Lisa’s POVTo say I wasn’t shocked by what was happening inside was shocking in itself. Then there was Michael, the powerful Alpha King, and a man I feared. He spirited me away as they were on the point of leaving, bypassing the alcove I’d expected him to secrete us in and heading for the stairs leading to the upper level.I knew only too well what was up there yet I was trying to block the fact out of my mind.Glancing back, I saw Miss Chase in her underwear and, just for a second, I envied her.It was beginning to dawn upon me that Jake was a no-good hustler and womaniser. Why hadn’t I seen it before?“What about lunch?” I murmured, as the Lycan unlocked the door to a room with a view.I was relieved to discover it wasn’t a bedroom. Nor did it contain a gaggle of harem women.“Let’s talk first,” he said.“May I have a glass of water? My throat gets very dry.”“Help yourself, Lisa.”Of course, he would have a fridge, even in an otherwise almost empty room like this one.“Can I get yo
Amy’s POVAriadne was only the messenger, but I was really tempted to shoot her if we ever met in the flesh. I made a joke to that effect which fell flat as she informed me that, not only did the boss lady want an update, Agatha wanted to meet me. It appeared an important timeline was coming up – as if I didn’t know! – after which it may not be possible to address the gender question properly.Not that the subject wasn’t dear to my heart, but I had other issues now, and feelings I was trying to suppress for my own peace of mind.Now that I had been elevated to the position of housekeeper, not only did I take my new duties very seriously, I was allowed time off to visit the market if I so wished. It was an unexpected perk which Selene hadn’t seen fit to quash yet, but give her time once she was Luna in truth.I waited for Agatha in the small coffee shop on the outskirts of town. She was just as Ariadne had described with tinted brown hair cut short and half-moon glasses.“Progress?”He
Jake’s POVMy little interlude with Diana hadn’t gone down well. It led me to wonder if the Lycan had installed a security system of his own. Or had someone do it for him. It was a strange set-up here. I knew packs varied from place to place but this one was unique. Perhaps it was a Lycan thing.After banging her several times on the carpet and once against the wall, it left no time to watch that film from earlier. And I had balked at being recorded by an electronic eye, so that all I had were memories. Satisfying ones, though.Being summoned by the Alpha King was irritating yet I had to appease the guy who was still waiting for his particular treat. The delectable Miss Chase obviously wasn’t enough for him and, if there was a whole floor full of mistresses, I had yet to discover it – and them. They dined separately, if they dined at all.That led me to think about Mina. She was one exotic creature and the danger was an added spice.Michael Satyr came straight to the point. We were re
Amy’s POVReality was kicking in and I was feeling increasingly down as the days went by. Chrissy must have noticed my glumness but she never said a word. That was probably why I didn’t flaunt my bond with Jarvis. Well, one reason anyway. I was convinced she liked him, at the very least. Misha had gone into an almighty sulk. I felt bad for her. These days we were like separate entities.Though she hadn’t been with me for long it felt like forever.Examining that feeling, I realised we needed each other. That part of it had never been in doubt.After the mating ceremony, I’ll talk to Jarvis.There was no reply until later when I was washing up. Don’t ask. I had to do something with my hands.Felix doesn’t believe you.And that was all.A pack warrior I knew vaguely by sight approached me in the kitchen. Somehow, I didn’t feel apprehensive; the housekeeper uniform was like protective armour. Being Alpha Kane’s slave should have protected me unless he decreed otherwise but I had my doubt
Lisa’s POVDiana came to see me not long after my conversation with Michael. By now I was starving and also enraged by her bare-faced cheek. Then I wondered if he’d put her up to it.She was the bearer of welcome gifts in the form of sandwiches, fruit and caffeine.“No salad, I’m afraid,” she said.I was touched that she’d remembered until I recalled the circumstances surrounding me saying it which had led to my frustration and Jake’s notching up yet another conquest.Inviting her in, I decided to be gracious. This was her family’s place, after all. Dare I ask how the Alpha King had come to be living here? Maybe not, once. But this was a new me, newly awakened to the way I perhaps should have behaved all along.As I munched my way through the first one, which contained grated cheese and sliced tomato, I was grateful enough to unbend even more.So I made the first move, the opening gambit as they say in chess.“I’m trying to make up my mind what to do for the best.”The beauty sitting
Kane’s POV I kept looking at Grandmother’s list. When I was sober. Should I put Elaine through her paces? I was sure Selene would want to participate, which would remove all the enjoyment. Sadly, my Luna-in-waiting wasn’t on there. Maybe she didn’t have enough brains. Though the warrior from the Black Hills pack seemed equally as stupid as the one-time head Omega. Equilibrium was now restored; there was no chief among the lowly. Elaine had abused her position and I would give no-one else the opportunity to do the same. Chrissy would no doubt have been fair-minded, yet I knew she wouldn’t have relished being in charge and would be open to abuse from the very peers from whose ranks she had risen. They would get away with murder, like someone already had. Or would do when Dorothy breathed her last. The old Luna was hanging in there. I didn’t visit her so often these days; it pained me to see her like that, whether or not she had played me false. Correction: nobody was getting away wit
