“You’re the alpha of the house hold mister.”
“Love you too.” He replied walking out into the hallway and towards the other two male werewolves smiling.
Dillon glanced down at the pile of clothing in the hallway. He didn’t even need to lift his nose to sniff and know what that was about. Jeremy’s wolf sniffed around the pile of discarded clothes and looked up at Dillon. The smell of sex in the air was apparent, to both him and Jeremy. He guided the younger werewolf into the living room.
Luke walked out to meet them. “Oh.” He said seeing Jeremy’s werewolf as it sat obediently beside Dillon’s legs.
“I thought it best he stay for a while in his tribal form. Seems like Jeremy hasn’t done that for a fair while.”
“He tell you about that?” Luke asked curiously scratching at his bare chest.
“No, but when I witnessed his shape shift, saw at least one silver burn on him and I could see how hard it was for him to go through with it. It looked painful. So I made sure he didn’t get stuck.”
“And now you’re what, best friends?” He asked as Dillon bent to scratch Jeremy’s ruff behind his ears.
“We sorted a couple of differences out.” Dillon replied looking at the werewolf beside him. “Then when I figured he’d gotten that out of his system, I shifted and brought him back here. Figure you guys could handle him in this state.”
“He’s completely subdued.” Luke said surprised, looking at the wolf looking back up at him panting. “I was expecting him to be, well, not.”
“What kind of alpha would I be if I didn’t know a thing or two about calming a fellow werewolf on the verge of complete loss down?” Dillon replied to his brother.
“He was on the verge of complete loss of control? “ Luke asked surprised by what he was hearing. Jeremy always seemed so docile. It was hard to imagine him, worked up.
“No. He just has no control, so there is no ability to stop, reign himself in, he just goes. I think his time in captivity really messed with his werewolf self. He really needs to find that again or his whole life is going to be like a split personality that he never gets a grip on and he’ll likely need to be medicated and watched.” Dillon sighed and sat down in an arm chair and watched as Luke did the same. He nodded his chin at him. “So Adonis, where is the other werewolf I smell?”
“Bedroom. Resting.” Luke let out a small smile. Dillon chuckled back at him.
“If Jeremy is this hopeless at shape shifting, you can probably assume that Doll isn’t much better.” Dillon offered. “You might need to work on that. So you never explained why I had the pleasure of reigning in a rabid werewolf, who by the way, scared the crap out of Bastian, before I got to him. What exactly is going on?” Luke looked at Jeremy who slowly rested down on his feet, putting his paws on Dillon’s shoes. It was hard to image he could scare anyone, let alone another wolf. But Doll had tried to tell him about their survival instinct.
“I don’t know if I should say in front of...”
Dillon raised an eyebrow “Say it, Jeremy won’t remember it anyway when he shifts back and if he does, we’ll just sort out those issues again.”
“Please tell me you didn’t hurt him into submission.” Luke frowned. Dillon was powerful, strong and intimidating as a human. In werewolf form, he was more so. He was almost scary when put in the wrong mood to begin with.
“Promise, didn’t not hurt him. Jeremy however, did proceed to scratch and bite the hell out of me when we tussled. Which is why I had to shape shift. After that, no problems, he got to go me as much as he could, till he was exhausted from me not fighting back.”
“Wow. That’s impressive that you would let him do that to you.” Dillon looked at his brother in all earnestness. “Made a promise, and a man is only as good as his word right?”
“Right.” Luke agreed with him putting an arm behind his head and looking at Jeremy the werewolf. “So would it come as a shock to you to find out that Graham Roberts is one the Alpha Pack that abused Jeremy and Doll?” Dillon’s eyes widened. “And that he’s here in town and that he made a veiled threat at Doll about coming to collect both her and Jeremy, in front of me.” Jeremy the werewolf whined loudly. Dillon bent down to pat him, running a hand through his fur.
“You don’t say.”
