by Zoey Thames
That meant something.
Could Jackson’s wolf have decided the same thing? That this human woman was their third, the woman who would complete them? Their mate. But why was he so antagonistic, first calling her a spy, forcing her to come along with them, and then wanting her to judge between them.
Realization hit him like a slap as he understood the truth. Jackson was afraid. He’d spent so much time denying love, that the walls around his heart were in danger of cracking, all thanks to this one incredible woman. All thanks to Michelle.
“I think I understand things better now,” he said slowly.
She cocked her head to the side. “What do you mean?”
“I can’t say right now. I need to talk to Jackson about it. It’s too…big.” He shook his head, wanting to say more, not sure how much he could risk. He didn’t want to humiliate Jackson. That would only drive him further away.
“I don’t want either of you hurt.”
“We’re not fighting to the death, Michelle.”
“You won’t be pulling any punches either.” Tears leaked down her cheeks. “You macho bastards. I know what’s going to happen. It’s not going to be good. I’m…I’m so angry.” She spun and slammed her fist into the locker next to her. “Ow! Damn it!” She cupped her fist gingerly in one hand. “I didn’t even leave a dent.”
He couldn’t help it, his heart filled up with love for her in that moment. He went to her and took her hand in both of his, raised her punching fist to his mouth, and gently kissed her knuckles. When his lips met her skin, the raw sexual effect of touching her seemed to shoot through him like a lightning bolt. God, what would it be like to make love to her? His cock started to stiffen, and his heart beat faster at the thought. If he were to make love to her and to Jackson at the same time, he might just die of bliss. And there was nothing he wanted more.
A pipe dream. An impossibility. A delusion.
But he kept that hope somewhere deep inside, even as his brain dismissed it. The wolf remembered. The wolf knew what he needed.
He could smell the heady scent of her arousal. That musky woman-scent nearly had him down on his knees, peeling her slacks and panties off, and burying his tongue deep inside her, lapping up those warm, wet juices, delightedly torturing her clit until she came undone around him…
Now he was definitely hard. So hard, his cock ached. He was going to give himself a terrible case of blue balls if he didn’t start thinking of something else. Right. Now. Think of something distracting…like the coming battle for the future of his business against a man he used to love.
But his thoughts wouldn’t be dissuaded from her. He could not help himself. Could not resist her.
He drew her closer to him, giving her plenty of time to tell him no, to slap him, to pull away. She didn’t do any of those things. She only watched him with those big, beautiful eyes. Then her gaze dropped to his lips as he leaned in to kiss her. She closed her eyes, tilting her head, her body giving him permission.
He did not need to be asked twice.
Her lips were so soft, so warm. They gave him a thrill so intense it lit up his nerve endings far more than the painful throb in his hand from smashing the locker in. Pain could not compare to this pleasure. He kissed her softly at first, gently, feeling as if he could get lost in her touch. He needed this. His wolf needed this.
The kiss seemed to last forever. She pressed her body against him. He tried to move his lower body away, afraid she’d feel the hardness of his cock and know how turned-on he was by her. But she only moved herself even closer to him. The feel of her body, of her breasts, pressed against him was sweet torture that he never wanted to end.
Finally, he forced himself to draw away. Both of them were breathing hard. His thoughts seemed fuzzy, dazed by the intensity of their contact. But his wolf knew exactly what it wanted. It wanted more of her. It wanted more of her and more of Jackson.
Right now, it looked like chances were good it would get both very soon, only not in the way it expected.
Michelle was looking up into his eyes. He could feel her trembling. He could feel the rapid beat of her heart against his own body. It made him want to protect her from everything, she was so delicate and special.
“Will you put an end to this?” she finally asked him, her eyes pleading.
He felt as if he ripped out his own heart when he looked in her the eye and told her, softly, “I’m sorry, Michelle. I can’t.”
She didn’t answer. Her lips were swollen from the passion of their kiss. Her cheeks were flushed. She was still breathing fast.
