After a few minutes, I slapped away her hand. “I’m good.” “I suppose….” Nora frowned, but put away the makeup sponge. Heath held out his arm for her. She accepted, but Luca just wrapped his arm around me and kept me against him as we walked into the restaurant. “Welcome! Did you have a reservation?” The hostess asked.“Yes, under Hudson.” Luca’s voice was full of authority and a hint of danger. The way the hostess gave him a double look made my skin crawl. “Yes…um, right this way.” Heath followed her with Nora as we trailed behind. “Jealous?” “Nope, I can take her.” Luca smirked at that but didn’t comment further. “Is this okay?” She asked as Heath pulled out a chair for Nora. “Yes.” I said, shortly as Luca did the same for me.She nodded and walked away quickly. “This is a nice place.” Nora said and looked around. The black stretchy table clothes looked amazing, with the low lighting and good accents. Soft music was playing in the background, making this a very romantic settl
“No. We are not discussing it here. Tonight is about letting loose and having fun. We are done talking about it.” Luca slammed his napkin down a little too hard and got up. We watched him make his way to the bathroom. “I’m sorry.” Nora sighed. Heath and I shared a look. “It’s fine.” The mood definitely shifted. I could tell Heath was alert and in beta mode. “Let’s just relax and enjoy…. look, it’s our food.” “Excuse me.” Heath stood up and walked towards the bathroom. Smiling at the staff that laid our food out, it all smelled good. “Thank you.”“Is there anything else I can get you?” She was a tiny thing.“No, thank you.” I said as she smiled and walked off.“Should we wait?” Nora looked towards the bathroom. Feeling the anger festering in Luca, I figured it would be a minute before he came back. “No.” Nora sighed, but started cutting her steak. I was surprised when I saw Luca and Heath walk out. Watching Luca walk over to me like he was going to eat me was enough to put the fi
Climbing on top of him, his hands lifted up my skirt and squeezed my ass hard. “Fuck, woman…” he groaned. I could feel just how hard he was under me.It was my turn to put my hand around his neck. Pushing his head back, my teeth left marks all the way down to his collarbone. Still, I wanted him to be begging me. Pushing off him, he tried to grab a hold, but I slipped out just in time. “Just enjoy the show.” I teased as my hand wrapped around the pole. I had never danced to someone before. Still, it was something Nora and I practiced for when we found our mates.Luca dropped his arms on the back of the couch. His eyes glued to me as I moved. Each movement caused a new sensation in Luca that kept me going. He unzipped his pants, freeing his dick. I watched as he stroke his dick. Lighting a fire in me, I moved over to be within arm’s reach of him.Kneeling down, I took his dick in my mouth. His body tensed under me. His legs going straight out as he let out a growl.Still, I wasn’t sa
“I think that is wise.” Alpha Hunter nodded in approval. “You two need to take off.” “What about Lucy?” I asked, quietly. “Oh…” Alpha Hunter looked at Luca. “Let’s go.” Ready or not, it was time to face reality. Keeping my head held high, my eyes landed on the screen before I turned and walked out. “Demi!” Luca tried to get me to wait but I didn’t. “Please… I just need…” I tried to find the right words, but nothing was coming. “I understand.” Luca replied. I could feel his hurt, but there was understanding in his voice. We walked through the forest until we came to the training ground. A large pole stood in the middle with pack members gathered around. A warrior had ahold of Lucy’s arm. “Please! I’m sorry!” She cried as we walked up. Heath walked up beside me as Luca moved into place. “You tried to seduce me. Sent inappropriate text and wore this outfit to entice me, do you deny it?” His command made her fall to her knees.“No! I love you!”“I sentence you to ten lashes.” Luc
“You’re not every talkative right now.” Nora brought the attention to me. I could feel Luca look down at me.“Being pretty quiet.”“That’s what not talkative means.” “Please? I’m your friend. Tell us how you feel?”“A friend? Does a friend spike your drink without your knowledge?” I frowned at her.“You told her?” She had the audacity to look angrily at Luca.“No!” I hissed. “I was fucking pole dancing until I blacked out. That has you written all over it!” Nora’s head snapped back as she laughed at my expense. “You did not…” Laying my head back down, I just ignored her. “Bitch.” I could feel Luca’s silent amusement through our bond. Honestly, I didn’t know what I felt and sure as hell wasn’t going to talk to her about it. How are you supposed to feel after being outted and then put on display? Thankfully, our food came. Nore did pick a good lunch for me, not that I’d ever tell her. Still, I wasn’t that hungry. After a few bites, I pushed my plate away and folded my arms. Avoidin
The car slowly came to a stop. No one said a word until Luca put his hand on my shoulder. “Demi? We’re here.” My heart instantly started racing as I opened my eyes. They landed on massive letters on top of a huge building. POLICE STATION. As I sat up, a big guy walked out of the police station. His eyes met Luca, making Luca clench his jaw. “Heath.” He said in his alpha tone. I could sense the danger, but Luca was more annoyed than anything else. “Alpha Luca.” The man smiled at Luca as he stepped out. Heath was out of the car and around to my side in an instant. “Alpha Winston. I didn’t expect to see you here. Where is Alpha Jared?” “He’s inside. I wanted to walk you guys in.” “Perfect. Well, you know my beta Heath?” Health opened my door for me. Getting out, Nora was right beside me. “That is my sister Nora and my mate….”“Demi Rose….” Alpha Winston’s eyes drilled into mine. “I still can’t believe you are alive.” “It’s nice to see you again, Alpha Winston.” “Even as a child y
