One Princess One Pack One Villain

by Brenda Westfall

  Then the others all come over and greet me. Not that I am glad to see them. Not that I have a choice. Then I notice they didn’t come alone. Father is the last one to come up to me. When he bites my hip, I turn on him. But before I attack him I stop myself.

  He looks me in the eye. He tries to get me to submit to him. In other words, cower down. I stand up to him for a few minutes, then I lower my head. He is the Pack Master not just my father and he has power over all of us.

  Once I have lowered my head, he rubs his head along my side then licks my face. He wants me to understand he is just protecting me. I do, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.

  After a bit, we start for home. I don’t run this time I walk. I feel angry and hurt and defeated. Rufus one of the single males in our pack who wants me to be his mate walks beside me. Then Kyle another single male pushes up to my other side. I hear growls coming from Rufus and Duncan another single male. I don’t pay them any attention. Rufus bumps into my shoulder to get my attention, then I see him smile.

  Duncan nips my neck to get my attention. Then Kyle is biting at my tail. I don’t want any of them or their attention. I finally have had enough of them. I turn on them and start snapping my teeth at them. They are used to me. It doesn’t faze them much.

  Rufus snaps back at me playfully. Kyle licks my face. Duncan pulls the fur on my neck. I hate them sometimes. I know they are trying everything to get my mind off the day I had. It still doesn’t help. Then I hear it, a howl. It is a long ways off, but I hear him.

  The pack is surrounding me growling like crazy. I look around, but I can’t see another wolf. I don’t smell him either. He must be down wind or a really long ways off.

  My father forces me toward the house at a faster pace now. The pack will go in search of the wolf who howled. Zeke and Amos follow father and me.

  Back at the house I grab my clothes and walk behind a bush and shift. I dress as quickly as I can. I know father is waiting. “Cara you go inside and stay put. Zeke you, and Amos stay with her. I am going back to see what the others found. It just might mean we have a fight on our hands. They might need all the help they can get.”

  He is gone before I can say one word. Zeke and Amos go up to my room with me. They sit beside me. I lay on my bed. I am so tired I fall asleep. Stress will do that to you.

  When I wake up my room is empty. I take it they either caught the wolf or didn’t find him. I go downstairs to see where everyone is. I find the living room full of wolves. Not just my brothers, but nearly the entire pack. When I walk in Rufus comes to me.

  “Hey, how are you doing?”

  “I’m all right. Did you all find the wolf?”

  “No, he was gone before we got there. It appeared to only be one. Probably a scout for his pack. I am afraid he was able to pick up your scent, though. You know what that means?”

  “Yes, I know, don’t step outside the house till father tells me I can. I hate this.”

  “It would be over if you would just take me as your mate. You know I wouldn’t let any wolf near you.”

  I just look at him and walk away from him. I know all too well what each one of them thinks. It is no secret that they all want me to choose them.

  I head for the kitchen. I will start cooking. At least cooking for them keeps my mind off things for a few minutes. As I am standing at the kitchen sink working on cleaning some potatoes I see him again. I see him at the mall and how he stared at me. I see his smile. I get that feeling in my stomach like I am going to die if I don’t go to him. It’s really an odd feeling. I have never wanted to be close to another wolf so much in my life.

  I wonder who he was and where he was from. I wonder will I ever see him again. Will I ever get to talk to him? Will he want to talk to me? I wonder so many things that I am so lost in thought, I don’t know when the room has filled up behind me.

  I hear throats clearing behind me. Then I turn to see my father staring at me like he wants to hurt me. It scares me to see that look. I don’t even know what I have done.

  “Cara is there something you want to tell me?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Your scent is strong. Strong with the scent of need. The scent that says you have chosen. Who are you thinking about?”

  I look at the floor. I can’t tell him I was thinking about the wolf at the mall. Damn my scent, it gives things away when I don’t want it to. He walks across the floor and stops in front of me. He reaches down and puts his fingers under my chin. He lifts my head so he can see my eyes.

