Michael POV
I spent a couple of hours at the gym this morning before getting dressed. I chose a white dress shirt. The buttons strain at the front, emphasizing my muscular chest, shoulders, and biceps. My blue jeans hug my muscular thighs; I grab my boots, putting them on as I hear my father bellow for me to hurry up. I roll my sleeves up to my elbows, looking in the mirror one last time saying,
“Fuck your hot,”
I laugh the bitch will be eating out of my hands within five minutes of meeting me.
I watch as the last SUV's pulls up in front of the packhouse.
“What the fuck, dad? How many cars do you think we need to take?”
He growls, “I want to show them we are a strong pack, Michael. I don't intend to walk away from this meeting with nothing,”
Grayson and I walk toward the last car. There's no way in hell I will suffer a four-hour trip with him. Grayson licks his lips as he says,
“You look handsome, Michael. Is there a special occasion I should know about?”
“You're a smart ass besides; look how good my tan looks in this shirt.”
Grayson laughs. “I am still not sucking your dick, no matter how good you look.”
I pout my lips, giving him puppy dog eyes, and he drops to his knees, reaching for my zipper; I shove him stepping back, laughing,
“Get in the car Grayson you fucking idiot.”
“There is a bright side to all of this, Michael.”
“Oh yeah, and what might that be” I growl,
“She might be pretty, Micheal, a nice, quiet, docile little wolf,” he laughs as I say,
“Fuck off, Grayson”
Liam and Anthony laugh along with him. I let it go. These two are sheep and will side with Grayson and me about anything. I can speak freely in front of them. Once we are on the road, I turn to Grayson.
“When we get home, if my father doesn't stand down, I will challenge him” he smiles.
“You know you're going to have to kill him.”
Excitement flows through me at the thought of spilling his blood.
“It won't take much. I don't give a fuck”
“What if he steps down, Michael?” I smirk at Grayson,
“he dies regardless of his choice.”
The trip takes us deeper into the mountains. As we come to the Sunset packs border, we are stopped by half a dozen of their Sentinels. They are a strong-looking pack, but I have learned through watching my father the last few years that looks are often deceiving.
We pull up out the front of their packhouse. It is a large double-story farm-style house; the porch runs around it. Everything is immaculate, and well looked after. Their Alpha Leon, Luna Kyra, and Beta Shane are waiting for us. My father gets out of his SUV, watching me walk toward him. He places his hand on my shoulder. He addresses Alpha Leon first,
“Thank you for agreeing to meet with us; this is my son Michael” I smile.
“Your welcome, Alpha Julian; my Beta’s mate Natalie and daughter Maree will be here shortly,''
He says as he shakes my father's hand.
Luna Kyra smiles at us. “Come with me. I will show you to your rooms.”
I smile at her before saying,
“Thank you, Luna. It's is a pleasure to meet you,”
I smirk at Grayson as Luna Kyra blushes. My father, Grayson, and I will stay at the packhouse. Our warriors have bunks allotted to them in the barracks. We all have our rooms. Thank fuck I wouldn't have lasted two nights sharing a room with either Grayson or my father. I decided to have a shower before we sat down for dinner. When I leave the bedroom, Grayson is waiting at the top of the stairs,
“You smell pretty, Michael. Are you trying to impress your new mate?”
I whisper, “Fuck off, Grayson, or I will make it a condition that you have to have a mate too.”
He shudders. “No thanks, I am happy just the way I am.”
We are walking down the stairs when Luna Kyra sees us.
“Come in here, boys. We are having pre-dinner drinks. What would you like?”
My father is sitting on the sofa talking to Shane and Natalie.
“A scotch would be great, thank you” as soon as I speak, a girl turns towards me.
She has strawberry blonde hair, blue eyes, and is around 5 foot 4 inches in height, her body's curvaceous, leaning towards chubby, and I am guessing she is approximately 20 years old. This has to be the girl my father wants me to mate. She smiles at me.
“Hi, my name is Maree. It's wonderful to meet you.”
Fuck no, her voice makes me cringe.
“Hi, it's nice to meet you too, my name is Micheal, and this is Grayson.”
