Sanctum (Blackwater Pack Book 1)

by Hannah McBride

  "Binge watch?" I echoed. It was like she was speaking a different language.

  Closing her eyes, she sniffled, pretending to wipe her eyes. "You poor, sweet child. I promise I'll make it better for you."

  A laugh burst from me, catching me by surprise. The smile that stretched my lips felt oddly natural. "Okay. Tomorrow you can make it better."

  "We should get to bed," Larkin admitted, glancing at the clock. "Remy wants us at the cabin before breakfast so you can meet everyone before you meet the rest of the school."

  I groaned again. "I'm guessing there's no way to avoid this, huh?"

  Larkin grinned at me, her eyes sparkling. "You probably won't be saying that tomorrow when you see Remy." She arched a brow. "There's a reason the females all act like bitches in heat around the alphas, especially Remy. He's definitely hot."

  Now I arched a brow. "Does someone have a thing for her alpha?"

  Blushing, Larkin looked away. "No. His beta, however, is another story."

  I smirked. "Rhodes, right?"

  "Ugh. Yes," she cried, throwing herself back and covering her face with a pillow.

  “Have you told him?”

  “No!” she said quickly, eyes huge. “Rhodes is … he’s been one of my best friends since we were little. We live next door to each other back home, but he sees me as, like, a little sister or something else that’s completely unromantic.”

  I bit my lower lip. “Are you sure he doesn’t like you back?”

  “I’m sure,” she said firmly as she looked at me with pleading eyes. "Please don't tell him."

  "Your secret's safe with me," I swore. Something warmed in my chest.

  I was a girl who was keeping someone's secret. Someone who might be a friend. It was a fascinatingly wondrous feeling.

  Larkin and I were the first ones to the Blackwater cabin the next morning. Apparently, Remy had asked her to bring me early before the others arrived so he could speak with me privately.

  My stomach clenched and churned the entire walk to the cabin, our warm breath fogging into the crisp fall air as the sun started to rise in the east. By the time we reached the cabin, my hands were shaking. I couldn't appreciate the clean A-frame of the wood cabin, the curl of smoke coming from the white stone chimney, and the open porch.

  My gaze was firmly fixed on the boy leaning against the railing post in a pair of ripped black jeans and a black t-shirt stretched across his wide chest. His head lifted as we approached, golden eyes assessing us. He ran a hand through long dark hair as we reached the steps, his forearm flexing and showing off a tattoo I couldn’t quite make out.

  "Ladies," he greeted with a smirk. His eyes fell to Larkin and he winked. "Hey Lark. How's it going?"

  "Good," she stammered, looking from me to him.

  I forced my shoulders back and head high, shoving my hands into the pockets of my own jeans to hide the trembling. It was hard not to let my past experiences with alpha teenagers color this meeting. They couldn't all be as cruel and sadistic as Cassian.

  "It's Skye, right?" he asked slowly, coming down the steps slowly. His black boots thumped hard against the wooden planks. He stopped in front of me and smiled suddenly. The smile transformed his face from brooding to boyish in seconds.

  I stepped back on instinct. He was a good five inches taller than my five-six height, and my brain was already sizing up all of the ways he could overpower me.

  His gaze flickered to Larkin for a second before coming back to me. He extended a hand. "I'm Rhodes."

  Wait - this was Rhodes? The guy Larkin liked? He wasn't the alpha. He was the beta, and, according to Larkin, the alpha's best friend.

  I realized he was still standing there with his hand out while I was processing the situation. An awkward stretch of time passed and as I was starting to recover, he dropped his hand and looked at Larkin.

  "Is she okay?" he whispered loudly, eyes dancing.

  "Yeah," Larkin said quickly, nudging my shoulder. She smiled at me encouragingly. "You're good, right?"

  I shook my head, trying to focus. "Yeah. Sorry." I attempted a weak smile at Rhodes. "I didn't sleep that great."

  He rolled his eyes and nodded. "I bet. And now you have some asshole telling you that you have to wake up at this ungodly hour and entertain the pack with stories of your life."

  "That's alpha asshole to you," a warm voice said above us, clearly amused.

