by Elle Boon
“Hey, mom, she’s only a couple years younger than you are,” the other kid shouted.
Luckily for all of them, the door opened on the main floor, allowing the mother and her kids to escape before she could be embarrassed further, or possibly before she could release another volley of rudeness, to which Joni would have to cut her back, verbally of course. Goddess, she hated snooty bitches and really wished her wolf would come out just a little so she could smack her down with a paw. Or not. Shit, she really was as useless to a pack as a human was. Good thing she’d left the Mystic Wolves, or she’d have proven to them all just how fucked up she was, thanks to what Keith had done to her.
She’d thought being with Atlas, a bear shifter, would’ve been good for her. He was an apex predator who didn’t seem to care whether she shifted or not, and since he didn’t have a pack to judge her, Joni had been positive they were perfect for one another. If she was being honest, she’d hoped his bear would’ve scared her into changing. However, he never shifted in front of her, then he up and left. She’d felt a connection to him like she’d never had for anyone else and was sure he had felt the same. When she’d seen a golden trail linking them, one like she’d seen between the mated pairs, she’d been sure it was the same for them. Clearly she’d been wrong, again.
Like the night before, conversation stilled as she walked out of the elevator following the mother and her kids. In that moment, she wished she had the courage of her friend Taryn. She’d have raised both middle fingers and flipped them all off. Instead, she kept her eyes forward, her shoulders kinda back, and continued walking out the door without looking back. Stupid humans and their ignorance. Her ears picked up murmurs of conversations, a kid yelling excitedly that he was sure she was in his favorite movie and wished he’d gotten her autograph.
Joni opened the door to her car, snorting. If she’d been a movie star, she’d definitely have a higher end vehicle. Her backpack landed on the passenger seat before she got into the driver’s, the leather creaking as she settled into it, then she was off and back on the road, looking for a fast food place to grab a quick breakfast. No way was she going to get out and deal with more stares.
A few hours later, she saw a sign for a town called Wolf’s Run and felt a certain pull toward it, almost as if that was where she was meant to go. A glance at her gas gauge assured her she needed to stop for fuel, which in her mind was another reason for her to stop and test her senses. She was a wolf, a wolf in hiding within her body, but a wolf. Surely, a town with that name had to mean something in a karma sort of way. Not that she thought real wolves like her would be stupid enough to settle in an area with such a name. Wolves were way smarter than that, but she believed the Goddess guided them and felt a pull, even though her last one had told her Atlas was something other than just a sexy male shifter. “Enough feeling sorry for yourself, Jonigirl,” she chastised herself, taking the first exit that showed there were several gas and food options on the turn off.
Before she’d decided to take off, she’d been smart and created a new identity. Her parents, along with Joni herself, had been the tech geeks for Keith and his pack. She wasn’t sure when she’d realized she could actually surf the web mentally, using more than the average ten percent of the human brain. She’d tried to examine herself as she’d looked on, comparing what she knew about the human brain, and that of most shifters, but nothing was exactly the same. In the end, she gave up, thinking her brain was about forty to fifty percent while most shifters were on average twenty to twenty-five percent. What that meant she wasn’t one hundred percent positive, only knew she could manipulate many electronics, including fabricating documents, which was how she had a new identity that was as authentic as anyone else’s. Joni, for all intents and purposes was no longer. “Hello, my name is Vanessa,” she said, testing the name.
She’d have changed her appearance, but shifters had a hard time altering anything about themselves unless she wanted to wear a wig. If she’d have gone north, it wouldn’t have been too hard, but south with the heat, there was no way she’d have been able to wear one without constantly itching. Nope, she figured nobody would really search for her since she had—well, the reality of her situation was, nobody cared enough to miss her, to even come looking for her. Maybe Taryn and Sky, but they had mates now. After a couple weeks pass, Joni planned to hack into a phone system and give them a call. If for no other reason than to reassure them all was well.
The first gas station was packed full of cars, which meant a lot of prying eyes, so she kept driving. Two blocks down, she found a smaller station with several open pumps that she eased her little car into. Her legs protested when she stood up, clearly not happy being cramped inside a vehicle for so long. She inhaled deeply, trying to scent whether or not anything smelled wrong, but the only thing that assaulted her senses was gas and deep fried food, which instantly made her stomach growl.
