by Olivia Arran
Kara
Sean steered the off-road vehicle expertly along a narrow track road, the thick, overgrown bushes and trees scraping against the paintwork, protesting our forward movement. Mammoth fir trees, arching to reach each other, obscured the sky and blocked out most of the afternoon sun, casting the view from the back window in murky shadows.
It was beautiful, nature at its finest, unfettered and left to grow wild. Longingly, I stared out of the window. I wanted to shift and run, to taste the rich earthy air on my tongue and discover the secrets of this part of the forest. I had not come this way before, not wanting to encroach on pack territory, not wanting to be discovered.
I glanced over at Lisa, who was fidgeting next to me on the hot leather seat. She never did well at sitting still, or being confined in enclosed spaces. Reaching over, I clasped her hand, giving it a squeeze and we sat, fingers linked, waiting for the journey to be over. Going back to staring out of the window, I tried to figure out what the hell had happened, and what I was going to do next.
A part of me was exhilarated. I finally had a chance to be free of Eric. I wouldn’t just become a brood-wolf, used for his pleasure and abused so he could enjoy my pain and humiliation. The sickness ran deep in the old pack. Eric hid his proclivities well from the Alpha, and his friends were all the same. Trained and beaten to think the same, to accept and enjoy the entertainment Eric thought was right, and to hold the same values. Women were just a commodity and valued no more than food to eat, or water to drink. I hated him. And I feared him. Sharp pain flared through my chest as the shiver of fear skittered through me. I would not go back, no way, not ever, I vowed silently.
The car lurched suddenly, the wheels stumbling over large potholes sunk deep into the dusty dirt track. The same tricks, different pack. 101 on how to avoid unwelcome visitors…of the two-legged kind anyway.
We rounded another corner and the trees gave way to a grassy meadow, a colorful blanket of wildflowers carpeting the ground, lit by the sunlight streaming down, unhindered by trees. At the top of the meadow stood a large house, ranch style, with obvious additions tacked on here and there. It sprawled inelegantly, sometimes two-story and sometimes only one, a mishmash of design and wood.
James turned in his seat, a wide grin on his face. “Welcome to the pack house. My home…and yours for as long as you wish.” Throwing me a cheeky wink, he turned back to Sean. “Both of them.”
Sean growled something indecipherable, his neck strained and rigid. Roaring up to the house, he slammed the car into park and threw himself out of the old 4x4, nearly running inside while tugging at his shirt.
My surprise obviously mirrored Lisa’s, as James just shrugged and laughed. “I suppose I must apologize for his lack of manners…he…well, he obviously had something to do. Something very important, of course. Would you ladies like to join me, and I’ll introduce you to the crowd here?” With agile grace he swung out from the high vehicle, and led us up to the house.
“Claire, she’s the pack cook, runs the house, and plays mother-wolf. ‘Course she actually is my mom, but she mothers everyone,” James explained, his voice brimming with obvious love and affection. “Gary takes care of the house, does maintenance and other…” A brief look of bewilderment crossed his handsome face, “…stuff, I think. Not sure what. And I wouldn’t ask — he likes to talk.”
Reaching out, he heaved the large front door open, gesturing that we enter.
“Obviously, you’ve met Sean, my Beta and Pack Second—”
A muffled snort erupted from Lisa behind me. “Sorry,” she whispered, her tone anything but.
James quirked an eyebrow, but cleared his throat and carried on. “Yes, well. Oliver, Cole, Macey, and Tarq make up my lieutenants. You’ll meet them later when they drop by to deliver their reports. The rest of the pack are free to either stay here, or come and go as they please. Though a lot do stay. They enjoy the closeness of other wolves, especially those who have not found their mates yet.”
He ushered us through the large, open hallway, and through a set of swinging doors on the right. A large country-style kitchen greeted us. Pots simmered on the stove, and wonderful aromas filled the air. A generously rounded woman commanded the center of the room, barking out orders to the various people bustling around the large space.
“Mom!” James called over the din and hubbub.
