by Renee Rose
“Is this dangerous for female wolves, too?”
He shook his head. “No. shifters have incredible healing capacities. It would be a temporary pain for a she-wolf. She’d be out of pain a few hours, healed by morning.” He strokes my hair back from my face, worry etched in the lines of his face.
“I’ll be fine, too.”
He runs his thumb along my cheek. “You are incredibly brave. You’re alpha material, even if you aren’t a wolf.”
I study him. “What does that mean, exactly?”
His face closes, as if he has something to hide. “Nothing. Just that you’re a good mate for an alpha.”
Ah. I understand now. “Except that an alpha’s mate should be a wolf.”
His jaw tightens. “I don’t care about that.”
I don’t have to be psychic to know he’s hiding something. Protecting me from something. Shitballs. My certainty about wanting to be marked erodes. “So it’s a problem that I’m human? Of course it is,” I answer my own question. “Because you won’t produce shifter offspring.”
“May not,” he corrects. “And that’s inconsequential. Me being alpha is of no matter, either,” he declares.
Goose bumps stand up on my skin. My head’s foggy from the drug in the serum, and I give it a shake to clear it. “Wait...you might lose your position as alpha? Because you’re mated to me?”
His face hardens. “You’re not just a human. You’re a paranormal, with second sight. You’re a perfect mate for an alpha,” he repeats as if speaking directly to my would-be detractors.
My vision blurs. “I’m sorry.”
“No,” he says fiercely. “Not sorry. You’d better not be sorry for me, because I’m the lucky son-of-a-bitch who found his fated mate. Do you think the urge to mark happens every full moon, with any female? It doesn’t. I’ve never felt it before I met you. So, I may have held back, but it wasn’t because I was worried about losing my position as alpha or of the stigma of mating with a human, or anything like that. Do you understand me?” He cups my chin. “It was only out of my fear of hurting you, and because it wasn’t fair to claim you under these circumstances.”
“What circumstances?”
His face clouds. “I strong-armed you into helping me. I brought you here against your will. You hardly know me. And you have no idea what you’ve gotten yourself into by mating with me.”
The serum has relaxed me now, taking away the agitation and sharpness of the pain. “What have I gotten myself into?” I bring a teasing lilt to my voice. “A dominant wolf who threatens to spank me when I don’t follow orders?” Just saying the words reactivates my lust from earlier, and when Garrett inhales sharply, I know he’s scented my arousal.
“You have a mate who’s going to use your little body any and every way he pleases, anytime, anywhere,” he growls in my ear. Wrapping a fist in my hair, he tugs my head back.
My pussy clenches.
“When you displease me, I will pull down your panties and spank you with my hand. I’ll shove my big cock in your ass, and I won’t let you come.”
A shocked giggle comes out of my mouth. My body turns to liquid desire as orgasm looms close without my lady bits even being touched. He seems to know because he slides his thick fingers between my thighs, somehow finding the swollen nub of my clit through my jeans.
“I’ll tie you to the bed and fuck you senseless. And when I’m finished, I’ll shove a big plug in your ass and spank you, just because I feel like it.”
“Y-you’re crazy,” I mutter, but my thighs scissor together, and an orgasm rips through me. My pelvic-floor muscles lift as my pussy contracts in a series of waves.
Garrett palms my nape. “Damn, girl, even having marked you, I don’t know how to make it through the night without fucking you six ways until Sunday.”
“What’s holding you back?” I ask in my best bedroom voice.
“The open wounds on your shoulder.” That killed the mood. “And knowing my father will be here soon.”
A flash of knowing flickers. “He’s here now,” I say, just before a loud knock sounds on the suite door.
Chapter Ten
Garrett
“You wait here, baby.” I ease her from my lap onto the bed. I doubt my dad will greet our mating with celebration, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to subject Amber to his reaction.
She looks adorable, hair tousled and eyes bright with that freshly fucked sort of look. Her color has come back, thank the fates. I stamp my mouth over her full lips and back away, hardly able to tear my eyes from her. My human. My mate. I can hardly believe it.
