“Can you walk?” Dell’s voice was thick and low, though clearer since the rain had finally let up.
“Yes.” She nodded, then began to follow him out of the clearing. With a slow turn of her head to stare over her shoulder, her eyes fell on the cliff briefly as one tear slid down her cheek. Tripping over a rock, she quickly turned back to focus on where she was going and caught Dell staring at her. His eyes went to her cheek before he twisted and started to walk again.
“If you ever think of doing something like this again, I’ll make damn sure you regret it.” Dell’s voice carried back to her.
Surprised at his words, her eyes widened, and her heart stumbled over a beat. “Why would you care?” came out of her mouth before she could pull the words back in and swallow them.
Dell stopped dead. His body stiffened. He slowly moved his head to glare at her. “Because you are my responsibility, and I have never lost anyone under my protection, even one who was trying to harm themselves.” He didn’t say anything else. Instead, he glowered for a minute longer, which felt much longer than that, before turning to continue their escape from the woods.
Between making sure she didn’t trip over another rock and watching his broad back as they made their way down the muddied path, she wondered about the man, Dell Farris.
He was quiet, but when he spoke, all listened. He was a large man. She’d felt his strength when she’d dangled over the edge of the cliff yet, she didn’t fear him. His power and authority had a calming effect. The pull he had frightened her, though, even more so now. She had a secret and knew without a doubt, she was going to have to expose that secret to him if she had any desire to stay.
They made their way to the outskirts of town. Dell still a little in front of her, his head straight forward, she knew he was aware of their surroundings. Roxy’s little house came into view, and Roslyn sighed in relief. Just to think she had almost ended her own life was a blow to her. It was stupid. She couldn’t really say it was selfish because there wasn’t anyone other than acquaintances who would mourn her for maybe a day, if that.
Tears once again burned the back of her eyes at the thought of what she had almost done out of sheer desperation. Not only that but the last thing she wanted was to face her uncertain future, which the man slowing in front of her would soon dictate that future.
At the drive leading to the small house, Dell stopped, but didn’t turn around right away. Roslyn didn’t know if she should just depart and head for the house.
“Be in town in an hour.” Dell’s voice finally broke the awkward silence.
“Yes, sir.” Roslyn cleared her strained voice. “Yes, sir,” she repeated, yet her voice still sounded weak and crackly. Feeling more alone than she had ever felt in her life, she turned away from him, but was surprised to feel his warm hand on her arm. He turned her toward him.
“Do not go back to the forest.” His eyes narrowed, but his glare softened. “If you need someone to talk to, I’m here.”
She was at a complete loss for words, so she nodded. Her throat tightened at his generosity, because she knew the last thing Dell would want to do is listen to her woes. Her heart beat a little faster at the sweetness of his thought. Not that she would just fall into his arms and open up her feelings, though.
“Or I can find someone you can talk to,” he added, as he released her arm.
And there it was. A man not fully aware of her, a man not really wanting to deal with her problems. And she didn’t blame him. She didn’t want to deal with them either.
“I’m fine,” Roslyn replied, making damn sure her voice wasn’t weak and crackly this time, but strong and sure. “Thank you again for… helping me.”
He looked like he was going to say more, but instead, he looked away to search their surroundings before giving a nod, turning and walking away.
She watched him leave. When he disappeared around the bend of the dirt road, Roslyn sighed. With slow, measured steps, she traveled the long drive to the house. Since Roxy was living with Marcus now, she was given the option of living in the house. It was much better living here than at Jonah McCall’s place. She liked Jonah, but others lived there also, and it was cramped, and she had no privacy. Here she had privacy, but it was lonely. On the outskirts of town, she pretty much had the area and house to herself.
Stopping at the front door, she cursed. In her haste of being an idiot, she has shifted without thought that her key was in her jeans pocket, now lost for good. Despite knowing the door was locked, she tried it anyway. Yep, locked. Glancing at the windows, she cursed again before heading toward the back of the house, wondering how in the hell she was going to get inside. She couldn’t just go prancing into town with Dell’s overlarge shirt covering her naked body. Seeing the kitchen window above the sink cracked open, she smiled.
