Deceived by the Shifter

by Juniper Hart

  “Oh god,” Jason muttered. “I knew he didn’t disappear looking for his daughter.”

  “Who was he?” Hollie demanded.

  “He was the father of one of Aaron’s missing girlfriends. He was the biggest objector to his girl dating Gherring. Then he just disappeared one day, just like his daughter.”

  Hollie’s mouth fell completely open. “But he was left at the hospice with a note for his care. And someone paid for his expenses,” Hollie told him. “If Aaron did that, he regretted it, and tried to have him cared for.”

  Jason shook his head. “No,” he said slowly. “That doesn’t sound like Aaron. It sounds like someone else found him and saw him to safety. You have to find out who paid for his expenses, Hollie.”

  “We tried, but it was untraceable. It was a money order—” Her words caught in her throat.

  “What?” he demanded.

  She shook her head in disbelief. Was Jason just playing dumb? He knew Augustus. He was a member of his pack. He must have known the dying man’s whereabouts. Was he covering up for someone?

  “You!” she spat. “It was you! You abandoned Augustus.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Amberlyn’s phone dinged with an incoming text message.

  I’m fine. Forget my earlier texts.

  Amberlyn read the words and shook her head, sighing inwardly.

  “I really wish that girl would get her shit together,” she muttered, and her father glanced at her.

  “What was that, baby?”

  “Hollie. So much drama all the time,” she replied, replacing the phone on the table and smiling wryly. “Always something with her.”

  Matthew Seer nodded. “I think you should distance yourself from her for a while,” he told her quietly. “I know she’s Lucas’ daughter, but she is going to drag you down into her messes, and I would hate to think what would happen if you had done something so stupid as to elope with some stranger in Vegas.”

  Not just any stranger, Amberlyn thought. A rival Lycan. Her father is going to be livid if he ever finds out.

  Over the past two days, she had endured a rollercoaster of highs and lows with her best friend. One second she’s panicking, the next she’s fine. She’s losing her mind, Amberlyn thought sadly. Daddy is right; I shouldn’t allow myself to be taken down with her.

  She regretted that she had been sworn to secrecy about who Hollie had wed, but she managed to remain silent. It’s as much about saving my own skin as it is protecting Hollie. If the pack finds out about this, we’ll both become the enemy. I will be guilty by association just for having been there.

  “Don’t worry, Daddy,” she replied. “I’ve already told her I’m not interested in her drama.”

  Matt smiled warmly. “You’re such a smart girl, Amber. I’m so proud of you.”

  She grinned and batted her eyelashes. “Thank you, Daddy,” she purred.

  I would never disappoint Daddy the way Hollie has disappointed Lucas, she thought smugly.

  When they finished their weekly lunch, Matt dropped his daughter off at her apartment, kissing her on the cheek.

  “Soon we’ll have to see about getting you married off,” he teased her, as he always did, and Amberlyn stifled a groan.

  It was meant in jest, but she heard the underlying seriousness when he spoke.

  He thinks I’m never going to snag a man, she thought. And he might be right. She shoved the wistfulness from her soul and smiled tightly.

  “I could always go back to Vegas and try my hand,” she replied sweetly.

  A scowl overtook Matt’s face. “Don’t even joke like that,” he snapped, and Amberlyn laughed, returning his kiss before jumping from the SUV.

  “Kidding!” she called cheerfully, slamming the door.

  She turned toward the front entrance of the building, and a tall, stocky man stepped out from the bushes, startling her. Amberlyn gasped, stepping backward, glancing back to see if her father was parked at the entrance, but he was gone.

  “I’m sorry!” the stranger said quickly, throwing up his hands to show he wasn’t armed. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  Amberlyn peered at him, her heart slowing slightly as she realized she was not in danger. In fact, the man was handsome and well dressed, she noted, as she peered into his attractive profile.

  “It’s okay,” she replied quickly, moving to walk around him. “I was just startled.”

  “You don’t remember me, do you?” he laughed, and Amberly paused, keys in hand. She examined his features again, but nothing about him tickled her memory.

