The Blood Pack (book two)

Chapter four

~Luke~

I could see the pain in Niomi's eyes as she said those words. I remembered how Cassy had said the pain was unbearable when Alpha Ash slept with Cara when she was disguised as her. I wanted to go to her, to comfort her. But I held myself back, not even sure where those urges came from. "Had you claimed each other?" alpha Ash asked.

She let out a hollow laugh. "No. I was forced to live in the same house as him, followed twenty four seven. We had been best friends, and then he just pulled away from me. One night, I don't know why, I got up in the night. I left my room and saw him..." her voice drifted off as her eyes scrunched up in pain. "I did not stick around for them to force me to mate with a man who would forsake me. If I was not good enough for him, then I did not want to have to live my life seeing his face everyday!"

Anger rose in me as my wolf snarled, how this beautiful creature could not be good enough for anyone was beyond me. She was beautiful, not in an in your face kind of way, but in a girl next door type of way. She was simple and yet complicated. Plain and yet intricate. Like most shifter females she was stunning but something about her called to my wolf, maybe it was because she knew some of the pain I had been through. I was snapped out of my thoughts as alpha Ash sighed. "I will continue investing, for now. But the shop has to improve its takings if you want my continuing support." the old lady, Margaret nodded enthusiastically. Alpha Ash turned to leave, me and Trev following his lead when he stopped by the door. "May I speak to you a moment outside Niomi?"

By the look in her eyes, she knew it was not a request. With shoulders slumped, she followed us out onto the street. "Look, I understand if you want me gone..."

"That is not it." he interrupted, holding up his hand to silence her. "I want to offer my protection to you."

Niomi almost doubled over laughing, her face looking at alpha Ash like he had grown a second head. "You want to protect me? You don't even know me. And I have nothing to offer to you or your pack."

"You can heal." Trev quickly answered, I noticed how Niomi bristled at that.

"You work for one of the businesses that I am invested in. I need to know my investments are safe." Alpha Ash corrected, shooting Trev an annoyed look. 

Niomi crossed her arms defensively. "I see. So now it is not the bookstore you are invested in but me. Is that right?" she took a step forward, taking on a braver stance than most wolves would against alpha Ash. "I have been fine all these years without anyone's help. I can look after myself."

As she turned to go back into the store, I don't know what came over me, but I reached out and caught her arm, holding her in place. She looked down to where my hand touched her skin and then up to meet my eyes, looking confused as well as angry now. "How about you come and see our territory, you may like it?" I offered.

Her eyes shifted to Trev with a look of disgust for the briefest second before they were back in me, a snarl forming on her lips. "I do not believe that I will be welcome in your prejudice pack!" she pulled her arm from me and disappeared back inside, the door bouncing open and shut again with the force she closed it with.

I turned to Trev, my own anger rising inside of me. I took a few menacing steps towards him and he held up his hands. "Wow, Luke calm down!" Trev stuttered out as he took a step back.

"I am pissed at you too Trev!" Alpha Ash hissed. 

"Why?" Trev asked, eyes wide with innocence, seeing to honestly not understand what he had done. 

Alpha Ash leaned closer but I could still hear his words with my shifter hearing. "We all know that not all lone wolves are rouges and yet that is the first place you went to. We could use a healer in the pack, yes. But she is unlikely to join us now, you showed such displeasure towards her lifestyle."

Trev paled slightly, obviously remembering by background now. "Gees Luke, I'm sorry man. I wasn't thinking." I grunted and tilted my head to him. I knew that he did not mean anything by his comments, because I knew that he was a good guy, and one of my friends. But Niomi did not know him as I did and I could tell that his comments put her off having anything to do with us, big time.

"What was the that about Old Bessy when she came in?" alpha Ash asked with curiosity as we walked back to the jeep.

"Her car is at the garage." I explained.

I saw a smile pull at the edge of his mouth. "So you will get a chance to speak to her again." I grunted affirmatively. "Then maybe you can try and speak to her. She seems less annoyed at you than either of us, and she makes you quite, chatty." I just rolled my eyes at that as we set off down the street to the garage. I jumped out and watched as Trev and alpha Ash set off to their next task of the day.

I walked into the garage where Peter was already all set up, after coming in in another of the packs jeeps early so I could attend the meeting with alpha Ash and Trev. "Everything go okay?" he asked, to which I just grunted. Peter and his twin Paul were new to our pack and had been enforcers in their old one, but their abilities were not good enough to keep that standing in the Blood pack. However, Peter was a dab hand at running the garage and a keen mechanic, handling the interacting with customers side far better than I ever could. "Right, well we have three cars in for service, one that needs a tyre change and one that needs a structural check. Oh and a new battery for the one you brought in last night. Want me to start on the services while you start on the other three?" I nodded and went to get to work.

