Authors: Jessica Ryan
“You looked like you were in pain earlier,” she said.
“He did not harm me. He got some blows in, but they did not affect me.”
“Not that kind of pain,” she said, looking up at him with her beautiful doe like eyes. “Emotional pain.”
“I am an alpha male,” he said. “I do not feel emotional pain.”
He knew it was a lie, but he did not need to let her know that. Unfortunately, she was able to see right through him.
“Something about him bothered you,” she insisted. “You’re in a safe place. You can tell me.”
“I cannot,” he said, looking down. His pride just would not let him answer this question.
“You want to know what I think it is?” she asked.
“If you must,” he said, still looking at the ground.
“Look at me,” she said, getting up from the bed and walking to him. She lifted his chin with her hand, making him look her in the eyes.
“Very well,” he said, sighing deeply. She had him right where she wanted him and there was nowhere for him to go.
“You’re scared,” she said, letting it sink in.
“I fear no man or beast,” he said, puffing his chest out.
“I know you don’t,” she said, smiling at him. “You’re afraid of becoming Dario. You lost your pack and now you’re a lone wolf. You’re afraid of becoming an old, broken down wolf living half feral.”
Travis considered her words for what seemed like an eternity. After several minutes he looked up at her: she was still staring at him expectantly. There was no way he could lie to her, she had a grip on who he was.
“You are right,” he said. “I did see myself in Dario and it frightened me.”
“That’s not going to happen,” she said, pulling him in close for a hug. “You have me now.”
“We just met,” he said. “What if things get too heavy for you?”
“They won’t,” she said, rubbing her hands on his back. “I’m your alpha mate.”
Travis smiled, happy that she had taken on this role so quickly. He thought he was going to have to force himself on her and take her as his, but she was willingly falling right into a matriarch role.
“I do have one question though,” she asked.
“What’s that?”
“I always thought Dario was a young guy,” she said. “But from your conversation it sounds like he left the pack before you even arrived.”
“He is an old wolf,” Travis said, still holding her against his chest.
“Why is he so young looking then?” she asked. He could feel her body temperature rising against him, what she was thinking was upsetting her.
“Wolves do not age like humans do,” he said. “Once we reach a certain age the aging process slows.”
“So how old are you?” she asked.
“28,” he said.
“You look young,” she said. “How old is Dario?”
“I would guess he is in his early forties,” he said.
“Are you still going to look young when I’m old and broken?” she asked.
Travis laughed; he couldn’t believe humans worried about these things. “I will actually begin to look older now that I am an alpha. We can’t explain why it happens; it’s just part of what makes us a wolf. I will begin to look a bit more seasoned and my wolf will begin to turn silver.”
“Like a silverback gorilla,” she said, laughing.
“I suppose if you want to look at it that way,” he said. “Although alpha weregorillas are all silver.”
She pulled back, looking at him like he had just told her something absurd. “Weregorillas?”
Travis began to laugh at her reaction, he had hoped to hold the joke out longer, but the look on her face was priceless.
“You suck!” she said, slapping at him.
“I don’t mind if I do,” he said, picking her up and wrapping her legs around his waist.
“You’re so strong,” she said, marveling at the ease he was manhandling her.
Travis didn’t respond, instead he threw Paige back onto the bed before jumping down to join her.
Chapter 10
The next morning came too quickly for Paige. One moment she was falling asleep in Travis’ beautiful arms and the next her alarm was exploding with noise, signaling that it was time to start getting ready for work.
Travis sat straight up, his head spinning back and forth. “What the hell is that? Are we under attack?”
Paige looked at him laughing as he fought at the sheets. Eventually he gave up and began to howl. She never thought she’d see a grown man howl, but it was happening right in front of her.
“Calm down Lassie,” she said, slapping at him. “It’s just my alarm letting me know I have to get up.”
“That is terrible,” he said, looking at the side of her bed as he located the source of his disturbance. “Why would anybody want that?”
