“Grayson, I found an abandoned house during my search to find a hiding place, a cabin near the end of the property. Aiden said it hadn’t been lived in for fifteen years. I want to stay there until the owners come to take their place.”“Why? I have a house and it is natural for you to come live with me.”“I want a safe, neutral space where Bran can visit and my own sanctuary in case you tire of me.” Her chin twisted defiantly away from him.“That would never happen. But I understand. Things are going too fast and you want to sort things out, but I have a condition.”“What condition?”“I want you to promise that moving to the cabin won’t mean you’re getting rid of me.”“I just want the room to think. We’ve been together since I arrived and I can’t concentrate with all the tension floating in the air when you are around.”He smirked. “I can’t help but want you all the time. That’s what the bond does.”“You can visit me at the new place until we figure everything out.”“Can I sleep over?”
Bree woke up the next day and found Marina in the bathroom with the shower running.“Grayson, is that you? I’m ready for my back scrub.”Annoyed at the other woman’s boldness, Bree swiped the shower curtain open, ready to battle. A sly grin greeted her. “Oops, I thought you were Grayson,” Marina said dismissively as she turned around to lather the soap on her body. “I didn’t know you were still here.”Bree tried not to fall into her trap.“After the night we had, I needed to get clean. He is such a thorough lover, ain’t he? Skillful with his mouth. Just thinking about him going down on me makes me tingle all over.” Marina snickered.“Stop lying Marina. We both know nobody was in the room with you last night. Did your vibrator do the job your hand couldn’t achieve?”“Bitch!” Marina squealed and tried to lunge at Brianna, but Bree moved away just as Grayson entered the bathroom.He had been listening to the exchange, and the answer Brianna gave Marina made him smile.Grayson reached ou
“Marina! Marina!” Grayson yelled from the kitchen, knowing she was still inside the house. He could not believe she had been so stubborn the last few days, taunting Brianna when he expressed strict instructions to leave her alone.“Hey there, sheriff!” She grinned while gliding down the stairs slowly, like a carefree cat.“I told you to stop taking a shower upstairs and to stop insinuating we have a relationship when we don’t.”“Not my fault, she’s gullible,” Marina checked her nails while hiding a smirk.“I beg you, please. She’s my wife whether or not you like it, and you should treat her the way you treat me.”“Well, then…” Marina slinked closer, the smile on her face showing her intent, but before she could wrap her arms around Grayson, he stepped aside and pushed her shoulders.“Don’t even think about it. I’m serious. You are banned from my house. Disobey the alpha’s command and suffer the consequences.”Marina could not understand why Grayson was being mean to her when last nig
Brianna felt tormented the entire afternoon. Grayson had no work that weekend, and she had to endure being with him in the same house since he had nothing pressing to do. She went to the barn to help clean the horse stalls early in the morning, but he came looking for her, breaking the easy banter she had going with Aiden. Grayson tried to be wherever she was, so Bree hid in her room to avoid his presence, forgetting that they shared a bedroom. He smirked and followed her later, after mucking out the stalls, and stripped naked before walking to the shower. Brianna groaned and ran downstairs, earning her a loud laugh.She constantly avoided him, but there was nowhere in the house or on the property she could hide. So she suffered in silence, changing locations every time he came near.Peace finally came when Grayson reluctantly handed her the key to the cabin at the edge of the property. The place was quite dusty from years of neglect. It was a bit disorganized with the mismatched f
He nuzzled her neck and held her tight.The kiss that followed was tender, absolutely different from the other ones they’d exchanged before.His actions caught her by surprise, that the hand sitting on his chest she would have used to push him away reached up around his neck instead, to bring him closer.There was something about Grayson she could not resist. It was not only because he had an amazing body, and he knew how to pleasure her every time they had sex. She felt they were connected on a spiritual level. But how could that happen when they just met?Bree pushed Grayson back when his mouth traveled to her neck, and his hands cupped her breasts. She felt troubled at the thought that her actions were dictated only by their bond.The need she felt clouded her judgment and made her want to have sex with Grayson constantly. It was the natural cycle of any species. After a werewolf meets their mate, the couple is compelled to bring more of their kind into the world to ensure their
‘Serena.’ She reached out to her wolf, only to be rejected.To Bree, it had been only yesterday when she passed out on the floor when she saw Grayson standing naked with Marina in the bathroomBut if Grayson was telling her the truth, that they had been together the past few days, it meant she had been having memory lapses again, which only happened when Serena took over.Bree reached out again, pleading for the wolf to let her in.‘You wanted to forget. But I don’t,’ Serena answered while Grayson observed her with a puzzled expression. Brianna looked like she was in a trance, so he assumed she was talking to her wolf.He learned early on that whenever Brianna’s eyes glazed over; she was busy communicating with her wolf. It was something that should come naturally to werewolves, but since Bree did not grow up knowing she was a shapeshifter, it was taking some getting used to. He could easily talk to Slate and not lose concentration or sight of what was in front of him. It was natural
