“Oh, it’s nothing,” he said with a grin. “It’s the least I can do, after all that you’ve done for me. I’m glad you like it.”
Stephanie thanked him once more, and then turned back toward the house to finish the food she was cooking for supper. As she walked along the stone path, she tripped on the edge of a rock, and almost fell. But Jack was there in a split second to save her. He pulled her up into his arms, cradling her against him and carried her into the house. Stephanie blushed madly at being in such a position.
“Just put me down,” she mumbled, but her voice was so quiet that he didn’t seem to hear her. He did notice how red her cheeks were however.
“Why are your cheeks so red?” he asked with confusion, still holding her in his arms. “Are they sore?”
Stephanie blushed a deep shade of crimson, and before she could answer, Jack had kissed her softly on the curve of her cheek. She felt her heart flutter, and her eyes widened as she looked up at him. He stared back down into her eyes, the connection between them becoming electrical.
Before either could say a word, the back door of the house was kicked in with a loud crash. Jack quickly placed Stephanie down on her feet and pushed her behind him. His eyes were locked on the woman who walked through the rubble of the door. The dark haired woman did not hesitate for a moment as she launched forward and wrapped her arms around Jack’s neck.
“I was so worried about you!” she yelled out as she held him tightly to her. Stephanie lowered her eyes and tried to hide her disappointment. It seemed obvious to her that this woman must be Jack’s girlfriend… or lover. However, it did not seem that clear to Jack, who tugged himself free of the woman’s grasp and looked at her strangely.
Book 1: The Alpha’s a Bitch: Rise Of The Pack Princess Chapter 4
“Who are you?” he asked the dark haired female intruder hugging him tightly.
“I’m Ryder,” the woman replied with raised eyebrows. “How could you not remember your own twin sister, you big doofus?” Stephanie noted that Ryder did have nearly the same shade of eyes that Jack did.
“I’m sorry,” Jack said as he shook his head slightly. “I can’t seem to remember anything right now.”
“Well, you’re going to have to try,” Ryder insisted. “The leader of our pack was murdered a few days ago, and I need you home right now, as does everyone else in the pack.”
Jack seemed to be trying hard to remember any of what Ryder was saying, but the confused expression on his face made Stephanie assume he was still really struggling.
“Did you kill Simon?” Ryder asked Jack point blank, locking her eyes to her twin brother’s her face now only inches away from him.
Jack only stared back at Ryder, his eyes questioning and confused.
“That’s it! You’ve broken down my door, and now you’re talking about people being murdered! Please tell me what is going on here,” Stephanie demanded, her voice raising in pitch with every word she spoke.
“You just be quiet!” Ryder snapped in reaction to Stephanie’s noisiness.
Jack immediately growled at her in defense of Stephanie, which caused Ryder to immediately back down. She took a deep breath and began to talk to the both of them in a calmer tone.
“Your name is David,” she said to Jack. “You’re my twin brother and also a werewolf, and a member of our pack. Our leader was murdered by Simon, a man who was exiled from our pack years ago because of his disloyalty and treacherous ways.”
Stephanie slumped down in a chair as she listened to Ryder continue to talk to Jack. “David – you are the next in line to become pack leader. That is exactly why you were attacked by Simon and his gang. They wanted to kill you.”
As Ryder’s voice drifted through Jack’s mind, he began to remember some of the things she was describing. At the same time Stephanie was trying to process all that she was hearing. She had already suspected that there was something unique about Jack, but she had never considered that he could be a werewolf.
The idea that she had lived with him for several days now was suddenly a little more than just disconcerting. But when she looked at him, watching him intently conversing with his sister, she knew it didn’t matter to her what he was.
“You’ve been missing for days. We all thought you were dead… but me and a few of the boys decided to track you anyway – to bring back your body if nothing else. I’m glad we did now. Please David, you have to come back with me. The pack is in absolute chaos… it needs a leader. It needs you. Who else can protect them from Simon?”
