Trust (7 page)

“
Y
our mate is rather fierce
,” said Lark.

His pack mate was standing in the doorway, one hand on her hip and the other holding a slab of meat over her eye.

Alder gave her a reproachful look. “She’s not my mate. Not yet, anyway.”

He looked down at the female in question. Taylor was sleeping peacefully in his arms, her head resting against his chest. They had tended to her head wound. As he’d suspected it had appeared far worse than it actually was, but he was still too concerned to sleep.

They had arrived at his den a couple of hours back. He’d initially brought her into the lower chambers, his instincts driving him to keep her deep within his den where it was safe. Once Taylor had been patched up, he’d become much more reasonable and Lark had convinced him to take her to the upper chambers where it was brighter.

Morning sunlight filtered into the small chamber from fissures in the ceiling. Taylor’s face was turned into his chest and the light fell on the back of her head, illuminating her red hair.

“What did Hale do to piss off Silas?” Alder asked quietly.

In his relief to have Taylor back at the den, he’d almost forgotten the circumstances that had put them both in jeopardy in the first place.

“No idea,” said Lark. “He’s been gone for three nights now.”

That explained why Hale had yet to rear his head. It wasn’t unusual for his brother to disappear for days at a time, but it was always when Alder was there to look out for the pack in his stead. It pissed Alder off immensely that Hale would leave the pack leaderless for days.

“Are you going to leave us?”

Alder glanced back up at Lark, unsure what to make of the question. “Why would you think that?”

She nodded at Taylor. Understanding dawned on him.

Five years ago, when they’d set out to form their own pack, he had assumed that Hale would be the alpha. Although he’d had the size and strength of an alpha male, Alder had never been overtly dominant, not like Hale was. Alder had assumed that he would naturally fall into a beta position in their new pack. He hadn’t.

Without their older brother Cain to rein in Hale’s aggressive and impulsive nature, it had fallen on Alder to step up and be responsible for the welfare of the pack. Perhaps because of the bond they shared as twins, Hale had never resented Alder for taking dominant position in the pack. While it wasn’t something they’d ever fully addressed, they had somehow managed to fall into roles as co-alphas of their pack.

Alder couldn’t pretend taking a mate wouldn’t change things. Hale had a general dislike for humans and had never had any interest in taking a mate of his own. While he doubted his brother would challenge him for Taylor, Alder recognized that her presence would upset their dynamic.

Following his line of thinking, Lark said, “You can’t have them both. Not with the way Hale is…”

“I know.”

It didn’t matter if Hale was tolerant of Alder taking a mate, Alder would never be able to share the territory with his brother, not when he had Taylor, and eventually, pups to consider. He could never let Hale’s erratic behavior jeopardize his family.

Alder said, “If it comes down to it, there’s a small stretch of land outside of Cain’s territory. He offered it to me a few years back.”

“You never told me that.”

He frowned. “I never thought I would want to take him up on it.”

Taylor made a soft noise, turning her head to the side. She was still sound asleep, but a lock of her hair had somehow fallen into her open mouth. He pulled it away, tucking the strands behind her ear.

Looking down at her, he thought it was almost comical how much trouble she’d caused him in the few days since they’d met, and how much trouble she was bound to cause him in the weeks to come.

Lark sighed from the doorway. “I’ve never left the valley before.”

“I would never force you to come with me,” he said.

“Are you kidding?” she said. “This place will be a mess with Hale in charge. I’m going wherever you go, boss.”

His lips twitched. “We’ll worry about that later. For now, go clean up the cabin.”

Once they were alone, Alder found himself absently stroking Taylor’s hair. She might have been trouble from the start, but for the first time in years, he felt like he was doing more than just going through the motions. He felt that with her, he would have a future.

I
t was
difficult for Taylor to want to wake up. She was warm and cozy and her pillow smelled amazing. She tried to burrow her head deeper into it, but came up against a sharp pain that had her eyes flying open.

“Ouch,” she said hoarsely, her hand moving to her forehead.

Something caught her wrist. Taylor blinked several times before Alder came into focus. Forgetting the pain for a split second, she smiled up at him.

“Hey, you,” she said.

His eyes were full of affection, and she almost wanted to look around to see if there was someone else in the room. But those blue and gold eyes were focused squarely on her. It scared her. It thrilled her.

