by Moira Byrne
I held up my hand and used the other to shove my plate aside. I wasn't hungry anymore. In fact, I wanted to be anywhere but here at The Peach. I felt itchy and annoyed. I wanted to do anything but sit here and have this talk right now. It wasn't the time.
"Let's go. I don't want to talk about this here." Not wanting to sit here a second longer, I dug some cash out of my pocket and slapped it on the table. It was way more than necessary for our meal, but Peter paid me well enough. I knew Rhonda would appreciate the hefty tip.
I got up, Ana's car seat in hand, and headed for the exit. I didn't bother looking behind me. I knew Ben was following.
I was doubting myself and my choices all over again. The elephants were running wild, stampeding around. The smile that I woke up with was nowhere to be found. I had almost convinced myself that we could be something great together for Ana. I could see the world where he was the doting, supportive father. We would be a happy, stable little family. We would be normal.
But we weren't. Our lives—my life, mostly—were messy and complicated. We were shifters. That made us abnormal by default, no matter how much we played human.
Damnit, Alysse. I let my eyes fall shut for a second as I pushed open the diner door. Why had I let myself get so carried away? Why did I sleep with him? I was leading him on, letting him think I could live this life and that just wasn't the case.
"Alysse," Ben said in a quiet voice as he followed through the door behind me, "we really need to sit down and talk about this."
I went to look over my shoulder at Ben but I froze before my eyes met his because they locked onto Seth's instead. He was leaning up against the wall near the door to The Peach, smirking at me. He wasn't alone. Several other old pack members were leaning or crouching nearby. All of their eyes were cougar-blue as they stared hard at me. They didn't move. They simply stared. They didn't want to attack me, not yet, they just wanted to let me know that they were here.
Rose was right. Something very, very bad was going to happen.
8
Ben
Aly glanced back at me as she stepped out of The Honeyed Peach. Anger was in every line of her body. She was pissed. Beyond pissed. Our otherwise great day had taken a turn to awful the moment when I said my pack could protect her. It was only an option, but it seemed to infuriate her. What was so wrong with moving to be near my pack?
Was she afraid they'd reject her? I opened my mouth to ask when she froze, her gaze locked on something to the side. I saw a flash of fear, then she let out a quiet snarl.
I followed her line of sight and saw a group of men lounging near the entrance of The Honeyed Peach. I couldn't repress my own snarl when my eyes found one of the idiots I'd fought at the orchard.
I sized up the group, preparing myself for a fight. They had scared Aly and that didn't go over well with me. It was time I taught them to pick on someone their own size.
"What're you looking at?" I asked the guy I recognized from the orchard, showing my teeth. I let my dark brown eyes shift to wolf-silver. The guy tensed.
"You think you're going to scare me like this?" Aly snarled.
Her courage impressed me. She was keeping strong despite their obvious attempt at intimidating her.
"Hey, Robby, you don't have to take that shit," one of the other guys said.
"No, Robby," I said with a predatory smile, "you don't have to take any shit. But remember, we're in public. Do you think you can take us as we are right now?"
It didn't matter where we came from, all shifters knew to keep our natures quiet. If he shifted in the middle of Fayoak, I was certain he would be hunted down. If not by his fellow shifters, then by torch-wielding humans. Some things were simply not tolerated.
None of us had any desire to become lab experiments, be chased by big game trophy hunters, or be hauled away and stuck on reservations by the government. To avoid all of that, exposure was dealt with harshly.
His eyes darted over me and I felt a vicious sense of satisfaction when he gulped faintly. I was tall and muscular. Not a body-builder by any means, but I could kick some ass.
"You're not worth it," he finally grumbled and turned to walk away.
The others with him watched in confusion as he stomped down the sidewalk.
"What the hell?" one of them griped quietly.
Robby stopped and looked back at me. I saw the fear in his eyes that he tried to hide with bravado. "He's a wolf. He probably has a bunch of pack members hiding around the corner or some shit. You know how those cowards are."
"Funny, considering you have a group of guys around you right now."
"At least Ben's willing to fight you in the open," Aly added in with a smirk.
One of the cats started to bristle and my smile grew even more predatory. I had no problem wiping the floor with these idiots. The other men started to look around nervously, as if a pack of wolves would materialize out of thin air.
"He's too sure of himself, I don't like this," another one muttered. "Let's get out of here."
One by one, they glanced around with flared nostrils, trying to scent out any threats, then hurried off.
"Cowards," I said under my breath. Although, it was probably for the best that I didn't get involved in a public brawl.
"Wow, they're going to leave just like that?" Aly asked as she watched them scurry away, her brows raised.
I turned my attention to her. "They didn't have a plan. They just wanted to act tough."
She looked at me, then watched them hurry down the street with narrowed eyes.
"I really had no idea they were such ass—" Aly looked down at Ana's carrier, ". . . uhh, buttholes?"
My expression twisted in confusion. "You really think that's a better word?"
"I'm trying, okay?" She shook her head, and started walking to the car, one hand waving in the air. "It's so hard being a parent. Her brain is a tiny sponge. It makes me panic."
