Savage Urges (3 page)

She was just about to slide into the driver’s seat when Ryan came to her side. “I’ll be one minute,” she assured Zac, guessing Ryan wanted to speak with her privately. Zac, who was in the passenger seat playing with his new cell phone, barely looked up.

“What happened to him?” Ryan asked in a low voice after she closed the car door.

She sighed. “I don’t know. He won’t talk about it. Look, I have to be straight with you. The York Pack has put out a search for Zac, which is why I created a false trail. But if they find out he’s with you—”

“Let them fucking come,” growled Ryan. “No one will hurt him. I won’t allow it.”

She nodded. “Good.” As Ryan’s eyes returned to Zac, she said, “I can understand that your instincts are hounding you to take him. I’m glad of that. But he’s not ready yet.”

Knowing she was right didn’t make it any less frustrating. “I want to see him again tomorrow.”

“Good. The consistency will help. We’ll meet you at the diner on Lumley Street at noon. He loves the food there.” Close to the shelter, the diner was smack bam in the middle of an area that mostly housed loners. Zac would feel safer on what, for him, was home turf.

“That’s twice now you’ve dictated the time and the place that I get to see him.”

“Because I know Zac. I know what places make him feel comfortable. I know this must be hard for you in some ways, but his feelings come first to me.” Compelled to poke at him, she arched a brow. “Got a problem with that, White Fang?”

“Drop the White Fang.”

“Drop the snarl.”

“Do you have to be so annoying?”

“There’s something freeing about it.” She flashed him a farewell smile before hopping into the Mustang.

Ryan wondered how it was possible that a smile could irritate him
and
made his cock twitch at the same time. His little loner was—

Inwardly, Ryan scowled at his mental dialogue. She wasn’t
his
loner. But, he mused, he’d found her first. Besides, it was a debate that was only happening in his head, so it made no difference.

It wasn’t until the Mustang was out of sight that Ryan crossed the lot to the Chevy. The moment he slid into the passenger seat, Dante switched on the engine.

Jaime was the first to speak. “Well, it would seem that it wasn’t a trap after all.”

Ryan grunted his agreement. There was no denying that Zac was Damian’s son. They looked too much alike.

“He’s such a nice kid. Sweet. Polite.”

“And scared,” added Trey.

“I know,” said Jaime. “It was heartbreaking.”

“Did you notice he was especially distrustful of Ryan, Trey, and Dante?” Taryn asked Jaime. “Something tells me that whatever happened to Zac happened at the hands of a male.”

A growl built in Ryan’s chest. Whoever hurt him, Ryan would kill him.

Taryn’s voice was sensitive as she asked, “You okay?”

No, he wasn’t fucking okay. He hated that a member of his own family was staying with an outsider, especially at a damn shelter. He believed firmly that people should protect their own and take responsibility for their family. Which pretty much made him the exact opposite of his mother. He took pride in that.

“I know it had to be hard to walk away from him,” said Taryn, “but yanking the kid out of the shelter would just distress him. I have a feeling he’s been through enough already. The last thing you want is to make it harder for him, right?”

Ryan grunted, unable to argue with Taryn’s reasoning.

“Makenna will keep him safe,” said Jaime. “She’s got a wild vibe about her. The kind you’d see from a lioness guarding her cubs.”

“I like her,” announced Taryn. “And I like that she’s not intimidated at all by Ryan’s terminator snarl.”

“Terminator snarl?” chuckled Dante.

“When we first met, I thought you seemed kind of robotic,” Taryn told Ryan with a smile. “But I soon realized that you were so tense all the time because you were always on guard. You’ve settled a lot since the pack grew in strength. But you’re still stoic . . . like a Shaolin Monk Master that’s the epitome of cool because he knows he can snap your neck before you blink.”

“And it seems to reel females in,” said Jaime. “Even though you intimidate them.”

Taryn shrugged. “Lots of females like the strong, silent, dangerous type.”

Ryan decided not to contribute to what was, in his mind, a pointless conversation.

“When are we next seeing Zac?” Trey asked.

“Tomorrow,” replied Ryan. “The sooner he’s comfortable around us, the sooner he’ll agree to join our pack.” Where he’d be surrounded by people who would keep him safe.

