Chapter Two
3277 Words
Chapter Two
Brody woke that afternoon and dressed in fresh clothes. He’d barely made it back for check-in time to beat Reggie. Thankfully he had as it would have been painful to have missed the morning after curfew. Reggie was a bastard when it came to controlling their pack. He was so paranoid about running into other packs that he forbade anyone from wandering farther than their borders. Now Brody certainly wasn’t going to volunteer the information to the old man, but he did like to play with him once in a while.
“Get up pup,” the old man called.
“I’m up, Reggie,” Brody countered.
“Good,” he returned. “I have a job for you.”
“Name it.”
“Did you eat well last night?”
“My wolf is comfortable and quiet, for now.”
“Excellent. It will aid you in today’s assignment as I need my sharpest wolf on the job.”
“What is it I’m going to be doing?”
“I need you to go into town and pick up a truckload of supplies. Don’t talk to anyone except the clerk at the hardware store. The less interaction you have, the less likely anyone is to suspect you’re anything other than a lad picking up supplies.”
Brody left an hour later, making it to town in record time. He didn’t often drive Reggie’s coupe, but when he did it was fast, with the pedal to the floor. He parked easily in front of Tate’s Hardware. Taking the invoice in, he took possession of the freight Reggie had ordered. He hooked the trailer up to the coupe and wondered why in the hell the old man had put a towing hitch on the car instead of buying a truck for this sort of need. Figuring he’d earned it, Brody strolled down the sidewalk to the bar. He ordered a beer and sat outside to enjoy the view of the people who walked by. He smiled, thinking maybe he’d come closer to town on the next full moon. Some of the people smelled divine.
Just as he was finishing his beer, however, Brody picked up a smell that was beyond divine. Exotic and overtly female... whoever she was, she had Brody’s system in overdrive within seconds. Tossing his beer bottle aside, he followed the scent to a small, upscale boutique and waited. He knew she was inside, probably flipping through frilly dresses. Her smell saturated his senses until Brody caught the strong hint of wolf. Could it be a female werewolf inside? He could smell her pheromones as if they’d been intimate. Already revved, Brody clamped down his arousal. The last thing he needed to do was chase her home and have her running through town screaming about a stalker. Reggie would certainly punish him for that. However, given the woman’s overdriven body, she just might be worth it in the long run.
Brody waited so long that the wolf inside the man began to slumber, losing the scent of the woman. Still, he held tight to the traces of it and an hour later she finally emerged from the shop, a large bag in her hand. Brody practically licked his lips just looking at her. Tall and lean with legs up to her ears, the woman in front of him oozed s*x from every pore on her body. Her hair was long and blonde with just enough wave to make his hands ache to touch it. He thought fleetingly about whistling at her, but decided a catcall would do disservice to his ability to watch her. And watch her he did, almost to the point of forgetting the shipment he was meant to bring back to Reggie.
“Excuse me,” he found himself saying.
She turned around and practically had Brody tripping over his own tongue. “Yes?”
“I couldn’t help but notice you came out of that boutique back there. Is that a store that sells just clothes and accessories for women, or do they sell men’s clothing as well?”
Sarina had heard some terrible pick-up lines in her day, but this one might just take the cake. “It’s a female-oriented store I guess you’d say, but I suppose there might be something there for men as well.”
“Great, thanks.”
Sarina watched the gorgeous man turn away and bit her lip, debating whether to engage him again.
“I’m Sarina.” This time when he turned around, Sarina caught the gleam in his pretty blue eyes and grinned. Sexy didn’t begin to touch this male specimen and Sarina found her now ripe system revved and slipping into drive.
“It’s very nice to meet you Sarina,” he smiled. “I’m Brody Duscene.”
“It’s nice to meet you as well, Brody Duscene,” Sarina smiled. “Do you live around these parts?”
“I live close enough, although it’s a ways off, even by car.”
“Oh,” she said, disappointed.
“Listen, I have a delivery to make, but would you like to meet me back here tonight for dinner?”
“I’d like that very much.” Sarina smiled. She let Brody kiss her hand and swore she felt him breathe her in as he did so. If she wasn’t mistaken and her senses told her she wasn’t, Brody Duscene was a werewolf, and one who she knew, didn’t belong to her father’s pack.
