Marked (Howl #5)

by Jody Morse

  Luke laughed. “Don’t worry man. Even I’m not wearing pink.” He darted his eyes over at Samara. “At least, I don’t think I’m wearing pink . . . am I?”

  Samara laughed. “No, I promise you won’t be wearing pink.” Not that she knew what color he was going to be wearing; Silas was the one who was going to be in charge of all that stuff. Pink was on her list of colors to absolutely avoid, though.

  “You can count me in, too,” Chris said. “I don’t care what colors I’m wearing. This is going to be fun as hell. Me and my girl are going to be the hottest couple at your wedding . . . except for maybe the two of you, I guess.”

  “I’ll be your groomsman, too,” Josh chimed in. Samara couldn’t help but notice that, even though Josh was agreeing to be in the bridal party, he didn’t sound too enthusiastic about it.

  Luke turned to Colby. “Will you be my best man?”

  Colby’s eyes glassed over and, for a moment, Samara was positive he was going to cry. “Of course I will be. You’re like the brother I never had.” He glanced over at Emma before adding, in a lower voice, “And I hope when I get married one day, you’ll do the same for me.”

  Emma rolled her eyes, annoyed. “Don’t count on that happening in the next one hundred years.”

  Samara laughed, and Colby shot her a dirty look. “Sorry,” she mumbled.

  Luke turned to Declan. “So, what about you? Are you going to be one of my groomsmen?”

  Declan broke his gaze away from Samara and glanced at Luke, his eyes wide with shock. “Me? You want me to be in your wedding?”

  “Yeah, well, we’re in the same pack now. That makes us . . . family,” Luke replied with a shrug. Samara didn’t think his voice sounded too convincing. “Besides, you’re one of Samara’s best friends. I’m sure she wants you to be up there with us.”

  Declan glanced over at Samara, as though he were waiting for her to give him permission. Is that true? Do you want me to be in your wedding?

  Samara met his eyes, hoping that he couldn’t see what she was really feeling. The idea of having both of her mates there on the night of her wedding seemed wrong in some way. She wished that there was a way for her to make it so she would only have one mate, so she wouldn’t feel this way. But . . . how could she tell Declan that?

  So, instead of telling him the truth, which she feared would hurt him, she nodded and said aloud, “Yes, of course I want you to have a role in our wedding. Nothing would make me happier.”

  Declan studied her eyes for a moment longer before giving in. He turned to Luke. “Okay, I’ll be a groomsman. That’s what Samara wants, so I’ll do it.”

  “Good.” Luke smiled what appeared to be a forced smile. Turning to Samara, he smiled and said through mind-speak: I’m glad me and him have an understanding. I only asked him to be a groomsman because I thought it was what you’d want. And he’s only doing it because it’s what you want. It’s not because either of us likes each other.

  You didn’t have to ask him, Samara replied through mind-speak. She wasn’t about to tell him that she wished he hadn’t; he would wonder the reason why . . . and she wasn’t ready to tell him the truth.

  In fact, the more she thought about it, the more she realized that she didn’t want to tell Luke the truth. If he knew that Declan was her mate, it would crush him. And even worse, Samara had to feel his emotions now, so she would also feel whatever devastation it caused him.

  Samara heard the sound of footsteps crunching down the path that led to their fire. She turned around and noticed Seth was walking towards her with someone alongside of him. It was a girl who looked awfully familiar, but Samara wasn’t sure where they’d met.

  “Hey, everyone,” Seth said as he approached them. “I want to introduce you all to my mate. Her name’s Penelope.”

  Samara felt as her stomach twisted into a tight knot, and she realized where she recognized the girl from. Her honey brown eyes were identical to the ones that belonged to the wolf named Penelope who she’d met in the woods—the one who had insisted on becoming a Tala.

  “Penelope, this is my sister, Samara,” Seth said, introducing them.

  “Hello, Samara. I’ve heard so much about you,” Penelope said, tossing her caramel brown hair over her tan shoulder. Penelope didn’t mention the fact that they’d already met, but from the smile that danced on her lips, it was obvious that Penelope knew. Samara supposed that it was a secret that they would keep between the two of them—at least as far as Seth was concerned.

