by L. P. Dover
That's for damn sure.
Her focus goes back to the journals. "It's sweet the way your mother talks about Zayne. She really loved him." I sit back and watch her read through the rest of the entries in the first journal. The second journal is the one where things change. She mentions being pregnant and how she hopes my father will return. Then, things turn dark when the Sierra pack abducts her. Right after she gives birth to me, the man who I thought was my father killed her.
Time ticks by and the sun begins its descent behind the trees. It's almost time for the party. "Well, I guess we should head out."
Seraphina closes the journals. "We probably should. You're the guest of honor."
I clutch my mother's journals to my chest. "I'm going to be the odd one out. I can't even shift."
Seraphina squeezes my shoulder. "You're one of us, Laila, whether you can shift or not. They'll accept you."
We're about to find out.
The Roadhouse bar is the local hangout for shifters. The owner is part of the Teton pack. Apparently, it's the place a lot of the men like to pick up human women. Having sex with them doesn't make them their mates. The same goes for female shifters. They can do whatever they want with mortal men and never have to worry about getting pregnant. Do the rules apply to me? I have no clue. The Sierra pack held me under lock and key. I'm thirty years old and have never been intimate with a man. Then again, I would've rather died than mate with a Sierra. They were disgusting, vile creatures. If given a chance, I would've neutered them all.
As luck would have it, when we get to the bar there's a parking space right out front for me to park my little silver sedan. The parking lot is full, and there are dozens of cars parked in the snow-covered field to the side of the bar. I feel my father close by and can see his glowing blue eyes amid the woods across the road. Amelie and Faith get out of the car, and Amelie opens Seraphina's door for her. Faith walks with Seraphina inside, but I hang back.
Amelie does the same and puts her arm around my shoulders. "I know you're nervous about what they'll think of you."
I lean into her. "Just a little."
Her gaze averts to the woods. "Your dad's out there. Do you think I'll ever get to meet him?"
I snort. "Hope so." I raise my voice with my next words so he can hear me. "He needs to join the land of the living." A growl echoes through the trees, and I smile.
Slowly, we walk up the stairs toward the bar entrance. "Does he really look exactly like Sebastian and Micah?" she asks, her voice curious.
Before I became part of the Teton pack, my uncles were the hot commodity in town. All of the female shifters wanted them. Micah is unmated, so they still flock around him, but Sebastian is mated to Tyla. I heard stories about how jealous she got when women would throw themselves at him.
"Exactly alike," I tell her. "He has bright blond hair and crystal blue eyes just like his brothers. When he introduces me to his clients, I have to say I'm his sister." We look about the same age.
Amelie stops at the door. "That's the one thing I hate about being around humans. We have to lie too much." She opens the door, and a blast of energy whooshes past me. There are multiple alphas and probably over two hundred shifters. The bar is pretty big with a dancefloor in the center, tables lined along the walls and filled with people, and a bar with over a dozen occupied stools. Everyone stares up at me, but Ryker and Bailey come to the rescue.
Bailey pulls me in for a hug. "Everyone's dying to meet you."
Heart racing, I take a deep breath. "It's going to take me all night to meet everyone."
She waves me off like it's no big deal. "You got this."
Ryker drapes his arm over Bailey's shoulders. He's the primary alpha of the Teton pack. He and Bailey are expecting their first child next summer. They're both arctic wolves, but Bailey was born royal. Now that they're mated, her royal powers transferred to him, and his strength passed to her. If I were ever to find my mate, he would get my royal powers as well. At least, that's what I think would happen.
Ryker kisses the side of Bailey's head. "Why don't you introduce her to the females, and I'll take her around to meet the alphas."
Bailey nods and takes my hand, her smile vibrant. "Come on. I'll introduce you to the other new members of our pack. Micah reached out to them and told them to join us. They were part of the original royal pack and my friends growing up." We walk over to a group of women sitting at a corner table. There are four of them, all arctic wolves, royal, and around my age. Bailey introduces them to me, and I already feel a bond with them.
