by Lauren Wood
The shower was doing nothing but turning her on even more. Disgusted with herself, she rinsed and wrapped the towel around her body.
It would be at least an hour before her clothes dried. She hadn’t considered that fact when she started the cycle.
Twenty minutes had passed before the phone started to ring. She stared at it in a panic. It was a landline. Who knew that she was here?
Tentatively, she picked it up but didn’t say anything. “Natalie? Natalie are you okay?”
“Jackson. Sorry. The phone ringing scared me. I should have realized that it was you. I mean of course it’s you. Who else would it?” she babbled. She paused. “Why are you calling me?”
“You were supposed to join me for breakfast. It’s been forty-five minutes,” he growled.
“Oh. I’m washing my clothes,” she admitted as her cheeks reddened. Why should she be embarrassed that she didn’t have any more clothes? He literally caught her stealing a jacket.
“I see.” Was that amusement in his voice? She narrowed her eyes. “Well, Stacey used to stay in that room. For all of two days. But we stocked it with some clothes. Check out the closet and see if you can find anything to wear. And if you can’t, just wear a robe. Breakfast is getting cold.”
She rolled here. There was no way that she was just wearing a robe around him. “Just order me around, why don’t you,” she muttered. Still, she went back to the bedroom and opened the closet. Sure enough, it was filled with clothes.
She rustled through the rack until she found a pair of jeans and a sweater that fit her. Feeling a bit better now that she was wearing clean clothes, she headed up to Jackson’s place.
The man from last light bumped into her in the elevator. “Natalie,” he said.
She smiled nervously. Were all the men in this pack drop dead gorgeous? “Brent, right?”
He didn’t smile back. “You’re going up?”
“Jackson is making me breakfast.” He eyed her suspiciously. “Are you going up?’ she squeaked.
“I’ll escort you there,” he said as the door closed.
“I’m not a thief,” she protested when they were alone. “I mean, I know Jackson caught me stealing, but that’s not usually how I do things. I try to uphold the law. I was just cold, and I don’t have any money.”
“You have money in your back account. More than enough to buy yourself a jacket,” he said quietly.
“You hacked into my back account?” she spluttered angrily. “How dare you? What gives you the right?”
“You stole from the pack. I’m security,” he said simply. “You’re avoiding using your card because you’re afraid of being tracked. Your ex is following you. Why?”
The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. “Because he’s crazy,” she snapped. He stepped off with her, and she glared at him. She marched up to Jackson’s door and rapped on the wood.
He opened it up quickly and raised his eyebrows when he saw Brent standing there. “He doesn’t trust me,” Natalie murmured and stepped in the condo.
“Just making sure she got here safely,” Brent said easily. “It’s a full moon tonight,” he said unnecessarily. “Will she still be here?”
“No,” Natalie spat.
“Yes,” Jackson said simultaneously.
“Awesome.” There was no inflection in his voice or expression in his face. “Micah will be here tomorrow. Perhaps we can clean this up before he arrives?”
“I’ll take care of it,” Jackson said as he closed the door. He turned around to study Natalie. “Pleasant chat in the elevator?”
“He’s investigating me,” Natalie fumed. “I seemed to have traded one overbearing bear pack for another.”
“You stole from us. We have the right to investigate you,” Jackson said mildly. “Sit down.”
“Look, I get that this is my fault. And I get that now you feel like you need to get to the bottom of things. But there really isn’t anything to investigate. I was in a bad relationship. I got scared, and I ran. I can get by on my own if you’ll just release me. Give me a week, and I’ll pay you for the jacket plus interest.”
“Sit down,” he repeated in a sterner voice.
“Are you listening to me?”
“For fuck’s sake,” Jackson roared. “Sit at the goddamn table so we can eat.”
Natalie sat. This close to the full moon, it was clear that his bear was eager to be free. She wanted to make sure it stayed caged while they were in the condo.
“I’m sorry,” he said as he composed himself. “I’m hungry.” He scooped up some eggs and bacon that were in the pan, dropped them on a plate, and gently placed in front of her. This was followed by hash browns, spinach, toast, fruit, and yogurt. Her eyes rounded.
“Big breakfast eater?” she asked softly.
He sat in front of her. “It’s the most important meal of the day.”
She could feel his eyes on her as she slowly took a few bites. She really was famished, and after a few bites, she practically moaned and scarfed down more.
“When was the last time you ate?” he asked softly.
She pushed the plate back and ignored the question. “Thank you for breakfast. I’m sure my clothes are finished by now, so I’ll just go change and be on my way. I’ll send you a check.” Natalie pushed her chair back and got up, but he was up and around the table in a blink of an eye.
She gasped as he grabbed her wrists. “You’re not leaving.”
“Really? Because last night you told me I could leave whenever I wanted.”
“It’s not safe, Natalie.” She froze as she stared at him. Her empathy intuition kicked in. He sincerely didn’t think she was safe.
He wanted her to be safe.
She relaxed, and he released her arm. “Can you please tell me what happened?”
