by J. L. Wilder
“And they might not know about you at all,” Ozzy agreed.
“They don’t know that I’m the one who let Natalie out,” Chuck said. “But they must know somebody did. They know there’s a third one of us out here. Maybe they’re hoping to provoke a confrontation by startling us. Right now, they probably outnumber us.”
“You’re missing the point,” Gage said. “All of you.”
“What’s the point, then?” Chuck asked.
“The point is that they’re behind us,” Gage said. “Which means we’re ahead of them. If we keep running, if we keep up the pace, we have a good chance of reaching our territory before they do.”
Chuck looked at Natalie. “How are you doing?” he asked her. “Can you keep going?”
She liked that he was worried about her. It made sense that he would be. She was untested before today. Nobody knew what she was capable of.
But she wasn’t about to let harm come to her family before she had a chance to meet them.
“I can keep going,” she said. “Let’s run.”
MANY HOURS LATER, THE men came to a halt around her. Natalie looked around to see which of them had stopped this time, but they seemed to have stopped by unspoken agreement.
She longed to let herself be human again, to give voice to her many questions. But this time, she forced herself to wait. She clung to the wolf body that kept her safe in the dark woods. Someone would tell her what she needed to know. She trusted them. She could be patient.
They fell into a single file line without discussion—Ozzy in the lead now, Chuck behind, Natalie third, and Gage still bringing up the rear. Ozzy led them in a wide arc to the side, away from the direction in which they’d been traveling so far. He hunched low to the ground and slunk along as if trying not to be seen or heard.
What is it? Natalie wondered. Was there something—or someone—nearby? Were they in danger?
Then she saw a soft light off in the distance.
They crept closer.
Ozzy shifted. He untied his bundle of clothes and began to pull them on. After a moment, Chuck followed suit. Natalie looked over her shoulder and saw that Gage was doing the same thing.
“Get dressed,” Chuck said quietly to Natalie.
“What is that?” Once again, she had shifted without meaning to, without even knowing she was going to do it. Her curiosity had overwhelmed her.
“That’s our house,” Ozzy said.
Natalie yanked her dress over her head, then stepped forward and peered between the trees, desperate for a glimpse at the place that would soon become her home.
It was rustic, of course—it was clear that the Pacific Northwest Wolves had built their cabin themselves and had added to it as the years had gone by. But it looked nicer than the longhouse belonging to the Rocky Mountain Wolves, Natalie thought. There were clearly several different rooms. The roof looked well-constructed, rather than seeming as if it was about to fall off. The porch in front of the front door looked sturdy and even, rather than sloping away to one side as the Rocky Mountain Wolves’ porch had.
“We should go in,” Chuck said. “Shouldn’t we?”
“Maybe we should wait for morning,” Ozzy said. “That’s what I was thinking.”
“But we’re being pursued,” Chuck said. “There’s an attack coming. We need to go in and let them know so they can prepare.”
“I don’t think so,” Gage said. “They’re a good long way behind us now. And they’ll have stopped for the night. They’ll want to be rested before the attack. I think we can afford to wait a few more hours, until the sun is coming up.”
“Why would we want to wait?” Natalie asked. “Isn’t it better to let them know so they can have as much time as possible to prepare?”
“In theory,” Ozzy said. “But they’re also going to be seeing you for the first time, and there are going to be reactions to that. I’d rather everyone in there have a full nights’ sleep before they try to deal with your return. If we wake them up in the middle of the night with it, tempers could run high.”
“You mean it could turn into a fight,” Natalie said, thinking of Randy.
“It could,” Ozzy said. “And if you think we have enough time,” he said, glancing at Gage, “I’d really feel much better about bringing her in over breakfast. When everyone is occupied with eating, they’ll be much less likely to react.”
“You’re probably right,” Chuck admitted. “Gage, do you really think it’s safe? You’ve been bringing up the rear all this time.”
“I think so,” Gage said. “I think we’ve grown the distance between them and us over the afternoon.” He grinned at Natalie. “You really are fast,” he said. “I can’t believe that was your first time running.”
“I just hope it’s not always like that,” Natalie said. “I’d rather try slowing down and running for fun next time.”
Gage let out a bark of laughter. “I doubt we’ll spend too much time running for our lives,” he assured her. “I know you’re new to the shifter world, but trust me, territory wars don’t happen every day.”
“They don’t happen every year,” Ozzy said. “We haven’t been this close to outright battle with the Rocky Mountain Wolves in my lifetime.”
Chuck nodded. “We’d better all get some sleep,” he said. “We’ve got a big day tomorrow.”
The men formed a circle, leaving a spot for Natalie to sleep in the middle. By now, she’d grown used to sleeping on the ground, but she did miss the opportunity to snuggle up in someone’s arms. Still, it wouldn’t have been fair to choose one of them over the others, and she didn’t think she could have done it.
Besides, she felt a little ill. Maybe it was the run that had done it, or maybe it was all the shifting, but something had left her feeling nauseous and physically unsettled.
Or maybe it wasn’t the shifting after all, she thought suddenly, resting a hand on her stomach.
Maybe it was something else.
