“Don't be surprised if you see something weird. You know how my siblings are,” I added with a shudder. I just hope Majka isn't naked. Wouldn't that be a shock to poor Faith.
“We're home,” I called, even though I normally wouldn't bother. “Faith's here!” Hopefully they'd listen to me and mind their manners. At least my mother's scent was absent from the house … but Majka's was there.
Crap.
“Grandma,” I said cheerfully, moving through the entryway and into the first sitting room on the right. Majka was there, fully clothed (thank God), with a cup of tea perched on the gold and white coffee table in front of her. The little metal spoon inside was stirring of its own accord. Without skipping a beat, I walked across the marble floor and paused, leaning down and placing my hand against the spoon's handle.
Majka sneered up at me and snarled some Croatian curse words into my head.
'Stupid girl, useless girl, why'd you bring a human here?'
She pulled her knees up to her chest, the emerald green fabric of her dress rippling as she wrapped her thin arms around her legs and clutched her bony hands together. Behind me, I could hear Nic pulling Faith out of the entryway and towards the kitchen.
“She's a friend of mine,” I said aloud, letting go of the spoon and sighing as it started its twirling dance through the creamy swirl of Majka's tea. “She needed a place to stay tonight.”
I got a grunt in response as my grandma stared up at me with those angry eyes of hers, the color so dark they were almost black. Her silver crown was still perched on her head; I wasn't sure if she ever took it off. On her ankle, there'd be another piece of silver. It was customary for all Alphas to wear two pieces of silver to prove their strength. It was almost my turn and I hadn't even given my jewelry a thought yet.
“They have homeless shelters in town still, don't they?” Majka growled in that commanding voice of hers, unclasping her hands to gesture angrily at her teacup. “Take her to one of them, why don't you? And while you're there, why don't you stay, too? You and your mother are useless heirs, not a lick of magic in either one of you.”
I smiled tightly, used to this rant. Both Nikolina and I had heard it a thousand times already, how disappointing we were because we'd been born without magic. It wasn't our fault though; not a single werewolf had been born with power like that since my grandmother, and Nikolina was convinced that none would in the future. Right now, I didn't have the time or leisure to debate on it.
“And don't think I've forgotten that slight from yesterday,” she snapped as I stood up, bowed my chin respectfully, and left the room.
Meet me outside tonight.
I stared down at the mysterious text on my phone and felt my lips purse. The number was unfamiliar, but I recognized the area code. Someone close to home then? I ran through a mental list of the five Alpha-Sons that I'd be courting and shook my head. Could be any of them really, using a local number.
“I'm never gonna pass my classes at this rate,” Faith said, meandering around my bedroom and running her fingers across my desk, my bookshelf, the vanity table near the bathroom door. “I was already struggling with the course load and now Mom's …” Her voice trailed off as she turned to face me, the pale peach color of her pajamas a stark contrast against her red-brown skin. I was dressed as her polar opposite but still in contrast—midnight blue pj's against skin as white as snow.
I made myself smile.
“You'll pass your classes,” I assured her, knowing that all she really needed right now was some encouragement. “And we'll find your Mom.” I looked her right in those big, brown eyes of hers. “I promise.” And I meant that, too, because even if I hadn't had an interest in helping Faith as a friend, whatever her mom was doing messing around with vampire blood was important to the pack. It wasn't like we hadn't thought about a kingdom connection to our missing pack members. Twelve members in six months. I felt my blood chill. “Let's talk about Owen instead,” I offered, broaching the subject of Faith's boyfriend with a slight grimace.
I was almost positive I heard Nic sigh through the open door of his bedroom. Mine might've been closed, but that wouldn't stop him from listening in on us either.
Faith sighed and sat down on the stool in front of my vanity, flicking on the lights and smiling briefly at her reflection in the mirror. I watched as those long, delicate fingers of hers deftly removed the band at the bottom of her braid.
