"I'm sure you have questions," Eloise began, sitting to George’s left and pouring each of us a glass of wine. She pushed one across the table to me and I took a sip for something to do with my hands. I didn’t even like red wine.
“Many,” I agreed. A pack member let herself in through the still open door to the apartment, pushing a dining cart in front of her. She gave me a small smile, which I returned. She was obviously a submissive wolf, but didn’t seem unhappy or particularly skittish around George and Eloise.
"Probably beginning with why you were raised by a bunch of prudish, asshole shifters down in California?" George asked drily, tipping his chin at the young woman before she let herself out and closed the door behind her.
“Well, yes.” I blinked, surprised at his candor. “I can’t help but wonder how my mother ended up at the Azymus Pack when this is where she came from.” I gestured at the warm, comfortable room we sat in, in an enormous, obviously expensive building. The Azymus Pack was well off, but this place was opulent. And friendly, so far.
"It's a question we ask ourselves regularly," George conceded. "Your mother, Heather, was a much-loved member of this pack. An important member of the pack, despite her insistence to the contrary."
Eloise made a distressed noise in her throat as she set out plates and began piling grilled vegetables, roasted potatoes, and perfectly cooked steaks onto them. Fates. I could get used to this.
"So she chose to leave?" I confirmed, mystified. The Azymus Pack was fairly cult-like, and I supposed that's how cults worked, right? Hooked you in, made you feel special and important, then never let you leave.
“She struggled with being a submissive wolf,” Eloise said hesitantly. “There hasn’t been one in the family for many generations. It didn’t bother us — Daniel is our oldest son, and a born Alpha — it was almost a relief to know that our children wouldn’t have to challenge each other for dominance.”
My mother had always looked at me with pity. I’d always assumed she felt sorry for me being all cooped up, but maybe it was more personal than that. Maybe she saw a girl who didn’t fit in with her own family, the same way she hadn’t.
But it seemed my mother was given a lot more options about her life and her future than she’d ever afforded me, so I wasn’t feeling that sorry for her.
“Tell us about you,” George commanded. My lips twitched. It had been a long time since a dominant wolf had tried to boss me around.
“What do you want to know?” I asked casually, cutting into my steak and admiring the perfect blush color of the meat.
“Everything,” Eloise insisted, giving me an encouraging smile. She didn’t strike me as a warm and fuzzy woman, but it seemed like she was letting her guard down for me. She kind of reminded me of myself. I wondered what she’d been like as a Luna.
“I’m living in Carson. I’m a barista at a coffee shop on campus.”
Eloise’s mouth pursed slightly in disapproval, but she said nothing.
“I left the Azymus Pack just after my eighteenth birthday,” I continued.
“Where were you before you moved to Carson?” George asked, his voice a little strained.
“All over. I moved every six months. My wolf wanted to stay on the road, I guess.” I shrugged, shoving a forkful of grilled asparagus in my mouth so I didn’t have to talk anymore.
“Your wolf was unsettled?” George asked with interest. “How does she feel being on our territory?”
“Curious,” I replied thoughtfully, tilting my head slightly as I tried to get an accurate read on her emotions. “She’s quite attached to Carson. She’s been upset since I got on the bus.”
George and Eloise exchanged loaded looks, but didn’t say anything.
“And you’re unmated,” Eloise stated.
“Uh, definitely.” I looked across at her like she was insane. “Every shifter I’ve encountered in the past two years has chased me away from their territory, threatened by my wolf’s dominance. Romance was the last thing on the cards.”
“That’s not strictly true,” George said with forced casualness. “There are two Audax Pack wolves that attend the college, are there not?”
I shrugged. “I’ve scented them, but they’ve left me alone. Tobias said the Council declared Carson neutral territory, so I figure they’ve let me be because they don’t have grounds to get rid of me.”
George hummed thoughtfully. “That is a theory.”
“Tobias said he was picking you from Huntingdon. We have a room set up for you, you know. You don't have to stay at a motel,” Eloise said, abruptly changing the subject. Her voice was gentle, but held a disapproving edge to it.
