Prey to the Heart (Wolves of Wild Junction Book 1)

by Kristen Banet

  “Good point,” she groaned. “I’ll think about it. I don’t feel guilty for the hotel room while I’m his employee, though.”

  “All right.” Thomas chuckled, shaking his head. She loved the way his blue eyes twinkled with humor and exasperation. “Let’s go on a run, everyone. Did you get any time in animal form while you were in South Dakota?”

  “Went for a Herd walk, but…guys, that shit is so boring, you have no idea,” Abigail told them, laughing as she threw her arms up. “Seriously. A walk. To a clearing. We meander about, then we go back to the community building and have like a tiny get together.”

  “That sounds fucking awful,” Tony groaned. “Yeah, we’re going to put you through your paces. Exercise. That’s what you should be doing in animal form.”

  “Thank you,” she said honestly. “For…working with me, when I treated you poorly.”

  “Abigail,” Thomas crooned at her, smiling. She caught her breath at the look he gave her. “Thank you for indulging us and joining the Pack. We have one more thing to talk about though, before we run.” He walked to the kitchen and she saw him bring back the robe she’d left behind weeks before. “We won’t touch you or chase you unless you want us to.”

  “Thank you,” she whispered, taking her robe slowly. Their hands brushed, and she tried to ignore it, but she remembered the sensation of those rough hands on her skin. He must have remembered too, since the scent of lust and desire filled the space between them.

  “We want to,” he murmured to her. “Don’t think we don’t, but we won’t rush you. If you never want to take it that far, then we don’t need to.”

  “I’m scared,” she sighed softly, trying to remain honest with her new Alpha.

  “We’re not here to hurt you,” Thomas continued to speak low and soft. “I see you and everything in me wants you healthy and happy. That’s all.”

  “I know.” She smiled at him. “Meet you guys outside?”

  “Of course,” Thomas confirmed. “We’ll shift before you get outside.”

  With that, he, James, and Antonio left the room, leaving her to find the bedroom she changed in the previous time.

  She moved slowly, anxiety and nerves making her jumpy. She’d done it, though. She’d accepted membership into a Pack. It was a good first step. She wanted to be around them, and this was just step one. She hoped to get to know them even more. James playing guitar was a good example. Maybe after the run, she could ask him to play something.

  She walked outside, wrapped in her robe, and saw them tussling in the yellow winter grass. A strong breeze was blowing. It was a mild winter, no snow yet, but she wondered when this large yard would become a winter wonderland. It was another thing she’d missed without realizing it while living in LA. Snow. Something about running and playing in the snow had always been fun for her.

  She dropped the robe and shifted.

  “Let’s go,” Thomas called, pulling out of the pile of rolling wolves on the ground. “We’ll do a lap around the property to just get you some exercise and then come back in. It’s a bit chilly outside right now.”

  “It is,” Abigail agreed. “If it’s a bit cold to us, the humans must be freezing.”

  “Most likely.” Antonio chuckled in her head. “Too bad it isn’t spring or summer. We’d be able to run all day.

  “That would be nice,” Abigail agreed as they began to run. If humans had seen them, it would have looked strange. Not only were there three wolves, but they encased her, making a triangle. Thomas led, with Antonio behind her on the left and James on the right.

  It was a short, quiet run, but it was fun nonetheless. Forty-five minutes of just moving, nothing slowing her down. If she had taken off like this with the Herd, they would have thought she was crazy. At one point, Antonio noted her agility as she went over a small ditch in a single bound and she just laughed him off. She was able to make further jumps than them and her top speed was higher - she just couldn’t keep it up as long.

  It felt natural. It felt good. Like the last time they had run together, it just seemed to work.

  When they made it back to the house, they were all panting a little. Abigail shifted quickly, grabbing her robe and sliding it on. She darted inside as they shifted back as well, but had nothing to cover them up.

  “That was fun,” James said, chuckling to one of the other guys. She could hear him clearly with no other sounds distracting her. “What’s next?”

  “I figure, dinner and a beer,” Thomas laughed. “Come on, put your pants on.”

