by R. E. Butler
“You and me both,” Alfie said.
Joss finished cutting the wood and then set about digging the hole for the firepit and lining it with stones. By the time he was done, it was well past lunch and he was ready for a break.
Jeanie smiled at him as he sat down heavily on the blanket and wiped the sweat from his brow with his t-shirt. Anke and Delilah excused themselves, and Joss leaned over and kissed his mate. “You’re so sexy,” she murmured.
“Oh?” he asked with a chuckle.
She opened a cooler and handed him a bottle of chilled water. “It was hard to concentrate on the law books with you being all macho chopping wood, especially when you took off your shirt.”
“Too bad we can’t do something about it.”
“Aren’t you the alpha?” she asked, giving him a raised eyebrow.
“Of course, and so are you,” he said. “But even alphas have to abide by rules.”
“We can’t go fool around because it’s the day of our mating ceremony? I don’t like that rule. Can I change it?”
He barked out a laugh. “That rule you can’t change. At least not before you officially become the alpha female. It’s not a bad rule. Waiting will make it better, don’t you think?”
She made a face. “I’m not one for delaying satisfaction, Joss.”
“It’ll be worth it.” His wolf was in agreement with her, though. He wanted to take her somewhere private and see how many times he could make her shudder in bliss.
Looking skeptical for a moment, she dissolved into laughter and threw her arms around his neck. “I can’t wait.”
They ate a light meal of sandwiches and chips that Anke had packed for them in the cooler, and then they stretched out in the shade, his beauty resting her head on his chest, and talked. He couldn’t believe how different his life was because of the VIP tours. He’d never have another lonely night because Jeanie was in his arms. He was the happiest damn wolf on the planet.
He wanted that for his people, too. He wanted the VIP tours to work their magic. He just didn’t know how to make that happen.
* * *
Down in their home underground, Joss snarled at the closed bathroom door where Jeanie was getting ready for their hour-long separation. She’d showered. Without him! And was getting dressed. Without him!
He was wearing a pair of black trousers and nothing else, the traditional clothing for the male during the mating ceremony. Because Joss didn’t have any family left – no males to stand with him during this time – he’d reached out to his closest friends and asked Trace and Randall to be with him. They’d happily agreed.
“I heard that,” Jeanie said, opening the bathroom door and stepping out.
“Heard what?” he asked, feigning innocence.
“Your growl. You’re the one who said we couldn’t change the rule about no sex before the mating ceremony, not me. It’s entirely your fault.”
Out in the family room, he heard both males snicker and attempt to hide their delight with coughs.
He rose from the bed and grabbed her close. “I can’t help it that I want you, sweetheart. You’re the definition of temptation.”
Her eyes were bright with happiness. “You are, too. Shut the door, they can wait,” she whispered.
He growled her name softly, the sound more purr than anything. “Temptress.”
She looked ravishing in a strapless black dress that fell to mid-thigh. She had black sandals on, and she’d pulled up the sides of her hair to reveal the mating mark on her neck. He lightly pressed his thumb to the mark. “In the old days, the couple waited until the ceremony to mark each other, which meant that they weren’t hazed with pleasure when it happened.”
“Yikes,” she said. “I barely felt your fangs in my neck because you made me feel so good beforehand.”
He smiled. “I’m glad for that.”
“I wish I could bite you tonight, though.” She wiggled her brows at him with a grin.
His whole body reacted to the idea, his skin tingling at the thought of her blunt teeth sinking into his skin. “You can.”
“But I thought only the guys marked their ladies?”
“They do. But damn if my wolf wants you to bite me.” He turned her swiftly, pulling her back against his chest and brushing her hair from her shoulder to bare her neck. He wrapped his arms around her, caging her to him. Then he lowered his head and spoke against her skin, sending a shudder through her. “You can bite my wrist while I bite your neck. Neither of us will break the skin, but it’s symbolic. I’d love for you to give me a bruise that’ll last for a while so I can enjoy your mark on my skin.”
