“Keys?” He asks, and I sigh. I don’t want to lay this little one down, even for a second, but the truck keys are in my pocket.
I lay her on the seat between us, and fish the keys from my jeans. Once I hand them to Nate, I shift her into my lap, and caress her soft, snow white fur.
“Are you okay?” Nate asks as he drives back to the main house on pack lands.
“I don’t know,” I answer truthfully as I trail my fingers through her fur. “When I smelled her, it was like I was pulled toward her. Like an invisible rope lassoed me, and I had zero urge to break free.”
“Shit,” Nate says and grins. “Bro, it sounds like this little she-wolf may be your mate.”
“No way in hell,” I respond as I continue to stroke her soft fur. What he said makes sense, but I am far from ready to find my mate and settle down. I look down at the tiny creature in my lap, and I frown. Her scent, my need to keep her safe, my inability to keep my hands off her; they all tell me his words are true. “I’m so screwed.”
“Yeah,” he responds with a chuckle.
“Shut up,” I snarl, and the female in my lap whimpers and her tail flicks. I stroke her fur to calm her, and she instantly relaxes. Yeah, I am totally screwed.
The rest of the short trip is made in silence, as I continue to stroke her soft fur. She moved a couple of times, and whimpered once more while we were in the truck, but now that we’ve stopped moving, she’s calm.
“Want me to take her so you can get out?” Nate asks, and I snarl at him. “I’ll take that as a no.”
“Sorry,” I half-heartedly apologize as I open the door then lift the female into my arms. She’s lighter than some of the pups we have running around, and I frown as I wonder who she is and where she came from, and just how old she truly is.
“Who is that, son?” My father asks as he steps from the main house with two enforcers on his heels.
“I have no idea,” I answer as I walk toward him. “We found her in a clearing while tracking another wolf. She was unconscious and bleeding when we got to her, but the other wolf was already gone.”
“Bring her inside,” he says and turns on his heel.
I follow him up the steps and into the house I’d called home until a year ago.
“She’s young,” Matias, our pack’s lead enforcer states as he leans forward and sniffs her.
“Back off,” I tell him coldly, and his eyes snap up to meet mine. Something in my eyes must have said more than my words did, because he takes a step back and looks at my dad.
“Shit,” dad says softly, and I snap my head toward him.
“Not a word,” I growl to everyone in the room as I carry her up the stairs and into the bedroom that used to be mine.
I gently lay her on the bed, then pull my desk chair over and sit beside her. I run my fingers through her thick fur, and sigh. I know nothing about this female except her scent, but when I was in the room downstairs with the men I had always seen as my family, I felt a wave of protectiveness wash over me.
“Son,” my dad says from the open doorway.
“Not now, dad,” I reply and sigh.
“Zaire,” he says as he walks into the room and I look up. He rarely uses my name unless members of other packs are around, but when he does, I know he means business.
“Dad, I can’t answer the questions I know you have,” I tell him as I move my hand from the female’s side. When she whimpers, my attention snaps back to her, and I lay my hand on her side again. She calms at my touch, and I know her wolf is recognizing mine as it’s mate.
“When she wakes up, we will need to question her,” he tells me, and I shake my head.
“I will question her,” I tell him, and he frowns. “You and Nate can be there, but I will not allow her to be questioned by any of the other enforcers.”
“She isn’t one of us,” he says, and I snap my head toward him. “She isn’t a Manchester.”
“Neither was mom when she first came here,” I remind him, and he narrows his eyes.
“True, but your mother wasn’t found battered in the woods, either,” he counters, and I sigh.
“I know,” I respond as I stroke her fur softly. “When I caught that first whiff of her, I felt something pulling me in the direction it was coming from. Sweet red plums and molasses. That’s what she smells like to me.”
“Zaire, you know what this means,” he says. and I nod.
“I do, and I will find the answers to your questions, but I will do it on my own terms. I will not allow the enforcers to frighten her,” my last words come out as a snarl, and my fingers curl into the female’s side.
She whimpers and starts to move, so I move my hand from her side to gently stroke the top of her head in a soothing motion.
When her eyes pop open, I am taken aback by the silver orbs shinning out at me.
I shift in my chair and move my hand just as she shifts back into a human.
My breath catches in my throat and my eyes land on the most stunning creature I’ve ever seen. Her hair is nearly as white as the fur of her wolf, and her skin is pale against the dark sheets of the bed. Her human form is nearly as tiny as her wolf, and I am hit with the need to protect her.
Inhaling deeply, I lean toward her and her eyes shift from silver to deep gray in an instant. Her fear hangs heavy in the air, so I back off a little.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” I assure her in a quiet voice.
“Where am I?” She asks as she tries raising up. When she winces and grabs her head, my hand reaches out automatically and rubs her narrow shoulder gently.
A growl escapes her, and I am barely able to stop myself from chuckling. When she was unconscious, her wolf calmed at my touch, but now the creature has shifted into defense mode, and I know she’s going to be okay.
“Somewhere safe,” I tell her as I withdraw my hand.
“Where am I?” She asks again, after she’s laid back against the pillows.
“Texas,” my dad answers from where he’s standing just inside the door.