The woman turned and her heavily lined face broke out in a radiant smile. Bustling forward she enveloped James in a big hug, pulling him down and nearly smothering him with her ample bosom.
“James! You haven’t been home in days! Have you been staying in that godforsaken office of yours? Who’s been feeding you? Have you been eating?” She broke off the good-natured tirade, noticing Lisa and me for the first time. “And who’s this? I’m Claire, this one’s mom, for my sins,” she said, swooping forward, her arms stretched wide. Throwing a sly glance back at James, she grabbed my hand and pulled me in for an exuberant hug. Struggling to suck in air, my arms flailed before coming to rest on her back. Managing to extract myself from her bosom, I pried an inch of space between us, gratefully breathing in the cinnamon and clove scented air.
Claire let go and treated Lisa to the same greeting. As Lisa was quite a bit shorter than me, she disappeared completely into Claire’s apron.
“Mom, this is Kara, and Lisa,” James managed to choke out whilst stifling deep guffaws of laughter. “Kara has decided to join the Pack, and Lisa is her best friend – along for the ride, so to speak. Kara is to be treated as a guest of honor. We are meeting with the Council soon to hopefully have Kara released from a promise to a man who is definitely not her true mate.” The last few words came out as a barely audible growl.
Claire raised her eyebrows and released Lisa from her stranglehold. She looked from James to me, and then back to James again, while she whistled through her teeth. “So that’s that, then,” she mysteriously stated, all matter-of-fact. “Well done, son. She’s a keeper, I can tell.” She chucked me under the chin and, turning, hustled back to the busy stove.
“What just happened?” I sputtered.
Lisa sidled close, grinning. “I think I like the woman,” she whispered. “You, my dear, are being mated off.” Giving me a wink, she hip bumped me. “Soooo much better than Eric, Kara.”
My eyes widened as her words filtered through to my confused, addled brain. I didn’t want to be mated off — did I? I shook my head in denial, but things were starting to make sense now, and not in a controllable way. Why my wolf was so volatile around him, the nearly uncontrollable lust I felt when I was near him.
“Don’t over think it, Kara,” James murmured. “We’ll talk about it later. First, let’s get you settled in, and then we can have a gathering to welcome you, both of you.”
“Well, hello, who is this, James?” a female voice cut across the room. The kitchen fell silent as all eyes turned to us. A petite woman strolled over to James, her hips rolling with every step, and threw her arm around his waist, plastering herself to him. Running a perfectly manicured finger down his chest, she turned her sapphire-blue eyes to me and looked me up and down. Instantly dismissing me, she turned to Lisa, and her posture tensed.
“I’m Lisa, and this is Kara,” Lisa drawled, shifting her weight onto one hip and grasping my hand in support. “Kara is joining your pack, and is a friend of James’s…a very good friend.”
The other woman’s eyes snapped back to me, and if they could have shot daggers, I would have been bleeding.
Grateful for Lisa’s support, I gave her hand a quick squeeze. Straightening my spine, I drew myself up to my full height and stared at her. Her blatant display of dominance dismayed me. Did I want to join another pack in which I would have to fight for every common right? It was part of our heritage, I knew, but the constant scrapping of my old pack had worn me down. Worn me down so much that I flinched from the other woman’s gaze.
Satisfied, she turned to James and stretching up onto her tip-toes, placed
a lip-gloss-sticky kiss on his lips. I wanted to wipe that nauseating smirk off her perfect face. A growl welled in my throat, threatening to roll off my lips.
James jerked, pushing her away. “Ah, Amanda. Shit. I tried to call you earlier. I need to explain something, in private.” He looked over at me, his face a grimace of apology. “Kara, please give me a minute. I’m sorry about…just give me a minute to talk to Amanda and explain.”
Amanda’s face had set in a scowl of frustration, her arms crossed and her foot tapping. “There better be a good reason for this, James,” she said, pointing at me, a flash of fear flitting over her face.
James pushed her toward the door, scowling and muttering as he went. The door swung shut behind them and the kitchen erupted in noise.
A strangled scream sounded from behind the door, and the kitchen froze again.