  “My daughter, have you something you want to talk to me about? Is there one who has caught your attention after all this time?”

  I can’t speak my voice has frozen up. I look at him and tears roll down my cheeks. He isn’t sure what to make of it. He looks at me twisting his head one way then another. I can feel the others watching and waiting to see what I have to say. I just can’t tell anyone who or what I was thinking.

  “Cara, my one and only daughter, our Princess, please tell me who has your attention. It is important.”

  “No, I don’t want to talk about it. I can’t.”

  “Alright, when you are ready you will come to me. I hope it is soon. You know sooner or later you will have to decide, and we will have to talk about it.”

  “I know.” He leaves the room, but the others don’t. I wish they would. I see Rufus smiling at me hoping it is him I have been thinking of. Then Kyle is staring at me as if he wonders if it was him I was thinking about. They could read my thoughts if I hadn’t been blocking them.

  Duncan steps over to where I am standing. He looks at me with concern. He doesn’t think it was one of them, I was thinking of. He is pretty sure it wasn’t. But could it have been one of the others in our pack?

  “Princess, do you need help with dinner?”

  “No thanks, Duncan. I can get it. You all go, I will call you when it is ready. I am going to make stew.”

  The room starts to clear out. Zeke is the last one in the room. He waits till everyone is gone, then comes over to me. He hugs me then turns me to look at him. He whispers so the others won’t hear. “It was the wolf at the mall, wasn’t it?” I shake my head yes. He probably felt it the minute I saw the wolf at the mall. He is so connected to me. He hugs me tight. “You know you can’t see him again. You know he isn’t one of our pack. Baby girl, it’s so dangerous for you to even wonder about him.”

  “But I don’t mean to. Zeke when he saw me in the mall, and I saw him something weird happened. I felt like I wanted to get closer to him. Why would I feel that way?”

  He pulls me out the back door, so we are not overheard. He pulls me out a ways to make sure no one is listening. Wolf hearing is hard to hide from. “Cara do you think he is your mate?”

  “I don’t know what I think. It’s just that I got this really strong feeling like I had to go to him. Zeke, what is happening to me?”

  “I hope I am wrong, but it sounds to me like he might be your true mate. Your soul mate. Oh baby, I hope I am wrong. If father finds out about this, he will have us hunt him down and kill him. Cara, I don’t know what to tell you. I am so sorry this is happening to you.”

  “I didn’t ask for him to show up you know.”

  “Baby girl, I know that. It isn’t your fault. Don’t worry about it for now. You will probably never see him again. Anyway, there is nothing you can do about it. Just try not to think about him when you are close to anyone else. The pack knew something was up the minute your mood switched. When you were in the living room you seemed like yourself. When you were alone in the kitchen it was like you hit me in the gut.”

  “I know you can tell when I think things or feel things, but I didn’t know the pack could feel it as strong as you.”

  “They don’t feel it the same as I do. You were projecting your scent pretty strong. It was unmistakable.”

  “How do I control what I am feeling? How do I forget him? The way he looked at me, the way he smelled to me. Damn
it, Zeke, what am I going to do? I feel sick like my stomach is on fire?”

  “That is not good. I don’t know what to tell you or how to help you. None of us have ever found our soul mate. Not even father.”

  “Mother wasn’t his true soul mate?”

  “Nope. It only happens one in a thousand times that a werewolf finds his or her true soul mate. I wouldn’t even begin to know how it felt. Look, if I can help you in any way I will. You know that right?”

  “I know. I can count on you for anything. I don’t know what I would do without you, Zeke. I guess being twins makes a lot of difference because the thing we have is so much stronger than with the rest of you.”