“He disappeared for two whole days,” she said, combing her fingers through her hair. The round rosebud shape of her mouth pursed tightly enough that the skin on either side turned pale for a moment. I felt my phone vibrate in my fingers, but ignored it for the time being. Whoever was texting me would have to wait. Two disappearances related to my best friend in the same week? Not good.
“And you decided not to tell me about this either?” I asked, knowing I was getting cranky with her but unable to help myself. Faith cringed and at least had the good grace not to snap back at me.
“I probably should've, yeah, but he's been … hanging out with some old friends of his.” I rolled my eyes. This was typical Owen behavior, even though Faith liked to pretend it was always surprising when he screwed up. He was twenty-one and had already spent an entire year in prison for theft. Not a good sign. I'd practically begged her not to go out with him, but what could I really do? Honestly, knowing the state of my own life, I didn't have much room to talk. “I figured he was just busy catching up or something.” Faith sighed and dropped her chin into her palm. “But he wasn't really, was he?”
“Probably not,” I answered, trying to be as sympathetic as I could. What I really needed to know was … “But he's back now?” It wasn't likely that Diya—Faith's Mom—and Owen's disappearances were connected, but you never knew until you asked.
Faith shook her head.
“Not yet.”
Well, crap.
“But he texted me finally,” she said, her hair fully unbraided and lying in gentle waves over her shoulder. She flipped the thick dark mane over her back and stood up, moving to the pink book bag in the corner and yanking out her phone. “I love you more than anything, babe, and I want you to know that I'm thinking of you everyday,” Faith read. This time, I could definitely hear Nic sighing dramatically. “I'll stop by your place on Friday. Until then, here's a playlist to keep you busy.” Faith looked up with a strained expression on her face that told me she thought his texts were at least half as stupid as I did. “Then there's a whole row of smiley faces.”
“He disappears randomly and then sends you a playlist?” I couldn't keep the judgment out of my voice. “Come on, Faith.”
“I know, I know,” she said, plopping back down on the stool. “But … there are good things about him.” She glanced over at me, cheeks reddening slightly. “Really good things.”
I wrinkled my nose, smelling the heady scent of pheromones in the air. So Faith was talking about sex. If it was powerful enough, intense enough, to put that dreamy look on her face and blind her to all of Owen's faults … well, then I was just glad I was still a virgin.
Not for long though, my thoughts whispered, drawing a warm chill up my spine. Not for long.
I refused to admit that I was excited about that.
“What are you doing here?” I asked Silas, my rain boots squelching across the empty grass. I crossed my arms over my chest and tried to look the part of the alpha in my silky pj pants and tank top. His gold gaze took me in from head to toe, eyes resting on my collarbone and drawing goose bumps on my skin. It was cold out but it wasn't that cold.
I kept my expression neutral and refused to let him see that he was getting to me.
“I wanted to talk to you,” he said, pausing and glancing up at Nic's window with narrowed eyes. “In private.”
“Yeah, okay,” I said, watching him as he moved in a slow circle around me, the moonlight slanting through the trees behind his head. Three days left until the full moon, until the ceremony, the Pairing. When my mother had fi
rst announced that she'd begun preparations, that day had seemed like it'd never come—in a good way. But now, I felt like I was standing on the tracks, waiting for the devastating collision with the train. “But you know you're not supposed to be here. If my mother were home …” Or if your father finds out. That'd be even worse—for him. I couldn't keep myself from looking at Silas' scar, tracing the ragged wound with my eyes. I'd say it was half my fault that he had it, but I didn't agree with the way some alphas controlled their packs.
That's why I was doing this, giving up any chance I ever had at being free. This alliance, it would give me control of all the North American packs, including Pack Obsidian Gold. I could change things, ensure that people like Silas weren't torn apart for something as simple as a curious teenage kiss. “If I catch you doing anything like this again, I'll take the eye. No, no, you know what, son? I'll take both eyes.”
I shivered at the memory of Silas' father's voice.
