Jax“Irene,” I said in a stern voice. “Release her.”I felt Irene’s arm waver, but we both knew she didn’t have the power to go through with her threat. Instead, she released Cam.Maeve drew herself up to her full height. “And here we all thought your witch was powerless,” she hissed.Clearing her throat, Cam brushed herself off. “She is,” she said before offering a soft smile.“My father said you were so powerful you could command the wind with your pinky. But for now, that is all you can do.”Irene tossed her hand experimentally and frowned. “And now it appears that I cannot even do that. I hope you found whatever it is you are looking for. I am now defenseless against the other witches.”Narrowing my eyes at Maeve, I snarled. “Give me one damn good reason why I shouldn’t kick you and your witch off my land right now, and don’t you dare tell me that she was acting of her own accord. I saw you signal to her to attack.”“I will not apologize. It was a non-lethal attack,” Maeve said as
JaxLondon Elwes arrived first. The alpha was as quiet and unreadable as his pack. The deepest into the mountains, the Snake River pack was the smallest and they kept to themselves. When my brother was alpha, London’s predecessor wanted to merge the two packs in a violent manner.He might have succeeded too, had I not realized what was happening.A month before my brother challenged my father, I nearly took control of the Snake River when I killed their alpha. Instead, I ceded to London and set my sights on better protecting my own.I had very little contact with London, although his beer was apparently making the rounds.His witch, Ava Starret, was an older woman although it was impossible to tell her age.London’s second helped her out of the car, and she looked me over coolly. “Alpha Jax,” she said as her eyes darkened. “You’re standing at a crossroads, and you’re choosing the wrong path.”“I love a little premonition first thing in the morning,” I said as I bowed my head. “Welcome
“She asked about the Darkwyn coven. London Elwes seems nice.”“By the time this alpha meeting is over with, he’ll probably offer you a place in his pack.”“That’s sweet. Oh, you’re doing the jealous mate thing again. So two alphas down, and one to go.”Yes, Emerson Triggs. I had come up with a number of ways for him to have an accident while he was here, but really, I wanted to do the murder myself. Publicly. Tortuously.“You don’t have to stay here and wait. In fact, I’m not sure I want you to wait for him at all. I talked to Finn. He’s willing to meet with Maeve, but not until tonight. Why don’t you and he work at The Fanged Smile, and I’ll come get you for dinner.”“Thank you. I’m getting jittery waiting around here,” she sighed. “Now I’m going to be jittery waiting around the restaurant.”“Is there anything I can do to make you less jittery?”“Sure.” Raising her head, she smiled at me. “You can tell me what you’re thinking when you look at me with such annoyance.”“I’ll see you to
Anna“Why is Maeve Frost so interested in you anyway?” Amelia asked Finn as she sat cross-legged on the new bar that had just been installed early this morning.Finn, tenser than ever, didn’t like that I wasn’t in the office. The bar had its own door and far too many windows, not to mention, it had a separate entry into the kitchen. Despite the extra manpower watching me, Finn still thought I was too exposed in the bar.I understood. I really did, but I’d just spent three hours in my small, cramped office listening to the others complain outside. Bridget was third in the pack. She hated bodyguard duty, even if we’d sort of become friends. Amelia was fine with it but antsy, and she seemed to get off on poking at Finn. The other three guards who rotated between outside and inside were not quiet about their own annoyance for guarding the fake mate.Fake mate. I couldn’t even complain about it. It was how I felt about myself, wasn’t it?But a girl can only take so much, so I was spending
Prologue Anna They came without warning. As I glanced out the window, lightning streaked across the dark, furious sky revealing half a dozen silhouettes just a few feet from the window. Before the sky darkened again, they were in the hut. My father grabbed me and hurled me toward them like a bowling ball before shifting into his wolf form and breaking through the back door. Two bodies went down under me. Shock turned to immobilizing fear. Something pulled me back up. “Hold her.” Those were the only two words spoken, but the sound of his voice caught my attention. Confused, I snapped my head around, but he was already a wolf. Melting into the darkness, he was just a blur as he went after my father. They dragged me outside. Rain pelted the ground, and I slipped on the mud. It wasn’t a move to escape, but I was punished for it. Claws pushed me to my back and raked down my shoulder before resting against my neck. I stared into the dark eyes of the wolf and understood that th
Anna Three years later It was the third time in an hour that Danny’s hands accidentally brushed across my ass. There was no point in glaring at him or pushing his hand away. He’d just give me a sleazy grin and mouth sorry. It was just a show for the customers, or at least those customers who didn’t know who I was. When we were alone, he didn’t even bother with the fake apology. He didn’t have to apologize to me. I didn’t deserve it. So I ignored him as I pulled the wine out of the cooler beneath the bar and smiled at the customer in front of me. “Our chicken caprese sliders would go great with this wine,” I said as I pulled the cork. After pouring his glass, I nudge the menu in front of him. “Caprese, huh,” he grunted as he eyed me, the gleam of his wolf front and center. I didn’t need my own wolf to tell me that he was more powerful than me. Everyone was more powerful than me, but he wouldn’t touch me. This wasn’t his territory, and he had no idea who I was. Shifter pol
