Owned By The Alphas: Part Four (4 page)

“Are you coming back in?”

“You know what? I am!” Calt dove in and toppled his young friend over. Dak rushed back in and he and Calus roared and jumped them, this time all in play. It was so rowdy that soon Shaynah and Bloo hurried back to dry land, shaking their heads at the testosterone.

Lorn snuggled up to Ali, her eyes on the dancing orange flames. “There isn’t much wood,” she whispered.

Resting her head against her friend’s, Ali confessed, “Yeah, I didn’t do so well with that, huh? Don’t be too hard on me. I got distracted by a snake.” She couldn’t help it when her glance snuck up to meet Borhan’s gaze on her final word.

“
I
thought
we’d escaped the snow!” Thanot complained, stretching out on a pelt in the main room. He picked at the wall, tearing puzzle-shaped pieces of bark and laying them next to him.

From the other side of the tree, Motis threw a rock at his brother’s head. “You’re an idiot.”

“Ouch!” Thanot barked, and tossed it back, missing by two feet. He grumbled and went back to picking.

It was two weeks since the battle and the pack was more settled in now, moving forward with their lives. Red was pleased to see that Tawny and Gypha had formed a friendly bond over their love of hunting, since Kyren was always more interested in spending time with the males. It gave Gypha female energy to be around, and her personality had lightened. Motis liked having Tawny’s skill in that area, too, since Jal was tired of going out to hunt.

Being as he was always expected to go, and he wanted a break, Tawny was a welcome addition in Jal’s perspective. Red knew the reasons Jal had looked forward to moving here were the warm weather and relaxation. Life in Canada had been one night after another of protecting Thanot from some asshole werewolf. Now that the bullies were gone, he wanted a breather. Tawny was more than happy to help out.

As if he knew Red was thinking about him, Jal announced, “I agree with my brother,” from where he lay on the gravel by the fire. “It’s fucking snowing! You promised us sun.”

Red chuckled and shook his head, his fingers laced into Kyren’s smooth, black fur as she nestled beside him. “I never promised you shit. I said I had to come here to talk to my father. You guys
volunteered
to join me.”

“As if we’d let you go alone,” Gypha snorted, picking up a dark pebble and throwing it in the fire where it landed with a crackle. “And it was me, Jal. I promised.”

“That’s right!” He pointed a finger at her. “You told me there would be sun!”

She threw her hands up. “And what have you had for the last five or six months, you greedy bastard? Huh?” Gypha rolled her eyes at her new friend like
can you believe this guy?

As she headed for Thanot, Tawny offered, “Well, I’ve got some good news that will make you all feel better. I checked out Yosemite before we came, on a computer at the library, and the great thing about the first fall of snow is that the main road gets closed down.”

Kyren’s ears perked up and she looked at Red, both catching on to what that meant.

Gypha cried out, “The whole park…just us? All winter???”

Tawny nodded and shook out her hair, sitting down by Thanot. His eyes followed her with surprise as she began absently picking at the wood with him. “Well, almost. Part of it’s still open. But a large part is closed off so that people don’t get trapped up here. So, yeah, because of those pretty flakes falling outside? Our home just got a whole lot bigger. We don’t need to worry about people seeing us. Well, not as much anyway.”

Red buried his fingers deeper behind Kyren’s ears and she lowered her head onto his lap, closing her eyes. “We’ll need the added space to search. Hunting will be harder in these colder months.”

A loud guffaw bellowed out of Motis’s wide chest as he ran around the room, hitting the heads of his pack members as he passed, his rotund belly bouncing. “I want to explore! We’ve kept to our little section here, but there’s so much more terrain!” He held his hand to his ear. “Do you hear that? It’s calling to me!”

But Jal wasn’t caught up in his brother’s enthusiasm. He stared at the fire, disturbed. “I wonder how long until people notice that wolves are in Yosemite, huh? I can’t believe we’ve been able to hide it this long.”

