by Julia Mills
After a few minutes, things died down. The women were talking, Caleb and Finn were still eating, and Wolfe was finishing his iced tea. Returning his glass to the table, he asked, “When are we planning to leave for North Carolina?” He nodded to Caleb and Ellie, “I’m not trying to hurry you guys, just wondering what our schedule is.”
“Oh, you’re not hurrying us at all,” Ellie quickly answered. “I want to get up there as soon as we can. Get the lay of the land. I’m worried there’s more to all the hold ups than just rogue attacks.”
“You think they don’t want the treaty?” Olivia asked.
“I’m not sure.” She looked at her mate who continued eating as he nodded. “Something just doesn’t feel right.”
“Then we’ll let you lot eat or rest,” Angus stood. “And I’ll help Olivia clean up the dishes we’ve already piled in the sink.”
“Take your time. We’ve got about a twelve-hour drive from here to Blue Ridge Pack lands,” Olivia smiled, as she began filling the dishwasher.
“I’ve been meaning to ask since we landed,” Wolfe stood up, taking his plate to the sink as he continued, “is this place we’re in right now really called Corkscrew Swamp?”
Speaking up while Olivia and Angus nodded, Finn laughed out loud, “Sure as hell is. Now, you know why we put up our own sign that says Gaelach Lán Pack Lands right in front of the state’s ugly green one with that goofy ass name on it.”
“Daddy used to call it Screwball Swamp,” Olivia chuckled, making the whole group once again erupt into laughter.
“And boy-oh-boy was he right,” Finn agreed, finishing his apple pie with a huge smile before patting his stomach and nodding to Olivia. “Thank you very much. You and Angus sure cook a mean dinner.”
Looking over his shoulder with a raised eyebrow and a barely contained grin, the elder Guardsman teased, “You’ll be getting the bill for your part of the groceries in the mail.”
“Send it on over. It’s worth whatever you charge.” Finn stood and pushed his chair in, grabbed his plate and carried it to the sink. Turning, he headed towards the door, “Now, I’m off. Good luck in the mountains.” Then hugging Olivia, he added, “Holler if you need me.”
“You got it, Finn. Take care of the Pack.”
“You know I will,” the tall wolf called over his shoulder as he walked out the door.
The next hour seemed to fly by as Olivia and Ellie talked about the different aspects of the treaty they were worried about, and Angus talked to Wolfe and Grey about how to contain the rogue wolves. All the while, Caleb sat next to his mate, silent and protective, halfway smiling or nodding when included in the conversation, but always giving off the vibe of barely contained violence.
It wasn’t long after, the two couples and the two blue dragons were piled into two black SUVs and heading towards the highway. Once there, they made great time since they were driving at night and only had to contend with semis and other travelers just as anxious as they were to get to their destination.
Wolfe drove the lead SUV, with Angus riding shotgun and Grey in the back seat chattering away. Caleb drove the other with the ladies talking and ultimately sleeping in the back. Arriving at the edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains just after eight a.m., the group stopped at iHop, ate nearly everything in their cupboards and then headed into Blue Ridge Pack Lands. It took an extra ninety minutes to find the entrance to what Ellie and Olivia referred to as the Courtyard, an area that contained their Lodge, offices and a few specialty shoppes.
Rolling up to the huge log cabin with a wooden sign that had been expertly carved with BRP and a set of wolf paws, the group got out of their vehicles, stretched their arms and legs and when Olivia and Ellie were ready, walked into the Lodge. Meeting a short, cute young she-wolf with a long brown ponytail hanging out the back of her baseball cap, Ellie grinned and asked, “Are you, Melanie?”
“Yes ma’am, I am.”
The girl’s deep southern accent made Wolfe smile as Grey swatted him in the arm and raised his eyebrows when Ellie chirped, “I’m Ellie Wolfe from the Wolfe Pack. It’s great to finally meet you in person,” while swallowing the girl up in a hug.
“She’s too young, you dirty old man,” Wolfe whispered, using the telepathy he shared with his brethren.
