Terr6tory:
The Primes
By
Susan A. Bliler
Smashwords Edition
Copyright © 2016 by Susan A. Bliler
www.susanbliler.com
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Cover fonts, spine, and back cover done by:
Cindy Hubbard
www.cind-e-designs.com
Images courtesy of Shutterstock
Editing done by:
Leiah Cooper with
So I Read This Book Today…
http://soireadthisbooktoday.com/
As always thanks to my Beta readers,
Cindy Hubbard and AnnaLiesa Fauth.
I couldn’t do this without you.
Thanks for believing in me.
;o) ting
This story is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidences are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from Susan A. Bliler.
DEDICATION
For my wolves on the Standing Rock Sioux rez fighting against the DAPL.
Montana’s wolves are with you.
Protect! Clean! Water!
Mni Wiconi (Water is life)
Chapter 1
Fucking stuck up lions! Why wouldn’t he meet with her? This was getting ridiculous. They might be the kings of the friggin’ jungle, but this wasn’t the jungle! Nope, just good ol’ clean forests, and everyone knew that wolves were the kings of the forest…or queens in this case. Ryka huffed in exasperation, pulling her unruly, curly hair back into an elastic band that had no hope of taming her wild locks.
Kenna’s expectant words pulled her from her reverie. “Alphena, any word on a meeting?”
Alphena! Bleh, she hated the term and the connotation the title carried. She didn’t want to be the leader of the three other females she’d fled with from her former pack, but as the oldest, and the one who’d finally decided they’d had enough, she didn’t have a choice.
“Can you…not call me that?” Ryka tried to control the growl in her voice.
Kenna shrugged with a grin. “Sure. You prefer just plain Alpha? Ash thought you might like Wolfess.” Her grin turned into an outright smile as her cell phone buzzed and she eyed the phone’s screen. “Speaking of, Ash said all is quiet outside and she wants to know if the Wolfess has heard anything?”
Ryka rolled her eyes with a growl. “I don’t want to be called any of those things and no! I haven’t heard shit!” She sighed deeply and blinked up at Kenna from beneath sooty lashes. “But don’t tell Ash or Seven. I don’t want them worrying.”
Kenna’s smile faded slightly as she crammed her phone back into her pocket. “Good call. Decisions like that are what make you our Alphena…Phena.”
Ryka rolled her eyes again, throwing up her hands in exasperation. “Oh God, please not a truncated version of that hideous title.”
Kenna laughed as she took a seat at the foot of Ryka’s bed. The motel they’d been staying in was a dive, but it was the only one on the outskirts of town. They couldn’t stay in town without the local Alpha’s permission, hence Ryka’s frustration. She’d been keeping her small pack of three females holed up in a crappy motel waiting for an audience with the highly uncooperative Alpha. Ass! What he was doing was a dick move. It was a power play, designed to show that he didn’t have to cooperate, or even permit a meeting, and it sucked because there was nothing Ryka could do about it.
“Maybe we should just move on.” Kenna flopped back on the bed, jerking her buzzing cell phone free to text as she talked. “There’s gotta be some place for us. Someplace else.”
“No.” Ryka shook her head in dismay. There was no place else. Well, at least no place they could get to before their old pack tracked them down. She’d heard of this ‘Alpha Prime’ she was currently waiting to meet with. Ridiculously dominant name! Wren Prime. A year ago, he’d challenged the local Alpha, a complete tyrant from what Ryka had heard, and had claimed the territory with a pack comprised of only four others, his brothers. It was a ridiculously small pack, and Ryka was relying on that fact, coupled with the stories that the pack had no females, to help garner them favor. She’d never tell her girls, but at least two of them would have to be offered up as potential mates to gain her pack access to Alpha Prime’s territory. Thank goodness it wouldn’t be a real issue. The offer would only be a gesture, as she and most other shifters knew that lion and wolf shifters weren’t compatible. There’d be no claiming, and thank the Gods for that. The less she had to worry about the better.
