“How old were you when I was ten?” She asked.“I was probably fourteen or fifteen. Why do you ask?”“The date on my mother’s last entry showed Bran, and I turned ten before our trip to move to Silvercreek, so I wondered if perhaps we’ve met once when we visited.”“Maybe. I remember little during that time except being a teenager.”“The entry said we met with kids at the ranch and uncontrollably shifted while playing tag.”Grayson wracked his memory. He would have remembered something as memorable as kids shifting that young. But sadly, he was probably hanging out with friends when it happened.“I don’t remember. We can ask Aiden. Maybe he was there.”Brianna felt awkward. They had finished lunch without really noticing the food disappearing. And now that she had run out of topics about the diary, she had nothing else to discuss.“I have news about the animal carcasses thrown on the highway.” He said to break the silence.“I hope you’re not here to arrest me because my brother did it.
An alpha, according to Elizabeth, is a werewolf that was born with extra abilities, enhanced genes, and the ability to lead and command a sizeable group of wolves.Like regular wolves in the wild, an alpha is expected to be cunning, devoted, patient, and resourceful. They have the ability to communicate with all their pack members through the pack link and command them to do their bidding.Elizabeth was born into a long line of alphas who always led the pack. But as with any non-government sanctioned group, someone could always challenge them to relinquish the position. She was born an only child, and their pack did not believe a woman could be the head of their group, so they never gave her a chance to fight for her rights. Instead, they groomed her to become the perfect mate of the new alpha. Elizabeth was fairly young, barely out of her pre-teens when her father passed due to an accident, so they couldn’t marry her off right away, instead they made use of her gifts that manifeste
Grayson had been distracted since he came from Brianna’s cabin. One would think that the stunt he pulled before leaving was to make her think of him, but the seduction worked both ways. ‘Think of me.’ He sent out through their link when he saw Brianna’s silhouette against the window when he pulled out of the driveway. But all he did was think about her. Grayson could say the reason he couldn’t keep away from Brianna was that he had been bewitched. But since Brianna had been fighting the attraction between them, and was clearly avoiding him, he could only blame his wolf genes for that.Bree crossed his mind whenever he had nothing to do, so he drove around town to order dinner and the chocolate cake early from the shops with strict instructions to deliver them to the station after office hours. He did not want the staff to see he was preparing for the date, otherwise they would be the talk of the town.Grayson thought he could trust the employees when he told them to keep everything
‘Think of me.’ Grayson sent out through their link when he saw her appear in the window to watch him drive away.What an arrogant prick, she thought, but thought of him all afternoon, anyway.Reading about her parent’s story made her re-evaluate her relationship with Grayson. Was kismet real?Were people, humans, shapeshifters, and witches fated to have one true love? Was there such a thing?I am a werewolf. This sentence was still hard for Brianna to comprehend, especially when she couldn’t shift independently.Bree agreed to dinner that night for two reasons. One was to know Grayson better. If they were fated to be together forever, she couldn’t promise to stay in the relationship without knowing the man.And the other reason was to coax Serena out. The wolf did not like the mind control and would only come out when she felt safe with Grayson.How would help Bran turn into a human when she can’t even shift into a wolf?Bree was getting impatient because she felt they were running ou
“She wasn’t?” He asked, intrigued.“No, my mother was a witch.” Now everything made sense to Grayson. He heard of witches brewing concoctions of every kind. So there might have been something out there that could suppress their wolf. Having this information made him wonder if Brianna’s mother stopped their wolf from coming out?“I knew wolves found their mates in humans, but this is the first I’ve heard of this. I guess everything is possible.”“Why do you sound skeptical? My parents were deeply in love with each other. Just like any other normal couple.”“Of course they were, but I didn’t know if you knew that fact.”“Grayson, if you’re going to insult my parents under their roof, then I suggest for you to leave.”“That’s not it, Bree. I wanted you to see that they are of different origins, yet they found each other. Don’t you think it’s the same for us? We were thousands of miles away from each other. There was no chance we would have met in this lifetime had your brother not gone
