“Pearson,” Ophelia’s voice broke whatever weird feeling I was having, and I looked up to find Pearson watching me closely. My heartbeat wildly in my chest and my breaths came rapidly. From beside me I heard Ophelia’s huff of frustration. “Really Pearson, she’s just a girl. There was no need for all that.”
“Of course, my love,” he murmured consolingly to her. Turning back to address me his eyes held a strange look that I couldn’t place. “I’m sorry, Zee. Old habits in the presence of a strong-willed wolf. I would say that Alex has chosen his mate well in you.” I wasn’t sure what he meant but Alex tugged me into his side, pulling Pearson’s attention away from me.
“I think so,” Alex spoke evenly, as if nothing had happened, although his strong grip on my hip belied his ease. I had the feeling that this had been a test, one that had taken even him by surprise. I wondered what would have happened if I hadn’t passed it.
“Well now that you two are done posturing and scaring this poor girl, I think it’s time for us to go eat,” Ophelia gave Pearson a pointed look and then walked out the door without checking if we were following her.
We followed behind Ophelia, and I was about to ask Alex what had happened in the office when someone shouted his name. We both turned to find a young male, probably younger than Alex coming down the hall. He was almost as tall as Alex, but he was broader across the chest. The muscles in his arms came from working out, unlike Alex’s from running. He exuded a dangerous power as he strode silently towards us.
Once I got over the sheer bulk of him, I noticed that his brown hair was a little careless and that his enormous grin took over his whole face. He had a dimple in one of his cheeks and laugh lines around his brown eyes. The eyes caught my attention the most, they reminded me a lot of Wyatt. He chuckled as I looked him over and offered me a playful wink.
“So, this is the white wolf?” the man asked, looking me over for a minute. His eyebrows scrunched together as he contemplated me. “I don’t know what the big deal is. She’s awfully tiny. Kailani could take her down in a second.” I bristled immediately, and a growl rumbled in my chest, which just made the guy laugh harder.
“Kailani can take you down in a second,” Alex chuckled, and I glanced at him briefly before looking back at the oddly playful and dangerous male. He had all my instincts on edge. His eyes twinkled happily as he watched me, like it was a fun game to get under my skin.
“Only because I like when she’s on top of me,” the man shot back. He wagged his brows at me suggestively and I shrank back against Alex. Both men laughed and I wanted to smack them both in the back of the head for joking at my expense. Finally, the other man sobered long enough to hold out his hand to me. I eyed it for a moment before I slid mine into it. His grip was strong but friendly as he pumped my arm.
“Zee this is Aiden,” Alex motioned to the man. “Don’t let him bother you. He might be big, but he’s whipped by one of the smallest females I’ve ever seen so he’s nothing to be scared of.” Aiden released my hand and before I could catch the movement, he had punched Alex in the arm. Heat rushed through me and I growled fiercely at him.
He froze and eyed me again. “Hmm…” I couldn’t tell what he was thinking as he looked at me, but Alex stroked his hand down my arm and whispered nonsense into my ear that I was ignoring. My focus stayed on the danger in front of me. Finally, his posture eased and he took a small step back.
“I bet you’d be fun to watch in a fight little white wolf,” Aiden murmured. His eyes snapped up to look over my head and then he dropped his head briefly. I felt him behind me before I heard him, which scared me. I whipped around to find Pearson watching me. His eyes scrutinized me as much as Aiden’s had. I ducked my head before he had a chance to make me again.
“Fun indeed,” Pearson commented in an absentminded way, “But I’m afraid Opehlia would have your hides if you messed up her house just to find out. I suggest we all go get some fresh air. Zee, how about I show you the back deck. We have a beautiful view of the mountains.”
I jerked my head in a nod and ventured a look up at him. He was smiling at me, and it reached all the way up to his eyes. He looked genuinely pleased about something. I thought it might be me. I smiled back tentatively and when he reached out to pull my arm through his, like Alex had before, I let him.
