by Erin M. Leaf
“Run?” Avery asked.
Mitch lifted his face to the wind and howled. “Always.”
Fletcher joined him, and then Avery added her voice to their message. Mitch knew the Pack would hear. Mitch knew the Pack would know who was Alpha, and who was Beta, and even if they denied it as humans, their wolves would know that their Queen had come into her own.
Chapter Eleven
It was late afternoon when Avery led the tour group up to the Sanctuary building and said goodbye to the students and their teacher. She smiled as she watched the cluster of children head back to their school bus, chattering excitedly. It had been two nights since her wild run with Fletcher and Mitch, and even though her problems hadn’t disappeared, she felt as though they weren’t nearly as insurmountable as before. Something about running in wolf form with her mates had sealed their bond in a way that sex hadn’t. Not that the sex wasn’t awesome, she thought, smiling to herself. She remembered falling into bed after they returned to the suite and sleeping like the dead. That had been the best rest she’d had in, like, forever.
“Avery.”
She turned, still smiling as Paige walked up to her. Sunlight fell between the trees, highlighting Paige’s pretty brown hair. The light streaks in the front really highlighted her light brown eyes. They looked almost gold in this light, and the resemblance to her brother Fletcher was remarkable. Not for the first time, Avery wondered why Paige had never had a boyfriend. Her best friend was smart, and pretty, and loyal. She deserved someone who would appreciate her. “Hey, girl.”
“Hey, Avery,” Paige said, but her voice sounded grim. She didn’t smile back. “I know you don’t want to hear this, but Brian is inside, waiting for you. Your dad is in there, too. They’re together.”
“Wait, what? Seriously?” Avery groaned. “Both of them? What the hell are they doing together? I know you told me you saw them a few weeks ago, but I thought it was a one-time thing.” She rubbed her eyes, suddenly tired. “My dad has been hanging out with Bridget, too. It’s weird. And disturbing.”
Paige grimaced. “I know, right? Like, Brian trashed your cabin. I didn’t even know he knew your father, and the Bridget thing… That woman is crazy. I know she’s Mitch’s grandmother, but she is not right in the head.” She shook her head. “I’ve had this terrible feeling of doom for a week now, and it’s driving me crazy. And now, this. I know the three of them are up to something.”
“Hey, it’s not on you if my dad and Brian are hanging out together. And Mitch knows his grandmother is a problem, so at least there’s that.” Avery frowned, worried about her friend. “You know, I think I introduced Brian to my father once. My dad was not impressed. Are you sure they’re in there together? They’re not just randomly at the Sanctuary at the same time?”
“No, they’re definitely together,” Paige said worriedly. “Your father was telling him what to do.” She gestured. “Where to stand, to be ready. That sort of thing.”
“That’s … not good. Did you call the cops?” Avery glanced at the doors and winced. She did not want to go in there. She remembered how pissed off Fletcher and Mitch had been when they’d seen her trashed cabin. This had the potential to be an even worse situation. A flutter of fear teased at her, but she pushed it down. She was the Queen Wolf of the pack. She had to be strong. Dealing with these kinds of situations was something she had to get used to.
“No. My dad told me not to, remember?” Paige reminded her. “Do you want me to call them now?” She held her phone up.
Avery pursed her lips, thinking. They’d already cleaned up most of her cabin. The police wouldn’t have anything to investigate there. I’ll just go in and see what they want. There’s no need to get ahead of ourselves, she mused. “No.” She shook her head. “Call your brother.” She pointed to Paige’s phone. “And Mitch.” She started to head for the doors, then stopped and eyed her friend. “And don’t think you’re going to get out of talking to me, Paige. I know you’ve been avoiding me this past week. I’m worried about you. I know you’ve been stressed out about something.”
Paige looked away. “I know, and it’s not you—”
“You’re pulling the old it’s not you, it’s me thing?” Avery smiled wryly. “Yeah, nope. I’m your best friend. If you can’t talk to me, who can you talk to?” Avery waited until Paige looked up again, and then she shook her finger at her like an old grandma, hoping to inspire a smile from her friend. “You’ve always been there for me. I want to be there for you.”
