“And Miles does not take kindly to being attacked by random packs of crazy women,” Miles said, with a warning scowl.
“Oh.” Naomi stared up at Baldwin, wide-eyed. “Oops. I’m really sorry. I should have asked which one of you was going to kill my friend. Because she stuck up for me when this girl was being mean to me, and nobody ever sticks up for me, and so I felt like I should do the same for her, and also when those girls told me the Alpha Prime was going to death-challenge her that just seemed really not fair and mmmmmph…” she finished as Dakota put her hand over Naomi’s mouth.
“Anyway, we worked everything out,” Dakota informed Naomi, then took her hand away.
Naomi looked relieved. “You did? He’s not going to kill you?”
“Nope,” Miles answered for Dakota. “Not today, anyway.”
Naomi glanced nervously at him, then said to Dakota, “And he’s not going to kill me?”
“He’d have to go through me first,” Dakota said. “And then he wouldn’t have an English teacher and he’d still be taking care of a bunch of bratty orphans.”
“Orphans?” Naomi’s face lit up. “I love kids! I can’t wait to have my own kids. I want lots of kids. I’ll help you take care of the orphans, I’m really good at taking care of kids and— Am I talking too much?”
“Take some deep breaths,” Dakota suggested.
Macy shifted back into human form. Now she was stark naked, her clothes having fallen off her when she shifted.
“That’ll learn you, picking on a woman like that! And don’t look at my ass!” she yelled, covering herself with her hands, and ran off to fetch her suitcase.
Miles snorted. “I will give you all a one time pass, just because you gave us the best laugh we’ve had in ages. Don’t hit any of my pack members again,” he said to them. Then he glanced at Dakota. “All right, I’ll take you to the cabin where the kids have been staying. They tend to rove around wherever the hell they want, but they’ll show up eventually. As soon as you get them all rounded up, you’ll bring them to my pack’s property and we’ll put you in a cabin.”
Dakota bristled at his bossy tone. Also, the thought of sleeping anywhere near that big, swaggering mountain of sexiness filled her with feelings she’d rather not acknowledge.
“I’m not staying on your property,” she said firmly. “I’ll just stay at…at my family’s cabin.”
He snorted at that. “You have fun with that. Catch a ride out there to the cabin while you’re at it.”
He turned and walked off with Baldwin, who cast wary glances at the women, and Anders, who was still chortling quietly under his breath.
Dakota turned to face her new group of friends. Yes, friends, who’d been willing to risk their lives to save her.
Tears filled her eyes.
“Thank you guys so, so much,” she said. “That was incredibly brave, and I will never, ever forget it. If you ever need anything, I have your back a thousand percent.”
“Right now,” Naomi said, holding out her hand so they could see how it was shaking, “I need a good stiff drink and a change of underwear.”
* * * * *
Miles paced back and forth in the front of his cabin, scowling. He was staring into the distance, his eyes dark and unreadable. Anders and Baldwin stood back and watched him thoughtfully. The rest of the pack was by the barbecue grill, but Miles wasn’t feeling sociable at the moment.
For a little while today, back at the square, there had been a lightening in Miles’s mood. Anders was no Omega, but he was as close as a brother to Miles. The two of them had endured a hellish cubhood after the deaths of their parents in a pack war, with Miles’s uncle regularly breaking their bones and kicking their asses just to show that he could.
Anders had lost count of how many times Miles had intervened, challenging his uncle when he’d been on the verge of pounding Anders to death, and taking the beating for him.
Once Miles had turned eighteen and it had become clear that he’d be a Prime, his uncle’s assaults had grown more vicious – until Miles had turned on him when he was twenty-two, and fought him to a draw. Miles and half the pack had split off and moved into a very small territory, which was why they’d jumped at the chance to stake their claim in the new territory in New Hampshire.
Still, moving a thousand miles away from Miles’s uncle didn’t mean he could escape the scars of his childhood. Miles had been withdrawing more and more lately. He’d perked up so much that afternoon when he’d started flirting with that girl; maybe he just needed to get laid.
