“Not a damn thing,” I reply as I start to pace on the pavement, no longer having the need to hide. My wolf is torn between needing to claim his mate and protecting her against whatever dangers lurk in the dark of the night.
“He’s lucky you didn’t invite him up. He wouldn’t be breathing right now if you did. In fact, if I go solve that breathing problem, you could go out to lunch with me instead of him.” If I am being honest that isn’t a joke. I’d willingly kill him just so I could be with my mate.
“Be good. I need to go out with him to let him down gently. But if you come into Misty’s tomorrow night you might get a repeat of our earlier kiss. A treat for being so good.” The giggle I hear through the phone makes blood flow to what’s beneath my zipper.
“Oh well, that’s me sold. I’ll behave. That means I have to get off the phone though because, if I don’t, I can’t guarantee I’ll deserve that kiss tomorrow.” I know full well she can hear the arousal in my voice.
“Night then,” her voice sounds all breathy before she cuts the connection.
I place my phone back in my pocket and force my feet to walk away from her building and back towards the bar.
I have a pack member to find.
15. FRIENDS
Rosabel
After waking up and getting dressed I am ready to face the day. I walk through the apartment to the kitchen in hope of finding some coffee. I can’t believe I shifted in a bar full of customers. I’d taken Jared to the booths to save the customers from the dangers of anyone shifting, but I never thought I would be the danger. I’m usually calm and in control. It must be Theo and this mating thing that has my wolf in a tizzy.
I stop in my tracks when I see Benji on the couch. His bags are packed by his feet; his eyes are red and swollen showing he’s been crying for some time.
“Benji, what’s wrong?” I dread his answer.
“Oh, Bel.” He jumps off the couch and dives into my arms. I give him the hug I can see he needs, until he pulls away, all the while wondering what the hell has him in this state. He sits back on the sofa as if he’d never moved.
I take a seat next to him before he speaks.
“Mum rang during the night. The Cleaners ambushed the pride during the hunt. Dad was injured. He’s out of danger but Mum needs me. She wants me back in the protection of the pride. I have to go home.”
I can’t stop the tears running down my cheeks. Uncle Jack has always treated me like his own. If it wasn’t for him teaching me how to fight once he took me in, I would never have survived my first fight. Jared may have helped keep me alive by fighting for me, but Uncle Jack is the original hero.
“When do we leave?” It’s not a question of whether I go. Aunt Lillian and Uncle Jack need me. I might not be pride, but my family is, and they need all the help they can get.
“We don’t, I do. You have too much here. You have to stay. You’ve found your home with Theo and his pack. Claim it. If The Cleaners are still hanging round the pride, it’s too dangerous for you to return. You know the pride would trade you in for their safety in a heartbeat.”
Knowing he’s right, I won’t argue. “I’m going to miss you. Sorry we haven't been able to do much while you’ve been here. I promise, when you come back I’ll show you everything this town has to offer. You are coming back aren’t you?”
“I’ll come and visit again, but it was never going to be permanent. I love you, but you need to find out who you are - what it means to be a wolf. I don’t belong in that life,” he says sadly.
“I love you too, Benj.” I can’t say anything else without bursting into tears, but I don’t need to add more. He knows everything I’m unable to say.
We walk down to the street and find a taxi already waiting for him. I give him one last hug as the driver puts his bags in the boot.
“Thank Misty for me. I’ll ring you when I arrive,” he says turning his back to me and getting in the car.
“Of course. Give Aunt Lil and Uncle Jack a hug from me,” I say, closing the door on him.
I glance at my watch and wave to the car as it drives into the distance, noticing that I only have ten minutes before I’m supposed to be at the cafe Emmanuel text me about last night. I dash upstairs to grab my purse, phone and shoes.
Finding the apartment quiet and seeing no sign of Misty, I decide to leave her a quick note explaining about Benji, telling her where I am going and that I will see her at work if not sooner. There are people going missing left, right and centre. You don’t need to be a brain surgeon to realise it’s best to have someone know where you are heading and when you should be back.
