I could feel blood throbbing in his powerful muscles. His power was heady and cloying. It pushed me and my pack mates to submit. Nick did the respectful submission, he lowered his eyes but he didn’t expose his neck. That was meant for only our Alpha or Beta. Griffin and Liam did no such thing.
My gaze wandered to the other wolves in the room who were also showing respect to their pack mate with lowered eyes and slightly exposed necks. It was the smart thing to do.
Instead of following suit as I should have, I did something incredibly stupid. I turned so I faced Yellow Eyes. My hands brushed against his scruff. When our skin touched it was such a familiar yet also entirely new feeling. My eyelids slid shut as I basked in the comfort of his skin under mine. A sweet calm flowed over me, it was like waking up from a deep, restful sleep.
Someone cleared their throat.
I swallowed hard and pulled away refusing to look at Yellow Eyes. I snatched the water up and chugged it, willing myself to ignore the tingling in my hands.
Water didn’t help my raging headache. Pulling away from Yellow Eyes had just made things worse. And while I was drinking, he had moved a steop in front of me. Griff and Liam perceived it as a threat and moved a step forward as well. From their rigid expressions, I knew soon this room would be filled with wolves not men.
The stress of the day laid heavily on my shoulders. There was nothing I wanted more than to be left alone for a little while to deal with all the new developments in my life. I moved forward, trying to wiggle between the two dominant wolves locked in a silent challenge.
“Seriously, move it or lose it.”
I glared up at both men.
Griffin shifted so that I could squeeze between them. Before I made it too far, Yellow Eyes grabbed my arm.
He watched me. His jaw tightened.
I didn’t break contact until he started to put power behind his stare. I swallowed hard. I shifted my gaze and reluctantly showed him my neck.
Seconds afterwards he was there, his warm breath against my heated skin. I felt his nose rub the sensitive place where neck meets shoulder. I couldn’t help sucking in a quick breath at this touch. The need to turn and look at him was almost overwhelming. My body was on fire. He ignited a flame I didn’t even know existed.
I stayed there until he pulled away. It wasn’t until there was space between us again that I heard Griffin snarl. I swallowed hard. I headed out of the room knowing that there were a lot of things I would have to face soon, but for right now I needed rest.
I was drained, emotionally when I made it to the top of the stairs that I took a break. I leaned my head back to the wall. I heard quiet footsteps coming from the opposite direction.
“Lettie, what are you doing?” Keith asked. His voice was a welcome reprieve. He moved over to me and helped me back to my room. I was guessing that Rose had cleaned up the mess of the door while I was away. The few missed splinters of wood were the only reminder of Keith’s attack on the door. In my room again, he tucked me in like I was a little girl. I asked if he would stay with me. I knew Griffin would respect our space. I hoped that Growly Voice would too.
Chapter 6 — He Has A Name
“What do you think I should do?” I asked helplessly looking down at my hands. They looked the same as they always did. They always seemed tiny compared to everyone else’s hands in the pack. I was smaller than them, too. I had assumed it was because I was part human. Now I knew better. And as I stared down at them they seemed completely different, as if they belonged to a complete stranger. Hands that could create magic. Hands of a witch.
A day had passed since that meeting from hell in the kitchen happened. I was thankful that both Griffin and Yellow Eyes had left me be. Keith had been gone when I woke up, but had returned back in a while with food.
I had learned the dark truth about my heritage in that room, and this fact made it impossible for me to ignore it. I was part witch. We only knew the basics. Witches and warlocks full powers emerged when they turned twenty one. I had read a little about them since finding out before going to sleep since arriving back home.
“I think my little pup, that you have a lot on your plate right now. Perhaps the best thing to do is to leave your room, and deal with the more pressing issue,” Keith said. The lines around his eyes crinkled. I didn’t like how easily he could read my true feelings.
I could easily bind my magic. Well, I couldn’t, but I could get a witch to do it. Then I wouldn’t have to worry about it. In actuality, it was a fairly easily solved problem.
Yellow Eyes, though, wasn’t. He was in my dreams now, a black wolf I would recognize anywhere. He would run around me, and try to get me to play. Of course I had a hard time believing he had a playful side.
This morning, too, he returned but I told him to go away. He promptly growled at me. It was turning into a fun game of ours. I would speak, he would growl.
“I like it in here better,” I said.
Keith looked at me for a moment. He sighed heavily and moved over to me. He sat with me, pulling me close to him. I snuggled close. This is what I wanted right now. Just to hide in his arms.
“You knew there was a chance it wouldn’t be him. If I remember correctly, had told me you didn’t think you would end up together,” Keith said as he kissed my forehead. He became quiet for a moment.
“I never told you how I met Sophia,” Keith said.
He didn’t look at me. He hardly ever said her name. Let alone tell me about how they met.
“She hated me. She was in a pack out in the West, and I was here. When her scent finally hit me two years after my twenty-first birthday, I started my search for her. I believe that fate leads us in the right direction sometimes.”
He looked at me pointedly. I turned away.