I chuckled to myself as I hurried to catch up to her. However, beneath my smile, I was still worried. I needed to find out what was really going on with that old pack of hers. I thought about how they were sitting there, waiting for her. I needed more answers.
I opened my mouth to ask, but quickly noticed the tension in Aly's shoulders. Now was not the time. My wolfish curiosity begged me to get to the bottom of it all, but I could be patient. However, the time for Aly to come clean was approaching quickly.
When we got into the car, I kept my questions light. I asked about Fayoak and the Greenhaven Orchard. By the time we were close to Aly's place, her shoulders relaxed and I even managed to earn a smile or two.
My phone buzzed in my pocket as Aly turned onto her street. I pulled it out and glanced at the screen. A knot formed in my stomach when I saw it was a text from Eric.
Put out the welcome mat.
"Are you kidding me?" I muttered to myself.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing," I said as my fingers dashed across the screen, typing out a hurried reply. The last thing I needed was for my cousins to come barging in and make a mess of things.
No. Don't come.
My eyes bore holes into the phone as I waited for his response.
Too late.
Seriously? My jaw clenched. I knew that my call with those two had ended too easily last night. Now I would have my family to deal with, too. They couldn't leave well enough alone, could they?
If Aly felt I'd called them here, she might feel ambushed. For all I know, she might think that I planned to abduct her and Ana so they would be safe with my pack. Although the idea was tempting, I would never do such a thing. It would betray her trust in the worst way.
She had been so prickly lately, even for Aly, that I wasn't sure how she would take their arrival. If Aly felt I'd deceived her, everything I'd done up until now, trying to smooth things over between us, would blow up in my face. With those thoughts in mind, I furiously typed out a message to my cousins.
No, it isn't. You can turn around and go back home.
I hit send and impatiently waited for his reply. I gritted my teeth together in frustration. It was taking too long. Was he typing out an essay?
If we turn around, we'll come back with Aunty. You want her here, too?
I winced. The last thing I wanted was my mother here. She was a force of nature. I studied my phone with a frown. Eric had said we. It was probably just him and David, but I knew I had better double check. At least then I would know what I was dealing with.
What if he decided to bring my brother and sister? My stomach churned. Aly would definitely feel ambushed, and rightfully so. If wolves were good at one thing, it was working in a pack.
Don't bring my mother into this, Eric. Who all did you bring with you?
Aly pulled into her driveway as I anxiously waited for the answer. As the seconds passed, my mind visualized a caravan of cars full of my relatives descending on Fayoak.
Who do you think?
I let out a quiet sigh of relief as Aly parked. That meant it was only Eric and David. They were trouble, but I could deal with the two of them.
I'm fine. You don't need to try to find me.
A reply came a second later.
No need to try. We know where you are.
I stared at the last message and fought the urge to sigh again, this time out of annoyance. I knew they would be here sooner or later. We'd put the tracking app on all our phones for emergencies. I should have remembered they had a broad idea of what emergency meant.
It wasn't unusual for them to use the tracker to hunt me down for nothing more than going to a movie. If I had been thinking, I would have turned the tracker off after our last call. Oh well. I would deal with them later.
Aly turned off the car. I powered down my phone and slipped it into my pocket. If my phone was off, it might take them longer to find me. I could only hope.
I hopped out of the car and opened the back door to smile at Ana. I'd watched how Aly had unhooked the carrier earlier, so didn't fumble as I released it. I was pretty impressed with my new dad skills. I wondered if Aly noticed. My daughter made some odd burbling sounds and I grinned at her.
"What's that? You have the best daddy in the whole wide world?"
"You seem to have that under control," Aly said as she opened the door opposite of us. "I've got her diaper bag."
There was something odd in her voice that made my smile falter. I looked up but I didn't get a chance to see her expression. The car door was already swinging shut.
Ana made a gurgling noise, drawing my attention. She eagerly kicked her feet, bringing my smile back to my face. She was going to be trouble, I knew it.
I looked forward to her getting to run and play with her cousins someday, just like I had. I could already see her getting into trouble with the other children in my pack, then weaseling out of it with her mom's cute smile. I hoped that she would get to, at least.
Talk about a cat among the pigeons. Or, more accurately, a cub among the pups. My wolf huffed with laughter inside me.
"You, my little cat, are going to give the wolves a run for their money."
I adjusted the car seat handle to turn it into a carrier and easily lifted her out of the car. I glanced down at her face and saw her brow furrowed, and her face was all scrunched up like she was in pain. I recognized that look and hurried into the house.
"Hey, Aly, you have a sec?"
She immediately appeared from Ana's bedroom. "What's up?"
"Does that expression mean what I think it does?"
Aly looked down at Ana's face in the carrier, then looked back up at me with a grin.
"Sure does. Remember your earlier offer to be on diaper duty?"
Aly chuckled and patted me on the shoulder. I turned my head to look at her and the sheer beauty of her smiling face made my heart seize. God, this woman. There were many reasons why I couldn't get her out of my mind while I was gone and that smile was one of them. I let out a quiet laugh of my own and looked down at the other beautiful little lady in my life, blinking at me from her carrier.
