Happily Ever Alpha: BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance Page 11

  Arya frowned. “You can feel my emotions?”

  He nodded. “Not at first, but as the connection has strengthened. You probably can’t feel mine yet, because you’re a human, but in time you’ll be able to.”

  “I’m not sure that I’d want to,” she remarked.

  He squeezed her gently. “You’ll get used to it eventually.”

  “My aunt is ill,” she murmured against his chest. “She’s not been well for the last few weeks, but two days ago she fainted and fell into a deep sleep. The doctor says she doesn’t have much time left.”

  “Oh, Arya.” Kellan smoothed her hair. “I’m so sorry.”

  Tears gathered in her throat. “I couldn’t bring myself to leave her side.”

  “Of course not,” he soothed. “And I wouldn’t expect you to.”

  “I just wish there was something I could do,” Arya said bitterly. “Instead, all I can do is sit by her side and watch as she dies.”

  Kellan picked her up, his broad frame cradling her easily in his strong arms. “There now,” he murmured, walking down the hall, Arya’s arms wrapped tightly around his neck, breathing him in. “You’ve had a rough few days.” He kissed the top of her head softly, brushing her hair away from her face. “You need to rest.”

  Kellan shifted her weight so he could open the door, and then deposited her gently onto the bed.

  “How did you know this was my room?” she asked as he wedged himself onto the bed with her.

  “Your scent is strong in here,” he told her, drawing her into his arms. “Now, sleep.”

  Her eyes drifted shut, as though the command was some magic spell, and she gladly gave herself over to the darkness, comforted by the fact that Kellan was with her.

  * * *

  When she opened her eyes he was watching her, his green eyes soft and heavy-lidded, a small smile curving his lips. The smile widened as she blinked up at him.

  “Didn’t you sleep last night?”

  He nodded. “I just don’t need to sleep as much as you do,” he teased, pressing a finger lightly against her nose. “How did you sleep?”

  Arya yawned, lifting her arms above her head in a stretch. “Better than I have in a long time,” she said, somewhat surprised. “Even on the days when I did come to see you.”

  He brushed a strand of hair from her face. “We are close,” he reminded her. “That eases the strain.” He pressed a kiss to her nose. “You look much better than you did last night.”

  He kissed her, and Arya melted against him with a sigh. Desire curled in her belly, and she was neither ashamed nor guilty about it, as she had been about kissing Lucas. Kellan’s arms tightened around her as he growled, his hands roaming up and down her back as he tasted her. Tingles ran up and down her body, leaving her breathless and aching.

  But the reminder of her aunt’s condition loomed over her head, forcing her to push him back. “I can’t do this right now, Kellan.”

  He pulled back and dropped a kiss on her forehead. “I know. Let’s go check on your aunt.”

  * * *

  Eve was still sleeping. Though her chest rose and fell with even movements, her features were drawn tight as though she were in pain. Arya sank into the wooden chair next to the bed, her heart hurting. She’d always thought of her aunt as a strong woman, and to see her like this now…

  “Please,” she said, taking her aunt’s hand with both her own, “Don’t give up. You can overcome this illness. You can get better.” Her voice trembled as she pleaded with her aunt for her life, and she blinked back tears.

  Kellan surprised Arya by laying one of his large hands over her aunt’s as well. “It’s been a long time,” he murmured. “It’s likely you don’t even remember me.”

  Arya jerked her head up. “What? What do you mean?”

  Kellan flinched, as though he hadn’t meant to say that out loud. “Arya—”

  “Yes… I do… remember you… young man.”

  They both turned their heads sharply to see Eve’s eyes open. They were heavy lidded, as though it were a struggle to keep them that way, and a pale, cloudy blue instead of the bright, intense color Arya was accustomed to, but they were open.

  “You… look quite a bit older… than you did when I last saw you,” Eve half-whispered so that Arya had to lean in to hear her. “But… your eyes… they’re still the same. Full of life and…. intensity. I am glad you grew up… to become… a strong man.”

