Fire of the Wolf [The Gray Pack] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Lori King

  “Caroline, there is more to this challenge than you understand…” Damon started to say, but he paused when his brother shook his head at him.

  “Then make me understand. What has changed that made this guy want to have the challenge so fast?” She kept her confused eyes on Damon, refusing to let him off the hook.

  “He wants you, beautiful,” Damon said, his heart breaking with every word as she went completely pale. “He issued the challenge to Devin for you. It’s not a challenge just for the pack leader. He made it clear that he has scented you and desires you for his mate.”

  “What? I thought once mated that a wolf couldn’t mate someone else.” she said in a whisper. When no one spoke immediately, she shifted onto one hip and crossed her arms, her gaze moving from one man to the next until she had looked at all five of the guys in front of her. Sienna moved up beside her and put a hand on her shoulder in comfort.

  Liam was the one that answered her question, and she watched him as he shifted uncomfortably under her gaze. “It’s not that they can’t mate someone else, but usually they don’t have the desire to. A claiming bite mark on a wolf from their mate is like a warning light to other wolves. Wolves mate for life, and once claimed, other wolves don’t usually challenge the bond, but Barton isn’t a normal wolf. He is crazy in his hatred for Devin, and he may be stupid enough to try to get to you.” The silence was oppressive as she realized that Barton Diego was intending on killing Devin to get to her, and that he wasn’t going to take no for an answer if he reached her. A small shiver of terror went through her spine. A dark thought slipped into her mind.

  What if Barton just wanted her? What if she offered herself to him to protect Devin? She would do anything to protect her men, even if it meant sacrificing herself.

  “The hell you will.” Damon and Devin both stood and glowered at her. She knew they had heard her thoughts and were pissed. Anger glowed in their faces, but she tipped her chin defiantly at them. Everyone else watched in confusion.

  “I will do whatever necessary to protect you,” she said angrily.

  “You will not put your life at risk. This is not negotiable, Caroline. As our mate, you are as important to the pack as we are, and you risk more than you know if you attempt anything so stupid.” Devin’s voice was an angry growl, and his normally light-green eyes were darkened with rage.

  “Stupid? You think loving you is stupid? Well hell, maybe it is! Maybe the stupidest thing I’ve done in my life is fall in love with you and your brother.” Her tears still fell from her cheeks, and she could feel the intense pain of her heartbreak. She just wanted to protect them like they wanted to protect her.

  “Stop it. Both of you,” Damon yelled at them. Reaching out, he held Caroline’s hands in his own loose grip and waited for her to meet his eyes. “Caroline, you are the best thing that ever happened to the two of us. We both love you so much that we want to protect you from everything, but we can’t do that if you won’t protect yourself. I need to explain something to you. Once mated a wolf is stronger in every way because it shares its soul with its mate. It has both pieces of its heart, and that increases its strength in every way. If you were to pull away from Devin now, right before the challenge, it would weaken him. He won’t admit it, but he needs you. He needs you to be strong for him. Not fight him on this.”

  Everyone held their breath. Caroline glanced around the room, seeing the truth on the sad faces around her. Finally turning back to her men, she sighed heavily, and closed her eyes. Why was this happening to them? She had spent so much of her life sad and alone, and now that she finally had someone to live for, she might have to give them up, too. She could feel the weight of her depression in her chest, and she fought to control the darkness so that it would envelope her heart again. She would go along with this until she could come up with a better plan, because she couldn’t bring herself to chance hurting her men. If what Damon said was true, then she needed to put on a brave face for now.

  “Fine. Sienna, I believe someone was going to introduce me to the pack, and after I go clean up a bit I want to meet them.” Meeting Devin’s icy green eyes, she glared at him as she brushed away the last of her tears. “Understand this. I will do everything in my power to stop this. I just found you two, and I’m not ready to give you up.” She spun on her heel and stomped off to the bathroom.

