An hour later we pulled into what I could only describe as a compound. My cheeks were still flushed from Judge Jackson’s indecent proposal and I didn’t dare look in his direction knowing he had a teasing smirk on his face. “We’ve arrived. Get out of the limo.” Defiantly, I stayed. “I’m more than certain I received a defective breeder.”My body stiffened.Has he figured me out during our drive to his compound? Will I be eating a bullet soon?“W-why do you say that?”“Because the young women are supposed to be meek and obedient, and you are the exact opposite.” I relaxed slightly once I realized he wasn’t talking about my missing wolf. “Imani, it has been a long day, and I’m ready to lay my head down for the night. Don’t you desire that as well? A hot bath, a hearty meal, and a warm bed that’s big enough for more than just one?”Now that he mentions it…“Good, girl,” Judge Jackson praised sarcastically once my feet touch the ground. “Follow me, and don’t fall behind.”As I followed him
[Judge Jackson]Killing.It seemed like the only thing I knew these days.Murdering was so ingrained and woven in my life that I wondered if I could live without it. I killed so often that they called me The Exterminator behind my back.Could I go cold turkey without spilling blood, or would I go mad in a blood-lust frenzy, killing every creature in sight?I didn’t particularly enjoy killing, but I understood how crucial it was to protect purebred wolves for the continuation of our species. I’d killed so many wolves since becoming a judge that I lost count. I couldn’t tell you the number of children that never saw adulthood because of me. Or the number of teenagers and elderly that were executed because they weren’t purebred wolves or they randomly mutated.The random mutations were alarming, and was something that even our greatest doctors couldn’t determine why it was happening.It had the elders on high alert and because of the expertise needed to handle a sensitive situation, I wa
ImaniThe thought of visiting a prison with Judge Jackson rattled me.I could see him locking me up in a cell and throwing away a key. I couldn’t go to prison. I lived 18 years in prison and refuse to go back. I ran to the door and attempted to open it, but couldn’t.I hadn’t noticed when we entered the cabin that there was not only a combination lock, but a keypad that appeared to require five numbers in order to unlock the door from the inside. I entered a few sets of numbers and was denied each time. Truthfully, I didn’t know what I expected. Did I really think I would randomly guess the numbers? That was a fat chance. I tried once more. My eyes widened when I received a message that there were too many passwords attempts and the door would remain locked for thirty minutes. I beat the door with my closed fists and screamed for help until my hands were sore and my voice was hoarse. I stopped once I realized Judge Jackson’s cabin was deep in the woods away from the packhouse. There
Left to my own devices, I began my tour of the cabin. I found the bedroom that Judge Jackson said I could have. My mouth dropped open when I swung the door open.“How cute,” I sighed as I approached the black wrought iron bed that was clad with a fluffy white duvet and a mountain of pillows. I sat on the bed and groaned when my back hit the mattress. The bed felt like a cloud. It wasn’t firm and lumpy like the tiny beds we slept on in Eden. I doubted that I’d be tossing and turning most of the night. I reluctantly stood to my feet. “I better get up before I accidentally fall asleep.”The rest of the bedroom had the typical essentials; a nightstand with a lamp, a dresser, and a book case. I opened the closet and was shocked how big it was. “It’s like another bedroom in here.”Next on my tour was the bathroom. I thought it was odd that it didn’t have a shower like Eden, but there was a bath–a deep soaking bath that I ached to try out. I turned on the faucet that was labled ‘H’ and watc
I didn’t move until I heard Judge Max’s heavy boots leave the porch. He gave me the code to the door. Shouldn’t he be concerned I’d run away? It could be trick, but there was only one way to find out. “5-3-4-4-7,” I whispered, punching in the numbers. My eyes widened in shock when the panel flashed green and the mechanism unlocked. The door creaked as I slowly pulled it open. I poked my head out and scanned the porch carefully, looking for any signs of life. There weren’t any. I opened the door wider and the curls in the front of my face were swept away by the cool air. My feet made contact with something. I looked down and found three bags.I crouched to my feet and began rifling through the bags. These clothes. They seem so…expensive.I looked at the detail on the bag and immediately recognized it as a luxury brand that I once saw in a magazine that Supervisor Sarah was reading. “I wonder how much these clothes cost,” I whispered, continuing to search through the bag until I foun
My mouth hung in shock from his unexpected advance. I knew what my role as a Breeder entailed, but I was under the impression that my being here was solely for the purpose of Judge Jackson to keep me close and observe me. Are all men like this? Do they only think about sex all the time? He’s drunk and stumbling over his feet and thinks he can perform? “It’s late. I’m going to bed.”“Not so fast,” he said, catching my arm. “Why don’t you sleep in my bed tonight?”“I rather not.”“Why not?” he questioned.I thought back to some of the lessons Supervisor Rachel and Supervisor Sarah taught us. One lesson in particular stuck in my mind. We were warned not to hurt a man’s ego, whether intentionally or unintentionally. It would always be in our best interest to make them feel like they were a coveted prize that you wanted. “I know what you want from me, but it’d be best to wait until you are sober. Only then would you be at your best.”I held my breath while Judge Jackson pondered my wor
