by Eva Harper
“What are you going to do to me, little girl?” He said arrogantly.
I thought for a minute. “I’ll tell your mom you were mean and scared your precious little mate.” The car instantly slow, and Theo gave me a bored look.
“You’d tell my mom on me? I’m almost thirty, and you’re going to tell my mother?” A cheeky grin crept on my face. “Wow, you’re ruthless.”
“What can I say? I was born evil.” I poked his arm jokingly. He pulled away from me and pouted, mumbling something I couldn’t make out. “What was that?”
“I said you couldn’t even kill the spider in the bathroom last week, I doubt you’re that evil.”
I scoffed. “Excuse me, I’ll have you know I once killed a centipede in Caddy’s room because it scared him so much.”
“Oh, wow, you proved me wrong,” he said sarcastically. I huffed and scrunched my face at him. “Don’t be pouty, it’s a good thing you aren’t that evil. You don’t need to be killing things, that’s why you’ve got me.”
“Well, what about when you’re not here?” I asked, mind still reeling from the intense dreams from the night before.
“That’s never going to happen,” he said seriously, reaching to grab my hand.
The words “already did” popped in my head, but I fought against the urge to speak them. He didn’t need to be reminded of his guilt, and I didn’t want to start a fight. Instead, I smiled and took his hand in both of mine.
Family Matters
Theo’s mother, Sloane, was beyond excited to see us again. As the current Luna of the pack, she was still residing in the packhouse with the other high-ranking pack members. Every pack must have an Alpha and Luna to survive, or Alpha and Solis, if the Alpha is female and the mate is male. Without both titles, the pack system falls apart, which is why a Luna will hold onto her title until her son finds a mate, which is where the saying “Alpha’s retire, Luna’s don’t,” comes from.
As Gabriel hadn’t found his mate, Sloane remained at the Luna position and accrued the wealth and luxuries that accompanied the title. She had her own wing in the packhouse known as the “Luna’s Wing.” Her personal maids and helpers resided there with her, much like a queen.
Sloane practically skipped towards us as we arrived at the front of the packhouse. Her hands were clasped together like a child, and she squealed as we got closer.
“Theo! It’s about time you visited your mother,” she scolded, grabbing his arms and pulling him into a quick hug. She pushed him away after a moment and turned towards me with sadness. “And my new, beautiful daughter Margo. With her poor little crutches.” She hugged me the same as Theo.
“It’s great to see you again, Mrs. Weston,” I told her, smiling.
“Oh, call me Sloane or Mom. Misses makes me feel old.” She brushed her hair back and smirked at Theo, who snorted.
“You are old, Mom.”
She gasped and slapped his arm with some force. “Never say that again,” she demanded and looked at me. “Especially in front of other people.”
Theo smiled and nodded his head accordingly. She led us to her wing of the house and into a day room where she had lunch set up. Sloane began pestering Theo about every aspect of his life; work, me, his friends, his home, his health, his eating habits.
Theo babbled on, nodding his head, occasionally shoving a bit of food in his mouth.
“And this wonderful woman, how are you treating her?” Sloane kicked my good foot and smirked. I swallowed my food quickly and wiped my mouth.
“Margo’s fine, Mom.” He rolled his eyes and kept eating.
“Fine is not good enough! And she’s got this huge injury I just feel awful about it. I would have Luna Pagan come over and try to help me heal you, but she’s been on some binge lately, and it’s making her insane.” Her eyes got wide as she rolled them in the back of her head. “How is he, honey, honestly? You can tell me. I know he can be a bit demanding sometimes.”
“He’s great.” I blushed, looking at Theo through my eyelashes. The afternoon light hit his eyes, and he looked back at me with glowing orbs. Sloane sunk back in her seat and watched us look at each other.
“You two remind me of your father and me,” she doted, reminiscing somewhere in her memories.
“Where is your father?” I piped out, looking around the room for any signs of him. Sloane bit back her smile and looked down slightly. I turned to Theo, who was far away in his mind. The room itself was bright with sunshine, but it was a dark atmosphere.
