Reese Read online

  I shivered even though I didn’t believe him. Wolves were not like that. Most were protective of those weaker than them.

  “My friend would care and she too is a wolf.”

  “My point is only that I wanted you to know about your parents, your sibling and why they were in Howlington when they died.”

  Shania had apparently noticed my discomfort. “Is he bothering you Megan?” she asked shooting him an annoyed look.

  “Just come with me and we can talk.” He shot Shania the same annoyed look she had used on him.

  “We came here together, we leave here together. It’s one of the rules we have when we go out like this. Megan can’t and won’t go with you.” Shania said stepping to where she was slightly between us. He pulled out a business card.

  “If you want answers, call me.” He said as he handed it to me before he walked away.

  “Thanks Shania. I didn’t want to be alone with him until I found out a little more about him.”

  “I can tell you that wolf is nothing but trouble. I’m surprised you don’t know who he is. He is the son of the alpha that runs the pack next to ours. I’ve heard rumors that they have been trespassing on our lands and bothering our females. I’m not sure what his interest is in you, but it can’t be good.”

  “I don’t recognize him nor do I think I’ve ever met him, but I have heard of him. Delane James is spoke of often by the females of the pack. He’s a total player and the males talk about his need to constantly fight to prove himself.”

  “That would be him. What he wants with you is the question. I’m sure he’d like to play around, but I think it is something more.” Shania said.

  “Yes, he says he has information on my birth family. I’m not sure I even want to know. It could just open a can of worms.”

  “How did he even know how to find you?”

  “I didn’t have a chance to ask. You know I don’t use the alpha’s last name outside of the pack. I use the name on my birth certificate. I guess that proves he knows something.”

  “Yes, but it doesn’t prove he knows enough to make it worth the risk of meeting him alone. That wolf is dangerous.”

  That girl was preaching to the choir. When I looked at Delane James, I saw danger and a darkness which overwhelmed me. I still couldn’t help but wonder what this big secret of my birth family was and if I truly had a sibling.

  We stayed until the free drinks were finished then we headed home. I wondered if Delane came to the bar to find me or decided to approach me because he saw me there. Even after I was in my place with the door locked I still didn’t feel as safe as I had before I met Delane.

  The next morning I got back to work on my computer. I checked my emails first surprised to find several from Dad. It looked like the overseer was still attempting to find me. Two wolves were after me now and I didn’t want to meet either one of them in a dark alley. It wasn’t good that one of them knew where I was and the other one could find me if he tried hard enough. Maybe it was time for a nice vacation. If I went somewhere I had no ties to and only used cash, they would have no way to find me. Everyone knew you should run and hide before the wolves come to your door.

  I packed a suitcase, a bag and my computer case. As long as I had that, I could work anywhere. I took the suitcase and the bag down and loaded them. I went back to double check everything. I went over my checklist getting my purse and making sure I had all that I might possibly need. I checked to be sure all the windows were locked and everything was turned off that could be. As soon as I arrived wherever I intended to stay, I would email my parents so they wouldn’t worry. I took a deep breath, locked the door, and headed to my truck to get the hell out of Dodge.

  I opened the truck door tossing my purse and other things inside. As I started to get in, someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned to see that it was Delane. I guess I hadn’t left quickly enough. “Going somewhere?” He asked with a smirk.

  “Just a little trip home to see the folks. You know how it is.” I lied effortlessly.

  “I happen to know the overseer is looking for you. Your parents wouldn’t want you anywhere near him.”

  Oh no. Busted. “How is it any of your business where I’m going?” That’s the way to handle it, be aggressive and take charge.

  “I’m making it my business. If you want to go home, you can come to mine.”

  “No way in hell!”

  “Sweetheart, I’m not asking.” I felt something poke me in the back. I assumed it was a gun. I wasn’t stupid enough to try to fight and end up shot. I could only hope that he just wanted to talk. He grabbed my arm guiding me to the backseat of a car. He slid in after me then told the driver to take off. “We’re just going to take a short trip. We’ll talk as we go. I’m sure you’ll have lots of questions.”

  “Just make it quick so I can get back home.”

  “Let’s start at the beginning. I’m sure you’re aware that the white wolf bloodline has been rediscovered?”

  “Yes, I heard they had found several humans that carry the blood.”

  “Were you aware that the red wolf bloodline mixed in with humans also?”

  “No, how would I know?”

  “That’s an interesting question and I think once I tell you what I know or suspect, you’ll have that answer. I have a friend named Jim who is a historical researcher. He specializes in genealogy. Do you understand what that means?”

  “He traces family lines back a long time?”

  “Exactly. Once the white wolf line was discovered, he thought wouldn’t it be great if he could find the descendants of the red wolves. It is after all, the second most powerful line. Everyone knows our race is in danger of dying out if something isn’t done. So he researched and he found the family he thinks the red wolves are in. Your family Megan. You are most likely a red wolf.”

  “I think you’re crazy.”

