The words didn't register at first because the sentence made little sense. There was no dumbfounded silence, no shocked gasps, just the slightly embarrassed rustle of clothing as they all changed position. Harry piped in.
"What do you mean? They have more than one Alpha?" He sounded as nonplussed as Darwin felt.
"No, I mean they are all Alphas. Every single one of them."
Deep frown lines formed above Jared’s brows. "That wouldn't work. I'm from a family with three Alphas, my uncle, my brother and myself, and we were on each others’ throats constantly. I left because it got so bad. Alphas don't mix." He shook his head animatedly. "No way."
Rayne went back to stroking Darla's hair, again looking down at her with hazed eyes. "I couldn't believe it myself. Hector, my savior, tried to explain it to me, but the whole thing sounded too ludicrous. I wanted to come to his pack house and see for myself, but he wouldn't let me. He even threatened me with death if I tried to go near them. You wanna guess why?"
All three of them waited for him to go on, but he only answered his question when Darwin sucked in air to ask the obvious.
"He said, because they're all Alphas, no dominant or submissive is allowed anywhere near them. As soon as that happens, they would start fighting over them, sooner or later, but most likely sooner. Hector said, the only reason their pack works is because there simply is nothing to fight over. Then he gave me three-hundred bucks and stuffed me into the next bus home."
Another silence swallowed the car when Rayne ended his tale. Jared still frowned and kneaded the steering wheel with a vengeance, Harry was too nervous to pitch in, and Darwin was too busy watching them all shy away from the next logical question.
He relented because someone had to. "Fine. Let's say your tale is true. Are we still going there? I mean, they would take Jared, but we're still fucked." And he really didn't want to give up Jared, although he didn't say that out loud.
Surprisingly, it was Rayne who answered, not Jared. "Yes. We have to go there. They know things about Alpha powers. Things we'll need if we want to defeat Carl. That's still what we're trying to achieve, right?"
Darwin nodded, chewing on his lower lip as he looked over to Jared. His expression hadn't changed and it worried him. In the end, Jared would decide what they would do or not do, he was their Alpha.
"Fine. Sounds good to me. Just tell me where to go."
Jared
There had to be a special place in hell reserved for car seat designers. Ten hours of constant driving in an unfamiliar car had set his back on fire in a way he wouldn't wish on his worst enemies, and they still had a ways to go. At least Carl's men wouldn't follow them this far and they were as safe as they could hope to be for now.
The climate was fresher, colder and somewhat wetter and the aroma of ice, pine resin and wet sand hung in the air. The night smelled clean and healthy and like a very bad place to be in winter. They had gone to park beneath some trees next to another gas station with all heaters on a low, steady blow, and everyone was asleep except for Jared and Rayne.
Jared didn't want to take his eyes off Rayne, who still huddled into the phone booth on the hunt for a phone number on his 'friend' Hector, but a soft, constant snoring next to his elbow beckoned him to turn his head.
He had behaved so well until now, keeping his hands to himself, giving Darwin all the space he needed to collect himself off the metaphoric floor, but the need to touch him got increasingly hard to ignore. It just wasn’t natural to keep a distance from Darwin, his mate, his partner, especially when he was so distressed. But Jared had promised to behave. Behaving himself included not groping a wounded man, even if he was snoring cutely.
He smiled down at the black haired boy curled up in the passenger seat. A strand of hair hung into his face and Jared unthinkingly brushed it away. Darwin felt hot, feverish, but nothing close to the fever he'd had in the cabin two days ago. He didn't need to worry about his body, but Jared feared the emotions Darwin seemed to go through.
A distance was growing between them and Jared didn't know why. Maybe feeling alienated after so much violence and stress was natural, but that didn't make it any easier on their relationship. Jared sighed and brushed his thumb over Darwin's cheek. Why couldn't things just go back to being easy and light like before?
The back door opened and Rayne piled into the car, waking everyone but Darla. Jared snatched away his hand from Darwin’s hair and tried to look inconspicuous, but Rayne had probably still seen him pet him like a love-sick fool. Damn it.