I felt all the tension ease out of my body the closer he brought me to the outside. When we stepped out on the back deck, I took a deep breath of the cold mountain air and let out a sigh. He patted my hand in a fatherly fashion. “We can be overwhelming in big groups like this. Even more so to a new wolf who is like you,” Pearson told me.
“Like me?” I asked him, curious why I was different. There were people outside, too, but I didn’t feel as trapped. I glanced over my shoulder to be sure Alex with still with me, and he was but Aiden was with him, too. They had their heads together, talking quietly and I couldn’t catch what they were saying.
“You’re a very strong wolf for one so newly made,” Pearson spoke conversationally, but I could pick up the underlying seriousness. “You may not realize it yet, but your instincts to protect and your perception are highly developed. Not many wolves would have put themselves between Alex and Aiden. You didn’t even hesitate to protect Alex. If you were in my pack, you would become a pack protector immediately with those instincts.”
“And in Alex’s pack?” I asked him. Pearson turned to look at Alex and I followed his gaze. Alex was joking with Aiden, but he always kept me in his line of sight. I doubted that his worry was from Pearson, but I could feel enough tension in the air to know that not all the wolves around me were merely curious about me. Some felt threatened by my presence.
“I think he will try to protect you,” Pearson murmured, and I knew it was so Alex couldn’t hear him. In fact, I watched Alex cock his head, trying to catch what we were talking about. Pearson turned away from him and looked into my eyes. “Don’t let him hold you back, Zipporah. You follow those instincts. Protect him and your pack. There is nothing worse than having the ones you love threatened.”
Chapter Thirty
Alex
I couldn’t hear what my father was saying but I could read the tension in Zee’s body. I shifted my gaze around the crowd, looking for the source of her unease. My childhood pack was here in force to meet the new wolf. I knew it would be a major source of gossip and speculation that I had chosen a made wolf. I also knew that Delaney’s prejudice was tiny compared to what I might encounter with some of the older born wolves.
“Do you plan on teaching her to fight?” Aiden tried to sound casual, but I could pick up the hunger in his voice. He saw Zee as a worthy opponent, like any wolf who enjoyed a good fight would.
“No,” I spoke firmly and too loudly. Zee’s head snapped in my direction and her eyes flitted over my face and then flashed to Aiden. After a minute she turned back to my father and whatever she said to him caused him to smile.
“If you don’t teach her, she’ll just get hurt,” Aiden said, as if nothing had happened. “She’ll protect you regardless of her skills, and then what, Alex?” I shook my head quickly. I wasn’t interested in his wild theories. Zee was going to be my mate, nothing more. I wasn’t setting her up to put her life between danger and the pack on a daily basis.
“She won’t have to protect me,” I growled. “I’m the alpha, I protect myself and my pack. I protect my mate. It doesn’t work the other way.”
“Well if you believe that you’re a foolish pig,” a melodic voice spoke behind me and I turned to take in the tiny female who had snuck up silently. Her Hawaiian heritage gave her copper colored skin and highlighted brown hair that made her stand out. She was beautiful, and the envy of many of the females in the pack. Even more so after she mated Aiden when they were only 20.
“Not everyone can be a tiny anomaly, Kailani,” I pulled her in and hugged her briefly. She smiled up at me and then reached up to pull on my ear sharply. I hissed and yanked away from her fierce grip. “Ho
ly hell, Kailani, try not to rip off my ear. Your grandma’s got to quit teaching you that shit.”
She grinned but her gaze skipped over to where Zee was and I followed it. Zee stood tensed, watching our interaction. I smiled at her and she spoke quietly to my father, who just nodded. Zee made her way over to me. While my eyes darted around for anyone who might hurt her, her eyes narrowed on the wolves around me.
She immediately pressed close to me and I wrapped my arm around her. Kailani’s eyes lit up with excitement as she looked over Zee. She bounced forward and yanked Zee into a hug, made awkward by Zee’s surprise and reluctance to let me go. When Kailani backed away I could tell that Zee had softened towards her. She looked curious and the tension in her body had eased.
