Spirit Wolves - Prologue. Prologue

The heavy glass door of the apartment building was pulled open and the sound of heels clicking on the polished terrazzo floor echoed off of the high walls of the lobby. A svelte figure with long, blonde hair, almost white, crossed over to the elevator and a slim finger with nails painted light pink furiously stabbed at the up button for the apartment’s elevator, not that hammering at it relentlessly would make the damn thing come any faster.

Reilly was pissed and when Kellan got home, all hell was likely to break loose. There was no pinpointing the source of the feelings coursing through agitated veins, only feelings of being unsettled and anxious.

When the door opened, there was no one getting off and Reilly was the only one who got on. Thank fuck for small miracles. Entering the small space, the same finger that had jabbed at the up button, jabbed at the button for the 10th floor, toes tapped impatiently while waiting for the car to ascend. Getting off, the sound of heels clicking down the tiled hallway repeated the same cadence they had beaten down in the lobby. Reilly thrust the key into the keyhole and the door swung open, revealing an empty apartment. Kellan should be home soon.

Reilly couldn’t pin down the reason for the angst and furious mood that had descended and started pacing back and forth, the long braid swinging back and forth across a back that was pulled tight with tension. The three inch heels that had been kicked across the room had landed next to a black leather purse that had been thrown mere seconds before. The damn heels had aggravated Reilly’s knees, which were a constant source of pain. Now they both throbbed relentlessly.

The pacing continued until finally, the door opened and Kellan came in. He took one look at Reilly and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Taking in a lungful of air and blowing it out in a huff, Reilly barked, “I don’t know. I’ve been restless all day. I’m pissed off for no reason and I keep thinking that something is about to happen. I don’t know what the hell is going on.”

Kellan came over to stand in front of Reilly and grabbed a hold of the slim shoulders that were shaking slightly. “Are you PMSing?” he teased, trying to lighten the mood, but immediately regretting the words when he saw the look that was shot at him.

“Fuck off,” was the reply and Kellan could practically feel the daggers that were launched from Reilly’s ice blue eyes.

“Seriously Ry, is it time to move? We’ve been here for almost two years. It’s the longest we’ve stayed put so far.” The concern on his face was evident.

“I don’t know,” Reilly answered. “Remember that old game show we used to watch on Game Show Network. The one where they dressed up in all sorts of goofy costumes and had to pull weird shit out of their purses or pockets?”

“Let's Make A Deal?” Kellan supplied.

“Yeah, that one. I feel like I’m standing in front of those three doors and I don’t know if I should pick one, two, or three. Door number one, we run, and we just basically reset the clock again. Door number two, we stay and they find us. Door number three, we stay and we find what we’ve known is coming. I don’t know Kell, I just don’t know!” Reilly let out a sigh of frustration.

“Me neither, why don’t we go get something to eat? I’m starving and I know you don’t feel like cooking and neither do I. We can sort out the pros and cons and try to figure it all out. Are your knees up for a short walk?”

“Yeah, they’ll hurt whether I walk or not, just let me get changed out of this damn skirt and put on some jeans and a sweatshirt,” Reilly turned and limped down the hallway.

Kellan admired the curves as they sauntered away. ‘If only.’ he thought to himself. He needed to get laid and his best friend just didn’t do it for him. Maybe this weekend he’d head down to Annapolis and hit a few bars and see what panned out.

Reilly was back out after a couple of minutes. The long hair had been unleashed from the tight French braid and been replaced with a loose ponytail that hung in waves more than halfway down to the slim waist of a pair of black jeans. A blue hooded sweatshirt completed the ensemble. The pair made their way to the elevator and this time the buttons were not abused. As they made their way down the sidewalk toward their favorite pizza place Kellan slung his arm over Reilly’s narrow shoulders and pulled his best friend in for a hug.

“It’s gonna be OK, Ry.”

Reilly merely nodded.

The two reached Giovanni’s and placed an ordered a couple of large pizzas, ham, spinach and onions for Reilly, and meat lover’s for Kellan. The waitress flirted with Kellan and Reilly could see why. Kellan was handsome in that ‘guy next door’ sort of way. He had dark brown hair with a reddish hue, like polished mahogany. He was nearly 6’1” and very well proportioned, built like a linebacker, but more graceful. His features seemed to blend together perfectly, highlighted by beautiful green eyes.

