Dire

by Alyssa Rose Ivy

  I flipped on the light and looked around. The long table in front of us could have fit everyone. We didn’t need it for ourselves.

  “It was completely necessary.” He pulled out my chair. I sat down, surprised when he sat down right next to me. With a table that large of course he’d choose to sit nearly on top of me.

  “Why? We talked in the truck.”

  “That’s different than having a meal together. As a pack we generally eat communally, but I’d like it if we took a few nights a week to eat alone. We’ll be keeping our own place again.”

  “In New Orleans? Isn’t housing expensive?” I didn’t know much about the city, but it was a city.

  “We’re staying outside the city. It’s going to be a similar set up to what we had before.”

  “Oh.” I wasn’t sure what I’d been expecting, but returning to the middle nowhere didn’t sound particularly appealing.

  “Were you hoping for a more urban lifestyle?”

  “No. I just wasn’t sure.”

  “We have to keep Gage away from too many people, and we also need land and forests to roam. It’s part of our nature.”

  “That makes sense. At least it won’t be as cold.”

  He took my chin in his hand. “Do you doubt that I’ll keep you warm?”

  “No. But I still want to be able to go outside without freezing. That is if you are going to start letting me outside.”

  “Of course you’ll be allowed outside. My rules are only there so I can protect you. I know you’re not going to run.”

  “You trust me?”

  “I do. And you trust me. I see that now, and I couldn’t be happier.”

  “Are you only worried about Gage? Or is it witches? Or The Society?”

  “Everyone. A human isn’t safe in the paranormal world unless they are with their mate.”

  “So I need to stay close.”

  “Very close.” He released my chin. “Now enjoy your dinner before it gets cold.”

  “Jocelyn seems nice.”

  “She is. But she also upset you for a little while. When you’re ready, I’d like to know why.”

  “How would you know that?”

  “I could tell by your body language.” He took a bite of his steak.

  I leaned over. I didn’t want to get on Jocelyn’s bad side by tattling on her, but I didn’t want Hunter to read into things either. “She was talking about mixing things up.”

  “In what way?” He set down his fork.

  “In the bedroom.”

  “Oh.” He laughed lightly. “That explains why you were uncomfortable.”

  “I said we weren’t into sharing.”

  He leaned in. “You’ve got that right. She was only kidding with you I’m sure. I apologize that she played with you that way.”

  “Played with me?” She had seemed completely serious, but I preferred to think of it as a joke, especially if I was going to have to spend more time with her. “How long have you known Jocelyn and Isaac?”

  “For years now. We met them when we were all living in Canada. We realized that an alliance was mutually beneficial, and then a friendship started to grow.”

  “Are Jocelyn and Isaac part of a pack too?” I took a bite of the omelet.

  He shook his head. “No. Jocelyn had a falling out with their Alpha’s mate, and they decided to make their own way.”

  “Can you do that? Can you walk away from a pack?” I still knew nothing about pack relations, and I figured any information I could get might be helpful.

  “Yes, but then you give up pack protection, and without it things can get dicey.”

  “Can you kick people out of your pack?”

  “You’re asking about Falcon.” Hunter pushed away his empty plate. “He stayed behind to round up a few other members of the pack. He’ll meet us.”

  “How do you know? What if he doesn’t come?”

  “Falcon likes to talk about leaving, but he’s too scared. He had a traumatizing experience when he was on his own. I won’t let him hurt you. When he’s back with us I can swear to you that he’ll leave you alone.”

  I took another bite. The omelet was delicious. Jocelyn could definitely cook. “Once we get to New Orleans, what’s our plan?”

  “We’re going to have to figure that out together.”

  “Before or after you finalize everything with Gage?”

  “Don’t worry, Mary Anne. I promised to save him. I’m not going to let him die.”

  “Then what are we waiting for?” I wanted it all over with. I wanted everything behind us. Maybe then I’d be able to accept my new life.

