Shades of Secrecy: Prequel Novella (Raven Point Pack Trilogy)

by Heather Renee

  The car stopped in front of the one Eric had told me to use. If anyone had a problem with us not checking in, they could come to us. The closer I got to sleep, the more my body shut down. Harper followed me out of the car. I didn’t even grab my bag; I was falling face-first into the bed as it was.

  We walked into the tiny house and it was more like a studio apartment. A full-size bed was pushed into the corner, a small couch on the opposite side, along with a two-person table and a tiny kitchen.

  I had barely taken two steps toward the bed before I was yanked back. “What the hell?” I growled.

  Harper glared at me. “Where do you think you’re going?”

  “Are you delusional?” I snapped. “I’m going to bed.”

  Her hand landed on my shoulder, pushing me toward the couch. “Yeah, you’re headed in the wrong direction.”

  I laughed—I couldn’t help it—and lowered my face to hers. “I’ve been up for almost twenty-four hours. Technically, I saved your life today, so I’m sleeping in that bed. You’re welcome to join me, and I promise to be the perfect gentleman.”

  “A gentleman would let me have the bed to myself.”

  “Well, I guess you’ll have to find out what kind of man I am or sleep on the couch. It’s your choice.” I tried to hide the smirk on my face as I bumped her out of my way, taking the remaining steps to the bed. I didn’t even lift the covers; I fell face-first and didn’t move. My eyes burned, and everything ached from lack of sleep.

  Harper huffed, pacing for another minute before finally crawling into the bed. She slid under the covers, and I pretended to already be sleeping while she mumbled more insults my way. Finally, she quieted and we both fell asleep when the sun began to sneak through the window.

  I woke up some time later, sweating and starving, but well-rested. My eyes opened, taking a moment to remember where I was and realizing I wasn’t alone.

  Harper’s lithe body was sprawled halfway on top of mine, her curls tickling my neck. My wolf perked up, but his interest wasn’t all that great. We might find her attractive, but she wasn’t our mate. Not the one I would spend the rest of my life with one day. As much as her surly personality attracted me, I’d make sure she was safe and leave it at that. Hopefully.

  I poked her shoulder, causing her to shriek.

  “What are you doing?” She pushed away as if I had burned her. “Why were you touching me?”

  “Did you not notice you were lying on me, not the other way around?” I answered with a grin.

  “Whatever. We’re up now and I want to meet this alpha.”

  I shook my head, sliding out of bed. She was beginning to remind me of Taya, and that took away a lot of the attraction I had felt toward her earlier.

  “Let me take a quick shower and change.” I grabbed my phone, groaning at the time. “I’m not going to be able to stay long. I should have left here several hours ago.”

  It was almost three in the afternoon. I wouldn’t get to the Catskills until well after dark, putting me nearly a day behind my schedule even though I had left Florida early. Driving had really fucked up my time, but hopefully Elijah, the alpha I’d meet there, would understand.

  I got ready as quickly as I could while dodging glaring looks from Harper. She was not a people person.

  We made our way to the pack house. Plenty of people were out now, and I got a better look at the area. I hadn’t been here before, but I’d met Eric, the alpha, when I was younger and he visited my dad. His pack was half the size of ours in Oregon but set up very similar, a big pack house and lots of smaller homes surrounding it. A larger building sat next to the house, which was probably their training facility. I wished I had time for a tour, but it wasn’t in the cards today.

  “Welcome, Cord,” Eric greeted us when we walked up the porch stairs. “I’m glad you decided to stop. Who’s your friend?”

  I shook his hand. “Thanks for having us. This is Harper. I was hoping we could talk privately before I leave.”

  He nodded. “Right this way.”

  Harper stayed quiet as we followed Eric to his office. My eyes followed her every movement while she observed everyone else. She was skittish. Much more so now than when I had found her last night. I had every intention of making sure the rogues who attacked her were hunted down, because nobody should have to go through what she had.

