by Mandy Rosko
"Are you okay?"
He looked guilty, as if this was his own fault and not hers.
"I had to bite your neck and dig my claws into your arms. You'll heal faster than normal, but you'll still need some time. It's only been twelve hours."
With difficulty, Miranda swallowed and nodded as Garret poured her a glass of water from the jug sitting on the desk. The healing thing was great, and it explained why there was a bandage on her throat and why it hurt a little to talk. She needed to be careful while it healed.
"Garret, Dennis said something about my dad."
Garret froze briefly, and then he slowly turned around, glass of water in hand.
In that split second, Miranda wanted the water more than she wanted answers. She reached for it.
Garret was at her side in a moment.
"Be careful." He held on to the glass as she drank, preventing her from chugging the whole thing, forcing her to take manageable sips.
When he pulled the glass away, his expression was noticeably more guarded, and the dark, sinking feeling of dread became more and more prominent in her stomach.
"Is it true?"
Garret set the glass aside. "If he said what I think he said… I don't want there to be any confusion here. I did meet your father. I didn't personally know him, but he and I had several meetings when you were still a little girl. I even saw you once."
Leaning away from him, she brought her hand up to cover her mouth to prevent Garret from seeing how her mouth dropped wide open. She shook her head.
"It's not what you think. I don't think."
"You drove him away?"
"What? No!" Garret shook his head. "I arranged a payment plan with him to make sure you would be cared for until you became of age. I was to stay out of the picture until then. Those are the rules. That's the way it works. He wasn't supposed to take the money and leave. That's why I couldn't find you."
"So where is he now? Where's my dad now?"
Miranda was stunned by the sound of desperation in her voice. Yesterday, she'd thought she'd made peace with her father, and now, the fact that there were so many unanswered questions brought all kinds of needs and desires back to the surface. Garret shook his head. "I don't know. I swear to God I don't know. I tried to track him down immediately after I realized what he was doing. The money I'd sent him was being transferred to another bank, then to cash. At some point, the payments stopped, but I didn't know about it for years."
She frowned, pulling her hands back when Garret tried to take hold of them. "How could you not know the money you were sending wasn't leaving your bank?"
His mouth thinned as he rubbed his hand through his hair while sinking down to one knee in front of the bed. "My father died shortly after. I told you, Dennis killed him, and things were chaotic for a while. I had to take care of my sister, and I guess I just hoped things were going smoothly with your family. I wrongly assumed that if there was a problem, your father would have contacted me."
Miranda tried to think about it all, to put all this new information together, but it was hard. Her head hurt and everything was different than she thought it was. The fact that she hadn't realized she'd still been hanging on to this stupid hope for Daddy to come home to his little girl, and now she was looking that horrible realization in the face, made her want to be sick. It made her nauseous to realize the man she was attracted to, who had protected her and kept her from hurting Lois and Anna, was part of the reason he was gone.
"Miranda?"
Garret reached for her hands again. His fingertips were warm, thick, and calloused. The comfort of his touch was like wrapping herself up in a blanket fresh out of the dryer, but she didn't want that comfort. As much as she wanted that feeling, wanted to curl up in his arms again, she didn't want him here. His comfort had been appreciated before, but not now.
"I want to be alone."
His pale blue eyes widened a fraction. No other expression flickered across his face, as if he were trying to hide from her; the realization was a little heartbreaking.
Garret rose to his feet. "I'll be… around if you need me."
He left. Miranda's built-up emotions and pain flooded her. There was nothing else she could do but sob when he was gone. Her heart physically hurt after sending him away.
"Come back."
Chapter 14
The first thing Garret did was look for Jax. He needed a fight, and he was damn well going to get one.
He found the man not far from Dane's room. From the scent lingering around him, he'd just come back from a visit. Anna was with him, and standing at his side was Katie, an omega, when Garret walked up to the dragon shifter and grabbed him by the scruff.
Anna shrieked. Katie froze and stepped back.
Garret got up close and personal in Jax's space. "Outside. Now."
"Garret!"
Garret rounded on his sister. "Not one word out of you. You're supposed to be in your room."
Anna's face flooded with color as her back stiffened. Garret had no pity for the wide, watery eyes, or the way she slowly turned and walked back to her room.
He watched her leave and would have followed her to lock her in it if he could, but he needed to get Jax outside. He didn't let his friend go as he marched toward the back doors.
"I can walk," Jax said, shoving Garret's hand off the back of his neck.
Garret rumbled a growl at the man, but he didn't grab him again, only because Jax was walking with him and keeping up fairly nicely.
"Maybe you should be a little easier on your sister."
Garret kept right on growling. "She nearly got my mate killed, never mind letting that woman leave the house when she wasn't supposed to. She's lucky a grounding is all she got."
"Isn't she a little too old for that?"
Garret's hand struck out, fast as a viper, and he grabbed the back of Jax's neck again, putting them face-to-face, nose to nose.
"You got something to say to me?"
Of course Jax had to look unimpressed and unafraid. Sometimes that was an asset in a shifter who needed to be in a brawl, but not now.
