“Not sure what that meant but thanks anyway.” Finished changing she stood a little awkwardly in front of him. How would her mate feel about Fred? Vince had been shocked when he had seen Fred but he obviously recognized him. Did the others know him? She didn’t want to give up her best friend for some guy she didn’t want to be within the first place.
“Don’t be a stranger, Fred,” she said while ruffling his ears. “I’ll see ya around.”
Chapter Twenty-six
Owen’s house was nothing like she had expected. Their little town of Andora was not known for having a rich community unlike some of the other towns in the Adirondacks. The Alpha’s house was the exception. Sadie wasn’t going to lie. She had seen the house from the road in passing a few times. More of a lodge or a small inn than a house, it sat nestled into the forest like it had grown there. One more tree in a forest with millions. Three stories, the first of which was stone covered and half underground. The main level and smaller upper level were wood covered pieces of art. The intricate roof line mimicked the mountain peaks behind it. And unlike some people she knew, the inside did match the outside.
Owen’s house was massive on the inside. The top floor was Owen’s suite whereas the rest was for pack use. The great hall, as it was referred to by Lee, was the main room where everyone was gathered. It had a stone fireplace that spanned the two stories. It was lit with a roaring fire even though it had been pushing 75 degrees that day. But if Sadie had a fireplace like that, she’d have it lit all the time too.
The whole pack was assembled in the hall. More had come than she had seen at the Wick the week prior. There were easily a hundred people. Everyone had a drink and was conversing in small groups. The overall mood of the night was excitement. It pricked the air like static.
“A lot of these are submissive wolves,” Lee whispered to Sadie.
She nodded but didn’t say anything as she was led over toward Owen. He had on a very blank face but Sadie had seen the brief flash of nervousness when he spotted her. The secret Owen had entrusted with Lee was silently spoken between them. She tilted her head slightly, eyes questioning. He responded with a very slow, very deliberate shake of his head. Well, whatever they were planning was not happening.
“Sadie,” he said stiffly in greeting.
“Alpha,” she responded just as stiffly.
His eyes flashed with unheard laughter. Lee didn’t find it as funny and elbowed her in the ribs.
“Have you decided?”
Nope. But he didn’t need to know that just yet. Instead she asked, “Can we just get this over?”
A quick, assessing glance around the room had him frowning and nodding. “Yes, I suppose we have waited long enough.”
He could command a room when he wanted to. Owen didn’t need to say anything, all he did was walk up to the front of the room to the fireplace and the room grew instantly silent. Every head was turned toward him. Every face poised with rapt attention. Even her own focused on him, unable to look away even if she had wanted.
“Welcome,” he said in a hearty greeting. His smile brightened his face till she couldn’t help but smile back. Sadie wanted to hate the man for what he was doing but it was hard to.
“I want to thank everyone for coming. This is going to be a first for the Adirondack pack. We are welcoming a new wolf today. A wolf that was not born but made.” Excited murmurs traveled through the crowd. “Sadie,” he held out his hand toward her.
Her feet moved but her mind was numb to it all. She followed the same path he had through the crowd. Many smiled at her but some openly sneered. She would have enemies, Lee had told her. And she wasn’t wrong. Their jealously tingled on her neck. The only thing that kept her from staring each and every one of them down was Owen’s eyes. He kept her moving forward until her hand was secure in his.
“Sadie James was gifted by Gaia. She was attacked and lay dying by one of our own but Gaia wished to save her. We welcome Sadie into the pack as family. For good replaces the bad and will heal the broken.” He kept his hand on hers but turned her palm upward. Lee had come out of the crowd with a small knife. It was bone with a hilt carved into a wolf.
Sadie took a steadying breath as the blade was run over her palm. Nervousness ate the pain like Wheaties. Owen did the same to his own palm and handed the knife back to Lee. When he spoke next it was just to her. “I offer you protection, family, and home. Do you accept these?”
“Yes,” she said and smiled warmly.
