Chosen One Universe Volume One (The Chosen One, #0-2)

by Macy Blake

“Oh, my God,” Sam repeated. He froze, half-knelt down with his arms outstretched. They stared at each other for a long moment, water dripping into the child’s tired eyes. Another shiver hit, and then the little one jumped into his arms. “You’re okay. I’ve got you. You’re going to be just fine.”

Vaughn glanced toward the bar once more then back at Sam. “See you around, Sammy.” And then he hurried away, leaving Sam standing there with lube dripping out of his ass, finger-shaped bruises on his hips, and absolutely zero self-esteem. But hey, he’d kept his promise at least. Sam had indeed felt their fuck for a week. Of course, he’d felt like shit over Vaughn’s treatment for a lot longer than that.

Ollie leaned into him again and wrapped his arms around Sam’s neck. Sam couldn’t remember a time when he felt as weird as he did in that moment. His world would soon be shifting on its axis; he knew it deep in his core. The things he’d seen in the past few minutes weren’t part of some elaborate dream.

“You’ll be okay. I promised you, right?” Sam rubbed his hand over Ollie’s back, taking a moment to tuck the blanket more securely around him. “Yeah, but you’re just a human.” Sam had really lost his mind. Just a human. He’d definitely gone cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs.

“Okay, little man,” Sam whispered, “I’ve known Vaughn for a long time. If this is who you meant, he won’t hurt you either. Okay?” Sam hoped he wasn’t lying to the boy, but if he caught one glimpse that Vaughn wasn’t the man he thought him to be, if he thought for one single second Vaughn had ever hurt Ollie… but he knew in his heart it wasn’t the case.

Sam stepped closer. “Um, excuse me, but where do you think you’ll be moving? You aren’t taking him anywhere until I know what exactly is going on. And don’t try to pull your whole I’m Vaughn Jerrick and you’ll do what I say crap either. I deal with middle schoolers for a living, and I am immune to all forms of bossy bullcrap from people who think they know better than me.”

“I can’t let you come, Sam. This is pack business.” “Fine. Then I’ll call the police. I have no problem doing that. It’s my job as a teacher. I signed an oath and everything.” Vaughn growled, low and deep, and his eyes flashed blue once more. “Don’t threaten me.” “It’s not a threat. It’s a promise. Take me with you and let me make sure these kids are okay. Then you can plan on answering about a billion questions because my brain is kind of filling up with them as we speak.”

Sam couldn’t believe how bedraggled they all looked. He fought back tears at the state of them. Then he saw the boy who must be Ben. He’d stopped half way down the steps and was staring at Vaughn with such desperate fear and hope that Sam nearly lost control. The kid was well over six feet tall, but Sam only had to look at his face to realize how young he was. His eye was swollen nearly shut, and Sam couldn’t stand back any longer.

Sam’s arm was released, and he tore up the steps. Ben stood there looking so lost, clearly unsure of what to do. Sam could see the worried question in Ben’s eyes, though, so he went right up to him and pulled the boy into a hug. Ben’s breath caught, and he leaned down into the embrace. “You did well,” Sam whispered. “Ollie’s fine, okay? He’s just outside and he wants to see you.”

Sam watched for a second as the kids were reunited, the emotion of the moment nearly overwhelming him. Then he spun on his heel toward the woman who was glaring at them from the other side of the room. “Get out,” Sam demanded. “Leave. And don’t come back, or so help me God, I will find a way to end you.”

He stormed over to her and leaned into her space. “These kids are precious, and you have abused them horribly. You need to run and don’t stop. Because I fully intend to make sure you pay for this.” She spun around and stomped back toward a room at the back. Sam watched her go, only to see her appear a moment later with a purse in hand. “Take them,” she snarled. “See if I care.”

From the moment he was born, Vaughn had been destined to be the alpha of his pack. He’d been groomed for it from his first day on earth, but nothing could have prepared him for this moment. His instincts were running wild, both from the abuse he could see of the cubs huddled against him and from the magic still fluctuating wildly in the air. Then there was Sam. His feelings for Sam were…

It was the hardest thing he’d ever had to do, but he’d walked away from Sam that night and not looked back. He wouldn’t be able to bring Sam into their world, not without jumping through a lot of hoops that might not even work anyway. What he hadn’t expected was the surge of… rightness… he felt the moment he had seen Sam holding Ollie in his arms. In order to become pack, whether human or shifter, there was a process. An alpha had to completely accept the petitioner and hold them in his highest trust to allow them into their pack.

