2

JULIET

I drag in a deep lungful of fresh air as Shay leads me out the tall sliding glass door and onto the terrace, chattering away about the packhouse and all its amenities. The air smells different here in Denver. It smells like sweet, sweet freedom.

“I mean, you grew up in a packhouse, so all of this is probably normal to you,” Shay tosses over her shoulder as she treads a path to the edge of the terrace. “But it was a huge change for me when I came here. It took some getting used to. And hey, if you-”

“Holy shit,” I interrupt, pushing past Shay as a huge pool area comes into view. “There’s a pool?!”

Her lips pull into a grin, her chin-length hair bouncing as she nods. “Yeah, girl. There’s a pool.”

She starts to say something else, but her words are lost to me as I rush forward to get a closer look at the large swimming pool, the crystal-clear water beckoning me in the sweltering summer heat. I might’ve grown up in a packhouse, but the one in Westfield pales in comparison to this place. The Denver packhouse feels more like a luxury hotel than a home, and the impressive pool deck is just further proof of that. The whole thing is lined with wooden lounge chairs topped with luxurious looking cushions that I bet my tush would just sink into, the water of the pool taking on a bright blue hue reflected from the tiles beneath. It’s like a damn paradise out here, complete with towering metal palm trees and a little straw-thatched tiki bar set up on the far end of the pool deck.

“Is this heaven?” I ask dreamily, the hem of my sundress floating around my thighs as I spin back around to face Shay.

She titters a laugh, stepping closer and flinging an arm around my shoulders. “Pretty damn close, girl. I mean, the six-pack will always be home to me, but this place is a hell of an upgrade.”

I’ve known Shay for years, but I’m not sure if I’d classify us as friends. More like casual acquaintances. We both ran in our own circles back at home, but I heard about it when she found her fated mate in the Denver pack’s beta, Sam, and moved here last year to be with him. This is my first time seeing her since then, and life in Denver must suit her, because she seems more relaxed and carefree than I remember. She even looks different- she’s chopped off her long dark hair and added fuchsia streaks to it like a punk rock princess, a bold choice that she totally pulls off. Everything about her screams ‘wild and free’, and I can only hope that the move to Denver will have the same effect on me.

“So you’re enrolling at Denver U?” Shay asks, and I nod enthusiastically.

“I’m still kinda shocked that my parents agreed. Quinn helped talk them into it, and it’s only on the condition that I stay here while I take classes, which is fine by me,” I say, gesturing to the pool. “This place is a palace!”

She laughs again, linking her arm with mine and steering me back toward the patio doors. “C’mon, let’s finish the tour. I’ve still gotta show you your room!”

I grin from ear to ear as I follow her eagerly, my mind spinning with the possibilities of the new life spread out before me while still reeling over my newfound freedom.

Don’t get me wrong, I know I’ve had a charmed life up until now. As the eldest daughter of our pack’s alpha, I grew up with more advantages than most. I’ve always been doted on, well looked after, cherished by my family and my pack. My father’s position granted me a lot of privileges that I wouldn’t have had otherwise. It’s also made me feel like I’ve lived in a fucking bubble for the past nineteen years.

I’m almost out of my teens, but I never really got to be a normal teenager. Everyone in the pack knows who I am, so it’s not like I could get away with anything without it getting back to my father. I couldn’t slip into the local bar with my friends and try to convince the bartender to serve me while underage. I couldn’t sneak out of our well-secured packhouse late at night to run amok with my peers. Hell, I couldn’t even date because my older brother threatened every guy my age in the pack with violence if they so much as glanced my way for more than a fleeting second, and now that he’s taken over for my father as our pack’s alpha, they won’t even hazard a glance.

My charmed life has been more like a gilded cage, which is why I jumped at the opportunity to leave when it presented itself. Back home, I couldn’t explore, I couldn’t be free. Here, the possibilities are endless.

The room Shay leads me to is equally as impressive as the rest of the packhouse, clean and modern with sparse furnishings and neutrally decorated in various shades of grey. I find my suitcases already in there resting beside the door to the walk-in closet and waste no time in exploring the rest of the space, complete with a huge ensuite bathroom featuring a giant soaker tub and marble tiled shower. After rushing around the room to take it all in like an excited little kid, I can’t contain the contented sigh that leaves my lips as I flop backwards on the king-sized bed, the plush white down comforter billowing up around me as I land upon it.

“Okay, it’s official. I’m never leaving.”

Shay laughs, plopping down beside me on the bed and pulling an elbow up underneath her, resting her chin upon her hand. “Maybe you’ll find your mate here, too. Then you won’t have to,” she winks.

“Hmm…” I muse, rolling onto my side to face her. “Alpha Cole, perhaps?” I waggle my eyebrows, licking my lips suggestively.

We hadn’t officially met until today, but the Denver alpha caught my eye months ago at his sister’s Luna ceremony celebration. I noticed him right away that night because Cole Bauer is hard not to notice. He’s pushing six foot four and dripping in hard-earned muscle, his very presence oozing authority and commanding respect. His prominent jawline, lickable caramel skin, and dark eyes are just the cherry on top of the already delicious man sundae, and meeting him today only confirmed what I already knew- that the man looks even better up close. 

“Trust me, you don’t want to go there,” Shay snorts.

“Why’s that?”

“Besides the fact that he’s pushing thirty?”

I roll my eyes, waving her off. “Whatever, older guys are hot. Isn’t Sam in his late twenties?”

“I mean yeah, but…” Shay heaves a sigh, sitting up and leveling me with a stare, her demeanor suddenly shifting from playful to serious. “Cole’s different. He’s not warm and fuzzy like my Sammy. He’s stone cold, the guy’s practically a robot. Not to mention the fact that the females in this pack are rabid over him since he hasn’t claimed a mate. They’re all convinced they’re just one blowjob away from becoming his luna.”