***
I close the cafe door behind me and look around the greasy spoon cafe for Emmanuel. There are fifteen booths on either side of a narrow aisle and it doesn't take me long to notice him sitting at the furthest booth on the right. I recognise the Motown music playing quietly. Uncle Jack is a huge Motown fan. Being lunchtime, there are only a couple of free tables.
Probably thinking I haven't seen him, Emmanuel waves. It’s pretty hard to miss his big frame, but I guess he might forget that.
I take a deep breath to ground myself, preparing for what I need to do. As I start to make my way towards him I get a strong whiff of Paddy’s scent. I glance around. One of the customers must have been in contact with Paddy recently. One of them could be the kidnapper. There must be twenty people in here plus staff. There is no way I can pinpoint the culprit without an interrogation.
Taking another deep breath, I focus on my empathy to I see if I can pick up any suspicious emotions. I don’t hold much hope because unless they are focused on the kidnapping at this very minute they are probably feeling happy about their food, which means I won’t be able pick up on the bad stuff.
As expected I find nothing.
Thinking the scent could be cross contamination, I decide to focus on one thing at a time and get this thing between me and Emmanuel finished.
Ever the gentleman, Emmanuel stands as I reach the table. He leans over and kisses my cheek and we take seats opposite each other.
“Rosabel, is everything okay? I can’t help but notice you looked a little distracted.”
“Benji left this morning. There has been an attack on the pride. That’s playing on my mind,” I say plastering a reassuring smile on my face. It’s only partly a lie.
The waitress comes to a stop at our table, halting our conversation. Her pen poised on her pad ready to take our orders. “Whatchahaving?” she asks, mashing her words together. Next time someone complains about Misty’s accent I’ll remember to send them here to Trudy.
I quickly look at the menu that Emmanuel pushes across to me.
“I’ll have a hamburger and tea for one please,” he says.
I order the first thing I see. “Chicken salad and a coffee for me please.” Coffee is no-brainer since I didn’t get one this morning.
Once the waitress leaves, Emmanuel reaches over the table and grabs a hold of my hand. “You should’ve told me you were being bothered by your ex. I could have warned him off.”
I don’t want to make him feel insignificant by reminding him that Jared is a werelion and wouldn’t take a blind bit of notice of a witch. I decide to brush it off. “It’s sorted now. Don’t worry about it.”
“Yes, he won’t be bothering you anymore,” Emmanuel says grinning up at me. Anyone looking at him would think he chased Jared off, not Theo.
My mobile starts vibrating in my pocket. I pull it out of my pocket and look at the screen to see a number I don’t recognise. I look at Emmanuel apologetically. His smile and nod didn’t change the fact that I was going to answer it anyway. It could be someone from the pride about Uncle Jack.
“Hello?” I answer warily
“Is that Rosabel?” If it wasn’t for the pure fear I could hear in the person’s voice I would suspect it was a stupid telesales call.
“Yes, who is this?”
“Wesley. Have you seen her?” He’s so anxiou
s, my empathy doesn't work over the phone but it’s pretty easy to pick up from his tone. I have no idea who he is talking about.
I put as much authority into my voice as I can muster. “Wesley, you need to calm down and explain what is going on, slowly and clearly.”
I can hear him take a deep breath and then the line is silent.
I give him a full minute of silence before speaking again. “Welsey, are you still there?”
“Yes,” he says sounding unbelievably calm. It’s like he’s a different person to the one who called. “It’s Alyssa, my mate. She’s gone missing. Have you seen her?”
“I don’t think so, what does she look like? I don’t think I know who she is.”
“MY MATE!” His yell is loud enough that even Emmanuel hears him. He reaches for my phone but I swat his hand and lean away. I can handle being yelled at by a distraught werewolf.
“Shouting at me won’t help, Wes.”
I can hear Theo in the background, “Who are you shouting at now, Wesley? I was sure you had scared everyone in the pack as it is.”
“Wesley, put Theo on the phone. He’ll be able to explain the situation better.”
