Her Pack

by Candace Wondrak

  If he harmed a single hair on her head, he would snap. He always said he would never fight another wolf after failing his challenge to his old alpha, but he would protect what was his. And Maia was his. His pack’s. She was one of theirs. She no longer was the concern of her asshole of an ex. Alarick would get this fact through his skull, even if he had to beat it in him.

  The herd was nowhere in sight, though Alarick could smell the cows and their calves somewhere in the fields. Memories of Old Mason shaking his head at the corpse of a prairie dog shot through his mind. He never thought he’d find a mate that morning, even if Farkas had offhandedly mentioned it as a joke, but he’d found Maia.

  He would not let her go, just as he hoped she would not let him go.

  Alarick stood atop a hill, spotting them. Maia was in her human form, her right arm caught in a metal contraption. Her ex stood behind her, holding the back of her head, forcing her to stare at another bear trap on the ground, of which there were plenty. The bastard had lured her here and caught her. She’d probably been too frantic to notice the traps.

  The fucking ass.

  He looked like a right proper ass, too. Alarick would enjoy teaching the pup a lesson in manners. He took off down the hill, his legs pumping as he skidded to a halt just before the bear traps began to litter the ground. Baring his teeth, he greeted the man standing behind Maia. The man bared his own teeth, but they were much less effective than they would’ve been if he would’ve been in his wolf form.

  Maia…didn’t look happy to see him. She looked like she was trying to hold it all in, to not break down and cry, but Alarick could see it in her eyes. He was only sorry he hadn’t gotten here sooner.

  “Well, well. If it isn’t one of the wolves who thought to take what’s mine,” the man said, his fingers tightening in Maia’s hair. His voice sounded rough, scratchy in an unnatural way, like it hurt to talk. She let out a whimper, and as she shook, Alarick saw just how deep the trap was attached to her arm. Between her wrist and her elbow, down to the bone, mangled and bloody.

  A growl came from Alarick as he shifted to his human form—a hard feat, because his wolf wanted to tear that smug look off the man’s face, give him another wound like the one on his neck, which seemed awfully fresh.

  Standing on his own two feet, Alarick wanted to lunge at him, but there was not only a minefield of traps between them, but also Maia was in far too precarious a position. He would not go for him until he was sure she’d be safe.

  “She’s not yours,” Alarick growled out. “She’s part of my pack now, pup.” The man was a few years younger than Alarick, around Maia’s age. Too young to be of note, but too dangerous not to take seriously.

  The man chuckled, but it was a pained sound. “Ah, so you’ve joined their pack, have you?” he spoke to Maia. “But you haven’t let your wolf be claimed. Good to know some things never change.”

  Alarick was glad she had run away from this prick. Anyone in their right might would’ve.

  “I wouldn’t talk about things you don’t know shit about,” Alarick said, his chest rising and falling with an angry, furious breath. He would not tell the man that Maia had said she wanted to become their mate at the next full moon; the ex didn’t deserve to know. He didn’t have the privilege.

  “And what do you know about this one, hmm?” He brought his other hand to Maia’s face, grabbing her jaw harshly, yanking it aside to bear her neck to Alarick. “Did she tell you everything? Do you know what she did to her last intended mate—to me?”

  The only thing Alarick gave him was silence.

  “She didn’t just run from me, she tried to kill me. This—” He pointed to his neck with the hand that had so rudely touched her face. “—is from this little slut.”

  Maia shut her eyes, as if blocking this all out. Alarick had never seen her so quiet, so broken, and he knew it was not because of her arm in the trap. It was from what her ex had said, a particular detail which she’d kept to herself. Did she think Alarick would think less of her? Did she think that he wouldn’t want her if he knew what she’d done to her douche of an ex?

  What a stupid wolf she was. She couldn’t have been more wrong.

  “Call her that one more time and I will rip your still-beating heart from your chest,” Alarick said, more a promise than a threat. He couldn’t remember ever saying something so malicious, but he’d never been in another situation like this.

  The ex made a skeptical sound, more like a snort. “You’d still have her, knowing that she’s a mate-killer? The bitch thought she killed me, you know. She’ll turn on you, next.”

