by Jade Royal
“Can we talk about this another time? I need to get some rest Jayce. I’m feeling weak.”
“Yeah, yeah I understand. We’ll discuss our living arrangements later, but you can still spend the night with me. I think both our wolves would very much appreciate it.” Rita shook her head tentatively. He couldn’t see her naked.
“No, Jayce I-I just need to be alone for a little bit okay?” He didn’t look happy not one bit, but he nodded. Rita felt like her heart was going to rip to pieces. Jayce’s anger she could deal with. But his disappointment, and sorrow that she couldn’t handle. Being a dominant wolf and still able to show emotions like that meant something. And before she broke down completely she hurried out of his room and traveled the tunnels until she got to the room she’d chosen earlier with the other she-wolves.
********
Rita was awake before the sun rose the next morning, unable to sleep any longer. She had reoccurring dreams of fucking Maverick and each time she woke she was physically ill. It was the worst feeling anyone could have to live with. She worried about facing her own pack mates knowing what she’d done for freedom, but she knew if she hid they wouldn’t stop trying to investigate what was wrong with her. She’d showered over and over scrubbing her skin, but Maverick’s scent didn’t disappear. She didn’t even know why she tried. She already knew it wasn’t going to go away. Before she left her room to join the others, she dressed in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. She didn’t have scars on her arms, so she was thankful for that.
The chatter and laughter of her pack as she entered the dining area filled her up making her smile for the first time that day. Her night was restless, and hearing laughter made her feel better.
“Rita!” Amber, Maya, and Brandy screamed her name at the same time before launching onto her in a group hug. Rita fell to the ground under their weight laughing as they hugged and kissed her.
“I’m happy to see you too,” she laughed as she wrestled them off her. She sat up with them on the floor checking their bodies to make sure they weren’t injured.
“Are you guys alright?” Rita asked.
“Are you kidding? This place is fucking amazing!”
“Watch your mouth,” Rita scolded hitting Amber playfully on the thigh. She stood and brought them up with her.
“You know, we’re not kids,” Maya added.
“Well you’re a kid to me,” Rita said ruffling her hair.
“What’s for breakfast?” She walked towards the dining table and greeted the rest of the pack. She tried to smile and appear normal, but when she looked at Jayce, he did not smile at her. She felt so stupid trying to hide something she knew she couldn’t hide, but she made sure her sister locks hide Maverick’s bite mark and sat down next to Gemma. Everyone passed food down to her to make sure she got enough of everything.
“We were thinking that after our pack run we take you to the hot springs on the other side of the mountain. Just the ladies,” Bliss said. Rita paused between eating. If she went on a pack run, at the end when she shifted back to human everyone would see her scars because she’d be naked. Getting in the hot sprints sounded relaxing as well, but there was the issue of her scars again. But how much could she deny doing with her pack? She decided it was easier to hide from half the pack instead of all of them.
“I’m still a little tired, I didn’t get that much sleep,” she finally spoke. “So I’ll pass on the pack run. But I’d love to go to the springs.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Bliss smiled at her. Rita smiled and looked at everyone else. The males gave her small smiles that could be more or less grimaces more than smiles, but Jayce didn’t give her anything. Rita just looked away from him and continued to eat her breakfast. The rest of the pack chatted quietly. Rita was beginning to wonder how they were going to deal with Maverick and she had to come clean about what it is Maverick wanted her to do and why he’d ultimately set her free. But seen as no one was going to bring it up she didn’t want to.
She stayed quiet and ate her breakfast listening to the rest of them talk. After breakfast, while everyone else went for the pack run Rita stayed alone in the cave and cleaned up the dishes from breakfast. For the moment she could relax because no one was around her and she didn’t have to be conscious about her body around her pack. After she finished cleaning up, she went to her room. Her closet was filled with clothes she’d had at Kellan’s cabin, plus some new ones. She had underwear and bras but no bathing suit. She just put on a long robe and waited for the females to come back.
