by L. L. Raand
“Not a centuri, then.”
Ash flushed. “No, Alpha. We had only four Weres of centuri rank.”
“Yes,” Zora said dryly, “two I killed in challenge, one defected, and one now commands as imperator.”
“Imperator Loris appointed me to head your guard. If you wish another—”
“Stand down, Captain,” Zora said. “I need you in charge and I need you in control. Can I expect that?”
Ash slammed her fist to her chest. “On my life, Alpha.”
“Good. Then give me your assessment of the situation.”
Ash took a long steadying breath, her focus restored along with her sense of duty. “The Timberwolves are a warrior Pack, Alpha. They vastly outpower us, not just in number, but in battle experience. We cannot accept Pack challenge from them and expect to win.”
“Alpha Mir could have moved on our territory at any time but has never shown any inclination to do so. We’ve had no border skirmishes, no raids, no ambushes.” She snarled. “Until recently.”
“With respect, Alpha, you’ve never been as personally vulnerable as you are here. If you were to be challenged and defeated, our Pack would be at the mercy of several neighboring Packs.”
Zora smiled wryly. “I do not plan to be challenged, and if challenged, I do not plan on losing.”
“Yes, Alpha.”
“Our immediate position here?”
“Defensible, but only for a brief time. If we don’t remain on guard, a surprise attack would overwhelm us.”
“Keep a guard front and rear at all times, but I don’t believe Alpha Mir has any reason to seek to weaken or destroy us. We’re no threat, and her word would be dishonored if she attacked invited guests.”
“If she is honorable.” Ash had witnessed just how quickly allegiances and loyalties could turn after the battle for leadership that followed the death of the previous Alpha. It would take a long time for many of the Snowcrest Weres to trust their leaders again. Only the Alpha’s strength and certainty had kept the Pack together during the transition.
Zora smiled thinly. “Alpha Mir has battled humans, Vampires, rogue Weres, and countless others to protect her Pack, and by extension, the integrity of us all. Her honor, her dedication to preserving our independence, cannot be denied.”
“I will not argue that, Alpha.” Ash struggled to offer wise counsel when she trusted no one outside her Pack. “Perhaps you should send for the imperator, Alpha. I may not be the best—”
Zora moved so quickly Ash next felt Zora’s arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. They were of a height, but Zora’s mouth brushed over her cheek, her strength as supple and unyielding as a honed steel blade. The Alpha’s body pressed against Ash’s, offering safety and courage in equal measure. Ash closed her eyes and dropped her forehead to the Alpha’s shoulder, unable to suppress the whine that rose deep in her core.
Zora’s breath whispered against her ear.
“You are the captain of my guard, and you are not replaceable.” Zora stroked the damp curls at Ash’s nape. “You must learn to listen to your wolf. She will sense the true nature of things before any other awareness. Control her, yes, but do not silence her. We’ve been in strange territory for two weeks, away from Pack, away from our land. You’ve been on guard the entire time, surrounded by foreign dominants and an all-powerful Alpha.”
“She is not my Alpha,” Ash grumbled.
“No, she is not.” Zora stroked her nape. “But her very presence affects us all. You know what you need now and denying it will only cloud your judgment.”
“I’m sorry,” Ash murmured.
Zora laughed. “Why? Because your wolf is young and healthy and demands satisfaction? We are safe for now. Find one of the others—let your wolf have what she needs.”
“I cannot leave you now.”
“You will do as I say,” Zora said softly.
Ash trembled. “Yes, Alpha.”
Zora kissed her forehead, let her go. “Alpha Mir’s imperator has given you leave to depart the barracks. See to your wolf, then take advantage of the invitation to tell me what you discover of our new friends while we wait for their decision.”
Ash tipped her head. “As you will, Alpha.”
Ash pivoted, left the room, and quietly closed the door behind her. Zora let out a long breath. The room, while not spacious, was large for a barracks and more than adequate for a short stay. This was a martial compound, not a hotel, and she understood the need for them to remain isolated from the dozens of dominant Weres who would not appreciate their presence in their territory. Still, she couldn’t help but feel imprisoned. She would have done the same with foreign Weres at Cresthome, but the knowledge did not ease the discomfort. Her wolf bludgeoned her with unhappiness, and she clamped an iron hand on her need. With a sigh, she settled on her back on the simple cot and closed her eyes. In her mind, she ran through the snowcapped forests, and as she ran, her wolf lifted her head and howled joyfully.
