Dawn (The Dire Wolves Chronicles Book 3) (8 page)

“Fine.” I sighed. “I get the whole pack dynamic thing. I’ll rephrase, why does your Alpha want you to?”

“He doesn’t.” She stopped right in front of the impenetrable glass that separated us. “Why would you even say that?”

“Because it’s the truth.”

“It couldn’t be further from the truth.”

I looked down the hall toward Hunter’s room. I couldn’t see him, but I could still picture how he’d looked earlier. Despite the situation, he’d seemed relaxed. What else had Levi told him? Or was it really an act? I also remembered exactly how he’d looked shirtless. He put the rest of the Dires—and Pterons to shame. The man was ripped. Joseph might have been assigned to him, but I was going to manage to get some face time in. It had nothing to do with his physique. I needed to prove myself, and Hunter was going to help me do it.

“He doesn’t want anyone dead. At least no humans.”

“But others?” I jumped on the opening. I didn’t believe her, but I wouldn’t get anywhere with that topic yet. If I wanted to be considered for the promotion I needed to prove my worth. I’d break her. I’d find out what else they were planning.

“Nothing you need to worry about.” She crossed her arms.

“I need to worry about everything.” You never knew what details were important.

“Not this. It’s internal Dire business.”

“Internal?”

“It’s his brother you want. Not Hunter.”

“Brother?” I knew there were a few other Dires around, but no one had mentioned any brother.

“Yes. His twin.”

“His twin?” I arched an eyebrow. “That almost never occurs.”

“It did this time.” She turned and walked back toward the bed. Our conversation was over.

“
T
his is
where we’re meeting your wolf?” Genevieve asked as we pulled into the abandoned RV park a few miles outside of Tampa.

The trees were grown up all around the path, and I slowed down to make sure I didn’t hit any. I wasn’t taking any chances when it came to driving anymore. “Looks about right for Denny.”

“You weren’t kidding about him living in the woods.” She opened her window.

“We weren’t. Although there is one RV there.” Mary Anne pointed to a rusted out RV in the distance.

Genevieve rolled the window back up. “Lovely accommodations.”

“I don’t think we’ll be here long.” At least I hoped we wouldn’t be. I didn’t know how much time we had.

“Right, because then we’ll be at the prison.” Genevieve spoke so nonchalantly. She didn’t understand the extent of the mess she’d walked into. Either that, or she wasn’t accepting it.

“Don’t worry, you don’t have to go there.” Mary Anne stretched out her legs.

“I might have to. I can’t do all my work remotely.”

“We’ll make sure you can.” I stopped the SUV a few feet from the RV. I hoped Denny didn’t freak Genevieve out too much with whatever entrance he was planning.

“I will do what I have to. I told you I’d help.”

“And we told you we’d keep you alive.” I planned to keep that promise. I’d also keep my promise to protect Mary Anne. If things went bad I’d get them both to safety no matter the cost to me.

“If it’s that dangerous you guys shouldn’t go either.”

“Maybe not Mary Anne, but I will. I’m going to die if this doesn’t work, so I might as well go out fighting.”

Mary Anne paled. “I’m staying with you. We don’t split up. Remember our deal.”

“And you living and breathing supersedes that.” She still had a chance for a normal life. She wasn’t giving that up.

“What about you? I want you living and breathing.” She touched my arm gently. Too gently. I needed to stay strong. I owed it to her.

“I’m glad you enjoy my being alive, but I’m no longer human, the stakes are different. You can still have a real normal life.” I knew my words wouldn’t change her view, but I had to try.

“Not without you.”

Genevieve let out a gasp.

Mary Anne turned to look at her. “What?”

“You really love him. You actually truly love him.” Her eyes widened in apparent amazement.

Mary Anne laughed. “Yes. I’m aware of that.”

“It’s so strange. You didn’t before. You liked him, a lot, but it was more infatuation. This isn’t that. It’s more.”

“The feeling is mutual.” I needed Mary Anne to know that. To understand nothing was one sided.

“I’m trying to get a read.” Genevieve exhaled loudly.

“What?” I turned around to look at her. “Are you seriously doubting my feelings?”

“You care about her, but do you really truly love her?”

“More than anything.”

“Are you capable of that? I mean you’re not even human.”

I opened my door and got out. “I love her. End of story.” I slammed my door harder than I should have, but Genevieve’s insinuation irked me in a way that little could. She was calling me a monster. The same thing I called Hunter and the others when we first discovered what they were. Could that really be what I’d become?

“Thanks for that.” Mary Anne’s voice carried through her still closed door.

