by Aspen Grey
“Well?” I snapped. “Is he going to live?”
Clarice opened her eyes. “He’s going to be fine.”
“Oh, thank God,” I exclaimed as I sat back and placed a hand on the boy’s leg. “Thank God for that.”
“What the fuck is this?” I looked up to see Eric coming in from the kitchen. He was the pack’s de facto leader since Hector disappeared. No one had really elected him, but he’d decided we should all listen to what he had to say. His decisions were questionable, and I was growing tired of it.
“Listen—” I started to say, but he cut me right off.
“I just got a call from Marco.” Marco was another one of the Kurrens’ alphas. “He told me you tried to kill Tyson?”
“No,” I shook my head. “Tyson tried to kill me after I walked into The Bar and saw Larcon drugging this omega, ready to drag him off to their compound and keep him as part of his harem!”
“And you intervened?”
“You’re goddamn right I did!” I snarled, getting to my feet as I felt that old wound open again ever so slightly. “And I won’t apologize for it either!”
“Alex,” Eric said firmly as he stepped up right in front of me. “We have peace with the Kurrens. We don’t interfere in their affairs and they don’t interfere with ours. Now, I understand what you must be feeling because of your—”
“Don’t you dare!” I snapped. “You don’t have any idea how I’m feeling right now! Don’t even try to pretend you do!”
Eric wanted to say something, but held his tongue. I kept my eyes locked on his, showing him I wasn’t about to back down, when Jasper, who was standing by the piano, finally spoke.
“Why did you bring him back here though, Alex? I mean—what’s so special about this omega that you’d risk the peace for him?”
I broke my glare and turned around to gaze at the beautiful boy who was lying so peacefully on the couch.
“Because,” I said to the room, “he’s my fated-mate.”
Chapter Five
Blue
My head wasn’t spinning—it was being crushed as though I was lying at the bottom of the ocean with countless pounds of pressure doing its best to invert my skull and suck out my brains. I was vaguely aware of voices around me, but aside from the occasional word here and there, could not make out what they were saying.
“…get us all killed…”
Ow…
My stomach swam like a sea of fish was making its way from my lungs to my intestines.
“…had to…no choice…”
What’s happening to me?
The nausea was overwhelming. My body wanted to puke, but there was nothing I hated worse, and I fought back against it.
“Larcon is evil!”
Larcon? The name rang a dim bell somewhere in the back of my mind, but I was lost. Where even was I? What had happened to me?
I fought to open my eyes, by my eyelids felt like sandpaper against my corneas as I did.
I’d been at school earlier, that much I was able to remember. I’d been outside texting my dad…he said he was going to be late…but what then?
Why do I feel like this?
“…the peace!”
“You’ve put the peace in jeopardy!”
The peace? What are they talking about? Who are they?
I managed a groan and became more aware of the rest of my body—my limbs which I fought to move. My legs felt like uncooked pizza dough, and my arms weren’t much better, but I managed to get an elbow underneath me and turn myself onto my side.
I was on a couch—that much I was able to figure out. But whose couch? I wasn’t at home, that much was for sure.
The thought terrified me and I reached for my left pocket where I kept my phone. It wasn’t there.
Shit!
My senses began to return to me, and the voices around me became more clear.
“We don’t even know where he lives! He’s obviously still in high school!”
“You don’t know that.”
“Look at him! He’s definitely not in college!”
Do I really look that young?
I felt the sand begin to fade from my eyes and slowly forced my right eye open a slit.
I found myself looking at a beautiful modern living room, with walls of light gray concrete and sleek furniture like something out of a magazine or fancy internet blog. Around me, their backs to me, were three alphas. I could barely tell their scents from each other—something was wrong with my sense of smell, probably related to whatever was wrong with me.
“Larcon isn’t going to stand for this,” one of them said.
Larcon! I thought. That was his name! The alpha in the truck who offered me a ride home! I’d gone with him…and then…
It was like trying to remember a dream an hour after you wake up. That, combined with the fact that I was terrified with no understanding of where I was or how I’d gotten there, was making it incredibly hard to remember anything. Every time I thought I had a grasp on a memory, a flicker of an image, it would slip away from me, like trying to catch fish with your bare hands.
“Eric, shut up!” the voice was strong and somehow familiar. “He’s awake!”
Shit!
I froze, unsure of what to do. I wanted to get up and run, but that was impossible. A shot of adrenaline slapped my heart, and at the same time, sent a river of memories flooding back to me.
I’d gotten into the truck with Larcon, and instead of taking me home, he took me to a bar. I remember feeling safe with him, thinking he was handsome, but when we got there…he bought two drinks…I’d started sipping mine.
Oh, shit!
He drugged me. That was the only explanation. After that, my memory was nothing but a black void.
You idiot!
I took a drink from a complete stranger, thinking he was safe as he was the only shifter I’d met in Sleepy Hills, and he’d drugged me—he’d drugged me, stolen my cell phone and taken me back to his home and now I was his captive, surrounded by the rest of his pack.
I was fucked.
I must have moaned or squealed or something, because one of the alphas leaned down beside me and put a hand on my shoulder. I pulled away, inciting a fresh wave of nausea that twisted through my stomach.
