by Ryan Michele
Shit. He smells us.
“All right, boys, let’s get this shit done.” The shaggy blond man speaks.
I study their faces, committing them to memory, all the while listening to each word, spoken or otherwise.
“Nice of you to show,” Ian snaps, and the other two men growl.
“What’s this about?” Shaggy Blond asks, looking at both Ian and Bud with death in his gaze.
“Alpha wants a meeting. Four days from now in the Council room,” Ian states.
‘Then why the fuck didn’t he just call Xavier like he did for this meeting?’ Shaggy Blond thinks, and then says aloud, “I’ll take it to my Alpha.”
“Good day,” Ian dismisses them and begins walking back to the car.
Suddenly, an electric current surges through me and I catch the faint scent of him. Oh Heavens, it’s him. The one I thought was long gone and that I had no hope of finding. He’s dressed from head to toe in black. His hair is the same color, and cut short. Holy shit, I’ve never been so thankful for my sight being so damn keen.
My once-dead, shriveled heart begins to thump as this male turns my way, looking me straight in the eye as if there weren’t a black window blocking his view. Oh, his eyes are the most electric blue I’ve ever seen. I could so get lost in those beauties.
‘Mine,’ he growls and starts stalking—yes, stalking toward the car. Oh no. He’s going to get hurt. Ian and Bud are going to hurt him.
Fear spikes with panic and I’m confused at what to do, what to think. My wolf wakes right the hell up, stands on all fours, and shakes her silver coat out like she hasn’t been able to do in forever. ‘Mine,’ he thinks again and my wolf whimpers, clawing to get out.
What do I do? I can’t let him get hurt. These guys will kill him, and if they don’t, my father will.
Is it worth the risk to be with my mate for one moment than to live a lifetime of regret?
Yes. It’s worth it. No regrets here, time is too precious.
Everything happens in a blur, lightning speed fast, but to my eyes it’s slow and steady. Ian and Bud shift, not taking their clothes off but allowing the change to tear them away from their bodies in shreds. The sexy man with black hair is still in human form, walking this way. Oh shit, they’re going to kill him. I pull the door handle, the need to protect him digs deep in my blackened soul, but the door won’t open. Damn, safety locks!
“Unlock it!” I scream at Jack, but he pays me no mind. Instead, he starts the car and my panic level reaches an all-time high. I can’t leave. I hit the window as fear hits me full-force.
“Sit your ass down. I’m taking you home,” Jack barks before putting the car into reverse. The sexy man is still coming our way and just as Ian goes to pounce, the male changes into the most spectacular black wolf I’ve ever seen. On the tips of his toes is a light brushing of silver fur, but other than that, he’s pure black. He turns around to them, baring his teeth and snarling.
Shit. I scream more for Jack to stop, but he doesn’t listen. He keeps going, but my wolf takes over all reason as my clothes tear from my body and my teeth bite into Jack’s throat. Blood gushes in my mouth and for the first time in a long damn time, I feel it. I feel the one little thing that I never thought I would feel again.
Hope.
The car continues to move and fuck, I don’t have hands to grab the wheel. Ready or not. With a mental shake, I jump with all my might and crash through the windshield. Glass sprays everywhere, no doubt cutting me in places. I land with a hard thump on my paws to the pavement.
‘You stupid motherfucker!’ This comes from the sexy wolf’s thoughts as he faces off with Ian.
‘I’m going to fucking kill you!’ Ian thinks, but it’s Bud who pounces.
Sexy wolf has no hesitation. He jumps right up to Bud latching on to his throat midair and ripping it from his body. Bud falls to the ground, still in wolf-form.
‘Mine,’ the black wolf growls as he spits out Bud’s flesh, his eyes landing on me. Ian takes the opportunity to latch on to my mate’s hindquarters hard, no doubt drawing blood and leaving gashes. My mate doesn’t whine or yelp at the pain that I’m sure he’s feeling. Instead, he turns to look at Ian and shakes him off like a gnat. Then he pounces.
Loud barking, growling, and snarling ensues as the other two guys, now in their wolf-forms, pull Ian off of my mate. Holy shit. I make a deep guttural noise in my throat and my mate’s eyes dart to mine then back at his prey.
