by Elle Lincoln
“Yes, you kept a female created just for wolves all to yourself,” Shadow snarls, his canines lengthening. I take a step backwards, knowing this may escalate quickly.
“Wait.” I hold up a hand before this goes too far. “I’m a human created by normal human procreation means. Not created for wolves. At least I’m sure my parents weren’t thinking of that at the time of my creation.” I frown at him. I am not a broodmare, dammit.
“You don’t even know, do you?” Shadow’s snarl fades away as he laughs a complete villain laugh, full-bodied and with a creep factor of ten. At least.
“Shadow, why are you here and why are your wolves breaking the peace treaty?” Athos pulls me to his side, not at all impressed with Shadow’s creepy nature.
“I’m not the one who violated the treaty, Athos. You are.” He smiles, pointing at us before he pushes off the truck. “I’ll give you three days to figure it out, otherwise we take her to see if she’s a mate to anyone in our pack.”
“Shadow, if you know something, you must state it now.”
“I don’t think I will.” He throws his arms out with another laugh before his eyes fall to me. “Soon you will be ours, kitten. I just have to wait it out.”
“That’s a hard pass for me there.” I wrinkle my nose. I am not some doll that these packs can pass between them.
“Not if she’s mated to us, you know the rules, Shadow.”
“And the rules are void when it comes to her. You just don’t know it yet. All I have to be is a patient man. There are ways to force a mating bond, and I intend to make it happen.” He pauses in his backward walk. “Tell me, Sabina, do you have any sisters?”
My blood runs cold in shock and fear until an eerie calm settles over my shoulders. Then anger creeps its way in with a fierce trail of heat that licks at my body to defend what is mine.
Athos grabs me, picking me up, and practically throws me in the truck before following in behind me. Shadow whistles as he walks away, peeking back at me in the passenger seat. He emits a soft chuckle before strolling to the tree line in the opposite direction.
Athos slams the door, his body shaking as he holds in his emotions. “This will not work.”
“We were having such a wonderful afternoon.” I frown, the anger fleeing from me as that man walks away. Also, what the hell does Athos mean by ‘this will not work?’
Athos pulls away, heading back toward Lunar Mile. “They aptly named Route 666.” I perk up at the information. “To the north lies Lunar Pack, to the south lies Shadow Pack.”
“Is this like a rival pack thing? Because I feel like I’ve landed in some kind of tug-of-war scenario, and I’m not so sure I’m a fan.” I wrinkle my nose as I eye the woods beyond. From inside the safety of the truck, all appears serene and calm. Yet I know that hidden within those woods or beyond lives a murderer.
“Yes, and no. We have a treaty written by the goddess Selene.” It’s still strange that this is a real scenario, but whatever. “Wolves have a purpose in this world, Sabina. We are the guardians of the human world.”
“Guardians of the human world,” I echo. “That sounds ominous.” More importantly, why the hell do humans need guardians? That’s the real question.
“Those of a supernatural variety either love us or hate us. There are some wolves who rebuke the treaty, deny it. Rogue wolves that we must deal with.”
“You mean kill them,” I correct.
“Yes.” It’s firm and unapologetic. His words strike a chord inside of me that makes my heart tug. Yet it’s more than just that. It’s the underlying duty in his reply that reminds me so much of my father, tears spring to my eyes and I have to look away. “I won’t apologize for killing a lycan that rips out the throat of an innocent. I will not blink as his blood spills over my hands. And I will do it again and again until my dying day.” That? That is not like Dad.
“Well then...” Shivers race up my spine at the change in his tone, showing the hard alpha that he keeps buried deep inside. It’s so different from the mental dialog that swarms through my mind that for a moment, I’m speechless.
“We are guardians, Sabina, we keep the supernatural races from exposing themselves. We keep them from killing humans. Yet we are dying. There are no cubs to take over what we do, and Sabina, we don’t live forever. Many of us die keeping the mortals safe. We die hunting down the rogue wolves and others that prey on the innocent. Shadow isn’t wrong.”
