Alpha Instinct: A Moon Shifter Novel (4 page)

Without bothering to get on her back he hurried the horse back toward Ana, who hadn’t moved.

“Thank you. I—”

“Ride her back to the barn.”

“What?”

“I don’t know if Taggart or his wolves are still in the woods. Now
ride.
” He could barely think straight, knowing danger lurked so close to them. To her.

She wanted to argue. He could see it in the stubborn set of her jaw, but she did as he said. Part of him knew he needed to stop with the demands, but he didn’t want to waste time worrying about being polite when all he cared about was getting her to safety.

As Ana rode back to the barn, he ran toward the fire. Flames still licked into the sky, but the extinguishers did their job. After what felt like an eternity they managed to douse the flames. Tonight could have gone a lot different if not for Ana’s preparedness.

He couldn’t help but be impressed by how quickly she and all the women had acted. Even if he hadn’t been there the Cordona women would have had no problem taking care of the fire. Of course, it never should have happened in the first place.

The dwindling smoke curled into the cold night air, wrapping around all of them. The chemical scent of accelerant was unmistakable. Whoever had set this hadn’t tried to cover it. Even a human could smell the kerosene permeating the air. He stiffened as Ana circled around her packmates, heading straight for him.

His heart beat faster and he had to contain the lust flowing through him. He didn’t want to scare her even more.

She stopped a foot away from him. Her dark eyes were expressionless. “I’ll do it.”

“What?” He frowned, unsure what she referred to.

“I’ll mate with you on a temporary basis. If it’ll save my pack I’ll do almost anything. I just can’t agree to be your bondmate. I’m sorry, Connor. We haven’t seen each other in decades, and I—” She shook her head and her voice broke on the last word. Her normally silvery voice was distant, remote, and it clawed at his insides.

Not exactly what he’d wanted to hear. And it was his own damn fault. He should have romanced her, courted her, like she deserved. Taken things slow. Told her how he really felt about her and why he’d left all those years ago. Instead he’d barged in like a jackass and made demands. After what had happened she’d probably agree to mate with just about anyone who wasn’t Taggart, to save her pack. Shame burned through him like swift, hot lava at the way he’d pushed her into that proverbial corner, but he couldn’t take back what he’d said. Demanded. If he was honest with himself, he didn’t know that he wanted to. Part of him—a very selfish part—knew that if he pushed her now he could probably get her to agree to be his bondmate. But the human part that deeply cared for her won out and he kept his mouth shut.

Despite his better judgment, he slipped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. She didn’t look at him, but kept her face against his chest. She felt so fragile in his embrace. It killed him to think she’d been by herself the past couple months, taking care of her pack without any help. And he couldn’t understand why she hadn’t contacted him. He buried his face in her hair and inhaled her fresh scent. This close to her, it overpowered the smoke.

“Ana, are you sure? I …”
I’ll protect you anyway.
The words were on the tip of his tongue. He shouldn’t have made those demands, but he couldn’t squeeze out the words. He was a selfish bastard. He’d wanted her for so long, the need nearly smothered him sometimes. Instead, he wrapped his other arm around her and pulled her into a tight hug.

She stiffened for an instant before slipping her arms around his waist and returning his embrace. That small gesture of surrender turned him inside out. Her fingers dug into his back with surprising intensity, and he wondered how long it had been since she’d let someone hold her. The mere thought of someone else comforting her sent another dagger through his chest.

After a long moment, she looked up at him. There was a flicker of something in her dark eyes that he didn’t recognize. Wasn’t sure he wanted to. Finally she spoke and her voice was soft. “I’m sure. I’ll be proud to call you my mate.”

Something foreign pushed up inside him. He was a mongrel who’d been roaming the globe since his parents died more than a century ago. After his father had shamed their family by not protecting what was his, he and Liam had been thrust out into the world on their own and with nothing. She shouldn’t be proud, especially when she deserved better. Hell, she was probably saying what she thought he wanted to hear. Swallowing hard, he reluctantly released her. “I’ll make the announcement in the morning. Have your she-wolves meet in the barn at seven.”

