by T. S. Ryder
Jackie's brow furrowed. What was this guy on about? "If you think that Myles and I are actually mated—"
"Then he is the one who has committed a crime. You're the victim here." The detective's expression was sympathetic, but all Jackie wanted to do was slap him. She was the victim?
"So you're saying that it's illegal for him to mate me, but not for me to mate him? That's blatant bigotry! I can't believe this! I thought this was supposed to be the land of the free, not the home of stupid people who repress people simply because of how they were born!" Jackie's hands shook. "I want to see Myles."
The detective shook his head. "I can't do that. You're free to go. You may want to write up something for the press, or whatever it is that personal assistants do for their bosses."
He shot her belly a look. Jackie fought to keep herself calm. Going berserk on this idiot wasn't going to help anybody. She breathed out a heavy breath and nodded, leaving the precinct before she actually lost her temper. She fumed all the way to the hotel, her mind churning over how impossibly unjust this whole situation was. How were laws like this still legal?
The government had no business in her bedroom, or anybody else's bedroom for that matter! People claimed the law requiring werewolves to go through the lengthy application process to mate a human was for the human's protection, but protection against what? Werewolves weren't any more dangerous than anybody else.
This had to stop. This bigotry and prejudice against them had to stop.
***
By the time Myles got to the hotel, hours later, Jackie had written a manifesto calling for the government to stop institutional discrimination against werewolves. She'd have to take some time to proofread it and clarify some points, but overall she was pleased with her work, and when she explained to Myles what she had been doing he was pleased as well.
"At least everything is sorted out and the investigation was dropped," he said, shrugging off his suit jacket. "PR's going to be furious, though."
Jackie wrapped her arms around him. "I hate that this happened."
"Me too. But you should try to rest. We have a long day tomorrow, and I need to write my speech. I was going to talk about the discrimination against Shifters worldwide, but I think I'll narrow my focus." Myles's face grew hard. "I'm sick and tired of this. I don't want my child to be raised in the same world I was."
Jackie put her hand over his as he caressed the curve of her belly.
Myles closed his eyes for a moment and leaned his head against hers. "I want our baby to grow up in a better world, where they can love who they love without fear."
With a sigh, he pulled himself away from her and headed for his laptop. Jackie watched him work, admiring the strong line of his jaw and his steely gray eyes. He was every bit an Alpha, fighting for his pack. And what could she do? She sat back at her own laptop and began editing her manifesto. She could, and would, support him in this fight.
Chapter Nine
The international conference was a success. Myles took the police investigation and turned it around, making it a point of conversation and a rallying cry for change, rather than hiding from it, as Harley had no doubt intended. Jackie, too, refused to shrink from the spotlight, reinforcing again and again every time a reporter asked her about the incident how unfair the justice system was.
By the time the California conference was over, the two of them had been labeled as the country's hottest new power couple, and their faces were everywhere, synonymous with a growing cry for werewolf equality. Alphas from across the country were adding their voices to the issue, supporting Myles. Even politicians were weighing in, with some of them condemning the bigotry of the law while others decried the werewolf's movement as 'selfish' and 'dangerous to society'.
"At least things are being talked about," Myles said, turning off the TV after watching a debate between two governors who had opposing ideas on the issue.
***
It had been a month since the conference, and Myles had decided that he needed to return to his pack and deal with the person who had accused him of mating without governmental permission in the first place. After a few days of investigation it was all too clear that it had been Harley who had caused the trouble, and in the morning Myles was going to hold an official trial.
For the moment, though, the two of them sat in his bedroom at his mother's farm, Jackie's legs on Myles's lap while he massaged her aching feet. Her hands rested on her pregnant belly.
"Do you think we'll actually make a difference?" she asked.
"Yes. We will make a difference, and things will change eventually." Myles sighed. "But just for tonight, I'd like it to be you and me. Nobody else. No politics."
Jackie liked the sound of that. "We still have five days until the full moon, right?"
Myles nodded, his eyes lighting. "What did you have in mind?"
Of course her face went scarlet at that, but she laughed and rolled towards him. Her mouth caught his, her skin tingling with desire. As his hands wrapped around her head and the kiss deepened, her skin felt like it was tightening all over. Eagerly she palmed him through his pants, grinning when he moaned into her mouth.
"We've been so busy lately," she murmured, bringing her lips away from his. "Let's have some fun tonight."
Myles hummed in agreement, cupping her breasts with his hands. "Do you mind if we do something that's a personal favorite of mine?"
The smoldering look in his eye had Jackie nodding before she even considered what it might be. Myles laughed and massaged her sensitive breasts for a moment, kissing her neck and throat. Jackie moaned, her own hands greedily exploring his warm, muscled body. Her body felt tight and hot.
"Hands and knees," he ordered, and she obeyed, panting with excitement as he took his position behind her, pulling her pajama pants to her knees.
Myles chuckled, caging her with his body, supporting himself up on one hand while the other ghosted over her thighs. A zing of electricity made her buck and gasp. His fingers found their mark, his teeth scraped the back of her neck. Jackie shuddered with pleasure, closing her eyes as she fought to keep herself still.
