The two wolves made their way past the groups now locked in battle and followed after Selena. The green-eyed woman occasionally looked back over her shoulder and attempted to fire shots at them, but they managed to dodge out of harm’s way. They followed her scent to where she finally stood before the front doors, a look of triumph on her face. “It's too late, you mutts. On the other side of this door is the entire force of the Enforcers that I've brought with me. Now die!”
She threw open the doors to reveal a scene like something out of a horror movie. Each of the Enforcers, who had been waiting outside the door, had been brutally killed. All of them sported either long slash marks on their chests or sizable chunks of flesh missing from their throats. The smell was enough to cause both of the wolves to take a step backward, and Melanie's eyes watered from the overpowering smell of gore. The look of confusion on Selena's face was replaced with fear as she slowly backed away from the door, Heavy footfalls alerted Melanie to the presence of something large making its way toward the door. She watched as the massive creature stepped slowly through the doorway. Selena and the two wolves were face-to-face with a very angry Grizzly. The bear's eyes glowed with intelligence, and its gaze was fixed solely on the green-eyed woman before him. His muzzle opened, and words were spoken very slowly.
“You killed my Julie?”
“Barnaby?” Melanie looked at the bear in confusion, and then back to Manu. “Manu, Barnaby is a bear. Why is Barnaby a bear? I thought he wasn't a shifter.”
“He wasn't,” Manu said softly, looking just as confused as Melanie felt. “At least, not as far as I know. His wife was a bear shifter, though. Maybe he let her bite him before she died. You've heard the old legends of how the bite of a werewolf creates another werewolf, right? It is because our bodily fluids contain the biological agent that causes the shifter mutation to occur. That is why hospitals are very careful not to give blood transfusions between shifters and humans. Otherwise, we would have a lot more shifters running around.”
Selena let out a scream as she found herself lifted into the air by the Barnaby bear, his wickedly curved fangs mere inches from her face. Her gun slipped uselessly from her hand after she'd been picked up. Given the current condition of the men who had come with her, no one was going to come to her aid any time soon. The bear’s claws dug into her side, and blood slowly began to trickle down his claws into his fur. Selena screamed out in pain, and her voice almost broke as she pleaded with him. “B-Barnaby, please! I didn't mean it!”
“You killed my Julie. After we took you and your sister in, and treated you like our family—even found you employment. Yet, in exchange for those kindnesses, you betrayed the very people that you swore you would try to protect,” Barnaby growled, tears now leaking down the sides of his muzzle. “You took the one person in the world who meant the most to me, so now I will take the one thing you have that you love more than anything else: your life.”
Manu stepped forward in his werewolf form, his hands held up in a placating gesture. “Barnaby, I know you are angry, but you can't do what you are thinking about doing. Killing her won't bring back Julie; if anything, it will just reinforce the way that people think about us. You spent your entire life trying to argue that we shifters weren't just mindless beasts or blood-thirsty killers, so now is the time for you to put your own words to practice. If she really has betrayed our location, we need to focus on evacuating.”
“Why? So she can just send the Enforcers to whatever new location we decide to try and build?” Barnaby asked, his paws tightening their grip on Selena, until she let out a scream of pain. “No, she doesn't get a free pass. She should be held accountable for her actions.”
“And she will be,” Manu said hurriedly, seeing the dangerous glimmer in Barnaby's eyes. “We will hold a full trial once everything is over. She will be punished for what she has done and the suffering she has caused. But killing her won't bring back your wife, Barnaby. The only thing killing her will achieve is showing she is right. You will be just another beast, killing for the sake of killing. I know Julie would never have wanted that.”
The whimper that came from Barnaby was enough to cause tears to begin to drip down Melanie's furred cheeks. The sound was filled with such sadness and loss that she could feel her heart breaking for Barnaby. Barnaby slowly lowered Selena to the ground, and the woman collapsed to her knees before him. A small puddle of urine appeared beneath her. She was whimpering and crying in fear— it seemed Barnaby had caused her mind to crack.
Slowly, Barnaby began to shrink as his fur retreated into his body, and the massive grizzly soon fading into the tired-looking old man that Melanie knew and loved. Melanie and Manu began reverting back as well. The tall Indian placed his hand gently on Barnaby's shoulder. “I know Julie would be very proud of you today, Barnaby.”
“Thank you, Manu,” said the older man, casting a weary smile at Melanie. “Are you alright, my dear?”
“I'm fine, Barnaby,” she said, offering him a gentle smile in return before turning to Manu. “I am just sad that everything is going change again. There is no way we can stay here now that the Enforcers know our headquarters are here. Do we even have anywhere else we can go from here?”
“Agreed,” Manu said, his deep laugh echoing slightly through the hallway. “If you are be up for it, though, I have another idea of what we could do for our date.”
Melanie could hear the playful tone in his voice, and a smile spread across her face despite herself. “I'm all ears.”