“She was in love with someone else. They had been dating for many years before I came along. The West packs are different, they date, and they believe that because of their relationship with the witches they can get them to change their mate. Anyways when I showed up, Sophie immediately ran from me. I had to chase her through a couple counties before I finally caught her. When I did, she told me she didn’t want to leave. She pleaded with me to forget her and return home.”
Keith stopped and looked away from me this time. I bit my lip hating the pain I heard in his voice. He had lost her a few years before finding me. None of us spoke about it, but the pack knew that if he hadn’t found someone to live for, at that time he probably would have gone mad without his mate. I was what saved him from that. And he had saved me too.
“It is one thing having the idea of your mate waiting for you, hoping they would have the same pleasure in finding you as you found them. But to have your mate first run from you, then plead that you leave because she loved someone else...”
He left it at that, but I knew what he was saying. He was heartbroken. The woman was supposed to his, and he was supposed to be hers. But she had rejected him before even giving him a chance.
“I left at her request. The next two years after that were torture. And I finally gave up and I wanted to head out to find her again, when she found me. She said that she never felt as whole as she did when I was there. That she wanted to give us a chance.”
He paused again. I think this time he was organizing his thoughts. He had that scrunched look on his face he got whenever he was trying to explain something important to me.
“Life without your mate,” Keith’s voice caught. I leaned over and grabbed his hand in mine. I remained quiet allowing him to compose himself.
“You should give him a chance.”
Keith stood up and kissed me once more on the forehead and headed out of my room. He had given me a lot to think about.
No one bothered me for another couple hours while I thought. This was the only real home that I knew. But it wasn’t unusual for the female to follow the male back to their pack. There, I am sure, were times when it was the opposite, but that was rare. And I didn’t have any high ranking
in the pack. I wasn’t an Omega; I most certainly was not a Beta or Alpha.
I had to stop hiding. I got up and dressed. I headed out of my room and Yellow Eyes stood with his arms crossed and his head down a little. He had a dangerous looking scowl on his face, and our gazes met mine. He looked beyond pissed off. His muscles were shaking with the urge to shift. I had seen it in Griffin and the other boys growing up. I took in a huge breath and stuck out my hand.
“We haven’t been formally introduced, I’m Colette, and you are?”
I waited. Yellow Eyes didn’t move his arms from their resting place in front of his chest.
Well this was going to be more fun than I thought.
“Please?” I asked. I offered my hand again, emphasizing the fact that I was standing there like an idiot.
“Hunter Felan,” he said. Hunter took a step closer finally letting his arms down.
“Awesome, at least now you have a name other than Yellow Eyes,” I said.
Hunter narrowed his eyes.
“Don’t call me that,” he said. He moved a little closer.
“What? Don’t like that pet name? How about growly voice? It is the only name I had for you since I met you.”
At that remark he grunted and moved into my space.
“You would have known my name before if you had asked.” He said through clenched teeth. His eyes flashed.
“I was partially unconscious when we first met, thanks to your hastiness.” I said. I scrunched up my nose.
“I didn’t know, that was a mistake.”
I twisted my lips trying to think of something to say. It wasn’t like he was openly aware of it, and pack-bonds that were as strong as Griffin and mine weren’t common. I shifted, suddenly nervous he would ask why we pack-bonded in the first place.
Hunter stepped closer and my gaze darted up to him and I took a step back trying to keep my space. He was my mate, yes but I was still intimidated by him. Nervous.
He entered my space again, forcing me backwards.
My back found the wall. Our bodies were lightly brushing, I was eye-level to just below his throat. I swallowed hard. My heart took on a new beat, and butterflies flocked my stomach. Our eyes locked his and my wolf came to the surface. I had never felt her so strongly before. It was like she was looking out of my eyes, and seeing his wolf who also seemed to be right on the edge of his skin.
“She finds me attractive,” he whispered brushing his knuckles against my cheek.
Where his knuckles touched, I felt a trail of tingling follow. My knees never felt so weak. My eyelids had a mind of their own and started to flutter from his delicate touches. My body seemed to bend to his will. My lips felt dry. I thought about licking them but decided against that.
“So your name is Hunter?” I said trying to compose myself. He was too close now. My breasts were brushing against him with every breath I took.
“And your name is Colette.”
He didn’t move, and I tried my hardest not to either. I raised both my eyebrows.
“You going to let me out yet? This conversation is very stimulating, but I am feeling a little peckish,” I said. I wanted it to come out strong, and confident. Instead it came out sort of breathy and soft.
Hunter’s eyes darkened, as he moved closer. My stomach clenched, a feeling I hadn’t ever quite experienced before. No man had such of an effect on me.
I wasn’t sure how much more I could handle. Then he had to go and lick those kissable lips. His bottom was the plumper of the two, and I watched as his tongue peeked out and wet his lips. I heard a rumble from him but I refused to look at him again. I got myself straightened and pushed off. I took a breath, trying to steady my heart.
“Thanks, Yellow Eyes.”
I gave him a one finger wave and headed off. I felt his eyes on me the entire time. I considered wiggling my hips a little more to give him a show. I decided it wouldn’t be a good idea to incite him more. Plus there was a better chance I would look like a fool trying to be sexy.
