The wolf pack, p.8
The Wolf Pack, page 8
“I figured you might say that and it has already been arranged. I’m here to take you to them. We still have about an hour so there’s no reason why we can’t get to know each other a little better. I gave you the tools to fight those that want to do you harm. I should have trusted the training I gave you. I just couldn’t stay away,” Crosby was referring to what had happened at the university campus but without him, the young woman would have perished.
“I doubt the woman you saved feels the same way. She might not be able to thank you in person but let me do it on her behalf. She lives to see her future unfold in front of her. Life is fragile and could be over with the snap of a finger. Need I remind you what happened to Daniel? I forgive him but I will never forget.” We both turned at the same time when we heard the rustle of leaves.
Something was out there and it was drawing closer with each breath. I wanted to run but the flight or fight instinct was causing me to stand my ground. Crosby was right there with me and I had no doubt he would fight to the last breath to defend me.
“You know better than to do something rash without thinking it through. Don’t act until you know for certain it’s a threat. Mistakes happen all the time and I’ve done my best to give you a fighting chance. Sometimes it’s better to turn the other cheek and use your words to defuse the situation. I know how it sounds and the three of us feed on one another almost as if we are connected through space and time.” He admitted even though it probably killed him to think Wesley had this kind of effect on him.
The awakening had me bedding down with three men at the same time. It was a little scary but also made me realize how superficial these feelings of lust were. I had to make a conscious decision with the information provided without letting my body dictate the terms of my surrender. It wasn’t going to be easy when my head, heart, and libido were fighting to see which one was going to end up in control.
“We should split up and attack this from different angles. You know the maneuver I’m talking about. There’s no reason to discuss it, as there’s no telling what this adversary might hear. Why take the chance when we know what to do.” I barely had the words out of my mouth when the whistle of an arrow came out of nowhere.
The tip nicked my chest but I had caught it in midair. Another one was sent on the heels of the first one. This one was caught by Crosby and we both looked at each other with a shrug of our shoulders. Somebody was hunting and I was the target with Crosby playing my protector. He couldn’t help himself and then he was gone with only the scent of his masculine presence left behind.
I circled the perimeter and heard somebody grunt in pain when they found my warning to stay away. I advanced on their voice and they were calling me every name in the book. He was upside down hanging from the tree with his weapon lying out of his reach on the ground a few feet away. He was one of many and I could hear their breathing when I concentrated.
I visibly cringed when I heard two different heartbeats stopping. Crosby wasn’t playing around. It was hypocritical of him to talk about using words to defuse the situation when he didn’t listen to his own advice. It was easy to understand his motivation. I was his charge and he was tasked to bring me back to the fold before the stroke of midnight.
“Do you want to tell me what this is about? I have no interest in killing you and I would rather not have your blood on my hands. We could go our separate ways and there’s no reason why we have to be at odds.” I was doing my best to give him an alternative to hunting me down like a wounded animal.
There was something quite inviting about being the predator instead of the prey.
“You are an abomination and must be destroyed. Nobody is safe until you are in the ground where you belong. We won’t stop coming for you even after the awakening. The world would be safer without you in it. I’m going to enjoy killing you with my bare hands.” It was a rather strange thing to say considering he was in no position to make such claims.
His anger had gotten the best of him and he was spewing his rhetoric. His position was dire, I could easily slice his throat where he was, dangling upside down. I was reminded mercy was for the weak but I was still holding onto what was left of my humanity. There was no telling what I would become and nobody was clear about anything concerning the awakening. It was possible to become the wolf and there was no way to swallow that bitter pill.
“I would think you would have better sense than to threaten me. You should feel lucky that I’m the one that found you. Crosby has the mentality of warfare and doesn’t believe in asking questions before taking action. Being the only survivor is going to haunt you for the rest of your life. I should put you out of your misery but I want you to take a message back to those that you take orders from.” I thought about the message, it was going to have to be short and sweet.
“It doesn’t matter what you say. It’s not going to change anything. We are hunters given the honor of ridding the world of atrocities. Knowing there is evil and doing nothing about it is a sin. Take your life and end this before it becomes something you can’t stop.” I was about to say something but I didn’t get the chance to.
Crosby attacked with the animal doing most of the work. The wolf ripped out this man’s throat and his hand limply fell dropping the gun in his grip. He literally had his finger on the trigger and was using the distraction of unnecessary communication to lull me into a false sense of security. It had almost worked. I was trying to stop the bloodshed, when he was ready to shoot me dead where I stood.
Crosby dropped down on all fours and changed right in front of me back to his natural human form. It was still hard to witness his transformation.
He was licking the blood from his hands with his mouth covered in it. It was ghastly but I couldn’t seem to look away, like a traffic accident on the side of the road.
“I took care of the problem but they will come with reinforcements. The car is waiting for you back about 100 yards. I will stay behind as bait. Don’t make any decisions until I get back.” He hugged me, with his nudity a comforting blend of inappropriate behavior and protection.
