Back inside the house, I put the flashlight away and finally felt safe enough to holster my gun. Then I called the police and informed them the rogue had just been in my backyard.
Dispatch promised to send one of the town’s two squad cars out my way to check things out. Hopefully that would be enough of a lead to track him down. Hanging up, I noticed that, while I’d been outside risking life and limb, Vicki had helped herself to one of Jackson’s t-shirts. She’d also turned the gas fireplace on high and made herself a cup of tea.
I found myself wondering how she knew where to find everything. She must’ve sensed it too because she gave me a sly smile.
“I hope you don’t mind, I helped myself to a few things.” She gestured to her shirt. “I always loved this shirt.” She ducked her head and sniffed the cotton fabric. “It smells like him.”
I took really long deep breath before I said anything. I wanted to rip her throat out. My wolf snarled in my head, the sound as close as a wolf could get to ‘paws off my man, bitch.’
She flinched even though I said nothing, although I knew my scent carried the rancid tones of anger, which was a form of speech in of itself. Just to fuck with her, I smiled brightly and said, “No problem. Keep the shirt. Jackson doesn’t need it anymore.”
“That’s not the only thing he should get rid of,” she said looking me up and down.
“Exactly,” I said, crossing my arms and leaning against the open counter that ran between the kitchen and dining room. “It’s like you read my mind.” I gave her a pointed look.
Vicki just stared at me, momentarily stunned by my response. When she did start to say something, Mara and Sara started screaming excitedly and pointing to the backyard effectively drowning her out. I hid a small smile as I turned to see what had riled up the girls. Vicki had sure had a less-than-ideal night. I was certain she hadn’t planned on facing down a rogue or me when she started skulking around the house. She’d probably hoped to find Jackson home and have her way with him.
“It’s the first snow,” Mara said with a happy sigh.
Sure enough, the tiny flecks of snow from a few minutes ago had grown into big fat flakes. The girls raced to the sliding door and pressed their faces against the glass.
“Do you think there’ll be enough to make a snowman?” asked Sara breathlessly.
“That’s the million dollar question,” I said with a kind smile. The girls’ eagerness reminded me of my own childhood. At school, we used to see who could scrape together the biggest snowball. While Hunstville did get snow, it tended to melt rather than accumulate. Winters in our area ran on the warm side. Outside of a freak blizzard--the last one being ten years ago--there was rarely enough snow to even make a snowball.
I looked at the clock and finally realized how late it was. Ignoring Vicki, who glowered in her chair as she sipped her tea, I focused on Mara and Sara, grateful for the distraction. The less I thought about Vicki, the less I wanted to kill her.
“Hey girls, it looks like you’re staying here for the night. Go wash up and I’ll show you where you can sleep.” Jackson hadn’t bothered with too much furniture, but he had bought a bed for the guest room. A small thing, but I was happy to have it even though I knew, on one level, that the bed was probably there for guests like Kelsey from his home pack. Without the bed, the girls would’ve been crammed together on the couch and they deserved better than that.
While the girls disappeared into the bathroom, my attention returned to Vicki who’d slunk into the kitchen and returned with a small bottle of whiskey. Pouring some into her tea, she stirred and then sipped it, refusing to meet my gaze.
I cleared my throat. “What the hell were you doing out there anyway? You want to disappear like Tonya?”
She snorted. “Honey, I’m too strong to mess with. No big, bad wolf can take me. Tonya was weak just like you.”
“If I’m so weak, how was it I saved your ass tonight and not the other way around?” I snatched the bottle of whiskey away from her just as she reached to add more to her tea. Screwing on the lid I set it on the kitchen counter, damned if I was going to let her waltz into my house and act like she owned it.
She shrugged. “Just dumb luck. I didn’t ask for help anyway. I can take care of myself.”
I pointed toward the front door. “There’s the door then.” I took no pride in kicking her out. I had a responsibility to the pack and the last thing I wanted was for Vicki to get hurt, but I also didn’t want her in my home. Mostly for her own safety. It was becoming more and more tempting to grab her by the throat and shake her into submission.
