Hungry Boss

by Charlize Starr

  Crack.

  A bullet impacted the stone wall next to her head. Shards or rock cut into her face. Iduna's heart seized as she saw a flash of a rifle. A man stood some distance away, gun in hand, aimed at her. She opened her mouth–to what? Beg for mercy? Shout for Stephen?

  A howl split the air. A giant wolf flew out of the trees, ramming into the hunter. Iduna didn't watch. She held her baby close to her chest and tried to keep her warm. The hunter's screams rang through the air as Stephen mauled him.

  Fifteen proven cases of Shifters killing humans. Now seventeen. Eighteen, maybe, depending on Christianson's other 'friend.' But they had brought it on themselves.

  "Don't worry," she whispered to her baby. "Mommy and Daddy will always protect you. Always."

  Chapter Ten – Stephen

  Stephen hung up his phone, hopefully for the last time that night. He rubbed his left temple. A headache pounded through his skull. Even with the advanced healing that Shifters had, spending hours dealing with politics and the legal system took a toll on Wolves like him, who weren't and never wanted to be Alphas. He was only glad that it was Iduna and not him that was studying law to fight for Shifter rights within the courts. He'd never survive it.

  He smiled as he thought of his mate. In the seven months since the birth of their daughter, she had not only begun studying to become a lawyer but had also put together a plan to protect Shifters. The attacks on her community of Bears, along with the police involvement, had been brought to national attention. It invoked a significant outcry from across the world, with many countries calling for more police accountability. All the hunters that had been involved in Christianson's scheme had been found and were awaiting imprisonment. The BC government had been quick to round up and prosecute the other hunters.

  As good as the action that the government had been taking against those directly involved, there were even more positive things happening. Stephen had returned to his community of Wolves and told them what was happening to the Bears, and they had been horrified. Now there were programs being put into place to heal the fractured relationship between Bears and Wolves. It wasn't perfect, but Stephen thought it was helping.

  Still, there was a lot of work to be done going forward, and Stephen found himself in the middle of it. But he was happy to fight if it meant a better future for his daughter.

  He heard Tiff gurgling and turned to see Tyson coming down the hallway, holding the baby. She burst into a grin at the sight of her father. She was just starting to grow some fuzz on her head, but with her big black eyes, exactly like her mother's, and toothless grin she was still adorable.

  "Oh, Daddy needs a smile like that right now." Stephen took Tiff and kissed her. "Have you been a good girl for Grandpa?"

  "She's an angel." Tyson beamed at his granddaughter. "She reminds me so much of Iduna when she was that age."

  Stephen responded with a smile. Iduna's parents had finally accepted him as their daughter's mate. Carrying her miles out of the bush into a human town and not leaving her side even after they arrived had something to do with it. They got along in any case, and Stephen didn't feel unwelcome in their home.

  He and Iduna were living with her parents right now, while his house back in the Wolf community was being sold, and the place they would be moving into in the Bear community was being built. There really hadn't been any question about where they were going to live. Stephen could keep in touch with friends just as easily here as there. Iduna, on the other hand, had everything here, where she had grown up. It was just natural to stay in her community.

  "So did I hear some howling from Tiff last night?" Tyson asked.

  Stephen grinned and nodded. "She's starting to show signs of shifting. Not just Wolf, though, a little bit of Bear as well. She seems to favor the Wolf, though. We'll see when she gets older."

  Tyson nodded. "Of course. I think my daughter is trying to research a new type of evergreen while studying for her law exams. You may need to go rescue her from herself.

  "Will do." He adjusted Tiff in his arms and went upstairs.

  Iduna was in the study, her web browser open, a litany of papers strewn before her. Stephen smiled affectionately, watching her as she switched between the two things, her head moving like a bobble-head doll. It was amazing that she got anything done, the way she tried to do everything at once. But that was Iduna, and that was one of the reasons he loved her.

  He crept up behind her and put Tiff in her arms. "Okay, Mommy, you're done studying for tonight."

  Iduna gave him a vague smile while she kissed Tiff's bald head. "Just a few more minutes."

