Dear Lord, men were stubborn idiots sometimes.
Lexi walked up to them and gave them a smile, though Ellie could see the danger behind it. There was no doubt she’d attack if they posed a threat to Parker.
“You know our names, but not who we are. I understand that. We’re no threat to the Redwoods, but I understand you have to be careful, as do we. I’m Lexi, and this is my brother Logan.” She gave a nod to her naked brother as he crossed his arms over his chest. “This is my son, Parker.” She wrapped an arm around Parker while she said it.
The boy smiled at them, and Ellie frowned. There was something about him she couldn’t place…something familiar.
Parker turned to look at North, and Ellie did the same and bit her lip. North looked like someone had punched him in the stomach and then stolen his puppy.
North, now dressed, swallowed hard then gave a slight nod. “Nice to meet you under the circumstances. I’m North, and this, as you can tell, is my brother, Maddox, and our Pack mate, Ellie.”
Maddox grabbed her hand and pulled her closer, causing her heart to speed up. Damn wolf.
“Let’s head to the cabin then?” Maddox asked, but Ellie could tell it wasn’t really a question. “I think there are some things we need to discuss.”
They followed the trio and North to the cabin, tension in the air, but this time the tension was one of curiosity, rather than danger. She still didn’t trust them, but something told her they had a story to tell and might need help as much as she did.
Maybe she wasn’t so alone after all.
Chapter 8
Maddox sat on the couch in the living room of the small cabin and took in his surroundings. The paint was old but not peeling yet. It had only been a few years since he and his family had been in the place and it had been needing a coat, anyway. Kade and Jasper has mentioned they’d wanted to expand it for their families and let out some of their creativity. Too bad they hadn’t been able to do anything but worry about things like the Pack since Caym had come to their plane.
The furniture was old, but comfortable, and since there were so many Jamensons, they had plenty of seating—something that didn’t happen in other cabins. His mother had decorated it with her usual homey charm. Pictures adorned the walls, and mirrors had been placed in strategic locations so the place not only looked larger, but they could see their entire surroundings in case of attack. As the place wasn’t on den land, they had to be careful.
Neutral wasn’t always so neutral.
The place should have had layers of dust and a musty smell, yet all Maddox could sense were these other wolves and North and Ellie. Whoever this family was, they hadn’t changed much, as if they’d been ready to leave on a moment’s notice.
He’d have to figure out just exactly why that was.
Ellie had said they weren’t Centrals, and Maddox knew for a fact they had never been Redwoods. Even banished wolves would still have an echo to his wolf—a bond that would have been broken, but not forgotten. It could be true that these wolves were of another Pack, ousted for one reason or another, but Maddox didn’t know.
He’d tasted their scents and knew that, though they were not of a Pack now, that hadn’t always been the case. Something had forced them out of their Pack, and Maddox needed to know what it was. Ellie was in danger from these people. Yes, so were he and North, but Ellie was more important.
He still hadn’t thought about what North’s revelations would mean to his future. Even though she wouldn’t mate his brother, that didn’t take away the enormity of burdens he’d put on her if they did mate.
He couldn’t let that happen to her…yet, without North in the way, it became just that much harder to say no.
“Maddox?” Ellie shifted on the couch so her leg brushed against his, sending heat right to his dick.
Hell, this would be torture until they talked it out fully and probably after that. However, they had more important things to worry about at the moment.
Namely the Centrals and whoever these three were.
“This was unexpected,” he said, not even bothering to whisper, as they were in a house full of wolves and hiding their conversation was out of the question.
“I know. I don’t know if we’re doing the right thing at all, but my wolf feels safe with them, you know?” Ellie whispered.
Safe.
Gods, he wanted her to feel safe. He knew she’d never felt it before, and now everything that she’d built around her was crumbling away with the emergence of a traitor in their Pack.
Maddox nodded and forced himself not to reach for her hand again. For some reason, she settled him and his wolf when he did so, but he couldn’t form the habit or get used to it.
