"Beverly, but you can call me Bev."
"Nafarius mother," Sam sighed, closing her eyes briefly. This is so not how she wanted to meet her mother-in-law for the first time. "Where's Nafarius?"
"Talking with his father," Bev said, eyeing her son's mate. "He called, told us what happened. He asked me to come check in on you."
Actually, Bev had told Nafarius to sit and stay when he moved to intercept her. She understood his need to protect his mate, but Bev would measure her new daughter-in-law without interference.
"Chicken," Sam grumbled, catching Nafarius' sheepishness through the mate bond. It didn't take a genius to figure out how her mother-in-law came to be in her room, her mate noticeably absent.
Bev laughed. Reaching out, she ignored Sam's snarl and brushed a motherly hand over Maddie's head. Lifting her eyes, Bev pinned Sam to the bed. "She was mine long before she was ever yours."
Sam's snarl abruptly cut off when she realized that, for the first time, she wasn't the strongest female in the room. Great. Slowly lowering her lip, Sam clenched her back teeth together and dropped her eyes.
Satisfied, Bev withdrew her hand and sat back in the chair. "The others arrived about an hour ago. Nafarius ordered them down for a couple of hours of rest before you all head back."
"The others?" Sam asked. Her brain was noticeably dull.
"Nafarius called Marcus, told him what happened and ordered some of the males down to help."
"She's still too weak to make the trip," Sam said, looking down at Maddie. The small wolf hadn't stirred but she had started healing on her own. "I can't leave her here but I won't kill her trying to get her home."
"She can come home with us," Bev offered, her eyes kind. "She'll be safe in Seattle."
Sam looked up to find Nafarius' eyes staring back at her from his mother's face. Bev was pretty, long and leggy like most werewolves. She didn't appear a day over forty. Sam knew from Nafarius that his mother was almost two hundred years old, his father closer to three hundred.
"That's why Nafarius called you, isn't it?" Sam asked. Her mate would have known she wouldn't leave Maddie and neither one of them would risk taking her home.
"That's one reason," Bev said, pleased to see that her new daughter-in-law wasn't dull. "Now, why don't you go shower. I'll stay with Maddie."
Sam hesitated, watching as the skin around Bev's eyes tightened slightly. Soooo...not a suggestion then. Pulling her arm out from under the small wolf, Sam sat up slowly, groaning as stiff muscles protested the unexpected change in position.
"Jesus," Sam said, getting her first good look at herself in the mirror across from the bed. She'd spent the past 18 hours laying next to Maddie, sleeping in blood stained clothes without a shower or a break - and it showed.
"I hear werewolves can live to be eight hundred years old," Sam said, casting a sideways glance at Bev as she slid off the bottom of the bed.
"Some," Bev said, one brow raised in question. "Why?"
"That is an awful long time to live with this as a first impression," Sam said, hobbling to the bathroom on stiff legs.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Because One In-Law is Never Enough...
Sam had to admit she felt better after her shower. The first one she'd had in over eight weeks, she refused to think about how she had hoped to share Maddie's first shower with the female, or the fact that it was Maddie's blood she washed out from under her fingernails.
"Much better," Bev said, not unkindly. Sam had brushed her black hair back from her face, accentuating tired eyes and tight lips. She was still beautiful, squaring her shoulders against the strain that would have felled a weaker female. "They're waiting for you next door," she told Sam.
Sam glanced at Maddie, her eyes tightening before she started for the door. She hated to leave her, but the worst of the danger had passed and Sam had others to think about.
"My son chose well," Bev said quietly. "That's my first impression."
Sam froze, her hand on the door nob. Turning, she saw that Bev had moved her chair closer to the bed and was resting one hand on Maddie's side. "I really was looking forward to meeting you, I'm just sorry it had to be under these circumstances."
"No one looks forward to meeting their in-laws," Bev said with a smile.
"Most people's in-laws couldn't eat them for breakfast," Sam pointed out.
Bev laughed. "I prefer eggs for breakfast..."
