by C. D. Gorri
She had a high success rate at the Maccon County Sheriff’s Department. She mostly enjoyed her work over the past few years.
Earning her M.A. in Justice Administration and Public Service from St. Elizabeth’s College allowed her the possibility to move up quickly in the department. It had been her goal throughout college to make her way to the top of law enforcement. But lately she felt restless.
After her father passed away Cat decided to try and make a life for herself in her hometown. Her brother, Rafe, was the Alpha now. It was a difficult position and he needed all of the support he could get. She was miffed when he passed her up for a position in his private Wolf Guard.
But in his defense, Rafe made a lot of progressive changes. She just needed to show him she was as tough and dedicated to him as any of the boys in his Wolf Guard were.
As it was, she didn’t begrudge him his decision. She was genuinely proud of him and all his accomplishments thus far.
First and foremost, he had built their old home into a veritable estate. The place had been neglected by their father to almost devastating consequences. Much of the land was near to ruin, but Rafe managed to fix it all and then some.
The house was practically a palace and absolutely perfect for all of the politicking necessary to run a successful Pack. He called it Macconwood Manor, same as their father had, only now it rang true.
There were dozens of bedrooms, guest houses, and amenities. Not to mention top notch security, their own private beach, and access to over five hundred acres of private woods owned by the Macconwood Pack and located just behind the Manor.
It was perfect. As soon as the paint had dried he had his Wolf Guard move in permanently. It was then that he called Cat to come home.
She had been reluctant at first, but eventually agreed. Cat could never say no to Rafe. She was pleasantly surprised at the change in not only the house, but in the Pack as well.
Rafe managed to fill their bank accounts and create programs for Pack members that involved education, support, and protection. Cat wanted so badly to help implement the changes her brother was making, she just had to prove to him that she could be beneficial.
Rafe had come a long way from not wanting any of the responsibility of being Alpha to being the best one the Pack had had in a century. She loved her brother and would help him in any way she could.
Their bond was strong, after all not many children could say they had been raised under Zev Maccon’s roof and survived. The nightmare that was living with their father was something that the two of them would always share.
Still, Cat had moved on from all that. It was the past. She had learned to let go of the past. Coming home was part of the process.
Of course, it was awkward with Tate Nighthawk living in the Manor as well. But, he was one of her brother’s Wolf Guard and that required he live in the Alpha’s primary residence. Cat just had to pretend it didn’t affect her.
She stayed in town as often as she could. Working for the Sheriff’s department made it all the easier. She pulled double shifts, worked nights, and managed to stay out of Tate’s way.
All the while she told herself she had a job to do. Inside the Pack and inside the Sheriff’s Department. Old wounds scarred over and life moved on.
She had friends, went out on dates, and she did her job well. She never got serious, but then again she didn’t want to. Relationships were tricky things for Werewolves.
When she first got to college she was a little gun shy about guys. Nowadays she more than made up for it. No one had any power over her. Not anymore. Her life was what she made of it.
But right then, the only life she was concerned with was the one belonging to the kid who had made the poor decision to come into her town and commit a robbery.
It wasn’t the food or the thirty-seven dollars and sixty-five cents that he had stolen from the register that upset her. It was the fact the he knocked over Mr. Taggert’s old dog, Betsy.
As he ran away from the store he had shoved past the poor girl when she came around the counter to see what was going on. The St. Bernard was about ten years old, and that was pretty old for giant breed dogs.
She was the sweetest old girl Cat knew and the fact that she had been hurt was downright tragic. The least of Betsey’s problems was a dislocated hip from the fall and she would probably require surgery.
That made Cat angry. That and whatever it was that drove the perp to this point in his life. She decided to try reasoning with him one more time.
“Look, it’s not too late. You’re young and you made a mistake. You got caught, kid, it’s okay, but it’s time to give yourself up now. No one needs to get hurt here, understand? You can still make the right decision.”
