Bad Seed: An Imp World Novel (Northern Wolves Book 4) Read online

  Mir pointed out that each buffet held different food choices. There was one with vegetables, another with a sort of pasta bar, and another with salad. Off to the side was a round table with cakes and pies, and a soft serve ice cream machine. The longest line was for the table where a man was carving slabs of meat off a huge rib roast. I eyed the meat, then the line, and was convinced that I’d be eating pasta for dinner tonight. By the time we got up there, we wouldn’t even have the end scraps.

  “Don’t worry, they’ll be bringing out another one. Or two. No one goes hungry here. Jake makes sure we all get as much meat as we want, and have other choices, as well. I was joking about us getting the scrap cuts. Usually there’s plenty left over, which ends up as sandwich meat or in soups.”

  We stood in line, and I noticed that although everyone smiled and greeted Mir, they quickly averted their gaze and turned their back on me. Once again, my reputation was making it hard for me to feel welcome. I’d need to earn their trust. I only hoped I could.

  The guy carving the meat did smile at me and didn’t hold back on the portion size when it came time to slap a piece on my plate. I noticed it was really good quality, not the cheap stuff like I’d seen at some of the inexpensive all-you-can-eat buffets. This was tender and juicy with lots of fat around the edges.

  Even though there was no room left on my plate for anything besides the enormous slab of prime rib, Mir still led me over to the vegetable table where she piled roasted potatoes, fresh green beans, and an ear of corn on top of the meat, creating a precarious mountain of food. I did the same, my stomach growling in anticipation. I’d been too nervous to eat much for breakfast, and had completely skipped lunch. I was starving.

  We paused at one of the long tables. Mir motioned me to a chair and slid her plate carefully onto the table, plopping herself down and unrolling her silverware. My stomach twisted as the other occupants turned to stare at me. I wished I could just eat alone. I wish that Mir had chosen one of the two-person tables along the edge. Maybe if I just put my head down and didn’t make eye contact, and shoveled my food in as fast as I could, I could get out of here in ten minutes or less.

  And then what? Go back to the room that I was sharing with five other people and eventually have to deal with them? I suddenly regretted this whole thing, wishing that my last Alpha had the guts to just put me down, or that the people in this pack would quickly realize that I’d be much better off on my own, alone.

  “Mom, Dad, this is Tupper,” Mir announced cheerfully. I hid my horror at the fact that she’d brought me to eat dinner with her parents.

  “Hi,” I squeaked. The pair returned the greeting with a quick nod.

  “How did you…why are you with her?” Mir’s mother asked, her voice strained. “She’s not living in your room, is she?”

  Yep. Just talk about me as if I weren’t here, or deaf. My beast glared at the woman, sizing her up and flexing her claws.

  “I’m in charge of showing Tupper around and making sure she knows where everything is, that she meets people and feels welcome in our pack,” Mir proudly replied. “Jake asked me himself. And yes, she’s staying in our room with us. Isn’t that cool?”

  Her father stared down at his steak, a resigned expression on his face at the mention of the Alpha. The mother, on the other hand, clamped her lips together and narrowed her eyes.

  “Jake asked you to show her around and…mentor her? He does realize you’re sixteen, right? Maybe he should have asked our permission first?”

  “Kathleen,” the father hissed. “Don’t.”

  She ignored him. “Sixteen. You shouldn’t even be living away from home in the dorms yet, let alone living with….a dangerous shifter.”

  I’ll admit a part of me admired the woman. She wasn’t sugar coating it. She was honestly expressing her feelings and clear disapproval of me. At least she wasn’t a hypocrite, smiling at me and telling me how welcome I was then stabbing me in the back as soon as I turned around.

  “Mom! Tupper is not a dangerous shifter. And you agreed to let me live in the dorms for six months to see how it went. Stop treating me like a child.”

  “You are a child.” I could feel the anger coming off Mir’s mother. “And I intend to speak with Jake about this. He should have asked our permission.”

  “Kathleen, please,” the father pleaded.

  “The prime rib is really good,” I told them, determined to shift the conversation before my beast got pissed off enough to start swinging at this woman. I liked Mir. My beast liked Mir. And my beast was particularly upset that Mir’s mother thought me to be a bad influence on her.

