Love Bites (Bitten Book 4) (20 page)

Eight days after my first shift, I came downstairs to find Calder already dressed and drinking a cup of coffee. The dark circles were back beneath his eyes and the lines in his face had deepened. He looked utterly exhausted.

He smiled when he saw me. “Hi, darlin’. How’d you sleep?”

“Fine.” Considering he’d been on the phone when I finally went to bed around midnight, I’d probably slept better than he had. Especially since he was already up. “Are you going somewhere?” I asked.

He drained his mug. “Yeah, there’s a pack meeting in an hour.”

I stuck a cup in the Keurig and waited for the coffee to brew. I thought he might ask me if I wanted to go, but he didn’t. Well, he was in for a surprise. I added sugar and creamer to my mug. Glancing over my shoulder at Calder, I murmured, “I think I’ll go take a quick shower. Don’t leave yet, okay?”

He nodded and placed his own cup in the Keurig.

I hurried upstairs, drinking my coffee as I laid out clothes and started the water running for my shower. I shampooed my hair, shaved my legs, and washed my body. Since turning, the fragrances in my usual bath products made my head hurt, so I’d taken to using Calder’s shampoo and soap. He promised to take me into town sometime soon to pick out something else, but I wasn’t going to give him shit about it. Things were tense among the pack right now, the Faction had gone to ground so information about their movements was limited, and then he had to educate me about my new life. It was a lot for anyone to deal with and I wasn’t going to quibble about something as trivial as bath products.

After a quick shower, I brushed my teeth and dried my hair. Judging by Calder’s apparel this morning, I assumed pack meetings didn’t have a business dress code, so I’d picked out a pair of jeans, a pink tank top, and a girl-fit purple and white flannel shirt buttoned over it. After I slipped on some fluffy socks, I stuffed my feet into a pair of black ankle boots and went back into the bathroom to put on my make-up and do my hair.

Fifteen minutes later, my hair was pulled back into a loose braid and I had a light shield of make-up on my face. I finished off my coffee and carried my cup downstairs. I could see Calder through the windows in the kitchen. He stood on the back porch, staring out into the woods.

Seeing the pensive expression he wore and the slump of his shoulders beneath his shirt, I was more determined than before to go with him and offer him support any way I could.

I popped some bread in the toaster. Though I wasn’t really hungry, I had to eat. Calder explained that my metabolism was a great deal faster since turning. If I didn’t eat enough, I would be more likely to shift uncontrollably. He promised me that control would come with time, but time was something I didn’t have a lot of.

Calder came back into the house just as I was buttering the toast. I’d made enough for both of us and found some yogurt in the fridge. It wasn’t exactly a filling breakfast, but calories were calories.

He stared down at the plate I handed him in confusion. “What’s this?”

“Breakfast. You need to eat something.”

He started to shake his head and opened his mouth to reply.

“No arguments. If I have to eat, so do you.”

Frowning, he picked up the toast and took a bite. We quickly polished off breakfast and I carried our plates to the sink.

“Okay, you ready?” I asked as I headed toward the front door. Pepper sat by the coat rack, her tail twitching. I leaned down and focused on stroking her head gently. I needed to learn how to control my newfound strength.

“What?” Calder followed me, his frown returning.

“Are you ready to go to the meeting?” I asked again, shrugging into my jacket.

“Yes, but—”

“Then we should get going. You said you had an hour.”

“Ricki—”

I interrupted him again. It was a strategy I often used to get my way when I was a teenager and I wanted to do something that my parents weren’t too keen about. “I’m sure you don’t want to be late.”

“Dammit, Ricki! Stop interrupting me and listen!” Calder shouted.

I flinched. He rarely raised his voice. Even when he was bossing me around and I was resisting, he only demanded I do things in that authoritative growl that I liked.

He took a deep breath, rolling his shoulders as though they were tight. “Look, I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to come with me,” he explained, his voice softer.

“Why?”

His expression shut down. “I’m not sure you’re ready. These meetings can be stressful and I don’t know if you’ll be able to control your shifting if things get….tense.”

