Acting Like Family Read online

  “No coat? You’d better keep that one until you can get your own.” Lakon gave her a quick grin.

  “No sir, I couldn’t. I’m trying to get used to the temperatures anyway. It’s best if I don’t keep your brother’s coat. I don’t want him to get cold.” She sent a sweet smile his way. Lakon had to jerk his eyes back to the road.

  “Honey, Riker’s got plenty of coats, just keep that one until you can get your own. Have you ever seen my brother?” He was setting her up, now.

  “Um, sure, I’ve seen him.” She responded to his question with some hesitation.

  “Then you know he’s a big guy and he doesn’t get cold easily. He’s a tough old dog. He’d want you to have his coat I know it. He’d probably want to keep you warm himself.”

  He saw her flush scarlet and turn her head to the window. He didn’t say anything else.

  Before long, he saw the road for the temporary film site. It had been a stroke of genius for Riker to get the director to film the final scenes from his current movie here. He began to slow the car down.

  “What are you doing, Mr. Montgomery?” she asked nervously.

  The road he was turning down was busy with people.

  “We’re going to see my brother, Bethany.” He looked at her levelly and back at the road. She grabbed the steering wheel, jerking it and taking him by surprise.

  “NO! You can’t do this!” she screamed.

  Lakon swerved the car back onto the highway and drove past the road he’d meant to turn on. He eased the car to the shoulder and Bethany leaped from the car and took off running.

  In seconds, Lakon tackled her and had her pinned underneath him in the gravel at the side of the road.

  “You tell me why you’re behaving this way!” he gritted. “You know my brother won’t hurt you!”

  “I don’t know he won’t hurt my boys,” she sobbed. “I can’t let him hurt my boys.”

  Lakon was incredulous. He gave her a hard shake.

  “Riker Montgomery would not hurt any child, especially not his own, damn you!” he ground out.

  Still sobbing, she said, “Somebody he keeps around him will. They’ve tried to take my boys and they’ve tried to hurt us. That man was right there when you started to turn. He was right there.”

  She was jerking her arms and trying to dislodge him. Lakon was so stunned by what she said that he loosened his hold on her wrists.

  She snatched her ammonia spray from her sweatshirt pocket and aimed it directly at his bright green eyes. She pressed the button.

  “I’m so sorry, Mr. Montgomery, I’m so sorry…”

  She squirmed out from under him as he rolled away clutching his face.

  “I’m so, so sorry…” she said again.

  Bethany continued to apologize as she ran toward the edge of the road. She stepped off the side and slid down the embankment. At the same moment, the skies opened up and the rain began to fall.

  It was at least ten minutes before Lakon could see well enough to get back into his car.

  * * * *

  February 2

  Temporary film site outside of Conway, New Hampshire

  A soaking wet Lakon scooped up the mail she’d left in his car. He strode to his brother’s trailer and entered without knocking. He went straight to the sink to rinse his eyes.

  Riker didn’t know where she was but her scent hit him immediately. He stalked into his trailer and tried to clear his head. He grabbed Bethany’s mail and inhaled deeply.

  “Where is she, Lake?” he demanded.

  “Fuck if I know,” Lakon growled, kicking out of his wet clothing. “She lost her mind right when I started to turn in here. Sprayed ammonia in my face and stepped off the edge of the world.”

  Riker exploded like a pipe bomb.

  “What the hell do you MEAN? How could you have her and lose her? GOD DAMN, SON OF A BITCH, MOTHER…”

  The trailer door flew open and one of his assistants popped in.

  “You okay, Mr. Montgomery?” Riker growled viciously at the young lady and she backed away closing the door, “Sorry, Mr. Montgomery.” She was gone.

  Lakon pulled on a pair of his brother’s pants and sat down. Riker sat down, too. They listened to the rain continue to fall for a minute while Riker held the envelopes to his face.

  Finally Lakon spoke.

  “When I started to turn down the road here, she went nuts. She said she couldn’t let you hurt the boys.”

