Back to work the next day, Addie was surprised to see the old creepy dude and his friend walking through the door. They were in time for the breakfast rush so Addie quickly served them their eggs and tried to ignore the men watching her closely. Rushing around and filling coffee mugs, running food and taking a minute or two to talk to the regulars filled up Addie’s morning and she was surprised when she later realized that they had left, leaving enough money on the table to cover their bill with a sizeable tip.
3:00 pm finally came and the diner was officially closed. Noel came out and glared at the last three customers who were lingering over their coffee causing them to gulp the last dregs. They paid quickly and left. The two girls quickly finished the remaining dishes and mopped the floors, chatting about Noel’s upcoming visit from her boyfriend before turning out the lights and locking the doors. Noel gave a cheery wave and drove off in her ancient VW Bug. Addie headed towards her room above the garage at a brisk walk.
One block over, the creepy old dude’s friend stepped out in front of her, effectively blocking her path. Addie didn’t stop her stride, just stepped off the curb into the street and crossed to the other side. Her heart was beating unnaturally fast but she tried to act casual, not like she was running away. Too late she realized the second man was waiting across the street on that sidewalk. Not sure what to do, she faltered and then realized the first man was following her across. She continued across the street and climbed the curb, facing the taller of the two with folded arms.
“What do you want?” Addie spoke harshly, not wanting to seem approachable at all.
The taller of the man leaned against the wall. “What pack are you from?”
Addie looked at him. “Why does it matter? I’m not on any pack territory.”
“You are not. But my pack has an interest in this town.” He crossed his arms, unintentionally mimicking her.
“Your pack?” Addie smiled. “So you’re the Alpha?” It was obvious she didn’t expect him to say yes.
“Alpha Cole.” He put out his hand to shake hers. Addie looked at it warily and then looked back at his Beta, ignoring his hand. She turned back and looked him directly in the eyes.
“I am not a threat to you.” Addie used her gift, washing her words over the man. She turned and looked at the Beta standing directly behind her. “And I am not a threat to you, either. I am not a threat to your pack. Leave me alone.” The migraine instantly hit behind her eyes and she thought the pain might bring her to her knees. This was how it always was when she used her gift. The more emotionally involved she was with what she was saying, the worse the headache was. And she was very emotionally involved in this. She didn’t need trouble and she needed a place to winter. It was getting too late in the year to hit the road again.
The big man gave one, curt nod. “You are not a threat to me,” he agreed. “and I will leave you alone. For now.” He pushed off the wall and uncrossed his arms, looking over Addie’s head and speaking to his partner. “Let’s go.”
“Yes, Alpha,” the man muttered, following his Alpha.
Through the pain of the migraine Addie worried. Who was Alpha Cole and what did he want with her?
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
Cole was excited when he climbed behind the wheel of his car. He was quite certain she had the gift. He had fully intended on taking her back to his pack today but when she told him to leave her alone he couldn’t help but do so. He had some thinking and planning to do before he could bring her back to the pack if he was going to enlist her help, willing or not.
++++++++++++++++++++++++
Addie warily unlocked the door to the diner Saturday morning, expecting to see the Alpha and his friend. She was relieved when she did not. She knew she needed to make a plan and decide what to do but her headache last night caused her to pass out. She was still experiencing the side effects of using her gift to such a degree. She still had a dull ache in her head and she got nauseous if she moved suddenly. She knew she should have taken a day off but she couldn’t do that to Noel.
By the end of the day she felt better and she was more relaxed since the Alpha didn’t make an appearance. There weren’t many customers left in the diner at 2:30 so Noel sent her on her way, promising to close up on her own. Addie thanked her and started walking to her room.
Two blocks away, a repeat of the previous day was happening. The Beta was on this side of the road and the Alpha was across the street. Addie sighed and slowly continued walking. She was going to have to have a conversation with this Alpha. And then she was going to have to make a decision about leaving.
When the Alpha saw that Addie wasn’t going cross the road to go to him, he sauntered casually across to meet her.
“Alpha.” Addie greeted Alpha Cole and then turned to Danny. “I would say hello to you, but I don’t know your name nor do I know what pack you are from.”
