The waiting area in the airport was a steel trap around Wolf. Flying was their best bet. After a heated discussion, both packs had decided a road trip with a bunch of hungry, testy werewolves, the meanest and blackest of which couldn’t control Wolf’s Changes overly well, sounded like a hell-fire in the Texas desert. Grey had voted no to flying but was the only one. Majority won. He jumped as the elderly lady sitting beside him patted his leg.
“Are those contacts in your eyes, Deary?”
He stifled a growl and forced a smile. It probably looked like a grimace. “Uh, yes they are. Kind of silly looking, aren’t they?”
“They look frightening. You seem like such a nice man with your family. You don’t need those things in your eyes.” She nodded her head definitively and went back to reading her book.
“Okay,” he mouthed to Morgan who sported a big grin.
He stood to pace around a few laps for probably the hundredth time. They had all met up at the airport as close to departure as they dared so they could avoid this exact scenario. The plane was delayed of course, successfully laughing in the face of all of their planning. Having a bunch of werewolves used to open spaces milling around the middle of a crowded airport ranked right up there on the ten most dangerous things to try list. The girls seemed to be handling it all right. Other than a darting glance at their watches every once in a while, they seemed as if they did busy airports a couple of times a day. Their superior acting made him and the boys look downright pitiable. The scowl on Dean’s face would have been comical if Grey wasn’t so stressed out himself.
Brent came up behind him and steered him toward an airport store. “Come on, man. Morgan said Lana needs a road snack.”
Brent was shorter by a few inches. He had medium brown hair and friendly dark brown eyes. For a reason he couldn’t explain, Brent had always had this calming quality about him. He couldn’t figure out if it was because Brent was a submissive and Wolf didn’t feel defensive, or if it was from his laid back personality as a human. Either way, the easy friendship was welcome. It helped that Brent loved helping out with Lana and that Marissa felt absolutely no threat from him.
The tension between his shoulder blades eased with a job to do. Anything to take his mind off the claustrophobia. After they returned with a bag of snacks and a few magazines, a bored-sounding flight attendant announced it was time to board their flight. Great. It was time to strap Wolf into a plane with no escape. His inner monster howled his displeasure, rattling painfully against the walls of his head, and Grey made a valiant effort to plaster a vacant smile to his face to cover the grimace.
He loaded their carryon bag into the bin above their seats. He could do this. The flight was only two and a half hours. It would be just like Morgan always said. “Easy, breezy, lemon squeezy.”
The rows by the windows were four seats long. Grey, Morgan, Lana, and Marissa, who had wanted to sit by the window, took up the first row. Jason and Brent sat across the aisle from him, and Dean, Rachel, Wade, and Logan were in the row behind.
Grey turned and held up his wares. “Do you want a magazine? We picked up a few at the store if you want one.”
Rachel held up a worn paperback. “I have my book, but thanks.”
“I’ll take one,” Logan said.
Dean shook his head and sighed.
“What?” Logan asked through a grin. “I like to keep up with the latest gossip.”
Grey tossed him one and slumped into his seat to give Morgan and Marissa the others. Lana was quiet for the moment so he would keep the snacks until he needed a secret weapon. Morgan leaned her head on him as the stewardess stepped forward to give the safety precautions. He slid an arm around her and brushed his finger in lazy circles on the exposed skin of her arm. She stretched up and brushed her cheek against his. It was amazing how she could do that. All she had to do was touch him and Wolf settled.
“You think we are doing the right thing, don’t you?” she asked. “Bringing Lana along for this?”
The runway blurred outside the window as the plane took off, and he frowned. He had been asking himself the same question on a continuous loop over the last couple of days.
“Trying to keep you guys a secret didn’t work out, and people got hurt. If we are upfront about everything and what we want, hopefully it will be taken into account, and we can reason with them. We can’t have everyone listen to hearsay about you and Lana. We have to be direct, avoid the rumors, and try to control the information that is out there as much as we can.”
“I know. I just wanted to hear you say it again. I guess I’m a little scared.”
Her admission was a pinprick. “Don’t be. I won’t let anything happen to you guys.” He lifted her chin with the tip of his finger until she met his eyes. “Okay?”
Her kiss was answer enough. Their bond hummed with her trust in him.