But she turned and walked out of the locker room without another word.
He was left to wonder if he hadn’t just made one of the biggest mistakes of his life.
* * *
It was so quiet here in the locker room that it set Jackson’s nerves on edge. At Jackson’s request, he and Aaron each occupied separate locker rooms. Normally a place like this would be full of trainers and assistants right before a fight. There would be pep talks and last-minute strategy sessions. But right now there was nothing. Only the hum of a soda machine’s cooler. It was almost unnerving.
Too late to back down now. He’d set this in motion. He had to see it through to the bitter end.
He leaned against the row of lockers, feeling the cold metal press into his bare back. Soon he’d be in the ring. He’d be shifting into his wolf, fighting against Aaron as the council looked on.
God, what the hell was he doing? How had everything gone so wrong?
It had taken every ounce of his strength to keep his face expressionless when he’d demanded this fight. It had taken every bit of his self-control, finally honed after years of martial arts and combat training, to stay cold as a marble statue. He’d seen the hurt in Aaron’s eyes. The man had hid it almost instantly. But Jackson knew him. Knew him so well.
He clenched his fists, staring at a space on the textured concrete floor between his feet.
And Michelle. Part of him had wanted to challenge her. To rattle her the same way she’d shaken him to the core when she’d burst into the plane and his wolf had scented her, had realized the true mate bond. But the rest of him had been screaming in his mind, outraged and hating himself for doing this to her. That first part of him had wanted to defy his wolf. Reject the wolf’s insistence that she was their mate. Challenge his own attraction to her, the urge to make her like him. To make her appreciate him. Even to love him…?
No. Even his lust for her was a weakness. Just as his love for Aaron Duvall had been a weakness. He had to remember that. No matter what else happened tonight.
And look at him. Always the bad guy. Back when Aaron hadn’t wanted to expand Dark Howl Security to the West Coast, Jackson had sold his fifty-fifty founder’s share in the company and moved to California on his own. Started his company, and damn the consequences and damn all it cost him. He could still remember the anger in Aaron’s eyes when Jackson had told him what he intended, when he’d played that final card.
Anger, but underneath it all, that same hurt. That same flinch of betrayal.
He covered his face with his hands. What the hell was he doing? But he’d set them on this course. He could not stop it now. There was too much at stake. Not just money. Screw the money. It was pride. Having to be right. Always right.
He wouldn’t even admit to Aaron he’d been wrong about Michelle. Hell, that wasn’t it—or at least not all of it. He couldn’t admit that he shouldn’t have left the man he’d loved, the mate of his wolf, all those years ago. He couldn’t acknowledge that everything in his life had been empty since then.
Being an alpha meant strength, even more so when leading a pack-company of VIP security and bodyguards.
The alpha was never wrong.
He took a deep breath, trying to get his head back in the game. They would shift and fight as wolves first. That was actually a bit of a disadvantage for him, because his mixed martial arts skills of kenpo and judo would give him
a clear advantage against Aaron when they were in human form. But wolf against wolf, it was more of a toss-up. Their wolves were both about the same size and strength. So that meant he’d have to outthink his opponent.
Too bad right now he was incapable of doing anything but thinking about that kiss they’d shared on the plane. And from there it was easy to remember the feel of Aaron’s hands on his body. The man’s mouth on his cock, sliding up and down, working him mercilessly until he came apart and shot his load down the other man’s throat. Seeing the man’s look—so pleased with himself, always so pleased—as he swallowed Jackson’s cum down while staring deep into his eyes. All that passion and desire blazing in those fierce eyes.
No. Focus.
“This doesn’t have to happen,” a woman’s voice said behind him. “Not this way.”
He jumped, springing to his feet, surprised by her voice. He hadn’t heard her enter. He’d been so…distracted…that his usually acute werewolf senses of scent and hearing had failed to notice her.
