2RangerThey played us for fools.Broken glass crunched under my boots as I walked through the darkened bar. The staff cut the power and water to the resort when they fled on helicopters, taking the females with them, and leaving behind a team of buzzing drones that whipped in and out of the chaos like overgrown mechanical mosquitos. The electronic guts of one device were still plastered against the wall where it met its fate after connecting with my fist.Killing the cameras was a poor substitute.I want the producers’ blood.The bumbling idiots outside who were raging without direction wanted it too. Bloodlust from the earlier fights still coursed through their veins, no doubt messing with the timing of the coming rut as their hormones surged. We were going to descend into madness. Kill each other on live television with no way to track the females’ scents and ease the biological pull. It was exactly what the humans were counting on. Anything to increase ratings.But they hadn’t th
I looked around again, trying to recreate how this happened.The opening in the trees above was enough for a cargo plane to lower down the crate. It would’ve been sitting here for at least a few days based on the leaves and soil buildup that settled around the bottom. Then a single dirt bike rider could have dropped me off while I was unconscious.I glanced down at the chain in my hand, imagining Molly’s face as she’d given the order to secure the doors.This was personal.I turned and flipped off the trail cameras mounted to the trees that sat recording me like this was some wildlife documentary.Molly is dead once I get my teeth into her.Agreed.But the cameras meant the show was still filming and the strategic way my nest was placed made me realize this couldn’t be just about me. I’d put money on the rest of the females being out here with their nests and hoped they didn’t get chained in like I did.I knew I should probably go find them, but first things first, I needed to take ca
“Ivan’s driving up the road,” I told Mattox.“About fucking time.” He jumped off the counter, dialing out on the satellite phone. “We’ve got him in a rental,” he relayed. “No one is following the Russian.”“Is he Russian?” John walked beside us. He’d somehow made himself a third in our little party. I almost pitied the Alpha, knowing he had his own pack back home and was one of the few who didn’t bring an escort to the show. If things were different, I’d have been in his shoes. But finding Aspen changed everything. Now I was relying on my pack and their skills more than I’d ever done.“No, he’s not Russian.” I shoved the front doors to the resort open, jogging down the wood steps to the gravel drive. “It’s an inside joke.”John didn’t look amused. “Ivan is a Russian name.”“He’s from eastern Oregon,” I explained as if that cleared things up. “But he once fought a Siberian tiger.”“So funny,” John deadpanned as the wolf shifters outside the resort turned our way. Some of the younger Al
“I’m not saying he does,” he rushed to explain. “But the Tulia Alpha has provisions on the show stating all conversations concerning his son need to be run by his legal team before airing.”Son of a bitch.I dragged my hand through my hair. We had backups of the footage from the fight thanks to Ivan’s quick thinking, but would it be enough?“I should’ve killed him.” I grit my teeth, reining in my wolf so he wouldn’t take charge and follow through with erasing the regret.Ivan glanced over his shoulder again as a camera drone buzzed overhead. “Not on film. You have to be careful. If you can get more footage of his promises, we can make it all public. Even the Tulias wouldn’t be able to cover that up. But the show is in his back pocket. I know it. Which means our Luna isn’t safe.”I studied Ivan as he spoke. He looked rough with bloodshot, glossy eyes and he swayed on his feet. Yet I knew him and despite my earlier concerns, he wasn’t high again. He was working too hard. For days he’d b
“All I want from you is to get home and rest before the season starts.” I clapped Ivan on the back, ignoring Chad’s goading smile. “Don’t worry about anything else. I’ll take care of it.”Ivan nodded as he slipped away, shifting with Mattox into their wolf forms as they loped back to camp. I wanted to be ready to go within the next ten minutes and told them as much through the pack link. The other Alphas waited, shuffling foot to foot and watching to see what I’d do next as I memorized the maps, sending a file to the base camp tech tent for Jenna to print out.John clicked his tongue in sympathy. “Are you sure you can take care of all this?”“I don’t have the slightest clue,” I answered honestly. For the first time in my life, I stood next to someone who might understand and I knew he wouldn’t judge me for it. I liked the feeling more than I should have. “But that’s why you’re coming too.”5AspenThe snowmelt from the mountain peaks fed the icy cold brook that trickled over river roc
There were too many variables. I had no clue what the show was trying to do. What if they held the males back? What if he was too late? What if he decided–I lied. Stop doing the human things. You think too much.I ignored her because one of us had to be responsible here.Once the nest was as clean as I could get it, I tested the braided wire as I rigged a few basic small fixed snares with woven overhand knots and nooses. I set them up where I figured small game would run, though I was having trouble scenting anything fresh. For the bigger game, I measured out lengths of 550 cord and cut the strands with my claws. A few well-balanced rocks and some slip-knots and I had a couple of weighted ground snares meant to hold and suspend unsuspecting prey.My papa would have told me snares were meant to kill in a situation like this so I should up my defenses, but I planned to check the counterweight traps often and have the option to let things go. It was more of a warning on my part. One tha
“We made good time.” Beau’s wolf was panting. “I didn’t think we’d hit the creek until tomorrow.”That explained a lot. I’d lost track of the miles we’d run through endless forest terrain. If we’d hit the big creek already, we were ahead of our projected timeline which gave me hope everything would turn out all right. I’d wanted to cross this part in the daylight though.The moon dipped fully behind the clouds, leaving us in the dark. I growled as I cursed our luck. Even with enhanced night vision, the creek was too dangerous to cross without clear visibility.“Run the river and see if you can find somewhere safer to cross,” I spoke to Foster and Jones.Both wolves nodded without hesitation and took off in different directions.My beast turned back around, letting out a snarl of frustration as more of the arriving Alpha wolves pushed at his rear. Ears flattened as a few of the younger wolves backed up.“Shit, that’s cold.” John’s naked ass was a bright full moon as he dipped his hand
“Think he’s going to be a problem?” John chewed the side of his thumb as he stared at the schoolyard posturing across the fire.“I don’t know what to expect.” Ivan’s worry about the filming bothered me. I shifted my foot, startling Beau who let out a rugged snore and cracked an eye open. I patted his head until he went back to sleep.John watched me for a moment. “Are you thinking he won’t uphold his promise?”I was thinking I’d been a fool to think the Tulia Pack would do anything the right way. Chad made the bet and I was hoping it was the end of it, but now I wasn’t sure. Political games had never been my forte. But I couldn’t let them know that.“If he knows what’s good for him, he will,” I spoke loud enough that there was no doubt Chad heard me.I didn’t know how I’d get him to repeat his promise to the cameras, but I would figure it out. Tulia Pack needed to pay. I wasn’t the only one in the region with a vendetta against their family, but I was the only one strong enough to 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