Chapter Five
Jace snarled as Anya, a petite redhead, raced around the fire pit in front of the barracks with a pair of barely out of adolescent trainees giving chase. The young male and female Weres, clearly fevered by Anya’s powerful pheromones, laughed and howled in the throes of scarcely contained sexual frenzy. Anya toyed with them, slowing long enough for them to catch her, rub against her, fondle her, and her them. When they would have shed the rest of their disheveled clothes and presented themselves in readiness, she pushed them away and ran off again.
All over the Compound, wolves in pelt and Weres taunted and teased and tangled in the shade of tall pines, on the rich mahogany earth of the training yard, against walls, and in stairways. The fever would pass soon enough, now that the Alpha had returned and the long days of anxiety and uneasiness subsided. And the Alpha pair had dispelled their need.
Jace set her jaw against the pounding in her loins, ignoring the pressure in her chest as her wolf battled for dominance. Her wolf paced and growled and bit and snapped. Jace ignored her demands too, as she had been doing for days. She’d gone too long without release, even when the opportunity’d been there. Unusual for her. Her eyes narrowed as Anya raced onto the porch, her flushed breasts exposed where the buttons on her shirt had torn away. She slowed opposite Jace, a hand on the door.
“Come on. We’ve room for more.” Anya’s eyes sparked with gold flecks, her scent rich and ready. The young Weres pressed in behind her, the male rubbing against her side, the female wrapping an arm around her waist and nuzzling her neck. Anya laughed, a deep sensuous taunt, her gaze still on Jace. “They won’t last long, and there’ll be plenty for you.”
“I’m on duty.”
“Since when has that stopped you from a quick tangle?” Anya snapped. “I can have you spilling in my mouth in less time than it would take for anyone to cross the yard.”
Anya was right. She’d done it before. Anya was a potent female in her prime, and every unmated dominant and quite a few submissives sought her out when their needs arose. And Anya reveled in the constant coupling. Ever since Niki had chosen a mate, Anya had been relentless in her pursuit of any unmated Were, tangling as often as possible.
But Jace had no trouble saying no, and duty was only part of the excuse. As much as she wanted release, she wanted…something. Something she couldn’t identify, but whatever it was, her wolf was half crazed as a result. None of that made sense, so she used the excuse that was mostly true.
“We have visitors in the barracks. I can’t leave my post.”
“I know. I saw them come in.” Anya pushed open the door and stared down the hall, her pheromones thickening. “He’s one of them, isn’t he?”
Jace spun around, her wolf instantly on guard, aggression and an unexpected prickling along her spine—possessiveness. The male at the end of the hall stood with legs spread, his hands behind his back, his expression flat and stony. Jace let out a breath. Not the captain, as she’d thought.
“Yes. And not to be
approached.”
Anya’s eyebrow arched. “And if he should decide otherwise? He looks more than ready.”
Jace shook her head. “Let them be, Anya.”
Anya sniffed, strode across the hall, and kicked open a door to one of the rooms. The trainees crowded behind her, and they all disappeared inside. The sounds of their tangling carried through the walls, even if Jace hadn’t been able to scent their sex or hear the howls the moment the younger Weres succumbed to Anya’s power.
Jace glanced through the still-open main door and met the unyielding gaze of the Snowcrest guard. He gave no sign that his straining erection gave him any discomfort. She nodded briefly, spun around, and closed the door. They both had their duties.
* * *
Ash left the Alpha’s suite and glanced down the hall as the Timberwolf captain of the guard pulled the door closed. A rush of heat flamed deep in her belly. “Problems?”
“No, Captain,” Evan grated. His chest heaved and sweat and sex-sheen coated his rocky jaw. “Just some of the Timberwolves came in to tangle.”