Hurrying that way, she glanced around for something to stand on. There was a lawn chair sitting by the back door. Running over, she grabbed it, then set it under the window. Carefully, she climbed onto the rickety chair, took the screen out, which turned out to be harder than she thought, and opened the window as wide as it would go.
With a grunt, she pulled herself up on the windowsill and heard the crash of the chair. It was going to be a tight squeeze, and she hoped to hell she was going to fit through the window. If not, she seriously hoped no one but the wildlife would see her bare ass hanging out the kitchen window.
A knock on the front door startled her. Her face lifted quickly to stare at it in horror as her head smacked the window, making her cry out a curse. “Shit!” She used her strength to pull herself through the window, but before her whole body got through, a familiar voice sounded behind her.
“What in the hell are you doing?” Dell’s voice startled her, even though she knew someone was there.
Knowing her ass was bare to his eyes, she gave a final tug and pull, sending herself through the window, down on the sink and onto the floor in an embarrassing heap. Scrambling, she popped up quickly to face him staring at her through the window.
“I lost my key,” she said breathlessly, not really knowing what else to say. How freaking embarrassing. She just wanted the floor to open up and swallow her. “I… ah… I thought you were going into town?”
He just stared at her for a second longer without answering. “Get dressed. You’re coming with me.”
She was confused at first, but then it dawned on her. “I don’t need a babysitter,” she replied. “I swear, I’m fine. Just had a moment and well, I realized that’s not what I wanted.”
“But you told me to let you go.” Dell’s voice hardened, as did his eyes.
“Because I didn’t want you to go over with me.” Roslyn refused to look away from him, but his probing stare was making it hard. He had such a presence about him, authority which she usually shied away from, that it took every ounce of willpower to continue to stare at him straight on. “That’s why I tried to pull your fingers off my arm. No way was I taking you over with me.”
Dell backed away from the window. “Get dressed and meet me out front. You’re still going into town with me.”
Her body slumped as he disappeared from view. Not having the strength to argue, Roslyn closed the window, then went to do as he said. Most men who had alpha tendencies with authority dripping from them made her edgy. She didn’t really like that type, but something about Dell Farris pulled her toward him. But what really frightened her was that she felt safe whenever he was near. She just hoped it wasn’t a false sense of security, and yes, her attraction for the man was something she didn’t even want to think about.
Hurrying toward the bedroom, she glanced out the window toward the front of the house. The sight of Dell standing as if on guard sent her stomach into flutters and her heart speeding erratically. He was her… well, she didn’t know what he was, trainer she guessed. She needed to get a grip on her emotions, on all fronts, because she had no clue how long she was going to be in Lee County, and she’d be damned if she got invol
ved with someone while she knew Cylus was most probably looking for her. Yeah, her life was out of control, and she didn’t like it. Things needed to change, and change quickly.
Chapter 3
Dell stood waiting outside of Ross’s place. “Jesus.” He sighed running his hand through his hair. His fucking emotions were all over the place. The terror at seeing her plunge toward the emptiness over the cliff, the anger at what she had been about to do, the relief when he’d caught her, the fear when she’d tried to pry his fingers off her wrist, the guilt at leaving her here alone after what had just happened, to the lust from seeing her bare ass in his face hanging out the window… it was all too much.
He had started back into town, but the lost look on her face when he had turned to walk off had haunted him. Once he was out of sight, he had stopped, cursed, and fought with himself until he had turned back around. She had already gone into the house. He’d knocked and waited until he’d heard her curse. Confused by the direction of the sound, he’d raced around back, and the sight of her ass had slammed a shock wave of lust he had never felt before into him. It had taken everything he had to keep control and not pull her from the window, toss her on the ground, and bury himself deep inside her.