Shit. Cat knew the second he decided to fight his way out. His breathing changed and his scent altered from the bitter smell of fear, to the more acrid stink of desperation. She waited a beat and there it was, a heavy dose of stupidity to round out his bad decisions. Cat scrunched her nose up from the unpleasant odor. Here goes nothing.
She focused in on where she knew he was crouched down. She heard the small scrape as he picked a broken glass bottle up off the ice and mud caked alley floor. Before he could even decide where to throw it, Cat was on him.
She hefted him up by his sweatshirt collar and banged him against the solid brick wall. His wet sneakers squeeked against it as he tried to find his footing.
His panic was ripe when he realized she had him completely off the ground. He whimpered, his scent turning bitter once again. This time it was much more potent. She wrinkled her nose and prayed that he wouldn’t urinate right there.
“Damn lady! Lemme go! Lemme go! What you some kind of steroid freak? Put me down! Come on, man, put me down, man! Lemme go!”
Cat growled at the insult, but dropped him when she heard Carl approach from behind them. His weapon was still drawn. He only pulled it up when he saw them. Cat sighed and tried not to roll her eyes.
She took out her cuffs and began reading the kid his rights. She had to be careful not to hurt him as she pulled his arms behind him, but it wasn’t easy when she was that amped up.
It was already difficult downplaying her superior skills at hunting down and locating perpetrators to her peers on the job. She couldn’t very well explain bruising a teenage boy who outweighed her by a good fifty pounds by simply putting on a pair of handcuffs.
“Good job, uh, I would’ve had him, you know,” Carl nodded her way as he wiped his sweaty hands on his pants and put his gun back in its holster. She gave him a thumbs up in return, she didn’t trust herself to speak just yet.
Instead she sucked in the cold air and wiped her noise. She had to remember to look winded as she led the boy back to their squad car while Carl called in the arrest. She forced herself to breath much more rapidly then necessary.
The air was cold when it hit her lungs, but she kept up the façade of looking tired after the chase. It was necessary in order to keep the whole Werewolf thing under wraps. Especially with Carl puffing out air and holding his side.
Cat was used to the routine. She kept breathing hard and wiped make believe sweat from her forehead. Though she hated the deception, she understood the necessity. The normal world wasn’t ready yet to know about them.
They could never understand the supernatural world that lived among them. After all they never have. Not since the dawn of time.
The kid didn’t put up any struggle as she frog marched him out of the alley. He was much too scared to fight. Cat knew the exact moment when the realization that he was likely headed to jail caught up with him.
Tears rolled down his dirt streaked face and desperation seemed to hang like a dark cloud over his head. She had seen it before a hundred times.
That didn’t stop her from feeling sorry for him. Foolish kid. Left alone with an older, slower cop like Carl or someone as unpredictable as the new recruit, Jonny Dominguez, and this kid might have come out of that alley in a body bag instea
d of in handcuffs. She shook her head at the madness of it all and kept going.
It was the only way Cat knew how to help. She got the bad guys off the street. But sometimes she wondered if that was enough.
She took in the boy’s miserable appearance and wondered what chance he ever really had. He wore old scuffed sneakers and his jeans had probably seen better days.
He had no coat in the bitter cold weather. He wore a black hoodie instead. It reeked of cigarette smoke, stale peanuts, and spilled cola. She wondered when the last time the kid had had a decent meal and a proper bath.
What was his home life like? Did he have parents who cared? And what about school? He had the looks of a kid who’d been in the system before.
Without knowing anything about his situation she could guess just how much that had helped him. She shook her head again. It wasn’t perfect, the system, but it was all she had to work with.
If only someone could have gotten to him before he came to Maccon City. It was too late now, Cat thought as she looked at her handcuffs snug tightly around his wrists. It was going to be a very long night.
Cat was too caught up in her analysis of the teen to notice the pair of muddy brown eyes that watched her from a nearby rooftop.
