What the Wolf Wants: Howls Romance

by Amber Ella Monroe

  Please, I want this to be over so quickly.

  “What business you got pulling me over?”

  The sheriff peeks over at me and I smile, nodding my head in respect. I can see the reflection in my body in his oversized black glasses. His glare stabs me all over and I get uncomfortable.

  “Heard you got them new axes. Dillon down at the wood shop says them things go for twelve grand each. Where’s a mountain boy like you getting that kind of money from?”

  "None of your business. Now, do you have a ticket to write?" Lucas and the Sheriff both exchange heated glares. If it weren't for the fact that Lucas had a lot of money or the air of it, he'd probably be in trouble by now.

  I’m just glad he doesn’t recognize me or ask me any questions. Guess the jet black wig is doing its job right, huh?

  The sheriff puffs his chest and backs away. “No, just a warning about your tail light.”

  “Nothing’s wrong with my tail light.”

  The sheriff laughs and as he walks back, takes his baton and smashes the left tail light to Lucas's truck.

  “Oh my god!” I squeak.

  Lucas flares up and gives the steering wheel a death grip that vibrates the truck.

  The police cruiser speeds past us, and Lucas breathes deeply to get himself under control.

  “That bastard is going to rot when I leave this mountain. I can already taste his demise.”

  14

  Claire

  Lucas parks the truck and pauses for a moment, not even taking off his seat belt. On the other hand, I don’t waste any time trying to get out. The only thing keeping me in is this passenger door. One moment it acts regular, then one moment it decides to act up.

  “What is wrong with this rusted old door?” I push and push, pulling the lever of the door to get out.

  “Why?” Lucas grabs my other wrist to stop me from trying to get out the truck.

  “Why what?” I’m puzzled.

  “Why is that man, that Nigel guy the one offering all that damn money and not your family? I can tell he’s not related to you…”

  Oh God, I was hoping he wouldn’t piece things together this quick. But if Lydia is any indication of how smart the Zander family line is, then I can’t be too surprised.

  After all, it’s only right he knows. Lucas has taken good care of me and deserves the truth more than anyone.

  I glance at the shining gold bracelet on my other hand and feel my heart pulse through my body as I prepare to tell Lucas the whole truth.

  “Can we go inside? I’ll tell you there.”

  Lucas takes me inside and I’m finally able to ditch the wig. I scratch my scalp and fluff my hair so it can breathe.

  “So…” I begin. “About Nigel… I’m supposed to… um.”

  “Spit it out, Claire.” Lucas won’t break his gaze on me.

  “I’m supposed to marry the guy, okay?” I go to the sofas surrounding the fireplace and drop myself down. "My stepmother has medical bills mounting for chemotherapy. When my dad was alive, he blew through all of her money and when she went to draw from the account, the money was gone. She expects me to make up for it since she took care of me all those years, throughout my mom's cancer fight and almost my entire gymnast career. Nigel is a mutual friend of both of them. She knew he had money, so she made a deal, offering me up on a silver platter. He likes young trophy wives he can sport around. He divorced the last one in less than a year. I'm hoping the same will happen to me too."

  The truth. It hurts.

  It stings my bones.

  And now my eyes are burning from the tears falling down my cheeks, leaving hot wet trails behind. I stop talking and sob into my hands.

  Wow, life is fucked up.

  Lucas's heat wraps around me and I open my eyes to see him embracing me. The scent of the fresh cold mountains and sandalwood leaps off of him and sedates me into a calmer mood.

  “I’m not going to let that happen.” His lips brush my ear and a sharp tingle goes down between my thighs. “You’re mine now. Stand up and I’ll show you.”

  He’s right. I am his.

  He was my first… and hopefully my last.

  But can he go up against Nigel? This man isn’t the sanest creature…

  I stand up, and he takes me over to the back of the couch and bends me over. My jeans are tugged on and slide down my legs as Lucas exposes me. He doesn't take them all the way off, but he does bring them below my knees and goes after my panties after that.

