by Bryce Evans
Chapter 2
Arden walked into the pack house, not expecting to see so many of his wolves gathered there. Most of them had jobs, and yet here they were in the middle of the afternoon. Something was wrong, and he didn’t like the fact that he was apparently the last to know.
“Bane?” Arden yelled out. He watched as the members all lowered their eyes, showed him their necks, and bowed as he walked past them. Not one of them made eye contact with their Alpha. Everyone knew Deaton, and now his son was one of them. It had to be strange having the police chief’s son here in the pack house, the one place where they could usually be themselves and not hide from anyone. Finley Egan being a turned wolf would bring unwanted attention to the pack.
He loved this house. They’d built it for the pack members who weren’t mated yet. They’d built it approximately five years ago and everyone in the pack contributed to it. They cut the logs themselves, put up every wall, and put in the plumbing and electricity.
Someone was always cooking something sweet in the kitchen; even now he could smell banana-nut bread cooking. The kitchen was outfitted with the finest appliances, including a stainless steel stove and refrigerator. It was a cook’s dream kitchen. He made sure this house had everything a wolf or human could want, including a mudroom with a dog door big enough for a wolf to get through. The house was built for wolves with tempers, and young pups who didn’t know their own strength. Most of the walls were sturdy enough that even a wolf couldn’t kick a hole in them.
He and all his command staff, including the guards, had one wing of the house to themselves. They shared a joint living area and a kitchen, but other than that it was quieter on his side of the house.
“Alpha, I’m in here,” Bane answered, standing next to the door to Finley’s room.
“What’s wrong?” Arden demanded.
“Nothing’s wrong, it’s just...unusual.” Bane was peering through the window in the door.
“What is?”
“I’ve never seen anyone change so quickly. I would’ve thought the full moon tonight would have pulled it out of him, but look for yourself.” Bane backed up so Arden could look through the glass. Inside Finley Egan was leaning back in a chair, his feet kicked up on the table, watching the TV as if he didn’t have a care in the world. But as Arden looked closer he could see the tick in Finley’s jaw.
Finley Egan was huge, and now that he’d made the change he looked even bigger. Those who hadn’t seen Finley since he got back from the military might’ve thought that the military had put the extra muscle on him, but Arden knew it was the wolf inside him. Every human who changed would show an increase in muscle mass, and more extras than they could ever wish for. They would be stronger, faster, and able to scent and see better than any human. Finley’s blond hair had grown out a bit, and was sticking up like he’d just run his fingers in it. Even though he was acting calm, Arden could see the wildness waiting to jump through. It took great control to keep it under, but if Finley didn’t get it out soon, they would have a pissed off Alpha wolf on their hands—because it was obvious from Finley’s size and control that he was definitely an Alpha.
Arden could see the Marine tattoo peaking through the bottom of his shirt. Finley had seen action while he was on active duty, and had lost a lot of friends. His body might look in good shape, but Finley’s eyes showed the war raging as his wolf fought to break free within him.
“How do you know he’s changed already?” Arden asked, his eyes never leaving his newest pack member.
“I watched him change, and then I ordered him to change back and he did.” Bane snapped his fingers. “Just like that. I’ve never seen anyone but you change that fast.”
“And you too, Bane.” But Bane was right; it was strange. His Beta was an Alpha himself, and could easily have his own pack, but he chose to stay with his best friend. Arden thanked his lucky stars every day for that. Bane said he loved his pack and he liked being Beta, so it worked for the both of them.
Apparently, Finley had been an Alpha in his human life and it carried over with him. The question Arden needed an answer to was whether Finley could be part of the pack, or would he challenge Arden constantly? Arden had a lot of challenges under his belt, but Finley was strong, and he knew how to win.
“Was he this calm after he changed?” Arden asked, looking up at his Beta.
“Actually, he was excited and wanted to go and run in the woods. I know we’re prohibited from changing anyone against their will, but Finley doesn’t seem to mind much.” Bane answered. “He acts like he’s enjoying this, and that’s what’s worrying me.”