“Are you sure your boyfriend's gonna be able to survive this?” Silas asked casually, running his tattooed fingers through the espresso brown color of his hair. He was wearing the same clothes from earlier, still barefoot and beautiful. Since he was dressed, I had to wonder how he managed to get up here. I hadn't heard any cars.
I ignored his question.
“Did you run all the way up here?” I asked as his lips twisted into a smile and he made his way a few steps closer. I watched Silas pinch the front of his T-shirt with a grin.
“What do you think? I can barely fit into these pants as it is. Think I could keep 'em on in fuzzy form?” He chuckled and shook his head. “No, your mom's letting my dad and me stay in the guest cottage.” Silas nodded his chin in the direction of the little carriage house.
“Silas,” I hissed, unable to stop myself, taking a step forward and wrapping my fingers around his upper arm, right across the orange and black stripes of a snarling tiger tattoo. “Your dad, your alpha, is in the carriage house and you're here talking to me?”
“It's not like that anymore,” he said, reaching up and grabbing my wrist, taking a step closer. “He wanted me to come over here. Hell, he practically forced me to.” There was a bite of fear in his voice, an understandable emotion considering the things his dad had done in the past. Attacking your son, practically blinding him in his left eye, all for kissing a girl? Not okay. “Zara, I'm afraid of what he's going to do if you don't pick me.”
I jerked back, pulling my wrist from Silas' grasp.
“Are you kidding me?” I asked, shaking my head and turning to go back into the house. He called me out here to guilt trip me into choosing him? Seriously? “That's pretty low, even for you Silas.”
“Zara,” he growled, making me stop short and glance over my shoulder to look at him. I'd never seen Silas' skin so white, his golden eyes so wide. “Think about it: all my dad ever wanted from me is to be alpha. And now … God, Zara, I didn't come up here to bullshit you. You think I want you to pick me out of pity?” Silas growled again, the sound tightening muscles low in my belly. I turned to face him, one step up on the back deck.
I didn't move as he came closer, hardly drew in a single breath.
“I wanted you to pick me for me,” he said, shaking his head and drawing a cigarette out of his pocket. “But …” Silas trailed off and turned away, the grass turning to frost and crunching beneath his bare feet. “Never mind. You know what, forget it.”
“No matter what happens, Silas, I won't let him hurt you,” I promised, curling my hands into fists by my sides. He wasn't listening anymore, lighting his cigarette and tilting his head back to stare up at the sky. “Besides,” I tried to smile, “I bet you could take him on anyway, if you really tried.”
Silas snorted and pulled his smoke from his lips with two fingers. On the back of his hand, there was a wolf tattoo looking back at me with yellow eyes.
“I could take him on, one-on-one maybe, but …” Silas trailed off again, his voice caught in the icy breeze blowing in from the north. I could smell pine trees and dirt and … snow. Our April would be a cold one, winter's hold long and lingering.
“Whatever you're hiding, Silas, I can't help you if I don't know.”
“I'm not afraid of anyone,” Silas snarled, throwing his cigarette to the ground and crushing it with his bare foot. “Not of him,” he glanced over at me, “and not of you.”
Before I could think of a response, Silas was jerking his shirt over his head and unbuttoning his pants. In a few seconds, I was staring starstruck at his naked body, at the ripples of fur sliding across his flesh. In the span of a blink, he'd dropped to all fours, throwing a gold-eyed glare back at me.
I didn't bother calling out to him as he disappeared into the trees.
“What did you and Silas talk about last night?” Nic asked me in the morning, standing on the other side of the breakfast bar and narrowing a set of inky black eyes, no hint of purple in them. He was pissed.
I pretended not to notice and shrugged, pouring myself a bowl of cereal and wondering if I should wake Faith up for class. She was beat though, and well deserving of a day off. I'd intercepted a text message from Owen this morning asking if she could put some money on his prepaid debit card. Ugh.
Besides, I wasn't going to class today, and I didn't want her asking why.
