“Found you?”
“He’s got friends in a lot of shelters, foster homes, churches. He finds those of us who are out there, just floating, and he brings us here. He brings us home.”
“So you’re all…”
“Castoffs,” she finished for him with a shrug. “Rejected. Unwanted.”
He didn’t like the terms, and he didn’t agree with them. Unwanted? Tell it to his wolf. The damn beast was hanging on her every move and every word. Straightening, he fought to hide his anger at the thought of anyone rejecting her. “How old were you?”
She stopped walking. “When I came here?” she asked, her voice too thin. “Thirteen.”
“Thirteen?” He couldn’t hide the incredulity in his tone. Thirteen would have been a hideous age for any child to be “out there just floating” as she’d called it, but a female shifter! He shook his head. “Your parents?”
“Never knew my real parents. I grew up in foster care. The last family I was with,” her eyes took on a far-off look as if she were remembering. “They were great. Had me from the time I was eight until I was thirteen. They were…great.” Her wistful look faded.
“What happened at thirteen, Willa?”
She peered up at him. “I started to change. The shift was coming over me.”
Barron’s eyes widened. “You hadn’t learned before that?”
“Nah,” she shook her head. “I had no one to teach me. I had no idea what was wrong with me, but I knew something was.”
His hands curled into fists. He and Evander had had their parents, their pack, to nurture and support them. He couldn’t imagine having grown up without support, and the thought of a young Willa out there alone and vulnerable tore at him. “Nothing was wrong with you!”
She smiled sadly. “Tell that to non-shifters trying to raise a shifter child alongside their own. They had their own kids, they didn’t need the weird foster kid making things creepy.”
“So?”
She shrugged. “So, I ran. It was a favor to us all.”
He tilted his head back and closed his eyes, almost afraid to ask. “How long?”
“I was on the street for almost seven months when Garner found me. Took me in. Brought me here.”
Hearing the smile return to her voice, he swallowed down his rage at the thought of a thirteen-year-old Willa out on the streets, and dropped his head to study her. “And then?”
“Then, I lived,” she smiled brightly. “He taught me to shift. Raised me as his own. There were only three of us then. The other two were way older than me and moved out soon after I came to stay, but Garner taught me well, and soon I was helping him track down others like me. Kids nobody wanted. Shifters nobody wanted.”
Barron turned to glance toward the farmhouse, guilt at his earlier words biting hard. “I’m sorry for what I said.” His voice was barely a whisper.
Willa smirked. “Don’t be. It’s not the first time someone has written us off. We’re very content to be,” she lifted her hands to curl her fingers into air quotes, laughing at him, “‘saddled’ with each other.”
He winced, keeping the expression in place when he asked, “So, what’s your plan?” He hurried to add, “If you don’t mind me asking.”
Willa stood in silence for a few moments before sighing and looking up at the trees. “My first order of business is placing my girls. Sarya and Becca will need strong males, who will be able to protect them.”
Inexplicably, Barron’s anger seared to life. “That’s your plan? Pawn off the females of your pack?”
Willa’s green eyes flashed angrily as she turned away from him, storming back toward the farmhouse. “I’m protecting them.”
“Protecting them.” He snorted, knowing the conversation was one they needed to have. “You’re pimping them out!”
Chapter 10
Willa turned on Barron with a snarl. “I’m a female Alpha without a mate. What do you think is going to happen here?” When he didn’t answer, her scowl deepened. “Males will come from hundreds of miles around to challenge me for my territory. I’ll lose, and that’ll be the end of it for me and my pack. My females will be taken, without any choice in the matter, by the first wolf who lays a claim.” Angry tears glistened in her eyes. “Keryn and Cortez are the oldest members of my pack, aside from me, and they’ve got each other. My other two females are young, just children. Do you have any idea what would happen to them if I let a new Alpha decide their fate?”