Jared already let my father and the top three of his pack in, and they crowd the hotel suite wearing grim expressions. A fresh stab of shame over my inability to retrieve Sedona shoots through me as I step forward to shake my father’s hand. He’s not the hugging sort of father—he maintains his cold authority from a distance, even over his family members.
“Son.” He clasps my hand. “What in the hell is going on?”
“Sedona was kidnapped by wolves while on a spring break trip to San Carlos. She’s in a remote area called Monte Lobo. With your reinforcements, we plan to go break her out at first light.”
“You should have called me right away.”
I expected this critique, but it still makes my chest heavy. “I know. I wanted to take care of it without worrying you, but you’re right, and I’m sorry.”
My father gazes at me, his steely gray eyes hard, the lines on his face making him look so much older than I remembered. I realize, with a start, he would no longer win in a contest between us for alpha, not that I’d ever challenge him. My dad nods, once. “Who the hell is Amber?”
As if on cue, my little human toddles from the bedroom, dressed but looking slightly woozy. My heart lurches. I hold my arm out, and she ducks under it, nestles against my side.
“Amber Drake, sir.” She extends her hand. I don’t know how she knows to call him sir, but I appreciate her ability to adapt to the situation. She’s just a slip of a thing, but I see her grow taller, her back straighten. She must be a formidable enemy in the courtroom.
“She’s my mate.” I lace my words with a touch of steel to warn my father against any insults. He may not approve, but it’s done, and he’ll have to get used to it.
My father’s gaze travels to the fresh wound on her shoulder then rest on her face. He gives her a stern look, as if she’s one of his pack members. “I told you to stay put, young lady.”
“Lay off,” I growl, but Amber seems unfazed.
“I know, sir.”
My father continues to glower at Amber, who, amazingly, doesn’t cower. If she showed the slightest sign of distress, I would’ve taken my father on right then and there—prove who’s the alpha now.
“So you went to rescue these wolves all by yourself?”
Amber lifts her chin the way she did the night I met her in the elevator, refusing to show intimidation. “I had to, sir. I was shown it in a vision.”
“You didn’t mention that to me.” It eases some of my guilt and angst over her being at risk.
“You weren’t in a chatty mood.” She glances up at me from under her lashes, making my heart jump and bang against my ribs. Such a small thing, and she has me wrapped around her finger so tightly.
“So you’re shown things?” my father asks. Skepticism scrawls across his features.
Amber nods. “Sometimes, sir. I can’t always control it.” Her face contorts in a grimace of pain.
Fates, it’s the bite wounds. I pull her closer to my side, ready to rush her to the hospital at the drop of a hat.
“Sedona’s been mated,” Amber chokes out.
Her wince was a vision, not the marking.
“But her mate didn’t kidnap her. He’s working to get her free.”
“Her mate?” my father snaps.
Amber’s eyes fly wide, as if her revelation surprises even her. She looks past my father, her focus going soft. “Yes
...they were locked together over the full moon. He marked her.”
“You know where she is?” my dad snaps, looking at me.
I nod.
“Then let’s move. We have three vans of wolves waiting on the street. No humans.”
Even though I agree, I hate the way he gives the order without even looking at Amber.
I turn to her and cup her cheek. “I need you to stay here, baby. I won’t need it, but this time don’t even think about rescuing me. No matter what your visions show you. Understand?”
She nods. There’s a trace of sadness to her that I can’t pinpoint, but my dad is already pushing everyone out the door.
“Trey, you stay with Amber. In case her wounds turn bad,” I order.
“No, I’m fine,” she interjects. “Totally fine. You guys go.”
I hesitate, torn between wanting to be fully prepared when we get Sedona and my concern over Amber.
She pushes us out the door. “I’m fine. I’ll lock the door, order room service, and wait for you to come back.”