Luke nodded his head “We were trailing him, it seemed too good an opportunity to pass up, especially since we’re not sure about Sonny. And Doll and I agreed we needed someone to look after Jeremy, in case Graham somehow found him first. Because,” Luke paused his eyes going from Jeremy to Dillon “He’s Graham’s favourite.”
Dillon’s hand never stopped stroking Jeremy’s fur, but his eyes narrowed and changed to werewolf eyes on his brother. “I see.” he said calmly. “And he thinks he can come to our town and just snatch them back is that about it?” Jeremy whined again softly.
Luke shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. He pulled a Houdini on us and we lost sight of him.”
Dillon stopped stroking Jeremy’s fur and sat up in the arm chair again. “Shouldn’t be a problem. He knows Doll is with you and if he suspects the two of them are still together, or even if he doesn’t he’ll try to get to her, through you. An alpha like Graham Roberts, there is no way he can resist the challenge of getting what he probably thinks, as rightfully his again. His ego won’t allow it.”
“I won’t allow it.” Luke stood up and stretched his arms above his head. “So what are we supposed to do about Sonny? What if this is about Graham exchanging Sonny for Doll and Jeremy?”
“It’s not.” Dillon replied standing up also causing Jeremy to get off is feet.
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because it wasn’t Graham I saw snatch Sonny from in front of me. Of that much, we can be sure of.”
Luke frowned. “So what are you saying here? That we’re no closing to figuring out where Sonny is, who has her and that there’s a predator alpha on the loose looking to kidnap two werewolves under Seattle Alki protection and that whoever has Sonny, means, what? There’s a new player in town?”
“That about sums it up. Nice touch putting your strays under our protection by the way.” Dillon smirked.
“Oh come on, would you let two beta werewolves with barely any fighting capabilities fend for themselves against an alpha like Graham Roberts, just because it didn’t directly involve your pack?” Jeremy the wolf looked up at Dillon, panting, his tongue hanging out to the side.
“No. But that’s because the Seattle Alki aren’t an elitist pack, like other werewolf packs. We have a community worth fighting for. Give me a call if you need help with your wolves.” Dillon said, heading back out the door. Jeremy started to follow him.
“Time to be a good boy and behave okay?” Dillon said looking down at the werewolf who stopped and sat down as Dillon walked out the door.
Dillon’s comment about Jeremy’s inability to shape shift easily, had Luke wondering about Doll. He’d noticed her feeling the affects of lunar week. But she like Jeremy, hadn’t done any shifting either. Luke had been all set to discuss doll’s shape shifting abilities and suggesting that they get her shift happening.
Only he didn’t have to bother when he saw the scrawny werewolf standing on his torn up and ripped bed with a shredded pillow in it’s mouth, bits of what he could only presume were feathers form his cover floated around in the air. “Probably about time I got a new bed anyway if I’m going to be sharing it from now on.”
17
Doll awoke again in Luke’s arms and smiled to herself, before her nose twitched and she sniffed. She smelt feathers and wolf. An odd combination. She glanced about them as Luke stirred beside her.
“You tore up my bed and pillows.” He mumbled into her side tiredly. It was only then that Doll noticed they slept on a shredded bed without any pillows underneath them. “When you shape shifted on top of it. That’s the feathers you can smell.” He said listening to her heart beat and liking what he heard. He felt content with that sound, and her warm b
ody against his in his destroyed mess of his bed.
“Oh. Sorry.” Doll muttered softly. She didn’t remember anything about shape shifting at all. But that was what it was like for her. Like a black out. She never knew when it was coming. She only knew after the event, that it had happened.
“How do you feel?” Luke continued to mutter as he slept face turned into her side and on his stomach and arm possessively draped over her. Doll rotated her shoulders and winced.
“Like normal, after a shift, sore.” Luke lifted his head and looked at her. “You shouldn’t feel sore after a shift Doll. We’ve really got to get you back into the swing of things with your werewolf.”
“And how do we do that?” Doll asked him. Luke grinned and waggled his eyebrows at her before rolling away and onto his back.
“Oh really?”
Luke put a hand behind his head and looked over at her. “I’m sure there are other ways we can work a shape shift out of you.”
