“Finally,” Arec muttered, closing the file on his desk and putting it into the bottom drawer of his desk. He glanced toward the windows and frowned at how dark it was outside. “I’d better get home before Eve starts to worry,” he said, pushing away from his desk and calling for the car. As the chauffeur drove, Arec stared out the window. “Something’s wrong,” he muttered, pulling out his phone. “I can feel it.” He dialed his brother, who answered on the second ring. “What’s up?” Michael answered the call. “Is everything okay back there?” Arec asked. “I haven’t seen anything out of the ordinary,” his brother told him. “What about Eve?” Arec asked. “Where is she?”“She went for a walk on the grounds,” Michael told him. Arec sat up straight and asked, “She did what?” “She went for a walk,” Michael said, puzzled. “Why?” “Can you see her now?” he asked, leaning forward to see how far away from the house the car was. Arec could hear his brother moving before he said, “D
When Michael returned, he saw Arec had taken off his suit jacket and sat with his back against the wall. His legs were bent, and he rested his arms on them as he stared at the door across the hallway. As Michael neared his brother, the door shook as the werewolf inside thudded against the door, rattling it. “I see she’s awake,” Michael said, handing the plate of food to his brother. Arec nodded, accepting the plate. “It’s going to be a long night, so I brought a thermos of coffee,” Michael said, handing Arec the large container. “Thanks,” he said, opening it and pouring the dark liquid into the cup. “Do you want me to take a shift?” Michael asked. Arec shook his head and said, “I’ll be fine.” Grinning up at his brother, he added, “This won’t be my first overnighter.” Michael grinned back and said, “Yeah, but you were much younger then.” Arec rolled his eyes and took a drink of his coffee. Sobering, Michael said, “I’ll patrol the grounds to make sure the werewolf who
“Arec?” Eve called in a weak voice. “Is that you?” She looked at the door from where she lay curled on the floor. It slowly opened, and she closed her eyes at the light streaming inside, lifting her hand to block the brightness. “It’s me, honey,” he said, coming into the room and kicking the door shut behind him. The room was dimly lit, but he could make out the naked form of Eve curled on the ground. He set the tray down on the floor and hurried to her side. “How are you feeling?” he asked, kneeling beside her and gently touching her shoulder. “Sore,” Eve said, lifting her head to look at him. “What happened to me?” “What’s the last thing you remember?” he asked as he helped her sit up and pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her. She melted into him and shook her head. “I’m not sure,” she said. “I remember going for a walk before dinner. I went into the trees, then….” Her voice trailed off. “Then, what?” Arec asked softly. “Do you remember anything after that?
“A Lycan?” Eve asked. “What’s that?” “We’re wolf-like beings but aren’t werewolves,” he said. “We aren’t controlled by the full moon as werewolves are.” She stared at him with wide eyes as her mouth hung open. “In our wolf form, we have complete control over our actions,” he continued. “We also remember what happened while in our wolf form.” He looked at her as he added, “Unlike werewolves.” Falling silent, he waited for her to understand what he was saying. Eve stared at him in shock as she took in what he was telling her. Suddenly, her mouth snapped shut. Then she gasped. “Are you seriously telling me I changed into a werewolf last night?” she asked. “You’re being serious about that? It’s not a joke?” He nodded but remained silent. She laughed until she realized he wasn’t laughing with her. “You’re being serious?” she asked, sitting up from the water. He nodded again. She looked away from him, frowning. “What am I going to do?” she muttered. “I’m going to tak
Michael’s eyes grew wide at Arec’s announcement. “Your mate?” he asked. “Are you sure?” Arec nodded, standing to walk toward the bar. He refilled his glass and walked back to his chair. Once again seated, he looked at his brother and nodded. “Of course, I’m sure,” he said, shaking his head as he chuckled. “I’ve known since I first set eyes on her.” “But she’s not Lycan,” Michael said. “How can that be?” Arec shrugged and asked, “Who can tell the heart what it wants?” Michael shook his head and said, “Mother and the others won’t be happy to hear this.” Arec glared at him and said, “They better not hear it from you.” Michael held his hands in front of him and shook his head. “My lips are sealed,” he said. Arec nodded and took another drink from his glass. The brothers remained silent until Michael cleared his throat and asked, “When will you tell Mother? You know she’s been searching for a suitable mate for you.” Arec grunted and rolled his eyes. “Don’t remind me,” h
Arec and his mother locked eyes as they glared at each other. Michael cleared his throat, and they both turned to look at him. “Aren’t you forgetting something, Mother?” he asked. “What?” his mother asked with a scowl. “Tonight is the night of the full moon,” Michael said. “And?” his mother asked after a moment. “If we let Eve go, who knows what kind of damage she’ll cause?” he said, uncrossing his arms. Before their mother could say anything, Arec raised an eyebrow and said, “He has a point.” Mrs. Lyons opened her mouth, then snapped it shut. “After all,” Arec continued, “as Lycans, we are charged with keeping the werewolves in line.” His mother’s lip compressed in a thin line as her nostrils flared. “Fine,” she finally said. “She can stay here tonight and tomorrow night, but after that, she’s gone.” Arec glared at her rising from the chair. “I need to check on her,” he said as he bowed to his mother and turned to leave. As he passed his brother, Michael slappe
