AGNES
Joel and I walked to his house in uncomfortable silence. Passersby glanced at us with open curiosity. A human woman at Wolf Creek, unbelievable! I could almost hear their thoughts.
It’s not that I expected Joel to welcome me back with open arms, but this—this coldness—it really stung. He had changed from the passionate man who declared his love for me in a whirlwind romance had become this hardened, closed off man. He could hardly look at me and when he did, I couldn’t bear to see the swirling hurt and distrust in his eyes. I did this. I made him this way.
I wanted so desperately to fix it. For all our sakes.
He held the door open for me, but didn't step inside himself. I called out his name, my voice trembling with hope and uncertainty. "Joel..."
"I have work to do," he replied, his voice devoid of warmth. He turned to leave, but I couldn't let him go so easily. I reached out and grabbed his arm, pleading with him. "Please, can we talk about it?" There was so much I needed him to know. I should have trusted him more. Our situation would have been different. There wouldn’t have been a Frank.
"Agnes, I've said what I needed to say. Nothing will change how I feel," he replied, gazing into the vast expanse of the clear blue sky. "Stay or go. Do whatever you want." He gently freed his arm from my grasp and walked away, leaving me staring at his back.
I watched him until he disappeared, the ache in my chest growing with every step he took. Then, with a heavy sigh, I retrieved my keys from my purse and made my way to the car. Our clothes remained in the trunk, along with the money I had taken from Frank.
I needed to hide the money to secure our future. Cassie didn’t know about it, and I had no intention of revealing it to her, or Joel. It was our insurance, our escape plan, if things went south with the pack. I wasn't willing to bet my life on being accepted, but as the alpha's mate, Cassie would have no trouble. The question remained - would she choose to stay if I had to leave? Only time would tell.
I took everything to the spare bedroom where Cassie and I slept. There were two twin beds in the room, and I shoved the black bag with the case filled with money underneath the one I slept on. Just temporarily until I could find a better hiding place.
Someone knocked at the door, a sharp, echoing sound that sent shivers down my spine. I clenched my teeth, fighting the fear, the urge to run. I immediately thought it was Frank, my heart racing at the possibility of him finding us. But then reason kicked in. It was impossible for him to track us down here. We were safe, at least for now.
Summoning my courage, I composed myself and made my way downstairs to confront whoever was outside. Two older men stood on the porch. They had that official look about them, the same look tax collectors had. I cautiously cracked the door open and peered out.
They greeted me politely, their voices calm and measured.
"Unfortunately, Beta Joel isn't here at the moment," I said, attempting to mask my fear. But clearly, they sensed it, their piercing gazes seeing through my facade.
The younger man, with a gentle expression, reassured me, "It's alright, Ms. Browne. We would like to speak with you and your daughter. Please, we won’t harm you. May we come in?"
Reluctantly, I let them in, guiding them to the lounge where they settled themselves.
"I remember you, Ms. Browne," the one with the salt-and-pepper buzz cut remarked. "You and Joel have history, isn't that right? Where is your daughter? I would like to speak to her."
I took a deep breath and carefully worded my response. "I don’t see why that is any concern of yours, Mister..." I trailed off, waiting for him to provide his name.
"Elder Marcus," he stated, his voice laced with authority. "I assure you, it is our concern. Your daughter, is she Joel's?" His dark eyes bore into mine, searching for any sign of weakness.
Attempting to remain calm, I replied, "Yes, but I still don’t see how it concerns you. Alpha Connor is already aware. Cassandra needs to be here. She will be eighteen in a few months." There was no need to explain to him why she had to be here.
A condescending smile played on Elder Marcus' lips as he responded, "Did you honestly think you could just bring her back after eighteen years? There are consequences, Ms. Browne."
I felt a knot tighten in my chest, my breath growing shallow. "I understand that, Elder Marcus," I said, fighting to regulate my breathing. "If the pack doesn't want us, we can always leave."
The younger man leaned forward, his eyes filled with empathy. "If only it were that simple. I'm sure you know we cannot risk humans finding out about us."
Although his face was kind, his words sent a chill to my bones. “No one knows I am here. I won’t tell anyone about you.” I barked out a nervous laugh. “They wouldn’t believe me, anyway.” Would they go so far as getting rid of me? I’m betting they would.
“There is another solution, Ms. Browne. But we will have to discuss that with the alpha and Beta Joel.” The younger man glanced at Elder Marcus.