  “It is possible that we could be wrong so here is what I plan to do. I don’t want to mate you, try to turn you, then be stuck with a human or a wolf that’s not a red wolf. That just wouldn’t do. Then I would have to kill you. Since your friend Shania saw us together, your family might suspect me. That wouldn’t be good for me. I’m going to take you home and keep you for a while. My friend Jim will do a little more research and I will have your blood tested as well to see if they can tell if you have the red wolf blood or not. If not, I’ll let you go. If you do, you will be my mate.”

  “I don’t believe you’ll let me go. What would stop me from telling my dad what you’ve done?”

  “You want to tell people I abducted you, kept you a few days, did nothing bad to you and then let you go? Maybe your dad will believe you, but it sounds crazy. No one else will believe you and he has to consider the whole pack not just his precious little girl.”

  “Let’s say you’re right about that. If you decide I have this blood and you force a mating, he’ll know and believe that.”

  “Once we’re mated Megan, it will be too late for him to do anything. At that point you’ll be mine.”

  “It’s never too late and you can’t just mate me without any approval or agreement.”

  “Did they teach you nothing about mating with a wolf?”

  “They never wanted me to mate with a wolf.”

  “Wolf to wolf, human to human. That never bothered you? They didn’t feel you were good enough for a wolf.”

  “Or they felt me too good. Male wolves are well known for being arrogant, territorial and at times violent.”

  “Ah, they thought you too delicate to mate with a wolf, now I understand. When you change you will no longer be delicate.”

  “And what of the council? They will not be happy.”

  “They will be ecstatic that I have returned a red wolf to our race. They do not value your right to decide, not the way you do. They look at the big picture. Your sister will make an excellent addition to our race as well.”

  “I don’t want you. I will never want you.”

>   “Are you really so naïve that you believe I care what you want? Once I have taken you, you will melt in my arms. Just be glad I don’t share my toys or play well with others. I will leave you be until I am sure you are a red, but your reluctance pushes my wolf. He wants to mate you now and be damned the consequences. He finds your resistance a challenge. Watch your mouth if you don’t want him to hunt you down and take you.”

  I could see that he was serious by the look on his face. I stayed silent after he said that. There was no need to antagonize the crazy wolf. Maybe he would discover that I was not what he was looking for. We reached his pack in no time since it was even closer than my parent’s house. He took me to a room and he had a guard placed outside the door. I thought about what he had told me. I was sure there was no truth to it. How could you be a wolf and not know it?

  I wasn’t alone long when I heard a knock on the door. I figured Delane would barge right in so it must be someone else. I moved to the door opening it cautiously. It was a male not quite as tall or broad as Delane. He looked like he would be more pleasant since he had a sweet smile on his face. His hair was a bright red, his eyes the color of cinnamon. He didn’t have the freckles that often went along with that coloring.

  “May I come in?”

  I opened the door all the way and stepped back into the room. I was careful but curious.

  “My name is Jim.” His voice was calming, his expression melancholy. “I’m sorry he brought you here. I never intended him to do that. I was so excited about possibly finding the lost bloodline that I just had to tell someone about it. I’m a bit of a loner so Delane is one of my few close friends. I never thought he would act on it.”

  “It’s not your fault. I don’t blame you, only Delane. I don’t think you’re right anyway. Even if you are, I don’t understand what the big deal is. White, red, gray; what difference does it really make?”

  I could see the question really excited Jim.

  “I rarely get to talk about my work with anyone. Most people have no interest in the past. They don’t even care about how it might affect the future. The strength of a bloodline effects your offspring. White and red always have alpha pups regardless of their mates. Delane wants his pups to be even more powerful than he is. If he bred a grey wolf, or a wolf with a grey ancestor, even if that ancestor is far back, his pups might not be alpha. There is also the prestige that comes to a pack from having a white or red wolf in the pack. We don’t even know all the powers that run in those two bloodlines but white wolves are the best warriors, the females have healing powers, prophetic dreams and some can even influence others. You might have heard how the council has made exceptions for the white wolves as far as mating goes. My theory is that the white wolf can influence or compel them. I’m not even sure that she realizes she is doing it. Red wolves have different powers. One of them is to force people to tell the truth. Can you imagine how helpful that would be to a pack alpha?”

  “I can’t do any of those things.”

  “Your skills may not even be noticeable now, but if you change they will be. As a red wolf, any wolf blood at all and you will change. That is a powerful gift in a time when females are vastly outnumbered by males. Your male children can mate as they wish knowing their children can all change to wolves if they chose to.”

  “How can you possibly know this when no one else seems to?”

  “My family has always been the scholars among wolves. We have been the keepers of many archives, histories and even wolven magic scrolls. I have studied these since I was a pup. It is there to be found by anyone that knows what to look for. Your blood has been lying dormant waiting to be changed back when your race needed you. We need you now.”

  “I’m sorry, but I don’t want Delane.”

  “I doubt that Delane is the one that should bring you back into the fold. It was just bad luck that he has you and intends to do so.”

  “Regardless of what kind of luck it is, I need to get away from him. If this is intended to happen, it will find a way. I am sure that he is not the way.”

  “I’m so sorry Megan, but I can’t free you. He has you under guard and locked down. He doesn’t trust me at all.”

