by R. E. Butler
Adam snorted and ended the call. The wolf pack owned a car dealership, and most of the weres in the area came to them for better deals than they received at human-owned dealerships. Although weres had been known to humankind for years, there were still those who had prejudices against shifters for no reason other than the fact that they were different.
“Adam?” Angie’s voice was soft and low.
He turned to face her. “Yes?”
“Don’t do this.”
“What?”
“Take Cinder’s friend. You already took Leo from her.”
Adam growled and Angie’s eyes widened. Her fear scented the air like sour milk. “Don’t mention that pup to me again.”
Angie’s eyes glistened with unshed tears, and she dropped her head and backed out of the room. Guilt pricked at him, but he shoved away the unwanted feeling. He was making the best decision for his relationship with Cinder. With the tiger gone, she would have to deal with their mating on her own. It wouldn’t take long before the mate-heat became too much to bear, and then she’d come to him. Taking the tiger out of the equation meant she would have no choice but to turn to Adam. He wasn’t a patient male by any stretch, and he hoped she’d turn to him sooner, rather than later.
Chapter 6
Cinder felt Angie before she even opened the door to the clinic Thursday night. She normally worked at the Cleveland Mother Earth Store on Thursdays and Fridays, but Doc Whalen had asked her to work Thursday to make up for missing Tuesday.
Earlier in the day, Brick had brought lunch for her, and she’d been treated to homemade fettuccine alfredo courtesy of Adam’s mom. Cinder had liked the meal so much that she decided to wear the pendant Adam sent for her. The wolf charm was warm and comforting as it hung around her neck.
Angie had a small silver gift bag in her hand, and she set it on the counter. Cinder heard a tinkling sound, and she noticed that Angie was wearing a bracelet with little bells hanging from it.
Grinning, Cinder reached for the bag and said, “I didn’t mean you literally had to wear bells.”
Angie wiggled her arm, and the bells danced. “All morning my mom kept saying she was hearing bells, and I didn’t tell her it was my bracelet. She thought she was losing her mind. It was pretty hilarious.”
“Brick said your mom made my lunch. It was delicious.”
“I’ll tell her you said so. It’s one of my favorite meals of hers too.”
Cinder pulled a tuft of tissue paper from the bag and extracted a small white box. She lifted the lid and found four squares of chocolate, stamped with the name of her favorite candy shop.
She put down the box and stared at the contents for a long moment before looking at Angie. “He asked Leo what my favorite candy is, didn’t he?”
Angie’s gaze seemed to light everywhere but on Cinder’s. “Yes.”
Cinder put the lid on the box and said, “It’s bad enough he took my friend away, but to mine him for information about me just seems…really shitty.”
“I’m sorry, Cinder.”
“It’s not your fault. I guess I don’t hate him for trying to figure out what I like, but he could have asked me. Does he ever do anything himself or does he always send people for him?”
“What do you mean?”
“He’s sent Solan and Brick to bring me lunch. I’m betting he didn’t clean my apartment himself while I was in the hospital, and you’ve brought me gifts the last two nights from him. Doesn’t he know it would mean more if he did these errands himself?”
Angie shrugged but seemed to agree. “He’s alpha.”
“And?”
“And nothing.”
Cinder leaned back in the chair and looked at the young wolf. “If I were a she-wolf in the pack, would he be doing this kind of thing?”
“If you were in the pack, you’d be thrilled to be his mate.”
“Because he’s alpha.”
Angie nodded.
Cinder thanked Angie for the chocolates and turned down the invitation for a ride to Adam’s home. After Angie left, Cinder felt an odd twist in her stomach, a mild cramp that made her pause. She picked up the bag and sniffed it, finding it smelled like Adam had, like the woods at night. Her stomach twisted again, and she put down the bag and pushed it to the edge of the desk. She felt irked at Adam for talking to Leo about her. For all she knew, Leo had told Adam about her bedroom habits. A blush crept up her neck as she wondered whether Adam had asked Leo what she was like in bed. She really didn’t want to know what males talked about when they talked about sex, although she truly hoped Leo had only good things to say about her.