“I'm not trying to offend you. My experience with packs has been exclusively negative. Maybe I'll eventually feel comfortable enough to sleep on your territory, but not tonight,” I replied firmly.
“We understand that you had a grueling experience in the Azymus Pack and with finding a place in the shifter world since you left. You are Calvin by blood, if not by name. You are always welcome here, granddaughter,” George said gently, his eyes twinkling.
“I’ll think about it,” I replied noncommittally, shifting awkwardly in my seat. Tobias had only said nice things about my family in the Fortis Pack, but I’d still come in here half expecting violent, judgmental psychopaths. Their kindness had thrown me for a loop.
“Well, she can hardly decide until she’s seen the territory,” Eloise announced, clapping her hands together. “Let’s take a walk after dinner. You can meet a few more pack members. Everyone is excited to see you.”
I took another bite of perfectly cooked steak, a little mystified about why they were so excited to meet me, but I couldn’t scent a lie from Eloise. Fates, my mother was an idiot to give this place up.
✽✽✽
Eloise and George had shown me around the main pack building and promised to show me around the rest of the territory tomorrow since it was already ten pm and pitch black out.
Tobias had insisted on driving me back to the motel, unnecessarily worried about me making the trip on my own. The more I pointed out that I’d been traveling everywhere on my own for years, the more growly he became, so I let it slide. Dominant males had a hero complex.
I took a quick shower and changed into a long t-shirt and leggings, ready to get up and go at a moment’s notice. I didn’t feel safe enough here to let myself relax.
Lying back on the bed, I flicked the TV on low, settling in to watch infomercials and let my brain slowly switch off for the day — a habit I’d picked up during my teenage years of isolation — but my mind refused to stop whirring.
How different would my life have been if my mother had never left this pack? Maybe I’d be mated by now, to a guy like Tobias. My nose wrinkled and my wolf snarled. No, not Tobias. Someone though. Maybe I’d be managing the pack kitchen, have a sense of purpose and direction in my life.
Or maybe I’d have ended up on my own anyway. My wolf liked George and Eloise, but she didn’t feel the need to submit to them. Maybe she’d feel inclined to do so for my uncle, but my hopes weren’t high. She was a Luna through and through. I could have a relationship with the Fortis Pack, but it was unlikely I could bring myself to join it.
Irritated, I turned off the TV and grabbed my coat and shoes in my hands, locking up the room behind me. The parking lot was empty and the only person around was the bored man in the reception area, but I didn’t take any chance, slipping into the shadows and edging off the motel property to the treeline. Confident there was no one around, I stripped and let the shift take hold.
If I wasn’t going to sleep, I could at least run.
***
I’d been worried that I’d have to force my wolf to shift back the way I did back in Carson, but she handed over the reins without protest when I reached the edge of the river that ran just outside of Fortis Pack territory. Her compliance made me feel worse. She was happy to give me control again because she trusted I’d do the same for her. It
was a trust I didn’t deserve after two years of keeping her contained.
The freezing air hit my skin the moment I shifted, and I pulled on my clothes, extra grateful for the thick coat that had arrived mysteriously at my door. My feet were cold in my tennis shoes, but the coat kept me warm enough that I could sit and appreciate the serenity of this place for a while in my skin. The fresh mountain air was a welcome reprieve from the stench of peroxide cleaning products that coated the ratty motel room, and my muscles ached in the best way from letting my wolf run.
I leaped up onto a flat boulder next to the river and sat, legs dangling over the edge as I admired the way the moonlight sent silver ripples over the calm river. There was something very settling about this place. Maybe it was the familial connection, or just the lack of humans and the peace and quiet. Despite the many reservations I had about pack life, their territories were usually idyllic. Perhaps the trade-offs would be worth it to live somewhere like this.
The sexy smell of sandalwood and the sound of light footsteps crunching over the rocks interrupted my peaceful reflection.
