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 looked at the clock on the wall behind the desk for the fifth time before looking at the immaculately dressed blonde woman sitting behind it. She cleared her throat, but the woman continued to ignore her.“Excuse me,” Eve finally said, tapping on the desk with her nails. “My name is Eve Rolands, and I need some information.” The woman slowly looked up from the papers she’d been reading to look at her. A faint sneer crossed her face as she looked Eve over before composing her face back into the bored look she’d been wearing. Eve briefly wondered if putting her long dark hair in a bun looked too matronly before mentally shaking her head. She knew she looked good in her blue jacket with the matching skirt and heels. Her upswept hair showed off her simple but tasteful necklace and earrings. Looking down her nose at Eve, the woman asked in an equally bored voice, “How can I help you?” Eve flushed but didn’t let any other sign of embarrassment show. Tugging at the hem of her jacke
After a long day of learning what Arec needed to be done around the office, Eve made her way back to her apartment. Going inside, she shut the door and leaned against it, sighing. “What a day,” she muttered as she straightened and kicked off her shoes. She dropped her bag on the table next to the door and walked into the kitchen. Opening the refrigerator, she peered inside and shook her head at the lack of food on the shelves. “Who does the grocery shopping in this place?” she asked. “Oh, yeah! It’s me, and I need to go.” Shutting the refrigerator, she leaned against the counter and crossed her arms as she stared at the cupboards. “You know what?” she asked, standing straight. “I need some company. I’ve got a lot to talk over.” Taking her cell phone out of her pocket, she opened her list of contacts and scrolled through it until she found the name she was looking for. Tapping the number, she put the phone to her ear and waited. “Hey, girl!” the voice on the other end
“What?” Linda asked, perking up and looking around. “Where is he?”Eve slumped into her seat and hissed, “Don’t look at him!” Sighing and tilting her head, Linda asked, “How can I look at him if I don’t know where he is?” Eve glanced at him again and saw he was deep in conversation with another man. He hadn’t noticed her. Sitting up, she jerked her thumb toward the other side of the room. “Do you see the gorgeous guy sitting at that table across the room?” she asked. “He’s talking to the blonde guy in the blue suit.” Linda turned to look and asked, “You mean the hot guy coming this way?” “What?!” Eve yelped, sitting straight and turning to look. Sure enough, Arec was walking toward their table with a smile. “I feel sick,” Eve whispered, not taking her eyes off him as he walked closer. “I didn’t expect to see you here at my favorite restaurant, Ms. Rolands,” he said as he stopped beside their table. “Or may I call you Eve since we’re outside the office?” She tried to smil
Eve screamed as she felt something thud against her, and pain shot through her shoulder. Closing her eyes, she fell against her car door and pushed at her assailant. Her fingers dug into what felt like fur, and she swore she heard a deep growl. Suddenly, whatever had attacked her was gone. She opened her eyes to see an unbelievable sight. In the restaurant parking lot, an enormous wolf faced off against a wolf-like creature standing on two legs. They both snarled at each other. The sight of them caused her legs to weaken, and she slid down the car until she sat on the ground. Eve shook her head, reaching up to rub at her eyes. When she opened them again, she saw the two creatures circling one another as if looking for an opening to attack. “What the hell is going on?” she muttered. “I know I had a drink, but I didn’t think it was that strong.” The wolf-like creature turned to look at her. The enormous wolf took advantage of the distraction and leaped. The creature noticed the
When she woke in the morning, it felt like her brain was pounding against her skull to get out. Groaning, she rubbed her eyes and sat up. “Man, I had some weird dreams last night,” she muttered. She tried to remember them, but they disappeared like smoke in the wind as she reached for them. Shrugging, she got out of bed and walked to the bathroom. She saw her dress in the sink and the bloody jacket on the floor and said, “So, it really did happen.” Her eyes grew wide, and she looked at herself in the mirror, pulling off her pajama top. The bandage looked clean, so she peeled it off the wound and gasped. The skin didn’t have a mark on it! “What the hell?” she whispered as she looked at her shoulder. “I know I didn’t dream what happened!” Leaning closer to the mirror, she saw two faint red marks on her shoulder where the wound had been. “So, the wound was there,” she said, probing the spot with her fingers. “How in the hell did it heal so fast?” After staring at it for
Eve expected Arec to be shocked or, worse, laugh at her. He surprised her by having neither reaction. Instead, he tilted his head and asked, “Really? Why do you think this?” She looked at him in stunned silence before asking, “You believe me?” “Why wouldn’t I?” he asked with a slight smile. Looking around the office, she said, “Maybe because, up until last night, I didn’t believe werewolves were real.” “But if you say you saw one, then I believe you,” he told her. She looked him in the eyes and smiled. “For whatever reason, I believe that,” she said. “I don’t know why you believe me so readily, but I’m glad.” He smiled back at her and said, “It’s because I feel some connection to you. I can feel you are trustworthy, so if you tell me werewolves are real, they are.” She looked at him warily before shaking her head. “If someone had told me they’d seen a werewolf, I’d think they were crazy,” she said. “Yet you believe me after only knowing me for a day.” He smiled at her
Eve’s face fell, and she told Arec, “I’ve already made plans for lunch tomorrow.” “Oh? Is Linda meeting you or something?” he asked. She shook her head and told him, “I’m meeting a new guy I met in the cafe around the corner.” Anger crossed his face so fast, she wasn’t sure she’d seen it. She blinked, only to see him smiling with regret at her. “Seems like I moved too slow,” he said. “Maybe the next day, then.” She nodded and said, “That would be nice.” He smiled wider and nodded. “Great! I’ll see you tomorrow,” he told her, stepping back from the car. “See you then,” she said, putting the car in reverse. As she pulled out of the parking garage, she saw him staring after her and frowned. “What’s that all about?” she muttered. The next day went smoothly. While Eve had been worried that Arec would treat her differently because he seemed upset about her having lunch with someone else, he didn’t seem to treat her any differently than he had the day before. When lunchtim
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