* * * * *
When Amalie awoke next, it was to the sound of her own stomach growling. Liam’s low chuckle rang in her ear.
“Hungry, love?”
“Starving.”
He went down to the kitchen and came back a little while later, arms laden with a heaping tray of food. They made a picnic on the floor and talked as they ate.
“So, Amalie Baptista, what were you doing in the big, bad forest all alone? Didn’t Little Red Riding Hood teach you anything?” he asked with a twinkle in his eye.
She gave him a cheeky grin. “I love the outdoors. And Little Red Riding Hood did teach me something. In fact, the whole reason I came to Pray was to kick off my campaign to reinstate laws to protect the wolf population. I’m a photojournalist and came to document their importance and value to this area. I want the public to see how precious they are.”
“I didn’t realize you were so passionate about the subject.”
Amalie nodded, warming to her topic. “The government’s position is horrific. As soon as area residents began to complain about the burgeoning wolf population, Fish, Wildlife, and Parks was more than eager to issue hunting licenses. Never mind the wolves are a bad winter or minor epidemic away from the endangered list. I’ll never understand how a person could kill such beautiful creatures. Their capacity for love and ability to nurture and build relationships is almost human-like.”
Liam had stopped eating and was staring at her with something akin to wonder.
“What?” she asked.
“You. You’re the beautiful creature.”
Her face was hot from her passionate diatribe, as well as from his flirtation. “Stop distracting me from my point. It isn’t fair that wolves were almost wiped from existence. And for what?” she demanded, pounding Liam’s chest for emphasis. “Because they hunted elk that people wanted to hunt for themselves? This earth belongs to all creatures, not just man.”
Liam leaned in and kissed her hard on the mouth then grinned. “You’re wonderful. And gorgeous to boot. All fired up over something most people couldn’t care less about. You really are special, Amalie, and I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure everyone knows it tonight.”
Her heart began to pound and her body temperature spiked as Liam kissed her again, this time with lascivious intent. Pushing the food aside, Liam did as she’d hoped and bent her over on all fours. He entered her quickly, almost violently.
All of her apprehension melted away as he rode her hard from behind, driving his cock in and out at a punishing pace, branding her…owning her.
Without a slow, purposeful build up, her climax struck like a freight train, blurring her vision. She cried out, her legs quivering as she planted her ass flush against his hips, holding him deep while her muscles clutched his throbbing cock.
Liam leaned forward, draping his frame across her back to clamp his teeth on her shoulder. She rotated her hips once, grinding against him. His body tensed. He groaned as his orgasm rocked him.
When her heart stopped racing, Amalie lowered herself to the floor and pressed her face to the soft carpet. Liam followed, sprawling his body over hers, taking the brunt of his weight on his knees. He pressed a soft kiss to her nape, and stroked her side rhythmically as they caught their breath.
They spent the rest of the day in bed, trying to distract each other from thinking about what was to come.
Amalie awoke from a catnap to Liam’s mouth on hers. She was deliciously sore, satisfied, and, for once, blessedly cool. The beast growing within her had been sated, at least temporarily. She arched against him and sighed.
“There’s nothing I’d rather do than stay here with you, but we have a meeting to attend,” he said gently.
Everything came rushing back and Amalie sat up, filled with determination. She’d found complete and total bliss for the first time in her life with Liam. There was no way she was going to let someone take it away before they had a chance to see if a relationship between them could work.
She took his hand and squeezed his fingers. “Let’s go.”
Chapter Eight
An hour later, Amalie tried to quell her nervousness as they approached the great room of the house where members of the area packs were waiting for them to arrive. She and Liam had risen and dressed quickly, Amalie donning clothes borrowed from Maggie, who she had yet to meet.
They were late. They’d tried to leave earlier, but Amalie had been assailed by a particularly brutal hot flash. Her fear and nervousness were wreaking havoc on her already chaotic body chemistry. Liam had convinced her to lie down for a few minutes while he pressed a cool, damp cloth to her face and forced her to drink two glasses of ice water.
