When Jason arrived at the estate and entered the kitchen, the appealing scents of cooking Mexican food filled his senses and he found Derek by the stove.
“Something smells good,” he said, sniffing the air appreciatively and reaching for the spatula Derek was using to stir a pot of something Jason thought smelled like chilli.
His best friend swatted his hand away, and Jason couldn’t help but grin. He’d been worried about Derek at first, but his friend seemed to be getting used to his new way of life. Yes, he was frustrated about not being able to be as active, but Derek was already talking about getting a prosthetic limb and wanted to test what would happen when he shifted into his wolf form. Not only that, but his friend was making plans for the future. He’d moved in with Grace and resigned from the fire department, which hadn’t surprised Jason, as desk jobs weren’t Derek’s thing. Instead, Derek was forming a support group for the children and teens in town who had difficult childhoods, including the ones who’d been taken by the Carnegies. Jason admired that Derek was using his own traumatic childhood as a means to help those in similar situations. The strength he’d shown since his accident was inspiring.
Jason grabbed a bottle of beer from the fridge and sat at the kitchen counter on a barstool to keep Derek company while he finished cooking.
“Grace said she’d be alone later,” Jason told Derek. “She and Alicia are having dinner together. I think Alicia needs some time to adjust to what I told her.”
“Yeah, Grace called me briefly before you got here. How did the meeting go?”
Jason took a long pull from his bottle of beer, then reclined back and said, “Well, I think, Alicia was shocked at first, but accepted the news quickly. She was able to see the sense in having the pack help with the search. A lot of her officers seem apprehensive, but they’re willing to work with us, and all of them have vowed to keep our abilities a secret.”
Derek nodded, grabbed a beer for himself and joined Jason at the breakfast bar as the dinner cooked. “Grace mentioned you’re taking Alicia out for a drink?”
Even though Derek said it casually, Jason noticed his friend’s smirk and raised eyebrow.
“Well, I could die in this fight tomorrow, so I best make the most of the time I have left,” Jason replied flippantly, trying to make light of the situation. However, at the back of his mind was the lingering worry that he or someone he cared about might not make it out of this alive.
70
Alicia
“Will you just sit and relax?” Grace said, as Alicia got up for what felt like the hundredth time to make a drink or check on something. “Come eat your chow mein. You can’t go out for drinks with Jason on an empty stomach.”
Alicia settled on the couch but pushed her half-eaten carton of food away. “I’m too nervous to eat.”
“What? Because of Jason?” Grace asked with a raised eyebrow.
“No, not because of Jason, you idiot. Because of what he told me. How did you handle it? How do you handle it, knowing your boyfriend can turn into a wolf?”
Grace shrugged. “I grew up knowing about the pack. To me it’s no different than knowing Mr. Johnson and Mr. Meadows are a couple, despite the fact they insist they aren’t and the fact they’re both unmarried and have lived together for almost fifty years. They’re just good friends, according to Mr. Johnson, but we all know the truth.”
Alicia laughed and shook her head. “Not entirely the same. Accepting a couple of older gentlemen in town are gay is way different from accepting people can turn into wolves. If shifters exist, what else is out there? Next week I could be working a case with vampires or something!”
Now it was Grace’s turn to laugh. “As far as I’m aware, shifters are the only paranormal beings to exist in our world. Though the Lenox pack isn't the only pack in the states.”
“See, this is what I mean. I could walk past anyone on the street and not know if they’re a shifter or not.”
“Does it matter if you don’t know? It doesn’t make them any less human or anything to be feared. You liked Derek before you found out what he is, and you agreed to have a drink with Jason after he told you about the pack.”
“Of course it doesn’t matter, especially not to me. I’ve seen first hand that Derek is a decent guy, and what I know of the rest of the pack, they others are decent too. I mean, one of them is having a baby with a human, right? Which means they’re all normal people like me and you. But it doesn’t make it any less weird. Shape-shifters are real. How crazy is that?”
“You sound like Will when he first found out about the pack,” Grace said with a fond smile. “He was obsessed with knowing all the details, and even wanted one of the pack to turn him into a shifter too.”
Alicia’s eyes widened. “Can they do that?”
“No, the ability can only be passed on genetically. They’re not werewolves like you see in movies and stories. Believe me, Derek has bitten me a few times and I’m still human.”
Alicia burst out laughing and felt the tension leave her body. “Too much information, girl.”
Grace shrugged. “It got you to relax.”
“That’s true,” Alicia said, pulling her takeout carton back towards her and tucking in again.
“So, this date with you and Jason then?” Grace asked once they’d finished eating and had cleaned their things away.
“It’s not a date,” Alicia insisted, pouring them both a glass of wine. “Just two friends, who’ll be working together soon, having a drink.”
“Sure. So, if it’s not a date, why did you bring your makeup bag and some nice clothes to chance into?”
Alicia looked guilty over at her makeup bag and the outfit she’d brought with her. It was nothing fancy, just a pair of skinny jeans, some heels and her favourite scoop neck blouse.
“Well I can’t exactly turn up in my uniform, can I?”
“True, but jeans and a T-shirt would be more than enough for two friends having a drink.”
