by B M Griffin
“The two of you need to quit the Hall Global contract,” Adam answered her matter-of-factly. If looks could kill, then the daggers Megan was shooting him would have him meeting his maker.
“Have you lost your fucking mind? Shayla, you didn’t seriously bring him here to convince me to dump the biggest client we’ve ever landed.”
“Megan, please, will you just come back over here and sit down so we can discuss this? You know I would never ask something like this unless it was truly necessary. It’s my career on the line too.”
Adam let Shayla explain everything about Kevin and his pack and his malicious plan. It took what felt like hours for her to get through to Megan. Adam had to leave the room, a few times, to get some air to prevent him from losing his temper in front of Shayla again. Eventually, Megan agreed that her friend was more important than any business deal. The whole experience took a toll on Shayla and she fell asleep quickly on the ride home.
****
Shayla
Shayla felt strong arms wrap around her; her head was pressed against a familiar warm body. When Adam laid her down and she felt the soft comfort of her bed beneath her she opened her eyes and smiled up at him.
“Hey sleepyhead,” he said softly.
“Hey. Sorry, I fell asleep. I guess spending half the day convincing Megan creatures of fantasy are actually real, wore me out.”
He brushed her hair back off of her forehead before he stood back up. “You don’t have anything to apologize for, Shay. I don’t blame you for being tired. Try to get some rest. I’ll bring dinner when I come back home.”
Shayla sat up. She did not want to stay home alone right now. “Wait, I’ll come with you. Where are you going anyway?”
“Remember, I told you I needed to speak with my alpha about Kevin’s threats. I think it’s best that you stay here.”
Shayla was out of her bed in an instant. “Yeah, I don’t think so. No way I’m not coming with you, Adam. This involves me just as much as it does you. Plus, I am a witness that what you are going to tell him is true.”
Adam reached out and lightly grabbed her shoulders, keeping her from moving forward. “Shay, it is better if I do this alone. If I bring a human into our pack, I may never even get the chance to speak.”
Shayla brought her hands up to Adam’s face and leaned in letting her lips graze his in the softest kiss. When she leaned back, he was smiling at her and she could see the love reflected in his eyes. “Like I said, I’m coming with you. So, are you ready to go?”
Adam’s smile fell and he took a step back. “Shay, please just stay here and let me take care of this.”
“I’ve been letting you take care of me for the past two years, Adam. It is time for me to step up. Now, let’s go.”
Shayla didn’t wait for him to come up with another argument. She turned and walked out of the room and headed straight outside to the car. Adam was right behind her, but she forced herself not to turn and look at him. She couldn’t risk him seeing how scared she truly was. She was literally walking into a wolf pack, so she figured being afraid was understandable. If Adam picked up on her fear, he would make sure she didn’t come along.
Shayla opened the passenger door and got in the car, she avoided eye-contact with Adam as she pulled the door closed. Shayla buckled her seat beat with finality; she was going. She tucked the fear away before Adam could join her in the car. Adam got in the car and shut his door. Shayla turned to him with a smile plastered on her face. Adam let out a grunt which only served to make her laugh. “One of these days, I’m going to learn how to tell you no,” he said, as he pulled out of their driveway.
“I plan to make that an impossible mission for you to accomplish.”
Adam looked at her and burst out laughing. “I’m sure you will. I haven’t gotten the hang of it in all these years, so I am sure you will continue to hold your power over me. If we’re lucky, Mike won’t be able to say no to you either.”
“We can certainly hope that,” she agreed, deciding it wouldn’t hurt to go into the wolf’s den thinking positive thoughts.
Shayla looked around confused, when Adam parked the car in front of an ordinary home with a wraparound porch and surrounded by a white picket fence. Adam parked the car and walked around to open her door. He held his hand out to her and helped her out, chuckling softly at the look on her face when she took in her surroundings.
“Not what you were expecting I guess,” he said.
Shayla looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “Is this what you expected to find the first time you were brought here to meet your werewolf pack?”
“No, I guess not.”
