“Is there any chance this could be a trap?” Jessop asked.
“Maybe they thought it might be. It would make sense as to why they’d send the two most newly-qualified and disposable liaisons. Yup. Being a trap would definitely make sense.”
“Thanks, that’s so reassuring.”
Michael was just about to make another – and probably even less-comforting comment - when something caught his eye.
“There’s the well,” he said. “But I don’t see anyone.”
“I guess that we’ll just have to wait then.”
Given that they were surrounded by nature, there was an unnatural stillness to the air. No birds, Michael realised. Wouldn’t they usually be singing at this time of day? They didn’t stop just because the sun was setting, did they? Edging towards the forest, a new sight rendered him motionless.
“Jessop…Jessop…”
“What?”
“There in the trees. What does that look like to you?”
“What does what look like?”
“The glinting. See? It kind of looks like…”
Jessop came up behind him, only to freeze mid-step.
“Like hundreds of pairs of eyes staring at us?”
“Yup, that would be it.”
Michael’s heart pounded against his ribs, as his eyes locked on the tree line. Shadows were all he could make out. Dark shadows and glinting pools of yellow, growing brighter with every passing heartbeat.
A moment later, the noise began. A low, rumbling growl, deep enough that the very earth seemed to tremble around them.
“Wolves.” Jessop stuttered beside him. “They’re wolves, aren’t they?”
“I don’t know, maybe.” There was no way to make them out exactly. Still, the yellow orbs appeared to have stopped moving.
“What do you think they’re doing?”
“I don’t know. Do you think they can hear us? Do you think they understand what we’re saying?”
“I don’t think they need to hear us to know that we’re pissing our pants right now,” Jessop replied.
Despite the gravity of the situation, Michael found the ridiculous comment decidedly comforting. It was good to know that Jessop didn’t have balls of steel after all, as he always appeared to, when it came to life in Blackwatch. That probably explained his earlier quietness too.
“Maybe we’re meant to do something,” Michael suggested. “Like kneel or curtsy?”
“They’re werewolves. Not bloody royalty.”
“Well, I don’t know. They have an alpha. Isn’t that like royalty? Maybe we’re meant to do something else? What do the instructions say?”
“I told you, we just had to head to this well and wait for them.”
Somehow, the fact that the eyes had stopped moving was even more terrifying. The guttural growls still reverberated around them.
“Perhaps they’re just fireflies?’ Jessop offered, optimistically.
“Do you want to go in there and check?”
The following silence was answer enough.
His legs were shaking, Michael realised, along with his knees and his hands and pretty much every other part of him. And the joke about them pissing their pants was becoming decidedly less funny by the second.
The growling increased.
“Shall we run? I’m pretty sure I feel like running right now.” The panic in Jessop’s voice only served to increase his own.
“There’s nowhere to run to.”
“Back to the village.”
“They’ll beat us. They’ll catch us.”
“At least we’d have a chance. Let’s give it a try.”
“I think we should just hold our ground.”
“No, I’m going to count us down. Are you ready?”
“Jessop, I —”
“Three, two, one —”
Chapter Five
Freya
She had to hand it to her mother. She’d built the suspense wonderfully. All the growling and snarling. And, of course, the moment the poor guys had turned to make a run for it, she’d ordered them to transform back into human form and step out of the forest. Understandably, by that point, most of the pack were in hysterics.
“Oh, I wish I could have heard what they were saying.” Chrissy was doubled over laughing next to Freya.
“I’ve got a pretty good idea.”
“Gentleman. We’re so glad you made it.” Lena’s voice caused the sprinting men to stop in their tracks. Red faced and panting, they turned around, eyes wide with shock. “I hope we didn’t give you too much of a fright?”
Still visibly shaken, with their skin now almost green, the pair straighten themselves up. One of them, the taller of the pair, stepped forward with his hand outstretched, taking deep breaths as he did so.
“You must be Lena. I’m Clinton Jessop. We spoke on the phone a couple of times. This here is Michael…”
“That was quite a greeting,” the other one said. “Pleased to meet you.” His eyes displayed much more wariness than Jessop’s. As they shifted from Lena to the rest of the pack, his gaze landed on Freya. Something made her stomach lurch, but she supressed the feeling before she could identify it.
“I’m glad you appreciated the entrance.” Lena was still speaking. “The edge of the trees marks our boundary. You won’t find any wolves roaming the compound. Of course, if you choose to go into the forest, you will be perfectly safe. From us at least.”
“They’re hot,” Chrissy whispered in Freya’s ear.
“Seriously? They’re all tied and suited and so square. You can’t possibly find that attractive?”
“Oh, I think I could loosen them up a bit. Which one do you want? The blond or the brunette? I’m not picky. You can choose first.”
Wondering, not for the first time, exactly how they had ended up friends, Freya elbowed Chrissy in the side. In spite of herself–and her dismissive response to Chrissy’s interest–she couldn’t take her eyes off the strangers. She wasn’t the only one. The whole pack was glued to their every move.
