His gaze bored into mine, without hesitation. Just when I thought I couldn’t take it, that I had to look away, a sudden crunch of leaves had both of us jerking toward the sound.
“Am I interrupting?” Amelia stepped toward us, ignoring the obvious tension between us.
“Not at all.” Embry took several steps back. “We’ll pick this up later.” His expression was filled with so much disdain it chilled my bones. Without another word, he headed toward the Den.
I breathed a sigh of relief and gave Amelia a grateful smile. She came close, rubbing her arms to chase away the cold.
“What was all that about?” Her nostrils flared and a knowing look washed over her face. “Lindy—”
“Don’t. Just don’t.”
“Come on, let’s get you cleaned up.” She wrapped one arm around me and we followed Embry’s steps, careful to keep a significant distance between us.
Freshly showered and dressed in a pair of high-waisted jeans and a blush colored sweater, I went in search of Aiyana, wanting to see for myself that she was okay.
Her father assured me she was fine, still resting after the previous days events but that she didn’t seem upset or traumatized by her experience with the humans. Instead she’d seemed curious about them and had asked about the “nice one who carried her.”
My concerns about Aiyana’s well being eased, I found myself wandering the Den with no intended direction. I was avoiding Embry—again. And my father. I didn’t think Embry would tell him I’d been with a human, but I also didn’t want to take the chance of running into him if he had.
Without conscious thought, I found myself in one of the Den’s common rooms, a large open space with several sofas and floor cushions clustered together. The room was empty save for Asa, who was reading a book quietly in the corner of the room. When he spotted me, he waved me over.
“What brings you to my humble abode?” he asked, shifting to the side to make room for me to sit beside him. Amelia’s suspicions suddenly in my head, I scrutinized Asa for a brief moment before taking a seat. I didn’t think he looked at me any differently. His amber eyes were friendly, and his smile wide. His dark brown hair was mussed and sticking out as though he’d just rolled out of bed. But otherwise, he looked like he did every day.
A year younger than Embry, Asa was the complete opposite of his brother when it came to his personality. Where Embry was dominant, stubborn, and often abrasive, Asa was aloof and laid back. He wasn’t submissive by any means, but he never seemed to feel the need to force his dominance. He was content with who he was. He didn’t need to prove anything to anyone, and it made him easy to be around.
I flicked a glance toward the doorway I’d just come through before turning my attention back to Asa.
“You hiding from anyone in particular?” he asked, a knowing smile curling the corner of his mouth.
“I’m not hiding.”
He snorted. “Sure you’re not. What did my brother do this time?” He set his book aside and leaned back. His charcoal thermal shirt hugged his broad shoulders and chest. He tugged playfully at a piece of my hair and I smacked his hand away.
“Embry didn’t do anything. He’s just…”
“Embry.” We both finished at the same time.
I nodded. “Exactly.”
“My brother is stubborn, especially when he wants something. And it’s no secret that he wants you, Lindy.”
I hung my head. I didn’t know why Embry was so adamant I was his mate. It’d been years since we’d been together. He could have any woman in the Pack. Why was he so determined to have me?
“Do you have a plan?”
I shrugged my shoulders and looked away. “What is there to plan for?”
Asa sighed, an exasperated huff of air.
I fought the urge to grind my teeth, turning to him with a raised brow instead.“You’re welcome to enlighten me,” I suggested.
“You know he plans to be Alpha after your father is gone.”
A growl vibrated in my chest. “What’s your point?”
“My point is… “Another sigh. “Are you going to take him as your mate?”
“No.” No hesitation. I was surprised how quickly the answer had come. Before, I would have hesitated. Not because I wanted to be with him but because I wanted to be Alpha. I would have considered tying myself to him for that reason alone, but now, I knew deep down I didn’t want to be with him. I couldn’t be. After one unforgettable night with Red, I knew there was no future for us. But when I chose a mate, I wanted to at least feel something equal to that level of passion.