“Texas,” she repeats and closes her eyes. “Thank God.”
Chapter Three
Rebecca
I made it, we made it, I think to myself as I lay against the pillows.
But made it where? My wolf asks and I open my eyes again. I survey my surroundings before I focus on the two males in the room. I know they’re both shifters, but I have no idea what pack they belong to.
I focus on the male sitting in the chair beside me, and take in the minute details of his face. I move my eyes from his firm jaw to his chin and my wolf grins when she sees the dimple residing there. I let my gaze travel up to his lips, and my mind leaps at the thought of what his full lips would feel like on my body.
Shaking myself, I let my eyes trail up until they meet the most striking set of amber eyes I’ve ever seen.
Keeping my eyes latched on his, I try to recall everything that has happened over the past few days, but I draw a blank. I realize I don’t even know what day it is.
“What day is it?” I ask and the man standing in the doorway answers.
“September sixteenth.”
“Ten days,” I mutter almost silently, and the younger man sitting beside me raises an eyebrow.
“Since?” He asks, and I cringe. I didn’t realize I’d spoken out loud.
“Since I left home,” I answer honestly. “Where am I, exactly?”
“Montgomery, Texas,” the man in the doorway answers then takes a step into the room. From the way he holds himself, and the tone of his voice, I immediately know he’s the alpha of whatever pack I’ve landed myself in the midst of.
“Thank, God,” I breath out again and close my eyes briefly. I’ve made it. I’ve returned to the lands of my mother’s pack.
“You were intentionally coming here?” The younger man asks, and his eyebrow raises again.
“Not here, exactly,” I answer and look around the bedroom again. It looks like a teenage boy lives here, bu
t both males in front of me are definitely fully matured wolves. “But Montgomery Texas was my destination when I left home.”
“Why?” The alpha asks, and I can hear something in his voice that tells me he doesn’t trust me one little bit.
“My mother’s family was from here,” I answer, going with honesty again. I’m sure I will have to lie eventually, but what’s the point when these answers are easy ones?
“Are you a full-blooded shifter?” The one beside me asks as he rises to his feet.
“Yes. Both of my parents were shifters.” Again, I choose the truth.
“What is your name?” The alpha asks, and I know I’m going to have to lie now.
“Rebecca Grant,” I tell him without missing a beat. I’d been using that name for the past ten days, and it truly is who I am now. Rebecca Kelly died the moment I laid Kael’s ring on my desk beside a note to my father.
“Did you say Grant?” The alpha asks as he takes another step closer. His movements aren’t threatening, and for that I am thankful because I am not a fighter.
“Yes,” I respond and look between the two men. “My ancestors were the last remaining members of the Norrison pack, who resided here in Montgomery until about fifty years ago.”
“No way,” the younger man responds and looks at the alpha.
“And, from the look of horror on your faces, I am going to assume your ancestors are the ones who drove mine off this land.”
“Now wait just a damn minute,” the alpha starts, but the younger one steps between me and him. I am afraid the alpha is going to rip his head off. I am not new to pack protocol, and no one intervenes when the alpha speaks.
When nothing happens, I release the breath I didn’t know I was holding.
“I know the Grant’s attacked first,” I say and they both turn to look at me. The alpha’s eyes have turned a deep crimson, and fear lashes through me at the sight. Memories of my father flash through my head, and I scoot further into the bed and pull my knees to my chest.
I feel my wolf trying to break free, but I push her down. I cannot afford for her to come out right now. If she does, we both may die.
“I’m sorry,” I mutter to the men and look up from my knees. I stretch my legs out and try to get off the bed, but the younger man is beside me before my feet can touch the floor.
“You’re not healed yet,” he says, and I narrow my eyes at him.
“I know when I’m not wanted somewhere,” I respond and glance at the alpha. “I had hoped to find solace on these lands, or maybe a connection to my mother, but it seems my presence is opening old wounds.”
“No,” the alpha speaks, and I look up at him. His eyes have changed color and when mine connect with his, I gasp audibly. His eyes are the same shade of amber as the younger man’s.
“You’re father and son,” I state, and look between the two as my fear starts to fade. “Your eyes are the only physical resemblance though.”
“Yes,” the younger man answers and looks back at the alpha.
“And that’s the only reason he didn’t kill you when you stepped between us,” I mutter and shake from head to toe before I can stop it.
“No, that’s not the only reason,” the alpha responds, and I look at him curiously. “I would never harm a member of my pack just because they disagree with me.”
I nod, and draw my knees to my chest again. I want to believe what he says, but I have seen with my own eyes how violent an alpha can be if he is disobeyed.
“You are safe here, Rebecca,” the younger one tells me, and I nod again but press my face into my knees.
“Son,” the alpha speaks, and I look up from my knees. They speak without words for a second before the younger one nods and the alpha approaches. He stops beside the bed, and kneels down so he isn’t looming over me. “I have never harmed one of my pack members, no matter how mad I’ve been. My pack is my family, and I care for each and every one of them.”
“What are your names?” I ask as I look from one to the other. I refuse to address what he told me because I don’t completely believe him.