“He’ll fit into our pack nicely,” Trey commented. “But I don’t think it will be easy to win his trust. And there’s something else that might complicate things.”

“What?” Dante asked.

“Zac seems pretty attached to Makenna.”

“If she saved him, it might just be a minor case of hero worship,” suggested Jaime.

“Maybe,” conceded Trey. “I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”

CHAPTER FOUR

H
earing a beeping sound, Makenna took her gaze briefly off the road to glance at Zac. He was reading a message on his new cell phone. “If that’s Ryan asking where we are, tell him we’re literally two blocks away.” They were running a little late.

“It’s some guy called Marcus. He says he’s another Phoenix enforcer.”

“Really?”

“The Phoenix wolves have all been texting me to say hi and tell me a little about them.”

“Yeah? That means the pack as a whole will definitely welcome you. That’s a good thing.” And a relief, because it didn’t always work that way. “Are they nice?”

“Dominic’s pretty fleek”—“fleek” meaning “cool” to Zac—“he keeps sending me jokes.”

Something about Zac’s tone made her ask, “Dirty jokes?”

“I’m not going to answer that. I’m pleading the seventh.”

“You mean the fifth.”

“Whatever. I’m pleading.”

She laughed. “Fine. But if you—” She broke off at the chiming of her own cell phone. Seeing that the caller was Madisyn, Makenna swiped her finger across the screen and answered, “Hello.”

“Shithead’s back.” Madisyn then hung up.

Makenna swore. “Send Ryan a text, tell him we’re going to be even later than what we already are.”

“Why?”

“Remy turned up at the shelter.” At the next junction, she did a U-turn and slammed her foot on the accelerator. In under a minute, she was pulling up outside the shelter. And there was Shithead, standing at the front door with two of his wolves—most likely trying to coax Dawn into letting them in. Dawn knew better than that. She’d also be busy holding Madisyn back; the feline had a wicked temper that made her easy to provoke. Engaging in a confrontation with a powerful Alpha wolf could lead to many complications, however.

“Zac, wait here. Do not get out of the car until he’s gone.” Hiding her anger under a façade of calm, Makenna exited the car and strolled toward the Alpha wolf. “Mr. Deacon,” she drawled. It wasn’t a greeting; it was a warning. But he still smiled, running an appreciative gaze over her.

“Ah, Makenna.” The affection and intimacy in his tone pissed her off. He was good-looking and possessed the kind of charisma that probably had most females dropping at his feet. But his beady azure eyes were always cold, and there was never even a hint of sexual awareness there. His flirtations were empty. “You look stunning, as always. And please, call me Remy.”

Nah. “Can I help you with something?” Her expression held no welcome, and his smile faltered. His pack mates flanked him. The male gave her a sleazy smile while the female sneered, as always. What-the-fuck-ever.

Remy hummed as his gaze again roamed over her, making her inner wolf bare her teeth despite not sensing any true interest from him. “Curves exactly where a man wants them. Why is it your mouth always has me thinking sinful thoughts?”

Was she supposed to be melting in his arms right now?

“I’m loving that little dress, by the way.”

She just stared at him, her expression blank.

“I’m disappointed in you, little wolf, I thought you’d want to play. Okay, I’ll get to the point. I wondered if Dawn had given any more thought to my offer.”

“She’s told you before, Mr. Deacon, she’s not interested in joining your pack. That answer ain’t gonna change.” The extent of his dominance was in his eyes, pressuring her to lower her gaze. She didn’t. She met his boldly. He wasn’t the only one who was dominant.

“You’re strong.” Grinning, he cocked his head, lips pursed. “I think you would make a valuable addition to my pack.”

A loud, derisive snort popped out of the punk-looking female at his side. Selene was his Head Enforcer and always displayed very possessive behavior toward him. She also liked to refer to Makenna as “Super Bitch,” which Makenna considered a compliment.

“It’s a win-win situation for everyone, Makenna. If Dawn agrees to join my pack, I’ll get more territory, the shelter will have any funding it needs, and all the volunteers will be under my protection.”

“It would be impossible for the shelter to work if it were ruled by a pack. You know that any shifters needing help or sanctuary wouldn’t go to a strange pack for it.”

“All Dawn has to do is name her price.”

