A Curse of Fate (Shifter City Fated Mates #1)

Chapter 13

Chapter

Thirteen

B y the time I left the bathroom clean, dressed, and mostly calm, Kellan had me completely packed up. “Grab your bathroom shit and we’re good to go,” he said, standing next to four brand new suitcases that I knew for certain were not mine.

“Where did they come from?” I asked, eyeing the matching set of gold and pink bags.

Kellan’s smile was sheepish as he ruffled his blond hair until it sat in attractive disarray. “I picked them up for you. I thought you might need luggage, and these… matched your hair.” He mumbled the last few words as his cheeks pinkened.

Damn this alpha.

He was both thoughtful and sweet, and I refused to be the asshole who crushed him in the middle of a nice gesture. “Thank you, Kellan.” Somehow, I managed to keep my voice even. “But you don’t have to buy me stuff. I promise . I’m really low maintenance.”

He glanced down at the bags. “I’m starting to see that. I mean, I only filled one and a half with your clothes, and—” He peered over the top of me into the bathroom. “—it doesn’t look like you have any extras.”

“Most of my personal items were left behind when I had to run from Florida, and then again when they knocked me out in New Mexico and dragged me here.”

His sunny disposition darkened as I felt a wash of powerful dominance. The rapid change reminded me of Warrick’s comment that while Kellan contained more sunshine than others in his pack, if you riled him, you’d get the summer storm of your life.

“I’m sorry that you were brought here under those circumstances.” His voice grew even deeper. “Who was there? Who touched you? Do you know their names?”

A smile tugged at the corners of my lips. “You’re my favorite, Kellan… I hope you know that. But for real, you don’t need to murder them for me. They were just doing their jobs.” A job that had fucked my entire life, and I was ready and willing to kick their asses myself if I ever saw them again. But I refused to let these alphas fight my battles.

Relying on them could be my downfall.

Needing a distraction, I grabbed the small toiletries bag, and filled it with my few items from the bathroom. “Okay, we’re good to go,” I said, heading for the suitcases to help him haul them downstairs.

Kellan got to them first, and barely let me take one of the small empty ones, while his massive paws gripped the other three. Deciding that I would choose my battles wisely with this pack, I didn’t argue, and made my way down the stairs to find the entire Annandale pack waiting near the entrance.

“We’re going to miss your gorgeous face,” Cora cried as she wrapped her arms around me and yanked me into one of her full-bodied hugs.

Nope. No freakin’ crying . Now was not the time to fall apart. “I’ll see you all for a family dinner soon, okay?”

Sierra hugged me quickly, but the three male shifters kept their distance thanks to the giant alpha standing at my back. “It was a pleasure to have you here, darlin’ girl,” Marcus said, blowing me a kiss. Richard nodded in his stoic way, and then there was Warrick.

“I can’t thank you enough, Alpha Warrick.” I placed my hand on his arm and ignored the scowl boring into the side of my head. “I’ll never forget the kindness you so freely offered.”

I might have only known them for days, and there was still the whole Hunter-stalking-me-in-their-territory to deal with, but my wolf didn’t care. She considered them allies, and we were grateful for their freely offered support.

Warrick’s eyes softened and I got the feeling he wanted to say more, but ended with, “I’ll contact you about our next family dinner. I can go through one of the Reeves pack until you get a phone.”

He glanced over my head toward my towering alpha shadow. “Any night except Sunday,” Kellan said shortly. “That’s our family bonfire night.”

Tilting my head back to take in his tense features, I wondered if they’d truly expect me at their family bonfire when I’d made it very clear that I wasn’t family and never would be.

Kellan’s gaze settled on my face, and I could see in the depths of his blue eyes that I would absolutely be there. No excuses. Not wanting to argue in front of the other pack, I filed that topic away to speak with Hunter about later. For now, I’d continue to choose my battles wisely.

When we exited their Tudor house, there was a blue Range Rover parked outside. It was the model up from Warrick’s fancy ride, and I did a quick walk around while Kellan loaded the suitcases in the back. “Do you own shares in Land Rover?” I asked in a tone that conveyed my shock. “Because you all are driving models that aren’t even released yet.”

