by D. Fischer
Table of Contents
The Cloven Pack Series
A heartfelt thank you to A. Dahl.
Thank you for everything.
To my lovely readers:
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About the Author
Titles by D. Fischer
Out of the Darkness
The Cloven Pack Series
- Book Two -
D. FISCHER
Out of the Darkness (The Cloven Pack Series Book Two) is written by D. Fischer. This book is copyrighted by D. Fischer.
Copyright © 2017 by D. Fischer. All rights reserved.
Everything in this book is fictional. It is not based on true events, persons, or creatures that go bump in the night, no matter how much we wish it were…
A Note of Thanks
A heartfelt thank you to A. Dahl.
For her kindness, dedication, and her endless support. She keeps my head screwed on straight and without her, this book would be full of Midwest slang and incorrect grammar.
A., I may drive you crazy with my incessant chatter and airheaded-ness (let’s face it - I have my moments), but I couldn’t be more grateful to call you a friend, and to receive your help building a dream that I never thought would be possible.
Thank you for everything.
D.-
Prologue
She exited the car and confidently walked straight to the white trimmed house. Her heels crunch the leaves below her feet. Her bodyguards follow behind, eager to serve. They hope for a reward of any kind to come from this woman they serve and fawn over. She had united them with promises of a better future so long as they’d do as she wished. So they serve, for she had bought their love and adoration. She was their One.
She knocked on the front door, the sound echoing through the porch. But didn’t have to wait long for it to be answered. A beautiful, brown-haired woman, who walked them to the awaiting office, wasn’t pleased with her visit.
She entered the office after the brunette ushered her in. A man swung around in his office chair and stood to shake her hand.
“I’m pleased to finally meet you,” the man said.
“Like wise.” She nodded in greeting after shaking his hand.
“Your proposal over the phone sounded quite promising. The Cloven Pack killed my son and your mate. Shall we discuss the details of our retaliation?” he asked.
She produced two pictures from her purse and handed it to the man. “These are pictures of the Cloven Pack Alphas,” she paused, allowing him to look at the photographs. The man’s face grew red with anger as he focused on the picture of the female Alpha.
“Darla!” the man barked as he called his mate. The beautiful, brown-haired woman, Darla, returned and stepped into the office. Fear was evident on her face. Darla waited by the door for the reasoning to which she was called. “Tell me, dear,” he said sadistically, “who does this look like?” He turned the picture so Darla could see it. She took a few steps forward, leery of the visitors and her mate. “It would seem the Alpha female to the Cloven Pack bears a striking resemblance to you.”
Tears welled in Darla’s eyes and rolled down her face. Darla recognized the almost identical resemblance and knew immediately who the woman in the photograph was: her daughter. “George, I –” She was cut off when the man, George, backhanded her and sent her crashing to the ground from the force.
“Not a word from you, Darla. You’ll be dealt with later,” George growled at his mate sprawled out on the floor. He turned to his visitors. “I apologize for the interruption, Jazz. Am I to assume you want these Alphas dead?”
She had no idea that her old Alpha female was related to George, her dead mate’s father. That would make them sisters through a mating. She smiled sadistically. “I want their heads on a platter.”
He returned the cruel, toothy grin. “As do I.”
Darla sucked in a breath before sobs of grief shook her body.
Chapter One
By night, my darkest of dark, my demons shine.
My demons only you they fear. So, I put them on a leash and drag my demons into the dawn. I’ve known you were my salvation for many a year.
My other half – my other soul: This is their only fear.
Brenna Johnson
“Thank you for coming over, Johanna,” Kenna greets. Her voice came out steady, though she nervously pulls on her fingers. I knew this conversation was going to be hard on Kenna so I had willingly volunteered to be here with her. She needs all the support she can get.
After Kenna’s torture session, the Pack has been extremely protective of her. We’ve taken self-appointed duties with Kenna’s PI business to help relieve some of her stress. Kenna seems to have a target tattooed on her forehead and none of us like the fact that our Alpha female could be in danger. We hover around her more than normal, making sure she’s always guarded against the threats that weigh on our shoulders. Inserting ourselves into her PI business helps her maintain a somewhat normal life while always being protected.
Now that Kenna is fully recovered—physically, that is—we’re finally getting the chance to sit down with Johanna, the grandmother of Cassie, the missing girl that Kenna had been investigating. I had suggested we have Johanna come to the Pack house and discuss the circumstance in the comfort of Kenna’s living room.
Understanding her inner struggles, Kenna and I have been spending an abundance of time together while she mentally heals. I’ve been helping her come to terms with this drastic turn in her life. Torture at the hands of your own biological brother and discovering your mother abandoned you as a baby to save you from your father could mess with any girl’s mind. We’ve become extremely close and I consider her my sister. I suppose she is now, since she’s mated to my brother.
I haven’t had the easiest life, but watching her being sliced open by her sadistic brother like a Thanksgiving turkey had been one of the most terrifying experiences I’ve ever been through, and that’s saying a lot. She almost died. Being mated to my brother, she would have taken him with her and we would’ve been Alpha-less. Chris, Kenna’s brother, and Jazz, our old pack mate and Chris’ mate, would’ve become our new Alphas. I don’t think any one of us would survive long having them as our leaders. We would’ve been slaves at the hands of their own sadism.
