The rumble of conversation drifted from the dining area, but she wasn’t going to leave Z. Ripley had promised to look over him while he slept, and so she would. He’d warned her the food wouldn’t be what she had been used to, so she’d packed some in her bag, and other than the few times she’d left to use a restroom, she had remained been by his side.
“I would prefer to stay here.”
“Fair enough.” Leaning against the railing, Drew crossed his arms, then one leg over the other. “I talked with my Enforcer and Gee. I didn’t want you to have to wait till morning for my decision.”
“I appreciate that.” Her stomach lurched as nerves engulfed her much like they had the first day she had approached the Toa Alpha.
“I wish you had been more open with me during our initial meeting.” He raised a palm, halting anything she might have said in her defense. “But, I understand why you couldn’t. My own pack still has a hard time with trust, so why shouldn’t I expect that from surrounding packs? That being said, I can’t be completely sorry you weren’t, because if you had been, I wouldn’t have sent Z and he wouldn’t have found his mate.”
Ripley felt the same. Although the idea someone would send a spy into her camp to get information about her still irked her. The outcome had worked to her advantage, though. As Drew had said, she’d found her mate and her pack had been rid of their nemesis, the coyotes. Now, the future of her pack lay in the hands of the man before her.
“I have been locked in my office since you left me this morning. I’ve discussed your request with my Enforcer, whose concern is he doesn’t know enough about your pack to overstretch an already shaky one. Gee believes we should focus on building our own before branching out. My mate thinks a pack of strong betas might cause inner chaos within the betas already fighting for the dominant males’ attention.”
Life would be so easy if Z would just take on the position as Alpha. Ripley nodded. “I understand. As soon as Z awakens, I’ll have him escort me to my pack.” A hand on her elbow stopped her from turning away completely.
“I’m not done yet. Those were the cons, but there were pros, too. Ryker doesn’t trust Z because he can’t swear his loyalty to me or the pack. That, and Z’s whole reason to exist is to prove he can sneak past security and get the information he is after without anyone knowing.”
“He told me on the way here if he can get through, anyone can, but if he can’t, no one will.”
“Exactly. But Ryker believes if you are a member who has sworn allegiance to the Tao Pack, then Z has a more vested interest in the pack’s longevity. Gee agrees with Z that I am the Alpha for you and we in turn can use you.” Drew paused. “Of course, some of that could be because Gee wants the history he doesn’t have on your pack, and the thought this Will could come in and teach his cooks something makes all our mouths water. Finally, and personally, the most important person to bend my ear, my mate, Betty, believes although there will be issues between some of the betas, having strong women who are equally strong in business could give the other betas an incentive to venture out. Did I mention this Will guy?”
The comic break allowed Ripley to relax. “You did, and trust me he is amazing.”
“Are you prepared and able to swear loyalty to me as your Alpha for yourself and, by proxy, for your pack?”
“I am.”
“Good. In the morning, you and Z come to the barn and we will make it official. Each of your pack will have to do so in person when they are able. It can wait until off-season, but I don’t believe even with Z’s presence and that of his twin brothers, your pack can wait for me to give you my protection. You’re too rich in resources and betas. Besides, coyotes are too stupid to keep their mouths shut.”
“I thank you on behalf of all the Greystone.”
“I was supposed to invite you and Z to join us for dinner, but I’ll send your regrets to Betty.”
After a few more minutes of discussion, Drew excused himself. Ripley entered the room, now filled with soft, muted moonlight. She opened the window, allowing the crisp night air to fill her lungs. With the safety of her pack assured, some of the tension she has been carrying around eased and hope entered. Stripping naked, she climbed into the bed between Z and the wall. His arm snaked around her, securing her to his side. Sleep found her quickly in the secure embrace of her mate.
Epilogue
Four months later….
Ripley placed the last of the river rafts into storage. Another season behind them and, for the first time, she looked forward to some time away from the water.
Rubbing her belly, she smiled. “You, little one, will love the river.”
“You, Mama, shouldn’t be handling those rafts by yourself.” The deep, familiar voice of her mate rumbled through her.
Turning, she threw herself at Z, and he lifted her into his arms. “When did you arrive?”
Walking them toward the office, he caught her lips with his. Three weeks had been too long and, having only two days between a two-and-a-half week mission for his pack and a three-week one for Drew, she’d missed her man.
She ran her hands along his chest and under his T-shirt, hissing as her power surged. “We aren’t doing this in your office again.”
“That’s what you said last time.”
Once inside, he lowered her to her feet. “Where is everyone, and why aren’t they helping you close shop? And why didn’t you wait for me to do this?”
“One question at a time, spy king. Everyone is packing for their trip to Los Lobos. Will is so excited about catering this party Drew is allowing us to throw to thank the Taos, he has everyone running around to find the right ingredients.”
“The Taos will be happy with anything that isn’t made of hamburger, trust me. So, why didn’t you wait?”
“Because I didn’t think you would return before we left. It’s not as if you punch a timecard and can ask for days off. I understood this when I signed on.” And once Ripley had gotten past the incessant desire to touch him, the arrangement worked well for her. She had her freedom to run the rafting company and the tours as she wished, and when Z came into town, he either joined her tours or she took time off. “Besides, the rafts are hardly that heavy.”