Sparks flooded her blood as he pressed his free hand to her shoulder, encouraging her to lean down on her elbows. He ground against her ass, making her moan. Her back arched as his fingers continued to move, and a tightness built deep inside of her.
When he nipped at the back of her neck she bucked, begging for him to take her. Myles chuckled and Jackie dug her fingers into the blankets, panting with impatience as she listened to him undress.
She hadn't thought that anything could get better than that first night they were together.
But when he entered her from behind she learned that she was wrong.
Hot damn was she wrong!
***
"You two had better get dressed before the girls are up." Tamara's voice, paired with insistent knocking, woke Jackie the next morning.
"We'll dress when we damn well want to," Myles shouted at his sister through the door, but there was a smile on his face.
"You'll get dressed now and come to breakfast," Tamara responded. "I don't want my little angels exposed to your fornication."
Jackie gasped, but Myles only laughed, and there was an answering giggle from outside the door before Tamara’s footsteps retreated. The Alpha looked more relaxed than he had been in a long, long time, and Jackie wanted nothing more than to ignore Tamara's warning. Just looking at Myles with his arms stretched above his head and that lazy grin on his face made her want to mount him again.
To her embarrassment she felt blood rushing into her face and she slipped out of bed, reaching for her clothes. "We'd better get going, then."
"Tamara wasn't being serious. She was just warning us that the girls will be up soon and we don't have much time if we want to have more fun."
Myles reached for her again, but Jackie shook her head and slipped from his grasp as she imagined the four little girls bursting in on them while they wer
e making love. The conversation about her pregnancy had been awkward enough, even though Myles had been matter-of-fact about the whole thing. The last thing she wanted was to tell the girls about the birds and the bees!
"I'm not going to be naked in bed when your nieces decide to come wake us up," she said flatly.
"You don't have to be naked. I'll just pull your underwear out of the way like I did last night." Myles grinned at her glare, but he swung out of bed as well. "You're probably right. We do need to get dressed. We only have two hours until the trial."
"An hour and a half," Jackie corrected. "It's at nine-thirty, not ten. And at nine you have Christina Ericson coming to see you about getting an irrigation system for her fields."
"I don't know why you have to pack everything in so close together while we're here," she continued, yanking on a pair of clean socks. "Why not just stay a couple of extra days and take time with this trial, rather than having a meeting half an hour before it starts and then planning on taking a trip to the school at two… how do you know the trial will be over by then?"
Myles flashed a grin that exposed his long canines. "Oh, it'll be over by then."
"How do you know?" she insisted.
"Werewolf trials are different to human ones."
Jackie didn't press for more information. Shrieks rang through the house, indicating that the girls were awake. She hurriedly finished dressing, yanking on a shirt and pants. They weren't her usual business suit, but that was okay. Among the pack she felt more at ease in comfy clothes, rather than keeping her body in control with the highly structured pencil skirts and jackets.
All throughout breakfast, people kept popping in. Some of them had requests to make of Myles, others had small gifts for Jackie. All of them rubbed her belly, and if the baby kicked at any of them they laughed and said they were blessed by the Alpha's child. Getting touched by strangers wasn't exactly Jackie's idea of a good time, but somehow with the pack it felt normal, and she was soon offering her belly for pats.
By the time Harley arrived, it seemed like the whole pack was hanging around the house. Myles stood at Harley's approach. The Alpha snarled under his breath, and the whole house grew still.
"I see that you managed to avoid jail, even though you mated a human female without human governmental permission," Harley said, his hands clenched so tightly that his tendons popped. "Is that what you spend your money on? Instead of helping your own pack, you waste money on private jets and this slut?"
Angry cries burst from many of the gathered people, and Jackie gasped. So giving checks left and right wasn't helping his own pack? She felt a well of defensiveness rising in her. She wanted to attack the man, not because of what he had called her, but for what he had insinuated about Myles. If she could, she would have snarled.
"You think attacking my brother will make me come back to you?" Tamara shouted, and several of the werewolves around them nodded in agreement. "You have no right to me or my daughters!"
A snarl from Myles silenced everyone. He straightened, shoulders back, and it hit Jackie suddenly that he was the tallest werewolf in the room. Harley didn't back away from him, though.
"Did you attack my reputation by telling the humans that I mated a female without their permission?"
"I did. You are not worthy of being our Alpha. And more than that, you have kept me from my mate for years. I will fight for her until I see you destroyed!"
Myles's expression didn't change. He turned to Tamara. "Do you wish for him to keep fighting for you?"
"No," she spat. "I wish to be free of him, once and for all."
Harley snarled, looking furious. "You are mine, woman!"
"I am my own!"
"You have admitted to attacking me," Myles growled. "Therefore you either challenge me for the leadership of this pack, or you leave our packlands and never return."
Jackie gasped, but she was the only one who seemed surprised. The werewolves all nodded in agreement with Myles. Surely without their support Harley wouldn't go against him?
Harley's canines grew as he pulled his lips back. "Then I challenge you."
