Chapter 7
Addison
I lie back in bed waiting for Zeke. I’m not exactly sure what just happened, but the lingering feeling between my legs tells me I need it again. I need more than what just happened. And I don’t think this will go away until I get it.
My stomach growls, and I smell something cooking in the distance. I’m sure some of Zeke’s siblings are already awake and making breakfast. Though it smells much better than the stuff they gave me at the facility. It’s fatty and salty, and it makes my mouth water.
A part of me is tempted just to leave without him. I’m still wary about the situation and the people here, but I fell asleep last night and woke up unharmed. Maybe if I did run into the others, it wouldn’t be so bad.
A soft groaning noise coming from the bathroom catches my attention, and I perk up. It’s immediately followed by heavy breathing and another sound I can’t quite place. But it’s rhythmic.
The bathroom door is cracked open, and I can’t deny my curiosity, especially after the dream from last night. A part of me just wants to see Zeke again, like that’s going to quell this feeling inside me.
I stand from the bed and tiptoe toward the door. I peek through the crack and spot Zeke in the shower. A frosted glass door is all that obscures him.
Looking at Zeke’s naked outline is enough to make the throbbing start again.
I lick my lips, watching him. He’s tall, with broad shoulders and muscles that make his entire body look like it’s carved from stone.
He is bigger than any of the men I’ve seen before, and I can’t help thinking he would be able to protect me.
I snap out of that comforting thought when he groans and throws back his head.
I realize he has his hand around himself, moving it up and down his cock.
Something fills the air, cutting through the scent of soap and water.
It’s musky and delicious, and I can almost taste it.
God, it makes me want him more than ever.
I feel an ache between my legs, something reminding me of just how hollow I am. I need him. I need to be filled by him.
This mating bond is new to me, but I can’t deny that it’s alluring. I want to explore it much more. I’ve never felt as good as I did while his hand was between my legs like that. I want to make him feel just as good as he made me feel, too.
The clawing in my chest is intense as I stand still, as if my inner voice wants me to move forward. I still don’t fully understand what this means, but I want to.
After a couple of minutes, he slows down, his free hand gripping the tile wall, and he lets out a low growl. He stops stroking himself altogether and turns off the shower.
I run away from the open door as quickly as I can. Keeping my steps light, I speed walk to the bed and sit on the edge.
When he comes back out of the bathroom, Zeke has a towel wrapped around his waist. “Smells like they’re cooking bacon,” he says with a smile, before grabbing a fresh T-shirt from a drawer. He pulls it on, covering his large frame.
“Bacon?” I ask.
Zeke looks at me, raising his eyebrows slightly. “I shouldn’t be surprised you don’t know what that is.” Letting the towel fall, I get a quick look at his firm butt before he pulls on a pair of shorts from his drawer. “Come on, I’m going to blow your mind.”
Zeke opens the door and waits for me to join him. I do, following him down the hall, my eyes sweeping over every detail as we move. It’s nothing like what I’ve known.
Art and photos line the walls. I see pictures of Zeke and Tara and some of the others from last night who I don’t know just yet.
Then I spot even older pictures. Clearly, this house has been around for generations. It’s hard for me to imagine a place having so much history.
The smell gets closer as we walk downstairs. My mouth is watering, and my stomach grows in response. We walk into the kitchen, which is bright with big windows letting in the morning sun. Beyond them, I hear the quiet chirping of birds outside.
Only one person stands in the kitchen now. I remember him from last night, but I don’t know his name. He’s a little taller than Zeke with the same dark hair and dark brown eyes. But he’s older, with something more worn in his eyes than Zeke’s.
He stands at the counter with a few pans on the stove. I realize that’s where the smell is coming from, and I think about the bacon Zeke promised to show me. He turns around and offers me a warm smile.
“Morning, you two,” he offers. “You’re the first ones up. Figured I’d let everyone else sleep since it was a late night.”
“Addison, this is my brother, Declan. He’s our pack’s Alpha,” Zeke says, gesturing between the two of us.
“Alpha? What does that mean?”
Declan looks at Zeke with an eyebrow raised.