It was Doll’s turn to grin back at him as she move to straddle his hip. “I think I like the first suggested way.” She said glancing down at his morning erection. “Very much.”
“What you want baby, that’s what we’ll do.” Luke yawned watching her eyeing his cock like it was a treat to be had. Doll moved, lifting herself up as Luke’s hands went to her hips and he helped her slid down onto him. Moaning deep in his throat. “That’s it baby, take what’s yours.” Luke said as Doll started to move on him, figuring out her rhythm. He watched her move against him, and helped her hips lift as he brought his knees up behind her.
“Oh god, yes.” Luke muttered hedonistically as Doll touched her own breasts and squeezed them before him. Sighing at the feeling of her own arousal. He started to rock with her, when his cell phone bounced across the bedside table, ringing loudly at them. Luke groaned for a reason other then pleasure. Doll stilled and Luke reached out for the phone, turning it to look at the screen. It was seven am in the morning, there was only a limited number of people who could call him at that hour and not expected to be killed in return.
He pointed at her “Hold that thought.”
“Yeah.” He greeted the caller with annoyed at the interruption. His eyes widened and he pushed up onto his elbows, speaking into the cell. “She did? And then what? Okay, okay, I’m on my way.” He disconnected the call and threw the phone aside. He looked back at Doll’s naked body atop of him.
“Now, where were we?” He said.
“What was that about?” She asked, remaining still, where she was. Luke sighed. “Can we discuss that after we’ve had a good morning romp?” Doll laughed at him and lifted herself off him and slid back under the sheet beside him again. Luke pouted playfully at her.
“No. Now, what was that phone call about?” Luke whined deliberately and turned to face her, leaning on his elbow. “That was Dillon, only he has the absolute worst timing in the world to know when I’m having sex. He said our father got a call from my sister this morning, she’s on her way to the family home.”
“That’s great!”
“All us Charleston boys have been called in and are expected to be there within the hour. No exceptions.” Doll looked across at the clock.
“It’s seven am on a lunar week morning.”
“Can’t we just go back to the bit where you were waking me up and I was liking it?” He scratched his head absently. Doll shoved at him.
“Get up Luke.” She ordered him playfully.
“Bossy. Thought I was the alpha. What about you?” He said sitting up in the ruined and uneven bed.
“Oh me? I’m going to continue to stay in bed, all naked and wanting. Waiting for you to get back here and give me….breakfast in bed.” Doll laughed at him as he mock pouted at her and slid out of the bed.
“Oh please hold that thought till I get home.” He murmured walking over to his dresser drawers and pulling out some form of fresh clothing. Turning around to let his eyes run casually over her sheet covered form. “Cause I would love to do just that.”
Luke raided the kitchen fridge when he arrived at the Charleston family home. He was not only now, in need of jerking himself off severely because he hadn’t gotten to have sex with Doll, he was also hungry. Dillon put his coffee cup down on the kitchen sink while Luke pulled out some bread and cold meat.
“How are you’re strays doing?”
Luke glanced over at him, slapping together his make-shift sandwich and pulling out the milk carton from the fridge and opening it. “Jeremy seemed fine after you left, just trotted off to the bedroom. Doll shifted on my bed, tore it up. I think you’re right about what you said about them needing to re-learn how to shape shift.”
“Of course I’m right.” Dillon commented watching his brother bite into the sandwich heartedly. Luke gulped down some milk from the carton and chewed his sandwich.
“You’re in a fine mood. Anyone would think it was you who got interrupted from having sex this morning and not me.” Luke fired at his brother polishing off the sandwich in three quick bites and washing it down with a mouthful of milk. Dillon arched an eyebrow up at him.
“So sex with the stray, does this mean you do like her and are willing to admit that out loud?”
Luke’s eyes narrowed on his brother. “Her name is Doll. Stop calling her a stray.”
“Or you’ll do what little brother?”
“Are you looking for a fight D? Cause I’m kind of in the mood for one.” Luke said softly back at his brother. Dillon’s eyebrow arched up.