"I got it. I even talked to Hector directly, although he didn't remember me. He's meeting us at some place about 120 miles north, right near the border. Since you're the only one with a passport, we'll have to stay on US-soil, but Hector says he knows just the place for us," Rayne babbled excitedly and shoved a piece of paper through the gap between the front seats. "Here's the address for the meet. And now I'm gonna take a nap too."
Another three hours later, the car stopped once more. Rayne explained that Hector wanted to meet Jared on his own and without his pack, seeing as how he didn't have one of his own and wanted to avoid confrontation, so everyone but Jared got to stay in the car.
Walking after such a long drive was an experience in itself. Jared's back still hurt, but adding to that, his feet had fallen asleep sometime in the night. Now he needed to pay close attention where he went to avoid falling onto his face.
The address they had gotten led to a small bar, or diner, depending on the time of day. It sat there like a stubborn bum, derelict and dirty, but it also had a kind of homey vibe. Jared would not have chosen a place like that to meet a new Alpha. Too many people, too much noise. Unfortunately, nobody had asked him.
The diner was nearly empty, saturated with stale cigarette smoke and the distinct smell of spilled beer. Those particular scents stuck to a surface like glue and no amount of cleaning changed that. Only five people were inside and one of them was a grumpy looking bartender with a beer gut. Two men were sitting at the counter and brooding over their glasses, which left Jared with a biker-type guy at one table to the left, and another, thin, lithe, kind of geeky looking guy on the other. But which one was Hector?
Only one way to find out.
Jared let go of the control over his powers a little, just enough to tickle where it met with another werewolf's powers. He kept a careful eye on both contestants, waiting for a reaction.
One heart beat later, four guys stared at him with open curiosity. It wasn't friendly interest, more like the way a sated wolf watched a bunny hop by. The single person not looking at him seemed to be the skinny guy, but it still meant he was standing in a room chock-full of werewolves who now knew what he was. Shit. Jared swallowed. Best say something before they decided to treat him like the intruder he was.
“Ahm," he stuttered, "I'm looking for Hector." He haltingly turned to the four men, keeping the door and the last man at his back. If they decided to attack, he would be able to flee, or so he hoped.
"You must be Jared," a nice, firm voice said from behind. It was like magic. The voice spoke and the next moment all four werewolves lost interest in him, turning back to their drinks and respective tasks.
Jared turned around to face the one man he hadn't thought about as a real danger, feeling foolish. The slim, lithe man at the table waved him over, but Jared did a double-take before he believed his eyes. The one Alpha actually in the room with him looked small and harmless, young like a high school graduate, and easily fit beneath Jared's chin, but the way the others reacted to him indicated power. It was hard to connect the way Hector looked with any kind of influence, but there it was, for everyone to see.
Hector grinned boyishly at the expression on Jared's face. "Yes, I often get reactions like that," he said and pointed invitingly at the seat across from him. "Please, have a seat. Let us be civilized monsters."
It took Jared a few seconds to shake off the astonishment and get moving. He slipped into the seat with careful movements,
slower than he would have moved with friends, making every gesture deliberate and easy to follow. Hector observed him intently as he got seated, raising an eyebrow at his behavior.
"You seem to have experience with Alphas," he stated and gave an approving nod. "That's a rare feat. Most of us die before we can learn from our mistakes."
Jared had to smile. "I have years of experience with Alphas. There were two in my family besides me," he explained and leaned back with what he hoped looked like casual amusement. A meeting between two Alphas could go bad so quickly, it was best to start with the most phlegmatic, good-natured mood possible. It made the way down to violence that much longer.
"There 'were'?" Hector cocked his head.
"Well, I had to leave my family because of the tension between us and my uncle got hurt in a car crash two years ago and had to reliquish his post, but my brother is also an Alpha. I can't go back. And I don't have a reason to anymore."
The bartender arrived with pencil and paper at the ready and grumbled something unintelligible. Jared interpreted it as an invitation to order, so he did and the burly man shuffled away.
Jared fixed his eyes on Hector's face, but not on his eyes. "Are those people from your pack?" he asked, sounding curious. They didn't feel like Alphas, but one could never be sure.
