Primal Howl (Primal Howlers MC Book 1)

by Piper Davenport

  “I started chemo last week.”

  “You fuckin’ started chemo and didn’t tell me?”

  “My oncologist said chemo had to start immediately.”

  “What about a bone marrow transplant?” I asked.

  “He doesn’t think a bone marrow transplant will work at this stage, so we have to start there.”

  “I need you to give me your doctor’s name and number and you need to tell me everything he’s told you in the past month.”

  He pulled out his wallet and handed me a card, then leaned back in his chair. “The Apex Predators are coming for us, Ori. I can’t deal with them and chemo. I need you to step up.”

  The Apex Predators were trying to horn in on our pot business. They’d been too slow to get the necessary grow permits and rather than do it legally, they figured they could muscle us out of ours. We weren’t ones to be muscled, however, so the fuckers were shit out of luck.

  “I hear you, Dad. I’m here. You’ve got your officers, too. You know Moses and Rocky are already on top of it.”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  I leaned forward, settling my elbows on his desk. “We got this, Dad.”

  “Don’t get cocky, son. That’s when things go to shit.”

  “I’m not cocky. I’m confident. I get that we need to proceed carefully.”

  Dad dragged his hands down his face. “I’ve put a call into Hatch in Portland in case we need back up.”

  “Hopefully we won’t.”

  Dad nodded and I took my opportunity to cut the meeting off. “I’m gonna go check on Raquel.”

  “Okay. We’ll talk later.”

  “Sounds good.”

  I slid the doctor’s contact card into my pocket and walked out of the room.

  Raquel

  I FOUND THE coffee and put a pot on, then rummaged around for a mug. It wasn’t hard to find. The kitchen was set up very similarly to the kitchen at the Dogs of Fire compound, which was super logical.

  “Can I help you?”

  I turned to the sound of the feminine voice and smiled. “Hi. I’m Raquel. I’m here with Orion, but he’s meeting with his dad, so he told me to make myself at home. Do you want some coffee?”

  She studied me. “No, I don’t want coffee.”

  The woman was blonde, obviously from a bottle, and she wore a shit ton of makeup that made her look older than she probably was. Her mouth was in an I-just-sucked-on-a-lemon pucker, and I couldn’t stop myself from straightening my shoulders for some reason.

  “Why are you here?” she asked.

  “I’m sorry?”

  She crossed her arms. “What do you want with Orion?”

  “I’m not sure that’s any of your business.”

  “Well, considering I’m fucking him, I think it is my business.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “I’m guessing you might have been fucking him at one point, but I highly doubt you are now.”

  “Bitch—”

  “Sonja,” Orion said as he walked in. “You’re here early. Need somethin’?”

  She smiled a sick, saccharine smile and sauntered to him, running a finger down his chest. “No, baby, I’m good.”

  He grabbed her hand and pushed it away. “Not sure what the fuck you’re doin’, woman, but you touch me like that again, and you’ll be banned.”

  “That’s not what you were saying two weeks ago.”

  “Oh yeah? What was I saying two weeks ago, Sonja?” Orion hissed.

  “You know, when we were fucking.”

  “Are you high?” he snapped and headed for the kitchen door. “Aero!”

  “Yeah?” Aero walked into the kitchen and I assumed he was a new recruit. I saw he had ‘PROSPECT’ on his cut, plus, he looked young. Like teenage young, so he was probably low on the totem pole.

  “Sonja’s out,” Orion said.

  Sonja gasped. “What the hell? You can’t do that.”

  “I just did.” Orion waved his hand. “Don’t let the door hit you on the ass on the way out.”

  “You’re a fucking liar,” she snapped. “I’m taking this to Sundance.”

  “Try it,” Orion said.

  “I will.” She jabbed a finger toward me. “This bitch is totally fucking you up. Everyone’s talking about it, and I can see now she’s obviously leading you around by the dick.”

  I bit back a response, fisting my hands at my side.

  “Get gone,” Orion growled.