  “Eve,” Arya croaked once she’d managed to find the words. “How do you and Kellan know each other?”

  Kellan laid a hand on Arya’s shoulder. “You are not the only member of your family to have been called to our village.”

  Arya stared at her aunt in shock. “You…”

  Her aunt smiled sadly. “It… was… a long time ago.” She coughed, and it seemed her face grew a bit paler, but she continued. “When I was… still young and my… head and heart was filled… with possibilities. Like you… I heard the wolf song… and couldn’t ignore it.”

  She stopped, turning her toward the ceiling, and then continued on. “One… day…. I ventured… into the forest… found the maze… and then the village… and waiting for me was Nicholas.” Her eyes went dreamy. “I’ll admit… that… while I was quite… resistant at first, it wasn’t very hard for him to win me over. We were… drawn… to each other.”

  Arya nodded; she understood the feeling very well. “Did… did you know that I was…”

  Eve nodded, but it took her several minutes to gather the strength to continue speaking. “I wasn’t… completely certain… but I knew when… you started asking… about the howling and developing… bags… under your eyes… something was wrong. But you were…” Eve coughed again—harder this time, and Arya gripped her aunt’s fingers tightly, “spending …so much time… with Lucas I wasn’t… certain… it was… the call. When… Nicholas… called me, I had eyes for… no one else… even though I… at first… resented that… I was being pulled… against my conscious will.”

  Kellan frowned. “Lucas?”

  “He’s a neighbor,” Arya said absently. “If you were called to a shifter, why is it that you ended up staying here? What happened?”

  Eve’s eyes misted over. “He… he was killed. By… the hunters.”

  “A crossbow bolt right through the head,” Kellan growled. “He never stood a chance.”

  “It… nearly destroyed me,” Eve whispered, a faraway look in her eyes. “I had… just made up my mind to… accept him as my mate… when I came to the village and… was told the news. To…to go from the heights of such joy to the depths of despair in such a short time… I can never forgive myself.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Arya replied taking Eve’s hand again. Her aunt surprised her by gripping hard, a suddenly fierce look in her eyes.

  “Don’t let your fears hold you back, Arya,” Eve said fervently, her voice surging with a sudden strength. “I did, and I lost my soul mate forever before I ever got the chance to join with him. Kellan is here still, he’s yours, and he will always be yours. Best to take him before something else takes him from you.”

  Arya looked away, tears constricting her throat. Fear stabbed her at the thought of Kellan being taken from her; the pain and regret in her aunt’s eyes was so profound that Arya had no doubt she would experience the same.

  Her aunt’s eyes fluttered closed and she slumped back on the bed again, the sudden energy deserting her completely. “I’m so tired…” Her hand slipped from Arya’s, who watched as Eve’s breathing evened out once more.

  “She’s asleep,” Kellan murmured, his hand still on Arya’s shoulder. “I think we should leave her be for now.”

  Arya rose without a word and left the room, Kellan trailing behind her. She closed the door so her aunt could be undisturbed, and then led Kellan into the hallway and turned to face him.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked, allowing the hurt to finally creep into her voice.

  Kellan flinched
. “I couldn’t do that to your aunt. It was her past, her story to tell, and if she hadn’t shared it with you, I assumed there was good reason. I wasn’t going to disrespect her wishes by crossing that boundary.”

  “I knew she was keeping something from me whenever I asked her about the forest. She would always get this uneasy look in her eyes whenever I brought up the forest or the howling.” Arya shook her head. “I just never suspected it would be this.”

  “Life is very good at bringing to us the unexpected.” He looked around. “I have to get back to the village. I’ve already stayed too late as it is.”

  Arya leaned up on tiptoe to kiss him. “Be careful.”

  He kissed the breath out of her. “I’ll be back tonight.”

  The morning passed quietly enough, her aunt sleeping peacefully while Arya did the morning chores. When she came in to check on her again it seemed as though her face was not as contorted—could she be getting better? The thought was almost too much to hope for.

