Lone Wolf Rising (Paranormal Romantic Thriller) (The Winters Series)

by Jami Brumfield

  ‘No… well, maybe a little. Before I was an alpha, responsible for others, role model to others like Willow and River, I would have easily taken their heads without a second thought.’ Rebecca felt the emotional growth happening in her mind in that moment. She felt the light come on, and bring light to the darkness that was her soul since the day her parents died. ‘But now, I want to find the killers and turn them into the authorities so the law can make them pay for their crimes.’

  ‘You lie to yourself.’

  ‘No, I don’t think I do.’

  ‘If you insist upon following this path that resolve in your voice will be tested. This I promise.’

  ‘Perhaps.’

  "Interesting evaluation and I’m impressed that you took the more enlightened path in your answer." Johansen smiled and continued on with her lecture. "In the end, it’s really about what you are willing to compromise, or what you are willing to lose. In every deal, both sides lose something, no matter how big or small. And when a deal falls through there is always a chance of retaliation or worse."

  Rebecca looked at Lucky and Gabriel. That was exactly what she was worried about. Retaliation, especially when they discovered what she was planning.

  'You should be worried.' The alpha's voice rang in her mind, dripping with venom. She was pissed, but Rebecca knew, deep inside, it was because the wolf was scared. They had been through a lot the last month. Rebecca wanted to understand her because she was stronger with the alpha on her side. She needed to understand her because they were linked together for the rest of her life.

  Rebecca’s thoughts focused on Savvy and Hunter. They were so innocent, so naïve to the world they lived in which left them incapable of protecting themselves when supernatural beings came around; and she knew they would come around. They had been around all along. Her mind went to Natalia and Jackson. They had been integrated into their lives from the moment they came to live with their grandmother. It was grandma who pushed Jackson on them. Natalia and Jackson had been visiting them since as far back as she could remember. Were they protectors?

  Keeping Savvy and Hunter untrained did very little to prepare them for the war ahead. Keeping them untrained made them targets. Just because they’re untrained did not keep them safe from others who sensed their lineage, the secrets hidden deep within their DNA.

  Rebecca was happy grandmother finally agreed to tell them about their history, she just worried it was too late. They deserved to make this decision for themselves; not to have this decision made for them. It was time to give them the gift of their DNA. Saturday, their lives would change. She only hoped it would be for the better.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  ~”I think a lot of people settle with comfort. I’ve kinda pushed my whole life not to do that. There’s nothing wrong with settling, it’s definitely an easier life than the one I’ve chosen to live.”

  ~Aubrey O’Day

  Savannah

  "Up a little more and to the left." Savannah directed Joshua and Danny as they hung the last banner for the dance that night. "Good, that looks perfect." She smiled brightly. The dance committee was in charge of picking the theme, but a 'Midsummer's Night' was her idea and as she looked around the room it was perfect. She managed to get a large fountain which they put almost center with the room. Everything else was built around the waterworks display. Simon added light effects to the fountain so the water changed from green to red to violet on a timer. The effect was stunning. A level of unbelievable pride filled her. She wondered if she would make a good party planner and the dance tonight would prove she had talent.

  Trees and plants were placed in all four corners of the room. The room was lit by fire lanterns which created two walkways around the fountain and to the dance floor. As a finishing touch she procured a bubble machine which would run on autopilot throughout the night. Without a doubt, this night would be magical.

  To help with the memory of the night she set up a large picture of trees in a forest for the background to the picture booth which was the final part of the decorations. The refreshment committee would be bringing in the finger foods and punch about an hour before the dance.

  Danny started his way down the ladder and Savvy ran over to steady it before he fell. He was her date for tonight, perfect boyfriend material. He had short wavy blonde hair, kind grey eyes, and was built like a solid football player. He was the perfect guy in many people's eyes and many believed he was the one to beat for the king's crown tonight. It was why he asked her to the dance. She knew it, but she didn’t care. She had bad luck with men lately and Danny was easy. Besides, together they had the best chance of taking both crowns. Before last week it bothered her that it was the only real reason why he asked, but that all changed when she saw the kiss between Gabriel and her twin sister, Rebecca.

  Danny was the perfect gentleman. He smiled at all the right times, listened intently when she spoke, and held her hand with the perfect amount of shyness to make her feel good. Not to mention, he would not be sneaking off during the night to kiss her sister, or anyone else for that matter. Savvy never understood why she had very little attraction to Danny. When he reached the bottom of the steps he picked her up and spun her around. "You did an amazing job, princess."

  It was so spontaneous Savvy couldn't help the giggle that erupted from her lips. When he put her down he placed a soft, gentle kiss on her lips. It was warm and comfortable. He fit her like a glove and most girls would be happy with that. She wondered if she could be happy with a man like him. She wanted passion, excitement, more. But she wasn’t interested in the drama that came along with it.

  "I am so glad you decided to go with me. I made a promise to myself that if you didn't accept my invitation I was going to go to the dance alone." He confided in her.

