Pact of the Pack

by Deidre Huesmann

  “Yeah, but why?”

  The hint of anxiety in her voice didn’t escape him. Aaron finally looked to her and said, “Did you not say others broke away from the pack?”

  Seritta stared ahead at the wall solemnly. “Not these guys.”

  “Who?”

  “Carly, Owen, and Maryanne.”

  Aaron mulled that information over. Then he rose. “We need to get back.”

  Neither made a noise of defiance, though they all were tired. Nathan started to walk, but Aaron stopped him by crouching down to pick him up. Nathan was heavy and built of strong, lithe muscle. But considering what he’d just gone through, Aaron wasn’t interested in having him suffer any further.

  Now that those who hurt him were dead, his rage had depleted.

  As they walked toward the front door, Aaron said, “Seritta, get the briefcase.” His mouth pulled into a thin slash. “They will not be needing it, after all.”

  She complied, clicking the locks back into place and pausing to wipe blood and bits of Audrey’s hair and skull from one of the corners.

  Outside in the van, Aaron eased Nathan into the back seat. While Seritta climbed into the front passenger side, he caught sight of the beater car stuffed full of luggage. Aaron strode toward it and popped open the trunk, pulling out a suitcase and unzipping to find it full of personal belongings.

  Excellent.

  He picked out a few cotton shirts and brought them back to the car. Some he used to make Nathan’s head comfortable, while the others he tore and made into padding that he tied down over Nathan’s left eye. The wound still bled, but the seepage began to slow.

  Gently petting his brother’s flank, Aaron murmured, “It will be a bumpy ride. You may actually be more comfortable as a human.”

  Nathan made a sound to show he’d heard. Yet he didn’t move.

  Aaron closed the sliding door before rounding the vehicle to get into the driver’s side. Within moments they backed away from the house and headed for the highway back to Reno.

  As the road transitioned from bumpy to smooth, Aaron mulled over Seritta’s reveal. Olivia had originally started with fourteen in her pack, and then she’d lost her brother. Now by Seritta’s account, she was down eight including the girl and the baby. So that left Avery, the two young boys, and Olivia herself.

  The pack wasn’t just split or fractured. Something worse had occurred.

  “Seritta,” said Aaron without taking his eyes off the road. “Where did the other three go, if not with you, and if not with Olivia?”

  She didn’t answer right away, but when she did Seritta’s voice remained solemn. “They wouldn’t tell me. Carly just said they needed another alpha, and they were done with Olivia and her cray-cray.”

  Her final word set off a twitch near Aaron’s eye. He wisely chose not to comment on it; at the moment that was just a distraction anyway. “Another alpha,” he mused darkly. The steering wheel practically creaked beneath his steeled fingers. “Holden.”

  Frowning, Seritta said, “Doesn’t seem likely. He ain’t that good, or I’d’ve gone to him.”

  A humorless smile touched Aaron’s face. “Your opinion may differ from theirs,” he said tensely.

  “Oh. YMMV.” She pronounced the letters separately, and it sounded a mouthful to Aaron. When he shot her a glance, she caught it and explained, “It means, ‘your mileage may vary.’ I see it online sometimes.”

  “I see.” Aaron pressed his foot down on the gas pedal, allowing the van to creep up well past the speed limit.

  Critically, Seritta said, “Slow down. You’ll hurt Nathan.”

  “If we do not get home soon, there is a possibility Holden may invade,” said Aaron tersely. He jerked the wheel, weaving in and out of traffic with unpracticed agitation.

  “What? That’s cray-cray,” protested Seritta. Her arms shot out to brace herself between the seat and car door. “We haven’t even seen ‘em lately. How would you know?”

  Aaron glowered ahead, his mood darkening to the likes of a raging midnight snowstorm. “Because,” he said between his teeth. “I know Holden. If he has your former packmates as backup, then he has been looking for us this entire time. Very likely waiting for me to leave so he can make a move.”

  “That’s cr—”

  “If you use that word again in my presence, I will cut it into your tongue.”

  She shut up.

