Entwined (Vukodlak Brew Book 1)

by Christine M. Butler

  As of right now there are also three younger children associated with the pack, one boy and two girls, and one teenage female. Our pack is rather large, considering the area we live in, but more than half are transfers from other places or lone wolves that decided to settle down once they found a mate and started a family. If not for that influx years ago under my dad’s rule, there probably wouldn’t be so many males in our age group hanging around. It had actually been a good while since one of our kind found their Kindred mate, which is why the pickings were slim with the children in our pack.

  Izzy showing up now, and with a twin sister, was suddenly lending to hope that we’d be able to build our future generations up a little bit. Gage, Granger, and Garrett’s parents were all original pack members. Gage’s dad and Granger and Garrett’s were twins, and they happened to be Kindred mates with a pair of sisters who came here on vacation one day and never left. Hank’s family was part of the influx during my dad’s time as pack Alpha. His father had been born into one of the crueler packs on the west coast, and refused to partake in some of the practices they had of attacking human females to make more Kindred mates possible. Hank’s father, Aaron, refused to be a part of it, and took off on his own. It was after he met his mate, Elena, that he came to our pack seeking asylum that Hank was born. Elena had been the product of human farming. Her mother had been one of the humans taken and bred all those years ago when the practice was still accepted, or at least tolerated, more so than it is today. These days, werewolves as a whole try to shut that shit down, because it draws unnecessary attention to our kind. Personally, I would have had it shut down on principle alone. Werewolf society was male run, and female rights weren’t a highly regarded thing, except by those who had true Kindred mates with a proper bond.

  My father was against those practices. He had a healthy, two way bond with my mother and cherished her every single day. I learned how to live the right way by watching my parents and their interactions with others. My mother wasn’t shy about her beliefs and unlike other males of our kind, my father was always interested in hearing her take on things. He never once shut her down, told her to shut up, or discounted her own beliefs. I strive to be as good a man as my father on a daily basis, although, it’s difficult to do. Giving Izzy the choice to be with me or walk away was killing me. I just hoped she stuck around long enough to get to know me before I had to force my time on her a bit. I would never force her hand, or do anything physically intrusive, but I wasn’t sure I could just walk away and give up on her either. All my life I’ve wanted that bond that my parents shared.

  “Dre, you coming in man? Or did you want to go somewhere private to have a chat?” I didn’t even realize Garrett had made his way out to me until he spoke. That was how preoccupied I was with this shit. I really needed to find the thing that would change the balance and show Izzy that I was the right choice. I just wasn’t sure what that was.

  “Let’s go talk in the office,” I said to Garrett as he followed me back inside the brewery. “We have a few things to go over, and there are obviously some loose strings we need to tie up around this place.” I turned a glare toward everyone that was left in the room, waiting to see who, if anyone, would react to it. No one got twitchy or came down with a sudden case of avoidance or guilty looks. Maybe our problem wasn’t as large as we thought. It could be that since the other pack lived so nearby that they had heard mutterings and come running to investigate all by themselves. I wasn’t about to leave that to chance.

  As soon as the office door closed I let out the sigh I’d been containing. “We have some problems with the wolves. Word is getting out, and faster than I’d like. I need to time to convince Izzy, and she’s ready to bolt right now, man. Not to mention, her sister is here, and if another pack lays claim to one sister they might just try to force the other to come along. I’ll fucking bring down any pack that tries, and that has me scared for everyone out there.”

  “Yeah, I already guessed that would be the case, brother.” Garrett offered in a serious tone. “We need to figure out who has been spilling their guts to other packs and do what’s necessary, and then we need to sit those girls down and have a come to Jesus meeting with them. I don’t think either of them understands what is at stake anymore, or how their lives can’t go back to normal.”

  “Yeah, that’s the problem. They were making plans to bolt earlier, and they sincerely didn’t grasp the concept that there are other packs that will be on the lookout for them now. Their dad fucked this whole thing in so many ways. If he’d just told them the truth from the beginning, or hung around when he realized Izzy was my Kindred three years ago.” I ran my hand through the short stubble of hair I had on my head. “I don’t know how to fix all the things he fucked up.”

  “I’d say start with the sister. I think Liz is your way in. If you convince her, she will make her sister see the light. Every time I’ve overheard their conversations, it’s Liz who seems to be the voice of reason on the pro-side of her sister being with you.”

  “Yeah? Well, why the fuck is that? I’m so damn frustrated with Izzy. Seriously, why can her sister walk in and see the best course of action while my own Kindred fights it tooth and nail? Every time I think there’s hope and we take a step forward, I swear, something happens to knock us back a couple pegs again.”

  “Just hang in there. I’ve listened to them go back and forth about it. Liz isn’t the only one that’s for it. I think Izzy just internalizes a lot more, and it’s taking her longer to process everything. I would bet everything we have that she wants to be with you. She’s just trying to work out how to jump the hurdles without getting smacked down mid-jump. Meanwhile, you’re ready to leap in blind. There’s a happy medium somewhere in the middle, and Liz is probably the way you will both find it.”

