“So you live inside the mountain?”
“Yeah. The large cave system was once an ancient dwelling. Don’t worry—we have electricity and running water. It’s become increasingly modernized over the years.”
“It’s a big place.” Throwing the car into gear, she continued up the trail. “How many wolves are there in your pack?”
“We don’t just have wolves. We also have a raven, a viper, and a cheetah. In total there are twenty-six of us—that’s twenty adults, one juvenile, and five young ones.”
“Young ones?”
“Why do you sound freaked by that?”
“Kids scare me.”
Trick felt his brow crease even as he smiled. “How could kids possibly scare you?”
“I don’t know. They just do.” They always acted weird around her. Plus she didn’t have any younger siblings or cousins, so she wasn’t used to being around kids. “How many of you were part of the first generation, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“Of course I don’t mind you asking. It’s pack business, but you are pack. Of the original seventeen, thirteen of us are left. Two died, two transferred to another pack.”
“And one of those who died was Iris’s mate, my . . . um, grandfather?”
“No. Alfie and Iris stayed with the Bjorn Pack. I’m guessing you did your research on the pack and you know why it split?” He would have in her position. At her nod, Trick went on. “They didn’t stay behind because they agreed with Rick Coleman’s decision; it was because they were worried that he’d stop them from visiting Christopher’s grave if they left. Rick would have done that. He was an asshole that way. I thought they might move here when another Alpha took Rick’s place, but they didn’t. Iris recently joined the Phoenix Pack to spend what time she has left with Lydia.” Trick spotted the iPhone in the cup holder. “That your cell?”
Frankie blinked at the abrupt change of subject. “Um, yeah. Hey, don’t play with it,” she said as he grabbed it, but it was too late.
“There. Done.”
She frowned. “What’s done?”
“My number is programmed in your phone.” Trick then called his own cell using hers. “And now I have your number.”
“Don’t you think maybe you should ask before you do shit like that?”
“Would you have told me your number?”
“Sure. It’s 911—but only dial it in an emergency.”
He chuckled. “I do enjoy your sense of humor, Frankie.” It surprised him that she had a playful side, since her maternal family had always seemed so serious. Even her mother, though gentle and kind, had never really been playful, from what he could remember. He pointed to an opening in the base of the mountain. “Go in there.”
She drove through the opening in the cliff and found herself inside a cleverly concealed parking lot. Impressed, she lifted her brows. “Where do I park?”
“Anywhere.”
She whipped her Audi into a spot and switched off the engine. “So is there anything I need to know? I mean, are there rituals to this sort of thing? I don’t have to kneel before the Alphas, do I? Because that won’t happen.”
He smiled. “No, you don’t need to kneel before anyone. Just listen to your wolf; she’ll know what to do.”
Hopping out of the car, Frankie looked at the collection of vehicles. The pack sure did like SUVs. She should have objected when Trick linked his fingers with hers and tugged her outside, but she didn’t. And she couldn’t have said why.
At the foot of the narrow stairway, Trick said, “After you.” Then he could stare at her ass as they climbed. Happy days. Halfway up, she stopped to look around. He frowned and asked, “You all right?”
“Yeah. I’ve just never been to a place like this. Never seen anything like it. My wolf wants out. She wants to roam and explore. I don’t blame her—it’s really amazing.”
It was good that she thought so, Trick mused, because it would be her home soon enough. “Later, after you’ve spoken to the pack and seen Iris, I’ll give you a tour.” He splayed his hand on her lower back and gently urged her on, and they started walking again. “Do your grandparents know you’re here?”
“No.” Frankie hadn’t told Brad either. She’d called him this morning, tiptoed around the subject of Lydia, and agreed to meet with him later that day. “They won’t be happy about it.”
“There’s no point in living to make other people happy, Frankie. We’re all responsible for own happiness anyway.” Finally they reached the main entrance to the caves. He carefully shouldered past her and rested a hand on the door. “Ready?”
