The wolf fell silent.
The plane landed on the water and glided to a stop. Michaela opened her eyes. It took a few moments adjust to not being in the air anymore. Her heartbeat slowed, and her wolf unfurled. She continued to grip the armrests until her breathing calmed down.
She scrambled to unlock her seat belt, grabbed her carry-on from the seat next to her, and hurtled to the door, only to stop when Kent appeared in the cockpit doorway.
“Whoa, Ms. Shaw, let me get that open for you first and precede you down, OK? We’ve landed, and we won’t sink, I promise.” If he’d been a cowboy, she was sure he would’ve tipped his Stetson at her.
He gave her a bright smile. His weather-beaten face lit up as his washed-out brown eyes sparkled at her. He reached out and unlocked the door and pushed it open.
She heard thunks and thuds and water lapping at what she presumed was the pier. The aircraft rose and fell.
She shut her eyes and breathed in deeply, taking in the stale leather, beer, briny air, and warm sunshine. The sound of seagulls and the waves crashing on the shore calmed her down even more.
“Ladder is locked into place. Ready to go? Your luggage is being unloaded as we speak and it will be taken up to the resort.”
She opened her eyes and saw Kent extend his hand to her, the wide grin still in place.
She licked her lips and eyed the doorway. The ground lay beyond that door, but she couldn’t make her way toward it. “Give me a second. I don’t feel too solid at the moment.”
Am I really doing this? I don’t even trust Everly, but here I am.
Kent’s head bobbed. “Will do. Follow me down when you’re ready.” He headed for the door, turned around, and stepped down until he disappeared from view.
Michaela drew in a depth breath, hitched up the strap on her purse, and headed straight to the opening where she stopped in the doorway. Kent was already on the pier, making her feel more alone in the plane.
“Throw down your bags, and I’ll catch them!” Kent called up from the pier.
She hesitated. The pier seemed a hundred feet away.
I came all the way here. I can’t turn back now. Pa will send one of the boys or one of my uncles to check things out, and shit really will hit the fan.
She squared her shoulders and tossed her carry-on bag down. Kent caught it right away. The plane rolled up and down. Her fears spiked. She wanted to get out of there ASAP. Without hesitation, she sent her purse down the same way, thankful that she’d gone with the zip and snap style. No one needed to see her extra tampons or the mini silver bullet she kept on a key chain, nor did she want her brand new cell phone to take a dunk in the drink.
With care and mindful of her heels, she turned around, gripped the entryway, and stepped down onto the first rung of the ladder. She went slow, taking her time. Her heart hammered hard against her rib cage. She struggled to take in enough air. Every inhale left her feeling suffocated. She gripped the cool metal tightly. Turquoise water winked at her. Seagulls cried out over the pier. Salty, warm air caressed her face and cooled some of her sweat.
She stopped whenever the plane moved, holding the railings with a death grip. Her wolf whimpered inside of her. The sound grated on her nerves.
“We’ve traveled the world,” she said to her animal half.
“But never like this,” the wolf retorted. “Shark week!”
Michaela couldn’t figure out a retort. She peeked over her shoulder down at the damp wooden pier.
“It’s OK, Ms. Shaw, I’m here, just keep going,” Kent called up.
She drew in as deep a breath as she could, blew it out, and continued until Kent’s hands gripped her hips and helped her the rest of the way down onto the pier.
Once on solid ground, her legs shook. With her strength of will, she kept on her feet to avoid disgracing herself and falling down and kissing the sun-kissed, waterlogged wooden boards. She stood still to allow the sensation of stability to filter through her body. Her wolf stood up and stretched, letting out a wide yawn, then settled once more, this time to sleep. Michaela took strength from the calm of her animal half’s assurance that they were safe.
“Thanks, Kent.” She shuffled around to face Kent and resisted the urge to hug him.
Kent nodded his head. “Welcome, Ms. Shaw.” He turned away from her and started talking to the attendants unloading the plane.
Footsteps thudded toward her. She moved around to meet them.
