Wolf Creek Alpha (Texas Pack 1)

by Ellen, Jo

  “I don’t know,” Dunstan said calmly.

  Rafe was dumbfounded. That was not what he was expecting. He glanced over at his brothers, looking perplexed.

  Lisa moved around him while he was distracted. She slid into the booth opposite Dunstan.

  “Hi, I’m Lisa and this is Rafe. Who are you and why were you watching me? Are you dark fae wanting to hurt or use me for evil?” she said, grinning at him.

  Now it was Dunstan’s turn to be dumbfounded. He hadn’t expected her to be so blunt. He stumbled, introducing himself.

  “I’m Dunstan, and umm, no. I wouldn’t hurt you.”

  Rafe sat down, glaring at Lisa. “Didn’t I tell you to stay over by the door?”

  “Woof, woof, oh wait. I’m not the one that’s canine, I don’t obey commands.” Ignoring Rafe, she looked at Dunstan. “Why were you watching me yesterday?”

  Dunstan glanced down at his plate. Where to begin?

  He figured he might as well start with his parents and go from there.

  “My father is Ciar, he commands an area in the unseelie court by fear and punishment.”

  Rafe jumped up, “I knew it! You’re dark fae. Come on, Lisa, we’re leaving.” He reached over to pull her out of the booth.

  “You can leave if you want, I’m not going anywhere.”

  “Didn’t you hear him? He is evil,” Rafe spat.

  “No, his father is evil. Dunstan is not. I can’t tell you how I know this, but I do. You’re going to have to trust me or leave,” Lisa said seriously.

  Dunstan watched the byplay in awe. The big guy, Rafe, clearly wanted to get her out of there, but instead, he flopped back down into the booth.

  Through gritted teeth, he said to Dunstan, “If you move or threaten her in any way, you’re dead.”

  “I’m not my father. Like I said, I’d never hurt her.”

  Dunstan continued eating, giving the appearance of a relaxed man. Looking up, he asked if they’d like anything to eat. Not surprised when they said no, he pushed his plate aside.

  “There’s a park a few blocks over. Why don’t we get your brothers and your fae friend so I don’t have to repeat myself.”

  Rafe stood pulling Lisa from the booth with him. She didn’t resist, knowing he’d probably throw her over his shoulder if she did. He nodded to his brothers to follow them. Dunstan slid from the booth, leaving money on the table for his meal and tip.

  Waiting for Dunstan to lead the way, they fell in behind him. Out on the sidewalk, Rafe motioned for Robert to come over.

  “I’m only going to tell my story once, so save your questions for when we get to the park,” Dunstan said walking away.

  They stayed several paces behind him, watching for an ambush or trap. Rafe told them what little he’d learned about Dunstan. Lisa was trying to hurry them along. She was tired of guessing and needed answers.

  Entering the park, Lisa saw a picnic table and went to sit on the end of the bench. Dunstan sat across from her while Rafe sat beside her. His brothers and Robert stood, surveying the area.

  “As I’m sure he told you, my father is Ciar. I’m not going into details right now. I’ll just say he wasn’t nice to my mother or me. My mother wanted me away from him, so she helped me escape many years ago. She would not come with me, and wouldn’t tell me why. She made me promise to leave and not come back for her. I wandered for many years, and then I decided to break my promise and go back to see if I could get her away, but she wasn’t there,” he stated flatly.

  Dunstan went on to tell them what Ciar had said, but let them know you could not believe anything he told you.

  “I’m afraid he may have killed her. He’s not the kind of man that would simply let her go,” he said sadly.

  “Where do I come in?” asked Lisa. “I don’t know anything about your mother.”

  “I’m not sure. When I saw you yesterday, I felt like I had to be near you.”

  Rafe growled hearing that. “She is mine; she will not be near you.”

  “Take a chill pill. That’s not what he’s talking about,” she said with exasperation.

  Dunstan smiled slightly. “I feel like you can help me find her. Or her child, if she really had another.”

  “Did you make me dream of you?” Lisa asked.

  “No, I didn’t know you had. What was in the dream?”

