Her Wolf's Demands: A Wolf Shifter Paranormal Romance (The Witch's Pack Book 2), page 2




A few hisses were interspersed with affirmative grunts. The pack really was split between the old and the new. Malone held back, his strong dominating energy not quite asserting itself. That had to change if he wanted them to agree.
Biting my lip, I clenched my hands into fists. Why should I want him to succeed? The bastard had just offered me as a weapon of some sort. How did he expect me to help attract more pack members? I couldn’t win over the current puppies, let alone anyone else.
“We’re being picked off, one by one.” Malone’s voice rose. “Our enemies, amassed at the height of my father’s rule, are bearing down on us, determined to eradicate the Brighton Pack into extinction. I will not let that happen. Do you want that to happen?”
Most of them shook their heads and hummed a negative response.
A young woman with long wavy hair and eye make-up got to her feet, coming to stand beside her alpha. “So many people want our lands, and Malone is right, they’ll destroy us to get them. We were great once, before the male patriarchy got out of control. It’s time to be more inclusive. If you can accept me, a transgender female, why do you find it so hard to accept a hybrid-witch?”
My heart pitter-pattered, my chest squeezing as I smiled a thank you at the woman. She was the first of the pack to speak out for me, asking for my acceptance.
Wow, it took guts to challenge the men. By talking about their prowess and lands, she was using what they knew to remind them why they had fought to keep the pack thriving. If I was allowed to stay, I would seek her out to show my gratitude.
“Exactly. Nicely put, Evie.” Malone nodded his thanks as she sat back down, her grin wide when our gaze met.
A warm fuzzy feeling spread inside me, reminding me that I could feel something good. I just knew that I had a new friend, regardless of what happened next.
Malone gazed around, studying those who doubted him. “The last week has been an experiment. I’ve bowed down to your request to stay away and give you the time you need to come to terms with our… predicament.”
That was putting it lightly.
“However,” Malone went on, “I will never be banished from my own pack again. Della is my mate and you either accept that, knowing what her power could bring us. Or you leave to find a new pack.”
Rochelle scoffed, tossing her red hair and crossing her arms over her waist. “You really expect us to bow to you now?”
Malone’s muscles tensed as he held his arms by his side, his gaze narrowing on the she-wolf. “Yes, I do. That’s how this…” Swirling his finger around to indicate our surroundings, he raised his eyebrows. “…works.”
A quiet confidence radiated from the alpha, pulsing from him. My stomach knotted as Rochelle broke eye contact with him, scuffing her boots on the dried earth beneath her feet.
It was a side to Malone I’d never seen. His calm strong powerful energy was so compelling, I couldn’t help but stare at him, impressed despite the fury that rolled in my veins.
“I did wrong…” Malone held his hands up in surrender, “…I admit that. It’s a mistake I’ll never rectify in the way you expect. Our pack is divided, the old and the new colliding. My mate…” Pointing at me, he shrugged, as if he were resigned to the fact. “…is a hybrid witch. No one could’ve foreseen that. But, let’s take advantage of what has transpired by using her magic to defend ourselves and make our pack great again.”
The silence was compressing as I dug my fingernails into my palm. It took everything within me not to lunge forward and swing at the alpha, punching him straight in the nose. How dare he disregard my feelings by proclaiming me the answer to their wolfy woes? I was a person, goddess damn it.
“As much as I adore our laws,” Manual spoke up, “I’m prepared to try a new way. As long as you don’t stray too far from our way of life, Malone.”
Shaking his head, the alpha relaxed, the tension leaving his shoulders as others started to murmur. “I’m my father’s son,” he called, drowning out the chatter. “I respected his devotion to the pack. I loved the man, for fuck’s sake, even though he was a bastard.”
A chuckle rumbled through them, a shared knowing drawing them together.
A teenage lad stood up and punched the air, pretending to box. “He taught me to fight, but his advice about the ladies was terrible. Totally archaic.”
“He knew how to throw an incredible party,” an older man yelled, taking a swig from a beer bottle. “We haven’t had one since he died.”
