Chapter 6 #3
“How awesome would it have been to grow up with this every year?” she whispered.
I came to a stop and noticed we’d reached the area drawing a crowd.
The pumpkin mountain, as the town called it, was smack dab in the middle of the town—a place we had yet to explore—with thousands of hand-carved pumpkins stacked on top of each other.
The entire thing was well over twenty feet high and twice as long.
Hushed whispers and excitement arced through the gathering crowd, but I wasn’t sure what they were expecting.
Fairy lights lit up the entire area, making the scene look bright enough that it could’ve been daylight instead of night.
Something had me and my wolf on alert. “Stay next to me no matter what, LeeLee.’
The light dimmed in her eyes. “Do you sense something?’
She was enjoying herself, and I didn’t want to bring her down.
Real life tended to do that to a person.
If I had to hold the world at bay so she could enjoy one night, I’d do it.
“I just don’t want to lose you in the crowd.
” Again, I didn’t lie, which with her shifter senses she’d smell.
I didn’t want to scare her, nor did I want her to think the world was full of sunshine and rainbows.
Damn, I had an insane urge to wrap her in a bubble only I could access. The thought of all the ways I could penetrate her bubble flashed into my mind, making me smile in spite of the situation.
“Are you thinking of dirty things, Mr. O’Neil?” she whispered too low for anyone but me to hear.
My lips tilted up in a grin. “Know me so well already?’
She shimmied her ass against my groin. “That is kind of hard to miss.’
“Behave,” I mock growled.
We were interrupted by cheers from the crowd, and then a man’s voice came out from the front. LeeLee stilled in my arms. “What is it?” I asked.
She began moving through the crowd, bumping into people dressed in costumes with no regard.
I followed, apologizing as I went. Damn, for such a small thing, she could plow through people.
At the stage-like area, a tall man with dark blond hair stood in the center of the makeshift space.
His booming voice expounded on the town’s great history.
“It’s my honor to welcome all of you to the one hundred and fiftieth celebration,” the man said.
I sucked in a startled breath. Surely LeeLee would’ve been allowed to attend such an event when she lived there.
Her family had been like royalty. By the time I caught up to her, she’d almost reached the front, her smaller figure able to weave in and out, knocking into people with a lot less fuss than my much larger frame.
I grabbed her arm before she could make it the final few feet to the front of the crowd, pulling her into my side.
“Wait a minute,” I said, holding her back from exposing herself.
Looking at the other people on the raised dais, I noticed they all had different shades of blond hair, but none quite as blonde as my LeeLee.
Could they be her family? From her memories, I’d watched her mother kill herself over the body of her lifeless mate.
Surely if there were other members of the family, they’d never have allowed a child to be mistreated the way LeeLee had been.
“Do you smell them?” Her eyes widened.
A deep inhale, and the scent of power hit me. Alpha wolf. I pulled LeeLee back, hoping the crowd would keep the pack from scenting us. Two wolves in another pack’s territory could end up dead really quickly.
“Niall, I may need some assistance here, and I don’t think Jenna is gonna be able to do it. She was pretty wiped when we left her.” I reached through the link to the alpha I hoped could send reinforcements the fastest.
“Boy, haven’t you heard of mental knocking?” Niall’s voice sounded strained.
I closed my eyes, not wanting to think about what I’d been interrupting. “Sorry, Alpha, but this is important. I’m assuming you know where I’ve been and who I’ve been with?’
Through the link, I heard a female’s voice. I made a mental note to send Alaina a bouquet of flowers. “I apologize, Alaina. This is urgent.’
“I’ve been told. Now, fill me in on what’s happening.’
I quickly explained all that had transpired and where we were. “Fuckin’ A, boy, you sure do know how to get from one place to the next without a problem. Damn, let me holler at Kellen. I believe they’ve made some friends with vamps who can transport like the Fey.’
My heart was pounding so hard I was sure everyone around me could hear it beating in my chest.
“Why are we waiting?” LeeLee tugged on my restraining hand.
“I’m talking to my alpha. We need a little backup, love.
That is an alpha and his pack up there. I don’t know if that was your pack or a pack that moved in after you left.
However, two unknown wolves entering their territory could make them angry.
Let’s sit tight and wait for Niall to get back with me.
” I looked into her troubled eyes, trying to make her understand the wisdom in my words.