by Franca Storm
He glared at Josh, watching him load a ton of food from the buffet onto his plate.
“Ry?” he pressed, shooting a glance at him.
“I heard you. No, I haven’t. Not yet.”
“You need to bond with her to make it official.”
“I’m well aware.”
“Then why the delay? You had her in your bed.”
“She was drunk.”
“And this morning?”
Ryan hesitated. “It wasn’t the right time.”
Josh scoffed. “Fucking hell, Ry.”
Ryan growled low in his throat. “I will take her when I decide. Is that clear?” His eyes narrowed at Josh and he watched him back up a couple of steps in response to the very real threat in his eyes.
“Crystal,” Josh responded.
Ryan grunted, then added a couple more items to the plates. One for him. One for Cora.
While she was busy taking a shower, he’d slipped out into the mess hall where his pack was eating lunch. He’d decided it was best for him to bring the food to her, rather than have her walk into the mess hall with a bunch of ravenous wolves that were indifferent, at best, about her presence among them. They’d accepted his revelation of her being his mate. But that was because they’d had little choice, unless they wanted to challenge him outright.
And they all knew better than that.
Not only was he Alpha, he was also no ordinary wolf. No one had the power to take him down.
Huh. He should probably get around to telling Cora about that.
But, still, Cora wasn’t wolf and he did understand it bothering the pack. As such, he was wary about her being around them. She was safe in his room. None of them would dare to enter there. But when he wasn’t around? As much as they respected his authority, he couldn’t be one-hundred-percent sure that they’d remain passive, especially if she threw that abrasive attitude of hers around.
No, he’d wait until things settled before he allowed her in the same room as the boys.
At least, that’d been his plan until it was shot to hell in one fell swoop by Cora, herself.
A low hum resonated through the room, just as a powerful sensation, that was becoming very familiar, took hold of him. The sensation that told him his mate was close.
The hum from the pack escalated to a chorus of aggressive growls. His gaze snapped to the door.
Clad head to toe in black leather, looking like the biker chick that he’d first set eyes on in his bar a few nights ago, stood Cora.
Fucking hell.
She located him instantly and made her way over to him, not seeming concerned in the least by the reaction from the pack.
“Josh,” she greeted, smiling politely.
He grinned with amusement. “Cora.”
“Thanks for your help last night. And the scotch. It really took the edge off.”
Ryan rolled his eyes. “You can’t handle your booze, woman.”
She ignored him and held out her hand for one of the plates he held in his hand. “Is that for me?”
“Yeah,” he said, handing it over. “Take it back to my room. I’ll be along shortly.”
“I don’t think so.”
“What? What does that mean?”
Instead of answering him, she merely winked, then strode away, right towards the pack.
Josh eyed him worriedly. They watched as she approached the center table where ten of the boys were gathered, sitting and eating as two members arm-wrestled across the middle of the table. They stopped what they were doing, and all eyes turned to her as she arrived. She put her plate down at the far end of the table and took one of the three spare seats, the one next to Ryan’s spot at the head of the table. They growled and she glared hard at them. Actually, ferociously.
“Problem?” she demanded.
A collective grant of reluctant acceptance sounded. Then, the growling ceased, and they all resumed what they’d been doing before she’d walked in.
“Wow. Are we sure she’s not wolf?” Josh said, grinning at him.
“She has the attitude,” Ryan agreed, as he and Josh made their way over to the table.
Ryan took his seat at the head of the table. He looked up expectantly and every wolf in the mess hall nodded their respect and acknowledgment of his presence. Josh took a seat beside him and began devouring his food. Ryan glanced at Cora, but she didn’t notice. Her eyes were focused on the arm-wrestling match down the table. As one of the guys bested another, the match coming to an end, she shot to her feet.
“I’m next,” she announced.
Ryan was stunned. It took him a moment to respond. He reached for her arm and told her, “No.”
She wrenched her arm from his grip and approached the middle of the table. The guy who had lost shifted to his right to make room for the next challenger. Roy, the current arm-wrestling champion, looked to Ryan for his approval.
Ryan sighed. “Fine. But stop before you break her wrist. Understood?”
“Got it,” Roy said. He asked Cora, “Sure you wanna do this, sweet thing?”
Ryan let his comment go. Boys will be boys. He couldn’t blame him for reacting that way. She’d left him little choice in the matter. She’d willingly put herself right in the thick of it.
“I’m stronger than I look, wolf,” she said.
Taken aback by her feisty response, he looked around the table. The wolves started to laugh. But Cora didn’t seem the least bit deterred by it. In fact, judging by the steel set of her jaw and the look in her eyes, it just seemed to strengthen her resolve.
She rested her elbow in the middle of the table. Roy did the same and clasped his huge hand around her tiny one. “Who’s counting us in?” she asked, glancing around at the table.
“I’ve got you,” Ryan heard Ben pipe up from the other end of the table.
“Name?” Cora asked him.
“Ben.”
“Cora,” she said, smiling. She turned her gaze back to Roy and said, “I should probably know the name of the wolf whose ass I’m about to kick.”
Ryan felt his dick harden at her feisty comment. It was such a fucking turn-on when she brought her ball-busting attitude.
