The Werewolf Mega-Bundle 1

by Mia Harris

  “You aren’t even just a bit curious about what he wants with you? Call in sick. I’ll cover for you; I’ll tell Bob that the cat lady offered you some snack that gave you food poisoning.”

  Mia had to admit that the billionaire’s strange invitation had piqued her interest.

  “Hmm. I guess I should at least check it out. Maybe he’s a serial killer. If you never hear from me again after tomorrow, send the police after me,” she joked.

  “So you’ll go?”

  “Yes. I might as well. I’ve got nothing to lose, and I haven’t taken a single sick day in forever, so I guess it’s too bad if Bob doesn’t like it.”

  ***

  The next day, Mia called in sick to work and then went back to bed, sleeping in for the first time in what felt like forever. When she finally dragged herself out of bed, she showered, carefully applied some makeup and straightened her wildly wavy hair. Despite having no idea who this reclusive billionaire was, she felt the need to impress him. If he was actually going to offer her a decent job for whatever reason, then she needed to make a good impression.

  Still wrapped in a purple bath towel, she headed out of the bathroom and back into her bedroom to select an outfit. As she rummaged through her closet, she decided on a cream-colored wrap dress that she hadn’t worn in quite some time. When she had put it on, she admired herself in the mirror. The dress accentuated her curves quite nicely, and showed off a decent amount of cleavage without being inappropriate.

  After choosing a pair of black patent leather pumps to wear with the dress, she looked at herself in the mirror again, finally satisfied with what she saw staring back at her. Okay, I’m ready to go! Be brave, she told herself as a pang of nervousness suddenly surged through her belly.

  Once she was in her car, she played her favorite songs as she drove, hoping that it would calm her rising nerves. As she pulled into the driveway of the estate, she felt excitement mounting instead, and knew that she was finally ready. The gates were closed, and she had to speak to a security guard in a small booth before being allowed to enter the private property.

  “Drive forward, go around the roundabout, and you’ll see some parking spaces to the left. Have a good day, Ms. Gartland.”

  “Thanks,” she replied before pulling her car forward.

  Right ahead of her, there was a large roundabout that was covered in a perfectly-trimmed dark green hedge, and she drove around it before pulling into a space. The Collingwood mansion stood over to her right as she got out of the car, and she drew a sharp breath as she looked up at it. It was enormous, and vaguely resembled a smaller version of the palace at Versailles, which she had visited on a trip to France with her parents when she was younger. Jesus, this place is magnificent. I wish I lived here.

  Not knowing where else to go, she headed up the wide steps that led to the front door, and pressed her finger to what she assumed was a doorbell. Looking up, she could see a camera monitoring her every movement, and she wondered why on earth so much security was needed here.

  A few minutes later, the front doors were opened, and she was surprised to see the same man from the café who had given her the invitation. Stunned into silence for a few seconds as she took in his chiseled features and bright eyes, she finally found her tongue and spoke up.

  “Um… hi, I’m Mia Gartland. I received an invitation to…”

  “Yes, I remember you,” the man said, his voice as smooth and deep as ever. “How could I forget you? Please, follow me. You’re a little early, and Mr. Collingwood is currently on a conference call. He hadn’t anticipated it to run for so long, so he sends his apologies and asked me to tell you that he will be down as soon as possible.”

  Mia was more than a little disappointed. She had been hoping that the gorgeous man in front of her was the billionaire himself, but apparently, he was some sort of assistant. I wouldn’t have minded working for him. Although, if I work for the billionaire, I guess I’d still get to work with this guy anyway, she thought, feeling a familiar twinge in her core as the man turned around and led her to what appeared to be a large sitting room.

  A little smile played on her lips as she took in his tall, muscular frame while she followed him. Even his ass is perfect. He looked rugged and strong, and she could see hard, defined muscles underneath the simple white shirt that he was wearing. She decided to picture him shirtless and working outside, and her smile grew wider as she imagined his tight muscles rippling with each movement he made, and little beads of sweat covering his smooth, tanned skin….

  “Are you alright, Ms. Gartland?” the man asked.

  Mia realized that she had been staring into space and blushed.

  “Oh. Yes. Sorry, I was just thinking about… work,” she replied, hoping that her lie hadn’t been too obvious.

  The man smiled and held his hand out to her.

  “I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Dane. I’m Mr. Collingwood’s assistant. While he’s busy, he’s asked me to run through some questions with you regarding the position that he’d like to offer you.”

  As she shook his hand, Mia felt the same jolt of electricity shoot through her, and wondered if he could feel the spark between them as well.

  “Would you like to take a seat?” he asked.

  She sat down on a velveteen chaise longue and looked around the room nervously, still not having any clue what to expect, or how and why the billionaire had tracked her down. The room was beautifully decorated, with a Persian carpet on the floor and tall bookshelves lining the outer walls. A record was playing softly near them, and she detected the faint strains of the song ‘In the Still of the Night’; one of her favorite oldie songs.