Barron knew exactly what would happen. The Alpha would permit his pack to fight for the females with the winner claiming the prize. This, of course, would be after the Alpha himself took first liberties with them. Keryn too, would suffer the same fate, as she and Crotez hadn’t cemented their mating. None of Willa’s girls would have a say in their fate.
Wanting to lighten the mood, he scoffed with a smile, “What? No faith in yourself?”
Willa’s lips turned up in a humorless smile as some of her anger vanished on an amused snort. Turning, she crossed to a patch of grass and dropped to sit, bending her knees a little to rest her arms on them. “I’ll take out a few, but there will be too many.”
His eyes rounded, and all the air left him. “You’re not actually considering fighting?” He’d been joking!
“Of course I’m fighting.” Her harsh tone softened to one of bitter reluctance. “The least I can do for my pack is to go down with the ship. To show them that I was worthy of the title. To be the leader they deserved.”
Was she actually speaking of herself in the past tense? His hands balled into fists. “Why not mate one of the challenging Alphas and be done with it?” He ignored the jolt of jealousy that tore through him at the thought.
Delicate brows shot up. “Why don’t you mate someone you’ve never met, whose only interest is in your territory?” Her shoulders slumped and she rolled her head, her hand lifting to rub at her neck. “If I can’t place my girls, and I fight, perhaps the incoming Alpha will show pity on my pack.”
“You could fake a mating,” he suggested, dropping to sit beside her.
“It was my first thought.” She exhaled long and slow, fidgeting with her fingers. “It’ll be the first thing they’ll suspect.” She turned alluring green eyes to frown up at him. “There’ll have to be a mark. Any mating I made would have to be true. Faking it would never work.”
“You can bear a mark without a true mating. Lots of wolves would gladly assist, I’m sure.”
“Would you?” she meant it as a challenge, but it came out sounding like a plea. She cleared her throat and rushed on. “Knowing that every Alpha for several states will come and test the mating, challenge my false mate, potentially challenge me. Any mark on me would be a death sentence for the male unless he truly was willing to fight for me and my pack. Do you think any man or wolf wants that problem? Wants to pretend to be my mate and fight for me without getting anything out of the deal? No.” She shook her head sadly. “If an Alpha went through all that, he’d expect to actually be rewarded with my pack…with me. Plus, there’s the real fear he might lose. What then? I’ve gotten someone killed, and we’re stuck with whoever defeats him. No one wants that problem. No male in his right mind would fight for us.”
Hearing her speak about herself like that was infuriating. “You are not a problem,” he growled.
“Wrong.” She slowly got up and dusted the palms of her hands on the back of her shorts as she turned to smile sadly down at him. “I am a problem. I’m just not your problem.”
She took a step to leave then stopped, staring straight out at the woods. It gave him the opportunity to run his eyes over her frame. He’d been wanting to admire her uninterrupted since he arrived. She was the smallest Alpha he’d ever seen. She was short, but not too thin, and she had phenomenal legs. Her calves were toned and she had thick thighs. He despised a scrawny female, and this one was perfectly proportioned. A swell to her hips and full breasts made her look healthy, perfect for bearing many cubs. Too bad she m
ight never get the opportunity to be a mother. Even given her slight stature, it appeared to him that she held the weight of the world on her shoulders. And she did. Her pack’s existence depended on what course of action she took, and the females in her pack could suffer greatly if Willa chose wrong. She too would suffer. Funny how she’d made no mention of her own fate. So preoccupied with securing the members of her pack, it appeared she’d given little or no thought to where she’d end up. He had to know.
“And what about you? Where do you end up when the dust finally settles?” His gut tightened at the pain and fear he read in her haunted eyes as she turned to look at him.
“My only concern is getting my pack placed. After that,” she shook her head. “I can only pray that I fall in battle.”
“You pray to die?” His fury was instant. He remembered her reference to going down with the ship, but he hadn’t thought she’d meant it literally. “If your pack is settled, then there’ll be no need for it. Walk away! Or better yet, submit!”
