His lips curved up, and delight sparkled in his eyes, making hers widen.
Can he tell what I’m thinking? In human form? Double shit.
She gave a soft growl and stalked outside into the sunlight, loving the freedom of choice. After being held for so long, Vanessa would never take that for granted again.
She ignored everyone with their dark and curious stares and ran towards the woods.
Travis knew Vanessa was aware of him, but after everything that had happened, he wasn’t letting her out of his sight, at least not yet. First, he wanted answers. Like how she was captured and for how long, and that was just for starters.
Knowing he didn’t have any right didn’t faze him. He didn’t care. He also wanted to know who that bastard that held them was. He had signed his own death sentence, and it was only a matter of time before Travis found him. If he were even alive.
Overlooking the fact that he had to get word to his pack that he was alive, and would one day return, he quickly shifted and followed Vanessa into the woods surrounding her pack’s land. She walked ahead of him, ignoring him. A small creek came into view, and the female wolf jumped across it, landing neatly on the other side before turning to take a drink.
Travis walked closer and leaped across himself. Moving in closer, her smell hit him, and shock nearly caused him to trip over his large feet.
Eyes wide, he stared at her bent head.
How? he whispered through their link.
She lifted her small head and met his eyes, her own thoughts silent. Turning, she walked away, going deeper into the woods.
He followed, his mind racing. How was it possible? How could she be pregnant while a wolf? Every shifter knew not to impregnate another shifter while she was in animal form. If she shifted, even by accident, she would kill the child.
Suddenly, everything made sense. He stared at her, stunned and hurt for the woman now trapped inside her wolf for two more months, not to mention delivering a pup.
Travis hadn’t heard of it being done before. What about the newborn? When would it be able to shift? And what was it going to be born as? Who was the father? So many questions and no answers. By this time, she had disappeared over the hill, and he let her be. Oh, it wasn’t over, not by a long shot, but he knew when to back down, and now was that time.
He returned to the house, and after shifting and retrieving his clothes from the spare bedroom, he went to find Aiden. Travis wanted answers.
Now.
He found the other man on the back porch, staring into the distance. Thankful he was alone, Travis walked up beside him, silent. The alpha didn’t speak, and for once, Travis’s patience was shot.
“Who’s the father?” he asked quietly, the fury over what had happened to Vanessa boiling just below the surface.
Aiden’s hard gaze met his.
“Why the fuck do you care?”
Now is the time to tread carefully, Travis thought, never breaking eye contact.
Before he could answer, Aiden cut him off as he raked his fingers through his hair, sighing. He dropped his arm and leaned against the railing of the large porch. Land stretched out as far as the eye could see; nothing but empty space with the line of trees in the distance that curved up closer to the front of the house. The layout was weird. As if they had carved through the woods to build the structure.
The location of the warehouse where he had been taken wasn’t as far as he initially thought. It had only taken them a few hours to get to the Outlander Pack land. By car, of course. He looked at Aiden out of the corner of his eye, wondering about the other man’s mentality.
An unspoken truce kept Travis from bringing up the past, and he had been ignoring any communication over the previous three years upon signing the actual treaty between them. At the time, he hadn’t cared, hadn’t trusted him to uphold his part of the alliance.
Now, he was of a different mind. From what he had seen, the alpha was nothing like his old man.
“She’s bonded, isn’t she?”
Aiden nodded grimly. “Yeah, she is. She won’t talk about it. Hell, I don’t think she knows I know, but I can smell the son of a bitch on her.”
Travis had been able to as well, and it didn’t sit well with him or his wolf given all she had been through.
A thought struck Travis, and he stilled. A way that all would get what they want.
“I’ll make you a deal.”
Aiden raised an eyebrow towards him.
“We join forces to kill this psycho, and I’ll sign the Truce of Allegiance.”
Aiden was silent for a moment. “Me killing the bastard was a given.”
Travis nodded grimly. “Yeah, but with both of our packs, we’ll find him that much faster.”
Aiden stared at him, eyes darkened. Slowly, his arms dropped, and he held out a sizeable hand towards Travis. Without hesitation, he shook on it.
“Deal.”
Hours later, Vanessa returned, walking slowly out of the woods, her belly full of deer. She’d forgotten how satisfying it felt to hunt and relished the chance to stretch her legs. Approaching the porch steps, voices drifted towards her from around the corner of the house. Cautiously, she veered off course, her steps silent, and crept up against the side of the building, listening in.
“Damn it, Alpha. She can’t stay here! She’s already causing unrest among the other members. She smells like that fucking place, and no one knows who the father is or how the hell she got in that condition.
“Do we need to have that talk, Ethan?”
He flushed and opened his mouth, but Aiden interrupted him, his voice hard.
“She’s my sister, and she’s been through hell for the last six months. For Christ’s sake, she was kidnapped and raped, so I’m sorry, but you can go fuck yourself on that one,” he growled.
His best friend sighed, and his voice grew even softer.
Vanessa inched closer to catch the words, a lump forming in her throat.
