Novels by Ruth Coladonato

“Alpha Terrell?” a soft voice asked from behind the door. He stood, slowly making his approach. Terrell cracked the door open to see Danica standing outside on trembling legs. “May I come in?” Terrell opened the door just wide enough to allow the young lady into his room. As he turned to her, his wolf growled, panted and pawed to be released. He stopped f

Terrell's POV:Ican'thelp but stare at her. My brain keeps going numb with everything she tries on. The dress though, oh sweet heaven above. What a looker under that apron and untidy hair.But she keeps noticing me staring at her. I shouldjuststop. Shedoesn'tbelong to me by any means. But I can change that. I mean, a few words to Gavin,maybe athought or some border control agreement... Idon'tknow. I do know that I want her to come back to Stanford with me. Even if shedoesn'tstay. Just away from, well, this shit hole that I left so long ago.

Danica:Wait, what? Did I just hear that correctly? Alpha Terrell just asked me on a date?Where in the serious fuck did that come from? Am I dreaming? Oh good God, if I am, I never want to wake up!This is such a gorgeous dress. I really shouldn't be letting him buy it for me. The price tag, oh good sweet Jesus! Two thousand? What? Oh shit. I better step this up. “Alpha, I don't know that you should buy this dress,” I said, trembling as the words left my lips.“Too late,” Charley exclaimed, receipt in hand.My mouth gaped. Never before had someone just, well, done something without me asking for help, or even offering to make sure that I paid them back for it all.I didn't get a chance to protest whatsoever. Charley had me right back in the fitting room with a seamstress, ensuring every nook and cranny of my body came

Danica came down the stairs slowly after showering, listening carefully to conversation in the main hall. She tiptoed down the last step, hoping not to be heard or sniffed out.“A dress, for the dane?”“Yes, Charley, a nice one, like for church. You can get her two, just so she has an extra one for whatever. She might end up needin' it.”“And shoes? Or do you plan on her padding around in sneakers.”“Whatever. I gave her the credit card. Get her what she needs, but don't be stupid with the money. I got bills to pay, too.”“Uh-huh, sure.” Charley rolled her eyes at Gavin, knowing that the entire town supported the Alpha, and the Alpha family hadn't wanted for anything in almost 150 years.Danica came around the corner, her eyes turned down, and her hair pulled back in a neat ponytail. She looked up slightly only to see Charley waiting, impatiently.Charley stood about five foo

<Danica> I have no idea what just happened. It was lunch, and then, he was in my head. How? I didn't think that there would ever be a telepathic that close to me. Mom had always told me my touch was unique. I could think out loud, she would say, literally, and she meant. Sometimes, too loud I suppose. I never thought I would meet a wolf that was a telepathic either. A talker is one thing, but a shifter and a talker? What? My mind is whirling. He is so detrimentally handsome. I swear he might end up being the death of me. I also never thought I would end up cleaning slop and filth from these pathetic redneck slobbering coon hounds. That's all they really are to me, not even worthy of being called wolves. Oh I wish I could just sail away in the wind, like my mind does, like the world does around me. Leave here and never look back. It's almost like dreaming of being in a fairy tale re

Terrell: “Well, that went better than expected,” Jason said on the other end of the line. “Yeah, they weren't happy seeing Kyle on a gurney. But these nightmares. I think they're getting worse.” “I think you need to see a doctor to find what's causing them. It isn't something you ate is it? Maybe bad Chinese again? You remember that one time in college? Oh man, I thought you were never going to stop puking!” “Don't remind me, and no. I haven't eaten anything actually. Apparently they are having a big lunch for me here at the pack house. Kind of wish I had a personal food taster on hand.” “Just say the word, Alpha, and I will be there.” Terrell stayed quiet for a moment. A deep sigh left him. “No, let me do the thing. They need to trust me. Something about this other pack is looking for the iris.” “Iris died a long time ago,” Jason responded, confused. “That's what I said, but Gavin insisted that it wasn't