Maree nods her head at him dismissively as she takes my hand, pulling me towards the couch. I sit beside her, trying to be attentive as she talks shit for the half-hour wait before our dinner is served.
We are seated at separate ends of the table for our meal. I raise my eyebrows at Grayson. What has my father done? this bitch isn't good for anything except fucking and running. I watch her as she sits next to her mother. She is sulking and whingeing about the seating arrangements. My father is smiling broadly, looking at me. I grind my teeth, wishing I had already killed him so I didn't have to deal with this shit.
Grayson nudges my leg under the table mouthing small talk behind his hand. I smile at Shane.
``Have you got any other children, Beta Shane?’’ his mate answers.
"Yes, we have another daughter. She is 18” I nod.
Her tone of voice clarifies that she thinks I am beneath them. Fuck this. I'm not too fond of small talk. Let my father deal with it.
After dinner, I stand as Maree walks over to me.
“I wondered if I could take Maree for a walk. It's a beautiful night,” I ask.
“No, she stays here with us,” her mother snaps.
“Grayson can come with us if you're concerned about us being alone,”
Maree whimpers. “Father, can you talk to her? I want to go” he shakes his head.
“I agree with your mother, Maree.''
I hold back the smile that threatens to split my face. Before Grayson and I leave, I say,
“I am sorry, Maree. Maybe when your parents get to know me better, they will change their minds '
I hurried outside, glad to get away from her.
Michael POV I look at Grayson, snarling in disgust, “What a nightmare; that bitch would drive me crazy if I chose her as a mate.” Grayson takes my hand, mimicking her voice. “But Michael, I love you. I want to fuck you and have your pups,” I laugh, punching the prick in his shoulder. We walk down the main street, and nothing is out of place; the complete area around the town is spotless. There are not many people out tonight; something about Alpha Leon doesn't sit right with me. How many wolves are in his pack? The town feels deserted. Is he hiding something, or is he a control freak? I breathed in deeply, not realizing how unsettled I was. I did need some fresh air; Grayson interrupted my thoughts, asking, “What are you going to tell Julian?” “Nothing until we are about to leave. He will only push someone else in my face,” I hear laughing. Looking up, I see a pretty blonde talking to another female. “Grayson, do you see that” he smiles as he says, “You're taken. I want th
Nicole POV I had just climbed into bed when I heard the front door open. My parents and sister were home. My sister is two years older than me. We were close when we were little, but she has turned into a nasty bitch the older she gets. She has a sneaky, ugly personality and causes arguments between my mother and me. My mother usually ignores me because of the lies Maree constantly whispers in her ear. Maree has always wanted to be my parents' favorite, and now she is. My father is a strong fighter, but he bows down to my mother, doing whatever she wants regardless of who gets hurt. I close my eyes as my door opens. My sister's head peeks around the door. She growls when she thinks I am asleep, shutting the door again. I have no desire to speak to her. She only wants to brag about her mate. I smile to myself. I can't help thinking about Michael. He is so handsome. His dark brown hair shines in the moonlight, and he has dark chocolate brown eyes with thick black eyelashes. He is at
Micheal POV “Leave straight away. Take Liam and Anthony with you.” Grayson stands in front of me, not moving. “Can you hear me, Grayson.? Don't just stand there like a dumb prick.” Grayson holds his hands up. “What are you talking about, Michael?” “The packhouse, I want the entire place cleaned, you fucking idiot. I don't want Nicole smelling any of the other female's scent in my bed.” He smiles slowly as he finally realizes what I need. “Not a problem. I will see you when you and your new mate come home” he stops walking away and turns to me. “No more of Rose’s pleasure for you. I finally get her to myself again” I laugh. “Like fuck you do. I will meet you at her house tonight.” I am still smiling when I tell Nicole we will leave after lunch. I look at my father, resenting the smug look the bastard has on his face. There was no way that I wanted to travel home with him, but he had latched onto Nicole and put her in his SUV. I ended up enduring the drive home with him. H