Jake’s POVI went to see the Alpha King about the man and the girl. It was probably a stupid thing to do. I wanted to get back into his good books and if he didn’t know about these two, it might pave my way.He was sitting in the library, perusing a great tome concerning wildlife, or so it seemed. Actually, underneath that, was a book about Vlad the Impaler. I misread the last word and made a crass remark which he might have expected about antelopes not being readily available in the States other than pronghorns.The Lycan just stared at me with those reddening eyes before showing me the book’s cover. I have to say those fangs were much larger than Mina’s.“I’ve made a discovery,” I said.He sighed. “Was the key in the lock? I’ve told Diana about that before.”So he did know about this pair.“Who are they?”The look he gave me told me I was pushing it. I held his gaze for as long as I could.Eventually, he waved an airy hand, still concentrating on his biography. “Relatives of Diana a
Amy’s POVKane dismissed me soon after my faux pas. I’d meant no disrespect about his parents’ relationship but he was easily enraged these days.It couldn’t be for the same reason as me, surely? Though my mood swings had to be curbed. I wasn’t an Alpha female yet.The packhouse was a busy place right now and full of shifters wanting their own way and to be informed of the best places to run.It wasn’t just the visiting Alphas who were annoying, their Lunas were equally as bad. There would be even more tomorrow, the day of the party, though at least they wouldn’t want accommodation.Everywhere was spotless, I had seen to that whether personally or by supervising the Omegas and maids designated as cleaners. There was just one place to which none of us had any access, including Kane, and that was his pleasure room.Who had taken the key, and why?Well, it wasn’t any of the Omegas and I was working my way through the maids. All this wide-eyed innocence in terms of being a thief was makin
Kane’s POV It soon became clear that Miss McGregor wasn’t a rogue she-wolf. She explained that she’d been heading back to her pack above the border in Canada when her car got a flat. Jake had offered her a lift when he spotted her hitchhiking. She said he’d been on his own and never mentioned another female. I would question him later. Expecting my Luna to burst through the door and start what the humans called a cat fight, I can’t say I was disappointed when she didn’t. After a brief lecture on how lucky Miss McGregor was not to be considered guilty by association, I stood up and looked her in the eye. “You can go,” I announced. She cocked her head on one side, regarding me critically, and I knew it wouldn’t be quite so easy to dismiss someone like her. Not without proceeding to formally reject her. Faith Isla McGregor beat me to it, not even hesitating over my surname and the name of my pack. I couldn’t believe the nerve of that she-wolf. It didn’t seem to cause her much pain,
Lisa’s POVI was pleased to see my brother so happy and even unbent enough to invite Amy to tea. Kayleigh was there, moping a little, but she brightened up when she saw the Luna. Noah was supervising the border guards. Again. I’d pouted a lot until he told me Kane was thinking of appointing another Delta.He swore me to secrecy afterwards, but Amy knew. Of course, she would.“Does this mean there will be two Alphas again?” I asked, when my daughter was paying a visit to the bathroom.“No chance,” she said. “But it’s cool. Kay looks much better.”“Do you think so? I wish she would cheer up.”“She’s been through a lot.”Did the Luna think I didn’t know that?“Have a scone. Fresh from Ray’s bakery.” My visitor hesitated. “Go on. Take one at random. I haven’t poisoned them all,” I joked. To prove that, I selected one with blueberry jam inside and took a small bite. “Mm, delicious. I don’t know why I didn’t think of commissioning your stepfather to bake my daughter’s special cake.”“He’s n
Kane’s POV“If I’ve won, I want you to … ”Amy whispered the rest.“What? No way,” I said, and went on to issue a stern warning.Just for a second there I was tempted to cheat, claim she'd lost. Until –“Be nice,” she hissed, putting emphasis on the second word and fiddling with the knot on her blindfold.I watched her struggle for a while – why didn’t she just lift the whole thing over her head? – before going across to the monitor and calling up the incriminating evidence.“You won’t like it,” I warned her, again.That had been a part of my reply when she said, “Show me the footage of you and Omega Sharon. All of it.”As if there had been other encounters in the past.The truth was laid bare, making her huff with contempt.“Satisfied, Luna?”“I thought as much. She was faking it. On your orders?”“Yeah,” I managed, feeling like I’d just crawled out from under a rock and couldn’t find my way back there.Exposed, just like Amy, yet in a very different way.“She must have told everyone
