The Big, Bad…

by Nina S. Gooden

  Aldrich bowed his head as if under some great weight. “I am the only one not tied to the Pack and thus able to move about freely.”

  I frowned. “Which explains why Rick attacked you. He thought you’d gone crazy too.”

  Aldrich nodded. “Sometimes the thralled will have days of normalcy in which they can live ordinary lives. To this day, the lost one’s mate refuses to believe he committed such an act.”

  I frowned. “He has a widow?”

  “Yes, though no one knows where she is now. She was banished after everything was done. Apparently she thought Lyall, that is the name the lost wolf took after he was cast out from the Pack, wasn’t guilty of all he was thought to be. She said she had proof, but by then the damage was done. She vanished once news of his death came.”

  I began to pace, my mind working furiously. Something didn’t feel right. There was too much that didn’t fit and way too many similarities now that the past was being examined. Aldrich said it himself: he didn’t believe in coincidences and now neither did I.

  "I think it's all connected. It makes sense."

  He frowned. “It doesn’t make sense for someone to have it out for both of us. We have no prior connection.”

  “That we know of. We should find her. We should talk to his widow.”

  Aldrich caught me in mid-pace and looked down at my face. I could almost hear his thoughts bouncing around in that beautiful head of his. “We cannot do this. She will not want to see…us.”

  I frowned. “Why not? She’s had twenty years to mourn, and we need her help. I thought once one was a member of the Pack, it stayed with you until your dying days, banished or no. Aldrich, we have to go.”

  “You do not understand. Those pups, those special wolves I told you about? They’re so powerful they are dubbed Alphas. An Alpha is always at the head of the Elders, we are considered Wolf royalty.”

  I snorted a little, waving a hand dismissively. I was suddenly so tired; the events of the day catching up with me like a train catching a fly against its window. My words slurred a little. “But aren’t Elders what make up the stupid…council?” I trailed off, my brain finally catching up with my mouth.

  Aldrich pulled me into his chest and wrapped me in his warmth. Despite his calm and cool exterior, I felt his heart thudding wildly beneath his ribs. “It was the Alpha who turned their back on Lyall. It was us who cast out his mate.”

  I shook my head. “Even so, that wasn’t either of us personally, and she may know something.”

  Something akin to deep distress passed over his face. I felt the flicker of doubt skitter by only to be quickly buried. He looked as if he wanted to say something but remained silent for several minutes. It was already three or four in the morning, and I was exhausted. I think I nodded off pressed against his body because when the bass of his voice penetrated the fog of my mind, we were back in the newly tidied living room.

  Heavy with sleep, I couldn’t force my eyes open, but Mina, Rick, and Aldrich spoke in hushed tones. I struggled against the Sandman to listen.

  “Even if I were willing to risk it, I don’t know where she lives.”

  Rick and Mina both cleared their throats. “The…Undedicated have always spoken to any banished members before the Choice. You know, to get another side of the story…” Mina began.

  Ulric finished her thought. “We know where she lives.”

  Sleep tugged seductively, and I burrowed deeper into Aldrich’s lap. “Then we’ll leave in the morning,” I murmured. I was blissfully asleep before any of them could argue with me.

  Chapter 4

  I hated the cold. In the winter time, I usually stayed in my room as long as possible, buried in a mountain of blankets. My nose was almost always red, my ears burned, and my teeth chattered during that time of year.

  Deep, dreamless sleep faded away and left me in a cocoon of warmth. My toes, which usually stuck out from under my blankets, were wonderfully toasty, and I buried my nose in a soft, lovingly warmed mass. A tiny moan of pleasure tumbled from my lips and was chased under the bed by a deep, masculine chuckle.

  Still heavy with sleep, I forced my eyes open and met the amused gaze of my mate. His silver-black eyes sparkled as I realized I had crawled on top of him sometime during the night. Dawn hadn’t yet broken, and he held me bathed in almost full moonlight.

  “Aldrich…” I whispered, my heart slamming against my chest. I knew almost nothing about him. We’d only spent one hectic day together, but still, something deep within me whispered words I’d never spoken before as he watched me with a tender look in his eyes.

