by Lynn Crain
Connor knew they would have preferred if he called them the clan, but in truth, they were a pack of animals in the most sadistic of ways. They tried to hide it under the cloak of what they called “survival” but he doubted it had anything to do with survival anymore. He would bet it had more to do with revenge. He surmised that would be something the Elites could tell him.
Reflecting back on the last thirty-eight years would be tough, he knew, because many of the memories were bad or hazy. So he decided to reflect on his missions of the last twelve months. They had gotten more and more brazen in their frenzied notion that they had to have an Elite princess. When the middle one had been married off, the tension had become almost unbearable. Many nights he could hear them fighting amongst themselves, and the morning would dawn with one less member of the pack.
From that point on, the attacks were even more weird and brazen in nature. Rowan, more than ever, had the single task in mind of taking down Charles Langford. The raids had been moving closer to that goal in an ever inward spiraling circle of his close intimates. The last Conner was on had been the son of Langford’s most trusted aide. But when it came right down to doing the deed, he’d put the boy to sleep telepathically. Connor had left him where the boy could be found by his family and other Elites, and told the pack that the boy was dead. It still made him cringe inside to know that this pack had thought it necessary to kill a young boy to attain their goal. And now, if rumors were true, the last Elite princess was married. He could only imagine what pack life was going to become.
Looking at the clock on his bedside table, he knew the time had come. Gathering up his things for his daily trip to the shower, he tried to make it look as if it were any other day. Still, inside he almost felt a twinge of excitement that he would finally be getting out of this place. Getting up with his stuff in his arms, he pounded on the door. If nothing else, he could go to them clean, both physically and mentally.
“Hey, Rufus. Let me out. I want to get my shower now.”
The door flung outward and Rufus’s bulk stood in the doorway. Connor licked his lips. He was glad it was this man…this wolf…that he would take out first. This one had been unnecessarily brutal when it came to claiming women and victims.
“Get a damn move on it, Connor. I don’t have all night. You know I loathe water. Besides, I need to get back to some fine ass I have waiting for me.”
“Sure.” He held out his hands. Connor hated this part but he knew the routine by now.
“I don’t hold with that bullshit. If you were gonna escape it would have been before now.” Rufus looked down on him as he was about two inches taller and fifty pounds heavier.
“Wouldn’t think of it.” Inwardly, Connor sighed. One less thing he would have to worry about. He took the lead as was the norm.
The compound was a hodge-podge of various sized cabins, some with and some without plumbing. It depended where you were in the hierarchy as to what kind of place you had. There were some real nice places like those that Kill and Rowan lived in, even if they were poor housekeepers. Until five years ago, Connor had had a bedroom in Rowan’s spacious digs. Now his little ten by twenty room had to suffice, and while it had its charm he certainly wouldn’t miss it. Still, it made him wonder just what to expect once he got to the Elites.
Suddenly, feelings of longing covered him like a heavy wool cloak, forcing Connor to decide where it would be best to take the piece of bulk following him closely. He harbored no ill-will toward Rufus even though in his eyes he was just another pawn in Rowan’s games and stupid at that. But he had to be careful because even though Rufus was large and usually clumsy, all that went away when he turned into a wolf. The takedown would have to be immediately when he came out of the shower room because there was no other way out large enough except through the entrance door.
Sighing, he continued on the path and began to whistle to hide his nervousness.
“You can quit that annoying noise.”
“Sorry.” Connor instinctively dropped his head. They were always smacking him when he did something they didn’t like.
“Stop that. You’d think we had tortured you or something.”
Connor raised his eyebrows slightly. “You think a ten by twenty room with no way out isn’t torture?”
“I don’t have any control over that, buddy. You pissed off Kill and he took it to Father.”
Maybe Rufus had a heart after all. He was a half-breed Alpha, the result of one of Rowan’s raids on that clan. “And I suppose you all have to go along for the ride.” It was a statement, not a question, of how Connor felt.
Rufus looked uncomfortable for a quick moment. “Look, I’m not someone who will ever give Rowan or Kill a reason to be pissed off at me. They’re our family. I suggest you do the same.”
“I’m afraid I’ve already gone a step too far.” He smiled wryly at the man he called brother.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Rufus stared at him.
Ignoring the question, Connor turned and stalked into the shower room. He couldn’t understand why he was suddenly so much on edge. Turning on the shower, he adjusted it to a tepid temperature, hoping that would quell his rising anger at the situation. Taking all his clothes off, he looked at his body critically for what seemed like the millionth time. His body was riddled with scars because of Kill’s repeated admonishments when he would get slow and sluggish He had a new scratch on his abdomen and another slash across his back. He had gotten those on his last raid. The first he inflicted on himself and he still couldn’t bring himself to dwell on the why of the matter too long. The second was from not getting out of Kill’s way fast enough. He had earned every one of them and could remember how he received each one in detail. The only portion of himself he really didn’t like was his hair. It was long, and the unkempt look it gave him was sometimes very annoying. The best he could hope for tonight would be to tie it back to keep its thickness from his eyes.
