I jump back out of reach and circle behind him. I’m not allowing him to win with a lucky shot. Everyone knows it’s why he chose to fight in wolf form. I’ll make him work for it.
He spins to face me, obviously not wanting me at his back, and snarls. His anger causes my fur to rise, but I don’t let it distract me.
Pouncing on him and aiming for his neck, I end up with a mouthful of ear as he drops his head. His yelp of pain spurs me on to tear at it until it comes free, and I drop the piece of flesh to the ground.
He recovers quickly and throws out an identical manoeuvre.
Seeing it coming, I drop to my stomach, protecting my neck from his teeth, and then twist as he lands on top of me. My change in position throws him off target, and he scrambles for purchase as I flip onto my back and slide out from under him, ripping at his stomach with my claws as I go. Straightening up onto all fours, I jump back to get away from him in case he tries to attack.
I focus on my enemy to find him wavering on unsteady legs, blood dripping from underneath him, my claws having caused more damage than I’d thought. He howls, striking out for me sluggishly, seemingly using his last remnants of strength. I pounce sideways, hoping to get away before he hits. My side is suddenly searing in pain as his sharp teeth sink into my flesh. I bite back a whimper not wanting to give my opponent the confidence to keep fighting. His teeth connect with my ribs, and I brace myself, knowing he’ll snap them to clear the way to my organs.
An excruciating burning sensation rolls over me, and I can’t hold in the yelp this time. His jaws release me and I stumble back in a fog of pain, wanting to get as far away as possible, to give my head time to clear enough for me to focus on my next move.
I circle around him as he spins with me, not taking his eyes off me. I feign a lunge for his side. My teeth make contact, sinking into his throat. Coppery blood fills my mouth; his artery is pumping out his blood faster than he can heal. He slackens beneath me and I drop him to the ground, finally relaxing in the knowledge that I’ve won.
Wes appears before me, hands stretched out, showing he means me no harm. It throws me for a second. I know he wouldn’t hurt me, so why gesture?
Hearing a fierce snarling, I glance around the crowd to look for the wolf it belongs to, only to find the pack members on their knees with their heads dropped in submission—every single one of them.
I suddenly realise it’s me who’s snarling. I immediately rein in my wolf, persuading him to retreat as I shift back to my human form, which comes easier than usual. It still hurts, but it takes a fraction of the time, quite unusual when you counter in the fact that I’m injured, which would usually slow the process down even more. I shake the thought off along with the tingles running over my skin from the change and turn to Wes, who’s now bent over my dad.
“Is he…?” I start to ask as I reach through the bonds to feel for my father. He’s no longer there. Just an empty space where he used to be.
Wes turns at my words, staying low to the ground in submission. “I pledge my loyalty to you, Cain Wilson. The new Alpha of the Mount Roxby Pack.”
With his words, something stirs through the pack bonds. They alter as each pack member around me mutters the same words, and I suddenly become the centre of the pack, filling the space my father had vacated.
“I, Cain Wilson, live to protect the Mount Roxby Pack and its members.” The words leave my mouth before I can even register them. In the silence that follows, I wonder if I’ve done the right thing. Theo should be alpha. He’s older, wiser, not to mention stronger.
Theo’s not here, my wolf reminds me, and I understand why he jumped in and claimed the pack, taking the choice out of my hands.
The pack needs an alpha in this moment, and I’m the rightful one to fill the hole.
Six
SIN BEFORE MARRIAGE
Cain - Six years ago
A year after fighting my father and handing the pack over to Theo, it’s the eve of his wedding, and I find myself in the worst place I could possibly be—standing before his blushing bride-to-be in an empty house.
“Where is everyone?” I glance behind Selena at the large open-space living area, hoping to see someone, yet knowing I won’t because I can only feel her energy. Meaning we’re the only two people in the house. “I thought some of the girls were staying over?”
