by Moira Byrne
When we got out of the car, Aly immediately put her arm around Izzy. She looked terrified. I had no idea how a human had survived so long in such an insane pack. Izzy was quiet though, so maybe she had been careful not to draw attention to herself.
She had to have some steel inside her too, in order to survive what she had been through. I admired that.
The door opened before I could knock, and Jack stood there filling the doorframe. He was a large, broad-shouldered man with dark, shaggy hair that was way overdue for a haircut. He smiled a lot and his face showed it. I noticed, with a hint of dread, that his customary smile was nowhere to be seen.
I raised my chin and briefly met his gaze, then shifted my eyes to the side. I could still see his face but wasn't making direct eye contact. I wanted him to know I wasn't challenging him, but that I wouldn't back down, either.
He took a deep breath and let it out in a harsh exhale. I saw surprise in his gaze, along with a feral, protective anger, as he studied the three of us.
His eyes lingered on Izzy's bruised face. I glanced over at her, and she was intently studying her feet.
"Come in," he said. "This isn't a discussion to have in front of the neighbors."
He turned and led us inside. As we followed him I looked behind me and saw Aly still had her arm around Izzy's shoulders as they moved. I caught the scent of several other packmates around and my cat relaxed. Even if Edward could move about undetected, he wasn't dumb enough to brave a shifter's pack house.
Once we were in the kitchen, Jack gestured for us to each take a seat at the table. He waited until we were all in chairs before he sat, taking position at the head of the table with an authoritative air.
"Who are they?" Jack asked me with a nod at my companions.
"My sister, Alysse, and her friend, Isabelle."
"She's human," he said. I couldn't tell by his tone if this fact upset him or not.
The dread returned. I racked my brain to try to remember if I'd ever even seen a non-shifter in a pack.
For the most part, our animals preferred to be in the same type of pack—cats preferred to hang with other cats. It didn't matter if they were cougars, panthers, or lions, as long as they were cats. Although there were exceptions, especially when there were only a small number of that animal, like the bears.
In Fayoak, where there was such a large population of shifters, we were able to mostly separate and keep our animals happy. As for non-shifters in a pack, Rose was the only one who came to mind, but I didn't hang out with the other packs much so there could be more.
"She is," I answered carefully. "But she was part of our old pack and—" I heard Isabelle take in a small, trembling breath. "She was hurt and in danger. We couldn't leave her."
"Most packs only have human members when they're mated," he said, eerily echoing my thoughts. "Did you have a mate in the pack?"
Izzy's eyes stayed glued to her feet and she didn't answer.
"She didn't," Aly spoke up for her in a firm tone.
Jack grunted. "Why did your old pack have unmated humans in it?"
I still couldn't tell from the tone of his voice what he thought about all this. I cursed myself for not being more involved in the pack. I hated not knowing where we stood.
I raised my chin as I answered him, "They kept them for their own amusement. Especially women."
A growl rumbled out of Jack. He met my gaze, his eyes lion-gold. I felt my cat come forward to meet his.
"How did she get here?" A rumble went through his chest and he snarled, making his opinion of that clear.
"I'll be frank," I said, "Izzy and my sister didn't walk out freely. We fought our way out."
He made a non-committal sound. "From what I'm hearing, it sounds like trouble is going to follow these two."
"Possibly," I paused, then reluctantly added, "probably."
"Why did you bring this trouble to my doorstep?"
My cat bristled and I felt a growl begin to rumble through my chest. When I met his eyes, however, it wasn't anger that I saw, but genuine curiosity.
"Does it really matter?" I asked. "They were in danger."
He studied me for a moment, then nodded slowly. "It does matter. I want an answer. Why did you bring trouble to my doorstep?"
I took a deep breath. My answer could be the reason he would let us stay and accept Aly and Izzy into the pack. That would give us help in the battle that would eventually find us.
It might even make Edward think twice about going after us. But he was a nut job, so maybe not.
