Hunter looked between the two men but put his questions aside. He had enough to deal with without delving into whatever drama they had.
“Tell me about what I missed,” he said after a minute of awkward silence.
“Everything, Hunter,” Liam said.
“No shit,” Hunter snapped. “Give me specifics.”
“When you left—” Alec began then cut himself off. The other man clenched his jaw then took a deep breath. “No, when you were taken, things went to shit. We still don’t know how you were taken to the demons, Hunter. You have to believe that.”
Hunter nodded and meant that. He knew the two men in this room wouldn’t have sold him to the demons. That was all he knew though. He had his ideas of what had happened, but no proof.
Finding out how he’d been sold as a slave to the highest demon bidder was high on his list of priorities.
Liam cleared his throat then put his hand on Alec’s shoulder before sitting down on the couch. Alec shot him a look, and Liam pulled his arm away.
“When you left, Masterson, Lloyd, and Jacobs thought they found an opening for their plan,” Liam continued. “They’ve never hidden from those who’ve looked as though they want to take over the Pack. They want to bring the wolves into the twenty-first century, as they put it, and force a democracy.”
Hunter cursed. “We’re wolves. That cannot happen. None of the other Packs who have tried that have survived. We’re not humans. We have wolves wrapped around us, deep within the very aspects of our souls and beings. Denying an Alpha should hurt.”
Liam nodded. “You’re not telling us anything Alec and I haven’t said before. The amount of pain, though, depends on the Alpha.”
Hunter held back a grimace. “Josiah is getting older, but we don’t age like humans. His power should only increase with age.”
Alec shook his head. “Not without a Beta who can support him or without the magics that got him the position anyway. An Alpha can’t survive without a Beta. Josiah holds all the magic and strength of the entire Pack on his shoulders, but he can’t rule and be himself without another to lean on.”
Hunter nodded. “He would have been fine if he hadn’t lost Clara.”
Liam ran a hand through his hair. “She’s been gone for a decade, Hunter. Josiah is stronger than he gives himself credit for, but he can’t do it alone. He shouldn’t have to do it alone.”
“And Samuel, may he rest in peace, wasn’t strong enough to protect him,” Alec whispered.
Hunter didn’t wince or move at the mention of his late brother’s failures. No, that wasn’t quite right. He couldn’t call his brother’s decision a failure since the boy had done all in his power to protect the Pack. It just hadn’t been good enough. There had never been any question that Samuel hadn’t been strong enough for the position, but the kid should never have been put in harm’s way to begin with. If Hunter had been there, Samuel would be alive.
That above all else would be something that would haunt Hunter until the day he died.
“Have you found his killer?” Hunter asked, his voice low, deadly.
Alec shook his head. “No, but we can make guesses.”
“The three bastards who think they can take over the Pack.” Hunter clenched his fists, his fury riding him hard.
“You’re here now and named Beta in truth,” Liam said. “We couldn’t do it alone, not and keep our families alive and the Pack fluid, but we’ll be by your side, Hunter.”
Hunter nodded but stayed silent.
“The struggle has only just started, Hunter,” Alec put in. “We don’t know what the others have in store, and we don’t know exactly what they’ve done in the past. All we know is that we’ll protect Josiah and you with our lives.”
Hunter inclined his head at the two men who had been his best friends since they were pups. The three of them had always been thick as thieves, and when they’d grown into adult wolves, they’d taken their positions as council members and Beta in stride.
Alone they were strong.
Together they were stronger.
“This will cause a war if we’re not careful,” Liam murmured.
“We’re already in a war,” Hunter said flatly. “We just need to make sure it’s contained.”
The last thing he wanted was to bring their conflict into the other realms and hurt the humans.
Especially one particular human. She’d already been hurt once from a supernatural battle, and he’d be damned if he’d let another touch her.
He’d walked away from her once to ensure her safety.
He wouldn’t do it again.
Chapter Two
“Okay, you bastard, stay where you are,” Becca Quinn snarled at her enemy. She gripped her weapon and planted her feet, ready to take on the foul creature, even if it meant endangering her life.
It was past time for this bastard to die.
Her enemy twitched, but otherwise looked nonplussed.
“I won’t let you win this time,” she vowed. “You and your little friends might have won before, but not this time. Today I’ll be the victor, and you’ll be the one writhing in pain, helpless and screaming.”
Images of gold eyes and the faint sound of a wounded howl filled her mind, but she pushed those away.
It wasn’t the time.
“Becca, kill the damn spider and get on with it,” Dante Bell, her boss and friend, barked from the doorway.
Becca groaned but didn’t let her gaze fall from her fierce enemy. The eight-legged nightmare that had to be as big as her hand merely lifted a leg as if he hadn’t a care in the world.
He probably didn’t.
She quickly looked at the plunger in one of her hands and bottle of bleach cleaner in the other. Fine, she might have gone overboard with her weapons of choice, but considering she was in the bar bathroom, she took what she could get.
“He could kill me at any moment,” Becca said.
“He’s a spider, Becca,” Dante growled. “A spider. You’ve seen demons, angels, and heard of who knows what else, and you’re afraid of a measly spider.”