She gulped her tea, draining the mug. “I’m going.”
“If you smell a strong peppery scent, you should run,” I cautioned her even though I doubted she would listen. Her default setting in life was bitch set to high. It had worked for her thus far, but I wondered if the rogue alpha would finally bring her down a peg. If he didn’t, I resolved that I would.
Vicki waved a dismissive hand. “I’ve been smelling that all night and nothing happened. There’s nothing out there but fear for a wolf like you, Chloe. Leave the night to those of us who can handle it.” Standing up she sauntered toward the door with a flip of her long, dark hair.
I watched her go, my hands clenched into fists, fingernails cutting into my palms. If the girls hadn’t come into the room, I would’ve launched myself at her, but my sense of responsibility to them kept me in check. I didn’t want them to see a fight, not as young as they were. Soon, though, the time and place would be right and I would bring Vicki to her knees. Things were going to change, not just tonight. My wolf huffed in agreement, although she felt some lingering regret about not shooting the bitch.
I tucked the girls into bed, told them a quick story and promised them pancakes in the morning. I couldn’t help it, the sadness in their big eyes made me want to mother them. Besides they needed fattening up, they were way too thin. I made a mental note to dig around in the freezer and see if there was any deer sausage to go with the pancakes. The girls could use the calories and fat.
The house quiet, I poked my head outside and tested the air. The scents remained normal pine, earth and some faint animal musk. Nothing to worry about, as if Vicki had taken all the trouble with her.
That last thought gave me pause and I stood, frozen in place for a long moment, my mind churning furiously. When Vicki showed up, so had the rogue. She hadn’t seemed concerned about it either, and, while she was a bitch, she wasn’t a dumb one. She didn’t want to die. So why had she been out in the woods despite the danger?
Dots connected in my head. Dots I didn’t want to see.
The truth was, she would love to have me out of the picture. She’d probably throw a party if I died, but she couldn’t kill me herself. Not if she wanted to be with Jackson. No, she needed a way to get rid of the competition that kept her nose clean. Where or how she found a rogue alpha, I had no idea, but she’d clearly brought him to my house when she knew I was alone.
Well, shit.
Stunned, I sank into the couch and pulled one of the throw pillows over my stomach. But I hadn’t been alone. The girls were here and they spotted Vicki before she could follow through with her plan. For all I knew, Mara and Sara’s presence scared her off. I sure wouldn’t want the blood of innocents on my hands.
I closed my eyes and communed with my wolf whose energy was restless. Reaching out I tried to sense Jackson, but he was a shadowy figure in the horizon of my mind and not looking my way. I sighed. Whoever found a way for werewolves to carry cell phones while in wolf form would be a millionaire. We were cut off from each other until he came home.
That left me only one option.
Pulling out my phone, I dialed the police chief’s cell. Huntsville didn’t have a lot of crime. We usually got along pretty well or solved problems outside human law. The police primarily kept us out of human affairs and gave us an official voice in human law enforcement.
He answered on the first ring.
“Roberts here.”
“Chief Mueller, I think the rogue alpha has been sniffing around my house and I think Vicki Hannstein might be involved with the situation.” The rest of the story tumbled out of me. He listened intently and I heard the scratch of a pen on paper as he took notes.
When I finished telling my story, he asked “How long ago did she leave your house?”
I looked at the clock. It was almost midnight now. “About thirty minutes ago.”
“I’ll tell the patrol to check for her. She lives about a mile east from you, so assuming she went home, we’ll be able to pick her up for questioning.”
“Call me if you find her,” I said.
“You’ll know the second I do.”
I hung up the phone and hugged the pillow tightly to my chest. All I’d ever wanted was to be part of the pack. I’d believed that my biggest problem had been being a null, but the truth was, being a wolf took things to a whole new level of trouble.
My phone rang a minute later and I jumped in surprise. Checking the screen and expecting to see the chief calling me back I saw instead a number I didn’t recognize. Curious, I answered. “Hello?”
