Stop it! Don’t think about guys.
For herself and no one else, she applied some makeup. It relaxed her to do cat eyes and wings. For a time, she had considered going into the makeup industry instead of fashion. She had dreams of painting the faces of the stars.
That would never happen, but now, she had a grander dream. If she ever made enough capital, she would love to be able try to launch her own line of fashion designs. She had entire portfolios filled to the brim with designs and sketches.
But for now, she was keeping an eye on the trends. Fashion tended to evolve and change quickly, which made blogs like hers necessary. She had interviewed several prominent fashion figures before. Some of the meetings had even been face to face. Although her friends had worried if she would be frightened or tongue-tied, she had such fun, amazing times with it.
Maybe one day, instead of painting the stars’ faces, her threads would be covering their bodies.
After brushing her long black hair, Olivia was ready to go. She grabbed her black clutch and headed out the door. The store was a ten-minute walk away, and she opted to not drive. She was one of those women who lived in heels, so the trek wouldn’t be an issue for her.
Gradually, the residential area gave way to shops and stores. Before she could turn onto a busy street, the hairs on the back of her neck rose. Someone was following her.
Olivia sped up and didn’t bother to turn around. Whoever it was, she could handle him or her if the person wanted to give her a hard time.
When the wind shifted, she discovered two things. First, the person wasn’t human but a werewolf, and second, the werewolf smelled familiar.
“Thug,” she muttered to herself.
Although she hadn’t slowed down, the person behind her was catching up. She broke out into a full run, but it didn’t matter because it wasn’t just this thug who was after her. The main asshole, the one who had verbally given her grief, stepped out from an ally to cut her off.
She paused and glanced around. Five werewolves were surrounding her.
Olivia halted and glowered at the thug who moved to stand by the main asshole.
“Well, well, well,” the asshole said. “Look who we have here.”
Thug leered at her. She made the mistake of rolling her eyes as she got a glimpse of his pants. He was hard already. She wanted to squirm, remembering how he had rubbed against her ass at the club.
“My friend here,” Asshole continued, clasping Thug on the shoulder, “can’t stop talking about you. He wants you real bad. Why don’t you be a good little wolf and lie down on your stomach so he can take you and be done already?
Olivia crossed her arms. “I’m not a good little wolf, and I’m not lying down for anyone. Why don’t you all just take your macho attitudes, pool your resources together, and try to avoid surgeries so that you can have your dicks resized. They’re all the size of peas, right? Clearly, you’re overcompensating for something.”
“They don’t have surgeries like that,” one of the other goons said.
“No? Well, there are plenty of dick enlargement products for you to all try. Why not get started tonight?”
Olivia turned around and went to brush her way past the goons, but they closed in around her, tightening the circle.
Someone laid a hand on her. She whirled around. Thug, of course.
“Unless you want me to bite your hand off,” she growled, “unhand me.”
Thug laughed and thrust his pelvis toward her. “Come on, baby, let’s dance.”
She rolled her eyes. “No thanks.”
An idea came to her.
“I don’t ever lay down for guys whose names I don’t know.” She held up a hand. “Not saying I would for you, but…”
Thug grinned wide. His teeth were perfect, but one of the front teeth was gold. “I’m Craig Walt.”
“Nice.” She turned to Asshole. “And you?”
“You should be telling us your name,” he said.
“Not until you all tell me yours,” she said sweetly, hating herself for flirting with them. She was that desperate to get away from them though. She would do just about anything to flee the scene.
Just not that, not giving into Thug Craig Walt.
“Alan Simon Sampson.”
Olivia smirked. His initials were perfect.
She didn’t want to give her back to ASS or Thug, but she had to learn the names of the others. She shifted to squirm into the circle between ASS and one of the goons.
“And your friends?” she asked ASS.
“Howard Dybee, Darnel Dartles, and Louis Dough.”
“Ah, very nice to meet you all.” Olivia ran the names over in her head. She did not want to forget any of them. “I would love to talk more, but I… I have a job interview lined up and—”
“If your boss is a male, he’ll hire you on the spot,” Thug said. Then he actually licked his lips.
What a barbarian.
“I hope it goes well,” Olivia said, ignoring him, “I really can’t be late, so if you’ll excuse me…”
She turned to run away, but ASS grabbed her elbow.
“You never did give us your name,” he said.
“No?” she asked innocently. She motioned him closer and whispered in his ear, “Inya Dreams.”
Then, she dared out of there and into the first store she came across. She dashed all the way to the back and tried to hide without being obvious about it.
Oh, man, was she so fucking sick and tired of this. If this kept up, she was ready to go back home to Toledo. She didn’t need this.
Chapter 3
Grayson did not wake up with a headache. He never did. Before bed, he always drank a bottle of water. Whether or not the water was necessary, he didn’t know. Perhaps werewolves were immune to hangovers, but they could and did become drunk on occasion.
When the sorrow and the grief became too much for him, Grayson would indulge. He wouldn’t drink to the point of being drunk, and he did not drink every day. When he was in full alpha mode, he could bottle down his grief enough to function. When that grief would refuse to be squashed down, then he would turn to a physical bottle.