  “I wish she had been your Kindred, man.” I didn’t see Garrett show real emotion often, but the wince that graced his face then told me he had been making a few wishes too.

  Garrett cleared his throat, and sat down in the one plush chair in the office. “What are we going to do about our pack-mates and their loose lips?”

  We couldn’t have pack-mates who ran their mouths about pack business on the regular especially if, as Morris insinuated, he had spoken directly about our business with the girls to someone from Morris’s pack. “Keep watch, listen, and if anyone does or says anything shady I want to know about it right away. Let your brother and Hank know too. We need to get this shit under wraps before we have more than one pack breathing down our necks to get to them.”

  “Yeah, sure thing.” Garrett stood then, “You heading back to the house?”

  “Yeah, I left them there with a few of the guys, but honestly, I think there’s only so many people I trust right now. I’d rather be there myself.” Not that it was my only reasoning for wanting to get back to the girls, or to one girl in particular. I was definitely ready to see my mate again, whether or not she had decided to have me as her mate yet wasn’t even a consideration in my head. I had to tell myself that it would happen eventually, because I couldn’t fathom a world where it never happened at all.

  “I get that. I’ll let you know what we find when we question everyone here.”

  “You do that.” I got ready to leave, but then turned to Garrett once again. “Do me a favor, keep the Jeep away from the house for as long as possible.” The man just laughed at me, and that was my cue to get the hell out of there before I punched my best friend in the face.

  Chapter Twelve

  ~*~ IZZY~*~

  The smell of warm summer rain and campfires permeated the air as I lifted my nose and scented the air around me. The damp earth and crunch of leaves beneath my feet was a welcome respite to the stress I’d otherwise been feeling in my life lately. As my paws came down harder and harder the run sending exhilarating waves of pleasure through me, I caught the scent again. Then the howl went up along with my hackles. He was coming for me. The person inside my wolf was just as elated as m
y wolf at the prospect of being chased.

  And chase he did. We ran through the forest, yowling periodically, calling to one another as we carried on weaving through the trees in a teasing dance that would end with us meeting together in the end. I came to a dead stop, just through the last copse of trees, to see a gorgeous waterfall. It stopped me in my tracks so thoroughly that I didn’t notice for a moment that I’d finally been caught by the large gray and tan wolf who now nudge my side with his nose. Brushing his full body against mine before nuzzling into my neck sent another thrill through me, making me return his gesture in kind. The gruff puff of air he let out in response sounded almost like relief. That was a silly notion. Wolves couldn’t be relieved that another returned their affections? Could they?

  I didn’t have a whole lot of time to consider that as he playfully pawed at me, knocking my paws out from underneath me as we rolled together down the embankment and into the shallows of the pool beneath the waterfall. I came up sputtering for breath in my human form. Wet, blond, tangled locks cascaded over my bare shoulders as he looked on with hungry emerald and gold eyes. He was so close that his heat was all I felt, despite the cold mountain water we were immersed in. His hand reached for mine, gentling me closer to him. Bending, his nose found that sensitive spot between my shoulder and neck, right in the crook, and he breathed me in while shivers and gooseflesh erupted over my entire body.

  As our bodies came flush together, my breasts pressed into the hard body of his chest, his hands skimmed over my arms, up to my shoulders, and then cradled my face in his palms. “Only you, sweet girl. Always.” His words spoken low, and meant only for my ears, sent another spark of electric shivers racing through my body before his full lips descended on my own. Lost. I was completely and utterly lost to him then. The wolf inside me howled in triumph while I imagined his doing the same. What I didn’t have to imagine was his length stiffening between us, and my own warm heat answering his call with wetness I had never known before.

  “Please,” I moaned out between kisses, needing more. His hands trailed back down my body, leaving my face temporarily bereft of their presence before intoxicating me with other touches. Sweetly, gracefully, he trailed the tips of his shortened nails across the peeked tip of my nipples. The barest of touches sent a fire burning through my insides as they continued trailing down, across my ribs, to the dip at my navel, and then across the trimmed patch of hair just above my slit. “Please, Dre,” I hissed out before his lips caught mine again in an unrelenting embrace.

  “Oh. My. God!” A familiar female voice called out from somewhere in the distance. “I, for real, cannot be sharing a bed with you when you’re having sexy time dreams about your mate. Jesus, Izzy, wake the hell up!”

  “What?” My gravely, sleep-soaked voice called out as I left my dream world behind to find my sister sharing a bed with me instead of my mate sharing a magical waterfall pool full of lust with me. Oh, no! Mortification set in as her words finally breeched my foggy, sleep addled brain. “Oh, shit!”

  “Oh shit is right. Jesus, Iz, now I’m all hot and bothered. The fact that I haven’t seen any action since I left school isn’t lost on me either. Ugh!” She was grinning like an idiot then. “So, tell me about this dream you were having, because damn girl! It sounded like you were having a good time.”

  I was hiding behind my pillow now. “Would you shut up?” I managed to hiss the words out loud enough for her to hear. “Damn it, there’s no telling who heard me, let alone you yelling about it.” My face was flaming with heated embarrassment. My body didn’t seem to care that I was hiding under a pillow, it was still bound and determined to blush furiously.