Preparing herself for news on her granddaughter, Johanna straightens her back in the living room chair. “It’s of no bother, dear. Have you found my Cassie?”
Kenna rubs the back of her neck with shaky hands. “No, we haven’t.”
Confusion contorts Johanna’s wrinkled features. She switches her eyes between Kenna and me. “I … I don’t understand.”
Kenna hesitates with her explanation. Moving to the edge of my seat on the couch next to Kenna, I capture Johanna’s attention. “Ma’am, we weren’t able to locate your granddaughter, but the man we think abducted her … we believe he’s dead.”
Kenna hates the idea of lying to Johanna, but in this case, it’s necessary.
Kenna’s biological brother, Chris, died by my brother’s hands, Evo, who was also Kenna’s mate. Chris was a Rogue wolf who ate the women he abducted. In truth, we had no idea where Cassie’s remains were. With no evidence to give Johanna—none that weren’t supernaturally freaky-deaky—Kenna decided to give her a partial truth.
Johanna wipes tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand. “I see. Do you plan to continue searching for my granddaughter?”
“I … we … um,” Kenna stutters, uncomfortable with the emotions she can feel coming from Johanna.
>
Kenna is a Queen Alpha, which means she’s not only a dominant wolf shifter, but she also is blessed with an extra gift—empathy. She can feel other’s emotions, truths, and lies.
Resting my elbows on my knees, I collapse my hands together and supply answers in Kenna’s place. “No, Ma’am, we don’t. There’s no evidence that can lead us to her whereabouts. We believe this should be turned over to the local authorities.”
Finally finding her voice, Kenna clears her throat and leans forward to grasp Johanna’s hand. “Because we weren’t able to find anything on your granddaughter, I’ve chosen to waive my fee.”
Johanna’s eyes grow wide. “Oh no, dear. You most certainly will not. You tried to find her and even found who may have taken her. Of course, I will be paying for your time.” Johanna stands from her chair, eager to leave and grieve without an audience. Pulling out a white envelope, she places it in Kenna’s hand.
Kenna brings her into a hug and pats her back in a soothing rhythm, the envelope crinkling in her hand as she does so. “I hope you find some peace, Johanna. I’m so sorry we couldn’t supply you with more information.”
Grabbing her purse from the floor, Johanna gives her a watery smile before Kenna leads her to the front door. As soon as the front door closes behind Johanna, Kenna turns to me and lets out a frustrated sigh. She looks like all she wants to do is pull out her hair.
Standing from the couch, I straighten my shirt and turn to face Kenna. “How are you doing?”
Kenna throws her hands in the air. “I’m a freaking mess, that’s how I’m doing. I can’t seem to pull myself together. Evo’s about to lose his marbles because of my rollercoaster emotions. Feeling him lose his shit is making me lose my shit. Then Johanna’s grief and disappointment … I feel useless! It’s all driving me fucking nuts, Bre.”
My eyebrows fly up from her outburst while I try not to laugh. She must’ve been holding that in for a while.
Since I’m the queen of distractions, I decide to provide her with one. “Want to do something tonight? Maybe we can head to the bar or something? Give you a little break? Bring back your sanity or something?” I ask with a hint of humor in my voice. When she didn’t laugh at my mockery, I try a different tactic and produce advice from my personal experience. “This will get better, I promise. Over time, it will be easier to cope with. You just need a little breather, baby doll. You need a night to forget your troubles.”
There was a time in my life where I was betrayed by my own father. I understand what it means to have a cruel family.
Kenna runs a hand through her hair and lets out a tension-filled breath. “Alright. Yes. Let’s go to the bar, then. A drink or two sounds like something I need.”
She walks over to the couch I stand by and I pat her shoulder. “A shot a day keeps the shrink away,” I joke.
Throwing myself back onto the couch, it bounces a little as it takes my unexpected weight. Kenna rolls her eyes and takes a seat beside me, kicking up her feet to rest on the coffee table. “Now we just have to convince Evo to let me out of the house,” she says.
“You leave that to me,” I say, patting her head this time.
She swats my hand away and her eyes grow a fraction wider. “Damn right, I’m leaving that to you. If I ask him, he’ll insist on tagging along.”
I purse my lips and lean my head against the back of the couch. “We can’t have that. Not on girls’ night.”
“Have you noticed he’s having a hard time adjusting to my gift? Could you imagine what Evo would be like if he came along and some guy checked out my ass?”
Kenna is an empath. Queen Alphas, which are rare, are always born blessed with a gift. When Kenna and my brother mated, her gift became his. I’ve noticed he’s frequently popping over-the-counter painkillers for headaches, so I gather he’s having a hard time adjusting to it.
I nod. “He’d certainly be spending the night in the pokey with assault charges,” I mumble.
Kenna rests her elbow on the back of the couch. “Speaking of mates …,” she begins, giving me a knowing look.
I turn my head and glare at her. “Don’t even start, Kenna.”
“Oh, calm your tits. I’m only asking. How’s that going? The you and Ben thing?”