  “Not before I end you, pup.”

  “I am not a pup!” he yelled, eyes flashing, his wolf fighting to break free. But he didn’t move from Maia’s side, for he knew the moment he did, Alarick would strike, and he was no match for an alpha.

  Another presence made himself known, howling as he ran over the hill. Alarick prayed Farkas would see the traps before barreling down, would know to hold back. Alarick had this, but having his pack by his side would help. They were one in everything they did.

  As Farkas ran to Alarick’s side, standing a few feet to his left, Maia’s ex smirked. It was an ugly expression on a wolf who played man. He was no more a man than he was human. Farkas remained in his wolf form, the only one to do so. The rest of them were naked in the night air, but this was not a time for bashfulness.

  “A pair of strays,” her ex spoke, snarling. “Fitting, considering what she is. You all deserve each other.”

  “Then you should go before this gets worse,” Alarick warned, because his patience wore thin, and it would undoubtedly get worse before it got better. Things had a habit of doing that. “If you run with your tail between your legs, maybe I’ll let you live.”

  Or maybe he was lying. Alarick wasn’t sure, though he leaned on the lying side, just because of the way he handled Maia. One of his filthy hands still clung to the back of her head, refusing to release her.

  “The only way I’ll be leaving here is with Maia in tow.”

  Farkas growled, hackles raised, and Alarick shook his head. “If you think you’ll be taking her, you’re dead wrong. Emphasis on the dead, because I’d rather kill you than let you walk away with her.” He could imagine the terrible things he’d do to her—Alarick would never let that happen.

  The ex laughed, though it died in his scarred throat. “How in the hell did she get to you so fast? It hasn’t even been two weeks since she ran away after attempting to murder me. Why the fuck are you acting like you—”

  When he would not say another word, Alarick offered, “Like I what? Like I love her?” The moment he said it, he knew it was true. She’d come tumbling into his life like a tornado, unexpected and dangerous, wild and free. She’d gotten to him, just as he’d gotten to her. Somehow, he just knew. His wolf knew.

  Maia was his mate, and he loved her.

  And because of that, Alarick would never let this bastard hurt her again.

  Chapter Thirty-Two – Maia

  Maia thought it was over, done the moment Zak had mentioned what she’d done, but she was shocked to find that Alarick didn’t care that she’d tried to kill him. Alarick still wanted her. He’d come for her. If only it wasn’t too late, if only he’d gotten there before she’d stumbled into a bear trap and mangled her arm up.

  God, the pain was the worst she’d felt in her entire life. Just when she thought she would pass out, another revelation split the air.

  He loved her? Maia blinked at him, her eyes wet with tears. But…how? Why? She’d done nothing but hide the truth from him. She didn’t deserve any of his love or his affection, and she definitely didn’t deserve to be saved by him tonight. She deserved whatever horrible fate Zak would give to her.

  Didn’t she?

  “I do,” Alarick stated, breathing deeply, eyes falling to Maia. The emotion behind them was not fake; it was so real Maia could hardly believe it. “And because of that, pup—” Oh, how she loved it
when he called Zak pup. “—you should be scared, because that’s my mate, my love, you’ve hurt, and we don’t take things like that laying down. Maybe where you’re from that goes, but not here.”

  Maia heard grunting, and suddenly the pack before her was complete. Grimm’s large form stood to Alarick’s left, completing the trifecta. Her wolves, her pack. What did she do to deserve such devotion from them?

  Grimm’s giant, muscular wolf caused Zak’s hand to loosen in her hair. Faced down with such a specimen, he was more hesitant in his actions, probably realizing that he wasn’t going to get out of here scot-free. Grimm’s teeth were nearly double the size of Farkas’s, his claws digging into the ground as his wide chest thrummed with a constant growl.

  “So is this it, then?” Zak tried to sound strong, but his scratchy voice wavered. “The whole pack? The whole crew? It’s a little sad, really.”

  Alarick spoke in a low, deadly tone that was more alpha-like than anything Maia had ever heard him say up until that point: “Leave now or die.”

