High Mountain Pack

Sophia

I spent the night packing, and when it came time to sleep, I mostly tossed and turned, pondering all the new information my parents had given me. It still bothered me that they didn’t tell me sooner about Cole, but I also understood why they kept the information from me. Even though I would never have treated him differently, they were trying to keep him innocent of his mother’s crimes. I couldn’t help but wonder if what they told me had anything to do with his disappearance. Did his uncle, that Thomas guy, take him from us? That alone disturbed me. His uncle didn’t sound like a good guy. What would he want with Cole? Would he hurt him?

Emma and Conrad had helped me pack since we had made plans to hang out. They knew something was bugging me, but luckily dropped the subject when I told them I didn’t want to talk about it. I was grateful that my friends knew not to push me and that I would tell them when I was ready.

It was seven in the morning. I took a quick shower before getting dressed in a pair of grey sweatpants and a black tank top. I wanted to wear something comfortable for the two-hour drive it was going to take us to get to the High Mountain Pack. I tied my long blonde hair up in a messy bun and kept repeating to myself that the quicker we got there, the quicker we could come home.

Once I was ready, I grabbed my suitcase and headed downstairs.

As I descended the last few stairs, I found Emma, Conrad, my parents, and a few warriors in the foyer of the packhouse.

“Good morning, sweetheart. Did you sleep OK?” my mother asked as she quickly embraced me. Her arms wrapped firmly around my body, and I could feel the concern radiating off her. My mother and I were extremely close, and we rarely fought. She was probably worried about how we left things yesterday.

“Yes, Mother. I slept okay,” I lied. I didn’t want to make her worry more.

“Good morning, baby girl,” my father said and hugged me when my mother finally let go.

“Good morning, Father,” I replied with a smile that didn’t reach my eyes.

“We’re going to grab some breakfast sandwiches for the ride. Do you want me to get you one?” Conrad asked.

“Yes, please. Can you grab me a bottle of water too?” I replied.

Conrad nodded before walking off with Emma and the warriors toward the kitchen, leaving me alone with my parents.

“We’re incredibly sorry, Sophia. We should have told you sooner. Will you forgive us?” My father took my face in his hands, and I could see the plea in his eyes.

“I’m still disappointed you didn’t tell me. Cole was like a brother to me, but I understand why you did it. Of course, I forgive you. I could never stay mad at you guys,” I replied, and could see the relief on their faces. The last thing I wanted was to leave on bad terms with my parents.

“Oh, thank Goddess,” my mother said, sounding relieved.

“Now, Sophia. I know this is going to be a challenge for you and Rider, but I have faith in both of you. Remember the bigger picture. It’s not about you two, but the safety of all packs,” my father reminded me.

“I’ll do my best, Father,” I replied with a sigh. Sometimes I wished I wasn’t so headstrong; it certainly would make life easier. Sadly, I was, and so was Rider. Therefore, I knew these next couple of weeks were going to be a serious challenge and would test my patience.

“You know, Sophia, Rider isn’t a bad guy, and you have more in common than you realize,” my mother added.

“That’s true. We do live on the same planet and are both werewolves.” I replied sarcastically, causing my mother and father to chuckle.

“That’s not exactly what I was talking about. I was thinking more about how you’re both strong warriors, you care about your packs, and are both loyal to the core. Basically, you want the same things in life, and you’re both too stubborn to see it.” I rolled my eyes at my mother’s assessment.

“I already told you; I’ll play nice with him. You have nothing to worry about,” I replied.

“This is coming from the girl who once super glued his utensils to his hands because he called you chubby.” My father gave me a pointed look.

“Well, he should have kept his mouth shut. Plus, I was twelve; that doesn’t count,” I replied, and my father simply shook his head.

Luckily, my father’s lecture was interrupted when Conrad, Emma, and the rest returned.

“You ready, Soph?” Emma asked as she handed me a sandwich and a bottle of water.

“Yup, let’s hit the road,” I replied, and she nodded.

“We love you. Be safe,” my mother said as she gave me one last hug.

“I love you too,” I replied.