“Chloe?” asked a feminine voice that sounded vaguely familiar. “It’s me Kelsey. Is this a good time?” Her tone was tentative as if she wasn’t sure of her reception.
“As good a time as any,” I said.
“Jackson called me and told me about the rogue alpha.” Fear laced her voice, making it unsteady. “And the thing is I think I smelled it outside my hotel room. Jackson’s not answering his phone and he gave me your number at the bar earlier. I didn’t know who else to call.”
“The rogue’s not there anymore,” I said, wondering why on earth Jackson gave Kelsey my number. I wanted nothing to do with her.
“What do you mean?”
“He was just here. I managed to run him off. So whatever you’re smelling is an old trail or even something completely different.” I fingered my gun as I spoke recalling the shots I’d fired and the whine I’d heard as the bullets, hopefully, hit home.
“Oh, wow. That’s good to know.” She paused and then said, “Would it be too much to ask if I could come out to your place? I don’t like being alone like this among humans.”
When I didn’t say anything at first, she hastened to add, “I know we got off on the wrong foot. Jackson is like a brother to me and I’m very protective of him. I’m sorry if I was out of line.”
I’d been prepared to brush her off, but the sincerity of her words gave me pause. Maybe I should give her another chance. It would make Jackson happy. “Normally I would say yes, Kelsey. But the rogue is still out there somewhere and I don’t think it’s safe for you to travel. Besides, our guest room is full. I’m babysitting some kids.”
“Oh, okay. I understand and you’re probably right, it’s not safe to travel. Are their parents out looking for the rogue?” She asked.
“No.” I sighed. “It’s a long story, but the basic gist is their parents went feral and their grandmother doesn’t seem up the job of raising them.”
“Sounds like they’re pack kids then.”
“Of a sort,” I said. Thinking to build a bridge between us I said, “You know I was orphaned at a young age. My parents died when I was eleven. I’ve fended for myself ever since.”
“Jackson told you about me?” she asked guessing at the reason for my sudden disclosure.
“He mentioned something in passing,” I hedged not wanting her to feel like he’d spilled her life’s story behind her back.
She was quiet for a moment. “It’s not a good way to grow up, is it? Alone and belonging to no one.”
“No it’s not,” I agreed.
“I was lucky to have Jackson’s family. His father was a good alpha. He took care of everyone, even the unwanted pack baby.” She gave a bitter laugh. “Did you have anyone looking out for you, Chloe?”
“No,” I said unable to keep the sadness out of my voice. Cal had tried but didn’t have the time to devote to raising a child.
“Well, you take care of those kids staying with you.”
“That’s the plan,” I said surprised at the vehemence in her voice.
“And maybe you and I can get together for a do-over. I’d like to be your friend, Chloe. I can’t promise not to say or do the wrong thing, I came into the world with a foot in my mouth and I’ll probably leave this world with it still in my mouth and someone else’s foot up my ass.”
I laughed. “I noticed, but no hard feelings.”
“Great. You’ve put my mind at ease. I’ll call you and we’ll set something up, okay?”
“Sounds good.” We hung up and I tried to watch Diehard again, but couldn’t focus. Between the rogue, Vicki and now Kelsey, my life contained knots I didn’t know how to even begin to unsnarl.
So I coped the only way I could, I hosed the house in air-freshener to eradicate Vicki’s scent lingering in the air. It wasn’t enough, but it was a start.
Chapter Nine
Jackson came home around three in the morning. The sound of his truck, as unique as a fingerprint to my keen wolf ears, sent a shudder of relief through me. I hadn’t been able to sleep, I was too afraid the rogue would come back. I didn’t want to miss a call from the police chief either, but my phone remained stubbornly silent, which meant Vicki was still out there somewhere plotting my demise.
He came into the house quietly as if trying not to wake me. I ran to greet him and threw myself into his arms.
“Jacks.”
He hugged me tight. “Clo.”
