Feral Claim

by Fel Fern

  “All healed up. Deacon would never hurt me or any of us without due cause,” she said. That last bit, he realized, had been directed at him, as if she knew he had doubts about Deacon’s stability.

  Forrest furrowed his brows. “You’re his childhood friend and have been loyal to him longer than most members in the pack,” he pointed out.

  “That doesn’t excuse the fact I broke a rule.”

  Forrest had to acknowledge that was true. He knew being Alpha was hard and Deacon didn’t just think of his own back but also the other residents of Devil Hills who made this place their home.

  “Thank you for warning me this morning.”

  “I came too late,” Sabine said, tone still unreadable. “Forrest, I need to tell you something I’ve only told Deacon.”

  “Breaking the rules again so soon?” he teased, but she looked so serious he sobered up. “What is it?”

  “I’ve already run it by Deacon, so he says it’s fine to let you know. One of the Discipline Squad members from this morning wore a vice-captain’s uniform. Daryl Rush is important enough to them that they’d send a vice-captain to go after him.”

  He let out a snarl. The new information didn’t help his mood. He didn’t know Daryl Rush that well, but Daryl was important to his mate. That was all that mattered.

  “Don’t tell me Deacon’s changed his mind,” he said carefully.

  “No, the brothers can stay for a month. Deacon would like to question Daryl, though, about his abilities and why the Squad wants him so much.”

  He nodded, agreeing with that decision. Forrest knew that Deacon reacted badly today because he went behind Deacon’s back when maybe he should have tried talking it out with Deacon first. Trust needed to be earned again, and he was willing to work for it, to prove to Deacon that his human mate and Esper brother weren’t a threat but potential useful members of their community.

  “Daryl will agree to that,” he answered. “But I have a feeling he doesn’t know much about his powers, given he’s been forced to hide it since childhood.”

  “That’s understandable. Most Esper children raised in Humans Matter cities are like that, but if we get any useful information, it would help. These next few weeks will be a challenge, Forrest.”

  Forrest had a feeling she didn’t just mean the Squad being a problem, but something else more personal.

  “What do you mean?” he asked.

  “Our packmates and other residents would need time to get used to a human in their midst.”

  He blew out a breath. Forrest had been so concerned with survival, he didn’t think about the others would react to Dave. How would Dave, a human raised with other humans, react to living in a town full of paranormals?

  “He’ll adapt. Dave’s a survivor, and the supernaturals appreciate that quality,” he said.

  “I see. That’s good. I’ll leave you to your thoughts.”

  She turned back to wolf and left him alone. Forrest remained there a little longer. He wondered not for the first time if by adamantly fighting for the Rush brothers to remain here, he also brought Devil Hills to the attention of the Humans Matter government.

  Then Forrest thought about Dave, sleeping snugly back in bed, looking at peace. He recalled with pride how his little human mate bravely grabbed Deacon’s leg. Not many could stand up to an Alpha werewolf, but his human mate did that, when other enforcers wouldn’t.

  Forrest didn’t blame the actions of the other enforcers, because if placed in the same position, he might have done the same. In their eyes, one of their own had betrayed their Alpha and brought potential danger to the pack.

  “That’s not going to happen,” he said to himself, then turned back to wolf.

  Forrest ran back to his cabin. Sooner or later, it was inevitable they’d clash with the humans, not just Dave and Daryl. It could be other refugees, seeking help because they learned the Devil Hills territory didn’t live under the controlling and oppressive rule of the Humans Matter government.

  By the time he returned, Daryl was still up, watching TV, but the Esper had turned the sound off.

  “Productive run?” Daryl asked him.

  “You can say that. Daryl, Deacon would like to speak to you tomorrow about your abilities and why the Squad was looking adamantly for you.”

  “Can Dave come with me?”

  That question made Forrest realize that, despite how mature Daryl appeared, it was still a frightened young man looking at him.

  “Of course. I’ll be there, too. Don’t worry. It’s not an interrogation or anything like that.”

