Scarlet Disaster by Colette Rhodes
Chapter 16
I closed up the studio as quickly as I could after finishing with my client, giving thanks to the universe that the guy had only wanted a simple geometric tattoo because I was not on form today. I was exhausted, so exhausted my ribs were still twinging from the skirmish in Lou’s backyard the other day, which I’d had more than enough time to heal from under normal circumstances. Tonight, I promised myself. I’d ask Brooks or Gabriel to guard the property for a couple of hours instead and take a nap.
I knew they wouldn’t object. Gabriel had messaged me a dozen times already insisting I rest, but I’d been trying to make Lou’s stay at the house as comfortable as possible by keeping the fuck away. She’d liked Gabriel and Brooks well enough until I’d come along and ruined that too. It was almost a gift, the way I managed to get every interaction with Lou completely wrong.
I pulled out my phone as I trudged through the snow to my truck, opting to message Gabriel since he was the more reliable of my two friends when it came to replying.
Me:
Have you seen Lou today?
I really hoped they’d manage to work their charms to at least entice her out of the bedroom she’d been holed up in. Selfishly, I hoped their charms had ended there, despite Gabriel’s suggestion that they get to know her as well. Date her.
I had no claim on her. I didn’t get to be pissed about whatever Lou decided to do, except that it was undercutting the lie we were telling Frank. Either he’d think I was lying, or that she was dating all of us. Polyamory wasn’t unheard of among shifters—Chase shared his mate, as did the bears—but that wasn’t what we’d told Frank. He’d probably take it as another sign of my inability to keep her.
I had no idea how anyone shared a mate. Why would anyone put themselves through all this agonizing jealousy? Brooks and Gabriel were my best friends, but the idea of Lou with one of them, away from me, made me want to shift and claw their stupid faces off.
Gabriel:
Brooks has gone with Lou to her house. She sounded pretty happy this morning.
Probably because I wasn’t there. Oh well, at least she wasn’t hiding from all of us anymore. That was a good thing, I told myself as jealousy viciously twisted my gut. I climbed into the truck, starting it up and letting the windows defrost before I responded.
Me:
I’ll do a quick perimeter check at her place.
Brooks was a formidable opponent when he was alert, but he also had a tendency to get caught up in the moment and not keep an eye on his surroundings, relying on me or Gabriel to cover for him. I snorted to myself—for all Gabriel’s insistent declarations that we were a pack, Brooks was probably the one who acted most like we were, even though he rejected the idea as much as I did.
My phone rang, Gabriel’s name flashing across the screen, and I picked it up with a heavy sigh.
“Don’t go over there,”he said by way of a greeting.
“You know Brooks won’t have even done a cursory scent check,” I grumbled. “I’m looking out for both of them.”
“If you look at both of them right now, you might see something you don’t like,” Gabriel pointed out, chuckling to himself.
“Her safety is more important than any of that stuff,” I snapped, failing to keep the petulance out of my voice. What a nightmare. “Doesn’t it bother you? You were on a date with her the other night.”
“If it were anyone else…”Gabriel let the sentence hang, and I grunted, begrudgingly seeing his point. If Lou had another guy over at her house right now, I’d probably lose my shit and do something I couldn’t take back. It wasn’t quite that dire with Brooks or Gabriel.
“Just be careful,” I gritted out. “Very careful.”
Like, keep your fucking teeth out of her neck kind of careful. There was a beat of silence over the phone before Gabriel responded.
“Do your unnecessary perimeter check for peace of mind, then come home. You need a nap, and then we’re going to talk about what exactly happened between the two of you.”
I made a noise that he may have interpreted as agreement—but definitely wasn’t—before hanging up. Lou hadn’t specifically banned me from talking about our amazing then disastrous night together, but I didn’t think she’d appreciate it if I did. Especially the Scarlet stuff. That wasn’t my secret to tell.
Of course, I could mention that I almost bit her without giving Gabriel the full play-by-play. The only excuse I had not to talk about that was my overwhelming shame.
Lou was probably safer with Brooks than with me. He had relations with human women more than I did. I doubted he’d lose control the way I had.
I parked in a wooded area in Lou’s neighborhood that would lead me to her property, triple checking for humans before strolling among the trees like it was entirely comfortable to be traipsing through snow in soaked boots. Running around in my fur would attract too much attention, even if it made me feel more secure.
I’d be well and truly fucked if Lou saw me wandering around her house like this. I doubt she’d hesitate to shoot a second time.