“Don’t touch,” he instructed, placing her hand down. “You’ve already picked the bandage off twice.”

Alder reached to grab something from behind her. As he did, she looked around the room.

While it was clear to her that they were in some sort of cave, it didn’t look like what she’d imagined. She’d been picturing a dark hole in the ground, but the cavern was spacious, about the size of her bedroom, and well lit. It was also pretty clean looking, all things considered.

Alder handed her a plastic bottle of water and several pills. “Antibiotics and aspirin,” he explained.

Taylor thanked him, surprised that he had medicine readily available there. She popped them all in her mouth and took a long swig of water.

“How long was I asleep?” she asked when she was finished.

“I’m not sure. You fell asleep on the way. You were up for a little while once we got here, but you were asleep again before sunrise.”

It was strange being informed that she’d been awake when she didn’t remember anything from immediately after they’d escaped from the wolves.

Taking stock of her condition, it finally occurred to her that she was in Alder’s lap. There was a thin sheet that had bunched up around her waist, but the entire top half of her body was bare and exposed. Her hands reflexively flew to cover her chest.

Alder placed his large hand over hers. Her cheeks burned as he peeled her hands back, revealing her chest. His index finger traced the white scar that ran from her collar down to her stomach. The older she got, the smaller it seemed to become, but today it felt large and glaring.

“What happened?” he asked.

Taylor had known the question was coming. When she was younger the long answer that involved her medical diagnosis and a list of her surgeries had been well rehearsed. But then, some time around high school, she’d figured out how to strategically dress so that the scar remained hidden. Back then, she’d told herself that it was only because she was tired of explaining the scar—definitely not because she was insecure about it—that it made sense to cover it up.

She doubted that Alder would understand all the medical mumbo jumbo, so she simply said, “I had a bad heart, so the doctors took it out and gave me a new one.”

She chewed her lip as she waited for him to respond.

“That’s remarkable,” he murmured, still tracing the scar. His eyes flickered up to hers. “Are you better?”

For now.

“Yeah, I am.” Hesitantly, she asked, “Does it…bother you?”

His hand flattened over her heart. “No.”

Taylor felt her pulse quicken and she knew he could feel it as well. Feeling emotional, she quickly sought to change the subject.

“So, where are we?” She playfully wagged her eyebrows. “Is this your den?”

Though he seemed reluctant, Alder accepted the change of topic. “It’s part of it.”

Setting her aside, Alder sat up and stretched. He was wearing a pair of blue jeans, and as he stood she noticed there was a large bulge in the front of them. Her mind wandered back to the day at the river, when she’d seen him in all of his naked glory. He had wanted her then. Would he still want her now?

There was a stack of fabrics by the doorway. Alder grabbed something off the top and tossed it to her. It was a simple lavender dress, short but with long sleeves, made of some sheer material. It struck her as strange that he had such a feminine article of clothing lying around his den.

Hoping she wasn’t coming off as weird and possessive, she asked, “Who does this belong to?”

“One of the females in my pack,” Alder replied. He was leaning against the wall, watching her through tired eyes.

As she quickly slipped the dress on, it occurred to her that he’d said ‘my pack’. He could have just been making a generalization, but something about the way he’d said it made her think otherwise.

“Are you some sort of leader? Like an alpha wolf?”

Taylor remembered that he’d used the term when referring to Silas, the big scary wolf from the night before.

Alder nodded. “My brother and I lead the pack together.”

“The one who taught you how to start a fire?”

Taylor moved to stand, but noticed that her ankle had been bound with ribbons of cloth. Wiggling it, she could feel that it was sore, but it didn’t seem too bad off.

“A minor sprain,” Alder commented, coming back over to sit beside her. “Should be better in a few days if you stay off it. And no, not that brother.”

Alder took one of her legs into his warm hands and began massaging her calf. It was completely unexpected and she would have been embarrassed had she not been enjoying it so much.

“How many brothers do you have?” she asked.

Alder said, “A lot. Mostly half-brothers sired through my father.”

His thumb hit an exceptionally sensitive nerve and she couldn’t stop the moan that escaped her lips. When she was brave enough to look his way, she could see him grinning.

“How does your head feel?” he asked as he moved on to her other calf.

She hadn’t even remembered it was injured. “Not too bad. Just a little bump, I guess.”

He cocked a brow. “You don’t remember getting stitches?”

