Pack Alpha

Chapter One

Marissa took a drink of the coffee she’d picked up at the last gas station. The hot liquid burned her tongue and tasted like slug. It wasn’t Starbucks that was for sure. She had flown into the Texas International Airport and rented a car to drive the rest of the way to the small town her sister called home. Her mind was busy thinking about how her sister Elizabeth had been so excited about moving here, but looking at the passing scenery of trees, trees, and more trees, Marissa didn’t get it. It was so big and wide. No buildings, other cars, or people around.

Rolling her window down and turning Bon Jovi even louder on the stereo, she concentrated on the drive—not the reason for coming. She dreaded going into Pack territory, but Elizabeth was the only family she had left, and after finding her mate, Elizabeth wanted Marissa there for the mating ceremony.

That thought brought a smile to Marissa’s face as she glanced at the invitation on the seat next to her. She wanted Elizabeth to be happy, and Greg sounded like a nice guy. She’d spoken to him numerous times on the phone, and he’d always been respectful towards her. And that wasn’t common. A were who couldn’t shift was an outsider. And everyone except Elizabeth had treated her that way her entire life.

Marissa had left the Pack she’d been raised in as soon as she could. Never to step foot on any Pack territory again. That was until later today. Elizabeth, on the other hand, had stayed until she met Greg, a member of a different Pack. After the initial meeting, he had offered her a teaching position at the elementary school and she had taken it. He had been courting her ever since with the blessing of her new Pack Alpha, Gage Wolf.

Marissa chuckled, thinking of everything Greg had done to win her sister’s heart. He’d known he wanted Elizabeth and had patiently waited. It had taken Elizabeth a year to agree to the mating ceremony, but she finally did. Marissa knew one of the reasons Elizabeth had been holding off was because of her.

Marissa had the same instincts as any other were and with that came the need of a Pack, but she had given up on that a long time ago. She’d grown up alone and would always remain that way. In the middle between a shifter and a human. She had many gifts due to her genes—the extended life span, the wolf traits, and some enhanced features—but not enough.

But Marissa would put everything she had into this week and the ceremony that meant so much to her sister.

The differences between her and Elizabeth had grown as they had aged. That was why Marissa had never visited Elizabeth’s new home. She wasn’t scared being in Pack territory; she just didn’t want to face all the males and their egos. And from what she understood, the Pack’s Alpha or leader was pretty young himself.

When around other wolves, the female wolf inside her demanded she mate with one of her own kind. So, as long as she avoided everyone except her sister as much as she could and kept her urges inside, everything would be okay. She would not act like the wolf she couldn’t shift into.

And if the Alpha was anything like her old one, she’d just tell him where to stick it. The idea of telling the Alpha of a territory to go to hell made her smile wider and laugh harder. She wasn’t seventeen anymore. She wasn’t a scared little girl who had to follow everything someone told her. No, she was a grown woman. And she was going to enjoy the time with her sister.

She wasn’t dressed to impress the Alpha or any men in the territory as she currently wore a pair of hip-hugging jeans and a tight pink T-shirt. The paint on her toe nails matched the colour of her shirt, as did the flip-flops. It was a far cry from the suit she wore everyday as an office assistant. She felt free.

When she almost missed the turn off to the territory gate and turned the car sharply to the left, the back of the car skidded around and kicked up dirt. Laughing, she straightened the car and slowed her speed. She didn’t think Gage Wolf would be happy if she took out a couple of trees.

When she reached the gate, she stopped and waited for the guard. He didn’t disappoint. A man over six feet came over to the window and leaned down, smiling at her.

“Can I help you?” he asked in a husky voice.

She took a deep breath and smiled back. If all the men were this good-looking, she had her work cut out for her trying to keep her distance. They’d flirt and tease with her, and she had to be strong and resist, because as soon as they knew her secret, she wouldn’t exist any longer to them. And no matter what she said to herself, the rejection always hurt.

“I’m Elizabeth Boyd’s sister. I need directions to her house please.”

His smile didn’t change and he nodded. “Give me just a minute.” He winked, then headed to the guardhouse and picked up the phone.

No doubt checking with the Alpha to make sure she could come in and play. With her own sister, no less, Marissa thought bitterly.

She kept her face friendly and thoughts to herself as he came back to the car. “Problem?”

“Not at all,” he said, shaking his head, and gave her directions to her sister’s house. “My name’s Steve if you want to get together later,” he added.

Not in this life. “Hmm, we’ll see.” She was careful not to commit to anything he could hold her to later. The laws of the Pack were much different than the laws where she lived. Marissa knew them all and had only ever broken one.

Shaking that unpleasant thought from her head, she drove through the gate. Looking back into the rear view mirror, she saw Steve standing with a smile on his face.

“Down, girl,” she told herself. “This is Pack territory.”