His worry how Lana would handle her first flight was for nothing. She colored for a while and then took turns with Marissa looking out the window before she nodded off in Morgan’s lap with a packet of cheese crackers clenched in her little fist. Morgan sighed heavily and leaned back against her chair. Lana cuddled tightly against her, sleeping without a worry in the world. Her eyes were a clear, crystalline blue as Morgan watched him. He moved a strand of her dark hair off her cheek. She was so beautiful it hurt. She smiled at his touch and brushed her lips against the palm of his hand. No matter the cost to him, he’d find a way to keep them safe.
Luckily, everyone had survived the flight. Grey shoved the last suitcase into the back of the black Hummer he had rented. The wolves were in different stages of chaos as Dean finished loading the identical vehicle behind them.
“Hungry!” Marissa offered.
“You are always hungry,” Dean said with a smirk. “Like a blond-haired garbage disposal.”
Jason spoke up. “I could eat.”
Logan popped his head out of the window. “I’m starving.”
“All right, all right,” Grey said, shutting the trunk. “We’ll find somewhere close. Fast food or sit down?”
“Sit down,” Dean said. “It’ll likely be the last peaceful meal we get for a while. Let’s enjoy it.”
Dean pulled off at a restaurant specializing in home-style buffet. The wolves shoved tables together and joked between bites. So far, it hadn’t been as terrifying as he had imagined the trip would be. The wolves hovered around Morgan and Lana, partly out of an ingrained instinct to protect, but mostly because they obviously loved spending time with them. It was evident in their genuine smiles. It likely had to do with children in a pack being so rare. Lana brought a lightness that hadn’t been there before. She eased the seriousness of their teetering situation without even knowing it.
He and Dean had actually managed to make it through the entire meal without even so much as a rude snarl or overprotective growl. For all intents and purposes, they were a team with a similar goal. Protect Silver Wolf and Lana. They were on neutral territory with little time for a dominance war. Despite the crackle of power that hung in the air between them, Wolf grumbled but acquiesced. They needed each other to get back home in one piece.
The biggest social experiment happened when he allowed Brent to ride with his pack the rest of the way to Summit. Grey watched Marissa through the rearview mirror to see how comfortable she was with being in a confined space with another male, but she seemed at ease and happy enough. She laughed and joked with him and took turns playing games with Lana.
Dark had descended on the towering mountains and the winding roads that weaved between them. Dean approached the gate and shook the hand of the wolf in charge of check-in. He talked cordially for a few minutes, and his occasional good-natured laugh drifted this way and that through Grey’s open window. Grey pulled in next and gave a short, stout man his name. The man scribbled onto his clipboard and gave him their cabin number. He leaned to the side and tried to look past Grey, probably to get a glimpse of Silver Wolf.
Morgan threw him a bone and leaned forward. “Thank you,” she said with a cheery wave.
The man looked starstruck and waved absently back as Grey pulled away from the gate. Cabins lined both sides of the dirt road, and wolves running to and fro to meet with old friends littered the pathway. The going was slow, but when they finally pulled up to their cabin, he and Dean parked the vehicles around back so they wouldn’t block the front entryway. Should they need a quick getaway, it wouldn’t hurt to be able to escape through the back door and straight into an off-road vehicle either. This was the effortless logic of methodical Wolf. Always planning his escape route.
The cabin was large enough for them all to be comfortable for the next couple of nights. It was split into two sections. One side was bigger with two large bedrooms and twin beds that lined the walls. A bathroom, kitchen, living, and dining area gave it a homey appeal. Two wooden picnic tables had been pulled inside to make a dining table, and a small heater sat comfortably in the shadow of a stone fireplace. Separated by French doors, the other side had one large bedroom with bunk beds along the back wall and a bathroom.
Morgan set her suitcase decisively beside one of the bunk beds in the smaller section—the equivalent of her marking her territory. It would work better for their smaller pack and give Dean’s larger family more room on the other side. A meet-and-greet was scheduled in an hour, so they unpacked quickly and prepared to clean off the old travel dust.
Grey leaned against one of the bunk beds as Morgan fussed over what she would wear. She never was one to worry much about her clothes. It must have been the likelihood of so many eyes on her that made her hesitate.
“I can feel you watching me,” she said from her squatting position in front of her suitcase.
“Just enjoying the view.”
“Grey?” She hesitated. “Do I smell enough like you?”
He couldn’t help the wolfish grin that abducted his face. “No.”
“I’ll be quiet,” she pleaded softly.
Lord, he was putty in her hands. If his instant arousal wasn’t proof of that, he didn’t know what was. He followed her into the bathroom and shut the door behind them with his foot. He couldn’t keep his hands from her body. She was soft and firm in all of the right places. Pliable under his touch, she was as anxious for a connection as he was. Her desperation for his skin asserted itself through her nails against his back. His.