  He rolled me easily, tucking my body against his side. My back, now no longer touching his skin, should have blossomed with goose bumps. Instead, I felt his hair. That strange living entity wrapped around my small frame. He kept every inch of me safe from the cold. Such a small consideration, but still he made it.

  “Aldrich,” I whispered again, lifting up against him. It was the first time I had kissed him freely, and I knew, I knew, it wouldn’t be the last. Even fresh from slumber, he was magnificent. His lips tasted sweet and hot like sugared tea, and he smelled earthy and strong.

  I could feel the shock echo in his mind. The big bad wolf had been certain I wouldn’t want him after I knew what he was. I laughed into his mouth, and he saw my thoughts just as I saw his. His unwarranted fear warmed me. It showed me all the secret, soft sides of him that he thought didn’t exist.

  Winding my hands in his hair, I scratched his scalp lightly with my fingertips. The low groan he let out signaled a shift in the aggressor.

  His hands came around and cupped my buttocks, wrenching me against the strong muscle under his jeans. “You’re killing me, liebling.” His voice tumbled through the space of my mouth.

  It was only a kiss, but I felt like every muscle in my body was straining, grinding eagerly against what he offered. He shuddered as I pushed the soft curves of my body against his, and I delighted over the mixture of pleasure and power.

  When his tongue reached out to touch my bottom lip, I gasped, allowing him entry. He explored with deliberate care, testing the paths I was willing to take while pressing his fingertips against all the aching parts of my body.

  I felt rather than saw the Alpha form tugging at his consciousness. The beast wanted to mark me violently, to take me by force and claim me for all to see, but he kept it in check. “Mine,” he whispered.

  In that instant, I agreed wholeheartedly. Whatever else was happening, I was his. And he was mine. My shoulder burned curiously, but I ignored it, my hands sliding along his scalp until they found the ears at the top of his crown.

  His breath came out in a hiss, and he let out a low, dragged out groan moments before I felt him shudder with release.

  Pleasantly surprised, I unwound myself enough to inspect the damage I had done. A burst of delicious power flew through me like an arrow, and I laughed aloud for the joy of it. I had taken this strong tough guy, this scary, immobile force, and I had shattered his control.

  “It isn’t nice to laugh at a man after such an act,” he offered wryly.

  I tried to sober and failed. “Don’t be upset. I don’t mean anything by it. I’m just happy." He smiled and butterflies fluttered in my tummy, making me sigh.

  “Listen to me, Roux.” It was the first time he’d said my name, and it effectively caught my attention. “Tonight is the Wolf Moon. I will lose my ability to shift come nightfall and will be weakened throughout the day.” He paused to ensure he had my attention. “No matter what happens today, I don’t want you to be afraid. I will never allow anything to harm you. I will protect you at all costs. I may be weakened, but you will never be unable to draw on my power if you need to.”

  I leaned over and brushed my mouth against his. “Mm, power, eh? You don’t need to worry. Maybe by time the day is over, I’ll be the one who ends up saving you. Now wouldn’t that be a happy ending?”

  He groaned, rolling his eyes in his head. “Not this ag
ain. I don’t want you to get your hopes up. You’ll only end up crushed.” He saw me frown and wisely changed the subject. “But before such a thing happens, I think it’s time for a little payback.”

  I squealed playfully and wriggled out of his hold, laughing when he lunged for me while I neatly dodged his hands. Whispers of hot, heady promises caressed my mind while we moved through the room playing tag like a couple of kids while we dressed.

  Suddenly he jerked to a stop. “Mate.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I know you know my name. You could easily use it.”

  He pulled his shirt down and bared one of his shoulders, showing me a dark patch of skin that looked like a healed-over bite mark.

  “You look like someone took a chunk out of you.” I moved to inspect the wound, but he pulled down my ever-present riding hood and pointed. There, on the same shoulder as his, stood a dark mirror of his pink scar. It had the look of a tattoo, but there was no raised flesh and no evidence of ink. I looked up and blinked at him. “Well, that’s strange.”

  He nuzzled the shoulder, and it tingled where he touched it. “We will discuss this after you are safe.”

