Her father wrapped his fingers around her hand and held it to his chest. She could feel the steady thump of his heart. “When I found out Charlene was pregnant with you, I was overjoyed, but scared to death.” His eyes seemed to glow pure molten gold as he stared at her. “I couldn’t lose you.”
“You didn’t.” She didn’t question her need to reassure him. For the first time in her life, she finally understood why he was so protective of her.
“No. I didn’t.” He sighed. “But it meant I could never go back to my old life. The people there wouldn’t have accepted you. They might even have tried to hurt you. I couldn’t allow that to happen.”
Now they were getting somewhere. “You mentioned that downstairs. I don’t understand what you mean. You know these people, these werewolves, don’t you?” She couldn’t believe she was actually buying into the whole werewolf thing, but her father was deadly serious.
“Yes.” He closed his eyes for the briefest of seconds and when he opened them again the sorrow was gone and only the determination remained. “I am one of them.”
Alex jerked away, her back hitting the seat cushion behind her. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “You…” She broke off, unable to continue. Rubbing her damp palms over her jeans, she took a deep breath and tried again. “You’re a werewolf?” The implications were staggering. If what her father was saying was true, her entire life was a lie.
“Yes, I am.” He paused and then took both her hands in his, ignoring her attempt to pull away. “And so are you. Not a pure-blooded werewolf, but a half-breed.”
“What does that mean?” Her voice was little more than a whisper even though she was screaming inside. It was as if she no longer even knew herself. Who was she?
“It means that you will come into adulthood soon. We mature later than humans because we live much longer.”
“How much longer and what do you mean ‘come into adulthood’?” She was very afraid that the last thing had something to do with the unfamiliar feelings she’d been having lately. The late nights spent writhing on her bed as heat consumed her.
“We have a lifespan of about five hundred years or so. I am one-hundred-and-sixty years old.”
Alex heard a buzzing in her ears. Impossible. He didn’t look a day over forty. Her father tensed and swiveled, placing himself square in front of her when Joshua stepped closer.
“He’s telling the truth, Alex.” She could hear Joshua speaking as if from a great distance. She shook her head to try to clear it, but that only made her dizzier. “You are more werewolf than human. I can smell it. I can sense it. You will go through the change after you mate.”
“Enough. Back off, Striker.” Her father’s voice was low and cold, cutting through the younger man’s words. “It is her choice. I will not have that taken from her and I will kill anyone who tries to force her.”
Joshua nodded respectfully and backed away. Alex sensed he was merely biding his time.
“Dad?” She wanted him to tell her this was all a bad joke, that her life hadn’t been one big lie up until now. But from the grim look on her father’s face, this was anything but a joke. This was very, very real. “Change? Mating?” She blinked rapidly as the room revolved around her.
Her father swore and she felt his hand on the back of her head pressing it toward her knees. “Breathe, Alexandra. Just take one slow breath at a time. Focus, honey.”
Alex concentrated on pulling air into her lungs and finally the buzzing in her ears subsided and she felt stronger. She raised her head and met his worried gaze. “Explain it all to me. I need to understand.”
“Females come into heat for the first time when they are in their early twenties. It varies from woman to woman, but it is always within a two-year span from age twenty-one to twenty-three.” He sent a hard glare toward Joshua and the younger man faded back toward the kitchen. “You’ve been feeling restless lately, maybe having sexual feelings for the first time in your life. Your body is yearning for something, but you’re not sure what for.”
Alex could feel the heat creeping up her cheeks and knew she was blushing. This was definitely not a conversation she wanted to be having with her father. The fact that he knew what she’d been feeling these past few weeks was totally embarrassing. All she could manage was a single nod. She couldn’t look at him.
He wouldn’t allow her to hide from him. Hooking his thumb beneath her chin, he tilted it upward until she was facing him. “There is nothing to be embarrassed about. It is perfectly normal. It means you are a healthy, vibrant young woman who is ready to start a life and a family of her own.”
“There’s got to be more to it than just that.” She wasn’t stupid. If it was just a matter of her becoming an adult, it shouldn’t be any big deal.
“Unfortunately there is.” He offered her a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “For any species, survival depends upon procreation. To keep the population healthy, mother nature has built in a few extra features.”
She was afraid to ask, but more afraid of not knowing. “What extras?”
“You’ll soon go into heat. Your body will crave a male. You’ll need him, want him with a fierceness that will shock you. It is the time that you will choose your mate. Your scent will draw any unmated werewolves for miles and they will all fight to be the one who claims you.”
“You mean they can smell me?” Her voice grew louder with every word she spoke, until she was practically yelling. She tried to stay calm, but that was impossible. This was unbelievable, like something out of a nightmare, except Alex knew she was wide awake. “They know I’m aroused. In heat like some bloody animal.” She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. It was crazy.
“Yes. It’s called estrus and every female werewolf experiences it.”
“I don’t want this,” she muttered, as her mind whirled, trying to understand everything she’d been told and sort out the implications.
