Claimed by Honor (Bestian Creek Pack Book 1) Page 6

  “So, tell me what happened in there between you two. And while you’re at it, tell me how this girl got you so entranced in one day when no other has ever turned your head for more than a few hours.”

  “Derek was there, he’d been in one of the cells down in the basement and Anna let him free with the keys I’d given her. He sniffed her, she didn’t smell claimed, and he tried to claim her.” He placed his large hands on his face and rubbed all the way back and locked his fingers behind his neck. “I don’t know what to do, mom. And I don’t know how she got me. I saw her before I was taken in.”

  “Saw her where? I’ve never seen her before in my life.” His mother wasn’t going to like this part. But she sat there, staring at him waiting for his answer, nonetheless.

  “She was in the woods alone. She said she was up here on vacation and they took her from her camping spot. She was less than a mile outside their compound and she never even knew it.” None of this made him feel better. She had no business going up there at all let alone by herself. There was a reason those woods were empty, but Anna wouldn’t have ever known that.

  His mother’s brows shot up and she sighed. “You watched a woman in the woods like a common criminal?”

  “My animal watched her.” He smiled. “I didn’t have the heart to tell him no.”

  His mother shook her head. “Get some sleep, son. Everything will be clearer in the morning. It always is.” She stood to leave. He stood with her, walked her to the front door and she turned to give him one last squeeze around the neck. “I love you son, and I’m glad you’re home safe. If you need anything you call me. I’ll send some clothes for Anna as soon as I can. If she turned my son’s head then she must be a keeper.”

  She turned to go. Honor said his goodbyes as she slipped back. “That young man upstairs. He’s a Walker. I can smell it on him. I think Dr. Walker will be overjoyed to hear he has a boy. Poor man has been overrun with girls. Four girls? Couldn’t imagine. They’re going to eat that boy alive.” She left with a laugh as if revenge were in store for Bounty for the joke he’d played on her.

  His mother left and when Honor went upstairs to check on Bounty, he was sound asleep. He knew Anna wouldn’t wake until morning, so he threw on a pair of dark wash jeans and pulled on a black long sleeve shirt. Grabbed his boots and keys from beside the front door and hopped in his truck. It had been a long day, but he needed to get to The Lodge.

  He rolled up to the building around eight and slid out of his truck. There were cars parked along the road and in the parking lot. The SUV’s they’d stolen from the facility were lined up along the sidewalk directly in front of the lodge. Dorian, the Alpha of Bestian Creek, had called everyone here who’d been a victim of the surrogacy program. Women who’d been stripped of their children, men who’d been forced to give seed, anyone who might have a child rescued must have been there.

  He pulled open one of the glass doors and walked inside. Crying women were everywhere. Some had mates now and some were too broken to be good to anyone, or themselves. A lot of bachelor males stood around the room also, worry plastered on their faces. They didn’t know if they were fathers or not.

  The children were in the back, trying to get organized by some older women, so there would be less chaos. Youngest first, a woman with a kind face brought the tiny baby out front, swaddled in a blue blanket. He couldn’t have been more than a month old.

  A young woman, Serah Howard if memory served him right, ran from the crowd, screaming and wailing. “My baby, oh my baby boy!” She frantically scrambled to get to him and gently pulled the bundle from the older woman. Her crying was uncontrollable. They set their foreheads together while the new mother pressed the baby to her chest gently.

  They eased apart and Serah ran to Honor. “Thank you. Thank you. I don’t know you personally, but I thank you with everything I have.”

  “I didn’t do it alone, there are many males that fought to save these children.” He pressed his forehead to hers and looked down at the beautiful sleeping baby boy. He looked just like his mother, with the same chocolate brown hair and tan skin. “He’s beautiful. Take him home now and drown your heartbreak with love. He’s here. He’s with you now.” She nodded her head but before she left, she grabbed his hand and pressed it to her lips.

  “Thank you.” And she held her baby to her chest and walked slowly outdoors.

  Every child came out one by one. Distraught mothers clinging to their missing pieces. Father’s grabbing their bouncing toddlers and throwing them into the air before pressing their small bodies to their chest to calm their animals. Some of the males let out loud, painfilled howls when they scented their young, the older children being away from them far too long, the heartbreak rang out and filled the entire lodge.

  All the children were placed with their rightful parents. Joy was everywhere now, it had replaced the pain and regret from before, filling the room with laughter and joyous tears. Some of them had families now and other children, they all began to bond and play together before tiring out. Their parents scooped them up and took them home to finally be whole again.

  Honor left when most the families were gone and drove back to his home. He needed to get some sleep before his Challenge in the morning.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Anna woke up, dazed from hunger and all that happened the last day. She opened her eyes and saw snacks carefully laid out on the bedside table. She grabbed the granola bar and scarfed it down without a second thought. She started choking and grabbed the water bottle and forced down the dry granola. She felt a little better but still had a burning hunger in her stomach. Grabbing the bag of chips and ripping them open, she stood in the dimly lit room and stretched her arms and legs as far as they would go.