  "I'd say yes, but a few minutes for you means a few hours." He kissed the top of her curly head. "Run away with me, my love, if only for tonight. You need to give that beautiful brain of yours a rest once in a while. Let's go to a restaurant or for a walk around town. An increase of blood flow and oxygenating your blood helps with brain functions."

  His mate frowned but nodded. "That's a good point. How cold is it? Do I need a coat?"

  "It's beautiful out. We may want to bundle Tiff up a bit, though."

  "How long has it been since she ate?"

  "She was eating when I took my call, and that was half an hour ago."

  Iduna shook her head and muttered something about time being stupid. Stephen's smile widened. He couldn’t help himself. He leaned forward and planted a firm kiss on her mouth. Iduna responded with a moan, opening her lips to allow him entrance. Her hands wrapped around the back of his neck. It was only Tiff giggling at the sight that broke them apart. Iduna smiled at her daughter.

  "I'm glad I didn't listen to everybody who told me that I was too young to think about getting pregnant, that I needed to wait until I found my mate and that getting myself artificially inseminated was a bad idea."

  Stephen stroked her cheek. "I'm glad, too. You and Tiff are all I want."

  "And I found more than what I was looking for when I met you." Iduna stood. "Did you know that playing in dirt can actually help bolster a child's immune system? When Tiff is old enough we'll have to arrange dirt playdates or something. Socialization is important for a child's development. Do you know about brain development between the ages of one and two years old?"

  "No." Stephen wrapped an arm around her. "Tell me all about it."

  *****

  THE END

  The Alpha's Baby

  Description

  A curvy wolf looking for an escape PLUS a hot-as-hell Bear choosing his mate PLUS his biggest enemy on their heels!

  It’s Joshua’s responsibility to lead his Bear pack as he sees best. And what he thinks is best is to take his enemy’s daughter as his mate. It’s all for his pack. But when he sees her curves, he can’t help but feel his loins tighten.

  Wolf Naomi should have been Alpha after her mother, the previous Alpha, died. But her father made sure that didn’t happen. She wants freedom, not love, and Joshua's offer is her escape. She can’t let that perfect V of his abs distract her.

  But their new union is put to the test immediately when Naomi finds an abandoned baby in the woods. Where did it come from? Where should it go?

  When, on top of that, they discover plans that threaten the whole Bear pack, Naomi and Joshua have to make a choice. And Naomi has to face her biggest fear... her own father.

  As danger rises and desire heightens, Naomi and Joshua need to focus and stay alive. They can’t mate yet. She has to stay a virgin, until Christmas…

  Chapter One – Joshua

  Snow fell in thick flakes from the sky, heralding the White Christmas that the songs on the radio had been singing about for weeks now. Normally Joshua Stewart would have taken a moment to breathe in the deep scent of pines and spruces mingling with the sharp bite of snow, but today was not most days. The Bear Alpha canines lengthened as he stopped his snowmobile. His two seconds, Matt, his beta, and Luke, his gamma, pulled to a stop behind him.

  Sure enough, the cabin was exactly where reports said it
was. It had clearly been built in a hurry, probably overnight. The logs that made up its walls were rough and still had bark clinging to them in placed. But then, it wasn't meant to be a place for the inhabitants to permanently live in, but rather to make a statement.

  Joshua gritted his teeth as he marched up to the door. Normally he would say that the Wolves could do what they wanted and the Bears would do what they wanted, but the Wolf Alpha was clearly provoking him. James Tucker wanted any excuse to reignite the war that had been resolved a hundred years ago. Joshua didn’t know why the old man had such a hatred of Bears, but he knew that was not going to give him any excuse to resume hostilities.

  Before the Alpha got to the door, it was flung open. Joshua stopped where he was, eyes narrowing, as Tucker exited the cabin. The Wolf Alpha was lean but wiry, like all Wolves. In a fair fight, he'd stand no chance against the larger Bear.

  Actually, a fair fight would be at least a dozen Wolves against one Bear.

