Jason glared for a bit then sat back on his chair, looking like a petulant child used to getting what he wanted. “Since you’re now a leprechaun, you are under our rule. You’re from a long line of glorious people who have fought wars and battles in order to gain our freedom. You might not have grown up within the leprechauns, but you are now one. You are part of us. You will obey us.”
Becca blinked at Jason’s convolved speech. An uneasy feeling spread through her, mixing with the anger, fear, and anxiety already crawling around in her belly.
“That means you get to stay here with us and become part of our culture. You’re ours now, Becca.”
“There’s no way that’s happening,” Hunter growled, and Becca agreed.
Jason raised a brow. “You, wolf, have no rights here. You were only allowed through our wards in the first place because you’re mated to one of ours. That bond, however, will have to be severed. There’s no way we’d let the likes of you into our fold.”
“You can’t do that,” Becca said. True halves and mating bonds weren’t something a person could change. That, at least, she knew for sure. If not, she’d been fighting the idea of it at first for no reason.
That, though, wasn’t what made her heart hurt. Just the thought of losing Hunter made her want to scream…or do something.
He was hers.
No one had a right to take him from her.
“Oh, I wouldn’t disagree with me, darling,” Jason crooned. “When you join us, you’ll be mine. A Breeder. You’ll bear our young and enjoy the sensual pleasures of any man who wants you. Our culture is different from yours, so you’ll have to get used to it. It’s not something for the…faint of heart, but you’ll like it. I promise. It’s in your blood.”
Revulsion slid through her.
Holy. Hell.
A Breeder?
No. Fucking. Way.
“We’re done here,” Hunter growled.
He took her hand and pulled her through the door. Becca looked back over her shoulder at Jason, who merely smirked at them. Oh, she had a feeling he might let her and Hunter leave the realm if they wanted, only to keep from inciting a war, but this wasn’t the end of it.
Not by far.
Though some of the men stood in their way, the look on Hunter’s face must have warned them away. The moved to the side, their arms still over their chests, their gazes still roaming her body, but they didn’t stop them.
This, however, was only be beginning.
Hunter pulled his own portal, and they found themselves within the Pack’s wards in another breath.
“Holy shit,” she whispered.
Hunter pulled her into his arms, his body shaking. “I don’t care what we have to do, you’re never going back there.”
She nodded then kissed him hard, needing to remind herself what was real and what was a threat. She had known it was going to be hard becoming something new, but she’d never thought it would be like this. They were monsters.
The others she’d met had been the nightmares that haunted dreams. They’d threatened and tried to scare her. Okay, they had scared her.
What the hell were they going to do?
Chapter Twelve
A week later Becca’s arms were full with an adorable wolf pup, and her heart had settled. The little guy licked her chin, startling a giggle from her. Okay, so she sounded like a teenager, but come on.
Wolf. Pup.
This little dude was the definition of adorable.
“They make your heart just melt right down, don’t they?” Leslie asked, holding a pup of her own.
The other woman had stopped by for their daily snack and gossip. Without Leslie, and even Liam and Alec, Becca wasn’t sure she’d have made it stuck inside the den for so long. Between her change, the dangers from those who had taken her, the fact that she wanted to be near Hunter and get to know him, and the whole leprechaun thing, her time within the den walls kept increasing.
She missed her friends.
Hunter had offered to take her to the human realm so she could see them. He’d even offered to stay there for months. Becca, though, had put him off. She wanted to see her friends, but she knew Hunter needed to be here right now with the state the Pack was in, and Becca needed to be by Hunter’s side.
She’d go back to her other home soon, even if it was just to remind herself that people liked her.
Though Becca had tried, she really hadn’t melded with the rest of the Pack as much as she’d wanted to. People were still leery of an outsider and even more so of her because of what she’d turned into.
They’d never met another lightning-struck person before.
Sure, she’d met only her friends, but they didn’t make her feel like a freak. Well, maybe Faith did, but that was only because her friend loved her. The other woman loved being snarky to her friends. That’s how she showed her love.
The other members of the Pack, save a few, gave Hunter a wide berth also. Yeah, they came to him with their issues, and he hugged, cuddled, and helped them like a Beta was apparently supposed to do, but it wasn’t the same.
Even an outsider like her could see the ambivalence the other members of the Pack felt about the wolf who had spent so much time fighting and killing in the demon games in the pits of hell. They didn’t know what to make of him.
Hunter deserved more than cautious looks and bland smiles, but she didn’t know how to help him. Honestly, she still didn’t have a place for herself within the Pack, so it made no sense for her to try to make a place for him.
Today, however, she’d taken a step in joining the Pack in spirit, as well as body.
Today was babysitting day.
“I think I’m in love,” Becca said as she nuzzled the five-year-old pup in her arms. He yipped then licked her chin again, causing another round of giggles.
“Brandon is a cutie, isn’t he?” Leslie asked as Dylan, Brandon’s twin, wiggled in her arms.
Apparently the twin boys’ mother was a big 90210 fan.
“And they know it.” Brandon pulled away from her to crouch low on the ground, his little butt wiggling in the air as he growled.
