by Sam Crescent
Evernight Publishing ®
www.evernightpublishing.com
Copyright© 2015 Sam Crescent
ISBN: 978-1-77233-336-7
Cover Artist: Sour Cherry Designs
Editor: Karyn White
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
DEDICATION
I want to thank all of my awesome readers for asking about Jack. Really, without you guys, Jack wouldn't have a story, and I hope I did his story justice.
Also, to my amazing editor, Karyn White for her constant support.
RUNT OF THE LITTER
The Alpha Shifter Collection, 6
Sam Crescent
Copyright © 2015
Chapter One
Tori Hunter watched the group of her peers playing together by the lake. It was hot, and they were all taking advantage of the weather. Several of the girls were in bikinis soaking up the sun while the guys were in swim trunks. Some members of the group messing around were humans, and the others were wolves. Most of the time the humans steered clear of this part of town, but Tori saw most of them were from the high school. Resting her head on her raised knee, she wrapped her arms around herself. It didn’t matter if it was warm or cold, she was always fighting off the chill.
Being the runt in her family’s litter, Tori was used to being a little defective compared to the wolf pack. She was smaller, slower, weaker, and just didn’t have what it took to be with the pack.
They didn’t try to include her either. Staring at her brothers and sisters, who were messing around with some of the humans, she couldn’t help but feel apart from it all.
“What are you doing here?” Jack Rowlands asked, coming to sit beside her. He was fifteen years old, two years older than she was. When he turned eighteen he was going to be beta to Marshall in the pack. The next generation of leaders was already born. Tori didn’t have a place in the world. There was no way for her to be involved in the pack because of her lack of strength and power.
“Nothing.”
“Why aren’t you down there enjoying yourself?” He took a seat beside her.
Even without the change, he was large, larger than she was.
“I don’t fit in down there.” Wrapping her arms around herself, she tried not to shudder in front of him. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, and he was perspiring. Jack, unlike her, was strong, and it only served to highlight how unlike the pack she was. Her father was a full blooded wolf as was her mother, but for some reason when she was pregnant with Tori, she’d suffered complications. Tori had been born prematurely and had struggled from the beginning. She’d been hooked up to machines, which had been a first for the whole of the wolf pack. It wasn’t known for wolves to need any health care.
Her mother, Mary, had been rushed to the hospital when the wolf doctor said it was beyond his knowledge. Tori had broken wolf history by being born in the hospital, fighting for her life.
“You fit in, Tori. You’re just scared.”
“The pack is scared to be near me. They’re worried that I’ll infect them with my weak ways.”
Jack threw back his head and laughed. “I doubt it. They’re worried that you’re going to hurt yourself.”
She hurt herself quite easily. A fall that any wolf could walk away from, Tori ended up with broken bones. Her parents had stopped her from playing rough with her brothers and sisters. They’d put her in a box, and now her siblings wouldn’t let her join in the fun. School was a nightmare as they crowded round her like a cocoon.
“Yeah. They’re worried about everything.” She’d overheard her parents arguing the other night about her transition. At the age of eighteen she would, like every other wolf, undergo the battle to change for the first time into her wolf form. They didn’t think she was going to make it. If she didn’t, she only had five years left to live. Some wolves were not able to make it through the transition as the stress took its toll and they died.
Tori didn’t want to die, and listening to her parents argue made it seem … final. At eighteen she wouldn’t have done everything she wanted to. She wanted to go away to college, learn to drive, party, and have sex. There hadn’t been any guys interested in her, but she wanted the chance to be with one, to know what love was like.
“Hello,” Jack said, waving his hand in front of her face.
“Sorry, I spaced out a little there.”
“Where did you go?”
“Nowhere far.” She stared at her scraped knees.
“You know you can tell me anything, Tori, right?”
She stared at the boy who would take over as beta in the pack one day. Biting her lip, she averted her gaze and looked at her knees.
“Erm, shouldn’t you be out there with Marshall?”
“He’s lapping up the attention. There will be more than enough for me later. There’s plenty of, erm, girls out there.”
She chuckled. “It won’t be long before you go through your transition.”
Jack chuckled. “Do you think I’ll need extra muscle? I’m already hot stuff.”
Rolling her eyes, she shoved his shoulder. “You really are arrogant.”
“Do you know what that word means?”
“It should be your name.”
He stood up, holding out his hand. “Come on, squirt, have some fun.”
She stared at his offered hand and couldn’t think of a reason to turn him down. Placing her hand within his, she let him pull her up. She didn’t even reach his chest, but in that moment she didn’t care.
****
Three years later
“What’s going on with you?” Marshall asked.
Jack looked toward his best friend and the alpha he was going to protect for the rest of his life. “Nothing. I was just thinking about someone.”
“Who? Your latest fuck?”