She wasn’t for him.
He had to remember that, even if it was getting harder and harder to remember why he was saying no, why he was pushing her away.
“We’ll figure it all out.”
Logan had gone to change into something besides his skin while North sat on the ottoman, waiting for Lexi and Parker to come from the kitchen. It all seemed so surreal. They’d come to the cabin as a place of refuge to protect themselves, but they hadn’t been the first to do the same.
“So, who wants to start?” Lexi asked as she walked in the room, Parker by her side. Logan pushed past her and glared.
“I want to know what they’re doing here.” Logan went right up to North and stood over him.
North blinked and sat where we was, seemingly unaffected by the show of dominance.
“Logan,” Lexi whispered as she shook her head.
“How about we all agree not to go for each other’s throats while we figure this out?” Maddox said, wishing he’d be able to use his Omega strength to help. Since these three weren’t of Pack, and North and Ellie had no connection to that part of him, he felt useless.
“I thought that’s what we’d already decided,” Ellie said, and Maddox had to hold back a grin. It seemed as though she was starting to gain a backbone.
Nice.
“We did,” Lexi agreed. “Logan, stop it. Okay?”
Logan snorted then went to stand on Lexi’s other side.
“How about you guys sit on the other couch?” Ellie asked, and Maddox was glad she’d spoken up. Logan seemed to listen to her more than he and North. Probably because she wasn’t trying to tear his throat out. Not that he’d tried, but he’d thought about it. Vividly. “There’s plenty of room, and this way no one is standing over anyone else.”
Lexi smiled, which brightened her whole face. Not that she did anything for him. No, the caramel-skinned beauty by his side was the one who did it. If Maddox were to venture a guess, he would say he wasn’t the twin Lexi had her eye on. From the look on North’s face, the feeling was mutual.
Interesting.
Considering Lexi had a son, that meant she’d had a mate at one time. Wolves couldn’t have children unless they were bonded with their mates. Since wolves had more than one predestined mate, it was possible to find another mate in their long lifespans.
His brother, Adam, was a prime example considering he’d lost his mate, Anna, years before and now, was happily mated to Bay. His other brother, Kade, had met Melanie after being rejected by a previous potential mate—one the rest of the family was happy to be rid of.
However, since fate wasn’t always so cruel, once a wolf was bonded, they couldn’t feel the mating urge with another wolf unless their mate died.
Since it was clear—at least to Maddox—that Lexi and North had at least felt something, Lexi’s mate and Parker’s father must be dead.
That could be a reason they were currently Packless.
“Since this is our land, how about we start?” Maddox said after a moment, and Logan gave a curt nod. Considering he didn’t know these people and where they stood, Maddox felt it was best to start at the beginning. “You know there’s a war between the Centrals and Redwoods, correct?”
“We all know about the Centrals and their demon ki
nd,” Logan spat. “They want to be the strongest Pack in the world, so they have to take you down to do it. Too bad they’re killing the rest of us in the process.”
Maddox growled. “They’re killing us as well. Don’t forget that.”
“Then why aren’t you doing something about it?” Logan yelled.
“We are,” North cut in. His brother’s eyes glowed gold for just a moment before he settled himself. Odd because North was usually the calmest of them all—at least on the outside. Something—or rather someone—had to be affecting him pretty badly. “We are, but we can’t beat them with their dark magic. We’re trying our best, but without tainting ourselves in the process, we’re treading water until we find another way.”
“And we’ve found ways to prevent him from coming into our den,” Maddox said. He didn’t mention Bay and her connection to Caym, nor did he say anything about why they were on the run…at least not yet. The Redwoods weren’t safe, but, eventually, they would be.
They had to be.
“We’ve heard you brought the spawn of Caym into your fold,” Logan said with a glare.
Maddox’s wolf clawed at the surface, but he held him back. “I see you think you know our secrets, but beware of how you talk of our sister-in-law.”