  “That’s funny because I haven’t heard much about you,” Samara mumbled in response, gritting her teeth. Luke gave her a funny look, and Samara hoped that her lack of enthusiasm wasn't too obvious. Seth didn't seem to notice, but judging from his ogling eyes and the pink that had risen to his cheeks, it was safe to say that he was too wrapped up in Penelope to even notice what Samara had said.

  "So, what school do you go to, Penelope?" Luke asked, obviously trying to break the awkward silence that had taken over the group.

  "Actually, I'm not from around here," Penelope replied in a sweet voice. "I'm from North Dakota."

  "What brings you to Pennsylvania then?" Samara questioned, knowing that she probably sounded really suspicious. She didn’t care, though. It seemed unusual that Penelope hadn’t bothered to mention that she was from North Dakota when they had met each other the first time, in the woods.

  "Call me crazy, but I just had this feeling that I needed to be here for some reason," Penelope replied, glancing over at Seth adoringly. "I guess it’s good that I trusted my intuition. Natural instinct helped me find my mate.”

  "Are you positive that you're really even mates? You’re not on the same pack yet, so how do you really know for sure?" Samara questioned. She hoped that Penelope and Seth didn't know for sure. It wasn't uncommon for two wolves to think they were mated but later find out once they were on the same pack that they weren't mates at all.

  "Yeah, we're positive," Seth answered. "We can already hear each other's thoughts."

  Samara bit her lip nervously. She knew that it was possible for mates to be able to hear each other before they were initiated onto the same pack, but from what she understood, it was somewhat rare.

  "It's the most amazing thing I've ever experienced," Penelope said, glancing at the rest of the group. "Once you all experience it, I'm sure you'll agree."

  "Who says we haven't yet?" Samara asked defensively.

  Penelope tossed her hair over her shoulder and straightened out her shirt, which Samara noticed was really low-cut. "Oh, I don't know. You're all so young still. It took me years to find my mate, so I just figured that you all hadn’t yet.”

  "How old are you?" Steve questioned, eyeing Penelope curiously.

  Penelope glanced over at him. "I'm nineteen."

  Chris’s eyes widened. "Damn, you're robbing the cradle aren't you?"

  Penelope smiled. "Age can seem like a big deal, but it’s really just a number . . . especially when you live as long as we do. I don’t care what age Seth is. We share already share a connection that most wolves will never find.”

  "So, what about your Alpha in North Dakota? He’s probably wondering where you are,” Samara said. Even though she knew that Penelope didn’t have a pack that she belonged to, she wanted to play dumb so it would look like this really was the first time they were ever meeting.

  Penelope glanced over at her, and a look that Samara couldn't identify flashed through her eyes. "I don't have an Alpha. I never found my pack. I guess it's because I was never meant to have one. Not until now, at least."

  Samara gritted her teeth, realizing what Penelope was suggesting. The girl was going to do everything she could to make sure that she became a Tala.

  "I'd like to be a member of your pack," Penelope went on, looking at everyone in the group. "Which one of you is Alpha?"

  "Samara is," Colby spoke up. When the shock registered on Penelope's face, he explained, "She's the first female Alpha in history. It's because
she's Joe McKinley's granddaughter."

  Penelope looked Samara up and down. “Impressive on both accounts.” She paused for a moment before asking sweetly, "May I be a part of your pack, Samara?”

  Samara glanced from Penelope to Seth. Her brother had a pleading look in his eyes, and he allowed Samara to hear his thoughts. Please let her join the Tala, Samara. I know it’s too early for me to fall in love with her because I don’t know her well enough yet, but I already know she’s the one for me.

  Samara sighed. How could she say no to that? If she didn’t let Penelope join the pack, there was a chance that her brother would miserable forever . . . and she would be to blame. Turning to Penelope, Samara said, "We'll do your initiation tomorrow night at eight. Meet us here. Don't be late."

  "Thanks, Samara." Penelope smiled.

  Samara tried to decide if Penelope's smile was genuine or fake, but she couldn't seem to figure it out.

