Forbidden Hunger (Lee County Wolves Book 1) (3 page)

CHAPTER 4

Janna frowned, reaching for her bag, but missed. “Listen. I don’t want to be where I’m not wanted.” She hurried to catch up with him. “I’m a big girl and can take care of myself.”

“I never said you weren’t wanted. You just assumed.” Garrett tossed her bag back up on the porch they had just left before turning around. His eyes roamed down her body and back up. “And yes, you are a big girl who can take care of herself, but you are the daughter of a former alpha and will be treated as such.”

That snapped her head back in surprise, but she didn’t know if it was his gaze that raked down her body or his statement about her being the daughter of a former alpha that surprised her. “I’m nobody to anyone here,” she said, and then realized it sounded like she was feeling sorry for herself, which was far from the truth. She had her moments of ‘what the hell’, but she dealt with them on her own. “What I mean is I didn’t come here for handouts or…”

“Then what did you come here for?” Garrett tilted his head, his penetrating gaze seeing more than she wanted to share.

“The last words my mother ever spoke to me was the name of my father. Up until four weeks ago, I didn’t know. All I knew about the sperm donor….”

“Sperm donor?” Garrett grinned with a chuckle. “Never heard Jonah McCall addressed like that.”

Janna ignored him as she glanced at the house, then back to Garrett. “I want to know why he left my mother when he knew she was in danger. And he obviously knows something about the brands the bastards put on us.”

Garrett nodded deep in thought. The door opened and then slammed shut. “He’s sober.” Marcus walked across the porch looking down at Janna, hearing her last words. “Whoever branded you like that will die.”

The promise in his voice was almost overwhelming. He looked a lot like Garrett, but a little younger maybe. His hair was just as black, but buzz cut and eyes the same golden hue. They both had strong features with square jawlines. Marcus had more of a scruffy look with his five o’clock shadow. She honestly didn’t know if you thanked someone who just vowed to kill a man over something they did to you or not. She looked to Garrett as if she could find the answer, but was taken back as the same promise shown from his stare. All she could do was clear her throat with a nod.

Garrett reached for her, putting his hand on the small of her back and led her into the house. Her beast purred, surprising her. First of all, her beast never purred, and never had her beast been this close to the surface. It scared her because she knew it was a matter of time before she shifted. What if she got stuck in that form? What if she killed someone? Her mother had known a little, but not enough to tell her what to expect. Virginia Lawson only knew what she had learned from Jonah McCall, and that had been limited information that her mother never sought, just witnessed. God, she was a mess just waiting to happen.

“You okay?” Garrett was looking down at her as they stopped right inside the door of Jonah’s house.

Swallowing hard, she nodded. She could hear voices coming from the kitchen. Jonah’s voice sounded clearer, not slurred as before. “I’m fine,” she replied with a shiver as he leaned close to her.

“Don’t be afraid of who you are.” Garrett’s voice was close to her ear.

“I’m terrified of what I am,” she responded honestly, her gaze reaching his.

“I can understand that, but first things first.” Garrett nodded toward the kitchen and Janna was relieved he showed her no pity.

Stepping into the kitchen, Janna spotted Jonah who was taking long sips of what she hoped was coffee. Everyone was gone other than Garrett’s two brothers. Marcus was leaning against the kitchen counter while his other brother sat texting on his phone. His golden eyes rose to stare at her before dismissing her completely as he went back to texting. If Hunter hadn’t been introduced as one of Garrett’s brothers, she never would have guessed. His hair was a light blond with raven streaks. It was an odd combination, but worked well on the handsome brother. She could also tell he was youngest of the three.

“I’m sorry.” Jonah cleared his throat, grabbing her attention. “I haven’t been myself for quite some time.”

Janna cocked her eyebrow at that. It looked as if he had showered. His brown hair was slicked back and his clothes were different. What wasn’t different though, were his haunted eyes full of pain staring back at her.

“You ready to answer questions?” Garrett’s voice was soft, but had an edge to it as he stared at Jonah, who nodded. “How did you cross paths with Jasper Simone?”