>>
As long as she could remember, she’d been all but paraded in front of the boys in her father’s pack as a sort of prize. He didn’t go as far as to promise her to any one of them in particular, but they all understood that someday she’d be of age for breeding. She was in effect, like a prime piece of real estate that every male in her pack wanted to stake their claim on. The only problem was that Sarina knew all the men in her father’s pack and none of them came close to affecting her the way that Brody Duscene did. Smiling, she knew her mother had been right. She’d known from the moment she’d seen him, sensed him, that this was the man she’d been waiting for. Now it was up to her, as an alpha’s daughter, to help him come to the same conclusion. She was the first daughter of the Western Pack. Brody Duscene was as good as sunk, even if he didn’t know it yet.
“Where are you going?” Jason asked, a note of irritation in his voice when he saw her dressed up.
“I have a date.”
“With who?” Jason asked, a low growl emanating from his throat. “I know all our males and none has shown an interest in you, no offense.”
“This wolf isn’t from our pack. He was in town today when I was shopping. He asked me out to dinner and I agreed.”
“Dad won’t like this, Sarina.”
“I’m past the point of caring what dad does and doesn’t like. I’m twenty-four and if I’m going to ensure the advancement of our species to the next generation, it’s time I looked out for myself.”
“Let me at least tag along at a distance.”
“Do you think I can’t fend for myself? Dad taught us both how to use our skills to protect ourselves. Even being naïve about s*x doesn’t make me defenseless.” Sarina bared her canine teeth for emphasis.
“You said this guy was a wolf as well. Does he know you know that?”
“I didn’t announce it,” Sarina said, her dark eyes focused, serious. “Contrary to popular belief I do know how to keep some things to myself.”
“Good. If he thinks you see him as just another human, you’ll have the advantage. But I can guarantee Dad will send one of us along as a chaperone. Breeding or not, Dad isn’t going to let just anyone slip into our pack and have you.”
Sarina blushed. It was one thing to discuss s*x in the abstract. It was another all together to have her brother discuss it. “Fine, but keep your distance and don’t you dare embarrass me. I have a right to my own life, no matter what you or Dad think.”
>>
Brody made sure Reggie was well preoccupied with other matters, namely Alyssa, before he left the cave. He worked his way around, sure to leave his scent in several different spots, in case he missed curfew, so they wouldn’t be able to track him at first. He made it to town just after seven, the time he’d agreed to meet Sarina at Rick’s Oyster Bar.
“You made it!” she beamed, her pretty, dark eyes smiling at him. Brody smiled back and waved. Brody met her at the table and kissed her cheek in greeting.
“You look amazing,” he said, appreciating just how good she looked. She paired a set of skinny jeans with a hot pink see-through shirt. She’d put a white tank underneath that showed off plenty of curve. Brody could already feel his system turning on. He couldn’t wait to see her wolf come out. If she was smoking hot as a human, he could only imagine what her wolf looked like. Sleek and stylish, even for a dog of legend, for there wasn’t a wolf within the country, let alone the Delta that didn’t know of Sarina’s father and grandfather. Jeremiah and his son Romeo’s fame stretched well into the hidden countryside and even beyond as the peace he’d brought settled nicely over the Delta region.
“Thanks,” Sarina smiled. “Just to be clear, I’m one for being extremely upfront and in-your-face-plain-speaking. I like to get things out in the open.”
“Alright,” Brody grinned. “Is there something in particular you wanted to get out in the open, or were you just warning me?”
“Actually,” she said, leaning closer in, conspiratorially. “I’d really, really like to know what you look like when you shift.”
Brody didn’t let his surprise show. If he could smell her a mile away, it stood to reason that she had also deduced his nature as well. Still, her answer intrigued him. Unlike the females in his pack, Sarina was exceptional. A put-it-all-out-there sort of woman. That was something Brody liked very much. “Well we certainly can’t do that here,” he smiled. “But there are other places that lend themselves to getting our wolf on. I was thinking as I sat down that your wolf must be sleek and stylish.”
“I certainly hope she’s sleek and stylish,” Sarina smiled. “Maybe I’ll be lucky enough to have a coat like my hair, blondish with streaks of the dark hair I get from my mother. I just hope the change isn’t unbearable.”
