Nic

by Dana Archer

  Nic shifted his gaze to his dad’s stomach. “He purposely infected you.”

  “Yeah.” He nodded. “Think about it. Infect me, and then swoop in and claim my pack on the next full moon. Snotty prick probably had some plan to take out his rivals. Wouldn’t surprise me either. Dominants have been dying left and right in our neighboring packs.”

  Nic stared at him a moment. He’d been in California for the past few months and had kept his nose out of shifter affairs for years. “The shifter who died outside—”

  “Belonged to the Tanner pack. Derek’s younger brother. He drove himself here because his pack refused to help him. Never made it inside.”

  Nic cursed. “Great communal bond.”

  “They believe in the old ways—only the strong survive. I’m done with their games. If Derek comes after me again, he dies, even if I have to shoot him. It’s my right. I’ve only been tolerant of him because I want peace between our packs, but no longer, not after Riley’s accident. No one goes after my pack’s weaker members and lives. I don’t condone that. Our pack never has.”

  Nic stiffened. “The car accident?”

  “That’s my guess. Of course, I don’t know for sure, but it’s too coincidental. Kill her the same night as he fights me so she can’t save me, but according to her, the car looked like the one her ex drove. So?” His dad shrugged. “Who knows?”

  “Her ex?” A low growl rumbled in his chest. Claws punched out. He curled them before his dad noticed. “Who has she been dating?”

  His dad held his gaze for a long moment before shifting his focus to Nic’s hands. “A few different guys since she’s been home. Mostly humans.”

  “Mostly? What do you mean mostly? Shifters have been dating her?”

  “Yeah. You have a problem with that?” His dad leveled a hard look at him. “I’ve encouraged our males to consider mating her. She’s like my daughter. I don’t want to see her grow old and die before I do.”

  Nic ignored his primitive response that wanted to claim her. Only half of him shared the desire. His wolf had no interest in Riley or any of the humans Nic had slept with over the years. No, his wolf made its wants known every time he walked by an unmated female shifter. His animal spirit wanted to breed. It understood the rules. The Kagan line had to continue.

  “You won’t have to. Riley said she’s moving.” Nic caught his dad’s gaze and lied. “Not sure why she decided to go now, but she said she’d recommend a new pack doctor before she leaves.”

  His dad cursed. “We’ve got to talk her out of it.”

  “There are other doctors, and Jenna can handle things until we get one. If Riley wants to go, I say let her.” As much as it pained him, it’d be better for both of them. She couldn’t give him the kid he needed to continue the alpha family line, and he couldn’t give her the life she deserved.

  His dad stared at him. Nic saw the truth in his eyes. His dad knew, or at least suspected the real reason she’d decided to up and leave. He finally sighed. “I’ll send one of the protectors with her to make sure trouble doesn’t follow her.”

  As much as Nic didn’t like the idea of a shifter with Riley, the knowledge that she’d be watched over eased him.

  “Good.” Nic stood and walked toward the door. “I’ll check in with you tomorrow.”

  “Son?”

  Nic paused with his hand on the doorknob. “Yeah?”

  “I’m sorry.”

  Nic glanced over his shoulder. Sympathy softened his dad’s normally impassive features.

  “I eventually came to care for your mother.” His dad dropped his gaze to the bed. “Sometimes I even miss her now that she’s gone.”

  Cared for, not loved.

  Nic grunted and walked out. He didn’t want to think about his future. He wanted to shift into his wolf and run. Too bad it wouldn’t help him escape his fate.

  Chapter 3

  Riley sat in the back office of the bar, her feet propped on a case of vodka. Tears burned her eyes. The weakness shamed her. So did the fact that she was hiding in Alex’s cluttered space instead of enjoying the company of her friends. Well, her pack mates. She had very few human friends, not surprising really. She’d rarely associated with her kind before she’d left for school. There’d never been a reason to seek anyone else’s companionship. She’d had Nona, the widowed shifter who’d raised her, Alex, Hannah, and Nic.

