Pride to Pack

by Aimie Jennison

Thankfully, the next few days pass with no sign of the bloodthirsty Dominick. Misty informs me that Dominick is the head vampire - although he likes to be called ‘The King - of New South Wales’, which is brilliant. I don’t have just any vampire yearning for my blood, but the King Vampire of the state.

  LOVELY.

  I’d much rather have the local pack’s alpha yearning for me. Come to think of it there has been no sign of Theo either.

  Misty has been begging me to go to the gym with her. Apparently she needs a gym buddy because if she goes on her own she can’t get in the zone. Me, I'm not a gym person.

  A weekly run in the forest as a wolf is usually about it, but I haven’t had the chance to find any-where safe to run since arriving in Mount Roxby. Working from late afternoon until the early hours of the morning, and then sleeping until lunch doesn't give me many hours to explore the town. I'm not complaining, I love Misty’s. I meet lots of people, some of whom come in every night. I get to use my empathy on those troubled and in need. Misty sends me to some of her friends, or regulars, who need it, which benefits me too because the bar ends up feeling like a much happier place once I’ve helped people. I’d just like to be able to find somewhere that I can run freely.

  So I have caved and we are pulling into a large car park. There are only two other cars in the empty car park, but not many people will be insane enough to go to a gym at two o’clock in the morning. Did I mention it was a twenty four hour gym? Why did I say yes?

  I WANT MY BED.

  After filling out the forms and handing the membership fee over to the woman behind the counter (whom I believe wants to be in bed just as much as I do) we walk through the door with a female figure on it, into a room full of at least twenty private cubicles. The cubicles surround a large open area with a few benches for non-private changing.

  We change into the crop top and shorts that the gym gave us in the open area. Even though the clothes were included in the membership, they are kinda cute. There’s a little picture of a wolf weightlifting on the leg of the shorts and on the breast of the crop. The gym is called ‘Gym Wolves’ so I guess the wolf is their icon. We pick our lockers on the far side wall and dump our stuff. I try not to think of whose sweaty neck it has already been around as I place the key on its dog tag chain around my neck.

  I walk into the gym via a door next to the lockers. The equipment is all set up in sections like I imagine most gyms are. Treadmills together, weight machines all together and so on. We head straight for the treadmills with useless TVs on them, it's not like there would be anything on at this time of the night. We choose neighbouring machines and start them up. I put a music channel on my machines TV and crank up the sound so we can both hear it over the noise of the machines and our feet pounding them. I put the speed up to eight, a gentle jog for me, to stretch. I don’t jog for long because jogging just doesn’t do anything for my energy level - neither does sprinting in human form but it's the best I can get in a gym. To feel a good workout I need a good sprint in wolf form but I haven't found anywhere safe to shift and run. I up the speed until I’m pushing the machine to find a sprint to satisfy my needs.

  Misty is just slowing her treadmill down but I still feel the need to keep sprinting. I suddenly sense someone approach us. I don't bother trying to identify them. It’s not like anyone I know will be insane enough to be in the gym at this time of night.

  “Hi, Misty, are you having a good work out?” I can only just make out the male voice over the sound of my blood pounding in my ears and my feet thudding on the treadmill, not to mention the music.

  I didn’t hear Misty’s reply.

  “Bel, why didn’t you just go to the bush and shift? It would be a hell of a lot more satisfying.” The lovely gravelly voice I hear from right behind me is the last person I expected to encounter here. I’m so shocked I totally lose rhythm of my sprint and start to stumble, tripping over my own feet.

  Brilliant I’m going to fall flat on my face.

  Theo reaches his arms out to steady me, noticing my struggle. Unfortunately his good intentions only make matters worse, before I can hit the stop button I’m hurtling backwards towards Theo. He doesn’t have enough sense to get out my way so before I know it, I’ve knocked him off his feet and we’re both on the floor laughing.

  Misty is standing next to the treadmill doubled over in laughter. After the laughter passes Theo gets up and reaches down, offering me his hand. I take it gratefully.