Adding another reddish brown piece onto Thanot’s pile, Tawny agreed, “We thought we were already discovered, but then it just turned out…” She bit her lip.

“But then it just turned out to be my crazy father,” Red finished, his mouth grim. Tawny mashed her lips up and gave him a nod laced with apology. He tipped his head to let her know it was fine, and then told the room, “Well, we’ve been lucky. It’s only a matter of time before a camper, hiker or park ranger catches sight of one of us, and then word will spread.”

Motis sighed, “And people will want to see the wolves. It will make hiding our true identities very difficult if not impossible.”

Jal muttered, “We’ve gotta stay aware of it…so we’re careful.”

Thanot added, “As long as we stay out of sight and don’t kill anyone, or kill their pets, we’re fine.”

Gypha exploded, causing Tawny’s head to shoot up, as she shouted, “It’s fucking bullshit! Some people deserve to die!” She picked a pebble up and chucked it at Thanot’s head.

He blocked it with both hands. “Why is everyone throwing rocks at me? Do I have a bulls-eye on my noggin, or something? I forgot, Gypha. Sorry!” Off Tawny’s confused surprise, Thanot explained, “Gypha’s not a murderer or anything. She’s just had some…uh…bad experiences. With men. She’d like to murder
them
.”

Red gave Kyren a pat on the head and rose up. “That was before I joined the pack, Gyph.” He walked to her and brought her in for a hug and kissed her curly hair. “I will never let anyone hurt you again.”

Her arms went around him and she buried her face in his chest. “I know.”

Staying like that, Red called over to Tawny, “You too, blue eyes.”

Thanot reached out for her shoulder, but dropped his hand as insecurity got the better of him. She reached over and grabbed it, giving them both a grateful smile. “Thanks, guys.”

Releasing Gypha, Red called to Tawny, “You and me. Let’s go hunt.”

Motis made a move for the door, but Red stopped him. “No, I want to spend some alone time with our new family member.”

As Kyren padded over to Motis’s side to get her scratches from a new set of strong fingers, Jal called over, “Oooooooo,” and a couple of the others picked up the cue.

“Let your imaginations take a hike,” Red said, on a low chuckle, then to Tawny, “Come on.”

“You got it.” She rose up, throwing a glance to Gypha as she followed him out.

“
D
o
you want me to close the door?” she asked as their feet crushed the snow.

“You think you could move that boulder on your own? Only I can do that.”

She sucked on her bottom lip and surveyed the thing, walking around it to size up her chances. It was bigger than she’d like, but she was stronger than he thought, and this would give her a chance to prove that. Tawny had been hoping for a way to show him what she was made of…maybe this was it. “Let me give it a shot,” she shrugged.

He huffed a laugh through his nose, crossed his arms and took a step back to watch.

Ever since she’d come here, her confidence had grown. The wolves in this pack seemed to be impressed by everything she did, and that naturally made her try harder to impress them. Plucking off pieces of bark with Thanot just now hadn’t been a ploy; she genuinely wanted to be a part of what he was doing, to show him she cared. Because she did.

She and Gypha had hit it off immediately; they both had a rebellious nature and both liked a good laugh. Though Gypha was always wolf, when she was in Jamaica, she had some similar experiences to Tawny’s teen years. When they shared some of the details, it bonded them, and that felt good. It was fucking terrifying to join a new pack after you’d been with another for so long. If this didn’t work out, she would have nowhere to go. An outcast. The reality of that made her humble in a way she had never been, and each day this humility sunk deeper into her soul, becoming a part of her.

Motis was easy, she was the brother he never had, and she had tits. Double win. Jal was just thankful for the break, the lovable lazy bastard. Thanot was kind and artistic, and maybe gay. She wasn’t sure, but she guessed that might be the case. He never looked at her body, but he did look at Red’s.

