The Alpha's Niece (Barton Pack Book 1)

by Jane B. Night

  She needed to continue her story or she never would.

  "Jordan was the only one who..." she struggled to find the words.” He only let the others...on my fur. He was the one who...Inside of me." Remember whimpered.

  "You don't need to say anymore. I understand," Cyrus whispered. She felt a hand on her shoulder but her body didn't feel any panic. Instead, she leaned into him. She rested her head on his chest as the sobs overtook her.

  She had been humiliated and in pain but she had made her way home in wolf form since her clothes were destroyed and she didn't want to risk any other man seeing her naked body and being incited to lust.

  She barely snuck in before the house matron saw her. She was lucky it was getting dusky. She didn't tell Sara or anyone about it. Not until she went home for the next full moon and her mother pulled her aside and interrogated her. Remember hadn't known she was carrying a pup. She didn't even know that for some she-wolves there was a change in their scent which certain other wolves were sensitive to. Her mother had assumed she had been seduced and demanded the name of the father so that her honor could be restored. That had caused her to fall into a terrified weeping puddle at her mother's feet. She had only told her mother that Jordan was the father but that he had forced her and not seduced her. She begged her mother not to let her father force a marriage. If she hadn't been so terrified she doubted her mother would have consented.

  She hadn't overheard her mother and father discussing what was to be done with her but she could tell from her father's dark looks it had taken some convincing for him not to hunt Jordan down and murder him.

  "You smelled one of them at the fair?" Cyrus asked.

  "I thought I did," Remember said. The smell had sent her whole body into a panic.

  "We should tell your uncle-" Cyrus began.

  "No! He doesn't know what happened," Remember said. Her heart began racing again. She didn't want her uncle knowing the full level of her shame. It was bad enough for him to know she'd been forced by Jordan. If he knew the rest he would never be able to look at her the same again.

  "I promise you I won't ever tell anyone what you told me. I can tell him that you scented someone you knew to be from Jordan's pack. He can keep the pack on alert to look for strange wolves who might be trying to take word of your location back to Jordan," Cyrus said.

  Remember hadn't thought to lie to her uncle but the story Cyrus created made sense.

  "Do you really think that is why he was here?" her heart started pounding in her chest again and her skin felt hot even as her body shivered.

  "I don't know why he was here but it doesn't matter. You are safe here. I won't let anything happen to you and neither will your uncle," Cyrus promised.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on for a long moment. She wanted to believe that she and her baby really were safe but she wasn't sure if they ever would be.

  Finally, she pulled her arms from his neck. She was glad that darkness had fallen and she couldn't see his face clearly. After what she'd told him, Remember was afraid to look at him.

  "You need to rest. Should I make you some more tea?" Cyrus asked.

  "I don't think so," Remember said lying back down in the bed. The truth was she didn't want to be alone at that moment.

  Cyrus laid down beside her.

  She hesitated for a moment but then she rolled over and snuggled against his arm. She was relieved when he didn't pull away from her in disgust.

  ***

  It didn't take long for Remember's breathing to slow to that of sleep but Cyrus was wide awake. He felt an anger deep in his chest that he didn't think he had ever felt before. It was a murderous rage unlike anything he had experienced as a soldier.

  It was bad enough that Remember had been forced and had a pup put into her against her will. What she described was another level of repulsiveness. Part of him wanted to hunt down Jordan and his fellows and kill them all though he knew it was impossible. He would keep his promise to Remember and not tell her uncle the full truth about her concerns but he did need to alert him. There was no way in hell he was letting any of those monsters near Remember ever again. She was part of their pack and it was the packs job to protect their own. He would talk to Isaac in the morning and be sure that he was aware of the situation and taking steps to investigate. Perhaps it had been Remember's imaginings. He had heard of cases where people who had experienced traumas sensed things that weren't there. Still, he had to take the threat as real. As horrific as her story had been Cyrus was glad she'd shared it. Everything made more sense to him especially what had happened earlier in the day. He wasn't going to let anything like that happen to her ever again. He was going to do everything in his power to keep her safe. He had married her and promised to protect her and her pup. No matter what happened he was going to keep that promise.

  Chapter 9

  Remember opened her eyes and it took a moment for the events of the day before to come crashing back down on her. She'd shared her deepest secret with Cyrus. He knew what no one else did. Remember swallowed, finding her throat dry as sawdust. She hated feeling this way. She hated the panic. She hated the anxiety. She hated that she'd been enjoying herself in the company of Cyrus only to collapse in a fearful heap.

  She wanted to be normal again.

  She climbed out of bed and dressed. Cyrus was likely already at his office. The sun was clear in the sky and it had to be closer to mid-morning than dawn.

  The kitchen was vacant when she came down the stairs. She made herself a pot of coffee and lifted up the mesh cover which protected a plate of biscuits. She grabbed one biscuit and then, after a moment's hesitation, grabbed a second. She wasn't especially hungry but she wanted to be sure her son was getting all the food he needed to grow within her.

  After eating breakfast she scratched a note to Tabitha letting her know that she was going to call on her cousin.

  Abigail opened the door with one twin on her hip and the other clinging to her leg.

