"I found you," Roland said, leaving out the harrowing experience of keeping her alive. "I brought you back here."
"Where was I?" Natasha asked. What had her father done with her after her failed attempt to take him down? "Where did you find me?"
"In a glen, not far from here." He was leaving, his voice moving farther away. "Why?"
"I was just wondering," Natasha said.
"Rest," Roland ordered. "We'll talk more in the morning."
Natasha nodded, and waited for him to leave before turning down the light. Slowly pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around her legs, she hesitantly reached for the pack bond and found...nothing.
Natasha had been cut from her pack.
****
"Welcome back, sir," the hostess said. "How long has it been?"
"Too long," Craig said, handing her his cashmere coat.
"If you'll follow me." The maitre'd stepped forward, leading Craig past socialites sipping cocktails by candlelight to a table for two. Situated as it was, the table offered a commanding view of the room as well as the city skyline beyond.
Craig slid into his seat, the maitre'd shaking out his napkin and laying it lightly across his lap. A moment later, a beautiful blonde, her dress putting the "little" in little black dress, presented him with a menu and the perfect Manhattan.
Craig took his first sip, his eyes closing briefly. Civilization never tasted so good.
"Craig." Bruce Jones greeted Dimitri's beta. "Only you would insist we meet here." How to Cook a Wolf was a posh restaurant where the wait staff made more than most lawyers.
Craig smiled. "This is my kind of place."
Jones didn't laugh at the jest. Taking a seat, he waved away the maitre'd.
Around them, intimate conversation harmonized with live piano music and the delicate chimes of expensive silver, fine china and sparkling crystal. Craig was content to sit back and let the sounds wash over him, erasing the stain of the past several months spent in Dimitri's pack.
"Good evening," the waitress said. "My name is Britney - "
"Of course it is," Craig said sweetly.
" - and I'll be serving you this evening." Britney smiled, her eyes traveling over Craig's tailored suit.
Craig made a production of handing the waitress his menu, making sure to flash his gold Rolex and diamond cuff links. Only in town for 12 hours, he had every intention of enjoying his stay, and Britney had just jumped to the top of the list as the evening's entertainment.
"Are you ready to order?" Britney asked, her smile brightening predictably. She had plans of her own and they didn't include spending her evenings serving old, rich women. God had seen fit to give her beauty and the brains to use it.
Britney knew money when she saw it and this guy was loaded. He was good looking too, which was a bonus, not a requirement. His friend was a little scary, but she figured she could get one of her friends to take him on. Maybe Debbie, with her mousy hair and brown eyes, she would probably jump at the chance.
"I'll have the crispy pork jowl, the chicken liver mousse and the braised short ribs ravioli," Craig ordered.
"Would you care for wine with your meal?" Britney asked, rocking forward on her fuck-me heels. She didn't think the up-sell was necessary, the guy already promised to be a good tipper. But every little bit helped and she had yet to make rent for the month.
"Have the Chef pair it," Craig said, not bothering with the wine list.
Britney practically purred. And to think, she'd almost had Danielle take her shift.
"And for you?" Turning to Jones, a small shiver of warning tingled at the base of Britney's spine.
"I'll have the beef carpaccio and the fillet, medium rare." Bruce said, handing the waitress his menu.
Craig waited while the waitress scurried away, teetering on high heels. "And here I thought I was the carnivore."
"Remember, humans sit on top of the food chain." Jones disliked Craig, not because he was werewolf, but because he was an ass.
Predictably, Craig started to sneer.
"Does Dimitri know you're gone?" Jones asked, cutting off Craig's response.
Craig felt the muscles in his jaw twitch. Unclenching his teeth, he regarded Jones. The man's suit was understated and expensive, designed to blend in with their upscale surrounding. The silk tie and touch of silver cuff links all spoke of position and wealth with a kind of confidence that didn't require flash. All of this served to remind Craig that, as much as he hated to admit it, he needed Jones.
Craig's smile was practiced and perfectly designed to put people at ease. "Dimitri doesn't know much these days."