A cheer rose up, the wolves saluting their former alpha. A few of them laughed and joked, their disapproval of their current alpha momentarily forgotten.
Although I raged, my hands shaking, I couldn’t help but admire the bond they shared. Witches had their coven, yes. However, it had always been about the magic. Wolves. They were loyal, bonded to one another the same way I was to my brother. It was a rare thing in our world.
As the memories were shared, a pang clenched my heart. I missed Drake. His goofy smile and his floppy hair. He was a true artiste, sullen and brooding while painting, but cheerful when he’d finished. They always said creative minds were susceptible to mental health problems due to their deep nature and complex imaginings.
I had believed, as a child, that the bravest people of all were the ones who ended up suffering from an illness of the mind. I still did. I admired my brother, and anyone else who endured an invisible disease.
“Yes, yes,” Malone said, “my father was good for the pack in many ways. However, let’s not forget what happened when the Crawley Pack attacked.”
My gaze snapped to the alpha as my mind was wrenched back to the present. I’d thought about Kieran and that day in the woods. Had he been trying to intimidate me in order to wind up Malone? Or had he been messing around? I didn’t know the way of werewolves when they were in their human form, let alone when they were a wolf.
The voices died down and the merriment fell away. The sombre mood dropped like a bomb, dispersing any remaining good feeling about Malone’s dad. Shit, it must have been bad.
“Exactly.” Opening his arms wide, Malone stood tall, commanding the whole space. “And this is why things have got to change. And I’m the alpha to do it.”
Chapter Two
My footsteps were as fast as my beating heart as we headed into the woods to check the boundary spell. Malone had finished his speech with an order to go to bed and accept that I was staying for now.
The pack had begrudgingly done as they were told, knowing that he wasn’t going to back down.
“That went well,” he muttered to Manual who had accompanied us.
Ignoring him, I wandered into the trees, digging out my phone. The pack had given me my old broken one and a new one, saying they’d cloned everything except the number. Apparently, Emiliah had insisted that I be allowed to contact my brother. I was indebted to her for showing me kindness.
Malone’s huff was loud as I dialled my brother, determined to hear his voice. I had missed him, and I needed to know that he was okay.
“Hello?” his croaky voice answered.
“Drake!” My throat almost closed as emotion squeezed it. “How are you?”
His yawn was a smooth balm, calming the anger that threatened to spill over. Malone was lucky I hadn’t kicked his arse already.
“Della, where have you been? Why haven’t you rung me?” His concern made me teary.
Turning away as Malone came closer, I pushed my fingers into the corner of my eyes to try and stop the tears from spilling over. My shaky breath would’ve been a giveaway, but I couldn’t help it. “I’ve been sorting everything out. It’s okay, you’re safe from the wolves.”
His sigh was long and loud. “I’m feeling a lot better,” he said, “although I’m not quite there yet. I’ve been painting a shit-ton to ease the paranoia.”
The tension in my body relaxed as I kicked the leaves and twigs underfoot. “I’m so pleased to hear that. I’ve missed you, bro. More than you’ll ever know.”
“I’ve missed you, too. Are you safe? Did they get you?”
I had to tread carefully. If he knew what had happened to me, he could easily take a step backwards. It was best to keep him in the dark until he was in a more stable place. “I’m fine. I’ve had a nice break and plan to get back to normality soon. I’ll come and see you.”
“Yes. It’s been weird not seeing you for so long.”
Another yawn reached my ear. Smiling to myself, I watched the tip of my white shoe as it got covered in dirt. “I know, I’m sorry. I’ll be with you in the next couple of days, I promise.”
A low scowl sounded behind me, making me look up. Malone watched me, his thick arms crossed over his even thicker chest. What? He couldn’t stop me from visiting my brother. If he tried, I would trap him in his cabin, keeping him prisoner until I returned. If I returned.
“I’ll let you get some sleep,” I said quietly, smiling into the phone. “Mushbrain Head Number One.”
He chuckled briefly before signing off.
