by Ally Parker
How did he always know the right thing to say? The simple reminder she wasn’t alone any longer calmed her like nothing else could. She turned and pulled back abruptly, finding Saint standing behind them. Even the wind was louder than the male.
Her hand flew to her chest. “You scared me to death. Someone needs to get a bell for you or something.”
Saint chuckled. The weight of Jaxx’s hand settled on her shoulder, and he rubbed the area. “Trust me. We’ve tried.”
Saint eyed Jaxx for the longest moment, and Kenzie followed his gaze, noticing Saint observing the outline of Jaxx’s wolf. The alpha cleared his throat. “I just wanted to congratulate you both on the mating. It’s good to see such a deserving warrior get some peace. Your union has lifted the pack. The men have gained something we thought lost. Hope. Hope that they might be the next to find their mate.”
Kenzie glanced behind Saint to the men and few women laughing around the tables. Her chest tightened, and a knot tangled in her stomach. They could lose any of the males at any time.
Jaxx’s voice flittered into her mind. “Don’t carry that burden.”
“But they could lose so much.”
“They will find their mates, Kenzie. When they do, they’ll gain so much more. Any pain they experience now will all be a shadow to what they’ll feel when they have their mate.”
Saint’s voice broke into their conversation. What had he said? Jaxx, not missing a beat, responded. “The human, Josh, will be managing things for another few weeks while I help my mate adjust to pack life.”
Ordering a drink, Saint pulled up a stool and got comfortable. Kenzie excused herself and made her way across the room. Taryn was right. She needed to tell Ava how she felt before she left for Wolfden.
Ava looked up and tensed. She pushed away from the table and beelined for the restroom. Kenzie cocked a brow and quickened her pace. Passing the tables filled with pack members, and pool tables at the side of the room, she met Ava in the juncture leading to the restrooms.
“Ava, wait! I need to talk to you.”
She stopped, her shoulders bunched tight.
Kenzie blew out a breath and wiped her palms on her jeans. “Look, I get you’re pissed. That you hate me for what I got us into.”
“You think I hate you? I just am so mad with everything.” Ava blew out a shaky breath. “I need time—.”
Swallowing the emotion in her throat, Kenzie nodded, even though Ava didn’t see the gesture. Exactly what Jaxx had suggested. She got why Ava needed space; it didn’t make it any easier to bear. “I understand that you were hurt because I didn’t follow orders. I swear I never meant for you to get hurt because of me.”
Ava’s ribs expanded and deflated rapidly.
“I never stopped trying to free you.” Kenzie took a step closer, only to stop when she saw Ava freeze. “I’m not sorry we were bitten. It’s made us stronger, and now we have the strength…”
Spinning on her heel, Ava turned. Her brows drew tight, the rest of her face screwed into a mask of confusion. “You think we’re stronger?”
Ava swept her arm, encompassing the pack behind them. “Open your eyes, sis. We’re a part of some hierarchical cult. Because of that bite, I’m not free to make my own choices. I want to live where I want, with who I want, damn it! I’m a prisoner more than ever.” Her lip curled. “On top of it all, once a month I turn into a monster. I have no control over my life anymore.”
Ava stole a breath and closed her eyes. After a moment she opened them and met her gaze. “I’m trying, Kenz, I am. I think I just need to get away from everything, you know? Let my mind catch up on all the changes.”
Biting her lip, Kenzie nodded. All she wanted to do was wrap her arms around her sister and take all her pain away. She folded her arms, resisting the urge. “Just know that you’re not alone, if you don’t want to be. I’ll be waiting when you’re ready.”
“I know.” Ava pressed her lips together and offered a watered-down smile before turning and entering the restroom.
Well that didn’t go the best.
“It didn’t go that bad either.” Jaxx pulled her into his arms.
She melted into him and sighed. The nerves twirling in her gut settled, and she knew, given enough time, Ava would come around. Their relationship wasn’t ruined, and Ava didn’t hate her like she’d feared. “It was progress. At least her wolf didn’t want to attack me this time.”
Jaxx led her toward the center table where the pack gathered, eating and drinking. Smiling, she thought this was exactly what she’d always craved and wanted for her whole life. She looked at Ava’s vacant seat, and her words played in her mind.
Did she consider herself weaker now that she was a were? While she might have new vulnerabilities when the moon was full, in all other ways she was enhanced. Being a member of a pack qualified as a huge change, yet she was stronger because of it. Each member willing to risk their lives to help save her sister, simply because she was one of them. Then there was Jaxx, someone who invoked a whirlwind of emotions within her. She couldn’t deny how much she loved the way he made her feel, loved the way he treated her, and loved the connection they shared. She simply loved him.
He leaned down, his breath fanning across her ear. “Tell me; was it my good looks, charming personality, or my sexual prowess that won you over?”
She laughed and squeezed his forearms. Turning in his embrace, she peered up to his eyes. “The jury is still out. I might need another sample of your sexual prowess to make an educated decision.”
