Wolf on a Mission: Salvation Pack, Book 6 (12 page)

Jacque slowly stripped off his clothes. One second he was tossing aside his jeans, the next he was in mid-air, completely shifted and heading straight at Elias. Elias held his ground, not moving when the alpha landed right in front of him. It was an impressive show of power. The kicker was that Elias didn’t think the guy was intentionally showing off. It was instinct to shift fast and put himself in a position of power.

Elias now knew why such impressive males followed Jacque. Not only was he smart and progressive in his thinking, he was also strong and fast. Elias would wager he was one hell of a fighter.

Jacque jerked his head to one side and the five of them headed toward the woods. Elias glanced over his shoulder one final time. He hated leaving Sage and Reece, but trust had to start somewhere.

And he wouldn’t leave his nephews if he thought they were in any real danger.

His protective instincts appeased, he gave his wolf free rein. The beast gave a full body shake and began to run. It was an incredible feeling to be a part of a pack, racing through the woods at full speed. He didn’t have to hold back with the men around him. They ran fast and hard. He hadn’t had a run like this since he’d left his pack with Everett all those years ago.

Elias gave himself over to the pleasure and simply enjoyed being what he was—a werewolf.

Chapter Thirteen

“Don’t worry,” Gwen told him. “Your uncle will be fine.”

Reece wasn’t so sure, but he wasn’t about to contradict the woman. She was the alpha female of the pack, and if he wanted to stay, he had to show her some respect. Beyond that, his mother had drilled good manners into him for as far back as he could remember. “Yes, ma’am.”

Gwen sighed. “I know you don’t believe me, but you’re safe here. And call me Gwen. Ma’am makes me feel old.”

Reece grinned in spite of himself. He wished he were out running with his uncle and the others, but he wasn’t about to leave Sage all alone with a bunch of strangers, most of whom could shift into a wolf.

He knew Sage didn’t like the idea that Reece was here to protect him, but tough. His brother was a part of him, the best part. No way would he let anything happen to him. Reece also knew his brother felt exactly the same way and would protect him with his life.

“The room only has one bed, but it’s a king-sized one. And as I said, if you’re more comfortable, you can bunk on the sofas in the living room. It’s up to you.”

“Thank you,” Sage answered while Reece scoped out the room. There was a large window, which meant they weren’t trapped in case of an emergency.

“You’re welcome.” Gwen motioned them back toward the door. One of the male pack members stood there, silently waiting. The guy had some horrible scars on the left side of his face. Armand, yeah, that was his name. Reece was having a hard time keeping everyone straight. Sage was better at that kind of thing than he was.

“I’ll take them out to get their things.” It felt more like a challenge than an offer, but Gwen nodded.

“Thanks, Armand.”

Reece shot his brother a look, but Sage was lost in thought. He knew his brother was cataloguing everything he saw and heard for future use. Sage had always noticed things, but the trait had become more pronounced in the past couple of years. Reece knew his brother did it to compensate for his inability to shift.

The pack members that hadn’t gone running with his uncle were still all in the living room. Reece checked out Anny, curious about the woman who was Sue’s friend. From what Sue had said, and everything he’d overheard, Sue had no idea Anny was living anywhere close.

Reece understood the need for secrecy, but it sucked that Anny couldn’t be with her best friend. He’d hated leaving his friends behind when they’d left Michigan. At least he hadn’t had to leave his best friend behind. Sage was with him.

“Why don’t I go with you?” Anny popped out of her seat and went to her mate. She touched his arm before leading the way.

Reece was glad to be out of the house. It was a nice place, but there’d been too many people and the tension was thick enough to cut with a knife. He wasn’t so sure about this plan Uncle Elias had. Reece would have been happy with just the three of them.

But he couldn’t deny the fascination he had with the other men. Other than his father and uncle, he’d never seen another werewolf before. His wolf chuffed inside him, wanting to shift and run.

He reined in the creature, reminding him that they couldn’t leave Sage alone.

He breathed in the warm air, enjoying the smell of the pine trees. It was tangy and sharp. Sweet too. He sniffed again. Flowers of some kind. Reece enjoyed being outside rather than being hemmed in. The ruggedness of the surrounding land called to something inside him, urging him to run. It would be glorious to shift and race through the woods, over and around rocks and streams.

He envied his uncle the freedom to do so. He was stuck here.

He regretted the thought as soon as he had it. Sure enough, Sage met his gaze, and Reece saw that pained understanding in his brother’s eyes. Shit. He hated when he hurt Sage, unintentionally or not. It wasn’t Sage’s fault he couldn’t shift.

