Chapter 7
It had been a month since the pack last sighted the wolf from the mall. Father had started to relax thinking the wolf had moved on. He figured after watching us for a bit the wolf had realized I was too well guarded to get too. I knew better. I could still feel his presence from time to time. I didn’t say anything to anyone about it, not even Zeke. He didn’t ask and I didn’t volunteer info.
Father had decided to start putting me to work to keep me busy. He had me go to the office with Marcus. One of the businesses we had was a construction company. I was learning the books. Father said I would be able to run the place on my own one day.
Sometimes it was Lucian or Raul, who went to the office with me. Normally I stayed in the office. I was all caught up on my work when we got a call. One of the sites needed some lumber picked up. Marcus said I could go along if I stayed out of trouble.
When we got to the lumber yard it was hot as heck outside. Unusually hot for late October. So, while Marcus was busy loading wood I walked across the street to a soda machine to get a cold drink. I put my money in then bent over to retrieve my drink. That is when it hit me, I wasn’t alone. I could smell him long before I stood up. I stood up very slowly, then stiffly turned around. I came face to face with the wolf from the mall. My breath caught in my throat and I couldn’t breathe all of a sudden.
“Nice to see I have that kind of effect on you. I have been trying for a couple of months now to get a chance to meet you. You’re even more amazing up close. Your eyes are truly lovely.”
It took me a moment to get my voice to work. “You nearly killed my brother.” I didn’t say it as a question or an accusation.
“Yes, I am sorry about that. I didn’t know who he was at first. I heard him coming then hid. I figured another wolf would kill me the minute they found me. I jumped him and we fought. I stopped the minute I found out who he was. I didn’t mean to cause you so much pain. I had no idea you had a twin. I am sorry for the pain I caused you. How is he?”
“He has recovered.”
“What is your name?”
“Cara. And yours?”
“Maxwell or Max to my friends. Cara, that is a very pretty name. I like it.”
“Thank you.”
“Well, Miss Cara, what do we do now? I know you and I mean more than just wolves to each other. I feel it. I know you do too. That first time our eyes met in the mall, I felt it. It was so intense I thought I was going crazy. Then I started following you. I tried to stay back, but the more I watched you the more I wanted to get to know you.” I must not tell her how bad I want her just yet. How I hunger to touch her. How I hunger to have her in every way. In my bed, in my life, forever. She is so lovely.
“What do you mean?” So, he thought they were mates too.
“I mean you're all I think of. I want to get to know you better. But your family or your pack seems pretty determined not to let that happen.”
“Yes, we do. Princess, get in the truck.”
“Marcus no.” Marcus was ready to shift and kill him a wolf. Maxwell knew he was coming long before he stepped over to us. Marcus reached for my arm to pull me away and Max stood in front of me. He was ready to defend me.
“Max no, he is my brother. Marcus, he wasn’t trying to hurt me. He just wanted to talk to me. Please Marcus, don’t kill him.”
Max laughed. It was the oddest thing. I felt like he could easily kill Marcus. Yet I knew Marcus was very strong and a very aggressive fighter. He was undefeated. “Him kill me, now that is one I would like to see.”
“Stopped it Max.” I stepped around him and stood between them. Max was very unhappy about that. He started to pull me back behind him till I growled at him. He stopped and looked at me then smiled.
“It was nice to meet you, Max. I have to go now. Marcus, do you have what we came for?”
“Princess, I think you better be very careful. I don’t want to hurt you, but I have orders to kill him. You know I do.”
“I know you do. But I also know you’re not going to with me right here. You know damn well I would fight you. Now back up. Let’s go back to work. Max perhaps someday we will meet again.”
“You can count on that one.” Just like that he was gone.
Marcus wanted to run after him. He growled at me when I grabbed his arm, then turned to face me. “It’s wrong of you to stop me. Father will hear about this. Princess, I don’t know what he said to you, but you are in for a long hard ride.” Marcus turned and walked back to the truck. He didn’t wait to see if I would follow him or not. I hesitated. I looked around knowing Max was watching. I couldn’t find him. I went to the truck and got in.