Sam turned back to the door.
"...I save daughters-in-laws for dessert." Bev couldn't pass up the parting shot.
"Great," Sam muttered, opening the door and looking for her mate. "An alpha with a twisted sense of humor."
"They say men marry their mothers!" Bev called out, wishing she could be there when Miles met his new daughter-in-law.
"Now you're just being mean!" Sam responded, smiling as she closed the door behind her. She could still hear Bev laughing.
Looking over the railing, Sam got her first good look at their location. The hotel was situated next to the freeway, a Motel 6 that served weary travelers and tired truck drivers.
The SUV was parked down below, her Mini nowhere to be found. The red and black checkered paint was infinitely more memorable than the black Suburban. She wondered if Nafarius had ditched the car. She had loved driving the little thing but would gladly push it over a cliff herself if it saw them all safe.
A murmur of voices drew Sam to the room next door. Slipping inside, she wasn't surprised when conversation stopped and all eyes turned to her.
"Sam." Nafarius stepped around his father, quickly crossing the room and pulling his mate into his arms. He'd checked on her and Maddie throughout the night, watching the two of them sleep. More then once, he'd wondered if Sam would survive the severing of her bond with Maddie if the female didn't survive. "Hey."
"Hey," Sam wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head on his chest. "You've been busy."
Sam was surrounded by pack, the males taking up every available space. They looked tired and worn, each of them calling out a quiet greeting or inquiring after Maddie. "Is there anyone left at home?"
"A few," Nafarius said, easing Sam back and inspecting her face. "I see you survived meeting my mother."
Sam smiled. "Apparently, I'm not on this morning's menu."
Nafarius groaned. "What did she say?" He should have insisted on introducing the two females, but his mother still had the unique ability to make him feel like a floppy-eared pup.
"Nothing I couldn't handle," Sam said, deciding not to let Nafarius off the hook just yet with the knowledge that she actually liked her mother-in-law.
"Can you handle meeting one more in-law?" Nafarius asked, stepping aside. "Sam, this is my father, Miles."
Sam blinked. Looking from father to son, she had a serious case of deja vu. Nafarius was a slightly larger version of his father, the two males sharing the same red hair, square jaw and broad build. They could easily be mistaken for brothers, maybe even twins from a distance. Except for the eyes, Nafarius had the crystal blue eyes of his mother, while Miles' eyes were a stormy gray.
"Sam." Miles smiled. Taking her hands in his, he pulled her out of her mate's arms and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "We're very pleased to meet you."
"You might want to check with your mate on that one," Sam said, snapping her mouth shut when several of the males chuckled quietly.
"Bev is all bark and no bite," Miles said, his smile widening. He was no longer alpha but he was still pack. He could feel his son's mate through the bond, strength and heart pouring down from her to the pack. He didn't even think she was aware of how much energy she fed the group of wolves.
"I got the sense that she was still full from her last meal," Sam said. "Perhaps your first mate?" she asked, elbowing Nafarius in the side.
Nafarius grunted. "Mother is obviously in her usual form," he told his father, rolling his eyes.
"You can't blame her for wanting to get a look at her new daughter," Miles said, smiling at S
am. "Yours is quite a story."
"Please tell me you left some things out." Sam pinned her mate with a look, taking a moment to peer around her father in-law and glare at the laughing pack. "Don't forget, I know where you all live. More importantly, I know where you sleep."
That shut them up.
Miles laughed, she was so like his Bev. Beautiful too, he'd give Nafarius that. But he knew his son. Nafarius would have been drawn to Sam's spirit, and her strength, long before he was drawn into her beauty. "We really are pleased to finally meet you."
"Thank you," Sam said, smiling up at her new father-in-law and responding to the genuine warmth she saw there.
"Perhaps when this is all settled you and Nafarius would consider coming to Seattle for a visit," Miles invited. "We have a large house and even some room to run."
"I would like that," Sam said, casting a sideways glance up at her mate. "Besides, it appears I'll need to come and retrieve one of my wolves."
