Jumping over the edge, Fred followed her down. He’d met a half breed in the city, and they’d become close. During their time together, Fred asked the man how he’d stopped himself from the turning. The man had been bitten by a female wolf. She’d helped him through the change, but she’d been turned out by her pack for turning a mate.
Fred didn’t have a problem with half breeds, and he was friends with the young couple. They were not part of his pack as neither of them wanted to be part of a pack.
The water surrounded him, and he pushed up to the surface, gasping for air. The rush was amazing, and he knew he’d be coming a lot more to jump over the edge. Ava screamed out, pushing the hair out of her eyes. Laughing, Fred dipped down. The water wasn’t cold as it was turning out to be one of the hottest Augusts ever. He loved the heat as it meant not many clothes needed to be worn. The one thing he hated about life in the city was the fact he had to wear clothes to work. Fred loved being naked, and even though he could afford not to go to work, he’d go insane if he wasn’t kept busy. Working in a busy office kept him driven and also challenged him with the noises and scents. He’d fucked plenty of women in his office, and he’d picked them out because of their response to him.
The scent of a welcoming pussy drove him insane.
“What the fuck were you thinking?” Ava asked, screaming.
He swam over to her, wrapping his arms around her, laughing. “What a rush.”
“I could have died.” She hit him hard. “I’m not some fucking rag doll you can test to see how much you can do until I break. I’m human!”
Taking hold of her face, Fred forced her to look at him. “Is your wolf begging to get out? Are you struggling to keep the little bitch contained?”
She paused in fighting him.
“See, she’s not there, is she? You can think without having to deal with her clawing her way out of you.” He stared into her eyes knowing what he said was the truth.
“How? Only allowing the change has done that.” She was swimming with him without trying to get away.
“You gave your body the same rush the wolf needs. You’ve put her to bed. I’m not saying it will last, and I wouldn’t advise jumping off a building onto concrete, but there are ways and means for you to survive without turning.”
Ava ran her hand over her face pushing the loose strands of hair out of the way.
Staring into her dark brown eyes, Fred wanted to see those eyes begging him to fuck her. Taking hold of her arm, he moved toward the edge and climbed out, picking her up out of the water. The shirt she wore clung to her curves, showing off the hard buds of her nipples. What would she taste like?
No, he wasn’t going to have a taste of her now. He scented her innocence, and taking her outside wouldn’t be the best idea he had.
“It’s time for us to go.” He kept hold of her arm as he walked back to where his car was parked. Fred had planned the attack long ago, and tonight he’d made sure to hide any scent of his approach with the fumes from the car. Wolves wouldn’t have suspected anything from cars. The fumes had given him and his pack the time to get close before they struck.
Easing her into the passenger seat, he strapped her inside before going around to the other side.
“You drove here in a car?” she asked.
He didn’t answer her. Fred felt the anticipation of what was to come.
She stayed silent, sitting back to look out of the window. The scent of her innocence was distracting him. Having a wolf’s scent was not always accurate. At the moment he couldn’t smell if Ava had been with another man. Usually women carried the scent of their partner for a long time. Ava had no other scent beside her own, and it was what drew him to her as well. She could be innocent because of how different she smelled from the rest of her pack, or she could even be a virgin. Shit, he hoped she wasn’t a virgin. What he wanted to do with her was not for a virgin to know.
“Is there a man waiting for you back home?” he asked. It wouldn’t be the first time a woman had fucked him when there was a man waiting for them.
“If I had a man I wouldn’t have agreed to be your toy.” She folded her arms, showing him she was pissed.
“You’d be surprised how many women would have fucked me and then gone back to a human male,” he said.
“I’m not one of them. I would never cheat on a man in my life, ever.” She was silent for several seconds.
“How could I even have a man with my … condition?”
“Plenty of women are still out there enjoying men who have the … condition.” He smiled thinking about his own condition. There was nothing wrong with being a wolf. Fred found being a shifter helped him in his life. The sense of smell helped and also the fact he could hold his own in a fair fight. He’d lived with being a wolf his whole life as he was born into it.
