Untamed Wolf (13 page)

Clamping his teeth against the blatant challenge, he held his gaze. “I am more than capable of taking her home. I know more about taking care of her than you do.”

“You are not to cross into Three Rivers territory. She shouldn’t have been here.”

“She tracked a stranded mother wolf and a single pup. They were both in danger. If she hadn’t followed them, they would have died. She didn’t violate our border, not in the middle of the whiteout. No way could she even tell where the border was.” The last thing he wanted was for her to be punished. She didn’t deserve it.

“It doesn’t matter why she was here or how she got here. It is not for either of us to decide.” The Enforcer shrugged. “For as long as Three Rivers holds its territory and the Alphas are in agreement…you really have no say in it at all. Do you need to call Mason to clarify the issue?” Threat punctuated every word.

The sharp, piquant notes of fear and a crunch of snow betrayed her presence. “Hello, Julian.”

“Good morning.” The clipped tone said it was anything but. “Get in the car, Trouble.”

Trouble?
Dropping his arms, Dylan took a step for the Enforcer. To hell with political relations, the rude son of a bitch needed to feel the teeth of a real wolf. Chrystal touched Dylan’s arm. The light contact halted him.

“It’s all right, Dylan. Julian is just here to give me a ride home.” She didn’t sound certain, and his wolf agreed with him. She didn’t have to go with Julian if she didn’t want to. “You are here to take me to Three Rivers, aren’t you, Julian?”

The fuse on his temper continued to burn, but Dylan focused his attention on the Enforcer. She asked the question to get reassurance, believing Dylan could scent the lie. The Enforcer was old enough to disguise his scent, however, making any answer he gave suspect.

“Save me from children and hotheads.” Julian’s scowl of impatience spoke volumes. “Yes, Trouble. I’m here to take you back to Three Rivers. Get. In. The. Car.” He never took his gaze from Dylan’s. “Go ahead, boy, take a swing. I’ll mail you back to Mason in pieces.”

Behind him, two Enforcers left the bobcats they’d been manning and began to close the distance between them and Julian. Three Enforcers, one Dylan.
Sounds like fair odds…
Chrystal took a step forward, but Dylan caught her elbow and eased her back. The last place she needed to be was between them.

A third SUV turned onto the road and trundled along towards them. “Go ahead, Julian. Call me boy again. Unless you’re waiting for a few more wolves to back you up. I’m surprised the big bad ass Lone Wolf needs backup.”

The newly arrived vehicle didn’t carry more Enforcers, however. Instead, A.J. Buckley, Mason’s second, stepped out from the passenger side with his brother Tyler exiting the driver’s seat.

“Problem?” A.J.’s gaze swept across the scene. Several years in prison had given him a gift for spotting trouble.

Never taking his attention from Julian or releasing Chrystal, Dylan said, “His royal highness, master Enforcer, here is demanding I turn our
guest
over to him.”

Instead of supporting the quiet question in his statement, A.J. said, “Mason’s orders, Dylan.” Slow, deliberate steps brought him within range of the standoff. “Miss Landros, I’m glad we could provide you shelter for the duration of the storm, but you’re trespassing on Willow Bend territory. Your Alpha requested your immediate release and does not seem content that we aren’t holding you against your will since you didn’t contact her at any point during the last three days.”

Guilt rolled off Chrystal in waves. Dylan switched his aggravation to A.J. “She had no damn signal.”

“Whatever the cause, tensions are high. She needs to go. Now.” The second order, reinforcing Mason’s, left Dylan with no choice.

“It’s all right.” Chrystal’s sweet voice soothed the ragged edges of rage rioting in his soul. “I probably should get back. Thank you, Dylan…for everything.”

She released his arm and took a step away from him. Catching her before she took another step, he tugged the charm bracelet from his pocket. Surprise lit her eyes when he pressed it into her palm. A part of him wanted to keep it, give her a reason to come back.

“Thank you,” she whispered, closing her fingers around the jewelry.

He nodded once, not quite trusting himself to speak. Every crunch of the snow delivered another blow. As soon as she passed Julian, he glanced at A.J., nodded, then turned to follow her. No one moved, save for the Enforcers who returned to drive their bobcats back to the trailer near the road. Tyler slid back into the driver’s seat of his SUV and backed it out of the way.