  She threw her own clothes on before they even made it in the house and went to the kitchen. Dinner and a beer? She could make that happen for them, since they were willing to put up with her and everything that entailed.

  She dove into their cabinets and pulled out several pots. As they walked in, she smiled at them and reached into the fridge, pulling out three bottles.

  “Here,” she offered.

  Thomas took them all from her and passed them out, grinning. “How did you know?” he asked, jumping to sit on the counter.

  “I could hear you. I’ll make dinner, since you’ve been nice today.”

  “Let me help,” James cut in, sliding up beside her. “This is my kitchen, little doe. You need to prove yourself before I leave you unsupervised.”

  “Am I no longer considered a guest? I’m allowed to clean up the table now?” She smiled at Thomas, who nodded.

  “We might not let you anyway,” he teased, that peaceful energy radiating off him.

  “You know, I told James this, but…I don’t know anything about you guys,” she explained to Thomas. “I would like to. He said he plays guitar…”

  “I smoke a cigar on occasion, celebrations and such. My birthday is in May. Antonio’s is in April. James’ is in June. I’m a very good shot, thanks to fifteen years in the Marines.” He paused, looking thoughtful. “James has like seven sisters, the poor bastard.”

  “Fuck you,” James chuckled, preparing something behind her at the stove. “I only have five and you know it.”

  “Antonio and I grew up together,” Thomas pointed over to Antonio, who’d collapsed back on the couch. She peeked over at him and enjoyed the sight for a moment. His dark Latino skin was healthy and visible. He’d never put a shirt back on, and she wondered if he had underwear under the sweatpants riding too low, exposing the dark line of hair down his abdomen and nearly to…

  She looked back to Thomas, trying to play it off. “Grew up together?” She tried holding back a smile. She failed, the blush rising over her cheeks.

  “Enjoy the eye candy,” James whispered to her. “Don’t pretend it doesn’t exist. Tony knows he’s attractive and wants you to look. It’s also free.”

  “I see that,” Abigail mumbled as Thomas just chuckled.

  “Yeah, we grew up together. Chris was always being trained to be the next Alpha after our father, so I met one of the enforcers and he began to show me the ropes. He showed me things about the Pack that my father and Chris didn’t know. That enforcer was Antonio’s dad,” Thomas explained to her.

  “He passed away when Old Man Marek was knocked out of power. He’d been guarding the old fart that day and was taken down by the younger guys who stormed the house for the position,” Antonio called out from the couch.

  “I’m sorry,” Abigail gasped but he just shook his head.

  “He went down fighting, took two of those young fucks with him. I was out of the country when it happened. By the time I even got back, Chris had gotten his revenge and taken the Pack back. My dad was hailed as a hero for his sacrifice and he’d lived a great life.” Antonio laughed. “Abigail, it was ten, eleven years ago. He was buried in the Pack cemetery, next to my mom.”

  “Only child?” she asked, leaning on the counter.

  “Yup,” he confirmed, turning on the television.

  “Can’t you tell?” Thomas teased. “That shit thinks he rules the world half the time. It was his father’s deeds that opened
a way for him to get inner circle. He’d been young enough to fit Chris well, and Chris knew I was a friend of his too. It worked out for everyone.”

  “And you, James?” Abigail turned to him. She hadn’t noticed when he walked in, but he was also shirtless. She half-expected it from him though, who’d been nude the first time she ever came over.

  “I grew up in the Texas Pack. Joined South Dakota when Chris took power. Helped fill the ranks again and earned inner circle through a couple of good, clean fights,” James explained. “Fell in with Antonio and Thomas immediately. There was one more in our half of the inner circle, but he…”

  “I understand,” Abigail whispered, touching his arm.

  “When we’re done here in the kitchen, I’ll play you some guitar. Antonio has a great voice, so maybe you can convince him to sing a bit.”

  “Maybe we should light up a fire in the back and make this a real Pack get-together,” Thomas pondered, watching her. She nodded back to him, liking the idea. “We’ll take out a ton of blankets and just watch the fire and stars. Get to know each other.”