  The coldness of the cabin air touches my wetness and I shiver, knowing what’s next.

  “Tell me what your pussy wants,” Lucas growls into my ear.

  My mouth trembles, but if I don’t say anything soon, I won’t get what I want.

  “It wants your cock.” I dig my nails into the couch, my cunt starving for his touch.

  “Good. How rough?”

  "Extremely—ah!" My mind draws a blank as Lucas spears into my pussy with his cock. He goes straight for my g-spot and hits it like a maniac. He grabs my hair and the couch scoots against the floor as he impales me with his girth.

  Lucas's shaft is thick and heavily hooded, so when he pulls out to push back in, I feel him in such great detail. The way it touches me on the inside makes me drip all over the floor.

  I can barely hear the sounds of our gushy love-making over my panting and rasped moaning. Lucas lands a firm hand on my ass and the spicy little tingle pushes me over the edge. Snaking a hand over to my breast, he captures my boob and goes under the shirt to find the nipple.

  Damn, this man knows all my sweet spots.

  “Cum inside me!” I beg.

  “Fuck.” Lucas speeds up and slams into me, holding me against his torso as he empties his seed into me. I feel his thick cum shoot into me with abandon.

  I lay limp onto the couch, trying to catch my breath.

  That’s a good way to take a girl’s mind off of something shitty.

  “Lucas—”

  “Hush.”

  He scoops me up from the back of the couch and takes me to the bedroom where he lays me down and places covers over me. “Don’t worry about anything right now. You’re going to be fine…”

  15

  Claire

  When I wake up, I can smell the faint remnants of Lucas's scent on the sheets. After all, he does sleep here.

  I take in a moment to think about what he said before we began to make love.

  He said I was his and that he won’t let me marry Nigel.

  I’m happy, I really am, but something in the pit of my gut won’t let go. I’ve seen how Nigel looks at me, how he talks and treats me the few times I’ve been around him, and it isn’t good.

  I don’t think he’ll let me go without a fight.

  Lucas is a fair fighter, I’m sure of that. But Nigel plays dirty and he’s been around the block quite a few times and it makes me nauseous just thinking about what he’d try to resort to. I don’t believe that his money is made the legal way either. I don’t know what to do.

  And that brings me to this point… should I even get Lucas involved? He’s a billionaire with a reputation to uphold. He doesn’t need negative press.

  In this world, it doesn’t matter how much you have. Anything can get stripped away from you.

  I drag myself out of bed and hear Lucas clinking around the kitchen. I peak my head outside the door and see him cooking. A burst of spices and cooked meat surrounds me and I follow it into the kitchen to see what he's up to.

  “Hey, is that dinner? You can let me cook too sometimes. You know, as a way of saying thank you for helping me so far.”

  "Just stay put. You're fine. You don't need to bend over backward to do anything for me. That’s my job.” He winks at me and my body flutters like my bones have turned into blossoming butterflies.

  “Okay, mountain man. Have it your way.”

  I glance at the cabinets. They’re glass so you can see the things behind it. A particular set of plates catch my eye.
/>   “Hey, those plates… they’re not solid gold, are they?”

  “How’d you know?” Lucas places his stew spoon down on the table and wipes his hands off.

  “Just… I don’t know. The way they’re displayed I guess? Do you even eat off of them?”

  "Sometimes. I have a thing for gold. Real gold." Lucas takes one out of the cabinet and hands it to me. I take the plate but underestimate the weight of it.

  “Geez, this thing almost put me through the floor!” I place it on the table and stare at the pattern that must’ve been engraved onto it.

  “I like heavy things. It means it’s been built the right way.”

  “Bet you have matching cutlery, don’t you?”

  “Golden knife, forks, spoons, you name it. Out here, gold can do a lot for you if you come into odd situations. It’s like a different currency, a second set of money.”

  “Wow…”

  “Claire. I’m leaving tomorrow.” Lucas leans on the island in the kitchen where I’m sitting at and stares at me with great intensity.