“Before you go and throw your life away for someone you should make sure it’s worth it.”

“It is.”

“It’s a good thing I’m here now.”

“Is it?” Mary Anne hesitated with her door half open.

“I can help advise you and make sure you don’t make any other bad decisions.”

“What if getting you was a bad decision?” Her words made me smile. Leave it to Mary Anne to make a comment like that.

“Do you want my help or not?” Genevieve crossed her arms.

“I want your help with the hacking.” Mary Anne got out and stood right next to me. The action meant more than she could know. She was with me, and she didn’t view me as a monster.

Genevieve didn’t get out for a moment, and I realized she was fiddling with the child lock. Finally she opened the door and jumped right back into the same conversation as though no time had passed. “You mean you aren’t relieved to have your friend with you?”

“I’m glad to see you.” Mary Anne pulled Genevieve into a hug. “I appreciate you coming. You could have said no. Most people would have said no.”

“I’m not most people.”

“No, you’re not.” Mary Anne smiled.

“Is this your ‘idea’?” Denny called from behind us.

I turned to find Denny standing outside the RV shirtless and barefoot. I wasn’t too surprised.

“Yes, I am.” Genevieve straightened and stared him dead in the eye. “And you must be the other wolf.”

“Wolf?” He looked at me questioningly. “What did you tell her?”

“We told her a short version of everything.” I kicked at a rock. Genevieve had riled me up enough that I had excess energy I needed to get rid of.

“And you think she’s going to help how?” He looked her over.

“They wanted my technical expertise.” She raised her chin.

“Technical expertise?” He narrowed his eyes. “You picked
this one
for that?”

“She’s the best I know,” Mary Anne explained. “And that’s saying a lot because I’m an engineering major. Lots of computer nerds around.”

“And what do you plan to do with this ‘technological expertise’?” He used air quotes.

“Crack the The Society system and get us into the prison.”

Denny laughed. “Society system?”

“Yes. There has to be one. I assumed it was complicated, which is why—”

“The Society has been around for centuries.”

“So?” Mary Anne wrinkled her brow.

“You think they’ve upgraded to the latest technology?”

“They have to use something.” Mary Anne held out a hand in front of her. “Everyone uses some sort of technology system.”

“Yes. Brute strength and magic.”

I shook my head. “No way. Not a chance.”

“It’s true. No computers necessary.”

Mary Anne sighed and slumped down to sit on the dirt ground. “Great. All that work for nothing.”

“It wasn’t for nothing.” Genevieve sat next to her. “I’m here for moral support too if you remember.”

“Why aren’t you ready to kill me for dragging you here for no reason?”

“I’m your friend, and I already told you, my life is boring. This isn’t boring by a long shot.”

“Do we move on to plan B then?” I sat down on her other side. Seeing her deflated calmed my anger. I’d take care of her first and then worry about myself.

“Find the queen?” she asked.

“The queen?” Denny’s eyes widened. He remained standing and looked down on all of us. “Which queen?”

“I thought there was just one.”

“You can’t mean the Queen of The Society.” Denny shook his head.

“That’s exactly who I mean.” Mary Anne moved to standing, and I followed behind.

“Why? Why would she be of any help?”

“Because she’s a good person. Because I know she will.” She seemed too sure. So determined that it rubbed off on me. I found myself nodding.

“And you expect us to walk in there and turn ourselves over to them?”

“No.” She shook my head. “I’ll go alone.”

“No way!” I grabbed her hand. “Not a chance.”

“She won’t be alone. I’ll go.” Genevieve nodded committedly. “They won’t want me. I’m just an average human.”

“What if they try to use you to get to us?” I didn’t hide my concern. Mary Anne needed to see the logic. This was a dangerous move. “It’s too risky.”

“Maybe this was what I was meant to do. Part of Hunter’s dreams.”

“Hunter’s dreams were bullshit.” I looked right into Mary Anne’s eyes. “Complete and utter bullshit.”

“Uh, what dreams? And who’s Hunter?” Genevieve asked.

“The Alpha that wants Mary Anne,” I explained. Genevieve cared about Mary Anne which meant she’d be a good ally.

“The one you want to break out to finish changing you?” She furrowed her brow. “He also had dreams about Mary Anne?”

“Yes. Apparently I was destined to end the hunt, and that’s why he wanted to mate with me.” Mary Anne sighed. “Exciting huh?”

“But what does mating with you have to do with you ending the hunt?” Genevieve moved to standing.

“You may be on to something.” Denny paced. “Hunter might have misinterpreted everything.”

“It’s possible. Men do that a lot.” Genevieve grinned.

“So do women.” Denny shook his head.