  “That sounds nice,” Abigail agreed. “What are we making, James?”

  “Hamburgers and beans,” he answered. “You get the beans. I’ll get the hamburgers.”

  They worked in tandem, weaving around each other as Thomas drank his beer and watched them. Once James got the hamburgers settled on the stove-top grill, he stood behind Abigail and seasoned the beans as she stirred. He really hadn’t let her help all that much, just asking her to pull down buns and condiments as he prepped the meat to go on.

  As he stood behind her though, things changed pace. He was slowly getting closer until his chest was on her back and she resisted the urge to lean into him. He didn’t touch her, not really, but she wanted him to. She kept that thought to herself.

  Once everything was finished, he kicked her out of the kitchen with plates to set the table. Thomas hopped down to help her.

  It felt comfortable. These guys were a family, and they let her in easily. She didn’t feel like she was intruding or overstepping at any point. They were country men, that was obvious, but not like her father, who ruled his household. For them, it was manners and politeness as they sat down and ate, not interrupting each other as they discussed Rocker’s and their hopeful plans. None of them spoke with their mouth full or made snide remarks.

  She loved it. If she wasn’t careful, she was going to get stuck in this and never want to leave. Already, she was feeling it, the sense that she was now a part of this family. They made it so easy.

  “I’ll go set up the pit,” James finally mumbled, leaving the house.

  Abigail couldn’t stop herself from watching his ass as he walked away.

  “I’ll clean the table,” Antonio told them, grabbing empty plates away. He winked at her when he noticed what she was staring at. She giggled and felt the heat creep into her cheeks again. She and Thomas were left at the table, and he just watched her in that thoughtful, serene way of his.

  “This is probably the best day I’ve had in years,” he whispered. “Thank you…for being here, letting us try this.”

  “I’m the one that should be thankful, Thomas,” she replied.

  “Let’s go help James set up out back while the horndog does dishes,” he ordered, standing up. She followed him as he went into one of the bedrooms and stole several blankets off the bed. He piled them into her arms and chuckled as she tried to see around them. When she bumped into the doorframe, he grabbed her elbow and helped guide her out the back door. He grabbed several folding chairs off the back porch and they walked nearly a hundred feet from the house to a large pit that been recently dug out. Already, a fire was growing, as James fed more wood into it.

  She dropped the blankets and helped Thomas set out chairs.

  “Go get your guitar,” Thomas called softly to James.

  “I got it,” Antonio shouted out, jogging out. “Here ya go, Jay. I’ll finish the fire.”

  “Thanks, Tony.” James took the guitar and found a seat. He pointed to the seat next to him, right in the middle of the group, and Abigail already knew where he wanted her to sit. She plopped down, and Thomas dropped a blanket on her to protect her from the cold. She curled up into it.

  “Stay warm,” he commanded, leaning down to say it in her ear. It sent shivers down her spine and she could only nod in response. He pulled a chair close to her other side and sat down next to her. Antonio grabbed the last chair, on the other side of James.

  “Let’s get this started,” James murmured to her and began to play.

  He was good, his fingers dancing over the strings like it was effortless. He was playing some Lady Antebellum. She knew the song, but couldn’t remember the name.

  Then Antonio began to sing, and her heart went from weak to melting. He sang like a howl, clear and towards the sky as if he sang to the moon itself. All the emotion of the words was there, wrapped up in his voice. As he sang the words, she remembered the song name, “We Owned the Night.”

  Thomas held out a hand and she looked over to him confused. His smile was gentle, and she took the hand slowly. He pulled her up and spun her once before pulling her into his chest. He held one of her hands to his chest and his other wrapped around her waist. She lost her breath as his forehead touched her. It wasn’t like the fun dance with James and Antonio at Rocker’s. This was intimate and gentle. Firelight and moonlight were all they had at this point, the sun dipped too low beyond the horizon to even share a glimpse of its light for them.

  “What would you like to know, Abigail?” he asked softly. “I know it’s scary to feel like this for someone else. Especially on the second go.”

