by Davis, Lia;
The double click sound from a dog-training clicker echoed from the living room. He’d given the clicker to Hope as a way to call him. She was a deaf mute, and from what he’d been able to uncover, which was very little, he believed she’d been born that way.
Entering the living room, he held in a laugh at the mess fanned out on the title floor around her. About a dozen or so coloring books lay open, circling her. Every crayon was out of the box.
Hope glanced at him, and a smile brightened her face then dulled as she scanned her mess. Frantically, she closed the books and gathered them to her. Cooper rushed to her, sat on the floor in front of her and grabbed her hands. When she lifted her big green eyes, his heart melted. With a tender smile, he brought her tiny hands to his mouth for a kiss then released them and signed, “It’s okay. Play.”
Neither of them had known sign language before they met, but they were learning it together with the help of Cooper’s sister, Celeste.
Hope smiled again and then darted her gaze over Cooper’s shoulder. He knew his sister was there by her scent. Turning partway, he noted Celeste’s frown, and her crossed arms. She most likely smelled the female from the neutral zone. Damn, why hadn’t he gotten her name?
Her scent had instantly driven him crazy, and his wolf paced inside, wanting to hunt her down and demand things he had no right to.
Ignoring his sister’s scowl, he grabbed a coloring book and stretched out on his belly next to Hope. His adopted daughter copied him, grabbed her own book, and began coloring.
“Who is she?” Celeste spoke in a soft, calm tone so as not to alarm Hope. That was how they handled most of their arguments since Hope had come into their lives. The little girl could pick up on strong emotions and loud noises through her wolf senses. Celeste said that noise has a vibration to it that those who are deaf, especially supernatural creatures, are highly sensitive to. Hope was frightened by everything. So they kept their conversations light in front of her.
When things got emotional, they took it outside, argued telepathically like most wolves could, or waited until she went to bed.
“She’s my mate.”
He heard Celeste blow out a breath of annoyance. “We have enough complications.”
“You don’t think I know that! I didn’t go scouting for a mate. I was searching for a new place to take Hope.” He and Celeste had been plotting their escape from Bloodrose ever since they’d saved Hope from the enforcers.
Hope touched his hand, and when he met her stare, she signed, “No fighting.”
He kissed her on the forehead. “We’re just talking. Everything is okay.”
The four-year-old didn’t seem convinced but went back to her coloring. She was more mature than others her age, smarter. It was like her soul had lived a thousand lives, carrying the knowledge and experiences to each new one.
“I don’t know anything about her. I didn’t even get her name before Edwin’s minions found me.” Cooper fisted the crayon in his hand, snapping it in two. How could he have left her to deal with the enforcers alone?
“So you left her alone?” Celeste’s voice held a hint of fear for the female. Cooper understood it. The Bloodrose enforcers were mean bastards and bordered on rogue status—they were like a bunch of rabid dogs.
Then he recalled the power he’d felt swirling around his mate. “She’s a female Alpha.”
“Are you sure? Then she wasn’t alone.”
Cooper met his sister’s worried stare. “She was, which was odd.” He’d been so far gone from her scent and the need to be deep inside her that he hadn’t given it much thought at the time. “It’s like she’s running from something. But I’m not sure how I know that.”
“She could be working with Edwin.”
“No.”
Celeste huffed and walked to the sofa. “You don’t know her or why she was there. What if she’s looking for Hope?”
Cooper put the broken crayon down and pushed to his feet. Facing his sister, he scowled at her, challenging her. When he opened his mouth, the front door flew open, crashing into the wall. Hope let out a screech and ran to Celeste. Cooper whirled around, hands fisted at his sides. Two large enforcers entered his home. One pointed at Hope and said, “She’s to come with us. Edwin wants her put down for her weakness.”
Put down? Over my fucking dead body. Cooper growled low, rage running hotly in his veins. The sorry excuse of an Alpha had gone too far. “She’s a child, and under my protection.”
“Edwin is your Alpha, and you will obey him.”
