by M. J. Perry
Jaxon
Small Town Pack
Book One
M.J. Perry
Copyright
© 2018 M.J. Perry. All rights reserved.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Contents
Copyright
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Author Note
Other Works
Sometimes, we are lucky enough to meet the person of our dreams and when that happens, you have to hold on for the wild ride.
Chapter One
Jaxon
For as long as I’ve been an adult, every morning I have always gone out for a run alone and then gone for breakfast before starting my day. When I became alpha of my pack, it became especially important to have an hour to myself just to relax and get away from the pressure. I’d seen how stressed my dad had been when he was alpha and I’d made a promise to myself that I wouldn’t become that way. He’d died from a heart attack and although his heart had weakened in age, Mary the pack doctor believed it was because he hadn’t looked after himself and that had contributed to it. My mother had been human, even with the fast healing my dad had passed on to her when they’d mated, it hadn’t stopped her cancer spreading, she’d died when I was eleven and the burden of being a single parent and being alpha to the pack had been too much for him to take. I can’t imagine how he must have felt losing the one person who was made for him. I hope I never will.
I’d been running on the same route since forever and I’d always ended up in the same coffee shop, but today, I’d fancied a change from my usual one, so I’d come to this diner instead. Despite having lived near M’s for years, I had never set foot in it until now. I wasn’t sure what had given me the urge to try somewhere new, but I had a feeling that fate had something to do with it. Especially when I’d seen the pretty woman that worked here. When she came up to my table and my wolf caught a whiff of her delicious scent he howled. I didn’t need his input though; I knew already that she was special; her scent was mouth-watering and had my cock rock hard instantly.
“Can I get you anything else?” she asked me in her sweet voice. Her eyes didn’t meet mine, but she wasn’t being rude. She was shy.
“No, thank you.” I replied. Her eyes darted to mine before she glanced away, a small smile lifting her pink lips.
She couldn’t be over twenty-five and she was small. I could probably pick her up with one hand. As she walked away, I watched her. I could not tear my eyes away from her ass as it wiggled with her movements. Her waist was tiny; my hands would touch if not overlap if I wrapped them around her. She was an itty-bitty thing and so gorgeous. I finished my coffee and reluctantly stood up to leave; sticking a note under my cup, I walked towards the front door. The girl turned in my direction and our eyes collided. The green in hers darkened, and I sucked in a breath almost growling at the intense smell of her arousal. She smelt like vanilla and chocolate. Fuck! I was right, she was special, she was my mate, and she was human. I bit my lip, flinching as my teeth stabbed sharply into my skin. That meant my eyes had changed too. My wolf whined in my head, he wanted me to throw her over my shoulder and make a run for it. I couldn’t do that of course. I sniffed again and her arousal had faded to fear, I didn’t like that. Closing my eyes, I concentrated on getting myself back under control. She was frowning when I caught her gaze again, her face showing her confusion. My beast was trying to free himself, to get through my control and it took all my strength to push him back. I wanted to claim her immediately just as he did, but she was human, she didn’t understand our world and taking her now would have her fear me, not love me. There were things I needed to explain to her. I smiled at her hoping I didn’t look too scary and then I hurried to the front door. The smell of her was calling me and I needed fresh air. I was aware of her eyes following me, but I didn’t look back, I couldn’t, otherwise I would betray myself. Once I was outside, I inhaled the clean air and walked towards my car. Excitement ran through me at the thought of having a mate. I wasn’t wrong when I thought fate had sent me here for a reason. I’d waited so long to find her and I would be back for her, I had no choice in that, but I would not come back all guns blazing and claim her like my wolf wanted me to. I didn’t want her scared of me, I wanted her to trust me and with her being human, it was going to be hard enough already.
