by J C Gordon
“Tonight Rafe has tried to take his life,” he said to his pack. “You all feel his pain. You all know how he has struggled to join the pack and come to terms with his new life. As Alpha, I must put the needs of the pack first even though it pains me greatly to lose Rafe. He is kind and gentle and we could use the diversity of thought he brings to the pack. You all know it is his sister who cradles him and weeps over his wolf. She, too, has the same kindness of heart her brother shows.
“On a personal level, I trust Rhianna Armand with my life. I believe she is the one person who can save Rafe and help him come back to the pack. I know some of you hold firmly to the survival of the fittest ethos and see Rafe as weak. I see Rafe as an opportunity to remind us of our humanity, which is just as important as our wolves.”
He ran his eyes over the assembled pack trying to gauge their reaction, but they stood still and silent. “As Alpha, I call for a vote. I propose we allow the human woman, Rhianna Armand, to know our true nature so she can care for her brother and bring him back to the pack. You know she runs with vampires already.
“I have spoken with Caleb Ryder and he has revealed his true nature to her and she has accepted him. Her love for her vampire means she cannot allow any harm to come to him therefore, she keeps his secret. Her deep abiding love for her brother will mean she will protect our pack. Even in wolf form she unconsciously recognises him. Therefore, I ask my pack to grant me the permission to try to save Rafe Armand in the only manner I can think of. I ask as your Alpha and as your friend. What say the pack?”
Wolfie had stopped howling and was looking at Old Blackie with tortured eyes. All the other wolves were watching him too and there was a lot of chuffing noises and odd barks coming from the large black wolf. It was almost as if he was talking to them, the way they all looked so intently at him. He stopped chuffing and stood still.
For a long endless moment there was total silence in the trees, and then one by one the gathered wolves gave one solitary bark. The air was thick with tension and Rhianna sensed something momentous was happening but she had no idea what it was.
The more barks that sounded, the more Wolfie trembled under her hands. She began to feel very afraid for him. Were they passing some kind of sentence on the wolf? Or where they casting some kind of sentence on her? She was only just beginning to realise in what a perilous situation she was in. She didn’t have Caleb here to help her either if the wolves decided to attack her.
Slowly Old Blackie turned to look back at her and Wolfie and she tried to gauge his intent. His didn’t look angry, but then, would she really know what a wolf looked like when he was angry? He chuffed at Wolfie and her wolf howled. Old Blackie stepped a little closer and chuffed again. Wolfie’s response was another long howl.
Rhianna blinked slowly as she watched the large black wolf, a small frown creasing her brow. Did Old Blackie really just give a look that appeared to convey bemusement? He chuffed once more and then he seemed to ripple all over and the black wolf was suddenly gone and kneeling naked on the grass was Jared Hanlon.
She blinked again, and then once more, as her startled mind tried its best to register what it had just seen. The wolf had changed into a man and not just any man, one she knew. Jared Hanlon was a wolf. She repeated it to herself as Jared looked down at her in all his naked glory and it was most definitely glory. She would have to be blind not to notice how gorgeous his body was. It was as vibrant and as beautiful as Caleb’s was and yet it didn’t instil the same lust within her.
She wondered if he was going to speak but he stood there silently looking at her, and she realised her mouth was hanging wide open and she was still ogling his body like a teenager seeing her first naked man. She blushed scarlet and closed her mouth, swallowing loudly. She supposed she should say something to him and so she opened her mouth and said the first thing she could think of. “You’re stark bloody naked, Jared!”
Jared had been giving Rhianna time to come to grips with what she had just witnessed. Her face was a riot of emotions ranging from shock to appreciation and then embarrassment. He had tried to convince Rafe to change into his human form but the man had refused, which left him rather bemused. The gentle wolf had literally begged to see his sister again and the moment the chance had been granted he had balked at the idea.
So he had changed into his human form himself. He felt a great pride for his pack’s understanding and their resounding vote of yes to allow Rhianna into their secret. There had only been two votes of no and one abstention, which had allowed the vote to be passed by the majority rule.