Jack started remembering a little about the members of his pack. As his memory slowly came back he also remembered how ruthless Simon was. Reluctantly he turned to face Stephanie who was now really pale and staring at the two.
“I’m sorry Steff… if I had known who I was, what I was… I would never have put you in danger,” he explained quietly. “But I must return to my pack now… it’s my duty to protect them.”
“I understand,” Stephanie replied softly, her voice wavering slightly with sorrow.
“I wish you the best,” she added… and she meant it.
She stood and watched as Ryder and Jack left the house through the broken back door. She was amazed as they transformed from human beings into two black wolves, as black as Ryder’s long tresses, right in front of her eyes before running off to meet a few other wolves standing about 100 yards off in the distance. Her heart was pounding as she stared at the empty space where her Jack had been only moments ago.
Book 1: The Alpha’s a Bitch: Rise Of The Pack Princess Chapter 5
Stephanie tried to let go of the intimacy she had felt with Jack, but it haunted her. She knew it was silly – she had only known him for a few days… but the bond she felt for him was unmistakable. Everywhere she turned in the house… something there reminded her of him. But she knew she had to repair the back door so she dutifully went about doing that as the emptiness in her heart returned.
Once the door was somewhat fixed she ended up in bed, too depressed to get out. She was worried about Jack/David, and wondered whether he was safe or not. She also fantasized that maybe one day he would come back for her as soon as he straightened out all his pack business.
He had only been gone for about a day when she heard a loud crash outside of her house once again. She quickly jumped up, her heart in her throat as she hoped that it was Jack, coming back to say goodbye. But when she ran out the door to greet him, dressed only in her night gown, she was thrown down hard on her stomach against the front porch.
Stephanie groaned in pain and looked up quickly to see a brown wolf perched on top of her. She watched in horror and surprise as he transformed into a man, about thirty-five, who looked mean and nasty. He was covered in scars, tattoos and dirt.
“I can smell him on you,” the strange man growled at her, his voice gravelly and deep.
“David is all over this house, and all over you too,” he took a deep sniff of her hair and then growled again. “You must be important to him if he left his scent. It would devastate him if I killed you,” he smirked with amusement.
Stephanie opened her mouth to scream but before she could, the rough looking wolf man placed his hands around her neck and began to choke her. Stephanie struggled, but he was strong. The more she fought him, the more faint she felt. She could tell that she was loosing the battle. Just as she felt herself slipping away, the man on top of her was ripped up into the air and thrown several feet away from her.
Jack pulled her to her feet and looked her neck over closely to be sure that she was not too harmed.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his breath short.
“Jack… I think so,” Stephanie said through tears that were filling her eyes. Jack held her close against his chest, his arms clutching her tightly, as if he had been terrified that he was too late.
“I’m sorry, Steff… that thug was Simon,” he sighed. “I have to go,” he whispered.
“No Jack, please, don’t,” Stephanie gasp
ed out, but by that time he had already transformed into the majestic black wolf she had seen before. He ran off into the woods, leaving Stephanie sobbing on the porch. A few moments later Ryder appeared out of the woods. When she saw Stephanie crying she transformed back into a woman and hurried over to her.
“Are you okay?” she asked with genuine concern.
Her brother had confided in her just how much Stephanie had helped him. Stephanie nodded through her sobs as Ryder led her into the house. They could both hear yelping, growling and other horrific sounds from outside, much deeper in the woods surrounding Stephanie’s small home.
“Please help him,” Stephanie begged Ryder as she listened to the growls and whimpers. “Please do something!”
Ryder grimaced but shook her head. “No… I’m sorry, I can’t. This fight will determine whether or not David… Jack… is worthy of ruling the pack – he has to do this on his own.”
Stephanie bit into her bottom lip to keep from demanding that Ryder help her twin brother. She knew she couldn’t fully understand the way they lived. They waited there together in silence for the fight to end.
