Chapter 1
Stealth
Ever since Tressa’s best friend, Nicole, or Nini as Tressa called her, stormed into the clubhouse that fateful day, I’ve been out of sorts and discombobulated. I know in my gut that she’s my fated mate, something I never thought would come to light or happen to me. The thing is, I’ve been alone and lonely for so damn long, I’m unsure how to proceed and that’s just not like me. I’ve always been cool and collected, but she confounds me and has me questioning my every move. She’s only been gone for two weeks now, and there’s still another week or so to go before Chaos and Tressa head to her so they can help her pack everything up and bring it here, yet it feels like it’s been years since I’ve laid my eyes on her.
Stalking into the kitchen, I see Nonna cutting up biscuits and right on cue, my stomach growls. “Morning, child. There’s a fresh pot of coffee already brewed, and I grabbed the creamer from the store for you, the brand you like since I noticed the other day that you were out.”
“Thanks, Nonna,” I mumble my gratitude, before I make my way over to the coffee pot to pour myself a much-needed mug of the nectar of life. It’s the key to my morning happiness. It’s the only thing that’ll wake me up and put me in a better, less sullen mood.
“You’re not sleeping again, Stealth,” she says accusingly, slathering the biscuits with a copious amount of honey. When she sees me watching what she’s doing and drooling, she smiles. “I know you boys love these things. Got bacon in the oven cooking now, so when these are done, you can eat your fill.”
“No, I’m not,” I finally reply, adding just a little bit of creamer to sweeten my coffee before taking a long, appreciative drink.
“There’s enough time for you to go for a run. I’ve found over the years that it clears my thoughts when they’re jumbled,” she suggests.
“Y’know what, Nonna? A run sounds like a fantastic idea,” I convey.
Finishing my coffee, I rinse the mug and set it off to the side to dry since I’ll use it again after I get back from letting my wolf stretch his legs. Nonna nods, so I know she won’t put it in the dishwasher; she’s used to how we do things around here.
Once I’ve stepped onto the back porch, I stretch my arms in the air to loosen my muscles for the impending run, and quickly strip down, placing my folded clothes in one of the chairs then swiftly shift into my wolf counterpart. As big as I am in real life, my wolf is also larger than the average wild animal, which is a good thing seeing as I’m the club’s sergeant at arms. Letting out a long, anguish-filled howl, I finally start running toward the back quarter of our property, allowing the small prey the luxury of living and not running in fear of me since my sole focus is on setting things right in my head space again, not hunting and eating.
Besides, while I enjoy the occasional snack and pursuit when running, why fill myself up on unsatisfying morsels and fur wedged in my teeth when I have Nonna’s honey biscuits with bacon to look forward to? Shaking my head, I increase my speed, getting lost in the memories of how I came to be in the Zephyr Hills Phantoms Motorcycle Club, a member of a brotherhood that took me in when I was lost, bereft, and alone.
* * *
“Stealth, you have to go,” my mother whispered as I lay groaning on the ground. “He’s going to kill you one of these times!”
I want to snort, “no shit” but I ache too much to deal with the repercussions of being smart mouthed. “I know, Mama,” I replied, taking stock of my numerous injuries.
Being the third oldest son to the Alpha of our pack, I shouldn’t be a target in his sights, yet now that I’d begun showing signs of being an Alpha myself, my father took it to mean I would be that and that I’d eventually be challenging him for the head position.
As if I wanted to take over the pack he’d ruled with an iron fist and kept them bound to him out of fear instead of respect. I might have his blood coursing through my veins, but I never understood the mindset he had. My two older brothers had already been killed by his hands for the same reason, even though neither of them wanted to assume his role. All of us wanted nothing more than escaping his heavy-handed methods.
“I mean it, Stealth. I can’t lose another son, another one of my precious children,” she cried while trying to help me get up off the ground. “You have to go, Son. You have to run.”
“Right now, I need to get back to my room so I can heal, Mama,” I stated. “Then I’ll figure out where I’m going to go.”
“Good, good,” she murmured, her strong arms practically holding me upright as she walked me into the house and up to my room. “He’s leaving tomorrow for two weeks. Has a council meeting about territories, disputes, and that kind of thing. I think you’ll be good to go in a couple of days. You’ll be healed enough to get as far away from his enclave as you can.”
Sadness washed over me as I limped into the bathroom to take a shower while my mother gathered her healing herbs and bandaging supplies. While my shifter abilities would enable me to heal quicker than the normal person, her poultices would also help cater those natural attributes until they kicked in since my father had beaten me so severely. Under normal circumstances, I’d already be mostly healed and able to care for myself. But just like my brothers before me, he’d kept up a steady barrage of blows that temporarily shut down my wolf’s ability to do so. Not only did he damage my physical body, but he injured my wolf with his silver studded rings.
The hot water sluiced over my battered body, eliciting a few choice words as the deep cuts and abrasions stung. “Where am I going to go?” I muttered once I’d caught my breath enough to begin washing the blood, dirt, and grime from my battered body.
In the big picture, it didn’t matter; I’d find somewhere to live where I didn’t have to worry that I’d draw my last breath at the hands of my own father. At least with me gone, my father would turn his attention to other things, since all that would remain would be my sisters and he didn’t view them as a threat to his kingdom.
