Prey to the Heart (Wolves of Wild Junction Book 1)

by Kristen Banet

  “So, this is what a Pack does,” she whispered. She liked it. She didn’t get this when she was with Gavin and the North Dakota Pack. They had left her out of everything or just got hammered and partied in their house.

  “This is what a good Pack does,” Thomas corrected. “You can stay in the spare bedroom - it’s late.”

  “Thank you,” she mumbled, leaning her head on his shoulder, unable to stop from nuzzling it into his neck. He smelled like the fire and something else. She tried to think about it.

  He laid her down and she figured it out. “Aftershave,” she mumbled.

  “What?” Thomas sounded confused, leaning back down to hear her.

  “You smell like the fire and aftershave.” She wasn’t sure if the words were coherent.

  “Okay,” he chuckled. “Welcome to the Pack, Abigail. Goodnight.”

  “Hmmm,” was all she responded with, thinking about how good he smelled, his scent hanging in the air after he was gone.

  19

  Abigail

  Abigail woke up the next day and smiled, not feeling as tired as she should have been. She’d had a lot of fun with them. Already, just a day in, and she felt like this was the place for her, at least for now.

  She rolled out of bed and looked down at the clothing she was in. She needed a shower and a change of clothes, immediately.

  She looked around for her phone and groaned when she saw a clock on the bedside table. It was nearly ten in the morning. She focused and heard Thomas and James talking in the living room, and she could smell the bacon and eggs. She wandered out in the hallway and tried to be sneaky, looking for any room that might be a bathroom.

  “We have breakfast done and if you want some fresh clothes to wear home, let me know,” Thomas called out, looking around the corner into the hallway. He gave her an easy smile and she waved at him, diving into the bathroom.

  Ten minutes later, she wandered out. She’d washed her face, which made her feel cleaner instantly. “You said something about food?” she inquired softly as she walked into the living room. She met those blue eyes and he nodded, pointing towards the kitchen.

  “Over here, pretty doe,” Antonio chuckled. He held up a plate that looked over flowing with different options. “We weren’t going to let you head out hungry.”

  “Thank you,” she giggled, taking the plate when she got closer. She sat on the couch and ate off her lap as James did the same next to her.

  “Any work plans today?” Thomas asked, leaning back in his recliner.

  She shook her head, swallowing the bite of eggs she’d taken. “No. Nothing until next week,” she told him honestly.

  “Waiting on Andrew to see his doctor again, then,” Thomas sighed, nodding. “Well, that means you have even more time to hang out with us.”

  “I guess there is that,” she replied, nodding as well. She couldn’t stop the smile from taking over her face. “What about you guys?”

  “We’re officially in talks with Rocker’s current owner,” James mumbled, covering his mouth. He swallowed whatever he was hiding and continued. “We’re hoping to close in February. Then we’re going to shut it down for a month since the season will be over and remodel and rebrand a little.”

  “Really? Are you going to change its name or anything? From my understanding, Rocker’s has been here for decades.” Abigail raised her eyebrows at him then turned to Thomas, who shrugged.

  “Andrew owns Starry Night Diner, the local favorite, and he’s remodeling his place. Though it was burned down back in October, so it’s a much-needed renovation. Why shouldn’t we add a personal touch on Rocker’s? It’s going to be our bar for a very long time.”

  She could accept that, nodding. She hadn’t been able to try out this little diner some of the locals talked about. She’d known the Pride owned it, and she knew it was the first casualty of Wild Junction to the hunters.

  “When is the diner reopening?” she asked him.

  “March is what I’m hearing,” he yawned after he said it. “God, I shouldn’t have gotten up so early.”

  “You can hang out around here for the rest of the day, if you have nothing planned,” James whispered to her, leaning over. “I’d like that.”

  “Play more guitar for me?” she flirted, feeling like a teenage girl with too much male attention.

  “Maybe,” he chuckled. “And Thomas is…what are you doing in the garage?” James looked around her to their Alpha and Thomas just laughed.