When I’d found him one night, hiding in the cupboard under the stairs, he’d told me that he’d become a member of the Mushbrain Heads. I’d had no idea who they were, but I’d climbed in with him and insisted that I was Mushbrain Number One.
An argument had ensued with Drake claiming that I was in league with the enemy because they would want me to rule, not him. I’d allowed him to have the title instead, opting to be number two, his second in command.
The nostalgic memory strangled my windpipe, making it hard for me to breathe.
A heavy hand landed on my shoulder, the touch reassuring. As tempted as I was to bury my head in Malone’s encompassing torso, I resisted, instead, stepping out of his grasp.
Extending my arm, I punched him in the tummy, snarling when he frowned down at me. “How dare you offer me up as a weapon?!”
Okay, so violence wasn’t the answer, but my pathetic excuse for an attack was so mild, Malone hadn’t even flinched. Plus, the bastard deserved far worse.
He glanced at Manual, waving a dismissive hand to him. The other wolf disappeared, blending into the shadows as he left. Good, at least I could really have a go at him without an audience.
Running a hand over his face, Malone shook his head. “It’s a good solution.”
“Solution?” I spat, almost choking, “is that all I am to you?”
Fucking hell, I’d been stupid enough to believe that our mating would ease the tension between us, maybe even bring us closer together. He’d trusted me enough to tell me about his sister, why was he pushing me away now?
“You’re ruthless,” I whispered, turning away and marching towards the dirt track to check the boundary.
His hand grabbed my arm, spinning me towards him. “Don’t walk away from me when I’m talking to you.” His nostrils flared, his white teeth flashing as he snarled.
My heartbeat raced, the blood pounding through my veins. The rush of heat was confusing. It started as fury, melting into desire as it pulsed between my legs. “Fuck you,” I muttered, staring up into his face.
“Fuck me?” he bit back, his voice lowering at the same time as his head. “Is that what you’d like to do?”
A strangled gasp escaped me as he wound his fingers into my hair and tugged, forcing my head back. I swallowed, refusing to let him intimidate me, despite the tingles of lust that sparked under my skin, begging for him to lower his lips to my neck.
“Don’t try to distract me from your dick move.”
The corner of his lip lifted into his cheek in a smirk. “Your aggression certainly makes my… dick… move.”
Shoving him, I cast a freeze spell on his boots, smirking to myself when he couldn’t move his feet from the ground. He held his arms up in surrender and rolled his eyes.
“I mean it,” I snapped, “I will not be your weapon. I will bind the wolf within me.”
His face hardened, the line of his jaw tightening.
He hadn’t had the decency to ask if I would help them rebuild the pack. He’d just stormed on, alpha-headed, making decisions for me. He was so used to everyone doing what he wanted, he’d lost the ability to ask nicely. Not only that, he knew that I wanted to be with my brother. I wouldn’t be a prisoner in a place where no one wanted me.
“I find a way for us to be together, and you want to throw it in my face?” His words were bitten through his teeth.
Broody, angry Malone was back. Hadn’t he just won his pack over? He should’ve been happy that he had half persuaded, half ordered them to accept me.
My eyes closed briefly, the heartbreak seeping from my pores. “You’ve been forced to accept me into your life. As powerful as the bond is, we don’t know each other. You haven’t been able to talk to me for a whole week, let alone tell me that you planned to sway the pack with the promise of my magic. You think I want to be with someone like that?”
Air sucked into his lungs, the sound just audible. I’d hit him in the gut with words, which were obviously more powerful than my fist.
My own stomach clenched as he shook his head. “It was the best solution for everyone. We get to be together, the pack is expanded, and you get to live.”
“Live?” I snorted. “Do you really think I want to live half in and half out of your world? An outsider? If the alpha can’t respect me enough to include me in his decisions about my life, how will the pack?”
He watched me, his intense gaze delving into mine. I stayed firm, holding my ground as he stepped forward, his throat bobbing in a swallow.
“What do you want then?” he asked, his voice raspy.
