FrankIt turned out the guy that bought Cassandra’s car wasn’t a complete dead end. The guy was scared shitless when Carmine brought him to me, and he was more than happy to give me the dealer’s name that sold him the car.Said dealer had a serious case of amnesia when I questioned him about the two women who sold him the little Honda. Clientele privacy, and all that.But he was a greedy little monkey who’d sell out his own mother for the right price. He gave me the make and model of the piece of crap car he sold Agnes—told you she wasn’t all that smart—as well as the number plates which I gave to my boy Tony.Meanwhile, Tony hacked into the traffic cams to search for them. It took some time, but eventually he spotted the car heading towards the interstate, and that’s where he lost her. That was almost two weeks ago, which meant they could be anywhere by now. “Goddammit!” I tore at my hair, cursing the heavens and cursing her and her brat.“Boss, it’s okay. I’ll get them. There’s now
ConnorI don’t get it. There was no reason to be jealous of Stacey. If that was what all this was about. Was I about to let her walk away from me? Absolutely not!Three strides, and I was alongside her. I bent down and lifted her over my shoulder in a fireman’s grip.“Connor! What the fuck! Put me down.” No matter how she struggled and yelled, I wasn’t about to let that stop me.“Quiet!” I snapped at her, using my alpha command. It worked because her body wilted over my shoulder. Ignoring the grins and knowing glances from pack members I passed, I took the steps two at a time to my rooms.Once inside, I put her down and locked the door. She stood, arms folded and glared at me.“What do you think you’re doing, Connor?”“You’re not leaving here until you tell me what the hell is up with you. And let’s get one thing straight, Cassie. I am your alpha, and I will not tolerate your disrespect. Don’t you ever walk away from me like that again.”“Or what?” she snapped, her eyes glinting with
Early the next morning, I dragged myself away to go for a run and train with the guards. I let Cassie sleep in, seeing as I kept her up for most of the night. She was amazing as a lover. Her body responded so beautifully to my every touch. What she lacked in experience, she made up for in enthusiasm, and I was eager to teach her how to please me and give her immense pleasure in return. Both Miles and I were in high spirits when we finished our routine.I was on my way to meet Joel when I saw Stacey heading for the employee bus. Joel waited for me at the car as we were on our way to the offices of Mr. Lyon.“Stacey.” I called out to her.She turned around and greeted me with a smile. I beckoned her to come closer, which she did. I waved the bus driver off.“You can ride with Joel and me. We’ll drop you off.” I told her and kept my tone short. I didn’t want her to read anything else into it.“Oh, well thank you, Alpha,” she said, keeping the smile, but there was a wariness in her green
“Yes, indeed.” I fixed Lyon with an unwavering stare as I took my seat with Joel next to me. “First off, Mr. Lyon, I do not take kindly to threats. If you have a problem with me, why not contact me personally instead of sending your lackey to threaten a defenseless girl? I find your methods deplorable, to say the least.”His smile was supposed to be disarming but came across as cold. “A regrettable mistake for which Max was punished.” He went around his desk to place himself in front of me, so I had to look up at him.I didn’t like that, so I stood up, facing him. A movement at the door caught my eye. His bulldogs were ready to defend him, but he waved them down. Joel turned his head to snarl at them.“Let me explain,” he said, all the while keeping eye contact with me. “I purchased that property that same day you arrived there and Max thought you were trespassing.”I lifted a questioning brow, not quite believing him.He continued, “Let’s just say it was an unfortunate case of right
CassandraConnor was long gone when I finally forced myself awake. The side of the bed was cold, and the room felt lonely without his presence. I scoffed at myself for allowing myself to feel so needy, like I couldn’t breathe without him. I was just setting myself up for disappointment. But last night… Last night was awesome. I never knew sex could be so…heck, I couldn’t even find the words to describe it. He was amazing. Every muscle in my body was still tingling from our night of passion.‘Of course he was. He’s our mate. You feel the mate bond, don’t you, Cassie?’ Sage purred and sighed with contentment.“Don’t know if I can call it that. He is an experienced lover, that’s for sure.” Not that I had any experience. “But will he be faithful to us?” I was still worried about what he felt for Stacey. She was definitely not over him.‘He wasn’t lying when he told you he never slept with her. I told you he wouldn’t.’ Sage was annoyed with me. I felt her coat bristle with it. ‘Stop being
Connor“Fuck!” I screamed out my frustration and banged my fists against the SUV’s steering wheel. If only it was that bastard Lyon’s face, I was pummeling.Next to me, Joel sat fuming in silence.What the hell was I supposed to make of this? How far would I be able to go to make sure we didn’t lose our land? I don’t fucking know!“What in the seventh hell does he want, Joel?” I asked Joel, not that he would know. “We don’t have that much capital.”“Fuck him and his mind games. Let’s get in touch with the pack’s lawyer. Should have thought about that sooner. I’ve been meaning to see him about a personal matter as well.” Joel tugged at his unruly red beard.Robert H. Maxwell was our lawyer, a vampire who worked for my father. It wasn’t a bad idea per se, but knowing Maxwell, he would involve my father. But that wasn’t something I wanted. What kind of alpha would I be if I couldn’t take care of matters on my own?“You know what would happen, Joel. Maybe if I just went to the council mys
