Fated for the Alphas: The Complete Collection (Nine Book Paranormal Romance Box Set) (14 page)

“Would you like to go back?” he asked.

“It doesn’t matter.” Picking one of spring’s first crocuses from the ground, she plucked at its petals. “They don’t want me anymore.”

He knew he should say something, reassure her. He should tell her that he wanted her. That Ronan did too. And the pack needed her, though all of them didn’t know it yet. But that would be far too much, too soon.

“They’ll regret that choice,” Kane said. “The witches, I mean.”

“Really? You think so?” Lia looked down at the bare flower stem, but she was smiling.

“If they are wise.” Kane tried to keep his voice level. He was stunned. Something he said had made her happy. He had actually done something right for once.

“Let me show you something.” Walking up to the willow, he pulled back a curtain of leaves.

“Wow.” Lia stepped inside. “It’s beautiful in here.”

He puffed out his chest. It was beautiful, light filtering through the leaves in different shades of green, casting slats of shadows. At the center stood the knotted trunk, its girth confirming the willow’s great age.

Kane ran his fingers over the bark. “This is where I come when I don’t want Ronan to find me. Give the leaves a week or two to fill out, and they dampen smell and sound.” He paused. “You could come here, too, if you ever want to be alone.”

Her eyes were wide. “If this is your sanctuary, I wouldn’t want to bother you.”

“You wouldn’t bother me.”

She blushed. He wished she wouldn’t. It made his heart hitch in an odd way.

“We’d better get back to the den,” he said. “Ronan will be wondering about us.” Outside the willow’s ring, another crocus had sprouted. He bent, plucking it before he could change his mind.

“I’m sorry about yesterday,” he said as they began the long walk back. “After Ronan left. I didn’t mean what I said, it’s just… never mind. And sorry about the rabbit. I didn’t mean to upset you. Here.” He offered her the flower, almost immediately wishing that he hadn’t. What was he, twelve? It was a stupid thing to do, really.

Lia took the flower and put it in her hair. “Thanks for showing me around today, Kane.” She smiled at him. It was a soft, shy smile, and more beautiful than a meadow full of flowers.

A chain of nettles wrapped around his heart, and squeezed. He was smitten.

Chapter Four

Lia watched while Dove and Cricket turned a haunch on a spit. To pass the time, the two of them were trying to make her laugh with increasingly raunchy jokes. It was an hour before dusk, and soon shifters would be returning to the den for food.

“Oh,” Dove said, “tell her the one about the female with twelve mates.”

“I heard she had twelve orgasms in twelve minutes,” Cricket replied.

“You don’t need twelve mates to do that.”

“Yeah,” Cricket said, “but it helps.”

They both stifled laughter, and Lia couldn’t help but grin at their ridiculousness.

“Maybe she needs to meet the male with three cocks,” Lia said. “He could satisfy her.”

They both straightened, faces serious.

“You know, from the joke you told earlier?” Lia knew she wasn’t that funny, but she would have appreciated some pity laughter. “Guys? What is it?”

“Greetings, Alpha,” Cricket said. “Would you like a bite of meat?”

“No.” Ronan laid a hand on Lia’s shoulder. “But I would like an introduction to this male with three cocks. I have a few questions for him.”

Lia felt her face burning, hot enough that they may as well be roasting her on a spit. “I’m sorry, Ronan, I didn’t mean—”

“That’s all right. I know these two are a corrupting influence.” Looking at Dove and Cricket, he shook his head gravely. “For shame. You didn’t tell her the one about the shifter with the twelve-foot cock?”

“Oh, we did,” Dove said.

“Twice,” added Cricket.

“That’s a relief.” Ronan turned to Lia. “I know you’re attending to some terribly important business right now, but I was wondering if I could steal you away.”

“Oh.” Lia bit her lip. She didn’t want to abandon her friends.

“Bye, Lia.” Cricket gave her a little push.

Dove waved. “See you later.”

“Yeah,” Cricket said, winking. “We don’t need you anyway.”

“That’s settled, then.” Ronan led her out into the meadow. “Unless you’d rather stay, of course. If you’ve changed your mind, that’s okay.”

“Changed my mind about what?”

He gestured toward the edge of the woods, where three shifters waited. “About coming along on a hunting party.”

She recognized them as the pack’s hunters, two of the smallest men along with one of the largest. “I get to watch you hunt?”