“You so like her.” Dillon muttered suddenly bored with the conversation and walking away from Luke.
“Like who?” Aiden pipped up following them into the next room, where the rest of the Charleston males were standing around, waiting for their sister.
“None of your business.” Both older brothers replied in unison. Aiden looked at them both in surprise. Since when did they team up together on him?
A minute later Dillon took one look at the male who walked in with their sister Sonny and striding over to him, threw a punch directly into his face, before anyone could stop him. The new guy’s head snapped back. Sonny pulled Dillon back off the new guy by his shoulders quickly. If he had been human, his nose would have been bleeding and broken, along with his cheekbone from Dillon’s punch. As it was, his skin wasn’t even red and Dillon’s skin on his fingers had split open. Not that he seemed to notice or feel it.
“That’s a Seattle Alki welcome, bitch.” Dillon greeted the unknown male with.
“Guess I had that coming.”
“Hope you weren’t expecting roses.” Luke chimed in. Sonny stood looking back at her two brothers, who stood in the same identical pose.
Rigid bodies, arms crossed over their chests, legs apart. It was a familiar pose in the Charleston house. It was what they called in the Charleston family the “fuck you, I’m ready to box” pose. It was considered to be the most visual warning they gave someone when they don’t take the subtle hints that they’ve stepped over a limit and pushed buttons they shouldn’t have.
“Feel better now?” Sonny asked Dillon, her voice full of sarcasm. Dillon grunted and looked back at his sister, before moving back a few steps, towards their father and pack leader.
“Not really, and neither should you.”
“Well I’m fine, so just let it go.”
“Let it go?” Luke muttered back at his sister like she was crazy. Which he supposed was possible given she was the only female influence in the Charleston household. “He kidnapped you before Dillon’s eyes!”
“Who is this guy anyway?” Aiden piped up.
Sonny kept looking past her brothers back to her father, her eyes darting to him. He was standing back, letting the boys have a go at the unknown male. All the while he remained quiet and still, his eyes never leaving him. He was assessing the unknown male. Sizing him up through the eyes of an alpha male.
Sebastian took a few steps forward then and lifted his nose, sniffing in Thor’s direction. “You
’re a shifter right?” Sebastian’s was the friendliest voice he could expect to find in the room.
“No he’s not.” Troy Charleston stated, speaking up for the first time. “He’s something else; we’ve never come across before.” Troy held eye contact and remained silent. A confirmation ever there was one without saying so. Dillon started to growl in low voice. Luke joined in. Aiden and Sebastian backed up, as Aiden stepped in front of his younger brother protectively.
“I can sense it from all the way back here. My werewolf jumping at my skin, wanting to be let out, when I look at you and that just doesn’t happen to me, when I see people, paranormals, who aren’t a threat of some kind.”
“Would you knock it off, all of you? And you wonder why I never brought guys home before.” Sonny said. “Back off, or you’ll go through me to get to him.”
“You want me to forgive the man who kidnapped my daughter from me?” Troy Charleston asked Sonny.
“Yes.”
“She’s got that kidnapper’s syndrome thing where the kidnapped person falls in love with the kidnapper.” Sebastian piped up.
“Stockholm syndrome.” Aiden corrected his brother.
“Thank you very much for your concern, but I do not have Stockholm syndrome.” Sonny replied back at them.
Voices were raised as everyone starting speaking over the top of one another. Everyone restrained themselves even though the tension in the house skyrocketed, especially when talk turned to two particular werewolves.
18
It became apparent after three hours of lying awake in Luke’s bed, that his family crisis meeting was not going to end any time soon. So Doll got out of the bed and got dressed. Jeremy and her sat out on the back stoop of the house.
“I feel like I haven’t seen you for days.” Doll said nudging his knee softly with her own. “Weird huh? Considering we’re living together. We see each other, each day.”
Jeremy looked across at her. “Careful, you might be starting to enjoy this new lease on life.” He smiled at her softly. “I know I’m a third wheel to you and Luke.”
Bleeding Hearts Page 13