A Gifted Curse (The Cloven Pack Series: Book One)

by D. Fischer

  Makenna Goldwin

  Marching out of Evo’s house, fuming with anger, I have every intention of going home. My car was left at the apartment so I will need a ride and Ben is going to provide that.

  Ben watches me approach and his confusion sweeps over me. He stands and waits until I am in front of him, seeing that I have every intention of talking to him.

  The people that are standing around him melt away and kindly give us privacy. They walk into the woods and I can hear with my sensitive hearing that they don’t plan to eavesdrop.

  He quirks a brow at me. “Everything okay, Kenna?”

  “I need a ride home.” More anger than I intend seeps out in my voice.

  “Erm … I’d have to ask Evo.” He looks up just then and clears his throat. I can hear someone approaching behind me and know that it is the man himself.

  I poke Ben in the chest. “I don’t need his say to leave and go home. I’m a free woman and I can do whatever the hell I please. If you don’t give me a ride, I have every intention of walking.”

  Ben puts his hands in his back pockets and averts his gaze, uncomfortable with being poked but keeping his words to himself.

  “You’re not going anywhere, Kenna. You need to let me explain,” Evo speaks behind me.

  Recognizing the Alpha Command, I can feel my insides bristle. My wolf, I recognize, is royally pissed and wants me to march right back in and kill the female wolf who dared touch her mate and then flay her mate for daring to command her.

  I whirl around so fast and poke the Alpha standing behind me. “Don’t you dare command me to bend to your will. It’s not your choice. I want to leave and there’s not a chance in hell you’re going to keep me here, buddy.”

  I feel my wolf claw at my insides. She wants to deal with this situation herself and then deal with the female wolf any way she sees fit. It is so tempting. So, so tempting.

  Evo’s jaw ticks and then he looks at Ben. “Why don’t you see if Flint needs a hand running the territory?”

  He probably saw my wolf struggling to gain the control and sent Ben off to try to calm me. Or maybe he doesn’t want Ben to hear that he was cozying up to another woman just hours after telling me he is my mate, how much he wants me, and how we are destined to be together. Either way, it fuels my wolf’s anger even more. She has no plans on keeping it secret just how pissed off she is. Neither do I.

  I watch Ben retreat into the woods. “Why don’t you go back inside with your friend,” I growl the last word, “and go seek approval from someone who cares.”

  This time my wolf growls at me. Actually growls. I can feel the vibrations build inside me and spill out my own mouth. She is angry that I would even suggest that her mate go to another’s arms.

  Hurt splashes over my skin in waves as I say that. I have hurt his feelings by saying I don’t care. As my own anger is rippling through my body, I don’t have room to consider his.

  “Kenna, you need to reign her in. I can see she’s fighting you to shift.”

  “Check that. I’m not your problem anymore. You don’t get to tell me what to do, you don’t get to tell me I can’t leave, and you sure as hell don’t have any ownership of me. You made that very clear when I walked in and witnessed for myself that my own rejection sent you to the first female’s arms you came across. I’m going home before I do something I regret. Congratulations. You’re free of me and can go right back to that bitch’s arms.”

  I turn and start marching. I feel his hand grab my arm to stop me and that is all it takes. For the first time ever, instead of trying to fight her, I give her free reign.

  The most pain I’ve ever felt in my life cripples my body. I feel every bone in my body crack, reshape, and settle into a new form in just a split second. Instead of me being in the forefront of my mind, I am shoved to the back like she always has been. That’s when it finally clicks with me—I am a wolf shifter.

  A low, deep growl escapes her lips—our lips—directed toward the very stunned man in front of us. Curious about what she’ll do, I sit back in my mind and watch like it is a movie, trusting her to take care of business. I am done talking—I’ve always been more comfortable with actions over words.

  He takes a step toward my wolf and she bites the air between us, letting him know she’ll tear him a new ass-hole if he steps any closer. She is beyond angry with her mate.

  He holds up his hands. “Kenna. Kenna, calm down.”