The fuck he would. “Run!” Cooper shouted as he lunged for the enforcers, swinging his fist into the first bastard’s jaw. A crack echoed in the house, and the male, who outweighed him by a hundred pounds of muscle at least, stumbled back, stunned. Yeah, motherfucker. Don’t mess with my family.
With a rough, primal growl, the enforcer glared back at Cooper. Bring it. Cooper dropped into a crouch, waiting. The enforcer charged at him, but Cooper was ready. He stepped out of the impact path and clotheslined the asshat. The enforcer hit the floor on his back, hard enough that the house shook. Not waiting for the male to get back up, Cooper straddled him, grabbed his head in his hands, and twisted, breaking the enforcer’s neck.
A scream made his heart drop to his feet. He whirled around in time to see the other enforcer swipe his shifted, clawed hand down Celeste’s back. She arched as she screamed and then fell to her knees. Hope clung to her, fear in her green eyes.
Before the enforcer made it to Hope, Cooper was there. He barreled into the larger male, and they skidded across the floor, crashing into the far wall. The male flipped them to pin Cooper on the floor with a hand wrapped around his neck. Cooper hit him in the side of the head, but the bastard didn’t move. He just squeezed Cooper’s neck, restricting his airflow.
Cooper clawed at his hand, trying to break the hold. No use. His lungs burned, and his brain seemed as if it were shutting down. A moment later, the male’s grip loosened, and he fell to the floor beside him.
Rising up on his arm, Cooper gasped for air. He glanced at the enforcer and noted the large kitchen knife sticking out of his back. Lifting his gaze to Celeste, he frowned. Her skin was pale, and she appeared as if she could pass out.
After another moment, he pushed to his feet and reached for his sister. She glanced from the enforcer to Cooper, one hand cradling Hope’s head and absently stroking her hair, while the girl clung to his sister’s leg. “Celeste, we have to go.”
She just nodded, picked up Hope, and turned to the back door. Damn it. She was in shock. No matter how much of a hardass she was with him, she was a nurturing wolf. Killing the enforcer went against her nature.
He closed the distance and gently gripped her elbow, then stepped in front of her. “You did what you had to do. You protected your family.”
“No one hurts those I love.” She cocked her head and then swayed toward him. Her eyes closed, and he caught her and Hope before they sank to the ground.
Fuck. Celeste! A lump formed in his throat as he pried Hope from his sister’s arms. After checking the girl for injuries, he signed, “Are you okay?”
Hope nodded and signed back, “Celeste needs help.”
“I know.” He blew out a breath and glanced out the window. They needed to move. He signed, “I’m going to pick up Celeste. Stay close to me.”
Hope nodded, her eyes round with fear. His heart broke while rage had his wolf pacing. The beast wanted out, wanted to kill Edwin. Or at least make his sorry ass pay for what he’d done to every female in the Pack.
He lifted Celeste and eased to the front door. There was no way they could leave on foot. He had to risk running into more enforcers to reach his truck in the driveway. When he straightened, Hope grabbed his jeans at the back of his thigh.
They made it to the truck, and he got the females inside before he heard shouts and pounding boots on the dirt road. Cooper rushed to the driver’s side, climbed in,
started the truck, and peeled out of his driveway.
He white-knuckled the steering wheel as he drove, his thoughts turning to the female in the neutral zone. His mate. Stealing a quick glance at Celeste slumped in the seat next to him, he growled. She was white as a sheet, and he scented her blood. Stubborn female should have run when he’d told her to.
Their only hope was his mate. She had to help them.
* * *
Dana paced the small living room. Her body ached, and every nerve ending was on fire. Cooper’s scent still clung to her, teasing and torturing her all at once. The cold shower she’d taken after dealing with Edwin’s enforcers hadn’t washed away the desire to track down Cooper.
Fuck. The male was going to pay for showing up. If only he’d come into her life years ago. Before Ross.
No. She couldn’t think about mating. She had to focus on how to control the power within. The power that didn’t lessen as she’d expected it would by putting distance between her and Darin. The aggression and the magic seemed to continue to build—like it was her that was meant to be Alpha and not Darin.
