“What have we here,” the doctor said as he placed his bag on the table. Rowen was happily sipping hot chocolate on the counter while Mom distracted her.
“She was bit,” I told him and he nodded, then poked and prodded the ravaged skin.
She squeaked, and I took her hand tightly in mine, giving it a squeeze.
After he was done flushing it and cleaning it up, he took out a needle and thread and prepared to sew up some particularly deep punctures.
Maeleigh purposefully kept her gaze averted.
“It’s alright,” I told her as he sprayed lidocaine over the wound to numb it.
She looked pale and I hated it, but I knew it was for the better. The pit in my stomach didn’t see it that way though. My wolf ached to know what had happened out there. Maeleigh and Ro seemed to be the only ones who had the whole story and no way was I going to drill her about it while she was getting sewn up.
It took another thirty minutes and some silent tears but when the doc was finally done, I gingerly scooped her up to take her to the media room. Bri had arrived with Danny, Dad and Ro while Maeleigh was getting fixed up.
Dad went to his office to make a call while the rest waited in the media room. They all waited for Maeleigh. She had refused to take the pain meds until after she was done telling the story. It made my heart ache, but I saw the reasoning and appreciated it. We all needed her to be as coherent as possible for when she told us her side of things.
“They lost the other wolf’s scent,” Ro told me as I carefully placed Maeleigh on the couch. She laid on her side to keep the wound from touching anything and propped up on her elbow to look at everyone.
“He was a distraction,” Bri suggested. But Ro shook his head.
“Either of them could have been the distraction. We don’t know which the target at this point was,” he told her. He looked down at Maeleigh with pain in his eyes and I felt for the guy.
“It’s not your fault,” I told him.
He reacted just the way I thought he would, unfortunately. “Yes, it is. I’m her protector. I should have stayed closer. I would have—” He stopped himself.
Every alphas mate had a protector. I had seen it when we first saw Ben in the parking lot. It was a calling, a deep internal feeling, one had. Much different from an alpha, which was breeding and genetics. The calling a protector had was more spiritual and didn’t have anything to do with an attraction. Bri’s mother had been my mom’s protector. It’s how she’d died, protecting Mom. We were all grateful to her for the sacrifice she made. No one has since felt the calling to be Mom’s protector, though. It was still interesting that Ro should feel it for Maeleigh. It affirmed the mating between us even more.
Rushing in just then, Sally went to the couch to touch Maeleigh’s hand, aware of her injury.
Leaning back, she signed and spoke at once, “We all had to give statements before leaving the campsite. Are you alright?”
Maeleigh signed yes— that much I had picked up on of the language — and readjusted herself into a more comfortable position. I imagine there really wasn’t any position on the couch with people all around you waiting to hear what you had to say, to relive it all over again, in just a minute.
As she settled, Dad walked in. He’d left off his dress shirt and only wore his undershirt and slacks. Mom walked in behind him, having laid Rowen down for the night.
“Let’s get started, I know we’re all tired,” Dad said to the room.
Sally signed something to Maeleigh, and she started to sit up. Jumping forward, I took her hand and braced her as she sat up straight.
“You can lay back down. You don’t have to sit up. We know you’re hurt,” I told her, but she just shook her head at the notion.
I guessed that her wolf wouldn’t allow her to lay down in front of the alpha. Prideful, I thought.
“I’m ready,” Maeleigh signed and Sally interpreted.
“What happened on the run,” Dad asked her.
“I got distracted. I smelled something…” She eyed us, and a blush filled her cheeks, “enticing.”
Dad smiled reassuringly. “It’s alright, Maeleigh. We all know what it’s like when we scent game while in our wolf form.”
She went on, “I got separated and the next thing I knew I was lost. I was about to go looking for the group when this wolf appeared out of nowhere. My wolf knew right away that he wasn’t pack. She snarled and growled but he came at me anyway. He tried to make me submit,” a collective gasp went around the room. She was definitely talking in wolf terms. As new as she was, this was a little hard to digest.
