She had no reason to be embarrassed. They were werewolves and their natures were primal and basic at times in spite of their humanity. She was coming into heat soon. It happened once a year and she knew the signs. These past few nights, she’d felt the familiar tension spiraling through her body and cursed it.
And though it was much more manageable than it had been when she was younger, she still felt the urge to mate with a male. And the one standing in front of her was a prime specimen who would attract any female, werewolf or human. Thankfully, the days of her having to permanently mate with one was long over. These days she usually locked herself in her apartment and took care of the problem herself with her handy vibrator until it passed.
He lowered his hand back to his side, but his eyes never left her face.
“Is there a problem?” Hank strode up to stand just to the side of the stranger.
“No problem. This gentleman was just leaving.” She pleaded with Isaiah with her eyes. If he insisted on repeating his claim of her being a werewolf, he wouldn’t get out of here alive. There was only one of him and three male werewolves. Was he a hunter or just a human who believed in such things?
She took a deep breath. She needed to be calm. What she got was a blast of pheromones and a jolt of arousal. A spicy scent filled her nose and made her sex clench with need. She almost moaned aloud as a shiver of need wracked her body and her nipples tightened. How had she missed this? He was a werewolf.
Impossible. She blinked in astonishment. In all the years they’d been here this had never happened. Male werewolves tended to stay away from the city, not liking the crowds or the closed-in space. It was one of the main reasons why she lived here with her sons and her adopted family.
Oh God! Hank. He was only a half-breed and many full-blooded werewolves were as bad as the bounty hunters wanting them dead. Teague, Neema and Kevin were all half-breeds as well. Their safety depended on her keeping control of this situation at all costs. She straightened her shoulders. If he thought to threaten her family, he was mistaken.
“You need to leave,” she repeated. “Now.”
He shook his head, the corners of his mouth turning up ever so slightly. It made him look sexier, if that was even possible.
Hank reached out to grab Isaiah’s arm.
“You don’t want to do that, pup,” Isaiah warned.
Hank froze with his hand in the air. Benjamin growled low in his chest. Kevin came out from the back office, adding to the growing tension. “What’s going on?”
Isaiah was still trying to process the fact that the woman he lusted after was a female werewolf, and a beautiful one at that. She was also coming into heat. There was no mistaking that enticing spicy perfume. No wonder he was attracted to her.
What was even more surprising was that she wasn’t the only werewolf here. They all were. The odor from all the human patrons, the liquor and the food had masked their scent. Now that they were the only ones left, there was no disguising it.
It was crazy to see a group of werewolves living in a city surrounded by the myriad sights and sounds which assailed their senses daily. Bounty hunters frequented the cities for supplies and new recruits. Not to mention that vampires, witches and demons preferred to live in the city. And while the different species weren’t exactly at war, they weren’t sending each other Christmas cards either.
Around him several of the males began to growl. As if drawn by the tension, a lean red-haired male pushed through the kitchen door, wiping his hand on a white towel as he came. The sleeveless shirt he was wearing displayed an array of tattoos running up and down his muscular arms. With the trio of gold hoops in both ears and his eyebrow piercing, he looked like trouble. He was followed by the slender, curly-haired female Isaiah had seen waiting tables earlier in the evening.
Meredith held up her hand. “Enough.”
Several of the males shot her a glare, but subsided. Isaiah was surprised at how all the males deferred to her. She was obviously the alpha female of this little pack. But where was the alpha male?
The thought of another male having the right to put his hands on her made Isaiah see red. A low, menacing growl came from deep in his chest. The younger woman took a step toward the red-haired male. He wrapped his arm around her protectively.
The tension in the room grew until it was so thick it was almost impossible to breathe. He didn’t give a shit. He wasn’t leaving. Not until he talked to Meredith.
The woman in question stepped forward and placed her hands on her hips. She exuded confidence, which was sexy as hell and turned him on even more. “Don’t think you can come in here and threaten my family, wolf.” She spat the last as though it were a bad word.
Having her so near, he could see the smoothness of her skin and smell her delicious scent. Unable to resist, he lowered his head and sniffed the curve of her neck. She smelled like something rare and exotic, a combination of musk, cinnamon and heat that was intoxicating. She shivered and started to lean toward him. He wanted to howl with pleasure. But it ended far too soon for his liking when someone pulled her away.
Isaiah jerked his head up to see who had ruined the moment between him and Meredith. It was one of the younger men. He started toward him, the promise of retaliation stamped on his face, only to have Meredith step in front of him again. “He’s my son.”
That brought Isaiah up cold. If there was one thing he could understand, it was wanting to protect family. He addressed the younger man directly, looking over Meredith’s head. “I mean her no harm.”
“What about the rest of them? Why are you here? Who sent you?”
Meredith was still in front of him demanding answers.
He sighed and rolled his head to work out some of the kinks in his neck. “No one sent me. I didn’t come here to find any of you. I was just wandering the streets, heard a woman singing and came in.”
“I don’t believe you,” said the man Meredith had called her son.
