Many opposed Killian when he saved the man who he found nearly dead on the edge of the mountain. Valor, however, praised Killian for showing mercy. He said that the pack should see his willingness to help the human as a sign of respect, as life in any form is a gift.
Killian swore to be responsible for the human. Valor made the decision to allow the man to stay while he needed medical treatment. After a week, the man awoke from his coma. Killian wanted to take him to the town that was settled beyond the forest at the base of the mountain.
It was Valor who insisted the man stay until he was well enough to return under his own power. Valor took an interest in the man who said he’d escaped from the latest siege by the bear shifters on Los Angeles. Valor wanted to know what the latest happenings were in the bigger city before the siege.
He also wanted to know how the man traveled so far north, he was after all just a human. The man told amazing tales of how he survived one desperate situation to the next. He continued to heal and Valor prolonged his stay.
While the pack left for the morning run one day, the man who’d fully recovered betrayed the pack and murdered the alpha.
The pack knew as Darian did, that it was Valor who chose to keep the human man so close. Killian was not responsible. Convincing the stubborn wolf of this proved impossible.
The whole community was fooled by him, not just Killian. If Killian was at fault, then they were all at fault.
“Are you well enough to care for her correctly?” Darian asked Killian offering him a way out if it proved to be too much to heal Cara.
Killian nodded as he continued to work. “Yes, Alpha. I will not allow her to die. This I vow.” Giving his alpha a vow, Killian tied his destiny with Cara’s outcome. If she died, it would be the alpha’s right to take Killian’s life as well.
Darian closed his eyes concentrating on feeling of magnetism he had with Cara. It was going to be difficult to leave the room. Killian was correct about the pack. They would have to be told. Cara’s safety had to come before his desires, before his own, and even before that of the pack.
The urge to kiss her goodbye was nearly overwhelming. It was still too strange even to Darian to be drawn to the human. Kissing her in front of Killian proved to be too much and yet he couldn’t quite leave without saying something to her. “Come back to me, Cara.”
Darian could feel Jules’ presence in the doorway before he straightened away from his destined mate. “If she wakes while I am gone, tell her I will be right back. Assure her that she is safe.”
Killian inclined his head of dark curly hair. “I will.”
Darian left his room and closed the door to keep others from disturbing Killian as he worked. Jules remained a step behind him. Her energy was wild even though she tried contain it. He could feel it snapping in the air around them like static.
“Why are we saving the human? She is of Aldrich town.”
“I will explain to the pack. You will wait until then,” Darian commanded using the authority in his voice that she would not dare disobey.
The energy in the air increased. Darian could feel her anger, jealousy, and fear. Normally he would try to soothe her, Jules being a member of his pack, but Darian couldn’t. His thoughts were wrapped around Cara.
Seeing her turn toward him with the silver blade, ready to fight a fight she had no prayer of winning… It was the most beautiful, and the sexiest thing he’d ever seen. He clung to the memory. If she died, it would be all he had of her, and he would never take another.
“Shall I call the pack for you?” Jules asked him.
“This is a serious matter. I will call them.” Darian looked at her, gauging to see if she was going to remain in control of herself, and of her wolf. Her short black hair framed her face, and her wild green eyes met my gaze. There was pain there. Rejection.
Jules was a proud woman. She would only grow angrier if Darian tried to soothe her or explain that he hadn’t chosen to feel the way he did.
Darian decided to leave her alone for the time being, she would come to terms with Cara. She wouldn’t have a choice. Neither did Darian, for that matter.
He howled, summoning the pack. He did not have long to wait. His pack was quick to come to his call.
Darian stood in the center of the courtyard looking his pack over as they arrived. The Rizer pack was larger than any of the other wolf shifter packs. It marked them as a formidable force among the shifter communities.
After Valor died Darian stepped up into the role of Alpha. He’d fought Rafi Le Roche for the position. It was brutal fight, but necessary. Everyone knew that Rafi still wanted the position of Alpha. For now though, he a played the part of submitting Rizer pack member.