“I know you don’t, Alex. I’d hoped that maybe it wouldn’t happen this way for you. There haven’t been too many half-breeds in our history, so I honestly didn’t know what to expect. But lately, I’ve sensed the change in you. Felt your wolf waiting to embrace you.”
She swallowed hard. “That’s what you meant when you said I’d go through the change?”
He nodded. “It’s different between males and females of the species. Males come into their wolf when they mature in their early twenties. For the females, it’s the mating process that unleashes the female wolf inside, allowing her to change into a wolf on command.”
“That’s not fair.” Alex was outraged. Males didn’t have to go through what the females had to go through, what she had to go through. Typical. It didn’t seem to matter if it was humans or supernatural beings involved, men always seemed to have it easier than women.
Her father shrugged. “Fair or not, that’s how it is.” He paused. “It’s really a wonderful thing if you allow it to happen and embrace the moment. You’ll be more powerful than you’ve ever imagined even when you aren’t in wolf form. Your hearing will be keener, your vision sharper, your reflexes faster and your muscles will be stronger. You’ll also heal faster if you sustain any injuries.” His eyes narrowed. “Even as a child you never got sick. You were always fast and strong. I didn’t know if that was as much as my wolf blood would give you or if you’d develop as a female werewolf.”
That was all fine and good, and she’d deal with it when she had to. Right now they had a much bigger worry, and he was standing in the same room with them. “But why is he here?” She jerked her head toward the opening between the kitchen and living room where Joshua was lurking.
“That’s what I’m about to find out.” Straightening from his crouch, her father motioned Joshua back into the room. “What’s going on?”
Joshua prowled back into the room, his loose-legged gait reminding her of her father. “Ian sent me.”
“He is alpha?”
Joshua nodded. “He came just after you
left.”
“I wasn’t sure he would even though I’d sent for him. How is my brother?”
Alex sat up straighter. Her father had a brother? She had an uncle? Every second seemed to be revealing something new to her. She stared at her father. It was as if he was a complete stranger even though she’d known him her entire life. It wasn’t a comfortable feeling. Anger began to stir deep inside her, shoving aside the swirling confusion.
“He is well, but very concerned about you and about his niece. The pack needs both of you. Times are hard and there is much fighting among the brethren.”
Her father laughed but it wasn’t a particularly pleasant sound. Alex could hear the disgust in his tone. “Some things never change. Killing one another over petty grievances rather than banding together for the greater good. For survival.”
“As you say.” Joshua inclined his head slightly. “But the fact remains that a wolf who knew you from the past happened by your shop a little more than a week ago and saw you and your daughter. He immediately started back to the pack to tell Ian, but he must have told someone else what he’d seen.
“Word spread quickly even though he managed to get himself killed before he could give away more than the name of the city you were living in. By then it was too late. Most of the unmated males from the Wolf Creek pack, as well as the Blue Ridge and Cumberland packs, have descended on Chicago. There may be more. We’ve all been searching. The difference is we want to protect both you and your daughter, the other packs will probably kill you in order to take Alex and they won’t give her a choice in mating. They will fight for her and she will go to the victor.”
Her father’s expression darkened. “You all want to claim her. Do not pretty it up.”
“Of course we all want her. She is an unmated female. Not only is she beautiful, but she is your daughter as well. There are many who want her for that reason alone.”
“Hey!” Anger bubbled to the surface, as she jumped to her feet. “Don’t I get a say in this?” Alex was tired of them talking about her like she wasn’t even there, of discussing her life as if it were a done deal.
Joshua Striker turned to her, his dark eyes boring into her. “Unfortunately, no.” He paused and ran his fingers though his hair. Alex found herself wondering if it was as soft as it looked. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. What was she thinking?
“Actually you do have two choices. Come with me to Wolf Creek and you’ll have your choice of any of the unmated males. Or…” he glanced toward her father, “…you can stay here and have to defend yourself against any other males that come to claim you, putting yourself and your father in danger.”
“What if I don’t want to mate with anyone?” Adrenaline surged through her veins. She wanted to wake up and find out that she was still in bed and all this was just a bad dream. But it was all too real.
She could sense Joshua carefully choosing his words as if he didn’t want to upset her any more than she already was. She could have told him he was wasting his time. At this point her world was so far off center it would never go back again. What was one more thing?
“You are going into heat, Alex.”
It was the first time he’d said her name and it sent a bolt of desire shooting between her thighs. She had to resist the urge to squeeze her thighs together to ease the growing ache. She could feel the moisture soaking her panties and was appalled. Could he smell her arousal?
She forced herself to ignore the throbbing and pay attention to what he was saying.
“You will not be able to help yourself. You will mate. It is just a matter of who it will be with.”
Alex found the very concept appalling. “That’s disgusting. I’m not an animal. I’m not.” She backed away from both men, holding her hands out in front of her as if to ward them off.
“Alex.” Her father reached for her, but she shook her head and turned toward the door. She needed to get out of here. She needed to be by herself to think, to sort out all that she’d learned.
But it was too late. Joshua had cut off her escape, silently sliding in front of the door. His arms were crossed against his chest and his legs were spread in a wide stance. No, she wouldn’t be leaving that way.