Jones' brow lifted in query. "Is this something the Agency should be concerned about?"
"Only if you plan on taking a trip out to Wolf Lake," Craig said. He wasn't sure who he would bet money on in a confrontation between Dimitri and Jones. Dimitri was alpha, one that had held his pack for almost eight hundred years. But Jones wasn't your typical human, either. Craig didn't know what he was, just that the man was something...more.
Jones watched Craig over his cocktail as the first course was slid in front of him. The Agency had dealt with the werewolf in the past. Craig had proved to be a surprisingly dependable source of information, providing details on other shape shifters without compromising his conscience. Actually, as far as Jones could see, Craig didn't have a conscience.
"One of our assets has identified - " Jones started.
"You mean one of your witches," Craig said.
"Our asset has identified a large source of power," Jones continued, ignoring the interruption. "I've been able to narrow down the location to the area surrounding Wolf Lake."
Jones was a tracker. He could find anything. Anyone. Give him a target and he would find it. The more solid the target, the more precise the location. People, for instance, were easy to find. With something like this new source of power or the presence of evil, Jones could narrow down the geographic area. After that, it was up to the others to go in and carry out the Agency's orders.
"Dimitri?" Craig asked. The alpha was old, but age had done little to diminish his power.
Jones shook his head. "We considered Dimitri and this doesn't feel like him." Miranda had cast the original spell while working with General Reid to identify possible new talents and discovered the concentration of power. "This is something else, someone else. It appears to be three energies, two male powers balanced by a female energy."
Craig swore. "Nafarius and his freak beta. No doubt the female is that human bitch he mated."
Jones blinked. "Nafarius mated a human?" The Agency had been gathering information on all the supernatural beings, worldwide. Nafarius was alpha to one of the largest packs of werewolves and on their short list. So far, the Agency had deemed the timing wasn't right to approach such a highly valued individual. This new information changed everything.
"She was human," Craig reluctantly admitted. "Sam is a made werewolf."
"Hmm..." Jones hummed. It fit with what Miranda had seen and what his own senses were telling him.
The military had suffered some unacceptable losses lately, and Reid was under the Agency's directive to put together a Delta team, an exclusive group that could be used by the military for missions that could not afford to fail.
"Look, if it's a werewolf you're looking for, I'm it." Craig said, tapping his chest. "You need someone like me. Nafarius is all brawn and no brains. With me, you get both."
"Tired of living out in the sticks?" Jones asked, taking a well-aimed jab.
"I do not belong there!" Craig said vehemently. "This is the first civilized meal I've had in almost a year."
"Raw meat not to your liking?" Jones took a bite of his fillet and washed it down with a sip of wine.
"I prefer my venison braised, not with its heart still beating." Craig took another bite, chewing slowly.
"We appreciate the offer," Jones said carefully. Craig was eager to join the Agency. Unfortunately, e
very prediction the Agency made showed the team they were putting together had a much higher survival rate without Craig. "But the Agency needs you in the field. We need someone that can gather information, someone on the inside."
"I can do both," Craig assured Jones.
Jones sat back in his seat, patiently waiting as Britney whisked away the remnants of their meal. "Look, if it were up to me, I'd bring you in." Like hell he would. "But these things, things like who is brought on board and when, are carefully controlled."
"You won't be able to control Nafarius," Craig sneered. "And he'll kill you if you try."
"We'll take that under advisement," Jones said. "What else can you tell me about Nafarius?"
Craig's jaw visibly clenched. "He's powerful - "
"As powerful as Dimitri?" Jones asked. Dimitri had been on the Agency's radar for years.
"I don't know," Craig admitted. "But it's possible. They haven't been able to meet since Nafarius came into his maturity."
Jones was well aware of the conflict that could result from two alpha male werewolves in the same room. He'd witnessed the catastrophic damage first hand when dealing with potential team members in the past. It was one of the reasons the Agency had implemented a policy of one alpha for the Delta team and the main reason they were holding out for Nafarius.