  My wolf snarls at him and paws the ground as if telling him that’s not going to happen.

  Slowly, he bends down to our level. “I’m not a threat.” He flashes his wolf eyes at me. “Kenna, you walked in at the wrong time.”

  A low growl escapes me. That was all me. My wolf wants to hear what he has to say, but I couldn’t care less. She wants her mate to explain, but I know the truth. I witnessed it. ‘Walked in at the wrong time’ … Ha! I wonder what I would have witnessed if I walked in a few minutes later.

  Her ears perk up as we hear a noise from the woods. Two wolves come out from the edge of the trees, their ears high and alert as they begin to carefully make their way over to us. I scent the air; Ben and Bre, I recognized.

  Evo holds his hand out to the wolves, stopping them in their tracks.

  “Kenna, Jazz and I used to be a fling. Nothing more,” Evo says to me. I hear Bre growl.

  At the thought of another female touching her mate, my wolf bares her teeth. The female wolf, Bre, recognizes our anger toward Evo, and slowly makes her way over to me with her head lowered, showing she is no threat.

  I continue to growl at my mate as he watches, astonished, as Bre’s wolf rubs her way along my body, comforting me, and then sits beside me as a show of loyalty.

  I’m sure Bre heard his words and knew what was going on, especially since she growled when he mentioned Jazz. She understands that I caught my mate with someone else. It is touching that she is siding with me after only just meeting her for the first time.

  Evo lets a small smile spread across his face. “I see you’ve been making friends and have earned their loyalty. That’s a good thing, baby.”

  My wolf’s ears twitch forward and he takes the chance to continue with an explanation, “A show of loyalty such as this,” he points to Bre’s wolf who is glaring at him with her ears laid back, “shows she supports you as her female Alpha and that she disagrees with her male Alpha … and, as my sister, she wants to shred me to ribbons. Otherwise, another wolf would never get involved in a disagreement or challenge, especially with mates.”

  I nudge Bre, letting her know her efforts are appreciated but continue my death glare at the man in front of me.

  He sighs. “Kenna, I’m sorry. Like I said, Jazz and I used to be a fling. But ever since I met you, I’ve turned her away. It’s not easy for a wolf to be turned away. We seek comfort on a regular basis and she didn’t understand my rejection. But now she does because she knows you’re my mate. It won’t happen again, baby.”

  Bre and I continue to growl. He sighs at our united front.

  Standing up, he pulls off his T-shirt and starts to strip out of his clothes. My wolf and I don’t understand why he is getting naked and we stop growling as we take in our mate’s body. It is impressive and lined with well-defined hard muscle. When he removes his underwear, I mentally gulp. Impressive, indeed.

  His body begins to shake and quiver, bones taking new shape, and golden fur that matches his hair sprouts over his body. Confusion sweeps over me. He is shifting but I notice that it is taking much longer than it had taken me.

  After a few seconds, a large wolf stands in front of me. Like his human counterpart, he has an impressive built. Sitting on his haunches, he keeps his head high, totally in Alpha mode. Evo’s wolf and mine have a standoff for superiority while the male wolf behind him, Ben, comes over to acknowledge his Alpha and nudges Evo’s shoulder in greeting.

  After the shock from my wolf seeing her mate for the first time wear
s off, she continues the growling, unaffected by his display of raw masculine power. To her, this is the wolf that let the female touch his human half. He should have torn the female apart, in her opinion.

  Evo’s wolf huffs at me, stands on all fours, and makes his way to me as if it is his right to do so. She continues to growl at him, making it clear that we want no part in the comfort he is offering. Even though we felt the truth in his words before he shifted, we aren’t convinced yet.

  Closing the distance between us, he remains unfazed by our prickly attitude. As soon as he is in front of us, my wolf snarls and bites him. Again, he is not fazed and doesn’t even flinch. He stands there not showing any signs of pain as blood dribbles down his shoulder.

