River Wolf (18 page)

Had Hatcher lived, he’d have done the same. What Brett had failed to recognize in all of Gillian’s gentle admonishments or even in his mother’s nagging—he mentally apologized for referring to her concern as nagging—was what Luc so succinctly pointed out.
What the fuck is wrong with you? Where did you go?

Tugging his phone from his pocket, he hit the speed dial for his mother. She answered on the first ring. “Well, hello there.” Her teasing greeting pulled a faint smile from him. “To what do I owe this honor?”

“Yeah, yeah, I was calling daily and then I got distracted.”

“I couldn’t be happier about your distraction. I told Babette she wasn’t for Luc, but does that woman ever listen to me?” His mother’s full-throated laughter amused him. “Of course, she’s half-convinced Luc is going to fight you for her, but I don’t think so.”

“Thanks for gossiping, Mom. That always makes me feel better.” Patience for his mother had been ingrained in childhood. Being Alpha hadn’t changed those old lessons one bit.

“Oh, hush. I’m thrilled for you.”

“Thank you, and as much as I’d like to give you more grist for the gossip mill, I’m actually calling for an entirely different favor.” Pacing in a circle, he let the sun warm him. The heat felt good, even on the damaged parts where the scar tissue pulled taut. His wolf had been quiet, listening, watching, scenting. Ready. Yes, he and his wolf were both ready.

“What do you need?”

“I’m calling for a full gathering. The word will go out in about fifteen minutes. I expect everyone capable of travel to be here by the weekend.” Having made the decision ten minutes before, it was time to act on it.

“Brett, that’s not a lot of time…some people will miss it.”

It was short notice.
Too fucking bad. Pack came first
. “No, they won’t. This isn’t an invitation to a party. Unless they are in diapers, school, or unable to travel due to physical injury, they
will
be there.”

Silence seemed to almost hum on the other end of the line. “Well,” she said finally, an almost choked note in her voice. “Welcome back.”

“Thank you. I need Dad to coordinate food. That many pack members will be starving.”

“Of course. He loves to cook for gatherings.” Easy agreement. “And what do you need from me?”

His mother would always be his mother, never subservient no matter his position. Yet… “I need you to make arrangements for sleeping arrangements. Take over the two local hotels, charge it to the pack, but make sure we have rooms for everyone, then get on the phone and make calls. I want no one
pretending
they didn’t get the message.” It had happened a few times and he’d let it slide. A mistake. One he would rectify now.

“Absolutely.” In the background his father chuckled, and he could almost imagine the looks his parents shared at his expense. “Anything else, Alpha?”

“Yes, on a personal note, and not for sharing with anyone…” The last he reinforced with a hint of command. His mother
always
meant well. Her motivations were above reproach. But she was his mom, and she loved to brag about him.

“Of course.” Irritation bubbled in those two words, but Brett didn’t let it go.

“Mom, I’m serious. This isn’t just about Alpha, this is your son needing to know you won’t gossip or reveal anything until I have.”

“Brett, I’m teasing you. You do need to learn how to take that again.” Reprimand couched in love. Yes, he could live with that response.

“Thank you. Colby may be a latent wolf.” He gave them a moment to let the information sink in. “Have either of you ever heard of the condition?”

“Years ago,” his father answered. “I was a kid though, fifteen or sixteen. I sat in one of Dad’s meetings with a family whose youngest child didn’t shift. At all. She was the product of wolves on both sides, full bloods, not turned. Hatcher said she was healthy…”

“I remember that,” his mother’s voice rose an octave. “Bree? Brea? Bren? Something with a B.”

“Bethany,” Charles spoke again.

“That’s it.” Mom snapped her fingers. “Now my dad did an exam and he’d even delivered, if I remember the story right. Nothing was wrong with her that he could detect. She was healthy, strong, capable…”

“She was healthy, and stronger than an average, faster, and she had a really sharp nose, but she was limited in other ways. She couldn’t run as fast as a wolf, didn’t have night vision—her hearing was limited.”

“Oh yeah, and her scent was…well, the polite word is different.”

“It wasn’t that bad,” Charles argued.

“It was. Whenever she became deeply stressed or upset, it—altered. Especially after puberty.”

Back and forth they went until Brett cleared his throat. “So, Bethany was a latent?”

“That was the determination, but it was 1955, Brett. It’s been a while. Her parents wanted Dad to Call her wolf.” His father’s voice sobered and something indefinable stirred beneath what he wasn’t saying.

