The Werewolf’s Bride: The Pack Rules #1 (11 page)

“Okay.” She looked us over. “You guys look like hell. Try to get some rest. Your friend’s in good hands.”

“Thank you,” said Grey.

W
E SLIPPED
INTO
the back seat of the Mercedes. Sam turned around and offered me a plastic bag. “The gas station was attached to a souvenir shop,” he said. “I found a T-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops. They didn’t have a big selection, so I’m afraid you’re stuck with Vegas tourist apparel.”

“Thank you,” I said. “That was very thoughtful.”

“Good thinking, Sam,” said Grey. He patted my leg. “Go ahead and change, sweetheart.”

I looked at him, horrified.

He lifted an eyebrow. “What?”

“I can’t just … just change.” I lowered my voice. “I’ll be naked.”

“Oh. Well, don’t worry. Sam won’t look—will you, Sam?”

“No, sir.”

Grey smiled. “See?”

“What about you?” I asked in a furious whisper.

“Oh, I’m gonna look,” he said. “Let’s go, Sam. Stay off the Strip if you can.”

“No problem.” He pulled out of the clinic’s parking lot and began winding the Mercedes through the back streets of Vegas.

I took the items from the plastic bag, which included a mini-hairbrush and a scrunchie. God bless, Sam. My hair must’ve looked a true fright if he’d thought to pick up the tools needed to fix the mess. Either that, or he understood the love-hate relationship most women had with their hair.

I spied a pair of pink-stripped runner’s shorts that would probably cover my derriere—if I was lucky. I shimmied them on under my nightgown and put the flip-flops on my feet.

Grey stared at me, a smirk hovering on his lips as I tried everything to not get completely naked. Finally, I had no choice but to draw the blue silk over my head. My heart thudded in my chest. I’d been naked with him only hours before, but my skin heated as my upper torso and breasts were exposed to Grey’s greedy view.

“Do you need any help?” he asked huskily. His gaze roved over me with such heat, my nipples beaded and my skin prickled.

“No, thank you,” I said primly as I tugged on the black baby doll shirt. The graphic, glittered with pink and white crystals, proclaimed, “I Lost My Heart in Vegas.”

Well, I nearly had. No thanks to Rick.

“Nothing like truth in advertising,” I muttered. I stuffed the nightgown into the bag. Then I used the hairbrush, drawing the bristles through my tangled locks until my hair was smooth enough to wrangle into the scrunchie. I tossed the hairbrush in with the tattered nightie and put the bag onto the floor.

“You’re beautiful, Arabelle.”

I looked at Grey, my first instinct to argue with his compliment, but in his eyes I found sincerity. He looked at me as though I was the most revered art piece at the Louvre. How could I allow my womanly insecurities to ruin his praise?

“Thank you,” I said. “You’re very sweet.”

He looked away, staring out the window for a long moment. He turned once again to face me. “If Kelt is successful and becomes alpha of the Shadow Pack, I’ll become an outcast—or I’ll be killed.”

My heart turned over in my chest. “Killed?”

“I’m an alpha, Arabelle. Some are born to the privilege—and others take it. Kelt is trying to take it. If he succeeds, pack law is on his side. If I’m not strong enough to repel his attack and keep the reins of Shadow Pack leadership, I’m no better than a scruffer. I’ll lose the respect of those I’m supposed to protect and lead.”

“He won’t win,” I said.

“If he does … you will not have to honor your obligation to me,” he said. “In fact, you should take your family and disappear. I’ll give you the funds you need. It’s the only way to ensure that you and your loved ones stay safe.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Grey must’ve been truly rattled to consider the possibility that the Shadow Pack would accept a liar, betrayer, and murderer as their alpha. Someone who took leadership by force intended to rule by fear. The pack would do as Kelt said, as he demanded, because otherwise they risked their lives and the lives of their families. Kelt was a despot. With him at the helm, the Shadow Pack would become as chaotic and fractured as the Blood Pack.

“You’re my husband,” I said softly. “I stand with you.”

“You’re brave and strong. Your duty and integrity guide your decisions. You are amazing.” His gaze offered me such tenderness. “But, sweetheart, if Kelt wins he’ll make sure that neither one of us sees the light of day again.” Grey cupped my face and swept his thumb over my jaw. My flesh tingled where he touched me. “I’m giving you your freedom. You can go somewhere—anywhere you like—with your parents. Return to school. Live the life that Carolyn stole from you. Fall in love with someone of your own choosing.”

