by T. S. Joyce
“Thought what?”
“At the time, when I was young and stupid, I thought if I earned his respect over time, I could earn your respect, too.”
A smile ghosted her lips. “You did that. You earned it.”
Fuck. Never in his life had he had that stupid feeling that girls talked about. Butterflies? Butterflies were for pussies. Roaches matched him better. The flying kind. Right now, he had flying roaches flapping around in his chest.
“Turn right on Capricorn Way,” GPS demanded.
He did.
“You have arrived.”
He pulled into the front of the Butcher’s Club and up to the valet station. The valets were busy, bustling around with two other cars in front of them.
“You asked who trained me. It was Rush Vanhousen,” he said quietly.
In his peripheral, she jerked her attention to him. “Rush Vanhousen?” she whispered. “Your Maker? You found him?”
Shocked, he gripped the steering wheel tighter. “You know Rush?”
“Only because he’s your maker.”
“How did you find out who my maker was?”
“Because I wanted to know about you, so I found out.”
“When?”
“When you left.”
Fuck. Fuck, shit, hell. She’d been curious about him.
You should tell her what we’ve done, his wolf said.
“I wasn’t in school,” he said. Trust one person. “I was training my wolf to take over a pack.”
“Which pack?” she whispered.
He shouldn’t tell her. She would run. He shouldn’t tell her. Trust one person.
“What pack, Levi?”
“Grey’s.”
Chapter Five
How was she supposed to settle down now?
Levi had admitted something dark and then exited the Hummer before she could even ask what he meant.
Taking over Grey’s pack? Good fuckin’ luck. Grey’s Wolf was about 94% evil and would murder him. And then piss on his carcass for funsies!
Was he suicidal? Or was he seriously deranged enough to think he could best Grey in an alpha challenge and hold their pack under him?
If Grey didn’t kill him, Morgan would.
She shoved open the door and trotted toward him, only stumbling in her high heels once. Miracle.
“Do you have a death wish?” she hissed at him. “What in the actual hell do you think you’re going to do with the Silver Wolf Clan under you? Don’t you know how much Grey has to fight just to defend them?”
Levi handed his keys to a valet and grabbed the claim ticket for it. “Come on,” he murmured, pressing his hand against the small of her back.
She jerked away from him, stung with betrayal. “I’ve watched Grey suffer, Levi. Suffer to keep us safe. I’ve watched him bleed, watched him almost die time and time again from all the threats all around us. From all the alpha challenges. From all the fights. From all the other stupid werewolves who think they want to claim our pack.” He was ignoring her, walking next to her through the sliding front doors with a stoic expression focused straight ahead. She yanked his arm to stop him and glared into his eyes. “I never thought betrayal would come from so close to us.”
His lips curled back in a snarl, and a wave of power rocked against her skin. She didn’t want to drop her gaze to the floor. She didn’t want her angry words to get stuck in her throat, but Levi was big. So much bigger than anyone realized. Her wolf curled up inside of her and all but disappeared.
“Who said I was betraying you?” he growled in an inhuman voice.
She couldn’t answer. She wanted to, but she physically couldn’t. Not with his wolf riled up like this.
“You’re safe,” he said softer, but she didn’t miss the grit in his voice still.
Was she?
“Let’s get to the table, and I’ll order you a glass of wine and scope the place out. We have ten minutes before Cassian arrives.”
“F-fine,” she choked out.
“You can’t wait to get away from me, can you?” he asked low.
She shook her head, and he huffed a humorless sound. “Maybe when I admit something to you, take into the account the man I actually am.”
“I don’t know you anymore. I don’t know this person you’ve turned yourself into.”
She looked up just in time to see a flash of hurt on his face before he composed his features again into that damned mask of indifference. How could a man make his eyes look so vacant? So unfeeling?
Sable.
She squeezed her eyes closed and shook her head. When she opened them, she was standing in a field. The grass was tall, up to her hips. “Levi?” she whispered.