“What about the tall skinny blonde on the bus?” Anders asked Miles. “The one with the big rack?”
Miles looked blankly at Anders. “What about her?”
“She was definitely checking you out.”
Miles shook his head. “Not interested.”
That was too bad. Anders could tell that the raw power that lived just under Miles’s skin was in desperate need of release.
“You still got your eye on the brunette?” he asked.
Miles raised an eyebrow and let out a faint growl that said the brunette was not up for discussion.
Well, only one way to help his Alpha. “I’m up for some sparring,” Anders said to Miles. “I think you’re getting a little soft.”
Miles barked out a humorless laugh. “Hilarious. So you want me to kick your ass extra hard, is that what you’re saying?”
Anders refused to grimace. He was a shifter; he’d heal. “Ready when you are.”
Miles shook his head. “Nah, you’re in luck. I’ve got a meeting with a bear in a couple of hours. He won’t back off the beavers’ territory. Your ribs are safe for another day.”
Anders tried not to look too relieved, and directed his attention to Baldwin instead.
“So what about you? You going to seal the deal with the shifter lady you had your eye on?”
“Probably not.” Baldwin looked away, avoiding his gaze.
Anders couldn’t let it go that easily, of course.
“Why not?”
Baldwin heaved a sigh and flashed his packmate an irritated glance. “Because it was the coyote shifter who beat me with the stick.” And he turned and walked away as Anders threw his head back and howled with laughter.
Chapter Seven
A couple of hours later, Naomi, Dakota and Macy strolled up to the weather-beaten shack where Shaun had been staying before his untimely demise. It was half a mile from the town center; the walk hadn’t been too bad.
Naomi and Dakota had pooled their money to buy some groceries, and Macy had come along because she had a few hours to kill. She’d been accepted into a fox shifter pack and snagged a job as bartender at the Watering Hole, and she started training later that evening.
Dakota yanked open the sagging door and they gingerly filed into the shack where the children had been staying on their own since their uncle’s death.
“Wow, this place is certainly very…uh…” Dakota tried to find the right words. There were piles of garbage and empty beer bottles on either side of the front door, the refrigerator was filthy and empty, and the one bare lightbulb that dangled from the ceiling flickered ominously. The front door sagged on its hinges. There was one room that served as a kitchen and living room and another that served as a bedroom, and the sofa was stained and had springs sticking up out of the cushions.
“Nasty?” Macy said helpfully.
“Likely to collapse in the first stiff breeze?” Naomi added as she turned on the faucet in the small, dented sink. Rusty water gushed out, and she wrinkled her nose.
“I was going to say rustic, or something like that.” Dakota grimaced and began putting pieces of trash into the garbage bags that she and Naomi had brought with them. They’d also brought the ingredients for a stew, and Sophia the waitress had given them some cookware that the restaurant wasn’t using.
“Yes, nice try. Rustic, sure, we’ll go with that.” Macy arched a delicate red eyebrow.
“We need to
have dinner ready for when the cubs show up. You start cooking, I’ll get the garbage,” Naomi said.
“Cooking,” Dakota said slowly. “Uh, I’ve never actually done that before. Always had someone cooking for me.”
They both turned to stare at her.
“Because whenever I tried, it was so bad I ruined it,” Dakota rushed to explain. “So I did other things for the pack. Like, uh, cleaning.” That was not entirely a lie. She had tried to cook a few times, and things had kept catching on fire. After that, her father’s chefs had always claimed that the oven was broken when she’d come into the kitchen, so she’d taken the hint and moved on.
“Okay, you clean and I’ll cook,” Naomi said. “I love to cook! It’s the only thing I’m good at, really.”
Dakota grabbed a Brillo pad and scrubbed at the filthy countertop.
“You know you have to put water on it before you use it, right?” Macy asked, raising an eyebrow again.
“Silly me. Where is my head today?” Dakota hurried over and ran the tap and wet the Brillo pad. Damn, this adulting was harder than she’d anticipated.
“I’m on to you,” Macy whispered.