Kyren was the only one who Tawny hadn’t figured out yet. The wolf was as smart as she was beautiful and when she took all three brothers on, Tawny couldn’t help but bow down to her, metaphorically. But she was aloof. At least she wasn’t the jealous type.

Red.
He reminded her of home, since they’d both come from human origins. It was true what Bloo had said–even though she’d said it spitefully–Red and Tawny had something in common that no one else did. Sometimes he’d mention a movie or a type of food, or just even a look when one of the wolves in the pack made a comment that was purely animal. It was then that they’d share a smile and something would click inside of her that made her feel just a little more safe and maybe even cared about.

She slept with the betas in the farthest room. Red slept by the door to keep watch, and he slept there alone, as far as she had seen. He’d not invited her to be with him. He’d not taken pleasure with Kyren or Gypha, either. The vibe he gave off was of their protector and friend. But there was a sadness in his eyes that never left and she wanted more and more to make it go away.

Maybe this would help. This was something the human could not do.

Tawny wiggled her nose and took a step back from the boulder, egging herself on by saying her motto aloud: “I can do this if I
believe
I can.” She put her back against it and spread out her arms, fingers flattening against the cold gray stone in a clawed grip. She bent her knees and pushed off with them. The boulder didn’t budge. At first. Her adrenaline poured faster into her veins and she grimaced as all of her muscles flexed, her thighs rock hard as she shoved off with every bit of strength she had.

“Holy fuck,” he mumbled, uncrossing his arms and giving his beard a quick rub with both hands.

All her veins neared explosion, as she tried to stop herself from laughing. “Stop making me laugh!” Shaking out her hair, she focused, and pushed with her legs. The boulder inched more. She breathed hard and worked harder until finally it seemed to lighten. When the boulder covered the entrance, and the pack was safely hidden inside, she turned to him and wiped the residue of rock from her scraped hands. She smiled.

“I have never seen a woman do what you just did.”

Brusquely wiping off her lower back and behind, she said simply, “I am not a woman.”

He covered the distance with three, slow strides. “You are much more than that, aren’t you?”

She didn’t move.

The look in his eyes had changed. He licked his lips, and her eyelashes fell to watch the slow, seductive gesture. Her own mouth parted as she held her breath.

Red’s hand hovered in the air until he touched her collar bone, gliding a thick fingertip across her bare skin as he stared, transfixed. He let the finger trail down to circle her left breast, the tightened nipped, the fleshy parts around it. He dipped underneath the natural hang, tucking his hand there as he met her eyes. He flicked her dusky crest with his rough thumb and she felt an ache clench between her thighs. It was her turn to lick her lips and when she did, his gaze dropped, too. His nostrils flared as he smelled her scent. She heard his heartbeat pick up speed.

“This face I’m giving you right now?” He withdrew his hand and walked backward, away from her, his half-full cock bouncing lightly with his steps. “This is awe.” A slow grin spread on her lips, but then he added, muttering to himself, “Now I know how Ali felt when she saw me jump over that tree.” He laughed at the memory, and turned around.

Tawny’s smile dropped. Standing there, aroused and abandoned, her hand rose up to touch the skin that still tingled from his touch. She watched him shift into his wolf, his incredible form reshaping into a beast as large and impressive as the alpha who still haunted her dreams.

Struggling for patience, she shook her head and joined him, shifting quickly so that he couldn’t see the expression on her face. She had forced herself years ago to become numb to the change, just as she’d forced herself to become numb to her heart. It could never help her to feel pain and longing, no matter how much it longed to express those things. One must harden one’s heart so as not to perish among the weak.

Running by his side through the white-blanketed valley, the snow falling lightly on them, they ran away from the mountain. She threw a look behind her up to it, thinking of the others and what they might be doing.
Probably the same thing we’re doing. They’re probably out trying to scare up enough food to protect themselves against the cold, slender months when animals will be hard to find.

I wonder if we’ll ever run into them out here.

But two months went by and they never did.