His gut clenched. It was his fault she was sad and upset, and he couldn’t go to her and make it better. The stupid plan had brought him his mate and taken her from him at the same time.
“She’s coming up on her change, Brandon. I don’t know what to do. I didn’t even get a chance to explain to her that she would turn wolf after we mated.”
Brandon whistled low. “That is just wrong. But I will ask Jaylin and others to keep an eye on her to make sure she’s well-guarded when the moment arrives.”
“I’ve told my own people to guard her also, but I don’t want her to go through that without me. I should be there with her. Teaching her how to go back and forth between human and wolf,” he growled, exasperated.
“Calm down. She needs time. Lili is not a person that holds on to things, so once she’s not hurt or angry enough to want to string you up by your balls, she’ll come see you.”
“She said she wanted to string me up by the balls?” If she was that angry he wouldn’t be seeing her any time soon. And he missed her. He missed talking to her and holding her. Kissing her sexy lips and touching her curvy body.
Brandon shrugged. “She either said string you up by your balls and hang you out to dry or shove them down your throat. I can’t remember which one she used.”
Chapter Seven
“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”
Brandon hooted in laughter. “Oh yes. I’m glad you apologized, C. I missed this kind of shit. My brothers aren’t as fun to watch fuck up their love lives. You’re much better at spreading the shit around until there’s no way to clean it.”
“Asshole. So that’s it? I just wait around until she decides she wants to see me again? And if that never happens, what then?” He was never going to survive this. He made things happen. Now he was subject to waiting until Lili decided to forgive him and talk to him again. After he’d told her what to do and pretty much lied? That would be a cold day in hell.
Brandon sat back, folded his legs, and placed them on a glass coffee table. “Then you need to start thinking of ways to get your mate back. Because Lili’s amazing, and pretty soon some other man is going to want your woman for himself.”
Cade growled and stalked off. He needed a drink. He’d been mated for less than a week, and he’d fucked up well enough it had driven him to alcohol. Not that it would do anything since shifters metabolized the stuff before they even felt a buzz. Once he grabbed two ice-cold beers from the fridge, he returned to the living room and found Kevin sitting down with Brandon.
He tossed a cold bottle at his old friend. “You can get your own beer. You know where they are,” he said to Kevin.
“He’s very hospitable, isn’t he?” Brandon chuckled.
“Usually he’s a lot bossier, but he’s mellowed out since he mated.” Kevin laughed.
Cade sat down to mope, wondering at the different ways he could appease Lili’s anger.
“I heard Cyrus made an appearance at your cabins,” Brandon said.
Cade nodded. “Yeah. He says he wants the right to the pack.”
Kevin laughed. “As if that’s something he can just get. No offense Cade, but are you sure you’re related?”
“What are you going to do about him?” Brandon asked before he had a chance to answer Kevin.
“I’ve got people on him. He’s got two choices.” Cade clenched his jaw. “He can leave, and I will act as if he never returned. Or…” His voice deepened, his animal pushing at his skin. “He can fight.”
Kevin cleared his throat. “I don’t think it will come to that. From what I understand he’s lost some of the few followers he had due to his unwillingness to fight you that night. Apparently it made him look weak in the eyes of his men.”
Brandon nodded. “But that doesn’t take away the threat, right?”
“No,” Kevin agreed. “But it does mean that for now he’s got nothing. We’ll stay on top of him and whatever moves he makes.”
Cade leaned back in his seat and sighed, his mind going back to his current, curvy, sexy mate problem.
“All right, so let’s think,” Kevin said once he returned from the kitchen with his own beer can. “You need to figure out a way to get in her good graces.”
He glared at both men. “Was I talking to myself? I have been saying that.”
Brandon shook his head and gulped down his beer. “I already told you. I know Lili. Just give her some time, and she’ll come to see you when she has questions.” He took another drink. “Or she’ll come when she grows some fur and a tail. She’ll probably want to know what the hell that’s about.”