Kellan laughed, looking more relaxed now we were out of the Annandale pack house. “Reeves Industries probably does. Fin and I stay out of the company stuff most of the time, but we’re happy to reap the benefits. Getting early models not yet released to the public is one of those benefits.”

“That they occasionally pass on,” Warrick called from where he stood near his front door.

I narrowed my eyes because he’d conveniently forgotten to add that part when we were discussing his Range Rover the other day. It made sense that the strongest alphas would all be tied in financial ways, but it irritated me all the same.

Kellan opened the door for me, and a scent I could only associate with leather and wads of cash drifted from the interior. I made a rapid decision to enjoy this aspect of living with Reeves Pack, even if it was the only benefit I got from the four powerful alphas.

Kellan closed the door behind me and hurried to the driver’s side. When he jumped in, I kicked myself for not taking that seat first. Hunter had forced me to live at their house, and for that reason alone I should get to drive this glorious baby.

As the engine fired up, Kellan shot me a cocky grin. “Ready to go, freckles?”

“Freckles,” I said with a disappointed shake of my head. “Very original.”

Kellan’s brows furrowed. “No good? Okay, I’ll keep working on the nickname.”

“I really wish you wouldn’t,” I muttered.

He ignored me as he pulled out of their driveway, and the quintet standing on the front porch waved their goodbyes. A part of me wanted to dive from the moving car and return to their warmth and security. With Annandale, there were no worries that I’d slip and lose myself in a bond, forsaking my life to turn my scent matches into the most powerful alphas in existence. Nope. There was only food, laughter, and safety.

Three things I had sorely lacked in my life.

“You’ll see them again, sweetheart,” Kellan said, unexpectedly gentle in his approach considering I’d stayed with them after rejecting his pack. “I promise, we’ll keep you just as safe as they did. I don’t know what you’re running from, or what spooked you as a child to prevent you from even giving pack life a chance, but I’m going to change your mind about it. I never back down from a challenge.”

I forced myself to keep breathing evenly to hide my sudden tension. “It’s not a game to win, Kel. It’s my life, and I made this choice for a very good reason long ago.”

Please believe me. Please take my word for it.

Kellan fell silent and I was afraid to catch his expression, so I kept my gaze firmly out the window. Hurting him felt like stabbing myself with a blunt knife, and I had never wished so hard that my life was different. Or at least my designation.

As he smoothly navigated us through the town, he finally said, “If your past was different, and you weren’t fighting a lifetime of pain and fear, would you want us? Our pack?”

I sensed how badly he was hanging on this answer, and for a second I was tempted to break his heart and damage his need to change my mind , but I just couldn’t. “Yes.”

I want you . Every part of you.

The air was electric, and I couldn’t look away from him any longer.

His eyes blazed until they were almost a dark purple. “That’s enough for now.”

We didn’t speak again until he pulled up in front of a large, wrought iron fence that I recognized from Cora’s extended tour yesterday. We were at the Reeves family compound.

Two shifter guards, wearing the same navy uniform as the ones in the council chambers, stood on either side of the gate. When Kellan glided to a halt, he powered his window down and a male with a shaved head, huge muscles, and a no-nonsense attitude hurried over. “Alpha Kellan,” he said with a brief nod. “Is everything okay, sir?”

Kellan might not be the entitled alpha in the Reeves pack, but he was powerful enough to be addressed similarly by the beta guard. “This is Emmeline,” he said, leaning back to allow the shifter a brief glimpse of me. “I wanted you to meet her so that no one reacts if she wanders around the compound.”

The security guard nodded, and his gaze momentarily took me in before it returned to Kellan. “Anything else?”

Kellan briefly hesitated. “Hunter has the full details to pass on. Emmeline is to be treated with respect and protected the same as you would for us. That’s all you need to know for now.”

The guard continued to avoid meeting my gaze, even as I leaned forward and said, “It’s nice to meet you. What’s your name?”