“We need this Alpha’s help. We can’t go much further without being tracked down. We’re practically out of money, and Marill will have caught on by now. Marill and the pack have to be coming for us.” She shook her head as her delicate brows furrowed in her café au lait face, light brown eyes sparking with anger. “We need a meeting with Alpha Prime, and we need it now!”
Shoving up off the bed, Ryka crossed to the door and jerked it open. Behind her, Kenna jumped up from the bed and began texting frantically, speaking along in a giddy tone as she typed. “Phena’s pissed. Get your asses back here, we’re on the move!”
***
Why? Why? Why did it have to be so damn hard being Apex? Wren Prime buried a strong hand in his hair as his Second and brother, Liddick, droned on with a list of shit that needed doing.
“Oh! Don’t forget that wolf shifter wants an audience.” Liddick was kicked back in a chair polishing his Glock with the hem of his shirt, ignoring his Apex’s scowl.
Wren’s clear grey eyes left his computer screen to stare at where Liddick’s booted feet were propped up on the edge of his desk. Too enthralled with his new toy, Liddick wasn’t prepared when Wren slapped his feet off the desk, sending him falling sideways out of his chair and hitting the ground with a loud thud.
“What the fuck man?” Liddick sprang to his feet, balling his free hand into a fist as he glared at his brother.
“Man?” Wren growled, trying to hide a grin as he watched Liddick from the corner of his eye.
“Fuck! Apex!” Liddick amended.
This particular brother was easily riled and constantly angry, making him an easy target. “Keep your boots off my desk. And what are you doing with that…thing?” Wren’s eyes locked on the gun in Liddick’s hand.
Wren’s glare slid from his brother down to the weapon in his hand. “I took it off one of those guys we fought last night. He had it pointed at me, that made it mine.”
Wren shook his head. “He could have shot you.”
“He should have, he might have retained his teeth.” Liddick growled, as he held up his new toy to breathe one loud breath on it before flashing firm abs as he started polishing again with the hem of his shirt. “Fucking humans.”
“You don’t seem to mind the human females,” Wren chided, shutting down his computer and shoving back from his desk. At 6’7”, he didn’t like spending his days folded up at his desk doing the menial paperwork that was required to keep finances flowing for his pride. No, he was virile, in his prime, and would rather spend his days out hunting, fighting, or fucking. And speaking of… “What does this she-wolf want?”
Liddick tucked the Glock in the back of his pants. “Not sure. They just showed up. She sent one of her pack…an unmated female,” Liddick grinned devilishly, “to request an audience.”
“And where’s their fucking Alpha?” Wren rolled his head from side to side as he jerked the door to his room closed, heading down the long hallway on the second flo
or of the pack house with Liddick fast on his heels.
“Don’t know.”
“Who is their Alpha?”
Liddick shrugged. “Don’t know.”
Wren stopped short, causing Liddick to slam into his back.
“Fuck, man!”
Curling his lip back, Wren flashed sharp canines at his second as he hissed, “It’s Apex for the nine hundredth fucking time, and what exactly do you know?”
Liddick actually had the good sense to look embarrassed as he lowered his gaze a fraction, not looking Wren directly in the eye. “Just that an unmated female wolf shifter showed up here and asked for you to meet with her pack.”
“How many?”
Liddick’s cheeks reddened.
Holy fucking Christ! Wren shoved a hand through his long mane of golden hair before blowing out a frustrated breath and turning to fully face his second. “Look, I get that things have been unstable here. We just took over the territory. Hell, we’ve spent the better part of the last three months asserting our dominance.”
Liddick looked up with a broad smile. “Kicking ass and taking names!”
Wren chuffed a laugh. “Yeah.” He sobered. “But we need to form some semblance of normalcy. It’s not always going to be like this. Already things are settling down, and I can’t have my second-in-command allowing an unknown pack of wolves into my newly acquired territory. It makes us look vulnerable, stupid, and weak!”