She blinked. “Her price?” Ballsy fucker, wasn’t he? “She can’t be bought, Mr. Deacon.”

He laughed at that. “Of course she can. Everyone has a price. Everyone has weaknesses—including you, Makenna. Weaknesses that can be exploited.”

It was a threat. It was also a pointless one. “Well, since my weaknesses are merely dark chocolate and thrift stores, I’m not sure how that will help you.”

His eyes narrowed. “I’ve heard that many of Dawn’s neighbors don’t like living among a shelter for lone shifters. Think of our council . . . it wants peace above all else.”

“Look, I don’t have much patience for the whole ‘beating around the bush’ thing. Are you going somewhere with this?”

“I’m just pointing out that if the neighbors become more vocal about their issues, it’s very likely that trouble will occur. The shifter council won’t like that. They would shut this place down to preserve the peace.”

“Oh, I see. You think that threatening Dawn with the big, bad council will make her ask just how high you want her to jump.” Who would have thought the stupid fucker could be so amusing? “Well, feel free to go to them. I can’t promise it’ll get you anywhere.”

“I already
have
gone to them.” He pulled a folded slip of paper from his pocket.

With a bored sigh, she opened it. It was a summons to attend a mediation meeting. The council preferred that shifters attempt to resolve their issues through mediation. If the parties didn’t reach an agreement, the disputing shifters had the council’s permission to go to war after twelve weeks. The hope was that those twelve weeks would give both parties the chance to cool down and drop their issues. In many cases, it worked. But . . . “We’re loners. We can’t go to war with you.”

He stepped closer, eyes softening. “I don’t want us to be at war, Makenna. If you read the summons, you’ll see it states that if Dawn and I can’t reach an agreement, the matter will go before the council. They’ll then decide. Of course . . . we can just avoid all that if Dawn agrees here and now to join my pack and hand over this territory. Surely she’d prefer to be part of a pack. Wouldn’t you, Makenna? You know, you’d make a good Alpha female.”

This time, both she and Selene snorted. Makenna’s wolf wanted to stab a claw in his fucking eye.

He was about to speak again, but then the front door of the shelter creaked open. He smiled at Dawn, who stood in the doorway—chin up, arms folded. Madisyn was behind her, nostrils flaring, looking eager to claw Remy’s face off . . . which was no doubt why Dawn was obstructing her path.

“Dawn,” Remy drawled. “It’s always a pleasure. I was just telling Makenna about—”

“You’re not welcome here, Mr. Deacon.” Dawn’s voice was strong, firm. “It’s something you already know. So I’m confused as to why you’re here. But if it’s to repeat your offer, let me again say that my answer is a resounding no.”

A muscle in his jaw ticked. “Do you have any idea what I’m offering you? My pack is large, well known, and powerful. In case you’ve forgotten, you’ve got nothing. But I’m welcoming you and your volunteers into my pack. I’m offering to give this place what it needs to keep going and to adequately protect whoever is within it. Surely you want to protect the future of the shelter and all its residents.”

The slamming of a car door made Remy’s attention snap to a sight over Makenna’s shoulder. She would have worried it was Zac if wariness hadn’t momentarily flashed in Remy’s eyes. Ryan’s scent reached her before his body soundlessly sidled up to her, his arm brushing hers, like he belonged in her personal space. His pack mates came to a halt just behind Makenna. Huh. For them to turn up, either Zac had told them about Remy or they didn’t appreciate being made to wait longer to see Zac.

“Well, if it isn’t the Phoenix Pack.” Remy didn’t look quite as unaffected by their presence as he sounded. The reasonably small pack of nineteen wolves had a reputation for being dangerous, particularly since Trey’s wolf had a tendency to turn feral during battle. “Interesting friends you have, Makenna.” The word “friends” had been coated in distaste.

She could sense that Taryn wanted to assert her dominance as an Alpha female and tell the shithead to fuck off. But she didn’t, obviously aware that it would make it seem like Makenna couldn’t fight her own battles. She appreciated that the Alpha did no more than stand with her Betas. “You should go, Mr. Deacon.”

He looked ready to argue, but then his eyes flicked to Ryan. Whatever he saw in the enforcer’s eyes made Remy think better of it. “I’ll see you soon,” he told Dawn.

Selene gave Makenna a condescending wave. “Bye now.”

