by Olivia Arran
Harper squeezed my hand, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “Are only allowed to visit for seven days. It’s in their goddamn stinking rules.”
“But they’ll make an exception! They’ll have to! You didn’t want this…” I was grasping at straws, but dammit, they were my only chance. “I’ll petition the Mayor, make him bend the rules for me.” I grabbed her hand, squeezing her fingers tight. “I won’t leave you to deal with this on your own.” I was waiting for the fight to spark in her eyes—the Harper I knew would seize the chance for a battle of wills with anyone—but she squeezed my fingers, staying silent.
She wasn’t going to fight it; she was giving up before we’d even tried to figure out a way around it. Wrenching away, I staggered over to the window. Sunshine greeted me. When had morning come? It was day three. I only had five more days here. Panic squeezed my chest, digging into my ribs with relentless sharp stabbing blows. Air rattled in my throat while tears tracked fat and unapologetic down my cheeks. I didn’t wipe them away as I stared out into the new day. I wasn’t ashamed of crying; I was ashamed of how scared I was. Harper was the one who’d been attacked and was facing a whole new kind of existence. She’d been ripped from her life and forced to find a new home. I was fine. I could leave. I could go home. To an empty life, one filled with work and nothing else. No time for friends or lovers, I’d thrown myself into my work and it had been enough. And I’d had Harper. My best friend.
Selfish bitch! Biting down on the inside of my cheek, I swallowed back the physical pain, welcoming it through the wave of numbness. I was thirty-two years old and it was about time I grew a backbone and hiked up my big girl panties. I turned and walked straight into a pair of solid arms, my face hitting a muscular chest that I was rapidly becoming too fond of. Austin’s arms closed around me, holding me tight as I pulled myself back together, lending me his strength while I faltered.
“Harper asked if we’d go get her suitcase for her. I don’t think she’s too keen on the hospital gowns.”
Rubbing my wet cheek against his chest, I took a deep breath. I’d been that wrapped up in my own wallowing I’d missed the whole conversation. “Sounds like a plan,” I replied, my words muffled and croaky. Peering around him, I peeked at Harper, embarrassment that my epic meltdown had reached nuclear level.
She wriggled her fingers at me, concern clear in the crease of her brow as she cocked an eyebrow in my direction.
She shouldn’t have to worry about me, not on top of everything else she had going on. That wasn’t the kind of sister she deserved.
Disengaging from Austin, I forced a smile. “I’m good. Sorry about that. I don’t know why … I think it’s the lack of sleep. I’ll go grab you some things and be right back.”
“It’s okay to be upset, Lenny, but it’s going to be okay. I can feel it.” She settled back against her pillows, a serene expression on her face. “Don’t rush back, I plan on taking a nap. I think there’s visiting hours posted in the reception.”
I studied her face, but came away with nothing. Her eyes were already closed, her chest rising and falling in a soft rhythm that hinted at the exhaustion she’d spoken of.
Feeling all kinds of wrong, I followed Austin out of the room.
Once outside, claustrophobia I hadn’t known was there melted away, the open air a balm on my fractured heart. Gulping in breath after breath, I tilted my face up to the sun to soak in the heat.
“I’ll help you.” Austin’s gentle offer soothed the ragged edges of my nerves.
“Thanks, I’m not sure they’ll let me back in her room without you to growl at them.”
He tried for a mock scowl, but it slid away into an easy grin within seconds. “Growling is only one of the things I do best, and I wasn’t talking about retrieving your sister’s belongings.”
My mind had wandered, already trying to guess at what other things might make his list, but his last words pulled me up short. “Oh. Right. No worries, I can manage.” Big girl panties, remember?
“I’ll help you with that too, but I’m talking about you speaking to the Mayor. You do still want to try and stay, don’t you?”
“You’d do that for me?” I was pretty sure he was already on the Mayor’s shit list.
He lifted a shoulder, his hands in his pockets. “Of course.” Like it wasn’t a big deal.
“Now?”