Marcus didn’t deliver the wood. Instead, he took me home. I should have guessed. He didn’t call ahead. I am sure he was trying to figure out what he was going to tell father as to why he hadn’t killed Max.
When we got home it was early. Father heard the truck and came out to see what was going on. He knew we weren’t supposed to be in yet. “Marcus?”
“Father, we need to talk. Princess inside.” He snapped at me.
“What’s wrong? What has she done now?”
“I think we should go to the office to talk.” Marcus pushed me through the front door and toward the office. I twisted around on him and swung at him, he ducked just in time.
“Keep your hands off me!” I yelled at him.
“Princess, it doesn’t matter if I push you or you walk, you are still going to sit in on this discussion. Father?”
“Princess, I suggest you do as you are told. Marcus wouldn’t tell you to attend this unless it involved you.”
When we made it to the office I stayed on my feet. I wasn’t sure if I was ready to run or what. I kept my distance from Marcus. I feared how he was going to tell father what happened.
“Father, I know it is partly my fault, I won’t deny that. First of all, we got a call that they needed some lumber on site three. I told Cara I was going to pick it up and she asks if she could tag along, my mistake. She was all caught up on her work so I didn’t think it would hurt. I should have known better. We made it to the lumber company just fine. It was there that things got a little hairy.”
“What happened, Marcus?” Father was getting impatient.
“I was busy loading lumber. I didn’t see her walk across the street. She went to get a cold drink, I assume. But when I got a whiff of him I turned to see her talking to him. The wolf from the mall. The one who has been coming and going. She was inches from him. She stood there talking to him like they were old friends. Like she had no idea her life was in grave danger. I ran over to her, but he stood between us. When he started to come after me she stepped in front of him. I couldn’t get her out of the way. I couldn’t go after him without ripping her apart. Father, I swear, I was going to go after him, but she wouldn’t let me. She kept getting in the way. She was ready to fight me if I went after him.”
Father stood up and walked around his desk. I took several steps toward the door. I had my back to the door and my hand on the doorknob. Father stopped before he got that close to me. He knew I was ready to bolt.
“Princess, what did the wolf want?”
“He just wanted to talk to me.” I said kind of quiet like.
“About?”
“Nothing really. He said he just wanted to meet me. He left without hurting me or anyone else. He never made a move toward me. Father, he wasn’t going to hurt me.”
“How do you know. He knew your brother was there. He had to have been watching to know you were there. He could have attacked you and Marcus might not have been able to get there fast enough. He could have dragged you off before Marcus noticed. Why didn’t you howl for help?”
“I wasn’t being threatened.” I duck my head and look at the floor. I waited for it. I knew he is fixing to go off on me. He turned and walked over to the fireplace. He stayed with his back to me for a long while. Then he told me to leave. I am not sure if he means to leave the house for goo
d or just the room. I start to ask him then he turns abruptly. He is across the room in an instant and in my face.
“You go to your room. I will deal with you later.” He looks disappointed, mad, angry enough to kill. Me? Or Marcus? I don’t know which, but I don’t waste my time getting out of the room. I start for my room then decide I need to hear what they are talking about. If I stay in the house father will know I am there. I sneak out the kitchen door and go around the house. I stay downwind so they can’t smell me. Then I sit under the window and listen.
“You know what has to be done. He has to die before he comes back for her. Marcus, I am so disappointed in you. You should have killed him right there today. Now we have to try and hunt him down. Get this in your head, he is after your sister. He will mate with her the first chance he gets then we lose her forever. We don’t have any hope of our pack going on without her. We will die off. I have a plan. Maybe we can lure him out. We will set it up where he sees her alone. He will go to her then we will surround him. The pack can kill him easily and keep her safe. I know she thinks this wolf is something special, maybe even her soul mate. But I am not having it. He is an outsider. She will mate with one of our pack or not at all!”