Judge Jackson knocked on my window, slowly taunting me. “Imani,” he sang. “I don’t want to go.”“Unfortunately, my dear, you don’t have a choice. Get out, or I’ll force you out, and I promise you won’t like that. “You just want to experiment on me,” I argued. He chuckled like a villain, showing off his wide smile and pointed incisors. “Breeders aren’t known to be the most intelligent, but I thought you were different, Imani. Now, let’s discuss this like reasonable adults. Now, why would I spend thousands of dollars taking you shopping, only to experiment, torture, and possibly kill you?”Well…when you put it like that….I unbuckled my seatbelt right as Judge Jackson unlocked the car door. He held out his hand and expected me to accept it. “If you could unlock the door the whole time, then why didn’t you?”“Because everyone has a choice,” he answered.“Correction; Breeders do not have choices.”“Oh, you girls most certainly had choices. You all were just too chicken shit to take th
We ran through some basic tests. Dr. Hemsworth checked my heart and lungs with his stethoscope, checked my eyes with an annoying flashlight pen that made me blink several times afterward. All I could see were white spots that I attempted to scrub away with the back of my hand. He proceeded to check my ears, followed by my reflexes by hitting my kneecaps with a small mallet. “So far, so good,” Dr. Hemsworth announced, causing Judge Jackson to roll his eyes. I had glanced at Judge Jackson frequently during the examination. For some reason I was looking for reassurance from him–a glimmer of– “everything will be okay.” But why? I can’t trust Judge Jackson as far as I can throw him. For all I know, I’ll never leave this white examination room. “Oh, I forgot to mention that she doesn’t have a wolf,” Judge Jackson said in a tone that indicated how bored he already was of the conversation. Dr. Hemsworth shot Judge Jackson an incredulous look. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think I heard what I t
JacksonMy fingers clenched around the steering wheel as I drove to the prison. I’d been anxious since Imani rejected me earlier when I proposed marking her, and my anxiety shot through the roof when Andrew swaggered into my office with his shit-eating grin.I hated Andrew–always had. He offered nothing to bettering our society. If anything, he made it significantly worst by injecting his arrogance and cruelness like a noxious fume. He’d been cruel since he was a child in Oasis. Some might say Oasis made him that way, but I knew better. He was born unapologetically evil and that evil festered like a puss-filled wound. Andrew was a coward and resigned to being a noble who could skate by and live his life untouched behind his gilded gates. I didn’t hold a disdain towards nobles–I came from the same noble bloodline as him; however, I looked down on those who felt the rules didn’t apply to them and that the world owed them for simply breathing. They dressed to the nines for their fancy
JacksonI was about to shut down for the day when the door to my office flung open and the last person I’d hoped to see strolled in like he owned the fucking place. I held back a sigh and glanced at my watch. Who the hell let him out of confinement?“You don’t look thrilled to see me,” Andrew said. I stared at him and my lip curled in disgust when he sat his uninvited ass in an arm chair. “I’m sure you received the same reaction from your breeder,” I quipped. “Fuck you!” my brother barked, turning red in anger. I watched unimpressed as he attempted to restrain himself from shifting. His claws digging into the arms of the chair proved he was doing a horrible job. “I lost my breeder because of you!” he spat.“Correction, you lost your breeder because of you. The courts determined that your actions and long-term abuse physical and emotional abuse to your breeder was so egregious that she could no longer remain in your care.” I leaned across the desk. “Do you know how much of a sick mo
Imani“Imani? Can you hand me three of the 100 milliliter syringes?” Dr. Hemsworth requested. I turned around and collided with the metal tray that held the syringes and nearly toppled the tray and its contents over. Thankfully, I righted the tray at the last minute. “My word. Is everything okay, Imani?”“I-I’m fine,” I rushed out.I’m not fine. Jackson offered to mark me!I never responded to him–at least not verbally. Jackson offered to mark me and I ran out of his office like a bat out of hell, and didn’t leave my bedroom until it was time for him to drive me to the prison.We remained silent during the car ride, and the hard set of his jaw made me believe he took my fleeing as rejection, but that wasn’t the case. Marking between male wolves and their breeders was…unheard of.Many generations ago, it was a normal rite of passage for mated couples to mark each other. But due to the war with the humans and the declining wolf population, marking was a ritual that was no longer practi
