Dario was that good at hiding his true nature. But I always saw through it and stuck closely to Rose. It hindered his stalkerish tendencies, but never fully kept him away. He was always lurking in the shadows.
Now he was becoming more brazen, following us in broad daylight to the dress fitting.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I snarled at him, letting out my wolf a bit.
“Whatever I want to do. Rose is, and always has been, mine. I will never stop pursuing her.”
He sneered at me and stepped forward into my personal space.His amber eyes looked almost red as he released a bit of his wolf too.
It was dangerous to be showing this side of ourselves in public, but I would never back down. He was a menacing man at six foot three with pitch black hair, as dark as his heart, and bulging muscles that were clearly way too big for his tiny, stupid head. Even so, he didn’t intimidate me. I might’ve been only five foot five and petite in size, but my wolf was just as dominating as his own.
I let out a warning growl, showing him just how little he scared me. A flicker of panic flashed in his eyes seeing me stand up to him.
“I don’t give a shit who you are or what your psychotic brain thinks about the nonexistent relationship between you and Rose. She is about to be mated to my brothers, and nothing you say or do will change that. Now, get the fuck away from my sister.” I snapped my teeth at him, which had elongated just the slightest.
He backed away, but a smirk spread across his thin lips. “We’ll see about that.”
“You do anything to jeopardize this ceremony and I will rip your throat out, Dario Nyx. You can count on that.”
Dario chuckled darkly. “I’m not afraid of you, Emmy. You are just a tiny obstacle between me and what belongs to me. You can’t be there for her forever.”
“Watch me.” It was always laughable how much he underestimated me. I’d defeated many wolves twice his size in sparring matches growing up. If it came down to it, I’d fight him to protect my best friend. And I’d win.
“Oh I am, little wolf. I am.” His eyes flicked over my shoulder once more, no doubt searching out my friend inside, then he gave me one last sneering grin and swiftly turned to stalk away.
His words had unnerved me. Obsession could turn even the kindest of men into dangerous ones as fast as the flip of a light switch. But when a dangerous man became obsessive, there was no telling just how far he’d go to get what he wanted.
I would need to keep a close eye on him, maybe even let Trent and Quinn know about Dario skulking around. They, like me, weren’t blinded by the fake pleasantries he showed all the other wolves in both packs. They saw just as clearly as I did when a wolf was rabid. And Dario was as rabid as you could get.
I could always rely on my mates to back me on these kinds of things. Unlike my brothers and Rose, Trent and Quinn weren’t my fated mates. I’d chosen them as my own when we were only sixteen. Wolves didn’t always meet their fated mate since our kind was spread across the world, but our inner wolves could choose worthy mates to be by our side. I knew almost instantly that they would be mine, and they felt the same.
They were cousins and had joined our pack after migrating from somewhere in Canada. Their original pack had been abusive, so their parents sent them away in hopes they’d find a place to be happy in another pack. Their parents stayed behind to give them time to escape, but unfortunately were killed by their pack for their betrayal.
Pack Lux had welcomed them with open arms after finding them half frozen one winter in the middle of the woods. Only days after recuperating was when I met them. The rest was history.
I smiled as I parked my truck outside the cabin I shared with my mates, and took in the wonderful smells of pine and moss that surrounded me. The entire Lux pack was settled within the mountains, away from the nearby bustling cities crawling with humans. We preferred a simpler life in nature. We built cabins scattered over several hundred acres of land, with the largest cabin being for the Alpha family. We grew our own food and hunted our own meat, both in wolf and human form. It was peaceful.
I waved to a few pack members who were settled around a small bonfire as I headed up the porch and into the cabin. I could sense my mates were here, kind of like a sixth sense. Their scent flooded my nostrils, but I heard no movement from either of them.
I snickered. We were doing this again. “Oh where oh where could my handsome mates be?” I sing-songed while tiptoeing into the living room. My senses were on high alert, waiting for the slightest sound. Even with how somewhat-small our home was, they’d gotten fairly good at this childish game they loved playing anytime I came home.