I hear a few noises as if the phone is changing hands, along with Wesley’s muttering to himself. “My fucking mate is missing. That’s the goddamn situation.”
“Hello.” I would recognise that gravelly voice any day.
“Hi, Theo. What does Alyssa look like and how did she go missing?” Wes doesn’t seem like the type to let his mate out of his sight if he didn’t think it was safe.
“Bel.” He sounds surprised to hear my voice. “I told him you wouldn’t know who she was let alone what might have happened to her. She was at Misty’s last night. She’s about your height with long red curly hair. Sometime during your time as being a wolf, she went to the ladies room and never came back.”
“Sorry. The only time I saw her was when we came back from the office. She was at the bar with Wesley. I didn’t see anything on the way home.”
“I know, I followed you remember? I didn’t see anything and told him as much. There was no need for him to bother you.” I can hear the anger in his voice.
“It’s okay, he’s just worried. Do you think it could be the person that took the vamps and Paddy?” I smile apologetically at Emmanuel thinking he must be pissed that I’m on the phone on our date. He doesn’t even acknowledge my smile. He’s too engrossed in my side of the conversation to notice.
“Unfortunately it’s looking that way. She wouldn’t just leave and not be in touch with anyone by now. Even when they argue and she storms out she always tells him where she is going.” Theo’s his voice is full of concern.
The waitress arrives with our food and drinks. Emmanuel tucks straight into his burger.
“God, I hope you find her.” If it is the same person that took the others someone needs to do something about them. They can’t be invisible someone has got to have seen someone. I would hate to be Theo right now. As alpha it all lands on his shoulders.
“We will find them all. I won’t have it any other way! In the meantime will you make me a promise? Ring me every hour to check in. I need to know you’re safe. I couldn’t bear you being taken,” he says with a voice full of honesty.
“They won’t be interested in me, I’m not pack.” I stab a piece of lettuce with my fork putting it in my mouth as I listen to his reply.
“You are my mate and that makes you pack. If anyone is trying to get to me that makes you on the top of their list. The tie to Dominick could make them interested too. They’ve taken two of his vamps so they could be trying to get to him too. I don’t like the thought of that. Maybe I should put a guard on you.” The last sentence was said more to himself.
I agree quickly. “I promise I will check in every hour.”
I don’t want a guard on me.
“WESLEY!” he shouts away from the phone. “Bel, I’ve got to go, Wesley is picking a fight, with Chloe of all people.”
“Bye,” I say to the dial tone. I place my phone on the table and have a large swig of coffee.
“I’m guessing another pack member has gone missing,” Emmanuel states.
I chew a mouthful of chicken before answering. “Yeah, last night. I don’t know what Theo is going to do but it isn’t going to be good for whoever is taking them - not when he finds them.”
He turns the conversation to mindless banter as I finish the rest of my meal. The waitress collects our empty plates. “Can I get you anything else?”
I need to end this with Emmanuel, whatever this is.
“Another coffee please?” I reply with a nod.
She looks at Emanuel for his order. “Nothing for me, thanks.”
I wait until the waitress places my coffee in front of me and leaves again before talking. “Look Emmanuel, I don’t know how to say this, or where to start, so I am just going to be blunt and honest, okay?”
“O-k-a-y?” He sounds wary.
“I think we should just be friends. You know about me and Theo being true mates? Well—”
He cuts me off before I can finish my sentence. “That’s just your wolves. They’re only a part of you. Not all of you.”
“That’s not how mates work, Emmanuel. We are meant for each other on all levels. We are the missing piece of each other. I didn’t know any of this until yesterday, I just can’t feel anything other than friendship towards you and you deserve more than that from a relationship.”
He looks at me dumbfounded.
I don’t know what else to say so I offer him my hand in a handshake over the table. “So… friends?”
He looks at it. I can feel anger emanating from him but he takes it with a false smile. “Friends.”
This is, no doubt, going to bite me on the arse later but for now, I’ll take it as a win.
