Wolf Creek Alpha (Texas Pack 1) (10 page)

“Oh, so now I can’t leave?  Watch me”

“Please
stay,
Lisa,
”
said Colin. 
“
We really do need to talk to you.  There’s more going on than you understand.”

Lisa stopped abruptly. 
She had
always liked and respected Colin.  She decided she would stay for him
, so she
silently went
over
and sat down in the recliner.  No way was she
sitting anywhere near
h
im
.
  She didn’t say a word, just look
ed at Colin and totally ignored
Rafe.

Rafe jumped right
in.  “We have a pond in the front of our home that we protect
from the
unseelie
.  It heals
us and
gives us longer lives
, among other things
.
  It’s magical.”

He was giving her the shortened
version,
seeing
that
she wanted to leave and not listen to him.

“We are in service to the Queen of Faerie and she blessed us with these waters.  Our job is to protect the pond from the dark
fae
.”

“Oh, so not only are there werewolves, fairies are real too?  Why not?  How about monsters?”  Lisa was sarcastic when she was frightened. 
 

“We prefer the term shifters,
”
Colin said. 
“
Werewolves are for the movies.”

“We consider the dark
fae
as
monsters
.
  There have been no attacks
on our property for many
years.  A seer in another clan has given us a warni
ng.  We have asked the
seelie
for guards to help us protect the pond.
  The
unseelie
want to use the magic the water holds,
”
Rafe went on to tel
l
her about Robert and the
prophesy
.

Lisa sat there amazed.  It was like a fairy story.  No pun in
tended, she thought in disbelief
. 

She looked over to Stephanie, with tears in her eyes.  “Have you always been a werewolf, I
mean,
shifter, and I
just
never knew?”

Stephanie crouched down in front of her chair.  “No, I was changed by the waters after we ma
ted.  It’s a blessing from the Q
ueen.
  You know I have never been happier.  Colin is my soul mate.  You remember how all we wanted was to be together.  Just give it a chance, I promise you won’t regret it.”

Lisa felt lost.  Her world had turned upside down.

“But you bou
ght silver earrings at the fair,” she said in a daze.
 

Rafe came over and knelt
beside her chair.  “
That’s another myth.  Please come to my home, just be with us and see how we live.  You’ll see that we’re not
that much different.  My parents can’t wait to meet you and
I need to know you’re safe.  With all that’s going on right now, I can’t concentrate on my duties.  With you at the house, we’ll have a chanc
e to get to know each other better
.”

“Oh shit
,
with all that’s going on
I almost forgot
,
”
said Stephanie. 
“
At the craft fair, Lisa said there was some man watching her.  We didn’t see him when we left, but she saw him from the rest
aurant while I was in the restroom.”

Both men went
in
to warrior mode immediately.  Questions
started
flying at Lisa.  She described him as a tall man with black hair. 

“
It was his expression
that bothered me.  It was
as if
he knew me
. 
I felt like he, I don’t know, needed me. 
He watched
me from across the stre
et, but when I turned back again, he was gone.”

Rafe promptly went into action.

“Call
your parents.  Have them take your
girls to my house
.  I want the families with pups
close.  I’ll call Ian and
have him get started moving them into the castle
.
”

He then turned to speak with
Stephanie and Lisa,
“G
o get packed
.  You’ll be staying at the main house.  No arguments
.”

Rafe pulled out his cell
phone to call Ian.  Once he
explained the situation to him
, he asked about Robert and the guards.

“He hasn’t come back yet.  Probably because time between here and Faerie gets so screwed up. 
I’ll take care of everything here.  Hurry back,” said Ian.

As they went upstairs, Stephanie was once again trying to reassure Lisa.  Sitting on the bed, they were both quiet gathering their thoughts.

    Lisa spoke first.  “
I should go back home.  There’s
no need for me to go stay at some
stranger’s
house.”

“Besides the fact that you
two belong together, I think
you
might
be in danger now.  Rafe will explain it better than me, but
basically,
this guy you saw could be
unseelie
.  You
’
re in danger of being taken to be used as a hostage.”

“
Why me?  Not to be heartless
, but
why me and why now? 
There is a whole den
of you guys
,
so what’s so special about me?” Lisa asked.

Stephanie sighed.  “Shi
fters can fight pretty darn well
.  I’m stronger now than I ever was as a human.  You though, are vulnerable.  The
fae
can see mate connections
,
I was told.  Since you and Rafe haven’t done the deed, that guy could see
that and
he would
know
that
he could use you
.  That would put the pack in jeopardy
as
shifters would give everything
to protect their mate.”

“But what does he want?” asked Lisa.

“The waters.  If he could get access to the pond, he could use the magic there.  I don’t know how or what he would do, but I
do
know
that
it would make him magically stronger,” Stephanie said fearfully.