“Cayden,” Lytta said, after a moment of silence. Wyatt set down his drink. “What?” “Cayden was the first. Oh, he was such a charmer, a gorgeous beast of a man.” Lytta closed her eyes and hummed a small hmmm to herself. Wyatt nodded, waiting for her to continue. Lytta leaned back on the couch, her mind spinning and her eyes fluttering. “Come to me Wyatt. Let me show you.” She reached her hand out to him, beckoning him over. Wyatt looked over her, watching her closely. He stood carefully, still taking it all in, and slowly sat next to her on the couch. He reached for her hand, enclosing her fingers around his. A few flashes went across his eyes, bright, encompassing... *** The Countess’s POV We laughed so hard as he chased me across the school yard. This Cayden, I didn’t know what to think of him. Fast forward a few years, and we are still dating. It’s our anniversary, and he buys me the very first flowers from a boy. Violets. A small pot, not more than a two-cup holder. It was

Wyatt POV:Idon'tknow why, but everything felt perfect. Too perfect. It was like I needed to be here, my gut telling me everything was finally right with the world.But, like I said, it was too perfect. I usually trusted my gut, andnormally it was right. But something was off. It was sudden, too much so, and now I had this aching second guessing nerve thatwouldn'tjust go away.“Stop it,” I told myself. This was an opportunity of a lifetime. Research at my fingertips, anything I wanted to read, and more than I could ever read in a full life time. More history and artifacts than I could ever cross my mind with to even consider

Sheila:I was excited, almost too much for my own good. It was a dangerous feeling. Excitement and anything clouding my judgment was too risky. But I let her lead me away.She stood me in front of Keith, now shackled and sitting helpless on a lunge chair, twisting his body to comfort himself. I could still smell him, hear him, feel him.But my body was like ice. No feeling came to me, watching him lie there, writhing in pain under the irons.The Countess stood behind me, her breath heated against my neck and my ear. “You can smell him.”I nodded, standing above him. I was suddenly a dominatrix, ready to make him do my bidding, or beat it out of him. My knuckles flinched, familiarizing themselves with the temperature around them, expecting the punch to be gratifying.“Can you taste him?” she asked, her voice slithering into my mind.“No,” I said, begrudgingly.She brough

Sheila's POV:I kept my eyes shut as long as I could. My hear twas racing. I could feel every hair on my arms standing on end in excitement. Finally, the one dream. I had studied The Countess for years. I knew her backstory, I knew her financial history. I was pretty sure I knew more about her than anyone in the world could know besides she herself.But, I wasn't fully prepared for what lie beyond that glorious beveled door. It was like opening a gilded cage, with the most beautiful of sing song birds waiting to explode from it. I almost couldn't hold in my anticipation.I felt a hand at the small of my back, pushing ever so slightly. I was being led in. I wanted to turn my head and look at Wyatt. I was hoping that he had the same excitement as I did. But, I dared not disobey her orders. Cover your eyes, she had told me. I didn't want to change a thing. The thrill was so much, and I knew what I was getting into.“Open your eye

This wasn't your average apartment. It was a house within a house. Everywhere you looked, history lined its walls.Paintings of the American Civil War lined around one room. In another, the Renaissance. The kitchen had a wood burning stove rather than a conventional, and the sink was a pump arm rather than a straight pull tap. I was giddy with the sight, my dreams unfolding in front of my eyes. I couldn't help but sit down, the sights making my head spin so much that I felt nauseous.I realized I had taken a seat in none other than a couch pulled straight out of the 1920s. It was straight-backed, with its tan velvet delicately restored. The deep colored wooden frame accented it well, with gold embellishments on every corner and foot.It was then that I noticed the Oriental rugs and room separators. The rugs were specifically chosen for the room, a balance of blues and browns that evened out the entire space. The separators were hand embroidered with Chinese lili

Her hips swayed back and forth like a lazy pendulum and the end of a Newton's cradle. Her hair moved with her, brushing across her back and her shoulders. Her footsteps were soft, unwilling to go faster than what they were, almost completely inaudible.And I couldn't take my eyes off of her.Sheila walked a step behind the Countess as if she were the Queen of England herself. She followed her, listening carefully to every word the Countess spoke. It wasn't until the Countess turned to look at me that I realized I hadn't heard a word she had said this whole time.“What do you think, Wyatt?”I snapped back to reality. “I'm sorry. I've been taking in, well, everything. This place is like one giant museum after another.”“Yes,” she said, smiling big. It was the first time I saw her teeth in a full smile. They were brilliantly bright, unscathed by wine, smoke or nicotine. It took my breath away.“Now, it