As she observed the battle, an elf lunged at Xavier with a blade from the back.Annette flinched in fright and called out to him in warning. Xavier twisted with lightning speed, sidestepping the elf. He moved faster than she expected, which surprised her. He rose from the ground, balancing on his legs, his paws stretching outward as his claws tore through the elf's abdomen.Blood spraying all around them and pulling at his feet. He lunged forward, his fangs sinking into the elf's neck, ripping his head from his neck in a single motion.His fur was soaked with blood, his fangs were red with blood dripping down his mouth and running down his jaw and neck.Annette felt her face drain of all colour; a wave of nausea surged up her throat at the brutal and violent act.She watched as the life drained from people in front of her. She stood frozen as death was unfolding right in front of her."Oh God," she whispered in sheer horror. The steps and streets below were bathed in blood. The were
It was at least an hour later when Xavier pulled open the door and slid into the backseat of the limo next to her. Worn out emotionally, she stayed curled up in the corner, watching him warily as they were driven back to the Michaelson building. He didn’t look at her once, not once, and the set of his jaw told her he was still furious. The silent treatment continued as they headed inside, Annette forced to trail after Xavier like a puppy who’d disappointed its owner. No one in the foyer looked at her, not even the uppity receptionist. Anger and grief hung so heavily in the air that she, a mere human, could practically taste it. How many of them were related to the wolves who’d died?She followed Xavier into the lift, her throat thick with tears as the doors closed behind them. Somehow, she had to make this right. “Xavier,” she started, reaching out to touch his arm. “I’m s—”“No,” he snarled. Knocking her hand aside, he shoved her against the wall, his big hand closing around her th
Sliding her hands between them, she pushed at his stomach. Her fingers pressed against the rock hard abs and she almost lost her train of thought as the need to explore beckoned. With an effort, she kept her focus and managed to put some space between them. He nipped at her neck, the small pain from his human-blunt teeth making her gasp as she eased her hand between their bodies to stroke him through his pants. He stilled, hands flat on the mirrors either side of her head and his lips millimeters from the skin of her throat. Not waiting for her next move but a primal force barely restrained. Tension and anticipation thickened the air, making it difficult to breathe. She found the button in his waistband and rolled the tip of her forefinger around it, stretching out the moment. Then she flicked it free, her movements speeding to yank the zipper of his fly down with a harsh metallic rasp. She needed to touch him and instinct told her that she didn’t have long to do it.His cock sprang
She’d fucked up, good and proper. Wolves, people, had died because of her, and she’d lost Xavier’s trust. He’d left her in the lift. Just walked away, leaving her to trail after him, but it was no good. He’d shut the en-suite door on her as he’d showered. When he’d dressed, he’d thrown a keycard on the bed. “So you don’t play any more games with my people. Damien blames himself, you know? One of the dead wolves was his nephew.”Misery clogged her throat as she stood by the door, arms wrapped around her waist. As if it couldn’t get any worse, now she had a face to put to those who mourned. When Xavier left, she dragged herself through the motions of showering and dressing. Stretchy, comfortable clothes with her hair dragged up into a messy bun. She didn’t plan on going anywhere but the sofa, after a trip to the kitchen to raid the freezer for ice-cream. Rocky road, chocolate, hell, plain old vanilla would do. She needed something sweet to gorge on before the tears collected in a lump
Keeping her cell plastered to her ear, she watched the streets flash by. It seemed to take forever to reach the studio, but it could only have been a few minutes before she was paying the driver and racing up the steps of the apartment building.“James! James, where are you?” she called out, shouldering her way through the open door to the studio with her heart in her throat. Her gaze scanned the floor, still splattered with ceramic work and sculptures, expecting to see the tall form of her cousin stretched out on the floor unconscious, or worse.Nothing. She moved farther into the room, craning her neck to check the corners and between the clay drying rack in case he’d fallen and the debris from the place being ransacked had fallen over him. The door clicked shut behind her and the lock turned. Frowning, she straightened. The door had been open when she’d walked through. “Hello, Annette.”She whirled around to find James standing with his back to the door and a smirk on his lips. R
"Ms McKinney?" The high pitched voice of the receptionist cut through her thoughts."Are you certain you have an appointment with Mr. Michaelson? I have gone through his schedule, and your name is not here," says the receptionist seated behind the glass and steel desk.Holy fuck. Annette was in deep shit, and a very nasty one at that. Annette McKinney sat in the expansive lobby of the Michaelson Empire and did all she could in order not to have a heart attack. She really did, but it appears that her body have a mind of its own. She could feel the tell-tale sign of a panic attack setting in. Trying to control her breathing, she did a little bit of breathing exercise.Until one month ago, she had never suffered stress or had any problem with a panic attack.Annette was an independent woman, making her way in the business world.She may not have an empire as big as the Michaelson but her pastry and small chops business down town was doing well. A business she single-handedly establish
