~Kiki~
I froze at the look of his fuming face and shut the engine off. Pushing the door open, I was about to step out when I saw that I had knocked off one of the bike mirrors when swinging the door open.
Why doesn't the ground next to the curb just open up and suck me in? He looked like he was going to swallow me whole when the earth refused to help me escape.
"What the fuck, Kiki? Are you drunk driving or what?" His usually deep and calm voice was seething with anger and agitation, and so was his face, which was typically void of any expression when he saw me.
I bit hard on my lower lip to stop my chin from trembling and shifted on my feet anxiously. He moved his hands off his hips and yanked his damaged bike from under the car.
To be honest, it didn't really look that damaged except for the missing mirror. And perhaps a few scrapes here and there. Oh well, everywhere. Damn!
After several beats of silence as he inspected the damage, his eyebrows scrunched up in a frown, making my blood run cold. What if he wanted me to pay a hefty sum of money to compensate? His bike was a limited edition Ducati, so it would be easily over two hundred thousand dollars.
With the eighteen dollars an hour I made times twenty hours a day—well, I needed at least four hours of sleep—that's three sixty dollars a day and close to ten thousand dollars a month before taxes. About two years to pay off? That's not bad at all if he was willing to wait, but I could work only three hours a day transporting stuff and not twenty hours.
All the other work I did at home and at the packhouse was supposed to be done for free, as I was branded the omega. At this rate, I would owe him money even after ten years and---
His fingers snapped in front of my face, rasping out my name.
"A-alpha... it was, I mean I was... I-I."
Pathetic!
That heavenly scent of bergamot and sensual white musk made my nonexistent wolf come to the surface every single time he appeared so close to me. Everything else faded into the background.
"Stay out of my way!" I flinched at the utterly terrifying coldness in his voice and stepped back.
"You got that?"
I nodded quietly, unable to meet his narrowed eyes... Those eyes with the most beautiful shade of blue and gray. They were more gray than blue today.
With knots in my stomach and a pounding heart, I gave him another curt headshake when he did not move. What was he looking at? I lifted my gaze to meet his eyes and felt naked to the bone when I realized he was just staring at me. The strange expression on his face caused sharp little goosebumps to race down my back. What was he thinking?
"Alpha?"
"Mm..."
He seemed to be lost, and I used this opportunity to take in as much of his sexy face; thick arching eyebrows, a classic Greek nose, and a strong square chin. His sleek bronze locks were tousled from the motorcycle ride, making him look a lot more rugged than he already was.
"Close your mouth, Kiki."
What? And he was gone.
What the hell just happened? There was some kind of strong invisible magnet pulling us towards each other.
Alpha Kayden was old enough to know if I was his mate even though I needed to wait for another month, that is, if I had a wolf inside me somewhere in there. He would have known I was his mate three years back when he had turned eighteen. I definitely wasn't. It was impossible for werewolves to restrain themselves for even a couple of weeks without claiming and marking their mates.
Then what was that look in his eyes? He was certainly drawn to something about me. It was like one of those strange dreams that I got sometimes where I had seen a beautiful woman, with glowing golden eyes and hair, singing the sweetest melody I ever heard. Men, women, and children were mesmerized alike by that sweet song and were walking towards her in a trance.
I looked nothing like her. I had cinnamon brown curls and an equally brown shade of eyes. There was nothing golden about me, except maybe my skin, which had a golden undertone.
Dang it! I forgot what time it was. My boss was definitely going to fire me. I can't even blame my dad for this anymore.
Jumping into the car, I rushed to my multiple destinations on the mainland; fresh meat from one place and a lot of produce from another warehouse. I was supposed to pick turkey and venison from a different place, but there was no time for that. I will have to tell my boss they were out of fresh stock.
Lies came to me pretty easily, and people bought them as readily. Sometimes I wondered if I had some manipulative creature dwelling within me instead of a wolf. My charms didn't work on my adoptive parents for some reason, but everyone else seemed to buy my stories quite effortlessly.
I skipped the sunflower farm as well as there was no time to pick flowers. Filling up about two thirds of the truck, I sped back to Two Harbors and got them unloaded at the dock. The truck was empty by the time I went to five different loading docks in various corners of the peninsula.
The coconut vendor located near Palm Beach was ready with his stuff by then. I was supposed to deliver a truckload of coconuts, palm fruit, and various products like coconut milk, oil, and scented bath products his company made. It all went to the mainland from the peninsula, and I loaded up on more goods over there before making my return trip to Twin Harbors.