If Jack didn't like my answer, then we would likely become nomads—never having a true place to call home, always on the run from Edward and my old pack.
I studied the table as I organized my thoughts, then I met his steady gaze.
"You're what an Alpha should be," I said sincerely. "When I moved here, I didn't know you. I didn't trust you. I joined your pack, but I kept my distance. From the edges, I watched. I listened. I paid attention to how you treated your pack mates. The strong and the weak. The bold and the shy."
"And what did you learn?" he asked.
"That you don't take any bullshit. I realized that you probably would have helped had I asked when I arrived. If I'd told you the whole story. But by the time I figured that out, I'd been here a while and I couldn't figure out how to come clean."
"You screwed yourself," he said pointedly.
"Yeah. I did. But I came from a pack that did that to people." I tilted my head slightly in Izzy's direction. "I had to make sure I wasn't leaving one hell for another."
Jack grunted. "Damned if you do, damned if you don't."
"The question is, will you, a good Alpha, help us?"
He studied me with consideration. "Anything else you wanna tell me before I decide?"
"Yeah, there's one more thing."
His eyebrows rose sharply as I told him about Edward. I could see the disbelief. He took a deep breath and looked off to the side when I finished.
"That's some seriously messed up shit," he finally said.
"I know. That's why I'm asking for your help. What do you say?"
Tension ran through my body. Had I told him too much? Did he believe me? Sure, I had Izzy sitting next to me in all her bruised glory, but she was human, and I had no idea if that mattered to him one way or another.
His eyes narrowed as he studied me, then Aly, and finally Izzy. When his gaze came back to me I could see mischief in his eyes.
"Why the hell not? I love a good fight."
With that, all the tension seemed to drain out of my body. I managed not to slide out of my chair but had to catch my breath. I hadn't realized until then how afraid I had been that we were going to have to run.
Now we could stay in Fayoak. It could be home. When they came for us, we had a pack of shifters who had our backs. We had a chance. It wasn't only my fight anymore. There must have been something in my expression because Jack abruptly stood and stepped over to my chair.
He pulled me up to my feet and engulfed me in his arms. It was like hugging my father—gentle, loving, and accepting. I only stayed a moment before I pulled back.
Jack opened his arms and Aly cautiously stepped in.
"Welcome to the pack," Jack said. "All of you."
Relief flowed through me as I watched her settle in his embrace. She hadn't forgotten what a good Alpha was like.
Jack took a deep breath and pulled back. He met Aly's gaze and smiled. "Your future cub is welcome, too."
"Thanks, big guy."
After she stepped back, Jack opened his arms for Izzy. She hesitated and looked at him warily. She didn't have a cat to tell her he was genuine. That he wouldn't hurt her like she had been hurt before.
"You're welcome, too, if you want," he said softly.
Izzy blinked, then she rushed into his arms. It was only when I heard a sob that I realized she was crying.
"Hush now," he said softly as he brushed a large hand over her hair, "you're safe."<
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She nodded against his chest, then stepped back and brushed away her tears. My heart eased to see her wariness had receded slightly. There was simply something about a good Alpha. She still had a long way to go, but I felt like Jack was exactly the Alpha she needed to help her through this.
"Thank you so much, Jack," I said. "We are lucky to have such a good pack to help us at a time like this."
I heard the front door open and a male voice was singing the chorus to Oklahoma. With gusto. There was only one pack member who loved musicals that much. Ray's sheer joy in the song was infectious.
I met Aly's gaze and saw her fighting to hold back a laugh.
"Raymond," Jack said in a long-suffering tone.
The man who sashayed into the room could have been a runway model. He was all lean lines, and his face was classically beautiful. He could make a woman's heart stop. But he made it clear upon first meeting him that it wasn't women he was interested in.
His gaze bounced from Aly, paused on Izzy, then he met my eyes. I saw a flash of understanding before he turned to our Alpha.