  Damon stood open mouthed watching Caroline exit the room. As much as he hated to admit it, her desire to protect Devin was a blatant reaction of love. After a moment of silence while everyone absorbed her reaction to the news, Devin took a deep breath of his own before issuing orders.

  “Betas, please send the word that we will meet at the circle in one hour. Everyone should be there, no exceptions. I plan to continue my day just like I would have before this challenge, and introduce they pack to my future wife.” He walked away from all of them in the opposite direction of Caroline, leaving everyone shocked in his wake. It took all of Damon’s strength not to go to Caroline and console her, but he needed some time to think himself, too.

  “I told you she was perfect for us. It takes a lot of courage, and a lot of pride to be the Alpha’s mate.” Damon’s voice swelled with his pride, and he smiled sadly to his parents and cousins.

  “We will make sure she is protected, Damon. We will set up around-the-clock watches for the whole den.” Owen was already formulating a plan to reinforce their security.

  “I know that, guys. I trust you to protect her as you would any of our family. I also know that we can’t protect her from herself. I just hope she doesn’t let her pride get her into trouble. Barton is a sick fuck, and he will do everything he can to make this an unfair fight.” He felt slightly lost as he looked toward the doorway that Caroline had just stomped through.

  Liam, Cash, and Owen exchanged a look, and then, shaking their heads, they left the cabin to pass the word throughout the pack about the meeting.

  Caroline stood in front of the bathroom mirror with a cold, wet washcloth on her forehead trying hard to control her emotions and mentally prepare herself for meeting the pack. She was scared, and angry. She wanted to spend more time with her men before this challenge happened. What if something happened to Devin? What would that mean for her, his mate? She could already feel the wolf inside of her, getting stronger, and becoming a part of her like her arms were. They had told her that if a wolf died, his mate would usually soon follow, but what did that mean for a wolf with a mate who already had another mate? Would both she and Damon die if Devin did? Would she survive and be forced to endure a life mated with the man that killed her true love? It was all too much to swallow, and she wanted to curl up in a ball and cry herself to sleep.

  A knock at the bathroom door abruptly killed her pity party, and she wiped her face free of tears before opening the door to see who was there. To her surprise it was Jim, the twins’ father, and former Alpha of the pack.

  “You okay, Caroline?” He smiled a warm smile at her, and she could see the sadness in his eyes.

  “Yes, I will be fine. Thank you, Jim. I just need a few minutes to pull it together before I get thrown to the wolves.” He laughed at her joke and then pulled her to his chest to hug her. She melted into the embrace, and wondered at how different it was than when her men held her. This was reminiscent of when her father would hold her as a child. A wave of despair hit her as she grieved for all of the hugs she had missed out on in the last decade.

  “I’m so glad to have you here, Caroline. I can see how much my sons mean to you, and I know how much you mean to them. You need to trust in Devin when he says that he has this challenge under control. If I believed he wouldn’t win, then I would volunteer to fight in his place, but he is a stronger wolf than I have ever been or could have hoped to be. I once thought that there was no chance he would find a woman who could break through his walls and reach his heart, but he found you. Please try to be patient with him, because this has been a change for all three of you.” His words comforted her heart,
and she hugged him back, thinking about how much he smelled like her men. He was the same build and height, but his hair was salt-and-pepper gray, and he was not as muscular anymore. She decided she was glad to call him family, and she reached up on her toes to kiss his cheek.

  “Thank you, Jim, for sharing that. I am scared, but I will be okay. I’ve been through worse heartbreak in my life, and survived. Now please introduce me to my new family.” He looped his arm through hers, and they headed out of the cabin.

  He pointed out various things along the way to the circle. There were many different cabins scattered throughout the woods, each at the end of a gravel drive that split off of the main road. None of the cabins were as large as the one the Alpha wolves stayed in, but they were all so lovely and fit into the scenery perfectly. Walking along the main road, she could see dozens of wolves and people moving along the same road in the same direction. As they rounded a large bend in the road, they came upon a clearing that was a perfect circle shape. All around the circle there were boulders and large stones scattered that wolves and people alike sat upon. In the center was a platform with a set of wooden stairs leading up to it. She could see Devin, Damon, Cash, and Ryley all standing next to it, and she followed her instincts and went to them. The people around her parted as if understanding her place in the hierarchy already.