He reached out to hold her hand. “I told you I’d make sure you did, didn’t I?”

She hurried to keep up with him. He seemed eager to get to the forest. “Is Kane going to join us? I haven’t seen him in almost a week.”

“He’ll be back any day,” Ronan said. “I know I’ve said it many times now, but one of these days it’s going to be true.”

“You still don’t think I did anything wrong?”

“Honestly, Lia, the worst thing you could have done is to have made him like you. Feelings confuse him.”

“You think he likes me?” Is that what made him disappear? She had even checked his willow the other day, but had found no sign of him.

“If he’s not a complete idiot,” Ronan said. “But that’s debatable.”

“Hey, Ronan,” one of the shifters called, “looks like you already had a successful hunt.”

“Yeah,” another chimed in, “are you going to share the spoils?”

“Not tonight, boys.” Ronan brought Lia into their circle. “Is it all right if Lia joins us? I’ll stay with her, so all you’ll have to worry about is hunting.”

The large male, Huck, looked her over. “You aren’t going to faint at the first sight of blood, are you?”

An image of the bucking rabbit flitted through her mind. “I’ll try not to. As long as it’s a quick, clean kill, I should be fine.”

“Do we have any other kind?” The shifter with wildly unkempt reddish hair stepped forward. “I’m Fox, by the way.”

“I know,” Lia said, “Lark’s told me all about you.”

“Oh, so you’ve heard that I’m the best hunter in the pack?”

Huck rolled his eyes. “Yes, you catch more because you’re so close to the ground.”

“He’s always this way, Lia,” Fox said. “It doesn’t bother me, though. When opponents underestimate me in battle, do I complain? No, because they’ve just given me an advantage.”

“Is that why you hid behind me the last time we tangled with Shade’s pack?” Huck asked.

“I was covering your back, and you know it. It’s broad enough that you need me and Dashy to protect you.”

“Fair enough,” Huck said.

“Ignore these two,” the third shifter said. “They’ll squabble all day if you let them. Like worried hens.”

“You’re Dash, aren’t you,” Lia said.

“That’s right.” He elbowed Fox. “She knows my name.”

“Hey. You knew mine, too, didn’t you, Lia?”

She stifled a laugh. “I did. And Huck’s, too.”

“There, see?” Fox ruffled Dash’s hair. “You’re not so special.”

Dash scowled, smoothing out his hair.

“Anyway,” Fox said, “any friend of Lark’s is a friend of ours. You’re welcome to hunt with us.”

“Well, watch,” Ronan said. “Though I’m sure Lia will hunt someday.”

“Who’s hunting?” Kane appeared from the woods, materializing like smoke.

“Hi, Kane,” Lia said happily.

He ignored her. “What’s going on?” he asked Ronan.

“Maybe you’d know if you hadn’t disappeared for a week.”

Kane growled low in his throat. “If this is a hunting party, I’m taking Lia back to the den.”

“No, you’re not.” Ronan stepped in front of Lia. “You’d get more say in the matter if you acted like an Alpha every day, not just the days of your choosing.”

“Don’t do this, Ronan.”

“And why not? I told Lia she could come.”

Kane bared his teeth. “She should stay here. This is wolves’ work.”

“I can come along, if you’d like.”

The shifters all whipped around to stare at Flint, who had snuck up on them.

“You’re not needed here,” Ronan said stiffly.

“I can protect Lia,” Flint said. “I’ll be her personal guard.”

“You can protect the den,” Ronan snapped, “as is your duty.” He turned to Kane. “Lia’s coming with us, as I told her she could. I’m not going back on my word.”

“Then I’m coming too.”

“Fine,” Ronan said. “As long as we leave now. The game won’t wait all night.”

The party shifted, Lia swinging onto Ronan’s back. They left Flint in the meadow, crickets chirping around him.

They set off into the woods, swift and silent. The other wolves fanned out behind Ronan, who led the way south. Fox had to be the smallest, with reddish-brown fur that turned to white on his belly. Beside him was Dash, with sleek dark brown fur. Huck ran on Ronan’s other side, his slate-blue fur almost glowing in the moonlight. Kane ran behind him, though Lia wasn’t sure whether he was acting as a rear guard or sulking.

The moon rose steadily as they wove through the trees. Lia wished she could help them, actually be useful in some way. The pack provided her with amazing meals every night, and she had yet to return the favor. But unless they wanted to eat frogs, she’d leave the hunting to the wolves. They seemed to have things under control.