"Nicholas, surely you don't mean..." Elder Marcus frowned darkly at him, his voice filled with disbelief. I watched as the wrinkles on his forehead deepened, his eyes narrowing. “Alpha Troy would never condone it.”
“But Alpha Troy isn’t here now, Marcus,” Nicholas said. A look passed between them. I couldn’t figure out what it was, but there was a sudden shift in the older man’s demeanor.
“Of course he isn’t.” He furled his lip at me, which was supposed to be a smile, but it never reached his eyes. “Alright, Ms. Browne. Thank you for your time.” They rose from their seats, and I led them to the door. As they walked away, Marcus turned back and said, "We'll be in touch."
I closed the door firmly behind me. I took a deep breath against it, the weight of it all heavy on my chest. My mind raced. I was so unsure of what solution Nicholas had in mind.
If they involved Alpha Troy in their plans… I didn’t even want to think about it. He threatened once before that he would exile Joel. I couldn’t allow it. I loved him still and longed for his forgiveness. But I was prepared to leave him once more if it meant he would stay with his pack and his daughter.
No, the only way forward was to take my chances and leave. Even if it meant sneaking away in the dead of night. The thought sent a chill down my spine. I knew that if I did, the chances of Frank finding me would be greater. His connections to the Mafia were a constant reminder of the danger I was in.
I had known for a long time what Frank truly was, but fear had kept me by his side. I wanted Cassie to have a chance at a better life, to finish school and go to university. Once she was safely out of the house, I had planned to leave. Life had other plans, it seemed.
It was time to conquer my fear. I would take some of the money, just enough to start over somewhere far away. Leaving a note for Cassie, I would explain everything to her, ensuring her safety. Connor seemed kind, but I had learned the hard way that charm could hide a dark side.
Cassandra“I must go back. Agnes would be worried,” I tried to convince Connor. He didn’t seem to be in a hurry to get rid of me. Don’t know what his deal was. The way he looked at me… like I was his favorite dessert or something. It made me uncomfortable. But I also felt something else. Lust. At least I think that’s what it was. He sat close to me on the couch, his knee touching mine. I twirled the empty glass in my hands, just to do something. If I leaned closer to him…No, hell no! This kind of thinking is a sure-fire way of getting into shit. He’s a goddamn werewolf, for fuck’s sake! Oh, but apparently, I was one as well. Yes, there is that.“They know you’re with me.” he stood suddenly. “Come,” he held out his hand. “Let me show you the training grounds.”My body seemed to have a mind of its own where Connor was concerned. I let him lead me out of the lounge. “Training grounds?” I asked, perplexed. Was this some kind of military center?“Yes. All members of the pack need to train
CONNORMy mind went crazy when I saw Cassandra checking out my guys and Ray flirting back. I was so possessive and jealous; it was intense. It was super unsettling and embarrassing, like a crazy storm of emotions going on.My heart pounded in my ears as I tried to regain my composure. These men, my friends, my brothers, had always been there for me. They were my best fighters, loyal and dedicated. But at that moment, I had this intense urge to rip their throats out for trying to steal Cassandra's attention.‘It's the mate bond, Connor. It can't be helped,’ Miles said. He felt the same surge of possessiveness because of the mate bond. ‘You are their Alpha first.’ Miles continued.I ran my hand over my face, trying to calm the storm raging inside me. I was their alpha first, and they should respect that. But the way Cassandra had looked at me, it had ignited something wild within me, something I couldn't fully control.With a heavy sigh, I made my way down the hallway towards the men's
CassandraUnbelievable! The hypocrite. I leaned against the door I had slammed shut a second ago, fuming with anger. So I couldn’t look at guys, but he could cuddle a girl right there in the street for anyone to see?Agnes rushed downstairs to see what the noise was all about. “Cassie? What happened?”I stomped past her into the kitchen. “I don’t want to talk about it.” Found a glass in the cupboard and filled it with water straight from the tap.“Did Alpha Connor say something to upset you?” Agnes followed me into the kitchen.I drank the water and slammed the glass onto the counter. Made for him, huh! I leaned against the counter, looking at my mother. Seemed like we shared the same poor taste in men.“Honey, you know you can talk to me.” She reached out to touch my arm, her brown eyes sympathetic. But I was still angry at her.“Really, Mom?” Sarcasm dripped from my tone. “What can you tell me that will make this better?” I folded my arms across my chest and glared at her. “Can you