His brother could run faster than a human and he’d enjoyed the few times he and Sage had taken off on their own—his brother in human form and he in his wolf. It had been exhilarating being together like that in the wild with the wind rushing over and around them as they ran.

Reece huffed out a breath. It would be a while before they could do something like that. Or maybe not. Maybe they could sneak out tonight for a run. Something to think about.

Anny kept glancing over her shoulder at him and Sage. Reece waited until they were at the SUV with the door open before addressing her. “Go ahead and ask whatever you want,” he told her.

Anny nibbled on her bottom lip. “How are Sue and Billy?”

“They seem fine. Lonely, but they’re doing okay.”

Anny winced but nodded. Reece admitted he wanted to hurt the other woman for walking away from her friend. He liked Sue and Billy. And they needed good people around them. They’d been through a lot.

“Billy is full of life and currently obsessed with dogs.” Sage grinned at Reece. “We can thank my brother for that one.”

Anny gave a small laugh but her eyes were still dark with hurt. Reece felt like an idiot and his stomach churned. “Sue misses you,” Reece offered. “She doesn’t know why you had to leave.”

Anny nodded. “I know. Doesn’t make it any easier.” Armand wrapped his arm around his mate and offered his silent support.

“You two got everything you need?” the big werewolf asked.

Reece grabbed his duffle. Sage had his bag and knapsack. “Yeah.”

“That’s not much.” Anny frowned.

“Most of our stuff is in storage. We didn’t want to bring it in case—” Reece shut his mouth before he said anything to insult these people who were opening their pack to them.

“In case we decided not to stay,” Sage smoothly added. “We knew we’d be camping out. Didn’t make sense to bring everything.”

“I suppose not.” Anny studied Sage and then Reece. “You realize if you stay, you’ll have to keep away from Sue and Billy, don’t you? I don’t want them hurt.”

She was warning them away from her friend. While Reece understood the need, he didn’t like it. A growl escaped him before he could stop himself.

Armand shoved his mate behind him and faced Reece. “You might want to tone that aggression down, son.”

Reece knew the man was right, but the anger that seemed to be a part of him lately, bubbled up inside him. “I’m not your son.”

The hard light in Armand’s eyes softened. He didn’t want the man’s pity or understanding. “No, you’re not. But you are a guest here.”

A guest. That about said it all. They didn’t have a home anywhere. Reece wanted to howl his fury to the world. Why did his parents have to die?

He felt a heavy weight press against his side. He didn’t need to look in order to know it was Sage. His brother’s presence always calmed him. He took a deep breath and then another.

As much as it pained him to admit it, Armand was right. “Sorry,” he muttered.

“I know you’re hurting.” Anny stepped out from behind her mate. “I’m sorry for everything you’ve been through. I can’t say I understand what it’s like to lose your parents, but I do understand what it’s like to lose your home and all that’s familiar.”

“We all know what it’s like to lose our homes,” Armand interjected. “But in our case, it was a conscious choice. You didn’t have a say in the matter and I’m sorry for your loss.”

Reece didn’t want to like these people, but he couldn’t help himself. He ached to belong somewhere. His parent’s death had left an empty spot inside him that not even his love for his twin could fill. Maybe it was the wolf’s need for a pack. He honestly didn’t know.

He hoisted his bag onto his shoulder. “We should take out stuff inside.”

“I was planning on making some pies this morning.”

Reece turned toward Anny at the mention of pies. “What kind?” His mother had loved to bake.

Anny laughed as she walked alongside her mate. “What kind do you like?”

“Apple.”

“Cherry,” Sage replied at the exact same time.

“Lemon.” Armand nuzzled his mate’s neck.

Her laughter grew. “Looks like I’ll be making quite a few pies. Interested in helping?” she asked them.

Reece knew what she was doing. She wanted to keep them occupied and get them involved with the pack. Darned if it wasn’t working. “Yeah, I’m in.”

His brother nodded as well. “I’d like that.”

“It’s settled then. We’ll drop off your things and then we’ll go to our place and make pies. It’s a smaller home, but I’ve got two commercial-grade ovens and a large workspace.”

But Armand was already shaking his head. “No,
ma petite
. We go to Gator and Sylvie’s. The kitchen is as good, but their home is bigger. You know the others are going to want to tag along. They won’t want to miss out on your pies,” he teased.

Reece knew that wasn’t the reason. The rest of them wanted to keep an eye on him and Sage. Good enough. If they were all watching him and his brother, that meant his uncle didn’t have to worry about them.

