A battery-operated camp lantern perched in the middle of the table, basking the area in a pale blue glow. Vape sat in one of the chairs, his hands resting on the flat surface, his eyes closed, while a woman who was probably half his age stood behind him, kneading his shoulders.
Ben knew from being in this pack for as long as he had that these women were not forced to be here. This wasn’t a patriarchal society. The expectations of females who joined this pack were pretty much on par with the males, with the exception that, if they ended up pregnant, they were kicked out because Vape didn’t believe in letting anyone tag along who could not carry their own weight, and a baby obviously couldn’t fend for itself.
More times than he’d like to count over the last five years, Ben had snuck away to make arrangements for the poor girl who had been dumped on the side of the road with nothing but a knapsack full of clothes and a pup growing in her belly. Thankfully, he’d never been caught, and he was pretty sure each woman he’d helped was far better off than she’d been while a member of Vape’s pack.
What Ben didn’t get was the attraction. Hell, he didn’t really understand it for the guys, either. But the women, at least the ones who warmed Vape’s bed, he really didn’t understand. First, the guy wasn’t remotely monogamous. And, as Ben had witnessed, he had a weird penchant for sharing.
Second, Vape wasn’t attractive. Not that looks were what should matter, but seriously, Vape was like those rock stars from the ’80s who were ugly as shit yet had women lining up outside their tour buses, begging for five minutes of their attention.
It wasn’t even like they could claim bragging rights. “I hooked up with the alpha” meant nothing here because Vape liked to screw and also liked variety, so few women who were part of the pack for a reasonable amount of time couldn’t claim that title.
The woman providing the massage, whose name was Polly, watched Ben’s entrance without breaking her stride. Vape slowly opened his eyes and waited for Ben to approach the table before he pushed Polly’s hand away.
“Go,” he said. “Come back in ten minutes.”
Good. Vape’s horniness was playing in Ben’s favor. The less time he had to spend in the man’s company, the better.
As soon as Polly’s figure faded into the darkness, Vape leaped out of his chair with lightning speed, caged his hand around Ben’s neck, and slammed him back against the nearest wall. “You’re late.” His voice was a menacing growl, his eyes narrowed.
Ben tried to swallow, opening and closing his mouth. He couldn’t very well explain with his windpipe being cut off like this.
Finally, the alpha released him and Ben dropped to his knees, rubbing his neck and sucking in oxygen in great, gulping breaths. Son of a bitch, he never should have stopped to talk to the pretty redhead at the Wolf Inn.
“Status report,” Vape said, calmly, as if he hadn’t just damn near choked Ben to death.
Fully aware that the fury could return in a matter of seconds, Ben quickly said, “It’s an established pack. They’ve been here for several generations. Small, not much growth. Like I said in my text, no potential for new recruits. My guess is, the strong ones leave as soon as they’re of age.” It was a lie, and it was dangerous to lie to this guy, but it was necessary.
Vape returned to his chair and rested his elbows on the table, steepling his fingers. “Thanks to my recruiting efforts, this pack has more than doubled in size in the last ten years.”
Despite Ben’s efforts to thwart said growth.
“We’re getting too large to be transient like this.”
Icy fingers danced up Ben’s spine as he used the wall as leverage to help him gain his feet again.
“And I rather like the climate here.”
Vape had spent a lot of time in the Amazon rainforest before making his way into North America. Here in the Pacific Northwest, the climate was more temperate, but it still precipitated frequently and the vegetation was lush and beautiful. Ben could see how Vape would be attracted to this place.
Not good.
“Maybe it’s time to declare a home base for the empire I’m building.”
“You’ve always said staying in one place makes one vulnerable to attack.”
“True, but that’s another reason I like this location. It’s secluded. There isn’t another pack anywhere near here. And with the mountains and the ocean beyond, it’s not unlike how someone like you situates himself in a roomful of strangers.”
Ben furrowed his brows.
Vape waved at the curtains behind him. “We’d essentially have our backs against the wall, with a full view of anyone who might be stupid enough to take us on. According to you and my trackers, there’s only one way into this area without climbing over a mountain. Easy to defend.”
Not surprising Vape had noticed that particular character trait. The man saw far more than most people gave him credit for, and Ben could never let his guard down around Vape. Clearly.
“Except there’s already a pack here,” Ben pointed out.
“You just said they’re small and without young, strong members. With our numbers and strength, it should be easy enough to overthrow their alpha.”
Shit. Not this pack. Ben didn’t want that to happen to any pack, of course, but definitely not this one. His pack.
His true pack.
“There’s also a witch’s coven,” he blurted.
Vape’s hands slammed down onto the vinyl tabletop. His fingers curled, his nails digging into the soft covering while his jaw clenched and veins popped out on his forehead. The air around his body shimmered and sparked with magic, like he was fighting the urge to shift.
After a few moments, he blew out a long breath and relaxed his stance, his fingers straightening while he smoothed his hands across the now mangled top of the card table.
“They will be the first to go,” he said quietly.