Most of the day, Grayson had been dealing with one of his werewolves. Dave Grifford worked next to an office run by a human. Dave and this human did not get along at all. Not even a little bit.
This happened often, clashes between werewolves and humans. While humans did not know about the existence of werewolves, humans feared them just the same. Their sixth sense would tell them that something was off about the werewolves, and they would become defensive and belligerent.
For hours, Grayson listened to David rant and rave about the human. It took several phone calls, but Grayson found another office where Dave could relocate. It then took another hour to convince David to move there.
By the end of it, Grayson was nearly ready for a drink.
He was just settling down to eat some chicken carbonara that one of his werewolves have made for him when a knock sounded at the door.
Sighing, looking longing at his plate, Grayson stood without having a single bite yet.
“Come in,” he called. He always kept his front door unlocked. Even though his kitchen wasn’t near the front door, any werewolf would be able to hear him.
The door creaked open and shut. From the sound of the person’s tread and his smell, Grayson knew it was Edward Creek, his beta, before he stepped into the kitchen.
“That looks delicious,” Edward said, sniffing.
Grayson’s beta was a short, stout werewolf. Well, stout might be generous. Edward enjoyed eating a little bit too much. Werewolves couldn’t become obese. Their metabolisms ran too high, but that didn’t stop Edward from trying to gain weight. He inhaled everything in sight.
“Do you want some?” Grayson asked.
Edward shook his head. “I better not. Laurie will kill me if I do. She’s insisting that I take better care of myself. The doc says I’m perfectly healthy, but you know ho
w wives…”
Grayson grimaced and sat back down. He nodded to a seat, and Edward took the chair beside him.
“What is it?” Grayson asked, perhaps a bit harsher than he should have.
“For the past few days, there have been rumors circulating that some outsider werewolves have been prowling around. At first, people weren’t sure if they were loner, if they were looking for a new pack, if they were passing through…”
“And?” Grayson asked. He figured he had shown enough interest and resumed eating. Well, started eating would be more accurate.
“The werewolves seem to be friends. Maybe a pack of their own. Maybe they’re just the tip of another pack looking to impinge our territory. I don’t know.”
“How many men?”
“Five.”
“How many in total?”
“Five.” Grayson lowered his filled fork to his plate. “A pack can’t survive with only male members.”
“Of course not but they might just be scouts.”
“War?” Grayson asked. “That’s ridiculous. Werewolves don’t go to war. Fight, yes, the occasional battle for the right to be alpha, sure, but a full-scale war and domination over another pack just isn’t done.”
“I am telling you, Grayson, these werewolves are terrible men. The reports I’ve heard—”
“Why am I just hearing about this?” Grayson roared.
Edward swallowed, the sound audible, his Adam’s apple extremely prominent. “Er, well, you see, I was… with the week it is… I thought…”
“I thought I was alpha,” Grayson grumbled.
Not that I wished to be alpha. If he weren’t, he would’ve been able to mourn his wife already. He would’ve been able to move on. He wouldn’t still feel her loss as keenly as he did. Honestly, it felt as if she had died only yesterday.
But Patty would be furious if he tried to step down. Besides, he could not just give the title over to someone else. It would have to be stripped from him, through his death.
Then again, he had given Jasper the right to form his own pack within the city. Perhaps now that she had lived here for some time now, Alexis would feel comfortable enough for the two packs to merge. Jasper was well respected and beloved. The werewolves had been sorry to see him go but had wished him well. When they realized he would remain in Detroit after all, the werewolves had cheered and howled in approval.
He would have to wait and talk to Jasper first. Who would have to talk to his wife.
Wife. Patty.
Grayson glowered at his water. He needed something stiffer to drink.
Just then, someone began to bang on the door, frantic and furious.
The alpha glanced at Edward. Who could that be?
Grayson had time to stand when the knocker shouted, “Is this Grayson Earle’s residence? I need to talk to him, and I need to talk to him now!”
He didn’t recognize the female’s voice. A glance at Edward revealed the beta didn’t know who she was either.
Before Grayson could make it all the way to the front door, the woman was calling again.
“Do you know where Grayson Earle is? Maybe Alexis gave me the wrong address…”
The last was mumbled, but Grayson still heard it. He opened the front door to see a tall, curvy woman with long, black hair. Her eyes were wide, her dress beautiful. He stood six inches taller than her, which was a surprise. He normally was much taller than women.
The woman, a werewolf he had never seen before, straightened and glowered at him. “Are you Grayson Earle?” she demanded.
“I am.”
“Good.” She brushed past him inside his house.
He glanced at her then the door and back again. “Would you have tried the doorknob if I hadn’t answered you quicker?”
“You didn’t answer quickly,” she said hotly.
“You didn’t answer my question.”
She shrugged. “The thought crossed my mind. I’ve been meaning to introduce myself to you, but that can wait. You have to do something about those asshole werewolves.”
Grayson narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “What asshole werewolves? I can assure you, ma’am—”
She winced. “Don’t ma’am me. My name is Olivia.”