If they already knew about what Bay was—or at least had a glimpse—Maddox had to make sure she was safe, meaning she held their name, their protection.
Logan’s brows rose for a moment, and Maddox had to hold back a grin. It seems the wolf didn’t know everything he thought he did.
“Can we stop with the posturing, boys?” Lexi asked as she shot a look toward her brother.
“Yes, please,” Ellie mumbled and again Maddox had to hold back from taking her hand in his.
“The war is escalating, and there have been losses on both sides,” Maddox continued. “Because we’ve cut him off from our den, he’s trying to find new ways of attacking us.”
“He must be using his sister then,” Lexi said as she gave Ellie a look.
Ellie froze, and he rested his hand on her knee, willing her to stay calm. He didn’t know what this Lexi knew, but Ellie would not be harmed because if it.
His wolf growled in agreement.
“I might be of his blood, but that doesn’t make me his,” Ellie said, her voice hollow, but he knew she wanted to scream, do something to take away that part of her.
Lexi lowered her gaze, her wolf the lowest in the hierarchy of the bunch. “I know, Ellie. I know.”
Ellie sucked in a breath, and Maddox squeezed her knee. How could she know?
“What else do you know, Lexi?” Maddox asked, his tone as calm as possible.
“I know enough,” she said, and he had a feeling they’d get no more of how exactly she knew of Corbin and his…talents.
“I take it you’re here then to hide Ellie from her brother,” Logan put in, cutting through the tension.
“For now,” Maddox said. “Now tell us, what are you doing here?”
“Doing much of the same,” Logan answered. “Hiding from those who want us gone from this plane.”
“What happened to make you fear for your lives?” Maddox asked. He was very careful not to say anything like “What did you do?” because that would only set Logan off again. They didn’t have time to deal with this wolf’s alpha tendencies.
“We were Talons,” Logan supplied, and Maddox nodded.
The Talons were the Pack on the other side of the Centrals. They’d already lost one female wolf when Caym had killed her because she looked like Willow, Jasper’s mate, and the woman Caym wanted as his next “project”. Maddox wasn’t sure what else the Talons had lost in the process. They were also the same Pack that had kicked Bay’s mother out when she’d been raped by Caym and forced to breed a half-demon baby.
The Talons weren’t high on his list of priorities at the moment because of their Alpha’s choices.
“They banished us from the Pack because…because of our lack of choices,” Lexi said, and Maddox shook his head.
“That’s a little vague,” he said.
“That’s as detailed as I can be.” Her eyes beseeched him, and then she looked down at her son.
Ah, so it was because of Parker, or maybe his dead father.
“The Alpha, Joseph, he just kicked you out?” North asked, anger threading his tone.
“Yes, there was nothing we could do,” Lexi answered. “We’ve been lone wolves for a while. I mean, if you can be a lone wolf in a family.”
“They kicked all of you out?” North asked.
Logan growled. “I left on my own. I wouldn’t leave Lexi to fend for herself and Parker.”
“Family sometimes needs to take priority over Pack,” Maddox said. “I understand.”
Logan nodded. “Joseph isn’t much of an Alpha. He’s a lazy prick, sorry, Parker, that relies on his seven sons and princess to take care of the Pack. He meanwhile sits back and takes care of himself so he doesn’t die in the battle.”
Maddox growled. “An Alpha should protect his Pack.”
Logan met his gaze. “Well, like I said, Joseph isn’t much of an Alpha.”
Hell, the Packs were disintegrating around the Redwoods, and yet they could only focus on the demon. Sometimes the price of war wasn’t what could be seen but what was left behind when help wasn’t available.
“So, you guys are just nomads until…what?” Ellie asked, her voice filled with more warmth than before. Lexi seemingly knowing some of her past had made her freeze beside him. He’d have to find a way to help her later.
Damn it, he couldn’t do that. Not when he needed to keep his distance.
