Tara was frozen for most of the meeting. Was he going to give her up to them? She’d almost convinced herself that he’d told her one thing and then tell them another. Tara assumed he’d hand her over to them and claim he’d had hopes she’d be a breeder. But he didn’t, though he changed the story he told them. In the end, they took some rogues with them but left her there. No questions asked. The enforcers didn’t question the collar, chains, or any of it. Not once had they asked her if she was there against her will. His hand never left her hair or neck. All he had to do was squeeze, and she’d be silence permanently. But instead he’d made it clear, he wouldn’t let her go. What parallel world had she fallen into? This wasn’t the world she knew. Ever since Eddie ran away from her, the world felt off kilter. Like it was a twisted version of home. The thing is, other than losing her freedom and an attempt on her life, that almost worked. The alpha had treated h
Tara returned from changing into the first outfit. She wasn’t used to dresses and definitely the heels she was given. Her life was second hand jeans and t-shirts. Tara could walk in the heels, she just wasn’t used to wearing them for so long. Or having so much bare skin between the mini dress and the shoes. “No, too short. This isn’t for the club here. It’s supposed to be for when I take her out for a day event. I don’t want her being seen as a hooker. All skirts must be above the knee or longer.” “But she’s so short this makes her look like she’s got longer legs and therefore taller.” “I said no. Am I not being clear? I’m the client and alpha here. I know what I am saying. I won’t have her showing off herself at inappropriate times and causing trouble. You can’t be trying to start wars, are you?” “Start wars?” The tailor looked confused for a moment and then she clued in on what the alpha was talking about. “Oh! Oh, no, of course not. I’ll ma
Tara’s brother has arrived, and they have him tucked away. Cal didn’t want Tara to know he was here right away. He wanted to know exactly what was going on from the brother. He hated the narrow viewpoint he had right now, and he was determined not to go this way. Her brother was in the thick of it. He’d get what he could from him and take that to the Council of Alphas meeting tomorrow. He had a day to get information from the brother. He had to remember this was his mate’s brother and now, technically, his family. But the brother doesn’t know this, and Cal wouldn’t be telling him until he gave Cal the information he needed. When he got to the interrogation room, he watched the pup from a one-way viewing window. He was in an awful state. Of course he was. His pack had abandoned him and now was trying to kill him. He had nowhere to go, and hiding must have been difficult for him. Now everything hinged on how far was he corrupted and how redeemable he was. Cal did
Tara finally got through the appointment with the personal shopper, and it felt crazy because half of the watch she asked was extremely personal about Tara’s daily routine and the rest was her explaining to Tara she needed to learn one thing or another to present as an adult. Tara wasn’t completely convinced when the personal shopper had left and the sympathetic look on Rachel’s face didn’t comfort her, either. She’d been an adult earlier than most people. She handled lots of things adults did at a far earlier age than most. Tara had a strong urge to demand to see the alpha and beg him to let her go. This was all too much for her. She needed time to decompress and think about things. Having people pushing her to see things differently wasn’t something she dealt with very often. They usually just told her how it was and expected her to go along with it. Sure, she’d dreamed of many of these changes in her life, but dreaming was a far cry from reality. Tara was
Cal leaned against the table and watched as the pup finally broke down and told him yet another story. Sadly, Cal believed this was yet another lie to protect his ass from punishment. Clearly, he was used to spinning tales and charming his way out of trouble. A couple of comments Tara made about her brother warned ahead of time Cal. Eddie needed a firm hand to reel him in. That was something Cal’s pack didn’t lack. This pup was about to go into a strict training program. He’d be too tired to screw around with anything else by the end of any day. Cal could see Tara’s brother hadn’t had life any easier than his sister. Well, he probably wouldn’t appreciate this, but his life was about to change for the better, and he wasn’t going to like it much. “Enough, listen, you mangy pup. I’m not buying what you’re offering. Your sister is involved and because you’re the reason for that, I’m going to give you one choice. You leave and never see your sister
Cal checked in around the club to make sure that everything was ready for the evening and nothing needed to be handled immediately. The last thing he needed was a potential disaster taking up his time. Cal headed into his apartment, expecting to find continued chaos with Terra‘s clothing fitting. But what he found was Terra waiting for him in that tiny near see through mini dress, nothing scattered anywhere. It took him a couple of minutes to think again because he just couldn’t get over the enticing scene. Tara sat nervously perched on a kitchen stool with a cup of tea and a drink for him. What more could he want with all he could think? He smiled as he approached her. Frustrated him a little, but it excited in too that she couldn’t look him in the eye yet. “Well, this is a nice change. I think I like this. To what do I owe this change?” Cal let his hands settle on her shoulders, his thumbs caressed her collar As his fingers toyed with her collarbone.
