Shifters of grey ridge b.., p.43
Shifters of Grey Ridge Box Set, page 43
part #1 of Box Set: Books 1 - 3 Series
“So, go do that one thing and then go from there.” He pulls me in for a hug and I relax a bit. He’s right. Telling Marcus we’re mates has to be done. I just need to figure out how to do it. “But for tonight, have fun. You’re allowed to do that, you know.”
I used to think Alpha Steel was aloof and cold, but once he lets you in, he’s not like that at all. He opened up his house and his pack to me when I needed it, no questions asked. I am fortunate to count him and Max as friends. They’re good people. Max appears at Blake’s side at that moment and holds his hand out to me.
“Can I steal this pretty lady away for a dance?” he asks Blake with a wink at me.
“I think that question should be directed at the lady in question, Max,” he laughs, before placing his hand gently on my back and pushing me towards Max. “Don’t worry, he won’t bite.”
Max looks like he might, though. He has a carefully cultivated, scary biker slash Viking look that he only deviates from for formal pack business, like tonight. It’s strange to see him out on a dance floor having fun. Much like Blake, he only lets his guard down around a select few. I’m lucky to be one of those people because he really is a big softy behind it all.
“You might have everyone else fooled into thinking you’re some scary half-wolf, half…?” He looks at me, stunned, before slowly nodding. I can tell that he’s impressed I have picked up on the subtle difference in his scent from normal wolves. Before, I never noticed it, but it seems obvious now.
“Very good Leila, well done. I’m half black bear actually,” he admits, and I grin, wondering if this is what my children with Marcus would turn out like. He’s bigger than the average wolf and he would definitely pass for an alpha with that dominant aura. That must be why. His power actually reminds me a little of Marcus, and I feel the familiar twinge of sadness I get whenever I think of my mate.
“It gives me some extra strength, a super sense of smell, but no mad shifting into a bear stuff, if that was going to be your next question.” I slam my lips shut. That was exactly what I was going to ask, and he bursts out laughing.
“I didn’t notice it at first, but I can pick it up now. Just a little extra something. I clearly spend far too much time with you,” I say proudly. He looks closely at me for a second, considering me.
“Hmmm. Not many people work it out. You must have a great sense of smell,” he muses, before moving around me until he is standing behind me and continues to move in time with the music. Instead of casually dancing in a group, he has manoeuvred us slightly over to the side. This has morphed into something more intimate in the blink of an eye. I can feel the heat from his chest against my back and his breath against my hair, tickling my scalp.
“What are you doing, Max?” I ask nervously, my voice shaking as he slides his hands from my waist down over my hips.
“Just trying something,” he whispers into my ear lazily, as if he hasn’t just crossed an invisible line. The one that we drew in the sand that very first day he offered me a safe place to hide and recover.
“What…?” I go to quiz him, but his hips brushing against my ass as he moves have me shutting my mouth in shock. My mind is racing, but getting nowhere fast. Should I be exploring this? Should I see whether I can consider anyone other than Marcus as a mate?
But this is Max. He’s like a brother to me. It’s weird. Although he’s not your brother, I remind myself. You just put him in that box because he was nice to you when you were heartbroken. He’s actually a smart, gorgeous man who’s been nothing but a gentleman since I arrived. Most women would love this opportunity.
“How do you feel, Leila?” he growls, and my brain can’t seem to form any coherent thoughts on the subject. How do I feel?
“Flustered,” I blurt out, because that’s exactly how I feel. It’s too much to process. He chuckles as his grip on my hips loosens and he slips his arms around my waist. He leans over my shoulder, inhales deeply, and gently presses his lips to my neck, his teeth grazing my marking spot briefly. Instantly, my vision goes red. It’s like someone dropped a filter down over my eyes and my wolf surges to the surface. Before I can register what has happened, my claws are out, and I’ve dragged them down Max’s side as I spin in place and shove him away from me. It’s only when I have him pinned against the wall beside the dancefloor, my wolf ready to castrate this guy for taking liberties, do I register the big grin he has plastered on his face.
