RaleighPointRescueSue (6 page)

“Lisa,
run.”

* * * *

The huge wolves were circling them. “Mac,” cried Lisa. Then
her voice caught as she met his eyes, knowing her legs were incapable of
obeying the order.

Determination?

Resignation?

Apology?

Brief flickers of emotion chased across Mac’s face as Lisa’s
horror-struck eyes watched his body ripple. Terror washed over her, and she
froze at the sounds of bones popping and clothes ripping. Three wolves leapt
forward, a huge bear rose up and, with one swipe of a massive black paw,
levelled the nearest wolf.
Where had that
come from?

Petrified, Lisa’s legs wouldn’t move. She barely had time to
process the huge bear that had risen up in front of her and realized, with a
sickening fear, she was cornered. The biggest wolf lunged at the bear, trying
for its throat. Swerving her head to see the wolf in front of her—its muscles
bunched ready to lunge—she knew she was going to die.

She heaved oxygen into her lungs. The inhale pushed her
chest, along with something else.
A feeling?
A knowledge
?
A power?
She stared at
the wolf in front of her.

“Stop.”

Quiet.
Hard.
Implacable.
Like Mac had said to her in the kitchen, and she’d calmed instantly.

Confusion crept into the amber eyes in front of her. One
second, two seconds, and then a huge paw swiped the wolf, lifted it up and
threw it about ten feet. On its legs barely before it landed, it took off after
the big black one that had tried to get Mac’s throat.

Mac’s
throat?
No, it had been an
animal, a bear. Where was Mac? Lisa shook her head trying to chase away the
roaring in her ears. Mac stood back in front of her and other voices tried to intrude.
She pushed them away.
Couldn’t think.
Didn’t want to think.
Her head hurt. She tried to open her
eyes against the blackness dancing in front of her, and then barely had time to
realize they weren’t shut. Strong arms lifted her as she fell away. Blackness
pulled her in.

Chapter Six

Mac watched Lisa’s face anxiously. They’d got her back home,
and Riley insisted she was okay. Her body just responded to shock, he’d said.
Well, damn, that was fair enough, but surely she should be waking up now?

Lisa stretched. Mac held his breath and her hand. Cloudy
hazel eyes drifted open.
Unfocused.

He saw the second her memory returned.

“No, go away!” Lisa nearly screamed, as she scrambled up the
bed away from him.

“Lisa, calm down, honey.” Mac put his arm out.

“Get away from me.” Lisa pushed herself off the bed in panic,
and then nearly toppled over as her legs hadn’t caught up with her desire to
move.

“Stop.
Calm down. No one’s
gonna
hurt you.” Mac sighed. “I’ve got this, guys.” He
didn’t think she was aware of Cassie and Riley standing in the corner, and he
heard the door close.

Lisa was shaking and struggling, but she was getting weaker.

“Honey, don’t tire yourself out. I just want to talk, but
I’m not
gonna
let you hurt yourself.”

Lisa’s shaking slowed, and Mac gently eased her down on the
bed, tucking the comforter around her. He sat facing her.

“You lied to me.”

Lied?
Well, maybe
by omission, but—

“You promised me no drugs. How could you?”

“Lisa, no one’s given you any drugs since you got here. I
promise.”

“Hallucinations don’t happen on their own, you bastard.”
Lisa choked a sob down.

Mac sighed. Of course, she would think they’d drugged her.
Easier to believe than the reality.

“Honey, we weren’t
gonna
tell you
for a while, but I can see you need to hear this, so just be patient while I
get it all out.” Mac put a finger against Lisa’s lips that had opened as he
started talking. He half-smiled as she frowned and clamped her lips.
Little spitfire.

“Firstly, no one’s given you drugs.
At
all.”
Lisa’s disbelieving eyebrows rose. “My family is fairly unique,
and this is where it gets harder to hear.” Mac put his large hand over hers,
gratified when she didn’t pull away.

“For centuries, well that we know of, maybe forever, certain
people have co-existed with humans in secret.”

God,
this was
starting to sound like a bad science fiction movie.

“My family and quite a lot of our friends can change into err…
animals.”

Lisa’s jaw dropped.

“You saw the wolves?” Not that she could have missed them.
“Well, they’re shape-shifters. You saw them in their wolf form. They’re the bad
guys. I don’t mean all wolves are. There’s good and bad in us all, exactly like
humans.”

God, he was making a mess of this. “We told you Raleigh
Point
was
a group home, yeah?”

Lisa
nodded,
her eyes dazed.

“Well, it’s not a regular one. We only foster shifter
babies. My mom and dad, all of us, we’re
bear
shifters.”

Lisa gazed up at him, disbelief written all over her face.

“Alex is a wolf.
An alpha.”

Mac saw comprehension start to slide over her. She was
quick.