  His image flashed before her with the mere thought of him. Her chest tightened on a wave of conflicting emotions, none of which she could allow to take hold. All elicited feelings she had to keep buried deep inside. A lifetime she’d had to develop her mask, but the past four years had perfected it. For a human living among wolves, it was as necessary as breathing.

  The pack that had saved her, adopted her, and acted as her family would not think twice about using her intense reactions against her, whether they were ones of sorrow or rage. The shifters did it to each other, often without even recognizing they were reordering the pack based on it. As a human, she was already at the bottom. Looking at it that way, it shouldn’t matter what they thought of her. She knew better. Maintaining appearances made all the difference in the world.

  She was a beta because she was physically weak. Only. In all other aspects, she had their respect. It turned her from the obligation Nic had once called her to a valued member of the pack, even if she’d never be more than an honorary beta. They brought their sick members, their pregnant women, their children to her and trusted her to care for them. That faith in her was powerful. She was the pack’s miracle worker.

  Riley didn’t want to lose her position. Not because of Nic.

  She would, though. She had to move. No way would she survive seeing Nic with another woman. She’d either lose her mind completely or lash out at the female Nic mated. She wouldn’t be able to help herself.

  Nic was hers.

  She knew it with every fiber of her being. Even her first memory was of him. Actually, her first word had been directed at him. According to Nona, she’d grabbed Nic’s hand while they’d been playing together and said “mine.”

  Hers or not, she’d lost him to his own stubbornness and the role he’d been born into. Nic would be the next alpha, and he’d made it perfectly clear he would take the position without her.

  She knew why he’d tossed her aside. He’d beaten his reasoning into her the day he’d left his scar on her body and soul. She hadn’t argued, knowing his emotions wouldn’t have allowed him to listen to her. She’d planned to talk to him once he’d calmed but never got the chance. He’d left that night, and she was forced to pick up the broken pieces of her life and move on.

  And now Nic was back to screw with her heart all over again.

  She refused to give him the chance to hurt her. The last time had nearly destroyed her. If it hadn’t been for her hobbies and studies, she might’ve done something drastic.

  Her gaze strayed to the picture hanging behind Alex’s desk. She’d painted the portrait of Alex with two black wolves flanking him and had given it to him for Christmas. She’d created a lot of paintings in the last year or so.

  A guy she’d dated while in vet school was an artist. He’d taught her how to use painting as an escape. She’d embraced the hobby, using the canvas and oils to give her dreams life. A natural, he’d called her. She’d soaked up the praise and the attention he’d given her. Her weakened ego at the time had needed it along with the sex he’d offered.

  To her, he’d been a rebound. To him, she was the supposed love of his life.

  She’d dumped him as soon as the words “I love you” came out of his mouth. It’d seemed kinder. She’d never be able to say them back, but the six months she’d spent with him had taught her a valuable lesson: hold her lovers at arm’s length. Most didn’t mind. Those were the ones she added to her go-to list. The rest became one-night stands. No matter how many lovers she took, however, she’d never stopped fantasizing about Nic.

  He owned her.

  Tonig
ht proved she’d never be over him. One touch and she’d fought the urge to throw herself into his arms and beg him to love her. The only thing that had stopped her had been his revelation.

  He was taking a mate. He’d love her body. Fill her with life. Share his future with her.

  “Not me.” She clenched her fists and wrapped the anger around her. She would not allow him to hurt her, even if she had to slink away from the life she’d built.

  She could start over. Maybe even give one of the shifters who sometimes graced her bed the chance to earn her love. She would survive Nic. Determination added to the rage coursing through her veins.

  She stood and stepped around the boxes on the floor. At the door, she took a deep breath, pushed her volatile emotions back, and slipped into the empty hallway. Her hands shook, but with each step, the tremor in them eased. By the time she reached the door leading into the main bar, she’d pulled herself together. It had only taken her a couple of hours. Considering everything dropped on her tonight, it wasn’t unreasonable, at least in her mind.