Now, as they prepared to enter the room she said a silent prayer for Liam’s safety. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and released it to open the door. He walked in first and she followed behind, keeping her attention on his back.
Everyone else was already present and seated. She heard murmurs and whispers from the dozens of attendees, but tried to shut them out as he led her past rows of occupied chairs to the center of the room. Her skin felt too tight for her body, and she was beginning to overheat again as her earlier sense of well-being evaporated.
Liam stopped next to a table at the front of the group. He gestured for Amalie to sit at the table and followed suit. Three men sat at a second table. They radiated confidence and power. Clearly they were the other pack leaders.
The room quieted as Liam cleared his throat and began to speak. “We are here to discuss the events that took place on Pray lands two evenings past.”
Amalie started at his cool, authoritative tone. Something within her stirred… a sense of pride in him and a bone-deep respect. She understood in a flash that it was the wolf in her recognizing him as the alpha male of her pack. She’d expected to feel resentful at the whole alpha male thing. After all, wasn’t she setting women’s lib back a hundred years? Not really, because as much as she respected him, he respected her. They each had their place within the pack—assuming they let her stay.
Her gaze was drawn to Liam, to his powerful body pulsing with vitality. In fact, the entire room was focused only on him. She let go of her reservations and embraced the feeling of being a part of something, a part of Liam.
“Thank you all for coming. I would have come to you, but given the circumstances, I thought it best to keep Amalie here until after the change. She has been through quite a lot.” Liam spoke respectfully, making eye contact first with the alphas then the rest of the audience.
As he spoke, Amalie’s eyes flitted around the room, trying to gauge the mood. She froze as her gaze connected with a pair of amber eyes that seemed familiar: eyes as cold and empty as a child’s doll. Mikhail. He gave her a wolf’s grin. He looked so pleased, like he knew something she didn’t. Whatever it was, it wasn’t good.
Icy fear chilled her heated body, almost paralyzing her. Then, a comforting presence enveloped her, like a warm hug, filled with compassion and support. She looked up and saw Billy watching her, and she knew, as clearly as if he’d spoken the words to her, that he accepted her. Tears of gratitude sprung to her eyes.
Tentatively, she reached out further with her mind but could only feel Liam and Billy. That was okay. She was not alone; she was part of something, a pack of three at least, for as long as she was allowed to stay in Pray. Strengthened, she pulled her gaze away from Billy’s and defiantly met Mikhail’s malevolent stare. She broke away when Liam’s consciousness pulled at her. He wanted her to pay attention. She snapped to it.
Liam had stopped talking and a middle-aged ginger-haired man, one of the alphas, stood.
“I am Joseph, Big Sky Canyon Wolf Pack,” he said. “To my left is Alexander of the Kotke Wolf Pack,” he gestured to a wiry, sandy-haired man with a cold gleam in his eyes. “And to my right is Niles of the Stone Creek Wolf Pack.” He pointed to a very large, almost bear-like man with black, bushy hair and a serious expression.
“I have been chosen by the pack alphas to mediate this inquiry. I’ve spoken to many of you over the past two days and have gleaned that Amalie was hunted by Mikhail. Liam, you intervened to prevent the kill, but she was bitten. Does anyone dispute this?” he asked, looking specifically to Liam.
No mention of Mikhail hunting on Pray lands? Liam bit back a sharp retort, but managed to rein his emotions. “What you say is true. But why isn’t Mikhail up here as well? And why doesn’t your narrative include his trespassing?”
Joseph nodded stiffly. “It’s true we did not expect to deal with his crime of trespass this evening. He was only a few miles outside of his territory, and frankly, his transgression pales in comparison to the events that followed. It’s imperative we focus on the more immediate problem. We have not dealt with a turning in a very long time.”
Liam flexed his hands to keep them from fisting. This wasn’t going well. Joseph was one of the three pack leaders present, but he wasn’t Mikhail’s pack leader. And that meant that Mikhail had the support of not only his own pack, but the Big Sky Canyon Pack as well. If he already had two of the other three packs aligned with his cause…well, he and Amalie were fighting an uphill battle.