  Several seconds ticked by where neither of us did anything.

  I shrugged. “Okay, well…what now?”

  “Now, this!” Aldrich made a low, pleasured sound before he jumped, successfully pinning me to the bed. I laughed. What else could I do? So many things kept happening that if I freaked out over every little one, I wouldn’t survive.

  Sunlight streamed through the windows, and he lifted his head regretfully, scenting the air. “The siblings are awake and it’s time to get going. I’ll have to get you back later.”

  * * * *

  Ylva was the name of Lyall’s mate. I expected her to be some kind of bitter old woman living in a hut but found her quite the opposite. Far outside the bubble that was Harmony, Ylva owned a small manor surrounded with lush green grass and a full garden that wrapped around the ash-colored brick home.

  Even with Aldrich holding me as he ran—he couldn’t do his semi-flying bounds in his weakened state—it took us nearly three hours just to find the place.

  I wondered how we would convince the banished woman to speak to us, but it turned out I didn’t have to worry.

  Ylva stood in the midst of the gardens, her head bowed as she carefully tended a row of golden-petaled sunflowers. As we approached, I watched her gloved hands turn over and repack the soil over their roots. A breeze wrapped around her, tossing glossy black tendrils of her hair toward the flowers.

  The breeze carried our scent. I wasn’t sure if it would, but then I saw those delicate shoulders stiffen, and she turned just as Aldrich set me down and moved to shield me with his body.

  “You would dare come to my sanctuary?” Her voice had a lilt to it that told me it would have been beautiful if she wasn’t so angry. As it was, her voice dripped with venom, even as her brown eyes shimmered with tears. I thought she was speaking to Aldrich, but she pinned me with a glare. “Have you no caring? You reek of him!” She shook with rage, her trowel snapping in her hand.

  I opened my mouth to tell her I had no idea what she meant, but Aldrich stopped me with a look.

  “Look at me, wolf. Do you know what I am?” He whispered it with a hint of his Alpha powers making his voice hard. “This woman is my mate. Nothing more and nothing less.”

  I heard the threat he left unspoken as clear as day and again felt the elusive presence of something he was hiding.

  The melodious voice of Ylva interrupted my efforts to break through his barriers. Even dripping with hatred, I could see the beauty in her. She tilted her head back, exposing a span of smooth dark skin, and shook her hair. I wasn’t sure why, but the action seemed almost…defiant. Her chest expanded as she sucked in a deep breath through her nose. “She is as yet unclaimed, Wolf." She righted herself with a roll of her shoulders and moved toward a wicked-looking plant with harsh spikes. “Maybe I should give her to my babies.”

  I watched Aldrich lift his shoulders casually. “She is mine.”

  “And what does such a thing mean to me, at any rate? I have things in my garden which will tear both of you to sticky little shreds of skin and bone. Still, what I have means nothing to you unless you are faced with it.” She closed her eyes, and when they opened, I saw the deep sadness she kept hidden there.

  “We wish only to speak with you.” He let go of his power and exhaled, leaving him with his own voice.

  “How unfortunate, as I have no inclination to speak with you and am under no obligation to do so.” She turned her back on us and started back toward the house.

  “I could force you to speak, wolf.” Again there was an unmistakable threat in his voice, and I flinched at hearing it.

  Her steps paused, and she sighed. “You could try, but there is nothing you can take from me but my life. I’ve already lost the only thing that mattered, and would you murder a helpless woman in front of your girl so easily?”

  Aldrich faltered, for which I was grateful. I didn’t know much about Pack law, but I knew I wouldn’t have been able to sit by quietly if he tried to force her.

  Sure, she might have been a crazed wolf with killer plants, and she gave me the creeps, but it was obvious she was in pain. Still, I couldn’t let her go so easily. I stepped carefully around my mate. “Please, we only want to know about Lyall.”

  She turned, and for several moments I thought she was frozen. She did not move so much as to breathe or blink. When she finally spoke, it was so soft I thought I imagined it at first. “His name was Sandulf.” She beckoned for us to follow.

