The Call

by Amber Lynn

  Amber Lynn

  Copyright © 2015 Amber Lynn

  Smashwords Edition, License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Epilogue

  Prologue

  3 years ago

  There were days I hated what I was. Notice I said what, not who. Although, when I really thought about it, the who part wasn’t always that great either.

  Certain phases of the moon always had me looking over my shoulder. I thought I was safe that particular summer day. It was daytime, with no phase of the moon or cosmic forces to drive someone like me insane. I should’ve been safe.

  Sitting in my car alone for over an hour, I’d had plenty of time to go over the events in my mind, even if I tried not to think about them. I didn’t blame him. People like us had a different set of rules we lived by, and he couldn’t help what he was, any more than I could.

  Chances were he didn’t regret the incident as much as I did, but that didn’t exactly put any extra blame on him. I’d fought as much as I could, because it was in my blood to do so, which only made things worse for both of us. Fighting was some kind of primal aphrodisiac that heightened everything for us.

  He apologized and tried to stay with me, but I sent him away. I felt the connection between us and wanted nothing to do with it. I couldn’t bring myself to look at him, so I didn’t know a single detail about his face. My mind could probably come up with all sorts of features to envision if I let it, but I wasn’t making any plans to see him again, so I kept my imagination in check.

  I did need to have documentation in case the situation came back to haunt me. As a werewolf living in the human world, things often bit me in the ass. It had been awhile since something that big had happened, so apparently I was due.

  That led me to the twelfth precinct. It was far enough away from home that people wouldn’t immediately know who I was, at least I hoped they didn’t. Plus, the only person I trusted with the information was a detective there. He’d be mad, but he’d deal with it, if he even spoke to me.

  The speaking part was going to be my biggest challenge, but I’d faced tougher ones in my life. If he wasn’t willing to talk, there was bound to be someone around who would listen. I just didn’t know if they’d be able to use the discretion necessary for the situation.

  I walked in and saw three sets of eyes turn towards me. None of them really mattered, so I focused on the one pair that could get me in to see Jack. They were light blue and belonged to the receptionist behind the heavy mahogany desk.

  The annoyed look on her face told me her day wasn’t going any better than mine. I doubted her life had totally tilted on its axis, so I was pretty sure I’d win during confession time, not that we were going to commiserate over drinks anytime soon.

  “What can I do for you?”

  Her voice grated on my ears. It probably wasn’t that unpleasant, but my ears were sensitive, and she might as well have scratched her fingernails down a chalkboard.

  “I need to see Detective Connell, please.”

  My voice sounded deeper to my ears. I hoped I was only imagining things. My mind liked to play tricks on me, and after everything that had happened, I was sure it was at it again.

  A deeper voice meant my hormones were out of whack. They’d been that way for a while, but my voice hadn’t changed as I’d expected. If it had finally changed, the timing was inconvenient.

  “We’re a little busy right now, but I can tell him you’re here. What’s your name?”

  It wasn’t hard to miss the way the twenty-something perked up when I’d said Jack’s name. She even started fluffing her long blond hair to make sure she looked her best when she delivered the message. I studied what I could see of her behind the desk, and admitted to myself she was what most guys would dream about.

  She was thin, but managed to have curves in the right places. I didn’t stare long enough to determine whether they were manufactured curves. I didn’t really care, and I knew Jack didn’t either. He wasn’t like me, so Ms. Receptionist didn’t have a chance.

  “Tell him Nikki needs to talk to him.”

  The woman’s eyes narrowed as she looked a little closer at me. She was barking up the wrong tree if she thought there was anything between Jack and me. If she was smart, she’d notice the way our eyes were the exact same shade of green. The odd mossy color was genetic for those like us.

  I was almost ready to ask the woman if she was able to tell Jack I was there telepathically, when I felt his presence coming our way. The smell of earth rolling off him was just like I remembered it. After a falling out, it’d been almost a year since I’d seen him.

  An elderly woman led him out of a hallway, and before he cleared the opening, his eyes were on me. I couldn’t immediately read the emotions playing out in his eyes. There was a lot of anger there, which I didn’t blame him for. Okay, maybe I did blame him for not supporting my choices, but I understood why he couldn’t.

  The woman with him turned back when she realized he’d stopped. Jack didn’t care. Once he saw me, the woman no longer existed to him. I tilted my head to get his mind back on his work. It took him a second, but he snapped out of it and finished ushering her to the door, telling her they’d do what they could to find her lost Tabby cat.

  I held back a laugh. The last I knew, Jack was out finding murderers, not searching for animals that instinctively ran from us. Ms. Receptionist had to have been right about things being busy.