  “Let’s get to our new home. Then we can figure out everything else.”

  We ate in silence for a few minutes before a knock on the door had us both turning around. Marni walked in. “Sorry to interrupt, but if we want to get any sleep before we leave again, now’s the time.”

  “What time is it?”

  “It’s about nine. I assume you want to get on the road early though.” Marni watched me with interest. What was she trying to figure out?

  “That’s a good idea.” Hunter picked up our plates. “Thanks for joining me for dinner.”

  “Isn’t that expected of me?” We both knew I’d given up my freedom.

  “You didn’t fight it, and the conversation was lovely.”

  Marni laughed. “You two already sound like an old married couple.”

  “You say that like it’s a bad thing.” Hunter hesitated in the doorway.

  “Not a bad thing at all.” Marni started to walk but then turned around. “We took rooms already, but Jocelyn insisted we leave you with the second master.”

  “Thanks.” Hunter nodded. “Get some rest, Marni.”

  “I will. Sleep well, Mary Anne.”

  “Sleep well.”

  Marni disappeared through a door, closing the door shut behind her. I wondered if Gage was in there.

  Hunter walked into the kitchen with the dishes. The Sabers were the only ones still out there.

  “How was dinner?” Jocelyn asked.

  “It was great.” I smiled. “Thank you.” I was in no rush to go to bed with Hunter.

  “No trouble at all. You helped.”

  “I chopped peppers.” I wanted to keep the conversation going even if It was with a woman who’d played a joke on me.

  “That’s helping.” She smiled. “And you must be exhausted.”

  “From the chopping?” I joked.

  “And whether you’re exhausted or not, it looks like Hunter is ready for you to be.” She nodded toward where Hunter stood.

  “Oh yeah. Sleep.” I’d slept plenty in the truck, but I knew Hunter wasn’t going to let me stay out there alone.

  All three of them laughed.

  Jocelyn patted my arm. “Sleep well.”

  “Thanks. Are you guys sleeping?”

  “We’ll make sure trouble didn’t follow you down here. We can get more sleep later.”

  “Ok, thanks.” I smiled and turned, surprised that Hunter was right behind me.

  “Thanks, Jocelyn.” He took my hand and led me toward a set of double doors. “This is us.”

  I followed him inside and turned on a lamp. A king sized bed dominated the room, while a purple bedspread added a pop of color to an otherwise colorless space.

  He closed the doors. “This is when you’re going to tell me you don’t want to sleep.”

  “I did sleep for hours in the truck. You didn’t, so feel free.”

  “You want me to sleep while you do what? Sit here?” He pulled off his shirt and tossed it on the end of the bed.

  I glanced around the room, noticing a partially open door. I walked over to investigate what turned out to a beautiful bathroom. “Maybe I can take a shower.”

  “Maybe I can join you?” He said from right behind me. “I could use one too.”

  “Oh. You can use it first then.”

  “Are you afraid to shower with me?”

&nbs
p; “That’s an intimate thing to do together.” Something I wasn’t ready for. But would I ever be ready?

  “And you’re my mate.” His eyes were glued to mine.

  “Almost,” I whispered.

  “Are you afraid to let me see you naked?” He ran his hands down my arms.

  “It’s not fear. It’s preference.”

  “Preference?” He raised an eyebrow. “Then what if it’s my preference to see you naked?”

  “It’s my body.”

  “I could argue that it’s also mine now, but I won’t because you’re just going to say ‘Hunter stop.’”

  I shook my head. “You’re learning.”

  “But you can’t argue with me that this is my body.” He undid his belt and took off his pants. He tossed them over to where his shirt waited. “So I’m going to assert my preference to be naked around you.”

  I averted my eyes. “Hunter.”

  “Wait? No stop?”

  “Why are you pushing me? Why here? Why now?”

  “Because taking it slow still means moving forward. If you can’t even look at me naked, we’re in trouble.”

