A Pack of Two

by Jacky Russell

  “That’s pretty deep. We need to get the silver out.”

  “It’s in my bloodstream,” I answered, feeling very dizzy. She eased me onto a boulder and placed her hand on my side. The waves of strength I had been feeling had stopped when my father arrived.

  “This might hurt a little, but it will get the silver out.”

  “Do not touch him!” Josef roared as he ran toward us.

  A blue-white shield of flames appeared and the world around us disappeared.

  “I trust you,” I said when she raised her eyebrows.

  She half smiled before turning her attention to my side. Her chants were like whispers. My side warmed and was soon burning intensely. I tried not to squirm as she moved her hands back and forth over the open wound.

  “You don’t look anything like your father,” she said.

  My chuckle hurt like hell. “My brother looked just like him. I’m the reject of the family.”

  “Bullshit,” she snapped. “There’s nothing wrong with you.”

  Just when I thought the wound couldn’t get any hotter, it did. I hissed as the heat consumed my whole side. A cloud of silvery dust tinged with blood floated above Breanna’s hand. I felt stronger with every passing second as the silver left my body.

  “Better?” she asked as the last remnants of the toxic dust came toward her outstretched hand.

  I nodded and looked into her eyes. “Thank you.”

  She ran a hand along my jaw. “We’ll talk about all this later. How about we get somewhere I can take a shower? I’m feeling rather funky.”

  She must have been on a plane for hours. There were dark circles under her eyes and her hair was a mess, but she was the most beautiful woman in the world.

  “When did you get here?”

  “About twenty minutes ago,” she said with a scowl. “If I’d been a little earlier maybe you wouldn’t be hurt.”

  “How did you know?”

  She took my hand and placed in over her heart. “I felt it. I felt the knife. I felt the silver. I felt your rage.” Her eyes softened. “I felt it all and I got here as fast as I could.”

  I pulled her to my chest and rested my chin on her head. She was everything. I took her hand and led her toward my father, who was watching us warily.

  “Alpha, this is Breanna Welker.”

  I couldn’t read my father. His face was stone as he nodded in greeting.

  “Sorry about the fire,” Breanna said with a shrug.

  “You would have killed Stephano?” Josef asked stoically.

  “He tried to kill Lucas so, yes, I would have killed him and never given it a second thought.”

  A muscle ticked in the Alpha’s jaw. “Stephano is a pack wolf.”

  “So is Lucas.”

  “This is none of your concern,” Josef replied.

  Breanna tilted her head and met his gaze. “My mate is most certainly my concern.”

  Josef looked from Breanna to me. “Your what?”

  This was not the way I had envisioned telling my father.

  “Breanna is my mate,” I answered.

  “You can’t be mated to a witch. You are a werewolf, son of an Alpha.”

  I was so sure he’d see, just like Galen, we were mates. I put my arm around Breanna’s waist. “She is my mate.”

  My father hesitated before speaking. “Bonded?”

  Breanna answered first. “Not yet but we will be as soon as you give us your blessing.”

  The woman had balls of steel. My father looked shocked.

  “You expect my blessing?” he asked. “You want me to approve of my only son taking a witch as a mate?”

  Breanna stepped toward him. “I would defend him with my last breath. For that I ask your blessing.”

  Josef met my eyes. “This is why you were in McGregor’s territory?”

  “Yes.”

  Breanna offered her hand and Josef looked at her like she was a leper.

  “We will be together with or without your blessing, Alpha Benelli. I have no wish to create more issues within your pack and, for Lucas’s sake, I hope you will try to be open-minded about me. I am a soldier dedicated to supporting the causes of the Divine Council and I do not practice any type of sacrificial magic.”

  Breanna whipped her head around toward the trees. I didn’t scent anything unusual, but something certainly had her attention.

  “Is your stone warm?” she whispered.

  Now that I thought about it, the stone was warm. I rolled the blue-green rock in my fingers and the heat increased.

  “Black magic.” She tugged me away from the clearing.