“Wolves age just as slowly as we do, buddy boy. There’s just no telling,” Grey snickered in return.
“She’s chewing bubble gum and has some boy band sticker on her notebook. Back off, Hugh Heffner.”
“Okay, you win this round…”
Whatever else Grey was going to say was cut off when Ellie started introducing them all to the young she-wolf. When she got to Wolfe, the young girl laughed out loud, “No way, a dragon named Wolfe?” Before quickly slapping her hand over her mouth and immediately uttering a muffled, I’m so sorry.”
Laughing to help ease the young one’s distress, Wolfe moved forward, patted her on the arm and teased, “That’s okay. I always figured at least my dad didn’t name me Hound or Fox.”
His friends laughed, helping the situation greatly while Wolfe stood by waiting for someone else to speak. Melanie’s embarrassment turned into giggles that quickly became laughter as she dropped her hand and thanked him for being so understanding.
“Follow me, please. Daire, our Alpha, is expecting you.”
Falling to the back of the group, forever the Protector, Wolfe opened his senses wide, checking for danger and making sure everything was as it should be. Poking into every nook and cranny, the Guardsman was filled with a sense of déjà vu that immediately had his dragon pushing against the confines of his mind and grumbling low in his throat.
Searching his memory, Wolfe was thrown headlong into images from his dreams. He saw the same gorgeous woman and heard the same pleas for help, but this time, the dream changed. The fog cleared and Wolfe realized he wasn’t dreaming at all. There, standing not ten feet away, was the exact woman from his dreams, more beautiful in real life and creating more turmoil within the Guardsman than he’d ever thought possible.
Wolfe’s feet moved of their own volition, slowly closing the distance between them. His hands itched with the need to touch her as his dragon’s persistence to be let free grew stronger. Smiling, the Guardsman’s expression quickly changed as he almost fell face-first onto the floor when his forward motion stopped dead, and he heard her low, raspy voice in his mind, pleading, “Please, please, I beg you, don’t tell anyone.”
Chapter Four
How in the hell did I not see that coming?
Watching as confusion, then accusation crossed the handsome dragon’s face, Dani prayed he’d at least wait until she could explain before blurting out what he had already learned about her. Looking at the other two dragons in attendance, she was shocked that they weren’t looking at her with the same expression as the one she’d heard Melanie call Wolfe. She could feel how old and powerful the red dragon was, but chalked up his not recognizing her as kin to the only little bit of luck she was going to have for the day. Plastering a smile on her face, Dani waited as Melanie introduced her to the group of visitors Daire had been waiting to meet.
“This is Dani, our Healer and Daire’s sister,” Melanie sing-songed. “She’ll be sittin’ in on y’all’s meetin’.”
“The Alpha’s sister” Dani heard the words running around the blue dragon’s mind as she followed him into the conference room beside Daire’s office. Securing her mental blocks while she got her third cup of coffee, the Healer smiled as she thought about how attractive the dragon named Wolfe truly was.
A dragon named Wolfe… what the heck? But damn…
First of all, he had to be just a few inches shy of seven feet, which made him look like a giant from where all five-foot-five inches of Dani was standing. Then there came his shoulders, as wide as any football players she’d ever seen and just right for her hands to hold on to. Not to mention his biceps that were barely contained by his light denim shirt, and dang it all if he didn’t have a chest a quarter would
bounce right off of.
Her fingers tingled with the need to see if his long, brown, wavy hair was as soft as it looked with the sun shining on it from the window and highlighting the light and dark streaks running throughout. Dani knew women all over the world had lined up to get a look at this long, tall drink of water.
He had made her heart beat in double time, and her pulse race just from the few steps he’d taken towards her. She’d heard the word, “Dragoness,” float through his mind and felt the call of his dragon to hers. It was all so incredibly wonderful and devastatingly terrible, all at the same time.
Turning as she felt his deep blue eyes staring a hole into her back, Dani avoided looking anywhere but right at her chair as she quickly crossed the room and sat down beside Daire. Thankfully, Darragh and the other Council members came walking in, creating a distraction as they found their seats and the meeting was called to order.