After some time the she-wolves came knocking at Rita’s door. They were dressed in two-piece bikinis. Bliss was carrying some bathing suits in her hands.
“I knew you didn’t have any and when we went shopping for more clothes after we moved in, we didn’t buy you any. But I have extra you can choose from,” Bliss said. They all walked in the room, and Rita closed the door behind them. Bliss spread the bathing suits out on the bed and Rita chose the one piece. It would most cover up the scars on her stomach and back, but the ones on her thighs would be out.
“How was the run?” Rita asked.
“Refreshing as always,” Gemma replied. “Sucks you didn’t come with us.”
“The males can’t see me naked. Especially Jayce,” Rita said.
“You were always comfortable with nudity,” Bliss gasped. “You were the one that told me to get comfortable with it!” Rita sighed and undid her robe and let it fall to the ground. She kept Maverick’s mark covered with her hair but showed them everything else. All at once gasps filled the room, but after that, it was complete silence. As the alpha female, Bliss was the first to speak.
“This does not make you any less beautiful,” she spoke fiercely.
“If you don’t want to flaunt it, we all understand, but we won’t think differently of you or shame you for it. You’re a she-wolf of the Phoenix pack, and we’re all bad bitches.” Rita smiled and hugged her alpha female. She felt the love thriving between the bond their shared, and it truly built Rita up. She needed it now more than ever.
“We won’t say a word to the guys, but you should talk to Jayce about it. He is your mate after all,” Kyra told her.
“I know,” Rita sighed.
“It’ll just take me some time.” Amber, Maya, and Brandy hugged Rita at the same time. They were wearing bathing suits that each pack member had let them borrow.
“She got those scars because of us,” Amber told them somberly.
“Protecting and defending us.”
“You’re an amazing wolf,” Gemma said.
“This is a setback, and you might feel crappy about how you look, but none of us view you any differently other than you’re even more a badass than before.”
“Thanks girls,” Rita sniffled.
“I needed that. Now I think I need to see these hot springs.”
“Get ya sexy ass in the bathing suit and we will,” Bliss said spanking her playfully. Rita excitedly put on the bathing suit relieved to have something off her chest. It was better to have her sisters knowing her secrets than no one knowing at all. After she put on the bathing suit, she put on the robe to keep herself covered until they got to the springs. Mira had changed into a bathing suit as well, but she’d joined them in the kitchen once they were all dressed, so she hadn’t seen Rita’s scars. And Rita didn’t know how she felt about the she-wolf in the first place, so she wasn’t going to share a secret with her around.
“Damn!” Jaxson nearly dropped his bottle of beer when the she-wolves came into the living area ready for the hot springs. At some point, he’d seen all his packmates naked, but it was different when they wore sexy clothing. It added sexuality to them. He didn’t want to view any of his packmates like that, and he didn’t. But when he looked at Kyra, he couldn’t help himself. It was unusual. And then when he looked at Mira; he felt a pull. She smiled seductively at him, but Jaxson looked away immediately. Even if he was more dominant than Dell, he wasn’t going to disrespect him by looking at
his she-wolf in any way that wasn’t platonic. He quickly snapped out of his daze, to the smell of a male wolf’s arousal. He looked at one of Dell’s wolfs who was glaring at Gemma. Jaxson nudged Tristan and nodded to the wolf. Tristan got up immediately and went over to the wolf. He whipped out his claws and grabbed the wolf around his neck.
“What you looking at?” Tristan growled in his ear.
“No-nothing,” he replied shakily.
“Take your eyes off my mate my dude. I catch you looking at her again I’ll rip your fucking eyes out and make you swallow them.” He dug his claws into his neck for added effect before he let him go.