  I gulp, but he’s not done.

  “You’re coming with me. I don’t want to hide anymore. And I don’t want you having to feel like you have to either.”

  My heart races.

  “Really? Tomorrow? I bet Lydia will be glad to see you so soon.”

  Lucas still holds onto his serious face, but he sighs. “Well, my work is piling up. Can’t make money hiding out, now, can I? Are you ready? This is going to be a big change for you.”

  “I…Yes.”

  Loud banging sounds come from the door. Each bang rattles the door, almost like the person banging wants to knock it off the hinges.

  “What the fuck? Jesus Christ! Can’t catch a break.” Lucas snatches a gun out of a kitchen drawer and approaches the door. I duck behind a couch that’s near the kitchen and peek out from the side to see Lucas take a look through the peephole.

  “What do you want!” Lucas shouts.

  “Open up, we know she’s in there!” I remember that voice. That’s the sheriff guy who put a hole in the back of Lucas's tail light. Oh my God, he knows I’m here.

  “What the fuck are you talking about, Bailey.”

  The sheriff growls, I'm afraid he's going to do something reckless like the last time but worse.

  “Open the door and bring Claire out, you entitled prick!”

  I hear the rage and jealousy the sheriff has against Lucas. If only he knew who he’s yelling at, this would go over different.

  “I don’t got no girl to give—”

  “God fucking damn it! We have a warrant, we’ll come in there and if we do, you’re going to get arrested and charged with fucking kidnapping!”

  Okay, that was the last straw. I get up and glance at the golden bracelet on my wrist still.

  Lydia. I’m so sorry, but I won’t be seeing you.

  I walk over and Lucas rushes up to me.

  “Claire, no!”

  I take the bracelet and put it in his hands. “I love you, Lucas. But I can’t let them harm you. I can’t let you take the charges either. This was my idea to run and hide.”

  I spin around him and open the door. “Don’t do anything to him!” My hands are up in the air. This time the sheriff has a few of his buddies with him that usher me to one of their cruisers. “I was lost and he kept me safe. He helped me find my way out of the blizzard. If you harm him,” I say to the sheriff, “I’ll tell my fiancé on you…”

  Ugh, the fact that Nigel was the fiancé in this scenario made my stomach roil. But I have to say something to keep Lucas safe.

  Police lights flash in my eyes and I try to keep myself from balling out in tears while Lucas can see. I see the tense moment between the sheriff and Lucas, but finally, he backs off and my Lucas is safe.

  The sheriff looks at me and scowls. Stomping back to his truck, I get into the cruiser and watch Lucas run after the car as he disappears from view.

  “Claire!”

  His call pierces my heart and I cry.

  I disappoint everyone.

  I’m not worthy of being protected. All I do is cause trouble and harm.

  Regardless, I consider Lucas my first and my last love. No one on this earth can come close to him.

  No one.

  The ride is bumpy going down the mountain on a two-lane road. We pass a few trucks and finally hit the main town. I already see the news crowded together to get pictures and my side of the story.

  A small part of my soul cries out to still fight.

  But if I do, who else gets hurt?

  Both of our covers have been blown.

  16

  Lucas

  My office, it’s been a while since I’ve seen it. Now I’m looking at it a different light. I have shit to do, contracts to get under the way, and most importantly? I’m going to get my damn woman back.

  I sit down behind my desk. It's as polished as it was when I last left it to go to the mountains, I observe it carefully to see if there are any scuff marks that would indicate that someone's been in my office while I was gone.

  Of course, I know of Lydia snooping around, but even she could clean her tracks back up. There're no scuffs, but my instincts tell me that someone's been in my office when they weren't supposed to. Despite the fucking locks.

  No one really knows I’m back yet, but word is bound to spread quickly once people start seeing my face. And that’s if they can tell from under this beard I’ve grown recently. Then my pack mates will come sniffing around here and my alpha will probably banish me from the pack for causing such a media frenzy.