He slowed his steady amble, fishing a hand out of his pocket to scratch his jaw. “Now?” At my vigorous nod, his mouth firmed into a thin line. “Okay, now. Let’s go.”
Austin had to escort me out of the office, because there wasn’t a chance in hell that I would have left voluntarily. My blood was still boiling. “That … that … ugh!” I shrieked, punching my hands in the air as if it would make a damn difference.
He’d said no. Unequivocally, no chance of changing his mind kind of negative. The pig headed egotistical paper pushing asshole! “What difference would one little human make?” I screamed at the now closed door and aimed a kick at it for good measure.
“Easy—”
I rounded on him, eyes going wide enough that he took a step back. “Easy? Easy! You can say that; you’re not getting booted out of here in five measly days!” Storming down the corridor, I ignored the concerned looks being sent our way, pretty sure they were more for Austin than me. Poor guy, stuck with the hysterical human. I slammed out into the sunshine.
“Leona.”
I spun around. “What?” Tears threatened, but I swallowed them back. No way was I crying on the steps of the municipal building, not when that asshole Carter could waltz out any second and catch me bawling.
He caught my arms, forcing me to meet his eyes. “You’ve got five days. Do you really want to spend them arguing and fighting?”
“There has to be a way I can stay here, Austin.” My bottom lip quivered until I firmly pressed it back into line.
He fell silent, blue eyes clouding for a moment, then they were clear again. “You let me worry about it, can you do that? Visit your sister and spend some time with her. She’s going through some rough shit at the moment; she needs you to be there for her. She needs your support more than anything right now.”
Shocked into silence by his blunt words, I nodded.
“Good, sweetheart. And how’s about you let me take you out when visiting hours are over and I’m not working? I could show you the sights, try and cheer you up a little?”
“That would be nice,” I offered in a small voice.
His hand reached up and cupped my cheek, his thumb wiping away a stray tear that had snuck out unnoticed. “It tears me apart to see you cry,” he murmured in a voice so soft, I almost missed it. “You need to figure out a way to deal with this, and you’re a strong person, Leona, I know you are. You’ve got this.”
I leaned into his hand. If only I was the person he thought I was. “Okay.”
His lips curved up, crinkles forming at the edges of his eyes. “Okay?”
“Yes.” He stole all reasonable thought; his presence demanding that I be the very best version of myself. Someone I wasn’t sure existed.
“Good. Leave it to me to figure this out. Now,” he slid his arm around my shoulders, tugging me into his side, “Let’s go get your sister’s suitcase and you can visit. Then, I’ll pick you up and take you out for some fun.”
He was going to fight for me, to find a way for me to stay. For my sister.
I snuck a peek at his face as we walked down the street, watching the way the sun lovingly caressed his profile, casting his strong nose and wide jaw in shadows.
Maybe, just maybe, it wasn’t only my sister I had a reason to try and stay for. To fight for.
But did he feel the same way? He was being good to me, but did it mean anything more? He was a nice guy. One of the best I’d ever met.
Was there a chance of a future together—a shifter and a human—or was I looking for something that wasn’t really there?
Chapter Twelve
Au
stin
I ignored the little looks she was shooting my way, letting her think she was getting away with being sneaky, while really she was as subtle as a banshee gatecrashing a party. Keeping an amicable smile on my face the whole time, we fetched her sister’s suitcase and I dropped Leona back at the infirmary.
Smile still in place.
Fixed.
Damn, my face hurt.
It was only now, here, in the depths of the forest that I let the smile crack, splinter and slide off into the abyss I was really feeling.
Hunching down, I took a seat in the dirt and leaves, propping my back against an old oak trunk. My head fell forward, my eyes closed as I searched for calm. It was out of reach, fighting with old memories and newly wakened nightmares for control.
Yesterday, I’d been the Alpha of my team. The calm and controlled one, having learned to live with his past and come to terms with the future. Then my fated mate had walked into my life. I should have claimed her there and then, but I’d always said that if I were ever lucky enough to find her, that I’d wait. We’d fall in love, the old fashioned way—the human way—because I wanted a woman who looked at me with love in her heart, who chose to be with me because she wanted no other. Not because of some ingrained shifter bullshit that made us compatible. Not that the soulmate bond between mates was bullshit—I’m sure it was fucking beautiful—but I wanted more.