“Until we find a way to be safe and stop having to move around,” Lexi said as she hugged Parker close to her.
The boy hadn’t said anything since they’d met, but Maddox didn’t blame him. After all, they’d been on the run for probably most, if not all, of his life, and now he sat in a room with three strangers, two of them very dominant wolves and the third a wolf who was just broken enough that she made most wolves want to take care of her.
“So, what are we going to do then?” Maddox asked, needing to find a way to calm his wolf and Ellie.
“I don’t plan on fighting you,” Logan said. “As long as you don’t hurt my family.” A lethal edge marred his tone.
“The same for us,” North said, just as deadly.
“Why haven’t you tried to ask any of the other Packs for sanctuary?” Maddox asked, needing to know at least one answer.
“I don’t know if we’ll be welcome,” Lexi whispered.
Maddox let out a breath and ran his hand through his hair. “Is there a reason for that?” She didn’t answer. “We need to finish our journey, but if things come to it, we can bring you to our father.”
Lexi gave a small smile. “Maybe.”
She didn’t sound as if she’d believe him. Why would she? She’d been thrown out of the only family and Pack she’d ever known—a very painful process. There was no reason for her to trust wolves from another Pack.
Ellie shifted on the couch, running a hand down his arm, and Maddox groaned.
“It’s the full moon tonight,” he said as his wolf practically rolled its eyes.
“Yes, we’re planning on doing a run so Parker can let his wolf out,” Logan said.
Since the other man had just shifted, as had North, technically, they wouldn’t have needed to let their wolves free tonight. Werewolves weren’t governed by the moon, but during the full one, the goddess called to them, and most liked to run during that time when the animal inside them was the strongest.
Maddox looked out at the setting sun and cursed. “I’ll have to shift; it’s been too long for me.”
“Me, too,” Ellie whispered.
“I can stay behind and watch the perimeter and make sure things are settled,” North offered. “I take it we’ll be sharing the same space for a little while.”
Logan cocked his head then shrugged. “I’ll
go with you and Parker then. I don’t need to shift, but I’m not sending my nephew out with strangers.”
“What about Lexi?” North asked.
She lifted her chin and met his gaze for a moment before breaking it. “I’m latent. I won’t be on the hunt with the rest of you.”
Maddox’s wolf howled at the news.
Dear goddess.
She couldn’t shift. Like all wolves, her wolf’s soul shared her body with her, but her wolf would be forever trapped, unable to run, be free, and just…be.
It was agony for those involved, and most latent shifters died at a young age.
Lexi must have been submissive enough that her wolf could handle living on two feet rather than four paws. If she’d been any more dominant, she wouldn’t have stood a chance.
“Then we’ll stay behind and guard the cabin,” North said, an odd look in his eyes.
Logan growled and stood again, facing North. “I don’t know if I trust you alone with my sister.”
North stood this time, not letting the other man have the more dominant position. “Are you suggesting I’d harm a woman?”
Ellie grabbed Maddox’s hand, and he squeezed, willing her not to freak out at the fight that might happen in front of them. Maddox wouldn’t stand in the way, not when North’s honor and Logan’s protectiveness were in question. The two men would have to find a way to deal with each other at some point.
Hopefully, without the loss of blood.
The two men faced off wordlessly, each with fisted hands.
Parker stood up and walked toward them while Lexi tried to hold him back.
“Mom will be safe, Uncle Logan, you know it,” the kid said, and Maddox was grateful.
“How do I know that, Parker?”
“Because your wolf says so, just like mine,” he answered calmly. “And, North, Uncle Logan is all that Mom and I have, so give him a break, okay?”
The two men stared at each other for a moment more then relaxed, the tension easing as quickly as it had come.
That this eight-year-old boy could diffuse the tension so quickly surprised Maddox, but he didn’t say anything. There was something more to Parker, and he’d find out, eventually, but his wolf told him there were more things to consider.
Shattered Emotions (Redwood Pack) Page 8