Page 9

While I would rather the pack not suffer continuous problems due to the rogues, I am enjoying the increased patrols. Part of being alpha that I didn’t expect was how much time I’d sit behind a desk making financial decisions, solving problems, and dealing with pack disagreements. The chance to be out and let my wolf run free isn’t something I’m going to pass up. Even the fights are worth it, as I relish the opportunity to flex my alpha powers.

Ralph ruled this island with an iron fist, along with his family. And I guess that included the rogues, too. They were always the scavengers living on the edges of our society, feeding off the scraps. Ignored at best, persecuted at worst, I guess. I never thought too much about them until Ralph’s death, and the attacks started in earnest.

They must have sensed their chance in the ensuing transition period—a land grab of sorts. That’s certainly been the result, anyway, as several landowners have abandoned properties nearer the borders, tired of the attacks and having to defend themselves constantly. Smaller cabins are being inhabited by rogues claiming they have a right to abandoned property. They’re becoming emboldened, and so far, our attempts to crush them are having only limited success. We need to go further.

That doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy the fight right now, though.

The last of these rogue wolves has been rounded up, and Byron leads the group, taking them down the mountain to be held until expulsion. I wipe the blood from my hands on my leg, enjoying the buzz of adrenaline in my muscles that lasts long after the fight has ended. This particular group of rogues had been targeting a small outer settlement on the northern ridge, great families that had been there for years. Unfortunately, some of the younger wolves are away at college on the mainland, leaving the older folks more vulnerable to theft. Getting rid of these vermin tonight feels good. As alpha, all I want is for my pack to thrive and feel safe; getting these rogue attackers under control is essential to keeping that a reality.

I fall into line with my betas walking down the trail toward town; the mood is upbeat, except perhaps for the miserable and beaten group of rogues at the front. I turn to see Charlie fall into step with me, and I tense slightly, knowing full well what he’s going to say.

“Ava said any more about where she’s been?” he mutters, almost reluctantly, but I know the situation is eating at him. “Whose the kid is?”

I eye him deliberately, finding I don’t like him referring to Harper as just the kid . “She has a name, you know, your niece. Harper. Sweet thing.”

Charlie runs his hand through his hair. “Yeah, Sara ran into them and said the same. I just don’t know how to handle all this. You know I wasn’t close to Ava.”

I can feel my rage burning close beneath the surface, but I also know he’s asking his alpha for advice, so I try to temper my own feelings as I reply evenly, “That’s not true though, is it? You two were super close as kids; you just made the decision to choose the pack over your parents; no one ever said anything about you ditching Ava.” I feel him bristle at my words but continue. “No reason you can’t make amends now.”

“So this is all my fault, huh?” he snaps.

I want to tell him yes. Actually, it is all your fault. She ran that day because she had no one—after I rejected her, she had no one. “Do you remember what you said when folk started asking where Ava was?” I reply coldly. “You said she’d decided to leave and didn’t want to be followed. Was that true?”

I already know it’s not true. Ava told me she didn’t speak to Charlie. It pissed me off that he lied then, it’s going to royally piss me off if he lies to my face now, but I’m giving him a chance.

To his credit, he doesn’t miss a beat. “I, uh, lied,” he says, looking down at the trail. “I know it was stupid, but I honestly figured she’d just had enough, and I didn’t want the whole pack talking about her or my folks.”

“So you just abandoned her?” I snarl. “And look what happened to her.”

“Look.” Charlie says, stopping me in my tracks, “I don’t know what caused her to run off; it had nothing to do with me, so someone else did something. I should have done something, but everything was going so well, and folks seemed happy that she was gone. I didn’t want to rock the boat. My own position wasn’t as secure then. I’m a selfish fuck.”

I can hear my own blood rushing in my ears, knowing I’m the reason she ran. I want to punch Charlie in the face, but I know it’s because I’m the bastard that set all this in motion; he doesn’t even know I was fucking his sister. I’m angry at him because I’m angry at myself. But I’m not about to tell him that.

“Sort it out, Charlie. Make things right with Ava,” I say firmly. “The last thing this pack needs is division. It’s time that they see you making things right; they’ll follow suit, and we’ll have more time to focus on keeping everyone safe.”

He stares for a moment and then nods. “Might help if she was a little more forthcoming with where she’s been. With the rogues? That’s really what’s bothering people,” he suggests. “She might be able to help. Sure she hasn’t said anything?”

I glare in response. “I’m sure I would have told my betas had she provided any useful information on that front.”

Realizing he might have overstepped, he bows his head, and I can feel his wolf’s submission. The truth is, I know he’s right. Everything I’m pissed off at him about is just a reflection of my own shortcomings in this situation. And that just pisses me off even more.

We walk on in silence, though I’m reassured Charlie will at least try to make amends with Ava, if she’ll let him. I think it would help if the pack saw that her own brother was more welcoming of her return. None of that helps my deeper sense of frustration, though—how we’ve been avoiding each other since I kissed her. Nothing has changed regarding her status in the pack. It’s actually worse than ever. Even her wolf has abandoned her. Kissing her, wanting her, is more pointless than it was then.

Sometimes, I think I should just offer her and Harper safe passage to the mainland, maybe give her some money, and tell her not to look back. But even the thought of doing that makes my gut twist, and my wolf gets angsty. I know what that means. I know my wolf senses the mate bond. Which is actually the most ridiculous part of all this, as my wolf should know better than any that the pack won’t accept her.

Charlie doesn’t attempt to talk to me again as we reach the town, and I issue orders about the prisoners before heading back to the house. I was so fired up from the fight, and now I just feel weary, worn out by my own thoughts and regrets. Not to mention, my wolf is riding me hard about every wrong step I’ve made where Ava is concerned.