Nafarius cringed. "It's the only way I could think - "
"It's fine," Sam said, stopping him with a hand on his arm and letting her mate off the hook. "It's for the best."
Nafarius nodded, some of his tension easing. He had dreaded separating Sam from Maddie and had happily thrown his mother under that bus.
"Where's Natasha?" Sam asked, taking roll around the room.
"She and Roland are getting the bags loaded and ready to go," Nafarius said. He and his father had been working out the logistics when Sam walked in. "She and Roland mated."
Sam startled. "They what? When?"
"Last night, sometime after you made her pack," Nafarius said, slipping his hands in his pockets and rocking back on his heels.
Sam had the decency to flush, while Miles and the rest of the pack were suddenly very busy examining the carpet. "She mentioned that, did she?"
"It's not that I'm opposed," Nafarius said. He would not take his mate to task in front of the others, but there were things she had likely failed to consider. "But how do you think she's going to feel when I'm forced to take down her father?"
"I've gotten to know her," Sam said, having spent some time with the female. "And I think you underestimate her. She knows what has to be done and she's strong enough not to shy away from it. In the end, she just wants her father treated with respect."
Sam reached out to her mate, resting her hand lightly on his arms, she looked up at him and let him feel her faith in him through their bond. "It will be hard but she'll thank you for doing what no one else can."
Nafarius heaved a tired sigh.
"She saved Maddie's life," Sam said quietly. "And she needs us. I couldn't turn her away after that."
"Alright," Nafarius said, raising his hands in mock surrender. "But no more picking up strays."
"You did." Sam said, sending him a saucy look from under lowered lashes. "And look how well that turned out."
****
Nafarius drove them back towards Roslyn, passing the exit for the warehouse and instead heading to the downtown area.
"Where are we going?" Sam asked.
She'd been sitting quietly beside him, watching as they passed small shops and the diner.
"I rented a storage space," Nafarius told her, turning the SUV towards the edge of town. "We moved everything out of the warehouse. Roland and Natasha are there now."
Watching the rear view mirror, Nafarius was thankful for the small town. Already quiet, the streets were practically deserted on this dreary day, making a lone male such as Dimitri or Craig easy to spot.
"We'll take it all back to the hotel, head out from there after sunset." Nafarius eased the SUV into a parking spot next to the You Store It, killing the engine and pocketing the keys.
"Why don't we just leave from here?" Sam asked.
"The hotel is closer to home, leaving from there will save us half a day's walk." With so much food to carry, they would all be traveling in human form. Nafarius still needed to decide if they would take the longer, easier route around or rely on their superior strength to see them over rough terrain to get home faster.
Feeling a little disoriented, Sam let herself out of the car and followed Nafarius between two rows of closed garage doors. Reaching the end, they turned and walked around the far side of the building coming to the last of the storage units.
The door here was closed too, but Sam could hear the subtle signs of someone moving around inside. With a quick yank, Nafarius rolled the garage door up, easily holding it for his mate.
Slipping under the door, Sam gave her eyes a moment to adjust to the low light as Nafarius let the door close behind them. The storage unit was large, filled with rolled up rugs from the warehouse, boxed up belongings and even her car.
The deep freezer had been moved as well and plugged into the wall. Beside them stood several large hiking backpacks, each one packed full of meat.
"We're just about finished up here," Roland said. Grabbing a handful of meat from the freezer, he passed the white paper packages to Natasha who stuffed them into another pack.
"Good. I'll pull the Suburban around," Nafarius said.
There was a pack for each of them, including the males that had come down to help with the haul. Peering past Roland, Sam stared down into the open freezer. "We're going to need to make another trip."
Roland nodded. "We'll cure most of this when we get home and come back for the rest."
Right now, Nafarius was less worried about the food and more worried about getting them out of town. He wanted his pack back on their mountain and in their den where he could protect them.
"How's Maddie?" Natasha asked Sam from her place on the floor.
