Chapter Eight
Liza let Caleb herd her to the car. She could have stopped him, could have gone her own way, but what was the point? He’d decided that he was going home, and this way, she got to keep an eye on him. It didn’t hurt that the eyeful was so…nice. Man. Time to get her mind on something else.
She turned sideways in her seat. “So.” She didn’t continue until he glanced over and met her gaze. “You and Zach. What exactly is going on there?”
His hands convulsed on the wheel. “You have a problem with Zach?”
Not if I get to watch. Instead of voicing the opinion — some werewolves weren’t as open-minded as she was, and she could understand where his attitude was coming from — she shrugged.
“I have a right to know. You both marked me.” She muttered, “I have no idea why.”
“Zach is my best friend. He’s also my lover. For three years now.”
“I didn’t have any idea,” she said softly. “All my reports just mentioned brief flings with women.”
“You were getting reports on me?” He sounded more interested than pissed.
She shrugged. “You’re the alpha’s heir. Plus, I get reports on everyone who leaves the pack.” She paused. “So you and Zach? That’s not a friends-with-benefits thing, is it? You love him.”
He grunted and she figured it was all the answer she would get.
“That’s why there was never any steady woman. Why bring me into the mix then? You were obviously happy before without bringing someone in you don’t particularly even like.”
He didn’t respond, and sighing, she leaned back in her seat and pretended to sleep. Her stomach was a tight knot of emotions. Anger. Desire. Confusion. The last few hours had brought about such big changes. Caleb coming home. Caleb and Zach claiming her. She should be freaking out about all of it, but it felt right. All except the animosity she still felt from Caleb. Over the past.
She was so distracted she didn’t react when he picked up her hand, lifted it to his face, and licked her palm. Then he chuckled. “I know you’re awake.”
Well, hell. In that case, she might as well get some answers. “Why the change of heart? What’s different now? You’re still gonna be alpha and I’m still just as likely to have human babies.”
Anger rose and with it a pang of disappointment. Of sorrow. He’d really been willing to throw them away, and whatever children they might have had, over an ability to shift. What was different now? Pack politics? She yanked her hand back.
“Fuck, Liza. I never cared about that.”
“Excuse me?” What an asshole. She remembered that conversation too well. If they weren’t going eighty miles per hour down the expressway, she might have strangled him. She still might.
“I was furious. And hurt,” he added softly. “I was lashing back.”
She tried to retrieve her hand, but he wouldn’t let go. She took a deep breath, struggling to keep her voice low and controlled, but man was she pissed. “Furious at me?” she countered. “You practically attacked me when you opened the door!”
“How did that conversation with my dad go anyway? Liza, I really want you to mate with my son. Go seduce him?”
His rage vibrated in the SUV, but hers matched it. He really believed this nonsense? That she’d slept with him because she was ordered to? She was so stunned that she couldn’t do more than huff and try to free herself again. A lost cause.
“If you think so little of me, why now?”
“Because you’re mine,” he snarled. “You always were; you just didn’t see it because of your damned devotion to the pack.”
She couldn’t help it. She laughed until it hurt, until just glaring at her response wasn’t enough and he pulled off onto the shoulder. He leaned over, caging her between the seat and door.
“What’s so damned funny?”
“You.” Her laughter was gone with his sudden move. “Your dad told me once you were an idiot for leaving me. I thought you were just being honest about what you wanted.” She took a deep breath that made her breasts rub against his chest. “You wasted five very long years because of that misconception.”
He glared. “Explain.”
“Why bother? You already know everything, remember?”
“Start talking before I turn you over my knee, baby.” She would have destroyed any other man that dared make that threat. But not Caleb. Never Caleb. His voice dropped to one promising sensual fulfillment, a kind of play she wouldn’t accept from anyone but him or Zach.
“Yes, I was devoted to the pack.” She lifted her hand to stroke the side of his face. “But Caleb, you were at the core of the pack.”
“And when I left?”
She let him see the bewilderment she’d never shown before, never understood before. “I don’t get this, Caleb. All the females are devoted to the pack whether they’re dominant, beta, or omega.”
He gave her a hard considering look.
“There was nothing else,” she said softly. “I couldn’t leave, and I couldn’t stay and do nothing.”
“Don’t worry, baby. When we get home, I’ll give you plenty to occupy your time.” His low sexy voice set her body to a slow burn and damn him, he knew it. He grinned. “You stayed because you hoped I’d come back.” That arrogance, that assumption she’d just fall at his feet, made her teeth ache.
“Watch it, bubba. You won’t be able to fit that ego through the door,” she snapped.
Laughing, he kissed her quickly, then pulled back on to the road. “I’m sure you’ll keep it in line.”
They hadn’t gone far before he pulled off the road and into a motel parking lot.
“I can drive if you need some sleep,” she offered.
“That’s gonna be hard to do with my cock inside you.”
Crude words but they made her instantly needy. She tried to trample it, control it, while he exited the vehicle and entered the small office. He returned in minutes, drove around the corner of the building, and carried her inside.
“We don’t have time for this,” she said breathlessly.