  Her musings were interrupted by a knock on the door, and when she went to answer it, she found Judy Bennet standing outside with a basket looped over her arm.

  “I was just passing by on my way home from the Rivers farm and decided to check in on you and your aunt. How is she?” Judy asked as Arya let her inside.

  “She was awake for a very brief time this morning,” Arya said with a half-smile. “I think she’s doing better.”

  “Oh, thank Heavens,” Judy said as she lowered herself onto one of the kitchen chairs. “It’s nice to hear at least one piece of good news today.”

  Arya frowned. “Is something wrong, Mrs. Bennet?”

  Judy shook her head. “Seems as though everything is going wrong these days… my boys dying, your aunt falling ill, and then the Whittakers’ entire herd of sheep being slaughtered. I have to wonder if maybe the good Lord is punishing us all for some grievous sin committed.”

  “Did… did you say their entire herd of sheep?”

  Judy nodded. “Terrible. Looked as though they’d all been mauled by beasts—but it doesn’t make sense because only a few were actually eaten. No beast would have killed the entire herd; animals are simple-minded and they kill to eat. Whoever committed this act did it with malice aforethought.”

  Arya’s face was pale, and her fingers icicles. “Can… can you stay here for a short time with my aunt while I go out?”

  Judy blinked. “Certainly…but what--”

  “I need to talk to the Whittakers myself,” Arya interrupted, shoving her bonnet onto her head. “I’ll be back soon.”

  Arya rushed across the fields to the Whittaker Farm, her heart in her throat. There was an enormous smoke cloud in the sky, coming from Whittaker land, and she headed straight forward, having an idea as to what it might be, but wanting to see it with her own eyes to be sure.

  The smoke turned out to be coming from the remnants of a bonfire—ashes and embers were all that was left. Squinting through the smoke, Arya managed to make out what looked like charred animal carcasses in the fire. They’d burned the sheep? But why—

  Someone grabbed her by the arm and she shrieked, whirling around. Lucas caught her free hand, which had been swinging around to strike him in the face, and she blinked, dread and horror creeping into her.

  “Oh Lucas,” she squeaked, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean—”

  “I know,” he said calmly. “I really don’t think you should be here, Arya.”

  Arya searched his face, dismayed to find there was no trace of the laughing, sincere young man he’d always been around her. His features were hard, his eyes burning with a cold fire that sent chills up her spine.

  He released her, but rather than backing up, she stood her ground, not wanting to give him the chance to walk away.

  “Judy told me what happened last night,” she finally said. “I wanted to come by and make sure everyone was alright.”

  Lucas sighed and cast a disgusted glance toward the bonfire behind them. “By the time we discovered the sheep, their flesh had spoiled and their coats were encrusted with blood so that we couldn’t even sell the meat or the hides.”

  “That’s terrible.”

  He nodded. “Yes. But not as terrible as what is going to happen to them once I find and punish the ones responsible.”

  Arya did take a step back this time—the look in Lucas’s eye scared her. “You mean you know who did this?”

  Lucas looked away. “It’s probably best if you go.”

  Arya grabbed his arm as he was about to turn away. “Tell me.” She scowled at the hesitancy in his eyes. “If you don’t, I’ll find someone who will.”

  Lucas passed a hand over his face. “There are… demons in the forest. I believe they are directly responsible for this—the attack has all their markings.”

  “Markings?” Arya’s heart sank like a stone—her head was already screaming at her, but her heart refused to believe; it wanted verbal confirmation. “What… what kind of demons are they?”

  “They take the shape of both wolf and human, though I’ve only ever seen them as wolf when I’ve hunted them.” Lucas’s face darkened. “The bite marks on the sheep most definitely belonged to a wolf.”

  Arya’s heartbeat roared in her ears; her world had been turned upside down in seconds.

  “What do you mean? You…hunt them?”

