How could so much have changed for her and nothing be different at home?
Sydney crossed the room and set the bank notes on the table. She was bone weary and wouldn’t be able to hide her heat any longer.
“Mother.” She walked to the group. “I’m back and I’m in heat.”
Her mother darted to her feet. Like all the rest of them she wore the long skirts, which showed no figure, and a shirt, which didn’t show any cleavage at all. They were all different versions of the same bland look.
“Thank goodness you got home before anyone scented you or they might have raped you in a truck.”
Sydney had travelled for days to San Francisco on a bus and returned. In a club for females in heat, she hadn’t been assaulted, and her true mate had kept his hands to himself. Somehow her parents’ dire warnings about sex-crazed werewolves seemed less relevant than they used to. All she really wanted was quiet.
Of course, why her mother cared if she was raped when she was prepared to feed Sydney to the Garto-Wolf was beyond her. Being fed to a monster—fine; having sex—bad. None of it made any sense.
She made her way down to the basement and stepped into the cage. Perhaps not an adequate description, but it was how she’d always thought of the room. A floor-to-ceiling swing gate could be locked to seal off half the basement from the inside. It spanned the length of half the room and shut her between the bars and the wall.
Inside the space was a sparsely made bed with one thin sheet—it was hot in the basement and the stuffiness didn’t help the heat sprawling in her.
Sydney dimmed the lights, then locked herself in. No one would come down and bother her. On the table by the bed were writings her father did on the moon, a diatribe on how good female werewolves were to behave.
She lay down on the bed, not really in the mood to recite her lessons. Most females her age didn’t have to stay home anymore. Her parents were strict; nothing but a true mating would move them to let any one of their nine daughters out of the house. If only they knew….
One of the benefits of the wolf cage was privacy. The moon seemed determined to keep them all on different cycles.
Sydney eyed the book. She knew it by heart.
Good werewolf women always put the Moon first.
Savage had the most beautiful dark eyes. Unable to stop the urge, and really not even wanting to try, she let her hands travel into the waist of her skirt until she could touch her underwear. She was wet.
She hadn’t wanted the club. Not at all. But she did want its owner. Badly. What would he have done with his hands if he’d touched her?
Good werewolf women listen to their fathers.
She pressed further down her panties, pushing them apart until she could touch herself around the edges of the cotton.
Good werewolf women live to serve.
Sydney pressed her two fingers around until she found the bundle of nerves. Her secret place was how she thought of it. In the book she could recite from verbatim was a fundamental rule her mother quoted to them often enough. Good werewolf women didn’t touch themselves, didn’t get themselves off. They endured their heat until they had a mate. It would never be his job to make her hot. He would come inside her, give her children. She was to submit to him. To have as many babies as she could.
Pleasure was for the male.
But Sydney wanted release. The kind only Savage could give her. No other man in the universe would ever do now that she’d seen him, scented him, and knew he existed in the world.
Good werewolf women never question their fate. What the moon wants from them, he tells their father and their father lets them know.
Savage’s fingers on her. She could almost feel it, almost make herself believe her own hands were good enough. Only they weren’t. She lay on the bed and closed her eyes. Sydney was so wet, and the only man who could make her feel better was hundreds of miles away having no idea who she was or where she was in the world.
If he’d noticed her at all….
Tears slipped from her eyes, and she sobbed them into the pillow.
Sydney wasn’t the type of woman to believe in fairytales. Her Alpha Wolf wasn’t going to chase her home and show her another life. Even if he did, it was too late. The Garto was coming, wherever she went.
****
“She’s Sydney Dyke.”
Frank spoke quietly. The young man was barely eighteen, and relatively new to his pack. Truthfully, the kid should probably still be living at home with his family. He was such a juvenile. But Frank’s family had kicked him out because they believed his preferences to be perversions. Savage got people like Frank all the time in his pack. He was happy to offer Frank membership a few years earlier than most Alphas would.
“You know her?”
Savage hadn’t slept in over a day. He’d actually tried to lie down and regroup when the reports came in that she hadn’t been found. Wherever she was, she had slipped through his grasp. He needed to think. Even if he had to go stand outside the PO Box and wait for her, he would do so. Forever.
“I know of her.” Frank looked down. “She’s from the same county where my family lives. My family isn’t important enough to know her family. It isn’t like here. They don’t have packs. Three werewolf families rule the area. They’re important. The rest are poor like my family, but the fathers are all worshipped in the area like religious figures. I can’t really explain it. There is something weird that goes on with them. I only know who she is because I saw her once downtown running an errand. She had her head down the whole time. She’s beautiful. I wanted to paint her.”
Savage sat in his chair. “I’ll let you. If she’s willing. Later. Write down her address for me. Thank you for your help.”
“It’s my pleasure to help. I’m shocked she came here. A girl from home travelling here by herself? She’s brave. Sometimes they run off if someone helps them, but it’s rare. Sometimes they die.”
Frank had Savage’s rapt attention from the moment he’d started talking. Any news about Sydney was music to his ears. His wolf turned on alert with the last statement.
“How so?”
“Every so often one of the daughters from the four families gets torn to pieces.”
