The Alpha's Ardor (4 page)

“He, uh, he won’t answer if he doesn’t know the number.

Neither of us will. It helps keep us safe, helps us hide.” Declan fiddled with the spoon in his rapidly cooling stew when he spoke.

“Then sit here, eat that instead of playing with it, and I’ll go get your bag. The less energy you use the quicker you’ll heal. If you rest you should be good as new in a day or two.” Law frowned suddenly, a dark look passing over his face. “You must have been in pretty bad shape for that wound to linger as long as it obviously has.

I’m amazed you were still able to outrun one of the Tricot betas for as long as you did.”

Declan almost told him that it was thanks to years of practice, that all of the time he and Lachlan had spent on the move had conditioned them to run without stopping. That their lifestyle had forced them to be able to outrun and outlast almost anyone they came across. Instead he nodded his thanks to Law and turned back to his food where he had to force himself not to tear into it like an animal.

It’d been a long time since he’d had anything that smelled even remotely as good as the stew did, and Declan wanted to savor it in case he didn’t get another chance. A part of him mourned the fact that Lachlan wasn’t there to enjoy it with him. He’d always been particularly fond of rabbit.

Law’s hand on the back of his neck suddenly caused him to tense before he could stop himself. All Law did was squeeze lightly for a second before he let go and then turned to walk out of the kitchen and back towards the hall where Trace was still waiting patiently. The beta was obviously able to hear everything that had just gone on, but he’d remained quiet and still. Right before he went through the doorway Law paused and looked back over his shoulder at Declan.

“Eat as much as you want, Declan, there’s plenty so don’t worry about not getting more, alright? Just eat and if you want more it’s on the stove.” Then he was gone.

Declan, slightly ashamed at having been caught, stared down at his bowl for a second before he shrugged. He picked up his spoon and started eating with an enthusiasm he didn’t normally allow himself to show. If Law was going to feed him, then Declan wasn’t going to look a gift wolf in the mouth.

Declan stared down at the phone in his hand nervously. Law had handed his bag to him the day before just like he’d promised, but Declan still hadn’t called Lachlan. Once he knew he was free to the urgency had faded a bit even if it didn’t go away completely. So instead of calling he’d eaten and under Law’s watchful, but not suffocating, eye had made his way back upstairs to the guest room that Law had gently told him was his. He’d collapsed onto the most comfortable bed he’d seen in his entire life and between one breath and the next he’d fallen asleep.

Now, late the next afternoon, after eating again and being grinned at from a distance by Trace while Law hovered over him, he still hadn’t called. Declan just wasn’t sure what to say to his twin, wasn’t sure how to put what had happened into words when he could still scarcely believe it himself. Finally, conscious of the way he could hear Law moving around in the room next door and Trace down the hall, he gathered his determination and dialed Lachlan’s number. He felt his breath rush out in relief when his twin answered on the third ring.

“Declan! Dec, are you alright?” Lachlan sounded frazzled and stressed and despite the seriousness of the situation the sound of his voice forced Declan to choke down a slightly shaky chuckle.

“Lach, I’m fine. I’m peachy.” There was a sudden silence on the other end of the line, and Declan knew that Lachlan understood.

Peachy was something they only said to one another when they were separated and there were other wolves around but they were momentarily safe. It wasn’t an expression they’d been able to use often. “Look, where are you? Are you safe?” It was the most important thing to Declan at the moment, the one thing he needed to know that would set his wolf at ease.

“I’m fine, Dec, I’m sunning it up. You know surf, sand, sun and seafood.” That meant he was somewhere dry, somewhere landlocked with a forest thick enough for him to go undetected. Most of all it meant he really was safe. Declan sucked in a relieved breath.

“Good, that’s good. What about the beta that was chasing you? Mine tailed me all the way up to Montana, Lach.” Declan knew Lachlan would put two and two together and would understand just what Declan was telling him. With the knowledge of other wolves and the mention of Montana, Declan knew Lachlan would understand just where he was.

“I hit a river and let it take me downstream a few miles. I got lucky, and he couldn’t track me after that. Seems like you got stuck with the smarter of the two.” Lachlan sounded vaguely amused.

