Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3: A Scent on the Wind

Allison's POV

I picked up the pace, my heart starting to pound against my ribs.. not from fear, not yet. It was from pure rage. Was I not allowed one single minute to fall apart in peace? Was the universe this much of a dick?

The footsteps sped up to match mine and then the smell hit me clearly.. unwashed bodies, alcohol and the distinct feral musk of rogue wolf and not one.. multiple.

Oh, hell no!

I stopped dead. Screw this..!

I was done running. I spun around, facing the darkness with my voice in a low snarl.

“Alright, you creepy bastard! If you're gonna follow me, how about you get out here and do it like men! Or are you just into watching?”

For a second, nothing. Then the shadows moved revealing three figures. They slunk out onto the road like the mangy mutts they were with dirty jeans, grimy shirts and eyes glowing with a drunk mean hunger.

“Well, well.” the one in the middle slurred, a nasty grin spreading across his face. “Looks like we got ourselves a feisty one, boys.”

My blood ran cold but I held my ground.

“Back off.”

They just laughed.

“Or what, sweetheart? You gonna call your knight in shining armor? You smell… solo. Just like us.”

That was my cue. The 'or what' was me getting the hell out of there. I turned and ran, pumping my legs with my duffel bag bouncing wildly.

It was useless.

They were on me in seconds with matted fur and snapping teeth before shifting and dragging me down. A heavy body tackled me from behind and the air rushed out of my lungs as I hit the asphalt hard.

Pain exploded in my side and then my face followed by a boot connecting with my ribs.

What followed was kicks and punches, a beating so brutal I couldn't even think about fighting back. My wolf whimpered, cowed by the numbers and the sheer violence.

“Pretty thing.” one of them grunted, grabbing a fistful of my hair and yanking my head up.

“Think of all the fun we're gonna have.” another laughed with his breath a toxic cloud of alcohol.

“Gonna have ourselves a real party.” the first one said, leaning down close. “A gangbang for the history books.”

Terror, cold and sharp finally pierced through the pain.

This was it..This was how it ended. Beaten and violated on a road to nowhere. I squeezed my eyes shut, a broken sob escaping my lips.

Bang..!

The sound was impossibly loud, shattering the night. The grip on my hair vanished and I forced my eyes open. The rogue who’d been holding me was on the ground, a dark, wet stain blossoming on his chest while the air sizzled with the unmistakable acrid smell of silver.

The other two froze, their drunken bravado evaporating.

“Silver!” one yelled and they didn't hesitate. They turned and fled into the woods, vanishing as quickly as they’d appeared.

Gasping, I tried to push myself up but agony lanced through my body.

The world started to tilt, the edges of my vision blurring and the last thing I saw was a dark silhouette, tall and broad-shouldered, walking toward me through the drifting gunsmoke then everything went black.

***

Derek's POV

*One Year Later*

“Victoria! For Moon's sake, are you coming to bed or are you planning to sleep in there?”

I was standing outside her ridiculous makeup room.. again. I could hear her even before I got there with that fake high-pitched voice she used for her subscribers.

“...and this is why a setting spray with colloidal silver is just a must for a dewy, all-night finish…“

I banged my fist on the door.

“Vicki! Now!”

The recording stopped and the door swung open a crack and she glared at me.

“Derek. Some of us are building an empire. It's called influencing. Do you mind?”

“I mind that the only thing you're influencing is my patience.” I growled, leaning against the doorframe. “It's been three months, Victoria. Three fucking months! Do you really call yourself a mate?”

She blinked those stupid long fake eyelashes.

“Three months since what?”

“Since we had sex!” I snapped, my voice echoing in the hall.

She rolled her eyes with a masterpiece of dramatic impatience.

“Oh, for the love of the Gods, Derek. It's the twenty-first century. You have a phone. I'm sure you know how to use Pornhub. Go watch some action and take care of your dick.”

“You're my mate!”

“And you're blocking my light. This video is trending now. Go away.” She slammed the door in my face.

I stood there. fuming.

A whole year.. one whole year since I'd… since Allison had left.. and I missed her.

Sure, the sex. Hell, yes, the sex. That woman was always ready. The number of times I’d bent her over the kitchen counter, or in my office or against the damn pack jeep for a quickie… yeah.. unhealthy but it wasn't just that.

It was… her. She was just there. She didn't care about setting spray or subscriber counts. She cared about the pack.. about Theo and about me, even when I was a world-class asshole.

I stomped back to our...my...massive, empty bedroom and flopped onto the bed. Fine. Fine! I’d take her advice. I closed my eyes, trying to conjure up a memory, any memory, of Allison that would… help with my dick in my hand.

But all I could see was her face on that day.. the day she caught me with Victoria.

The look in her eyes wasn't even anger. It was this… complete and total shock like her whole world had just snapped in half and I was the one who snapped it.

“Damn it.” I muttered, giving up.

I sighed with a long frustrated sound that did absolutely nothing to help and I just lay there in the dark, listening to the silence.

***

The next morning, I was jerked awake by a small hand shaking my shoulder.

“Daddy? Daddy, wake up.”

I groaned, cracking an eye open. Theo was standing by the bed with his little face seriously set.

“What is it, kid? It's early.”

“I had a dream.” he said with his voice soft.

“Okay. Good for you. Go back to bed.”

“About my other Mommy.”

That got my attention. I pushed myself up on my elbows.

“What other Mommy? You have one Mommy. Victoria. Remember?”

He shook his head, his brow furrowed in confusion.

“No. There was another one. And she was sad. I want to go see her.”

My stomach did a weird flip. This wasn't the first time he’d mentioned this. For weeks now he’d been having these dreams, crying about a “second mommy.”

This really wasn't the right time for this. I was too tired to handle a boy who was missing her mother.

“Enough, Theo.” I snapped, harsher than I meant it to be. “There is no other mommy. Stop being an asshole… just stop it! Go to your room. Big boys don't cry about dreams!”

His little face fell but he didn't argue. He just turned and walked out, shoulders slumped. Guilt pinched at me but I shoved it down. He needed to be tough.. the world is tough.

I got dressed with my mood blacker than coffee.

I had to go to that stupid tech conference in the city and I had a side agenda...a meeting with a shady artifact dealer from Nevada, some guy selling pre-colonial wolf totems that were supposed to amplify Alpha power. The kind of slimy business I never would have done before.

***

I arrived at the conference center with my mood not improving. Everyone was bowing and scraping, “Alpha Derek this, Alpha Derek that.” It usually felt good but today it just felt empty.

I was led into the main hall with a sea of three piece suits and important chatter. The usher pointed to my reserved table at the front.

“Right this way, Alpha.”

I nodded, straightening my jacket and putting on my public face. I started toward the table, scanning the room out of habit.

And then I stopped dead..!

My blood went cold and my heart just about punched its way out of my chest.

Sitting at a table across the room, wearing a sharp blazer and talking calmly to some guy in a suit, was her.

Allison Hayes..! My Ex..!

Where the fuck had she come from?!..