2. Warrick

Chapter 2

Warrick

B ass from one of the many stereo systems echoes rhythmically across Watts Bar Lake, luring the flames of the bonfire higher toward the full moon rising overhead. All around us, shifters over the age of fifteen sway to the beat of the music, the darkening of the night settling them deeper into the mood as they succumb to their most primal urges, transforming into their beastly shapes. Feathers and fur drift through the air, carried on the breeze. Laughter and playful banter echo over the moonlit waters as bonds are forged and business is conducted among the packs, intertwining with moments of enjoyment.

I shift my weight uncomfortably in the wooden Adirondack chair, and look around the stony shore of the lake for a prospect to take home tonight, but the same faces filter by, no one captivating my interest even though I’m raring to go. Having experienced them in my bed before, none of them warrant a second date, the need for fresh blood in the packs never more obvious to me than at this minute.

At this rate, we’ll never find our mate.

“You know it’s a party, right?” Malachi taunts me, catching the expression on my face.

My gaze drops to my left and settles back on my youngest brother, his eyes glittering against the flames of the bonfire. Unlike me, he’s got his sights on at least three separate candidates for the night. Knowing Malachi, he’ll end up bringing them all back to the estate together, if only in an attempt to satisfy the unfulfilled void inside him.

“A party, huh? The thousands of shifters milling around kind of gave it away,” I reply dryly, meeting my youngest brother’s steely blue stare.

“Then why do you look like you swallowed a beehive?” Malachi shoots back, draping a muscular leg over the arm of one of his chairs. “You realize you’ve attended one of these every month for almost fifteen years, don’t you? But you always act like they’re somehow offensive to your senses in some way.”

I snort and sit forward, shaking my head. “I do not!” I deny, relishing the warmth of the bonfire’s flames, despite the heat of the succulence of the Tennessee air around us. “I always host them, don’t I? When do I ever complain?”

“You don’t have much of a choice,” Malachi replies, nodding toward Asher who half-grins, settling against the high back of his respective chair as if he agrees with our sibling’s assessment. “It’s expected.”

I don’t know if he’s right or wrong. It’s my job, after all, hosting these events and maintaining pack order. It’s what a good Alpha does. But given a choice, what would I be doing? It’s hard to say. I barely remember what the nineteen-year-old kid liked to do before he was thrust into the role of Apex pack leader.

Would I rather be running through the woods on a hunt like our ancestors? I seem to remember enjoying that.

Of course we don’t do a lot of the same things that our ancestors did, not anymore.

My brothers mock me for longing for a piece of something that once was, even though we’d never experienced it ourselves.

Asher says my fascination stems from reading too many romanticized history books, that life wasn’t really much better back when our hierarchy had been different, before the triads of Alphas reigned over the world.

Centuries ago, someone in their so-called infinite wisdom decided that certain Apex bloodlines of brothers created an unshakable foundation of authority, replacing the singularly ruled territories with the system of triads we have today.

Now, each state bows to their own triumvirate of Apex Alphas. While ordinary packs maintain their own territories and Alphas, none dare challenge the supreme might of these brotherly triads or their precious shared mate—the one female, powerful enough to balance and bind their energies together to truly enforce that power entirely. Assuming she ever revealed herself.

Which it didn’t seem like ours ever would—at least not in this crowd.

“You could try to enjoy yourself,” Malachi offers. “The upside to being an Apex Alpha is there is no shortage of bedmates for any of us.”

He turns his angular chin slightly, and one of his doting admirers hurries over to offer him a drink which he accepts, flashing the over-eager female a quick but dismissive smile as I turn my attention back toward the growing crowd. It’s a good turnout tonight, but it always is. Every pack is expected to attend our monthly events, although not every shifter from every pack attends. But unlike some Apex Alphas, we don’t follow-up on absent attendees. There is no one taking attendance or following up the day after. I, for one, have more important things to do than wonder why someone didn’t bother coming to one of our parties.