That had been the end of their relationship and the last time Annette had seen any of the Michaelsons. Not physically per se. She had been keeping track of them on the news like the rest of the world.However, she refused to give her opinion on the looks and appearance of Xavier, the current alpha of the Michaelson pack, whenever her colleagues swoon over him. But as good looking as Xavier might be, appearances does not make up for his cruel attitude.And this is the same man she has to persuade into helping her. Fuck. This appears to be impossible."3:30 you said, that is unlikely because he has a 3:30 meeting with a client," puckered her blood red lips in confusion.Seriously, did Xavier demand the women working for him to dress like barbies in desperate need of sex or did they decide to look like this on their own in the hopes of snaring the billionaire werewolf."It is a brief meeting," replied Annette. Well, very brief. Annette thought.Enough time for him to get security to come
"I do know you." His voice sharp as a blade cut off her sentence before she could complete it. Arrogant bastard. She thought. But it did nothing to calm the storm she was facing, not in the slightest."What I am more interested in is why you are here." He said."Mr Michaelson, she claims that she have a 3:30 meeting with you," the receptionist said. Her voice seems to have changed, she was doing all she could to sound sexy and attractive, perhaps trying to get Xavier's attention at all cause, but in reality the sound of her voice was annoying. Annette had to stop herself from making a comment.Xavier gave a silent nod, not looking away from Annette."Please, I need your help.. For James."She finally said it. She could feel the gaze of the receptionist on her as she waited for his reply. The receptionist gave Annette a once over, sizing her up, and Annette gave her a dead stare in return. Annette was a woman who had curves in all the right places. She was provoke to run her hands al
Keeping her cell plastered to her ear, she watched the streets flash by. It seemed to take forever to reach the studio, but it could only have been a few minutes before she was paying the driver and racing up the steps of the apartment building.“James! James, where are you?” she called out, shouldering her way through the open door to the studio with her heart in her throat. Her gaze scanned the floor, still splattered with ceramic work and sculptures, expecting to see the tall form of her cousin stretched out on the floor unconscious, or worse.Nothing. She moved farther into the room, craning her neck to check the corners and between the clay drying rack in case he’d fallen and the debris from the place being ransacked had fallen over him. The door clicked shut behind her and the lock turned. Frowning, she straightened. The door had been open when she’d walked through. “Hello, Annette.”She whirled around to find James standing with his back to the door and a smirk on his lips. R
She’d fucked up, good and proper. Wolves, people, had died because of her, and she’d lost Xavier’s trust. He’d left her in the lift. Just walked away, leaving her to trail after him, but it was no good. He’d shut the en-suite door on her as he’d showered. When he’d dressed, he’d thrown a keycard on the bed. “So you don’t play any more games with my people. Damien blames himself, you know? One of the dead wolves was his nephew.”Misery clogged her throat as she stood by the door, arms wrapped around her waist. As if it couldn’t get any worse, now she had a face to put to those who mourned. When Xavier left, she dragged herself through the motions of showering and dressing. Stretchy, comfortable clothes with her hair dragged up into a messy bun. She didn’t plan on going anywhere but the sofa, after a trip to the kitchen to raid the freezer for ice-cream. Rocky road, chocolate, hell, plain old vanilla would do. She needed something sweet to gorge on before the tears collected in a lump
Sliding her hands between them, she pushed at his stomach. Her fingers pressed against the rock hard abs and she almost lost her train of thought as the need to explore beckoned. With an effort, she kept her focus and managed to put some space between them. He nipped at her neck, the small pain from his human-blunt teeth making her gasp as she eased her hand between their bodies to stroke him through his pants. He stilled, hands flat on the mirrors either side of her head and his lips millimeters from the skin of her throat. Not waiting for her next move but a primal force barely restrained. Tension and anticipation thickened the air, making it difficult to breathe. She found the button in his waistband and rolled the tip of her forefinger around it, stretching out the moment. Then she flicked it free, her movements speeding to yank the zipper of his fly down with a harsh metallic rasp. She needed to touch him and instinct told her that she didn’t have long to do it.His cock sprang