Asa scrutinized me, his eyes narrowed and his gaze assessing. I held his stare, surprised when he didn’t lower his gaze. My wolf didn’t rise up inside of me. I felt no challenge from him but… he shouldn’t have been able to hold my gaze so casually.
“So you’re going to let him take control? Let him lead?”
I snorted. Just because I refused to be his mate didn’t mean I would stand by while he took control of my Pack. “No. If I have to challenge him to be Alpha, I will.” The statement settled deep in my bones, a knowing that this Pack was worth fighting for.
Asa sucked in a sharp breath.
“Lindy—”
“Don’t try to talk me out of it. I know you love your brother but I love this Pack. I can’t walk away from it.”
“No one is saying you have to walk away. But Lindy, you’re not strong enough to challenge him.” He rested a hand on my knee as though in apology. I brushed his hand away.“You don’t know that—”
He was already shaking his head. “I do. I know a lot more than I did before. Things have become a lot clearer recently.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
He looked away and then returned his gaze to my face, his eyes suddenly haunted. “You know what it means to be hunter born.”
My mind struggled to link all the traits of a Pack Hunter. We hadn’t had one in nearly a decade and thankfully, we hadn’t needed one. A Hunter was a shifter outside the Pack hierarchy. More dominant than any Alpha but without the urge to lead. Almost like an omega yet different because Hunters were a Pack’s best tracker, their best defense, and the one shifter tasked with bringing down any shapeshifter who’d gone rogue, including their own Alpha if it came to that.
“I do,” I hesitated, uncertain why he was bringing this up now.
He seemed to brace himself. “I’m Hunter born.”
I opened my mouth to say something and then closed it. He was… what? I looked away. All at once I both envied and pitied him. Envied because he didn’t have to answer to anyone. Not anymore. He was his own person, free from Pack bonds and rules he didn’t have to follow if he didn’t want to. And pitied because the life of a Hunter was often a lonely one. There was risk in getting close to the people you might have to one day kill. A weight that never seemed to alleviate.
I reached out and squeezed his hand. “Are you sure?” I didn’t want that for him, and judging by the look on his face, he hadn’t wanted it for himself, either.
A jerky nod as he returned my squeeze and then twined his fingers with mine. I stared down at our joined hands but didn’t pull away. He needed me right now, my wolf sensing that he needed the contact. “I can sense the dominance beneath everyone in our Pack. I can feel how strong their wolves are. It’s like my wolf is taking measure, cataloging who might be a future threat.”
I waited for him to continue, knowing there was more to it.
“You’ve peaked. Your wolf’s strength and dominance are the highest they will ever be.”
I nodded, unsure why this mattered. I was twenty-two years old. It wasn’t uncommon for a shapeshifter to peak around the age of twenty-one.
“Embry hasn’t peaked.”
I frowned. Embry was four years older than me at twenty-six years. He should have peaked already. But that would explain how he’d been able to challenge me before. If Amelia hadn’t interrupted our exchange, would our places
within the Pack been switched? Would he have proven that he was, in fact, more dominant than me?
“You’re sure.”
“He’s already more dominant than you are. I know it isn’t what you want to hear. But I don’t want you to be blindsided. Lindy, if you challenge Embry and lose…”
“I’ll be dead. It won’t matter.” I pulled my hand away from him, a million thoughts suddenly running through my mind. There were two ways to challenge. If we met one another’s gaze and held it like we had before, it was a silent challenge for position within the Pack. Whoever looked away first lost. It was intended to establish a pecking order without bloodshed.
But a challenge to be Alpha was usually a physical challenge to the death. Once a formal challenge was issued, it couldn’t be ignored.
“He wouldn’t kill you.” Asa said. “You might not love him, but he loves you. I don’t know what happened this morning, but I’ve never seen him so angry. I’ve never sensed his wolf so distraught. I was worried he’d flip his switch, lose control and then…” He spread his hands out.
I cursed. “I’m sorry. I never meant to…” Shaking my head I looked away, unable to meet his gaze as guilt tore through me. I was angry with Embry. He’d had no right to go off on me the way he had. But I didn’t want to push him into losing his humanity.“If I challenged him, he’d have no choice.”