Despite my best efforts, there was no talking them down from their course of action. They were humans and I felt bad. The truth was in how they were trying to kill me.
I made my way up to the logging road where the car was waiting for me with the keys in the ignition. I started it up and it came to life with a roar of eight cylinders under the hood of the black Chevy. One press of the accelerator and I was launched down the road with the mud flying behind me. I didn’t know where to go until a robotic voice revealed my destination one turn at a time.
Chapter Twelve
It was an old church and I thought it was going to burst into flames. They had converged by the altar with 10 groups of three waiting with their proposals written clearly for my perusal. They were laid in my hands and I sat there in one of the pews trying to take my mind off of the bloodshed.
Each one tried to convince me to join their Clan but I dismissed several of them. I slowly and meticulously went through everything turning over every rock. Three family names stood out from the bunch. The legacy of each one had a long and storied history dating back centuries.
The Black family was known to have the pulse of the community in the palm of their hands but they were not the only contenders vying for my affection. I shivered at the thought of being intimate with complete strangers. Those three voices teaching me valuable life lessons growing up were something familiar to me. It didn’t mean I had to choose them but I was leaning in that direction.
Donovan and his family name of Nicholson was one of the few who could say they could wield power with distinction. Their proposal was well written consisting of concise sentences with proof of what they were capable of. It was a balancing act with one family over the other tipping the scales.
The clock was ticking and they were all a little impatient, talking in hushed tones amongst themselves. I could see they wanted to say something to speed things along but this was a decision that was going to affect the rest of my life. Nobody was going to rush me and I had to make the best decision with the information provided.
“We only have about ten minutes left. You don’t have to look at me like I have three heads. There’s an easier way, instead of letting clinical facts choke you to death. The proof is in the kiss.” I looked at Callan with confusion and a cock of my eyebrow.
“I just bet that is what all of you want from me. Do you really take me for being that gullible? I think I’ve learned my lesson from what happened with Daniel to go down that road again?” He was the first man to weasel his way past the armor I had built around my heart to protect me.
“This is a circle of trust and you must realize we all have your best interests at heart, except for a select few which will remain nameless. These clans have come here in good faith to provide you with all the information you need to make a conscious decision. In the past, it has always come down to chemistry and one kiss for each of your paramours is the answer you are looking for. Let your heart guide you and it won’t let you down.” Callan made sense even though the words coming out of his mouth sounded foreign to my sensitive ears.
“I don’t see how this is going to help but I don’t see any reason not to placate you. There’s not a bad looking guy amongst you but I don’t think it’s a good idea to use superficial means to make this decision. Sometimes a kiss is just a kiss.” I stood up, shaking my head in disbelief that it was all going to come down to some kind of unknown factor like butterflies in my stomach.
“I know I haven’t given you any reason to trust me lately but this is the one time you should listen to me.” Callan touched my shoulder and there was this instant gratification of electrical surges throughout my body.
He knelt and kissed me, most likely to give me a better understanding of his unfettered desire. There was no doubt the chemistry was there and fighting it was making me feel an acute case of withdrawal. The first taste of his mouth and the feel of his tongue forcing its way between my lips was making me breathless with abandon.
Wesley and Crosby were right there and I welcomed them with open arms. They were different but there was something unique which touched me right where it mattered. I thought he was crazy to propose this fairy tale notion.
All three of them had the magic touch, with soft and demanding lips to keep me coming back for more. They were gentle and caring but I sensed they wanted their kiss to be something to compare to the rest. It was going to be hard to beat what I had already experienced and I pretty much made up my mind with one glaring omission. I still had several young men from different clans waiting with fresh breath and this need to make me see them differently than all the rest.
I was wildly popular and each guy stood in line like some kind of kissing booth. This was a once in a lifetime experience and there was little hesitation when they presented themselves. I think they were a little startled but I was slightly enjoying the way they nervously took their position in front of me.
Callan stood back with his brothers not saying one single word although I could see the spotlight of their jealousy. Ignoring them wasn’t easy when I had different men trying their best to seal the deal. Each one put their best foot forward but there was only one other family to capture my attention like lightning in a bottle.
Donovan and his two brothers, who were mysteriously absent during our first meeting, were making me crack under the pressure. They had power and they knew how to use it, wielding it with authority to keep me at a loss for words. Donovan was the frontrunner where his two brothers were a little more callous about their approach.
It finally came down to my decision, with my heart beating wildly in my chest threatening to burst out of my body. I didn’t want to disappoint anyone but whatever I decided somebody was going to be left looking in from the outside. It would cause bad feelings and there was no telling what my decision would bring about. Civil unrest was easy to see and there was no love lost between the Black family and the rest of the clans. Most likely they would fall in line realizing there was nothing they could do to change my mind but there would obviously be exceptions to the rule.
