by Livell James
“Come sit down Alley, we have a lot of things to discuss.” He motioned toward the sofa on the other side of the room.
She hesitated for a moment, but went into the living area and sat down on the navy-blue sofa. She sat with her head down, so much shit flooding her thoughts. Confusion mostly.
When he spoke, his voice was a little softer this time. “Alley, I saw you on the news. I felt it was my place to find and protect you. I sent two members of my pack out looking for you once I knew you had escaped. My daughter does not deserve to be out here running all over the U.S., running from the law. You will be safe here and my pack will protect you.”
“Pack? Foxes don’t have packs.”
Oh, but we do.
“Where the hell is this voice coming from?’’ she said out loud.
“Oh, my beautiful Alley, you have no idea how amazing and powerful you really are. You are a hybrid. I am no fox by any means, I am a wolf, an alpha wolf of my own pack. It was my idea to keep you from this side of your family. Wolf shifters aren’t always the greatest of people. When your mom and I talked it over and she didn’t think you were born with either wolf or fox, we decided it was best for you to stay there and not have anything to do with the wolf pack. She called me after you were in the hospital, and I did come to see you. You were sedated and I didn’t get to speak to you.” She stared at him in stunned silence, waiting to see what else he had to tell her.
“Alley, you were never able to shift all of those years because both of your animals were fighting for dominance. This caused neither to come forward, until you had to have the blood transfusion from your brother. Normally you would become either fox or a wolf, but in your case, you have the genes of both. The fox in you became stronger once it had the blood of another running through your veins. I brought you here first and foremost to protect you, but I would like for you to become part of my pack. Take my blood and let the wolf in you come forth.”
She had no words as her mouth dropped open and her eyes widened. She leaped from where she’d been sitting and begun to pace the floor, wringing her hands and shaking her head.
“Say something, Alley,” her father
“What do you want me to say? I mean, you had me kidnapped by your wolves, placed me on the cold floor in a dark room, and now you spring this Oh, I am a wolf alpha on me. Need I mention you now want me to join your pack? I am not a wolf. You even said it. The fox is who I am. I already have your blood in my veins or did you somehow forget that? I’m your daughter, you know. I also would like to know what your dirty wolves did to me before bringing me here. Why do I not remember anything? I have so many questions, and as a matter of fact, I was perfectly safe where I was,” Alley said, almost to the point of tears.
Alford walked over as to try to comfort her, reaching to place his hand on her shoulder as she pulled away and walked into the kitchen.
“I know you have a lot of questions Al; I didn’t have them kidnap you. They were only to find you and bring you back to me safely. They insured me they promised you that you were safe with them.” He sighed.
“And the reason I woke up hours later with no memory of how I got here?”
“After they told me you ran, I had the pack nurse sedate you before we moved you from the truck into the house. You were sound asleep and I didn’t want you to freak out and run again.”
“You’re such an asshole. What kind of father would let them drug his daughter? Why was I lying on the floor? You know what, I don’t even give a fuck, don’t answer that.” Alley waved her hand before turning to walk back down the hall, closing and locking the door behind her. She wanted to know the answers to all of her questions, but she knew it was better to just let it be. She had lived her whole life not knowing anything about her father or his family, only spending time with him a few hours at a time over the years. One thing she was damn sure of was that she did not want to be a wolf, not if it meant she had to be a part of the pack with those dirty wolves that kidnapped her.
The wolf inside her had never spoken until it was around these pack animals. She didn’t actually have an issue with being part wolf, if she had a choice in the matter other than being forced into a pack.
Run. Yes run, run to him.
What the fuck was that. I can’t have two animals speaking to me. I can only shift into the fox, so you lil wolf, will just have to chill. Also, who the hell is this him you two speak of, Alley thought to herself.
Chapter Nine
Maxwell woke after maybe getting two hours sleep. He had driven around most of the night, hoping he would find more signs, something to lead him in whatever direction she went. Something other than the hoodie that he found beside the highway. After driving around until he could no longer hold his eyes open, he decided to get a cheap room at some dive hotel next to the interstate. He knew if he were going to be able to find Alley, he would need to be at his best. Needless to say, here he laid in a shitty hotel with still little sleep. He sat up, wiped the sleep from his eyes, and reached his arms up for a long stretch as he yawned.
His cock didn’t seem to give a shit how many hours of sleep he’d had. Fucking morning wood. Standing, he pushed it down and made his way into the bathroom.
Not now fucker, not the time for you to be standing at attention. We have shit to do today, Maxwell thought.
Maxwell was no different than any other man, often having conversations with his dick. After taking a piss, he pushed his cock back into his boxers and debated on taking a shower. The room was old and dingy, but surprisingly the bathroom was spotless and very clean. He opened the shower curtain and it was the same. Yes, maybe the tub and fixtures looked to be from the seventies, but it was clean nonetheless.
A quick shower would be good he thought, grabbing the small bar of soap, a washcloth, and a towel. He threw the towel over the curtain rod and closed the curtain. For a moment he thought of Alley, her beautiful curves, her eyes, and that fucking red hair. His cock begun to take notice again, but this time he had to tell himself and his bird this wasn’t the time.