  We settled into the chairs when Eric took his seat.

  “What’s going on?” he asked.

  I glanced at Harper. Gone was the hard exterior she showed me when we were alone. In its place was a beaten-down girl, truly frightened of being here.

  It broke my fucking heart.

  She nodded at me, and I understood she wanted me to tell Eric whatever I needed to get her help.

  “I found Harper when I was leaving Florida. She and her family haven’t belonged to a pack for several years. They were attacked by rogues and Harper got away, but her family wasn’t so lucky.”

  I paused for a moment, letting the information sink in for Eric. We didn’t have too many incidents like this one.

  “They were chasing her, so I promised her refuge with another pack. I know it’s a lot to take on, but I promise to come back here after the Decennial–”

  “It’s not a bother at all,” Eric cut me off. “We protect our own, no matter where they’re from.” He leaned forward, giving Harper his full attention. “You’ll be safe here, I promise. You don’t need to be afraid.”

  “I appreciate that.” She nodded, speaking quietly. “I won’t get in your way. I prefer solitude.”

  “Very well, but if you’ll be staying here, no matter how long or short, you’ll be expected to earn your keep. I’ll give you a list of jobs you can choose from, and we will see how it goes.”

  Eric remained firm with her, giving her the direction I wasn’t sure she had ever had before. From the sounds of what little she had told me in the car, being in the pack was going to be an interesting adjustment for her.

  “I really need to get back on the road.” Using my hands to push out of the chair, I turned toward Harper. “I’ll check in with you when I’m back home and see how everything is going.”

  She stood up at the same time as me, surprising me by giving me a quick hug. “Thank you.”

  I was tempted to give her shit for the brief show of affection but thought better of it. “You’re welcome.”

  The three of us left the office, and my stomach growled. Loudly. I ignored it, intending to grab food on the way out, wherever I found it first.

  “We have plenty to eat here. Grab whatever you want before you leave,” Eric offered, refusing to let me leave without eating.

  I thanked him again for the hospitality and he left Harper and me in the kitchen, allowing us to say goodbye in private.

  She watched me as I grabbed food from the spread they had on the counter. “I wasn’t sure before, but I think I’ll give this place a real shot, until you’re ready to hunt the rogues. I’d like to go with you.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I am. I won’t be able to find closure any other way.”

  I nodded, understanding. “Okay. I’ll need a couple weeks, but I’ll be back. Get my cell number from Eric and let me know if you need anything.” Even though I had just met her, it felt odd leaving her behind. I had an uncomfortable feeling that I’d never see her again.

  We said our goodbyes with little to no emotion, just what I expected from her. She stayed behind in the pack house with Eric while I headed to the car.

  I checked my phone before leaving. A couple calls from back home, but no voicemails, meaning it was nothing urgent. I hit the road, not wanting to waste any time. I’d call people back when I was on the highway.

  My first call was to Elijah in the Catskill Mountains. I wanted to apologize for my delay and let him know I’d be there as soon as I could. He was polite about it. I hadn’t expected much less from him since he and my dad were good friends, even though they hadn’t seen each ot
her in years.

  Next, I caught up with my sister and Augie. I listened to them bitch about me being gone, and how it wasn’t fair. Well, most of that came from Taya, but Augie made sure to chime in as well.

  Dad was my last call. I considered telling him about Harper, but we had enough to deal with at the moment, so I decided against it. My hope was that I could convince him to let me bring Taya in to help with whatever we decided to do. She and Harper would get along perfectly.

  The drive was long and traffic was heavy, but I still made good time. I arrived at the pack thirty minutes before I thought I would.

  Nobody was outside the pack house when I pulled up, but lights were still on, so I walked up to the door. I didn’t bother knocking. Pack houses had zero privacy unless you were in a bedroom. I had no doubts that Elijah ran his just like Raven Point.

  A guy not much older than me sat on the couch with his feet kicked up on a glass table. He closed the magazine he’d been reading and tossed it onto the table.