“Well, they sent the smart one after the smart twin. Makes sense.” Declan couldn’t help but snipe at him.

“Fuck you. At least I’m the pretty one.” Lachlan laughed lightly before he abruptly turned somber. “Dec, if you need me, I can be there in a few days, three maybe four at the most on foot, less if I steal a car.”

Declan knew his twin was serious, knew he’d break their own rules in a heartbeat if he needed him to. Declan would do the same for him, had done the same for him in the past. Plus, he also knew that Lachlan’s three or four days was probably more like one or two, which put him a lot closer than Declan had expected.

“No. No, it’s alright. I’m safe where I’m at. Just, just lay low, okay? Stay sharp and stay safe, and I’ll call you back later. I’m not sure what’s going to happen, but I need you safe, Lach. You know that.” He knew he was practically pleading with his twin, but he couldn’t help himself. Law seemed genuine, and Declan desperately wanted to believe him, but he wasn’t willing to risk Lachlan, wasn’t willing to put him into any kind of danger that might pop up unexpectedly.

“Goddamn you, Declan, you have to stop doing this. You …

you can’t keep doing this to me, alright? I need you safe too; you need to be safe with me. Just, just let me come. We can, we can handle whatever it is together.” Lachlan sounded so upset that Declan could feel his heart break a little in his chest, but he wouldn’t give in.

“Lach, little brother, I’m safe. I swear I’m safe. Just do this for me, alright? Just hole up somewhere and be careful. Promise me, Lach. Promise on Mom.” He needed to know that Lachlan would listen to him, needed to make sure he wouldn’t rush for Flathead the first chance he got. Lachlan sighed loud and unhappy in his ear.

“On Mom, Dec. I promise. But you have to call me, Dec. One day without a call and I’ll hunt you down. You know I will. No matter what, man, it’s you and me, right? That’s how it’s always been.”

“Of course, Lach, you and me. I’ll call, I swear I will, just stay safe.” Declan smiled slightly as he spoke.

“Fine. I’ll talk to you later, Dec.”

“Later.” Declan waited a beat and then he pressed end on the call. They never said ‘goodbye’, hadn’t since the last time they’d seen their mother, when she’d pressed them against her chest so tight it hurt and whispered it into their ears. Declan tossed the phone onto the bed behind him and then leaned forward until he could rest his head in the palms of his hands. He hoped he was doing the right thing, hoped Law was sincere and this wasn’t a mistake.

A part of him was afraid that he was getting ahead of himself, that the way Law could put him at ease was affecting him, was clouding his judgment. He’d come across plenty of attractive weres, alphas and betas both, as well as other shifters and humans, but none of them had ever affected him the way Law did. None of them had ever made heat curl in his gut and want pool in his chest just by looking at them. He’d always been too wary, too cautious and aware of the fact that danger could find him and Lachlan anywhere to ever feel any real attraction to anyone.

But with Law, with Law it was like he couldn’t help himself.

His wolf had whined with want in the woods the day before, had urged him to submit and to try to entice the alpha despite the fear that had eaten away at them. It was a split sensation that he’d never experienced before.

Declan shook his head sharply to clear his mind and then fell back onto the mattress beside his phone. Law had told him to rest, had told him he wasn’t a prisoner and so far he’d kept his word, even if it had only been for a day. Already the claw marks on his side were healing at a pace that Declan hadn’t experienced in far too long, aided by deep sleep and being able to eat his fill. The healing made him drowsy, but that wasn’t a hardship either, not with how comfortable Declan’s bed was or how the clothes Law kept giving him smelled faintly of alpha.

So instead of questioning it any more, he let himself drift off to sleep, the late afternoon sun shining through the curtains of the room’s window.

Declan was pleased when he was finally able to get rid of the bandages after another two days of rest and healing. A day or two more after that saw him so well healed that there wasn’t even a scar to show for what had happened to him. Law had seemed particularly pleased about that, had made happy sounding noises in the back of his throat when he’d inspected Declan’s side for the last time. Declan had twitched and bit back a low moan when Law had rasped his tongue, hot and wet, over the place where the bear had clawed him and had then nuzzled the spot with a rough jaw before he’d pulled back and let Declan pull his shirt back down.