“Luna didn’t like that—“ We all went deathly still, even Sally as Maeleigh continued to sign. After a moment of hesitation, she went on to tell us what she was saying. “I was able to get loose and tried to attack him myself, but Ro showed up. Something happened… I’m not sure what it was, but it scared the other wolf and he ran off. Ro wouldn’t let me chase after him.
Liam glanced at Ro in approval then back to Maeleigh. “And well he shouldn’t. You’re a fledgling, Maeleigh. It’s dangerous.”
She nodded and hung her head. I wasn’t sure if it was in embarrassment or if she wanted to hide her disagreement from the alpha.
“Now,” Dad started. “You said ‘Luna.’”
She nodded.
“Who’s Luna?” He asked slowly with apprehension.
When she frowned, I knew it even before she said it. “My wolf.”
Mom gasped and Bri whipped her head to look at Ro, who actually looked proud rather than surprised like the rest of us.
“What?” Sally interpreted. “What’s the matter?”
Dad took a moment, choosing his words carefully. “Maeleigh, your wolf, I don’t think she meant that her name was ‘Luna.’”
“She told me it was,” she argued.
“You misunderstand,” he said gently. “Our wolves communication is limited and sometimes hard to interpret.”
She looked up at him with imploring eyes as she waited for him to continue.
“‘Luna,’ in our culture, means ‘female leader,’” he said finally.
The amount of confusion coming from her in waves was nearly unbearable.
“Are you saying that my wolf thinks of herself a female leader?”
“More or less,” Dad told her.
“Wow. That’s rather presumptuous,” she said. But Bri stepped up.
“Not necessarily.”
“What do you mean?” Sally relayed for Maeleigh.
Bri didn’t hesitate, “Wolves know their strength before even the human sides of us do. We aren’t the same persons as our wolves.”
Dad nodded and let Bri continue. What better way to explain than another female wolf?
“Maeleigh,” she said seriously. “If your wolf thinks she’s a luna, then she probably is.”
When she didn’t say anything, Bri took Maeleigh’s hands, “We won’t know for sure until the next time you’re in wolf form with the rest of us.”
Maeleigh nodded and thought on that for a moment. Then, Dad asked, “What about after? What happened after the other wolf ran off?”
Bri released Maeleigh’s hands so she could answer. “Ro indicated that something had happened. I didn’t know what, but I followed him. I knew it had something to do with the others who stayed at the campsite. I was worried and…I just ran.”
“She beat me there,” Ro said. Which was saying something. Beside Bri and I, he was one of the fastest in our pack.
“What happened when you got to the campsite,” Dad asked.
She looked at Mom while she answered, “I saw that man holding Rowen by the back of the neck. He was hurting her.”
“Um, hm,” Dad said, nodding. “Jolleen said she told you to stand down.” The contempt in his voice wasn’t just the parent in him speaking, but also an alpha. But Maeleigh didn’t look contrite at all. Instead, a shadowed look covered her face.
“She did,” she said. “And I did a
t first.” She hesitated. I could tell she was reliving that moment, her breathing growing a little erratic as she did. “But my wolf couldn’t stand the sight of Rowen being hurt. She had to do something.” She signed. “She wanted blood.”
The room was quiet again, an eerie feeling in the room. We all were thinking the same thing. That a wolf so newly revealed, to have this sort of reactions and instincts, was rare. And dangerous.
“Who were they?” She asked, breaking the silence.
“They’re from a neighboring pack, the Westboro,” Dad told her. He turned for a moment to speak quietly to Mom.
Danny took over, “We’ve been at odds with them for a long time.”
When she lifted her hands to sign something else, she winced, making a hissing sound of pain. I leaped forward and gripped her elbows, hoping to let her muscles relax a little, give some relief.
“She needs to rest,” Mom announced, thank goodness.
“Right, of course,” Dad agreed. “Son.” I looked over my shoulder. “Make sure she rests.” I nodded and started to gather her carefully in my arms. “Danny, you, Bri and Ro, meet me in my office.” Directions handed out, he and Mom left the room, I assume to look in on Rowen.