It took Brianna a hot second to make up her mind. She could blame Grayson’s muscled body leaning against hers, or the feel of his breath as his lips hovered over her, but it was all her heart’s undoing.Why shouldn’t she fall in love with a handsome man who can cook and has a stable job? Why shouldn’t she stay in Silvercreek when Bran already gave her his blessing?It had always been her pride that kept her from Grayson.Marina could be a nuisance, but in reality, Bree did not consider her a contender because she knew Grayson belonged to her the minute their eyes met after she fainted in front of the grocery store that first day she arrived.Bree didn’t want to admit she was falling so fast because there was no such thing as fated werewolves. Well, werewolves didn’t even exist a month ago. But now everything was possible. So why not romance? Why not love?Embracing the possibilities of being with Grayson opened a new can of worms. The ball was in her court and it was her turn to dict
Bree stretched out on the bed like a contented wolf, wondering what Grayson was up to. He wound her up earlier until she gave in and then just left her to deal with her pent-up emotions. Now that she was free to pursue her feelings, she wanted to unwrap Grayson as she would excitedly unwrap a Christmas present, tearing the packaging apart, not caring about getting it back together.Grayson had been going around, talking to people, calming them down. There was nothing else he could do but check on the pack and ensure nobody got hurt. Some houses found broken figurines or vases when the wolves began mating inside the house, but so far aside from being horny and wanting to shift. Everything in the compound looked good.Grayson used his alpha authority to calm everyone down and convince them to get back inside. He suspected the lust he felt for Brianna earlier transmitted when they were together, but that had never happened before. Did he cause them discomfort? He was the only person wh
Grayson was in town early the next morning, checking up on everyone. He dropped by the office to see if anyone reported any injuries. The night deputy reported a very uneventful evening. This was weird because even though Silvercreek was a small town, there was always something happening to people in the area.There were always missing dogs and cats. Neighbors had disputes and the local bar always had people brawling.Next, he went to the cafe that was right beside the bakery and both women seemed cordial to each other. They were competing businesses and on regular days, they would annoy each other as soon as they opened the shop. But today, the owners were smiling and complimenting each other.“Ladies, is everything good today?”“Oh yes sheriff, we have more of those pastries I sent you yesterday. I hope you didn’t finish them yet.”“No, Patrice, but I will get two boxes of baked goods. Can you deliver one box to the station?”“Definitely, Sheriff.”“Do you want anything from the caf
“Marina, wait up! I rarely see you during meal times. Is everything alright?” Brandon had just come down from his room and found Marina on her way out. Like the last few days, she’s been having breakfast later to steer clear of the breakfast crowd. In reality, she was trying to avoid Grayson and Brianna most of all. Brandon wanted to join everyone for breakfast, but lately, he had been too tired. They played tag every night to tap into his werewolf abilities, which depleted most of his energy, and then when his head hit the pillow, dreams of wandering around the farm in the dark drained him to the last drop.He’d never heard of dreams sucking out a person’s energy before, but that is how it felt.“Oh yeah. Dinner with everyone present is too much for me sometimes. The noise level gets too high and it’s difficult when you hear everything.”“I get you, I’m still weirded out when I hear people’s hearts beating too loud.” Marina looked at Bran, wondering what he thought about hers speed
“I know your grandmother.” Victor looked at Brandon and Brianna while he delivered the big secret he’d been keeping since he learned of their arrival at Silvercreek.“You do?” They asked in unison.“Yes. Your grandmother sought refuge in Silvercreek for a while when she first ran away, but our pack was smaller then and though we offered her sanctuary she didn’t stay.”“But my parents came back. Did they know Nana was here before?”“We told them she was here, but to ask her about our encounter.”“I wonder why Nana didn’t bring us here directly after our parents passed away?”“She must have been scared. The accident site wasn’t too far from here and we suspected foul play when we found werewolf tracks.” “We tried to talk to your grandma at the hospital, but she disappeared and took both of you with her.” Amelia sat beside her husband. “She must have found the same tracks on the site and it spooked her.”“We had no idea our family was a bunch of werewolves. I always considered Nana to b
“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