CassandraBefore I blacked out, my last thought was how unfair life was. Dying a virgin after meeting the man of my dreams. I would have laughed at the irony if I weren’t so terrified.It was only when I heard Joel’s voice that I realized I was still alive and in Connor’s arms. Connor had saved me. I had a second chance! Pretending to be out of it, I snuggled into his muscular arms. Safe. I wanted to stay right there.If this was the danger that lurked here in this place, I would rather take my chances in the city. How could a person fight against such monstrous things? What were they, anyway? They looked like they had rabies or something: Cujo on steroids. Only they weren’t dogs.Then I heard Joel say, “We’ve completed the mating,” and my ears burned. How could I look him and Agnes in the eyes after what I heard? Will they be going at it every night? Hell, it was in the middle of the day, and they were screwing each other’s brains out.Oh, God! Now I have that mental picture stuck in
ConnorThe rogue attack created a buzz among the pack members. I felt their restless energy surging through the collective mind. It was good. We should never let our guard down. Just because peace reigned between the various packs didn’t mean it would last forever. Peace was a very fragile thing in our world. The slightest confrontation could set off a full-scale war. As packs grew in number, the need for territory increased, and our territory was significant, and the game was bountiful. My pack wasn’t one of the largest, but what we lacked in numbers, we made up for in strength.More pack members arrived while the omegas prepared the tables for the feast. The mouthwatering aroma of various dishes teased the senses. By the looks of it, my cooks had outdone themselves. There was more than enough food. I watched as a group of pups chased each other around the tables, squealing with laughter, and I wondered what our pups would look like. I imagined they would inherit Cassie’s stubbornnes
CassandraThere was an infernal buzzing in my mind that wouldn’t go away. I imagined that was what a hangover would feel like, even though I had never experienced one.Connor led me away to sit with Agnes and Joel. I only let him because I still couldn’t trust my legs. If I weren’t starving, I would have gone straight to bed.“You look pale, Cassie. Here, have some water.” Agnes held a glass to my lips, and I took it from her.“I’m fine, Mom,” I said, somewhat irritated, but gulped the water down, anyway. I still tasted Connor’s blood in my mouth and found it strangely sweet. It wasn’t as gross as I thought it would be. Who does that anyway? They’re not vampires.Joel leaned toward me. “It will get better. You will learn how to tune most of it out. Focus on someone you want to speak to. It’s like a phone connection.”Wow. That was the most words he’d spoken to me since he tried to give me the rundown on werewolves.Connor returned with plates stacked with food and took his place next
My wolf? Now? I was just about to have the best make-out session with Connor, and now she showed up.“You’ve got to be kidding me…”“This is wonderful. This is great news, Cassie.” He was grinning like a fool and I was just… damn!“But I can’t,” I moaned. “This is… I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”Connor shook me by the shoulders. “Just let her speak to you.”As if that was so easy. This was insane. I shook him off and stomped to the living room and collapsed onto the couch. I’ve heard her voice before, but that was when I thought I was losing it and I ignored it…her. Now there was just silence. Right. Now you decide to shut up.Connor came over and sat next to me. “Cassie, just try to let her through. Look at me. Miles will help her.”He cupped my face, and I leaned into his palm, staring into his eyes. They changed from blue to red instantly.“You’re not going to shift, are you?” Panic flared in my chest. I was still not used to see him in wolf form.“No, I’m letting Miles cal
Connor“Is she ever going to come out of the bathroom?” Cassie was overreacting. It was unfortunate timing, but it wasn’t a disaster. I leaned my head against the bathroom door, hearing her sniffle. She was crying. “C’mon, Cassie. It’s not like I’ve never seen that before.”“Go away, Connor!” her muffled voice sounded through the door.‘We should have waited until her first shift. Like you said from the start. But nooo…. What happened to patience?’ He blamed me for Cassie getting her period, which was ridiculous.“How the hell can that be my fault? Her cycle’s got nothing to do with me.”‘You’re pushing her to go into heat.’“Rubbish.” I didn’t have time to argue with my frustrated wolf, so I pushed him far back into my mind. But just maybe he’s right. I needed advice. What if she went into heat? Every unmated male in the pack will be coming for her. I had to take precautions. Lock her up, if I must. Oh fuck! I had to stay away from her as well.‘That’s not what you said last night. Y