“Why do you care?” she asked. “And I’m not trying to distract you. I really don’t understand why you care so much about a complete stranger.”
He cocked his head, and for the first time, she realized that he didn’t know why he trying to keep her safe. She licked her lips and sighed. “I was born with the empathy gene. I’m not powerful by any means, but it was enough to make me stand apart from the rest of my peers. They thought I was creepy and different. When I met Paul, he treated me like a queen. And I couldn’t really sense him. Not at first. I thought he was perfect for me.
She sank back down in her chair. “But then he started getting really controlling. He’d follow me around everywhere. He’d force me to spend the weekend on the territory. Let me tell you, the pack hated that. I was really uncomfortable, and then I started sensing things. There was this violent rage that simmered just below the surface.”
“Did he hit you?” Jackson asked.
“He screamed a lot and jerked me around. Once, he pushed me against the wall, and I thought he was going to hit me. But he never actually struck me. Still, I sensed that it wouldn’t always be the case. Then he started screaming that I had stolen something him.” She held up her hand. “And while you did actually catch me stealing, let me tell you. I didn’t take anything. You’ve searched my bag. There’s nothing valuable in there. I got scared. And I left. Paul is second-in-command of his pack. I had hoped that he would be to busy to track me, and if I reached the city by the full moon, I could lose myself in the sea of people.”
Jackson leaned back and stared at her. “An empath,” he said softly.
“Very weak,” she muttered.
“Can you sense what I’m feeling?”
She squirmed uncomfortably. “Some times.”
A slow wicked grin crossed his face. “And this morning?”
“Look, it’s just a natural reaction to a woman and a man being in the same bed together, “she said as she avoided his gaze.
“Brent looked into Paul. He’s left his pack. He’s looking for you, and no city is big enough to hide you. I want to protect you, but I won’t keep you here against your will. If you want to leave, you can leave. B
ut I’ll probably just follow you.”
She opened her mouth to ask him why, but she knew he didn’t have the answer. And that bothered her more than it should.
“I’ll stay, she said softly. For reasons that she couldn’t fathom, she believed Jackson. She believed that he would keep her safe.
***
Jackson alerted Brent of the situation and gave Natalie free reign of the territory. He felt strangely bereft as she left, but he had pack business to attend. Brent had already called a meeting, and if he lingered any longer, he’d be late.
So he gave her directions to a few places where she could entertain herself, and he headed over to the meeting hall. Inside, the family members were already bickering among themselves. Before they got too wrapped up into things, Jackson pulled Brent aside.
“Find him?” he muttered.
Brent shook his head. “I spoke to the alpha. He said Paul took a leave of absence citing personal matters. He doesn’t expect him back for a few days, and he doesn’t know where he went. I put a few feelers out between here and there, but so far, I’ve got nothing. He’s keeping a low profile. Are you sure he’s heading this way?”
“He thinks Natalie stole something.”
“Did she?”
Jackson stared at Brent and frowned. “I know it sounds crazy, but I think she’s telling the truth. If she stole something, she has no idea what it is.”
Brent shrugged. “Okay. If you trust her, I trust her. But I’ve got to be honest, Jackson. Between the full moon tomorrow, this whole Natalie business, and the whole de’Massier thing, I’ve got a bad feeling.”
“Me too, friend. Should we get this over with?”
His friend grinned. “You used to love running meetings in Micah’s absence.”
“Yeah, but then the damn man fell in love, and now the whole pack is struggling to do the same. Too many feelings. Things were more simple when love had be within the same species,” Jackson grumbled.
There was something secretive about Brent’s smile, but he dismissed it and entered the room.
In Micah’s absence, he was allowed to take the seat at the head of the table. Brent took Micah’s seat, and Lynette, Micah’s mother, sat on the other side of him. The seat next to her, designated for alpha female, was empty. Bridgette used to sit there until she went crazy. Now it would be Stacey’s seat.
Jackson liked Stacey. He couldn’t wait to see what the woman would do when she got back. He held up his hand. “All right. I know we’ve all got things to do today, so let’s make this quick. It’s the full moon tonight, so we’re going to be restless. Keep a lid on those tempers. Micah returns tomorrow, and I want this wrapped up by then.” He pulled out the folder and opened it.
“I know that most of you aren’t happy with the treaty, but with a new leader comes a new agreement. De’Massier has already agreed to all the previous terms, but he wants to add a few new ones. Namely, he wants an alliance.”
“And alliance with the blood suckers?” one male yelled. “No way.”
Jackson put up his hand. “Let’s talk about this. We haven’t had an issue with the vampire clan in over a century. True, our treaty has always been an uneasy one, but even though the previous leader was lax with his own group, everyone respected territories. There were no disputes and no fights. This new agreement would simply mean that if de’Massier needed back up during a dispute with another vampire clan or even within his own clan, he can count on us. And we would be able to do the same.”
“We don’t need them,” the same guy yelled.