An Alpha could Call his wolves, summon them to him, and in an individual they could force a shift. He’d done it to Luc and had to other wolves when they needed it. “And?” Impatience crept through him. “Was he able to?” No Bethany lived within Hudson River, that much he did know. Yet, it didn’t mean anything. She could have mated into a different pack. It happened.

They didn’t answer immediately, and his gut clenched. “Initially, he was against the idea.” His father spoke slowly. “Hatcher agreed with him. She was healthy and showed no signs of distress outside of feeling a little different. Dad encouraged her family to embrace her for who she was and let her be human.”

It didn’t end there.

Another moment of silence, then a door closed in the background. “Your mother is taking a walk,” Charles said. “She was younger than I at the time, and not privy to the full conversation. Dad didn’t think calling Bethany’s wolf would help. Latents are latent for a reason. They’re rare. I think it’s what we’d call recessive genes now. No one understood it, but he told them to let her be human even if she wasn’t.”

“Let her be human…he released her from the pack.”
Son of a bitch.
Brett understood his grandfather well enough to recognize he would have chosen pack over one girl. Hudson River wasn’t Willow Bend. They had human allies, but no human pack members. His grandfather hadn’t allowed it.

“Yes,” Charles sighed. “It devastated her family, but Bethany seemed to do well.”

“But…?” He didn’t bother to stifle the growl. A girl grew up in their pack, one of them, and then one day she simply wasn’t.

“She was young Brett.”

“Don’t sugarcoat the shit, Dad.” He could curse at his father. “What happened?”

“She went away to college, and she committed suicide while she was there.”

Ice slithered through his veins. “Why?”

“I don’t know,” Charles sighed. “Before you demand an answer, I don’t know it. Sometimes, no one knows why these things happen. She didn’t leave a note, she didn’t contact her family and, as far as I know, they had no warning signs either. There was an investigation, and Dad sent two Hunters as well as reached out to the Enforcers. He didn’t abandon her fully, but no one could tell what happened.”

“Is her family still in Hudson River?”

“One of them.” Ominous words. “They took her loss badly. Several moved to other packs, some just faded. It happens Brett. Grief is hard on wolves.” The tacit reminder of recent events didn’t help his cause.

“Who?” If he could talk to someone who’d known a latent, maybe they could provide some insight.

“Babette Danes. Bethany was her aunt.”

Brett pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Babette and Bethany were tight. Her father was Bethany’s brother.” Babette’s father had gone to Vietnam. Died there. They’d lost several wolves to that conflict. “She was young when Bethany killed herself.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

“Brett…”

“Don’t.” He straightened. “Colby
will
be fine.” He wasn’t his grandfather, and his deep respect and love for his paternal grandparent aside, he would not make the same mistake. Colby was his. The possession and the claim felt right. Even if she weren’t…
Even if she wasn’t mine, I wouldn’t leave her to struggle. Her wolf is in there. I’ve seen her.

“Whatever you need,” Charles said, the oath resonating. “I will do.”

“Thanks, Dad.” He repeated the sentiment then, because he owed him one, he said, “Thanks for sticking by me while my head was up my ass.”

“Anytime, son. You care, don’t stop. It’s part of what makes you a tremendous Alpha. Be yourself—
trust
yourself. I would follow you into fire, son.” The second time in as many hours that he’d heard that statement.

“I’ll do my best to keep our asses out of the fire, then.” After disconnecting the call, Brett fired off a blanket text message to his Hunters. They would begin the tree, alerting others. His mother would do the rest. Closing his eyes, he tipped his face to the sun and reached. Every member of his pack was tied to him, he could track them based on that alone, if he quieted his mind and listened.

He could also call them.

The fact he hadn’t called his wolves in more than a year was on him. Letting the guilt eat away at him was also on him. They were all done with it. Power swelled through him and then reverberated along every strand stretching from him to his wolves. The Hunters answered first, but then one by one, he
felt
their howl. His wolf rose within him, the fur seeming to rub over his skin. The call wouldn’t force a change, but he wanted their attention. The ripples continued, and he listened to where they resonated. Wolves on the road far from home were the last to feel his call.

Pack bonds had to be renewed, they had to be reinforced. Long months of isolation and separation had frayed his bond with his pack. Frayed, but not destroyed. The joyous answer of the wolves responding to him pooled in his system. Others were more resistant and resentment echoed back. Obedience did not require joy.

His phone buzzed. Text messages flowed in, but he ignored the chirping. One of the wolves on the road turned around, another pulled away entirely. Brett let him go, and severed the tie. Shock echoed, then more surged through him. His pack answered him.

