“You passed his house.” Cora laughed, it had been the first time Maple heard it which warmed her heart.
“Wait, where?” Maple turned around and found a little road leading to a huge house. “That one?” She pointed then looked at Cora who nodded with a smile.
“Yep. He is the alpha after all. He has the big house.” She shrugged, and the smile slowly slipped from her face.
“Well then.” Maple turned the truck into another driveway before backing up to get to Raymand’s house. The gravel road lasted less than two minutes and she parked next to his pickup. She did one final sweep around the piece of land before she killed the engine. The other houses were still in view toward the road, but nothing sat behind him. How did he manage to get such an interesting piece of land in Denver? “Ready?”
Cora nodded keeping her book close to her chest. They climbed out and ambled toward the large two-story house. Before Maple lifted her hand, the dark wooden door opened. He called for them to come inside. The scent of elk steaks met her nose and her stomach rumble. The cream walls complimented the dark wood flooring which seemed to go everywhere. The steps to the right gave her a peek at the upstairs where more of the same sleek decor continued.
“Cora, you have homework to do after dinner,” Raymand called out from the right but on the same level.
“Am I staying here then?” Cora waved Maple past the stairs. A stainless-steel kitchen came into view and hints of envy filled her gut. She could do some serious damage when it came to her baking skills with a kitchen like his.
“Until we find the hunters who killed your parents you’re stuck with me.” Raymand didn’t seem all too happy about the arrangement. “Tomorrow I’m interviewing pack members about who will take you in after we find the fuckers.”
“Um, someone here has little ears and shouldn’t be hearing that.” Maple stepped forward.
“It’s my house.” He glared at her for a moment before moving his gaze to Cora. “You need someone strong enough to take you now.” His lips lifted before turning back to the five-burner stove.
“What about Maple? Can she take me?” Cora climbed up to the table and turned to Maple with a smile in her eyes.
“Oh me?” She pointed at herself. Her mind scrambled to think of the right answer. Part of her wanted to take Cora home and protect her from harm but she didn’t know if she could take on a bunch of hunters on her own.
“You need a mother and a father figure in your life.” Raymand shook his head and strolled back into the kitchen. Maple walked over to Cora and kneeled before her. She pushed back some of Cora’s hair to get a better view of her soft eyes.
“Sweetheart, you’re an amazing girl but I don’t know if I can care for you like a couple can. I don’t have my mate yet.” Maple glanced at Raymand, her wolf wanted him but her human side wanted to be careful. The memory of his aroused scent filled her mind and she tried to push it away.
“Do you want a mate?” Cora asked.
“Of course, I would love a mate who loves me. When you turn eighteen you will want it to. But it’s not the point.” Maple shook her head. Raymand slipped back out with three plates. “Am I eating here?”
“Of course, you are. We have stuff to talk about when she does her homework.” Raymand placed the plates on the table then glided away. Maple didn’t know what he would need to know from her, but she would stay.
“Do you like the alpha?” Cora hissed and Maple’s eyes turned back to the little girl.
“I…” Maple had no freaking clue what to say. Her wolf liked his strong earthy scent and enjoyed looking at his sexy body. He walked back, and his gaze met hers. Hints of need flittered into her belly. When did I have sex last? She pondered the thought and after going back three months she gave in. Way too long and I want him. Her wolf motioned toward Raymand.
“Time to eat.” He placed a pot of mashed potatoes and the steaming steaks down on the table. Maple took this opportunity to avoid her question and pushed her toward the table. Her wolf picked that moment to put forward ideas of her laying on the hard wood with him on top of her. She let go of a shaky breath and focused on the food.
“Did you forget a vegetable?” Maple resisted the urge to laugh when she caught Raymand’s scrunched up look. “She’s growing and needs her vegetables.”
“But I only like corn.” Cora folded her arms in front of her chest.
“I have a few cans in the kitchen,” Raymand growled. His eyes roamed over her chest causing heat to bloom in her belly.