“You gave me stitches?” she asked incredulously. “Wow, I must have been out cold.”

His eyes dancing with amusement, he said, “You seemed very aware of what was happening. You punched Lark.”

“Who’s Lark?”

“I am!”

Taylor let out a yelp of surprise as a woman materialized in the doorway. The first thing Taylor noticed about her was her eyes. They were big and brown and one of them had clearly been punched. Taylor cringed as Alder admonished the newcomer.

“How long have you been standing out there?”

Lark shrugged. “I was waiting for the appropriate time to make an entrance.” Her eyes moved to Taylor, her brows drawing together in sympathy. “But I can tell by your reaction that my timing was off after all.”

Realizing that Alder was still rubbing her legs, Taylor blushed and lightly whacked his hands away. “N-No, you’re fine.”

Alder gave her a funny look, but didn’t comment.

Lark walked over to them, extending her hand to Taylor. “Gotta pee?”

“Yeah,” Taylor said, accepting the help up. Alder stood as well.

Winking at her, Lark said, “Come on. I’ll show you my favorite bush.”

She tried to pull Taylor from the room, but Alder cleared his throat, prompting Lark to stop in her tracks.

“Are you okay to walk?” he asked Taylor.

She nodded, secretly happy that he was concerned about her.

Turning his attention to Lark, he said, “I’m going to head down to rest for a few hours. She can’t be on her feet for too long. Make sure she eats something.”

Lark was already ushering Taylor from the room again. “I’ll take care of your female, don’t you worry, boss.”

As they entered a shadowed passageway, she heard Alder call out, “She doesn’t eat meat.”

“No problem!” Lark yelled back, her voice ricocheting off the rocky walls.

Taylor had been almost excited to get up and out of the room, but as she walked down the passageway she began to feel uncomfortable. Lark seemed friendly enough, but the fact remained that she was a lone human, walking in a den of wolves.

“
Y
ou’re going
to love our den,” Lark said as she guided Taylor through the passageway.

Lark was walking at a speed that was uncomfortable for Taylor, but she didn’t want to come across as whiny so she did her best to keep up.

“Have you seen many dens?” Lark asked.

“Can’t say that I have,” Taylor replied, narrowly avoiding a low-hanging stalactite.

“Ours really is the best. So, Alder tells me you’ll be staying with us for a while.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Taylor said.

She wasn’t sure how much Alder had told them about her. Considering the fact that Lark seemed so congenial, he probably hadn’t mentioned that Taylor was a fugitive hiding out from the FBI.

Lark said, “You two seem close.”

Taylor could tell Lark was fishing for information. Alder must not have told her much after all.

“I was in a tight spot. Alder helped. That’s really all there is to it.”

It was one of those times when Taylor found herself lying for no apparent reason aside from feeling awkward. Whatever was going on between her and Alder, it was all too new. She wasn’t ready to declare them as being in any sort of relationship.

Lark seemed disappointed. “Oh. Well, I suppose now that you’re living with us, there’ll be plenty of time for romance.”

Before Taylor could figure out how to address that, they turned a corner and the passageway opened up into an expansive cavern.

The cavern looked like a massive tunnel. Light flooded the room, pouring in from a vine-covered opening. Grass grew all around the entrance, tapering off towards the darker end, where it was replaced by green moss. Walkways ran all throughout the room, leading to various small passageways.

“This is the heart of the Halcyon den,” Lark said. “Every tunnel and room in the entire mountainside starts here.”

“We’re inside a mountain?”

Lark snickered. “Where else would a cave be?” She snatched Taylor’s arm. “This way.”

“What do you mean by the ‘Halcyon’ den?” Taylor asked as they set out down a narrow walkway. Someone had taken the time to carve steps into the stone.

“Our pack is the Halcyon pack,” Lark explained. She smiled, revealing a gap between her two front teeth. “All the best packs have names.”

Looking around as they walked, Taylor asked, “Where is everyone?”

“Most of the wolves are nocturnal. They’re sleeping right now.”

Reaching the mouth of the cave, Taylor could hardly believe her eyes. The view was breathtaking. As they climbed down the walkway that led down the mountainside and into the valley, Lark pointed out the landmarks, giving both informational and odd commentary.

