Fighting the Inevitable

by J C Gordon

  He had asked Aaron about it and his friend had laughed loudly and started talking about the very sexual side of pack life. Rafe was rather shocked at the level of promiscuity which went on in the pack. He wasn’t exactly a prude. He’d known his fair share of women before the change, but he’d always been discerning with his partners. He preferred to have relationships rather than one night stands as a lot of men did.

  From what Aaron had told him, he would have numerous women coming on to him until he ‘mated’. Rafe didn’t like the sound of being mated. It was just so animalistic and he still wasn’t comfortable with the wolf half of his nature. He didn’t want to be ruled by a mating instinct. He was a man first and a wolf last. He wanted to choose his partner or ‘mate’ with his human side.

  The Alpha chuffed loudly breaking into his reverie, and he turned to him as did the rest of the assembled pack. Aaron stood beside Rafe and nudged him slightly with his long snout. His friend was impressive in wolf form. Not as large as Jared or himself but his markings were beautiful. Aaron’s wolf was a light brown with golden highlights. His markings made him very popular with the females.

  Rafe would have sighed in resignation if he could have in wolf form. He nodded to Aaron and followed the rest of the pack into the forest. His wolf was in control and he wanted to howl his pleasure at running through the densely packed trees. Rafe reminded the wolf that the Alpha would not be pleased if he alerted the rogue to their presence.

  Rafe couldn’t help but enjoy the feel of the rich soil beneath his paws as he ran, or the way the wind whistled past his ears. The moon was full tonight and it called to his beast. Maybe being a pack member wasn’t so bad after all if he could run free with the moon guiding his path. It felt so liberating.

  The scent of the rogue was soon caught and the pack stepped up a gear, low growls coming from those around him. Rafe was surprised to hear himself emit a low growl as a stab of pure rage surged through him. He recognised the scent of the rogue. It was most definitely the one who had done this to him, who had taken him from his beloved Annie.

  Rage he’d never before experienced overcame him and he took off, flying past the rest of the pack. He was going to catch the rogue; he was going to rip its fucking throat out. He was going to tear it limb from limb as it howled its pain into the night.