Just as I made it around the corner to the kitchen, two strong arms suddenly encased me. I jumped in surprise and let out a slight growl. How the hell had I missed him?
“Got you, sweetheart,” Trent whispered against my neck, inhaling just a bit to get his fill of my scent.
“How do you do that? I didn’t see or hear anything when I came in.”
“I won’t give away my secrets. I can reuse my hiding spot since you didn’t find me.” Trent chuckled before turning me in his arms, giving me a full view of my beautiful mate.
Trent has the most stunning sea foam green eyes I've ever seen, shining like a serene ocean under the sun's bright rays. His light honey hair lay messily atop his head, like he’d just woken up from a nap, begging me to run my hands through it and mess it up just a bit more.
I wrapped my arms around his lean body and snuggled into him. “Where’s Quinn hiding?”
“Pft. Like I’d tell you. Cousin code prevents me from giving away his secrets, sweetheart.”
I groaned. “What about mate code? You telling me where he is would make me happy. Don’t you want a happy mate?” I pulled back to give him a pouty lip.
Trent threw his head back and laughed heartily. “As adorable as you are, that won’t work on me. Quinn warned me you might try that since you did the same thing last time you found him first.”
“Fine,” I sighed in defeat and extracted myself from Trent's embrace. “I’ll find him myself then, traitor.”
Trent put a hand to his chest dramatically and fell back a step. “You wound me.”
“You’ll survive,” I replied, grabbing his hand to pull him back into me. “Where’s my kiss hello?”
Trent smiled with that adorable side smile he had, and framed my face with his hands. “Right here, waiting patiently for you to come home.” He then pressed his lips to mine, kissing me with all the love he possessed.
“You’re still a traitor,” I whispered against his lips before pulling away. I received a smack to my ass in retaliation, making me yelp in surprise as I turned to go look for my other hiding mate.
The cabin was devised of two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room, kitchen, and a large wrap around porch. It shouldn’t be too hard to find Quinn. But after searching high and low in every room, I came up empty. That left outside.
I crossed back through the cabin and out the back door, still keeping myself on alert. Just as I stepped onto the porch, there was a slight scuffling sound above me. I grinned up at the area hanging over the porch.
“You know the roof is cheating, Quinn,” I called to him, knowing full well where he was.
There was a slight curse before my other mate came swinging down from the roof and dropped to the ground in front of me.
“It’s still technically part of the cabin, so no rules were broken,” Quinn responded, stalking up the few steps to plant himself right in front of me.
Quinn was built much like Trent, and had the same honey colored hair, but his eyes were more of a sage green that reminded me of the moss that clung to the rocks in a silent stream. Tranquil and inviting.
He reached up and rubbed the long strands of my platinum hair through his fingers. “I missed you.”
I wrapped my arms around his taught shoulders and lifted onto my toes to plant a kiss on his lips. “I missed you, t
oo.”
“Oh yeah?” He asked before bending down to grasp the back of my thighs and hoist me up to wrap my legs around him. “How much?”
“Like a lot. It’s been a day and I sure could use some sweet lovin'.”
A rumbling sound vibrates from Quinn’s chest. “Then I think we should tend to our mate's needs. You hear that, Trent?” Quin called out over my shoulder.
“Loud and clear! Why don’t you bring our girl inside so we can do just that?” Trent replied back.
I grinned excitedly as Quinn walked us back inside, kicking the door closed behind him and not even bothering to put me down until we reached our room.
He dropped me gently onto the bed that Trent was already laid across waiting. One thing was for sure about my mates, they were always gentle with me. Every kiss and caress was so loving and tender. I soaked it all in as Quinn reached beneath my summer dress and softly slid my underwear down my legs.
“Wrap your legs over my shoulders sweetheart,” Quinn whispered seductively. I barely had time to do so before he disappeared beneath the fabric of my skirt and his mouth was on me.
