by L. P. Dover
As he was putting the bags in the car, I stayed inside to catch my breath. Being around him was going to be a lot harder than I thought.
Tyla
“Want to go for a run?” Bailey asks as I open the door. I glance behind her at the rest of the females from our pack, undressing on my lawn.
“What’s going on? I thought you’d be with Ryker.”
A wide grin spreads across her face. “And I will be, if he manages to catch me. We’re doing something new tonight. I thought it’d be fun. Now come on!” She grabs my hand and pulls me outside. The others have already shifted and their excitement is palpable.
I take off my shirt and toss it on the ground. “Are we playing hide and seek or something?” I joke.
Bailey smirks. “Something like that. Since our magic is running high with the full moon, I thought a game would be fun. The guys are all at my house getting ready. When Ryker howls, it will start. They’ll be coming after us.”
I scoff. “So we’re just supposed to let them chase us? Where’s the fun in that?” I’ve never been the type of girl to run away. I like to fight.
She leans closer, whispering in my ear. “We’re alpha females, Tyla. The other girls love the chase too, but I’m going to make Ryker work for it.”
“Then I pity who comes after me. I’m not going to make it easy on them.”
“That’s the spirit.” She laughs. “Maybe Sebastian will chase after you. You two seem to be finding your way to each other a lot. Every time I turn around, there you are. What’s up with that?”
“He’s fun to talk to.” I shrug. “I can’t help it we run into each other all the time.”
She shakes her head, clearly not believing me at all. There’s no denying I’m attracted to Sebastian, but he’s a player. Women constantly follow him around. His brother, Micah, would be more my style. He’s down to earth and easy-going, something Sebastian isn’t.
Ryker’s howl echoes in the air, followed by the other males. Bailey beams and turns to the girls. “It’s time. Let’s have some fun.” The others take off into the woods as Bailey and I finish undressing. “Good luck, Tyla.”
“Same to you.”
We shift and sprint in opposite directions. The energy is high all around us and it’s euphoric. The idea of a chase is brilliant. Most of the guys in my pack won’t pick me to chase though. They know they’ll lose. If all else fails, I’m prepared to enjoy the full moon on my own. Slowing my pace, I stop by the lake and dip a paw into the water. In another month or so it’ll be frozen over.
There isn’t a wolf around for miles, proving my point—no one is going to come after me. Shifting back into my human form, I walk the rest of the way into the water and swim out toward the middle. There are many times I’ll sneak away in the dead of night to take a swim. It’s the only time I can find peace. Floating on my back, I peer up at the glowing moon; it’s enchantingly beautiful. At least, until a set of arms come up from the water and I scream. My screams are cut off as I’m pulled down into the dark depths, sucking in a mouthful of water.
I can hear a muffled laugh, and I know exactly who it is. As soon as he lets me go, I shoot up out of the water and growl. “I am so going to kill you. You scared the shit out of me.” I splash him in the face and he laughs even harder.
“That was priceless. I thought for sure you heard me jump in the water.” Sebastian circles around me.
“Clearly, I didn’t. Just know that payback’s a bitch.”
He splashes water at me this time. “You should’ve been paying attention. What if it wasn’t me coming after you?”
I roll my eyes and splash him again. “Most do not have the ability to shield their presence. Why did you hide anyway? Scared I might attack?”
His blue eyes flash and it makes me shiver. “I just wanted to watch you. You’re different when you’re by yourself.”
“How so?”
He shrugs. “Not sure yet, but it’s kind of like you’re a million miles away.”
He’s absolutely right. “Sometimes I am. When I’m alone, I can’t help but think about the past.”
“Want to talk about it? We can go downtown and grab a couple of drinks. It’ll be my repentance for scaring you.”
“Sounds like a great idea. Let’s go.” I’ve refrained from talking about my past, but maybe it’s time to let it out. He grabs my hand to lead me out and at that point, everything changes.
