Cole Miller was recuperating after a covert operation when his father's lawyer came knocking on his door, and as soon as he saw the old man he knew he was bringing a ton of trouble his way only he didn’t know of the magnitude. Forced to go back to his family estate to bury his father, Cole discovered he had inherited his family's ill-gotten fortune, his grandfather's oil wells and an enslaved female his father termed 'the merchandise', a woman who was already sold and was to be picked up by a cruel mafia boss he knew too well. After spending a steamy night with her and discovering what she was, Cole understood better why Rufus wanted her. And despite knowing the trouble he would bring his way if he stopped her sale, he tried to help her regardless. When his family estate was attacked by unknown assailants, Cole engineered an escape and found himself in a changing tide of danger, one minute he was captured, chained, and in the den of wolves who hated humans, and next, he was on the run to protect a woman who was not entirely woman and who claimed to be his mate.
View MoreIf there was something Isabelle knew more than anything it was the damning fact that humans hate her kind. It was not because they had done anything to deserve it - at least not that she knew of, it was just the simple fact that they were different. Humans are pretty uncomfortable with people they deemed different especially if the people in question have the ability to shapeshift. Some humans are barely tolerable of the knowledge of her kind while others actively come after them. Isabelle thought they were lucky folks in Appleberry belonged in the latter category.
Isabelle saw the way the shopkeeper watched them as if they were a band of thieves or something equally worse. Her brother, Xavier waited for the human to check out their purchases and he quickly counted the dollar bills, placed them on the counter, and gestured for the rest of them to leave. Isabelle followed her brother, Hallec; his beta, and three others outside the massive grocery store, and couldn’t help glancing back one more time at the older man behind the counter. The glare of hatred in his old eyes was palpable. She sighed. Xavier held the door open for her and she thanked him with a smile as she walked outside.
“Ignore him, Belle,” Xavier advised. “Do you need anything else?” He asked. “It’s going to be a while before we come back to town,” he warned.
“We have bought everything on the list,” Isabelle replied with a thankful glance at him. He nodded.
They had come to town for their monthly shopping and just like always her brother made sure she got everything she needed for her personal needs. Every single one of them was carrying at least five white grocery bags.
As the guys went up the back of the beat-up truck to place the purchases in the cargo bed, a middle-aged woman walked up to Belle and spit on the floor in front of her. She gasped, startling backwards.
Xavier came to stand between her and the other woman, not sparing the brunette a glance, he relieved Isabelle of her shopping bags and gestured for her to go to the passenger side of the truck in the front aisle. Isabelle swallowed, nodded, and lowered her gaze.
“We don’t want your kind in our town!” the woman yelled angrily, drawing attention from passersby.
“Go get laid, old bat!” the man Xavier had hired to convey them out of town spoke from behind the wheel.
“You should be ashamed of yourself! Driving these abominations around. You are going straight to hell!”
“At least I will be going rich, what’s your excuse, huh?!” the man bated, laughing loudly.
"They eat babies, you moron!"
Isabelle stopped with the intent to correct the woman but Xavier gave her a look to silence her. She sighed.
"If that was true, they would be doing us all a great deal of favour if they eat all of yours. It's scary to have your crazy ass procreating. Leave them alone. You are the abomination," the driver replied. Isabelle tried not to laugh. Maybe not all humans hate them after all.
She settled in the passenger seat and turned to look back, watching as her brother and the other guys climbed up the back of the truck.
“You okay in there?” Xavier called out.
“Yes,” Isabelle replied.
“Good,” he said and she heard him pat the metal roof as an indication for the driver to move. Xavier didn’t know how to drive - none of them did, and neither did they own a vehicle. Xavier normally makes arrangements for a truck to get them at least outside town and close to the town wildlife reserve. and from there they find their way back home.
Isabelle breathed a sigh of relief when the truck moved and they left the town. Appleberry was the closest to their island and as a result, they do more of their shopping there.
The ride back was peaceful for about a meter away from town when two trucks veered out from a T-junction to the lonely road and started to tail them.