Gage Wolf hung up the phone in his study and glanced at the clock. Elizabeth’s sister had made good time. When Elizabeth had told him she wanted her sister here for the ceremony, he’d thought it was a good idea.

He remembered the conversations he’d had with Elizabeth about her sister when he was first considering accepting Elizabeth into his Pack.

Elizabeth was protective and worried about her younger sibling. He understood it must have been hard for a non-shifter to grow up, but he didn’t get why Marissa refused to see her sister.

And that, he knew, was the main reason Elizabeth had held back on the ceremony for so long. Gage was determined to not allow Marissa to hold her sister back from what Elizabeth wanted. And she wanted Greg.

He looked up at the knock on his door. His second-in-command, Logan, poked his head in. “I’m taking off now.”

Gage nodded.

“Want to go for a run later?” Logan asked as he opened the door wider to lean against the jamb.

“I’ll be going by the Boyd house tonight,” Gage told him, watching his friend and Pack member smile.

“I don’t think you’ll be the only one.”

“What do you mean?”

The mischievous twinkle in his eyes was unmistakable. “Steve might have mentioned to a few of the guys how hot she is.”

Gage shook his head. Steve hadn’t wasted any time if Logan already knew. Gage didn’t need any more complications. “She’s not here to mate.”

Logan laughed. “Well, that may be beside the point.”

“She doesn’t need to be bothered.”

“Well, who is to say it would bother her. She is a were.”

“Yes but still…” Gage trailed off. He wasn’t sure why he already felt protective towards her. His best guess would be that Elizabeth had shared the secret of her sister not being able to shift and how it still affected her. While it wouldn’t be a problem to his Pack members, he didn’t want the girl hurt further by rejection.

“Well, then you might want to get over there.” With that, Logan turned and left.

Cursing, Gage stood. He needed to set the ground rules down for this woman.

Gage walked up to Elizabeth’s attractive two-storey house a few minutes later. Before he could ring the bell, the door opened and a young pack member stepped out onto the porch.

Gage stepped aside to let the man pass. Jeff looked surprised to see him before quickly dropping his eyes.

“Alpha.”

Gage nodded his hello and stepped into the open doorway and right into the middle of a conversation in progress.

“I’m going upstairs to unpack. If you have any more visitors, tell them to come back in a week.”

Elizabeth stood with her back to him, her hands clasped tightly behind her. It only took a few seconds for her to realise he was there, because she turned and faced Gage with a surprised look on her face.

“Gage,” she greeted and he wasn’t certain if it was in welcome or not. He could practically feel the tension coming off of her. “I didn’t know you were coming by. I mean, I thought you might, but with some many…” She trailed off, looking nervously around her.

He only lifted an eyebrow. “I take it you’ve had a lot of guests?”

Elizabeth didn’t look amused. “Yeah, and it’s driving her crazy. I’m sorry. I don’t know where my manners are. Please come in.”

Gage entered the living room, immediately taking in the new scent and the others mixed in with it. He could have named the wolves who had stopped by. There was only one smell he didn’t recognise, and that had to be Elizabeth’s sister.

His nostrils flared as he took in the new scent. The fresh wood and spice smell of the newcomer had his body immediately coming to life. He knew that if her scent was so strong he was going to have his hands full keeping the available wolves away from her.

“I’ll go get Marissa.”

Gage laid a gentle hand on her arm. “I’ll go up. I need to talk to her privately.”

Elizabeth looked uncertain for a moment, shifting on her feet and looking upstairs.

“I just want to welcome her, tell her a few things about the ceremony, and make sure she understands some Pack rules.”

Elizabeth nodded. Gage knew she was worried about not only her sister but him also.

“She…she’s not always the nicest.” Elizabeth looked away when she said it, and Gage knew it wasn’t easy for her to be in between her sister and her Alpha.

Gage smiled and patted her arm. “Don’t worry. We’ll both be fine,” Gage assured her.

That seemed to console Elizabeth, and she nodded. “I’ll just be in the kitchen starting dinner then.”

Gage listened as he made his way upstairs. He had heard the woman’s annoyed comment while he stood at the door. He could also hear her muttering to herself from the far bedroom.

He walked into the bedroom and stopped in his tracks. It was one of the most amazing sights he’d ever seen—her butt was sticking out from under the bed with her legs tucked under her. She moved from side to side and felt himself growing hard.

He growled at the reaction, and she must have heard because there was a bang against the bottom of the bed, which was followed by a stream of curses.

She peered out from under the bed, then crawled out, rubbing her head.

“What the hell are you doing in here?” she demanded.

“I was going to ask you the same thing. Do you always crawl under beds?”

Marissa gave him the once over. Her attraction was immediate—he could sense it. Gage could hear her heart beat pick up and watched as she wiped nervous hands on her pants. She shifted from foot to foot and he could smell her arousal. The stubborn look on her face told him she was going to fight it.