Ash growled. Had the captain invited him to tangle? Her wolf clamped down on her spine sending agonizing shafts of pain into her loins. Her claws extruded, her canines punched down. “She is not for you.”
He glanced at her quickly, surprise registering in his eyes, then quickly away. He lowered his head and stared down at the floor some distance away. “No, Captain. No invitation was given.”
She brushed past him and shoved into the adjoining room. The air was murky with pheromones and the scent of sex. Cybil and Ryan, naked, tangled against the wall just inside the door, Cybil’s back to the wall, her thighs clasped around Ryan’s waist as he pumped frantically. Victus coated their bodies, and her claws raked his back, leaving dark streaks that gleamed like black oil in the slanted sunlight. His canines scored her breast, and her swollen nipples stood taut against her flushed skin. Cybil rolled her head in Ash’s direction, her canines extruded, her eyes glazed. Grimacing as another wave of release rippled through her, she reached for Ash, grasped between her thighs, and squeezed her sex.
“Just in time.” Cybil fumbled with Ash’s fly, yanked the zipper down, and pushed her hand inside. Ryan groaned and shuddered.
Cybil gripped Ash’s clitoris and milked her. Ash’s canines shot out, and her head snapped back, a red haze clouding her vision. Cybil massaged her glands at the end of every stroke, teasing, working her with merciless skill. Ash’s hips bucked and her belly burned. Cybil squeezed her as she released again, howling as she spilled. Ash’s thighs trembled and she thrust into Cybil’s hand, the press of blunt claws against her flesh inflaming her. She choked on need, her body slick with pheromones, and still, her wolf snarled and bit and clawed. Unsatisfied, unrelenting.
Icy cold shuddered down her spine, and Ash staggered back, the fever turned to fury. Denied the release she craved, she burst out into the hall and leapt the distance to the far end in a single bound. She slammed down, shoved the door open, and surged onto the porch.
Jace spun around with a snarl, already clawed, canines exposed.
Challenge!
Ash’s wolf gloried as battle lust tore through her. Ash shouldered Jace in the chest hard enough to take them both down into the courtyard, landing astride her hips, canines bared and ready to claim. Reason fled. She would have this wolf. She would feel her yield beneath her belly and taste her wild musk—almonds and black licorice—potent, powerful, exotic.
“Submit,” Ash growled.
“Never.” Jace rolled her, claws shredding her shirt and canines scouring her neck.
Ash roared at the surge of pain that almost drove her to release and shoved a hand between them. She caught the top of Jace’s pants with her claws and tore them open. Her skin, soaked with sex-sheen, slid over Jace’s bared abdominals as her hand closed around Jace’s sex. Jace’s clitoris, extended and hard, filled her palm and she squeezed.
Jace howled and thrashed.
Claws dug into Ash’s flanks and rent flesh. Ash managed to gain the top again and ripped away the rest of Jace’s shirt. Her own hung in tatters. Jace’s breasts rose, pink tinged and swollen and inviting her bite. She would take her. Her wolf would be unchained at last. Skin shimmering with sex fever and battle lust, Ash surrendered control and her jaw lengthened. Her glands tensed and readied to spill. She cupped Jace’s breast and squeezed.
Jace struggled beneath her, golden pelt bursting to the surface, on the verge of turning. Her sex pulsed in Ash’s hand, hot and full. Jace’s claws dug into her shoulders.
“Bite me and you die,” Jace growled.
“You will not win.” Ash rode Jace’s thigh. So close now. So ready. Her wolf howled in victory and, victus exploding over Jace’s sex, she struck. Silver blurred her vision and her jaws snapped shut on empty air. She roared, wild at the denial, and she surged to her knees, ready to challenge whoever had sought to come between her and her—
A sable wolf took her by the throat and threw her to the ground. The weight of her Alpha bore down on her and Ash trembled. A wave of fury enshrouded her, her Alpha’s canines snapped inches from her throat, and Ash released in submission, her victus spilling down her thighs and coating her Alpha’s belly.
You disobeyed me.
“I’m sorry,” Ash whispered, drained and helpless. “I…I could not stop.”
You are confined to your quarters.
Ash closed her eyes. “As you will, Alpha.”