Chapter Ten
“Oh, Manu. I didn't know you had it in you,” Melanie said, gazing around at the small setup that Manu had put together in the hotel room for them. They had paid in cash, so there was no worry of the Enforcers being able to follow a paper trail to them. They would need to wait a few days until they were given the address of the new location for headquarters. There had been no possibility of them remaining in the city now that Selena had sold out their position. The only way they could get out of the city was to drive through the night, in one of the vehicles that the Enforcers had brought to headquarters, the two of them taking turns at the wheel, until they reached Manhattan. It wasn't until mid-afternoon, after they had pulled into town and ditched the car in a vacant lot, before they could walk to the nearest hotel and get themselves a room.
The table was covered in a crimson tablecloth that perfectly matched the shade of the curtains. A few scented candles were burning in a short, golden candelabra that sat in the center of the table, sending a pleasant aroma throughout the room. He led her to the table, gently by the hand, and held out her chair for her as she sat down, before scooting her toward the table. She giggled at the effortlessness with which he performed the task, as though she weighed no more than a doll. He took his place in the chair opposite her, his golden-brown eyes gazing intently into hers.
“I'm sorry I couldn't make it more respectable looking, but I'm afraid resources were sparse here. I'll have to make it up to you later.”
“This is already more than enough,” Melanie said, her hands fidgeting in her lap as she struggled to keep her gaze level with Manu's. She could feel the heat flooding into her face as she watched him set the steak dinner, he had ordered for them, down in front of them.
“You have already done more, than all of the men I've tried to date over the years.”
“How do you mean?” Manu's eyes twinkled as he sliced a chunk of steak free with his knife before lifting it to his lips. “Surely you have been taken to restaurants on date before, haven't you?”
Melanie remained silent as she thought back to her previous dates. A grimace crossed her features. Manu seemed to pick up on that, and cleared his throat lightly before changing the subject.
“I thought I would tell you that I’ve just received a text from Barnaby with the address of the new headquarters.”
“That's good,” Melanie said, relief evident in her voice. “This location is safe, right?”
“Well, we managed to g
et Selena to spill who she was in cahoots with, so I'm sure that Barnaby and the other higher ups will be doing a complete sweep of the personnel in headquarters before letting anyone back in. It might even take some time for our paperwork to be filed, so I've prepared my determination and my wallet for the possibility of us having to be here for a while,” Manu said, his teeth flashing as he grinned at her across the table.
Melanie's face burned with embarrassment at the innuendo behind his words, but she also felt excited. He was so close now that she could just stand and move to him, to be with him. However, as much as her inner wolf would have approved of such an idea, Melanie knew she had to show more restraint than that. Her mind flashed briefly back to the date they had shared on Valentine's Day, her blush deepening to an almost crimson shade as she remembered the flurry of removed clothing and the taste of his liquor-flavored kisses. “You left the day after Valentine's and before I woke up,” she said accusingly, as they pushed aside their now empty plates.
“Selena called me early in the morning and told me that I needed to come into headquarters as soon as possible. She sounded more anxious than usual, saying that she had just gotten word that Barnaby had been kidnapped from his home. This came as a source of worry, obviously, given how intimate his knowledge is of the organization. So, I figured that it was of the utmost importance that I attempt to rescue him as soon as possible. We put together a party and were given an address, but when we got there we were greeted by no one but Enforcers. My squad was captured and separated, and I spent two weeks locked up in a high-security prison, until I managed to get the jump on my guard one night and escape,” he said, the whole ordeal fresh and bitter in his mind.
She swallowed nervously at the sound in his voice, and her mind was made up as she slowly pushed herself back from the table and stood up. She made her way around the table and threw her legs over his, settling down into his lap as she gazed into his eyes. “Thank you for going through so much for Barnaby. He is like a father to me, and I would be totally lost without him.” She leaned up and pressed her lips gently against his, silently noting that he didn't stiffen up at her touch as he had the first few times. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders, feeling his hands moving, to trace slowly along her back.
“It is because I know how much he means to you that I did it,” he said through the kiss, his voice a faint husky whisper. “I just wish that I had stayed with you that day. We could have continued where we left off.”
“Nothing stopping us now,” she blurted out, the words slipping out before she could stop herself.
She squirmed beneath the intensity of his gaze and her mind suddenly became aware of the sensation of something pressing up against her from below. She squeaked softly as his arms wrapped around her waist and he lifted her up. Manu rose to his feet and carried her over to the king-sized bed in the corner of the room. He laid her down onto it ceremoniously, and his hands moved easily to liberate her from her clothing. She watched as her dress was lifted up over her head, revealing the crimson lace lingerie that now served as the only shred of clothing on her body. Her breath was coming out in short, quick pants and she could feel her nipples scraping along the inside of the cups of her bra.
“This is your last chance to ask me to stop,” he rasped, his hands stroking idly over her hips. His touch caused her skin to burn with desire for him. “I know that if we go any further I won't be able to stop myself.”
“Who said I wanted you to stop?” she replied teasingly before pressing her lips against his once more.
That seemed to be all the coaxing he needed, and he freed her breasts from the confines of her bra and tossed the garment carelessly across the room. Her panties soon joined it, and she looked away from Manu, as she lay before him, completely nude. His clothing didn't remain on long—his expensive dress shirt and neatly pressed dress pants were flung aside with equal disregard. She had only a few moments to admire the sight of his thickly muscled flesh before he was on her, his lip pressed hungrily against hers. She felt his tongue pressing against her lips and opened her mouth, welcoming his tongue inside and sucking on it affectionately, as she felt him position himself between her legs.
