Nikolai’s Wolf: Chapter Nine

Alex questioned her further about the Sparrowhawks, the council, and the men she’d fought, asking what type of reception she thought she’d receive when she returned. Then he explained how the Raven pack operated, its hierarchy, and the duties of the various pack members.

In an effort to reassure herself and Alex, she questioned, “How bad can it get? I’m the alpha-fem. Magnus was my father. I’m supposed to be strong. The alpha’s my brother. He won’t let them do anything to me.”

Alex didn’t appear to believe her conclusion any more than she did. “Don’t worry about it. I hereby formally offer you the protection of the Raven pack. No one knows you’re here, and if you want to stay, you’ll be more than welcome.”

He raised his right foot and propped it on the bed rail, then linked his hands around his knee, studying the floor as he continued. “I’ve never agreed with the practice of forcing our women to take mates. It’s archaic and distasteful. It sounds like your brother picked up the practice from your father. If you decide to accept our protection, I’ll make sure you have an escort when you go home to pack your things. I’m not asking you to pledge your allegiance to the pack. I would offer the same protection to anyone in your situation. By going back, you may be returning to a potentially life-threatening situation, depending on how much of an example your pack’s council wants to make of you and on which side of the issue your brother falls. At the very least, your life is going to become extremely difficult.”

It’s one thing to think she might have FUBAR’d the situation. It was totally different to have someone else confirm it. Damn it, she didn’t want to stay here. She wanted to go home to live in the house she’d been raised in but highly suspected it was no longer possible.

“You don’t have to decide now,” Alex said, almost like he’d read her thoughts. “Take your time. If someone comes looking for you, we’ll assure them you are safe but only allow them to see you on your say-so, and that includes your brother.”

Shannon didn’t need time to think about it. She’d already made her decision. With the Ravens, she wouldn’t have to hide how strong her wolf was. It wouldn’t be an issue.

She hated being the alpha-fem, hated the responsibilities and restrictions it placed on her life. Shannon would be happy to be simply one of the pack. There would be no one looking up to her, no one holding her responsible for setting an example, and no one judging her because of her position. It would mean giving up all that was familiar to her, but that could be a good thing. After all, she was almost thirty years old and still lived at home with her brother.

Maybe it was time for a change.

Sighing, Shannon admitted, “Staying here was not the course of action I was seeking, but a clean break is probably for the best. Consider me the newest member of the Raven pack.”

They ironed out the rest of the details, and then Alex took her into the kitchen where Kiesha, Carol, and her mate, Mark, were waiting. Carol was tasked with providing Shannon with an escort when she went to retrieve her belongings. Kiesha just happened to need a CPA to handle the accounts for her consignment stores, which was fortunate since Shannon doubted she’d be allowed to continue to handle her former pack’s accounts. The Sparrowhawks weren’t her only client, but it was her most lucrative account.

As Alex and Kiesha were leaving, Kiesha pulled Shannon to the side. “I’ll get with you tomorrow with more information about the job.” Then she followed Alex out the door.

Within a couple of days, they had Shannon moved into his parents’ house, which lay on the outer edge of Alex’s property. Alex refused let her pay rent. He argued the place needed a live-in caretaker. Since her new home was also the pack’s emergency housing, she could expect to occasionally share it with fellow pack members as the need arose. For the most part, she’d have the place to herself. That was fine by her.

Despite her situation, as Alex and Kiesha showed her the property so she could familiarize herself with the pack’s land, her gaze kept being drawn to the top of the mountain. “Does the pack own that land as well?” she finally asked, motioning to the mountain’s peak and the large house she could barely see through the trees.

“No, it’s private property. The owner doesn’t mind if we run and hunt on his land, but stay away from the house,” Alex said. Then he directed her attention elsewhere, and Shannon made an effort to keep her mind off the house and its mysterious owner.

When Shannon traveled home to get her belongings, some of the Raven pack’s males, including a deputy sheriff, escorted her. Rory watched the proceedings. He didn’t say a word the entire time she was there, nor did he offer to help. She knew this wasn’t over between them. Sooner or later, they were going to have to work out their differences. She was willing to do a lot of things, but spending the rest of her life estranged from her big brother was not one of them.