But with Sam, Vaughn didn’t need to wait. He knew. Sam was supposed to be part of his pack. Sam was supposed to be his. It made no sense, but Vaughn knew it to the very core of his being. He may not have realized the last time they were together, may not have understood then what his loss of control truly signaled, but he knew now.

He turned his attention to Sam, who was pacing around the room, scowling and mumbling at the shabbiness and lack of anything that denoted children actually existed here. If Sam had claws and fangs, they’d be out right now. The thought comforted Vaughn in a way he didn’t quite understand. An alpha’s mate, Vaughn’s mate, would be just that fierce and strong. Sam was everything he’d ever dreamed of.

“Okay, munchkins, we have a bit of work to do. I know you’re all tired, but real quick, why don’t we all go get anything that belongs to us that we really, really want to keep and bring it down here. No one will be by themselves, so don’t worry, okay? Your alpha and his pack aren’t going anywhere without you.” Ben nodded and leaned his head down onto the top of Sam’s head. It was the sweetest gesture of trust Vaughn had ever seen a shifter cub give a non-pack member and it reinforced his notion of belonging with Sam.

Once the kids were upstairs, Sam turned to him with haunted eyes. “I’m sorry I… I just need them out of here. I don’t mean to overstep or… We’ve got to get them out of here, Vaughn.” “We will. It’s okay, Sam. They’re going to be okay.”

His dad’s breath caught in his chest. “Multiple cubs?” “And different breeds. I know we have a bear and a fox. Three wolves. I think one of them is a magic user, but I can’t separate the scent of his magic from the magic at the house. We’re getting their stuff together now. Rachel is bringing food. I’m calling Meshaq next. This is bigger than us.” “Definitely call the hellhounds. Multiple cubs,” Stuart repeated, clearly as stunned as Vaughn felt. “Mom and I will be there when you get home. Anyone injured?” “Some bruising, from what I can tell. Probably a bit of malnourishment.” His dad growled again, the former alpha ready to tear into anyone who mistreated a cub.

These cubs had been without an alpha for Goddess knew how long, and it would be horrible for them to be without him right now. He knew better than most what trauma could do to a young cub, his role as a doctor for their kind having shown it to him more times than he cared to remember.

They ended the call, and Vaughn opened his contacts again. His thumb hesitated over the name in question. There weren’t many men who intimidated Vaughn. He was sure in his alpha power and knew he was one of the strongest of his kind. But next to Meshaq, he might as well be a cub as helpless as Ollie. He dialed the alpha of the hellhound’s number, though, because no matter what happened next, no one would hurt these kids again. And if he had to bring out the big guns to guarantee it, he would.

Meshaq’s enraged growl silenced him. “I’ll be there momentarily. Do not take the kids out of the house until I arrive.” The line went dead, and Vaughn let out a rumble of approval. He had no doubt the kids would be safe, and he downright pitied the magic users involved. There was a reason the hellhounds were the most feared of their kind. They were the guardians and the boogeyman all rolled into one fierce creature backed directly by the power of their goddess.

“It’s okay, Henry,” Vaughn said. He knelt down and lifted the boy into his arms as Meshaq and two of his pack members appeared within the flames. “They’re with us.” He glanced around and saw that all of the kids were huddled against pack members, trembling and afraid. Sam walked back into the room, and seeing Meshaq walking toward the door, he put himself between the kids and the newcomer. Vaughn felt a burst of pride at Sam’s lack of fear. He was never letting Sam out of his sight again. He’d find a way to make it work. He had to. He moved Henry to one side and reached out to pull Sam back against his chest. “It’s okay, Sam. I called him. He’s with us.”

Ollie was the first to break form. He crept up beside Sam and wrapped his arms around Vaughn and Sam’s legs. He peeked out from between them and looked up at the huge alpha. “I bet Stinky Foote would be really scared of you,” Ollie whispered. The awe in his voice was sweet, and Vaughn wasn’t the only one in the room affected by it. Meshaq knelt down in front of him and smiled. “She better be. What’s your name?” “Ollie. How come your eyes look like fire?” “Because I’m a hellhound. That’s what our eyes look like when we shift. What do yours look like?”

