by Sara Summers
“I’ll hit the next person who comes in with all the dominance I have, and they’ll untie us.” Ty said. “Easy.”
Unfortunately, it was quite a while before the next person came in. He was one of the guys from the diner, and when he flipped on the light, he looked surprised to see us awake.
“Shut the door.” Ty ordered. His voice was deadly. The man’s body quivered as he tried to fight the order, but he did as Ty had commanded. “Now come over here and let us go.” Ty continued.
The man kept trying to fight, but it was useless.
He cut the ropes, though his knife dipped dangerously close to Ty’s wrist.
“Take us to the front of the house.” Ty commanded.
The man, though quivering, led us through a hallway and out the front door.
“Now go inside and stay quiet.” Ty finished.
The door shut, and Ty spun me around to look at him.
“I’m going to shift, and you’ll have to hold on to my back to stay up. Can you do that?” he checked.
“Yeah.” I nodded, ignoring the pain it caused me.
“Alright.” Ty yanked his shirt off over his head, and as it dropped to the dirt at his feet, the door swung open. Three Rockies came outside, and we had seen all three of them before in the diner.
Ty stepped in front of me, clenching his fists and looking straight at the men.
“Go inside and hide under your beds.” Ty shouted. “Never challenge an Alpha.” He yelled. The men backed away, and Ty shifted.
“You must have a crap-ton of dominance.” I muttered, climbing on the back of his monstrous wolf. “Alright, I’ll hold on for as long as I can.” I smacked him on his wolf butt. “Yeehaw.”
He growled at me.
“Fine.” I grumbled and adjusted my grip. “I’ll yell if I’m about to fall off.”
Over the next two hours, I discovered why people rode horses, not giant wolves. I’m positive that no ride could be as uncomfortable as mine on Ty’s back.
When we finally got to his pack’s land, there was a massive group of people standing in front of a gray two-story house. Kyle broke through the group, and the crowd parted.
Kyle grabbed me, pulling me off of Ty’s back and holding me in his arms. It was incredibly uncomfortable, but I was pretty sure I couldn’t balance on my own two feet so I didn’t argue.
The crowd had parted to make room for an older man with gray hair to see what was going on. The man sat in a camping chair, but he looked like he thought it was a throne. There was something regal about him, and something powerful.
Ty the wolf disappeared into the gray house, and came back a minute later in his human form, wearing a pair of basketball shorts. He bowed his head to the old man and murmured,
“Alpha.” Before coming over to take me from Kyle’s arm.
Ty nodded at Kyle, and then carried me up to the front of the crowd to stand next to the old man. Kyle stood on the other side of the camping chair, and everyone stared at us.
“Give me a hand?” The old man’s voice was shaky. Kyle helped him stand, and though the old man was shorter than most of the people in the crowd, he held their attention completely. “Burgandaeu pack.” He announced, in an unstable but firm voice.
Everyone stared up at him, enthralled with whatever he was going to say. I could only see the side of his head, since I was still slouched uncomfortably in Ty’s arms, but I was still curious as to why he seemed to have so much respect.
“Your future Alpha has made it home safely, and he’s finally convinced his Omega to come with him.” The old man chuckled, and so did a few people in the crowd. “She has a fighting spirit, and I trust she will take care of our pack as she should.”
No one interrupted, as they always did in my old pack. No one challenged the man or disagreed with him.
For a moment, I wondered if I was really in a group of wolf shifters. I’d never seen my kind so… agreeable.
I was probably the least agreeable out of everyone there, considering that I wanted to stand up and tell the man and his pack to stop saying I was his Omega.
“Now, let’s let these lovebirds have some time to recuperate. Thanks to everyone who came and offered help, you are very much appreciated.” The old man smiled, and dismissed the pack kindly.
Again, I questioned whether these people were really wolves. As far as I’d seen, wolves didn’t play nice. Ever.
The crowd separated, and the old man turned to me and Ty.