Her thoughts remained on Adam as she worked, and by the time her shift was finished, she was tempted to go to his house. As she drove home, she gave into her temptation. He’d told her that the intensity of their connection would grow as the full moon drew closer, and although she didn’t appreciate his heavy-handedness with her life, she couldn’t deny that she was attracted to him and curious about what their future held.
She walked into her apartment and went straight to her room to change. She took her phone from her purse to call Leo and ask for the alpha’s address, but she realized how quiet the house was.
Leaving her room, she walked to Cyrus’s and knocked. There was no answer, and she pushed open the door and flicked on the light, gasping in shock to see the empty room, save for the stripped bed. The closet door was open and cleaned out.
Feeling confusion and worry, she dialed Cyrus’s cell. He answered on the fourth ring, his voice low and calm. “Hi, sweetheart.”
“What the hell?” she sputtered. “You moved out? Why?”
There was a significant pause. “I’m sorry, but I didn’t have a choice. The order came from Midas after you left for work. He told me to move out, and he’s my king.”
“Why would Midas care that we’re living together?” She frowned and then just as quickly, she realized why. “Adam asked Midas to make you leave, didn’t he?” Sadness and anger warred inside her.
“I’m sorry, Cin, truly,” his voice softened slightly, “but this isn’t about you and me. I’ll always be your friend, but until you get things squared away with the wolf pack, I’m forbidden from seeing you.”
She didn’t remember saying goodbye due to her shock, hearing only the click as Cyrus ended the call. A week ago she’d had no complaints in her life, but one meeting with the alpha wolf and she’d slowly lost everything because Adam was a jealous asshole.
Tears blurred her eyes as she stepped out of Cyrus’s room and shut the door. Turning toward her own room, she took off the necklace and put it back into the box, leaving it on the dresser along with the box of chocolates. She stripped and climbed into bed and quickly found herself at the forefront of another sleepless night. Her whole body ached, and nothing took the edge off. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Adam. His beautiful eyes. His sexy grin.
In the morning, she put the necklace and chocolates in a big envelope, wrote Adam’s name on the front, and taped it to the door. Even though she didn’t have to be at the Wiccan store until later in the afternoon, she didn’t want to deal with Solan or Brick.
She parked behind the Wiccan store and closed her eyes, resting her forehead on the steering wheel. She’d never felt so out of sorts before. Yes, she missed Leo and Cyrus, and she was totally aggravated with Adam, but she felt as though she was completely out of touch with what had always centered her – being near other Wiccans.
She opened her eyes and looked at her GPS screen, seeing the button to open her contacts. She pushed the button and scrolled through the names until she found her mom’s cell number and dialed.
“I was just thinking of you, darling,” her mom said when she answered. “The night blooming jasmine smelled so amazing last night, and I know that’s one of your favorite flowers.”
There was only a brief pause before Cinder started to cry and told her mom everything.
“I’m so sorry, Cinder,” her mom
said. “What can I do?”
“Father said I wasn’t a wolf at all, but the shifters around me have all said I might shift with this coming moon, and that means I’m in the presence of my mate. What should I do?”
“You know I can’t tell you that. Only you can decide your choices in life.”
“He’s taking my choices away.”
“So the young wolf or the tiger was your mate? I don’t think so, or you wouldn’t feel so torn about the wolf. Wolves are, generally speaking, possessive jackasses. I’d suspect that is especially true for an alpha.”
“Was father like that?”
Her mom sighed. “Oh, Cinder, he wasn’t my mate and I wasn’t his. We met at a bar and had a one-night stand. I had to track him down to tell him I was pregnant. It’s why he was never part of your life, or mine.”
Cinder lifted her head from the steering wheel and stared at the GPS screen. “I knew you weren’t really mates, but I thought there was a relationship of some kind.”