“I’m Kailani,” the feisty little female proclaimed. “I’ve heard so much about you from Tegan and Ophelia. All white and a protector if the rumors in the house are correct. I’d love to spar with you.” I started to say no but Zee beat me.
“I don’t think I would be much of a partner,” Zee told her, but I could feel her excitement and I knew the conversation was about to take a turn I wouldn’t like. “But I’d love to learn.” Aiden grinned triumphantly and kissed Kailani for her master skills at undermining me.
“You don’t need to learn,” I growled into Zee’s ear. She opened her mouth to protest and I could see the fight in her eyes. I changed the subject quickly, “You have a lot of people to meet still. Let’s not be rude.” I drug her away from the laughing couple and started introducing her to my former pack mates.
I kept her close to my side through the evening. She met everyone, and I could sense the mixed reactions. Most of the pack was happy for us. They offered their congratulations and talked to Zee like she was one of their own. Enough wolves were cold to her that I was full of tense anger by the time we sat down to eat. Their prejudices robbed her of her good time, and I worried they would give her a bad impression.
“Calm down,” she murmured into my ear, from her place in my lap. There were plenty of chairs, but after dealing with all the tension I needed her close, so my plate sat on the table and hers in her lap while she sat curled up on my lap. I turned and rubbed my nose along hers, making her smile happily.
“I’m calm,” I told her quietly. I was all too aware of the attention we were garnering. My father’s eyes were constantly sizing us up, as well as watching his pack’s reactions. My mother just looked thrilled about everything we did. Aiden and Kailani were keeping some distance but I wasn’t taking any chances that they would try to corner her if I wasn’t around. Layla had taken the seat beside me and had spent much of dinner time trying to capture my attention. Zee threw her withering glares if she touched me.
Now Zee curled her fingers into my hair and tugged my attention back to her. “You’re not, and I know why. Quit worrying so much,” she admonished. “They’re your family, not enemies.” She pressed a light kiss to my lips and then turned back to talk to my mother about flowers of all things.
I tried to relax. She was right. Neither of us was in any danger here. Even the people who didn’t like that she was a made wolf would do nothing. My father may be known as a loving leader, but he was also ruthless when it came to protecting the pack. That only left keeping Zee out of the clutches of those who would teach her how to fight.
******
“I’ve been doing some investigating,” my father started. “I can’t figure out how this Hunter found you. We’ve scouted that place several times and never found anything. The land has been in our family for quite some time, so maybe that somehow tipped him off.”
“He is different somehow,” I told him. “If he wants to leave a scent then it’s everywhere. When we try to track him down it completely disappears. I don’t know how he is managing it, but it worries me. Can he completely obscure his scent without magic? Tegan has been doing a lot of research, but she hasn’t found anything like that. But magic? Why would a witch help a Hunter? They are at just as much risk if they’re found out.” My father ran a hand through his hair in frustration.
“I’ve never heard of either thing before,” he finally said. “I’ll have to contact some of the family in Greece. They’re closer to the legends so they might have more answers.”
“Ask them if Hunters take in humans to help them,” I mentioned. My father gave me a questioning look. “It’s a hunch I have. Jarren seems sure of it actually. Zee’s sister is dating presumably a human. He has apparently noticed Jarren on surveillance of the girl, and he has her convinced that we are some kind of evil cult. I don’t trust him, but he smells completely human, so I don’t know what it is that I’m picking up.”
“It wouldn’t surprise me if they’re using humans,” he seemed contemplative. “We can usually sense a Hunter. A human could blend in easier. If they could convince them of our existence and that we are a threat, then they could have a virtually invisible partner. I’ll see if there has been any notice of that practice lately.”
“Now on to a different topic,” he looked at me with caution. I knew what he was going to say. I’d known since we walked in his office. Since she’d stood up to Aiden. Since we’d all shifted for a run the night before and the pack had seen her in action as a wolf. “She’s a beautiful girl, and a beautiful wolf.”
