“Brandon, I see you’ve finally come in. Are you happy rolling in the hay all day and getting acquainted with the animals?” Brianna was alone in the kitchen, peeling and chopping vegetables for dinner.“That’s an insult to the cute animals, but even though I wanted to hang out with them all day, I got to muck out the stables for the horses. Have you ever seen one up close before?”“No. They are majestic, but you are wearing more of their dung that you cleaned out.”Bran laughed. “It’s amazing here. Who knew such a place existed? I made up my mind.”“About what?”“Staying in Silvercreek.”“I thought you were unsure.” “I didn’t think there was a life for me here.”“What do you mean? They’ve welcomed us with open arms and we have a house that mom and dad paid for over the years.“I know, but what happens after you’ve settled in? I don’t want to be the third wheel forever.”“You’re family—”“I know that,” he sighed. “But now I have more than one reason to stay.”“Why now? What happened?”
“I know your grandmother.” Victor looked at Brandon and Brianna while he delivered the big secret he’d been keeping since he learned of their arrival at Silvercreek.“You do?” They asked in unison.“Yes. Your grandmother sought refuge in Silvercreek for a while when she first ran away, but our pack was smaller then and though we offered her sanctuary she didn’t stay.”“But my parents came back. Did they know Nana was here before?”“We told them she was here, but to ask her about our encounter.”“I wonder why Nana didn’t bring us here directly after our parents passed away?”“She must have been scared. The accident site wasn’t too far from here and we suspected foul play when we found werewolf tracks.” “We tried to talk to your grandma at the hospital, but she disappeared and took both of you with her.” Amelia sat beside her husband. “She must have found the same tracks on the site and it spooked her.”“We had no idea our family was a bunch of werewolves. I always considered Nana to b
“Marina, wait up! I rarely see you during meal times. Is everything alright?” Brandon had just come down from his room and found Marina on her way out. Like the last few days, she’s been having breakfast later to steer clear of the breakfast crowd. In reality, she was trying to avoid Grayson and Brianna most of all. Brandon wanted to join everyone for breakfast, but lately, he had been too tired. They played tag every night to tap into his werewolf abilities, which depleted most of his energy, and then when his head hit the pillow, dreams of wandering around the farm in the dark drained him to the last drop.He’d never heard of dreams sucking out a person’s energy before, but that is how it felt.“Oh yeah. Dinner with everyone present is too much for me sometimes. The noise level gets too high and it’s difficult when you hear everything.”“I get you, I’m still weirded out when I hear people’s hearts beating too loud.” Marina looked at Bran, wondering what he thought about hers speed
“Tonight you found yourself naked in the fields because you transformed into your wolf, but were too weak to control it long enough. What happened before you shifted?”“I had a dream. This woman was elusive, so I chased her on foot through the trees, then she disappeared. I looked around but she was nowhere to be found. Like she disappeared or was never really there.“After that, I heard howling in the distance like several wolves were now chasing me instead, so I ran like my life depended on it. I got faster and stronger and saw paws instead of hands, claws instead of nails.”“How was your bedroom, did you destroy anything?” Grayson smiled.“I saw a lot of fabric bits and I assume those were from my clothes when I went to bed.”Gray nodded. “Just so you know if you break the furniture, you have to re-build it.”“I’m sorry, I will check again and yes I will fix anything I’ve broken.”“What do I do now?”“I have to lock you up at night.”“You mean behind bars?”“Yes, until you have con
Bree glimpsed Marina leaving through the back door as she arrived. It had pleased Bree that the other woman had been avoiding contact. Good, she ought to know her place. I won’t back down this time.She was taking in groceries when she found Brandon coming down from upstairs.“Good morning sleepy head. I heard you’ve been having late night naked jaunts in the forest. How is that going?”“Really? You dangle that under my nose. I heard you were doing the same thing when you first shifted, and I even heard someone had sex in the middle of the forest for everyone to hear.”Bree blushed. “Shut your mouth! I had no control during that time.”“Oh yeah?” He grinned. “Is that how it is when you find your mate? You have no control and you just jump them wherever you are?”“Stop putting words into my mouth. Go back to being sick. I liked it better when you slept all day.”Brandon laughed. “Honestly, tell me how it is to have a mate. Is it like what they said about having a soulmate?”“It’s that
“Are you sure Miss Brianna?” Chad and Sean had grins on their faces as they shoved each other playfully.“Did you guys bathe last night?”The duo at the back sniffed their clothes and their pits and smiled. “We sure did. Put on some clean clothing too. Good thing we weren’t out mucking horse shit—” Sean earned an elbow to his side. “—excuse me, horse dung this morning.”“Then you’re good.”“Did you plan this?” Bran’s accusing voice cut through Brianna’s thoughts.“What are you saying?”“Am I going to the coven to meet my mate?”“What? No. I told you there’s a tea gathering ritual and most coven elders will attend. I didn’t want to make a special request for you to come see them.”“Yeah, and it just conveniently happened that all the young female witches are also there.”“Brandon, don’t be a tool.”“Don’t be a matchmaker, Brianna, not after I told you I liked Marina.”“I’m not.”“Whatever.”It was easy to disregard the sour mood emanating from the siblings when the two young men at the