  I looked up, but only to his eyes. “I can look at you naked.”

  “So it’s just a preference thing?” He smiled.

  There was a loud knock on the door.

  Hunter opened the door without putting his pants back on. “What is it, Marni?”

  She didn’t seem concerned with his nakedness. I was never going to get used to how open they were about being nude. “Gage and I are going out for a run. We’ll stay close, but it might be a while.” She didn’t hide the excitement in her voice. I wanted to believe it was just to run, but I didn’t.

  “Marni? You ready?” Gage called.

  My chest clenched. He also sounded excited.

  “That’s fine. Keep him in line. We’re leaving early in the morning.”

  “We’ll be back.” Marni smiled at me. I knew it wasn’t meant to be reassuring.

  Hunter started to close the door, and a few moments later I heard giggling. “Gage, you are such an asshole!” Marni yelled.

  What was he doing to her?

  I pushed the question out of my head. He’d moved on. Even if it wasn’t Marni, he’d have to one day. He knew I’d promised myself to Hunter. Besides, what reason did he have not to? Hunter was right. All I’d been to him was a temporary distraction. We’d never even dated.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Gage

  “Someone’s putting on the theatrics.” Marni pushed open the back door to the house.

  “You told me we had to convince Hunter I was over her. If he thinks I’m already trying to sleep with you, I’m doing that. Of course, that also requires Chet not trying to kill me.”

  “He doesn’t care. He trusts me.”

  “Should he trust you?” I didn’t want to be a jerk, but I was having trouble finding the line between fact and fiction with her. She said she wasn’t into me, but all the signs pointed to her wanting me. Maybe it was just a Dire thing.

  “Yes, but I don’t trust you. You’re not over her.”

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  “It does. Your responses matter.” She pulled out the hair tie holding up her long brown hair.

  “I can keep my responses in check.”

  “Can you?”

  “Yes.”

  “I bet Hunter is fucking Mary Anne right now. She’s screaming out his name in passion.”

  I could feel my blood boil, but I tried to keep myself calm. “Oh well.”

  “She’s begging for more.”

  “You can stop, I’m fine.” I wasn’t fine. I could feel my whole body tingling, begging to transform.

  “He’s telling her not to worry, he plans to stay inside her all night long.”

  Without realizing what was happening, I was in my wolf form. I had Marni pinned to the ground. She’d shifted too.

  “Yeah, you’re not in check.”

  I moved away from her and shifted back. It was easier to calm down in my human form. I’d destroyed a pair of pants, but at least I hadn’t hurt anyone. “What do you expect? You really think Hunter’s going to talk to me like that? That seems cold even for him.”

  “But you’re going to know it. You’re going to see it in the way they move together. A pack is a close knit group. You know what everyone is doing.”

  “So why don’t I know whether they’ve had sex yet?”

  “They haven’t, but it’s going to happen.”

  “And we’ll know?” I felt calmer. It hadn’t happened yet. She wasn’t his mate. I still had time to get her away from him.

  “Hunter isn’t going to be able to hide it. He’ll be back to normal, yet even cockier.”

  “Don’t use any words related to cock when it comes to Hunter.”

  “You know he has a big one.”

  I pushed her away. “And you would know?”

  “You’ve seen him naked too.”

  “I don’t look at his junk.”

  “Yes you do. You can’t avoid it. But anyway, it’s huge.”

  “Weren’t we out here to run?”

  “Aren’t you supposed to defend your manhood? Tell me I should check yours again because it’s actually bigger?” She glanced down to where I was covering myself with scraps of clothing. Marni might not have cared about me walking around naked, but I didn’t know these Sabers from a hole in the wall.

  “It’s not my fault you need your eyes checked.”

  She laughed. “Ok. That’s better.”

  “Let’s run.” I shifted without waiting for her answer.

  I started off running into the deep forest. It was unfamiliar, but I quickly picked up the scent of some smaller animals. I’d never been into hunting as a human, but it came naturally now.