  He was vaguely aware of the Alpha calling to him but the red mist of rage fogged his mind. He heard a loud bang ahead of him, heard the sound of squealing tires as he scented blood and heard an agonised howl. He burst through the trees and onto the hard surface of a road.

  ~~~~~

  Caleb knelt down beside the grey wolf and checked it over carefully. He sighed deeply and ran a hand through his hair. It was dead and it was most definitely a Were. Hanlon was going to be pissed at him. It wouldn’t matter to the Alpha that it hadn’t been his fault. The stupid Were had come out of nowhere. Even if he had been watching the road he wouldn’t have been able to avoid the bloody thing.

  “Caleb, is it dead?” Rhianna asked nervously, stepping out of the car and taking a couple of hesitant steps towards him.

  Caleb’s head snapped round quickly and he frowned deeply. “I told you to stay in the car, Annie,” he said tersely. “Go back to the car now.”

  Rhianna blinked at him in surprise for a second, and then she frowned. Who the hell did he think he was talking to? She wasn’t a child to be ordered around. His tone shocked and hurt her, and she took another step closer to him in defiance just as a large ball of some kind of wild animal burst through the trees.

  “Annie!” Caleb shouted, momentarily at a loss to what to do. He had time to get to her side but in doing so he’d reveal his nature. The enraged Were who was bounding out of the trees could be the mate to the one he’d killed, which would seriously endanger Rhianna’s life.

  Rafe scented the vampire kneeling beside the rogue’s carcass as he cleared the trees and growled loudly. His wolf reacted instinctively to the danger the other predator posed and his strong body immediately prepared to defend itself. He was vaguely aware the vampire wasn’t alone, but he didn’t scent the human female properly until he heard her name being shouted.

  “Annie!”

  The wolf recoiled, the red mist of fury shattering around him as Rafe clawed his way up frantically as he barrelled towards the petite female.

  No! He screamed silently inside his wolf’s mind as it fought with him for control. His wolf scented danger, fear and death, and he didn’t want to give up his control.

  No! Rafe roared the word hoarsely; his claws digging into the hard surface of the tarmac as he brought himself to a shuddering halt less than a foot from the human female who was staring at him with a look of abject horror on her face.

  He sniffed slowly and let out a low whine as his Annie’s unique scent engulfed him, lavender and jasmine with a hint of coconut. She must have showered with the coconut buttermilk gel he’d bought her for her last birthday. She loved the disgusting smelling stuff that he’d always hated. It took a fraction of a second for these thoughts to seep through his rage and then he whined loudly again. His Annie was right in front of him and she was terrified at the sight of him in wolf form. He wanted to shift to human, to go to her, tell her everything was going to be okay but he knew he couldn’t.

  He was amazed he was managing to hold down his wolf without automatically reverting to being human. He had been practising this with Aaron for the last week, the delicate art of being in wolf form whilst having his human consciousness in control. Apart from the very first time he’d spoken to his Alpha, he had been unable to do so, either changing back to human or being fully the wolf. Perhaps necessity was the key to his mastering this skill? He just knew he couldn’t allow his wolf to hurt his sister, and he couldn’t reveal himself to her in his human form.

  “Oh, Annie,” his heart cried as he stared into her beautiful lavender eyes and whined for a third time.

  Rhianna let out a deep breath as the enormous brown wolf whined as it looked at her. Her terror was slowly starting to abate, as the wolf appeared to not want to rip her to shreds as she’d first thought it was going to. It simply stood there regarding her with large brown eyes and whined repeatedly.

  “Don’t move, Annie,” she heard Caleb say as he stood slowly and took a step towards her. The wolf’s large head swung towards him and it bared its teeth and growled low in its throat, halting Caleb’s forward movements instantly.

  “I don’t think it wants to hurt me, Caleb,” she said shakily and the wolf turned back to her and whined again before it lay down very slowly in front of her and rolled over onto its back and thrust its head back against the tarmac.

  Caleb watched the wolf intently, ready to dispatch the Were in an instant if he even looked like he was going to hurt Rhianna. The consequences of doing so would be enormous. There would be no hiding what he was from her if he had to protect her from the Were. He would most likely start a war with the pack too if he deliberately took out one of their own. It would be a complete headache to sort out but he was ready to do what he must to protect Rhianna.

  He tried to relax when he saw the wolf’s posture though his heart was still pounding with concern. It appeared the Were did not want to hurt Rhianna, but Weres could change at the blink of an eye when in wolf form. He moved a step closer and the wolf turned its large head and growled low again. He caught the sharp intelligence in the animal’s eye and he relaxed a bit more as he saw the human persona in control of the huge animal.