He nudged her towards the bed and fell on top of her. “Can’t wait,” he said, his voice low and guttural.
And gods help her, neither could she.
Chapter Nine
Liza was tempted to tug on the collar of her sweater when she entered the house, but knew it wouldn’t do any good. Even if no one noticed the marks, they’d be able to smell Caleb and Zach on her.
She heard voices coming from the office down the hall, and led the way, not surprised when Caleb held her back and entered first. Rolling her eyes, she stepped around him to take stock. Alpha, her dad, two others, and Jonas and Baker, looked up expectantly. Their curiosity quickly changed to shock when they took in Caleb. She hid her smirk at the look Jonas and Baker exchanged. They were not happy about Caleb’s return. She could feel the animosity rolling off both of them.
Her father stood and smiled, holding his arms out, but Caleb held her back when she tried to step forward. She turned her back on the room to face him. “What are you doing?” she whispered harshly.
He didn’t even look at her as he responded. “Protecting what’s mine.”
She glanced over her shoulder and saw both Jonas and Baker standing. Eyes narrowing, she took in the tense, wide-legged fighting stance both had adopted. “I’ll deal with you two later,” she said while shoving Caleb’s chest until he stepped back into the empty hall. She slammed the door behind them and almost laughed at his expression. He looked a little shell-shocked that he’d taken her direction. Hell, that was her job. Alpha and beta cared for the pack, and she was the gatekeeper.
“What the hell are you doing? ’Cause until you fire me, I still serve a purpose here. I can handle both those idiots. You don’t have to do that for me.”
God, she’d forgotten how fast he could move. One minute she was blocking the door, bitching with her hands on her hips, and the next he had her pressed to the wall, wrists held in one of his h
ands over her head. His hips pressed against her belly, his cock thick and hard, and she forgot what they were fighting about. Leaning forward, he kissed her neck, sucking her skin into his mouth as he growled.
“I outrank you here, baby. I can and will interfere if I feel the need.”
Damn it. He was making it impossible to think. She bucked against him, trying to push him away, but he just growled in reprimand. Power filled the air as her anger spiked. When she shoved his chest again, he reluctantly stepped back, a wary expression on his face.
“I think that answers that question.”
“What?” she grumbled, but didn’t pay much attention as she struggled to regain control of her magic.
“You don’t need sex to access your magic anymore.”
He was right. She’d expected her power to dissipate or get locked up again within a couple hours of having sex, but they’d just spent twelve hours in a car. She probed the power in her mind and breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn’t sex magic after all. Her mother had been right about one day setting it free. She scowled. But she had no idea how to work it, how to mold it to her uses. She’d start practicing tomorrow. For now…
She didn’t tell him what she was doing, didn’t say another word to him. He didn’t try to stop her when she reentered the room, but he couldn’t help displaying his dominance. One hand rested on her hip, while he wrapped his arm across the front of her shoulders, pinning her back against his chest. She set her hands on his forearm but didn’t try to break his hold. Sometimes it was better to let an alpha male have his way. At least he wasn’t trying to stand in front of her anymore.
Grant, the current alpha, looked Caleb up and down slowly before turning his gaze to her. His voice was dry and full of amusement. “No broken bones or blood. I’m not sure if I should be relieved you let him live or worried he won’t survive the night.”
Caleb barked a laugh and rubbed his chin on the top of her head. “She likes me enough to let me live at least a couple more days, Pop.”
Her dad grinned and winked at her. “You sure about that, boy? Never known our girl to back down from a fight.”
They hadn’t closed the office door, and she might have jumped just a bit when she heard the hard, angry voice behind her.
“What fight?”
Zach entered and Caleb let him pull her away and into his arms. After a short kiss that curled her toes, he stood behind her and put his hands in her front pockets, tugging until she leaned her back against him.
“What fight?” he asked again, softly, leaning close to her ear. His warm breath against her skin made her shiver. She shook her head, forcing her body to behave.
“Nothing. It was a joke.”
“Bad one,” he said, sliding one hand out of her pocket and under her sweater. His palm rested flat against her abdomen. The simple contact was enough to make her heart pound. Her subtle move to extricate herself only garnered a tighter hold and a low growl. She jabbed him with her elbow but didn’t try to get free again.
Grant chuckled but didn’t tease her about her predicament. Good thing. She was off balance enough as it was. Getting pissed at her alpha wouldn’t help matters. Though, she thought, frowning, how exactly was that going to work when Caleb took over? He spoke before she could worry about it.
“Since you apparently have mated with my paladin, I assume you’re staying?”
Caleb turned to look at her, gave her that slow sultry smile that made her panties melt, before answering. “Actually, I believe she’s my paladin now.”
“Not so fast, boyo,” Henry said. “There’re a few formalities to take care of first.”
Jonas stood and gave her a malicious smile that made her want to bare her teeth. “That there are,” he said, holding her gaze but speaking to her father. His challenge had to go through the pack beta. “I claim challenge rights.”
Zach jerked, but she held onto him and dug her boot heel into his foot. “Still,” she hissed.
