The White Wolf

Chapter 7: Liam

Will and I pulled up to my house. He had sped the whole way, so it only took half the usual time. From the looks of it, everything seemed to be normal. Dad’s truck was parked in front of the house, a few lights were on inside. The only sign that something was off was the scent in the air. It was different, but I could not quite pin it.

Will pulled up behind my dad’s truck and put the car in park.

“Do you want me to come in?” He asked. I could hear the concern in his voice.

“No!” I said quickly. “I mean, no. I’m sure everything is fine,” I assured him, adding a small smile.

Will nodded, but I could tell that he was still concerned. I knew I needed to go in and talk to my dad, figure out what was wrong, but I did not want to leave Will.

“So,” I started. “About earlier…”

I could see a faint blush creeping up his cheeks, but he played it off by giving me a knowing smirk.

“I was having a really good time before we were, uh, interrupted,” I continued, locking eyes with him.

“Me too,” he replied quietly, keeping his eyes on mine.

I could feel everything from earlier rising to the surface again, and it made me want to throw him in the back seat and have my way with him. But, I held myself back. Now was not the time, and no matter how much I wanted him, in the back of the car was not where I wanted to do it.

Instead, I held out my hand, palm up, and told him to hand over his phone. He gave me a skeptical look, but pulled out his iPhone and unlocked it before handing it over. I smiled gratefully at him and glanced down at the phone. I was immediately drawn to his home screen.

It featured a picture of him and a girl I had never seen. They both had large smiles on their faces, and I loved the brightness in Will’s eyes. The girl had olive skin and long, raven-black hair that almost made Will’s look pale in comparison.

A million questions raced through my head about who the girl was, but at the recognition of the jealousy I was feeling, I turned my attention back to my original goal. I quickly found his contacts and added my number to the list. I handed him his phone back, giving him a seductive smile.

“Text me later,” I told him, more of a demand than a question.

He smiled. I turned to open the door, but I could not bring myself to get out of the car, the pull I felt towards Will was just too great. Instead, I turned back to him, grabbed his face, and smashed out lips together. He quickly melted into me and our tongues were intertwined once more.

It was not long before I felt myself growing hard, but before our make out session could intensify too much, Will pulled away. I had to stop myself from letting out a whine.

“Go,” he told me softly, taking his hand off my chest.

I growled slightly, but knew he was right. I grabbed my bag and opened the door, stepping out of the car. I shut the door behind me and took a few steps back. Will gave me a small wave as he backed out of the drive. I stood and watched until the car vanished down the drive.

I pushed aside the sense of longing I felt, and turned back towards the house. That is when the scent hit me, or rather, the scents. My dad was not alone in the house; at least three others were inside as well. The scents were strange, definitely not human, but they somehow seemed familiar.

I walked up the steps and opened the front door. Once inside, I set my bag on the floor and then cautiously made my way towards the kitchen, the scents becoming more distinct as I grew closer.

I entered the kitchen and came to a halt. Sitting in the stools at the island were three strangers. They all seemed to be about my age, but I had never seen any of them before. All three turned my way when I walked in. I glanced at each of them and then to my dad, who was standing on the opposite side of the island.

“Liam,” my dad greeted, motioning for me to stand next to him.

I slowly made my way towards him, watching the strangers as I moved. Once I reached my dad, he placed a hand on my shoulder and gave me a smile, but I could see through it. He was also a little on edge, and he looked exhausted.

“It’s about time you got home,” my dad continued. “I assume you had a good time at Will’s?”

My face reddened as I realized that he could probably smell Will all over me, which probably meant he knew that we had been doing more than just working on the project.

“Uh, yeah,” I muttered, not wanting to look him in the eye.

“Good. I’d like to introduce you to some…friends,” he said, pausing at the word friends.

He gestured to the first boy, who had dark skin, with matching eyes and short-cropped black hair. He was muscular and had an unreadable expression on his face.

“This is Ryland,” my dad said.

Ryland did not say anything, only giving a small nod. I nodded in return, not really knowing what to say.

“And these two,” my dad continued, gesturing to the next two boys in turn. “These two are James and Jordan. They’re twins.”

Well that much was obvious. They both had short, blond hair, hazel eyes, and goofy grins that seemed plastered on their faces. They were not as muscular as Ryland, but they seemed to have some definition. The only way I could tell them apart was by the scar on James’ right cheek.

“Hey,” the twins greeted in unison.

“Hi,” I retuned, still not sure what to say.

“These three,” Dad said quietly, letting out a small breath before continuing. “Are part of your pack.”

I stood still, a dumb look no doubt plastered on my face. They were part of my pack? My pack? What the hell was he talking about?

I heard my dad say something in the background, but I was too unfocused to make out what he said. A hundred different questions were racing through my head. That meant they were werewolves, which explained the different scent but, where had they come from, and why now?

It was not until I felt a strong grip on my arm that I was brought back to the kitchen. I looked down at the hand and then followed it up to see my dad staring at me, a worried look on his face. I glanced from him to where the guys were sitting, but they were gone. He must have asked them to wait in the living room.

“Liam, take a seat,” my dad ordered, motioning to an empty stool.

I did as he said and sat down on a stool. I looked up at him and he stared back at me. He stayed quiet for a few seconds before continuing the conversation.

“There’s a lot I need to tell you,” he started.

“You think?” I interrupted.

He narrowed his eyes at me, but then his expression changed to one of sadness.

“I knew I would have to tell you eventually, but I always put it off.”

“Tell me what?” I asked heatedly.

“About what happened to your mother.”

He dropped his eyes. I immediately felt bad for being so pushy. I knew how much my dad hated it when I would bring up my mother when I was younger. But, I still did not understand what it had to do with the three werewolves in our living room.