After three hours of driving and loading and unloading stuff, I was home to get ready for school. I was supposed to make lunch before that. Mom had asked me to make some garden salad and crispy smashed potatoes along with meatloaf. After quickly putting everything together and cleaning up the mess, I packed my lunch and went out to see if Benji was ready.
"Alpha Dimitri was looking for you in the packhouse," Megan told me as she returned from somewhere.
"Gosh, why, do you know?"
She shrugged. "No idea, but he's waiting."
The cons of not having a wolf... I had no mindlink and was always relying on someone else to convey such messages. None of the pack members believed in using cellphones to text such things. Can't blame them. I am the only human in this pack.
I found Alpha Dimitri in his study, drumming his fingers against the desk, which was filled with papers and files. He was scrolling through some information on the computer. I took a seat at his command and waited for him to finish whatever he was doing.
Being summoned to the former alpha's office wasn't a good sign. Unlike the cool and collected Alpha Kayden, his dad was hot tempered and tended to snap at me ever since I failed to shift the first time.
He threw a bulky binder file aside and looked me over with his slate gray eyes. How warmly those eyes used to crinkle around the corners every time he saw me until I turned thirteen. He definitely had something bad to share with me today.
"So, Kiki, your dad tells me you are going to be eighteen next month."
"Um, yes, Alpha."
My parents didn't care to remember my last four birthdays. Alpha Dimitri looked at me with some deep disappointment before getting up from his seat and walking over to a photo frame on the mantlepiece.
"Do you know who this person is?"
He showed me a picture of two young, handsome men. The one with ash blond hair and pale blue eyes looked especially dashing. The other man was Alpha Dimitri, probably when he was in his mid-twenties.
I shook my head in a no.
"I never saw him before."
"Of course, you didn't. He was killed before you were born. He is your dad. Alpha Wyatt of the Red Crescent Pack. "
My eyes flittered between the two men in the picture before looking up at Alpha Dimitri in shock. This couldn't be my dad. The man I saw in my dreams had green eyes and inky black hair. I vividly remember his warm voice and affectionate smiles as he threw me up in the air and caught me with those brawny arms.
"With your mom's seductive looks and your dad's combat skills, I expected you to be unstoppable. You do look like that cunning witch, but you got nothing on Wyatt. It's such a shame."
Witch? Who was he calling a witch? My mom was so pure and beautiful, and I loved that I got her looks. I didn't have the guts to contradict the former alpha.
"I'm sorry, but I have to let you go, Kiki. This pack has no place for humans."
~Kiki~A pool of anxiety coiled inside me when I heard those words. Where was I going to go?I only knew how my actual parents looked. I had no idea who they were or where they lived. Were they even alive and would they want me back after finding out I had no wolf?"Are my actual parents werewolves?"Crying didn't bode well with Alpha Dimitri in the past, so I wasted no time on tearing up and begging him to keep me. He sounded like he had made up his mind to kick me out already. Alpha Kayden will have to say the words, and I will be banished once the bond with the pack breaks.Alpha Kayden... my toes curled at the mere mention of his name in my thoughts."Didn't you hear me? Alpha Wyatt's your dad. He was one of the strongest alphas to have existed. He would have made a great Alpha King if not for your scheming mother, who got him killed and handed everything over to an asshole alpha from the Storm Moon Pack."Storm Moon Pack, huh. No
~Kiki~I sucked in a sharp breath, and I swear my heart was ready to burst. Can there be anything more embarrassing? I threw his shirt on the floor behind me and stood there like a statue.Once I found my voice, I came up with a bullshit explanation."The omega who... who d-does the laundry wanted to check if anything needed to be taken out for la-laundry so that I could take them to the laundry for the omega who does the laundry."Jeez!"Okay, the omega will do the laundry. But why was my shirt pressed to your nose?"He towered over me, wrapped in a towel, with beads of water clinging to his hard abs and taut chest muscles. More water dripped from his hair, but that was not where my attention was. I licked my lips at the sight of the hard-on tenting up under his towel."I-I didn't d-do that," I choked out. I was talking about the shirt, but my eyes were fixed on what was under the towel.His eyes had tu