She laughs whilst walking over to the sofa. “I told Alyssa to go to Wes. You know what those two are like, forever on each other’s minds.” She pulls a blanket over her lap as she settles herself into her spot. “Chloe had a date.” Selena glances at me and winces. “I’m sorry. I know you two have been on and off lately. I….”
I shake my head. “Hey, it’s fine. We were never anything serious.” Telling her the only woman I’ve ever wanted to be serious about is her, is on the tip of my tongue, but I swallow it down.
The tension leaves her shoulders and she pats the spot next to her in invitation. “So, we’ve discovered why I’m a loner. What about you? Why aren’t you at the hotel boozing it up with Theo?” She turns her body to face me, giving me her undivided attention.
Unsure what to say, I bide my time, glancing around the room at the TV. Seeing Ian Somerhalder on the screen, I know she’s watching her favourite show, The Vampire Diaries, and missing it since it’s on mute. “Hey, you’re missing sexy Damon. I’m certainly not as interesting as him.”
Her laugh sends chills over my body. “Damon may be mighty sexy, but I care about you and why you’re not having fun like you should be,” she says, as she playfully nudges me with her blanket-covered foot.
To be honest, I don’t really know why I came. I just needed to be here. I open my mouth to tell her as much when something completely different comes out. “I need to show you something.”
I look to the door sharply, expecting to see someone there speaking instead of myself. The words register in my mind and I instantly know why I came tonight. She has no idea about the existence of werewolves, yet by this time tomorrow, she’ll be tied to one for the rest of her life. Married to Theo, an alpha werewolf. The danger that brings her way… she deserves to know it beforehand.
“This sounds serious.” The concern in her voice has me kicking myself before I’ve even started. What if I scare her and she runs away from Theo? She doesn’t have anyone but us.
I debate internally on how to tell her. Where to start. Deciding against an immediate show and tell, I take a deep breath and jump in at the deep end.
“Have you ever noticed anything strange about us? Theo, me, some of our friends?”
She frowns, her cute little nose crinkling slightly as she thinks about my question. “Not that I can think of. There are a lot of you and you’re all really close. But… nothing strange. No.”
“I don’t know how to tell you this.” I rub the back of my neck with a hand. “Jesus, who’d have thought this would be so hard?” I joke before trying a new tact, having gotten an idea from her favourite show flicking across the TV screen. “Have you ever wondered where those stories come from?” I point to the screen which now has a werewolf character on it, front and centre. “Werewolves and vampires,” I clarify.
Her brow creases once again, and I can see the deep thought on her face. “Well, I guess some people have good imaginations?” She ends the sentence high as though it’s a question.
“What if I tell you they aren’t just some creative peoples’ made-up story? What if I tell you they’re real?” I stare at her intently, wishing for her to believe me.
Her eyes widen in surprise. “If you weren’t the most serious person I’ve ever met, I’d be worried you’re playing some kind of trick on me. But you don’t do pranks.” She’s right in the fact that I don’t do pranks, not since meeting and losing her anyway. She takes a deep breath and levels me with a soul-searching stare. “Let’s say I believe you. I guess they could exist. Why is that so important on the night before my wedding?”
After taking a quick, grounding breath,
I blurt it out. “You’re marrying one, Selena. Theo’s a werewolf. We all are.”
She scoots back on the sofa, giving me as much distance as she possibly can. Her fear is palpable against my skin.
“Please don’t be scared. You’ve known us for a long time and we haven’t harmed you,” I beg, my heart hurting at the thought of scaring her.
“I’m not scared of you, Cain. I’m scared that the only people I care about in the world have lied to me for the last two years.” The sadness in her voice cuts me in two, and I suddenly think I’d rather her be scared of me.
I reach out, taking her hand in mine, not bothering to slow my supernatural movement now the cat’s out of the bag. “Selena… please don’t hate me. Or at least don’t hate Theo for it.” I snatch my hand back, angry at myself. It shouldn’t matter if she hates me, but it does. She picks up my hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze. “Our existence is a big secret. We’re ordered by our alphas to never tell anyone.”