“And your mother is?”
“Oh, I forgot that you aren’t from our pack. Her name is Amanda Walker Traverse. She is the ruling queen and wife to my dad, Romeo.”
“Your dad is Romeo?” Brody asked, pretending not to know already.
“Yes,” Sarina smiled. “But don’t worry. He realizes that at twenty-four I’ve reached my first breeding season and will undoubtedly attract a number of would-be suitors.”
“Is that what this is?” Brody said, wondering at the sudden irritation that slammed through his system. “Is this a sort of try-out? To see if I fit the bill as a future son-in-law?”
“No,” Sarina said, her dark chocolate eyes blazing. “I like you. I thought we could get to know each other a little better. Obviously I was mistaken.”
She stood up quickly, faster and more elegant than he’d given her credit for. “Sarina,” he called as she stalked away, every bit the lustrous predator. Slipping a fifty onto the table, Brody followed her, running to catch her once she was outside the restaurant.
“Sarina!” Brody caught up with her with some trying on his part and felt the hard sting of her palm across his face when he grabbed her arm. “Jesus!”
“How dare you think that I agreed to this date as a try-out.”
“What the hell was I supposed to think? You go off halfcocked, spouting about your parentage. Your dad is the alpha of nearly the entire valley and I’m not just supposed to believe that he won’t kill me for even looking twice at you?”
“You’re supposed to know I’m a grown woman, capable of making my own decisions. Capable of choosing for myself who interests me and who doesn’t. I may be his eldest daughter and this may be my first season, but that doesn’t mean that I haven’t spent years deciding what it is I want and need in a mate. I’m sorry I obviously wasted your time. I’ll be going now.”
“The hell you will,” Brody said. Grabbing her hand, Brody pulled her to him, his lips crushing hers in a heated kiss. His attraction to her punched him so fast in the gut that it stole his breath away. He pulled back and looked into Sarina’s equally shocked eyes. He kissed her again, this time going slow and savoring the way she trembled against him. She opened to him easily, eagerly seeking the tongue he slid past her lips.
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d kissed a woman like Sarina, if ever. She didn’t hold back, or use her body as a toy to tease him. She simply gave and took in equal measure. Brody let his hands travel up her back, waking the nerves along her spine. Her hair felt like silk when his fingers sank into the long locks that cascaded down her back and the soft growl in her throat only heightened Brody’s awareness of her.
>>
Sarina had been waiting for this for what seemed like forever, to feel this alive at a man’s touch. She wasn’t a prude, or at least she didn’t think she was. Nor was she one to take her love life for granted, such as it is. She’d always been careful with who she let get closer. Somehow though, this frustratingly wonderful man had slipped past her defenses. He overwhelmed her common sense with quick wit and even quicker moves. The way his lips roamed over hers as if she were a feast to be savored made her head spin.
“Wait,” she breathed. “Brody, wait.”
“Is there something wrong?” he asked, his blue eyes dark and dangerously needy.
“It’s just... I don’t want to move too fast in this relationship.”
“Not even if it’s the relationship you’ve been waiting for?” Sarina didn’t want to visit how he knew her feelings, nor was she about to ask. “Your eyes give you away darling.”
“No I just,” Sarina sighed. “s**t. Suddenly I feel all the weight of our kind, as if I’m the single thread holding it all together.”
“Maybe you are,” Brody said with a grin on his face. “Does it seem so wrong to hold us all together, with me?”
“It’s not that,” Sarina tried to explain. “You know about breeders, right? About their first year in season?”
“If you’re asking if I know the details of a breeder’s rightful passage once their twenty-fourth birthday comes around, then yes, I know.”
“Okay so, as you can imagine my parents, particularly my dad and my three brothers, have all kept a very strict and watchful eye on me. I’ve never dated, never gone out with anyone of the opposite s*x, until today. I’m surprised that one of them hasn’t shown up, chasing me down, yet.”
“Do you expect them to?”
“Yes, actually,” Sarina chuckled. “They’re a bit neurotic when it comes to me and my chastity.”
“And you think they’d be pissed if they saw us together?”
“Pissed doesn’t even cover it.”
“Do you want to be with me?” asked Brody, his eyebrows raised.