She stared at him with her arms folded across her chest, pushing up those large breasts of hers in her chauffeur uniform jacket. From the moment he’d first seen her, when she’d surprised them on the airplane, he’d yearned to get his hands on that bountiful chest of hers. To feel her curves, to cup those breasts, tracing his thumbs over her large nipples—
Pay attention, he snarled at himself.
“I’m going to get you a bell, like a cat,” he growled, “so I’ll always know where you are.”
She glared at him…then she giggled and covered her mouth as if the sound had surprised her. Or as if she hadn’t wanted the giggle to escape at all.
That realization hit him harder than a punch. He realized how badly he wanted to hear that laughter, how much he enjoyed it. He’d been jealous of how she’d bonded so easily with Aaron. The other man made her laugh almost effortlessly, while Jackson had only terrorized her from the start. Accusing her of being a spy. Putting her on the spot in front of the council.
Kidnapping her.
Oh god, what had he done? He was the fucking bad guy.
But he had toppled the dominoes, broken the dam, pulled that metaphorical trigger, no turning back. He had no choice but to see it through. He couldn’t smile at her, no matter how much he wanted to. He couldn’t laugh with her.
Instead, he sharpened his voice. “You know nothing of wolves. This is how we settle things.”
“That’s a lie and you know it,” she shot back. “This is all you. Even the council was surprised you demanded this. You don’t have to do this because you love him. I’m not here to steal him from you.”
Her words hit him like a slap. “I don’t love him. I hate him.”
She took a step toward him, her glare returning to her expression with a vengeance, so fierce that if looks could start fires, he’d been an inferno right now. “Stop. Just stop lying.”
He was speechless. His brain would not form words in the heat of her fury and her accusation. And inside his mind, his damn wolf was sitting on its haunches, looking pleased—no, looking smug. The wolf was admiring Michelle and urging Jackson to heed his human mate’s advice about his wolf mate. Their little three-person pack.
Damn you, I said no, he snarled at the wolf.
There was no room for this in his life. He couldn’t afford to be weak. He’d come too far to turn back now. It was best if she’d simply accept this. Accept it and leave him alone.
“You should go,” he warned her. His voice was as cold as an arctic wave. He turned away from her. His heart could no longer take it.
But she didn’t go. She walked around to stand right in front of him, her hands on her hips, her chin tilted up so she stared him straight in the eye.
“You can lie to yourself all you want, but I know the truth,” she said. “I saw that kiss you shared. There aren’t any words to describe how deep that passion goes. Both of you are denying it.” Tears gathered in her eyes and slowly began to trickle down her cheeks. The sight of those tears was like a kick in the balls. He raised his hand to wipe them away, but then he lost the courage. He started thinking of all the things he’d done to her, to Aaron, and how he couldn’t say he was sorry.
“Both of you are denying it,” she repeated. “And it’s breaking my heart to see it. Stop being such a stubborn ass and go to him. Give him another of those kisses. It will fix everything.”
For a moment he hesitated, wondering if it could be that simple. Could he heal all the hurt with something as easy as a kiss? But then he realized nothing was that uncomplicated. She was living in her own little fantasy world. It was never going to happen.
“Go take your seat,” he finally said, forcing himself to give her a cold stare. Forcing himself to chill his words. Feeling as if his heart might just crack like ice. “The fight’s about to start.”
CHAPTER NINE
She’d failed. Neither man had listened. Had she ever really expected them to? Had she expected two alpha men, ex-military and street fighter tough guys, to actually be in touch with their feelings? To back down from being so dominant and macho that they were actually going to battle one another?
Yeah. She had hoped…
Now Michelle sat in this amphitheater at the back of the building in a row of seats empty except for her. It was strange to the point of being trippy. The fighting arena looked just like a boxing ring. There was amphitheater seating all around the ring. The bright overhead lights were blazing away. But every sound seemed to echo on forever because the place was so empty. There was only a small smattering of spectators, the council mostly, the administrators, and then the security guards. And her.