“What if a human stumbled along? No human woman could lift that raft on her own. You have to be more careful, and I am not even going to talk about the fact you’re pregnant and Janey has already warned you about heavy lifting.” Placing his open palm against her belly, Z pressed gently. “I don’t want either of you hurt.”
“We’re fine now that you’re here.”
“Lock up and let’s get to the compound. I’m sure Will has plenty to keep us both busy. I can help you finish winterizing around here after the loyalty ceremony with Drew.”
“You’re coming back even after meeting with Drew?”
“I’m here for a couple weeks before we have to make an appearance with my Alpha together.”
She stopped in her tracks. “Wait. You’re taking me to your pack? I thought it was a big no-no.”
“Apparently, the realization our baby might have Infiltrator powers made them rethink their position. I figure it will take those two weeks to help you prepare for the meeting. The twins have asked to stay on after the pack returns here, so I have sent in a plea for that, as well. I thought again using the baby might get us all what we want.”
Ripley locked the door behind them and held his hand as they walked to the SUV. When he helped her into the front seat, she paused. “You know I have already sworn my allegiance to the Alpha. I’m not really needed there.”
Z’s eyes darkened with desire. “But everyone else has to be there.”
“That’s what I love about you. That brain of yours worked right through the heart of a problem.” She lowered his head so she could caress his neck with her lips.
“I still have to see your Alpha.”
Between kisses, she said. “Is he expecting you?”
“He’s always expecting me,
and at the same time, never.”
“So, as long as no one sees you, and I claim a bit of morning sickness, no one will question why we aren’t there.”
“The camp still intact?” Z asked.
“Yes,” Ripley purred into his ear.
“There still a boat upriver?”
“Affirmative.”
Grabbing the cell phone he’d purchased for her before his first mission apart from her, he placed it in her hand. “Call your sister. Tell her you’re going to get back to nature to appease your baby’s spirit guide.”
“She’ll never buy it.”
Tapping the phone, he said, “Make the call.”
She did, and an hour later, she and her mate were lying naked in a random tent, listening to the sounds of nature around them and their own heartbeats, perfectly in time with each other. Drew had proven to be a good Alpha, and she hoped her pack would prove to be as good a gamble.
But she loved Z, and she wanted only to see him. In the end, their Alpha was a figurehead, a requirement to keep others at bay, and Z was the man who showed her how to live how to love.
And she thanked the stars he’d infiltrated her pack.
~ABOUT DOMINIQUE~
Award winning, bestselling author Dominique Eastwick grew up a US Navy Brat, so if there was a Naval base that was probably home. She currently resides in North Carolina with her husband, two children, crazy lab and lazy cat.
When not writing you can find Dominique behind the lens of her camera.
http://dominiqueeastwick.blogspot.com
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The Wolf and the Butterfly by Kerry Adrienne
Chapter One
Blood.
Nika rested his front paws on the warm, rough rock and scented the air. His hackles rose, bristling at the trespasser.
Wolf.
He tilted his head and took another whiff to be sure. The fragrance of late summer’s buttercups and honeysuckle floated atop the breeze, overpowered by the coppery tang of blood and the musky odor of Wolf.
Female.
His ears pricked to attention. First day as pack scout and he’d found something out of order near Los Lobos. Something wrong. His heart hammered when he breathed in the information carried on the air.
Danger.
The smells pulled at him, and he paced. Being a scout required him to trot the perimeter woods of Los Lobos and report anything out of place. He’d trained hard and had been so excited to be promoted. Scout was a lot of responsibility, and he couldn’t screw it up.
Not on his first day. He sniffed, trying to sort out the signals on the wind.
Pain.
Nika whimpered, the faint strains of the she-Wolf’s pain branched through his mind like a mosaic of frost on a cold windowpane. She suffered.
He’d been chosen scout in part because he was young and agile, but Gee had singled him out above the others because of his empathic tendencies. He sensed feelings and right then, with his nose to the west, he knew he had to save the hurt she-Wolf.
He sent up a short yip, followed by a high-pitched howl then, as procedure required, repeated the signal. Any pack member within earshot would be alerted to the potential trouble and notify the proper authorities. He’d scouted a thousand yards into the woods before picking up on the scent, so other pack members were close enough to hear his call for help.
Danger. Too close to Los Lobos. He barked the warning one last time, knowing the sound would carry well over the cacophony of insect song.
A brief burst of wind swirled by, carrying dust and crumpled leaves, and the promise of fall. He scanned the forest, listening and hoping to pick up a return call from someone in the pack. He wasn’t supposed to go check out the injured Wolf on his own. Protocol dictated he take someone with him to investigate, but if no one was near and he didn’t check the situation out, the ramifications could be devastating to the pack.
Besides, the she-Wolf smelled so good, as if she needed him and him alone.
No harm in checking out the situation then reporting his findings.
He bolted toward the injured female, his emotions in all directions from the mixed signals she gave off. His Alpha, Drew, would be proud of him if he handled the threat by himself.
