Chernobyl Werewolf, Team Greywolf Series, Book 2

by Eva Gordon

  Rachel spent the rest of the day touring the hospital with Dr. Mark. Later in the week, she’d visit the Luponomics Research Center. After dinner with the hospital staff, she returned to her guest den. Her father had a larger home on five acres nearby, but because they were on high alert she would stay at headquarters. He too would stay in the compound once well enough to get out of bed.

  A male guard escorted her to her den. He opened the door, switched on the light and handed her the key. “Enjoy your stay, Dr. Becker.”

  “Thanks.” Rachel closed the door.

  “Wow.” She glanced about the apartment. The concept of a den described the space, but underground grotto fit better. They probably blasted tunnels to create these dwellings. The tall ceilings and walls were natural cave. Amazingly silent, no doubt designed with a wolf’s sensitive hearing kept in mind. Rachel pressed her ear against the door and heard nothing from the outside. The silence shouted, “You are not in Kansas, anymore.” She played with the lights, which ranged from soft yellowish to the blue lighting she’d seen in their workstation. No setting for normal lighting, but the soft glow allowed her to see well enough. She turned off the lights, instantly swallowed up by darkness. She blinked to adjust to the lack of light. No luck. Blackness reigned. This place could easily turn into a deprivation tank. Rachel quickly turned the lights back on.

  A huge living room with all the comforts of home included a big television built into a cave nook. The soft leather furniture and southwestern-style rugs added a pleasant ambiance. She strolled toward the bedroom. The chamber had a huge round bed surrounded by red velvet curtains. A crevice, tunneled into one side of the wall, held a huge soft sheepskin dog bed. Her lips slightly parted. Roomy enough for a big bad wolf. Did lycans often sleep in wolf form? She smiled, imagining Lev sleeping in the cubby, his paws twitching and soft growls while having a canine dream.

  Her small suitcase sat next to the arched bathroom. Rachel entered and gazed at the palatial bathroom. A white robe, bath towels hung and toiletries lay on a petrified wood vanity along the stone wall in keeping with the Paleolithic cave motif. Wow! The sunken bathtub was the size of a small swimming pool. Jets included. Obviously, the lycans had deep financial pockets. Not sure I want to know how they got so filthy rich. Lev revealed how he used mind control on Russian intelligence agents. Imagine if lycans used such power at banks or gambling? She pushed the unsettling thought aside and continued admiring her woman-cave.

  Three shower faucets accommodated at least three big people or one Lev-sized man and her. Unlit candles decorated descending stone slab steps. Desire to bathe with her wolfish mate released a shiver that triggered moisture between her legs. Fantasy or reality, she’d know soon enough. Or not. Who knows, Lev might have decided a human would not suit his needs after all. She returned to the living room and continued her tour.

  The large dining area and kitchen with modern appliances impressed her inner chef. The refrigerator was well stocked with deli-style food and drinks, from water to beer and wine. Tomato juice, but no apple or orange juice. No milk. Plenty of eggs and bacon. Paleo diet fans would love this place. She opened the pantry. There should be a sign on the door that said gluten free. No breads, cereals, or crackers to munch on. A variety of assorted flavored containers of beefy jerky and a box labeled, 100% protein treats for strong canine health. The apartment food was designed for a werewolf guest. She would have to contact room service to send her porridge or anything with chocolate. At least dinner had included rice and salad with the tender steak.

  Rachel grabbed a beer, sat on the couch and rested her legs on the driftwood coffee table and then opened the bottle. She wished she had a mobile. She’d ask Rylee for one. The only form of communication appeared to be an intercom. Did Lev have her new dig’s number? He had not contacted her since their arrival. Her stomach hardened. Maybe he intended to keep their tryst a permanent rather than temporary secret. She frowned. You are not getting off that easy. Once Howard was better, she could ask him about this “wolf mate” thing and why he hated the idea of Lev being the one.

  She turned on the television. It worked. Every network and local stations, despite the underground location. Dr. Mark had mentioned no enemy or even a nuclear bomb could reach her here. That is if one didn’t consider the werewolf an enemy.