He’d take that fight—he didn’t have another choice. “I ask to put that decision to a vote. Mikhail’s trespassing was the catalyst for all of the events that followed. I don’t see how he can be absolved of guilt. He was on my land when he attacked Amalie. None of this would have happened if he hadn’t been on my land.”
Murmurs of disapproval came from the back of the room. Liam cursed himself for his poor choice of words. To Mikhail’s brethren, the Kotke Wolf Pack, calling the hunt an “attack” was offensive. An attack was vicious and insinuated cruel intentions. While some of the Kotke werewolves held a certain disdain for humans, most did not hate them any more than a man might hate a cow or a turkey. He’d let his own fury and outrage on Amalie’s behalf get in the way of the diplomacy that was required of someone in his position.
He decided to push forward rather than call more attention to it by back-pedaling, hoping that though he may have alienated a few, most would see the reason of his argument.
“I don’t want to downplay the events that followed, but the events are tied together and should be dealt with together. All those in favor of Mikhail joining us at the inquiry table, lift your hands.” As Liam’s eyes scanned the room, it was clear the majority agreed with him. He let out a pent-up breath. It was a start.
Mikhail stood and walked over to the table. He passed close enough to Amalie’s chair that his body brushed her shoulders. She flinched. Liam longed to kill him where he stood.
Mikhail sat down next to Liam and gave him a mocking grin. Liam’s previous interactions with Mikhail had been few, but he’d always seemed like a punk. Clearly Liam’s instincts had been correct.
Joseph cleared his throat. “As I was saying, there is no dispute with regard to the events that took place. But right now we have come together for answers to questions and solutions to problems. Prior to your arrival we took a vote about the girl. It was decided, almost unanimously, that she should not be at this meeting. She is a human until the full moon and has no business attending these proceedings. There is nothing she can offer to the discussion and, moreover, we cannot allow her presence to sway us from doing what we know to be right for our race. She has no understanding of our ways and allowing her further insight when she is not yet one of us seems foolhardy to the point of recklessness.”
Joseph motioned to a dark-haired woman from the Big Sky Canyon Pack whom Liam considered a friend. “Chandra, please escort the young lady into the sitting room next door.”
As she walked toward the table, Chandra refused to meet Liam’s eyes. He understood her fear, all of their fears. They were afraid of the unknown, afraid of reliving the horrors their ancestors had suffered. Having their homes burned and being hunted as demons. And the loss of Sara was so fresh in their minds.
He just wanted them to have the chance to know Amalie, because once they did, they would realize she could be trusted.
He felt Amalie’s wild-eyed gaze on him and tried to calm her with his mind.
“Liam, please, I need to stay. What if they hurt you?”
“Don’t worry, sweetie,” Mikhail whispered silkily, just loud enough for the three of them to hear. “If they kill Liam or send him packing, you and I can finish where we left off.”
Chapter Nine
Amalie gasped as Liam growled low in his throat and leapt to his feet. He grabbed the ends of the table and flipped it as if it were a pile of twigs. Mikhail stood and moved, swinging wildly at Liam, landing a glancing blow to his side. Liam’s huge fist went flying and connected solidly with Mikhail’s jaw, a loud crack sounding through the room.
Amalie grabbed Liam’s arm and held tight. He looked down at her, eyes blazing with fury, and she realized he was not himself. He had begun to change, shoulder muscles bunching, the shape of his face altering just slightly. She gaped and pulled her hand back.
A moment later, the alphas latched onto Liam and Mikhail, dragging them apart. Mikhail also struggled not to change, but was having less success than Liam. He was almost completely wolf when Chandra grasped Amalie’s arm.
“Come now. It’s dangerous for you to be here.” She pulled Amalie toward the door.
Amalie looked back at Liam and as their eyes met, the fiery rage in his gaze died out. He touched her mind, reassuring her that he was okay, that everything would be okay. She allowed herself to be led away, knowing she had no alternative. Hadn’t she caused him enough grief already? If her presence was going to add fuel to the tension between him and Mikhail, maybe he was better off if she was out of the way.
