Devour

by Susan Bliler

  Devour

  By

  Susan A. Bliler

  Copyright © 2017 by Susan A. Bliler

  www.susanbliler.com

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Cover fonts, spine, and back cover done by:

  Cindy Hubbard

  www.cind-e-designs.com

  Images courtesy of Shutterstock

  Editing done by:

  Adele Huxley

  Adele: Thanks for being up for this on such short notice and getting it done so quickly.

  I appreciate it more than you know!

  As always thanks to my Beta reader,

  Cindy Hubbard

  MoFo Jones: I couldn’t do this without you.

  Thanks for believing in me.

  ;o) ting

  This story is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidences are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from Susan A. Bliler.

  DEDICATION

  For my readers. I love you my Wolvez and Stalkerz!

  Thank you for sticking with me, and don’t get it twisted.

  I’m your fan, it’s not the other way around!

  Also,

  For Dexter.

  Get better soon!

  The pack loves you!

  Chapter 1

  Something’s coming! Hillary peeled back the curtain in the pack kitchen and eyed the sprawling compound. Outside, her pack, Shadow Wolf, maneuvered through their daily routines. The sun was beating down and a headache was pounding just behind her eyes while a fine sheen of sweat coated her body. She wasn’t sure if she was sweating from the heat of the mid-summer day coupled with the fire from the ovens or if it was the result of the trepidation seeping into her.

  All her life she’d had this gift to feel when something big was about to happen. From the moment she woke that morning, nervous anticipation had been skittering through her. She hated the gift. She had no idea if what was coming was good or bad, and that was the worst. The last time she’d had this feeling, Michael had challenged for Alpha and had won. That same day he’d implemented new “rules”, which included women in the pack making themselves what he had called, “accessible for trade or use for the betterment of the pack.” When asked specifically what that meant, he’d informed the females that if the need arose, they’d be called on to entertain dignitaries. The other pack females had been delighted with the prospect of being chosen for the task because of the term dignitaries.

  Dignitaries! She snorted at the memory. By dignitaries, he’d meant other Alphas or high ranking members of other packs. Instantly, Hillary and Simone had threatened to walk. They’d even gone so far as to start packing their things when Michael called them into a meeting. He promised not to force them into use in that capacity as long as they stayed with the pack and took on significant tasks. Hillary had been put in charge of the kitchen and Simone had been forced to take over the gardens, which supplied fresh produce for the pack. It had been a shit deal, but had worked out in the end. Turns out, Hillary loved to cook and was exceptional at it, while Simone thrived on working with the land. Still, it hadn’t been fair.

  Letting the curtain drop, Hillary paced the kitchen as she wrung her hands.

  “Hey Betty Snockered,” Simone greeted with a grin, stepping into the kitchen with a basket of bell peppers propped on her hip. “How ya feeling today?”

  Hillary moaned and not at the nickname. The two women had stayed up late the night before drinking wine and sharing their dreams in Simone’s cabin. When Hillary had tried to leave early, Simone grumbled, “It’s just one wimpy bottle of wine.”

  It hadn’t been wimpy and it hadn’t been one. The memory of how drunk she’d been had shame searing Hillary’s cheeks, but it gave her pause. Maybe her headache wasn’t the result of anything coming, but just a hangover. She blinked at the thought, hoping she was right. Perhaps trouble wasn’t coming. Maybe she was just…off.

  Her eyes snagged on the giant basket of peppers Simone hoisted onto the counter.

  “Simone! When I said I was making pepper steak, I meant for the pack, not the whole world.” She shook her head with a laugh and was picking out the best peppers when Simone’s words froze her.

  “You didn’t hear?”

  Goosebumps blasted across Hillary’s arms. She asked cautiously, “Hear what?”

  Simone shook her head as her brows snapped into a frown. “I can’t believe he didn’t tell you.”

  “Who? Tell me what?”