  A knock on the door spooked her. Shit. The door had no peephole. “Who is it?”

  “It’s me, Lev.”

  Her heart leapt in joy. Rachel opened the door. “Hey.”

  Lev laughed. “Hey.” He seemed back to his old charming self rather than the tough too-macho-to-show-emotions soldier. Lev swaggered in and shut the door. He drew her in, his eyes glowing neon blue. “Mine,” he growled and then slammed his mouth onto hers. A deep probing possessive kiss made her want more.

  A shiver rippled through Rachel and she moaned in satisfaction. His masculine scent quickened her pulse. Yep, big bad wolf is definitely into me.

  Lev released her mouth and caressed her throat with his fangs. She tilted her head to make it easier for him to nibble, bite, drink. Anything. He whispered something in Russian.

  “Bite me,” she begged. Rachel had enjoyed the euphoric feeling of his sexy bite, due to whatever chemical had mixed so well with her blood. Wolf aphrodisiac.

  Lev brushed his tongue against her pulse. His hot breath caused a tingle throughout her core, awakening her needy nipples and wetting her panties. A meltdown of sexual rather than nuclear proportions. Rachel closed her eyes in anticipation of the initial pain followed by the ecstatic release.

  He growled and broke away, breaking the spell with fierce determination. “No. I’m sorry.”

  Rachel weaved slightly, opened her eyes and blinked. “Why not? I clearly gave you permission.” She touched her exposed throat. Shit. Did I really ask a werewolf why he refused to bite me? What’s wrong with me?

  Lev scrubbed a hand over his face. His eyes no longer glowed in radioactive mode. “I can’t. The temptation to feast on your delectable blood is too much.”

  Rachel swallowed. “Oh, you mean, you could—drain me?”

  Lev frowned. “No. The wolf would stop before that ever happened.” He sighed. “But I can…become addicted.”

  She thought the taste of her blood pleased the wolf palate, like rich chocolate or fine wine. Instead, she was heroin to him. “You mean my blood is like some sort of drug?”

  “Something like that.”

  “As in you would have withdrawal if you gave up your Rachel Becker habit?”

  “Yes. And become more dangerous.”

  “You’re already dangerous, aren’t you?”

  “More so than the average alpha, because no one knows the extent of my mutations. It is why your father worries about us.” He released a long hard breath. “He has reason to.”

  Her stomach tightened. “So the mate thing is off the table?”

  “No. Yes. I…I don’t have the right to trap you. You don’t have to accept me.”

  Was he giving her an out? Maybe lover wolf thought he could do better than someone who tasted good? He loved her blood not her. Talk about being the ultimate enabler. “I get it. You don’t want to be stuck with a woman you are addicted to. A woman you honestly don’t know anything about.”

  “Rachel, that is not what I mean.” He sighed. “I claimed you already.”

  “So how does that give me a choice?”

  “You are free to marry a human.”

  She widened her eyes. Relieved his claim had not been a temporary act of passion yet worried about the whole blood drug thing. “Are you sure it’s too late to ‘un-claim’ me?”

  “For me, yes.” He closed his eyes and nodded. “Despite the fact I sort of promised your father I would not, my wolf disobeyed and claimed you anyway.”

  “Sort of promised?”

  “He asked me not to make you mine. I told him not to worry, which of course he read as an implied promise.”

  “When did you make that implied
promise?”

  “The day I dropped off his gift and met you. At the time, he never wanted you involved with werewolf society. I owed him a life debt so I agreed. I planned on staying away from you. But my inner wolf found it impossible. The beast refused with a vengeance.”

  “And that was before you tasted my delicious blood,” she muttered.

  He smiled. “When I sensed your weakened condition while you recovered from Ebola, I was tempted to bite and quicken your healing, but exercised great control.”

  If only he had. Rachel imagined things would have been far different had he brought her into their society earlier. Would she have been in less danger? “Okay, I have two points to make. First, Howard did not raise me so technically, he has no say in whom I claim.” She entered werewolf universe so better to say claim rather than marry. “Second, we need to date before we carry out the ‘claim’ thing. Good in bed or den doesn’t mean good forever.”