  Lakon held up a hand to fend off Riker’s growl.

  “I told her that she had to know you wouldn’t hurt her. She said someone had been trying to take the boys and trying to hurt the three of them.”

  Lakon looked steadily at his brother.

  “She saw one of the men who’d tried to hurt them when I began to turn down the main road to the set.” Lakon closed his eyes and fell back against the chair.

  *

  Riker groaned and dropped his head into his hands.

  “Lake, she’s a desperate mother. I think it’s time we consulted a professional.”

  He looked at his brother for a long moment. Both men nodded. Riker reached for the phone.

  “Mom,” he said when she answered. “I have a problem and I need your help.”

  He thought he could actually hear her mouth form into a smile.

  “Don’t worry, son, Mommy’s here. I already did the most important thing a mother could do for her son,” she soothed.

  “What’s that, Mom?”

  “I listened to your father. He’s with your mate now.”

  Riker was stunned.

  “Lake, Mom says Dad’s with Bet!”

  “Holy shit, Batman!” Lakon shouted, incredulous. He shook his head.

  “How come she still thinks I’m trying to hurt her, Mom?” Riker was dumbfounded.

  *

  “Son, maybe your father knows something you don’t,” Elke told him.

  In years past, Elke Livingston Montgomery had held his heritage against her husband, intimating that he wasn’t as smart as she was because he wasn’t a full blood.

  She’d finally admitted to herself that he had more to offer her than anyone with a pure bloodline. Her sons were proof of that.

  “I think, Riker, that there’s a viper in your midst.” She tapped her nails against the phone in thought. “I’ll send some of your father’s family. That way we’ll know they’re loyal.” Riker and Lakon’s usually prejudiced mother hung up the phone.

  * * * *

  February 2

  A mountain slope north of Conway, New Hampshire

  Bethany hoped that Mik could hear her running and sliding down the embankment trying to move in a northerly route. He shouldn’t expect her to call out to him because she wouldn’t want to draw more attention to herself. She wasn’t sure if she’d think the sound of the rain would drown out any noise she made anyway.

  She thought he could probably smell her. The rain was incessant. It was beginning to sleet. As she slipped and slid, she heard someone call out to her.

  “Bethany! Bet, honey, its Mik!” the voice shouted.

  She heard her name shouted by a familiar voice but she just couldn’t place it. The voice calling her name claimed that it was Mik. Impossible—wolves can do many things but they can’t talk. It’s the palate, or is it that thing under their tongue? Either way they just can’t talk. She peeked out from behind the tree trunk she was clinging to.

  “Bet! Speak to me! Are you there?” he called again.

  She heard the words but they were coming from the mouth of the giant gray wolf.

  “Well, you are a sly, sorry, hound dog son of a bitch aren’t you?” she stated, clear as a bell through the rain and the sleet.

  “Bethany? Sweetheart?” Mik turned toward her, head cocked and brow furrowed.

  Bethany was so surprised when he looked at her and spoke that she let go of the tree trunk she’d been clinging to.

  With a yelp of surprise, she shot down the muddy slope grasping at
everything she could reach. She caught Mik as she shot past him.

  “Miiiikkkkk!” she yelled out wrapping both arms around him.

  He scrambled like crazy but to no avail. Bethany gave herself up to the moment and let out a whoop of laughter.

  “This is absurd, hysterical, and surreal on so many levels,” she gasped as they shot down the slope.

  Mik had given in to laughter, too, as they rolled, slid, and scooted through the mud and wet, freezing underbrush.

  “Welcome to my special hell!” he guffawed as he gave in.

  “That whole thumb thing is NOT MY FAULT!” she screamed as they shot over the slimy bank of a rushing stream.

  They hit the freezing water with a crashing splash. Mik hauled Bethany out of the swollen stream, sinking his teeth into the borrowed coat.

  The two of them collapsed on the muddy bank of the stream, gasping for breath.

