by Susan Bliler
Ash and Seven looked at each other then grinned before racing for the door.
***
In the kitchen, Wren paced near the table where his pack sat. “So what do we know?” He looked pointedly at Liddick and Lux. “What have you heard?”
Lux was the one to speak. “They’re running from their old pack, like Kenna told us at dinner.”
“But besides that,” Wren snapped. “Have your mates told either of you anything else?”
“Seven said the males were aggressive. The Alpha died and his son took over, changed the rules. He wanted the girl, Kenna, but Ryka wasn’t having it.”
Lux shook his head and was going to continue when Wren cut in. “Did Seven tell you the new Alpha wanted to give her to his Beta?”
Lux sat straighter, his face twisting in rage. “No!”
“Well he did. So it’s not just Kenna their after. The Beta wants Seven for himself, so keep her close. What else do you know?”
Lux clenched and unclenched his fists, his jaw working before he continued. “Seven said she and Ash woke to Ryka screaming and they rushed to find her. The pack had her at the river.”
Wren’s brows speared down. “The river?”
“She didn’t say what happened there, just that she and Ash saved Ryka, but Ryka made them hide in the woods while she went back for Kenna. They’ve been on the run ever since.”
That revelation had Wren’s blood boiling. What had they been doing to his mate to make her scream? An array of scenarios ran through his mind, each worse than the next, and finally he stopped thinking on it because his wolf was snarling for release. “So the Alpha wants Kenna for his own, and the Beta wants Seven, and Lord knows what in the fuck they were trying to do to my mate at that river.” He snarled, “Fuckers are dead!”
“So what’s the plan?” Liddick asked. “I vote we don’t wait for trouble to come looking for them. I vote we take care of the problem now.”
“That’d mean leaving Ash and the rest of them here unprotected to go hunting.” Wren narrowed his eyes on his brother, “You prepared to do that?”
“Yeah…No!” Liddick’s muscles tensed as he rolled his head on his shoulders. “I don’t know. I mean I want her…them safe, I just…”
“Yeah,” Lux rubbed at his jaw. “I’m not ready to leave Seven yet. Things are too new and there’s a good chance that if we go, they’ll be gone when we get back.”
“Agreed.” Wren pinched his bottom lip in contemplation a moment before dropping his hand. “We’ll wait. We’ll get the women situated, get them comfortable here. I doubt any pack would dare come into our territory.”
“I wish a fucker would,” Liddick snarled.
“It’d be suicide,” Cason snorted sounding excited at the prospect.
“We’ll deal with Ryka’s old pack if that should become a problem. For now, we’ll take it slow and work on strengthening our bonds with the women. They need to know that they can trust us, that they’re safe here.” Wren pinned each male with a hard glare. “You’ve all seen the youngest, Kenna. She’s terrified, so take it easy with her, no goofing around. Give her space.”
All heads nodded in agreement.
“All of these women have been through a great deal,” Wren continued. “I want your best behavior.” His eyes narrowed on Liddick. “Cancel any upcoming parties or events you have scheduled.”
His Second jerked his head in a nod. “Already done.”
Wren turned to Lux. “You seem to already have a connection with Seven. She’s told you more than Ash or Ryka have been willing to share with Liddick and me. Work with that. Get me everything you can.”
Lux nodded.
“Cason and Jesup, tomorrow I want you to clean all the boxes out of the guest room and find a bed. That’ll be Kenna’s room. For obvious reasons, Liddick, Lux, and I are going to be distracted for a while. I’ll need you two to keep an eye on the girl. She doesn’t wander alone, understood?”
“Yeah,” they both answered in unison but Jesup lifted his hand. “I just gotta ask…don’t you all find it odd that three of you were stricken within one meeting? I mean, how do we know this isn’t some trick? How do we know they’re not using us for protection?”
“Because they don’t want to be here,” Wren supplied eyeing Liddick and Lux. “They’ve asked repeatedly to leave. Besides,” he rolled his head on his shoulders and then scissored his arms in front of his chest. “My lion knows. This isn’t a trick. It isn’t medicine. This is the real deal. Ryka is mine.”