“Roy,” his strongest pack member told her, chuckling.
Ben counted them in. “Three. Two. One. Go!”
Roy jerked his hand to the side. Ryan cocked an eyebrow when nothing happened. Her hand didn’t budge. It was steady, like a rock. How strong was she now that her abilities had come in? He couldn’t wait to find out. He’d had a brief taste of it last night, but she’d been drunk off her ass, so it hadn’t been a reliable gauge.
She started to push against Roy and Ryan saw him grimace, his hand shaking with the effort of resisting the pressure she was applying.
“Fuck!” he exclaimed.
“Roy, come on!” someone shouted.
“She’s a girl!” another yelled.
“Finish it, Roy!”
Ryan watched him struggle to move her hand, to force it down onto the table to win the match. But he just couldn’t. She was too strong.
She slammed his hand down onto the table, in one sudden motion, ending the match.
“Damn,” Roy exclaimed.
She’d won.
She fell back against her seat and raised her hands with triumph. The roars around the room from his wolves were deafening. Excitement. Disbelief.
“Next!” she called out.
Roy leaned across the table and told her, “That’s all. I was the champion. There’s no one left to challenge.”
“I don’t believe that’s entirely true,” she said, her gazing falling on Ryan.
He shook his head.
“Afraid?” she called down the table.
The guys wolf-whistled. Ryan ignored it and kept his gaze steady on her. “I’ll hurt you,” he warned.
“Or, will I hurt you?”
“Fine,” he said, getting to his feet. He shook off his leather jacket and flexed his biceps. “You’re callin
g out the wolf, darlin’.”
The boys roared in response to his words. As he passed by, making his way towards the middle of the table, they slapped his shoulders. “Go, Ry!”
Roy left his seat and Ryan took his place.
He thrust his elbow onto the middle of the table, the force of it vibrating the metal and causing everyone to take a step back. His eyes flashed at Cora, but she just grinned at him, showing no sign of intimidation.
“You’re sexy when you’re mad,” she told him.
“Be careful.”
“Why?”
His eyes bored into hers. “Because the wolf wants to fuck you right here on this table, my love.”
To her credit, she held her own well and didn’t break his gaze, despite his blunt comment. Her shyness was nowhere to be found. She was too engrossed in the challenge that lay before her.
Her arm joined his in the middle of the table and she gripped his hand tightly.
He returned her grip, breaking her gaze to nod to Ben.
His eyes snapped back to Cora’s and he barely heard Ben as he counted them in. He knew the match had started when he felt her hand pushing against his. Yeah, her strength was impressive. He could feel the full force of it.
But not strong enough to best me.
She pushed harder, but he held steady. She persisted, grunting with the effort. But, still, his hand held steady. She looked at him in surprise. He had tried to warn her.
He made his move and pushed back. The power behind it forced her hand downward, despite her best efforts to stop him.
He held her hand there, just a couple of inches from touching the table and ending the match. He knew if she didn’t loosen her grip he’d break her wrist if he pushed any further.
“Let go. You’re done.”
Her eyes flashed with resolve.
“You can’t win. Accept your defeat.” Stubborn woman.
She shook her head.
Ryan glanced around at his boys. “I think we can call this.”
Ben nodded and called out, “Alpha wins.”
Ryan wiggled his eyebrows at Cora. “Sorry, darlin’.”
She released a frustrated sigh and loosened her grip. He pressed her hand to the table, signaling the end of the match and his victory.
But he didn’t release her hand.
He stared at her.
The heat between them was unbearable.
Her eyes were glowing silver as she looked back at him. He knew his were afire too.
He lunged across the table and his free hand fisted in her hair, forcing her lips to his. His mouth devoured hers and she responded in kind. Her lips parted and he tasted her, hungrily, insistently.
He forced himself to pull back amid the thunderous sound of the roars and hoots from his boys. He knew if he didn’t, then he would end up fucking her right there on the table, in front of them all.
He released her suddenly and fell back against his seat, panting frantically.
Before he could do anything, the pack gathered around Cora and lifted her up. They howled wildly and ruffled her hair.
He grinned as he heard her sweet laugh.
The boys had seen their eyes glowing. They’d seen proof that she was their Alpha’s true mate.
And her little demonstration of strength, her wolf-like attitude, had won them over.
They’d accepted her.
Actually, from the looks of the scene in front of him, it was clear it was more than just acceptance.
It was admiration.
They loved her.
CHAPTER 15
Cora gazed around in wonder, taking everything in, as she followed Ryan into the garage.
“Wow.”
It was jam-packed with some really impressive vehicles. Cars, trucks, and bikes. The latter was what really drew her attention. Dozens of bikes took up the garage real estate. Cruisers. Off-roaders. Sports bikes. An impressive variety of brands. Harley, Triumph, Suzuki, Yamaha.
She approached one in particular that had caught her eye.
“Harley. Sportster Forty-Eight. XL1200X,” Ryan informed her as she ran her hand along it.
“I know,” she said. “It’s gorgeous.”
He mounted it and patted the spot behind him. “Get on. We’ll take it for a spin. It’s daylight. No vamps to worry about.”