  Savvy rolled her eyes. "Sure, you have half the class begging for just a glance from you and you were going to go alone. You could’ve had your pick of girls. To be honest, I thought you already had another date by the time I accepted." She looked down at her feet shyly. She still felt a little guilty for making him wait. She wasn’t sure if she wanted a magical or political night. After everything she decided political was the safest bet.

  "I promise you, I was holding out for you, and only you." He laced her fingers into his hand and pulled her to the center of the dance floor.

  The DJ was doing a sound check and when he saw them together on the dance floor he played the romantic slow song "A Thousand Years". She fell into a slow dance with him and placed her head on his chest. He was too tall for her to reach his shoulders. His romantic gesture reinforced the fact that he was perfect boyfriend material. He was even close with his mother; she came to every game and ran the booster club to show her support. Savvy always admired the closeness he had to his mother, it was something she would never have again, but had once.

  She found herself willing herself to fall head over heels for him, pleading with her heart to find a spark. But nothing developed; simply camaraderie and respect. She wondered if that was enough. From what she saw it was more than most married couples had that she knew. And she wasn’t looking for a husband, just a high school boyfriend.

  His voice was hoarse and his breath was warm on her neck as he whispered, "There’s one thing you can do to make this moment perfect."

  Savvy looked up at him with a smile, half lost in her worried thoughts. "And what’s that?"

  "Say you’ll be my steady girlfriend."

  She sucked in a breath. In that moment, she found herself wondering if she should give him a chance to see if the spark would develop later, maybe with time. A voice in the back of her mind reminded her that with a simple touch from Lucky, the spark ignited, but he was not available. He was her sister’s boyfriend. And the other man she found dangerous and interesting was into her sister as well. It was rather ironic. Danny was not the bad boy type. Maybe she needed to change the type of guy she was interested in. Maybe she wasn't meant to be with dangerous men.

 
A good, strong guy who was close to his mother may be just what the doctor ordered.

  "Breathe, princess, before you pass out. It was just a question. You can give me an answer later tonight at the dance." He chuckled nervously as he pulled her close to him again to finish the dance.

  The music stopped playing, but her head didn't stop spinning.

  "Let me take you home after school, please?" He asked. It broke the haze that was forming in her mind.

  "I brought my own car and Hunter is riding home with me..." His face fell. "But I will meet up with you before we go home for a kiss." The smile appeared again and Savannah found herself admiring the dimple in his left cheek. It reminded her of Lucky’s grin. Was Danny that different than him?

  Maybe... maybe she just needed time to find that spark. With so many things going on in her home life right now perhaps the reality hadn’t caught up to the drama. It was a logical assumption, but logic wasn’t something she relied heavily on, emotions and feelings were more important and real to her. Logic could be bent in different ways but feelings didn’t lie. And she wasn’t feeling good about what was happening to her family. She no longer had a connection to her sister, her grandmother was acting strange, and even her brother deserted her to make time for his first girlfriend. It wasn't fair that she didn't give Danny a chance with everything going on. "Yes." The word spilled out of her mouth, it was too late to take it back.

  "Yes what?" He asked as they started walking out of the gymnasium.

  She didn’t want to take it back. She wanted to give it a try. "Yes. Let’s try going steady."

  "Really?" He picked her up and spun her around again, causing giggles to erupt from her lips. Some random students walking past shot nasty glares in their direction. Apparently they didn’t like seeing others happy. Savvy didn’t care. Politics be damned!

  This time when he placed her down he crushed his lips possessively on hers and she felt what could very possibly be the start of a spark somewhere deep inside as she melted against him.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  ~”Ask me no questions and I’ll tell you no lies.”

  ~Oliver Goldsmith

  Rebecca

  Rebecca and Lucky arrived home only minutes after Savvy and Hunter. She watched as they hurried into the house. She had to admit she was surprised to see Savvy wearing Danny’s letterman jacket. That was a quick one-eighty turn from earlier this week. But she had more pressing matters on her mind. She was determined to have the conversation with grandmother. She needed to make sure the plans for Hunter and Savvy’s training were solid. She also wanted to know more about the excommunication order. She never really got an answer earlier. She wasn't sure how she was going to convince her to talk openly, but she knew it was necessary. She was in such a hurry to talk to her grandmother that she forgot to say goodbye to Lucky which she only realized when he spun her around on the top step and placed a kiss on her cheek, telling her he would be there at six to pick them up for the dance. Rebecca managed a nod and smile, but her mind was already preoccupied with other things more important than a silly dance.

  Rebecca missed his kisses, but she was beginning to realize she missed Gabriel’s more. Lucky’s touch was electric but Gabe set her on fire. She was beginning to realize Lucky was a diversion, and Gabe was more her speed. She just had no desire to make that type of commitment. But in reality she couldn’t ask Lucky to give up his future with Felicity if she knew their relationship wasn’t going to get very far. That only made her question if her desire for Gabe was hers or influenced by the wolf. She was a mess!

  "Are you okay?" He asked when he released her. Rebecca shook her head. She needed to tell him, but had no idea how to start that conversation. Besides, she needed more confirmation on how she felt. Maybe it was the mark that changed things. "Can you tell me why you were off in such a hurry?"