He lifted his hand slowly, and she kissed the inside of his wrist and then sighed breathlessly as she leaned against him. “I’m on fire, Joss. The things you do to me.”
“Later, minx.” He kissed her neck and released his hold on her. Reluctantly. “I can hear the females waiting for you.”
“It’s just an hour, right?” she asked as she turned and kissed him once.
“The longest hour ever.”
“Love you. Big, bad wolf.”
“I love you, sweetheart.”
Chapter Thirteen
Outside of the house, Anke and Jess introduced Jeanie to three other wolf ladies – Desiree, Heidi, and Sarah.
“We’ve got an hour,” Anke said. “We’re going to have a snack at my place and chat, and then head up to the paddock when it’s close to the time.”
“Are you nervous?” Jess asked Jeanie.
“Yes and no. It’s hard to explain.”
“I get it,” Jess said. “My people didn’t do ceremonies like this, so it was strange to me. Even though I was already mated to Auden, I still had butterflies in my stomach.”
Jeanie smiled. “That’s pretty much how I feel.”
Anke opened the front door and ushered everyone inside. The coffee table had been set with snacks and drinks, and they all sat and filled little plates with treats.
“Do you have any questions about the ceremony or wolves in general that we can answer?” Heidi asked, tucking a lock of dark hair behind her ear.
Jeanie finished chewing her bite of a mini cheese tart and said, “I spent the day reading about your laws and talking to Anke, plus Joss has been so great to answer all my questions. Are you all mated?”
The three women wolf shifters each shook their head. “Not a whole lot of unmated males come through the VIP tours,” Sarah said. “So we’ll either stick it out and hope one shows up, or we’ll choose a male and mate with him.”
“Even though humans don’t have a soulmate situation quite like shifters do,” Jeanie said, “there are a lot of women out there who face the same choices – wait for Mr. Right or move on with Mr. Okay. I did.”
Heidi’s brows rose. “You were mated before?”
“Married, yes. He cheated on me with more than one woman and had a kid with one of them. I’m not sure why I stuck it out so long when I knew he wasn’t a good guy, but I did. I divorced him a few years ago, and I’m so glad I did, so I could be available to be with Joss.”
Everyone smiled at her words except Desiree. She looked as if she were trying to be happy but wasn’t quite able to do it. Jeanie was about to ask her what was wrong when Anke said it was time for them to head up to the paddock.
They left Anke’s home and headed toward the door that lead to the stairs up to the maintenance shed.
At the door, Desiree said, “Aw, shoot. I was supposed to bring the trays from the cafeteria up to the paddock.”
“Why didn’t you do that earlier?” Anke asked. She pulled open the door.
“I forgot. I can’t carry them by myself.” She looked right at Jeanie.
“I can help,” Jeanie offered. It was hard not to feel obligated to assist with the intense way that Desiree was looking at her.
“Nah, you’re not supposed to do anything but go up into the paddock to mate with Joss,” Sarah said. “I’ll go.”
“You ca
n both come,” Desiree said. “It’ll just take a few minutes, we’ll be right up into the shed.”
Before anyone could say anything else, Desiree grabbed Jeanie and Sarah by the hands and tugged them to another door that would lead up into the cafeteria. As they walked up the stairs and drew close to the door of the employee cafeteria, Jeanie’s spine began to tingle in warning, the hairs on the back of her neck rising.
Jeanie stopped two steps from the top. “Something’s wrong.”
She glanced behind her at Sarah. “What?” the young woman asked.
Desiree turned slowly with a black plastic device in her hand. She moved so fast that she was a blur to Jeanie, punching the device into Sarah’s stomach and clicking a button. Electricity crackled, and Sarah’s body jolted hard, then she tumbled backward down the stairs. Jeanie let out a scream, but it was cut off midway when Desiree pointed the stun gun her way.
“Move, bitch.”