Sarina thought about his question and realized that therein lay the crux of the problem. Here stood a man that everything in her wanted. She could rationalize all day long about the pros and cons of taking their acquaintance further, but would it really change what she wanted?
“Yes,” she nearly whispered. She let Brody take her hands in his as the inquiring look on his face softened.
“Alright then,” he said, smiling. God he was sexy. She could just imagine what his wolf looked like. Dark and dangerous, like him. Were his eyes also blue when he wasn’t hunting? “How about we get to know each other. Can you meet me here tomorrow?”
“Yeah,” Sarina said as a smile lit up her face.
“Good,” he grinned. “And Sarina?”
“Yeah?”
“Lose whoever it is that’s tailing us.”
Instantly Sarina remembered Jason. “Alright.”
>>
“What the hell was all of that?” Jason said, interrogating his sister as soon as they were on their own land again.
“Leave off, Jason.”
“The hell I will,” he said, stopping her retreat with a hand on her arm.
“Let go of me,” Sarina growled, her fangs glinting in the moonlight.
“Oh put your teeth away, no one’s about to lynch you. We’ve all had our days of fun.”
“That’s it, isn’t it? You, Wade, even Joshua get to trample around here taking any number of females to your bed. You play around as if the world is at your feet just waiting for you to dictate what you want. Then I find a guy who’s interested in more than just getting in my pants, and its doomsday.”
“It’s not like that, Sarina. But I’m your twin. Of course it’s going to be odd when a guy shows more than a passing interest.”
“Fine, but you have to lay off. I’m a grown woman now, whether anyone in this house wants to acknowledge that fact or not.”
“No one’s arguing differently.”
“Good. Then from now on you let me be my own person. Don’t follow me again Jason.”
“Can’t do it, Sis. You know Dad would literally have my hide if I let anything happen to you. Especially if I knew about the situation before hand.”
“Then I won’t tell you.” Sarina pushed his arm back and kept going toward their house.
“Not so fast. Tell me what?”
“Nothing,” she said smugly.
“Tell me or I’ll let Dad know that a guy, one who doesn’t belong to our pack, is sniffing around you.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“I don’t want to, but if it comes down to what I perceive as your safety, then, yes I would.”
“Bastard,” Sarina sighed. “Fine. Brody asked me to meet him tomorrow. No, I won’t tell you the time or place.”
“Fine,” Jason said. “But you know I’m going to tail you. I have to, Sarina, for your safety and my own.”
“Oh please,” she argued. “You’re Dad’s golden boy. We all know you’ll take over as alpha when his time is done.”
“That being the case or not, if I let something happen to you, it’ll be a long, long time before Dad steps down.”
Sarina rolled her eyes. “Excuses, excuses.”
>>
The next morning, Sarina showered after a hard workout. She wore a cute sundress with hot pink strappy sandals and hooped earrings to match. She put her hair up in an easy ponytail and sprayed on perfume before she headed downstairs. “You look nice today,” Romeo said. Sarina smiled.
“Thanks Daddy,” she cooed. “You don’t look half bad yourself.”
“He looks way better than half bad,” Amanda smiled, leaning over to kiss her husband.
“So what do you have planned for the day?”
“Just hanging out with some friends.”
“Do I know these friends?”
“Dad, really? I’m twenty-four. Is it realistic to think you’ll know everyone I hang out with?”
“No, but it’s realistic to think you’ll take one of your brothers with you.”
“Come on, Dad!” Sarina groaned. “It’s like taking a third wheel, or in this case a fifth wheel. My friends don’t want my little brothers hanging around. It’s not like I’m a weanling. I can take care of myself, you know.”
“Not on your life, darling. Take Jason, Wade, or Joshua, but you don’t step out of this house alone.”
His blue eyes, so unlike hers, brooked absolutely no argument. Sighing loud enough to convey her irritation, Sarina agreed. “Fine. I’ll take Joshua.”
“Good,” Romeo said with a nod of finality. “When are you leaving?”
“About an hour. I guess I’ll go ask him if he’d mind accompanying me.”
“Sounds good. Have a good time.”
As she walked out, Sarina heard her mother say, “You can’t keep her trapped forever. Sooner or later she’ll either find the exit, or make one.”
“That’s what scares me,” her father replied.
- Writer