“Not as much, but sometimes.” Mary Anne seemed pensive.

Genevieve unzipped her sweatshirt again. “Either way, Mary Anne and I can handle this.”

“What will you do if the queen won’t help? And how will you get to see her anyway?” If they weren’t going to ask the important and logical questions, then I would.

“Maybe my technological skills can help after all.” Genevieve smiled. “I can find anyone that’s on the grid. Is she on the grid or as old fashioned as the rest?”

“She seems modern, and she’s human.” Mary Anne bounded excitedly. “I bet she has a cell phone.”

“I need names and addresses, and I can get you everything you need.”

“You’re awesome, Genevieve.” Mary Anne grinned.

“I know.”

“You need to run. You’re too new of a Dire to deny that need.” Denny looked long and hard at me. “They’re safe with me.”

“I’m not leaving her.”

“You look like you’re going to snap. We can’t risk that happening.”

“Go ahead. We’ll be right here.” Mary Anne touched my arm gently. “You have to take care of yourself. Whether that’s eating enough meat or running.”

“All right.” They had a point. I would be useless if I didn’t calm down and pull myself together. “I’ll be right back.”

I walked into the woods, stripped down, and my body convulsed as I let the Dire take over. My body gladly accepted the change and my vision deepened. It was time to run.

I felt free. Powerful. Whole in a way I hadn’t felt in days. The wind rushed around me as I circled the woods over and over. I didn’t want to go too far. I trusted Denny, but I’d never stop worrying about Mary Anne unless I was with her myself.

Finally, once my body fully calmed, I shifted back and found my clothes. Now came the hard part. Letting Mary Anne face the queen without me.

T
he girl watched me again
. She waited until Joseph walked off and she thought I wasn’t looking, but I was always looking. She was my ticket out. I had no question about that, and it was the only reason my eyes returned to her over and over. It had nothing to do with her physical appearance or the laugh I occasionally heard through the fortified glass. There had to be something special about the glass that made them think it would keep us in, but I hadn’t had a chance to investigate it yet.

Our prison was worse than any with bars. To be able to see freedom but not reach it, was hard to take, but knowing my pack mates were close without being able to interact with them was the worst part.

Joseph walked back over, and she hurried away.

He noticed me watching her retreat.

“Her exterior is the only sweet thing about her.” Joseph returned to his chair.

“I’m not concerned with whether she’s sweet inside or out.”

He quirked a smile, clearly amused by my choice of words. “The way you were looking at her says otherwise.”

“You can’t blame me for enjoying the brief view. I don’t enjoy looking at you.”

“But you could read a book. Stare at the wall.”

“I’ve done plenty of the staring at the wall, and I haven’t seen any books.” I wasn’t looking for distractions. I was looking for answers before Levi returned. I wasn’t going to lose my opportunity to garner any information possible.

“Your female seems to like Michelle.”

Michelle. So that was her name. “Marni gets along with everyone.” She did, although she’d hit some friction with Mary Anne. We all had.

“Is that a good trait or a bad one for your kind?”

“For my kind?” I wasn’t sure why I bothered to talk to him. It was obvious he knew and understood nothing. “Give up on your attempts to play me. We’re not very different from you.”

“Like hell you’re not.”

“You’re afraid of our strength. That’s all this is.”

He chortled. “No we’re not. Pterons aren’t afraid of anyone.”

“Then what’s with the shots? The prison? The hunt?” Saying the word hunt burned my throat. My anger about the situation knew no bounds.

“You are savages.”

“Savages?” My blood boiled. “Yet you are the one keeping innocent men and women imprisoned.”

“You are not innocent. You have killed countless humans.”

“That’s a lie!” My yell reverberated off the walls.

Michelle walked over and peered through the glass again. “Calm down.”

“No. I will not calm down!” I seethed. “You will not accuse me of murder.”

“Marni had the same reaction.” Michelle watched me carefully. “She claims your pack is non-violent toward humans.”

“We are. We’ve had a few indiscretions, but everyone has.”

“What kind of indiscretions?”

“We handed a few humans over to some off-kilter witches. That was it.”

“That was it? What did these witches do with the humans?” Her words asked for information, but there was fear in her eyes. She didn’t really want to know.

“You already know the story doesn’t end well. I regret our involvement, but it was only out of necessity. If we weren’t being hunted, it wouldn’t have been required. It was to protect our species. Your king is determined to kill us all.”

“We are tasked with protecting the people of this world. If humans keep disappearing, we’re going to be in hot water.”

“It was on a minor scale.” We’d kept it to the absolute minimum, but I didn’t like it. It went against my true nature. Fielding called it my weakness, I considered it a strength that I respected life in all of its forms.