He ran. His paws brushed the ground, and the wind hummed through his lungs, urging him faster.
The setting sun slanted through the dry forest and dust swirled like snow in the streaming sunbeams. Nika smiled a wolf smile, and his heart soared as he slalomed around tree after tree in the dense forest that had been home to wolves since the dawn of time. He panted, and his muscles burned with the delicious warmth of exertion. Being free, running at top speed through the woods, even toward danger, invigorated him.
He slowed to sniff again, adjusted his course, and ran. His tail swung straight behind him when he leapt over fallen limbs and dashed into the head of the valley where the White Spring ran cold and crackled through the rock-lined hills.
Wet.
The smells of fresh water, mud, and fish overwhelmed his nose. He stopped and scanned. Where was she? The scent still played through the air like a counterpoint to late summer’s melody of wildflowers. Every cell in his body strained to hear her, smell her, feel her.
His ears pricked at a slight moan from up ahead. There! He trotted toward the sound. Gee’s voice played in his head on an endless loop. The pack helps each other. We do things together. Only Ryker works alone. He pushed the words away.
He dipped his head, his tongue lolling. He panted to cool himself. Fall temperatures would be a welcome change, and even running in the snowiest winter felt better than this summer heat.
He scanned as he moved. Gee wasn’t here, nor were Drew or Ryker or anyone else. The duty to protect the pack fell to him, then.
I can handle this female. I am Wolf.
Nika stilled and listened.
Alive.
Her heart beat, thumping a steady rhythm, unfazed by her injury. He zeroed in on where her smell led him, and crept forward. Her faint moans gave away her position, and the coppery tang of blood flooded the air when he neared. She lay on the ground beside a large boulder, her back toward him, and her long, black hair splaying in the mud like broken reeds.
His body screamed run to her, but he held back, trotting in a wide circle around her, checking for any other threat. No tracks, human or Wolf, besides hers.
She was alone, Wolf, and injured.
Unshifted and dangerous.
He circled her once more, to double check no one else was near, and then climbed above her onto the boulder. Her small form was thin, and she had skin not quite as deep brown as his own, though reddish. Native American, no doubt. Probably Lakota Sioux, since their reservation was nearby. But what was she doing in this area of the woods, so close to Los Lobos? This wasn’t her territory. Rarely did Lakota wander through these woods without the Alpha’s permission. And why wasn’t she in Wolf form? Her healing would be much more rapid if she shifted.
He cocked his head and pawed at the boulder, his claws scratching against the rock. He was unsure of what to do. He could send another signal, but she would know he was there.
She moved and struggled to lift up on her elbow. She pushed the hair from her eyes and stared straight at him.
And screamed.
He jumped backward on the boulder, flattening his ears against the piercing sound. So much for not being seen. Rookie mistake. Good thing Gee wasn’t near enough to see. He’d put him back in training.
“Go away.” She flung a pebble at him. It bounced along the boulder like a rock skipping along the water’s surface. Fear radiated from her in thick waves and pummeled his psyche. He wanted to comfort her, take care of her, explain he wasn’t a threat. He shook his head. What was he thinking? What made him want to talk to the enemy? She was beautiful, but….
All things unknown are potential dangers to the pack. Especially outsiders.
He backe
d away, his snout twitching. His dark-brown Wolf form, not large in the Wolf world, but huge to a human, likely scared her, even though she was a Wolf. Injured, she was likely delirious.
Always be wary of unfamiliar Wolves.
Maybe if he shifted, she wouldn’t be so afraid. Shifting was yet another reason he’d been a good candidate for Scout—he could transform at will, not something all Wolves could do. He’d had to practice changing and work hard to control the process, but by the time he was sixteen, he’d mastered shifting on demand, and he was pretty proud of his ability.
He trotted out of her sight and concentrated on his human form.
Saliva filled his mouth, and he longed to howl. His Wolf did not want to hide in this dangerous situation.
Not now. You’ll scare her even more.
He closed his eyes and savored the slipping of beast into man. Electricity shot through the air in jolts of blue and purple and sounds muffled. Like a long string of hot taffy forming and reforming at the hand of an expert cook, his body plied and flowed into his human shape.
Wolf essence poured into a human-shaped cup.
He opened his eyes and took a deep breath. He breathed almost sterile air when he was human. Colors weren’t quite as vibrant around him, but he’d be used to the differences within minutes. He did welcome lesser hearing in human form because the sounds of bugs in the forest sometimes drove him nuts.
He flexed his fingers, stretching out the warmth and numbness accompanying his shift. He checked to see if his clothing had rematerialized. Yep. T-shirt, jeans, and Converse sneakers—confining, but very much normal for a human.
Let’s try this again. He put on his best smile and finger-combed his hair.
“Hello?” Nika kept his voice low and calm as he approached the wounded female. If she shifted and attacked, he’d only have a split second to do the same, or risk being torn apart by her Wolf. Any Wolf would win against him in human form, so he was extra cautious, and nothing was more dangerous than an injured Wolf. He moved from behind the rock to the grass beside her.
Infiltrating Her Pack Page 8
