Pack Alpha (2 page)

“Yes?” she asked.

“Marissa Boyd?” the young man asked.

“Yes.”

“I have an overnight letter for you,” he said.

“From who?” Why would anyone send a letter through a service that would cost so much?

The kid glanced down at the notepad in his other hand. “It’s from an Elizabeth Boyd in Texas.”

Her sister. Now Marissa was really curious. “Okay,” she said, reaching out for the envelope.

“I need you to sign this, please.” He offered her the clipboard with a pen attached by a string.

Marissa smiled as she signed her name quickly then handed it back. The young man passed her the envelope. It was pretty light so it didn’t seem to have anything big in it. “Thanks,” she murmured but wasn’t really paying the delivery kid any more attention. She closed the door and shook the package.

“Everything okay?” Chad asked from the kitchen doorway.

“Hmm,” she responded distractedly, starting to tear open the package. She shook out a smaller envelope. The paper was made from high quality stock with her name and address written beautifully. She would know her sister’s writing anywhere.

Marissa dropped the envelope onto the coffee table as she walked toward the window. She thought she heard Chad say something but she didn’t respond. Instead, she shuffled the letter from one hand to the other. Until she opened it she could ignore whatever Elizabeth had to say. Good or bad. Not that she didn’t love her sister, but no news was usually the best news. Elizabeth currently lived with a Pack and she was happy so there was no reason for her to write a letter when she could just call. They tried to speak on the phone every few weeks but never saw each other anymore. Marissa refused to visit and Elizabeth had a good job and a boyfriend, not allowing her to find the time to come to California.

“Here we go,” Marissa muttered then tore open the back of the envelope. She pulled out the heavy card and flipped it over.

We cordially invite you…

Marissa stared at the printed words. She was doing it—finally, Elizabeth was taking a mate. When Elizabeth had moved to Texas it was because she’d met Greg. Greg was also a teacher and they both worked at a local elementary school and had been dating for several years. Marissa had known that this day would come, but she still had several emotions running through her.

She was jealous and that wasn’t fair to her sister. Marissa was also happy for Elizabeth and hoped she would be able to show that.

In the ten years that they’d been separated from each other, Marissa had encouraged Elizabeth to follow her dreams, whether with her career or when she’d met Greg. Elizabeth needed to go for what she wanted, and it seemed she was finally
getting
what she wanted.

Just because Marissa would never have the life she craved didn’t mean that she wanted Elizabeth to suffer any longer. For as long as she could remember, Elizabeth was always paying for Marissa’s sins. Luckily Elizabeth had gotten away from the Pack they had been born into. Once Marissa had left, it’d opened the door to Elizabeth being accepted into another Pack.

Inside the invitation was a folded up piece of paper. Marissa opened it to find a handwritten note.

Marissa,

I know this won’t be easy for you but I need you here with me to celebrate the ceremony. I won’t do this without you. I know I’m asking a lot but I hope you can spend a few days with me to help me prepare and be with me when I say my vows to Greg. Don’t say no. Please come.

With all my love,

Elizabeth

Well shit, how could she say no to the only thing Elizabeth had ever asked for?

“You okay?”

She jumped when Chad joined her by the window. Marissa dropped her hands but didn’t let go of the letter or the invitation.

Chad nodded to her hands. “Bad news?” He’d dressed and had even put on his shoes. She guessed this was the end of their fun. Oh well, she really wasn’t in the mood any longer and she had some thinking to do. Instead of answering him she only shrugged.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

Then he surprised her by leaning forward and kissing her forehead. She wasn’t used to such an intimate gesture. She closed her eyes for a moment to hold in the warm feeling.

“Thanks,” she whispered.

“I would like to see you again,” he said. “I left my number on your counter. I hope you’ll call me.”

She nodded, really not sure how else to respond. Maybe it wouldn’t be too bad to date a human. She stayed away from relationships because she craved a shifter but had to settle for a human. It was better to just have one-night stands than not be able to give her partner one hundred percent of herself. Or that was what she’d always believed. Perhaps she needed to change her way of thinking. At least she wouldn’t be alone anymore.