  I snarl and lunge for him, bowling him over. Rolling us, he pins me to my back and lightly growls a warning in my face—a warning that he doesn’t appreciate the aggressive act and that his authority should be recognized.

  I snarl back. I’m not going to be cowed into submission. My wolf bristles at it and fights to turn the odds in our favor. He isn’t getting off that easy for what he’s done.

  We roll through the grass. I land on top of him just as he had been seconds before, and pin him down, growling back in his face.

  I can feel more wolves surrounding us. My wolf recognizes that they won’t involve themselves in the Alpha pair’s spat so they shouldn’t be considered a threat.

  Something pings deep inside me at that thought. Their Alpha pair. Evo and I, we are a mated pair, though not mated yet. But since I am Evo’s mate, that makes me their Alpha, too.

  I look at my mate before me, who shows no signs of submission. He is staring with no fear, waiting to see what I will do next. We stare at each other and another ping shoots through me. Mate, my wolf recognizes.

  Our mate had hurt us, but the truth in his words about Jazz, the female who was cozying up to him in his office, were true. Our mate hurt us, but it wasn’t his fault. My anger is directed at the wrong person. My anger should be for the female who didn’t stay away.

  My wolf’s features soften as we come to the same conclusion.

  Pulling herself off Evo’s wolf, she sits back on her haunches and gazes around her. The other wolves lower their heads and turn back to the woods, acknowledging that our fight is over.

  I watch as Evo’s wolf stands up and pads over to me. Looking into my eyes for a moment to make sure I won’t attack him, he rubs his muzzle along mine, breathing in deeply as I do the same.

  Satisfied that I have calmed, he begins rubbing his entire body over mine, smelling as he goes. A voice sounds in my head, making me jump. You’ve accepted me and the Pack. We felt it. Does this mean you’re staying?

  The voice in my head is Evo’s, but it scares me enough that I begin shifting back to human form, Evo following suit.

  Both of us are kneeling naked in the grass. I stare at him with wild eyes. “Did –you—was that—did you just … You can communicate telepathically?” I shriek.

  He laughs and leans forward, tentatively kissing my lips with feather-like touches. As soft as the kiss is, it sends shivers through my body, heating it to the core

  “Alpha’s can use telepathy to communicate with their wolves. Mated pairs can also use it.”

  I frown. “Oh.”

  His gaze lowers and lingers at parts of my body that make me blush and try to cover myself with my hands. His smoldering eyes meet mine. “Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?”

  I know he means every word, but I’ve never had those words directed at me. I don’t see myself as any more than the average girl, so though I know his words are true, I still don’t find myself believing it.

  When I frown, he takes it for something else entirely. Brushing my cheek with his thumb, he says, “Jazz and I have never had a relationship. We’ve only used each other to scratch an itch.”

  I let out a barking laugh. “I guarantee that she doesn’t see it that way. You don’t cuddle with the person you’re fuck buddies with.”

  He purses his lips. “I admit, she’s shown interest in more, but I’ve never given her the indication that I was interested. As wolves, we have needs. You can’t tell me you’ve lived your entire adult life not heeding to those needs.”

  My eyes shift to the space around his head. His jaw ticks at my silent admission. That seems to bother him. His jealously sweeps over my skin and I feel oddly satisfied that the street goes both ways.

  “Are you going to hold that against me?” I ask him after the silence stretched on.

  He thinks about it for a moment, seeming to choose his words carefully. “No. What happened before I met you was out of my control. You had no idea that I was even here waiting to find you. You didn’t even know you were a wolf. I understand the need to find comfort. I had those same needs as well. I can’t hold it against you if I also did the same.”

  “Thank you.” Thanks isn’t something that is easy for me to give, so it sounds a little more forced than necessary. “Do you understand how I feel though? To have seen what’s-her-twat hanging all over you and to be touching you? Not an hour or two before that, you were telling me how we are mates; and when I had just come to some kind of understanding of what that meant, I walk in to see that.”

  I didn’t want to admit out loud how much that hurt. To have his words sink in and then to witness another female hanging off him like a second skin had been a blow.

