Betrayal: Reckless Desires (Dark Wolves Book 2) (2 page)

“Tell me about your family,” he asked, hoping to loosen some of the tension making her whole body tight. But the moment the words were out of his mouth, she gasped and bit her bottom lip.

“I don’t have any family.”

Shit. Many of the Komoro wolves had died in the months before his pack had joined theirs. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked.”

“No, it’s okay. I mean, I have a brother, but he doesn’t live here. I haven’t seen him in years. The rest of my family died long ago.”

“I’m sorry,” he repeated. And that was why he avoided engaging in conversations.

“Don’t be. Like I said, it was a long time ago. I’m happy where I am.”

He nodded. “You’re in charge of the gardens to the south of the village?” he asked, steering the conversation to a safer subject.

Her grin bloomed, and her entire face was transformed, making his heart flutter. He had only seen the genuine smile on her face a few times and never directed at him. Stunning. There was no other way to describe it.

“Yes, well, me and another few women. It’s too large of a task for one person alone. We grow enough vegetables on those acres to feed the pack throughout the year as long as the weather cooperates. It doesn’t always, here in the north. In the fall, when we have excess, we can it to see the pack through leaner times.”

If the canned food was anything like the fruit preserves he’d tasted a few weeks ago, he was in for a treat. The thought of the sweet berry preserves had his stomach grumbling.

Amalija’s eyebrows shot up, then a soft laugh slipped from her lips. “Hungry?”

She stopped and crouched with her back to him as she unfastened the string holding her bundle together. From his position, all he saw was what looked like a pant leg, or at least the bottom part of it, as she flipped it to the ground. After a few moments, she had the package fastened again and stood with a portion of dried meat in her hand.

“I’m happy to share the food with you,” she said as she held it out.

His fingertips tingled where they stroked against her skin as he took her offering. “Thank you.”

She licked her lips and nodded, then without saying another word, she started down the trail again.

Amalija walked faster. She had to get away from Wesken before he asked her something she couldn’t answer. When his stomach had growled, she’d seized the opportunity and took the meat out of her pack. It had been a calculated risk. She’d made sure that he didn’t see the soap or the brush, but when the jeans leg flopped to the side, he had to have noticed. Thankfully, he hadn’t questioned her.

She could skirt the truth and get away with it, but she was a horrible liar. Even if he couldn’t read her energy—which, as an Erritrol wolf he should be able to—he would have known she was lying. At least the dried meat would keep him chewing for a while, and hopefully, they’d go back to the awkward silence they’d started with. If she were lucky, they’d reach the village before he was done eating.

They were about a mile out when Orrin, one of Wesken’s men, came rushing down the trail. When she halted in her tracks, Wesken stepped forward, not blocking her, but standing a little in front of her, just the same. Her heart pounded. She’d seen the same kind of shielding stance with the mated males in the pack. They weren’t on the defensive, per se—not with other members of the pack—but they were always ready to protect.

Orrin looked at Wesken, then glanced over at her. A soft rumble coming from Wesken’s chest had the other male dropping his gaze and taking a step back with his hands up in the air. “Your brother is looking for you,” he announced without looking at her again.

The soft growl ended as quickly as it had started. Wesken took a deep breath and then stepped away from her. “What’s wrong?”

“He said something about going back, and he needed you to return to the village.” Orrin shrugged. His gaze fell to the ground. “I can accompany Am—”

“That won’t be necessary. We’re almost there now,” Wesken cut in before the man could finish his sentence.

Orrin sighed and shook his head. “Something is wrong with Malec. Argram is not going to wait much longer.”

Wesken’s whole body stiffened. He glanced at her before addressing the other man again. “What’s wrong with him?”

“I don’t know. But Miga and Argram want to take him to see Brienne.”

Wesken looked at her, then at Orrin again, his features drawn tight. Just because neither of them seemed interested in claiming one another didn’t mean the pull between them wasn’t real. If she guessed correctly, he was trying to figure out a way back to the village in record time while not leaving her alone in the presence of another unmated male.