If I had gotten this offer a mere two days ago, I might well have grabbed onto it and ran, never looking back. Yet, I’d had a taste of the life that could be mine with Grey. I had mated with him, and I was bound to him not only in body, but in soul. He was a good man. He’d rather let me go and suffer the consequences of Kelt’s betrayal alone than risk my life.

But that risk, that choice was mine. And not even my alpha husband could take it from me.

“I stand with you,” I said firmly.

He stared at me for such a long time I began to squirm under his scrutiny. Finally, he let go of me. “You have the heart of a werewolf, Arabelle.” He pulled out his cell phone. “Call your parents. Tell them to get out of town and go to the Drift Resort in Vegas. They can stay in my suite, and I’ll arrange for Pearson Security to send a bodyguard to ensure their safety.”

My parents didn’t answer their home phone, and with panic creeping across me, I tried Mom’s cell phone. My mother picked up on the second ring. “Arabelle! Where are you? Are you okay?”

“I’m with Grey,” I said. “Are you and Daddy all right?”

“Yes. We’re holed up at Aunt Lila’s with some of the other townsfolk. We initiated the emergency phone tree, but only a couple of dozen got the warning. The werewolves are holding everyone else at the library. What’s going on?”

The fear in my mother’s voice chilled me to the core. She was whispering, and I had a vision of her hunkered down in some dark room with other scared families, waiting for help.

“Mom, I love you. Everything’s going to be all right. Now, give Aunt Lila the phone. Grey needs to speak with her.” As I handed him the phone, I noticed my hand shook. I threaded my fingers together and laid them in my lap. I knew Grey had noticed the tremors, and I was glad he hadn’t said anything comforting. I felt like the smallest act of kindness might shatter the courage I’d knitted from ragged remnants. However, I would punch him in the face if he said another word about severing our marital bond.

What Grey couldn’t understand, what I didn’t really understand myself, was that he was my only buoy in this raging storm. I clung to him because I knew he would save me—from Kelt, yes, but also from loneliness. The ache that had been part of my life since Carolyn’s suicide had disappeared the moment I lay in Grey’s arms. I could have no more an adventurous life than one lived as the mate of an alpha werewolf.

These were the thoughts that swirled in my mind, useless really, but I couldn’t fathom what would happen in the next few hours. I was terrified for my parents—for all of Bleed City. And for Grey—Grey who had the most lose, including his own life, if Kelt wasn’t stopped.

Kelt wasted no time taking control of the small town and its citizens. He’d already rounded them up like war criminals. The fear I’d been attempting to hold at bay spiderwebbed through my chest, making it hurt. What if Kelt didn’t stop with the Shadow Pack? He’d been plotting with the beta of the Blood Pack … what if Kelt attacked them next?

What was his ultimate goal?

As I wrestled with my own thoughts, Grey spoke in a low murmur to Aunt Lila. He finished the conversation and pocketed the phone.

“Several werewolves loyal to me escaped the compound and managed to get to Aunt Lila’s. They saved as many townspeople as they could before Kelt started rounding them up. It’s a goddamned mess.”

“What are we going to do?”

“Everything we can.” Grey looked at me. “I want to tell you all will be well. I want to give you comfort.”

“I prefer the truth,” I said. “Comfort has its time and place, of course. But now, now we need to assess, plan, and implement.”

“You’re a practical woman.” He leaned over and whispered, “I find that a very sexy attribute.”

My face burned with embarrassment.
Mercy!
I really needed to get used to Grey’s compliments, no matter how ribald. He was my husband, after all. He chuckled as he placed his hand over my clasped ones. “We’ll get through this, Arabelle. Now, why don’t you rest? No one will be sleeping much once we get to Bleed City.”

I didn’t think I would get even a wink, but I underestimated my own mental and physical exhaustion. It seemed that Grey’s suggestion to sleep was all that I needed as I leaned my head back and closed my eyes.

In no time at all, I’d drifted off.

I
DREAMED OF
the ocean
. I’d never seen the Pacific—never gone outside the borders of Nevada—yet I stood on the beach, my toes digging into cool, wet sand. Night clung to the water and to the sky, clutching both in slippery black folds. A curl of moon hung in the midnight sky, the only light in an otherwise stygian world.