  He laughed, amusement touching his bright blue eyes. “Don’t worry—it was a fuzzy night for me, too,” he replied. “My name is Aaron Gherring. I married your friend, Hollie, in Las Vegas.”

  Amberlyn stared at him, her mouth agape. “You’re Aaron?” she demanded, shocked at his attractiveness. “Wow!”

  His beam widened, and he glanced at the ground in embarrassment. “I hope that was a good ‘wow’ and not a ‘wow’ of disgust,” he said, laughing.

  Amberlyn shook her head. “No disgust here,” she assured him. “None at all.”

  They exchanged a long look, and Aaron cleared his throat.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked. “I know Hollie has been looking for you.”

  “She found me,” he confessed. “But she got very upset when I told her that I didn’t want to stay married to her.”

  Amberlyn’s mouth dropped open. “What?” she said. “No, you’ve got it all wrong. She wants an annulment. That’s all she could talk about. In fact, she told me it was you who didn’t want an annulment.”

  Aaron sighed deeply and shook his head. “I was afraid this would happen,” he breathed, and Amberlyn peered at him expectantly.

  “What?” she demanded. “What would happen?”

  “Can we go inside? I feel kind of conspicuous talking about this. It’s embarrassing to Hollie.”

  Amberlyn nodded eagerly. “Of course,” she replied, mentally evaluating the cleanliness of her apartment. “I’m confused as to why she would change her mind.”

  They made their way inside the lobby and onto the elevator.

  Aaron grinned sheepishly. “Well when she saw me, I guess all the feelings she had for me came flooding back. She was all over me even though I told her things were over between us.”

  Amberlyn stared at him, her face contorted in disbelief. “Really?” she breathed. “That is so unlike Hollie, but then again, so is eloping in Las Vegas.”

  Aaron shook his head sadly. “I feel really bad about it because she was torn apart when I rejected her. I didn’t think she would go off the deep end.”

  Suddenly, Amberlyn remembered something. “Wait a second,” she said as she unlocked her apartment door. “Aren’t you a member of the Hailey pack?”

  Nervousness singed her bones as she studied his face. I just invited a rival into my house.

  To her astonishment, he nodded, his face flushing as he closed the door. “I was hoping she hadn’t told anyone,” he murmured, glancing around furtively as if he feared they were not alone in the apartment. “Do you live here alone?”

  Amberlyn’s anxiety mounted. “No,” she lied, eyeing the door behind him.

  Why did I let him in? I was distracted by his good looks and surprised by his sudden appearance. Dammit! I have to get him out of here.

  “Yes, I am a member of the Hailey pack, but you can’t tell anyone about this. If word of this was to come out, I would be exiled, as I’m sure Hollie would be too. That’s why I’m shocked she won’t grant me a divorce.”

  The pretty blonde stared at him, her heart racing slightly as she continued to look at his face. He seems sincere, she thought, but Amber could not forget how determined Hollie had seemed to get an annulment. Would she have just taken one look at him and changed her mind? He is extremely handsome, even if he is the enemy.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked finally.

  His light blue
eyes were wide as he looked beseechingly at her. “I need your help,” he told her. “Hollie won’t answer her calls or texts, and I really need to see her to sign off on the paperwork. She’s determined not to let me go.”

  Amberlyn’s resolve was softening slightly as listened. “I don’t know if I can help. She’s been mad at me because I refuse to deal with her drama.”

  Aaron looked at her, and the pleading in his eyes convinced her. “You could try to reach out to her, have her meet you one-on-one. Then I will go and have her sign off on the papers, and I could be done with this, free of her…maybe to start over with someone else?”

  The meaning in his words was unmistakable, and Amberlyn felt a shiver of excitement course through her. Is he making a pass at me? She was half-disgusted, half-intrigued. He’s married to my best friend.

  But as she stared at the curve of his mouth, she wondered what it would be like to kiss it.

  “I know you don’t remember this,” Aaron said suddenly as if sensing her apprehension. “But you and I actually were hitting it off before Hollie interrupted us.”

