Shadowed Instincts (13 page)

“Okay. On to the business. I’d like to start by telling you
that I’ve sent some men to Oklahoma.”

“You did? Why?”

Melanie sat across the desk from her father in his office.
After a quick bite to eat, they had briefly discussed Jeremy and their plans
for the day. He was taking the others down to the pond for a swim and Melanie
planned to meet up with them after this meeting. She had been so nervous when
Darren had brought up his name, thinking she was busted for sleeping in
Jeremy’s bed the night before.

“I’m just covering all my bases. We’ve come to the
conclusion that someone means Jeremy harm, and that someone, somehow, got onto
this property to inflict it upon him. The only sure threat we are aware of is
this alpha of the Oklahoma pack. My men will head there, survey the area and try
to get as much information as possible.”

“Okay. So, when will we know something?”

“Well, they left after breakfast and it’s about a thirteen
hour drive. Because of the late hour, they’ll probably not have any intel for
us until tomorrow afternoon at the earliest.”

“Alright, then.”

“Melanie, do you know what Jeremy has told his parents?”

Melanie shifted nervously in her seat. “He called them
yesterday and told them he got food poisoning. He didn’t want to lie, but he
was afraid they would make him come home.”

Darren nodded thoughtfully. “Okay. I’ll back up his story,
if need be.”

“Thanks, Dad,” she said gratefully.

“Don’t go thanking me yet. If something else happens, I’m
going to have to insist he go home while I figure out who the traitor is in our
midst.”

“Okay,” she said, giving a slight nod. “I can accept that.”

“Now,” he said, leaning back in his chair and rubbing his
hands together, “you are within two days of your first shift, so I know you
have questions. With your birthday and our guests, I haven’t really had a
chance to meet with you.”

“Well, I do have some questions,” she hedged.

“Okay, well, spit it out.”

“I want to know more about the alpha power. I know you can
control people, pack members, with your voice and mind. Can you do anything
else?”

“Actually, I can. I also have abilities to aid in
self-preservation. As alpha, I can mask my scent. If I choose to do so, no
cynanthrope can tell that I am one of his or her kind. I can also shift into
multiple forms.”

“Multiple forms? Like different animals?”

“No, not exactly. I will always shift into a dog, as that is
our nature and genetics. Because I am the alpha, I can shift into
different...breeds, I guess would be the best way to put it. If the situation
calls for strength and endurance, I will transform into a dog akin to a
Shepherd. If I need to be small and inconspicuous, I can choose to shift into a
breed like a Chihuahua or a small terrier.”

“Wow. Will I be able to do that?”

“No. At least, I don’t think so. The alpha line has always
passed down the male lineage. If an alpha has only daughters, it passes to the
eldest daughter’s husband. In the history of the Kentucky pack, a female has
never taken over as alpha.”

“Well, that sucks,” Melanie said sourly.

Darren barked out a laugh. “Yes, you’re right. It does suck.
Maybe you’ll be the first female alpha of our pack.”

Melanie stiffened and looked at the floor. She wasn’t sure
if she’d ever want to live in Wilkes. She liked her normal life in Amblin. With
that thought, her mouth drew down into a frown. After this weekend, nothing
would ever be “normal” for her again.

“So,” Darren said, regaining her attention. “Did you have
any other questions?”

Melanie smiled gratefully at him for changing the subject.
She wasn’t ready to discuss her future yet. And she did have other questions.
Something had been bothering her for a few days and she meant to get to the
bottom of it.

“Yes, actually. Does anyone else in the pack have
any…special…abilities?”

“Why do you ask?” He raised an eyebrow at her quizzically.

“Please, just answer the question, Dad.”

“Okay,” he said, drawing out the word. “My beta, Chad, has
the ability to affect moods. He can’t control people, like I can, but he can
change the way people feel around him. It comes in handy when I’m not around.
Chad can make people feel happy when they are depressed or calm when they are
hostile. It takes the edge off of any serious situation until I can get there
and diffuse it.”

Melanie’s eyebrows drew down. “How does he do it? With his
voice and mind, like you?”