  "Come on in," she said, smiling.

  Remember put her bonnet on the peg and took the seat offered to her in the sitting room. It was a formal sitting room though not nearly as fancy as the one her uncle had.

  The child who had been clinging to Abigail's leg stared at her a long moment before hesitantly walking across the room and putting a hand on her knee.

  "It's fine Fanny. That is your cousin, Remember," Abigail said. The child seemed to think this fact over for a long moment before climbing up onto Remember's lap.

  "Cousin," Fanny repeated.

  "It was so good of you to call on us today. I'd meant to visit but..." Abigail shrugged her shoulders nodding at the child that was now on her lap instead of her hip. That twin, Ava, clung to her tightly, apparently uninterested in their visitor.

  "Of course. I'm sure once my little one comes it will be difficult to visit," Remember said.

  "One baby isn't so hard to carry around. Two is another story," Abigail smiled.

  "Did you know there were two before the birth?" Remember asked.

  "Martha heard two heartbeats. It was quite a shock to my poor husband. Men are strange creatures at times. Noah talked about the children we would have when we got married and during our courtship, but he became a tower of nerves just about the time my belly swelled. He adjusted though. These little ones are the apples of his eyes. I know he wished for a boy but as soon as these little angels were born he was smitten with them," Abigail said.

  "Did you suspect you were having girls?"

  "From the moment I found out I was pregnant," Abigail said with a smile.

  "I think mine is going to be a boy."

  "Cyrus will love that," Abigail said. "A little boy to train as the next town doctor. Such a blessing. Your boy will be just the right age to play with my girls once they are a little older. Won't that be lovely?"

  "It will," Remember agreed.

  "But enough talk of all the fun we will have once your wee one has arrived. Tell me abou
t life in the city. Tell me tales of your adventures at the seminary," Abigail said.

  "There isn't much to tell," Remember admitted.

  "Oh there must be. I thought of going away to school but then I met Noah," Abigail said. The look of love on her face caused a twinge of pain in Remember's heart. She hoped someday she could learn to care for Cyrus as much as Abigail clearly cared for her husband.

  "Was it love at first sight?" Remember asked.

  "Not at all. I thought he was a snooty lawyer the first time we met. He was so reserved. He came from a pack in the south. He split from his pack because of the war. When he got here he was broken-hearted. He had been rejected by his family. His twin brother had disowned him. It was terrible. He didn't feel like he was ever going to be happy again. He didn't think he would ever know family again. Then, he started coming to the house on legal business and we kept bumping into each other," Abigail's cheeks pinked slightly in a blush but she gave a contented smile.

  "You are very fortunate," Remember said.

  Fanny, apparently bored with the grown up talk, climbed down from her lap. Remember watched as Fanny waved Ava over to two identical dolls lying in a basket in the corner. The girls picked up the dolls and began to play a game Remember didn't even try to understand.

  "You didn't leave behind a beau did you?" Abigail asked softly.

  "No," Remember assured her. It was a small blessing. Remember had met many men and even been out with a few but there had been no one special. No one had ever captured her heart. Her face had never lit up with love as her cousin's did at the thought of her husband. She also had never shared any secret with them of the weight of the one she had shared with Cyrus.

  "Is Cyrus being kind to you?"

  "Yes," Remember said.

  "I'm glad. Mother wasn't sure father made the right call in arranging the match. She wasn't sure how you would feel about being married to a three-legged wolf. It seemed cruel after all you had already been through," Abigail said.

  "Cyrus is a very kind man. I think your father made a wise choice," Remember said. She realized that it was true. Perhaps Cyrus being a doctor had allowed her to say things to him she would have hid in shame from another husband. Surely, a doctor had heard and seen many worse things than she had described.

  "So, seminary," Abigail said putting on an exaggerated smile.

  Remember was glad for the change of topic. She had intended the visit to distract her from the pain in her heart, not dwell on it.

  "It was not quite as glamorous as one would expect, I suppose. We spent much of the day studying and when we weren't studying we were cooking or washing," Remember began with a fond smile. Her education hadn't been easy and it had ended abruptly but she knew she would always cherish the women she'd met and the lessons she had learned.

  ***

  Cyrus peered out into the waiting room after sending a patient with a stomach complaint to Aaron's drugstore with a prescription that would hopefully solve the aforementioned complaint.

  The waiting room was empty. Cyrus sighed. He would have a bit of time to work on his paperwork before the next patient appeared. If no new patients came, he might even close the office early and begin his home visits. He turned to the back of the building where his desk and medical texts took up a large portion of the back room and then paused. He hesitated for a moment before turning around, placing a sign on the door that he was unavailable, and following the plank path that led next door to the Law Office.

  He was pleased to find Noah alone, bent over a pile of papers.

  He knocked on the door. "Do you have a minute for me?" Cyrus asked.

  Noah looked up and blinked a few times as if to pull himself from the thoughts of the work he was doing.

  "Of course. Take a seat," Noah said with a smile.

  Cyrus sat down in one of the two horsehair chairs across from the desk.

  "What can I do for you?" Noah asked.

