I ignore jay completely and nod in agreement. “Yes, anything.”
Alpha Cree turns to his pack, holding jay by his arms. “Take him to the border and let him fend for himself,” He orders, and they jump at his request.
“Wait! That wasn’t the agreement. They will kill him if you throw him back over the border,” I argue, my foot stomping against the floorboards below me.
“You said I could have anything if I don’t kill your boy toy here.” Cree grips my face between his long fingers, smirking proudly that he’s in control.
“That is such an asshole move,” I snap back, yanking my chin free from his grasp and crossing my arms over my chest.
Cree leans down, his face inches from mine. “I still get what I want, so call me whatever you want.” He winks then walks away proudly.
Fucking Alpha is like a lousy bag of sour patch kids, even sourer than you expect. Worse than a woman going through menopause. Vicious mood swings. You’d think he’s the one that’s got a damn period.
A pack member yanks Jay from the chair and forces him towards the door, but I step before them. “Wait, please,” I plead to the man holding Jay tightly in his grasp. The man looks around, making sure everyone is out of sight. Seeing it’s all clear, he shoves Jay toward me and folds his arms, eyeing our every move.
“Are you okay? What happened out there?” I ask, wanting answers about how we ended up in the middle of a mythical creatures’ war.
“All I know is something broke the barrier of the worlds, causing things to go out of balance. My father said there was a spell cast on the night stalkers so they couldn’t shift back to human, only during full moons.” Jay clarifies.
“Do you know if my parents are alive?” I question. But am I ready to hear if they aren’t? I’m not sure, but I can’t keep wondering. It’s killing me.
Jay grabs my hands. “Kari, some escaped, but I can’t say who. Things were such a blur.”
“Okay, you two, that’s enough. Time to go,” the man orders and pushes Jay forward. Another enters the room, holding me back so I can’t intervene.
“Jay, I love you!” I shout as my tears spill over the edge, and they drag him away while I struggle to run after. It’s sisterly love, not what Cree thinks when he enters the room.
“Everyone out!” Cree growls, making me flinch. He walks over to me, and I lean back trying to put space between us. “You love him?”
I always get a smart mouth. “Why the fuck do you care!” I snap, turning away from him in a huff.
Cree yanks my hair, pulling me back against his bare chest, then wraps his other arm around my waist, pressing my ass to his bulge. “You’re mine,” He whispers aggressively in my ear.
Cree’s touch sends chills down my spine. Every hair on my body stands erect. My skin itches for more of his affection. It’s like a mosquito bite that you just can’t avoid scratching. My eyes flutter shut, and I inhale his soothing scent of woodsy musk with chamomile. The aroma sends my core into a frenzy of emotions. The burning desire to turn around and leap into his arms is intense. Still, I shake it off quickly, realizing I’m thinking about a wolfman I just met, threatened to kill my friend, and take advantage of me. I really want him to currently, but that’s not the point. I’m letting my sexual fantasies get the best of me.
It’s not the time to have a fling with a fucking wolfman. What kind of Beauty and the Beast bullshit am I thinking! It’s time to get the hell out of this place.
Oh, but Cree is good. He has my body feeling things I never knew it could. His long fingers trail across my collarbone softly while his mouth hovers over the pulsating vein in my neck that I’m sure he could hear pumping rapidly. My knees are weak as his cool breath fans against my heated skin.
“One bite and you’re mine for eternity,” Cree speaks softly, breaking my trance.
My eyes go round, and my heart jumps out of my chest. What the fuck is he talking about?
I yank away from him and turn, giving him a shove to put distance between us. “You are so creepy,” I tell him with distaste. “I thought you were a wolf, not a fucking bloodsucker,” I add more to my insults.
He still smiles, turning into a chuckle. I have no clue why he thinks it’s amusing to be called a creep. Maybe they didn’t know what creep meant.
“Did your ancestors tell you nothing about our kind?” Cree asks curiously.
When my grandmother sat us around the campfire telling us stories, my dumbass spaced out into another world. The stories they told were just rubbish to me. Guess I should have listened after all.
I shrug. “Yeah, but I didn’t pay attention,” I tell him, hoping to hurt the Alpha’s feelings that I could not care less about his kind.
“You should have,” He returns.
“It was no use to me. Why would I care anything about creatures of the dark? I’m leaving Blackfoot behind for college and starting a new life elsewhere,” I reply with attitude.
Cree’s cheeks burn red. Bingo feelings hurt. But why does he care so much whether I stay in Blackfoot?
So hungry.
I quickly change the subject. “Can I please get some food? I’m starving here,” I ask and roll my eyes as Sia walks into the room.
Cree senses her presence but keeps his gaze on me. “What, Sia?”
“Um, we have a problem at the border,” She announces.