“Alpha Jerrick, would you mind if we accompanied you?” Vaughn shook his head. “I would be honored.” “Solomon, in the lead car. I’ll be with Alpha Jerrick and the children. Calli, rear guard. Nothing follows us, understood?” She nodded and made her way outside.

The pack members in the lead cars climbed out first. Meshaq opened his door and the sudden light made Ollie whimper and curl closer into Sam’s shoulder. He rubbed Ollie’s back slowly even as Vaughn got out and opened Sam’s door for him. He maneuvered his way out of the SUV with Ollie in his arms and waited for the rest of the kids to follow. Ben slid over and climbed out on Sam’s side as well, and then they all huddled near Sam like he had all the answers. He didn’t, but he spent all day, every day reassuring a classroom full of hormonal preteens, so he could handle a few anxious kids. All he had to do was stay calm, keep talking, and get them distracted.

Ben’s eyes were almost wild, and it broke Sam’s heart all over again. He walked over to the table and snagged a grape before popping it into his mouth. “Eat up. We’re going to sleep soon, so go ahead and eat what you want. Slowly, Natasha. We aren’t in a race.” Ben was waiting and watching the other kids, and Sam realized he was making sure they had enough first. He reached out and pulled the plate over to Ben before nudging his back. “Take three of each kind.” Ben looked up at him, but Sam put on his no nonsense teacher face. Ben blushed and looked down again, before doing as Sam asked and taking some of the fruit for himself.

Sam took the clothes over to the bathroom and changed. He washed his face and stared at himself in the mirror for a long moment. He tried to put the wall back up, the one that meant he’d be safe from Vaughn again, but his brain refused to cooperate. He was an idiot, plain and simple, and he should run for his life. But he wouldn’t leave the kids. They were his Achilles heel. Vaughn had him well and truly hooked and he didn’t even know it.

“Tomorrow, once I’ve slept and made sure this isn’t all some elaborate dream, I’d really like to ask those billion questions.” “And I will answer them.”

“You should get some sleep,” Joanne said. “It’s going to be a long day tomorrow and you’ll want to be rested.” “I’ll be fine,” Vaughn said. He glanced back to the kids as Ollie rolled over and curled against Ben. “We’ll stay up, son,” Stuart said softly. “You and your grandmother can take the breakfast shift in the morning. You do realize that she’s been asking the goddess for great-grandchildren, and her request may very well have been granted today.”

Vaughn couldn’t even begin to explain how complicated his feelings for Sam had become. He’d longed for someone strong to stand beside him, someone who didn’t bow to him simply because he carried the title of alpha. He longed for another alpha at his side, someone who was his equal. It wasn’t the typical longing of an alpha, but it was the desire of Vaughn’s heart. Seeing Sam in action, standing up to the woman who’d dared hurt the cubs, leading them all without hesitation even though they were hurt and afraid? How he’d stood up to Vaughn even though he’d seen things he’d not even known were possible? Sam should have been terrified, but instead he’d put himself between the cubs and Meshaq without hesitation, even though most shifters trembled in fear over the other alpha’s ferocious appearance. And that… that was what had Vaughn’s heart longing for more.

Maybe… maybe the impossible had happened. Maybe he’d found his true mate and through these cubs…children of his own.

Ollie peeked out and caught Sam’s gaze. “Hi, Sam,” he whispered. “Hey, little man. You hungry? Nana is going to make us some breakfast.” Ollie nodded and leaned over to press his forehead against Sam’s arm. Sam reached up and cradled his head for a moment. Vaughn caught his Nana’s soft sigh and looked over to see her wiping away a tear. He couldn’t even tease her about her soft heart because his was currently in his throat. He had never seen cubs open up to a human like this before. They were treating him like pack, like family, even after all they’d been through.

“I’ll make up a batch of my trail mix for snacks, and you can pick up more of that protein stuff you like before you work out.” “Nana, you aren’t—” “Be very careful how you finish that sentence, lovebug.” “Nana—” “I have been taking care of your house since you took over your father’s practice. I’ve been praying for more children for our pack and the goddess has answered my prayers. I will be helping care for them and don’t you try to take that away from me.”

“I don’t like green beans,” Ollie said. “I won’t be healthy or happy if I have to eat them. Ben says I have to eat my vegetables but you’re the alpha and you can tell him they don’t make me happy.”