“It’s just so…”
“Normal,” Adam said, cutting her off.
“I was going to say cookie cutter. It looks like a beautiful family home, not a wolf den.”
Adam laughed outright. “I don’t think I’ve heard anyone refer to Mike’s house as a wolf den before.”
“I find this hard to believe. I mean, you’re all werewolves, you meet here to discuss your wolf business, right? I think wolf den is a perfectly logical description.”
Adam smiled down at her and leaned in kissing her sweetly on her lips. Shayla closed her eyes and relished the feelings this brought to the forefront of her mind.
“I can’t believe I get to do that now.” Adam cupped her face and leaned in to kiss her one more time.
When he pulled back, Shayla looked at him with a shy smile. “And I can’t believe I was too blind to see that I could have had that all along.”
Adam dropped his hand from her face and took hers, lacing their fingers together. “Let’s go get this over with. The sooner this is over, the sooner we can get out of here and get started catching up on all that missed time.”
“I like that idea,” Shayla agreed.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Adam
“Adam, what is she doing here?”
Adam and Shayla ran into Jared as soon as they walked into Mike’s house. Adam had sent Mike a text letting him know he had something important to discuss with him before Shayla insisted on coming with him. He hadn’t bothered giving his pack alpha a heads up about Shayla, because he already knew how Mike would respond. Jared’s greeting when they walked through the door only solidified his expectations.
Before Adam could respond, Shayla stepped in front of Jared and gave him her two cents. “I’m here because what he needs to say involves me and that asshole, Kevin Hall.”
Adam knew Mike would not appreciate such bravado from Shayla, but that didn’t stop him from smiling and feeling incredibly proud she’d found the courage to take charge around a man she didn’t know. Jared was a pretty intimidating guy standing at six-four and built like a solid wall of muscle. He knew she was afraid. He could hear the quiver in her voice as she spoke, this was a huge step for her.
Jared looked at Shayla in astonishment for a moment, obviously shocked by her assertion that she belonged there. When Jared looked up at Adam he was smirking, something he didn’t see Jared do often, if at all. Adam knew Shayla had impressed him too. Grown men didn’t step to Jared the way that Shayla just had. “Oh, I like her,” Jared said. “I don’t know if Mike will feel the same, but whatever the two of you are here to discuss, I’ve got your back. Any woman that has the balls to step up to me like that is a woman I want to know.”
Adam growled quietly and pulled Shayla back to his side wrapping his arm tight around her. “Don’t get any ideas, Jared. She’s mine.”
Jared laughed and held his hands up in surrender. “I got it. Just calm down. Nobody here is gonna try taking your girl.”
“Good,” Adam said through clenched teeth. He looked over at Shayla and she was smiling at him. “What are you smiling about?”
“You just growled. Like, actually growled at him.”
“So,” Adam said, with a shrug.
Shayla was about to speak, but Jared interrupted before she could, “Alright you two, as much as I’d love
to stay here and listen to your banter, the pack and our alpha are waiting.”
“Right,” Adam agreed, “we should go get this over with.”
He could feel the anxiety rolling off Shayla the minute Jared mentioned the pack; he knew everyone else would be able to sense it too. It was one of their wolf gifts: heightened senses and awareness of others. They all knew she was there by now, if they hadn’t picked up on her scent the moment the two of them walked in the door. He squeezed her hand and pulled her in close like a protective shield, as they made their way further into the house to face the rest of his pack.
As soon as they walked into the meeting hall, Mike was in Adam’s face and slammed him against a wall. The powerful impact made Adam lose his grip on Shayla’s hand and she was pushed backward into Jared.
“Adam!” Shayla cried out, as she reached out for him, but Jared held her tight and bent to whisper in her ear.
Adam was grateful for Jared, in that moment, because he could already feel rage taking him over. Mike might have been after him, but he had shoved Shayla in the process and done so without any reservation or concern whatsoever. When Shayla screamed his name and he caught sight of her trembling hands and tears streaking her beautiful face, Adam lost it. He felt the fire rush through him; he heard the sound of fabric tearing as his clothing went flying as his wolf ripped out of him and he shifted.