“Father you wouldn’t… hurt Cara, would you?” Father doesn’t answer and I can’t see his face. I can only imagine what he is thinking. If I don’t choose one of the pack, then I am dead to him any way I look at it.
I hurry to the woods. I don’t know how I will find Max, but I have to warn him. I have to tell him to leave. I run into the woods and shift. I will be faster as my wolf. I will run to town and track him down. I can track him, I have before.
I don’t know how long it will take father to notice I am missing, but I know I have to find Max and fast. I only hope he is still watching me and knows me when I am a wolf. I run toward town. I stay in the woods so no human will see me. I cross the road and run back behind the buildings. I will go where I found his scent last time. I can only hope he is there somewhere. It isn’t long till I know I am not alone. But it isn’t Max, who is hot on my trail. I am not sure at first who it is. I keep moving, hoping they don’t catch up to me.
I pick up Max’s scent. It is very faint. Old. I follow it, hoping it will cross a new trail. Something that says he has been there more recently. The wolves tracking me are catching up and very quickly. I know it can’t be father already. They found me way too fast. But he could have called ahead and warned my brothers.
I lift my head and sniff. I recognize the scent. I stop in my tracks and wait for him to catch me. Two minutes later he stands in front of me. He circles me a few times, then he snaps at me. He is angry. Very angry. He tries to force me to submit. I don’t want to. I stand my ground. He bites me hard, then brings me to the ground. He holds my neck in his mouth. I don’t fight back. If I did Rufus would tear me up.
I know he has heard already that I talked with the wolf from the mall. He holds me for what seems like forever before he stands up. He paces back and forth in front of me. He growls at me and he snaps at me. It all says he is ready to fight for me.
I start to stand, and he stops pacing. He steps closer to me then stops. I stand with my head raised. I am face to face with his fangs. His lips are pulled back showing me nothing but teeth. I don’t let that stop me. I stand up to him. Not something a female wolf should ever do.
Rufus is about to jump on me when his head lifts high into the air. He sniffs and he growls at something. I don’t see what, so I sniff the air. I know who he is ready to fight.
Kyle and Duncan have caught up. They too more than likely know now about Max. They come closer to us then split apart. The three of them are ready to fight for me. I am in the middle of the most dangerous three wolves I know right this minute. Each one male. Each one ready to take a mate. Each one ready to kill for the right to mate with ME!
I step back from Rufus and back a few more steps. I know this could get ugly very fast. The three of them have had it. They have waited as long as they plan to. Now that a new male is in the picture they are ready to fight and force me to mate. I am not at all sure if I can get away from them. If I take off running the three of them will give chase. If I wait till they start fighting I might have a chance to run. But once the fight is over, the winner will find me no matter how long it takes and then he will mate with me no matter what I want.
I am in a very bad place. One I might die trying to get out of. I will not mate with one of them. I won’t! I have to get to Max. I must figure out if he is my soul mate or not.
Just as things are about to get interesting, I hear a howl. It isn’t our pack howling. I turn and look off in the far distance. I see him. Max is standing on top of a hill, on top of a rock daring my three want to be mates to fight him. He howls again, then the three of them are running toward him. He is a good distance away from us. It will take them a few minutes to get to him. It will give me time to run.
The question is, do I run home? No one there is going to help Max. Or do I run to help him fight my pack? My family? I take off running after Rufus, Kyle, and Duncan. I can’t let them find him and kill him. I just can’t.
I am running and almost up to them when out of nowhere I am tackled to the ground. I am jumped on from above, I hadn’t seen him flying through the air at me. I was paying attention to what was about to happen instead of what was around me.
I am lying flat out on the ground. Teeth are inches from my throat. Growling like I have never heard him before. Father has caught up to me. Along with him is the rest of the pack. I guess he figured out I left faster than I thought. I can’t block him out of my head. I try, believe me I try.