“I was at a large council meeting in Cincinnati. All the pack leaders in the Tristate area were ordered to appear.” Jonah’s eyes went from Garrett to Janna.

“Who is Jasper Simone?” Janna asked. She wanted to know everything she could about the bastard who killed her mother.

“An enemy you don’t want to cross,” Jonah replied, leaning back in his chair while running his hand down his strained face. “He has a large pack, or at least he did. He’s a brutal leader and most follow him out of fear.”

“Does he still practice Reaping?” Garrett demanded, his voice not as soft as before.

“Yes,” Jonah answered, his eyes going to Janna. “That’s what the branding is.”

“Son of a bitch!” Garrett cursed, snapping his head back in anger. “And you never reported this to anyone?”

“No.” Jonah shook his head, looking somewhat hesitant in his answer.

“Why the hell not?” Marcus asked, his face also a mask of anger. Hunter had actually put his phone away, engrossed in what was being discussed.

“I was trying to keep her alive.” Jonah stood, grabbing his coffee cup and tossing it in the sink. “During the meeting, I kept hearing whispers about a Reaping, but I just thought it was a bunch of bullshit and didn’t take it seriously.” Jonah’s face transformed into rage, his fist tightening on the table as he shook.

Janna sat silently, listening, trying to keep up while keeping her mouth shut, which was not an easy feat. Yeah, keeping her mouth shut wasn’t something she was very good at. “What’s a Reaping?” When no one said a word, she frowned, grabbing Garrett’s arm, ignoring the pulse of electricity at their contact. “What is a Reaping?” she repeated, knowing she wasn’t going to like what she heard, but knew it had something to do with the marking she and her mother had.

Finally looking down at her, Garrett cursed again. “It’s an old practice that’s been outlawed by not only the human government, but our own kind.” He looked away to glance at his brothers, before looking back at her. “Any human who is marked will be hunted down. Once found, and they
will
be found, they are taken to a certain location, usually somewhere very remote. This happens on the night of a Blood Moon. The marked ones are let go. ”

“What do you mean let go?” Janna glanced at each one of them. She was right. She didn’t want to hear this. “Let go so we can be on our way or let go to be…”

“Hunted,” Marcus finished her sentence, a look of concern on his face.

“Continue,” Garrett ordered once Jonah seemed to calm down.

“A few of us went out for a drink after a long day of meetings,” Jonah continued, the rage still creasing his face, but the shaking had stopped. “There was a large group who had been at the meeting that afternoon, along with others I hadn’t seen. When they moved to leave, I followed. The further from the city we got, I knew without a doubt what I had been hearing wasn’t bullshit. It was a blood moon and I was walking head first into a Reaping.”

The room grew quiet, all eyes on Jonah as he seemed to struggle with the memories of that night.

“I found a good vantage point downwind so my smell wouldn’t carry. There were maybe five humans already there, tied up and blindfolded with ten shifters standing around laughing and planning their strategy.” Jonah’s eyes narrowed. “It wasn’t long before others arrived with more humans. And that’s when I saw her.”

“My mother?” Janna sat up straighter. Fear for her mother, even though she was dead, hit her so hard that she trembled. Garrett stepped closer to her, the heat from his body oddly comforting.

Jonah’s eyes brightened slightly. “She fought with everything she had, even blindfolded and with her arms tied behind her back. While the other humans cried and begged for what—they didn’t even know—she cursed and fought.”

“That doesn’t surprise me,” Janna replied with pride.

“I couldn’t take my eyes off her, and at that moment, I knew she was mine.” Jonah’s tone became dominant as his eyes shifted to Garrett. “Even as Jasper Simone stepped up as the one who marked her, I knew she was mine.”

“But she was human.” Marcus, who had sat quietly listening, spoke up. “When you say mine, do you mean mine in a wolf mating kind of way?”

Janna glanced at Marcus. “What do you mean ‘wolf mating kind of way?’” Janna asked, even though she was anxious to hear the rest of what happened to her mother.