  Sonja stomped out of the room, and Orion gave Aero a chin lift to follow.

  The recruit rushed after her and Orion turned to me. “You okay?”

  “What did she mean by everyone was talking about me fucking you up?”

  “Nothing. She was messing with your head.”

  He reached for me, but I eluded his touch.

  “She’s obviously a desperately pathetic cuntwaffle, but—”

  He chuckled. “You’re sexy when you channel your inner biker woman.”

  I rolled my eyes. “What did your dad want to talk to you about?” I asked.

  “Nothing you need to worry about.”

  I sighed. “I am not going to be the thing that comes between you and your club.”

  “You’re not. Not even close.”

  I bit my lip. “I don’t think you’re telling me the whole story.”

  “Baby, will you let me hold you?”

  “Not right now,” I said.

  He crossed his arms and leaned against the kitchen island. “Don’t spiral.”

  “Don’t tell me how to feel.”

  “Sonja’s a patch whore,” he said. “She’s no one.”

  I frowned. “I need you not to manage me right now, Orion. If she was no one, she wouldn’t be here. If she didn’t have something to offer, you guys would have gotten rid of her a long time ago. She may just be gash, but she’s not throw away gash.”

  “Raquel, I did not fuck her two weeks ago.”

  “I know that.” I waved my hand dismissively. “I’m not concerned about you and your fidelity to me. This is way bigger than us.”

  “Bullshit.”

  “How so?”

  “None of this has anything to do with us,” he said.

  “Honey, this has everything to do with us, if ‘us’ means you’re fractured with your club.”

  “I’m not fractured with my club.”

  I raised an eyebrow, not entirely convinced what he said was true.

  “I’m not. Things are a little complicated right now, but nothing is close to being fractured.”

  “I can’t be the reason—”

  “Stop,” he growled. “You are the best thing that’s ever happened to me, Razzle. You will never be anything but a positive part of my life.”

  “Your dad looked pissed.”

  Orion stepped closer to me. “Not at you.”

  I tried to step back, but the counter stopped me, which gave Orion the chance to box me in. “Promise me that you’ll tell me if I’m making things difficult for you.”

  He shook his head. “No.”

  I gripped his cut. “Why the hell not?”

  “Because you and the club are separate.”

  “We aren’t.”

  “How do you figure?”

  “Do you want to have this conversation here?” I asked. “In public?”

  He sighed. “Probably not.”

  I studied his face. “What’s going on, Ori? The truth.”

  He took my hand and led me into the walk-in pantry, turning on the light and closing the door behind us. “My dad has cancer.”

  “Oh my god, honey, are you okay?”

  “No. I’m fuckin’ pissed. He’s known for a month and didn’t tell us.”

  “What does his doctor say?”

  “It’s bad, Raquel. Really bad. He started chemo this week. Alone.”

  “He didn’t tell you about it?”

  Orion shook his head. “Wrath dropped him and picked him up from his treatments.”

  I wrapped
my arms around his waist. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Thanks, Razz. We’re working it out, but things aren’t good right now.”

  “Did he say why he didn’t tell you?”

  Orion shook his head. “But he didn’t need to. I know why.”

  “You do?” I met his tortured eyes. “Do you want to share?”

  “Not right now, honestly.”

  “Tell me later?”

  He dropped his forehead to mine. “Yeah, baby. Later.”

  “Okay, well, I need coffee, so let’s put a pin in it and we can talk about it when we’re alone.”

  “You don’t need to talk about the Sonja shit?”

  “Nope,” I said.

  “I need you not to shut down on me.”

  “I’m not. I’m simply trying to be a good, subservient biker’s woman and keep my opinions to myself until we’re in private.”

  He chuckled, leaning down to kiss me. “So, you can be taught.”

  “I’m gonna teach you a few things later, Seńor Douche Canoe.”

  Orion grinned kissing me again. “Can’t wait.”

  “Coffee.”

  “Coffee.” He nodded, opening the pantry door. “Are you hungry? Do you want bacon?”

