My Alphas: The Complete Series (18 page)

As soon as Cass’ fertile time hit, he and Rey would bring her here and then all the preparation in the world meant nothing. They would be relying on luck, relying on the hope Turo or Utson would not attack.

Luck and hope. The close companions of disaster and failure.

Edon took one last look around the den. Soon it might be the last place he ever saw in his life.

*

After falling flat with Vara, Cass had spent the day with Nia. First they hunted for bird eggs which involved a lot of tree-climbing.

“Have you considered buying chickens?” Cass asked, trying not to look down.

“We can’t have them. We chase and eat them,” Nia said, scurrying along a tree-branch so nimbly you’d have thought she was part monkey.

Cass took a shallow breath and climbed up higher to follow Nia. Then she made the mistake of looking down.

The drop wouldn’t kill her. Probably. But a broken arm or leg? Definitely. So Cass clambered down and spent the next hour going half as high as Nia, battling her fear of falling.

They’d moved on to swimming and fishing after that, Nia pulling fish out of the stream with her bare hands. But no matter how still Cass stood or how fast she grabbed, she didn’t get so much as a fingertip on a fish.

“Don’t worry. This is why you have the Alphas! So you don’t starve to death,” Nia told Cass, trying to make her feel better.

“If I had a fishing rod and some bait, I could catch fish,” Cass said, despite having never gone fishing in her entire life. She grabbed at a fish near her leg and only succeeded in half-falling over and getting a mouthful of water. She stood up coughing and resumed her stance in the water, waiting to try again even as her thoughts turned against her.

How could she ever hope to fit in here? The werewolves were physically superior to her in every way. Nia could catch fish with her hands, climb trees with ease and turn into a giant freaking wolf in an instant. No matter how good Cass got at anything (which, let’s face it, wasn’t going to be awesome), she’d be outmatched by any werewolf in the pack.

If that was out, what did she have left? The only thing she could provide that the werewolves couldn’t was a fertile womb. Some place for the Alphas to put their seed so she could spit out babies for them. That would be something to brag about if she ever happened to bump into an old high school friend. What am I doing now? I’m a baby-making device for a wolf pack! How about you?

Cass scowled at the water and then realized she was pulling that face at herself.

“You chose this so stop complaining,” she whispered to herself.

No, you chose Edon and Rey. You chose to find them and somehow that means you’ve chosen to be Pack Mate too. You didn’t choose fishing and hunting and feeling alone even though you’re surrounded by people.

At that thought, Cass remembered what Melanie had asked a few hours ago.
Are you a person?
Cass had corrected her, feeling the sting of prejudice but now it seemed as though she was the stupid one. The werewolves weren’t people. They weren’t humans with the extra ability to transform into a wolf. They were something different entirely.

Discovering how to fit into their world would mean understanding them. Knowing them. And having them know her.

And so the day had moved on and Cass had eaten and made small-talk in the main den with Nia before going to her room. Neither Edon or Rey were back and Cass paced back and forth, murmuring to herself.

She didn’t hear Rey enter the room and when she turned to find him observing her, she screamed.

“Take off your clothes. I told you not to wear clothes to bed,” he said, walking toward her. Cass, her heart still in her throat and adrenaline fizzing away, nevertheless found herself intensely relieved to see him. They collided, Cass wrapping her hands around him.

Rey bent his head to kiss her neck. His hands touched her body, the scent of him making her respond.

But before she could fall under his spell, she stepped back.

“Wait! I want to talk with you.”

The wolf ignored her and pulled her close, continuing to kiss her neck.

“No, seriously!”

She pushed at his chest, trying to ignore the feeling of his muscle under her hands. Finally he stopped and looked at her.

“Very well. What?”

It was hard to concentrate with him standing there looking at her, his erection jutting up between his legs, his perfect skin and eyes glimmering with the light from the tea candles.

“I thought we should get to know one another.”

Rey slowly blinked.

“Ask me a question about myself,” Cass said, flailing on regardless.

“Why are you wearing clothes?”

She blew air out between her lips and crossed her hands under her breasts. It didn’t have the effect on Rey she intended. His eyes went down, focusing on her cleavage. She moved her arms up, hiding it from him. As soon as it disappeared he looked up at her, frowning.

Cass sat down on the bed and then patted a spot beside her.

“Come sit down. Talk with me,” she said.

Rey looked at her like it was a trap before sitting down.

“Kind of difficult to have a conversation with you with
that
sticking up,” she said, nodding down at his lap.

“Come here then,” Rey said, reaching for her again.

“No!,” Cass said, scuttling back on the bed. “Ask me a question about myself. We need to get to know each other. I’ll ask you one. Where did you grow up?”

“In the Areylon pack. They held the west where Utson currently reside.”

Rey, his question answered, sat there looking at her like he was asking: was that enough questions?

“And now you ask me the same.”

“I don’t understand the point of this,” he said, reaching for her.

She backed away, avoiding his hand. “Ask me! Please!”

“Very well. Where did you grow up?”

“All over actually…”

Cass told him about the itinerant lifestyle her family lived and how they had constantly moved from place to place. At first he appeared he was listening but his eyes soon glazed over. Then she noticed they’d crept down to her cleavage when she’d moved her arms away.

He defined single minded.

“So that is where I lived from zero to ten. Would you like to ask me anything else?” Cass was being sarcastic but Rey paid it no attention. He pulled her across the bed and began kissing her neck again. This time, Cass’ control melted away.