Opening his eyes, he found Gillian staring at him steadily. At his glance, she lowered her eyes. “It’s about damn time.”

Before he could respond, Owen swung his truck into the driveway and parked. Stepping out of the vehicle, he clenched a fist and tapped it twice against his heart. They weren’t his wolves. The nascent tie to Gillian existed and would, until such a time as he or she chose to sever it. But he couldn’t claim them unless they turned away from Mason. Neither wanted that, and he accepted their choice.

“Don’t be insulted, but neither of you are invited to the party.”

Owen laughed as he strolled over to wrap an arm around his mate. “As the Alpha wishes.”

Damn straight.

Now, to deal with Babette’s gossip and find out what she knew of latents. Repairing his pack and taking care of Colby took precedence over all.

A
n hour after Brett left
, he still hadn’t returned or called. Not one to lounge around all day no matter how tempting the idea, she dragged her sore body off the bed and borrowed one of Brett’s t-shirts from a drawer. The hem hung to her mid-thigh and covered her bare ass. All she really wanted, since people tended to show up at his place randomly throughout the day, was be at least presentable. Brazen as she wanted to be, she wasn’t going to stand buck ass nude in front of people.

Gathering the tray of their used dishes, she set it aside before making the bed. After, she carried the tray down to the kitchen. The scent of Brett was everywhere—even the coffee reminded her of him. Rolling her eyes, she poured herself a fresh cup and left the dishes for later. Cup in hand, she retreated to the guest room and found clean clothes, but elected only for panties and shorts. Rolling his t-shirt up, she tucked the lip through her breasts and made a halter out of it.

Wearing his shirt might be a romcom kind of move, but she loved the feel of the cotton. Him wearing a t-shirt when he left, even with his focus on the emergency, proved he’d relaxed his armor.

Huh.
She paused digging through her bag for fresh socks. The dress shirts, the loafers, even his remote expressions—they were all armor. They kept people at a distance. Now and again, she’d glimpsed beyond it, but earlier, in the bedroom over breakfast—it had been gone.
Well…maybe I am good for him.

Locating sandals in the bottom of the bag, she decided to forgo the socks. By the time she’d dressed, she found the folder with all the information from SUNY and carried it and her coffee back to the kitchen. Outside, the sun shone so brilliantly, it cast the sky in an almost jewel-like blue. The deep green of the trees complimented the lighter green of the grass.

Outside would be so much better than in. After draining her coffee cup, she rinsed it out then set it in the sink. Brett kept water bottles in the fridge, so she grabbed one and strolled through the house to the library, then out to the stone patio. Heat swept over her as she stepped outside. Her imagination kicked into overdrive. She half-believed she could taste the musky scent of their sex everywhere.

Well, the loveseat and the stone pavers before. He’d cleaned up their discarded clothes. Still, they’d been pretty damn energetic out here. A silly grin tugged at her lips and she slid onto the chair he favored. So what if she imagined that it smelled of him or that like his shirt, she felt closer by doing so. Settling cross-legged, she flipped open the folder and began to read in earnest.

If she really wanted to make a go of it, she had to earn her way and that meant not living off Brett’s good graces. As a lover and a host, he was extraordinary. No need to take advantage of him. School and a job. She paused. Going to school cost money, her parents weren’t going to foot the bill and she wouldn’t dream of asking them in a million years.

Flipping the folder to the tuition page, she grimaced. Out of state was way out of her price range. Running her finger down the page, she located the in-state tuition terms. She’d need to live there at least a year. That would give her time and, if she could locate a position quickly, as soon as she saved up for an apartment, she would sock money away for full time tuition.
Nothing says I couldn’t take one or two classes in the spring.

Digging her phone out, she returned the call to Professor Winthrop and left a message on his voice mail explaining her interest and her concerns. If he really wanted to talk to her about her potential, she was game. She’d given up enough of her life. After ending the call, she scanned the class list, the requirements for the program—admission as well as graduation—if her tally was correct, she only had about twelve months worth of work to do and a few more clinical hours if they didn’t credit her with the work at Alba.

Wouldn’t it be cool if I did this, then sent the judge my registered nurse certification?
Why the hell the judge would care didn’t matter. What mattered was she would enjoy it.

Okay, job.
She needed one. If she really wanted to make the move, settle here and see where this thing with her and Brett went…Colby paused.
Do I want to see?
Was she making the same mistake as before? Her stomach turned over. She’d leapt without looking a lot after getting to college.

Drugs.