One arm at her lower back, the other at the knees, I lifted Maeleigh high against my chest. As I walked down the hall, she rested her head on my shoulder. I know she didn’t mean to, but I could hear the quiet mewls of pain she made whenever a certain step would jar her. I took her to her room, shutting the door with my foot and placed her on the bed. When I took off her shoes, I pulled the blanket at the foot of the bed over her as she turned to lay atop one of the pillows, her back to me. She still wore her bloody shirt over the bandages. With some careful tugging and pulling, I was able to work it over her head. It wasn’t worth the pain it would cause to put a new shirt on, so I pulled the blanket back up to her neck to cover her.
“Rest,” I told her.
Chapter Sixteen
Derrek
“What was that?” I demanded when we walked through the main hall of the house. Vic and AJ were ahead of me. AJ was already unwrapping his shirt from his arm. When he’d climbed back into the car, he bled all over the upholstery. I was happy we didn’t take my car.
“I don’t answer to you, kid,” Vic growled as we entered the living-room, where he conducted most of his business. He walked over to a small mini bar set up there and poured himself a few fingers of whiskey, tossing it back before pouring another and setting up a second glass.
“You said you just wanted to do some recon, check things out,” I reminded him, too on edge to take a seat anywhere.
“I did. We did.”
“Then what the hell was that with Maeleigh?” I demanded while my wolf growled.
“I wanted to check her out, see for myself this prophecy,” he said and handed the other glass to AJ as he sat down on the couch, uncaring about the blood still oozing from the torn flesh.
“And how’d that work out for you?” The sarcasm that dripped from my words may not have been a smart move, but I couldn’t help it. They’d said no one would get hurt this time around. I never expected him to touch Maeleigh. She was mine.
I stepped up behind him, intent on getting in his face when he rounded on me instead and towered over me. “Watch your mouth, welp!” He boomed, a drop of spit hitting my cheek. The urge to look down was strong. My wolf hated it, but the force was too strong. My will wasn’t stronger than the alpha’s and it hated itself for it.
When I finally looked down, Vic eased off a step.
“She will be under my pack soon. I just wanted to see what all the fuss was about,” he told me as he turned flopped on the couch to turn on the television.
“She’s mine.” My words were ground out in a way that was both cautious after submitting to him and angry.
Remote still in hand, he turned to gaze at me, sizing me up. When he remained relaxed, considering me a non-threat, it irked my inner wolf. “Wrong, kid. You’re mine. And soon, she’ll be too.” He turned back to stare at the screen that was now showing sports stats.
Grousing, and obviously being dismissed, I turned to leave, only to stop when he said, “We’ve put a call in to the Hunters. We’re meeting them tomorrow and you’re coming with us.”
Turning, I looked at him with wide eyes. “Me? But— “
“This is your plan, kid. You’d better believe I’m going to put your face on it.” He flicked through the channels and I knew he was done.
What the hell did that mean? Was I some sort of bait? Just because one called the Hunters, didn’t mean they would play fair and not slaughter us all at the meet. Their number one goal in life was to kill us.
Goddess. I hope we didn’t just eff ourselves.
Chapter Seventeen
Maeleigh
I must have slept for hours because it was just before dawn that I stirred. My body was sore, from sleeping in the same awkward position as well as from the wound on my back, so I gingerly pushed up and flexed my muscles. Honestly, I felt stiffer than in pain. Tentatively, I reached back to touch the bandages, expecting it to be swollen and tender, but it wasn’t. In fact, it kind of itched. It was probably the stitches that made we want to peel off the gauze and scratch.
Still sitting up, I twisted, stretching my muscles, and spotted Gearden stretched out on the other side of the bed. He looked so peaceful in the mornings. Watching him sleep was so relaxing, I couldn’t explain it. It was as if his comfort, his deep sleep, sent waves of calmness to my own brain.
“He is nice to look at, isn’t he?”