  “Glad you could finally grace us with your presence,” he sneered. “I’ll go get the alpha.”

  I cocked my head to the side, unsure of who this guy was and whether or not I wanted to throat-punch him. Taking the higher ground, I let him leave the room without responding, then began to pace around the living room, checking out the opulent home. It had some rustic touches here and there, but it was mostly hard lines and sleek surfaces. Not exactly what I expected.

  A minute passed before I heard incoming footsteps. I turned, facing the hallway. The same guy returned with a sideways grin. No, not the same guy. A brother, possibly even a twin. At that thought, I remembered that Elijah had triplets. Hopefully, this one wasn’t as much of an asshole as the last.

  He offered his hand to me. “Hey, Cord. I’m Caleb. Elijah is just finishing up some pack business, but he’ll be out soon. How was the drive?”

  I shook it, appreciating his friendliness. “Longer than I realized it would be, but it had sounded like a good idea after three days with no alone time.” I laughed. “Who was the last guy that was in here?”

  Caleb’s lips stretched with a smirk. “That’s Liam. Don’t mind him. He’s got his panties in a bunch, because he was supposed to leave on a trip this weekend, and Dad told him ‘no’ when we learned you were coming. Then you arrived late and well, yeah. He’s a little pissy.”

  Liam was an alpha-in-training. Yeah, I felt bad for being late, but he had pack responsibilities. He needed to suck it up and deal with it. Shit wasn’t always going to go his way. Dickhead.

  Choosing to not comment, I nodded. I was going to make him even more mad when I said I was leaving tomorrow as planned instead of staying to make up for the time I lost today. I didn’t want to miss my flight to Colorado and be late to Declan’s, too. Pissed-off wolves or not, I’d leave when I wanted.

  Elijah strolled into the room then, smile in place and arms open. “Cord. How are you?” For someone I hadn’t seen in many years, he sure seemed excited to see me.

  I accepted his hug before answering. “Tired but doing good. Almost done with the pack tours.”

  He laughed. “Yeah, I was surprised when your old man called me, saying you’d be by for a couple of days. I had hoped he’d come with you, but he was adamant this was something you wanted to do on your own.”

  The underlying question was evident in his tone of voice. He wasn’t buying the reason for my visit, but too bad. He wasn’t going to hear about any of it until the Decennial Gathering. That was one thing I agreed with my dad about before leaving.

  After thinking about it, he had been right. We needed to be absolutely certain Declan was up to no good before we said anything to anyone else.

  “Well, I know you’ve had a long day,” Elijah added. “Caleb can show you to the room you’ll be staying in, and I’ll give you formal introductions to the rest of my family tomorrow.”

  “I appreciate it. Unfortunately, I can’t stay all day. I have a flight tomorrow late afternoon, and I can’t delay my trip any longer than I already have.”

  Elijah’s hand clapped down on my shoulder. “Don’t worry about it. We can make our meeting quick. We’ll see you again soon anyway.”

  After we finished saying goodnight, I followed Caleb down the hallway. He didn’t say much.

  “So, spill it. Something is happening, isn’t it?” he asked once we were out of earshot from his dad.

  I shook my head. He was like a woman wanting to gossip. “There’s nothing to tell, man. I got bored and asked my dad for something to do. This was his grand idea. Believe me, I won’t complain about having nothing to do again.”

  I did my best to be nonchalant, but he didn’t seem to buy it. I had too much on my mind already, though, and I didn’t need him pushing me for information he had no business knowing yet.

  “Whatever you say,” he added. “I’ll hear about it later. I always do.” Smug bastard. Even if he might be right.

  “Well, then you have nothing to bitch about,” I answered with a grin.

  He laughed. “I really wish you were here longer than half a day tomorrow. I could use you to stir some shit up with my brothers. They have semi-permanent sticks up their asses. You don’t seem to have that problem. I worried it was an alpha-in-training thing.”

