Beast Within (Loup-Garou Series Book 3)

by Sheritta Bitikofer

  “I’d ask where you’ve been, but it seems pretty obvious,” Darren said as he sat back in his wrought iron chair. “So, instead, I’ll ask why.”

  Dustin leaned heavily against the doorframe. “I don’t have to tell you everything, Darren.” His voice was thick, but the alpha couldn’t quite discern why. If he had been with women all night, then Dustin must have been tired, but there was something else in his words that he hadn’t heard from his beta in a long time. Sadness. True, penetrating, and consuming sadness.

  He knew exactly when he last heard this particular inflection, too. It was after Dustin had told Darren all about how he killed his new bride on their wedding night when he changed for the first time. He had been prostrated with grief and remarked how he thought he would never love again. As far as Darren knew, he held true to that vow.

  When they met again, after a hundred years apart, Dustin was not the same man. A womanizer and philanderer, he chased skirts until Darren had to set down rules. That kind of behavior, though not morally illegal in their world, was frowned upon. What if he impregnated a woman who had no idea he was a loup-garou? What if she bore a son and he wasn’t around when the boy came of age?

  It was John’s history. Darren’s history. Dustin’s history. They all knew how detrimental it was to turn for the first time without a father or mentor. Dustin should have known better than to risk it, especially since that’s exactly how Logan came into being. Though the loup-garou gene skipped a century and passed from Dustin’s illegitimate daughter to Logan, the effect was still the same. Logan was left clueless and Darren had to pick up the pieces.

  Darren let out a long breath and looked down to the steam that rolled from his tea. “You don’t have to tell me, but I would appreciate it if you did. Perhaps I can help.”

  Dustin shuffled forward and dropped into the chair across from his alpha. Her rubbed at his face and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Who else is home?” he asked, his voice cracking.

  “Logan just ran out and Katey’s upstairs. Ben went for an early morning run. He has to be at work in a couple of hours.”

  Dustin nodded and looked out the window with a slightly puzzled look in his eye, as if he didn’t realize how early it really was. “I…” he wiped his fingers across his lips and closed his eyes. “I’ve just been thinking of Cassandra a lot lately.”

  The alpha nodded in understanding. So, he was right. Dustin’s past was creeping up on him. “Is it because of a certain couple’s wedding bliss running a bit too long?” he asked, hoping Katey wasn’t listening. Darren was truly glad for their happiness and didn’t want to make her feel as if they were a burden in any way. If their lovemaking was truly bothersome, the alpha would have said something long ago.

  Dustin only nodded. “I can still smell her hair. I remember the way her skin feels. I remember her laugh and the way she played with the loose thread on her bodice… But, when I open my eyes, it’s another woman and she looks nothing like Cassandra.”

  The beta opened his eyes and balled his hand into a fist. For a moment, Darren wondered if he would smash the glass table top in a fit of frustration for the cruel hand that life had dealt him. Darren had lost his wife as well and knew the kind of sorrow that came with mourning such a loss, but he hadn’t killed her. She was murdered, and there was a fine line between being a widower and a murderer.

  It was only earlier this year that he learned Eleanor’s death was not his fault. The hunters weren’t after him, but he still wasn’t there to protect her when she needed him most. Dustin, on the other hand, was his own wife’s murderer, but there was no escaping the guilt. Darren couldn’t place himself in his beta’s shoes, nor would he want to.

  The front door swung open and Logan raced back up the stairs with a plastic convenience store bag swinging from his hand. He disappeared as quickly as he had arrived without saying a word to either of them.

  Darren and Dustin both looked towards the living room, then to one another.

  “Where did he go?” Dustin questioned.

  Darren simply shrugged and shook his head. “I’m done trying to understand him.”

  “Have they done anything this morning,” Dustin asked, asking with just enough inflexion in his question that Darren couldn’t mistake his meaning.

  “Surprisingly not. It makes me wonder if they’re chomping at the bit. They haven’t been as… active as usual.”

  Dustin covered his eyes with his hand and groaned. “If I hear him pop batteries into something, I’m gone.”

  The soft thumping Katey heard was not just in her head. Logan said he heard it, too. She perceived it as slightly more muffled than her own, but still louder than Logan’s when he lay in bed next to her.

  At first, she thought it was a bug, or perhaps one of the guys tapping their foot in another room. When she sensed that there was no one else upstairs but Logan, and he was fast asleep, she knew something wasn’t right.

  She just never thought it would be this.

  Birth control was a joke to a loup-garou. Katey knew her metabolism would be far too high for any contraceptive pill to be effective. In the heat of passion, they often forgot about condoms, and when they did, it was a hit or miss thing for Logan to pull out in time. Such an occurrence happened a week before, but Katey never thought something like this would manifest so soon.

  She was too wired to sit, but her legs were too weak to stand or pace as Logan did. So, she crouched in front of the toilet and stared at the plastic pregnancy test sitting on the porcelain lid. Logan’s nervousness matched her own as the seconds dragged on, the minutes ticking off sluggishly. So far, there was only one pink line. They were waiting to see if there was a second. The package said they would see a result in three minutes.