“That’s not true.”
I whipped my head toward him, a scowl on my face. “Of course it is. A challenge can’t go unanswered.”
He sighed. “He could force you to submit. If the damage was significant enough, he could hold himself back from killing you and force you to submit. He loves you too much to see you die.”
“But then…” I swallowed. Then I would have to leave the Pack. I would be cast out because no wolf who challenged an Alpha and lost could stay.
“Do you see my position now? I care for you, Lindy. I always have. But Embry is my brother. Whatever is going on between the two of you is pushing him too far. His wolf is growing at a rapid rate. His dominance should have peaked by the time he turned twenty-five. I have a feeling he was somehow suppressing it. But either way, it’s like he’s teetering on the edge of a cliff.”
“Why would he do that?” The thought of Embry wanting to suppress his strength was confounding.
“For you. He’s always believed the two of you would be mated and lead the Pack together. He didn’t need to be the most dominant in order to accomplish that. His wolf wants two things. To be Alpha and to have you. If he can’t have you, his wolf is pushing him to claim what’s left. He can’t suppress his strength any longer, and it’s exploding out of him in droves. He’s going to be volatile until he claims his place in the Pack hierarchy. You’re not strong enough to remain your father’s second, and if you push Embry into challenging you, you’ll lose. He won’t kill you. He doesn’t have it in him. But if a challenge is issued and lost, the loser—”
“Has to leave the Pack,” I finished for him.
He nodded. “I just wanted you to know all the facts. I don’t want to lose you. This Pack needs you and it would destroy Embry to see you go. But you need to decide what you’re willing to live with, or without. Because we don’t always get the life we want.”
Red
I strode into the local hole-in-the-wall pub, grounding out an order for whisky between shaking the rain out of my sweatshirt and wiping the mud off my boots. Fuck. I was going to need to buy another jacket. A hoodie was not enough protection from the deluge raging outside today. I stared down at my steel-toed boots and sighed. And I was going to have to clean my boots again.
Spotting Roland alone at a table, I grabbed the seat across from him and peeled my rain drenched sweater off before slinging it over the back of the chair to dry.
He had three empty shot glasses beside him and another full one in his hand. I lifted a brow as his gaze met mine, his eyes bloodshot and his breath reeking of booze.
“Rough night?” I asked him, hiding my smile because my night had been fucking fantastic.
I hadn’t liked waking up to find Lindy gone and her side of the bed cold, but I knew her reasons, and I wasn’t concerned she’d felt the need to slip out before I woke.
He only nodded, hiding his gaze as he tossed back his shot glass and waved to the bartender for another. What was going on with him today? Was he still shaken up over what happened yesterday? We’d left the woods unscathed. I didn’t know what could have shaken him up like this.
The bartender arrived at our table, setting down a glass of whisky for both of us. Roland didn’t even hesitate before knocking it back as I took a tentative sip.
“What’s going on with you, man?”
Roland hiccupped before swiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “I fucked up, Red. I want yer to know I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to… fuck.”
I scowled. Something happened to leave Roland blubbering like this. “Spit it out. It can’t be that bad.”
He laughed, a humorless sound that made my blood run cold. “Aye, it is that bad.” He rubbed a hand over his beard, haunted eyes meeting mine. “I don’t think they’re all savages. I don’t think they all deserve to die. You gotta believe me on that one.”
I nodded, still uncertain where he was going with this. I already knew Roland wasn’t like the others. Sheltered and ignorant, sure, but he wasn’t filled with hatred like some of the other townsmen were. I leaned back in my seat and tapped my index finger on the wooden tabletop. The bar wasn’t very busy yet. It was still early in the day, an hour or so away from the impending dinner rush, though it was surprisingly empty of Hounds, save for Roland.“What are you getting at?”
He hiccuped again. “I saw the woman. The white wolf leave your room this morning before dawn.”
