The Challenge (The Pack Book 2)

by Kristin Coley

  Jess, the urgent note in his voice caught my attention as he continued, she knows better than to be on Pack lands without permission. She was avoiding the patrols. Keep an eye on her.

  Easier said than done, I muttered. She went to town to get party supplies.

  Monster? He questioned, and affection surged through me at his immediate concern for my brother.

  Is with me. I glanced at him as he showed Nicky something in the dirt. I’m not letting him out of my sight until I know what the hell she’s up to.

  Good plan. I’m headed back to you after I check one more thing. His presence, the sense of him, disappeared then and I went to join Nicky and Monster.

  I watched them for a while when it dawned on me that I had the perfect source of information playing right in front of me.

  “Monster, what do you normally do with Wren?”

  “We play games,” he answered, pushing a truck through the grass.

  “Do you play games in the woods?” I pushed, wondering if she’d told him to keep it a secret.

  “Yeah,” he replied and my stomach dropped. “She shows me different trees and plants and tells me what they do.”

  “Do?”

  “Like heal and stuff. How to recognize pois…poisonous ones,” he said, stumbling over the word.

  “That’s great,” I replied, forcing a smile. “Does anyone ever go with the two of you?”

  Monster shook his head and I felt a spurt of relief that quickly disappeared with his next words. “Sometimes she meets someone though.”

  “Meets someone? Like Sam or Trent?” I asked, trying hard to be casual. He’d clam up if he thought I wanted to know.

  “No, someone else. I’ve never seen him.”

  “Him? How do you know it’s a him if you’ve never seen him?” I teased, knowing he wouldn’t be able to resist telling me how he knew.

  “I heard him. He talks funny,” he replied with all the attitude his five-year-old self could muster, which was a lot, I had to admit. “Wren has me sort different plants and then she leaves, but I can hear them.”

  “Do you know what they talk about?”

  Monster reluctantly shook his head, clearly disappointed his hearing wasn’t that good.

  “Well, you’re not supposed to eavesdrop on people’s conversations,” I told him, ignoring the fact that’d I’d been doing a lot of that myself lately.

  “She seems sad after she talks to him,” Monster added and I wondered if she’d left someone behind, someone who wouldn’t have been as welcome as the women and children.

  Dom appeared at the edge of the forest then, distracting me from all thoughts of Wren as he sauntered from the woods wearing nothing but a loose pair of work out shorts. A shirt dangled from his hand but he didn’t bother putting it on as he came closer.

  Monster waved at him happily as Nicky stared at him in awe. I remember Nicky’s reaction to his grandfather Hank and could only imagine what he thought of this other giant. Dom dropped down next to me, a fine sheen of sweat covering him even as I huddled inside a hoodie.

  “Aren’t you cold?” I asked, already knowing the answer.

  “Nope,” he replied, slinging his arm around my shoulders and tugging me closer. “I can keep you warm though.” I snuggled in because he was better than any heater. His head ducked close to my ear as he whispered, “Is that –” His voice cracked slightly and he paused to clear his throat, letting the next part come through our mental link. Nicky?

  “Yes,” I answered out loud. “You want to meet him?”

  “Sam?”

  I hesitated, wondering how much I wanted to worry him. “She went to town. Asked me to babysit.” I went with simple since he was about to meet his nephew for the first time. “Nicky, come meet your Uncle Dom.”

  Nicky’s expression held a hint of fear, but he was a Navarre so he came over with only a slight hesitation. Monster followed him, looking awed that the younger boy had such a cool uncle. “He’s your uncle? Cool.”

  “Hi,” Dom kept his voice gentle as he held out his hand, letting Nicky make the choice whether or not to take it. “I’m Dom. Your mom is my sister.”

  Nicky nodded minutely, studying Dom with wide eyes. “She told me about you,” he replied, setting his hand in Dom’s larger one. The difference was comical, but Dom shook it gently, treating Nicky as an equal.

  “Did she?” Dom swallowed hard, studying the little boy so hard I knew he was memorizing his features and knowing Dom probably his scent so he would be able to find him if it was ever necessary.