“He passed away a few years ago, honey,” Sloane told me, patting my hand to comfort the grief-stricken look on my face. I opened my mouth, trying to apologize or comfort her, but she just laughed softly and smiled. “You didn’t know, Margo. There’s no harm done.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked Theo. I was trying not to be hurt by his family’s loss, but I couldn’t help but feel out of the loop.
“It never came up.” He shrugged halfheartedly. He pushed his food around with his fork, leaning over the table.
Sloane’s giggle interrupted his moping. I looked at her as she got out of her chair and skirted over to a box on a bookshelf. She brought it back and set it on the table, brushing the dishes and silverware off towards Theo. He swallowed his anger and stacked the dishes and place settings.
“Ah,” Sloane breathed out, grabbing a picture from inside the box. She held it over for me to look at. “This is Rush, Theo’s father.”
His sons were in perfect likeness to him. Sloane obviously had more to do with their personalities than their looks, although every now and then, I could catch her in Theo’s smile. Rush Weston was a large man, tall, muscular, but also well-fed. The picture was of their entire family when the boys were still fairly young; Theo was maybe thirteen.
Theo sat back, not bothering to look at the old picture with us.
“Oh,” she cheered, holding up three different photos. “Look at this, this is Rush and Theo right after he was born.”
Theo was barely born, still wrinkly and covered in pink, newborn, skin. He wasn’t crying though; he was staring up at his father with doe-eyed wonder. Rush looked terrified.
“He’s adorable,” I complimented, handing her the photo. She looked at it again, smiling slightly before putting it back in the box.
“He was a good-looking boy,” she admired, pushing the box back on the shelf.
“Still is,” I told her. Theo’s cheeks flushed with red, and he turned away. Sloane stopped and cocked her head at us, looking back and forth.
“Did you,” she scrutinized. “Did you two…?”
My face was obliviously confused, looking at Theo to clarify. He scrunched his eyebrows together.
“Did we do what, Ma?”
Sloane shrunk further into her frame, looking down. “Nothing,” she said quickly, biting her lower lip.
“Mom, what are you talking about?” Theo asked again.
“Nothing really, you two just haven’t…you know, sealed the deal yet.”
“Mother,” Theo growled angrily. I sat back, covering my shocked mouth with my hand strategically.
“Don’t use that tone with me,” she scolded, narrowing her eyes at him.
“Our mating life is none of your business.”
She scoffed, throwing her hair over her shoulders, and came to stand behind me. Her hands fluffed my hair. “I was just wondering,” she drawled. She pulled my hair back around my shoulders, and I remained still in fear. “You know, with everything going on.”
“We’re fine, Mother, thank you,” Theo said quickly and sternly. Sloane groaned loudly when Theo called her Mother.
“I heard talk of mating?” a laughing voice called as they walked into the room. Reese poked his cheeky face around the corner and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
Eli slapped the back of his head and walked into the room. “Hi, Mom,” he greeted.
Sloane kissed and hugged her boys, fixing their shirts, and telling them to comb their hair.
Eli tugged at his hair and pouted before hitting Theo on the shoulder and talking with him.
“What are you up to, Gimpy?” Reese teased, throwing himself carelessly in a chair next to me.
“I’m not a gimp, you ass.”
Reese snorted and picked up a few pieces of leftover food from our plates, blowing imaginary dust from them, and shoving them in his mouth. I grimaced and fought the urge to smack the food from his hands.
“Theo, your mate really isn’t as nice as I thought she would be,” Reese noted, sarcastically surprised.
Theo coughed on his words and kissed his teeth. “Nope, she’s really not nice to anyone. I’m not sure I should keep her around anymore. On the way here, she was threatening me and now this.”
Sloane gasped dramatically and left her mouth hanging open. “How dare you. You know Margo is nothing but a gift to this family.”
“Isn’t a gift supposed to be something you want?” Reese’s laughing instantly ceased as Sloane gripped his ear in her small hand. He let out whimpers of pain, curling towards his ear.