  “Hungry again?” Marni asked from beside me.

  “Yes. I’m always hungry.”

  “And horny.”

  “Shut up.” I took off ahead of Marni, wanting time to myself. I understood why she was staying close, but I didn’t want babysitting. I needed to be able to control myself on my own. If I didn’t master that, I couldn’t leave with Mary Anne.

  We were definitely further south. My heavy coat of fur felt unnecessary as we ran through the woods. I forgot about the animal I was chasing as I concentrated on my speed. I was getting faster and faster and the wind felt incredible as it flew over my back. I could have run for hours, but eventually I reached the end of the woods and headed back to the house.

  I emerged from the woods to see Marni dressed again and sitting on the porch with Jocelyn. She tossed a pair of pants into the yard for me.

  I shifted back and quickly jumped into my pants before joining the two women. “Am I missing an exciting conversation?”

  Jocelyn smiled. “Not really. I was just telling Marni here that I think she needs to give Chet some TLC. He’s down in the dumps.”

  “Go see him then. Don’t worry about me.” Whatever her motivations were, she didn’t have to spend every second of the day with me.

  “I’ll watch him. We all know a Saber can take on a baby Dire any day.” Jocelyn grinned.

  “A baby Dire, sure, but don’t think you can take on the rest of us.” Marni smiled. “Don’t do anything stupid, Gage.” She walked inside.

  “Interesting girl, isn’t she?” Jocelyn sipped a mug of what I assumed was coffee.

  “You could say that.” I looked up at the star filled sky.

  “It looks like you’re spending a lot of time with her.” She raised an eyebrow. “I’m not the only one who’s noticed.”

  “You mean Chet? Yeah. Marni keeps telling me he doesn’t care, but I know I would. Maybe I’m the jealous type.”

  “You mean you’re jealous of Hunter.”

  “I guess I’m that obvious.” I looked out at the trees. I already missed the woods.

  “You are to me, but not to everyone.”

  “You think Hunter’s buying it?” That
would be a good thing.

  “I’m not talking about Hunter.”

  “Then who do you mean?”

  “Have a seat.” She touched the seat that Marni had just vacated.

  I sat down. There was no reason not to.

  “You’re not a stupid boy. I can tell.”

  “Okay…”

  “So you know exactly who I’m talking about.”

  “Let’s say I don’t.” As far as I knew, Hunter wasn’t telling his friends about my past with Mary Anne.

  “You want me to spell it out for you?” She crossed her long legs. “Mary Anne.”

  “You’re telling me Mary Anne believes I’m into Marni?” I didn’t believe it. She had to know how I felt about her.

  “Yes. She does. She’s scared and confused and doesn’t know what to think.”

  “A, how do you know? And B, why are you telling me?”

  “I know, because I can read women, and I’m telling you because there’s more at stake than a few hurt feelings.”

  “Ok. I’m listening.”

  “Not so fast.” She rested her hand on my leg. “I need some answers from you first.”

  “Depends on what you’re asking.” I didn’t really know this woman or how much I could trust her.

  “How well do you know Mary Anne?”

  “I’ve known her all my life.”

  “And you’ve been intimate with her for how long?”

  “How do you know we’ve been intimate?”

  “It’s written all over you. Both of you. And Hunter as well. Why else would he have been so eager to eat alone with her? He doesn’t want her near you, and it’s not out of fear of you hurting her.”

  “I’m doing my best to stay back.”

  “It’s all an act, but that’s beside the point. Answer the question.”

  “Why is it any of your business?”

  “I have answers for you. That’s why.”

  “I’m not sure I can trust you.” I wasn’t sure I could trust anyone anymore.

  “Listen.” She leaned in. “Do you want the girl back, or not?”

  “I also want us both to stay alive.”

  She sighed. “Fine. You don’t want to play ball, we don’t have to.”

  “I’m tired of all the bull shit.”