My muscles tensed, ready to fight or dive into the icy water and put some distance between us as a last resort, but I didn’t turn around. My wolf urged me to hold still, to not show this stranger any regard. Strangely, she didn’t seem at all afraid.
If anything, she was a little miffed.
The stranger sat down on the boulder next to me, legs also hanging over the edge. I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye and my breath hitched despite myself.
Fuck. Me. Sideways.
No wonder he smelled like sex. He looked like sex. Sex on legs. By the Fates, it’s like he’d been born of my own personal fantasies.
Not just my fantasies, my dreams. He looked like the demigod I’d been having pornographic dreams about for years.
He had dark, ash blonde hair, just long enough to touch the collar of his fitted navy wool coat. One curl flopped lazily over his forehead and my fingers itched to push it away.
His profile was strong and masculine. Defined jaw, sharp cheekbones, straight nose. A scruffy dark blonde beard that I wanted to feel between my thighs.
“Hello Wren.” I almost laughed. He knew my name. Great. Nothing alarming about that.
“And you are?” I asked, keeping my eyes trained forward on the rippling water in front of me. I wanted to turn and face him so I could fully appreciate the fine specimen who had appeared next to me, but something held me back. Besides, whoever this guy was, he’d pissed off my wolf.
“You don’t know?”
“I wouldn’t ask if I did,” I replied through gritted teeth. I knew he was from the Audax Pack, lived in Carson, and smelled heavenly, but I didn’t know him.
“Do you know who you are to me?” he asked calmly.
“I’m pretty confident I’m nothing to you,” I replied, aiming for nonchalant though the words came out strangled. He didn’t feel like nothing.
“Liar,” he murmured, inhaling deeply. I scrunched my eyes shut. I was out of practice talking to shifters.
“I don’t know who you are or why you feel… significant, somehow,” I amended, choosing my words carefully.
“Look me in the eye and I’ll tell you,” he commanded softly.
I didn’t want to and I couldn’t for the life of me explain why. It was an almost primitive reaction, some deep-seated instinct not to look. To punish him somehow. I couldn’t even attribute it to my pissed off wolf. She wanted me to look at him, but also to let him know that I could gouge his eyes out if he made one wrong move.
“Wren,” he breathed. “Look at me.” It was an order and a plea. There was an ache in his voice that had my head turning before I’d even realized I’d done it.
His pale blue eyes glinted like shards of ice in the moonlight. They were so light; it seemed like they should be shallow, reflective. They weren’t though. They were fathomless and full of emotions he was trying hard to keep contained.
“My name is Archer Ellery. I’m your fated mate.”
Chapter 11
Archer
Wren’s eyebrows jumped into her bangs, her mouth falling slack.
“What’s a fated mate?” she asked slowly. I could see her shock warring with her wolf’s rage. Her wolf had obviously figured out I was her fated mate, even if Wren herself didn’t understand the concept.
I laughed, but it was a hollow sound because wasn’t that a kick in the teeth? The entire time, I’d assumed our avoidance was mutual. “You really didn’t know — this whole time. Fuck,” I muttered quietly.
“What’s a fated mate?” she repeated, a little more forcefully. I’d felt something shift in me the moment I looked in her enormous amber eyes. It was like an invisible thread now connected us, drawing us together. If I had been lightly stalking her before, following her would be a full-blown obsession now.
“Exactly what it sounds like. A predestined mate. A perfect match. Designed by the Fates themselves.”
“Like a… soul mate?” she asked hesitantly.
“I guess that’s what humans would call it, yeah. A soul mate.”
Something twisted painfully in my chest at the look in her eyes. It torturously combined hope and agony. She didn’t quite believe me, but she wanted it to be true. And she wanted it to be someone else.
“You knew my name. You knew where to find me,” Wren accused, seeming surprised at the bitterness in her rising voice. “How long have you had this theory?”
“It’s not a theory, Wren,” I growled, struggling to rein in my wolf. Nothing could upset him more than her rejecting his claim. “The night of the PKI frat party. When I fully caught your scent.”