My father pulled me into his embrace. “I know I said play nice with Rider, but that doesn’t mean I want you to let him walk all over you. Stand your ground, but do it in a way where he doesn’t have a choice but to listen.” My eyes widened at his words. I wasn’t expecting that from my father, but hearing him say those words meant the world to me.

Emma’s parents, Jared and Clair, and her sister Maya, also showed up to say goodbye. Clair was crying, clearly sad to see her daughter leaving for so long.

We made our way outside where two grey SUVs were waiting for us. Conrad got into the driver’s side of one, while I got into the passenger side, and Emma got in the backseat. The four other warriors got into the second vehicle.

“I’ll call you guys when we get there,” I told my parents through the open window before we drove off down the dirt road.

“I can’t wait to see Auntie Trish and Uncle Erik,” Emma said excitedly after a few minutes of driving in silence. They weren’t related to us, but since our parents were all good friends, we always called them aunt and uncle.

“Me too. I also can’t wait to see Rory,” I replied.

Rory is nothing like his brother. He was fun and easygoing, and I always got along with him.

“What about Rider? It’s been a couple of years since you last saw him?” Emma asked, and I glanced back at her to see a knowing smirk plastered on her face.

“You just had to go and ruin my mood by bringing up his name, didn’t you?” I asked while shaking my head in disbelief. Both Conrad and Emma laughed at my response.

The drive went by quickly. We chatted and laughed the entire way. I was really glad to have my best friends with me, and I knew they would have my back no matter what, which relieved some of my anxiety.

As we reached the High Mountain Pack, I started feeling restless. Even my wolf was pacing around in my head, giving off all kinds of nervous vibes.

What’s with you, Malia? I asked my wolf in my mind.

I’m not sure. She replied with a frustrated huff before retiring to the back of my mind. I thought her behavior was odd, but I didn’t put much thought into it. She was probably just anxious about being away from home for so long.

We pulled up to the main gates of the High Mountain Pack, and a guard approached the driver’s side window before asking us who we were. Once we told him, his eyes glazed over, letting us know he was mind-linking someone.

A few seconds later, his eyes returned to their normal color, and he opened the gate for us.

“They are expecting you at the packhouse.” The guard motioned with his hand for us to enter the territory.

“Thank you,” Conrad said before driving down the dirt road toward the packhouse.

My heart was beating fast in my chest the closer we got. I needed to get a hold of myself. Why was I so nervous? Was it because it had been two years since I last saw Rider? What if he was a bigger ass clown than he was back then?

I saw three people standing out front as we approached the packhouse. I immediately recognized Auntie Trish, Uncle Erik, and Rory. Rider was nowhere to be seen, which made me frown. Of course, the arrogant asshole wouldn’t bother to come out and greet us.

Auntie Trish was waving excitedly as we came to a stop in front of the packhouse. I got out of the passenger side and quickly stretched my achy limbs before making my way over to where they stood.

“Oh, my Goddess, I’m so happy you guys are here.” Auntie Trish’s excitement was evident in her bone-crunching hug. I chuckled at how thrilled she was.

“Thanks for having us, Auntie,” I replied as she finally let me go to hug Emma.

“Hey, firecracker. I missed you.” Rory approached with a cheeky grin and threw his arm over my shoulder.

Rory was a handsome guy. He was around six-foot-three with shaggy dark brown hair, a lean yet muscular build, and a smile that could make any woman weak in the knees. His amazing personality only added to his charm.

“Hey, kid,” I replied, knowing how much it bugged him when I called him that. He was only a few months younger than me, but I enjoyed teasing him.

“Seriously? You’re still going to call me that? I’m only like six months younger than you.” He chuckled while shaking his head in disbelief. I just smiled at him and shrugged my shoulders.

“Sophia, thanks for coming to help us out,” Erik said, before also giving me a hug.

“It’s no problem at all. We’re glad to help,” I replied with a genuine smile.

“Sorry I’m late. I was dealing with an urgent matter.” I heard a deep, husky voice before my eyes landed on the man it belonged to. Rider.

My breath caught in my throat as I took him in from head to toe. The last time I saw him two years ago, he was tall but skinny and almost looked nerdy. His voice was nowhere near as deep and husky as it was now, and for some reason, hearing it made my stomach flip.