Isabelle watched from the side mirror and saw that the vehicles made no attempt to get in front of them and just lined behind them as if they were escorts.
She turned around and saw Xavier looking at her through the glass shield demarcating the back of the front compartment. He held her gaze intently and the message in them was quite clear --- there was going to be trouble.
When they got to a bend, the truck that was right behind them suddenly sped up to stay in line with them.
“What the fuck! Go on!” their driver yelled. Isabelle tensed up and her heart began to beat faster.
The trucks were big and new. It looked like it was customized with massive tires and tinted side glass. The man behind the wheel wore a dark shade with a face cap that was pulled down almost to his eyebrows. And the one beside him, sitting on the passenger seat, wore just a dark shade. He was blonde and Isabelle could see he was a big guy. She glanced back at her brother and saw the dark scowl on his face.
‘Damn it! Can’t we just have this one day of peace?!’ Isabelle thought.
“Hey! What are you doing?! Get a move on! Damn it!” their driver called out again and the men didn’t even act as if they heard him.
Isabelle heard Xavier curse as they reached a bend and two more similar trucks came facing them.
“What the hell!” The driver cursed in bewilderment. The blonde from the truck beside them slowly raised his hand with a sardonic smile on his face now, and Isabelle saw him holding a gun. Before Xavier yelled for her to take cover, she already burrowed down on her seat, holding on tightly to the door frame.
A deafening blast sounded and blood sprayed all over the front aisle. The man in the other truck had shot their driver in the head. Brain cells scattered all over the seat and the windshield and a lot of them got on her dress. Isabelle swallowed a scream. With a loud screech, the truck went off the road into the woods framing the tarred road, skidding dangerously down the slope with the driver slumped on the steering wheel.
“Hold on, Belle!” Isabelle heard Xavier calling out. The truck didn’t stop until it hit a big tree, jolting Isabelle forward. She almost hit her head but the seatbelt held her back. The windscreen spiderwebbed and caved in. Smoke billowed from the crushed hood and a hissing sound filled the air. The side door to her seat was pulled out and Xavier deftly cut off the seat belt holding her still to help her out.
“Get the supplies and go ahead of us,” Xavier was saying to the other Weres.
“But Alpha there are more of them, you will have a better chance of scaring them off if we stay to help,” Marric protested, a young, fit Were with black, braided hair that reached below his shoulders. His black eyes were filled with worry.
“Marric is right, Alpha, let's stay and help,” another one of the Weres, Pete, interjected, sounding more angry than scared.
“We can hide the supplies somewhere close by and come back to help, Alpha,” Arden urged.
“I don’t want us to lose our supplies. We need them, and I also want you to take Belle with you. Hallec and I will stay and distract them. It looked like they had a lot of firepowers and we might be at a disadvantage. We don’t know who they are or what they want. They don’t seem to want us dead or they would have shot us instead. We need to act fast. The idea is for them not to catch all of us together,” Xavier explained.
“I’m not leaving you alone to face a bunch of humans with guns!” Isabelle said in a whispered horror.
“I won’t be alone, Hallec will be with me, Belle. We don’t have time to argue or vote. You guys need to go now!” Xavier urged.
“But—” Isabelle started to argue and stopped when they heard the sound of dry leaves crushing under booted feet getting close, she gave a curt nod. Xavier pulled her into a tight hug and then stepped back from her. Hallec gave her an intense look and she wished she could hug him too. She nodded at him instead and he gave her a ghost of a smile. His deep blue eyes were clouded with emotions. He turned away and she rushed away with Marric, Pete, and Arden.
They were about half a kilometre away when gunshots rented the air and then a howl. Isabelle jerked to a stop. Pain tore through her chest as if she had been shot and she knew then that Xavier was in danger.
“I have to go back,” was all the warning she gave the other Pack members before she turned around and bolted back, retracing her steps. After a while, she heard the crutching of dirt underfoot behind her and knew the other guys had followed her.
