Forbidden Love (Stone Pack Book 1)

by Harper Phoenix

  ***

  The light coming through the curtains wakes me. I reached out toward Jared but find the space empty beside me. I sit up to find him hunched over the writing bureau. He turns to face me as if sensing I’m awake.

  ‘Hey, gorgeous.’ He smiles at me as if I’m the best thing he’s ever seen. Damn, he’s sexy. I walk over to him, naked. The grumbling in his chest tells me what that does to him. He pulls me onto his lap. On the desk, he has a map and a notebook. He’s been busy. Before I can look any further, he repositions me, lifting me effortlessly so I straddle him with my back to the bureau. I’m not complaining. He kisses me softly, and there is so much affection in every stroke of his tongue—every glide of his lips over mine. He tastes so good, and heat pools at my core. I want him, right there. He is aroused. His marking scent fills my nose, and I revel in it. I love that I make him feel this way. Love that he wants me as much as I do him. He deepens the kiss, tugging on my hair.

  There is a knock on the door. He throws his head back and groans.

  ‘That’s breakfast.’ He lifts me from his lap and reaches to give me a robe hanging in the closet. I cover up as he opens the door. Jared is topless, and the woman with the trolley practically swoons as she rolls it through the door, fluttering her lashes at him. I don’t think she even notices I’m in the room. It grates on me, but I let it go. Jared pays her no attention. He directs her to place it by the small table, and he comes straight over to me, lifting me into his arms. The door closes behind her, but I barely notice because of the way he is kissing me. I tune everything else out. My stomach rumbles so loudly it makes him chuckle against my lips. The smell of breakfast has definitely made me hungry. I can’t wait. I want him on the bed. Instead, he walks over to the table and chuckles again as I protest.

  ‘You’re hungry.’

  ‘I’m horny,’ I counter, pouting. He throws his head back and laughs.

  ‘What kind of man takes advantage of a starving woman?’ I stand and lean into him, pressing my whole self against him. He closes his eyes.

  ‘Devon, I want to fuck you in more ways than I can count, but you are hungry, and I want to feed you. So sit that sexy ass down and eat—fast.’ He chuckles as my eyes widened at his humour.

  He’s ordered a feast. We eat bacon and eggs, toast, pancakes with syrup, and drink copious amounts of coffee. He sits in the chair opposite me—his chest bare. I can hardly take my eyes off him. Gorgeous doesn’t cover it. He’s fucking godlike. And he wants to be with me. That part still astounds me. As far as I’m concerned, we are in a completely different league. Girls like me don’t get guys like him. Jared though, is willing to leave everything behind for me.

  ‘A penny for your thoughts?’

  I blush a little, not really wanting to share what I was thinking.

  ‘Just you, and me, us.’ I shrug my shoulders,

  ‘That’s what I’ve been working on this morning.’ He points over to the bureau. ‘Places we can go to live. Or we could travel, or we could just stay put.’

  I look on in confusion. How can we stay put? I thought that was decided and out of our hands. Jared explains.

  ‘My father called earlier. He isn’t willing to lose me or the pack members that are willing to leave with me.’

  I gasp louder than I realised I had. He smiles. ‘I have some good pack mates.’

  ‘So what does this mean for us?’

  ‘It means that if we want to stay in the pack, we can. But, if you don’t want to, I’m with you a hundred percent?’ I’m stunned. From the previous night, to this, in a matter of hours. I don’t know whether I’m coming or going. I don’t know what I really want to do either. I’m not used to living within a pack. I’m not used to their rules or their way of life. But Jared was a huge part of his pack, and if we stayed, he would one day lead it.

  ‘Jared, I really don’t know what it’s like to live as a pack. I don’t know what we would be missing—what you would be missing. I can’t make this decision, it’s not mine to make, it’s yours.’ He shakes his head rapidly.

  ‘No, it isn’t just mine. It’s ours. I want you to be happy, wherever we are. And if that means leaving my pack then so be it.’

  I love him so much I nearly burst. He will give up everything he’s ever known, for me. I wasn’t going to have that though.

  ‘I know you would be happier surrounded by your friends.’

  ‘Our friends,’ he interrupted.

  ‘And that is what would make me happy too. It may take some adjusting, but I want to fit in.’ He rolls his eyes.

  ‘Like you don’t already?’

  So that was that. Jared spoke to his father again while I got ready. I could hear snippets as I let the water cascade over my head in the shower.