  “Alright, Ms. Gartland, I just need you to sign this non-disclosure form first. It prohibits you from discussing any aspects of this interview even if you don’t take the position.”

  “Okay. Call me Mia, please,” she said, signing the paper as her curiosity was piqued further.

  “Well, Mia, this isn’t so much a job interview, but… well, I’m sure you’ve at least heard of Damien Collingwood before?”

  “No, I actually hadn’t before yesterday.”

  “Oh,” he replied, flashing her a grin. “Well, that doesn’t matter. As you now know, he is a very wealthy man, and he has certain needs that no amount of money can ever fill.”

  “Such as?” she asked, wondering where on earth the gorgeous assistant was going with this.

  “This is a lot to take in, Mia… but he’s a werewolf. In fact, he is the packmaster of the biggest wolf pack in the state. He has come to the point in his life where he must take a mate, and it is difficult for him to meet anyone who isn’t a complete gold-digger. He wants true love and companionship, but alas, when you’re a billionaire, it is hard to find, so he has all but given up on that.”

  Mia felt a giggle rising in her throat, and then couldn’t control herself any longer.

  “This is a joke, right?” she asked before bursting into laughter. I was brought all the way here for a practical joke about werewolves? Oh god. If it wasn’t so funny, I’d be really pissed.

  Dane’s lips pursed together, and he waited for her to stop laughing before speaking again.

  “Mia, I realize how it sounds to a human like you, but I can assure you that werewolves are real.”

  “Oh, I’m sure they are,” she replied. “Just like Santa and the tooth fairy. Please tell me why I was summoned here. Whose idea of a joke was this? I missed work today, you know.”

  As she spoke, Dane stood up and rose to his full height, looking slightly angry. His eyes began to glow a bright yellow color, and Mia’s laugh died in her throat. What the hell?

  Mere seconds later, Dane had disappeared, and a large grey wolf stood in his place directly in front of her. He had shifted so quickly that she had barely seen anything; only a blur. Shocked, Mia stared at the wolf with her mouth open as it pawed the ground before jumping up next to her and placing one paw over her knee.

  The beast’s
yellow eyes stared straight into hers, and she gasped with horror as it shifted back into Dane, who got off the chaise longue and stood in front of her again.

  “Believe me now? We are very real.”

  “I… I don’t even…”

  “I know. It’s difficult for humans to understand, because we’ve hidden ourselves in plain sight for so long.”

  Mia was stunned into silence for the second time that day. This time, she took a lot longer to find her tongue, and then finally timidly spoke up, still almost unable to believe what she had just witnessed.

  “So… you’re real. Werewolves exist. Oh my god.”

  “That’s right. As I was saying, Mr. Collingwood is the packmaster of one of the biggest and most important packs in the country. And he needs a mate.”

  “Why am I here, then?”

  “He caught your scent the other day, and knew it was very special. So he sent us to find you and deliver the invitation. He wants to make you his mate.”

  “I’m sorry, but I don’t understand all your… werewolf terminology. What does that mean?”

  “If you were his mate, you would basically be his wife. In return for your companionship, he would provide everything you have ever dreamed of in life. We looked into your background and saw that you used to write short stories back in college. If writing is your true dream, you could pursue it with no troubles with Mr. Collingwood’s support.”

  The offer sounded tempting, but Mia thought it also sounded akin to high-class prostitution. I would be free to write my novels, but I would be basically selling myself to a man who wants me to use him for his money… that’s not right.

  “Look, I’m sorry, I’m sure your boss is a very nice man, but I’m not for sale. It was nice meeting you, and please give him my regards, wherever he is. I should go,” she said.

  “Wait. Don’t go just yet, please. He should be down any moment,” Dane said. “Let me explain some more things to you about our kind while we wait. Maybe you’ll change your mind.”

  Mia sighed. I came all the way here; I guess I might as well hear what he has to say.

  “Okay, then. Why don’t you start by telling me what the hell a packmaster is?”

  Dane grinned.

  “A packmaster is simply the head honcho of any given wolf pack. Normally the status of packmaster is passed down from father to son in the major families, but in Mr. Collingwood’s case, he earned it.”

  “How?”

  “When he started to make a lot of money, the previous packmaster wasn’t happy with his dwindling influence and challenged Mr. Collingwood to a fight. Mr. Collingwood won, and was made packmaster.”

  “So he killed the previous guy?”

  “No. They were both hurt, but the previous packmaster wasn’t killed. Only defeated.”

  “Oh.”

  Dane regaled Mia with more tales of the werewolves, and then gave her a brief rundown of their history. She found herself laughing and enjoying her time with him, and secretly began to wish that he was the one asking for her to be his mate. I definitely wouldn’t mind spending the rest of my life with a man like him.