  But it was quite clear that Tucker was not looking for a fair fight, not with the hunting rifle he hand pointed directly at Joshua's head. The Bear Alpha kept himself relaxed. He wasn't going to let the Wolf intimidate him.

  "This is Bear territory, Tucker, as we established with human land surveyors. If you want to live this far from your park, move your cabin ten feet to the north."

  "I remember what the surveyors said. But what difference does ten feet make, eh?" Tucker kept his gun trained on Joshua. "The land back there isn't level. We're neighbors, are you going to start a fight over a measly ten feet of land?"

  Beside him, Matt growled. Joshua sent him a warning glare, and his beta reluctantly lowered his head. This was not going to end with violence, but Joshua also was not going to just give up his people's claim to this part of the territory to the Wolves. It had once been a burial site for the Bears, although fortunately all the Bears buried in his location had been reburied elsewhere. If they hadn't been, Joshua wouldn't have been able to stop his people from burning down this cabin.

  Hell, he would have lit the first match.

  "You know what this place means to us Bears, you are deliberately trying to provoke us. Our land agreements have proven this piece of property belongs to us. You will move your cabin or I will sue you and your pack for every cent that you own."

  A look of disgust came over Tucker's face. "That's the problem with the world these days. Instead of settling these things like good, honest shifters, weak Alphas like you have to go running to the humans to solve every little problem they're faced with."

  Joshua couldn't help but roll his eyes. The deliberate attempt to provoke him was pathetic. He knew what he was, and weak wasn't among his list of attributes.

  "You Bears aren't even using this land. It's flat and fertile, I could feed a dozen families with crops grown here."

  "This land is ours. Unless you would like us to start building our houses on your burial grounds." Joshua stepped forward, resulting in Tucker cocking the gun. Well, it seemed that talk wasn't going to get through to the Wolf Alpha–at least, not just talk. He turned to Matt and rose a brow. "Are you getting all of this?"

  "Getting it?" Tucker repeated.

  Matt ignored the Wolf and adjusted the small camera he had attached to the label of his blazer. "Yep."

  Tucker stared at the small device. It wasn't completely unnoticeable, but it was small enough that the Wolf clearly hadn't seen it, too engrossed in his attempts to provoke the other Alpha. Joshua grinned as the Wolf bared his teeth and growled. His grip on his gun tightened.

  "Filming me? What could you possibly hope to accomplish with that?"

  "Just proof, should things become hostile, to show the human justice courts that we did not initiate."

  Joshua didn't like to rely on the threat of human intervention to get the Wolves to cooperate, but in times like these, he had to act swiftly and decisively. Humans levied heavy fines against the guilty party whenever fights broke out between the Bears and the Wolves. Given the state of finances under Tucker's leadership, he couldn't afford any more problems with the local human authorities.

  As Joshua had expected, Tucker lowered the gun. "Fine. If you want to waste this valuable land and you think ten feet is oh so important, we'll relocate our cabin. My girls' hands are blistered until from building this one, but if you think it's so important—"

  "Your daughters are here, then?"

  Tucker narrowed his eyes. "Where I go, they go."

  "Good. I'll be taking your eldest back with me to be my mate, then." Joshua surprised himself when he spoke. He had been toying with the idea for some time. A connection between the leadership of the two packs would help facilitate peace.

  He hadn't expected to make such a blunt demand for it, though.

  "My eldest daughter?" Tucker cried. "My flesh and blood, my precious Naomi? The child that will succeed me? I'll sooner see you all dead—"

  "Enough, Father." A young woman pushed Tucker aside and marched towards the Bears. Her gaze locked on Joshua. "You're the Alpha?"

  He nodded.

  "I am Naomi Stewart. I'll mate you."

  Joshua's brow rose. Perhaps he wasn't the only one to have thought of this before.

  Tucker spluttered. "Naomi! Get back here at once!"

  Joshua ignored the Wolf, focusing instead on the woman. Skin the color of pale cedar, eyes gray, hair chestnut brown. She was quite lovely. A little thinner than Joshua would have preferred, but that didn't matter. He felt himself stirring at the thought of mating her.

