Chapter 3 - Hanson

Dawn arrived with the sound of birdsong at Hanson's open bedroom window, but still he lay, staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep.

Every time he closed his eyes, all he saw was her. Beautiful, blonde, big breasted, and damn, those hips. Hell, how he wanted to grab hold of those hips.

And the way Eddie had dragged her away down from the porch played on his mind also. It bugged him. Whether he was her brother or not, he shouldn't have laid hands on her like that. Sure, she hadn't protested, but still. His hackles had risen the second he saw it, and it had taken all he had in him to stop from charging down the porch steps to free her from his grip.

Now, though he tried his damnedest, he couldn't rid himself of thoughts of her.

It had been hours since they had gone off on patrol, but her scent still lingered in his nostrils. It was sweet, seductive, sexual. And when he breathed deeply, it caused him to shiver from head to toe.

Hell, this she-wolf was dangerous; he was wary. What had she done to him to have elicited such an instinctual response?

He had never felt this kind of pounding in his chest, the need to know where she was and what she was doing and with whom. Was she safe? Had Eddie upset her? Did she and her brother have an argument?

He thought he would rip Eddie's arm right out the socket if he so much as saw him lay a hand on her again.

"Fuck…." he growled out through gritted teeth, running his fingers through his red-blonde hair.

Whatever she had done to him, however she had done it, it was bad. If he hadn't smelled the wolf within her and if he didn't know she was Eddie's sister, he might have said she was a witch. She had certainly cast some horrendous spell on him.

Glancing at his alarm clock on the bedside table, he decided it was time to give up trying to sleep. It was well past seven, and there was always something to be done nowadays. If it wasn't the final renovations on the manor, it was keeping the town safe from the threats of Christian's men or keeping the peace within the town itself.

From the second Jack and his packmates took over, it had been all hands on deck, and Hanson was determined to prove his worth and his loyalty. There was no way he would risk his place in this pack, not after so long under the rule of a tyrant.

Jack was a badass and one hell of an alpha, but compared to Karl Ryker, he was practically a puppy dog until somebody did something worthy of punishment. Even so, Hanson wasn't about to risk getting on the alpha's bad side.

So, feeling like death after zero sleep, Hanson clambered from his bed and stumbled through getting dressed.

His wolf was clawing at his insides, just as desperate as he was to find her. Maybe a shift was exactly what he needed to forget about her. Maybe if he just let off a little steam his damn mind would quit making him think.

With that hope at the forefront of his mind, he headed out of his room and down the hall.

Yet he had barely reached the top of the stairs when the front door below in the foyer creaked open.

The scents that hit him stopped him dead in his tracks—or, rather, one in particular.

The first was Eddie's. He smelled it so often it was as familiar as his own. But the second made his heart rush in a way that almost swept him right off his feet, taking his breath away.

"Jack should be in his office by now," Eddie said quietly, as if he didn't wish to disturb anyone who might still be sleeping. Not that many did in the manor. With so many military men under one roof, it was an early rising house. In fact, Hanson suspected he was the last one up.

Maybe Eddie was trying not to alert the rest of the pack to his sister's presence until he had spoken to Jack.

Hanson wasn't sure how he would manage that when she smelled so goddamn good.

She smelled so good, in fact, that he had to clutch hold of the stair rail to stop from going to her immediately.

Closing his eyes, he remembered how she had looked at him on the porch, how she had seemed as if she wanted go attack him for getting in her way.

And though she had looked seriously dangerous, like she could definitely hold her own, all Hanson could imagine was what might happen if she did attack him and he overcame her.

How he would have loved to pin her to the nearest wall or the wooden pillar of the porch and hold her there until she submitted to him. He growled low in his throat just imagining his body pressed hard against her own, and he was sure he could smell arousal all over again.

But when he opened his eyes again, she was nowhere to be seen. He heard both her and Eddie's footsteps headed down the hall below in the direction of Jack's office.

Hanson knew he shouldn't do what his gut and his wolf were telling him to, but he couldn't stop himself.

Stalking down the stairs, he kept a steady distance behind the siblings, careful not to be seen until he was certain he heard them entering Jack's office.

He paused at the corner of the hall and glanced around it in time to see the door closing behind them. One glimpse of the blonde-haired, blue-eyed Elena was enough to set his heart racing again, and his feet had a mind of their own as he crept closer.

Why he was doing so, he didn't really know. All he had was a sensation in his gut that told him he had to be sure she was okay.

Jack would never treat anyone unfairly. He had even given Karl and his men the chance to leave rather than take their lives, only doing so when he had been forced into it. And yet, Hanson struggled to stop from bursting in to demand Jack hear her out and let her stay.

Her being here is a threat to the pack, he thought. He didn't know this woman. So what if she was Eddie's sister? Sure, he and his new packmates had been getting on better of late, but still, that didn't mean he could entirely trust a sibling just on his packmate's word. And besides, they were in the middle of a growing war between their pack and another. With things so uncertain right now, bringing a lone she-wolf into the pack was dangerous. I have to put pack first, whatever this is.

