Wolf's Fall (Alpha Pack #6)(11)

“I shouldn’t have done that.”

Not too promising.

“In case you didn’t notice, I rather enjoyed it,” she pointed out.

“So did I, but . . .” He ran a hand through his jet-black hair. “Look, I need to get back. I’m not ditching you, it’s just that something tells me I’m needed.”

He sounded sincere and she breathed a small sigh of relief. “I’ll take you.”

“You don’t have to do that. My wolf can run fast.”

“My way is faster.” She held out a hand and waited. He hesitated only a second before placing his palm in hers. With a smile, she said, “Don’t let go of me.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

Shifters didn’t like traveling by translocation as a general rule. It tended to make many of them dizzy and sick to their stomachs. But there were times that it was the most expedient way to get where you were going.

Closing her eyes, she imagined the Pack’s compound and let her gift take them there. The flight lasted merely a few seconds and soon she felt solid earth under her shoes again. Looking around, she saw that they were in the grassy yard area in the back where the party had taken place.

Nick staggered a bit, then leaned over and rested his hands on his knees. “God, that sucks.”

“Are you all right?” She touched his shoulder.

“I will be.” Gradually he straightened and gave her a rueful smile. “At least my lunch didn’t make a reappearance.”

“Thank goodness for small favors.”

“Yeah.”

“Nick!” The commander glanced toward the back of the building to see one of his men jogging out the door.

“Micah, what’s wrong?”

Calla recognized the younger man with the scarred face as Micah Chase, Rowan’s brother. One side of his face was like melted wax from being tortured months ago while in captivity. The evil scientist who’d held him and many other shifters had poured molten silver on him, ensuring the tissue would never heal. She shoved down the stirring of pity, sensing the young wolf wouldn’t appreciate it.

“We got called out,” Micah said, jogging up. “Oh, hi, Princess Calla. Sorry to interrupt.”

“Just Calla, and no worries,” she assured him. Seemed Nick’s gut feeling that he needed to return had been spot-on.

“What type of call, and when did it come in?” Nick was all business now, standing straight and tall, his own problems forgotten. Every inch the Pack’s Alpha wolf.

Secretly, it gave her a bit of a thrill to watch him work.

“About two minutes ago. There’s a group of hunters attacking a coven of vampires about fifty miles from here. We gotta skate. They can’t hold out much longer.”

Nick turned to Calla, but she held up a hand. “Go. I’ll be fine.”

“Either stay here until I get back or go straight home,” he ordered firmly. “I don’t want you without protection with hunters running around here.”

“I’ll go home. Promise.” She gave him a smile, and his face softened a tad.

“I’ll talk to you soon.”

With that, the commander turned and jogged with Micah toward the hangar. Calla was so intrigued by the sway of his tight ass as he ran, she hadn’t noticed that someone else had joined her.

“Quite the sight, isn’t he?” a woman’s voice teased.

Calla turned her head to see Selene, Nick’s daughter, observing her with humor etched on her angular face. Great, she’d been busted ogling the woman’s father.

“He’s passable enough.” She shrugged.

Selene laughed. “Ha! You were staring at his backside like he was a nice juicy steak, so don’t even try that with me. He seemed pretty into you, too.”

“I don’t know. Maybe.”

The other woman’s smile turned contemplative. Suddenly, she leaned toward Calla and sniffed. “Holy shit, his scent is all over you. That old dog, he marked you good, didn’t he?”

“M-marked me?”

“Yeah,” Selene drawled. “Oldest shifter mating ritual on record, girlfriend, especially with born wolves. The male marks his female to warn off other guys. Guess which ritual is the second oldest.”

Nick’s daughter was f*cking with her, and enjoying herself immensely. But that didn’t make what she said any less true. Calla had heard about the marking thing—she’d just never encountered an example firsthand.

Calla drew herself up and looked Selene straight in the eye. She wasn’t sure whether she was being mocked, or merely teased in a good-natured manner. “I like your father a lot,” she said directly. “I’m drawn to him as well, and to be honest there could be more than mere attraction there. Is that going to be a problem?”

She’d said as much as she could to the woman without revealing she was pretty sure Nick was her mate. Nick deserved to hear those words first, when the time was right.

“Not at all,” Selene said, dropping the teasing. Her expression was warm, and she seemed genuine when she spoke again. “I want nothing more than to see Dad happy. He’s been on the edge of a cliff, and if you’re the one who can pull him back, I’ll be thrilled.”

“Me, too. And thank you. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but it’s good to know we have support.”