It was a bracelet with three initials on it. “Oh… my…” my hands shook as I touched each bead. “I still have mine.” Jared showed me his wrist. The blue and green beads were faded, but it held strong. “Angie and Heather. Did you find theirs?” Jared rubbed the back of his neck. “Demi… I don’t know how to say this.” “Say what?”Jared looked over at his dad. After nodding, his dad turned and walked out of the room. “We found Heather. She was hiding in the woods. They had sliced her open, but we saved her.” A moment later, the door opened. A very tall, skinny girl with long black hair walked in. “Heather….” She stood still for a few moments before she ran to me. “Demi!” Tears were falling down her face. “I’m so sorry.” “Angie’s alive.” The words were out of my mouth before I even realized I had said them. “What?” She leaned back as Jared grabbed my arm. “We found her in the woods yesterday. We have her in a medically induced coma, but she’s alive.” The door opened as Nora stepped
“She isn’t wrong.” Jared sighed. He went to put his arm around me, but stopped. “Sorry.” Shoving his hands in his pockets, he gave me a small smile as I followed him out. “Does Luca hate me?”“No. He just wants me to be okay.”“Are you?”“Not even a little.” I muttered as we walked outside. “If it is okay with you, Nora will ride with me.” Jared looked at Luca.“She’s a big girl and can make her own decisions.” Luca still looked like he needed to punch someone. Walking to my door, he opened it up for me. Jared sighed and walked to his truck. Nora was waiting for him with an expression I couldn’t read.Heath let Heather get in the back before he stood and waited for me to get in. Luca watched me as I stopped in front of him. Grabbing his chin, I pulled him down for a soft kiss. His emotions lost some of their edge, but that was it. “Get in.” He cleared his throat and looked around. “Yes, Alpha.” I said in the mind-link before getting in. Luca slammed the door shut a little too hard
“How about us old folks leave you youngsters to enjoy your evening? Enough of this talk. Tonight was about letting loose and celebrating Demi.” Luna Callie smiled at me. She walked up and gave me a hug before giving Luca a hug. “So proud of you, son.” “Thank, mom,” Luca muttered as he let her go. Everyone followed their lead and exited the study, except for my group of friends that seemed to be growing.“Well….” Veronica stood up and walked over to the bar. “I think you need a drink.” The door flew open and a very devilish looked Amelia and Reese walked in. Her lipstick was smeared, their cheeks were flushed and their clothes wrinkled. “What did we miss?” Everyone was quiet for a moment before we busted up laughing. “Should have just stayed in bed.” Veronica glared at Amelia as she handed me my drink. “Congradulations.” I said, holding my drink up to them. “We… um… we lost track of time and um…” Amelia tried to straighten out her dress.“Got fucked hard in the closet?” Grim finis
Luca let out a warning growl to Cal. Cal didn’t like it but he pulled Becca beside him and whispered something in her ear. “In my time in the woods, I learned many things. One of which… the legends we grew up learning are partly true. There are creatures out there, just like she described. I know everyone has felt them. Especially if you live around here. All the stories of not whistling…. we all heard them.” Everyone nodded and looked at each other. “That’s what killed your pack?” Alpha Xavior looked pissed. “No. I didn’t say that.”“What are you saying?” He was shaking in anger, but I could feel it wasn’t directed at me. “Luca and I were looking around my pack. Trying to decide what to do with it, moving forward. Do I rebuild? Flatten it or build something else? Let the land sit? We heard a growl and looked over to see rogues. We ran…” I looked at Grim. “… jumped off the cliff.” He smirked at that. “However, we spend the night. We managed to get into a fight and I got sprayed wit
Grim’s smile faded. “That was the last time I saw you. The guilt that consumed me…” He looked at me and was a completely different person. “I am so sorry. If I would have know…” “It’s okay. Can’t change it now.” Shrugging, his shift in moods was bringing down the vibe.“Just known…” his eyes locked on Luca’s. “… we will be behind you guys. Where ever that takes us.” Luca nodded in response just as Cal walked in. “Hey, it’s time for our meeting. Some people are ready to go to bed and want to discuss tomorrow before they do.” I looked back at Luca. His jaw tightened as he looked into my eyes. “Let’s get this over with so we can get back to our fun,” Grim announced, bring the vibe back up… or trying to. Grabbing Peggy, he scooped her up and lead the way.“PUT ME DOWN!” Peggy screamed as Veronica walked back in. Her eyes darted to them and back at us. “What did I miss?” I got close to her. “We are going to make that man shit his pants tonight. Understood?” Simon cracked a smile, but