“No, he’s not that powerful. He has to actually touch the
person he wants to influence.”

“Are there any physical side effects?”

“Well, there’s warmth, and kind of an electric tingle, but
nothing that feels uncomfortable or painful, if that’s what you mean.”

Melanie exhaled harshly with a frown. “Who else?”

“Who else, what?” He looked at her with a knitted brow.

“Who else has this power?”

“What’s going on, Melanie?”

“Answer the question.” She paused to take a deep breath and
added, “Please.”

“Well, Chad is the only one who has full control of the
ability, but, as his son, Declan has a grasp on it and is learning to use it in
preparation of being the next beta.”

Melanie exhaled on a huff and shook her head. “I knew it.”

“Knew what? What’s happening? Is Declan bothering you?”

“Don’t worry about it,” she replied, standing up and pacing
toward the door. As she grabbed the doorknob, she turned and sent him a caustic
smile. “I can take care of this myself.”

She slammed the door behind her and Darren leaned back in
his chair with a grin. “I bet you will,” he said quietly to himself. “You are
definitely your father’s daughter.”

*~*~*

Melanie plopped down on the front porch steps with a huff.
She was too angry to face her friends and she wasn’t sure yet if she wanted to
tell Jeremy about her suspicions regarding Declan. She needed to confront
Declan first, hear what he had to say, then she would decide.

A flash of white to her left caught her attention and she
peered into the surrounding forest. She thought she saw movement again and
inhaled a deep breath. Letting it out slowly, she stood and walked down the
steps.

Reaching the edge of the woods, she said quietly, “Declan,
if that’s you, I need to talk to you. Now.”

She walked back to the steps and sat on the bottom one to
wait. If it was Declan that she saw running around out there, he would hear her
and come. She knew she would have to wait for him to shift and get dressed, so
she spent the next few minutes trying to calm and compose herself.

Five minutes later, Declan walked around the corner from the
back of the house. He walked over and sat next to her, not saying a word. She
didn’t speak either and they sat in silence for several long minutes until
Declan finally broke it.

“What did you want to talk to me about?”

With that innocent question, the anger exploded in Melanie
again. She stood abruptly and put her hands on her hips, towering over him with
a snarl.

“Why don’t you guess, Declan,” she said, putting a nasty
emphasis on his name.

Declan stood and put his hand on her arm, just above the
elbow. Almost immediately, she felt a warm tingle where his palm touched her,
and her anger started to melt away. She looked into his aquamarine eyes and her
heart started pounding. He smiled and leaned in closer, bringing his face
within inches of hers.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Mel.”

Melanie’s nostrils flared as she caught his scent and her
eyes started to flutter closed as he leaned in even closer. He was going to
kiss her and she wanted it. She licked her lips in anticipation, tilting her
head up slightly.

Suddenly, Jeremy’s face flashed behind her eyelids and she
jerked back with a gasp. Yanking her arm out of his grasp, she reared back with
the other hand and let it fly toward his face. Declan stumbled back a few
steps, reaching up to cover the red splotch on his face with his palm.

“What was that for?” he asked in shock.

“What was that for? Are you freaking kidding me right now?”
Melanie started pacing back and forth in front him, shaking her head incredulously.
“I can’t believe you, Declan.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Melanie,” he said
in a low voice, not making eye contact.

Melanie stopped pacing and stood before him with her hands
fisted at her sides. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to
calm herself before she spoke. She took a step forward so that she was right in
his face and began to speak in low tones.

“I know about your
power,
Declan. I know you’ve been
using it to make me feel things for you. Don’t bother trying to deny it,” she
added when he opened his mouth to speak. “I don’t want to hear any lame excuses
or denials. Just tell me why.”

“I don’t know what-”

“Stop lying!”

Declan’s gaze dropped to the ground and he heaved out a
sigh. Melanie waited for him to talk, knowing he would finally tell her the
truth. Just when she thought he was going to hold his tongue forever, he
finally took a deep breath and spoke.