“Turn, please,” she told Orrin as she reached for the hem of her shirt. The moment he was looking away from her, she shucked her clothing. Wesken’s eyes grew wide, but he said nothing and she wrapped her clothes around her existing package, adjusting the twine to secure the added bulk. In moments, she was as naked as the day she was born. “Hurry, Wesken.”

By the time she finished shifting, Wesken had removed his jeans and left them on the trail. His shift was smooth and fast. In the blink of an eye, where he had stood was the fiercest, largest wolf she’d ever seen. Every time she saw him in his primitive form, it took her breath away. It was no wonder her wolf was attracted to his. Power poured from his body.

With a small yip, she grabbed her parcel between her teeth and bolted down the path, heading straight for the village with Wesken following close behind. In their wolf forms, they ate the remaining distance in minutes. As soon as they entered the village circle, Argram came toward them.

“Where have you been? I need to leave. You’re in charge,” the Alpha announced.

Wesken reverted to his human form. “What’s wrong with Malec?”

“He’s not eating or sleeping. His body is burning hot, and he won’t stop crying. Miga has tried everything.”

“What does Delana say about it?”

Amalija did a quick calculation in her head. Malec was over the two-and-a-half-year mark. They didn’t have a lot of children in the Komoro pack, but she remembered when Roxie was a toddler and the things she went through. Although she couldn’t be sure, if she had to guess, she’d say either the little guy was teething, or he was preparing for an early shift. With so few little ones in the wolf shifter world, not everyone knew what to expect with a toddler. It seemed the same was true of the Erritrols.

A few other pack mates surrounded them. The men all looked like they were ready for battle, yet there was no threat. If it weren’t for their obvious worry, she would have found the situation a little funny.

Closing the short distance between herself and Wesken, she nuzzled his hand. When he looked down at her, she dropped the bundle at his feet and pawed at it. With all the men standing around, there was no way she would shift and stand there naked like Wesken was. If his reaction to having Orrin near her while she was fully clothed was any indication, that wouldn’t end well for anyone.

With a quick tug, he snapped the twine holding her package together, then unwrapped the first layer, freeing her jeans and shirt. Looking at each of the men surrounding them, he grunted and coughed. Only Argram grunted back.

***

“Look away,” he ordered his men in their native tongue. To his amazement, even though the original Komoro wolves didn’t understand, they turned away. Maybe it was his tone or the look he gave each one of them, but he was glad he didn’t have to force the situation. His men followed suit moments later.

Only once each man, including Argram, was facing away did Amalija shift back to her human form. Standing tall, she didn’t rush as she came closer. She didn’t lower her gaze or hide her body. She was like a goddess with her head held high and her long hair cascading around her shoulders. Wesken’s breath caught in his throat, and all of the moisture in his mouth dried. Try as he might, he couldn’t keep his gaze from drifting lower. Her breasts peeked at him from between her long, silky strands, teasing him with their tight, rosy nipples. He wanted to grab her hips and pull those generous curves into him, feel her soft flesh against his rigid body. His groan slipped free before he could restrain it.

It wasn’t until she reached out to take her jeans from his hands that he realized she was talking.

“…probably his teeth. I’ll check on him if you want,” she said.

When he finally met her gaze again, she had one eyebrow raised and her lips curved up. “I’m sorry, what was that?” he hated to admit he hadn’t been listening, but if it had to do with his nephew, he wanted to know.

Argram chuckled, but when Wesken snapped his gaze over to him, he found him still with his back turned. A throat cleared next to him, and one of the Betas held a pair of jeans out for him while still keeping his face turned from Amalija. Smart wolf.

“Thank you.” He didn’t look at the woman turning his world upside down as he pulled them on. If she was looking, he didn’t need to know. It wouldn’t matter.

