In a few minutes, the pain in his ass was walking out in one of Ginny’s leather jackets, jeans and boots. He had had to bribe her for them. He couldn’t help but notice how well they encased her shapely legs, fitting her like a second skin. No doubt someone like her was used to having better clothes than Ginny’s coarse ripped jeans but for once Princess High and Mighty was not complaining. He could tell something else occupied her mind as she walked briskly toward him as he stood by the bike waiting.
Maggie collected the helmet he held out to her, her eyes sweeping the small ‘town’ that held only a few houses, maybe 8 or 10, in a regular square pattern. Right now it was just her and Asher. While she changed her clothes, the rest of the pack had gone out one after the other and the only few remaining had gone behind closed doors. She could tell she wasn’t welcome. That was no problem. She was glad to be out of their hair.
“Ready?” Asher asked.
She nodded and hoisted herself on the back of the bike. When he gunned the engine she said, “Go as fast as you can.”
“Sure.” Your Highness, he added in his head with a roll of his eyes.
She didn’t know what to expect but as soon as they were out of the clearing where she could see that all the houses were made from the same rough wood with barely enough supplies for insulation and drainage, and one of the houses didn’t even have a front porch, Asher turned slightly.
“Hold tight,” he told her.
“I’m sure I won’t fall off a motorcycle. I have been on one before after all.”
“I don’t doubt ya, but if you say so…” Without warning he pumped the engine and tore into the woods like a maniac. Maggie almost fell off and would have done so too if she hadn’t been lucky enough to reach out and grab a hold of his jacket. Even for a werewolf, her eyes could not keep up with the trees that blurred because of his insane speed. Before she knew it her hands were curving around his waist and she held on for dear life.
“Are you trying to kill me?!” She yelled over the roaring engine.
He said something she didn’t quite catch.
“What was that?”
“You wanted fast, this is fast unless you want me to slow down.”
She didn’t want that. The thought of giving him that satisfaction did not appeal to her. Besides, she was momentarily distracted by him. Since she was behind him with her hands around his waist, she felt the heat of his body. He was rigid and smelled of male. Even more delicious was the strong smell of his wolf.
She felt the tenseness of his shoulder as he sent the motorcycle flying over the rough forest terrain. Man and machine became one and his muscles bunch and relax beneath his hoodie causing her to squeeze her hands lightly to feel him. He was an attractive man, she had observed that when he came in that morning. She was a woman after all.
But I’m not the woman I used to be, Maggie thought to herself. That Maggie was soft and ready to trust but the new one was tough and beginning to learn that trust was not earned. It wasn’t given either. Once bitten twice shy. Now was not the time to lose focus and play a damsel in distress.
Besides, she wanted to see what Lance was up to. He was the one who pushed the knife through her heart while his brother, her uncle, and the rest of her clan tore her father up. Pain lacerated her chest. For as long as she lived she would never forget her father’s dying howl.
Tears burned her eyes as the memories came back. Her father had been so trusting. And so was she and that had been their greatest weakness.
Now that the moon goddess had given her a second chance at life she would never make that mistake again.
The drive to town was thankfully short. She told Asher where she wanted to go, the bus station at 5th Lane. The traffic was light and only a few minutes later he pulled up in front of the station.
She got down and took off the helmet making sure to smooth her curls down as she handed it to him.
“Here. Thanks.”
When his eyes widened she rolled her eyes.
“I do have some courtesy. I acknowledge that you saved my life and I am grateful.”
“You have a weird way of showing your gratitude but as I said, you’re welcome.”
She managed a smile and as she left she turned back for a moment, “Also, I should sue you for reckless driving.”
“I don’t want to hear it from someone who naps in the woods.”
A laugh spurted out of her before she could stop it. Shaking her head at him she left still smiling until the bus arrived. That was when the gloom set in. She was going into the lion’s den ready to step on its tail. If it bit her, she would bite harder. She entered the bus, holding onto a pole at the center of the aisle. Her heart thudded in her chest out of a mixture of excitement and fear. Would they be surprised to see her alive?
