by Vaughn, V.
I hid a smile behind my hand. I knew that I shouldn’t be amused, but it was heartening to see that shifter kids weren’t any different than regular kids. They got in trouble for the same stupid things.
“It’s not a big deal,” Cody said.
Marilee grabbed his arm. “You’re grounded. Forever.” She looked at Lukas. “Thanks, Lukas.”
Lukas nodded. “Happy to help.”
The crowd around us began to disperse as the boys were dragged away, one by one, by their outraged mothers. The sheriff watched them. His expression was unreadable. “Finding a few kids is hardly a reason to make you alpha.” The only reason I heard the snide comment was because I had moved closer to Lukas.
“The size of the problem doesn’t matter,” Lukas said. His voice held a note of a growl that told me he was just holding on to his temper. “People just need to know that they can trust me to take care of things. That’s what matters.”
“I’ve been doing that for ten years,” Sheriff Monroe said. “You’re out of your league here. Why don’t you go back to your cushy city job and leave these matters to the experts?”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Lukas said. “If you have a problem with that, take it up with the council.”
“I intend to,” the sheriff said. The two men seemed to circle each other, but neither one stepped back.
“C’mon, Maren. I’ll take you home.” Billy appeared at my side. “It’s on my way.”
“She’s riding with me.” Lukas hadn’t even turned in my direction. He was still locked in his stare down with the sheriff.
I saw Billy open his mouth to say something else, and I felt the electric charge in the air. I needed to diffuse the situation. “Thanks, Billy. It’s okay. I don’t mind. Lukas can take me.”
I saw the sheriff’s eyes move to me then. It was as if he saw me for the first time. There was a glint in his eyes as he looked me up and down. A small grin flashed across his face. “You should get that girl home, then, Lukas. You know the rules about civilians on White Oaks property after dark anyway.”
Great. More rules. But it didn’t take a rocket scientist to realize what the sheriff was really thinking. If the council had already determined the next alpha’s mate, Lukas was causing problems for himself if he appeared to be attached to anyone else. That was good for the sheriff.
Lukas whipped around, and then I felt his hand under my elbow as he guided me back toward his truck. I was inside the cab again, and we were on the road outside White Oaks before I caught my breath.
We rode in silence for several minutes.
“I’m going to the council tomorrow to tell them that I am taking the alpha claim,” Lukas finally said.
I felt my heart beat faster at his words. “Marilee told me that they have a mate picked out for the alpha. So your little plan to get information or have someone on the inside isn’t going to work. I can’t help you.”
The truck slid to a stop again. Lukas turned toward me. “I couldn’t care less what the council says. When I’m alpha, I will choose my mate. I’ll choose you, and they’ll deal with it.”
I felt slightly dizzy at his declaration. I just wished that there were actual emotions behind it. “You could lose the alpha claim altogether if you do that, Lukas. I know it’s important to you to find out what happened to your brother, but you have to be smart about this. Think about what you are saying.”
“I know exactly what I’m doing, Maren,” he said softly. “You have to trust me. Will you help me or not?”
I struggled with the rush of emotions I felt. I wanted to say no. I wanted him to leave me alone. I didn’t want to have to deal with everything I felt for him. I wanted to crawl back into my little hidey hole and forget that he ever existed in my life. But I saw the look of naked vulnerability on his face. I took a gulp of air.
“You are crazy, but okay.”
He reached out and stroked my cheek. “Thank you.” Then he started the truck moving again. We rode in silence the rest of the way to my house, both of us wrapped up in our thoughts.
He insisted on walking me to my door, even though I protested. As I started to step inside, he caught my hand. I didn’t want to look at him, but I felt his fingers kneading strong circles into my palm. It caused a flash of pleasure to run up my arm.
Even as I turned, he brought my palm to his lips, and his warm breath sent a shock of shivers through my core. He settled his lips against my skin, and then I felt the dart of his tongue as he moved it in a slow circular pattern.
He was barely touching me, yet it was the most erotic sensation I could recall feeling in years. I couldn’t move but was instead mesmerized by the sensations that crawled through my body and the intensity of his stare as he watched my expression. I felt my breath start to catch as he continued to gently tease the skin, and then he nipped it. I gasped.
“There are other ways that I can show my gratitude,” Lukas said. There was a low growl in his voice. “I haven’t forgotten a single thing about that night, Maren. Your skin. The way that you tasted. The sounds that you made when you climaxed. I think about it all the time. I’ll respect your boundaries, but just remember that all’s you have to do is ask, and I’d be happy to do more.”
And just like that, he broke the spell. I had to remember that this was a business deal. Of course, he’d be interested in the fringe benefits. Because he was a man and a jackass. I yanked my hand away from him. “This is strictly business, Lukas. Whatever that was that happened was a long time ago. I’ll help you, but it stays platonic. I don’t want anything else from you but the story. That’s all I care about.”
His mouth tightened. “Of course. The story. An all-out exploitation of the bear-shifter community.”
I shrugged. “That’s what you agreed to. If you want my help, those are still my terms.”