Nuzzling her neck, he growled for her ears only, “Little wolf, I’m taking you home. Prepare yourself for an extended sampling.”
Her lips curled, and she realized in what felt like forever, everything seemed right in her world.
The end.
Afterword
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Excerpt from Primal Night
Darkness swallowed the valley whole, the shadows stretched across the cabins where the crescent moon’s light didn’t quite reach. Ryker Bennett liked these nights best. Darkness for a dark creature like himself. Darkness offered protection. Darkness held no expectations, and it didn’t judge him. Darkness hid the shadows haunting his soul and the monster taking over his heart.
Wind billowed from his position high in the mountain’s cliff, flapping his dark coat. Plumes of mist puffed out with his every breath, yet the bite of the frigid air didn’t chill his bones. After all, a cold-hearted beast didn’t feel a thing. This high up he couldn’t see the curling fingers of smoke billowing from what were his pack lands, but the ashen notes teased him every time he inhaled.
With Christmas only a week away, he wondered if in his absence anyone had bothered to decorate the main hall. Probably not. It was a weak attempt to lift pack spirits anyway. He knew it and so did his men. The council’s claws had been bone-deep into his pack, and it had impacted them all.
His men suffered the most.
“And for that I am sorry.”
Not that his apologizes had mattered in the end. He may as well have signed each and every shifter’s death warrant. The thought of his acts churned in
his stomach, and bile rose. Unlike most of his kind, he didn’t have to wait to lose his humanity; he was already a monster.
As if his thoughts of his pack summoned their attempt to reach him, the mental call ricocheted off the barriers he’d built since his status as alpha of the Dark Falls pack shifted to fugitive. A sharp stab knifed its way into his brain, and he pinched the bridge of his nose. Denying his pack’s mental calls had that effect. It wasn’t natural that an alpha abandoned his pack or ignored their pack link. Yet, his situation wasn’t normal, and he had to protect his men, even if that meant from himself.
Now Dark Falls was alone. Vulnerable. So was he. Swallowing that thought, he spun away from his past and all that he had possessed, to face the present—a cold, black void—even if he’d planned on claiming his mate, he wasn’t sure the bond could fill the emptiness eating him from the inside out. Mate. The thought of his female quivered in his gut. She had been very naughty indeed. His lips tugged at the edge. That meant she had what it would take to be his and survive the shitstorm that he was about to rain down against their kind. It would be a deadly battle and change their shifter world. Not that he planned to claim his female. He would never tarnish a female with the likes of himself.
Ryker bent and wiped his bloody hands on the dead vampire’s shirt and tossed the body to land next to his companion lying on the pyre. Striking a match, he lit the kindling, and flames engulfed the vampires. As long as the wind blew north, no one would be the wiser. If not… Well, he’d deal with the fallout when it came knocking.
“As the flames rise, know that the curls of smoke will not set you free. You will be tethered to the ashes and the scorched earth, in a world where you’ll never know peace.” Ryker spat at the flames, and the air sizzled. He didn’t feel one ounce of remorse for killing the two vampires he’d entrusted to bring his mate safely to him.
They worked for his father, Josef Bennett, a leading member of the council community, and therefore they were despicable creatures that got off on hurting others. Yet obedient enough to be kept in the ranks of his father’s employment and, for instance, deliver a female to him without a single hair on her harmed. All for a price, of course. And they were getting their due. Not that the leeches had known Kali was his mate. To them she was just another female to add to his father’s collection.
Not able to stomach the stench of vampire, he entered deeper into the forest. Snow started to fall, and the cover it brought would ensure none of his tracks were discovered. His steps slowed and his gaze skated along the trees, his senses seeking any hiding in his domain. When he was satisfied, he approached an alcove behind some boulders and reached down, pulling aside the branches and few rocks covering the entrance to his secret den.
He’d known things were about to get dicey and had made provisions suitable for the threats to come. If nothing else, his father had taught him to be resourceful and always prepare for the worst. The steel trap-door opened with a muffled moan, and he gently placed the door lid against the rock bed in the event the noise would travel.
You could never be too careful. Creatures of the dark always listened from the shadows. Not that he was scared. Hell, he was the darkness. There was nothing left of him but a sliver of humanity. Nothing and no one would stop him from his quest. It had taken him a long time to come to terms with the truth, but once he did, his resolve was impenetrable. Josef Bennett was evil, and justice would be delivered, if it was the last good thing he did.
He told himself that story every damn day, hoping against all hope he’d stay true to what was right. Every day got harder to remember why he cared. If he were honest, lately he felt duty was simply a motion to maintain the ruse that he wasn’t already lost.
Ensuring the entrance was covered, he descended the stairs. His boots scraped on the stone steps, made with his own hands. Flakes of snow drifted to the floor with each step. No one knew of his safe haven. Not until now. He’d gotten rid of the two vampires. The only one left alive was his. Kali, his mind whispered, sampling his mate’s name. Just the thought of her made his breathing ease.