“Well, I think I’m going to go and introduce myself,” Chrissy said, taking strides towards them.
“Do you not want to put some clothes on first?” Freya suggested.
“No.”
While Chrissy, and about a third of the pack, began to circle the strangers, Freya attempted to pull her mother aside. She caught her eye about half a dozen times but, in true Lena style, was ignored. After five minutes, and having waited long enough for an explanation, Freya barged her way through everyone, grabbed her mother by the elbow and said, “I think we need to have a quick word, don’t you?”
When they were away from the others, the Alpha finally met her daughter’s eyes.
“Look,” Lena pulled on a dressing gown as she spoke, “I thought you’d be glad that I gave you some responsibility like this?”
“No, you didn’t.”
“No, you’re right, I didn’t. But it’s time you started taking some anyway. Members of this pack look up to you Freya.”
“They don’t.”
“Yes, actually, they do. And you know it. You need to understand how much power you have over them.”
“I didn’t ask for it.”
“Didn’t you?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
There was no point hoping her mother would give her a straight answer. She never did. Digging her feet in, Freya tried to think of another way around the situation.
“You were the one who asked them here. If you don’t want to do this job, give it to Whipper or Dominic. They’re your betas.”
“And they are brilliant betas,” Lena replied. “But they will always just be brilliant betas. I know you don’t see it now, with this obtuse nature of yours, this determination to oppose and fight everything I suggest. That’s the very thing that will make you a perfect alpha.”
“You were a beta and an alpha.”
“Yes, well, as we know, I’m exceptional.” Her mother
grinned at her. It not reciprocated. “If you don’t want this, then all you have to do is disobey me. And I’d like to see you try. Genuinely, I would.”
With that Lena was done. She turned on her heel, and walked back towards the men.
“Bitch,” Freya muttered. Only half under her breath.
* * *
Michael
* * *
In the space of twenty seconds, Michael had gone from thinking he was a potential snack, to being surrounded by dozens of people in nothing but their birthday suits. Now, he was having a drink on a hand-carved picnic bench with the Alpha of the pack and her daughter. Today was definitely not average. Even by his standards.
“Thank you for inviting us here,” Jessop started the conversation. “My superiors were over the moon to receive your call.”
“So over the moon that they decided to send their two most-experienced representatives?’
Michael chuckled. He liked her candidness. Exactly as they had thought themselves. And they certainly didn’t look any more mature than the mid-twenties that they were.
“Yes, well, I expect they wanted to check this wasn’t a trap,” he replied. “Blackwatch hasn’t heard from you in over a century.”
“You mean you were the cannon fodder?”
“Pretty much.”
She laughed. “Well, you needn’t worry. No one in the pack will go against anything I say. You’re perfectly safe. So,” she placed her drink on the table in a manner that said they were now done with the small talk, “I was thinking the best thing would be if we leave early morning. It will take a full day to get down to the South Pack, and I am not a fan of traffic jams.”
Michael shook his head, feeling as if he must have nodded off for part of the conversation. “The South Pack? I thought there was only one wolf pack in the UK?”
His eyes went quickly from the Alpha to Jessop, who was currently staring straight down at the bottom of his bottle, lips twisted tightly together, as he avoided Michael’s gaze, not showing even the slightest bit of surprise at the news.
“Sorry, would you excuse me?” Michael said, standing up from the table. “I just need to have a quick word with my partner here.” He didn’t care how unprofessional it looked, marching off and waiting for Jessop to join him. It would have looked a darn sight less professional to throttle him on the spot, after all.
“You knew about this? This South Pack? And what’s she on about? Leaving? Was this planned?”
“Look,” Jessop lifted his hands in defence, “I only learned about it two days ago, when I was on the phone, sorting out the last details of the trip. She brought it up, you know, in a casual way. Like she thought we knew there was another pack.”
“Two days ago? We’ve been in a car together for the last eight hours? You didn’t think you might want to tell me about it then? Besides, surely, this is something Blackwatch should have known about?”
“Exactly, they should have.” Jessop took a moment, licking his lips. “Think about it. It’s exactly as she said, Blackwatch sent us here as cannon fodder. They wanted to test the water and they didn’t want to risk anyone important, in case it all went south. But I’ve been speaking to Lena for weeks now. I trust her. I do. I don’t think these wolves are the lying type. Really I don’t.”
Michael turned his head back to the table. Whether or not they were liars, he didn’t know, but one thing was for sure, the daughter was one angry wolf-girl. She hadn’t stopped glowering the entire time. Besides, this still didn’t explain why Jessop hadn’t mentioned them splitting up, when he normally said so much.
“I still don’t understand where you’re going with this. Why not do one pack then the other?”
“It’s not that straightforward. Blackwatch knew about this pack. They didn’t have the foggiest about the other. For all we know, there could be even more out there. If I’d just gone in and told them about this second lot, they would have wanted to turn it into a bigger investigation. Put more men on it.”
“You mean you wouldn’t get to be top dog?”