“See? You really should be nicer to me,” I warned. “Cause Mama Sloane and I are going to team up, and you lot will be in a world of trouble.”
“You’re damn right,” Sloane echoed, releasing Reese’s ear.
“Theo, Gabriel said he wanted to talk to you about something before you leave. He’s in his office,” Eli said bored, getting up and looking at some knick-knacks on Sloane’s shelf. Theo nodded and left the room.
“So, Margo.” Sloane smiled mischievously, much like her son.
“Mom,” Eli said warningly.
“What?” she asked innocently, batting her lashes.
“We all know that tone. Don’t interrogate her just because Theo left.”
“I was just going to ask her how she was liking the house,” she harrumphed. I smiled my thanks to Eli. My eyes drooped, and I pinched my hand to keep myself awake. “Are you okay, sweetie?”
“I’m just tired. It’s this medicine,” I explained, closing my eyes tightly and then blinking them open. She cooed and stood up.
“I’ll go get Theo to take you home, this is probably a lot of activity for you.” I told her I was fine, but she gave me a pointed look, and I allowed her to go fetch Theo. Theo strode back into the room and kneeled next to me in concern.
“Are you alright?”
I nodded, stroking his scratchy cheek with my hand.
“Just tired.”
He turned and told his mother that we were leaving. I said goodbye to her, thanking her for all the food and showing me pictures. She laughed exuberantly and hugged me close to her chest.
Theo helped me outside with the aid of my crutches, dodging all the other pack mates that tried to catch his eyes. He grunted as he helped me inside the car, rolling his eyes at the nosy pack members around us.
“Everyone just wants a piece of you,” he said smirking, sending me a flirtatious look I shrugged and closed my eyes peacefully, letting the warm sun hit my face. Theo sighed, making me open my eyes, and I found him looking at me lustfully.
I shivered and sat up straighter in my seat. Theo started the car, speeding down the gravel road towards his house. I eventually slumped down again, tired and achy from moving around so much. As we got closer to the house, the trees condensed, and the sun rays became scarce.
Suddenly, my body was thrown forward and then held back by my seatbelt. I opened my eyes widely, looking around, looking towards Theo, who was shaking.
“What’s wrong?” I heaved. My heart was pounding so hard I could feel it in my throat.
“There are wolves outside the car.”
I shook my head, wondering what the issue was. His packmates had shifted around us before we left, checking to make sure we were safe and happy.
“They aren’t from our pack.”
Doppleganger
“Will you please, please, let me handle this alone?” Theo asked, his voice wavered with uncertainty. I gave him a pointed look and unbuckled my seatbelt. He nodded many times, bracing himself for what was outside.
He threw his door open, and it ricocheted back and closed on its own. Theo inhaled deeply and relaxed his muscles. He chuckled slightly and shook his head as exhaled, looking around like he couldn’t imagine what was happening. He circled the car and helped me out before turning us towards the wolves. They were still, almost waiting for something.
“You need to be kept on your toes,” a woman’s voice called out from behind the trees. A girl stepped out, pulling a black shift down her torso.
“You scared me half to death, I hope you know that,” Theo lamented. He let go of my arm and strolled over to where the woman was. As he threw his arms around her, she laughed, her voice as raspy as the tree bark, but it suited her.
He looked her up and down as she pulled away. I fought back the feeling of jealousy rising in my stomach. I couldn’t move any closer without my crutches.
“Wow, you haven’t changed a bit,” Theo said in awe, shaking his head. The girl smirked and let go of Theo’s hand, circling his body, trailing a hand along his shoulders.
“Funny,” she drawled, licking her lips. “You have.”
Their reuniting was quickly broken up by my sarcastic laughter. Theo turned, confused, and then he realized he had left me behind. He jogged over, wrapping an arm around my shoulders, kissing my head. I glared and shrugged him off me.
“Sorry,” he apologized quietly, looking at me with boyish guilt. I huffed a little but leaned into him.
“And who is this?” The woman sauntered over, her long legs shaking the ground with every step.
