by Sennah Tate
If she didn’t know any better, Sonya would have thought this was any other country gathering. There was even a little stage where a four-member band played covers of well-known songs through the ages.
Closer to the lapping waters of the lake, there were carnival-type games set up and Sonya heard a chorus of high-pitched excited screams that unmistakably belonged to children.
She spotted the little ones running up and down the shore. They ranged in ages and size, but hopping along on his stubby legs behind the older kids was her curly-haired son, determined to keep up.
As if Manuel sense his Mama watching him, he darted away from the group and barreled through the throng of people to get to her, wrapping her knees in a fierce hug.
“Hi baby, are you having fun?”
Manuel’s attention was already elsewhere.
“I can’t stay and talk, Mom, we’re on a scavenger hunt.”
“That sounds fun,” she said with a smirk. “What are you looking for?”
Manuel rolled his eyes. “We’re not looking. We’re smelling!” He tapped his nose meaningfully and gave Sonya’s legs another squeeze before he re-joined the other children.
She sighed, watching him leave with a smile. It was bittersweet to see her baby boy off, interested in other things, but that’s what she wanted for him. Right? To be with other kids like him? To have a normal life?
José settled a warm hand on her lower back, sending electric tingles up and down her spine. If anyone had asked her how she’d respond to such an intimate touch, Sonya would probably expect herself to shrink away. To flinch. But no. She liked it. Wanted to press herself into his touch, revel in it.
“He seems to be enjoying himself,” José chuckled, the warm rumbling sound stirring something long-dormant to life within her.
“Yeah, he’s never had anything like this. He’s completely beside himself with all this freedom,” she joked, admiring José’s strong jawline in profile.
Her magic swirled and eddied like raging rivers coming to life after a spring thaw. All this time, she’d thought her powers — and libido — were responding to all of this. The shifter pheromones in the air, the powerful sexy men and women all around her. She’d thought that was the reason for her near-constant thoughts of sex.
It wasn’t all the shifters, though. Just José. He was the one that made her feel molten inside and reignited her magic without even trying.
But she remembered how she’d embarrassed herself before, coming onto him when he clearly wasn’t interested. She couldn’t make the same mistake twice.
Better to keep her powers under control and forget about pursuing anything with José. They were doing too well here for her to jeopardize it all by refilling her magic stores. Wolves would never want a witch living amongst them.
She took a deep breath to steady herself and calm her raging sex-drive. “Mmm, it smells incredible out here.”
José laughed again. “Well, do you expect a bunch of wolves to not know how to eat really well?”
“Fair point,” she giggled.
Whoa. Since when did that happen? Sonya couldn’t even remember the last time she giggled.
“Come on, there are some people I want you to meet,” José said, applying only the faintest pressure to the small of her back, steering her towards a group gathered around one of the bigger grills.
The giant steel contraption looked more like it belonged on a railroad track than in the middle of a block party, but as they grew closer, Sonya saw it was laden with enough meats to feed an army.
Or a pack of wolves.
“This is Carlos,” José said, indicating a stout older man. “He’s basically my right hand guy.”
“Like a Beta?” she asked.
Carlos smirked. “Beta than all of the other wolves,” he joked with a wink, making Sonya giggle again.
José’s hand stiffened on her back for a moment and then he softened, turning to her. “We don’t really use that strict hierarchy like other packs.”
She pulled a face. “But you’re Alpha, aren’t you?” In Summer Springs, everything was about rank. Where you slept, when you ate, which women you got.
“Only for as long as the pack wants me to be,” he answered gently.
“That’s… democratic,” she said.
Another man, about José’s age but a hair taller and broader than him, popped his head over the grill cover. “We’ve always been like that. Helps prevent hostile takeovers,” he said.
“That’s Dominic, my... Well, I don’t know what he is, really,” José said with a teasing note in his voice.
“Your pain in the ass?” Dominic offered.
José mulled it over in his mind for a minute, acting like he was really considering it. “Yeah, I think that’s your new official title, Dom,” he joked.
“Hmph. So you want extra spit on your burger, right?”
José rolled his eyes. “Dom’s more like… my other right hand.”
“Uh… I think you mean left, Chief,” Dominic chimed in.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever. These are my guys. I couldn’t run all of this without them,” José said, his chest swelling with pride.
Sonya had to admit she was impressed with all of this. These men had respect for José. She’d only ever seen wolves fear their Alpha. This was a wholly new experience for her and she had to admit she liked it. Liked thinking that Manuel would grow up to be this kind of wolf one day.
“It’s nice to meet you both, I’m Sonya.”
“We’ve heard a lot about you,” Carlos said and Sonya turned to José with raised brows.
“Oh really?”
José cleared his throat. “Well, you’ve met them, that’s enough chatting,” he said, clearly trying to deflect attention away from Carlos’ comment.
They all laughed and Sonya felt thirty pounds lighter. Like she could just be. Without worrying. Without looking over her shoulder or having a bag packed and ready to go.