Stepping into the water, he quickly finished his task and dried off briskly. If he had time, he would relieve himself of the heaviness he felt in his balls. He hadn’t had a woman in almost a month and it was beginning to affect him. It had taken him years to learn to get his urges under control, and quite a few more to realize his urges were tied to the moon like a woman’s heat. The other Betas had not seemed to have the problem with the moon like he did.
Putting on what he considered his Sunday best, he pulled his hair back with a tie and put on his shoes. Slowly, he stretched out to prepare for what he knew would be the battle ahead. Finally, when he felt he had prepared himself enough, he opened the door carefully, trying to gauge the distance to Rufus. Surprised, he closed the door quickly.
The man just simply wasn’t there.
Connor shook his head. He couldn’t believe his luck but then Rufus had said he wanted to get back to a piece of tail. Cautiously, he opened the door again and stuck his head out to sniff the air. There was no one within walking distance of the shower. Hell, as far as he could tell, there wasn’t anyone within shouting distance either. Did Rufus really go to get a piece of ass or was this whole thing a setup?
Frankly, Connor didn’t want to stick around to find out. Looking at the stars, he got his bearings and decided it would be faster in wolf form. Moving into the forest, he quickly took off his clothes and tied them into a bundle. So much for taking a shower. He fleetingly wondered if it were this easy for his siblings to morph into wolfen form. Soon, he was padding his way through the lush forest that surrounded the compound.
Before he knew it, he was at the edge of the forest at the designated meeting spot. Looking and sniffing around, he felt satisfied no one had followed him. Setting down his bundle, he morphed back into human form and bent to retrieve his clothes. Quickly dressing, he looked down the road in time to see headlights coming in his direction. He waited behind one of the larger trees until he could see the occupants of the car as they stepped out. Connor knew the woman he had been communicating with the mo
ment he saw her step out from the side closest to him. Her hair was silver blonde to his white blond; behind her stepped another blonde and then a redhead. The moment of truth was upon him. He stepped out of the shadows and into the light of a half moon, making his way across the hundred feet or so that separated him.
“Connor?” Her voice was soft and husky.
He sighed. “You know, I don’t even know your name.” His voice sounded deep and confident.
She smiled then and the moon could barely hold a candle to her light. “I’m your little sister, Clarity.”
“You don’t look very little to me.”
“She isn’t. She’s a big pain in the ass if you ask me.” The redhead took him in from head to toe. “I’m Chastity, by the way.”
Connor inclined his head in her way. She seemed vaguely familiar too and he wondered if she weren’t the red wolf by the river. That had been his first real mission and now he was really glad he had screwed it up. This was so much to take in. They smelled so much like him it was unreal.
“Don’t let them fool you; they’re both a pain. I’m Charity. We’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”
Connor lifted his eyebrows and chuckled. “You could say that. But I really think we should get out of here because I escaped way too easily.”
At that moment, a howl erupted in the distance. Two men suddenly appeared, one on either side of the car.
“Ladies and Connor, I suggest we get moving.”
Clarity sidled up to Connor. “As long as I can sit beside him.”
“It’s the oldest sister’s right, young lady. It should be my honor.”
“Hey, wait a minute, what about me?”
Connor, frustrated already, turned to the man behind him who was trying to shove them into the car. “Are they always like this?”
“Yeah. Always. Welcome to the world of the Langfords.”
* * * * *
Three men materialized within the darkness of the forest and gazed at the reunion. They watched as greetings were exchanged. They watched the effect the howl had had on them.
“Do you think he knows it was a setup?” Rufus questioned quietly.
“Did you tell him everything like we planned?” an older wolf questioned.
“Of course, he did, Father.” Kill peered at the old man, shaking his head in disbelief.
“Kill, just because you tell someone something doesn’t mean he did it. I’ll ask the question again. Did you tell him what I instructed?”
Rufus swallowed hard, knowing that at this moment he needed to address his father as clan leader. “Of course I did, Rowan. I would never cross the leader of the pack.”
“Good…good…now our weapon is in place.”
Chapter Three
Connor looked around at his sisters. Suddenly, there was a barrage of voices in his head.
Are you all right?
Did they hurt you?
Are you hungry?
Connor held up his hands in self-defense. “Guys…the telepathy thing is new to me…you’re the only ones I’ve used it with. All that chatter in my head is going to give me a headache.”
The large man across from him snorted then slid his hand over his mouth to keep the laughter from exploding.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Charity punched him in the arm.
“Ouch, what was that for?” the man questioned with a light accent.
Connor smiled. He recognized the man’s smell. “I know you and I take it that you’re Charity’s lifemate.”
“Whatever gave you that idea?” He directed the question toward Connor this time.
“Could’ve been the fact that she just punched you and I recognize your smell from the camp. You’ve been there before.”
“And he’s gonna get punched again if he doesn’t mind his manners.” Charity glared at him.
“Mind my manners? What about you?” Lucas questioned as he continued to gaze at Connor.
