Brand of the Pack

by Tera Shanley

  “A wolf challenged, but everything is fine,” Morgan reassured her. “Grey won and the other wolf is leaving.”

  Morgan swallowed a growl when the bitter smell of fear wafted off Marissa’s lightly freckled skin. No matter the reason, her wolf always reacted to the acrid scent.

  Marissa let out a long, shaky breath. “Are we still going out to eat for my birthday?”

  “Of course, we are. We aren’t going to let that bullheaded man ruin your birthday dinner.” She smiled. “I have a surprise.” She held her hand out for Marissa to see. The light glinted off the ring, throwing speckles across the wall. “We have a quickie wedding to plan, and since you’re going to be my maid of honor, I’m going to need your help.”

  “Really?” she asked in a breathy voice. Marissa beamed and tackled her in a hug, squeezing her until Morgan’s back cracked. “Oh my gosh, this is awesome! You don’t even understand how much I’ve wanted this for you guys. Did Grey freak out?”

  “I don’t really know. I put the ring on and walked away. Come on, let’s call Rachel and we’ll head on out to eat. My stomach is starting to cave in on itself.”

  “Fine with me. I’ll get Lana’s shoes on. Is it okay to come out now?”

  “Yeah. We’re safe.”

  Chapter 4

  The boys were downstairs in the great room talking while Wade stitched up Grey’s side where Rodrigo had torn into him. It looked painful, but either it wasn’t, or Grey was getting used to pain because he laughed and joked with the others like he was having a back massage. When Morgan’s light footfall hit a creak in the stairs, his eyes lifted straight to her. A grin lit up his entire face. He was captivating when he was like this.

  “Come here,” he rumbled. Motioning her over to his chair, he waited for her to approach, then pulled her onto his lap. “Did you mean it?”

  The big wolfy grin on his face made it impossible to keep hers straight. She flashed her ring for all of the waiting wolves and nodded. “I think it’s about time, don’t you? I was thinking this Saturday before the Full Moon Hunt and the branding ceremony. We’ll make it all official in one day.”

  Grey opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He rubbed his hand through his hair once. Twice. The man was speechless, and she delighted in it. So rarely was he caught without a quick remark ready on his tongue. He sat there smiling at her for a long moment, and then he pulled her in and kissed her. For the first time since she had moved in, she didn’t feel petrified by his unexpected touch. A lazy warmth filled her like a drug. He was safety. She nuzzled closer to his capable, muscular frame. He pulled back gently, but whatever emotion he saw on her face put him at ease. She could almost smell his happiness.

  They stood to heartfelt congratulations and hugs. Jason headed for the kitchen, pulled a six-pack of Coors Light out of the refrigerator and bought it back to the great room for a toast.

  “Are those men gone?” she asked.

  “Yes, and they aren’t coming back. You are safe,” Grey promised.

  Marissa sat at the bottom of the stairs with Lana. Her shoulders slumped as if the tension had disappeared with Grey’s reassuring words.

  The tops of the beers hit the tile floor one by one as Jason opened and passed them out. Marissa and Lana got bottled waters, and when they’d popped the caps, Jason held his libation high. “To Grey being a badass.”

  “Language,” Morgan admonished.

  “Oops, sorry.” He didn’t look sorry. “And to Morgan. Welcome home.”

  Grey pulled her in close against his side as they sipped.

  The front door swung open and Rachel stood there scanning the room with a bewildered look. “What’s going on?” She hugged Marissa and Lana as they hopped off the bottom of the stairs. “I passed a truckload of sad-looking werewolves on the way in. Did Grey fight the challenger?”

  Marissa grinned from ear to ear. “Oops, I forgot to tell you that on the phone. Of course, he took care of it! But guess what else? Morgan and Grey are getting married on Saturday!”

  “You are not,” she said.

  “It’s true,” Morgan said, laughing.

  “Oh! Congratulations you guys.” Rachel pulled Morgan into a hug. Wiping moisture from her eyes, she said, “Sorry, but weddings always make me cry, and you two have come so far. You deserve to be happy together.”