This place was, surprisingly, starting to feel like home. It felt wonderful and terrifying all at once. How would her new friends react to knowing there was a witch in their midst? She didn’t think that they’d be so welcoming if that little detail became public knowledge.
“I think this is the part where I ask if you’d like to dance,” José said, breaking Sonya out of her self-doubting thoughts.
“Dance?” She couldn’t remember the last time someone had asked her to dance. Come to think of it, Sonya wasn’t sure anyone ever had. Sure, she’d danced in a few quinceañeras, but those were rehearsed and the pairs chosen by adults.
“Yeah, you know… With music and moving your feet?” José prodded with an easy smile that brought butterflies to her chest.
“Um… What the hell, okay!”
“Good answer,” José said with a chuckle, taking her hand in his before whisking her off to the ring of people dancing around the bonfire.
“I have to warn you… I’m terrible at this,” she said, feeling her cheeks heat.
José didn’t miss a beat, he positioned her hand on his back and Sonya couldn’t ignore the steel strength of his muscles as her fingers skimmed just above his waistband.
“Just let me lead then… I’m kind of used to it,” José teased with a wink.
A handful of songs later, Sonya’s stomach hurt from laughing so much and tears streaked her face as she tripped over her own feet once more.
“I think I’m a lost cause,” she laughed, barely even able to hold herself upright anymore with the fit of giggles that overcame her. “You tried your very best.”
José pulled her a little closer, slowing to a steady sway, “I think you only stepped on my feet… eight, maybe nine times. Don’t be so hard on yourself.”
She snickered again. “Oh god, I’m sorry. I warned you though!” She tried to give him an ‘I told you so’ look, but when she looked up, the tenderness in his eyes startled her.
Sonya’s laughter dissolved into a contented sigh. “That was so
much fun though. I’m glad you were there to catch me when I tripped over my own feet.”
His arms tightened around her and for a moment, all was right in Sonya’s world.
“Or mine, or anyone else’s within twenty feet of us,” he joked.
“Hey!” Sonya laughed, swatting him playfully.
“We’ve got company,” he whispered in her ear, low and husky, sending a shiver through her, igniting her magic once more.
“Hmm?” Sonya turned just in time to see Manuel running up to her waving his little arms all over.
“Mama! Mama! They’re having a slumber party and I really wanna go. Can I go please please, pretty pleeeeeeease?” He said it all in one very rushed breath, nearly bowling Sonya over.
“Whoa, slow down, kiddo. Who’s having a slumber party where?”
“The Den. They camp out in the clubhouse, learn about the stars, tell ghost stories,” José said, his arms wrapped around her from behind, his chin resting on top of her head.
“Yeah! Can I go? Please?” Manuel’s eyes were as wide as saucers — he’d long ago perfected that ‘too cute to say no to’ look and used it against her at every possible opportunity.
“Um…” Sonya said, hesitating.
Then José gave her a gentle squeeze. Reassuring and comforting. She nodded.
“Okay, but don’t stay up too late and no sweets before bed!”
Sonya laughed because her son was already sprinting away without even giving her a hug.
“You know he’s going to be up all night eating s’mores, right?”
She sighed. “Yeah, but I have to try.”
José swept her long hair across to one shoulder, exposing her neck to the cool night air. She shuddered.
If Manuel was going to a slumber party, that left her night freed up. Eager magic surged within her at the thought, but she tamped it down. As much as it seemed like José was sending all the right signals, she didn’t want to make a fool of herself again.
“I think I’ve had enough dancing,” she said, pulling away from him.
For a moment, José’s expression darkened and he stood awkwardly like he didn’t know what to do with his arms now that she wasn’t in them.
“Do you think we could find somewhere quieter? I’m not used to so much… everything,” she said, feeling stupid. That certainly didn’t seem like something someone would say if they were trying to avoid coming onto someone.
José smiled again and Sonya felt her heart flutter in response. “Yeah, I know just the place.”
Chapter 10
JOSÉ
The night turned out to be more than José could have ever hoped for. Seeing Sonya free and happy… Watching her shed the mantle of fear and worry that weighed her down was like watching a butterfly break free of its chrysalis. Breathtaking. Awe-inspiring.
There was no little scrap of doubt left in his mind that this woman needed to belong to him. His wolf had known all along, but now, seeing her out of her shell, enjoying life, laughing until she cried… He didn’t want it to ever end. He could go on like this forever.
Forever.
The thought struck him from behind and nearly bowled him over. Forever wasn’t something he’d ever thought about with anyone. With Sonya, the thought cropped up all on its own.
They walked hand-in-hand in companionable silence. He liked that her hands weren’t soft like some women’s. She had calloused hands from years of hard cleaning and working. Whether she realized it or not, Sonya was tough as nails. Not many women could escape an abusive asshole like Diego with their small child, make a living and still be a wonderful mother.
He admired the hell out of her resilience. She may not be a wolf, but she fit right in.
Away from the rest of the party, José led her to a bench by the lakeshore, partially secluded from view by a copse of palmettos. They sat and listened to the bullfrogs croak and cicadas hum for a long minute before Sonya broke the silence.