  “She said you were as big as a tree,” Nicky giggled. “And that you were nothing more than a shadow when you turned into a wolf.”

  “She’s right,” Monster said enthusiastically. “His fur is black. You can’t even see him at night. Except his eyes.” Dom nodded, tapping the skin next to his eyes.

  “The eyes are a warning.” Dom smiled wolfishly as the boys leaned forward eagerly. “To run.” They leapt back as Dom snapped his teeth, their fear turning to giggles as he growled for their entertainment.

  He wrestled with them until Monster begged him to shift into a wolf. Dom glanced at me, a question in his eyes and I shrugged. It didn’t matter to me if he shifted for them. I could understand Monster’s fascination. He’d begun to hero worship Dom and knowing one day he’d be able to do the same thing had to be thrilling.

  “Alright,” Dom agreed, throwing me a smirk as he hooked his thumbs on the waistband his shorts. “I’ve only got the one pair,” he told me nonchalantly.

  I waved my hand with the loftiness of a queen. “Proceed. I find myself curious as well.” I tucked my hands under my butt after that so I wouldn’t chicken out and cover my eyes. I’d learned that nudity among shifters was normal, it just wasn’t my normal. Add in the fact that it was Dominic and I could excuse the fact that my breath came a little faster.

  He arched his eyebrow at my comment, but I kept my gaze steady and he nodded, a hint of admiration in his eyes. He turned slightly, giving me a side view as his shorts dropped, and my lips parted as a gasp escaped. He was the same golden color all over, and while I’d never considered myself a fan of butts, his was the exception. The taut buns flexed as he glanced over his shoulder at me, smirking when my gaze stayed glued to the magnificent display.

  The air seemed to shimmer around him and I watched in awe as a huge black wolf shook himself. There was definitely magic in the shift, I decided as the boys made admiring noises. They stood still, uncertain how to approach the massive wolf whose head stood higher than their own. Dom looked at me, those familiar yellow eyes all too human as he shot me a pleading glance.

  How? The thought pierced through me with a sense of helplessness. He didn’t want to scare them even though they’d asked to see him shift.

  Lower yourself, I told him. You’re big. It’s intimidating.

  Do I intimidate you? The question came at me with the speed of a freight train and I sat stunned as he lowered his belly to the ground in front of the boys. Jess?

  No, I answered, my response automatic. But I knew it was true. He didn’t intimidate me. He never had even when he’d tried. The boys crept closer to Dom, pushing their fingers into his fur and he rolled over, showing his belly as his back wiggled in the grass. I snorted back a laugh. Yeah, I’m super intimidated by you, Dom.

  He gave a low rumble, the sound more contented than menacing as the boys sat next to him, petting the wolf that could snap both their necks in an instant if he wanted.

  I watched as he rolled around with them, letting them clamber all over him. I was distracted when a familiar person started jumping and waving their hands over their head trying to catch my attention. I glanced at Dom but he seemed to be occupying the boys so I stood up and walked over.

  “Is there a reason you couldn’t come over?” I asked pointedly, glancing back as her son rolled over Dom’s back.

  “I’m not ready,” she whispered, never taking her eyes off her brother as he played wit
h his nephew for the first time.

  “He’s going to be at the party tonight.” I paused. “Your dad too.”

  “I know,” she answered, her face tight.

  “Are you going to hide in your room then?”

  “No,” she said sharply, finally looking at me. “You don’t understand.”

  “No, I don’t because you won’t tell me. Kind of like you didn’t tell me where you were going this morning.” I raised my hand. “And don’t say the store because we both know that’s a lie.”

  She had the grace to look ashamed but she also didn’t answer.

  “He loves you, you know.”

  “I know,” she replied defensively. “Its hard.” After a few minutes of silence, she looked at me, her eyes glossy. “It was my fault. I was the one that turned my back on them. How do I ask them to forgive that?”

  My eyes went back to Dom and the laughing boys tumbling over him. “I don’t think you have to ask,” I answered finally.