Grayson sighed. He knew it would take time to convince Bree of his sincerity, but he had an explanation that would allay her fears. “Nobody but Aiden knows this, but before you came, I’ve been sleeping in my office every evening. The couch becomes a bed at night.”“Why?”“I’m the alpha and I have certain duties. I can’t have a horny teenager dictate my sleep schedule.”“You said nothing can stop her. She can just as easily get into the office as in your bedroom.”“That’s not true. It’s the one room in the house where nobody but I can enter without an invitation.”“And you think I should believe that?”“I will be here first thing tomorrow morning and you can sniff me all you want, for evidence.” He grinned.“I have a lot to think about. Maybe you should go.” Bree couldn’t pry herself from his lap. She had comfortably sat on his knees and it was hard to move from the snuggly position. One move was all it would take, and they’d be naked and doing the horizontal dance again. So Brianna
After Bran left, Bree went inside and found several sheets in the boxes, so she made all the beds in the house. To make it look more welcoming. Having all the furniture and boxes sitting around made it feel eerie.She laid her head on the pillow, but sleep wouldn’t come. How could she stay indoors when she knew Bran patrolled the area around their new house? So she stayed up the entire night and opened more boxes. There were a lot of books about werewolves written by fantasy authors and she thought it would be a good idea to pass the time by reading the materials. As Grayson said, not everything that was written about the wolves was accurate, but at least she could compare notes using her experience.She found a bookshelf downstairs and started stacking it up. The family seemed to have a penchant for reading fantasy books, as they also contained stories about mermaids, fairies, and witches. There were tomes that looked old and dusty, so Bree set those on the bottom where all the he
“Brandon, I see you’ve finally come in. Are you happy rolling in the hay all day and getting acquainted with the animals?” Brianna was alone in the kitchen, peeling and chopping vegetables for dinner.“That’s an insult to the cute animals, but even though I wanted to hang out with them all day, I got to muck out the stables for the horses. Have you ever seen one up close before?”“No. They are majestic, but you are wearing more of their dung that you cleaned out.”Bran laughed. “It’s amazing here. Who knew such a place existed? I made up my mind.”“About what?”“Staying in Silvercreek.”“I thought you were unsure.” “I didn’t think there was a life for me here.”“What do you mean? They’ve welcomed us with open arms and we have a house that mom and dad paid for over the years.“I know, but what happens after you’ve settled in? I don’t want to be the third wheel forever.”“You’re family—”“I know that,” he sighed. “But now I have more than one reason to stay.”“Why now? What happened?”
Gran glares at Grayson. “You don’t need to be so mean to her. You know how tragic it was to lose her parents to hunters, and she’s just craving for attention.”“She’s used that card for far too long and it’s time she grew up. We’re not kids anymore and I have a good reason not to let her sleep in the house.” He said, taking his stance.“Bree, are you bothered by their relationship?” Gran turned her focus to the other person in the room.“Marina and I don’t have a relationship.” Grayson interjected rudely before Bree could reply. “Don’t worry too much, dear. It’s a harmless crush. She used to follow my grandsons around when she was younger, and I guess she never grew out of it.”‘Are you going to tell your grandma the real reason or will you let me look bad in her eyes?’ Bree asked Gray with annoyance.“Don’t argue with me, Gran.”“Why don’t you let Brianna speak?”“I don’t think she’ll ever forgive me for stealing Grayson from her.”“Oh, that child, she’s still a selfish little girl
“I heard Gran call my name. I’ll see you at the house.” She used her werewolf ability to run from Bran, thinking she would get there first because she got a head start, so she was surprised when he ran beside her, yelling for her to go faster.He made the task look easy. The distance from the barracks to the house spanned several acres of land. To a normal person driving a truck or a golf cart would be ideal to get around the property, but werewolves have the speed and strength to use their own feet which would definitely get them to their destination faster, and if they couldn’t use their feet, they could use all four paws.Both got to the house at the same time and Marina did not know if she was really that fast or if Bran made adjustments, so she didn’t feel bad.“What is your ideal breakfast?” Bran changed his choice of topic, seeing she would never talk to him again if he kept broaching the same subject. “Whatever gran makes. Everything tastes good.”“You don’t have that one thi