  She felt a little rested, enough to slowly walk around the room to explore. The only thing she could see without too much snooping was the queen-sized bed that had crisp white bed sheets and a soft down comforter, and a nice wood side table on both sides and a long dresser that matched the nightstands. There were no pictures but an enormous window took up the entire far wall with light wispy curtains draped across the whole monstrosity. She padded over to it but the darkness outside hid the beauty she bet laid just on the other side of the glass.

  She knew she was in Honor’s home, since that’s where they were headed before she passed out in the back of the SUV. He had snuggled her safe in his arms and lulled her to sleep with a rumble that warmed her soul. Anna stood in the room for a moment, listening to see if anyone else in the house was awake but couldn’t hear a thing. The digital clock on the table by the bed said it was five in the morning. Anna tried to be as quiet as she could when opening the door, and peering down the hallway.

  Her room was at the very end of a short hall and Anna could see the open living area from there. She walked down the dark hall, found the bathroom to freshen up and made her way to the kitchen to try and find food for breakfast. Maybe she could surprise Honor with breakfast made when he got up, that was the least she could do after he’d gotten her out of the hell. It was obvious she’d still be there if it wasn’t for him and his friends.

  The living room and kitchen were dark, but she found the light switch to illuminate the cooking area and began foraging in the fridge. It was filled to the brim with vegetables, fruits, meat, sandwich making stuff, the works. She grabbed the eggs, some bacon and cheese and went to work making loaded scrambled eggs. By the look of Honor, he could put away some groceries, so she made all twelve eggs and half the package of bacon to crumble on top with the cheese.

  Anna was a good cook and took pride in that, her mother taught her, and some of her best memories were her mother in the kitchen dancing while making dinner. She missed her mother and after the car accident and the memorial, there was no more singing, just sadness and silence. Her father didn’t seem to care one way or the other if her mother was gone, but she had been her entire world, and she was gone in an instant.

  “Elizabeth.” She wh
ispered and smiled. Her mother’s name was a reminder that there would be true happiness again. She began to hum as she cut the crispy bacon to top the eggs. She grabbed a bowl from the cabinet and tossed in some cheese and put the rest away in the fridge. Everything was finished and waiting for Honor to wake up. She felt bad using his food, but she would make it up to him when she got her stuff from her camp back.

  “That smells amazing.” Honor inhaled as he walked into the kitchen from his master suite right off the living area. Damn he was quiet. She’d never heard the bedroom door open. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome, it was my pleasure. I promise to repay you for, quite literally, saving my life yesterday with more than just some eggs for breakfast.” She grabbed a plate from the cabinet and filled it, dipped a fork into it and set it on the bar across from where she stood. “Please, come sit.”

  He moved behind her instead and pressed his lips to her temple. She became distinctly aware of his movements. “You don’t have to repay me, Anna. No decent person would have left you in that condition. Would you like coffee?”

  If she had a dick, she would definitely have a hard on right now for Honor’s sexy disheveled hair and the thought of coffee right now. “Ummm, yes please.” She cleared her throat to get the high pitched, dreamy sound out of it. “Thank you, yes, I would love some. I would really like to repay you. I mean you did save me and kept me safe and didn’t kill me in my sleep because I mean we are strangers and I mean, well, I don’t know, you could be some axe murderer and even I could be some black widow looking to kill the next man I sleep with, and hell..” He put his finger to her lips.

  “Shh, woman. You’re rambling. And I’m not an axe murderer. I have a normal everyday job just like the next person.” He gave her a questioning glance, as if he was asking her if she was going to shut up now. She bobbed her head once and he let his finger trail down her lips, flicking the bottom one. He didn’t remove his touch, slipping his palm to her cheek and his thumb continued to caress her mouth as his eyes watched, as if that was all he was able to do. She closed her eyes, so tempted to take his thumb in her mouth and suck it. At that moment, a thunderous sound came from above them. “Bounty’s up.” And a mischievous smile cracked his face. “Too bad we aren’t alone. I would have let you repay me right here on this counter.”

  A nervous laugh blasted out of her in that moment and she tried to pull her resolve back and not look so entirely desperate to a man she just met. “Bounty is here? That poor kid, I think I hit on him last night. Didn’t I? Was that considered flirting?” The car ride here last night was not the highlight of her week.

  He had put space between them and headed for the living room. “I think you're safe, babe.” He turned toward her, eyes widened.

  “Babe, huh? Now I don’t feel so bad for dripping out of my skin a second ago.” A smile betrayed her lips.

  Honor sat in the big single chair that faced the kitchen and television, and took a drink of his coffee, and she knew instantly that was his spot. “I don’t know why I said that. Well, maybe I do, but still. Please don’t tell anyone I said that, there are important rules I have to follow, whether or not I agree to them.”

  “Said what?” Bounty came thundering down the stairs. “Oh sweet! Breakfast!” He sat down at the bar and started filling himself with Honor’s plate of food.

  “Nothing.” Honor sat there looking at her. No not at her. He was looking deeper, with an indescribable look on his face. She let it happen, for some reason she knew he had something to figure out about this situation. She could feel it there somewhere under the surface, like everything right here and now was safe, special. She was supposed to be here in this house, making him breakfast, flirting in the kitchen.

