Pack Alpha (3 page)

He remembered the conversations he’d had with Elizabeth about her sister when he was first considering accepting Elizabeth into his Pack.

Elizabeth was protective and worried about her younger sibling. He understood it must have been hard for a non-shifter to grow up, but he didn’t get why Marissa refused to see her sister.

And that, he knew, was the main reason Elizabeth had held back on the ceremony for so long. Gage was determined not to allow Marissa to hold Elizabeth back from what she wanted. And she wanted Greg.

At the knock on his door, he looked up. His second-in-command, Logan, poked his head in. “I’m taking off now.”

Gage nodded.

“Want to go for a run later?” Logan asked as he opened the door wider to lean against the jamb.

“I’ll be going by the Boyd house tonight,” Gage told him, watching his friend and Pack member smile.

“I don’t think you’ll be the only one.”

“What do you mean?”

The mischievous twinkle in his eyes was unmistakable. “Steve might have mentioned to a few of the guys how hot she is.”

Gage shook his head. Steve hadn’t wasted any time if Logan already knew. Gage didn’t need further complications. “She’s not here to mate.”

Logan laughed. “Well, that may be beside the point.”

“She doesn’t need to be bothered.”

“Well, who is to say it would bother her? She is a were.”

“Yes, but still…” Gage wasn’t sure why he already felt protective toward her. His best guess would be that Elizabeth had shared the secret of her sister not being able to shift and how it still affected her. While it wouldn’t be a problem to his Pack members, he didn’t want the girl overwhelmed with attention. Like most men, male shifters loved the chase of attracting a mate. They could just be more direct in their pursuit.

“Well, then you might want to get over there.” With that, Logan turned and left.

Cursing, Gage stood then followed his friend down the hall. Gage cut through the living room to exit from the sliding door in the study. As the cool night air hit him, he rolled his neck and shoulders. A run would have probably been a good idea. It had only been a couple of days but he loved to shift into his other form. It gave him the freedom that he didn’t get in his normal day-to-day life. All day long he was answering questions while at the same time his shifters had everything they needed. It was nice to let the wolf reign for a while. Not that he wasn’t fully aware of what he was doing or his surroundings when in his shifted form. He just couldn’t answer questions without the ability to speak.

Gage hurried down the curved path that would take him from the Alpha house to some of the other homes. He needed to set the ground rules down for his Pack toward this woman but first he needed to warn Marissa of the chance of having quite a few men at her tail. He hoped in the time she’d been away from her Pack and on her own that she’d found contentment. Gage worried about any ill effects from this stranger being in his territory on Elizabeth. Greg and Elizabeth deserved happiness.

Gage walked up to Elizabeth’s attractive two-story house a few minutes later. Before he could ring the bell, the door opened and a young Pack member walked out onto the porch.

Gage stepped aside to let the man pass. Jeff looked surprised to see him before quickly dropping his eyes.

“Alpha.”

Gage nodded his hello and strolled through the open doorway and right into the middle of a conversation in progress.

“I’m going upstairs to unpack. If you have any more visitors, tell them to come back in a week. I can’t believe they all need to come by right now to congratulate you on your mating ceremony.”

“That’s not what this is about and you know it,” Elizabeth said calmly.

“Well, I’m not a circus freak show!”

He hadn’t gotten a good view of Marissa but he’d clearly heard her frustration. They really should have figured this would happen and done their best to prevent her being bombarded by eligible men.

Elizabeth stood with her back to him, her hands clasped tightly behind her, and sighed. She stiffened and he knew he’d been scented. She turned and faced Gage with a surprised look on her face.

“Gage,” she greeted.

He wasn’t certain if it was in welcome or not. He could practically feel the tension coming off her.

“I didn’t know you were coming by. I mean, I thought you might, but with so many…” She looked nervously around her.

He only lifted an eyebrow. “I take it you’ve had a lot of guests?”

Elizabeth didn’t appear amused. “Yeah, and it’s driving her crazy. I’m sorry. I don’t know where my manners are. Please come in.”

