by Desiree Holt
Ruby shook out her russet fur, trying to ignore the tantalizing scents of small mammals running for the undergrowth around her. She wanted to dart off and catch something afresh, but needed to focus on what Gregory wanted. He only used that particular type of howl if he needed to gather them for something important, and she had no idea what that something might be. Had he noticed she and Joel had gone? If so, he would be angry with them, for not asking his permission to mate first.
They reached the outskirts of their compound, and separated, Ruby heading east, while Joel went west. They had left a compact pile of clothing each, hidden just inside of the forest’s edge. They would shift back to human, and re-dress, and enter the compound from different points, so the rest of the pack wouldn’t take a guess at what they’d been doing. Of course, Ruby realized, she also had Joel’s scent all over her, now, and hers was all over him. Even with clothes covering their bodies, someone else might catch the change in aroma and put two and two together.
She just hoped that person wasn’t Gregory.
Ruby reached the spot where her clothes were hidden, and shifted back to her human form. She sensed the wolf retreat inside her, though even when dormant, it always affected her on some level. She blamed her feisty nature, and her inability to be content with anything, on her wolf. It was the easy option, easier than blaming her upbringing—the loss of both her parents when she’d been twelve, so she’d been raised by the pack. Her uncle had been there for her, but having him and Valerie as substitute parents was never going to make a girl feel wanted. Perhaps that was her problem—she desperately wanted to find love, but was so scared of making a mistake and getting it wrong, that she never wanted to commit.
Poor Joel.
The howl came again, and she hurried to get dressed. At a run, she made her way through the compound, toward the meeting house at the center. Though most of the month they lived regular hours like humans, at this time of the month they lived their lives by the full moon. Anything of importance was done during this special time, and so to have a meeting called at this hour was unusual but not unheard of.
Most of the pack had already gathered. She glanced around, catching sight of the faces she’d known her whole life. Across the other side of the gathering, she spotted Joel and offered him a small smile. They’d made it back in time and, hopefully, no one had noticed they’d been gone.
Gregory was in wolf form outside the front of the meeting house. As she watched, he lifted his big, shaggy black head and howled again at the moon, the sound both haunting and beautiful. Gregory was the most powerful wolf in the pack—both physically and mentally. He and his mate, Valerie, controlled everything the rest of the pack did, and they followed him implicitly. She noticed Joel’s brother, Holton, in human form, standing to one side and near the back. Holton was Gregory’s Beta, the second-in-command. She imagined things must have been tense between them since Holton and Joel’s sister had left.
As the last of the pack gathered, Gregory shifted back to man, and stood up straight. One of the subordinate wolves, Jaco, hurried forward to cover their alpha with a robe.
“I’ve gathered you today for an announcement,” Gregory began. “I’ve been thinking long and hard about a recent division in our pack, something that has been giving me sleepless nights. I cherish each and every one of you, as though you were my own children, and I’ve felt the loss of one of you like the loss of one of my organs. I’m sure you all know what I’m talking about.”
Ruby did. He was talking about Alyssa leaving with a rogue wolf.
Gregory continued. “I always believed us being packmates was enough to keep us together, but I’ve started to wonder if there is a way to bring us even closer. So, now, I’m going to announce the joining of two of our families. I’m aware this isn’t traditionally how we mate but, over the last few weeks, I’ve discovered that tradition isn’t always enough. Sometimes we have to step out of our comfort zones, if it means keeping us strong as a pack.”
Ruby glanced over at Joel again. A slight frown had creased his brow, an expression she felt sure matched the one on her own face. Nervous butterflies flitted around her stomach. What was her uncle up to?
“As you know,” Gregory said, “I tragically lost my sister and her mate, eight years ago. Since then, Valerie and I have been raising Ruby as our own daughter, and I consider her to be as close as a niece can be.”
Ruby tried not to snort at this piece of information. She didn’t think her uncle was even capable of being emotionally close to someone, but it was this cool-headedness that allowed him to be a good alpha, and someone able to make tough decisions when no one else would. However, she didn’t like the way this was going. What did she have to do with what he was saying?
“I wish to join two of our oldest families, my own, and the Goldings.”
Her heart hitched, and she flicked her gaze back to Joel. His mouth had dropped open. Had Gregory become aware of their secret meetings and decided enough was enough, and that they needed to be mated? Was he worried she would cause him embarrassment, if she continued heading down her current path, and so had decided to take matters into his own hands?
“Ruby,” he called out, “where are you?”
The small group parted, leaving the way open between her and her uncle. He focused on her, and stretched his hand toward her.
On shaky legs, she walked forward, between her fellow packmates, and then up onto the platform of the meeting house where her uncle stood.
As she stepped up, she felt Joel’s brother, Holton, watching her with his dark, brooding stare. Did he know she’d been running off with Joel, too? Was he angry with her?
She allowed her uncle to take her hand and pull her to a halt beside him. Then, to her surprise, he turned and nodded at Holton, who also stepped forward to stand on the other side of Gregory. The nervous fluttering in her stomach intensified, making her nauseated, and her mouth ran dry. What the hell was going on?