Once Remy and his enforcers were gone, Makenna turned to Ryan. “I didn’t need you to step in.”

“I didn’t say a word.”

“Just because you didn’t speak doesn’t mean you didn’t interfere. You came to my side wearing that serial-killer stare”—Taryn snorted a laugh—“making a statement that you’d stand with me against him.”

“Making a statement that you’re under my protection. I’ll kill him if he touches you. It’s best if he knows that.”

Makenna blinked at the casual way he’d spoken those menacing words. “Not quite sane, are ya?”

Ryan was thinking the same about her. He was actually just as taken aback by his strong sense of protectiveness as she was, but he decided not to overthink it. Self-analysis held no interest for him.

Hearing fast, light footsteps, he looked to see Zac dashing toward them. At the same time, two females—one in her forties, the other in her twenties—stepped out of the basic redbrick building that looked like an old high school and strolled down the path.

“This is Dawn and Madisyn,” Makenna told the Phoenix wolves. “Dawn owns the shelter, and Madisyn’s a volunteer.”

Ryan studied the two females. The plump brunette, Dawn, was as short as Taryn, and strength seemed to radiate from her. This female was a born alpha. He also sensed that she was a cougar shifter. The dark, curvy female, Madisyn, had the sharpest eyes he’d ever seen—Ryan would bet nothing got past her. She was also a feline, but Ryan struggled to sense what kind.

After everyone exchanged greetings, Dawn put her arm around Zac’s shoulders as she turned to Makenna. “What’s the piece of paper you got there?”

“We’ll talk about it inside.” She ushered Dawn, Madisyn, and Zac up the path toward the door, intending to tell the Phoenix wolves she’d need to postpone their visit with Zac, but Ryan moved to follow them. Obstructing his path, she arched a questioning brow.

“You said we’d talk inside,” he rumbled.

She gestured at herself, Dawn, and Madisyn. “I meant that
we
would talk inside.”

“You should have been more specific.”

But he made no move to leave. She narrowed her eyes. “This ain’t your business.”

“It will be.”

Taryn stepped forward. “I’ll admit, we were all totally eavesdropping from the Chevy before we came over here. We heard a little of what’s going on. We’d like to help if we can.” It wasn’t a request; it was a statement of intention. To Makenna’s surprise, the Betas looked just as determined to help. Ryan had resolve and determination etched into every hard line of his face.

Madisyn crossed her arms over her chest. “Why would you do that? We’re loners.”

“We owe you,” replied Taryn. “You helped Zac when we didn’t. You’ve been keeping him safe. If Makenna hadn’t contacted Ryan, we wouldn’t have even known he needed help. Besides, if you’re going to keep Zac here, we need to be absolutely fucking positive in our minds that he’s safe. I’ll be honest, I’m tempted to pull him out for his own protection.”

Zac backed up. “No way! I’m staying here!”

“Calm down,” Ryan told him. “We won’t force you to leave.” Zac would just run from them if they did.

“Too fucking right,” muttered Zac.

Dawn lightly tapped his shoulder. “Language, Zac,” she reprimanded. She studied the Phoenix wolves closely as she asked, “How is it, exactly, that you wish to help?”

It was Dante who replied. “Any way you need it. But we can’t know
what
you need until we know the whole story of what’s been happening with Remy.”

Makenna saw that Dawn was seriously considering their offer. She couldn’t blame her. As loners, they had no protection or resources or alliances, which made them easy targets for people like Remy, and they weren’t in a position to refuse any offer of aid. “I don’t really know how you can help,” Makenna told them. “But if you’re serious, come inside and we’ll tell you what’s been going on.”

Seemingly of their own accord, Ryan’s eyes dropped to the sway of Makenna’s hips as she led them up the path to the shelter. Her pert little ass made his wolf growl with need. The animal was still on edge after the encounter with Remy; he wanted to rip out the bastard’s throat for daring to threaten this female.

It had been hard to stay in the confines of the SUV and not immediately go to her side. But instinct had told Ryan that he needed to wait. Remy wouldn’t have spoken freely in front of Ryan and his pack mates, and they wouldn’t have learned as much as they did about the situation. But there was more to know, and he’d find out what it was. He meant what he’d said to Makenna; he’d make this his business.