Paige sighed, but she also smiled a little. “I know. I know. But it’s nothing in particular. I just feel really out of sorts. Like something bad is going to happen. I’ve had these premonitions before, but never this strong. It’s weird.” She flexed her fingers. “And my hands keep prickling, like I have static under my skin. It’s eerie.”
“Well, maybe we can talk about it and figure it out,” Avery said, determined not to let her friend deal with whatever it was that was bothering her alone. “We can put out some feelers and see if anyone else has ever felt like this.” She sniffed. “You don’t smell sick, so…” She trailed off, wishing they had the archives to look through. She knew she’d heard of this particular set of symptoms before, but couldn’t put her finger on exactly what it meant.
Paige nodded. “Yeah, okay, but first you have to deal with—” She broke off and looked at the Sanctuary building.
“Yeah, yeah.” Avery made a face. She did not want to deal with Brian or her father, but she had no choice. “Call Fletcher and Mitch.” She waited until Paige tapped her phone, and then she went inside.
“Avery! It’s about time,” her father said, striding up to her.
Avery frowned. “Dad. I was working. You know that.” She accepted a hug from him, trying not to shiver when her wolf snarled a protest at his touch. Ever since she’d bonded with her mates, her wolf had become much more vocal, and she did not like her father. And maybe that’s yet more proof that he isn’t really my dad, she thought, stepping back out of his reach. He smelled weird. Unfamiliar. Since she’d shifted, her senses were much sharper, and her father didn’t smell right to her. He didn’t smell like family, which was disturbing. She eyed his sandy blond hair, going gray now, and his brown eyes. She didn’t look anything like him. However, she hadn’t resembled her mother much, either, except for her gray eyes and the shape of her face. She’d always thought her red hair came from some recessive gene, but maybe it was from something else altogether. “Is there something you wanted? You know you can just call me. You don’t have to show up at my job.”
Her father moved in again and grabbed her by the elbow. “Brian and I have something to show you.”
“Since when are you and Brian such buddies?” Avery asked, wincing at his grip.
Her father frowned. “Since you felt it necessary to burn his belongings. He came to me, Avery. And I’m not one to turn away someone who is looking for help.”
Seriously? Since when does he do things out of the kindness of his heart? Avery thought. He’s lying. Her father was not an altruistic person. She pulled away from his grasp. “Dad. Seriously. I have another group to escort onto the trails in a half hour.” She glanced past him and found Brian staring at her speculatively. She took a step back, making sure to put her father between her and her ex. “And I’m certainly not going anywhere with him. He trashed my cabin, remember? You two need to leave. We can talk some other time.”
Her father rolled his eyes. “You deserved it for burning his stuff, Avery, and you know it.”
Is he serious? Avery stared at her father, anger and fear mixing uncomfortably in her gut. She didn’t like to stand up to her father because he had a terrible temper, but enough was enough. “Brian cheated on me, and I burned his leftover porn, not his stuff. I don’t think trashing my cabin is an appropriate reaction to dumping him for cheating. Paige told me that she’s seen you two talking, even before he trashed my cabin. You’re lying to me.”
“You know I never wa
nted you to date him, but I had no idea how useful he could be,” her father said, moving closer again. “You abandoned him. I decided to help him, out of the goodness of my heart.”
Yeah, right. “Dad, you’re not making any sense. What the hell are you doing here with him?” Avery sidestepped her father and walked over to one of the nature displays. She felt a bit like she was sticking her hand in the fire by confronting both her father and Brian by herself, but she had to do it. No one else was here to deal with them. “You’re no longer welcome on Pack territory, Brian,” she told her ex. “Yet, here you are. You have a very short memory.”
He smirked at her. “You’re going to get what’s coming to you, Avery.”
Avery snorted. “You’re delusional.” Who does he think he is? she thought, as her wolf growled in the back of her head. Irritation cut through her fear, and she welcomed it.