At the center of the valley was one giant lake. According to Lark, it was actually two lakes that were separated by a thin strip of land. In late summer when the rain was heavier, they often flooded together. Apparently, the southern end of the lake was much better for skipping stones than the northern side.

Beyond the lakes and deeper into the valley was the Mistwood or Misty Woods; Lark seemed to use both names interchangeably. Late at night, mist from the lakes and a nearby river settled over the woods, which made them easy to get lost in. It was a great place to find quail eggs.

What Taylor found most interesting was Mount Ezra, which bordered the valley ten miles to the east. The mountain that had yesterday been the bane of her existence looked like a blue-green hill beside Halcyon Mountain. She couldn’t believe Alder had carried her all the way from the top and back to his den in one night.

After she’d relieved her bladder, Taylor expected to return to the den, but Lark had other plans. They headed into the valley, veering off the path and into a field.

“Do you like strawberries?” asked Lark.

Taylor gave an enthusiastic nod. “I love them.”

“Fantastic,” Lark said, motioning towards the ground. “I was worried I’d have to eat all of these before the end of the month.”

Looking down, it took Taylor a few moments to realize what she was looking at. On the surface it looked like a field of green weeds, but upon closer inspection she could see the little red fruits hidden beneath the leaves.

“They’re going to start rotting, come September,” Lark said. “None of the predators will admit to liking them, though I have seen the foxes picking at them when no one’s watching.”

“There are foxes here? Like, shifters?” Taylor asked, bending down to pick one of the strawberries. They were much smaller than the kind she used to buy at the grocery store, only a little bigger than marbles.

Lark flopped down onto the ground, indiscriminately picking a handful of strawberries. “There are all kinds of shifters in the valley. Wolves, foxes, hawks—there are even some bears, but their den is half a day’s walk from here.”

“But the rest of them all live in the Halcyon den?” Taylor asked, sitting down as well. She popped one of the strawberries in her mouth. It might have been small, but it had a potent sweetness.

“Yup,” Lark said, talking while chewing. “Most of us have lived in the valley all our lives.”

“Isn’t it weird, having all sorts of different shifters living together?”

Lark shrugged. “Mostly everyone keeps to their own kind and minds their own business. If anyone tries to start a fight, Alder will put them in their place.”

That sure put things into perspective. Alder wasn’t just an alpha wolf. From the way it sounded, he was in charge of the whole valley and everyone in it. She could hardly believe that her life had collided with such an important man’s and she hadn’t even known it.

“So, Alder mentioned something about you staying in the cabin,” Lark said. She was looking down now, picking at the strawberries with much less gusto.

“Oh, yeah. Can we go see it?”

She’d completely forgotten about the lakeside cabin Alder had told her she could stay in. Excitement filled her at the prospect of being able to stay under a roof again.

Still looking down, Lark said, “Wouldn’t you rather stay in the den?”

“No way,” Taylor said. “Caves give me the creeps.”

Larked looked disappointed at that. “Well, the thing about the cabin is, it used to belong to a pack member’s mother. She died last winter.”

“Oh,” Taylor said, frowning. “That’s awful.”

“No, it’s not like that,” Lark said, waving her hands. “Nobody liked her. She was really mean.”

“Oh,” Taylor said again. “Well, then…”

“You see, the thing about the cabin is, after Old Fay died, Holly—that’s her daughter—wanted to burn it to the ground. She didn’t like her mother very much, either, but that’s beside the point. Anyway, Glenn and I—Glenn’s my best friend—we asked Alder if we could have the cabin to store a few things. Alder said no, so we asked Hale—which you should never do, by the way—and Hale said he didn’t care, so we’ve kind of been putting a few things in there every now and then.”

Taylor had been content to munch on strawberries while Lark rambled. When she realized Lark was finished, she said, “That’s fine by me. It’s not like it’s my cabin or anything. I’m just happy to have a place to stay.”

Lark’s shoulders sagged with relief. “Good, good. I asked Glenn to clear out a few things, in case you decided to stay there. Do you want to come see it?”

“Sure,” Taylor said, popping the last handful of strawberries in her mouth.

Lark got up and helped Taylor to stand. “The cabin’s this way,” she said, pointing towards the lake. “Oh, can I ask you a favor?”

“Don’t tell Alder about the stuff in the cabin?” Taylor guessed.

Lark gaped at her. “How did you know?”

Taylor grinned. “Just a hunch.”