"What about Nafarius' beta?" Jones nodded at Britney's offer of coffee and adding a heavy dose of cream to his cup.
"Roland is an animal," Craig said. He'd been forced to deal with the beta when negotiating for the mating between Nafarius and Dimitri's daughter. "The male does little more than growl."
"The Agency doesn't have any records on him," Jones admitted. That fact had never bothered them, until now.
"All I know is that he's been Nafarius' shadow for years." Craig scowled down into his coffee. He was loathe to admit it, but Roland had always struck him as more alpha than beta. A fact that had confused Craig, making it harder to deal with him throughout the negotiating process and leaving Craig feeling at a distinct disadvantage.
"Roland isn't original pack?" Jones asked. Damn, but the Agency needed more intel.
Craig shook his head. "No, he appeared about thirty years ago."
Predating the Agency, Jones thought.
"No one knows where he came from," Craig said.
"What about Nafarius' mate?" Jones asked, leaving the topic of Roland for later.
Craig slammed his fist down on the table, startling nearby guests and overturning the watered down remains of his cocktail. "That bitch ruined everything!"
"How so?" Jones asked, ignoring Craig's outburst and the curious stares.
"We had a deal," Craig said, carefully righting his glass. A deal that would have eliminated Dimitri and left Craig to take his rightful place as alpha.
Jones didn't need the particulars to know that Craig would have benefited from whatever deal he had negotiated on Dimitri's behalf. "How did Nafarius end up mated to a human?"
Craig shrugged. "I couldn't tell you, Dimitri killed Carter before he could share the details."
Jones felt a fissure of warning. Pack politics were violent and brutal, but something was happening here and he would do well to follow up.
"If you want to do something for the Agency," Jones said, pulling out his wallet and slipping the waitress his credit card. "Find out what you can about Roland and Nafarius' mate. As usual, the Agency will pay well for the information with a ten percent bonus for anything of use within the next ten days."
Craig perked up. "This is that important?"
Jones signed the check. "Something is going on out there, we want to know what it is."
****
Roland crossed the common room, his riotous thoughts settling as he passed through the familiar surroundings of the pack's den. Looking around, he was surprised to find it nearly deserted. He must have spent more time with Natasha than he realized. Damn, but the female threw him. He could still feel the cool touch of her fingers, his scar tingling with the memory.
Most of the pack had retired for the evening, retreating to the large sleeping area that bore into their mountain den. Sam, Nafarius and Maddie were the last ones left, the three of them talking quietly with their heads together.
"How is she?" Nafarius asked. Looking up at Roland's approach, he tried to get a read on his beta. The usually stoic male seemed scattered, a twist of emotion seeping through the pack bond.
"She's in a lot of pain," Roland answered. It radiated from her, calling on him to do something. The pack had been enjoying a quiet evening when Natasha started screaming, the primal sounds sending some of the young scurrying.
Knowing how dangerous a wounded werewolf could be, Nafarius had ordered Roland to wait for Natasha to finish shifting before letting his beta go to her aid.
"Is there anything we can give her for the pain?" Sam asked. She was a firm believer in better living through modern chemistry.
Nafarius shook his head. "Our metabolism outstrips most pain medication," he said. "Drugs and alcohol are wasted on werewolves."
"Speak for yourself," Roland said, ignoring Nafarius' too sharp gaze. He could feel the alpha along the pack bond, the male cued into Roland's emotional well being. Damn thing was inconvenient. "I still enjoy a good beer."
Sam smiled as her beta dropped down to sit beside her. "What I wouldn't give to see you drunk."
"No lamp shades for me," Roland said. Weary, he resisted the urge to lay his head back and close his eyes. He knew what he would see - not what, who.
"Now that I would have paid to see," Sam said, her laugh turning to a scowl. "Damn, that means I can't get drunk anymore either." Not that she'd been a big drinker, but the occasional buzz was fun.
"No," Maddie consoled, "but there's pie."
"There had better be a lot of pie," Sam said.
"Bettie's pie?" Maddie asked, referring to the diner in the nearby town of Roslyn.