  “I like to build furniture,” he admitted to her. “It’s a small hobby, but it’s a fun one. Maybe you can help me with stuff.”

  “Yeah, but that doesn’t tell me what your building,” James pointed out. “Stop deflecting by telling her why you do it and tell me what you are making.”

  “A bed,” Thomas groaned, smiling. “For Riley and the Pride. A very, very big bed.”

  “That’s fucking hilarious,” Antonio cut in, sitting on her other side on the couch. “Like how big?”

  “Big enough for them all to fit and not break the damn thing. Apparently, it’s been a concern for them.” Thomas laughed, shaking his head. “I love those fucking weird-ass cats.”

  “They’re good people,” Abigail agreed. “And they are probably the healthiest relationship I’ve seen in years when I ignore their…feline problems, like the assassination attempts.”

  “Seriously, they are pretty steady,” James added. “Good luck building a bed big enough, though. Brenton and Zachary are fucking massive and the rest aren’t slouches in size. They are all taller than us, and I think they all outweigh us except those leopard brothers.”

  “They are big cats.” Thomas chuckled. “So yeah, that’s what I’ve been working on. I built a lot of the stuff here, actually. It’s why I wanted it all back from South Dakota and it’s why Heather was kind enough not to trash it when she took over. She knew that I made it all and if I ever came back, I would love to have it back. It was no problem for her to take care of it. Political move for her, really.”

  “A seemingly kind gesture makes you less likely to dislike her. Which means she might count your word as more trustworthy,” Abigail put together.

  “Which means when I tell her I have no intention of fucking with her new place in our old home, she’ll believe me easier,” Thomas finished. He kicked his feet onto the coffee table. “Wolves are easy, Abigail. Be good to us and we’re good to you.”

  “I’m seeing that,” she said, reaching out to pat his thigh from her spot, reaching over Antonio to make it happen.

  Thomas grabbed her hand and things changed for a moment. Her eyes fell from his face to the bulge in his sweats. He released her hand slowly, pushing it down his leg further, so there were no accidents.

  “This is going to be unavoidable, isn’t it?” She was meaning the sexual attraction, and they knew it.

  “Well.” Antonio was trying hard to hold back a laugh. “Just make sure you don’t reach too high up when you decide to touch our thighs. And maybe you shouldn’t lean over my lap like that. We can ignore it pretty well, though. We’re used to it.”

  “Okay.” Abigail giggled, feeling ridiculous and warm. She put her plate on the coffee table, away from Thomas’ feet and put her hands in her lap, to stop any more accidents from happening.

  “No reason to get shy at this point,” James growled softly. “It’s not like nothing has happened between us and if there’s anyone on this planet you can trust, it’s us.”

  “Oh, I know,” Abigail replied, blushing. “It’s just different from how I was raised. We treat relationships and community a bit more human than this. You guys are just so open and honest in comparison.”

  “You’re Pack now,” James reminded her. “Anything. From how you feel to what you want in life. Trust us with it, or try to. Packs don’t do secrets.”

  “I’m trying,” she reminded him, pointing at him. Something about what he said, though, made her think. “Gavin never made me Pack…so they kept his secrets from
me. Right?” She just wanted a real answer, a real explanation.

  “He made it so the Pack members wouldn’t divulge his secrets. He denied you that last level of inclusion to keep his activities open in the Pack but secret from you,” Thomas sighed. “Alphas set the tone. We decide what can and can’t be done. If I say there’s no secrets between me and my inner circle and follow through on that, then the Pack follows suit. No secrets are kept. But every Pack keeps secrets from those outside of the Pack. His inner circle probably saw how you weren’t a member and how you didn’t know he was behaving that way and realized that was the secret to be kept. He denied you the ability to trust the wolves around him.”

  “He said I couldn’t be Pack since I was doe,” she muttered, feeling a bit angry. “And I believed him. But, this feels good, ya know? Why would he deny this feeling from me?”