“I’m going to my old room.” She stalked toward the hallway. She could always climb out through the fire escape.
“No.” Joshua grabbed her arm, the heat from his fingers practically burning her through the material of her sweatshirt as he thrust her toward a corner of the living room. “There’s no time.”
Glass shattered and a huge wolf jumped in through the low kitchen window from the small fire escape that was below it. Several men followed. Another crash came from down the hall and Alex feared that more were coming in through her bedroom window.
Her father crouched in a fighter’s stance, ready to face the threat. “Take her and get out. I’ll hold them off.”
“No!” she screamed. She wouldn’t leave him. It didn’t matter that he’d lied to her, or that her life was coming undone, he was her father. She knew he loved her and had lied to protect her. She’d rather fight and die beside him. Drawing her weapon, she took aim and fired as the first wolf attacked.
Chapter Three
Joshua watched in awe as Alex squeezed off two quick shots, hitting the largest wolf in midair as it launched itself at her father. There was no hesitation. She was definitely an alpha female, ready to fight and defend what was hers.
The wolf let out a yelp and hit the floor with a thud, its mouth opening on a snarl. Alex fired another round, this one straight into the animal’s heart. The wolf went silent, its bleeding body stretched across the floor a mere foot from her.
Joshua forced his eyes away from her and toward the men racing down the hallway. There was no time for him to transform into a wolf, so he swooped down and drew a deadly, silver-coated hunting knife from the sheath tucked in his boot. He threw it at one attacker even as he launched himself at the largest of his foes.
They slammed against the floor. Joshua immediately rolled so that he was on top, his large hands wrapping around the other man’s neck. His opponent bucked, his eyes and the veins in his neck bulging as he attempted to dislodge Joshua. He brought his hands up, jabbing quickly at Joshua’s throat, forcing him to lean away. His attacker took advantage, rolling them both to the side. The moment Joshua’s grip slipped, the other man pounced again.
Both of them were panting hard now, sweat beading on their skin. They grappled, neither of them giving ground. Joshua rolled to his feet and risked a glance over at Alex and her father. James was currently fighting two attackers and Alex was locked in hand-to-hand combat with another. Joshua growled low in his throat, the need to protect her almost overwhelming all else. Only years of discipline, and the fact that he knew these particular wolves wanted Alex alive to mate with her, kept him from doing something stupid, like trying to race to her defense before he’d dealt with the much larger threat in front of him.
The fight was primal and brutal, each of them intent on permanently disabling the other. There would be only one winner. Death or retreat were the only options for the loser. Joshua had never retreated from a fight in his life. He was the Striker. He could afford to show no weakness. To walk away would cast doubt on his abilities, would be a slur against his family heritage.
But he’d do it for her in a heartbeat if it meant the difference between Alex being safe or being in jeopardy. That thought made his heart stop beating. When it resumed, it pounded with such force it was a wonder it didn’t erupt from his chest. He could not allow her to mean that much to him. He could not afford such a weakness.
Putting aside all other thought, he concentrated on his opponent. Tall and strong, with short blond hair and piercing gray eyes, he was a formidable foe. This was no young stripling, but a warrior in his prime.
But he was the Striker. Years of tradition and pride welled up inside him and a deep calm settled over him. Everything around him seemed more vibrant, all motion s
eemed exaggerated, as if it was in slow motion, allowing him to take in everything around him and make decisions.
When his opponent lashed out at him, Joshua ducked beneath the other man’s arm and spun around coming up behind him. Wrapping his thick forearm around the man’s neck, he jerked hard. The crack seemed unusually loud in its finality. The body in his arms went limp and he dropped it carelessly onto the floor, wading back into the fray.
Bloodlust was pumping through his veins, demanding a sacrifice. The fact that Alex was in danger was unacceptable to him. With a roar, he grabbed the man that was trying to corner Alex. Somewhere along the way she’d lost her revolver and was now holding him off with a knife.
As if sensing his presence, the young man turned just in time to avoid Joshua’s punch to the back of his head. Tipping back his head, Joshua’s opponent howled. The remaining attackers raced across the room and dove through the shattered window, retreating to fight another day.
“Are you all right?” He gripped Alex by the shoulders, shaking her when she didn’t immediately answer him.
“I’m fine.” She sounded irritated. “I can’t believe how fast those guys were. One of them knocked the Glock from my hand before I even knew he was there.”
Joshua’s lips twitched at the disgust he heard in her voice. His little alpha was pissed with herself for not being able to hold on to her weapon. He bit the inside of his mouth to keep from smiling. She definitely wouldn’t appreciate his humor right now. But damn she was adorable, and sexy, when she was angry.
“Dad?” She shook herself out of Joshua’s grasp and strode toward her father. James was sweaty, his shirt was torn, but he looked fine. In fact, he looked as pissed off as his daughter. Joshua was struck at that moment by how much they resembled one another.
Reaching out, James wrapped his arm around Alex and tugged her close. “I’m fine, baby. Are you sure you’re all right?”
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