“Wh-where?” Jeanie asked, a lump the size of a bowling ball in her throat. Sarah wasn’t moving at the bottom of the stairs, blood seeping from a head wound.
“Up. Someone’s been waiting to meet you.”
* * *
Desiree opened the door to the cafeteria and pushed Jeanie through. She stumbled as her sandal caught on the tile and she fell, her arms flailing to catch herself. She managed to lean as she fell and bounced against the wall, stopping her downward tumble. Rubbing her bruised shoulder, she straightened, warily meeting Desiree’s menacing glare.
Jeanie was kicking herself. She’d thought something was off about the woman, but she’d traipsed right along with her to an obvious trap.
“What’s this about? Why did you hurt Sarah and what the hell do you want with me?”
“I couldn’t care less about that female. You, on the other hand, are a way for the rightful alpha to take his position.”
“What are you talking about?”
Desiree shoved her forward, and they walked into the cafeteria. There were three men standing by the windows. The lights were off in the main room, but the kitchen was illuminated, and she could make out their features as they turned around. The one in the middle looked like a slightly older version of Joss, except for the gruesome scars that streaked his face.
“Sid?” Jeanie asked.
The moment his name left her lips, the man moved like a blur, back-handing Jeanie with enough force that she spun in a full circle and crashed to the ground. A foot connected with her stomach, making her scream in pain, the air whooshing from her lungs. She was wrenched to her knees by her hair and a fist connected with her eye, hair ripping out at the root as she was slammed backward into the tile.
She’d never so much as been slapped before in her life.
Now, she rolled to her side and spit blood out of her mouth, barely stifling a moan as pain rocketed through her.
“You don’t ever say my name,” Sid said. “I’m alpha.”
The words of disagreement caught in her throat. She didn’t want to be hit again. Worry for her safety went out the window as she realized that Sid must be at the park to fight Joss for the position of alpha. Joss had said one of the few times an alpha could be challenged was when he took a mate.
Jeanie pushed herself to a seated position, groaning internally at a wave of nausea. Wiping the blood from her chin, she said, “How did you know?”
Sid’s brow rose. “Smart bitch, isn’t she?”
The two males with him chuckled darkly.
Jeanie’s heart kicked up a notch at the malevolence in their gazes.
“Desiree here,” Sid said, as he tossed a length of rope to her, “couldn’t leave with me because her mother was ailing. Instead, she spied for me, knowing that it would take Joss finding his soulmate to give me an in. All you need to know, however, is that at the end of this night, you’re going to die.”
Jeanie didn’t want to cry. She didn’t consider herself a particularly weepy person except for the sappy animal shelter commercials and tug-on-your-heart holiday movies. But she couldn’t stop the hot tears that welled up in her eyes as Desiree bound her wrists tightly together and gagged her with a piece of fabric. She was jerked to her feet and had no choice but to follow as the small group left the employee cafeteria and headed toward the paddocks.
Her hopes of being rescued by the security patrol were dashed when she overheard the three men discuss the predictable patrol schedule, and how easy it was to gain access to the park after hours. She looked around, peering into the darkness for signs of life, but found none. It was only the five of them on the path that ran along the paddocks.
Joss had promised to keep her safe, but his words were a hollow comfort to her now. She’d become his doom. If it weren’t for her, there wouldn’t be a man stalking toward Joss with the intention of killing him. If it weren’t for her, none of this would be happening.
* * *
Joss took a long-handled lighter from Eugene and lit the kindling in the firepit. It caught swiftly and blazed to life, the flames licking across the surface of the logs. Handing the lighter back to Eugene, Joss added another few armloads of wood to the fire. It needed to last through the ceremony and the party that followed, and he was certain that the massive amount of wood he’d cut and laid in the firepit would easily burn until dawn.
“Looks good, Alpha,” Eugene said. He smiled at the fire and then at Joss.
“Thanks.” He glanced at his watch and Eugene chuckled softly.
