Wolf Creek Alpha (Texas Pack 1) (21 page)

“We’re assuming he wants to use the pond for
its
magic.  What else would he want?” asked Rafe.

Dunstan thought for a moment.  “My mother.  As I’ve stated, if he hasn’t killed her, he wouldn’t let her go.  He
would consider her
his property
, along with Anna and me
.  After talking with Anna, I
think
my mother got Anna away to save her from him.  With her being afraid of any
fae
, without knowing why, convinces me of that.”

Rafe told Ian to go and bring Anna up to the house.  He did not want her left alone in her cabin.  They could protect her better if she were close. 

Dunstan told Rafe that he and Ian would be going to speak with Stephen tomorrow. 
Thinking he had nothing on his agenda for the next day, Rafe was hoping he could spend some time with Lisa.  If he could just get her alone for some private time, they might be able to move this relationship along. 

Seeing Colin with his girls made him want to start his own family.  He thought Lisa would be a great mother and have no problem fitting in to his pack.  She could assist him with all the work that
came
with running a pack, or find a job teaching in the area.

The di
fficult part would be persuading
her to leave her life behind in Dallas.  With Stephanie being here, he was convinced she would
choose them over her old life. 

Ian had
returned and shown Anna to a room.  She already looked more relaxed and happ
ier
than she’d ever been.  It must have been like having a weight lifted off her to no longer worry about her secret. 

“When
was
the last time you went for a run?” Rafe asked Dunstan. 

“It’s been a while.  I have a place outside Denver with a few acres where I like to run.  I’m not there very often
though
, since I’ve spent my time searching for my mother.”

“I need to run off some energy.  You need to run with a pack.  Ian, go wake Devlin,” said Rafe.

Rafe and Dunstan started removing their clothes
for the shift
.  Ian and Devlin padded in
,
already in wolf form.

“I’m going to bed
after I check
in
with my men
.  Don’t forget to wipe
yer
paws when you get back,”
quipped Robert.

Instantly changing from man
to wolf, Rafe snorted as he le
d them to the kitchen.
The back door had a handle they could swipe with a paw to open.

Crossing the patio, they paused to sniff the air.  Rafe glanced up at the room where Lisa was sleeping.  He noticed her standing by the window, watching them.  He gave a small woof before loping off into the woods.

They ran for about an hour, dodging trees and running through streams.  Dunstan rarely had the opportunity to run with
the Denver pack. 
Although he was a
friend
of their
alpha, Ben, he never became a member of his pack
.  He never felt
like
he fit in with their pack.

Scenting a deer
, Rafe stopped to
signal the others.  He and Dunstan followed the trail while Ian and Devlin circled around.  Seeing the deer in the clearing ahead, they crouched down in the grass, slowly moving
forward.  Knowing his brothers were in place, Rafe charged up from the gras
s, setting the deer in flight with Dunstan fast behind him.  Ian and Devlin sprinted out
, startling the deer into a quick
turn, heading for the trees.  T
hey all gave chase, zigzagging through the forest.
 
Eventually,
they let the deer run off, exhilarated by the chase. 

Turning towards home, they nudged and shoved each other playfully as they ambled back. 
Arriving at
the
house, Rafe saw Lisa lying on the patio chaise in her robe.
  He slowly approached, wondering
if
she was frightened of them. 

“Have fun?” she asked quietly.  “
Wait, don’t answer that.  Go put your clothes on first, or not,” she grinned. 

Rafe yipped at the others, sending them inside.  He followed, making sure they didn’
t change
until they were out of her sight.  His brothers and Dunstan shifted and grabbed up their clothes, heading for their ro
oms.  Knowing they would all go
and
shower, he pulled his jeans on and went back outside.

Sitting down in the chair next
to
her
, Rafe asked why she wasn’t afraid when she saw them.

“I knew it was you, I saw you guys leave.
  After seeing Stephanie as a wolf, I knew there was nothing to fear.”

“I’m glad you’re comfortable around us, but always be aware of any strange wolf. 
Eventually,
you’ll recognize
our
pack, but until then, be careful.”

She nodded her acknowledgement, aski
ng how it went with Cha
s
e
. 
He told her they hadn’t learned anything new, but the seer, Melissa, was coming Tuesday.

“Robert and I thought that maybe you
would be able to help her with her
vision.  I know you haven’t done this before, but the experience with Dunstan made me think it was possible.”

“All I can do is
to
try, if she’s agreeable.”

Rafe let her know Melissa was willing and wanting to learn more if she could. 

Lisa was about to go back to bed when she remembered Ste
phanie telling her about Cindy.  She just
couldn’t help herself.
“Did you see
your
girlfriend,
Cindy,
while you were there?”

Rafe just looked at her.  “She’s not my girlfriend.  We went out a few times.  It didn’t take me long to realize the most important person in her life was her. 
This is the last time I will say this.  You are my mate.  There will never be another for me.”

“Um, ok
ay
, sorry.  Not my business.
  I think I’ll
go back to bed
, I’m sleep
y
now.”

Rafe sighed, frustrated.  He would not keep repeating himself.  He had to give her time.  Someday, hopefully soon, she would believe him.