As soon as Lou’s little pink house came into view through the trees, I realized that Brooks wasn’t the only wolf nearby. Fucking Frank. Also a little bit Fucking Brooks because he obviously hadn’t been outside to do a cursory check. My ribs smarted as I forced my head high and rolled my shoulders back. As tempting as it was to shift and go on the offensive, I stayed where I was, trusting that Frank was arrogant enough to swagger up to me and talk a big game like he did last time.
He could actually back up his big talk, which was inconvenient, but the further I pulled him away from Lou’s house, the better.
Sure enough, within a couple of minutes, an enormous wolf appeared between the trees, his black fur standing out in stark contrast to the snow. Frank was alone, which should have given me some comfort, but the feral glint in his eye undercut any advantage I might have had. He wasn’t going to shift and boast today.
He wanted blood.
Briefly I contemplated shouting to alert Brooks, but Frank was all wolf right now, and I didn’t need to draw his attention back to Lou while it was on me.
Frank snarled, lips pulled back to reveal vicious teeth, and fear momentarily stole the breath from my lungs. I could take on a normal-sized wolf and be almost certain of success, but Frank was bigger and stronger than the average wolf. The kind of pack he led was the kind forged in blood and battles. He’d pick his teeth with my bones if I slipped up.
Back yourself, I chastised silently. Trust your animal.
I turned and ran, letting the shift take me while I was in motion, ripping free of my clothes as I darted through the trees and back towards the road, a growling, furious wolf on my tail.
We needed to get away from humans in general, but away from Lou specifically. I didn’t like to think of it as running away, I could admit I needed some fucking backup.
Fortunately, the highway was quiet as I sprinted across it, diving into the thick of the forest that led towards my brother’s house. It was a potentially risky move—my brother and his family weren’t the only shifters in these woods. The local wolf pack tolerated my presence near their territory only because of my connection to Chase. They didn’t owe me any loyalty, and I doubted they’d like me after I led a foreign Alpha into their backyard.
Welp, I’d had a good run, I guess. I’d seen a lot of the world. Met some great people. Had a stab at responsible adulthood. Met a woman who I could have fallen in love with and mostly managed not to ruin her life.
That was more than a lot people got, right? I could die mostly satisfied.
Frank lunged, and I turned sharply, relying on my more agile build to dart through a narrow gap between trees and force him back. I could almost smell his bloodlust from here, and the jog through the woods hadn’t cooled him off in the slightest. What the fuck was going on? He hadn’t been anywhere near this out of control the other times I’d seen him.
As I got closer to my brother’s house, I let out my best screech, alerting Chase to my presence. I couldn’t scent any humans nearby, but if any heard me, I was confident they’d run. Even to my own ears, I sounded slightly demonic.
My ribs ached. Between the pain and slowing down slightly to call for Chase, Frank closed the gap between us. With a furious snarl, his enormous body slammed me into a tree with enough force to make the trunk crack ominously.
Shit, if I thought my ribs hurt before, it was nothing compared to now. My vision swam as Frank’s open jaw loomed closer, ready to clamp down on my skull.
I rolled onto my back and his responding growl was almost gleeful, like he thought I was surrendering. I was no dog though, and Frank didn’t fight cats often if he thought I was less of a threat with my belly exposed.
A wolf may have a powerful bite, but I had a powerful bite and hind claws that could gut a wolf like a fucking chainsaw if I got underneath him.
Come on. Pounce, I urged silently. Blue eyes glowing savagely, Frank leaped.
My brother’s screech echoed through the forest, followed by the terrifying roar of a pissed off brown bear, distracting Frank. He threw his weight sideways at the last minute, and my claws sliced through his vulnerable underbelly, blood splattering over the snow. Not deep enough, I growled silently. Fuck! I should have trusted myself to take him on without enlisting backup.
On second thoughts, my head was spinning and 1500 pounds of bear Noah would send Frank on his way real quick. I blinked hard to focus as the sounds of fighting filtered through the fog, but it was all too much. Too hard. I should have had a nap yesterday and given my ribs a break.
Was Lou okay? Was Brooks keeping her safe?
Maybe he could put in a good word because I really hated that she hated me.
“Nate!” Chase’s panicked voice sounded a million miles away. “Shift. You have to shift.”
I didn’t have to do anything. He couldn’t make me. I could take a nap if I wanted to.
“Stop closing your damn eyes,” he commanded, sounding frustrated for some reason. “You’re going to find it very awkward when you wake up if Noah has to give you a bear ride back, and you know it.”
A bear ride sounded heavenly.
* * *
I woke up to the splash of cold water on my face, which was a pretty guaranteed way to wake anyone up.