  Amberlyn felt a fission of annoyance. Typical Hollie, ruining everything, she thought. Things might have turned out very differently if Hollie had not been with her.

  “Really?” she asked unsurely. “I don’t recall even being at Mirage that night.”

  Aaron shook his head sadly. “I had a feeling you would say that,” he said, looking at his shoes, and Amberlyn instantly felt guilty.

  “No wait!” she called excitedly. “I do remember!”

  She didn’t truly, but that didn’t matter. The look on Aaron’s gorgeous face made the lie more than worth it.

  “You do?” he asked incredulously. “Really?”

  She nodded eagerly. “Yes!” she fibbed. “At the blackjack table.”

  She wracked her mind for more details that Hollie had given her about that night, but it was the best she could do on the spot.

  Aaron beamed at her warmly.

  “Come and sit down,” she invited, smiling. “Do you want a drink? I have beer and wine.”

  “A beer would be great,” he agreed, sitting comfortably on the sofa, his cerulean irises following her movements.

  She disappeared into the kitchen, returning a moment later with a beer for him and a glass of merlot for herself.

  “I really wanted to get to know you better, but Hollie came on so strongly at the casino,” Aaron murmured almost to himself, and Amberlyn found her irritation toward Hollie turn to anger.

  “I don’t know,” she joked lightly. “I can’t see myself falling into such a Romeo and Juliet-style romance.”

  Aaron’s eyes bored into hers, and a small smile toyed on his lips. “That is considered the most wonderful love stories of all time,” he commented. “Although I wouldn’t say that what I have with Hollie is that intense.In reality, I don’t have any feelings for her.”

  Amberlyn felt a slow blush creep up her neck, and she looked down. This is ridiculous. I can’t fall for this guy’s charms…no matter how much I want to.

  As if reading her thoughts, Aaron put the beer on an end table and rose toward her. “I would be lying if I said that I have been thinking about you ever since I saw you in Vegas. I may have even kept Hollie close just as a way to be near you, as terrible as that sounds.”

  Amberlyn felt her heart flutter slightly, and she shook her head. “No,” she muttered, but Aaron didn’t seem to hear her, pressing his thumb and forefinger against her chin to cast her eyes upward to meet his stare.

  “You can’t deny the heat we have between us,” he told her, and she realized that he was right.

  Unexpectedly, she did recall Aaron at the blackjack table, flirting with her. In her mind’s eye, Hollie flew in, her dark eyes flashing with jealousy as she sat between them, purposely blocking Amberlyn’s view and monopolizing the conversation to exclude her altogether.

  If not for Hollie, I could be married to this guy right now.

  “You feel it too, don’t you?” Aaron asked urgently. “Tell me you can.”

  She nodded slowly, swallowing the lump in her throat, and when he leaned forward to place a passionate kiss on her lips, she responded with fervor. She had been eyeing his mouth since he had first startled her, and his lips tasted every bit as good as they looked.

  His hand reached up, and he cupped her head, his fingers digging into the silken tresses of her hair as he pulled her head back. Amberlyn moaned slightly as he continued to explore her throat and suddenly, he spun her around, pressing her up against the wall, his hard, muscular body pinning her almost ruthlessly as one hand encircled her neck, the other lifting her skirt.

  “You taste as good as I imagined,” he whispered gruffly, fingers prodding beneath her panties. “Oh, and you’re ready for me too.”

  Amberlyn trembled with excitement, as his digits began to feel around her cleft.

  “I have been thinking about taking you like this for weeks,” he growled. “I can’t wait to feel myself inside you.”

  Amberlyn purred softly and cried out as he slipped his index finger into her damp center. She bucked out against him, wanting him, but he had only begun his slow tease, manipulating the wetness as he rubbed against her throbbing button.

  “We could be together,” he murmured. “We could find a way to make it work.”

  She nodded, gasping as his palm squeezed her throat.

  “Would you like us to be together?” he asked quietly. “Or would you rather me be stuck in a meaningless marriage?”

  “No, I want to be with you,” she assured him, her breaths coming out in short, quick rasps.