Alicia gulped down a mouthful of wine, knowing Grace wasn’t going to drop the topic. “Fine. I want to look nice, okay? Jason is a hot guy. I don’t want to turn up looking like a tramp. And, well, what’s the harm in a little flirting? It’s not like I’m going to marry the guy or something, but I’m not opposed to seeing where the night goes.”
Grace grinned. “I knew it! I knew you liked him too. See, now we can go on double dates once all this is over.”
Alicia smiled sadly. “Don’t get too ahead of yourself. I go back to Boston once all this is over, remember? And I’ve seen what a total flirt Jason is. Once I’ve left, he’ll forget all about me and find someone else.”
Alicia was frustrated when, instead of agreeing with her, Grace smiled knowingly and said, “Sure. Whatever you insist,” in a way that caused goosebumps to appear on Alicia’s arms.
Has Jason indicated to her or Derek he’s interested in more than just a quick fling? she couldn’t help but wonder.
--
By seven-fifteen, Alicia wasn’t wondering if Jason was interested in more than a fling. She was worried she'd been stood up. He was fifteen minutes late to meet her, and she feared he’d changed his mind. Then an even worse thought dawned on her.
What if the Carnegies found him and did something terrible to him?
Alicia’s throat tightened as she imagined being told Jason had been murdered, and it hit her with so much unexpected force she couldn’t help but be surprised at how into him she found herself. She really hoped he was okay, because she’d started to realize that this had the potential to be way more than just a fling.
A few minutes later, Alicia let out a sigh of relief as Jason entered the inn, his long hair hanging around his shoulders. He looked at her, smiled, and Alicia felt her heartbeat hitch.
“Sorry I’m late,” he said, removing his jacket and slipping into a seat beside her. “After dinner there was an incident with Kevin.”
Fear gripped Alicia’s chest again. “Is everything okay?”
“It is now. I’ve had words with him and he knows if he makes any more snide comments about the pack integrating with humans, he’ll be out on his ass.” Jason heaved out a breath and ordered them both a drink. “He heard I was meeting you, and wasn’t too happy that every recent alpha has claimed a human mate.”
Alicia felt the heat rising in her body, and she suddenly realized the previous three alphas all had human mates. Would Jason try to claim her too? Just imagining Jason’s lips on hers caused Alicia’s heart rate to spike.
Seemingly picking up on her discomfort Jason smirked. “You’re worried I’ll try to claim you, too?” he asked in a sultry voice and Alicia felt herself blushing. Jason grinned wolfishly and licked his lips. “I don’t bite … unless you ask me.”
“Don’t forget, once Rebecca and the other Carnegies are caught, I have to go back to Boston,” she said, trying to inject some reality into the situation before they got ahead of themselves.
“It’s only a two-and-a-half hour drive away,” Jason replied easily, as if the distance - over a hundred-and-thirty miles, Alicia knew, because she’d already checked - was nothing.
Could it be that easy? she wondered. She and Grace made their friendship work despite the distance, but there was a hell of a lot of difference between friendship and a relationship - especially a new one. And besides, she and Grace had lived together during their time at the police academy before Grace had moved back to Lenox.
You’ll never know until you try. At least get to know him first, said a voice in her head - a voice that sounded suspiciously like Grace.
So Alicia let herself relax as she and Jason enjoyed a couple of drinks together and chatted about their childhoods and early adult lives.
“Isn’t it tough not being closer to your parents?” Alica asked. Her mom and dad lived in Boston, in the same home she’d grown up in, and she couldn’t imagine being almost two-thousand miles away from her family. At least Boston and Lenox were in the same state!
Jason shrugged. “It was at first, especially after my grandfather passed, but I had my pack. They’re my family too and I couldn’t have gotten through it without them.”
Alicia nodded in understanding. She had some of that herself. Not a pack, of course, but there were people in her neighborhood, other people of colour, immigrants and just those who didn’t quite fit in with the ‘normal’ status quo. They looked out for each other and she considered them extended family in their own way.
“So you’ve known Derek a long time?” she asked.
“Since we were both fifteen, so yeah, ten years.”
“Was Derek born into the pack like you?” she said. Grace hadn’t told her much about Derek’s past and she’d just assumed that like Jason, at least one of his parents had been part of the pack and Derek had been born into it.
“It’s not my story to tell, so I’ll leave Derek to do that when he’s ready, but what I can say is Ben found Derek at fifteen and adopted him into the pack. Me and Derek were the same age and soon became best friends. Just like he helped me through my grandfather’s passing, I know me and my family helped him adjust to life in the pack.”
Alicia smiled. She liked Derek, and so if he and Jason had such a strong bond, she was sure she’d done the right thing by agreeing to have a drink with Jason.
“How about you? Grace said you met while you were in the police academy together?”
“Yeah, that’s right. We were both training to become officers and were assigned to each other as roommates. It’s pretty hard not to become friends with someone who you spend so much time with, but even if she hadn’t been my roommate, I’m sure we would have still become friends. Grace is a good person.”
Jason nodded. “Derek certainly loves her, and she’s really helped him with his recovery.”