Arec turned his head so fast that his neck cracked. “What is it?” he asked as he got to his feet. “What’s going on?” “We have trouble at the gates,” Michael said, skidding to a stop next to his brother. Arec frowned and asked, “What kind of trouble?” The door thudded once more. Michael nodded to it and said, “That kind of trouble.” Arec’s eyes grew wide. “You mean werewolves?” he asked. Michael nodded, his face grim. “It looks like a whole damn pack has come onto the grounds,” he said. “What? How is that possible?” Arec asked. “You tell me,” Michael said, jerking his head toward the door. “You think she had something to do with this?” Arec asked, glaring at his brother. Michael shook his head and said, “Not her, directly, but someone did change her, so I’m assuming it’s her sire.” Arec frowned and looked at the door again. The door thudded again as Eve threw herself against it, but it held firm. Sighing, Arec turned to look back to his brother and asked, “How
Walking down from the roof, Arec and his siblings headed toward the living room. “So, what’s the plan?” Bella asked. “The plan is that we take them out,” Ray said, grinning at her. “We need a little more planning than that, Ray,” Julia told him, rolling her eyes. “Agreed,” Michael said. “The last time I counted, there were fifteen of them. If we each take three, we should have no problem.” The rest of his siblings nodded. “Before we go out there, I want you to know that the big one with the brown and gray fur is mine.” Everyone turned to look at him. “He’s the one that turned Eve,” Arec told them. “We’ve fought before, and this time, I want to make sure he can’t hurt anyone else.” Michael and the rest of their siblings nodded. “That one’s all yours,” Ray said. “Leave the rest to us.” They discussed how they would go out of the house and onto the grounds unseen before turning into their wolf forms. “We’ll take them by surprise, and it will be over before we know it,
Eve waited, holding her breath, as Arec listened to Michael on the other end of the phone. Arec listened, then looked at Eve and nodded. “He found them?” she asked, hurrying to his side. Arec moved the phone away from his mouth and told her, “He has their trail.” Eve put her hand over her mouth as her eyes filled with tears. She hurried to the couch and sat down. As she waited for Arec to finish his conversation with his brother, she leaned forward with her hands clasped so tightly that her fingers turned white. After Arec hung up the phone, he looked at Eve and said, “He’s going to track them and call back when he has more information.”“Do you think it will take long?” she asked, her brows drawn upward in concern. “I’m not sure,” Arec told her, walking to the couch to sit beside her. “Michael is an excellent tracker, so I don’t think he’ll lose their scent.” He reached over to unclasp her hands and held her hands in his. “Linda’s going to be okay,” he told her. “How do
Eve gasped as Arec made the suggestion that Linda had been abducted. “Do you really think someone took her?” she asked. Arec and Michael sniffed the air before looking at each other and nodding. “What is it?” Eve asked, looking at them. “What do you smell?” She inhaled, then shook her head. “I don’t smell anything,” she said. “That’s because your senses are dulled when you’re not in your wolf form,” Arec told her. “Whereas we can still access our Lycan senses when we’re not in that form,” Michael said. “So, what are you smelling?” she asked. Arec and Michael glanced at each other again before Arec said, “We smell Craig.” “What?” Eve cried. “You think he has Linda?” Arec looked at Michael before nodding. “His stench is all over Linda’s car,” he said. Eve ground her teeth, and her hands balled into fists. Her eyes narrowed as she sniffed the air. She shook her head before she said, “I can’t smell anything, but I will find him and make him give Linda back!” “You
“So, how was your day with Linda?” Arec asked when Eve returned to the house, carrying her purchases inside. “It was nice to see her again,” Eve told him, smiling as she set the bags down. “You look like you had a good time,” he told her, grinning and nodding toward her shopping bags. Her smile widened into a grin as she waved toward the bags. “I think we bought out the entire shopping area,” she said. “At least, it felt like it.” Arec smiled and shook his head. “Should I even check the bank account?” he asked. Giggling, Eve shook her head and said, “It’s probably best that you don’t.” “Then, I won’t,” he said before picking up some of the bags in his left hand while holding out his right arm for her to grasp. She picked up the rest of the bags and slid her arm through his. They walked out of the living room toward the staircase. When they reached her room, she dropped her bags and dug her phone out of her purse. “Let me text Linda and tell her I made it home safe,”