“No. He was, and still is, very wrapped up in his pack, and unlike most packs nowadays, his is very anti-anyone who isn’t a wolf. I would have stuck out like a sore thumb.”
“I thought wolf packs always have a Sahri for full moons and ceremonies.”
“Not the old-school packs. They may hire one of us from time to time, but they don’t want us in their ranks. I’m thankful that you weren’t wolf enough for your father. He probably would have tried to take you from me and mate you to someone in his pack.”
Cinder grunted and laid her head against the headrest. “Adam is such an asshole, but aside from taking away Leo and Cyrus, he hasn’t done anything but try to be nice to me. I’m scared.”
“Of what?”
“Losing everything.”
“What if you gain more than you lose? If it’s really true that you’re his mate and that you’re slowly becoming a shifter, then you need him. You’re way past the age when you would have normally shifted, so meeting him and his pack members has flipped a switch in your body. I know you want to be independent, and I don’t know this Adam fellow, but you can’t really ignore biology. Your body is going to do whatever it’s going to do, whether you approve or not. Wouldn’t it be better to have your mate with you, even if he is a jackass?”
Cinder laughed and a few more tears escaped, slipping down her cheeks. She brushed them off and said, “Thanks, Mom.”
“I’ll say a blessing for you. I love you, sweet daughter of mine.”
“I love you, too, Mom.”
Cinder got out of her car, and the moment she shut her door, she felt Adam. Turning slowly, she saw him standing a few yards away, with a big black SUV behind him. “Adam?”
“I’m not sending anyone else to talk to you, bring you gifts, or cook you meals, Cinder.”
“You took my friends away.”
“I’m not going to apologize for that,” he said, sniffing and crossing his arms over his chest.
She leaned against her door. “I didn’t ask you to. I was just pointing out that you’re an asshole.”
His eyes narrowed and she wondered if she were really one of his wolves, would she have been afraid of inciting his wrath?
“Why are you here, Adam?”
“Because you belong with me.”
Her back stiffened, and a hundred nasty retorts flipped through her mind. But as she stared at him and considered the very best way to insult him, she finally really looked at him and saw something she hadn’t seen before. Although on the surface he appeared to be in complete control, if not totally annoyed with her, his eyes were dark with unhappiness. The ice blue was dull, and dark circles under his eyes spoke of a lack of sleep.
She took a step closer. “What do you want from me?”
“Be mine.”
She shook her head and moved one more step toward him. “I don’t know you. You’ve bulldozed over my life without even talking to me. You can’t manhandle me. I’m not a wolf, not really.”
He dropped his arms and ran one hand through his dark hair. He took a step closer to her. “I’m sorry.”
“I thought you didn’t apologize.”
“I don’t. But I don’t want you to hate me, and I don’t want you to think of me as an ogre. I’m used to snapping my fingers and having everyone do what I say. You try my patience.”
She wrinkled her nose. “You’re hardly patient. We only met a few days ago, and you’re systematically dismantling my life.”
He moved again, shortening the distance. His scent washed over her, and she felt the wolf part of herself snap to attention. Something stretched under her skin, like the wolf was trying to get through her body to him. Her stomach twisted, and she winced at the slight pain, not entirely unpleasant but not welcome at the moment.
Adam was suddenly in front of her, his arms around her tightly, pulling her hard against his body. The ache in her body changed, throbbing with the beat of her racing heart as she stared at his eyes. The blue of his irises slowly disappeared, eclipsed by pure gold that reminded her of the glow of the sun as it rose in the sky.
“It’s getting worse,” he said with a rough voice.
She let her hands rest on his chest. “I’m okay during the day for the most part, but I can’t get comfortable at night. I can’t sleep.”
“I haven’t been sleeping so well either.”
“What happened to my vibrator? I want it back.”
His brow arched. “It’s gone.”
“That thing cost ninety dollars!”