“Why am I here?” Lisa ground the words out.

Awe washed over him at her determination. “Honey, you’re a
wolf shifter.”

Lisa struggled out of bed. “No, I’m not. You’re lying. This
is ridiculous. Whatever you’ve been giving me, you’re on it as well.”

“Lisa, you’re not just a wolf shifter, you’re an alpha
female. That’s like queen of the pack for want of a better explanation.”

“You’re insane.” Lisa angrily looked down at the floor.

“Honey, I want you to come to the window.”

“Why?” Lisa clamped her feet.

“Just to look.
I knew you wouldn’t
believe me, and we weren’t
gonna
do any
demonstrations that would scare you.”

Lisa stalked to the window. “Okay, but then I’m leaving. And
I was the one locked up?”

Mac would have smiled at the sarcastic comment if it hadn’t
been so heartbreaking. Mac tapped on the window. Lisa gaped. Zack, Riley, and
Alex stood outside without a care in the world, completely naked.

Cassie sat on a garden chair bouncing Codie and waved gaily
up at the window.

“You’re all completely mad. This is like—some commune or
something.”

“Just watch.” He nodded to where Zack and Riley were stood.

Zack and Riley both seemed to suddenly crouch. They both
looked tense, waiting to pounce. Mac had seen this so much he’d stopped
looking, but it was different with Lisa beside him. He stood nearer her,
waiting for her reaction. Within seconds, both his brothers had morphed into
something quite astounding. Two huge black bears shook thick fur out and stood
taller. Cassie calmly walked to the biggest one still holding the baby.

“Oh my God, the baby.”
Lisa’s
fingers dug into his arm then her lips parted on an O as Codie giggled.

Mac warmed and risked an arm on her shoulders, gently, to
pull her closer. He wondered if she’d realized she was automatically displaying
an alpha female protective instinct for cubs. She’d been attacked by wolves,
had her whole reality rocked, and her first thought was for Codie. Damn, she
was beautiful.

Cassie sat him on the back of the biggest bear, who had
crouched on all fours so she could reach. The other bear calmly padded closer
and nuzzled Cassie as she balanced the baby. He bounced and shrieked in
delight.

Alex grinned at them all, and then squinted at the window,
waiting for Mac’s nod. In seconds, he had changed to a beautiful golden wolf
and stood next to Cassie, who pulled his ears fondly.

Lisa staggered back from the window. She would have fallen
if Mac hadn’t had caught her.

“I’ve got you, honey. We’re not mad.” He sighed. “Okay, well
maybe we’re all as sane as each other.”

Lisa’s choked sob nearly ripped him apart.

“I’ve got you.”

Lisa’s wavering gaze fixed on him, and she folded. Mac’s
insides hurt as the gasping sobs shook her body. He grimaced as huge gut
wrenching cries were wrung from her. Mac held her closer as her hands fisted
his T-shirt and torrents of tears slid down his front. Sliding onto the bed,
still holding her, his arms tightened on every sob as she shook.

Just as he started to get really worried, Lisa’s cries
quieted slightly,
then
morphed into swollen-sounding
hiccups. She finally sighed and snuggled into him closer, as he rubbed her
back. The tension eased from her body, and her breathing slowed.

Mac’s bear pushed into him, feelings of protection and love
swirling them both. He grazed a kiss on her head and sighed in contentment. She
was safe, here and in his arms.
Exactly where she’d be
spending the rest of their lives.

Mac watched steadily until Lisa stirred and opened her eyes.
He gazed down at red-rimmed eyes and puffy lips.
Mmm
…
Totally adorable.
He dropped soft
kisses on each eyelid to soothe.

Softly breathing kisses over swollen lips, he wanted to
offer security and comfort. He wanted to be a great, big, fuzzy blanket that wrapped
those big eyes and stopped them from hurting anymore.

Lisa moved slowly on his lap, and Mac quickly shook off the
fuzzy blanket.

A cautious pair of swollen lips breathed warm air back at
him, just resting at the side of his mouth.

Mac’s bear immediately sat up and took notice.

Lisa’s lips moved very slowly and seemed to pull at his
lower lip without even touching.

His head angled down of its own accord, and suddenly, Lisa
was at the right height. God, she smelled amazing, soft and warm like fresh cookies.

Mac growled.

Lisa startled at the noise, but she didn’t pull away, and
her gaze zeroed in on his mouth.

Well, he didn’t want to disappoint.

Mac carefully kissed and nibbled around her lips, never
completely taking her mouth so she could still breathe. He moved lower onto her
neck and found a jumping pulse point that sped up as he grazed his lips over
it.

Lisa swallowed, and he followed the movement with his
tongue.

“Need some water?”

