by Eva Gordon
Rather than argue, she dashed away from the trail at full speed and through the bramble. Damn, she’s fast. Nonetheless, he gave her a minute. Two minutes. His hind paws kicked the ground. Ready or not, here I come.
Slade picked up her scent and gave chase. His heart pounded as he drew closer. Abella. Before long, he caught up to her and paused as she trotted at her leisure over a fallen log above a creek. On the other side, she pranced and then bowed, come and play.
He wagged his tail and stepped onto the log, but it rolled. He lost his footing and fell into the slow moving creek. Knee deep in water, he stared up at Cricket as she dashed off. Laughing like a fucking coyote.
Cricket either knew the log would roll or she caused it. Challenging are we? He leapt out of the water. Little Wolf won’t get too far.
Cricket enjoyed the game more than ever, but maybe she’d gone too far with the log trick. Hope he doesn’t go all pissed alpha on me. Okay, no more fun at his expense.
The scent of wet wolf drew closer.
Her adrenaline pumped.
Would the big bad sexy alpha mount her? No. Most likely he’d discipline her for humiliating him. Better find a way to say sorry from a safe place.
Cricket stared up at the towering trees. Nope, too hard to reach the first branch.
The explosive sound of paws raking the ground gave her no choice. Cricket squeezed into a hollow log.
Ugh. Spider webs and slimy fungi pressed against her coat. She crawled toward the exit, but failed. Stuck.
She whimpered. Now what? Her pulse raced. Can’t breathe. She tried to use her claws, but couldn’t stretch them out. Shifting into her larger human form would make it worse. The wood too thick to splinter, even if she could budge. Enclosed spaces triggered panic mode, but reasoning didn’t damper her terror, thanks to her bully half-sisters.
Her mind travelled to the time her evil sisters chased her down a badger den then entombed her with a boulder. Not an easy task, but the two alphas had no problems moving it even in wolf form. “Please Dacia, Oriana, let me out!”
Dacia laughed. “Not until you promise to lick my ass clean.”
“Mine too,” said Oriana. “Seems like the wild berries gave us soupy shit.”
“Screw both of you.”
“Then stay here. Buried alive,” said Dacia.
Would they really leave her to die? Weren’t they satisfied in another year, the change would kill her anyway? Her heart thrashed in her ears. Which would be worse, a slow death of dehydration and starvation, or the long painful death brought on by the change? No. I don’t want to die, not now, nor during the change. Cricket yapped. “Okay, I’ll do it.”
Oriana snarled. “Do what?”
“Lick your ass.”
A distant howl called them for the hunt.
Dacia snapped. “Too late. We need to go.”
“No. Wait!” Cricket yowled.
The next morning the alpha, her older half-brother, Colby, followed her scent. He and his betas shoved the boulder out of the way and freed her. Her claws bled to the quick from the scratching, and she almost died from an infection. As punishment, Dacia and Oriana were forbidden to eat meat for a week.
Slade’s paws pattered around the log, and she snapped out of her bad memories and managed to whimper.
His deep warning growl reverberated through the quiet forest. “You have five seconds to come out.”
Alpha bully. “Or what?” Bite her delicate nose, or spank her? At this point, she’d welcome even licking his ass.
“Or, you do all night guard duty.”
“Umm. I think I’ll need more than five seconds. Maybe a buzz saw.
He pawed at the log. “Huh?”
“I’m stuck.”
Slade lowered his head and stuck his nose in. “Seriously?”
“Yes, seriously.”
“I don’t know how Rylee allows you on missions. You are accident prone.”
“Shit happens only when I’m around you.”
“I’m not the one always inches from death.”
She whimpered in frustration. “Not fair. I was trying to hide from you.”
“Maybe I should leave you here without water and food, while I go into town and interrogate witnesses about Randi’s disappearance.”
“Are you nuts? You don’t get to interrogate human witnesses, and if you leave me here for much longer I’m going to pee myself.”
