by Celia Kyle
Gavin frowned. “They didn’t know already?”
“My uncle’s true mate, Dana, had died in an accident several years earlier. I must have been about ten when it happened. All I remember is that my uncle was inconsolable for a very long time. I remember hearing whispers about him possibly going feral, but he managed to hold onto his sanity. Then he met Jenny. I don’t think either of them felt the fated mate bond, but they found solace with each other. Still, he wasn’t sure how the pack would react to their relationship, so he kept it hidden until Eric was born. At that point, he wanted to shout the news to the world.”
If she’d thought getting started had been hard, the next part promised to be excruciating. Her skin grew clammy as she remembered the horror of that night.
“I was playing peekaboo with Eric when I heard the first howl. My wolf knew instantly what was happening, but the human part of my brain couldn’t understand the message. I’d never heard the cry that meant we were under attack before.
“More howls and snarls joined the chorus, until one howl sounded louder than all the rest. I recognized my uncle’s cry of mourning. I’d heard it before, after his mate had died. In that moment, I knew Jenny was dead. When his howl was cut short, my skin crawled. I wasn’t sure what caused it then, but my wolf knew. The howls of our pack grieving for their alpha tore through the night. My uncle died while I was holding his crying son in my arms.”
Rachel didn’t try hiding her emotions. Only a robot could have done so while recalling the worst night of their life. Tears streamed freely and the napkin she used to wipe them away grew torn and twisted by her fingers. The only thing helping her through the ordeal was the warmth and strength radiating from Gavin’s hand, still holding hers.
“Even a little baby figured out my uncle was dead before I did. All the howls had erupted so quickly and from so many directions, my brain rebelled against them. Probably because I didn’t want to hear the message. When it finally sank in, though, I knew I had to get Eric out. If an enemy pack was attacking us, they’d kill the alpha as soon as possible and then make sure he had no sons to take his place. I bundled up Eric, grabbed the diaper bag and a can of formula, and got the hell out of the pack house.
“Did you come here?” Gavin asked.
“No, I jumped in my uncle’s truck and headed for the apartment my uncle and Jenny kept in Burrman for visitors. When I got there though, I spotted a handful of strange wolves skulking around the parking lot. I don’t know if someone recognized me or the truck or if they just smelled me, but after I drove past without slowing, three SUVs tore after me. The old truck couldn’t out run them, and they eventually ran me off the road. I’d like to say I’m grateful we didn’t roll or get in an accident, but after everything we went through after…”
Gavin’s fiery gaze mesmerized her into silence. “Never say such a thing. You survived. You both survived. You won, Rachel. Not him.”
She nodded mutely and then continued. The hardest part was over, so the rest would be smooth sailing.
“They dragged me out of the truck and tried bundling me into one of the SUVs, but when I saw they were just going to leave Eric to whatever fate befalls a baby abandoned on the side of a road, I freaked out. I convinced them he was my baby, and I think they finally brought him to me just to shut me up.
“By the time we arrived at the pack house, the fight was over. I didn’t need to see any bodies—the aroma of death hung in the air like fog. It was thick and pungent, like nothing I’d ever smelled in my life. Sadly, I’ve smelled it all too often since then.
“Brian’s goons dragged me in front of him. I’ll never forget him sitting in my uncle’s chair like it was his throne, covered in my uncle’s blood and grinning like a madman. Before he could deal with my insolence in fighting his sentries, a teenage boy lunged for Brian’s enforcer. Fire blazed in Brian’s eyes and he started toward the boy, but I blocked him.”
“Oh shit,” Gavin breathed, squeezing her hand tighter.
“Oh shit, indeed. I was only sixteen and had grown up in a healthy pack where a male wouldn’t think of raising his hand to a female, much less a child, much less a child holding a baby. It didn’t work that way in Brian’s pack, as I quickly discovered.”
She ignored the low growl coming from Gavin. If they truly were mates, it would only be natural for him to be angry that anyone had laid a hand on her. Besides, it felt nice that someone cared enough to want to protect her.