“Wolves have one mate, and until they find that mate, they make no commitment to anyone else,” Marcus replied with that bit of information.

“So you don’t have….” Janna stopped, realizing what she was about to say in a room full of men, but she was more than intrigued.

“Sex?” Hunter laughed, making his face even more handsome. “Do I look like a virgin to you?”

“Hunter, shut the hell up.” Marcus smacked him on the back of the head before looking at Jonah. “Do you think her mother was your mate, Jonah?”

“She
was
my mate.” Jonah’s voice was final.

“A human cannot be mated with our kind, especially an alpha. It’s forbidden,” Hunter replied, while scooting away from Marcus so not to get hit again, but didn’t realize he was closer to Garrett. “And what shifter in his right mind would want to be mated to a human anyway. If I had anything to say about it, we’d take them all out. All they do is make up rules that we have to follow, which is bullshit.”

“You’re an idiot,” Janna hissed at Hunter just as Garrett smacked him on the back of the head.

“Will you stop fucking hitting me.” Hunter stood, glaring at Garrett then Marcus, before his eyes zeroed in on Janna. “And I’m a realist, lady. Humans are bad news. Just look at Jonah over there. He was once one of the most powerful alpha males. Now he’s just a drunk who lost his pack because of not just a woman, but a human woman.”

Before Janna could say anything, Garrett turned to Hunter. “Enough!” That warning was enough to shut him up. “Continue, Jonah.”

Jonah was glaring at Hunter, but calmed himself enough to finish. “They gave them a head start. The humans began running in all directions, but my eyes stayed on Virginia. I followed at a distance until I knew we were far enough away my scent wouldn’t be picked up. After I calmed her down enough to trust me, I got her out of there.”

“And?” Janna added when it looked as if Jonah was done.

“And…nothing.” Jonah frowned. “We were on the run. Somehow Jasper found out it was me who took Virginia.”

“So you left her to fend for herself?” Janna hissed, wanting to scream her frustration, but kept her cool.

“No.” Jonah shook his head, his eyes not meeting hers. “It wasn’t about Virginia anymore.”

“Obviously that’s wrong since she’s the one dead and you’re alive.” Janna stood, the words causing her so much pain she had to do something.

“She’s dead because she loved me.” His eyes shot to hers. “I would have given my life for her.”

Janna crossed her arms using her hands to pinch her skin just to keep herself under control. Her totally freaking out wouldn’t help matters any or help her understand. “So you just dropped her and took off.”

“You know, I’m about sick of your mouth,” Jonah growled, leaning toward her as he pointed in her face. “You know nothing about me or what happened.”

Garrett stepped between the two. “Honestly, Jonah, I’m wondering the same thing.”

Jonah dropped his hand backing away. “I called in a favor. I found a safe place for Virginia to stay and I left to keep her safe. This wasn’t about her anymore. Jasper wanted me and I knew it. So I had him chase me for months, leading him away from her.”

“Didn’t you ever try to go back to her?” Janna asked, wanting him to say yes because she knew how much her mother had loved this man. Whenever she talked about her father, the love was not only in her eyes, but her voice.

“It wasn’t until about three years later that Jasper finally gave up. Even though I was able to keep in touch with my friend who cared for Virginia, I never made contact with her. At least until I knew for sure it was safe. I knew she had been relocated so I took the chance to go see her, hoping….” Everyone was quiet as they watched Jonah’s emotions try to overtake him as his chin quivered, but he fought them back. “I saw her and a little girl.”

“Me,” Janna added as if that needed to be said.

His eyes came back into focus as he looked at her. “Yeah, you,” he replied. “She looked so happy that I didn’t want to disrupt her life, or family, so I walked away.”

“I can’t believe that you were there and never came to her.” Janna shook her head, fighting tears. “You have no idea how much my mother loved you.” She was surprised at the anger that flamed Jonah’s face.

“She didn’t love me.” Jonah gave a grunted laugh that held no humor. “When I saw you, you had to have been at least three years old or close to it. That tells me it didn’t take her long to find someone to take my place.”