He’s not here,” Maze spoke slowly. “I followed his scent into the woods and then…nothing. It was like he vanished or something.” The concern was evident in his voice, and even though Landon had acted like a jerk, Addie felt bad. Mostly for the two worried wolves before her.

  “Maybe he ran away because he didn’t like me,” Addie mumbled, remembering how Dylan had called him a lone wolf. Still, how would he make his scent disappear? A scent was not something he could control. It didn’t make much sense, not that she knew everything there was to know about shifters. She was the farthest thing from an expert.

  “No,” Maze quickly spoke, “he wouldn’t do that. He didn’t mean what he said. He’s just…Landon.” To Dylan, he said, “We need to find him.”

  Nodding, Dylan said, “We need to tell Forest, first. He should know, if Landon’s really gone.”

  “I’m telling you, he is. I was tracking his scent, saw his footprints, and then nothing.”

  Dylan, ever the logical one, spoke, “Since you’re the one w
ho saw it, you should tell Forest. I’ll let Henry know. There won’t be any party while another member of our pack is missing.” The brothers gave a firm nod to each other, both of them heading off the dock, leaving Addie to wonder just what they were talking about.

  And then it hit her.

  Another member missing.

  Landon wasn’t the first.

  Chapter Twelve

  Addie trailed after Maze, not wanting to spend any more time with Henry than she had to. Just because the man was her grandfather did not mean she owed him anything. He was the jerkiest of jerks, and if Dylan was worried he’d try something fishy to keep her here, well, it made her a little worried.

  Right now, though, she was concerned about Landon. Not about him as a person or a wolf, but the stress and the anxiety his disappearance gave Maze and Dylan. The brothers seemed to care for him a great deal, which either meant the packbond was stronger than she thought—because who could like such a douche—or Landon wasn’t as awful as he seemed.

  Considering her current predicament, Addie wasn’t feeling very generous when it came to her impression of Landon. He would remain a douche in her eyes until he proved otherwise. And insulting her looks and storming away like a child? Like a fifth-grade boy? The shifter had a lot to make up for, not that she would stick around for it.

  “What did Dylan mean by another member of the pack is missing?” Addie chased after him, walking around the park, on the outskirts of the crowd. Most were busy eating and laughing, too oblivious to know something was wrong. Or maybe they chose to be oblivious, because how ignorant could wolves really be? They were all pack-this and pack-that.

  Maze kept walking as he replied, “He shouldn’t have said that. You shouldn’t worry about our problems until—I mean if—you decide you’re staying. This is a pack matter.” He led them to the sidewalk, heading swiftly through the rows of homes.

  “You don’t get to hide things from me just because I’m not part of the pack,” Addie said, angry. “How many others are missing?” She tried to sound as harsh, as stern and adult-like as she could. He would tell her, or…