  As she reached them, both men reached out to her together. They held her between them, and took the time to look into her eyes, and then each kissed her softly.

  “I love you so much,” Devin whispered against her temple while he held her tightly against his chest. Damon nuzzled her neck, and she could feel all of the anger of their argument dissolve. Emotion overwhelmed her, and she just stood there immersed in their love for a few moments.

  “I know, wolf. I know,” she whispered back, and, smiling softly at him, she let him lead her up the stairs.

  At the top of the platform with Damon at her back and Devin at her side, she looked around. The trees that enclosed the circle were tall, and their thick trunks told her they were old. There were easily seventy-five werewolves in various forms in the clearing, and more filed in as they prepared to start. Her nerves balled up in her gut, and her palms were sweating because she hated being in front of a crowd. The scents were overwhelming to her new wolf senses, but she was startled to realize that she could now specifically pick out certain ones. She could smell her men. They were beside her so that wasn’t surprising, but she could also pick out Rafe who stood in the back, and smiled encouragingly when she met his gaze. Then she picked up on Liam to her right who saluted her when he caught her attention, and he winked, smiling his charming smile at her. She saw him lean over and whisper to a beautiful raven-haired woman who stood next to him, and she briefly wondered who the woman was. She didn’t think any of the men from the firehouse were mated yet, but she hadn’t ever asked. The reassuring smiles of Jim and Sienna were next in her line of sight, and she found herself relaxing in spite of being in front of so many eyes which were all trained on her.

  Devin raised his hand, and the crowd went silent. Everyone waited quietly to hear what he had to say, even the handful of children. He took a breath and spoke, his voice a rumbling echo throughout the trees.

  “Family, I have collected you here for two reasons, one bad, and one wonderful. The first is the let you know that I have received word of an Alpha challenge for tomorrow night.” The crowd growled its frustration and anger at this first announcement, and Caroline took a small step backward. Damon placed his hands at her waist, pulling her back snugly against his chest. His warmth reassured her that she wasn’t facing this alone. Her men were behind her in every way. She wanted to reach for Devin and reassure him that he wasn’t alone, but she didn’t know if it was appropriate in front of his family.

  She jumped a bit, startled out of her thoughts when Devin raised his hand to calm the group and continued, “The challenger is Barton Diego. I have no fear of this challenge, and my intention is to deal with it quickly and thoroughly.”

  There was some laughter as many recognized the implied threat of his words. He smiled a small smile, and then reached for her hand. Reassured and calmed by his gentle touch, she smiled up at him. He brought her fingers to his lips and then looked back to the crowd. “The second reason is to introduce you to Caroline Trainor—soon to be Gray. She is my mate as well as Damon’s mate, and the newest member of the Gray Pack.”

  Again the crowd came alive, but this time instead of growling, she heard cheering! She heard whistles and laughter, and too many congratulations and welcomes to acknowledge them all. She felt tears behind her eyelids as she was openly welcomed into this new family. They all seemed to be genuinely happy to have her. She couldn’t imagine a better way to start her new life. She forced herself not to think about the fact that she hadn’t actually agreed to be a permanent member of the Gray Pack yet, and instead she let the warmth of the group melt her insides.

  “Now, I plan to bring her around to meet everyone individually…eventually, but for now I just ask that you give us some time together as a newly mated family. Please embrace her as one of our own, and I know you will love her as much as Damon and I do.” Caroline blushed at his words as she heard catcalls, and one significantly loud whistle that she knew came from Liam.

  The crowd suddenly went eerily quiet as a beautiful woman stepped up to the stairs, and bent one knee in submission, awaiting permission to approach them on the platform. The twins exchanged a look over Caroline’s head, and then Devin nodded to the woman, allowing her to move up to stand next to them. She took Caroline’s hands in hers, and bent at the waist to lean down and kiss them.