Vivian would be shocked to hear her story. If only she had listened to her best friend. Her sweet best friend had warned her Lance was too perfect but she had been too blind to see. Lance was her father’s choice for her and since they got along so well she had believed in his lies. Now she knew better.
She couldn’t wait to see Vivian again.
Asher watched her go. The woman was fighting many demons. He could see the pain and vengeance in her eyes. He understood those strong emotions. But his pack would not.
Ash was dreading the moment when he would go back to respond to the questions he was sure they had. They would want to know why he brought a Ptakkagaris into their territory and what that meant for them. For now, however, he would stall that moment. He had the night shift at the Red Light district but he would hang around with May and Tony until nightfall.
**
Ezra Dark Storm had owned a multi-dollar company built on real estate, car dealerships, and imports and exports while owning shares in several other companies. Maggie had grown up under the spotlight as an only child. She had her mother’s beauty and her father’s brains so it came as no surprise that when at age 18 Ezra announced in a room full of Dark Storm Enterprises board members that she was his heir. All members were members of the Dark Storm pack and as Alpha, her father had been responsible for the welfare of every pack member.
As Maggie dropped off in front of the 82 – floors skyscraper complex that housed her father’s business a grimace marred her brow. Those pack members who had hugged her, shook hands with her father and celebrated with them had been the same to turn against them.
She walked with a steely determination to the front door, ignoring the look of surprise on the faces of workers who had paused to stare.
Someone told them I died, she realized with bitterness.
“Miss Maggie Storm?”
She opened the door to the first floor. Silence fell upon the workers, jaws slacked and eyes bulged in surprise. Security cameras hummed and whirred. Maggie faced them.
“You are alive.”
“And I have come to take what is rightfully mine.”
The Dark Storm Board of Directors was made of leaders from the different subunits that made up the Dark Storm pack. While Ezra Storm was the backbone behind the success of the business, employed pack members managed individual sections. Since the conglomeration of the different sectors of Dark Storm Enterprises was the source of livelihood for all the park members, a board was created to unite each section leader for efficiency. Ordinarily, Ezra Storm, as founder and Alpha sat at the head of the table and his vote held the most power. In his absence Maggie’s vote was final. But now without Maggie or Ezra, they needed a new leader. With Ezra out of the way, the snakes could now meet out in the spacious conference room to discuss the future of the pack. The pack’s first Beta, Ezekiel, cousin to Ezra Storm took his usual seat, second to the head. 2 other Beta took their places on the table, and the remaining 2 occupants of the room were the pack warriors, Noah and Caleb. They were assig
“What do you mean she’s still alive? I gave you a simple instruction. Kill her!”Ezekiel watched Vivian march the length of the warehouse. It was one of the empty ones belonging to the pack. It was the one place Vivian always chose to meet him since it was so far out of town and away from the others.As soon as Noah and Caleb kicked him unceremoniously out of the building, he had gotten into his car, drove off, and called her on the way. He had reserved his information telling her instead that he had a matter of great urgency he had to discuss and she had chosen the warehouse. She was a beautiful woman but her heart was colder than ice. He had known her as the young girl growing up with his little niece. They were best friends. Or so he thought. Until Lance.“Didn’t Lance tell you? He killed her himself. I held her down and so did Axel and the rest of us.”She spun on her red-heeled shoes. “You all are wretched incompetent men! All of you are useless as hell!” she suddenly stopped pac
“Am I even doing the right thing?”Maggie stood in front of the mirror at her reflection. She was dressed in a sexy red dress which she had chosen for the night. After spending the whole day at the office with Caleb ready to tackle anyone who came to challenge her authority she was quite disappointed when no one came. But she wasn’t done. She knew they knew about her presence in the city. Surely Ezekiel must have told everyone she was alive. So why did no one come?Caleb had the answer.They knew she was expecting them and would be prepared. They wanted to spring a surprise on her. She had laughed when he said that. She would be the one surprising them. That was why she had gone shopping for the red dress. Her dark coils were washed and conditioned so that they fell freely around her face. Her lips were a dark red, she had gold hoops in her ear and a gold chain that fell between her breasts.It had seemed like a good idea when she thought about it but now that she was dressed up she w
