A Place to Call Home (Hollow Crest Wolf Pack Book 3) Read online

  I could feel Corey struggling against the darkness that held him prisoner, and I wanted to pull him out, but he was just out of my reach. That’s when Wyatt stepped closer, and Grayson pulled me back so he could see his brother through the window. Corey had told me that he and Wyatt had been in a band together with Wyatt as the lead singer position, but I hadn’t been able to see it. Wyatt always seemed uptight and trapped within the rigid rules he made for himself. I couldn’t imagine Wyatt baring his soul as a musician.

  But I had been completely wrong.

  Wyatt opened his mouth to sing, and his voice was smooth but carried the rawness of emotion within it. He sang words to a song that I had never heard before, but which spoke to my heart.

  All of my dreams,

  That I’ll never have the chance to live,

  Now we’re here,

  All of the struggle,

  All of the mistakes,

  Where are we going?

  I’m heavy with sadness,

  I’m burdened with regret,

  But I’m here with my brothers,

  And the weight is enough for us to share,

  It’s enough to bear.

  Where are we going?

  It doesn’t matter.

  Not as long as I’m going with them.

  It’s a long road,

  And we can never return,

  But I can face the future.

  I’m here with my brothers,

  And I can keep moving to the future.

  The weight is enough for us to share,

  It’s enough for us to bear.

  I was smiling through my tears when I heard a voice from the other side of the door join Wyatt.

  It’s a long road,

  And we can never return,

  But I can face the future.

  I’m here with my brothers,

  And I can keep moving to the future.

  The weight is enough for us to share,

  It’s enough for us to bear.

  The last notes of the song faded, but our connection only grew stronger. I could feel Grayson’s strength, Kannon’s hope, Corey’s fight, and Wyatt’s determination. We all faced our problems in different ways, but we were so similar in what we were facing. For every weakness one of us had, another had a strength to balance it. We were whole when we connected like this. It felt like I had found the puzzle for my lonely piece to snap perfectly into, making the picture complete.

  “I hope one of you brought me clothes,” Corey said in a rough voice.

  I smiled, giddy with relief. Corey had come back to us.

  “I can only give you a couple of minutes,” Pierce said as he unlocked the door to Corey’s cell.

  Wyatt passed Corey the bag we had packed for him, and I stepped back to give him privacy to change. It was only a few moments before he emerged. Corey hugged his brother first and then stopped in front of me.

  I drew Corey into a hug, and he leaned down to murmur in my ear. “Petey was the only one who was good for you in this town.”

  I blinked in surprise, and then a realization hit. Corey had walked past the grocery store and down to Petey’s corner shop out of loyalty to a man that had shown me kindness when I first moved here.

  I pulled back to look Corey in the eyes. Instead of defensive or angry, Corey looked embarrassed. I thought back to what Kannon had told me about Corey. “He only hides things when it’s something emotional or if he’s doing something nice for someone else.”

  “I appreciate you telling me,” I murmured before I brushed my lips against his.

  Corey gave me a surprised smile as I pulled away from him, but he didn’t complain when both Kannon and Grayson took their turns to welcome him back into the fold.

  Our visit didn’t last long as Corey was drained after his ordeal, and Pierce was impatient to be done with us. Much to my dismay, we left Corey in the horrible room down in the university dungeon. Corey had shown an uncharacteristic amount of affection when he had stroked my hair and kissed me on the forehead as he assured me he was fine. I was hopeful that meant he was becoming more comfortable with our relationship.

  I hated having to leave Corey behind as we trudged back to our suite. Pierce had refused to allow Corey to come out of that room for another twenty-four hours for ‘safety reasons,’ but I knew Corey was back to himself. He had assured me that he would sleep for the majority of the time he was in there, but I knew how I would feel if I had to watch the entire pack leave me behind in a place that was anything but safe.