A crash thudded deep within the underground tunnels. A smile tugged at his lips. It seemed his mate had been busy and freed herself from the bonds he’d ordered her to be placed in. Quickening his pace, he weaved through the network of tunnels to his room and because he was a sick bastard, a lick of excitement coursed through his veins. What would his female be like? Would he have enough strength to deny her mating urges? After all, it was only natural they would be drawn to each other.
No matter how many people he’d been surrounded by, he’d always been alone. So he hadn’t prepared for another person to share his den. Yet, under the circumstances, it seemed fitting that his female share his quarters. Right where he could keep her safe. Safe from his father’s knowledge, safe from his reach, and more importantly, safe from the Pen.
Ryker tsked, projecting his voice. “Kali, my frisky little kitty, you’ve been busy.”
Pulling the single key from around a chain on his neck, he shoved it in the keyhole and turned until the mechanism clicked. He sucked in a breath and nearly groaned, drawing in a nose full of night lilies that could only come from Kali. Straightening his shoulders, he turned the knob, preparing to meet the female that held his future in the palm of her hands.
Kali Sinclair’s heart pounded hard and fast. The deep baritone voice was unfamiliar. The lock clicked open, and any second the male responsible for her capture would walk through the door. The pine scent of the shifter clung to the bed, and it intensified from beyond the door, mixed with the stench of death. She lifted her lip, preparing to do something. Anything. Her only focus—survive.
Was the male working for Jefferson Reynolds? She swallowed hard, chills snaking down her spine. Even thinking of the male’s name resulted in her breath seesawing out of her chest. Jefferson was evil incarnate. She’d been forced to walk hand in hand with a monster and land a front-row seat at the damage the male could wield. Ever since her escape, she’d been hunted by him.
Calm down. Breathe in. Hold. Breathe out. She craned her neck, stretching the tension from her shoulders. As long as the male wasn’t Jefferson himself, she could handle the situation. Hell, whoever held her captive would be a walk in a park on a sunny afternoon compared to that sadistic bastard.
Her gaze swung around, skimming the bed, a small dresser, and office desk, searching for something, anything, that could be used as a weapon. Nothing. Damn it! It didn’t matter, she was a weapon, as the male was about to find out. The door lock clicked, and her attention shot to the only barrier between them.
Muscles tense, she prepared for battle. Once she’d escaped Jefferson’s grasp, she swore she’d never be a victim again. Her whole life had been fighting for survival and, damn it, she would win this battle. Her time of being controlled, tormented, and living in fear was over. One thing she knew with all certainty—she would never give up. She’d fight tooth and claw until her last breath.
Soundlessly, the door yawned open, and as if the bowels of hell had released the devil himself, a six and a half foot shifter covered in blood dripping off a leather duster strolled into the room. His eyes skimmed the small space and barely stopped on her before he approached. Removing his jacket, he tossed it in the corner behind the door. Then he reached up and grabbed the back of his grey, blood-spattered tee and ripped it over his head, leaving him in only some denims and boots.
Adrenaline spread like a fire, blazing through each limb and organ until her body shook with contained energy. A drop of blood trailed down from the male’s brow; the stench of death wrapped around him as if he wore it often. If he’d thought she would be easy pickings, he was going to be sorely mistaken. She shook her head, still foggy from that damn vampire control. “Come any closer and you’ll be sorry.”
Her wolf struggled to surface. Black-tipped claws shot out from her nail beds, and fur skated along her arm. She urged her body to shift fully to her wolf, and nothing else happened
. Damn it. One of the male’s black-slashed brows shot up as if to mock her strength. A deep rumble snaked its way up from her chest. She may be smaller than the male holding her captive, but she was lithe and light on her feet and knew how to fight dirty, as he’d soon learn.
Glancing from the cuffs still attached to the bed and her broken bra wire hanging from the lock, he raised his brows and shot her a smile that morphed the hard angles of his face to something completely different. Something exquisite. Something that made her already-pounding heart rate spike.
“Impressive,” he said, kicking his chin toward the cuffs.
It would have been more impressive if she’d found a way out of there before he’d shown up. He unbuckled the button at his jeans and stepped closer to her. Pent-up energy fueled her movements, and she threw her fist at the male. His fingers wrapped around her wrist. She tensed and drove another punch with her left arm.
In what would have been an inspiring move if it wasn’t happening to her, the shifter dodged her strike and spun her on the spot as if they were dancing. Her back thudded against his rock-hard stomach. The hard length of his arousal pressed against her back, and dread stole her breath. More alarmingly, her body responded. A quiver shook in her lower belly, her nipples beaded, and she bit her lip.
What in the moon was wrong with her? Not trusting her body’s response, panic fueled her struggles to dislodge his hold on her. The band of his arm tightened, plastering her closer to his body. She wasn’t going anywhere unless he allowed it. With his other hand, he reached forward, his large frame blanketing her, and picked up a towel from the dresser. The heat from his body engulfed her, and anger thrashed inside her chest. Damn it! She’d spent her life fighting for freedom and within seconds one male had her caught in his grasp and his mercy.