“My smart mouth got me into trouble more often than not and I got used to my punishments. I took them without complaint or even fighting back. Most of the time it was to protect one of my pack mates, so it was worth it.
“Then one night I stumbled across Brian torturing a female he’d changed against her will and something inside me snapped. My omega abilities had just started showing themselves when Alpha Fields was brought down, so of course I had no real training on how to control them. When I saw what Brian was doing to that woman and his glee… My instincts took over, and I focused all my energy on calming him to the point of docility. I kept him under my control until the woman escaped into the woods. I’ve thought about her a lot. Hoped she was okay and found somewhere safe.”
Gavin’s voice was tight when he spoke. “What did Brian do once you released him?”
“Nothing,” Rachel said with a disbelieving snort. “I think Brian understood I had a power he couldn’t control. After that, he and his goons left Eric and me alone, for the most part. Of course, he had no clue I couldn’t control my powers either, and I didn’t want him to test me, so I did my best to stay in line…” she grimaced. “For the most part.”
“But you survived. It’s over now. Don’t you want to start a new life?”
With me. She knew that’s what he was thinking and so was she.
“That’s exactly what I want, Gavin. Don’t you get it? After living under a crazy man’s thumb for so long, I’m not interested in allowing anyone to control our lives ever again. Your brother may be the greatest living alpha in the whole world, I’m just…”
“Scared?” Gavin asked quietly.
Terrified.
Chapter Seven
As the Blackwood pack enforcer, Gavin had seen plenty of battles in his time. He’d lost count of the number of scars that decorated his body. Blood, gore and death barely fazed him anymore. But this… He’d never experienced such chaos, such mayhem, such utter lunacy. Even his “let’s kick some ass” wolf whined and begged to run away. Coward. The wolf snorted. Like his human half wasn’t just as afraid.
“You okay?” Rachel arched an amused eyebrow at him.
A grinning Eric held her hand as he bounced along beside her. The pandemonium didn’t seem to disturb either of them in the slightest.
“I’m the enforcer of the strongest wolf pack in Georgia. I think I can handle a kindergarten graduation.” He even rolled his eyes to add to the façade.
Her pretty lips pressed together, and he could practically hear her tinkling laugh. “Sure.”
Burrman Elementary’s playground buzzed with activity. Parents hollered for wayward kids who ran around like tiny maniacs, all of them shrieking with excitement. A handful of little boys sat on the grass playing Duck Duck Goose, squealing as they chased each other in circles. A little girl wearing a frilly pink dress attempted to climb a flag pole and actually made it a few feet off the ground before her mother dragged her back to the ground.
“Are you sure this is what you want for your future, Gavin?” Rachel’s quiet voice reached him as she leaned closer. So, close her alluring scent made him forget where they were for a moment. “Because you’re looking at mine. A near-human boy at a human school and with other human kids. They won’t respect you simply because you’re a big, bad wolf—because they won’t know.”
Gavin frowned down at her and stopped walking. That didn’t stop Eric from bouncing around them both, tugging on Rachel’s hand to get a move on. Gavin stooped down, grabbed the boy’s shoulders and smil
ed.
“Hey, sport, could you give me and Rachel a minute?”
“Rachel and me,” Eric corrected, giving Rachel a quizzical look. “Right?”
“That’s right, little man.”
“Sorry,” Gavin said. “Could you give Rachel and me a minute? We’re just going to step around the corner of this building, but you have to stay right here, okay?”
“Aww,” Eric whined, shooting a longing glance at his friends playing on the swing set.
“I mean it, Eric. Stay put. Got it?” He added a touch of dominance to his voice to get his point across.
The boy sighed heavily as evidence of his bitter disappointment at having to wait a whole thirty seconds to start playing, then he dropped to the curb and pouted. Gavin bit back a chuckle, ruffled Eric’s hair, and then moved his hand to the small of Rachel’s back.