  I looked up to see another guy had stepped outside onto the porch. He was dressed in jeans, brown boots, and a red flannel shirt open over a plain white tee that stretched across a wall of muscle on his chest and torso. He held a steaming mug in one hand. His warm brown eyes were the color of melted chocolate, his hair had the same shade of brown but I saw golden highlights as the sun caught it. It was shorter and styled in messy spikes, like he had been running his hands through it or just woken up. He was wider and slightly taller than Rhodes.

  My breath caught as my wolf woke up. I braced for her usually violent reaction, but instead she settled after a moment of curiosity. Almost like she was content.

  Rhodes snorted at the newcomer. "You wish, dude."

  The new guy leaned against the railing, his gaze intense on me as he studied me. "You must be Skye."

  My entire life, I had always dropped my eyes in submission out of a need to survive. My mom taught me early that holding the gaze of a pack member could quickly be viewed as a challenge, especially with an Alpha and upper pack members. A lifetime of training had me constantly averting my gaze to survive.

  But it was always an act until this moment.

  Submission for wolves wasn’t just about strength, but about respect. And something about this guy demanded respect.

  The longer he stared at me, the more I felt my wolf moving inside me. She was just as conflicted as me, torn between wanting to take in every detail of him and yield in deference. I wanted to look away, but there was something hypnotic about his gaze that I couldn't break.

  His dark eyes narrowed for a second, still locked unblinking on me. Slowly, a smile spread across his handsome face. "I'm Remy."

  9

  Remy shut the door behind us, closing us into the small office off of the kitchen. There was a large oak desk in the center of the room and a set of French doors matching the ones we had just come through against the far wall, leading outside to what looked like a deck. I didn't have time to truly appreciate the large picture window with the bench seat under it or the wall of full bookshelves behind the desk.

  I turned slowly to him, studying him as he studied me. He leaned back against the glass doors.

  "I thought we should talk before everyone got here," he started, his voice warm and calm.

  I liked the sound of it way more than I should. It was strangely soothing my frayed nerves that had been buzzing since he said he wanted to speak to me alone.

  "Okay," I replied softly, waiting for him to continue. I expected to feel more nervous about him closing us into this room away from everyone else, but the panic never welled up. Probably because I knew Larkin and Rhodes were in the other room.

  At least, that's what I told myself.

  "My dad called," he said slowly, moving around me to sit on the bench near the window. "Do you want to sit down?" He motioned to the armchair across from him.

  I crossed my arms over my chest and shook my head. "I'm good." No sense getting too comfortable. I wanted this over with.

  He nodded, not offended in the least. "Okay. Like I said, my dad called. He explained about how you left your old pack."

  My blood turned to ice in my veins, my teeth grinding together as my jaw clenched. "What did he say?"

  Remy frowned, his brow furrowed as he looked at me. "That you and your mom escaped from your last pack. You haven't had the easiest time. He asked me to look out for you."

  I shifted on my feet, suddenly embarrassed and frustrated. "I can take care of myself."

  A smile ghosted across his lips. "I'm sure you can." He stood up and
gave me a knowing look. "He told me about your former pack. About you being an omega." His eyes stayed locked on me, not moving in any direction as he studied me with startling severity.

  My hands curled into fists and I could feel every single pounding beat of my heart. I felt heat suffusing my cheeks. My breath came out in ragged pants born of fear and frustration. "Right. So that's what this is about? Me being an omega?"

  He cocked his head to one side, his expression giving nothing away as he waited for me. His eyes slid down the column of my throat, catching the pulse racing there as my anxiety spiked. He missed nothing.

  I scoffed, shaking as I took another step away from him. "Forget it. I'll leave."

  His eyes narrowed. "What-"

  I held up a hand, cutting him off. "I get it. Larkin explained how things work here. You're the alpha of the pack on campus so what you say goes. I didn't escape that pack," I spat the word, "to come here and be a whore for this pack. No fucking thank you."

  I barely caught his eyes going wide as I spun to leave. I was too busy mentally ripping myself apart.