When the yelps stopped, a few moments later, the front door swung open and Jack limped inside. He had a few new cuts and bites on his body but overall nothing like the wounds he was covered with a few days back. Stephanie jumped up to greet him with a soft hug, and then wasted no time getting the bandages to tend to his wounds.
Book 1: The Alpha’s a Bitch: Rise Of The Pack Princess Chapter 6
“You did it brother!” Ryder cried out and grabbed one of his hands to raise it into the air in victory as he slightly flinched in pain.
“You’ve defeated Simon, now you are the new pack leader! I’m so proud of you, I knew you could do it. You’ll be a great leader. I can’t wait for the rest of the pack to hear about this!”
Stephanie listened sadly to the conversation as she finished cleaning and bandaging Jack’s new wounds. She knew that soon she would have to say goodbye to him again. Jack listened to his sister rattle on as he stared at Stephanie, watching the loving way she caressed his skin and made sure that he was taken care of.
“Stop!” he suddenly said to Ryder. Stephanie froze, but it wasn’t her he was looking at. He was looking at Ryder.
“I’m not going to be pack leader,” he stated to her firmly.
“What?” Ryder gasped. “But you don’t have a choice,” she insisted.
“Yes. Yes I do. Listen… I owe my life to Stephanie. If she hadn’t helped me a few days ago, I wouldn’t be alive right now anyway. She didn’t have to help me – but she did. She’s my pack now, and my loyalty lies with her.”
Ryder sputtered as she tried to think of something to say. Stephanie was just as shocked by Jack’s confession. She hadn’t expected him to choose her. Jack grasped Stephanie by the elbow and drew her firmly to him, in the same moment, his lips collided with hers, and he pulled her into a rough and passionate kiss that left her quite off balance and more than a little out of breath. Ryder growled as she watched this display.
“So… who is going to lead the pack then brother? How could you… how could you just abandon your pack like that?” she demanded.
“I’m not,” he insisted as he turned to look at her. “I now transfer it to you. You will be their leader.”
“Me?” Ryder asked with surprise.
“You’re my twin sister. We’re blood. Just tell the pack that we fought Simon together. And in the end, it was you that delivered the fatal blow. That way they know that you are the pack leader. I trust you Ryder. You have the experience and the wisdom to lead the pack. You will be as good a leader… maybe even better… than I could ever be.”
“But David, that doesn’t seem right,” Ryder started to say, her eyes narrowed. “You should be leader.”
“For a few minutes I was… but forever… no, I won’t be,” he insisted and tightened his arm around Stephanie’s waist.
Then he looked to his sister, “You are the leader now Ryder, I pass it on to you. Now go to the pack and claim your role as their rightful leader.”
Ryder reluctantly nodded. “If that is what you truly wish David… Jack. I hope that you are happy here with Stephanie,” she sighed and shook her head as she left the house.
As soon as Ryder was gone, Jack grimaced as the pain from his wounds threatened to take over.
“Here, let me get you into bed,” Stephanie walked over, put her head under his left arm, her arms around his waist and helped him to her bed. She laid him down in the bed and checked over his wounds once more. She was just about to leave the room when he called to her.
“Stephanie… Steff,” he murmured.
“Yes?” she asked as she returned to the side of the bed.
“Lay with me,” he invited with a faint smile. Stephanie nodded without another word. She climbed into the bed beside him and he wrapped his battered arms around her. Soon enough she fell asleep in his strong embrace.
Book 1: The Alpha’s a Bitch: Rise Of The Pack Princess Chapter 7
A few months later Stephanie was once again traveling her long journey from work to home. Her mind was filled with thoughts as usual, but none of these thoughts were lonely. Instead she was looking forward to getting home. The moment she met Jack, her life had changed forever. It was a change she would always be grateful for.