“Okay,” I relent. I bend to kiss her. “Get some rest, baby. Sleep in tomorrow. I’ll call you on the hotel phone with an update.”
She lifts her lips and kisses me back, and I reluctantly leave her. Her face is shadowed, and the only way I can convince my wolf to leave her is vowing silently to return.
~.~
Amber
Nausea hits me the minute they leave. Between the drugged out feeling from being marked, the pain and general exhaustion, my body rebels at what I know I need to do—
Leave.
If I’d known Garrett would lose his position as alpha by marking me, I never would have let him do it. His pack is everything to him. I’ve seen how tight they are—closer than family. They care for each other, have each other’s backs. His guys would do anything for him. He has a pack tattoo on his arm, for God’s sake.
Loneliness shoots through me, just contemplating leaving him. Before I met Garrett, I managed my loneliness. Used measures of order, control, and a sense of contributing to society to keep my life on the upswing.
But now I see all those things for what they were—a mask to hide the truth that’s always gnawed at me. I’m alone in the world.
Which is fine. Not everyone can be from big packs or families. I’ve learned to manage on my own, and I’ll manage without Garrett, too. I have my job. And my best friend. And foster kids who need my help. Well, yeah, that’s my job.
We were only mated for a few hours. I’ve only considered him my boyfriend for a day.
Letting go won’t be that hard.
Yeah, right.
My eyes burn as I throw my things into the silver rolling suitcase I filled when Garrett ordered me to pack. Every time I waver into self-pity, I remind myself I’m doing this for Garrett. He deserves an alpha wolf for a mate.
Not Crazy Amber.
Definitely not Crazy Amber.
I don’t want Crazy Amber—how could she be what Garrett wants?
No, his worry over Sedona, the full moon, and their proximity made him impetuous. Sooner or later, he’d realize he made a mistake. Maybe next week. Maybe in a month. Maybe not for three months. But it would happen, like the inevitability of the next moonrise. Better to rip the Band-Aid off quickly. Or leave before more damage is done. Or whichever saying best fits.
It’s been a wild weekend, but that’s all it was. Wild. And a weekend.
I leave the hotel room and take the elevator down to the lobby. It’s past midnight, but I find a cab outside and ask to go to the airport.
As I ride away, my head begins to throb. I pull the bottle of ibuprofen Trey brought me out of my purse and pop three, even though I know they won’t do any good. I stare at the dark streets whizzing by and brace myself against the pain. Not in my head but from the giant javelin lanced through my chest.
I’ll get by. I always do.
In the airport, I check the departures and find one going to Phoenix at six a.m. It’s two hours from Tucson but close enough. I pay for a ticket and sit down in a chair to wait for morning.
The visions come the moment I close my eyes. I fight them back, but it feels like my head will explode. I see fast-forward movies playing of Sedona, a beautiful brunette, locked in a sparsely-furnished room with a young Mexican man. It blurs and shifts into a fight between the young man and the wolves who guard the door. Then, the two of them, standing on a beautiful veranda that overlooks a vast jungle. The van Trey stole from the warehouse drives in on the road below.
Garrett.
My body grieves for him, as if he didn’t embed just his scent, but his very essence in me, making me forever addicted to him. I shove the visions back, swallow them down. My legs are shaky when I stand, but I walk to the bathroom to splash cold water on my face. It’s almost morning. My plane will leave soon, and I can sleep on it.
Tomorrow, I’ll be home, and I can go about pretending this never happened.
I look in the mirror, but I don’t see myself, I see the white-haired woman from the airport restroom years before. She stares back at me with accusation in her eyes.
“I’m sorry,” I choke, but the room is spinning. It’s all I can do to hang onto the counter and not fall down.
The last thing I remember is my vision going black right before my head strikes something hard and I blessedly lose consciousness.
~.~
Garrett
I sit in the passenger side of a twenty-passenger van and crack my tattooed knuckles. We have three giant vans—more like mini buses—driving in a caravan into the jungle. My father brought sixty men with him. The Montelobos have over one hundred. Decent odds, considering how ferocious my home pack can be. Still, it’s the first time I’ve gone into a fight with someone waiting for me to return.