~Kiki~ My adoptive parents were back before dinner, and they had some news for tomorrow. Twelve days from now, on the full moon night, Alpha Kayden's chosen mate was supposed to be sworn in through the Luna Ceremony. I was feeling quite apprehensive about it lately. His chosen mate, Sienna, has been his girlfriend for years. About five years, to be precise. When he returned to Thunder Bay Pack at the age of sixteen, he brought her with him. She was a White Warrior wolf, a wolf who wasn't bound by the mate bond or pack rules, unlike a common werewolf. White Warrior wolves were born fighters and loners who were exposed to rough, life-endangering conditions by their parents right from a young age. They were typically attracted to the alphas of various packs, probably because they are equals in strength and endurance. I had been jealous of her from the moment I laid my eyes on her. I was only twelve then, about to turn thirteen, when I bumped heads with h
"I don't care what happens today. Lexi doesn't stand a chance with me. Just stay alive and we should be fine.""Did you really not lead her on? Why is she suddenly after the luna title? You have been hiding something from me. Why don't you come clean? You fucked her, didn't you?" Sienna sounded pissed.Alpha Kayden let out a low growl before cupping Sienna's face."Ci, for the last time, I did NOT fuck her or anybody. Don't push it with me, okay?""Oh yeah? Whose smell was on your lips yesterday then? You think you can go around kissing others just because you are the Alpha? Tell me who it was and I'll stop asking."Alpha Kayden fell silent. I lifted my arm to my nose. What did I smell like to him? And to Sienna? He didn't deny kissing someone who wasn't his girlfriend."Who are you protecting, Kay? I'm going to kill that bitch after I'm done with Lexi."I heard him hiss, and I couldn't help feel scared and excited at the same t
~Kiki~'Luna Sienna!''Go Luna Sienna...'These words were ringing in my ears long after I left the arena. My mind knew this was inevitable. Alpha Kayden would mark her in front of the entire pack and then proceed with the mating ceremony. She will give him the cutest and strongest pups ever known. My stupid heart had a hard time digesting the inevitable.The only consolation to this whole thing was that I wouldn't be there to witness it if they banished me on the full moon night. I will become a rogue while Alpha Kayden begins his wonderful new life with the love of his life.From the way he kissed Sienna in the locker room and then showered her with love and affection after she had won the fight, it was obvious even to a blind person that he was very much into her.Whatever he did with me the last two times didn't make any sense. Why lure me in when he had someone like Sienna as his girlfriend? I just needed to keep my distance and not get
~Kiki~If looks could strip someone bare, I was buck naked in front of Alpha Kayden's hungry eyes. My stomach did several flips in response to the way his eyes raked my body before settling on my lips.I looked away in dismay, reminding myself that his one arm was wrapped around Sienna even right now. What kind of a man stares at other women with such lust when he has a beautiful woman right by his side? He was no good, and neither Sienna nor I needed someone like that.Benji and the others went over to greet him, and Leroy shared some inside joke with the older guys before we walked over to the bar area to get ourselves some appetizers."It's a bummer neither of you got one of these." Leroy pulled out a fake ID and handed it over to the bartender. "One Tom Collins."Clever. He ordered a drink that looked like water to someone who would question his underage drinking. I always wanted to taste the alcohol, but the smell never appealed to me. Megan d
~Alpha Kayden~"What's the matter. Don't like the pizza?" Sienna asked me as she stuffed herself with a big slice loaded with pepperoni, salami, and bacon."It's okay." I wasn't sure how many slices I ate so far, or if they tasted any good. My mind wasn't there at the moment."If it's the movie you don't like, it will get better, I promise." She nibbled on my ear before placing a wet kiss on my neck.I was in no mood for the pizza, movie, or her kisses. Something was terribly wrong with me. I couldn't stay at the club once Kiki left. Sienna suggested we watch a movie at her place and make out.I thought spending some time alone with my girlfriend would keep my thoughts from wandering in sinful directions. Those thoughts didn't give a flying fart what I thought about them.The sight of Kiki in her sexy black dress kept flashing in front of my eyes. When did that little twelve year old girl turn into such a beautiful woman?
~Alpha Kayden~Axel was delighted as I shifted back and put on my clothes to make my way to Kiki's. It was past ten o'clock. What was she doing at this time?Reading a book maybe?Or was she thinking about me?It was her birthday, so did she go to a different place to celebrate after the club we were at? This thought put me in unrest as I neared her home. If she dances with anyone in close proximity, it should be me, and only me.I was doomed!I tapped on her bedroom window gently to draw her attention. Her parents seemed to be home. I just needed a peek.Kiki had a unique scent of vanilla and coconuts, which was now mixed with her citrus body wash. The hairs on my back rose up high as her scent got stronger. My hands, which had a mind of their own, tampered with the window until it gave in.Sliding the glass up, I jumped into her bedroom before realizing what I did just now. Kiki ran out of the bathroom with just a fluffy towe