Alpha Instinct

“I should hunt him down.” This time he didn’t bother hiding the rage in his voice. Connor sounded as if he had gravel in his throat as he took a menacing step past her.

She grabbed him and squeezed. “Please don’t. It’s not worth it.”

His muscles flexed under her touch and his breathing was slightly erratic, but at least he stilled.

Looking behind them, she eyed the foreign wolves, then looked back at Connor and Liam. “What are you doing here? And who are they?”

The two men exchanged a guarded look before Connor spoke. “We heard about your pack.”

Suddenly wary, she took a step back. “What exactly have you heard?”

“That your father and your … mate”—he seemed to choke on the word—“were killed two months ago.”

Ana had never officially taken a mate, but she didn’t voice that aloud. There was no reason Connor needed to know. “My father and all the males of our pack were poisoned. And all the pregnant females too. My mother wasn’t pregnant, but she died anyway.” Of a broken heart, Ana was certain. It was as if her mother had just given up the will to live once her mate was gone. Even saying that out loud hurt more than Ana could describe, but she pushed past the pain. As current leader of the Cordona pack, she didn’t have time for self-pity.

“How and by whom?” he demanded.

“I don’t have answers to either of those.” Not that she hadn’t tried her damndest to find out who’d killed them. One day all of the males and the pregnant females in her pack had gotten sick, and days later they’d all been dead. Her father, two uncles and their pregnant mates, seven male cousins and their pregnant mates, and Ana’s own intended mate. And then her mother was gone too. Twenty-one members of their pack gone. Just like that. It had happened so fast. They hadn’t realized what was going on at first and by the time they did, it had been too late.

“What did our Council say?”

She snorted softly. “They’re supposed to send someone down to investigate the poisonings, but we’re apparently not very high on the food chain. Probably because we don’t have a lot of political pull now that we’re just a bunch of females.” She didn’t bother to hide the bitterness in her voice. She’d also been holding off on contacting the Council about Taggart’s vandalism. The Council would just view it as weakness and as proof she couldn’t run her own pack. If they found out he’d tried to attack her tonight they would no doubt swiftly and harshly punish Taggart, but the entire situation was a catch-22. Their help would come at a price that would likely mean immediate assimilation with another pack not of her choosing.

Connor stared at her but didn’t say anything. Silence descended over them, and she wished she’d kept her big mouth shut. She hadn’t seen him in a long time and didn’t need to announce her pack’s issues to him. Not to mention that she had a hundred questions—like why he was on her land—but wasn’t sure where to start.

“You cut your hair,” Connor said, breaking the awkward moment.

Self-consciously she raked her fingers through the shorter tresses. Her dark hair barely touched her shoulders now. The last time she’d seen him her hair had been at least a foot longer. She’d also worn bell-bottoms, tie-dyed shirts and tried to emulate Brigitte Bardot. Times had changed and so had she. She shrugged. “It’s been half a century. What did you expect?”

He reached out and fingered it. “I like it.” When his callused fingers trailed over her cheek, her breath caught in her throat.

Despite her desire to remain immune to him, she could feel her cheeks heat up at the statement. It wasn’t even a compliment. Not really. But her traitorous libido didn’t seem to care. It roared to life at those words. After years of being dormant, that’s all it took for her hormones to wake up. Three stupid words.

His hair was shorter now too. And so was Liam’s. Both of them looked liked they’d stepped off the cover of Soldier of Fortune. They wore black cargo pants and black, long-sleeved shirts and had military-style crops. But she didn’t comment. She didn’t want to stand around talking about how much they’d all changed. She needed to get back to her pack. “You said you heard about my pack, but are you just passing through?”

Again they exchanged a look. “Not exactly.”

She frowned at the nonanswer. “Listen, I need to get back. Do you have a place to stay tonight?”

They both shrugged noncommittally.

She bit back a sigh. She’d forgotten how infuriating they could be. “I’m assuming those wolves are with you and that they’re trustworthy. I’ve got two empty cabins that should be big enough to accommodate all of you. A couple of you will have to share rooms, but it’s a place to sleep.” There were more than enough beds and bathrooms for ten wolves.

Back when she’d known them they’d been lone wolves, so it surprised her that they had their own pack now. Connor was definitely an Alpha but he’d never seemed interested in a formal leadership role. And leading a group of shifters was a big responsibility. As she assessed the shifters she realized the smaller wolf hiding behind one of the bigger wolves near the back was female.