16. ALLIES ATTACK
Rosabel
As we open up at work I fill Misty in on Benji leaving, and my decision about Emmanuel. I was worried about how she'd react because he is her friend, but thankfully, she agreed that I'd done the right thing by him.
I was just going out the back door with my arms full of rubbish bags when I get hit by a wall of anger. I can't see over the bag so I use my other sense, smell. Taking a deep breath I pick up three scents; Dominick's, Paddy's and a female werewolf I don't recognise.
Putting the bags down as quietly as possible I slowly creep out deeper into the alleyway. It takes me a moment to comprehend what exactly I’m seeing. Paddy and Alyssa have both jumped Dominick. Alyssa is on his back and Paddy is attacking him from the front.
Dominick grunts as Alyssa claws at his neck with her nails. He flings her off and she hits a bin with a thud. He then turns his focus on Paddy, pushing him away. I can see he’s trying not to hurt them. He could easily kill them if he wasn’t holding back. He isn’t the King of the New South Wales vampires for nothing.
Within seconds, there are no longer three people in the alley before me. There are two great big wolves and Dominick. They both pounce at him again, but he’s still not fighting back. I watch as they both start tearing chunks out of his limbs.
I can’t just stand and watch this.
I quickly remove my clothes, not wanting them destroyed as I shift. If I get through this fight in one piece I don’t really want to have to walk into Misty’s naked. Once my wolf comes forward, she takes me through the shift fairly quickly. I don’t have time to get hung up on the pain. I need to help Dominick.
I run at Alyssa and sink my teeth into the fur on her back. I manage to pull her off Dominick, flinging her a good metre away. I take a second to hope Dominick can handle Paddy on his own before readying myself in a crouch to pounce at her.
I watch as she mirrors my crouch. Her back legs brace to pounce only she doesn’t. She freezes and is just staring at me. I reach out for her emotions hoping to get some clue as to why she hasn’t followed through the attack, only to feel nothing. She isn’t feeling one single emotion. A
s I’m staring her down trying to decide what to do, she turns and sprints away.
I watch her run until she is out of sight. I don't want her changing her mind and coming back for a surprise attack while my back is turned. Happy that she isn’t returning, I turn to help Dominick against Paddy, only to find Dominick in a heap on the floor and Paddy tearing at his body as if it was a delicious deer. Surely vampires don’t taste that good. Their stink makes me gag enough I don’t want to attempt tasting them.
I growl to get Paddy's attention as I stalk towards him. He’ll probably think I am after his meal and defend it, taking his attention away from what’s left of Dominick and focusing solely on me. We are very territorial over our food. Only once he sees me, he chooses to leave his meal and retreat in the same direction Alyssa had.
I pad my way over to Dominick and nudge his face with my muzzle.
“I’ll be okay once I feed,” Dominick mumbles.
I lick one of the wounds on his arm and regret it instantly, bloody animal instincts. I was correct, vampires taste as bad as they smell. I feel a grip of steel around my left flank. I turn and get a glimpse of another vampire before I am soaring through the air.
“NO!” yells Dominick.
There is nothing I can do to stop the momentum. I hit the side of a building with a thud and a loud crack sounds in my ears as I’m propelled into darkness.
I slowly start to come around I can hear a mumbling but can’t make out what exactly is being said. I concentrate trying to recognise the voice. Dominick.
“She saved me you idiot! I’d be dead if not for her, and what do you do? Thank her by throwing her at a brick wall.” I feel hands roam my body, looking for injuries.
“Sorry, boss. Look she’s waking up,” says a voice I don’t recognise.
“Rosabel, can you hear me? It’s Dominick.” The hands on my body stop roaming to gently cradle my face.
I slowly manage to open my eyes and find Dominick centimetres away from my face. All I can see is the deep endless pools of black that are his eyes. I know you’re not meant to look a vampire in the eyes because they can take over your mind and enslave you, but I can’t seem to tear my eyes away. His eyes are just so beautiful.
Pride to Pack (The Mount Roxby Series) Page 11
