Page 9 of Pack to the Wall

Milo huffed and pouted. “Fine.” Then he slunk back to his room.

Izzy was still staring at Tyson. I couldn’t blame her. He’d been a monster just a moment ago. Also, he was incredibly swoonworthy. He’d put on jeans, but that still left a slab of chest with chiseled abs and arms rippling with muscles that shifted and flexed as he pulled on his shirt.

“Mom?” Izzy whispered. “What…?”

I wished I could answer.

It was the other woman in the room who did. “You’re part of our pack now, little pup. Your mother killed our alpha and rules us now. You’re gonna have to get used to it.” The woman’s hard gaze landed on me. “That’s assuming your mother gets her act together and wolf’s up in a week’s time.”

Izzy, eyes glazed over, mouth gaping, nodded slowly and turned then wordlessly walked back to her room.

I still couldn’t speak.

“I know I scared you,” Tyson said softly, “but I’ll never hurt you. Yes, we’re werewolves, but I’ve sworn myself to you. I’ll protect you. You don’t need to fear me.”

The other woman scoffed. “I don’t think she believes you.” Her gaze held mine for a moment. “But she will.” She stood. “She will when she sees the rest of the pack testing her and realizes you’re the only one on her side. And that’s going to start happening real soon, lady. So, you’d better get your act together.”

“Wh-who are you?” I managed to stammer. It was partly a question to find out who this woman was, but mostly a general question to the world about these beings.

“Name’s Kira,” the woman said. “I’m Tyson’s mother.”

Right. He’d mentioned that.

“Mother?” I repeated, mostly because that was a word I knew and it seemed easy to say. My brain just wasn’t ready to take this all in.

But Kira snarled and slapped me… hard.

“Mom!” Tyson’s tone turned threatening and he grabbed her wrist. “I warned you. I won’t let you hurt her. Don’t make me hurtyou. Ihaveto protect her!” his voice was strained.

Between his reaction and those words… I was beginning to believe it. This monster, or whatever-the-hell he was, wanted to help me, protect me.

“Why?” I asked, turning my gaze to him.

“I’m fated for you,” he said softly.

I huffed. I had no clue what that meant, and something in how he’d said it made me believe he didn’t really know either.

“As soon as you became alpha, I felt it. A compulsion to protect you, to—” Something in those dark blue eyes flared. I feltcompletely naked before him. Then he blinked and the moment passed. “To help you, serve you.”

“Oh,” I whispered. That was… interesting.

“He also wants to fuck you. That’s what he didn’t say,” Kira said, voice hard. “He’s compelled to be with you, in all senses of the word.” She smiled at my wide eyes and Tyson’s threatening glare. “What? Better to tell her the truth now. It’s not like we have the benefit of time.”

“Why not?” I asked. I was slowly starting to regain myself and it was clear these two were very keen to make sure I understood thingsimmediately.

“Because in a few minutes the pack is going to return,” Tyson answered. “They’re going to take up residence here, in your house, and they’ll be expecting you to lead them. They’ll test you far more than teenagers probing their boundaries. And if you aren’t the alpha they want, then in seven days, one of them will challenge you and probably kill you. That’s why.”

I felt the faintness and darkness returning, my body weakening.

I quickly slapped myself to stay conscious. These two were right. I didn’t have time to faint.

“All right,” I said, my voice trembling, my mind barely believing any of what they were saying. “Tell me everything.”

JANE

“Want coffee?”Tyson asked. “Maybe something stronger? This isn’t going to be easy or quick. Might as well fortify yourself.”

Outside, I heard the school bus stopping at the end of our street.

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