Page 4

T homas

I watch in shock as the grey wolf takes down the man I was following. I know I should be shocked that there is a stranger—a strange wolf—in the compound but that’s not what has grabbed my attention. It’s the fact that this wolf is larger than any other I have ever seen, closer to the size of my own and vibrating with unbridled rage.

A moment later, I watch Caine and Godrick run across the field to stand beside her in their human forms. Confusion swirls in my mind as I make my way closer to them. Already, my wolf is pushing against my hold on him, wanting to get out. It’s then the scent hits me once more and I know this wolf is the woman from before, my fated mate. She smells like strawberries and cream and my mouth waters.

“Get off me, you fucking bitch!” the man roars angrily even though it is an impotent rage. My attention focuses on him, needing to make sure he doesn’t pose any threat to my yet unclaimed mate. The stunning grey wolf has him pinned down while she bares her teeth at him.

“Who are you?” I ask. “What are you doing here?”

He turns to look at me and fear overwhelms me. He is a Hunter, the second in command. I have known him my entire life. My wolf whimpers as memories flash through my mind. I stagger back, bumping into Godrick, who steadies me. I fight to remain in control of my wolf who wants nothing more than to take his true form in the face of this monster.

“Hello, Thomas,” the man says with a cruel smile while my heart does its best to beat right the fuck out of my chest.

“Aaron?” All our gazes turn toward Iris. She stands between Sayer and Raleigh, both her mates watching carefully as she holds her large pregnant belly. “It can’t be.” The words are nothing but a whisper on the wind, but I can feel her pain as if it was my own.

The wolf pinning the man to the forest floor snorts, her gaze locked on Caine. He tilts his head to assess her before nodding. “You can change back. We’ve got this.”

She releases the man before bounding away. I track her with my gaze until she reaches Peyton who holds out a fluffy white robe for her. Quickly, the shift falls over her and she is back to her human form. She hastily slips the fabric over her arms and cinches the belt before she and Peyton both make their way toward us.

“Why are you here?” she asks the man who is now being held up by Godrick.

Aaron glares. “Why are you?”

Her eyes narrow before she turns and speaks directly to Caine. “This is Aaron. He is second in charge of the Hunters. I met him once. He and Silas have an agreement to keep them away from us.”

“Excuse me?” Sayer cuts in. “Who the hell are you?”

“Lola. I came here to join your pack, but he showed up. Now I want to know if he is following me.”

“He could be tracking me,” I say, not knowing if it is possible but fearing it all the same.

“He’s here for me.” Everyone turns their attention to Iris once more. “This is my brother, the man Max thinks he killed.”

Aaron glares at Iris before trying to break free from Goldrick’s grasp. He roars when he cannot escape but that doesn’t stop the poisonous words falling from his lips.

“You’re a whore. Our father’s greatest disappointment,” he seethes. “Look at you, spreading your legs for these animals. As if that wasn’t bad enough, you’re breeding their filth now!”

You could hear a pin drop in the forest, everyone shocked into silence before the air is rend in two by the sound of a slap. Aaron’s face whips to the side, blood dripping from his nose. We all stare at Lola, this strange new woman, as she breathes harshly and fights to hold back her wolf.

“I should rip your fucking throat out,” she says with a low growl. “Count yourself lucky this isn’t my pack.”

She is vicious and strong, ferocious in her defense of these people she does not know. I am in awe of her strength and beauty. I want to hold and praise her, but I know it’s not the time for that now. Soft sobs emanate from Iris, and I watch her mates as they try to comfort her. I know she lost a brother, or thought she did, but I never knew he was this man.

This man, Aaron, is pure evil. He was always the lead whenever tests or experiments were performed on me. Just seeing him here has a frisson of pure fear and blinding rage running down my spine.

“Take her home,” Caine tells the twins, nodding at their sobbing mate. “Aaron is going to lockup, and we will deal with him in the morning.”

They nod and lead her back across the field, soft words whispered between them. Caine turns to Lola with a nod. “Thank you. You are welcome to stay as long as you like.”

“I appreciate that.” She doesn’t take her eyes off Aaron as she answers, “I want to help with him.”

My instincts scream at me to intervene but my wolf whines in my head, stopping me. I may not always be able to control my animal, but I do trust his instincts, so I remain quiet.

“Nothing will be done tonight,” Godrick says. “Iris needs a moment to process the fact that her dead brother is actually alive and a venomous pig. She should be there to decide his fate. This impacts her as well. You can stay with Emmaleigh and Nico. I know Thomas’s old room is empty. We will deal with this shit in the morning.”