* * * * *

As much as Elias was enjoying himself, he was worried about Sage and Reece. They’d been out running for at least two hours. The pack land was impressive, to say the least. He could understand why they’d settled here. It was good land. Wild and free, yet close enough to a town for supplies. Far enough away from the town so they didn’t get many uninvited visitors.

Elias felt his respect for Jacque and his pack growing. This was the kind of place he and Everett had talked about buying someday. They’d been discussing selling the construction business and sinking the money into such a place when his brother had been killed.

Everett would have liked it here. Marcie would have loved being around the women. She’d often been lonely, though she’d never admitted such a thing. She’d showered her family with love and attention, but Elias had noticed the sadness surrounding her from time to time. So had his brother, which had prompted their discussions about moving.

Damn, he missed them both so much.

Jacque slowed and stopped at a group of flat rocks overlooking a small valley. Elias scented Gator quite strongly and knew this was a favorite place for the wolf.

The alpha shifted and Elias did the same. Jacque didn’t ask him what he thought, but Elias offered him his opinion anyway. “I can see why you settled here.”

“Can you?” The big bastard continued to stare out across the land.

The more aggressive side of his nature urged him to fight the alpha, the saner part of his brain knew that Jacque was still testing him, baiting him to see how he would react. It was a smart thing to do. Better to see if Elias could hold back his natural urges to fight and dominate out here in the wild, away from the women.

Elias had learned long ago that it took more strength to walk away from a fight than it did to take the first punch. Didn’t mean a man was weak, only that he was smart. If he did need to fight, better to come at it from a position of power, choosing the time and place.

Not that he meant to fight Jacque. Elias had never wanted the headache of being alpha. But he wouldn’t be walked on either.

“Yeah, I can. Everett and I talked about buying some land too.”

“Why didn’t you?” It was Louis who asked that question. The other men had all shifted, all except Cole, who continued to watch him intently.

“Timing. Plus, we started with nothing, and it took time to build our resources. With the boys fully grown, we thought it was time to sell the business and move, start fresh somewhere else. With our skills, we could support ourselves, especially if we had land where we could do some hunting and fishing, have a garden.” It had been a long-cherished dream they’d shared. “The car accident happened before we could make it a reality.”

Jacque inclined his head. “I’m sorry as hell for what happened to your brother and sister-in-law.”

Elias rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, me too.” Time to start drawing the line in the proverbial sand. “If you’re done checking me out, I’d like to get back to the boys. I don’t like leaving them alone for long.” What went unsaid but was understood was that he especially didn’t like leaving them alone with werewolves he didn’t know well or fully trust.

Jacque grinned. “Good enough. I didn’t expect you to last this long.”

Elias found himself smiling back. Damned if he wasn’t starting to like the alpha. “I probably wouldn’t have except it’s been a hell of a long time since I had a run like this,” he answered honestly.

“I hear you. It’s hard on a wolf when he can’t run.” Jacque’s gaze sharpened. “What about Reece?”

“What about him?” Elias’s hackles were up and he immediately went on the offensive.

“Any theories as to why he can shift and his twin can’t?”

He forced himself to relax, well aware that the other men were tense and ready to pounce. “No. I was hoping you’d have some ideas. He hasn’t had any time to truly test himself. I don’t know how strong he is.” Saying it out loud made Elias feel like a failure for not being able to supply his nephew with the answers he needed and the place to safely test his abilities.

Jacque slapped him on the back. “Don’t worry about it. We’ll all work with Reece until we figure it out. As for why he can shift while Sage can’t…” Jacque shrugged. “Sometimes there are no answers,
mon ami
. They’re both healthy and safe, and they know you love them. That’s the best anyone could do.”

It helped to hear even if it didn’t make him feel any better.

“Besides,” Jacque continued. “You brought them here because you wanted a better life for them. Not many men in your position would have done such a thing.”

“They’re my family.” Elias growled slightly, unable to stop himself. There was nothing more important than his boys. Sue popped into his head, along with Billy. Elias forced them out. There was no future for him and Sue. And if that hurt, well too damn bad. Nobody ever said life was fair.

As much as he wanted Sue in his life, she could never be his mate. She was human. It wasn’t fair to bring her into their world, especially since she had a son to protect. And there was no way Reece and Sage would be accepted into the Salvation Pack if Elias put it at risk by pursuing a relationship with a local woman.

All his life, he’d sacrificed. First to keep his brother and his sister-in-law safe and then to protect his nephews and give them the life they deserved. He didn’t regret his actions. Not one damn bit. But sometimes it hurt like hell.