  The Were was less of a danger when its human was in control. The fact it was apparently submitting to Rhianna was curious and strange. He had only ever known a male Were to submit to its mate or its child, never a total stranger in the middle of a road.

  He decided to step closer again and test the wolf’s reaction. If the dog thought the redhead was his mate he would instantly attempt to attack him. Despite growling again, the wolf remained prone so Caleb took the last step needed to reach Rhianna’s side. He didn’t to
uch her, merely stood as close as he could without enraging the wolf.

  “Why is it lying there like that, Caleb?” Rhianna asked hesitantly. The enormous animal didn’t appear dangerous at the moment, but she was still a bit frightened of it.

  “He’s submitting to you, Annie,” Caleb said calmly, keeping his tone non-threatening to the wolf. “In the wolf world, this is the sign of letting another wolf know he will not hurt them and that he submits to their dominance over him.”

  Rhianna stared down at the wolf in shock. This huge beast was submitting to her? He was telling her that she was dominant over him? Why on Earth would he do that? She started when the wolf’s head moved to look at her and he whined again deep in his chest.

  “What do I do, Caleb?” she asked, not taking her eyes from the wolf.

  “Very gently touch his stomach and then his neck,” Caleb instructed. “Let him know you accept your position as being above him and you mean him no harm. He is effectively baring his most vulnerable areas to you. To accept him, you must touch those areas without causing him any injury.”

  Rafe listened to the vampire talking to his Annie. It was obvious the golden haired male knew of Were life. He didn’t like the scent of him but his Annie appeared to trust him, so for now he would do so as well. He whined and tried to will Rhianna to accept his gesture. He needed her to know that he would never hurt her. This was the only way he knew how to do so when locked in his wolf form.

  He chuffed lightly as she slowly knelt down beside him and pressed a trembling hand to his exposed belly. Her touch was so hesitant at first, but then it firmed as she slowly ran her hand up to his neck. She held her hand against his neck for a long time as he lay docilely before her, feeling the first true moment of happiness since he’d been forcibly turned.

  “Your fur is so soft,” Rhianna murmured with a delighted smile on her face. “You are so big and strong, Wolfie, but I think underneath all that brawn you’re really a big softie at heart, aren’t you?”

  Rafe chuffed again and tried to grin at her without looking too ferocious. She was accepting his wolf and he wanted to howl for joy, though he wasn’t overjoyed with the ‘Wolfie’ part of her words.

  “I’m sorry if we hurt your friend over there,” Rhianna said soothingly. “It was an accident. He seemed to come out of nowhere. There was nothing Caleb could do to avoid him.” She was worried all the whining the wolf had been doing was because of the one they’d hit.

  She moved back slightly when the wolf rolled over and looked at the grey beast in the road. Caleb automatically slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her tightly to his side when the wolf moved, but the animal merely stared at the dead Were and growled loudly and then swung its big head back towards her.

  “I’m glad he wasn’t a friend of yours,” Rhianna said softly, correctly guessing this beautiful animal was not unhappy with them about the demise of the other wolf.

  A sudden noise from the trees made them all tense and the brown wolf jumped swiftly to its feet and placed itself in front of Rhianna and the other wolves that had cleared the tree line. He growled loudly at the large black wolf that walked slowly towards them while the others hung back.

  To say Jared was pissed at Rafe taking off was an understatement. To find him standing protecting his little sister was beyond surprising. How in hell had something like this come about? His quick gaze took in the dead rogue, damaged car and Caleb Ryder eyeing the pack warily whilst shooting glances at the little redhead behind Rafe.

  This was just unbelievable. A bloody car accident took out the rogue and the people in the car just happened to be Annie and one of the resident vampires? Someone somewhere must be having a laugh at his expense.

  Rhianna didn’t appear to be afraid of Rafe and Jared knew this meeting was going to give him an endless headache. He had to get Rafe back into the pack and he had to do it swiftly and without a challenge.

  “Rafe, your place is no longer at Annie’s side,” he sent telepathically. “You must come back to the pack now.”

  Rafe growled and tossed his head wildly. “No! I’m staying with Annie. She accepts me in wolf form. She’s my sister. I must protect her. She’s with a vampire of all things. She needs me to look out for her.”

  “I know this vampire,” Jared said firmly. “He is honourable for his kind. He will not hurt Annie. You must come back to the pack now, Rafe.”

  “I will not,” Rafe growled angrily, feeling his rage start to build at the mere thought of losing connection with his sister again.

  Rhianna watched the two wolves chuff at each other. It was clear they were having some type of conversation and whatever was going on was quite bad because all the other wolves were watching them intently as if waiting for something to happen.