Kevin laughed, and Cade realized that he’d missed Brandon. It had been a lonely few years without his friend. But he had bigger problems now that they had worked out their issues. He needed to figure out how to get Lili back. He missed her.
He stood and strolled to the elevator.
“Where are you going?” Kevin asked.
“I need to take a breather. I’m not going far, so just relax,” he replied and pressed the button. “Sit down and stop stressing over me. I can take care of myself you know.” He laughed at Kevin’s frown. “I’ll be back in a bit.”
Brandon marched up to him, got in the elevator cab beside him, and pressed the lobby button. “Come on. I know where she’s at tonight.”
He just wanted to see her, even if from a distance. Even if it was kind of stalker-ish and made him look like a pathetic wolf.
Lili frowned at the deserted area in front of her and shivered. Why the hell had she parked her car on that tiny side street? Now she was creeped out and didn’t want to go in there.
“Stupid horror movies. Why do I continue to watch them?” she mumbled.
She lifted her thick scarf up to her ears and peered up and down the road. She didn’t see another person. It had been stupid to visit her aunt and leave so late. Aunt Patty never let anyone get out of her house without having at least two meals there, which meant that she ended up leaving late after dinner and dessert. She firmed her spine while taking careful steps toward her car, determined to not let anything scare her.
Digging into her pocket, she searched for her car keys as she neared the vehicle.
A figure appeared out of nowhere and stood in front of her. “Cade’s little mate.”
Lili jerked her head up. Holy crap. Cyrus. The big, angry, evil-looking man was smiling at her. She took hasty steps back, turned, and attempted to run, but he was on her in what felt like the blink of an eye. He grabbed the neck area of her coat and yanked back. She screamed.
“Where are you going? We haven’t even gotten to know each other yet.” He laughed.
“Let go of me!”
In a blur of movement, he grabbed her arms, and held them behind the back of her neck. Then he shoved her face-first up against her car, her body flat on the car’s side. Fear rushed over her. He started tearing at the material of her coat. Panic surged with every rip, because it became clear he was going to rape her. She kicked, screamed, and tried to buck him off. Every move was a struggle because it was like being held between a steel wall and an unmoving rock.
“Get off me, you bastard!” She kicked behind her and had the satisfaction of hearing him curse when she hit his leg. But he was on her back, his claws tearing at her clothes now. Cold air seeped through the torn material of her jacket.
“Do you think Cade will want you once I’ve had you? This will teach him that I don’t joke around.” He shoved her head down, cold metal pressing up against her cheek. “You’ll be the ultimate payback.” His growled words only pushed her to try harder to shake him off.
“Fuck you!”
“No. When I’m done with you, Cade will be devastated.” He licked her neck, and she shuddered in disgust. “And he’ll know not to fuck with me.”
She bucked and kicked, her arms burning from the position he had her in. Her skirt was lifted. He tore at her leggings, cutting her legs in the process. The sound of ripping material filled the air
, ratcheting up her anger. She wouldn’t let him do that to her without a fight. Cold panic was taking over, and the feel of his erection on her ass only made her more frantic to get him off. She tried the only thing she could think of, loosening her limbs as if defeated. The plan seemed to work because his grip slackened, giving her the necessary space to move. With just enough space to lift her face, she slammed her head back. Sharp pain hit the back of her skull as it made contact with his face. The sound of breaking bones propelled bile up her throat.
He groaned and stepped back. The move gave her only enough space to crawl from under him since he was still too close.
“Fucking bitch.” His growling got louder, and he swiped a claw at her back as she tried to run again. “I’m going to fuck you and then kill you.”
She screamed in pain. Angry growls made her glance up the street. A big, black wolf was rushing toward them. Cyrus shoved her to the side, and she slammed against a concrete wall. Her right side throbbed from the hit. She watched as Cyrus tore from his clothes and fully shifted into a black and gray wolf. Cyrus’s wolf was almost as big as the black one she thought might be Cade. As Cyrus neared the black wolf, he snarled and tried to bite the bigger wolf. A third, white wolf joined the melee. The black and white both swiped angry claws at Cyrus. The black wolf growled at the white, almost like he was telling him to back off. The white wolf stepped away, watching from the sidelines.