  I must have knocked my knee somewhere during the fall because it’s bleeding and stinging like a bitch. I’m not too worried about it being hurt. Being a werewolf, I heal quickly. It’s the blood dripping down my leg and pooling on the carpet that bothers me. I start hobbling towards the locker room but all I manage to do is make more of a mess.

  “Where are you going?” Theo asks in a slightly amused tone. "You'll heal in a minute or two."

  I glare at the mess I’m making on the floor. “I know but I'm bleeding all over the carpet. I was trying to get to the locker room. At least the tiled floor in there will clean easily.”

  He reaches his hand over his head, grabs the back of his shirt and pulls it off before throwing it at me. “Here, put this on your knee.”

  As I catch it I get a whiff of his scent and I can’t help but hold his shirt to my nose, taking in more of that delectable scent. Misty’s giggle snaps me out of it and I realise what I'm doing. I quickly glance around to see Theo’s reaction, but luckily he is nowhere in sight. I breathe a sigh of relief hoping he didn't witness that.

  I pull the material away from my knee to check if the bleeding has stopped.

  Misty gasps jumping back, just as I hear the growl from behind me. I turn around slowly; not wanting my back to the werewolf I can smell behind me, but also not wanting my movements to provoke an attack. I realise it’s two nights from a full moon. Mix that with the smell of blood and the young were that’s now facing me won’t be able to stop the change.

  He’s on his hands and knees, thankfully still in human form. His growling is not very comfortable in this situation; not to mention that a wolf's growl just looks and sounds wrong coming out of a human’s mouth.

  He’s about a metre away from me, slowly crawling closer. Reaching me in no time he starts sniffing at my knee, which has healed but is still covered in fresh blood. I look at the bloody t-shirt in my hand. Deciding it’s already ruined, I offer it to him, but he’s not interested in that at all. Instead of taking the shirt like I hoped, he does something that I really don’t like. He straightens up and nuzzles his face into the bare flesh of my stomach.

  Why did I pick a crop top from reception and not a t-shirt?

  The stomach is the easiest place for a werewolf to rip you apart - no bones to get in the way. I start to panic. If I don’t do something quickly, his teeth will pierce my skin and then it’ll all be over. Before I come up with a plan I hear the scariest growl, almost roar, that I have ever heard coming from behind me. Whatever creature belongs to that growl is going be a lot harsher killing me than this pup here.

  He stops nuzzling me to look around me at the creature. He’s not moved away enough for me to escape, the only thing he moved was his head.

  Misty is between that scary growl and me. She is only a human. She has no chance of fighting back. A number of options for what I can do run through my head when I hear a familiar commanding voice.

  “Leave her alone, Paddy.”

  “She smells so good,” the voice in front of me says as a rumble comes from his chest. I try to stay as calm as possible, fear will only make him want to rip me up even more.

  Theo’s wolf’s energy runs down my back as he steps up close behind me, making my wolf stand to attention. “Step back from her, Patrick.”

  Patrick takes a small step back and looks up towards Theo, who’s leaning over my left shoulder with his chest pressing against my back. I would probably find it arousing if we weren't staring down a hungry wolf. Patrick's eyes have no humanity in
them. They are the wolf’s eyes, not Patricks. He’s so close to the change it will only take a shudder and I’ll be dead in a second.

  Theo’s hands come down on my shoulders making me jump. I feel a rumble coming from him. His energy is leaving him in a wave and going through me. Once it hits Patrick, his eyes are sea blue and so human it’s unbelievable. He looks mortified as he realises what happened. “Paddy, you should go home now, mate,” Theo orders.

  Paddy looks me up and down until he gets to my stomach that has his bloody face print on it. “I’m so sorry.”

  Theo squeezes my shoulders, silently urging me to accept the apology.

  “It’s okay,” is all I can manage to spit out as the shock kicks in. Hearing my words Patrick turns and leaves without another word.

  Nobody moves until the doors shut. Theo spins me round and leans back to look at my face, still holding my shoulders I think if he let go I’d crumple to the floor.

  “Are you okay, Bel?” I just stare at him blankly. Visualising all the bad things that could have just happened.