“Mark, if you talk out of turn again, I’ll remove your voting rights,” Jackson thundered. The room quieted, and Jackson pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Look,” he said finally. “This isn’t the fifteenth century. We have no reason to fight with them. Look at all the progressive changes that Micah has made. You guys can marry whomever you want, and most of you are thrilled. You weren’t in the beginning, but you are now. This is simply one more progressive move. Let’s face it, we haven’t been to war with anyone is a long time. But the very fact that he wants us to be involved with policing his own people is telling.”
He nodded to Lynette. She flipped open her laptop and hit a few keys. Immediately, the white screen lowered from the ceiling and a projection of the amendments was displayed for all to see. “Look it over. Let me know if you have any questions.”
The table was quiet as they glanced over the proposed agreement. While most of them were horrified when they first heard the news, Jackson knew what they were looking at was a logical and progressive move. A finger tentatively went up. “Mark,” Jackson said with a sigh.
“Will they have access to the territory?”
Jackson shook his head. “If they come looking for sanctuary, they can find it in the holding grounds out back. No one will enter the main territory without the express permission from Micah, Brent, and myself. If you need sanctuary, you will have access to part of their territory as well, but no one can enter their lands without the permission of their de’Massier and his cabinet.”
Mark nodded. “Looks fine to me,” he said grudgingly.
“Any other questions?” No one said anything. “Excellent. Drop off your votes, and let’s get this over with.” One by one, the members came by and dropped off the pieces of paper. Jackson gave the box to Lynette to tally the votes, and everyone took their seat.
“What’s with the human staying with you?”
Jackson turned a frosty gaze to the speaker. Nora was an older woman, and she had no issues speaking her mind. Jackson thought briefly about ignoring the questions, but even Lynette had stopped counting and stared at him. He sighed.
“Natalie is a guest of mine. She’s having a problem with a bear pack member from California. I believe that she’s in danger, and I’ve offered her my protection.”
The pack shifted uneasily. It was rare that they had a dispute with another bear shifter territory, and he could tell that they didn’t like the idea of housing a human.
“She’s having issues with one pack member or the whole pack?” Nora pushed.
“I said one member,” Jackson said.
“You also said that you that you didn’t trample through my gardens that one full moon. You lied.”
“Nora. I was eight.”
“I’m just saying,” the woman said pointedly.
Another member raised their hand. “Is it a high ranking official?”
“Second-in-command,” Jackson said begrudgingly. “But we’ve spoken to the alpha. We’re not starting a war here. We’re just keeping an eye on things.”
“Everyone’s in favor,” Lynette said quickly. She snapped the box closed. “It’s unanimous. We just need Micah to sign it tomorrow.”
Jackson nodded. “Dismissed.”
One by one, the pack members got up to leave. “I know it was you,” Nora said as she walked out.
Jackson turned to Lynette. “Thanks,” he muttered. “I don’t know how Micah does it.”
Lynette smiled. “He thinks you do it better. The fact is that you’re both born to wield power, and you both hate it.” He stood up, and she wagged his finger. “Sit down, young man. We’re not done.”
“Lynette, I’m acting alpha,” Jackson said with a smile.
“And I changed your dirty diapers. Sit you ass down.” He chuckled as he took a seat. “Tell me about this Natalie woman you’ve got in the condos.”
“There’s not much to say. I caught her stealing a jacket from the store. Apparently she’s been on the run for a few days, and I guess she wasn’t prepared for our chilly nights. Paul is her ex-boyfriend, and I guess he’s a real piece of work. All reports indicate that he’s coming after her.”
Lynette cocked her head. “And she just told you all of this.”
“No. I had to pry it out of her and investigate,” Jackson said before she could accuse Natalie of lying.
“So you were in the middle of it before you realized exactl
y what you were in the middle of,” Lynette said slowly.
Jackson winced. “She was scared, Lynette. I can sense her fear. What was I supposed to do?”
“I’m not saying that you did anything wrong.” She gathered her things and stood. “Your mother raised you to protect others. She would be proud of you.” Lynette paused behind him. “Natalie is awfully pretty.”
Jackson clenched his teeth. “Really? I hadn’t noticed.”
Lynette chuckled. “Nora’s right. You are a liar.”
She left the room and him alone with his thoughts. He sighed and sat back. When he saw the situation from the perspective of others, the whole thing seemed insane. Brent thought she was a security breach. After all, she was a thief. The pack saw her as an outsider, and he was putting them all in the middle of it by keeping her here. And he’d involved himself even before he knew what was really going on.
The whole thing was ridiculous. But he couldn’t ignore what he felt. No one affected him quite like Natalie. He felt like he was supposed to protect her. And he didn’t need to explain himself to anyone.
***
It was clear that the Woodland pack was wealthy. Their territory was vast and complete with its own set up of small businesses. Just along the edge were the smaller businesses including two diners, a convenience store, an entertainment hall, a salon, and a library. On the adjacent side was a grocery store, a post office, a coffee shop, and a mechanic. While it wasn’t unusual for shifters to leave their territory for their day-to-day activities, it was clear that this pack liked their conveniences close by.