“I’ll grab them.” Maple turned to go into the kitchen but Raymand blocked her way. She fumbled into his chest and a small zap of electricity raced up fingers and down her body. Her wolf howled in her mind.
“Are you okay, Maple?” Cora asked behind her. Maple met Raymand’s gaze. My mate is the freaking alpha, oh hell!
CHAPTER FIVE
Raymand
His heart slammed into his chest as he stared down at Maple. His wolf bounced around while howling up a freaking storm. After he took over being the alpha, he had expected to have a mate in the first year but he had to wait for the fiery woman standing in front of him. I can’t claim her right now, he reminded his wolf of their underage guest. We only have three days, his wolf quipped back. Yes, three days but he doubted it would take so long to claim her. Raymand needed to bide his time till Cora fell asleep.
“I’m okay, sweetheart. I need to use the bathroom before I get the corn.” She turned and smiled at Cora. The little wolf had instantly turned from a pain to a downright cock block. Raymand gritted his teeth and marched into the kitchen to grab the damn can of freaking corn. Maple did have a point about the vegetables, but he wouldn’t admit he always lacked in the healthy eating department.
“Do you want to talk about the imprint?” Maple came out of the bathroom and leaned against the fridge.
“When Cora does her homework, we can talk.” He didn’t meet her gaze, he had to focus on dinner first before he could complete the bond with the sexy wolf. His wolf kept flashing different images of how he would take her.
She slid away without saying a word and Raymand followed a moment later. Cora’s eyebrows knitted together when he sat down. No one spoke as they ate. Maple kept glancing his way, but he only met her gaze a few times. His wolf paced inside his brain, waiting for dinner to be over. He had pictured what meeting his mate might be like and what exactly would happen next but the reality was worse than he had anticipated. Having Cora here was starting to become a big inconvenience.
“Cora, Drake brought over your backpack from school. You will be staying in the guest room.” Raymand dabbed his lips with his napkin.
“What about my stuff?” Cora put down the fork and leaned forward.
“Anne brought over your clothes.” Raymand pointed toward the stairs.
“I need something else.” Cora bounced in her chair. Maple rubbed her back, but she kept bouncing.
“We can get it tomorrow.” Raymand grabbed her plate and put it on his. She ate more than he expected and almost cleared a whole elk steak by herself.
“But I need it now,” Cora whined. Her lip popped out.
“What do you need?” Maple asked, and the pup turned toward her. She moved on to Maple’s seat and leaned in to whisper in her ear. Maple wrapped her hands around Cora’s waist keeping her steady.
“I need my special blanket,” she whispered into her ear.
“A blanket?” Raymand shook his head. Cora dropped back to her chair, her lower lip popping out as she glared at Raymand’s chest.
“Does it help you sleep?” Maple moved Cora’s hair back. The pup nodded vigorously.
“My momma made it for me before I was born. She told me soon, I might have to give it to another pup since mom had her heat last week.” Cora’s words sunk in and his wolf whimpered. Lia could have been pregnant when she died and not known it.
Maple sucked in a sharp breath and glanced at Raymand. “I will go get it from your house. Anything els
e you need?” Maple rubbed Cora’s back.
“This isn’t really needed.” Raymand folded his arms in front of his chest. He didn’t understand how Cora could ‘need’ so much shit. He didn’t want his home cluttered with kid crap.
“But-” This time Maple stopped her.
“You go check out the spare room and see what you will need.” Maple helped her out of the chair and smiled till Cora disappeared.
“This little girl needs to feel comfortable. She’s dealt with enough last night let alone what happened before we left to come here.” Maple snapped at him.
“What happened when you came here?” Raymand tipped his head to the side and she rubbed the back of her neck.
“Some punk kept trying to get closer to Cora in front of my shop but it’s not my point. She needs stability. Do you think you can provide it?” Maple pointed toward the stairs.
“I’m the alpha. I will protect her, but it doesn’t mean I need to cater to her every want.” Raymand wouldn’t back down on this. The child acted like a baby.