My dad took a deep breath and then began to talk.

“Your mom and I were living with our pack in a secluded valley in California. We were the alphas of the pack. Your mom had just given birth to you, and we were so happy. You were the first pup in the pack.”

He stopped for a moment, his eyes glassy. I waited in silence. After a few moments, he was finally able to continue.

“I was out doing a routine sweep of the valley with my beta and a few others. We had never really had any problems in the valley, but some rumors had been going around about some creature that had been attacking nearby packs. No one was sure what it was. Some say it was just a rogue wolf, and some said it was a group of wolves who were trying to control all the packs in the area.

Either way, we increased the patrol of the valley. We had not been on patrol long when we heard cries come from the house. I still do not understand how it could have gotten into the valley without any of us knowing.

We raced as fast as we could back to the house, and as we neared, I could smell blood in the air. By the time my beta and I reached the house, the others who were on patrol had already arrived…and they were lying in the grass, dead.

I remember rushing past their bodies and into the house. All I could think about was finding you and your mother, and making sure you were okay. I never even shifted. I knew that whoever, or whatever, was in the house, was something I could not face as a human.

I went straight to our room, and I stopped outside the closed door. I tried to listen for breathing on the inside, but I could not hear anything. I nudged the door open and padded into the room.”

Tears were streaming down my dad’s face, and I could feel my eyes starting to water. I had never seen my dad cry before, and watching him now, it hurt.

“I entered that room,” my dad went on, his voice shaking slightly. “And I saw your mother lying on the floor. I shifted as soon as I saw her and knelt down next to her. She was covered in blood, and her body was cold.

I sat next to her and cradled her in my arms. Everything else disappeared; it was just her in my arms. I do not know how long I sat with her, but eventually, my beta, John, came into the room.

He did not say anything, but I took him being in the room to mean that whatever had attacked was now gone. He let me sit for a few more moments, but then he grabbed my shoulder and asked where you were.

In my grief, I had completely forgotten to look for you. I immediately started searching the room. I was frantic and furious. I tore that room apart, but I could not find you. I was about to tear through the next room, when John walked out of the bathroom with a bundle of blankets.

I rushed to him and took the bundle from him. Your mother had wrapped you up and hidden you in the cabinet under the sink. You were wide awake, but you did not make a sound.”

Dad was staring at me now. I wiped my eyes and stood up from the stool. I walked around the island and embraced him. A few moments later, I pulled away.

“So what happened to John?” I asked, curious as to why Dad had never mentioned him.

“We agreed that it would be safer if we split up,” he told me. “I moved us here, and he went south. He did some village hopping in Mexico. We kept in touch, but a few years ago, I lost contact with him completely. I do not know if he decided it would be safer to stop contact, or…”

He did not finish his thought, but I knew what he was thinking. I let him collect himself for a few minutes, but I still had one more question to ask him.

“So,” I started after giving him a minute. “What does all of that have to do with the guys in the living room?”

He gave me a small smile. “I was the alpha of my pack, and being alpha is something that is passed down from parents to their firstborn child. You, Liam, are an alpha. That is also why your eyes glow blue, and do not change to yellow like every other werewolf.”

I stared at him for a moment, taking in everything he said. I am an alpha. Shit. That means I have to lead a pack. I cannot do that! I am not ready!

My dad must have realized that I was getting worked up, because he soon had his hands gripped on my shoulders. He stared at me, his eyes soft yet unwavering.

“Liam,” he spoke calmly. “You will be fine. This is why we have trained so hard every summer. You will make a great alpha.”

I took a deep breath and nodded. He smiled and embraced me once again, and I squeezed back. He let go after a few moments and then walked into the living room. A few seconds later, he walked back into the kitchen with the guys trailing behind him.

Dad stood next to me, and the guys took seats on the stool once again. I still had a million questions running through my head, but I was not sure where to start. Finally I turned to my dad.

“So, is this the whole pack?” I asked, confused.

He chuckled. “No, not even close,” he told me. “Every pack has twelve members, the alpha and their mate, the beta and their mate, and then four other couples.”

I turned to the three guys sitting across from me. “How did you guys find me?” I asked.

The twins looked at each other, and then at Ryland. He shifted a bit and then locked eyes with me.

“We each felt a pull,” he started. “I was with my parents and their pack in Washington. I told them about the pull that I felt, and they told me that I had to follow it until I found my pack. That was a few months ago. I met up with James and Jordan in South Dakota, and it just so happened that we all felt the pull coming from the same place.”

“It was the same for us,” James chimed in, Jordan nodding in agreement.

I turned to my dad. “So, will all the others feel the same pull?” I asked him.

“Yes and no,” he replied. “Within each pack is something like an inner pack. The inner pack consists of you, your beta, and four others. These guys felt the pull towards you, so they are part of the inner pack. Two more will feel that same pull. The others will feel the pull to their mate, and will eventually come.”

I thought about what he said, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized he was making it sound as though everyone’s mate was a werewolf. But, he told me the way I was feeling about Will meant that he was my mate, and he is human.

“Dad,” I blurted. “What about Will? He’s not a werewolf.”

My dad smiled. “Don’t worry about it. As alpha, you can bite him and change him.”

I raised my eyebrows at him. Really? I could change him? But, how was I supposed to even tell him that I was a werewolf, let alone get him to agree to let me change him? I groaned. I was starting to get a headache.

“So, does that mean the whole pack is going to stay here?” I asked my dad curiously.

He grinned. “Yes. We own a large amount of land here, and the cabin is large enough for the pack.”

I looked across the table to see James and Jordan grinning, and I could not help the smile that crossed my face. This was going to take some getting used to, and I had a feeling that things were going to get a lot more confusing in the near future.