“Ash is mine too,” Liddick rose from his seat at the table. “My lion chose. I know.”
Lux nodded. “Me too. No question about it.”
Nodding, Wren looked to Lux. “Get a perimeter schedule set. We’ve been lax on that because we could be. No more. We’ve got something to protect now.” His brothers nodded in unison and for the first in a very long time, Wren felt like his pride was finally coming round to what he’d hoped it’d be when he’d left British Columbia. It was finally starting to feel like a real pride, and he had this immense hope that Ryka and her girls were going to turn him and his brothers into what they were always meant to be.
Chapter 12
(Ryka and Wren)
“Pssssst, Phena.”
Ryka woke to incessant whispering and it took her a minute to remember where she was.
“Phena, you awake?”
“Mmm,” she mumbled and rubbed at her eyes before jerking wide awake in fear something was wrong. “What? What is it?” she whisper yelled.
Seven was huddled close on her left, fast asleep. On her right, Kenna was sitting up staring at her expectantly while Ash was snoring on Kenna’s other side.
“What’s wrong,” Ryka asked again, peeling her covers back and sitting up too.
“I’m hungry again,” Kenna confessed timidly. “But I’m afraid to go down to the kitchen. Will…will you go grab me something?”
Ryka wanted to roll her eyes and fling herself back onto her bed, but the imploring look in Kenna’s eyes kept her from it. When Kenna’s stomach growled, Ryka groaned and slowly got to her feet with a muttered, “How on earth can you be hungry? We ate like a mountain of meat.”
“Yeah, get me some more pork,” Kenna whispered excitedly. “And see if they have any pickles!”
Pickles! A grin took her lips at the peculiar request but vanished when Seven made a small sound. Both Ryka and Kenna stilled to watch her intently. Seven had been having nightmares since they’d left their pack but she refused to tell Ryka what had incited them. Ryka could only guess and her imaginings were hideous. Rolling to her side, Seven muttered something unintelligible and her body settled back into deep sleep, so Ryka gave Kenna one last glance and opened the door. She used her fingers to brush her unruly hair back from her face as she stepped into the darkened hallway. Her shifter eye sight kicked in but she still stalled considering if she should be traipsing around the Prime house in the middle of the night. She turned to go back into the room, but the knowledge that her girls had been hungry for a very long time without her being able to do a damn thing about it stilled her. She peeked back over her shoulder and found the nerve to turn and walk quietly down the hallway. If Kenna was hungry and it was within Ryka’s power to feed her, then that’s what she’d do. Tiptoeing down the stairs, her ears were pricked for the slightest sound. She picked up the sound of soft snoring from two different sources just to her right. She assumed that’s where Wren and his brothers were sleeping.
Turning, she made her way quietly to the kitchen and took painstaking effort to dig a plate out of the cupboard without making a sound. She had it clamped to her chest and was staring at the drawers trying to remember which one housed the silverware when a voice behind her boomed, “Ryka! Is everything okay?”
“Aaaaah!” she screamed and dropped the plate, jerking her toes back just in time to keep from smashing them. The plate shattered and glass shot everywhere. Hand on her heart, she spun and had to shield her eyes
when Wren turned the light on and commanded, “Don’t move. There’s glass everywhere. You’ll cut yourself.”
A few blinks and her sensitive eyes adjusted to the light. Wren hurried to a broom closet and came back to lean a broom against the table. He dropped a dustpan onto one of the bench seats. “Here, let me,” he offered. Ryka wasn’t certain what he was talking about until she was lifted off the floor. Instinctively, her arms went around his broad shoulders as his booted feet crunched over the glass. She wanted to ask why he was still fully clothed in the middle of the night, but swallowed her curiosity down when she realized her own state of attire. Like the rest of the girls, she’d kicked out of her shoes, socks, and jeans then removed her bra opting to sleep in just her shirt and panties. Now, the back of her thighs were all warm where Wren’s skin met her own and she was fully aware of her wolf’s reaction to his nearness. He smelled fabulous, all masculine and spicy, and his body was as warm as a furnace. Goose bumps rose on her flesh.
