by C. D. Gorri
“Gran, wake up,” Sora announced after another thirty minutes of driving. “We’re here.”
“It’s beautiful here,” she heard her Gran say as they pulled off the road, stopping at a gate. There was a buzzer on a post on the driver’s side. She pressed the button and a male’s voice grunted across the connection.
“Can I help you?”
“Sora Weston and Katrina Hudson, sir,” she said after clearing her throat. “The alpha is expecting us.”
Without any reply, the large, iron gates opened, allowing her to pass. The drive up to the house was winding, but not enough to be scary like back in Washington with their roads. Along the way, she noticed several A-frame cabins built into the forest that surrounded the land. All of them were identical; dark brown wood and green, metal roofs. There were only six before the forest opened up to a beautiful home, matching the colors of the smaller ones down the road.
Sora parked, unbuckled her seatbelt, and looked out through the windshield. The cougar that lived inside her snarled when they both noticed a large male standing on the porch of a massive house. No, it was a mansion and much, much larger than her old alpha’s home. “I think that’s the alpha, Gran. Let’s get you out.”
She didn’t have to walk around to the passenger side, because Maverick Quinn, or the male she thought to be him, hurried off the porch as soon as his eyes focused on the elderly woman in her sedan. Sora froze when he approached the door, because the cougar inside her wouldn’t let her move.
He yanked the door open and dropped to one knee because he was so damn tall, he wouldn’t be able to talk to her Gran while standing. His eyes were bright, icy blue, and his shoulders were broad…muscular.
“Katrina Hudson?” he asked.
“That’s me.” She heaved a long sigh, hooked her thumb over her shoulder. “This is my granddaughter, Sora. You must be the alpha she spoke to several days ago?”
“I am, but it’s been almost ten days since your alpha passed away, and for that, I offer my condolences. We’ve been concerned,” he scolded. “Mrs. Hudson, you do not look like you are handling the loss of your alpha well. I can scent death coming for you. May my Guardian touch you to give you aide?” The Guardian raised a pair of gloves in the air and shook them for Sora’s Gran to see. She gave him a soft nod and leaned toward the male.
“Please take care of my granddaughter,” Gran begged the alpha. “She will need you, too. She’s different…like you, but she will need your leadership. I will let her explain everything else.”
The alpha nodded and his eyes cast upward, locking onto hers that were wide with shock at her grandmother telling her secrets the moment she saw the new alpha.
And that was when her cougar let out a long, satisfying purr that could be heard through her human lips. His scent grew stronger, and in that moment, Sora knew the alpha was her mate.
From the look in his suddenly glowing, golden eyes, he knew it too.
Chapter Two
Maverick hurried to the door of his home once his Guardian, Houston Vale, notified him of the two arrivals. He’d talked to the younger female a few times since he had agreed to bring them into the pride, but she’d explained on the day of their departure, her grandmother wasn’t holding up without the presence of an alpha.
And that worried him.
Elderly shifters didn’t do well without an alpha’s care, and without the connection, she could die sooner than a younger counterpart. It took two to three weeks without an alpha to become weak and die, but that was in regards to a healthy, younger pride member. Their alpha had died from a shifter disease only ten days prior. From the information he’d gotten from Sora, he knew the younger female was okay. His worry now was for the grandmother.
He made a motion to show he was wearing protective gloves so he wouldn’t hurt the widowed female. Even though alphas didn’t cause pain to a mated female when they touched, it was important to show them respect. His Guardians and other male members of their pride always carried gloves for an emergency. As a male, touching a mated female that wasn’t yours would cause the female’s skin to feel as if they’d been burned, and no male in his pride could handle it if they caused a female pain.
“Mrs. Hudson, let’s get you inside, ma’am.” Maverick righted himself after scenting Sora Weston, his mate, and helped his Guardian, Levi, with the elder female. He was gentle as he gave her support while she paused to regain her balance, but his cougar was prowling in the back of his mind at the scent of the woman in the driver’s seat.
Mrs. Hudson held on to his offered hand while they entered his home, turning to the left to head toward the stairs leading to the west wing of the house where the guest quarters were located. The marble floors and soft gray paint on the walls was comforting to him, and he hoped it would ease any worry the two women had about becoming part of his pride.
As it was, there were thirty-seven shifters in his pride, and more coming every few months. Either by birth or by their own free will because they wanted to move away from their original homes, and Maverick understood that. He’d learned a lot in his relatively short time of being an alpha.
The first door on the left opened silently as they arrived, and his healer, Cohen Beckett, stood back while Maverick and the elderly shifter entered. “This will be your room until you are ready to live somewhere else. There is no rush to leave the pride’s lands, Mrs. Hudson, but we can discuss those details later.”
“Thank you, alpha,” she said with just a hint of a smile. She was already pale, and Maverick knew it was time to bring her into his pride with a drink of his blood.
“Mrs. Hudson,” he began. “Do you take my blood freely and honestly? In doing so, you are pledging yourself to the Quinn pride.”
“Alpha, I swear unto this pride for however many days the gods see fit to leave me in this body, and when the day comes for me to pass on to our ancestors, I will faithfully take your kindness with me to the other side.”
