by Ana Calin
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in
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including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage
and retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the author except in the case of brief quotations
embodied in reviews.
Publisher’s Note:
This is a work of fiction,
the work of the author’s imagination.
Any resemblance to real persons or events is
coincidental.
Copyright June 2019 – Ana Calin
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
CHAPTER I
CHAPTER II
CHAPTER III
CHAPTER IV
CHAPTER V
CHAPTER VI
CHAPTER VII
CHAPTER I
Princess
I stand in the middle of the Council Room, clutching my resignation. The double doors open, and the sound of chairs pushing back pierces my ears. Six Council members stand up on each side of the hall, while I remain stiff by the large desk, watching the two bodyguards walk in first, opening the way for the new mayor.
This isn’t the first time I’ve seen Nero Wolf, the powerful leader of the werewolf pack that took over our town, but it’s the first time I’ve seen him in person. He doesn’t have an online profile, but my bff, his brother’s wife, showed me pictures.
“He’s imposing to say the least,” she said. “If you’re not prepared, his looks might strike you dumb. I’ve seen it happen before.”
And she was right. He is striking, with a crushing presence, you can feel it from the moment you see him.
Everybody watches him as he heads down the kingly hall to the desk with the huge window behind it that presides over Darkwood Falls. He stops on the side of the desk opposite from me.
Picture or no, I didn’t expect Nero Wolf to be so tall, taller than everyone in the room, even taller than his brothers. He has the face of a ruthless young angel, the broad shoulders of a swimmer, and a very domineering air.
I can’t hold his stare for long, my eyes falling to his carnal lips with their masculine shape. I refuse to find him attractive, but it’s pure folly. The guy is handsome as fuck, standing here in his fitted black suit. I swallow the lump in my throat and hold out my resignation.
“I quit.” I had a whole speech ready, but hell, I forgot it.
Nero Wolf’s golden eyes fall down to the paper for only a moment. He heads to the mayor’s chair, turns it around, and takes a seat like a king on his throne.
“Rejected.”
“Excuse me? But I don’t want this job, Mr. Mayor, and you have to respect my wish.”
“Yes, I’ve heard that you’re used to having your way, Miss Princess Skye. Your daddy got you this job, and Mr. Haan, the former mayor, was probably more in your service than you were in his, but in real life things work differently.” He shows me to a chair by the door. “Now, if you don’t mind, take your seat so we can start the first Council meeting. Make sure you write down the minutes.”
Enraged, I slap my hands on the desk, leaning down to him. My face is burning so hot that I start to sweat.
“I’m well aware of how things really work in the world, and guess what—I’m going to learn more of it, because I intend to leave Darkwood Falls. I’m going out into the world, and I’ll be operating by all its rules, thank you.”
He studies me coolly for a moment.
“No one leaves Darkwood Falls, Miss Skye, not until we have shut down Sullivan Haan’s threat completely. We all know he’s lurking out there with his people, ready to prey on anyone from this town and use them to regain his place.”
Of course, he doesn’t mention the serpent shifters because no one in here knows what Sullivan truly is, as they have no idea that he, Nero Wolf, is half man half beast. They think Sullivan took off with the tax money, and would seek to support a dictatorial regime at the country’s top so he can return as mayor to Darkwood Falls, this time with complete power.
“Now, if you don’t mind, prepare to write down the minutes of the meeting,” Nero concludes.
“Yes, Princess,” Lord Theodore Fritz, member of the Council, puts in, his voice slimy for all its fake kindness. He used to be the sweetest tongue inside Sullivan’s ear. He places soft hands on my shoulders. “Think about it, no one can help the new mayor better than you. Stay in his service, do it for the town’s people.”
I shrug him off, returning my angry attention to Nero, who now stares at me without blinking, making me feel his crushing power all the way to my bones.