“Alphas?” she asks tentatively.
“An alpha is the leader, the boss of the wolf pack, or family. He keeps the pack members in line, making sure nobody endangers the pack or humans.” I greedily take in her features with my eyes, trying to gauge how well she’s following.
“Are you all related? The pack.” The word rolls off her tongue without confidence, like she’s unsure of the word.
I shake my head, no. “We’re made up of lots of different families. Like a tight-knit community.”
She nods her acceptance, and before I can carry on, she asks another question. “So, if Theo couldn’t tell me because of his alpha’s order, how come you can?”
I’d wondered how long it would take her to get to the tricky questions. I stand up and start to pace the room, taking the moment of silence to think my words over before I speak them. “There’s a loophole, so to speak. Do you believe in soul mates?” I stop my pacing and pin her with a stare, needing to see the truth in her answer.
She swallows and nods. “Yes, I did, but now I’m wondering if I was being a fool.”
“Every wolf has a mate who belongs to them. Their true mate. Some wolves are lucky enough to grow up with their mate knowing them for their whole lives. Others find them somewhere down the track.” I take a calming breath before speaking my next words. “Unfortunately, that means there are the unlucky ones who never find them, too. There comes a time in a wolf’s life when he needs to decide whether he should persevere to find his true mate or to choose a suitable mate for himself.” I catch sight of Selena watching me intently as I pace. “Theo decided to choose you over searching.”
Her gasp of hurt causes me to want to slap myself. I should have handled that better. Of course, she thought she was his mate. “I’m not….”
“No, I’m sorry.” I run my hands through my hair and tug at it, trying to free my frustration.
Her hand rests on top of mine, and she eases the grip I have on my hair. “Don’t harm yourself, Cain. I know you didn’t mean to upset me.”
The fact that my words caused her pain, hurts me so much more than any tugging on my hair could have done. If only I could show her that. We can. My wolf’s words run through my head, and I contemplate them for a second. What good would telling her do?
If I say the words out loud, claim her out loud, it will only cause pain for me and most probably her too.
She’ll know she’s someone’s mate. She’ll know she is so much more than unimportant.
I frame her face in my hands and beg, “Tell me you feel it.”
“Feel it?” Her furrowed brow tells me it’s all one-sided.
Needing to spell it out, I go on. “The attraction between us. Tell me you fucking feel it too.” My wolf paces inside me, waiting for her answer, lacking his usual confidence in the matter.
She smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes, causing my heart to plummet. She’s going to let me down. “Of course, I feel it.” Her sadness is palpable. “Ever since that first day we met. But… I’m with Theo, and I….”
I search her eyes and finish the sentence for her. “Love him.” We sigh in unison. “I love him too. That’s why I’ve never claimed you, even though I know you’re my true mate.”
Her eyes widen in surprise. “Your true mate?” She whispers so quietly I can only just hear it, even with my supernatural hearing. “Me?” she asks a little louder.
“Yes.” A weight seems to lift off my shoulders as I say the word. I can breathe again, having finally spilt the beans. I’ve been so weighed down hiding my secret and I hadn’t even realised, until now. I point to the couch. “Shall we sit again? I guess I have a lot to explain.”
She nods, and we both take our seats. Selena shuffles back into the corner once again to face me better.
Taking a calming breath, I go on. “That first day I saw you, I knew you were meant for me. Your scent does things to me.” I inhale, breathing her scent in, allowing my eyes to close as a smile crosses my face, not at all conscious of showing her the reaction I’m talking about. “I left that day with a plan to come back in the morning and woo you.”
Selena frowns. “But you didn’t.”
I sigh. “No, I didn’t. When I got home, Dad sent me to do business with another pack. I arrived back to find Theo had a new girlfriend. You.” I let out a sad laugh as I look at my fisted hands. “My mate was no longer mine to claim.” I can’t help but be mad at my father for sending me away at such a pivotal moment in my life. If only he’d listened to me that night, my life could be so different now.