  “Think we should rinse off or just keep going?” she gasped at him.

  He stood and shook the water from his fur.

  “Hey! Non-dog here!” she snapped, holding a palm out to ward off some of the water.

  He collapsed, laughing again. She began laughing again, too. The two of them hooted and crowed with laughter until finally, they wound down.

  “Football games must really suck!” she’d chortled.

  “Yeah,” he guffawed. “I understand the details of the game but I can’t scratch my ass or open the beer can.”

  “If you’d just opened your damn mouth about this sooner!” she’d grumped at him, still laughing.

  “Hell woman!” he shot back, “man or dog, you can’t get a word in edgewise when the female’s awake!”

  After they sat for a while with fewer chuckles and more silence, Bethany turned to her lupine companion. She scooted close to him and wrapped her arms around his furry neck.

  “Mik, I love you either way. Thanks for being here for me, okay?” She kissed his furry cheek. After a minute, she pretended to spit the hair from her lips.

  He helped her to her feet. She attempted to shake the water from her the way he had and fell on her bottom with a sucking splat.

  They both chuckled as he helped her up again. Mik began to walk and Bethany followed him without question. He was the wolf in his element. If they got lost in Chicago, well, she’d probably follow him then, too.

  * * * *

  February 2

  Mountain slope north of Conway, NH

  As they walked, they talked. Mik thought the talking might take her mind off the freezing rain and her heavy clothing.

  “I’m a werewolf, Bethany,” he told her, not looking back. “I’m Riker’s father.”

  He heard her stop. When he looked back at her, she was staring at him with her head tilted. Finally she told him what she was thinking.

  “He has your eyes,” she said after a minute. “Kaden does, too.”

  Mik walked to her and butted his head against her ribcage in a hug. She wrapped her arms around him, hugging him back. After a minute, she released him and he turned and walked on.

  “You know, that explains an awful lot. Do you turn into a guy like Lakon and Riker?” she asked curiously.

  “One in about a hundred young born in mixed marriages doesn’t transform. Only in cases where the mother is full lupus, though, do they stay canus.” He explained.

  “I stay just like this, but Riker and Lakon and their mother can transform to wolf or human form.”

  “Will the boys transform?” she asked him, curiously.

  “They will when they hit puberty,” he responded. “Their father will help them understand.”

  Bethany didn’t stop this time but he heard her stumble.

  “Mik, are you absolutely sure Riker…” he could tell that she didn’t know how to ask what she was thinking.

  He continued to walk but answered her.

  “Honey, I swear to you that I’m positive Riker loves you and wants to love those boys. He is not the one trying to hurt you.”

  She grabbed his back to help her over rough ground.

  “How can he love me after only one night?” she asked.

  “How can you love him after only one night?” he countered.

  “I haven’t had hundreds of experiences with men. It was so much to me. And I had the opportunity to read about him and learn about him because he’s so famous.”

  “Bet, you didn’t turn a hair when you learned he was a werewolf. You love him deep inside and not because of words or things you learned.” Mik glanced at her as they walked.

  “You’re his mate. He knew it that night. When you are with your true mate, Sweetheart, you just know things about them.” He tried to explain it to her.

  “How?” obviously, this was a new concept for her.

  “Your smell is clearer to your mate. So are the sounds of your breathing and your heartbeat. He can tell more about how you feel and how you react.” He wondered if that helped any.

  “I guess there’s even more to it,” he went on. “It’s like you’re born knowing this one other soul and when you meet them, it’s all there.”

  She was silent for a long time. Finally she spoke again.

  “Mik, how come I didn’t trust him? I left because I thought he’d believe I was just another fan trying to have sex with a famous guy,” she choked out.

  “That morning when I left, I found a letter and a newspaper article about him finding fans in his bed. I thought he’d think I was a—a you know, a slut,” she sniffed at the memory, shuddering. After a brief hesitation, she went on. “But I should have known better, if he’s my mate…” she trailed off clearly feeling miserable. “It’s my fault this is happening. If I had…”

  Mik threw her a smile.