“Take care of yourself,” he told her. “And call me.”

Marissa watched as he walked away. Damn, the man really did have a nice ass. Too bad they’d gotten interrupted. With a sigh she turned back to the window. Using her heightened sight she could see the waves crashing against the sand on the shore. It was peaceful but her thoughts weren’t. She had to start making plans to go to Texas next month.

Fucking Texas
.

Chapter One

Marissa took a drink of the coffee she’d picked up at the last gas station. The hot liquid burned her tongue and tasted like sludge. It wasn’t Starbucks, that was for sure, but she didn’t expect any different in the middle of fucking nowhere. She had flown into Texas International Airport and rented a car to drive the rest of the way to the small town her sister called home. And small town was giving the place a lot of credit. The entire area between El Paso and the Panhandle was made up of tiny towns that even if they were combined wouldn’t be as big as Dallas. There wasn’t even a mall for at least another three hours. Not that she wanted to go shopping but it would be nice to have options. It was still a shock to her how excited her sister Elizabeth had been about moving here, but looking at the passing scenery of trees, trees and more trees, Marissa didn’t get it. What could anyone like about the middle of nowhere? No buildings, other cars, or people around.

Rolling her window down and turning Bon Jovi even louder on the stereo, she concentrated on the drive—not the reason for coming. She dreaded going into Pack territory, but Elizabeth was the only family she had left, and, after finding her mate, Elizabeth wanted Marissa there for the mating ceremony.

That thought brought a smile to Marissa’s face as she glanced at the invitation on the seat next to her. She wanted Elizabeth to be happy, and Greg sounded like a nice guy. She’d spoken to him numerous times on the phone, and he’d always been respectful toward her. And that wasn’t common. A were who couldn’t shift was an outsider. And everyone except Elizabeth had treated her that way her entire life.

Marissa had left the Pack she’d been raised in as soon as she could. Never to set foot in any Pack territory again. That was until later today. Elizabeth, on the other hand, had stayed until she’d met Greg, a member of a different Pack. They had met during one of the few conferences Elizabeth had attended. After the initial meeting, Greg’s Pack had offered her a teaching position at the elementary school and she had taken it. He had been courting her ever since with the blessing of her new Pack Alpha, Gage Wolf.

Seriously, Elizabeth’s Alpha’s last name was Wolf.
Could he have not come up with anything better? Maybe tried to hide what he was?
Marissa just knew that Gage was going to be an arrogant, cocky, infuriating man. She was not looking forward to meeting him. Greg, however, she was actually excited to get to know.

Marissa chuckled, thinking of everything Greg had done to win her sister’s heart. He’d known he’d wanted Elizabeth and had patiently waited. It had taken Elizabeth a year to agree to the mating ceremony, but she finally had. Marissa knew one of the reasons Elizabeth had been holding off was because of her. Elizabeth was a good person, and, even though Marissa had told her numerous times that Elizabeth needed to live her life as a full shifter, the guilt still hit Elizabeth.

Sometimes Marissa thought her non-shifter status was harder on her sister than herself. Marissa wasn’t good enough to belong to a Pack but Elizabeth still tried to get her interested in that kind of life. It had added stress between the two of them until Marissa avoided Elizabeth’s calls most of the time. That was probably why Elizabeth had gone the route of private messenger.

She hadn’t meant to let so much time to go by without talking to her sister and Marissa always intended to return her messages, but life seemed to get in the way.

It didn’t help that Elizabeth really didn’t understand how Marissa felt about things.

Marissa had the same instincts as any other were and with that came the need for a Pack, but she had given up on that a long time ago. She’d grown up alone and would always remain that way—in the middle, between a shifter and a human. She had many gifts due to her genes—the extended lifespan, the wolf traits and some enhanced features—but not enough. Elizabeth thought Marissa could belong with her. Elizabeth was wrong and Marissa really hoped that she would concentrate on her ceremony and not nag her.