Chapter Ten
"What's going on?" Jackie asked Tamara as Myles pushed past Harley, headed outside. Everybody poured out after him and Jackie wrapped her arms around her stomach, her heart pounding. Myles's mother stepped up next to her.
"They're going to fight," Tamara replied.
Jackie's eyes widened. "Are they going to kill each other?"
Her voice was so loud that Myles glanced back, but he didn't stop. Harley smirked as he met her gaze.
"Of course not," Tamara said quickly. "Fights to the death were outlawed hundreds of years ago. But the basic tenants are still intact."
Jackie twisted her hands, her heart slamming against her ribs as the werewolves formed a circle around the two men. They faced each other, low growls filling the air. The werewolves all cheered Myles on, shouting insults towards Harley.
"If he wins, will Harley be the Alpha?" Jackie asked Tamara.
"Certainly not. He might have some followers, but not enough. There is a danger, though, that Harley will try to claim the position of Alpha, and the pack will split between the two of them." Tamara glanced over her shoulder and cursed softly. "Stay here. Myles will want you here. I need to get the girls away. I don't want them to see this."
Jackie nodded, and Tamara slipped away through the crowd. She was replaced by Myles's mother. When Jackie turned back, both Myles and Harley had stripped down to their boxers. Both shifted their weight to the balls of their feet and their muscles roped as they stood tense and ready to spring. Jackie bit down hard on her lip, her eyes wide.
The two werewolves charged at each other. Both shifted in the blink of an eye. Jackie gasped, drawing back. She had never seen Myles’s werewolf form before. In all appearances he looked like any regular werewolf–only much, much bigger. His shoulder would reach the top of her head, and his thick, powerful body was covered in gray fur with paws the size of a school desk. Harley was almost as big, though his fur was brown.
Snarling filled the air as they clashed. Myles slammed into Harley's chest, mouth open, teeth slashing at his face. Harley whipped around, biting at Myles's neck. A yell went up from the Alpha, causing Jackie to shriek as well. She thought her heart might burst right out of her chest, but she couldn’t tear her eyes from the sight.
Myles locked his teeth around Harley's leg and yanked back. The other werewolf yelped, snarled and bit at the Alpha's side. Myles danced around him, dragging the limb with him until Harley flipped onto his back. The Alpha lunged, paws beating against the other werewolf's belly, but Harley kicked out, curling upwards so his back paws managed to hit Myles full in the throat. Myles jerked back, gasping.
The brown werewolf flipped over, springing at Myles again. Teeth closed around Myles's throat and Jackie screamed. She started forward, fists clenched, as though she could do anything, but Myles's mother caught her and held her back.
"Whoa, there!" she said. "You'll get yourself hurt and Myles won't like that one bit."
"But he's going to—"
Even as Jackie shrieked, Myles reared onto his back legs, kicking and clawing at Harley until the brown werewolf released him with a yelp. Myles dove back in, his teeth closing in around the back of Harley's neck. With a powerful shake of his shoulders, he had the other werewolf on his back again, and this time he did not release him, except to adjust his hold on the brown werewolf's throat.
Harley's eyes rolled and he gasped, lips pulled back as he kicked and bucked. Myles did not loosen his hold, dragging the other werewolf across the field. The gathered crowd parted as the Alpha dragged Harley to the road. By that time, Harley's movements were jerky, uncoordinated, and when Myles released him he melted back into his human form, a hand going to his bleeding throat. Pure hatred shone from his eyes as Myles stood over him, snarling.
Faster than Jackie could register, Myles had also shifted. Though blood trickled from various wo
unds on his naked body, he stood tall and strong, his eyes like fire as he glared down at Harley.
"You will be financially compensated for your lands so you can't claim they were stolen, but the title of ownership will be transferred to Tamara. And then you will leave. You are no longer welcome in this pack or on these lands. Leave now, and never come back."
Harley snarled, but he slowly stood and slunk to his car. Myles stared after him until he was gone, then he turned. He seemed unfazed by his nakedness, as did the werewolves that surged forward, congratulating him. Myles worked his way to Jackie and his mother and spoke over the noise of the crowd.
"I thank you for your support," he called. "And now I would like to rest with my family. Please return to your homes. Now."
Despite being worded as a request it most certainly wasn't, and the gathered werewolves slowly trickled away, though many couldn't seem to stop themselves from further congratulating Myles for his victory. He nodded tensely at them all and led Jackie back into the house while his mother made sure everyone left.
"Are you okay?" she asked, once they were away from the other werewolves.
Myles leaned against her, closing his eyes. "I will be soon. But I need to shower. I don't want Tamara's girls seeing me covered in blood like this."
Jackie nodded and helped him up the stairs to the bathroom attached to his room. There she turned the water on and stripped off her own clothing to stand with him in the shower. Myles sighed, his muscles relaxing, as she grabbed a washcloth and started dabbing at his wounds. The water turned pink as it ran over his body.
"I can't believe you did that. You could have at least told me you were going to fight!"
"I didn't want you to worry."
Jackie glared at him. "Because waiting until you were actually in a fight made me so much less worried."
"Sorry."
Jackie huffed.
Myles gave her a crooked grin. "Does this mean I can start the application for us to become mates?"