Mr. Everly waved at her, wisps of his gray-and-white hair fluttered around his head creating a halo. His staid black suit, purple plaid tie, and bright white shirt contrasted with the warm and tropical environment. “Ah, Ms. Shaw, welcome to the Golden Wolves Paranormal Resort. I’m Everly, Mr. Maxwell Brody’s lawyer.” He strode toward her. Tension radiated off his body. Though he smiled, it didn’t reach his gray eyes.
He arrived at her position and extended a hand. She accepted and shook it. His firm grip didn’t evince confidence or put her at ease.
“Good to put a face to a voice on the phone. I may be here, but that doesn’t mean I’m comfortable with all this secrecy.” She released his hand and met his stare.
He gave nothing away in his look, but she could feel the stress emanating from of his body.
Everly stepped back. “Your luggage will be delivered to your room. I have some information to help you make your decision. As one of the few female alphas of a werewolf pack as large as yours, you must weigh all your investments properly.” He gestured up the pier. “Shall we?”
Michaela swallowed the urge to let out an unladylike snort. He still wasn’t explaining the invitation or why the Brody’s crazy ass patriarch would offer her ownership of his most prized possession, but what the hell. Good enough to own his legacy but not marry his son. Uh-huh.
“We shall.” She followed him up the walkway. The sun beating down on her head felt wonderful after being trapped in a tin tube in the sky. The warmth reassured her that she was alive and enjoying nature’s bounty. She took in her new surroundings. Palm trees swayed in the breeze; golden sand sparkled in the afternoon light. The warm air buffeting her face was a wonderful change to the icy wind back home in Boston. Before she’d left, heavy snowfall had been predicted. She shuddered at the thought of being snowed in.
Everly walked and talked with her trailing behind. “As you know, the brothers own the rights to the island for now. But if they fail Mr. Brody’s challenge, the rights of the island and all its property will fall to you.”
As the alpha of the Shaw pack, she owned majority shares in all the pack’s investments, but this would be all hers by right of alpha privilege. She didn’t know if this was a good or a bad thing. To her father, it would be a wonderful place to retire; to her, it would be an investment in the future.
But how did the brothers feel about this? That thought bothered her.
“Right now, the resort is the primary source of income for the brothers.” Everly’s neutral tone grated on her nerves.
“Do they have any other way of earning a living?” She couldn’t believe a father would put his children out without a good reason.
“Yes, they have several investments and ways of income as listed in the folder I’ve put together for you. You shouldn’t worry about them. I would advise you to—”
Her body warmed, and her wolf stood up. A low warning growl rattled around in her head and ears. She cut him off. “Take my time with my decision. You do realize you’re not the first lawyer I’ve dealt with, yes? And despite what you may think, I refuse to take any action that would toss this pack out on their asses without letting them know first. So, yes, I do worry about them.”
Everly made an audible gulp. “Yes, I’ve dealt with your law firm Whittle, White, and Buckle. Very good men. I should tell you that the brothers shouldn’t know about this tour. It wouldn’t be a good for anyone.”
“For you, you mean. I’ll do what I please,” she snapped.
They fell silent, much to her happ
iness.
She continued to take in the scenery around her. Her boot heels thunked on the water-soaked wood. The resort sat ensconced in palm trees, surrounded by low walls with flowering vines. They arrived at the edge of a white stone patio with boxes of plants, mini trees, and flowers perfuming the air with understated sweetness. She inhaled, imprinting the scent to memory and allowing it to relax her further. Tables and chairs were strewn around the space with a wide enough distance to allow for conversation and privacy. A few waiters walked around refilling drinks.
The giant white stucco building didn’t even have a sign to announce what it was, only a large gray rock etched with the resort’s name sitting next to the entrance to the patio.
“Nice, exclusive, not flashy. I get why people shell out lots of money to stay here.” She spotted several cameras in the trees and among the boxes of flora. “What kind of security do they have? I assume top of the line.” Her thoughts fled to the playboy brother, Ace Brody, and his security firm.