I tilted my head back, letting out a moan that was quickly swallowed by Trent’s kiss. He moved to run his hands up and down my entire torso, kneading and massaging all my sensitive areas, as Quinn’s mouth licked and bit at my sensitive core.
I raised my arms and threaded my hands into Trent’s silky hair, pulling him down harder and sealing his lips more firmly to mine. They worked in perfect tandem, tending to only my needs. I could try to tend to theirs, but I knew they wanted this moment to make only me feel good. I’d let them for now. But after, all bets were off.
I came fast and hard, screaming out as pleasure and warmth filtered through every nerve ending of my body. My mind grew a bit fuzzy from the ecstasy, and I barely registered Trent pulling away, only to be replaced by Quinn’s hands now taking over where Trent’s left off.
“My turn to claim those lips,” Quinn said above me.
He came down and kissed me softly as I felt Trent’s hands push my legs further apart and settle into me. I gasped as Trent slid inside me, slow and steady. But I needed more than just careful and gentle. My wolf needed more of a frenzy. I locked my legs around Trent’s waist and tugged him harder into me. He chuckled and began moving a bit harder and faster.
Quinn leaned over me and pushed down the straps of my dress to expose my chest. He took one of my nipples into his mouth and began licking and sucking at it fervently. My inner wolf growled happily, loving that our mates were pushing past their usual gentleness to give us just what we wanted.
They always knew just how to make both of us happy.
Sweat coated my body as another orgasm danced through me, shaking every inch of my body. I screamed again, my mates' names rolling off my tongue.
“Oh god. That was... just what I needed,” I panted, smiling at both men.
“We know,” they replied simultaneously, matching grins spreading across their handsome faces.
“Is it my turn to take care of my mates?” I glanced between them hopefully.
“Not yet. I heard your stomach growl, sweetheart,” Quinn replied with a chuckle. “We’re going to feed you first.”
“Oh. I thought that was me growling.”
“Sounds the same, honestly. I think your stomach can get just as cranky as your wolf if not fed,” Trent joked, laughing when I reached down and playfully smacked his shoulder.
They were probably right though. Food was a good idea. Plus, I needed to tell them about Dario anyway. Maybe sex before that would help smooth over the anger I knew they’d feel when I told them.
Here’s hoping.
CHAPTER 3
Owen
I rolled out of bed with an aggravated snarl, pulling the sheets off with me. They stank of the last woman who slept in them. I wanted them washed, her scent erased. Balling them up in my first, I threw them in the laundry hamper before getting dressed haphazardly. Then with a slam of my screen door, I headed out for the woods.
The girl I brought home last night told me the same shit the others always did. I can’t believe you grew up in Pack Nyx! I’ve never noticed you before.
Wow, thanks for pointing out I’ve never fit in and tend to be a loner. I never noticed either.
She wanted to go to some fancy brunch place in the morning, packed with basic-bitch humans, eggs benedict, and bottomless mimosas. Fucking gag me.
When I suggested going for a run by the stream and catching our own breakfast instead, she stared at me like my idea was akin to rolling around in pig shit. I swore half of Pack Nyx women forgot that they turned into damn wolves.
But it was par for the course, truth be told. My pack reached its level of notoriety and respect by assimilating with humans. As a result, Nyx females began looking for the same qualities in mates that human women did—wealth and status. Shit that I didn’t give two fucks about, which painted me as an outcast.
Sure, they liked wagging their tails and tongues at the tall, dark, mysterious Owen Nyx. They liked the prestige that came with my architectural background, and that I built my own custom home. They liked the things I did in bed and sometimes came back for more. But the moment they figured out I’d rather run under the moonlight in our fur than give them a pair of Louboutins, they left just as quickly as they came.
And people wondered why I was a loner.
But our alpha’s daughter was getting mated to two brothers of Pack Lux next week, so maybe it wasn’t entirely hopeless. We were about to become one big, happy shifter family. Whoop dee fuckin’ doo.
I envied Pack Lux to a certain extent. They embraced their wild wolf side, living off the land in both their wolf fur and human skin. None of them seemed concerned with flexing their cars or jewelry, because none of that shit mattered to them.