  Dropping her hands to her hips, Simone looked up. “Michael invited the highest ranking officials from Blood Lust to Shadow Wolf. They’re coming tonight. You’re cooking for our pack and the Blood Lust Alpha and his enforcers.”

  Hillary’s eyes rounded. “What?”

  Simone shook her head, her blonde locks swaying with the motion, her blue eyes sparking with anger. “I can’t believe he didn’t tell you.” Pacing to the sink, she washed her hands. “Look, I’m done in the garden. I can help out. What do you need me to do?”

  Hillary stood dumbfounded. Her mind raced with all that she’d need to do, but now she was almost positive her trepidation had been warranted and not just the result of an epic hangover. “Fffuck,” she breathed.

  Genuine concern laced Simone’s tone when she asked, “Hillary?”

  Snapping herself from her thoughts, Hillary looked at the basket of peppers then rushed to the two-section reach-in fridge the pack had purchased last year from some local restaurant that went out of business. Studying the contents, Hillary slammed the door and said, “I need eight heads of lettuce from the garden. Have you got that many?”

  Simone nodded and rushed the door. “On it!”

  Alone, Hillary was too preoccupied with preparing a massive last-minute dinner to waste time worrying about the anxiety that was riding her. Plus, she knew from experience that worrying about it never stopped it from happening. No matter how much she hated when her intuition was telling her something she didn’t want to hear, she was still forced to endure it.

  Quickly, she scoured the cupboards and started pulling ingredients. The four chocolate cakes in the oven she’d been preparing for tonight’s desert wouldn’t be nearly enough now. Eyeing the clock, she calculated the hours until dinner and surmised that she’d be stuck doing prep right up until it was time to start cooking the main course. Damn! She’d so wanted to sneak off to the creek for a cool dip. Stupid Michael! Absently, she wondered what he would have done if Simone hadn’t informed her of the incoming visitors and she hadn’t prepared enough food. He’d be the one to look the fool, and for just a second she considered pretending she didn’t know. That thought was short lived. She’d heard the Blood Lust pack’s name was more than fitting. The last thing she wanted to do was to disrespect the Alpha and his pack. Not even for the chance at seeing Michael look the fool.

  Blood Lust. Just the thought of them had chills shooting up her spine and for once she was glad that she’d be relegated to the kitchens instead of having to attend the dinner in the hall with the two mingled packs.

  Chapter 2

  Modess sat in the mess hall of the Shadow Walker Pack. The Shadow Walker Alpha, Michael, postured beside him but it was a pitiful sight. Michael was a good enough Alpha, but he was shit compared to Modess. Spine rod straight, Michael flared his shoulders out in an attempt to match the sheer size of Modess. It wasn’t happening. Leading the Blood Lust Pack through years of endless battle had honed Modess into a combat hardened beast. He was the largest shifter in the room.
Impatient, easily riled, and currently bored as fuck, Modess let his eyes roam over the two dozen shifters settled at cafeteria style tables beneath the dais on which he, his Beta, Bull, and Michael and his Beta currently sat. He’d only brought a handful of his own pack on this “visit”, which was actually an attempt by Michael to negotiate fighters from Modess’ pack. Wasn’t fucking happening, but if Michael wanted to lavish food, women, and drink onto he and his men, it was fine with him.

  Four females approached the dais. When Michael nodded, they brought their trays up and settled them on the table before the two Alphas and their Betas. Fuck the food, Modess eyed the ample cleavage that was clearly on display in an attempt to sway Modess into accepting one of them and agreeing to Michael’s request. Hell, he liked big bouncy tits as much as the next man, but he wasn’t about to lose any of his fighters over some pussy he could get with the snap of his fingers back home.

  As Alpha, he had his pick of the unmated females back at Blood Lust and he could easily have his choice of any of them. If Michael wanted fighters, he’d need to offer Modess something he didn’t already have.