Becca rolled her eyes but tackled him like he wanted anyway. She was careful not to put any weight on him as he was just as careful not to let his claws out while he climbed all over her. Hunter had told her that pups were taught from their first shift, around age two, that they needed to keep their claws in while playing. Though wolf shifters healed quickly, that didn’t mean children should rough each other up in wolf form. Plus, as babies and children, they loved wrestling with adults in human form, as Becca was doing now.
She wasn’t sure if she healed as quickly as shifters, as she hadn’t wanted to cut herself to see, but most leprechauns, according to Hunter, could heal slightly faster than humans, just not as quickly as wolves. From what she’d seen from her friends, Becca knew she’d get the full powers of the leprechauns, but that didn’t mean she’d have them right now. Jamie and Lily had received all of their relative powers, just not right away, so maybe Becca would be the same.
That the den mothers trusted Becca enough to let her watch the twins—even with Leslie by her side—told her that some were trying to include her. She’d just have to try harder to make the next steps happen.
“When did you say Hunter would be home?” Leslie asked as she tickled Dylan.
Becca grinned despite herself. Simply hearing the man’s name made her happy. She had it bad. “He said he’d be home soon.” Actually, after he’d kissed the hell out of her and nipped along her neck leaving his mark for all to see, leaving her wanting and a bit dazed, he’d said soon.
That had been over an hour ago.
“He said he was going to meet with Liam and Alec, right?”
“Yeah, but I don’t know about what exactly. It’s not that he’s secretive, it’s just…” She couldn’t articulate what she meant exactly. It was more that she figured Hunter was used to being on his own and not having to tell people
where he was going and for what exact purpose. Becca didn’t need to know everything either. There was a difference between knowing they’d be back and demanding to know everything.
“It’s just that he’s the Beta and has things to do,” Leslie finished for her, and Becca nodded.
Brandon nudged her hand, and she felt a light warmth radiating from her palm. Becca spread out her fingers, letting the tingling sensation spread through her fingers. That had been happening a few times over the past week or so, but she didn’t know what it meant exactly. To be careful, she pulled her hand back so she wouldn’t hurt the pup.
Brandon shifted into his human form, leaving a naked little boy in the wolf’s place. He quickly pulled on his clothes he’d left in the middle of the room then sat in front of her, his little brows scrunched up.
“What was that?” Brandon asked.
“I’m not sure. I think it’s my powers.” Well, she was pretty sure that had to be it, but she didn’t want to make any rash judgments.
“Do you know what you can do yet?” Leslie asked, petting Dylan, who remained in his wolf form.
Becca shook her head. “I think I’m supposed to be able to heal. Eventually. Leprechauns, like other species, have different forms of magic. Since mine seems to be centered in my palms, Hunter thinks it has to do with healing. He also told me that I might need to find another leprechaun to help me figure out what to do.”
Leslie frowned. “And that doesn’t seem like a possibility.”
That was an understatement. There was no way she’d risk asking someone she didn’t know and end up in a Breeding program. She held back the shudder that came with that thought. “Nope. I might ask Ambrose, though, when I get back. He’s old as hell, as I like to tease him, so he might know more than others.”
“It’s as good an idea as any.”
A slight burn arched across her chest, and she gasped. Hot pain sliced along her mating bond with Hunter, and she cried out.
“Hunter.”
“What is it?”
“Something’s wrong. Oh sweet gods, it’s the bond.” She put her hand over her heart, trying to make the pain stop, but it only intensified.
Hunter was hurt.
Badly.
Leslie’s eyes glowed, and she held out her arm toward Brandon. “I have the kids. Go.”
Becca didn’t know what good she’d be if Hunter was in trouble, but the bond pulsed, creating agony. Hunter needed her, even if she might not be so much help.
She needed him.
Gods, he had to be okay.
She threw on her shoes then slammed out the house, following the pull of the bond rather than a firm direction.
The smell of smoke hit her first, burning her nostrils, irritating her eyes.
Footsteps pounded on the ground behind her as others felt the fear in the air and caught sight of the tall, billowing column of black smoke coming from one of the older buildings in the den.
The same building where Hunter had been meeting Liam and Alec.
She staggered near where others were gathered, fear gripping her harder than the men who’d grabbed her from her apartment.
“Hunter!” she screamed as loud as she could. He had to be okay. She could still feel the bond, painful as it was.
That meant he had to be alive, right?
Movement from the front of the building caught her eye, and men and women ran to it, despite the fire. Others were getting fire hoses and buckets, trying to put it out. Becca ran toward the figure prone on the ground and gasped.
Her Hunter lay on his back, burns covering his body. Bad burns. She didn’t know degrees, but she had a feeling they were threes.
“Hunter, oh gods.” She fell to her knees at his side even as she saw Alec stumble out of the wreckage, Liam over his shoulders.
They were both burned from what she could tell, but not as badly as Hunter. Others ran to their side, but she stayed by Hunter.
He raised a shaky arm, tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear. “Becca,” he rasped out, low and sounding painful.
