The Pack (The Pack 1)

“Did you just growl?” I asked in disbelief, the sound so animalistic my mind couldn’t process Anna making it.

“They’ve been here,” Anna responded instead, frightening me further.

“How?” I pushed around her, coming to a halt in the doorway. “What’s that smell?” I gasped, my hand coming up to cover my nose.

“Urine,” Anna answered shortly, her hand pulling me back. “It’s urine and I need to call Dominic.” Anna was already pulling her phone from her pocket as she continually scanned the parking lot.

“Why Dominic? Why not his dad?” I asked, trying to distract myself from the fact that someone had come into my room and peed on my stuff. Because that was completely normal.

“Dominic is less scary.”

I nodded, since that was a reasonable answer.

“Dom, come to the motel.” A pause. “Yeah, she’s safe.” A minute later, she hung up and glanced at me. “Is there somewhere we can go? Preferably with a lock?”

“Will that stop them?” I asked doubtfully, as my hand lifted toward my door.

“Probably not, but it’ll give us time to get away.” I nodded faintly, wondering how it was that my life now revolved around escape routes.

“The manager’s apartment,” I croaked, clearing my throat as I led her toward the office and behind it, the newly renovated apartment. I prayed it was untouched so I didn’t have to try and explain to my dad why someone was urinating on our things.

“Why?” I glanced over my shoulder at Anna, my question trailing off as I considered my question. Why had someone peed on my stuff?

“They were marking territory,” Anna answered tersely, seeming to understand what I was asking without me finishing the question.

“But how did they know which room?” I continued, the same question I’d asked myself when Dominic had left my backpack on my door.

“Your scent.”

“Seriously? What do I smell like? Bacon?”

Anna snorted, almost involuntarily, and I glanced back in time to see the barest lift of her lip as she smiled in spite of the tension coursing through her.

“Close enough,” she agreed, standing behind me protectively as I worked the key into the lock. Dad had given it to me a couple days before when they’d finished the renovations. “Don’t open it. I’ll go first,” Anna warned. I was about to protest since she was tinier than me when we heard gravel flying in the parking lot. I flinched back against the door, remembering the guys chasing me in their truck, but Anna relaxed and I saw why a second later.

A jacked up open air Jeep was careening into the parking lot and there was no mistaking the man behind the wheel. Caleb hung on to the side for dear life as Dominic slammed to a stop inches in front of us.

“How?” I broke off as I stared at them in shock. “How the hell did they get here so fast?” I glanced back at the door to my room and then at the apartment door. It had been barely five minutes since she’d called them. Probably less.

“They’re fast,” Anna answered unnecessarily as I took in the guy’s clothes. Caleb was in a tank and shorts, sweat still glistening off him as if he’d been interrupted in the middle of a workout.

And Dominic.

I knew he was big.

There was no denying his size, fully clothed, but in workout gear?

Holy hotness.

Low slung pants clung to his hips and a black tank top hugged his chest and abdomen, leaving his massive arms and shoulders exposed. He was also sweaty, his hair damp, and I swallowed hard, my throat dry as the Sahara as all the moisture in my body headed south. My hand inched toward my neck and his head swung toward me, yellow eyes piercing mine.

“Are you okay?”

I nodded, since my dry throat had suddenly closed up, making speech impossible.

“Hasn’t been long,” Dominic observed, and Anna nodded.

“I smelled them when we got out of the car,” she told him and he turned to her, glaring. She held up her hands defensively. “I thought we’d go to her room and I’d stay with her until someone arrived.” His stare didn’t relent and she met him with one of her own. “What would you have had me do? Hmm? Take her to my house?” He jerked his head, not having an answer as Caleb stood silently watching.

My head was bobbing back and forth as if I was watching a tennis match, except I had no idea what they were talking about. I attempted to discreetly sniff the air to see if I could smell whatever they did. Like did those guys reek of BO and I apparently just didn’t have a sensitive enough nose?

I’d smelled the urine easily enough even if I hadn’t known what it was until Anna told me.

“What happened?” Dominic asked, his gaze on Anna, but occasionally drifting to me as we stood outside the apartment. It dawned on me that I should ask if they wanted to come inside, but I was almost afraid to. What if they were like vampires and an invitation was all they needed?