  "Gotta get ready for the dance." It wasn't a lie, it was partially true.

  "Did I ever tell you my unique power?" He smiled sadly.

  "No, you told me not to ask."

  "It’s detecting lies and making people tell the truth."

  Rebecca took a step back, feeling like she’d been slapped. "Why would you hide something like that from me?"

  "Because we were not serious, and I don't share my power with anyone unless I think they’re likely to become permanent in my life."

  ‘Oh crap!’

  She crossed her arms over her chest. Was he making another play in the game that was her romantic life? Just when she was starting to realize he was a distraction not the guy she would ultimately choose. “What about Felicity? What about your promise to Gabriel to not try anything until I made up my mind?”

  “All is fair in love and war.” It was such a cliché answer.

  ‘Tell him you choose Gabriel.’ The wolf panted heavily in her mind.

  ‘I don’t know yet. I don’t know who I choose.’

  “And as far as Felicity is concerned, I’m beginning to think she is not the girl I thought she was.”

  “Have you broken up with her?” Rebecca’s heart sped up, ‘please say no!’ She couldn’t help but wonder if that was the wolf or her own inner voice.

  He sat down on the front step and waited for her to join him. “To break things off with her means to shatter family promises and alliances. I can’t do that until I know for sure of your choice.”

  Rebecca nodded. “I can’t be the reason you break up with her. You have to see that, Lucky. You have to decide that on your own.”

  He placed his head in his hands. “So where does that leave us?”

  Rebecca shook her head. “The same place we were a week ago, in limbo.” She offered a weak smile. “And, you have to know, my feelings for Gabriel are just as strong as they are for you.”

  ‘Stronger.’ The alpha offered.

  “I couldn’t choose between either of you at this point. I have too much going on; relationships are taking their place on the backburner. I have a pack, people who are counting on me, responsibilities that far outweigh who owns my heart.”

  “That’s what I like so much about you, Rebecca. You put your needs behind others. You were thrown into this leadership role and you’re taking to it like a fish in water.”

  Rebecca stared straight ahead. She didn’t feel that way. She felt like she was barely able to hold everything together. When she thought of her problems she envisioned that she was holding onto sands in her hands and she couldn’t keep the sands from falling through her fingers. She felt sure about nothing. The one part of her that was keeping her together was angry at her for not blindly following her logic.

  She decided a change of subject was safer than the path they were traveling at the moment. "So you’re a human lie detector?"

  "Human, supernatural, it doesn't matter." He shrugged. "I can simply tell when someone is lying and I chose this moment to tell you this because this is officially the first time you’ve lied to me."

  That statement shocked Rebecca. He was right.

  "It was only a partial lie." She responded earnestly.

  "But a lie, nonetheless. Want to try again?"

  This new information was unsettling. Who told the truth all the time? It made this budding relationship more difficult, not that it wasn’t already impossible. It made her question if it was doable.

  "It isn't that great of a power. I mean, you can tell if someone is lying by listening to their heart beat; even your sense of smell can tell if someone is lying. The difference is that I don't have to try listening or sensing, I just know." His eyes were sad again. It struck her odd that his eyes were sad all the time lately. When she first met him he was smiling and enjoyment soared from his eyes. She wondered if she was the cause for all his pain. “The real power is in being able to convince someone to tell the truth. It comes in very handy for interrogations.”

  "Wow." It was all she could say at the moment.

  "Yeah. Most people run the other way when they hear what I can do. That’s
why I only share it with a few select people."

  He looked so vulnerable in that moment, Rebecca felt herself melt. She leaned her head against his shoulders and wrapped her arm around his waist. The motion moved her into his personal space. "I don't know if you’ve noticed or not but I’m not 'most people'." She smiled and kissed his lips softly. He didn’t respond, she could tell he wanted to, but something held him back.

  Instead, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer until she was almost sitting in his lap. He placed his forehead on hers, and after a moment his lips touched hers. The kiss he gave her was slow and exquisitely painful. It was like he poured all his vulnerability into that kiss. She responded in turn, allowing herself to get lost in his emotions. He was so easy to care about, even more when he was vulnerable.

  ‘But he is not your choice. You are leading him on.’ The wolf accused coldly.

  ‘I haven’t made my choice!’ Rebecca demanded back. But it was enough to break the spell of the moment. She moved a few inches away, the last thing she wanted to do was lead either one of them on.

  Rebecca decided to share with him why she was in such a hurry. "My grandmother promised to tell Savvy and Hunter about their inheritance tomorrow. I wanted to make sure we finalized the plans. They need to be trained to defend themselves. My being a wolf only puts them in more danger." She paused, wondering if she should tell him the other part. “I also want to press the issue about my mother’s excommunication order signed by Francesco. I can’t understand why he would be signing an order for the coven of Phoenix witches.”

  “I was wondering if you found that, too. It struck me as odd. I tried reaching out to a contact in the area coven to find out more but no one seems to want to talk about it.” He looked straight ahead; his eyes seemed far away, deep in thought. "You really love your siblings don't you?" He said after a few moments of silence. He turned towards her his eyes shining with respect.