“I’m sorry, Mel,” he said, staring at her feet. “I just…just
like you so much. And I thought if I could get you to feel something, anything
for me, you might be open to the possibility of us being together.” He looked
up at her face with hope shining in his eyes.

“And, one day, that would make you alpha instead of beta.”

“That’s not-”

“Save your breath. Don’t you ever touch me again, you got
that?”

“Yeah,” he said dejectedly, “I got it.”

Melanie turned her back and stomped toward the side of the
house. She was still fuming and needed to cool off before she turned violent.
Rounding the corner, she slammed into a warm body. Large hands grabbed her arms
as she started to teeter backwards.

“Hey, easy there,” she heard as she tried to snatch her arms
out of the tight grasp that held them.

“Chris? What are you doing over here? I thought you were
swimming.”

“We were, I mean, are. I came up to the house to grab some
drinks and snacks from the kitchen and I thought I heard your voice. I was just
coming to find you, to coerce you into coming for a dip with us. The water is
great.”

He smiled his goofy smile, his gorgeous dimples making an
appearance. Melanie smiled back, forcing it to look genuine. She nodded and
they both made their way to the back of the house. She waved at Jeremy and
Tara, both of whom had spotted her from the water. She headed inside to go
change, with Chris following behind her.

Making her way to the stairs, she stopped and watched Chris
walk towards the door that led to the kitchen.
He didn’t hear anything,
she
thought.
He would have asked me about it if he had.
Shaking the thoughts
out of her head, she bounded up the stairs to change into her bikini.

“I still can’t believe it.”

Melanie groaned and threw a pillow at Tara. “Just shut up
about it, already. Please.”

Tara threw the pillow back at her. “I can’t. I’m sorry.
Melanie Johnson was rocking a bikini today. It’s like…a historic event, or
something.”

After their swim, everyone had taken turns in the shower and
Melanie and Tara were hanging out in her room while Jeremy and Chris made a run
to the closest pizza parlor. They planned to spend the rest of the afternoon in
the entertainment room, watching movies and playing pool.

“My mom bought me that sorry excuse for a bathing suit when
I wasn’t around. It’s all I have.”

“Melanie,” Tara said, “look at me. You looked hot. Jeremy
couldn’t take his eyes off you.”

Melanie blushed, remembering her time with him on the boat.
“Yeah, I guess he likes it.”

“He loves it. And you should, too. Where’s all that
confidence you’ve been building up over the last few weeks?”

“I don’t know. Old habits die hard, I guess.”

Melanie’s phone beeped and she picked it up from her
nightstand. It was a text from Jeremy, telling her they were on their way back.
“Let’s go downstairs,” she said to Tara. “The boys are on their way.”

When they reached the entertainment room, someone was
already there. Melanie saw a light blonde head over the back of the couch and
paused with a grimace. The head swiveled to glance over at them and she met
piercing green-blue eyes.

“Declan!” Tara exclaimed when she saw him. “What are you
doing today? Do you want to hang out? The guys picked up some pizza and are on
their way back now.”

Declan stood and walked around the couch. Without even a
glance at Melanie, he said, “Sorry, I have some things I have to do. Maybe
another time,” and left the room quickly.

“What’s with him?” Tara asked, grabbing the remote and
plopping down on the couch.

“I can’t believe you invited him to hang out with us,”
Melanie exclaimed as soon as she was sure Declan was out of earshot. “Don’t you
remember what I told you?”

“I remember,” Tara said with a frown. “I just don’t buy it.
I totally believe he wants you, that much is obvious. But to kill Jeremy? Just
to get the girl he wants? Don’t you think that’s a little over the top?

“I don’t know,” Melanie said quietly, not meeting Tara’s
eyes. “You could be right. But I’m glad it’ll just be us four tonight. We only
have a couple of days left before you and Chris have to go home.”

“Don’t remind me,” Tara said. “Back to school on Monday,
without you.”

Melanie put her arm around Tara’s shoulder and snatched the
remote with her other hand. “I get to pick the movie this time,” she said
cheerily, changing the subject.

