Zena Wynn - Claiming Shayla

The alpha, or rather his bitch, Ashley thought bitterly, had finally allowed her to come and clean, but only on Tuesdays and Friday at the time she designated. No more coming and going whenever it pleased her, and she was restricted to the first-floor common areas like she was some criminal who couldn’t be trusted around the alpha’s personal items.

Ashley could have made this new schedule work to her advantage, except every time she arrived at the house, the alpha had also been present, hovering over his mate. Seemed she suffered from a severe case of morning sickness, and it left her incapacitated. Weak! This was what happened when an inferior human was allowed to mate with one of their kind. Their puny bodies couldn’t handle it. The woman couldn’t even shift. She deserved killing.

A trio of voices called out, “Hello, Ashley,”

She waved in greeting, pasting a bright, fake smile on her face.

As she got closer to the meeting place, she ran into more pack members. It was the night of their quarterly howl, when the Sparrowhawks came together to run and socialize as a pack. The first thirty minutes or so was devoted to pack business. Then the floor opened for members to share news or bring issues to their leaders’ attention.

As a rule, howl attendance wasn’t mandatory, but no one missed if it could be helped, afraid they’d miss the latest news. From the many faces she’d seen, tonight would be no exception. Their pack was small compared to others, less than one hundred total. When Ashley arrived at the clearing, a quick scan showed a little over half of their numbers were present. More were arriving by the minute.

Another glance revealed the alpha, his bitch, Caleb, and Michael had yet to arrive. Wesley and the other elders were huddled in a group, talking among themselves as normal. There were other groupings as well. Some families stood together. The young, unmated males gathered in a small group, casting the occasional lascivious glance at the unmated females, who stood in another group. Ashley went and joined the unmated females.

The mood was jovial. Numerous conversations, the occasional burst of laughter, and called-out greetings filled the night. Wolves were social creatures by nature, and there was nothing like a run with fellow pack mates at night while the moon rode high in the sky. The ability to shed their human skins and run as the animals they really were. That was something Rory’s human mate would never know.

Full dark had fallen. The muted glow of the moon shone on the clearing as the humidity gave way to a layer of fog hovering over the treetops and no breeze of which to speak. Deep in conversation with a female adolescent she was particularly fond of, Ashley was slow to note the change of atmosphere. Little by little there was a beat of stunned silence, then a wave of hushed whispers.

“What’s he doing here?”

“Who’s that?”

“Is that Wolfe?”

“…alpha…Raven pack…”

“…pregnant mate…”

“Kian, my God, haven’t seen him since…”

“Thought he’d left…”

The alpha had arrived, and he wasn’t alone. Rory strode into the center of the clearing. Behind him was the human. But it was the ones who followed that caused the uproar. Kian, his black hair unbound, dressed in jeans and a T-shirt that clung to delineated muscles that did nothing to hide his feral nature, trailed close—almost protectively—after the human female.

Ashley was so rattled by Kian’s seldom-seen appearance, she barely noted Caleb and Michael bringing up the rear. Rory took his place on the mound, in the center with the human female to his immediate left and Kian on his right. Caleb and Michael took guard position in front of the alpha pair at the base of the small rise.

Then Ashley noticed the other four. A mixed-race, pregnant female stood next to Shay. Hovering possessively on her left…was that Alex Wolfe , the Raven pack’s alpha? No wonder the pack was uneasy.

While Ashley was still recovering from the combined shocks, Shannon strode into the clearing with a tall man with dark hair, a goatee, and the face and body of a Playboy model less than a step behind, his hand at the small of her back proclaiming his ownership. Shannon walked to Kian and stood beside him, with the male to her right.

Rory made no move to quiet the group. He let the conversations continue until gradually, silence fell. Then his voice rang out. “As you know, from the time I became alpha, I’ve made changes in an effort to pull this pack into the twenty-first century. Many of our old ways were outdated. Some downright illegal. If we’re to thrive and grow in this new world of instant messaging, camera phones, and global networking via the Internet, we have to change.”

He paused, looked around at each group assembled before him. His gaze lingered briefly on the elders before returning to the rest of the pack. “Some welcomed the changes as long overdue. Others”—again his gaze went to the elders—“fought me tooth and claw, even as they benefited from the very changes initiated.”

There were some murmurs from the pack, the tone of which seemed to acknowledge Rory’s statement as being valid. The council appeared outraged but, after casting a leery glance at the still-muttering pack, remained silent.

“Tonight marks another new beginning for the Sparrowhawks. Even as the wolf who stands alone dies alone, so too does the pack without allies, destined to fade into obscurity.” He pointed to the Raven pack’s alpha. “A few months ago, Alex Wolfe found and mated his one, Kiesha Morgan. His one is cousin to mine, Shayla Morgan.” He gestured to Shannon. “You all know my sister, Shannon. She’s now a member of the Raven pack, with my full approval and blessing. Based on the blood that binds us, the Ravens and Sparrowhawks have entered into an alliance.”

While the pack was adjusting to the news, Rory nodded to Alex, who howled. A chorus of howls answered him, and more than just a few. Ashley spun with the rest of the pack, looking into the surrounding forest. A multitude of glowing eyes stared back. The outline of wolves formed as they drew closer—much larger, much stronger wolves. They surrounded the Sparrowhawks. Ravens, in wolf form.

There was more nervous chattering as the Sparrowhawks defensively drew closer together.

“This is an outrage,” Graham snarled, a hint of fear in his eyes.

“You made a decision without discussing it with the council? Why weren’t we notified of your intentions?” Bertram asked.

Wesley looked around at the wolves, then at his nephew. His face mottled with fury.

Rory’s left eyebrow arched. “I’m alpha. I discussed the issue with those who mattered—my mate, my brother, my men—before approaching Alex with the offer of an official pack alliance.”

It was a verbal slap in the face.

“And I, in turn, discussed it with my mate, my second, and my elders before agreeing,” Alex added.

“Where is your second?” Graham asked.

“She wasn’t needed for this,” Alex answered.

“ She !” the old fart choked. Ashley rolled her eyes. The ancient wolf needed to do everyone a favor and die. She didn’t care that he was her uncle.

Alex didn’t bother responding, but his mate leaned over and whispered something to the human. She, in turn, rolled her eyes, then whispered something back. With their faces that close together, Ashley could see the family resemblance.

“What, exactly, do we get out of this alliance?” Bertram asked.

“More resources, more business prospects, a bigger pool of mates to hunt in. The Raven pack has medical resources we don’t. Their pack’s larger, stronger, more modern. It’s what we’re trying to become,” Rory said.