She couldn’t feel the mal-intent of the owner of those eyes. He kept himself well hidden and made sure to stand downwind.
His dirty hands gripped the edge of his cell phone tightly as he snapped a few photos before she was out of sight. A few clicks here and there and he sent them to his boss.
Modern technology sure was a marvel. He’d been around a long time, ninety years or so, but like most Werewolves, he looked half his age.
Ninety years and he was doing the same crap he had done when he was just a kid. Tailing and snooping. Getting info for someone else. This job was a sweet one too.
He’d been hired to tail the new Alpha’s sister for the past few weeks. And damn, she was fine as all heck too. Of course he never got too close and he never ever followed her to the big house. He wasn’t stupid. Skoll wouldn’t have hired him if he was.
She had no idea he was on her tail. It was weeks now, ever since that poser, Rafe Maccon, had wiggled out of the question to his claim of leadership.
The Alpha had tricked the elders with his marriage of convenience and to a normal of all people! But his boss knew the whole thing was a façade. He’d force Rafe to give up his position one way or another. Yeah, with Skoll in charge everything would be the way it was supposed to be!
Wolves like him could run free and wild like in the good old days. Normals would learn to be afraid of their betters.
Heck yeah! They were playthings, nothing more than toys for Wolves. Skoll would see to it. They’d take over this land. Damn straight!
Kidnapping the little sister should get things started nicely for his boss. When the Macconwood Pack failed to rescue her, Skoll could again question Rafe’s leadership skills and take over as Alpha.
From the looks of things, getting to her would be easy. The She-Wolf was partnered with a normal, a fat slow one at that. Heck, it must be rubbing off on her cause she looked as if she needed a break after running after some punk kid.
Skoll was gonna be pleased with the information. Maybe he’d even reward him with a few hours with that blonde she-Wolf before he killed her!
The Werewolf smiled and licked his lips. He’d love to show her what it meant to be with a real Wolf. He had no doubt the little slut been had by every sham Wolf in the fake Alpha’s Guard.
Who knew? Maybe the brother had her too. He snickered at the thought. He didn’t mind. He liked his bitches experienced. He licked his lips.
Soon. This would happen soon.
CHAPTER 2
“Oh my God! Is that pasta? Charley cooked dinner? Yes! Sweet!,” Cat stepped out of her muddy boots and dropped her gym bag on the floor making a beeline for the dining room.
The tantalizing aroma of fresh cooked food made Cat salivate. She hadn’t eaten a hot meal in thirty hours. Her stomach was growling big time as she pulled out a chair and sat down.
“Oh yeah. Charley has outdone herself again,” answered Seff, her brother’s second in command. She smiled and nodded at the Beta Wolf.
Her new sister-in-law pushed through the kitchen door with a basket of fresh baked garlic bread sticks. Cat almost swooned when the heavenly scent reached her.
“Hey Cat! You hungry?,” Charley smiled and set the garlic bread down on the long table, her husband was hot on her heels with a huge bowl of ziti in meat sauce in his hands.
Cat was in heaven. No one made tomato sauce like their Charley!
“Hey sis, have I told you I love you today?”
“Why, yes, Cat I believe you did when I put your wet clothes in the dryer this morning.”
“Oops, yeah, sorry about that. I was late for work this morning.”
“No big deal. I’m just glad you made it home last night.”
“Yeah, it was good to sleep in my bed,” Cat placed a huge scoop of pasta on her dish and inhaled. She couldn’t wait to dig in.
“How was work today, Cat? Everything good?”
“Sure Rafe, it was fine,” she wouldn’t spoil their dinner with talk of work. Her mind was already replaying her interview with the teenage perp she arrested earlier in the evening.
All her suspicions had been confirmed. The kid had been in the system for years. He had run away from countless foster homes, was a high school drop out, and already had five stints in juvenile detention.
His name was Ricky Jones. His parents were deceased, his grandmother was in a nursing home, and he had no other living relatives or nobody who had an interest in him at any rate.