  “Oh Bet honey, don’t do that to yourself. It’s not your fault. Humans are taught from the cradle not to trust their instincts.” He could see she was listening.

  “I bet you’ve lived a life that just made it harder for you to trust. You gave my son your body and your heart. How many men have you given yourself to?” he asked.

  She was obviously a little embarrassed at this turn in their conversation.

  “Two,” she said finally. “The first guy was in foster care with me and I thought he really cared about me,” her face was red. “I was so naive.”

  “Foster care, huh?” he asked.

  He thought maybe a change in subject was called for. He hoped she’d accepted what he’d said.

  “My parents died in a fire when I was seven. I’m not sure how I didn’t die, too,” She told him. “I didn’t have any other family so I went into the foster system.”

  “My wife reads your books,” Mik told her with a grin.

  “I’m guessing she doesn’t read the children’s books, huh?” she blushed.

  Mik laughed. Their conversation covered many subjects but it faded to nothing after a while. Bethany was shivering and her teeth were chattering with cold.

  After a few hours of walking, they were equally a mile from the cabin and a mile from the cave.

  Link, the only full wolf in their little pack, trotted up to them. After an exchange with Mik, he walked over and butted Bethany in a hug. She gave him a hug and let go.

  “Someone has been at the house. Winsome and Tav have the boys in the cave. Let’s go.”

  Without a word Bethany followed Mik. She had to hold his back for support now. Her lips were a deep purple and he wasn’t sure how she kept moving. He was sure she was nearly frozen.

  Mik wished he could stop and warm her but if she could just make it to the cave, they had warm bedding and she could get out of those wet clothes. He hoped Riker and Lakon figured things out and found them soon.

  She did make it to the cave, but just barely. Winsome and Ella helped her change.

  A bed had been fashioned for Bethany and the boys. It was situated as deep inside the cave as possible. Mik had suspected weeks ago that the need would arise. He wanted to be able to defend their position when
the time came.

  Chapter 7

  February 4

  The Apple Inn parking lot

  Conway, NH

  A night and a day had passed since Bethany’s ill-fated trip into town. Riker claimed a family emergency and pointed out that the bad weather was supposed to last a while. The director decided to temporarily close the film site.

  Riker and Lakon shook hands with uncles and cousins from their father’s side of the family. Their mother looked on proudly.

  “I’m so glad you sent Auggie away, Riker,” she told him. “I’m sure my sister’s boy is at the bottom of this. Just look at this letter!” she held up a letter from Auggie to Bethany.

  “Mom, I can’t believe you’re reading Bet’s mail,” Riker complained.

  “For Heaven’s sake, Riker, I can’t believe you’re not! From Auggie, son! If you’ve read any of Bethany’s books, you’d know that she’d expect you to…”

  Riker laughed and hugged his mother who turned on Lakon.

  “If you’d read any of her books, you might not have gotten a face full of … whatever!”

  Lakon looked at his brother, chuckling.

  “I can see we’ll be taking last place from now on, brother!” he lamented.

  Elke rounded on her sons.

  “She gave birth to two beautiful little boys all by herself, fighting off that awful cousin of ours the whole time! She could have had…” she paused with a moue of disgust on her face, “…an abortion!” they all shuddered.

  “Good God, Mother!” Riker shouted.

  “Well, don’t just stand there!” Elke whacked her sons. “Go save her!”

  Both of her sons and all her in-laws transformed and disappeared into the night.

  * * * *

  February 4

  Cave north of Conway, New Hampshire

  Tav, who had been out scouting, slowly entered the cave, tail between his legs, flanked by two larger, unknown wolves. To his credit, he was bleeding at the ear and shoulder.

  Ella, a wolf-hybrid, shrank back to the entrance of the next chamber baring her teeth with her hackles up. She alerted her alpha that strange wolves had arrived. Tav came forward still flanked by the others.