Joel“Joel, you’re home early.” Agnes greeted me, wiping her hands on her hips. She was arranging some wildflowers in a vase in the middle of the dining room table. Every time I returned home, seeing her there, breathing in her scent, it filled me with a sense of wonder. Part of me couldn’t believe that she was there. That if I blinked, she would have just been a figment of my imagination and gone in a puff of smoke.“Agnes.” There was still some tension between us. I was having a hard time with her refusal to let me help her get a divorce. But I’ve made my decision. I should have thought of it sooner. Locke wasn’t making any progress, or he was too busy chasing tail to help me. I’m taking Agnes to see Maxwell.“I’ll make you some coffee. Have you spoken to Cassie lately?” Agnes bustled about the kitchen, full of nervous energy.“Agnes, sit down.” I pulled out a chair for her. She left the mugs on the counter and did as I asked. When my hands rested on her tense shoulders, she gave a
CassandraConnor could go to hell for all I cared. I will not let him mold me into being someone like Stacey. What I don’t need is another daddy to tell me what to do, how to act and how to behave like a fucking lady. Gods, I was livid. I didn’t intentionally dress this way to seduce anyone, for fuck’s sake! He could be such a control freak, and I hated that.Maybe I was insecure, like Sage said, but I couldn’t help comparing myself to Stacey. Not that I was ugly or anything. It was the fact that she was Connor’s first love, and how was I supposed to compete with that? I didn’t get this whole mate bond thing. Stacey said it was a con and I could totally believe it. Because it sounded stupid. Fated mates. Like fate or a moon goddess could make you fall in love.‘You are in denial, Cassie.’ Sage grumbled. ‘I know you feel the connection to Connor. Like he is the other half of your soul. Why can’t you just accept it?’“I don’t know what I feel.” It was partly true. I felt horrible. My eg
AgnesFrank wore an expression I knew too well. It meant nothing good to me. His fingers bore into my bicep like he wanted to leave permanent marks on my flesh. I knew he was possessive, and the mere mention of another man made him livid. Cassandra’s connection to the pack was our only hope. If we could just get near enough for her to call them through the mind link.But that hope faded like mist when he told his men, “Tie the little bitch up. If you don’t hear from me within the half hour, you can have fun.”The men snickered at his words, and I felt sick.“No, no,” I protested, my throat constricted with fear. “She must come with. Frank, please. Don’t leave her with them!” I was desperate, near hysterical. Not that it bothered Frank. He laughed at my feeble attempt to free myself from his grasp.“Hey, asshole!” Cassy shouted at Frank. “You need me to get into Wolf’s Creek!” She struggled with the man holding her, but it was in vain.Frank turned around to sneer at her. “I’m sure you
Connor“What the hell do you mean you have buyers for my pack’s females?” Did that mean others knew about our kind’s existence? “Where’s Cassie?” Joel should have had her safe by now. Don’t tell me my beta didn’t obey my orders. I will have his head for that!Adrenaline surged through my muscles, dulling every ache and pain. Miles, energized with the urgency to get out of the place, pushed at his boundaries. ‘We must act now, Connor! Kill them! Kill all of them. Our pack and our mate are in grave danger.’ He howled with rage. ‘Let me shift! Now!’I got up off the floor, feeling the power of my wolf strengthening me.“Cassie? Oh, of course… She’s with Lyon. As for the others… I gather you don’t know.” Rossi tapped his chin with a gnarled finger. “This was the deal I made with Lyon. For you and the young females of the pack. Cost me a lot of money, but I have eager buyers ready to bid…”“You’re auctioning them off?” I moved closer to him, but he didn’t even realize it, being too caught
CassandraAgnes and I sat huddled together at the back of the speeding car. We stayed silent because words were unnecessary. I knew her thoughts. She would take Frank and his henchmen as close to the pack as possible so I could link them. My only concern was that Frank and his men were armed, but the pack could then safely transform into their wolves and attack. Frank and his buddies were in for a nasty surprise. It made me smile thinking about it.Agnes pressed my hand, and our eyes met. We didn’t need a mind link to understand one another. Yes, it was a gamble, but it was our only chance.“Where are you taking us?” We were driving out of the town, but further away from Wolf’s Creek.Frank turned around in his seat to smirk at me. “Somewhere no one would hear your screams,” he said, and I felt Agnes stiffen next to me.I stroked her arm to reassure her. He wouldn’t kill us. At least, I didn’t think so. But he was also unpredictable. There was a fifty-fifty chance if he got his blood