  I tried to calm my inner monster down, reminding her that if she didn’t chill, we wouldn’t be alive for very long. Then I ducked my head, ate as fast as I could, and attempted to get through dinner without making eye contact or speaking with anyone. Survive dinner. Somehow manage to survive a meeting with my Baywatch Babe Second, who I was pretty sure hated me. Survive an evening in my room with five other people. I just needed to make it through tonight, then I’d make sure I ate alone, worked alone, remained as far from any of my pack mates as possible. Maybe then I’d stay out of trouble and live long enough to see another year or two.

  Chapter 5

  After dinner, Mir took me by the Alpha House and pretty much left me at the door. I got the feeling she was abandoning me for my meeting with Jake’s second, and it bothered me. Sad that a scary monster like me was clinging to a sixteen-year-old girl for comfort.

  I forced myself to climb the stairs and not watch Mir skip off to the dorms. This morning when I’d been in the Alpha House, I’d gone straight from the heavy carved doors to Jake’s office on the first floor. This time I let my nose guide me and found Jamie in a side room full of cushiony chairs and couches, and walls lined with bookshelves. A few newspapers sat on a coffee table next to a carving of a salmon leaping from a stream. Jamie stood next to an unlit fireplace, her blonde hair still in the ponytail. A twinge of envy shot through me. She was tall with that perfect swimsuit model body, her face the sort that could easily launch a thousand ships. She waited a second after I entered the room, just to reinforce my lower status, then turned, her eyes narrowed.

  “Sit.”

  I sat in the closest chair, like an obedient dog, and waited. Jamie slowly made her way to me and gracefully lowered herself onto the couch across from me.

  “Is your dorm acceptable?”

  “Yes, thank you.”

  She nodded. “And you received your work assignment?”

  “Garbage duty starting tomorrow morning. Recycling twice a week.”

  “I’d advise that you collect at all the houses and dorms first, then make a second trip for the cafeteria trash. They usually have more than enough to fill the trailer.”

  Was this a check-in meeting? I’d thought it would have something to do with this mysterious assignment, but maybe Jamie was merely ensuring that I was settling in nicely and hadn’t killed anyone yet.

  “Thank you. I’ll do that.”

  She nodded again. Was that a habit of hers? Bobble head-itis? “Did Mir tell you about the special assignments? That’s the reason you only have what amounts to a part-time job. These assignments might take you away from the compound for a day or more, and would take priority over your garbage collection duties. You may go months without an assignment, then need to be away for two weeks on one.”

  It was all very mysterious, as if they were asking me to conduct some sort of espionage for them, or superhero work. Would I have a secret identity? I hoped I got to wear a cape.

  “What is the nature of these jobs?” I asked. It might not be respectful to grill my second about this, but I felt like I had a right to know. And I suspected that the assignments might involve killing large groups of people. Why else would they single me out? Killing was clearly something I was good at, something my genetics had unfortunately supported.

  “Jake will discuss that with you tomorrow. After lunch, you’
re to come here to the conference room for a meeting, and he’ll outline everything at that time.” She stood. “I’ll check in with you throughout the week to ensure that you have everything you need, and that you’ve been provided appropriate instruction and training on working the incinerator. Mir is acting to onboard you and acclimate you to our pack, but I realize she is young, so if you have any questions, or there is something that would be inappropriate to ask or discuss with Mir, please feel free to contact me.”

  I stood as well. “Why are you being so nice to me?” I could tell she hated me. I could tell she was afraid of me. But in spite of all that, her behavior just now had been unusually welcoming.

  “Because Jake told us all that we are to judge you as you stand before us, not based on your past actions. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want you in this pack. I don’t want you in the state. I don’t trust you. But if Jake says that I’m supposed to give you a chance, then I’ll do it.”

  I was stunned, reeling. She’d give me a chance? She’d overlook a lifetime of violence and judge me based on my actions from today forward? No one had ever said such a thing to me. And it was on Jake’s orders—orders that clearly no one would ever think of disobeying.

