19AspenI stared up at the antler chandelier in the lobby, wondering who got stuck with the job of dusting it, as I made my way over to the line near the fireplace. There was a mimosa bar set up out back where half the interviews were being held poolside, but I’d stayed inside instead. It was easier to see the elevators from here and I was keeping my eye out for Ranger.Though I wasn’t sure what I was going to say if I saw him. “Thanks for letting me ride your hand,” seemed a little forward.You can tell him we’ll return the favor.My wolf settled down with a dramatic sigh, keeping her eyes also on the elevators. Since Alpha Derek’s little phone call a few hours ago, she’d basically given up on the human race and all her fixation was on Ranger now.I didn’t have the heart to tell her that things probably weren’t going to work out like she thought. This wasn’t your typical mating season match. Ranger was an insanely powerful Alpha who had a huge pack to take care of. I was a nobody wo
I resisted the urge to ask her what she knew. Because if Trenton was going to start anything that would get him hurt and piss off his father, I’d kick his butt myself. “Why would he set a target?”The line moved a few steps forward and we hurried to fill the empty space.“Most of the smaller packs use this as an opportunity to prove themselves to the other Alphas,” Kimberly said as if that made perfect sense.It did make sense, but if that idiot Trenton thought he could do something dumb that would jeopardize my mission here and put my papa in danger, I wouldn’t hesitate to finish what I started on our first mating season.I could only imagine how Alpha Derek would twist the situation to put the blame on me if Trenton got hurt acting like some tough-ass-wolf. There didn’t seem to be any Alphas Trenton had an issue with though…Ranger.He wouldn’t.Trenton was an idiot, but he wasn’t that much of an idiot. If he tried to fight Ranger, he’d be dead.I looked over my shoulder at the elev
My smile grew bigger as I folded my hands in my lap. “They know about as much as I do.”“Come on. You have to give us more than that.” Jay pouted. I wondered if Molly was outside doing interviews at the mimosa bar and how I’d gotten so lucky by avoiding her. Jay wasn’t nearly as terrifying as the human woman who ran everything behind the scenes.I tried to think of something interesting to give him. “My wolf is… smitten.”Smitten? Who says that?Would you rather I said “obsessed?”“We can see that.” Jay laughed. “And Mr. McCaw must feel the same since he can’t seem to stay away.”I looked at the black fabric blocking the view of the lobby, wishing wolf shifters had cool powers like x-ray vision. Enhanced smell, strength, healing, and hearing were boring.I also wanted to fly.“Have you two made plans for mating season yet?” Jay asked casually like the thought of what was to come didn’t have my heart thumping harder and my gut twisting with all kinds of nervousness.I shook my head.“A
“Was there something I messed up?” I stilled, looking him directly in the eye. Mattox was my second because he was one of the few people who told me like it was. He was also one of the few people who’d punched me in the face and lived to talk about it.We’d grown up as teenagers together and though our circumstances were different for why we’d both ended up in the ring, he was the closest thing I had to a brother.Which is why it pained me when he lowered his gaze, grumbling, “No Alpha.”“Now who’s got cold feet?”His upper lip curled as his wolf flashed in his eyes. “Fine. You haven’t screwed anything up yet, but if we’d gone about this like Fallon or I suggested, we wouldn’t be in this mess right now.”“If we’d attacked like you two wanted, we’d be no better than Lester sitting in prison to rot,” I growled. “This was the right way to challenge them. The honorable way. And if I hadn’t come here, I wouldn’t have met Aspen. So I’m okay with this mess as you call it.”Mattox rubbed his
“Sunflowers?” Fallon handed them over.“None of your business.” I buttoned my black silk dress shirt. “Why weren’t you at the meeting today?”“Is Aspen the only one allowed to hide in her room until this shit show is over?” My sister rolled her eyes, popping her earbuds in to end the conversation.I inhaled the flowers, making sure they smelled fresh as I stepped into the elevator.We should have brought her meat. My wolf sneezed.Tomorrow, I told him. We’d win the hunt and give her a proper offering, one that I hoped would seal the deal when it came to our commitment.But tonight, I was laying the groundwork and taking her on our first date where I’d clear the air. Start fresh by getting it all out in the open. Let her know that her papa would be safe in the morning and there was nothing in this world that would ever hurt her again.I looked around the empty hall as the elevator doors opened.“Where are you?” I mind-linked Ivan.“She was laying down and quiet,” he responded. I frowne
*This was probably the most disgusting thing I’d ever tasted in my life. I sipped at the frosted glass as I followed Edith outside and tried not to grimace. The taste of sugary-sweet apple syrup hit the back of my tongue and I gagged. My first instinct was to drink it down quick to get it over with, but I didn’t want to risk Edith suggesting we get another.One of these was enough for one lifetime.I sniffed it again, triple checking it didn’t contain any poison even though I’d watched the bartender like a hawk as he made it, and forced myself to take another sip. The sound of smooth jazz drifted from a speaker somewhere and blue cigar smoke curled in the air.Chad had one leg crossed over his knee as he leaned back on the wicker bench under the pavilion near the pool. Lilith was sitting on the lounger beside her cousin, texting on her phone and not bothering to look up as we approached.Meghan sat with her Alpha Scott from Florida. Rumor was Ranger punched him in the face during the
He was soooo hot. It wasn’t fair he could look that good and he didn’t even have to try. What was I thinking? How could I compete with all these pretty girls?We’ll just kill them. My wolf was panting.I don’t really want to kill anyone. I licked my lips as Ranger came walking towards us. We should all just get along.Ranger looked mad. His shadow seemed to elongate behind him, growing bigger and more powerful with each step he took. The sleeves of his silk black dress shirt were rolled up again.He had no right showing off those sexy forearms where everyone could see. I pushed myself to my feet and the world tilted.I cast a glare at the offending martini glass and turned back to watch Ranger approach. My handsome beast. The bright sunflowers he clutched in his fist contrasted so strangely with his darkness. I loved sunflowers. How did he know? Because he was a perfect specimen of a male. I imagined vines growing out of the stalks of flowers, wrapping around his arms like tattoos…I
“What else are you hiding from me?” I whispered, dragging my thumb over her small knuckles and feeling the velvet smoothness of her hand as it rested on the silk sheet of my bed.“She’s not her.” Fallon stood hugging herself in the open doorway of the bedroom with the light from the sitting area beyond filtering in to my dark space. “I don’t know how this happened, but I swear she isn’t like mom.”“I know that.” My beast rumbled inside me, issuing a warning for Fallon to stay back.Aspen was too warm and full of spark to be a wasted junkie living for their next fix. It was a miracle any of our kind could slip to the level our mother had gone. Shifters had a fast metabolism. Even now, I could smell the drugs burning through Aspen’s system. But my mother, like many others, turned to animal tranquilizers and street modifications in potent cocktails when the pressures of the world became too much.The epidemic of loneliness. That’s what the newspapers were calling it. The growing populati
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