“Come out or we are going to shoot this one in the head," Isabelle heard one of the humans say, and she crouched down to peer out from behind a large tree.
Hallec was held down with a booted foot on his chest. His white shirt was bloodied. Isabelle held her hand to her mouth to silence her gasp. Xavier was nowhere in sight. And she counted three humans already lying dead in the open clearing. She didn't know how many humans were there in total but five stood about heavily armed with the one holding Hallec down.
Isabelle saw in a flash as a familiar white fur werewolf dashed out from the side, grabbed two humans and rushed back into hiding, using their bodies as shields. The last three opened fire on him. She could smell Xavier's blood and knew he was hurt. The one holding Hallec down shoots him on the shoulder making him cry out.
"I have more men coming in and can do this all day. And your friend will die a slow painful death," the blonde called out angrily.
'What can we do, Belle?' Arden asked via mind link.
“To hell with these humans,” Pete raged and dashed away into the woods and before Isabelle could stop him he had shapeshifted into a Lycan. He howled and leapt at one of the humans, the other aimed a rifle and fired, making Pete jerk back once and then swiftly swiped his right hand forward, clawing the entire face out. The human bellowed loudly. Arden joined the fight, then Marric and then there was chaos.
Isabelle trained her eyes on Hallec, waiting for the man holding him at gunpoint to be distracted. And then she saw Xavier rush against the man in his human form. Knocking him off his feet.
Isabelle dashed out from her hiding spot and ran to help Hallec out of the open field. Xavier’s beta weighed about 200 pounds but with her wolf giving her extraordinary strength she was able to pull him to safety while she watched her brother’s back making sure no one sneaked up on him unexpectedly.
“Are you alright?!” Isabelle asked Hallec as soon she had him sitting up against a tree about a few miles away from the fighting area. Hallec grunted hard then nodded. His handsome face concocted with pain.
“I need a minute then I can help Xavier,” he said.
“Stay here, let me see what’s going on,” Isabelle replied.
“No. Stay, here. They want . . . you . . . You must—” Hallec said with effort while taking a quick breath. He seemed in great agitation. Isabelle’s attention was divided though, her mind was on Xavier --- alone out there with armed humans.
Isabelle pressed a kiss to his forehead and rushed back to help her brother. She heard Hallec calling to come back, but she ignored him. She wondered why they keep forgetting she was an alpha too and as strong as her brother.
When she got back to the scene she came to an abrupt halt. More humans were on the field now, she even spotted a familiar face amongst them, some man from Appleberry who was fond of spreading lies about their kind. Marric, Pete, and Arden were lying lifeless on the grass. Pete’s head had been separated from his body and was about a few inches from his body. The blonde human seemed severely wounded and could barely stand. He held a strangely shaped machete in his hand now and about eight other humans held Xavier down.
“No!” Isabelle screamed, distracting the blonde from cutting off her brother’s head. Using the momentous lapse to shapeshift into a werewolf. Gunshots blazed, darting at her. She weaved through, dodging the bullets until she got to the eight men. She first backhanded the blonde male, making him fall back on the grass with a pain-filled groan, the machete skidded away from his grasp.
Isabelle stabbed her claws into one human’s stomach, opening his bowel, and used the other to slice the throat of the other while using the bodies as shields. The fear in her caused an adrenaline surge that was extraordinary.
In what seemed like a blink of an eye, she took down the eight men holding down her twin brother and only paused when Xavier was visible enough for her to see that he was drenched in blood but still alive.
Relief washed over her. They had lost their parents in similar circumstances when humans appointed themselves as their executioners just for being different, but they were young then, they weren’t defenceless pups anymore.
She scooped him up with effort and felt a tearing pain shot through her from the back of her shoulder. She didn’t bother to look back. Dashing towards the area she took Hallec with an amazing speed superior to the humans, she was able to evade them. By the time she got there, Xavier's breathing was stronger but still weak.
Isabelle's eyes grew blurry with tears, and her heart ached with the very thought of losing her twin. She imagined if the bullets could affect Xavier this strongly then they weren't using regular bullets.
