Mikhail sniffed the air and looked at Sage. “Half-breeds.”
Sage bristled but didn’t lunge for her brother. His entire body quivered like his rage was barely leashed.
“Humans too,” she added. “They’re a family and they love and protect one another.” It was what she’d always wanted and never had. “I don’t want to do anything to jeopardize that.”
She couldn’t look at Sage or she’d never find the courage to say what needed saying. “I have a man stalking me, and he may have others with him. I don’t think he’s going to stop until he finds me. Now Mikhail says my former pack wants me back. That’s two threats. I can’t stay. I can’t put the children or other women in harm’s way.” It would kill her to leave Sage, but there was nothing else she could do.
“You’re not going anywhere.” Sage’s declaration thrilled her wolf and her soul. But she cared too much to let him risk his pack or his place here. Her brother had already lost everything because of her. She couldn’t let another man she loved suffer the same fate.
“I’ll go with Mikhail.” She expected her brother to look triumphant. Instead, he looked sad.
The other males growled and grumbled. Jacque held up his hand and silenced them all. “No one is going anywhere.” He turned to Mikhail. “I assume your former pack is no longer looking for her?”
Why would Jacque assume that?
Mikhail inclined his head. “I told them I’d kill whoever they sent after her.” He paused as if searching for the right words. “Alex wanted to go after her. That’s the alpha’s brother and the man our parents and the alpha had chosen for her.”
“I take it that’s not going to happen.” Jacque seemed to understand her brother better than she did.
“Mikhail?”
Her brother faced her. He looked much older and a lot more tired than she ever remembered seeing him. She could see the past year had taken a toll on him. “I killed Alex before I left the pack. After that, the alpha was glad to see me go. He knew I could have taken the pack if I’d wanted to.”
“Why didn’t you?” Jacque asked.
“I don’t have the stomach for the politics. I just want to live in peace. And I needed to find Rina. She’s all the family I have.”
She ached for her brother, for what he’d been forced to do because of her. She didn’t want him to have to kill again because of her. “That still leaves a crazy human hunting me. We should leave.” The words were ripped from her. It felt as though she were severing her very soul. The thought of leaving Sage was untenable. It didn’t matter that they hadn’t known one another very long.
“If you leave, I’m going with you.” Sage’s calm announcement rocked her to her core. She swiveled in her chair to face him, uncaring that all the others were watching and listening.
“You can’t leave your pack.” He was so happy here. Sage had built a life and a livelihood. It hadn’t taken her long to understand just how tied to the land he was. He was a true wolf at heart.
He shook his head and his blue eyes were fierce. “I can’t live without my heart.” He lifted her hand to his chest and flattened it over the organ in question. “You’re everything to me.”
Rina was speechless. Sage was offering to give up his home for her. No, not offering. If she left, he was going with her. She could see the determination etched on his beloved face.
She shook her head. “No.”
He nodded. “Yes. You can’t stop me. Nothing you can say or do can change my mind.”
“Your sister is safer here,” Jacque pointed out. “We’re a pack, and there is safety in numbers.”
Mikhail looked resigned. “You should stay here, Rina. You’re safer. I’ll be close by if you need me.” He pushed away from the table and stood.
Rina was torn. She didn’t want to leave Sage, but she didn’t want to lose her brother after just finding him again.
Jacque growled in obvious vexation. “Sit down, Mikhail. No one is going anywhere.” The alpha sighed. “This pack keeps growing whether I want it to or not,” he muttered.
“What are you saying?” her brother demanded.
“You can stay.” Before Rina could get too excited, he added, “For a while. We’ll see how it goes. You’ll stay with Gray and Louis.” Jacque looked to his brother and got a brisk nod of agreement. “But only if you can keep civil around the half-breeds and humans. They’re pack too.”
The threat was clear. If her brother made any kind of threatening move toward any of the non-full-blooded members of the pack, he’d be kicked out, if not killed outright.
“I’ve got no problem with that.” Her brother sat back down and some of the tension bled from his body. “I can help you patrol. No one is going to hurt my sister.”
“Good enough. You can patrol with Cole later. But no one shifts,” Jacque looked at her in particular. Not surprising since she’d shifted in spite of the threat. “No one. Not until we eliminate the threat to Rina.”
It didn’t escape Rina that Jacque had paired her brother with the largest member of the pack. That was fine with her. She’d had years of reading her brother’s moods and knew he wasn’t lying when he said he had no problem with the more unusual members of the Salvation Pack.
Jacque stood. “You might as well meet the rest of the pack and settle in before supper. You can patrol later. Bring him over to Gator’s when you’re done,” he told Sage. Then the alpha left and the others filed out behind him, leaving her alone with Sage and her brother.
Chapter Sixteen
Rina wasn’t sure what to do now that she was alone with her brother. Well, almost alone. They’d been so close since she was a child. Now they felt like polite strangers.
“You afraid of me now, little girl?” he asked.
She gave a cry and shoved back her chair, not caring that it tumbled to the floor. She flew around the table and threw herself into her brother’s arms. “I’m sorry I didn’t contact you.” If she hadn’t been such a coward, she wouldn’t have been alone all these long months.