  A van pulled into the parking lot then, cutting our conversation short when I saw who was driving. “They’re back,” I said unnecessarily.

  Sam eased back, her eyes lingering on her brother for a second before she said, “I’ll go help them unload.”

  I nodded, moving to rejoin the boys when I caught sight of who was in the passenger seat of the van. I stopped, slipping to the shadow of the building as I watched Anna climb out of the van. I’d given her Trent’s number earlier that week, but I hadn’t realized she’d used it.

  “What are we looking at?” Dom whispered, coming up next to me as he tugged his shirt over his head.

  I glanced around, asking instead of answering his question, “The boys?”

  “Your dad,” he replied before pausing. “You know we sound like an old married couple.”

  “Yes, that thought did occur to me,” I hissed back, not sure what to make of the warm feeling that filled my chest at the thought. I’d always prided myself on being independent and postponing marriage and kids till I was older.

  Much older.

  Like a decade older.

  But Dom and this life had shifted something inside of me. Loosened the knot around my heart as I saw the possibility of another life.

  “Anna,” I answered belatedly. “She went with Trent and the others.”

  “That’s good,” Dom replied, a hint of a question in his words.

  “Yeah,” I drawled slowly and Dom rubbed his hand down my back.

  “What’s bothering you?”

  “It was Trent’s idea. He wanted to invite her help. Asked for her number,” I admitted and Dom hummed lightly. “I told him I’d give Anna his number and let her decide.”

  “So, you’re surprised she called him?”

  “A little,” I said with a nod, not mentioning the argument I’d heard them have the night before because I knew Dom would be upset if he found out where Anna had been headed.

  “Trent’s a good guy,” Dom said casually. A little too causally, I thought as I glanced up at him.

  “I know he is, but why are you telling me this?” I asked suspiciously and he rolled his shoulders, eyes innocent.

  “I just didn’t want you to worry about her being around him. That’s all.”

  “Uh huh. Sure.” The idea of Trent and Anna? I spared one last glance at them, watching as she flung a roll of paper towels at his head. No way, I thought to myself, never gonna happen.

  “Come on, we better go rescue my Dad before Monster sets the motel on fire.”

  “It’s cinder block. We should be fine,” Dominic murmured throatily as he backed me against the motel’s cinder block wall. “I have a better idea.”

  “You do?” I replied, a smile creasing my cheek as I contemplated what his idea might be. “Tell me all about it,” I flirted, my hands fitting themselves along his washboard abs, the ones currently covered to my disappointment.

  “We should go interrogate Wren while the boys and your Dad are distracted,” he replied, tilting his head to scan the parking lot and I realized he’d backed me against the building, not because he wanted to have his wicked way with me, but so he could keep an eye on the parking lot without being spotted

  “Not what I had in mind,” I replied with a sigh, ducking my head around his arm so I could see what he was looking at. “But okay.”

  “Time for that later,” he promised me with a wink, skimming his hand up my side, his thumb brushing the side of my breast tantalizingly.

  “Or now?” I begged breathlessly, not an ounce of shame in me as he cupped his hand around my hip.

  “Later,” he replied firmly, right before pressing a hard kiss to my lips and pulling back entirely too soon. Eyes dark he muttered, “Definitely later.”

  He started walking then and it was a good thing he still had his arm around my waist because I’d forgotten how my legs worked.

  Heart thudding a little harder than necessary, we made our way to Wren’s door. Dom knocked politely, making me lift my eyebrows and he shrugged. “No need to put her on guard.” I acknowledged that with a tilt of my head as I skimmed the parking lot. Most of the women had disappeared back to their rooms but a few remained, helping Sam, Trent, and Anna unload.

  Dom knocked again when there was no response, and then eyed me. “What’s your stance on breaking and entering?”

  “I’m open to it,” I answered, leaning around him to make sure the coast was clear. “But is it still breaking and entering when you have the key?” I dangled the massive key ring I’d shoved in my pocket earlier just in case.

  “No, actually I don’t think it is,” he replied, a glint of admiration and something else in his eyes. “I have to ask, where were you hiding those?”