  Morgan shook her head in panic. No one cried alone in her presence, and she was an ugly crier. She blinked back burning tears. “Okay, okay. Now for the most important part of the day, Marissa’s birthday dinner. Where do you want to go?”

  She knew the answer already, and likely, so did everyone else in the room. Marissa had a deep love and devotion for Chinese food, and a well-stocked buffet was the perfect eatery for a pack of hungry werewolves.

  When Wade clipped the suture of his last stitch, Grey lowered his arm. “Are you all right with Jason going to your dinner?”

  “Yeah, it’s okay with me. If he behaves,” Marissa added.

  She seemed to find more confidence in saying what she wanted around Grey. Unlike her adopted father, Dean, he didn’t have to try to keep Logan and Jason happy as part of his pack. Grey would boot him out the second Marissa said Jason was bothering her. He’d done it before and would likely do it again. Because of that, the boys tended to be on better behavior around her now. If they didn’t, they were left out, simple as that.

  Grey shot Jason a warning look to behave. Jason dropped his head, but a smile crept along his lips. Morgan rolled her eyes at Jason, who looked like he had won the lottery. Marissa’s birthday dinner with no competition from Logan? He was just about dancing on Logan’s bad luck.

  His tenacity was astounding. Marissa was completely uninterested, and for whatever pigheaded reason, they didn’t care. They kept competing as if they would never give up the prize that would never be theirs. Rodrigo had harbored the same determination, and even if her wolf understood it perfectly well, the human in Morgan was offended.

  They headed to dinner, split between the Range Rover that Rachel had driven and Morgan’s truck. Marissa had decided to ride with her and Grey, since Jason was in the other vehicle and would no doubt finagle his way into sitting beside her. Stubborn as a mule in a mud hole, that man.

  Plates full of food and seated at a large table at the local China Buffet, Grey watched with a smirk as Marissa loudly slurped egg drop soup. She probably did that kind of thing in front of Jason and Logan to try to discourage them. After the idiotic way Rodrigo acted tonight, it was clear it wouldn’t matter what Marissa did. They wouldn’t be deterred by her trying to make herself less appealing. The boys were after her for the wrong reasons. They didn’t care about Marissa as much as the idea of her, just like Rodrigo was only after a trophy mate, not Morgan.

  Marissa came back to the table with her fourth helping and said, “So, I think you should have Wade officiate the wedding. Rachel said he did her and Dean’s wedding. There is my first official maid of honor suggestion.”

  “You should,” Rachel chimed in. “He did a wonderful job at ours. He would be perfect if you wanted to do it at the cabin, too. Less people to bring in.”

  “I wouldn’t mind,” Wade offered.

  A little weight lifted off Morgan’s chest. She and Grey hadn’t really talked about the size of their wedding, but she would rather keep it small. An intimate ceremony with their closest friends. The cabin would be ideal. Grey watched her with a steady blue gaze, and she arched her eyebrows in question. He nodded.

  “Perfect. Thanks, Wade,” she said. “That’s one less thing we have to do this week. I guess first, we’ll have to see about getting a marriage license.”

  “There is a rental company near my office,” Rachel said. “I could reserve white chairs if you’d like. I can pick them up on my way home from work on Friday so we don’t have to make an extra trip.”

  Morgan nodded, mouth full of food. “How many do you think we need?” she asked when she finished chew
ing.

  “How many people do you want to invite?”

  “Not many. The Dallas pack and my mom. I don’t want a bunch of people at the cabin. I’d rather it be just us and whatever family Grey wants to invite.” She swung her gaze to him. “Did you want to invite your dad?”

  His look darkened, eyes turning as ominous as storm clouds. He shook his head. “That’s the fastest way to ruin our wedding. Let’s go ahead and leave him off the guest list.”

  Wedding plans came to a halt as Marissa’s birthday cake came out.

  “What did you wish for?” Rachel asked after she blew out the candles.

  Marissa shrugged. “Nothing. I have everything I want.”