****

L ola

I am enraged. I am sad. I am confused. All those feelings swirling inside me, coupled with my volatile beast, do not make for a good combination, but I take several deep breaths, keeping my cool. Caine takes Aaron away to lock him up for the night while Godrick leads me through the compound toward a house.

My mate disappears into the inky darkness. My heart is already breaking. He won’t look at me and already avoids being near me. I don’t know if I will be able to survive a second refusal. I never considered that I had a real chance of finding a second fated mate, but now that he is a reality I don’t want to give him up. I want a mate who wants me as badly as I want him, whether he is a dire wolf or not.

Godrick knocks on the dark wooden door waiting for someone to open while my mind runs away with the possibilities this new life could offer. A few seconds later, a stunning woman with dark hair and a beautiful smile opens the door.

“I’ve brought you a houseguest. I hope you don’t mind,” Godrick says with a chuckle. “Lola, this is Emmaleigh.”

“Hi.” The word sounds ridiculous falling from my lips but I honestly don’t know else to say. At least I didn’t fucking wave.

“When did you guys go out? I didn’t know there was a raid,” she questions Godrick with a frown.

“No raid. She wandered in all on her own,” he replies with a snort. “Came right up to the gate looking to find a new pack.”

Emmaleigh stares at me but I’m not focused on her. What does have my attention is the smell emanating from inside her house. It smells like the first rain of summer on a stormy night. My mate has been here, and not just for a visit. He spent many hours and days in this house and his scent is still coating everything.

“Lola?” she asks waving her hand in front of my face. “Are you okay?”

“Does anyone else live with you except your mate?” I know I’m being rude, but the answer is important. I won’t go inside if I can fuck things up for someone else.

“Not anymore,” she says with a frown. “Thomas left last month so it’s just the two of us.”

I breathe in a lungful of the scent as Emmaleigh allows me entrance. Thomas. Our mate’s name is Thomas. My wolf wants to take control once more and track him down, but I fight to keep her under control.

“There is a lot going on tonight,” Godrick cuts in. “Perhaps just get some rest and we can talk everything through in the morning? We can introduce you to everyone.”

My wolf snaps at him in the recesses of my mind, wanting to hurt the big male for keeping her from what she actually wants, but I force myself to keep a lid on her grumpy ass, she has had enough action for one night.

“That could be hard,” I say through gritted teeth. “You’ve seen what my wolf is like when she wants to get out.” Godrick frowns and I know he isn’t comprehending what I am saying so I have to spell it out for him. “My fated mate is in this compound.”

“Fuck,” Godrick and Emmaleigh say in unison.

****

I nstead of staying with Emmaleigh and her mate, I get taken back to the Alpha’s house. Peyton suggested I stay with them until I can get my wolf under control and figure out how to approach my mate. I haven’t told them I know who my mate is yet, fear of rejection keeping me from pursuing him in any way. Staying here is for the best. Caine will be able to control me in some fashion with his Alpha commands and at the moment it is the best chance we have.

“This isn’t ideal,” Caine says as we sit in their kitchen.

“Not ideal?” Peyton asks with a raised brow, sarcasm dripping from every word. “What if I had told you that you had to stay away from me when you first felt our bond?”

“My moon...”

She cuts him off with a glare. “Don’t you dare my moon me. You know you would have torn anyone and everyone limb from limb to get to me.”

“This is for the best,” I interject, not wanting her to be upset. “No one here knows me. My mate could refuse me. We need to take the night and let calmer minds do the thinking in the morning, not a mate bond.”

“Why would he refuse you?” Caine asks harshly.

A sad smile plays on my lips. “Not everyone wants a massive, volatile dire wolf as their mate.”

“Bullshit! And any one of my people that refuses a mating based on breed better start looking for a new pack.” Disdain at the mere thought pours from him in waves. “I will not have anyone else suffer like my moon did.”

I stare at her in shock but all she does is shrug. “My dad is mated to a panther.”

“What?”

She nods with a smile. “Massive age gap. She is his second chance at happiness after my mom died. I’ll tell you the story sometime when everything calms down.” Caine snorts. “If it ever calms down,” she amends with a loud sigh.

“It will take me a while to get used to all of this,” I say rubbing at my brow. “You people are by far the strangest pack I have ever met.”

Peyton laughs freely and before either can reply, a howl rends through the evening air right before the front door is splintered into pieces. A stunning onyx-colored wolf stands just outside, breathing harshly. His yellow gaze seeks me out immediately and I can’t help but smile. We may have thought it was a good idea to wait until morning, but my mate and his wolf have other plans.