He reached down only to stroke it a few times as he washed himself.
As he finished his shower, he let the dirty thoughts drift away to thoughts of what his plans were to find her, to protect her. Something inside him drew him to her, he had an overpowering urge to protect her. To never let her out of his sight again.
Still he wasn’t sure why he had these urges. He knew and had told himself before birds and foxes couldn’t be mates. Can they?
Drying himself, the only thing he knew to do was to call Colton. Maybe he would know of some wolves in the area, something that may lead him to finding Alley. It had to be wolves, there was no other smell like wolf shifters. He could still smell the stench from the hoodie, and he had left it in the Tahoe.
It made his blood boil just thinking about those fuckers grabbing her. There was no other way the hoodie would have that much wolf smell on it otherwise. The burning question was, why was the hoodie on the side of the road? He wondered if she had shifted, or maybe tried to escape. For now, he couldn’t stress over the what ifs. He had to focus on the now and that meant finding Alley and protecting her at all cost.
Slipping on a pair of gym shorts and a tank top, he figured this would be more comfortable and easier to get off, in case he needed to shift at any given moment. The bed made a few creaking noises as he sat down to search his phone for the number.
“Hello,” A soft-spoken female voice answered the phone.
Colton’s mate was an owl shifter like Justin, who Max had only met once before, when he spent the weekend with them soon after he had begun training to be a Rogue Enforcer.
That had been a great weekend, the weekend that let him begin doing what he trained for all of his life. Be an Enforcer, even if it was a rogue one. Skylar and Justin had also been there that weekend. It had been Skylar, the chicken shifter, who led Colton to him. Skylar was one he will never forget, no other person had cock jokes like that guy. Justin wa
s Colton’s cousin and the first of the Rogues.
“Hi Katia, it’s Maxwell. I’m trying to get ahold of Colton, I have a slight problem with the mission he has me on.”
“Oh, hi Max, he left about an hour ago and left his phone behind. I know, not like him at all, but I guess he was in too much of a hurry. He’s with Justin; I will call his phone and get Colt to call you back as soon as possible.”
“That would be great, thank you Katia.”
After he had already hung the phone up, he realized she said Colt was with Justin, and he had Justin’s number. He could have just called him himself, but for now he would give it a little while to see if he called back. He sat on the bed a little longer before he thought of who to contact to help find Alley.
Jordan—he ratted her out once. He would probably do it again if he was threatened.
He was maybe forty-five minutes away from the cabin in the woods so maybe if he drove back, Jordan would still be there and have some answers. Hell, it was better than sitting in his shitty hotel even if the little fucker didn’t give him any leads.
The drive seemed much longer with all the things he had running through his mind, but it wasn’t that long before he was turning onto the road to the cabin. As he pulled up to the front, he noticed that Jordan was sitting on the porch, drinking a beer. He didn’t think twice about that really. Shifters drank beer mostly for taste, because it took a lot more than anyone could possibly drink to get them drunk.
He really could not even stand looking at this guy though, he just looked like fucking trouble. But he decided that he would approach him in a very calm manner.
He rolled down the window and before he could speak the other man spoke first.
“What are you doing back here? You lose your little bitch?”
In the canine world, calling the female a bitch was normal, but not in Maxwell’s world. You called no female a bitch in his world and what this man just asked him sent fire running up his spine.
“Look asshole, I am trying to be nice here, but I’ll be damned if I will let you call her a bitch. I only came back here because someone took her while I was in the store yesterday. I know you ratted her out before and you were the only person that knew where she was other than Marcel, Colton, and myself. Now if you know anything ginger boy, I suggest you start talking before I get out of this Tahoe and paint that porch red with your blood.” He knew how extreme he sounded; he just didn’t give a shit at this point.
His animal raged inside him. This Jordan guy was not a nice fox and the bird could sense evil all around him.
He opened the door and started to get out of the SUV when the other guy started to speak.
“Look man, I really don’t want any trouble with you, but you know that fox is trouble.”
Placing his beer down on the step, he walked down to stand next to the door, not giving Max a chance to step out.
“I will tell you that they came looking for her just after you guys left, and there were two of them, wolves. All I told them was that you guys had just left. I didn’t want to be around those stinking fuckers any longer than I had to. They searched out the woods a bit and then headed out without speaking to me again. Now I really wish I would have never gotten myself in the middle of all this shit. If you will excuse me, I would like to return to my life as normal. Don’t come here again, I will be gone after today.” He turned and walked back up the stairs, into the house, and closed the door behind him.
At this point, Max had really had his fill of this guy and didn’t care to fuck with him anymore. However, coming here he did at least confirm that it was wolves. Maybe he should call Marcel again. Surely, he could find out more information on this wolf pack, he was a private investigator after all. The moment he picked the phone up to look for the number it began to vibrate. Thankfully it was Justin’s number on the caller ID.
“Hello.”