"Okay, little one," I said to Ana, "let's get you all cleaned up."
Ana blinked at me and waved her arms as I walked to her room. I set her carrier down on the floor by the changing table and unhooked the straps keeping her in place. My heart clenched as I lifted her up and held her against my chest. I couldn't believe I had a daughter. I knew she was mine, but awe filled me every time I held her.
I gently laid her down on the changing pad and brushed a hand over her soft black hair. As I began to change her, Ana started to fidget, so I hummed to her softly. Her eyelids started to droop before long. By the time I finished changing her, I noticed her blinks were getting slower. I buttoned up her outfit and slid my hands under her little body. I cradled her to my chest as I carried her over to her crib, still humming softly.
I stood there and held her warm weight, rocking her back and forth. I drew a deep breath, taking her scent into my lungs. Aly's scent. My scent. Yet, something that was uniquely Ana, too. She was ours and I would do anything for her. A fierce protective feeling overcame me. I would protect her with my very life if I had to.
As she began to droop sleepily against me, I laid her down on her back in her crib and watched as she fell asleep. My heart was full to bursting as I walked out of her room and softly closed the door behind me.
That evening, I paused in the hallway after I put Ana down for bed. My thoughts turned to Aly. Somehow she had managed to dodge my questions all afternoon. Whenever I tried to talk to her about her old pack, or her and Ana's safety, she changed the subject, or had some issue she had to deal with, or some task that had to be taken care of right then.
The next thing I knew, it was time to feed Ana and put her to bed. My heart was still hurting from all my missed moments with her, so I'd offered to put her to bed after dinner. Aly had agreed and gave me another one of those strange looks.
I stepped into the living room afterward and saw Aly sitting on the couch. Several brightly colored pillows were scattered about, and one sitting next to her was scrunched up in the middle, as if she'd been gripping it tightly and put it down when she heard my footsteps.
The baby monitor was on the table next to her. The blinds were open and she stared out into the dark night. She glanced over at the monitor, then swiveled around and met my gaze.
Her eyes were more solemn than I'd seen before. I was so used to seeing humor lighting those eyes. It was jarring, to say the least.
"You okay?" I asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
I didn't believe her for a second. I looked out the window and thought about earlier in the day before I glanced back at her. "Is it something about those guys we saw in town earlier?"
I wanted to groan the moment I saw her expression close down. I probably should have worked up to the question, but it had been festering in the back of my mind all afternoon. I had several more questions waiting back there, too. One of them had to spill out eventually.
"It's not a big deal," she said.
"Aly, I'm not stupid. I can't help if you keep me in the dark."
She gave me a flat look then swiveled her head away to look out the window once more. I knew that meant she wasn't going to talk about it. Fine. I looked out the front window, absently scanning the area. Maybe she needed a little alone time. I could check out the area, see if there were any new scents.
No time like the present. I walked around the back of the couch to head to the front door. I gripped the handle and Aly's voice stopped me.
"Ben, wait."
I turned around. The fear I saw in her eyes made my heart clench.
"I didn't just leave my old pack. I escaped." She wrapped her arms around herself. "We're talking guns blazing, action-movie style running for my life. Except, y'know, with claws and not guns."
"You had to escape?" My mind went blank. "But why?"
A bitter smile twisted her face. "Because they wouldn't have let me leave."
"
I don't get it." Female pack members were equal to males. If I wanted to leave my pack and join the one here, I could. If Aly wanted to leave Fayoak and come home with me, she could join my wolf-pack, or the local cat-pack. It would be her choice.
Was this her problem? Did she think she couldn't simply up and leave?
She broke our eye contact and looked out the window. "My sister and Alex broke me, and another pack member, out. Before I escaped, the only way I could leave that compound was for class. They told me it was for safety, but with classes over, I quickly realized that wasn't true. They were trying to control us. The women."
"That's so wrong."
A bark of laughter escaped her. "Yeah. I don't know why I didn't think it was odd that whenever I stepped outside my house one of the male pack members was there. They escorted me everywhere. There was always some reason for it. I bought it at the time, but looking back, I realize how closely they monitored us. That wasn't even the worst of it. They had human slaves, Ben."
"Jesus. Why didn't you just get in your car and leave?"
"That as another part of the control. I didn't have a car. All vehicles belonged to the pack. When I talked about buying one, they said why waste the money? I could just use a pack car. It just all sounded so reasonable. I could blame it on being young and stupid, I guess, but . . . that doesn't make me feel any better."
I stared at her in shocked silence for a long moment. She turned her head to meet my eyes again. The hurt I saw told me she wasn't exaggerating, not even a little. I took a step toward her. "Aly—"
"No," she held up a hand and shook her head, "let me finish. We barely made it out. Sophie and I fought in our cougar forms. She broke the leg of one of the assholes following us. But that didn't stop them."
"How did you get away?" My mind conjured visions of Aly fighting tooth and claw. I clenched my hands into fists. She should never have been in that position. I should have been there to help.
"We managed to restrain them, get in the truck, and drive like hell out of there."