Ronan stopped abruptly, throwing Lia forward. She slid with a yelp. Before she could fall, Ronan shifted, catching her by the legs and setting her down.

Behind him, the rest of the hunters had shifted.

“What is it?” Huck asked.

Ronan crouched low. “Wolf tracks,” he said. “Three days old.”

“Shade,” Kane snarled.

“They covered their scent with mint,” Ronan said. “Shade’s pack always uses ash.”

“That only means they’re getting smarter.”

Ronan stood with a sigh. “We don’t have any proof that it’s them. We can’t go marching into their territory and break the treaty on a suspicion.”

“You and your treaty.” Kane slashed through one of the tracks. “It’s obviously them. If it were just a shifter passing through, they wouldn’t have bothered to hide their scent. Every time we find these mystery tracks, they’re in the south. It’s no coincidence. Shade’s just taking a survey, trying to determine how much more territory he wants.”

Ronan stared into the woods, as if he could see Shade on the horizon if he looked hard enough. “We’ll step up our patrols. But there’s no need to accuse Shade, not yet. I have his word that he and his pack will honor the treaty.”

Kane snorted.

“I’ll talk to Shade after the full moon,” Ronan said. “We’ll see what he has to say about our invaders. Who knows, maybe he’s experiencing the same thing. Maybe he can help us. We’re supposed to be allies.”

“I’m sure he’ll help,” Kane muttered. “He’ll help himself to whatever he wants.”

Fox cleared his throat nervously. “Do you want me to run a message back to the den?”

“No,” Ronan said. “It won’t help. Whoever was here is long gone by now. Let’s continue the hunt.”

They shifted, and Lia jumped back onto Ronan. The mood had changed. Where the wolves had been looking intently ahead for prey, now they glanced off to the side every once in a while. Fox even turned around once, as if to make sure they weren’t being followed.

They might not be the only hunters in the woods tonight.

The wolves continued on, until the sun’s light had bled out of the sky and nothing remained but the waxing moon.

Ronan slowed. His ears pricked forward. He looked at Fox and Dash, who nodded. They broke off, heading into the forest in opposite directions. Prey must be close. Ronan signaled to Kane and Huck, who crept forward slowly.

Quietly, Ronan carried Lia up a hill. He stopped, sitting so she could slide off his back. The white wolf looked at her, then at the base of the slope. A pond lay there, silver in the moonlight. Its surface rippled when a buck lowered his head to drink.

Ronan tapped the ground twice. His message was clear.
Stay here.

Lia nodded, and watched as he picked his way down the hill.

The wind shifted, and the buck lifted his head. Lia lay down. She didn’t want it to catch her scent and ruin the hunt. When she looked up again, Ronan had vanished.

She watched, fascinated. A slight movement gave away Fox’s position behind the buck, and she saw Dash approaching from the other side. They could rush at its flanks, flush it toward the larger wolves. The buck wouldn’t see it coming.

It was amazing how they slid into position, without being seen or smelled. It was truly an art, hunting, though Lia suspected she was about to witness a fierce battle. The buck’s antlers were covered in velvet, but she wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of them. Still, she couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for the creature. One deer against five wolves? What chance did it have?

Something rustled in the grass behind her. One of the wolves must be changing positions. Lia wished they would be quieter about it. Even she knew a single second of carelessness could spoil a hunt.

The buck tensed. His every sinew seemed to be outlined in moonlight. He looked like he would bolt at any moment.

The rustling came again, louder this time. Lia thought about turning and throttling whichever shifter had dared to be so sloppy.

The buck backed away from the water, but it was too late. Fox and Dash were at its flanks, and Huck and Kane were closing in. Ronan lay crouched, biding his time. Somehow, Lia knew he would be the one to go in for the kill.

Something let out a hot breath behind her, and the hair on the back of her neck stood up. No one she knew was behind her. The wolves were all in position.

She turned, and found herself staring into the beady eyes of an enormous boar.

Lia stayed stock still. Maybe, if she didn’t move, it would pass her by. Maybe it would see she wasn’t a threat.

Its snout wrinkled as it sniffed the air. With a sinking feeling, Lia realized that she must smell like wolf.

Below, one of the wolves barked out a command. She could hear the buck crash through the forest.

The boar huffed once, and charged.