  Chapter 8

  Grayson

  I flipped through a pile of invoices while Wyatt typed into the laptop. We were trying to catalog everything we owned and determine it’s estimated value. We’d already returned what we could to suppliers. Recent events had made it clear that running a business in this town was a lost cause. But where did we go from here? We were spinning our wheels, but I had to do something, I couldn’t just sit around and wait for another disaster. Our first step was going to have to be liquidating the assets that we had worked so hard to obtain. Dr. Green had shown his hand when he asked Lori to be a participant in an experiment that sounded dangerous, and I had to be ready to get her out of Hollow Crest in a moment’s notice.

  Lori and Kannon had their heads together over Kannon’s laptop in the other room as they planned out a thanksgiving feast, and I wanted to let them have their fun. We needed a peaceful day before our entire world collapsed around us. Corey was supposed to be released from solitary confinement sometime this morning, and we were anxiously awaiting him to be escorted here to our suite at the university.

  “What do you think about Dr. Green’s offer?” Wyatt asked quietly, interrupting my anxious thoughts.

  I sat back on my heels. “I don’t trust him. He doesn’t want to help Lori out of the kindness of his heart.”

  Wyatt met my eyes. “I agree. But what’s his angle? How would making her into a full-blood shifter benefit him?”

  “I’m not sure that’s what he really wants to do,” I said slowly. “We’ve all noticed that Lori is self-conscious about her human blood, and I’m sure Dr. Green is aware of it. He’s playing with her emotions by offering something that has always been out of her reach. Something that only he could give her.”

  “You think he’s just manipulating her?” Wyatt closed the laptop and looked thoughtful.

  “I think he’s manipulating all of us. As long as he has Lori caught in his web, he has all of us, and he knows it.” I sat down the paperwork and stood in frustration. “I’m sure Dr. Green realizes that we’re on the brink of leaving, and he needed a lure to dangle in front of us to keep us here.”

  “Lori said no,” Wyatt said as he picked up the laptop and stood. “She’s smart.”

  “Yes, but we all saw the look in her eyes,” I told him. “Hope.”

  Wyatt shook his head. “She’s perfect just the way she is.”

  “Maybe we should show her that,” I suggested. “We’ve all been standoffish with her for different reasons, but maybe now’s the time to change.”

  Wyatt raised an eyebrow at me. “She’s a high school student.”

  I ran a hand through my hair in frustration. “I know. Lori’s sweet and innocent in some ways, but she’s been through a lot. She has wisdom and maturity beyond her years. Most girls her age are only concerned with clothes and makeup.”

  Wyatt let out a breath. “When we first met her, she was dead-set against dating.” He flipped the laptop back and forth in his hands. “I think she realizes now that not all males are like the ones in her old pack. There’s been a couple of times that she’s looked at me, and I swear, there’s something there.”

  I sat back down, sensing this conversation was far from over, and Wyatt followed my lead. “Lori hasn’t said much about her old pack, but we know that the females were passed around and used. She thought that love was something that only humans could experience.”

  Wyatt nodded in understanding, but his eyes were unf
ocused, his thoughts far away. “Do you think she would see a relationship with us that way? Would she misinterpret it as us wanting to pass her around?”

  I thought about my words carefully before speaking. “Lori has feelings for Kannon, that much is clear. But Kannon is the only one of us who is completely open with her. He doesn't hold anything back from her.”

  “The rest of us haven’t told her how we feel,” Wyatt agreed. “Every time I start to feel drawn to her, I take a step back.”

  “As do I,” I agreed. “I’ve been worried about not being able to provide Lori with the type of life she deserves, but she’s become one of us now. I don’t think I can let her go.”

  Wyatt gave me a wry smile. “Lori’s a fierce little wolf – she’s not going to let any of us go. I realized that when we were with Corey. She reached something inside of his heart that’s been closed off for so long, and she made it possible for us to reconnect with him. Lori’s the connection our entire pack needs.”

  My phone buzzed, and I glanced down to see a message from Pierce. “Pierce is on his way here to drop off Corey.”