“Don’t let Scarlett hear you say that. She’s got you by the balls.”
Marshall chuckled. “She’s got me exactly where I want her to have me.”
Rolling his eyes, Jack picked up a stone and threw it into the lake. It was freezing, and the stone fell into the icy depths below.
“Come on, who’s the lucky lady you’re thinking about?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Come on. It’s me, Jack. You’ve just witnessed me become a sucker to the girl I bullied most of our lives.”
Scarlett was Marshall’s true mate, and they had bullied her. When they’d gone through the transition their senses had been heightened, and Marshall had found his mate. Jack had yet to find his. He didn’t mind. After witnessing what Marshall went through, he wasn’t interested living his life like that, but part of him did wish that he could feel what Marshall did whenever he looked at Scarlett. The love and connection was so easy to see just by a glance.
“Have you heard from Tori or her parents?”
“Tori? The runt?”
“Please don’t call her that,” Jack said. He thought about that summer three years ago. Taking her hand and leading her toward the lake had been one of the stupidest things he’d ever done. Everyone in the pack had warned him that Tori was delicate, but he’d not listened. They’d stood on this very rock and jumped into the water below. He’d released her hand as they hit the water. When he broke the surface, everyone was cheering, but Tori was nowhere to be seen. He recalled the panic
he’d felt as he dove into the water, when Tori didn’t emerge from the water. The pack had started to herd the people who were not part of the pack away from the scene. After his third dive down, he’d found her tangled in some weeds. Pulling her out, her parents had been waiting.
“You can’t blame yourself for what happened,” Marshall said.
“No one talks about it. Not even her parents.” They’d done emergency CPR and called the doctor. That time she hadn’t needed the hospital, but her parents carried her away from him, keeping her safe. He’ll never forget the fear in her parents’ eyes and that of her siblings. For weeks afterwards Jack couldn’t look them in the eye. He shouldn’t have released her hand.
“Would you like to be reminded of the moments when your daughter nearly died? Runt has never had it well.”
“Will you please stop calling her that?” Jack rubbed at his temples.
“Okay, fine. Is she coming back today?”
“I think she’s visiting her family. I don’t know. Maybe it’s just me.” Jack shrugged.
“You’ve got to stop blaming yourself for what happened. You tried to get her involved.”
“I let go of her hand, Marshall. I should have held her. I encouraged her for fuck’s sake.”
“Stop it. I mean it, Jack.”
“Are you going all alpha on me?”
“Yeah. Come on. Let’s go.”
“Where are we going?”
“We’re going to welcome Tori home. I believe the Hunters are arriving back with Tori in tow.”
After the incident her parents had sent Tori to live with an uncle in the country. They didn’t want her around the pack because of all the accidents she got into.
Following Marshall out of the forest, Jack wasn’t shocked to see Scarlett leaning against a tree.
“Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, baby. It’s more than okay.” Marshall kissed her temple, nuzzling her neck.
Jack looked away, hating the sudden burn in his chest. He had his pick of any girls at the school, and he fucked them all. His mate hadn’t showed up before or after his transition, so he was taking advantage of being single.
“Are you okay, Jack?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
He no longer bullied Scarlett. She smelled of the pack and home to him as she was mated to Marshall.
They entered the small town square, and he saw his father, David, standing beside Marshall’s father Luke.
“It must mean she’s returning today,” Marshall said.
“Yeah, it must.” For the alpha and beta to be present had to mean something. Tori’s siblings were standing just outside their front door.
Jack spotted Rachel, the eldest girl.
“Is she coming back today?” he asked.
“Yeah. Mom and Dad want her close. She’s sixteen and needs the next two years preparing for her transition.” Rachel bit her lip, and tears filled her eyes.
“What is it?”
“Nothing.”
Jack frowned. “Tell me.”
Rachel glanced down at her hands. “My folks are worried.”
“Why?”
“Tori. She has to go through the transition, but they don’t know if she’ll make it. There have been stronger wolves out there, and they’ve been killed because of the shock of it all.” Rachel stopped talking as it got too much for her.
Jack would have preferred a punch to the gut rather than hearing those words. “She could die?”
“They don’t think she can make it. We’re all going to try and coach her into transitioning. We’ve been in touch with our uncle, and he thinks it’s best that she continue her life out there with him.” Rachel stopped talking, wiping away a tear. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be bothering you with this.”
“No, don’t worry about it.”
Jack couldn’t believe what he’d just heard. Not once had he thought about her not making it.
Rachel gasped as a car turned down the street. He looked toward the car, and something happened. His wolf started to stir. Rubbing at his chest, Jack walked toward Marshall, who was standing by Luke. Staring at the car, he froze. The scent that came out of the car was complete heaven.
What the fuck?
His wolf stood up and began to pace.