Finally, his eyes rip from me. “Grab a few members and go check it out. I’ll be right behind you. Give me a minute,” He orders. Sia nods and takes off.
Cree faces me once again. “You are coming with me,” He orders, grabbing my arm and pulling me out of the house into the dark.
We trudge through the forest. Cree’s strides are too much for my little legs to keep up. “Cree, I can’t walk that fast. Slow down,” I reason.
Irritation displays on his creased forehead. “Geez, humans are so helpless,” He growls, then picks me up and slumps me over his shoulder. My ass is right in his face, and he smacks it with one swift swing of his hand.
“Hey!” I squeal with surprise.
“Silence, human,” He sneers.
Gosh, he’s so touchy. I am tired of him acting like I am his damn toy. The games he plays are tiring.
“Let me down!” I scream, hitting his back in protest. “I’m not a thing. I am a person and have a say in what happens in my life!” I’m punching him in the back hard, but Cree is built like a rock.
“Calm down, sweet cheeks,” He chuckles.
That pisses me off more. My efforts are useless. What did it take to hurt an Alpha? A boulder? I thought about it for a second, then I thought, na, how can my petite ass lift a fucking boulder?
I swear the stupid ass conversations in my head are always a waste of time. Angry at myself for goofing around. I’m being selfish. What about my parents? What about Sway? I haven’t even had time to grieve my brother’s death, but then again, my stupid jokes were a distraction from facing the fact I’m all alone now.
My mood goes from playful teenager to depressed orphan. I may have been the last of my family, and I’m playing with some stupid Alpha. This must stop!
I know one way to take a man down without training or being a black belt. Kick him where it hurts the most. I use all my force and swing my leg. My aim is spot on when Cree goes down like King Kong. The only problem is he still had a hold of me. Shit didn’t give that much thought. But I wiggle free and take off into the forest.
Barefoot, I’m running nonstop, hoping none of the others can catch my scent. I know it won’t take long for Alpha Cree to recover, so I don’t have much time to find my way back home.
I feel like I’m running in circles in the middle of trees. There’s no end, no clearing. Help me spirits, guide me home. I pray in my head while my eyes dart to find a way out. Light flashing in front of me catches my attention, and I know to follow it without question. I run towards it.
I can almost see the plain field where our borders collide as I’m near the clearing. I hear the crunching of twigs behind me but don’t chance it and look. I just keep running.
What the hell did Cree want from me in the first place? My family isn’t any special royalty or some shit. It’s not like I can give him the rights to our land. Or can I? What if my ancestors are native royalty I didn’t know about? I really got to stop watching Netflix. I sigh. Here I go again. STOP fucking around, Sakari!
Out of breath, I finally reach the edge of my street, where our family home sits in the dark. It has been a few days since the attacks. Where is my family? Are they hiding or dead? I wonder as I take in the surrounding houses near mine.
The sounds of howling disturb my thoughts. The eerie sound sends chills up my spine to my neck, where the hairs stand. It’s a distress howl. It’s painful.
I hurry towards my house and burst through the door, slamming it back shut and locking it before I rush straight for my room and push my dresser in front of the door.
Relieved, I slide to the floor in front of the dresser. I got away, but I felt this pain in my chest simultaneously. It felt like a heart attack. Oh lord, now you’re going to kill me, seriously? I take a deep breath, calming myself.
The howl sounds out again. It’s close, and I can feel the pain in it. Makes me nauseous. I feel the bile rising and hurry to my bathroom.
Sliding across the floor in front of the toilet, I toss up whatever I have in my stomach, which isn’t much since I haven’t eaten for those few days. So mainly, it’s just the bit of water that Sia threw in my face. Okay, I’m exaggerating. Not that much went into my mouth.
I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand, then flush, not thinking that maybe wolves could hear even a pin drop in a pile of hay.
“Shit!” I breathe. Stupid! I scold myself.
I head to my closet, grabbing some fresh clothes in a hurry. I didn’t want to wear Cree’s anymore. It makes me feel like I owe him or something, but that asshole didn’t even feed me. So, what did I owe him exactly?
As I lift Cree’s shirt off, his scent slaps my senses. My heart speeds up, and I feel anxious like I need him. I want him.
“No,” I tell myself aloud. “Stop being weak.”
I grab a long-sleeved shirt and some jeans that have rips in the front, put on my converses, grab a jacket from my computer chair, and then inch my dresser away from the door.
The lump in my throat causes me to swallow hard and hesitate. The hall is empty as I open the door. I run for the stairs straight to the kitchen. I need water and possibly food.
Yanking the fridge open, I grab a water bottle, but there’s no food. So, I go to the cupboard, find a bag of Cheetos, and pop the bag open. The air escapes from the bag, sending a yummy cloud of cheese dust in my face. I grab a hand full and scarf down a few before turning towards the living room, finding Cree sitting on my couch.