Bad boyfriends.

Getting arrested.

They were impulsive choices, which led to severe consequences. Changing her plans from Florida to New York?
I didn’t really have plans plans.
If she were brutally honest with herself. Florida seemed as far from Maine as she could get. New York was only hours away, but a whole different world.

Was she making the choice because of Brett, though?
Five—no, six days I’ve known him. Six.

The idea of leaving made her anxious, but the idea of not at least taking a shot at potential happiness?
I’m not a coward.
She and Brett might just be a fling or he could be the best thing that ever happened to her. What mattered was whether or not she was willing to take the risk and find out.

“Staying it is.” She said the words aloud, and they carried a certain finality.

“Not surprising, since I can smell him all over you.” The words jerked her out of her seat as adrenaline powered through her system. At the edge of the stone porch leaned a tall, leggy blonde.

“Samantha?” That was her name, right? “You’re Luc’s sister.” One of them.

The woman inclined her head, then folded her arms. She didn’t offer any apology for scaring the crap out of her. “That’s me. You’re Colby, the girl who brought Luc home then dumped him for the guy with more power.”

Colby blinked.
What the…
“I’m sorry, what?”

“You heard me. You go to all the trouble of dragging my wounded brother back here, then dump him the first moment Brett Dalton beckons. I can’t blame you. Brett’s hot and Luc’s a dumbass sometimes. But I’ll tell you right now, Luc knows loyalty in a way Brett has long forgotten.”

Retrieving her fallen SUNY folder, Colby tried to wrap her mind around the venom dripping every word. “Okay, why do I feel like I just stepped into an episode of
Days of Our Lives
?”

The joke had zero effect on Samantha’s narrowed eyes or unfriendly expression. “Look, you seemed like a nice girl. So I’m going to do you the favor no one else will dare. I can do it because I’m leaving.”

Somehow, she didn’t think whatever Samantha had to say bore anything remotely resembling a favor. Not even by a stretch. Sheltered childhood aside, Colby hadn’t been born yesterday. “Well, don’t let the door kick you in the ass on the way out.”

The other woman blinked. “Excuse me?”

Colby held up one finger. “I don’t know you.” She added a second finger. “Being Luc’s sister doesn’t give you the right to be a bitch to me.” Then a final third finger. “I don’t want any favors. So, don’t let the door kick you in the ass on your way out.”

In a flash, Samantha straightened and charged across the distance separating them. She was tall, like Luc, and trim, but Colby dealt with recalcitrant patients all the time. Big didn’t mean better. Standing her ground, she locked gazes with the other woman.

“Are you seriously trying to stare me down? What, are we twelve?” Shouldn’t Samantha have outgrown the high school bullshit by now? Colby certainly had. Luc didn’t intimidate her with all his snarling, she sure as hell wasn’t going to take it from his blonde bimbo of a sister.

“You can fuck him all you like. He isn’t here to protect you.” The snarl in her voice came from deeper within, almost animalistic in nature, and her blue eyes went yellow-gold.

What the…
No way it was a trick of the light. A memory tore loose inside her mind. Luc’s eyes flashing yellow in the room when he was angry. The glimpse of gold shimmering across Brett’s eyes the night before, how his black eyes seemed to absorb all the firelight.

The two wolves racing from the woods—then returning only to be a nude man followed by a wolf.

She blinked slowly. The
déjà vu
crawling over her couldn’t be ignored. Another acid flashback? Samantha grabbed her arm and Colby twisted, slammed her elbow down on the soft skin over the other woman’s joint. The elbow was one of the toughest bones in the body. Samantha’s hand spasmed open, releasing her and Colby slugged her.

Blood spurted from the other woman’s lip. The copper scent burned her nostrils. She hadn’t aimed for her nose because she just wanted her to let go. Samantha shook her head and charged forward. Shoving a chair into her path, Colby darted away. The crash of woman slamming into the wicker, then hit the stone pavement, which ended with a deeper snarl on her part.

Lunging to her feet, Samantha’s wild expression took on one of icy intent. For the first time, fear slithered down Colby’s spine. This wasn’t a chick fight. The chick was batshit crazy.

“Stop.” Luc’s voice cut through the insanity, and Samantha growled. “Sam, don’t fuck with me.”

The man in question wobbled toward the stone steps. Limping—
freaking walking—
on his right leg while his left remained in a splint.

“She’s part of the problem. And so is he. I asked you to come home to fix this and take him out and instead you bring her and…” The words washed over her and didn’t make any sense. Colby’s knuckles hurt and she couldn’t look away from Luc inching forward. Every step had to be an agony.

