I was numb as I looked around, seeing those of us who were still here. Everyone was moving slowly with their heads down, distancing themselves from each other. I caught Opal’s eye and she climbed up to me from her spot on the bleachers.“Are you okay?” she asked, looking over her shoulder at the line of females filing through the stage curtains.I swallowed down my self-pity and nodded. “I’m fine. How are you? Cindy isn’t messing with you anymore, is she?”“About that…” Opal chewed her bottom lip. “It’s probably safer for you to stay away from me.”“I don’t care.” I rose to my feet. “This isn’t right.”Her big eyes held such an old soul within them as Opal smiled at me. “It’s not about what is right. It’s about survival.”*When I got back to the hotel room, it was already empty. All of Stefanie’s stuff was gone. They didn’t give her a chance to say goodbye. It’s not like I was expecting a warm embrace from her, but the space felt too big now that I was truly alone.My wolf sniffed, s
Aspen“Hello?” I rubbed the sleep from my eyes.“You’re still in bed again.” My papa huffed through the phone. “That place is changing you. Turning you into a city slicker. I’ve never known you to be this lazy.”It was 5am.“Sorry. I must have overslept.” And this is why I always went to bed so early. “How are you?”“I’m fine. Just fine. I did have an incident with my ear the other day. But it’s still intact.”I sat up straight, sleep forgotten. “What happened to your ear?”“Uh. Well…” There was some shuffling around the kitchen as he turned on the coffee maker. “It itched and I partially shifted, but my darn claw got caught up.”“Oh. My. Goddess. Papa.” I struggled not to laugh. “You don’t have too many body parts left to lose.”“Don’t I know it.” His deep chuckle made me smile. “How are you doing? The last trial is tomorrow.”“Don’t I know it.” I sighed.“Uh oh. What is that sound for?”I pulled the blankets closer around me. “Nothing. It’s just… Papa. I don’t belong here.”“You kno
“Both.” He sighed. “I’ll be alright though. There’s never been a time I didn’t land on my feet. But you know what always makes me feel better?”I wasn’t sure I liked the way his eyes gleamed when he looked at me. “A nap?”“No. Dress up. I’m going to turn you into my masterpiece for the final event.”Yay.Not.“About that… Do we really have to do the final trial alone? I’ve never been great at being the center of attention.”“That’s only because you’ve never worn the right dress before.” A grin spread across his face.I couldn’t help but smile back. “Alright, but apparently it can’t be blue.”“Who says?” He finished the rest of his cocktail as I cringed.“Genie.”Jesse’s pupils turned into slits as his cat flashed in his eyes and his claws extended around the empty glass. “I am going to murder that bitch.”*“Um, what’s going on?”The crew standing outside my door turned the cameras toward me as I exited the elevator.“Mail call.” Molly stood back watching as a few of the security team
“Good… Good morning.” I swallowed hard. His masculine smell was messing with my senses and it was way too early for this. “Can I help you?”“You can.” Something wicked gleamed in his smile. “May I come in?”“No.” I panicked, moving to shut the door.His foot slid in the way. “Please?”I shoved against the door, but his foot was a boulder. Why did it feel like he was only asking as a courtesy? “What do you want?”Ranger ran a hand through his hair, tousling it further as he looked me over. It was then that I saw the dark circles under his eyes. The tortured expression called to something deep within me.“Are those llamas on your pajamas?”And just like that, my sympathy was gone. “If you came here to mock me, you can leave.”“I’m not here to tease you. Yet.” He licked his lips and I felt a tug in my core. “But I don’t want to stand in the hall. There are cameras out here.”I knew there were cameras everywhere! “Cameras are good. That means there are witnesses.”“Witnesses?” He cocked h
I ducked under his arm, moving to open the door. He was there in a heartbeat, blocking me.“You don’t want to be here.” There was a tightness around his mouth. It wasn’t a question.“And how do you know that?” I asked.Ranger growled. “It’s not safe for you here. I can’t explain everything right now and you have no reason to trust me yet, but I need you off the show so I can focus on the Alpha Games and then I will explain everything.”Because that didn’t sound like the world’s lamest excuse. “How about you give me more than that cryptic bullshit and maybe I’ll think about your offer?”“Are you always this frustrating?” He yanked his hand through his hair.“Sometimes, but you wouldn’t know because you don’t know me at all.” I shrugged.If I’d hoped that would shake him from the trail, it did not go as planned. His eyes lit up and I felt myself drawn into them, wanting to tease more humor out.“I plan to get to know you very intimately.”My toes dug into the carpet as my wolf purred ag
I caught Molly just as she was rushing out of the conference room with the production team by her side. The color drained from her face when she saw me.“Mr. McCaw.” She forced a smile. “I’m a little busy if you don’t mind.”“Is that so?” I leaned against the wall, blocking her way. “Heading to your lawyers I hope since they are the only ones who can save you right now.”She signaled for the team to run ahead and Molly turned to me, pressing her hands together under her chin. “I understand that you’re upset.”I smiled with my fangs extending. “What gave you that idea?”Molly let out a shaky breath. “Technically, there was no breach of the contract. Nothing happened to Aspen.”I didn’t like the way she said her name.Molly must have noticed because she quickly corrected herself, “Miss Nuva is still unharmed, correct? I think I can use this situation to our advantage. Just give me a few more days and I promise to work something out.”“What I wanted was for Aspen to stay safe.” I growled