She scoffed. “I’m not getting on the back.”
She felt his eyes on her as she walked over to a silver V TWIN. She liked her Harleys. She mounted it and settled herself.
“You don’t want to ride with me?” Ryan asked.
“I want to race you.”
He smirked. “You don’t know what you’re asking.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. It’s like that, darlin’.”
“That’s some big talk, Alpha.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll give you a head start.” He told her arrogantly, “It’s only fair. You’re playing with the big boys now.”
She scoffed. “Maybe you should take your own offer. I don’t need it.”
“Fine. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. I tried to play the gentleman.” He kicked his bike into gear. “It’s becoming clear that isn’t what you want.”
She started her engine. “It’s not.”
Without giving him warning, she roared out of the garage, kicking up some major dust in her wake.
***
A couple of hours later, Ryan came to a stop beside Cora at the top of a steep hill that overlooked the city below.
“Fucking hell, woman.”
She shook out her hair. “I told you.”
“I can’t believe you made that jump.”
“It was in my way.”
“It was a wall. You’re supposed to go around it.”
“Like you, you mean?”
“I was caught off guard and worrying about you.”
She climbed off her bike and leaned against it. He rested against his own, his arms folded, as his gaze raked over her, taking in every delicious inch of her.
“You’re full of surprises, Cora. You know that?”
“So are you.”
“Am I?”
“Yeah. Now I’ve come into my supernatural strength, I’m stronger than wolf, Ryan. I put it to the test with Roy during that arm-wrestling match. Fine, you’re slightly stronger, as Alpha. But what I felt from you seemed much more than that.”
“I tried to warn you when you were calling me out in front of the pack.”
“But, how? How are you so much stronger? What don’t I know?”
Ryan folded his arms across his chest and released a heavy sigh. It was time.
His eyes locked with hers. “I am pure wolf, Cora.”
“Pure wolf?”
“Pureblood.”
“Like pureblood vampires, you mean? They’re born vampires, not made?”
“Yes. The same principle.”
Her eyes were wide with surprise. “Huh. I didn’t know there was such a thing as a pureblood wolf. That makes sense. It’s why you’re so strong. There’s no weak side to you, because you don’t have the part-human, part-wolf combo like the others. You’re wholly wolf.”
“Yep.”
“Don’t you have to be royalty to be a pureblood?”
“Yes.”
Incredulity shone in her eyes. “Whoa. So, you’re royal?”
“Correct.”
“A prince, like Luca?”
He shook his head and grinned. “King.” He watched shock flicker over her face. “Lucky you. You get to be mated to the King of the Wolves. And, here you thought, I was merely a lowly Alpha wolf.”
She rolled her eyes. “Your arrogance knows no bounds.”
“Neither does yours, princess.”
She crossed to him and leaned against his bike beside him. “Tell me more,” she urged, looking up at him in wonder. “The whole story.”
He wrapped his arm around her, drawing her close. “My father was King of the Wolves. He was murdered, so the titl
e passed to me about two hundred years ago.”
“Oh my God. How old are you?”
“It’s coming up to my three-hundredth birthday.”
“What? How is that possible? Wolves only live a few years longer than the average human life expectancy.”
“I’m immortal. It comes with the whole pureblood thing.”
“Wow. Okay. I see. Uh… so… how did your father die? You said he was murdered?”
“Nathanial killed him.”
“Luca’s father? The King of the Dark Realm?”
“Yeah. He and my father once ruled the Dark Realm together. Until Nathanial decided that he no longer liked the idea of sharing power. He manipulated my father. He threatened all the wolves under their rule. And my father gave his life to ensure the survival of his species.”
“I’m sorry, Ryan. He turned against your father, just like that?”
“Once it became known that Luca and I shared a mother. She’d been with both of them. Her name was Oriana, a powerful sorceress who served on your father’s court in the White Realm. She was Nathanial’s bride. By vampire law, anyway. He took her by force. She wasn’t his mate. She was—”
“Your father’s?” Cora gasped, pulling away suddenly.
“Yes. When my father found out, he became obsessed.”
“Oh my God.”
“The pull between destined mates is strong, Cora. It can’t be denied.”
“I know,” she murmured quietly. “That’s why you didn’t want me to go to his mansion. It was like history repeating itself.”
He nodded sadly.
“If you’re King, why are you here and not in the Dark Realm?”
“Because I was banished by Nathanial. If I return, it will be a call to war. Before I was banished, his vampire army outnumbered the wolves ten-to-one. I might be strong, but not even I could’ve taken an entire vamp army. I would’ve faced execution if I hadn’t happened to be Luca’s sibling. We were tight back then. Until he betrayed me a couple of years ago. But that’s a story for another time.”
“Where is your mother now? Did she survive the Vampire King’s wrath?”
“She survived. I would’ve felt it if she’d died. But I have no idea where she is. She disappeared after my father was killed. No one knows her whereabouts.”
“Why was I promised to Luca? The White Realm couldn’t have condoned what Nathanial did to your father. Your mother was a member of Vazra’s court, you said. Nathanial killing her mate must have upset relations between the two realms, right?”