Connor“I want you to heal her,” Rossi said.What did he take me for? Some kind of magician?“What makes you think I can do that?” The smell of decay was overpowering to my werewolf senses. The girl was nothing but a living corpse being kept in limbo by the beeping machines.“We’ve seen you heal, Connor.” The doctor puffed out his chest, trying to look important. “There has to be a way we can apply your power.”“Look, I don’t know what Lyon told you, but he obviously doesn’t know everything. She’s barely alive.” I shook my head. “My bite will kill her. I promise you.” They were completely delusional. No matter what they did, her death was imminent. They would have no use for me then. Unless there was more to it than just this. “It’s not me, it’s the wolf that heals me. But you cannot separate me from it. I was born with the spirit of the wolf, gifted by the Moon Goddess.” I had no problem exposing myself to them. They wouldn’t live to tell anyone else.“That is what we have test subje
JoelI left Maxwell at the hotel to get to my appointment with the alphas. It was safer for him to stay out of it, because there were some alphas that still hated the vampires. Some people just couldn’t let go of their grudges and prejudices.Gods, I hated the city. Seemed like every goddamned person in Miami was out on the road. Didn’t they have work to do? But of course, it was Friday afternoon. People were rushing towards the weekend. The sooner we get Connor out of Rossi’s clutches and get back to our pack, the better. I needed the tranquility of the country, to breathe the fresh air and let my wolf run free.Also, the constant worry about everyone was giving me a fucking headache. Eric hasn’t reported back to me yet. I didn’t know whether Agnes had returned to the pack, and it ate at me. Why would Stacy do that? It just didn’t add up. Unless…No, if Stacy knew where Cassie was, she would have told Eric or an elder. It was useless trying to speculate.I felt relieved when I saw th
Max still held my arms in his vice grip when Frank slapped Agnes, cursing because she spoiled his shoes. I screamed, my throat hoarse, watching my poor mother crumple in a pathetic heap at his feet.“Frank! You fucking monster!” No matter how hard I tried to squirm out of Max’s gorilla hold, I couldn’t.Frank stepped over Agnes’ form to get to me. Sage howled with frustration that consumed us. Both of us wanted nothing but to feel Frank’s life leaving his body. If only I could shift…“Little bitch! You near killed me. You and your whore mother left me for dead,” he snarled at me. Spittle flew from his mouth and landed on my face. He grabbed my neck. Those dark eyes said payback was coming. I hardly felt his fingers pressing into my windpipe. The only thing I felt was this overpowering rage.“Next time I won’t fail,” I grunted. It was a promise. One I was hellbent on keeping.Agnes groaned and sat up, and Frank’s attention diverted to her. He let go of my neck and I could breathe again
CassandraTime seemed to stand still. There was no knowing what time of day it was. And the waiting was getting on our nerves. Alex brought us food and water, but no matter how much I complained and begged, he didn’t budge. Not even to let us use the bathroom. Eventually, Max brought us a bucket to use.“What the hell! Do you think we’re animals?” I ranted. “Where is Lyon? I demand to see him.”“You demand?” Max guffawed. “Princess, you are too much.” He stalked towards me, and Agnes put herself in front of me to shield me from him.“Don’t you touch her!” she snarled at him, although she shook with fear.He scoffed at her. “There’s plenty of me to go around, Mom,” he said with a wink, and laughed when he saw her shudder.It was not in my nature to flirt with random guys, especially not with disgusting pigs like Max. But I realized I’ve been going about it all wrong. I skirted around Agnes and went to him. Trying my best to look all innocent, I touched his arm, swallowing my revulsion.
ConnorSurely, they didn’t want to turn their subject into a werewolf, did they? And how the hell do they expect to get my werewolf venom from me? I’m not a snake that they can milk it from my fangs. These people are even more insane than I thought.I heard their footstep approaching and feigned sleep.“We will have to sedate him. I’m not taking any chances.” The doctor stood a few yards away from the cage, eyeing me with suspicion. I peered at the two of them from under my half-closed lids.“Won’t the horse tranquilizer affect the venom?” Rossi asked. “I don’t have to tell you what would happen if this failed Dr. Fleischman.” There was an unmistakable threat in the old man’s tone, which made the doctor break out in a sweat. The stench of his fear disgusted me.“O…of course, Mr. Rossi. I will not fail you. I will test it on another subject first, naturally.”Godsdamnit. How many test subjects did they have? What the hell were they up to? Whatever Lyon told him, I’m guessing he didn’t
FrankWe’ve been in this tourist trap for only a few days, and I couldn’t wait to get back to Miami and my air-conditioned house. But I still needed to find Agnes and beat Rossi’s goddamned money out of her. I’ve asked around, showing their photos to passersby and shop owners with no luck. Carmine’s men handed out flyers that offered a reward for any information on my wife and stepdaughter’s whereabouts. And still nothing.It wasn’t easy finding Agnes’ parental home, but I had Tony work his magic on the web and eventually he found them. Carmine drove me to the address I got from Tony. What a shocker that was.“I have no daughter,” her father told me with bitterness etched on his face. “She is dead to me.”So that was a total waste of my time. What the hell did you do to these old folks, Agnes? Not that I cared. My parents probably felt the same about me.Now, sitting at a quaint cafe, sipping an iced tea and gazing out at the beach, I wondered what the hell I was supposed to do. Rossi