Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

S onya sank into the living room couch and tuned the TV to a channel that broadcast back-to-back reruns of reality shows. She’d watch a few episodes of someone else’s drama before turning in for the night, and maybe eat a pint or five of ice cream. The TV and after-dinner treat were her methods of coping with stress. They were also the reasons she exercised regularly.

Her friends were all regular humans, clueless about the existence of shifters and witches. Asking them for help with wolf politics and her loss of fortune-telling powers would cause shock and worry, to say the least. So here she was, numbing her feelings with simple carbs and people on the screen.

During dinner and his bath, Karim had peppered her with questions about wolves from other towns and how pack rules applied to them. Her limited ability to answer him had disappointed them both. Finally, out of questions and in bed, he had sighed as he said goodnight, then turned toward the wall before she could kiss his forehead—the one form of physical affection he still routinely allowed.

Sonya sighed and spooned more ice cream into her mouth, trying to force down the lump of misery stuck in her throat. She’d failed her little brother again. But how would she find the information they needed? She’d been na?ve to think that living close to the pack would be enough. Obviously, Karim needed more than contact to learn how to be a wolf. He needed guidance from another shifter. But who could she ask? Nobody in the pack seemed interested in helping Albert’s son. Her stepfather had clashed with the rest of the pack shortly after he’d married Nagita, but he’d never shared why with Sonya. Too caught up in her own life, she’d never thought to ask for details.

Maybe she should reach out to another pack. But how would she find one? She’d asked Ruth about Nagita’s family, but Ruth had told her Nagita had been an orphan who grew up in a group home for human children. She’d run away and lived on the streets once she started shifting.

Somehow, Sonya would find the resources she needed to help her brother. She just had to identify the right person to ask.

Her thoughts turned to the shifter who had visited the cafe earlier. When she’d taken his order, the intensity of his blue-gray eyes had sent a flush flooding through her body. The urge to touch him had almost overpowered her. He wore his dark, wavy hair brushed back, but a few strands had fallen over his forehead. She’d had to clench her hands to stop herself from touching them.

It had been a while since she’d dated—even longer since she’d had sex—but she’d had dry spells before. Being attracted to someone had never affected her this strongly, though. In her confusion and befuddlement, she’d completely forgotten about Karim’s love of brambleberry pie and given the last slice to the stranger.

Before Karim had showed up, she’d felt the man’s eyes on her. As she bustled around the restaurant, his gaze had made forgotten body parts tingle. It had taken tremendous effort to pretend she didn’t notice and to not return his look.

Now she felt foolish. The joke was on her for thinking he’d been interested in her that way. He’d been watching her because he thought witches were evil.

She pushed the spoon deep into the ice cream and dug around for buried chocolate chips, scraping the metal against the bottom of the paper container. The joke was on him, too, because she wasn’t a witch. She had no magical powers, only the ability to see the glimpses of the future that the Runes sometimes revealed.

Although currently, that was another failure.

Besides, she’d never date a shifter. No matter how tall and gorgeous they were. Or how much she wanted to run her fingers through their thick hair and gaze into their smoldering eyes. She squelched the returning wave of heat.

Except for Albert, every adult shifter she’d met was backward, prejudiced, and judgmental. The men were testosterone-filled piles of muscles who solved their problems with fists—or claws and teeth. She shook her head and put the ice cream down on the table. Why on earth had she thought this was a good place to raise Karim? Her brother deserved better.

And that brought her back to her initial problem. She needed information on how to raise a wolf properly. Maybe she shouldn’t have antagonized the stranger so quickly. Maybe she should have asked for information about his pack, or any pack outside of Sunbeam. But he’d pissed her off when he narrowed his eyes and spit out that she was a witch. She’d had enough of that from the local pack.

A loud knock on the front door startled her out of her thoughts. She stood and glanced at the clock on the wall. It must be Ruth coming to complain about something. Who else would bother them at eleven p.m.?

Sonya muted the TV and tightened the belt on her silk robe. She wore only a short nightgown underneath, without a bra, and she was generously proportioned on top. Ruth already took every opportunity to criticize Sonya. Giving her a flash of boob would only make things worse.