Jonas could make a challenge against the new alpha, but it would first go through the existing hierarchy, starting with her.
“The last time you challenged me, you limped out with a broken arm and four shattered ribs,” she reminded him with saccharine sweetness.
Her statement only gave him a moment’s pause. “In an alpha challenge, you can’t use any weapons.”
Idiot. She’d only used a short asp last time because she’d been trying to head off future problems by allowing him to save face, to let him believe she’d defeated him with help.
“I don’t need any. But you’ll need a body bag if you don’t withdraw.” She shook her head in mock concern. “After I make you yield, and you will yield, the incoming beta has a right to challenge you. And he’ll win.”
“I don’t think so.” He clearly thought he had the advantage. “Let me know when and where.” He left with Baker following him. Her two remaining soldiers stood and approached.
“You want me to make the arrangements?”
“Yes. Tomorrow afternoon. Let’s get this over with.”
They left. She could feel the outrage pouring from both Caleb and Zach, but waited to speak until she heard the front door close. Zach let her pull free, and she went to perch on the edge of Grant’s desk.
“This is the way things are,” she said to them before either could find his voice.
“No fucking way.” It was Zach who spoke, anger and concern and dominance thickening his voice.
She sighed and turned her gaze to Caleb. His conflict was easy to read. “Tell him,” she said softly. His snarl filled the room, and he paced before responding.
“She can do it,” he finally told Zach, who looked completely incredulous.
“She’s human.”
“She’s a little more than that,” her father said softly, and she turned to find him sitting in the ugly green chair he’d claimed for his own years ago, one leg crossed over his knee and a mischievous grin on his face. Something in his tone got everyone’s attention. When the room focused on him, he continued. “She’s a latent werewolf and a witch who’s come into her full power, right, baby girl?”
How did he know? She nodded. “So it would seem.”
Instead of responding to her, Henry turned to Zach. “Which means, as good a fighter as she was before, she’ll be better now. Faster. Stronger. Smarter.”
Caleb cocked his head to one side and looked her over. “Is that true?”
She didn’t really know, but it felt right. “Yeah. I think so.”
Zach shook his head. “That’s not good enough.”
“Well, we’ll find out tomorrow, won’t we?” she snapped.
His eyes turned hot and carnal. Promised to follow through. “Watch it, kitten. I’m your mate, not one of your soldiers.”
If her father and alpha weren’t sitting in the room, she’d have ripped her clothes off and offered herself to him. And he knew it too, the big jerk. His nostrils flared and he strode toward her. She skipped out of way just in time.
“That can wait,” she said forcefully.
“The longer you put me off, the worse it’s going to be for you, kitten.” His smile was all kinds of devilish promise and hit her like a punch in the gut. Dear gods. What had she got herself into? She ground her molars together to keep from biting back at him, from goading him into action.
“I think we can deal with the details in the morning,” Grant said, rising to his feet, dismissal clear. “Caleb’s place isn’t exactly habitable right now, Liza.”
She nodded. No one had touched the place since he’d left five years ago. “Mine’s fine.”
She caught her father’s scowl. “Pretty isolated though.”
She smiled and didn’t even try to hide her dry amusement. “I think I’ll be fine.”
He snorted. “Maybe I was more concerned for their safety. All alone with you in the woods.”
Caleb laughed and Zach choked while her dad kissed her on the cheek. “See you tomorrow.”
&nb
sp; It wasn’t until they were inside her small house that she really focused on Zach again. None of them had bothered to stop for dinner, and he prowled the front room while she put together some sandwiches. She put them on a plate on the kitchen table and, leaning against the counter with hers, waited for the explosion. When he finally spoke, it wasn’t to her.
“You can’t seriously be planning on letting her go through with this. It’s crazy.” He shoved a hand through his hair. “She’s human.”
She swallowed her last bite and took a long drink of water. “Does he need a demonstration?” she asked Caleb.
He shook his head. “No. We can’t risk you getting hurt before tomorrow.”
“Can’t risk?” Zach sputtered. “We’re not going to risk her at all!”
That did it. His attention was focused on the wrong person. She stalked across the room and poked him in the chest with her finger. “You listen, you big oaf. I am not paladin because the alpha likes me. I fought my way into this job the same way it’s done in every other pack.”
She got his attention all right, but it was more than she bargained for. His hand was on the back of her neck, yanking her to him, before she could dodge. Shit, he was as fast as Caleb.
“One scratch, kitten,” he whispered, lips scant millimeters from hers, “and I promise you won’t be able to sit for a week.”
It wasn’t much in the way of acceptance, but it was a start. Her exhalation was pure relief, but her pride wouldn’t allow her to not push back. “I can’t guarantee that.”
“That doesn’t change anything, kitten.”
His voice rumbled against her chest, turned her nipples hard and throbbing, brought her body screaming to life. She rubbed against him without responding. What could she say even if her voice was working?
“She’s got a tough day tomorrow. I think she should get some rest,” Caleb said to Zach, but when she turned to look at him, she felt anything but tired. His grin was wicked. “Or maybe she’s too keyed up to sleep. We should help her relax.”
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