  Zak was quiet for a moment, like he was really contemplating it. “And if I left, what’s to stop me from coming back with the whole pack in tow? We could annihilate you and take Maia anyway—”

  Maia hated it, because it was true. Her old pack’s numbers were so much larger, and she’d never put anything past Zak. He was as unhinged as the worst of them.

  “I wouldn’t come back,” Alarick said. “You think we’re only three? We may be the only wolves in town, but we have every human behind us. Tell me, pup, do you think your alpha would let you kill an entire town’s worth of humans too?”

  A bluff, one that was almost too easy to call, but just as Zak opened his mouth to retort, a loud shot rang out in the night, a bang so near her that she felt her body tense, her ears ring. Maia felt a splatter of something warm on her shoulder, and she turned to look up at Zak. His hand loosened in her hair, falling off to clutch his side, where red seeped from multiple red spots.

  The spread of a shotgun.

  A loud shout from a giddy man, “Did I get him?” A pause. “Damn it. Hold on, let me take two.” Roy with a shotgun. Roy with a loaded shotgun. He must’ve run over the hill, and they were all too busy in their threats to each other to notice. Roy pumped the weapon, the spent shell popping out as he went to aim again. “I meant the head, damn it,” he said, lifting the gun a bit.

  Zak let out a growl that was mostly a yelp, darting away from the group before Roy’s finger could pull the trigger. He leapt over the traps as he shifted into wolf form, darting away as fast as he could with a limp.

  Alarick turned his head to the others, “Follow him. Make sure he leaves town. If he so much as glances in your direction…”

  The others needed nothing else. Grimm and Farkas ran off, trailing him. Alarick was by her side the next moment, careful to not step in any of the other traps, kneeling before her, his hands grasping the sides of the trap that had caught her and pulling it open. Maia was unhurried in pulling her arm out. It was already too mangled and bloody. It was hard to look at.

  And then…then Maia let it all out. She leaned against Alarick, the tears that had pricked her gaze before now falling easily down her cheeks. As she cried into him, Roy ventured near them, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a handkerchief.

  When Alarick glanced to him, the chef said, “It’s clean, I promise.”

  Alarick took the handkerchief and used it as a sort of tourniquet around her elbow. They’d have to get her to either a doctor or at the very least sanitize and stitch the wounds closed. Her shifter healing would help, but only so much.

  “Here,” Roy added. It was his shirt, as dirty as it had gotten from a full day’s work, but it was better than nothing. He had on an undershirt, at least. Which was good. The last thing Maia wanted right now was any of that. “Take this, too. Cover her up a bit. We should get her out of here.”

  Maia shivered, wincing as Alarick wrapped her up in Roy’s button-down shirt. He hoisted her in his arms, glancing at Roy and the gun in his arms. “Thank you, Roy. If you hadn’t come…I don’t know what we would’ve done.” He started walking, stepping around the other bear traps. “Can you get those? I don’t want any of Mason’s herd wandering over here and stepping on them. I’ll call him in the morning, let him know that was us, chasing the coyote that’s been tearing up the prairie dogs on his property.”

  Roy nodded. “Will do. Go on, get out of here.” It was a moment before Roy shouted after them, “Oh, and by the way, you’re going to have some explaining to do to Violet in the morning.”

  Maia heard Alarick sigh, but he said nothing as he carried her through the rolling hills. Her eyes were still wet, her emotions all over the place. Was Zak truly gone? Would he come back? Did he think the town was really behind Alarick and his pack? Roy did put on a good show, but…

  No. She wouldn’t think of it. She’d focus on what was in front of her. Or, rather, the handsome wolf carrying her stoically.

  “Did you mean what you said?” Maia asked, whispering, her voice trembling. Never had she sounded so weak, but then again, never had she felt so full of agony. Her right arm was limp, useless. She could hardly move her fingers, and every time she tried to, a searing pain shot through her, so hard and fast it made her nauseous.

  “I meant it all,” Alarick said. “If he comes back, I will kill him.”

  “No, not…not that. The part where you said you…” Maia bit her lip. “Where you said you loved me.”