He was thankful he’d been able to speak to Nana earlier. Her name was actually Jean, but she’d insisted Sam continue to call her Nana, supposedly so the kids didn’t get confused. The teasing twinkle in her eyes had told him she wanted him to call her Nana, too. He had a sneaking suspicion he’d managed to get himself unofficially adopted by her.

What even was his life? Because apparently over the course of one night, he’d learned werewolves were real, but were actually called shifters. They were mostly human and didn’t really have any super powers other than enhanced senses and strength. They weren’t Superman strong, but Nana had scoffed at the suggestion that anyone could be as strong as the man of steel. She’d also made a highly inappropriate comment about the size of Superman’s bulge then declared that if they didn’t want her to look at it, they shouldn’t put him in tight red underwear. It had taken everything in him not to burst out laughing and wake up the kids. Then she’d continued with her explanation like Sam wasn’t choking on his coffee.

“And we’re all going to head down to the clinic. By the time we’re done, Sam’ll be back, and then we’ll have some lunch. Sound like a plan?” They nodded, but they were obviously a bit worried, especially Ollie, who’d turned to look at Sam with a wobbly lip and teary eyes. “I’ll hurry, okay?” Ollie nodded and leaned into Vaughn. “Come back, Sam.” “I will, buddy. I promise.”

“I feel like one of my students. Maybe I should pass you a note? Oh, or maybe I can pass it to Brooks or Travis to pass to you? That’s the way it goes, right?” Sam chuckled and stared out at the yard, his mind wandering to all of the changes the past day had brought.

Who’d have thought he’d be sitting on Vaughn Jerrick’s porch, or that Vaughn would be some sort of superhero werewolf alpha, or that suddenly, Sam would meet six kids who would turn his world upside down.

“And what would your note say, Sam?” Sam wrinkled up his nose and huffed. “I’m going to plead the fifth on that one. I claim sleepiness and life changing revelations as my excuse.”

Sam trailed a little further behind, not really sure of what was about to happen but excited at the same time. What he hadn’t anticipated was for everyone to begin stripping. Vaughn helped Ollie down first, and the little guy was naked in thirty seconds flat. The other kids moved just as fast. And Vaughn. Sweet mother of all that was holy in the universe. Vaughn pulled his shirt over his head and dropped it on the ground. He toed off his shoes and unsnapped his jeans. Sam couldn’t look away. He couldn’t. Absolutely one thousand million bazillion percent was unable to take his eyes away from Vaughn’s body.

He held Ollie in one arm and ran his hand down the fox’s back with the other. Two more wolf cubs pounced on him next, and Sam went down in a pile of puppies so cute they should be illegal. He laughed as every available inch of his face was licked, and then he heard a sharp huff.

The moment Sam knelt in front of him, Vaughn’s world calmed and a feeling of complete and total rightness settled in his soul. His human’s heart was beating so fast.

He licked Sam’s neck, his first taste in this form, and it exploded on his tongue. Right. Mine. Mate. Joy.

Vaughn couldn’t help smiling again. In fact, he’d smiled more in the past day than he had in the past year. The situation wasn’t great and what happened to the cubs was horrifying to say the least, but for this moment, Vaughn had everything he’d ever dreamed of.

Vaughn chuckled again. “Seriously, how long was I upstairs? You guys could solve the world’s problems if left alone for more than an hour.”

Sam walked up behind him and they stood together in the doorway. Sam smelled like him, like the cedarwood and juniper body wash he preferred. Vaughn breathed it in, his wolf prancing once more. Mate. Mine. Happy.

I plan on romancing the hell out of you. I’m thinking wining, dining, and red roses level of romance.” “Yeah? And what are you planning to do with the six kids we’ve claimed while you’re executing Operation Romance Sam?” Vaughn scowled. “I’ll…they’ll… I’ll figure something out. I have a pack full of potential babysitters and several hundred former patients who’ve said things like ‘if there’s ever anything you need, anything we can do.’ I will take them up on those offers so fast your head will spin.”

“Sam,” Vaughn breathed. Their foreheads were still pressed together, their breath mingling. “I’ll prove it to you. However long it takes, whatever I have to do. I’ll make you see that you’re it for me. I promise you.”

Sam squeezed Vaughn’s hand where their fingers were still tangled together. “And alphas don’t break their promises,” Sam repeated. Something clicked into place, a tentative acceptance that Sam didn’t question even though rationally he knew he should. Pack magic. Alpha magic. Vaughn magic.