Licking my lips, I crossed my arms over my waist. “I want,” I whispered, trying to hold on to the tears that threatened, “to bind the wolf so I can leave. I need to start again, away from you, away from Brighton.”
Chapter Three
“Wake up!”
The bang on my door jolted me awake. The soft mattress enveloped me, my body sinking further into it. My eyes fluttered closed again, resisting the person who had interrupted my slumber.
“Della?”
The voice was feminine, demanding. If I didn’t listen, she would no doubt come in.
Pushing up into a sit, I rubbed my eyes before checking the clock on the bedside table. Wow, I’d slept for almost twenty hours. In a spare bedroom in Malone’s cabin. Alone.
“Yes?” I croaked, clearing my throat. “What is it?”
“Time to come and get some food.” Emiliah’s voice was kind, inviting.
If only the rest of the pack would be so nice, maybe I’d consider forming a life here.
Scoffing gently, I clambered out of bed and padded over to the door. Who was I kidding? Not only would the wolves hate me, I’d have to leave Drake behind. That would never happen.
Fluffing my bed hair, I opened the door. “I’m not so sure…”
My words dried on my lips as the scent of barbequed meat blasted in my face. Acoustic guitars strummed, the melody calling me outside. The bedroom certainly had good soundproofing. It sounded like a party was in full swing. And I was invited?
“We’re celebrating Lionel’s recovery and the prospect of building the pack again,” Emiliah said, her tight black ringlets bouncing as she bobbed her head to the music. “Think everyone is actually excited that you’re here to help us.”
“They are?” I asked, despite myself.
My stomach rumbled loudly, distracting Emiliah from my embarrassingly desperate question. She shook her head and gestured into the bedroom. “Get ready. If werewolves know how to do anything, it’s party and food.”
The idea of letting my hair down was more appealing than I wanted to admit. However, there was something on my mind.
“Is Malone outside already?”
Frowning, Emiliah shook her head. “No, he’s gone to his workshop. He didn’t tell you?”
My gaze ducked to the floor as my cheeks heated, no doubt turning bright beetroot. What could I say? Oh, we’re not really talking. In fact, I told him I didn’t want to be with him. Yes, he’s sexy as shit with a brooding nature to attract my daddy issues, but I can’t stay in a pack with werewolves who despise me, or abandon my brother, who is still a witch.
Fuck. My life was fucked.
“Come on.” Emiliah’s tone was kind, her smile reassuring, “Let’s go and get a drink.”
A drink! Yes, I could do with a few of those to ease the tension that was knotting my muscles.
Turning to the bedroom, I paused when my stomach twisted in another hunger pang. Sod the shower, magic would do. I needed food, pronto.
Waving a hand over myself, I created a cute outfit made up of skinny jeans with white roses embroidered on them and a plunging red tank top that hugged my breasts before flowing from the ribs.
“No wonder Malone wants you to help us with your magic,” Emiliah said, her eyes wide as I fixed my hair into fresh waves.
A small part of me enjoyed her admiration. I had been outraged at Malone, but really, I should’ve been flattered. Someone as strong as Malone wanted, no needed, little old me to help a whole wolf pack.
The realisation made me hover on the threshold of the bedroom as Emiliah turned, gesturing for me to follow. A tiny prick of pride broke through the annoyance. Maybe I should be proud that Malone was happy to allow me to use my power to stand beside him.
As I followed Emiliah out of the cabin, I chuckled to myself. Stand beside him? Who was I kidding? I would be his to control, like the other wolves.
“Tell me,” I called to Emiliah, who slowed her pace to walk next to me. “Why do you all bow down to one man or woman? Wait, has there ever been a female alpha?”
The music grew louder as we neared the fire. It raged, the flames tall, reaching for the dark sky. A white marquee had been erected nearby and picnic benches pulled together to create a dining area.
Different smells combined, sending my system into overdrive. BBQ burgers, sausages, hot chocolate and chilli mixed with charcoal, burning wood and earth. There wasn’t one hint of perfume or aftershave.