Somehow he knew exactly what to say to make me hesitate. Calder hit on my biggest insecurity with just a few words. My determination wavered. Maybe he was right.

Then it hit me that he was trying to manipulate me, something he’d never done before. It was sneaky and underhanded, and it pissed me off. I knew he was doing it because he was worried about me and how the pack would treat me, but I needed to face them at some point. I was a grown woman, not a scared little girl. No, I was going.

“Calder, either you take me with you, or I wait until you’re gone and follow you. That’s your only choice.” I crossed my arms over my chest and stared at him.

He growled beneath his breath, his eyes piercing as he stared me down. My first instinct was to quail at that look. It was the reaction of a wolf faced with a dominant companion. It was difficult, but I ignored it.

After a few fraught moments, Calder finally relented. “Fine. Let’s go.”

I followed him outside and past the car, which surprised me. I assumed we would be driving to the meeting. Instead, he walked out to the main road that cut through the compound, heading toward the center of the settlement.

He was silent as we walked, a muscle ticking in his jaw.

“Is there anything I should know before we go in?” I asked.

“Several things, but I don’t really have the time to fill you in completely. Let me just put it this way; don’t openly challenge anyone by staring them straight in the eye, but don’t be too demure either. If you don’t look them in the eye at all, they’ll take that as a sign of submission and walk all over you. If you hold their gaze too long, it’ll be taken as a direct challenge of dominance.”

I nodded. “Okay, anything else?”

He stopped walking and turned toward me. His expression was worried. “Some of them may be rude to you or ignore you completely. I know it goes against your personality, but I’m asking you not to engage today. They will need to be dealt with soon, but today’s meeting is not the time for you to assert yourself. Things have been…..rocky since the attack and in-fighting will only make it worse.”

I blinked. Just how bad was this going to be?

*     *     *

Half an hour
later, I had my answer.

After telling me what to expect, Calder led me to a small metal building in the center of the compound. When we entered, I saw that the interior was one large open room. Chairs were grouped facing toward a podium on the opposite end of the room. Folding tables were stacked against one wall, along with a few extra chairs. It was sparse and plain, nothing but a concrete floor and white walls. It was obviously where the pack held their meetings.

There were already fifty or sixty people milling around inside. As soon as Calder and I entered, the dull buzz of conversation ceased immediately. Every eye in the place was on us. I quickly realized that they weren’t staring at us, they were staring at
me
. The sensation of being under intense scrutiny was almost painful.

I almost lowered my eyes, then I remembered Calder’s instructions. I met each person’s gaze levelly, but didn’t hold it long. Men and women approached Calder, speaking to him in low tones. They never even acknowledged me. The urge to fidget was almost overwhelming.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Chloe approaching. I never thought I would be happy to see her, but I was.

“Hey, Ricki. I’m glad to see you’re out and about,” she greeted with a smile. “How are you feeling?”

“Like a lab specimen. You?”

She chuckled. “They’re not very subtle, are they?”

With a shrug, I answered, “Calder warned me it might be uncomfortable.”

Her mouth twisted slightly. “Yeah, I hate to say it, but it’ll probably get worse before it gets better.”

“Great, I’ll look forward to that.”

Chloe shook her head, a smile spreading across her face. “I think you’ll be fine. It’ll just take a while for everyone else in the pack to get the message.”

A man approached Chloe. “MacArthur, we need to talk.”

She arched an eyebrow at him. “George.”

He never even looked at me. My eyes narrowed as I studied him. He appeared to be in his late thirties, early forties, but I knew that looks could be misleading. Calder was almost forty-eight and he didn’t look a day over thirty. George was a tall, stocky man, his shoulders and waist almost the same width. It gave him an almost square appearance. His face mirrored his body, all straight bones and sharp lines, a square sitting on top of his neck. He looked like a Cubist painting. I smirked at the description I created in my mind.

“George, I’d like to introduce you to Calder’s mate, Ricki Wylde.” She looked over at me. “Ricki, this is George Hayes.”