Linda craned her head to follow Eve’s gaze and gasped. “That sure does look like Craig,” she said. “What is he doing here?” Eve scowled and took her napkin off her lap as she stood. “I don’t know, but I’m going to go out there and find out,” she said. Linda put her hand on Eve’s arm, stopping her friend. “Are you sure that’s wise?” she asked. “How well do you actually know that man? What if he’s dangerous?” Eve glared at him through the window and balled her hands into fists while she said, “He’ll find out who’s more dangerous when I go out there and confront him.” Linda frowned at her friend, then released her arm. Eve glanced at her friend and told her, “I’ll be right back.” Linda nodded and watched Eve leave the cafe. Eve marched out of the cafe, glaring at Craig, who leaned against a light post with his hands in his pockets. He spotted her and stood up. Linda continued to watch the scene as it played out. Eve marched out of the cafe, her eyes trained on Craig, who co
“Where?” Eve asked. “Where is Craig?” Linda pointed to a man standing on the other side of the pond. When Eve looked at him, he grinned at her and walked away. “That sure looked like Craig,” Eve said, staring at his retreating back. “I wonder why he was out there.” “I wonder why he didn’t come in and say hi,” Linda said, frowning. “Maybe he knows about Arec and didn’t feel comfortable talking to us,” Eve said, turning to look at her friend. She chewed on her thumbnail as she looked back out the window toward where Linda said Craig had been. Linda leaned forward and grinned at Eve. “So, how are things going with Mr. Right?” she asked. Eve turned to look at Linda and smiled. “We’re doing good,” she said. “You must be,” Linda said. “I haven’t seen or heard much from you lately!” Eve’s face fell, and she said, “I’m sorry about ignoring you lately, Linda. I didn’t mean to shut you out.” Linda reached across the table to pat her friend’s hand and said, “Don’t worry about
Eve’s phone rang, startling her from her thoughts. Looking at the screen, she smiled before she answered it. “Hey, girl,” she greeted Linda. “How have you been?” “Long time, no talk,” her friend said. “I’ve been good. How about you?” Eve paused as she thought about the events since she’d last spoken to her friend before saying, “I’ve been good. What’s new?” “Just the same old, same old,” Linda said. “Still single and trying to mingle to find that special someone. Speaking of a special someone, how’s your man doing?” Eve felt her face warming as she smiled and said, “He’s doing good. We’re doing good.” “I haven’t seen you in a bit, so I wanted to give you a call,” Linda said. “I figured you’d been spending time with your man and forgot all about me.” Eve shook her head and said, “I could never forget about you.” “Glad to hear that,” Linda said with a chuckle. “So, what’s new with you?” Eve asked. “Found anyone who has stolen your heart yet?” Linda chuckled and said, “Not
Eve’s mouth dropped open at Arec’s announcement. “Fight you?” she asked when she found her voice. “Are you serious?” Arec nodded and said, “Of course I am. I’m the best option you have.” He held up his fingers as he counted the ways. “I’m your mate, so I’m not going to hurt you,” he said. “I know you better than Michael, so I should be able to anticipate what actions you’re going to take. Also, if you injure me, I won’t react like Michael would.” Turning to his brother, he shrugged and said, “No offense, Michael.” Michael shook his head and changed back into his human form. “None taken,” he said before asking, “Do you think it’s wise to do this, Arec?” “I would rather be the one to train her so that I can take the blame if any information gets out to the werewolves,” he said. “Plus, she’s my mate, so I don’t think she’ll tell them anything if it’s me she’s fighting.” “He makes a good point,” Bella said, tilting her head and pursing her lips as she studied them. “I don’t thin
“Is this really necessary?” Eve asked Arec, looking at Michael in his Lycan form on the other side of the gym. Arec looked at his brother, patiently waiting for Eve to finish warming up, and nodded. “You need to know how a Lycan fights so you can be prepared for what Sabrina may come at you with,” he said. “Michael won’t go full Lycan on me, though, will he?” she asked, still staring at him. “He will be full Lycan, but he won’t be using his full strength,” Arec told her. “He wants to teach you how to fight a Lycan, but he doesn’t want to hurt you while doing so. You won’t be able to fight a Lycan until you transform again during the next full moon.” Eve nodded, not taking her eyes off Michael, who noticed her staring and winked at her, his tongue lolling out of his mouth. She started, blinking her eyes rapidly. “Are you ready to begin?” Arec asked her, frowning. “Or do you want me to give you a few pointers first?” Eve tore her eyes from Michael to look at him. “You’d do
“What?!” Arec roared. “What do you mean this challenge is to the death?”“That’s how we settle things these days, bro,” Samuel said, smirking at Arec. “You’d know this if you attended more Pack meetings.”Arec looked at Michael and asked, “Were you aware of this?” Michael looked at his mother and said, “I had a suspicion that Mother might still follow the old ways when it came to this.” “What old ways?” Eve asked. Arec glared at his mother before turning to Eve and saying, “In the old days, Pack law was settled by a fight to the death, but these days, I thought we’d become more civilized.” Looking back to his mother, he added, “It seems that I was wrong.” His mother pursed her lips and looked away. “Too bad for your girlfriend,” Sabrina said, bearing her teeth in a grin directed at Eve. “Now, wait just a minute,” Arec said, starting to stand. Eve put her hand on his arm. He looked at her before sitting back down in his seat. “I’ve got this,” she told him, staring at Sabri