“Sorry,” she breathed, and she’d meant for the way she was dressed, but he’d misunderstood.
“It’s just a plate. We’ve got plenty more.”
Instead of taking her to one of the benches or chairs at the table, Wren carried her to the kitchen island and gently placed her there.
“I can clean that,” she offered looking toward the door way. “I just need to get my shoes and…”
“I got it.” He took up the broom and made quick work of sweeping up the broken glass. When Ryka planted both hands on the counter like she’d jump down, his hands on her knees halted her. “No!” His thumbs ran little circles on the inside of her knees and her inner she-wolf rolled over and practically purred. “There might still be some glass I missed.” He squeezed her knees. “You stay put. I’ll bring the food to you.”
Ryka fidgeted nervously and eyed the darkened doorway wishing she hadn’t come down.
“Here.” Wren grabbed a new plate and handed it to Ryka before pulling several dishes from the fridge. “What are you hungry for? We’ve got all these left overs.” He pulled several more foil covered dishes out and set them on the island beside her hip before stilling and looking up. “Or I can make you something else?”
“It’s not for me.” Ryka settled the empty plate on her half covered thighs and peeled the foil off a plate of pork. “Kenna’s hungry but was afraid to come down.”
Her revelation had Wren’s lips thinning into a grim line. “They don’t have to be afraid of my pack. None of you have to be afraid.”
Ryka shrugged. “This is all really new.”
He started peeling foil off the rest of the dishes as he spoke. “You know they’re looking to you right now for direction and guidance. If you accepted us, they would too.”
Her voice was soft when she responded, “I can’t do that yet.”
His hands stilled and he looked up at her with a dark scowl.
“I’ve only just met you. You can’t honestly expect me to just trust you,” she snapped her fingers, “like that!”
“No,” he snapped and planted both hands on the counter frowning at the food. “I know I can’t. I just… I just want you all to be comfortable here, to trust us, to know we mean you no harm. I know that’s going to take time, but I wish it didn’t.” He shoved off the counter and eyed the island. “What are we missing?”
“Pickles,” Ryka grinned. “She specifically asked for pickles and pork.”
Wren snorted a laugh, turning for the fridge. “Sounds like something Liddick would crave.”
He pulled a jar of pickles out and opened it before holding it out to her. Ryka wiggled her fingers in and pulled out a pickle setting it on the plate she held. “Umm, about Liddick.”
“Yeah?”
“Ash is pretty…harsh. Do you think he’s offended by her…”
“No,” Wren cut her off. “And I can scent your worry, but know that Liddick and Lux can and will be as patient as they need to be, and it’s not something I have to ask of them.” He grabbed a pair of tongs and piled pork onto Kenna’s plate before retrieving a serving spoon and dolloping two huge spoonfuls of potato salad beside the pork. “And you should know you can always come to me, with anything.” He set two pieces of corn bread on the plate and forked on some of the seasoned green beans they’d had with dinner.”
“Ummm…”
“I mean anything, Ryka. If you have serious issues, if any of your girls have concerns, if anyone feels any of my brother’s are being out of line, if you want or need anything, if the damn temperature in the house isn’t to your liking.”
He snatched a bowl of potatoes au gratin off the island and was searching for a fork when Ryka lifted the plate closer to her chest. “I think this is enough food.”
Wren stilled and looked down at the plate. His eyes rounded and he barked out a laugh, which made Ryka giggle.
“Sorry.” He set the bowl of potatoes down and plowed a hand into his golden hair. “My lion,” he shook his head. “He’s got this fierce need to take care of you and I know that taking care of your girls is part of that.” He glanced up at her from under the sweep of golden bangs that had fallen back into his eyes. “What about you? You want or need anything?”
Ryka grinned. “Nothing for me, thank you though.” She looked down at the plate. “I know Kenna will appreciate this pile of food. We’ve been on the run for a minute, and tonight’s dinner was the most food any of us has eaten in a long time. Thank you for that.”