Maybe it was something that she had long since given up on—because she hadn’t understood the true nature of her body and of what she really was.
She stared up at the stars, marveling, wondering if the idea that had popped into her mind could possibly be real.
Could I be pregnant?
Chapter Twenty-Five
CHUCK
Chuck slept restlessly, and as soon as the sun peeked up over the horizon, he woke fully and got to his feet.
Peering through the trees at the house in the distance, he saw that it was quiet. No one was awake yet, or if they were, they weren’t stirring.
We’ve waited long enough, he thought, clenching and unclenching his fists in anticipation. We need to get in there. There’s a fight coming, and we have to prepare ourselves for it.
Natalie stirred and sat up slowly, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. “Is everything okay?” she asked, blinking up at him.
He looked at her closely. She seemed awfully tired. Maybe she hadn’t had enough sleep.
Then again, I really haven’t known her that long, he reminded himself. Maybe this is always how she looks in the morning, and I just haven’t been paying attention to that.
He went to her, knelt beside her, and gave her a quick kiss. Her body responded, arching up to meet his as if she were being pulled in toward him.
He chuckled, their lips still together, feeling the heat of her breath. “Good morning,” he said. “I wish we had time for that.”
“Maybe later,” she murmured, her hand wandering up his thigh, finding his hardening cock and giving him a brief squeeze that chased all his worry about their return home from his mind.
He kissed her again, then rocked back on his heels, feeling much more relaxed than he had a few minutes ago. He had always heard people say that having an omega around was a boost for people’s moods, that mated men tended to be happier and more stable, but he hadn’t taken it seriously. Maybe he should have believed what he’d been told all along.
The others were s
tirring now, climbing slowly to their feet. “What’s up?” Gage asked. “Any change?”
“Nothing,” Chuck said. “But I think we should get in there. They’ll be getting up pretty soon. We can all sit down to breakfast together and tell them what we know, and then we’ll be able to start making preparations on full stomachs.”
“You don’t think we should wait until Randy’s finished eating to tell him that the omega he wanted is actually ours?” Gage flashed his teeth.
It was Ozzy who answered. “I think Randy’s going to have to deal with us whether he’s ready or not,” he said. “I think we should get in there too, Chuck. I’m tired of waiting. And honestly, if Randy overreacts and we stay calm, that will give us an advantage.”
Natalie gulped audibly.
Chuck helped her to her feet. “Are you okay?”
“Just nervous,” she said, laughing lightly. “I know I’m being silly.”
“No, you’re not,” Gage said. “It makes sense. This is a big moment for you.”
“And there are things to be nervous about,” Ozzy said. “This isn’t going to be easy.”
“But you’ll be all right,” Chuck assured her. “None of us is going to let Randy—or anybody else, for that matter—lay a hand on you.”
“I know you won’t,” Natalie said, smiling gratefully—trustingly—at all of them. “I know I can count on you.”
Ozzy reached out, took her hand, and drew her forward. “Come on,” he said. “Let’s get this over with.”
Gage jogged past them and led the way into the clearing that surrounded the cabin. Chuck followed, bringing up the rear. It was strange to be coming home. It seemed like so little time had passed since he had left, and yet everything was different now.
Before they reached the front door, though, it was thrown open. Randy came storming out and down the stairs to meet them in the yard.
“Randy,” Chuck said, stepping forward.
But Randy ignored him altogether. He even ignored Natalie. Instead, he marched straight up to Ozzy.
“You left without permission!” he raged.
Ozzy remained calm. “I don’t need your permission,” he said. “People leave the territory all the time.”
“Some people do,” Randy said. “Not you.”
“What makes me any different?” Ozzy asked.
“I wanted your help researching the omega before we went to look for her,” Randy said. “I told you that. I explicitly told you. And you snuck out anyway.”
“But he was right, wasn’t he?” Gage spoke up. “He found the omega without doing extra research. So what’s to argue about?”
“Who asked you?” Randy snapped. “You’re nothing but a renegade.”
“Easy,” Chuck said, frowning. “Don’t talk to Gage like that. He helped us bring the omega home. You should be thanking him.”
“Oh, you’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Randy said. “You’d like me to get down on my knees and show the rest of the pack how grateful I am to you three for going against orders. You want me to act like you did something anyone couldn’t have done.” He shook his head, laughing darkly. “You’ve been after the role of alpha since I took over, Chuck. Everybody knows it. Stop embarrassing yourself.”
“He is alpha,” Natalie said.
She spoke quietly, but everyone stopped arguing and turned to look at her. Maybe it was because they were the first words she had uttered since their arrival, or maybe it was because she sounded more confident, surer of herself, than Chuck had ever heard her sound before.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Randy snapped. “You don’t know anything about this.”
“That’s really how you want to greet the new omega?” Gage said incredulously.
“What difference does it make?” Randy asked. “It’s not as if she has any power. And if she’s been suckered into thinking Chuck is in charge of all of us, she can’t be that bright, can she?”
“Shut up, Randy, for God’s sake!” Ozzy said.
“Get inside, Ozzy,” Randy said. “I’ll deal with you later.”