His family had come from a long line of wolves. Fred hoped to pass it on like his sisters would when they had children.
Thinking about his sisters made him somber and reminded him of why he was taking out the other pack.
“Either way, I wouldn’t have agreed to be your toy if there was a man waiting for me.” She spoke the truth, and he admired her for it.
Fred still wasn’t closer to finding out if she was virgin or not. “How many partners have you had?” he asked. She turned and glared at him. “It’s none of your business.”
He moved his way around the road working past a bend. Fred wondered what Max had done with Jane. He wasn’t worried about the other man hurting Jane. They were not monsters, and the girl would be protected.
Will I be allowed to use a phone when we get to wherever you’re taking me?” she asked. “Yes. If you think to call the police on me then I’ll kill you.”
Ava burst out laughing. “What would I say? ‘Hey, police officer, I’ve been kidnapped and held against my will because I wanted to protect a woman from being killed. Also, I’m part wolf and this is all pack business.’” Fred smiled even though he didn’t want to.
“I may be a half breed, but I know the laws. I cannot bring humans into this.” She turned to look out the window. “I’m alone in this.”
“Do you know who bit you?” he asked, changing the subject. He knew she wouldn’t phone the police. There was no use for the law, and no human would win against a wolf.
She shook her head. “No. I was coming out of work, and there was this dark black dog. At least, I thought it was a dog, and I didn’t think much of it until I collapsed on the pavement within minutes of the bite. I thought I was burning from the inside out.”
Fred listened as she talked. He liked the sound of her voice and knew he could listen to her all day without a problem. Pulling toward the gate where he and his pack lived during the days of the full moon, he turned to look at her.
“Where are we?” she asked.
“I come from a long line of wolves. Over time we’ve bought property to help build our packs. This is mine.
You’ll meet some of my pack. Be warned, they’re all men. I can’t stand bitches around me during the moon.”
Climbing out of the car he heard her mutter, “sexist pig”. Smiling, Fred loved the bark within her. Taming her would be a challenge he looked forward to.
Pressing the intercom button he asked who was there.
“It’s Dave, sir.”
“Dave, let me in. Has Max settled the girl?” he asked.
“Yes. She’s been fed and walked as well.”
Chuckling, Fred headed back to the car. The electric gates opened, and he drove through. His home was his pride and joy. It had once belonged to his great grandfather and now it belonged to him. Alphas who were born into a pack had the option of staying and learning to submit to the current Alpha. They could fight for the position, but then a problem occurred if the pack didn’t agree with you or you could leave the pack as a friend and start your own. Fred had gone for the latter. He’d never been the kind of man to take orders. His father had prepared him to leave the pack at an early age. Fred could never fight his father, who was still the Alpha. This way helped keep the packs strong. When the time was right, his father would step down and the pack would vote for a new alpha, but until that time, his father stood as the leader.
Parking the car he climbed out, going around to Ava. She was already opening her door and getting out. His night was looking up.