As Sonya debated what to put on that covered her better and would keep her warm outside, whoever was outside rapped on the door again. This time harder, more impatient. Sonya walked to the front of the house and peeked through the peephole.

Shit . What did Dale Norris want at this time of night?

She could pretend she hadn’t heard the knock. Since she wasn’t part of the pack, his alpha powers couldn’t compel her. And shifter law didn’t give him jurisdiction over her, like he had over the rest of the pack.

“I can hear you in there, Sonya,” Dale growled. “We need to talk.”

Damn shifters’ superior hearing. Why would the alpha need to speak with her? He usually looked straight through her. This was not good.

“Just a minute,” she stalled while grabbing her winter coat. Dale would definitely not be coming inside. Pulling it on, she opened the door and stepped out, forcing Dale to retreat. “Karim is sleeping.” She gestured to the oversized wicker table and chairs on the front porch. “Let’s talk out here.”

Dale glared at her but sat down, immediately manspreading. Sonya took a seat across from him.

He watched her for a beat. Refusing to be intimidated, she stared right back. His light brown eyes were set close together, and he wore his long salt-and-pepper hair slicked back in a low ponytail. It gleamed in the porch light from whatever product he’d used to style it, or maybe it was just greasy. She suppressed a snicker. Nervousness made her bitchy.

Though she was trembling on the inside, she forced herself not to fidget. He couldn’t compel her with pack magic, but he wielded a lot of influence in town and could make things difficult for her. Where would Karim be if he turned the pack against her?

“So,” Dale finally said, leaning forward. “There’s an out-of-pack wolf in town, and apparently you and Karim know him.”

“Who told you that?” She waved her hand. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter.” Pack members were everywhere, and someone was usually watching her. She hadn’t known they reported back to the alpha, though. “Your information is wrong. A shifter came to the coffee shop. All I did was serve him pie.”

Dale bared his teeth in what was probably supposed to be a smile, but looked more like an angry grin. “If you don’t know him, why did Karim sit at his table?”

Sonya’s heart rate sped up. She was in trouble because her little brother had dared to sit in the same booth as the stranger? An unhinged giggle threatened to escape her throat. Freaking Karim and his obsession with brambleberry pie. “He’d never met a wolf who wasn’t pack. He was curious, that’s all. I sent him into the kitchen as soon as I noticed him sitting with the stranger.” Why was she defending herself for letting her brother talk to a coffee shop customer? Something about Dale’s demeanor made her anxious.

She changed the topic and took advantage of the alpha actually acknowledging her presence for once. “And that brings up a good point.” Dale quirked an eyebrow. Something sinister flashed in his eyes, and Sonya swallowed to force down a bubble of panic. “I need to know more about the shifter world so that I can help Karim with the challenges he’ll have growing up.”

“You’re not part of our world. You’re not pack.” Dale’s nostrils flared. He turned his head, sniffing the air.

Anger churned low in her belly at his dismissal. “Karim is pack. And I am his sister, his guardian. Why wouldn’t the pack want to help me raise him properly?”

Dale slowly turned to face her again. “So you want to be part of the pack?”

“No, I—” Her gut reaction was a strong no, but…maybe this was the answer she’d been looking for. If she became a pack member, would she have access to everything she needed to help Karim? “I thought only wolves could join the pack.”

The alpha leaned back in the chair, one arm dangling off the side. “Our pack has only wolves. But there are mixed packs out there.”

Sonya frowned. His fake, relaxed posture confused her. “Maybe I could talk to someone in those packs about how to best help Karim?”

Dale shook his head. “Shifter traditions and customs are not public information. You’d have to be part of a pack somewhere, or wolves won’t answer your questions.”

Freaking stupid wolf politics. Fine, she’d ask what he obviously wanted her to. “How do I become part of the pack?”

A sinister smile slowly grew on Dale’s face. “You mate with a wolf.”

Shit. Sonya mentally ran through the single wolves in the pack. She came up with only two who weren’t too old, and Ruth had given birth to one of them before she became a shifter. Mother and son had been turned together. She loved her brother to pieces, but having their neighbor as a mother-in-law was too much to ask.