Dakota felt her heart stutter in her chest. “You are?”
“Sure. You’re pretending to be someone else. On the run from the law, are you?”
“Uh, well…”
Macy shrugged. “No big. I might have shanked a guy in the ribs before I came up here. Oh, he didn’t die – I just made him bleed a little bit. The rat-bastard was beating up one of the waitresses I worked with, and I told him he should leave town. He did. You keep my secret, I’ll keep yours.”
A little while later, while a fragrant stew bubbled on the stove, Miles and Baldwin drove up and parked out front. They marched three dirty young children and a skinny, sullen teenager into the shack.
The teenager was the girl thief from the alley. Well, wasn’t that just grand?
“Look what we rounded up for you,” Miles said. “Caught them trying to steal honey from the bears’ territory. That’s a dangerous business, stealing from bears. It’s your job to keep an eye on them now.”
“Oh, it’s you. Hello,” Naomi said nervously to Baldwin. “I’m the one that tried to kill you. Well, you probably already remembered that, because it was just a couple hours ago. Anyway, I’m not armed right now, so, uh, you’re safe. And also I won’t attack you anymore because— Excuse me, I need to pee. I mean I need to—” She clapped both her hands over her mouth as she turned and ran out the back door.
Baldwin stared after her with a bewildered expression on his face.
“You again?” the girl asked, glowering at Dakota. “Are you stalking me?”
Miles looked puzzled. “You don’t know her? I thought she was your aunt. Jamie Roberts. Your pack sent her here to get you guys.”
The girl shrugged indifferently. “Must be from the Oregon pack. Nobody from my own family cared enough to send anybody after me.”
The younger ones were sniffing at the scent of meaty stew with interest.
“This is Sarah,” Miles said, pointing at the teenage girl. “This is Sailor, John, and Mary.” He pointed at the three younger kids, who looked to be around eight, six, and five, respectively. They had narrow faces and bright, hungry brown eyes, and their hair looked as if it might be dirty blond under the layer of grime.
“I don’t like you,” John informed her. “And I don’t like him,” he pointed at Miles, “and I’m not staying here.”
“We’re all going to run away,” Sailor added.
Miles looked around at the dilapidated cabin. “Well, you kids have fun.” And then he winked at Dakota. “And when you change your mind, you know where to find me.”
“I do not know, and I do not want to know,” Dakota said haughtily.
“Change your mind about what?” Mary asked.
“Never you mind,” Dakota said. “You guys need to wash your hands before dinner.”
Naomi came back into the shack after Miles and Baldwin got in their truck and drove off.
“We’re going to have so much fun!” She beamed at the scruffy urchins, who looked at her distrustfully.
“I don’t like her either,” John said loftily.
John and Mary hid behind Sarah, and Naomi’s face fell.
“It’ll be fine,” Dakota assured her. “They’ll come around.”
“No, we won’t,” Sarah said to Dakota. “We’re not washing our hands. And if you’re staying here, we’re running away. We don’t need anyone to take care of us.” Then she narrowed her eyes shrewdly. “Of course, if we run away, you’ll get in trouble with that big, stupid jerkwad Miles. So if you give me fifty bucks, we’ll stay for the week. Payment in advance, and we’re not washing our hands.”
“Ha! I’m not paying you a dime.” Dakota pointed at the door. “The door, what’s left of it, is that way. You can either stay here and wash your hands for dinner, or you can head for the hills.” She glanced out the single filthy, cracked window. “Looks like rain. You’ll want to try to find shelter soon.”
“You’re not going to try to stop us?” Sarah asked suspiciously.
Dakota shook her head. “Nope, I’m too tired to chase anyone, and I’m hungry. I’m going to sit here and enjoy this delicious meal.”
“And I don’t even like kids,” Macy informed them. “I’m just waiting for you to leave so I can eat all your food.”
The younger kids sniffed at the air again and exchanged mournful looks.
Sarah frowned in thought. “If we stay here with you, can we go anywhere we want, whenever we want?”