  “I… yes. My father taught me to hunt since I was a young boy.” He frowned at her. “Are you alright, Arya?” He shook his head. “You’re frightened. I knew I shouldn’t have told you about any of this.”

  Arya shook her head, trying to realign her scattered thoughts—she was in shock, but not for the reasons Lucas thought. All this time, Lucas had been the one responsible for the deaths of the clan? He was responsible for killing innocent people?

  She wanted to reach out and shake him—to scream at him and explain that what he was doing was wrong, but what would she say? She wasn’t even supposed to know about the shifters.

  “I’m… I’m fine,” she finally said, even though she was shaking and dizzy. She knew she couldn’t hate him even though the shifter clan did, because he truly believed that he was protecting the village. And the shifters had only made matters worse by slaughtering his livestock. And yet knowing that he and his ancestors were responsible for so much pain and heartache… it was too much for her to deal with. “I just never thought of you as anything but a kind and gentle soul.”

  She regretted saying the words instantly—his face closed off. “I’ll do anything to protect my family and my lands. If you’ll excuse me, I have to round up my men. We have a battle to win.”

  He turned away, and Arya reached out, helpless as to what she should do. “Lucas—”

  He stopped. “Don’t worry about yesterday, Arya. I understand.” He turned and gave her a shadow of his trademark grin. “I’d thought you were comfortable enough with me from all the time we spent together, but I’m hot blooded and can admit when I’ve jumped the gun. Maybe we can start over when all the dust has settled.”

  He walked away, and Arya was silent, at a loss for words as she watched him go.

  * * *

  Arya returned home, even though she wanted to rush straight to the village and demand an explanation from Kellan. But she couldn’t leave Judy with her aunt all afternoon, and even if she did reach him what would she say? He’d been with her all night, so she knew he hadn’t participated in the attack. It was entirely possible he might not have even known about it.

  And could she really blame the wolves for retaliating in this way? Lucas was responsible for the deaths of many of their members. They could have gone into his house and slaughtered his entire family in their sleep. Instead they’d killed their sheep—as a warning, a statement of what they could do. Perhaps they’d hoped Lucas would take the hint and leave them alone.

  Arya sighed. She should have stayed and tried to explain to Lucas about them. The shifters were good people, and Lucas was a good man as well. She didn’t
think he was killing off the shifters for greed or glory; he genuinely thought they were a threat. But what would she have said? How could she have convinced him? She knew from experience that it took more than a few words to convince a man to change his ideals, and this was a very touchy subject.

  “This is such a mess,” she muttered, placing her head in her hands. There was a war about to erupt right outside her doors, and she was stuck here, helpless.

  “Arya?” her aunt whispered, and Arya jerked her head up to see that Eve’s eyes were open.

  “Oh, auntie!” Arya leaned over and gave her a very gentle hug, inhaling her aunt’s lightly floral scent for comfort. “I’m so glad you are awake again. Are you feeling better?”

  She patted Arya’s back. “I am, a bit, but you sound as though something is troubling you. What is it, child?”

  Arya pulled back with a sigh. “It’s… it’s Lucas.” She told Eve what happened—the attack on the wolves, their retaliation against the hunters, and now Lucas’s current plans to initiate a final strike. “It’s just awful, and I don’t know what to do.”

  Eve reached out to squeeze Arya’s hand. “You need to go and warn them, child.”

  Arya looked down at her aunt’s hand. “I can’t leave you here by yourself.”

  “I am but one woman,” her aunt reminded her. “The wolf shifters may not be a large clan, but they’ve many more numbers than I alone. And… and you are more connected to them than you realize.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Her aunt blinked. “Your mother… sometimes she could shift into a wolf as well. No one in the past two generations could.”

  Arya’s jaw dropped. “My mother… was a shifter?”

  “It was very hard for her, living so close to the River’s and knowing that at any time they might discover her and kill her. It was one of the reasons she married your father—to get as far away as possible.” Her aunt sighed. “But it seemed that even moving away from the country wasn’t enough. Those rebels… I believe they might’ve found her out.”