His eyes glow and I pull away from his touch. I look up at the moon and want to curse it. “This can’t be happening,” I murmur. Sebastian tries to reach for me again but I throw up my hand. “Don’t.”
“But you felt it . . .”
I shake my head quickly. “It doesn’t mean anything. Every time I . . .” I start to tell him my fears and then stop. “I’m sorry . . . this isn’t going to work.” Without another word, I shift and race off into the woods, ignoring his call for me to wait.
The next day, I try to approach him, but he’s too busy with two human females at the bar to notice me. It’s like I don’t even exist. I deserve it after leaving him at the lake, but it still doesn’t change anything.
“Tyla, wake up,” Sebastian murmured in my ear. I jerked awake and sat up. His arm was around me, but he moved it quickly. “Bad dream?”
I looked out the airplane window and could see the lights on the runway. We’d landed already. Thank God we were almost off the plane. He was too close. “You have no idea,” I said.
Sebastian
Tyla didn’t have to tell me what she’d dreamed about, because she talked in her sleep and had said the exact thing she’d said to me that night at the lake, “I’m sorry . . . this isn’t going to work.” Those words had plagued my mind ever since they slipped from her lips. Watching her walk away from me that night was the most infuriating thing, and I did what was necessary to ease that tension. I drank. It was the only thing that dulled the nagging ache of rejection.
I was her mate. Why was she fighting it?
Once we got off the plane, I rented a black SUV, then we were on our way to the mountains of North Carolina. Tyla was right beside me, but she might as well have been a thousand miles away. Why did she have to be so goddamned stubborn?
“Why don’t you tell me about Amelie? What is your family doing all the way out here and not in Wyoming with you and your parents?” I asked, hoping to strike up some conversation.
Sighing, she leaned her head against the seat, refusing to look at me. I’d give anything to look into those gray eyes of hers. “Amelie’s my cousin. We’re the same age. When our pack was attacked many years ago, we all went our separate ways. Instead of coming with us, my aunt and uncle felt safer going rogue. That way, they could travel wherever they wanted and stay hidden. Amelie went with them and I haven’t seen her since.”
“Who attacked your pack?” I asked.
She shrugged. “A psychotic wolf in search of a mate.”
“What happened to everyone else in your pack? Where are they now?”
Her face fell. “I don’t know. I’m assuming they’re dead.” I could feel her pain like a knife to the gut.
“Do your parents not know where they are?”
Closing her eyes, she shook her head. “Can we please stop talking about this? I spent years grieving the loss of my pack. I don’t want to think about it anymore. Why don’t we talk about something else?”
“I would, if I knew it wouldn’t piss you off. It seems everything I do these days makes you angry.”
“I guess that’s the problem of being you,” she grumbled.
I swerved the car off the road and slammed it into park. Grabbing her chin, I turned her toward me. I wanted her to look at me for a change. Eyes wide, she froze in my grasp, before anger took over. “Why are you doing this?” I growled.
Her chest rose up and down with her rapid breaths. “I’m upset. I have a bad habit of saying things and thinking later.”
“That’s for damn sure.” I let her chin go and
she sighed.
“It’s true, isn’t it? How did I not realize it was this bad?”
I could see it in her eyes, she knew. “Are you scared of me?”
She shook her head. “I know you won’t hurt me. And if you tried, I’d kick your ass. I just wonder how many women you’ve slept with to keep you from going insane.”
Now it all made sense. She thought I’d been fucking around. I threw my hands in the air. “So that’s why you’re pissed? Why didn’t you just ask and save us both the trouble?”
Her jaw tensed. “Don’t know, don’t care.”
“You may not care, but if it helps, I’ll happily let you know I haven’t slept with anyone since I’ve been here.”
She scoffed. “Who’s the liar now? I’ve seen you with other women.”
“Seen, yes. But did I fuck them? No.” I stared her down, waiting for her to challenge me. “Besides, you’re the one who pushed me away first. I know you’re scared of something, and I want to know what it is.”