‘It was okay. The witches were nice. Aunt Violet spoke a lot about Mom and the elders asked about my gifts.’‘What did you tell them?’‘I told them I could visit people I know in dreams. Just the minimum because I didn’t know whom we could trust.’‘That’s good we can’t give them all the details of your powers.” “I told Gran and Gramps I could visit people in dreams and sleepwalk. The werewolves that rescued me have been warned to keep quiet about it, but I wanted them to know because I didn’t want them to think we are hiding things from them.’‘Anything else you’d like to share?’‘What do you want me to say? I met my soulmate and I don’t want to meet anyone else.’‘I told you I was not there to find any prospects.’‘But you still hoped I’d match with someone else. Didn’t you?’‘That’s not the point, Bran. I will always want what’s best for you. But your memories are still hazy, so there are things you don’t remember. You might still change your mind when you do.” “I know that. But m
She hovered above Grayson and kissed him hungrily. “Bree,” he gasped when her fingers wrapped around his shaft to guide him inside her.He slid into her core with little resistance, making him moan louder. “Oh, Brianna.” She rocked her hips and projected images of what she remembered on their first time on the forest floor when they made love. Grayson had to clasp her hips to stop from cumming. “Slowly, or you won’t—”“No, I want it faster,” Brianna brushed off the hand holding her still, and she moved her hips at a quicker pace. Pushing in and pulling out, following the motions of someone riding a galloping horse.Bree lay spent on top of Grayson, his hands tangled around her hair and their limbs wrapped around each other. “I like this afternoon break. What brought you to ask about our first meeting.”“The boys were asking about our first meeting and I told them it took a while for our bond to appear.”“Did you, now?” He asked with a mischievous smile as he tilted his pelvis. “I t
“Hey, Marg,” Bran and Marina enter the bar, followed by ten of their new friends. “Can you give my new friends their first drink and charge it on my tab.”Marg raised her brow. “Friends of yours?” She was suspicious. Since when did Brandon have friends the pack didn’t know about?She tried to catch Marina’s attention, but the younger woman escaped to the ladies’ room. Who were these people and why were there so many of them? Why did they come?Are they here for peace or to cause problems?These are just some of the questions she needed answered. However, it was not her place to confront the individuals involved.Marg sent a message to Grayson through the pack link to alert him of the newcomers. Ten werewolves on a motorcycle can mean anything, and she wanted to err on the side of caution.Several minutes later, Grayson and Brianna appear at the bar as if they came casually. Like they were out on a date and had come to the pub for drinks.The jukebox was blaring an old song about the
“Brandon! Get out of the way! A truck is coming.” She yells while pulling him toward the trees. But Brandon did not budge and kept his ground. He did not want to confront the creature lurking behind the shadows unless necessary.It was too late, Marina thought. When the truck hit the rock, the momentum would crumple the vehicle and them at the same time. She did not want to lose Bran to an accident they could have prevented, so she decided to stay with him. Better die together than cry because of his loss.‘It’s okay. It’s not a truck.’ He communicated through their link as the lights came closer, halting a couple of feet before the rock, the sound of machinery louder than before.His range to hear and see things around him was more enhanced than Marina’s because of his alpha blood. So he knew way before she did that it wasn’t a big vehicle that was approaching.“Need help there young werewolf?” A deep voice boomed behind the light and Marina’s eyes widened in fear as she scented at l
Inside the vehicle, Marina could not sit still. How did Seth know where she was, and how did he know she would be on a date with Brandon?Brandon asked her about a song and she said yes instead of telling him she’d heard it before. She could not focus. Seth just thanked her for luring Brandon away from the pack and threatened to kill him.Marina needed all her faculties to detect any coming danger, so she tuned Bran out, slid the windows down, and listened to the sounds outside.They were halfway to the border between Silvercreek and the next town when her fears finally manifested.She saw glimpses of a werewolf running alongside their car hidden behind the treeline. He was running so fast she could hear him grunting as he ran. Like in a horror film, the hair on her arms stood on end and she knew it was only a matter of minutes before they met this wolf in person.The action was easy to miss by a regular human, but since she had enhanced hearing and could see in the dark, she was su