She felt Sage’s gaze on her, and when their eyes met, she saw nothing but compassion, understanding, and caring. Every single hour she’d been afraid and lonely was suddenly worth it because it had all conspired to lead her to Sage.
Mikhail tightened his arms around her until she found it almost impossible to breathe. She tapped her brother on the back. “Mikhail,” she managed to gasp.
He loosened his grip. “I’m sorry, Rina.” He settled her in his lap and buried his face in her hair. Wolves were very tactile. She knew she’d been missing that part of her life before she’d met Sage. Mikhail had been on his own just as long.
She rubbed her hands over his shoulders and arms. “You have no reason to be sorry. I’m the one who needs to apologize. I didn’t trust you enough.”
Her brother shook his head. “You had every right to be wary when everyone you trusted turned on you so quickly.”
Rina nodded as her memories slipped back in time. “I didn’t suspect anything until father called me to his study. Mother was with him.” She shivered. “So was Gregor.”
“That’s your alpha, isn’t it?” Sage asked.
“Gregor Gribkov,” Mikhail confirmed. “He’s currently alpha of the Sitka Pack.”
The way he spoke of Gregor alarmed her. “What do you mean he’s currently the alpha?” She gripped his shirt and shook him, or at least tried to. He was as sturdy as an oak and didn’t budge an inch. “You’re not thinking about challenging him, are you? You just got here.”
She sounded like a child and hated it. Sage pushed out of his chair and came to stand beside them. He put his hand on Rina’s head and she automatically turned her face into his stomach.
“No one is going anywhere. Isn’t that right?” Sage’s words were a challenge to her brother.
Mikhail sighed. “I’m not
leaving you, Rina.” He might not have said the words out loud, but she heard what was left unspoken. Not yet. He wasn’t leaving her yet, but he might not stay here in the long run.
She understood. He was without a pack and trying to find his own way in the world. He might not be able to stay here if he couldn’t get along with the others. She found it remarkable that so many powerful men were able to live in harmony in a pack. That usually wasn’t the way. The stronger werewolf usually battled and killed those that were a threat to his leadership.
Here they banded together to make the pack stronger. An infinitely smarter way to live in her opinion.
“We can get your things and I’ll show you to Louis and Gray’s place.” It was more command than suggestion, but her brother nodded.
“Good enough. I have a duffle bag in my truck.” Her brother patted her back, and she slid off his lap. The second she stood, Sage slung his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.
The gesture was possessive and didn’t go unnoticed by Mikhail. Both men stared at one another, sizing each other up. The male posturing would have made her smile if the situation wasn’t so dire. She had no idea if the threat from her unknown stalker was still real or if he’d given up and gone home.
She shivered, and Sage frowned. “Everything okay?” he asked.
She shrugged, not wanting to get into it. “I’m fine.” She knew he didn’t believe her, but he let it drop.
“Lead the way,” Mikhail told them.
Sage walked to the door but waited until her brother passed before following. “Just head back down that path.” It startled her to realize Sage didn’t want her brother at his back. Made sense considering Mikhail was a stranger. She was still a stranger, despite the fact they’d slept together.
It was a sobering thought.
Maybe it would be better if she and Mikhail simply left the Salvation Pack in peace. But she didn’t want to leave Sage. Not yet. Maybe not ever.
She wrapped her arm around his waist and hugged him.
He kissed the top of her head. “What was that for?” he asked her. “Not that I’m complaining.”
“Just thank you. For everything.” He’d saved her life. He’d risked his neck for her when she was nothing more than a stranger. Yes, they were both werewolves—she’d stopped thinking of him as a half-breed even though he couldn’t shift—but most werewolves she knew wouldn’t have stepped in to help her. Then he’d brought her back to his pack, offering her a sanctuary.
He nuzzled her temple. “Nothing to thank me for.”
“You two going to play kissy-face or are you coming?” The hard bite of Mikhail’s words made her jump.
Sage ignored him and kissed her forehead. “I don’t know about you, but I’d rather play kissy-face.” His teasing words surprised a laugh from her. Sage’s blue eyes twinkled, and he smiled.
Sage made her smile. He made her feel good about herself. Most of all, he made her believe that anything was possible.
He also made her hot as hell. Not something she wanted to acknowledge with her big brother standing only a few feet away. If the breeze changed direction, Mikhail would know exactly what she wanted to do with Sage. Her panties were damp with arousal in spite of her best efforts to contain it.
Sage growled and licked a sensitive spot just below her ear. “Later,” he promised.
“You know I can hear you, right?” Sarcasm was thick in her brother’s voice.
“I’m pretending you’re not there,” Sage told him.
Rather than get angry, her brother stood in the center of the path with his hands on his hips and his stance wide. He was ready to fight but the corners of his mouth twitched. Rina knew he was trying not to smile.
“How’s that working for you?” Mikhail asked.
Sage sighed. “Unfortunately, not as well as I’d like.”