He heard a sniffle behind him, and from the scent that crossed his senses, he knew it was the woman’s granddaughter, Sora.
“Take my blood now and connect yourself to me,” he offered, bringing his wrist to his mouth. A second before he scored his flesh, he turned toward his healer. “She will need to shift and run.”
“I can do that with her,” Sora, her granddaughter, offered. “Her cougar is slow, and it trusts me to keep it safe.”
“Very well,” he agreed. Sora was an alpha, but she didn’t have powers around her. Maverick couldn’t feel them, but her grandmother had mentioned she was of his kind. It was obvious the grandmother was from her mother’s bloodline.
Alphas could rule on their own. It confused him why Sora had called him to help because they needed a new pride, but he couldn’t wait any longer to help the older female by asking Sora why she didn’t offer her alpha blood to her family member.
With a bite to his wrist, he held it close to the female. “You must take my blood of your own free will.”
With that, she took both of her frail hands and pulled him to her mouth. Only one swallow was all she needed to connect them, and as soon as the blood hit her system, her eyes flashed a golden yellow, telling Maverick it was time for the female to shift.
The granddaughter moved closer and looked over her shoulder as Maverick and his healer respectfully left the room. Before he closed the door, he gave Sora some directions. “The backyard leads to a forest. You will see the trails, and each one will lead you back to the pride. Stay out as long as you both need, and after everything is settled, I would like to talk to you in private. Ask anyone of the pride directions to my office and they will assist you. Take care of your grandmother.”
“Thank you, alpha,” was the beautiful blonde’s reply before her grandmother began to shift.
Maverick and Cohen pulled the door closed to give them privacy and respect, leaving it cracked open just enough for the animal to paw at it to exit. The moment the two female cougars, one young and vibrant
and the other older and gray around its mouth, came out of the room, the two males backed themselves against the wall to keep from touching them.
“I scented you when the younger female came in,” Cohen, his oldest friend, announced once they were taking the stairs back down to the main level. “Your cougar has already chosen her.”
Maverick stared down the empty hallway, picturing the female in several different scenarios, but his cougar always pushed itself to the forefront of his mind, thinking of her being round with his young. With a hard shiver, Maverick’s eyes cleared and he turned toward his healer.
“We have too much on our plates right now for my cougar to be infatuated with a female alpha.”
“And about that,” Cohen heaved in a deep breath, “the younger female carries the alpha gene. I can feel it, Maverick. So, what are you going to do about that little bit of information?”
“Leave it alone?” Maverick shrugged. “I have a business to run, and I don’t have time for any type of relationship other than being an alpha to my pride and the owner of Quinn Construction Supply.”
“If you say so,” Cohen chuckled and slapped him on the back. “Let’s get the females to show our newest members to their rooms when they return, and you need to make sure you talk to Sora. She just ran off on her own without your blood. I sure hope she knows her abilities as an alpha, because if she has no idea about her alpha gene, things are going to get really interesting very fast, Maverick.”
Chapter Three
Sora followed her grandmother for only fifteen minutes before the elderly cougar dropped from exhaustion. The cougar that lived inside Sora knew that Gran’s time was coming close to its end. Seventy was really old for a cougar, and they both knew it. In fact, as she closed her cougar eyes and used her supernatural hearing, she knew there were Guardians in the forest around them...watching, waiting for any sign the two of them would need aide.
Sora’s beast nudged Gran’s animal form, urging it to get back to the alpha’s home. When she sighed and rolled to her feet, Gran’s cougar looked even more exhausted. Her once vibrant black color around her snout was now washed with gray. Her legs had grown weaker, smaller, and that scared Sora. She’d already lost everyone she had ever loved, and Gran was the only one left. She couldn’t lose her now. Not after the pain she’d suffered and endured at the hands of her father. Her grandmother was her only saving grace during her younger years.
Although they couldn’t communicate in their cougar form with anyone other than their alpha, Sora knew Gran wanted to return to her new room at the pride house…well, mansion. That three-story expanse of a home actually housed several of the pride, but she’d noticed a few smaller homes on the property, and was curious as to who lived there. She wondered if she could live or even build her and Gran a little cottage of their own.
As they approached the alpha’s home, two males, whom she assumed were Guardians, were waiting patiently as they returned. Someone had set Gran some clothes at the opening to the wooded trail they’d taken during her shift. The Guardians in the woods disappeared, and Sora noticed two of them come out on another trail further down, keeping their heads turned out of respect.
Sora decided to wait on her shift back to her human self. A nice woman opened the back door for her Gran, and she followed carefully behind. The woman welcomed them to the family and shut the door when they cleared the threshold.
Back in the bedroom where her Gran had taken the alpha’s blood, Sora was quiet while she shifted to her human form and dressed, but her grandmother wasn’t. Her eyes narrowed, crinkling at the corners.
“You need to tell him that you don’t need his blood, because I assure you, he will be here shortly to do the same thing for you that he did for me,” she warned.
“I’ll take his blood, because I don’t want to be an alpha, Gran,” Sora reminded her.