Thirty minutes later, the boys were still not back and
Melanie was starting to get worried. She checked the time on her phone again
and jumped off the couch to pace the room.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s been too long, Tara. Jeremy and Chris should have been
back fifteen minutes ago.”

“They took your Jeep, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, that should rule out car problems. It’s brand new.
Maybe they stopped by the store for sodas?”

Melanie pointed to the back of the room. “When there’s a
soda machine right there?” she yelled. “Sorry,” she said, seeing Tara flinch.
“I don’t mean to yell at you. I’m just worried.”

“Have you tried texting Jeremy?”

“Only like twelve times.”

“I’ll call Chris.”

Tara pulled her phone out of her back pocket and Melanie
started pacing again. She kept her eyes on her friend and saw Tara’s face fall.

“Voicemail?”

“Yeah. Maybe they just-”

Tara’s voice was cut off by shouting out in the foyer. They
raced from the room to see Jeremy being carried in by Darren and Chad. Chris
stumbled in after them with a large towel wrapped around his head.

“Oh my God, what happened?” Melanie screamed as she ran
forward.

“Car accident. Jeremy was thrown from the Jeep. No seatbelt,”
Chris stuttered as Tara ran forward and threw her arms around his waist.

Melanie left them without a word and quickly followed her
father and Chad upstairs to Jeremy’s room. Darren laid him gently on the bed.
Hearing him moan, Melanie ran forward and pushed the two men out of the way so
she could see him.

“Jeremy,” she whispered, her eyes burning, “are you okay?”
Then she looked up at her dad and asked more forcefully, “Is he okay? What
happened?”

“Melanie, he’s fine. He was thrown from the Jeep, but he
only suffered a cracked rib and a few other scrapes and bruises. He’ll be up
and about in no time.”

“Mel,” Jeremy moaned.

Melanie looked down at him and gently took his hand.
“Jeremy, did you hear that? You’re going to be okay.”

“Mel,” he said again, “I’m sorry about…your...Jeep.”

With that, the grip on her hand relaxed and his eyes closed.
“Jeremy? Jeremy! What’s happening?”

“Melanie,” Darren said, putting his hand on her shoulder.
“Relax. Chad gave him a tranquilizer at the accident sight to ease his pain.”

“Tranquilizer?”

“Yeah,” Chad said. “I always keep a syringe in my glove
compartment. Sometimes, during their first few shifts, young pups get
overwhelmed by their senses and lose their way in the woods. I’ve had a couple
run out and almost get hit by cars on the main road. They are naturally
excitable during this time anyway, but the adrenaline makes them very hard to
control. When Darren isn’t around to command them, I have to be able to take
control.”

“But I thought you could calm them by touching them.”

“I can,” he said with a small smile, “but it takes time,
particularly with the new ones. I just like to be prepared. Jeremy was in a lot
of pain and I didn’t want to chance him losing it and shifting in front of his
cousin.”

“Chris! Is he okay?”

“Yes,” Darren replied. “He was wearing his seatbelt, so he
just got a big bump on his head. They were both lucky.”

Melanie leaned over and, smoothing Jeremy’s hair back from
his forehead, kissed him lightly there. “I’ll be back,” she whispered. Looking
at Darren and Chad, she said “Let’s go find out what happened.”

They found Chris, Tara and Elaine in the dining room.
Melanie’s mom was pressing a bag of frozen peas to Chris’s head. Melanie ran
forward and dropped down in the chair next to Chris. Tara was sitting on the
floor by his feet.

“Chris, are you okay?” Melanie asked.

“Yeah, I’m good. I’ve got a hard head.”

“What happened out there?”

“Well, we were driving back and Jeremy wanted to see how
fast your Jeep would go.” He gave Melanie an apologetic smile. “Okay, maybe I
egged him on a bit. We hit about eighty miles per hour and he was starting to
slow down when suddenly, out of nowhere, a big white dog jumped from the tree
line, right in front of the car. Jeremy swerved to miss it, and I guess he lost
control. That’s the last thing I remember before waking up. The Jeep was in the
ditch on its side, and Jeremy’s seat was empty.”