  Speaking of pack mates, my cell phone buzzes. I look down at the Caller ID and a familiar name pops up on the screen. Ivan Vetrov.

  I've wanted to talk with this guy for a while. If anyone could understand my current plight, it was him. He faced a similar situation a while back when his company was under fire and a family scandal threatened to slander their reputation. He had recently gotten married too, to a woman—a human.

  “Hey Ivan.”

  “Zander, I’ve been trying to reach you for over a month. What happened, man?”

  I sighed and rocked back in my chair. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

  “Try me.”

  We’ve been friends for a very long time. We were part of the same pack until my mother decided to take the move with my stepfather, agreeing to be his mistress, and taking me with her. I was only a boy back then and people still didn’t know who my father was. Lydia hadn’t even been born yet.

  So we moved from Red Beach Valley all the way to Rockford where my mom was invited to join our current shifter pack, the Rockford City Pack. Yup, we were a bunch of city wolves, but I never quite gave up my dreams of owning land outside the city which is why I ended up purchasing that tract of land out in the mountains.

  As I tell Ivan the events that have transpired over the last several months, he offers his support, giving me advice that I agree with wholeheartedly. It’s time to restructure before my father tries to run this company into the ground. I should’ve known what he was up to when he placed himself on the board of directors just last year.

  “So, you said you met a woman out there, huh?” Ivan asks.

  “Yeah,” I breathed. “She’s the one who kept me sane while I was there. I honestly don’t know how I would’ve coped without her there.”

  “Well, buddy, you know what that means, right?”

  “I’ve never done this mating thing before, you know? My wolf wants it. I want it. But I don’t want to mess up.”

  “You won’t mess up, trust me. If she’s the woman you want to spend the rest of your life with, there’s no way you’re going to mess that up. When you feel it’s right, you just know, it’s right. You’ll never be able to get her off your mind.”

  Ivan is speaking from experience. I trust him. I also know in my heart that he’s right. Claire is mine. She’s the woman for me. She’s the mate that my wolf wants.

&
nbsp; “You said she’s a gymnast?”

  I smile. “Yeah.” I spent hours last night scouring the web for articles about her career. She has exceptional talent, but I already know that.

  “So, you’ve got a company to restructure and a mate to claim. What are you waiting for?”

  He’s right. I shouldn’t be waiting. I want these things sooner rather than later.

  My door flies open and Lydia runs inside.

  “Brother! You’re home, oh my God! Finally, there’s so much I have to tell you!” She runs to my side and smothers me in a hug. “Who are you on the phone with?”

  “It’s Ivan from Red Beach Valley.”

  “Oh! Hi Ivan. How are things going in the valley?”

  I put the phone on speaker so they can chat about the weather, shopping, and whatever. I'm drowning myself out of their conversation as thoughts of Claire and what she's going through floods me. I don't realize that Lydia has ended the call until she taps on my desk and yells, "Earth to Lucas!"

  “Lydia, not right now, I have to do some things. I promise I’ll—”

  Lydia pinched my lips to keep me from talking. “Oh shut up. You’re gonna wanna listen to—hey—” She looks around the office. “I don’t see Claire anywhere. Did she come back with you?” Lydia leans in over me with an ominous gaze she must’ve learned from me.

  “That’s what I have to work on.”

  The bracelet burns in my back pocket. I stop myself from reaching back and handing it to her because Claire is supposed to do that.

  And fuck it, she will.

  So I let it sit until I make that happen.

  Lydia sucks her teeth and backs up. “Well then, you might want to hear what our douche bag of a father is up to.”

  “Language.”

  I can't blame her though. I don't think the man ever cared for us. Lydia and I were the product of an affair. A long-going one. But my sweet mother loved this man, and still does. I can't tell her shit. There were and still are other suitable men in our pack who would jump at the opportunity to mate with her, but instead, she chose Colt Zander, my human father. They've been off and on for decades. She wants to be his mistress forever. I just don't get it.