  He holds me in his arms for a minute. He rubs his face against my cheek. I love my brothers all of them. But Zeke and I, we are so much more than just brother and sister. We know what the other one is feeling and thinking and would do anything to help each other. Oh, I know my other brothers would help me if I was in danger, but it’s not the same thing. Zeke would do whatever I wanted or needed even if it goes against pack rules.

  I have my eyes closed and hug Zeke with all my heart. Yet I can feel eyes on us. I mumble to him that we are being watched and he straightens up.

  “Yes, I know. I don’t care. I knew you needed me. Do you want help with dinner? I could cut up the potatoes if you want.”

  “Sure.” We walk back inside and my father and Marcus stare at us, then all eyes are on me.

  “What?”

  “You tell me?”

  “There is nothing to tell. Now if we are going to have dinner tonight, you all better get out of here so I can get cooking.”

  They stare a minute longer than walk out. Zeke picked up a knife and started chopping at the potatoes. Together we make one heck of a stew. The pack doesn’t always eat together, but since I am under close watch they are sticking around the house like glue.

  I fix two great big pots full of deer meat stew. Then set out bowls for everyone. They each have to fill their own bowls. We all sit in the dining room and eat. It is so quiet you could hear a wolf howl a hundred miles away. It is nerve racking.

  After dinner, I start cleaning the kitchen. Rufus starts helping me without asking if I want his help. I don’t mind so much I guess. I just feel like he is pressuring me to choose him as a mate. It isn’t long till we have more help than I can use. Duncan and Kyle have shown up to help me. Zeke is standing in the doorway to the kitchen watching.

  He can feel how tense I am. We get the kitchen cleaned up in no time. Then I start for my room. Kyle grabs my hand. “Why don’t we take a walk.”

  “Why.”

  “Why not. Come on, just walk with me.”

  “Oh, all right. If I said no, you would just keep on.”

  “You’re probably right. You look upset is everything all, right?”

  “Not really, but no one seems to leave me alone.”

  “Cara, I am concerned about you. Honey, you know I love you, why don’t you take me as your mate? What is it about me that you don’t like, maybe I can change it?”

  “It isn’t that I don’t like you. Kyle, it’s just that I don’t love you that way. I mean, I love you as a pack member, but not as a lover. Not as someone I want to spend my life with. I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t ever be sorry for telling me how you really feel. You do know that once we were mated your feeling would change, don’t you?”

  “So, I have been told. But I want… I want to be head over heels in love before I take a mate. I want to know that I will love my mate for all of my life. That I will be able to give him my heart and mean it. Don’t you want your mate to love you?”

  “I think you already do you just don’t want to admit it to yourself. Cara, Princess, if you would only let me in you would see that we have something special.” He has come to an abrupt stop. He pulls me in his arms and tries to kiss me. I pull away from him. I don’t want him to kiss me. Then out of nowhere he is attacked. Duncan had been watching us.

  I stand out of the way watching. I howl for the pack to come. They come running out of the house. But they don’t break up the fight. Father stands beside me watching them.

  “You see how bad they want to be your mate. They are willing to kill for you. Even if it means killing one of our own. Cara my daughter this isn’t going to stop till you chose a mate. Do you really want them killing each other?”

  “No, but I don’t love them.” I nearly stomp my foot. Why can’t they understand how I feel?

  “What does that have to do with anything? Princess, you know how things work with wolves. Once you have mated with one of them you will love him. He will love you for the rest of your life. Baby girl, you are going to have to choose and choose soon or I will have to choose for you. This can’t keep going on. Our pack isn’t big enough to lose our young males.”

  I turn and run away. I run for the creek. It isn’t too far from the house, but at least I am not standing there watching them fight over me. I cry. I cry for a long time. I know the pack is watching. I even think I can feel Kyle and Duncan watching me. I don’t turn to look. I have my knees up and my head down on them. I hide my face like that helps.

  I know father is there and watching me too. I fear he will choose a mate for me soon, so he doesn’t have to keep watching me carry on so. He doesn’t like to see me cry. He also doesn’t want the pack killing each other.