“Then welcome to the pack,” his voice had lost its command and sounded like Owen again. He placed his palm in hers and held on tightly. Their cuts touched and her hand instantly warmed as their blood mingled. Owen turned to his right and held out a hand to the person closest to him. Everyone around the room did the same until they were all linked. She startled when someone slipped a hand in hers and linked fingers. Sadie looked first to the hand then the person it was attached to. Vince gave her a reassuring smile and squeezed lightly.
“Blood of my blood,” he said to the room, once more as Alpha. Everyone responded with “blood of my blood.”
It wasn’t thoughts or words she felt but more like emotions. As her hand heated, she could feel the pack grow inside of her. Everyone was generally excited with a few sore spots throughout the group. Only one did she feel a strong determination from. That didn’t come from the same spot though. The only way she could explain it was it came from her chest and not her head. As the hum of pack magic flowed around the room the bite on her neck heated too. It was fully healed over save for the small indentations of where the teeth had punctured her skin. It was faint but she could still see it with clarity.
When the ceremony was complete Owen had pulled her out of Vince’s grip and hugged her. He kept an arm over her shoulders which kept the wolves at bay, although, he did allow many to come and greet her. It felt to Sadie like he was stalling. A quarter of an hour passed before he whistled to get everyone’s attention again.
“There is one more thing we need to do tonight before I let you all hound Miss Sadie.” Her heart thumped wildly. “Let’s have a mating!” The crowd cheered and laughed. Some people stomped the floor while a few in the back howled.
“Who have you chosen?” he asked her when the noise calmed.
She hadn’t, couldn’t. It’s not that she didn’t try. Resigned to the fact that her fate was sealed, she had spent the night awake trying to pick. Her heart though, couldn’t settle on anyone.
“I…”
“She’s picked me.” Sadie whipped her head around to the voice coming through the crowd. Vince pushed his way through and came to her all while she stared with her mouth gaping.
“Have you?” Owen asked a little tightly.
“Um…yes?” That hadn’t sounded anywhere convincing enough so she tried again. “Y-yes. He’ll…do.” Still not convincing anyone, Owen flattened his mouth into a thin line and looked between the two of them. Vince stood tall, his hands hanging loosely at his side. He showed no emotion other than confidence but that was more in the way he held himself. It was as if he was daring anyone to try and stop him.
Sadie on the other hand, looked as if she was going to puke.
“Alright,” Owen stated. “Hands.” Since her hand had not healed yet from the pack ceremony Owen took that one from her as Vince cut one of his. What was odd about the whole thing was Owen and Lee. They were taking their merry old time, Lee with the knife and Owen with his words. He wasn’t a wordy man, but no one would guess that now. Even Vince was looking at him questionably.
“Last week I told Sadie to pick a mate. This was, perhaps, a bit of an odd request but was done so with reason. She has made her choice of Vince Steinbeck.” He paused for a moment longer than necessary. “Before we begin I’d like to ask if anyone has any objections.” None. Owen glanced at Lee, and Sadie saw her shake her head just like he had done when they arrived.
“Alright let’s get started then.” Vince reached for Sadie’s hand but Owen
took it first. Vince, who had been going along with the proceedings well up until that point had to hold back a growl. “Vince offers his protection, food, home and support to you Sadie. This is not to be taken lightly. We typically mate for life. Do you accept his offerings and you yourself offer as much back?”
She had been pretty deaf to everything up until then. There was no choice in the matter; Owen had made that clear over the past week. However, now when he looked at her she felt like she might be able to say no.
“Yes. I accept.” Owen nodded once, stiffly like he was about to rip a band-aid off. But then something came over him a second later. His head lifted to look behind her down the hall. It was mostly relief she saw reflecting from his eyes. Sadie, figuring this had to be part of their secret scheming looked over at Lee who was also staring at the back of the room. She didn’t hide her excitement. No, Lee smiled with ferocity.