When she got to the tree she left Hallec she found he was no longer there. She put her brother down and then saw him prowl out from a side shrub in his wolf form.
“Protect him!” Isabelle ordered. “I will distract them!”
“Belle, No!” Hallec cried in a guttural tone, but she was already running off.
“Belle!” Xavier called out weakly.
She ignored the two of them, knowing if her brother and his beta were going to survive, she must lure the enemies away from their trail.
“No!” Rufus yelled, Cole turned to him and smash the butt of his gun against his head, causing his forehead to bleed. “You fucking injected my woman with wolfbane, and dared to try and kill Aaron!” “You bastard! You killed my son!” Rufus cried loudly in evident anguish. It was clear he had lost his mind. “Oh, I intend to off all your fucking sons! You idiot!” “That’s a shame—” a voice sounded from the doorway. Cole looked in the direction and saw a man that looked like Rufus holding Opaline by the throat, and when Isabelle startled forward, he brandished a gun at her. Isabelle stopped. “If any of you animals move, I will drop this and we will all die...” the newcomer said, using the barrel of his gun to tap on a grenade he held against Opaline’s throat — the very type Ash used a few minutes before, everyone stepped back except Isabelle. “Hello, Cole Miller, your father was an arrogant asshole, but I still liked him, I was looking forward to meeting you. The way he talked about yo
“Oh, hell, no! Not on my watch!” Cole muttered and ran to the open space, ignoring the fact that he was left defenceless, trusting Jason and Ash to cover him. Isabelle gaped at him, watching as he opened fire on the guards by the doorway. Isabelle watched in frozen horror as two bullets hit him on the chest, and another on the shoulder, Cole only grunted hard but pressed forward. He didn’t stop until there were no more guards still left standing by the doorway. “Is this guy on drugs?!” one of the Weres asked with disquiet. “He is fucking insane!” another interjected. “Yes, he is,” Jason said with an admiration that made Isabelle smack him on the shoulder. “Sorry,” he said in a whispered plea, and then added, “but only the insanity part. I wouldn’t have him any other way!” He smirked and pushed away from safety to join in. Ash and his men joined him. A new wave of guards came out from the house and the other side of the woods, brandishing automatic guns at Cole and the rest o
Angel let go of the man and offered him the water. He snatched the bottle and gulped down the water, then he eyed Angel before he took the steak and gorged it down his throat. Isabelle passed another bottle of water to Angel and the other Were directed his gaze passed Angel to settle on her. The pain that cloud his eyes at the sight of her made her swallow. “They killed her... raped her to death...” he growled and then whimpered in obvious pain, curling up on the floor. Angel grabbed him by the shoulders and snarled “And if you don’t get your shit together, you will never be able to avenge her! Get a hold of yourself, Wolfe, or this will be it for you! I don’t fucking have all night!” Angel said, barring his teeth. The other wolf nodded and fought to contain his emotions. Angel then offered him a change of clothes, and he accepted it. Isabelle and the other ladies moved back to allow the rescued Weres to change, and then one of the Were asked, “Why does this human smell like
Cole signalled to Ash to wait with his team, beckoned Jason, mind linked with Isabelle to follow him then asked Xavier to mind link with Hallec, Darrow, Wulfrun, Opaline, and Tiana to come with them. The chosen Weres followed Angel closely, heading into the side woods to a secluded area about 5 minutes walk from the house, but it only took the Weres three. Angel brought them to a clearing in the woods and Cole could see a large iron grate-like shield, spanning about five meters of the grounds. Angel climbed atop it, looking down into the hole. Xavier went to join him, and Cole and Jason followed. Looking down through the iron bars, Cole could see an iron ladder leading down into a pit and the stench was killing. “Heavens! This is where they are?!” Xavier asked with gritted teeth, his anger was evident
