A Ravenous Pack: Wolf's Hunger 5 Books

by A. K. Michaels

  “That’s why she’s here, isn’t it?” Kirsty asked. “Because you’re Alpha. You have a calming effect on her, don’t you?”

  He was surprised at her correct assumption and intuition. “Yes, but how did you know that?”

  She wandered away, her fingers trailing along the tartan throw over the back of one of the sofas. “Because you have that effect on people, me included. I’m not quite sure how it works, this Alpha thing of yours, but it does.”

  He remained silent as he watched her inspect his home. She walked around, picking up a book or two from the large bookcase, carefully replacing them before moving on. Touching items as she went, she traversed the room, her red hair catching the breeze coming from the kitchen and floating around her. The wind also brought her scent to his nostrils, causing them to flare as he inhaled deeply.

  She was exquisite, her aroma a bouquet of wild flowers and musk, his cock twitching to life in his jeans as his beast prowled impatiently. How the hell was he going to do this? Under normal circumstances, his mate would recognize him for who and what he was and they’d already be in bed by now. With Kirsty, things were most definitely not going to take the traditional course, and he wasn’t sure how long he’d be able to control himself, or his Wolf.

  “Food.” He almost groaned as he fought to rid his mind of the visions coursing through his brain. Ones where Kirsty lay beneath him as he brought her to orgasm repeatedly. Oh hell, this was going to be torture. The Goddess had played him a harsh hand sending a human as his mate.

  “I beg your pardon? Are you okay? You sound a bit strange.”

  “I’m fine,” he replied far too quickly, striding toward the kitchen. “I think dinner’s ready. I hope you’re hungry because Skye always makes far too much food.”

  “I’m a bit peckish,” Kirsty answered as she followed him.

  Her scent invading him as he passed her, his beast prowling around, demanding he mark her as theirs.

  “I can’t! She has no idea that she is ours.” He tried to appease the Wolf but knew it wouldn’t do anything to calm the rising mating-call.

  “Your home is beautiful, not exactly what I thought it’d be, and I don’t just mean your house.”

  Kade couldn’t respond immediately, too intent on controlling his mounting desire, and he took several deep breaths. “Thank you, I think. What exactly did you expect?”

  Kirsty shrugged as she looked around the spotless, modern kitchen. Kade checked that there was an iron pot stand in the middle of the oak table before retrieving the casserole from the oven. Uncovering the fresh baked bread, he set another place at the table before grabbing a chilled bottle of wine and two glasses.

  “I’ve no idea what I expected but this community wasn’t it.” She shuffled from one foot to the next, looking embarrassed. “Sorry, that sounds cheeky and I don’t mean to be rude. I’ve just not had much interaction with Shifters and although I’d love to chat more about everything, could we put that off for just a wee while? I really need to have a quick clean up and use the bathroom.”

  “Of course.” He pointed down the hall to his right. “There’s one just down there, first door you come to.”

  “Thanks,” she mumbled as she rushed away.

  Kade let out a long groan, relieved for the reprieve of being alone. He had no idea how to approach this. She was human and knew nothing of their ways so blurting out she was his would probably not be the best course of action. He had visions of her running for her gun and loading it to keep him at bay while he tried to explain. Shit, he was up the proverbial shit creek with no paddles in sight.

  Soft knocking on the back door had him almost jumping out of his skin, a soft snarl on his face as he spun around.

  Lennox’s cheeky face peering through the glass. “Can I come in?”

  “Sure—” Kade waved him in. “Make it quick though, Kirsty’s just gone to freshen up.”

  Lennox left the door open, leaning against the countertop and crossing his arms. “She’s human.”

  Kade exhaled, shaking his head. “Stating the obvious, Len. What’s your point?”

  “What are you going to? How’re you going to explain things to her?”

  Kade busied himself with stirring the casserole before answering. “No fecking idea, got any pointers?”

  “Nope,” Lennox replied, grinning like an idiot.

  “Wipe that stupid smirk off your face, this is serious.”

