The Pack (The Pack 1)

“Powerful might be a better word,” Anna corrected absently. “Not that they would have a lot of power over you, but they know how to throw their weight around.” She shot me a grin over her shoulder. “Good thing for you, Dominic outweighs most of them and he likes you.”

“He does?” I asked, wincing at the girlyness of my question even as I waited anxiously for Anna’s response.

“Oh yeah, no one has seen him in such a frenzy since…”

“I think that’s enough, Anna.” He appeared out of nowhere, but I didn’t even so much as twitch at his presence. It was as if I was attuned to him, so much so that even his silent arrival wasn’t enough to startle me. “I’ll take over from here,” he finished, his smile a little more feral than normal.

Anna shot me a sympathetic glance, but walked off without a word. I turned to face him and barely had time to stop my mouth from dropping open.

He was once again shirtless, and only wearing loose workout pants that barely clung to his hips, and his skin glistened, as if he’d just finished a run or a workout. I swallowed the sudden drool forming in my mouth and the words, “Holy hotness,” that begged to escape.

“I’m going to have to keep a better eye on you if you’re going to walk in unannounced on pack territory,” he warned me as he reached for a t-shirt he must have had tucked into the back of his workout pants, because there was no other place it could have been hiding according to my objective perusal of him. My lips twitched as he pulled the shirt over his head and I blurted out the first thing that popped into my head

“You’re a shifter.”

He paused in pulling his shirt down at my words, leaving his chest on full display. My eyes lingered on the well-defined muscles of his abs, each one more developed than the next.

“What? No werewolf nonsense?” He questioned, surprise coating his words.

My eyes had trailed down to the sharply delineated muscle at his hip and I murmured distractedly, “Werewolves are so last year.”

A sudden burst of laughter brought my gaze up as he tugged his shirt the rest of the way down.

“So, are we discussing this now?”

I let out a deep sigh, not sure if it was disappointment at him hiding those gorgeous muscles or the topic of conversation.

“Yes,” I answered dejectedly, looking up to meet his eyes.

“Don’t sound so enthusiastic, Jess. People might take you for a wolf lover,” Dominic deadpanned and it took me a second to realize he’d made a joke.

“That was so bad, it was almost funny,” I informed him and he smirked. “I had a reason for coming here and I’m not so ill prepared as you think,” I tacked on, taking objection to his implication that I needed looking after.

“Yeah, you brought a gun,” Dominic said idly. “Anna warned me in case I said something to piss you off.”

I exhaled, chagrined at his lack of concern at my having a weapon. He didn’t seem happy I’d taken his advice, or concerned I’d use it on him. I frowned, unhappy with both possibilities.

“You know how to use it?”

“Yes,” I answered, not as enthusiastic as I had been.

“Good, I’m glad you have it.”

His praise, faint as it was, had me standing a little straighter. I knew I’d taken a foolish risk coming here, but at the same time I knew I’d make the same decision every time.

“The Hanley who tried to drag me away – ”

“Justin.”

“Yeah, him. He said some things to me.” Dominic glanced at me in concern and I realized he thought I was worried about myself, at whatever vile things he imagined Justin had said, and I hurried to correct the impression. “About you or more the Pack.”

“What do you mean?”

We were walking along a path that meandered past the houses and occasionally I saw a flash of curtain as we walked past.

“Are they watching us?” I asked, trying not to make my own covert glances obvious.

Dominic snorted and waved pointedly at one of the twitching curtains.

“Of course. You’re an oddity and they’re curious.”

“An oddity?” I replied, questioning. I waved my hand after a second and said, “Never mind, a question for a later date. I’m more worried about what Justin said.”

“I’m listening,” Dominic said, his gaze focused carefully on me. He was paying attention and I knew he was going to take whatever I told him seriously.

“He was gleeful, it was almost like he was high. He said, ‘They think they’re special, but they’ll find out soon enough.’” I paused and rushed through the next words, “After I’ve fucked you, they won’t want you back.” Dominic let out a low growl, the sound so menacing the fine hair stood up on my arms. I hurried to finish before he got lost in a rage. “Then he said, ‘Not that there will be anyone left to save you.’” We stood there silently for a minute, Dominic’s face carefully blank.