  Her knees buckled slightly as heat surged into her crotch, wanting desperately to orgasm, but he skillfully kept her on edge.

  When he undid his pants, pushing his swollen organ between her full cheeks, Amberlyn released a low, feral moan of pleading.

  “Please,” she begged. “Please take me.”

  He laughed shortly, again sliding his finger into her before forcing her forward, prying her legs apart to allow for his own entry.

  “Will you help me find Hollie?” he demanded, slapping himself against her hot skin. “Will you do what I ask?”

  “Yes!” she groaned. “I’ll do anything you want!”

  “You’ll be a good girl and obey me?” he demanded.

  “Oh, yes!” Amberlyn cried. “I will do anything you want!”

  “Good.”

  He plunged into her, stealing away the last of her breath, and she gasped, dizzy with ecstasy.

  Ruthlessly, he drove inside her, his hand squeezing her breasts roughly as his thrusts grew stronger.

  Instantly, Amberlyn felt herself explode, almost falling as she tried to compete with all the sensations enveloping her body, but it was too much.

  Tears streaked down her face as his own grunts grew, his pushes almost violent as he released inside her. As fast as he had entered her, he withdrew, spurts of his seed falling still from his semi-inflated erection.

  Amberlyn crumbled to the floor as he reached for his pants, staring at him in horrified awe. Suddenly, he did not seem so endearing. He seemed dangerous.

  “Get up,” he ordered her tersely.

  She hurried to oblige, her heart thundering wildly in her chest. Oh my god, what did I do?

  “Get your phone and text Hollie.”

  Amberlyn’s mouth became a fine line, and she realized she had been played for a fool. “You never wanted me!” she breathed, her cheeks staining crimson with anger and embarrassment. “You only want Hollie.”

  A cold, cruel smile formed on Aaron’s lips, and Amberlyn saw no sign of the sheepish, adoring man whom had first approached her.

  “Of course I want Hollie,” he retorted calmly. “She’s my wife. And by the way, you have to keep this between us. I don’t believe in cheating. I would really hate for Hollie to find out, because then, something terrible would have to happen to your doting daddy. And neither of us wants that, r
ight?”

  Amberlyn scrambled to dress herself, feeling violated and humiliated. “I’m not texting her,” she snapped. “You’re crazy. Get the hell out of here before I call my father.”

  He shifted into his Lycan form and grabbed for her throat. His claws drew blood from around her pale neck, and Amberlyn could feel her eyes bulging as she struggled for air.

  “You promised,” he said in a low, quiet voice that terrified her to the core. “You will fulfill your promise if you want to see your father again. Now text.”

  He dropped her again to the floor, and she panted, panic seizing her bones.

  Grinning, he transformed back into his mortal form, and he seemed to lose the psychotic glow in his eyes as he tossed Amberlyn’s cell to her. “Have her meet you alone.”

  Amberlyn knew she had no choice but to oblige the madman in her apartment.

  Chapter Twelve

  “I don’t want to go anywhere with you!” Hollie protested. “You’re almost as bad as Aaron!”

  She instantly regretted her words as soon as she spoke them, the anger and hurt in Jason’s eyes apparent.

  He froze in place, his gold flecked green eyes like lasers. “Really?” he snapped. “You really think that?”

  She shook her head quickly. “No,” she whispered, lowering her eyes. “No, I don’t. I’m sorry I said that. I just don’t understand how you could have abandoned a member of your own pack like that, especially if you knew he was suffering from silver poisoning.”

  Jason didn’t answer the question, his grim expression not wavering. Hollie sank into the passenger side, her stomach flipping nervously as he peeled off the shoulder and turned the Jeep around to head in the opposite direction, away from Ketchum.

  Hollie didn’t know where they were going. She stared out the window, her thoughts a jumble of confusion. It was hard to make sense of anything that was happening, and the more she tried, the more her brain felt like it was about to explode.

  Her cell chimed, and she glanced at the message from Amberlyn. Let’s meet and talk, it read.

  She grunted, throwing the phone back in her purse without responding. She didn’t have the energy to deal with Amberlyn.