  “I know.” Lennox stepped toward him, palms held out in surrender. “I’m sorry, but don’t you find it just a little bit funny that the one person the old Legends that Fraser rambled on about, and that’s been picked for you, is someone who has no knowledge of said Legend or even of our ways?”

  Kade scowled at his friend. “No, I don’t find that funny in the least. In fact, I find it so far from funny that I feel like ripping something apart. So, if I were you, I wouldn’t poke the beast.”

  “Sorry,” Lennox said, his tone not sorry in the least. “But I guess you should start by explaining all things Wolf to your mate and she might just catch on. After all, she is attracted to you. I know you’re aware of that because I sure as hell am. I could scent it on her just as much as I could tell she was embarrassed about her reaction to you.”

  “Aye,” Kade conceded. “I’m aware of that but I’m having a hard time controlling myself around her. Hells bells, in normal circumstances she’d be in my bed right now.”

  “I know,” Lennox agreed. “I’m sorry for making a joke about it, Kade. This must be awful for you but I just want you to know that I’ll take care of the Pack so you can focus on your mate.”

  “Thanks.” Kade blew out a long breath, running a hand down his face. “Can you call the Council for me? I can’t face those pompous arses right now. I’d probably lose my cool and end up saying the wrong things and putting the Pack in a bad light. Also, make sure the camp is well guarded just in case any of those rogues decides to pay us a visit. I won’t allow them to put any of our people in danger, and ensure we have a decent hunting party ready for tomorrow.”

  “Sure, I’ll call the Council straight away,” Lennox said seriously. “Then I’ll meet with Dara and Isla to get guards in place and organize a hunting party for tomorrow.”

  “Good, but I also want guards on Kirsty at all times until we eliminate any threat. She’s too damn important to take any chances with.”

  Lennox crossed his arms, nodding. “I understand that, Alpha. I’ll ensure she’s safe, and you don’t need to tell me that. I know how important she is.”

  “What the blazes do you mean?” Kirsty asked, her shocked voice surprising them both.

  Lennox scrambled for the door hastily as he threw over his shoulder. “See you in the morning.”

  Kirsty glared at Kade, head cocked to the side as her eyes blazed. “Well? What was that all about?”

  Her chest rose and fell as she breathed deeply, obviously upset and worried at what she’d overheard. He was more upset at himself for being so preoccupied he hadn’t noticed her arrival. Damn. What should he do? Lie? Try to placate her with half-truths? Somehow, he didn’t think either of those two scenarios would go down well.

  Especially when she crossed her arms and started to tap a foot, one eyebrow raising expectantly. “Why don’t we sit down and we can talk while we eat? I’ll try and explain everything but it will probably seem strange to you, so all I ask is that you hear me out. Okay?”

  Her eyes sparkled with . . . something he wasn’t quite sure of, his senses picking up a touch of an otherworldly aura as she hesitated. What was that? It was there only briefly but he’d definitely sensed it, his eyes scanning her for any more signs as she slowly walked to the table and sat down.

  “I’m telling you right now, I have a kinda sixth-sense when it comes to bullshit so don’t try and fob me off with lies. I want to know what you two were talking about, especially the part about me being important to you and the Pack.”

  Kade kept eye contact as he
joined her. “I won’t lie to you but before I start, can you explain what you mean about your sixth-sense?”

  As he ladled out the beef casserole and poured their wine, she shrugged. “Apparently, I get it from my grandmother. She was a little strange and could see the future, well, sometimes. She did readings for people and some even called her a Witch, but that is just silly. She just had some special gifts and she used to tell me I had them too. I don’t know if I do but I do know that I can tell when someone is lying to me. I can feel it in here,” she patted her chest, “and my skin tingles. It’s weird but it’s never let me down. So, Mr. Alpha, don’t lie.”

  Maybe this explained his earlier feeling. Her grandmother may have had second sight and passed it down to Kirsty. Humans scoffed at such things that Shifters took for granted.

  “I don’t usually lie,” Kade said, nodding to the food. “At worst, I’ll omit the truth to save someone from being hurt, or if the information would put the Pack in danger. Other than that, I speak my mind and rarely care about the consequences.”