“Dave,” he replied with a snap, staring at a spot beside my ear. “If you ever have any trouble, head for our security hut right there.” He turned and pointed toward a small wooden hut beside the gate.

“Thanks, Dave.” I shot a smile in his direction that he didn’t see .

Kellan and Dave exchanged a few more words, and then we drove through the now open gate and onto a paved, double-laned private road. “Our main pack house sits at the end of the street in the family compound,” Kellan told me as he idled slowly along.

The term family compound wasn’t familiar, so I turned in my chair to take it all in as Kellan played tour guide. “My brother Tyson lives there with Ben, his mate,” he said as we passed the first house on the right of the road, a small rustic cabin sitting on a large parcel of green grass. “They refused a quintet and settled into mated bliss as a couple. They’re both accountants for Reeves Industries. Almost everyone in our extended families works for us.”

I was surprised by how close-knit they were with their extended family, but I schooled my features to keep it from showing.

“Over there is Hunter’s sister.” Kellan nodded toward the next house we passed on the left side. It was a cute cottage, painted in shades of pink, purple, and yellow. Bright and simple in design with another large plot of land around it. “Kassidy lives alone. Has no interest in finding a pack and refuses to participate in any scent-matching events. You’d probably like her a lot.”

I coughed to cover my laughter. With that as her introduction, I was more than looking forward to meeting Hunter’s sister. Maybe she’d give me a few pointers on how to torment her brother without getting myself killed. He deserved it after all but tricking me into living with them.

“My other brother, Julien, and his quintet live there.” Kellan pointed toward another house on the left. It was a single-level log cabin, expanding across half their fenced land. “He’s the entitled alpha,” he said with a fond smile. “The rest of his pack consists of two betas: Jemma and Gordon, and two deltas: Chastity and Lucas. Some of them are scent matches, others are just love matches, but they’re all together.”

That arrangement of designations was normal for quintets. One alpha, and a mix of betas and deltas.

The next house we passed was a two-story farmhouse, with light yellow walls and white trim, accentuating its huge wraparound porches. “Finley’s brother Kenzo lives in this beauty, with his two mates, Ness and Luce. They’re a lot of fun, actually. They have this massive teppanyaki grill out the back, and you haven’t lived until you’ve tried Kenzo’s cooking. His dad was a teppanyaki chef back in Japan before they moved out here.”

“I’ve never had Japanese food,” I admitted, without adding that I’d always wanted to try it but could never justify the price of takeout.

Kellan’s stare was probing, and I was relieved when he finally returned his gaze to the front windshield. “You’re in for a treat if Kenz is your first. You might as well start with the best.”

We continued the tour, moving past the rest of the houses which belonged to an array of aunts, uncles, and cousins. I was assured that I’d meet them all at Sunday bonfire night, and I wasn’t sure if that excited or terrified me. Either way, it would definitely be interesting.

The Reeves pack house at the end of the street was the largest and grandest. “Hunter and Slade are snobby bastards,” Kellan chuckled, the deep, rich sound sending shivers down my spine. “They like the best of the best.”

I cleared my throat. “I think they nailed it, then.”

I’d never seen anything as beautiful as the three-story residence, which was a perfect mix of white cladding and gray natural stone. Windows lined every wall, and I could already imagine the abundance of natural light inside.

Kellan parked near the front porch, and I found myself mesmerized by the sheer size of the entrance—the front door had to be at least ten feet tall.

“Welcome home,” he said, shocking me to a standstill.

Rubbing a hand over my chest, I wondered if it would have hurt less to be punched in the boob. This wasn’t my home. It would never be my home.

Shifters like me don’t get pretty homes on amazing, picturesque streets where all my family lived. We got neglectful, cruel mothers, who ended up getting themselves killed because they couldn’t control their omega urges.

It hurt though, because if I’d ever allowed myself to dream of my perfect life, this was it in spades. The reality of knowing what I’d be leaving behind when I ran tasted like ashes on my tongue.

Bitter and dead.