For the next two hours, the dragoness tried to focus on the talks by taking copious notes, but no matter what she did, Dani could not stop thinking about the look in Wolfe’s eyes and the way her dragon continued to beat against her mental shields, trying to connect with the beast she believed to be her mate.
Wait? What? Mate? Did I truly just think that? Yes…yes…I did. Could that be right?
Thinking back over everything she could remember for what her parents and the Elders of their Clan had said when she was a child, Dannika listed the signs. Instant recognition… check. Heart beats faster when he’s near… check. Can think of nothing else… check. Dragon recognizes her mate… check, make that a double check with an exclamation mark. Feel a stirring in your soul as if it is finally complete… check.
Well, crap! This is so far from what I planned today. Have I entered the Twilight Zone? How did this happen? There has got to be some mistake.
“Dani? Dani…did you hear me?” Daire was chuckling, but his voice held an edge she knew meant she’d missed something important and he was covering for her.
“I’m sorry, Daire. I was trying to catch up on the notes.” She looked up, surprised to see the concern in his eyes.
“No worries, I just wanted to make sure you agreed to the addendum to the treaty that states you will help train any new Healers and help set up new treatment centers with our allied Packs.” He nodded and touched her arm at the same time Darragh put his arm around her shoulders while pushing comfort and peace through the bond they shared as Packmates.
She had just opened her mouth to respond when Wolfe’s growled, “Who is he to you?” burst through her mental blocks. Snapping her eyes to his, Dani answered her brother with, “That sounds perfect, Daire,” at the same time she snarled directly into Wolfe’s mind, “My brother, you lunkhead. What’s it to you?”
His eyes narrowed, and his lips turned downward before he replied, “How does a dragoness have wolves for brothers?”
“It’s called adoption, asshole. Now, get outta my head.” And with that, she slammed her mental blocks back into place and gave Wolfe a nasty grin when his hand flew to his temple, rubbing away the pain from her abrupt disconnect of their mental communication.
The rest of the meeting was a blur. Dani worked hard to ignore any and all of Wolfe’s attempts at getting her attention by throwing herself into any and all discussions about a treaty that until that moment she hadn’t even thought about. No sooner had Daire adjourned the meeting and instructed everyone to meet Becky in the reception area for directions to their accommodations than Dani was on her feet with hopes of a quick and painless getaway.
Unfortunately, Daire asked her to stay behind, and since she had no good excuse to get out of it, the dragoness sat back down and waited until they were alone as the Alpha shut the door. Sitting in the chair Darragh had used during the meeting, Daire blew out a long, tired breath and leaned back as far as the chair would let him.
Putting his hands behind his head, the Alpha looked up at the ceiling and asked, “What’s up with the dragon…Wolfe, I think his name was?”
Dammit! Why? Why? Why does he have to see everything?
Forcing herself to relax, Dani grinned, “Nothing, just thought we’d met somewhere before.”
Goddess, please forgive me for lying…
“Sure seemed like more than that. I thought the boy was gonna jump across the table when Darragh put his arm around you.” Daire let his head roll to the side. “Something I need to take care of?”
Swatting her brother’s arm, Dani laughed out loud, “When have I ever needed you to take care of a man for me?” She leaned back. “If I remember right, it was me, you and Darr left to fend off all the girls you two had chasing after y’all when we were younger.” She put her index finger and thumb up to her face in the shape of a telephone and in a high squeaky voice mimicked, “I’m sorry Daire isn’t here right now, but can I take a message?” Laughing so hard she had to take a breath, the dragoness added, “Oh, it was Darragh you wanted to speak to. I’m sorry, he’s not here either.”
Dannika turned her chair and poked her brother in the chest with mock anger, “And you were both sitting right there like scared pups the whole time, afraid to talk to a girl on the damn phone.” She flopped back in her chair, chuckling along with Daire. “Goddess only knows how much I wish for those times again. Now, the line of women trying to trap an Alpha is a mile long and those girls do not take no for an answer. Thank goodness you have Betas to fend off them off. Alpha-hunting females are crazy. They scare me.” She added an exaggerated shiver for effect.
