by Ellen Lane
“Whatever you need.” Solomon answered without hesitation. “Hunter, round up Lucas and the others. We move at sundown tomorrow.”
He should be accompanying them, but Solomon needed a moment alone - his first since the attack two days ago.
When everyone left his cabin and blessed silence reigned, however, he wanted nothing more than to make his way to Anne’s cabin - where he knew Georgia worked tirelessly to get injured members of his pack back into fighting shape.
According to Tempest and Hunter, despite being run just as ragged as Anne - who had twice her stamina - Georgia had never once complained.
Solomon caught glimpses of her when he could. Between arguing his strategy with the Elders and speaking with Titus and Duke, he had precious little time to himself. But, when he could, he would pass by Anne’s cabin to inhale the flowery scent of the human woman he knew worked within.
Through all the chaos, it was thoughts of her that kept him steady. That a human woman, who had no ties to their affairs, could work without question to save them bolstered his courage. The memory of her in his arms gave him strength, and even though he knew she could never be his, Solomon used the warmth she instilled in him shamelessly.
Georgia was the light that kept despair at bay.
He sensed her almost a minute before she knocked, and he toyed with the idea of letting her go unanswered. If he let her in, Solomon would let his guard down...she made him weak, and he couldn’t bring himself to prevent it.
Bracing himself, he crossed the room to open the screen door.
The sight of her was like a breath of fresh air.
Blonde waves hung over her shoulders, damp from a recent shower, and the heather t-shirt she wore clung to her curves. When her gray gaze met his, Solomon swallowed thickly. Christ, how could he want her at a time like this?
“Solomon...I’m sorry to disturb you, I just wanted to talk? If you have a second.”
Without a word, he stepped backward to allow her passage. Solomon managed to watch her hobble about three feet before cursing inwardly, as he gathered her and her makeshift crutch into his arms to spirit to the sofa. “How are your feet?”
His question drew a small smile from her. “Fine. Tempest has been bandaging them for me.”
“And you’re not too tired? She tells me you’ve been working nonstop.”
Georgia shrugged. “So have you.” Her gray eyes shone with determination. “You guys need all the help you can get.”
How had one little human managed to turn his world upside down? Clearing his throat, Solomon did his best to force both his salivating libido and baser emotions to the back of his mind. “You wanted to talk?”
Immediately, Georgia’s expression sobered. “Yeah.” Reaching down, she began to toy with the edge of her shirt. “I owe you an apology.”
Solomon arched a brow in surprise. “For what?”
Her face flushed a delicate shade of pink. “If I hadn’t run off the other day...if you hadn’t had to come after me...you would have been here. You could have saved them. Your people, I mean.” The blonde exhaled a shuddering breath, her shoulders tense. “You’re right. I distracted you. And then we lingered in the woods while everyone here was in trouble and I can’t even begin to-”
“Georgia.”
Solomon didn’t know what was worse - the unshed tears in her eyes or the way her voice trembled.
Once, he might have blamed her for what happened. He might have done anything to escape the pain that suffused him, knowing that his people had died on his watch. But now, he knew better. If he’d been in the settlement, he might have saved those who were taken...but he might not have. He had lingered in the woods with her and those moments were precious to him. They reminded him that he was more than just an Alpha of the Belleview pack. More than his tainted Hunter blood.
She’d given him a gift more precious than she could ever imagine. “You have nothing to apologize for.”
Of course, she tried to protest. “That’s not true, I-”
“Hush.” He rose from his armchair to join her on the couch, tugging her into his lap. Who knew how much time he had left with her? He might as well make the most of it. Reaching down, Solomon took hold of her chin, drawing her gaze upward to meet his. “You have done nothing but help since you arrived, though this is no doubt the last place you’d ever want to be.”
Immediately, she shook her head. “I’m glad I came here. I mean, sure, the getting here sucked. But I don’t regret it.” She awarded him a small smile that squeezed his heart like a vice. “I’m glad to have met you, Solomon.” Her hand raised to smooth over the stubble on his cheek.
Was this what his parents had felt?
That everything was right when they were together? No matter what horrors surrounded them, the entire world seemed to fall away at just the touch of one another’s hands? The idea was absolutely insane. Almost insane as the notion that mating bonds existed at all.
But if this was what it felt like...Solomon knew just how devastating the appeal could be.
“...I’m so fucked.” Georgia whispered the words, and Solomon growled his agreement. There was nothing he’d like more. But he forced himself to think with the head above his waist.
“What’s wrong?”
Georgia hesitated a moment before answering him. “You. You’re wrong. This is wrong. You’re Alpha of a Shifter clan and I’m just a plain old human. There is no way we could ever be together...but I can see it, Solomon. Am I insane for being able to see a world where we could?”
Her words were dangerous. No matter how he felt, Solomon knew the Elders would never agree. And if Shifters started taking humans as mates, who knew how the human world at large would react. “You’re not.” He finally murmured, lowering his mouth to hers. “Just for a while, we can live in that world, Georgia.”
His words drew a soft moan of assent from her.
And Solomon was lost.
**
Ephraim was getting impatient.