"No. They are from the local pack. Their Alpha stays with us for a few days every month, so she owes me. The pack has allowed you to stay as a guest if you agree to come to Crystal Peak every day. And if I agree to you staying here, of course." Hector smiled at that and something like humor and spite mixed in his expression. He looked wary, like someone whose optimism had been worn down to smiling sarcasm.
Jared's coffee arrived and he took a deep sip, reminded by the flavor of how tired he was. The coffee was heavenly, with real cream and real sugar, something to enjoy instead of gulping it down for the boost.
Hector's eyes never left his face as he tasted the coffee. He watched like a student learning the secrets of drinking a hot beverage and he lingered like a vulture waiting for the last twitch from a wounded animal. A challenge to Jared lay in his eyes. Fights had broken out between pack members for less, but Hector surely knew that, or wouldn't he?
It took almost a minute before he'd had enough. Then Jared set down the cup with an audible click, returning the stare. "Why are you trying to provoke me?" he asked, still fighting to keep his voice reasonable and pleasant. He'd had too much violence in the last few days to want another conflict, but that didn't mean he would back down or cower.
Hector held his stare for a few more moments, then he stretched languidly and turned his gaze to the bartender, who was carrying two plates towards them. It looked accidental, but it wasn't. He also didn't answer instantly, but waited for the food to arrive and the waiter to go. His plate of French fries dripped with some kind of blackish-brown sauce. Little crumbles of cheese floated in the liquid and melted over the fries. It looked like a horrible, tragic kitchen accident and smelled like greasy heaven.
Hector started his meal without hesitation. "I wanted to see how well you control your instincts and if you know how to act when someone challenges you," he mumbled around a fork-full of dripping fries. He swallowed and added, "and I wanted to find out if you want to join so bad you would debase yourself to get in."
Jared frowned, but Hector just grinned and shrugged.
"What would you have done if I had attacked you?" Jared grumbled and started to eat himself. His eggs were heavenly, as were the baked beans and the bacon, but the food also reminded him how tired he was, like the coffee before.
"I would have hurt you, maybe killed you," Hector said calmly. His brown eyes held only warmth, but it was the warmth of a forge, ready to melt and burn those who got too close.
Jared wanted to protest or joke about that statement, but sitting there and staring at that geeky face, the brown unkempt hair, the small shoulders and thin arms, he still believed it. The possibility for violence was there, right beneath that slow, simmering heat and the calm, confident voice.
"I believe you. I'll even believe you could, but that brings me to another problem," Jared finally replied. "What about my pack? Where are they going to stay, will they be safe, and what happens to them if I get killed?"
Hector smiled like Jared had said something intelligent at last. He shoved the last soggy fries into his mouth, chewed heartily and swallowed, then he waved for the check. "Your pack can stay at one of our holiday cabins next to the border. It's up in the mountains and at this time of the year nobody goes up there but us. They will be left alone as long as they behave like guests are supposed to. And if you are killed for whatever reason, I personally will make sure they are accepted into a pack of their liking. Sound fair?"
Jared stared down at his half eaten food, trying hard to process Hector's words. Maybe he was too tired to find the catch, but the whole arrangement sounded good. Heavenly even. Like a chance to relax at last and get their wits about them. If Hector's offer had a flip side, Jared couldn't see it.
He put the fork down and nodded. "Sounds fair. I accept the terms like you explained them. But we'll need one day to sleep, rest, eat, and calm down before I start my trips to your pack."
Hector climbed out of the booth and dropped a few bills onto the table. "Fine with me. One day for you, so we start the day after tomorrow. I'll call you with the details of where and when this evening, so stay near the phone. Now get your pack to the cabin before you drop down where you stand, you look like the living dead."
His soft laughter followed him outside and Jared was left sitting and staring at his plate. Only when the bartender grunted and put a piece of paper onto the table did he snap out of his trance and got up. On the paper he found an address and a phone number with 'Glacier View Holiday Resort' written next to it. At least the cabins had a picturesque name, promising to be a good place to recuperate.