“You’re the one with prison connections and would know how to do this sort of thing.” Molly’s eyes narrowed. “And we are well aware of your stylists’ competition with each other. Plus, that delivery was intended for you. You have to understand how we would connect these dots.”“I didn’t do anything.” I couldn’t help the growl that slipped out. “What about Cindy? She was the one who attacked her and made threats.”“This attack if you could call it that seemed to be directed at you.” Molly watched me as if I was the one with the answers. “I already had the security team look into Cindy. She was vetted and doesn’t know anything about this situation.”If it wasn’t Cindy, then who? I didn’t know because I hardly knew any of the other women here. “Opal was kind to me. She isn’t like the rest of the candidates and I would have done anything to protect her.”Molly looked at the shifter.He nodded again.“Very well.” Molly glanced at the page the lawyer slid over to her. “Which brings me to ou
“The fun is just starting.” Jesse winked as he handed me a black handbag. “Go get ‘em, killer.”I checked my phone, smiling at the single text on the screen.Papa: I’ll be watching tomorrow. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.“Are you ready?” Trenton asked through our link.“Coming,” I called out as I plugged in the phone on the charger and slowly made my way to the door so I didn’t trip on the carpet with the heels.“Goddess, Aspen.” Trenton stood in the doorway, scratching at the collar of his white shirt. “You look…”He didn’t look too bad himself, dressed in a tuxedo with his blond hair gelled back. Maybe Nuva Pack could clean up after all.“She looks amazing,” Jesse hissed from behind me as he zipped his makeup suitcase. “Use your words.”“Right.” Trenton nodded. “She looks great.”I took Trenton’s offered arm, shushing my wolf who growled. She wasn’t a fan of the heels either. I tried not to look for the cameras in the hallway, but like in my room, I could feel them watching.“Do
I reached up and turned the TV off manually, scratching the back of my head as the room quieted and eight pairs of eyes looked my way. “Can someone tell me what’s going on?”“Wasn’t he on the show?” The coyote shifter looked at Aspen. “I swear I saw him there.”“You can be on the show and not have a clue what’s going on. Ask me how I know.” Aspen giggled, leaning back so her head rested against Ranger.He affectionately squeezed her shoulder as he pulled out his phone and scrolled. “It’s true. They finally got enough dirt to bring her in. Took them long enough. It’s been almost three months since our settlement against the network.”“Thank the Goddess.” Aspen sighed. “Wait, this doesn’t mean we have to go back to court, does it?”Ranger pocketed his phone. “No. They have her on a technicality and the feds are involved with the interstate gambling. Jesse’s testimony should be all they need. It’s bigger than us now.”We all glanced at the cheetah shifter. Jesse laid back on the leather
My beast thumped his tail as she smiled at me.“Are you ready to go?”I finished off my beer and tossed it into the trashcan, moving around Andrea as she tended the bar. Crossing the hardwood floors, I met the owner of the bar halfway, then scooped her up into my arms. “You missed my show.”I didn’t care if I sounded pathetic; Fallon was the one who insisted I put on a festive performance each Thursday night for the month of December. “We need more fun in this territory,” she’d said. “Make them want to stick around.”Fallon was a tough Luna, but she had a vision. It was something beautiful to watch it come alive. Because that’s what she’d done. Slowly but surely, she’d brought more life into this pack.A public playground sat by the new elementary school. She’d recruited some small businesses and created a boutique shopping center right outside the resort. Shifters were coming back and bringing their families with them. Especially now that Chase and Kimberly Williams were running the
“Well. I didn’t think…” Tim looked around the room as he stuttered. “She just…”“Come on, man.” Bryant laughed as he clapped the old man on the back. “Did you lose a nut or two back there?”“I need you to leave. Now.” John growled.Tim scrambled out the door.Bryant sighed as he followed him. “We’re going to have to burn this table.”“Out.” John’s Alpha strength washed over me, giving my wolf a heady rush as it mixed with my own power.I gave him a seductive smile, practically tasting his pheromones and desire pulsing in the air. “What seems to be the problem, Alpha?”“That was so fucking sexy.” He moved me over so I was standing in front of him, spreading my thighs apart with his knee. I was bare under the makeshift dress I’d made from his flannel shirt.Bare and already aching with need.His hand slid up between my legs and he groaned at what he found waiting there. “How did I get so lucky?”“Ask the Goddess,” I teased, gasping as he pushed me back so I lay flat on the table.He mad
