***
Alex hadn’t meant to fall asleep, but Kieran’s announcement about whom he had become and the evening of schmegging had been too much for her. She’d closed her eyes, and her mind had shut off.
She didn’t even think she dreamed. When she opened her eyes, the early morning rays of sunlight streamed through the window. She blinked to clear the sleep from her vision. Kieran lay next to her. He was awake and staring at the ceiling.
“Morning, sunshine.” He didn’t look at her, but amusement laced his voice.
She yawned. “Well, you did tell me to rest.”
“I did. I’m glad you slept. The demon didn’t need much sleep. I’ve only had one night, but it looks as if I got the I only need one to two hours thing from him.”
“Did I snore?”
He rolled over. “Not even a little bit.”
“Where did you go?”
“Let me put it this way. Mellee will no longer be bothering you.”
His words sank in, and she sat upright. “Did you kill her?”
“No, murder would be so boring. Anyone can kill someone. It’s easy. I made her go away. She will not be bothering you anymore. She’s dropped out of school.”
Was it possible? She turned onto her side to stare right at his profile. “Are you fucking with me?”
“Nice choice of language. It’s all true. She drove off before sunrise. She won’t be back.” He stared at her for a second before he reached out to stroke her leg. “You okay?”
“It’s strange. I mean you made exactly what I dreamed actually happen. No one has ever done that for me before.” She stared into his dark eyes, so like the Kieran she had gotten to know, but so different, too. This version of Kieran had kindness in his eyes, and yet her demon had to be there somewhere—cleverly finding a way to get Mellee to leave school.
“I want you to have everything. Always.”
“You do?”
He stretched out on the bed, looking like some kind of picture of male perfection from a fashion magazine. How could he appear so put together this early in the morning?
“Get yourself over to Lambda right away. Everything will be utter chaos until they get it together. Go be the good little pledge.”
“Right.” She jumped up. First, she would have to cross campus, wearing only his boxer shorts and a T-shirt, but it was fine.
Only, she didn’t really want to leave. He stared up at her when she didn’t move. “What’s the matter?”
“Nothing.” Really, there couldn’t be anything wrong. Everything had to be perfect, exactly what she desired.
“Great. I’ll wash your clothes with my own. Have fun today. I’ll see you tonight.”
“Sure.”
She walked out of his room and then the house in a bit of a daze. By the time she reached her dorm room, she was going through the motions of everything without really feeling present in her body. She got dressed, did her hair, and made her way over to the Lambda House. It was only when she stood on the steps of the House that she finally paused.
Mellee was gone. Kieran had made it happen, and he was different. And yet….
He’d apparently threatened the woman enough she’d taken off running halfway through her senior year. He certainly still had some of her demon in him, and she grinned at the thought. Maybe liking the demon made her a bad person, but she did. She didn’t want him totally gone.
She pulled out her phone. The ROAR hotline hadn’t let her down yet. Can I trust him? It was the same question she had texted before, but it was a different him. She needed to know if she should run for the hills.
Yes.
Well, then. ROAR’s response settled it. Her phone beeped again, and she looked down.
Which is not to say he’s a tame creature. He’s not, but he’s completely upfront with who he is, and as long as he is what you wish, then, yes, you can trust him.
She went into the House. Most of the sisterhood and pledges were gathered in the living room. Alex sat in the back of the room and listened. One of the other senior sisters spoke about the future. Everyone listened intently, but Alex couldn’t get her head into it.
What was she doing here?
Mellee was gone, and it was great. Some of the sisters who took over might even make things easier for her in the long run. The other pledges could be given permission to speak to her. Life might get better.
Alex chewed on her fingernail. This had seemed so important. She’d plotted for years to make this happen, picked a college for the sheer purpose of stepping through these doors, and she was so close.
And bored out of her mind.
Who cared about any of this shit? She’d needed a sorority so she could eventually have pack. The hot part-wolf-part-demon who liked her told her she could have one with him. When he’d uttered those words, she’d not processed what he said.
But now it hit her like a sledgehammer to the head.
She. Could. Have. A. Pack. Without having to put up with any more of this crap. It might be an oddball pack—hell, it would have to be if they took hybrids—but it could be hers. She wasn’t a snob. She’d never cared a hoot about prestige. She’d just needed family.
Kieran told her she could have one.
She leapt to her feet. Maybe she could also have him. Had she been a complete idiot to leave him lying there in bed?
“Alex?” One of the sisters spoke from the back of the room. Alex didn’t even turn to look at her. “We all owe you an apology.”
“Thanks,” she called over her shoulder. “But I’m depledging. I’m done. No Lambda for me, but good luck to all of you for the rest of your lives.”
She didn’t wait around to hear what they said. There might be more to depledging than just announcing she intended to, but she’d deal with it later. Paperwork could be damned.
Most of the time she held back when she ran so humans didn’t see how fast she could be even on two legs. But this time, she let herself go as fast as she could. If there were questions asked, she would figure it out when they did.
In no time, she had reached Kieran’s fraternity house. She burst through the door and took the stairs two at a time. She wasn’t even winded when she got to his room. Without knocking, she entered.