“Like hell he’s right.” I spin in my seat, fighting my seat belt as the strap tries to decapitate me. I flick it behind my back only to receive a dirty look from Athos.
“Wear it properly.”
“No, it’s trying to kill me.”
“If we get into an accident, you will fly through the windshield,” he counters, tapping the steering wheel nervously.
“It’s better than decapitation by the seat belt.”
“You need a child’s belt.” I can’t tell if my short stature amuses him or annoys him. He should meet Pepper. If he thinks I’m annoying, she’d drive him up the wall.
“Athos.” My voice turns serious. “I have cousins. So many cousins.” Only Ash, Pepper, and I are over twenty-one. The rest are still in their prime. Young and ready to take on the world. They deserve that chance. A flicker of resolve arises inside of me to make sure he never gets his hands on my cousins. “Do you think…?”
“I think.” He casts a long glance at me before his eyes turn back to the road and we pull toward Lunar Mile. “I’m ready to take that curse seriously. Shadow knows something.”
“If lycans are supernatural guardians, why do you fight with each other?”
“We aren’t supernatural guardians, Sabina, we are guardians of the mortals who walk this earth. That doesn’t mean all packs get along.” He shakes his head as though dislodging his thoughts. “Lycans can be rather territorial, especially when they claim something as their own.”
“But you didn’t always live here.”
“We did not. We were called here. We suspect it’s because of the uprising in supernaturals. While Lunar Mile holds a mage’s basic protection on it, it’s only to keep humans from wandering where they do not belong.”
I nod as though that all makes sense, but my stomach still twists with worry. What if the rest of my family is in danger? What if they were always in danger? “Athos, what did my dad do?”
He sighs long and slow just as he pulls into my driveway. I don’t think he will answer me, and as he shifts the truck into park and flicks the engine off, he turns to me. His hair golden in the fading sunlight.
“Your father was a human liaison. He bridged the gap between our worlds. He was the one who called us here. He was the one who set up mages to create the perimeter warding off humans, not including your father. He kept us hidden so that the world would never find out what lives beside them.” He can’t quite look me in the eyes as the words softly fall from his lips. He fidgets with his cuffs, unbuttoning them to roll the sleeves up, showing off his forearms. Inside the truck, tension rises, becoming thick and suffocating.
Denial springs to my lips, but as I gaze out over the clearing to the cabin that stands tall amongst the trees, the reality of it comes down to crush me like a weight. My dad moved here before the wolves did. My dad orchestrated all of this.
Am I nothing but a pawn?
Or am I his daughter in every sense of the word?
“Was he a mage?” My face scrunches up. That just makes little sense. I have no magical ability. There is nothing about me that even holds a spark of magic, just that spark of imagination drilled into me by a man who held more secrets than the Secret Service.
“No, your father was completely human. But you, Sabina, are something more.” Finally, he turns to look at me, his gaze questioning and yet full of desire. The tug between us pulls tighter. The afternoon sealed a bond that I didn’t want to create, but one I cannot deny exists.
“I have nothing about me that makes me special, Athos.” All m
y life, I walked through each moment just existing. Not truly thriving or living. I went through the motions, but nothing made me stand out. Not until this week.
“That’s where you’re wrong, little cub. Your existence makes you more precious to us than all the stars in the sky. You are ours, Sabina, you are meant to be with us.” He holds up a hand before I can protest that I’m not a broodmare. “I know what you’re going to say. Stop right there. You won’t lose anything about your life, but you won’t gain just lovers either. You will gain men who will willingly stand beside you. Men who will want to be a part of your life. Men who will not stand in front of you or behind you, but next to you for the rest of you living days.” He pauses for a moment, a smile on his face. “Men who feed you.”
My heart thumps wildly in my chest as each of his words pierces something inside me, shattering my resolve.
All little girls dream of a man willing to walk beside them. Fate just gifted me lycans.
“I know what you’re thinking, little cub.”
“I doubt that.”
