The van was almost to the trees when Kyle made his decision. "Destroy a tire on each van and get back up on the hill. Stay away from them."
Rosette struck like a snake, clawing the tires on the driver's side. She moved so fast she was just a white blur with claws. Quickly, she darted up the hill.Anthony and his group joined her near the top, closing ranks around her silently. They had no other reinforcements, so they just waited.The rogues jumped out of the disabled vans. Several tried to bring the Omegas they had kidnapped with them. The girls knew they were close and continued to fight as best they could.Rosette wanted to help them, to run down the hill and slay the monsters that had kidnapped her pack. But she waited for Kyle. He was right; she would lose this fight.Anthony seemed to sense her distress and comforted her softly. "The girls will be fine," he said, "the rest of the pack will get here in time." Rosette hoped he was right.The rogues regrouRosette walked beside Kyle, growling at every stray leaf that blew past them. Despite his reassurances, she was still agitated, struggling to regain her composure. The warriors instinctively kept their distance, sensing her unpredictable mood. Kyle noticed her distress but didn't try to force her to calm down."Get Dee's truck," he instructed Ethan. "Have one of the men from the docks drive it down here and pick up the remains. I'm sure one of them knows how to handle a semi. We'll take the remains to the circle and burn them.""Dee doesn't own the trailer," Rosette argued, her voice laced with frustration. "Whoever she was hauling for would own the trailer part. We can't use it to transport dead bodies."Her thoughts were jumbled, her frustration simmering. She felt agitated, craving a release, even if it meant picking a fight with Kyle."Shift," Kyle commanded, turning to face her. "We will speak in our human form."Kyle shifted, standing before her, waiting. R
Rosette walked to the passenger side of the truck and slid into the seat as Dee climbed in on her side. They locked the doors and waited.They sat, feeling the truck shift and sway as the back was loaded. A wolf stood outside Rosette's door, guarding it, and she could see the same arrangement on Dee's side."He's a controlling prick," Dee fumed, staring straight ahead. "I've taken care of myself for a long damn time. I don't need to be treated like a child.""He'll get a little better once you've been changed," Rosette offered, trying to soothe Dee's frustration.Rosette knew how Dee felt. Kyle had initially come across as smothering in his protectiveness. It had taken some getting used to. She decided to change the subject, as this discussion was only going to aggravate Dee further."The boys said you came into money and started trucking. What happened that made you start doing this for a living?" Rosette asked, hoping to steer the conversation in a different di
Rosette delved into Kyle's mind, sifting through his memories and understanding of pack dynamics. Rick was in trouble because he had prioritized his own needs over those of the pack. Kyle felt Rick should have alerted them as soon as he saw the rogues."April is pack," Rosette communicated to Kyle. "She is the most vulnerable member of the pack. If the rogues had found her, we would have lost her for good. He came to us as soon as he could, but he should have been able to call out to someone in their wolf form."Rick seemed to lack any connections within the pack. Rosette realized this was because, unlike his adopted brothers who had made new friends, he stayed in the infirmary watching over April constantly."You make a valid point," Kyle mused. "Rick spends too much time in this infirmary doting on his mate. He has not taken the time to fully integrate with the pack.""I think it would be counterproductive to punish him for protecting April," Rosette suggested. "Yo
"I know Dominick, he's not that big as a wolf. You really went with just him.""Dom doesn't need to be big, love," Kyle growled. "I trained him to fight. He's fast, like you, and he listened to my lessons. He's a lethal warrior and he always finds what he's hunting. Now do you want to know what he found?"Rosette placed a hand over Kyle's naked hip and pulled him closer. "Tell me the whole story," she demanded."I was right to think we had missed some. Dominick found the trail right away. There were six of them still on our land. They had set up an ambush," Kyle said slowly, thrusting his hips against her. "Fools thought they knew the lay of my territory better than I did."It never struck her to worry about Kyle, but she suddenly realized she should. "You were outnumbered," she stated, trying to wiggle around and look at him. "Were you hurt?"The sharp tug at her nipple returned, and she realized he was upset with her."Of course not," he scoffed, rolling he
Rosette was less than ten feet from the bed now. Spreading her knees wide, she sat back on her heels. Her fingertips traced from her knees up the play at the crease at her thighs. Her sensitive ears heard Kyle's breath hitch slightly.The show was working, so she kept going. Lightly, she tickled her belly and up her ribs. Bypassing her breasts, she ran her fingers along her collarbones and up her neck. To top off her performance, she tilted her head back to display her neck submissively. She allowed her hands to fall back down and rest behind her while pressing her chest out.Kyle sat up and threw his legs off the bed. Rosette grinned inwardly. It was a game in her mind, and she was winning. He'd come off the bed and get her any minute."That's a pretty picture to put in front of me, my love," he said softly, "but I see the defiance in your eyes. You don't think you can fool me, do you? I know what it looks like when a wolf submits to me, and you aren't."Bastard. Ro
Rosette leaned back against the bed, her hips tilted towards Kyle. "So, we can relax now, right? No more death threats, no more potions, everything's back to normal?"Kyle finally emerged from between her thighs, a wide grin spreading across his face. He'd been licking her, his tongue a warm, insistent presence. "If by normal, you mean we're now traveling with our human guests to every pack I have contact with, then yes, it's normal. We have to protect them, mate them if we can, or at least change them. It's going to be months before we get this mess sorted out. Every pack in the country will be doing the same thing. It's going to be an enormous hassle," he groaned, his gaze lingering on Rosette's slick folds. "I'd much rather be doing this.""April already found a mate," Rosette said helpfully. "That's one down.""Wonderful," Kyle sighed, stroking her hips. "Now we just have to help her go through the change. After that, it still leaves us with four more in this pack an
Rosette smiled at Juniper and Roel after the women left. She thanked them quietly for their help and left so they could continue Juniper's bath.The rescued women huddled in Donna's room, whispering amongst themselves. After a few minutes, Rosette gave in to her instincts and called Rick down. He sat with them for several hours, working through their fears.He truly was amazing when it came to dealing with their psychically injured humans. Absently, Rosette wondered what the other packs were doing with their rescued women, perhaps the same things. Hopefully, all packs had a person like Rick they could turn to.The pack continued to be wound up about the impending visit of the human females. It made being upstairs in the den a hectic place. Fights broke out over nothing, and Kyle was constantly reprimanding someone. Rosette made a point to keep herself out of it all and stayed resolutely downstairs.Soon, even her sanctuary was dragged into the mating frenzy. Juniper
The unmated wolves were abuzz with excitement and anticipation for the upcoming meetings with the human women. The den was alive with a palpable energy, impossible to ignore. The first group of women was being brought to them by Cedric Benson, Will's father. He and his pack had found them while clearing out rogue dens in their territory. Much like the women Rosette's pack had rescued, they were being kept and claimed by the packs. Every effort was being made to find them mates. The pack was convinced that these women belonged in the werewolf world. They were seen as a treasure trove for the unmated, everyone believing they would be special and unique. The whole thing had confused Rosette before Kyle explained. Wolves worked with humans every day, most of them. It wasn't like they'd never seen a human before. Rosette couldn't understand what made these humans different. What she didn't grasp was the core of their belief system. The wo