  “Well, I really should be going, everyone,” Penelope said. “I have some business I need to take care of before I join your pack tomorrow. I just want to thank all of you for welcoming me into your pack with open arms.” Turning to Seth, she said, “Bye, baby.” She took a few steps closer to him and, wrapping her arms around his neck, kissed him.

  Samara glanced away. It was hard for her to watch her brother kiss someone who she wasn’t so sure she liked. Even though Penelope hadn’t done much to her aside from being really pushy about becoming a Tala, there was something about the girl that she just didn’t like. She couldn’t put her finger on what it was, though.

  When Penelope finally pulled away from Seth and began back down the path that would lead her out of the woods, Josh said, “Dude! Where did you meet her? She is hot as hell.”

  “I know, right?” Seth grinned impishly. “It’s the weirdest thing. The other night when I got home from the pack initiation, I just knew I had to stay outside. I wasn’t sure why, but I could feel it. So, I was sitting out there for a while, and out of nowhere, Penelope just walked up to me in her wolf form. We just hit it off right away.” He shrugged.

  So, that was why Seth hadn’t told Samara about Penelope that night. He hadn’t even met her yet—and that made Samara feel worse about this situation. When Kyle had asked if Silas could become a member of the Ima pack, it was after they had known each other for a few weeks. Kyle and Silas had developed strong feelings towards one another during that time, and they were pretty convinced that they were going to be mates.

  Seth, on the other hand, had only known Penelope for a few days before asking if she could become a Tala. Even though they claimed to be able to hear each other’s thoughts, Samara wondered if they were wrong about being mates.

  “Are you sure this is what you want to do?” Samara questioned, turning to Seth. “I know you think you’re mates, but what if you’re wrong?”

  “I’m not wrong,” Seth replied. “I’ve never felt this way about anyone before.”

  “What do you even know about this girl?”

  Seth hesitated. “I know her name is Penelope Gutierrez, and she’s from North Dakota.”

  “And that she’s hot as hell,” Steve chimed in. “Samara, if I had a mate as hot as that . . . I would probably quit the Tala if you refused to let her join.”

  Samara rolled her eyes. “It’s nice to know that a pretty girl would make you leave your own pack.”

  “Well, I probably wouldn’t because you’d let her join now that you know my stance,” Steve replied. “I know you don’t want to lose me.”

  Emma raised her hand. “Can I just give you my opinion on this matter, Sam?”

  “Oh, boy,” Colby said. “This is going to be interesting. Wait till you hear what she has to say. It’s pretty ridiculous.”

  Samara shot Colby a ‘look’ before turning to Emma. “What’s your opinion?”

  “My opinion is that it doesn’t matter how long Seth and Penelope have known each other,” Emma said matter-of-factly. “It’s possible to fall in love with someone just by looking at them. It’s called love at first sight.”

  “I’m pretty sure you’re thinking of lust at first sight,” Colby corrected her. “Love at first sight doesn’t exist. There’s no way you can fall in love just by looking at someone.”

  “I don’t know, dude,” Steve said with a laugh. “If Penelope was my mate, I’m pretty sure I would have been able to fall in love with her at first sight. Did you see those curves?”

  “Alright, you’re starting to cross a line,” Seth said, letting out a low growl. “Stop talking about my mate that way.”

  “Alright, alright, chill,” Steve replied, holding his hands up in the air, defeatedly. “I’m just joking. Sort of. Penelope is hot, but she’s all yours, man. I would only lay my moves on her if you weren’t mated.”

  “And since we are mated, you won’t be laying your moves on her at all,” Seth replied, annoyed.

  Turning to Sam, he said, “You already told Penelope she could become a Tala. You’re not going to take it back, right? The other thing I do know about her is she just really wants somewhere she can belong. No other packs have accepted her as their own.”

  Samara sighed. The last time she had accepted someone as a member of their pack because no other packs had accepted her as one of their own hadn’t gone well. Rain had ended up being Jason’s mate and even though she hadn’t seen her since the night of his death, Samara knew that Rain was pretty pissed off at her for killing Jason.

  “I’m not going to go back on my word,” Samara told Seth. “But I just want you to know that I’m going to be keeping an eye on Penelope. If there’s any indication that she’s up to no good, I’m going to kick her out of the pack. Deal?”