All around them people were noticing what was behind her. Murmurings and many exclamations of shock and happiness were spreading. Vince growled low in his throat, only loud enough for her to hear. But she ignored them all because the bite on her neck was heating again. This time it kept warming till she felt the bite of pain.
With a hand covering her neck in a sad attempt at quelling the sting, Sadie turned to see what everyone was looking at. A man, naked from the waste up, was standing just inside the open front door. His brown hair was long and unkempt, like he hadn’t washed or brushed it in weeks. He had more than a few days worth of scruff on his chin, which he rubbed as more people turned to look at him. Sadie felt she had seen him before but did not know where. She frowned as she stared at him. He caught her eyes. Her breath jammed in her throat. She knew those eyes. The man she dreamed about was standing only a dozen feet away in the flesh and blood. There was no way for her to be one hundred percent positive that was the same guy but the eyes were the same. That she knew for sure.
He closed his eyes and took a long deep breath. His chest filled and his lips parted just enough for the air to escape. Before opening his eyes back up a smile spread slowly but confidently across his face.
Vince stepped closer to her and put a hand on the small of her back. So distracted by the interruption, she hadn’t looked to see what he had been growling about. The normally jubilant expression he wore had been replaced with one of resolution.
The man in the aisle looked to Sadie, then to Vince’s hand on her back, then to Owen. “I request a challenge.”
Chapter Twenty-seven
“Who is he?” she asked Lee with an urgency she didn’t understand. “Have I met him before?” Sadie needed to know who this man was, but she didn’t know why she had to know. Something about him was familiar and that scared the crap out of her. The way he looked at her. It was like he already knew her. This wasn’t a “we met at a party” kind of familiarity either. No, this man looked at her like he has seen her naked before and liked what he saw. The whole damn thing was crazy. Here she was, standing in the middle of the mountains, working as a waitress, recently changed into a wolf, and now she had two men fighting for her.
Sadie could scream.
This was not how she had picture her life turning out. So far, she had taken the curves thrown at her with grace. While some people would have had a conniption fit at learning there were such mythological creatures as werewolves and they were now one of them, she held it together and examined the facts as she saw them. It was very hard to argue with a man changing on her doorstep and then chasing her through the woods. She dealt with the changes and she sucked it up. Besides, there was nothing she could have done anyway. Accepting what cannot be changed was something she learned at a young age. It had helped her through life and had never let her down.
But this? Well, this was out of control. These men were going to fight over her. Like she was some kind of prize. They stood outside, the house to their backs. The pack had made a circle around the challenger and Vince. Both the men were bare chested and sizing the other up with sidelong looks.
“Ok so do you remember me telling you about Tyson?”
“Who?” She’d heard that name before but not from Lee. It had been from Jack. “The wolf that went crazy?” she guessed.
Lee grimaced. “That’s not quite the right word for it but yeah, that’s the one. Well, it seems like he’s back.”
Sadie narrowed her eyes at Lee. “That’s him?” She didn’t mean to point, but she did anyway. Tyson had caught the movement and sent her and Lee a smirk.
“Uh, yeah.” Lee flipped him off but she smiled while doing it.
“Why does he want me?” She would have remembered meeting a crazy man or wolf. The only one she could think of was Jack and he was dead.
“They are starting,” she said while successfully dodging her question.
Owen stepped into the circle. The sun had just fallen over the mountain behind them and the last few rays of daylight still illuminated the forest. He had not stopped grinning since Tyson showed up. It was clear who he favored in this fight and from the few glances she caught from Vince, he knew it too.
When Lee had pulled her away from Vince inside, she explained very fast and very quietly what was about to happen. A challenge meant they would fight either to the death or till the Alpha stops them. The winner would get Sadie. Owen decided that they would be fighting in human form rather than wolf, unlike most challenges were carried out in.
“He’s worried if Tyson turns into his wolf, he won’t change back,” Lee had continued to whisper. That had not comforted Sadie. Not in the least.