“Be quiet. We didn’t come here to talk,” her father said to Brian. The younger wolf glared at the older man, but he shut up.
Weird. Very weird. Avery frowned. “No? Then what did you come here for, Dad?” She saw Lillian watching the confrontation warily from behind the counter. Luckily, there were no customers in the gift shop. Avery would hate for a bunch of civilians to get caught up in Pack drama.
She nodded at the older woman, and Lillian nodded back. Nothing is going to happen to me, Avery told herself. She was a strong woman. She was a strong wolf. She had to be strong, or people might get hurt. Plus, she had Lilian and Paige to back her up. Unfortunately, just beyond Lillian, in the office, Mitch’s grandmother glared out at them. Clearly, the old woman hadn’t forgiven her for standing up to her in the big house several days ago. She glanced at her father. He and Bridget had always had a sort of weird friendship, and it freaked her out more now than ever.
“I want you to come with me,” her father said, cornering her.
Avery’s wolf snarled, and she drew herself up. She knew her five-foot-five frame wouldn’t impress anyone, but she wasn’t about to back down. She might be chubby and small, but she was fierce. She remembered how powerful she’d felt running with Fletcher and Mitch and channeled that feeling into her expression.
“No,” she said, clearly. Her father’s expression tightened into a scowl, and it was the same expression that had frightened her as a child. But I’m no child. Not any longer. “I’d like you to leave, now. You’re disrupting business here, Dad.” She glanced at Brian, glaring at him when she saw him edging sideways to flank her. “Take your new friend with you,” she told her father. When the door of the building opened, she let out a sigh of relief at the sight of her best friend holding up her phone.
“It’s done,” Paige said, joining her aunt at the counter.
Avery nodded. “Thanks, Paige.”
“What’s done?” her father asked, grabbing her arm again.
Avery yanked away. “A favor for me. Nothing that concerns you.”
“I’m your father. Everything you do concerns me.”
Is he for real? Avery looked at him, not bothering to move away again. He’d just follow her, she realized. And it’s always best to stand up to bullies, she thought bitterly, wishing she’d done it earlier. Sure, she’d moved out, but that had been more of an avoidance tactic than anything else. “Are you really my father?” she asked, putting the big question she had about him out there, stark and simple.
He glared at her. “I took you in. I fed you and clothed you, girl. If that’s not a father, I don’t know what is.”
That’s not a real answer. Avery remembered all the times she’d stayed with Paige growing up. She remembered all the meals she’d eaten with Paige and her parents in the big house and shook her head. “I don’t think so. I’m done with this farce.” She glanced at Bridget, watching from the office with a gleam of cruelty in her expression. “I’ve recently learned that my mother never named you as my father. Is that right? Why did you even marry her? You obviously never loved her.”
Instead of answering, her father grabbed both her arms and started dragging her towards the door. “You’ll shut your mouth, and you’ll do as I say. I’m not going to lose my investment in you, not now. Not ever.”
Avery growled at him as her wolf rushed to the fore, but she resisted shifting. She wouldn’t be able to communicate well with anyone in wolf form, and she wasn’t ready to commit to violence just yet. Of course, her wolf didn’t care about being careful. She cared about protecting herself, and her mates.
“That’s enough,” she said roughly, setting her feet into the ground. She used her father’s own momentum to pop out of his grasp. He stumbled past her, and she pivoted to keep him centered in her view. “If you try that again, you’ll regret it.” She moved until her back was to the wall near the doors. She didn’t want that weasel Brian sneaking up on her. And she didn’t particularly want to hurt her father, or anyone, and if she shifted, that’s what would happen. Or maybe you’re making excuses because you’re scared to shift. Scared to let everyone know what you can do, a small voice murmured in the back of her head.
Her father moved in again. “You’re just like your mother, Avery. She was a lying, cheating whore, and everyone knew it. I should never have agreed to play your father.” He stopped and took a deep breath, obviously struggling to control his temper. “If you come with me now, quietly, you won’t get hurt. I’m not supposed to damage you.”