After fueling up the gas tank, she went inside and paid, then looked around for a few snacks just in case she decided not to stick around. The older woman at the counter smiled sweetly, her warm brown eyes crinkling at the corners while she rang up her gas. “Hello, you’re not from around here, are ya?”
Joni shook her head but smiled back. “Nope, I was passing through, but saw the name of the town and thought it looked like a nice place to stop for a bit.”
A laugh bubbled out of the woman, making her entire body shake. “Yeah, the old...settlers who came here first had a wonderful sense of humor they say. So, where you heading?”
Joni thought it odd the familiar way she spoke, but the woman seemed friendly enough. “Not too sure, yet. I’m sort of on a journey of self-discovery.” She ducked her head, tucking her hair behind her ear, a nervous habit she’d tried to break but didn’t seem to be able to do even though Keith had nearly bitten it off more than once. She’d hidden the scars from his bites with jewelry she’d created that shifted with her until her wolf decided to stop coming out.
“Oh, those are lovely,” the woman said, her hand reaching across the counter.
Joni covered her ear, hiding the ear and the jewelry.
“Annie, you bothering the customers again?”
A giant of a man asked, coming to stand behind the woman called Annie. His thick hair was mostly grey, but his eyes were sharp, his voice deep but kind.
Joni took a step back, her eyes darting toward the door. “Thank you for the gas and the compliment. I...I’ll just be leaving,” she stammered.
“Now see what you did, Hollis. You’ve gone and scared my new friend. I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name, sweetheart?”
Joni bit her lip, not wanting to hurt the nice lady’s feelings and tell her it was because she didn’t throw it at her. “Vanessa. My name’s Vanessa,” she lied. Well, her new identification said that was her name, so technically, that was her name.
Hollis’s eyes narrowed, but he held out his hand. “Sorry if I scared you, little bit. My Annie doesn’t usually take to customers very well. You just passing through or you looking to stick around for a while?”
Joni wasn’t sure why he was asking her so many questions. Heck, the man kind of reminded her of Emerson, or a much older version of Niall. “I’m not really sure, sir.”
“Well, if you’re looking for a job, we could use a little help around here.” He nodded toward the open door behind him. “I’ll be out in the field, so I can’t be here with Annie and she can’t seem to run the computers to order supplies and the like.” He stopped and waited.
Annie raised her clasped hands to her chest, hope filling her brown eyes. Joni’s wolf may not be making her presence known by allowing her to shift, but Joni still felt her. Like now, when the two older people stood staring at her. “I’d like that very much. Do you need me to fill out some forms?”
Hollis tilted his head, making her think he appeared very wolf-like as he stared her down. A shiver wracked her frame, but she stood straighter. He inhaled deeply, then looked down at Annie who
stared back at him. If she didn’t know better, she’d swear they communicated in those few seconds before he looked back at her. “Annie will get you all set up. I got to get back to the fields and see to the boys. I’ll make sure you both get home safe tonight. Where you staying...Vanessa?”
Joni bit her lip; blood filled her mouth before she licked it away. “I’ll probably hit one of the hotels for the night, then look for something a little more permanent tomorrow or the next.”
“Why don’t you come home with me. We’ve got a small loft apartment that’s clean and available. Plus, it’s safer than anything you’ll find in three counties.”
Her wolf sat up inside Joni, warning bells going off. Why would these strangers be so nice to her? “Oh, that’s too kind.”
Hollis snorted. “It’s not kind at all. Annie’s lonely out on the farm now that I’m in the field and our boys are off, and she’s all alone, sort of. Trust me, Vanessa, you’ll be doing me a huge favor if you take the loft apartment. Hell, I should probably pay you.” He laughed as he caught a pack of gum Annie tossed at him. “Think about it, and let Annie know. If you’d rather stay at one of the hotels, you’ve got several to choose from, but I’d recommend one of the mom and pop ones as they give a weekly rate that allows you access to laundry facilities and the like. Now, give me a kiss, woman, before I leave.” Hollis tugged Annie toward him, turning so his back blocked Joni’s view of them.