His wolf had been restless ever since, and if he was totally honest with himself, so had the man. He had to curb his feelings. Ross had issues, and he didn’t know if he could help her. He scanned the area without moving his head. He sensed trouble, and he’d learned long ago to trust his instincts. He needed to keep himself on alert until the feeling passed, but what troubled him the most was that the woman inside the house had secrets, ones that could put this pack in danger. Today proved that, and he knew he was going to have to press her on the issue, unless she came to him first.
The door opened behind him, but he remained forward and waited for her to come beside him. Once she did, he glanced down at her. She had showered. He could smell the soap and shampoo she used, mixed with her own natural scent.
“I have to meet with Garrett,” Dell said, as he started forward, keeping his steps slow so she could keep up with his long-legged gait. “Head over to the coffee shop, and I’ll be there when I’m finished. I’ll have everyone meet me there.”
She nodded without saying a word. They made their way into town, both lost in their own thoughts, yet Dell remained alert to everything around them. They split ways when they reached town, and once she made it inside the coffee shop, Dell only then turned his attention to Garrett’s, which was pretty much across the street.
Taking the steps two at a time, he gave one knock on the door before entering. He could hear Marcus, Hunter, and Garrett talking in the kitchen, so he headed that way.
“Damn, took you long enough,” Hunter grouched, then frowned. “How’s Ross?”
“Fine.” Dell leaned against the door frame and crossed his arms.
“Hunter said she almost went off the cliff.” Garrett looked concerned. “The new recruits should know the area by now.”
There was more to that last statement, but Dell didn’t take the bait. “She won’t forget again” was all he said. “The weather turned bad, and she got confused, that’s all.”
By the looks on their faces, they really weren’t falling for his excuse for Ross, but he didn’t say any more, nor would he. “Hunter said you needed to see me,” Dell directed toward Garrett.
Garrett stared at him for a long minute before he switched subjects. “Yes, I do.” Garrett sighed. “I’m stepping down.”
Dell looked from Garrett to Hunter and Marcus before focusing back on Garrett. “What?”
“You heard me,” Garrett replied. “I’ve offered my brothers the position of alpha, but both have declined.”
“Why?” Dell didn’t like what he was hearing. What was going to happen to the pack? He would follow any of the Foster brothers to hell and back, but anyone else was out of the question. “What’s going to happen to the pack?”
“I have a family now. Things have changed for me.” Garrett’s voice was sure and strong. “My priorities have changed, and I cannot put them in more danger than I already have.”
“Same for us,” Marcus added. “I’ve thought long and hard on this, but with Roxy pregnant, it’s not a good fit for me at the moment.”
“Yeah, and being alpha is hard enough. When you have human wives like me and Marcus have, it’s a lot more complicated.”
“And to answer your second question as to what’s going to happen with the pack…” Garrett looked from Hunter and Marcus to Dell. “Well, that’s going to be up to you.”
Dell’s eyes widened. “What the fuck do I have to do with it?” popped out of his mouth.
“I have to have someone replace me,” Garrett said. “Since my brothers don’t want the honor, you’re the only other person I trust to take over the duties as alpha.”
Dell felt like he’d been punched in the nuts. He was honored, make no mistake about that, but him, an alpha… of a pack? “No” was his instinctive reply. “There’s no way in hell I’m fighting you.”
Garrett chuckled. “Good, ’cause I’d kick your ass.”
Dell snorted—yeah, like that would happen—and then he frowned. “Seriously, one of you need to take his place. That is your right.”
“And we’ve handed that right over to you.” Hunter gave him a nod.
“Yeah, if we didn’t think you could do it, we wouldn’t be having this conversation, and we aren’t going anywhere,” Marcus added. “This is our home and this is our pack. That hasn’t changed.”
“Dell, you’ll make a great alpha. You know this pack as well as we do. The pack respects you, and you’re one big son of a bitch who most won’t challenge.” Hunter chuckled. “Though, I love watching you fight, so I hope you get a few dumbasses who challenge you.”