Lukas looked me up and down, but this time I didn’t see passion there. I saw disgust. “Maybe you have changed more than I thought,” he said. “I’m meeting with the council at ten. You need to be there. I’ll pick you up at nine.” Then he turned on his heel and made his way back to his truck.
I pushed myself into the house before he could see the tears that shone in my eyes. I let my back fall against the door, and then I slid to the ground. I brushed my tears away. He wasn’t worth it. There was no way I was letting the issue get cloudy. I couldn’t let myself fall in love with him again. I didn’t think I’d make it back out if he broke my heart again. And because it was Lukas Kasper, it was inevitable that he would.
Chapter 8
I frowned as I sat outside the gate to White Oaks. I had received a cryptic text from Lukas in the predawn hours, asking me if I could meet him there instead. I didn’t know how he had gotten my cell number, but I didn’t really care. I hadn’t been able to sleep. Now my insomnia was punctuated with anxiety around what I had agreed to do. I wasn’t sure that I could pull it off, keeping the required distance from Lukas while still pretending I didn’t care.
Looking in the mirror of my visor, I saw the dark circles under my eyes, and my skin was even paler than usual. I looked like crap, but there wasn’t much that I could do about it. Lukas had offered no explanation as to why he changed his mind about having me venture out to White Oaks by myself. I sat and waited with my car idling. Just as I was getting ready to text him to find out where he was, I heard the noise of the gate as it started to move. It slid open, and I saw Lukas standing on the other side.
Something was up, because Lukas was bare chested, and he didn’t have any shoes on his feet. His jeans were slung low on his hips, and I felt my breath hitch as my eyes feasted on his practically naked form. He seemed unconcerned about the fact that he was only half dressed, and I saw the slight twist of his mouth as I pulled inside and stopped my car next to him. I watched him as he tapped lightly on the hood and came around to the passenger side.
He slid inside, and I was immediately greeted by his familiar masculine smell. “Head to the lodge,” he said,
pointing straight ahead.
“You going to fill me in on what’s going on?” I asked, trying hard to not ogle his abs and stay focused on the road.
“Sheriff Monroe thinks he’s clever,” Lukas said. “He called an urgent council meeting last night and pushed them to make the alpha decision immediately. I found out a few hours ago.”
“What does that mean?” I wasn’t driving fast, because I had no idea what I’d find at our destination. I didn’t know the right questions to ask to know what was relevant or not.
“It means that now that I’ve made my declaration of intent official, which I did in front of them this morning, Sheriff Monroe is challenging my claim. There’s a process for resolving the matter, and that is what’s going to happen next.”
I felt a curl of dread form in the pit of my stomach. “What is this process?”
“Are you asking for your story or because you care that something might happen to me?” Lukas asked.
“It’s for the story,” I lied. I couldn’t give Lukas one iota of an idea that what I wanted from him was anything more than the story. I wasn’t sure why he seemed intent on torturing me by acting as if he wanted it to be anything else. He’d get what he wanted from me, and then he’d move on. It was his MO.
“Well, in that case, you’re going to be the first civilian to get a front row seat to it,” Lukas said. “There’s a reason it’s not something that is widely publicized, like a lot of the inner workings within the clan.” His voice held a tone of seriousness that I rarely associated with him.
“Why is that?” I pulled the car into the parking lot of the lodge. It was empty, and I had to wonder if Lukas was pulling some kind of elaborate practical joke. “And where is everyone?”
“We’re going to have a little bit of a hike into the woods to the arena,” Lukas said.
“The arena?”
“How about you let me finish your first questions before you start asking more?” He pulled his long body out of the car and stood looking toward the tree line. I turned the car off and took a deep breath. I felt like I was in over my head, but I couldn’t deny that I felt a small wave of excitement. I was going to see something that had never been seen by someone like me before. I got out of the car and moved around to stand next to him. I peered into the trees, wondering if there was something there that I was supposed to be able to see.
I felt Lukas’s gaze shift so that he was looking down at me. I met his eyes.
“Once this starts, it won’t stop, Maren. I know that everyone wants to believe that we’re just like you, but we’re not. We have our own customs and rituals, and they are as much a part of our nature as the ones that fit in your world. The animal inside me is primal and raw, and it is always right there below the surface.”
I felt a shiver at his words. His voice grew lower as he stepped into my space. “Being the alpha is in my blood. It is my right, and after this morning, it will be undisputed. Whoever goes against me will be dealt with, and when I find out what happened to my brother, I will deal with that as well. And it won’t be according to the laws of the human world. It will be dealt with according to clan law. You can’t interfere here. You are an observer, and you will be safe as long as you do everything that I tell you to do, without question. Today, I am taking back what is mine.”
The intensity of his gaze made my knees feel weak. There was an undercurrent to his words that told me that he thought that he was claiming more than just his birthright today. His world was so different than mine, but I couldn’t turn away. Not now.
“If you are trying to give me an out, you can forget it,” I said. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Lukas gave me a short nod. “Then get ready to witness your first bear match. And remember, you aren’t allowed to interfere, no matter what you see. You will do everything I say without question. Do you understand?”