Amy’s POVIt soon became apparent that Jake was lost to us. I missed Ingrid, too. Was he treating her right? I hoped so.Mom was inconsolable for a whole week and then, in typical Velma fashion, she moved on. That must have been something to do with Ray. One for the homilies, he was. She kept twittering on about my brother making his own way in the world.As far as I was concerned, he’d always been rogue material.I was biding my time to catch Kane off guard and then I would strike. In the nicest possible way, of course.It wasn’t long before we were back to sharing the same bed again. His hands kept straying to my tummy. So much for emergency contraception.I’d been feeling really sick in the mornings, something I’d not experienced much the last time around. Making him wait fit in well with my plan.Coaxing him back to our quarters that afternoon, I had a surprise in store in the form of a new game.This time, my intention was to win, though I allowed him a say in the ‘rules’ we were
Lisa’s POVSomething was off about the atmosphere in the nursery. Dan usually got the blame but this seemed different. Even more unwholesome, if that was the right word to use about my only nephew.I didn’t visit the pups with my daughter any more. She was sensitive and tended to kick off if she knew we were going there.Noah and Kayleigh were closer than ever. I tried not to resent their easy relationship while I had to work at it. Maybe she sensed my annoyance and that was why she clung to the Delta when he came home to us. Or could it be that because I was always around she missed him more?I told myself that was it even though it bugged me. A lot.Picking up Dan’s rattle one day, I felt a surge of power. Static electricity, I thought. It didn’t plug in, that was for sure.He went ape until I gave it back to him.Dora wasn’t like that. She didn’t seem to mind when he took her toys off her. Maybe she was in awe of him – or frightened. I couldn’t be sure and knew better than to menti
Amy’s POV The pups were hard work but I became engrossed in what was mainly pandering to their needs. It gave me time to think. I didn’t miss the decisions I had to make, the daily squabbles which had to be sorted between maids and Omegas. They were trivial in the scheme of things. It made me smile to think of the Alpha dealing with petty rows about dirty looks and the more serious allegations of slacking, which tended to be unfounded for the most part. Some of the older servants had heart conditions and they needed more regular breaks. If he reinstated punishment in what had been CC’s room I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night in that same bed. Yet I couldn’t stop him. I had no say and wouldn’t be aware of anything like that given that I was stuck here for the most part, even for meals. He deserves to know. Misha, now’s not a good time. Do it. Or Rhett will tell him. Are you threatening me? My wolf didn’t answer, retreating to sulk, presumably. I knew she was right. The
Amy’s POVSomething was going on. Something I didn’t understand. People were murmuring to each other and occasionally gazing at me. Was I paranoid? This had happened to a human at school, all because she had a fondness for snacks between meals.Suzie’s a renowned pie maker these days. At least she was.They’re not sniggering any more.Someone asked Chrissy in a loud voice if there was any Sharon fruit, to general titters. I didn’t get the joke. At least not until later when she knocked on the door to our Suite.I was tossing and turning in what had been the pleasure room.“You sent for me, Alpha Kane. And here I am.”“Give me a twirl,” I heard him say.What? I wanted to jam the pillow over my head, but I was curious.“Do you like it? I sewed it myself in my spare time.”“Very fetching.”There he went again with those old-fashioned words. Was I the catalyst, being around Mina and not ‘suffering’ myself. Still, I was proud of my extensive vocabulary so perhaps it was less noticeable wit
Kane’s POVCC told me more than once that a good whipping would convince anyone not to re-offend. I didn’t subscribe to that notion. My belief was that discipline should be relative.Amy had failed as a Luna when she allowed the rogue she-wolf to abduct her without a fight. I intended to pit her against Lori, an up and coming female warrior, who had once shot her by mistake. That should serve to punish both of them.Maybe I would sell tickets, for charity of course.My Luna had betrayed me by succumbing to my former Beta’s kiss. At the same event, maybe I could have my pack members – men and women – line up to claim her lips. Standing up for hours, hungry and thirsty, her mouth swollen and parched. That would teach her.And now I had found the blister pack containing something which fuelled my fury yet further.A public whipping seemed highly appropriate.I knew I would put her through none of the above. She had always been mine to ruin.If it wouldn’t hurt our twin girls I would have
Kane’s POVIf I had to absorb Blaylock, surely Garrett would help me control him? I could only hope. Asking Rhett would just depress me, because I already knew the answer.My priority was to rescue my cousin’s girl. We had a date to watch a movie for fuck’s sake. And Noah would surely not survive a prolonged invasion even though he’d been doing better recently. I needed my Delta and Kayleigh needed her stepdaddy.As for Lisa, words failed me. Her scream had alerted us and yet she must have been the one to lure the mage upstairs. My guess was she’d visited the lab and seen him.I was hoping to save him, too, if only by hosting the Lycan wolf once more. Though the mage was way down the pecking order. Probably last.In fairness, it didn’t seem as if Amy and Jarvis were lovers or even planning to be. Yet the crisis had elevated a level. Maybe they were just biding their time.I knew I couldn’t afford to think like that once Blaylock was in situ. The ancient Lycan would probably pounce on