It was at least an hour later when Xavier pulled open the door and slid into the backseat of the limo next to her. Worn out emotionally, she stayed curled up in the corner, watching him warily as they were driven back to the Michaelson building. He didn’t look at her once, not once, and the set of his jaw told her he was still furious. The silent treatment continued as they headed inside, Annette forced to trail after Xavier like a puppy who’d disappointed its owner. No one in the foyer looked at her, not even the uppity receptionist. Anger and grief hung so heavily in the air that she, a mere human, could practically taste it. How many of them were related to the wolves who’d died?She followed Xavier into the lift, her throat thick with tears as the doors closed behind them. Somehow, she had to make this right. “Xavier,” she started, reaching out to touch his arm. “I’m s—”“No,” he snarled. Knocking her hand aside, he shoved her against the wall, his big hand closing around her th
As she observed the battle, an elf lunged at Xavier with a blade from the back.Annette flinched in fright and called out to him in warning. Xavier twisted with lightning speed, sidestepping the elf. He moved faster than she expected, which surprised her. He rose from the ground, balancing on his legs, his paws stretching outward as his claws tore through the elf's abdomen.Blood spraying all around them and pulling at his feet. He lunged forward, his fangs sinking into the elf's neck, ripping his head from his neck in a single motion.His fur was soaked with blood, his fangs were red with blood dripping down his mouth and running down his jaw and neck.Annette felt her face drain of all colour; a wave of nausea surged up her throat at the brutal and violent act.She watched as the life drained from people in front of her. She stood frozen as death was unfolding right in front of her."Oh God," she whispered in sheer horror. The steps and streets below were bathed in blood. The were
Annette walked out of the building housing her cousin's studio, and she instantly felt a shiver coursing through her.Annette immediately grasped the gravity of her situation. She realized that she was in danger.Alarm bells went off in her mind, and she felt a rush of fear running through her body, and every fiber of her being urged her to escape."Come on, guys, take a look at what we have here." Said a deep male voice mockingly, and Annette cautiously turned to face them. She found herself enclosed by what resembled a group of bad-looking guys who kept throwing lustful glances at her. Their skin was pale and dirty, like they had been on the street for quite some time and hadn't taken proper care of themselves or had a bath in months. They had high cheekbones, a sharp jawline and delicate nose. Their hair was of different styles which looked dirty and unkempt, adorned in various bright, luminous hair colours.They were tall and lean with an athletic body and pointed ears. They were
This had caused an uproar in werewolf society, but no one was powerful enough to challenge it. When Xavier became alpha, he abolished those vile policies.But Xavier’s efforts to persuade his father had fallen on unresponsive ears.Had things been different, if his father had relaxed that single rule, Xavier would have never let Richard's marriage to Annette’s auntie stand in his way.He would have marched right into the guest house on the Michaelson estate where they had lived out of concern for their safety and made her his mate, bonded with her as his mate.Did she realize how many full moon nights he had spent watching over them, ensuring the rest of the pack didn’t approach but kept their distance?Fuck, the things he instinctively does for her.The guards filtered out as his phone went off. He looked down at his phone and noticed that it was an unsaved number. Who could it be? Could it be Annette? Was she in danger? Why did she have to disappear and get caught by the wrong peop
Find mate. Find mate.His wolf had been agitated all morning, pacing and snarling in his thoughts, which had frustrated him since he couldn’t understand why, but the news after his meeting brought everything into focus.His mate was nowhere to be found.Xavier shot a displeased look at his subordinate; his anger was simmering past the point of control."You’re telling me a single human woman outsmarted you?" He snapped at the bunch of idiots standing before him.He was enraged and made no attempt to conceal it, his voice reverberating throughout the grand reception area of the Michaelson building.He had come back from another important meeting with a client to find the security team bustling all around the premises, and one of them had stepped into his office to inform him that Annette was missing. Annette had succeeded in outsmarting them all. Bloody fools."Yes, Alpha. We can't find her; we checked the entire building." Damien, the one he’d entrusted with the responsibility, kept h
The next item was a jacket, which she took from a hanger and threw on over her dress.Just before reaching the white door labeled 'restroom', her eyes landed on a wide-brimmed hat. She plucked it off a mannequin and set it on her head, altering her appearance.Perfect.She needed to move quickly before the werewolf bodyguard realized she was gone.She pushed into the ladies restroom and hurried to the last stall, throwing the door wide open.Her eyes fixed on the narrow window above the toilet seat, calculating if it was large enough for her to pass through.Placing her feet on the closed toilet lid, she pushed herself upward and maneuvered her body through the window.It was a tight squeeze, but she made it through. The ground below wasn't far, and she jumped down with ease.Landing on the floor outside the boutique building, she scanned the surroundings and realized it was an alleyway between the boutique and a restaurant. She quickly stepped out and found herself on another street