“What the fuck is so funny?” I growl out, stepping back and trying to regain my composure. I don’t know what he is laughing at, but my wolf is not amused. In fact, she wants to show him exactly what she can do. Bear or not.
“I knew it.” He smiles again. “I’m sorry, Leila, but I needed to check.” Was this a test? To see if my wolf could tolerate another man’s touch. If so, surely a more subtle approach would have been better. One that didn’t end up with him covered in blood and the rest of his pack staring at me like I’m crazy. It’s not everyday you see someone taking a chunk out of a beta wolf, and living to tell the tale.
“I don’t even know what happened. I don’t understand,” I ask, bewildered. My human brain can’t fathom why my wolf went for him like that. Surely telling him to get lost would have been sufficient. He’s not the first guy to get a bit handsy with me. Normally, I don’t need to draw blood for them to get the hint. He looks pointedly down at where my hands are resting, and I follow his gaze, focusing initially on the red liquid that’s coating my fingers and dripping onto the floor.
Then I see what he sees, and I don’t know whether to laugh or to cry. I’m a doctor, for crying out loud. How did a bear work it out before me?
CHAPTER 25
MARCUS
Ethan slams the door shut and without saying a word and I pull away from the packhouse, already dreading the long drive to Anderson’s territory. Red Creek is a good 3-hour trip and I’m not feeling chatty. Ethan, as always, ignores my introverted ways and immediately launches into his usual mindless chatter. I sigh loudly, scrubbing a hand down my face and over my beard, which is longer and even more untidy than normal. A big gulp of the coffee I now need since my sleeping patterns have gone to shit, burns the inside of my mouth and I curse. I already know this day is going to suck. They all suck lately.
“That was quite a performance you put on for us yesterday,” he teases, referring to the standoff with Cooper. I groan as I turn to glance quickly at Ethan’s smirking face. He’s Cooper’s Beta and is soon to be second in command of the pack. Jonathan Jones, Cooper’s father, is going to retire soon and Cooper and Hayley will be running the show. Ethan’s aura isn’t far off the Alpha’s strength-wise. This wolf is no pushover. And no matter how rude I am, he isn’t put off. It’s infuriating. I’ve never had friends, preferring my own company, but he seems determined to force his way in.
“I’m glad I amuse you,” I say sourly, knowing that I am being shitty with Ethan for no good reason other than I don’t really want to explain my behaviour to anyone. Mainly because I can’t.
“I wouldn’t say Cooper found it amusing,” Ethan retorts, flashing me another lopsided smirk and dragging a hand through his jaw-length blonde hair.
“I apologised. He’ll get over it,” I grit out, squashing my empty coffee cup and shoving it into the pocket of the door, which is already overflowing with rubbish. That would normally bother me, but these days, I’m struggling to care about anything.
“What about you? Are you getting over it? Or should I say, getting over her?” he asks, all serious now, fixing me with those blue eyes, while I purposely avoid eye contact. I grit my teeth and continue to stare straight ahead at the wet road, glistening in the morning sunlight. Ignoring him doesn’t work, he never takes the hint. He should be a professional interrogator or something. Hell, he’d probably be better at my job than I am. He’d irritate anyone into spilling their guts just through sheer perseverance. Ethan has the uncanny ability to give you a look that tells you it’s futile to resist, because he knows all of your secrets already. And it’s incredibly annoying.
“Cooper’s the only other person I’ve seen behave like a crazy person recently. Seems like Leila being away has had more of an effect on you than you thought it would,” Ethan ventures, but doesn’t say more. I fall silent as I remember when Cooper first found Hayley. Those were a tense few weeks. At the time I couldn’t understand it, how hard could it be? But now I know. Now I know what it’s like to be so obsessed with someone that you can’t have, that it consumes your every thought, every moment of every day.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I mutter stubbornly, and he tips his head back and laughs his typical booming, big laugh. He twists in his seat beside me and shakes his head.
“You know exactly what I’m talking about. And I’m telling you, you’ll regret it if you don’t do everything you can to fix things with her. You’d be a fool to let a woman like that, who’s dumb enough to want you, get away. Again.” He grips my shoulder, giving it a brotherly squeeze, but I shrug him off. I don’t need to hear this right now. I already know I was lucky she even gave me a second glance. After the crap I pulled, she’d be right never to speak to me again.