Chrystal climbed into the passenger seat of Julian’s vehicle. Dylan stared at her, willing her to give him one word. One fucking word, and he would stop the farce. Her lips were pressed together, almost colorless. The strain of going with Julian had to be tremendous—hadn’t she said he terrified her?

Goddammit
. The SUV reversed, following Tyler’s maneuver. Chrystal stared at him through the windshield, then lifted her phone to her chest, tapping the back of it with two fingers as she stared at him.

Phone.

“Dylan?”

Not answering A.J., he continued to track the progress of the vehicle. The moment the SUV made it to the road, he pivoted and marched towards the cabin. He needed his damn phone.

U
ncomfortable didn’t begin
to describe the drive. The world gleamed under the early afternoon light. Everywhere she looked was painted white, yet the brushstrokes seemed too harsh, too glaring…too empty. Dropping her gaze to her phone, she sighed. The silent screen held no message or response from Dylan. When she’d seen Julian from the woods, she’d written a text message. No way did she want to say her goodbyes with an audience.

But why didn’t he answer?

Sinking into the seat, she pulled the jacket around her tighter—Dylan’s jacket. Pressing her nose to the collar, she took a deep breath of his scent. With a smile, she blinked back tears. It was hardly her first move, her first trip away from the familiar, and yet the last time she’d experienced anything remotely similar to the regret choking her had been when she left the gatehouse at eighteen.

Julian stretched a hand past her to flip open the glove box. “Protein bars.”

“No, thank you.” Finding her voice didn’t seem as difficult as she’d imagined.

“Three syllables. Impressive.” So much so even Julian noticed. Before, she always kept her answers as monosyllabic as possible. Of course, before he’d terrified her.
Before
. Biting her lip, she pulled her nose from Dylan’s collar and tried to pick up Julian’s scent. Was he angry? Or what?

“We’ll train your nose pretty girl, don’t worry. I’d be happy to teach you that—and hunting, and shifting. We’ll go over all of it.”
They’d had time to work on her shifting, but not the rest. Maybe someone else would teach her.

I don’t want anyone else to do it.

“Trouble?”

“Hmm?”

“Did you hear a word I said?”

He’d been speaking? Frowning, she glanced at the Enforcer driving. The man was big, broad shouldered, and power seemed to roll off him in waves…or it had always seemed to when they met before. Heck, when she’d realized he was the Enforcer they’d sent, her gut clenched so hard she thought she might vomit.

So why doesn’t it bother me now?

“Apparently not.” He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. Impatience writhed just below the surface. Impatience, an almost metallic sweatiness in a smell.

“No,” she said, agreeing with his assessment. Fisting her bracelet, she took comfort from the metal. “I wasn’t paying any attention to you.”

“Clearly.” His tone didn’t match his bland expression. “Shall I repeat myself or are you going to keep ignoring my existence?”

“Not ignoring you.” At his raised eyebrow, she shrugged. “Okay, so I was ignoring you. I was looking the snow…thinking.” She would have added more, but her wolf bumped her. Their thoughts about Dylan were none of the Enforcer’s business. She didn’t have to tell him. Trusting her wolf, she swallowed the last words unspoken.

“Well, if it pleases the princess, I’d like a word.”

“You could sharpen a knife on your sarcasm. Spit it out already.” The snap came out harsher than she intended.

The vehicle speed didn’t change nor did his posture, but she suddenly felt the full weight of his focus. Her wolf went still—not silent, but still and watchful. Odd how she could feel her more and more. For a split second, she wondered at the connection, then her wolf snapped at her as though wanting her to pay attention. Focusing outward, rather than inward, she folded her arms. Her tight grip on the phone promised she’d feel it vibrate with any message the moment it came in.

“Well, well. Maybe pack life does suit you.” Not the words she thought he’d say.

“Maybe it does. But I doubt that’s what you wanted to say.”
Could he get to the point already?
The landscape crawled past. Though he didn’t seem to be going faster than twenty-five, the distance between her and Dylan seemed to elongate far faster. The farther they went, the less she liked it.

“It’s about your parents.”
Oh God.
He’d found Dallas. Her stomach sank. “And their packs.”