And Pack Lux females were beautiful—usually pale in complexion with bright eyes and various shades of blonde hair. Whether wolf or human, they looked to be made of moonlight itself. But they were also close-knit and very family oriented. The chances of one of them going for a Nyx loner like me was slim to none.
I wanted a mate, like anyone else. But I wasn’t willing to settle. I wanted someone I could hunt and run with, who wasn’t afraid of a little mud or rain. Someone who was just as happy to make love on a bed of soft grass as one covered in silk sheets.
But as the years passed, I was beginning to settle into my lone-wolf routine. I did what my alphas asked of me, but not much more. My only true attachments to Pack Nyx were my signature dark hair, olive skin, and of course, my name.
At the edge of my neighborhood, I stayed in human form as I followed a walking path into the woods. Not many humans were up this early, but I still couldn’t be too careful.
Walking quickly, my wolf fought and growled under my skin the moment I stepped into Pack Lux territory. A human wouldn’t notice, but I picked up the changing scent in the air. This was wild, untamed forest. The true home of a wolf. This was where I was free.
The path made a bend around a large oak tree before mother nature took over. Most humans didn’t come out this far, and it showed as the foot-beaten trail turned into untouched forest floor.
I couldn’t hold back anymore. My senses heightened, as did my hunger. A growl rippled from deep in my chest as my lungs and throat shifted from human to animal. Hands and feet became clawed paws, and dense black fur covered me from head to toe.
The scent of a plump rabbit nearby had me salivating. On all fours, I took off silently after its trail. My thoughts drifted briefly to wishing I had a mate to do this with, but I shoved the desire down.
After an hour, I had the satisfaction of a good run and a fresh kill filling my belly. I walked along a trickling stream before pausing to take a drink. My day was free, and I wasn’t sure exactly how to fill it up.
Even loners got lonely sometimes.
My nose eventually picked up the scent of Pack Lux wolves and I followed it, more out of bored
om than any other reason. I came to a clearing where about a dozen people were setting up chairs and adjusting decorations.
Ah yes, the mating ceremony. I had forgotten that it was such a big deal. The crew seemed to be setting up for no less than a hundred people.
“Hey, Owen!”
My ears pricked at the sound of my name being called. Sure, I stood out like a sore thumb as a black wolf deep in pale-furred Pack Lux territory, but few Lux wolves knew me well enough to call me by name.
“Owen!” A man with strawberry blonde hair waved as he jogged over to me.
“Luke,” I returned, shifting quickly to human form. “Good morning.”
“Whatcha think?” He turned with his arm extended to indicate the entire venue. “Good enough for the alphas?”
“It’ll do nicely,” I nodded.
Luke came from a long line of Pack Lux carpenters. We often worked together on architectural projects. I had the brains and education for precise blueprints, he had the work ethic and hands-on artistry. We made a good team and respected each others’ work.
I wasn’t involved in the planning for the mating ceremony, so the beautiful gazebo, archway, and handcrafted tables had to be all him.
He beamed at the compliment. “Will we be seeing you at the ceremony?”
“Nah,” I shook my head. “These types of gatherings aren’t really my thing.”
“Aw, you have to come, man!” He gave me a good-natured slap on the shoulder. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing. No one has ever seen two packs join together like this.”
“It’s a glorified human wedding,” I scoffed. “Vows and rituals and you may now kiss your mates. Crowds and dancing, too? Yeah, no thanks.”
“It’ll be open bar,” he pressed. “And all the food you can eat. Did you hear your alphas flew in some kind of sacred cow from India to be the main course for dinner?”
“Sounds like them,” I muttered. “Although I do like unlimited alcohol.”
“Even you have to admit you don’t want to hunt all the time,” he chuckled. “How often do you just sit back at a fancy table and eat like a king? Live a little, Owen!”
Bound to Change: A Limited Edition Spring Shifter Romance Collection Page 40