“I’m glad they found each other,” Alicia said.
They continued chatting and sharing drinks, and Alicia hardly noticed how much time had passed, so she was surprised when Angela, the owner of the inn, announced it was closing time.
“Can I walk you to your room?” Jason offered, pulling on his leather jacket.
“Don’t be crazy, it’s just upstairs,” Alicia said with a laugh as she made her way to the stairs that connected the common room of the inn to the guest quarters. But, she said nothing when Jason followed her. She simply smiled at him and led him to her room.
Alicia unlocked the door and led Jason through into the small room that contained a double bed, dresser, two-seater couch and TV. Jason settled on the couch as she used the coffee machine to make them both a drink.
“Are you nervous about tomorrow?” she asked, sitting beside him and handing him a mug of coffee.
“Honestly? Sure. I think it is smart to be concerned about what’s coming. You probably know how crazy Rebecca Carnegie is, now imagine that when she’s cornered. She’ll become even more dangerous and unpredictable.”
Alicia sipped her drink and nodded thoughtfully. “I know, but my team will be there and your pack.”
“Half the team and pack will be there. The others will be over at the reservoir. Or what happens if she isn’t hiding in the state forest?”
“I’ve already considered this, and think once we’ve confirmed her location we make sure it’s secure and then radio for the others to join us. I plan on speaking with Collins in the morning to form a plan.”
Jason smiled appreciatively. “Good idea. I wanted to offer the Shadowbrook Estate as a base of operations. Derek, Lana, and Harper will be staying there with a couple of pack members to guard them. We have plenty of equipment and supplies, and it would mean we’re not disturbing anyone at the station.”
“Thank you. That’s a great idea. I’ll have everyone come over once they’ve reported to me at the station, and then we can divide into teams and move out. If you want, I can have a couple of officers remain with Derek and the others. You know, just in case?”
“Thanks. I’m sure Ben, Josh, and Grace will appreciate it. They’re all worried, what with Lana being pregnant and Derek in a wheelchair.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll ensure anyone who remains behind at Shadowbrook will be safe…” she said, leaving the rest unspoken. She couldn’t make the same guarantees for those facing the Carnegies the following day, and she had to prepare herself for the worst.
“Hey. Hey, it will be okay,” Jason said, putting down his coffee mug and taking her hands. He must have noticed how tense she’d become, as worry set in and she thought of all the horrible things that might happen the following day.
Alicia gripped his fingers and gazed into his dark eyes. “I’m trying to remember that. I’ve been in danger in the line of duty before, but well … you said it yourself, Rebecca Carnegie is deranged. She killed one of your pack and permanently injured Derek. What happens if we all don’t make it back from this?”
Jason shuffled closer. “We have to have faith the people we care about will make it through this. We have to believe we have a future.”
Alicia didn’t know if it was Jason’s sincere words, his intoxicating musky scent, or the alcohol she’d drank. Maybe it was all three, but for whatever reason, without thinking she closed the distance between them and crushed her lips against his.
Jason hesitated for only a moment - but for only a moment - then, his mouth melded against hers and his tongue sought entrance past her lips. Alicia acquiesced and their tongues swirled together.
When they broke apart, breathless, their hearts hammering, Alicia looked at Jason through heavily lidded eyes. For a moment she was tempted to invite him to stay the night, desperate for more than a kiss, but then her mind flickered to an image of her ex, Todd, and she was reminded how uncertain the future was.
“You should probably go,” she whispered huskily.
Jason looked shocked for a moment, but then nodded. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He pressed one final kiss to her mouth then left Alicia alone in her room at the Maple Inn, wondering if
she’d made a mistake by not asking him to spend the night. She hoped, whatever else happened the following day, she’d get another chance to explore this spark between her and Jason.
71
Jason
Jason paced the main room of the Shadowbrook Estate as he waited for Alicia and her team of officers to arrive. It was five in the morning, and they were preparing to begin the search of both the state forest and the reservoir east of Lenox for Rebecca Carnegie and the remaining members of her family.
Jason knew that no matter how the day ended, the war with his pack and the Carnegies would be over today. He just hoped it would be in their favor.
He hadn’t really given much thought to the future before. He usually just took each day as it came. He’d figured someday he’d meet someone he really connected with and wanted to settle down with. He hadn’t given life much thought beyond that.
Until last night.
When Alicia had pressed her lips against his, it suddenly became vital that he had a future. Sure, it wasn’t like he wanted to die in this war with the Carnegies before last night. Since the moment he’d offered his pack’s assistance to the police department, he’d wanted to come out victorious so that he could visit his family and then start leading the pack into a new, peaceful, era. But since Alicia had kissed him, his desire to live, to have a future, had increased exponentially. He didn’t know if they could make a long distance relationship work. Hell, he didn’t even know if they could have a relationship, though he’d very much like to try. But whatever happened, he wanted a chance to find out. He wanted to kiss her again, and a whole lot more that he really shouldn’t be thinking about on the morning they were due to go to war…
Derek’s heated voice from across the room drew Jason’s attention from his thoughts and back to the present, where his best friend was arguing with Grace.
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