There’s a lot I don’t know about myself, that much is clear. As alarmed as I was last night, I’m realizing now these people have answers for me. That must be what the look was about, anyway.
Declan pulls a pan off the stove and grabs a few plates from the cabinet.
“I’m not sure how much you know about what you are, but we are shifters. We’re a pack of people who can transform into wolves,” Declan begins.
I remember the clawing from yesterday, how I felt myself changing as I leaped over the fence. “I did that yesterday.”
For the first time, it feels like something clicks into place for me. I can’t explain it, but hearing that I’m not the only one who is capable of that is comforting. But at the same time, I feel deep confusion and a hurt I don’t yet understand.
“Yesterday, I got an alert of a lone wolf scenting in our territory. That was you. You were running before you passed out like you did when we found you.” Declan piles food on the plates and brings all of them over to the table, setting a steaming dish down in front of me.
This time, I don’t hesitate to eat. I take the first bite of the bacon and almost moan. Zeke was right, it is delicious.
“I was running because I felt Zeke,” I explain. “At least I think that’s true. I mean, I didn’t know it at the time.”
“Yes, you are probably right.”
“So what’s an Alpha?”
“The leader of the pack. It’s my job as Alpha to make sure everyone is safe. When a lone wolf wanders into our territory, we have to be wary.” He pauses, his eyes scanning my face as if searching for something.
“I’m not here to hurt anyone,” I promise, a little surprised he would even worry about that.
“I know that. We were thinking more about people who might be after you. Is anybody going to be looking for you? Anyone who could put my pack in jeopardy?”
I set the strip of bacon I was eating down on the plate and instinctively look at Zeke. His subtle nod quells the nervous feeling already growing in my chest.
I don’t want anybody to be hurt because of me. I’ve already seen too much pain and suffering in my lifetime, and I don’t want to see anymore.
“I don’t know,” I answer, a bitter taste overpowering the salty bacon in my mouth. “I had to run for a long time before I eventually passed out. I don’t know where I am, and I don’t know exactly where I came from.”
“She was home,” Zeke adds, a small smile growing on his lips. “It’s good she found the territory when she did. Otherwise, who knows what would have happened.”
A moment of silence falls over the table, and Declan rests his elbows on the wood and stares at me again.
“I know it’s a lot for you to think about right now, but you’ve clearly been hurt.
Any information you can give us can help us find these people and make sure they don’t come looking for you and don’t hurt you or anyone else in our pack. ”
Zeke’s hand lands on my knee, giving it an affectionate squeeze. I try to think, and eventually find the courage to answer. I just hope this won’t backfire.
I feel like my mouth is moving on its own as I tell them about everything I experienced.
I tell them how I was barely eight years old when I was brought there.
Ten years have passed, and I’ve been electrocuted, burned, and injected with drugs and serums. I’ve seen people be taken away, never to return.
The cries I heard from down the hall when people vanished.
I was the last one left.
“I don’t know a lot of the doctor’s names. It wasn’t important for us to know them.” I wrinkle my eyebrows, shaking my head as I clear my throat to bite back the emotion. “The only doctor I remember is Dr. Hendricks.”
I feel embarrassed telling them about this for some reason. Like it’s a wound that I’m exposing for them to examine. But after a moment passes, I sense something in the air. It’s radiating from Zeke sitting right beside me, and I look at him, realizing that I’m sensing the anger he feels.
His fists are balled on his lap, and he’s gritting his teeth hard. He and Declan share a knowing glance.
“I’ve heard of facilities like this,” Declan says, his voice cold. I don’t feel his emotions the way I do Zeke’s, but I can see that he’s upset.
“We’re not going to let those people take you back. I’ll do anything to make sure you’re safe,” Zeke says, squeezing my knee again. Even through his anger, he’s trying to comfort me.
All of a sudden, I’m hit with an intense weight on my chest that I’ve never felt before. What if he does something stupid to try to protect me? What if they capture him and do the same thing to him they did to me?
I barely know Zeke, but the idea of him going through the things I did kills a part of me. I don’t fully understand why, but I have to make sure that doesn’t happen.