Savage stood up. “I’m leaving for Idaho.”
The Moon had gifted him Sydney. She was his. He was getting her out of any situation where she might be torn to bits. How long did it take to fly to Idaho?
Several of his pack mates darted to their feet. “We’ll be ready to go in an hour.” Archie rushed to the door.
“Make it forty-five minutes.”
He might not last if he had to wait an hour.
“Savage?”
He whirled around surprised to find his brother Hayden standing in the doorway. They weren’t close, never had been. They only had thirteen months between them, but they’d not even been playmates as kids. Two Alpha werewolves with parents who hadn’t known how to handle their competition didn’t make for good relationship building. But what happened to Hayden afterward Savage would never forgive himself for.
The former Alpha Prime—whose murderer remained a mystery—declared Savage was Alpha material and Hayden was to be a trained killer. A torturer. An assassin. What the Alpha Prime wanted the Alpha Prime got. The experience had killed something in Hayden. Only now with his mate Chelsea by his side did he seem to be returning to himself.
In some ways, Savage would always be grateful to Lucian. He was the first important wolf to not make him feel like a freak. In other ways, he hoped the man rotted in a grave never welcomed by the moon.
“What are you doing here?”
“I’ve been calling you all night.” Hayden stomped toward him. “What’s going on?”
“Maybe you should start. I’ve been a little busy. I’m not answering calls from outside pack at the moment.”
He knew he sounded harsh and wished he could have controlled his mouth. Why was he being rude to Hayden? Old habits, maybe.
&n
bsp; “There’s been a development. The Alpha of Phoenix has announced he’s Alpha Prime. He’s challenging Alexei’s claim on the title. They’re going to war. Officially. Phoenix wants a meeting with us. They’re calling me every ten minutes.”
Savage looked down at his phone. He had about one hundred missed calls.
“It’s going to have to wait.”
The day before he’d have believed nothing more urgent than what Hayden told him. Everything shifted. Nothing mattered until he had Sydney with him. He couldn’t even think.
“Savage?” Hayden stepped closer. “Talk to me.”
“I have to go to Idaho. My true mate is there. She got away from me.”
His brother rocked back on his heels. “We’ll talk on the plane. No way are you going to Idaho without me.”
“You don’t have to.” Although he didn’t mind the idea of his brother’s company. Hayden could be…steady.
His brother scowled. “I’ll call Chelsea and let her know. She’ll get it. You can’t go to Idaho without me, brother. For you it’ll be like going to Mars.”
Savage suspected truer words were never spoken. But if Sydney was there, that’s where he’d go.
Chapter Three
After arriving in Idaho, Savage and twenty of his pack members plus Hayden loaded into the half dozen black SUVs waiting for them on the tarmac. Everything seemed to be moving smoothly, yet every minute keeping him from Sydney added to his edginess. Hayden’s phone rang constantly. As Savage ignored his, he found every ping and ring a pain in his neck.
“Right.” Hayden disconnected his call. “Barrett Morales from Phoenix is willing to wait until next week to see you. He’s insisting it needs to be right after Full Moon. He’d like me at the meeting. Apparently, he’s going to start the week north and move south before he gets to us. Seattle. Portland. Then south to Los Angeles. Finishing up north with us.”
Savage shrugged. “Alpha Primes jockeying for position. Who would have thought we’d see the day? Alexei in Boston running around insisting he’s Alpha Prime. He’s already blood oathed to Cyrus in Manhattan.” He gritted his teeth at the thought. “You know how I feel about him. So New York goes where Boston does. Travis in Philadelphia is blood oathed to Cyrus. Much as Travis hates Alexei, those two are now bound up with each other. I’m not blood oathing anyone, peace treaty or not, who has sworn allegiance with the pack killing murderer from Boston.”
Rumors came out of Boston every year about Alexei eliminating pack members he didn’t like by drowning them in the river. They knew for sure he’d taken out a would-be challenger that way.
Hayden rubbed his chin. “You know it’s worse than that. My email box was filled with information Beaux Nelson swore to Alexei too. Not terrible on its own, Montana isn’t a huge pack. Only his mate….”
His brother’s voice drifted off and what he didn’t say was more important than what he had. Beaux’s mate, Lake, was the Healer Prime—the most powerful healer of her generation. If Beaux was obligated to Alexei, then so was his mate. Anyone who didn’t side with Alexei, wouldn’t have access to the Healer Prime. Not too long ago, Savage had considered Beaux an ally. The fluidity of alliance almost made Savage miss Lucien. Almost….
“Remember when we thought we could run our packs and live our lives without all the bullshit?”
Hayden laughed. “I’m only in this crap because of you. No potential Alpha Primes would be after my allegiance without you. For many reasons.”
Savage stared out the window. “Are we doing this? The big talk we never have? Because my head isn’t feeling it right now. I have a mate I can’t figure out how to talk to, who successfully managed to get out of my city even though I tried to stop her. And is home in Idaho where I am going to have to convince her to come with me.” With the last thing she said to him being about his reputation…
“No one knows how to talk to their mates. Not initially. You think I had a clue how to handle Chelsea? Not only was she human but she had visions of me, apparently from multiple lifetimes, and then—boom—she couldn’t remember me at all.” Hayden smiled which made Savage shift in his seat. What could his brother possibly be remembering about then which brought amusement to his face and contentment to his scent?