Rafi also hated humans.
He was born of werewolves. It was a pure blood kind of superiority with Rafi. Darian too was born of werewolves, but his parents did not encourage hate. They were like Valor. They tried to teach Darian to be an accepting man.
Rafi’s intolerance of humans renewed when the human killed Valor. He took pleasure killing the human hunters, forgetting the value of life.
The pack was nearly thirty shifters large. As Darian looked out at them not at all sure how he would tell them that he’d bonded with a human woman.
It was likely Rafi would take the opportunity to fight Darian again for the title of Alpha. Darian couldn’t help the disappointment he felt toward Rafi. Hating humans like he did was not how Valor taught them to behave.
Swallowing, Darian knew he was guilty of this too. Hadn’t he been ready to kill Cara before she’d lifted a finger against him?
“I know you can sense the stranger here,” Darian began. “I brought her here after I attacked her.”
“Why?” Jules asked shaking her head at him. “Why didn’t you just finish her?”
Darian cut his eyes to Jules. She took a small step back and lowered her gaze.
“We suffered a great loss when Aldrich killed Valor. He betrayed our trust, and he darkened our hearts with hate.”
Rafi’s ears perked as he tilted his head to the right, his long black hair contrasting with his pale skin. His thick brows drew together at the bridge of his nose.
“I assumed so much about her when I saw her,” Darian continued. He wanted to make them understand. He wanted them to recognize how wrong they were. “I saw a person dragging a dead body from the poisonous stale water. The body was bloodied, the neck broken.”
“She killed him,” Balder said folding his arms.
“It’s what I thought too. I watched her, thinking she was pulling her victim from the water. I saw her cry for him and still I believed she killed him. She didn’t. Aldrich killed him. The dead man saved Cara.”
Rafi rolled his thick shoulders. His impatience palpable. “What does this human business have to do with us?”
“I watched Cara, attacked her. She fought me off and still I stalked after her biding my time. Injured and poisoned from the mote, she walked without resting to Everclear.”
Ian, and Errol, the twins, widened their eyes, acknowledging that she was strong. They were the first to show any sign of accepting her.
“She bathed away the filth of the poison water and it was then that I caught her true scent.” Darian hardened his gaze as he looked over his pack. “She is my mate. Any who cannot swear to protect her are not welcome to remain with the Rizer pack.”
The collected intake of breath was followed by silence. Several moments passed with strained, unspoken words.
Ian bowed his head showing his allegiance to pack Rizer. Lena was next, her dark braids swung as she too bowed her head. Next, Errol. Then Maddock. The remaining pack members bowed their heads. All except for Rafi.
Rafi open and closed his hands at his sides. He was struggling with it, they could all see it. He looked up at Darian.
This is it.
“Do you mean to turn her? Do you truly believe her to be strong enough to be the female alpha to our pack?” Rafi asked.
/> Darian didn’t expect Rafi to ask this question. However, refused to play games and tell Rafi anything other than the truth. “I bit her when I attacked. If she survives, she is already turned.” Darian raised his voice, his tone demanding silence as he continued. “She’s my fated partner. You know as well as I do, there is no choice in the matter when it comes to destined matches.”
“What if you’re wrong? We haven’t seen a destined match in our lifetime. How do you know you’re not mistaking?” Jules demanded her green eyes suspiciously moist. “What if she leaves? How will you lead us when this human from town Aldrich tears your insides to mush?”
Darian met her angry gaze. “If that is what will be, then another will have to challenge me for the position of alpha.”
Jules grabbed Darian’s arm. “Sever the tie now, while it’s still new. Let her die. She is human. She is of town Aldrich, a sworn enemy of our pack. Cara, as you call her, is only here to tear the pack apart. Aldrich wants us weak. He sent her here. This is his doing.”
His first instinct was to pull away from Jules. She was so jealous she could hardly contain it. Jules would say anything to cast doubt onto Cara even though she’d never met her.