  “Okay,” Daryl said. “I mean, we owe our safety to you guys. Of course I’ll meet with Deacon.”

  * * * *

  “I still can’t get used to this,” Dave muttered, taking a seat in the booth opposite Daryl’s.

  Even though they’d been here a week, he’d still been surprised to discover the main town area of Devil Hills looked similar to human-run towns. The town had a grocer, except most of the food were fresh produce, as well as cafés, eateries, even a library which hosted books written by supernaturals, and a cinema which mostly showed films he hadn’t heard of.

  Forrest told him most of the supernatural-run communities kept in contact with each other and constantly traded supplies.

  “What?” Daryl asked, looking distracted as he studied the menu.

  “The stares,” he explained, not bothering to lower his voice because probably everyone there but him had supernatural hearing.

  Daryl blinked, looking clueless as he glanced from their booth to the other people in the diner. It wasn’t Daryl they looked at, though, but him. This place suited Daryl, he realized. In a span of a few days, Daryl had met and spoken with the Esper community living in Devil Hills. Hell, Daryl even found a job at a clinic that specialized in the mind and worked as an intern for an older Esper. Daryl had also taken up his art again.

  His little brother was happy. Dave had never seen Daryl smile so much. For most of their lives, Daryl had to hide his real self away, but here, there wasn’t any need. Him, on the other hand, well. Most of the townsfolk either looked at him with distrust or curiosity, but he couldn’t blame them.

  When they looked at him, he wondered if they saw other humans who took away a friend or family member. He didn’t blame them. Hate ran rampant among the supernaturals, and trying to differentiate himself from the paranormal-hating Humans Matter organization was hard.

  “Hey, Daryl. Hello, weakling.”

  Dave avoiding cringing at that voice. It belonged to Jared, one of the werewolves their age who made it clear he wasn’t welcomed in Devil Hills.

  “Jared,” he said. “What do you want?”

  “My cousin Hope is throwing a party tomorrow night. Interested in coming?” Jared asked Daryl, ignoring Dave completely. That didn’t surprise him, either. Jared did that occasionally, as if he didn’t want to bother talking to a bug not worth his notice.

  “What about my brother?” Daryl asked, frowning.

  He kicked Daryl under the table and shook his head. Dave was well aware his presence in town was only tolerated because of Daryl. Plus the fact he was mated to Forrest. If Forrest was here, Jared wouldn’t approach him in the first place. One werewolf made the mistake of insulting him, and his angry, possessive werewolf mate had threatened to rip out his throat.

  Dave couldn’t have Forrest looking out for him all the time, though, because he knew his wolf had other duties. Deacon had thankfully returned Forrest to his position as pack enforcer, but he knew the Alpha still gave Forrest tough duties like patrolling the remote areas of the pack territory. That meant spending some nights alone.

  More and more, Dave began to wonder if Forrest regretted mating him, because it became clear to him that he didn’t belong here. Was this what Daryl felt like all his life, an outsider?

  “Him? No. Humans aren’t welcomed.” Jared emphasized his point with a flash of teeth, the threat clear.

  Like hell Dave would
let his brother go alone to a party hosted by young adult werewolves.

  Chapter Eleven

  “You boys ready to order? Jared, you’re blocking the way,” said a stern voice of a gray-haired woman with steely yellow eyes. Linda, the forty-something waitress, was also a member of the wolf pack and one of the few werewolves who was nice to Dave.

  Jared huffed at her, but before he left, he told Daryl, “I’ll see you at the party, handsome.”

  Dave wanted to gag. He took a sip of his iced water, then set it down.

  “You’re not seriously thinking of going, are you?” he asked his brother, who wore a thoughtful look on his face.

  “I don’t know. Dave, if it means the wolves might come close to accepting you—”

  “That will never happen,” he interrupted. Dave took another sip of water.