“Gage Wolf?” Even though he was certain she knew exactly who he was, she phrased it as a question.

Gage nodded at the beauty in front of him. To say he was taken by surprise was an understatement. Where Elizabeth was pale and slender with blue eyes and blonde hair, her sister looked nothing like her.

For one thing, she was scowling at him even though he could smell her desire. She had long dark hair and crystal green eyes that were narrowed. It was quite obvious she didn’t like her attraction to him, but he couldn’t say the same. It had been a very long time since he’d felt this instant hunger.

“I am,” he answered her unnecessary question. “And you are Marissa.”

Marissa nodded, trying to swallow past the lump in her throat. His voice was deep and she could almost feel it wrapping around her. This reaction wasn’t good and she needed to get herself under control.

He was absolutely, positively the best looking man she had ever seen. He was taller than she was—she’d guess over six-two. He wore black slacks and a button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up.

“Is there something you needed?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

Gage followed the gesture with his eyes, and Marissa blushed when she realised she had just brought more attention to herself.

“I came to welcome you to my territory as is proper for any Pack Alpha,” Gage said, taking a step closer. “And to go over some rules.”

Marissa stiffened at his words. She shouldn’t be surprised. She could guess what rules he was going to make sure she knew. She’d heard them all her life. Even steeling herself for them didn’t keep the hurt out.

“You were raised in a Pack?” he asked.

Marissa nodded, though she knew he already knew the answer. Elizabeth already told her that Gage knew about her differences.

“I don’t expect things will be such different here.”

Marissa didn’t either. “I understand,” she said, stiffening her shoulders and fisting her hand at her side.

“Do you have any questions for me on how to behave?”

The pep talk she had given herself on the drive allowed her to speak calmly. “No, I don’t believe I have any questions on my behaviour here. I assure you that I have no interest in your Pack. One week—seven days—I’ll be here. I think you can deal with it as I have to. Then I’ll be gone and you won’t have to worry about me corrupting your precious Pack.”

When she finished, something like surprise crossed his face briefly, and he growled. No one had probably ever spoken to him that way before. But Marissa wasn’t going to be intimidated.

When he took a step closer, she could sense the anger from him.

“I’ll warn you once about the way you talk to me. I don’t know how your Alpha reacted, but that kind of disrespect will not be tolerated here.”

Marissa didn’t tell him that she’d never been brave enough to talk to her old Alpha like that. Marissa backed up as the Alpha stepped closer.

“Also, I know how long you are here for. I know a selfish woman like you wouldn’t give up more than a week for the sister who loves her and has waited far too long to be happy because of her.”

His words stopped her retreat. “Selfish? You just called me selfish.”

Even with the smile that touched his lips, he didn’t look any less furious. “I did.”

“Well, let me tell you something, Mr. Wolf. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t love my sister. I wouldn’t set foot on this territory if it had not meant so much to Elizabeth. I gave my blessing to her a long time ago.” Marissa took a deep breath as she wound down. She realised she was explaining herself to him, and not wanting to give him an information he could use on her later, she quickly tried to cover her outburst. “Not that it’s any of your business.”

Marissa backed up until she felt the wall at her back, and Gage closed the distance between them.

“You do know who I am. My status here?”

Marissa didn’t trust the smooth smile or easy tone. “Yes.”

“So are you trying to piss me off? Any intelligent person would know better than to tell an Alpha a Pack member wasn’t his business or make the comments as you have.” When he reached forward and grabbed her arm, it was too fast for Marissa to avoid. “I feel sorry for the troubles you must have given to your Pack Leader.”

The electricity that flowed through Marissa’s body at Gage’s touch drew a startled breath from her. He must have felt it too, because he immediately let go of her. Marissa stared at him as neither spoke for several minutes. She grasped at anything she could say to make him go away.

“I don’t have a Pack Leader. But I do know how to address the Alpha of a Pack who had been kind enough to let me visit. I apologise. My attitude and disrespectful comments were uncalled for.” Fear and uncertainly had her lowering her eyes to the floor in a submissive gesture. It galled her to show any submission to him, but his touch unnerved her.

She could feel his stare even though she wasn’t looking at him and barely stopped herself from shifting on her feet. The urge to run coursed strongly through her body.

When he finally spoke, she was so surprised her eyes met his.

“Very well then. Now I believe your sister in downstairs about to have a fit with us up here arguing so I suggest we finish this another time.”

Marissa nodded, relieved he would leave now. Maybe he was just as unsettled as she was.

Gage took his leave without another word to her. Marissa sat on her bed and thought about what had just taken place. She looked up at a sound in the hall, she saw Elizabeth standing at the entrance of her guestroom with wide eyes and a frown.

“Don’t start,” Marissa warned her sister.

Elizabeth shook her head. “Gage is a nice man and a good Alpha.”

Marissa smiled even though she felt her face wanted to crack. “I’m sure he is,” she lied.