"Jack," he said with a sigh, "I just don't understand your hatred of musical masterpieces."
"It isn't the music that's the problem—"
"I know it isn't my singing voice. Because that's perfect."
"Yes," Jack said clearly amused, "your singing voice is amazing. On pitch. On key."
"Well, then," Ray said, "I don't see any issue."
He opened his mouth to resume his singing when Jack spoke up, "It's the volume. Just . . . turn down the volume."
Ray's dancing gaze met mine and he winked before turning a sad face to our Alpha. Jack's eyes laughed, but his face was sober as he met Ray's crestfallen expression. They stared at each other for a moment before Ray heaved a dramatic sigh.
"Fine," he huffed and stomped off to the fridge softly singing Oklahoma.
Jack shook his head and looked at us. "You all okay now?"
I glanced over at my sister and Izzy, then nodded. "Yeah, I think we are."
We said our goodbyes and headed out of the pack house. I felt like whistling as we got into the car. Aly and Izzy were surprisingly quiet as I started the drive. We were about half way home when Aly broke the peaceful quiet.
"So, he'll really help us?"
"Yep." I couldn't stop the grin on my face.
"Do you think the old pack will find us?"
"Probably. Edward did."
"And there'll be a fight?"
"Well, we aren't going back with them, so yeah."
"Okay, but the pack will help us?"
I glanced over at her. "You already asked that. What's going on with you right now?"
She bit her lip in an uncharacteristic show of uncertainty.
"Out with it," I ordered, still too relieved to be annoyed.
"Fine," Aly huffed. "Here's the thing. I think you really like Alex, but you shoved him away at the rest stop. I've been thinking about it, and you did it when you saw that he had gotten hurt."
My stomach clenched at the memory of his expression. "What are you getting at, Aly? It's not like you to be so cryptic."
"I saw your face. You pushed him away because you were afraid of him getting hurt like that again."
"Yeah, we live in a dangerous world," I said tightly.
"Bullshit."
"Alysse Addison," I said, "I don't like this trend of you cursing at me. Being eighteen doesn't suddenly give you a free pass."
"Then don't be a stupid idiot."
"Pardon me?"
"You heard me. You pushed away a guy you're obviously super into. And why? Because life's dangerous? Well, I'm more likely to die in a car wreck than a shifter fight. I could be struck by lightning. I could choke on food and die, but I don't let that stop me from eating."
"Now you're being melodramatic."
"Maybe I am, but my point is you don't know what's going to happen. Stop being stupid." Her voice grew soft. "Take a chance, Sophie."
I pulled into my driveway and thought about her words. Dare I take a chance? I had pushed him away so hard.
Could I even convince Alex to give me a second chance? He had texted me, so he was at least still thinking about me. Maybe . . .
"Hey," Aly said, breaking into my thoughts, "can we borrow the car to take Izzy to get some clothes?"
"Yeah, sure. Now?"
"That'd be great."
"Go on ahead. I don't need the car today."
I got out of the car, gave Aly the keys, then watched them drive away. I noticed the planting looked finished, and there were beautiful, blooming peonies in the planter beds. Disappointment shot through me as I realized I missed seeing Alex, although it was probably for the best.
I needed to figure out what to say to him. I couldn't stop myself from walking over to the flower bed and taking a deep breath. His scent was still fresh, mixed with the soil and flowers. I couldn't hold back my smile.
I turned back to the house and sighed as I saw the dried rabbit blood. I hadn't cleaned it up before we left. Well, no better time than the present.
Maybe I'd water the newly planted flowers, too. I walked over to get the hose from the side of the house. My mind ran in circles as I tried to figure out what to say to Alex.
Suddenly I saw something glittering on the ground. I frowned as I reached down to pick it up. It was a glittery vial that looked like the same one I found the other day with Alex.