“Before you go
, I’d like to know if you’d like
to spend the day with me tomorrow?  Give us some time to get to know one another better.”

She hated letting him down again.  She knew he was
annoyed at her for constantly doubting being his mate.

“I already told Stephanie I’d go to the zoo with her and the girls.  You’re welcome to come along, if you’d like.”

“Sounds like a
girl’s
day out.  I’ll stay here so you and
Steph
can have some time together.”

“Aw, you’re just chicken.  Can’t handle four women, tough guy?”

“I don’t believe anyone has ever called me chicken,” Rafe said, bemused.  “And no, I don’t think I could handle the four of you together.”

Chuckling
, Lisa stood and bent over to kiss him goodnight.  She had surprised him by taking the initiative.  It was over before he realized
that
she’d turned to go back inside.

Exhaling
, he got up and followed her back in.

After an early breakfast, the girls packed up the car for their trip.  The drive was a little under an hour, but traveling with small children was always a challenge.  Almost like going on an overnight trip, Lisa thought.  Besides a change of clothes in case of accidents, finger food and juice drinks were all important.  Not to forget favorite stuffed animals
and the diaper bag. 

Seeing Anna at the kitchen table, they had invited her to go with them.  She declined, saying she had
work and errands to do.  Rafe assured her any work in the house could wait, but she
insisted she had things to do. 
Lisa thought she was probably still overwhelmed from yesterday
’s revelations.

With Sarah and Amy strapped in their seats, they waved to Rafe as they took off.  Colin had already gone in to work.
 

“I was out on
the patio last night when Rafe
and some of the guys came back from a run.  I’m pretty sure it was
Ian, Devlin and Dunstan with him.  It’s weird how I recognized Rafe right away in his wolf form.”

“That’s interesting.  I couldn’t tell Colin from the rest of them
at first.  Once we were mated, it was no
problem,
of course.  Seems to me your witchy half knows more than your human side.”

“Do you think it’s the witch part?  Because I’m pretty sure I could tell them all apart.  I knew just looking at them.”

“Maybe you’re more intuitive than you knew.
  Hey, next time see if you can speak to them telepathically.  You know mates can, but
it’d
be cool if you could do it with anyone.
”

“Maybe. 
I’ll try it with you when you’re not driving.  Then try again when you shift.  By the way,
Rafe asked me to help Cha
s
e’s seer to see if she could learn anything new.  I said I would of course, but I’m not sure what I can do,” Lisa said worriedly.

“Doesn’t matter.  If you help with a vision and she gets something, then great.  If nothing happens,
at least
you tried.  Think of it like more testing.  We know you’re still learning what you can do.  No one expects you to be omnipotent.”

“That would be awesome.  Just think, I’d never have to shave my legs again,” Lisa joked.

After parking at the zoo, Stephanie worked on getting the girls out of their car seats.  Lisa had gotten the
double
stroller out and was setting it up.  Once everything was organized, they were off. 

Slowly pushing the stroller, they stopped often to hold the girls up so they could see the animals better.  They spent more time at the elephant exhibit since everyone loved watching the huge beasts. 
Sarah walked most of the time, shunning the
stroller.  Of course, Amy wanted to walk too
,
once she saw Sarah walking.  It was slow going, but they weren’t in any hurry. 
Thankfully, it wasn’t too
crowded
since it was a Monday. 

Once they saw the wild wolves, the girls went
running
up to their enclosure
.  Which wasn’t very fast for Amy.  Lisa followed behind Sarah with the stroller,
while Stephanie made sure her toddler didn’t hurt herself rushing. 

“They look just like
Gamma
and
Grampa
,” said Sarah.

Stephanie was laughing as she picked Amy up.  “Yes, they do.  Never
a
good
thing
to see a relative in the zoo,” she joked. 

“Has that happened before?” Lisa asked.

Setting Amy down so she could move closer to
Sarah, Stephanie spoke quietly to Lisa.

“Colin’s dad was picked up one tim
e.  It was before he met me.  They
all joke about it, but his dad didn’t find it
very
funny.  They were hoping to breed him with a female they had at the time.  His mom still teases him about replacing her with that ‘zoo bitch’,” she said chuckling.

“I remember meeting Colin’s parents when you got married.  He seemed like a pretty easy going guy.”

“Oh, he is
, but
it was a matter of pride.  Once you get to know these wolves, you’ll find pretty much all of the males have an alpha complex.  He thought it made him
look weak.  Doesn’t go with the ‘tough guy’ image,” Stephanie smiled. 

“Yeah, I don’
t t
hink any of the ones I’ve met are
a
momma’s
boy
,” Lisa said laughing.

It was getting close to lunchtime, so they found a grassy area to place their blanket.  They had made sandwiches to take with them befor
e they left.  After eating, both girls went back into the stroll
er to see the rest of the park. 

W
atching the chimpanzees for a while, they
then
moved on to the amphibian building.  The girls were starting to get whiny, so Stephanie decided to call it a day.  Once back in the car, it wasn’t long before both Amy and Sarah were asleep.