  Lisa started to tell him about seeing him across the pond. Rafe stopped her. They did not want him to know about the waters unless they were sure they could trust him. He was considered their enemy.

  “We need to talk about what we’ve learned. I will contact you tomorrow. Where are you staying?” Rafe was standing up and taking Lisa’s hand to leave as he spoke.

  “You need to know, if I don’t hear from you, I’ll come find you,” stated Dunstan, after telling them his hotel name.

  Before Rafe could make an angry retort, Lisa assured Dunstan that they would call him.

  Dunstan watched them walk back towards town. Exhaling, he turned to go back to his hotel.

  Driving back with Robert and his brothers in the car behind them, Rafe was scolding Lisa for not following his orders. “I told you to stay back. What if he had been intent on hurting you? I know you think he’s a good guy, but you just learned of your magic last night. What if you’re reading him wrong?”

  Lisa thought for a moment. “Okay, I’ll give you that. It’s all new to me. I promise to be more careful.” She leaned her head back and closed her eyes for the drive.

  “Sorry that I didn’t feed you at the restaurant. I’ll make you something when we get home.”

  “You can cook?” Lisa asked without opening her eyes. “Hallelujah, cute and he cooks.”

  “I won’t let you starve,” he said dryly.

  Back at the house, they all went to the kitchen. Liz had left dinner in the oven for them.

  “Bless yer sainted Mom,” said Robert.

  “She knows we can always eat, even after going to a restaurant,” Devlin said grinning.

  After eating, they once again sat in the great room to see if they could figure out Dunstan’s angle. Lisa kept insisting he didn’t have one.

  “He’s part wolf, you know,” Robert dropped his bombshell.

  “How can that be? He’s a dark fae. He had no scent of wolf about him,” Rafe stated.

  “From listening to what he didn’t say, I think his father probably mislead his mother. She would have to be a wolf, since his father is fae. As for not scenting him, he is part fae. He would be able to hide it from you, but not from me. Which he would have known, so obviously he’s not worried about you knowing he’s wolf,” said Robert.

  “I’m confused. Why would a female wolf mate, marry, whatever, with a dark fae?” asked Lisa.

  “They are a striking people and can be very charming to get what they want. Remember, we fae have been around for thousands of years.”

  “So, would his wolf half be dominant? I was remembering something Stephanie told me,” Lisa asked.

  “We don’t know. I’ve never dealt with anyone that was fae and wolf. He seems decent enough, but I won’t take any chances with you,” Rafe said.

  “I’m afraid we’re going to have to bring him here,” Robert stated, amongst protest. “Look, the dream Lisa had was of him at the pond, reaching for her. Lisa feels she needs to help him, and doesn’t detect any evil. I believe there are enough of us to handle anything he could do.”

  Everyone looked to Rafe, knowing he would make the final decision. He was trying to look at this from all sides, but it was difficult since his mate was the one involved.

  “You know, I don’t want him anywhere near the pond, but I don’t have a choice. I’ll contact him tomorrow. We’ll bring him to the castle. I don’t want any other families in the house. Ian, make sure Colin and Stephanie take the girls to their parents. Give the other families notice to stay away from the castle.”

  Stephanie and Colin came in and sat with them on the couch. Rafe brought them up
to speed on all that had happened.

  “Do you really want to do this?” asked Stephanie worriedly.

  “I feel like I have to. The last forty-eight hours have been surreal. Let’s see, I’m a witch, you’re all wolves, and fairies aren’t the little pixies I thought they were. Nor are they the derogatory term for homosexuals. “

  “Thanks for that, lass,” Robert said dryly.

  Laughing, Lisa went over and hugged Robert. “Don’t worry; with the kilt and sword, you’re definitely not a pixie.”

  Winking at her, “I love women too.”

  “Enough of that. Meeting over, see the rest of you later,” Rafe said, pulling her from Robert.

  Rafe led Lisa out the back, heading towards the woods. He seemed to have a destination in mind. She decided to wait and see where they ended up. Nice night for a walk in the woods anyway. She remained quiet, enjoying the silence.

  He pulled her along into a small clearing. She saw there was a gazebo in the center. Looking inside, there was a bench running around the walls, with comfortable looking cushions laid out on them.