“The only reason you want me here is because I’m a suspect, and I know that all too well, Mr. Mayor. But I assure you, I don’t know any more about Sullivan Haan’s business than I already told your brothers Drago and Conan, and you’d truly be better off with a new secretary. Someone for whom it’ll be a pleasure to make you coffee and write down the minutes of your meetings. May I suggest Christie Yves, the barmaid. She’s been looking for a way out of that slum of a pub for a lifetime, and I genuinely believe she’s worth a chance.”
Nero rises from his chair, swiping my letter of resignation from the desk. He walks slowly as he reads it, keeping his attention on the paper as he approaches me. I move instinctively out of his way to let him place himself in front of me, and lean on the desk.
I’ll be damned. This close the man seems so big he blocks out the light.
“Miss Skye, if that’s all right, I’d like to ask you a few questions. None of them are personal, and they’re all related to City Hall and your work as a secretary. Will you answer them, truthfully, in front of the entire Council?”
“I will.” Anything to get me off the hook and out of here. Nero Wolf’s very presence is hard to bear.
“Is it true that the former mayor hired you at your father’s insistences?”
“No, not insistences.” I jut out my chin. “At his suggestion. He only needed make it once.”
“Hmm.” He tilts his head to the side, lowering my resignation letter and gripping the edge of his desk with both hands. His white shirt opens a little at his neck, revealing smooth bronze skin that contrasts beautifully with the white fabric. “But your father, Charles Skye, was also one of the former mayor’s strongest supporters, and he also financed his campaigns, am I right?”
I press my lips together, sensing the Council’s hawkish eyes on me. I feel Lord Theodore’s strongest.
“Mr. Mayor, if all these questions are meant to expose me as some kind of parasite inside City Hall, someone who’s done anything but earn her position here, then I’ll admit to that.” People gasp, and the gold in Nero’s eyes glints at my words. Satisfaction fills me—I got you, handsome bastard; you didn’t see this one coming. “I trust it also gives you more reason to let me go.”
Without waiting for a response I turn on my heel, and start toward the doors. My head is hot with rage, the Council members swimming at the periphery of my vision. I place my hand on the doorknob, determined to leave this hall and never come back, but Nero Wolf’s deep vibrant voice stops me before I can turn it.
“Your admission only provides me with more reason to keep you around, Miss Skye. Like I said, you are not to leave Darkwood Falls or renounce your service to City Hall until the serpents’ threat is finally eliminated, and your connection to the former mayor cleared.”
I whip around, looking daggers at him. “You can’t do this, you can’t force me to keep working for you.”
�
��Consider it a necessary part of the investigation against Mr. Sullivan Haan.” He pushes his big hands inside the pockets of his fitted slacks. “This is a matter of security, Miss Skye. I will keep you in the service of City Hall until the air has completely cleared, and that’s the end of it.”
There’s nothing I want more than to keep defying him, but he turns around to re-take his seat at the mayor’s desk, a clear sign the conversation is over. But there’s still one thing I can do to defy him, and that is to leave the hall before he begins his first meeting with the Council. I won’t write down the minutes even if he drags me back with his own hand.
“This isn’t my last word on this, Mr. Mayor,” I say before I leave, squaring my shoulders. If he wants war with me, that’s what he’ll get. Good luck keeping a grip on this wild girl, Nero Wolf, Alpha of your pack and new interim mayor of Darkwood Falls. I’ve been kept in chains for far too long, I won’t be imprisoned again.
Nero
EVENING HAS COME, STARLIGHT flowing through the big window behind me as I read Sullivan’s files on the laptop. It’s peaceful, and I’m completely focused until one of the guards barges in with a wild look on his face, the doors thudding against the walls.
“Mr. Mayor, it’s Miss Skye. She’s at a bar downtown, getting wasted with tourist men. Things are getting out of hand.” He flushes. “I’m sorry, but I think she’s about to take one home. Or some place for, you know, sex.”
“And why are you barging in here about it? Why didn’t you stop her, that’s why I had you follow her.”