She took a step forward, but her bare foot touched something soft. When she moved the grass to the side with a sweep of her hand, a scream clawed its way up her throat. A snow-white wolf lay there, light purple eyes glazed over and staring at nothing. “Morgan?” she asked. But it wasn’t Morgan’s wolf. It was another Silver wolf. Horrified, she backed away, only to run into another body. And another. All white. All wolves. Why didn’t it smell like blood? Why wasn’t there blood on their fur? Marissa looked down at her bare feet, all scratched up and dirty. Her tattoo was gone from her naked thigh and in her hand…in her hand dangled a silver knife with familiar symbols on the blade.
A power filled the air. She crouched, turned, and saw him. Just on the edge of the trees was the man who had bitten her all those years ago—Larius. Blood had dried down his mouth, and his eyes were the color of night. When he smiled at her, Marissa hissed. She hissed?
“There you are, Sable.” He vanished in a plume of smoke and reappeared right in front of her, kneeling down, face inches from hers, eyes drunk with blood lust. And now she could smell it. He smelled like the blood of the Silver Wolves. “I’ve missed you.”
She froze in terror as he leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. Her mouth turned to ice, and the chill stretched to her cheeks and down her neck. She was dying. She was dying! He was giving her frostbite, freezing her for eternity into a statue, cursed to exist in the field of Silver Wolves.
Heat rippled from her chest and pushed its way upward, into her neck, thawing her inch by inch. Into her cheeks and into her lips until she could move again.
Larius’s taste changed. The tang of blood faded away and, now, he tasted good. His mouth moved easily against hers, and the prickle of a short beard scratched softly against her chin. Feeling stronger, Marissa opened her eyes.
It wasn’t Larius at all whose lips moved against hers. It was Levi.
He held her pinned in a dark hallway, his fingers intertwined with hers where he held her hands against the wall. His full weight was against her, but she didn’t feel trapped. She just felt…relief.
He eased back with a soft smack. Searched her eyes. Leaned in and kissed her again. Searched her eyes again before he once more gave her a small, soft kiss.
“Are you back with me?” he asked in a low, gravelly voice.
“Y-yes.” Her voice trembled. “Where are we?”
“I pulled you into the hallway of the restaurant.” He eased back and released her hands, cocked his head as he leaned his back against the wall behind him. “You just shut down and your eyes went blank. Where did you go?”
“I don’t know.”
His eyes darted to her arm, and when she looked down, her vampire bite was bleeding again.
“Something’s happening,” she told him.
“I know.”
She wrapped her hand over the bleeding bite to hide it. “I’m scared.”
“I told you, Marissa. You’re safe. Whatever’s happening, I’m going to stop it.” He twitched his head toward the end of the hallway. “Cassian will be here soon. Let’s get through tonight, and then we’ll figure out what the vamps are up to. Just…” He cracked his knuckles. “Can you try to calm down? You smell like fear, and my wolf…well, my wolf wants to kill everyone in here.”
For
her? Marissa nodded and blew out a steadying breath. “Do I still look okay?”
A smile transformed his face, and he chuckled, then scratched his short beard with his hand. “You look more than okay. Every guy was staring at you while I led you back here, and not just because you were staring off at nothing. You’re a fuckin’ knockout.”
Fire, fire, fire, her cheeks were on fire. “Me?”
“You know damn well you grew up right.” He arched his eyebrows. “Now stop fishin’ for compliments and focus.” He pulled her arm up and, once again, ran his tongue against her skin and cleaned off the blood. His eyes glinted wickedly as he straightened up but looked down at her. Then he turned and offered his elbow and, for a second, she hesitated. He’d admitted he was trying to take over Grey’s pack. Her pack. That part didn’t make sense to her yet, and she didn’t know if she could trust him. But her wolf trusted him. And he’d pulled her out of that awful vision with Larius. She definitely didn’t hate that kiss. Her lips were still swollen and throbbing with the need for more of him.
Okay. Get through tonight. Call a pack meeting. Get to the bottom of everything.