  “I want to welcome you, Caroline, as Devin and Damon’s mate, to your new family,” she said in a soft, melodious voice as she looked straight into Caroline’s eyes. She admired the lovely woman, and wondered who she could be. She looked about the same age as herself, but her blue eyes appeared to be much older. They held a wisdom in them that she had never seen up close. Her hair was almost white blonde, as were her eyebrows and eyelashes. Her eyes were blue, but so light in color that they were almost white. Her cheeks had a soft tinge of pink to them that proved to Caroline that there was blood in her veins. She was petite like Caroline, but she seemed more fragile somehow. Her hands were small and soft, and her smell was delicate and lovely. Caroline felt immediately at ease as she looked into this woman who smiled warmly at her.

  Who? Caroline couldn’t resist asking her men silently.

  Her name is Delaky. In the human world she would be called a shaman. She has magic in her, and knows the wisdom of our ancestors as well. Her blessing guarantees your acceptance into the pack. Don’t be afraid, she will not hurt you. Damon’s words strummed a chord in Caroline, clearly this woman was very important in the pack. Something inside of her made her very eager to talk with Delaky and get to know her.

  Later, my dear. Come to me later, and we will visit. Your mates will know where to find me.

  Delaky laughed softly when Caroline’s mouth dropped open at hearing a new voice in her head. She had no idea that it was possible for anyone but Devin and Damon to converse with her in such a way. It was slightly intimidating. As Delaky released Caroline’s hands, she turned back to the crowd, and in a rippling fashion they all knelt and bowed their heads. It took Caroline a moment to realize that they were paying obeisance to her as their leader’s new mate, as well as acknowledging their beloved shaman’s acceptance of her. She was in awe of the action, and for a moment her throat tightened with emotion. Looking at Delaky, she swallowed hard. Delaky gestured to the crowd, indicating that it was Caroline’s turn to speak. Shakily she step forward, and her eyes roamed over the now kneeling crowd in front of her.

  “Thank you. I hope that I can make you all as proud of me, as I am of you already,” she said to the assembly, and was pleased when they all cheered again. Devin’s smile told her that she had said the right thing, and she was assured of it again when Damon bent to
kiss the top of her head. The crowd started to scatter as her men helped her down the stairs. Waiting at the bottom were all of the guys from the firehouse, Sienna, and Jim. They took turns hugging her, and they all shared a laugh when Liam hugged her just a few extra moments before letting her go with a soft tap on her ass. Both Devin and Damon growled their threat, and then laughed as well when they caught on to the joke. The dark-haired woman that had stood with Liam was introduced as his sister, Whitney, and Caroline took an immediate liking to the confident woman.

  I had forgotten what family felt like. I missed it. She sent her thought to her men, and they both looked at her curiously. They didn’t know much about her past, and they were instantly aware of that lack of knowledge. There was more to her that they needed to know, and soon.

  Chapter 12

  After spending the rest of the day meeting the various werewolves and their families, Caroline’s head was spinning again. She hoped she would be able to remember everyone’s names soon. There were so many of them. Everyone she met here had welcomed her with smiles and even hugs. Thinking back over her life, she remembered the affection of her parents with each other, and felt their loss poignantly. They had always held hands and cuddled with each other. She couldn’t remember a day passing that they didn’t say I love you to each other, and to her. She understood it more now, because with Devin and Damon it just seemed natural to walk along holding their hands or sneaking a kiss and a cuddle every chance they got. She relished the easy way they would reach out with an arm and pull her closer to their sides if she moved too far away. She felt the need to be close and touch them as well, and they seemed to glow with approval when she would initiate a touch. She could feel Damon’s hand on the small of her back, and Devin’s fingers looped through the belt loop on the back of her jeans in a possessive way. The spark of heat those small touches created in her belly was close to being a bonfire by afternoon, and she started to feel agitated at having to continue the meet and greet with the pack.