Marissa would put everything she had into this week and the ceremony that meant so much to her only sibling. Even if she would rather have been anywhere else. But she did love Elizabeth, she looked up to her sister, and had to push down the bit of jealousy that she always felt.

The differences between her and Elizabeth had grown as they had aged. That was why Marissa had never visited Elizabeth’s new home. She wasn’t scared of being in Pack territory, she just didn’t want to face all the males and their egos. And from what she understood, the Pack’s Alpha or leader, was pretty young himself.

When around other wolves, the female wolf inside her demanded that she mate with one of her own kind. So, as long as she avoided everyone except her sister as much as she could and kept her urges inside, everything would be okay. She would not act like the wolf she couldn’t shift into.

And if the Alpha was anything like her old one, she’d just tell him where to stick it. The idea of telling the Alpha of a territory to go to hell made her smile wider and laugh harder. She wasn’t seventeen anymore. She wasn’t a scared little girl who had to follow everything someone told her. No, she was a grown woman. And she was going to enjoy the time with her sister.

She wasn’t dressed to impress the Alpha or any men in the territory as she currently wore a pair of hip-hugging jeans and a tight pink T-shirt. The paint on her toenails matched the color of her shirt, as did the flip-flops. It was a far cry from the suit she wore every day as an office assistant. She felt free.

As much as she avoided being around shifter territory, her wolf craved the chance to run free. She would be on two legs instead of four but, after months inside the bustling crowded streets in a city, Marissa hoped to get a couple of private moments in the woods.

When she almost missed the turn-off to the territory gate, she jerked the wheel sharply to the left. The back of the car skidded around and kicked up dirt. Laughing, she straightened the car and slowed her speed. She didn’t think Gage Wolf would be happy if she took out a couple of trees.

Why did this Pack located in the middle of nowhere need a fence and a guard station?

She reached the gate and rolled to a stop to wait for the guard. He didn’t disappoint. A man over six feet came over to the window then leaned down, smiling at her.

“Can I help you?” he asked in a husky voice.

She took a deep breath and smiled back. If all the men were this good-looking, she would have her work cut out for her trying to keep her distance. They’d flirt and tease with her, and she’d have to be strong and resist, because as soon as they knew her secret, she wouldn’t exist any longer to them. And no matter what she said to herself, the rejection always hurt.

“I’m Elizabeth Boyd’s sister. I need directions to her house, please.”

His smile didn’t change and he nodded. “Give me just a minute.” He winked then headed to the guard house and picked up the phone.

Marissa watched his ass flex under the tight pair of jeans he was wearing. At least as he made his call she got to enjoy the view.

The guard glanced over his shoulder at her and she waved. Yeah, she was still here and wasn’t going anywhere. He was no doubt checking with the Alpha to make sure she could come in and play. With her own sister, no less, Marissa thought bitterly.

She kept her face friendly and her thoughts to herself as he came back to the car. “Problem?”

“Not at all,” he said, shaking his head, and gave her directions to her sister’s house. “My name’s Steve if you want to get together later,” he added.

Not in this life
.

“Hmm, we’ll see.” She was careful not to commit to anything he could hold her to later. The laws of the Pack were much different from the laws where she lived. Marissa knew them all and had only ever broken one.

Shaking that unpleasant thought from her head, she drove through the gate. Looking back into the rear-view mirror, she saw Steve standing with a smile on his face.

“Down, girl,” she told herself. “This is Pack territory.”

The gravel crunched under her tires as Marissa made sure to keep her speed slow. She wasn’t going to give anyone any reason to mess with her.

The grounds of the territory were absolutely beautiful. Thick, dark green grass went on as far as she could see. Behind a row of houses, tall and healthy trees rose up toward the sky. At least the property was pretty. Maybe she would enjoy herself just a little.

* * * *

Gage Wolf hung up the phone in his study and glanced at the clock. Elizabeth’s sister had made good time. When Elizabeth had told him she wanted her sister here for the ceremony, he’d thought it was a good idea. He’d still not met the young woman but he’d asked about Elizabeth and her entire family when Greg had first brought up the option of Elizabeth joining the Pack.