It didn’t take long for everyone to finish eating and the tables to be cleared for the dance. Luca was standing around talking with some guys when I felt someone pull on my finger. Looking back, Heather was motioning for me to follow her… quietly. Glancing back at Luca, he was deep in conversation. Only Reese seemed to notice our exchange. Putting my finger to my lips, I hoped he would be quiet as we snuck away. Giggling like I was a child again, we ran to the kitchen and out a back door. The girls were there with some cake and a fresh box of cigars. “How many did you bring?” I asked, as I accepted the plate from Peggy. There were even a few girls that I didn’t recognize. “Don’t worry about it.” Veronica waved my concern off. “Why is this a secret?” Becca looked around as she finished her piece. “It’s not a secret…” Veronica rolled her eyes. “More of something we do at events. Just sneak away and enjoy some fun.” “Not very sneaky.” I heard him before I felt him. His hands snaked
Heather and I looked up to see a man with deep green eyes and a jet black man bun on top if his head. His beard was longer, but his neck was still showing the tattoos that wrapped around it. The deep blue suit did little to hide every muscle that threatened to pop the seams. With his hands folded over his chest, I just watched as he glared at Chase. The authority coming off him was making Chase fight something internal. “I’m having a private conversation.” He said through a clenched jaw. “It doesn’t seem like Demi would like to speak with you anymore. Maybe you should walk away before you cause a scene?” Glancing over, Luca was walking back. There was so much anger, but also a hint of amusement in his eyes. “Chase, just go. This is a moot point. Go home and fix yourself.” “I’m not leaving until we can have a real conversation. Let me explain things to you.” He pleaded with me. “You have some balls coming over here, dear brother.” Luca’s icy voice made Chase stand up straight. Lu
Everyone clapped and went back to their conversations as the servers brought out food for the buffet style. I wasn’t sure exactly what it was, but it smelled like a BBQ. “Do you want to get some food?” Luca leaned down and whispered in my ear. Amelia and Veronica had already taken off for the food. “Sure.” I wasn’t sure how hungry I actually was. However, the bourbon was making my face feel hot, so I might not be a bad idea to get some food in there. We got in line behind a couple that was being extremely touchy. Not that I minded it, but it almost felt like Luca and I were not acting like mates. He had her blonde curly hair messed up with loves bites down her arm. His hair was too short for her nails to really change the look. However, his collar had a few red lipstick smears on it. Losing her balance, she stepped back and bumped into me. “Oh! I’m so-” Her eyes got wide she they realized who we were. “Luca!” A wide smile spread across his face. Instantly dropping his mate, he he
There was a knock on the bedroom door. “That would be the men.” Nora smiled as she walked towards the door. I had just finished putting on my jewelry when Luca walked in. He looked me up and down before he slipped his hands around my waist. “So beautiful.” He whispered before he kissed me. “Don’t ruin her makeup!” Nora yelled at us. “I’ll do what I want,” Luca growled at her, but he let me go. He looked at me in the eyes. “Are you okay to go down there?” “She has had a lot of liquid courage.” Amelia came over and handed me my glass. Luca raised an eyebrow at me. “Started without me?” He took my glass and downed half of it. “Rude.” Amelia took the glass from Luca and emptied what was left of the bottle into my glass. “Ready?” Rook was waiting for us. “Yeah, I’m good.” Nora pinned the front part of my hair behind my ears, allowing the diamonds to really shine with my necklace. “Oh, I forgot to tell you. Chase ended up coming tonight with Alpha Dylan and Luna Callie.” Rook looke
“I have popcorn and bourbon!” Amelia held them up. “I just came for a good time.” Peggy shrugged. “Ditto.” Nora was putting on a movie. “I grabbed the Blue Collar Comedy Tour. We can watch it and smoke.” They were all wearing the same lounge set as I was, just different colors. “How very nice of you all.” I couldn’t help but smirk as I sat down. They moved the chairs and pillows near the balcony and had the doors open. The cool rain air was refreshing as Veronica handed me a cigar. “Here is your cake and bowl of popcorn.” Peppy pushed it towards me. “The most important part… bourbon.” Amelia handed me a tall glass, completely filled. No one spoke of the packhouse or questioned me about how I felt. Instead, they focused on smoking, eating and drinking. If this isn’t how a group of friends is supposed to cheer you up, do you even have a group of friends? The door flew open. “I’m sorry I’m late!” Lilith looked devilish as she ran in. Carrying a large bowl, she almost tripped over
I wasn’t even sure what to say to her. Heath put his hand on her shoulder and she instantly followed him out to the car. Luca didn’t try to touch me. Instead, he just stood beside me, letting me work through my emotions. “This is now a historic landmark and we won’t be able to rebuild on it.” I wasn’t sure why I said that, but it was true. Even if I wanted to, there is no way to make sure the rest of the ground is safe without thorough examinations. That might take years to complete. What was once a private territory for wolves could turn into a tourist attraction. “We would have to know where this comes out of and where it starts. Whatever you did find, it could come out down there.” “Or have sunken to the bottom to be gone forever.” Luca nodded. “It could be. Demi, I had to pull you out when I did or we would have both ended up in the river.” I wasn’t sure why I was mad at him for that. Logically, I knew he was right. I knew he saved my life. Only, my heart didn’t understand. M