I could see her doing the math in her head, the moment she realized that was three whole months ago. Disbelief morphed into rage, then into something more subtle. More calculated.
“Why are you here, Ar—,” her voice caught on my name like it was too painful to say it out loud. Guilt lurched uncomfortably in my gut again.
“I’ve come for you,” I said cautiously, sensing that I was in grave danger here. Her amber eyes glowed again as her wolf made her presence known, not so subtly signaling that she was contemplating gutting me.
“Why now?”
“I wasn’t ready for you until now.” I admitted, shrugging uncomfortably. I didn’t want to go into a deep and meaningful about my feelings. “You never approached me, and I assumed you weren’t ready for me either.”
Wren snarled, and the sound was entirely wolf. I wasn’t about to even try to defend myself. Anything I said would only make it worse. Her anger was something I’d have to face head-on.
“I’ve never heard of fated mates, and I’m not entirely sure I believe they exist,” she eventually said tightly.
“Fates, you’re not lying,” I murmured, still staring intently into her brilliant eyes. She didn’t believe me. “I’ll explain it to you. I want to get to know you.”
“Well then, you’re shit out of luck,” she responded icily, standing up and brushing off her leggings. Fuck, she had great legs. Long enough to wrap around my waist. Wren rolled her eyes at my extended perusal of her body up close.
“See you around.”
Wren spun on her heel, giving me her back, and jumped lightly off the boulder. I was an apex predator and could snap her neck with my fingers, but she knew inherently I’d never hurt her. Not physically, anyway. Her instinctive trust in me was a tiny ray of hope.
“Come on, Wren,” I called, jumping off the boulder behind her. “Let’s at least talk. You’re being a little unreasonable.”
It was a risky play, but I’d take her anger over her indifference. I knew if there was anything I could say to get her to stop walking; it was that.
She turned and marched back to me, stopping inches from my face. I kept my expression carefully relaxed, but my eyes felt like they were full of fire. I fucking loved the chase, and so did she.
The realization clearly annoyed her.
&n
bsp; “I’m being unreasonable?” Her voice was low and threatening. A lesser man’s balls would have shriveled up at her tone, but I was sporting a semi. There was something very sexy about a woman who was contemplating murdering me, apparently. Maybe I was kinkier than I thought.
“Pray tell how I’m being unreasonable about you ignoring me, your supposed fated mate, for months. I’ve never settled for leftover scraps of attention from anyone. I’m certainly not going to start with you.” She punctuated her point by stabbing her finger into my chest, glaring at it when she hit pure muscle.
“Maybe — maybe — if you’d given me the time of day three months ago, things would have been different. You lost your chance. So I kindly suggest you get the fuck out of here before I slice off your testicles and make them into a purse.”
She narrowed her eyes defiantly, and I did my best to suppress the grin that was threatening to take over my face at her furious declaration. Wren growled as the corners of my mouth twitched before she turned and stormed towards the treeline with her chin held high and shoulders squared. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. My guilt mixed with happiness that I’d finally spoken to her, and a hint of amusement at her aggravation.
Maintaining eye contact, Wren stripped out of the thick down jacket I’d bought her, and laid it flat on the ground so she could bundle the rest of her clothes in it. Her movements were deliberate and unhurried as she pulled off her top, tennis shoes, and peeled her leggings down her perfect legs. She folded each item carefully in the center of her jacket and looked up to check my eyes were still glued on her.
Fates, the whole forest could be on fire right now and I wouldn’t see anything but her.
She gave me her haughtiest glare as she removed her bra and panties, added them to the pile and carefully rolled them into her jacket, securing it by tying the sleeves around it.
I was totally going to come in my pants and then she’d never give me the time of day. Maybe she’d be able to overlook the whole ignoring her thing eventually, but if she thought I lacked stamina, that would definitely be a deal breaker.
Fire & Gasoline: A Shifter Romance (Audax Pack Book 1) Page 12