Downstairs Griffin sat at the counter in the kitchen with his head in his hands. I bit my lip debating. I knew he knew I was here, but he was waiting for me to make a move. I don’t think I would be able to ever walk away from him if he needed me.
I headed to the counter and stood on the other side of it. Griffin didn’t move from his position. I leaned on my elbows with my chin cradled between my hands. I titled my head side to side waiting for him to look up.
“Hey.”
Griffin looked worse than I felt, and that was saying something. He looked tortured, his lips were drawn into a soft frown.
“He is going to take you away,” Griffin stated.
I nodded, swallowed the tears that threatened to run down my face. I didn’t know what he wanted me to say. I guess I had always thought that our relationship meant more to me than it did for him. Griffin always was the brave one, it didn’t seem like anything phased him. He was completely and utterly accepted here. He was loved and cherished because he was full wolf and the Alpha’s son.
I wasn’t always included in the pack affairs. I wasn’t part of the full moon runs. The other wolves my age were still learning to control their wolves, a lot of the time they would go off and play in their wolf forms. I was always on the sidelines watching. Liam and Nick liked me just fine, but none of the she-wolves much cared for me, I think it was because I was such good friends with not only the Alpha’s son, but the next Beta and Omega.
“We knew this might happen.” I said. We had both hoped. I think on some level, we thought we would have ended up together, and if not then maybe I wouldn’t even have a mate. It would have killed me to see Griffin have a mate if I never could.
“It’s too soon. And with everything else…”
He looked away from me.
Yes everything else. My hidden heritage.
“What pack is Hunter from?” I whispered.
Griffin growled.
“Stop being an ass.”
“Lowe.” Griffin said looking at me now. He must have noticed all the blood draining from my face because I could practically feel it. He moved quickly. He helped me into his seat. Fear froze my blood. My vision swam a little, and I thought I was going to be sick. My stomach lurched.
I knew about wolves. I knew about other packs. I was the Beta’s daughter. Keith was worried when I was younger that another pack would challenge his rights to me, as a guardian. The only people that knew about my past and that I wasn’t originally from our pack where Brady, Caine, and Bade.
There were packs from the south and some even on the east coast that were very against witches. I knew in the Deep South there were packs that would actively hunt witches. I knew one of those packs names was Lowe.
Fuck.
Griffin seemed to come to the same conclusion as me. He lifted my shoulders up and forced me to look into his eyes.
“They won’t ever hurt you. If your mate doesn’t protect you, I will. I’ll always protect you.” Griffin moved forward pressing his firm lips against my forehead. He stayed there longer than he should have, but it’s not like I pushed him away.
“He’ll never know. I’ll just have to find a witch in the nearby area have them bind my powers,” I said.
I wasn’t sure why but part of me felt complete dread at the idea. I wanted to hate this newfound side of me, but I felt like I was betraying myself. I was betraying my very being by hating it. Something I couldn’t control. And now I couldn’t even tell my newly found mate about it. That didn’t make my wolf very happy, she snarled in the back of my head. I could do little more than ignore her.
“That might be harder than you think, Lettie. Keith could have Nick go check around since Uncle John is out of town.”
Uncle John was our current Omega. Omega’s were the peacekeepers, they had a calming effect for those around them. He was Griff’s father’s biological brother that John, who was older, was Omega and Isaac was Alpha.
I nodded.
�
�Growly Voice has a name now,” I said still tucked in Griffin’s side. He snorted.
“Is that what you were calling him?” he asked hugging me tight.
“That and Yellow Eyes. Him having a name makes it all the more real.”
“The moment he saw you it was real.”
Griffin sounded almost reluctant to say it.
“For him maybe. But for me, I guess, I hate myself for it, but I was denying it at the start. It was easier when he didn’t have a face and there was only the scent. Then it became a little harder when I had to add a voice, then his eyes, and now… now he is real.”
“Because he has a name.”
“Because he has a name,” I agreed.
My stomach roiled.
“He is real,” I looked at Griffin.
“He is,” He agreed, his voice strained.
Chapter 7 — Do You Feel Anything Other than Jealousy?
The rest of the day I dodged my now-very-real-mate-with-a-name. Griffin had business with Isaac. Isaac and I had yet to see each other since I arrived back with an entourage. I hadn’t run into any of them – not the twin wolves, or the older one, or Hunter.
I knew Hunter was on the hunt for me though. I could smell and sense him more so than anyone else. Even Griff, which was first for me. It was a bit unnerving. I wasn’t ready for him to tell me that it was time to go home. His home.
Keith had found me hiding and told me that Isaac was making us all dine together. He also told me that Hunter couldn’t make me leave if I didn’t want to. With that I was sent to my room to look for clothes to wear. I pulled myself into a summer dress limply. Normally the fabric would chafe against my skin. Today it was as defeated as I was. No fight left. Not a single stitch.
I went downstairs around seven, knowing Rose might want some help in the kitchen. We usually ate around eight, or sometime after that. In the entry room, down the long hallway, I could see Hunter coming from the opposite direction.
Dammit, what was I doing? I had to escape! I knew this house like the back of my hand, and yet I was fumbling trying to get away. No matter, he had already caught my scent. His head shot up and his yellow eyes held mine captive.
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