Ian backs up and continues to do so until he’s almost to the trees. Shaggy wolf and brown wolf block him in and my mate eyes him like a stray fawn away from his mother. My heart pumps rapidly as they face off. There is no way that Ian will go down without a fight and from the look of sexy wolf, he’s ready for it.
Sure enough, Ian sees his problem and jumps first, and my mate meets him up in the air. They collide, falling to the ground in a heap of teeth and claws. Growls and howls echo off the trees. The other two wolves sit on their haunches and watch, ready to back up the sexy wolf but allowing him to take charge. He is definitely the alpha of their pack.
I slowly walk up to where they’re fighting and my mate pushes Ian into shaggy wolf.
‘What in the fuck do you think you are doing? Get back!’ my mate orders and I tilt my head.
‘Finish him,’ I reply and it’s his turn to pause. He doesn’t waste a moment. He snarls and attacks with so much strength I know that Ian and Bud never stood a chance.
My mate opens his mouth and bites down hard on Ian’s throat. As his blood gushes, splattering on the ground, Ian’s eyes stay on me.
‘Bitch!’ is the last thing he thinks before his body convulses and he dies.
My sexy wolf starts playing with Ian like a toy, no doubt pissed as all hell, but I have too much at stake here. At any moment, Alpha will feel the severing connection of the pack link with those three wolves and he’ll send everyone to this spot. We have to get the hell out of here now.
I listen, first trying to pick up my father, but can only hear the wolves in front of me.
‘What in the fuck is going on?’ Shaggy wolf thinks. He must not scent me as sexy’s mate yet.
‘This shit is fucked up!’ Brown wolf thinks.
‘Kill,’ my mate thinks.
I shake my head, letting the breeze flow through my fur. Damn, it feels good. Shit. Focus. Sorry, girl. I push my wolf back, kicking and yelping, and shift back to human form. Shaggy wolf and brown wolf growl and snarl at me, their teeth snapping open and shut. Okay, so turning into a naked woman in front of these wolves obviously was not such a good idea. For a brief moment, I totally forgot I smell of Ian. This is not good. They still think I’m Ian’s mate. My wolf claws and I hold her back.
“I’m not here to hurt you.” I hold my hands out in a surrender gesture, but that doesn’t placate them. I can see understand that. Right now, I am the enemy, a member of the pack that tried to take out their Alpha. They can’t smell the connection between my true mate and me. It’s masked. But I do, and it’s so thick in the air, like fog in a night sky. Damn it.
My mate darts away from Ian’s body and runs full on, coming straight for me. I panic at first. ‘Mine,’ He thinks, jumping in front of me and turning on his brothers. ‘Back the fuck off!’ he barks at them through their pack link.
‘What the hell is going on, Xavier?’ Shaggy wolf questions in his head, and at this moment, I am glad that I can hear their conversation.
‘Mate,’ my sexy wolf growls. Well, I guess he has a name. Xavier.
‘She is not. She’s his mate,’ Brown wolf argues, gesturing to Ian lying on the grass. Double shit.
Sexy wolf snarls. ‘You don’t fucking think I know my mate when I smell her?’ Thank the Heavens that he can smell it. He takes a step forward and both wolves take a step back.
‘No, man. We’re good,’ Shaggy says, and both he and brown wolf lie on their stomachs in surrender.
Xavier turns his attentions to me. I don’t feel an ounce of
fear as he prowls around me, sniffing and shoving his muzzle in my ass. “Stop that,” I say and he growls in response.
‘Mine. I touch anywhere I want, whenever I want.’ He dips his nose again to my ass, pressing up hard.
“You think so, big guy? Change over,” I demand and he halts mid-step.
‘You can hear me?’ he questions and I smile.
“Yep.”
He shakes his head. ‘From the mating link? Because I can’t hear your thoughts.’
Damn that sucks. I thought he heard me when I told him to finish Ian. Guess that was wishful thinking. “Not from the mating link, apparently. It’s what I do. Now change back, we don’t have much time, and we can get all the introductions done after we get back to your den. Please, tell me that you have security in place?”