  “You’re in our Pack now,” Antonio touched his forehead to the side of her head. “Forget about that piece of shit. He was wrong and, eventually, someone will call him out on it.” He sighed and kissed her cheek. It felt friendly, not sexual and she didn’t give him a hard time for it. No one even blinked an eye at it. “Are you done eating? I’ll get your plate.”

  “Oh, I can.” She jumped up and James pulled her back down so Antonio could snatch her plate and walk away. She glared at James, who just gave her a wolfish grin, all teeth and predatory. “I can clean up after myself.”

  “You can fight me for the right,” he growled playfully.

  She slapped his chest. “I’m not a wolf who can fight!” She reminded him.

  “Exactly,” Thomas chuckled. She turned over to him and stuck a leg out to play-kick him. He grabbed her ankle and gave a short tug to it. It made her slide and fall on her back, taking over the couch. Her head landed in James’ lap, who was still giving her that wolfish grin.

  Antonio came back and laughed at the position she found herself in. “Can’t leave you alone with us for a damn minute,” he teased down at her.

  She pushed herself up and fixed her hair. Thomas gave her the ankle back and chuckled, leaning back again in his chair.

  “I’m wondering, though, I’m not a wolf,” Abigail pointed out. “So…how do I…you know.”

  “There’s four of us,” Thomas reminded her. “We’re all basically inner circle, and I’m certain there’s a way you can convince them to let you do something that doesn’t involve fur flying and teeth.”

  “I can think of a few things,” Antonio teased.

  She looked away from Thomas and to Antonio, who winked at her. She felt the heat return to her cheeks in another blush, which had James laughing, curling into a ball.

  “Stop messing with her,” Thomas ordered, as he got out of his chair. He held out a hand for her and waited. “Abigail, you can come help me. I’ll save you from these fools.”

  “I distinctly remember you pulling my leg a second ago,” Abigail said, standing up to follow him. She didn’t take his hand, though, feeling a bit like she should avoid even more physical contact with the wolves. They were all smelling pretty desirable at that moment. A glance back at James showed her that he was staring directly at her ass. Antonio was similar, his eyes trailing down to the same location. “Can I get a change of clothes and a shower before we get started with anything today?”

  “Certainly,” he chuckled. “Come back whenever.”

  “I will,” she answered. “I might even bring a couple changes of clothes, just in case.”

  “Seems like a good idea. I’ll be in the garage. These two…will make themselves busy…I hope.” Thomas groaned playfully.

  “Sure they will,” she teased gently.

  Abigail was back at the farmhouse two hours later, wearing clean clothes and feeling fresh. She answered a few texts from Riley, but no plans were made, and Abigail could easily deflect where she was. She just wanted time and privacy to figure this out. She promised herself that she would tell Riley everything once she knew what to say.

  “I’m in the Pack and…” She sighed. “I have an obvious crush on the wolves?”

  She didn’t know how to approach it, so she decided the conversation would need to come later, much later. She didn’t text her sister about it either, knowing it would spread through the Herd like wildfire.

  No, this was between Abigail and the wolves that called her to them. She was tired of running away, and in the last twenty-four hours, they had given her no reason to continue running. They just gave her reasons to blush.

  She walked into the garage and saw Thomas bent over a giant piece of wood, gently burning in designs. She walked closer, eyeing his lean, well-formed body. He gave out a small growl and straightened up to look at her. His curly dark hair was messy and tossed, begging for fingers to run through it, but she kept her hands to herself as he locked her down with his gaze.

  “I won’t ask what you’re thinking,” he said quietly. “But I have a feeling I would like it.”

  “You are very bad at ignoring that I’m attracted to you,” she realized, raising her eyebrows at him. She didn’t blush this time, he did.

  “I seem to be,” he admitted, nodding. “My apologies.”

  “What is this?” She ran a hand over the unfinished, dark wood. The detailing he was adding was elegant. Swirls and flourishes lined the outside of the wood and she started to see other things in it. A spot, rosette-style like a leopard. A running form, like an abstract animal flying through the designs.