“Thank you again for… well, everything. I don’t know what we would have done without your help,” she said, warming him from the inside.
José slipped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into him, unable to resist her siren call. She didn’t even realize how captivating and irresistible she was. Just being near her made José’s heart feel like it was too big to fit in his chest. It swelled to enormous proportions and he felt if he didn’t do…. something, it would explode.
“You don’t need to thank me,” he said, his lips hovering just by her ear. “I couldn’t sit by and do nothing. I’m a man of action.” He intended that to be his segue into kissing her delicate neck, making her moan and writhe, but she halted him with those incredible eyes turned up to him, sparkling with emotion.
“And compassion,” she said, making his heart swell until it ached. “Not many Alphas would give refuge to Juan…”
And with that simple reminder of the other man, José’s heart clenched and withered with jealousy and insecurity. His arm slipped from her shoulders and he put a bit more distance between them, instantly feeling the gulf he created.
“You two seem… close,” he said, fishing for information. If Juan and Sonya were… something, he wasn’t sure how he’d stand to have either of them in the Den.
Not that he could throw either of them to the rival wolves. It would be a death sentence.
He held his breath as she frowned, her eyes glossing over with darkness. A pang of guilt stabbed José’s gut as he realized he’d brought forth something painful.
“Juan was the one that helped me get away from Diego. He gave me some money and took Diego out to the bar long enough that we could flee. I keep thinking Diego must have found out… That that’s why he… why Juan is… I can’t help but feel responsible,” she said.
José drew her into his chest once more, breathing a silent sigh of relief. She wasn’t tied to another man and that made him happier than he could remember ever being.
How had this woman wormed her way into his heart so effortlessly? She buried herself so deep within him that he felt he could never be rid of her.
Not that he wanted to be.
But how to tell her that? He’d never really been one for talking about feelings. He was a man of action, after all.
“He knew the risks when he helped you,” José said, deciding that Juan had the kind of integrity they valued in this pack. “You can’t blame yourself.”
She turned to look up at him through her lashes, her lips slightly parted, and all José could hear was the rushing of his own blood, loud enough to drown out even the drone of insects hovering over the lake.
“Sonya… I…”
Unable to find the right words, he kissed her.
The world fell away and José’s heart swelled until it shattered through whatever barrier he’d kept around it for so long. Her lips were so soft and pliant, her response warm and eager. He nipped at her bottom lip, drawing out a breathless moan from her chest and his wolf howled in delight.
Then she broke the kiss and everything felt cold and empty again.
“I… I’m… I mean…” she faltered, trying to form words around a thought she couldn’t seem to grasp. Her fingers touched her slightly swollen lips and he saw his own desire reflected back from her eyes. She wanted it too, so why was she trying to ruin it?
He brushed a lock of silky raven hair behind her ear, “What is it? You can tell me.”
She nibbled her bottom lip and José had to suppress the urge to crush against her mouth with another searing kiss. So many warring emotions swirled in her expression and all he wanted to do was tell her everything was going to be alright.
With a heavy sigh, she separated from him and looked down at her hands with something like contempt.
“There’s something you have to know about me. Well, you probably should have known it all along but… I don’t want…”
She sighed again, her hands folding into fists as she met his searching gaze, “Manuel...we both like it here so m
uch and… I don’t want to ruin it.”
José’s heart thundered like a hundred galloping horses. What secret could she possibly have that would jeopardize all of this?
There wasn’t one. Whatever it was, he wouldn’t turn his back on her. Couldn’t.
“I promise that won’t happen, Sonya. What is it?”
“I’m… I’m a witch,” she finally blurted out. “I don’t imagine your pack will be accepting of my magic and if we do… this,” she waved a hand between them, “my magic will be stronger than ever. And impossible to hide.”
He let out his second great relieved sigh of the night and took both of her hands in his, holding them palm up, tracing the lines that bisected her magical hands.
“Sonya, we’re not like other packs. We don’t exactly operate like other wolves and frankly, I don’t care if you’re a witch. You’re my witch. I’ve known it from the moment I laid eyes on you, but you weren’t able to trust and I didn’t think it possible.”
He brought her hand to his lips and tenderly kissed each fingertip, feeling a spark of energy crackled between them.
“I care about you more than I can explain… My wolf knows that we’re destined to be and I’m starting to agree. Anyone that has something to say about you being a witch can answer to me.”
José heard the hint of a growl in his own voice, but he didn’t care. She had to know. Had to understand.
“You’re safe here. To be yourself. Magic and all,” he swore, slipping his hand behind her neck to draw her in for another kiss.
She paused for only a moment before she pressed herself to him and fulfilled all his waking fantasies.
Chapter 11
SONYA
José’s heartfelt admission left Sonya breathless. She didn’t know what she expected to hear from him, but it wasn’t a declaration of fate.
Now that it was out in the open, though… she couldn’t deny it either. He accepted her magic without blinking. He accepted her and her son into his pack, knowing the danger it put them all in.