Damn it. That hadn’t been the deterrent Ben had hoped for.
“Tomorrow, take Durango and Nick and go back into town. Figure out where the alpha lives. Gather as much information on his or her security as you can. I want to know how many wolves are here and what their capabilities are. I want to know how much of a fight we will encounter when we take over, how many we will be able to absorb, and how many will likely be killed.”
Shit. Ben needed to get to Elias and give him a full report.
The pack was in danger, and he had no idea how to stop the tsunami that was coming.
Chapter Two
Hannah Montgomery gave the soil around the ginger rhizome a couple more pats then groaned as she climbed to her feet. At twenty-seven, she wasn’t nearly old enough to justify making noises when she changed positions, but come on, planting herbs was some seriously physically demanding work. All that bending and crouching and kneeling—yeah, the occasional groan was well-earned.
Natalia Vasquez, her boss who also happened to be her friend, stood as well after finishing planting a row of feverfew in the next plot over, where the sun was more plentiful.
In the last seven months, Hannah had learned far more about plants than she’d ever thought possible. She’d also not expected that she’d enjoy it as much as she did. Before she’d moved to Dark Moon Falls, her only goal had been to exact revenge for her brother’s death, and, as it turned out, gardening was therapeutic.
She strode toward Natalia, careful not to step on any freshly planted seedlings. “Have I told you lately how much I appreciate you hiring me to work at your herb farm?”
Natalia chuckled. “Yesterday, I believe. And I’m glad you’re happy. I cannot tell you how grateful I am for the help. This is my first year running it, and even though I always helped my tía when it was her farm, I truly had no concept of how much work it would be getting everything started in the spring.”
With a wave of her hand, Natalia pulled the loose dirt from both her clothes and Hannah’s leggings and T-shirt. Gods, Hannah would give up chocolate to have such a talent.
There hadn�
�t been a coven anywhere near her previous pack, so Hannah’s interaction with witches had been limited until she moved here. In the last two years, she’d learned that witches and wolves lived side by side as if they were designed to be neighbors. And mates, as in Natalia’s case. She and Lyall, the owner of the Wolf Inn, were mated.
“You working here also frees me up to spend more time with Lyall at the bar,” Natalia said as they made their way up the long, winding drive to the pole barn that also served as her home office. The rest of the space was reserved for storing tubers and seeds, starting fragile plants under the grow lights, drying herbs, and any other tasks associated with preparing the magical, mostly medicinal, remedies for sale.
“That shot you guys concocted last night.” Hannah shook her head. “Let’s just say I should have stopped at two.”
Natalia laughed. “Lyall thinks I should sell my hangover remedy to Joy so she can offer it at the café. He figures we can double our profits.”
“I believe it.” Hannah could vouch for how well Natalia’s magical hangover remedy worked.
It wasn’t often that she over-imbibed, but when she did, she managed to convince herself she was a pool shark and subsequently lost a bunch of money, all while thinking distinctly impure thoughts about a certain super-hot shifter who’d groped her outside the restrooms at the Wolf Inn.
Dark hair, dark skin, dark eyes, and a whole lot of muscle. The guy had been a walking fantasy, and if she’d bumped into him an hour later than she had, she’d probably have propositioned him. Would he have said yes?
“Hey, did you notice that guy sitting in the corner at the bar last night? He was there by himself. Dark hair, kind of broody, gave off ‘leave me alone’ vibes?”
Natalia shook her head. “Nope. Don’t recall anyone who fits that description.”
The guy had seemed like he was trying to blend into the background, so not surprising. “Does that sound like anyone in the pack?”
In other words, did Hannah have a shot at running into him again?
While every pack had bad seeds, this particular one seemed to have far fewer than the pack Hannah had been born into. So even if Tall, Dark, and Hunky looked broody and had been sending off ‘leave me the hell alone’ vibes, chances were high that he was actually a good guy.
“Doesn’t sound familiar,” Natalia said. “But then again, I was gone for fifteen years, and now that I’m back, I don’t really notice the guys.”
That was because she was in a secure, happy relationship with a spectacular man. Besides being attractive, Lyall was also loyal, sincere, revered Natalia, and took care of anyone and everyone around him. Pretty much the polar opposite of the last guy Hannah dated.
The one who had introduced her brother to the rogue shifters. And had ultimately gotten him killed.
“He was probably just passing through, heading to the city,” Natalia said as she peeled off her gardening gloves and dropped them into the basket near the door of her office. “Now that spring is here, we’ll see a lot more non-locals at the bar. Lots of people—shifters, witches, humans—like to take vacations and camp in the mountains. And the Wolf Inn is the last stop before you get on the highway and head back to civilization.”
Oh well, easy come, easy go. Mr. Tall, Dark, and Sexy was officially dead to her. She didn’t trust anyone who wasn’t part of this pack. She didn’t dare.
“Okay,” Natalia said, plopping into the leather chair behind her desk, “let’s talk watering schedule. And weeding. The best part of gardening, ha-ha.”