“If you’d given me your blood, we wouldn’t have had to move,” Gran huffed. “Washington was our home. Even though I am sad that we left, I’m glad we found a pride to take us in. I had hoped you’d come into your power somehow.”
“Being an alpha is hard work, and I don’t think I’m cut out for that. I’m not your typical leader, and you and I both know that.”
“Your asshole of a father drilled that into your head when you were just a cub,” Gran cursed, making Sora’s cheeks burn red from embarrassment. Gran never used bad words.
“I wasn’t tough enough then, and I’m not educated enough now,” she reminded her. “I’m not alpha material, Gran.”
“What?” Gran gasped and narrowed her eyes even more. “You’re tough, Sora. Everyone knows that. I can see it in your eyes, and I’ve known that since the day you were born. You are a leader. We could’ve stayed in Washington and made our own pride…”
“I didn’t want that,” she fumed, cutting off her only remaining blood-related family. “Just because father did it doesn’t mean I want that for myself.”
“You’re still young and have your whole life ahead of you,” Gran noted as she smirked. “Give it time, dear.”
“I’ve had enough time to think about it, Gran.” She paused, steeling herself against the onslaught of memories and pain. “Please don’t bring it up again. That time in my life is over.”
“But you haven’t healed,” Gran addressed. Sora saw the tears building in her grandmother’s eyes, and she wanted to hug her and tell her to not worry, but as always, Gran steeled herself, fighting back tears.
The knock on the door halted anything else they were going to discuss, and when Sora opened the door, the tall, dark-haired alpha was standing there looking like every woman’s wet dream. She raised her head in the air and caught both of their mating scents. It was obvious to everyone that they were mates, but did she really want to go that route? After losing her entire family? Even knowing she could be an alpha?
“The Guardians will get you settled,” Maverick grunted. His eyes were on fire, switching between blue and gold. His cougar was near, and Sora had to ignore the feeling of need she felt when seeing the alpha. “Sora, I will be back in fifteen minutes to discuss your request to join us. I understand things are different for you, but I will need answers when we have our meeting. For now, you should rest.”
She really couldn’t answer his questions about her status. If anyone had trust issues, it was her. The last man she loved, or thought she did, was her father, and he treated her like shit. Why would any other man be different? Especially, an alpha? Her trust issues were her own, and she knew that. If it wasn’t for Maverick Quinn being so welcoming over the phone, she would’ve had to make the ultimate decision. Being an alpha at twenty-five was unheard of, but she would’ve done it for her Gran to keep her alive.
“Mrs. Hudson and Ms. Weston,” a dark-haired Guardian greeted as they stood at the threshold to the bedroom. One of them had helped the alpha lead Gran into the house. “My name is Houston Vale, and this is Levi Raines. We are his highest seniority Guardians, and we want to personally welcome you to the pride. If you need anything, or have concerns, we are more than ready to assist you. Our alpha asked that we give you a key to this room, Mrs. Hudson,” Houston offered as he set a key on the dresser by the door. “And Ms. Weston, if you’ll come with us, we will open your room while the females are preparing dinner.”
“Thank you so very much.” Gran was being humble, but even Sora knew that a pride would go all out when a new member joined them. They’d done the same thing at their old one.
And she needed to quit thinking about the days she and Gran spent trying to do everything they could to stop the shifter infection that ran rampant through their pride only a week after one of the worst days of Sora’s existence. Fortunately, neither she nor her Gran had contracted it.
“We thank you for your hospitality,” Sora butted in when her Gran started to ask to help. She knew it was well past time they had a healthy meal, because they’d lived off of fast food and whatever they could find at a gas stations along the
way. “What time should we be down for dinner?”
“The females said half past five,” Levi announced, looking at his watch. “You have just under two hours if you’d like to rest until then.”
Gran held the back of her hand against her mouth as she yawned. “I could use a little cat nap.”
“Then let’s take Sora to her room,” Houston, the larger of the two with long, dark hair, suggested, and waited for Levi to pull another key out of his pocket. He opened the door across the hallway from her grandmother.
“The alpha wanted to keep you two close together, but still allow you your own privacy,” he admitted. “If you’d like another room, we have five available you can choose from in this wing of the house.”
“No, no.” Sora shook her head. “This is perfect. Thank you, and be sure to tell the alpha I appreciate all he’s done.”
“You can tell him yourself,” Levi deadpanned after his eyes shifted from icy blue to a golden hue. “He will be back in ten minutes.” He paused to look at his watch. Obviously, Maverick was punctual. “And he would like to speak to you privately.”
Damn it. You couldn’t speak to anyone in your pride while in your shifted form, but you could call out for your alpha in a time of need…but you’d need his blood for that. And any part of your body could shift to send a message to the alpha. Just as Levi had done with his eyes. Sora saw it. She saw his minor shift to call out to Maverick to let him know…something. Maybe it was to inform him that Sora and her Gran had settled into their rooms. The only thing left to do was for Sora to take the alpha’s blood and become part of the pride.
The major problem she was having…Sora had alpha blood, and while her grandmother on her mother’s side did not, there was no reason for Sora to take Maverick’s blood. She wasn’t weak, and didn’t need him.