  “In that case, we won’t have a problem.”

  “Let’s get some food inside us and we’ll talk as we eat.” Kade slathered butter on his bread, shoving it into his mouth so he had a few more moments before he had to answer her.

  When she raised her eyebrow again he guessed she knew what he had done, and why.

  Oh boy, this was not going to be easy. Barely managing to swallow the food in his mouth, he gulped down almost the full glass of wine, pouring himself another and downing that too before taking in a deep calming breath and meeting her eyes.

  “Firstly, I need you to stay calm and not freak out.”

  Okay that was probably not the best way to start the conversation. Not when Kirsty’s eyebrows shot up and disappeared beneath her hair as she spluttered on the wine she had just sipped.

  Her face turning red as wine dribbled down her chin, her hand swiped at his as she glared. He heard himself apologizing as her face returned to normal. “Sorry.”

  “You do realize that when someone tells you to not freak out that that’s exactly what you do?” Kirsty shook her head. “Pray tell, just what is it that I’m supposed to not freak out about?”

  Kade’s head fell back, frustration growing inside him and causing him to fight for control when all he wanted to do was leap across the table and kiss his mate. “Kirsty, do you know anything about Shifters? Anything at all? How we find our mates? What they mean to us? What family means to us?”

  His voice came out hoarse, strangled, and full of emotion as he finally looked over at her surprised face.

  “Hmm, not a lot. I’ve only heard rumors that Wolves only have one person they love and that it’s for life. You don’t have divorce, or cheat on your wives, and as far as I can gather, family is important to you.”

  “That doesn’t even begin to describe it,” Kade replied softly. “Wolves have a soul-mate. One person the Goddess perfects for us. One person in the whole universe that is created just for us. They are like one half of us, we are two halves that come together to make a whole unit. A Shifter will do anything for their mate, they will protect them, love them, they will literally die for them. They are everything to a Wolf and for an Alpha that is doubly so. An Alpha is made stronger with a mate by his side. His mate makes him stronger, stabilizes him and the Pack. It’s a precious gift that is the most joyous thing that can be given to anyone, but for an Alpha there are no words to describe just how important that person would be.”

  “I see,” Kirsty said, looking thoughtful for a moment. “It sounds almost magical.”

  “It is.” Kade nodded enthusiastically. “Very. When a Wolf meets their mate, they know, it is what could be called magical. They know by scent, sight, as soon as they meet, they know, and very soon afterward they mate.”

  He watched as a host of emotions ran across her face, confusion, shock, and he dared to hope that he saw a flicker of realization there. Her eyes dropped to the table as she picked up a fork and started to eat slowly, not a word passing her lips for long minutes as he sat and stared at her.

  “Mate is a strange word,” she finally said, refusing to look at him. Instead, she picked up her wine and gulped half of it down.

  “Not to us it isn’t.” He reached over, refilling her glass. “We don’t marry the person that means the world to us because marriages can be dissolved, but that rarely happens with Shifters. I will not lie and say it never happens. There are times when a mating is perpetuated to make alliances between Packs, but that happened more frequently centuries ago. It rarely happens now, so I can say, hand on heart, that there is nobody in my Pack that will ever leave his or her mate. They are all soul-mates and would rather die than be parted from the one they love. Our love runs hotter, deeper, more real than anything you’ll find in the human world, Kirsty.”

  Again, she remained silent, the clock above the window ticking away loudly in the silence as he waited. Kirsty’s head remained bowed, her red hair falling to hide her face from view, and he dearly wanted to reach over and move it out of the way. He kept control of his hand, barely, as his teeth ground together, terrified he had scared her witless.

  Her dainty hand reached for her glass, her soft lips sipping down her wine before her emerald eyes turned to him. “Is that why I’m important?”

  Hell. She had made the leap without any further prodding from him. He merely nodded, smiling over at her. “Yes. That’s exactly why you’re so important.”

  Sadness flashed across her face, tears sprang in her eyes as she gulped great gasps of air as she whispered, “So Lennox thinks I’m his mate?”