  “More of my pack is arriving,” Josef answered defensively. “There is no black magic here.”

  “Yes, there is,” Breanna answered. “It isn’t strong, mainly residual stuff, but it’s here.”

  My mom and Tessa, along with ten other werewolves, pushed through the bushes and into the clearing.

  “Josef, is everything all right?” Mom asked.

  “No, not exactly,” my father answered, cocking an eyebrow at Breanna.

  “Lucas, honey, are you– Why is there a witch here?”

  My mom’s peaceful brown eyes flashed silver as I drew Breanna beside me. “Mom, I want you to meet Breanna.”

  Mom looked at Breanna like she had the plague. “Why are you touching a witch, Lucas?”

  “Breanna is my mate.”

  My mother’s face turned blood red. “Josef, please end this charade now and destroy this parasite.”

  I jerked forward. Breanna caught me and pulled back. “Don’t,” she said softly. You’ll only regret it later.”

  “Mom, Breanna is my mate and you will speak to her respectfully or not at all.”

  She glared at Breanna and then turned to Josef. “Are you not going to kill her? I thought you had a zero-tolerance policy on witches in our territory.”

  Josef’s eyes rested on my and Breanna’s intertwined fingers. “The witch averted a catastrophe tonight. She lives.”

  My mother exploded, hurling insults at everyone. I hoped Breanna’s Italian wasn’t good enough she understood everything my mother was saying.

  The Alpha watched as his wife stormed into the woods. The wolves who had arrived with her watched as she tore through the brush.

  “Go with Gemma,” Josef ordered. “She is angry and sometimes has poor judgment when she is angry.”

  The wolves glanced at Breanna before following my mother’s path through the darkened trees. Breanna was watching the wolves suspiciously. As they left, the stone she had given me cooled.

  “Do you want to talk to your father alone?” Breanna asked when it was just the three of us. “I really need to make a couple of phone calls anyway.”

  My father continued watching Breanna like she was a circus freak. She kissed me on the cheek, shifted to her owl form, and flew into the darkness.

  “She can shapeshift?”

  I smiled as the beautiful owl landed soundlessly in the trees across the clearing. “Yeah, owls and wolves are her kindreds.”

  “Kindreds?”

  “The animals she is tied to through Mother Nature. Breanna is an earth witch, not a black or white witch. All her magic is based on her connection to the earth.”

  He shook his head in disbelief. “I’ve never heard of an earth witch.”

  This was going better than I had expected. “Neither had I. Alexandria said the earth witches were very rare. Most have been killed because their magic isn’t strong compared to other magical races.”

  He huffed. “Looked fierce to me.”

  “She’s a soldier in Bravo. She’s tough.” I’d always respected females who were serious about their careers, but I was especially proud of Breanna’s role in combat training her recon unit.

  For the first time in many years, my father actually smiled at me. “You truly believe she is your mate?”

  “I know she is.”

  He clasped his hands behind his back, a very un-Alph
alike gesture. “Are you sure she hasn’t put you under a spell? She is a witch.”

  “My wolf claims her. No spell could make that happen.”

  My father nodded. “How did you meet her?”

  “She’s the one who found me the night I crashed my bike.”

  “The night the Malandanti supposedly attacked?” He scowled and paced. “I don’t like any of this, Lucas, but I can’t deny the witch did save your life tonight. It was pure luck I found you.”

  “Luck? That wasn’t luck. You came when you felt my call.”

  My father dipped his head. “I felt Stephano’s fear.”

  “I felt you. Your strength helped me when Stephano’s wolves were attacking.”

  My father looked away. “That was not me, Lucas. I felt a disturbance in the pack, but nothing from you.” Josef bowed his head and the scent of his sadness touched me. “I must see to the pack and Stephano. I will give the order the witch is to be left in peace.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Why is the witch here?”

  “She came to check on me.”

  He scowled. “She must leave immediately.”

  “She’s spending Christmas with me.”

  “She can’t stay, Lucas. I will not tolerate a witch in my territory. How long is this visit?”