The petite redhead’s first words to him made him throw back his head and laugh loudly. Caleb had said she was good with the paranormal and it certainly appeared she was. He turned to Aaron who was hovering close to him in wolf form.
“Run and bring two sets of sweats,” he told him before turning back to Rhianna. “You’ll have to forgive me, Annie,” he smiled. “Clothes do not transform when we do so we tend to go around naked most of the time when we’re shifting.”
“Are you a werewolf?” she asked timidly, her wits a bit sharper.
“I am a Were, which is effectively a shape shifter of some kind. It just so happens we shift into wolves. There are many other types of Were who shift into different animals. I must admit, you’re taking this more calmly than I anticipated. Caleb said you were very accepting of him, but I thought you would possibly have more of an issue with us.”
His mention of Caleb surprised her and then she realised they knew each other. She supposed it was only natural vampires would know about Weres.
“I am aware of Caleb’s true nature, so you will not be harming him in anyway by anything you say, Annie.” Jared said reassuringly as the wolf with golden streaks ran up and dropped clothes at Jared’s feet.
Rhianna was relieved when Jared slipped the sweats on and approached with another set of sweats in his hand. He tossed them beside Wolfie and sat down on the grass. The implication of what he had just done didn’t escape her and she looked down at Wolfie and gasped in surprise. “You’re a man too, Wolfie?” Her hand slipped out of his fur as she moved back a few inches from him. Wolfie howled and bowed his head.
It appeared he was a man, however it was the wolf that lay so dejectedly before her and he tugged at her heart. “What’s wrong with him, Jared? He just ran into the middle of the road. I was barely able to stop in time and then he just kept howling in such horrible pain.”
“Are you going to tell her?” he asked Rafe with a deep sigh, and the wolf whined low in his throat. Jared sighed again and looked at Rhianna. “I just want you to know that I’m really sorry, Annie. I hope you’ll be able to understand why I did what I did.”
He looked back at Rafe hoping he would change and reveal himself of his own volition but he remained resolute and kept his head lowered. “Why don’t you move your car to the side of the road and I’ll try my best to explain everything,” Jared said to Rhianna before he looked at the wolf. “You… Get off the road now or I’ll have the pack drag you off kicking and screaming.” His tone was firm and brooked no argument.
Rhianna watched Wolfie stand and head over to the grass where he threw himself down again, his body language miserable. She hurried to park the car in a safe spot and then sat down close to Wolfie but not touching him. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to comfort the wolf because she ached to do so. It was just knowing he was a man too made it seem almost perverted for her to stroke him the way she had been.
Jared sat on the other side of Rafe preferring to be away from Rhianna’s fists just in case she reacted with anger when she learned the truth. In addition, he wanted to be close to Rafe in case he tried to throw himself under any further passing cars.
“Annie, revealing ourselves to you tonight is an unprecedented event for our kind,” Jared began. “It is our pack law and the pack law of all Weres to ensure that no human ever learns of our existence. I am the Alpha of this pack and each and every person under me is m
y responsibility to protect.”
“I’ll never breathe a word about you or your pack, Jared.” Rhianna’s tone was sincere. “I swear it.”
“I know you won’t, Annie. It’s why I asked the pack to vote tonight to allow me to reveal ourselves.” Jared smiled proudly at her. “You already swear to protect us and you don’t know what it is you are protecting. I knew I was right about you, Rhianna Armand.”
His comment was rather cryptic and she wanted to ask him what he meant by it, but she had a feeling it would all come out soon so she held her tongue and let him continue.
“The Were Caleb killed with his car the other night, he is what we call a rogue,” Jared said. “He had gone insane and lost himself within his wolf form.” He noted Rhianna’s surprise at hearing the dead wolf was one of his kind. “Don’t feel too bad about it, Annie. He was wild, vicious, and attacking innocents. He killed four humans and severely wounded a fifth before Caleb unwittingly solved our problem for us.