The sound of tires on the gravel driveway pulled her out of her thoughts. With a low growl, she marched to the door and yanked it open. Cooper’s scent slammed into her. She damn near doubled over at the aching need to straddle the male like a carnival ride.
Damn it. She was done for. There was no ignoring him.
She stepped onto the porch and waited, her arms crossed. The truck jerked to a stop, and Cooper exited the driver’s side to rush around to the passenger side. Fear gripped her heart as the scent of blood drifted from the cab of the truck.
A moment later, Cooper helped a little girl out of the back seat. He quickly signed to her to go to Dana. The child looked at Dana with her brows drawn and shook her head. Crap. Dana advanced to the truck. When she got within a few feet of the girl, she squatted to her level and signed, “I’m Dana. What’s your name?”
The girl studied her for several long moments before a shy smile formed. “Hope,” she signed and then moved closer to place a hand on Dana’s cheek.
Magic flowed from Hope, meeting Dana’s wolf inside. The girl’s green eyes brightened in a way Dana had seen her grandmother’s do. The eyes of a witch. Yet Dana also sensed a young wolf inside of Hope.
Glancing up at Cooper, Dana’s wolf snapped her teeth at seeing him cradle another female. She picked up Hope and carried her into the house. Leaving Cooper to follow. The male had a lot of explaining to do.
“Why are you mad?” Hope asked, her hands moving in quick, fluid movements.
“I’m not mad,” Dana signed back, using her free hand, but didn’t look at Hope. The girl was too smart and too empathic. She knew Dana lied but didn’t call her on it.
Once inside, Dana sat Hope on the armchair and signed, “Stay here while I talk to your father.”
Hope giggled. “He’s not my father.” She lowered her hands and frowned.
Interesting. Cooper’s scent was all over the girl. The way he’d so carefully taken her out of the truck reminded Dana of the protective care her own father had taken with her and Darin when they were little.
Dana straightened and met Cooper’s gaze for a brief moment before darting to the sofa and clearing it of the throw pillows. Cooper laid the female down on her stomach, turning her head to the side. She was out, but her breathing was steady. Staring at her, Dana relaxed slightly. The female’s features were similar to Cooper’s. “Your sister?”
He nodded. “Edwin Bass’s enforcer did that.”
Dana sent him a sharp glare. “Why?” She had her suspicions but wanted to hear it from Cooper.
“He sees Hope as weak because she’s a deaf mute.” His wolf flashed in Cooper’s eyes as the man worked his jaw. “Two enforcers came to my house to take her. I killed one.” He glanced at his sister and lowered to his knees beside the couch. “She killed the other protecting Hope. Celeste isn’t a dominant wolf.”
Dana nodded, understanding what he meant. Even though Celeste was capable of protecting herself and Hope, it wasn’t in her nature to fight. Moving closer to Celeste, Dana reached for the female. Cooper grabbed her arm. Their gazes met in challenge, and then Dana growled, “I want to see her injuries.”
“She needs a Healer.”
“Fine.” Dana turned to the kitchen.
“Darin, can you hear me?” She’d never tried to reach her brother telepathically from the cabin before. Never really had to because she’d only stayed there one or two nights at a time.
“Loud and clear. What’s up?”
“We have Edwin issues. Plus, two females—one of them a child—need a safe place to stay.”
A low growl entered her mind and sent a shiver down her spine. “Bring them here. Your mate is welcome, as well.”
Dana broke the connection and rolled her eyes. Leave it up to Darin to pry into her mind. Sometimes being a twin—magically bound together—had its disadvantages, like not being able to hide things from each other. She faced Cooper, who spoke softly to Celeste. Hope had moved to lean against his side. Sadness wormed its way through her. At the same time, anger raked across every nerve ending inside her and her wolf.
“Can you get her to shift?” Dana asked. It would make it safer to travel with her, plus she’d heal faster. And she needed to start the self-healing, soon.
“No.” Cooper lifted his gaze to hers.