  “I wasn’t expecting him to do that,” Wyatt commented.

  “Me neither,” I said with a scowl. “Pierce doesn’t do favors – he’s up to something.” I stood and made my way to the door. “I’ll meet him outside to keep him away from Lori. I don’t like the way he looks at her.”

  “I’ve noticed that,” Wyatt agreed with a frown as he followed behind me. “She’s a pretty girl, but I would think the lamia would stick to their own kind.”

  “Have you ever seen a female lamia?” I asked with my hand on the doorknob. I hesitated before opening it because this was a conversation to be had away from Lori’s sharp ears. “They must keep them hidden away, because I haven’t.”

  Wyatt grunted. “Just the witches.”

  My head snapped up when I felt Corey’s presence approaching us. “That was quick,” I murmured.

  Wyatt gave me a nod, and we walked into the room where Kannon and Lori had been working. I knew the moment Lori felt Corey’s nearness because she jumped up out of her seat with a cry of joy and rushed for the door. It had taken her a little longer because she wasn’t a full-blooded shifter, so her senses weren’t as keen.

  Lori flung the door open to reveal Corey approaching along with Pierce. Corey appeared unharmed, just tired. She gave Corey a tight hug before releasing him and watching Pierce suspiciously.

  “Bro,” Wyatt said with relief as he stepped forward to grab his brother. The two of them embraced, and I wanted to smile. Corey hadn’t built his walls back up after our last connection, and he was making progress in the right direction.

  Pierce stepped closer, and I moved to place myself in front of the twins. A smile quirked the corner of Pierce’s mouth. “I’ve returned your wayward son, completely unharmed.”

  Corey snorted at the ‘son’ comment, but just clapped his brother on the shoulder and walked further into the room where Kannon gave him a hug. I was surprised at the lack of his reaction to Pierce’s obvious goading, but let it go. Corey and I would speak later.

  “Doing unasked favors, Pierce? That’s unlike you,” I said coolly.

  Pierce ran a hand through his hair in an uncharacteristic show of agitation. “It’s best you and the others keep to yourselves. Don’t wander the halls,” he said cryptically.

  I gave him a nod of thanks and watched as he left. I wouldn’t call Pierce a friend, but I would take his warning to heart. I’d never considered the university to be a safe haven, but Pierce wouldn’t warn me unless things were getting worse. That was just another reason to strategize our exit.

  Chapter 9

  Lori

  I hiked my bag higher on my shoulder as I sullenly walked beside Kannon. Today was our first day back to high school after our extended break for Thanksgiving. I was expecting this week to be even more torturous than usual. Human teenagers were even more vicious than adults, so I was prepared to deal with an onslaught of insults.

  A sharp gust of cold wind sent my curls flying everywhere, and I just kept trudging forward. It was pointless to fix them until I got indoors. Not that it would make a difference if I had messy hair today or not. Everyone would still hate me.

  Kannon nudged his shoulder into mine. “It’ll be okay.”

  I huffed out a breath. “I keep telling myself that it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks, but they still manage to get under my skin.”

  Kannon sighed. “It sucks to feel like we need to get dressed in our armor every day as if we were going to war.”

  I laughed at the image his words produced in my head. I pictured myself in metal armor made entirely of small dragon scales that could deflect anything that my enemies threw at me. That thought cheered me up enough that I was still smiling as the school came into sight.

  “Lori, wait,” Kannon called as he grabbed my hand.

  I turned back to face him and let him take both of my hands in his. I looked up into his eyes and saw concern shadowed there. “I’m fine,” I said softly. “I can handle whatever they throw at me.”

  Kannon smiled, but it didn’t touch his eyes. “I know you’re tough,” he admitted. “But if you want to leave – just let me know. We’re both over eighteen, so they can’t stop us.”