Lili slid up the wall, her entire body shaking and her back burning from the scratches. She pulled the keys out of her pocket, opened her car door, and never taking her gaze off the two fighting animals, grabbed a steel baseball bat from the car’s floor.
Taking quick, ragged breaths, she walked up to the two fighting animals. The white wolf watched her. He growled, and she wondered if he was trying to tell her to stay out of it. But she went on until she was close enough to lift up her arms and swing the bat with all her might at the wolf she knew was Cyrus.
Bones cracked when the bat connected with his furry head. The black wolf bit down on Cyrus’s throat. Hard. She heard the breaking of neck bones. He shuffled back and stopped his attack on Cyrus. Cyrus stumbled. Blood oozed from multiple bites all over his monstrous body and down his furry throat. He dropped, clearly fighting to take a breath. But Lili was beyond compassion. The bastard was going to—would have—raped her! She lifted her arms and swung again, and again, and again. Until his head was a bloody mess of broken bones. Then she focused on his big body. She beat him until she couldn’t lift her arms anymore. Her entire body shook when the bat dropped from her limp fingers.
“Lili.”
Hearing Cade call her name made her snap out of the trance. She glanced up and saw both him and Brandon cover their bodies with the long coats they had tossed aside during their shift. Their clothes were tattered all over the ground. She watched them approach her. Each one with a different level of concern on his face.
“Did he—” Cade asked, cupping her face with a shaky hand.
She shook her head. “No. But he was going to.”
“Lili, I’m sorry. This wouldn’t have happened if I—”
“Please, Cade. Stop.” She glanced at Brandon. “I want to go.” Numbness filled her. She needed to get away from the image of what Cyrus had tried to do.
“Come with me, Lili. I’ll take care of you,” Cade offered. His worried frown eased some of the shock in her system.
She shook her head.
“I need to think, Cade. I’m not sure that’s the right thing to do.” Wincing, she stepped away from him and to her car. “Please, Brandon, I want to go to Jay.”
Brandon glanced at Cade, who nodded and stepped back and away from her. She held on to the tattered front of her coat and let Brandon guide her into the passenger side of her car. Moments later he was at the wheel. Lili looked over her shoulder and saw Cade watching them drive away. A longing to go back to him filled her. She had to figure out what to do about him. It was clear she wanted to be with him, but lies had no place in any relationship she took part in.
Chapter Eight
It was a snowy, cold day, and Lili sat on a frozen bench. She’d fought her instinct all day until she couldn’t anymore. Howling wind whirled her hair around her shoulders. Something wanted her to leave, look for Cade, and stay close to him. It was more than merely missing him; it was a strange longing from somewhere deep inside her. She glanced up at the building. His building. He was up there. She knew he was and couldn’t figure out how she knew that. It was like some strange link had forged between them.
Suddenly her vision turned blurry and heat licked at her skin. What the hell was wrong with her? This was the second time she felt this way in the last few hours. Only now it was worse. As if someone had lit a match under her skin. She had explained her injuries vanishing overnight as quick healing, but even she knew that was a crock of bull.
Beads of sweat crowded her upper lip and chin. Holy crap. She was probably sick or something. She’d never heard of the flu doing this to anyone. What if having sex with a werewolf made a woman sick? The burning on her skin intensified. She screamed and tore at the wool coat. The material felt rough and constricting against her flesh.
“Ma’am?”
She glanced up.
A blurry security guard stared at her with concern. “Are you OK?”
She opened her mouth to speak, but her answer was cut off by a low, pain-filled moan and the need to strip off every piece of clothing. What the hell was going on? She shook her head and removed her cardigan. A red cami and jeans were all she wore. She’d die before she took any more of her clothes off. She doubled over, every muscle in her body aching as if they were being stretched taut.