“No again,” Dakota said firmly. “This is a wild, undeveloped territory, and it’s not safe for you to be running around on your own. If you stay here, you stay with me at all times. Furthermore, you will help me cook our meals and help me wash the dishes, and you will go to school and do your homework every night.”
“What kind of monster are you?” Sarah cried, scandalized.
“I am the stuff of nightmares,” Dakota said, smiling pleasantly. “Look at me, wanting to keep you clean, safe and well-educated. I’m the devil in wolf form.”
“I’ll say,” Sarah muttered. “I’ve heard of some crazy things in my day, but this is just ridiculous.”
“There’s always the running away option,” Macy suggested. “Really. We’re all way too tired to catch you.”
“Macy!” Naomi said indignantly.
Macy’s eyes went wide and innocent. “I’m telling the truth. It’s important to set a good example by telling the truth.”
John pulled on Sarah’s shirt. “I’m hungry,” he whined. “I don’t want to run away until after dinner.”
Macy grabbed Dakota and led her into the shack’s only bedroom. “So, we are letting them go, right?” she said.
Dakota shook her head and answered in a low voice. “I’m just letting them think that staying is their decision. I was raised by someone who did everything by brute force. He’d have dragged the kids to the table, tied them down, scrubbed their faces raw, and forced food down their throats. Where does that kind of treatment get you?”
“The kids would run away the next day?” Macy said hopefully.
“Exactly. And that’s what we don’t want.”
“We don’t? I mean, of course not, that would be terrible.” Macy rolled her eyes.
They went back into the living room-kitchen, and found the kids lining up at the sink to wash their hands.
Dakota flashed a triumphant look at Macy, who stuck her tongue out at her.
The children ate and ate and ate. After dinner, under Dakota and Naomi’s prodding, they helped her to clear the table and wash the dishes. Dakota heard Mary whispering to John, “I’m pretty tired now. Let’s not go tonight. It’s started to rain anyway. We’ll run away tomorrow.”
“Maybe after breakfast,” John suggested.
“Yeah, after breakfast.” Mary nodded and yawned again.
“Or lunch.” John’
s voice was wistful. “Too bad we can’t stay here. Naomi’s a good cook.”
“Since you helped clear the dishes, you all get dessert,” Naomi called out. “I made apple crumble.”
“Dessert?” Sailor cried happily. Then she whispered to John, “Definitely after lunch tomorrow. We can wait until after lunch.”
After dinner, one of the bartenders from the Watering Hole came to pick up Macy so she could work her first shift.
He introduced himself as David, and he looked at Macy as if she were the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.
“Hmm,” Macy murmured to Dakota as David went to wait outside for her. “He’s very pretty. Seems like a nice guy. I don’t usually go for the nice guys.”
“And how has that worked out for you so far?” Dakota asked her.
“You have a point. I guess I could try a little sample of nice and see if I like the taste of it.” Macy winked at her. “I may end up sleeping in town tonight after my shift, but I’ll find you in the morning.”
When it was time to sleep, Dakota and Naomi curled up on the rug in the living room, while the children slept in the shack’s one bedroom.
It was many hours later that Dakota sat bolt upright, a feeling of uneasiness rushing through her.
She listened carefully. What was wrong? She couldn’t put her finger on it. Naomi lay curled up on her side, snoring.
She could hear rustling and low murmurs in the other room, so she went to check on the cubs.
There were only three kids there. Her heart dropped. She’d really thought they were starting to come around.
“Where’s Sarah?” she asked.
John sat up and yawned. “She went outside to pee.”
“By herself, in the middle of the night?” Dakota said, exasperated. “I told you guys I need to keep an eye on you. She should have woken me up to go with her and stand guard.”
Sailor looked at her scornfully. “She’ll be fine.”
Dakota stuck her head outside, but didn’t see anything. The night was very windy, which interfered with her ability to scent, although she caught a faint whiff of Sarah from the west side of the cabin, in the woods.
Shiftily Ever After: A BBW Paranormal Romance (Alpha Prime) Page 5
