Rex Leah bends over the desk, typing rapidly with a stack of booking confirmations printed off and spread out in front of her. The last beams of late afternoon sunlight creeping in through the window dance across her features and her wavy golden hair. I can’t help the grin that spreads across my face as she lifts her brown-eyed gaze to mine and smiles shyly. She got changed too, and instead of her usual skin-tight leggings and work out top, she’s in a pale-yellow floaty summer dress. The thought that she may have dressed up just for me does something funny to my insides. As she returns her focus to the computer, tapping away on the keyboard from her standing position, I can’t stop my eyes from wandering down to where the thin cotton material skims over her ass. Her tanned legs are bare, and I long to run my hands along her soft skin, up high enough that I could discover what panties she has on underneath her skirt. As I picture myself flipping up the back of her dress and gripping h
Leah In the gathering dusk, the drive through the secluded forest surrounding the lodge is eerie. It’s always quiet on this road. The only traffic on this isolated stretch being the people coming and going from the lodge itself or the small log cabins built into the surrounding hills. I’m not sure whether they belong to the Jones Group or to those living in them, but they all seem to be inhabited by Jones’ employees. As I take the last turn, I blink and do a double-take at the massive cast iron gates with a large private property sign in the distance. I’ve never seen them before. Crawling to a stop in front of them, I’m surprised to find the gate chained shut across the driveway. I can see where they are normally rolled back and well hidden by the densely packed trees and overgrown hedges, but tonight, they’re obstructing the only vehicular access to the lodge. Well, that’s put a spanner in the works for the Agatha Christie-style investigative work I had planned. A mere metal barri
Leah The camera falls from my hands into the dirt. What I am witnessing cannot be real. In what I can only call a moment of sheer brilliance, I took a kayak and paddled along the lake, getting as close to the lodge as I could. It may have been less cunning, more laziness to be honest. I didn’t really fancy trekking miles through the forest in the middle of the night. When Hayley first moved here, I remember her calling to tell me she had seen a wolf outside her house. I wasn’t entirely convinced it wasn’t just a big dog like a husky, but knowing that I’d be out here alone, I was happy enough to avoid finding out. But now Hayley stands there, smiling affectionately at the sea of wild wolves, prancing and howling in front of her. She looks like some kind of queen of the wolves. A scream dies in my throat as a giant black beast leaps towards her. But instead of cowering, Hayley leans down and presses a kiss to its snout. She presses her face into its neck, ruffles its fur before playf
Leah A quick glance over my shoulder tells me that Rex and Cooper are busy with their three injured friends. Danny presses his fingers to his side tentatively. Nasty gashes and bite marks mar his skin. He winces as they come away covered in bright red blood as I watch, and guilt ties my stomach in knots. The poor guy. I can’t believe they did that to one of their own. He was just trying to protect me. Cooper eyes Hayley with frustration, still not happy with her for stomping her way through the trees toward us a few minutes ago. How dangerous are these people? I need to talk to Hayley alone. Is she safe here? I’m not leaving her until I know what’s going on, that’s for sure. Picking up the pace, I put a bit of distance between us and Rex and Cooper, who are helping to half carry the injured back to the packhouse. I catch Rex glancing in my direction and our gazes lock for a second before I look away. I’m furious with him for suggesting it’s my fault that I almost got savaged by a p
Rex Leah interrogates me the entire drive home. Somehow, it’s easier to rattle off all the information she wants without looking at her. I’m afraid if I do, I’ll see disgust there, and I don’t think I’d be able to handle that. Were you born a werewolf? Is Hayley the queen now? How many wolves live in the pack? Can you turn people into wolves? Can you only shift on the full moon? She asks a never-ending stream of questions, getting progressively more and more detailed, which I am more than happy to answer if it puts her at ease. I had been planning on telling her everything anyway… but the way she found out? Goddess, it couldn’t have been worse. It’s like a dagger to my heart when I remember the sight of her trembling in fear from John. Leah eventually falls silent as we pull up in front of the house. As I pull the keys from the ignition, the tension is so thick you could cut it with a knife. Neither of us moves to get out. “I’m so sorry, Leah. I was going to tell Cooper tonight t
Leah Where on earth did that come from? My plan had been to sit him down and find out exactly what the story was between him and this mysterious ex of his, not to jump him. I literally threw myself at Rex. Looking at his slightly bewildered face, it was totally worth it. He looks as stunned as I do. It was frantic and wild, completely uninhibited. I glance around us and can’t help but laugh, leaning forward to press my forehead against his chest at what we must look like. We’re on the floor, wedged between the sofa and the coffee table, cushions and magazines knocked all over the floor around us. Rex stretches his long legs out in front of him and sits back, leaning on his arms. His fly is open and his t-shirt is flung God only knows where. His face is flushed, and his tanned chest is still heaving, abs damp with perspiration and flexing with each deep breath. I’m in a bra and shorts, perched on top of him, curls sticking up everywhere from where his hands tugged them, and held me
Rex Swiping my thumb across the screen to answer, I wait, not speaking, to see what she has to say. It’s been more than a year since I heard her voice. When we locked eyes across the room at the alpha’s conference, I thought she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Stunning auburn hair and creamy skin made her stand out in the crowd. Tall and willowy, with sharp green eyes and perfect manners, I thought the moon goddess had blessed me with the ideal mate to smooth out my rougher edges. Looking back now, though, I see things differently. There were signs something was amiss early on. I was just too lovestruck to notice them. First, Stacey was reluctant to meet my family, claiming she was overwhelmed. And then, I can still picture how she pursed her lips when I told her where I was from. She was clearly disappointed that I wasn’t from some big city or a more high-profile pack. The Jones’ are wealthy, but we’re not flashy. She probably assumed we were just scraping by. I had
Rex Nathan and Ethan are playing pool when I arrive back at the packhouse. I’m tempted to just blow past them and head straight to my room, but when Ethan calls me over, given he helped us out today doing collections, I can’t be rude. “How did the first day go?” he asks cheerfully, leaning over the green felt and lining up his next shot carefully. I perch on the edge of a large tan leather armchair beside them and sigh, not sure how to answer that. “The camp went well. The girls have been great, no moaning, just happy to be together and having a laugh. They’re going to be sore tomorrow, though. Thanks for helping us out.” I really am thrilled at how that part went. They enjoyed the hike. The trail we took was manageable for everyone with enough viewing points and stops to keep it interesting. We covered off some basic navigational skills that they’ll be able to use in the orienteering challenge at the end of the week. Everything ran like clockwork thanks to Leah’s insane organisati