He now stood around six-foot-four, with short brown hair and piercing blue eyes. He had a few days worth of stubble on his face, and, oh my Goddess, don’t get me started on his muscles. He was built like a Greek god. His tight white T-shirt did nothing to hide the bulging muscles underneath it, and I was practically drooling. Malia, my wolf, was purring at the sight of him.

Someone cleared their throat, bringing me out of my dirty thoughts. My eyes finally locked with Rider’s, and I immediately glared at him when I saw the cocky smirk on his face. He had noticed me checking him out. Just fucking great. The last thing I needed was for his head to get bigger than it already was.

“Sophia, thanks for coming,” he said, the cocky smirk never leaving his face. I hated how my body reacted to his deep, masculine voice.

Shut up, Sophia, it’s not sexy. I internally scolded myself.

Yes, it is, and his body sure filled out since the last time we saw him. My wolf hummed in my mind.

You too, mutt, shut up. I barked back and heard her chuckle, but luckily she remained quiet.

“No problem, I want the rogues dealt with as much as I’m sure you do,” I replied in my most serious tone, hoping that no one else noticed me checking him out.

Sadly, when I looked at Conrad, Emma, and Rory, they all had knowing smirks—those bastards.

“How was the drive?” Trish asked, and I was thankful for the distraction.

“It was good; we barely hit any traffic,” Emma replied.

“Come on, firecracker, let me show you guys to your rooms. I’m sure you want to freshen up before we get down to business,” Rory suggested, and it was true. I felt like a dirty slob in my sweatpants and tank top, and I probably looked like a hot mess.

Now, why would you care what you look like? My wolf interjected my thoughts, and I could picture the wolfish grin on her face. I wished I could kick her ass sometimes; she was so irritating.

Didn’t I tell you to shut up? I spat back, which only made her chuckle.

“That would be great,” I replied to Rory with a grateful smile.

Rory led us all inside the packhouse. It was probably half the size of our packhouse, but modern and nicely decorated. The first thing that caught your eye when you walked in, was the cozy fireplace in the living room with a family portrait hanging above it. There were several couches and chairs around the roaring fire, which made me want to curl up with a book and a glass of wine. It looked cozy.

“You guys will be staying on the second floor,” Rory stated.

“We’ll let Rory show you guys to your rooms. Erik and I have a few things to take care of, but we will see you guys at dinner.” Trish stated.

“Thanks for everything, Auntie,” I replied with a smile before she and Erik walked away.

“Sophia, after you guys are done freshening up, why don’t you come by my office?” I heard that deep husky voice again that made my core throb.

I looked over my shoulder to see Rider standing only a few feet away, with his hands in his pockets. He was watching me intently, and it caused a shiver to run down my spine. I was about to reply when he spoke again.

“Since you’re on my territory, I would like to go over my expectations of you,” he added, and that was all it took to snap me out of whatever lust-filled haze I was trapped in.

“Your expectations of me? I’m pretty sure you need my help, so I think I should be giving you my expectations,” I replied with an eyebrow raised as I got into his personal space. How dare he talk to me like that? I was fuming by this point and wasn’t about to let this little shit speak to me like that. Maybe I needed to knock some brain cells back into his head because, clearly, he was missing a few.

“Alright, you guys will have plenty of time to kill each other over the next couple of weeks. Why don’t we get you guys settled in before we jump straight to violence?” Rory laughed as he came over to stand between us.

“I’ll be waiting for you in my office,” Rider said before he walked away.

“Try not to lose any more brain cells along the way. Seems like you’re already running low.” My response made him stop in his tracks before glaring at me over his shoulder. I smirked in return, feeling smug that I got under his skin.

“Alright, firecracker, let’s go,” Rory said and pushed me towards the stairs and away from Rider before things escalated.

Rory showed us all to our rooms before leaving us alone to unpack and settle in.

Once alone, I flopped down on the bed and heaved a heavy sigh. This was going to be a lot more difficult than I initially thought. It only took two sentences for Rider and me to already be at each other’s throats, and we hadn’t even started talking business yet. Oh, Goddess, I was going to need some serious help over the next few weeks.