The room was empty. “Oh, damn it.”
Why had she assumed he would be there? He had a life. Things to do. More happening than just—
“Hey, you’re back.” Kieran rounded the corner down the hall, and she launched herself at him. He caught her in his arms without even struggling to do so.
“I love that you’re able to hold me.” She lowered her voice. “I love that you’re not entirely human.”
“I love that you love it.” He laughed and carried her fully into the room. “Shouldn’t you be in Lambda?”
“I quit.”
He set her down on the bed. “Really? I thought you wanted it more than anything.”
“I did. I lied, I schemed, I made my mother really unhappy, all so I could go to school here and join the Lambda sorority.”
He kissed her forehead. “And Mellee is gone; the real possibility of it happening is right in front of you, and you don’t wish for it anymore? Do you have an approach avoidance complex?”
She rolled her eyes and pinched him on the arm. “Thanks. Psych 101, was it?”
“Sorry. Go on.”
“I want something more than Lambda. You.”
He pulled her up against his chest. “You can have me and Lambda.”
“Lambda was all about getting to have a pack. It was a step, but I don’t need it…. Frankly, it feels like a bunch of crap. And I had no idea how I would pay for it.”
“There are payment plans.”
“Ugh. You are being frustrating. Listen to the words I’m saying.” She kissed him on the lips. “I don’t need Lambda. I want you and the pack you talked about. Assuming you really mean it.”
“Every word.”
He was hiding something. “But…?”
<
br /> “There’s a qualification to it.”
Her heart sank into her stomach. Was it possible she had screwed this up completely? “Oh?”
“Yes. See the thing is, even though I can’t shift under the full moon, I still feel my wolf, and he wants you. In a forever kind of a way. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
She did. The way she’d felt when they were intimate as if she’d wanted to claim him. It was all signs of a mating, and she knew it was possible.
“Keep in mind, sweetheart, if you deny me here, my demon half will destroy the world in the biggest temper tantrum ever.”
She laughed and pushed up against him. “Are you sure you want to mate an independent? I mean being a Greek guy and all.”
“I’ve always liked girls who travel their own paths, whether it takes them to the Greek Houses or away from them. You’re mine. And fuck anyone who gets in the way of us.”
“Sounds good.” She kissed him. Hard. It wasn’t the way she’d envisioned things. It was so much better.
~A Letter From Rebecca Royce~
Dear Readers,
Thank you so much for buying this book. I was so excited to be able to write a Roar story for Decadent Publishing. It was fun to get to spend time thinking like a college student again. I hope you like Kieran and Alex.
Best to all of you,
Rebecca
[email protected]
Sign up for the Decadent Publishing Newsletter here http://eepurl.com/SQ75f and never miss stories like:
Coming Soon!
Book 3 in the ROAR Series
Phoenix Rising by Cara Carnes
Chapter One
Riletta
“Don’t make a scene, Riletta. Get out, and do not speak.”
Unease pricked my skin. I fumbled with the door latch for a moment before it gave way, and I tumbled out of the black BMW. A crisp breeze ripped through the rustling trees around us. I would’ve grabbed my jacket had I known we were going somewhere.
I stretched the soreness from my body as Jacob Cervantez slammed the trunk and set a suitcase on the ground before me. My gaze darted around, my brain disoriented from the shock and the utter silence that had been my only companion the past several hours.
“This is the only university willing to accept you due to your limitations. I doubt you’re worth the favors I had to call in, but the pack will benefit from this sacrifice. At least we’ll be relieved of the burden your presence created.” The gruff tone made me step backward until I pressed against the car door I’d shut at some point. “Registration ends in an hour. I suggest you get in before they change their mind.”
Registration? My mouth opened and then shut as I processed what to ask first if given the chance. I’d learned years ago to choose my words wisely because I rarely got the answers I expected.
“I didn’t know—”
“Riletta. Did I say you could speak?”
I cast my gaze downward and shrank into myself.
“You’re lucky I don’t have time to teach you etiquette. You aren’t my problem anymore.”
What did that mean? He shoved his hand into his pocket with an exasperated sigh and grabbed a few hundreds off the massive wad of cash he always carried. The Alpha of the Cervantez pack would never be caught without funds. “Elise is too soft-hearted. She insisted you be given something until you get settled.”
Settled. He was dumping me here. My heart sped; my breath quickened. Equal parts of fear and hope fought for my attention.
“Don’t think I’ll allow her to give you more, so make it last. It’ll probably take a few months for them to handle your paperwork. They’ll have problems securing you since no one knows what the hell you are.”
Amusement glimmered in his gaze when I cringed at the insult. I took the wad of cash and shoved it into my jean pocket. “Thanks.”
“You’d better listen up, Riletta.” Pain erupted along my bruised arm when he grabbed me and shook hard until my teeth rattled and my head pounded. “They’ll ask for your designation when you enter. Under no circumstances are you to reference my pack. I allowed your existence, but that doesn’t mean I accept responsibility. Nod if you understand, Riletta.”