I'm taken around the room, and the magic I feel swirls through me. It's strange and something I've never felt before. I can only assume it's because there are so many unmated males and females in one place. I have a feeling several of them will be finding their mates soon.
Once Bailey's done, Ryker heads over to steal me away, only he doesn't get the chance. Tyla steps in his way and puts her arm around me. "Sorry, alpha, I don't think this one's ready to meet the boys just yet. They're all salivating like lost puppies."
Sebastian walks up and shakes his head but doesn't say a word. I love Tyla. Her comments always make me laugh. Ryker glances back at the other alphas, and I can feel the tension in the air. A lot of them are desperate to find their mate. When an unmated male goes too long without his true mate, the rage will set in. Tyla told me how it was for Sebastian before they completed the bond.
Ryker stares right into my eyes, his power intense. "It's up to you, Laila. I do know a lot of the men here are eager to find their mates. Especially now that the magic has come back to our packs."
Ever since he and Bailey completed their bond, it set off a chain reaction. Over the past two weeks, since I've been in Wyoming, several wolves have found their mates.
Tyla whispers in my ear. "I say make them work for it."
Sebastian chuckles. "Says the woman who made my life a living hell."
"Hey," Tyla quips, "you deserved it. Laila's my niece now. I have the right to give her advice."
Sebastian kisses my cheek. "You couldn't get Zayne to come?"
I shake my head. "No. But he's close by."
He nods. "I can feel him." He winks at Tyla. "I'm heading out there to talk to him. Don't get into any trouble."
Tyla gives him a mischievous grin. "Can't promise anything." Then she turns to Ryker. "If you're introducing her to the men, I'm coming too."
Tyla is an alpha female, just like Bailey. It's good to see women with that kind of power in the pack. They’re strong and fierce with minds of their own. The men listen to them which is something you don’t find in most packs. Then again, I only have my experience with the Sierras to compare it to. We never had any alpha women when I was with them; it wouldn’t have been allowed. I saw it firsthand when my brother and Amelie mated. He pushed her down until she was too scared to have a voice. In the end, she found her strength which is all that matters.
Ryker nods for us to follow him. "Very well. Let's go."
The closer we get to the men, another wave of power hits me. It's electric, almost a tingling in my bones. I falter for a second, and Tyla stops. She stands in front of me and places her hands on my shoulders. "You okay?"
Lowering my voice, I look around the room to see if anyone's staring at me. "Yeah, I just felt a lot of power, is all. I never had it happen with my old pack."
Her gaze narrows. "What's it like? I don't feel anything."
The breath hitches in my lungs, and I grab my chest. "It's like an electrical current humming throughout my body."
She shakes her head, and a slow smile spreads across her face. The concern I saw in her eyes a second ago vanishes and is replaced with excitement. "Holy shit. It's happening."
It doesn't take a genius to figure it out. My mate is somewhere in the bar.
Three
Cedric
"Another round, guys?" Bethany asks as she comes over to take our empty glasses. You can see her hardened nipples through her skintig
ht white top, and her ass cheeks hang out of the bottom of her denim shorts. Her smile turns to me, and I wink at her, remembering how much I've enjoyed her luscious lips on my cock. She slides her dark hair over her shoulders, exposing her blushing cheeks.
Tate sucks back the rest of his beer and sets his glass on her tray. "Fuck yeah. Bring 'em on, sweetheart."
The others give her their glasses, and she nods. "Coming right up."
She slowly circles the table until she gets to me. Her tits press against my back as she grabs my glass, her lips by my ear. "We still on for tonight?"
"You know it," I reply.
"Good. I'll see you later."
As soon as she walks off, the others watch her, and I know they want her too. We're all unmated, and with that, our wolves grow restless. The only way to appease them is to let out our frustrations the best way we know how. I fucking love it, so I don't complain.
