CASSANDRA
With the alpha guy yakking to Agnes and Joel, I browsed the books to keep myself busy. I saw some of my favorite authors there, much to my pleasant surprise. Seems like we had something in common. I loved reading. Yeah, I was a nerd. But no one had to know, right? A werewolf nerd. I couldn’t help the insane laughter bubbling up in my throat.
“What’s so funny?” a deep, sexy voice asked right behind me.
I wheeled around right into the circle of hard, muscled arms. Holy shit! Why was he so close?
“Are you creeping up on me, Connor?” I let mild irritation sharpen my tone. I felt flustered, but I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing how flustered he made me feel. Like panty-damping flustered.
The damn man smiled, and two dimples appeared on both cheeks. Of course, there would be dimples! As if he wasn’t sexy enough, damn him. And that made him dangerous in my book.
“No, I wouldn’t do such a thing. I see you’re admiring my book collection. You like to read?” He wasn’t letting go of me. I was intensely aware of the heat from his hands on my hips. His lips were moving, but I couldn’t understand a thing. My brain suddenly turned to oatmeal. There was only one thought in my depraved mind and that was I wanted to taste those lips. Those plump, gorgeous lips…
“Cassandra?” The sound of my name snapped me back to my senses. What the hell was I thinking?
“Umm…” I batted his hands away from my hips and took two steps away. “Yes, yes, I like to read. Where are my parents?”
“Oh, they went home,” he said. “I thought I could show you around the pack grounds. Introduce you to some of the pack members.”
I didn’t want to be alone with him. “Maybe some other time. I should go.” I hustled towards the door leading to the stairs. “Thank you for breakfast, though.” I remembered my manners in time.
“Wait up!” The demand in his tone stopped me dead in my tracks. I couldn’t move. As much as I wanted to. “I need to talk to you, Cassandra.”
I turned around slowly. “About what?” I asked sharply, narrowing my eyes. Dangerous.
“About your place in the pack.” He wasn’t smiling then and suddenly my legs moved towards him out of their own.
“Are you doing this? Are you making me walk to you?” I screeched.
He chuckled. “Yes, and no. Your wolf must submit to me. She has no choice but to obey her alpha’s command.”
Oh, fuck this. Again, with the wolf schtick. “I don’t have a wolf! You people are all batshit crazy.”
He held out his hand for me to take. “Please, come. Sit with me. Let’s talk about this, Cassie.” And hell, if I couldn’t resist his soft voice. It was hypnotic. I took his hand and let him lead me to the lounge. “See, it’s not that bad to comply.”
“I don’t like not being in control.” I told him rather breathlessly. He pulled me down next to him, our thighs resting against each other. He still held my hand.
“Sometimes to give up control is freeing, Cassie.” Blue eyes smiled into mine. “Why is it so hard for you to accept your wolf spirit?”
Ripping my hand out of his, I tapped my temple. “It’s not real. Next thing, you’ll tell me vampires exist and fairies and…” I didn’t know half the urban legends.
“I hate to break it to you… All of them are real, except the tooth fairy, Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. They are not,” he said without cracking a smile.
I burst out laughing, holding my stomach and letting it rip. “Oh…” I wiped tears out of my eyes. “You guys are good.”
“Cassandra….”
“How about a demonstration, Wolf man?” I wasn’t laughing anymore. “I’ll believe it if you turn right here and now, in front of me.” Let’s see if he would rise to the challenge.
He looked hesitant. Of course he hesitated! He maybe had a big black dog that looked like a wolf following him around. That was what I saw on the porch.
“Are you sure?” he asked, his brows lifted slightly. “I don’t want to freak you out.”
“I don’t think… Hey!” I clapped my hands over my eyes. Because he pulled his shirt over his head and kicked off his shoes. Trousers followed. Okay, I peeked between my fingers. I’ve never seen a naked man in the flesh. I’ve looked at p**n- I mean, who doesn’t–but this was actual flesh and oh god, so much of it.
“I don’t want to ruin my clothes.” He said, but his voice had changed, became rougher.
My mind said run, you fool, but my stubborn body refused. I sat glued to the couch, peeking between my fingers. And what I saw next boggled my mind.
Fur appeared on his face and spread rapidly over his body. He sank to the floor on all fours, face elongating. I heard a popping, snapping sound as his bones shifted. They shifted! There was a buzzing sound in my ears and the lounge swam in front of my eyes.
I bit my tongue, hard. I was not fainting. I don’t faint.
“No. Fucking way,” I gasped.
There he was, a big, black as midnight wolf, biggest creature I’ve ever seen. No Connor in sight. He sat on his haunches and grinned at me, red eyes glinting like rubies.
‘That proof enough for you, Cassandra?’ I heard his voice droning in my head.
This was impossible. But there he was. “I have just crossed over to crazy land.” I tasted blood in my mouth. This was real. Then I fainted.
***
I woke up to Connor’s worried face hovering over me on the couch. Screaming like a banshee, I bolted from the couch. I didn’t get far, though.
“Cassie!” Again, that voice froze me to the floor. I had no control over my shaking body. “I’m sorry. It wasn’t the best idea to shock you like that.”
Connor was behind me, stroking my upper arms vigorously. “Are you alright? Can I get you some water?”
“I could use a brandy. Or vodka or jet fuel.” I said through chattering teeth.
“You’re underaged,” he said with a laugh. “I’ll get you some juice.” He put his arm around my shoulders and steered me back to the lounge. Thank Jesus, he was dressed.
AGNESJoel 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
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
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