“I can assure you, Olivia—”
“I can assure you that these assholes are indeed assholes. That they aren’t in your pack doesn’t mean anything. You’re the alpha of Detroit, right? You have to do something about them. The sooner the better.”
He bristled, wanting to snap at her for being so rude to him but her elevated heartbeat, the dilation of her pupils, and her rapidly rising and falling chest distracted him. She was visibly frightened and worried.
“What did they do to you?” he asked.
“The one… He…” She stared at the floor as if debating how to phrase it. Then, she nodded and stared the alpha in the eye. “He rubbed his cock against my ass at a club twice even after I asked him to stop.”
Her bluntness surprised him, but it also pleased him. He hated when people beat around the bush.
“Anything else?” he asked, hoping that was all.
“Not enough for you to act on? I realize I’m not a member of your pack either, but—”
He held up a hand, interrupting her after she had cut him off so many times already. “Whether or not you are in my pack, that behavior is unacceptable. In fact, if a werewolf had done that to a female human, that would still be unacceptable.”
She blinked a few times, clearly surprised by his response. Her eye makeup was flawless, but her eyes were a little red. She hadn’t cried, but she had wanted to. This werewolf was strong.
“What else happened?” he asked.
“That… incident happened a week ago. When I went to leave the club with a friend, Craig Walt, he’s the… rubber… he showed up in the parking lot. Some of his friends showed, and one of his buddies, an asshole named Alan Simon Sampson and I went back and forth. Earlier tonight, five of them surrounded me. Craig, Alan, and three goons named Howard Dybee, Darnel Dartles, and Louis Dough. Craig said some disgusting remarks about wanting to take me from behind, and Alan said I should just let him have a go. I was afraid they would hold me down and…”
“How did you get away?” Grayson asked. A safe assumption, at least he hoped it was, since her dress wasn’t ripped, she didn’t seem bruised or dirty, and her makeup seemed perfect to him.
Olivia grimaced, and her shoulders slumped. Despite how clearly difficult it was for her to talk about all of this, she had seemed strong, confident. Now, she seemed more terrified again.
No. Angry. When she lifted her gaze to meet his, he saw anger in her eyes.
“I had o flirt my way out of there,” she said. “I don’t want to have to worry about running into them again. They need to be dealt with. If they’re targeting me, they’re probably targeting other females. I’m fine getting a gun. I will fight them as a wolf. I will not hesitate to defend myself. That’s not the protection I need. I… It’s not about me. It’s about keeping Detroit safe for everyone. They need to be gone.”
Grayson nodded firmly. “I agree. Thank you for coming here and telling me. I promise you that this matter will be taken care of.”
“Personally?” she asked.
“It will be dealt with,” he said.
That seemed to satisfy her.
“Good. Okay. Thank you. I’m sorry for coming here like this, but I thought you should know.”
“I appreciate it.” A hunger pain came over him, and he blurted, “Have you eaten yet?”
Her eyes widened in shock, and he winced. He wasn’t hitting on her. Moon above them, he wasn’t. Not after what she had been through and he wasn’t ready to flirt with a woman yet. He was too much in love with his wife.
“I have chicken carbonara. A whole tray. It’s too much for me to eat,” he added lamely.
“I’m fine. You go eat.” Her eyes flashed with disappointment. She nodded to him and left, almost slamming the d
oor behind her.
Should he have offered to drive her home? Had she walked here? He hadn’t heard a car pull up, but he could have missed it. Or had she been upset that he wasn’t tending to the issue immediately? A man needed to eat.
He reached for the doorknob to see if he could help Olivia on her way home, wherever that was, when Edward approached.
“I heard everything,” Edward said.
“That’s a little creepy,” Grayson muttered.
Edward lifted his eyebrows. “I wasn’t aware that was a private conversation.”
“It wasn’t.” The alpha shook his head.
“Those werewolves are dangerous. That’s what I was trying to tell you. They’ve threatened others. They’re here for one reason.”
“To take the pack from me,” Grayson said.
“To try to,” Edward corrected, “and yes. There’s one measure you can take that will immediately help you to reestablish your control on Detroit.”
“And that is?”
“You must marry,” Edward said, much to Grayson’s dismay. “An alpha in mourning is always seen as weak. Too distracted by grief to handle what matters most. Others will pounce. If not this group, then another. It was only a matter of time.”
Chapter 4
Olivia’s phone had been ringing off the hook since she called Alexis and demanded to know about the alpha, his name and his address. She had turned the ringer off while talking to the alpha. Now, she was riding in a cab back to her place. The alpha lived too far for her to walk there. She had been so upset about the whole situation with the assholes that she had transformed to her wolf and slinked in the shadows to make her way to his place. She had carried her clothes in her mouth. She didn’t want to have to do that on the way back home. The chances of getting caught if she continued to push her luck were far too high. That was the last thing she needed.
Now that she felt relatively safe in the cab, she checked her phone. Fifteen missed calls, ten voicemail messages, and thirty texts. All from Alexis.
She texted that she was all right, that she was five minutes from her apartment, and that she would call when she got home.
Protecting Their Home (To Love And Defend Book 4) Page 4