  “Is there ever a time someone might say they don’t want bacon?”

  “Can’t think of one, no.”

  “Then, yes. Get to cooking DC.”

  He grinned kissing me again, and then he got to cooking.

  * * *

  The distant sound of groaning woke me, and I blinked my eyes open as I reached for Orion. He hissed and sat straight up. “Ori?”

  “Fuck,” he whispered.

  I glanced at the clock. Two a.m. “Are you okay?”

  He slid off the bed and headed to the bathroom without responding. I followed.

  “Baby, you’re scaring me.”

  “I’m okay, Raquel. It was just a bad dream,” he said, turning on the faucet and washing his face.

  I leaned against the doorframe. “Do you have night terrors a lot? Because, that’s what this was.”

  “It’s fine,” he countered.

  “Honey, it’s not fine if it’s continual. This was way more than a bad dream.”

  “They’re not continual.”

  “Do you want to talk about it?”

  “No.”

  “Are you sure?” I pressed.

  “Raquel, I’m tired as shit. Will you drop it?”

  “Sure.”

  “Will you drop it and not be mad about dropping it?” he challenged as he dried his face.

  He knew me way too well. “Maybe.”

  Dropping the towel on the counter, he closed the distance between us, sliding his hands to my waist. “You are a pain in the ass.”

  “Would you like me to leave?” I challenged as his hands went to my butt and squeezed.

  “No. I happen to love that you’re a pain in the ass,” he said, leaning down to kiss me.

  “Are you trying to distract me?” I asked, in between kisses as he backed me out of the bathroom and toward the bed.

  “Is it working?”

  “Am I still talking?”

  He chuckled, lifting me onto the mattress and tugging me to the edge. “When aren’t you talking?”

  “Are you trying to fuck me or piss me off?”

  Orion grinned. “Both.”

  “Well, you’re getting one of those right,” I retorted.

  He dragged my panties down my hips and the cold breeze of the air-conditioner hit my soaked pussy making me shiver. Deliciously. He slid a finger inside of me and braced his other arm on the bed next to me. “Love how wet you are for me.”

  “You’re so fucking cocky.”

  He slid another finger inside of me and I arched into his hand and he pumped into me, his palm slapping me against my clit. I pressed my foot to his shoulder and used his body as an anchor to arch harder into his hand.

  “Jesus Christ,” he hissed, removing his fingers and hovering over me. “You’re so fucking beautiful.”

  I licked my lips, reaching up to stroke his cheek. “Are you going to finally fuck me or continue to piss me off?”

  He chuckled. “On your knees.”

  I scrambled onto all fours and he slid into me from behind, giving my ass a gentle slap.

  “Yes,” I whispered.

  “You wanna keep bustin’ my chops?”

  “I don’t know,” I retorted. “Can you fuck me correctly now?”

  He buried himself deep. “Like this?”

  I groaned. “God, yes. Just like that.”

  He gripped my hips. “Or, do you like it like this?”

  He shifted slightly and when he thrust in again, his dick hit my G-spot and I exploded around him. He continued to slam into me until he built me up again and I fell flat as my pussy contracted around his dick. He was right behind me and continued to bury himself deep, grinding my clit to the mattress which built yet another orgasm in me.

  I screamed into a pillow as I came apart, Orion’s cock pulsing inside of me as we both found release.

  He rolled us onto our sides and kissed the nape of my neck. “I love you.”

  I smiled. “I love you, too.”

  He pulled out of me, stepping into the bathroom and returning quickly with a warm washcloth. After cleaning me up, he threw the washcloth into the corner and pulled me up against him, wrapping the sheet around us. “My mom was killed by a drunk driver ten years ago.”

  I stilled, sliding my hand over his belly. “I’m sorry, honey.”

  “Dad was on a run. Checking on a couple of the shops and couldn’t get back in time to see her before she took her last breath. It ripped him apart. I think it’s still ripping him apart.”

  I blinked back tears, kissing his chest.