  "You'll be my mate?" he asked her. "Just like that?"

  "Yes. I'm a virgin and so you'll have to be patient with me that way, but I'm sure we can work it out."

  Joshua inclined his head. Wolves, as far as he knew, only ever had sex with their mates, so that she was a virgin was to be expected. He had the sudden thought that maybe he didn't have enough experience to please her properly, but put that aside as he offered her his hand.

  Tucker spluttered. "Naomi Tucker, if you leave with that Bear—"

  "Goodbye, Father," she said coldly and put her hand on Joshua's.

  ***

  Joshua opened the door to his house, gesturing for Naomi to enter before him. She walked in, her expression blank, and glanced around. He watched her carefully, wondering what was going through her mind at that moment. Was she regretting her choice?

  "This is where we will live?"

  "Yes. We won't officially mate until the next full moon—"

  "Christmas Eve," Naomi murmured. "Do Bears celebrate Christmas?"

  "Some of us do. I usually put up a few decoration this time of year, but I've been too busy this year. Your father had been causing me a lot of problems."

  Naomi's gray eyes darkened and she shrugged, turning away from him. There was definitely more going on in her head than she was saying. But considering that she had said all of twenty words since they left her father's cabin, that wasn't very surprising. He couldn’t guess what she was feeling, whether afraid or resigned or bored.

  "Do you celebrate Christmas?" he asked.

  "We did before my mother died. Haven't since. My father doesn't like it. Says it's human nonsense." Naomi turned back to him. "You said that we won't officially mate until Christmas. But that doesn't mean we'll remain celibate until then, does it?"

  Her simple question had a dramatic effect. Joshua's loins tightened, and his gaze traveled down his future mate's body. While on the thinner side, she still had plenty of curves and Joshua couldn’t wait to taste them all. Her lips beckoned him, but he held himself back, trying not to show the effect she had on him.

  "If that's what you want, we will," he told her. "I know Wolves are a little different about these things than Bears."

  Naomi's own gaze wandered over his form and nodded as though satisfied. The pale cedar color of her cheeks darkened. "I'll have to decide on that. We only decided to become mates a few hours ago, after all."

  Joshua smiled, but before he could respond the
door slammed open. In strode a woman almost as tall and broad as Joshua himself. Blonde hair, like his, though she was somewhat paler and she never wore makeup.

  Susan. He sighed at the anger blazing on her face. Ever since they were children, Susan assumed that they would one day be mates because of her fighting prowess. Joshua himself had assumed the same for a long time, but had already decided against the female Bear. She was a spoiled, entitled brat whose violent temper tantrums got her everything she wanted. There were those in town that liked her, but Joshua wasn't one of them.

  "What is this I hear about you taking a Wolf as your mate?" Susan seethed, glaring at Joshua.

  "I'm taking a Wolf as my mate."

  Susan's eyes landed on Naomi and a growl ripped up her throat. "That little girl? You'll break her in half. Or maybe I will, to show you how weak Wolves are."

  Anger flared. Joshua was always proud of the fact that he could control his temper, but as Susan stepped towards Naomi, he found himself grabbing her by the throat and dragging her towards the door. Susan gasped as he tossed her out of his house.

  "I am tired of your tantrums, Susan," Joshua said coldly. "You are hereby banished from the bear territory for two months, or until you learn that the world owes you nothing just because you can beat up half the Bears in town. You're a bully, and unless you change, I see a dark future ahead of you."

  Susan stared at him in shock, but Joshua merely shut the door. He was done with her. He turned to Naomi, whose eyes were wide, and took a deep breath. Perhaps that wasn't the best time to banish the woman, but he wasn't going to undo it now.

  "I'll show you to your room now," he grunted, moving towards the stairs.

  Chapter Two – Naomi

  Naomi burrowed her hands deeper into the sleeves of the parka Joshua had given her. So far the fact that she had left home without any of her possessions wasn't bothering her at all. Joshua had received bags of donated clothes for her to go through the first day she was there. Bears, she decided, had excellent fashion sense.