“As to security, it’s all in the dossiers I have for you.” Everly didn’t even slow down or look back at her. All business.
She gritted her teeth in annoyance.
Mickey followed him around the tables, keeping watch for any of the Brody brothers. Everly wasn’t the only one who had dossiers. “I take it Riktor and Banan run this place while Ace is gone?”
“It’s all in—”
“In the dossiers,” she snapped. “Yes, you’ve said.”
Everly opened the back entrance into the building and held the door for her. “Ms. Shaw, I put you in one of the private suites in the resort, as per Mr. Brody’s instructions. The other two rooms on the floor are empty at the moment. Your stay has been paid for, and you have access to all the amenities, which are on the house.”
She doubted Banan or Riktor wouldn’t notice one of the best rooms in the house being filled—and the resort paying for it—but she didn’t speak her thoughts aloud.
She stepped over the threshold and into an airy space with high, white stucco walls and soaring, rectangular windows that gave magnificent views of the sun and clouds. In the very center of the room sat a large fire pit with flames crackling as if this were a mountain ski lodge and not set on an island in the Pacific Ocean. Different artwork of wolves and stages of the moon—etched in gold, bronze, and silver—hung at random points of the walls. Comfortable chairs, sofas, and couches grouped around low tables were spread all over the place but didn’t bump up against each other.
Nothing gauche or nothing that screamed bad taste and too much money. Earth and metallic tones with dark maple tables and accents made up the color scheme. The scent of cedar and various animal musks filled the air, giving her an even bigger sense of stability. She sniffed the air, and a light scent of something she couldn’t identify—but it screamed vampire deterrent—drifted around them.
“Don’t like vampires?” she asked.
“No one likes vampires, Ms. Shaw,” Everly responded.
She resisted a retort. Vampires and werewolves had been at war with each other for centuries, but in her lifetime she had met a few bloodsuckers who hadn’t been so bad.
She opened her paranormal senses further. Feline, wolf, and various other types of shifter scents moved on the air. No hostility, no tension whatsoever. She spotted several cameras hidden all around the room.
Impressive. She didn’t see a single area that was a blind spot. They arrived at the reception desk near a wide bank of double doors that led to the official entrance of the resort. Luxury cars pulled away from the curb after dropping people off.
Everly did the honors of checking her in while she took in a grand staircase with solid wood handrails leading up to a bank of elevators on the second level. Off to the right of elevators, she spotted a casual dining area, and to the left of the elevators, she saw a more formal eating area.
“Ready to go to your room? We have a lot to cover still.” Everly gestured to the staircase. His features were expressionless; not even his eyes gave away what he was thinking. With her preternatural hearing, his heartbeat and breathing were slow and steady.
She wondered why he was so calm now but didn’t question the change.
“Ready.” She pulled the strap of her purse onto her shoulder, secured her grip on her carry-on, and followed Everly to the elevators. He pushed the button. The doors slipped open within a few seconds. She followed him into an empty cabin, where he pushed the tab for the top floor.
Unlike most hotels, the elevator interior contained padded leather walls. Discreet security cameras watched them from above and from the matte bronze selection panel.
“Do the brothers know about me? About the offer?” She needed the full picture.
“Yes, they know everything. Although, out of curiosity, may I ask why your packs are rivals? Your packs are of equal stature and arrived in America around the same time. Mr. Brody never clarified your families’ feud with each other.” He gave her a sheepish smile; twin splotches of red colored his cheeks.
Her stomach clenched. Shame dulled her excitement. A flush filled her face. She hated talking about the enmity between their two packs, but what could it hurt to tell Everly? He’d asked, and she knew. She cleared her throat. “Our ancestors arrived from Ireland on the same ship. The youngest sons of each family became friends, and the families became close. They shared a flat in New York. It was all going well at first, but the Shaw pack had ambitions.”
She licked her lips and glanced everywhere in the cabin but at Everly. The silence settled in like dust. The smooth, quiet ride became a presence all its own. She took a few moments to gather her thoughts before she continued the story.