Melanie’s eyes narrowed and she balled her hands into tight
fists. “A big,
white
dog, you say?”

“Yeah. It was huge, like a shepherd or something.”

“Melanie, no.” Chad said quietly from behind her, so that
Tara, Chris and Elaine couldn’t hear.

Melanie ignored him. “How long ago did this happen?”

“I don’t know. Maybe half an hour?”

“I’m glad you’re okay,” she said, forcing a tight smile to her
lips. “Dad, can I talk to you and Chad for a minute?”

Tara jumped up from her position on the floor. “What’s going
on, Mel?”

“Nothing. Nothing. I’m just upset and worried about Jeremy.
I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

“Okay,” Tara said doubtfully, taking the chair Melanie left
open.

Melanie walked from the room and the two men followed her
out. When they were far enough away for no one to hear them, Chad put his hand
on Melanie’s shoulder to stop her. “Melanie, I know what you’re thinking. It
can’t be true.”

Melanie shrugged his hand from her shoulder and started forward
again without responding. She hated being rude to Chad. She really liked and
respected him, but she was too wound up at that moment to be polite.

When they followed her into Darren’s office, she closed and
locked the door behind them. She did not want to be interrupted.

“Is this office soundproofed?”

“Yes.” That was the first time Darren had spoken since Chris
had said the words “white dog.”

“Okay,” she said, “I think you should both sit down.” When
neither made a move to sit, she said, “Suit yourselves.”

“Melanie,” Chad started, but Darren held up a hand to cut
him off.

“Thanks, Dad. Chad, I know this is hard, but I really need
you to just listen to me, okay?” At his nod, she continued, “When Jeremy was
poisoned, I found a sports drink on his nightstand and tried to get him to
drink some, thinking he was just dehydrated. When I realized how serious things
were, I ran out to get you. When we got back to his room, it was gone,
remember?”

Darren nodded. “Yes, I remember looking for it under the
bed.”

“Right. Well, after Jeremy got better and was able to talk,
I told him about the aspirin in his system. He said that all he’d had to drink
the night before was a sports drink. The very one that he brought back to his
room, that later disappeared.”

“What does this have to do with what happened tonight and my
son?” Chad interjected.

“Jeremy said the bottle was sealed when he grabbed it from
the fridge. The only time it was out of his sight was when he left to use the
restroom. When he got back, Chris had left too, and Declan was there, alone.”

“That doesn’t prove any-”

“Declan has been using his powers on me!” Melanie exclaimed
loudly, cutting him off.

“What?” Darren and Chad shouted at the same time.

“He, well…he likes me, I guess. He has been trying to get
close to me and when he does, he always makes a point to touch me. His touch
makes me feel warm, and safe, and like there’s nowhere else I should ever want
to be. Sometimes it’s electric and makes butterflies erupt in my stomach.”

“What you’re describing could also be natural attraction,”
Chad said, defending his son.

“I confronted him about it, Chad. He admitted to me that he
wants me and that he was using his ability to get me to open up to the possibility
of being with him. I think he wants to be alpha one day.”

“No!”

“Chad, calm down.”

At Darren’s words, Melanie saw the tension drain out of Chad
like a deflated balloon. Chad nodded at Darren and they both looked back at
Melanie. She held her hands up in front of her and ticked the items off on her
fingers as she spoke.

“He wants me for himself, for whatever reason. He was alone
with Jeremy’s drink, which was the most likely source of his poisoning. I saw
him leaving Jeremy’s room while he was recovering, but Jeremy was asleep so who
knows what he was doing in there. And now,
now,
a big, white dog runs in
front of the car, causing Jeremy to crash? Declan was with me and Tara until
about fifteen minutes before the accident. He left quickly after we told him
the boys went for pizza and were on their way back. What other explanation
could there possibly be?”

The two men just stared at her, no answers rushing to their
lips. Melanie gave them each a stern look and left the room. Jeremy needed her.
She went up to his room to sit with him until he woke up.