Marcus also chuckled. “I remember that one time at Dillard’s Bar when Dell singlehandedly beat the hell out of a whole bar full of asshole punks for making that old barmaid cry.”
Hunter laughed loudly. “Remember, we’d just got there, and before we could even get in the door, two bodies flew outside, knocked out cold. It was a damn free-for-all with Dell kicking ass and taking names.”
“She was a sweet lady,” Dell replied, remembering that night well.
“I’ll give you time to think about it.” Garrett broke up their talk of the old days. “It’s a big decision and something I know you can’t make on a moment’s notice. I don’t want to say anything to the pack until it’s a definite. No need to get them riled up. I want everything in place so they feel secure.”
Dell was still reeling so he just nodded. He wasn’t alpha material. He was a mechanic for shit’s sake. Yeah, he could fight, protect, but he didn’t like to talk to people. An alpha needed to communicate. That wasn’t him. As Hunter, Marcus, and Garrett continued talking, Dell stood silently, as he usually did, observing. They were alpha material, not him. There had to be a way one of them could take the position, and he could help. Before he could mouth those words, Hunter walked up and patted him on the back.
“You’re our best bet, brother.” Hunter had never looked more serious. “Other than us, you’re the only one we trust to lead this pack. We aren’t going anywhere and will back you just like you backed Garrett. You will not be alone in this.”
Dell nodded, feeling a little better about the predicament he found himself in, until he heard Hunter’s next words.
“But you will be the head bitch and that, my friend, comes with a heavy responsibility, so sleep on it.” Hunter slapped him on the back one more time before stepping away.
“You prepared for tomorrow?” Garrett changed the subject, his eyes on Dell.
“Yes,” Dell replied, trying to focus on Garrett’s change in topic. “What time should I tell them to meet up?”
“We probably should leave here by six.” Garrett glanced at Marcus and Hunter, who nodded in agreement. “Everyone know who’s riding with who?”
“All
taken care of,” Hunter said, while scrounging through the refrigerator.
“I don’t expect any trouble, but I want everyone on their guard at all times,” Garrett replied, indicating he was still alpha.
“We’ve never had trouble before.” Hunter stuck a chicken leg in his mouth and closed the fridge door.
“And that was before we had a star who ousted us on every news channel on television.” Marcus snorted, rolling his eyes.
“Oh, yeah,” Hunter mumbled with the chicken leg still in his mouth. “Well, I’ll do my best to not cause a riot with all the pictures and autographs.”
“You’re an idiot.” Marcus headed for the door.
“A very famous idiot.” Hunter aimed the bare chicken bone toward the trash and let it fly with a slam dunk as he followed Marcus out, leaving Garrett and Dell alone.
“I wouldn’t have offered you the position of alpha if I didn’t believe in you,” Garrett said, as soon as his brothers had left.
“They’d be a much better alpha than me,” Dell responded, his eyes never leaving Garrett’s.
“You’re right on one point,” Garrett countered. “They would have made very good alphas, but better than you, I’m not sure. You have something about you that screams leadership. The new shifters under you watch you closely, waiting for your direction. You haven’t made one misstep with them. I’ve observed because my decision on who is to be my predecessor is something I do not take lightly.”
“But they’re your brothers by blood.” Dell wasn’t sure he understood what Garrett was saying. “How can you say I’d be better than them?”
“I can’t say that for sure, but it’s a feeling I have.” Garrett sighed. “Brothers or not, I have to leave this position to someone I feel will do the best job possible, and as of this moment, that is you, and not because they turned it down. They are both newly mated—”
“And you were newly mated, but did the job without flaw,” Dell countered.
“Oh, I had plenty of flaws and believe me when I say I made many mistakes because my mind and heart was with my mate,” Garrett admitted, but didn’t look happy about the fact. “Just think about it, Dell, that’s all I ask.”
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