“This territory has belonged to the Garner’s family for hundreds of year.” She shook her head dejectedly. “I can’t give it up without a fight, and I am no Alpha if I willingly submit.”
When Barron continued to scowl at her, she continued. “Besides, do you really think he’ll let me walk?”
“Who?” Barron sprang to his feet, itching to find this unknown adversary and pound him into the fucking dirt.
“Any of them. All of them. Do you think Alphas will drag their packs hundreds of miles to watch me walk away?” She balled her hands into tiny fists. “They’ll want to prove to their packs that this land was taken. Earned. Especially if they’re battle born. You of all people should understand. That means my submission, and my submission is something they’ll only get while standing over my dead body. There’s only one way out for me.”
“You’re making this harder than it has to be.” His mind was working desperately to find a solution. “You’re beautiful, young…hell you can’t be more than twenty-three. All of the Alpha’s won’t be that bad. Claim one,” he practically commanded.
“I’m twenty-six,” she clarified, “and do you think a relationship could work if I know he’s taken me only to gain my lands? Do you have any idea how he would treat me?”
Barron shrugged. “There are worse things.”
She frowned up at him. “Yeah? Name one.”
“DEATH!” He yelled, finally losing the tight rein on his temper. “Death is worse than living with an imperfect mating.”
“Have you ever lived your life unhappy?” she asked. “I have, and it’s no place I’ll willingly go back to.” She had turned back to the farm when her senses kicked in. She froze and scented the air. Her head jerked to the side as she scanned the area.
Barron was suddenly at her side. “I scent it too.”
He put his back to hers as they scanned the forest. His body suddenly tensed, and Willa tried to step around him to confront what she could now scent as two unknown males in her territory. Barron didn’t let her. His hand curled around her hip as he shoved her behind him, using his own body to shield hers from view.
Standing behind him, Willa realized that either Barron was extremely large or she was ridiculously small. Her nose only reached the center of his back and her slight frame was completely hidden behind the breadth of him. And what a breadth it was. All lean, corded muscle that bunched and flexed under his clothes as he tensed with the challenge that surged through him. His massive shoulders hunched, and she recognized the stance as one of threat.
“Who in the fuck are you?” Barron challenged in a snarl. Willa attempted to step around him again, but his hand gripped tighter to keep her behind him.
The response was a growl before a throaty laugh bounced off the trees. “I’m Alpha Atkins. This is my Beta, Cobalt. I’ve come to court the Alpha Willow.”
Willa’s heart thundered to a halt in her chest. Her hands trembled with the need to curl into the back of Barron’s shirt, but she was an Alpha, and knew that any display of weakness was an insult to her pack.
“Her name is Willa,” Barron ground out, “and she’s not seeing any suitors.”
“Really?” The voice seemed closer. “And who might you be?”
In front of her, Barron stopped hunching and rose to his full height. It was an impressive display.
“Alpha Barron Kane,” he supplied in a lethal tone that dripped with authority.
The asshole, Atkins, actually had the nerve to chuckle. “I’ve heard of you. Your brother, Evander, just acquired the Colorado territory. He’s close friends with the Blackbird packs of the Montanas and Wyoming. And you…,” the voice inched closer. “You abandoned your pack. Left them to fend for themselves so you could cavort like a cub in the wilds of British Columbia. Couldn’t decide if you were ready to be an Alpha…ready to be a man!”
Willa’s breathing stopped. She didn’t want to miss a word. In front of her, Barron’s body vibrated with the threatening growl that rumbled loose. Every line of him was taut, ready to spring.
“I don’t explain myself. Especially to the likes of you.”
Atkins was back to laughing. “The likes of me? I’m just a harmless Alpha. I’ve sustained a modest domain in New Mexico. I’ve come to court Ms. Willa. To show my good faith, I’ve only been accompanied by my Beta. There is no one else. The rest of my pack has remained in New Mexico. It’s a show of good faith.”
“You left your pack,” Barron snarled, “because you’re a scavenger and it’s quicker to travel in small numbers. You hoped to beat the other Alpha’s to the prize. I’ve heard of you, and your pack of coyotes!” The term was a great insult to wolves.