He pulled her shirt over her head, and her long, dark hair fanned across her shoulders. Undressing her slowly, he took his time to enjoy the sight of his wife. He’d only claimed her recently. Her body, still new to him, pulled at all of his senses. Her skin, soft as he trailed a finger along her collarbone, made him want to taste every inch of it. Her low groan perked his sensitive ears as he pulled the taut bud of her nipple into his mouth. The heady scent of her arousal just about buckled his knees. He hadn’t even gotten his jeans all the way down before he’d parted her knees with his and leaned her against the sink. Already, she was wet for him, like she always seemed to be. God, he loved this. She was tight as he pressed into her, and a shaky breath left her lips as their bond hummed with the rightness of this moment. Lowering his lips to hers, he tasted her as he eased back, then pushed into her deeper. His control was slipping. Wolf was howling his pleasure, filling up his mind. My mate, my mate, my mate. His hands shook as he gripped her hair tighter. He eased her head back so he could taste her neck. Her pulse raced just at the base of her throat, and he reveled in the feeling that he was causing that reaction. Her nails clawed his back, and he thrust into her faster. Oh, she was right there, gasping, tipping over the edge. My mate. Mine.
Fuck everyone who wanted to take her from him. Morgan was his. His in every way. She was begging now. His name was a plea upon her lips. A chant to tell him she was coming, so he slammed into her again and again, faster. God, she felt so good around him.
“Grey,” she whispered in that sexy, helpless voice she only had when they were together like this.
It was too much. He kissed her again, his tongue thrusting against hers as she came. Hips bucking, he gritted his teeth as the pleasure became blinding. Three more hard strokes, and he froze and spilled into her in pulsing jets that matched her own throbbing orgasm.
He held her for a long time, kissing her nose, cheeks, and lips. Revering her as she deserved because his mate was everything good in his world. A soft growl rattled his chest, but Morgan only smiled up at him with those stunning, lightened purple eyes and pressed her hand against his sternum as if she wanted to feel the vibration there. She was used to Wolf, and this was the way his inner animal revealed his love for her.
She looked into his eyes but didn’t show any fear at the monster she probably saw there. Instead, she touched his cheek. He closed his eyes as a feeling of adoration and tenderness stretched between them.
“I love you,” he said in a shaky whisper, leaning his cheek against the palm of her hand.
The slow smile that took her full lips softened the growl in his throat.
“I love you, too,” Morgan murmured.
* * * *
Morgan readied for the meet-and-greet between knowing glances and shy smiles with Grey. Marissa played with Lana in the joint living room, so he and his mate had the bedroom to themselves. Morgan wore dark-colored skinny jeans tucked into brown, heavily buckled riding boots and a forest green tank top that showed off her compact physique. No one would accuse his mate of looking soft. She had pulled back her long, dark hair into a ponytail, and the smoky eye shadow over her lids played up the light purple of her eyes. He hadn’t seen any blue in them since they pulled up to Summit. Her top revealed half-healed claw marks up and down her forearms, and her still fresh pack brand was proudly on display. She looked like a fearsome warrior, and he couldn’t quite manage to drag his eyes away from her.
Her dark and delicate eyebrows furrowed. “Here goes nothing.”
They didn’t have far to walk since their cabin was closer to the end, but as soon as they stepped out of their rooms, the boys were bombarded by friends they had met over the years from past Summits who had been waiting to see them. Immediately, they were fielding questions about Silver Wolf. Morgan’s anxiety that wafted across their bond brought an unintentional snarl to his lips, and with no enemy to snuff out to rid her of her wariness, he brushed his fingers across her hand. Just a touch of her was enough. Wolf practically purred when she intertwined her fingers in his. She steadied, but not by much. Such an enormous amount of energy was being thrown toward her, and even though no one talked to her directly, she had that flee-for-your-life look in her eyes.
The building where the meet-and-greet was held was a mess hall with tables and a large kitchen made for cooking meals to feed large numbers. Attached to the right side was an open pavilion with picnic tables and a basketball court farther off.
When they stepped into the room, the smell of testosterone was so strong it had weight. Morgan froze when her boots hit the cement floor. Images of Montana came through the bond so fast he could barely read them. A dingy basement room, cracked walls, filth, and pain. Lots of pain. His first look through her eyes at her personal hell at the hands of the sadistic alpha who’d kidnapped her. The effect on Wolf was staggering.
He wanted to kill everything.
