Adrenaline coursed through him as he slipped under the cover of darkness through the trees and across the River Run-Dark Shadow border. Doing so wasn’t considered wrong anymore. Though many didn’t dare do so, more and more of the Dark Shadow pack were becoming accustomed to using River Runs land to run on, as they did their own. Yet Tyler wasn’t using River Run’s land for running. His intentions involved an open bedroom window and the gorgeous girl lying between warm sheets waiting for him.
Dashing from tree cover, Tyler moved on silent feet and made the jump upward toward her window. Fingers finding a hold in the wood slats, his foot found traction and pushed off the bracket holding the drainpipe to the wall. Within seconds, he climbed onto her window ledge and rolled with a soft thud into her room.
Springing to his feet, Tyler froze, listening for any movement inside the house. When he picked nothing up, his gaze fell on Regan, her bare shoulders visible beneath the thick duvet, midnight black hair spilling out over white sheets. Her skin was pale, her frame slight, and the scent of her in his lungs sent his wolf wild. Tyler had never anticipated one night of drunken fun to turn into an addiction. Yet here he was, standing in her bedroom while her parents slept down the hall.
His conscience grew heavier each day, yet he continued to come anyway. He’d tried to tell Bass a hundred times, the words always on the tip of his tongue. Surely his alpha would understand; he was mated to a River Run wolf himself. But his fear that Regan’s parents wouldn’t understand, that their relationship would cause Regan more pain when she’d already suffered enough, had the words dying in his throat.
He was lucky her parents were submissive. That their place within the pack wasn’t based in defense. Had Regan’s parents been dominant, there wasn’t much of a chance at all he’d get in and out undetected. As it was, Regan was washing her sheets almost daily for fear they’d scent him on them. It wouldn’t last. Someday soon, someone would notice, but until that time, Tyler would continue to come—feeding his addiction and praying for another day, another second.
She was asleep tonight. He’d had to work overtime on patrol. Since the recent attacks, everyone was on alert, and that meant the stronger members of the pack putting in extra work to make sure they were safe. He pulled his T-shirt over his head and dropped it to the floor, then unbuttoned his jeans and dropped them too. Padding over, Tyler gently climbed into her bed, sliding between the sheets and up against Regan’s warm body. She didn’t wake, but instinctively shifted so that she was cradled perfectly against him, like two pieces of a jigsaw fitting together. Kissing her on the curve of her neck, Tyler stroked her hair out of his way then wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly. She murmured softly in her sleep, her arms interlocking with his, and as his tired muscles relaxed, the heat of her body seeping into him, Tyler nodded off, content, even though he was living on borrowed time.
“Ty. Tyler?”
Her soft words roused him, but he didn’t open his eyes or move, he was far too comfy for that.
She giggled quietly, placing delicate kisses over his face. “Come on, lazy bones. I know you’re awake.”
“I don’t want to be,” he murmured, refusing to move.
“My parents will be awake soon,” she warned.
“I don’t care.” Tyler pulled her down and pinned her against him, wrapping his arms tightly around her so she couldn’t move.
“Me neither,” she whispered. “I’ll call them in now, so you can meet them for the first time in your boxers with an erection.”
Tyler snapped open his eyes. Her smile creased her cheeks, the twinkle in her gaze doing things to his insides. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“You’re right. I wouldn’t. I’m not one for brave and daring anymore.”
“I’m pretty certain,” he said, kissing her nose, “that allowing me into your bed each night—” He kissed her cheek. “—is classed as brave and daring,” he finished, kissing her other cheek.
“Or stupid and reckless,” she answered quietly.
“Brave and daring,” he whispered, closing his mouth over hers.
Getting lost in her wasn’t hard. Kissing Regan made time stand still. As his hands skimmed her body, and their mouths and limbs entwined, all thought of her parents left him. He didn’t think of the ticking clock toward sunrise, or the early morning shift he’d promised to cover for John. His entire being was focused on Regan; the soft sounds she made in the back of her throat when he touched her just right, the silkiness of her hair between his fingers.