Then there was the latest news that Betsy, the victim’s dog, had to be put down after all. Cat was brokenhearted about it.
But she wouldn’t share that info here. Nope, family meals were for funny anecdotes and happy news. Not the messes she dealt with on a daily basis.
Charley smiled and waited for her to continue, but Cat snagged a piece of garlic bread and bit into it instead. Her sister-in-law’s eyes were kind as Cat picked up the basket and passed it down the table.
Dib and Kurt entered the dining area with a large bowl of romaine lettuce tossed with homemade Caesar dressing and a bowl of extra sauce for the pasta.
Liam was the last one who made his way into the dining room with a tray of meatballs in hand. One corner was noticeably empty. Cat laughed at his guilty expression when Rafe eyeballed him.
She looked around at her Pack, her family, and she was glad she was home. Though she noticed not everyone was at the table. Small conversations broke out amongst everyone, but mostly they were complimenting Charley’s cooking and passing around bowls of food.
Cat didn’t mind. In fact, she loved it. Dinner had always been a tense affair when she was a child. Zev liked meat and potatoes and nothing else. Every night the same thing. No spices, no flare, nothing but plain meat and potatoes. And zero conversation. This was much better.
Randall walked in and waved hello. He had a tablet in hand and immediately sat next to Seff. He was showing him something on the screen about Randall’s newest upgrade to the online roleplaying game that he created, WolfMoon.
The techie talk they used went right over Cat’s head. Something about back-end tables not being named correctly and causing an error when the game refreshed. Whatever the heck that meant. Cat stared a moment too long at the empty chair to the left of them. Tate.
Tate wasn’t there.
Oh well. Cat chided herself mentally for missing him. After all, she hadn’t said more than two words to him at a time in years. Still, she knew his scent, the sound of his voice, and every inch of his face as if no time had passed at all. Fool.
Sometimes she felt as if she were still that gangly girl in pig tails who followed behind her big brother and his buddies just to get a glimpse of what fun was like. Well, at least she wouldn’t be distracted during dinner.
She could eat and relax. It was a full time job keeping her feelings hidden in front of a bunch of Werewolves. She should feel relieved that she was getting a little break. Except she didn’t.
“What’s on your mind, Cat? You haven’t said a word,” Rafe’s familiar ice blue eyes met hers and she knew he was trying to read her.
She held herself perfectly at ease and used all the skill she had to hide her emotions. Years of her father’s ridiculing had trained her early on to hide her feelings and hide them well. Of course, being a smart aleck helped also.
“Nah, I’m good. Just a long day at the office, how about you? Everything go smooth here? You tired of the old ball and chain yet?”
“Hey! I resent that! I am not old,” Charley giggled as she tossed a napkin in mock anger at her sister-in-law.
“Damn it, Cat!,” Rafe almost choked on a meatball at the almost insult and Charley patted his back in soothing circular motions.
“Oh shush, Rafe, she’s just teasing.”
“Yeah bro, I’m only teasing. Seriously though, everything okay around here? I haven’t heard from any of you in the last twelve hours.”
“Well, um, you see-”
“Uh, now that you mention it, um, Rafe?,” Charley spoke at the same time as Rafe and Cat couldn’t help, but get the feeling that they were keeping something from her.
She watched as Rafe’s large hand covered Charley’s smaller one, his eyes glowed deep blue as he caressed her hand. Cat tried not to stare at them as they looked into each other’s eyes, but it was hard not too.
She envied them. Their obvious love and affection. The way they shared secret messages in that intimate, unspoken language only lovers knew.
Cat bit back a sigh. She was so happy for Rafe. Newly married to his true mate. A normal too.
Charley had agreed to stay and help him out even after the boys had basically kidnapped her from a Jersey City bus stop! The idiots.
Just proof that love could turn up in the most unexpected places. Cat couldn’t have asked for a more perfect match for her brother.