“I tried to intervene, Mr. Mayor, but—” He wrings his hands like he’s afraid to say it, but he goes for it in the end. “She wouldn’t be dissuaded no matter what I do. You said we weren’t allowed to force her into anything physically, but I’m afraid that would be the only solution. The boys stayed back to make sure she at least doesn’t leave the pub until I could come and get you, but I’m not sure they’ll be able to keep her in there without using force. I tried to call on your cell, but it’s off. Miss Skye didn’t activate redirection of calls before she left, so I couldn’t reach your office either.”
I close the classified file, secure the laptop, and stalk towards the exit.
“Call your boys, and tell them to keep her there until I arrive, no matter what. As for you, you’re dismissed for the night.”
“Let me come with you, Sir. You can’t go around Darkwood Falls without protection. There are people who didn’t approve of the Council’s electing you as interim mayor, it might be dangerous for you out there.”
“Things are rarely dangerous for me, so relax.” I stop at the door and turn to the concerned young man. “What’s your name?”
“Cole, Sir. Jordan Cole.”
“You’ve done a good job today, Jordan. Now go get some rest. Looks like you need it.”
I walk out of City Hall and get inside the Porsche. Truth is, the last thing I expected on my first day as interim mayor of Darkwood Falls was having to deal with a frustrated little princess that will do anything for attention.
I decide to make a short stop at Arianna and Drago’s place, since it’s on my way. If anyone can give me a tip or two on how to deal with the girl, then it’s Arianna, my new sister-in-law, and Princess’s best friend. I can also use the chance to change, this suit is ridiculously fancy for the downtown pubs full of both locals and tourists that I’m going to.
The housekeeper opens the door, since Arianna is far too pregnant, and can barely still move around. I find her in the living room, having tea and reading a book.
“Sorry, I can’t get up for a hug. I’ve come to need Drago’s help for everything,” she says after I give her a kiss on the cheek.
“It’s hard with two werewolf babies in your belly, different from a purely human pregnancy,” I explain quietly after I’ve thrown a glance over my shoulder, making sure the housekeeper has returned to the kitchen.
“Well, I’m glad that Drago agreed that we live here, in Darkwood Falls, in the end. I know how things work in this in town, and I trust the hospital. The chief of obstetrics is an old friend, and I’m pretty sure we can trust her with our secret, if we need to when the time comes.”
I smile warmly down at her. “I can’t wait to meet and hold my niece and nephew. They will be the most beautiful thing that has happened to me in centuries. Now, if you don’t mind, I’ll borrow some clothes from your husband. I need to go collect your friend Princess Skye from a pub where she apparently got drunk beat, and I don’t think I can go like this.”
“Princess, drunk beat? Why?”
“I rejected her resignation today, but she wouldn’t have it. Now she got tipsy, and is aggressively picking up men, to make a point, I guess. The bodyguards I sent to keep an eye on her won’t let her leave the pub with any of the guys, but I’m afraid they won’t be able to do much if she insists, since I forbade them to lay a hand on her.”
Concern shadows Arianna’s face. “Drinking like that is out of character for Princess. I mean, while she likes to flirt, and she enjoys her cocktails, she doesn’t normally get drunk beat. She must be seriously upset, which can only mean that you accused her again of leaking information to Sullivan. I told you before, and I’ll tell you as often as I must, she’s not the one.”
“I know you trust her, Arianna, and maybe you’re right in doing so, but I have to take protective measures until we’re certain. She has been working for him longer than anyone else. It’s very likely she knows more than she lets on.”
Arianna wants to protest, but I’ve already started up the stairs. We see things differently in this case, Arianna and I, and I don’t want to spoil a perfectly nice in-laws relationship.
“I better hurry and try to clarify things with her,” I throw over my shoulder.
I take two stairs at a time, and enter Arianna and Drago’s dressing room. I know Drago wanted to build her something bigger when they renovated the house, after he fought three serpents in her room and nearly demolished everything, but she decided she wanted to keep the house the way it was when her parents still lived here.