  “She has three weeks of leave and then she has to return to Wisconsin.”

  My father didn’t say anything, only stared at the moon.

  “I am formally requesting to be released from the Italian Pack.”

  “Absolutely not.”

  I ignored his response. “We both know things aren’t working here. The pack hates me. We fight all the time. I could live in Wisconsin as part of Alpha McGregor’s pack. Breanna is safe there.”

  Dominance choked the crisp night air. “I’m sure McGregor would indulge your desire to join his pack. He would take great pride declaring you submissive to him.” My father threw up his hands. “He would kill you as sure as you stand before me with these ridiculous requests. I will not release you from this pack. You will not travel to Wisconsin again and that witch will be out of my territory within three days.”

  My wolf surged at the threat. “Stay away from Breanna.”

  “You forget your place, Lucas. You are strong, but I am the Alpha. Your life is mine to do with as I wish. You are my son and I have given you far more second chances than you deserve. This is my final warning. You will take your place as a rightful member of the Italian Pack.”

  “Or what?”

  My father sighed heavily and disappeared into the darkness. He didn’t have to say he would kill me.

  An owl flew silently into the clearing and transformed into my beautiful mate in a dull flash of blue light.

  “Everything okay?” she asked as she looked toward the path my father had taken.

  “It is now.”

  “Where’s your father?”

  “Gone to see to the pack.”

  She let out a whistle as she slid onto the rock next to me. “Not exactly the way I had hoped to meet your parents.”

  I reached for her hand. “The Alpha declared you must leave in three days.”

  “Humph,” she grunted.

  “It’s not safe for you here.”

  “We got three days before he’s sending the wolves after me? Then we’ll worry about what we are going to do in two and a half.” She tugged my hand as she spoke. “I called Simon and he’s got some things in the works, so stop worrying and let’s find a shower.”

  Chapter 29

  Breanna

  It wasn’t unusual for a hot shower to feel so good, but it was unusual for someone else to lather fruity shampoo through my hair. Lucas had given me the most seductive soaping and now his fingers were working the tension out of my neck and shoulders.

  “You smell good enough to eat,” he murmured in my ear.

  I turned and every hormone in my body went ballistic. The soap was trailing down his chest and outlining the eight-pack abs. He closed his eyes and rumbled deep in his chest as I helped the soap reach the areas farther south.

  I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled his lips to mine. As long as we had hot water, we would be the only two people on the planet.

  His hands set me on fire as he pinned me against the wall. My body craved him and burst into a breath-stealing orgasm before I could even get my fingers in his hair. I purred and moaned as he ground against me, the water and his body contrasting the cool tile wall.

  He increased his pace and I bit my lip to keep from screaming his name to the heavens. I couldn’t get close enough to him, couldn’t hold him tight enough as his rhythm worked me into a frenzy of heat and lust. We reached our pinnacles simultaneously, panting each other’s names over and over as the hot water showered us.

  After quickly toweling off he carried me to the bed. I’d never felt more wanted than I did at this moment. His gentle caresses, the way he whispered my name, the way he looked into my eyes as he made love to me. I had been right to make this trip. Lucas needed me as much as I needed him.

  * * * *

  The first thing I noticed was the rise and fall of his chest. The second thing I noticed was how tightly his arms wrapped around my body. The third thing was, unfortunately, I really, really had to pee.

  I tried to shrug from under his arms. That was impossible so I tried blowing on his chin. He rubbed his head against the pillow and pulled me tighter. Oh damn, my bladder did not like that.

  “Lucas, baby, I need to get up.”

  “Huh? No, it’s not time to get up,” he answered sleepily.

  Damn, he was cute, but that did not matter to my bladder. “I gotta go to the head, sweets.”

  “What’s wrong with your head?” he asked as he jerked upright. “Did you get hurt last night?”

  If my bladder hadn’t been moments from exploding, I would have laughed. His hair was standing straight up. “I need to go to the bathroom.”