  How stupid was I to trust these people? Was mom going through the exact same thing back in Washington? I needed to get to her now. Maybe I could get Amanda to drive me-

  "Stop!" The command came out hard and firm. I had no choice but to obey.

  I hated myself for freezing where I stood, mid-stride, hand on the doorknob. The instinct to obey an alpha - okay, this alpha - couldn't be ignored, no matter how pissed off I was.

  "Jesus Christ," he hissed softly. "That's not ... That's not what I meant at all."

  Taking a shuddering breath, I turned around and was stunned to see the complete horror on his face. He had no idea what I was talking about. Humiliation flooded me.

  Oh, God. What had I done?

  The horror etched into his strong features was quickly eclipsed by enough rage that I stepped back.

  He exhaled hard and seemed to release the anger in the same breath, his new expression softer and open.

  He held up his hands, eyes still on my face as he sensed I was about to lose it. There was a beautiful sadness in his eyes as he realized what I was talking about. "Skye, I didn't ... My dad said they forced you to be an omega without giving you a chance to find your own rank in your pack. He didn't mention anything about ..." He let out another long breath, and I had the distinct impression he was trying to control himself once more.

  I squeezed my eyes shut, wanting the floor to open and swallow me whole. "Can we just forget I said anything? I'm sorry - I shouldn't have insulted you. Shit." I scrubbed my hands over my face as I felt the hot sting of tears prick the backs of my eyes.

  "Hey," he said. I heard him move towards me and then warm hands were circling my wrists, tugging my hands down gently.

  I opened my eyes to see Remy standing in front of me. I had to tilt my head back to look into his eyes, but the kindness I saw there was more than worth it. His thumbs rubbed gentle circles on the insides of my wrists. The small act helped center me and settle my nerves.

  "It's fine," he said softly, patiently. "Nothing like that will happen here. Ever. You're safe here, Skye. I just wanted to let you know that, as far as we're concerned, you decide your place in the Blackwater pack. What you were before doesn't define you now. I thought you should know that before everyone else showed up."

  I nodded quickly. I blinked furiously but a single tear still escaped, sliding down one cheek slowly.

  His eyes followed the path of the tear, his teeth catching his lower lip between his teeth as he seemed to internally struggle with something. "Skye, if you need anything, you can come to me, okay? If you want to talk-"

  I stepped back, grateful he let me break his hold. "I don't. I just wanted to move on." No way was I going to open up to this guy about the shitshow of Long Mesa. I didn't want to look back down that road. I wanted to start living.

  His dark eyes studied me, seeing way too much for my liking. "All right. But the offer stands."

  I sniffed and wiped my cheek with the back of a trembling hand. "Thanks. But I'm good."

  "Okay," he relented. He jerked a chin towards the door. "Sounds like everyone's about here. You need a minute?"

  I shook my head quickly. "No. Let's do this."

  He moved around me and opened one of the doors, waiting for me to leave first before closing the door and following me into the open great room.

  "There you are," an annoyed redhead said from the couch. Larkin sat beside her, Rhodes next to her. More than a dozen other teenage shifters were seated on couches, chairs and on the floor around them.

  We had breezed past this room when we went to his study, but I could see now there was a lot of seating and the floorplan was open to the kitchen to allow for people to gather.

  The redhead stood and walked over to us. She peered up at me with a frown. Her eyes cut to Remy, narrowed. "What did you say to her? She looks upset."

  Remy rolled his eyes to the ceiling and sighed.

  "Nothing," I answered quickly. "He was actually really ... nice." I was surprised to know I meant it. Remy had actually been more than nice.

  "See? I was nice," he retorted, a corner of his mouth hooking up into a grin.

  The girl still didn't seem impressed. She looked at me again. "He might be ten months older, but I can kick his ass. Alpha or not, he's still my brother."

  "Brother?" I repeated, looking back and forth between them. They had the same brown eyes and full lips, but that was absolutely where the similarities ended.

  She smiled broadly at me. "I'm Katy. The better Holt."

  Remy rolled his eyes again, throwing his head back with a groan. "Are you done yet?"

