Across Enemy Lines

Chapter 4

By the time I arrived at my apartment, it was empty. It was as though I had never lived here. I knew Daddy was serious about wanting me to move back home but I didn't think he would send someone to move me back so quickly. I sighed deeply and walked out of the apartment.

I headed straight for the pack house. I knew the conversation that would ensue would be a difficult one and I was trying to figure out how to start it when my phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Oh my God! Dr.Wood! What happened? Everyone is buzzin' about you gettin' canned!" Ramona sounded alarmed.

"Oh, Ramona, I'm sorry. I should have told you. Dr.Fine and I just decided it was time for me to move on."

"There was a man here that looked just like you. What was his name?"

"You're going to have to be more specific Ramona."

"Well, he was young. He had beautiful black hair and bright green eyes. He was so tall and muscular. He was beautiful." She said, dreamily. Beautiful?

"Joey?"

"Is that his name? He looked like something out of a magazine. He just stared at me for awhile and when I said hey he run off." She sounded disappointed.

"Joey is my little brother. He probably just got nervous."

"Joey… he looked like an angel."

"Ramona, that's my little brother. Stop talking like that. Anyway, I've got to go."

"Wait!"

"What?"

"… do you think you could give me his number?"

"Good bye Ramone!" I hung up the phone as I pulled up to the guard station.

"Hey Miss chloe." Devin, Uncle Henry's son said. He was captain of the guards. He was my best friend growing up and my mother and father had always hoped we would be mated. When I turned eighteen and it never happened, they were crushed. A few months after we graduated he found his mate and I heard they were on their fourth child.

"Hey Devin. How's Julie?"

"Oh, she's alright. The kids are drivin' her crazy. She's about to pop any day now." He smiled. His blond beard turning up into a crinkled smile.

"That's great Devin!"

"Thanks, Chloe. Hey, some feller come through here earlier for you. He saids he's your mate." He said with with a concerned look.

"Uggggg! He's already here? Goddammit!"

"I gotta bad feelin' Miss Chloe." Devin looked at me with a serious face. I sighed.

"I know Devin. I know." I drove through the guard station and up the drive way. Stopping at the house. There was a royal blue Ford F-150 sitting in the drive way.. I sat in the car for awhile staring at it, trying to avoid entering the house and the mess my mate had created. Why couldn't he have just respectfully decline my parents offer? It wasn't like he was actually going to accept me as his mate.

I pulled myself together and got out of the car. I reached for the door and as I opened it I heard my mother's laughter ringing down the hall. I rolled my eyes and shut the door.

"And that's when I wrestled that big black bear to the ground. Let me tell you that was the fight of my life." Jared was explaining. Everyone was laughing.

"You fought that bear over a pork chop?" My father was chuckling.

"It was my pork chop!" Jared said with fake sense of shock. Everyone roared with laughter. "Ope! Dr.Wood is here." Jared said as I made my way to the great hall. As I walked in several pack members, along with my parents and brother sat at the counter while Jared stood across from them watching for me to enter. He smiled at me and I just gave him a sharp eyed mean look.

"Oh, Chloe Lynn change your face!" My mother scolded.

"Hey Momma." I walked over and kissed her cheek. She grabbed my hands and looked at me proudly. She had never looked at me this way. Even when I graduated medical school.

"Oh, he's so handsome Chloe Lynn!"

"Momma!" My face began to heat up again.

"What? It's not like you don't know it. Look at the boy."

"Momma, please stop. I'm begging you." I turned to look at my father. He sighed.

"Evelyn, stop embarrassing Chloe Lynn. She's had a lot happen today. Anyway, so I put all your stuff in storage except your clothes. I had them put in your room. Oh and little Aaron took Mr.Cuddles." Daddy smiled at me. This was the happiest I had seen him. I didn't look forward to taking the smile from his face.

"Daddy, can I talk to you in private?" I looked down at my feet.