Frankie rolled back her shoulders. “As I’ll ever be.” He opened the door, gesturing for her to enter first, and she suddenly found herself inside a large tunnel. It wasn’t dark and dull, as she might have expected. The smooth walls were light-cream sandstone that seemed to illuminate the tunnels, and she briefly skimmed her fingers along them.
“Everyone’s waiting in the living area.” Trick led her through the network of tunnels, keeping his pace slow so she could get a good look around.
As he guided her into the living area, everyone stood. It reminded him of the time when the juvenile of the pack, Zac, had first arrived. Ryan’s young cousin had been staying at the shelter where Makenna worked until they brought him into the pack. Maybe Zac was remembering it too, because his voice cut through the awkward silence.
“They weren’t kidding when they said you look harmless.”
Casting Zac an affectionate hushing look, Taryn stepped forward and smiled at Frankie. “I’m Taryn, Alpha female. This is my mate, Trey, and he’s holding our son, Kye. Welcome to Phoenix Pack territory.”
Frankie nodded at the dainty female. “Thanks.”
Trey inclined his head at her. “I doubt you’ll remember me. I really didn’t like girls much back then—I used to shove daisies down the back of your dress.”
Frankie’s mouth twitched. “I hope I didn’t take that lying down.”
“No, you didn’t. You used to charge at me like a bull.”
“I remember that,” said Lydia, looking like she wanted to embrace Frankie. She refrained. “I’m so glad you came.”
Taryn quickly went on. “Let me introduce you to everyone. Obviously you know Lydia and Cam. Standing next to them are Grace, Rhett, and their little girl, Lilah. Over there near the back wall are the Beta pair, Jaime and Dante, and some of our enforcers, Marcus, Roni, and Dominic. There’s Ryan, who you met at the coffeehouse, standing with his mate, Makenna, and his cousin, Zac. The sleeping pup in Makenna’s arms is Sienna Rose. The woman over there looking miserable and disapproving is Trey’s grandmother, Greta—an accident of nature.
“Last but not least, we have this little cluster of people near the sofa. Hope is Gabe’s mate, Tao is the Head Enforcer, and Riley is the pack’s Guardian. The little girl with the pigtails is Savannah, and the little blond boy with the bulging pockets is Dexter—they belong to Tao and Riley, who are mates.”
Feeling awkward and a little overwhelmed by the overflow of information, Frankie did a slow nod. “It’s nice to meet all of you.” Some of them looked at her with a familiarity that made her uncomfortable. Others just looked curious, particularly the kids, who stared at her. Greta, though, was eyeing Frankie with suspicion.
Dominic stepped forward, a weird grin on his face, but Dante fisted the guy’s shirt and pulled him back with a firm shake of his head.
“Iris wanted to be here to greet you,” began Trey, “but she can’t leave her bed much.”
“She’s super excited to see you,” said Lydia. “I’m under strict orders to take you straight to her. That okay with you?”
Frankie gave an easy shrug. “Sure.”
As Lydia started to lead her out of the room, Trick quietly asked Frankie, “You’ll be all right?”
“Of course.”
Satisfied, he nodded. “If you need anything, call.” He didn’t turn back to the pack until she’d disappeared down
the tunnels.
“She really doesn’t remember any of us, does she?” said Jaime, sounding sad.
Dante draped his arm around his mate’s shoulders. “Maybe it’s better that way. If she remembered us, she’d likely also remember her father killing her mother.”
Jaime, who’d witnessed the death of her own parents, said, “You’re totally right. It’s better for her this way. Still, it’s hard. As kids, we played together and tormented the boys together, but she only sees a stranger when she looks at me.”
“Doesn’t mean you can’t be friends now, does it?” Dante nuzzled his mate. “I’m sure she could do with a friend right now.”
“I think Trick’s already filled that position,” said Trey.
Ignoring the speculation in the Alpha’s eyes, Trick said, “You can never have too many friends.”
Stopping outside a thick oak door, Lydia spoke quietly to Frankie. “Don’t be nervous. She knows you don’t remember her. No one’s expecting an emotional response from you that you can’t give. She’d just like to talk to you and—”
“Stop muttering outside the room and let me get a look at the girl,” a croaky voice called out.