  She stepped to the side of Wolfie and placed a hand on his trembling head. The growls he’d been omitting silenced immediately and he whined softly and turned to look at her with large sad eyes. “I don’t know what’s going on, Wolfie, but it’s a bit frightening all that growling and stuff,” she said softly. “I’m guessing really, but I think the big black wolf wants you to go home with them?”

  Rafe whined and chuffed, lowering his head in misery.

  The huge animal seemed so miserable Rhianna felt her heart tug painfully. He didn’t look like he wanted to go back with his pack. “Don’t be sad, Wolfie,” she said wrapping her arms around the wolf’s thick neck impulsively and sensing Caleb’s hands reaching for her. She shook her head at him and his eyes darkened in anger. Reluctantly, he did drop his hands, though he remained tense.

  “They’re your pack. Your place is with them,” she said soothingly as she stroked the beautiful animal’s soft fur. “You didn’t think I could take you home with me, did you?” she asked with a wry smile at the thought of Millie’s face if she came home with this beast at her side.

  “I think you’re the most beautiful animal I’ve ever seen and I’ve been privileged to get the opportunity to meet you, but it’s time to go home now,” she sighed softly. “Old Blackie there doesn’t look too happy at the moment and I really don’t want to see you get into trouble. Please, Wolfie. Go home to your pack. For me.”

  She had no idea why she knew she was doing the right thing at the moment; she just knew it was somehow important that the enormous brown wolf went home with his pack.

  Rafe whined loudly, his eyes glistening with unshed tears as his beloved Annie spoke with such wisdom for her tender years. He knew he couldn’t go home with her. He knew he couldn’t endanger the pack either. He just wanted one more moment with the girl who was more a daughter to him than a little sister.

  “Listen to her, Rafe,” Jared said with a hint of kindness in his tone. “You know what she’s saying is true. You belong here now, in our world, not in hers.”

  Rafe whined one final time and stepped away from Rhianna and towards the pack. He turned and looked over his shoulder at his little sister and then turned and ran into the trees howling his misery.

  Wolfie’s abrupt departure surprised Rhianna. A chuff from the black wolf sent a golden brown wolf careening into the trees after him. Another chuff sent four wolves over to the body of the grey animal. They picked it up with their teeth and dragged it into the trees.

  Caleb watched Hanlon closely as he wrapped his arm protectively around Rhianna. He knew the Alpha well and wasn’t expecting any trouble from him, but he was still prepared to defend the girl if he had to.

  Jared shook his head at the familiar way Ryder held Rhianna against him. The touch screamed intimacy and he was surprised and a little concerned. He felt a small bubble of hope well up inside him. If the girl had feelings for a vampire then perhaps things would not be as difficult as they currently were. He bowed his head at the couple and then chuffed loudly and the pack turned on their heels and sped into the forest.

  Caleb relaxed slowly when the pack moved off. He turned his head, looked down at Rhianna and frowned deeply. “What part of ‘stay in the car�
� didn’t you understand?” he asked, unable to keep his anger out of his voice.

  Rhianna looked up into his furious face and swallowed loudly. She was in big trouble and for a moment, she wished she’d disappeared into the trees with the wolves…

  CHAPTER Six

  Caleb didn’t quite know what to do with Rhianna. Half of him wanted to pull her into his embrace and kiss her senseless, while the other half wanted to punish her for scaring him so badly. He was vaguely aware that he needed to address what it meant for him to have felt such fear, but he wasn’t willing to do so now.

  Instead, he opened the car door. “Get in the car, Annie, and stay in it this time.” It took all his self-control not to take the door off its hinges when she did as he asked.

  He slammed it closed, took five long strides away from the car, and struggled to calm his anger. The car was a write off and wasn’t going anywhere. He dug his cell phone from his pocket and hit speed dial.

  “Demetri, I need a car out on Old Forest Road, about half-way down heading into town. I hit a wolf and the car’s a write off.”

  “How’d you manage to hit a wolf?” Demetri asked with a healthy dose of surprise in his voice. A vampire’s reflexes were phenomenal. His friend should have been able to avoid the Were.

  “I don’t have time to go into it,” Caleb sighed. He could just imagine his friend’s laughter if he admitted he’d been too busy mooning over Rhianna at the time of the accident. “Have someone else follow you out so you can get a lift back. I’ve got Rhianna with me and don’t want any additional passengers.”

  Demetri whistled loudly. “So, you managed to track her down. I’m impressed.”

  “Demetri, just get here as soon as you can,” Caleb said tiredly, running a hand through his hair. “This night has been a complete disaster and I just want to get it over and done with.”

  His friend laughed and hung up after promising to be there within the half hour. Caleb turned his head to peer back at the car and noted that Rhianna had remained safely inside. At least she was listening to him this time.