“But with your brother it isn’t so minor, is it?” She stepped toward the glass of my room.

“My brother?” Did she know of him too?

“Get out, Michelle. This isn’t your territory.” Joseph suddenly snapped to attention.

She shook her head. “It’s my job to get information. That means this is all my territory.”

“Why are you asking about my brother?” No one ever did. Thinking about him made the skin crawl on the back of my neck.

“Marni mentioned him, and I did some research.”

“We are not aligned. He deserted the pack.”

“Who is the true leader? Who was selected as Alpha?” She pressed.

“How do you know anything of Dire hierarchy?” I knew she was knowledgeable, but I was surprised a prison worker would know something like that. I couldn’t imagine Pterons were taught about Dire law on a regular basis.

“I make it my business to research.”

Joseph eyed her suspiciously.

This was my chance. “I’ll tell you everything I know about him if we can talk alone.”

“Absolutely not.” Joseph shook his head. “I’m not moving.”

“Then I’ll say nothing.”

“Why? Why would you want to tell her anything?” He narrowed his eyes.

“Because she is more pleasant on the eyes.” I had to get rid of Joseph. He was only going to cause problems.

“I thought you didn’t find her attractive.” He pushed back his chair, letting it noisily fall to the hardwood hallway floor.

Michelle smiled in amusement. “Please leave, Joseph.”

“You can’t leave the girl. You remember your orders.”

“I’m not leaving her. I’m right here.”

“But you have to watch her.”

“Her door is blocked. She isn’t going anywhere.”

“This is against protocol.” He was grasping for straws. All three of us knew it, and we also knew that if he got in the way of her ‘breaking me’ he was going to have a price to pay.

“When have you ever cared about protocol?” She pushed him with her elbow, and he stumbled back.

I smiled. She was strong, and he didn’t like it. “I’m leaving, but I’ll be waiting right down the hall. Don’t mess this up.”

“Funny how you’re the one worrying about that, when you almost messed it up yourself.”

“Go to hell.”

“No thanks. I think I’ll stay alive a little bit longer.”

“You’ve got nerve.”

“So do you.” She touched the glass. It disappeared, and she stepped through it. Once she stepped forward the glass reappeared behind her.

“You’re not afraid of me.”

“You can’t shift.” Her long legs carried her within inches of me.

“But if I’m such a savage I could still hurt you.”

“You’re not a savage.” She looked me right in the eyes.

I met her eyes. “I’m not?”

“You’re not a saint.”

“No, I’m not.”

“But you aren’t what they say you are.” She studied me, her eyes raking over me from head to toe in a way I knew wasn’t sexual.

“And how would you know that?”

“I just do.” She moved around me like a cat circling its prey. Everything about her screamed cat instead of bird.

“Then why are you helping The Society keep us here? If we’re not savages, then free us.”

“Because I have more to learn.”

“Then learn it. Let us out.”

“Why are you in such a hurry?” She crossed her arms.

“Wouldn’t you be in a hurry?”

“Of course. Everyone craves freedom. But you weren’t in a hurry before.”

“Things change. More time has passed, and I have things to do.” And people to see.

“Like what?” She circled me again.

“Save my people.” I watched her over my shoulder. Having her stand behind me made me uncomfortable, but I tried not to show it.

“Yet most of your people are locked up.”

Not everyone was, she already knew that. “What do we need to do to end the hunt?”

She walked back around to the front of me. “You make it sound simple.”

“Shouldn’t it be? I don’t see any way around it. Either you keep us here forever, which will cost too much time and money, you kill us all, which might be messy, or you end the hunt.”

“Might be messy?” She smiled slightly. “Come on. No need for the bravado. You want to live.”

“Of course. Just like I want freedom. But what kind of life is one when you have to hide?”

“You’ve been living that life for years.”

“Far too many years.” My entire life had been lived that way. I’d never known anything else, and the older I got the less willing I was to put up with it. Almost everyone I loved or cared about was gone. It was time to do something. “It has to end.”

“Which means our sources were right. You were planning a coup.”

I shook my head. “That couldn’t be further from the truth. We want nothing to do with The Society. Not in that way. We only want to be left alone. That’s different.”

“Why?” She raked her teeth over her bottom lip. Was that a nervous tell? Or was she trying to use her sexual appeal? I couldn’t tell.

I pulled my eyes from her red lips. “Why do we want to be left alone?”

“No, why would you settle?”

“Because being in power isn’t the only thing out there. There is more to life than that.”

“You think I don’t know that?” She put a hand on her hip.