As she gave way to the hungry wolf, she thought, well, at least he’d asked me
one
question.

*

Edon yawned and glared at the map. It seemed like every day there was something new that required him to stand in front of it. He was starting to hate the map on general principles. Morning. Map. Yawn. Morning. Map. Yawn.

“At least seventy men with supplies and weapons,” Elen said.

They’d returned the girl, Melanie, to Hinton and a day later an organized militia had set out, heading straight for the den. It couldn’t be a coincidence.

Rey was standing immobile, leaning against the wall but breathing more heavily than normal. Edon was trying to ignore him but he could feel the call of bloodthirsty violence coming from his direction.

Edon felt tempted to agree with him. Let’s go out and kill them all.

But he knew why they were so on edge.

Cass.

They had taken a mate and already it was affecting their behaviors. The lack of game to hunt had been a problem to be solved prior to Cass. Now every time Edon thought about it he slipped into bloody visions of fighting the Turo pack. Of ripping Carcer to pieces. All to protect her, the girl who absorbed him.

As if summoned by his thoughts, she entered the room, pushing the fur aside and it seemed her every move was a work of artistry. Edon had once watched a ballet, a perfect movement of form and beauty but it didn’t compare to the slope of her neck, her artfully messed-up hair.

She looked so sexy and vulnerable all at the same time.

Cass smiled at them and looked around the room.

“So, what’s happening?” she asked.

“Seventy men with guns are coming to attack us. We’re going to kill them all,” Rey said, the epitome of bluntness.

*

Cass had awoken alone and been disappointed to find herself so. After trying to
talk
with Rey last night she’d fallen asleep nestling against him. She expected he would be gone come morning but for some reason thought Edon would be there.

She’d dressed and then Nia told her the Alphas were meeting to discuss a human problem. Cass considered eating breakfast, going for a swim and not paying any attention to what the Alphas were doing but part of her new policy was to get involved, don’t be passive. She steeled herself and walked down into the main meeting room.

Edon was leaning over a map on the table, naked. As was every other werewolf in the room. Rey was leaning against the back wall, his massive arms crossed in front of him. She was the only one dressed.

“So, what’s happening?”

“Seventy men with guns are coming to attack us. We’re going to kill them all,” Rey said, his voice flat.

“No, you can’t kill them,” Cass blurted out. She looked around at the assembled werewolves. More than one wore a questioning look and she could practically hear their thoughts. Who are you human to talk about anything at all?

She looked at the floor, wishing she could sink down into it and vanish.

“What do you mean?” Edon asked.

“Nothing. Forget it. I don’t know what I’m talking about.”

“Cass.”

She looked into Edon’s eyes. He nodded at her.

“Tell us what you mean, please. We want to know.”

Cass felt her embarrassment deepen now that everyone was completely focused on her. She could either run out of the room or speak and blunder through.

“It’s… I mean, that’s what they want. Well, they don’t
want
to die but they want to fight. They want you to attack them so then they have a reason to kill you all. You can’t engage. Haven’t you heard the only way to win is not to play?”

When Cass had been a kid the good times were far and few between. But there were a few glimmers of fond memories. One night her drunken father had returned home with a gaming system. Whether he won it or stole it, Cass didn’t care. Almost everything back there was blocked out by the operational denial system so she didn’t remember what it was or even what games she used to play. But there was one where you’d take over castles using knights and catapults. You could call on Robin Hood to help you reduce the enemy by attrition so by the time it came to battle, they were weakened and low on numbers.

“They’re three to four days away right? That means they must be carrying eight to ten days worth of food and water at a minimum. That’s a lot of heavy supplies. Don’t attack the people - destroy the supplies. Steal their food. Pierce their water bottles. Have wolves hidden nearby howling all night so they can’t sleep.”

As Cass described her plan she saw Edon nod and then Vara and even Rey uncrossed his arms and took on a more neutral stance. She felt her red face turning back to its usual color.

Rather than sending a pack out to engage in open battle, they would sneak in, ruin their supplies and then station werewolves nearby to howl all night. No food, no water, no sleep.

“But no humans can be killed. Not even in self-defense. If a human gets near, run away.”

*

Rey watched his mate speak and tried very hard to focus on her words but her breasts were moving under her shirt, the fabric pulling tight and loosening as she leaned over the table to touch her finger to the map. As usual, her scent surrounded him and he breathed her in. If they were alone he’d push her over the table, lift her dress up and take her right now.

He pulled himself out of this fantasy which threatened to take control of him and back to the map on the table.

Her plan was sound. The humans would soon enter an area where there was no single large open space for them to camp. They would be forced to spread out, finding spots amongst the trees and in the rocks. It would be the right time to ambush them in the night and tear them apart but instead of doing that, they were to destroy their food and water and any other supplies they could.

As for running away if confronted, well that was another matter.

Rey stepped away from the wall and toward the rough table.

“We’ll do it. I’ll lead the pack tonight to destroy their water and food. Vara, choose wolves to rotate howling duty.”

Edon and Vara looked across at him in surprise.

“The Pack Mate is correct. They seek to provoke us into war so then they can kill us. We must be smarter. We cannot kill them without them trying to kill us.”

Dead silence filled the room until Edon nodded and declared the meeting over.

The room emptied until only Rey, Edon and Cass remained.