“It’s not about you ,” Malachi argues every month when I refuse to follow up on attendance. “It’s about showing disrespect to the Apex pack. It shows which Alphas are running a tight ship and ensuring their packs are following protocols.”

“That’s their problem, not ours,” I insist.

“It becomes our problem if it spirals out of control!” Malachi is relentless, his need to be heard irritating. He never thinks he is being heard, which only makes him louder. There’s no question my youngest brother has a bit of a chip on his shoulder about the order in which he had been born. He always thought he would have made the better firstborn and makes no secret about it.

I roll my eyes, refusing to die on this hill where Malachi is concerned. “Then you can spend your precious time tracking them down and punish them for their insubordination. I have an Apex pack to run.”

But it turns out that Malachi’s concerns are unwarranted. Everyone always shows up to our parties, regardless if we’re checking or not. Shifters want to attend the full moon parties.

From the opposite end of the bonfire, Asher sits up unexpectedly, his blond head twisting oddly. My calm sibling’s abrupt movement catches me off guard. “She doesn’t belong here,” he says simply, pointing a slender finger outward.

In tandem, Malachi and I turn to follow Asher’s gaze, his tone concerning me. Asher rarely has much to contribute under normal circumstances, his peaceful disposition speaking for itself. The peacemaker amongst us, Asher, does his best to diffuse, not incite. A bombshell like this is worth hearing out, particularly when these bonfires are open to all shifters. Asher is not one to stir the pot for no good reason.

“Who?” Malachi demands, his head pivoting left and right, nose raised as he tries to sniff out trouble with his dragon instincts.

But I’ve already got her in my sights. I don’t know how Malachi missed her. I can feel her in my pores, even from where she is, and I can barely make out her features properly. Energy vibrates around me, the pulse of the party increasing as I jump gracefully to my feet.

“Stay here,” I tell my siblings, but the rush in my ears blocks their responses, if they answered at all. I can’t hear anything but the roar of blood in my veins.

Suddenly, I have tunnel vision, and all I can do is fixate on her.

Who is she?

My tongue juts out to lick my lower lip, my prowling instincts heightening, but I’m not on guard… not exactly. A fusion of desire and curiosity meld inside me, propelling me forward as I look to the sky for a celestial event.

Could this be her? Is she the one we’ve been expecting?

But nothing out of the ordinary happens, not really, except to say my pulse will not slow down.

Asher’s right; she’s not one of the usual suspects, or I would have noticed her before. She’s too beautiful to have missed in the past. Her strawberry red tresses stand out among the common faces, the strands tousled and reaching her ribs, high cheekbones flawless and free of makeup. Even from here, I can see how blue her eyes are, the color rivaling the depth of oceans.

She’s ill-at-ease, uncomfortable. I can already smell the wariness permeating off her skin.

“I’m coming, too,” Malachi says, but I whirl around, baring my half-formed fangs at him. The sudden gesture startles him.

“I said I’ll deal with her,” I growl.

My brother squares off with me, but what he sees in my face forces him to relent. His steel-blue eyes darken, a scowl pinching the corners of his cheeks as he looks over my shoulders.

He can’t stop looking at her, either.

“Just give me a minute with her,” I say again, lowering my tone, heat creeping up my neck.

Overhead, thunder rumbles, and the crowd murmurs in dismay, but the moon blazes brightly, unobstructed but for a film of haloed, crimson clouds. Blinking, I look up again, but there’s no sign of rain anywhere.

I must have imagined the thunder—or it’s just my heart pounding again.

Scowling, Malachi flops back down. “Whatever you say, oh, mighty leader,” he mutters sarcastically.

I ignore him and head toward the stranger, angling toward the outskirts of the crowd now. She pretends not to see me approaching, but she’s already stepping back as if trying to hide herself among the group. A moment ago, she had been nakedly staring at us, I’m sure of it. Now she’s trying to make herself scarce—not that it’s unusual. When confronted with our power, shifters often balk.

Her gorgeous sapphire eyes flit from one head to the next, like her irises are playing leapfrog over their crowns, mentally making an escape plan through the party.