Her heart rate skyrocketed, and she looked to Joel in the crowd. His eyes widened in alarm and he gave his head a brief shake, telling her he didn’t know what was happening.
“In order to join our families and secure our future, I have ordered the mating of the oldest brother of the Golding family, Holton Golding, to my only living relative, Ruby Callaghan. Tomorrow, on the final night of the full moon, they will be mated.”
Her legs went weak beneath her, and only her uncle’s hand tight around her forearm kept her upright. A roar of approval rose up through the crowd and Ruby stood in stunned silence, completely unable to believe what had just happened.
One other person wasn’t cheering. Joel stood, stony-faced, staring directly at his brother.
Chapter 3
Holton Golding was perfectly aware of the way his little brother was staring at him through the crowd, and of the way the girl to his left trembled with shock.
He’d known there would be casualties when he’d discussed this plan with Gregory, but he figured the heartbreak of a couple of people who were barely out of their teenaged years was worth it if it meant the long term safety and security of the Dark Ridge wolves. If Gregory continued at their pack’s helm as alpha, they would lose more people, as they had Alyssa.
Gregory might have been a good alpha when he was younger, but he was over forty now, and was becoming selfish and lazy in his ways. He no longer thought about what was best for the pack and, instead, only cared about what he—and occasionally his mate, the equally lazy and selfish Valerie—wanted. Perhaps they would have been different if they’d been able to reproduce, as a mated alpha couple should, but infertility had blighted them and, over the years, Valerie had grown bitter, and Gregory self-centered. Even though Alyssa had been claimed by her mate, Callum, if things had been different with Gregory, she might not have chosen to leave with him and would have been able to bring Callum back to the pack with her. Instead, Gregory had threatened to rape her, and she’d been forced to leave.
That wasn’t s
omething Holton could forget or forgive quite so easily.
Every time he looked around and saw one of the younger female pack members coming into maturity, he wondered if she would be the next female Gregory would set his sights on. Holton had hated the way Gregory had looked at his little sister, but Gregory was their alpha. Holton was beta, and a strong and powerful male, but ultimately that meant little if you weren’t in charge of the pack.
Perhaps, by forcing Ruby to mate with him, he was proving himself to be not much different to Gregory with Alyssa, but he believed Ruby could handle the truth. She’d have realized it for herself, by now, had she not been so distracted, going out gallivanting with his younger brother. She was fierce and feisty, and beautiful, with her pale skin and flaming red hair. He didn’t believe for a moment that she would just lie down and let him mate her without a fight. The first person she’d go to was Gregory, but her uncle believed this was the right thing to do in order to keep their pack together. Gregory had been thrown by Alyssa’s actions in leaving the pack, he hadn’t liked that he’d been beaten by an outsider, and this had left him weak and open to suggestion. Mating Ruby would elevate Holton’s place in the pack even further. He was already beta, and it was assumed he’d be in line for Gregory’s position should something happened to the alpha, but having Ruby as his mate would only help secure that position. With her as his mate, no one would contest him.
Except, perhaps, his brother.
Holton locked eyes with Joel through the crowd. The fury he read in them made his blood run cold, but there was nothing he could do about it. He wasn’t going back on his plan now. Joel and Ruby weren’t destined to be mated, however much Joel believed he was in love. If they were, they’d have done it already. She’d been dancing around him like a beautiful but unattainable bird, always staying just out of Joel’s reach. If they were mated partners, they wouldn’t have been able to help themselves, but Holton knew Ruby was still a virgin. His wolf could smell her virginity on her, like fresh summer rain on a sun soaked path.
He pushed thoughts of Ruby out of his head, and turned his gaze from the cold stare of his brother. Joel would get over it. He was only twenty-three. One of the other female members of their pack would turn eighteen, soon, and Joel would discover himself drawn to them. Whatever his brother thought, Ruby wasn’t the mate for him.
The roar of approval from the crowd died down and Ruby turned to them both, anger flashing in her ice-blue eyes.
“I need to talk to you both,” she hissed. “Now!”
Holton suppressed a smile. This was exactly what he’d been expecting.
Gregory turned back to the crowd. “Thank you for giving up your time to be here tonight. I know time under the full moon is precious to us all. Go now, and enjoy the rest of the night in the skins of your wolves.”
The focus upon them dissipated; people starting to gossip about the turn in events, or running off to remove clothing and shift.
Holton discovered a female hand wrapped around his forearm, and he was yanked into the shelter of their meeting house. Ruby also had a hold of her uncle, dragging him with her as well, so all three of them ended up inside and away from the curious eyes of the rest of the pack.
She placed her hands on her curvy hips, and glared at them both. “What the hell was that all about?”
Holton remained silent, letting his alpha talk.
Gregory gave a sigh of exasperation. “You heard every word I said, Ruby. You’re to be mated tomorrow night, and I don’t want to hear another word about it.”
“Since when do we do this? Since when do we force matings?”
“You don’t know I’m not your mate, Ruby,” Holton said. “You haven’t spent enough time with me to discover that for yourself.”
She glared at him. “You’re what, like ten years older than me! That’s just gross.”