  “How quaint. This looks like a nice place to sit and think,” she said. “Um, why are we here?”

  Rafe sat on the bench cushion, pulling her onto his lap. “We’re here, because I wanted to be alone with you, without all the people up at the house.”

  With that said, one hand pressed against her back, while the other slid smoothly up her nape. He lowered his head slowly, giving her the opportunity to pull away.

  Lisa was tired of waiting. She put her lips against his, absorbing his light chuckle. Wanting to sample, she ran her tongue along his bottom lip, teasing him. With a growl, Rafe bit her lip, gently. Laying her back on the bench, he slid his hands under her shirt. Softly running his fingers up the underside of her breasts, he kissed her deeply.

  He pulled back, gazing down at her with lust filled eyes. Little by little, he raised her shirt up. Lisa helped by lifting her arms over her head. The shirt was dropped to the ground as he opened the clasp on her bra. Pushing the material aside, he gazed down at her.

  Lisa ran her hands under his t-shirt, tugging it up to help him remove it. Rafe quickly pulled his t-shirt off, while Lisa ran her nails up and down his back. Pulling him back to her, she pressed her breast against his chest.

  Rafe growled against her shoulder, “If I don’t stop now, I’m taking you right here.”

  Okay, I have no problem with that. Crap. To be a slut or not to be a slut? I’ve known him less than three days. Why did he give me time to think?

  Rafe pulled away, reaching down and gathering up her shirt. He calmly hooked her bra back together then helped her get her shirt back on.

  Angrily she asked, “Why’d you stop?”

  “I could feel your hesitation. You aren’t ready. Also, wolves and fae are patrolling these woods. I don’t want anyone else seeing you,” he said calmly.

  “Oh my gosh, did you see anyone? Crap, I can’t show my face. I’ll be looking at every person, wondering if they were watching,” she said mortified.

  “Relax, no one came close. I wouldn’t have allowed it.”

  Standing, he pulled her to her feet, giving her a quick kiss.

  “It’s getting late and I should call Dunstan to tell him our decision.”

  Walking beside him, Lisa tried again to reassure him that Dunstan would not harm her or anyone else.

  “It’s just not in him. I know he’s part dark fae, but he either fights it or I don’t know, maybe his wolf controls his dark side,” she said confused.

  “It’s rare for our wolf to be in control. We control our wolf. We could hand it over in a fight, or extreme emotional situations. My wolf is not really separate. This is hard to explain. Think of it like an emotion. You can be really angry, yet control against harming someone. It’s like that. We let him loose, but can still reason.”

  Lisa thought about it. That was the best explanation she’d heard so far. It made it a little easier to understand.

  The house was quiet when they got back. Stopping in the kitchen, they both had a glass of water.

  “Guess I’ll go on up and shower. What time are you having him come tomorrow?”

  “I don’t want to put it off all day, wondering. I’ll ask him to come around ten. That work for you?”

  Lisa said that was fine, then placed her glass in the dishwasher. Straightening up, she stood on tiptoe to kiss him goodnight. She made it quick, fearing she’d climb all over him otherwise. Walking to the stairs, she looked back and saw he was watching her. She turned back and hurried up the stairs. Opening her door, the kitten launched itself at her, meowing.

  “Oh, I’m sorry, Kiki. You’ve been stuck here all day, alone. Hey, how do you like that name?” Guess Kiki would do. She couldn’t think of anything better. Cuddling her, Lisa went to shower. Undressing, she adjusted the water temperature and stepped in. Standing under the spray, she started thinking about the ‘gazebo incident’ as she was calling it.

  Rafe was still in the kitchen when Ian walked in. Ian briefed him on the patrols, letting him know nothing had happened.

  “I’m about to call Dunstan to tell him to come over around ten. I’m still not happy with him knowing where we are, but I have to trust in what Lisa tells me.”

  “I understand. I don’t like it either, but after watching her test her magic, I think she can handle herself well. Of course, I’ll still have our enforcers near, just in case,” Ian stated.

  Rafe nodded, intending to find Robert and tell him as well. Ian told him he’d last seen him sitting by the pond.