A peculiar sensation overcomes me as I near her, but the din and bodies between us prove distracting, especially as members of my pack and other visitors reach out to get my attention in passing, vying for a fleeting second of my time. No one is bold enough to stop me full on, but they make subtle overtures, stepping in my path, offering demure smiles, and otherwise slowing me down on my chase after the redhead, who I now want more than anything.

My wolf senses sharpen as more figures fill the space between us, and I lose sight of her again as someone calls out my name.

Dammit!

Straining, I whip my head around, looking for the woman again, her reddish-blonde hair easily detectable, even in a crowd like this one.

But I can’t see her now.

“What’s wrong, Alpha?” A pack mate hands me a bottle of my favorite beer, but I don’t want it. My head has to stay clear until I get my hands on this elusive shifter, who’s clearly playing with me now. She’s good, but she’s not Apex Alpha good.

I’m coming to get you.

“Nothing,” I reply truthfully.

Even if she is a stranger, she’s still a shifter, and by all accounts, welcome at the full moon event—assuming she’s not stupid enough to bring trouble with her. My interest in her has less to do with her unfamiliarity and more to do with the fact that she’s alluring and a fresh challenge.

I want to know who she is.

The atmosphere around the lake charges as the moon rises higher, a film of red overtaking the haze of clouds surrounding the outer halo.

“Stay vigilant for outsiders tonight,” I tell my packmate, still scanning the area.

My gaze eventually rests back on the bonfire where my brothers have risen to wander restlessly, as if the girl's arrival has unsettled them, too.

A flash of light red streaks past my peripheral vision, and I’m off running before I can stop myself. Overhead, three shooting stars fire off in tandem with the popping of fireworks, released by a shifter from one of the ordinary packs. Brilliant colors illuminate the sky, making it easier for me to take in the surrounding mob, and I immediately see her again, her vivid blue eyes locking on mine.

Unexpectedly, my heart leaps into my throat, starting me as I come to a dead stop, dozens of others between us. Even from the distance, I see her pupils dilate, then constrict, her plump lips parting in shock. Her delicate hand lifts to brush behind her left ear, the curve of her neck tightening to emphasize the steady pulse of her heartbeat—a rhythm perfectly aligned with my own.

Who are you? What are you?

Another firecracker shoots off over Watts Bar Lake, and the shifters howl and screech, the official transformation commencing. The moon peaks at her fullness, the noise and mild chaos tampering with the mounting energy bubbling between me and the redhead. It feels as if something deigns to break free between us, but a distinct wall holds me back. An internal struggle starts in my mind as I try to make sense of what’s happening, of who she is or what she wants.

“Did you speak to her? Who is she?” Malachi demands from beside me.

Annoyed, I glance at him, but before I can respond, she’s on the move again, and I don’t waste a second chasing after her now. I won’t let her out of my sight this time.

Stealthily, I sidestep my brother, ducking around a group of giggling older teenagers, already half-tipsy on hunt blood. As they lay eyes on me and Malachi, they immediately stop chattering, and bowed their heads respectfully, muttering, “Alpha Warrick, Alpha Malachi,” as they stepped aside to let us pass.

Through my sidelong vision, I catch Malachi’s gaze, his silent message and half-smirk reaching me.

You take her front. I’ll take the back.

Rolling my eyes, I head off the interloper, still trying to understand who she is and why she’s toying with me. She’s taunting us for a reason.

Tempted to shift and pounce on her, I keep to the shadows, avoiding the fairy lights draped along the beachfront trees as Malachi darts through the throng behind her. A panic unfolds in her brilliant azure eyes, the two of us closing in around her. Her eyes grow wider as they rest on my face, the expression of a trapped animal falling over her striking features.

What is she?

As I draw closer, I’m no longer sure she is a shifter, even though I can smell her propensity to transform coursing through her body. The trouble is, I don’t know what she can shift into. I extend my hand, a slow smile touching my lips.

“Come here,” I urge her as Malachi advances from behind.

All hell breaks loose as she sees him, her hand again reaching up to touch her ear—a nervous tic, I realize.