  Aaron checked the rear-view mirror. Only Nathan’s short grunts as the van bumped and turned let him know the boy was still alive back there.

  “Holden is not crazy,” he finally said as they passed a sign reading: RENO: 86 MILES. “He might seem close now and then, but he is methodical and practical. I know because I taught him how to think.”

  Seritta eyed him sideways. “Huh.”

  Aaron continued as though she hadn’t spoken. “While he may hate me for it, we are very similar. If Olivia is not in charge, and your packmates sought another alpha, they found Holden. And he took them in.”

  Seritta pursed full lips. “You could be wrong.”

  “There is a chance,” admitted Aaron. “But it is not likely.”

  She shook her head. “So what do we do?”

  Aaron increased his speed a little more. “We get home,” he said around his taut jaw. “And we hope Holden has not successfully infiltrated in our absence.” Because if he did, and he had the firepower Aaron believed him to, Rachael would not be there when they returned. At the very least, she would not remain alive.

  After everything Aaron had done to find her just a couple months ago, that outcome was utterly unacceptable.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Maryanne approached him first thing in the morning. Or, Holden supposed as he blinked at his alarm clock, afternoon. How had he slept in so late?

  “I didn’t invite you in,” he muttered, lying back down.

  Sidling up to the side of the bed he occupied, Maryanne regarded him with her quiet intensity. “Owen and Carly went out on another scouting mission.” Holden couldn’t help but smirk at her subtle mocking of the words. “Your ex is out somewhere and I haven’t seen Laelia all morning. I’m bored.”

  He sighed. “Did you get the GPS trackers I asked for?”

  “Lifted and installed,” she replied. “Owen helped this morning. You can check your laptop for the software. Pretty simple stuff.”

  At least that was done. He needed to keep tabs on his pack. Holden raised an eyebrow at her. “So go help Owen and Carly.”

  With a shake of her head, Maryanne sat on the mattress beside him. “I’m more interested in you.”

  Though he’d told Lacey he was considering sleeping with her, Holden was somewhat uncomfortable with her approach. Not that he was going to let her see that, of course. He sat up and allowed the sheets to puddle in his lap, revealing the long, ghastly scars on his abdomen.

  Maryanne’s eyes traveled to them, but she kept her mouth shut.

  Evenly, Holden said, “I’m not that interesting.”

  “More interesting than the others,” replied Maryanne with utter simplicity.

  Given what little he knew about her, Holden was fairly certain that was more of a dig against the others than a compliment toward him. He thought of letting it slide—but then, he had just talked to Lacey about the pack being family. Now was as good a time as any to reinforce that mindset.

  “I don’t know what you came here looking for, but anyone who stays in this pack has to think of them as a unit,” said Holden brusquely. “I’m sorry if you got any other ideas, but that’s how it is.”

  Maryanne’s eyebrows rose. Her voice almost too low to hear, she replied, “Then why have you kept Lacey around?”

  “Lacey and I are working on her issues,” said Holden.

  “Hmm.”

  He tried not to take offense by her noncommittal answer. “Either way, my point still stands.”

  Maryanne tilted her head, observing him. Her dark hair, currently straight, tumbled past her ex
posed shoulders. It was hard for Holden not to appreciate her good looks even when he was supposed to be strict with her. That she also possessed a skill that, while potentially trouble, had proven to be something incredibly useful made her even more attractive.

  “Don’t you find it difficult to have a family when the original ranks have been broken?” she asked quietly. “Before you had it set up as a polyamorous relationship. Now it’s just... existence.”

  Holden narrowed his eyes. “Are you trying to make the argument for becoming Primary?”

  A small smile crinkled her eyes. “It’s just an observation. I don’t have any particular aspirations like that. Seems like Lacey and Laelia are duking it out anyway.”

  He hoped not, not after his chat with Lacey the other night. Though Holden could grudgingly admit Laelia was still a problem. It was almost as though she chose not to remember his constant reminder that there would never be a Primary again.

  Rather than feed into it, he said, “I don’t understand what any of that has to do with why you’re in my room without an invitation.”

  Maryanne blinked, and then nodded as though understanding why he’d just changed the subject. Perhaps she really did.