The security guard gave her a sympathetic smile.
“It’s OK. You’ll be fine. Someone’s coming to help you.” His voice sounded farther and farther away. Like it would if she were underwater.
Did he say someone was coming to help her? Whoever that was better hurry the hell up. She was in a whole mess of pain. A sense of being called made her jerk her gaze around, but all she saw was the blurry security guard on his walkie. This was the backside of the building, and nobody else was around. Everything she looked at swam out of focus. She breathed deeply, hoping the sick feeling of vertigo would stop, hoping the increasing muscle pains would diminish. But they didn’t.
She dropped to the ground on her hands and knees and shut her eyes, groaning in pain. Her mind focused solely on calming the burning in her skin. That’s when she saw it. A beautiful golden wolf inside her head. The animal cocked its head and walked tentatively toward her. She stared at the wolf. Mesmerized, she took in the beauty of the animal. Sleek limbed and thick coated, the golden fur shone brighter the closer the wolf came. Standing stock-still, she watched the wolf walk around her, assessing her before it brushed its tail on her legs. Like a velvet blanket, she felt the soft fur under her skin.
“Don’t fight it, Lili.” She heard Cade’s voice in the distance, but was still staring at the wolf circling her.
Fight what? She wanted to ask, but the animal held her attention. She stopped in front of Lili, pushed her muzzle on her hand, and rubbed. Lili smiled, the wolf clearly wanted to be petted. She ran her hand into the thick golden fur over and over again. After a moment the wolf was no longer next to her. It vanished. She snapped her eyes open and looked up from the ground.
Cade sat on the frozen concrete next to her, running a hand down her back. “You’re beautiful.”
A yip was all that came out when she tried to tell him that was not enough to gain her forgiveness. Icy shock froze the blood in her veins. Did she just bark? She glanced down and almost fainted when she saw paws. Shit, she’d turned into a werewolf. But how? Frantically thinking back, she remembered when Cade bit her during sex. The bastard had turned her and hadn’t said anything? He didn’t think to ask for her permission?
“I’m sorry, Lili. I should’ve told you sooner that when we mated I also turned you into my
kind.”
She growled and moved away from him. She was a fucking wolf for cripes sake. And he was sorry? She was going to chew his lying ass off. Now she had a new lie to deal with. Well, technically neither were outright lies, but a lie by omission was a lie nonetheless.
She glanced down at the ground. Tattered pieces of her jeans and shirt lay all over the place. She didn’t even remember tearing the material off. So how did she go back to her non-furry human body?
“It’s easy, my love.” He crouched before her and grabbed her muzzle in his hands. “I want you to picture the wolf again.”
Closing her eyes, she visualized the golden wolf, and the animal reappeared, winding her way through Lili’s legs. In the background, Lili heard bones pop and shift. Her body felt as though she’d pulled all her muscles taut in a pathetic attempt at a full workout. After a moment the wolf stalked off. When she opened her eyes again, Cade held her face in his hands. She was on her hands and knees on the ground, completely naked. Ready to scream bloody murder, she opened her mouth but quickly shut it when a warm blanket covered her body.
Her body was no longer hers alone. The strange connection she’d formed with the creature moments before strengthened with each passing second. She glanced around, but didn’t see anyone. Just Cade.
“Where’s the security guard?” She wondered how often the poor man saw things like that.
“I sent him away. You only needed me for your first shift.” The arrogant bastard still thought it was that simple.
“You bit me.” She turned on him. Gripping the blanket with one hand, she poked him in the chest. “You knew that I was going to be stripping at some point and sprouting fur out of my ass.” She poked him again, her voice a low growl. “But you didn’t bother to tell me.”
“Lili, I’m—”
“Don’t you dare say you’re sorry.” She shoved her arm out of the blanket, waving it in the snow-covered, empty lot. “I came here because something pushed me to, but what if this shit happened to me at the mall?” She groaned. “Or at work!”
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