"Did you hear the news?" "What?" "Sylvester Sterling just dumped his ex-wife...again!" "WHAAAAAAT?" "I know, right? I can't believe it either."
[Sylvester]"Alexis," I close the door behind me, shielding Apple from view. "Why are you hiding in the women's bathroom," she raises her eyebrow before leaning in closely. "And why do you smell like someone else's blood?""I don't need to explain myself to you," I push myself into her space using my Alpha energy to make her take a step back. "I am Alpha. You aren't even my Luna." "Yet," she challenges me, meeting me eye to eye. "But I know you need me, Sylvester. My uncle brought me back because you're so desperate." She flashes a little fang as she licks her lips, pressing her chest against mine. "I don't know why you are fighting me. I know you want me, Sylvester. We work so well together. Just think of what we could do if we just combined our strengths." My heart thumps in remembered pain. I loved her once, and once, her please would have been enough to make me want her again.Once.But now, it just reminds me of everything I lost. Growling, I push her away from me. "Know your
[Apple]Alpha Sylvester turns me away from the lights of the party down a quiet street. The moon is rising to the east, full and bright, over the hillside dotted with expensive homes. In the quiet of the moonrise, he goes over his situation, telling me his dilemma. The council is forcing him to get married. Having a Rental Luna is no longer good enough. He wants to change the offer, to change the original contract.Alpha Sterling needs a fiance."So are you asking me to be your girlfriend?" I question him, not quite understanding what it is he is asking for. "Your pretend fiance.""Yes," he confirms. "There would still be the contract between us. I need it to be on record that you were my Rental Luna, to confirm our backstory but..." I'm still confused. "Why me? Wouldn't a real wolf be a better option in this case?"He shakes his head. "I want you for the same reason I wanted you to begin with. You aren't demanding anything of me, you don't want to be my wife or my mate. This is jus
[Apple]"No," Rufus, his wolf, replies. "It has to be you. It must be you." "Why?" I ask his wolf directly. "Why does it have to be me? What makes me so special?""Because you are you, and you smell like home." He takes a step closer and I find myself mesmerized as he stalks me, his movements more graceful and dancelike, edged in promised passion. "You taste like trust, and you look at me with eyes that are full of respect and honor." "Your words are very pretty," I blush. My body reacts strongly to Sylvester's charms and his wolf, with his confidence and passion, is even more irresistible. "But I need more than pretty words to keep me safe."The way his body makes me hum when he looks at me with his shining eyes frightens me. I know he is hunting me, even now as he is speaking to me calmly. I am prey to him. Something to use or consume. "I will keep you safe. You are mine and nobody touches what is mine," he growls. "Sylvester is too stubborn to admit it, but you are the one we nee
[Apple]"A date," I say a little louder than I intended. A few people turn to look, but then smile and go back to their pizza. "Like a date, date?" "Well, yeah," he smiles, touching my hands without holding them, uncertain of his welcome. "I like you and I'd like to get to know you better." My mind immediately flashes to Rufus, Sylvester's wolf, and the way his eyes glowed when he said I was his and that I belonged to him. The last time I spent time with Thorne, the Alpha nearly took his head off and we had been with a group of other people. It didn't matter to him, however, he had sensed that Thorne might want more than just to be friends.But can I trust Thorne any more than I can trust Sylvester? "I don't know if that's a good idea," I explain as I move my hands away from his. Yes, Thorne is handsome and kind, and maybe I feel a bit of a pull towards him as well, but that doesn't mean I want to be involved with him. I have enough on my plate with a jealous alpha breathing down
[Sylvester]The Board of Directors is unhappy that I reprimanded Alexis at the gala. "If she is to be your Luna, you will need to handle your private issues in private. What you did was an insult to the other packs as well as Silver Crescent."I was ordered to "play nice" and "make a good show.""I have no interest in mating, marrying, or marking that bitch," I scream loud enough that a few employees passing my office windows jump. "Just take her out to lunch and make sure the cameras see you," Beta-Emertis Clancy insists, "You haven't officially declared anyone your new Luna. Rental Lunas don't count, not unless your relationship shifts to something more meaningful." His sneering tone oozes through the phone. I wish he was here so I could punch his canines in. "Unless you were planning to propose to your Rental Luna? Where has she been by the way? She has been noticeably absent.""She needs some private time to adjust to the pack," I lie smoothly. It isn't a total lie. I intend to br
[Apple] My phone feels like a rock as I place it in my pocket. I thought I'd feel better, texting Thorne for a date. But I don't. I just feel angry, hurt, and confused.I should text him back, and tell him it was a mistake. I'm such a mess, maybe I shouldn't have any type of relationship with anyone right now, no mater how kind they seem. My heart hasn't had enough time to heal from my previous heartbreak. Just last week I was head over heels in love with Zion, ready to share the last of my body and all of my heart only to have it shattered into a thousand pieces. And then I met Sylvester. One of the sexiest, most powerful creatures on two legs. He tells me I'm exactly what he wants me to be But I rejected him. Because his power and passion terrifies me. Because a girl like me shouldn't crave something so dangerous. When this Alexis person showed up it felt like a confirmation of every dark thought I've ever had and every nasty word that has ever been said about me. I'm too
[Apple]Beta Rudy grins as he steps out of the car. "I am so glad you changed your mind."Before I can respond, he hands me the updated contract. "We should probably get this part out of the way." I look the contract over carefully with shaking hands. Everything seems to be in order. Inhaling deeply, with a fluid stroke of the pen I sign the rental Luna contract becoming a temporary member of the Silver Crescent pack.I hand the contract back to Rudy and take my place in the back of the car. Riding in silence, I watch the buildings pass by. Soon we are pulling up to a tall, shining building of glass and gleaming steel.When the car door opens, Rudy hands me a key card."Welcome to the Silver Crescent Packhouse, Luna LeRoux," his grin lights up his whole face. "Welcome home.""Home," I repeat. That word has so much weight. I haven't felt at home since the day my mother died.Thinking about her, I barely hear what Rudy has to say until we stop in front of a large, metal door."This card
[Apple]A pair of warm arms scoop me up and moves me out of the street so quickly I'm not even sure that the car even noticed I had ever been in it's path. "Luna," Rudy's out of breath. "Thank the Goddess I was on my way back. You..."As soon as I realize it's Rudy, I wrap my arms around his neck and weep. "Take me out of here, Rudy," I ask. "I need to be somewhere else. Anywhere else."A growl rumbles behind us. Rudy turns and I see Sylvester standing there in a pair of sweats, his hair still wet from the pool. "I didn't invite her," he states, his expression flat. "Rudy change all the locks. Alexis was here." "Of course, Alpha. Immediately," Rudy answers quickly. "If you don't mind," he looks where I'm resting in Rudy's arms. "I'd like to speak with my luna.""I think she needs a few moments," Rudy speaks up in my defense. A light flickers across Sylvester's gaze and he bows his head. Meet me at the alley in an hour," he commands. "I'll be waiting."The Alpha turns his back and