With her revelation, Wren’s expression had gone grim and she felt a bite of guilt for how hungry her girls had actually been for the past few weeks. “I know I should have done better by them…”
“No,” Wren cut her off. “Your Alpha should have done better. From what Kenna told us at dinner, you saved her, and you and I both know that once he tired of Kenna he’d have gone after the rest of you. You saved all your girls, Ryka, and you’re here now. That’s all that matters.”
She could sense he wanted to say more but was holding back and she was glad for it. The day’s events had been a lot to take in. Nodding with a small grin of gratitude, she made to wiggle off the island, but Wren’s hands on her hips stopped her.
“Uh-uh.” He slid one arm behind her back and the other beneath her legs. “Broken glass remember?”
She avoided looking at him when a flush swept through her body. “Th-thanks. And not just for the food, but for your words, for taking us in, and for taking your time.” She swallowed hard. “We appreciate the time to adjust.”
“Don’t thank me for shit like that, Ryka. I told you at dinner, it’s my honor, and nobody here is going to force anything.” When he stopped walking she looked up at him. “We’ve got forever to get comfortable, to get to know each other. I’m not going anywhere.”
And that had her body heating in all the wrong places. She pressed her legs tighter together in an effort to keep any scent from hitting him. It was too soon for her wolf to be emitting any type of mating scent, and besides, like she’d told him, they’d only just met and she was still undecided if he was as good as he appeared to be. “Doesn’t it bother you?” she asked.
“What?”
“Not having a choice.” She dipped her head, unable to hold his eyes. “Having your lion pick and not give you a say. I mean, I could be a deplorable person, Wren. I could whine, or cheat, or…snore! You don’t know me and yet you’re willing to tie yourself to me forever. It doesn’t seem right. Doesn’t seem fair,” she muttered the last more quietly.
“I trust my lion. I trust that he’s chosen what’s best for us, but it’s not just him. I see the way you are with your girls, Ryka. You’ve protected them. You ran with them and you’ve brought them this far. It’s remarkable. You’re remarkable, and how those girls look at you and revere you tells me all I need to know about your character. As for the snoring,” he shrugged with a mischievous grin. “Who says I don’t snore? There may be plenty of things about me you won’t like. I’m hoping that’s not the case, bu
t I’m confident that I can be a good enough man…a good enough mate that you might just be willing to overlook my flaws.”
He started walking again and just outside the kitchen door, he didn’t immediately set her on her feet. “Tell your girls to make themselves at home. If they want a snack, no matter the hour, they are welcome to it. If they or you want or need anything you can’t find or we don’t have on hand, come to me anytime, and I’ll provide for you. Our home is yours.”
Ryka felt his eyes boring into her, but she didn’t dare look up at him. She should, she knew it’s what a true Phena would do, but the woman in her couldn’t do it right now. He was too close and smelled too good and was doing really funny things to her belly. Nodding, she sucked her bottom lip between her teeth with an, “Mmhmm. I’ll tell them. Thank you.”
He held her in his arms for several more moments until Ryka was forced to look up. He was staring at her with such a look of concentration that she wondered what it was he sought, and when his lips tweaked in a grin, she wondered if he found it. “Good night, Phena,” he murmured and placed her on her feet.
A jolt shot through her at his words. She’d been called Phena dozens of times by her girls, but it didn’t feel the way it did when Wren said it. Something about the way his lips formed the word, the way his husky voice carried it to her sounded so damned possessive, like he wasn’t recognizing the position the girls had thrust upon her. No, when he called her Phena it felt like ownership, like he was identifying her in relation to him and his position. He was Apex, she was his, and that made her his Phena.
“N-night,” she whispered and hurried back up the stairs, fully aware that with him standing below as she went he’d be able to see the flash of her panties beneath her shirt. It was mortifying and she wanted to strangle herself for not getting fully dressed before running around the house. Cheeks flaming, she turned to gift him one last smile, which was really a guise to see if he was ogling her ass, but when she looked down at the landing Wren was gone. Surprisingly, she was equally grateful and deflated.