“It’s okay, it’s okay,” the voice said. It was a kind voice, but what the fuck did I know? I’d already been fooled once. Finally, I managed to open my eyes. It hurt, and my vision was blurry. I blinked a few times, and as my eyes cleared, I found myself staring at the most incredible face I’d ever seen in my life.
Holy shit…
His features were beyond chiseled—it was like someone had made him in a lab. You could cut glass on those cheekbones, and his jaw was broad and strong with lips so plump it almost looked like he was pouting. His medium-length chestnut hair was a cute mess atop his head, and his eyes were blue, blue like two magic sparkling sapphires that seemed to look right through me as though he could see all my secrets…see my soul.
My sinuses popped like when you have a cold and your nose finally unclogs, and if I wasn’t thrown off enough already, the scent that filled my nostrils tossed me off the edge of any sanity I was clinging to and hurled me into a pit of submissiveness and longing.
“You’re safe,” he told me, but I already knew—I didn’t have to be told. My most pure and basic omega nature had awoken when I smelled him. I imprinted immediately. I’d heard stories of how it would feel if you were one of the lucky ones, but nothing could have prepared me for it.
It was as though a chain shot out from his heart and linked itself to mine. A bubble formed around us, like one of those shields from Star Trek, where we existed together, outside of the world and all of its problems. His eyes were like the tractor beam of the ship, pulling me towards him no matter what I did. Even if I’d wanted to look away, I wouldn’t have been able to.
I inhaled his scent again…
Thyme with a hint of sweetness.
“Wha
t’s your name?” he asked me as he squeezed my shoulder. I licked my lips. My voice came out as a whisper.
“Blue. Blue Mitchell.”
“Blue,” he repeated as though my response couldn’t have been any more perfect. “It’s nice to meet you, Blue. I’m Alexander.”
Alexander, I thought. My fated-mate.
Chapter Six
Blue
“You’re safe,” he repeated again. “Don’t worry, Larcon is not here. You’re at my home in the hills at the base of the mountain. This is my pack. Clarice healed you but you’re going to be feeling…off for a few hours.”
The only reason I was able to break my gaze from his was because he turned and pointed to the three alphas standing behind him.
“This is Jasper.” Jasper, the shortest of the three, was incredibly sleek with a head full of thick blond curls that would make any hairdresser jump with joy.
“This is Tyrese,” he continued, pointing to a tall, strong shifter with no hair and skin as black as the evening shadows. He smiled and nodded. I could only imagine what his fur looked like in wolf form.
“And this is Eric.” He was thicker than the rest of them, built like a power lifter—the kind of guy you’d expect to see in a bar in Germany wearing suspenders, a Henley and sporting a thick beard getting into a bare-knuckle boxing match. He didn’t look happy.
“Hello,” was all he said.
“And then last but not least,” Alexander continued. “This is Clarice, our healer.”
Clarice stepped into view and smiled. She looked older than the rest of them, probably in her thirties, with a mess of red hair tied up in a bun on the top of her head. She looked stylish though, like someone out of the pages of Vogue. She had kind green eyes and a necklace of green jade to match.
“You’ll be feeling a little off for a while,” she told me. “I don’t know what Larcon put in your drink but it was nasty.”
“I’d expect nothing less,” Alexander spat.
My stomach turned again. “Water?”
“Of course,” Alexander said. “Jasper, can you get him a glass of water?”
“No problem.”
Jasper disappeared in the direction of what must have been the kitchen. The interaction made me smile. Alex was clearly in charge here, maybe even the pack leader.
It was almost too much to process. So many questions were running through my mind: Who was Larcon? Why did he drug me? How did Alexander rescue me? And—
“Oh, shit! My cell phone! I need to call my Dad.”
My father had no idea where I was. I didn’t know how long I’d been out, but I was definitely supposed to have been home a long time ago. He’d be worried sick and was probably out in the truck searching for me. Alexander shook his head sadly.
“There was no time. I had to get you out of there. Do you know his number?”
“No…who knows numbers these days?”
“Do you know his e-mail address?” Clarice asked as Jasper reappeared with my water. He handed it to me and I gulped down half of it instantly.
“Yes,” I replied as she pulled out her phone.
“Give it to me and I will tell him to call one of us,” she replied. I gave it to her and saw her fingers moving as she typed on her phone, but I felt Alexander’s gaze pull me back to him with such a force that he might as well have taken me by the jaw and twisted my face to his.
Yes, I know it too.
That’s what I saw in his eyes. I felt the connection, stronger than anything I’d ever felt possible. I guess it was sort of like what humans called “love at first sight.”
Love at first scent, more like it!
Shifters were always talking about it, but back in Santa Monica, where everybody was always hooking up with everybody else and things were a lot more incestuous, the idea of fated-mates wasn’t taken seriously. If only the kids from my last school could see me now.
“Okay, I sent him an e-mail,” Clarice said. “He should be calling me soon—”
Just like that, her phone rang.
“Wow, he’s quick!”