“Hey man it’s Colton, sorry I left my phone at home. I’ve been out on a job with Justin all day. What’s going on?”
“I have a slight problem, and before I even start, let me say I know I should have never let her out of my sight. While I was in the gas station paying for gas, I got distracted for only a moment talking to the casher. Well needless to say when I returned to the vehicle she was gone. At first, I thought she ran on her own, but then I could smell rancid dog all over the vehicle, and soon after I found her hoodie on the side of the road.”
Breathe
“I have confirmed it was wolves that took her, I was calling you to see if maybe you knew why a wolf pack would be after her. I thought to call Marcel to see if he could look into it as well.”
“Yeah man I can do that, you’re right though you shouldn’t have let her out of your sight.” Of course, Colton could not just let him get away with it without giving him shit about it.
“Damn you man, I knew better too. There is something about this fox Colton, I can’t put my finger on it, I am drawn to her. Like that feeling they talk about when someone’s your mate. I know it started out as a job, but now I feel like it’s my duty to protect her and keep her safe. Fuck, man I don’t know. I just have to find her.” Max sighed.
“My man Max got the hots for a fox, huh? But honestly you can’t control it when the animal has that connection with someone. Never heard of a fox and a bird being mates though, but if you feel she is yours then I say run with it. I will get some calls made, and I will get some others in the area to keep an eye out. Give me an hour or so.” Colton finished, hanging up the phone before Max could reply.
That fucker always gets the last word
Another hour damn it, I could have found her by now instead of waiting on all of these phone calls back and forth. His falcon was so uneasy he could no longer contain himself.
Stop you have to shift. Maxwell got in the Tahoe and floored it down the road, looking for anywhere to shift. He had done it in public once but wasn’t about to take that chance again.
Luckily, he had gotten into the car and driven a little ways out of town, finding an abandoned house and pulling the SUV into the driveway that was overgrown with grass and weeds. He’d hardly gotten out of the vehicle before the falcon took flight.
We must find her. I am tired of waiting.
His animal had not spoken this much since they got shot during training, but since meeting Alley and now feeling like they had a purpose, he was speaking more, little by little. He felt more connected to the falcon than he had his whole life. His senses were even more hyped, and he felt as if he could fly for miles. He knew in reality the wing strength would only let him go for short distances at a time, but none of that mattered now. The mission to find and protect the fox as a Rogue Enforcer had now turned into a mission to find his mate, no matter how much he wanted to think it wasn’t possible. His animal, his heart, and his soul felt it, knew it. He had always heard you would know when you’ve found the one and he always thought it was all bullshit. Not anymore.
You’re not wrong. She is our mate, his falcon said, his voice both serene with the thought of Alley as their mate, and fierce with the longing to find her.
You could have told me that earlier, ya know.
Where would the fun be in that?
Fuckin’ falcon.
They flew in circles for about five minutes before deciding to fly over the woods nearby. What they saw next was definitely another coincidence. Wolves, there were fucking wolves hunting in the woods beneath him. He wanted to fly lower for a closer look, maybe even dive bomb the fuckers, but he kept his distance. He stayed high enough and quieted his animal.
I know you want to squawk, but we must stay calm, stay focused, he said to his bird as calmly as he could.
He had no idea if these wolves had anything to do with taking Alley, but he was damn sure going to keep an eye on them. Knowing he needed to rest his wings, he landed in the tallest tree so he could still see them from a long distance. Once he was rested, he took off to catch up with them just before the woods ga
ve way to a clearing where at least ten houses were built alongside a long driveway leading from the road. Wait a fucking minute. Could this be their pack? Were these the asshole wolves that had taken Alley from the gas station? Rage and anger fueled inside him.
Chapter Ten
The night had passed and the sun had started to rise above the trees. Alley didn’t listen to her animals and decided it would be safer for her to just stay where she was for the night. Besides if she went on the run, it would be harder for Maxwell or anyone else to find her. Maxwell, the man that no matter how many times she tried to shake him from her thoughts, he kept taking his place there. The man that filled her dreams all night.
Our mate.
“He is not our mate fox.” Alley grinned.
All though it would seem both her animals and her body thought otherwise. Considering the warmth that built in her core. Had she had a fucking wet dream?
We only just met him, and you two are already mating him.
She knew that there was something about him, something that drew her to him, but mates? She wasn’t so sure of that, but she knew that shifters usually knew who their mates were within a few minutes of meeting them. Either way, she had to push those tantalizing thoughts away for the moment and get out of bed, get moving, try to figure out what her next move was going to be.
The animals subsided inside her, maybe knowing it wasn’t quite the time to push her on Max being their mate. As she had so much since the other voice piped up inside her, she marveled over the fact that she had two animals. To go most of her life thinking she didn’t even have one, to suddenly having two in the space of a few years, was completely overwhelming.
Biting her lip, she wondered if maybe that was her shifter gift—having two animals and being able to choose which form she wanted to shift into. All shifters had a gift—it could be physical or mental, and something that was an enhanced human trait, or something completely supernatural.