I’d been human once. Raised by a mother and father who’d loved each other more than the world. I wanted what they’d had before the animal had destroyed them, the shifter who’d attacked and savaged me, leaving me for dead, to wake disorientated and in pain, with no idea of what I had become. That had been before the world had known about us, long before we could be ourselves and live out in the open. I’d survived, become strong, but there had been a cost.
And I wasn’t willing to sacrifice the last scrap of humanity I had.
I could tell her she could stay. Accept me as your mate and stay. I nearly had. Carter nearly had; it had only been the warning of imminent death in my eyes that had stayed his tongue.
Choose me. It was a child’s dream, a memory of love from a happier life.
Did it have a place in my life now? Did I have any right to wish for it?
Branches crunched beneath heavy feet, the rustle of leaves being pushed aside reaching my ears. People deliberately making noise and warning me of their arrival. Pushing up off the ground, I dusted off my jeans and waited for them to join me.
Brent was the first to arrive, then Cade and Nate.
“Where’s Jake?”
Cracking a wide yawn, Nate scratched his chest. “On his way. Grumpy bastard wouldn’t get out of bed.”
Sleep was the last thing on my mind, but I had a personal stake in all this. “I appreciate you—”
“Aw, shit. I didn’t get out of bed so you could try and dry hump me, did I?” Jake strolled into the clearing with his usual scowl and swagger.
I flipped him off.
“Fucker,” he added, but for once he wasn’t fixing for a brawl. Anyone with eyes could see his heart wasn’t in it.
“What’s up, Alpha?” Brent was the one to finally voice the question.
I met each of their eyes in turn, folding my arms over my chest. “We’re going to check some facts, boys. Who’s up for a run in wolf territory?”
Backs straightened, eagerness sparking in the air. “Fucking-A,” Nate quipped, yanking off his half-buttoned shirt and shucking his jeans.
All around me bears burst from the men, bones cracking and reforming, muscles swelling and bunching, fur sprouting and fingers giving way to lethal claws. Stripping, I let the change take me, hurtle through me so fast that the bear would appear to burst from my body.
Four grizzlies stared back at me, waiting for my command.
Rearing back onto my hind legs, I opened my massive jaw and roared at the sky. Run, I sent out to my team on the spark of power that linked us all. Paws thundered, slamming into the ground as trees whipped past, the scent of summer sliding over our fur. Sweet and soft, the air caressed my snout, bringing with it the promise of a balmy hot afternoon perfect for lazy sun worshipping.
Or chasing the woman of my heart around a cool lake, her flesh slick and hot against mine.
Of holding hands and walking for miles, time passing unnoticed and unimportant as we laughed and joked.
Dancing under the stars with Leona in my arms. Stealing a kiss. Pressing her against a wall. Thrusting deep inside her while she cried out and moaned my name.
Loving her.
I loved her. The knowledge didn’t surprise me; it completed me.
Purpose thudded in my chest.
I had less than five whole days to convince her that I was the man for her.
“Wait there, furball,” the wolf growled, trying his damnedest to sound menacing, and it would have worked, if I’d been a human. Rearing back onto my hind legs, I let the change ripple through me, until I stood on two human feet. My team remained in animal form, ready to rock and brawl if need be.
“For Christ’s sake, cover yourself up, Austin. It’s enough to fucking blind me,” Owen snarled from where he had appeared on the veranda, a pair of sweatpants sailing through the air toward my head.
“Only because you’re not used to having your deficiencies pointed out quite this fucking bluntly,” I shot back at the Alpha wolf, taking my time to yank on the sweatpants.
Owen folded his arms with a put-on glower, but he was hiding a smirk. He was an alright guy, if we managed to avoid pack politics and territory shit. “You didn’t come all the way out here to measure dicks. What do you want?”