  “Trust isn’t easy for you to come by, is it?” When I don’t answer, he sighs. “I truly am sorry, Kenna. I’ll spend the rest of my life telling you if that’s what you need to hear.” When I look down at the grass, he tilts my chin up to meet his eyes. “Do you hear me? You’re my mate and I plan to spend the rest of my life showing you that.”

  I feel his words are true, but again, the emotion that is missing is love. I know that is something that has to blossom and grow. It isn’t something that happens overnight or I would have been in love at some point during my life. But I’m finding that I am craving that one emotion directed toward me. That one emotion that I never thought I would ever need is something my body—my wolf—wants to feel directed toward me.

  Cutting me off from my thoughts, Evo asks, “Will you give me a chance? Or do you still want to go back to your apartment?”

  I search his eyes and feel his hopefulness to have me stay along with his fear that I will leave. It is an all-consuming fear.

  I clear my throat. “I’ll stay.”

  A smile spreads across his face. “It’s unnerving to hear you so quiet.”

  He scoops me up, stands, and twirls me around, my naked ass for the world to see.

  “Put me down, you asshole. I’m naked!”

  He looks down at me, smiles, and then kisses my nose. “There’s that prickly attitude. I knew it wouldn’t take long.” And then he began to march me inside.

  Chapter Eight

  Evo Johnson

  Relief fills my body when Kenna says she will stay. I was scared that she would still want to leave or that she would demand Jazz had to leave.

  I know it must be hard for her, knowing Jazz and I have had a sexual relationship, and then to walk in with Jazz trying to seduce me. But still, she didn’t ask for Jazz to be banned from the Pack and she didn’t go marching off to kill her, either. Every wolf has a role to play in a Pack, no matter who they are and what they’ve done. Maybe she knew that.

  I didn’t think she was going to shift so soon after finding out what she was. I thought it would take a while for her to accept everything. It came as a surprise that Kenna gave her wolf freedom so quickly.

  When Kenna shifted, I was sure her wolf would seek out Jazz and rip her to shreds. I’ve never seen anyone shift so quickly. She shifted in less than a second—that has to be a record or something. She was also wickedly fast—I never saw her bites coming until I felt the pain. It was impressive. I suppose this is all normal with being a Queen wolf.

  No matter,
it just adds to her strength as a wolf, a fighter, and a Pack leader. It is a strength I wish I had. It is a strength that makes me proud to have her as a mate. It is hot as hell.

  When wolves shift, it’s their most vulnerable moment. If they’re a slower shifter than their opponent in a challenge, that wolf would be left wide open, unable to defend themselves while in mid-shift.

  If Kenna can shift in a split second, I imagine most of her opponents won’t last long. She’s fit to be an Alpha leader. It makes me beyond proud that she is soon to be all mine. Just as soon as we finish the mating.

  I hear the shower turn off and it pulls me from my thoughts. Kenna steps out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel and heads straight for my walk-in closet. She is making herself at home and the sight pleases me.

  “Fucking hell, none of this will fit me.”

  I chuckle. “Brenna stopped by and dropped off some of her clothes.”

  Coming out of my closet with a grateful expression, she snatches them up, swats at me for trying to tug on her towel, and then heads to the bathroom to change.

  “About this mating thing,” I start.

  “What about it?” she calls back from the other side of the door.

  “There are steps we have to go through and accomplish before the mating is complete.” When she doesn’t respond, I continue, “It doesn’t have to happen in a certain order or it can happen all at the same time, but there are still hurdles to jump.”

  She comes out of the bathroom towel drying her hair and sits on my recliner. “I’ll bet my last dollar that sex is one of them.”

  I smile at her crass comment. “Yes, sex is one of them. We have to claim each other in every way possible. Today, you claimed me with your mind. You decided and accepted me as your mate. There are four things that need to be claimed: mind, body, soul, and public.”

  “Okay, well … mind is already done. Body, I’m guessing, is sex—”