by Julia Mills
“Sorry, I must’ve fallen asleep. I’ll be right down.”
“See you there,” Barbara snickered as Olivia listened to the Alpha female’s retreating steps.
Throwing off the covers, Olivia shuffled to the bathroom and freshened up. Looking in the mirror, she was surprised to see the image of her wolf still present in her eyes. Reaching for her toothbrush, she lurched forward, dropping the toothbrush and grabbing the porcelain to stay up as her wolf ran against the confines of her mind.
“What the…” Olivia wasn’t able to finish her thought as the low, melancholy voice from her dreams pleaded, “Please do not leave me to perish…”
Chapter Two
It took all of Olivia’s considerable concentration to stay engaged in the conversation over dinner. It was nice to meet Barbara and Tristan’s kids and their mates. She especially hit it off with Ellie, the Wolfe’s only daughter and loved how she answered to her oldest brother’s nickname of Little Pup. Her commitment, protectiveness and love for her family was present in her every action. Olivia was glad to see someone else as committed to those she loved as she was. The Wolfe children’s interactions reminded her a lot of her relationship with Marrok and was apparently obvious by Ellie’s remark of, “So, you and your brother are pretty close, huh? Hard being away from home?”
Surprised by Ellie’s comment but answering almost immediately, Olivia nodded, “Yeah, he raised me after my parents were killed in a territorial dispute with a pack of vamps when I was a pup.” She stopped, thought for a second then added, “I’m not sure if your mom told you, but he just recently returned after being kidnapped and tortured by an evil family of hunters and their troops.”
“Yeah, she told us. I was freaked that they could get the jump on an Alpha like your brother. I’ve heard stories about him.” She raised her eyebrows before continuing, “He’s not somebody I’d mess with,” Ellie gave a sarcastic chuckle and leveled her gaze before adding, “Well, unless he messed with my family, then I’d have to kick his ass. Nobody messes with this motley crew but me.”
“You got that right. I wish I’d have gotten a chance to tear into the evil bitch who experimented on Marrok,” she sighed, trying to keep her temper at bay. “But my brother got his licks in before the dragons took her out and well, that worked for me, too. As long as she’s dead and can’t hurt anyone else.”
“The dragons, huh? We had one here a while back. Thought they were all gone before he showed, but I guess there are more around than we realized.”
“From what Marrok said, there are quite a few. They’re just not as public as we are. From the stories, I guess they’ve got some ancient enemies who just won’t go away. Something about the strength of their dragon magic and their link to the Universe that the bad guys really want to get a hold of.” Olivia chuckled to lighten the mood, “Guess that’s what happens when you’re ancient and legendary.”
“No shit,” Ellie snorted. “Give me some fur and paws any day.”
“You know it,” Olivia agreed as Ellie scooted closer and whispered, “So, has mom tried her match making skills on you yet?”
“No, why?”
Leaning back with a grin on her face and still speaking in a hushed tone, Ellie snickered, “Mom can’t stand to see anyone single. She didn’t rest until every one of us was mated.” The blonde she-wolf with short spiky hair motioned to her brothers and their mates sitting around the table engaged in various conversations. “I just figured she’d set her sights on you when she said you were running with us tonight.” Ellie went on, “I also heard her on the phone telling a few of the single males to come along.” Winking as her smile widened, she added, “That’s a sure sign she’s up to her old tricks.”
Olivia was just about to comment when Barbara announced, “Y’all ready?” She looked out the huge window on the opposite side of the dining room. “This rain isn’t going anywhere. We might as well get out there, get wet and get this over with.”
There was a collective groan as everyone stood and followed Barbara and Tristan through the house and out onto their huge front porch. Olivia noticed six large, attractive males running from their trucks as Ellie turned and whispered, “You can hang with Caleb and me if you want.” She grinned, “Not only is the terrain a little crazy if you’re not used to it but it will keep those guys,” she motioned with her head over her shoulder, “from making any unwanted advances. I have been known to embarrass them all a time or two.” The she-wolf’s eyes danced and Olivia knew she and Ellie could be good friends if there wasn’t a whole country separating their homes.