  I smirked, “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

  “I really would,” he echoed, practically stepping on my heels as I slipped through the door I’d just unlocked. The already small motel room shrank by half in his presence and I studiously avoided glancing at the neatly made bed. I would never admit how many fantasies I had that involved Dom and one of the empty motel rooms. It was an embarrassingly high number.

  “What are we looking for?” I whispered, taking the room in with one quick sweep. It matched the rest of the motel rooms on this floor, the layouts all the same. Bed, desk, TV, with a bathroom on the left and a small kitchenette on the right.

  “No idea,” he rumbled, walking forward, and inhaling deeply. “She’s definitely the one wandering the woods.”

  “I didn’t really need confirmation on that,” I muttered, seeing a dog-eared romance novel on the nightstand, but nothing else. Wren was neat, I’d give her that. I eased open the closet door to find what few clothes she had hung carefully.

  “There’s nothing in here,” Dom called from the bathroom, poking his head out. “Don’t women usually have a bunch of stuff?” I lifted my eyebrows and he hastily added, “I mean Sam always did.”

  “Mmhmmm,” I hummed, ducking around him to check out the space. “They didn’t have a lot when they came. That could be why.” I shifted to leave the miniscule bathroom, but Dom’s broad chest blocked the door. I went to squeeze past him and wound up wedged between him and the doorway.

  A flash of white teeth accompanied his comment, “Stuck?”

  I wiggled, my chest rubbing against his, and felt him groan. My nipples puckered at the sensation and I stilled.

  “Good idea,” he muttered, his hand coming to my hip as a hard bulge pressed against my stomach. “You’re going to kill me.”

  “But what a way to go,” I quipped, trying to lighten the mood before I begged him to throw me on the bed and have his wicked way with me.

  “Wicked way?” He repeated carefully and I stared at him as my mouth made a little O.

  “I said that out loud?” I asked faintly and he shook his head. “I thought it,” I whimpered, not sure which was worse. He nodded, his hand tightening on my hip as I tried even more desperately to unstick myself.

  “Stop,” he
ground out, and I reacted to the command in his voice, stilling instantly. He inhaled and exhaled slowly, as I attempted not to twitch. I could feel the bulge against my stomach, bigger and harder than it had been a moment ago, and fought to be a statue. Statue, statue, I chanted to myself internally.

  “Statue?” Dom sounded more amused than grumbly so I chanced a glance up to find him staring down at me, eyes glittering.

  “Trying to practice not moving,” I answered with a short nod.

  “By chanting statue to yourself,” he clarified and I nodded again, placing my hands against the wall behind my back so I wouldn’t be tempted to rub them all over him. “We’re definitely going to have a talk about your fantasies but right now I think we need to leave,” his voice dropped as he lowered his head next to mine, “Before I forget this isn’t the time or place and throw you on that bed and have my wicked way with you.” My knees weakened and only his body and my hands braced on the wall kept me from melting in a puddle.

  I exhaled shakily, nodding, and he shifted sideways, back into the bathroom as I practically fell into the motel room, catching myself on the Formica countertop at the last second. I braced myself, giving my knees a chance to remember their job and glanced over my shoulder at Dom. He stood with his hands on his hips, staring at the ceiling as he mouthed something silently.

  “Dom?” I questioned hesitantly.

  “Go,” he commanded, one hand flickering to the door. “I’ll be out in a minute.”

  I didn’t argue, hightailing it out of the room. I stopped a couple doors down, leaning on the wall as I tried to catch my breath.

  I’m sorry.

  The words brushed softly against my mind, regretful and apologetic.

  I don’t have as much control as I think I do, he added and I smiled, tilting my head back against the wall, eyes closing as we conversed.

  You have more control than me, I teased and felt him groan mentally.

  Not helping.

  I’ll be good, I answered contritely. Girl scout’s honor, I tacked on, fingers crossed behind my back.

  “Somehow I doubt that,” he murmured next to me, his finger tapping my crossed ones. “Little liar.” He smirked at me through heavily lidded eyes. “Were you even a Girl Scout?”