  ‘If you treat her like an outsider, dad—’ Jared must have been moving around. ‘I don’t want anyone else—’

  Arrgh, it is frustrating to only hear a little bit. I have washed and rinsed my hair before Jared steps in behind me. His arms going around my waist and his lips finding the curve between my shoulder and neck as he pulls my body in to his.

  ***

  Jared is insistent that I move into the house with him and his pack. I’m reluctant though because Kristen is still there. I know she’s grieving, but after the stunt she pulled, I could happily finish what we started. So for now, I’m insisting on staying in my room with Maiya. Jared has other plans like seducing me into his bed at every opportunity. He thinks I don’t know what he’s doing when he has a beer late, so he can’t drive me home. He’s literally pulling out all the stops—he’s relentless. He unpacks my bag each time I pack my toiletries, and he puts my shit in his cupboards, on his shelves, and in his closet. He really is determined.

  I do love it here, but I don’t love sharing air with her. I hate seeing her, let alone thinking of her with him—that she’s had what’s mine. It makes me murderous. And that atmosphere isn’t good in any situation. But I still find myself at the dining table with her, despite my many efforts to thwart it. I can’t even bring myself to give her my condolences. How evil does that make me? I’m even kind of glad she’s hurting. Although I’m not glad her uncle died. From what Jared has told me of him, he was a great guy. I’ve expressed my sadness to everyone else. She is getting jack shit from me. I will simply ignore her existence.

  ‘Hey, sweetness.’ Brad chimes and kisses my cheek as I sit down, ignoring Jared’s homicidal look. I giggle as Brad winks at me, making Jared even more furious.

  ‘Calm down, big man. I’m not making a play for your girl.’ This has become routine with Brad, he pushes and pushes Jared, but he is completely non-threatening. He’s just a wind-up merchant.

  ‘Put your lips near my female again, and I’ll rip em off and stick em so far up your ass—’ Hysterical laughter erupts as Brad pouts, doing kissy lips in my direction. You have to laugh. Jared pulls me onto his lap and kisses me hard. Laying claim. As if anyone in the room questions it. When he lets me up for air I notice Kristen looking my way, I smile. Yeah okay, it is bitchy but hell, I’m not above one-upmanship and I sure as hell have one up on her right now. I try to ignore her snarky comments all the way through dinner, and I find myself biting my tongue so many times I almost choke on it. But Zoe doesn’t hold back after Kristen bitched her out.

  ‘You have no room to talk. Just lately you fuck anything with a dick and a pulse, so don’t you dare fuckin’ comment on my sex life when you know fuck all about it,’ Zoe shouts. Everyone goes quiet, as Zoe lays into her,

  ‘How dare you! I do not fuck anything. In case you’ve forgotten, I was saving myself until recently.’ She stares right at me. Oh hell no.

  ‘You know what?’ I stand. I’ve had enough. ‘You should shut your cum catcher and sit the fuck down. We all know you come back reeking of a different man every morning. You wanna be a slut, go right ahead, but don’t comment like the fucking Virgin Mary when someone else has a good time.’

  Her eyes go wide, and she stut
ters. I sit back down and look around. Zoe is grinning so hard, and Brad is all red faced and making noises because he’s trying to hold his laughter in.

  The rest of the table, including Kristen, are gaping at me like I just grew an extra head. Then the slut herself has something to say.

  ‘Who the fuck do you think you are, speaking to me like that? This is my house, my pack. You don’t even belong here. You’re a fucking outsider. A mutt—’

  Jared moves so fast I don’t see it. He’s in her face and her mouth snaps shut.

  ‘One more fuckin’ word, Kristen, one more!’ he growls. She stutters and starts to say something, but he holds his hand up to silence her. ‘I’m not done talking.’ She closes her mouth. ‘I’m the alpha here—remember that. In this house, on this land, I AM ALPHA.’

  She cringes at his tone. ‘Devon is my female. So tell me, Kristen, what does that make her?’ He uses a calm but intimidating tone. Her lips twist up as she fights back tears. Everyone is on their feet, obviously expecting another fight between the two of us. I stay sitting this time, waiting for her answer.

  ‘Answer me, Kristen,’ Jared demands. But again she doesn’t speak. ‘Okay, I’ll remind you since you’ve clearly forgotten how this shit works. Devon is the alpha-fuckin’-female. That clear for you, Kristen? Or do I need to repeat myself?’