As I picked it up, I caught a whiff of something and realized it was . . . Edward. I snarled and smelled it again, just to be certain. There was a second scent under his. Someone that I couldn't put my finger on, but I knew I had smelled them around Fayoak.
I pulled out my phone and thought about who to call. Who did I know that could possibly recognize the scent?
Maddox. Although he'd only been home a few months, he was all over Fayoak. If he didn't know whose scent it was, he'd know who would. I wanted to talk to Alex still, but I had to figure this out first. I dialed Maddox's number.
"Hey, Sophie. What's going on?"
"You busy?" I asked briskly. "I need to see you."
14
Alexander
I followed Heather out to her garden and she led me to three rose bushes in large plastic pots that already had buds and blossoms. All they needed was to be taken out of the pot and put into the ground. Something even Heather would be capable of doing.
"What do you want me to do with these again?"
She waved her hand vaguely in the direction of the pots. "Just plant them and make them pretty."
"They're already blooming though."
"Silly me. Well, since you're here and all, you might as well plant them. And make them prettier, if you can."
I ran my gaze around the meticulously cared for garden. I remembered when she had come to volunteer she said she had people who worked on her garden. People.
So why did she insist on having me plant her already blooming flowers? It didn't make sense, at all.
"Where—"
"I marked where I want them planted," she interrupted. "Why don't you get to work? I'll be right back. I'm parched and need a tall glass of sweet tea. Not that I need to be any sweeter, right?"
I couldn't bring myself to smile at her flirting, even to be polite, so I kept my gaze on the plants. Unease danced up my spine as I got to work. It only increased as Heather plopped herself down in a yard chair after clip-clopping inside to get herself her drink. I felt like I was putting on a show for her as she sat there and slurped her drink.
I must not have been very interesting because I had only finished planting the first bush when she trotted back inside. Wanting to get out of here as quick as I could, I dug the holes as fast as possible, using my magic to encourage nearby roots to loosen the soil for me.
I hadn't been working for long when the back of my scalp started to tingle. It was that feeling you get when someone's watching you. Not just watching you, but staring a hole straight into your skull. It
reminded me of when that guy stared at me in the grocery store.
I kept glancing over my shoulder and saw nothing but the picturesque, carefully detailed back porch of Heather's two-story home and her overly cultivated garden. I wasn't even sure why I was here—her flowers were all perfectly healthy and obviously manicured into oblivion.
The roses that she "just had to have blooming" already were. Her gardener could have easily planted them. I couldn't make them prettier. She could just be ignorant of how my magic worked, but it all only made me more paranoid. Something wasn't right here, even if I couldn't tell what.
A low growl reached my ears and I whirled around. I jerked when I saw Heather behind me. How had I not heard her? The growl didn't seem to come from her. She looked just as shocked as I was.
"What the hell was that?" I asked.
Heather pointed a shaking finger behind me. I looked over my shoulder to see glowing blue eyes set in Sophie's furious face. Even though she was in her human form, it was obvious her cougar was in control. She hopped over the back fence looking completely feral. She strode straight over to Heather with a fast glance at me.
My eyes devoured her. Something in me had feared I'd never see her again, and I studied her as if I was trying to memorize her every feature and expression. I suddenly realized she was wearing a backpack and it brought me back to the here and now. That was different.
"What were you about to do to him?" Sophie hissed through clenched teeth.
Her anger was so palpable that the air grew thick with it. I wondered what had happened that made her so mad. Whatever it was, I knew it had to be colossal. I'd only ever seen her this upset around Edward. I narrowed my eyes in thought.
Heather smirked and inspected her long, pink nails. "Do to him? I have no idea what you're talking about. And if anything was done, it was completely consensual and fully enjoyed by the both of us."
My stomach clenched at her implication. My eyes shot to Sophie. Did she believe that lie? Not that we were a thing, or ever were. She had to know I would never stoop so low. Her lip curled but she didn't look as if she bought a word Heather said.