  Oh hell no! Kade’s heart almost exploded in his chest at her wrong assumption. His chair flew backward as he leaped out of it, falling to his knees next to her and grasping her hand in one of his. “No! No, not at all. Lennox is not your mate, Kirsty. Whatever gave you that idea?”

  “I heard him say he knew how important I was and that he’d make sure I was guarded and safe. And earlier, in front of the Pack, his Wolf was there by my side as if he was warning everyone to stay away.” She gasped, several tears breaking free to roll down her cheek. “After what you’ve just said, I put two and two together.”

  “And came up with five.” Kade reached up, his finger gently wiping away her tears. “Lennox is definitely not your mate, Kirsty, although as Pack Beta he will always protect you. With his life if need be. But, the fact is that the one that’s your mate is me.”

  Her body relaxed against the chair, her shoulders dropping, her eyes clearing of tears, even as a blush spread up her neck and onto her cheeks. “Oh,” was all she managed.

  “Oh, indeed,” Kade replied, leaning in for a gentle kiss, barely brushing his lips over hers before forcing himself to pull back. “I don’t want to scare you away but it’s really hard for me right now. Usually as soon as we find our mate we, well, we . . .”

  He wasn’t sure how to voice it delicately but the look on Kirsty’s face told him she knew what he meant. Her eyes twinkled cheekily. “I guess you go straight to the wedding night, huh?”

  “You could say that,” he said chuckling. “But I understand you don’t know our ways and you’ll need time to adjust to things, get to know me, and the Pack. I’ll try my best not to rush you into anything.”

  “I’m not a prude and I’m not a young lassie, Kade, but yes, I’ll need some time to digest this.” Kirsty leaned forward, her fingers wrapping in his hair. “I’m relieved about Lennox though, he’s definitely not the one I’m attracted to.”

  Then her lips landed on his in a scorching kiss that had his cock standing to attention and straining for freedom. Her tongue lashed against his as she held him firmly in place, a soft groan escaping her throat before she pulled back.

  “Whew, I better stop before I get carried away. You’re a rather intoxicating man, Kade MacKenzie.”

  “I don’t mind you getting carried away.” He smirked, licking his lips to savor the taste of h
er.

  “I bet you don’t, and although I said I’m no prude, I’ve never gone to bed on the first night, ever. I don’t plan on changing that, not even for you.”

  Kade withdrew, respecting her wishes as he rose. “I understand. Now, is there anything you’d like to ask me?”

  Her eyes widened as she nodded vigorously. “Hell, yes, of course there is. I have a million things in my head right now but I’m not sure where to start. Maybe another glass of wine will help, and you can start by telling me a little more about you, your life, how you became Alpha and I’ll probably interrupt as you go.”

  “Sure.” Kade went to retrieve another bottle of wine. “What if we go through to the sitting room and make ourselves comfortable and we can get started?”

  “Sounds like a plan.” Kirsty followed him, settling in the corner of one of his favorite sofas, pulling her legs up and the cover from the back down to cover her.

  He filled her glass then went to the door, opening it slightly before returning to sit next to her. “I think Leia will be back soon,” he said in explanation.

  “Oh my gosh, I totally forgot she wasn’t here.” Kirsty’s hand flew to her mouth in shock. “That’s awful! I forgot about her completely.”

  “No, you didn’t. You just had some other things on your mind, that’s all.” Kade eased her worry. “Anyway, she’s having fun. I’ve been listening out for her and she’s playing with the pups . . . sorry, bairns.”

  “You call your kids pups? Shoot, I have an awful lot to learn about your people. It’s all so strange.”

  “Not strange, just different to what you’re used to but that’s what I’m here for. Let’s get started.”

  The next hour or so flew by, Kirsty pumping him for information on all things Wolf. Her eyes twinkling with mischief in places, concern in others. Kade did his best to allay any fears she had and hoped he’d done a good job. If he’d mucked up, he might lose her, and that was not something he could contemplate. It would be the death of him, probably literally. At the very least, it would drive him insane and then the Council would step in, and that would not end well.