ImaniThe pack where Judge Jackson lived could only be described as beautiful. With the exception of Judge Jackson’s homey cabin, all the homes were grandiose—some were even mansions with gates that kept others out and sprawling green grass and gardens. I did not envy the shifters who lived in the mansions one bit. I enjoyed Judge Jackson’s cabin in the woods. It was quaint, quiet, and peaceful.“Breeder!” a man called out.I stopped in my tracks and turned to address the man. He was a nobleman I recognized from the Breeding Ceremony. He’d chosen the most beautiful breeder from Breeder Group A—Amber. I wasn’t fond of Amber.Well, saying I’m not fond of her is an understatement. I detest her.Because Amber was beautiful and everyone with eyes knew she would be in Breeder Group A, she looked down on girls who would most likely end up in the bottom groups and refused to speak with us.My mouth dropped as they came closer. The girl had a black leather collar around her neck that was attac
Imani“We need to get out of here,” I said, looking for a window to escape out of. To my dismay, I couldn’t find one.What was I thinking?“Hey, Amber. Did you hear me? We need to get out of here.”I turned to face her, and my face scrunched up in confusion. While I was looking for an escape route, she’d changed her dress into a see-through one that left very little to the imagination. Her nipples poked through the fabric and her pubic region was clearly shaved and on display. Her private areas weren’t the only thing on display. Bruises and scars riddled her pale skin—some were old, and some were fresh. I’d say they were as recent as yesterday—quite possibly today.“Put this on,” she instructed, extending a matching dress to me.“I’m…I’m not wearing that.”“You have to,” she replied in a low, monotone voice. Her voice was no longer boisterous and loud like it was at Eden—it was demure and lifeless—a far cry from the young woman I knew from before.“I’m not wearing that,” I repeated.“
Judge Jackson“This doesn’t make any damn sense,” I complained as I reviewed the charts. “These numbers are off…really off.”Pressure built behind my eyes after reading the charts once more. The fertility rates of purebred wolves had dropped to a concerning level. Thirty-eight percent was alarming, but what was even more shocking was that the breeders are taking longer to become pregnant. Instead of becoming pregnant within two months of their departure from Eden, breeders were now taking as long as eight months to become pregnant.Why do these rates look so dismal? What has changed just from last year?“We need to run the numbers again.”“There is no use. The numbers were run repeatedly. They’re accurate,” Elder Francis confirmed with a heavy sigh.He’s sighing. It’s never good when an elder sighs. Usually that means that changes are coming, and lives will be affected.“Do you know what this means, Judge Jackson?”“It means that there is a probability that the fertility issue is exac
Judge JacksonI raced out of the pack house, dodging curious and equally aggravating wolves who wanted to conference with me after Elder Francis’s departure.“Judge Jackson!” Judge Max shouted, following me to my car.“I can’t talk. Imani’s in trouble!”“Do you need backup?”I paused briefly to consider his offer and shook his head. “No, it’s best there are no witnesses. I wouldn’t want you to have to perjure yourself on my behalf in case shit goes left.”I didn’t wait for a response and jumped in my car. Gravel kicked up and sprayed behind my vehicle as it lurched down the driveway. I hit the corner that would take me to Alpha Andrew’s house and prayed that Imani would be safe until I’d gotten there.If he lays a hand on her…the Moon Goddess won’t be able to save him.My car skidded to a stop outside Alpha Andrew’s grand estate. I got out of the car in no time and approached the gate. It was locked, but that wouldn’t stop me. I stepped back from the gate, observed the locking mechani
ImaniI passed out shortly after Judge Jackson arrived. I played a dangerous game antagonizing Alpha Andrew, but somehow, deep down, I knew that Judge Jackson would save me, just like he did at the Breeding Selection Ceremony.Yelling forced my eyes to flutter, bringing me back to semi-consciousness, but hearing Judge Jackson call the other man ‘brother’ made them fly open in disbelief.Judge Jackson and Alpha Andrew are brothers?I focused my eyes on the two men and the resemblance became clearer as the seconds ticked by.“They should put you in the fucking prison and experiment on you. Maybe you’re the one with a mutation!” Alpha Andrew yelled. “Something has to be alarmingly off in your brain for you to select the lowest of breeders! You are an Alpha and the highest-ranking Judge deserving of the purest form of breeders, yet you have one that will guarantee produce pups with mutations—if at all!”“Who I’m with is none of your concern,” Judge Jackson said.“That same thinking screwe
Imani“Imani,” a voice whispered. I groaned from being roused from my sleep and my eyes fluttered open. “Imani, we’re home.”Home. I never thought I’d have a home.“Can you walk?” he asked. The concern in his tone flustered me. I’d never had someone concerned about my wellbeing like Judge Jackson. It saddened me a little, because I knew there were thousands of breeders out there whose men didn’t care about them at all.Hell, we are seen as property by most. They don’t care about the breeders, but care about the pups that are produced. How did I get so lucky to have a male who not only cares for me but will kill for me? Kill his own flesh and blood for me? But then again, did Judge Jackson really do all of those things because he cares for me, or because he has a strong sense of duty?“Imani, can you walk?” he repeated, capturing my attention.“Y-yeah…I think so,” I said, tugging the blanket around me tighter as I exited the car. “What happened to Amber?”“She was taken to the infirmar
A week had passed since I was brutally punished by Alpha Andrew. All of my wounds had healed by Day Three, but Jackson was insistent on keeping an eye on me by working from home. I was slightly annoyed by his hovering, but it was a sign that he cared. As thanks, I decided to make a large breakfast for him.And I might have a favor to ask him as well.First, I put a kettle on to boil to prepare his coffee. I measured and poured the coffee grounds into the carafe and minutes later I added boiling water and depressed the plunger. According to Jackson, I couldn’t make decent coffee to save my life. He complained that I either used too much coffee grounds or too little or I used too much water, or not enough.It’ll be different this time…I’m sure of it. He’ll like it, and if he doesn’t, then too damn bad.I worked on breakfast while responding to text messages from Mary. I wasn’t a fan of texting, but Jackson insisted it was something I’d get used to.Mary: I’m so glad you’re okay!Imani:
Imani“I can help, you know.”Jackson snorted derisively. “Yes…I’ve witnessed your version of ‘help’, and I think I rather be without it.”I pouted. “It was a mistake. I was distracted.”“By what?” he asked, flipping a pancake.“I was texting Mary.”“Your friend who can cook, according to Judge Max.”I rolled my eyes at the playful taunt.“I can cook.”“Setting food on fire is not cooking.”I opened my mouth to argue but thought otherwise. We’d just be going around and around in circles, and while I hadn’t set anything on fire, breakfast was inedible.“Agreed. While we’re on the subject of Mary, do you think you can ask Judge Max if it’s okay for her to come over for lunch, or vice versa? Do you think it will be an issue?”“I don’t foresee an issue as long as Mary is agreeable. Judge Max is quite enamored with Mary. Some say he treats her too well, but the ones who’ve made such deplorable claims tend to have unhappy breeders and no pups to show for it. It’s pure jealousy.”I drooled w
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