1

COLE

My mind conjures up the memory of the stench of acrid smoke in the air as I thumb through the photographs of the charred, skeletal remains of the Sparrowhead apartment complex. Two months ago, a fire took down the entire building, blazing out of control until only ash and rubble remained. The destruction was so severe that the cause of the fire was only recently determined, and this file landed on my desk this morning courtesy of my connections with the local P.D.

The police chief knows I like to keep a pulse on what goes on in the city, so he doesn’t question when I request files from him. Not that I would disclose the reasons behind my requests if he did. As long as I grease his palm with quarterly donations, he seems satisfied with our arrangement and doesn’t pry into my personal business. Why would he when I’m a respected figure in the community, the proprietor of a dozen bars and night clubs with a well-rounded real estate portfolio to boot?

I didn’t amass all of this on my own. My family put down roots in Denver generations ago, and when my old man chose to retire several years back, I inherited his empire- both the business holdings and the sprawling, gated compound on the outskirts of the city that’s comprised of thousands of acres of homes and forest. The police don’t enforce the laws on the citizens within these gates, I do. I’m pretty sure the chief thinks I’m in the mob or something, given my situation, and sometimes I wonder if he’d find me to be more or less intimidating if he knew the truth.

 My money’s on more because people tend to fear what they don’t understand. In folklore, werewolves are savage beasts that go bump in the night, but in reality, wolf shifters are just like regular people- except for the fact that we’ve got a wild animal inside of us we can transform into at will, of course. It can be a little touch-and-go when our wolves first come in, but once we’re fully integrated with them, our human side remains in control, so it’s not like we pose a danger to the general public by virtue of what we are. Especially since our cardinal rule is to protect our secret at all costs; to never reveal our true nature to non-shifters.

A lot of shifter packs around the country choose to keep to themselves and live more off the grid, but my own pack is fully integrated into the community here, blending in seamlessly with the human population. We have a few safeguards in place for our own security- no humans are permitted to pass beyond our gates, and we don’t shift into our wolf forms unless we’re on our own land- and so far, that system works. My pack is happy here, and my job is to keep it that way.

I jerk my head up from the file spread out on my desk to the sound of someone clearing their throat, Sam poking his head around the door to my office and peering inside at me. “They just arrived at the gate, Alpha,” he provides, and I nod in affirmation, flicking my head to beckon him to come in.

Sam’s my beta; my second in command. He also happens to be my best friend since we were raised here in the packhouse together. Like me, he inherited the position from his own father, though I wouldn’t have selected anyone else to fill the role if given the choice. I trust him implicitly, and trust is of the utmost importance in a position like mine.

“Thanks,” I mutter, flipping the file on the Sparrowhead apartment fire closed and eyeing the other three police files spread across my desk. I’ll have to get to them later.

Sam’s boots scuff against the hardwood as he steps into my office, pausing when his eyes fall upon the pair of high heel clad feet poking out from around the side of my desk. His lips curl into a smirk as he glances back up at me, arching a brow.

“That’s enough, Rosie,” I murmur, looking down at the woman with her head in my lap currently swallowing my cock. I grab a fistful of her hair to pull her off, her lips making a popping sound as my dick slips free of them. Disappointment clouds her eyes, but she doesn’t object to my dismissal- she simply rocks back to sit on her heels as I tuck myself away, zipping my fly and buttoning my pants while she wipes saliva from her chin with a thumb.

“Should I come back later?” she asks hopefully, blinking up at me.

“I’ll let you know,” I grumble, not sparing her another glance as I turn my attention back to Sam.

Rosie scampers to her feet, buttoning her blouse and smoothing her dark hair. A furious blush stains her cheeks as she makes her way out of my office, avoiding eye contact with Sam along the way since he’s still smirking like an asshole. As soon as she’s gone, he makes his way over to the desk, rounding the side and dropping down onto it. “Did you get a chance to go over those expense reports?” he asks in a low voice, folding his arms across his broad chest and getting right down to business.

I push back in my desk chair with a grunt, my unsatisfied dick straining against my zipper. Rosie’s always eager to please but her blowjobs leave a lot to be desired. “I did,” I grit out, scrubbing a hand over my buzzed hair and glancing up at Sam. “You were right, money’s been going missing for the past three months.”

“You think it’s Evans?”

I nod slowly. “All roads lead to him.”

Fucking Tom Evans. I purchased Jokers night club a few months back, and against my better judgment, I retained him as the manager rather than staffing it myself. The club was already doing well, so I figured it’d be easier to keep the status quo for a while instead of passing the reins over to one of my own guys. Apparently Evans saw that as an opportunity to try to pull a fast one on us and dip into our profits.

“I fucking knew it,” Sam mutters, his blonde curls swaying as he shakes his head in disgust. “So what’s the plan?”

I heave a sigh as I mull it over. This is the last thing I wanted to deal with today, but I’m not about to sit around and let the guy continue to steal from me, either. Some things just can’t wait. “Cut him loose,” I instruct with the wave of a hand. “Send a couple enforcers out to collect what he stole, and we’ll put Jason in his place starting tonight. He’s been doing well training under Jerome over at Club Zodiac for the past year, I’m sure he’ll jump at the chance to manage his own club.”

“Consider it done,” Sam quips, pushing off from my desk with a satisfied grin on his lips that tells me he’ll take great pleasure in the task. He never liked Evans. “They should be here any minute,” Sam reminds me as he turns to stride toward the door. “You comin’?”

“Yeah,” I breathe, shoving up from my chair.