“Fuck that shit, my dick is way bigger than yours.” Taking the steps in one leap, I slapped him on the back, throwing in a quick punch to the chest as a bonus. We scuffled for a couple of minutes, arms locking as we tried halfheartedly to beat the shit out of each other. Another reason I liked Owen. We could brawl as alphas and not have to worry about the whole dominance shit. Breaking apart, I followed him into the packhouse, eyeing the couple of pack enforcers that loitered in the background. “Expecting trouble?”
He paused by his desk, fingers tapping out a rhythm on the dark wood at odds with his calm exterior. “Maybe. What do you know?”
Snarls and growls erupted from outside the window, the sound of bodies crashing and dirt being pummeled. I finished lowering my bulk onto the couch, giving the window two seconds of my attention. “You okay with my guys having a bit of fun?”
He grinned, taking a seat behind the desk and leaning back until the leather chair creaked in protest. “It’ll do them good; blow off some steam.”
We listened for a couple of minutes, like two proud papas.
Voices rose in jeers and shouts, puncturing the silence with staccato bursts of noise.
Owen leaned forward, wincing as a body slammed into the side of the house. “Back to business, Alpha. What have you heard?”
“That you allowed a fox shifter to attack a human on your territory.”
A low growl filled the room, the other man stiffening. “Watch it, bear.”
“I am fucking watching it. If I wasn’t, I’d be over there ripping you a new one.”
His eyes flashed from green to gold, power lashing out in waves. “What makes this your business?”
Ignoring his attempt to dominate, I slung an arm over the back of the couch, hooking my ankle over my knee. But it was posturing bullshit. I was ready, poised if he thought to attack. “Because the human woman is my future mate’s sister.”
The air cleared instantly as understanding flitted over the other Alpha’s face. “Acknowledged,” he murmured, granting my claim. “We don’t know how the bastard got in, but we’ll find him,” he stated in a voice filled with rage, like a river rushing against an avalanche of ice.
“I know how he got in.” I watched his face carefully for any sign of guilt or deception.
He closed his eyes for a brief moment, squeezing his lips
together as if to quell an outburst. “Do I really want to know how you found this out?”
“We ran your land.”
His knuckles cracked. “Fucking hell, Austin. You can’t fucking bring your team of fucked up furballs onto my territory and do whatever the hell you want. You know the rules.”
“Screw the rules. You have a security breach and you’re telling me not one of your wolves found it?”
Shaking out his hands, he leaned back in his chair and picked up a pen, spinning it between his fingers. Back and forth, then back again, the silver catching and glinting in the streaks of sunlight that flashed through the window. He didn’t speak.
He didn’t have to. His thunderous expression said it all.
“They looked and they didn’t find anything, did they?”
His eyes locked with mine, unflinching and hard. “Where?” The single word carried a death sentence for a wolf, or at least banishment from the pack.
It made me glad to be a bear. Fuck having responsibility for a whole entire pack; keeping my team out of trouble kept me busy enough. “Give me a map and I’ll show you.”
I’d given the other Alpha my word, but it didn’t mean I had to like it. But, as he’d not so gently reminded me—his pack, his rules. And, if I had to admit it, the way he was planning on playing this could be a whole lot more interesting than pulverizing the shit out of someone on the hope that they give up their source.
We had a name. Two, actually, which was another reason to bide our time. Watch and wait. I didn’t really give two shits about what happened to the wolf, it was the fox I wanted.
We settled into the kitchen, spreading around the room and dragging the chairs into a semi-circle around the old, heavily laden table. A kettle whistled on the old range cooker, a cloud of steam fogging the air and climbing the pale green walls. Homey; that was the word I’d use to describe the packhouse kitchen. A hub for the pack to congregate and spend time together, the beat up tiled floor bearing witness to the many feet that had visited over the years. Accepting a slice of cake, I balanced the tiny plate on my knee before digging in. Lemon exploded in my mouth, tangy and tart and creamy and mouthwateringly good.