“I-” Maple snapped her mouth shut when Cora dashed in with a piece of paper in her hands.
“Here is the stuff I still need and where they should be.” Cora handed the sheet to Maple then sat in her lap. Raymand grabbed the sheet from her and scribbled the address on the corner. He glanced over the items she ‘needed’ and shook his head. Yes, she needed clothes, but all the fucking toys were just extra shit in his house.
“You have homework.” Raymand glared at Cora as he gave the list back. Maple glanced over the list and nodded.
“Fine.” Cora hugged Maple before shuffling back toward the stairs.
“Is this how you would treat your own children if I were dead?” Maple asked as she stood. The question shook through Raymand. Before he could come up with an answer she stormed out of the house.
“Shit.” He shoved his hands through his hair. If she didn’t come back, he would have to hunt her ass down. Raymand barely knew his little mate and he had no clue how she would react on a regular basis. He shoved himself out of the chair and strolled into the kitchen. Would she be back soon or take her sweet freaking time? He bit the inner part of his cheek and yanked open the freezer. After staring at the contents of frozen food for a few minutes, he glanced at the clock on the stove. He tried not to think about how long she might take as he yanked out a package of meat not really caring which kind it was. Once he placed it in the fridge he returned to the chair and resumed his staring at the fucking door.
He checked the clock on his phone. Only half an hour had passed. His wolf paced inside. Instead of overthinking it, he cleaned off the table and worked on the dishes. Once he cleaned everything, he checked the time again and did a mental time count of how long it should take her to get there and back.
His ears perked up, hoping to hear the crunch of gravel under tires coming up to the house yet nothing came. What could be taking so freaking long?
After checking on Cora, making sure she was indeed doing her homework, he grabbed his phone and called Drake. He kept his wolf close to the edge and listened for Maple to come back.
“Hello? Shit, Emily, put it down. What’s up?” Drake shuffled around on the other line.
“Should I call back?” Raymand asked. Most parents had a problem staying on track with pups in the house.
“Um, I don’t think so.” Drake sounded unsure of the answer. “Emily go see your mother, I need to talk on the phone then I’ll read to you before your bath.”
“Okay, Daddy!” Emily yelled through the phone. A door closed and more shuffling sounded.
“Okay, I think I’m clear.”
“Do you have Maple’s phone number?” Raymand listened for her truck but nothing resembling it came to his ears.
“Yes. Why?”
“We fucking imprinted and then started fighting over Cora.” Raymand hated the damn words leaving his mouth. He wanted to be a father but not yet. And Cora wasn’t his daughter, of course, he would be more compassionate toward his own pups. Yet the question she yelled at him still rattled his wolf.
“No fucking way. It’s awesome you found her but why would you be fighting over Cora?” Drake asked. Raymand moved into his office and closed the door before telling him what happened after dinner.
“She asked you that. Damn.” Even Drake seemed surprised by Maple’s question. “In all seriousness, Cora is a little girl who does need a lot of attention. I mean Emily’s room is packed with stuff she barely uses but when I try to clean shit out, she goes wolf-crazed.”
“How long do you think it will take to stop these fucking hunters? I mean they are using silver-plated blades, so the silver stays in the wound after being cut.” Raymand had planned on filling Drake in the next day but they were already talking. Might as well use the time while he waited for Maple to return.
“Fuck.” Drake paused. “They’ve been efficient so far and not a lot of good trails to follow. If we don’t catch a break soon… I just don’t know.” Drake sighed heavily. They sat on the phone for a few minutes in silence. Raymand didn’t like the uncertainty.
“Tomorrow I need a list of wolf couples who can take Cora in a week. By then we should have more information to keep her safe in another home.” Raymand glanced at the calendar then the clock.
“A week? I mean I can make the list, but we might need more time to catch them.” Drake had the privilege to be the only wolf to question him from time to time but tonight he didn’t want to hear it.