It wasn’t long after they had been seated before the steaming pies were brought over. Kellan ate with gusto, Reilly was a little more refined. After finishing his whole pizza, Kellan ate the two pieces that Reilly didn’t want. They tossed around the pros and cons of what they should do, but still didn't come to a conclusion.

On their way back Reilly suddenly stopped and tensed up. The hair on the back of Kellan’s neck stood up and he pushed Reilly’s small body behind him. Taking in a huge lungful of air through his nose, he sorted the various scents around him until he pinpointed the one he hoped he wouldn’t smell. Another shifter, wolf shifter to be precise. It wasn’t familiar, so Kellan didn’t think the pack that they had been hiding from for eight years had found them.

He looked around and finally spotted him. A ridiculously tall, gorgeous specimen of male flesh had them in his sight and was striding purposefully towards them.

Kellan quickly turned and reminded Reilly, “Whatever you do, don’t say a word and for fuck’s sake don’t look him in the eye! Got it?”

Reilly barely managed to nod in agreement.

The other shifter was alone, which was unusual, as he was definitely an Alpha. Normally their betas weren’t too far away. His mere presence commanded their attention. Kellan hoped to all holy hell he could stand his ground for what he knew was coming.

“Step aside pup, that’s my mate you’re standing in front of.” The deep voice held more than a hint of a growl as he spoke. He also had an accent, which sounded Irish.

Kellan bristled at being called a pup. He squared his shoulders and spoke the only phrase that would stop the Alpha in his tracks, “We invoke the right of Taciturnitatis Munimento.”

If the situation wasn’t so dire Kellan would have laughed as the huge Alpha seemed to deflate at the words. Kellan had literally claimed the protection of silence. It was an ancient shifter custom that had originally been used when an enemy had been captured but had eventually evolved as a shifter form of the right to remain silent. Reilly had endured so much and had been traumatized to the point of not being able to speak of what had happened eight years ago. Only one person knew the details of that event. That person was Kellan. Under the protection of silence, Kellan would essentially become the ‘Secretum Custode’, or story keeper. Should the matter ever come in front of the shifter Council for prosecution, Kellan’s word would stand in for Reilly’s as absolute truth. There was no way to lie, even if he wanted to.

The Alpha narrowed his eyes and said “I don’t know what bullshit you’re trying to pull, but it ends tomorrow. I’ll give you twenty-four hours to pack up your shit and get her to me." The big Alpha paused and drew in a lungful of air through his nose, "I don't know what the hell is going on, but something is totally off. Her scent is masked. Oh, I can still tell that she’s my mate, but you’d better have a good explanation for this.”

‘Yep, definitely Irish’, Reilly thought, temper and all.

Kellan rebutted, “Three days, we need three days.” Later he always did wonder how he found the balls to counter the Alpha’s order.

The Alpha looked incredulous. Kellan thought his throat was about to get ripped out. Finally the big man threw his head back and laughed at the brass balls Kellan showed. Not very many shifters would ever think about challenging the directive of an Alpha and Sebastian had to give him props for doing so.

“I’ll give you two and that’s final. Don’t even think of running. I will find you.” He handed a business card to Kellan who looked at it and saw the name Sebastian MacTire, and an address and phone number underneath a company logo. MacTire Enterprises, Security Consultants.

The big man pushed Kellan out of the way. Reilly’s eyes immediately flashed down to the ground and took in what had to be sized fourteen feet and knew exactly where the big Alpha’s eyes were focused. The heated stare was practically palpable.

The Alpha turned and as he headed away he growled, “Forty-eight hours and not one minute more.” Damn that accent was sexy.

The second he was out of sight, Kellan and Reilly hauled ass as fast as Reilly’s knees would allow back to their apartment. Once the door was shut and locked behind them they both gave a huge sigh of relief.

“Well at least now we know the reason for your pissy mood. You must have a sixth sense that picked up the fact that your mate was nearby,” Kellan remarked.

Reilly shrugged, then as Kellan looked on, the soft feminine features shifted slightly and became more angular. Soft curves morphed into sinuous muscle. The narrow shoulders widened slightly and curvy hips narrowed until they were more in line with the waist.

Ice blue eyes met the amused green ones.

“OK Kells, time to drop this damn charade. No more girly shit. I finally get to live as a guy again. Now what?"