  Linda tucked her notepad away and sighed. “Daryl, honey, you should listen to your brother. I know some of those pups. They mean well, but some of them also wonder whether a powerful Esper like you will make a good mate.”

  Dave nearly spat his water out. “Excuse me?”

  His brother had turned red at her frank words.

  “But I—I’m not powerful at all,” Daryl blurted.

  “Well, they think you are, seeing as the Squad seems to want you badly,” Linda said. “And youngsters these day are starting to mate outside the pack.”

  “Can we not talk about my brother finding a mate?” he said.

  “Why? You’re mated to a werewolf enforcer,” Daryl said with a scoff. “And I’m only two years younger than you.”

  “Has anyone caught your eye?” Dave asked pointedly, and judging by his brother’s blush, someone did.

  Daryl cleared his throat. “We’re ready to order.”

  After Linda took their order, they looked at each other.

  “I just want to help,” Daryl finally said. “You’re unhappy here. I don’t need to use my abilities to determine that. The only time you aren’t miserable is when you’re with Forrest.”

  That was true, but it was time to fess up to his brother. His mate had sensed the same thing, but Forrest suggested he wait the month out, that maybe something would change.

  “Forrest’s pack and this town won’t accept me, Daryl. They tolerate me, sure, but they can’t see past their hate. To them, humans have stolen so much from them.”

  “Two double-bacon cheese burgers, extra fries, one Sprite, and a strawberry milkshake,” Linda said, setting their food down.

  “Thanks,” he murmured.

  “Don’t look so down, kiddo,” she told him, before leaving them to their privacy.

  He popped a fry in his mouth, about to say more on the topic when some of the fries on his plate disappeared. Dave frowned.

  “Did you take some of my fries?” Blame it on his grumpy mood, but Dave never really liked sharing his food. Forrest might be an exception since the werewolf was his mate, but Daryl should have known better.

  “No, I didn’t.”

  Dave wanted to growl the way his mate did when angry when more disappeared.

  “We have fries-thief, it seems,” Daryl said, sounding amused.

  Moments later, a little girl with bright white-gold hair and huge striking blue eyes peered up at Dave from their table.

  “Hey sweetheart, where did you come from?” he asked, looking around for her parents. She wore a simple bright blue dress, but no shoes, and her hair looked tangled.

  “Potatoes,” she declared, flashing him a huge grin.

  “Go ahead,” he said, amused. Young children, at least, didn’t yet learn to discriminate, and Dave had always been good with them.

  She clutched a handful of fries and munched on them, looking at him thoughtfully. “More ‘taters.”

  “I think she wants you to move so she can sit,” Daryl said.

  “Her parents might be looking for her,” he pointed out. He assessed her age. She must be four or five.

  “Haven’t you noticed? Shifter parents allow their kids to run wild, teaches them independence,” his brother said. “And seeing you interact with their young might change their opinion of you.”

  Dave slid further in the booth. He knew kids were precious to shifters, who had low birth rates. According to Forrest, female shifters or male Omegas capable of giving birth had a low chance of carrying a child to full term. Maybe that explained why some of the younger wolf pack members saw his brother as a potential mate.

  No way in hell Dave would let some horny werewolf male get his hands on his brother, although he was sure none of them meant his brother harm. Forrest said he knew every member of his pack and none of them would purposely hurt his brother, but shifters took mating seriously, he knew that from personal experience.

  The next time he looked at his plate, he was aghast to find most of his fries were gone. He snatched his burger, watching the little girl eye his brother’s fries.

  “Do you know whose kid this is?” he asked.

  “Hmm,” was all his brother said.

  “Hey,” he protested, when the girl took his milkshake and began sipping it, eying him curiously. She set it down, burped, then flashed him that smile.

  “Play.” She hopped off the booth and held out two hands at him. “Play,” she repeated.

  “Uh,” he began, before he could decide, she took his hand with surprising strength.

  “I’ll pay for this and catch up,” Daryl suggested.