He tips his head and transforms. Holy shit. The air is squeezed from my lungs. He’s so much better up close. Damn. Wolves are normally tall in stature, but he seems about three inches taller than the average wolf as I have to tip my head back to look at his face. His jet-black hair is messy and sticky from sweat. His lips are the perfect bow shape, and the bottom is sexy and full. Damn, I’d love to suck on them.
“Put this on.” He tosses me a shirt and I hurriedly put it over my body, my eyes not leaving him. “As much as I love the inspection, babe, what the fuck were you babbling about?”
I stare at the man in a daze of heat and lust, my world seeming to implode and my head spinning. Get it together, Zara.
“Right. We have to get out of here. My father is Alpha of the pack. He’s kept me locked up for over two years. He will do anything to stop me from getting away. We have to go,” I urge, but he doesn’t budge.
Instead, he crosses his arms over his tight chest, muscles bulging under every inch of flesh, and that’s when I spot the tattoo. Holy shit.
“You have a tattoo?” Yes, it is the lamest thing that could come out of my mouth at a time like this, but wolves heal so damn fast that it’s nearly impossible for a tattoo to take.
He ignores that part. “So, you’re telling me, my mate has been locked up for two years and he let you out tonight…for what?” His tone is accusatory. Dammit.
“I can read other’s thoughts, but I have to see them in the physical sense before I can do so. My father was going to call you after this meeting and set up a one-on-one during which I would read your mind and after, you would be slaughtered.” His deep gravely laugh catches me off guard and I stand there in shock. This is so not funny. It’s the furthest thing from funny. “Stop laughing and let’s get out of here. I have a shit-load to tell you, but we have to go now.”
He comes closer, and the heat emanating from his body burns mine. “I want to fuck you and mark you first.” The authority in his tone and the command itself make nerves that haven’t been used in years, ones I thought were long dead, flare to life. Even though his face is stoic, his eyes seem all knowing, and he’s paying close attention to my body language. “But since your life is in danger, safety comes first. Then I claim you.” Shit. “Let me see you.” He begins inspecting me and I’m confused as to why. “Cuts, babe. Need to make sure you’re good.” My heart warms and I tune into my body. A few cuts, but nothing aches. “You’re good. Let’s go. ”
“Thanks,” I say softly. I’m a bit confused at the moment. It’s been so long since I’ve had anyone actually give a shit about me, care for me, hell even look at me adoringly. It’s a punch right to the heart and I can’t deny the pull he has on me. Wow. It’s almost unreal. “Lead the way.” I motion with my arm.
This right here is the only hope I have for leaving my pathetic existence behind. But it’s not only that. He’s my mate. My one. I can’t help the giddiness that comes along with that, but I suppress any outward expression of my emotions.
“Hand.” I raise it automatically without thought and he grasps it, holding me close to his body. “Change,” he orders the two wolves and they instantly listen. “Grab the clothes and the car. Get us home now.” The men run off, their fine asses moving as they go. Hey, the mating is there, but my eyes still work.
He yanks my arm. “You fucking look at their asses again, I’ll throw you down on the grass and make you forget about everything but me.”
Well, all righty then. I quiver at his words. “I won’t.” It barely comes out, but it’s there. He nods and pulls me past the open field where they all met, and into the woods. We reach a parking lot where a black SUV awaits with Shaggy Blond at the wheel.
“Get in.” I do and he quickly follows. “Go. Long way, take many turns and detours,” he commands and the vehicle dashes into the sunlight. The tension in the car is thick, wafting off the two wolves in the front seats.
‘Does he not realize she smells like another male?’ the brown-haired wolf thinks. Shit. I’d better address this.
“They can’t smell us,” I tell Xavier. “I was given a pill. I don’t know what was in it, but by me swallowing it, it gave off the scent that one of those wolves you just killed was my mate.” He growls deep. “I have no doubt that other wolves think I still belong to Ian, but I don’t.” When I finish, I feel so stupid. This whole thing is fucked as hell.
“They can’t smell our link, because you took some pill?”
“Yes, that is really all I know about it. My entire pack thought Ian and I were mated, but it’s the furthest from the truth.”
“You have a lot to explain.”
“I know.” I look down at my entwined fingers and focus on them as we drive. The sexual tension between Xavier and me is so thick I’m surprised the windows aren’t fogging up.