“Haven’t I suffered enough?” I grumbled, draping my arm over my eyes, too exhausted to wipe the dripping water off my face.
“You’ve been asleep for over an hour,” Chase replied. “Lacey panicked and got the local healer, and now there are wolves in my living room and you have to drink this revolting smelling broth.”
It did smell revolting, but I’d take all the help my sore bones could get.
“Frank?” I asked, wincing as I pushed up on my elbows and shuffled back against the pillows to accept the foul-smelling drink. I was in a purple bedroom that had once belonged to my nieces, though they were living in Anchorage now. Lacey kept her kids’ rooms eternally unchanged, like shrines to them. It was a little terrifying.
“You put a decent scratch on him,” Chase said approvingly, and I shot him a glare over the bowl. There was nothing decent about a scratch. “He was already injured and wasn’t about to take on another cougar and a raging bear.”
“Fuck, I need to call the guys—” I winced as I tried to sit upright, and Chase pushed me back down gently by the shoulder with a warning look.
“Rodrigo is in town checking on your girl and filling the guys in,” he said, referring to one of his mate’s other mates.
“She’s not my girl,” I sighed, pinching my nose and downing the broth in one go, getting it over with.
It tasted like boiled feet, but I could feel the warmth making its way to the worst of my injuries like a soothing balm.
“Sure,” Chase agreed, not sounding like he believed me in the slightest.
“He’s not going to tell them I’m injured, is he?”
Chase shook his head. “We didn’t want to worry them. We knew you’d be fine if you just slowed down for a few hours to recover. Well, Lacey was more worried, but I knew you’d be fine. As much as I’d like to leave you up here to rest more, I’d rather get these wolves out of my house.”
“Fair enough,” I agreed, waving him away when he tried to help me up. Chase was my oldest brother, with fully grown kids of his own, and sometimes he felt more like a parent to me than a sibling. My inner kid still wanted to prove to my big brother that I could handle myself, and I was already cringing thinking about how they’d transported me back here after I’d passed out. Probably on Noah’s back, like Chase had threatened. I didn’t want to ask.
I grabbed the sweatpants on the end of the bed, my ribs protesting wildly as I tugged them on and left my chest bare. The scrapes I’d gotten on my back from the tree bark had healed over, but the skin was still a little itchy, and the cool air helped.
Moving at a slower pace than usual, I followed Chase down the stairs to the enormous living room. It was a bright, open space, all pale wood and cozy blankets, but it felt cramped with the number of bodies in there. Chase’s mate, Lacey, and two of her other mates, Sergio and Casen, stood in front of the fireplace, looking a little tense at having foreign wolves in their home. I’d expected to find Noah still hanging around, but his youngest brother, Eli, had taken his place. He grinned broadly at me, lounging on an armchair with his ankle crossed over his knee, content as could be. Eli never let anything bother him.
On the sofa was the Alpha of the local wolf pack, Marsh Mckinney, flanked by two pack mates. The healer, Roger, stood behind the sofa with a woman I didn’t recognize. Another wolf.
I could see why Chase had been uncomfortable.
I glanced sideways at Chase, waiting for him to take the lead. Was I supposed to apologize? I didn’t get involved in territory disputes or pack politics. Mostly, I spent my days around humans, except for Brooks and Gabriel.
“Nate. I’m not sure we’ve met,” the Alpha began. “I’m Marsh Mckinney, this is my mate, Rosa, and pack mate, Jeff. You’ve met, Roger, the healer, I believe. And this is Francisca, who is also part of our pack.”
“Hello.” I nodded my head stiffly in greeting, unsure where exactly this was headed. My family didn’t look overly worried though, and Eli was still grinning like this was a party.
“Chase has kept us filled in on our unwelcome guest,” Marsh continued with a heavy sigh. “It’s a difficult situation. Frank Ashford has been careful to stick to town for the most part, which our pack has no claim over, and therefore can’t get involved with. I’ll be honest with you, we don’t want to get involved.”
Chase made a frustrated noise in the back of his throat, and Lacey sidled up next to him, pressing against his side.
Chase was Chief Ranger. Not getting involved was against his nature, and I knew he’d see it as a sign of cowardice that Marsh wasn’t doing the same, but I kind of got it. Frank wasn’t the kind of enemy any sane shifter would want—his pack back in New York was huge and could make for a formidable foe if they sought revenge.
“However,” Marsh continued, shooting Chase a disgruntled look. “If we have to intervene, we’ll intervene. Today was a close call. He was very near our border.”