Declan had stared after him in confusion, barely able to resist the urge let his teeth lengthen or his claws to form as his wolf had immediately latched on to the gesture. It was one thing in a list of many that the wolf was sure said Law might want him the same way Declan wanted Law, despite the fact that they barely knew each other.

It was in the way that Law made sure to touch him constantly, and each time he did it like he was afraid Declan was going to break, like he was fragile in a way that Declan almost resented. Declan had never been treated like that by anyone and to have it happen now threw him off balance. The fact that Law provided for him, the way he was insistent that Declan ate and rested and was generally comfortable added to it. The alpha was protective as well in a way that didn’t escape Declan’s notice. He saw the way that Law would look on in amusement when Trace popped up to banter with Declan but was ready to snap and snarl at his head beta the second he thought Trace was out of line. It was especially apparent with the way that Declan could smell Law’s scent on his own skin. He went to sleep each night with Law’s scent wrapped around him like a cocoon because even though Law hadn’t been in the room the bed sheets still smelled faintly of him anyways. It was in the way that after only a few days Law was working his way into Declan like no one ever had before.

If Declan didn’t know better, he would think he was being courted. Declan forced himself not to think about it, not to let hope blind him to reality. Law had his pick of betas, male and female alike.There was no way he’d want someone like Declan, no way he’d pick a beta without a pack, one half of a pair that was constantly shunned by other weres. Declan knew it was true, but it didn’t stop his wolf from whining in want when he curled up to sleep. It didn’t stop the way Declan had started to wish he were bedding down each night
with
Law instead of in the next room.

The next few days passed in the same sort of peaceful daze.

Declan called Lachlan every night, sometimes during the day, and he couldn’t help but notice the way Law and Trace would suddenly appear within ear shot whenever he was on the phone. At first it made him suspicious, but after a few times he relaxed slightly. The other two wolves didn’t know where Lachlan was—they were both too careful to let that happen—and if anything they seemed almost amused at the way they liked to snipe at each other gently.

Trace in particular seemed especially interested in the calls, and after a few days stopped pretending like he wasn’t listening in.

Neither Trace nor Law ever said anything, barely did more than breathe when Declan was on the phone, so despite the fact that Lachlan always knew they were there their presence never disrupted the phone calls.

It wasn’t until Law called him into the living room one night and motioned for him to take a seat on the couch beside him that Declan got an inkling about what might actually be going on. To say it was a surprise would be putting it mildly. They were alone in the large house, Trace gone for the night and no one else around like always. In all the time Declan had been there he’d never met another member of Law’s pack besides Trace. He’d smelt them, heard them on occasion outside the house and even in the forest surrounding the property, but he’d never met them. He couldn’t help but wonder if that was deliberate. Couldn’t help but wonder if Law was finally getting rid of him, finally going to send him on his way. While a part of him was almost eager for it to be over with, eager for the pain to come and go so he could get back to Lachlan and put it all behind him, another part was desperate to stay.

“This house is huge,” Law stated suddenly, and Declan stared at him in surprise. That wasn’t how he’d thought the conversation would begin. “It’s huge, and it’s empty. You’ve been here for a while now, little wolf, and I know you have to be curious about the pack, about why you’ve never met them.” Law glanced at Declan out of the corner of his eye, and Declan could only nod in agreement. “The pack is huge, one of the largest in the country. We’re family, and we’re strong. But besides me and Trace, this house, the alpha house, is empty. The rest of the pack either have mates and families or prefer their own space. So it’s just us two here with all of these rooms and no one to fill them.”

Law paused and turned to look at Declan straight on for a moment before he turned and leant his back against the edge of the couch so he could stare up at the ceiling. The light from the television flickered across his face in the otherwise dark room, and all Declan could do was stare. Law was beautiful in a rugged sort of way, all tanned skin and hard-earned muscle, the perfect wolf. Just the sight of him was enough to have want like nothing he’d ever known curl its way through Declan’s body.