  The door flung open with her push. She strode into the main room, head held high, and made her way to the bar as if nothing was wrong in her life. At the counter, she cut a quick peek at her brother. Strangers would never guess they were twins.

  Alex looked nothing like her. Dark brown hair and eyes, he towered over her and could’ve passed for a shifter. In fact, he was more muscular than many. He pushed himself daily to develop and maintain his physique. Unlike her, however, he didn’t care about earning the shifters’ respect. He did it to protect himself. Many of the unmated males considered him a threat.

  Riley sighed. He’d told her years ago he wanted out of the pack. Their rules and hierarchy frustrated him. No matter what he did, he’d never be more than a beta. The knowledge had made him bitter. He’d only stayed for her. At least her decision to leave would make one of them happy.

  Alex glanced her way. He reached under the counter, pulled out her purse, and handed it over without prompting. “Call me later. We need to make arrangements.”

  Because he was going with her. Unspoken, but she didn’t doubt his plan.

  She nodded and made her way to the front door. A few feet from freedom, delicate fingers locked around her wrist in a bruising grip she’d never break. She whipped her head to the side and collided with Hannah’s intense blue eyes. Riley dropped her gaze, a sign of deference to a more dominant pack member and one she only offered when they were around others.

  “Leaving so soon?” Hannah asked.

  “Yes.” Riley tugged to free her hand but shouldn’t have bothered. Hannah’s grip could’ve been an iron shackle. Although smaller than Riley, Hannah held the strength of her wolf, making her the top dominant female of the pack. She was the most vicious too.

  “Then I’ll join you. I’m ready to call it a night anyway.”

  Riley nodded, knowing arguing would be useless. Hannah likely wanted the details of what had gone down in the pool room.

  They slipped out of the bar and walked toward the end of the parking lot. Riley’s SUV sat near a lighted pole. She didn’t fear being attacked while on pack lands, but her human eyesight didn’t offer her the luxury of being able to see in the dark. Her pack members knew that and always left the spot below the lamppost open for her. Alex didn’t need it. He lived in the apartment above the bar.

  Hannah swept her gaze over the cars and woods surrounding them once they reached Riley’s vehicle. No doubt to ensure they had a mediocre amount of privacy. She nodded and leveled her intent stare on Riley. “Are you okay?”

  “Sure.” Riley shrugged. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

  Hannah leaned against the side of the car, arms crossed over her chest, and raised a brow. “Didn’t Nic tell you why he returned?”

  “Yes, but I don’t have time to talk about it.” Riley selected her car key from the ring and motioned for Hannah to move. “I’m going home to pack.”

  Hannah straightened and dropped fisted hands to her side. “You’re leaving?”

  “Yes. Did you expect me to stay?”

  “Actually, I did.” Hannah stepped forward. “And I expect you to fight for what’s yours.”

  Riley snorted. “If you’re talking about Nic, what good would it do? He made his choice four years ago, and I’m not it.”

  “Nic made his choice long before that, and you’re wrong. It was you.”

  She sighed. “Look, Hannah, I’m not going to argue with you. Nic loved me once. I don’t question that, but he loves the pack more.”

  Hannah opened her mouth then closed it without saying a word.

  “What?” Riley chuckled. “Not going to try and tell me I’m wrong?”

  “Nic is under a lot of pressure to do what’s right. It has nothing to do with loving you.”

  Riley rolled her eyes. How many times had she heard this argument? It had gotten old, and it never helped. “Oh, thanks. That makes me feel so much better.”

  “I’m not trying to make anything better for you. This is your fight, but I know one thing”—Hannah’s voice took on a low growl—“you walk away from him, you’re a fool.”

  “A fool? I’d be a fool if I stayed and watched Nic mate another woman.” Riley stepped closer, anger vibrating within her, and glared at Hannah. “I’d be a fool if I stayed and had to deliver her baby. I won’t do it, not for you or the pack. I won’t stay and watch Nic live the life he should’ve with me.”

  Hannah held her gaze. Had they not been friends, Riley wouldn’t have dared maintained the challenging stare. They were friends, though. She was grateful too. It didn’t mean she’d stand for Hannah’s manipulation, even if she had Riley’s best interest at heart.