The man who survived is your Wolfie here. It took three weeks for him to become sentient and stop shifting and trying to kill anyone close to him. Once he was coherent enough to understand what was happening to him, he took the changes he was experiencing hard. He wanted to go back to his human life, but I couldn’t allow that.”
Wolfie whined loudly and Rhianna’s heart melted and she reached out and stroked his head. He seemed to settle a bit but he was still so melancholy it was pitiful to see. At least she could sort of understand why he was hurting so badly.
“I couldn’t let him go home, Annie,” Jared said quietly. “He was legally dead and a danger to himself and his family. I tried to integrate him into the pack but he has such a gentle nature and pack life is quite rough. He’s fought me every step of the way. I’ve tried my best to help him but he is slowly dying inside. He pines for those he’s been forced to leave behind.”
“Is that why he comes to me?” Rhianna asked her tone curious. “Do I remind him of one of his family members?” She stroked Wolfie’s head as he whined softly and began to tremble wildly.
Jared took a deep breath and looked her directly in the eyes. “He comes to you because you are his family, Annie,” he said as gently as he could. He watched her lavender eyes widen with shock, saw her hand still on Rafe’s fur as the big wolf howled loudly between them.
Rhianna dropped her gaze from Jared’s and let it fall on the trembling wolf beside her. Those deep brown, all seeing eyes. The instant connection she had felt towards the wolf. The way he rolled over and submitted to her the very first time they met. Jared showing up with the unheard of insurance money. She stared in shock at Wolfie and felt fresh tears start to brim in her eyes as her hands began to shake.
“Rafe?” she whispered. He whined and turned his head towards her. His tortured brown eyes seemed to plead with her as he whined again and his trembling reached fever pitch.
Her heart thundered hard in her chest as she looked into Wolfie’s eyes and saw Rafe looking back at her. She burst into loud sobs and threw her arms around his wide neck. “Rafe,” she choked out between sobs. “My Rafe!”
CHAPTER twelve
Rhianna sobbed against him, her tears soaking the fur on the back of his neck as she wept uncontrollably. His Alpha had moved off a bit to give them some privacy and Rafe could only tremble and whine as his little sister sobbed. He wanted to hold her and comfort her and tell her how sorry he was but he would need to shift to do that and he was too afraid to look at her with his human eyes.
She wept on and the longer she wept the worse Rafe felt. It was sheer agony to hear her heartbreak and he howled loudly once more before he shifted beneath her and wrapped his arms around her trembling body. “Don’t cry, Annie. Please don’t cry. You’re breaking my heart with your tears. I’m so sorry, Annie. I’m so sorry I’ve done this to you!”
Rhianna heard the rich timber of her brother’s voice and felt the steel bands of his strong arms crushing her tightly against him. She cried harder, trying to speak, trying to tell him of the sheer joy she felt at finding him alive but the tears wouldn’t let her. She settled on kissing him instead. She twisted in his arms, grabbed his face and planted kiss after joyful kiss on every single part of his skin she could reach.
He went rigid with shock for a moment and then he slowly relaxed and he was kissing her back, his big hands brushing at her wet cheeks so gently as if afraid he would hurt her. “Annie,” he breathed softly. “My baby girl!”
“I can’t believe you’re alive, Rafe,” she finally managed to get out. “I can’t believe you’re not really dead.” She was crying and laughing at the same time, hugging him tightly one minute and then kissing his face the next.
Rafe could feel the joy radiating from her and he felt such shame. How could she be so happy he was alive when he had put her through such pain and misery? “Why don’t you hate me, Annie?” His voice broke as he spoke.
Rafe’s misery finally penetrated through Rhianna’s happy haze and she drew back and looked into his anguished face. She knew her expression must be one of complete shock because that was how she was feeling inside. “I could never hate you,” she whispered. “How can you even think that, Rafe? You’re everything to me. You always have been.” Her lavender eyes saw the denial in his and she really looked at him and saw the deep lines of abject misery on his face.
She turned to find Jared, and the dark haired man approached them slowly and sat down beside them. He placed a hand on Rafe’s shoulder and she watched her brother flinch from the contact. “Be at ease, Rafe,” Jared said, his tone soothing. “I am not going to take you away from your precious Annie.”