She shook her head as if grasping for a way out of the flashback and back into reality.
He put his head against the side of hers. Maybe it would shield the audience from his momentary loss of control. It wasn’t like the other wolves couldn’t smell the unbalance emanating from his skin, but maybe if he hid the poison in his eyes until he regained control they wouldn’t tote him off in a straitjacket. “Morgan,” he whispered in a ragged breath, “you are safe. You are here with me. I’ve got you.”
Morgan dropped her stunned gaze to Marissa, who had knelt near his feet with neck exposed, clenching the edge of Grey’s pant leg in her fist. “Wolf,” Marissa gritted out.
He’d done this. He was drawing his pack to him and hurting them with his anger.
Morgan’s jaw worked with effort. The images slowed like pictures on an old slide projector. They became muddy and faded as she seemed to struggle to remember what was real and imagined.
She reached for Grey, not with her hands, but with her mind. Her solid presence caressed fragile Wolf and soothed his rage. A vision of the Dallas wolves played on a loop as if she were reminding herself of the good. Her family was here, and she seemed to cling to that life raft like a drowning woman.
* * * *
Wide-eyed, blatant stares met Morgan’s. Like the hobo down the street had just walked in on an exclusive gathering of friends. She tried to control the heat in her cheeks while Dean talked to a man behind a table, filled with rows of nametags. He was far enough away to have missed what had just transpired, but the others of his pack who were still close enough to feel Wolf’s rage were in various stages of cowering. Bright lupine eyes shone from every last one of them, and the other wolves in the room retreated from the smell of anger and dominance. Dean hunched his shoulders and turned slowly, gave them a warning look, and then ushered them to the table reserved for the Dallas packs. The conversations came back slowly and quietly. The boisterous laughter and teasing camaraderie had died down, but at least people were talking again. Slowly, the tone of the room changed to one of speculation and frank curiosity. No sooner had she settled into her seat and plastered on a white, sticky tag with her name in an eye-scorching red color, than the first of the other wolves approached.
“Well, well, if it isn’t the famous Silver Wolf.”
Oh, good grief. Morgan cringed. Maybe if she didn’t turn around, that grating voice would just give up and go away. She sighed in defeat. Not a chance.
Morgan turned slowly and punched Alexis square in the face, giving her a horrendous bloody nose. She screamed, “That’s for biting me, you bitch!”
Morgan snapped herself out of her daydream and composed her face to a mask of languid indifference and turned. Alexis stood with her arms crossed in all of her blond-haired, blue-eyed glory. Four tall men flanked her, each with half-crazy sitting at the backs of their eyes as they smiled tauntingly. The disturbingly similar looks on their faces made their features uninteresting. Four brothers who looked nothing alike but were indecipherable just the same.
“You know her, Alexis?” one of her followers asked.
“Of course, I do. I’m her maker.” Her smile broadened when everyone within hearing distance paused.
Fuming, Morgan bit out, “She didn’t mean to be my maker. She tried to murder me.”
“Oh pish posh, you don’t even have a limp anymore, and now you are Silver Wolf. You can thank me any time you like.”
Her malicious smile begged to be clawed off her pretty little face. Grey set a Dixie cup of fruit punch gently in front of her. The tiny plastic cup looked as if it should have disintegrated in his massive hand. He stood behind her and rested his palms over her shoulders, as if he was trying to calm her down.
“Hey lover,” Alexis purred at Grey. “It’s good to see you again.”
The audacity of the woman as she took a step closer to her mate. Morgan snarled but Rachel cut off her view of Alexis.
“She’s trying to get into your head, Morgan.”
Rachel was right. The past few days had been so busy she hadn’t had time to give the actual gathering much thought. It hadn’t occurred to her that she might see Alexis again. What a horribly unwelcome surprise.
“Remember when I told you I would kill you for this?” Grey could have been saying “please pass the cheese ball” for as calm as he sounded. His face told a different story, however. He was seething, and Alexis’s eyes narrowed. She had an impressive poker face, but Grey glared her down, still reeking of anger, and a slow fear pooled in her eyes. She cocked her head to the side at the sound of a man approaching them. A tentative smile crept into the corners of her lips.
“Grey. Morgan. I’d like you to meet my mate, Jonathan Reeves, alpha to the Denver Pack.”
Fantastic. Of course, Alexis would find a mate that could give her as much power as possible. Jonathan was shorter than Grey, around five-foot-nine, but stocky. He nodded to Grey, who nodded back, and held out his hand to Morgan.