  “Can I see him?” I asked Jamie’s retreating figure. “Jake, I mean. My Alpha.”

  She stopped and turned, her eyes suspicious. “Jake never requires an appointment. He’s in his office right now. If you ever want to speak with him, just go on in.”

  Jamie left and I stared at the empty doorway, filled with uncertainty. Her statement had almost been a challenge. Even with her announcement that she’d give me a chance, I could tell she wasn’t ever going to be my friend. Was this a trap to get me in trouble? Would I go to Jake’s office, only to find that I’d just broken some huge etiquette rule?

  Fuck it. What was the worst that would happen, me getting yelled at by my Alpha? Wouldn’t be the first time, although I got the feeling that getting yelled at by Jake would be a singularly unpleasant experience.

  Heading out into the hall, I retraced my steps from earlier today and found myself just outside of the closed door of Jake’s office. The entire Alpha House was a mixture of pack scents—Jake’s primarily, but also all the other werewolves who had been in and out of here throughout the day. But just as I’d been able to trace Jamie to the little side room, I was able to tell right away who was behind closed doors with the Alpha. It was Mir’s mom. And even if I hadn’t picked up her scent, I would have known because she was yelling loud enough for a half-deaf human to hear.

  Yelling. At Jake. That woman had some serious balls. I wasn’t sure I had balls that big. She was not only reaming the Alpha a new one, but the objects of her tirade was her daughter and me.

  “Sixteen! She’s sixteen! I didn’t want her to move into the dorms this young, but I deferred to your judgement and agreed to a trial period for her to stretch her legs a bit. I did not agree for her to be endangered like this. That woman is a monster. She’s bunking right next to my young daughter. I won’t be able to sleep at night worrying that she’ll snap and rip Mir’s throat out in the middle of the night. It’s not like the others can even protect my daughter if she goes crazy. Did you hear what she did in L.A.? And in Atlanta? It’s not if, it’s when, and I’m not about to sit here while my daughter is in danger.”

  Jakes voice was so low that I couldn’t hear his reply, but I could tell by his tone that he was trying to calm the woman.

  “That doesn’t reassure me one bit. I’m not happy about that…thing being in our pack, but I know my place. It’s your right to admit whoever you want, and if I don’t like it, I’m free to leave, but this is my daughter.” Mir’s mother voice cracked on the last word and I heard her choke back a sob.

  I heard the creak of a chair, the rustle of someone moving and backed up a few steps. But instead of the door opening, I heard crying, and Jake’s soft reassuring voice.

  This was clearly not the time to be here. I tried to be as quiet as possible as I backed away from the door and into the hallway. Once there I turned and headed out of the Alpha House.

  The sun was still high off the horizon, although I figured it had to be going on toward eight at night. It would take me a while to get used to reading the sun this far north. It would take me a while to get used to everything here, and not just the unfamiliar way this pack was run. Eyeing my dorm in the distance, I turned the opposite way and headed toward the lake where the plane that had brought me in had touched down.

  The compound wasn’t walled or gated in any way, but it was surrounded by what I estimated to be over ten miles of wilderness. Past the last row of houses was a quarter mile of meadow filled with wildflowers and tall grasses. That led to the lake, or off to a thick forest if I’d turned left or right. And all around me were mountains—huge, rocky, snow-capped mountains that pierced the clouds above. The compound was in a sort of valley, although clearly not at sea level from the headache I’d been sporting all day. I made my way down to the lake, awed at the beauty that surrounded me. I’d lived in some amazing cities, and there had been truly gorgeous scenery, but this was unlike anything I’d ever seen before. Glancing up I eyed the angle of the sun, I saw the pinks and lavenders of the sky reflected in the glass-like waters of the lake and felt a sense of awe.

  The plane that had brought me in this morning was there, tied to the dock. I’d been a bit surprised when the pilot, Dustin, had picked me up from Juneau since the plane appeared brand new and was fancier than I’d expected. Clearly this pack had money. With nothing else to do for the evening, and reluctant to return back to the dorm and face my new roommates, I sat on the dock. The air was cool with a breeze that rustled the aspens that bordered the far edge of the lake. Frogs croaked and splashed into the water, and fish surfaced, rippling the calm surface. It was idyllic, and unable to resist, I took off my shoes and socks, and dipped my feet into the water.