  “Like I said, I wanted to get to know you better. It has nothing to do with being Primary.”

  Holden rested his elbow on one bent knee, cradling his jaw in his hand. “So you’re propositioning me.”

  She lifted one shoulder. “I suppose, in a sense.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you’re cute,” she said without as much as a blink. “And I’m curious, and I admire the way you run your pack. It’s not the cleanest, but it’s effective. You managed to inspire curiosity and loyalty in us that Olivia and Etan never could.”

  Dryly, he said, “Imagine that.”

  She smiled faintly. “I’m not looking for anything permanent. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little lonely at night.”

  Holden wracked his brain for memories of his time at the compound. Slowly, he asked, “Didn’t you have a thing with someone back when we first met?”

  “Yes,” she acknowledged. “He was wonderful, but he made his position clear. With Olivia gone, he wanted to care for the kids.”

  “He knew you killed Olivia?”

  She shrugged. “Avery was always more worried about the children. As far as he was concerned, Olivia’s death just meant he could better watch them.”

  Avery—the older gentleman of few words. Holden vaguely recalled him, but he had never spent time with any of the children the man was purportedly so protective over. After his years with Nathan and Roxi, kids left a sour taste in his mouth. Especially lycan kids.

  Unwittingly, he thought of Aaron again. Just another way they were completely different; Aaron had a penchant for children, yet he managed to ruin them with little to no effort. He was as bad as any abusive parent Holden had ever heard of.

  Maryanne’s hand waving in front of his face startled him back to the present. She peered at him from beneath dark lashes and said, “Did I just make you jealous?”

  Holden shook his head. “No. I got sidetracked.”

  “I see.” She rose from the bed, placing a hand on her hip. The stolen necklace glittered at the top of her breastbone. “If you’re not interested, it’s fine. I just thought I’d offer.”

  But before she could walk away, Holden leaned over and grabbed her by the wrist. He yanked her back to the bed. She caught herself before landing, her dark eyes glimmering at him in a mixture of annoyance and excitement. But before Holden could lean in, she placed two fingers on his mouth and murmured, “Not on the lips. This isn’t romance. Just fun.”

  He blinked in surprise, but then offered a crooked grin. Fair enough. It was a rule he’d never tried before, but Holden was willing to accommodate.

  Since he couldn’t lead in the way he normally would, Holden was momentarily at a loss with what to do. But Maryanne solved that by pushing the blankets out of his lap. She didn’t bother removing his boxers; just reached in through the hole to trace her fingers along his semi-flaccid length. Encouraged by her boldness, Holden leaned back so she could crawl atop him, and her hand never stopped.

  He slipped his hands beneath her shirt, grinning to find gentle cotton instead of unnecessary lace complication. Quickly he unclasped the back so her bra fell within her shirt. Her breasts were now free for him to explore, and Holden took to the invitation with budding enjoyment.

  Maryanne’s expression didn’t change much until he pulled her shirt up and her body down, sucking one of her nipples into his mouth. Holden gently used his teeth and was pleased to feel her shiver.

  Unfortunately, their mutual enjoyment was short-lived.

  The bedroom door slammed open, causing them to jump apart. Maryanne quickly pulled her shirt down to cover herself; Holden had no such urge. He just stared at Laelia.

  Laelia looked back and forth between them, her blue eyes unnaturally focused. Then, without a word of warning, she jumped Maryanne.

  Holden scrambled off the bed, locked in a moment of stunned disbelief. What is she doing?

  It was very clear—Laelia was trying to hurt, if not kill, Maryanne. Yet Maryanne was more than strong enough to hold her off. She knocked the redhead back, her nose wrinkling in disgust as Laelia tumbled off the bed.

  But like wildfire, Laelia’s fury was hard to tame. She immediately gathered herself and sprung again, knocking Maryanne off the mattress and to the floor.

  The two tussled for a moment, the only other sound Maryanne’s cursing. Holden felt something snap deep within his mind, like a band that had given under too much pressure.

  He’d had enough of this nonsense.