She squatted and placed a hand against Celeste’s forehead. Cooper gripped her wrist. With a sigh, Dana said, “I will not harm your sister. We need to get her and Hope to my Pack for their safety. Edwin will send out more of his minions to search for you. I don’t have to tell you that he will issue a kill order for all three of you.”
Because that’s how the bastard worked. He used the laws to his advantage, twisting the grey areas to work with his roguish behavior. Ross had been the same way, only worse. It was rumored that others were afraid to challenge Edwin, using the excuse that he hadn’t broken any laws.
Edwin had screwed up by ordering an innocent toddler to death because he deemed her weak. What the bastard didn’t know, was that Hope was now under Dana’s protection and the protection of the Coven since the girl was half witch.
Dana raised a brow at Cooper until he released her wrist. “I’m going to connect to her wolf and bring her out. Then we need to move.”
“I was right. You are an Alpha.”
She frowned. “No, my name is Dana, and I’m sister to the Alpha of the Whiskey Hollow Pack.” They really didn’t have time for the get-to-know-you shit right then. Enforcers would be storming the house soon. She really didn’t want to kill them and then have to face Edwin. At least not until she talked with Darin and Cooper and found out just how bad the conditions were in the Bloodrose Creek Pack. Then she’d go in and formally challenge Edwin for his Alpha seat.
Three
Dana didn’t speak to him on the trip except to give him directions to her den. It seemed she was battling some kind of internal debate. He felt her gaze on him occasionally during the drive. And her scent drove him wild.
When they arrived, Dana still hadn’t said too much to him. Just that they were in Whiskey Hollow and were waiting for her brother. Upon arriving, the Healer was waiting for them, like she’d known they were on their way. Yet Cooper never saw Dana use a phone.
Cooper laid Celeste, in wolf form, on a bed in a clinic that looked more like a home. Dana took Hope to the living room. He was a big emotional mess. His sister was unconscious, and it scared the hell out him that he didn’t know why. He worried about Hope and how she was dealing with everything. But she seemed calm around Dana, which confused him. He’d never seen Hope so relaxed with anyone. Not even him and Celeste.
After he’d tucked Celeste into the bed, he glanced at the Healer. “Why is she so still?”
“She’s healing. Her physical injuries aren’t that severe. She’s in shock and needs to rest. It may take h
er a few days. Even after that she might need someone to talk to. A submissive’s first kill can be confusing.” The Healer, Piper, he recalled Dana mentioning her name, ran her hands down Celeste’s side. “She is strong. Go be with your daughter.”
Daughter? As much as he’d grown to love Hope and considered her his adopted daughter, he’d never thought to have her call him Dad. But that’s what he’d become to her. Her father. She was his daughter. He’d do anything to protect her. Including challenging Edwin and killing the SOB.
Without another word, he slipped from the room and headed down the hall to the living room. When he entered, he froze, the sight of Dana and Hope on the sofa with a book on their laps stealing his breath. Dana read to the child using sign language.
Suddenly, Dana lifted her gaze to the door a moment before it opened. A large male version of Dana stalked inside, his eyes narrowing on Cooper as he advanced to Dana. Twins. That was why he’d sensed an Alpha’s power from her.
Two males Cooper assumed were enforcers filed in behind the Alpha and then stood on either side of the door like imperial guards. Instantly, Cooper noted the differences between the Whiskey Hollow and Bloodrose Creek Packs. These enforcers reeked of fierce protectiveness and loyalty for their Alpha. Whereas Edwin’s enforcers smelled of fear in the presence of their leader.
“Darin.” Dana’s warning growl took the Alpha’s attention away from Cooper. When Darin looked at Dana, he frowned and then his features softened a bit.
Kneeling down to Hope’s level, Darin signed as he spoke. “Who do we have here?”
Cooper forced himself to stay put when all he wanted to do was gather Hope up in his arms and protect her from the world. He couldn’t do that. He had to trust that Dana had brought them here for a reason. And he wanted to believe in her. She was, after all, his mate. Besides, the more he was around Dana, the more he wanted to know about her. Like how did she and her brother know sign language? Did they have a deaf Pack member?