Alpha Cole answered. “This is my Beta, Danny. I am Alpha of the Hellroaring River Pack.”
“Charmed. I’m sure.” Addie was too tired to play any more games. “What do you want from me?”
Alpha Cole smiled. “I like your directness. I will be direct, too. I want to offer you a job.”
Addie shook her head no. “I already have a job, thanks anyway.”
“Don’t you even want to know what the job is?”
“No.” Addie was sure she wouldn’t care for it. Something about Alpha Cole just seemed. . . slimy.
Cole seemed slightly amused. “I would appreciate it if you would consider my offer. I would reimburse you well.”
Addie had enough. “Alpha Cole, I appreciate the offer but I am very happy in my current job. Even if I wasn’t, I’m loyal. The diner is short staffed and I wouldn’t do that to Noel. She needs me. Excuse me please. I am not feeling well and I want to go home.”
Alpha Cole took one step closer to Addie. She forced herself to not step back in response. “I suggest you consider my offer. I’m not used to anyone turning me down.” He stood there and stared down at her.
Addie got pissed. Who did he think he was? He was nobody here. There were strict laws governed by the Council regarding werewolves and human relations. An alpha in a human town held no power.
“There’s nothing to consider. The answer is no. Leave me the hell alone.” Addie looked him directly in the eyes. “Move.” He waited a long moment and then stepped aside, letting her pass, forcing her to brush against him as she walked past. She didn’t look back, her rigid back radiating her anger.
Cole watched her walk away, slightly aroused. He turned to Danny. “Watch her.”
The pounding on her door awakened Addie at 4am. It was ridiculously early, too early for anyone to be pounding on her door. Bleery eyed, she stumbled to the door and jerked it open, realizing too late that she had no idea who was on the other side. Fortunately for her it was just Eve. “The diner is on fire!” Eve blurted out, eyes and hair frantic. “What?!” Addie stepped back in shock. “What happened? Why?” “The volunteer fire department is there right now. Maybe wiring. Maybe the grease trap. They don’t know yet.” No wonder Eve seemed frantic. Her son was on the volunteer fire department team. It was a dangerous job, especially in rural areas where the equipment was older and not as adequate. Addie threw on jeans and a hoodie and started walking into town. She could see the red glow from the fire reaching into the sky. A small crowd had gathered and she looked around for Noel, not seeing her. She did see Beta Danny, watching the fire. She stood on the edge of the
Addie woke up in a hospital bed, chained by her wrists to the rail. She could tell she still had the silver collar around her neck by the steady burning sensation she could feel. Avoiding turning her head to keep the silver from moving, she roved her eyes around the room trying to figure out where she was and how she got there. She could feel her wolf, very weak, pushed back in the furthest recesses of her brain. The silver was weakening her, too. The door opened and Alpha Cole walked in, followed by two other men in lab coats. One held a tray of syringes and empty vials. Without speaking to her, he came over by the side of the bed and wrapped a rubber tourniquet around her arm, patting for a vein. “Stop.” Addie tried to use her gift but the silver prevented it. She grew angry. “Listen, asshat. Don’t f^cking touch me.” The tech ignored her and stuck her vein, procuring three large vials of her blood. Alpha Cole and the doctor watched him, saying nothing. When he was
Cole POV I took the collar off from her and she stretched. I was on edge. Moment of truth. If she wasn’t a Shawishi I was going to have to kill her. If she was, I was going to use her. I was pretty impressed with her shift. There was minimal noise and it didn’t look like there was much effort with the shift. Even I sound terrifying when I shift. I’m used to my bones rebreaking but it was almost like she shimmered into her shift. I’ve seen a few shifts like that, usually hybrids. Pretty cool. When she shifted, my emotions were all over the place. I had heard the term Precious Metal Wolf before but had never seen one. They were not supposed to exist. None of these gifts were supposed to exist. Addie’s wolf was beautiful. She was large, quite possibly larger than my wolf. She was gold. Not golden, but gold. Her hair shimmered and shone in the sunlight and actually hurt my eyes to look at. I reached out a tentative hand to touch her fur. She looked at me haughtily and
