Becca smiled in pride. Her father may stick to his guns but he would also make sure that his Pack was taken care of.
A knock on the door interrupted any further discussion. Eric stood and glanced at his watch.
“That should be the guy the council and Brandon Stratton sent.”
Becca leant forward so she could see the door while Eric opened it.
And almost fell right off the couch.
The man that entered was just that breathtaking. Dark hair, a tanned, pleasant face with a goatee and wide shoulders.
He screamed military and she could immediately see why the council would have thought he’d make a good fit to the Pack. The man glanced around and she could see him take everything in while scanning the room.
She flushed remembering how much of a pain she had been when her dad had told her about him. Because looking at him now she could think of several activities they might have fun at.
Her father stood and she followed suit.
The man shook Eric’s hand before moving to the Alpha.
“Alpha Nelson, it is a pleasure to meet you. I’m sorry it is under these circumstances, though.”
Her father nodded. “Yes, but I am glad to finally meet you. I have heard wonderful things about you and the work you did for the military.”
Military. She knew it!
Mmm, yes—he was the perfect picture of a dominant wolf and she could see how that would have been an asset for any military unit.
Her dad cleared his throat and she realised she was practically undressing the man in front of her in a room with her dad and his two top men.
She blushed but held out her hand.
“Mike Jackson. It’s nice to meet you, Ms Nelson,” he greeted.
“Call me Becca, please,” she said, relieved when her voice came out normally. She wanted to purr for him. To rub up against him. She felt her wolf part ripple with excitement on the inside.
Her dad put an arm around her shoulder and steered her back towards the couch. She also caught Eric and Kenny’s amused expressions.
“Let’s have a seat and then we’ll get you settled into a room,” her dad stated.
Mike sat in one of the chairs across from her dad’s desk so Kenny sat next to her on the couch.
“Real smooth there,” Kenny teased.
She elbowed him, already embarrassed.
He covered up his chuckle with a cough when her dad glanced over at them.
She listened in as her dad caught Mike up on everything that had happened in the last several weeks.
Mike listened intently to her father so she enjoyed looking at him. She’d have to send Nikki Stratton an email later and get all the dirt on this Mike guy.
It wasn’t that she was desperate for male company or anything, but it had been a long time since she had felt instant attraction to anyone.
And if the look Mike had given her when they’d shook hands was any indication, he might be up for some fun too.
Mike tried to concentrate on the Alpha but his attention was actually on the Alpha’s daughter. She sat over in the corner next to the shifter who’d been introduced as the head of security.
They sat too close for Mike’s comfort and he wondered if they were an item. He quickly dismissed that idea as he remembered how she’d obviously checked him out.
When the Alpha shared his concern that he or his daughter might be a target, Mike could barely hold back his growl. He accepted the file that Alpha Nelson pushed across the desk at him and glanced through it. There were pictures and profiles of eight men inside.
“These are a few Pack members that I think could be involved. Kenny worked up the files, so any questions you can get with him on.”
Mike nodded. It looked to be good work.
“Kenny also has a few friends he trusts that have agreed to come here and discreetly check them out.”
Mike understood what the Alpha didn’t say—men that they probably would not see. They’d be doing their search out of the view of public.
“While you're here, we would like you to introduce yourself to them and get your own feel.”
Mike tilted his head in acknowledgement.
“But first priority is Becca.” He waved over to his daughter and Mike finally had the chance to look at her again.
She couldn’t have been taller than five three or so. She had long black hair tied away from her face. He couldn’t say what exactly drew his attention to her over and over—the warm smile, the happiness in her gaze, or just the way she carried herself. For whatever reason, he was instantly attracted.
She squirmed in her seat as the attention turned to her.
“And you, Dad. You’re still the biggest target.” She tried to focus the interest back on him.
The Alpha just smiled. Mike liked the obvious caring between daughter and dad. He wanted to help the Pack and not just because he was attracted to the Alpha’s daughter.
Luckily, he knew someone who could give him the inside information on Becca. Nikki would be more than glad to help in order to protect her friend.
“I’d like to look around a little bit before it gets late,” Mike said to the Alpha.
The Alpha nodded. “Kenny will give you a tour of the property. If you have any questions he should be able to answer them, or I’ll be working in here for a while yet.”
Mike stood and shook hands with the Alpha once again. He was glad that Kenny would be showing him around. He wanted to know more about these
friends
that were looking into the Pack.
He followed Kenny but glanced over his shoulder at Becca and was pleased that she continued to watch him. He sent her a small smile, which she returned.
Mike and Kenny walked down a long hallway, through what looked like a living room then out a glass patio door.
“We have more territory than a lot of communities. Everyone is pretty spread out here. It gives us more privacy and independence than some of the Packs I’ve been to. Most everyone appreciates that.”
Mike understood what he was saying. Since his friends had started to settle down with their mates he had got an up close view of how many Packs functioned.
“There are no gates, no walls, to keep the Pack separate,” Kenny continued. “Alpha Nelson likes to stay available.”
“That also makes it more difficult to protect him,” Mike noted.
“Yeah,” Kenny agreed. “It’s been one of the biggest issues I’ve had to deal with. My Alpha is taking the threats serious but he still refuses to even consider staying inside or having a fence built to help with security.”
“He wants to show strength,” Mike commented.
“That and he would actually prefer for anyone to come after him than target someone else in his Pack. The destruction of the buildings is hurting the Pack. But there are only so many buildings. When will they go after the Pack members?” Kenny added.
Mike respected that. It showed the Alpha cared about his people.
“We’ve had eight families move into the guest houses. All have small children we’re concerned about. What if these monsters go after the kids?”
Mike felt a growl rumble through his chest—his wolf wanting to protect. It was an instinct that had always helped him in the past.