I waited for the chastisement for leading him that close, but it never came. Maybe Marsh wasn’t such a bad guy after all.
He turned his attention to me, cocking his head to the side and giving me a considering look. “The human woman, what’s her name again?”
I fought back a growl as my cougar surfaced, furious that even more shifters were focusing on Lou, and I questioned for the millionth time if I’d done the right thing by getting involved with this situation. Sometimes I felt like all I was doing was bringing more trouble to Lou’s door. Maybe if I’d gotten out of her way, she’d contentedly be one of Frank’s well kept human pets by now, living in a fancy apartment in New York, having forgotten all about me.
“Her name is Lou,” I forced out.
Marsh hummed, and I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Eli had lost his playful grin. He sat forward in his chair, resting his elbows on his knees, observing the Alpha closely. Hopefully, as Ria’s friend, Lou would benefit from the bears’ protection by default.
“You’re spending a lot of time with her,” Marsh commented lightly.
“Not really. I’ve been following Frank around town almost constantly. She’s staying with my roommates.”
“Who are also shifters,” he pointed out.
“Yes.”
“Are you sure that’s wise?” Marsh asked. “Chase mentioned that Frank has threatened to reveal things she cannot know, and while that is a risk, the more time your pack spends with her, the more you risk revealing those things for yourself.”
“They’re not my pack,” I countered instantly, hackles raised. “Unlike Frank, none of us have any desire to put Lou at risk. That’s why we’re doing all of this. We would never jeopardize her safety, her freedom, that way.” No matter how tempting it was, I added silently. They didn’t need to know how close I’d come already.
“Be sure you don’t,” Marsh replied, standing and extending his hand to his mate to help her up. “A decade ago, I had to kill a hiker who accidentally saw one of my young pack members shift. She was a young woman, a Fairbanks local whose scent was familiar to us because she enjoyed walking through the woods.” His gaze bored into mine, willing me to understand. “It haunts me to this day. She had her whole life ahead of her until she saw something she shouldn’t. But I will never place the safety of my kind in the hands of a human who has everything to gain from sharing our secrets. Don’t make me relive that experience, Nate.”
I said nothing as he led his mate and his second out of the living room, the room silent as the front door clicked shut behind him. Roger, the healer, hung back, probably to check on me, as did the woman Marsh introduced as Francisca, and I was glad for the distraction at that moment. Chase had been remarkably relaxed about offering Lou protection, but I knew he would take Marsh’s words as an opening to discuss her with me.
Roger insisted I lie down on the couch to check my injuries and I forced myself to stay still as he worked, muttering under his breath the entire time. He only owed his pack his loyalty and seemed to help all the other shifters who lived around here out of the goodness of his heart. Since it was nice of him to check on me, I kept my moody attitude mostly to myself.
“Anything we need to be worried about, Rog?” Chase asked, standing behind my head with his arms crossed, looming over me. If it was any of my other siblings, I’d worry they were going to call Mom. But then she’d visit, and Chase wouldn’t want that either.
“He needs to rest,” Roger instructed. “Really rest. For a few days.”
I nodded like I was going to do that, already planning on shifting as soon as I had a chance and running back to Fairbanks. Gabriel would be on the lookout and hopefully he’d reminded Brooks to pay attention, but I wouldn’t feel calm until I was physically closer to Lou myself.
“I’ll leave a few herbs for you,” Roger announced, already digging through his bag. Francisca stood back, silently observing everything, attracting the attention of both Eli and my family, and I got the distinct impression she was waiting for me. Roger must have realized the same, giving her a confused look before excusing himself to wait outside, leaving an assortment of medicinal herbs on the side table for me.
“May I have a moment alone with Nate?” Francisca asked politely as I pushed myself into a sitting position, hating how vulnerable I felt.
“Nate?” Chase asked. “Are you good with that?”
“Francisca is good people,” Eli assured me as he stood. “She therapies my weird brain.”
“Um, good to know,” I replied, a little lost for words.
“I should head back anyway, Noah just wanted me to listen in on what Marsh had to say. This is me taking on more responsibility,” he added proudly, puffing up his chest while Chase snorted loudly.
“Yeah, no worries,” I said absently, waving him off. “Wait—Eli, do you think Ria would come and visit Lou?”
Eli raised his eyebrows in surprise. “She’d probably love that. Seth has to head into town tomorrow anyway, Ria could go with him. Ooh, I could build her a sleigh and he could pull her through the snow. Bear power!”
“Please don’t do that,” Chase sighed, rubbing his temple. “I don’t need to deal with humans asking questions about seemingly trained, sleigh-pulling bears. Come on, let’s give Francisca and Nate some privacy.”