He laughed. “We’ll both be wet, thanks to your log trick. Only I’ll smell better.”
“Oh, that. Sorry.”
Something stung her, and she yelped.
“What happened?”
“I think a spider bit me.”
She expected him to make some snide remark, but instead, he reached in and licked her nose.
“Don’t worry, Abella, I’ll get you out.”
“I told you…don’t…” She shut her mouth. If he got her out, he could call her runt if he chose.
His face disappeared. No. Don’t go. Cricket yelped.
“Relax, I’ll have you out soon.”
Tears welled in her eyes. “Okay.” The log rolled. Great. I’m going to be stuck upside down. “What are you doing?”
“Looking for a weak spot.”
Upside down, she clawed at the ceiling and bits of fungi crumbled onto her face. Ooh, gross.
“Good. Charred. Don’t move.”
“Not that I can.”
“Close your eyes.”
She did so.
He raked his powerful claws above her over and over. Splinters rained on her face, and then fresh forest air.
I’m free. Before she could crawl out, he grabbed the scruff of her neck and lifted her out as if she was a pup. Who knew what type of punishment he’d mete out? “Hey, put me down.”
The large white wolf laid her on her back. Cricket trembled as if she’d just fallen through an icy lake. He stood over her and began licking her face. A gentle loving tongue. Wiggling like a nervous Chihuahua, she wagged her tail, whimpering in pure satisfaction. She exposed her throat, happy to submit to her rescuer. Warmth spread through her body. No other wolf, except for her mother, and on rare occasions, her father, had treated her with such love and attention. And that was when she was a pup, long before her parents left her in the pack with her evil half- sisters.
Slade mouthed her nose, then let go and cocked his head. “Are you okay?”
Cricket snapped out of her helpless stupor and shot up. She shook her fur, getting rid of any creepy crawlies from her body. “Yeah, thanks. I’m good.”
“Good thing, you weren’t alone.”
“We are a team, so it’s nice to know we can count on one another watching out for our asses.”
“Oh, I’ll never stop watching your ass.”
Alpha tease. “Hah, hah.”
Slade stiffened and sniffed the air.
She smelled wild boar. “Don’t even think of bacon.”
“Why not? It’s not like there are humans in the area.”
“True, but cleanup would be a bitch.” She wiggled her ass to shake off some debris.
He gave her a lustful look; drooling out of the corner of his jaw, then shook his head as if coming to his senses. “You’re right. Let’s get rest.”
“At least, you will. I have night watch, remember?”
“We will both nap.”
Alpha’s never really fell into a deep sleep, so there was really no point in her staying up all night anyway. “If you say so, and as long it doesn’t involve crawling into an empty log.”
“Agreed.”
Slade took in all the evening sounds and scents of the forest night. He gazed at Cricket curled into a tight ball. Her dainty front paws covered her nose. He smiled. Abella. She looked so peaceful, trusting. Try as she might, she had fought sleep, but at last, she succumbed. He settled next to her and sighed in contentment.
Listening to her breathe, he gently laid a paw over her. She snuggled closer, and his heart pattered. H
e drifted into sleep.
Her soft whimpers, followed by snapping growls woke him. He cocked his head. Her paws trembled, and she growled. A nightmare. Because of him? He nudged her. “Cricket, wake up.”
She snarled and he recoiled, not expecting her rage. “What? Where am I?”
“With me, Slade. On a mission. You had a nightmare.”
Cricket sat and gazed around, still acting disoriented. She bowed her head. “Sorry. I’m not normally a deep sleeper.”
“You needed your sleep.”
Cricket stretched like a cat. “I can stand watch, now.”
“No need. It’ll be daylight soon.”
She nuzzled beneath his neck and licked him. He stood enjoying every precious second of her full attention. The feel of her tongue felt so good, whether on his cock or simply showing wolfish respect toward her alpha. When she finished lavishing him with affection, she pranced around, eager to go. “Hold on. Before we go, do you remember your nightmare?” It bothered him more than he imagined that she may have been stressed because he confused sex with some special attachment.