“Who are you?”

“We’ve been over that. It doesn’t matter.”

“I know your name is Michelle. I’m not asking that.”

“Then what are you asking?” She flipped some of her long hair off her shoulder, revealing a swath of tan skin.

“Who are you really? You’re more than a prison guard. Don’t pretend.”

“My actual job title is Prison Security Agent.”

“Still, you’re more than that. You’re not bred for this kind of job.”

Her face reddened. I’d hit a chord. “That’s none of your business.”

“Why not? You keep asking about me, can’t I ask about you?”

“It doesn’t work like that.”

“Oh yeah, because I’m the prisoner.”

“Yes.” She nodded.

“If that’s how you want this to go.”

“It is.”

“Very well.” I sat down on the one chair in the room. It was nailed to the floor. The nails wouldn’t have stopped me from ripping it off, but I guess it was more for effect than anything else.

She walked right over to me. “How old are you?”

“What does that matter?

“It matters because I want to understand how much life you’ve lived.”

“I’m twenty-three.”

She blinked as though startled. “Same age as me.”

“Isn’t that something? We share something in common.”

She laughed. “I guess we do.”

“Does that mean you’ll free us?” A joke seemed appropriate at the moment.

“No, but it means I’ll listen to you.”

“Listen? What else do I need to say?’

“Tell me about your brother. His plans.”

“I haven’t spoken with him in years.” The last time I had he’d left me with a nice parting gift.

“But you’re twins. Shifter twins are rare. Aren’t you connected or something?”

“Fortunately not.” Being connected with my brother would make the mess of my life even worse. His thoughts were dark, and I couldn’t imagine having to share them.

“He gave you that.” She reached out and ran her hand over the scar that crossed my face.

I forced my eyes to stay open even though they begged to close. Her soft caress made me too comfortable.

“Yes.” I gently removed her hand from my face. She had no right touching me that way. The last person who had was Mary Anne, and I wasn’t giving up on her even if she’d given up on me.

“You’re not thinking about him now.”

“No.”

“It’s a girl. Who is she?”

“The one who will be my mate.”

She nodded absently. “Is she pretty?”

“Beautiful.”

“But that’s not why you want her.”

“Perceptive.”

“You aren’t a shallow man.” Her eyes studied me. She was trying to figure me out while I did the same to her.

“You mean because I’m scarred?” My scars changed the way some people looked at me, but they didn’t change the way I viewed others.

“No, it doesn’t fit your personality.”

“I dreamt of her.” I wasn’t sure why I was opening up to this Pteron. I didn’t need to. This wasn’t the type of information she wanted, but maybe if I was forthcoming on one thing, she’d be satisfied.

“Dreamt of her? Do Dires often dream of their mates?”

“No. Never.”

“Then why you?” She put her hands in her back pockets. She was relaxing. Interesting that it took talking about Mary Anne to get her to do that.

“Because I was born to end the hunt.”

“And did you find this girl?”

“Yes.” Although ‘found’ was an interesting way to put it.

“And was she everything you expected?” She raked her teeth over her lip again. It wasn’t nervousness. She was trying to use her sexuality to throw me off. That wasn’t going to fly.

“She was more.”

“Where is she?”

“I don’t know. I was separated from her against my will.”

“Was she with you in the courthouse?”

“It’s not Marni.”

“I realize that.” Michelle smiled. “She’s in love with another one of your pack.”

“She told you that too?” Marni had been talkative. What other details had she shared?

“No.” She shook her head. “I figured it out. It’s too bad they haven’t had a chance to mate.”

“They will.”

“Confident we’re not going to kill you?”

“Confident may be too strong of a word. I’ll go with hopeful.”

“Hope is good sometimes, but it can be dangerous.”

“Yes, it can be.” It left you open to disappointment and hurt, but worst of all it could make you weak. “But it’s still necessary.”

“If you tell me more about the girl I can have someone find her. Make sure she’s safe.”

I laughed dryly. “Because I want her
safe
with you all.”

“We wouldn’t hurt her. She’s human, isn’t she?”

“What makes you say that?”

“You’re very protective. You aren’t so protective with your kind. You’re worried she can’t protect herself.”

“She’s stronger than she seems.”

“How does she seem?” Michelle appeared genuinely curious.

“That doesn’t matter.”

“But it matters to you, and right now my concern is understanding you.” She rested her chin in her hand.

“All you need to understand is that I want to end the hunt.”

“Because you’re tired of hiding, was it?” She sat down on the edge of the bed. A bold move. She had the appearance of more power by standing. I was surprised she gave that up.

“Yes.”