  “How?”

  “I was married once. Young and stupid. She was pretty, and I was a young man who signed my life away. A female wolf from California,” Thomas explained. “I thought I loved her. I’m sure I did at the time.” While she was shocked by his revelation, he spun her again and rocked them as Antonio and James kept up the music. When they were face to face again, he continued. “She cheated on me while I was deployed. It happens. She was a year younger than me. We’d rushed into it. We divorced when I got back, but it hurt like hell. I started drinking pretty hard and didn’t stop for nearly a decade. When I met you, I realized it would be easy to fall again.”

  “That’s how I feel,” she whispered. “Too easy. The second time feels like it could hurt worse.”

  “They both have their own stories, too,” he sighed, as James changed the song and Antonio followed, not missing a beat. She glanced over to them and realized those two were also in their own world. Antonio sang to the sky while James had his eyes closed as he played.

  “I don’t expect anything of you, Abigail,” he took a deep breath, “because I’m not sure what I can give you except a Pack. That’s why I’m fine with you taking everything slow.”

  “I understand,” she responded, kissing his cheek. It stopped the dance for only a beat. “I hadn’t thought about how this might be for any of you.”

  “Hm,” Thomas hummed to the music for a moment, smiling. “You saw three wolves and figured it was just about sex and a good time.”

  “I did,” she admitted, wincing a bit in shame. “I thought I was a pretty target that you guys would sleep with and then…replace me when something better came along.” She still worried about that, but she didn’t feel it was the time to admit that. There by the fire, dancing with him, she would just enjoy what she had. She had the courage for that.

  “I don’t blame you,” Thomas chuckled. “For guys like Gavin and Chris, that’s all it is. But…we’re not those types of wolves. For us, Pack is everything.”

  “And you’ve lost everything,” she remembered.

  “We’re rebuilding. We just feel like…it seems to fit that you’re a part of it. I’m not sure why.”

  He spun her again and they continued to dance in silence. She hadn’t known about his divorce. She’d never known he was ever marri
ed, and that changed the way she looked at him. At the end of the second song, he let her sit back down, noticing her shivering. She wrapped back up in the blanket and began to talk to Antonio about where he learned to sing.

  “This was just something we would always do,” he told her as James continued to strum on the guitar. “Everyone tells me I’m good at it, so I keep singing.” He nearly seemed a bit bashful, a little insecure about it. She wondered if it was the fire and cold that made his cheeks look a little darker and redder than normal.

  “You have a gorgeous voice,” she pressed, reaching out to swat his knee. She’d never seen him anything but confident, so this bashful Antonio was something else. “Why are you trying to hide it?”

  “He normally only sang for the inner circle and even then…I don’t think Chris ever heard you sing,” Thomas frowned. “Never. Not in ten years.”

  “Nah. My mom taught me to sing and when she passed away, I stopped for a long time,” Antonio explained. “Even I get nervous about things, pretty doe.”

  “Thank you for sharing,” she whispered, and he took her hand before she pulled it away. He kissed the back of it and her heart raced as his jade green eyes met her own.

  “Any time. I mean it. Just ask, and I’ll sing for you.”

  She smiled, looking away from him, only to see Thomas grinning next to her. She swatted him with her other arm and he began to laugh. Even James was chuckling softly as he played.

  “You have any secret talents?” Thomas asked, leaning his shoulder to hers.

  “I used to dance. Ballet and some ballroom,” she told him. “It’s been years.”

  “No wonder you’re an easy partner. I can’t dance for shit, unlike those two,” Thomas joked. “Really, I was using you to keep the beat.”

  “You were fine,” Abigail laughed.

  It was hours later when she yawned, and her eyes began to droop. Thomas had thrown an arm over her shoulder as the cold got worse.

  “Let’s head in, guys,” he told them. “Leave all this out here. We can deal with it in the morning.”

  She tried to stand as he spoke but nearly stumbled, too tired to walk. He swooped her up in his arms and carried her, blanket and all, back inside the house. She looked over his shoulder, blurry vision making it hard to see Antonio and James following.