  She clicked her tongue against her teeth. "Depends. Are you done making us wake up early on a freaking Sunday?"

  "Sit down, Kit-Kat," Rhodes called. He dropped his head onto Larkin's shoulder, eyes closed as he pretended to nap. I caught the blush rising in Larkin's cheeks while Rhodes seemed completely oblivious to the effect he was having.

  "The sooner Remy gets this meeting going, the sooner we can go eat," Rhodes muttered.

  With a sigh, Katy moved back to the couch and sat down. She arched a brow at Remy, prompting him to continue.

  Remy snorted and glanced around the room before frowning. "Where's Sierra? Ainsley?"

  A petite girl with elfin features tossed a mane of shiny dark hair over her shoulders. "She said she'll be here. She had a ... late night." She finished with a smirk as three girls around her giggled. The four of them were the only other females in the room.

  Rhodes opened his eyes, all teasing gone. He looked annoyed. "Want me to go find her?"

  Remy was shaking his head as the front door opened and a stunning blonde sauntered into the room. Her makeup was perfect, her clothes obviously expensive, hair curled into loose waves, and she was wearing heels.

  Unless she knew of a paved path out to the alpha house that I hadn't seen, she had just walked across campus in a pair of stilettos.

  "Nice of you to join us, Sierra," Remy said dryly, his warm eyes now cold and hard. "Are we keeping you?"

  She actually glanced at her watch for a beat and then lifted her head, a seductive smile on her glossy lips. Her blue eyes ran up and down the length of Remy, and I saw Katy glower at her.

  "I always have time for you, Rem," Sierra said sweetly. She crossed the room to the girl who commented on her late night. The girl stood and sat on the floor so Sierra could sit. She perched on the armchair and crossed her legs as she leaned back, looking every inch a queen on her throne.

  Standing next to Remy, I could hear the low growl rumble from his throat, expressing his displeasure. A muscle ticked in his clenched jaw.

  My left hand raised in his direction, as if to touch him. Like I could comfort him.

  With a sharp breath, I shoved my hands into the pockets of my jeans. I rocked back on my heels, wondering if I should sit or stand.

  "Okay, we'll keep this quick," Remy
started. Immediately he had everyone’s attention, even Sierra, I noted with an inward smirk.

  He gestured to me. "This is Skye. She and her mom just joined the Blackwater pack, and she'll be in the senior class. I trust I can count on you all to help her transition to Granite Peak smoothly. If you can help out or show her the ropes, make sure you do. Go ahead and introduce yourselves."

  The shifters went around the room, giving their names and grades. Of the twenty-three of us, eight were seniors including Remy, Rhodes, and Sierra.

  I was just praying there wouldn't be a pop quiz on everyone's names at the end of the meeting.

  After Katy finished out the name game, Remy turned to me. "Anything you wanted to add?"

  I forced a smile on my lips, knowing it looked unnatural. "Nice to meet you all."

  Remy nodded. "You can sit down, if you want."

  Larkin and Katy immediately scooted apart so I could sit between them, and I was grateful I didn't have to go sit on the floor by myself. I noticed that Larkin moved over, but made sure she wasn't touching Rhodes.

  Interesting.

  Once seated, I fixed my attention back on Remy, who looked around the room expectantly.

  "Any other pack business we need to be aware of? Any issues?" he asked, opening up the floor.

  "You mean other than the Norwood pack being dicks?" A male wolf snorted derisively, he was sitting next to a guy who looked identical to him.

  Sierra rolled her eyes and huffed. "You're so sensitive, Kyle. Grow a pair and grow up."

  Kyle and his twin glared at her with flashing eyes. "Maybe if you didn't act like a bitch in heat every time their alpha was around, you would see all the shit they start."

  Sierra leaned forward, her blue eyes practically glowing. "Maybe you-"

  "Enough!" Remy boomed and they both shut up.

  Katy leaned over to me. "The Norwood pack hates us, and the feeling is mutual. Well, hates us except for Sierra, but that's because she's been banging their alpha for the last month."

  Sierra bristled, clearly hearing Katy. "I spent most of the summer with the Norwood pack. Trace and I have been together since last year."