I jerked my head around to see Danu standing at the foot of the bed.
“What are you doing here?” I asked and glanced down at Gearden again to see if he’d heard her, but he remained undisturbed.
“He can’t hear me,” she said. Turning back, I eyed her wearily. She wore a flowing dress the last time I saw her— in my dreams — And now she was wearing a pair of skinny jeans and a pretty, loose, pink blouse.
I frowned up at her, afraid to stand with my aching muscles.
“I forgot to tell you something earlier,” she told me, as if it were no big deal, her showing up like this.
“Alright,” I said, shrugging. But she didn’t say anything. Rather, she began to walk around my room to explore.
“What did you want to tell me?” I implored.
At my desk, she flipped through my textbooks from school. “There’s someone you need to find, when this is all sorted out.”
“Find?” I asked, confused. “Who?”
She turned to look at me finally, “Her name is Zerana.”
“Alright. Why do I need to find her?” I started to push up from the bed, my feet firmly planted on the carpeted floor.
“She—“ she cut off and suddenly glared at Gearden who still slept soundly.
“Tell your mate that he snores,” she groaned right before she faded away. Like, here one second and gone the next.
“Snores?” I murmured as I frowned down at him. He doesn’t snore.
Slowly, I leaned over him on the bed, examining his mouth. When I was close enough to feel his breath, a god-awful sound erupted from his slightly parted mouth.
I jerked awake.
Whoa, I thought. What the hell just happened? I started to turn on the bed and I realized that I hadn’t just stretched, my muscles were still sore and the pain relief I felt in my dream was just a dream. I still ached like a son of a—
“You’re up,” Gearden said. I pushed up slowly, walking my hands on the bed until I sat upright. I dared not turn to look at him, at least not yet. But I nodded.
“I’m sorry if my snoring woke you,” he said, and I could feel him push up on the bed as well.
So, it wasn’t all just a dream. I already thought the first visit was a real one from the goddess Danu herself. It might still be a dream, but I believed she was actually talking to me. I just wasn’t entirely sure why. Why tell me all these things? And why could
n’t she just tell me in person, rather than rely on dreams as a meeting place?
Rather than acknowledge his snoring, I just shrugged and smiled over my shoulder. I eyed the gauzed wound as I did, or, well, as best I could. Again, I touched it with light fingers, this time there was a little bit of swelling but still better than what I was expecting.
“It’s not as red,” Gearden pointed out. “Must be your lycan side. We’re quick healers.”
I felt the bed rock as he got up and walked around it to my side. He stayed in his clothes last night, leaving his shirt rumpled along with his dark hair.
A sense of belonging washed over me. I experienced it last night when I was surrounded by the pack. My family consisted of just my parents and me. The only time I was a part of something larger than that was when we would go on group trips with the rest of the deaf community in Stockton. It wasn’t the same though. I barely knew anyone, but it was comforting to not be the only one who used sign to communicate now and then.
Being with the rest of the pack last night, before things got crazy, was like a balm to something deep inside me that was aching, and I didn’t even realize it. Like living with a chronic pain that your body just got used to and it wasn’t until you got relief that you realized how much it was in distress.
A similar feeling came at the sight of Gearden, knowing we’d shared the same bed. We had been for weeks, but it hit me now that it wasn’t just temporary. I would share this man’s bed every night if I could, just to feel his arms around me, his closeness, snores and all.
I guess I’d been staring at him for a while because when his mouth kicked up in a knowing grin, I shook my head to clear it.
“Whatever it is you’re thinking, I feel the same.” His words were husky and from the way his eyes suddenly became hooded, I felt them in my bones.
Afraid I might crack, my emotions running on high, I just gave him a small smile. Gingerly, I dressed, replacing my pants with more comfy ones and slipping on a shirt. There was no way I was leaving the house today.
Hoping to grab a cup of coffee and park myself on the couch in the media room, we walked out of my room holding hands. Jolleen was there in the hall, prepped to knock.
The Chase: Book 2 in The Hunt Series Page 9