Jax was silent just long enough for Garret to understand fully how unafraid he was. Then he spoke. "No. I have nothing to say. You need to fight?"
He nodded, releasing Jax's neck. "Yeah, I need to fight."
Garret was only the alpha because his father died, not because he'd fought the old man and earned the right to lead the pack, but he was still the alpha. He had fought and lived through enough with Anna to realize she only obeyed him because she felt guilty. He knew she was too old to be sent to her room.
It was either that or he would be forced to bite her neck in front of the pack, just like he'd bitten the neck of his mate.
"I need the fight. You up for it or what?"
Jax nodded, then sighed. "Yeah, fine. I'm up for it."
They walked outside, stepping out of their shoes, shirts, and pants as they made their way out onto the vast green lawn. Several pack members spotted them. Some were playing their tackle or chase games, but Garret ignored them as he walked to the far back edge of the yard.
"When we fight," Garret said, letting the coarse, needle-like hairs of his fur come in through his pores, "I want you in your true form."
Jax halted. He was naked, and the brown and gold scales were already starting to come in, forming in spots over his skin before thickening and coming together. Even that halted when he heard Garret's words. "Are you insane?"
Garret pulled his claws out. "Just do it."
Jax's eyes widened, but then he shrugged. "All right, your funeral."
Whatever. Garret knew the man wouldn't actually try to kill him. So long as he fought like he was trying, then that was all Garret cared about.
* * *
Miranda stayed in her room for the next two days. Well, it was Garret's room, but he didn't come back, not even for a change of clothes, and she didn't leave.
At first, she wasn't allowed to. A small woman wit
h a short bob cut and plain brown eyes came in with a few others. Miranda could didn't understand why the smelled so pleasant, until the woman explained that she and the other young women and men with her were omegas.
"The smell is our natural scent. We're calming for other shifters."
"Oh," Miranda said. "I didn't smell it before when I was eating with the others."
"You were probably smelling the food over us. Then your mate walked in."
Miranda's face flamed. That was true. "So, what am I?"
She hadn't bothered to ask Garret, and she wasn't in the mood to see him. Not yet.
Of course, then it became weird as the omegas came forward to sniff at her. Miranda didn't know what to think of their actions, especially the boys sniffing at her.
Everyone was really open about themselves around here.
"You're omega," said the girl with authority. "Pretty sure of it. You're just new, and your animal is wild. When you tame it, it'll calm down and little accidents like this will be a thing of the past for you."
Miranda sucked back a deep breath. She hoped that was true. She didn't want to be a danger to her friends.
"I always thought omegas weren't that strong."
That's what every romance novel she'd ever read had told her.
"You're not ever going to be as strong as an alpha, but yes, you do have more strength than a human does, but only in that form. You didn't exactly grow muscle in this shape."
As if to prove it, the woman took hold of Miranda's arms and started squeezing.
Miranda allowed it, grateful she was finally getting answers.
"But, Garret and Dane—"
"Trust me," said the girl, giving Miranda a hard look, "that only happened because they let it. If you weren't Garret's mate, it would have been over a lot sooner."
The woman looked at her bandage, and Miranda couldn't help touching it. She didn't want to be a danger to Garret either. She'd seen the bandages on him when he'd come to her. She hadn't so much as commented on them before sending him away, though.
He'd really let her do that because he didn't want to hurt her? Biting her must really have been a last resort for him.
And she'd sent him away, as if he'd done something wrong when he'd let his face get sliced up by her claws.
Miranda quietly let the omegas change her bandages. It was fascinating seeing how much the wound had closed, almost all the way, in such a short amount of time. They gently brushed away old bits of scab that had flaked off before applying the new wraps. The woman with the bob cut assured her that by the following day she'd only need a smaller bandage taped over her wounds on her neck and shoulders, and no more wraps.
That was good. If healing was a new ability Miranda gained from being a shifter, she'd count herself lucky for it. It also meant Dane and Garret had to be healing nicely as well.
She hoped.
The male omegas weren't shy about changing her sheets and switching them out for clean ones either. One young man brought her a turkey breast sandwich on fresh bread with salad, juice, and even a damned multivitamin.
They wouldn't even think of letting her leave the room she was in. Apparently, Garret was angry, so angry he'd started a fight with Jax, and no one was willing to let Miranda out of here to visit Lois, just in case she hurt her neck and shoulders on something.
Luckily, they brought Lois to her. That was something. When Miranda saw her best friend alive and well, not so much as a Band-Aid on her forehead, Miranda jumped out of bed and rushed to her.
Then regretted it when the pain flared up in her neck and shoulders as she and Lois held each other.
Lois stayed with her for several hours, both of them holding hands and trying to snack with one hand each over the cheese and fruit plates that were constantly coming in. It seemed the omegas were terrified Miranda would starve if they left her without food for more than an hour at a time.
"I think I'm going to stick around for a while," Lois said.
Miranda frowned. "What? You… Did Garret talk to you?"
Lois scratched the back of her neck. "Yeah. He did. He still doesn't trust me, and after what happened when I tried to leave, he's not happy."
Miranda would have shaken her head furiously if her throat wasn't still so tender. "That wasn't your fault."