I stared into the distance, waiting. For what, I wasn’t sure.

The ocean began to churn and the ground beneath my feet shook. There came a horrible, screeching roar and in it, the cries of a familiar voice.

Grey.

Noooo! Sweetheart! Arabelle!

I awoke to Grey reaching across me and unsnapping my seatbelt. He shoved open the door. “We have to go. Hurry!”

I barely had time to process that the car wasn’t moving before Grey pushed my shoulder to get me going. I scrambled out, the flimsy flip-flops nearly tripping me. Grey clambered out of the car after me. I could see now that the Mercedes had not stopped of its own accord. The luxury vehicle rested at an angle across the two-lane highway, the front tires flat. In the driver’s seat, Sam slumped over the steering wheel.

“Sam!” I moved toward him, but Grey hauled me back.

“He’s dead. They shot the tires and then him.”

My stomach pitched.
Oh, Sam.

Grey grasped my hand and tugged me along. I pulled out of his grip. “I have to get Colt’s sword.”

“I’ll open the trunk.” Grey ran to the driver’s side and reached through the busted window.

I went to the rear of the Mercedes. The second the trunk popped open, I reached inside and grabbed the sword and the black leather scabbard. Grey took the items from me, and together, we walked quickly away from the Mercedes and into the bleached unknown of the Nevada desert. By the time we stopped, the road we’d left behind was only a dark squiggle in the dirty sand.

“The shots came from a distance—probably a sniper stationed in the cliffs waiting for us. Damn it! Kelt knew I’d come back here the minute I figured out what he was doing.” Grey made a gesture for me to turn around. I did so and he cinched the sword’s holder over my shoulders. Then he slid the blade inside. The tip of the sword stopped just short of my tailbone, and the large inlaid handle rested against my head. Once again, I noted that it wasn’t as heavy as I thought a sword should be. While wearing it on my back was uncomfortable because it didn’t fit well, at least I could bear the weight.

I turned around and saw my husband stripping off his clothes.

“I’m going to shift,” he said as he tossed his shirt to the ground and unbelted his pants.

“Grey, why aren’t we dead, too?”

“My assumption is that Kelt wants to assert himself as the new alpha by killing us in front of the pack. Sam was shot after the car stopped. He was taken out.” Anger stuck to Grey’s tone like hot tar. “Kelt’s out for blood, Arabelle. He won’t settle for making us outcasts.” In seconds, Grey was completely naked. “Enforcers are probably on the way. We’re not far from Bleed City, but it’ll take me at least half an hour to get to Aunt Lila’s. As soon I become wolf, get on my back—and hold on as tight as you can.”

I’d seen werewolves, of course. You couldn’t live in Bleed City without seeing one or two lope through a street or behind a building ever now and again. But I’d never seen one fully shift.

Grey dropped to all fours, and I immediately saw fur ripple down his hunched back. His knees buckled inward and his calves shrank into the thick, furred legs of a beast. A large tail unfurled like a flag from the end of his spine. Then his face lengthened into a massive maw, and his bones clicked and clacked as his handsome human face assumed the shape of a very, very large wolf with gray-blue eyes.

When the transformation was complete, I was staring at my alpha husband in his purest form.

Werewolf.

His silvery gray pelt gleamed like found treasure even in the faint light of the half moon. The black stripe on his head was the only splash of contrasting color on his gorgeous hide, as though someone with a paintbrush had playfully swiped at his fur.

Grey was as handsome in this form as his other. However, I’d seen smaller horses than the massive creature that stood before me now.

He looked at me, tilting his head and uttering a sharp bark. I didn’t need to speak wolf to understand that meant, “Hurry!”

I grabbed at his scruff, my elbows and knees digging into his flesh as I scrambled onto him with no grace at all. I balanced across his back, pressing my legs in at his sides and clutching his thick fur. “I’m ready!” I cried.

Grey took off.

He set a crazed, supernatural pace that made me afraid to do anything but hold on as tightly as I could. Wind snapped at my face. Sand bit at my ankles. My flip-flops became instant casualties, and the sword handle bumped against my skull with a painful rhythm. Though we were headed toward the fight of our lives with the dire hope we would arrive in time to save those we loved, I couldn’t stop the thrill that raced down my spine and settled into my belly like balled lightning.