Lydia rolled her eyes and opened the door. Frankie followed her inside, quite surprised to see that the space looked like a luxury hotel suite. It had all the basics—bed, TV, plush chair, table, bedside cabinet, triple wardrobe with mirrored doors. There was even a balcony and a private bathroom.
Frankie’s attention was drawn to the woman in the bed, who was propped up on pillows. She studied Frankie through blue eyes that seemed to have dulled slightly with age. She looked pale and weak, but not defeated. Her gray hair was pulled into a tidy bun, and its shade made Frankie think of doves. Then the woman smiled, and her whole face seemed to light up.
“Well, I’ll be damned. You look just like me when I was your age.”
Mouth curved, Lydia sighed at her mother. “She does not. You have the same eyes—that’s pretty much it.”
Iris sent her daughter a mock glare. “Are you saying I wasn’t beautiful?”
“Don’t try to talk me in circles.”
Iris turned back to Frankie and gestured at the armchair beside her bed. “Come sit.” Once Frankie was seated, Iris clasped her hands and prompted, “So tell me about yourself.”
Frankie felt her brow furrow. “I’m pretty sure, from what Lydia told me, that you already know quite a lot.”
“I know some basic facts. I know where you live, where you went to school, what you do for a living, and I’m guessing you’ve left a trail of broken hearts wherever you’ve gone—I did the same.”
Lydia sighed again. “You did not.”
Iris ignored her. “Favorite color?”
“Yellow,” said Frankie.
“Favorite food?”
“Chocolate.”
“Favorite movie?”
“Role Models.”
“Favorite sex position?”
Frankie’s mouth curved. “There are too many to choose from.”
Iris let out a croaky laugh. “I like you. I was always partial to the reverse cowgirl.”
Lydia gasped. “Mother!”
“Although my mate liked the scissors—”
“Mom, stop, I’m begging you.”
Iris threw an impatient look at her daughter. “Really, Lydia, it’s not as if you’re new to sex.”
“I’m pretty sure that Frankie didn’t come all the way here to discuss the Kama Sutra.”
“It was simply a question,” Iris defended herself. Sliding her gaze back to Frankie, she said, “Tell me more.” She asked lots of questions, but they were casual and even funny at times. She wanted to know all about sculpting, Frankie’s time at school, and what her wolf’s personality was like. Basically—just as Lydia had said—Iris simply wanted to know her.
After a while Iris said, “Your head is probably pounding from all my questions. Feel free to ask me some, if there’s anything you want to know.”
Although Iris hadn’t once touched the subject of her parents, Frankie said, “I want to know about him. And yet I don’t.”
“I understand. Christopher was a pain in my ass.” Frankie’s surprise must have shown on her face, because Iris asked, “Oh, you thought I’d paint him as a misunderstood saint? No, I won’t do that. He wasn’t a bad person, but he could be damn irritating because he was stubborn, anal, and saw things in black and white. There were no gray areas for him. If you made a mistake, if you did him wrong, you were the bad guy. He wasn’t unforgiving, just slow to let any slights go. He was also temperamental, though I’m told that’s normal for artists.”
“He was an artist?”
“Liked to paint. He was pretty good. Not art gallery–worthy, but he had a lot of talent. He had many good qualities. He was loyal. Protective. Strong willed. Honorable. He loved you. Used to carry you around on his shoulders, called you his princess. And he loved Caroline.” Iris took a shaky breath. “I don’t know what went wrong. I truly can’t imagine what it could have been. They seemed so happy.”
“I can’t give you answers about what happened that night,” Frankie said gently. “I understand why you’d want them, but if you’re hoping I can tell you, I can’t. I don’t remember.”
Iris patted her hand. “I won’t deny that I’d like closure, but I’m not under the illusion that you’re able to give it to me.”
“You don’t think I saw anything?”
“You were a smart kid. You would have known to hide if there were trouble. But you were also bold as brass even then. Much too curious for your own good. You’d have come out of hiding to see what was happening, so yes, I believe you saw something.