She looked around the interior of the gas station, liking how clean and organized it was compared to the others she’d seen. Her wolf gave a nudge of agreement, the first she’d truly gotten from the beast in a long time. Once Hollis walked out the door, she and Annie walked into the office where the computer was set up. Every couple of minutes, the bell would ring as a customer came in, but other than that, Joni and Annie worked to order items and got acquainted with each other. When it was closing time, Joni knew she’d be following Annie out to the farm. “Thank you for the job and the place to stay,” Joni whispered. She waited as Annie locked the station up, looking around the darkness.
Annie patted her arm. “I know good when I see it, Vanessa. Come on, let’s head home. I put a roast on with potatoes and carrots before I left his morning.” Annie pulled her in for a quick hug. “I’m starving, how about you?” she asked, ignoring Joni’s discomfort.
Joni’s eyes watered at the ease the woman had with her affection. “Me too.” In more ways than one, but she kept that to herself.
Atlas let out the breath he’d been holding when his sister finally walked out the door. The anger toward her mother was written on her face. Goddess, he hated that his entire family was being flipped upside down because of this bullshit. Things would change once he was alpha.
“You ready, Shauny?”
Shauny nodded. “How about you? Are you ready for what’s coming?”
He snorted. “No, but I guess that don’t matter. Let’s do this.”
A door inside the house slammed, making his sister jump. “You don’t have to go with me,” he assured her.
His sister bumped his arm with her own. “I’d walk over hot coals for any of my brothers. Going to the alpha house, a house that’s soon to be yours? That’s a walk in the park. Let’s do this,” she said with a laugh.
His two older brothers met them by the driveway, both dressed a little nicer than before, with flannel shirts that didn’t have holes in them and jeans that were slightly less worn. Atlas raised his chin in acknowledgement, getting a similar chin raise from Atika and a middle finger from Abyle.
“Dear Goddess, save me from alpha males.” Shauny stomped to the passenger seat of Atlas’s vehicle, getting in before any of them could say a word or open her door.
“What did we do?” he asked.
Abyle shrugged, getting in behind Shauny followed by Atika. None of them looked back toward the house except Atlas, who glared toward the front window where their mother stood with her arms crossed. He gave her a two finger salute, then he too got inside. “Alright, kids, keep your fingers and toes inside the vehicle at all times. Insurance does not cover ignorance.” He pushed the button, allowed the engine to purr for a second, before pushing his foot down on the gas spinning out of the driveway like the fires of hell were chasing them, just because he could.
The three squeals and growls coming from his siblings could be the last fun things he had to look forward to for a long time, and he’d be damned if he didn’t take advantage of the times he had with them.
“I will smack the stupid right out of you, Atlas, you shithead,” Atika promised.
Atlas looked at his older brother through the rearview mirror, laughing when he caught him holding onto the oh shit handle for dear life. Minutes later, he spotted the turnoff to the alpha’s cabin and knew his good time was coming to an end. “Thanks for riding with me,” he murmured.
“Yeah, well thanks for shoving my balls up to my throat,” Abyle growled halfhearted.
“Now you can have one of the hussies kiss you and tell her she can lick your balls just by french kissing you,” Shauny laughed.
Atika snorted. “That’s so wrong on too many levels I can’t even begin to explain, sister. Nope, I just can’t. You ready, Atlas?”
Taking a deep breath, Atlas drove around the semi-circle, his eyes widening at the amount of vehicles that were there. “Why hadn’t you guys been invited?”
“Probably because mom is a bitch. I bet they didn’t think you’d come home first either.” Shauny leaned between the seats and asked her twin brothers. “Who’s limo is that?”
Atika looked at Abyle, both men shook their heads.
“Must be the female they want me to mate. Fuck, I hate this shit. Why isn’t there another white bear?” Atlas leaned his head back and closed his eyes.