Liddick nodded. “I’ll chase ‘em off?”
Wren only frowned harder. “And we can’t be chasing females off our territory without first meeting with them. It makes us look like assholes and bullies! I know you and the guys have been enjoying yourselves, but this isn’t Pleasure Island, and we’re not the fucking Lost Boys! We need to get organized. You can start by securing our immediate perimeter.”
Dark brows speared down as Liddick asked, “You didn’t forget about the party?”
A rumbling growl of displeasure rattled from the Apex. He was growing weary of these nightly parties. Sure, he’d taken pleasure in the good food, and several of the area’s females, but it was getting old. This wasn’t what he’d imagined when he’d envisioned himself with his own territory and his own pack. He’d thought it would be more like how it had been when he’d grown up. He’d wanted his life to mirror his father’s, wanted his pride to be similar. He’d envisioned fighting for dominance, winning, claiming his mate, and then settling into mated bliss as head of the pride with his lioness bearing his cubs. He could almost envision a golden female with one of their children clinging to her leg, her belly swollen with another of his offspring. It’s what he wanted more than anything. He’d already done the whole bachelor shifter bullshit. He’d done it for years, way better than his brothers could even attempt. He was done with it, ready to settle down. It’s what he’d been expecting when he’d come home. Instead, he spent most of his nights breaking up fights between his pride and the local shifters, then apologizing to the town the next day for the noise and damage caused by his rambunctious brethren whenever they went into town. Lately, they’d been hosting parties at their own compound, but that hadn’t lessened the brawls any, and that was only the beginning. His brothers had been the cause of several divorces in the short few months since their arrival, and had been facing challenges non-stop. Hell, even human males—who had no idea what they were up against—were pouring onto his doorstep and demanding confrontation. Honestly, there was no excuse for it. His brothers had noses, and they worked extremely well. So why in the hell they kept fucking already spoken for females was beyond him.
“It’s here!” An excited Lux bellowed from the bottom of the stairs. It was odd to hear enthusiasm coming from the typically hard-to-get-excited shifter who preferred solitude on his Harley to an evening hanging with the pack.
Wren’s eyes slid to his Second’s, and he was almost afraid to ask. “What is here?”
Liddick didn’t even bother looking sheepish as he deadpanned, “We bought a pig.”
“A pig?” Wren’s light brows hiked.
“Yeah.” Liddick was backing down the stairs. “We thought we’d try a pig roast. It sounded…fun.”
Both men’s eyes jerked to the bottom of the stairs when they heard a loud squeal.
“It isn’t even fucking dead,” Wren boomed, stomping down the stairs and shoving Liddick aside.
“Well, no!” Liddick raced to catch up with his Apex. “But it will be.”
Chapter 2
“Oh my God, that smells so fucking good!” Ash raced ahead of the three other females who followed the scent of cooking meat that led to Alpha Prime’s den.
“Go easy!” Seven shouted with a worried frown. They were in uncertain territory. Regardless of the fact that they hadn’t eaten much in the past few days, they couldn’t go avoiding protocol.
Ryka nodded at Seven, showing her approval of her friend’s suggestion.
“Shit!” Ash moaned, turning to eye her pack. “I’m fucking star-ving!”
Ryka felt a pang of guilt at the comment. As their newly elected…whatever the hell she was, it was her job to take care of her pack, and up to this point she’d clearly been doing a shit job. They were on the run with little money, no place to go, empty bellies, and no permission to even be in the current territory.
Ash must have sensed her Phena’s guilt, because she eyed Ryka and tagged on, “You know me. I’m always hungry.”