Marina walked down the stairs, and Brandon couldn’t help but hold his breath. He always knew she was beautiful, but with minimal makeup and her hair down, she looked younger.The thick foundation, black eyeliner, and red lipstick she wore most of the time made her look more mature, hiding her soft, smooth skin. Having all that armor made him wonder what she wanted to hide under all that facade.“You look so—” Brandon hesitated. He had no words to describe her.“I need to change.” Marina felt conscious and retreated up the steps, but before she could reach the top, Bran’s arm shot out to stop her.“You don’t,” he said after pulling her to his chest, lifting her off the ground and making her feet dangle.His face was positioned right on top of the V of her neckline, and he gave her a naughty smile. “I like this view too.” His eyes lowered, and she covered her breasts with her hands.“Let me go. This is inappropriate.”“Okay, I will let you go if you promise not to change. I like your o
The answer was yes. She wanted to have sex with Bran, to risk the wrath of their alpha and his mate, to try her chance at happiness. If she would get exiled, why not for her happiness? But now was not the right time and place, not at the barracks, where it felt impersonal and hurried.‘Let’s go on a date first, like you suggested.’ Brandon groaned silently against her neck, but the rumble in his chest told her how disappointed he felt.‘Then we can do all this and more after the… third date?’‘Third date?’ He whined through their link, yet his hand never stopped moving.‘Isn’t that the norm?’‘How about I show you what I can do with my mouth now?’‘Oh…’ How was she supposed to say no when his hands alone brought her to her knees? ‘I have no doubt it’ll be—aghhh…good—aghhh… Brandon, don’t stop.’ Marina fused their lips and clutched his hair as the feeling in her core intensified. There was no sound anyone could hear, but Bran could feel what she did through their link. She was about t
The couple awoke in the dark at the same time, clothes covering their bodies, and sweat running down their backs. They were back at the barracks on the bed they slept in, arms wrapped around each other.The dream had been so real he felt the slickness when their naked bodies glided against each other. He was having an erotic dream about Marina and he wondered if he walked into her dream or if he dragged her into his.Bran looked into Marina’s eyes as she rubbed their legs together, noticing they were clouded. Was she still asleep? Should he wake her up?He sniffed the air and scented her arousal. It was a big possibility that they had just shared every part of his sexually charged dream.‘What were you dreaming about?’ He touched the tip of their noses together and asked through their link. Her answer would mean she was awake.Marina shook her head. She had to erase the image of Bran covering her with his naked body. The dream was too racy to be shared.‘You were there.’ He captured h
Bran was in the shadows listening to their conversation, so when Marina stepped out to head to the barracks, he surprised her by appearing out of nowhere.“Is that true?” He asked.“What is true?” Marina feigned ignorance.“That you were in love with him before?” She walked away before speaking.“It was a childhood crush. He was the only handsome guy in town, so it was only right that every girl in this area was infatuated with him.”“And now?”“Now…” She looked over at Bran and smirked. “I have to check my options. Let me look at your face and check if you’re handsome enough.”Bran grabbed her arm and pulled her to his chest. “Are looks really that important?” He asked while tipping up her chin. He wanted to stare into her eyes while she gave her answer.“Yes... No...”“Are you saying you’d settle because there’s no one else but me?” Marina raised her brow as if insulted.“I have standards.”“And I’m below that?” Brandon wasn’t vain. He had no delusions he was handsome but didn’t thi
“I wanted to take Marina out for a date. Where do you think we should go?” Bree gave Grayson a knowing look.The guys had their mouths hanging open. “Her?” One asked, then stopped when Marina glared at him, beating Bran to come to her rescue.“There’s a steakhouse a couple of towns over.”“Why would you go to a steakhouse when you have the best beef here at the ranch?” He jabbed the guy beside him.“Go to the Italian place in Greenville, they make handmade pasta,” Gran interjects.“Yes, that place is nice. It gave me an excuse to hold your gran close when we danced.”‘Don’t do it. I will never forgive you.’ Marina’s voice conveyed in his head.‘Why not? I want everyone to know you and I are dating.’‘Please don’t do this.’‘You are mine and they better know it.’“It is decided then. So Marina, will you go out with me?” Bran asks with a mischievous twinkle in his eye.“Go ahead.” Gran chides. “The man has spoken. Will you leave him hanging?” The dinner guests went silent, eager to hear
Marina ran from the kitchen. She didn’t mean to get overcome by lust, but whenever she was near Brandon, her brain was clouded with their nightly visits. In her dreams, Brandon called her beautiful and made her feel special, but they were just dreams that she conjured to feel less lonely. She chose Brandon because he was from out of town and knew nothing about her past.His eyes did not hold pity or disgust when he looked at her. She felt wanted when he said things that made her heart skip a beat.‘I’m beautiful,’ she smiled while lugging feed for the ducks and chickens on both shoulders.“Chick, chick, chick, chick, chickens!” Amelia called to her egg-laying pets. “Good morning! It’s time to come out.”“They missed you when you were gone.” “You think so?”“Of course, because I missed you a lot,” Marina said awkwardly.“So why didn’t you call me?”“I figured you were enjoying yourself so I left you alone. I wanted you to have some fun. Plus, I wanted you to think I was grown up enou