We arrive at Soren’s house, and a guy comes out to greet us. He’s the same height as me with ash-colored hair and gray eyes. His power is that of an alpha, so I assume he’s probably Soren’s second-in-command. What piques my curiosity is the hint of jealousy that emanated from him when Dany came to stand next to me.
“I’m Archer,” the guy announces, extending his hand to me.
I shake his hand. “Micah.”
Archer’s lip tilts up slightly, almost in a smile but not. “Nice to meet you.”
“Same.”
Archer peers over at Dany, giving her a genuine smile. “Do you want to get a drink with me?”
Returning the gesture, Dany nods. “Sure. I’d like that.”
The light in Archer’s eyes magnifies, and he smirks at me when Dany leaves with him to go into the house.
Stark places a hand on my shoulder and chuckles. “Archer didn’t like you being close to Dany, did he?”
“Not at all.” I laugh.
“Eh, don’t sweat it. Archer wants Dany to be his mate. He keeps waiting for the signs to show.”
We stroll into the house, and I glance over into the kitchen where a group of six women are drinking their wine. The scent of their need permeates the air, and I can see in their eyes what they desire. They don’t want the men in their pack.
Stark leans in close. “Just fair warning, the men are protective of the women in this pack. Don’t fuck around with any of them.”
“I wasn’t planning on it.” It’s the last thing on my mind.
Stark shrugs. “Not unless one of them turns out to be your true mate.”
“Now that I’ve found you and you’re all happy here, I probably won’t stay long.”
He claps me on the back. “Stay as long as you like.”
We walk around the house, and Stark introduces me to all the wolves in the pack. There are about thirty of them in the place, but I know there are more outside. The feelings I get are a mixture of awe, jealousy, curiosity, fear, and even anger. With an outside wolf around, a royal at that, there’s going to be some hostility. I’m in their territory.
Once I have a beer in hand, Stark and I venture outside, away from everyone, just in time for Soren to pull up in a patrol car.
“Is he a cop?” I query.
Stark nods. “More like the Chief of Police.”
Soren gets out and comes over to us. “Hey. Glad you could come,” he says, shaking my hand.
“Is everything okay? Where’s Rae?” Stark questions him.
Soren lets out a long puff of air. “She’s staying with Amanda for a little while. Her soon-to-be ex-husband freaked her out, showed up at the house drunk, and beat on the door. His brother’s going to drive up from Crawford in the morning to pick him up at the station.” He pats Stark on the arm. “I need a beer. I’ll be right back.”
Soren saunters off, and I watch him disappear inside of the house. The ominous feeling I had in the forest is back with a vengeance. In my mind, a vision plays out involving several black wolves with Faith screaming in the background. It’s as if I lived through it, only I don’t remember being in that situation. I’ve never been around a pack of black wolves, and here with the Black Hills pack, there’s only one. So I don’t understand where it’s all coming from.
“You all right, brother?” Stark asks me, peering at me with concern in his eyes.
Instead of answering, I bring up another question. “What do you like about being here?”
Stark takes a swig of his beer. “South Dakota’s nice. It’s not exactly the place I thought I’d settle down in though.”
“You can always come to the Royal pack,” I put in.
With a heavy sigh, Stark looks around and lowers his voice. “I’d love to, but I have to stay.”
“Why?”
He nods toward the house. “Dany doesn’t want to leave Rae. I’m her protector. I’m Rae’s, too, but now that she’s found her true mate, she wants me to step aside. Some days I don’t feel like I can.”
Hearing that makes me smile. “I know what you mean. Faith was ready to break free from me. I was the one who couldn’t let go.”
Stark gazes up at the moon. “Rae’s not of my blood, but I love her like she’s family. She and Dany are all I’ve had for the last seventeen years. I have to stay with her.”
I finish off my beer. “I understand.”
The door to the house opens, and Soren strolls out. I sense something’s not right here, but it’s not the time or place to address it. All I know is that I’m not leaving until I’m sure my friends are safe.