Vivian was scolding him for staying away from the office all day. He had been drinking but no amount of whiskey or wine would make him as drunk as he wanted to be.“I need time to process everything that happened,” he drawled. If there was one thing the alcohol in his system was doing right it was the blurring of his vision. Her face swam in his sight.“I understand, honey,” she smiled sweetly. “But you might want to process a lot faster. You may need to kill her again.”He blinked and regretfully her face became clearer. He couldn’t bare to look into her cold eyes. But it wasn’t only her eyes that bothered him now, it was her words. “What did you just say?”She dropped her hand from his neck to his chin. Now the sharp edge of her sweet smile was clearer. “Margaret Storm is alive to take everything we have worked so hard to take.”He couldn’t breathe as her words began to make meaning in his alcohol-infused brain. “She’s alive? S-She’s…She can’t be.”The slightest pressure of her fing
He slowed down as they got near the clearing. The settlement was still far off into the woods. He was Alpha, he could do whatever he wanted but not to the detriment of his pack. He needed to know he wasn’t endangering them by bringing her in. But Maggie was harmless…wasn’t she?After tonight you still think so? He thought to himself. Those men who pursued her, he recognized them from the Red Light district, they were Ezra Storm’s bouncers. Now the real question was why were they after her?He brought the motorcycle to a stop and shifted so that he could see her under the dim light of the night sky.“Before I risk my neck for you, I need to know what got you in trouble now.”She had stopped trembling but she wouldn’t let him go. When she looked up at him he saw her eyes were puffed and red-rimmed and more tears brimmed in them.“I’m such an idiot.”That makes two of us, he thought to himself.She sniffed and finally let him before sliding off the seat to land softly on the ground. “Tha
But when she woke up after a fitful night the next morning there was no smiling. The first thing she noticed was the shouting and it was coming from right outside of Asher’s apartment.“Sheriff Boston was here this morning wanting a search of the place, do you know why? Because some people were looking for the girl and they are not our kind. If Chase had not put him off what do you think would have happened?!”“If you insist on shouting down my throat I don’t think you’ll be getting any answers from me!”She recognized Asher’s voice. Even though his voice was low and measured, there was a strain to it. She couldn’t tell the number of people who were outside talking to him but she had to assume it was the whole pack. She wasn’t wanted. That wasn’t news to her anymore. She had no pack and no place to call home. Asher was nice to her but even she knew the rules and bonds between pack members. She had to leave.Thankfully the pack members were outside the house and the back door Asher had
“Asher, what are you doing? You will tear down one of your own!” Chase’s veins popped as he struggled against Asher’s wolf. He turned his head to find Ginny hiding behind his sister. “Get out of here!”She didn’t need a reminder to join the others who left earlier. Chase and Carl held Asher down while he trashed about and all the while Maggie stood with her hands to her mouth watching them struggle with the huge black wolf. Carl’s fist suddenly struck Asher’s jaw and a whimper later he stopped struggling and calmed down only slightly. The silence that fell over them was heavy. A few seconds later Asher’s wolf began to transform, forelimbs became hands, hind limbs straightened into legs and the fur on his body faded. He slapped Carl and Chase’s hands away and stood up. His hair was disheveled and a huge frown marred his brow.“You would kill your own kind for a stranger, Ash?” the brown-haired woman clicked her tongue.“Asher…” Maggie tried again. “Let me go. I swear I’ll never cause y
“Where’s Ginny?” Asher asked Cathy as soon as he caught up with the rest of the pack. Their routine was the same every day. The kids stayed indoors while the adults went out to work to provide for the rest of the pack. Maggie’s arrival was a break in that routine. The few kids in the pack remained indoors while being tender to by the teenagers, Ginny, Leo and two others.After Asher dismissed them the others had walked away from his apartment to the front of the shed to converge in silence knowing that sooner or later he would join them. So they weren’t surprised when he rounded the corner of his apartment and walked toward them wearing a frown and his sweatpants.Cathy threw her head back in the direction of Chase’s apartment which was similar to the crudely built rough wood structures where they all lived. “She’s in Chase’s. You scared the living daylight out of that girl.”“Can’t say I can complain about that. It’s about time someone put the fear of God in that girl before she does