"It pretty much was, but… I'm okay with being here. Garret let me give some people a few calls. He listened to them, which wasn't so great, but at least I got to tell my clients I'd be going on an unforeseen hiatus."
"Can you do that?" Lois had only recently been able to quit her job to do what she loved, but it wasn't like the pay she'd been getting from the people she'd been painting for had been much better, not with the cost of her supplies.
Lois shrugged, showing the first signs of discomfort. "I blamed it on a family emergency. I think that excuse made Garret nervous, like he thought I was using code or something, but I think he now knows I wasn't. Either way, there's no way I'm leaving here now. Not with you here, and after what Dane did… He saved my life."
"Dane?"
Lois's green eyes flashed with excitement. "You should have seen it, Miranda. They burst through the trees right in the nick of time. That asshole was making you lose your cool, and in the next second, Dane's furry body was over me. I thought it was you at first and freaked out, but when I realized he was protecting me, I couldn't believe it."
Miranda flinched. "I'm sorry."
Lois actually waved off her apology, as if it was nothing. "Don't worry about it. I wish you had a better memory of what happened. Garret grabbed you, and even though you were slicing at his face and chest, he wouldn't let you go. I don't know if he was worried you would come after us again, or what he thought would happen to you, but he didn't let you go for a second. It shocked me when he bit you, but when I found out why, I got it."
Lois leaned to the side a little. "Does your neck hurt?"
Miranda touched the bandages. "Yeah."
A lot of the pain had to do with the fact that her throat was closing, never a pleasant sensation to fight against.
But Lois kept right on talking. She was lost in the memory of what happened—her rescue, how Garret stopped Miranda's attack, all of it.
Apparently shifters, especially the wolf shifters, bit each other on the throats to get each other's attention, usually to stop one from fighting the authority of the stronger alpha. It was a last resort, however, since the throat was an obviously dangerous spot to bite down on.
How Lois had come across this information was something Miranda was starting to heavily suspect had to do with Dane.
Miranda wouldn't say Lois had a crush. She was sure she'd be able to tell when her friend had feelings for a man, especially one who'd saved her life. When Lois said she'd soon have to go back to Dane's room because she'd volunteered to be one of his nurses, it definitely got Miranda thinking. She tried not to smile, too.
"Is he okay?" Miranda asked.
Lois nodded, though when she glanced down at the mug of tea she held in her hands, there was something there that suggested a level of concern was in order.
"He's better. A lot of his problem was the way he walked back. He wouldn't let Jax help him. I couldn't because he was still so big. Everyone says he tired himself out, so it's taking a little longer for the gashes on his back to heal."
Miranda flinched again.
Lois leaned in, putting her warm hand on Miranda's. "He doesn't blame you."
"Did he tell you that?" Miranda couldn't see that happening. She didn't think Lois and Dane were that close after such a short amount of time.
Lois pulled back, brushing some of her red hair behind her ear. "No, not in so many words, but he was swearing and cursing like you wouldn't believe. I don't think I ever heard angry drunks talk like that even when I was still tending bar." Lois shook her head. "None of what he said was bad about you. I don't think he blames you. It wasn't your fault. It was mine."
That last part was added quietly.
Miranda tried to assure her it wasn't her fault, but her friend wouldn't hear of it. She was convinced of her blame, and arguing with her about it was just going to make her angry.
Lois felt the need to make it up to Dane for saving her life, so there wasn't much Miranda could do when her friend left her that first night and most of the next day.
When she did see her again, it was just to hear that Garret was getting into bloody fights with Jax.
"What?"
Lois stood in the doorway, her hand on the knob, eyes wide. "Yeah! You should see them! I was told to come and get you."
Miranda was already pushing herself out of bed. Her neck was still tender, and the way her wound healed was stupidly fast, but she still felt like she had to be careful how she moved. She walked quickly to Lois and took her hand.
"What are you talking about?"
Lois shook her head. "This is too messed up. There's blood everywhere, and Katie said you might be able to calm him down."
Miranda didn't know who Katie was, but she was already rushing down the hall and running in Garret's direction.
Chapter 15
The young woman with the bob cut turned away from the circle of people who'd crowded around the two alphas when she realized Lois and Miranda were coming.
Her expression was an impatient one. "There you are! Will you get him to cut it out before he kills himself?"
Miranda stopped. "What did I do?"
"Sorry, Katie, got her as fast as I could," Lois said.
Oh, so Katie was the woman's name. She looked so stern in that moment that Miranda wouldn't have thought she was a Katie, but then Miranda was looking over the heads of the men and women surrounding the dragon and the wolf.
"That's Garret and Jax?"
They weren't in their in-between forms. Garret was not on two legs looking like a furry cross between a man and a wolf. He was an actual wolf. He looked big for a wolf, but she didn't know much about wolves to begin with.
It didn't matter, because Jax looked like a real dragon, something that might be seen in a movie. He roared and flapped his wings at the wolf that growled at him. One of his wings had several long slashes down it, like torn paper. Miranda couldn't tell if it was fresh or not, but the dragon looked much better off than the wolf.