Michelle had a front row seat to the coming action.
She’d rather be hiding in the bathroom right now. Probably making those blergh sounds. Her heart was in her throat, making it difficult to either swallow or breathe.
Aaron stood in the ring corner closest to her. Jackson was opposite him. There was no referee. Both men were locked on each other with that predator stare, that look of dominance. Neither of them showed any sign of backing down.
“Gentlemen,” Gray said into a microphone he was holding, drawing all attention to him. He didn’t look happy to be here either. “Here are the rules. The first to submit loses. You have two minutes. You will begin by shifting and fighting as wolves. If there is no victor in the full two minutes’ time, you will shift back to human form. You will have another two minutes to fight in human form. If there is still no clear victor, the council will tally notes based on blows landed, wounds suffered, and dominance displayed. I will then make the final decision. These are in accordance with the Old Laws. Do you agree?”
Jackson was the first to answer, though he never took those blue eyes off Aaron. “I agree.”
Aaron was looking right back at Jackson. “I’m sorry it ever came to this.”
“Are you submitting?” Jackson demanded.
“No. Not like this.”
Michelle’s heart sank. Stupid alphas and their stupid stubbornness. She wanted to cry. She wanted to punch another locker. Better yet, she wanted to knock their two heads together until they realized how amazingly idiotic this was and came to their senses and went back to kissing one another again. The way the world would work if she were in charge.
“Gentlemen,” Gray said, his deep voice booming in the mostly empty space. “You may shift.”
The two men began to methodically strip their suits off, leaving the clothing in a pile near the stools in each of their corners. Her heart began to pound for another reason entirely as they began to bare their bodies. They were magnificent. Biceps, chest, and…asses. Large, well-defined muscles. Broad shoulders. Narrow waists. Those sexiest, tight-as-hell man-butts that she loved. Legs thick with muscle. And cocks. Jackson had blond pubic hair and Aaron dark, but both men were generously endowed. She could estimate that those cocks, when erect, would be more than enough to have her panties even wetter than they were right now.
<
br /> Before she could rein in her lust-hazed thoughts, both men shifted into wolves. She’d only seen it done once in person and a few times on television. It was always stunning and magical. Each man’s body was enveloped by bright light. Their clothes seemed to disintegrate as their human forms turned to silhouettes. Then those silhouettes changed from human to wolf in a stunning display of primal magic. When the light flash faded away, there were two wolves in the ring instead of two men.
Jackson’s wolf was light-colored, sporting those same ice-blue eyes. Aaron’s wolf had darker coloring, grays and browns. His wolf’s eyes were amber. When the Aaron-wolf turned her way, those amber eyes met and held her gaze. The wolf seemed even more expressive than the man had been. Or maybe it was just her intuition, but she could see the pain in his eyes.
He didn’t want to do this.
She lifted a hand to him, trying to find the words to say that would stop this slow-motion car crash.
Before she could, the dark wolf turned back to the Jackson-wolf, his opponent. A bell sounded over the amphitheater’s overhead speakers, and the two wolves closed on one another.
Part of her wanted to run from the amphitheater. But she forced herself to stay. But each lunge, each jump and snap of teeth sent a lightning bolt of dread crashing through her. The entire place was so quiet, a feather dropping would’ve sounded like thunder by comparison.
After circling and testing one another’s defenses, the wolves charged each other. There was a flurry of snapping teeth, and they broke away to circle again. She lost track of everything else but the fight. The two majestic wolves snarled and growled, the sound echoing all around her. Aaron’s wolf managed to knock Jackson’s wolf down with a charge, but Jackson rolled away and scrambled back to his feet. Then Jackson nearly got his jaws on Aaron’s front leg. Aaron’s wolf barely escaped the bite.
When the bell finally sounded, both wolves were bleeding from minor wounds on their flanks and shoulders.