The following morning Cole and Xavier asked to speak with Ash privately, and shortly after the other man peered into the study before entering. Xavier was standing by the window and Cole was by the liquor cabinet. “Thanks for honouring our call Ash—” Cole said and almost bit his tongue for the nonsense. It was quite obvious he wasn’t comfortable speaking with another man about his choice of a partner. Heck! If it weren’t for the impending mission he would have let whatever the two were playing at work itself out. What’s the point of living if you have to keep it safe all the time? A deep frown formed a groove in between his eyebrows. It was plain he would not be a perfect person to discuss the topic of ‘the birds and bees’ when the time comes. He evidently sucks at it. He doubted Isabelle would approve of him telling their kids to explore as much as they want. He wasn’t a parent yet and that scenario had him imaging an angel giving him a disapproving glare. He shook his head as if th
A gentle tap on the door woke Cole up and his eyes automatically went to the wall clock. He sighed. He had fallen asleep curled up with Isabelle in front of the fireplace on the duvet he had dragged from the bed. Lying there and chatting with her about their future felt right. It felt beautiful and now he just needed to go and secure that future for all of them. He disengaged from her and she turned her face to hold his gaze “Xavier needs me...” Cole said, lowering his head to plant a kiss on her lips. “Okay,” she said. Cole got up and quickly threw some clothes on before leaving the room when he got downstairs all the Weres were there including Ash. Cole sighed. He figured if Tiana hadn’t told Ash yet who she was he would have to be the one to do it or speak to Xavier about it. The last thing he needed was a surprised lover, freaking out at the wrong time and messing up their mission. He nodded a greeting to everyone and walked in the direction of Alexander’s office he had
She walked to the bathroom door that was at a corner of the opposite wall to the door she came in through, and slowly pushed it open, leaving it just slightly open. Cole was under the shower and his entire body was lathered and on display. Isabelle’s heart shook. He stood under the shower with his hands pressed to the wall as the water washed off the soap slowly on his body. Isabelle allowed her eyes to follow the flow down his deliciously sexy body. It reminded her of the time back at his cabin when he had washed her body and made her wash his too. “Touch me...” his raspy voice echoed in her head, and she leaned against the door frame watching him as her body flamed up for him. Cole heard the adjoining door open and knew she was coming before she got to the bathroom door. He could feel her gaze on him and could smell her excitement. The thought and the scent of her, mingled with her arousal affected his body in an unbelievable way. It was as if he could feel exactly what she was f
“Belle?” Xavier called, causing her to snap out of her musings. She realised everyone had sat down and she was the only one standing by the open French door like some social recluse. She flashed a smile that she hoped didn’t appear as a grimace and went to take the seat next to Xavier and Amèlie. The others started to eat, and low murmuring filled the room. They were all so aware of the male servants, standing by, and close to the side walls, evidently there to wait on them, but that didn’t make it less awkward. When she continued to sit still without reaching out to eat, Xavier gave her a gentle nudge with his leg, and she winced delicately, before reaching for her food. They were first served with an appetizer and Isabelle slowly tasted the chicken soup before she started to eat. They were on the main course dish when Cole entered the room. Two male servants quickly went to serve his appetizer, placing it by the head of the table. “I am sorry. I have been quite a terrible host.
With chest heaving, she breathed through parted lips returning his scrutiny. Cole took the seat beside her. Reaching for her hand, he held it firmly in his and then leaned into her and took her lips in a searing kiss. Isabelle gasped, confused by his actions, but he didn’t stop. The taste of whiskey on his tongue mixed with coffee coupled with the effect of his drugging kiss made her gradually lose herself in the kiss and it wasn’t long before she completely forgot why she was scared and where she was.When he finally let go for her to breathe, her eyes searched his smouldering ones before darting to the open window shield behind him. She found then that they were airborne, and the plane had stabilised. She swallowed. “I’m sorry, I haven’t—” she said. Cole raised his hand to brush a knuckle against her cheek. “Don’t do that… Don’t apologise to me. I'm sorry, I should have realised, and come sooner,” he replied and the tears she had been fighting to hold back spilt down her face. ‘
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