“Nobody’s going anywhere,” Gage said.
“You’ll do as you’re told,” Randy said. “I’m your alpha.”
“No,” Natalie spoke up again. “You’re not. They’re the alphas. All three of them.”
“You can’t have three alphas,” Randy said testily. “What kind of nonsense have you three been feeding her?”
“It’s not nonsense,” Chuck said. “We imprinted on her, Randy. All of us together.”
“Bullshit, you did.”
“It’s true,” Ozzy said.
“But we don’t have time to argue over that right now,” Gage cut in. “We’re under attack. The Rocky Mountain Wolves are on their way.”
More of their packmates were pouring out of the house now, clearly interested in watching the confrontation that was unfolding on the lawn. “What are you talking about?” Randy demanded.
“We had an altercation with them on our way here,” Gage explained.
“So this is your fault? You brought them to our doorstep?”
“Oh my God,” Ozzy said. “Can we argue about whose fault it is later? We need to prepare. They’ll probably be here—” He glanced at Gage. “This evening, do you think?”
Gage shook his head. “Mid-afternoon,” he said. “They aren’t that far behind us.”
“It could be even sooner,” Chuck said. “We guessed that they would stop to rest last night when we did, but they might have pressed on.”
“No,” Gage said. “I’m sure they didn’t. They hold all the cards right now, remember. They don’t know that we know they’re coming. There’s no need for them to hurry, in their minds.”
“Wait a minute,” Randy said. “So the Rocky Mountain Wolves are coming here to attack us?”
“Yes,” Gage said. “They’ve given up on waiting for the right time, or they’ve decided that the right time is now—I don’t know. But we need to get everyone up and ready to defend the territory.”
For a horrible moment, Chuck thought that Randy was going to insist that they settle the matter of who Natalie belonged to then and there, in spite of the threat on their doorstep.
If he forces the issue, it will come to blows, he thought darkly. I’m not going to sit here and debate with him while there’s a threat on its way. And I’m certainly not going to let him have Natalie.
If it was just him and Randy, Chuck thought he would win the fight. If it was him and Gage and Ozzy against Randy, he knew he would win.
But how many of the other pack members would join in the battle, and whose side would they be on? And who would be hurt—or killed—in the process?
He really didn’t want it to come to a fight. Not if there was any other way.
Then Randy spoke. “This is not over,” he promised darkly.
Which means he’s willing to let it go for now. It was more than Chuck had dared to rely on.
Ozzy moved toward the house. “I’ll rally the others,” he said. “We need to get all our fighters out here and have them form a perimeter around the house.
“I’ll help you,” Gage said. “Randy, maybe you should pick a few scouts and send them south and east to see if they can track the intruders coming toward us.”
Randy looked irritated beyond words at being told what to do, but he didn’t argue. Chuck was amazed. He turned and jogged into the house instead.
“Is he actually doing what you said?” Ozzy asked wonderingly.
“He’s been giving in to us,” Chuck said quietly, wonderingly. “He’s been following our lead since we got back, hasn’t he? He’s not doing it willingly, exactly...but he’s doing it. He’s submitting.”
“I wonder if he’s realized what he’s doing,” Gage said.
Then he turned to Ozzy. “Let’s go and get the rest of the pack organized,” he said. “Chuck?”
Chuck understood the job they’d left for him. “I’ll get Natalie somewhere s
afe,” he assured them.
“Wait a minute,” Natalie said, stepping back, shaking her head. “What do you mean? If there’s going to be a fight, I want to help.”
“You can’t,” Chuck said. “You’ve already helped by making us realize that the fight was coming at all, Natalie. We would have overlooked what you heard. They might have caught us off guard.”
“And you were able to shift when it mattered,” Ozzy pointed out. “If you hadn’t done that, we’d never have made it back here in time to make a difference.”
“But I can help now,” she protested. “I know I don’t know how to fight, but if I’m here when they arrive, I’ll be a good distraction.”
“You’re not seriously suggesting that we use you as bait,” Chuck said, shaking his head.
“That’s out of the question,” Ozzy agreed.
“You can’t expect me to go away and wait to find out whether you live or die,” she said, her eyes filling with tears. “Don’t you understand that I want to protect you as much as you want to protect me?”
“It’s not up for debate, Natalie,” Chuck said. “We’re not just your mates, you know. We’re your alphas.”
“Meaning what?”
“Meaning we can make you do this,” Gage said quietly.
Her tears spilled over.
“I’m sorry,” Ozzy said. “We’re sorry. But we’re more likely to get hurt if we’re looking over our shoulders the whole time to make sure you’re okay. At least if we know you’re somewhere safe, we’ll be able to focus. It really is for the best.”
“I can’t stand it,” Natalie whispered. “I won’t be able to stand being all alone, waiting for it to be over. Waiting to find out if I’ve lost you.”
Chuck wrapped his arms around her, and she buried her face in his chest. After a moment, Ozzy moved in and rested a hand on her shoulder, and Gage did the same.
“We’ll be all right,” Chuck said. “Everything is going to be fine, Natalie, I promise. This will all be over by tonight, and there will be nothing left to worry about.”