“Open the door.” Arden stepped back to allow Bane to unlock the door and then walked inside. Finley glanced up at him, but didn’t move. Arden could see in Finley’s grey eyes that he was a predator. He showed no signs of being frightened of Arden, but watched him closely as he sat down in the chair across from him.
“Finley, how are you feeling?” Arden asked.
“Strong,” Finley answered. Arden couldn’t tell if the man was fucking with him or not.
“I’m going to see your dad in a few minutes and tell him what happened. I’m sorry about this. We don’t go around biting humans. It’s not sanctioned, and I’ll need to get some information from you, if you can remember anything about the wolves who did this to you.” Arden noticed that Finley continued to stare at him. His father used to do that to him, to see if he could make Arden look away. It hadn’t worked on him then, either. He had the feeling that Finley was testing him. “That won’t work on me.”
“What won’t work on you?” Finley asked.
“The staring. I’m an Alpha, son, and I have the feeling you are too. I know that all your emotions are wreaking havoc in your body right now, but most young wolves don’t test the Alpha the way you are, unless they want their ass kicked. Right now, I don’t know if you even realize what you’re doing, though.”
Finley blinked a couple of times, then looked away from Arden and back again. “I’m pissed right now about getting my rights taken away from me. My father told me about werewolves, but I assumed the old man was getting a little nuts. I thought for sure he was crazy, but I was the one who was wrong. I guess I never thought that it could be true, but I feel all this power inside of me, and it feels good. I’m trying to control it, but it’s taking a lot out of me. Why do I want to hit something, tear something up, run as fast as I can? Shit, I feel like I could take on the world.”
“That’s natural for a new wolf after their first shift. You’re an adult, and you’re an Alpha, which makes you stronger. When we get you in the woods you’ll want to fight anyone—or fuck anyone who suits your fancy. But believe me, this is normal Finley. We’ll help you get through it. That’s what a pack is for. I need you to trust me right now, son, and believe that I will help you learn to live with this.”
Arden watched as the far off look came into Finley’s eyes. “I remember a pack of wolves surrounding me on my jog. I tried to outrun them, and when I figured out that I couldn’t, I picked up a stick and started swinging. Fuckers surrounded me, and then the leader of the pack came up behind me while I was focused on the others. The fucker bit into my leg, then sat down and waited. I couldn’t believe they didn’t attack when my leg went out from under me. I lay there waiting, but they all just lay down on the ground watching me. It was the biggest one who bit me.”
“How many wolves surrounded you?” Arden leaned forward.
“About five or seven, I think. Some of them were behind the pack, but they were the smaller wolves. At first I thought I got bit by a wolf with rabies, because the pain was so bad.” Finley shook his head. “I’ve been shot before and I didn’t hurt like that.”
Arden chuckled. “That’s the change. It’s not meant to be fun. Some don’t make it; only the strong ones survive. And the wolves in the back were the females and kids of the pack. They’re not allowed to fight; in fact, I wonder why they were there at all. No pack should allow their fem
ales and kids to go out hunting with them. They should be tucked away safely in their home territory. You’ve probably noticed that no females or kids have been around since you’ve been here. They’ve been kept away from the pack house for safety reasons until you’ve gotten adjusted to your new body. Bane said that you’ve already shifted and then changed back. That’s unheard of except for an Alpha, and from what I’m seeing you’re definitely an Alpha. You’re stronger than most of the wolves, so be careful because you can hurt those who are smaller and weaker than you. You have a lot of strength flowing through your body right now.”
“You’re not worried about me trying to hurt you?” Finley asked. Arden could tell that Finley was a good man who only wanted answers; he wasn’t trying to be threatening.
“Nope. You’re strong, don’t get me wrong, but not stronger than me yet. I’ve lived a long time, Finley, and I haven’t stayed Alpha this long without knowing how to fight. I know you do too, but this will be different for you. I’ll help you control those raging emotions you’re feeling, but nothing happens overnight. I’m asking for you to trust me that I’ll get you through this. So what do you say?”