“I’d rather not say.” She trotted toward the motorcycle.
He joined her. “About me, then?”
She threw him a wolfish grin. “That wouldn’t have been a nightmare.”
“Good to know, since you were growling and quite upset.”
“Ah, probably about my fucked up pack life prior to the change.”
“Rylee said you were thrown out after the change.”
“Trust me, it was for the best.”
“I have a good mind to nip off the nose of the alpha who threw you out.”
She stopped, her tail tucked down, and her eyes saddened. “You have no reason. It’s over. I belong to Rylee’s pack.”
Damn. She was right. He had no reason to pursue the matter. She was no kin and certainly not a mate. However, he would someday give the Wyoming alpha a piece of his mind. Throwing out the weakest member of a pack was just wrong. “Very well then.” When they returned to human form, he’d call Jesper and ask him to fill him in on Cricket or rather Abella’s past. Explain to Jesper that knowing why she’d been thrown out would help him understand his partner better.
Chapter 11
Slade and Cricket ate breakfast at a country café. His phone vibrated.
Jesper texted, “Call me.”
Finally. Earlier, he had texted Jesper to get him a little background information on why Cricket's pack kicked her out. Anything. “I have to take this.”
“Business or pleasure?”
“Personal.” He narrowed his eyes. “Stay put.”
Cricket sipped her coffee. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Slade winked at her. “Enjoy your cup.” He walked behind the café and into a wooded area. Away from perky little ears. “Hey, Jesper, what do you have?”
“Sir, I found her background bio kept in her private file. Quite detailed, but I don’t see how it will help.”
Slade had pushed him, perhaps too far. “Knowing her past will help us work better as a team.” His fangs itched to escape and bite the phone. “Tell me.”
“Very well, sir. Her father, Cade threw her out, but not because he wanted to.”
Slade’s hackles rose. “Only the alpha can…wait…her father was the alpha?”
“Correct, sir. Cade had an affair with an omega named Chloe. Her mother.”
“An omega?” Not too unusual to have an omega as a mistress, but to have pups with her? Unheard of. “Did he not have an alpha mate?”
“He did. A royal princess alpha, Tessa, from one of the richest packs in Canada.”
“An arranged mating.” Yet, if he hadn’t felt the chemistry would he go through with it for greed? More than likely to avoid the public shame of having an inferior mate.
“Indeed. Tessa is still beautiful and powerful.”
“Yet, Cade continued his dalliance with the omega.”
“Cade loved Chloe since before the change, and later she gave birth to a daughter, Cricket. His alpha mate, Tessa produced three alphas, including the pack alpha, Colby. Tessa expected Cricket to die during the change, but when she survived, the alpha bitch insisted Cricket be thrown out.” Jesper’s breathing grew heavy. “Cricket mentioned her upbringing to me when she first arrived. She suffered miserably at the claws and paws of her two alpha half-sisters, Dacia and Oriana. I remember when Rylee first brought her here. Nothing, but skin and bones.”
Slade cringed. His pack had always been protective of the weakest members, never abusive. “Her brother allowed bullying?”
“Colby had no love for Cricket, a runt who seemed to win the favor of his father.”
“I will meet her father.”
“No sir, you can’t.”
“I can and I will.”
“He’s dead.”
“When?”
“After he kicked Cricket out of his territory. Imagine, doing this while she still lingered close to death after the change. They found him dead on Chloe’s grave. Shot himself.”
His heart ached for Cricket. Abella. A lycan’s first three years of living as a wolf should have been one of feral joy. Instead, she’d lived in abject misery. “Tragic indeed.”
“Sir, Cricket has proven herself to the team. I assure you, her past won’t interfere with the mission.”
“If anything, I admire her more.”
“Sir, I think it’s best not to discuss this with her.”
“Of course.” He felt remorse knowing Jesper had never wanted to share information about a pack member’s past. “If Rylee finds out you snooped, tell her I forced you. I’ll take the punishment.”