  Alarick’s legs stopped, and his blue gaze turned to her. Just from the look on his face, she knew. She knew he’d meant it. He needn’t say a single word more. Her heart filled up, feeling heavier in her chest than she thought it could.

  “Of course I meant it,” he whispered. “I don’t say things I don’t mean.” His legs picked up the pace. Alarick was silent for a few moments before adding, “And while I am disappointed that you thought you couldn’t tell me, I can definitely see why you’d want to kill that asshole.”

  Maia found herself smiling, in spite of it all. Smiling because she’d survived Zak. Smiling because she’d stumbled into a town in the middle of nowhere, on her last three dollars, and found a pack of misfit wolves. Smiling because they were her wolves, and she was theirs.

  Smiling because, finally, she was home.

  Epilogue – Maia

  An eighteen-year-old girl with bright purple hair looked at her with her mouth ajar. Violet had forgone her natural black hair in favor of the purple color that had previously only been on her tips. She could not believe a single word Maia was telling her, which was ridiculous, because, after all this time, Violet knew well enough it was true.

  Maia, Violet, Roy and Farkas were in the process of closing the diner. Cleaning up and counting the cash. Emptying out the trash and any other duties that needed done. It was past closing time and there was not another soul inside the eatery.

  “So, let me get this straight,” Violet said, crossing her arms as she leaned on a nearby booth. “After we close up shop, you and Farkas are going with Roy to his house, where you’ll meet Alarick and Grimm, and you’ll all go running?” She made a disgusted expression. “And then they’ll…have sex with you? While you’re still a wolf?” That was the particular bit of it that she could not get past.

  Telling Violet about what they were wasn’t the smartest thing to do, but Alarick trusted her, and there was little else they could tell her after Roy had apparently grabbed the shotgun he had hidden in the kitchen and shouted something about wolf hunting.

  Maia laughed. “Pretty much, yeah.” Her arm was mostly healed, though there was a big, fat white scar where the trap had gotten her. They’d had to postpone the claiming once; it’d been nearly a month and a half since she’d first stumbled into this town, but honestly, it felt like years. She felt like an entirely new person, a new wolf.

  It was the best feeling.

  “Yeah,” Farkas chimed in from the kitchen. He popped his head around
, smiling a dimpled smile, to which Maia sent him a serious look. “What? I can’t help it. I’m excited. I always knew a female wolf would accidentally find herself in our lives, and that everything would work out fine. Really, I’m an optimist. One hundred percent. Never a downer.”

  Roy laughed at that. “Right. Just like I never touched a can of chew in my life.”

  Violet chuckled. “You know,” she spoke slow, glancing from Maia to Farkas, “I handled closing when your crazy-ass ex was in town. I think I can handle doing the rest myself tonight, if you three want to get out of here. I bet Alarick’s dying. Grimm…I bet he’s dying inside. Maybe. It’s still hard as shit to read that one.”

  Roy was quick to drop what he was doing. When Farkas raised his eyebrows, he just shrugged. “What? She offered. I think we should take her up on it. I’m sure Alarick and Grimm are already there, anyway. Let’s get this show on the road.” The man practically skipped to the front door, like he was the one getting a mate tonight.

  Farkas and Maia met eyes. With a shrug, Farkas said, “Fine. Why not? Let’s get the party started, shall we?” He moved to her side, placing a quick peck on her cheek, which made Violet make a gagging noise.

  “Just get the hell out of here, will you? I don’t want to see any of that, okay?” Violet acted as if she was going to be sick.

  Roy was already in his truck, the engine roaring to life as they exited the diner. Farkas took the middle seat while Maia slid in last. She rolled the window down, enjoying the breeze as Roy made the drive to his property on the outskirts of town. She breathed in the clean air, gazing up at the stars. Such a beautiful, clear sky. Not a cloud in sight. Dozens of constellations visible.

  There’d been not a single sighting of Zak, not a peep from her old pack. If Zak had returned to Jackson, it was with his tail between his legs. There would be no retaliation from the pack because his vendetta against her hadn’t been sanctioned by the alpha. If anything, Zak lost his future alpha position by doing something so stupid and foolhardy.