Chapter Two
Sierra
Phew. I blew out a breath as I watched him walk out of the door. That man was intense, and his eyes, wow, for a minute there I’d thought they’d changed, turned almost animalistic, but he'd closed his eyes and when they'd opened, they’d looked normal. I don’t think I’d ever seen such a gorgeous man before; it was a shame that I probably wouldn’t see him again. I wasn’t even sure what I would do if I did, I mean, it wasn’t as if I would ask him out on a date; I was far too shy for that and a man as handsome as he, wouldn’t look twice at me. He’d made me feel funny; my body was still shaking with adrenaline, my mind screaming that I had to be close to him, to touch him. I felt a crazy urge to chase him down. What was wrong with me? I’ve never felt this way before; no man has ever had me on fire in this way. Sure, I’ve had butterflies when an attractive man had flirted with me, but I’ve never had the desire to take them up on their offer of a date. If this man had asked me out, I would have fallen to his feet. Shaking my head at my thoughts, I headed to the table where he’d been sitting. Clearing his mug away, I saw the tip he’d left behind. It was too much for a small town diner. I wondered fleetingly if he’d just moved here because I had never seen him before, but I figured it was more likely he was just passing through, and that depressed me. I stuck the money in my apron pocket and wiped the table down. Looking at the clock, I sighed when I realised I still had three hours left of my shift. Today was dragging, usually I have fun at work, I have a laugh with my boss, Maurice, and the regular customers, but I was just not feeling it. I’ve had a feeling of dread in my stomach since I woke up this morning, it was hard to explain, but it felt like something was going to happen, and it was going to be big. A customer called me by my name and I turned to face him. I didn’t know him, in fact, I hadn’t seen him around here before, and when you work in a small town like I do you get to know the people. This man was a stranger. I made my way over to his table and smiled politely.
“Can I help you?” I asked as I cleared his plate away.
“Yes, you can have a seat sweet thing and I’ll tell you what I want.” He grinned.
I shook my head, “I can’t, sorry. I’m working.” I said as I turned to walk away. A hand shot out and gripped my wrist, the strength of his fingers was a notch away from pain, and I winced.
“Well, I’m sure you can spare me a few minutes.” He gave me a smile and the darkness in his eyes made me recoil from him. This man was dangerous, he also smelt funny, like raw meat and cigarettes. I was frantically trying to think of a way to make him to release me when Maurice shouted me. I sighed in relief, something the man didn’t miss.
“My boss needs me, I have to go.” I breathed.
He didn’t like it, his eyes blazed with something I couldn’t place and it scared the stuffing out of me. He slowly, one by one lifted his fingers from my wrist and then I was free. I didn’t hang around. I hastily moved towards the counter, giving Maurice a grateful look before I walked straight through the staff door into the kitchen, dumping the dirty plates by the sink. That man was different, there was
something odd about him, I wasn’t sure what it was, I just knew he gave me the creeps. I didn’t plan to go back out onto the diner floor until he had left.
Three hours later, when the sun had set, it was time for me to finish my shift and the man was still there. Maurice hadn’t been able to find a reason to kick him out. He’d bought a huge amount of refills and he had caused no trouble. There was no way I was going anywhere near him, my wrist still had the mark of his handprint and I didn’t want to invite anymore contact. I kissed Maurice on the cheek and gave him the tips from my apron so he could put them in the shared tip jar and I made my way to the back door. It led to an alley way and usually it would freak me out to be down there alone in the dark, but I figured the creepiness I could deal with, the man in the diner, however, I could not. As soon as the door closed behind me, I knew I wasn’t alone, I tried to focus my eyes to see who was standing just to the side of me, but it was too dark. I turned back to the door and gripped the handle planning on running back inside, but something grabbed me and suddenly I was moving super-fast. A face came into my view and I screamed. The man standing in front of me slapped his hand over my mouth cutting off the sound. Terror froze me to the spot, my eyes flicked from him to the person I could see standing behind him. Both of them had crazy eyes, and they petrified me. If no one had heard my scream then I knew I was on my own. Maurice wouldn’t be coming out here to save me, no one would.