Tara decided it would be less difficult if she stopped trying to resist everything. It exhausted her, and she knew she’d nod to find anything good in that direction. Not like she’d find much good in any other direction. It wasn’t her lot in life. She’d learned that quickly after her father was murdered. No one would give her a break if they didn’t benefit from it. So here she lay chained to the alpha’s bed, and he loomed over her with a grin of enjoyment as he looked at her exposed body. When he liked his lips in anticipation, Tara took a sharp breath in as she felt her body respond to him. He couldn’t miss as her core flushed, her need melted, and presented him with the truth of what his mere presence did to her. It was hard for her to reveal this to herself, but to put it on display like this it was an entirely new experience and Tara could feel her body eagerly responding to it. She wasn’t aware of her whimpering until it escaped her throat. “Oh h
“I said close your eyes, little girl.” Tara forgot, but as soon as she did, he rubbed her butt hole and her clit at the same time. “I knew you’d like this. You’re a pleasure beast. I should put your feet over your head to have access to both your holes more easily. You’ll be begging for me to do this soon enough.” Tara lay chained naked to the bed, her nipples restrained in nipple clamps, a chain linking them together, and Cal’s hands were doing things to her clit and ass. Her head thrashed from side to side as she moans. “Please. I don’t know what I’m feeling.” “Ah, there’s a good girl, accept it. Show me how you like it.” He pinched her clit hard. She cried out in response, panting and staring at hit. He could tell she was going to ask him why he’d pinch her. But he released her clit and the look on her face as blood flowed to her clit, swelling it, and making it throb. “See, I’ve been telling you that you’d like this.” As her brain registered that, he popped a fin
One Year Later —Tara sat out on the poach behind the packhouse with a laptop open to a spreadsheet. She and Emily were working out the next year’s budget and the projects they’d tackle.With Emily looking after the club while they were up here. It was interesting, to say the least.Tara gave birth on schedule. It was about the only thing that was on schedule these days, and Cal was sitting on a blanket on the grass with one-year-old Natalie Nichols. The apple of her daddy’s eye. She had him wrapped around her little finger and he’d have it no other way.Eddie and his Lycan girlfriend were now running the kitchens here for Rachel. They’d mated and, well… Tara expected to hear that they’d have pups soon enough.Jaxon, well, he was back in the city. Tara wasn’t sure what was happening with him. Cal wouldn’t speak of it. But Jaxon took a leave of absence from his position for a bit. Tara wasn’t receiving the full story. But as far as she could tell. Jaxon may have two mates. One wasn’t d
Five Months Later —Tara felt like the size of a house. She propped her ankles up on her desk and she had to eat her fries with no salt. It wasn’t the same, nothing tasted the same. The poking from inside was regular now and she couldn’t wait for the last six weeks to go by. She’d been six weeks pregnant when her symptoms started and since then, if it wasn’t one symptom, it was another. Tara would be more than happy for these little monsters to enter the world.Cal was everywhere and nowhere, it seemed. He told her to clear her calendar today because he wanted to show her their new territory. The thought of trudging out there was exhausting to her. But she’d do it because he was just so insistent. He promised they’d stay the night out there and come back the next day at a leisurely pace.“You ready to go?”“Yes, I just don’t understand why we have to do this now. When all I want to do is take a nap.”“You can nap in the vehicle on the way. Don’t worry, I’ve packed everything we need a
Tara could feel the ball of conflicting emotions rolling about in her head and her belly. She had a new life inside her. No matter what, she’d never be alone again. But how did she explain all of this to them when the time came?How should she explain this to Cal? He had to be expecting this. Look at the second floor. She didn’t like it necessarily. Their pups living completely separately from us with someone else looking after them. Why hadn’t they spoken about this before?Tara’s eyes closed as the elevator dinged and opened. She’d not thought that it was important before this because she wasn’t pregnant, and they didn’t have any pups. Now she thought of it.This morning, Cal was gone before she got out of bed. This was a day she didn’t train, because there were other things she needed to get done. Which, of course, didn’t get done? A few steps brought her to Cal’s office over the club.She knocked and entered when she received the okay to enter. Tara lucked out because Cal was alon