I leaned forward, my eyes suddenly laser focused on the man in front of me. “And—?”
There was no point in denying what he’d seen, and besides, I wasn’t ashamed of what I’d done. Of being with her. If anything, I wanted to wear that shit like a badge of honor for everyone to see.
“I followed her.”
Shock slapped me in the face. “You what?”
Before he could say anything else, I reached across the table, grabbed the collar of his shirt and jerked him toward me. The glasses clattered to the floor, shattering around us, but I paid them no mind.“What were you thinking? You could have been killed.” Idiots. The whole fucking lot of people in this town. I shoved him away, and he sank back heavily in his chair. Anger surged up inside of me. How could he be so stupid?
He ran a shaky hand over his face. “I fucked up. I know that.”
“What happened?”
He swallowed hard, remorse heavy in his eyes. “She didn’t see me. She seemed distracted, and I followed her all the way back to…”
I swore and threw back my drink in one hard swallow. He’d found the Den. He’d somehow done what I couldn’t and figured out where the Pack base was located. Shit. I scrubbed my hands over my face.
“Okay, It’s not that big of a deal. You’re fine as long as none of the shifters know you’re aware of where their Den is. Just keep your fucking mouth shut.”
A needle of guilt pierced my gut before I squashed it. I already knew I wasn’t going to give up the Den’s location. I just hadn’t expected anyone else to find it. To put Lindy or her people at risk like that. But Roland was a good guy. He could keep quiet. He—
His earlier comments rose up. He didn’t believe ‘they all deserved to die.’ That was what he’d said, wasn’t it?
Dread settled in my stomach like an anchor. “What did you do?” My words were a gruff whisper as realization dawned on me. I shoved away from the table, my chair making a screeching noise across the wood floor. I stumbled back. Fuck. No.
I looked at the clock on the wall. It was three o’clock. Fuck. My mind ran a hundred miles a minute. If it was three and Lindy had left before dawn, how long would it have taken Roland to follow her and make it
back to town? An hour? Two? Maybe three, but not likely.
“Fuck.”
I bowed my head, my breaths heavy. I needed to find her. Warn her.
Roland stood from the table, his movements sloppy as he wobbled on his feet. “I didn’t mean to tell. I was just so fecking exciting. I didn’t even realize...” His words slurred, and he crashed back into his chair. “I didn’t know who I was speaking to until it was too late and then...” He lifted his hands, palms open in a silent plea.
“You better hope it’s not too late.” I stormed out of the pub, not even bothering to pay for my whisky. Fuck. I turned right back around and stomped right up to Roland. “Get your ass up and come show me where the Den is. The Hounds have a head start. Let’s go.”
Roland fumbled with his wallet so I grabbed it from him, jerked out a handful of bills, and threw them on the table before shoving the wallet back into his hands.
“Come on.”
We ran into Alton along the way and he was none too happy to see me. According to him, I’d ruined everything. All of his careful planning. Not that I gave two shits, and I told him as much. We stopped by the B&B I was staying in so I could grab my bow. I shoved a water bottle at Roland, told him to sober up, and we headed out. I didn’t have the luxury of time to come up with a plan. We were already behind and needed to make up ground.
Alton had informed me that the Hounds and a group of townsmen had left twenty minutes before. I’d just missed them, and I cursed. But they numbered close to forty men, and a group their size would have a hard time keeping a fast pace. With any luck, I’d be able to catch up and then… I didn’t know what I would do next.
Rain lashed at us until we were under the heavy canopy of the forest. Clenching my jaw, I fought the urge to leave Roland behind. He was drunk and slowing me down, but he was my only guide. I couldn’t afford to make a mistake and head in the wrong direction.
When the wind picked up, I gritted my teeth and pressed Roland to go faster. He stumbled and swayed with every step, but to my surprise, he didn’t complain. We weren’t making the best time, but we weren’t stopping to rest either. I just kept telling myself we had time. We would make it.
Trouble with Wolves: An urban fantasy romance novel (Magic and Bone Book 1) Page 10