When he shifted, Mike was still practically on top of him where he’d shoved Adam up against the wall, Adam’s front claws came down across Mike’s face and torso ripping his flesh as they did so. Everything happened so fast, Mike and the rest of the pack seemed to be in shock. Mike stood in front of him, blood soaking his shirt, and his face nearly unrecognizable, and Adam stepped forward sizing up his prey and ready to attack. A loud growl tore from his throat and that was what it took for Mike to wake up and realize he was in serious danger. Mike shifted, the torn shreds of his clothing flying everywhere, and before his feet hit the ground, he thrust out his alpha power over Adam trying to force him to heel, but it didn’t work. Adam could feel Mike’s power touch him, but instead of the powerful force he usually encountered when Mike issued an order, it just felt like a light breeze passing over him. He took a step toward Mike and watched as his alpha’s eyes widened in shock. He heard the pack members talking around them and trying to figure out why Mike’s order hadn’t forced him into compliance. Mike bared his teeth and let out another loud, threatening growl as he advanced on Adam.
“NO!” Shayla screamed. Mike’s head jerked to the side and his focus shifted from Adam to Shayla. “Please, don’t hurt him,” Shayla pleaded with Mike. “I made him bring me. It’s not his fault.”
Mike took a step toward Shayla, and Adam let his fire engulf him until his fur was made up entirely of blue flames. Mike’s attention immediately moved away from Shayla and back to him. Everything around them faded and all Adam could see was an enemy he needed to eliminate. Someone who had threatened the woman he loved; someone who he was going to stop even if it meant killing him. Mike must have clued in on his train of thought, because he began backing up as Adam advanced on him. He had never seen Mike back down from anyone, even on the few occasions when another werewolf had come along and had the mind to challenge him for his role, but Mike was backing down. Adam’s unusual ability gave him an advantage that Mike just didn’t have. It was an advantage Adam had never intended to use to gain power within his pack or any other in the werewolf community. Becoming an alpha just never held any interest for him. But, seeing Mike shove Shayla and then size her up while he was shifted as a wolf, had thrown Adam’s control out the window. If killing Mike was what he had to do to defend Shayla and ensure her safety, he wasn’t about to hesitate to do what needed to be done.
Adam bent his legs as he got ready to attack, but before he could make the leap to take Mike out, Shayla’s voice brought everything to a standstill. “Adam, please don’t do this.”
Her voice was so quiet a normal person wouldn’t have been able to hear what she said, but Adam’s wolf ears could pick up on people whispering a hundred feet away. He turned to face Shayla and Jared finally let her go, so she could approach Adam. Adam concentrated on calming himself down and drew his flames back into himself. There was no way he’d risk allowing Shayla too close to him while he was in that state, not when a simple touch could turn the strongest of werewolves to ash.
Shayla moved closer to him once his fur was back to normal. Mike hadn’t moved back in their direction, but Adam continued to make sure he watched him in his peripheral view. She reached out with a shaky hand and ran her fingers through the fur on the top of his head. “I don’t want you to hurt your friends or you pack over me, Adam. I understand sometimes you have to hurt others to protect yourself, but I don’t want you to feel like you have to hurt those close to you.”
Adam shifted back into his human self and pulled her close. He kissed her on the top of her head and let his cheek rest on her head for a second. Pulling back just far enough he could see her face; Adam placed his fingers under her chin and lifted her face so she was looking in his eyes. “Shay, I thought you understood. No one is more important to me than you. I love you; I always have. I will never stand by and let someone hurt you. We both know I stood aside in the past because you asked me to, and we both know how that turned out. That will never happen again.”