“Well now. This has turned out to be an exciting meeting. Has it not?” The wolves roared with excitement. “Tyson has found his way home.” This too was met with a few howls and one snarl. Sadie followed the sound to Tyson who was glaring openly at Owen. That, as she had found out a week prior, was a big no-no.
“Oh stop that you old dog.” Owen clapped him on the back with a smile. The command was well hidden but heard by some. Tyson calmed the rumbling but didn’t stop glaring. “The rules for the challenge are as follows. No changing into your fur. You will fight until I tell you to stop. This is not a fight to the death, so don’t even try it. I will let this go on till a clear winner is decided. No outside help or interference.” He looked between the two opponents who nodded their agreements. “Well then, let’s get started.”
Owen jogged across the circle to where Sadie and Lee stood. “Ready?” he asked them with a fire of excitement. The air was heavy as she drug in lung fulls of it. She was not ready. She hadn’t been ready before when it was just Vince but now? Hell, now she had hands that were slick with sweat, a heartbeat that was rapidly increasing, and a cut on her lip where her continued biting had succeeded in breaking the skin.
So, no, she was not ready.
“BEGIN!” Owen yelled.
They circled each other trying to find the weaknesses of the other. Vince was tall but skinny. He was definitely strong. Without his shirt she could see the cut of his muscles but he was no way near as solid as Tyson was. That man was a tank. He was just around her height, maybe an inch or two taller than her five foot four. But what he lacked in height he made up for in body. Tyson would never be considered fat. In fact, it looked like he was too thin for his normal body weight. His ribs showed a little too easily.
The first strike came from Vince. Sadie had to give him credit, he was fast. The hit had been thrown and he had already darted away when she realized what had happened. Tyson only smiled, waited a beat and then charged. The slapping of skin and the crunch of bones mixed with the hoots and yells of the spectators. Tyson got off a round of five of six punches before Vince got in one himself and took the fight back. They danced like that. Each one gaining the upper hand for a while before the other took over.
When Tyson took a particularly brutal hit to the ribs, she winced. A heavy hand rested on her shoulder. “Relax,” Owen said in her ear. “Neither of them will be seriously harmed.”
She could honest
ly say that that thought had not run through her mind at all. Worrying about their safety was not on her radar at the moment.
He had recovered and was looking at her. Tyson wasn’t watching Vince like he should have been doing but watched her with worry, making sure she was ok. It unsettled her. Why was this guy looking at her like that? Worse yet, why did his concern made her stomach flutter?
He was still looking at her when Vince came up beside him. He must have seen it in her eyes because he ducked at the last second, letting Vince’s punch land on air. The fight had begun to change. Whatever he had seen in her had Tyson becoming more serious. It seemed he had quit playing with Vince—which just sounded wrong. In the seconds that followed it was obvious, at least to Sadie, that Tyson was the stronger opponent and was only letting Vince land his punches. With two more swings, the fight was over. Vince had fallen to the ground and was wheezing as he tried to get to his legs again.
“Enough!” Owen yelled and cheers rang up. Sadie was not one of them.
Lee left her side the instant Owen declared the game over and rushed to Tyson. She grabbed his chin and tilted his head from side to side before deeming him, “fine for now,” and letting him go so she could go tend Vince.
Owen had not let go of her shoulder. He probably thought she would try to run and he was probably right. Tyson, bloody and beaten, began toward them. He pushed his hair back out of his face. The strands clumped together with blood and sweat. He was smiling. She hadn’t seen him do that yet and it calmed her. His smile was so familiar to her. It made no sense though because she did not know this man and the more she thought about it, the more she was sure that he was not the same man from her dreams. Yeah, she was sure she was just trying to fill in the blanks and Tyson was close enough.
He had reached her. Owen’s grip loosened and dropped away all together. She heard him mumble something about checking on Vince but Sadie hadn’t been paying attention. She could take her eyes off the man who just won her.
Beyond The Veil: A Paranormal & Magical Romance Boxed Set Page 117