She just had time to feel the warmth of his member pressed against the folds of her womanhood before a faint gasp was forced from her lips, as he entered her. She gripped his back tightly, her nails digging gently into his flesh. She heard him grunt softly at the sensation, and his hands cupped her butt firmly, before he began to thrust inside of her. He made sure to move slowly, teasingly withdrawing his length until she thought she would go insane from the feeling of emptiness, only to feel elation when his hips surged forward, burying his length within her once more. She could hear her breath hitching with each movement, her fingers clutching at him desperately. It almost felt as if she would float away from the pleasure, if she let him go.
His lips seemed to travel everywhere over her flesh, his tongue swiping across her nipple playfully. His hot breath sent shudders up her spine, and she opened her eyes enough to look into his. She saw both a look of hunger and tenderness within his gaze, and her inner wolf let out a small whimper of need. She had heard of stuff like this before in the books she had used to read as a teenager, but this was so much more intense than the stories had led her to believe. After what felt like an eternity she heard him growl, and the sound sent a shiver through her back and she felt warmth erupt inside of her.
As they lay together in the afterglow of their passion, Melanie rolled gently over onto her side. She felt tender, even though she knew she was going to be walking a little stiffly for the next few days. However, she also had a feeling of contentment that she hadn't felt in a long time. He had been the one person who had been a consistent companion to her when her seemingly normal life had suddenly been turned upside down.
Still—something was nagging at the back of her mind. “Manu, I need you to be completely honest with me. What is the real reason why you've been around me so much since I first came here? You aren't going to reveal that you are a double agent now are you, and spoil the moment?”
He laughed at that, his deep chuckle coaxing a small smile to her lips as well.
“I'm afraid there will be no such plot twist here. I have been staying around you because I believe that the day we met I imprinted on you.”
“Imprinted?” Melanie had heard the word used before, but she couldn't quite place it. “What do you mean?”
“In the old stories, when a wolf came across their destined mate, they went through something called imprinting. It is kind of like a switch being flipped in the back of your mind, and once it happens, it is over. You won't be able to think about anyone else, and you'll find stupid little excuses to try and be around the person on whom you are imprinted. I suppose that I manipulated things, a little, so we could spend time together, but I'm not the final boss,” he said, his hand stroking her cheek.
“After everything that has happened lately, I don't really know what to believe,” she said, huffing softly as she rolled onto her back. “I just want some semblance of normality to return to my life.”
“Well, now that headquarters is on damage control, this would be a great time to offer yourself up for administration. I am sure Barnaby would back you up on it and you already know that you would have my support,” he added, placing a soft kiss on her neck.
“It is tempting, but I think I would be more content staying as Barnaby's secretary for a while. I don't know nearly enough to try to be a leader, and I don't think I'm ready to try. Whatever I'm doing, it will be nice to know that I have your support,” she said, pressing herself back against him and feeling his arms wrap around her gently.
“You have far more than that, if you want it,” he replied softly.
“I do want it, but we don't have to rush it. I have a feeling that we have nothing but time,” she murmured, tilting her head up to look at him. “However, there is one thing that I want to say that I don'
t think it is premature. We've been on and off for the last few months, haven't we?”
He tilted his head to look down at her, confusion clearly etched on his face. “I guess you could put it that way. So, what are you getting at?”
She smiled softly, poking him gently in the tip of his nose. “It's not too early to say I love you, is it?”
The smile that spread across his face seemed to illuminate all of his features, showcasing his rugged handsomeness, even more.
“No, it certainly isn't,” he replied softly, pressing his lips against hers once more.
Epilogue
Melanie sat in an old-fashioned wooden rocking chair, singing softly to the baby swaddled in cloth, whom she held tightly to her breast. The shallow breathing signaled that the child slept, its small fists clenched against her breast. Moonlight streamed in through the high window that gazed out onto the moon as it shone high over the city, casting long shadows across streets and alleyways. There were countless thoughts in her mind that had proven counterproductive to her attempts to sleep. Holding the baby seemed to be the only thing that helped calm her nerves lately. Manu had been elected to lead the Organization, after Selena’s betrayal and that had meant he spent a lot of time away from her. That was beginning to wound her pride slightly.
It wasn’t a matter of faithfulness; she knew that Manu would never betray her in that way. Not after all the talk about imprinting. Not after the wedding ceremony he had painstakingly thrown together.
She glanced down at the wedding band that glittered around her ring finger, and a warm fuzzy feeling welled up inside of her. He had chosen her out of all the women out there, and there wasn’t a day that went by that he didn’t make her feel wanted. She blushed as her hand reached up to run along the gentle bite marks he had left on her neck during their last session, and she shivered as the memory of how roughly he had taken her, caused a shudder of need to resonate within her. It seemed the wolf part of her was missing her mate too.
Alpha Shifter Standalone Collection Page 13