“Get out of here Gemma,” Tristan ordered. Dell’s wolves deliberately looked up at the ceiling as all the she-wolves walked by them, not wanting to cause any of the dominant wolves to confront them about looking at their she-wolves. Kellan smacked Bliss on the ass as she walked by. They shot each other heated looks with promises of special activities later on in the day that Rita took notice to. She felt jealousy not towards Kellan or Bliss, but jealousy in just wanting her mate and wanting to give her all to him. She just wished there was no complication. She wished they could just mate and their fairytale would start. But fairy tales weren’t real.
The hot springs was earth’s natural Jacuzzi. When Rita sunk down into the warm liquid embedded within the cavern of the mountain on the other side she was in pure heaven. She made sure her hair hid the bite mark on her shoulder as she relaxed into the water. Bliss popped a bottle of champagne and passed around glasses. For the young wolves Bliss gave them some apple cider.
“How come Gemma gets champagne?” Amber asked.
“Gemma is 18,” Bliss replied.
“Technically we went through puberty by shifting. So, really we’re adults.”
“Nice try,” Bliss smiled.
“We can have pups and bleed but can’t have a glass of champagne,” Maya teased.
“Wait, she-wolves have periods?” Bliss asked. Everyone laughed at her.
“Of course we have periods,” Gemma replied. “We’re still females. We just don’t bleed every month.” Rita looked at Bliss with a questioning look.
“You didn’t bleed after you went into heat?” Rita asked her.
“No. Was I supposed to?”
“When human females bleed that’s just their body releasing the egg that could have been fertilized. We don’t bleed often because we only bleed after our heating cycle because the heating cycle is the only time we can reproduce. So after we go into heat either we’re pregnant or we bleed,” Rita told her.
“I bled after my heating cycle. And I knew it was coming. Not like my mate fucked me,” Gemma sighed shaking her head.
“So wait? Am I pregnant right now?” Bliss shrieked. All the she-wolves leaned into Bliss and sniffed.
“No,” they all said at the same time.
“Wait? You can smell pregnancy?” Bliss asked.
“Yeah. There’s little wolves can’t smell,” Mira told her.
“And if you were pregnant Bliss it would show. It won’t be like a human pregnancy. It doesn’t take five months to show you’re carrying.”
“How long does it take?”
“Matter of days,” Kyra said.
“Our babies develop for only about two months before we give birth. Thankfully. That nine-month shit is ridiculous,” Kyra laughed.
“Wow!” Bliss was in shock. “So what does it mean that I went into heat but didn’t bleed, and I’m not pregnant? And trust me Kellan fucked me. He fucked me good.”
“You’re gonna go into heat again,” Mira said confidently.
“How the hell do you know that?” Rita asked.
“Oh, I don’t think anyone’s told you,” Mira started. “I’m an empath. Meaning I can feel other people’s emotions, take them away or sometimes make them feel something else. My mother was a native American who passed the gift to me and help me hone it in. I wouldn’t say I can predict the future, but I read aura’s that help me learn things about someone, and I just get strong feelings about them. Sometimes I’m wrong, sometimes I’m right. But this time I know for a fact that you’re gonna go into heat again Bliss.”
“Well when? That shit hurt like a bitch! I need to get prepared!”
“I don’t know when. It’s just in the near future.”
“Having that power doesn’t drive you crazy?” Kyra asked her. Mira shrugged.
“Sometimes it does, but then it comes in handy. I always know when someone is being genuine or when they’re keeping secrets.” Mira looked at Rita as she said that. Rita just rolled her eyes and looked away.
“Not everyone’s life is an open book,” Bliss spoke up immediately noting the shot that Mira took at Rita. “And just because it’s a secret to you doesn’t mean it’s a secret to anyone else. And hell, if it’s a secret to you in the first place, maybe it’s not your right, or your place to know their business.” Mira looked at Bliss feeling her contempt.
“So you can read aura’s right?” Bliss asked. “What can you read about mine right now?” Mira looked at her before inhaling and exhaling.
“Agitation, annoyance.”
“Good so you know.” Kyra and Gemma chuckled as Bliss continued to dig into Mira.