Agnes knocked on the bedroom door after Connor left.“I assume you’re no longer mad at Connor?” she said, leaning against the wall. “He was smiling when he left.”I lay on the bed, hugging the pillow against my chest. It was a poor substitute for him, but it would have to do. His cologne still lingered in the room. “Yeah, I guess you can say so.” I sat up, smiling.“I wish you would stop being angry with me, Cassie.” Agnes shoved off from the wall and sat on the bed next to mine. “We’ve always had a good mother-daughter relationship, and I would hate for this to ruin it.”I sighed heavily. Anger was a draining emotion and no matter what, I loved my mother. She wasn’t perfect, but neither was I. “I’m not angry, Mom. Just disappointed.”She looked down at her hands in her lap. “I understand that, Cassandra. There is no excuse for what I did, except to say that when you have kids of your own, you will understand a mother would do anything to safeguard her children.”I shrugged. She might
JOELEver since Agnes came back, my wolf and I have been at war with each other. The beast wanted what was his claim and mark her and bedamn the consequences. I couldn’t. Too many years have passed. Years in which I had suffered from the loss of my soulmate.I couldn’t even reject her because she was human. It would have no effect on her. but it would kill me for sure. I still loved her, but she broke my heart into a million pieces.Although I understood her motives and knowing Alpha Troy, she must have been terrified beyond reason, I was still deeply disappointed that she couldn’t confide in me. And keeping my pup from me, that was unforgivable.Cassandra. The moment she stepped out of the car, my wolf Ross recognized her as ours. At first, I tried to deny it. The anger and pain I felt seeing Agnes were too much at that moment.Cassandra’s animosity towards me hurts me more than I care to admit. It wasn’t my fault that I missed her childhood, but it was obvious she blamed me.‘Yeah,
ConnorI was up before dawn, having spent a restless night thinking about Cassie and what I planned to do. She needed to be accepted into the pack as soon as possible. Maybe even tonight. Of course, there had to be a ceremony, as was our custom, and a party afterward. I only wished it could be our union ceremony. But all in good time.After training, I would give orders to my chefs to prepare a feast for the night. Joel, my gamma Eric and his mate will see to the preparations needed for the ceremony. The elders would need to be present as well. I wasn’t looking forward to that, particularly. But it was necessary.Miles worried they would object to her being accepted because of Agnes.“Why the hell would they, Miles? She’s a werewolf.” His constant worrying was exhausting.‘She’s half human, Connor. That could be grounds for objections, especially if you tell them she’s our mate.’“Well, that’s why we wait until she has her first turn. So, stop worrying about it!” Gods, he was just loo
AGNESI was alone in the house, or so I thought, when I went downstairs to make some coffee and a bite to eat. But what I found was Joel, busy making breakfast. He was shirtless. I stood in the doorway, watching the muscles in his back ripple underneath his bronzed skin as he whisked eggs into a bowl. I shouldn’t have stared, but I couldn’t help it. He was even more handsome than he was eighteen years ago. Only now his body had filled out, was no longer that of a boy. He was all lean, hard muscle, broad shoulders and narrow hips. His fiery hair was long and curled on his shoulders. I never thought I'd be into a guy with a beard, especially one as wild as his, but it suited him. “Are you going to stand there gawking at me the whole day or are you going to give me a hand?” he drawled without turning around.How did he know…? Of course. Werewolf senses. “I wasn’t gawking.” My face felt like it was on fire.“Whatever you say.” He turned, and I saw a long scar marring the skin on the l
Cassandra“Lift your hands, Cassie. Protect your vulnerable parts.” Sam stood close behind me, helping me learn the proper fighting stances and blocks. Were all of them so good-looking? I have not seen a single unattractive person here. It was very distracting being surrounded by powerfully sculpted bodies.“Why do you do it?” I asked Sam. “Train to fight? Connor told me everyone must, but I don’t get it.” It seemed peaceful there being surrounded by nature. Were they expecting trouble?“Connor, is it?” he chuckled like I had said something inappropriate. “Well, honey, we live in a dangerous world. Didn’t Alpha Connor explain to you what we’re up against?” he stressed the word alpha.“I grew up in the city. Of course I know.” My thoughts immediately went to Frank and the people he associated with. They were a different breed of wolves. Ones with guns.“This is not the city, sweetness.” Sam corrected my stance. “Put your weight on your back leg. It makes it harder for me to do this…” h
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
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