“Michael,” she warned, and he subsided, but not without first giving Isaiah a look that promised death if he made a move toward his mother. Isaiah could respect that.
“There’s nothing for you here. You need to leave.” Isaiah understood her wanting to protect the pack, but he was curious why Meredith was in such a hurry to get rid of him when he obviously meant no harm.
“I’m not sure we should let him leave.” The bouncer from the door spoke up. “What if he’s working with the hunters?”
The menacing growl that came from Isaiah was impossible to suppress. “I kill hunters, pup, and anyone who works with them.”
“So you say,” the other male who’d worked behind the bar countered.
“Are you questioning my word?” He’d never had anyone do such a thing. He was a Striker. Their loyalty and honesty was above reproach.
“Enough.” Meredith tapped the toe of her high-heeled shoe on the wooden floor. It drew his gaze down over her long, shapely legs and back up again. “No one is going to hurt anyone. And you’re leaving.”
It was time to regroup. Things were too volatile with so many males in the mix. They were on a short leash at the moment, but Isaiah had no doubt all the males would swing into action in the blink of an eye if they thought it was necessary. He didn’t want to be put in a position of having to hurt them. That certainly wouldn’t go over well with Meredith. The last thing he wanted was to antagonize her any more than he already had.
“I want to talk to you. Two minutes,” he added before she could protest. “Alone.”
Predictably enough, the males protested, but in the end Meredith was alpha and the rest of them headed toward to the kitchen.
“I’ll only be on the other side of the door,” Michael warned.
Isaiah inclined his head in understanding.
Meredith waited until they were all gone before turning back to him. “We’re alone. What do you want?”
He shifted until they were so close they were almost touching. He could feel the heat from her
skin, see the way her pupils dilated and the pulse in her neck beat faster. There was a slight hitch in her breathing as he invaded her space.
They weren’t touching, not quite. He raised his hand and lightly brushed the curve of her cheek with the back of his knuckles. She sucked in a breath and the movement had her breasts touching his chest. Even through the layers of their clothing, he could feel the hard tips of her nipples.
Need roared through him. Raw desire pumped through his veins. He wanted Meredith more than he’d wanted anything in his life, as though she was somehow necessary to him.
He leaned down, his lips practically caressing hers as he answered her question. “You, Meredith. I want you.”
He didn’t give her time to answer, but closed the miniscule distance between them and pressed his lips to hers. They were soft and lush and he groaned as the power of that small caress blasted through him. Every muscle in his body tensed as he rubbed his lips against hers, willing her to part them and let him in.
Then she did. It was slight, but she did move them. He snaked his tongue into her mouth and groaned. She tasted like fine wine and long, hot nights. He explored, learning what turned her on, what made her moan.
She went up on her toes to get closer and he wrapped one arm around her slender waist, holding her firmly against his body. Her breasts pillowed against his chest and her pelvis was aligned with his. His cock pressed against her mound and belly. Heat rolled off him in waves as need raked at his very being.
He had to have her.
Cupping the back of her head with one large hand, he tilted it so he could deepen their kiss. But she was an alpha and not about to be led by anyone. She clutched at his hair, yanking him even closer. The slight sting of his scalp was tangible evidence that she wanted him as much as he wanted her. Their teeth clinked and he tasted blood. It was warm and spicy and fired his lust.
He devoured her, plunging his tongue into the warm cavern of her mouth, staking his claim. He would have her. Had to have her.
More. He needed more of her. Tearing his mouth from hers, he nipped at her jaw and left biting kisses down the slender column of her neck. Her breasts beckoned, firm and full. As he’d longed to do all night, he traced a finger over the lush curve and dipped into her cleavage. “You’re not wearing a bra, are you?”
She shook her head, a long lock of her hair feathering against his face. He savored the touch of her silky hair even as he slipped his finger beneath the fabric of her dress.
She held her breath as he fingered a bare nipple.
Madness. It was pure madness. She’d blame the fact that she was almost in heat, except she’d never reacted to a male like this before. Not even her mate.
An alarm bell went off in the back of her brain, but it was drowned out as Isaiah touched his finger against her straining nipple. Heat flashed from her breast to her sex and she knew her panties were wet. There was no way he wouldn’t be able to smell her growing arousal.
But he was aroused too. The large bulge of his erection pressed against her in a provocative way. He was more than big enough to help ease the seemingly never-ending ache inside her. Sex with him would be mind-blowing. It would be primal and hot. He’d have the stamina to keep up with her, to give it to her long and hard.
She whimpered as a second finger joined the first and he tugged gently on her nipple. The large hand at her back moved lower until it cupped her ass, tilting her hips so her mound was positioned directly against his hard cock.
It felt so incredibly good as she rubbed herself against him, stimulating her clit through their clothing. Breathing was getting harder by the second, but she didn’t care. She ground her sex against his erection, drawing a groan from him.
He tugged the material of her dress over her breast, exposing it to his view. “Beautiful,” he breathed before he covered the tip with his mouth and sucked. Hard. Her pussy clenched. She felt empty. Needy.