Life feels more precious now. My own life, Amber’s. Certainly Sedona’s. Fates, she’s just a kid, still. This shouldn’t have happened to her.
I ride in the van with my pack members, to let them know how much I appreciate their support. How important this battle is to me. I’m not going to go in there and lose. Losing isn’t in my blood, especially not where Sedona’s involved. Since the same blood runs through my father’s veins, I know we’re undefeatable.
The drive takes two and a half hours. Enough time for me to replay every moment I’ve spent with Amber, from the day I met her until the minute I left her at the hotel. In a short amount of time, she’s completely changed my life.
I feel so far removed from the never-willing-to-settle-down party boy I was a week ago. The guy my dad rode hard for not manning up and acting like a true leader. The guy who didn’t take much seriously. Yes, I was a successful businessman, but it hadn’t been hard. I had the Midas touch. I got in the real estate market at the right time. My dad provided me with initial start-up capital, but I was able to pay him back within a year. The rest I did on my own.
It’s so easy to see now that I played the rebel out of fear of becoming my dad. Fear of becoming an uptight asshole who rides his pack and family hard.
Except now that my own instincts to protect those precious to me—Amber and Sedona, and my pack members, too—have kicked into high gear, I understand where he was coming from. I’ve made different choices in my leadership style, but we probably both want the same things. And now that I have a mate, it’s obvious to me I need to grow up.
I need to be the kind of man Amber would be proud to introduce to her colleagues. Her foster kids. That doesn’t mean I’m going to put on a suit and tie, but it’s time to stop living like a frat boy.
The van winds up a narrow dirt road, climbing higher and higher into dense rainforest. Everything looks rural and poor until we stop by a high-tech electric security gate. My dad and I get out. I smash the security camera staring down at us and help him rip the gate from its hinges, bending and tearing the metal.
I’m ready to shift right there and run in on four paws, but my dad orders the vans to drive in farther. I tear my sh
irt off when I get back in the van, and my guys do the same. We’ll be ready to meet them in human or wolf form, whichever is required.
We drive another five miles, still climbing the side of a mountain. In the distance, a citadel looms. There’s no other word to describe it. Surrounded by smooth adobe walls, an enormous palace sits on a high hill, with balustrade-lined balconies and turrets overlooking the enclave of little thatch-roofed huts below. A medieval-style home to royalty and peasants—that’s how it looked.
The road dead-ends at a giant portcullis—closed, of course.
The vans stop, and we start to pile out. A flash of movement coming from behind us makes me whirl and partially shift, but I pull up short.
“Sedona?”
My sister is running at us at top speed. She’s wearing some kind of flowy, old-fashioned gown, and I scent her blood, mingled with that of a male’s.
Amber was right—not that I doubted it. Sedona’s been marked.
“Garrett!” She launches into the air and flies into my arms, wrapping arms and legs around me like a toddler.
I fall back with the impact and hug her. “Sedona. You’re all right. We’re here now.”
When my dad joins us, I put her down, and she hugs him, too.
“How do we get in? I’m going to kill every last motherfucking—”
“No.” Sedona shoots a look over her shoulder in the direction she came. A little boy, no more than nine years old, stands there, looking uncertain. “Take me out of here. I don’t want a fight. I just want to go home. Let’s go.”
My dad shakes his head. “No one steals my daughter and lives.”
“They didn’t steal me, they bought me. You’re welcome to kill the fuckers who stole me, but I just want to get out of here. No bloodshed. Let’s just leave.”
I see my father isn’t going for it, so I grab his arm and jerk my head toward the van. “Dad, come here.”
His mouth closes in a tight line, but he follows me around the back of the vehicle where we can talk in private. Well, the privacy is largely an illusion because wolves have incredible hearing, but at least the others understand we mean to speak privately.