“Sir.” River, the pack member driving, called to him. “We are about an hour outside the compound if my GPS is correct. Idaho is packless so I don’t think anyone is going to object to your arrival until we get to the actual house.”
“Thank you.” He turned his attention to Hayden. “How did you get through the time? You seem to have no problem talking to Chelsea. I never scent any tension.”
Hayden laughed, the sound reverberating through the car. “Oh, there is tension. I won’t get into what happens. I trusted the Moon knew what she was doing when she put us together. Her visions, thanks to you finding Viola, are under control and we get to know each other one day at a time. I’m always happy to greet every day knowing she’s mine.”
“Stop thanking me.” There was nothing Savage detested more than misplaced gratitude. Particularly, from his younger brother who wouldn’t be unjustified in cursing his name. “She didn’t mind you jumping on a plane without warning?”
“Chelsea understands the nature of our lives and knows I have to be able to take off sometimes. She’s busy with her own things. Returned to school. I think we might be adding fashion to my small empire.”
Savage had a lot of pack members who were in the industry. Hayden had to know. If he wanted help for his mate, he’d ask.
“Although all of that might wait a bit since she’s expecting.”
“Expecting what?”
The tall grass outside caught his attention. Mixed within the green and brown stalks were purple flowers. Did his mate like floral arrangements?
“A baby.” Hayden said the word slowly, and Savage jerked like his brother had struck him.
“You….” Savage cleared his throat. “Congratulations.”
Hayden crossed his arms. “I’m getting no scent marker from you. You’ve hidden your thoughts away. I can’t tell what your reaction to me telling you was except for the way you jolted in surprise.”
“I’m sure you’re going to be a wonderful father. I…I never think about babies. My pack members have them. They’re adorable, of course. I visit all of them after birth. Children and families keep the pack happy.”
And at night, when he was alone in his room listening to the water move on the bay, he wondered how the parents managed to keep their kids from dying. How did they know they wouldn’t choke to death on something in their sleep? If they could get them through the early years unscathed, was it even possible to raise a young person to not hate themselves? To not think everything about them was inherently wrong?
Hayden narrowed his eyes. “Savage….”
He held up his hand and pointed to the front of the car. Savage trusted his pack with his life but not with his soft underbelly. Bad enough Hayden had access to it.
The only problem with remaking himself was there was always someone around who remembered him from before.
“Chelsea feel okay? Hybrid pregnancies can be rough on the human mother.” Hadn’t he read about them somewhere? Or was he making his knowledge up?
Hayden nodded. “She’s making it look easy. Chelsea never complains. I’d really like you to do the Moon ceremony.”
Hadn’t he brought his brother along because he thought the man calming?
“I’d be honored.”
The rest of the drive went in silence. If Hayden recalled their childhood with the same vehement pain Savage did whenever he let his thoughts travel to that time, they never discussed it. Hayden had never been caught with his pants down at fourteen years old in a room naked with two other female teenagers and another male. Or at least Savage didn’t think he had been. Hayden shifted in his seat, phantom pains from long gone beatings making it hard to sit still.
What the fuck had the Moon been thinking? Mates meant fami
ly. Hayden and Chelsea had barely been mated two years and they were having a baby. How on earth was Savage supposed to ever consider having children? He didn’t have the slightest idea how to raise a child unless it involved a whip and periodic starvations to teach discipline.
Time passed while his thoughts went places they shouldn’t be allowed to visit. By the time they pulled through the gates to a large, warehouse-looking farmhouse, his mood had grown so dark he was surprised there was any room left in the car after all the space it took.
Hayden raised an eyebrow. “You want a minute?”
“Why would I?”
He stepped out of the car, immediately flanked on both sides by two of his enforcers. Max on one side, Edward on the other. His show of force was excessive, which had been the point. Savage was the Alpha of San Francisco. Better her family understood from the get-go how things worked with him.
The door swung open and fifteen wolves, ranging in age from toddler to adult, piled out in a single line before they stopped to stare at him. Mouths hung open and their scents of utter astonishment filled the air around him. He didn’t know what held their attention more—him, his pack mates, or the three black SUVs behind him.
No one spoke, and Hayden moved next to him, standing shoulder-to-shoulder.
Savage stared at the group, which didn’t include his mate. Where was she? Had she made it home in one piece? He needed answers fast.
“Who’s in charge?”
A tall male wolf stepped forward. Like Sydney, he possessed red hair, although Savage couldn’t imagine her father’s had ever lit up the night as though the color came from the sun itself. None of the other kids had red hair, all brunettes like the older woman to the tall man’s left, who presumably would be his mate.
“I am. My name is Tobias Dyke. I’m the father here.”
Strange turn of phrasing. Dealing with small groupings of werewolves who remained packless and yet not lone wolves always took gentle handling. Unfortunately, Savage had no patience to spare.
“Savage Chaucer, and this is my brother Hayden.”
The man’s eyes got huge. “Are you two Alphas of large packs?”