Wolf's Creek (Book 1 of the Wolf's Creek Trilogy)

Chapter 8: Nope

Chapter 8:

Nope

            A.J led the way to the house with Marrok and Darren flanking either side of her. Darren was keeping a close eye on his mate, making sure she didn’t try to lose him in the woods again. It didn’t take them long to arrive at A.J’s home where Greg, Myles, and Frank, were waiting by two cars, one A.J recognized as Myles’s and the other she assumed was Greg’s.

            “There you are!” Myles exclaimed with a goofy grin as A.J approached them, Marrok at her side while Darren wandered over to Greg who was holding his clothes up in the air to him. “Man girl you can move!”

            “Why are you guys here?” A.J asked.

            “Well someone reported seeing the Lunae to Darren’s dad and Jess opened her big mouth about who the Lunae was. So he and his beta decided to come down here and we knew that Darren would be with you and need his clothes so here we are!” Myles replied with his goofy grin still in place.

            “We didn’t tell them anything A.J,” Frank interjected quickly as the Lunae narrowed her eyes accusingly at the two werewolves.

            “I knew you two were hiding something from me,” Darren exclaimed as he pulled his shoes on, now fully dressed in his jeans, v-neck, sneakers, and leather jacket. “Why didn’t you tell me before all of this?”

            “They promised me they wouldn’t,” A.J answered for the two boys as she turned and sent a glare towards Darren as he came close to her without any hesitation at all.

            “Well I guess we’ll have time to talk about is later,” Darren said with a shrug before pointing to the door of the Smith home. “You’re mom’s waiting.”

            A.J eyed him for a moment before walking inside the house, Marrok following behind her. “Mom?” she called as she entered the kitchen where she could see her family gathered along with two other men. Eliza Smith looked towards the door way and stood up from the table quickly, tears streaming down her face as she pulled her daughter into her arms.

            “I was so worried,” she sobbed as A.J held her back, Darren standing in the door way behind her watching the scene.

            “I’m sorry mom,” A.J apologized as her mother pulled away to inspect her daughter. Right away her eyes landed on the scratches on her cheek that Jess had caused.

            “What happened to your face?” she asked, taking her daughter’s chin in her hand to examine the scratches and the dried blood upon her daughter’s cheek, neck, and shirt. Darren growled from where he stood as his eyes landed on the same scratches. A.J threw him a look and he stopped growling but didn’t take his eyes off of the four lines on her cheek.

            “It’s nothin’,” A.J assured with a small smile and a shrug when her mother had finished her inspection. “I just got in a fight again and the other girl played dirty’s all.”

            “Artemis Jacqueline Smith what have I told you about fighting!” Eliza chastised as she gave her daughter a weak disapproving look before she ushered her daughter and Darren to enter the kitchen. “One of these days you’re gonna really get yourself hurt.”

            “I would’ve been fine if her goons weren’t holdin’ me still,” A.J stated as she rolled her eyes.

            “Anyway we’ve got company,” Mark Smith stated from where he stood next to the two men. “A.J this is Charles Alaric, Darren’s father and Alpha of the Wolves Peek pack, and his beta Jonathan Rook. They’ve come ta pick ya up and take ya ta Wolves Peek ta talk ‘bout some things.”