I nodded my head, “I know what she looks like Dad. That’s not what you want to talk about.” He narrowed his eyes at me, but I didn’t balk, not when it came to Zee. I fully expected this to be a fight, and if I gave any sign of weakness then I had a better chance of losing. He seemed to understand, too, because one side of his lips tipped up in a smile at my defiance.
“You’re right,” he conceded, still guarding his tone. “That’s not what I want to talk about. I just know how you’ll react. The same way I reacted to your mother always standing by my side for any fight. The same way I reacted when I knew you would be an alpha one day, and that you would leave. It’s never an easy thing to put someone we love in danger.”
“Zee isn’t in danger,” I told him plainly. “She won’t be in danger. I see no reason for this conversation.” I stood to leave, and he growled. I watched him warily and took in the color of his eyes, not yet shifted but I was pushing his patience.
“Sit,” he commanded. I considered defying him, but I would have just looked like an insolent pup and my fight would have been lost. As it was, I could feel how tenuous my argument was. I dropped into the chair. “She’ll do it anyway, Alex. You saw what she did with Aiden. What if that had been an actual danger? Her life would have been at risk because you won’t let her learn how to protect herself and others. It’s who she is, Son.”
I looked away from him, my mind racing. Maybe I could get her to stay away from fights. I could convince her to stay at the pack house. Really our only danger was the Hunter right then. No encroaching packs or dangerous wolves. Surely, she would be okay with staying away from the Hunter.
Then I thought of how she had been willing to let the Hunter get her so she wouldn’t lead him to our pack house. She hadn’t even been a wolf then and I’d had to fight with her while she was being followed. She wouldn’t hide from the danger. She’d be right there on the front lines, trying to keep us all safe.
“She’s too small,” I tried to keep the plea out of my voice when I said it.
“Size has never mattered to Kailani or her grandmother,” he replied. He was right. Kailani was one of the pack’s best protectors, and she had inherited the position from her grandmother. Both women were tiny and easily overlooked as a danger in their human forms. As wolves they were formidable opponents that few in the pack would dare to challenge.
“Let Kailani and Aiden train her,” my father’s voice was gentle, like he was trying to coax me into agreeing with him. Like this wasn’t some foregone conclusion he had already come to. “They can work with Tegan, too. It’s time you quit sheltering her. Wyatt and Ryker can’t run those borders alone, and you and Jarren can’t fight off every aggressor. P
acks need all kinds of wolves to survive, Alex. Alphas can’t do it all alone. I don’t do it alone.”
I knew I was defeated. I couldn’t keep holding back Tegan out of fear when she kept proving herself worthy of more, and if I held Zee back, I risked losing her in more ways than one. I looked up at my father and nodded, “If you can spare Kailani and Aiden I’m sure the girls will be happy to train.” I didn’t tell him that I wouldn’t be happy, but his face showed me that he knew exactly how I felt.
Chapter Thirty-One
Zee
Delilah was ignoring my calls. I hadn’t called when we first got home because it was the middle of the night, and all I could think about was crawling into bed with Alex and sleeping without worrying about all the jealous females and borderline hostile wolves I had met. No more talk of flowers and dresses and the wolfy parts of my upcoming ceremony with Ophelia.
In the morning I felt bad for not letting her know I was home. Once I knew that her early class was over that morning I started calling. The first couple calls rang until her voicemail picked up and I left her messages. Then the calls were being ignored after the first ring. Finally, when I tried to call one more time, the phone was off. I couldn’t understand. Even at her maddest Delilah would answer her phone.
“I’m going to my apartment,” I announce from my seat at the table. Alex looked up from the laptop he was working on. He’d been emailing his parents all morning, his face filled with worry and concentration. I didn’t know if it was about the training his dad suggested I needed or about the Hunter. Either way it was stressing him out and I didn’t like it.
Falling Hearts (Hearts of Wolves Book 1) Page 16