“Because it wakes me up and lets me know when I have to be at work,” she said, getting up and stretching. She could feel Travis’ eyes watching her backside, admiring the curve of her ass as she moved. She’d never felt more sexy than the last two days.
“Why can’t you just wake up when you’re done sleeping?” he asked.
“I have to be at work,” she said, grabbing her bathrobe. “I’m going to be late if I don’t hurry and shower. Be good or I’ll chain you up out back.”
The look on Travis’ face was priceless; he cocked his head and stared at her looking a bit befuddled. “Is that a domesticated dog joke?”
“Nothing gets by you,” she said, walking out of the room.
“You’re sassy today!” he yelled. “A spanking may be in order.”
“Promise?” she yelled back as she turned the shower on.
Steam immediately began to fill the bathroom up, bathing her in warmth. Her trailer wasn’t exactly a palace but the water in it worked perfectly. She savored the hot water washing over her, taking away the smell of her previous night’s activities. She knew there would be more activities just like the night before on the horizon and the thought began to excite her.
Normally she would let her fingers explore her body, flitting across her clit as she dreamed of sex, but today she was in a hurry. Billy was nice yesterday, but he could turn into an asshole again today if she was late.
After finishing in the shower she quickly dressed while Travis sadly watched her. “What will I do today?”
“You can come down to the store and keep me company,” she said. “Or you can sniff around in the woods and see if you find anything.”
“I shall sniff around,” he declared, standing up still completely naked. It took all of Paige’s willpower not to tackle him back onto the bed; he was just too damn hot for his own good. She turned away, trying to find her Oklahoma City Redhawks ballcap so she didn’t have to fix her hair.
A loud growl startled her and she spun around to find a large black wolf with silver streaks in its hair standing in her bedroom.
“What the hell?” she asked. Why had he
shifted
just like that? Apparently he intended to use the best nose he could while exploring.
He ignored her exclamation and found his way to the backdoor, scratching and snorting. She walked over, opening the door.
“I’m going to leave this door open so you can get back in and get dressed when you’re done,” she said.
Travis’ wolf eyes locked with hers, showing his acknowledgement. In a flash he was off, tearing through the woods behind her house.
“Did I just send my boyfriend off for revenge or did I let my dog out to play?” she asked herself aloud. This relationship was definitely going to take some getting used to; it was like nothing she had ever experienced. Then again, not too many women had experienced what she had. This was a whole new world, one kept very secret from most people.
I wonder how many humans know about the paranormal,
she thought as she brushed her teeth and put on some makeup.
Probably not a whole lot, but I wonder why the ones that do keep it a secret?
She definitely wasn’t going to tell anyone about the things she had learned, but surely somewhere there was an unscrupulous person looking to cash in on his story. Maybe fear of what they learned kept most people quiet. A wolf pack or vampire bearing down on you probably isn’t a fun experience. It wouldn’t be a good way to spend your last few days, in fear of something you don’t understand.
Travis is afraid of something he doesn’t understand right now,
she realized.
He’s never had to face this situation before and he’s facing it alone.
She knew he could have Dario’s help, but he was too damn stubborn to accept the usurper back into the fold. She could help him as far as information and driving goes, but when it came to fighting the wererats she was going to be useless.
The morning rush kept her busy until close to noon. Residents on their way to work in Lawton usually dropped by to get coffee, a newspaper or a breakfast burrito for the drive. Paige never understood how they could stand living so far from work. She’d claw her eyes out if she had to drive that far every day.
After the morning rush things came to a screeching halt and she found herself leaned over the front counter trying to stay awake.
Old Benjamin Watkins was there as usual, mean mugging any young person that walked in and drinking his coffee while reading the newspaper. It was his Monday ritual; he was waiting in the parking lot before she could even get the store open. He would walk in, grumbling that she didn’t have the coffee ready and then tap his fingers loudly waiting for his cup. He never said thank you and then he’d slowly read the newspaper the rest of the morning, glaring at anyone who dared to be under the age of sixty. Finally around noon he’d leave without so much as a nod on his way out the door.