As she pulled into the driveway she smiled when she saw Jack bound down from the porch to greet her. When he reached the truck he opened the door for her. As soon as she stepped out of the truck he pulled her into a kiss. Then he scooped her up into his arms and she laughed.
“I’m so glad you’re home,” he murmured through kisses. “I’ve been waiting for you all day.”
Stephanie smiled, her eyes shining as he carried her into the house. Inwardly she thought to herself, And I have been waiting for you Jack, all of my life.
The warm, reuniting day ended with a long overdue passionate evening before Stephanie and Jack finally fell sound asleep. She lay wrapped in his arms, her head on his chest, as a rising mist slowly moved in with the darkness of night outdoors.
The moon was at its fullest on this evening. All was calm and quiet, until the shattering sounds of her bedroom window startled the couple from their slumber. The rapid pounding, charging sounds of feet – paws rather – and the simultaneous growling noises of the odiferous intruders that now stood motionless at the foot of her bed was more than enough to wake them both.
Steff was up immediately. She yanked the silk sheets from the bed, covering her nakedness; as was Jack now up, only a half of a second behind her, wearing only his boxers. She was frightened into a corner, where he stood just ahead of his gasping love. She held onto him for dear life. His upper lip had begun to twitch as he stared at the intruders.
The strange animals at the foot of the bed anticipated his next move. One of them was brown, the other was grey. They were smaller than he was in his wolf form, and they were also short for words. One thing he knew for certain was that if they were newborns, they would have no control over their first few turns. They would need to conjure up enough strength to change at will. Otherwise they would morph very quickly in an uncontrollable rage that would only die down with the rising of the next sunrise, or with their own death.
Jack’s eyelids sunk. His teeth grew. His pulse raced. His fists clenched, and he roared in a taunting, menacing tone in the direction of the two monstrosities that now stood before him and Steff. They had dared challenge him in his own home. Now he had gracefully accepted their clumsy invitation.
Stephanie, still behind him, held onto Jack’s bicep with a grip that was tight enough to redden his skin, her body pressed against his. “What do they want?” she cried out in a mumbled scream.
Jack made sure not to lose eye contact with the werewolves. He maintained his position in front of Stephanie, turned his head just enough to where she could hear him whisper. And as he’d begun to morph, his voice deepened. “Hide!” he groaned.
Stephanie’s hand grew hot as Jack’s temperature had begun to suddenly rise. Sure, he’d been warm all along. She was astonished at how hot he became, removed her silk covered body from his raw flesh and looked to the thick black hairs that were now beginning to protrude from his back. It happened so fast, but witnessing him transform into the large animal a few times more than a month before, she was prepared for it somewhat, but it was still terribly unnerving.
Book 1: The Alpha’s a Bitch: Rise Of The Pack Princess Chapter 8
She was not, however, prepared for what was about to unfold in her bedroom. She looked down to the palm of her hand and noticed the hairs on Jack’s arms growing rather rapidly. Her heart raced as a feeling of uneasiness overshadowed her confidence.
It wasn’t that she was unsure of Jack being able to handle himself in combat; it was more of how many other wild animals could possibly be hiding out somewhere, anywhere, around the house. Where would she hide? How could she get past the wolves, make it out the bedroom door? Before she could think to react, Jack had transformed and lunged toward the enemies.
Instantly the two wolves attacked Jack. The one on his left, the brown one, leapt in the air while the other struck head-on, connecting with him, latching its paws across Jack’s shoulders and biting into his neck as the brown wolf landed atop of him, forcing him to lay flat on the carpet.
Busy with Jack, the wild beasts were not the least bit intimidated by Stephanie, nor did it seem that she was even on the menu. She panicked, looked toward the window with wide, fretful eyes. Then she looked toward the shards of glass on the carpet. She glanced over to the walk-in closet, her five drawer dresser.
The Alpha's a Bitch: Rise Of The Pack Princess Complete: A Paranormal Werewolf Romance Page 2