It was all falling into place.
“Think about it. Blackwatch thinks we’re going to get them information on one wolf pack. We’re going to deliver so much more. This is it - a straight line for promotion. All you’ve got to do is hang around with one sullen wolf-woman for a couple of days, while I probe mum for all the information about this pack and the other one too. We’ll come back heroes. You’ve got the easy job. You’ll be fine.”
Expelling a sigh that was half of resentment, half resignation, Michael turned his gaze back to the girl. Sure, he thought to himself. How difficult could it be?
Chapter Six
Michael
Prior to his arrival, Michael had felt that three or four days didn’t seem like a lot of time to get to know the intricate workings of the UK’s–previously thought to be–only wolf pack. But, with his less-than-hospitable host, he was starting to think it was going to be way too much. Jessop and Lena had left just after day break, taking one of her trucks and leaving him by himself in the cabin he had been told would be his for the next few days. It was nice enough, spacious and pleasantly–though sparsely–decorated. The cupboards and fridge were filled with fruit and vegetables and enough meat and eggs to keep him going for weeks. Not that he had any intention of being stuck there that long.
When drinks had finished the previous night, Freya had said she would come and collect him in the morning, to show him around the compound although, given that it was nearly 11:30 a.m., he was starting to think that wolves ran on a different clock. At 11:50, a knock reverberated through his door.
“Just coming,” he said, racing over to unlock it.
He didn’t know why he was surprised by what he saw, after all he had met her the night before. But that had been just after they had changed from wolves, when they were all either naked or dressed in sack-like clothes. Looking like this, in her ripped jeans and black, strappy top, she was exactly the type of girl he would see in a pub and wish he had enough confidence to go over and talk to. Or, on another occasion, would make a mumbling idiot of himself in front of, when Jessop finally dragged him over, under the pretence of being his wingman.
“So.” She walked through the doorway and took a seat in the small armchair in the living area. “I guess we should do this as quickly as possible. What do you want to know?”
“Sorry?” he flustered, feeling colour rising to his cheeks.
“You want to learn about the pack. Ask me what you want to know.”
“Oh.” This wasn’t exactly the way he had envisioned the first day. He’d thought that, perhaps, she would show him around the compound. Tell him about a few of the different buildings and what they were used for. However, last night’s scowl was still firmly in place and the last thing he wanted to do was make matters worse. So, instead, he moved across to his bag and pulled out a small notepad and pen,
“You don’t mind if I make notes, do you?” he asked, taking a seat in one of the chairs opposite.
“Be my guest.”
* * *
Freya
* * *
All night she had stayed out running, waiting for everyone to disappear so she could finally get absolute peace and quiet. Blocking people out was difficult. You had to work at it. You couldn’t ever completely switch off while you were concentrating of shutting out other people’s thoughts, which were constantly dripping in. Only when she was the last wolf standing, had she finally got the forest, and her head, truly to herself. Racing, she had breathed in the scents of the earth. The sweetness of the petrichor, the musk of the wilting leaves. Her muscles had burned with every stride. Was this worth it? This freedom. At times she thought so. And the rest of the pack obviously did. But she wasn’t truly free. She hadn’t been for years. Images she fought so hard to keep buried, began to rise again in her mind. She had raced faster, trying to shake them away. That was all she could do. Run faster and pretend they weren’t there.
> By the time she got home, her mother had already left and her role as official chaperone had started, although she wasn’t going to do anything until she’d had at least a couple of hours sleep. When she finally dragged herself over to Michael’s cabin, the last thing she wanted to do was give him a guided tour. Thankfully, he seemed too petrified of her to go against anything she suggested.
“Thank you for this.” Balancing the notebook on his knee, he shifted around before looking her straight in the eye. “So, I’d like to get a few facts and figures.”
“Okay then.”
“Great.” He nodded as he scribbled something down. “Firstly, could you tell me what the current birth and death rate is in your pack?”
His face was deadpan. Like he’d just asked her about the weather. Certain it was some kind of joke, she waited for the punchline. None came.
“Birth and death rate?”
“Yes. How many wolves are born each year and how many werewolves die.”
“I know what the words mean. It just wasn’t the type of question I expected you to start with.”
“If you don’t want to —”
“No, it’s fine. Just give me a minute.”
Scratching her head, she sifted through memories of the funerals she had attended, as a sick feeling rose from her stomach. Natural deaths, that was what he wanted. Deaths in the pack are hard to forget. Being alone with grief is hard enough. Having everyone else’s shoved into your mind as well was near impossible. If she was ever the Alpha, that would be one thing she’d scrap. Grieving should be kept to yourself. Not that she was ever going to be the Alpha, of course.
“We lost Greta last year,” she started, recalling the pain that had swept through them, with the loss of their eldest matriarch. “El Delphine and Fredo too. And Cassie. No that was the year before, I think. Yes we lost Cassie the year before. So that would be three. Three deaths in the last year.”
Falling for Shifters: A Limited Edition Autumn Shifters Collection Page 98