* * *
Hannah lived in a tiny apartment located above the only wine shop in town. Unfortunately, wine alone could not sustain her, and her cupboards were nearly bare, so after work, she parked in her spot behind the building, grabbed her reusable bags from behind the seat, and headed down the street toward the grocery store on the next block over. This town was so small, she could pretty much walk everywhere, except out to the farm, of course.
Something caught her attention; the movement of an arm catching the light maybe? She wasn’t sure, but she was positive something—or someone—was in the alley she was passing.
Two years ago, when she’d lived in a big city and had been still reeling from her brother’s death, she would have fled across the street and into the nearest business, desperately afraid that the bad guys were coming for her, too.
But this was Dark Moon Falls, and bad things didn’t happen here. Not often, at any rate.
Nothing like what Hannah had gone through in her old pack.
Damnit, she was going to beat this fear. Hannah abruptly turned left and strode into the alley. Somebody, whoever it was, was definitely in human form. He scrambled deeper into the shadows but then stopped and said, “It’s you.”
She stopped too. “Do I know you?” She couldn’t see the guy, but she knew it was a male by his voice. Deep, a little rusty.
Kind of sexy.
Damn, she really needed to get back into the dating game if she was imagining that a strange person hiding out in alleys had a sexy voice.
He stepped into the middle of the dim space, and Hannah gasped. It was the guy from last night. And he hadn’t gotten any less tall, dark, or handsome.
“Did you seriously just step into an alley?” he demanded. “Alone?”
She cocked her head. “I think the real question is, what are you doing skulking in said alley?”
He glanced over her head, like he was scoping out the area. “Trying to avoid being seen. How did you notice me, anyway? I’m pretty sure half the town has walked past here today, and not a single other person so much as glanced my way, let alone decided to walk in here to find me.”
She shrugged. “I saw movement. Decided to investigate. Why are you trying to avoid being seen?”
“Are you a member of the Dark Moon pack?”
“Yes. Are you?”
“Shit. What’s your surname?”
“Montgomery. I’ve lived here for only two years. Are you from this pack, too?”
“If you’ve been here for two years, don’t you think you would have seen me around by now? This isn’t exactly a big town.”
Hannah fought the flush climbing up her cheeks. “I wasn’t very social when I first moved here. Was dealing with personal stuff. So you are from here.”
“You’re tenacious, aren’t you?”
“You’re good at avoiding answering questions, aren’t you?”
“I’ve answered a few of your questions.”
“One.” She lifted a finger. “You’ve answered a single question. And all your answer did was raise even more questions. Why are you trying to avoid being seen?”
He glanced over her head again and then reached out, wrapped his hand around her arm, and tugged her deeper into the alley. Her heartrate flew into the stratosphere as she immediately went into flight or fight mode. Specifically flight.
“Whoa,” the guy said as she struggled against his grip. “Calm down. I’m not going to hurt you. Damn, for someone who willy-nilly walks into dark alleys, you sure are freaking out.”
They were nearly to the backside of the building, and he finally let go of her arm. Hannah scrambled backward until her palms were pressed against the brick wall across from where he stood, watching her with stark curiosity on his face.
“Bad experience in my past.”
“Even more justification for staying out of dark alleys.”
She glanced toward Main Street, which was now a good hundred feet away. Her easiest escape route would be bolting to her right, to the alley that ran behind the businesses. That was where the dumpsters were kept and where employees parked their vehicles.
“Why did you drag me back here?” she asked.
“Someone was walking down the sidewalk toward us, and I didn’t want him to see us.”
“Why not?”
The guy raked his hand through his shaggy, dark hair. “I don’t want anyone to know I’m in town.”
“Why not?”
>
“Do you work for Sheriff Barnett? Because you’re a hell of an interrogator.”
“Nope. Just curious by nature.”
He didn’t have a retort for that, and silence fell between them for a few seconds. He blew out a breath and stretched out his arm. “I’m Ben.”
She hesitated then took a couple steps forward so she could shake his hand. “Hannah.”
“Hannah Montgomery. Nope, not familiar. You’ve been here two years, you said?”
She nodded. “How long have you been gone?”
He chuckled. “You’re pretty sharp.”
He didn’t answer the question. Again.
“Listen, Hannah, I have work to do. I need you to do me a favor. When you leave this alley, I need you to forget you ever saw me.”
“Seriously? That’s not suspicious at all.”
He laughed. “Another time, another place…”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“It means if I weren’t pressed for time, I’d try to talk you into having a drink with me, and then I’d try to talk you into taking me back to your place so I can try to talk you into losing your clothes and spending a little time horizontal with me.”
“Oh.” Whoa, did the temperature just increase by about a zillion degrees?
“Unfortunately, I have a seriously pressing issue to deal with, and when I’m done, I’m heading out of town again. So thank you for probably the most stimulating conversation I’ve had in years, and go on and enjoy the rest of your evening. And don’t forget to forget about me.”
Yeah, that wasn’t about to happen.
Chapter Three
He’d told her his name.
Dark Moon Falls: Volume 2 Page 50