  “He blames himself for not being here,” Orion continued. “They were tight. Loved each other like crazy, but they’d had a fight before he left. She didn’t want him to go for some reason. I’m not entirely sure why, but Dad has always felt he was responsible for her death.”

  “Do you?”

  “Of course not. It was the fucking asshole who drove blitzed out of his head. But it left Dad alone with three kids and Mom had been the glue, so things fractured a little. Don’t get me wrong, Dad’s always been a great dad, but he broke when she died and now he’s sick and I honestly don’t know if he has the will to fight this.”

  I settled my chin on my hand and met his eyes. “You don’t really think your dad will let this beat him, do you?”

  Orion scrubbed his hand down his face. “I honestly don’t know.”

  I sat up. “Have you been dealing with this all day?”

  “In regards to what exactly?”

  “The emotional upheaval of knowing your dad’s sick and not sure if he loves you enough to fight for his life.”

  “Jesus Christ, Raquel, you freak me the fuck out.”

  “Because I know you?”

  “Yeah,” he whispered, and I inched toward him on my knees.

  Leaning down, I kissed his belly, then straddled his hips and flattened my palms on his chest. “I’m really sorry you’re dealing with this crap.”

  His hands slid to my hips and over my butt. “Thanks, baby.”

  “Can I do anything for you?”

  “You’re doing it.” He flipped me so I was on my back and his dick was pressing against my entrance.

  For the next hour, he distracted me thoroughly and I passed out wrapped around my gorgeous man.

  Raquel

  THE NEXT MORNING, Orion dropped me at school with the promise to pick me up when classes were done. Only, it wasn’t Orion who retrieved me. It was Sundance.

  “Hey,” I said, climbing into the cab of a shiny, black Ford F-150.

  “Hey,” he said.

  “Where’s Orion?”

  “He’s on a run.”

  “Oh. Okay,” I said, and faced him. “I could have grabbed a ride share or called my roommate.�
�

  “I’m aware. But Orion didn’t want you to do that, so I offered to come get you.”

  “You didn’t want to send a recruit?”

  He smiled, shifting the truck into gear. “Figured with the daggers you were shooting me earlier, you might need to get something off your mind.”

  Lordy, like father like son.

  “I’m good.”

  “You sure?” he asked.

  “Yep,” I said, folding my hands in my lap.

  “Alrighty then.”

  We’d driven about a hundred feet when I blurted, “Are you really not going to fight this?”

  “Fuck me,” he breathed out.

  “You have to fight,” I said. “If you don’t, you’ll be killing your son. And if you hurt that man, I will maim you.”

  His mouth creeped up into a smile. “Maim me?”

  “Maim you,” I confirmed. “And from a daughter’s perspective, if you don’t tell Violet what’s going on, you’re going to scar her to the bone. So, I ask you, big man, do you want your daughter on a pole, sporting a brand-new septum ring, and ‘Daddy’ tattooed across her ass?”

  Sundance pulled the truck to the side of the road before he lost total control over his laughter. “Jesus Christ,” he said once he’d stopped laughing. “I can see why my boy loves you.”

  I forced the gooey, warm feeling that statement gave me deep into the pit of my stomach. “He loves you more.”

  Sundance’s eyes softened and he sighed. “I highly doubt that, sweetheart, which gives me nothing but happiness.”

  I stared at my hands and blinked back tears. “Please fight,” I whispered.

  His big hand covered both of mine and squeezed. “Is he freaked?”

  I met his eyes. “Night terror level.”

  “Jesus,” he whispered.

  “I know things are… tense between the two of you, but you have to know how much he loves and respects you. You’re still his dad. He needs you.”

  Sundance studied me the way only a father could. “I fucked up.”

  I bit my lip. “If by that you mean you haven’t been showing Orion how much you love him? Maybe just a little, because you forgot words don’t matter to him. You have to back that shit up with actions.”

  “You figured that out already, huh?”

  “I didn’t need to figure it out. It’s written in the pages of his whole being.”

  “Yeah,” he breathed out.