I felt fierce.

The wild blasts of dry desert air forced tears from my eyes. I closed them against the assault. I lay against Grey, my face buried in his neck, as he raced through the bleak Nevada landscape.

Would we be able to save my parents and the other citizens of Bleed City? Who among the pack was still loyal to Grey? And the biggest question of all: Could we defeat Kelt?

G
REY STOPPED RUNNING
.
I opened my eyes and pushed myself into a sitting position. I had no idea how much time had passed, but I did recognize the area. He crept forward, nose raised to sniff the air. We were headed toward a jumbled set of boulders that looked like a giant child’s discarded toys. The stones abutted a colossal red cliff. This was the primary landmark that signified the southern border of Bleed City.

Grey crouched, bunching his muscles and emitting a low growl. Seconds later, I saw what got his dander up. Another werewolf slunk around one of the massive rocks. It was smaller than Grey and had fur the color of dark roast coffee. The wolf stopped a couple of feet away and bowed, its head touching the ground in complete submission.

Grey barked.

The wolf raised up, but kept its head lowered, and then it turned around and trotted away. Grey took off after it.

The wolf led us around the rocks to the towering escarpment, slipping into a large crevice hidden by boulders. As Grey cautiously followed, I tightly held on to his fur, my heart tripling its beat as we descended into cool darkness. The crack immediately widened into a large cave, a fact I only knew because torches lit the interior.

Mac sat on a flat rock, his attention riveted to a map spread on the ground between his feet.

He looked up as we arrived and caught my gaze. He didn’t exactly look sorry about kidnapping me and giving me to Rick as a blood penance. I slid off Grey and stepped away. The coffee-colored wolf had already begun a transformation into a human female. When she was done, she crouched on the floor, her curtain of curly brunette locks giving away her identity.

Neela.

She rose to her feet and strode to a pile of clothes near Mac. As Grey resumed his own human form, she efficiently dressed in the leather attire she seemed to prefer.

“We brought you some clothes, Grey,” said Mac. He avoided my gaze, and in fact, seemed to be pretending that I wasn’t here at all.

Neela scooped up a folded pair of jeans and a black T-shirt, which she tossed to Grey. My husband dressed in silence, no doubt assessing the situation carefully. Were Neela and Mac our friends…or our foes?

Neela’s gaze roved over me, lingering on my dirty, bare feet. “You need shoes.” She grabbed the silver-chained black boots she hadn’t yet put on—and handed them to me.

“I can’t take your boots.”

“I can shift. You can’t. These are heavy—there’s steel in toes. If you kick anyone, it’ll hurt ‘em.”

“Okay.” I really wanted to kick her
and
Mac, but I kept that thought to myself as I put on the boots. They were two sizes too big, but still better than bare feet or plastic flip-flops.

“How did you get out of prison, Mac?” asked Grey. He hadn’t yet approached the beta. In fact, he hung back, away from the two werewolves. I stayed near him, ready to spring out of the way if he needed to throw a punch.

“I let him out. He was the only one I could trust,” said Neela. “My father has his claws into nearly half the enforcers.”

“And the rest?”

Her expression turned bitter. “Dead, imprisoned, or with the few humans who escaped the round-up.”

“You chose me over your father?” His question held doubt, suspicion.

“
Father
,” she spit. “He lost that privilege when he decided to go against the alpha. Against the pack.”

“We’re both loyal to you,” interjected Mac.

“Are you?” asked Grey. “You handed over my bride to the Blood Pack. You sanctioned her murder.”

“Blood for blood,” snapped Mac. He got to his feet, slowly, his head bowed submissively, but his hands clenched into fists. “Besides, I was convinced that Arabelle killed Murdock, too. I believed my daughter.”

“Your daughter?” Grey bared his teeth. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“A youthful indiscretion more than nineteen years ago. The child was not born a shifter, so I didn’t claim her before the pack. Her mother raised her as a human with no knowledge of her heritage.”

“Until Kelt told her.” Neela’s gaze flicked to me. “Mac’s daughter was the witness who testified against you for Murdock’s death. Of course, I didn’t know that at the time.”