“Good to meet you, Miss Leah.” He smiled.
“You too, Alpha.” I gave him a small smile.
“Like I told them, you’ll be good for our pack.” He said, gesturing to the place the group had been standing a few minutes before. “You’ll be a good Omega.”
“I really don’t want to be Omega.” I pursed my lips. “I’m actually leaving next month, but thanks for the kindness. I appreciate it.”
Kyle’s eyes widened, and he shook his head at me from behind the old Alpha.
“What?” the Alpha narrowed his eyes.
“I don’t want to be Omega.” I repeated.
“The Creator has selected you. Who are you to tell Him no?” The old man chastised me, but I shrugged.
“A person with dreams and goals.” I pushed Ty’s arms until he placed me on the ground, gently. Though the Alpha was short, I was shorter by at least six inches. “Ty has plenty of dominance, he doesn’t need help running the pack. He’s been doing it for years.” I reminded the Alpha. “He doesn’t need me, and frankly, I don’t need him.”
The Alpha straightened his back, having gone from looking regal to looking regally ticked.
“You dare suggest that you were given the wrong mate?” The Alpha growled.
“I never said that.” I folded my arms. “But Ty belongs here. He’s not willing to give up his dreams or his home, so why should I have to give up mine?”
“Because you’re a female.” The Alpha roared.
“So?” I put a hand on my hip, discovering a new bruise when I did so.
“So you are required to submit to your mate.” Alpha snarled.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t believe that’s true. Females are not the lesser sex, and we deserve to be treated the same way any male would be treated.” I held my ground, and the Alpha took a shaky step toward me. He poked me in the chest.
“Males were given dominance for a reason.” His voice shook. “We are meant to make the rules, and women meant to follow. You are a disgrace to your kind for thinking anything otherwise.” He snarled again, and I felt him gather his dominance.
“Good, because if that’s what it means to be a werewolf, I don’t want anything to do with you people. I wasn’t born to cower under a man’s rule. Go ahead and hit me with all the dominance you have; I refuse to submit.” I wouldn’t back down, no matter what.
The Alpha sent a wave of dominance rushing over me, and Ty growled. He stepped up next to me, putting his arm up to protect me.
“You taught me that everyone deserves their opinions. She’s stated hers, and she’s done nothing to harm you. Please, resist attacking my mate.” Ty remained calm, though I could tell there was a storm going on inside him. The old Alpha had been training him for ten years, so he undoubtedly felt more allegiance to that man than he did to me.
He hardly knew anything about me.
“As you wish.” The Alpha said with a glare at me. “Put her on a plane as soon as possible. She is not welcome here.” He held out his arm, and Kyle grabbed him, leading him up the stairs and into the gray house.
Ty scratched his head and folded his arms, trying to calm the wolf inside him.
“Why did you have to do that?” Ty exploded as soon as the door closed to shut the Alpha inside. “Why would you challenge an ancient Alpha, when you have no way to even protect yourself? What would we do if he kicked you out?” Ty demanded.
“I don’t know, maybe go to college, like I’ve been telling you I’m going to do.” I put my hands o
n my hips, and yep, there was a bruise on the other one too.
Kyle came outside wearing a grim expression.
“You can’t even leave the pack land without getting attacked. How do you think you’ll get to the airport?” Ty glared at me.
“I have a lot more friends than you think.” I gave him a dirty look, then turned to Kyle. “Can I borrow your phone?”
He handed it to me, and the bomb that was Ty went off once again.
“Why are you helping her?” he exclaimed.
“Because she’s right.” Kyle shrugged.
We both took a second to gawk at him.
“Look, I love and respect the Alpha as much as you do, but Leah has rights. She shouldn’t have to give up the life she’s been living unless she chooses to. No one has the authority to tell her what she has to do, not even our Alpha.” Kyle explained.
“I like you.” I decided. “I’m trading mates. I want Kyle.” I announced.