A large hand pinned my body to the wall, and the strength was such that I couldn’t move an inch. The man in front of me grabbed both my wrists and held them above my head. Fear had me shaking, and I sucked in a breath through my nose. I tried to struggle, to get away from them both, but it was pointless, they were too strong.
“Well, little girl it seems you’re at our mercy.” The guy grinned and his teeth reminded me of a vampire. He leaned in closer and rubbed his nose against my cheek. “She smells delicious. I told you she would. I found her so I get the first taste.”
I stared at the man in horror.
“Still haven’t worked it out little girl?” he chuckled. “Me and my friend over there are vampires. I’m going to bite into your delicate neck and taste your blood and then he is going to take whatever I’ve left.”
I shook my head, my eyes wide.
“You’re saying no?” he laughed again. “You have no choice in the matter, but if you’re good, I won’t bite too hard.”
This couldn’t be happening. A tear slipped down my cheek. I wanted this to be a dream, but even though it seemed ridiculously unbelievable, I knew it was real. This disgusting man holding my wrists was going to suck my blood and I couldn’t stop him. I had never felt so weak in my life. Oh how I wished I were stronger. The face of the gorgeous man from before formed in my mind, his piercing green eyes and handsome face gave me a warm feeling even as I cringed away from the mouth that was lowering towards my neck. His teeth had extended and were sparkling in the low light of the lone street lamp. I felt a movement at my side and raised my eyes to the man’s friend. His teeth were extended as well, but the lust in his eyes frightened me more. As the grinning man bit into my neck, I screamed behind his palm. The pain was so intense; I could feel his mouth pulling my blood to the surface as he sucked deeply. I fought the urge to close my eyes needing to see what my other attacker was doing. He was standing a couple of inches away from me now, he gave me a toothy grin, and then I felt air around my legs. He held up a ball of material in his hand and I realised it was my skirt, or rather what used to be my skirt. The pain in my neck was nothing to the dread mounting in my throat. He dropped my skirt to the floor, and he started to undo his belt. I screamed behind the palm, trying my hardest to wiggle out of the man’s grasp, but I couldn’t even get him to budge an inch. I slumped in defeat even as my eyes glared like daggers at the vampire before me.
“You will feel so good wrapped around my cock.” He told me as he undid the button of his jeans. I closed my eyes desperately trying to block everything out. My tears streamed down my face and onto the vampires hand. My whole body tensed as I waited for his touch. When it didn’t come, I peeked from under my lashes and saw my wannabe rapist lying on the floor. His eyes were wide open, and he was staring blankly. It didn’t look like he was breathing. I couldn’t see anyone, but obviously, someone must have done that to him, unless vampires could just die like that. The blood loss was taking effect now. My legs suddenly gave way, but the man sucking my blood didn’t let me fall. He moved so his body pressed against mine intimately, before I could worry about that, a sharp pinch at my neck made me screech in pain, it felt like my neck was on fire, and then I was falling to the floor. My eyes closed as I hit the dirty concrete with a thud. I had no strength to move, dizziness washed over me and I lay still listening to the sound of cracking noises. Then it was silent. A hand slipped under my legs and another one slipped under my back, I tried to move away, but I felt shattered. The hands were gentle as they lifted me against a warm, hard body and a familiar scent teased my nostrils, one that made me feel safe instantly. Lips touched my ear, “I’m sorry, baby,” a voice I recognised whispered. Before I could ask what he was sorry for, everything went black.