She forced her next words out of her mouth. “The Shaws had ambition, some of us think too much. When the youngest Brody son had designs on the Shaws’ only daughter and asked for her hand in marriage, they laughed him off. The Shaws had promised her to a wealthy Irish importer. When she married into that family, they started putting on airs and humiliated the Brodys every chance they got. Later generations, who felt shame, couldn’t apologize enough. The anger between our packs just festered. Throughout the years, each pack built their respective lucrative empires. My family offers luxury goods, lumber, and cattle, and is involved in the fashion industry. The Brodys settled on one thing: this island, all won by a dead man’s hand during a game of high-stakes poker.” Her lips twitched, and she allowed herself a small smile. “No one believed this island could be turned into anything of value. Now look at it.”
“Very sad. Makes me wonder why Mr. Brody wanted to bequeath the island and resort and all he had to you, Ms. Shaw.” Everly gave her a pointed look, which she ignored.
Michaela shrugged. “From the rumors, he was desperate for grandchildren. The Shaw pack is triple the size of the Brody pack. Nothing is more important to an alpha than the continuation of his pack.”
She could hear her father in her head, asking her when she would settle down and have kids of her own.
Mickey continued her explanation to Everly. “You can grow your pack several ways: children, mergers, marriage, adoption of rejected, abandoned or orphaned cubs. Werewolves are reluctant to break off on their own. Having no other wolves around can make a wolf feel defenseless and opens you up in ways you couldn’t possibly imagine. It can also make you wild and reckless. Lone wolves are unpredictable and dangerous.”
Michaela shuddered at the thought of leaving her family behind. She couldn’t imagine a day without talking to her parents or checking in on her various siblings. As the new alpha, with her siblings all mated off, she worried about her future as much as her parents did. She may not have baby fever, but she did want to do what was right for her pack. She just wished that her father would stop pestering her about the clock that wasn’t ticking, not even a little bit.
“Understandable, Ms. Shaw. I just hope that perhaps you can come to some sort of agreement with the brothers. I’ve known them since they were pups. Good boys, all of t
hem. Prone to be stubborn, but what werewolf isn’t?” Everly chuckled at his own joke.
Michaela rolled her eyes. If she’d had a penny for every time someone made a joke about the stubbornness of werewolves she’d be a trillionaire. But meet a feline shifter that needed to cross water and then see who was more stubborn.
So far they hadn’t stopped on any other floors. She couldn’t help but wonder just how many people were at the resort right now. Being that there was winter weather on the East Coast and Midwest, she figured more shifters would want to go where the warmth was.
The elevator dinged, and the doors slid open. Everly preceded her out into the hallway. She peeked around him and spotted three doors, all of them closed. He led them past the first two doors to the one at the end of the corridor.
“So this dossier you have, just how detailed is it?” She had an idea but wanted to hear it said out loud.
“Very detailed. Information on the brothers, the staff, the schedule of the resort, the security, the character and the worth of the clientele, things like that. Everything that Mr. Brody thought you’d need to know before you made a decision.” Everly swiped the keycard into the reader. The light turned green, and he turned the knob. He pushed the door open. “After you, Ms. Shaw.”
They entered a luxurious suite with a kitchenette to the right and a living room with a fireplace ahead of them. A small dining room table stood near a set of French doors leading out onto a balcony. To their left were side tables, hooks for coats and jackets, and an umbrella stand. An opaque set of double doors on the back wall led to what she presumed was the bedroom. The color scheme was similar to the lobby: cool grays, warm golds, rich burgundies, and pine greens. All the chairs had plush cushions, and the dark wood furniture complemented the low-maintenance feel of the room. Simple, elegant, comfortable. Her heels sank into the high pile rug. When she moved forward, they didn’t get caught. More artwork with wolves decorated the walls, but so did moon and night skies. If she did take over this place, she wanted to change things up a bit. Soft scents of sage, cedar and lavender perfumed the air. She took in deep breaths, allowing the fragrance to fill her with even more calm. This she’d keep.
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