At Lisa’s nod, he held the bottle and watched those lips
close over his favorite straw. Mac hardened all over. He waited until Lisa
finished drinking. Then he put the bottle back on the nightstand. She watched
him with wary hooded eyes.

“I don’t really understand what you said about me being an
alpha.”

“Honey, you remember in the woods?” He rubbed her arms as a
slight shiver ran through her. “You told the big wolf to stop, and he
listened.”

Lisa brought her face up in surprise. “I did?”

“Yeah, you were terrified, about to be attacked by wild
animals, and you just said ‘Stop.’” Blue eyes fixed on hers. “And he listened.
You will have pushed a little of your alpha power out without realizing”

Lisa’s breath caught as she remembered the confusion in
those amber eyes. “Why did they attack anyway?”

Mac pulled her in closer to his length. “Alpha wolves are
the heads of each pack. Like a monarchy if you like.”

“Are you an alpha bear then?” interrupted Lisa.

“It doesn’t work the same way. All male bears are alphas. They
are usually a lot more solitary than wolves and tend to live in smaller family
groups. Raleigh Point is quite unique in that way, but then,” he smiled, “so
are my mom and dad.”

“You can make me feel your power. Is that an alpha thing?”

Mac blushed. “Yes, but to be honest, the first time it
happened I was so damn turned on, it was a sexual thing. You blow my mind…” Mac
grazed his lips along the side of her jaw

Lisa moved. She grazed her hip against his hard mound and
swallowed slightly.

“The wolf that attacked us?
We
think he’s a rogue. That’s wolves that are bad and don’t live in a pack. We
will have to be careful around here until he’s caught—especially you.”

“Why?
Why me?”

“Because, as I said you’re an alpha female.
It’s the one thing guaranteed to establish a pack.” He answered her puzzled
look. “Wolf packs are very traditional.
Some good, some very
bad.”

“But he already had others with him.”

“He did, but the difference is they’re rogues. They have no
land. Without that, they’d have to fight another alpha for a pack. Now, that’s
not necessarily going to work as the alpha doesn’t have to accept the
challenge, and can just have them run off. But—”

“What?”

“Any alpha male mated to an alpha female has to be taken
seriously. It’s like a wolf code of conduct thing.”

Lisa tried to answer his wry smile. “But I’m not going to go
with him, so no worries there.”

The laughter bled out of Mac’s eyes. “It wouldn’t be
consensual, babes.”

“Oh.”
Lisa drew
nearer.

“Not that I’m not relieved, but you seem to be grasping this
quite quickly.” Mac wanted to kick himself. That was an ass-like statement,
even for him.

Lisa’s lips quirked.
“You mean the
whole changing into animals or that most alpha males have a huge ego?”

Mac took the barb. He deserved it.

“You seem to forget I have no problem believing the harsher
side of human nature. I didn’t exactly grow up in a fairy tale.” Lisa put her
finger on Mac’s open mouth to stop his apology. “I’m sorry. That was
unnecessary. Okay, so I understand all that, I think. Dr. Michaels isn’t a
shifter though, is he?”

Mac dropped a kiss on her lips.
“No, good
instincts.
How’d you know?”

Lisa flushed. “This is going to sound really weird, but he
smells different.”

Completely serious, Mac nodded. “Your sense of hearing,
smell, and taste are all amplified.”

Lisa gaped. “Am I going to change then?”

Mac could feel the flush on his neck as Lisa stared.

“Not until after you’re mated.” He looked at her steadily.
“Not until after
we’ve
mated.”

“Mated?”

Mac hooked a finger under her chin. “Lisa, you remember what
I tried to explain about the connection we both felt? We are true mates.
Unusual because, obviously I’m a
bear,
and you’re not,
but then neither’s Maggie.”

“True mates?”
Lisa frowned
slightly. “Who’s Maggie?”

“She’s a human, mated to our uncle and very pregnant with
twins, due any day. I’ll take you around to visit when things are settled.”

“So what does being mates mean?” Lisa’s voice grew softer.

“It’s like finding the other half of
yourself
.
No others, no divorce. True mating is for life.”

Lisa’s voice dropped to a whisper. “And you’re my mate?”

“And you’re mine.” Mac smiled and firmly returned his lips
to the hollow in her throat he’d been exploring earlier.

Mac leaned into her as he kissed her neck. She melted in his
arms, like chocolate on a hot day.

* * * *

Cocooned in his warmth, he moved his leg over her hip, and
she caught a scent of something delicious, earthy like the most exotic flower
she had ever smelled. All spices. The smell invaded her pores, reached into her
skin, tugged at something inside her,
and
it moved.

Lisa gasped, and Mac chuckled, bent his head, and inhaled
deeply. “Something’s waking up, I think. Delicious.”

Lisa preened.

Catching his face between her hands, confidence flooded her
heart at his words. “So I thought mates would kiss more than this really—”