Anna I sank as low as I could against the floor. Had I let my wolf out, she would have clawed through the floorboards, certain she wasn’t worthy of being on the same level as Jax. At his low laugh, my skin flushed with humiliation while my mind raced. For three years, I hadn’t seen him, and it wasn’t like he’d stopped by when I wasn’t at work. I lived above the bar. I was always here. I figured he’d just left me here to rot with the bar. Maybe part of me hoped that by making this bar profitable, I’d gain his attention. Prove that I could be a capable member of the pack. Nothing. Not a peep. It was obvious he couldn’t care less about me. Was he finally here to do what he should have done three years ago? What would happen if he’d decided to marry? It wasn’t common for wolves to marry someone else if they were mated, but it did happen. Would he need to kill me? Or maybe he’d figured out how to remove our mating bond. There was a witch attached to the clan. Maybe it was possi
Anna “You have to learn to trust me at some point.” The whisper in my ear heated my skin, and I tried not to wiggle against the body pressed to mine. I didn’t understand what he wanted. “You. I want you.” And he could always read my thoughts. Damn irritating. His low chuckle filled the darkness as his hand slid over my belly. I was naked. I was always naked, floating in the nothingness, and he was always here. A dream. Just a dream, except I wasn’t asleep. Not always. Not this time. “It’s hard to see you and not touch you. To see you and know that you won’t let me hold you.” Let him? Nobody let Jax do anything. If he wanted to hold me, he would. And that’s how I knew it wasn’t real. This was just the mate I wanted. The hero. The one who would listen and understand. That was not the real Jax Bishop. “Are you wet, baby? Let me see.” I never stopped him. Never wanted to stop him. My body never reacted this way to anyone, and what was the harm? Instead, I turned to
Anna“Why is Maeve Frost so interested in you anyway?” Amelia asked Finn as she sat cross-legged on the new bar that had just been installed early this morning.Finn, tenser than ever, didn’t like that I wasn’t in the office. The bar had its own door and far too many windows, not to mention, it had a separate entry into the kitchen. Despite the extra manpower watching me, Finn still thought I was too exposed in the bar.I understood. I really did, but I’d just spent three hours in my small, cramped office listening to the others complain outside. Bridget was third in the pack. She hated bodyguard duty, even if we’d sort of become friends. Amelia was fine with it but antsy, and she seemed to get off on poking at Finn. The other three guards who rotated between outside and inside were not quiet about their own annoyance for guarding the fake mate.Fake mate. I couldn’t even complain about it. It was how I felt about myself, wasn’t it?But a girl can only take so much, so I was spending
“She asked about the Darkwyn coven. London Elwes seems nice.”“By the time this alpha meeting is over with, he’ll probably offer you a place in his pack.”“That’s sweet. Oh, you’re doing the jealous mate thing again. So two alphas down, and one to go.”Yes, Emerson Triggs. I had come up with a number of ways for him to have an accident while he was here, but really, I wanted to do the murder myself. Publicly. Tortuously.“You don’t have to stay here and wait. In fact, I’m not sure I want you to wait for him at all. I talked to Finn. He’s willing to meet with Maeve, but not until tonight. Why don’t you and he work at The Fanged Smile, and I’ll come get you for dinner.”“Thank you. I’m getting jittery waiting around here,” she sighed. “Now I’m going to be jittery waiting around the restaurant.”“Is there anything I can do to make you less jittery?”“Sure.” Raising her head, she smiled at me. “You can tell me what you’re thinking when you look at me with such annoyance.”“I’ll see you to
JaxLondon Elwes arrived first. The alpha was as quiet and unreadable as his pack. The deepest into the mountains, the Snake River pack was the smallest and they kept to themselves. When my brother was alpha, London’s predecessor wanted to merge the two packs in a violent manner.He might have succeeded too, had I not realized what was happening.A month before my brother challenged my father, I nearly took control of the Snake River when I killed their alpha. Instead, I ceded to London and set my sights on better protecting my own.I had very little contact with London, although his beer was apparently making the rounds.His witch, Ava Starret, was an older woman although it was impossible to tell her age.London’s second helped her out of the car, and she looked me over coolly. “Alpha Jax,” she said as her eyes darkened. “You’re standing at a crossroads, and you’re choosing the wrong path.”“I love a little premonition first thing in the morning,” I said as I bowed my head. “Welcome