I scrubbed myself raw until the water ran clear, no longer tinged with tints of blood, then stepped out and quickly dried off before slipping into a pair of loose sweatpants. Walking back into my room, I saw my mother fidgeting and waiting, and I gave her a half smile, which was all I could muster at this point to express my gratitude.
“Thanks, Mama,” I said, moving toward where she motioned for me to sit.
“It’ll break my heart for you to leave, Stealth,” she replied as she began putting her salves and poultices on my various injuries. “But I’ve heard of a place and community where others who are like you can live in harmony.”
“What do you mean, others like me?” I asked, hissing in a breath when she applied some of her stuff to a particularly deep gash on my face.
“There’s a town in Texas called Zephyr Hills. The majority of the men there are from other packs, but they all have one thing in common, they’re all Alphas in their own right.”
“How is that possible? How are they not challenging each other to be top dog?” I questioned.
“The town itself was established by shifters who had nowhere else to go. They’d either been banished or were branching out on their own. One of the town’s laws or rules is that all can seek sanctuary there, and no one shifter will rule over the others. I think that’s where you should go, my son.”
“I’ll check it out, Mama,” I said, knowing it would be in my best interest to be gone before my father returned to finish me off. While I hated the thought of leaving my mother and sisters behind, I preferred being on the breathing side of the grass.
* * *
I finally arrive at the creek that runs through the property and start drinking from the stream to slake my thirst. Pushing the brutal and troubling memories aside, I once again think about Nicole. From the things I observed while she was at the clubhouse, she doesn’t think she’s got much worth to anyone. Including herself. I saw how after her initial meltdown, when she was demanding to see Tressa, she was polite to everyone but really only opened up around Tressa and Nonna. Whoever hurt her is going to pay dearly. I just have to find out the name of the fucker first. My thirst slaked, I turn on my paws and start heading back toward the clubhouse because I’m sure breakfast is finally ready and I’m here for it.
Bursting through the trees that border the backyard, I lope up the stairs, shift, then quickly redress before heading inside.
“Morning, Brother,” Chaos says, piling his plate high. “Shoulda said something, I’d have run with you.”
Shaking my head, I grab a plate and start adding food. “It’s all good, Chaos. Needed to clear my head is all.”
More brothers come into the kitchen while we’re sitting and eating, the smell of bacon luring them from their party infused sleep. I snicker to myself when I see how rough several of them look. One of the things I can say about my brothers, they work hard, but they party even harder.
“Shut it, fucker,” Ogre grumbles.
“No one said you had to try and tie one on last night,” Fox retorts. “When are you assholes going to learn that we metabolize shit too quickly to ever get more than a buzz.”
Ogre shrugs while piling his plate so high I fear for the plate’s integrity. “Always worth a try, Fox,” he reasons through a mouthful of food. “Besides, Renda and Teeny issued a challenge, and you know I can’t back down from one of those.”
Fox shakes his head in dismay before getting up to grab another cup of coffee. “When’s your woman coming back?” he asks me.
“Not my woman,” I coolly reply.
“ Yet ,” he says. “We all know the truth, Brother. Saw you walking around like a lovesick dog.”
“Well, we are wolves,” Sly adds before bursting into a peal of laughter. I’d hit him, but he’s the club VP, and I really don’t relish getting fined for acting rashly to his comment, so I keep my mouth plastered shut.
“She should be here in the next few weeks, maybe a bit longer,” Tressa says, having come into the kitchen to catch Fox’s question. Turning to me, she smiles as she plops down on Chaos’ lap. “You could always go and offer to help her get stuff packed up, Stealth. I mean, my office area alone is going to take days.”
“Maybe I will,” I mutter. “Wouldn’t hurt for her to have some protection, after all.”
Now I know my wolf’s trying to take control. He thinks we should’ve gone with our mate in the first place, even though the prickly little dynamo has no clue that’s what she is to us. However, if I went early, I could ease her into it, right? Something to think about.
“Do we have anything going down I need to be aware of?” I ask after taking another sip of coffee.
“Naw, the Bastians have all been put to ground, the businesses are booming, and unless one of these assholes goes off on the deep end, I think we can spare you,” Fox replies, smirking at me.
Since Nonna’s still in the kitchen, prepping several crockpots for soup, I content myself with discreetly flipping Fox off instead of verbally uttering a word. She may be used to us and our foul mouths, but we still try to be as respectful as possible. Tressa must see me, however, because she starts snickering and giggling until Chaos kisses her, effectively shutting her up.
Finishing up my meal, I stand and carry my dishes to the sink where I rinse them then put them into the dishwasher. Seeing Nonna with her arms full, I head in her direction and take the bulky packages from her arms then set them on the counter for her.
“Thanks, Stealth,” she says, going over and washing her hands before she picks up a huge knife.
Seeing that, I smirk and reply, “Looks like that’s my cue to go.”
* * *
My restlessness has increased despite working on my bike to make sure it’s road ready, going for another run with several of the brothers, and taste testing Nonna’s soup. I didn’t earn my position by not listening to my gut and my wolf is going positively bonkers. Looks like I’m heading to where my mate’s at earlier than I’d anticipated. I just hope she’s ready for me to come rolling in.