Clenching her free hand tighter, she braced herself for terrible news. Dallas hadn’t always been around, and she’d worked hard to distance herself from Chrystal.
But she’s still my mom.
“What about them?”

“I’ve spoken to both of their Alphas.”
Both? So they were from different packs?
Though curiosity burned within, her wolf cautioned for silence and she trusted the animal’s instincts for a second time. Too many years of not hearing her made her counsel all the more valuable.

“All right.”

Another weighted glance struck her, but she fought responding to the quiet assessment. Julian would tell her when he was ready. If he wanted to get her to jump and beg, he would be disappointed. A ferociousness she’d never experienced threaded through her.
“There she is.”
Dylan’s voice seemed to whisper in her ears.
“Show him your teeth.”

“I assumed you wanted to know more about them.” His statement, rather than a question, puzzled even her wolf, so Chrystal made her own choice.

“I always did, but Dallas left her pack for a reason. One would assume Carlo did as well.” She shrugged. What she really wanted to know was if Dallas was safe. Even if she never saw her again, she didn’t wish her harm. “You can tell me or not. I don’t think it’s going to change my life, not anymore.” Not when her life had already changed in radical ways.

“Yes or no, Trouble? Do you want to know about their packs?”

“Does it matter?” Why was it important to him?

“It might.”

“Well, why don’t you tell me why it’s important and I’ll tell you whether or not I want to know.” Irritated with the vagueness of the whole interaction, she fought the urge to tap her foot. All she wanted to do was get out of the vehicle and rush back to the cabin. The last three days had been…

“It might be important to you because I spoke to their Alphas. Both have offered you a place in their packs if you wish to call upon it.”

What?
Her heart stuttered.

“Carlo’s family was notified of his death several years ago, but he still has siblings, parents and more who would all be delighted to meet you.”

Shock rippled over her.

“As for Dallas…” Something in his voice changed, the temperature becoming positively glacial. “Her Alpha also granted you the right to visit if you’d like and spend time with the pack, though he stated he and his cousin were never close. He would not turn you away.”

His cousin…

“They have family?” She’d always thought…well, they must not have if they’d never reached out to them.

“They have family, Trouble.” The gruff affection beneath his label for her added to the confusion swirling in her gut. “
You
have family.”

Pack. Family. Dylan.

“They…”

She held up her hand. “Stop.” Did she want to know?

Surprisingly, Julian went silent at her request. Did it matter what packs they came from? Did it matter if those Alphas wanted her? The sinking sensation in her soul competed with the legion of butterflies assaulting her. What would Dylan say?
It’s up to you, pretty girl. What do you want?

The road stretched out in front of her. The snow left it an almost blank canvas. Twisting, she glanced at the side mirror. Dark shadows paralleled the snow behind them, their passage making a mark. Before Three Rivers, she’d never known a pack. She wasn’t even sure she understood pack life after the few short months spent with them. What Dylan described and she experienced seemed vastly different…did it matter who their packs were? Where they came from?

Every mile seemed to stretch the tension inside of her. Dylan was behind her.
It mattered where I came from today, doesn’t it?

“Tell me.”

“Carlo Cruz…” At the last name, her heart did a little summersault. “…hailed from the Sutter Butte pack. The Alpha is Cassius Braun. I’ll give you his number before I leave.” He paused, as though waiting for her to react.

“Okay, Sutter Butte for Carlo.” She couldn’t call him Dad. “And Dallas?”

“Dallas Dalton—since Landros was an alias…” He delivered the line so casually, she didn’t know what to make of the fresh shock. “Hailed from Hudson River. Her cousin is Alpha currently. His name is Brett. His father and Dallas’ were brothers. Brett was also not Alpha when Dallas made her break with Hudson River. I have his number for you as well.”

The names meant nothing to her. Still, one small disappointment curved through at the identities of the packs. She’d kind of hoped one was Willow Bend.

Julian didn’t say much on the rest of the drive. Nor did her phone. She checked it four times, but no messages from Dylan answered her goodbye. Maybe he’d said his goodbyes…maybe it was better. It was late afternoon when Julian parked in front of the bed and breakfast Rayne and Luciana claimed for their own. She’d spent one night in the old house when she’d first arrived in the town. The close quarters with so many wolves had left her unsettled, so she’d taken an apartment in the only other converted building—an apartment surrounded by humans.