The pack would not trust him to lead if he reacted on emotion alone. Darian removed her hand from his arm. “Cara is innocent. She is not Aldrich. She is my mate.” Darian bit out the last two words. His voice echoed off the walls of the now quiet room.
Jules glared down at her feet, but made no move to leave.
At last Rafi took a step forward. “I will honor your wishes. You are my alpha.”
Darian narrowed his gaze on the other wolf, surprised by his sudden wiliness to accept the outsider. The energy in the air quieted to a raw submission of his command.
It wasn’t easy for them, nor was it easy for Darian.
There is peace among us. For now, at least
CHAPTER SEVEN
Cara knew she was dreaming. She had to be. Darian, the shifter was smiling at her with a look of affection, and kindness. Cara knew better. Darian attacked her, he didn’t care for her. The shifter wanted her dead.
It’s too bad he has to be so handsome.
His wide frame and square shoulders were powerful. Darian’s muscular chest and arms made him appear the perfect protector. His skin bore a warm healthy glow.
How nice for him that he gets to enjoy the sunshine while everyone inside the walls is confined to live in shadow.
His smile vanished when he noticed her looking at him. “Are you in pain?” Darian asked.
The baritone quality of his voice pulled her away from her negative musings. It was a masculine sound, yet smooth and rich. Cara watched him. He looked uncomfortable, uncertain. “I’m glad,” his eyes dipped lower to her chest and then back to her face. “you’re awake.”
A heated shiver ran down her spine and was unlike anything she’d ever felt before. “I’m not awake. This is a dream,” she told him.
“Is it? How do you know?”
Cara smiled at him, drinking in the beauty of his wild, golden eyes. “I’m warm and the bed is soft.” His interested gaze shifted to the floor. Again, he appeared uncomfortable. “Besides, if I were awake, I would be married to Aldrich.”
Darian straightened, a dark scowl on his face. “You are engaged to Aldrich? You love him? Has he… touched you, Cara?”
There is a lot of talking in this dream.
“I don’t want to talk about Aldrich. Don’t I even get to escape him in my dreams?”
A ghost of a smile touched Darian’s lips. “You do not care for Aldrich?”
“I hate him.”
He nodded, his shoulders relaxing momentarily before he was back to scowling. “Did he hurt you?”
Cara rolled onto her back and squinted as the rays of sun warmed her face. It felt so nice and yet so bright. The sun never hit directly into any of the windows in her home. The wall cast too great a shadow on all sides.
“Is he the one who did this?” Darian asked, his finger gently ran over the skin on the side of her face. It was still tender.
I shouldn’t be able to feel pain if I’m dreaming. Right?
Cara tried to sit up, but pain ripped down her arm. She gritted her teeth and closed her eyes, refusing to cry out or shed a tear in front of the shifter.
“Cara, you don’t know how much I regret hurting you.”
She glared up at him, her lips pressed tightly together.
“I don’t blame you for being angry. I thought you were a hunter. One of Aldrich’s hunters.”
Cara used her left hand to sit up and then caught the blanket as she realized she wasn’t wearing anything. No wonder he’d been looking her over. Cara hugged the blanket over her chest. She was too angry to shrink away even if she was horrified at being naked and alone with him.
“You can’t let the people of Aldrich Town eat? If we dare come out to try and catch food, you just have to kill us?”
“No, Cara,” Darian said, her name on his lips sounding like an endearment.
“It’s because of you that we’ve all been caged in by the wall. We are all at the mercy of Aldrich. You showed up, and nearly overnight, Havenhurst became Aldrich Town.”
Darian frowned at her as if he didn’t know this information. He had to know. He was older than she was and she remembered the wall going up.
“The wall protects us against you and your kind,” Cara said letting anger fill her words. “You took away the sun. Do you realize that?”
“Your people were never the target of the Rizer wolf pack.”