How the hell was he walking? Broken arm. Broken ribs. Skull fracture.
Two
broken legs. Six days before he’d lost consciousness and he hadn’t been able to move without someone carrying him or a wheelchair.

“Sam,” Luc repeated her name, his gaze locked on his sister as he continued toward her. Despite the limping and the obvious strain, there was a deadly intent to his stride. “Back. Down. Now.” Every word punched the other woman and her fists lowered, then finally her shoulders.

“You’re not going to do it, are you?” The utter defeat transformed her from bitch to almost sympathetic harridan.
Emphasis on the almost
.

“No.” Having reached his sister, he cupped her cheek. “I came home for my friend—my Alpha and
yours
. I came home for my family. What you are doing here…this doesn’t help, Sam.”

“I just want it…I want it to go back to the way it was. Before everything went so crazy.” Was she crying?

Colby retreated until she hit the edge of the stone porch.

“Luc, he isn’t even letting the healer fix you all the way. If he were any kind of Alpha still, he would have done that.”

The healer.

The Alpha.

Luc’s gaze flicked to her. “Sam, shut up.”

His sister twisted and then they were both staring at her. Colby slipped off the porch and bolted. Acid flashback or not, the woman was crazy and Luc was the impossible, and she was so out of the loony bin.

“Colby.” Luc’s gruff voice carried a note of breathlessness as he caught her arm and spun around. She slapped her palms against his chest to try and shove him away. She didn’t give a damn what the crazy man had to say. She was done. Done with Hudson River. Done with him—and definitely way done with the vicious bitch out back.

“Save it.” Fuck, he was built like a rock. All shoving him did was send her boots sliding in the dirt, not that she got far because he’d locked his hands onto her arms and hauled her to him. Her mind couldn’t even comprehend how it was possible. One of his legs was still broken, right? All she had to do was kick it. Even as the thought flashed across her panicked mind, she couldn’t follow through.

“That’s exactly what I’m doing, darling. Remember, I’m asking for what comes next, so don’t worry about me.”

Outrage boiled through her. She was not remotely worried about him, so what the hell was—oh. Luc dipped his head and his mouth closed over hers. Thoughts stuttered on the idea he planned to kiss her and couldn’t catch up to process the feeling of his lips moving against hers. Shocked, she opened her mouth and his tongue delved inside.

The grip he had on her arms relaxed. Then with a jerk, he vanished as though she’d imagined the force of his mouth and probing strokes of his tongue. Brett had Luc by the throat and lifted him in the air.

“Get the fuck off her,” Brett growled, rage seeming to shimmer the air. Colby retreated a step, then another.
Oh shit.

Instead of looking terrified—as she was—or even worried—as he should be—Luc smiled, gripped the man’s arm and said. “Make me.”

T
he smirk
on Luc’s face demanded a dislocated jaw or, at the very least, a broken nose. First, he’d grabbed Colby. Second, he’d kissed her. Third and finally, his ass was out of bed when he’d been told to rest. Despite the smart ass remark, Luc wasn’t struggling against Brett’s hold. If anything, he’d gripped Brett’s forearms for balance. Understanding borne of a long friendship burned within him.

“Brett.” Colby’s shaky voice washed over him. “Just remember, he’s already hurt and, as much as I wanted to kick him in his broken leg, I didn’t.”

Fair point.
He nodded his head to her and flexed his fingers cutting off Luc’s air enough to wipe the stupid smile off his face. “Are you all right, Colby?”

The only fear burning his nostrils belonged to the beautiful woman who stood trembling three feet away. In addition to fear, he tasted a wild anger, fury tinged with fur…and blood. Luc’s gaze dipped and Brett glanced at Colby. She had as yet not answered his question.

Her pupils were huge and her scent vanished the moment their gazes collided. Inside, his wolf uncoiled even as his power washed out. All around the area, the wolves nearest him had begun to answer his call. They had an audience. Samantha Danes leaned against the corner of the house, her expression dark and wild. Enough was enough.

Relaxing his grip to allow Luc to breathe, he held Colby’s gaze. “Go sit on the porch, sweetheart.”

Wolf eyes stared at him dauntingly. Whatever latency she possessed, it had surfaced. Several hours spent with Babette gave him some insight, but his call to Salvatore revealed more. The Italian Alpha had every right to deny Brett’s request after Brett had ignored his. The wolf hadn’t, however. He’d told Brett about the two latents in his packs instead.