  She walked over closer to him, entwined her fingers with his and whispered so Bounty couldn’t hear over his breakfast. “It’s okay you know. What you’re feeling, it’s okay.”

  “I know that. Damn, I know that. Everything seems perfect. You’re supposed to be in this house. You’re-” He stopped, not able to say the next part. She understood though. He thought she was supposed to be his. She stood from beside the chair and walked back to the kitchen. “We need to be at The Lodge at nine o’clock.”

  “What’s The Lodge?” She was confused, and by the look on Bounty’s face he was, too.

  “It’s the shifter meeting house. I have a meeting with the Council about what happened yesterday.” His voice sounded cold and not completely a lie but not a whole truth either.

  “Okay, I’ll go get ready after breakfast.” Anna plated her food and quietly sat down next to Bounty. “Sorry about last night.” She wanted to get that out of the way now.

  “What happened last night?” Bounty asked through a huge bite of eggs.

  “I said something kind of inappropriate to you about dating you.” She felt a cringe coming up her spine just bringing it up again. “You definitely don’t look sixteen and that was definitely almost illegal.”

  Bounty swallowed his food and started laughing, much to Anna’s despair. “It’s okay Anna, we get that a lot. Once shifter’s hit puberty it's hard to tell how old we are.”

  “Until you get them in a sparring match, and they get their asses kicked by an older male.” Honor laughed at his own joke from the living room.

  “You sound like you’ve done that once or twice.” Anna accused and smiled.

  “Once or twice.” Honor got up from his chair and walked back toward the kitchen. He downed the last of his coffee and put it in the sink. “I’m going to go shower. I’ll be out in a bit and you can take turns showering.” He snatched a fork from a drawer and grabbed up the entire pan of eggs that were left over, and the rest of the bacon and cheese she’d left out. He poured it all over the pan of eggs. Then, took the entire pan into the bedroom with him and shut his door.

  “I hope I’m just like him when I’m a bit older.” Bounty said quietly over Anna’s shoulder, who had been staring off into space watching Honor and his weird breakfast habits. His comment threw her for a loop and she chuckled at Bounty. “What? I do! He’s cool as shit.”

  “Men are so fucking weird.” Anna grabbed up both the empty plates and rinsed them in the sink. “You go shower first, I’m going to drink some coffee and sit outside for a moment.”

  “Okay!” And he darted up the stairs.

  Honor had been nervous since he woke up, and seeing Anna in his kitchen making breakfast was all his wolf could handle. It was nearly impossible to keep his hands off her and if Bounty hadn’t come down when he did then all bets would have been off. He would have fucked her right there. He knew she was his before, when she was lying in that cage, fear dripping off her, helpless. No, before that, in the woods, becoming one with the life around her, where he saw her the first time. But when she entered his home, his den, his life, she became his. Mine. He had to get his shit together and his mind right, or this Challenge was going to tear him to pieces.

  He looked over to Anna, riding in the passenger seat of his jet-black old-school Chevy. Mom had brought her over some black cotton pants, a sweater that fell a little over her butt and some boots. Spring was still cool somedays up here in the mountains and the rain was in full force. She was looking out the window watching the greens and browns of the forest go by. He put his eyes back on the road, his inner animal growling at him to pay attention and keep her safe.

  “It’s beautiful up here.” She wore a smile that didn’t stop. “It’s just concrete and buildings where I live. There are a few planted trees of course but nothing like this.” She paused, letting out a sigh. “That’s why I came up here, you know? To be here.” She put emphasis on that part. It reminded him that she belonged here, with him in these mountains and in this town. It could be good for her.

  “Yeah it is really beautiful. When we get done with this meeting, we can go explore some.” He wanted to make her happy, subconsciously he needed her to be happy with him. He didn’t have the words to tell her what this me
eting really was: a fight for her. He hoped that she had forgotten about the whole thing and it didn’t even cross her mind until it had to.

  “Yes! I would love that!” She squealed and gripped his bicep hard with both hands. “Sorry! I’m sorry! When I get excited, I have to let my energy out somewhere. That probably sounds so weird I know. I like touching people; it gives me comfort.”

  “Doesn’t sound weird to me. I’m the same way.” He slid his hand over to her and rested his big palm over her bent knee that was tucked up under her, giving her more height to see the beauty around her. She was adorable. “There, now we’re both happy.”

  She looked at him and gave him a contagiously big smile, the kind that reached her eyes. He gave one back. “I already was.” She slid her hand over his, looked at them intertwining, then slid her other hand under them, encasing his. She ducked her head for a moment then looked out the window again, but he could see her reflection in the glass. She was still beaming.

  They rolled up to the building and he threw the truck in park. “I need to tell you something, Anna.” His heart was pounding, he didn’t want to tell her, but he’d waited long enough. “This isn’t just a meeting. Derek is going to be in there and so will my Alpha and probably half the shifter community.” She looked shocked and he hated what was about to happen. He suddenly wanted to take her home and lock themselves inside, threatening death to anyone that tried to take her away. But he couldn’t, he had a responsibility to maintain the laws and customs of his people. “I am so sorry for what is about to happen, but please, you have to stay in there, for me. I need to see you in that room when this happens.”