“Brandon! I thought you left?” Marina almost jumped out of her skin when the object of her dreams manifested when she opened the door.She made sure everyone had left before getting up and starting her day. Using her enhanced hearing, Marina listened to every movement and every conversation, training her ears to detect Brandon’s voice.Aiden knocked on his door. “Bran, we’re heading out. Don’t delay or you’ll have no food to eat. Gran’s breakfast won’t last long.”“I’m right behind you.” Brandon got up, shuffled around to pick up his clothes, peeled the sheets off the mattress, and followed the other pack members.And as soon as the main entry door banged shut, Marina was sure everybody had left.She got up, stripped the sheets from the bed and pillow, then wrapped a towel around her body. There was no way she’d go to breakfast without removing the sweat and evidence of what happened while she was dreaming about Bran.It was time to wash the sheets and take a shower so she could go b
For the rest of the evening, Brandon bonded with the men through alcohol and poker. They drank more than necessary and Aiden was unwilling to stumble in the dark, so they picked an empty room and stayed over.Aiden was concerned that there might be someone waiting for them between the house and the barracks, and he’d rather not risk Bran’s safety.As soon as Bran closed his eyes, he began dreaming about Marina. The setting from his other dreams was different. The deep, dark void was gone, and in its place was a cabin, much like the one his parents left for him and Brianna.Marina was sleeping on her stomach on the king-sized bed, the lower half of her body covered with a sheet. He was right. She had come to bed naked and lust surged within him as he thought of ways to wake her up so they could make love.Naked as the day he was born, he slid in next to her sleeping form, hugged her torso, and nuzzled her neck. Something about the dream felt familiar. As if he’d visited her like this m
Brandon smiled, appreciating Aiden’s sensitivity. His parents’ death was still a sore topic and now that he had less of his memories, he would rather talk about something else.“Where are we going?” Brandon asked.“To the barracks, where we can hang out with the guys and watch a movie. They have enough bunks available if you want to sleep over.”“Okay, I guess there’s nowhere else to go, right? Like a bar?”“Nah, the barracks would be better. We won’t need to watch our words here. Plus, the guys are eager to see you. They’re afraid you must have forgotten about them, too.”“What if I did?”“Then it’ll be cool. We’ll have stories to tell and you’ll think they’re all interesting.” Aiden smiled as if Bran, forgetting the last few months of his life, was nothing to be concerned about. “Don’t worry too much. Werewolves are resilient, so you’ll get your memories back in no time.”“You keep saying werewolf, is everyone at the ranch a werewolf?”Aiden nodded. “The humans at the ranch know abo
Brianna felt weird about having sex in a house full of werewolves with special hearing, especially with Gran and Gramps sleeping a few bedrooms away.Even a small whimper or moan would be equal to blasting a steamy, erotic audiobook on a loudspeaker. Aiden had mentioned before that sex was natural for the cycle of life and though werewolves could hear what happened behind closed doors, they should just do it anyway, otherwise they’ll both be sexually frustrated for never having the chance. But still Bree felt self-conscious, so she went to bed that night, said goodnight to her mate, and ignored the craving she felt.Grayson smiled and pulled her into her arms, molding their bodies together like spoons in a cutlery drawer. “I want you,” he whispered in her ear as his chest rumbled in frustration.Bree leaned into his embrace, her neck feeling the touch of Grayson’s nose as he caressed her skin.‘Yes,’ she answered through their bond as her legs intertwined with his. “You are wearing
“Brianna, is that you?” Amelia piped from the kitchen.“Hey, Mrs. Walker,” Bree nodded shyly at Grayson’s grandmother. Ever since they came back from the Nightshade raid, Brianna had avoided having a conversation with Grayson’s grandparents because she felt shy that the couple had welcomed them into their home while the twins had brought nothing but trouble.The older woman shook her head. “Come and sit down. Didn’t I ask you to call me Gran?”Bree wanted to hide in the bedroom until Grayson arrived, but it seemed his grandma had other ideas. She felt embarrassed that she just assumed her position as Grayson’s mate without his elders’ blessing, and Bree was apprehensive that they wouldn’t approve.“Uhmm, yes, Gran.” Bree did not realize she was hungry until her tummy grumbled upon smelling the food Amelia had laid in front of her.“You’re getting skinny. Eat this stew before you go back to watching your brother. Is he feeling better?”Brianna nodded and began munching on her food. “Th
“We found evidence of someone hiding in the hayloft in the green barn.” Rick motioned for him to follow.“What evidence?”“Comforters were laid out over several bales of hay.”“Those were Brianna’s blankets when she tried to hide up there.”“It’s not her scent on the sheets, and there are food wrappers and crumbs everywhere.”“Is it someone from the Nightshade pack? Have they returned?”“No, alpha. It’s better if you see yourself.”-=-“Marina, what are you doing up here?” She sneered, knowing what her verdict would be.“Leave us alone,” Grayson ordered Rick to give them privacy. He knew Marina would never talk if she felt humiliated.The alpha nodded for her to speak when the barn had been cleared.“I’m just trying to be close to Gran and Gramps.”“You are close to them. I heard you visiting downstairs several times already since they arrived. So why are you sleeping up here?”“I just don’t feel safe after you guys left to get the twins.”“Most of the pack remained to guard the town