“I’ve seen pictures of your sculptures, Frankie. They’re captivating, even though they’re also like something from a nightmare. They make me wonder if your subconscious keeps that event locked up tight. But I wouldn’t dream of asking you to drag it all back up—no good could come of that for you. And finding out the whole story wouldn’t change anything.”
Noting the slight slur in Iris’s voice, Frankie shot Lydia a concerned look.
“She’s tired herself out,” Lydia told Frankie. “Mom, you need to rest now.”
Iris huffed. “Fine, fine. I’m grateful that you came, Frankie. More grateful than you can ever know. I hope you’ll come back, but I’ll understand if you don’t.”
Stepping outside the room, Frankie blinked in surprise at Trick leaning against the wall. “Iris needs to rest, so Lydia’s just getting her settled.”
“You were in there for a while,” he observed. “Not as bad as you’d thought it would be?”
Far from it. “Iris made it easy.”
“Good. Time for that tour.”
“Aren’t you busy?”
“I’m off duty. Come on.”
Too curious to turn down such an offer, Frankie followed him. He showed her around the caves first, taking her to the different levels and letting her peek inside the game room, the infirmary, and even the laundry room.
Afterward he took her outside. There was so much to see. Not just the forest and the mountains, but the river, the wildlife, and his favorite spots. He told her lots of stories about the pack, making her laugh again and again.
At her request they hiked to the top of one of the mountains. The view was outstanding, and it was relaxing to listen to the wind whistling along the cliff and making the trees below creak as they rocked slightly.
Her wolf loved it. Loved the wild scents of cold rock, pine needles, and the earthy moss beneath Frankie’s feet.
“Is it hard?” he asked.
Sweeping her gaze over the valley below—admiring the ravine, the frothy waterfall, and the birds she could see perched in high treetops—she asked, “Is what hard?”
“Living off pack territory?”
Frankie felt her nose wrinkle. “I was about to say I don’t know any different. I don’t remember things being any different. My wolf’s kin
d of edgy, and I often wonder if it’s because she’s without a pack and a territory. I guess she gets lonely.”
Trick pinned her gaze with his. “You’re not without a pack.”
Being considered part of a pack and actually feeling as though she belonged to it—yeah, they were two different things. “Do you remember much about my parents?”
“Yeah. Your father used to chase me and the other boys away, tell us to stay away from his princess. It was just play, and you used to laugh your little head off. Your mother always had cookies, and she’d hand them out to everyone if they promised not to get into mischief. You were a lively, happy kid. Full of energy. Sweet too.” His mouth twitched. “Not so sweet now.”
“No, I can be kind of mean. Why does that make you smile?”
“I like mean.”
“Then you’ll fucking adore me.”
He chuckled, thinking that, yeah, he would. “We should head back. It’s time for dinner. You’re welcome to stay the night. As you’ve already seen, we have lots of guest rooms.”
She walked toward the slope, almost wincing as a bumpy rock prodded the sole of her foot. “I’m meeting someone later, but thanks.” She halted abruptly as he suddenly appeared in front of her.
“Who are you meeting?”
The rumbled demand surprised her. “Sorry?”
“Who are you meeting?”
“What’s with the tone?” Because she didn’t like it at all. His easygoing charm was gone, and the dark predatory streak that he hid seemed to take over.
“Answer the question, Frankie.”
“And just why would you think it had a damn thing to do with you?”
He growled. “It has everything to do with me.” He went nose to nose with her and whispered, “I don’t share.”
She narrowed her eyes. “I’m not yours to share.”
“You will be.”
Frankie really wished those words pissed her off. Instead the possessive statement made her a little tingly. Her wolf liked it. “Is that a fact?”
“It is.” He cupped her chin. “When I’m sure that you’re ready, I’ll come for you. You should probably know that.” Softening his voice, he coaxed, “Tell me who you’re meeting. I need time to look them up, find their address, and beat the shit out of them so they can’t make it to the meeting. Really, time is of the essence here.”