The aching in his chest was trying to tell him differently, but he forced the feeling away. His pack was everything to him. It always had been. Even in the days of Karl Ryker, he had secretly done all he could for his packmates' comfort and safety whenever the ex-alpha wasn't looking.

"Elena!" Jack's surprise was clearly cheerful, and Hanson heard the alpha jumping up from his chair. "What are you doing all the way up here?"

The clearing of a throat seemed to come from Eddie before he said, "She has something to ask you, boss."

"Eddie, how many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?" Jack growled low in his throat, and Hanson imagined him glowering hard at his packmate. He had seen that look often passed between Jack and one of his original packmates when they called him that.

Often, Hanson found it amusing, but not today. Today all he could think about was Elena and why she was here. Was the beautiful woman in trouble?

"Sorry, but for once, it felt necessary," Eddie said. "Given why Elena's here."

Silence fell for several moments, and Hanson could feel the tension in the room even through the door.

Though he had no need to do so, he leaned closer to be sure he wasn't missing anything. Guilt gnawed at his insides. He shouldn't be eavesdropping on his packmates, let alone his alpha. But this felt too important to miss.

"Well then, is someone going to tell me what this is about?" Jack asked, breaking the silence, and the tension only seemed to grow. "Elena, are you alright?"

Hanson heard her deep inhale and imagined the look of the beautiful woman trying to prepare herself. It caused him to quiver all over again.

He should leave now. He shouldn't get any more involved than he already had. It would be best off if he got far, far away from her and kept it that way, but his feet were firmly planted on the rug outside Jack's office.

He didn't think he could move even if he tried.

"Jack, I…I wish to ask you to grant me sanctuary here in Nightstar."

Hanson blinked in surprise. Sanctuary wasn't something asked or offered often. It was a temporary place within a pack when a lone wolf was in need of the safety of others, perhaps even running from human hunters and such.

Was that the problem? Hanson bit back a growl. He would kill every last human within a fifty-mile radius if they so much as looked at her funny.

What the fuck is wrong with me? he thought, shoving his hands into his jeans pockets to stop from reaching for the door handle.

"Sanctuary?" Jack said, sounding quite astounded. "Elena, are you in trouble?"

Eddie scoffed at that. "That's exactly what I asked, but she won't tell me anything."

Silence fell again until Jack finally said, "I would welcome you with open arms, Elena, you know that, but we are currently facing our own problems. If trouble is following you, I'm afraid we may not be able to help."

"I understand," Elena said, and Hanson's stomach twisted. Was she about to go out and face whatever was following her alone simply because their pack was being hounded by another? No, Hanson wouldn't allow that.

I'll go with her. The thought was such a shock to him that he stepped back, leaning against the far wall of the hallway.

Something was seriously wrong with him. Save for his military tours, he hadn't left Nightstar, and the Nightstar pack had always been his pack. Yet this woman had come in the dead of night and turned his world upside down, and he had no idea why.

"There is nothing to tell," Elena said, and Hanson imagined her looking between the two men. "Jack, if I thought I would be putting your pack in danger, I would never have come here."

"Then why are you here?" Jack asked. "Only those in trouble need sanctuary."

Silence fell again, and Hanson heard the shuffling of feet, as if Elena was kicking the rug under her boots.

"Maybe sanctuary wasn't quite the right word, but I didn't know how else to ask," Elena admitted, and the tone of her voice made Hanson's chest ache painfully. "I…I just need a place to rest and recover. A…a lot has happened these last few months…things I'd rather not talk about right now."

She finished on a yawn, as if she hoped being tired might prevent more questions.

Hanson's insides clenched. The quiet that followed was painful. He braced himself for Jack's dismissal, for the alpha to deny her request. He would always put the pack's safety first. If he so much as caught one whiff of trouble from Eddie's sister, she would be gone. Hanson knew that, and it made him even more protective of the woman.

Again, he knew he should turn away. He should leave and go for a shift. He should run and chase something and maybe kill a rabbit or two in order to get rid of this damn frustration building inside him. But still, he couldn't move.

"Elena, you know you are always welcome here," Jack said finally. There was a short pause before he added, "But if you intend to stay, there are certain rules you must follow."

"I never would have expected anything different, boss ," Elena said in an almost teasing manner, and not for the first time Hanson got the feeling she and Jack had known each other a while. It was a feeling that led to another: jealousy. How the hell could he be jealous over the fact his alpha had known his packmate's sister before he did? It was absolutely ridiculous, and yet, it was there.

Get a grip, Hanson! If his hands weren't still shoved deep in his pockets, he might have slapped himself. Instead, he pinched himself through his jeans. Maybe he was dreaming. It turned out he wasn't.

Jack growled low, and Hanson imagined that disgruntled glower all over again.

"Don't push it, El," Eddie warned.