“I’ll show you to your rooms, if you like?” Claire asked, her hands worrying her apron.
I looked at Lisa and she shrugged. Desperate for some space and time to think, I nodded at Claire, then followed her out of the kitchen through a different set of doors, leaving behind the sound of shrieking and breaking glass.
Claire caught my eyes. “He does kind of deserve a thrashing, my idiot son. Imagine not telling her,” she said, exasperation coloring her voice.
“Telling her what?” I asked.
Claire heaved an exasperated sigh, and bustled toward a narrow, steep stairwell, gesturing that we keep up.
James
“Come on, Amanda,” I said, while ducking to avoid the vase sailing in my direction. “We’ve always known that we aren’t true mates. Therefore, it logically goes that if one of us meets our true mate—”
“Logical! Logical? I’ll give you logical!” she screamed, frantically searching for something else to fling at me. Her eyes were wide, and wild with anger. A hint of amber burned at the edges, her beast clawing at the harness.
Lacking anything to throw at me, she hurled herself, her hands extended in claws. Raking them down my face, she pulled back and beat her fists ineffectively against my chest.
Grabbing her hands I pinned her against the wall until her struggles slowed and the fight gave way to heaving sobs.
“I’m sorry, Amanda. I truly am. You are not my true mate but she is. I can’t let her go, you must understand that.”
Blinking back her tears, Amanda’s lips twisted in a mocking grimace. “Of course, I must understand. You can’t be with anyone but your true mate,” she spat out. Shaking me off, she pushed away from the wall. “You’ve humiliated me. Let’s see how your precious true mate measures up, shall we?”
“You will stay away from her,” I growled, the need to protect Kara thundering through me.
“You can’t tell me what to do—”
“I am your Alpha!”
“Only in name,” she bit out, her eyes cold. She stalked off, pushing past Sean, who raised his brows in mock horror.
“Shiiiiiit! That’s one pissed off she-wolf! Didn’t go as well as you thought, then?” he asked. “Looks like she marked you good, my man.”
Swiping a hand across my face, I stared blankly at the blood. “It’s nothing. Where’s Kara?” I asked, impatient to see her. I needed to explain, to make sure she understood.
“Upstairs getting ready for the gathering. Claire sorted her—” Sean grimaced, “—and her friend, out.”
“Sean—”
“I don’t want to talk about her,” he growled, before stalking off into the kitchen.
Shrugging philosophically, I followed to get a dustpan and brush. I had gotten off lightly, but Amanda had left a big mess. I could only hope that she would eventually calm down and move on. ‘Course she would, wouldn’t she?
Chapter Five
Kara
A multitude of voices drifted up the stairs, mixing with the thump of music vibrating up through the floor, and rattling my teeth. My fingers clutched the cotton bedspread as panic threatened to cut off my breath.
“Kara? You ready?” Lisa poked her head around the door.
I exhaled heavily. I wasn’t, of course. But I only had to get through the next twenty-four hours or so, then I could take the time to figure out what the hell it was that I wanted.
“James will be downstairs, wondering where we are. Well, where you are, anyway.” She smirked at me from the doorway. “Come on, let’s go party. You’re free of Eric and life is looking good! Real good in the form of a hot Alpha Wolf who wants to do the wild thang with you.”
“Not totally free of Eric yet, Lisa.” My lips drooped despite my urging that they lift. “He could win his Challenge before the Council. Then I would have no choice.”
“Rubbish! There’s no way Eric will beat James in a Challenge. It will be fine.”
I took another deep breath and straightening my shoulders, forced my mouth into a smile. “You’re right. I’m ready, let’s go party!” Smoothing down my simple midnight-blue sheath dress that had been dug out of someone’s closet, I slung my arm around Lisa’s waist.
“The person who owns this dress must be at least half a foot smaller than me,” I whispered. “I feel like I’m going to pop out of both ends if I breathe too deeply!”
“You look great,” she stage whispered back, grinning. “James’s jaw is going to hit the floor.”
We paused at the top of the stairs, the noise a swell below us, ready to engulf us.