  I squeezed both of Kannon’s hands. “We both want to graduate so we can go to college, and this is a hurdle we need to get past.” I shrugged. “This is just one obstacle standing in front of something we both want, and moody teenagers are nothing compared to everything else we’ve faced.”

  Kannon gave me a genuine smile this time. “We got this.”

  I kept a confident smile on my face as we walked through the doors of the high school and didn’t let it slip until Kannon was on his way to homeroom and out of sight. I sighed when I slipped into my own home room and was met with glares and hateful looks. I started walking to my desk with my head down and gaze on the floor, but when one of the girls stuck out her foot to try and trip me, my anger surged.

  Who were they to treat me like I was less than them? And why would I let them do it? I put my shoulders back and held my chin up. They could think whatever they liked, but I wasn’t going to give them the satisfaction of knowing that they were able to get under my skin.

  I gave her foot a sharp kick to get it out of my way. “Oh, I’m sorry,” I said sweetly. “Did I accidentally step on you?”

  The girl blinked in confusion and didn’t respond as her friend giggled beside her. I kept walking until I slid into my seat. The bell rang and signaled that the morning announcements were about to play on the television in our classroom.

  I frowned when I didn’t see Mrs. Meyers sitting at her desk in the front of the classroom. She might ignore us most of the time, but she’d never been late before. The class momentarily hushed out of habit, but once the students realized that we were without an authority figure, they went back to their rowdy conversations. Apparently, there had been a lot of drama over the thanksgiving break, which made for a plethora of gossip.

  Unfortunately, I was the focal point of a lot of those conversations. Whispers about Gus’s death and my involvement were coming from all corners of the room. I wrinkled my nose when I caught the conversation of three guys in the back who were talking about my living situation. They seemed to think that meant I was open to sex with anyone at any time.

  I kept my eyes down on my notebook and tuned all of it out. I was here to get a high school diploma, and gossipy humans weren’t going to stand in my way. A part of me was sad that I’d never experience high school like a typical teenager, but I pushed that away. I didn’t want to show any vulnerable emotions to the vultures around me.

  The classroom door opened, and my jaw dropped. Pierce swaggered in and shot me a grin as he stood in front of the teacher’s desk. He held my eyes for a couple of seconds but didn’t directly address me.

  “Welcome back to school, kids,” Pierce said with a smile that belonged on a
fox that had just walked into an unguarded henhouse. “Your regular teacher left to have her own kid, so I’m going to be here until the school finds a regular sub.”

  Pierce wasn’t wearing his usual black fatigues, but he still didn’t look like a teacher. He wore a dark button-down shirt and jeans that didn’t hide his fit physique. He walked around the desk to sit in the chair and propped his feet up so he could lean back and play on his phone. His body posture might have been casual, but he looked more like a lounging predator than anything else. He was aware of every sound and movement in the classroom but didn’t consider any of us a threat.

  “Um,” one of the female students stuttered as she raised her hand.

  “Yeah?” Pierce asked with a raised brow.

  “I think we’re supposed to be watching the morning announcements?” she asked in an unsure voice.

  Pierce shrugged. “Go ahead.”

  The girl darted to the front of the room and switched on the television. I expected the noise of the classroom to rise again once the shock of our new ‘teacher’ wore off, but the room stayed quiet. More of the students were watching Pierce instead of the morning announcements. At least some of them were trying to pretend they weren’t by keeping their faces turned towards the television, but they were darting their eyes over to Pierce every few seconds.

  I tapped my pen on the desk in agitation. The lamia never bothered to show their faces in town. Why was Pierce in our school pretending to be a teacher? He certainly wasn’t interested in imparting knowledge onto the next generation of humans.

  Things started to make more sense when the principal came on the television screen. “We have one last announcement to make for this morning.” He smoothed his tie down, and I almost rolled my eyes at how eager he was. “The exclusive Hollow Crest University will be opening its doors to a select number of our students to tour this week. As we all know, it’s been almost two years since they have offered a similar opportunity, and applications are by invitation only.”