I open the neckline of my shirt, and slide Drago’s leather jacket off the coat hanger. My legs are longer than Drago’s, so I pick a pair of ripped jeans and army boots that go over my ankles so it looks like the jeans fit, then head back down the stairs.
“Please let me know when she’s safe,” Arianna calls after me before I close the door and slide behind the wheel of the Porsche. I charge my phone in the car and call one of the bodyguards.
“Whatever you do, don’t let her go. I’ll be right there.”
“You better hurry, boss,” comes the answer. “She’s got men around her like bears around a honey pot.”
Funny twist of fate that the pub where I find Princess is called The Big Bad Wolf. She stands out with her red hair that tumbles down her back in sleek curls. The woman clearly likes being the center of attention, and right now she’s a fucking lighthouse.
Being the tallest guy in the over-crowded pub, I can see clearly what is going on down at the bar. At least five guys are gathered around Miss Princess Skye. No wonder they’re all so taken with her. Even the way she holds her cocktail is seductive—I wonder how many she’s already had. The guy she’s talking to, a young man with spiked hair and a Casanova grin, is enjoying her undeterred attention at this moment.
I make my way closer, ignoring all the women checking me out like I’m candy as I watch Princess’s lips move. She has a hypnotic effect on these men, and that can only mean she has experience in the art of seduction.
I heard she used to secretly get out of Darkwood Falls in Sullivan’s day, and pick up men at bars in nearby towns. This is one of the reasons I suspect she had a special relationship with the former mayor—she made it out of Darkwood Falls a lot more often than any other high-born girl of this town, including Arianna.
Princess has experience in turning heads, that much is obvious. I can tell from the way she moves her body, and the
way she bats those long black lashes that hood her mysterious eyes the color of caramel. Poor bastards don’t stand a chance. I keep my eyes fixed on her as I approach, adjusting my route so that she doesn’t see me incoming.
The guy closest to her back moves out of my way instinctively. Most men do when I have my eyes set on a prey like this. I may still be a man on the outside, but on the inside I’m already in wolf mode, and they sense it. I bend close to Princess, my breath touching her bare shoulder. She’s taken off the white shirt she was wearing at City Hall, revealing her skin that is white and translucent, like a fairy’s, contrasting in a very sexy way with her black corset. Her outfit is extravagant, but she wears it with a style that few women can pull off. Hell, even I like it, and I’m not easily impressed.
“I thought I’d made myself clear,” I say low in her ear. “You’re not to date strangers—yet. Not as long as anyone could be a serpent spy.”
What I can see of her white, fine-muscled back tightens.
“I thought I’d made myself clear as well, Mr. Mayor,” she retorts. Her chin juts out as she offers me her paper-white profile. “I will do as I please, no matter whether you approve or not.” A pleasant scent wafts from her hair, and I can’t help but bury my nose in a silky strand.
“Mate, can’t you see that you’re intruding?” the guy with the spiked hair says. My nostrils flare as my eyes shoot to him.
“Back off, boy,” I grunt. “The girl is with me.” Now why the fuck did I just say that?
“No, she’s not,” Princess says, both to me and the guy with the spikes. The guy’s eyes fall to her lips, and I swear I could rip his fucking head off. “I didn’t come here with him, and I’m not going to leave with him either.”
Everything in Princess’s attitude encourages the poor bastard to fight for her. He steps down from his barstool, determined to impress the girl, and completely oblivious to the fact that he’s facing a beast that could literally tear him apart.
“Stand down, Spikes,” I grunt a warning. I can sense all the other guys around take a step back, feeling the threat in their bones. I’m a burning beast on the inside, and they can fucking feel it, but the idiotic Spikes seems to have more at stake than all of them. I narrow my eyes as I wonder what reason he could possibly have to act against the cautioning of his own instincts, and dare to challenge me.