“You think that you want to climb over here and kiss me. To seal the bond that began when your heart first beat for us.” He licks his lips, drawing my attention there where the pink flesh now glistens. “But, little cub, if you come over here giving me that look, I won’t stop until I fuck you, claiming every single inch of your flesh. I won’t stop until I’m buried inside you where I will stay until all you can think or breathe is me.”
Oh. Shit.
Take me. Take me now. I want that, all of it.
But I can’t say it. My mouth forgot how to mouth. My voice only comes out in little squeaks. Horny, I’m so horny. Famished really.
“Feed me.” Oh, that’s what you decide to say, mouth? That? Smooth, real smooth.
“No.”
“Why not?” I whine. Full-blown girlie whine. “Feed me.”
His chuckle is dark and hungry, and I can’t help but flick my gaze down to where he strains against his jeans. “Because now I want to hear about this curse. If it was enough to keep you from crawling to us despite the hunger in your eyes, then it’s enough for me to sit down and listen to you.”
I flop my head back against the headrest just as the door pops open.
A groan fills the cabin of the truck before a cough and sputter sound. I roll my head to look at Liam who walks away, kicking at the gravel.
“What’s his problem?” I frown as he marches off to the woods, stripping as he goes. I do not complain about the show though. His fingers hook into his pants, sliding them down, down.
Christian steps right into my view. “Move,” I growl at him.
“He’s pissed because it smells like sex in here.” He raises a brow in challenge as he takes one long, slow inhale. “Luckily, I have some self-control.”
I snort, sure he does. I push him away and slide down the truck until my feet hit the gravel inches from Christian’s, who doesn’t move out of the way. “Move, Sheriff.” I push him, but all that does is egg him on.
“Alpha, can we touch now?” He doesn’t look at Athos, no, he boxes me in, staring down at me like he needs to devour me. Everywhere his eyes settle, a little fire begins beneath my skin.
“No.”
That caught his attention. Christian jerks his head up. “What is it?” All business. No play. Christian backs away from me, gesturing for me to go.
Sighing, I mosey my way on over to the swing set, content to just daydream about sexy males who turn into wolves. I plop down on the swing, sliding my feet over the broken mulch.
Athos and Christian join me over by the swing set. Above, the door creaks open and closed as Nix saunters to the railing. His eyes assessing the situation.
Feeling serious, I take a hard look at Christian. The bond between us is still uncertain, but I’m learning how to access it and test it for weakness. “I didn’t think you’d be here.”
“Can’t get rid of me that easily, Damsel. Besides, who’d save you?” Cocky bastard.
“Save me from what?” I do not need saving, unless it’s from gravity, then yes, I need saving.
He just smiles that crooked smile, letting little dimples pucker in his cheeks.
“What happened?” Nix’s steps are soft on the stairs, the wood barely groaning. Ninja feet.
“You didn’t tell them with your Jedi mind tricks?” I swing back with gratitude in my smile, realizing Athos kept my secret. Growing up in a family of all women, we never had secrets. What one knew within an hour, the world knew.
His head jerks to the side once, making my heart swell. “It is not my secret to tell.”
“You’re my favorite.”
Athos blushes sheepishly for a moment before groaning with a roll of his eyes. “Our telepathic link has its limits, Sabina. Here, I cannot communicate with the whole pack, only these four who are a part of my sub-pack. I must be within a certain radius to mentally contact the rest of the pack. Your father’s cabin sits outside that range.”
That is interesting to know, especially regarding the sub-pack. I wonder what that range is? Five miles? Fifty?
A whine draws my attention to the white wolf at my side. Up this close, I can see the threads of gray in his coat. Immediately, I know it’s Liam. And he is huge, level with me on the swing. I swallow back my initial flicker of fear and reach out a shaky hand to touch him.
Soft fur slides beneath my fingertips. “You want to be my favorite, don’t you?” Oh no, I used the puppy voice on the man. Lycan.
But he doesn’t seem too bothered by it, though a whine leaves his chest.