  Jack’s eye were back on me the second the door closed behind the woman. He didn’t seem to have words to articulate, so I went ahead and broke the ice.

  “It’s been a long time, little brother.”

  He didn’t look any different, and I didn’t expect him to. His hair had never been any color other than jet black, and he liked to keep it cut short. He hadn’t lost any of his tan, which he’d spent summers developing when we were kids. Mine had faded over the years, but his still looked like he spent every hour outdoors instead of behind a desk.

  “I think a private room would be best for this conversation, Nikki.”

  “If you have one to spare, I’d prefer that. I’ll try not to take up too much of your time, but I need you to write up a report for me.”

  “Yes, I suppose you do. Follow me.” The inflection in Jack’s deep voice told me he was going to try to talk me out of everything, but he didn’t get a say. He never did.

  I didn’t respond as I let him lead me through the maze of desks. I felt the eyes of every person look up and follow our path. I doubted it was that way when it was just J
ack, but the two of us together was a draw a normal person couldn’t resist.

  Relief spread through me as Jack closed the door behind us in one of the interrogation rooms. I imagined that most people didn’t have the same reaction, but I hated when people noticed me, which made me an idiot for choosing the man I did for a husband. Love really was blind, and my life was living proof of that statement.

  “I watch the papers every day, waiting to see the headlines about your divorce,” Jack said as he hit a button on the video camera in the room. “I’m guessing you aren’t here to tell me he’s dead. I’m sure we would’ve gotten a call to press our dress uniforms.”

  When he was sure we weren’t being monitored, he turned and looked at me. I could barely remember a time when there wasn’t anger in his eyes. They were still the eyes of probably the only person I’d ever trusted.

  “I’ve missed you too, Jack.”

  “Don’t start with that, Nicole. You can’t expect us to accept him. It’s bad enough he’s human, but he’s a bloody politician too. You were meant for more than that. You should’ve let dad find you someone proper so you could take over the pack.”

  “So I’ve heard. I didn’t come here for a lecture, or to bring up the past. There’s been an incident that I need to report. I’m obviously not worried about pressing charges, but I need a piece of paper proving I was here today.”

  Jack laughed. It wasn’t the warm one I remembered. Instead it caused the hairs on my arms to stand up.

  “An incident. You’re honestly going to refer to it as just an incident? You mean who you are finally caught up with you and you want some deniability for when the governor finds out.”

  Neither of us had taken a seat at the table in the room. It was good for me, because I felt like destroying something when I heard his words, and the table wouldn’t have survived.

  “That’s not who I am.”

  Whether I’d thought my voice had dropped an octave earlier, I knew the grit behind the words wasn’t my usual timbre. I didn’t think it was necessarily a hormonal issue though. It tended to dip down when my anger got the better of me.

  “Really? How do you expect to hide that from him when the baby’s born? If the pull was strong enough for someone to actually attack you, there’s going to be a baby. Are you planning on trying to convince the world it’s your husbands.”

  “There shouldn’t have been any pull. I’m two months pregnant with Paul’s daughter.”

  I saw the shock on Jack’s face before he could hide it. It was replaced with distaste, which was predictable. As much as I loved Paul, my family hated him even more, even if they hadn’t met him, and the thought of me being pregnant with his child probably made them sick.

  “Have you looked at the mark yet? I assume you changed your clothes after it happened. I can tell it happened, but you don’t reek of another male. I know it’s been a while since we’ve seen each other, but I don’t think you’ve started wearing a pine forest perfume.”

  I scoffed, not bothering to consider a change in the way I smelled. It was like accepting the difference in my voice. I didn’t want to think about what either of those things meant.

  “As you can imagine, there wasn’t a lot left to change. Looking at the mark would only make things harder to forget, so no, I haven’t looked at it.”

  Jack shook his head. “I need to see it before we go any further. I’m afraid I already know what I’m going to find, but it’s better if I don’t assume anything.”

  I shrugged. I didn’t care if Jack verified the obvious, so I turned around and lifted my shirt up. I pretty much had to take it off to let him see my right shoulder blade.

  I heard him sigh, and I knew things were exactly as I expected. Lowering my shirt, I faced my brother, and waited for the words I didn’t want to hear. I was sure there was a small paw print with a circle around it. It would look like a tattoo to most people, but anyone from my family would know what it meant.

  “It’s a different color than the other ones I’ve seen, but there’s no doubt that he’s an alpha, Nikki. You may love your husband, but your marriage is over.”

  I was surprised Jack didn’t jump up and down with glee as he spoke. He’d been waiting for me to leave Paul for almost two full years. It wasn’t until my wedding that he stopped speaking to me. It had been a long ten months, but I believed I was in the right. I wouldn’t budge from my path, even if things were going to be difficult.