“No, I need this shit done. She needs a stable place.” The last words came out bitter on his tongue.
“I’ll get it together and email you the list by the afternoon.” Drake tapped on a keyboard.
“Night.” Raymand hung up and strolled out of his office. His phone buzzed with Maple’s number from Drake. After checking on Cora again he headed for the living room while calling Maple. It rang and ended up going to her voicemail.
“Where the hell is she?” Raymand growled.
CHAPTER SIX
Maple
Maple walked into Cora’s house, she had read the address three times, so she didn’t miss it. Anger rolled through her system at how tough Raymand had been to Cora. If he treated his own kids so harshly after such a deep trauma…the idea broke a part of her heart.
Her fresh start had been anything but smooth as fur. Yet she needed to fight to keep Cora with her and Raymand. She deserved to be comforted and if her toys helped with it, then Maple would grab a whole bag for the pup. Losing her mother was hard but Cora had lost both of her parents.
She crept through the two-story house, Cora’s scent along with that of her parents was everywhere. Their kitchen and the dining room had pools of blood staining the white tiles. The lingering scent of silver had her wolf growling in her mind. She avoided the downstairs and headed up the steps. After a few attempts she found the little girls quite messy room. Maple shook her head and slowly checked off the list. When she finished collecting the last thing on the list, she heard a bang downstairs, her wolf surged forward, Maple barely managed to keep her inside.
Leaving the items and list on the bed, Maple crept out of the room. No one should be in the house. When she reached the top of the stairs a man stood at the base. He twisted a blade in his hand catching the low light from the street. His brown eyes were completely focused on her.
“Where is she?” he asked, even with his change of clothes she recognized him from earlier at the bookstore. What the fuck is wrong with this guy and why was he so interested in Cora? These were the questions racing through her mind but she had no time to answer them. Her phone buzzed in her back pocket, but she didn’t look. She needed to focus on the intruder.
“Who?” Maple wanted to keep him talking and listen to see if he came alone. No other steps sounded through the house, only the one heartbeat of a fucking hunter.
“The shifter kid!” he spat, the venom in his voice made her wolf angry.
“She is safe where you can’t
touch her.” Maple growled. Her wolf wanted the fucker in her teeth. “Did you kill her parents?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know.” He grinned which made her stomach harden. Within seconds he lunged up the steps toward Maple. The blade in his hand looked too shiny and the scent of silver flooded her nose. Her muscles quivered while rocks filled her stomach. She balled up her fist and punched him square in the face. Pain laced through her knuckles as he tumbled back losing his balance. Cold fingers wrapped around her heart sending fear racing through her body but she tried to focus on the hunter. Maple rolled her shoulders, ready to shift once he stopped falling.
He hit the ground face down.
His body slammed into the last step and blood rolled down the wood. Her heart lept in her chest at the idea of not having to face off with a hunter. Maple paused and listened for his heartbeat but only a faint beat almost too quiet to hear reached her ears. She inched down, keeping her senses heightened. With a kick to his side, the body turned and the knife he once held had been lodged in his chest right between his ribs from the looks of it. His jade gaze held only horror.
“Who sent you?” Maple asked. In the better light, she saw he couldn’t be more than nineteen with his bare face and young eyes. He opened his mouth but only a gurgle came out. His eyes fluttered closed and the heart stopped beating.
“Well, good you’re on your way to hell.” Maple jogged up the stairs. She shoved the stuff Cora needed into a bag she found on the floor and then hurried out of the house with her coat in her hand. Not wanting to stick around to see if they would send another into check for the first guy, she jumped into the truck and drove as quickly as possible back to Raymand’s. Her whole body hummed with energy from the close call.
The fight could have been worse if he had been a more seasoned fighter. I’m so fucking lucky. She let out a shaky breath as her wolf nodded from the spot in her head. Her fingers tapped on the steering wheel to the beat of the music. When she saw Raymand’s house, her phone buzzed again. She grabbed it to see an unknown number.
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