Kyle stepped back, and Ty stepped forward. He growled at me.
“Before you get all dominant, I need to call my friend. She’s probably gonna storm your pack if she doesn’t hear from me, and you don’t want to mess with an angry panther.”
I stepped away from Ty and Kyle, dialing Savanna’s number.
“Who is this?” Savanna demanded.
“It’s me, Sav.” I sighed. “I just got kidnapped by some shifters, no worries. Nothing new.”
The boys both shot me weird looks, then resumed their conversation.
“Eff, Lee. Stop getting into so many messes.” Savanna chastised me. “I’m about to get on a plane to come rescue you.”
“Don’t bother. I’m stuck here until college starts, and I’ve got one heck of a cast. I don’t know what I’ll do when January comes around.” I admitted. “I just ticked off the Alpha, so I’m running out of options here.”
“Frick.” Savanna groaned. “You’re an idiot.”
“I prefer to think of myself as determined.” I glanced over at the boys. Kyle was gone, leaving Ty to stare at me from in front of the house. “Well, I’ve gotta go. If my mate murders me tonight, make sure I get a really cool funeral.” I told her. “Feed everyone bacon and microwave popcorn.”
Savanna let off a string of curse words, and she wasn’t finished when I interrupted her.
“Love you too. Call you later if I can.” I said, before hanging up.
I nonchalantly dragged my cast over to Ty.
“I need some sleep. Do you have a room for me?” I checked.
“Yep, it’s called my bedroom.” Ty scooped me up, and I glared at him.
“If you think I’m sleeping with you after all this stuff that just happened, you’re sadly mistaken.” I glared at him.
“We’ll see.” Ty said, walking down the sidewalk for a few minutes. We didn’t speak to each other as we walked, and he led me inside the door of a little townhouse. There was a living room and kitchen off to the right, and a set of stairs leading upward.
He carried me up the stairs, then deposited me on a big, soft bed.
“Get some sleep, and then we’ll talk.” Ty instructed.
If I wasn’t so tired, I would’ve argued. Instead, I dropped my head to the pillow and drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 10
I was disoriented for a few minutes after I woke up. When I realized I was in Ty’s bed (alone), in the upstairs of his house, I started remembering everything that had happened over the last few days.
When I remembered, I groaned.
“Ty?” I called out. The heavy pink cast meant I had no chance at getting down the stairs in one piece.
No one answered, but I heard footsteps on the stairs.
Ty opened the door and stuck his head inside.
“Are you okay?” he checked.
“Yeah.” I nodded. My neck was definitely still tight; the movement hurt a lot. “Are you?”
“I will be, once we get to talk about everything.” Ty admitted. “I have some leftovers downstairs in the fridge, if you’re up for eating. You’ve been out for a day and a half, so you need some nutrients…” he scratched his head.
“I’m hungry.” I agreed. “You’ll have to carry me down, though.”
“No problem.” Ty gave me a small smile, then came over and scooped me out of his bed.
He carried me downstairs, then set me on the couch and stuck a bowl of soup in the microwave for me. When it was done, he handed it over and sat next to me.
I started eating, and Ty started talking.
“I’m sorry.” He began with an apology, which shocked me a little. “I haven’t been clear or honest with how I feel, and I’m sorry. I promise I’ll make it up to you.”
I sipped at my soup while he continued.
“First off, I don’t think you’re wrong about women not being treated right. It’s true that our culture is messed up, and I agree that no female should be expected to let go of her dreams if she doesn’t want to.
“Second, I’m sorry that I was mean to you. I shouldn’t have gotten mad, and I should’ve kept my dominance under control. Will you forgive me?” he asked.
“Why are you apologizing?” I frowned. “You seemed pretty sure that you didn’t care what happened to me, earlier.”
“You’re the other half of my soul.” Ty said quietly. “Just like I’m the other half of yours. We need each other, whether it’s easy to admit or not. My wolf has been edgy, with you denying him and all. My dominance has been all over the place, too, and I haven’t kept it under control like I should.