  They made an agreement not to say a word, knowing that Darren and Dustin were downstairs and would certainly hear them. Logan had been abnormally quick about running to the store to get the test, though Katey had been willing to wait a little longer. She wanted to enjoy the idea that they would stay an unburdened couple for a few more years, maybe a century, just to enjoy all the wonderful privileges of married life. They could go on dates, sleep in late on the days that neither of them worked, and kiss and hold one another to their hearts’ content. Having a child might ruin all of it.

  In just a short while, Katey’s already complicated life became threatened by new responsibilities that she wasn’t sure she could handle. What would having a baby mean for them? How would it integrate into the pack? She had seen plenty of kids with the Devian pack, but they were a larger group. Her pack was small and primarily made up of adults. How could they take care of a child?

  What would happen when the child grew up? Would they turn? Katey and Logan were the first loup-garou couple in millennia, since the vampires wiped out all the females of their kind in the war. Would they come out purely human and change later? Would they be loup-garou right out of the womb?

  Then Katey thought of the pregnancy. What if they reproduced in the same way wolves did? In litters. She covered her face in her hands, pushing away the nasty thought that she would have to carry four or six babies in her belly for nine months.

  This isn’t happening. This isn’t happening.

  She wanted to believe she was still dreaming, that this whole scenario was just the end of some hellish nightmare.

  Logan must have sensed her worry through their bond and stooped down to wrap his arms around her shoulders from behind. Feeling his warmth and loving embrace chased away much of the queasiness and tightness in her chest.

  “It’s going to be ok,” he whispered in her ear.

  All Katey could do was nod and squeeze her eyes shut against the tears that burned at the corner of her eyes. She wanted to believe him. She wanted to think that as long as she had him and her pack, having a child wouldn’t be so difficult. It was the next logical step in their relationship, but they hadn’t even been together for a year and she still considered herself to be fresh out of high s
chool.

  She had her diploma, but there was plenty more she wanted to do. How would having a child complicate traveling with the pack? How would it affect her budding plans to go to college and get a degree? Would she have to quit her job? Would having a child financially cripple the pack?

  She had so many questions, so many fears and doubts. Her wolf was no help. It wasn’t scared at all, which was another sign that what she heard earlier was truly the heartbeat of her unborn child. In fact, the wolf was oddly content, perhaps even pleased.

  Logan nudged her head to get her attention and she opened her eyes. Blurry with tears, she blinked a few times before leaning closer to the toilet to peak at the little window on the pregnancy test.

  Two pink lines.

  Afterword

  Dear Reader,

  I’m so glad you decided to continue in this awesome series with me and I hope you’re eager to see where the future is taking Katey and Logan. There’s still many more unresolved mysteries and loose ends to tie up and the next installation of this series, Precedence, endeavors to deliver an exciting climax to Katey’s growth period as a loup-garou and fulfiller of the ancient prophecy of Tanatia, the spirit of peace.

  From the beginning of the loup-garou series, I knew I wanted to bring in more characters and highlight the struggle with hunters. Many of the characters, like Anton, Will, Uriah, and Teddy, have backstories of their own and how they came to be so intertwined with the protagonists of the series. Progressively, I’ll be releasing a series of novellas that highlight these backstories. As a reader, you’ll get to see John’s origins, find out all the nitty-gritty details about what happened in Chicago between Logan and Erik, and see Adam and Jane’s romance blossom. Keep an eye out for these novellas by tuning into my social media sites for updates on release dates and sneak peeks into my progress. I’m so excited for The Legacies Series and I hope you will be too.

  If you enjoyed Beast Within, I encourage you to leave a review on its Goodreads page. It absolutely makes my day to hear that someone loves my characters and wants to read more. I’d also love to see you in person! I’ll be making several book signing events across the southern United States. If you’d like me to sign a copy of one of my books, or get your first signed paperback from me, check out my blog site for information on upcoming events.

  Again, I invite you to check out my social media sites for more updates and sneak peeks into my progress. You can find me at my blog, www.moonstruckwriting.wordpress.com.

  Also, find me on Facebook! I have an author page and fan group page where you can stay tuned into the latest news, get the chance to earn free stuff, and talk all about your favorite books.

  Happy Reading!

  Sheritta Bitikofer

  About the Author

  Sheritta Bitikofer is an author of eclectic tastes. Her mornings are spent dancing to Frank Sinatra and singing to hard rock bands while sipping on a good Cinnamon Dolce Latte from Starbucks. At work, she’s often found without shoes on or running to get her coworkers’ drinks from Sonic during happy hour. And when the day has been hard, she unwinds with a good book and chili cheese fries before snuggling on the couch with her husband. And on some weekends, she can be found at non-profit medieval historical society events either painting or shooting a bow. Her idea of a great time is dining out, chillin’ at the library (or a bookstore) and bouncing novel ideas back and forth with her loving and supportive husband.

  Follow her for upcoming novel releases

  www.moonstruckwriting.wordpress.com

  Also by Sheritta Bitikofer

  Escape

  The Neustrian Chronicles

  Clouds

  Passions

  Silver Screen

  The Loup-Garou Series

  The Enigma

  Becoming the Enigma

  Beast Within

  Precedence - Releasing January, 2018

  The Decimus Trilogy

  The Beast of Verona

  Amber Ashes

  Saving the Beast