“Children!” Clarity admonished. “Please. I’m sure this isn’t the first impression we want to give our newly found brother.”
“Right. I’m Lucas Kendal.” The man stretched his hand across the space.
Connor grabbed it tentatively. Betas never shook hands. “I guess I’ll have to get used to some things.” He swallowed hard. This was really going to be hard, he thought as Lucas reached for his sister’s hand. A growl almost formed in his throat. “Is it normal for me to be uncomfortable when you’re touching my sister?”
This time the snort came from the seat next to Lucas. The man sitting next to him had longish hair and a wolfen star between his eyes extending slightly to his forehead. He knew it immediately to be a family mark. Just as he somehow knew that his sister Chastity had the man’s mark on her because she was his lifemate. The man stuck out his hand.
“I’m Justin Matthews Sinclair.”
Chastity reached for the man’s arm and gently caressed it as if soothing an old wound.
There was a wealth of information in just that one statement and caress. This man was not happy to see him; that much he could tell, and this sister was obviously the oldest as evidenced by her red-gold hair.
Connor grabbed his hand firmly and tried to convey his feelings in his grip. This man had nothing to fear from him. “Connor…” he hesitated for a moment. “Angus, I guess.”
“We can see about having that changed for you if you want. I’m sure Rowan made sure it was legal.”
Connor sighed. “Want? No one has ever asked me what I want before.” He looked around and saw the expectant looks on his sisters’ faces. “I’m just going to have to see what pans out. This is all so…so weird.”
“I can understand that, Connor.” Clarity, who sat next to him, patted his arm.
“Your mate’s not here.” It was a statement of fact. He couldn’t smell her on the other two men.
“No. He’s home making sure everything is safe. He’s a psychic like us.”
Connor shook his head. “I’m not sure I’m psychic but I do know that I’m attuned to you three.”
“Only to us?” Charity questioned.
Connor scowled. Was there something he was missing here? “Yeah…is that a problem?”
“No…no…of course not,” Charity answered.
“I think she was trying to ask if you ever felt any connection with our father.”
Connor let out a low sigh and rubbed his suddenly wet palms on his jeans. Father. That was a new one. Rowan has never really felt like his father and most of the time wouldn’t even let anyone call him father. Hell, he wasn’t even sure what it felt like to have a real father in his life. “I don’t know what you mean by connection. If you mean like I have with you three? Then no, I haven’t felt a thing from the man. I just find it strange that I never felt anything from any of you growing up.”
“How could you?” Lucas interjected.
“What do you mean?”
“Let’s look at this logically. Your connection only came about because Clarity was in a drastic state. She was pushed beyond everything she had ever known given that she had traveled back in time.”
“Back in time?” Connor stared at the man as if he were a loon. “What are you talking about?”
“Didn’t you know we have the ability to time travel?”
“I knew that we had the ability, if we were trained properly, to move ourselves through space as long as we had been to the spot we were going. But time?” He shook his head in disbelief.
“What type of training have you had?” Justin inquired.
“Advanced hand-to-hand as well as covert operations. I’ve had all sorts of weapon training.”
Justin frowned. “They’ve not taught you the histories?”
“The histories they taught me were all Beta from what I can tell. I don’t really know anything about the Elite. Or obviously, the special things we can do.”
“Hell, have you even morphed yet?” Lucas asked bluntly.
Connor swallowed hard.
“I’ve morphed.”
Chastity reached across the small space. “Don’t worry. So have I.”
Connor smiled. “It’s not that.”
“Then…what is it?”
“You know the whole time I fought for the Betas, it never felt right. Now that I’m here with you, I feel…right somehow…and yet sad.”
“Sad? For leaving the Betas?” Charity asked.
“No, sad that I may have killed someone you know.”
* * * * *
Sitting in the chair in Charles Langford’s office, he felt like kicking himself. He had always had an honest streak that had annoyed the Betas and now it was going to annoy the Elite. Still, he had to get that fact on the table. They had to know he may have killed one of them. Not that he had killed that many people. There were only two, and those two had wrenched his gut with emotion for weeks after. But they had been trying to kill him in the worst way, and in his haste to get away from them and their snapping jaws, he had killed them.
Getting up from the chair, he began to walk to the window, trying not to dwell on what he had done. He was momentarily drawn to the picture over the large desk. It was a beautiful scene of a wolf and a red-haired woman. Its draw was almost irresistible but he managed to pull himself away and walked to the large window. He could see the whole expanse of the city and its river. Just across that river, he saw the huge forest known as Brey Forest. It had been his home for his entire life and now it was something with a sinister feel to it.
“The view is beautiful, isn’t it, boy?”
He hadn’t even heard the old man come in. It was a technique he desperately wanted to master. “I’m hardly a boy any more, sir.”
“You’re my boy.” The old man grabbed him and roughly pulled him into his arms. And then he did the unexpected -- he cried.
Connor was stunned. Gently he patted the old man’s back, realizing he towered at least three inches above Charles Langford…his father. “I…I suppose I am, sir.”