Into the Unknown (Werewolf Wars, #2) (2 page)

He had just started to dial the number when he heard a knock on his office door. The knob jiggled and turned as Devon entered. “I was just getting ready to call you,” Gene said, sitting back in his chair.

“I came over with Lark. She’s upstairs with Natalia,” Devon said as he sank into the leather chair opposite Gene. “The two of them have really hit it off.”

“Fernando Juarez just called,” Gene said, cutting straight to the chase.

Devon’s hazel eyes flashed gold for a moment before returning to normal. “What did he want?”

“He offered Natalia the opportunity to come home, and wants to come here to meet with me.”

“Didn’t we do this with him already?” Devon asked, referring to a similar conversation they’d had a month ago.

“I think he’s serious this time, Dev,” Gene said. “We knew he wasn’t going to just let things go. For whatever reason, he’s decided that he wants to pursue us again.”

“Then we should send Preston and Vincent out to speak with other packs sooner rather than later,” Devon surmised.

Gene nodded in agreement. “If we’re going to stand any chance, we need more manpower. Juarez mentioned that he was heading to Louisiana.”

“You think he’s doing the same thing?”

“I certainly wouldn’t put it past him,” Gene said, running a hand over the stubble that adorned his jaw. “I think he wants as many wolves under his control as he can possibly get. We need to plead our case to the packs we think will be most sympathetic to our case. The way I figure it, there are three kinds of packs. There are those that believe in his barbaric, old school ways of owning women and forcing them to mate. There are those that will bow down out of fear. And there are those like us, who aren’t afraid to stand up for what is right.”

“We have three fertile women here, four if you include Em. They will be an allure to the men. We want to make sure that we attract the right kind of wolves here,” Devon said quietly.

“Agreed,” Gene acknowledged. “The last thing we need is for men coming, thinking they are going to find a mate here, or force one of their hands. Maddie and Amelia, I’m not worried about so much; your mother watches after them like a hawk. Emily and Marcus are mated, which should be a strong deterrent. It’s Natalia...” Gene trailed off. He swallowed. The need to protect her overwhelmed him. He wanted to shelter her—keep her safe—soothe away her fears.

“I think she can fend for herself,” Devon chuckled. “Lark mentioned the two of you had a run-in last night.”

Gene’s hand instinctively drifted to the corner of his jaw. There had been a well-defined bruise last night. Thanks to his accelerated healing, the blemish was barely noticeable today. “She can. If she is ever going to feel at home here, we need to use caution. She reacted out of fear when I approached her last night. I imagine she keeps herself locked up in that room because she is afraid of us.” He paused, replaying Juarez’s words in his head. “Did you know she is Juarez’s granddaughter?”

“No.” Devon frowned as he leaned forward. “That’s an interesting development, unless you think he is lying?”

“I don’t see why he would lie about that,” Gene said, running a hand through his hair. “I need to know what Natalia knows. If anything she could be a good ally.”

“We both know you’re more of a people person than I am,” Devon smirked.

Gene laughed, knowing the truth behind the statement. “Perhaps I’ll go up now.”

***

“Y
ou and Adrian should come down for dinner tonight. Sunday dinners are always the best,” Lark said as she tickled Adrian’s belly.

Natalia smiled at the sound of her son’s cooing. “I don’t think so.”

“If you’re worried about Gene-”

“It’s not that,” Natalia said cutting Lark off. “I do not trust Daniel or Claire.”
Or anyone!
She thought to herself. If she could run away, she would. She’d come to the awful realization that there was nowhere for her to go. This pack seemed nicer, but she was still a prisoner.

“Sarah, Emily, and I are going shopping next weekend. Fall is almost here, and Sarah wants to get some new clothes before she goes to college. You and Adrian could come with us,” Lark said, glancing up to meet Natalia’s gaze.

“I don’t know,” Natalia hesitated. She would like to get out and resume a normal life. “You’re going by yourselves?”

“Devon and Marcus will probably be there-maybe Preston-but I doubt they’ll be hovering. After the kidnappings, Devon and Gene aren’t taking any chances with anyone. They’ll probably stay far away from us while we shop, but with everything that is going on, it isn’t safe for us to just go out,” Lark rambled, chewing on her bottom lip.