“Whatever, Dani. You know you loved taking charge and telling those girls to leave your brothers alone. And what about all those boys that came callin’? I thought dad was gonna have a heart attack when that big ol’ wolf from the Virginia Pack knocked on the door and said he had heard the voice of the Goddess telling him you were his mate.”
By this time, Dani was laughing so hard, tears were running down her face as she remembered the shocked expression on Joshua’s face. “And you remember what he said?”
“Well, She didn’t call me and you ain’t getting within a mile of my daughter,” they chuckled in unison.
After finally catching her breath, Dani added, “We really did have an awesome childhood, didn’t we?”
“Damn straight, and you know what else was awesome?” Daire asked as he took his hands out from behind his head, sat forward and patted Dani on the knee.
“No, what else?”
“Having a sister to share it with.” He winked. “And just cause we’re old and feeble now doesn’t mean I’m not still here to set any wayward males, be their wolf, dragon or whatever-the-hell-else straight.” He dipped his chin lower and looked her right in the eye. “All you gotta do is call. I’m here, sis.”
Leaning over and bumping shoulders with him, Dani sighed, “I know, and I can’t tell you what that means to me - what it has always meant.” She turned and smiled. “But I promise, this is nothing. I’ll talk to him. I got this.”
“Okay, if you’re sure.”
Thankfully, there was a knock on the door right before Melanie called out, “Daire, there’s a call from the South Carolina Pack for you. The man says it’s urgent.”
Rolling his eyes, the Alpha whispered, “Aren’t they always?” Before answering his assistant out loud, “I’ll be right there, Mel, thanks.”
Standing and pushing his chair in, Daire laid his hand on Dani’s shoulder before reassuring her. “I know how tough you are. Hell, I think I’ve still got the scars to prove it, but if you need me, holler, ‘kay?”
Nodding, the dragoness gave a tiny salute followed by, “You got it, Chief.”
Shaking his head and chuckling, Daire called over his shoulder as he left the room, “Love ya, sis. Talk later.”
“Love you, Daire.”
Picking up her notebooks and papers, Dani made sure the room was in order before turning off the lights and shutting the door. Walking through the Lodge, she stopped at her office, shut down her computer and laid all
the stuff in her arms on her desk, promising herself to get to it first thing the next morning.
“Besides, I have to go home and get ready for that damned dinner. Wonder if I can play sick?” Dani talked to herself as she made her way down the hall, shutting office doors others had left open along the way. “I could try, but either one or both of my brothers would show up to take care of me then I would be busted for lying and never live it down.” Clicking the light over the reception desk off, the dragoness shook her head, “Nope, no getting out of it.”
Stepping out into the cool breeze of the late afternoon, Dani decided to take the long way home, sure a walk through the woods and by the lake would calm her nerves. Strolling through the trees, she once again thought of Wolfe. Could he really be her mate? Was it actually possible? Her mother had always told her that the Universe did not make mistakes and that She made one special man for one special woman, that they completed each other in every way and that together, they could do great things.
Of course, if he was her mate then that meant the prophecy she had avoided her whole life was about to come to pass. From the day she was old enough to understand, Dannika had listened to her mother tell and retell the story the Spiritual Elder of their Clan had told the day of the young dragoness’ birth.
“And so it shall be that when the Morning Star finds her one True Mate, the dragon whose soul completes hers like no other and their union is blessed by the Fates, the Universe and the Goddess of All, so shall she also then possess the key to unlock the full potential of their combined powers. For only she and the mate of her heart, acting as one, can battle the Darkness.”
“Yeah, thanks for that, Somera. Thanks, bunches,” Dani sighed to herself.
Picking up a handful of rocks, the dragoness walked beside the water, throwing rocks at the lily pads and wondering exactly when her life had gotten so complicated. Kneeling to get another handful of pebbles, the crack of a branch under the heel of a boot caused her to drop the stones in order to pull out the small knife she kept in her backpack. Staying on her knees, Dani stretched her preternatural senses as far and wide as they would go.