“What the hell do you think you are doing? Do You want to get killed? Maybe I should let you go. If Rufus doesn’t kill your friend, then one of the others will. In the end, you will be a mated wolf no matter what you want. It would end this whole thing. Now you are going to come with me while the others go ahead to track your friend. They will kill him tonight. You make one wrong move, and I will rip you apart understand?”
I can’t exactly answer him. I look at him and he snaps at me. He bites my throat as a warning. He is not going to put up with me doing anything right now for sure. He releases me then stands back. He lets me get to my feet. Marcus and Zeke are there. They will follow me following father. Just in case my friend finds us. Three badass male wolves against one not counting me.
We make it out to the logging road where they parked the truck. I take it this is how Rufus and the other two got to me so fast. Father must have called them. They were working just outside of town building a house for someone.
Father shifts first, then when he is dressed he pulls out some clothes for me and lays them on the back seat. I am to stand behind the back door and get dressed. Then Marcus and Zeke will shift and dress.
Once I am dressed father is in my face again. “What did you think you were going to do? Warn him? What good do you think that would have done you? Either he would have taken off with you and we would have followed to kill him possibly you too. Or he would have waited for the challenge and gotten killed anyway. You foolish wolf. Get your ass in the truck.”
I sat in the back seat. I wasn’t about to sit beside my father. Marcus scooted in one side and Zeke the other. Father had already told them not to give me a chance to jump out of the truck.
Back at the house we waited and waited. The pack was supposed to find Max and kill him. It was well after midnight when the pack came home. I was locked in my room with my two bodyguards.
I paced the floor trying to figure out if they killed him or not. I started to listen in at the door and Marcus stepped in front of the door. “No, you won’t. Father is already ready to tear you apart. I won’t let him kill you. I don’t want to have to fight father for you. You have caused more trouble than you can begin to know. I will take my beating for today but not again. You hear me. If I see that wolf again, I will kill him no matter if you are there or not. If you get in my way I
will hurt you. I have done...”
He doesn’t finish what he was going to say. I know he got into some major trouble with father. I have no idea what his punishment will be. I didn’t stick around to find out. I ran off before father got to that part.
Zeke won’t even look at me. He is so mad at me. How could I have gone after the wolf to warn him against my own pack? That is what he had said in the truck on the way home. Especially when that is the wolf who nearly killed him.
Zeke stood in front of my window with his back to me. I had never wanted to hurt Zeke before. But right now, the thought of shoving him out the window would make me feel better for a second or two.
No, it wasn’t Zeke I was mad at. No, I wouldn’t think like that. Oh, Max I hope you got away. I hope you’re safe and in one piece. How will I ever get to talk to you again? I know father will never let me out of the house again. Not even for school.
Cane comes upstairs to my room. He knocks so that Marcus will open the door. Then he tells him something I don’t hear. They are doing the whole mind thing. I stay out of their heads. I shouldn’t in this case I suppose, but I really don’t know if I want to know if they killed Max.
“Princess, you are wanted downstairs.” He waves his hand in front of him for me to go first. Then he follows me. I hear Zeke hurrying to catch up to us. Cane is walking in front of me.
We get downstairs and the whole pack is in the living room. Father is standing in front of them waiting for me. I am taken over to him. Father starts to speak. “Here she is. Our little bitch. The one who would betray her own pack to warn a wolf she doesn’t even know. Rufus, Duncan, Kyle do you still want this bitch?”
The three of them stand up. They look at me disgusted. I see Duncan turn his back. I take it he is through with me. Kyle doesn’t waver one way or the other. Rufus steps forward. He stands in front of me. He is so angry I can feel the heat coming off him. “I will have you. He will not ever lay a paw on you. You will be my mate. I will fight for her.”
One Princess One Pack One Villain Page 7