I bop him on the nose. “You’ll get your chance,” I assure Liam before turning back to the others. “Okay, now that we are all here, I will lay it out for you. My family is cursed. I told Athos earlier. But what I didn’t tell him is how.” A pang of pain pierces my heart. So much death. Liam whines once more, laying his head on my lap. I thread my fingers through his fur, smiling softly. He really played in this yard as a pup. He had spoken those words in a literal sense. “All the men the women in my family fall in love with die.”
Silence greets me, and I’m worried they will just dismiss that fear, that revelation. But when I look up, all I see is acceptance. My heart swells even more.
Until Christian opens his mouth. “Even the men you’ve fucked?”
He is definitely my least favorite.
Chapter 16
I watch as mist rises in the distance, shrouding the tree line over the mountain. Birds flock in the early morning sky, heading south as fall begins to slip toward winter. My slippered feet rock me back and forth as I sip my cooling coffee, the one thing I can make.
The irony isn’t lost on me that the only thing I can actually make is literally bean juice. Bean. Juice. I snicker to myself, only mildly disappointed the guys aren’t around to share in my terrible jokes. Days, I’ve spent only days with them, and yet somehow they weaseled their way into my heart, and now I miss them not being around.
I don’t mind spending time alone. Yet I can only do so in small increments. Back home, the only time I get to spend alone is in the bathroom, and I live by myself. There’s always a cousin seeking to fill some kind of void. Whether that be silence or just avoiding a mom or aunt. I don’t mind, not really, because my cousins also keep my desolate thoughts from whisking away my happiness.
A slight breeze chills my skin, sliding beneath my silk kimono and teasing my flesh. With a sigh, I sip my bean juice, wishing the wind had ghost fingers to ease the ache in my core. I wrinkle my nose at the thought, but only for a second, because this girl is feeling needy. Ever since coming here, my body has been in a constant state of need. I suspect four lycans are the reason for that ache.
After my curse revelation last night, they all dispersed, stating varying excuses and leaving me alone. But not alone. Every once in a while, I witness a shift of silver, tan, or black moving through the trees. Luckily, instead of fear turning my gut, a sense of calm infuses me. My own pack of
bodyguards. Though I’d never dare tell them that. I’d never live the nickname Damsel down. Christian surely doesn’t need any more fodder for that particular moniker.
I have only a handful of days before the girls show up with the twins. All morning, my phone rang with Ash’s face on the screen. I know at some point I’ll have to answer her call, otherwise she’ll send park rangers after me. Or worse, some branch of the military. She may look soft on the outside, but she isn’t just another pretty-faced military brat. On no, that one followed in her father’s footsteps and made a career out of it. She just won’t tell me what she does exactly. Though I wonder with the worry that threads her tone when she talks to me about being out here alone.
Does she know something I don’t?
I continue to sip my doctored coffee, full of sugary creamer as I long for a doughnut. Yet not a single one of the guys shows aside from their massive wolfy selves. I should enjoy the time alone, except it’s been over twelve hours, and now I’m rocking in Dad’s rocker, staring out over the mountain and watching the sunrise.
Desperately needing to fill the void of silence.
I’m not fooling anyone, not even myself. I’m looking for the guys as I sit out here. My body has been nothing but coiled tightly since they dropped into my life like the furry little bombs they are, leaving me in a state of perpetual arousal. Rubbing my thighs together, I eye my truck. Hidden somewhere in there is a dildo, or one of those vibrating toys that holds the power to accomplish an orgasm in three point four seconds. Though if I’m being honest with myself, it truly takes the fun out of it.
Who the hell just wants to get off that quickly? It doesn’t even take the edge off, all it does is leave me wanting for more. More as in four handsome and delicious mates more.
Stupid curse. Just when I’m ready to give in, they back off. And since they have that whole telepathic advantage, I’m sure they are keeping each other in check.
My phone begins the military march, indicating Ash is calling me again, but I squint at my truck, making a promise to search the tin monstrosity as soon as I can. Besides, I need to bring that satellite phone in anyway.