When I enter, the house is quiet—too quiet. I think for a moment that my senses are on high alert until I hear the gentle sound of a lullaby from somewhere upstairs. Following the sound, I find myself outside Ava’s room, listening at the door. The scent of the vanilla bath salts fills the air, and I see that she’s tucking Harper into bed for the night. She’s singing quietly to Harper, an old pack lullaby I remember from when I was a pup.

My heart swells at the sight of her kneeling next to Harper in the enormous bed, her long blonde hair cascading over one shoulder as she gently strokes Harper’s cheek. She's wearing a soft pink nightgown that clings to her body just right. It’s simple but shows off every curve, and my hands itch to touch her. Ava’s voice is raspy but soothing, and I can hear the love behind every word.

I shouldn't be here, but something inside me won't let me walk away. I can't help but feel like this is my world now—Ava and Harper are part of it. Maybe it's selfish or stupid, but for a moment after talking to Charlie, after I’d walked in silence stewing on every aspect of this mess, I thought about telling her everything. How much I care for her and want her and Harper to stay with me. How much my wolf demands it.

But then reality sets back in when I remember what would happen if I did that. The pack would never stand for it; they’d never accept her. What about Harper’s father? Will he return and lay claim on both of them? The thought fills me with rage and bitter jealousy. As much as I can pretend it isn’t so, standing here and watching this family scene play out in front of me, I can’t hide from the truth—it’s not my family. And beyond these walls, I have a pack who won’t let me play pretend. But that doesn’t stop me from craving everything I can’t have.

I should leave, but my feet are rooted to the spot. I watch her finish singing and then lean in to kiss Harper’s forehead, tucking her in one last time. The click of the lamp as Ava turns to walk away leaves me in near darkness, only a faint sliver of moonlight filtering through the window. I can barely make out Ava's form as she stands and walks toward the door, but before she notices me, I grab her wrist, pulling her forcefully into my arms.

Her breath hitches as she gasps in surprise, her body stiffening against mine. "Callum," she whispers, her voice shaky with fear or anger—I can't even tell which, and right now, I don’t care.

"I'm sorry," I whisper back, my mouth brushing against her earlobe as I pull her closer still. "I can't stay away."

Her heart is really racing fast now, and I feel it pounding against my chest through our clothing. Desire flares between us like wildfire caught in the wind. She tries to pull away slightly, but she doesn’t fight me when I don’t relent. Maybe because she feels it too, or maybe because she knows there's no escaping me this time.

I lead her toward my room, careful not to turn on any lights so that we remain shrouded by darkness. I kick the door shut behind us and push her against the wall, crashing my lips onto hers. It's a rough kiss, demanding and hungry, not like when we were kids. There’s no gentleness or exploration here, just need. She responds by tangling her hands in my hair as she clings to me desperately. We're both panting heavily when we finally break apart for air.

"I want you," I murmur against her earlobe before trailing kisses down her neck toward her more sensitive areas. "God, I want you so much."

Her breath is ragged as she nods against my shoulder. "Callum…we shouldn't be doing this." But there's no conviction in her voice. There's only desperate need echoing between us.

We stumble toward the bed. The sound of fabric ripping fills the air as I shred Ava’s flimsy nightgown, and our skin finally touches. It's electric, sending shockwaves through my body that make me shudder. Her nipples are hard against my chest, and I groan in anticipation as I bend down slightly and take one into my mouth. She arches her back, gasping and pushing herself further into the sensation.

"Fuck," I mumble against her breast, my other hand moving down to where she's already damp with arousal. My fingers part her folds and find her clit, rubbing firm circles around the sensitive nub before dipping inside her wetness. She cries out softly at the pleasure coursing through her body and grinds down onto my hand in response.

I can’t wait any longer. Standing up straight and pulling off the rest of my clothes, I gently push her back onto the bed. She’s panting heavily as I hover over her naked form, kissing along her jawbone and down her neck, nudging her thighs open further. My cock throbs painfully against my stomach as I position myself between her legs and slide inside her in one swift motion.

Her walls clench tightly around me as she gasps out loud and grips my shoulders almost painfully. She’s tight, almost too tight, and I have to close my eyes to steady myself before I start to move. I want to go gently for her. I should go gently, but I can’t. The need for release is too great. I start thrusting into her with long, hard strokes, each one hitting harder than the last.

I know we’re both trying to be quiet, but we’re close to losing control. Everywhere I touch sends my magic sparking—her nails dig into my back as she pulls me closer, and my hand finds its way to her breast, massaging it roughly while I grab her hip with my other hand so I can drive into her even harder.

Our breathing is heavy as we speed toward our climaxes—finally, overwhelmed by pleasure, Ava’s body tenses up underneath mine, and she cries out as she comes undone first, her walls gripping me tightly as I continue to pound into her relentlessly through her orgasm until I lose control and explode inside of her, groaning out loud as my hot cum fills her.

We collapse together, and I pull her against my side. She seems to sink into me for a moment, but as our breathing returns to normal, I feel her tensing. Releasing her slightly, my eyes having adjusted to the darkness, I look into hers but see only uncertainty and doubt.

“Ava,” I begin, not really knowing what to say. “I-”

She pushes back slightly. “D-don’t,” she whispers, “don’t say anything. I just need to get back to Harper. If she wakes up and I’m not there…”

“We should talk about this,” I say, but she shakes her head and pulls away from me.

“No, that’s the last thing we should do,” she replies before standing, grabbing the blanket from the end of the bed, and rushing out the door.

I lie on my back, surrounded by her scent, my cock already hard again. My wolf almost demands I drag her back here, but I hear her bedroom door click shut and groan with the frustration I feel in every part of me.