My pretend freedom was short-lived. I honestly thought there could be a chance Micah would let me go, but I was mistaken. He called the other men in the pack and learned that none knew of another alpha passing through. The Teton pack is an unusual one and not like any others in the world. My sister Bailey and her mate Ryker are the main alphas of the group. Ryker is the one who started it by bringing together lost wolves from all over the place. Not only do we have royal arctics, but we have gray wolves and reds. The royal arctics are natural-born alphas, so it’s not common to see multiple alphas in a pack, but it works for us. All of them are respectful of each other.
After yesterday, Micah has decided to stay close to me. We trained like usual this morning and spent the rest of the day at another landscaping job. Now we’re on our way back to my cabin in silence. We’ve barely spoken to each other since last night. Micah periodically glances over at me, and when I turn to look at him, he makes it appear as if he wasn’t watching me at all.
I keep my focus on him, hoping it’ll get him to speak. After a few minutes, he sighs and meets my gaze when we stop at the light. “I’m sorry, Faith. I didn’t want to deceive you. I was going to let you go alone, but then I just couldn’t do it.”
“It’s probably a good thing. We don’t know what that guy wanted, if he wanted anything at all. He could just be passing through.”
Micah turns his focus back to the road and scoffs. “He’s an unmated male, Faith. He couldn’t take his eyes off you. It’s pretty clear what he wants.”
“What if he turns out to be my mate? You never know.”
He shrugs. “True. But coming into another pack’s territory uninvited isn’t the way to go. It’s also strange how he went unnoticed until he wanted to be seen by you. I don’t like it at all. Even I didn’t pick up on his trail.”
I hadn’t thought about the fact we couldn’t sense him. Only royals can mask their presence, and he’s not one; he’s a gray. There are more gray wolves than any other kind in the world. It concerns me how neither one of us could detect him. Either he’s stronger than we think, or he’s using magic of some kind. Whatever the circumstance may be, I hope it doesn’t cause a problem.
“He could seriously be passing through town.”
Micah nods. “Let’s hope that’s the case. We’ve been through too much shit already.”
We come upon the downtown shops, and I really want to stop at the craft store since mine and Amelie’s time got cut short last night. “Do you mind stopping by Nellie’s Craft store for a few minutes so I can get some paint and more canvases? I have some new ideas for the gallery.”
“Sure.” He turns into the parking lot. “Have you sold anymore?”
He turns to me, and I smile. “Yep. Amelie and I saw a lady purchase one last night. She bought the cottage one.”
He averts his gaze. “You loved that place. I always thought you were happy there.”
“I was. And one day, I want to go back. It’s where all of my inspiration to paint came to me.” I know I can’t go up there and live, not when my family is in Wyoming, but it’d be nice to visit now and again for a vacation.
Micah parks the car, and we get out. I can tell he’s on full alert by the way he scans our surroundings. It’s a Saturday afternoon, and there are people everywhere, just like last night. We walk inside the store, and I go straight to the paint aisle.
“Didn’t you say you needed canvases?” Micah asks.
I nod. “Yep. They are on the far wall over that way,” I say, pointing in the right direction. “Five should be good.”
He chuckles. “I’ll get them.”
While he’s gone, I browse over the various oil paints. I need only a couple of colors, so I snag them up along with a Bob Ross calendar. I notice someone in my peripheral, and when I look over, it’s a man who seems oddly out of place perusing over the paint selection. He doesn’t seem to be interested in them at all. His hair is a light ashy brown, and he has the body of a shifter. What really makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up is I can’t sense anything about him. It’s like he’s a blank slate. He glances over at me and smirks as if he knows something I don’t. All I know is he’s not human, and he’s not a royal arctic to be able to conceal himself this way. Micah comes to my side, holding the canvases, and when he sees the guy, he sets the canvases down on the shelf.
He leans in close. “We’re going to walk out of the store and go left around the side of the building. I promise we’ll come back for your paint.”
I put my paints back along with the calendar. Micah always has a plan, and I trust him. He follows me out the door, and I go left just like he said. He grabs my hand and gently pushes me against the brick building. “Stay right here.”
