Page 10 of Claimed By the Alpha Pack

“Hey beautiful! Who’s your friend?” A cheery male tone comes from beside me and comes to rest next to me. Glancing to the side, I look the male over. Something about him is familiar.

I study his androgynous features. Full pouting lips, high cheekbones, and flawless skin. Staring deep into his eyes, I feel like I can’t pull my gaze away. Something deep within me pulling me towards him. Internal recognition. “Hi, I’m Barrett.”

Barrett, I know that name from somewhere … For the life of me, I can’t remember where I know him from. “Grace.”

Chapter 7

Barrett

~I Remember You~ Skid Row

Looking deep into her eyes I can see the spark of a memory of us from way back when click into place in her head. The minute her name falls from her lips, I knew my heart was done for. She is the female made perfectly for us. Ethan called me, panicked as he barreled out of the bar after seeing Grace. His fear of being approached by her sent him running for the hills. I never saw an Alpha run from a female so fast.

“Grace, this is my cousin Barrett.” Andrea smirks, looking between us. She knows this is the Grace that stole my heart twenty years ago. This whole situation is funny to her. As the pack Omega, I may hang out with her since I’m bonded to my Alphas.

“Do I know you? I mean…” biting her perfect lips as she twirls some bright magenta hair around her fingers.

“From before…” I fill in for her and she nods eagerly. “Yeah, I knew you from before.” The radiant smile she gifts me with makes my heart soar.

“That’s the best news!” Grace exclaims as she slips from her seat then lunges and hugs me unexpectedly. Chuckling, I return the hug and nuzzle her neck. Her body becomes pliant in my arms as she relaxes.

More laugher falls from my cousin’s lips and it partially pisses me off. I mean seriously, I finally have my mate in my arms. She might not know who I am to her, but her body knows she’s safe with me. The flash from my cousin’s phone snaps Gracie out of her snuggle haze. “Oh, my god I’m so sorry. I … I don’t know what came over me.” Blushing, Gracie kills off her drink in a swallow and scoots back onto her stool.

“It’s all good, sweetheart. You want a hug? I’m probably the safest person to hug attack.” Dipping my head slightly, I grab the Mai Tai my cousin made for me and sip at it slowly, studying every minute movement of Gracie’s body language. The slow drop of her shoulders tells me she’s relaxing again. I can only hope she feels even a fragment of what I feel being near her.

“Thats good to know. Thank you.” Gracie closes the distance between us and kisses my cheek.

“Here’s my number…” I write it on a napkin and offer it to her. “Let me know what you think of how the nursery came out.” Her eyes widening tells me she didn’t know I was the one that painted it.

Picking up the napkin, she stuffs it in her pocket before smiling again. “Thank you for painting my baby’s room. I’ll call you and let you know what I think.” She slides off her stool again and kisses my cheek before looping arms with my cousin and walking out the door.

The slow sway of her full hips is hypnotic. Each swish making my cock harder than the moment before. I lower my nose to sniff at my shirt and the sweet scent of fresh-baked cookies warms me from the inside. Gracie’s scent is so unique and enticing as it is maddening. There’s a slight undertone of a woodsy scent and I can only guess it’s from her pup.

Several messages hit my phone from my alphas as I slip out of the bar to follow the girls at a distance. They pop in and out of every store along the strip and occasionally add an extra bag to the haul. At one point, I slip my credit card to my cousin so she can treat Gracie to a few things from me. Not that she needs to know that I am the one paying for it.

Gracie stops dead in the middle of the sidewalk and goes on high alert. Curiously, she turns her nose into the wind and looks around slowly. For a human, she’s displaying very predatory actions. Andrea comes up alongside of her and subconsciously imitates Gracie. She catches my eye for a moment, then subtly motions to the alley between us.

Taking the hint, I move closer to the alley way waiting for the girls to enter the sporting goods shop. Once inside, I turn the corner and find my most primal Alpha. Ethan is pacing back and forth in between the buildings. His bald head whips up when he senses my approach. “What is SHE doing here?” He growls out on the edge of losing control and shifting.

Holding my hands up in a placating manner, I approach him slowly. “She’s run away from an abusive relationship. We fear the baby daddy is a rogue Alpha, and may hunt her down and force her to breed again.” Swallowing hard, I wince at hearing the guttural growl escape his lips. Ethan’s eyes burn golden, showing no hint of humanity behind them.

Straining, he forces himself to speak again. “Not on my watch.” His wolf rips free of his human skin and takes off running towards the woods.

Exhaling roughly, I watch his black beast escape into the dark sanctuary of the forest beyond the town. Turning back towards the sidewalk, I catch the girls going into the Alpha’s family hardware store. That is a curious turn of events. I know that the Pack Luna works there today and I’m wondering how that will go over.

Scooting into the store without the bell ringing, I stalk after the girls, seeing what Gracie is interested in. “Hey Andrea? Do you know if your cousin painted the entire house?” Gracie is standing in front of the paint chips, picking out colors she likes.

“Not sure, I’ll call him.” I watch in horror as Andrea reaches for her phone.

As much as I try to silence my phone, it rings and Gracie looks back towards where I’m standing. Busted… “You rang?” I say in a cheery tone, walking into view, smiling.

Gracie’s face lights up and she bounces up and down. “Did you paint the entire house? I was looking at colors and if you didn’t, I wanted to pick them out.” Her smile and excitement are infectious. Our Luna is standing behind Gracie, beaming at us, watching how we’re interacting.

“Regretfully, I painted the house. Let’s see if our tastes are similar. You hold your chips close to your chest and turn around. I’ll pull out the chips of the colors I picked out.” Nodding, Gracie turns, pressing her chips to her chest. Looking the selection over, I pull the six colors out and smile.

“Ready when you are.” Gracie spins quickly just as our Luna steps up beside her. “First color, the living room.” I hold up a deep spruce green. Andrea and the Luna’s eyes widen as Gracie holds up her card. It’s a medium spruce green.

“Wow, that’s really close to what I picked!” She takes the chip from me and holds it with her choice. “Okay, so bedroom.” She gets a mischievous look in her eyes. Raising her chip up, she shows the girls and the ooh and ah over the color choice.

---