"Oh, come on, he knows I'm only pulling his leg," Elena protested. The friendly tone between the three of them only made Hanson's jealousy grow. How he longed to be the one standing in that room with her. It was insane.

"Like I said, there're rules. Number one," Jack growled, and Hanson imagined him glaring at Elena still. "No calling me boss."

"Sure thing, boss," Elena said. "Oops, sorry!"

But the laughter Hanson heard from her suggested she had known exactly what she was doing when she said it.

This time both Jack and Eddie growled.

"Alright, alright. I get it. What're the other rules?" Elena asked.

"Nobody is to stray too far into the woods on their own," Jack explained. "There's a patrol perimeter, and nobody goes any further without backup. We've been having trouble with a rival pack, and she-wolves are especially vulnerable."

"What are you trying to say, Jack?" Elena growled and Hanson rolled his eyes. Was she one of those wolves?

"What he is saying is, this rival pack takes great interest in females for all kinds of sick fuck reasons, and you should be careful," Eddie snapped at his sister. "More than that, you shouldn't question an alpha that's just offered you sanctuary."

"Jeez, Eddie, don't get your panties in a bunch," Elena snapped back, and Hanson had to bite back laughter. He couldn't imagine many women talking to the big, broad-shouldered soldier like that.

"What Eddie says is true," Jack added, and Hanson could practically feel his stern alpha look as he added, "These are my terms. Do you accept them?"

"Yes, alpha," Elena said in a most formal manner.

"Good. Eddie will show you to a spare bedroom," Jack said, and Hanson heard footsteps approaching the door. "He'll be responsible for you while you're here."

Fuck! It was only as the door handle was turned that he realized he had drawn closer to the entry of the office again. In fact, he was practically leaning against the door when it popped open.

He just barely managed to throw himself backwards before Eddie and his sister stepped out of the room.

The way Eddie's face dropped when he saw him caused Hanson's stomach to drop with it.

Of late, he had been getting on much better with everyone. Up until the night before, he and Eddie had even been close to being friends, joking around the full moon campfire as if he'd always been a member of the pack.

But the way he looked at him now made Hanson's skin crawl.

"What the fuck are you doing out here?" Eddie demanded, and the way he held out his arm when his sister stepped out of the door behind him suggested he wanted to keep her as far away from him as possible.

Hanson had to fight the urge to grab him and shove him out of the way. He had every right to protect Elena, she was his sister, but why did he feel the need to do so? They were packmates. They had been through a lot together since Jack had taken over the pack, living and fighting side by side.

Yet the comradery that had been growing between them seemed to have vanished.

Shit! What do I say? Hanson thought. He couldn't very well let on that he had been listening in.

Seeing the way Elena glanced between them, clearly sensing the tension, he cleared his throat and lied, "I was just coming to talk to Jack."

Eddie raised one golden brow. The suspicion in his gaze made Hanson's stomach twist.

He was used to some pushback from Jack's senior packmates, but the hostility that Eddie was showing to him now was off the scale. The way he tightened his hands into fists and squared his shoulders worried Hanson.

And it seemed to worry Elena, too. There was clear concern shining in her crystalline gaze. Feeling the urge to comfort her, he took a half-step forward only to be barred by Eddie's arm.

The pressure of it made him step back into place.

"Stay away from her," Eddie growled low in his throat, a sharp warning. "You get more than enough female attention as it is. She's off limits."

Hanson was surprised by the words. He wouldn't have thought he got any more attention off the females in the pack than anyone else. In fact, he likely got less. Lately many of them had been paired and mated, including Jack, his beta Zander, and even Kane, the brooding biker wolf who seemed far too miserable half the time for anyone to be attracted to him. But then again, like every wolf, he was super attractive.

But there was still Eddie and Will and a few of the other Nightstar males who had remained even after Karl was killed. And they all got their fair share of the ladies. After all, werewolves had seriously high libidos, and until they found their fated mate, what was the harm in a little fun?

Still, there was something in Eddie's tone that worried him, something personal. What have I done to deserve this? he wondered, unable to imagine what might have set Eddie off. Surely it couldn't just be his sister's arrival?

Hanson raised his hands as if in surrender and assured his packmate, "You have nothing to worry about from me."

Eddie looked him up and down, scoffed, and then turned to Elena. "Come on."

He held out his hand as if to take hers, but she just glanced down at his hand and grumbled, "What are we, ten?"

Then she turned and started down the hall, leaving Eddie to glower one final warning at Hanson before following.

"Let's get your things from the truck and I'll show you to your room," Eddie offered as they turned the corner in the hall.

It was only then Hanson glanced after them, able to imagine Elena's perky little buttocks bouncing and swaying as she walked. He bit back a growl of frustration.

"That won't take a second," he heard Elena say. "I only have the one bag."

Curiosity battled concern. What could the beautiful she-wolf possibly be running from that caused her to travel through the night with only a single bag to ask for sanctuary?