“I don’t know why we let him hang around,” she said to herself as he walked through the front door. “It’s going to be a long day.”
The rest of the day dragged just as badly, until it was time for kids to get out of school. Usually things picked up with the stay-at-home moms dropping in for a caffeine buzz before getting their children, or they came in after school to load their kids up on candy. Either way the hour when she’d actually have something to do was drawing near.
Just before school let out Travis came sauntering through the door, fully dressed and stone faced.
“No luck?” she asked, already knowing the answer.
“Nothing,” he said. “It’s like there are no wererats. I didn’t imagine it all did I?”
“I think I’ve seen a movie like this,” she said. “Maybe you’re schizophrenic and you actually killed your whole pack.”
Travis glared at her, not enjoying the joke.
“Sorry,” she squeaked out.
“Do you have anything to eat?” he asked.
“I have some burritos,” she said, pointing to the case at the front of the store.
“I’ll have five,” he said, making himself comfortable at one of the tables.
“Right away sir!” she said, mock saluting him. In truth she enjoyed waiting on her man; it made her feel like she was actually in a real relationship for once. Randy did everything himself; he always told Paige she didn’t do it right when she tried to help him. It didn’t matter what it was, even a blowjob, she was told she was terrible at it. She smiled thinking again of Travis breaking his bones. Luckily she hadn’t heard anything else, maybe he had returned to Lawton without pressing charges.
She walked over and dropped the burritos in front of Travis. When she turned to head back to the counter he slapped her ass and laughed. She spun around, giving him her best angry look.
“Not at work,” she said, trying not to laugh.
His expression changed to one of anger as he stared at her. It took Paige a moment to realize he wasn’t staring at her; he was staring right past her. She turned to see Dario standing inside the store, a determined look on his face.
“I need to talk to you, alpha,” he said.
“I am not your alpha,” Travis said, sitting back and crossing his arms. “You have no pack.”
“Please talk to me,” he pleaded, not budging from his spot.
Paige spun around, whispering intensely to Travis. “I’m not going to have you getting killed going at it alone. This is a new pack, you can redeem this wolf. He can be an ally against the wererats.”
Travis looked at her, turning her words over in his head before softening his expression. “Very well, let’s talk.”
Paige smiled and went back to the counter as the two wolves began to hash out their differences. She strained from the counter, trying to eavesdrop, but they were speaking in hushed tones. Several times she saw Travis slam his fist on the table and several times she saw Dario lower his head in submission and nod in agreement.
She eventually lost track of their conversation as the after school crowd began pouring in. Pampered mom after pampered mom came through buying chips and a soda. Right after they were finished Billy showed up with the girls.
“Hi Aunt Paige,” Lyric said, looking over the counter and smiling. “I missed you yesterday.”
“I missed you more,” Paige said. “It was quite the adventure.”
“That’s what I heard!” she said, laughing.
She was two years younger than her sister, but she had filled her body out more. Many people mistook Lyric for the older child, a fact that drove Lily insane.
“Did you have fun playing with your friends?” she asked.
“I guess,” she said. “It smells funny over there. They’re a big family and it’s kind of weird, but the house is so big!”
“I know, I’ve picked you up from there before,” Paige said. The Lockharts lived outside of town, farther out than Dario in an old plantation-style mansion. It was strange though, there were no plantations in Oklahoma- they must have just enjoyed the style.
“Yeah daddy let me stay the night there last night,” she said. “I woke up and went to school with Janie, but none of her clothes fit. I had to wear what I wore yesterday.”
“That’s not good,” Paige said.
“Dad’s not really happy about it,” Lyric said.
“I just don’t like those people,” Billy said, walking up to the counter with a case of coke in hand. “We have to get going girls. How are things up here?”
“It’s a carbon copy of every Monday,” she answered.
“Figured as much,” he said. “I’ll see you later little sister.”