  As he pulls me into his chest and wraps his arms around me, I can vaguely hear talking. “She’s in shock.” But I can't seem to pull myself into the here and now. I start to come around a bit and realise it must be Misty who he was talking to.

  God. Is she okay? She wasn’t that far away from me or the almost wolf.

  It's then that it dawns on me why I'm in such a serious state of shock, my empathy is feeding it, my own shock has made me lose a handle on my protection barrier causing me to channel Misty and Theo’s shock. Great.

  As I focus and put my barrier back up I notice that Theo is still holding me tightly against his chest. Oh my, his bare chest at that, and what a nice chest it is. Smooth and so toned, and wet? As I pull back wondering why his chest is wet, he wipes a tear from my cheeks. Oh god, I've been crying. Have I not shown myself up enough in front of this guy, already!

  “How are you feeling now?” Theo murmurs as he rubs my arms with calming motions.

  “Like an idiot, your chest is soaking,” I laugh nervously, shaking my head in disbelief at how unlucky I seem to be around this guy.

  “Don’t worry about that,” he soothes.

  Misty appears next to us with a tray containing three cups of what smells like very sugary but strong coffee.

  Theo uses his hold on my arms to direct me to sit on one of the weight benches, taking a coffee off the tray and handing it to me. He takes a seat next to me, whilst Misty sits facing us on the next one along.

  Misty passes Theo a cup and takes the other for herself before leaning the tray against the leg of the weight bench. We all drink in silence. The energy zinging between mine and Theo's touching thighs distracts me from even thinking about making conversation.

  “Sorry I ran off, but Paddy wasn't the only one close to his wolf. I didn’t think anyone else was here. If I’d stayed I might not have been able to control myself because of the pull of the moon. I wouldn’t have been as slow as Paddy, I would have ripped you both apart in no time," Theo broke the silence. His tone of voice said he was ashamed to own up to it. Alphas are known for their control. If an alpha can't control his own wolf, there is no way he can control a pack.

  “How come ya came back, if you were worried ya might change?” Misty asked in her cute British accent.

  “I felt Paddy’s change coming on; it kicked my wolf into gear. The need to protect Bel overpowered the need to feed the bloodlust with Bel,” He chuckles as he shakes his head. “Sorry to talk about you like you’re edible."

  “That's alright, I’m getting used to it. I've only been in town six days and I’ve had three people wanting to take a bite out of me,” I joke

  His face suddenly turns deathly serious, “Have you had any bother from the good King?”

  “No. I haven't seen him since Friday night.” I try to sound cheery, hoping to ease his mind.

  “Good." He doesn’t sound very convinced. But he had warned me it was only a matter of time before The King tries to get his taste. When Dominick Drake sets his sight on something, he gets it.

  I glance up at the clock and blanch at the time. “Misty we better get going, it’s nearly five.” She looks half asleep. I'm just hoping she can manage the drive home.

  We all slowly stand. Misty and I stroll back into the changing rooms to get our belongings out the lockers. Theo goes into the male changing rooms, presumably to get his own belongings.

  When we enter the foyer through the changing rooms, we find a shirtless Theo leaning against the wall waiting to walk us to the car. As we reach Misty's Beetle, she shoots by and jumps in the car to start it, leaving Theo and I alone in the empty car park.

  “Thanks again for helping with Paddy. I didn't want a death on my conscience after only being in town for such a short time.”

  “It’s my job as Alpha to keep my wolves in line. Paddy is going to be feeling so low for the next day or two. He was looking forward to meeting ‘The New Hottie’.” He did air quotes and rolled his eyes, “Eddie's words. And he blew it by losing himself to his wolf’s blood lust.”

  “He's young. He’ll get over it. I'll have to remember to thank Eddie for the nice description,” I reply with a laugh.

  Theo reaches across me to open the car door. I slide into my seat and he closes the door for me before leaning into the open window. “Drive safely, Misty.” He shifts his eyes from Misty to me. “Take Care.”

  We manage to get home in one piece thanks to the chilly night air blowing through the open windows.

 

  5. PAIN OF THE PAST

  Theo