Mikhail threw back his head and laughed. Rina smiled. It had been a long time since she’d heard her brother laugh. “Damned if I don’t like you, half-breed.”
Rina tensed, but Sage just laughed it off. “Damned if I don’t like you too, full-blood,” he shot back. “And technically, I’m three-quarters werewolf.”
Mikhail held his hands up in mock surrender. “I stand corrected.” He turned and headed for his truck with them following.
Contentment filled her. Yes, Mikhail had yet to meet the others and she had no idea if he was going to stay. She wasn’t sure if she was staying either. But for now, she was reunited with her only family, at least the only family she recognized. And she also had the man she loved at her side.
Maybe it was too soon for her to know for sure if what she felt for Sage was real. Her wolf certainly thought it was, and so did Rina. If she could neutralize the outside threat, they might have a chance at making a real life together.
Mikhail reached his truck, opened the door, and pulled out a battered duffle. It was a stark reminder of just how much her brother had given up for her. “That’s all you have?”
He slung the strap over his shoulder. “I have some boxes in storage in Oregon. I figured it was safer than leaving everything in my truck. Which reminds me.” He reached back into the truck and pulled out a second bag. It was a cheap, thrift-store bag that she recognized.
“My stuff. You brought my clothes.” She snagged the bag from her brother’s hand. “Thank you so much.” It would be good to have a change of clothes and her hairbrush and toiletries.
“I think I got everything. If something is missing, it’s because that bastard of a boss of yours had already helped himself. I took everything that was there.”
“Thank you.” She hugged her brother with the bag trapped between them.
He bent down and kissed the tip of her nose. “You’re welcome, little girl.”
“Let’s get going.” Sage reached out and took her bag. “We can drop your stuff back in my room on the way along.”
Mikhail frowned but refrained from commenting. Rina inwardly smiled at Sage’s display of possession while outwardly scowling at him. Damned if he didn’t just wink at her. How could she stay mad at him, even if it was mock anger? She couldn’t.
Right now, she was the happiest she’d been in more than a year. She wanted to savor the moment in her heart. She knew just how precious times like these were and how quickly they could be taken away.
A shiver went down her spine and she glanced over her shoulder. There was nothing behind her but woods and the parking lot.
“Come on, Rina. The others will be waiting.” Sage linked their fingers together and they strode down the path to his home. Her home too. At least temporarily.
For the first time since she’d run from her former pack, Rina felt the urge to stop running and settle. Not because Salvation was such a beautiful place—even though it was—but because of the man beside her.
Sage wished he knew what Rina was thinking. He’d seen myriad emotions cross her face over the past hour. Everything from confusion and sadness to joy and fear. He wanted to see nothing but happiness and contentment but knew that was a ways off yet.
He knew she was happy to see her brother. It had to be such a relief to know that he hadn’t abandoned her. Sage was man enough to admit he was jealous of the bastard. There was no doubting the obvious affection between the brother and sister. Mikhail knew everything there was to know about Rina’s past.
Sage was determined to know everything about her present and future. Mikhail might be her brother, but Sage knew her in ways her brother never could.
He shifted the bag he was holding and did his best to ignore the surge of lust barreling through him. Totally inappropriate, especially with her protective older brother walking alongside them.
Yeah, sporting a massive hard-on for Rina was not the way to endear himself to her brother. But it couldn’t be helped. Holding her hand and walking alongside Rina made
him want her. He caught the occasional whiff of his soap mixed with her distinct feminine scent and it was driving him nuts.
He knew he was acting possessive but couldn’t help himself. His wolf instincts were strong, and he didn’t like another male touching her, even if those touches were the innocent and loving ones of her brother.
He glanced down at the bag he held in his grip. It was light and couldn’t contain all that much. Whatever was inside, along with the contents of her knapsack, was everything she owned.
It had taken all her limited resources just to survive this past year. How many other women could have survived being tossed from their home and community? It was a testament to her strength that she was still alive. Yes, she was a werewolf and therefore stronger and tougher than most human men, but she was also a woman alone. A group of men could have overpowered her, especially if she hadn’t been able or willing to shift to her wolf form.
It made his blood run cold to imagine her alone. She hadn’t even had a friend she could call. Her pack was isolated due to location and temperament. When she’d lost her family, home, and community, she’d also lost any friends she’d had.
She’d been truly alone.
As half of a pair of twins, Sage couldn’t imagine ever being truly alone. He focused his attention inward. Sure enough, he could sense his brother even though they were miles and miles apart.
It startled him to realize he’d barely touched in with his brother since he’d met Rina. She’d been his entire focus since the moment she’d stumbled into him in the dark.
It wasn’t like him to neglect his brother. They’d always been close. He concentrated on sending calm vibes to Reece, knowing his brother would sense them. He waited, and sure enough, he felt a surge of returning energy a few seconds later. Reece was laughing at him, the bastard.
Sage found himself smiling as they detoured toward his home. The front door opened before he could touch the handle. Billy seemed just as surprised as he was. “Hey, man. I’m on my way over for supper. You coming?” The teenager was always hungry.
Wolf in his Heart (Salvation Pack) Page 17