  He laughed. “If we date, I promise the date will end in the den.”

  “So count my father out of the picture. I’m an adult woman even if he refused to give me his blessing about you.”

  His tone turned serious. “As your father, his protest can be taken seriously by the lycan council.”

  “Well, that’s kind of outdated. The point is you have to get to know me and not hang around because I’m some sort of werewolf opiate.”

  “Of course, it’s you I want. A mate must appeal to every sense and you certainly do.”

  “I do?”

  He took her face in his large hands. “You are the most attractive woman I’ve ever met. I like the sound of your voice, your scent, the feel of your skin and the taste of you, and not just your blood.”

  Rachel blushed, remembering the feel of his mouth on her private parts. “Okay, so physically we are drawn to each other. But out of the den, we know so little of one another.”

  Lev released her face and sat on the sofa. He smiled. “Speaking of dens, how do you like yours?”

  “Reminds me of the cavern in Nepal. Do all werewolves live like this?”

  “Each pack has a facility you would describe as cave networks. Long ago, we mostly kept to ourselves underground. However, many lycans keep normal homes, some even amongst humans.”

  “I take it becoming a werewolf on the full moon is a myth?”

  “The full moon gives us magical strength, but it’s a myth we must shift when it’s waxed. The truth is we must shift every two to four days or we will when we don’t want to, perhaps in the middle of some big city or in a restaurant. I can hold out for one week, because I’m different.”

  “Good to know.”

  “We can go partial or as an alpha, go bipedal werewolf like you’ve seen in Hollywood werewolf movies, but when we need to shift, it’s into our full wolf form. Again, as you know, unlike other lycans I can temporarily shift into other beasts.”

  She touched her throat. “Did you just say you can become a horror movie werewolf?”

  “Without the mindless blood lust. Yes.”

  His cell phone vibrated. “Excuse me.” He answered.

  Rachel watched him pace. More in anticipation than agitation. What was the call about?

  “Good.” He tucked his mobile back into his pocket.

  “Was that Rylee?”

  “Yes. I didn’t have a chance to tell you Team Greywolf captured a beta female who might be linked to your abductors. She worked as a courier in Svetlana’s pack. She will be here tomorrow afternoon.”

  “Cool. I wonder if she’ll have the same tattoo?”

  “No, she doesn’t.”

  “So, she might know what happened to Svetlana?”

  “We hope.”

  Rachel swallowed. “Svetlana might have joined the rogue pack.”

  Lev huffed out a long breath and stared at the wall as if an imaginary enemy would spring out and attack. “The werewolf who wanted me to join them knew about me. Information Svetlana would have been happy to share.”

  “Then again, it could have been the mole who stole information about you.”

  He paused. “About Svetlana.”

  “Yes?”

  “She was Anton’s blood mistress.”

  “Blood mistress? You mean Anton was addicted to her blood?”

  “I have not told you everything. You see, if an alpha becomes addicted to a Stallo woman’s blood, he can become her slave. Svetlana’s father was an infamous Russian mobster, involved in slave trafficking, selling illegal weapons and other crimes. Anton took her as his mistress, became addicted to her blood and even killed his first mate to be with her. Svetlana turned Anton into the most powerful mobster in history.”

  “Are you saying if you become addicted to my blood you will do my bidding?”

  “Yes.”

  No wonder, he’s freaked. Lev was not one to give up control. “And does Mia have this power over Dominic?”

  “No. Dominic has not lost his will to her. Then again, she doesn’t have an evil bone in her body.”

  Rachel frowned. “I’m pretty sure I don’t either. That is unless I don’t get my coffee in the morning.”

  He smiled. “Of course, you are not evil. Even without your morning coffee. But Rylee wants you to make the final decision if you want to live with a werewolf mate with all its rules and regulations. You can still work with us, but without the commitment of having a werewolf mate.”

  “I’ll let her know being your girlfriend for now is okay.”