Linking arms, we began our descent. The chattering dulled to a silence, leaving only the latest hit wailing from the speakers, and what seemed like hundreds of eyes staring up at us.
Gulping, I steeled my spine and peeled my lips back in what I hoped resembled a smile. Lisa squeezed my arm in support.
James pushed his way to the bottom of the stairs, clutching two drinks. “Kara, you look…wow. Hell, I mean, you look amazing,” he stuttered, his eyes wide as they traveled up and down what little there was of my dress. “You too, of course, Lisa,” he added in almost an afterthought, his eyes never leaving me.
“Yup, I know I do,” Lisa reached the bottom and spun in a twirl on spiky heels, her short skirt spinning out to reveal her shapely thighs.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Sean barked out from behind her. “Everyone is getting a view of your ass, and you’re just smiling and letting them!”
“I didn’t think you cared!”
“I don’t—”
“Sure looks like you do…”
James grasped my hand and steered me away from their bickering.
“But—”
“She’ll be fine, Kara. Just leave them to it,” he said, grinning.
“To what?”
“Lisa can look after herself, especially with a hound like Sean. His bark’s worse than his bite,” James continued, dodging my question.
I looked at him. Was he deliberately being obtuse? His face was blank, though his lips quirked at the edges. Deciding that he was right, and Lisa was certainly capable of not only looking after herself, but having a good time doing it, I took a good look around me. Not as many people as I had initially thought, maybe thirty or so? I took a deep breath, scenting the familiar musky smell of wolf. Mixed in was the tang of cat and the woodsy smell of bear. The cat could be Lisa, although it didn’t smell quite the same. The bear though?
“You have a bear here? And a cat, other than Lisa?” I asked, turning to him, and took another deep breath, separating out the scents in my mind.
James’s breath had quickened, and his eyes were fixed on my chest. Ah, shit, deep breathing equals escaping cleavage. I glanced down quickly, relieved to find my modesty still intact, barely.
Shaking his head, James coughed, a strangled sound. “Ah, yes, bear and cat. Several.”
I raised an eyebrow at him.
He flushed, and dragged his eyes to my face. “Yes, what I meant to say was, we are a diverse pack. Mainly wolf, of course, but also open to other species for various reasons. Mating, obviously, and then sometimes for reaso
ns personal to the individual. We don’t discriminate.”
“You mean you don’t discriminate.”
“We, I, the pack. All the same thing,” he cocked his head, looking intently at me.
“You said mating? What do you mean? You can’t have meant interspecies mating? That wasn’t allowed in my pack.”
“Mating — true mating that is — isn’t defined by species,” he explained, pulling me down onto a comfy couch, and slinging an arm behind me. “It is the recognition of two souls completed by a joining of hearts. It is believed that the spirits of the animals that we carry originally held no prejudice, and were created as mated pairs by the Mother of All. Their souls were entwined as one, two halves of a whole. When the spirits were joined with the chosen humans, creating shifters, the mates were split apart to allow the humans to find love and procreate. A true mating is when the animal spirit finds its other half in this cycle. They recognize each other, and want to be together.” His fingertips danced on my arm, leaving goose bumps in their wake. “A true mating means that both the human half and the animal half are happy and complete. Joined on both a soul and heart level, unbreakable, until the next cycle.”
My voice stuck in my throat as my mind reeled and spun. This was so different to what I had been told, brought up to believe.
“I don’t understand,” I croaked out eventually. “I was told that the male shifter’s beast chose a female and that was it. No further discussion or talk of souls entwining. That it is all biological, the need to procreate and strengthen the male’s line. That the female didn’t have a choice, her mate would be decided by the Alpha,” my voice broke, while numbness held my mind in a vice. “Then again, I was also told it was completely normal for the male shifter to choose more than one female for his mate, that sometimes he just had to.” My voice rang sarcastic and bitter in my ears.
“Oh, Kara,” James said softly, wrapping his strong arms around me and pulling me close. Stroking my hair as if to soften the blow, he continued, “He lied. Eric lied to you. Do you find that hard to believe?”