“He's worried about his dad,” I replied honestly, pushing the cereal box to the side and drowning the flakes in milk. I didn't bother asking how Nic knew I'd been outside with Silas; he was my guard, it was his job. Even when I didn't do mine by letting him know I was sneaking out.
A growl slipped past Nic's lips and he ran a hand through his hair.
“Some ploy,” he whispered roughly, shaking his head and turning around to lean against the clean, quiet stove. “You don't actually believe that crap, do you? Silas Vetter only has one thing in mind and that's becoming the alpha male of this pack. Of all the packs,” Nic said quietly, jealousy and fear both evident in his voice. This was a big move, a big change, not just for me and him but for all the packs involved. “I know you'll still technically be the one and only boss, but I still don't want a douche in place as the puppet king.”
I couldn't keep a smile off my lips. It faded just as quick though as I glanced toward the windows along the back of the house and the fall of sunshine across the trees. Morning. I'd never been so unhappy to see a sunrise. It was Wednesday now, close, so close.
“Who are you partnering up with for the final project in wildflowers?” I asked, trying to distract Nic from the current subject. He might not like Silas, but then again, he didn't like Jax either; he probably wouldn't like any of my potential mates.
Because they weren't him.
“After the Pairing, I won't be going to class anymore, Zara,” Nic said, his voice a gloomy fog that seemed to fill the kitchen. I stopped with my spoon halfway to my lips and looked up at him. That didn't sound like speculation; it sounded like an order.
I felt my hackles go up.
“Did Nikolina say something to you?” I asked. It was one thing to speculate on what my mother might do. It was a whole lot worse to hear that my predictions were coming true.
“Thursday will be my last day of class,” Nic said, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. When he opened them again, they were blazing with fury. That scared me almost as much as whatever it was that the Alpha might've said to him. I did not want him challenging one of the alpha-sons; I wouldn't let him risk himself like that. Nic opened his eyes back up, but they were still blazing, angry, full of frustration. “Your mother doesn't think you'll need a guard with five suitors around. She said she'll see about assigning a new one once you've chosen.”
“I see.”
What else was I supposed to say to that?
As Nic and I stared at each other across the kitchen island, something seemed to snap inside of him. His carefully crafted facade crumpled to the ground at his slippered feet.
“Zara …” he began, and I noticed that his hands wer
e shaking slightly.
I dropped my spoon into the bowl and came around the island, so that we were facing each other.
“I don't know if I can do this,” he whispered as I reached out and ran a thumb across his lower lip. He followed it with his tongue and made this low, sad sound in his throat that broke my heart into pieces. Even though I knew I was just torturing us both, I leaned forward and put my cheek up against his. Nic even smelled like Ebon Red, like home, that pine tree and honeysuckle scent that all members of our pack gave off.
We stood there for a few seconds, our cheeks pressed together, our hands held carefully at our sides. If we were caught touching—even in such a minor way as this—there would be hard consequences. Mostly for Nic. I thought of Silas' scar and pulled away before Majka walked in on us. If she did, she'd sic Nikolina on him, coerce my mother to mete out the justice she was no longer physically capable of.
I pulled away just as my phone buzzed in the pocket of my pajama pants, giving me a plausible excuse to step back and check my texts.
Crimson Dusk has arrived.
I stared at the words for a moment before looking back up at Nic again. All of that vulnerability I'd just seen in him was gone, replaced with the mildly pissed off bodyguard look that he wore most of the time.
“Is it time?” he asked, blinking through the fury.
“It's time,” I said, straightening my shoulders and taking a deep breath.
Time to meet with Pack Crimson Dusk.
While the other four packs were officially scheduled to present their alpha-sons to me on Friday at precisely four-thirty Pacific Standard Time, at the Hall, during the official Pairing ceremony, my mother had arranged for Pack Crimson Dusk to have a private meeting. It was a bone she had little choice but to throw them (pun intended), since this new arrangement of hers was screwing them out of a guaranteed position of power.
Pack Ebon Red (The Seven Mates of Zara Wolf Book 1) Page 5