Get up.
The weight on her chest disappeared. Ash shuddered, opened her eyes, and struggled to her knees. A great silver beast circled a few feet away, snarling, terrifying in her power. Jace knelt, panting as if she had just run for miles, her hot gaze fixed on Ash. Ash stared back, and another wave of flame scorched her sex. She grumbled and Jace snarled.
The Timberwolf Alpha swung her head in Ash’s direction, her gaze as piercing as a spear to the heart. Enough!
Ash ducked her head. Jace whined.
Jace, headquarters, now.
“Yes, Alpha.” Jace jumped to her feet and strode past Ash without a glance.
Ash’s Alpha faced Sylvan, her muzzle a fraction lower than Sylvan’s.
The Snowcrest Pack apologizes for our captain, Alpha Mir. I would ask that you allow us to send her back to Cresthome, but if you desire retribution for the insult to your hospitality, the fault is mine.
Sylvan shook her head. Your captain was not alone in this. My captain appears unable to contain her wolf as well. Let us call it even.
Your generosity is appreciated, Alpha. Evan, Zora ordered, escort Ash to our suite.
“Yes, Alpha,” Evan said, jumping down from the barracks porch.
“Vehicles approach, Alpha,” a guard on the wall announced.
Hold, Zora ordered.
Ash stiffened. She might be disgraced, but she was still a Snowcrest warrior, duty bound to defend her Alpha. She stepped to her Alpha’s side as Evan did the same.
Sylvan and Zora faced the closed gates.
The imperator bounded down from headquarters and strode into the center of the yard. “Identify?”
The guard on the barricade called down, “Jonathan reports he is with Liege Gates in the first car. Katya and the others are in the Rover.”
“Open the gates,” the imperator said.
The gates swung open and a gleaming black limo with blackout windows and subtle heavy armor pulled in, followed by a Rover. The limo swung around and halted in front of the steps to the two-story log and stone building. Guards in sleek black uniforms carrying automatic rifles and holstered sidearms exited the limo and formed a gauntlet leading from the rear door to the entrance. Humans—but not. More. Ash glanced at her Alpha, whose expression had not changed, but whose scent had grown thick with aggression. A thin figure in a black trench coat, leather gloves, and broad-brimmed fedora completely shading their face stepped out and was swiftly surrounded by the guards and escorted rapidly inside the building. Vampire, and a ver
y powerful one to not only be awake during the daylight but risking the sun as well. The guards in black were their human servants.
The Rover’s doors opened and Were soldiers emerged. And then someone else—something else. A tall ethereal being with jet-black hair and nearly translucent ivory skin, bedecked in a severely tailored cream-colored suit and copper silk shirt, stepped out with a young female Were at her side. The air around them shimmered as if a thousand rainbows did battle.
Ash blinked and the illusion disappeared. She sucked in a breath. She recognized the Fae, now. Torren, the one who had been in Washington. The one who was something other than even Fae. She was an old being, ancient and terrible. Ash growled.
Stand down, Captain. But be alert. Zora brushed against Ash’s leg, subtly telegraphing her support.
Sylvan addressed Zora. The rest of the council has arrived. I’ll send an escort to take you to the dining hall while we convene.
Sylvan bounded away, and the new arrivals followed. Ash remained with her Alpha and Evan, powerless to do anything save await the decision that might determine the fate of their Pack.
Chapter Six
“Prima,” Zahn, the first of Jody Gates’s human servants, said with a nod as the group from the limo entered headquarters. Jody’s second, lithe and nearly as lethally beautiful as her Vampire Liege, showed just the right amount of respect in her greeting—appropriate for Drake’s station but with a hint of the Vampire arrogance that said they knew they were the apex predators. Sylvan would disagree, of course, but neither Weres nor Vampires wanted to disrupt their alliance over who could kill the other the quickest.
Or so Drake hoped.
“Hello, Zahn.” Drake stepped into the shadows beyond the reach of the shafts of sunlight sneaking beneath the broad porch roof and stealing just inside the door as Jody broke from the protective scrum and kissed her cheek. “Jody. Is there anything the Timberwolves can provide for your comfort?”