  “He still loves you.”

  Riley ground her teeth. “Love isn’t enough.”

  She stepped around Hannah’s petite body and opened her car door.

  Once more, Hannah grabbed her hand. “Three months. I’ll bind myself to a shifter, and Nic can transfer the pack spirit to my mate. Nic can do that.” Hannah dropped her hand. “Any shifter mated to me can accept our wolf without challenging for it.”

  “And in the meantime?” She hated herself for the surge of hope blooming within her.

  A pleased smile graced Hannah’s mouth. “In the meantime, he’s strong enough to resist the urge to take a shifter mate, but he’s also strong enough to protect his human mate for that long too.” Her grin widened. “Win him over. Break his control. Seduce him. Get him hooked on you again. Whatever you have to do, but don’t let him make the worst mistake of his life.”

  Riley studied Hannah for a long moment, unsure where this flip in attitude was coming from. Just last week, Hannah had complained about how she hated the attention of their unmated pack mates. “Why the change of heart? I didn’t think you wanted to mate any of the males from the pack.”

  Hannah licked her lips. “My reasons don’t matter. I want to rule the pack at my mate’s side. If doing so helps you and Nic find happiness, all the better.”

  Part of her wanted to agree, but she also knew Nic. He’d made up his mind. He wanted a shifter mate to bear his child. He would be alpha, no ifs, ands, or buts about it.

  Hannah released her and stepped to the side. “Don’t say anything now. Think about what I said. He won’t make any choices until the full moon, anyway.”

  Because conceptions and exchanges of power could only happen on one night of each lunar cycle—the full moon, the night destinies were claimed.

  Riley nodded and slipped inside her SUV.

  Hannah gripped the door before it closed. “And Riley? Don’t hold what he’s done, or the lovers he’s taken, against him.”

  “Yeah, like he won’t hold mine against me, right?”

  “He’d be stupid to think you remained celibate while he was off fooling around with other women.”

  And if he found out about the shifters from the neighboring packs she’d slept with in her desperate attempt to replace him? Blood w
ould spill. Or not. Only a possessive male would care, and Nic had tossed her away.

  She slammed the door without responding. With a twist of her key, the engine turned over, music pumping out of the speakers. The death metal fit her mood. She turned it up and drove, but Hannah’s words repeated in Riley’s head. Darn if she could stop her dreams from seizing her. Then again, if Hannah wanted to rule the pack, she would’ve told Nic about her desires too, and he still planned on claiming a shifter mate.

  Riley ground her teeth. Pain radiated through her head. She cracked her jaw, easing the tight pressure. No, nothing had changed. She lost Nic years ago. Tonight proved it. The need to protect her had been the only reason he’d cornered her. Nothing in the way he’d touched her or looked at her had hinted at his desire. Anger had radiated from him. She’d defied him. Nothing more.

  A long sigh escaped. He’d barely even reacted to seeing her with another man.

  He was over her. It was long past time she accepted that.

  She pushed the encounter with Nic aside and focused on what needed to be done before she left the pack.

  Her phone rang, pulling her out of her thoughts. She hit the button for the speakerphone.

  “Riley Kagan?”

  A thick voice filled the car, not one she knew. She glanced at the display. A cell phone number showed, no name. “Yes, this is Riley. You are?”

  “Derek Tanner. I understand you treated my younger brother before he died today.”

  Tears blurred her vision. Barely eighteen, the shifter who’d showed up at the hospital door with his guts spilling out would haunt her dreams for years to come. “Donald. Yes, I wish I could’ve helped him. Maybe if someone had driven him to the hospital sooner, I might’ve—”

  “I’m not calling to question your medical qualifications. Donald was weak. He died because of it. That’s not your fault.”

  She tightened her grip on the steering wheel. Curse words whipped through her head. She knew better than to give them life. The Tanner pack had no patience for their weaker members. Had she and Alex been found by them instead of Nona’s late husband, they would’ve left them to die.