  Holy crap it was cold. Did people ever go swimming around here? And if so, how did they keep from turning into icebergs? Clearly too much of a wimp to endure this frigid water, I pulled my feet out, and let them dry, laying back on the dock to watch the sun slowly make its way toward the smaller set of mountains to the west of us. There I stayed until the sky grew dusky gray, with only a faint band of pink where the sun had gone behind the ridgeline. The lights would be on in the compound right now, and I finally felt ready to go back, to try to fit in with my new pack. I put my socks and shoes on, then got to my feet and turned around, nearly colliding with a tall, broad-shouldered, dark-skinned man who had been standing right behind me.

  My heart nearly ripped out of my ribcage. I hadn’t heard him; I hadn’t scented him. I’d just turned around and there he was, five feet from me, staring at me with his ice-blue eyes.

  And again, there was that sharp electricity that arced between us, making me want to touch him.

  “Damn it.” I slapped a hand onto my chest and tried to slow my heart rate. “Next time cough or something. You scared the piss out of me.

  “You were by my office earlier.” It wasn’t a question. I’m sure he caught my scent right outside his doorway, or maybe he’d heard me out there when Mir’s mom was chewing him out. Or perhaps Jamie had told him that I had been going to see him. Either way, it would be clear that I’d overheard that conversation. I wasn’t sure if I was more embarrassed about eavesdropping, or that I’d heard a woman yell at my Alpha.

  “Yeah. I just wanted to pop in and ask you something, but you were busy. It wasn’t important.”

  He tilted his head, and I felt uncomfortable under his intense gaze. “I’m here now. What did you want to ask?”

  I’d wondered about the mandate he’d told Jamie, that I was to be judged on what I did since arrive at the pack, not my disturbing past, but here in the chill of the evening, after a gorgeous sunset, it really didn’t seem important. I’d do my best. Then I’d fuck up. And the entire pack would know why my past wasn’t something that could be overlooked o
r swept under the rug. I wished it could be different. I wished some magic would happen and I could actually have a pack and a family, have friends. It bothered me that I’d never have that. It bothered me that Jake had stuck his neck out for me, and I was bound to disappoint him.

  For some reason, I really didn’t want to disappoint him.

  “It really wasn’t important,” I finally replied.

  He nodded and turned, walking beside me as we headed back to the compound. “You overheard Kathleen.”

  Mir’s mom. “Yes. Don’t worry. I don’t blame her at all for what she said. Although if she gets in my face, I might end up punching her.”

  I wouldn’t want to, but it might happen. My beast didn’t like her. I think it had less to do with Kathleen’s dislike of me than with my beast’s fear that she would try to separate Mir from me.

  “She’ll calm down in a few days once she realizes you’re not going to turn her daughter into a purple-haired, violent rebel with tattoos.”

  I remained silent, figuring anything I might say would incriminate me further.

  Jake sighed, rubbing a hand over his short hair. “Oh no. Please tell me you haven’t already gotten out the hair dye and given Mir a prison-style tattoo.”

  “Uh, no. But I’m pretty sure the piercing thing is going to happen.”

  “One of those giant earlobe holes? The hoop thing under her nose? In her eyebrow? Belly button?”

  Probably all of the above. “Sorry. My bad. She’s probably going to get her hood pierced to start with.”

  He stared at me. “What do you mean? I’m assuming you’re not referring to a car hood.”

  I pointed between my legs. “It’s not a huge piece of jewelry, and it’s not a spot where everyone would see it. I mean, maybe when she’s shifting to hunt if she waxes pretty aggressively and flashes you guys a spread-leg crotch-view before she goes furry, you’ll see it, but otherwise the only one who will know it’s there besides her is whoever she’s fucking. Even then…well, I hope whoever she’s fucking is going down on her, because that’s awesome. And when that happens, the guy, or the girl because I don’t know how Mir swings, is going to get an eyeful. Well, more of an eyeful than usual.”