His muddy brown eyes were dismissive as they ran over me. He didn’t even bother to respond to Chloe’s introduction before he turned back to her. “You can’t keep me away from Lachlan any longer. There are important things that need to be decided now that the pack is split on the issue of alliance with the bloodsuckers.”

Chloe folded her arms across her chest and stared at him. “You know, George, I just introduced you to the mate of the next alpha and you didn’t bother to speak to her. Are you sure that’s the first impression you want to make?”

His already ruddy complexion flushed further, turning his face almost purple. His square jaw hardened as he looked down at me and nodded once. “Hello.”

“Hello.” I made sure my voice was even and confident when I spoke, though I desperately wanted to giggle. I rolled my lips between my teeth to prevent the sound from escaping. Chloe was brilliant, cornering the odious man into speaking to me.

“Daddy!”

My desire to giggle vanished as the young woman who’d kissed Calder on the street came up to us and put her arm through George’s. Her eyes traveled over my body, her expression disdainful, before she turned her attention back to her father.

Like daddy, like daughter
.

I smirked again at the cynical thought, even though their behavior stung.

“Brittany,” Chloe said with a wide smile that was more suited to the Cheshire cat than a werewolf. “I’d like to introduce you to Ricki Wylde, Calder’s mate.”

The girl ignored her completely.

At the sudden tension in Chloe’s muscles, I immediately recognized that Brittany had made a mistake. When she heard the low growl that followed, the younger woman realized it too because she fell silent.

“You dare ignore your enforcer?” Chloe asked softly.

Even I heard the threat in her tone.

George jumped in. “Now, MacArthur, she’s just a pup—”

Chloe’s eyes cut to him. I could only see her expression in profile but even that was scary. The man fell silent.

“Brittany.” The sound of the girl’s name from Chloe’s mouth was a warning.

The younger woman tossed her head but still refused to look my way.

Chloe took a step forward. “Do you think this is smart, girl? You’re not a pup anymore, no matter what your daddy says. What do you think Calder’s gonna do to you if you’re disrespectful of his mate?”

I started to say something, to tell Chloe not to worry about it, but Brittany rounded on me, her eyes gleaming with malice.

“You’re too weak to even speak for yourself, aren’t you?” she spat, her words dripping with venom. “You let the pack muscle do your dirty work. You’re pathetic!” Her hand shot out and grabbed on to my forearm.

I didn’t mean to do what I did, but as soon as she put her hands on me, it was beyond my control.

A feral growl rippled in my throat, the pitch dropping deeper and deeper, until I barely recognized the sound. I felt my lips peel back in a snarl, my teeth lengthening.

If I hadn’t been in the throes of a fury unlike any I’d ever felt before, the expression on Brittany’s face would have been comical. She gasped, jerking her hand back as though my skin burned her.

In my boots, I was eye-to-eye with her and I moved forward, crowding her body with my own. Her eyes widened as I glared at her, still growling low in my chest.

“Never lay your hands on me again.” The voice didn’t sound like mine. It sounded dark and scary, like something out of a horror movie.

Suddenly, a wave of heat broke over my skin. I tingled from head to toe and sweat gathered between my breasts. Oh shit. I knew what those feelings meant.

I stumbled back, shivering wildly. I tried to control it, to force the change to stop, but it was no use. When I didn’t fight, the shift didn’t hurt as much. However, this time it was agony because I was struggling against it with everything I had.

As my bones shifted and popped, I threw my head back and screamed. The scream rose to an ear-piercing howl. I collapsed to the ground as the change swept over me. Panic overwhelmed me. I clawed and bit until I was free of my clothes, then I shot to my feet and sprinted towards the door.

Someone was just entering when I crashed through the opening, nearly knocking them down in the process. As soon as I was clear of the building, I ran like the hounds of Hell were on my heels. I didn’t stop running until I was at the far edge of the trees that surrounded the compound.

My heart felt like it was going to burst in my chest. I slowed to a walk, panting. I couldn’t believe I’d lost control like that. And in front of the entire pack.

My first chance at showing Calder that I could be a help to him and I blew it. Maybe he was right to keep me away.

Humiliated and hurt, I threw my head back and howled until I had no air left.

Calder