“We know that, Alpha, but we don’t know what her bastard child is. What kind of shifter? She obviously won’t get rid of it because she refuses to change, and the other members are leery. They’ll never accept her or the child.”
“They will if they don’t want to deal with me.” Aiden’s growl was louder…harsher. He was getting pissed.
She almost felt sorry for Ethan. Almost. If he hadn’t been trying to convince her brother to banish her or kill her child. Even before her brother was made Alpha, Vanessa had always felt like an outsider among her own pack, and this was no different. It still hurt because she thought Ethan was her friend, but she now knew better.
“I’m sorry, Alpha, but she’ll be shunned if she doesn’t get rid of the pup.”
Hell, I’m shunned now.
Before they could discover her, Vanessa turned and walked back towards the woods. She wasn’t in the mood to deal with anyone, least of all pack members who ventured inside to get a look at her. Six months seemed like six years, and she felt more out of place now than ever.
Sensing another presence, she looked up and across the yard. A large, gray wolf stood at the edge, near the woods.
A familiar set of glowing eyes caused her to shiver.
It was Danny Colman, an enforcer for the pack and the bastard who had tried to rape her as a teenager. If it hadn’t been for her brother…
His fat lips curled, almost as if he were grinning. His fangs grew as their gazes locked, and she tightened. Her stomach dropped and burned with acid as she glimpsed the lust flare to life in his brown eyes.
Her own fangs grew as they stared at each other.
“Vanessa? Are you all right?”
She jerked and looked behind her at Travis as she pulled her fangs back in. She glanced back over to where Danny stood, but he was gone.
Growling low in her throat—he could either take that as an affirmative or not—she stalked back towards the house, and for the first time since returning, she felt like a prisoner in her own home. She didn�
��t feel like courting danger right then. Danny had the woods, her brother and Ethan had the house. There was nowhere she could go to escape.
Ignoring Travis, she ran for her room, bolting inside and nudging the door shut. Well, almost shut, or she would be stuck inside until someone let her out.
Hopping up on her bed, she thought of Travis and his presence within her pack. To be honest, she knew he was only trying to help. Hell, he had refused to fight her in the ring and was willing to die because of it.
Why is he still here?
Laying her head down on her paws and closing her eyes, she drifted off to sleep, too tired to think anymore.
Chapter 8
After coming in from the yard and watching Vanessa bolt for her room, Travis made his way to the kitchen. For once, it was empty. His thoughts consumed by the woman upstairs, he poured himself some coffee. Knowing he had to leave, now more than ever. His pack was without a leader, and he was uncertain of what he would be walking back into. Yet, he couldn’t bring himself to make that final step to leave without knowing if he would ever see her again. The “why he should care” escaped him, but he did. He cared a lot more than he should.
Hearing footsteps behind him, he turned and met Aiden’s eyes. From one alpha to another, he nodded, turning his neck slightly to show respect but not submission. Travis was in Aiden’s territory, after all.
The other man did the same before heading towards the coffeepot.
“Have you seen Vanessa?” Aiden asked.
Something about the tone of his voice had Travis on edge. “She’s in her room. Came in from the yard.”
Silence followed, and Aiden turned, staring over at him intently. Something in the guy’s eyes made him wary.
“What is it?” Travis didn’t waste words.
Vanessa’s brother sighed and took a sip of his coffee as he leaned back against the counter, facing him.
“I’ve seen the way you watch my sister,” he said, his voice low.
Travis didn’t answer. He wasn’t going to lie, but he also wasn’t going to reveal more than he intended, either.
It was hard, but Travis thought he did a pretty good job of keeping the shock from his face at the thoughts that were racing through his mind, even while Aiden watched him, waiting for his response. A response he didn’t have.
Silence lingered. He still didn’t know what Aiden’s game was, but he was a pro at patience. It was one of the many reasons he was deemed leader.
Aiden straightened and ran his hand through his hair.
“Vanessa is pregnant.”
Travis nodded, still silent. He wondered where this was going.
Aiden started to pace the kitchen, and Travis leaned back in the other man’s spot with his arms folded across his chest as he waited for him to speak.
“She isn’t safe here.” The words were soft but clear; a straight punch to his stomach.
“What?” Travis said, dropping his arms to his sides, his fists clenched, the knuckles white.
After everything Vanessa had been through, her brother was about to throw her out of the pack? Her home? His jaw ached, canines threatening to extend. Oh, yeah, his wolf was pissed. The skin over his face stretched as he fought for dominance.
“Calm down,” Aiden snapped, stopping a few feet from him.
He sighed and raked his hand through his black hair.
“She’s not safe here,” he quietly repeated. Meeting Travis’s dark eyes, their gazes locked. “The pack members won’t accept her or her pup. Until it’s safe, I want you to take her with you to your pack.”
Travis stared at the alpha, looking for a motive behind the request. He couldn’t find one. Nodding, he sighed. “Will she come?” he asked, almost afraid of the answer. He had seen what was left over after an altercation with her, and he wasn’t about to welcome that.
Aiden’s lips tightened. “Yes, she will. She’ll do what I say.”