“Put your feet up.” She didn’t move until he made a motion to get the remote. Then she quickly drew her knees up and put her feet on the bed. Cole settled in the chair at the bottom of the bed and looked at her.“You need to stay like that for ten minutes. I’m going to make sure so you’ve got me for another nine and a half minutes.” He smirked. “I’ll play a game with you. You can ask me a question and then I get to ask you a question. We’ll do it for nine minutes. You go first.”Addie groaned. She hurt all over. She was scared, but mostly pissed. She asked the question first and foremost in her mind. “Why?”Cole settled back. “Why what? Why am I trying to get you pregnant? Or why are you here?” Addie looked at him with defiance. “Yeah. All of the above.”Cole chuckled. “A two-fer. I’ll allow it.”“You gift follows your bloodline and it bestowed on the oldest living person in that bloodline. I know who you are and I know your entire family was wiped out. I know t
Addie stood up and followed Cole out of the clinic, back into the car. She looked out the window, taking in details and memorizing locations and distances, storing them for later. She tried to look bored in case Cole got suspicious but he was too busy mindlinking while driving. There should be a law against that, Addie thought, when Cole slammed on the brakes, yet again, to miss someone he almost hit while not paying attention. Cole pulled into the circle in front of the packhouse. There was a warrior standing, waiting for the car to park. He opened Addie’s door and reached inside, easily pulling the girl out. Too late, Addie realized what was going to happen and started to fight. She managed to break free and she turned to run when the pain hit her, knocking her down to her knees. She screamed, grabbing at the collar. She had forgotten Cole was there with his remote. The warrior grabbed her hands and pulled her to her feet, half carrying and half dragging her behind the pac
JESS POV I slipped back into the room, horrified over what I just heard. Addie was a strong, stubborn woman and she had been screaming like she was being ripped apart. She didn’t even scream when she was being whipped so I was scared to go in there and see what had been done to make her scream like that. It was horrible. She was laying half on and half off the bed, blood everywhere. The comforter was covered in it. Her eyes were swollen shut and there were long scratches all over her body, probably from Bane. I knew her wolf wouldn’t be able to heal her because of the silver. I sighed and mindlinked Angus, asking him to come over and bring some things to help. I approached her and tugged on her legs, trying to get them up on the bed like my Alpha commanded. She groaned and kicked out at me. “Shhh, it’s me, Jess. I’m gonna get you cleaned up, okay?” She didn’t respond but she also quit kicking at me so I took it as an affirmative. There was a light knock at the door and
ADDIE’S POVI’m pregnant. I don’t have to fake my numbness. Dr. Angus gave Cole the results and he stood up and howled and then mind linked his Luna. This baby is my death sentence. I am going to carry this baby until its birth, then I will be killed and my child will be given my gift, to be manipulated and exploited by Alpha Cole and his pack. There will be no one to protect my child and no one to protect me. Dr. Angus tried talking to Cole about my silver collar, telling him that my pregnancy would be easier if I wasn’t wearing it. Cole told him that I could wear the collar or loose my tongue. Dr. Angus shut up and I was glad. I was kind of partial to my tongue.Five months. That’s how long I have left to live.++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ALPHA COLE’S POVI watched the Omega remove an untouched plate of food from Addie’s room. I marched over and grabbed it from the shaking girl’s hand. “She ate none of it?” I roared.The girl shook like a leaf. “No, Alpha.” She b
ADDIE’S POVI wasn’t sure if it was night or day in this cell. I didn’t have much of a plan when I started my hunger strike other than to be removed from my room. Being put into a cell in the dungeon was not something I considered. I thought I’d be given a cushy bed in the infirmary with an IV. Misjudged that.It was also cold and damp in here and I’ve started coughing. I’m not really sick but hoping the guards get nervous and suggest that the dungeon isn’t good for the Alpha’s baby. I just have to remember to keep coughing. When the plate of food comes, I barely look at it. I’ve lived on little to no food before so it’s easy for me to ignore the hunger pains. Unfortunately, I seemed to underestimate the Alpha’s stubbornness. It surpasses mine, that’s for sure.++++++++++++++++++COLE POVI got word that Addie was still not eating and now she was coughing. Damn that girl. Damn her. I need her to be healthy and have a healthy baby. My mate heard the news and is bothering