“This is so much better than how we used to do things,” Eugene said.
Joss agreed. They used to make the couple stay apart for twelve hours before the ceremony. It was considered good luck if the male could stop himself from shifting and hunting down his female. His mind flitted to his former mate and their ceremony. While similar, everything felt new to Joss because Jeanie was his soulmate. He already felt far more connected to her than he’d ever felt to anyone before, and nothing made him happier than being with her.
For a moment, he wondered if he should’ve told her about his son, but he swiftly dismissed the thought. He’d tell her after they were fully mated and she was alpha female. She’d been reading in the pack’s law and history books and was learning about the often-brutal nature of their people. He knew she would probably never fully understand what it was like to have a predator share her brain and body, but she was trying, and he loved her for it.
No, today was for happier thoughts and a wide-open future with Jeanie by his side and in his arms.
The maintenance shed doors opened and he saw three figures illuminated in the doorway. With a frown, he said, “Weren’t there others with Jeanie?”
Eugene hummed. “I thought so. Anke, Jess, Jeanie...” He ticked the names off on his fingers. “Desiree, Sarah, and Heidi. I wonder where everyone is?”
They watched as the three figures moved toward the bonfire, and the moment Joss realized that Jeanie wasn’t among them, his wolf rose in his mind, fury and worry twining within him.
“Where’s Jeanie?” Joss demanded.
“She’s coming,” Anke said. “Desiree needed help with some trays in the cafeteria and took Sarah and Jeanie with her. I’m sure they’ll be right behind us.”
Jess nodded. “We offered to go, but Jeanie volunteered.”
“Trays? What trays?” Delilah asked, joining them.
“I don’t know,” Anke said. “She said she was supposed to bring trays from the cafeteria here.”
Delilah shook her head. “No. Everything was already brought from the cafeteria, and besides, Desiree was never helping with the setup. That female always shirks her duties.”
A chill went through Joss.
Where was Jeanie?
He scanned the paddock. The pack was milling around, some working at the tables where the meal would be served afterward, some speaking in small groups. Behind him three of the elders were waiting. Normally, Joss handled the mating ceremony as alpha, but since he was the one getting mated he’d asked Amos to perform it
.
Joss felt a strange presence nearby, and somewhere in the darkness he heard a soft whimper. His heart clenched as fear washed over him. But it wasn’t his own fear he was feeling, it was Jeanie’s.
Turning slowly, Joss faced the elders and found two of them looking confused and one of them staring right at him.
“Amos,” Joss said.
“I’m sorry it had to be this way,” Amos said.
Stepping into the golden glow of the fire was Sidney, the brother Joss had nearly killed all those years ago when he took over as alpha. Time had ravaged his features, the battle scars on his face looking even deeper.
Joss’s fangs tingled in his gums. “What are you doing here, Sid? You were banished from the pack and this territory.”
“Indeed,” Sid said, tilting his head and giving Joss a maniacal smile. “But I have a ticket.”
Bound at the wrist by rope and with a gag in her mouth, Jeanie was forced to her knees next to Sid, Desiree pointing a taser at her. Two other males were behind them, and Joss recognized them as his brother’s friends, who’d willingly left the pack to follow Sid.
White-hot rage blasted through Joss as he saw Jeanie’s bloodied nose and blackened eye, her cheeks streaked with tears.
Sid grasped a chunk of Jeanie’s hair, making her whimper in pain, and gave a dark look to Joss. “Tonight we battle, brother. When you lose, you both die.”
Chapter Fourteen
The pack was silent, watching the exchange between Joss and his brother. They were forbidden from interfering in an alpha challenge.
Joss let his gaze slide to Desiree, who was looking at Sid with complete adoration. “You’ve been spying for him the entire time.” It wasn’t a question, because Joss knew there was no way Sid would have been able to find out what was going on in the pack without someone on the inside. That it was Desiree was a surprise, but thinking back, he could remember the two used to fuck around.