Becca snorted. “He could be a spider shifter for all we know, ready to kill me as soon as I relax.”
“For the gods’ sake. There are no such things as spider shifters. Don’t even think about asking me to kill if for you, Becs. Get a damn shoe.”
Becca finally pulled her gaze from her enemy and turned to glare at Dante. “You’d sit back and let me die?”
Something dark passed through his piercing blue eyes, and he set his jaw. She blinked as she remembered that her friend and boss wasn’t human. His long black and blue hair, his tattoos and piercings, and everything else about him hid who he was.
The dragon within him, the one she and her friends had never seen, was right under the surface.
Waiting.
“I’d rather walk through the fires of hell, the same hell I’m banned from, then sit back and watch any of you girls die. You know this. I’m standing back and letting you kill the fucking spider because you asked me to, Becca Quinn. You told me you wanted to face your fears, and I’m letting you. Never forget what I am and never forget that I’d die before watching you or the girls get hurt.”
With that, he turned on his heel and left her alone in the bathroom, her heart in her throat and her shame surrounding her.
Hell, she’d fucked that up.
Badly.
She turned back to the corner, only to find it empty. Panicked, she scanned the walls, floors, under the stalls, and her hair, only to come up short. The damned arachnoid-of-death had eluded her.
He and all his little friends would be back though, and she’d be ready.
Maybe.
She put the plunger and bleach back under the counter and washed her hands. It wasn’t as though she could spend hours chasing after something that probably wouldn’t hurt her when she had to go back to work and be a perky waitress.
Becca groaned then put her curly mass of red hair b
ack into its semblance of a ponytail. Her body ached something fierce, and she really didn’t want to put a smile on her face and pretend that she loved her job.
Well, that wasn’t really fair. She loved meeting new people, and she loved Dante like the big brother she’d never had—the hot-as-hell big brother—but it wasn’t as if she was attracted to him beyond a glimpse of hotness.
No, she had another man in mind when it came to whom she wanted. Not that she’d seen Hunter in a month.
No, he’d left her high and dry after saving her life in the alley when a man attacked her. Then Hunter had been there when she’d almost died in the attack from the djinn.
Hell, her life didn’t sound real anymore. She used to be the unlucky one of the group, which included her and her six friends. She was always tripping over something or tearing a hole in her shirt by just standing against a wall or something.
Then lightning had struck her and her friends, literally, and everything had changed.
Becca snorted. Didn’t that just sound like something out of a horror novel?
They’d all survived, Dante as well, though she didn’t find out until later why he was unharmed. After all, a dragon had to have thick scales, right?
Since that night when the room had lit up like a Christmas tree and her body had filled with a manic form of energy, things had been different. Lily had been the first to notice the change when she’d met Shade, a warrior angel from the angelic realm. He’d been there to stop her from finding out that the supernaturals existed, but it had all been for naught.
Since Lily and Shade were true halves, once they, ahem, connected on a deeper level, Lily had changed into a supernatural creature in her own right—a brownie. It seemed that the not-so-human part of her DNA had become dominant.
The same thing had happened a year later with Jamie, though she’d changed into a djinn. Her transformation hadn’t been as beautiful as Lily’s though. The demons of hell had taken her to their own realm and had almost killed her. Thankfully Shade’s mentor, Ambrose, had risked his own life to save her. There they’d met the third of their triad, Balin, and lived to tell the tale. Becca still couldn’t believe that little bookstore owner Jamie was in a ménage relationship in which Balin and Ambrose were also lovers.
From the way her friend always blushed and glowed, Becca figured things were working out.
It had been only a month since everyone had come back to the human realm and they’d defeated the demon and djinn who’d wanted to harm them. Becca herself had almost died by being impaled by a piece of wood. Jamie had saved her body, but it had been Hunter who’d saved her soul.
She’d known from that instance that Hunter would mean something more to her than just being a stranger who’d saved her in a dark alley. She’d seen the pain and anguish within those gold eyes and had heard his howl. That had brought her back while Jamie had healed her wounds.
Then Hunter had left to go back to his Pack, and Becca was stuck working at the bar with Dante, wondering why she cared about the wolf who hadn’t looked back.
A wave of weakness, her body shaking, paling, slid through her, and she rubbed the part of her torso where the wood had impaled her.
She had a feeling she knew what that weakness was, and she was pissed about it. Lily and Jamie had both felt it when they’d met their true halves before cementing the bond. Becca had a feeling Nadie felt it as well, though Nadie wasn’t saying anything about it.
Hunter had to be her mate, her true half.
The one who would show her what it meant to be part of the supernatural world and allow her to become…something.
Yet he’d left her alone.
Well, hell, she wouldn’t stand for that. She’d get on with her business and either forget him or find him on her own. There was no way she’d just sit back and swoon over a man she’d only met twice but knew she had a connection with.
She’d have to confront him on his turf and figure out what the hell he meant when he said he’d take care of her before he left. If, at that point, she couldn’t see a way for things to work, she’d leave, but there was no way she’d let things go to shit without trying first.