Travis raised a brow, and a smile tugged at his lips, despite the seriousness of the conversation. Aiden met his eyes, and he answered with a grin of his own.
“Yeah, I know,” he muttered, chuckling. “But she will,” he added, the smile disappearing.
“All right then.”
Vanessa made her way towards her brother’s office, a sick feeling in her stomach. She could guess at what he wanted to talk to her about and knew she wasn’t going to like it.
Snorting as she approached the door, she should have been used to not being wanted. Her father had no need for her even when her mother had been killed when she was a small child. Her brother was no different. She steadied her legs and stood for a minute. In all honesty, she expected this. It was the only course of action to take in light of the pack’s reaction to her presence. Hell, she would have done the same, so she couldn’t blame him.
He had searched for me, saved me from the ring, defended me.
Heart in her throat, she walked through the open door and stopped right inside, taking in the two wolves already there. The huge black wolf stood by the window, staring out. Her brother, in his gray wolf form, stood by his desk, staring at her.
What did you want to talk to me about?
Something flashed in his eyes. Regret and compassion? The sick feeling got worse, and she was almost dizzy with dread. He was going to do it.
What have I done?
You haven’t done anything, sis.
She stayed silent, waiting. She heard a “but” in there and wasn’t going to make it easy for him.
His eyes shifted and then met hers again.
Travis is leaving tonight.
Vanessa nodded, silent.
She knew what was coming…
I-I want you to go with him.
Their gazes locked and for a single moment, she saw the sadness in their depths before the shutters came down. Her eyes flickered over to the black wolf by the window. He was staring at her, his blue eyes penetrating and intense.
Go with Travis?
Yes. You know you’re not safe here. When you are, when the pack calms down, I’ll send for you, he added quickly.
Bullshit. You’re their Alpha.
You know as well as I do that it doesn’t matter when it comes to acceptance.
Vanessa wanted to growl. She swallowed down the bile that rose in her throat but then stilled, resignation taking hold. He was her Alpha, her brother, and therefore, she wouldn’t stay where she wasn’t welcomed. That was all there was to it. But to go with a man she didn’t know?
Think of your child.
That stopped her right there. Her child. He was right. It was no longer just about her but her little one as well.
She looked over at Travis again. He hadn’t moved, his eyes still on her.
He looked over at Aiden and her brother nodded, leaving the room without a sound. They hadn’t spoken but had somehow communicated without words.
Surprised, Vanessa met Travis’s dark eyes as he came towards her.
Tentative, she stayed still with the door behind her. Just because they escaped the warehouse and he had refused to kill her didn’t mean he wasn’t dangerous. She hadn’t trusted anyone besides her brother in years. Now, even that was betrayed. Her eyes narrowed; she waited. Seconds ticked by until she heard his soft voice in her mind.
Please, he whispered.
She turned and walked out of the office, passing Aiden in the hallway without a word. There was nothing she could say or do. Her Alpha had spoken, but she also knew something he didn’t.
She was never coming back.
Two hours later, Travis waited outside on the porch for Vanessa and gazed around the yard.
They aren’t even seeing her off, he thought, his eyes scanning the empty yard.
He wanted to howl, to demand they come and wish her well, but he didn’t have the right. It seemed Aiden was correct. Just because he was Alpha didn’t mean the pack would ever accept her.
Hearing a noise, he turned as Vanessa walked onto the porch. Figuring it wou
ld be easier to travel as a wolf, he had already transformed. This way, communication would be simpler as well.
Are you ready?
She walked past him and down the steps. He looked back in the doorway and spotted Aiden by the stairs, his brown eyes following his sister. He looked over at Travis.
“Protect her.”
Travis nodded and followed after Vanessa. It was going to be a long journey.
Chapter 9
Are you going to ignore me the whole way?
Vanessa looked over at Travis as they topped another hill. They had been walking for hours, and the sun was starting to set. Shadows followed them, flickering across the open plains of the land.
I have nothing to say to you.
He sighed through their link and stopped near a creek, his black head cocked to one side as he stared at her.
I know this isn’t what you wanted, but it’s for the best.
She snorted at that and didn’t answer. Best? Best for whom? Her brother? Their pack? It wasn’t better for Travis. Now, not only was he stuck with another member, an outsider, but a pregnant one.
She leaned down and took a drink of water.
After a few seconds, Travis did the same before they both continued on, trudging through the empty fields. She noticed his watchful eyes as he scanned the area.
How far along are you?
She bit down on her tongue to keep from snapping and took a deep breath, staring straight ahead. She really didn’t want to talk about it.
A few weeks.
There. It was out.
Would you like to talk about it?
Silently, she stared off into the distance as she answered. There is nothing to tell. I was raped as a wolf. If I shift, I kill my child. She gave him a sidelong glance. End of story.
It was only the end until she found the son of a bitch. She knew he was alive. It wasn’t rational how she knew, but she did. Justice wouldn’t be fulfilled, not until she killed him herself.
They continued to walk for a few minutes, both lost in their own thoughts.
Was it that bastard in the crowd with the gun?
Crescent Vendetta Page 5