Murdock. He was the enforcer who’d been killed before the Choosing ceremony—his murder and the circumstantial evidence linking me to it had gotten me imprisoned.

“She was also one of the brides,” continued Neela. “Her name is Cacie Lynn.”

My knees almost buckled. Cacie Lynn was my friend. Just a naïve, clueless girl who thought being engaged to a werewolf was the epitome of her life.

“Cacie Lynn is Mac’s daughter?” My voice held tears. Grief and disbelief cascaded through me. Cacie Lynn had betrayed me? It made no sense. “Why would she accuse me of murder?”

“Because she thinks she’s in love with my father,” snapped Neela. “He recruited Cacie Lynn months ago, around the time he started all this insane plotting crap with Rick. Then you came along and screwed up their plans, first by killing Cody, and second, by being chosen as the alpha’s mate prior to the Choosing. Before that, they were determined for Grey to choose Cacie Lynn as his mate.”

As Grey’s wife I wanted to ask why they believed Grey would pick Cacie Lynn. Did he prefer blondes? The jealousy pricked at my pride, but I put it away. I could hardly indulge in such petty emotions when so much was at stake.Right now, we needed to focus on our survival and our plan to defeat Kelt—who was a far more nefarious individual than I’d previously thought. He made the murderous Rick look like a newborn kitten.

“Cody’s death was supposed to be laid at Grey’s feet. The Blood Pack alpha is an unstable, vengeful bitch. She would’ve gone after Grey with everything she had,” added Mac.

“And Kelt’s enforcers would’ve led him right to slaughter,” I said softly.

“Exactly.” Neela started pacing. “Then when Grey was killed in revenge for Cody’s death—Cacie Lynn would take Kelt as her husband.”

“What difference would that make?” I asked.

“If the alpha dies while still in the leadership position, tradition dictates that his mate can choose a new spouse. And that spouse would be considered the interim alpha,” said Grey.

“All it would’ve have taken was a pack vote and my father would be named alpha. He had a spotless record of service—he was respected. Beloved.” Neela choked out the words. She pressed a fist against her mouth, and her eyes glittered with tears I knew she would never shed.

“If it had gone down that way,” said Mac, “Kelt would’ve been alpha with no fuss, no muss.”

“And your daughter would be the alpha’s mate,” I accused Mac. Grey’s arms tensed around me, as though he feared I would break free and attack his ex-beta.

“No! I had no part of this! I didn’t know about Cacie Lynn’s involvement until Neela told me. I swear, Grey.” Mac’s gaze sought forgiveness from his alpha. “Kelt came to me and said he’d been contacted by the Blood Pack’s beta. When I talked to Rick, he told me if I turned Arabelle over to them for penance, they’d consider the matter closed. Damn it, Grey! She killed their alpha’s mate. I didn’t want a pack war!”

“You’re a fool. Kelt used you to get rid of Arabelle and keep his plan in motion,” said Grey. “Whether he took the Shadow Pack through peaceful or forceful means is irrelevant. Kelt wants war for the same reason that pathetic asshole Rick wanted war. He wants power. He wants to dissemble the current pack system and rebuild it his way.”

“Everything I did,” said Mac through gritted teeth, “I did for the pack. I made the hard decisions because I knew you couldn’t!”

“Is that what you’re telling yourself?” asked Grey quietly. “That you lied to protect the Shadows? That you betrayed me because I wouldn’t give my wife to the Bloods?”Anger unfurled in each word he uttered. Grey tensed, and this time it was I who held on to him. It seems we both wished to pummel Mac. “You kept your daughter a secret—even from me. I’m the alpha, but more than that, I am—I
was
—your friend. You aren’t even worthy of being beta. When this is over, you will pay for your mistakes.”

Mac nodded. A muscle ticked in his jaw. I didn’t trust him. For that matter, I didn’t trust Neela. What if they were colluding with Kelt and planned to lead us into a trap?

“My father’s in Bleed City,” said Neela. “They’re rooting out the people who’re hiding.”

“Has he gotten to Aunt Lila’s place?”

“Twice,” said Neela. “Nobody’s there.”

“They were taken?” I asked.

Neela lifted an eyebrow. “There was no one to take. Her place was empty.”

I didn’t understand. I had just talked to my mother and she’d said they were holed up at Aunt Lila’s. Had they moved elsewhere? Had they decided to flee?