He guided her around the corner, out of earshot. “Rachel, you have to know, all I want is you.” Taking her hands, he poured all of his swirling emotions into his gaze, hoping she could sense his sincerity. He needed her to believe him. “I want everything with you. You, Eric, and yes, even the freak show that is happening right around the corner.”
Her shoulders shook with a quiet laugh. That was not something a fellow wanted to see after professing his undying loyalty to a woman.
“What?” he demanded as a rush of heat colored his face.
“Oh, just a werewolf calling a bunch of rowdy human kids a freak show.” She snorted and shrugged. “It’s funny.”
Gavin didn’t think he’d ever get tired of seeing her smile. Her beauty was so unlike any other woman he’d met. So relaxed and natural. With Eric and a full-time job, she had little time—or money, no doubt—for girlish finery, and that was a-ok with him. His heart swelled with an affection he knew would only grow with time.
Wrapping an arm around her waist, he pulled her close, cupping her cheek gently as he lowered his head. He brushed his lips across hers with in a nearly chaste kiss. He’d only meant to steal a quick kiss, but the electricity that scorched through him was anything but sweet. His body yearned to pull her closer, to feel her lips on his neck, his chest, everywhere. He wanted to feel her hair brush against him as she moved lower still.
She moaned against his mouth, and his cock throbbed, his body already aching after such a simple touch of their mouths. And that sound was quickly drowned out by a chorus of high-pitched Ewwws from a gaggle of kids peeking around the corner. Gavin broke free as a crimson blush crept up Rachel’s cheeks. Oops!
A primly dressed woman grabbed her daughter by the hand and dragged her away while glaring at Gavin and Rachel. “Behavior like that is meant for the bedroom, not a school.” Bending low, she hissed at her daughter. “This is why you’re going to private school next year.”
The hackles on the back of Gavin’s neck raised and he snarled at the quickly departing mother. No one talked him or his mate that way. As he moved to confront the woman, Rachel laid a hand on his chest and a wave of soothing warmth washed over him. Any urgency to chase down the bitchy woman and give her a piece of his mind melted away.
“Nobody’s ever talked to you like that before, have they?” Rachel flashed him a sly grin.
“Not and lived to tell about it,” he grumbled.
With a shake of her head, she used her most sickly-sweet Southern drawl and said, “Bless your heart.”
That was Southern code for “you’re an idiot,” and he felt like one. He’d spent plenty of time in Ashwood, the human town closest to the Blackwood lands, and his family had always enjoyed a fair amount of respect from the locals—even if the humans were clueless about their true nature. At the very least, if someone didn’t like one of them, they’d been smart enough to keep their opinions to themselves.
Giving up on protecting his honor against the snotty lady, he led Rachel back around the corner to fetch Eric.
Only Eric wasn’t there.
They’d been gone all of one minute, two tops, but the boy had disappeared just the same. Panic flared in Gavin’s chest, surprising him with its intensity.
He scanned the growing crowd, searching for Eric’s distinctive green-and-white-striped shirt. When he didn’t spot it immediately, his heart pumped a little faster and his wolf growled to be released. Of course, the beast’s keen sense of smell would find Eric before his shift had completed but shifting in front of a crowd of humans would only make matters worse.
Rachel’s brow knitted together, but otherwise she appeared calm as she looked around the area. She must have sensed his worry because she hooked her arm through his and hugged it tightly. That same calming warmth spread up his arm, but not enough to slow his heart rate.
“He’s fine, Gavin. I promise. He’s a good kid, a smart kid. We’re surrounded by his friends and their parents. He’s safe. We just have to find him. That’s all.”
“But he’s special. What if—”
“Relax. After six years of chasing after Eric, I can assure you, you get used to hunting down your children.”
Children.
Your children.
A vision of a whole passel of pups—all with Rachel’s silky blonde hair and his toffee eyes—popped into his head and warmed his heart. Rachel jerked him out of the daydream by calling Eric’s name.
No answer.
“Let’s go ask his friends.” Rachel pulled him toward the kids on the swings.
“No, ma’am.” A little girl named Gabby spoke up when Rachel asked if any of them had seen Eric.