Gage entered the living room, immediately taking in the new scent and the others mixed in with it. He could have named the wolves that had stopped by. There was only one smell he didn’t recognize, and that had to be Elizabeth’s sister.

His nostrils flared as he inhaled the fresh wood and spice smell that had his body immediately coming to life. He knew that if her scent was so alluring he was going to have his hands full keeping the available wolves away from her.

“I’ll go get Marissa.”

Gage laid a gentle hand on her arm. “I’ll go up. I need to talk to her privately.”

Elizabeth seemed uncertain for a moment, shifting on her feet and glancing upstairs.

“I just want to welcome her, tell her a few things about the ceremony, and make sure she understands some Pack rules.”

Elizabeth nodded. He was sure she was worried about not only her sister but him also. Greg had mentioned the amount of stress that had been mounting.

“She… She’s not always the nicest.”

Elizabeth looked away when she said it, and Gage knew it wasn’t easy for her to be in between her sister and her Alpha.

Gage smiled and patted her arm. “Don’t worry. We’ll both be fine,” Gage assured her.

That seemed to console Elizabeth, and she nodded. “I’ll just be in the kitchen starting dinner then.”

Gage listened as he made his way upstairs. He could hear Marissa muttering to herself from down the hall.

He walked into the bedroom and stopped in his tracks. It was one of the most amazing sights he’d ever seen—her butt was sticking out from under the bed with her legs tucked under her. She moved from side to side and Gage felt himself growing hard.

He growled at the reaction, and she must have heard because there was a bang against the bottom of the bed, followed by another stream of curses.

She peered from under the bed, then crawled out, rubbing her head.

“What the hell are you doing in here?” she demanded.

“I was going to ask you the same thing. Do you always crawl under beds?”

Marissa gave him the once-over. Her attraction was immediate—he sensed it. Gage heard her heartbeat pick up and watched while she wiped her hands nervously on her pants. She shifted from foot to foot and he smelled her arousal. The stubborn look on her face told him she was going to fight it.

“Gage Wolf?”

Even though he was certain she knew exactly who he was, she’d phrased it as a question.

Gage nodded at the beauty in front of him. To say he was taken by surprise was an understatement. Where Elizabeth was pale and slender with blue eyes and blonde hair, her sister looked nothing like her.

She had long dark hair and crystal green eyes that were narrowed. It was quite obvious she didn’t like her attraction to him, but he couldn’t say the same. It had been a very long time since he’d felt this instant hunger.

“I am,” he answered her unnecessary question. “And you are Marissa.”

Marissa nodded, trying to swallow past the lump in her throat. His voice was deep and she could almost feel it wrapping around her. This reaction wasn’t good and she needed to get herself under control.

He was absolutely, positively the best-looking man she had ever seen. He was taller than she was—she’d guess over six-two. He wore black slacks and a button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up.

“Is there something you needed?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest, feeling defensive. She was too skinny, her hair was a mess, and she was tired.

Gage followed the gesture with his eyes, and Marissa blushed when she realized she had just brought more attention to herself.

“I came to welcome you to my territory as is proper for any Pack Alpha,” Gage said, taking a step closer. “And to go over some rules.”

Marissa stiffened at his words, although unsurprised by them. She could guess what rules he was going to make sure she knew. She’d heard them all her life.

“You were raised in a Pack?” he asked.

Marissa nodded a second time, though he was asking a question he already had the answer to. Elizabeth had already told her that Gage was aware of her secret. Marissa had not been happy with her sister but she could understand why Elizabeth had felt it necessary to tell him.

“I don’t expect things will be much different here,” he said.

Marissa didn’t either. “I understand,” she said, stiffening her shoulders and fisting her hands at her side.

“Do you have any questions for me?”

The pep talk she had given herself on the drive allowed her to speak calmly. “No, I don’t believe I have any questions about my behavior here. I assure you that I have no interest in your Pack. One week—seven days—I’ll be here. I think you can deal with it as I have to. Then I’ll be gone and you won’t have to worry about me corrupting your precious Pack.”