They all filed out of the front door, and I heard Eli’s boisterous laugh as Chase continued to grumble about bear sleighs on the porch. If I could hear them, they could hear us, but they were all making a show of being loud to give me some peace of mind.
“How can I help?” I asked politely, mystified as to what this woman could want with me.
Francisca gave me a long, thoughtful look. “I was born with clairsentient abilities, which have served me well in my career as a psychologist for human clients. Now I do more therapeutic-type work with shifters, which allows me to use my abilities without limitation or fear of being found out.”
“What does ‘clairsentient’ mean?” I asked uneasily.
“Think of it as a gut feeling,” she replied kindly. “Emotional intuition, a deeper understanding, that kind of thing.”
“You’re definitely underselling it to make me feel better,” I muttered.
“A little,” Francisca admitted with a light laugh. “I am not trying to make you uncomfortable—which you are—but rather to explain how I know you lied to my Alpha earlier. You would never intentionally jeopardize the human woman who has consumed your thoughts, but your animal may not be gracious enough to give you a choice. Both the man and the beast are fascinated by her, which will make it difficult to keep your distance.”
My blood rushed noisily in my ears as Francisca verbalized my worst fears with the calm, pleasant tone of a server reciting the daily specials.
“Are you going to pass all that on to your Alpha?” I asked flatly. God, I’d really done nothing but make Lou’s life worse from the moment she’d walked into my studio.
Francisca hummed thoughtfully, turning to stare out the window at the darkening forest.
“Keep an open mind, Nate. Your convictions are noble and honestly held, which is admirable. But you are the one who decided a mate bond was a death sentence. Perhaps a decision of that magnitude warrants a conversation first?”
“Are you suggesting I tell her about shifters?” I asked incredulously.
Francisca shot me an amused smile as she made her way towards the door. “Humans are perfectly capable of understanding the concept of commitment without the supernatural bonding element, Nate. Start there.”
I scoffed to myself as she left, flopping back on the couch and closing my eyes for a minute. I had absolute faith that Lou understood the concept of commitment, she just wouldn’t be interested in pursuing it with a guy who’d had sex with her—sans protection, no less—then run out.
“All good?” Chase asked, letting himself back into the living room while the rest of his family disappeared into the house, giving us some privacy.
“Fine,” I grunted.
Lacey appeared, handing us each a bottle of beer with a knowing smile before vanishing back into the house.
“I’ll head off soon—”
“You need to let your broken ribs heal. Again,” Chase said firmly, sitting in the armchair opposite me with a heavy sigh.
“I’m fine,” I muttered, popping the lid off the beer and downing the bottle in one. “The broth helped.”
“Roger left other things for you, but nothing is a replacement for what your body can do on its own if you just slow down enough to let it happen,” Chase replied impatiently. “Casen is heading down to guard Lou’s place now, but I doubt, unlike you, that Frank is stupid enough to push himself while he’s injured.”
“Gee thanks,” I said drily.
“Anytime. Now, talk to me,” Chase ordered, all alpha pushiness.
“I thought I was supposed to be resting.”
“I can see your brain going a million miles a minute, Nate,” Chase laughed. “Unload a little, it’ll help you relax. Then you’re going to sleep for a few hours.”
“You already know everything I know about Frank.”
“I’m not interested in that,” he replied, flicking his hand absently. “Let’s talk about Lou. You feel something for her. That’s huge for you.”
I grunted, regretting downing my beer in one. I could have used something to do with my hands. This was shaping up to be a Gabriel-style interrogation into my feelings.
“Tell me about the woman who dragged my famously flighty little brother’s head out of the clouds.”
“What do you want to know?” I asked flatly, ignoring the strange twinge in my gut that made an appearance whenever I thought about Lou. What was she doing right now?
Did she ever think of me at all? Was it better or worse if she didn’t?
“There’s a lot I want to know,” Chase admitted. “But I guess the only thing that matters is whether or not you meant what you said to Marsh.”
The Alpha’s words echoed in my head and I felt like I’d still be hearing them on my deathbed. “The more time your pack spends with her, the more you risk revealing those things for yourself.”
Lou wanted adventure. She wanted to see the world, and experience all the things she’d been longing to experience, but hadn’t had the opportunity to yet. Lou had plans and goals and dreams. Even if I wanted to keep her to myself—a selfish idea that I refused to let myself consider—I couldn’t. She didn’t want to be kept, she wanted to be free.
“I meant what I said. I would never jeopardize Lou’s freedom.”