  One of the platinum blonde females bent low to fill his mug with the pitcher of beer she carried. He stared at her tits, but clamped a hand over his mug. He had no intentions of drinking in foreign territory while he and his men were so greatly outnumbered. Granted, he knew he could easily take half the pack by himself, but still. Best not to lose his head.

  Michael leaned toward him, “You’re not drinking?”

  “No.”

  The scent of Michael’s nervousness spiked and for the fucker’s sake, it had better be because Modess was proving to be a difficult negotiator and nothing else.

  Rolling his shoulders, Modess glared at the group of shifters seated at their tables. Several cast curious glances at him, but most kept their attention on their own glasses or their pack mates sitting across from them.

  Lifting his hand, Michael shooed the females away and snapped twice. Modess didn’t even bother stifling the bored sigh that left him. He’d come all the way to Shadow Wolf territory for this? Fuck! He could’ve had beer, pussy, and dinner back home.

  Even more women entered the room as dinner was ushered in. They flanked both walls, each wearing similar skimpy outfits. Modess thought it was pretty fucking tacky of the Alpha to use the women of his pack like this. Modess would never ask his females to do anything so shameful, regardless of what it was his pack needed. If he couldn’t earn it with muscle and mettle, then they would live without it.

  “Dinner,” Michael offered lamely as one of the women settled a tray of food before Modess. Tired of the sport, he didn’t even bother looking at the women’s breasts as she bent further than necessary. Her demeaning display was in direct contrast to the scent of fear wafting from her.

  The food didn’t look particularly enticing, but the smell that hit him had his belly grumbling. He’d foregone lunch to get to Shadow Wolf earlier in the hopes that they’d settle their business and he and his pack would be on the road back to Blood Lust sooner.

  The women along the walls served the men, but Modess didn’t wait. He didn’t wait for Michael either, which was bad form, but he was fucking hungry.

  Lifting his fork, he jabbed at the concoction of what looked like a pile of noodles, green peppers, and seared steak coated in smooth brown gravy. A huge forkful passed his lips and then he was glaring at the room and chewing. Holy fuck! He must have been way hungrier than he’d initially thought because this shit, whatever it was, tasted like fucking heaven.

  Another forkful filled his mouth. He ignored Michael’s attempts at conversation as he continued to shovel up the entire plate. He even used the outside tine of his fork to scrape the remaining gravy off the plate.

  “D-does he want more?”

  “Yeah, sweetheart. Bring him more.”

  Modess jerked his gaze to the side to frown at his Beta, Bull, who answered for him. Looking toward the female scurrying away, Modess realized he was hunched over his plate with it drawn in close to his chest like a wolf protecting a carcass. He glanced around and saw a few people watching him in clear shock. Forcing his shoulders to relax, he realized he looked as though he was concerned about someone snatching his plate from him, which was fucking stupid. No one took anything from him, ever!

  The woman came back and set a second plate of food on the edge of the table, pushing it toward him with the very tip of one of her long red fingernails, afraid to get too close.

  Shrugging indifference, he shoved his empty plate away and snagged the full one, pulling it to him before digging in.

  Flicking a glance at Michael, he saw the Alpha was smiling and nodding in approval. That bothered him, so his fork stilled and his nostrils flared as he scented the food. Is it drugged? All he could smell though was food. Damn good food. Taking a moment, he swallowed his bite down and then ran his tongue over the roof of his mouth checking for any residue that would indicate his meal had been tainted. He found nothing, but to err on the side of caution, he shoved the rest of his food away and wiped his mouth with the napkin that had sat beneath his silverware.

  “We have an exceptional cook,” Michael offered quietly.

  As far as Modess could tell, the cook was the only thing exceptional about Shadow Wolf. Hell, even their name was awful. Who the hell wanted to be a Shadow Wolf? In his opinion, it was indicative of cowardice. Wolves shouldn’t hide in the shadows. They were apex predators for fuck’s sake! He and his pack owned the light, standing defiantly among any who would issue challenge.