I nodded and shrank away from his menacing presence when he leaned forward. Garlic and alcohol burned my nostrils. The stench was nauseating, but made me recall the hunger I’d been trying to ignore. Swallowing, I pressed on my stomach, willing the rumble to subside. How long had it been since I’d eaten? One, two days?
“That’s what you get for being too uppity to eat pizza.”
You know I love pizza, you miserable prick. That’s why you piled it with meat I was allergic to. Every meal he oversaw in the pack focused on meat. The anger vibrated within me until my body trembled with a need to react. Just this once.
“Go. I’ve wasted enough time dealing with you.” He prowled to his door and paused to glare over the vehicle. “Keep your trap shut about my pack and your presence there, or you’ll be sorry.”
I nodded mutely, palmed the handle of my suitcase, and dragged it across the parking lot. The massive structure before me appeared to be some form of gymnasium or large meeting facility since there were no windows. I kept my gaze downward and ignored the jostling of the other bodies slamming into me from both sides. Surely the lone door offered refuge, a quiet place to breathe and absorb what had just happened.
You’re almost there. Don’t panic.
He threw me out of the pack.
Knowing something was inevitable and accepting its occurrence were two entirely different things. Part of me wanted to race after the long-gone car or perhaps call Elise and beg to return. But that was crazy. They’d been done with me eighteen years, three months and two days ago—the moment I’d crawled into their land from no one knew where. I’d been two when they’d proclaimed me a freak of nature undeserving of life.
But I’d been spared.
Piercing shrieks and laughter drew my focus from my trudge forward to a crush of girls several yards away. I smiled cautiously when a few of them met my stare. Fitting in had never been my strong suit, but perhaps this place was different.
Pain streamed through my core, radiating from my face when I slammed into an unmoving object—a massive chest adorned in a crimson T-shirt with a black-and-white snapping wolf. My throat constricted for a moment as I studied the muscular flesh beneath the shirt. He was huge.
“Slow your roll there, mouse.” Warm fingers wrapped gently around both my arms, holding me up for a moment as my limbs forgot how to work. His full lips turned upward into a smug grin before he shoved me backward. My pulse slammed into overdrive as I met a metallic gray gaze. A rugged jaw line drew attention from his gorgeous face to the wavy mass of thick, black hair, longer than fashionable, which flirted with his shirt collar.
This was someone who realized the effect he had on girls like me. I studied his shirt for a moment, reining in my riotous body. My lungs burned for breaths I couldn’t remember to take; something within me rubbed against my skin.
The sensation made me gasp. What the hell was that?
Could it be…?
No. There was no way. I’d been tested. Repeatedly.
I was inherently damaged beyond repair.
Defective.
“Breathe, little mouse. Nice and deep for me.”
Fingers squeezed until I inhaled the welcoming brush of woodsy brine and earth deep into my lungs. I wanted to lean into his warmth, inhale deeper at his pulse point like I’d seen others from my pack do with the Alphas. He was utterly splendid in all ways.
I knew better than to surrender to the desire, though.
Abominations like you will not breathe the same air as my Alphas, Riletta. Don’t offend them with your presence. You exist because I showed mercy. Don’t make me regret my decision.
“Sorry.” The squeak of my rarely-used voice made me shrivel away from the strength of his embrace. Could I be any more pathetic?
I harde
ned my stance and waited for the slap, the shove. I’d been foolish to not notice him within my field of vision. I’d dared to slam into an Alpha. I closed my eyes, cringed, and waited.
And waited. Chancing a peek at the gorgeous man before me, my heart flailed for normalcy, beating wildly until my brain could process his reaction. He grinned.
No one ever grinned when I spoke, when they sensed what I wasn’t. I’d met his kind before. “If you’ll please excuse me, I need to register before they close.”
“Of course.” He maneuvered to the side and opened the door.
I forced a smile of gratitude and stepped into the massive room, which echoed with the hum of conversations and revelry. Hundreds, possibly thousands, of people filled the large building. The swirling crowd created a noxious, heated cloud of sweat and perfumed stench. I covered my nose and breathed through my mouth.
I can’t do this.
Nervousness froze me. I knew nothing. This place wasn’t for me.
Emotion choked me, and I forced back the fear welling in my eyes. I’d dreamed of my release from Jacob’s control for years, plotting and planning what I’d do. I’d never fathomed this as my fate. How stupid was I?
Jacob always, always chose the worst scenario for me. This was my living nightmare—all those people. Humans—whom I’d never been around—and shifters—who’d declared me an abomination.
I’d become too complacent. This was my punishment for being ill-prepared.
Realizing the massive wolf I’d slammed into still loomed beside me, I inhaled deeply through my mouth and ordered myself to move. Avoidance only created more trouble. Accept your fate, and move the hell on. It’d been my motto for years and saved me many nights.
“Thanks.” The dismissal seemed to go unheard as he dragged me forward. God, he was tall. Taller than Jacob—and not many could say that since the Alpha leader was well over six foot. This guy was much wider across the chest, too, but his hips were lean, his legs long and powerful thighs beneath his jeans. “I can handle it from here.”
Sorority Wolf Page 6