  Holden snagged Laelia by her hair, yanking until she let go of her opponent. Immediately Maryanne scuttled backward, her face flushed with anger.

  “What the hell is wrong with you,” demanded Holden. He switched his grip from Laelia’s hair to her arms. Her expression remained contorted in jealous fury. “What are you doing in my room, anyway?”

  Laelia stared up at him, her eyes blazing. “You can’t have another Primary,” she shouted.

  “I’m not.” It was all Holden could do not to shake her, though fine tremors ran through him as he held a tenuous rein on his anger. “How many times do I have to say it?”

  “It has to be me,” shrieked Laelia. “I have to be!”

  “I’m not having another goddamn Primary, Laelia!”

  “Then who’s going to take care of the baby?”

  Holden froze. His fingernails dug into the redhead’s flesh, though she hardly seemed to notice. Laelia’s chest heaved.

  Scornfully, he said, “What baby?”

  To the side, Maryanne sucked in a sharp breath. Holden afforded her a quick glance, but if she was on his side her gaze didn’t show it. Stepping back, Maryanne raised her hands to indicate she refused to take part.

  Holden cursed inwardly.

  In softer but still emotional tones, Laelia said, “Your baby. Our baby.”

  Holden clenched his jaw. “There is no baby,” he said evenly.

  Surprisingly, Laelia wrenched free from him. She hugged herself, rubbing where his nails bit her arms. “There is,” she shot back. “I haven’t had my period since becoming a lycan.”

  They’d gone through this already. Back when Holden’s pack had been poly, each woman was supposed to be on birth control. Lacey, Sage, and Nadine had all been meticulous in their own ways. The first two had taken their own temporary measures, while Nadine had her tubes tied after the awful stint with Etan and their forced child. And the last time Holden had trouble with Laelia in bed, all had discovered she had allowed her prescription to lapse. Lacey had taken her to a local doctor to refill it.

  This was impossible.

  Holden drew in a slow breath, and then said, “No, Laelia. You got back on your birth control. Lacey made sure of it.”

  Laelia’s face turned crimson. “I’m not lying.” />
  “Lae—”

  “I’m not lying,” she cried, tears trembling in her eyes. “I did go back on, but it’s too late! I’m pregnant, Holden, and you’re the only man I’ve been with since we met. I am your Primary.”

  This was impossible. Holden shook his head and looked to Maryanne again. But this time the other woman met his stare coolly.

  In a tense murmur, Maryanne said, “I think I should give you two some time to discuss this.”

  Both enraged at her blasé attitude and tired of it all, Holden waved for her to leave. The beginnings of a headache began to swell behind his eyes and wrap around his skull.

  Once the door closed again, Holden turned to Laelia with his arms tightly folded. Through his teeth, he said, “Have you taken a test?” She nodded. “And?”

  “I keep telling you,” she said stubbornly. “I’m pregnant. I haven’t had my period and I’ve taken tons of tests.”

  “Tons, huh?” Scathing disapproval colored his voice. “Where are they, Laelia?”

  “I threw them out,” she protested.

  Holden scoffed. “You’re lying. About all of this. No way.”

  She stamped her foot indignantly. “I have no reason to lie.”

  “You have every reason!”

  “But I’m not!” To his surprise, her hands shot out and she shoved him roughly. Holden caught himself, but for the moment didn’t fight back. “I’m not lying. I didn’t think I had to save any of those tests because you trust me. You love me. You should be able to look at me and just know.”

  Holden opened his mouth to argue—but then realized she had a point. He should be able to read her. Her honesty should have shone through in her voice, in her gaze, in her body language. He ought to know her well enough by now to at least have an inkling of how her mind worked. With Sage, Nadine, and Lacey, he had been fairly adept at reading them.

  But with Laelia there was nothing. Holden just stared into her pleading face and wondered what alternate reality took place inside her head.

  Infecting her, he thought with a sinking feeling in his gut, had been the biggest mistake of his life. Bigger than becoming a lycan; than staying with abusive Aaron for an alpha or allowing Rachael to trick him—twice. Possibly even bigger than murdering Vera.