“I will think about it,” Natalia said with a sigh. She hadn’t been shopping in close to a year now. It would be nice to get out. To have clothes of her own to wear again.

“Nobody here is going to hurt you, Talia,” Lark reminded her. “If you want to talk about what happened...”

“I don’t,” Natalia snapped. Shivers zipped down her spine as her mother’s dead, haunted eyes flashed in her mind.

Lark opened her mouth to respond, but quickly closed it when someone knocked loudly on the door. Natalia gripped the green bed sheets in her hand as Lark set Adrian down in the bassinet.

“Who is it?” Lark asked, making her way to the door and resting her hand on the knob.

“It’s Gene. I need to speak with Natalia,” the alpha’s voice called from the other side.

Natalia tensed as the door creaked open, gritting her teeth as the alpha glanced at her.

“Hey Lark,” Gene greeted with a warm smile before turning his intent brown eyes on Natalia. “Do you mind helping Claire out in the kitchen? I need to have a few words with Natalia.”

“Oh, um, sure,” Lark said, glancing between the two of them.

“Thanks,” Gene said, opening the door wider so Lark could exit.

Natalia swallowed as Lark gave her one last look before exiting the room. Fear gripped her as the cream-colored walls seemed to close in on her. She could only imagine what he was going to force her to do. She’d been waiting for him to make demands. It appeared today was the day.

“C
an I come in?” Gene asked, flicking his gaze to Natalia.

She inhaled sharply as she stood, her coffee hair falling over her shoulder and into her chestnut eyes. “I suppose you’ll do as you please, regardless of my answer,” she replied, crossing her arms over her chest.

Gene hesitated. The alpha in him wanted to sustain its dominance by entering anyway. The caring man in him, however, did not feel comfortable invading her personal space. Despite her best efforts to appear strong, the scent of fear wafted off of her, mixing with her intoxicating floral and sea salt scent. His inner beast finally won out as he stepped into the room, leaving the door ajar so she didn’t feel completely trapped. He needed answers.

“I spoke with your grandfather a little bit ago,” he started studying her.

Natalia narrowed her eyes, her body tensing. Her knuckles turned white from clenching her fists so hard. Gene was sure that her nails were leaving imprints from the grip she had on herself. “He is no family of mine; none of them are,” she hissed.

He took a step toward her, and she took two more back until she was flush against the beige bassinet holding her son. “You must understand that we are in the midst of war, Natalia. I need to know more about Juarez, and I need to be sure you’re not a spy.”

Anger flashed across her face. “I would never help that man—ever! I want no part of your war or your pack. The only thing I want is to leave.”

Gene contemplated his response as he watched her. Her eyes continuously flickered between him, the door, and her son.

“Then perhaps we can come to an agreement. I certainly have no wish to keep you here against your will. Tell me what you know about Juarez, and I’ll help you find another pack where you will feel more at home,” Gene offered. He knew it might be a mistake to let a fertile female leave the ranch. Female werewolves were rare, especially alpha females. But he wouldn’t force someone to stay here. If he did, he would be no better than Juarez or Emmett McKinley.

Natalia shook her head. “I do not want to be a part of a pack.”

“Surely you don’t mean to go out on your own?” Gene asked, surprised. She had to know how dangerous it would be for her—not to mention the emotional hardship she would suffer from being a lone wolf.

“I can take care of myself,” Natalia said, her head snapping up to meet his eyes. She balled her fists at her side as she took a step forward, challenging him.

“I can’t let you do that, I’m sorry. Think about your son,” he said, gesticulating toward the dark-haired, blue-eyed baby, who was contently sucking his fingers in the bassinet.

Natalia took a defiant step in Gene’s direction, clenching her fists tightly in a defensive motion.

“You are all the same. Monsters, brutes! I may be one of you by blood, but I do not want to be part of this pack! Believe me when I say I will not be here forever. Try as you might, you will not keep me here,” she barked. Her brown eyes flashed yellow with anger. The hairs on the back of his neck prickled at her challenge. Arousal rolled through him, his alpha wolf recognizing the strong and determined alpha female before him.