“You have had the chance to be moved by the kiss and by what you have learned in those documents provided freely and without hesitation. It’s rather extensive and we wanted you to have a good understanding of what is happening. This is only the start and the next few days will test you beyond anything you have ever known before. Each of those tests will prepare you but you will be imbued by the strength of the three you choose.” He wasn’t coming out and saying it but Callan was making mention of how our bodies would intertwine into tangled limbs under the sheets.
“Just give me a few minutes to go over everything in vivid detail one more time. This is a very difficult decision to make and I don’t want to make the wrong one. Following my heart isn’t necessarily the right way to go when there are factors contributing to my decision. Five minutes of silence is all that I ask.” I turned my attention back to the documents but I wanted to touch my lips to feel the heat of their embrace.
Callan raised his hands in mock surrender and backed away, obviously feeling my trepidation like a cold knife buried in his chest. He probably thought his influence over the last few years had made all the difference and he wasn’t wrong. How could I forget everything they had taught me, to prepare me for this day without really saying anything at all? They had purposely kept me in the dark and I had to take that into consideration also when I weighed all the facts together.
The other documents of no interest to me were in a small pile and I concentrated my efforts on the Black and Nicholson family.
All three of the Black family had shown real interest in me outside of the physical but I couldn’t say the same thing for the Nicholson family. Donovan was a force of nature but his brethren didn’t feel the same way about tradition. It was obvious in their kiss. They were going through the motions for the sake of appearances but they couldn’t hide their disinterest.
Those five minutes I had requested flew by and the clock was nearing the stroke of midnight. I didn’t want to do it but I had to picture myself with the men that I was ultimately going to end up with. Only three came to mind with vivid clarity like a light bulb moment over my head. I didn’t enjoy making their lives miserable.
“It kills me to say this when I wanted to give all of you a chance. I’ve gone over this from every angle clinically and spiritually. I didn’t think it was going to come down to a kiss but it does. It’s almost laughable when you think of the fable of the princess and the frog. Only one person was going to release him from the curse. It just goes to show you what fairy tales can contribute to real life.” I was procrastinating but the truth wasn’t going to change no matter how long I waited to reveal it.
“You don’t have to say anything, it’s written all over your face. The way that you look at them is a dead giveaway. We all know it and are afraid to say it but let me give voice to what you can’t. You want the Black family and I will grudgingly step aside,” Donovan said the words I couldn’t and the only thing I could do was nod my head in the affirmative.
There was a chorus of people mumbling underneath their breath. They slowly gravitated toward the door but Donovan was the last holdout. He stood in front of me and he didn’t look very happy.
“I know I shouldn’t ask this but what was it that made up your mind? I know you said it was the kiss, yet I feel like you are leaving something out to spare my feelings. I’m a big boy and I can handle just about anything you can throw at me. Let me guess. My brothers weren’t convincing. I can’t blame them. They both have futures they want to pursue outside of the Clan. I guess I’m going to have to grin and bear it. I give you my blessing but there are others who will stop at nothing to prevent your coronation. I would consider it an honor to be your personal protector.” A true leader was right in front of me but I couldn’t ask him to go to such extreme lengths when it wasn’t his duty.
“I appreciate the offer but I’m going to have to decline. It wouldn’t be right and we both know it. Trust that I know what I’m doing.” It sounded believable but in my heart, I was shaking like a leaf, with my whole body trembling with fear and anticipation of the big night.
“You’re braver than I gave you credit for. I was wrong to try to manipulate you. Daniel was a good soldier and I don’t know what else to say. Apologizing doesn’t seem like enough but, rest assured, I will be watching to make sure they’re treating you right. You deserve the best possible outcome. They had the unfair advantage of getting to know you but at least you didn’t let that influence your decision.” He kissed the top of my forehead and I felt his fatherly concern.
I was finally alone with the three of them and the stroke of midnight announced what was inevitable. They walked ahead of me down the hall to a door leading into the bowels of the church. It was gloomy and unromantic until they unveiled a masterpiece in the making.
I stood in absolute silence embracing the warmth of the candles lighting the way to the bed in the center of the room.
This was where the magic was going to happen.
Chapter Thirteen
They were dressed conservatively, all in black, and I sat on the bed dangling my bare feet toward them. A seductive smile was a good way to break the ice and I remembered vividly, with a clarity that almost scared me, how much pleasure they had given me, fleetingly, a few hours ago. It actually made everything better but Crosby was the odd man out. It wasn’t fair for them to taste the fruit that they had plucked and Crosby was left out.
I stopped them from taking off their clothes with a finger in the air, waving back and forth, chastising them for attempting to do something that I wanted to do myself. The landscape was muscular and the voodoo love spell I was under was turning me on. I still felt a little hesitant with my breath short and my hands visibly trembling. I swallowed hard, there was a nervous sexual energy in the air thick enough to cut with a knife.