Gavin fisted his hands and tried to tamp down the growing fear inside him. With every passing second, the knot in his chest grew tighter and tighter. If they couldn’t find him in the next five minutes, he’d shift and deal with the repercussions after finding his boy.
Even Rachel’s façade of calm was cracking, enough for him to smell the pungent anxiety rolling off her in waves as they looked behind bushes, bothered more kids, and called his name. Finally, she broke out every kid’s most dreaded tone—the “answer me or face the consequences” tone.
“Eric Jasper Fields! Get your butt out here!”
A few parents gave them sympathetic glances, as if they understood their pain. He couldn’t imagine how, not after everything Rachel and Eric had suffered. And after Gavin’s personal vow to protect Eric, every moment the boy was missing felt like an eternity in hell.
He sniffed the air again, searching in vain for that distinctive scent of cookies and warm sand that clung to Eric, but all the kids running around him confused his senses. He couldn’t isolate anything except Rachel’s increasing worry. If only all the kids were gone…
As if on cue, the outside bell rang, calling everyone to the gymnasium for the graduation ceremony. Gavin continued breathing deeply as he dodged sprinting children and already-exhausted parents trudging after them. At the edge of the playground, a thick bloom of honeysuckle nearly masked the smell of chocolate chip cookies and sandcastles.
He’s close!
The knot in his chest started to loosen as he peered into and under every bush big enough to hide a child. He finally found the boy tucked behind a shrub, curled in on himself and sniffling madly. Gavin crouched low and crawled in with him, wincing as branches scraped and poked his scalp.
“Hey, sport,” he said gently. “What’s up?”
“Go away,” Eric commanded, pulling his knees up and hiding his tear-stained face in them.
“Why don’t you just tell me what happened, okay?”
Eric shot a glare at Gavin that broke his heart. “You can’t tell me what to do! You’re not my dad. You don’t want to be my dad!”
“What are you talking about, Eric?”
“I heard you,” he said, angrily swiping the wetness from his cheeks. “You told Rachel all you want is her. You don’t want me. So, I don’t want you either!”
He dropped his face back to his knees and his little shoulders shook with sobs. Gavin stopped himself from pulling the boy into his arms and never letting
go, instinctively knowing he needed to move slowly to earn Eric’s trust. Remembering the conversation with Rachel—and purposely not thinking about the make out session afterward—Gavin realized what must have happened.
“Eric, one day soon we’ll have a chat about eavesdropping, but for now, you should know you only heard part of that conversation. If you’d stuck around for the whole thing, you would have heard me say I want both you and Rachel. In fact…” He wrapped his arm around Eric’s shoulders and pulled his small body closer. “In fact, one day you’re going to make the best big brother ever.”
“My real parents are dead.”
“I know, and I’m sorry about that. But you’ll still be a big brother to the babies Rachel and I have together.”
Eric peeked an eye up at him. “Really?”
Gavin sat up as straight as he could and crossed his heart with his finger. “Forever and ever, cross my heart, hope to get turned into slug poop. I’m going to take care of you from here on out.”
Gavin had hoped he’d draw a giggle from Eric—or at least a smile—but the boy considered Gavin’s vow very solemnly, as if he wasn’t sure whether to believe him. Hard to blame the kid, after all the trauma he’d suffered at the hands of males.
“But right now,” Gavin continued, “we need to go find Rachel, so she won’t be scared anymore. I think you might owe her an apology for frightening her, as well as eavesdropping on a private conversation. Don’t you?”
Eric dropped his gaze and nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“After that, we can go get you graduated so we can all move to Ashwood together. Does that sound good to you?”
Eric blinked up at him. Then a grin spread across his face until he seemed to be all teeth, minus one. “Yes, sir!”
Before Gavin could unfurl himself, Eric launched his little body at him and hugged him tightly around the neck. Dampness spread across Gavin’s shoulder as tears and snot soaked through, but he didn’t care. All he cared about was making sure this tiny creature never doubted him again.