“Sounds good.” Olivia agreed as magic filled the air and one by one the Wolfe family and their pack donned their fur and paws.
Following suit, Olivia called her auburn she-wolf forth, shook to fluff her fur and padded towards the white wolf with brilliant blue eyes she knew to be Ellie. She watched the three huge black wolves, two brown and one grey, the ‘single males’ Barbara had invited, continually look back over their haunches at her.
It made her feel uncomfortable, out of place and all together irritable. No one knew better than Olivia that her curves had curves and she would never be walking the catwalks in Milan but over the years she’d become comfortable with the size of her hips and ass, as well as her abundant chest. ‘Thirty-eight DD’s ain’t for sissies, you gotta be sassy’ had become her motto but she still shied away from the attention of males she didn’t know.
The taunts from grade school of ‘Rollie Pollie Ollie’ never really left her memory but were luckily always followed by her recollection of Marrok and Finn, along with their male pack mates, kicking the shit out of whoever dared to mess with her. It hadn’t taken long until she was the one doing the ass kicking and Marrok was the one playing clean up.
It had taken a while, but Olivia had come to terms with her figure and could care less what others, especially short-sided egotistical men, thought about it. That, however, did not stop the little tendrils of doubt from sneaking past her defenses when placed in situations where she knew she was on display.
A yip from Ellie’s wolf and they were following the rest with Caleb leading the way. The feel of the rain on her fur and the ground beneath her paws led Olivia’s thoughts to the dream she’d had a few hours before. The forest around her looked so familiar and there were even rabbits running to escape the big bad wolves just like in her imagination.
Traveling deeper into the forest and closer to the mountains that lined the Wolfe Pack’s territory, Olivia knew she was being watched. She could feel the eyes of at least two of the wolves Barbara wanted her to meet sizing her up. Undoubtedly, they knew she was the sister of an Alpha, one of the biggest, most domineering Alphas in the country, who was known throughout the packs as a true leader who didn’t take any shit from anybody, especially when it concerned his little sister. It was one of the only reasons they were taking their time and not making an outright play for her attention. That and the fact that as far as she was concerned there was no attraction at all. Their scents were musty and old, like a wet dog. Their eyes didn’t sparkle or shine. Not even their tales curled when they looked at her. No, they weren’t her mate, they just wanted to have a good time and later say they had fucked the sister of Marrok Kilbride.
Olivia had never been an easy lay and wasn’t about to start. Sure, she scratched the itch when her heat came. That was an undeniable fact of nature. She had friends with benefits in her own pack who she felt comfortable enough with to have sex and still remain close. So far, neither of them had found their Fated Mate either and as far as Olivia knew, they weren’t looking. Neither was she…really.
If some sexy wolf whose scent made her wet and whose wolf could stand up to her own happened along, she wouldn’t say no, but until that happened, single was alright with her. Of course, that didn’t explain the feelings of change she couldn’t shake or the haunting voice in her dreams. Maybe it was just like Marrok had teased, too high an altitude, not enough oxygen.
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nbsp; Bringing her attention back to their scouting party, the she-wolf watched Tristan, Barbara, two of their sons and mates head to the west, the six male wolves head north, Ellie’s other two brothers and their mates take the south, while she followed Ellie’s yips and the nod of the white wolf’s head to follow she and Caleb to the east. Any other time, Olivia and her wolf would’ve been bitching about the rain and the mud but on this night, it was calming, as if they were communing with nature, bringing a peace to their souls that hadn’t been there since before Marrok’s disappearance.
No sooner had the words crossed her mind than the man from her dreams returned. “Little wolf…where did you go?”
This time the voice was more persistent with an olde world accent she couldn’t quite place but that was more pronounced than from her dreams. Before thinking, she responded, “Who are you? What do you want?”
“Please… please come to me…”
“Yeah, right… and where would that be?” Yes, she was being obstinate and sarcastic but really? A disembodied voice calling for help? Her imagination had gone off the deep end with this one.