  Chapter 5

  Alexis slammed the door. If only it would drown out the sound of the men fighting downstairs. What was Jonathan’s problem anyway? All the Denver alpha had to do was order them to leave her alone. Sure, it would be a temporary fix, but she’d take anything at this point. Things had been better in Dean’s pack. It wasn’t that Jonathan couldn’t lead his wolves with a firmer hand. He just wouldn’t.

  She sat on the bed of her new, still-unfamiliar room and puffed air out of her cheeks. She leaned over and pulled a picture of the Dallas pack out of the bottom drawer of her bedside table. It had been taken not long after Grey had been found. Even in the picture, he looked hungry and dangerous. He glared at the camera as if his golden eyes alone would devour it. A delectable shiver zinged up her spine. He was an animal.

  In the picture, Brandon, Logan, Jason, and Brent all laughed with their arms draped comfortably around each other’s shoulders. Touch was natural for wolves. Dean leaned against the front porch railing of his house with his arm around Rachel’s waist. Marissa stood further off with her arms crossed and a slight frown across her face. Pathetic child. Wade stood solemnly by Dean, and Grey hovered over the others in the back. The ghost that followed the pack. Never a true member, but the beast that dwelled inside him needed more than puny humans could provide. She had been kicked out of Dean’s pack just as Grey had given her the challenge she had been searching for.

  She didn’t care for love’s sappy sentiments, but if ever she had come close, it was with Grey. He was the most dominant creature walking the planet, and a beautiful specimen of a man. And Wolf. Anyone with eyes in their head could see he was the best of them. Ruthless, cunning, violent, remorseless, and then at times, tender and protective around females. Not ever with her of course, but she didn’t mind. She liked him rough. She liked him the way he was meant to be. Demon Wolf.

  That’s where Morgan got it wrong. She brought out his weak side, which left him exposed. Her worst decision had been the day she Turned Morgan into a silver wolf instead of killing her. So what if she could bear him a pup? That would only leave him more mouths to feed and more weak little mewling things to protect. More little Morgans.

  She flipped the picture back into the nightstand and slammed the door closed. What did he see in her anyway? She was obviously too sweet to be a good werewolf.

  Alexis leaned over her dresser and admired her fare hair and crystal blue eyes. It had been a slap in the face the day he picked a woman exactly the opposite of her. Morgan was short and slight with dark hair and green eyes, when they weren’t a raging light purple. Alexis slumped onto the bed and crossed her arms. She looked like some fairy come to life out of a children’s book. Morgan wasn’t dangerous. Not like her.

  Grey would figure it out eventually. He would tire of protecting that useless she-wolf and move on. And when he did, Alexis would be there. He would be ready for a strong mate by then.

  Her head jerked as her ears picked up the command in Jonathan’s voice. Her hearing was impeccable and could pick up every word. Good. He’d finally grown some balls and told his pack to pipe down. She had already picked a mate. She just had to wait for him to come around. The rest of the men in her new pack could fight to the death for all she cared. They wouldn’t get a single tug on the pants from her.

  She narrowed her eyes at the door. Jonathan’s heavy footsteps thudded up the stairs. Her wolf perked up. If it was up to her animal, Jonathan would be her mate. Alexis had more control than that, though.

  He opened the door without knocking and slammed it closed behind him. “Why do you feel you have to tease them like that?”

  “I’m not teasing them. They will just have to get used to how I am. I’m not changing just because your dopey wolves can’t control themselves.”

  “You do tease. Dean said you did it to one of his pack, too.”

  “Who, Brandon? That poor sap couldn’t handle me if he tried. Doesn’t mean I didn’t like him looking, though.”

  Jonathan wasn’t as tall as Grey, but he was built. He had a straight Grecian nose that said he hadn’t been in enough fights to suit her taste. Or perhaps he’d protected his face. His sandy brown hair was short on the sides but longer on top, hanging attractively in front of his forest-green eyes. At the moment, they were a sparking light gray. His anger brought a warm sensation to the deepest parts of her. He flared his nostrils, and she smiled.

  He could smell her arousal if he wanted. She didn’t mind.

  “You are doing it again,” he said gruffly. He sat on the end of her bed and turned away from her.

  “Yeah, I don’t think you get it. I really don’t care.”