Nicole POV Walking through the house, I have to stop myself from wrinkling my nose in disgust. The smell of unmated females is vile, and one scent is spicier and more repulsive than the rest. Pineapple sage and honey cling in the air. The female's scent covers everything. My wolf Nalia’s growl rattles my brain, and I understand; however, Michael is a handsome man, and it is only natural that he has a past. It is my first night in my home, and Michael has been gone for hours. Julian has gone to speak to someone called Marian. Looking for something to pass the time, I decided to explore more of my new home. I make myself a coffee before walking upstairs. I have seen Michael's bedroom. Alpha Julian's room is located at the end of the hall. I see four extra bedrooms, each one with a bathroom. Taking my coffee back downstairs, I sit on the porch for a little while. Loneliness settles around me. Did I do the right thing? I will miss my parents, especially my father, and I can't lie; I w
Nicole POV I stand uncomfortably beside Michael in his office as his pack members arrive to give him their condolences for his father's death. We haven't discussed what happened last night, and I am too scared to ask him. Grayson enters, followed by a female; her pineapple sage and honey scent assault my senses as I look up. She smiles at me smugly as her gaze starts at my eyes and runs down to my feet. The satisfied expression on her face as she dismissed me had Nalia growling in my head. She caresses Michael on the back of his neck and purrs as she leans her body close to him, whispering, “I am so sorry about Julian, Michael.” Michael places his hand on hers as he says, “Thank you, Rose.” My body stiffens in anger as I watch them. An idiot could see that Michael and Rose have a history between them. Graysons moves Rose to the side as he claps Michael on his shoulder. “Sorry, Alpha, your father was a great man.” Michael presses his lips together in anger as he says, “Don't
Nicole POV I roll over in bed, looking for Michael; his side of the bed is empty again. I have been here for six months now, and the hurt I feel knowing he is still seeing Rose only increases. I was a naive fool; as soon as Michael showed interest in me, I couldn't wait to run off with him. I won't deny that he is the sexiest man I have ever laid eyes on, but I don't love him; I lust for him. Michael has not marked me, and I will not mark him as we are not true mates. Michael is possessive, but we don't have the wolves' overwhelming urges where their mates are concerned. Michaels's betrayal hurts me, but I am not physically in pain from it. My anger towards Rose has more to do with the total lack of respect she shows me as a woman. Just thinking about the bitch makes me furious. I fling back the covers on the bed; I need to have a shower before Marian gets here. The room spins, and I gag. I crawl to the bathroom and empty the contents of my stomach. I groan, resting my head in my han
Nicole POV The last eleven weeks have flown by; I wiggle, stretching my back, trying to get comfortable in the chair. Once the initial shock wore off, I was excited to tell Michael I was pregnant. I stupidly thought that having a baby would change things between us. He stayed home every night and became more attentive and loving toward me. He gave me compliments, and I started looking forward to him being home. It lasted a fucking week. Rose started coming to the house more, wiggling her arse in front of me as she constantly rubbed up against my so-called chosen mate. The fatter I got, the tinier her clothes got. Naturally, Michael loved all the extra attention she gave him, constantly walking around with a boner. I watch Rose, Grayson, and Michael run into the woods; the pack run has officially started for the night. I am grateful that he won't be back tonight; my back is killing me. I stand walking back into the house, stopping to make a coffee and ham and cheese toastie before he
Maree POV I look down at the baby girl in my mother's arms, and she goes to hand her to me; I shudder. I am not interested in nursing her. “He forced me, mother; why can't you believe me?” “I believe you, Maree, but we could have done something about it if you had told us sooner.” “So he gets away with it, and I have to raise the pup myself. Is that what you are saying?” “You won't be alone, Maree; your father and I will always be here to help you.” “Where is my father now?” “He has gone to speak to Alpha Leon.” I was disgusted with my mother; I was supposed to be Michaels, mate, not my fucking sister. My mother is supposed to love me unconditionally. How dare she humiliate me like this. Now I have a fucking daughter to raise; while Nicole lives the life of my dreams, I will make sure she suffers for all the hurt she has caused. I glare at my mother when she asks, “What are you going to call her, Maree.” “I don't care, mother; you bloody name her if you want.” My mother's