Chapter 10
Dillon
Shiloh was gone again. He was really getting tired of the boy running every time things got a little rough. Or heaven forbid, he didn’t get what he wanted—just because he wanted it. And the fact that Libby coddled the punk, pissed him off. He was 19 years old. Sure, that was young, but it was also nearly a man. Dillon didn’t approve of men acting like children.
Dillon glared at his cousin. What good was she if she couldn’t even keep one pup in line? He sighed knowing that being Alpha had changed their bond. He hated it, probably as much as she did. Hence the reason she fought him all the time. It was just like the old days. Only now he couldn’t cave.
Not anymore.
She planted her hands on her hips and glared with green eyes that matched his—only hers were brighter. Especially when she was heated, and right now she was more than a little angry with him.
“Well screw you too, ‘Oh Mighty One’. He isn’t just my responsibility.”
The tension heightened with her pet name for him. He was tired of the pack disregarding him as dangerous all because he didn’t want to live in ancient times. Even though he knew most of the time Libby wasn’t serious, it still made him look bad. And that was the problem. It looked like it was time to take out the new and bring back a whole hellva lot of the old. He smirked. “Don’t make me put you down like I’ve always done.”
His aunt and uncle weren’t even the best of the worst, so his parents raised her much like the daughter they never had. They were more brother and sister rather than cousins. But she didn’t like to be reminded of her past. She’d been 12 and traumatized beyond recognition when she came to live with them.
He remembered how long it had taken to get her to even look up from the floor, better yet speak. She had night terrors, and there hadn’t been anything he could do about it. He remembered sitting outside of her door to protect her. She’d known he was there, and after three months she slept soundly knowing he was protecting her. That was when their bond formed. He had been grouchy and tired, but it had been worth it.
That had never stopped him from being the older male in her life. It had also helped he didn’t show pity, even if he’d felt it. They’d been best friends for so long. Even now, the glint in her eye told him, she really didn’t mean any disrespect.
He raised his hand to shut her up. He didn’t really want to do it, but with the way the pack was he had to do something, and putting his cousin down, whom he loved dearly, in front of the punks who thought he was weak, would be the best thing. He didn’t want to use her, but he would if it meant, shit would calm the fuck down.
“Oh right, you’re the big bad wolfie now.”
He hated how her voice went up in pitch when she mocked him. It had always been that way, and he was fucking sick of it. “Stop it,” he said and growled his warning. He even used his power to shut her down.
Libby’s eyes widened for two reasons: shock and pain. She whimpered and her eyes shifted from their normal green to wolf’s amber. She fell to her knees and lowered her eyes to his feet.
A crowd had formed, just as he hoped. Gasps surrounded him as the pack realized what was going on.
“Anyone else want to question my authority any fucking more?” His voice was laced with a deep venom, he kept hidden from the majority of people.
To let his power sink in, he let it loose and held back his cringe with Libby screamed and fell to the ground. Her body shook, and then a puff of magic surrounded the whole area as she was forced to shift into a medium silver wolf. Her fur puffed out in anger and defiance and she lowered her head with her teeth bared, but she didn’t growl. That would have been a mistake.
“Now do you see, that I am the Alpha, and anyone who has a problem with it—can go straight to hell.”
Murmurs ran through his pack as he made eye contact with each member of the pack. None dared to meet his eyes, not really. It was how it was supposed to be. “Now, go home.”
No one spoke or dared to argue as they shuffled away from where Libby still lay on the ground. Her body was pale and her eyes shut. Her lips were turned down into a frown.
Libby didn’t move. Not even when he reached out to her. He held out his hand and waited for him to take his apology. She didn’t even bother to open her eyes.
“Was that really necessary. You know how bad that hurts.”
“Sometimes I have to do things I don’t like to do, and picking you to show my power on was the best thing for everyone.”
She huffed. “Right, getting my ass kicked by an alpha’s power is best for everyone.”
“You’re strong and related. That makes the power burst easier to ignore since you’re an Alpha female. You should be able to take it.”
“I can, but that doesn’t mean I like it.”
“Well it’s not supposed to tickle.”
“It doesn’t for sure.”
He chuckled, and this time when he held out his hand she took his offering allowing him to pull her from the ground.
***
The scent was strong—and it was different than anything he’d ever smelt before. It was earthy and bitter. Dillon closed his eyes and inhaled as he made his way through the woods. The hairs on the back of his neck stood as he walked through a whole hellva lot of magic.
He froze in the middle of the grassy field with his breath caught in his throat. He opened his mouth to either speak—or growl—he wasn’t sure, but nothing but a small whine came out. The wolf inside of him paced in irritation wondering what was going on. He scented Shiloh, close, yet he didn’t see him beyond the strong scent—
He wasn’t’ sure what the scent was. It wasn’t one he recognized. But then he saw her. She sauntered out from behind a tree. Her long dark brown hair was tangled with leaves and branches intertwined like they belonged. Her skin gleaned blue and glowed as if she stood under the sun high in the sky. His lips parted and his nostrils flared as her scent settled over him. He growled when he hardened in his jeans. It was then he knew what she was.
Nymph.
She chuckled and stopped in front of him. She swayed side to side as if she couldn’t help it.