I bark a laugh, pushing up on my elbows and shaking my head at the absurdity of that statement.

“Besides, wouldn’t your brother lose his shit?” Shay points out.

I shrug a shoulder. “What Jax doesn’t know can’t hurt him.”

“What doesn’t Jax know?” Quinn asks, and I glance toward the doorway of the bedroom to see her stepping inside, sliding me a conspiratorial smirk.

“That his sister’s not a little girl anymore,” I reply with an eyeroll, sitting up and waving her over to join us.

Quinn may be my brother’s mate, but the two of us have our own bond and I know I can speak candidly around her. Plus, she has her own overbearing older brother, so she knows firsthand how suffocating a brother’s ‘protectiveness’ can be.

“He’ll have to wake up and realize that someday,” Quinn sighs, plunking down on the edge of the bed. “At least living here will give you a little space. Just don’t give him a reason to haul you back home before you even get the chance,” she warns, pinning me with a knowing stare.

“Oh don’t worry, I’ll be on my best behavior until he leaves,” I groan with another exaggerated eyeroll. “Which is when, exactly?”

Quinn clutches a hand to her chest like she’s offended. “Trying to get rid of me already, sis?”

“Never,” I laugh, slinging an arm around her shoulders. “But since you and Jax are a package deal, I’ve gotta make sacrifices. Unless you want to camp out here with me for the rest of the summer?”

“We’ll be out of your hair tomorrow morning,” Quinn sighs, predictably declining my offer in favor of remaining joined at the hip with my brother. “We’re gonna try to hit the road before breakfast.”

My lips slide into a devious grin as I start calculating a mental countdown to my freedom. “Perfect.”

~

Although Shay gave me the impression that most meals at the packhouse are informal and communal, Alpha Cole set up a stuffy sit-down dinner for us in the dining room, complete with a two-person waitstaff to deliver each course. The whole display is pompous and over-the-top, in my humble opinion, but I grin and bear it, playing the role of a perfect angel to the point of exhaustion.

My cheeks hurt from all the smiles I’ve forced throughout dinner, and I swear my tongue must be bruised from biting it against every sarcastic comment I’ve held back. Cole barely acknowledged my presence from the other end of the table, wrapped up in conversation with Jax and Sam, but I still played my role well for my dear big brother, giggling like an airhead at every joke and playing demure and sweet whenever questions were directed my way. I totally pulled it off- at the expense of my own dignity- because I’m not about to screw this up. I’ll play the game tonight, and I can officially drop the act tomorrow when Jax is long gone.

When all the food has been served and I physically can’t force myself to fake one more laugh or vapid comment, I excuse myself from the table, slipping out onto the terrace for some air. I immediately duck around the corner out of sight, collapsing back against the stone wall and dropping the fake smile from my face at long last. I’ve spent all night holding back and I can’t take it anymore- I throw my head back against the wall and dig the heels of my hands into my eye sockets, releasing a frustrated string of curses into the silent darkness.

“That bad, huh?” comes a voice from somewhere nearby, followed by a low chuckle.

I whip my head sideways in alarm, squinting into the shadows to see a guy with auburn hair and a killer smile step out of them and into the pale light cast from the packhouse windows. He’s taller than me, buff and broad-shouldered.

Shit. My stomach bottoms out, my heart pounding against my ribs. “I didn’t realize anyone was out here,” I mutter, straightening and smoothing my hair back with a hand, quickly regaining my composure.

“I won’t tell if you won’t,” he winks, lifting a half burned-out cigarette and tipping his head toward it.

I give him an assessing once-over, concluding that he’s definitely over the legal smoking age. My gaze flits from the glowing orange end of the cigarette to his eyes, narrowing in confusion. “You trying to quit or something?”

“Alpha frowns upon smoking on packhouse grounds.” He brings the cigarette to his lips, inhaling deeply before blowing a plume of smoke out into the air between us.

“You rebel,” I tease.

He shrugs, flicking ash off the end of his cigarette and leaning a shoulder against the stone wall beside us. “Can’t be good all the time.”

“What fun would that be?” I smirk.

His tongue snakes out to wet his lips as his gaze trails down my body, not even attempting to hide the way he’s blatantly checking me out. “So you must be Juliet, huh?”

“I am,” I reply, unflinching under his wandering stare. I cock a brow when his eyes return to mine. “And you are?”

“Tobias.”

“Warrior?”

He nods. “Among other things.”

Our eyes remain locked as we both assess one another, a comfortable silence settling between us as Tobias continues to puff on his cigarette.

“So why the late night venting sesh?” he questions. “Was the dinner that bad?”

“Just tired of playing prim and proper,” I admit, choosing to trust this stranger with my truth. We’re both out here doing something we shouldn’t, so I feel a strange sort of kinship with him.

He furrows his brow in confusion. “Why do you have to do that?”

I blow out a breath, leaning back against the wall again and folding my arms across my chest. “My brother’s a little protective. Gotta be good while he’s here so he’ll actually let me stay.”

“Alpha Jax?”

I nod.

“And when he’s gone?”

My lips curl into a smile. “All bets are off.”

Tobias grins back at me as he tosses his cigarette down, stubbing it out with the toe of his shoe and stooping up to pick up the butt, sliding it into his pocket.

“I look forward to it, Juliet,” he says, his heated gaze dropping down my form once more before he turns away.

The hunger in his eyes ignites something inside of me, making me feel all warm and tingly as I watch him retreat into the shadows. My heart races, my mind spinning. Less than twenty-four hours in, and I’ve already had a guy flirt with me unashamedly, without fear of retribution.

Yeah, I could totally get used to this.