Sam pauses in the doorway to wait for me, then the two of us head down the long hallway in the direction of the foyer, passing by the other offices lining this wing of the packhouse. It’s funny, when we were kids, this wing was completely off-limits to us. We’d dare one another to venture down here without getting caught, though only my sister Astrid was small and sneaky enough to actually get away with it. She’d spy on the adults’ conversations and report back to me and Sam on what she overheard. Back then, we couldn’t wait to be in charge, but now that we spend the bulk of our time in this wing, it has lost its luster.  

We fall into step with one another as we reach the end of the corridor, turning down another. All the hallways here are bathed in light courtesy of the floor-to-ceiling windows lining them. One of the first things my father did when he became Alpha was to have the packhouse undergo a full remodel and expansion, transforming it into a sleek, modern structure; all clean lines and natural light.

The place is massive, but it has to be, considering all of the people that live here. There’s me and Sam, his mate Shay, my advisors, and about twenty of the pack’s top warriors and enforcers- all under the same roof. Not to mention the staff that keeps the packhouse running. People tend to cycle out of here periodically in favor of getting their own places once they settle down with a mate, but new ones are always eager to claim any vacancy. For the young, single guys of our pack, having staff here to cook and clean is a major perk. And while the other residents of the packhouse may change, Sam and I remain constant- this is where we were raised, and this is where we’ll raise our own families someday.  

I hear the front door of the packhouse opening as we approach the foyer, voices echoing around the large space punctuated by a feminine giggle. Rounding the corner, I spot two of my security guys dragging overstuffed suitcases and leading our guests inside, my gaze drifting to the familiar face of Jax Anderson, the alpha of the Westfield pack across the state.

“Jax,” I drawl, striding over to greet him and offering a hand.

His lips pull into a wide grin, pale blue eyes meeting mine. “Cole, how’s it going man?” He steps forward and wraps his knuckles with my own, pulling me into a half-hug and clapping me on the back.

I stiffen, quickly pulling out of the embrace and forcing a tight smile to my lips. I’ve never been big on physical affection outside of my own family. “Good,” I reply with a nod. “How are things over at the six-pack?”

Jax’s pack is part of an alliance with five others that all reside in the same territory, hence the ‘six-pack’ moniker. My sister lives down there now, mated to the alpha of another pack in the alliance. Her mate Brock is a surly motherfucker, but as long as he makes my sister happy, he’s alright in my book.  

“All good,” Jax says, pushing back his blonde hair with a hand as his mate shoulders in next to him and flashes me a winning smile.

“Hey, Cole,” Quinn greets, her hazel eyes gleaming. Jax is a good enough looking guy, but he definitely outkicked his coverage with Quinn. While brunettes aren’t typically my first choice, I’d have to be blind not to notice how stunning she is. “Astrid wanted me to let you know that she sends her love,” she offers. 

I can’t help but smile at the mention of my baby sister. She’s the one female I have a weak spot for. “Tell her I send it back. And that she’s overdue for a visit.”

“I’ll be sure to pass that along,” Quinn winks.

“Ahem,” comes a voice from behind Jax, a dainty finger reaching up to prod him in the back of the shoulder. He rolls his eyes in response, shaking his head in feigned exasperation and stepping aside.

“This is my sister, Juliet,” he provides, tossing a thumb in her direction as he moves to reveal the blonde girl standing behind him.

Her ice-blue eyes meet mine and my breath catches, my heart tripping over its valves. She’s… gorgeous, and suddenly I’m just standing there staring at her mutely, my brain short-circuiting.

She’s tall, slender, with blonde hair and a sunkissed tan, looking as if she was plucked from a California beach and dropped on my doorstep. I’ve always had a thing for blondes, and with her little blue sundress and bashful smile, this one has a sweet, girl next door quality that just so happens to embody my dirtiest fantasies.

When Jax asked if his kid sister could stay here while studying at Denver University, I expected her to be… well, a kid. Not a fucking knockout. I find myself immediately doing the math in my head- did he say she was nineteen? I’m a few months shy of thirty, so she’s entirely too young for me, but… fuck.

Juliet cocks her head to the side demurely as she extends a hand in greeting, those clear blue eyes sparkling and her plush lips parting to offer me a breathy “Hi”.

I just stand there like a fucking moron until Sam elbows me subtly, yanking me back to reality while I mentally bitch-slap myself. This isn’t me. I don’t get caught off guard, especially not by an attractive woman. Girl. Kid. Fuck.

I quickly regain my composure, pushing all unwelcome thoughts out of my head as quickly as they’ve entered and offering Juliet a tight smile as I take her hand in mine and give it a brief shake. “Nice to meet you,” I say politely, keeping my eyes trained firmly on hers so they don’t wander down to take another peek at how the fabric of her sundress is straining to conceal her breasts.

“Likewise,” Juliet replies sweetly, batting her lashes. She squeezes my hand gently with her fingers and I flinch back as I feel a little zip pass between our skin, my wolf perking up in response.

I yank my hand back with a barely contained scowl. Nope. Not today, Satan.

“Erm, Shay’s gonna show you around and help you get settled in,” I mutter, whipping around to Sam with a silent question in my eyes. This was the plan, but his mate’s conspicuously absent from this little welcoming committee. Sam nods to me in understanding as he pulls his phone out of his pocket, presumably to call Shay, while I turn back to Jax and Quinn. “Should we go talk business, get that out of the way?”

“Sure,” Jax replies, stepping closer and clapping me on the shoulder. “I’m sure you’re dying for an update on the shadow pack loyalists our security squad has been hunting down.”

I grunt in affirmation as I turn to lead them to my office, stealing another glance in Juliet’s direction and wondering why the fuck the devil picked today, of all days, to tempt me.