“Dad’s one of those dads who can actually use a smartphone,” I said with a smile as I propped myself up into an almost seated position.
“Hello? Mr...Mr. Mitchell? My name is Clarice and I’m here with your son—yes, he’s absolutely fine. I’ll put him on the phone with you.”
She handed me the phone.
“Hey, dad.”
“Blue!” his voice was intense, filled with concern, but not panicked. My father never panicked. “Where the Hell are you? I tried calling you but it went straight to voicemail. I got in the truck and drove around—”
“I’m okay, dad,” I told him first of all. “I’m with a pack of shifters in the hills. I, uh…I got myself into a bit of a situation and they helped get me out of it.”
“A bit of a situation?” he repeated. “Blue, tell me what happened!”
“It’s better if you just come here so I can tell you in person, dad. Clarice, can you e-mail him the address?”
“Of course.”
“Clarice is sending you the address so you can Maps it,” I told him. “And I’ll explain everything. But I promise, dad. I’m okay.”
He sighed, obviously still worried, but for the moment accepting what I was telling him.
“Okay, Blue. But we’re going to have a big talk when I get there.”
“Dad,” I said hesitantly. “I—I just need to tell you something so you’re prepared when you get here.”
“Oh, God,” he groaned with anticipation.
“No, it’s not bad!” I said quickly. “In fact—it’s really, really good!”
For some reason I kept my voice down. Maybe I was embarrassed for some reason to talk about Alexander in front of him that way, or maybe it was because what I was about to tell my father felt like a wonderful secret that he and I could share.
“One of the alphas here…he’s my fated-mate.”
A long pause. My heart beat strong in my chest as I waited for my father’s reply. When it came, it wasn’t angry and it wasn’t glad. It was neutral.
“I’ll talk to you when I get there, Blue.”
That was all he said.
“Okay, dad,” I replied. I hung up the phone and handed it back to Clarice, who quickly began texting him their address.
“What did he say?” Alex asked. I realized he’d definitely overhead the last part of our conversation. For some reason I was embarrassed and felt myself blush.
“He said we’d talk when he got here.”
“That’s okay,” Alexander replied. He took a seat beside me on the couch. Even when he wasn’t standing up, I realized just how tall he was. He was also naked…I felt something stir in my pants.
His presence was comforting, so different from what I’d felt when I saw Larcon. I now felt completely ashamed by letting myself go with him. “He’ll understand.”
“Yeah, well, with any luck he’ll take Blue somewhere far, far away from here!”
I looked up to see Eric glaring down at us, his arms crossed and his brow furrowed. He was incredibly angry about something, and it obviously had to do with me.
“Not now, Eric,” Alexander snapped.
“Oh, is this not a good time?” he replied. “Is there a better time for us to discuss the fact that you have singlehandedly broken the peace we’ve had for the last twenty-two years and probably started a war that will endanger all of us?”
“A war?” I asked, looking back to Alexander. “Is that true? What’s he talking about?”
“Damn right it’s true!” Eric hissed.
“It’s…complicated,” Alex said slowly. “But I’ll do my best to explain.”
Chapter Seven
Alexander
Eric was pissed, and I got that, but not as pissed as I was going to be if he didn’t shut up and stop making Blue feel unwelcome—feel as though he’d done something wrong—like any of this was his fault. In fact, as far as I was concerned
, it wasn’t mine either.
I wasn’t the evil son of a bitch who drugged omegas and held them captive. I wasn’t the violent prick who’d sent his pack to the edges of our territory to scout out signs of weakness. I wasn’t the one who’d rather fight first then ask questions later. I’d saved Blue from a terrible fate and I wasn’t going to apologize to anyone for it.
“Basically, there was a war going on between our packs for a long time—”
But before I could finish, a loud bang came from the door. I spun around and almost shifted again right then and there. At the door, holding Tyson who was covered in blood, was Larcon, his face rippled with anger and concern.
“Son of a bitch,” I cursed, instantly putting myself between him and Blue.
“Take it easy, boys,” Clarice said as the pack prepared themselves for battle. “I’m still the healer and we’re still at peace.”
To Hell with the peace!
But Clarice was right. She offered her healing aid to any shifter in the area, and during the peace, that meant the Kurrens as well. I hadn’t expected them to show up here. When I told him Clarice might help him out, I had been kidding, and honestly thought Tyson would bleed out. And I was okay with that. After all, he would have killed me. But obviously Larcon had managed to stop the bleeding long enough to get him here.
“Jasper, let them in!” she shouted as she raced to the basement door where she kept her serious medical supplies, including a storage of universal shifter donor blood. Human blood wouldn’t cut it, so a regular hospital was out of the question. “Eric, Tyrese, Alex—watch them!”
“Watch me tear his throat out,” I muttered, but I simply held my ground beside Blue as Jasper opened the door and let the two Kurrens into our home. Larcon’s scent was like acid in my nostrils. It wasn’t a horrible smell on its own, but to me it was disgusting. Tyson’s wasn’t much better.
“He’s almost gone,” Larcon said as he laid Tyson down on the floor.
“Tyrese, get some towels,” Eric ordered. “He’s going to stain the wood.”