“I was saying that Malec is probably fine. I have an idea of what might be wrong, but I need to see him first. His canines are due out any time now, and they’re tough for the little ones to push through,” Amalija pulled her jeans up, wiggling a little to get them over her hips before pulling her shirt over her head. “You can all turn back now.”

“Miga and Malec are at home. They were waiting for me to return so that we could leave. I hope you’re right.” Argram said as he turned and reached for her elbow.

His hand hadn’t reached her arm before Wesken’s growl rumbled from his chest.

Argram stopped dead in his tracks, then stepped up to him, nose to nose. He was his brother, but Argram was still the Alpha. “Have you claimed her?”

“You know I haven’t,” Wesken denied, and then released his breath through clenched teeth. Submitting to anyone, even his brother, went against his nature, but it was necessary to keep the pack hierarchy.

“Unless you intend to challenge me, stand down.”

Had they not been surrounded by Amalija and the other men, Argram would have laughed at him, but in front of the others, he couldn’t allow the disrespect.

Wesken averted his gaze. “No challenge, brother.”

“Good, now let’s check on Malec.” Argram took Amalija by the arm and led her toward his home. “Delana and Khet are away gathering roots and herbs and won’t be back for a few days. Can you help?”

Clenching and releasing his fists, Wesken forced himself to follow. Seeing her walk away from him with another man’s hand on her, innocent as it was, had his blood pumping hard and his vision flashing in shades of red. He’d barely managed to get his fury under control when they got close enough to the house to hear Malec’s screaming.

“You’re sure this is going to work?” Miga asked as Amalija spread some clear goop she’d gotten from the infirmary over the toddler’s gums.

She gave the worried mother a reassuring smile. “Yes, it’ll work. See how swollen his gums are where his canines are going to be? They’re hurting. I’m not sure what Delana puts in this stuff, but it’s good, and it works fast.”

Malec struggled in his mother’s arms, screaming so loud Amalija winced. Off to the right, Argram growled, but she didn’t stop. It would be over soon. With a soft a touch, she rubbed the tender area until the medicine was gone. Malec took a deep breath, opened his mouth wide to screech again, but then hiccupped and sniffled.

Miga’s eyes shone with moisture as she blinked fast. “How do you know what to do?”

Amalija shrugged. “I took care of the children in my…” She stopped herself before blurting out “old pack”. The last thing she needed was for them to find out she was Mahehkan. “When I was younger. I learned a lot from the others.”

Malec sighed and snuggled against his mother, his eyelids drooping. Argram came close, stroking his son’s hair, his fingers not quite steady. “There weren’t any children where we are from. We don’t have that knowledge. Thank you for helping Malec,” he said, his voice thick.

“You’re welcome. I’m happy to help. I’ll leave this here. It’s safe to use every few hours. So that you know, the teeth can be bothersome for some time. Don’t worry if the swelling goes down and then comes up again. Once his sharp, little teeth poke through, the worst of it will be over.” She took a step toward the front door. “Oh, and I’ll get a teething ring for you to put in the freezer. The cold helps with the swelling, and the chewing helps get the teeth through.”

“Thank you,” Miga said with a wobbly smile.

Amalija made her way past Wesken, who hadn’t moved from the spot he’d taken by the living room door when he’d come back with the supplies she’d asked him to get for the little guy’s sore gums. He grunted to his brother, who grunted something back, and then he was with her again as they made their way to the village center. The men still stood where they had been, each of them watching as they approached.

“He’s resting. Amalija was right. His teeth are coming in,” he said loud enough for everyone to hear. The collective sigh of the group had Amalija smiling. All the muscle and testosterone-ridden men brought to their knees by a teething toddler.

Noticing her forgotten bundle on the ground where she had shifted to her human form a short while ago, she hurried to grab it and held it tight to her chest. It didn’t look like anyone had tampered with it. She turned to Wesken and forced her smile back on. “Thank you for accompanying me back to the village. I think I’ll go drop this off at home, then work in the garden for a while.”