Cara barked out a laugh. “Is that why the Miller family no longer has any children? Shifters killed both of their sons soon after you and the other shifters settled here. They were just kids. What harm could they have done to you?”
Darian scowled at her. “Are you accusing my pack of killing children?” He stood up leaning over the bed.
Cara shielded her eyes, thinking he would be in the torn-up shorts but he was wearing black pants that rode low on his hips. The V shape of muscle and a light dusting of black hair disappeared under the waist of the pants.
“The Rizer pack doesn’t kill innocent children. We only kill the hunters. Hunters who have killed members of my pack.” His voice held a power to it that she didn’t understand. She didn’t like him or anyone else having power over her.
She fought the pull to lower her gaze and accept what he said as the truth. Instead, Cara stood up, facing him. “We’re starving inside the wall. The hunters probably killed a wolf because they were hungry enough to eat anything.”
Darian met her gaze with a measured look of his own. “Careful how you speak of my pack, Cara. They are my family, not food.”
Cara was ready to defy him but he didn’t raise his voice to her when he asked her to be careful. He didn’t act as though he would hit her.
He will. They all do.
“Your family kills our hunters and leaves the rest of us dependent upon a man whose cruelty is unlike anything you could possibly imagine.”
“You’re wrong Cara. We’ve seen what Aldrich is capable of, first hand. Aldrich promises your hunters wealth in exchange for my family’s wolf skin. I’ve lost five from my pack, and that doesn’t include Valor.”
Cara frowned. “If you hate being hunted by Aldrich, why don’t you leave? Take your family and go.”
“Aldrich has to be stopped,” Darian answered. He reached out lightly grazing the tender skin on the side of her head, his eyes hardened. “Who did this to you? Aldrich?”
Cara swiped at his hand. He caught her wrist firmly. “What do you care? My arm hurts a lot worse.” Cara held up her bandaged wrist and forearm as a reminder of his bite.
Darian nodded. “I imagine it does. All I can do is promise you that I will never hurt you again. None of my pack will harm you. We will protect you.”
Cara didn’t trust the warmth she felt at his words. She didn’t trust the feeling of relief that eased the tension in he
r back. “You said that Aldrich has to be stopped. Stopped from doing what, exactly?”
“If I tell you, Cara, I want something from you in return.”
The heat from his hand on her wrist felt strange to her. She twisted free. “What?” Cara asked hugging the blanket tighter around her body.
Darian’s gaze returned to the bruise on her face.
“That’s all?” Cara asked him. “You want to know who hit me?”
The shifter inclined his head.
“You go first,” Cara said.
He exhaled quietly, his golden eyes lowered to the blanket covering her legs. “Valor purchased two hundred acres of land for our community, just outside your little town. He wanted our pack to have the room we need, and the wild life our wolves demand. It is in the wolf’s nature to hunt. An injured man came to our pack from the city.”
“Aldrich?” Cara asked.
“Unfortunately, yes.”
Cara stiffened as Darian edged closer to her.
What does he want from me? He could have killed me a dozen times my now.
“Aldrich convinced our Alpha, Valor, that he wanted to learn about our ways. Teach humans about us so that they could learn not to fear us.” His fingers trailed over her naked back. The sensation warm and electric.
“What are you doing?” Cara asked him. Fear making her voice hike up in pitch.
Darian pressed his warm palm against her back. “I want you to become accustomed to my touch.”
Cara gave him a warning glare.
“If you ask me to stop, I will stop. Cara, I promised you already that I will never hurt you. I will not force you to do anything you don’t want to do.” He hesitated. “I don’t want you to fear me.”
His hand was still on her back. The sensation it gave her was too confusing to understand.
“Valor allowed Aldrich to live in our community for several months. He won the trust of the pack. We all were taken in by his trickery.”
“What happened?” Cara asked trying to tolerate his hand against her skin. She still didn’t understand why it was important to Darian what she thought of him.
Claimed by Love (A Rizer Pack Shifter Series Book 3) Page 13