  "I'm not really sure. I meant to bring it up to Isaac but it might be best to come to you first. I thought that, being a lawyer, you would know what the laws were and-"

  "Just tell me what is going on. Is it involving your new wife?" Noah asked.

  "It is," Cyrus said.

  Noah shifted uncomfortably. Cyrus could only imagine what was running through the young lawyers head.

  "I'll see what I can do," Noah said cautiously. He probably thought Cyrus was there to ask about any loopholes in the marriage contract. It would be a common enough question in a marriage which was arranged by another. Noah was a member of the alpha family by marriage. Technically, Remember was his kin and he would side with his alpha and his family above any laws of the land.

  "Remember and I went to the state fair. While we were there she thought she caught scent of someone," Cyrus said.

  "The man who attacked her?" Noah asked leaning forward.

  "Not her attacker but one of his close associates," Cyrus said unwilling to reveal too much, even to Noah. The lawyer was skilled in keeping information in confidence but that didn't change the fact that it wasn't Cyrus's secret to tell.

  "How sure was she that the scent belonged to him?"

  "Sure enough to convince me," Cyrus said. He couldn't imagine her having such an extreme physical reaction if she wasn't sure of the familiarity of the scent.

  "I will let Isaac know, though I'm not sure whether there should be cause for concern. Remember is part of our pack. He would be foolish to try another assault on her," Noah said.

  "I don't think he means to hurt her. I only wonder if he means to claim her child. Can he do that?" Cyrus asked.

  Noah leaned back in his chair. His hand grabbed a pen off the desk and he rolled it between his fingers as he spoke.

  "Remember is your wife and the child within her belongs to you. There is no definitive way for her attacker to prove the pup belongs to him. He can't take the pup without causing a pack war. That being said, I know a thing or two about the ties one feels to their blood. Nothing in this world could keep me from my children. Her attacker could attempt to take the pup but he wouldn't have the protection of his pack in such an action," Noah said.

  "Suppose the attacker was an alpha," Cyrus said.

  Noah muttered an expletive.

  "He isn't an alpha yet. Only the son of an alpha," Cyrus added quickly.

  "That isn't much better. We must hope his father values the interest of his pack above a bastard grandchild. Still, there is reason to be vigilant," Noah said.

  "Will you relay this information to Isaac?" Cyrus asked.

  "Of course," Noah said.

  Cyrus leaned into his cane to raise himself to standing.

  "How is Remember settling in?" Noah asked. Cyrus knew he was asking a complex question in the simplest terms he knew how. Cyrus decided to give him a simple answer in return.

  "As well as one would expect."

  "Let me and Abigail know if you need anything," Noah said.

  "Just keep my wife safe from the bastard who attacked her," Cyrus said making his way to the door. He glanced at his office and found no line waiting. He decided he would start his house calls early. He wanted to be home. He needed to offer Remember whatever protection a three-legged wolf was able to give his mate.

  Chapter 10

  Remember felt the sudden panic shake her body as she sat bolt upright in bed.

  "It's okay," Cyrus whispered. He was sitting in his chair. She realized it was the sounds of his movements that had awoken her.

  "You're up early," she said willing the panic away.

  "There is a gathering near Bear Creek I was asked to attend. The birds are migrating and many people make a picnic of watching them. Wolves. Bears. Witches. General folks from the town. They all gather together and bring food. They like me to be in attendance in case anyone gets hurt," Cyrus said.

  "Do they get hurt often?" Remember asked wrapping her arms around herself.

  "Only if there is too much alcohol," Cyrus said with a laugh.

/>   "Will your mother be going?" Remember asked.

  "She finds it far too rowdy for her taste," Cyrus said. His prosthetic was on now and he stood up and stretched.

  "Could I accompany you?" Remember asked. She wasn't sure why but she wanted to be near him.

  "Are you sure that you want to?" Cyrus asked. In truth, she hadn't left their land since the incident at the fair aside from a few visits to her relatives.

  Her aunt and cousins had been wonderfully kind to her.

  "If your mother won't miss my help," she added quickly. Perhaps Cyrus didn't want her to accompany him. She tried to push that thought from her mind. Since the night she had spoken to him of what had happened to her she had felt a new closeness grow between them. She hoped he felt it as well.

  "I'm sure she can manage," Cyrus said.

  "Then, I would like to come with you, if I may," Remember said.

  "Of course. We will just need to add a few things to the picnic basket," Cyrus said.

  Remember dressed and met her husband in the kitchen. The wicker basket he had on the table wasn't very large. It was already nearly filled with bread, jam, and strips of cured meat. There were also several bottles that she could only assume were cordials. She and Tabitha had been using the juices from fruits to make them. The last cordial they had made was a mixture of raspberry, lemon, water, and sugar. She had never made squashes or cordials before and it was just another thing she had been able to learn from Tabitha. Her mother had always bought their juices at the store.

  "You won't mind the walk?" Cyrus asked. Remember shook her head. She felt strong today. She could manage a decent walk.

  ***

  Cyrus kept watching Remember, looking for signs of distress. The edge of Bear Creek was almost three miles from his home. They followed Vista Road to Main Street until it branched off into a dirt road with no marked name. Flatlands soon gave way to woodlands.