“Warrick, don’t!” Asher suddenly calls out from nowhere.

I didn’t even realize our other brother had joined in the chase. I freeze in my place, heeding Asher’s alarmed tone.

All around us, the party disperses, clearing a full path of triangulation between us and the girl. The din quiets, the music dying, leaving all eyes on us and the panting stranger to gape at us balefully. She doubles over, her hands on her knees, and I wait for her shift, to show who she is as her fear gives way, but she remains in her human form.

Her eyes flick wildly, but she doesn’t speak, the distress on her face mounting more with each passing second.

“What the hell are you doing?” I ask conversationally, a bemused smirk touching my lips.

Malachi strides closer behind her, but Asher seems to see something neither one of us can.

“Wait,” Asher growls again as my eyebrow juts up in confusion. I don’t like this, not knowing what’s going on, or who this woman is.

“Who the hell are you?” I bark, taking command, ignoring Asher’s order.

She doesn’t respond.

“You’ll answer me when I ask you a question. Do you know where you are? Who I am?”

I stride toward her, determined to have my answers, regardless of her fear or my brother’s worry.

Yelping like a wounded animal, she lunges toward me, but I realize she’s not coming at me. She’s trying to escape.

Half-laughing, half-alarmed, I grab for her, intending to stop her from passing. “What the?—”

I don’t get a chance to finish my sentence. She transforms as I touch her, her human body falling onto all fours, her form elongating into a mass of ivory-white fur.

Shocked, I recoil, pulling my hand back as if she were on fire. I take in the sight with absolute dismay as my brothers gawk with equal perplexity. Her paws land effortlessly on the ground and she’s off running before I can recover.

“Don’t just stand there! Get her!” I hear one of the Apex pack members howl. “She looks just like Alpha Warrick!”

The words snap me out of my daze, and I also shift, fangs extending. Malachi’s dragon wings span, and he takes to the air, unleashing a spray of fire to brighten the shores for better vision around us. The party spans in all directions to search for the wayward white wolf.

But I have her scent, and I’m on her in seconds, her fear and sweat in my nostrils before she can make it to the parking lot where she’s trying to escape on foot.

Pinning her to the ground, I pant over her, my claws curled dangerously into her furry neck, identical to my own, her sapphire eyes the only difference between our two bodies at that moment.

It’s almost unbelievable how much of my traits she’s absorbed, but I force myself to stay composed. Her tongue lolls out, the stench of terror permeating the air around us as Malachi lands beside me, shifting back into his human form.

“She looks exactly like you,” my brother comments worriedly, echoing what I already determined. “Is she a shapeshifter?”

I don’t move, my claws tightening around her throat, and she squeaks as the ground shakes beside me. Asher bounds to a stop beside us, his massive mane swishing in the night as he does a double-take between us. I don’t glance at the lion, even as he stalks around us, his tail flickering.

“ He got her ,” Malachi reassures him. “It’s hard to tell the difference, though, isn’t it?”

My brother roars lightly and also shifts back. He places a hand on my shoulder, trying to pry me off the other white wolf, but I refuse to move, my eyes still boring into hers.

“You can let her go, Warrick. We’ll secure her,” Asher tells me softly. “She’s not going anywhere.”

How the fuck did she shift into my form?

She’s defiant, refusing to blink or close her eyes. She’s not fazed by me. She’s angry. But why?

“Warrick.” Asher’s hand closes more firmly over my shoulder, and he urges me back as Malachi swoops in.

“Are you going to behave?” Malachi asks her.

She rises slowly, her head lowered, but she doesn’t shift back, even when I do.

“What should we do with her?” our youngest brother asks, reluctantly looking toward us. I look back toward the party, where a small crowd has formed at the edge of the parking lot.

“Let’s get her back to our estate,” I growl, rising as a nearby pack member drapes a blanket over my nude form. “We need to find out what the fuck just happened.”

My astute ears catch her whimper, but I don’t look back. I don’t claim to understand any of what just transpired, but something tells me we need to contain her before she does more damage.