“I’ll go, but I’d better have my own room.  I am not sleeping with him,” she stated firmly.

Stephanie grinned, “But you don’t know what you’re missing.  Sex with
your
mate is amazing.”

“No, no, no.  I do not want to hear about your sex life.  Us talking when you were still single
is
one thing.  Too much information and I’ll blush every time I see Colin,” Lisa said with red cheeks. 

“Ok
ay
, guess I’ll just wait until you’re mated and we can compare notes,” Stephanie said outrageously.
  “By the way.  Ever lose it in class with your students?  I’m just curious because I heard words out of your mouth even a sailor doesn’t use.”

“Oh shut up, I’m always in complete control in class.  Only around ‘mystic creatures’ do I let loose,” Lisa protested.

Finished packing, Lisa went to see if Stephanie needed help packing for the girls.  Once done, they hauled their suitcases into the living room.
  Lisa made sure she had all the things she needed for her kitten. 

Rafe turned to take Lisa’s bags, intending to put them in his
vehicle.  Following him outside, she realized he expected her to ride with him.

“You can put them in my
car;
I’m not leaving it here.”

“You won’t need
your
car.
I’ll take you anywhere you need to go,” said Rafe.

“I’m a big girl, Rafe.  If I want to drive myself, I will.  I don’t like the thought of not having my car with me.
  And you’d better make sure your wolves know my kitten is a pet, not lunch.”

“I would suggest you keep it in your room.  They’re not used to having tiny felines around.”

Rafe moved to put her bags in her car.  This was not worth arguing about.  His dad always told him to pick his battles. He was just glad she was going.  He thought having her car gave her freedom.  He did not want her to feel like a prisoner.

Rafe got in
his Tahoe with Lisa
following in her car.  Stephanie and Colin were behind her in his sheriffs SUV. 
He had called his parents and they would meet them at the castle with the girls.

Lisa followed with mixed feelings.  She was still reeling from all the revelations
she had
heard in the last hour.  One day
,
I’m a single teacher leading a boring life, next I’m supposedly a mate to some wolf.  Oh, and fairies are real.  She kept picturing a small character with wings on their back.
Somehow,
that didn’t sound
like
the same ones Rafe described. 

It didn’t take long before they were pulling up in front of the castle. She was floored.  A
Scottish
castle in the woods of east Texas. 
Can my life get any
weird
er
? 

“You didn’t tell
me you lived in a castle.  M
ore surprise
s?  I don’t think I can take much
more,
I’m
j
ust
sayin
’.
”

“It’s a replica of the family home in Scotland.  I had nothing to do with building it here.  You can blame my ancestors for that
.  We do love it
,
though
.
I was born here,” said Rafe.  

Lisa stood looking in awe at their home.  Un
-
freaking be
lievable.  It was huge, with
woods on either side.  She turned to see the pond in front.  So that was the
cause of her problems,
and
why
she needed to stay here.  It looked so normal. 
Pretty with flowers and the sun shining on the surface. 
She felt drawn towards it.  As she started walking to the pond, Rafe followed silently behind her.

Dazed, Lisa spoke softly.  “I can feel it.  There’s a vibration pulling me to it.  Is that normal?”

“Yes.  The magic here is very powerful.  You can see now why the
unseelie
would want
to use it.”

As they walked around the pond, Rafe casually took her hand.  He wanted to show her everything
that
he loved about his home.  Surprisingly, she didn’t pull away. 

“It’s beautiful here.  You must have loved growing up in a castle,” she said.

“Yeah,
my brothers and I had a lot of fun running around this place.  Especially running in the woods.  I
could never live in a city.  I have freedom here I wouldn’t have anywhere else.”

“I’d like to meet your brothers, but the thought of meeting you
r
parents scare
s
me to death.  Do they, um, know about the mate thing?
” she
asked
nervously.

Rafe grinned.  “Yes, they know I’ve found my mate.  They’re thrilled and mom can’t
wait to meet you.  Don’t worry.  T
hey’ll love you.  It’s a big thing for us when we find our match.  We celebrate the union.”

“
Okay
, I know you said it’s not like the books or movies.  Just tell me now, we don’t, ahem, do it in front of the pack, right?
” she asked
fearfully.

“Do it? Oh hell no!  Not the actual mating.  We’re not voyeurs.  Shit.  What
exactly is in these books you’ve been reading
?
  I think I need to read them,”
he said, eyes twinkling.

“I don’t think so.  You might get some bad ideas,” she said laughing. 

By now, they had walked the perimeter and
now
were back in front of the castle.  Two men walked out
who looked a lot like Rafe.  M
ust be the brothers
. 
Wow,
there’s
something in the water, pun intended.  I am losing it, she thought.