  Liz snickered at my discomfort. “I don’t think you’re a virgin in your dreams,” she whispered into my ear, having lifted the corner of the pillow away from my head.

  “Oh my God, Liz! STOP!” I ground the words out with an edge of laughter.

  “It’s nothing to be embarrassed about, sis. Everyone has wet…” I covered her big, fat, traitorous mouth with my hand then. It stopped her from speaking, but the laughter that was now shaking our bed wasn’t much better.

  “You suck!”

  “It sounded like maybe someone else was sucking, and in the best possible way…” I flung the covers off myself and huffed off to the en-suite bathroom then. Seeing myself in the mirror was a shock. I was flushed in the worst way. My skin was pinked with what looked to be a perma-blush and glistened from the sweat that had broken out across my body. I needed a big tall glass of cold water. Maybe Vodka. Probably Vodka. I took care of what I needed to in the bathroom and then made my way out to the kitchen to get said glass of vodka – um, water – to help calm my nerves down. The problem with my plan was that I was never alone anymore. My sister and Garrett were sitting on the couch in the living room snickering and whispering about something. They were probably discussing my sexy time dream session. Ugh! Neither looked up when I entered the kitchen, despite the open floor plan keeping me from being hidden at all.

  “Oh, hey sis!” Liz finally called out to me when I turned the tap on to fill my water glass. “I thought you’d be busying yourself with a cold shower for a bit.”

  I rolled my eyes and refused to answer as Garrett tried to contain his giggles. Yes, giggles, from a giant of a man-beast. It was unsettling to see and hear. “Probably a good thing Dre wasn’t here to listen in. I don’t think he would have been able to hold himself back with that kind of invitation. Dream, or no.”

  I scrubbed my hand down my face then as my fears were realized. Any wolves hanging around security detail had most definitely heard the evidence of sex dream, and probably smelled my arousal too. Creepy. “I really hate this wolf business sometimes.” I sighed out as I joined my sister and Garrett on the couch. “Although, I have to say, I’m jealous of your guys.”

  “How so?” Garrett asked.

  “In my dream,” I started to say.

  “Yeah, I probably don’t want to hear about your sex dreams, Iz. No offense, but if Dre found out you were telling me anything that involved the word S-E-X he’d probably have my balls in a jar on his desk.”

  Again, I rolled my eyes. “Before things got steamy in my dream…” I started over. “I was a wolf again. Remember, I told you about the dream I had three years ago, before the train?”

  “Hey, I remember that. You said you were dreaming of a guy though,” my sister piped up.

  “No, you insinuated I was having a dream about a guy. I just went with it. Technically, there was a male wolf in the dream. In both dreams.”

  “What did the wolf look like?” Garrett asked curiously. “Same as the last dream?”

  I blushed. “Yeah, a large tan and gray wolf with bright green eyes. Well, I was close enough this time that I saw the gold inner edges too this time.” Garrett nodded, so I continued to tell them both about the dream, about running and canoodling with the wolf on the edge of the embankment before we tumbled down. When I got to the part about us turning back into our human selves, I stopped, because even if I could bring myself to repeat the rest, I didn’t want to share that with anyone. Well, I’d probably share it with Dre if he’d let us re-enact it.

  “Yeah, you can stop there,” my sister said, as if she could read my mind. “We can fill in the blanks on what happened once you popped up in the water, naked with the man of your dreams.” I blushed again, heat rising into my cheeks and the tips of my ears. Garrett looked confused for a moment, before he started to speak and stopped himself a couple times.

  “I need to make a phone call,” he finally said before standing and stepping around our feet.

  “It’s four in the morning,” my sister mentioned.

  “Oh, yeah, I guess it can wait a little bit.” Still, he didn’t put his cell away. Instead, he shot a text off to someone.

  “Did I say something wrong? Or I guess, not wrong, but did I say something important or something?” I stumbled over my own words, but obviously something I had told him abou
t my dream had wiped away his usual joking manner and replaced it with a big ball of serious.

  “No, it’s just I remembered something my mom told me once. I need to…” his phone dinged then, and he nodded at it as if whomever he was texting with could see his response. “Your dreams, the way you describe the other wolf, it sounds like Dre when he’s in wolf form. There were tales passed down to us from back when our females could change forms too. Most from the days when female wolves existed are lost to us, but there are some stories about the mating rituals we had back then. It always started with a run together, bonding as wolves, then as our human selves with the claiming. Your dream just reminded me of those stories. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of mated females talk about having dreams like yours. Then again, I’m sure it’s something they don’t exactly go around sharing with everyone. I thought I’d ask my mom about it until you reminded me it was four in the morning, and my mom would have my ass if I wake her up before six.” He looked sheepish then as he shrugged his shoulders. “My mom might be little in stature, but I still have a healthy respect for her being able to put me in my place.”

  “Aww, a momma’s boy!” My sister teased him.

  “Shut it, duplicate!”