I nod and watch him walk toward the edge of the building. When the guy from the store turns the corner, Micah grabs him around the neck and slams him against the wall. The guy doesn’t even fight him; he stands there and laughs.
“Who the fuck are you, and what are you doing in Jackson?” Micah growls.
Instead of answering Micah, he looks over at me. “My name’s Orin, and I’m here to see you.”
“Why?” The word slips out before I can even stop myself.
Orin focuses back on Micah and holds up his hands. “I’m not going to hurt her if that’s what you’re worried about. I know you’re her protector, not to mention a royal arctic alpha. I’d be stupid to take you on.”
Micah pushes his arm harder into his neck. “Make one move toward her, and you’re dead.”
“Micah,” I say, taking a step closer. “Let him go. If he tries anything stupid, I’ll kill him myself.”
Micah slowly lets him go, and Orin’s grin widens. He runs a hand down his shirt and then rubs his neck where Micah left marks on his skin. I take another step forward. “How did you know Micah was my protector?”
Orin clears his throat and takes in a deep breath as he looks around the town. “Word has spread far and wide about you, little wolf. Everyone knows about the last royal arctic female, Faith Storm, and how the Royal pack is gaining phenomenal amounts of power.”
The breath hitches in my lungs. “The Royal pack was slaughtered decades ago. I should know because my parents were among them.”
Orin crosses his arms over his chest and casually leans against the wall. “Yeah, I know about all of that. The Teton pack is now considered the Royals. Word about your pack has spread all across the world.” He slides a glance over to Micah before turning back to me. “You have an unmated royal protector and his royal arctic brothers, one of whom is mated to a gray. You have an older sister who mated with the Teton alpha and your unmated royal arctic brother. We all know what happens when a royal bonds with a normal wolf.” His lips pull back slyly. “They share power. Your mate would become a royal.”
And now it all makes sense.
“You want my power, is that it?” I snap.
Orin pushes off the wall, but he keeps his distance. “There will be more coming to find you. This is just beginning. You deserve someone strong. The men want to see if they could be your potential mate.”
I can’t believe my ears; it’s the most ludicrous thing I’ve ever heard. What I do know for sure is I have to keep my mouth shut. There are other female royals out there; only they’re still in hiding. I refuse to let them become targets.
“So basically, if there were a wolfy version of The Bachelorette, I would be the next contestant?”
Orin smirks. “Basically, yes. Only the show would be slightly different.”
Micah grabs him by the shoulder. “I think I’ve heard enough. You need to get the fuck out of here.”
Orin holds up his hands. “All right, I’ll go. I’m not here for a fight.” By the gleam in his eyes, I don’t think that’s true. He’s a wolf and a strong one, even though he’s not making a move against Micah. Still, I have no doubt Micah could rip off his head in a second. After all of the betrayals I’ve seen in my life, I’ve learned not to underestimate anyone. Orin winks at me. “I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other again.”
Shivers run down my spine as if his words are an unspoken promise. I’m not afraid of him or any male for that matter, but what he said about everyone knowing about me doesn’t settle well. If more wolves come for me, there will be bloodshed.
Orin saunters off as if nothing amiss just happened. Jaw tense, Micah takes my arm, keeping me close as we hurry back to his car. “This isn’t good,” he growls, his attention focused on our surroundings. I don’t sense another wolf around, but it’s not like that matters. Orin and the other unknown wolf from yesterday have someone helping to conceal them.
When we get to the car, Micah opens my door, and I hop in. “What are we going to do?”
Micah glances over his shoulder and sighs. “I’m going to call the others. If what that cocksucker says is true, we’re in some serious trouble.”
He shuts the door and hurries around to his side to get in. The engine roars to life, and he steps on the gas. As I look in the side-view mirror, I see him … the unknown wolf from yesterday, standing close to where we were parked. Quickly, I turn my head to see out the back window, but he’s gone.
“What did you see?” Micah asks, pressing harder on the gas.
Dread settles into the pit of my stomach. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, but it doesn’t help. “Orin’s speaking the truth,” I say, meeting his gaze. “I think the one we really should be worried about is already here.”