More impatient than usual, that was.
At this point, they’d been after the Belleviews in a variety of ways he thought would break them. After all, they were wolves that prided themselves on the security of peace. War should have destroyed them immediately.
But they were wholly more resilient than he had anticipated.
The few male prisoners he’d taken were killed. They were too stubborn to be brought into his fold and had attacked his guard on more than one occasion. Females were a different matter - they could be molded into satisfactory mates in order to increase numbers in the Dozier pack - that, and Ephraim liked to toy with them.
After a mere twelve hours, two of the females, one barely of breedable age, had given in. But one of them was stubborn. So much so that Ephraim had decided to spend some personal time with her.
She was skinnier than he would have liked, with a mouth that could make a sailor blush. It made breaking her all the more amusing. She took much longer than the others, but eventually, she begged. She screamed, she cried, and she wept.
It was glorious.
“Please...please…”
She probably wouldn’t survive, but for Ephraim, the fun had been taming her. “Please what, my dear?” He trailed bloodstained fingers over her shoulder - though any mark they left behind was lost in the crimson splatters that already marred pale skin.
“I’m a healer…” She mumbled through dry, cracked lips. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d given her water. “I could help you.”
“I already have a healer.” Ephraim’s mouth quirked upward in a cruel smirk as he knelt before. “And besides, I doubt your skills would be of much use now.”
Her bound form jerked as a soft sob escaped her. “I... I could help you attack the Belleview wolves. I know their secrets. I-”
He struck her with enough force to snap her head to the side, sending a spray of blood across the floor.
“Your pack is weak. Your Alpha is weak. The sooner th
ey realize it and join with me, the better off they’ll be.” The one thing that infuriated him beyond all others was how loyal Belleview wolves seemed to be. His own pack bent to his will the moment he offed his brother, but the Belleview pack took work...more work than he had anticipated.
“I know a secret!” As Ephraim lowered his claws to the woman’s jugular, she thrashed wildly in fear. “Something that can undermine the Alpha! If they knew they’d abandon him!”
Ephraim paused.
He had to admit that he was intrigued. A secret that could undermine the steadfast Solomon Belleview? He had always been annoyed with how saintly the bastard was. Raymond had admired him, but Ephraim always believed him far too uppity for his own good. He let humans on his land and tried to make nice with the public. After he was rid of Solomon, he’d start building a new reputation for Shifters.
One that put them at the top of the food chain.
But, to get to Solomon, he had to go through his pack.
Fisting his hand in the healer’s bloodstained locks, he brought her close. “Speak, woman. And we’ll see if your words have any merit.”
**
Vincent had never been more thrilled about being right.
Two packs of Shifters in the mountains, so close together - it was a powder keg just waiting to explode. Sure, he might have helped it along here and there, fomenting trouble where he could, but knowing that they’d eventually destroy one another? It was too good to be true.
He just had to make sure he wasn’t blamed for any humans caught in the crossfire.
What loss were a few human lives if it meant the annihilation of all the Shifters in Dockery?
Of course, there was one human that was an exception to that rule: his beloved Georgia.
Which put him in a bit of a pickle.
Since he found that Georgia had been picked up by shifters, Vincent had done daily reconnaissance. Of course, Shifter security had nearly tripled in the past few weeks - each pack was sure they’d be destroyed by the other, and the chaos worked to his advantage. He was able to slip in and out of Belleview territory virtually undetected.
At first, it had been almost more than he could bear to see HIS Georgia among Shifter filth. He was convinced that she’d been dragged against her will - there was no other way they could keep her there. She might not have the heart of a hunter, but Georgia was too smart to place her trust in those animals.
They were sloppy, really.
Considering they were all at one another’s throats, there was bound to be an opening, and Vincent had every intention of taking advantage of it. The moment he could get to Georgia, he would.
He only hoped he could take a few wolves out in the process.
**
Though she’d been watching them do it for days, Georgia was still astounded by how quickly shifters healed. If she wanted to, she could simply sit and watch muscle repair itself before skin slowly knit back together. More than her fair share of times, she’d had to re-break bones that healed the wrong way - something that made her cringe, but that they seemed used to.
Pain was a way of life when you were a shifter - though the unexpected arrival of Titus and Dozier had most of the pack believing their pain might have an end in sight.
Moods seemed bolstered and spirits high - at any rate, the shifters all busied themselves making preparations to remove Ephraim from power. Of course, Georgia wasn’t privy to any of these plans.
And why would she be? Certainly, she and Solomon were...well, she wasn’t sure what they were, but it didn’t make her a Shifter, and it certainly gave her no business in their inner circle.
When Tempest shooed her from Anne’s hut for the evening, however, she found herself gravitating towards Solomon’s cabin. She told herself she merely wanted to catch a glimpse of him - that he was far too busy for her to bother.
Even if the memory of what he’d done to her that morning still sent shivers down her spine. When Solomon was with her, it was like he was a different person. Certainly, he was still an overbearing, powerful Alpha male, but he was also softer - more genuine.
She would miss that when she’d left this place.