Marissa slipped her fingertips into the crook of his elbow and, immediately, some of the tension drifted out of her body.
She didn’t know for sure if she was safe for always with Levi, but for tonight she thought she was.
Save him.
Morgan knew something about what was happening with Levi or else she wouldn’t have asked Marissa to save him. But from what? The vampires? Grey? From himself?
A storm was brewing around her, and she didn’t know what those storm clouds meant, but she was pretty damn determined to find out.
As Levi led her through the main room of the restaurant, he cursed softly under his breath. She could smell it, too, the scent of musky, dominant male werewolf.
The New Orleans pack was already here.
So much for Levi getting to scout out the place beforehand. She’d ruined that plan with her little dip into insanity. Woohoo!
In a back, private room sat a large round table with six men around it. The one closest to them stood before the others did.
“I’m Cassian, alpha of the New Orleans pack,” he introduced himself without a smile. He didn’t even have smile lines, like he didn’t have happy emotions at all. He was tall with dark hair. A mixed race with chocolate brown skin, but light blue eyes. Those probably belonged to his wolf. He had good posture and was built like a tank, much more muscular than the other five wolves who nodded greetings to her.
She stepped forward and offered her hand. Game time. She was sort of good at this part. “I’m Marissa Henry of the Second Dallas Pack, known in the community as the Silver Wolf Clan.” She twitched her head toward Levi, standing back against the wall with his hands clasped behind him and his attention trained on Cassian. “This is my guard, Levi.”
“It’s smart for Greyson to send you with a guard. I’m surprised he didn’t come with you, though.” Cassian gestured for her to take the seat beside him.
Nervous flutters filled her chest, and she hesitated sitting so close to a wolf who felt so dominant. She would probably never get over that moment of hesitation that preceded every meeting. She’d just learned to control it. Sort of.
“No need to be afraid of me,” he said. “I’m not here for what you think.”
Marissa cast a glance at Levi, but he wasn’t standing against the wall anymore. He was pulling out her chair for her, right beside Cassian. He nodded, and his eyes said so much. Be tough. Don’t get pushed around. You’re okay. You’re safe.
She sat in the offered seat, and Cassian’s icy blue eyes followed Levi as he made his way back to the wall.
“Your guard is welcome to join us at the table,” he said gruffly.
“Thank you for the invite, but he likes standing.”
“Mmm.” Cassian lifted his chin. “You don’t get along with your guard then?”
Marissa gave him an empty smile and said without turning around, “Levi, would you like to join us at the table?”
“No, thank you. I like standing.” She could hear the smile in his voice when he said, “I fight better when I’m standing.”
“I don’t have a problem with my guard. I just know him very well.”
“Who is he to you?” one of Cassian’s wolves asked.
Marissa narrowed her eyes at him. “Why am I really here if it’s not for the reason I thought? If you’re wasting my time, I assure you, you’ll regret it. I’ll do a recap. I was told I’m here to discuss you moving into our territory. Now, I thought that was a stupid move on your part, but if you won’t be swayed, all right.” She offered a smile. “You’ll regret your decision or you won’t, I suppose.”
Cassian leaned back in his chair and dragged his gaze up and down her body. “You look very nice, Marissa Henry. I have to admit, I expected you to look different. And to feel different. I’ve never met an Omega before. I thought you would be timid and dress for invisibility, but you walked right in here with your head held high, eyes boring into everything and everyone around you, dressed to kill a man’s defenses. But I can see some truth in one of the rumors.”
“What rumor?” she asked.
“That Omega’s dredge up protective instincts in the males around her. For example,” he gritted out, sliding a glare to Levi, “I don’t like a male behind you with the back of your neck exposed to him. Which is crazy, because you know him so well, as you say. And I’m a stranger to you.”
A waitress entered the room with perfect timing. Maribell, her nametag read. Pretty name, nervous girl. Marissa understood. All of these men were very handsome and intimidating. Powerful, obviously, but that was the norm for werewolves.