Ben is our Cloven Pack Beta. He’s also my predestined mate. As far as I’m concerned, he doesn’t know I exist, let alone that I’m his mate. It’s pure torment to endure such pain to my heart. Discussing my predicament doesn’t help matters, either. My wolf is depressed enough for the both of us, but I’m able to ignore that pain easier than she can as long as it isn’t brought up every five minutes.
“It’s not. I’ve given up. Maybe I can find me a sexy thing tonight and scratch that itch,” I ponder.
She smirks, mistakenly taking my last sentence as sarcasm. “If you have an itch, maybe you should see a doctor.”
I smack her shoulder and her smile grows wider. Closing my eyes, I reply, “It’s been a long time, Kenna. A very long, long time. My vagina is at risk of going extinct here.”
Kenna frowns before she speaks, “Bre, I don’t think that’s a good idea. I mean, if he actually knows you’re his mate, which I honestly think he’s too self-absorbed to even notice, he could kill whoever you sleep with. It could be a fucking mess.”
With her gift, Kenna would know if Ben held any feelings for me. The fact that she confirmed that he doesn’t see me produces a gaping hole in my chest.
Mates are naturally territorial of each other. If one of them fools around, the situation could prove to be dangerous. Pack wars have been fought for that very reason. However, that shouldn’t apply to me here. Ben has no idea I’m his mate and I don’t have any plans to point it out to him. I have too much pride to wave my arms in the air and scream, ‘I’m your mate, idiot.’
Sighing, I say, “I know. What else am I supposed to do? He doesn’t want a mate or he would’ve discovered that I’m standing right in front of him. I feel pathetic, Kenna. Am I just supposed to keep going on like this? I mean, not having children and a mating bond is a small price to pay to rid myself of this emotional pain. My next option is … I don’t know. Leaving? Starting over somewhere else?”
“Leaving is not an option, baby girl. I won’t allow it. I’m too selfish to allow it.”
I give her a small smile. “I know. Is Evo still in the kitchen helping Kelsey with supper?” When she nods, I slap her knee. “Good. I’ll go talk to Evo while you shower. We’re going out tonight. Be prepared—I plan to get blindly drunk and I expect you not to hold me accountable for my actions this evening.”
She laughs as we rock ourselves out of the large couch and head out of the living room. Making my way to the kitchen, I walk in on Kelsey teasing Evo about how he’s ruining her masterpiece.
My brother is far from being classified as a good cook. I’d be surprised if he knew the purpose of half of the cookware in the kitchen.
As Alpha, Evo likes to instill himself in his Pack members’ lives. It gives the Pack a chance to discuss things that are on their mind. He also enjoys the challenge of learning new things. ‘Challenge’ seems to be an appropriate word for him when it comes to cooking. It’s a good thing that helping Kelsey in the kitchen is entertaining or the task wouldn’t be worth it.
Scolding him, she takes the batter from his hands and stirs it vigorously. “You’ve got to beat it like this. If your wrist isn’t screaming in pain by the time you’re done, then you’re doing it wrong.” She hands the bowl back to him and he mimics her actions. Batter flies –everywhere—all over his pink apron, the granite counter tops, and the freshly cleaned tile flooring. Kelsey tries to hold back her laughter before turning to me. “How’d Johanna take the news?” she asks.
Taking a seat on the stool, I fold my arms across the granite countertop. Kelsey kindly brings me a bottled water from the fridge and places it in front of me. “Johanna’s heartbroken, but she understands. I feel bad for not telling her
everything,” I say before taking a sip of water.
Evo raises his head from the bowl of batter and meets my gaze. “We can’t tell her the whole truth. Telling her the whole truth would mean—”
Kelsey and I cut him off, speaking at the same time, “Exposing the wolf shifters.” Kelsey rolls her eyes and I wrinkle my nose at my brother. We’ve heard this speech so many times that it’s permanently burned into our brains.
Humans aren’t ready to accept us. We’re their version of ‘creatures of the night.’ If they learn we live among them, it could be disastrous. I understand that the secrecy is for our safety, but sometimes it’s just damn annoying and inconvenient.
Evo gives me a look that declares he doesn’t appreciate my insubordinate attitude. Funny—he never gives Kelsey that look. I suppose you never bite the hand that feeds you.
It’s never smart to mess with Kelsey, especially while she’s in the kitchen. She can do some crazy things with her kitchen knives. Though she’s a less dominant wolf than I, Kelsey can be quite vengeful and ruthless. It’s best not to mess with her.
“What’s for supper?” I ask, choosing to ignore Evo’s chastising expression.
“Chicken and dumplings,” Kelsey replies, heading to the stove to stir as if on cue.
I shift my eyes back to my brother who’s still trying to beat batter unsuccessfully. “Smells delicious. What’s Evo making?”
“Kenna’s been asking for chocolate cake. That’s what the batter is supposed to be for, but at this rate, I may only have enough for one cupcake,” Kelsey mutters.
Evo scowls, gently sits the bowl on the counter, and wipes his hands on his pink apron. “Let’s not pretend to be upset, Kelsey. I can feel that you find this amusing.”