She was dragging his boxers down, her movements frantic and desperate when the sound of a creaking floorboard from her parents’ room had Tyler snapping back to reality. Their wide gazes met as his heart boomed in his ears, fear dousing all traces of lust.
“Ty?” she whispered, terrified.
Jumping from her bed, Tyler pulled his boxers back into place and haphazardly dragged on his jeans while snatching up his discarded T-shirt from the floor. He moved swiftly to the window, each step not making a sound, and eased the frame up. Pausing for only a second, Tyler scanned the immediate area outside of Regan’s home then leaped, landing nimbly in a crouch before racing into the trees.
Looking back, Regan could be seen watching him from her bedroom window. A pang of sorrow hit him; he didn’t want to do this anymore. Running away from her each morning as if she was a dirty secret was wrong, but his fear of being denied her overruled all other emotion. Their packs might have an alliance, but interpack mating blurred lines Tyler wasn’t sure they were ready for, add in Megan’s death and Regan’s parents dislike of Dark Shadow, and it made their situation impossible. Swallowing his pain, Tyler smiled before blowing Regan a kiss and melting into the trees.
He was thirty minutes late by the time he arrived at the handover point for his shift on patrol. His heart sank when it was Bass waiting for him, expression angry and gaze stern.
“Please tell me you have a good reason for being late,” Bass said in place of a greeting.
Tyler grimaced. There was no way he’d tell Bass the truth. “I overslept,” he offered, shrugging.
Bass didn’t look impressed. “If I were my father, you’d be hung, drawn, and quartered for this, Ty. We’re at war. Oversleeping isn’t allowed.”
“I know. I’m sorry, Bass. I swear it won’t happen again.”
“Make sure it doesn’t. I’m not my father, but lately, I’m beginning to understand how he managed to fall so far from the path.”
Bass walked away, leaving Tyler with an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. Being late for patrol when they were attacked not so long ago wasn’t good, yet Tyler sensed Bass’s mood was caused by far more than that.
“Bass?” he called.
“Hmm?” Bass answered, half turning.
“Everything all right?”
Silence followed. Bass stood rigid. “Just do your job, Ty,” he answered, forlorn.
Chapter 16
With a deep sigh, Regan turned away from her window and began to strip her bed of its sheets. Her parents hadn’t emerged from their bedroom yet, so with a bit of luck, she’d get her bedding in the washing machine and be the first in the shower.
Regan allowed the hot water to wash away the heavy feeling in her stomach, taking far longer in the bathroom than she needed. That done, she exited the bathroom dressed and ready for her day. She had an afternoon shift at a local café where she’d worked for the last year, so her morning would be spent studying. At one point in her life, she’d wanted to go away to college—leave the shifter world behind for a while and see what it was like to not have to live in fear of attack. But since her sister’s death, she’d changed yet another plan; instead, she was studying online for accounting and finance degree.
“Morning,” her mom said brightly as Regan entered the kitchen. “Tea or coffee?”
“Coffee please,” Regan answered.
Heading for the bread bin, she took out two slices and put them in the toaster. Her mom handed her a mug of milky c
offee seconds later, and she sipped the warming liquid as she waited for the toast to pop.
“Do you need a lift to work later?” her mom asked.
“Yeah, please, if you don’t mind.”
“Of course not. I need to go to the store later, so it’s not a problem. 2:00 p.m., right?”
Regan’s stomach flipped. She was starting work at two, but she’d made plans to meet Tyler at half past one before her shift started. “No, actually, one of the girls needs to leave early so I said I’d cover. Could you drop me off at one fifteen?”
“Sure.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
Regan turned her back to her mom, facing the toaster. It wasn’t just the lying that bothered her; it was how easily she did it. At fifteen, she’d lied guilt free. She kind of missed those days. They made life a whole lot simpler.
“I’m going to take my breakfast upstairs, get an early start on studying,” Regan explained, as she took her coffee in one hand and buttered toast in the other.
