10. Chapter 10
Riley
The Denver Pack house transformed as twilight fell, with shifters arriving in steady streams as they prepared for the full moon run.
I watched from the shadows on the back deck.
Pack politics and social dynamics were still new territory, but the implant did make it easier to analyze them without feeling inadequate or intimidated.
A long table was laid out with catered food and drinks, and strings of lights glowed between the trees in the backyard. An enormous bonfire crackled on the outskirts where the Pack run would begin, sending smoke into the starry night.
Conall greeted Pack members and chatted with shifters as they gossiped and ate barbecue. The only other Pack run I’d witnessed had been limited to just those Pack living in the house. This was more like a celebration.
I stood, cataloging and analyzing faces and body language.
A few of the visiting Pack members nodded in my direction, but no one approached.
Their energy swirled unseen through the cool evening air, ranging from hostile to benign to friendly.
A group of twenty-something shifter women walked by, and a few openly stared at me.
I leaned against the railing, calculating the odds of their social acceptance and observing body language. The wolves were restless tonight as the full moon called to them. Even I could feel it, this primal pull that seemed to resonate through the bond.
A younger male wolf stood not far from me, his hands stuffed in his pockets. He was probably in his late teens or early twenties since he still had a little baby fat, especially in his face.
“Hello, I’m Riley Blackthorne.”
He started, then blushed. “Hello. Yeah, I know. I’m Micah Rowland.”
“Why are you tense?”
The young male pulled his hands out of his pockets and glanced around. “I’m not tense.”
I stared at him as I read his vibrations. After a minute, he blurted out, “Pack runs aren’t my favorite.”
“Are you required to run? I could tell Conall you offered to stay behind and keep me company.”
Micah stared at me. “Lexa Rowland is my sister.”
I blinked, not following his sudden shift in topic. “Alright. I don’t have any siblings. You should feel lucky.”
He shook his head. “Trust me, most days you’re the lucky one. Sahara said you’re weird in a good way. I get it now.”
I glanced around. “You know Sahara? Is she coming tonight?”
He stared at the white streak in my hair and shifted awkwardly. “Yeah. She’s usually late, though. My sister doesn’t like you, but I think most people are just curious. Did you really shock Ash and land him on his ass?”
I rubbed the back of my neck. “Yes, but he asked me to. We were training.”
He grinned. “Can I see your lightning?”
“I haven’t used it much since Roswell.”
His grin faded as he looked at the scar on my cheek and the faint claw marks on my jawline. “I heard you got tortured when you tried to find that shifter from the Southwestern Pack.”
“They tortured a lot of people.” The scars weren’t from Roswell.
He glanced at me again. “So, can I see it? Your lightning?”
The implant informed me the young shifter was unlikely to let it go. “Okay, but don’t expect much.” I aimed for the sky so I didn’t accidentally kill anyone, and pushed electricity to my fingertips. At first, only a faint white glimmer appeared, like weak strands from a cheap plasma ball.
Narrowing my eyes, I zeroed in on the energy hovering in the air around me. Suddenly, streams of brilliant lightning shot up from my palms, arching into the night sky. I yelped and closed my hands.
“Holy shit,” Micah breathed. A woman screamed, and people exclaimed as they stared up at the cascading display. Ash and Jamie instinctively reached for their guns, then relaxed when they saw it was me.
Jamie raised an eyebrow. “What the hell was that?”
Movement caught my eye, and I turned to see Conall striding over too. “It looks like your energy is back. And then some.”
“Sorry. Micah wanted to see, but I got carried away.”
The teenager grinned. “Hey, Alpha. I get it now. She’s kinda nerdy, but hot too. Don’t tell Lexa I said that.”
Ash looked down at my hands. “That was different from the strands you used on me. What happened with the ogre today?” He was right. My electricity was more focused and powerful.
“She knocked him back a good ten feet, and he lost consciousness,” Conall answered.
“I think it’s time for some more practice sessions in the barn,” Ash informed me.
My shoulders went tight. Last year, we’d worked on his shields together. But what if I really hurt him this time? My eyes darted around as my fight-or-flight instinct kicked in.
“You look a little green, and you’re checking out escape routes,” Jamie observed. “You okay?”
“Yes… no. I don’t want to hurt anyone.”
Conall’s lips quirked, and he ran his hand along the small of my back. “Only one way to find out. McKenna told Freda that she’s moving into your trailer. Does this mean you’re moving in full-time with me when the Pack house in Springdale is done?”