“Zaire and Lucas Blakeley,” the alpha answers and I nod. “Welcome to the Manchester pack.”
“I don’t think I’ll be staying,” I say before I can stop myself.
“You won’t be leaving until you’re healed,” Zaire says, and I hear a touch of the alpha timbre in his voice. The tone lets me know he is well past the age where he should have taken over for his father.
“No!” I yell and push myself off the bed. “I will not be controlled again.”
“Calm down, Rebecca,” Lucas says softly, and my wolf snarls at him. “No one is trying to control you. You were near death when Zaire and Nate found you, and my son is concerned about your wellbeing.”
His words trigger something in my head and my wolf snarls again as the memories of what happened come back to me.
“I was attacked,” I say softly and sink back to the bed. “A wolf, dark fur with streaks of white running through it. He was big, over twice my size, and smelled like death. When I first saw him, I thought it was someone my father sent to find me, but then I smelled him.”
“That’s the wolf Nate and I were tracking when we found you,” Zaire tells us.
“I was in human form when I spotted him following me,” I tell them. “I really thought he was someone my father sent to find me, and even though I was terrified of what my father would do, I knew none of his enforcers would harm me. They fear him too much for that.”
“Rebecca,” Zaire says and sits in the chair beside the bed again.
“His scent caused my wolf to emerge, and I couldn’t control her. She burst out, and he charged. I ran, but he caught me,” I recall as tears fill my eyes. “I felt a pain in my side like none I’d ever felt, and then I blacked out. I have no idea how long I was out, because the next thing I know, I’m waking up here.”
“It couldn’t have been too long,” Zaire says then reaches out and gently brushes a tear from my cheek. His soft touch shoots through me, and I feel something I’ve never felt before. “We tracked the wolf’s scent from a small cabin near the edge of pack lands, and discovered you about three miles from our borders.”
“The rogue was on our lands?” Lucas asks, apparently this is news to him.
“Yes, dad,” Zaire answers, and shakes his head then looks back at me. “The blood on your fur hadn’t dried when we reached you.”
“It feels like longer,” I say and look around the bedroom again. I’m about to ask whose room I’m in when my stomach growls loudly.
“When was the last time you ate?” Lucas asks, and I frown.
“Breakfast,” I answer then shake my head. “Yesterday.”
I look at Zaire when I hear his wolf rumble in his chest, and it sparks my curiosity.
“Then you’ll, at least, stay for lunch,” Lucas says, and smiles at me.
“Okay,” I say and look at Zaire again before focusing back on Lucas. “And thank you. After what my ancestors did to your pack, you could have easily killed me and been well within your rights.”
“For one who appears to be so young, you know much about pack ways,” Lucas says, and I nod.
“My father is an alpha,” I tell him, and he narrows his eyes. “And if I have to guess, he’s looking for me.”
“Which is why you thought the wolf stalking you was sent by him?” Lucas asks and I nod. My fear spikes again at the thought of my father finding me.
“He will never harm you again,” Zaire snaps out, and I look up at him. His eyes have shifted from their normal, beautiful amber color to a deeper, nearly dark chocolate, and I tense.
“Son,” Lucas says, and Zaire shakes his head.
“I need some air,” Zaire tells us then walks from the room.
Once he’s gone, I look at Lucas again, but he shakes his head in much the same way Zaire did.
“Let’s get you something to eat while he calms down,” he says and stands. I’m torn between t
he very odd need to make sure Zaire is alright, and the incessant rumbling of my stomach.
Finally, the need for food wins, and I slide off the bed.
I can’t help but wonder what Zaire’s problem is, but it would be a waste of time to try and figure out. I’m not planning on sticking around long enough to try solving the puzzle.
Chapter Four
Zaire
“Fuck,” I snarl and run my hands through my hair. “She can’t be more than fifteen.”
I pace the barn as I try to calm my wolf, but the thought of someone hurting her, someone who was supposed to protect her, makes him howl in rage.
Not being able to control him any longer, I roar as he bursts out. The horses around me neigh at the sound, but they’re used to our wolves, so they aren’t frightened.
Sniffing the air, I can’t smell Rebecca from here, and I’m thankful for that.
I need to get out of here, so I take off running. I run toward my small house, but when I reach the clearing around it, I don’t stop. I keep running. I run until I reach the pack land borders, and I stop. I turn and survey the expanse of land that’s rightfully mine, and inhale deeply before tilting my head back and releasing a howl that echoes off the trees surrounding me.
My howl, which is filled with the rage running through my wolf, calls to the pack, and soon the howls of those close enough to hear me, join me. Shaking out my dark, almost black fur, I recall how tiny and fragile Rebecca had felt in my arms, and my rage is replaced by something I can’t quite place.
I sit and let my mind recall the details of her human. Her light blonde hair and pale skin are a stark contrast to my darker completion. Being from Texas and working the ranch since I was old enough to walk, I’ve always loved being outside in the sun. From her pallor and demeanor, I assume she was inside a lot, but I am not sure if that was by her own choice.
I will not be controlled again, her words and the determined look on her face come back to me, and I snarl again.
Rebecca and Zaire (Manchester Pack Book 1) Page 2