A grateful smile touched Ryka’s full lips as she stared at Ash. Ash and Seven looked almost like sisters. Both had rich, copper-colored skin and blue/black hair that was impossibly straight due to their Native ancestry. Unlike Seven, Ash kept her hair shorter, just to her shoulders, while Seven’s hung in glossy sheets past her lean hips. Ash was a little fuller with wider hips and fuller breasts. She always wore turquoise earrings and a matching necklace in a nod to her ancestry, and she was fierce about defending her peoples, both native and wolf. She was a ferocious little thing with an attitude to match. She had become the female’s pack enforcer. Typically, in a wolf pack that job went to the Beta, but Seven was more of a sympathetic ear, offering Ryka much better counsel. An empath, she helped Ryka make decisions based not just on logic, but emotion as well. Truth be told, Ryka kept her close because she was like a sister to the new Alphena, and she didn’t want anything to happen to the soft-hearted she-wolf.
All four of the women touted some Native American ancestry, but Kenna and Ryka looked the least like it. Kenna was fair skinned with soft, honey-colored hair and hazel eyes, a testament to her Arapaho lineage. She was the youngest of the pack at only seventeen, and therefore was doted on by the three other females.
Ryka was a richer brown than even Ash and Seven. Her hair was a halo of tight black curls due to her half-black heritage, and her lips were fuller than all of the women in the pack.
Walking down the gravel road, Ryka’s frame was tense. Approaching an Alpha on his home turf uninvited was a no-no, but she needed his damn permission to remain in the area. Since he refused to meet with her, she’d bring the meeting to him.
“Oooh, look!” Ash pointed to a large, wooden post-and-rail fence. All four sets of eyes followed the fence line up the road, past a long, graveled drive, settling on a palatial house standing sheltered under a canopy of towering pines mingled with quaking aspens and weeping birches. The blood-red hue of the aspens’ leaves mingled with oranges and yellows as leaves filtered down from the soaring trees shading the house. The place looked whimsical, and Ryka’s heart clenched with the hope of one day being able to provide such a sanctuary to her females.
“Listen.” Ash stilled. They all heard it at the same time. The low thud of music and a multitude of voices. Apparently, Alpha Prime’s pack was throwing a party.
Perfect! Ryka smiled to herself. If the rumors were true, Alpha Prime was a just male. If he took offense to her unexpected arrival, it’d look bad for him to blow up and attack her in front of others. Besides, wasn’t there some saying about
guests and being gracious, even if it fucking killed you?
The closer they got, the louder the music, and the more voices they heard. They were assailed by the strong scent of succulent pig roasting out in the open, and now even Ryka’s mouth was watering.
“Oh, God!” Ash hurried ahead of the pack. “I hope they feed us.”
“Wait up,” Kenna laughed, and raced to catch up with Ash.
At Ryka’s side, Seven inched closer and whispered, “You worried about how this is going to go down?”
“No,” she lied. “He’ll either give permission or he won’t. Worst case scenario is that we have to leave the territory. Best case scenario makes this little trip worth it.”
Seven huffed, blowing the feathery bangs from her eyes. “I hope he lets us stay.”
Me too! Ryka didn’t speak the words as she approached Ash and Kenna, who’d stopped just at the beginning of the driveway. “Wait here,” she commanded, and took a step before Ash caught her arm, a determined scowl marring the woman’s face.
“You might need me.”
Ryka appreciated her friend’s loyalty and willingness to defend her. “It’ll look better if we approach respectfully.” When Ash didn’t release her arm she continued, “That means me alone.” Her expression darkened as she lowered her eyes to Ash’s hand, and Ash instantly dropped it.
“Just be careful,” Ash gritted out reluctantly.
“Yeah,” Seven echoed.
Ryka looked at her pack, drawing strength from the gift of their trust in her. She nodded at Kenna, who wrapped her arms around herself and worried the hoop in her bottom lip. Turning, Ryka straightened her shoulders and lifted her head. She made it nearly to the house before a large male appeared from out of nowhere.
“Hey, pretty girl!” His voice was a deep rumble, and her nostrils flared slightly as she scented him. Shifter. His eyes lifted over her head, passing a cursory glance over where her pack waited at the end of the drive. “You’re in the right place.” He lifted a hand and waved at her pack. “Tell your friends to come on in.”
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