  Since I hadn’t ever planned on having a mate mark, it was easy to tell myself there wasn’t anything odd about it. Jack hadn’t seemed too concerned when he said it was different, so I chose to not add on to the things I already had to worry about.

  “He’ll have to find me for my marriage to be over, and I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure he doesn’t. It’s a little difficult to go into total hiding right now, but I’ll figure things out.”

  Jack was back to shaking his head. There was a good chance he’d never really stopped.

  “Whether you’re having your precious human’s child or not, you will carry his pup as well. He’ll find you and claim what’s his. You can’t deny him that. I know you don’t want to admit that, but deep down you have to know it.”

  “I can do whatever I please. I was sure by now you knew that about me.”

  Jack’s eyes turned a deadly gold color. I didn’t fear for my own life, but anyone else he dealt with that day was going to be in for a surprise. I wondered how often his coworkers had to deal with his mood swings. Little things were known to tick werewolves off, and Jack was a little easier than most to get riled up.

  “You can’t be serious.” Jack walked over and pounded his fist on the table.

  “I don’t expect you to understand. All I need is for you to write some words down and check some boxes. I can handle what’s going to happen with Paul. Rest assured that I’m not naïve enough to know things won’t be different.”

  “You mean the fact that you’ll be repulsed by his touch now. You’ve spent almost a year living a lie. Please put a stop to this. Whether you’re carrying his child or not, she’ll be more yours than his and you’ll need special care if there’s two months between the babies.”

  I didn’t know exactly what I was going to do about the actual birth. The second baby was barely cells dividing, so I didn’t feel him or her yet. I’d been able to feel my daughter days after she was conceived. It was only a matter of time before I felt another baby. There was no question whether there’d be one.

  “Do I need to sign anything, or can you handle the paperwork? I just want a piece of paper filed somewhere. I’d prefer it be under my maiden name, if that isn’t too much trouble.”

  “There’s nothing I can say to keep you from doing the wrong thing here, is there?” I felt the defeat in Jack’s voice and it hurt.

  “I promised Paul until death do us part. I don’t know why things went crazy today, but I’ll live with the consequences of what I am. I always have. Right now, no one else needs to know.”

  “You’re playing with fire. He’s going to find you. I don’t know why he didn’t club you over your head and take you home with him, but that day will come. Mates belong together, whether they get along or not.”

  “Mates are only connected for one thing, and I won’t be a slave to those desires. Anyway, we’re not going to be together if he can’t find me. It happened upstate and I didn’t leave a trail. As long as he’s not in the city, he won’t find me.”

  “And of course he’ll never be in the city. Why were you upstate alone? I thought you had shadows following you everywhere. You’re the First Lady of the state, and I’ve heard your husband is overprotective.”

  “I slipped the guards so I could get away to think. I’ve known about the baby for a while, but I haven’t had a chance to clear my head and think about what she means. I thought I’d be fine running through Beartown. I didn’t even sense him coming. He was just there and things got ugly fast.”

 
; I didn’t want to think about it too much. If I did, I’d have to remember how the wolf inside me rejoiced when we felt his touch and breathed in the overwhelming scent of pine coming from him. She hated me for not looking at him, but I knew if I did, I wouldn’t have made it home.

  The connection was in place and it was strong. Distance had lessened it, and I could only feel that he was out there in the world. I figured I’d have plenty of time to run if he decided to pursue me.

  “You’re making a mistake, and I think you know that. I’ll fill out the piece of paper to protect you in case the idiot tries to use the cold shoulder he’s going to receive as a reason to take your daughter in the future, but I’d start working on saying the word ex-husband. As much as you love him, you’re not going to be able to run from an alpha.”

  I’d proven Jack wrong before where Paul was concerned, and I was looking forward to doing it again. As long as he was onboard with taking care of my paperwork, I wasn’t needed anymore, so I thanked him and walked back to my car. It was time for me to go home and make sure my husband knew we were going to have a baby, and then practice my shock when we eventually learned it was twins.

  Chapter One

  Present day

  I hated admitting my brother was right. From about the time I was five, I’d advocated for that phenomenon to be illegal. I never got my wish, and when it came to my marriage failing, he was right as rain. I doubted he thought I’d last as long as I did, so there was a small victory in my corner.

  The news wasn’t in the papers yet, so there was a chance I could keep him from finding out for at least another month. It all depended on when the media got ahold of the news, and I knew it’d be hard to keep the vultures away for long.

  There wasn’t exactly a strategic plan for me and my daughters’ exit from the Governor’s Mansion. I figured grabbing my bags while Paul was otherwise occupied was the most logical step. If it took him ten minutes to get his pants back on, we’d have plenty of time to be on our way.