He snorted. “You don’t need it.”
She ducked her head to his chest with a groan. “You had me wishing I had a battery-operated toothbrush.”
“Nothing artificial will take the edge off our mating, Cinder. Only you and me can do that. I’m suffering without you.”
“I want you to replace it.”
“Maybe. If you’re very good. Or, wait, I actually think you’re a naughty thing, so I guess I want you to be very, very bad. Then we’ll talk.”
Her head tipped back, and she couldn’t help but smile at his big grin. His hands flexed on her back, and she felt the ridge of his erection against her stomach. “What are you afraid of?”
“I don’t know what’s happening to me. You know this isn’t normal.”
“It might not be normal, but it’s going to happen whether you’re on board or not. Let me be there for you. Don’t push me away,” he spoke earnestly.
She harrumphed. “You’re the one who’s being pushy.”
His lip curled as a growl vibrated in his chest, making her palms tingle. “I’m being remarkably docile compared to what I’d like to do.”
“Which is what?”
“Throw you over my shoulder and take you back to the den.”
“Den? I thought you lived in a house?”
He grinned. “You’re changing the subject.”
She dropped her head to his chest and sighed. Tentatively, she wrapped her arms around his neck and actually hugged him. The tightness in her body, the strange twisting ache, settled as heat flared through her.
He nuzzled her hair, and she shivered. “You can’t deny the connection between us, Cinder. I know it’s new and frightening, but the full moon is only five days away. I can’t stand the distance between us.”
She rubbed her cheek against his chest and closed her eyes. “Can’t you ask me out on a date? Are wolves against being normal guys?”
He snorted. “I’m hardly normal.”
She laughed. “You’re proud of the weirdest things.”
He sighed exaggeratedly. “Fine. Go out with me tonight.”
She looked up at him. The gold was gone, and his eyes were back to the icy blue color she found so enchanting. He seemed more relaxed, and she could admit that while she was turned on, she wasn’t feeling nearly as out-of-sorts as she had before he showed up. “I’m off at four, and you can pick me up at six.”
“Five.”
“I wasn’t negotiating.”
/> “I was.”
“Five thirty.”
He lowered his head and kissed her. It was the simplest of kisses, just a pressing of their lips together, but the whole world dropped away, and her wolf howled in her mind.
He lifted from her mouth and said, “Five thirty. Be safe.”
She had to force herself to let go of him. She smiled at him, and he watched her as she walked into the store until the door shut behind her and he was obscured from view. She almost opened the door to see him again; her hand gripped the door handle before she realized it, but she forced herself to let go and turn away, leaving her wolf behind. At least for now. She’d think more about the strange circumstances of her life later.
* * * * *
Adam waited until the door closed and then he turned as Joe and Solan walked around the corner of the building.
“Keep an eye on the building, and when her shift is over, make sure she gets home safely.”
“Why don’t you do what you said you wanted and take her home now?” Joe asked, folding his arms.
“Because she’s not a wolf, and I don’t want to drive her away.” He’d already made too many mistakes in a short period of time, and he could tell by the way she melted in his arms that he needed to have a softer touch. It went against his natural tendency to bend people to his will, but he didn’t want her to hate him. She was going to need him on the full moon, and he needed her too.
“We’ll make sure she gets home safely, Alpha,” Solan said.
Adam nodded and strode to his SUV. Five thirty couldn’t come fast enough.
Chapter 7
Cinder was aware of the wolves watching the store. Not only had Lorene and two of the unnatural Wiccans mentioned it, but she’d felt them. It was as if being near one of Adam’s wolves called to a deeper part of her being. She was tempted to talk to Lorene about the situation, but she decided to keep her thoughts to herself for now. With the full moon drawing closer, she was aware that her life might change drastically. She feared losing her powers if she actually shifted, which is what everyone seemed to assume would happen. She didn’t know what she would do if she lost her connection to her powers over flame and fire.