CassandraThis was awful. I thought I would die from embarrassment, basically fleeing from the pack house through the dark street and to make matters worse, Joel was awake and waiting for me in the living room.“Cassandra, a moment, please.” He blocked the stairs so that I couldn’t get past.“Joel, I am tired, and I don’t want to talk about it. Why are you even here waiting for me? Did Connor say something?” Oh, God, spare me.“Just listen to me for a second, Cassie,” he reached for my arm, but I evaded his grasp. “It’s important.”I sighed and rolled my eyes. “Fine! What is it?”“You need to stay away from Connor.”“What?” What the hell? Did Connor tell him that? Was he so disappointed that he didn’t want to see me anymore? Well, screw him!“Just for a while.” He tugged at his beard. “How to explain this…”I held up my hands in surrender. “No, no need to explain. I’m going to bed now.” I shoved past him and ran upstairs, slamming and locking the bedroom door behind me.***My head hu
It was peaceful among the trees. God knows, I needed quiet, needed to get my emotions under control. I didn’t want to be around Agnes and Joel for the screaming match that was sure to come after I had dropped the atom bomb. But for once, I was going to let my mother deal with her own shit.Joel wouldn’t hurt her. He wasn’t like Frank. How did I know? It was in the way he looked at her, like she had whipped him. He might be a giant of a man, but there was something soft inside. I felt sorry for going off at him, but maybe it had to be said. If only he had tried to find us, our lives would have been so much simpler. Finding a suitable space, I sat with my back against the bark of a large one. I didn’t know what kind of tree it was, didn’t care. But it felt good, sturdy, and I wished I could absorb its silent strength. The smell of damp earth calmed me, and I closed my eyes and listened to the birds chattering in the branches.‘We should go back. You heard what Father said.’ Sage prodde
AGNESI didn’t know how I could fix this. If it was even possible to do. Yes, yes, I know I should have told him, and it was unfair of me to expect my daughter to keep my secret—our secret.“Joel?” He wasn’t in our bedroom. With eyes closed, I leaned my forehead against the wall, hoping for a divine intervention. If such a thing existed. There was no way I could tell him everything. He wouldn’t understand. For Joel, everything was black and white, right or wrong. There were no gray areas.Mustering up the courage, I went downstairs and found him in the kitchen. He leaned on the counter and stared out of the window with his back facing me. The air crackled with tension as he stood there, his muscles taut like tightly coiled ropes, his knuckles gripping the edge with a white-knuckled intensity.I was reluctant to approach him. The years of being with Frank had conditioned me to expect the worst. Although Joel was a gentle soul, despite his rough appearance. And, while he swore he would
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
CassandraConnor left me behind with Stacey to look for some kind of intruder, which I called bullshit on. There was no one there. The blonde bimbo just used an excuse to get him there. What she didn’t expect was that I would accompany him. Fine, she was pretty with bigger boobs than mine and long legs, which I would kill to have. She was also a head taller than me.“It must be difficult for you. Umm, Cassandra, is it?” She looked down her perfect nose at me and all I could think of was how I would love to punch her in her make-up caked face.As if she doesn’t know my name. “What do you mean, it’s difficult for me?”“Oh, with everything, I guess.” She waved a manicured hand in my direction. “I can’t imagine growing up not knowing what you are. Then having to adjust to living in a pack. Must be why Connor feels sorry for you.”“Excuse you? Sorry for me?” Bitch please. I glared at her, my hands on my hips. “I am his mate. He made that clear that I will be his luna.”She gave me a condes
CassandraConnor left me behind with Stacey to look for some kind of intruder, which I called bullshit on. There was no one there. The blonde bimbo just used an excuse to get him there. What she didn’t expect was that I would accompany him. Fine, she was pretty with bigger boobs than mine and long legs, which I would kill to have. She was also a head taller than me.“It must be difficult for you. Umm, Cassandra, is it?” She looked down her perfect nose at me and all I could think of was how I would love to punch her in her make-up caked face.As if she doesn’t know my name. “What do you mean, it’s difficult for me?”“Oh, with everything, I guess.” She waved a manicured hand in my direction. “I can’t imagine growing up not knowing what you are. Then having to adjust to living in a pack. Must be why Connor feels sorry for you.”“Excuse you? Sorry for me?” Bitch please. I glared at her, my hands on my hips. “I am his mate. He made that clear that I will be his luna.”She gave me a condes
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
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
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
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
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
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