  He crinkled his forehead and cocked his head before my statement trickled through his sleep-induced haze. “Oh, oh, yeah, um, yeah, sorry,” he said as he whipped the cover back so I could escape the warm comfort of his bed.

  I kissed him on the nose. “Don’t leave.”

  It was almost one in the afternoon when we finally left the bed and padded into the kitchen. His house was just like him, quietly powerful and earthy. Hues of deep browns and greens accentuated the heavy wooden furniture scattered throughout the three-bedroom, three-bath home.

  The single-story brick house was nestled on twenty fenced acres just outside of Vicenza. It was an expensive piece of property, peaceful, with natural landscaping and plenty of room for a solitary wolf to chase rabbits and mice.

  “I’ve got bread, eggs and milk. How does French toast sound?” he asked without pulling his head out of the refrigerator.

  I was busy ogling his fine posterior when he looked over his shoulder and caught me. “French toast is fine,” I said quickly as my face got hot.

  He flashed a purely masculine grin and wriggled his butt. I growled and pretended to be reading the ingredients on a can of mixed nuts.

  We played around in the kitchen while he fixed breakfast. It was like some kind of fairy tale. I wrapped my arms around his waist and pressed my cheek against the muscles in his back while he pulled the last toast from the pan and plopped it onto a plate.

  “Milk okay?” he asked.

  “Sure, that’s fine. Where’d you learn to cook?”

  He shrugged. “I got tired of eating Rice Krispies so I bought a couple books and watched some of the cooking shows.”

  The thought of Lucas sitting in front of the television watching Julia Child was enough to make me giggle out loud. He gave me a confused look but didn’t ask.

  “So, how did you swing the time off to get here?” His cheeks blossomed. “I’m not complaining, just curious,” he added cautiously.

  I put the forks on the table beside the plates. “I requested leave.”<
br />
  His nostrils flared at the scent of my mistruth.

  “I did request leave,” I reiterated. “It was denied.”

  He froze in place, the frying pan in one hand, spatula in the other. “And?”

  I rearranged the silverware. “I re-filed.”

  His shoulders slumped. “And?”

  “It was denied, so, I, uh, well, I left.”

  Lucas returned the pan to the stove and tossed the spatula in the sink. “Does Simon know where you are?”

  “Uh huh.” I rearranged the silverware again.

  He slid onto a chair and stared at me. “Are you in trouble?”

  I did my best to explain what had happened. Lucas didn’t say much, worry etched his face.

  “It’ll work out, Lucas. Simon was gonna make some calls and get everything legal.”

  “Legal?”

  Damn. Bad choice of words.

  “Are you illegal now?” he asked incredulously. “You’re in trouble, aren’t you? You’re in trouble because of me.” He ran a hand through his hair.

  “Not in trouble, per se. More like walking a fine line.”

  He didn’t go for it. “You’re AWOL?”

  I grimaced. Not what I wanted to discuss. “Technically, but Simon knows what’s going on and he’s dealing with the paperwork.”

  Lucas slammed his hand on the table. “This is exactly what I didn’t want to happen. You’re ruining your career because of me.”

  I snorted. He had no idea how much trouble I’d caused during my seventeen-year military career. “My career isn’t ruined. I’m just taking leave a little early.”

  “Without permission,” he snarled under his breath. He looked up, his handsome face bruised from the night before. “Because of me.”

  Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, this type of discussion would have made me angry enough to spit. With Lucas, it was unsettling. He wasn’t upset with me, which I could have handled. Instead he felt responsible, angry with himself for creating a hardship for me, and that was much harder to handle.

  I cupped his face in my hands. His eyes so filled with dejection my breath caught. “I would give up everything for you.” He started to argue so I put a finger to his lips. “However, this is but a typical day in the life of Master Sergeant Breanna Welker. I have gone AWOL more times than either Simon or I can remember and he always fixes the paperwork. Yeah, this time it was for you, but it wasn’t the first and certainly won’t be the last time I left without going through the proper channels.”