I loved working on cars and motorbikes, anything  with a motor really held my interest. But somehow today my mind kept drifting back to Niomi, how hurt she looked when she mentioned her mate and his betrayal, her anger towards Trev. If she hadn't said that she had already met her mate I may have started to wonder if that was what this was, this pull that she had on me. If it was just the mating bond that was driving my mind back to her again and again. If not that, then what could it be?

Done with the tire change I went on to the car that looked like it had been rammed into with a monster truck. This was going to take some time to check out. Again I busied myself on my task at hand, loosing all track of time. Peter came over, "Think that one is a right off?" he asked, I shrugged my response. "Anyway I'm going to pop out to get some lunch, you want anything?"

"Wait, I'll go." I jumped up from my position in front of the crumpled car and grab the jeep keys before making a bee line out to the car. I did not miss the look of shock on Peter's face but I have an urge, deep inside. Did Niomi eat this morning? If her pack didn't pick her up last night, given that I now knew that she didn't have one, then she must have had that long walk home. I needed to check on her, I don't know why, but I had too. I drove to the deli a few blocks away and picked up four sandwiches, not wanting to seem unfeeling for Margaret, and then drove to the bookstore. I stood on the other side of the door, plucking up the courage to go in. This was a bad idea, this is like boarder line stalking, right? But crap, it is too late now, Margaret has seen me and is looking at me with a mix of worry and curiosity. And now she has alerted Niomi who looks just worried and scared. Okay, I need to get in there. I walked through the door and put what sort of resembles a smile on my face. "Lunch." I said, holding out a bag with two sandwiches in it.

"Okay... Thanks?" Niomi says uncertain, taking the bag and handing it to Margaret behind the counter. "What are you actually here for?" she turns back and looks deep into my eyes.

God I feel like she is looking through to my actual soul. "Last night..." I say and grunt.

Niomi rolls her eyes. "I walked." she replied, seeming to understand my inflections more than anyone, although I can tell they annoy her.

"Where?"

"Home."

"Where?"

"Nuhu, I am not giving someone I don't know my address." I grunt, needing to know more and step forward, into her personal space. "No, you have no right to my privacy." I take another step forward and her back up against the shelf with no where to go. "Fine! It's like an hour walk from here. That is all you are getting." I grunt my displeasure but acceptance that this was all I was going to get. "You know if you actually talked to people you would get much further than grunting at them like a barbarian!"

I chuckled at that. "I do not grunt like a barbarian." she raised her brow and gave me a pointed luck. "People spend too much time on meaningless words when one would do."

"Well you have mastered the use of single words and grunts. I guess I am just one of those that enjoys the waste of words in a conversation." she looks almost sad in a way. I don't want her to feel sad, I wanted her to feel special, in a way, I guess. She steps to the side, heading back over towards the counter. "Thanks for lunch. Will Old Bessy be ready tonight?" I grunt in the affirmative and if I am not mistaken, there is a slight smile on her face, whether at my reaction or the fact her car will be fixed, I don't know, but it is enough to satisfy me and my wolf.

I exited and jump back in the jeep before heading back to the garage. As always Peter rips apart his sandwich like a starving man. It amazed me how Peter and Paul are not the size of houses the way and amount that they eat. I slowly eat my own sandwich, feeling a peace I had not felt all morning. Maybe I just needed to know Niomi was taking care of herself in some way. She would age like a human without a pack and even with her healing power, she was in danger without a pack. I wanted her to come to the Blood pack, to join me. No, to join us, the pack. I shake my head at my own silly thoughts and focus more on my sandwich that the captivating brunette across the street.

Once I finished eating I got back to work, and Peter was right, that car was a right off. The owner would not be happy. So then it was time for me to work on Old Bessy. That is the name for a cow or a horse, not a car. I climbed in and her scent enveloped me like a cocoon. I took a deep inhale and could not help the growl that escaped my chest. I popped the hood and reluctantly climb back out, replacing the battery, making sure that everything is connected up properly. In an ideal world, it would be illegal to drive something this old on the road. It looked like it was weeks away from the floor on the drivers side falling through and Niomi having to Flintstone her way to work. 

I got back in and gave the key a twist and it spluttered into life. I turned it off and sighed, a part of me sad that it was fixed and knowing that once the car was gone, Niomi could be gone from my life as well. Peter came over, "That thing is a death trap." he mumbled, as if reading my mind. This car was old and I knew the model was not the safest out there. I did not like the thought of her out there in it, not one bit. If it was broken she would have to replace it, but with it now back in somewhat working order, there was no hope of that. I grunt in response to Peter and climb back out, heading to the office to work on the paperwork for the cars that we had worked on today.

As I worked my mind kept bringing up the fact that Niomi would be coming soon, here. I looked out at the mess on the shop floor, as well as the calendar of naked women above the front desk. s**t, she can't see all that, what would she think? I jumped up and started to tidy, throwing the calendar in a drawer out of sight. Peter looks at me like I have lost my mind but does not question my actions. Once I was happy, I head back to the office to try and get some more work done and wait for her to walk through the front doors.