It wasn’t in her nature.
Plus her body ached as if she’d just gotten over the flu or a really bad cold. She wanted to know if she could become something…more. Hunter seemed to be the key to that, and she’d be damned if she’d lose the promise of a future because she didn’t talk to him.
Becca blinked at her reflection again then walked out of the bathroom. There was no use beating herself up now when she had a job to do, a job she might have enjoyed at one time. She knew now, though, she needed to move on eventually.
She nodded at Dante, who raised a pierced brow, but she didn’t tell him the spider had won this round.
Dante owned and operated Dante’s Circle, one of the oldest bars in town, but because of the various attacks on her and her friends, the place had been renovated a few times in the past year. The dark wood paneling had chips and dents in it from when the wind had rocked through the place during the last djinn-made storm, but it had been cleaned and polished to look almost new in spite of that. Pictures and other memories littered the walls, each in new or repaired frames.
Dante had wanted a place that would remind people of who they were and where they came from—at least if they knew the dragon personally. Or as personally as anyone could get to Dante. Despite having to clean up the mess of an evil that had threatened them, he’d succeeded.
It was something that Becca wanted to do in her own bar when she had one. She hadn’t known it would be her goal when she’d first walked in as an eighteen-year-old needing a place to work—and sleep—but Dante had taken her under his wing, and she’d blossomed.
It had been over twelve years since she’d stepped foot in the place, and she was ready to move on. She’d finished high school through online courses, and despite the fact that she struggled in school, she was almost done with her masters in business management.
She’d scrimped and saved and was ready to finish school and start her own life.
She knew Dante would have given her the money to start on her own—he was like that—but she wanted—no, needed—to do it on her own.
“Becca? You okay?” Nadie asked as she walked up to her at the bar. Petite and blonde, Becca always thought her friend looked like a fairy. Considering that fairies were probably real, Becca wouldn’t be surprised if that was actually the case.
“I’m fine, just getting ready to finish my shift,” she replied. The place was dying down since it was almost ten on a weeknight, and there was no game tonight. Luckily Becca didn’t have to close down, so she could leave soon.
Nadie smiled then grimaced as her face paled. Becca reached out to catch her friend as she fell, but Dante was faster. She had no idea how he got over the bar so quickly, but before Becca could blink, Dante had Nadie wrapped in his arms, the concern on his face terrifying.
“Let me go,” Nadie whispered, unmistakable hurt in her tone. “I’m fine, Dante.”
He rubbed her shoulder slightly then nodded. His own face paled slightly as the color seeped back into Nadie’s.
“What happened?” Becca asked as she cupped Nadie’s cheek. Nadie, like the rest of the women she called family, was one of her best friends. There was no way she’d let Nadie go without an explanation.
Not again.
“Just a little lightheaded,” Nadie said, her voice holding no room for questions.
Screw that.
“You’re lying. What’s wrong?” Becca tried to pull her friend closer, but Nadie pulled right back.
“I just didn’t eat enough to day. I’m fine. In fact, I feel better now. I should just head home.”
“Nadie…”
“Becca, stop. I’m fine.”
“I’ll drive you home,” Dante said, his voice holding no room for argument.
Nadie rolled her shoulders then turned from Becca to face Dante. “Don’t b
other. I’ll just drive myself. I live only a couple blocks away, something you know. I’ll be fine,” she repeated.
Dante furrowed his brows and looked as if he were about to cup her cheek then stopped himself. Damn, these two were going to kill her with their unsettled issues.
Though in reality, she wasn’t one to talk.
“Fine, if that’s what you want,” Dante said then walked away without another word.
Nadie seemed to struggle for composure then gave Becca a hug. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Stay safe.”
Becca watched as her friend left the bar, leaving an upset dragon in her wake. Nadie didn’t normally come by on a weeknight since she would have to work in the morning, there had to be something more to her being there but Becca wasn’t sure she wanted to know. Thank the gods Dante liked her because she was not in the mood to figure out how to tame him.
If there even was a way.
Someone called out to her, and she got back to work. She made it thirty minutes before cutting herself on a broken glass.
“Fuck.”
“What the hell did you do this time?” Dante asked as he pulled out the daily-used first-aid kit.
“Just cut my finger,” she answered as she put her finger under a stream of water. “It’s not deep.”
“So no stitches?” He pulled her to the back of the bar and sat her on a stool before taking a look at the cut. He was getting too good at taking care of her.
“Nope. At least I hope not. I’m not in the mood for another hospital visit.”
“Sorry I’m not a healing dragon, or I’d just take care of all your injuries with ease.”
She cocked her head. “There are such things as healing dragons?”
He just lifted his lip in a smile. “Sure.”
Becca rolled her eyes. “You’re never gonna show me what you look like, are you?”
He raised a pierced brow. “Maybe one day.”
She let him put a Band-Aid on her finger, and then they got back to work. She was just about to finish her last table when she dropped the check. As she reached down to pick it up, the hard pinch on her ass surprised her.
“What the fuck?” she yelled as she turned to face the sleazy man in a business suit and loosened tie.
An Unlucky Moon Page 2