He walked outside and got into the car to drive the last leg of a journey he didn't want to go on ever again.
Pack means Unity
Jared
The holiday cabin they settled into didn't look like one of those movie-type small hunting cabins or cinder block huts, but more like a small, roomy and romantic holiday bungalow, complete with three bedrooms, a kitchenette, a terrace, and a pier leading out on a smallish lake. Getting Darla into the house proved to be a challenge, her convulsions having given way to delirious, feverish resistance, but Rayne managed. He looked like someone who had seen it all before and wasn't impressed. Jared was confident he'd manage whatever Darla dished out, so he let them do their thing without interfering. One problem down, dozens to go.
They didn't have any luggage to carry in and the void left the three of them walking around looking confused and disoriented for a few moments. Harry finally turned and followed Rayne into the cabin. Jared could hear him talking to their new companion, then the sounds of kitchenware clanking and clattering took over, accompanied by the soft hiss of the gas stove and the soft murmur of voices.
Darwin sat on the wooden stairs by the front porch, looking scrumptious even though the baggy sweat pants and Jared's sweater flapped around his lithe body like curtains. He was pale and silent and statuesque in his stillness, fixated on the cool, pale mountain sky. The bullet wounds had stopped bleeding, but the bite wounds on his arms and his throat would need another day or two before Jared would be able to stop worrying about them. Or other things involving his mate.
The need to go to him, to touch him, smell him, taste his skin, got almost overwhelming and moved through him like a wave, similar to the almost painful tightening in his abdomen when he got aroused, but not quite the same. He tried to fend off the instinct for a few moments, but all he got for his efforts was a sense of restlessness and irritation. He was simply too tired to keep fighting.
With a growl, he gave in, stomping stiffly to the stairs and the huddled form sitting on them.
The growl also broke Darwin's daydreaming and he turned his head to
watch Jared's approach. His pale face still showed nothing, no emotion, no life, no fear or joy.
Jared bared his teeth at that expression.
As soon as his shadow touched Darwin's body, the black haired werewolf leaned back, turned his head away and bared his throat, all without any change of expression. The gesture was submissive, plain to see and without any wiggling room for interpretation, but Jared froze nonetheless.
"Stop that." He fought to keep the impatience out of his voice and managed to sound crisp instead of angry. Anger wouldn't get them anywhere at the moment.
Darwin didn't have the same qualms. "Stop what?" he asked with a level voice that somehow managed to hold a lot of blame.
"Stop doing that. Stop acting like the 'submissive of the year'. It's not you," Jared growled. At the same time he realized how he must have appeared, stomping over, growling, baring his teeth, tense with irritation. The realization softened his face and took the edge off his anger. He turned sideways and sank onto the stairs next to Darwin, sighing. "Just tone the submissive display down, okay? I didn't mean it like that," he added with a hint of exasperation in his voice.
Darwin's eyes were opaque, but he stopped showing his throat and sat up. "You think you don't, I'll give you that. But all Alphas are the same when it comes to power. Once you got it, you'll use it. I'm simply preparing myself."
"Why are you punishing me for something I never had any control over? I didn't choose to be Alpha, just like you didn't choose to be submissive. We are what we are, but we also are what we always were. Nothing has changed!" Jared had never spoken those words aloud before. He felt funny having to defend something he had always despised himself, but somehow his problems started to look insignificant and small the more he found out about the other side of the coin. About Darwin's side.
Unfortunately, sitting next to Darwin didn't stop the itching in his mind, it only increased it.
Darwin had the grace to look guilty, clueless to Jared's plight. "I know, I know. I'm sorry. It just irks me to know that you wouldn't change what I am if you could. That you like me being submissive even though I hate it so much." He went quiet for a moment. The silence was thick, desperate, filled with unspoken words. A wave of frustration washed over his face, disappearing as quick as it had come. Darwin husked, "I hate even more how much I like doing... these things. Showing you my throat gives me pleasure, it feels almost electrifying to see you react. To see you soften and calm down. It's a rush that I could get addicted to and that frightens me."
Unwilling: a shifter romance Page 17