  “Riley’s new headboard for that bed I’m making them,” he told her, waving over it. “It’ll get an even darker stain once I’m done with the detailing. Then I need to reinforce it.”

  “Reinforce it?” she asked, frowning.

  “Zachary apparently broke Riley’s headboard back in December, maybe November. It was while the SSTF was guarding them. I need to make sure he can’t break this one.”

  “How does someone break a headboard?” Abigail wondered incredulously. Thomas snorted and gave her a look. It dawned on her. A massive male like Zachary…his lover’s headboard. “Well, that’s…rougher than I thought she would like.”

  Thomas threw his head back and laughed at that.

  She joined in, knowing she would need to hear all about this broken headboard from the cheetah. If a guy could rock a world that hard, there was no reason Riley shouldn’t be bragging about it constantly. Abigail would need the girl time soon anyways.

  “Want to help?” Thomas held out the contraption he was using to burn the wood and Abigail shook her head.

  “I’m no good at art things,” she informed him. “I’ll watch, though. You’re doing beautiful work.”

  “I’m hoping she likes it,” he sighed happily. “She’s a good kid. I really like her. Those males in the Pride don’t deserve her.”

  “Oh?” Abigail wondered if Thomas might have a crush, by the way he was talking.

  “I look at her like a sister. She reminds me of my sister. She…she’s a wildfire, that girl. Individually, I don’t think any of them deserve her.” Thomas took a deep breath and grinned. “As a Pride? Those fuckers are all perfect for each other.”

  “You sound attached,” she pointed out.

  “I am,” he admitted.

  “Where did the guys go?” she asked, dropping the conversation of the Pride. She was also a little attached to the felines. And Wild Junction. And him, along with the rest of the Pack. She shifted the conversation, so she didn’t risk admitting that.

  “Shopping,” Thomas chuckled. “Groceries and the like. We eat a lot of red meat, and it’s fine for us, but you need more greens than we have here.”

  “That’s very thoughtful of you,” she said, wistful, as he went back to work on the headboard. “Most prey are vegetarians by choice. I’m not, obviously, but you’re right. I need more fruits and vegetables in my diet than most and can’t handle as much red meat as you eat. Thank you.”

  “I know,” Thomas whispered. “You’re welcome. You need to stop thanking me, though. We’r
e just doing what a Pack is supposed to do. You know that.”

  “I thought I knew what Packs were all about, but…”

  “You knew a bad Pack,” Thomas growled out. Then he shook his head. “North Dakota isn’t a bad Pack. There are worse. They have an Alpha who’s a self-centered child and that colors my opinion, especially since you were a victim of that manchild.”

  She watched him work after that, finding a stool to perch on and pay attention. She didn’t know how to respond to him, so she just asked about his work, his hobby for making beautiful wooden furniture. He told her what he was doing as he moved around the garage, slowly introducing her to his craft.

  She could hear the truck on the dirt road thirty minutes later. She looked towards where the sound was coming from and he frowned at her.

  “What’s got your attention?” he asked, confused.

  “The guys are back,” she told him. “I can hear it. You’ll be able to soon.”

  He looked in the same direction as her and tilted his head. When he broke out into a grin, she knew he heard it too. “I normally don’t pay that much attention.” He chuckled. “You’re always so keyed in on your hearing.”

  “It’s the only sense I have that’s better than yours, better than other shifters’, so yeah. It’s useful. When I focus, I can hear a heartbeat,” Abigail bragged, smiling, feeling a bit proud of herself.

  “I like that. You don’t shut out what you know makes you better than the rest of us, what being a doe gives you.” Thomas seemed appreciative and nodded. “Let’s go out and help them. They’ve been gone for over an hour. They probably bought out the damn store.”

  She laughed and jumped off the stool to follow him. James and Antonio had nearly bought out the store from the looks of it. She gaped at all the food they had in the truck and grabbed several bags to help them. It took nearly ten minutes to get it all in the kitchen, where James immediately shooed her away so he could put it all away.