She swallowed hard and blew out a shaky breath. “You wouldn’t understand.”
The whole back and forth thing was infuriating. Putting the car in gear, I sped back onto the road, my knuckles turning white from gripping the steering wheel. “It’s a good thing we have time then. I’m not going anywhere, Tyla. No matter how much you push me away, I’m always going to be there.”
She waved me off. “Don’t you need to concentrate on keeping Bailey safe?”
“I don’t watch after her anymore. I’ve chosen someone else to protect.” Her head jerked my way and I smiled in answer.
“No,” she moaned.
“That’s right, love. You’re stuck with me for the rest of your life, mated or not.”
It wasn’t exactly the way I’d wanted to tell her, but she needed to hear it. One way or another, I was going to make her submit. She couldn’t fight me for the rest of our lives. Or at least, I hoped to hell she couldn’t.
Tyla
For once in my life I was stunned into silence. I knew he was telling the truth; I could see it in his eyes. As soon as he stopped at a gas station, I jumped out of the car and rushed inside to the bathroom. I didn’t care what time it was, Bailey was going to talk to me.
She answered on the second ring, her voice groggy from sleep. “Tyla?”
“Why didn’t you tell me about Sebastian? I can’t have him as my protector. He’ll drive me insane!”
“That’s what mates do. Stop fighting it and give in. You’ll be much happier. Besides, he could’ve easily picked another wolf to protect. How would you have felt then?” Angry. Pissed. Infuriated. “That’s what I thought,” she said at my silence. “Not to mention, he went to your parents and asked permission.” She snorted. “He’s so old-fashioned.”
“Oh my God,” I groaned. Even my parents knew? It felt like the whole universe was against me. I leaned against the bathroom door and bowed my head. “Have you ever been in love before, Bailey? With someone other than Ryker, I mean.”
“No, why?”
“That’s what I thought. Well, I have. Twice. And both of them were taken from me. I just can’t do it again.”
“I’m so sorry, Tyla. I know you don’t want to lose another love, but Sebastian is your true mate. You’re not going to lose him.”
No one could say that for sure. “You don’t know that. I’d rather not get attached.”
She huffed and I could tell she was getting angry with me. “Suit yourself, but one of these days he’s going to lose his mind to the rage. I care about him, Tyla. If you don’t want him going off the deep end and possibly being killed by another pack, you’re going to have to help him.”
“He says he hasn’t been with anyone since he’s been in Wyoming. What if he’s lying to me?”
“What if he’s not? You should be able to recognize the truth.”
He was telling the truth, but it was so hard to believe. This was Sebastian we were talking about, one of the most highly sought after wolves in our pack. Everyone wanted him. “It’s much easier to think of him as a dog,” I replied.
“Well, he’s not. Wait, scratch that, we all kind of are, just a different breed. He’s a good guy though, and very strong. The perfect mate, actually.”
“Better not let Ryker hear you say that,” I said. Sebastian would be the perfect mate. That was what made everything so difficult.
Someone knocked on the door, so I flushed the toilet and turned on the water. “Almost done,” I called. “Bailey, I have to go. I’ll call you as soon as I figure out what’s going on.”
“We’ll be here.”
Hanging up, I hurried outside to where Sebastian stood, waiting by the car. He opened the door for me and stepped out of the way. No matter what, he was always a gentleman.
“How long until we get there?” I asked.
“About an hour, depending on traffic.”
Nodding, I got into the car. Before he could shut the door, I stopped it with my hand. “I’m sorry,” I blurted out, meeting his gaze.
“For what?”
“For being such a bitch. I know my attitude doesn’t help our situation and it definitely won’t help us find my family.”
His brows furrowed. “What are you saying?”
I shrugged. “I’m saying that from now on I’ll stop with the snide comments, unless you deserve them. We need to get along if we’re to help my family.”
“That’s it?” he asked, temper flaring. “You have nothing else to say now that you know the truth?” The last thing I wanted was to infuriate him more, but I couldn’t offer what he wanted.