What? Damage me? What the hell is he talking about? He’s delusional, Avery thought, not sure if she felt vindicated or sad or simply pissed off. Why didn’t my mother tell me he wasn’t my biological father? Why didn’t anyone tell me? She ducked his grip and pushed him away. “You’re not taking me anywhere. And this is your last warning,” she told him. She was ready to hurt him if she had to. She didn’t know why it had taken him so long to show his true colors, but now that he had, she had no reason to put up with his cruelty any longer. “If you’re not my true father, Kurt,” she snarled. “I have no reason to listen to you. The only reason I’ve been civil was because I thought it was my duty, and to honor my mother.” As the words came out, she knew she’d never spoken more truly.
“Enough talk. I’ll grab Avery, and if you want to earn the money I promised you, go and get the car started,” Kurt said to Brian, ignoring her. “We promised Gorge Rock Pack a female for their wannabe leader, and Avery has their dead Alpha’s blood in her veins.”
Gorge Rock Pack? What the hell? I’m their dead Alpha’s child? But that’s impossible. Their Alpha was married when I was born. Avery stared at him, not sure if she was more appalled that her mother had probably had an affair with a rival pack’s Alpha, or that her father was intent upon kidnapping her, and that he was doing so in the most cliché way possible. He sounds like a movie villain, spouting off his evil plans for me. I thought that kind of thing only happened in crappy novels. Avery shook her head, bemused. Even her wolf had calmed down a bit, probably from the lack of action from Kurt.
“You can’t possibly think you’ll get away with this?” she asked, just to see what he would do. She wanted out of this situation, but she needed to stall for time and try to keep everyone calm. Paige and Lillian could get hurt if Brian or her stepfather lost it. Fletcher and Mitch couldn’t be far, right?
Kurt snorted and grabbed her again. “You’re slow to figure things out, aren’t you? Who’s going to stop me? You? That so-called Alpha heir?” He shook her, hard enough to rattle her, and her wolf growled in her head. “I hope they don’t mind a defective bitch shifter for their guy,” he continued, squeezing her wrist painfully. “I agreed to marry your mother to keep the old biddies here off her back. She wanted to come back to her pack, but she had a rival’s pup in her belly, didn’t she? Hard to come back home like that.”
Oh my God, Avery thought, horrified. My poor mother. “Why would you marry her, then?” she asked, struggling to keep her voice even. She hoped that his weird need to spout off at her would keep him occupied. He’d always had a need to lecture her, and it
seemed that nothing had changed. From the corner of her eye, she saw Paige on the phone while Lillian grappled with Bridget, of all people, in the office doorway. What had set the old woman off? This is turning into a fucking mess, isn’t it? she thought. She wanted to shift now, and put an end to this farce, but she also wanted to hear what Kurt had to say. If she shifted, she wouldn’t learn what happened with Kurt and her mother, because her wolf wouldn’t care. She’d just rip out his throat and be done with it, but she was worried about Lillian. I have to shift. I have to, she told herself, fighting her fear down. She should be able to do it, right? Even though Fletcher and Mitch weren’t here with her?
“I married your mother because she promised me I’d be Alpha of Gorge Rock Pack when you were born, but she lied!” Kurt spat in her face, eyes burning. “They didn’t care that you were their old Alpha’s brat back then. They didn’t care that they didn’t have a real Alpha after he died. They kicked us both out.”
And my mother paid the price for that indiscretion, Avery realized, staring at her stepfather. He had the eyes of a fanatic. His ego is going to be his downfall, Avery thought as she realized that he had probably been dying to tell someone all this. Otherwise, he would’ve just dragged her out already.
“So why are you working with them now?” she asked, trying to get more information. The more the better. That way, she would have all the evidence she needed to give to Fletcher. She ignored the feeling that she was stalling because she was afraid to shift. Afraid it wouldn’t work. Afraid to show everyone her wolf if it did work. Afraid of the responsibility that came with being a Queen. “And what does Brian have to do with it?” she asked, hating the tremble in her voice. Her father sensed her fear and squeezed tighter. Pain shot up her arm.