Jax“Irene,” I said in a stern voice. “Release her.”I felt Irene’s arm waver, but we both knew she didn’t have the power to go through with her threat. Instead, she released Cam.Maeve drew herself up to her full height. “And here we all thought your witch was powerless,” she hissed.Clearing her throat, Cam brushed herself off. “She is,” she said before offering a soft smile.“My father said you were so powerful you could command the wind with your pinky. But for now, that is all you can do.”Irene tossed her hand experimentally and frowned. “And now it appears that I cannot even do that. I hope you found whatever it is you are looking for. I am now defenseless against the other witches.”Narrowing my eyes at Maeve, I snarled. “Give me one damn good reason why I shouldn’t kick you and your witch off my land right now, and don’t you dare tell me that she was acting of her own accord. I saw you signal to her to attack.”“I will not apologize. It was a non-lethal attack,” Maeve said as
Cam cleared her throat. “Only that she was so sheltered. Did she even know what a mating bond is? Is it instinctual or did someone have to explain it to her?”She wasn’t wrong. “I knew what a mating bond was when Jax arrived.” My voice was soft as I sifted through my memories. “Although I don’t know who told me or how I knew, but there was no mistaking what I felt when I looked at him.”“Relief that your mate was so powerful?” Maeve pressed.After a second of debate, I decided there was nothing wrong with the truth. “Not relief. Powerful wolves terrified me, but Jax had just killed a nightmare. My nightmare. In that moment, he was a hero. I succumbed to this girlish notion that I was facing a happily-ever-after and he was my knight in shining armor.”Rolling her eyes, Maeve turned back around. “Ridiculously.”“It was,” I admitted. “I realized that fairly quickly. I didn’t have the luxury of feeling like a girl, and there are no easy happily-ever-afters for wolves like me.”My voice tu
Anna“Release me,” I said in a cold tone as I stared at the witch. “Now.”It was a gamble. I had no idea what the spell was supposed to do. If I’d more time to study the magic wrapping around, I could hazard a guess. I doubted it was meant to do anything too drastic, or Maeve and her witch would be immediately accused.No, it had to be curiosity.Jax snarled, and the magic was gone. Maeve frowned at the witch, but Cam’s face was still calm as she bowed her head. “My apologies,” she murmured. “I feared my magic would be erratic here. Sometimes it acts without me.”Maeve turned to Jax. “I apologize. She did mention her magic was seeping out, but I didn’t think it would attack anyone.”“Not attack,” Cam said quickly. “My magic was just drawn to her.”“Apologize to her,” Jax said, his eyes still glowing gold. “Not me, and do not allow it to happen again.”Turning, Cam bowed again. “I apologize. I did not mean to alarm you. I am anxious.”I could definitely understand her anxiety, but the
AnnaI could barely focus on what Jax was saying as we walked home. An alpha was already here.Emerson, no doubt. Trying to throw Jax off guard. Trying to throw me off guard.I wasn’t going to let him. I was not the same scared little girl that he used to torment, and I was not now nor ever going to be his.“Why did you walk?” I asked suddenly. Too late, I realized that Jax was saying something to me, and I’d interrupted. “Sorry.”The muscle in his jaw ticked while he stared straight ahead. “I walked because I do not need to scramble to rearrange my day simply because someone decided to show up early. We’re still prepping, and that comes first.”“Right. It’s all about appearances,” I echoed hollowly. I was still a little surprised that he wasn’t going to lock me away if appearances mattered so much. “I interrupted you earlier. What were you saying?”“I was asking about Kenzi’s visit. Did it upset you?”“You mean when your little blonde bombshell walked in boasting about how you’ve bee
“A female?”“Kenzi,” Finn said quietly. “She came to drop off an application.”Kenzi? Waiting tables? That was laughable. “I would not leave my mate without protection. Anna, a word? Finn, don’t let him leave.”Even with her back turned to me, I knew Anna was rolling her eyes, but she rose and followed me into the restaurant. “You claimed me, so you’re not going to go all crazy on me just because I was talking to him, are you? I’m not alone, and I’m not even inside.”No. She’d done exactly what she needed to do to make sure I didn’t lose it. I was not proud that she even had to consider that.“Do you feel safe and comfortable around him?”Her face registered surprise at my question. “He’s not threatening me or propositioning me. If you’re asking if I’m ready to pack my bags and leave with him, the answer is no.”“But if he wants to approach you again and speak with you? Do you want me to allow that?”“Allow?” She repeated and sighed. “Normally, I’d tell you that you shouldn’t let anyo
Staring at me, Dean smiled softly. “My dad was right about you. You don’t like to delve too deep, do you?”Annoyed, I narrowed my eyes. “What?”“It’s not the bar that Parker wanted me to have, Anna. It was you.”Finn growled, and my wolf was right there with him. Immediately, Dean held up his hands. “No, no. Shit, no, not like that. I’m sorry. I should have been clearer. Not take you as a mate but take you away from here if you needed it. Protect you. That’s what I’m offering you.I’m a strong wolf. If you want to leave, we can change your name, leave this place, and I’ll protect you. That is what my father wanted.”Stunned, I gripped my beer bottle. Parker had asked Dean of this? If Dean had come just a few months ago, right after his father had died, I would have even considered it.Considered, but not gone through with it. Dean might have been Parker’s son, but I didn’t know him. I would have never put my safety in the hands of a strange man.“You’re shocked. Did you not think my f