Warmth slid through her body, that oddly familiar tingling sensation wrapping around her palms. Instinctively, she placed her palms over the worst of Hunter’s burns and watched as her hands glowed. Sweet pleasure, not the sexual kind, but the kind that made her feel of happiness, warmth, and promise filled her. Hunter’s backed bowed as his eyes widened. She heard the murmurs and gasps of people around her, even over the roar of the fire and its eventual cleanup.
She was healing him.
His tissue and muscles knitted together in some places, the burns healing somewhat but not fully. She didn’t know how she was doing it, only that she knew it had to be done.
She didn’t know how long she kept at it, but as sweat slicked her back and down her temples, her vision started to blur.
“Becca, baby, stop. I’ll live. You’re hurting yourself.”
She met his yellow gaze then let her arms fall to her side. For some reason her body felt really heavy and hard to move. Maybe she would just rest her head near Hunter’s for a bit.
“Becca? Someone help!”
She heard her mate yell her name, but her eyelids were too heavy to look. She just needed a little breather, and then she’d be fine.
Hunter was okay.
That’s all that mattered.
****
She was driving him crazy.
And not in the lust-filled, need-now kind of crazy Hunter usually liked from his mate.
No, this was the kind of crazy that came after years of mating, not after a few weeks and an almost life-ending encounter.
The couch wasn’t the place he wanted to be.
No, he wanted to run on four feet or two.
He didn’t care.
“Becca, dear, stop hovering,” he grumbled, but she just shook that head of hers, her pretty red curls dancing around her shoulders, then fluffed the pillow behind his back.
“How does that feel?” she asked, warmth mixing with the slight sternness he loved about her.
He leaned back into the pillows, noting that, yes, his back felt better and the burns on his chest weren’t tugging as much anymore, but it was the principle of the thing. Becca was running herself ragged taking care of him. Sure, he was a little weak at the moment—he held back a growl at that—but he wasn’t an invalid. He wanted to hold Becca by his side or rise over her as he sank his cock into that tight pussy of hers, but she was having none of that.
No, she wanted to make sure he was all healed and healthy before they did any type of cuddling.
Any type.
The wounds on his chest, though, weren’t what that hurt the most. No, it was the memory of Becca’s eyes rolling to the back of her head as she passed out along his side. He’d injured himself further by sitting up and pulling her into his arms, needing to see if she was okay.
She’d scared the shit out him.
He’d have gladly gone through life with scars and spent months recuperating from the wounds that would have killed a human than watch Becca go through what she did. Unsure of how to use her powers, she’d let them all run through her like an open faucet rather than siphoning off some of her powers at a time.
He hadn’t known how to help her use her healing powers, and she’d almost died saving him.
He’d never let her do it again. No matter what. There was no way he’d let her harm herself for him more than she already had. In fact, she’d already attempted countless times to heal his wounds further, but he refused.
“Hunter, why can’t I just heal them a little more? I promise I won’t pass out again.” She bit her lip, her teeth sinking into that juicy piece of flesh.
The image went straight to his cock, and he couldn’t hold back his groan.
“What’s wrong? Are you hurt?” She ran her hands up and down his arms, and he had to find patience. Between those lips of hers and her hands on his body, he’d have to jerk off in the shower.
Again.
“I’m fine, Becca. I promise. And, no, you can’t heal me. We already talked about this. Don’t make me spank you.”
Her eyes darkened, and the scent of her arousal hit him hard. He adjusted himself in his sweats, watching as her gaze latched onto his hand.
“Hunter Brooks, stop trying to turn me on.”
He grinned despite himself. “You liked the idea of me spanking you, didn’t you? I can’t wait to see that little ass of yours all red from my hand.”
She closed her eyes, and he knew she was holding back a moan.
“Should I leave the room?” Alec asked from behind her.
Becca’s face turned that pretty pink Hunter loved so much, and he held back a laugh. “I think I’ve said worse things to shock your delicate sensibilities before, Alec.”
His friend raised a brow in Becca’s direction. “I would think it would be your mate’s issue, not mine.”
Becca fisted her hands on her hips then narrowed her eyes at Hunter. “You’re just trying to change the subject. No, mate of mine, we are not having sex or spanking or doing anything dirty. Not until you are healed. That would come—and so would we—if you’d let me heal you.”
Alec barked a laugh, and Hunter flipped him off. “You’re not healing me. Not until we talk to Ambrose about how to deal with your powers.”
“We could go and talk to him sooner if you were healed.” She grinned as she said it, and he knew his mate was just playing with him now.
“We’re going around in circles, baby. I don’t want you hurt.” He said that last part in all seriousness.
“I don’t like seeing you hurt now.”
“I’m healing, baby. Liam is too. We’ll be back to normal soon.”
“Normal? What is normal? People being kidnapped and places being blown up? Sorry, that’s not normal to me.”
“Nor is it to me,” Josiah said from the front door.
Hunter had felt his Alpha’s presence a few minutes earlier, but Josiah hadn’t walked into the house until just then.
An Unlucky Moon Page 13