"Of course, little one. Let's go take a walk in the woods like we use to." He got up and I followed him as he ducked out the back door as he was too large to fit through the frame. I turned back to look at Jared, he was looking at me with a mix of worry and sadness. I turned and just kept walking.

"He doesn't want you to tell Daddy he's alpha of the Dark Moon pack. His wolf told me…" May whispered.

"Daddy has a right to know… and it's the right thing to do." I said to her.

"I know…" she sighed. As we got deeper in the woods my father turned around.

"What's wrong Chloe Lynn?" Worry was written on his handsome face.

"Daddy, there's something I need to tell you about Jared."

"What? That he's a alpha? Hell, Chloe Lynn, I knew that." Daddy said turning around and continuing our walk.

"Daddy, he's not just any alpha."

"What do you mean?" He side glaned at me.

"Daddy…" I stopped and I could feel the sting of tears at the back of my eyes. Why did the Goddess pair me with him? It could have been anyone else. I'd take anyone but him.

"Well spit it out Chloe Lynn." Daddy was looking at me. When I looked up and he saw tears running down my cheeks he softened.

"Hey, little one… it's going to be ok. Just tell your daddy what's goin' on. I cain't fix it if I don't know what it is." Daddy was brushing the tears from my cheeks.

"He's the alpha of the Dark Moon pack…" Daddy froze. His eyes began to darken and his face began to turn red.

"And we left that monster alone in my house!" He roared! His eyes were bouncing between their electric green and bright silver.

"Daddy, calm down. Clay, Clay calm down. Bring Daddy back." I pleaded.

"Chloe Lynn! You put this entire pack in danger!" He roared. I began to shake. Fear gripped my throat.

"Daddy! Daddy please calm down! Daddy you're scaring me!"

"Chloe Lynn, what's going on? What's Joe mad about?" I could hear Momma through the mind-link.

"Momma! Please come here! Please!" My father's eyes where completely silver and he was stalking towards me. I could hear wolves making their way towards us.

"You brought that mutt here Chloe Lynn! And you knew!" My father was screaming I cowarded away from him. A flash of dark coffee brown broke through the tree line and knocked my father to the ground. I looked up to see a massive light brown

wolf standing between me and my father growling deeply at him. My father got up quickly from the ground and shifted, ripping his clothes in the process.

Both wolves were enormous in size with the lighter brown being slightly larger than the darker one. The smaller one pounced on the larger one and they began tearing into one another. I heard a scream ring out into the darkening forest and looked around for a culprit only to find it was me.

"What in the hell is going on?" My mother reached the clearing just as the light brown wolf pinned the darker one to the ground. My mother walked up to the two wolves.

"That is enough! Both of you! Shift now!" The light brown wolf turned to her and growl. My mother's eyes widened and then the fire set in. She pulled her hand back and slapped the wolf hard on the muzzle causing it to back up whining.

"Don't you growl at me young man! Now I said to shift! Both of you! Now!" I looked up and saw the bones in each wolf begin to break and shift back into two naked human men.

"Now, which one of you is going to tell me what happened?" My mother looked between the men.

"That little s**t started it!" My father said. Wiping his bloodied nose and pointing at Jared. Jared was ignoring him and walked up to me, picking me up and wrapping me in his large arms. I buried my face in his chest and cried silent tears.

"Don't you ever, and I do mean ever, yell at my mate again. Or I will tear you apart old man." My father narrowed his eyes at Jared.

"Yellin' at Chloe Lynn? What the hell you yellin' at Chloe Lynn for Joe?" My father looked away.

"Joseph Lee Wood, you better tell me right now or so help me…"

"That little fucker is the alpha of the Dark Moon pack." Silence filled the air. My mother stood for a minute with her mouth open and closing at random. She finally shook her head. Her shocked expression was replaced with one of anger. She walked over to my father and smacked him hard across the cheek.

"What the-"

"You watch your mouth Joseph Wood!" And with that Momma grabbed mine and Jared's hands and lead us back to the pack house.