FRANKI was having the most satisfying dream. In my dream, I had my hands around that spoiled little bitch’s throat and I was laughing while I watched the life drain from her eyes. I didn’t want it to end, but a persistent voice kept calling to me.Slowly, I opened my eyes. Carmine, my right-hand man, stood next to my hospital bed. I’ve been in this goddamn place for a week. If the cleaners hadn’t shown up like they did, I could have died. That bitch did a real good number on me, split my skull. If I ever get my hands on her…“What do you want, Carmine?” My head was killing me. “Did you find the money?” That was my biggest concern. I had to deliver it to my boss, Mr. Rossi, the kingpin of Miami. If I didn’t, I was a dead man.Carmine shook his head. “No, Mr. Frank. We searched the whole place. Our men are still searching for your wife and stepdaughter.” He cracked his knuckles. “I interrogated the cleaners myself. But they knew nothing about the money. Don’t worry, boss, we cleaned up
CassandraWhat a creepy place! No windows, no way out of here. This is unreal. There’s tinned food in the cabinets, bottled water, even some clothing. Have they prepared for a zombie apocalypse or what? I hate closed spaces. Hopefully, whatever is going on will soon pass and I could get the hell out of here before I lose it.‘Yeah, it’s likely not happening soon,’ Sage yawned. ‘Get some rest.’“Were those wolves in the woods really attracted to my scent, like Connor said?” It’s insane, right?‘What can I say? If you have it, flaunt it. Now hush, I’m sleeping.’This wolf! She was so, so annoying! I threw myself down on a bunk bed and covered my eyes with one arm. Ugh! Why must my life be so complicated?Before I could enjoy my pity party, the steel doors clanged open, and sunlight flooded the space.“Connor?” I sat up in a hurry, filled with expectation, which soon turned into disappointment when I saw who came in.“I brought you some things.” Joel handed me a backpack. “The meds are i
ConnorNow that Cassie was taken care of, I must concentrate on my business. My pack owns three restoration companies in Santa Barbara. It won’t make us billionaires, but we couldn’t complain either. The work was satisfying for those who loved to work with their hands, which a lot of the pack members did. Now that father gave his position as alpha over to me, it was also my responsibility to ensure that business ran smoothly.Every shop had a manager which father trusted implicitly, but I still had to show my face at least once a week to check on operations. I was on my way to my SUV when I ran into Stacy.“Connor, may I speak to you for a minute?” Stacy approached me. She looked stunning, as always, dressed in a light cotton pantsuit that molded her curves in all the right places. Her hair and make-up were faultless despite the sweltering California heat.She would have made an awesome luna. She was elegant, polite, and submissive. If it weren’t for her cheating on me, she would have
Not wanting to spend any more time with Stacey than was necessary, I introduced her briefly to the staff and hurried to my office to catch up on the administration. Not that there was a lot for me to do, because everyone took pride in their work and there were hardly any problems. I answered emails, ordered supplies where needed and read the reports on the undergoing renovations.A client contacted me regarding a historical building that he wanted us to renovate. I sent him a reply promising him to inspect the site today and let him know if I was interested. Keen to get out of the office and out of Stacey’s way, I finished up quickly and was just about to leave when Shelly called out to me.“Alpha Connor.” She was slightly out of breath when she came waddling over to me, being heavily pregnant. “Stacey will have to accompany you on your inspection. Alpha Troy requested a full report on all the sites.” She propped a checklist into Stacey’s hands and basically shoved her at me. “Have fu
Cassandra“What do you mean, you think you killed him?” Joel asked, “Cassie, you’d better explain. Are you running from the authorities?”Were we? I haven’t even given that any thought. “I… I don’t know, don’t think so.” Unless they discover his body. My fingerprints were all over that statue. The visual images of the police executing a nation-wide manhunt for my mother and me had my heart hammering in my chest, making it harder to breathe. Oh, God, I didn’t want to go to jail! Imagine wolfing out in a cell. They would sure as hell shoot me. Or worse, send me to a lab to experiment on.I sank to the floor, gasping for breath.“What’s wrong?” Joel asked, bending over me. “You need water?” He swung around to grab a bottle from the counter and handed it to me.I took careful sips, and gradually my wheezing breath returned to normal. He helped me up and made me sit on a bed.“I just hit him. With a bronze statue. It wasn’t planned or anything. He hurt my mother.” Words just spilled out of
ConnorStacey’s plump lips brushed against mine. Her body, so soft and pliant in my arms, was as I remembered. I had committed every detail of her to memory, from the sound of her laughter to the way her skin felt against mine, and it used to haunt me relentlessly after our breakup.I was tempted, I won’t lie. Thinking of how her body moved with mine when we used to make love, it was magical. But…“We can’t do this,” I said and pushed her away gently. “I am not a cheater, Stacey.”I ignored the hurt flooding her green eyes. She didn’t reply.Miles exhaled a deep breath of relief. ‘You had me going there for a while, Connor.’“We must head back to the pack.” I looked around for something to cover myself with. Couldn’t go driving around Santa Barbara naked. There were dust covers on the furniture in the living area. I grabbed one and draped it around me like a Roman toga. It was just large enough to cover the important parts. “Let’s go.”On the drive back to Wolf Creek, I kept thinking
CassandraI heard the steel doors clang shut, and it sent a jolt of heat and excitement through my body where I stood underneath the icy shower. He shouldn’t be here. But a part of me was ecstatic that he was, especially the part that was pulsating with want.‘He’s coming for us, honey,’ Sage purred. Her voice sounded smug, as if she planned everything.“You did this.” I accused her. “You made this worse.” My body felt as if I were on fire, the heat pulsing through my nerve endings, electrifying my most intimate parts. One touch and I would certainly combust.‘I might have amped it up a bit. But you’ll thank me later,’ she said with a giggle, and retreated.“Cassie,” Connor burst through the bathroom door, naked and oh, so gorgeous. His eyes glowing with his wolf near the surface. The grittiness in his voice sent a shiver through me, down to my pussy.“Connor…” I turned to him, begging him for help with my eyes. “I don’t know what’s happening,” I moaned. “I’m burning up.”The distance
I woke to find Connor sitting on the edge of the bed, his back facing me. Reaching out, I touched his shoulder, and he turned his head to look at me. What I didn’t expect to see was the dark frown marring his features. Self-consciously, I covered myself with the blanket. Was he angry? Did I not please him?“Connor?”“This shouldn’t have happened. Did you take your suppressant like I told you to?” his voice was distant, and it shocked me more than a slap in the face. “I hoped to the gods you took your birth control. Although I doubt it would be effective at this stage.”But along with the shock and the hurt came righteous anger and indignation. “Of course I did! Good God! You make it sound like I deliberately seduced you!” I jumped up, taking the blanket along and there it was, the bloodstain on the white sheet, like an accusation.His eyes traveled to the spot and back to me. “Didn’t you, though? Your pheromones were off the charts. I had no control.” His blue eyes narrowed suspicious
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