David Monroe struggle with the enforcer training. His heart wasn’t in it and his skills lay in other places, but everyone lumped him in with the other male Lycans because he was a Lycan. He’d exhausted almost every avenue trying to explain to them he’d rather be patching people up and treating pups with fevers. While he was moping during a break, his phone rang, and it surprised him to see that Emily’s name came up on his phone. “Hello, Emily. What’s wrong? Why are you calling?” He couldn’t think of a reason she could be calling him for, but any chance he got to speak with her was better than nothing. “I’ll tell you, but you have to be very careful with what you say. No one can know why you’re about to be ordered to the Luna’s office. What we need you to do, is slip out of the packhouse. If anyone asks, you’re running an errand for the Luna. That’s it nothing more. What you need to do is go to the closest pharmacy and pick up a pregnancy kit. Come back here
Again, Tara was up late the next morning. Cal was determined he wouldn’t let her feel like he neglected anything about her. From sympathizing with her, to how her emotions were toward absolutely everything, and he didn’t forget to include planning their future together.Well, he talked, and she mostly listened. What he said wasn’t bad. Tara didn’t have a problem with any of his ideas. She didn’t have much to add or at this time have an emotional connection to any of it.Now, though, Tara needed to get her day going, and she felt like something that had been dredged from a swampy pond. It took only minutes for Emily, her newest staff member, to realize there was something wrong with Tara.“If we had a cat, I’d say you look like the latest thing it dragged home. When will we see you going to a healer?” Emily eagerly asked Tara as she returned from her latest flight to the bathroom. Tara looked at her with an expression of exhaustion.“I’m fine and I’m not planning ongoing to see one.” S
“Stone dear, you know I love you. I’m your mate and partner in life. I have always advised you about everything honestly and in your best interest.” Elaine still quietly sat in the sitting room and calmly spoke to Stone. The others had slowly filtered out to go on with their day or to watch their guests leave. “Of course you are, and you have.” Stone looked out the window and watched the vehicles leave. Elaine could see he was distracted by what was going on and his own thoughts. “Then why are you being an ass and not listening to anything I say now?” She let her irritation slip into her voice and she dryly responded to him. Her annoyance was obvious. Stone’s instincts instantly alerted him to the fact that not all was good between himself and his mate. Over the years, that instinct helped him avoid many different disasters from exploding in his face when it came to their relationship. “I’m listening Ellie. I’ve always listened.” “Then explain to me if you listened to me, then why
No one said much of anything on the way home. The privacy divider between the front of the vehicle and the back raised then never went down. Cal pulled Tara to him and sat her in his lap. He didn’t do anything more but let her soak up his warmth and strength. He buried his head into her neck and hair. The smell of the wool sweater mixed with the natural spice of her scent. He instantly felt his aggressive feelings smooth out and gentle. It’d been difficult watching her get so wound up from it all. Tara sat there, and all but purred. As their vehicle made slow progress through traffic, it’s darkened windows gave them the privacy that Cal didn’t care, Tara turned and straddled his lap instead. She didn’t do anything more than that. But his body felt her skirt hike up and he groaned, knowing how naughty she was instinctively gravitating to for comfort. That wasn’t what their mating would ever be based on. He’d never satisfy his needs while she was seek
Kole wanted to get back to the gathering as quickly as possible. He didn’t want any misunderstandings between anyone, let alone the two packs. There was no way he’d explain to the pack that their beloved elder and ex-alpha alienated his first born grand pup with blind stubbornness, hateful questions, and fear. That wouldn’t be happening today or any day. Kole wouldn’t risk fighting with Cal. How would it look when the Council of Alphas met? His father always forgot about that. Though the council of alphas didn’t exist during his time in control of the pack. He’d been a forward thinker of his time and moved his pack to a territory that was being noticed by the local humans. It meant he could settle their businesses in, and those humans would see those businesses as founding members of the business community. “Let’s go back down now and please be nice to her. She’s so much like Heather and you wouldn’t talk to Heather that way. Just apologize and let mother do
“That’s my third pup there and his mate. Your uncle, Stephen, and his mate, Ariel. Their grown pups, Erin, and Eric. That about covers your living family here, dear. Everyone sit please. Stone has created enough excitement and drama for one day. She has a sweet soul. Stephen, treat her like you would your sister and don’t act like your father if you know what’s good for you. As for the doghouse, it’s an old guard shack that’s been turned into a bunkhouse for single wolves who, for one reason or another, don’t want to make the trip all the way back to their homes to sleep. It’s affectionately called the doghouse because often there’s trouble between the few mated wolves that stay there.” “Oh, good grief. That’s horrible.” “Oh, don’t think your grandfather hasn’t stayed there a time or two. Though these days he’s more likely to use a guest apartment.” Tara looked over the tissue at Elaine with a shocked expression. “You’re joking.” “No, I’m n