  I thought occurred to me. “Jim, could you at least do me a little favor?”

  Jim looked at me suspiciously. “I suppose if it’s a little favor.”

  “I just need to get a message to someone.”

  “I can’t tell your family where you are. Delane already made me swear I wouldn’t.”

  “It’s not my family. Did he say you couldn’t tell anyone?”

  “No, he just said your family.”

  “Will you send the message for me?”

  “I suppose since it’s my fault you’re here and I didn’t promise not to tell anyone outside your family. Who do you want me to tell?”

  “I want you to tell the overseer where I am.”

  Jim paled and looked ill. “That man is dangerous. You may get in deeper than you already are. Are you sure you want to do this?”

  “Right now I have no hope of escaping. If someone else comes to rescue me, I might escape in the confusion or if he takes me on our pack lands, my dad might find me. At this point anything is better than my current mess.”

  Jim nodded then said, “Be careful what you wish for.”

  That phrase would come back to haunt me. Jim left and I was tired and bored. I got on the bed that was in the room and took a nap. I didn’t know what was coming, but I was sure I would handle it better rested.

  *****

  I was pissed off. She had just disappeared without a trace. I had always been skeptical when I heard that phrase before because I hunted often and had never found it to be the case until now. We finally found her hideout only to discover she was no longer there. I had a bad feeling about that and it intensified when we discovered her truck packed for a trip and her keys next to it on the ground. It looked like they had been dropped in a struggle. I guess I wasn’t the only one looking for her. I could still smell the scent of her on the air and the scent of a familiar male wolf but I couldn’t quite put my finger on who he was. We went back to the office to go over the information we had only to find a note waiting for us.

  I took the note in as my men sat around me. Everyone was getting a drink and someone set a glass of ice tea in front of me. I carefully opened that envelop wearing gloves. I pulled out the note noting the writing was most likely done by a man and barely legible. It said Delane from the James Pack has her. I had no doubt they meant my Megan. Now I could place the scent that had teased me earlier at her house. Since it said he had her, I assumed he had abducted her. I immediately sent out a tracker and a spy. We would wait until they had the needed information then we would take her back. Abducting another pack’s female, even a human was an act of war. Now all I could do was sit back and wait.

  It was hours later that the trackers returned. They had found her. She was indeed being kept by Delane James. It made me angry that the pup would take my female. Sonny, my head tracker, seemed to think Delane intended to mate her. That I would never allow. I needed to get her and I couldn’t wait long. We gathered in my office to decide how to best handle the situation. Most of my guys wanted the alpha brought in to handle things diplomatically. I knew Megan didn’t have the time for it. If Delane knew, he would mate her before we had a chance to get her back.

  Jam, a nickname that described his ability to continually get in trouble, asked, “Why not just let the idiot mate a human? It will hurt him in the long run. What’s so special about this human anyway?”

  Leave it to Jam to say what everyone else was thinking but were smart enough not to express out loud. I turned giving him a look that would make the strongest wolves shake. He immediately looked down and away baring his neck to be disciplined. I moved in and my teeth extended just enough to nip his throat. It left a light red mark. I had been merciful as I often was with Jam. Maybe that was why after all these years his behavior hadn’t improved mu
ch. At least he would be quiet and well behaved for a few days as was often the case after discipline.

  I hated that we didn’t have time to plan our actions better but we would have to go in now. The trackers gave us the layout of that part of James pack lands. They estimated the shifts the guards would be working. Every bit of information they had gleaned was passed on to us and now we would go to free the little human. We had wolf law on our side so even if we were caught the alpha might be inclined not to fight. It was no longer considered acceptable to steal females from other packs, not like it had been in the old days.

  We all loaded up into our SUVs to head to the edge of our pack lands. Megan was being held in a cabin at the edge of a wooded area about a mile off the main road and it could only be reached by foot. Delane was arrogant to keep her so close to our pack lands. Arrogance from Delane was not surprising. I was sure he was behind all the troubles between my pack and his. Maybe this confrontation would deal with those as well.

  We parked at the edge of our pack lands at a cabin that had fallen into disrepair. At one time an old hermit, yes there are wolves that keep to themselves, lived there. Wolves are generally social creatures, but the old wolf had lived through loss that he couldn’t share with others. The only time he was seen was during the full moon when he went on a run with the pack. He had been gone for about ten years and the sturdily built cabin would have held up better had some of the young wolves not broken out the windows and caused other damage when they used the house for their wild parties. Now it stood as a testament to the destructiveness of youth when not properly managed. Had I realized they had done this, I would have taken some action to see the miscreants punished and the cabin brought back to its former condition. I would make a mental note of that.

  We gathered to break into groups and each group headed in a different direction so we could circle the cabin that she was being held in. Delane was a fool to think my pack would let this insult go unpunished. He only had four guards total. This would be a cake walk. As we approached the cabin I could see it was a large two story with a basement of some type. I wondered if we should take the steps going down to clear that floor first. I sent two of the less experienced wolves to check it out. I had a feeling Megan would be kept in one of the bedrooms and as close to Delane as possible. Even though she wasn’t wolf he seemed to consider her quite a prize.