She dipped her head in acknowledgment and stepped out of his embrace. As he looked around the quiet circle of wolves, he realized kerosene and smoke weren’t the only things he smelled. Desire and hunger rolled off most of
his
pack.

As long as it wasn’t directed at Ana, he didn’t care. He might be their Alpha, but they’d all agreed to come here after a vote. His guys had all been loners for decades until he and his brother had convinced each of them to form a new pack. A stronger pack. Settling here and taking mates was the best thing for all of them if they wanted to flourish.

Teresa, Ana’s cousin, stretched out on Ana’s bed and put her hands behind her head. “You think Carmen and Noel can hear us?”

Ana rolled her eyes as she pictured her two sisters as she’d left them, drinking wine and munching on salty popcorn. “No. They’re downstairs, watching one of those stupid reality shows.”

Her cousin grinned. “They’re worse than my sisters—but that’s not what you want to talk about. Since you and I both know we could have handled that fire on our own, I can’t believe you actually agreed to mate with Connor Armstrong.”

Ana scowled at her as she paced at the end of the bed. “This isn’t about the damn fire and you know it. Things have been escalating, so what choice do I have?”

“We could contact the Council and tell them about Taggart’s harassment.” There was no fire behind Teresa’s words and Ana knew why.

“
Great
idea. And then what? They’ll send an investigator down here and likely find him guilty. I’m sure there’s at least one female in his pack willing to testify against him, in addition to me.”

Teresa raised both her eyebrows. “Those females are so weak and brainwashed, I doubt it.”

“Whatever. Speaking hypothetically, say he’s punished—and probably executed. You know what will happen after that. The enforcer will clean up his mess, but instead of being free we’re the ones who will get the shaft. Not right away, but eventually it will happen unless one of us mates with an Alpha.” Some days she hated pack law so much she wanted to run screaming to the humans to intervene, but she knew that would cause more trouble. Humans didn’t understand anything about their laws and would just make everything worse.

And the Council wouldn’t allow her to remain in control indefinitely if she came running to them with every little problem. Even if Taggart was out of the way, she knew another pack would come sniffing around, wanting to take their land under the guise of protection. Most Alphas would take no for an answer and leave her alone. But all it would take was one land-hungry Alpha challenging her for control of the Cordona pack, and there would be no one to stand up for her family. She could appeal to the Council if they didn’t want to assimilate with that pack, but they’d have to make a choice on who they wanted as their leader. Or they could just sell their land. Without valuable property, neither she nor her pack would be of any interest to other packs. Absolutely archaic and total bullshit, but that was just the way it was. And while she hated some of the laws, she loved the others. Having the protection of a strong pack meant sleeping soundly at night and not worrying about survival. Their rules dated back thousands of years and though one day they might change, it wouldn’t be now. Hell, their own North American Council had been around only forty years, and that semi-unification was a pretty big, civilized step for their kind. They’d been created to keep communication open between packs and to protect packs in positions such as hers. Without them she’d have had no one to turn to in this kind of situation.

“I know,” Teresa muttered. “It’s just … I don’t like the thought of you sacrificing yourself to be Connor’s mate.”

To her horror, Ana’s cheeks heated up. Her traitorous body flared to life at the thought of mating with him. Her breasts were suddenly heavy as she pictured what he could do with those strong, callused hands. The mere thought of him rubbing his palms over her breasts and …

“Woman, I don’t even want to know what you’re thinking about.” Teresa sat up and brought her knees to her chest, a wicked grin on her face.

Ana cleared her throat and tried to get her lust under control. Now was so not the time for this. And the mating would be only temporary. Her pack needed an Alpha until she could figure out what else she could do. She couldn’t keep warding off Taggart forever, and soon someone could truly get hurt because of him. If anything happened to one of her sisters—or any of her pack—she’d never forgive herself if she thought she could have done something about it. “Connor’s offer is a good one. At least we know him and his brother, and if the Council has officially recognized them it means they have the financial wherewithal to support all of us.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Teresa pushed off the bed and stood. “Sleep on it and we’ll tell your sisters in the morning, unless you change your mind by then.” She gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before leaving.