Selena’s hand brushes mine. My eyes come back to watch her flatten my fists as she takes my hands in hers, pulling them into her lap and shuffling closer towards me. “Cain, I don’t understand the whole werewolf and true mate thing but, if the pain and sadness I can see in your face and body are anything to go by, I know it’s taken a lot for you to live like this. Why didn’t you tell me or Theo earlier?”
I turn her hand over in mine and trace her lifeline with my index finger. “Because Theo was happy. For the first time that I could remember, he was fucking happy. He made you happy too. I couldn’t take that away from you both.” I slide my hand up her arm and edge closer to her on the sofa. “I wish I could be selfish and take you. Claim you. But I can’t. It’s too late for that now.” I feel my wolf at the surface. He wants to claim her regardless of the consequences.
Selena’s widening eyes tell me she can see him in my eyes before the change in my eyesight registers with me. “You’re not Cain,” she states, surprising me by not cowering from us as I’d imagined she would if she ever saw my wolf.
“No.” Selena flinches at the change in my voice as my wolf talks to her. “I won’t hurt you,” he says. Both of us wait on tender hooks to see how she’ll react.
Her shy smile and relaxing posture go a long way to calm both my wolf and me down. I find myself leaning closer to her as her tongue pokes out and licks her bottom lip. Still in control, my wolf takes advantage of this moment, taking her mouth with mine in a fierce kiss. She melts into me willingly as my wolf slips back into his hiding place, handing me control of myself once again. Addicted to the taste of her honeysuckle scent, I take as much as she is willing to give me. It’s been such a long time since I’ve tasted her lips, it invigorates me. I feel like I haven’t been living all this time I haven’t been tasting her. Selena’s hand roaming up my chest spurs me on, and I sink my hands in to her hair as I pull her closer towards me. There’s no turning back now. Not for me. I need to have my fill while I can.
Selena pulls back, breaking our kiss and I let her go—this isn’t a good idea anyway. It will only lead to pain and heartbreak for us all. She reaches her hand down to her waist and pulls the tie on her silk robe, revealing her hourglass figure and erasing any thoughts I had of ending this.
I brush my hands over her shoulder as I push her robe off, leaving it to drop to the sofa. “You’re absolutely stunning.” She looks even more magnificent than I’d imagined in all of my fan
tasies.
A blush runs across her face, but she doesn’t try to cover up. She kneels on the sofa before me, allowing me to take her in with my eyes. I trail my hand down over her chest and caress a circle around her nipple.
“Your touch feels so good.” She tilts her head back and closes her eyes, seemingly basking in the feel of my touch. “It’s almost like electricity running over my skin.” She’s feeling the mate connection between us as I touch her.
Part of me knows I should stop my ministrations and explain it to her, but I also know if I do, I would never start again. Leaning forward, I take the pink bud into my mouth as I allow my finger to trace circles around the other one. The needy moan that leaves her throat tells me I did the right thing. I lower her back so she’s lying on the sofa without breaking the seal between my mouth and her breast. She opens her legs to give me room between them, and my attention shifts to her other nipple.
Her hands roam over my shoulders. “Take it off, Cain.” She tugs at my cotton tee. “Please. I need to feel your skin.”
Needing to give her exactly what she wants, I grab the material at the back of my neck and I pull it over my head, throwing it across the room as she runs her hands over my chest and abs. My wolf growls his appreciation. Her wide eyes tell me I allowed the sound to escape my mouth, and I give her a sheepish smile before crushing my mouth against hers whilst her hands make quick work of my button-up jeans.
Seven
TOO MUCH INFORMATION
Cain - Present day
“Fucking hell, Cain. I don’t need to hear the gory details.” Theo’s voice pulls me back to the present. “I may be married to someone else now, but I don’t need to hear the ins and outs of you cheating with my ex-wife the night before our wedding.” He shakes his head as though to jiggle away the thoughts.
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