  “Though there have been exceptions such as Mia and Dominic, we alphas can only keep humans as pets. Even if you take me as a mate, you must achieve beta status to not be considered a pet.”

  “What?” The idea betas had to be submissive to the alphas didn’t sit well; let alone being submissive to the whole lot of them.

  “I know it sounds offensive, but unfortunately, it is our law.”

  “Yep, pretty offensive.”

  “Both Howard and Mia have beta status within Rylee’s pack.”

  “What about with other packs?”

  “With the exception of Mia, humans are still below betas with other packs.”

  Since she had Stallo’s DNA perhaps she too would be considered special. “Well, that’s something.” That is if Lev weren’t trying to give her an out.

  “Cricket, your handler, will explain the formalities involved.”

  “The twenty-something?”

  “Cricket may look young, but because she is more human than wolf, she is a perfect candidate. She will be happy to explain more about an alpha’s claim and your pet status.”

  “Now I understand why Rylee wants me to make the decision. And why Howard is so against us getting involved.” Yet, he didn’t seem to have a problem being Selene’s pet.

  “Which is why it’s best I don’t bite you anymore.”

  She slowly nodded. “Good point.”

  He released a slow breath. “I’m not sure you would feel comfortable with my true inner beast.”

  “If you mean sex, been there, done that.”

  “You were recovering from near death. I took great care to be gentle. To control my lustful wolf.”

  “Are you saying you can kill me?”

  His eyes glowed. “No. I’m just worried I might hurt you. Not just physically, but with our strict status rules. I would hate to turn you into an obedient submissive.”

  She tried to meet his gaze, but his feral intensity, weakened her legs and her will.

  Chapter 19

  Would Rachel eventually leave him and choose to live amongst humans? As long as she never revealed the existence of lycan society, she could do whatever she wanted. Naturally, she’d be under the warden’s supervision, but that was all that was expected. Knowing how she felt about the pack status rules, she’d likely choose not to stay. Her father really wanted to join the pack, but Rachel had no choice. No matter how she felt about him, she’d be crazy to stay. Would it be simpler if he left now? Not that he could un-claim Rachel, but he
could force himself to let her have her freedom. He would always love her, but if she chose not to be his, it would be better than her hating her life. Hating him. “I should let you rest.”

  Rachel reached for him and held him by his lapels. “I’m more than happy to share my den with you.” She smiled. “Give me a taste of what it might be like as your—pet.”

  So bold. The temptation to take her nearly undid him. He wanted her with every fiber of his being. Not just for pleasure, but more. Her aroma of need aroused him beyond control. He reined in his wolf carnal desire. His voice husky, wolf-like, “Don’t tempt me.”

  “Please. Drag me to the den and have your wolfish ways with me. Let the beast out.”

  Lev fingered her golden curls. “Oh, my sweet Goldilocks, if I only could, but I rather you wait to see if your handler can convince you to stay.”

  Her amber eyes met his. “I want you to convince me.”

  That was all the invitation he needed. Lev growled and lifted her over his shoulder. “Careful what you wish for.” He smacked her perky ass.

  “Oww.” Rachel giggled and pounded his back with her fist. “Bad wolf.”

  Lev carried his prey into her bedroom and grinned. Rachel’s large den accommodated an alpha male. Was Rylee giving him permission? He sat her on the big round bed. Tonight, he’d let her experience his wolfish sexual demands. Give her a flavor of his domineering status. A test run on what life would be like within the pack grounds. With him. “Stand and strip.”

  Rachel blushed, but obeyed. She pulled her t-shirt off, exposing her lacy blue bra covering the swell of her soft breasts. She began to pull her jeans down.

  “Stop.”

  Her head flinched back slightly. “Okay.”

  “You say, yes sir,” he said in a husky voice.

  Rachel lowered her head. “Yes, sir.”

  “Remove your bra.”

  “Yes, sir.” Rachel reached and unsnapped her bra, releasing her creamy breasts and inviting taut nipples. She bit her lip as if repressing a giggle, making her breasts jiggle in all their glory.