“Are you thinking you can take me in a fight?” Mira gasped. “I was born a shifter! I hardly think you can beat me. And I don’t want to embarrass the alpha female in front of her wolves.”
“Right, I am not a born shifter. But my mate taught me certain shit. I may be a new wolf, but I know my strength. And well, I don’t mean to be a bitch about it but point blank I’m stronger than you. And I can make your wolf submit to me, Mira. So you can try me if you want to.” Mira was quiet.
“Kellan has invited you and your pack to stay with us,” Bliss said. “And while you’re here you’re going to respect all my sister wolves. Or I’m just gonna beat the shit out of you. Your choice.”
Gemma and Kyra lost control of their chuckles and giggles that turned into full-on cackles of laughter. Even the young wolves began laughing, but they were trying to be subtle about it. Rita cracked a smile at Bliss and winked at her before mouthing thank you. Bliss winked backed at her.
The rest of the time in the hot springs Mira was quiet but the rest of the she-wolves laughed and chatted about everything under the moon. Only when the champagne bottle was empty did they gather their things and leave earth’s Jacuzzi. Back inside the cave, everyone went to their rooms to get changed. Rita was the first out of her room once she changed into jeans and another t-shirt. Kellan was sitting in the living room on the large couch deep in thought.
“Hey Kell,” Rita greeted. She sat on the opposite chair not wanting to sit next to him. He snapped from his thoughts and looked at her with a smile.
“What’s up girl? How was the springs?”
“It was amazing. I needed it,” she replied. He nodded at her.
“Where’s Jayce?”
“Working out with Jaxson and Tristan. He’s on edge for some reason so working out is the best thing for him right now.”
“Oh.” Rita knew why her mate was on edge. It had to be the fact that she smelled like Maverick. It was strange because she knew everyone could smell the change in her scent but no one was saying anything about it.
“We’re gonna have a meeting about Maverick,” Kellan spoke.
“Even though he let you go he’s still out there and a danger to all she-wolves and smaller packs.”
“Yeah, he is,” Rita replied. The other wolves began filtering into the kitchen and the dining area. Rita and Kellan joined them. Jaxson and Tristan were there, but Jayce still wasn’t around. They smelled freshly showered, so she knew they were done with their workout.
“What do you suppose we do about Maverick now?” Dell questioned sipping on a beer. “I feel highly uneasy that he’s just free.”
“I’m sure we all feel that way,” Kellan said.
“But it was either his freedom or Rit
a’s life. And I easily made my decision.”
“Sometimes sacrifices need to be made for the greater good,” Dell said. Kellan gave him a face.
“Shut your superhero sounding ass up,” Kellan snapped. “Greater good my ass.”
“Well, now it’s gonna be a wild goose chase to find him again. How do you plan on even finding him huh?”
Rita felt her heart begin to beat faster in her chest. She should have told Kellan from jump why Maverick had let her go and what he wanted her to do. But then it would come to question why Maverick trusted her. And then she’d have to admit what she’d done to earn his trust. She wasn’t proud of it. And even speaking it to the she-wolves was embarrassing. That’s why she hadn’t told them.
“Don’t worry about how we’re gonna find him,” Kellan was glaring at Dell his eyes beginning to flash wolf so Dell would know he was treading on thin ice.
“Or we could just ask her,” Mira spoke up pointing at Rita. Everyone was confused.
“Excuse me?” Kellan asked.
“She’s keeping secrets!” Mira accused. Anger and embarrassment filled Rita, threatening to combust. Mira had some nerve to call her out like that in front of the pack. But before Rita could defend herself, Bliss was growling with a mouth full of canines.
“You really wanna go there?!” Bliss shrieked. Without giving Mira a chance to answer, Bliss was flying at her, all claws and teeth ready for a fight. Being less dominant, Mira squealed and ran behind Dell hiding behind her alpha. Dell pumped his chest out ready to push Bliss away from Mira, but Kellan stepped in. He grabbed Bliss by the arm and pushed her behind him before glaring down at Dell.