  I shook my head at his ridiculousness. “You and my sister would be the perfect match. Everyone around you would hate it, though.”

  “Got a picture of her?” He winked.

  “Maybe tomorrow,” I replied, feeling lighter and less stressed than when I’d arrived. “As fun as this has been, I need some sleep.”

  “I’ll be looking forward to it.” And with that, Caleb left me at the door to the room I’d be sleeping in.

  I showered and went straight to bed. I wanted to be well-rested before I left for Colorado tomorrow. I had no idea what I’d be facing, but I knew I couldn’t afford to be anything other than my best.

  My gut was telling me more than just my life depended on it.

  Chapter 7

  The following afternoon, I said goodbye to Elijah and his family. They were an interesting mix of people. Liam remained high and mighty, as if I was the biggest inconvenience to him. Caleb kept the atmosphere entertaining whenever possible, while the third brother, Aiden, was reserved and seemed to always keep one eye on me, as if he thought I was about to steal something.

  Sera, their mother and Elijah’s mate, had been extremely friendly, but she was constantly keeping her boys in line. Something told me the alpha didn’t do much without making sure she was okay with it first.

  My flight was on time, and everything was going smoothly. I’d heard from Harper. She was doing well with Eric’s pack, but she was anxious for me to come back and help her track down the rogue wolves that killed her family. I didn’t like that she was so emotionally invested in killing the rogues, but I couldn’t deny I’d be the same way if the roles were reversed.

  When I landed in Colorado, I let out a sigh of relief. I was back in familiar territory. Sort of. The climate here was as close to home as I could get without being back in Oregon. Then, I reminded myself of what I was here to do, and tension seeped back into my muscles.

  Nothing about the next day-and-a-half would be easy. I would be leaving tomorrow night, and that didn’t give me much time to figure things out.

  I grabbed my rental, this time opting for a truck. I wasn’t sure how their land was, and if I needed to make a quick retreat, I wanted to have the four-wheel drive to give me some advantage.

  When arriving at their territory just an hour later, I was greeted by more guards than I thought was necessary. It was as if they had the pack on lockdown, keeping track of everyone who came and went.

  I was directed to the pack house, where more shifters stood sentry. None of them paid me much attention, which told me they had been forewarned of my arrival from the front guards. As I let myself into the front door, Declan appeared in the entryway. His smile grew as if he was sincerely happy
to see me, but the sneer in his eyes told me otherwise.

  “Son of the great Gerald Rush,” he drawled. “How was your trip, Cord?”

  I reached out to shake his hand. “It’s been a long week, but I’ve learned a lot, so it’s been worth it. I hope my visit here will be much of the same.”

  “There’s not much to see here, but we’ll do our best,” he replied nonchalantly. “They’ve just served dinner. Would you like to get some food and we can head to my office? My son Rafe will be joining us as well.”

  “That sounds great.”

  The kitchen was overstocked with food, but something told me it was all for show. There were only two people sitting in there. If this was any other pack, it would be swarming with shifters. I didn’t comment on the oddity, though. I just grabbed food and followed Declan. His son was already seated in the office when we arrived. He didn’t stand to greet me, barely even lifting his eyes from his phone when we walked inside the room.

  “Rafe, this is Cord,” Declan introduced me as he sat down. “He’ll be with us until tomorrow night.”

  Rafe’s dark and untrusting eyes made contact with mine for the first time. “Welcome.” His voice held no emotion. He didn’t even blink before returning his attention to his phone.

  Declan began rambling about a schedule of things he planned on having me do, most of which was outside. He went on about supposed everyday things he liked to do around his pack, some of which were hard to believe from what little I had already seen.

  I asked questions about the size of his pack, but he deflected the conversation each time with nonsense about trading and expanding. The guy was full of shit, making things up as he talked. Half of it wasn’t even making sense.

  After two hours of getting nothing out of him and feeling Rafe glare daggers at me, I excused myself and asked to be shown where I would be sleeping.