  Finding him lying in the grass on the edge of the water, Rafe sat down beside him.

  “So, how’s the courting coming along?” asked Robert.

  Rafe just looked at him, shaking his head. “I don’t kiss and tell.”

  “So you kissed her. I’m thinking that maybe I should woo her. The lass would be much happier mated to me,” he grinned.

  Dryly, Rafe replied, “Says the man who flirts with anything having two X chromosomes.”

  Laughing, Robert pushed himself up. “I’ve just been recharging. The pond’s magic is almost as good as being back in Faerie.”

  Rafe informed him of their plans for tomorrow, asking Robert to have his warriors there when Dunstan arrived. Once assured everything was taken care of, Rafe left to call Dunstan.

  The phone call didn’t take long. It wasn’t a personal call among friends. Rafe gave him directions and told him to be there at ten. Rubbing his hands over his jaw, he looked up to see Devlin entering his office.

  “Hey bro, got some info for you about Lisa’s parents.”

  That got his attention. He knew Devlin could dig up just about anything once he got into his search mode. He didn’t ask how he did it, as it probably wasn’t totally legal. The pup could tap into just about any site, undetected.

  “The accident seems to be just that, an accident. Stupid drunk driver, you know. Already had some DUI’s. The guy had his license taken away, but of course, that didn’t stop him. I couldn’t find any indication of magic being involved.”

  “What about her dad? We assumed he wasn’t magical, were we right?” asked Rafe.

  “It was pretty easy to get information about him. No magic, anywhere, not in him or his ancestors. I looked back into his family genealogy and found nothing. He was pretty straightforward. Graduated from UT Austin. Degree in engineering, worked his whole life for the city.”

  Unknown to them, Lisa had come looking for Rafe after her shower. She’d intended to ask him how the call to Dunstan went.

  “You’re investigating my dad? “ She stomped over to him, slapping her hands down on the front of the desk. “Who the hell do you think you are? Checking into my ancestors. What, you need to make sure my pedigree is good enough to ‘mate’ with?” She was furious. How dare he.

  “I’ll come back later,” Devlin said trying to slide out the door.

  “No!” Lisa shouted. “You sta
y right here. I want to hear what you have to say for yourself too.”

  “Sit down, Devlin. She needs to hear what you’ve learned also.” Rafe came around his desk and tried to guide her to sit on the couch. She pulled away from him, too angry to sit.

  “Lisa, please sit down. We are not looking into your ‘pedigree’. I don’t care anything about your bloodline. Devlin was looking into your parent’s accident. We wanted to make sure no magic was involved,” Rafe said patiently.

  She slowly sunk down into the leather, stunned. “You think they were murdered?”

  Rafe sat down putting his arm around her.

  “No! You missed the first part of what he was saying. It was an accident, a drunk driver just like you were told. Devlin checked into it thoroughly. The only reason he’s looking into your parent’s past is to find out what we can about your magic. We need to know what we’re up against, what you’re able to do. Dev was just telling me your father was not magical.”

  “It’s true, Lisa. I didn’t mean to upset you. I did find out more about your mother, though. Would you like me to go on?” asked Devlin.

  “Yes, if you can shed any light on this, I’d appreciate it. I’m sorry for jumping to conclusions.”

  “No problem. Well, moving on. We already figured out she had to be a witch. Since she didn’t say anything to you, I looked back as far as I could to before she met your father. Did you know she grew up in Seattle?” Devlin asked.

  Quietly, Lisa answered. “No, I never really thought about it. I supposed she grew up here, although she never really talked about her childhood. You have to understand. My parents were so close and in love. I lived in this perfect world where nothing bad happened. I had my grandparents on my father’s side, but Mom had told me hers had passed away before I was born.”

  Devlin moved over to the couch to sit on her other side, taking her hand.

  “She didn’t lie to you. Her parents had her later in life. From what I read, you did have two terrific parents.”

  Smiling, “Thank you, Dev. Okay, I’ve calmed down. What did you learn about my mom and her magic?”

  He glanced over at Rafe, continuing when his brother nodded.