“It’s nice to meet you, Silver Wolf,” Jonathan said, bowing his head slightly.
Alexis clenched her teeth together, and Morgan couldn’t help a laugh at how red her face was turning. Morgan shook his hand. Anyone who could rattle Alexis was a friend. “Nice to meet you, too.”
“Jonathan!” Dean came over and gave the man a rough hug. “I see you’ve been taking care of our girl.” He nodded to Alexis.
“I’ve been trying.” The Denver pack alpha looked pointedly at her still pouting face. “Alexis?”
Alexis narrowed her eyes at her new alpha and cleared her throat. Tilting her chin primly, she arced her attention to Dean and said, “I’m sorry. Not about her.” She shot Morgan a glare. “I’d bite her again but better. I’m sorry for disappointing you, though.”
Dean huffed a surprised laugh. “Alexis, that is literally the worst apology I’ve ever heard in my life. I did promise you, though, so after Summit the ban is lifted and you can visit. Jonathan, you are welcome, as well.”
Alexis gave a puff of relieved air and greeted her old pack mates. “Where is Brandon? He didn’t want to come to this shindig?”
Silence descended on their small space like a vacuum had sucked the conversation right out of the easternmost part of the room. Everyone looked around uncomfortably.
It was Dean who spoke. “There was a big fight. Brandon is dead, Alexis. We buried him on Wednesday. I should have thought to call you.”
Alexis shook her head in disbelief, and her eyes rimmed with moisture that refused to abandon shocked eyes.
Surprise, the ice queen had a heart after all.
“Let me guess. It was because of her.” Alexis jabbed a finger in Morgan’s face, seriously tempting her to bite it off.
Marissa spoke up for the first time since they had left the cabin. “No, it was because of you. Your big mouth about Morgan started rumors that brought three packs down on us at once. They tried to kill every one of us to get to her and Lana. Brandon died honorably, but if anyone is to blame for his death, it’s you.”
Jonathan put an arm around Alexis’s waist. “I think I’m partly to blame, also. When Alexis came to me with this information, I didn’t know what it meant to have a white wolf. I called around asking if other people had ever heard of one, and it didn’t take long for someone to research it and figure out what she was. By then, it was too late. The information had already spread through the packs.” His earnest eyes fell on Morgan. “I’m sorry.” He seemed to be apologizing for more than just his part in what had happened.
“Forget it,” she said generously. “It doesn’t matter anymore. Regardless of how everyone found out, it doesn’t change what I am. We would probably have had to deal with the backlash sooner or later.” She could be civil about it, but in truth, the betrayal still rubbed her fur the wrong way.
A loud rap on a podium settled everyone down and focused their attention up to the front of the room.
An older man with a cane stood at the front tapping on a microphone attached to the podium where he was standing. “Welcome to this year’s Summit. My name is Marcus Whitten, and I will be your host this year. If anyone has problems or questions, you may come to me. Some of you are new to our community or have never been here before, and I want to extend a special welcome to you. We have these gatherings every year to gain friendships, to tighten our community, to gather important information, and to address concerns. We also hold them to integrate fun and competition to break down the barriers of the pack lines. If you picked up the itinerary when you came in, you can see the pack hike and scavenger hunt will be set for tomorrow morning directly after breakfast. Each pack will be paired with another, and the challenge will be to learn to work together. A premium-cut steak package will go to each of the winners as a prize.”
A rumble erupted into the room as the excitement grew over hundreds of dollars of the finest cuts of steak money could buy.
“A bonfire will be held tomorrow night where dominance and strength challenges will be made, first for males, and then for females, if any of our lovely ladies want to sign up this year. Afterward, anyone who would like to is welcome to Change and run together. Keep the fighting to a minimum please. Punishment will be quick, so don’t test us.” The man took a deep breath and swung his gaze to their table. “Alphas will be omitted from this function as we will be holding a mandatory meeting about a new development in our community. I think everyone can guess who I am talking about.”
Dean stood, and the man pointed to him with a gavel.
“I move that alpha’s mates also be admitted to this meeting. I think with this delicate situation, the female’s opinions could prove to be invaluable.”
The old werewolf nodded. “Well said. Does anyone second this motion?”
Grey raised his hand along with a few other wolves throughout the room.
“All right, alpha’s mates will also be expected to attend the meeting. Before I let you get back to visiting, I would like to bring Morgan Crawford up to the front so she can have a formal introduction into our community.”
He held his aged hand out as if she could take it from where she sat.