Tate shakes his head and laughs. With all the pack wars recently, we've grown to be close friends. He's the alpha of the Great Plains pack, which is made up of gray wolves. He and the other wolves at our table came to meet all the new females of our pack. Most of them are royals, so they're biting at the chance to be their mates. Unfortunately, I've met them and nothing. Go fucking figure.
"Damn, Convel. You really are a dirtbag," Tate teases. "Every time we get together, you're screwing around with someone new."
I shrug. "What can I say? I'm a ladies’ man."
Colin snorts. "You wish."
Colin is one of the alphas in our pack and also a royal arctic wolf, along with Micah, who sits beside him with an amused expression on his face. Colin's an arrogant douche, but the females in our pack love him. That's how it is with all the royal arctic wolves. Everyone wants them. I'm just a gray, nothing royal about me, and I'm reminded of the fact every goddamned day.
Just because Colin's a royal and Bailey's brother, I don't give a shit. I let my anger loose, and I know he feels it by the glare he gives me. Micah places a hand on his shoulder. "All right, boys, enough with the pissing contest. We're all on the same team here."
Faith takes that moment to walk by us. She ruffles my hair in passing, and I smile. It pisses Colin off every time she gives me attention. Faith is his sister, and he hopes that she'll find a royal mate. Again, I'm just a gray. When she joined the Teton pack, I wondered if she could be a potential mate, but the feelings never came. Still, I love messing with him.
Tate clears his throat and focuses on Micah. "How's it been fight training the females? I know you're still Faith's protector, but I hear you've also been working with Laila and Amelie?"
Micah nods. "That's correct. They've come a long way."
Tate leans in closer, lowering his voice. "What about Laila's fae magic? How is she different from us?" We all look in her direction as she stands with all the females. She's one of the most beautiful wolves I've ever seen. Usually, arctic wolves have light-colored hair, but hers is red. I haven't officially met her yet.
Micah chuckles. "Honestly, she's not that different in the grand scheme of things. Even though I can sense her wolf, she can't shift. Her fae side is the most dominant part of her. Teaching her to fight has been interesting nevertheless."
"How is that?" I ask.
Micah glances over at her. "Just yesterday, I got the upper hand on her, so she made a hole in the ground. I fell right in the damn thing."
"Sounds like my kind of woman," I say, joking more than anything.
Colin growls. "Doubtful."
Slamming my hands against the table, I stand, but Tate steps in my way. I'd give anything to punch that cocksucker. Tate grabs my arm and pushes me toward the bar. "Come on, let's go."
We get to the bar, and he huffs. "I know the guy can be a douche, but you gotta keep your shit in check."
We sit down, and Bethany sets our beers in front of us before quickly walking away. Humans don't know what we are, but when we're pissed, they always tend to stay away. It's like their intuition warns them to keep their distance. I gulp my beer down and slam the mug on the bar. "It's not that easy," I snap. "He just got here, and he's already laying claim to everything. Like he's somebody because he's a royal arctic."
Tate puts a hand on my shoulder. "But you are Ryker's second-in-command. It doesn't matter if you're a gray, an arctic, or a red. You've earned your spot. You deserve just as much as he does. The Teton pack wouldn't be what it is today without you. It was you who reached out to my pack to be allies. Now look at us," he says, flourishing a hand about the room, "nothing can beat us."
He's right. However, there are still packs out there who want all the power for themselves. We've already decimated the Sierra pack and the Northern pack, but there will always be others to take their place. Ryker and I were both raised by Seraphina. She found me first after rogues killed my parents, and then a few months later, we found Ryker. We are the ones who started the Teton pack. Even though I'm an alpha, I stepped aside so Ryker could lead us. We're not blood, but I love him like a brother.
Blowing out a sigh, I push my empty glass away. "Thanks, Tate. You're a good friend."
"So are you." He pats me on the back. "Looks like Ryker is introducing Laila to the guys. Want to go with me to meet her?"
I glance over my shoulder and scoff. She's over there with Colin, who's putting the charm on her. "Fuck that. I'll meet her some other time when she's not around that dickhead."