  “Look, maybe you don’t understand. My boys haven’t had a female in their pack before. It’s hard enough on them getting their bearings with the new pecking order. They don’t need you screwing with their heads, okay?”

  “Still not changing.”

  He growled in frustration. “Dammit, Alexis. I’m trying to have a civil conversation with you. There has to be some give and take if this is going to work. Compromise. Everything can’t go your way all of the time.”

  “You’re not hearing me,” she said menacingly. “It can go my way, and it will. I was queen in Dean’s pack, and I’ll be queen here, too. Accept it, Jonny boy.”

  “You want to be queen? Choose a mate! Allow the bond and stop torturing everyone.”

  “I’m not choosing any of your pathetic wolves. There are bigger fish in the ocean.”

  “Demon Wolf? Is that who you’re talking about? Cause from what I hear, he didn’t want you back. Or maybe that’s the draw.”

  Jonathan’s anger filled the room until she would surely drown. He strode deliberately over to her and pulled her off the bed by the back of her neck until she stood, inches away from his glorious face. In a dangerously low voice, he said, “You want to be queen? Choose me.”

  And then he kissed her. It wasn’t tender or apologetic. It was violent like a twister. She bit his lip on principle but wanted more. He drew back, bleeding. A wicked smile hovered just over his lips. “I won’t wait forever.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “Yes, you will.”

  As he turned to leave, he hesitated. “Dean sent word to the masses. Greyson is claiming Morgan by the end of the week.”

  Dread paralyzed her. “Wait! What do you mean?”

  Jonathan sighed. “He’s marrying her, allowing the bond, initiating her into his pack as second and claiming her as his mate. The whole nine yards. Your Demon Wolf is off the table.” He shut the door behind him and left her to her torment.

  He was claiming her and allowing the bond? Alexis wouldn’t have a chance if that happened. She wouldn’t get her prize, and it would be the first she had been denied in her entire life. The taste was too bitter to swallow.

  That stupid skank didn’t know who she was dealing with. She had connections. Dark and dangerous connections from a past even Dean didn’t know about. She had carefully hidden so much from the Dallas pack about the creatures she used to run with. She could easily have Morgan snuffed out of existence. Alexis sat up straighter as her mind raced.

  One call and her little problem would be fixed.

  One little call and her failure to kill the tramp in the first
place would be remedied. She couldn’t do anything from Denver, but a favor from an old acquaintance could change that. She’d created Silver Wolf, and she sure as hell could destroy her.

  Oh, she’d figured out what Morgan was fast enough. A white-furred werewolf? She just hadn’t known how to use the information to her advantage—until now.

  Someone stood to lose even more than she did with Morgan’s existence. All she had to do was use that to her advantage. It was dangerous dealing with the Dragon again, but if this worked, Morgan’s life would be just a sad smudge of ink in the werewolf history books.

  She yanked her cell phone off its charger and stabbed in the number before she could change her mind.

  * * * *

  “Greyson,” a voice hissed. Not much scared Wolf, but the fine hairs on his arms stood upright at the evil in that voice.

  He looked around but there wasn’t enough light to make out where he was, much less who he was speaking to. “Who’s there?”

  “The who doesn’t matter. It’s the what you should be concerned with.”

  A blinding spotlight shone down on Grey, and he lifted his forearm to shield his eyes. The floor was covered in ancient stone, uneven and crumbling with age. Red stained arches surrounded him in an unending chain but he couldn’t see into the shadows outside the circle of light.

  “Okay. What are you then?” His fingers tingled with the urge to Change. He was vulnerable in his paper-thin human skin.

  A chuckle, long and deep, trilled around him. It came closer, bouncing around the room as if it came from hundreds of bile-soaked rasps. “You werewolves and your formalities. Fine. You may call me the Dragon. I’ve sought you out as a warning. Claim the silver wolf and you and your newborn family will be slaughtered.”

  “Doesn’t sound like a warning. Sounds like a threat.”

  “Don’t step on my courtesy, dog. Use it. Run away from Silver Wolf and you will live. Claim her and I will take my time with you.”