“I should’ve acted differently, so I’m apologizing. I want to make things work between us.” He admitted, reaching his hand to cup the back of my neck like he did the first day we met.
He brushed his thumb against my cotie, and I hesitated. A hopeful feeling rushed through my body, originating from my cotie, and once again, I wondered what I should do.
Should I push him away? Should I keep being bold and bossy?
He was opening up to me, so I felt like I sort of had an obligation to let him in.
“I do too.” I said softly, leaning in to his touch. “Why has your dominance been so out of control?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Ty grimaced. “Dominance shifts into sexual tension. I want you.” He admitted.
I shook my head at him, and he grinned.
“Should’ve known.” I teased.
“I made it pretty obvious.” He shrugged.
“So why are you so against me going to college, if you agree with my opinion that women should get to follow their dreams?” I wondered.
“I’m not against you going to college.” Ty said. “I think it’s great that you want to get an education and make a difference. I’m against you leaving to go to college when you could do everything you want from here.” He explained.
I slowly nodded.
“Now, can I ask you something?” he checked.
“I guess.” I grimaced, and he shook his head at me. “Fine, ask whatever you want.” I complained.
“Why do you hate packs?”
I folded my arms over my stomach.
“I’m not answering that question.” I amended my earlier statement.
“Come on.” He frowned.
I sighed.
“I was raised in a very traditional pack.” I began. “They made parents give up their children, putting them in a house with all the other kids of the pack. No one cared how we were treated, and no one really looked after us. We had three meals a day, but that was it.
“Despite the way that the pack had never felt like my home, I would’ve done anything my Alpha asked. In high school, after we came out as our own species, I taught the classes about wolf shifters so I believed in the power of a pack. Though mine felt a little broken, I still had faith in it.
“A few days after I graduated, one of the older single males grabbed me. He shoved me against a tree and scented me, then proclaimed to the pack that I was his mate. He had found me, and I b
elonged to him. One of the mated males pointed out the differences in our coties, but he didn’t believe them. He was convinced I was his.
“I had studied it in school, and I knew he was bogus. But I was small and weak. He towered over me, forced me into his house and made me do what he wanted with his dominance over the next few days.
“He left to grab some groceries, and I escaped. I told the Alpha what was going on, and he brought the guy into his office with me. The Alpha told him that we weren’t mates, but the guy insisted. So, the Alpha told me to run. He gave me three minutes to be off the pack’s land.
“He sent me away and told me never to come back, so I ran. My friend Marley is a grizzly, and her pack agreed to keep me safe for a few days until I figured out where I was going. I had some money from working over the summers in high school, but they gave me a little more to help me get started.
“I said goodbye to all my friends, promised them I’d make something out of myself, and then I ran. I’m a fast runner, and he didn’t catch me.” I gave him a small smile. “So yeah, I don’t like packs.”
“What was his name?” Ty asked, quietly.
“Forrest.” I whispered it softly, as if saying it any louder would tell him where I was. Ty’s back stiffened, but before I could ask him why, he sighed.
“I’m sorry.” He said, pulling me against his chest. It hurt a little, since I was still sore, but I appreciated the gesture. “My pack isn’t like that. We respect our women.” He told me.
“I’m sure you feel like you do. Females in this pack have run away from their mates though, you said. No woman would run away from her soulmate if he loved and respected her.”
“You ran away from me.” Ty pointed out.
“You were trying to get me to forget my dreams. That’s not exactly love and respect.” I smiled wryly.
“Let’s leave that in the past.” Ty decided.
“Deal.” I nodded.
“So, are we officially mates now? Like, we’re going to share a bed…?” he asked his question, though he did it cautiously like he was worried how I would react.
I pretended to think about it.
“I guess.” I agreed, acting reluctant.
Before I could say another word, Ty’s hands were on either side of my face, and he pressed his lips to mine.