  It is Zeke, who steps up to my side. He kneels beside me. I feel his arm go around me. I don’t move. I know he wants to make it all better, but he can’t. No one can. I can’t help how I feel. I can’t help wondering what it would be like to find true love.

  I wish I could take her pain away. My twin is hurting inside and bad. I watch her being tormented every day because everyone wants her to choose a mate. She has already said she doesn’t love any of our single males. Father would never hear of her taking a mate from outside of our pack. I fear she will do something stupid at this rate. I can feel her pain and it is intense.

  Chapter 3

  The next two weeks went by relatively fast. It was time for school to start. I had been fighting with father off and on about me going back to my public school. He finally gave in only because my brothers were still in school as well as some of the rest of the pack.

  I had heard from my friends a few days after the mall incident. They had each called to check on me. I had been so worried they wouldn’t want to be my friend anymore.

  I got up and got ready to start the first day of school with a smile on my face. I was so glad to finally be getting out of the house.

  My smile was quickly wiped away when I went downstairs. My father was waiting for me. I knew from his facial expression I was in for it. “Princess, you know how against this I am. I also know you’re so damn determined to go I can’t stop it. However, I can take precautions. Your brothers will be staying right by your side this year. They won’t be joining any sports or anything outside of watching you. Till you have a mate, I am not letting you out of our sight. The pack will be watching over you as well. They will take turns watching the school. If you have any trouble or concerns, you can be assured someone is going to come get you. Now I have gone over and over everything with the pack and they have their orders. You, my daughter, have yours. You will not duck out of sight of your brothers. You will not be going out with your friends after school. You will ride with the pack going to and from school. You will be on your most alert stance at all time.”

  He smiled at me as if that would make me feel better about them being by my side all the time. “We know that there is a wolf hanging around somewhere. We just don’t know where he is. He has crossed our territory a few times, but always when we are nowhere around. He seems to stay ahead of us. That doesn’t mean he will show up at school. However, if he does, you be ready to move out of the way, because the pack will kill him. It is an order they cannot refuse.”

  “But father what has he done? Why kill him? Maybe he is looking for a pack to call h
ome. Maybe he was just passing through. Maybe he doesn’t know about me or care about me. Who knows what he is thinking.”

  “I know what he is thinking. I know he hasn’t left the area. I know he won’t stop till he has you. You know it too. Now if you aren’t careful I will chain you up and keep you here. You stop arguing with me and pay attention to what I tell you. Understand me?”

  “Yes, sir.” I start for the door again. He grabs hold of me then hugs me. He is worried I can feel it. I can feel the fear rolling off him. “I’m going to be all right. Father the pack will be right there with me. Stop worrying.”

  “I can’t help it you are my little wolf. My one and only little she wolf. My daughter, you mean so much to me and to our pack. You don’t know just how much you mean to me.”

  “I do too. Father your just scared that I am growing up. And I am. I have to, it’s only natural. But you have to step back and let me. You can’t stop me from growing up you know.”

  “I know. It doesn’t make it any easier. Go now before I can’t stop myself from chaining you up.”

  I run for the door. I don’t want to be chained in the house. I don’t want to be forced to stay there all the time. It would be horrible. I would have him in my face all the time.

  When I get outside the pack is waiting. The ones who go to school and the ones who will be guarding the school. It is a tough crowd. None of them want me going to school this year. I walk out with my head held high. I will defy them all and go to school no matter what they say. I climb into the front seat beside Zeke. He gives my leg a little squeeze when no one is looking.

  When we got to school, my friends were all standing around Eric’s new ride. He had bought an old truck and had been working on it all summer. He said he would have it running before school started. I get out of the truck and start for my friends. I don’t get far. One of the older wolves who was sent to watch the school has hold of my arm.

  “Princess remember what your father has told you. We will be watching you. If you should need anything, just call. We will be in hearing distance.”