She stared at him as long as she could, pressing into his mind over and over, just in case she never had the chance to tell him out loud, “I love you. I love you.”
* * * * *
Liam struggled against the hands grabbing at him and stilled as he watched Chandra guide Amalie from the great room. His stomach clenched and his heart tripped as realization dawned. As an outsider, she was a problem easily solved. He knew, with gut-wrenching certainty, they wanted to kill her. They hadn’t demanded she leave because she didn’t belong, but because they didn’t want her to know they’d already decided her fate: that it was too dangerous, no, they were too fearful, to allow her to live. And while some probably believed that as a lesser being she didn’t deserve such consideration, the majority would have found it cruel to speak of the sentence in front of her.
I love you. I love you.
Liam closed his eyes and tried to quell the nausea that overcame him as Amalie’s emotions crowded his brain. He blocked her quickly, sickened he couldn’t respond, but knowing if he opened himself to her she would feel his fear.
The loss of Sara weighed so heavily upon him. The knowledge that he’d failed her so completely had almost crippled him. He had been her alpha and he hadn’t protected her. Losing Amalie, the thought of never seeing her again… It would break him.
Determined, he turned to the alphas working on calming Mikhail. Liam tried to lift a hand, but realized with a start that his arms were still pinned to his side. He looked up to see Billy’s face.
“You okay, Boss? Under control?” He loosened his grip and, at Liam’s reassurance, released him completely. He tugged Liam away from the rest and spoke in low tones. “It’s bad, man. I tried to tell them. I tried to argue, but they’re hell-bent. Even some of our pack… They’re just afraid, you know? What happened to Sara is still fresh in their minds. Most humans can’t be trusted.” Billy’s gaze met his with frank honesty. “We argued that any discussion should wait until you arrived, but the Kotke pressed their advantage. It was like they were trying to incite a mob. They’re willing to forgive your crime if you demonstrate remorse. But to do so would be to admit saving her was a mistake and one you wouldn’t repeat. They want Amalie destroyed. I’m willing to stand by you, and by
Amalie, but you need to convince the rest of them.”
Liam nodded once, bile rising in his throat. Desperation clawed at him as he reached out to Billy’s consciousness. He allowed Billy to feel the churning in his gut, to see Amalie through his eyes, to feel his terror for her, his rage at the idea of her being hurt. He closed the connection after just a few moments, but it was enough.
Billy’s face morphed into a mask of determination. “If you can’t sway everyone, then at least show our pack what you showed me. Screw the rest of them. We need to unite on this if we have any hope of saving her.”
Around them, the commotion had quieted. The table was righted by one of the alphas and Joseph asked everyone to be seated once again. He sat himself between Liam and Mikhail.
“Let us continue,” he said sharply. Werewolves’ tempers were sometimes short, and quick bursts of violence between packs were not uncommon. In fact, given the circumstances, the lack of an altercation would have been surprising. Still, Joseph took the opportunity to use the outburst to further his cause, which Liam noted with disgust.
“Already this human’s presence has caused tension and violence between our packs. We may not always agree, but in order for our survival we must stick together. We cannot allow this mistake to cost us our existence, and I fear that is what is at stake. All those in favor of removing the risk, in the most humane way possible, lift your hands.”
When no one immediately stirred, hope flickered within Liam. It died quickly when first one, then two, then many more hands raised. Soon, half the room had their hands in the air, but most would not meet his eyes.
Liam stood.
“Brothers and sisters, lower your hands until I have said my piece. I’m willing to accept any punishment you see fit for my interference. But I cannot accept that you would condone pre-meditated murder. You can try to pretty it up, and tell yourselves you voted to ‘correct a mistake’ or ‘remove a risk’. But if you paint a cow chip gold, at the end of the day, it’s still a piece of shit. And planning to kill an innocent woman is still murder. Is this what we have become?”
Pray Page 4