Just as Olivia was about to throw up her mental blocks to keep whoever was messing with her out of her head, the sound of a howl, calling to all the wolves in the area, rang through the trees, immediately followed by Ellie’s voice in her head, “That was Mom. Something’s wrong.”
Taking off at full speed, Olivia followed Ellie and Caleb across a large clearing, through a part of the forest that from the way the brambles and foliage were overgrown hadn’t seen much traffic in recent years, over the mountain and pass and right up to the foot of a ridge that only a few hours earlier had most definitely had mud sliding down its banks.
Shocked to see everyone in human form, Olivia quickly followed suit and made her way to where Mason, Aric, Nathan, and Jake, Ellie’s four brothers, were looking into a sinkhole while discussing how to get to the bottom. Stopping next to Ellie as she asked, “What in the hell are you looking at and why did Mom howl like that? I thought someone was dead.”
Aric, the tall, wide-shouldered brother who was mated to a pretty strawberry-blonde named Jordan, held his mate’s hand tight while he pointed, “Cause somebody just might be.”
“Oh shit!” Ellie and Olivia gasped in unison as Caleb pulled Ellie closer to his side.
“Yeah, oh shit. Do you recognize him?” Aric asked.
Shaking her head, Ellie looked at Caleb who said, “No,” and then to Olivia who shrugged and quickly answered, “Never seen him before.” Although she had to admit to herself that there was something familiar about him.
“Well, you need to get down there and see if he’s alive,” Barbara ordered, her sons and son-in-law all nodding as they kissed their mates and began slowly sliding into the hole.
Aric was the first to reach the man and after a quick touch to his neck hollered, “He’s alive, but in a helluva state.”
“Can you tell what pack he belongs to?” His father asked in a gruff tone with the amber glow of his wolf shining from his eyes.
“He’s not wolf.” Aric sounded suspicious as he added, “He’s shifter but definitely not wolf.”
“Get him up here and let’s see what’s happened,” Barbara Wolfe once again took control of the situation. “He needs our help.” She looked at her husband and patted his shoulder. “We’ll worry about the rest when he’s conscious.”
“Okay, mom,” the four Wolfe brothers answered before discussing how best to get the large man, who looked like he’d been through a hell not a mudslide, up to the surface.
It took some maneuvering and quick footing that only someone with paranormal blood could perform, but finally almost an hour later, the five male wolves had reached the top of the hole and laid the man on the ground at Tristan and Barbara’s feet. His long dark red hair was tangled and matted with mud and leaves. He had a beard so long it touched the middle of his chest and a mustache that curled under his upper lip. It was obvious the scraps of clothing covering his body were old and had been threadbare before the mudslide.
Olivia’s feet moved forward of their own accord. There was just something about him, something different, unusual… special. The closer she got, the more in sync with the slow beat of his heart hers became. She breathed when he breathed. She looked past the dirt and filth to the strong line of his jaw, his high cheek bones, his almost pouty upper lip peeking through his dark, wet whiskers and the wide set of his shoulders.
Stopping with the tips of her boots almost touching his arm, Olivia knelt down and before she knew what was happening, brushed the hair from his brow and ran the back of her fingers down his cheek. Recognition shot through both woman and wolf – first one word and then another.
Dragon! Mate!
Chapter Three
As much as Olivia wanted to talk to someone… anyone, about the man they’d just found lying half dead in the mud, there was no way she was going to tell the Wolfes that he was her mate. She really liked Ellie but knew the lovely blonde wolf was loyal to her family, just as she should be, and not someone Olivia could confide in, at least not yet.
The treaty between Gaelach Lán and the Wolfe Pack was still new. Their relationship still being tested. It wouldn’t do for them to think she’d had some clandestine rendezvous planned on their lands with one of the legendary dragons.
Nope, not opening that can of worms.
The best she could do was take a deep breath, get to her feet and as calmly as possible say, “I think he’s a dragon shifter. He sure smells like the clothes my brother was wearing when he got home and I know they were from one of the Guardsman who helped rescue him.”