"Better," Sam said. She'd checked on Maddie before leaving for the storage unit. The female was still unconscious but Sam got the sense that she had slipped into regular sleep. Grabbing an empty pack, she knelt down to help. "Any particular secret to how you've been packing these?"
"Nope," Natasha said, glad to have Sam back. "Stuff with meat, close and repeat."
Sam worked silently for a bit, the three of them loading the packs and lining them up by the door. "I'm sorry I wasn't here to help."
She got the sense that everyone else had been up and at it. Working through the night to empty out the warehouse and getting them ready to go.
"You had your hands full," Natasha said, reaching past Sam and dropping a pack by the door.
Sam jerked back in surprise at Natasha's scent. "You smell different."
Natasha blushed.
Roland smirked.
Sam flushed, feeling like she'd just commented on someone's sex life. "Sorry, I was just surprised. I didn't think..." Frowning, she leaned in and took another whiff. Natasha's scent had changed. It wasn't just that she now wore Roland's scent along with her own. The male had been on her skin for days. No, this was Natasha's scent and it was...different.
"Apparently, Roland's wolf has a bit of a possessive streak," Natasha said, unable to suppress the goofy grin she knew was pasted on her face.
Sam nodded like she knew what that meant. "I'm happy for you both," she said and she meant it. She could feel Roland through the pack bond, a buzz of happiness that did nothing to hide his desire.
Frowning, Sam backed off the bond and looked over at Natasha. "I can't feel you."
Natasha looked up from securing one of the packs. "What do you mean?"
"Along the pack bond," Sam said, concentrating. "I can feel you through Roland, kind of like a shadow but that's it."
"You have to open the bond to her," Roland supplied, handing the last of the frozen meat to his mate. Smiling, he took a second to brush his hand over her hair before turning back and closing the lid to the freezer.
"Oh," Sam said, feeling her way down the bond. "Can I do that or is that something Nafarius should do?"
"Doesn't matter," Roland said with a shrug. "Either one of you can open the bond."
"How?" Sam asked. The bond was like a spiderweb between her and the pack, linkin
g them together. As a made werewolf, the bond had sort of snapped into place when Sam shifted for the first time.
Roland tilted his head, trying to put something into words he just instinctively knew how to do. "You have to sort of let her in while reaching for her at the same time."
He looked from his alpha to his mate, both females kneeling together on the ground. They were surrounded on all sides by backpacks full of food for his pack, the two of them working together.
"Didn't you create a bond with her to help her shift?" Roland reminded Sam.
"Yeah, but that was more like a rickety bridge between me and her," Sam said, remembering the tentative grip she'd had on the female. "Maybe we should wait for Nafarius..."
"I'd like you to do it," Natasha said quietly, reaching out and touching Sam lightly on the arm. "I'll wait for him if you'd rather but..." Natasha shrugged. It wasn't anything against Nafarius, he'd been more than generous, taking her in and sheltering her. But Sam had reached out to her, offering Natasha friendship as well as a home.
"Okay," Sam said, rising up on her knees and reaching for Natasha's hands. "I'll give it the old college try. Here's hoping I don't break anything."
"You're opening the bond, not meditating," Roland said, smiling as Sam closed her eyes to concentrate.
"Shut it," Sam snapped, opening one eye and glaring at her beta.
Roland grinned, crossing his arms and leaning back against the freezer. Natasha changed her position to match Sam, the two females kneeling face to face. He hadn't given the pack bond much thought, not with the mate bond securely in place. But standing there watching Sam struggle to make his mate pack, Roland felt an outpouring of warmth and gratitude for the alpha female, something in his chest aching with pride.
"Sam, what are you doing?" Nafarius asked, slipping in under the door, the headlights from the still running SUV momentarily illuminating his mate.
"Opening the pack bond," she said, frowning. Her heart pounded in her ears, a slight ache starting behind her eyes as she focused.
"You're going to hurt yourself," he told her. Nafarius could feel her fierce concentration along the bond.
Untamed (Wolf Lake) Page 17