We just stood there for a minute, soaking each other up. He smelled of sweat and dirt, the musk of a hard day’s work, but I didn’t care. It was just good to have his scent filling my nose, to know he was okay.
“Did you find him?” I spoke into his chest, unwilling to leave its safety to look up at his face.
I felt him shake his head. “Nothing. The scent trail is cold.”
“I smelled him out in the woods by the backyard.” His arms tensed around me and I hastened to reassure him, “I shot at him and I think I might have wounded him because he ran off.”
He moved to let me go. “I’ll go out and look.”
Now it was my turn to tighten my arms around him and refuse to be released. “I already checked, he’s long gone. I called the police and the wolves you guys set up to patrol Hunstville are trying to track where he went.”
Jackson allowed me to pull him close again, his warm arms circling me with reassuring strength. He lifted his head and inhaled, testing the smells of the house. “I smell lots of other people. You’ve had company. Some of them smell familiar, but I can’t quite place all the scents. There’s something blocking me.” He sniffed again. “Is that...air freshener?”
I nodded into his chest. “Yes. It’s kind of a long story.” I hesitated, unable to decide where to start.
I took his hand and tugged him into the dining room. “Sit.”
He sat at the table and I poured us each a shot of the whiskey Vicki had pilfered earlier.
“What’s wrong, Clo?” He looked at me, weary concern shining in his eyes.
“Something happened and I’m not sure if you’re going to like what I tell you.” I handed him a glass and sat across from him. “The rogue wasn’t alone. Vicki was with him too. I think she might have led him here hoping to get rid of me and clear a path to you.”
Jackson paused, the glass on his lips as he processed what I’d just said. When he didn’t say anything, I continued, “She hates me Jacks. Enough to kill, but she doesn’t want my blood on her hands. That could mess up her plans for you, you know?”
He swallowed the whiskey and gave a curt nod. “Damn. That’s crazy.”
“Yep. Tell me about it.” I took a sip of mine, welcoming the whiskey’s warm burn.
“Are you sure?”
I shrugged. “Why else would she be hanging out with a rogue in our backyard? She’s not selling Girl Scout cookies. Believe
me, I’ve tried to come up with an angle where she’s not trying to kill me and I can’t find it.”
After a long silence, Jackson surged to his feet without warning, his face dark with sudden anger. Turning sharply on his heels, he made for the front door.
I hurried after him. “Where are you going?”
“I’m going to hunt her down and shake the truth out of her.” Anger fired up his voice and the testosterone in his scent became stronger.
“The police are looking for her. You’ve been up all night. Let them do this for now.” I put my hand on his, stopping him from throwing the front door open. “Come to bed, Jacks. It’s been a long night and I need you.” I started shaking then, my ability to hold it together crumpling as some kind of delayed reaction kicked in. My mind flashed to that moment in the backyard when I’d taken a shot at the rogue. Who knew what was out there or what wolf would come sauntering out of the wild next? I couldn’t bear to be left again.
He wrapped me in another hug. “Are you okay?”
I sniffed. Tears sprang to my eyes despite my efforts to hold them back. “She went through the house like she owned the place. Even took one of your shirts.” I took a deep breath. “How close were you guys?” I’d been under the impression that Jackson only indulged in a series of casual one night stands when he first came to town. Vicki seemed to go a level deeper than that. There was nothing about her behavior that said ‘casual relationship.’
He kissed me, a gentle press of his lips that was gone before I could respond. “We dated a bit. My wolf liked her, so I thought that meant we might be mates. We talked about it once or twice. The second I brought your wolf, we were over though.”
I frowned. “So you say, but did she know that? Did you call her?”
He had the grace to look chagrinned. “No I didn’t. I guess I thought she’d figure it out when we showed up at the pack clearing.”
I threw up my hands. “Way to let a girl down hard, Jacks. Wow. No wonder she hates me.” God. He’d essentially led her on. I couldn’t blame Vicki for being pissed.
The Alpha's Mate (Werewolf Romance) Page 7