The mere thought was enough to make her stomach clench in apprehension and Georgia forced the thought to the back of her mind. That was where she kept all her thoughts about Solomon- the way his green eyes seemed to pierce the very depths of her, how selfless he was towards those he took under his wing, and, most of all, any notion she might have that they could ever be together.
Beyond her accidental visit and her useful nursing skills, what was between them would end - as it was supposed to.
Not that the knowledge made her dread their parting any less.
When she approached Solomon’s cabin, however, she was met with Duke and Titus, who were making their way down the front steps.
Though Georgia had always known that Duke was technically a Dozier, it had never occurred to her how fluid his loyalties must be. He never lingered on the mountain and preferred to spend his time among the people of Dockery. Now, however, there was no questioning where his sympathies lie.
“Georgia.” She had spoken to him two or three times around town, but this was entirely different. Seeing him here reminded her that he was just as embroiled in this conflict as any Belleview or Dozier, despite where he spent his time. “I hadn’t seen you around town recently. Nice to know you’re alright.” He held out his hand for her to shake and Georgia was reminded how huge Shifters were when his fingers completely enclosed her own. “I don’t think you’ve ever met my cousin, Titus.”
When the dark-haired Dozier shifter stepped forward, Georgia couldn’t help but take a step back. Even though he seemed well-intended, this man was part of the pack that had relentlessly attacked the Belleviews.
Though he frowned, the huge man’s response was level. “Can’t say I blame you. Ephraim’s fucked over relations between our packs. Even if we take him out, there will be a hell of a lot of rebuilding to do.”
All at once, a question welled within her - one that she had no right to ask, but when had that ever-stopped Georgia?
“Can you both tell me...honestly...what are the chances that Solomon comes back from this thing alive? That any of you do? I mean, you of all people have to know first-hand how savage Ephraim is...what he’s done.”
Titus and Duke shared a look that she couldn’t read before Duke spoke, his words careful. “Georgia...maybe this is something you should discuss with Solomon himself.”
“Don’t do that.” The blonde snapped the words before she could help herself, resisting the urge to stomp her injured foot. “Don’t treat me with kid gloves. I may be human, but I’m here. Maybe I’m an idiot, but I care about him. Someone has to tell me the truth.”
Titus chose that moment to find the canopy above them very interesting, leaving Duke to do the dirty work. That was fine by Georgia - she was going to get an answer regardless. “Georgia...whatever you feel for Solomon, you have to understand it’s-”
“Forbidden? Temporary? Idiotic? Hell, Duke you think I haven’t figured that out yet? Everyone under the sun has already told me that it’s impossible. It’s nothing I haven’t heard before.”
To her surprise, the blonde man’s mouth quirked upward in obvious amusement. “That wasn’t what I was going to say.”
“...Oh.” Georgia suddenly found herself very tongue-tied. She found that she could look everywhere but Duke’s oddly perceptive blue gaze. “Well, I... I mean…”
“Has anyone ever told you what a mating bond is, Georgia?”
Almost immediately, Titus looked to his cousin incredulously. “Duke, you have got to be fucking kidding me-”
“I’m sure you’ve learned plenty about shifters since you’ve been here - you might have heard it mentioned.” Duke cut him off succinctly, his gaze never leaving Georgia.
Of course she had. How many times had Anne thrown in her face that she’d never been privy to a mating bond because she wa
s human? “It something that happens when Shifters meet the one they’re supposed to be with, right? They’re connected or something? You guys mate for life.” Her cheeks colored slightly. “I know that, at least.”
Vincent used to tell her it was a blind, sentimental way of thinking - not that the opinion ever made him seem any more romantic.
“It’s more than just a connection.” Duke crossed massive arms over his chest. “It’s biological. Some of our kind are lucky enough to bond early, and some never find it. It’s an insane mix of chemical and psychological chemistry that literally only happens once in a lifetime. Hell, in Europe, if you don’t find the bond by a certain age, they practically shun you. Something about the animal overtaking the human or some bullshit like that.”
Georgia’s eyes widened. “There’s Shifters in Europe?”
Duke merely smiled. “That’s neither here nor there. We’re talking about the bond between you and Solomon.”
“The - what?” Georgia’s eyes threatened to evacuate their sockets. “But I’m human! One thousand percent human! I can’t bond with a Shifter! Hell, I barely know anything about them.”
Her outburst drew a chuckle from Duke. “Georgia, how long have you been on Belleview land?”
The young woman shrugged, wondering why that was important. “Almost two weeks now. Maybe a bit more.”
“And you’d never met Solomon before that?”
Georgia’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Of course not. He’s barely in town, is he?”
“Exactly.” Duke arched a brow. “Not that we’ve ever been close, Georgia, but you come across as quite the rational woman - and you’ve already been burned by Vincent.” Even his name was enough to make Georgia flinch.
“And now, after knowing him for a mere two weeks, you can barely think of anything else. You’re willing to put your own life in danger for him and his cause even though you’ve got your own reasons for living. You’re wondering how you’re going to leave him when you have to because, despite the fact that you weren’t born a shifter, you feel connected to him in a way you can’t explain.”