I placed her scent as soon as I’d shifted and entered the lodge through the back door. The widowed Luna of Williams Pack. It was only a matter of time before she showed up. I pulled on one of John’s flannel shirts from the hooks in the mudroom and cinched it at the waist with one of his belts, grabbing my spare thigh-high black boots from the mat in the hall.Reminder to self:Leave more clothes easily accessible here.Especially if we’d be hosting representatives from the neighboring packs at random times.“Fallon.” John smiled at me as he came out of the bathroom. His eyes traveled hungrily up my thighs as I zipped my boots.“Later.” I put my hand in his. “Do we know what Janice Williams wants?”“Probably something about the debt from the show and my bargain with Chase.” A menacing aura pulsed around John that made my beast purr in delight. We hadn’t seen him in his dominant stance yet. He’d been mostly cinnamon roll around me and the pack. But this version of him was definitely get
“Are you going to let your Alpha in on these plans?” I asked as I tossed the towel into the laundry basket.“There will be signs,” she said mysteriously.And like a love-sick pup, my beast wagged his tail, ready to do whatever she asked.“Come on.” Fallon grabbed my hand and dragged me off the bed.“Where are we going?” I hobbled after her, realizing I’d probably be doing this for the rest of my life. Which didn’t sound all that bad.Fallon pulled open the front door as the cool spring breeze entered the warmth of the cottage, blowing a gust of her intoxicating scent around me. The morning sun shone down on her raven-black hair, giving her an ethereal glow. Her fangs descended through her smile.“My wolf needs her apology now.”11FallonBits of green sprouted through patches of muddy snow that crunched under my wolf’s paws as she raced through the quiet forest. The morning sun peeked down past the branches overhead. My beast’s lungs burned deliciously with the exertion. She was fast–
With my hands full of plastic bags, I jumped out of the truck onto the dirt road to the lakeside resort. I had a feeling she’d like it here. Her own little safe haven, especially when it was off-season and the pack stayed inland where the hunting was better and the air was less cold. Come summer, they’d all be out fishing and swimming and soaking up the sun. Fallon could have full range of the lodge then.I tapped into our mental connection, not wanting to disturb her if she was sleeping. Her emotions washed over me. The anger. The loneliness. It squeezed at my heart.My beast whined as I sat down on the front porch, putting the bags beside me.“What’s your favorite type of candy?” I rested my arms on my knees and waited. Back at the show, I’d gone through so many questions and she never answered. But maybe, just maybe…“Dark chocolate with salted caramel.”My beast howled his triumph as I looked into the plastic bag. Hopefully milk chocolate with caramel filling was a close second. O
“But you won’t because, despite your tough exterior, you aren’t a complete asshole.”“I…” I didn’t know what to say to that.“Listen, I know you and Ranger had a shit life. And we’re wolves. We’re used to fighting for what we get. But it’s different when it comes to you and your mate–especially one who is the Alpha. He’s going to protect you. It’s in his nature. You don’t have to fight every battle alone anymore.”“But–”“No buts. It’s biology, girl. Your wolf could only be tamed by the male strong enough to be an equal, but being equal doesn’t mean you do the same type of work all the time. He’s supposed to protect you in his way. You’re supposed to protect him in yours. He’ll take care of you when you’re sick and when you can’t do something. Just like you’ll do the same when he falls short. You don’t have to prove your worth anymore. If you did, then he wouldn’t be your perfect mate.”“What if fate got it wrong and he’s not perfect?” I swallowed down the lump of emotion in my throat
I shook my head. “How did you do it?”“Do what?”“One second everyone was talking shit. The next, they were eating out of the palm of your hand.”“Not everyone,” she huffed.“More than half the pack.” I started to unbutton my shirt, loving the hungry look in her eyes. “It was magic. Princess magic.”“I’m serious.” She licked her bottom lip as I dropped my shirt to the ground. “Don’t call me that.”“If you want me to stop, I’m going to need your passcode.”Her fingers traced the neckline of her shirt. “Passcode? I prefer the light system for safe words. Green to keep going. Yellow means slow down. Red is–”“Damn it, woman.” I groaned as I held my cock through my jeans with one hand and waved her phone with the other. “Your passcode.”Her eyes narrowed. “Give that to me.”“Are you hiding something?” I teased.She better not be.“It’s none of your business if I am.” A dismissive tilt of her chin had my beast growling.“I think everything about you is my business.” I caught her by the ank
“But the dams sure think so.” Aiden nodded.“It’s not your fault though.” Alice patted my hand. “You can’t help being a pampered city girl.”Did she just call us…I guess she did.I burst into laughter, laughing even harder at the horrified expressions on their faces. This was great. More than great.The O’Neil Pack thought I’d left my comfortable position in McCaw, with my own house where I made all my own rules and had more money than I knew what to do with, for a life like this?They were all high as a kite.8JohnIt took a massive amount of liquor for shifters to get and stay drunk, but that didn’t stop the O’Neil Clan from testing the limits. Pitchers of beer and jugs of homemade apple pie moonshine were passed around the picnic tables out front of the lodge. The far tables were laden with potluck casseroles and Shirley’s kitchen creations.Young pups came running through the maze of adults, causing chaos as I searched the crowd, looking for Fallon. My mate. It still had a ribbo