After she’d gone, Ana stripped out of her clothes and fell onto her bed.
Sleep on it
. Good advice, but it wasn’t going to happen. Not with Connor in the same vicinity. Every time she closed her eyes all she could picture was that ruggedly handsome face, his broad shoulders, strong arms … Groaning, she turned over and screamed into her pillow. It was going to be an annoyingly long night.

Lounging casually on the bench outside the Native American gift shop, Chuck took a long drag of his cigarette. He savored the smell and taste of tobacco. Darkness had fallen early, but downtown Fontana, North Carolina, was lit up like a fucking Christmas tree. Literally. Twinkle lights were strung up around most of the light poles in the historic downtown. Everything about Fontana was quaint, picturesque. Boring. Nestled between the Beech Mountain and Sugar Mountain ski resorts, it was almost identical to the other mountain towns. Christmas was almost two months away but storefronts already had holiday scenes in the windows, and joyful, annoying music blared most of the day. The place was too damn peaceful, too cheerful. It was like the people didn’t realize a revolution was coming.

What would it take for them to get it? When the streets were decorated with blood and bodies they would. Then it would be too late.

Two different packs of fucking shifter
animals
lived right on the outskirts of town and people didn’t care. Most were even friendly to them. It was insane. Even more insane than all the interracial couples he saw lately. That shit just seemed to flood television and movies. Tainting the pure white bloodline of their ancestors with filth. People were so immune to it that nothing fazed them anymore. So why should a group of freaks who could turn into animals be any different? America had turned into the land of pussies.

He took another drag of his cig and glanced away when a young white couple strolled by, walking a yappy little dog. The dog was a waste of space, but at least they were dating their own race. All the stores were closing, so most people were down a few blocks where the restaurants were, but he didn’t want to chance getting noticed. Chuck knew he looked casual enough. Wearing jeans and a dark blue hoodie thick enough to block him from the icy wind, he fit in perfectly. And the gloves he wore weren’t out of place. It was too cold not to be wearing them.

His phone buzzed in his pocket. When he saw the number he rolled his eyes. This jackass was constantly checking up on him. Chuck could barely stand to look at Adler and his nasty burned face, but the older man was technically his boss. He wasn’t a high-ranking leader in the Antiparanormal League but he was still one of their local leaders. And if Chuck was honest, the man scared the shit out of him sometimes.

He answered the throwaway phone on the third ring, knowing the delay would annoy Adler. “Yeah?”

“Is it done?”

“No. The bitch is still closing up shop.”

“Don’t kill her!” Adler’s gravelly voice was condescending.

Chuck gritted his teeth. He already knew that. But because Adler’s boss was breathing down his neck to grab this woman meant Chuck had to take flack from Adler. “I know. I don’t need a fucking babysitter. I told you I could handle this and I can. It’s just one old woman.”

“This is your first assignment. Don’t get too cocky.”

But it wasn’t.
Not by a long shot,
he thought with a grin. Just his first with the APL. “If you have so many doubts why didn’t you do this yourself?” Chuck asked the question even though he already knew the answer. With his scarred face it was difficult for Adler to blend in anywhere. People would remember him. That’s why Chuck had been sent.

“Remember who you’re talking to, son.” The deadly edge to Adler’s voice sent an unexpected chill up his spine.

Chuck cursed his fear and he cursed the man on the other end of the line for instilling it in him. He’d seen what Adler did to people who failed him—and to women in general. The man was a misogynist of the worst kind. He didn’t even like white women. Something Chuck didn’t understand. Women were great, all softness and femininity, as long as they were white. Adler didn’t seem to think so, though. He hated them all. Fucking idiot. And he wanted to tell him how to do his job?

He cleared his throat. “No disrespect, sir. I’ll call you when I have her.”

As they disconnected, the lights to the store dimmed.
Finally.
How long did it take to close up her pathetic little shop? He glanced to the left and right. There weren’t any locals or tourists strolling by. Tourists didn’t venture into town after dark anyway. They usually spent most of their time at the big ski lodge a few miles down the road.