  One of the women approached with a pitcher of beer and filled Michael’s mug. When she turned to leave, Modess grunted. When she turned to look back, he held out his own mug. If the ale was safe enough for Michael, it was safe enough for him and a mug or two couldn’t hurt. Besides, the food had been excellent. One of the few small enjoyments in his life was the rare occasion that Modess found an exceptional meal.

  Frowning at the room of shifters over the rim of his mug, he drank down half its contents in one swallow. His eyes slid to where the few members of his pack were seated. Empty plates sat in front of them along with full mugs of beer. Three or four had smiling, eager, females on their laps. Apparently Michael took it as a good sign because he asked, “Can I interest you in one of our females for the night?”

  He knew Michael expected him and his men to stay, but that hadn’t been the plan. Originally, Modess had intended on coming, hearing Michael out, shooting him down, and heading straight back. Now though, his belly was mostly full and the beer was relaxing him some. Maybe staying for one night wouldn’t be such a bad idea.

  Beside him, Bull leaned over, tearing his eyes from the blonde woman he’d been watching since they’d entered the dining hall and quietly suggested, “We could leave first thing in the morning.” He jerked his chin to where two members of their pack sat, one with a female on his lap, the other wearing a stoic expression as he scanned the room. “Christian and Henry aren’t drinking tonight. They can stand guard.”

  With a grunt, Modess looked from Bull to Henry and Christian. As if the Blood Lust pack had to stand guard against even the strongest of Michael’s wolves. Hell, the reason they were there was because Michael needed help teaching his men to become fighters. Michael flicked him a hopeful glance while Bull looked from Modess back to the blonde woman. She wasn’t like the others, wasn’t throwing herself at his pack, and Modess admired her for it. Glancing at Bull, he smirked. His Beta was notorious for avoiding the female species. Many had wondered if he batted for the other team, but Modess knew the truth. Bull had been too preoccupied helping him cement their pack as the most dominant in the region to concern himself with finding a mate. Now though, the Blood Lust pack was solidified in its rank. Modess looked back to the blonde who peeked up shyly at Bull.

  “Sure,” he spoke but kept his eyes on the woman. “We can stay one night.” It was the least he could do for Bull after all he’d sacrificed to help him bring the
pack to its current status.

  “Excellent!” Michael lifted a hand and waved over one of his pack members. He spoke quietly, but Modess could hear the Alpha directing the man to prepare accommodations for him and his men.

  A grin took his lips when he saw Bull wipe his palms on his knees beneath the table. Apparently, his badass Beta who feared neither man nor beast was intimidated by the tiny blonde with the cornflower blue eyes. “What about her?” his words drew both Michael and Bull’s attention. Bull tensed beside him.

  Michael looked where Modess was pointing and his expression snapped into a frown. “Unfortunately, most of the women here are willing to entertain you and your pack. Sadly, Simone is not one of them.”

  Modess’ eyes narrowed on the woman. “Can you convince her?” He turned to look at Michael, ignoring the dark look Bull was shooting at him. “Bull promises to be gentle. Don’t you?”

  Bull’s expression blanked as his gaze drifted from Modess back to Simone.

  Hiding a grin at Bull’s clear surprise, Modess held Michael’s eyes.

  “I’ll see what I can do.” He snapped his fingers and one of his pack rushed to him and bent to listen to Michael’s instructions. When the man hurried away Michael offered, “I make no promises. She and Hillary are the only two females here who don’t truly understand the meaning of pack!”

  Still eyeing the woman, Bull commanded, “Explain.”

  “The other women understand that certain sacrifices are necessary for the good of the pack.” Michael’s eyes narrowed on the woman. “Simone and Hillary refuse to make such sacrifices.”

  Modess angled his head to stare at Michael. “By sacrifice, you mean sharing their bodies?”

  “I mean doing what they must for the good of the pack!”