Wait, was she seriously considering hooking up with a wolf? She shook her head. This was ridiculous. The giggle she’d tried to contain earlier grew, and she doubled over as bursts of laughter escaped from her throat.

“I’m glad the idea of becoming a pack member makes you joyful.” Dale’s voice dripped with sarcasm.

Sonya gasped for air. “I’m sorry. It’s just that everyone here has worked hard to make me feel unwelcome. The thought of one of them wanting to marry me is ludicrous.” She giggled again.

Dale’s eyes glittered. “It would solve your key problem, though.”

The dark undertone of his statement quickly killed her laughter. “What problem is that?”

He flicked an invisible speck off his pant leg. “You’re not Karim’s legal guardian.”

A chill trickled down Sonya’s spine, and she shivered. “Of course I am. I’m his sister.”

The alpha tilted his head. “Are you, though? Did Albert legally adopt you?”

Shit. “You know he didn’t.” Shifters lived a long time, and an official adoption required birth certificates. No way could Albert have shown up at the courthouse with a legal document that had his actual birthdate on it. And fake ones good enough to withstand scrutiny were expensive. “Albert met my mom when I was only three. We even lived here, with the pack, for a while when I was younger.” That had to count for something. Didn’t it? Her heart beat so loud, she was sure Dale could hear it. “You know he was my dad, even if he couldn’t make it official.”

“I’m afraid pack laws are quite clear on this. If there are no surviving actual family members, the pack claims guardianship of any minors.” He smiled at her again. Asshole.

She wanted to scratch his eyes out. Sonya tucked her hands under her legs to keep from lashing out. She’d lose quickly in a physical fight. The only way to win this was to outsmart him. Her mind desperately searched for a solution. She couldn’t lose her brother. She had to stall until she could find an answer. “And which of the wolves do you think I should marry?”

Dale leaned forward. “Me.”

Shock made her catch her breath. Dale’s eyes narrowed. “But you’re already mated to Mandy,” Sonya blurted out.

He waved his hand dismissively. “She’s just my girlfriend. We’re not married.”

Sonya would bet Mandy didn’t make that distinction. The two of them had interacted little, but as far as Sonya knew, Mandy considered herself the female alpha. She listened to pack members’ concerns, and when an injury had rendered Ruth immobile for a few days, Mandy had organized deliveries of cooked dinners.

Sonya bit her lip. How the hell would she get out of this? And why would Dale want to marry her, anyway? Mating with a non-shifter would piss off a lot of pack members. Why would he risk discord within the pack? Albert had explained that a wolf rose to power by challenging the sitting alpha and defeating them in battle. Dale wasn’t old, but there were younger wolves who could beat him in a physical fight. He must have a hidden agenda she couldn’t see yet. “I’m going to have to think about this,” she said.

Dale’s mouth turned down. “Don’t think too long. The offer is good for a few days. After that, the pack takes over Karim’s guardianship, whether or not you’ve joined.” A few days. She needed longer than that to figure things out. The alpha stood and stepped around the table, looming over her. “And if you run, you know you risk the boy going feral.” His tone held no concern for Karim’s welfare. “We will hunt you down if you kidnap him. And no other pack will provide sanctuary to someone who broke shifter laws.”

Her heart was beating so rapidly she thought it would burst out of her chest, but she swallowed the fear. “Shifter law doesn’t apply to me.”

A feral smile stretched across Dale’s lips. “It does if you kidnap a shifter cub. Every pack in North America will hunt you down and kill you. Let’s hope Karim doesn’t get hurt in the skirmish.”

Standing, she forced herself to meet his eyes. “I won’t run. I?—”

Dale let out a vicious growl. As he jerked his head toward the front walkway, he pushed her back into the chair, his palm pinning her down.

The stranger from the cafe stepped up onto the porch, his eyes lingering where Dale’s hand was splayed on Sonya’s chest. A low, dark rumble emanated from the out-of-town shifter, and the sound’s echo somehow reverberated inside her.

A wicked smile formed on the stranger’s lips. “Take your hands off her.” The power of his demand rippled through the still night air.

Dale snatched his hand back, bared his teeth, and took a step toward the stranger.