“My sister arrives later to step in as the new deputy. She worked with me before and she’s good. She’ll pick up the slack while we focus on this. Let’s see what Anderson has to say. He might tell us who Toby was friendly with and where he might hide out. Nobody has seen him in weeks.” I’ve completely changed the subject, but thankfully Ethan lets it go.
This Toby thing is making me angry. He must be barely clinging to his sanity at this stage. Yet somehow he remains close to the pack territories, able to sneak in and out undetected. There was a note left on Cooper’s truck last night, telling him he’ll never get to make Hayley Luna. To say he was furious was an understatement. I’m feeling pretty fucking pissed off myself.
Toby must have help. Unease slithers up my spine as I think the unthinkable, which is that someone from inside the pack has to be assisting him. I don’t say it to Ethan, even though I’m sure it’s occurred to him too. We need to find out more first.
“I’ve exhausted all of my contacts. It’s like he’s a ghost. How invisible can a deranged Alpha wolf hell-bent on revenge be?” He scratches at his short, scruffy beard and growls. He’s obviously feeling the weight of responsibility, too. As a beta, he is in charge of protecting Cooper and Hayley, and I know he’s worried that Toby seems to be able to get close to them.
“Nobody is allowed to leave the pack territory without permission. Hayley has someone with her the whole time. Her party is tonight, and we’ve put all the out-of-towners up in the guest house so we can make sure there are no strangers wandering around the packhouse. But I still don’t like it.”
“I know. We’ll get him. Nobody is getting to Hayley. She’s been through enough,” I reassure him, and I see him nod in my peripheral vision. And we will. I’m sure of it.
“So, this sister of yours, is she hot?” he asks with a taunting little grin teasing at his lips, aiming to lighten the mood, but it has the opposite effect.
“I swear to god, Ethan, if you go near her, I’ll break your neck,” I warn, pointing a finger in his direction and he laughs.
“Woah, woah, I get it. Jeez, if she has your personality, she could be Miss World, and I’d still run the other direction.” He rubs his arm where I poked him a bit too hard, and I laugh despite myself.
“Keep Nathan away from her too,” I add. The last thing she needs is every horny dog in the place sniffing around her the second she sets foot in town. Not that she’d need any help getting rid of them. She is a bear, after all.
“You’re better off saying nothing to him. If you try to scare him off, he’ll only see it as a challenge.” Ethan shakes his head, despairing of Nathan’s playboy antics. Natalie turns heads everywhere she goes. She’s bound to catch his interest when she shows up. He’s not going to need any encouragement. Except, he won’t know what he is getting himself in for.
“Hmm. Maybe I’ll just let Natalie handle him herself.” I think I’d like to see that myself now that I think about it. It might knock him down a peg or two.
It’s easy to tell the second we cross into Alpha Anderson’s packhouse’s land. We’re clearly not the only ones concerned about Toby and upping our security. A pair of wolves hidden in the trees track our vehicle as we make our way up the long driveway towards the large plantation-style house. As we roll to a stop and climb out, they step from the trees, amber eyes glowing and posture threatening.
“Sheriff Lennox and Beta Ethan of the Grey Ridge pack to see Alpha Anderson,” I announce quickly, keen to reassure them we’re not here uninvited. I see one wolf’s eyes glow brighter as he picks up my bear’s scent and decides that I present a threat. A growl rumbles in his chest as he prowls forward.
“Listen, wolf boy, we have an appointment. You know what I am. You really don’t want to mess with me today.” I take a step toward the wolf and watch as Ethan rolls his eyes.
“You’re about as diplomatic as Rex,” he complains, not wanting to get sucked into an argument on another pack’s territory. My bear thinks it’s a brilliant idea. He’d love a good fight to burn off some pent-up energy.