As if sensing the change in his thoughts, she shrank away from him, her eyes widening with fear. Her sure composure only wavered for a moment, however, before she regained her stance.

“Please, leave,” Natalia demanded.

“I know that you feel like you are a prisoner here, but you’re not,” Gene said, trying to change his tactics. “I want to help you and your son. I want to keep everyone at this ranch safe. You dislike Juarez—we all do. If you have information that we can use to stop him from hurting you, Adrian, Lark, Sarah, or Emily again, then I need to know it. We can help each other.”

Natalia licked her lips as she looked over at Adrian. Her gaze softened, and he could see the longing in her brown eyes. Gritting her teeth, she turned her attention back to Gene. Her fists tightened, and her feet spread apart in a defensive stance.

“You are no different than Juarez,” she whispered.

Gene ground his teeth, anger ripping through him as he balled his own fists. “I am nothing like that monster, I assure you. My only wish is to protect the people I love and my pack. He has waged a war against us because I refuse to bow to his demands. He wants me to return you to him.”

Natalia shuddered, her breath quickening as she grasped the edges of the bassinet.

“I told him it was your choice,” Gene said softly. “That if you did not wish to return to his homestead, then I would not force you.”

Natalia opened and closed her mouth, tears shining in her brown eyes as she seemed to contemplate his words.

“If I help you, I want you to promise me that you’ll let me go home when Juarez is no longer a threat.”

“Where is home?” Gene asked. He couldn’t imagine she wanted to return to New Mexico, even if the leaders of the Gulf packs were gone.

“Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. When this is over, you will let me go home,” Natalia said her voice demanding.

Respect for the other alpha warmed him, and, again he fought to suppress his arousal. Despite her resolve, Gene could still sense her apprehension of him. Whatever happened to her in the past caused her to become fearful of her own kind.

Gene pursed his lips, trying to recall all the packs he was aware of. Admittedly, he did not know much about the Mexican packs. Were there even any packs in Mexico? The more he spoke to her, the more questions he had. But now was not the time to push her.

“When it is safe, I will see to it that you are returned home.”

“I have your word?” Natalia asked, her eyes glistening and voice thick with emotion.

“I promise,” Gene said, offering her his hand.

Natalia stared at his hand for a long moment, as if waiting for him to grab her. Finally, she slid her slender hand into his. Her warmth invaded him, igniting a fire that engulfed his body. Again, he found himself drawn to her, overwhelmed with the need to protect and soothe her. Suddenly, he wasn’t so sure he wanted her to leave. While Gene Harris was a man of his word, that didn’t mean he wouldn’t try to give this fiery she-wolf a reason to stay.

Clearing his throat, Gene pulled his hand back. “Claire and Emily made chicken and dumplings. You should come down and join us,” he paused, glancing at Adrian, “both of you.”

“I’ll think about it,” Natalia mumbled, turning away from him and scooping Adrian up into her arms. Cradling the baby to her, she walked to the window.

Gene observed her for a long moment, unsure of what else to say. At a loss for words, he left, shutting the door behind him. While the conversation had told him what he needed to know about Natalia’s loyalties, he was left with even more unanswered questions. Between Juarez and Emmett McKinley, there was no telling what terrible things she’d had to endure.

***

N
atalia finished burping Adrian, and laid him down to change him. The smell of chicken filtering into the bedroom made her taste buds salivate. She glanced at the large alarm clock on the headboard. It was just after 5:30, and she was starved. Her stomach grumbled loudly, as if to remind her. Gene specifically told her that she was free to roam as she pleased, yet she still felt like a prisoner. No doubt, she would be followed or gawked at if she were to actually leave the room.

Even if these people were nice, she did not trust them. Perhaps Juarez and McKinley had given her a jaded perspective of pack life, but she could not bring herself to join Gene. Not tonight. She needed to think of a way to escape—to leave this place. Protecting Adrian was her first priority. Her son was all that mattered, and she would do anything to protect him.

Someone tapped lightly on the door. She turned as it was carefully opened, placing a hand on Adrian.

“Hey,” Lark said as she came in, carrying a plate of steaming food. “I brought you something to eat.”

“Thank you,” Natalia said, relaxing as she reached into the package of diapers, pulling one out for Adrian.