She stroked his broad shoulders, the thick column of his neck and his chest. His skin was darker than hers, tanned a golden brown. His shirt frustrated her and she reached for the buttons. She was in a frenzy of need to have him.
A crash from the kitchen was as good as a bucket of cold water being thrown over her. What the hell was she doing?
She jerked away from Isaiah and stared at him, her chest heaving as she sucked in much needed air. He looked feral, an aroused male deprived of the female he wanted. His pupils were dilated, his nostrils flared with each breath. His lips were pursed together and his hands were fisted at his sides.
His erection pulsed against the front of his jeans and a sheen of sweat covered his skin. And he was staring at her chest.
Meredith looked down and gasped. Her breast was still exposed. She jerked the material back into place and took a step back, wobbling on her high heels. He reached out to steady her, but she took another step away. No telling what might happen if she let him touch her again.
“You need to leave.” Before she did something stupid like throw herself at him. She couldn’t believe she’d acted so wantonly with someone who was practically a stranger.
He nodded, but made no move to leave.
“They won’t wait much longer.” She indicated the kitchen door and he nodded his understanding.
“This isn’t finished.” His low, gritty voice, thick with passion, caressed her skin. She tried to ignore the way her breasts swelled and rubbed against the fabric of her dress.
She shook her head. “This is done. You need to leave and not come back.” On that, she was firm. Her family came before anyone, before anything else. It didn’t matter that she felt such a magnetic pull to this male. She knew nothing about him. He had no idea that four members of her pack were half-breeds, and she wasn’t willing to risk their safety just because she wanted to tear up the sheets with him.
Isaiah straightened his shirt and studied her. A slow smile turned up the corners of his lips. Her mouth went dry. He was handsome in a rugged way, but when he smiled he was irresistible. He reached out to touch her, but she tilted her head out of reach.
He chuckled. It was a rusty sound and seemed to surprise even him. “It’s not over, Meredith. It’s just getting started.”
A promise or a threat, she couldn’t be sure, but she suspected it was a bit of both. He turned and sauntered toward the door and let himself out. When the door shut behind him, the tension in the room escaped, much like the air leaving a balloon.
She put her hand to her lips, still able to feel his against them. Her skin felt extra sensitive and her body ached.
The door behind her pushed open. Meredith straightened and combed her fingers through her hair. Taking a deep, fortifying breath, she turned to face her family.
All the males were scowling and Neema looked frightened.
They were all waiting for her to speak. Although her body cried out for Isaiah, the safety of her family came first. “We may have a problem.”
Steve Macmillan shoved open the door of an all-night diner and stepped inside, letting the door slam shut behind him. The waitress behind the counter glanced his way and then went back to filling the napkin dispensers she had lined up on the counter like good little soldiers.
One corner of his mouth crooked upward. He liked the thought of having as many soldiers at his disposal as she had napkin dispensers, but one made do with what one had.
What he had, for the foreseeable future, were the four men sitting at a corner table. Jones raised his head and nodded as Steve started toward them. “Coffee,” he barked at the waitress as he passed the counter.
She sighed, dropped the metal dispenser down on the counter and shuffled over to grab her coffee pot and a fresh cup. By the time Steve seated himself at the table, she was there beside him. Placing the cup in front of him, she filled it and then topped up the rest of the men’s half-empty mugs.
He put her age at about forty even though she looked older. Years of working a job like this had taken a toll on her body. Her hair was blonde
with slightly graying roots. She’d probably been pretty once, but now she was no more than a pale shell of the young woman she’d been. She was about twenty pounds overweight and wore no wedding ring.
But she was quick and quiet and shuffled back behind the counter. He liked that in a woman. In the dark, he wouldn’t care if she had a few too many wrinkles. She had a great rack and a plump ass. All features he liked.
Maybe he’d meet her after work and let her take him home for a quick fuck.
“Boss.” Jones’s voice pulled him away from his meanderings. He ignored his hardened dick and got down to the work at hand.
Steve let his eyes wander around the small group. He knew Warren and Collins, and had worked with both men before. They were dependable, but better than that, they were loyal. They followed orders without question and would die in the name of the cause.
Which was good, because he had no intention of dying. His job was to find the bitch who’d killed his father. He’d been living and working out west when he’d gotten the news. His father, who’d been running the east coast hunters for the past five years, had been murdered by the female werebitch he’d kept as a pet. Steve hadn’t seen the female in years, but he’d find her and kill her if it was the last thing he did. So he’d come back east to take over his father’s position and look for his prey.
Steve had been raised to enter the family business—bounty hunting. And not just any kind of bounty hunting. No, his family were legendary werewolf hunters.
Most of the human population had no idea that paranormal creatures wandered among them. Steve had no pity for them. Cattle, all of them. Living according to the laws of some government that had long outlived its usefulness. No, he and his comrades believed in the freedom to live as they wanted, and that meant killing werewolves.
He’d grown up in the wilds of Washington State where his father had been stationed at the time. His father had taught him to hunt and fish. How to survive and how to hunt and kill werewolves. He’d also taught him to value his friends, but to watch his back.
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