She approached Marissa and leaned toward her slightly, pad of paper and pen in her hands. “I already got the gentlemen’s drink orders,” she murmured low. “They’re coming in now.” She twitched her head toward a server approaching with a tray full of drinks. “Can I get you something?” She looked over at Levi. “Or you?”
Levi nodded to Marissa. “Ladies first where I come from.” And yep, that was a jab at Cassian and his pack ordering drinks before she arrived. Marissa pursed her lips against a smile.
Cassian gave a dark chuckle, but Marissa ignored the tension in the air. “I’ll have a glass of Riesling, whatever you recommend.” Yep, she was drinking a little to settle the old nerves that were still stampeding through her chest like a herd of frightened wildebeests.
“Water would be great, thank you,” Levi said as he pulled out the empty chair on her other side and sat down. “There. Now you don’t have to worry about her exposed neck.” Levi’s voice was hard as stone and, admission, it was totally hot. Not that she would say it out loud. Ever.
“I’ll cut right to the chase. I have a proposal,” Cassian said.
“I’m listening,” Marissa murmured.
“I’ve been looking for a long time for a woman who matched me.”
“Oh, Jesus Christ,” Levi muttered, leaning back in his chair. “Seriously? This is why you brought us here?”
“Not you,” Cassian uttered. “I expected Grey to be accompanying her so I could put it in front of her alpha as well.”
Marissa was already shaking her head in denial. Fucking seriously?
“I have a desire to link our packs, not take yours over. You think I want to move my pack from Louisiana to here? Your food isn’t nearly spicy enough.”
Two of his wolves chuckled on the other side of him. I’m offering to be an ally to Greyson and the Silver Wolf Clan, but I need incentive.”
“You need a mate,” Marissa guessed.
“Not just any mate. One who can match me. Who can hold my interest.”
“Romantic,” she muttered.
“Romance would come later, of course. I’m a gentleman. I do understand a woman has needs, and I’ll do my best to fulfill yours. My wolf…he’s…difficult around women. He wants to dominate anyone I’ve da
ted and has chased them away one by one. But you? He wants to protect you. A first for me. I’d heard about Omegas, and you’re the only one I know of. Everyone wants the Silver Wolf, but not me. I have more interest in you, and what you could do for my pack, and me, and my alliances. Linking our packs by a mating would secure the territory of Texas and Louisiana to only two packs. If another encroaches on my territory, I would ask for assistance from the Demon Wolf in keeping Louisiana…how can I put this?” He gave a charming smile. “Clean. I only want wolves of my choosing in my state. Anyone else would have to answer to me, and my pack, and if that fails, to Greyson Crawford. His name allied with mine would keep most wolves away. He would be a safety net. You could do that. Get me a safety net.”
Maribell came back with the wine, and Marissa took a few steadying sips. She could feel the tension roiling off of Levi beside her, but he sat still, listening, eyes on the New Orleans’ pack. One brown and one so blue it was nearly white.
“In return for territory protection, I have something valuable to offer Grey.”
“What could you possibly offer the Demon Wolf that he doesn’t already have?”
Cassian lifted his chin higher. “Allies against the vampires.”
Marissa had been sipping her wine and nearly choked on it. On instinct, she covered the bite with her other hand, rubbed it gingerly, and asked, “The what?” No one knew about her vampire problem outside of Grey’s pack. No one even knew she’d been bitten outside of the Dallas packs.
“History always repeats itself,” Cassian said. “It’s just the way it is. No one ever learns from their mistakes.” His lip snarled up for a moment. “There is talk about the vampires from other packs.”
“Lie,” Levi murmured.
Cassian’s neck turned red. “Say it again, pup.”
Levi gave a feral smile. “You’re very good. Lots of practice lying, if I had to guess. I’ve had practice on the other side. I can hear it in your tone.”
Cassian stood, his fists on the table and a snarl in his throat.
“Sit down,” Marissa gritted out, fear blooming inside her.
Cassian ignored her. “Are you calling me a liar?”