He leaned down as I nodded. I didn’t back away. His voice caressed my ear. “Then we need just one more thing to make everything complete. Are you sure about this, Maren?”
“I’m sure.” My voice wavered, but it wasn’t for a lack of conviction of what I was going to do. Lukas’s closeness to me sent waves of desire through every inch of my body. I felt a shock of pain as his teeth grazed my skin at the base of my neck. My eyes flew open as I tried to back away from him then, but his arms had wrapped around me and held me against him. The pain was replaced by ripples of intense pleasure as I felt his tongue caress the place where his teeth had just been.
His head lifted, and he smiled at me with that rogue grin that always made me give in to anything he asked. “After I’ve kicked the sheriff’s ass, I will tell the council that I’ve chosen you as my mate. They would look for the mark.”
My fingers crept to the base of my neck. “You didn’t tell me that required an actual mark.”
His expression turned serious. “I told you, Maren. Today is the day that I am claiming what is mine. And that means everything.”
And just like that, Lukas Kasper closed the trap around my heart once again. Damn him.
To be continued…
More Greyelf Grizzlies
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The stakes are higher than ever.
One stumble now, and Lukas will lose it all: Maren, his alpha claim, and maybe even his life. Find out what happens next in Becoming the Alpha (Greyelf Grizzlies, #2).
About Ivy Sinclair
About Ivy Sinclair
Ivy Sinclair cut her romance teeth on classics like Gone With the Wind, Casablanca, An Affair to Remember, and Sabrina. She is a firm believer in true love, a happily ever after ending, and the medicinal use of chocolate to cure any ailment of the heart. Ivy's guilty pleasures include sushi, endless Starbucks lattes, and wine. Readers of Ivy's stories can expect smoldering sweet stories of romance that tug at the heartstrings.
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Titles by Ivy Sinclair:
Bittersweet Junction
Where My Heart Breaks
Grounded By You
Cupid’s Cupcake
Protect Her: Part One
Protect Her: Part Two
Protect Her: Part Three
Protect Her: Part Four
Protect Her: Part Five
Protect Her: Part Six
Protect Her: Part Seven
Protect Her: Part Eight
The Protect Her Box Set: Parts 1-3
The Protect Her Box Set: Parts 4-6
Full Moon Rising - Part 1 - Amy Green
Waitress Raine Greer has moved to tiny Freemont, Washington to start a new life. She's prepared for the rain — lots and lots of rain. What she isn't prepared for is that the neighbors at her remote bungalow in the woods might not be all that they seem. In fact, they're a pack of werewolves. And sexy Alec Zachary is their Alpha.
Alec has enough problems. His pack is a group of dangerous misfits who have trouble following orders, and one of them is missing. The brunette who moved into town can only be trouble. As is his instant attraction to her — and the instinct that tells him she's going to change everything.
In one shocking night Raine is plunged deep into the pack's secrets, becoming so entangled with them she may never be able to leave. At least not alive. Because once a werewolf gets under your skin, he never lets you go...
Copyright
Copyright 2015 by Amy Green. All rights reserved.
Visit Amy’s website at http://www.amygreenauthor.com
Chapter 1
Freemont, Washington
March 7
Moon Status: Four days to full
Raine Greer’s pickup truck left deep ruts in the mud of the driveway. The mud sprayed up the sides of the truck’s rusted body, where it started to run in the endless downpour, smearing and sliding back to the ground. When Raine opened the door and got out of the driver’s seat, her boots sank almost to the laces.
She curs
ed, though her boots were thick and waterproof, tall enough to lace well past her ankles. She was a veteran of Washington state’s coastal weather, and she’d dressed for it, in a heavy rain coat over her plaid shirt, jeans, and two pairs of socks inside the boots.
She fumbled through her keys, her fingers getting wet in the rain, taking a second to pull up the hood of her coat. The house key was the last one on the ring. She gripped it and jogged up the walk to the house, her shoulders hunched, her feet splashing. Dear Lord, she thought absently, Please let the roof not leak.
The little bungalow—her little bungalow—was shrouded in shadow as the early-spring day started to fade. It was set far back in the woods, surrounded by trees, on a back road outside of town. It was a single story, with just four rooms, a basement, an attic, and a rough shed out back. It sat on a worthless plot of land in the middle of nowhere, which was why it had been dirt cheap, the taxes next to nothing. The previous owner was an elderly man, now in a nursing home, whose son had unloaded the place for a song. It was musty, run down, and unwanted. And it was the first home Raine had ever owned.
She turned the key in the lock and pushed open the front door, peering through the gloom. The house was just as she’d remembered it from four weeks ago, when she’d seen it in the company of the agent, a woman who was probably forty but looked eighty and smelled like a hangover. The same scratched-wood floors, the same yellowed walls, the same damp smell. The front door opened straight into the main room, empty of furniture, the rain pouring down the outside of the windows in a steady sheet of water. Through the doorway at the back of the main room she could just glimpse the kitchen and its avocado-green 1970s-era appliances.