Regan didn’t look back as she left. She already knew what she’d see on her mom’s face. And it was becoming harder and harder to live with.
Chapter 17
Tyler was well aware he was going to be late to meet Regan, but while the thought was in his mind, he wasn’t allowing it to control him. He should have finished his session with the dominant teens in the pack thirty minutes ago, but two of the boys had clearly had a falling out, and while this wasn’t abnormal behavior for teenagers, shifter teenagers sometimes took a bit of guidance so that the temperamental wolf didn’t solve the situation with violence.
Tyler had set a task that required teamwork and a lot of effort. He’d then divided them off into pairs, putting the two boys with grievances together. The winning pair got to accompany him on a night patrol, and while that might not seem like much of a prize to some, dominant teens jumped at the chance to feel strong and important.
The winning pair had already finished, but second place was going to be close. Tyler watched the boys who’d started the obstacle course with hostile glares and no teamwork, begrudgingly work together so they wouldn’t come last. The final part required one person to boost them up and on top of a wall, then the other to pull the person on the ground up and onto the wall with them. There were three walls, and the last two pairs were neck and neck on the middle wall.
“Come on! Come on, you can do it, Max!” yelled Cooper from the sidelines.
Max gritted his teeth, dragging Cory up the wall in one tug. The boys scrambled over, leaping to the ground and springing to their feet for the wall. They had the lead by seconds.
“Go, go, go!” Tyler yelled, clapping his hands to cheer them on.
Cory bent over near the base of the wall as the other team ran for the last hurdle. Max ran, jumping and using Cory’s back as a base to propel himself up. In seconds, he was straddling the top and reaching down for Max.
Tyler couldn’t call it; the pairs were so close together.
Max and Cory hit the ground a second in front of the other team. The boys jumped to their feet racing for the finish line, but Max tripped going down on one knee.
“Awww!” Cooper cried from the sidelines.
A grin spread over Tyler’s face; his tactic had worked. Instead of leaving Max behind, Cory turned back, dragging him upright, and they both raced for the finish line, arm in arm, helping each other along, winning by a spilt-second.
The teens burst into cheers, and Tyler gave high-fives all around.
By the time he’d finished up with the group, he had five minutes to get to the meeting point, which was a fifteen-minute drive away, and signing out a pack car could take as long as that as well. For a second, he thought about texting Regan that he couldn’t make it, but his need to see her, if only for a few minutes, was a desperate thing.
Tyler – Regan, I’m running late. Be as quick as poss xo
Deciding to ditch the car, Tyler instead took off at a run, dashing through the trees. His wolf at the surface, he let the animal inside of him take over in every way but skin. When he reached a point where it was no longer safe to run at wolf speed, Tyler slowed to a jog, arriving at Regan’s work fifteen minutes late, which meant they only had fifteen minutes together instead of thirty.
“Hey,” Regan breathed, flinging her arms around him as she opened the back door to the café she worked at. “I didn’t think you were going to make it.”
“Sorry, babe,” Tyler rasped, panting from exertion. “Had a few issues to sort before I could leave.”
“Everything okay?” she asked, pulling back to gaze into his eyes.
“Yeah, just boys being boys really. Fourteen to sixteen is a tough age.”
“They’re learning from the best.” She smiled, then pressed her lips to his, and for just a few moments, Tyler thought of nothing but Regan and the feel of her lips on his.
“God, I missed you,” he whispered as she pulled away.
“You saw me this morning,” she said with a giggle.
“I know,” he sighed.
“Come on,” Regan said, taking his hand, “Come inside, and I’ll fix you something to eat before my shift starts.
Tyler followed her inside, speaking as he went, “I don’t want to waste our time together eating.”
“You need to eat, Ty.” She frowned. “Besides, I like feeding you. It’s my job to make sure you’re fed and happy.” Her words sent a wave of warmth from his heart. He’d happily spend the rest of his life only being fed by Regan.