“Stand down, men. These are the guests I told you about. I didn’t realise you weren’t a wolf, Sheriff Lennox. Apologies. We’re a little on edge.” Alpha Anderson appears at the front door, hands clasped behind his back, looking at ease, but I can sense the tension pouring off him. His aura is calm, and his security relaxes at his words, but he’s an older wolf who had one foot out the door. He has survived one challenge to his leadership, but I’m sure he has his doubts that he could survive another. The last thing he wants is for Toby to get back on his land and get his claws on his pack.
Ethan blows out a long breath in relief before striding toward Andrew Anderson and shaking his hand firmly. After we finish our introductions, we follow him into his office and take a seat at the boardroom table. We are joined by his beta John, who acts as his head of security, and seems reassured by our presence. He knows his alpha is in a dangerous situation as long as Toby remains on the loose. Ethan is just closing the door behind him when a slim blonde slips inside, meeting his eye confidently, before sliding into the seat beside Anderson. This must be his daughter, Lucia, Toby’s former mate.
“Alpha, thank you for your time.” I kick off by giving them a rundown of the incidents we have had lately, including the threatening note left yesterday. Lucia shakes her head in disbelief at how low he has stooped.
“You shouldn’t be here,” the blonde says softly. She is staring at Ethan, and I can see the fear in her eyes. “I’m sorry for the trouble he has caused you.”
“Lucia don’t…” the Alpha says, reaching for her hand, but she shakes him off gently.
“Toby was my chosen mate, not my fated mate. And I was a fool. He convinced me that the pack wouldn’t take me seriously as Luna without a mate beside me. That we would run the pack together, as a team. But he manipulated me.” She glances around the room, and her father and John lower their eyes. I can sense their regret. They feel they have let her down by not seeing what was going on. They’re probably right.
“It’s not your fault. You’re not the first to be tricked by someone they thought loved them, and unfortunately, you won’t be the last. Some people are excellent at hiding what they truly are,” I say, and she finally drags her kind brown eyes to mine. She’s strong and doesn’t flinch under my gaze. Finally, she nods, but it’s half-hearted. She still feels foolish. I can tell she’s beating herself up over letting him pull the wool over her eyes.
“He’s good at that, being so charming and charismatic. People follow him. Four of our pack have left with him, and I know there are more that are sympathetic to him. They’re biding their time to see how things play out. John has their details for you.” John hands over a large black file, and I flick through it. It’s a dossier on each of Toby’s associates. This is a good place to start.
“Thank you.” I nod respectfully to her and the Alpha, grateful for the first useful information we’ve received. It can’t be easy for them to hand this over to another pack to resolve.
“You’re in danger now,” Lucia warns. “He’s lost his mind and coming here will have put a target on your backs. He was so angry when he lost that deal. And then to lose the pack…” she trails off, her eyes fixing on Ethan once again. I can only imagine what happened when they got back to the pack after the conference. It’s not our business, but I’d imagine it wasn’t pretty. I hope she wasn’t hurt.
“And Hayley, he won’t give up till he gets to her. He blames her for everything. You need to get to him first.” She tucks her long blonde hair behind her ear as she stands gracefully and moves slowly around to where we sit.
“We’ll stop him, Luna, don’t worry,” I assure her. “We won’t rest until he’s caught.” She doesn’t seem to hear me. She reaches out a hand tentatively and places it on Ethan’s shoulder.
“Be careful,” she whispers, before turning and striding out of the room.
CHAPTER 26
MARCUS
The heavy thud of wide paws passing behind my house alerts me to his presence before I catch his scent. He isn’t even trying to be quiet, always making the point that he isn’t a bear that needs to sneak around. His attitude is that he can do whatever he wants, and what are you going to do about it? I was right, this day really is going to suck.
I put down the files on Toby’s associates and yank open the door just before he shifts. His massive grizzly is scarred, covered in marks that show just how many battles he’s been in, and won, over the years. I knew he wouldn’t be able to resist coming here, but he couldn’t have chosen a worse time.
“What do you want, Dad?” I ask, coming out onto the porch to meet him as he strides up the steps, looking around appraisingly, judging my new home with every step. Nothing he does is without motive. He wants me to see him assessing my new life and finding it lacking. Despite myself, I can already feel my anger rising, even knowing that he wants me off balance and that he wants me to rise to the bait.