  He became aware of some of the diners watching him, but he spotted some amused looks from some of them.

  “Hurry, slowpoke,” the girl said, giggling.

  “You’re too fast,” he told her as they exited the diner.

  “You’re it,” she told him, before sprinting toward the opposite direction.

  Dave blinked. Jesus, did she move fast.

  “You better catch that errant pup before she gets into trouble, young man,” an old man on the sidewalk told him. Oh hell. Now this old man looked amused, too. Did this little girl do this all the time?

  Dave silently cursed and went after the little girl. Sweat dripped down his back. What if her parents came looking for her and realized Dave lost track of her? Dave ran after her, realizing she was heading out of the main town area and into the woods.

  He panted, seeing her dress on the ground. Oh great. Dave scooped it up. He’d stand no chance if she shifted, but she was only a little pup, not a grown wolf. Surely a human male could catch up. By the time he reached the entrance to the woods, Dave panted. He put his hands on his knees, trying to recover his breath, when something small, furry, and white knocked him flat on the ground.

  Dave groaned as a wolf pup licked at his face.

  He gave her what he hoped was a firm look and said in a reprimanding tone, “You gave me a hell of a scare.”

  Dave heard the sound of wheels and footsteps. He looked to that direction to see his brother getting off the motorcycle along with Ben, another werewolf around their age. Huh, when did Daryl become so friendly with the wolves in the pack? At least he relatively got along with Ben.

  “Good, you caught her,” Ben said, smile on his lips. “Sylvia’s a wild one. She was supposed to be playing with the other wolf pups, but she ran away.”

  “Why does this seem like a normal occurrence?” he asked, sitting up and gently setting the tiny wolf pup on his lap. Daryl sat next to him, reaching out to pat her furry ears.

  She wagged her tail at his brother, bright blue eyes still full of energy. His heart melted a little. Damn. Few people knew it, but Dave had a terrible weakness for cute things.

  “Yeah, well, Sylvia seems to have plenty of tricks up her fur. Young lady, wait until your mother hears about this,” Ben said.

  That quieted the wolf pup a little.

  “Her mom sounds scary,” he pointed out.

  “Of course, only a fool isn’t scared of the Ghost.”

  Dave froze up. Forrest mentioned Sabine had that nickname because she tracked prey and enemies so
silently that even a shifter or older paranormals couldn’t even sense her approaching.

  He choked on his words. “What? You’re joking. Sabine’s her mom?”

  Dave would always be grateful to the other enforcer for taking Forrest’s side, but he’d always been wary of her. He didn’t understand why she unsettled him. It wasn’t like she openly showed him any dislike like the other werewolves.

  Those cool silver eyes simply looked outwardly on a human face and, like her nickname, she seldom spoke unless it was to Forrest or the other enforcers. He would have taken it hard, except she acted indifferently to other packmates, too.

  Sabine’s brother Santino was one of the enforcers who scared him shitless, aside from Deacon. Santino once told him outright that if he betrayed Forrest or the pack, he’d leave Dave’s body in so many tiny pieces it would be hard to identify him. No small wonder the other werewolves also had a nickname for him, the Devil.

  Scary family. How this adorable and playful little girl was related to them confounded him.

  “And her dad?” he asked, not wanting to get in trouble with both parents. Whoever Sabine’s mate was, would he be as scary as her?

  Ben didn’t answer him, and he felt like he asked a question he shouldn’t have. Tension filled the space. Should he apologize?

  The pup transformed back to a human girl and furrowed her brows.

  “Don’t tell Mama,” Sylvia said with a pout. “Don’t want to be grounded.”

  Grounded? He had to smile at that, although he seriously had trouble seeing Sabine as a mother given the other enforcer looked only a few years older than him and Dave.

  “Here, put on your dress,” he told her, helping her into it.

  “Come on, maybe I won’t tell if you come back with me to the daycare,” Ben told Sylvia. The other werewolf acted like his usual joking and smiling self again. What just happened, he wondered.