Atika gripped his shoulder. “You, like our father, were born a grizzly who happens to shift into the great white bear. There’s only one in every clan, Atlas. Our father, he was fucked up before we were born. It was by the grace of the Goddess that he mated with our mother and the Goddess saw fit to create you. You’re nothing like him, so stop thinking you are. Embrace who and what you are and take your rightful place, brother.”
When his other brother placed his hand on his shoulder where Atika had squeezed, agreeing, Atlas finally began to believe. However, his bear hated the thought of mating with anyone but Joni. Before he could change his mind and sentence his entire family to death, he flung his door open. “Let’s do this,” he growled.
The entire walk to the big house, he stayed focused, not allowing his bear to sway him, until he came face-to-face with a quivering little girl.
“So good of you to finally come home, Atlas.” Matilda, the mate of the old alpha spoke in a level tone, daring him.
His head whipped to the side, breaking contact with the tiny female in front of him. Surely she wasn’t who they expected him to mate with. “I believe I was to be here at two o’clock on the dot and it is”—he looked at his watch, checking the time, even though he knew exactly what time it was down to the second “—straight up two pm.”
His attitude seemed to fluster the female clan leader for a moment. “Yes, well I’m glad to see you’re not only punctual but good at keeping your word. I see you brought guests.”
Atlas was a firm believer that you should always begin as you meant to go on. Meaning, if you allowed someone to walk all over you once, you’d best believe they’d do it all the fucking time. He wasn’t going to allow this woman, or anyone for that matter, to do that to him ever again. “I did not bring any guests. I brought my family to my home. Now, let’s get a few things straight shall we? This is the alpha home. I’m alpha as of this moment, mated or not. You are the old alpha’s mate, meaning you will have a home on the estate, but not in this home. Is that clear?” He looked around at the wide-eyed stares of those in attendance.
“Well I never...” she broke off as he held up his hand.
“I’m sure you haven’t, and that’s because
you had some pussyass fuckers as alphas. Now, we’re here because you gave your last order as the mate of the old alpha. Where is the female I’m to mate with?” he growled, hating her for what she’d done.
She straightened her spine, a small grin appeared. “I’d like to introduce you to Farren Kline of the Red River Clan and her father Adon.”
The small female from before was pushed forward by a big barrel of a man with dark red hair. Her red hair matched his, making him think that was the reason for the name of their clan. Fuck she didn’t look much older than fifteen years old. “What the fuck is the meaning of this?”
“What do you mean?” the big red haired man asked.
Atlas pointed at the quivering girl. “She’s a baby for fuckssake.”
Several clan members laughed, making the young girl sniff, which made Atlas feel like a fucking asshole. “I apologize, young Farren, but there’s no way I can mate with a child.”
Farren shook her head. “I’m not a child, sir. I’m almost seventeen winters.”
His head jerked back. Who the hell talked like that, and where the fuck were they even from? “That’s a child in my world, girl. In fact, it’s illegal in I think every damn state.” He crossed his arms over his chest, hoping the rest of his clan agreed.
The female he hated almost as much as his mother stepped forward. “We don’t abide by human rules, Atlas, you know this. Her parents and clan have agreed to the mating, and I’ve accepted the pact. It is all but done. You must do your duty to your clan.” She smirked.
Atlas narrowed his eyes, his senses picked up on the scent of fear wafting off the child who was slated to be his fucking mate. Over his dead fucking body. “I will not mate her until she has reached eighteen winters and only if I have not or if she has not found our truemates. If the Goddess sees fit to gift either of us such, then a mating set up will be put aside. This is my first law as alpha,” he said, then turned away.
“You can’t do that,” she sputtered.
Atlas spun so fast, his chest nearly bumped into Matilda. “I can and I will. You are no longer in charge. I’ll give you an hour to gather your things. As for you,” his said softly, his eyes seeking the child they wanted him to mate. “Go home to your clan. On your eighteenth birthday, return unless you’ve found your truemate, or I’ve found mine.” Goddess he was sure Joni was his. His bear was ready to rip out of him at the thought of the only female it wanted. If only he’d...no, he’d known it had been too soon to take that step with her. She’d been like an injured cub in need of care.