“Yes.”
He tucked the white strand of hair behind my ear. “You’re my Mate, a stór. If you’d said no, I’d be moving into our trailer with you.”
My lips curled, and he watched me with hooded eyes. Someone called him, and he glanced over his shoulder. “I need to get ready for the Run. Will you be alright?”
“I’m good.” He pressed a soft kiss to my lips, then buried his nose in the crook of my neck before walking back to the gathering on the lawn.
Micah and Jamie talked beside me as I watched Conall and his Pack interact, noting the shifters gravitating around him. The hierarchy was complex, constantly being negotiated through subtle gestures and positioning. I filed away my observations.
“Holy shit, I haven’t seen you in forever.” Sahara stalked toward me, her dark blonde hair streaked with a lilac blue color this time. She carried two beer bottles and held one out to me.
“Thanks.” I practiced my smile again and accepted the bottle. Sahara hopped onto the deck railing beside me.
“I hear the implant thing can’t ever come out. How’re you doing?” She took a swig.
I stared at her, then took a sip myself. Leave it to Sahara to cut through the awkwardness. “There are a few abnormal side effects, but we’re figuring it out.”
“You’ve got this blank stare going on sometimes. Very mysterious and badass, but also kinda creepy.”
“Is that my reputation? Mysterious and a little creepy?”
She shrugged. “More smart than creepy. Shifters are the worst gossips, and since you came back from Roswell with a flesh-eating implant attached to your brain stem, there’s been a lot of talk.”
I choked on the beer. “I don’t have a flesh-eating implant.
It’s made of polycarbonate urethane and is biocompatible, not flesh-eating.
Show some respect.” I swore I felt the thing shiver, as if it was also offended by her description.
I tried to process the strange sensation and missed what Sahara said next.
“Say that again?”
She rolled her eyes. “See? You had that weird look again. There are some other interesting rumors about you.”
“Like what?”
“Half the Pack thinks you’re some sort of operative or assassin, and the other half thinks you’ve got Conall under some kind of spell.”
“I’m not–”
“An assassin or a witch? Yeah, I know.” She grinned. “You’re just an ISB agent with crazy off-the-charts power, a fucking weird implant, and no clue how interesting that makes you.”
This time, a genuine chuckle escaped me. It was short and rusty, but real. Sahara’s eyes widened. “Was that an actual laugh?”
“Yes, I think it was.” I took another sip and pointed to the group of women shifters who were hovering around Conall and Ash. “Who are those women? The ones who keep glaring.”
Sahara snorted. “Ah, the Mean Pack Girls of Denver. Center stage is Lexa Rowland. She grew up with Conall. The blonde to her left is Kelsey Montgomery. She’s a snob and comes from old money.
And the dark-haired one is Ashley Masterson.
The first two have been trying to get their claws into Conall since puberty. ”
“They’re not very subtle.”
“Subtlety isn’t exactly a wolf trait. They’re mad because a geeky Cognizant, non-shifter with strange hair stole their Alpha. Their quote, not mine.” She set her bottle down. “Drew told me that Lexa and Conall had a thing for about five minutes. She’s not too bad, but she never moved on.”
“I didn’t steal anything.”
“They know, and that stings even more. Wanna say hello? You could make them address you as the Alpha’s Mate.”
I calculated the social ramifications. “That’d be petty and counterproductive.”
“Which is exactly why it would be fun.” Sahara nudged my shoulder. “Come on, live a little. Doctor‘s orders, right? Strong emotional experiences and all that jazz.”
“How did you know?”
“Conall spread the word around the Pack house. You’re our pet charity project for the next few months.”
I shook my head at her blunt candor, but something like gratitude flickered beneath the ice. Sahara treated me like a person, not a broken thing to be pitied.
“Maybe if they’re rude, I’ll introduce myself.”
“Fair enough. But the offer stands. Anytime you want to stir the pot, I’m in.” She raised her bottle in a mock toast. “To unhealthy coping mechanisms.”
She clinked her bottle against mine as the bonfire cast its light across the shifters. Pack members gathered around, their voices rising in excitement as the moon began its ascent.
Conall stood at the center, his presence magnetic.
Even from this distance, the bond tugged at me, muted yet undeniably present.
He looked up, as if sensing my gaze, and winked.
Then he turned back to the waiting shifters.
I remained on the periphery, watching the shadows dance across their faces as a buzzing magic swirled in the breeze, mingling with the smoke from the bonfire.