  Looking at the antique clock that hung on the wall in front of her, she realized that it was nearly four o’clock.

  “Oh, god. We’ve been talking for two hours!” she said. “Where is Mr. Collingwood? Doesn’t he at least want to meet me?”

  “I’m sure he’ll be down soon. I apologize for his lateness; he is a very busy man, and his meetings can sometimes last forever.”

  “I should be going, then,” she replied, standing up.

  Dane rose up from his seat as well and faced her.

  “So your answer is definitely no?” he asked.

  “To the mate thing? Yes, definitely a no. I’m sorry, as I said before, it’s a very tempting offer, but I couldn’t use a man that I haven’t even met for his money, no matter how amazing he thinks my scent is.”

  “Out of interest, what would make you say yes to being someone’s mate?” Dane asked, his gorgeous eyes trained right on her.

  “Well,” she said, feeling her cheeks turn pink again, “this will sound really lame to you, but I’ve always thought I wouldn’t settle for anything less than fireworks. I want to be with someone that I could really love, regardless of who they are. Someone I feel real chemistry with. I guess that’s what your boss used to want as well, before he realized that most women were probably just going to use him for his money.”

  Dane stepped slightly closer to her.

  “When you say chemistry… do you mean like the spark I felt when I touched your hand earlier?”

  Mia was momentarily shocked. He did feel it.

  “Um. Yes,” she said, casting her eyes down as she realized what she had just admitted.

  “I know I’m just an assistant, Mia, but there’s something between us. Please tell me you feel it too. I mean, we just spent two hours talking and it felt like no time at all,” he said.

  As he spoke, he reached out and stroked her face. His touch sent bolts of electricity coursing through Mia’s veins all over again, and her legs suddenly felt like jelly.

  “I don’t care what your job is,” she said breathlessly, feeling a sudden surge of confidence. “I’ve thought you were one of the most gorgeous men that I’ve ever laid eyes on since I saw you in that café. This whole time, I was wishing that you were the one asking me to be your mate, not your boss, wherever he is.”

  Dane smiled down at her, and his eyes began to burn with desire as he leaned closer and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, sending a wave of warmth flooding through her body.

  “If that’s the case, then I’d like to tell you one more thing, Mia,” he murmured.

  “What’s that?”

  “I haven’t been entirely honest with you. My real name isn’t Dane.”

  “Oh. What is it?”

  “Damien Collingwood,” he said, before giving her a wolfish grin.

  “I don’t understand. You’re... him?”

  “Yes. I apologize for having deceived you, but I needed to know that you weren’t like all the other women I meet. I need to take a mate, but I am the same as you. I want real love, not the uncertainty that I feel when I can’t tell if a woman really likes me as person, or just my money.”

  Mia was shocked. This whole time, I’ve been sitting and talking to the billionaire? She felt mortified.

  “You must think I’m a complete idiot,” she said softly. “I should’ve known. Something about this whole thing didn’t quite add up, and now I know why.”

  “You aren’t an idiot. I deceived you. And I’m sorry. Can you forgive me?”

  Mia looked into his bright eyes and knew that this was a man she could never be angry at. He had lied to her, but as far as she was concerned, he had done it for the right reason – in the name of finding his mate and possible true love.

  “Yes,” she whispered. “I forgive you.”

  “Did you mean it when you said you wished I would ask you to be my mate? Because the offer is still there.”

  “I don’t want to use you.”

  “You wouldn’t be. You can do whatever you want with your life. All I ask is that you be with me. If you feel as if you might be taking advantage of my wealth, then you can make your own money. Whatever makes you happy would make me happy.”

  Mia only needed to consider his words for a few seconds before knowing what her answer would be.

  “Yes. I accept your offer,” she said. “I’ll be your mate.”

  Damien’s eyes darkened into deep pools of lust before turning yellow again, and his face took on a more fierce expression.

  “Are you sure?” he growled.

  “Yes.”

  With that, he scooped her up in his arms and swung her around, making her head spin with a combination of dizziness and desire. When he finally set her down on the ground again, he slid an arm around her waist and touched the other hand to her chin, tilting it upwards to face him.

&n
bsp; Seconds later, he was pressing his lips to hers, and Mia felt as if she had died and gone to heaven. The jolts of electricity that she had felt earlier were nothing compared with what she was feeling now. Streams of heat were flooding through her body and clouding her mind with nothing but thoughts of the man embracing her.

  As his tongue fiercely possessed her mouth, exploring it greedily before entwining with hers, he ran his hands through her hair and then moved one hand to the small of her back, caressing and rubbing over the top of the cream-colored dress fabric in small circles.

  Mia breathed deeply through her nose as the kiss went on for what seemed like an eternity, and inhaled Damien’s clean, fresh scent. His other hand absentmindedly stroked her shoulder as the hand on her back pulled her even closer towards him, and their tongues continued to dance in each other’s mouths as the heat rose in both of their bodies.