Sharing Delilah

We arrived at what appeared to be an auto repair shop in the middle of nowhere on the side of a strip of roadway.

I had seen a sign calling it Cascadia a few miles back, though I thought the pack was located in the outskirts of the Albany-Lebanon area, which was more populated.

This just seemed to be in the middle of a forest, with an occasional house or store.

I hadn’t said a word for the entire two-and-a-half-hour drive, a half hour of which was all rush-hour traffic getting out of Portland.

It had made my companion—whose name, I discovered, was Jewel—very nervous. She had tried to make small talk in the beginning, but after a little while had stopped trying.

I didn’t want to get to know her or anyone from the pack; I wanted to do my job and get lost in the forest.

Something about this place was so green and mystifying that it held my gaze as we drove.

It called to me in a way that New Mexico never had, which was strange.

My priority was not making friends or staying here, though. I had to shake myself mentally several times in order to remind myself that this was a job.

That I would leave and never look back.

I had visited Utah, California, parts of Seattle and some of eastern Oregon, but I had never actually seen this part.

It was like the woods tried to touch everything near it and it was…beguiling.

Nature was so close to the humans, no matter how much they tried to push it out. Some areas seemed to embrace this.

I could feel the earth vibrating in my bones and breathing into my soul.

Even as I stepped out of the vehicle with my feet crunching on the loose gravel, I could see weeds and flowers trying to pop out from under the harsh terrain; an unstoppable, bewitching beauty.

Unfortunately, when you end up in an unfamiliar place surrounded by woods, sometimes it can make you feel very disoriented.

You had to be careful. That was something I was keeping in mind for later when I would have to walk through them.

I kept my face blank as I exited the vehicle, with Jewel already heading toward the door.

“Seth!” she called out, her fingers twisting near her navel. She threw a nervous glance at me before she turned her attention back to the door.

I stayed by the car, making no motion to move forward as I looked around at the scenery.

Green trees, both pine and full of leaves, swished in the breeze. Birds sang nearby and everything was very…calming.

That calm was disrupted as the metal screen door slammed open, making Jewel jump back with her head bowed immediately.

My head whipped over in the direction of the door as a lean, strong male in a grease-stained white tee came out, wiping his black hands on what I assumed used to be a plain red rag that was now covered in dark grime.

“What part of ‘bring her to the pack house’ did you not understand?” he growled, making Jewel cower back.

His voice reverberated through the parking lot. And my eyes narrowed.

He wasn’t threatening. Annoyed to be sure, but not as if he would strike a woman like some other alphas might.

No, he was practically dripping with dominance; it oozed from his pores.

It was enough that it would make a normal human run in terror if they were ever challenged by him.

He held that same commanding presence in his every movement without showing it off.

Let’s hope he doesn’t have the ego to match that natural nature.

The thought came to my mind, matching the small grimace on my face.

I very much doubted it, considering both he and his brother were already disrupting the deal they made with us.

His gaze went straight to me, his nostrils flaring. Wolves didn’t much like our scent, and an alpha?

I’m sure he could smell better than the average wolf, so he had known I was out there even before the door had slammed open.

“You’re Delilah?” he asked warily, looking me up and down walking slowly out of the doorway toward me.

Jewel stayed by the shop door with her head still bowed.

I let out a breath, trying not to swear or roll my eyes at him. I was certain he could tell I was annoyed by my body language as well by my tone.

“Yes, and the agreement stated I meet with your beta, then I meet with you and Cole, the other—”

“My brother is indisposed at the moment, as am I,” Seth stated, cutting me off and walking down a step to stand before me.

His eyes attempted to pierce into mine. A dominance move, to put me in my place.

I didn’t look at him directly, focusing on the woods.

I knew this trick. Seth had an ego all right.

He was trying to make me back down, despite the deal made with our coven, and it made me furious.

I wondered who had brokered the deal with the coven; Seth didn’t seem like the type to ask for help.

But then, no alpha ever did, unless it was for the good of the pack.

That’s why they had refused our help for so long, but then most supernaturals tried to keep to themselves for a very long time, out of secrecy.

What made them seek us out if he clearly didn’t want help?

No, don’t go there, Dee.

Business only.

I mentally scolded myself as I found my voice once more. My voice was brittle and sharp.

“Then perhaps our contract is null and void. I will return to New Mexico and another witch can handle your problem.”

My tone had come off flippant, and even now I avoided direct eye contact despite feeling his eyes bore into me.

“I don’t have a problem with that, my brother is the one who called you witches in. I only agreed because we need a luna for one of us to take over the pack.”

This made me flick my eyes up to his. “But I thought you both—”

The words died on my lips.

His eyes were flecked with gold, his hair a deep brown like the wood on a pine tree. He didn’t smell like a wet dog.

Instead he smelled…

“Yes, we want it done at the same time so it’s fair,” he said with a smile. His eyes gazed into mine, and his tone was now slightly amused. “Any more questions?”

He hadn’t really wanted to break the deal, the bastard had just wanted to look into my eyes the entire time.

Even they knew the eyes could be a window to the soul.

And whatever he’d seen in mine, he’d liked.

I wanted to knee him in the groin as I gritted my teeth, my gaze unflinching.

“No questions,” I ground out, narrowing my eyes. I was not going to lower my gaze or cower; no matter how much my bladder begged me to ask him for a bathroom at the moment.

“Gather your brother then. I will meet with both of you immediately, or I will leave.” My voice was hard and firm.

Seth’s jaw ticked for a moment, but despite the sweat gathering on my brow I wasn’t backing down on this.

After a moment he shrugged, his gaze leaving mine. “Fine. I’ll call him. If you need a bathroom there’s one inside. You’ll have to have Jewel drive you if you want grub.”