Finley stayed silent, but Arden knew that he was thinking carefully about it, and that said a lot about the Alpha Finley was going to be.
“I trust you, but you’ve got to get me out of this room soon and let me box a little, or run. I’ve got to get rid of some of this energy.”
“You got it. I’m going to see your dad, then tonight we’ll run. Try to rest until then.” Arden chuckled when he saw Finley’s expression.
“Rest? Hell I’m doing good not running around the room a hundred times.”
“Then do it. Do as many push-ups and sit-ups as you can do, and then when you feel like taking a nap, do it. Someone’s cooking now, and you need to eat. Your body is burning a lot of calories just sitting there, and when you run around and exercise you’ll be starving. So pack on the food.” Arden got up and walked out of the room. He had a father to see, and he wasn’t looking forward to it.
Chapter 3
Arden drove out of pack territory with Bane and his cousin Tate Dixon, who was his head enforcer. It was starting to get dark by the time they arrived in town. Not a lot of people were around, since Charlotte’s Closet had closed down last month. They used to get a lot of business from the larger city people wanting to stay at Charlotte’s bed and breakfast and then shop at her store. Since her husband died, she couldn’t run both the store and bed and breakfast. She’d told Arden that she was tired of trying to find the right items to sell in the store, so she’d put the store up for sale and decided to just run the bed and breakfast, which she was great at. The woman could cook, and customers came back year after year.
They needed to get more shops in town, so they didn’t have to go so far to get supplies. It was early fall, and since Charlotte closed her store the town looked a little sad. It was like a ghost town, with all the lights off and the clothes out of the windows. Charlotte’s Closet had been the biggest store in town, with all kinds of clothes and knickknacks. Now they would have to order things online, or go to the city, and Arden hated going out of town.
Bane had called Chief Egan earlier to see when he would be at his office. He’d had to take a prisoner to the next county over for court, so they’d made an appointment to see him at eight o’clock that evening.
Tate’s stomach growled as they pulled into town. “I’m starving,” he complained.
Arden and Bane laughed, because Tate was always hungry. The man was six-foot-five, and at least two hundred and sixty pounds. Not one ounce of fat graced the wolf’s body—he was nothing but powerful, ripped muscles.
They passed Charlotte’s Closet, and noticed that the “For Sale” sign had been taken down and clothing had been placed on the mannequins in the store windows. Apparently Charlotte had found a buyer. He needed to talk to her to see who she’d sold it to.
“Charlotte must’ve sold the store. She didn’t tell me. Wonder what’s going on?” Arden mumbled. He’d just spoken with her two days ago. In fact, he’d been thinking of buying it himself, for any pack member who wanted to start a business in it.
“Shit, my fault, Alpha. She called the office a couple days ago, but with everything going on with the rogues, I forgot to tell you. She said she sold it to a nice lady who already had a clothing business online and wanted to find a nice town to settle down in. Charlotte couldn’t pass up the money she was offering. What was the woman’s name?” Bane closed his eyes, thinking. “Quinn something.”
“Her name is Quinn?” Tate asked, laughing.
“Yep. I thought it was cool, that’s why I remember her first name, but the last name is funny-sounding and of course it popped right out of my head.” Bane chuckled.
Arden snorted. “Did you at least do a background check on her?”
“Started it, Alpha, but I haven’t checked my e-mail for it yet.” Bane cringed at his mistake. “Sorry. I’m off my game with all this going on. I’ll check it at the restaurant.”
Arden just nodded. They were all off their game. He needed to find out what the hell this pack was doing, and get rid of it. He could feel in his bones that things were going to get worse before it got better.
“Send it to my e-mail too. I want to see who this Quinn is.” He wanted to find out as much as he could about any newcomers.