“That won’t be necessary sir.”
“Oh?”
“I asked Rylee, and she okayed it.”
Heat burned his face. Shit. So much for trusting Jesper. Of course, he’d ask his alpha. Was Rylee pissed he’d gone behind her back for intel on his little wolf? And why did she allow it? “Talk later.”
Slade put away his phone and returned to the café. Despite lycan law, her parents’ forbidden love had been true. He too felt drawn to a low ranked lycan, the lowest of the low, a runt. Last night as they romped in the woods and slept in their wolf forms, he felt so complete. Was he making the same mistake her father had, loving an omega? Was she following her mother's example? No. It was only lust. He must treat her as a team member. Nothing more.
He walked in while Cricket paid the cashier.
She smiled. “Call went well?”
“Yeah. Just tying up some loose ends.”
Cricket raised a questioning brow. “Cool. We better get back to biz.”
She must know he hid the truth, but had the good sense not to pursue it. “Agreed.”
They took off on the Harley, heading for Santa Cruz. The sooner this mission ended the sooner he could take time off and perhaps even visit his territory. Think about his duty and the reality of his future.
In less than thirty minutes, they arrived at the small travel agency, Adventure Work and Travel. Odd, this would be the last place Randi visited before he disappeared. They dismounted and took off their helmets. Cricket fingered back a curl from her forehead. “Looks like they just opened.”
“I’m surprised it’s still in business.”
“No kidding. Who goes to a travel agency when you can scan the internet for the best deals?”
“Not everybody likes sitting in front of a bright screen,” said Slade.
Cricket turned to him. “I’ll do all the talking.”
“No problem.”
She stopped before opening the door and gave him a sidelong glance. “Ever since we left the café you seem different.”
“How so?”
“I don’t know. More chill, or rather less alpha.”
Shit. That obvious? The entire ride, he brooded about how she’d been abused by her alpha siblings. Not to mention his mixed emotions about how he felt about her. He chuckled. “I’m doing my best to ac
t like a normal human, remember?”
“Good job, then.”
They entered the agency, and an older woman with long gray hair wearing a hippie tie-dyed dress looked up from a small television. She smiled and took off her round granny-style glasses. “How can I help you?”
“I wondered if you remember seeing this man?” Cricket took out a photo of Randi. The one without his motorcycle gear. Shaved.
She barely glanced at the photo. “Why?”
“He’s my brother, and he’s been missing for a few weeks. I believe he visited your agency before disappearing.”
“Says who?” she asked suspiciously, no doubt her counter-culture mindset thought they were undercover cops.
Slade probably fueled her imagination. He stood, stiff as a board, scanning each inch of the office. Every cell of his body telegraphed his military or law officer authority. She wanted to scream, “chill,” but instead, she smiled. “Hey, babe, show her the picture of Randi on his motorcycle.”
He winked, and her heart melted. “Sure, hon.” He took out the picture of Randi with a full beard and wearing leather. “Look familiar?”
The woman’s heart sped up. She recognized him. “Nope.”
Slade smiled and lifted her chin so their eyes met for his alpha mind control.
Cricket wished she had that ability, but only alphas and some betas did. Not only did it compel humans to tell the truth, but an alpha’s gaze set them in a hypnotic state so they could recall details stored deep within their subconscious.
The woman nodded under his spell. “Yes, he came in and wanted brochures for Patagonia. He said he and his fiancée wanted to get married there.”
“Was he alone?” asked Slade.
“No, he came in with another biker. Something about biking the back roads of Argentina.” Doubtful his friend would join Randi and his fiancée on the road. He might have accompanied Randi for nefarious reasons.
Slade continued to hold her gaze. “Do you remember what he looked like?”
She swallowed. “About his height, brown hair dark eyes. Missing his left pinky. He might have lost it in an accident,” she said as if in afterthought.
“Did you sell them a ticket to South America?”
“No. He just wanted brochures.” She pointed. “Those.”