Atkins’ tone turned deadly. “Apparently not fast enough. How is it you got here so fast? Word of the Alpha male’s demise only just reached the South. Yet, here you are. Conjured up from God knows where. Don’t pretend your designs aren’t the same as mine.”
Willa’s heart sank. She knew Barron had no designs on her land, but he couldn’t help her either, and she had no right to expect him to. She was alone in this fight. Taking a step back from Barron, she squeaked when his hand clamped onto her hip and jerked her body hard into the solid wall of his back. Instantly, her body warmed everywhere it touched his.
“Aaaah.” Atkins’ tone was amused. “Have you not told little Ms. Willa of your intentions? Does she believe you’re here with innocent intentions?”
“I’m not here for her territory!”
The hand Barron had holding her hip moved to clutch one rounded cheek of Willa’s ass. She was about to jerk free when Barron turned them and she realized he was simply trying to maneuver them round. Apparently, Atkins was attempting to circle them.
“Really?” Atkins’ tone was airy. “And pray tell, Barron.” It was an insult for one Alpha to address another without using their title. “What are you here for?”
Barron answered without hesitation. “I’m here for the woman. She is mine!”
Chapter 11
The words were out before Barron could check them, and he wasn’t sure he even wanted to. The sharp inhalation at his back, and the sneer on Atkins’ face, confirmed that his claim hadn’t been mistaken. Not that it could. Among shifters, a claim was never misconstrued. He’d declared openly that Willa was his, and by doing so he’d thrown down the gauntlet. For Willa, all other potential suitors would have to go through him.
“I challenge,” Atkins responded immediately.
“REALLY?” Willa couldn’t keep from shouting from behind Barron. She jerked free of his grip and side-stepped him to glare at the challenging Alpha. “You want me, yet you haven’t even laid eyes on me. How do you know I’m not some repulsive shrew?”
Barron’s arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her back into his body, where he hunched, towering over her while wrapping her in the protective cocoon of his body.
Atkins’ smile was slow as his eyes roved appreciatively from her head down to her sneakered feet,
then slowly back up. The action drew a menacing growl from Barron as his arm tightened around Willa’s waist.
“I see you now,” Atkins drawled. “And I do like what I see.” He yanked off his shirt and handed it to his Beta, Cobalt, without looking at him. “I had hoped to take you without the need for death, but as this boy has laid claim,” Atkins sighed as if bored, “I shall do what I must.”
Willa’s heart skidded to a halt. They weren’t seriously going to fight for her right now! Were they? She knew it was the shifter way, but never in all her life had she ever thought she’d be stuck in the nightmare. She’d hoped to come up with a plan before things got this far.
“No!” She tried to step forward as Cortez and Keryn stepped from the woods. She had summoned Cortez through their pack ties as soon as Atkins and Cobalt arrived. If things went badly, she didn’t want to be left alone to deal with the encroachers.
Barron ignored her command, and her struggles, keeping her clamped tightly to him.
“There will be no fighting,” she hissed quietly. “No one’s getting hurt over me.”
Atkins’ smile broadened and he held his hand out to the side. Cobalt gave him his shirt and Atkins began slowly putting it back on. “Good. Send the boy away and we’ll…,” he turned his eyes in the direction of the farmhouse, lifting his nose to scent the air. When he looked back to her, his smile was wolfish, “Consummate our bond.”
Willa couldn’t control the revulsion that shivered down her spine. Atkins was younger than she’d expected. He looked close in age to Barron, which meant he’d repeatedly called him ‘boy’ to get a rise. While the man wasn’t unattractive, he held no appeal for her. His hair was shaved close to his head, and his body was built, but his eyes were dead. No emotion played behind the seeking brown orbs.
“Cortez,” Barron barked, and when Willa’s Beta stepped forward, he shoved her into his arms. “Protect my mate until I’m finished with this piece of shit!”
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