The window did look pretty cool. Tate slowed down as they passed, so they could all look inside. Whoever this Quinn was, she knew how to attract attention. Fall was here, and the store reminded him of his childhood, when he and his mom would help decorate the whole town. The kids loved it. Hell, he loved it. Pumpkins and fall decorations adorned the windows, and even the outside of the shop.
Apparently she was going to have a variety of items in the store. He could see men’s, women’s, and children’s mannequins dressed up. It looked like there were purses and jewelry on the walls and tables, along with candles and other decorative items. It all looked great; he could almost smell the mulled cider heating on the stove.
“Alright, let’s go eat before we have to deal with Deaton,” Arden said as Tate drove past the store and parked behind the police station. They’d started walking toward Mick’s restaurant when they heard a growl and the clang of something slamming into some trashcans. Arden was already running toward the back of Charlotte’s Closet when a woman started screaming.
Arden came to a stop and watched a woman slam her fist into the side of the wolf’s head. He knew that this was the pack he was looking for. There were only two wolves there, including the Alpha. He started moving again, but before he could get to the woman the wolf latched onto her arm and bit down, releasing his saliva into her wound.
“You fucking piece of shit,” the woman yelled out, kicking the wolf until it released her. By the time Arden reached her, the wolves had run away.
“I’ve got her. Try to find them,” Arden yelled at Bane and Tate, who shifted and ran after the wolves.
The sight of Bane and Tate shifting caused the woman to go deathly still. Her eyes widened, and she crab-walked away from Arden, but she wasn’t quick enough to get away before Arden leaned down beside her.
Putting her hands up, she yelled, “You get away from me!”
“I just want to help you.” Arden stopped when he got a good look at the woman. His heart actually jumped. She was very beautiful, and very angry.
Fiery red hair hung down her back, but it was her piercing green eyes that grabbed his soul. It was those green eyes that grew angrier from the moment she focused on him, burning with fire as he came closer. All he wanted to do was comfort her. She looked scared, even though she hid it well with her fury.
“You’re just like them. What, you want to bite my other arm now?” The woman tried to get up, but just then the transition started taking affect. “Fuckkkk.” She grabbed her stomach and curled into a ball on the ground, whimpering. The change was happening fast.
“Breathe
in and out and it will pass in a few minutes.” Arden put his arm around her and picked her up. “What’s your name?”
“My name’s Quinn. What did he do to me? Oh my God, do I have rabies?”
Arden smiled and chuckled. “No. I’ll explain when I get you in the car.” He couldn’t keep his eyes off her, but the moment he glanced up, she unleashed a punch to his nose, surprising him enough to loosen his grip on her. This gave her enough time to jump out of his arms and take off running toward the woods.
Arden reached up to touch his nose and found it bleeding. He smiled as he watched the woman whirl back around when Tate emerged from the woods in wolf form.
“I think I’m in love.” She’d hit him hard, and it should’ve pissed him off, but instead he thought he could watch her in action all day. Now she was running back toward him in a sprint—and boy, could she run. Then the pain hit her again and she fell to the ground, moaning.
“Breathe,” Arden whispered, trying to keep his voice low and calming.
“Brea...the? The pain is too much, you ass!”
Arden could listen to the woman’s velvety voice all day, even if she was being mean. Before he could say anything else, she passed out. He couldn’t help but smile at her. Her temper matched her hair that was for sure. And those green eyes were just as fiery. He was enthralled with her the moment he saw her. She was beautiful.
Arden picked her up and started carrying her back to his SUV. Bane and Tate shifted and started putting on what was left of their clothes.
“Their vehicle was parked at the edge of the woods. Someone was waiting for them, and they took off before we could get to them,” Bane explained. “Is she okay?” he asked, eyeing Quinn, who was groaning in her sleep.
“She’s already started the change. I need to get her back to the pack house. Bane, you go explain to Deaton about Finley. Tate will drive us back to the house so I can hold onto her. Then get him to drive you out to the house. I need to get her back before she wakes up.” Arden continued carrying Quinn back to his vehicle without waiting for an answer.