He grinned. “I’m eight years older than you, Ruby, and we’re both adults. It’s far from gross.”
Gregory growled. “Age has no relevance to mating, Ruby. You should be pleased you’ve been paired with Holton. He’s a powerful wolf. You could have done a lot worse.”
She rolled her eyes. “What is this, the fucking dark ages?”
“Ruby!” Gregory snapped. “You will do what’s best for your pack. Our two families need to be as one to create unity for the pack. You know of all the unrest lately. If I hear you have been a part of it, I won’t hesitate to punish you, severely.”
Holton stepped in, his hand outstretched to divide uncle and niece. “There’s no need for that. I’m sure Ruby understands.”
She ignored him. “Why this brother? Why not the other one? Why not Joel?”
It hurt him to think she would prefer his brother to him, but he shouldn’t have been surprised.
Gregory scoffed. “Joel is no more than a kid himself. He has no power in this pack, nor will he ever have. Besides, it’s tradition that the oldest mates first. Unity, Ruby. Keep that word in mind. If we don’t have that, we have nothing, and is that what you want? For our pack to fall apart? What happens if a rival pack happens to wander past, perhaps looking for a new home, and senses mistrust and division in our ranks? You know what happens then? At best we end up homeless, at worst we end up dead. You want that on your conscience?”
She pressed her lips together and shook her head. Holton could see how hard she was holding it together, trying to be strong and brave, even though her heart must be breaking. He felt for her then, wishing he could do something different, but also admiring and respecting her for it.
“I can’t believe this,” she cried. “You’re giving me no choices.”
And she turned and stormed from the meeting house, Holton watching her round ass move beneath her summer dress as she strode away.
Chapter 4
Ruby made it around the corner from the meeting house before she allowed the tears to flow. She hadn’t intended on giving either her uncle or Holton the satisfaction of seeing her cry. One thing Ruby hated was appearing weak, and she certainly didn’t intend on doing so in front of Holton.
Her mind went to the man who was to be her mate. He was big—as though he should shift to bear instead of wolf—with long, dark hair, and a jaw covered in enough stubble to be classified as a beard. She bet his body was hairy, too, and she gave a shiver of revulsion. He would be rough with her, she could tell. He’d pin her down and force himself on her if she tried to resist him. The shiver of revulsion suddenly morphed into something else, coalescing between her thighs in a tingling flow of pressure. Ugh. No, that wasn’t her thing. She liked her men to be young and sweet, just like Joel.
Damn it. How was Joel feeling, right now? He must be heartbroken to learn she was to be mated to his brother. Joel and Holton were close, and this was bound to put a huge wedge between them. Joel was at risk of losing his sister, his brother, and his potential mate, all within a few weeks of each other. She didn’t want that to happen. She couldn’t do anything about his sister, or about that she was going to be mated to someone else, but she could at least try to help build bridges between him and Holton.
Ruby sniffed and wiped her face, just as Joel came running around the corner after her. “Ruby, wait up!”
She allowed him to catch up with her, and he grabbed her and pulled her into a hug. She wanted to melt against him, but forced herself to put her palms against his chest and push him away. She couldn’t allow Joel to feel close to her now.
“I can’t fucking believe this,” he said, his face taut with pain. “Gregory can’t make you mate to Holton. He just can’t!”
“I don’t have any other choice.”
He took her by both shoulders to look directly into her face. “There must be another option. I’ll talk to Gregory. Our families will still be joined if I’m the one you’re mated to.”
She shook her head. “I already tried that. Gregory said it had to be the oldest brother.”
Joel growled. “Then I’ll kill Holton, and that’ll make
me the oldest.”
She pulled away, dislodging his hands from her shoulders. “Don’t be ridiculous, Joel. You couldn’t kill Holton, even if you wanted to, and I know you don’t want to. This isn’t your brother’s fault. He probably hates the idea of mating me as much as I do him.”
Joel’s eyebrows lifted and he gave a snort. “Yeah, right.” He curled his lip, and Ruby knew he was imagining her and Holton together, and it was fueling his anger. “You and I need to run away, together. We’ll take off, tonight. Maybe see if we can find my sister and her new mate. They said they were going to start a pack of their own. We could make a new home with them.”
Her stomach sank. The Dark Ridge Hills was her home. She didn’t want to start again. Perhaps if she’d been filled with the certainty that Joel was her true mate, then she’d have been seriously considering it, but would she really give up everything for a man she wasn’t even sure she was supposed to be with?
Ruby shook her head. “I can’t do that. This is about the pack. If we run off, we’re only going to divide us further, and it will weaken the Dark Ridge wolves. I can’t have that. I’m just going to have to go through with it.”
“No way. I won’t allow it. I’ll kill Holton first.”
“That’s the last thing I want you doing.”
“Maybe this isn’t about what you want?”
His words hung between them, like something physical suspended in the air.
Ruby stared at him in shock, turning over what he’d just said, realizing she hadn’t misheard him. “No? I thought that was exactly what this is about? Or are you less worried about the fact I’ll be mated to someone I don’t even like than the fact you won’t be the one who gets to mate me?” She saw him hesitate, and knew her instincts had been correct.