Rafe’s broad shoulders relaxed and he nodded his head to his Alpha as Rhianna quickly ran through what Jared had told her about Wolfie just before she found out he was her brother. Her heart broke at the thought of how hard Rafe was finding it to adjust to his new life. She could understand his pain. Her big brother was even more tender-hearted than she was. He refused to swat a fly or stomp on a spider. He would always find some other way to deal with the little pests. Having a wild wolf inside him would be so hard for him to come to terms with.
“Why did you run in front of my car, Rafe?” she asked suddenly and she saw the truth before he was able to slide his ashamed gaze away from her. “No, Rafe.” Rhianna felt her stomach clench with fear. She squeezed her eyes shut and shuddered before she took a deep breath and opened them again.
“What happened to you create your own happiness, Rafe?” she asked softly. “You always told me that. You brought me up telling me to never give up no matter how hard things became. It’s what helped me get through the pain of losing you. How could you give up, Rafe? How could you stop fighting?”
He bowed his head in shame. She was so right. He had given up. He had stopped fighting. “I don’t know how to make myself happy being what I am now, Annie,” he replied brokenly. “I don’t know how to be at peace with the wolf inside me.”
Rhianna met Jared’s troubled eyes and she saw the deep concern he had for her brother. He was worried Rafe would try to kill himself again.
“The pack needs your help, Annie,” Jared said quietly. “I need your help. You are all Rafe thinks about, the one person he thinks of over himself. We want him back in our pack but not until he is ready to return willingly. Will you help him, Annie? Will you mend his wounded soul so he can one day come home to us?”
The plea in Jared’s voice touched her. He genuinely cared about her brother. The whole pack obviously did, otherwise they would never have broken their laws and revealed themselves to her. “Where can I take him?” she asked. “I can’t take him home, Millie is there. She’ll ask questions which neither of us can answer.”
She thought of Caleb’s mansion as she spoke. She could take him there. She didn’t think Caleb would mind. If Rafe was there, then she would be spending a lot of time there too, and she knew Caleb wouldn’t be averse to her spending as much time with him as possible.
&nbs
p; “I can take him to Caleb’s,” she decided before Jared could answer. “He’s got plenty of spare rooms.”
Jared arched an eyebrow at her. “Don’t you think it would be a wise idea to ask first?” His remark came out drolly. “I mean, Caleb’s okay for a vampire but Weres and vampires don’t usually get on that well.”
Rhianna snorted. “I don’t care about that,” Her expression was determined. “Love me, love my family. He’ll just have to like it or lump it.” She didn’t feel half as confident as she sounded, but she needed somewhere safe to take her brother and Caleb’s was the only place she could think of.
“Come on, Rafe.” She stood up. ”Can you put those sweats on? You are naked.” She turned her back while her brother quickly pulled on the sweats.
Jared smiled warmly at her. “Caleb really doesn’t know what he has let himself in for, does he?” he laughed softly.
“I think he has a fair idea,” she laughed back and then she turned serious again. “I’ll take good care of Rafe, Jared. I’m not angry with you or your pack. I understand why you did what you did and I know you only have my brother’s best interests at heart. I have already sworn once I would keep your secret. I mean that tenfold now. No one will ever learn from me of your existence.”
On impulse, she wrapped her arms around Jared’s big body and gave him a tight hug. He hesitated briefly and then hugged her back. “Thank you for trusting me, Jared. Thank you for giving me my brother back.” She stepped back and turned to look at the wolves sitting patiently just outside the ring of the trees surrounding them. “Thank you,” she called loudly. They regarded her solemnly for a moment and then the golden streaked wolf chuffed lightly in her direction.
“Aaron says it is you we should be thanking,” Jared translated. “He is Rafe’s closest friend in the pack. He has fought as long and hard as I have to keep your brother well.”
“You have my eternal gratitude, Aaron,” Rhianna said quietly to the beautifully marked wolf. “I will keep him well.” The wolf grinned at her and bowed his head.