Chapter Three
Jaxon
I knew something was wrong I just didn’t know what it was until her image flashed in my mind. Her terror hurt my heart. Without a thought I shifted, my wolf took over, and I was running on four legs towards the diner where I’d first seen her this morning. I could feel my pack close. They’d shifted as well and were running right behind me. I told them through our connection to stay hidden. I didn’t want Sierra afraid of us, to think we were monsters just like the dirty bastards who had her now. I could smell two vampires, their stench nearly overwhelming, they smelt like dirt and raw meat. I told my pack to hold off; I didn’t need help, and I knew I could take them out myself. They were attacking my mate; it was my right to kill them. I shifted back to my human form as I got to the mouth of the alley. I heard a muffled sob as I entered and I saw Sierra pinned against the wall. One man was sucking her blood and the other one was undoing his jeans. Fury made me see red, I wanted him dead first. I bit back the howl rumbling in my throat and I moved silently towards him. He should have heard me, they both should have, vampire hearing was just as strong as a shifters, but they were too involved in my mate and that would be their downfall. A quick punch to his stomach and a twist of his neck and the scum who dared to think he could rape my mate was incapacitated. He would revive in a couple of hours if we didn’t stake him, but I didn’t have time to worry. The man sucking Sierra’s blood didn’t even notice that his friend was down. I was so consumed by my anger that I wasn’t thinking straight as I gripped him by the back of his neck and threw him away from her. She slipped towards the floor, and before I could catch her, the vampire charged at me. Her blood dripped from his mouth and fury filled me. I waited until he was close then I threw a hand out, my claws long and sharp sliced open his throat and he went down, landing on the dirty floor with a thud. Gabe, my second in command, whistled as he walked towards the two downed vampires and me. I’d known he was watching me and I was grateful for his presence now. I turned to where Sierra lay on the floor. If not for her heart I could hear beating, I would think she was dead. Regret tore at me when I saw the blood on her neck and knees. Walking towards her, I slipped my hands under her cold body and lifted her. I held her close. “I’m sorry.” I whispered. She didn’t answer me. She moved so her head lay against my neck and shoulder, her cold nose touched my bare skin making me shiver. I felt her breath against my skin and then her body went slack.
“Jaxon, we brought the car. I figured you’d need it.” Gabe said into the silence.
“Thank you.” I said gratefully. Although, knowing I could do it, I was glad I didn’t have to walk all the way home with her. Her skin was cold, her heartbeat slow. She needed to be safe in my house and the sooner the better. I grabbed the keys from Gabe as I passed him, careful not to jolt Sierra. Tightening my
grip on her, I headed towards my car. I hoped she wouldn’t wake up just yet; I needed time to think of an explanation for all that had happened. I wouldn’t lie to her, she had the right to the truth, but I didn’t want to scare her more than was needed. When I got to my car, I opened the door and lay her down on the back seat. Grabbing the blanket I kept in there, I draped it over her, covering her chilled body. Her breathing was slow and steady now telling me she was sleeping deeply. I quickly climbed into the driver’s seat and started the car, driving toward home. There were many things I needed answers to, but most importantly I wanted to know how two vampires came to be in my territory without my knowledge. I would find that out once I’d had Sierra checked over by the pack doctor. I wasn’t sure how much blood she’d lost, I could smell her weakness, but I wasn’t sure if she would need a transfusion or just a few meals of red meat. Anger was still coursing through my veins because of how close I’d been to losing my mate before I even knew her. It made me so angry. My fist clenched on the steering wheel and I took a deep breath forcing myself to calm down. My eyes shot to the still figure in the back when I heard her sigh, but she didn’t wake up. Instead, she snuggled into the blanket pulling it under her nose. “Jaxon,” She whispered.
My foot hit the brake a little too hard, and I cursed. She didn’t stir again though, and I stared at her in wonder before tearing my eyes away to watch the road. How did she know my name? It didn’t make any sense, except when I thought about it properly, it made perfect sense. No one had ever told me hers. When a shifter meets his mate, the connection begins immediately. We would have read each other’s minds without even being aware of it. Already, I knew that her favourite scent was Vanilla and her favourite flower a daisy. She was beautiful. Asleep on my backseat, she looked like an angel; her blond hair lay loose around her delicate shoulders. Her chest rising and falling softly assured me she was fine. I put my foot down wanting to get home. I could feel my pack surrounding us and when I drove down the gravel drive towards my house, their eyes shone in the woods as we passed them. I pulled up outside my house and shut the engine off. Gabe opened my door before I could, standing back so I could climb out.