Leaning on the door frame, Tyler watched Regan work swiftly as she fixed him a quick sandwich. The cook, Johnny was in there also. He nodded briefly at Tyler before going back to his work. Tyler nodded back with a smile, thankful no other pack members worked at the café. Spending time with her while she was at work was the only time he got to interact with her in a public setting. The only time he was able to show off what was his, to show how lucky he was. And from the way Johnny always reluctantly nodded in greeting, Tyler knew the man was jealous. Not that it mattered. Regan had no clue how the human male gazed longingly at her.
“Here,” Regan said, facing him. “Come eat in the staff room.” She glanced at her watch. “We’ve got seven minutes left.”
Seven minutes. His heart ached with the knowledge. He had the late shift on patrol later that day, so the next seven minutes would be their last for the day, and it pained Tyler to know this. To be apart from her for so long.
In those early days, the feelings between them had been excitement and lust. Their interactions full of fiery desire and insatiable hunger, and as time went on, Tyler and Regan spent a little less time kissing and a little more time talking. Their hunger for each other didn’t fade but evolved, becoming more than just a base sexual need.
“Are you okay, Ty?” Regan asked him quietly as he ate.
Looking up, Tyler met her gaze and searched her perfect dark-blue eyes. He wanted to say no. No, I’m not okay. But he saw her fear, knew Regan wasn’t ready to tell her parents. It was more than just her worries over what her parents would say. Tyler knew she also needed to deal with her own guilt. They’d never said the word mates to each other, yet they both knew that’s what they could become. If it were up to Tyler, he’d have said be damned what the packs thought. Regan was his, and he wasn’t giving her up for anyone. But Regan had to work through her own tangle of emotions, had to deal with the fact she’d fallen for a wolf from the very pack that was responsible for her sister’s death.
They’d talked about her sister’s death—Regan’s guilt over it and over falling for him. But they hadn’t discussed everything. Tyler knew not to push her on certain subjects and was happy to wait until she was ready to give him all her heart, all of her troubles. In the beginning, he’d wanted to desperately know why a dominant wolf didn’t train as such or even have a role within the pack as she should. But when he’d touched on the subject, Regan had closed up immediately.
Forcing a smile, Tyler pushed down his emo
tions and answered with a half-truth, “I’m just going to miss you, that’s all.”
“Me too, so hurry up and finish that sandwich.” She glanced at her watch. “You’ve got five minutes to make sure I don’t forget you overnight.” She grinned.
Tyler gulped the last of his sandwich down, taking in the wicked gleam in her eyes. God, he loved this side of her, the untamed, reckless wolf within. “By the time I’m finished kissing you, you’ll be feeling me on your lips for at least a week.”
Her gaze heated, breath catching. Tyler grabbed her hand, tugging her into his lap. Regan gasped, her hands finding his shoulders, legs straddling his thighs. Pulling her flush to him, Tyler slid one hand to her nape, the other around her back. Their lips met with wild desperation, hands roaming each other like they may never get the chance to again. And by the time Tyler left her, Regan’s lips were deliciously swollen, and he could feel her heart pounding as if she’d run a marathon. Tyler was almost certain she really would be feeling him on her lips for a week.
Chapter 18
Cage drove from his and Anna’s home, Anna in the passenger seat beside him, music playing from the radio station she’d tuned into. His mind was half on the road and half on the pack meeting he was on his way to when Anna cried out, “Turn left!”
Glancing in the rearview mirror to check it was clear before slamming on the brakes, Cage just managed to make the corner at the last minute. He didn’t question Anna or grumble at being asked to change direction at the last minute. Having a psychic as a mate meant these types of things happened often.
“Right,” Anna continued, her voice far away.
Cage obeyed, studying her for a second. Her gaze looked on, unseeing, her expression relaxed. He’d become used to this over the months; the fear he’d once felt gone. Anna’s visions weren’t the same as they’d once been. After mating, the link between her and Cage seemed to have created a barrier somehow. It was as if Anna simply observed the vision now, instead of being consumed. She was no longer overwhelmed, no longer at risk of never returning. Anna had mastered her gift; she wasn’t ruled by it anymore.
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