There, no lying… just a far bit of omission.
Everyone except Ellie accepted her explanation with a nod, but the curvy blonde continued to eye Olivia all the way to the Clinic Tristan had set up for his pack. William, a wolf in scrubs the Wolfe family called uncle, confirmed that the man was indeed a dragon shifter before rushing him away to get cleaned up and examined.
Ellie’s hand on her shoulder startled Olivia from her thoughts as the she-wolf said, “We’re gonna head back to Mom and Dad’s. It’s almost sunrise and I’m beat.”
“I think I’ll stay here,” Olivia replied, scolding herself for answering so quickly as Ellie narrowed her eyes and bit the side of her lip.
“Do you know him? Is he one of the dragons who helped your brother?” The she-wolf asked.
Olivia could feel Ellie’s scrutinizing gaze as she responded, “No… I mean… I don’t know.” She hurried on, “Marrok didn’t describe them except to say they were dragons.” She stopped and looked down the hall as two wolves dressed in scrubs exited the double doors at the end of the hall where her dragon had been taken.
My dragon? Oh my goddess, I need to have my head examined. Wonder if the Wolfe’s have a psychiatrist on staff?
“Then why…”
“Just let her stay, Hun. It’s no big deal.” Thankfully Caleb interrupted, putting his arm around his wife before adding, “Besides, she can call us with updates. Your dad’s going to want to talk to him as soon as he’s awake. We need to know where he came from and why he’s here. I’ll have Connor bring her some food and fresh clothes.” He winked at Olivia making her quickly put two and two together and realize that Connor was one of the single male wolves and probably from Caleb’s pack.
Needing to let them know in her own way she was not interested in any male wolf, Olivia quickly replied, “Thanks so much, but I can grab something from a vending machine and my clothes aren’t that bad.”
She was lying. They knew she was lying and weren’t buying it, but were nice enough not to call her out on it. Olivia thought about apologizing. She had no doubt if she said ‘I just don’t want to deal with an overly testosterone-laden male looking for a quick hookup’ that Barbara Wolfe would’ve been offended, and if there was one thing Olivia had learned in her short stay with the Wolfes, it was that you do NOT piss off Barbara Wolfe.
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br /> So, the auburn-haired wolf quickly pointed at the couch in the waiting room and added, “I’m gonna lay right there and take a nap after I contact Marrok. Maybe he knows how to get a hold of the dragons and they can come get their guy.”
Wolfe heads were nodding in agreement as Barbara gave her a hug and said, “Alright dear. Do what you must, but I’m sending someone with food. You need to eat.”
“Yes, ma’am, thank you.”
Olivia watched the Wolfe family exit the waiting room and then the building, finally letting out the breath she’d been holding and thanking the goddess for some alone time. Turning on her heel, the she-wolf made her way back into the waiting room, where she grabbed her fourth cup of coffee then sat on the couch to decide who to contact first.
If she called Marrok, there would be so many questions she wasn’t ready to answer. On the other hand, if she called Star there was no guarantee she would keep her mouth shut. Izzy would keep Olivia’s confidence but worry herself sick. They were both great friends, just not at a place in their lives where they could handle much more than their own issues. When Olivia would say something to her brother about it, he would say that was the difference between being an Alpha female and a Beta. Olivia’s response was always from one of her favorite superhero movies… with great power, comes great responsibility, which always made Marrok laugh.
Oh, this just sucks. I need to talk to someone.
Leaning back into the overstuffed leather sofa, Olivia let her head fall to the side and her eyes slide shut. She needed to think, needed to be sure she wasn’t losing her mind before she brought anyone else into her drama. Playing back the events of the night before, she thought about the voice in her head. Was it him, the man from her dream? Didn’t it have to be? It only made sense. He truly was in a state and most definitely needed her help, but why not come to the Wolfe’s or any of the other hundred or so other wolf families from the Wolfe Pack running around their territory? Why hang out in the forest, in torn clothes, barefooted, and call to a woman you don’t know?