“This is my mate, Margo. Margo, this is Bodhi Sennia, Alpha of the Nomad Pack.”
Bodhi smiled, her lips curling up to her freckle covered nose. “So, this is the girl who has tamed our gentle beast?” she giggled. Her accent wasn’t local, some sort of distant tone that was unknown to me.
“Nice to meet you,” I tried to say honestly, reaching my hand out to meet hers. Bodhi took a step back and leaned down and bowed, holding her hand to her chest.
“Oh, the pleasure is all mine, Luna Regina.” I blinked and looked to Theo, who was smiling and waiting for me to respond. “You are human?” Bodhi asked.
“Yes.”
She nodded dramatically, and the dark, kinky curls on her head shimmied with her. I unconsciously tucked my own curls behind my ear.
“I was too, once,” she flittered, rocking back and forth on her bare heels. “In another life.”
“Bodhi believes she was reincarnated,” Theo told me. His voice was robust with amusement, and his breath tickled my ear.
“Don’t act like that’s so unbelievable.” Bodhi’s eyes tightened, looking at him. “Plenty of wolves believe in reincarnation. You did at one point.”
I forced a polite smile on my face as Bodhi turned and shook her head firmly at the wolves behind her. They shifted to their human forms. Many of them ran their fingers through their hair but remained naked. I averted my gaze, a warm blush coating my cheeks.
“Oh, please don’t be embarrassed by my wolves. They feel more natural in their bare forms. It’s nothing to be a prude about,” Bodhi told me, her eyes lighting up with humor.
“I’m not,” I denied, eyebrows furrowing. Theo’s hand rubbed my shoulders and opened the car door for me. Bodhi crawled in the backseat and scooted to the middle. Her arms rested on the tops of our seats, forcing my lean towards the window. Theo didn’t seem to mind.
“So, where are we going?” she asked, pressing a few buttons on the dashboard.
“To our house. Stop touching things.” Theo brushed her hands back. She slumped back and folded her arms, unamused.
Theo drove us quickly and stopped in front of the steps, per usual. Bodhi climbed out and strolled up to the front doors, waiting for the guards to open them, and walked inside without us. Theo assisted me and carried me up the stairs behind her.
“You have no toilet paper,” Bodh
i called from the other room. Theo set me on the couch, taking my jacket off from around my arms. “I had to use a towel, but I threw it away when I was done.” Bodhi walked back into the room, playing with the hem of her large shirt that barely covered her underwear.
“Was she raised in the wild?” I hissed softly as I pulled the collar of Theo’s shirt down, so he was face to face with me.
“No,” he choked out, taking the collar of his shirt out of my hands. “She was raised by wolves.”
“You think you’re really funny, don’t you?” I asked blandly, shaking my head.
“Sometimes,” he admitted.
“What’s going on?” Bodhi asked.
“Nothing, don’t worry about it.” Theo threw my jacket on the back of the couch and sat down on the edge of the cushion.
“So, tell me what this whole ordeal is about,” Bodhi ordered, crossing her arms.
“Reed Porter-”
“Ugh, Reed Porter,” she interrupted, rolling her eyes.
“He wants to start a human genocide.”
“Shit,” she said, eyes widening. She glanced at me, and her eyes grew wider still. “Shit! Well, that won’t do.”
“He’s collecting allies, and we need to do the same,” Theo insisted. Bodhi nodded seriously and stood up. “Where are you going?”
“To find your phone,” she said as if we should have known better. She walked around aimlessly, opening drawers and cabinets. “If we’re getting an army together, that sort of requires people.”
Theo left me on the couch to lead Bodhi to the phone in his office. Something about her didn’t sit right with me. She was too careless, too loud. I crossed my arms and sunk into the plush cushions. Theo came back to me, but I could hear her loudly talking to people on the phone in the other room.
“She’s…different,” I noted.
He laughed at my disinterest. “She’s a good friend, a good ally. She knows a lot of people, and her wolves know how to fight.” I knew he was right. The wolves needed allies if they were even going to make a stand against Reed, and humans needed wolves if we were going to survive.