  “Be alert,” Aldrich warned me as we wove our way through the low maze of flowers. “Remember what I told you about mates. If we are in trouble and you get the chance, run and don’t look back.”

  There was no way I was going to go anywhere without him, but I wisely kept the information to myself.

  Ylva led us into a small courtyard with creeping vines running up stone pillars and marble benches. She settled onto one and gestured for us to sit. I did while Aldrich stood.

  “Now, what can I do for you two?” She asked it in such a calm, friendly tone, I found myself relaxing. In one swift instant, she didn’t look like a scary woman bent on feeding me to her various forms of man-eating plants.

  Remembering my manners, I cleared my throat. “Forgive us for arriving without sending word before. We’ve come in search of the truth.” I paused. “The truth about what happened so many years ago.”

  Ylva snorted dismissively. “The truth, you say? Why the sudden interest? No one seemed to want the truth then, so what’s changed? Is it someone important who is in trouble this time?” Her gaze slithered over to my mate, and I was shocked to realize the ugly growl that filled the air came from me.

  “Oh, I see.” Ylva shifted her attention back to me and her gazed softened. “Is that how it is now?” She leaned over to pat my hand lightly. “It can be a little overwhelming at first, can’t it?”

  I nodded dumbly, those chocolate eyes holding me captive. “That’s how it was for my Sandulf and me too. He blew into my life like a beautiful hurricane and knew instantly I would be his perfect match.” She sighed wistfully, and I found myself mirroring the action. “It took me a little longer, but once I knew…”

  “It was so obvious, you couldn’t believe you hadn’t known all along.” I murmured the words that were an echo of my own hidden heart. A pang of kinship struck me, and I heard Aldrich’s silent sigh of relief.

  Ylva continued. “The pain I felt when I lost him was almost too much to bear. I thought I wouldn’t be able to go on living without him.”

  “It must have been terrible.”

  “It was, child. Especially so after he was gone. I had to endure the whispers, the things they were saying about my dear mate. The lies. He was banished from the Pack as soon as that girl was taken. No one listened to him when he tried to explain he was being set up for her disappearance.”

&
nbsp; “You tried to tell the Pack and villagers your husband wasn’t trying to hurt the girl? But he was found covered in her blood. How did you explain that?”

  "Yes, I suppose it does look a little questionable. Especially when you don't consider the possibility of him being abducted by the same person who took her. To make him look guilty, you understand."

  "Why would anyone go to so much trouble over an innocent woman?"

  Ylva let out a tiny hiss. “That bitch wasn’t the innocent they made her out to be. He only wanted to speak to her, but she made it into so much more. If only she had just heard him out. But you know her. You must know how impossible she can be. Always has been.”

  “I…I know the girl from the story?”

  Ylva grunted. “Of course you do. You’re wearing her favorite little hood. She never took the damn thing off.”

  If there had been carpet, I’m sure my mouth would have tasted of it. “Grandma was the girl from the story?”

  “Yes, she was. My Sandulf believed she had the Blut-kette.” We both heard Aldrich’s sharp intake of breath. Ylva grinned. “Oh yes, you’re an Alpha too, aren’t you?” When she saw I didn’t understand, Ylva turned to me. “The Blut-kette is a legendary item among the Alpha wolves. It was a gift from the gods given to the first Alpha to control his bloodlust. It’s been lost for centuries, and she had it.”

  Her voice reached out and wrapped around me as she stood, chills running all over my skin. Her tone was a deep and sing-song, like a mixture of a funeral march and a nursery rhyme:

  “Blood chain to make it glow,

  Caught in Candles light.

  ’Tis given to make it so,

  And bloodlust will it smite.”

  A shudder ripped through Aldrich, but he cut his mind from mine. “I don’t understand. If the Pack had been looking for this thing for so long, why wouldn’t your mate simply go to them when he thought he’d found it?”

  Ylva laughed and the venom I saw in the garden shined through again. “Oh, he tried, my dear. He tried very hard. I felt his struggle and distress all the way from here. And finally, before he was killed, I could hear his laughter. He sounded so far gone, so…” Ylva shook her head. “He was blocked. His killer was a clever man who has always been good at manipulating situations…at hiding.”