The back of the car opened, and Jack’s world turned on its axis. Something slammed into him—the smell, sight, and fucking hell, the taste was to die for. Tori stepped out from the car, rushing toward her siblings. Her blonde hair was bound into a ponytail, and the length was longer than he remembered.
Fuck.
Shit.
Not possible.
But then, it was possible. Tori had been gone before his transition. There was no sign of her around the pack apart from her family. When they weren’t in transition they didn’t know their mate until after their wolves came out with heightened senses.
“Jack? What is it?” Marshall asked.
“I’ve got to get out of here.”
He stumbled back, rushing as far from Tori as possible. Entering his home, he took heaping gulps of air as the revelation reverberated around his head.
Mate.
Claim.
Love.
“Son, what’s wrong?”
Jack turned to look at his father. “She’s here.”
“Your mate?”
Leaning heavily against the wall, he closed his eyes before opening them. “It can’t be. It’s not possible.” It was too cruel. The fates couldn’t be that cruel to him.
“I can’t help you unless you tell me what it is,” David said.
Some would consider his father a cruel man with how he made Jack train. Jack, however, knew how important his role was in the pack. He’d take over from his father, which meant the safety of the alpha and the pack lay on him.
“It’s Tori. She’s my mate.”
He was shocked when his father gripped his shoulder. Even more shocked when he was pulled against David for a hug. He’d not been hugged by his father in over eight years. His training had started when he was ten.
“I’m here for you, son. I’m here.”
David may be there, but Jack didn’t know how he was going to survive. His mate was the runt of the litter, and no one expected her to survive the transition. She was also underage, only sixteen.
What the hell was he going to do?
Chapter Two
Tori laughed as her family rushed to embrace her. Even after all of this time, they were all scared to even touch her. “Hey, everyone.” She wrapped her arms around all of her sisters and then her brothers. Rachel and Tom held back. They were the eldest boy and girl.
“Honey, I’m so pleased you’re back.”
“Uncle Paul didn’t want me to leave, but I thought it was time for me to see you guys.” It had been three years since she’d been home. The whole of the family visited her Uncle Paul, who wasn’t part of the wolf pack, during the holidays. They had all undergone the transition with Holly bringing up the rear last summer with Jack. Tori had never forgotten about Jack Rowlands. He was one of the few guys who’d taken the time to be nice to her.
“I’m so pleased you made it through your transition,” she said, talking to Holly. Her sister looked at her with tears in her eyes. She stood in the center of the group, the smallest of them all.
“Oh, Tori, it’s good to have you back.” Holly wrapped her arms around her.
“Come on. Let’s get inside,” her father, Carl said. She watched as he turned to Luke, the alpha of the pack. “I appreciate you coming to see her. We’re going to spend some family time.”
“We’re here if you need anything.”
Carl looked back at her before turning back to the alpha to whisper. Emma, her mother, moved in the way and started to usher her inside. “Come on. I’ve got a whole spread ready.”
“What she means is we got the spread ready while she went to the airport to pick your ass up.”
She laughed as one of her brothers r
ibbed her mother. It was always fun and games at home.
Rachel placed her arm through hers. “I’ve missed you. How was Uncle Paul?”
“He was great.” Three years with a man who couldn’t turn into a wolf had been strange. He knew about her problem, and they’d spent every second that she wasn’t in school training with him. She didn’t know how she was related to a man who couldn’t turn into a wolf, and she’d never questioned it. He’d taken her under his wing, teaching her the art of self-defense, meditation, and dealing with pain.
If her parents knew what he’d been training her for, they’d have pulled her away years ago. They’d kept it a secret just like their research into other wolf pack runts. She wasn’t afraid of who she was, but there was still a question of whether she’d survive the transition. Uncle Paul wanted her to keep up her regime away from the family while also looking into the pack traditions.
The only area she hadn’t been able to venture into was mates. She didn’t know anything about the mating process or how the mating process happened. For most wolves, the mating ritual wasn’t discussed until after the transition. Her own parents hadn’t even told her about sex. Everything she knew she’d learned through sex ed at school. She wasn’t interested in mates. Tori wouldn’t find her mate until she transitioned, and at the moment, no one believed she’d make it through that day. She did wish for a mate, but she wasn’t holding her breath for one. Her biggest focus had been on runts.
There hadn’t been any record of a runt making it through. She saw the fear in all of her family’s faces when they looked at her. In two years the answer to the question would be complete. She was going to fight it, work damned hard. There wasn’t a chance of her giving in or dying. There was so much she wanted to live for.
“So, how was Paul?” Emma asked.
“He was cool. Helped me with homework, took me to the mall, and we just hung out.” They’d done none of those things. He’d helped with homework, but every spare second had been about her locking into her wolf. She lay dormant until her eighteenth birthday, but once she turned the right age, she was supposed to just wake. “How is everything here? You graduated from school, right, Holly?”