Imani“Because I leave in a few days for a mission.”I dropped the plate I was washing in the sink. “What did you say?”“I must leave for a recon mission in a few days. I’ll be living amongst the foul beasts.” My brows crinkled in confusion. “The humans?”“Precisely,” he confirmed. “But that’s dangerous. You can’t go,” I protested. “It’s my job, Imani.”“I’m coming with you,” I said without thinking. Deep laughter rumbled from Jackson, and I couldn’t blame him. My suggestion was asinine, but I was desperate. What if he didn’t return?“I’m afraid that’s not feasible, Imani.”“What do you have to do on this mission?” I asked, following him out of the kitchen to his office. “Did I forget to mention that it was a top secret mission?” he said, teasing me because he knew it would get under my skin.“Can you be serious?” I asked in frustration. He eyed me cautiously as he sat in his office chair. I stood in front of his desk and glared at him until he motioned for me to sit in the chair
JacksonI growled at the screen as I turned the pancakes in the pan. I was on the sixth episode of Bleed With Me, and I was cursing every single second of enjoyment I gained from the sordid show. “Screw her for introducing me to this show,” I grumbled. “And screw King Westin for intentionally sending the prince on a wild goose chase. I swear to–”“Good morning,” Imani greeted breezily as she entered the kitchen. I fumbled with my cell phone and nearly dropped it in pancake batter. I caught it before I faced an early-morning crisis and shut off the show before she could figure out what I was up to. “Are you okay?” she questioned as she approached the coffee maker. “I’m fine.”“You don’t look fine.”“I look better than you,” I teased lightly, smoothing down her curls that had tangled from her wild sleeping.“Ouch,” she commented with a roll of her eyes as she poured herself a cup of coffee. “I should be saying that. Is there a reason you sleep so violently?”“I think it has something
Imani“Here…put this on,” Jackson said, offering me one of his shirts. I accepted it without hesitation and pulled it over my head. I wasn’t surprised when the shirt swallowed me whole and stopped at my knees.“Would you like a late-night treat?”My interests piqued. He’s being so…nice. I hope Nice Jackson is here to stay. I don’t know how I’ll feel if he turns into an asshole again. Especially with how far we’ve come. He snapped his fingers, drawing me back to the conversation we were having. “Um…yes, I would like a treat.”He nodded. “I’ll be back shortly.”Jackson left and I returned to my bedroom to retrieve my laptop and headphones. I’d started the next episode of Bleed With Me while I waited for his return. I was so immersed in the show that I hadn’t noticed his return ten minutes later. Strong fingers tapped my shoulder and I was surprised to find Jackson hovering above me with two steaming mugs in his hands. I removed the headphones and apologized. “Too much television can
Imani“I need more, Jack.”The words had tumbled out of my mouth faster than I could have ever imagined. I was past pretending–past shame and embarrassment. I needed Jackson, and I’d worry about how our dynamics would change in the morning. He kissed me again, and the smoldering fire in my belly turned into a raging inferno. I fell back against the pillows and my legs parted instinctually. “Your wish is my command,” he whispered against my lips.I sharply inhaled when his fingers ran between my folds. My legs trembled around his thick body and he grinned wolfishly. “So sensitive, Little Lamb. And so wet. Let me show you.”He raised his fingers in the darkness of the room that was bathed by the moonlight. His fingers glinted with my arousal for him. My jaw slackened when he eased a dripping finger toward his mouth. His pink tongue slid out for a taste while the anticipation was killing me. My hips rolled–searching for contact. I whimpered when my clit scraped across the front of his
Jackson“You wanted me to hear you, Little Lamb. So…here I am.”“It was an accident,” she tried arguing, pulling the sheet tight around her. I inhaled deeply and released a shuddered growl. My wolf, Rowan, threatened to make an appearance–the need to mate was enough to bring him out of hibernation. “This was no accident, Little Lamb; you wanted me to hear you.” She shook her head furiously. I grinned. “I knew you were in heat since the moment I opened my eyes this morning.”“You…you did?”“I did,” I replied painfully, trying to concentrate on not losing myself to my primal side–the side that wanted to consume her, uncaring of her comfort or pleasure.She has no idea how difficult it was riding in a vehicle with her!“Why didn’t you say anything?” she questioned. It took me several seconds to reply because my eyes were transfixed on her hard nipples poking through the thin sheet that hid her body from me. “Because…I wanted to see how how long you’d go before asking for help, and you
ImaniMy top teeth drove into my bottom lip as the vampire lovers passionately kissed on the screen. My throat felt tight and dry as the raw passion between the forbidden couple from warring covens intensified. I snatched my champagne glass off the coffee table and guzzled it down, hoping it would provide relief. Instead, the room seemed to become warmer and it felt harder to breathe.Truthfully, I’d been warm since I stepped into Judge Max and Mary’s residence. I was grateful when Jackson removed my coat because I was sweltering. I didn’t say anything about the temperature in the home because we were guests and I didn’t want to be difficult.But now I feel like I’m on fire.My mouth gaped when the male lead crammed his face between the female lead’s legs. She writhed on the bed, moaning and twisting her fingers in the black satin sheets.“Are you okay, Imani?” Mary asked, pausing the show. “I-I’m fine,” I stuttered. I snatched my eyes away from the screen and focused on my lap. “Yo