‘Shit, are they gonna fuck in the back of the truck? I just had this shit cleaned.’ Shaggy moans lightening the mood and I giggle.
“What the fuck is so funny?” Xavier snarls, obviously on edge, which I should be too. Shit, I just saw my pretend mate and two of the enforcers taken down. I should feel something, right? Nope. I don’t. Why? Because there is hope.
“Shaggy, you wanna tell him?” I joke, but my mate is having no part of it.
His hand cups my chin and pulls my face around until I’m looking into his crystal eyes. “First, you don’t use that flirty shit with my wolves. You’re my mate, end of story. Second, when I ask you a question, I expect it answered.”
The fuzzy feeling I experienced from finally getting away from my father dissipates into a puff of smoke. Xavier’s demanding tone sears my gut. It’s going to be exactly the same as if I lived in Alpha’s house. I won’t be able to do that with Xavier. His scent is too strong and my wolf wants him as fiercely as do I. The pull is too magnetic. I regress, searching for the imaginary bubble I used to protect myself all of these years. I find it and lock myself inside.
“I’m sorry. He said that he didn’t want us fucking in the back of the truck because he just cleaned it.” The change in my voice is clear as day, my tone utterly steady. I should have never used my real one. I should have known better.
Xavier’s brows draw together. He notices the change. He feels it. It’s written all over his face in a mask of confusion. This is Stepford Wife Zara, monotone, compliant. The one that has covered me up for years. While the hope of getting away from my father is very much alive, the hope of a new life is dwindling.
“What’s wrong?” he asks, totally ignoring the fucking in the back of the truck scenario and going for the guts.
“I’m ready to get away from my father.” I will not lie to him, maybe stretch the truth, but I won’t lie. I’ve dealt with enough lies to last me a hundred lifetimes.
“No. Something else. Your voice lost its spark and so did your eyes.” Observant man, he is. Need better masks. Got it. I’ll put that on the to-do list. Right next to my biggest. My father.
“It’s just beginning. My father won’t let me go. He will do anything and everything to get me back.” He only wants my power, not me. That thought slices me every time I think it because I myself mean nothing to him.
“Why i
s he so intent on you staying?” I listen for his thoughts, but there are none. This question is genuine.
“My power. I can hear others’ thoughts, as I told you. He says that I’m too valuable to be allowed to leave,” I say, my voice quieter than normal. I hate this shit.
“How did he keep you?” I gasp so deeply at his blunt question that I suck in every bit of oxygen in the truck. I can’t talk about that. I can’t. Fear floods me. Xavier pulls me into his hard, muscular chest and wraps me in his arms. I start to jiggle as he holds tight and I realize I’m shaking. “We’ll discuss it another time.” His hand begins moving in sensuous circles on my back, and I let myself relax into his touch and breathe.
The moment the breath is out, my chest tightens and thousands of little strings fly out of it. Not literally, but it feels like it and they are heading straight for Xavier. “Do you feel that?” I ask, my voice muffled with my head still tucked in his neck. But the emotion is back. This time I can’t hide it, can’t mask it. The feeling inside me is too strong, too powerful, and it’s taking me over.
“Yeah, babe. I feel it.” With our bodies wrapped in one another, my need for him grows to the point of explosion. I want to claw him, bite him, and mark him as mine and only mine. The need is so intense that it’s pulling me under and I don’t give a shit who’s watching. I look up at him to see the same fire burning in his eyes. “Babe, on a short leash here. Wanna get you safe first.” And he thinks he can’t read my mind. I smirk to myself and snuggle into his warm, safe body. I may be unsure of my new life, but this connection is so raw and pure that I couldn’t hide from it if I tried.
I never really knew what finding my mate would be like. Gave up the thought that this would happen to me. Ever. I thought I was hopeless. Now all I can grasp is that small bit of hope and hold it with all my might.
“BABE.” SOMEONE CALLS above me, but I’m so tired, my eyes so heavy. So exhausted and the nightmares haven’t come. This is what sleeping in peace is and I don’t want to give it up. It’s been too long. I want to stay in this happy place. “Babe. I’m more than happy to carry you into the den with only my shirt on, but you might want to put some pants on for your first meeting with the other wolves.” I rouse instantly, the words other wolves ringing in my ears.