While most shifters only ran or changed form maybe once a week or even less often, Mike shifted almost every day. His wolf was strong and he wanted to keep in shape, in both forms.
They walked around, going over weak spots and where trouble might come from. Kenny wouldn’t say much about his friends. Just that they were wolf shifters and had been in the military. That they would watch out for everyone.
Mike could understand why Kenny was keeping things close. He knew the brotherhood that came with a team. It was the same for him, Casey, RJ and Jesse. But Mike hated not having all the info.
When Kenny led him to his bedroom, he noted his bags were waiting for him on the bed.
“I’d like to shift and run later. Will that be a problem?” he asked. It was proper etiquette to ask while in another territory.
“No, the good thing about us is that you can shift anytime. We are so far from anyone who isn’t a shifter that no one will think twice about seeing a wolf. Of course nowadays people would love to see it, but no one comes this far out. Not even lost tourists.”
“Good,” Mike responded. “It’ll help to also see the property as my wolf.”
“The kitchen is always open. Just help yourself to anything you want. Alpha Nelson has someone come in and cook breakfast from seven to eight, lunch from eleven to one, and dinner is at five. But the fridge is always stocked with sandwiches or something if you miss a meal or just want a snack.”
“I appreciate it,” Mike told Kenny and they shook.
“Oh!” Kenny pulled out a sheet of paper from his back pocket. “Here are some phone numbers for the Pack. If you need anything just give me a holler.”
Mike closed the door after Kenny had left and walked around the room, familiarizing himself with his surroundings. It was a nice room. Deep cherry wood furniture that was both sturdy and comforting. His room had a large king size bed, dresser with a TV on it, and two end tables. There was an attached bathroom so Mike picked up his small tote and set it inside the small space. He would shower after he’d shifted.
He wandered over to the window and pulled back the curtains. One thing was for sure, he had a gorgeous view of the mountains. It was colder than what he was used to but Mike found the territory to be very welcoming. Kenny hadn’t mentioned anything about Becca, but Mike hadn’t got any ‘stay away’ vibes either.
He was still itching for a run, so he decided to go ahead. He quietly left his room and strode down the hall to the same patio door he and Kenny had exited earlier. In the short time he’d been inside, the temperature had dropped by several degrees. His wolf wouldn’t mind, though.
He went in the opposite direction of the guest houses—he didn’t want to meet up with anyone else just then—past a swimming pool, a small but well-kept playground for the children, and what looked like another guest house, just a little bigger than the ones he’d seen earlier.
Mike moved through the thick dense trees until he felt the calmness of the woods. It was even chillier once he was surrounded by the large foliage and he started to strip. He loved nature. He stood completely naked and took a deep breath. Faint traces of other wolves were apparent but he didn’t sense anyone around right then. He dropped to his hands and knees and began his shift.
In seconds, he stood and shook before trotting off.
Chapter Three
Becca finished folding the last of her laundry, placing the shirts in a pile on top of the dryer, and sighed. It had been a stressful day and it seemed to finally be catching up with her.
The appearance of Mike Jackson had really made it hit home that they were in trouble.
What she couldn’t figure out was, why come after her Pack? Was it the publicity they had received?
Their Pack wasn’t the biggest, the richest, or the strongest. It also wasn’t the weakest. They were more in the middle. She’d met several other Packs that it would have made more sense to direct the threats and attacks towards.
One of the strongest Packs was in West Texas and the Alpha Gage Wolf was one of the best known shifters in the world. There was even talk about him joining the Alpha council when his father retired. And Alpha Wolf was mated and had a young child, who he would protect with his life—with everything he had. So maybe whoever was doing this was smart by not going after that Pack.
But then there was Lamont’s Pack. Lamont’s youngest son, Tony, was the head of the committee that had been instrumental in the shifters going public. Going after them made more sense than messing with a Pack located in the middle of nowhere, and without a lot of power in the shifter world.
It frustrated her to no end that what might have saved the Pack—public knowledge of them being the first in existence—could be their downfall.
She grabbed the clean clothes and went to the bedroom. She put the laundry away and caught sight of the curtains blowing in the breeze. She’d left the window cracked, loving the smell of fresh air travelling through her house.
She stepped closer and gazed into the night.
It was home. Even though she didn’t live full time on the property, she still had her own cottage. She rarely took long assignments or ones far away anymore and never considered living anywhere else.
Luckily, she had the support of her father. No matter what happened she was always welcome back. It had been a hard few years after her mother had been killed, but because of that she had a strong relationship with her father, one she knew many of her friends were envious of. When she was younger she’d often wondered if her dad would still be around when she was an adult. So many wolves followed their mate in death. But her dad was a strong and wonderful leader and she was proud that his Pack always came first.
He’d always supported her career choices. When she had started out and had taken jobs to different parts of the globe, he’d worried, but always happily accepted her home again. Being a nature photographer and photo journalist, she spent a lot of time in isolated places surrounded by animals and living things. It was a beautiful world out there but it could be scary too. Over the last few years she’d moved away from being a photo journalist and concentrated more on nature photography. She wasn’t going to let someone take that away from her or the Pack.
Inspired by the chance to spend some time in her own territory, she grabbed her camera off the desk and headed outside. She grabbed the hoodie hanging on the hook by the front door. Nights always got cold quickly around there.
Becca breathed in the scent of home while she travelled through the thick foliage. She knew the area like the back of her hand. She’d played in the woods as a child and had spent every summer swimming in the creek not far away. She decided she’d walk to the creek and take a few pictures of the moon reflecting from the water.
The area was alive around her. She could hear movement in the trees above her head as well as a far off howl. She shivered with excitement, feeling free and comfortable.
As she came around the footpath leading to the creek, she picked up another scent and her body instantly went on alert. An unfamiliar wolf shifter was near.