When she finished, something like surprise crossed his face briefly, and he growled. No one had probably ever spoken to him that way before. But Marissa wasn’t going to be intimidated.

When he took a step closer, she could sense the anger and confusion from him.

“I’ll warn you once about the way you talk to me. I don’t know how your Alpha reacted, but that kind of disrespect will not be tolerated here.”

Marissa didn’t tell him that she’d never been brave enough to talk to her old Alpha like that. Marissa backed up as the Alpha stepped closer.

“Also, I know how long you are here for. I know a selfish woman like you wouldn’t give up more than a week for the sister who loves her. Someone who has waited far too long to be happy because of you.”

His words stopped her retreat. “Selfish? You just called me selfish.”

Even with the smile that touched his lips, he didn’t look any less furious. “I did.”

“Well, let me tell you something, Mr. Wolf. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t love my sister. I wouldn’t set foot in this territory if it had not meant so much to Elizabeth. I gave my blessing to her a long time ago.” Marissa took a deep breath as she wound down. She realized she was explaining herself to him and, not wanting to give him any information he could use on her later, she quickly tried to cover her outburst. “Not that it’s any of your business.”

Marissa backed up until she touched the wall and Gage closed the distance between them.

“You do know who I am. My status here?”

Marissa didn’t trust the smooth smile or easy tone. “Yes.”

“So are you trying to piss me off? Any intelligent person would know better than to tell an Alpha a Pack member wasn’t his business or make the comments you have.” When he reached forward and grabbed her arm, it was too fast for Marissa to avoid. “I feel sorry for the troubles you must have given to your Pack leader.”

The electricity that flowed through Marissa’s body at Gage’s touch drew a startled breath from her. He must have felt it too, because he immediately let go of her. Marissa stared at him as neither spoke for several minutes. She grasped at anything she could say to make him go away.

“I don’t have a Pack leader. But I do know how to address the Alpha of a Pack who has been kind enough to let me visit. I apologize. My attitude and disrespectful comments were uncalled for.” Fear and uncertainty had her lowering her eyes to the floor in a submissive gesture. It galled her to show any submission to him, but his touch unnerved her.

She could feel his stare even though she wasn’t looking at him and barely stopped herself from shuffling her feet. The urge to run coursed strongly through her body.

“I accept your apology,” Gage said quietly. “I might not know everything you’ve been through but I do understand that you haven’t always felt welcome with our kind. I expect you to tell me if you have any problems. I’ll get the Pack to give you some space but you will have to interact with them.”

When he’d finally spoken, she’d been so surprised that she’d lifted her eyes to meet his. Why would he even want her to talk to them? She was confused and it was really hard to concentrate, having him so close.

For a brief moment she regretted what she was. A shifter unable to change, an abomination, someone who should have been drowned at birth. She’d come to terms with it a long time ago but Gage was making her wonder what could have been if she’d been normal.

This was why she hung around with humans. They couldn’t hurt her with their words and the fact that none of them would truly accept her.

“I’ll be on my best behavior,” she said softly. Maybe she wasn’t as badass as she pretended but no one other than herself and Gage would have to know that.

“Very well then. Now, I believe your sister is downstairs about to have a fit with us up here arguing, so I suggest we finish this another time.”

Marissa dipped her head in acknowledgment, relieved that he would leave now. Maybe he was just as unsettled as she was.

Gage walked out without another word to her. Marissa sat on her bed and thought about what had just taken place. She looked up at a sound in the hall and saw Elizabeth standing at the entrance to her guest room with wide eyes and a frown.

“Don’t start,” Marissa warned.

Elizabeth shook her head. “Gage is a nice man and a good Alpha.”

Marissa smiled even though she felt her face wanting to crack. “I’m sure he is,” she lied.

Chapter Two

Gage wasn’t surprised at the knock on his office door, though it did annoy him. Logan opened the door and walked in without hesitation. He grinned at Gage as he sat and lounged on the couch.

“What?” Gage asked, not in the mood for any more games tonight.