  “Deal,” Seth agreed, “because I can assure you that there’s nothing wrong with Penelope. She’s a good girl . . . a sweet girl, even.”

  “Where is she going to be living?” Samara questioned. She wasn’t sure what she would do if Seth asked for Penelope to live at the house that Grandpa Joe had left her. Even though everyone would probably be accepting of it and there was plenty of space, she wasn’t sure if she could trust her to live there with them. She didn’t want to risk anything bad happening to the other members of the pack until she knew, for sure, whether the girl’s intentions were good or bad.

  “For now, she’s going to live in the woods until she finds an apartment,” Seth replied. “Once she gets an apartment, I’m probably going to move in with her. Or spend most nights with her, at the very least.”

  “Mom and dad might not like that,” Samara said, even though she knew she was protesting this relationship more than she probably should.

  “Well, if they object, that would be pretty ridiculous, if you ask me,” Seth replied. “They have no problem with letting their fifteen year old daughter get married, but they won’t let their seventeen year old spend a few nights a week at his girlfriend’s? Pretty hypocritical.”

  Samara opened her mouth to say something, but she didn’t know what more there was for her to say. She had to choose her words carefully because there was a risk that she would piss her brother off if she said the wrong thing.

  “Sam, my mind’s already made up about Penelope, okay? Nothing you say is going to change it. I want to be with her. She’s my mate . . . period. Accept that or you’re going to lose me as a brother . . . again.” Seth gave her a long, hard stare before whirling around and stomping away.

  Chapter 15

  “Well, that sucks,” Luke muttered after Seth left the clearing. “I didn’t even get to ask him if he wants to be one of my groomsmen.”

  “I’m sure you’ll be able to ask him some other time,” Samara murmured. She tried not to focus on the fact that she had upset Seth. Even though she felt adamant about Penelope joining their pack, Samara hadn’t lied to Seth; she was going to allow Penelope to become a Tala until she gave her a reason not to let her.

  “Anyway, guys, we have more important things to worry about right now,” Colby said
. Grinning, he added, “We found the talisman!”

  “Hell yeah!” Steve said, standing up and breaking out in dance. “We got the talisman!”

  A shadow fell over Josh’s face. “How did you find it?”

  Samara shrugged. “I just had a feeling . . . It’s hard to explain, but I felt drawn to it. I guess I should learn to trust my instincts more often because I was right.”

  Josh frowned. “Well, where was it?”

  Samara eyed him curiously. She wasn’t sure, but it almost seemed like he didn’t believe that they had found the talisman. “It was in the woods. I guess the Vyka left it there thinking we would never bother to check there.”

  “Yeah, because why would we ever think to do that?” Josh murmured. Shaking his head, he asked, “Where is the talisman now?”

  “I have it,” Samara replied. She reached inside her pocket and pulled the blue sapphire ring out. As she held it in her hands, she felt a giddy feeling wash over her. The talisman, which so many werewolves believed had the potential to make them powerful, was in the palm of her hands.

  Josh glanced over at the talisman, eyeing it from across the fire. “You’ll want to make sure you keep it in a safe place. It’s in high demand.”

  Colby cleared his throat nervously. “Actually, that’s what we wanted to talk to all of you about. We’re trying to come up with a place to keep it. We want it to be somewhere safe—somewhere where no one will be able to find it.”

  “Somewhere that’s not my house,” Samara added. “That’s the first place anyone’s going to check. Like the time when Jason broke into my house.”

  Declan glanced over at her. “Jason broke into your house?”

  Samara nodded. “Yeah, no one was home, luckily. My parents went away for the weekend. When Luke and I got back to my house that night, we found that the whole house was basically turned upside down because Jason—and probably some of the other Vyka members—had been there.”

  Declan frowned. “I think I remember that night. The night your parents went out of town.”

  “You do?” Samara’s breath caught in the back of her throat. As much as she wanted to believe that Declan had always been on her side, there was a time when he’d been loyal to Jason, too. Had he been one of the Vyka pack members who had broken into her house that night?