Shayla had tears in her eyes as she stared back at him and she tilted her head up to give him a quick kiss. When she pulled back, Adam kept her close and turned his head to look at Mike directly. “I don’t want to fight you, but I won’t let you hurt her. You need to hear me out. We aren’t the threat, Mike. Kevin Hall is and he is the reason Shayla has been drug into our business, so if you want to blame someone for Shayla being brought here, into our pack, then you need to blame him. If you can’t accept that and you try to go after Shayla, or hurt her again in your attempt to put me in my place, then I will end you.” Adam looked around the room at the rest of his pack mates, “That goes for anyone who wishes Shayla harm.”
Mike stared at Adam for a minute before shifting back into his human form. He looked behind Adam and Shayla to Jared. When Adam saw the two of them nod to one another, he knew they’d been having a private conversation in their minds: benefits of being the alpha and beta. He had no idea what they had just agreed on so he made sure to stay alert and close to Shayla. If they were agreeing that Shayla or he were a threat, then he was ready to fight to protect her from whatever, and whoever they threw at her.
Eventually, Mike looked back to Adam and Shayla. He looked Adam in the eyes when he spoke, “We will hear you out. No innocent human should be used to gain power in our community. If that is what Kevin Hall intends to do, it may be time for us to stop standing by idly, and take action against him before he comes for us.”
“Thank you,” Adam said. He briefly looked back to Shayla and squeezed her hand hoping to reassure her everything would be okay. He honestly wasn’t sure that it would be yet, but she needed to believe that it would. She needed to hold on to hope. If she lost hope that they could win this fight, then she might spiral back into a deep depression, and that was something Adam didn’t know if he could save her from…not again.
With Shayla’s hand in his, they followed Mike toward a conference table he had set up in the dining room of his house. Mike sent someone to grab them both some clothes before they sat around the table to discuss the details of Kevin’s plan, or at least the parts that Adam knew about. They sat down with Mike, Jared, and a handful of long-standing pack members including Lou, Zack, Allen, Chris, Joanna, and Kelly—they made up the pack leaders. Adam told them everything he knew. He told them about Kevin using Shayla to get to him and his threats against her if Adam refused to do what he was told. He explained that Kevin planned to use him as a hitman to take out key members of different packs, so he could swoop in and take charge himself, and Shayla backed up everything he said.
Mike sat quietly for a few minutes once Adam
and Shayla finished telling him what they knew. His silence had Adam feeling on edge again and his skin was tingling as his wolf prepared to make another appearance if needed. He wished he had the ability to read minds in that moment. Jared slammed his fist on the table and Adam’s eyes shot to wear Jared stood. His friend’s face was bright red and he was clenching his fists so tightly, his knuckles had gone white. Jared’s glare was focused on Mike and Adam knew that wasn’t a good sign. He could feel the tension thickening the air in the room so he jumped up and pulled Shayla behind him.
Jared bent over the table holding himself up with his closed fists, and keeping his anger focused on Mike. “How can you abandon a member of your own pack so easily? What kind of alpha are you?”
Mike stood and leaned over the table in Jared’s direction. With their large statures, the two men were only inches apart. “I will not jeopardize our entire pack for one member and his human girlfriend.” Mike turned his glare toward Shayla. “She means nothing to our pack.”
Adam was growling and his wolf was fighting for release, but Shayla was still clutching at his hand and he couldn’t risk shifting so close to her.
Jared slammed his fist on the table in front of him again and Mike’s gaze turned back to his beta. “It’s not just about them, Mike! How can you not see that? Kevin won’t stop until he has complete control and he will kill us all if we get in his way.”
“YOU WILL NOT QUESTION ME,” Mike’s words were laced with alpha power. Adam felt it washing over the room, and knew he intended it for all of them and not just Jared.
Jared stood up straight and a look of pure shock registered on his face. Adam looked around the room and saw the same expression gracing the faces of every pack member at the table. Mike might be the alpha, but it was against werewolf law for an alpha to use his power in such a way, it was looked at as stealing someone’s free will to take away a pack member’s ability to ask questions in pack matters. The alpha might have final rule and the power to enforce such, but every werewolf in the pack was entitled to voice their concerns. Luckily, Mike’s power had no influence on Adam yet again. Somehow his gifts must have allowed him to protect his mind from his alpha’s influence.