“The female can stay at my place unless she’s mated….” Her voice trailed off as the reality sank in that Connor could be mated. Hell, he probably was. What sane, single she-wolf wouldn’t scoop him up? Still, she didn’t scent anyone on him, so maybe not. I hope not. She gritted her teeth at the thought. She didn’t care. If she kept repeating it, maybe she’d believe it.

This time Liam spoke. “Thank you for the offer. Erin’s unmated, and I think it would do her good to have some female company. She’s had a rough year.”

Ana noticed that both Connor and Liam shifted uncomfortably, so she didn’t pursue the topic. She motioned back toward the riding trail that led to her ranch. “I walked here, so if you’re ready, we can head back now.”

Connor nodded and motioned toward the wolves. They paired up in twos and fell in line behind them. Maybe it shouldn’t have surprised her that Connor was now Alpha of his own pack. He was a natural-born leader. Broad shouldered and standing over six feet tall, he was almost a foot taller than her. Of course, most people were taller than her. She stole peeks at him as they headed down the trail.

Even though it was shorter, his hair was still a dark chocolate brown. He was 110 in human years, but he only looked to be about thirty years old. He wouldn’t have any signs of gray hair for a few hundred years to come. There was a sharper, deadlier edge to him that she didn’t remember, but he was still handsome. In a rugged sort of way. And he still had the ability to make her stomach do flip-flops by simply looking at her.

She might be irrationally pleased to see him, but a part of her was terrified over the reason he’d come. It was silly to think he’d hurt her, but what if he wanted to take over her pack? Her family’s land? Or claim one of her sisters as a mate? That was probably the one thing she didn’t think her heart could handle. The thought of him with someone else—someone close to her—made her ache. Worrying about that wouldn’t do her any good now. Soon enough she’d have her answers.

Connor sat on one of Analena’s couches and tried to contain the sexual energy humming through him. So many years had passed and he thought he’d been ready to see her again. All it had taken was one look into those espresso-colored eyes and he’d felt himself falling. Fast and hard.

“Chill, brother. You’re gonna freak her out if she gets a whiff of that lust.” Liam stood by the fireplace with his arms over his chest. He leaned casually against the mantle but he looked tense.

He knew his brother was right, but it was hard to think around her. Pack Alphas talked among one another, and when he’d heard what had happened to the males of her pack he’d known it was time to come back. He’d stayed away long enough, and he’d be damned if he let some other mutt claim what was his.

The sound of footsteps descending the stairs alerted them. Before she even entered the room, he knew it was Ana. Her scent was so distinctive he’d be able to pick her out of a crowded auditorium. Raspberries and sunshine. That’s what he thought of every time she was near.

He automatically stood when she entered the room. Now that she’d taken off that puffy jacket, he could see what he’d been fantasizing about for decades. She was still petite and fragile-looking, but he knew otherwise. The sleeves of her long T-shirt were pushed back, showing lean arms, and her form-fitting jeans did little to hide those tight, muscular legs. The soft curves of her breasts interested him much more.

Liam loudly cleared his throat, jerking him back to reality. He looked at his brother, then at Ana, who hovered by the love seat opposite the couch he’d been sitting on. Instantly he sat back down, and she did the same.

“How’s Erin?” The she-wolf he’d picked up months ago was skittish as hell and he couldn’t help but worry about her. They all did.

Ana’s expression darkened. “I think she’s okay. We put her in one of the guest rooms upstairs, but I think Carmen is going to stay the night with her. It’s a strange place to her and I don’t think she wants to sleep alone.”

Connor nodded. “Yeah, when we found her, she’d been …”

“Brutalized?”

He nodded.

She clasped her hands tightly in her lap. “Do you know who hurt her?”

He shook his head. If he’d known, whoever had hurt her would be dead. He wouldn’t have bothered going to the Council to bring them up on charges. “She won’t talk about it.”

She looked pointedly between him and his brother. “Where are your other … friends? I thought you said you wanted to talk.”

“We do, but we thought you’d feel more comfortable discussing some things in private. Did you want to invite Carmen and Noel downstairs?”

She shook her head again. “No. My sisters trust me to make any decisions concerning our pack. I’m tired and a little cranky, so let’s just get down to business. Why are you guys here?”