“I don’t want to argue, Sebastian. Thank you for clearing up the air, but it still doesn’t change anything. I’m not ready to be your mate.”
Huffing, he averted his gaze, gripping the edge of the car door. “Something tells me you won’t ever be ready.”
The tension in the car was so thick it could be cut with a knife. His wolf wanted to claim me and mine wanted to be claimed. My fingers ached to touch him and my body yearned to be beneath his, but I knew if I gave in, I wouldn’t be able to stop.
We were almost to my aunt and uncle’s house, cruising down their mile long gravel driveway. When their cabin came into view, we saw two cars parked out front. Judging by the car tracks, neither one of them had been moved recently.
I typed Amelie’s address into my GPS and waited for it to load. “It says we’re two miles from Amelie’s.”
Sebastian nodded and parked the car. All I wanted was for him to talk to me; he hadn’t since we’d left the gas station. He got out of the car and I followed suit. “If they’re not here, I say we go through the woods. Their cars haven’t been moved in days.”
“I noticed that when we pulled in,” I said.
Dread settled into the pit of my gut. My aunt and uncle were always traveling, going from place to place. There was no way they’d stay put for a long period of time without driving somewhere. We got closer to the cabin and I picked up both my aunt and uncle’s scent, along with a trace of Amelie.
“I don’t smell any wolves, other than my family,” I pointed out.
Sebastian nodded, then looked toward the door. “Want to go inside?”
There was nothing out of place on the front porch, no smashed windows or signs of forced entry. “Yeah, let’s take a look.”
He turned the knob and the door opened right up. Sarah and Benjamin’s scents were in there, but not strong. My eyes burned when I walked into their living room. Nothing was out of place. Their whole house was filled with nothing but Benjamin’s handcrafted furniture, and Sarah’s paintings hanging on the wall. I missed them so much.
Sebastian came up behind me. “They don’t have any enemies do they?”
On the coffee table sat a wooden wolf figurine. Picking it up, I inspected it and shook my head. “Not that I know of. They’re the kindest-hearted wolves I know. They’d do anything to avoid a fight.” Benjamin loved his artwork more than fighting and
Sarah was the same with her paintings. They were the perfect match.
“Unfortunately, there are a lot of wolves who prey on people like them,” Sebastian murmured. He headed toward the back door and took a deep breath when he opened it. “Their trails are stronger out here.”
He took off out the door and I rushed after him. He was right. Their scents were stronger, especially in the direction toward Amelie’s house. Sebastian stopped at the edge of the woods and waited for me.
“You ready?” he asked, rolling his sleeves up.
I nodded. “Let’s go.” We took off into the woods, and he stayed by my side as we ran. The closer we got to Amelie’s house, the sicker I became. The scent of blood permeated the air and was almost overwhelming as the house came into view.
Sebastian stopped and held out his arm. “Wait. I don’t like this.”
Neither did I, but I had to get to my family. “They’re hurt,” I cried, dread settling in the pit of my stomach. “I don’t sense any other wolves around.”
Taking a deep breath, his eyes flashed as he scanned the area. “I don’t either. Stay close.”
We approached the cabin, and unlike my aunt and uncle’s place, there were definitely signs of forced entry. We walked inside and the place was ransacked, blood everywhere. And not just Amelie’s. But I couldn’t smell the other scents.
“She didn’t make it easy on them, whoever they are,” he mentioned.
The splatters of blood trailed out the back door, which was wide open. “Should we shift?” I asked.
He peered into the woods and shook his head. A look crossed his face but I couldn’t decipher it. “Not yet.”
“You know something, don’t you? What are you not telling me?”
Sighing, he looked down at my hand and grabbed it. “Are you sure you want to go out there?”
By the look in his eyes, I knew what he was thinking. “You’re wrong,” I growled in denial. They were still alive; they had to be. I squeezed his hand and he squeezed back, his gaze sad. “Either way, I have to see for myself.”