"Her chocolate cream could cure even the worst case of PMS," Sam said. Frowning, she asked, "Do werewolves even get PMS?"
"Female werewolves are always bitches," Maddie said, her eyes sparkling. "How would you know the difference?"
"Ha, ha," Sam said, rolling her eyes.
Nafarius smiled as he listened to the two females banter. The past 24 hours had been a strain on all of them, and the levity went a long way towards easing the tension. He was anxious to get answers and had considered questioning Natasha tonight. Glancing over at Roland, Nafarius had the distinct impression that the male might have something to say on the subject. Strange, but he couldn't remember the last time the male had taken an interest in a female.
Roland let the voices wash over him, the sound a distant hum. Natasha had seemed so small and lost, her body bent under the weight of all that pain.
She was curious, looking at him with wide eyes that had warmed with sexual interest. He still didn't know what to make of it. He had an easier time understanding when she recoiled from him. On a good day, he was the monster mothers warned their children about. To a woman that had been terrorized, he was a nightmare come to life.
His heart had leapt at hearing her scream, the pounding echoing in his ears. An eternity had passed, Nafarius standing between him and the wounded werewolf. Going to her, catching her when she collapsed, had seemed the most natural thing in the world. She had been soft and warm in his hands, her flesh flushed from sleep. He hadn't expected to feel a shiver of awareness or the low pulse of desire that had followed.
"Roland." Nafarius' voice whipped out and snapped him back to attention.
"Sorry," Roland rubbed at his forehead, as if that could erase the memory of Natasha naked on the floor. It wasn't like him to get distracted, no matter how attractive the flesh.
Belatedly, he realized Nafarius had asked him a question.
"She doesn't remember how she got here," Roland reported. "But she's exhausted and in a lot of pain."
"Then why did she shift?" Sam asked, rolling her shoulders. Roland k
new the newly made werewolf was still learning to shift without pain.
"It doesn't matter," Nafarius said with a shrug. He was more interested in how she ended up in his territory. Was this a message from her father? A warning? He knew Dimitri could be ruthless, you didn't get to be his age and hold a pack without resorting to violence. But to strike out at the male's daughter, the female that was to have been Nafarius' mate, hinted at something more. "She'll be easier to deal with this way."
Roland tensed, his wolf stirring at the idea of Natasha dealing with another male.
"I'll speak with her in the morning," Nafarius added.
"I want to be there." Roland demanded.
Nafarius raised a brow at his beta's commanding tone.
Roland held his alpha's gaze. He was loyal to Nafarius, Roland's first duty always to his pack. But he was the one that found the female, bringing her back and tending to her wounds, making her his responsibility.
Nafarius' hackles rose at the challenge. Roland was his beta and his best friend, which afforded him some leniency. But finding Natasha beaten and left for dead in his territory meant there was a danger out there and Nafarius wouldn't hesitate to use the female if it would protect his pack.
Roland could guess at Nafarius' thoughts, and at any other time in his role as beta, would have agreed. But his instincts were calling on him to protect Natasha. Nafarius would have to go through Roland to get to her.
Nafarius' lips peeled back from his teeth with a snarl, the sound growing when Roland failed to immediately drop his eyes.
Eyes locked with Nafarius, Roland slowly unfolded from the floor, his body rising up off the ground. Behind him, Sam cursed softly, the sound barely registering.
"Shit." Sam swore, her eyes darting back and forth between the two males.
Nafarius was the only male in the pack stronger than Roland, but not by much. The relationship between alpha and beta was a complicated one, the males drawing comfort and strength from one another in a delicate balance of power, loyalty and friendship.
A battle between the two would shatter all of that, destroying both of them in the process.
Sam refused to stand by and let that happen. Closing her eyes, she focused on the pack bond. All of the pack was there, individuals swirling in a universe of energies, emitting a sense of health and well being. Nafarius was there, as were Maddie and Roland, together making up the center, the body around which the rest of the pack was drawn.
Untamed (Wolf Lake) Page 2