Three months laterLilly stared up at the sun as Scott caressed her face with a daisy. The last three months had been a whirlwind of activity. The biggest change for her was the tattoo she now held on her back with a wolf and Scott’s name underneath. The love she felt for her mate had grown, and every day that passed without the vampire’s enthrallment had brought her closer to Scott. There were no lies, and they were inseparable.Alexander and Charles remained in town, but everyone else had left to go and deal with their own covens or packs. The fear of the Disaster of the Otherworld still stayed with all of them. Lilly wouldn’t forget the mark of the cult that was determined to ruin all of their lives.“How are you feeling?” he asked. “Loved.”He chuckled. Scott moved the daisy down to her exposed breast. They’d made love in the fields next to the lake. He wouldn’t let her out of his sight, a
Scott held Lilly’s hand as he made his way through the forests. He felt the happiness of his pack as they saw her. Alexander and Charles were standing at the head waiting for him. Crazy Lizzy danced toward him.“This is the right thing to do. You’re saving yourself and her,” Lizzy said, smiling. She wrapped her arms around Lilly. “Soon, we’ll be good friends and Layla will too. I can’t wait for Layla to join our friendship. She’s going to be a hoot. You just need to drop that pesky thrall.”Lizzy danced away. He watched as she wove her way around his pack. Alaric stood without his shirt with his bears. Gripping her hand tightly, Scott made his way toward the head. Several murmurs erupted when they saw the state of his back. Lilly had marked him deeply. Her scent covered him. The smell of strawberry and vanilla permeated the air.When he got to the head of the pack, Scott took the time to show Lilly to his vis
Scott watched her head toward the door. Her depth of emotion startled him. And she’d been right in everything she said.You can’t let her get away. She’s our mate.We need her.Fix her and keep her.Charging to the door he placed a hand on the hard wood against her head.He closed the door. Her shoulders slumped as her head rested against the door. “What are you doing?” she asked, quietly.“I’m sorry.” With his free hand he brushed the hair off her neck. “You’re my mate, Lilly. I’m an idiot. I didn’t know what was going to happen. I’m a wolf, and I’m the alpha, and for the first time I was scared.” He cupped her neck, stroking the pulse that pounded under his touch.“You’re doing this on purpose,” she said. Her voice sounded breathy. Arousal gripped him as he pressed against her. Every time he was arou
Scott made his way up to the house with his men behind him. The first of the meetings were scheduled for tonight, and he needed to get there before the sun went down. He’d spent most of his time at the diner watching Lilly. She served him without really seeing him. He’d never anticipated her anger like he did. Alaric had been right, and he’d get punished for keeping Lilly secret. They all had rules, and lying about his mate broke the rules.Lewis refused to talk to him, and he sensed Darcy and Nathan’s disapproval.Crazy Lizzy sat on the steps outside the house. She stared up at the sky. “You’re early,” she said.“I’ve got nowhere else to be.”“Everyone is waiting for you.” Lizzy stood then walked into the house.He turned to his men. “I know you think I did the wrong thing, but you’ve got to understand I was doing what I thought was right to protect her.”“You’ve put her in more danger by refusing her claim by your side. I sense her leaving us,” Lewis said.“I won’t let Lilly leave.
With Crazy Lizzy’s words ringing in his ears Scott went in search of Lilly. The sun was coming up, and several of the pack greeted him as he passed. He ignored their comments and went in search of his woman. He recalled the conversation he had with Lizzy last night, and he was still confused. Why would someone know about Lilly? How did they know about her when he only sensed it after her birthday?Crazy Lizzy had spoken of the prophecies in detail last night, especially when Scott pressed her for more details. Centuries ago Crazy Lizzy’s birth mother wrote everything down she saw into the future. Her mother didn’t see the near future but the far future. These prophecies were bound and hidden so no one would try to destroy them. Amongst those bound prophecies was the foretelling of Scott’s human mate. He’d be the first wolf to mate with a human female.Not only was Lilly supposed to be human, but she was destined to be the greatest were-human-queen that lived. She would birth many sons
Scott watched Lewis take her away. His heart ached, and he felt her crumbling inside. Her mind was screaming in pain, but he wrapped his arm around Lori and turned toward the two vampires that had interrupted his mating.“You don’t mind your mate fucking a human?” Charles asked.“He has needs. I’m not always available to satisfy them,” Lori said. She ran her hand down his ass. He gripped the hand firmly stopping her. He’d sent Lilly away to protect her. Scott had no intention of cheating on her. Lilly owned his body.“I’m the alpha of this pack. I don’t answer to anyone,” Scott said, drawing their attention back to him. His pack was behind him. He sensed their unease with Lori by his side. They’d be able to sense his true mate and her distraught emotions. He could, and it was kicking him in the gut. Lewis better be doing everything he could to help her.“I find the whole meeting