Tate chuckles. "Suit yourself. I'll see you later."
He walks off while I stay at the bar. Bethany comes over and leans in close. "I get off in thirty minutes. My place or yours tonight?"
Before I can answer, a wave of power crashes into me. I move out of my seat, away from Bethany. A second ago, I was all for spreading her wide and fucking her until the sun comes up, but now, there's only one thing that comes to mind. My mate. I feel her. She's here. All I want is her.
I jerk around and scan the room. Nobody new walked through the door. Who the hell could it be?
Four
Laila
"I can't believe you couldn't figure out who it was." Amelie finishes up her eggs and bacon and then gets up to set her plate in the sink. It's late morning, and we've already done our training for the day with Micah and Sebastian.
Faith sits across from me at the table, so I look over at her. "You met everyone, right? Surely, the feelings would've gotten stronger the closer you got?"
"I think I met everyone," I reply. "Then again, I'm not your usual wolf. Maybe the bond will be different with me. Watered down even since I'm only half shifter."
I'm met with silence. And that right there is my dilemma. No one knows anything about my kind, not even Seraphina. Amelie comes over and kisses me on the head. "I'm sure whoever the guy is felt it too."
"Did you see anyone acting strange?" I ask.
She shakes her head and grabs her car keys. "Not that I noticed. Then again, I ignored the guys. I'm done with the opposite sex right now." That is until she finds her true mate. Things will change for her. She waves at me and Faith and heads to the door. "I'm heading to work. I'll be back this afternoon."
"Be careful," I call after her.
Once she's gone, I finish my breakfast, and Faith helps me clean the dishes. "Now that we're safe within a pack, I should probably get a job too," she says, handing me a soapy plate.
I rinse it off and place it on the drying rack. "What do you like to do? Did you go to college?"
She smiles sadly. "Never went to college. It would've been fun to have the experience, but I knew it wasn't in the cards for me. When Micah and I were in hiding, I would paint and help him with the landscaping. We had a cute little house in the middle of nowhere."
Micah is her protector, just like my father is mine. I can sense both of them out in the woods. "I never went to college either, but I had a private teacher growing up."
Faith purses her lips. "I had Micah as mine. Talk about a pain in the ass."
I love being around Micah, but
I can only imagine what it's like to be around him twenty-four-seven. "What did you guys do for money?" I ask curiously.
She finishes cleaning the last dish and hands it to me, her expression sad. "The Lyall's are worth millions. My parents were too. Before they died, they made sure that your father and your uncles could access it to take care of us."
It reminds me of the Sierra pack. They were worth a lot, but I haven't touched any of the money. I doubt I ever will; it's blood money. The only thing I took from the house were my clothes and what I had left of my mother.
Faith grabs her phone off the table and shows me pictures of where she used to live. It looked like a country cottage with a flower garden in the back. Very earthy and full of life. "Looks like my dream home," I say with a laugh.
She sighs. "It was. I miss it every day."
I bump her with my shoulder. "You know, my father and your brother are architects. They can have you a house built exactly the way you want it."
Her eyes twinkle. "True. I might have to take advantage of that."
We both laugh, and I walk to the door to peer outside. There's snow on the ground, glittering as the sun shines against it. I'm half arctic, so the snow calls to me, but my mother was a summer fae. I love flowers and warm weather as well.
"What do you want to do today?" Faith asks. She joins me by the door and smiles at the snow.
"We could go for a hike? I know you're dying to get out in the snow just as much as me. I've read there are some amazing trails in the Grand Teton National Park."
Her grin widens. "Sounds perfect. There shouldn't be any hikers this time of year."
Well, except for me. She can shift if things go sideways. All I have is my magic, and luckily, it’s never failed me. "Let's go then."
Once we've changed into more suitable clothes and some hiking boots, we get in my car and head toward the Grand Teton National Park entrance. I know my father and Micah are close by. "Do you ever feel guilty for having Micah follow you around all the time?"