  Tears fill her eyes and her lip trembles. I’m not sure if she’s genuinely upset or if it’s frustration. On the inside, I’m doing a little victory dance, but on the exterior, I’m a poker queen. Giving her nothing. Jared is clearly pissed that he still hasn’t had an answer because he yells and I jump out of my skin. ‘DO I NEED TO REPEAT MYSELF?’ Kristen suddenly comes to her senses and answers, simply shaking her head before she leaves the kitchen. Everyone remains quiet until we hear her door slam shut upstairs. Then both Zoe and Brad double over laughing. Zoe is practically hysterical, and that makes everyone else laugh. They say laughter is infectious and in this case it really is. We are all laughing in no time. Except Jared.

  ‘I don’t even know why I’m laughing,’ I squeal holding my side. It was hurting now, but it felt so good. Zoe busted laughing again.

  ‘Cum catcher…’ she roars out, tears streaming down her face. Eventually, we all calm down enough to finish our food. I really feel at home with these guys. After the episode with Kristen I decide that I really need to stay in my room tonight, and since all the guys are going out, I’ve told Maiya that I’ll go to some sort of literature shindig at a local café bar. So although reluctant, Jared decides he will go out too.

  After a good night at the bar, I’m glad to get back and kick my heels off. We’ve both had too much to drink, and all I want to do is get my pj’s on and climb into bed. I don’t even take off my makeup, I’m so beat. I text Jared goodnight, and he replies,

  Miss you baby, sweet dreams x

  I put my phone on charge and climb under the comforter. I’m so ready to crash.

  Someone is in our room. It’s dark and I’m still drunk, but I fight against heavy eyelids and open my eyes. More than one intruder…Hands grab me. It’s a man. No, a kitsune. I kick out in every direction, trying to throw my attacker off. I bite at everything in the vicinity of my mouth, and I punch with everything I’ve got. I may as well be throwing cotton balls at him for the good it’s doing me. I scream, but all my efforts are easily outmatched, there is nothing I can do to stop them. Darkness.

  ***

  I come to, and I’m handcuffed to a bed. My arms are aching badly. Who knows how long I’ve been in this position? The cuffs are cutting into my wrists, and my right shoulder feels like it could be dislocated. I quickly assess the rest of my body, checking each part off in my head. Head fuzzy but otherwise fine, my face hurts badly, but I did take a beating. My left shoulder is aching but fine, my right arm, numb, other than the absolute agony of my shoulder. Wrists are bleeding from the cuffs, but the rest of me is intact. I sigh in relief. A noise in the corner gets my attention, and I try and fail to move away from it. I cry out as my shoulder twists at its awkward angle making bile rise from my stomach. I vomit, unable to keep it down.

  ‘Hurts like a motherfucker doesn’t it?’ A guy says, stepping around to where I can see him. But I don’t need to see him to know who it is. Blue eyes. The kitsune. I growl deep with all I can—a warning for him to stay the fuck away. But what comes out is more like the squeal of a dying animal. Not what I was going for.

  ‘What do you want?’ Again, I go for tough bravado, but my face must be a huge mess because what I said sounds more like ‘Wah duuh yooo waaah.’ I wanted to curl up and cry—what a fucking mess I’m in.

  My body is trying to heal. I can feel it, but I’m so weak that I’m not sure it can. My mumbling makes him crack up, he bends over at the waist, laughing uncontrollably. Sick fuck. ‘What the fuck do you want from me?’ I scream. His laughter continues, only making me more desperate to get loose, just to ram his fucking head into the wall and shut him up.

  ‘If what you’re trying to ask is why you’re here handcuffed to this bed? Well, it’s a long story really, but the short version is because your parents went against nature, and fucked, making a little half-breed. And we decided that we could use a hybrid to our advantage. So you see, what I am doing at this moment in time is testing what you can handle—how far I can go before you break. How much you can take before the healing stops.’ He steeples his fingers when he speaks. He sounds like a mad scientist, pleased with the results of his experiment. I glare at him through the one eye that isn’t swollen closed and curl my lip up in a snarl. All I do is cause myself more pain. He doesn’t react in any way. In fact, he comes closer, and then I felt the sharp jab of a needle as he smiles a maniacal smile. It is the last thing I see before everything goes black.

  Jared

  I’m gonna tear the fucking town apart if someone doesn’t give me something soon. How the fuck can she just disappear without a trace? Brad comes through into the kitchen where I’m pacing. He has his laptop in his hand.

  ‘I’ve got all the CCTV footage from the campus.’ He shakes his head, gritting his teeth.‘You’re not gonna like it.’

  I snatch the thing from him and put it on the table.

  ‘Just fucking show me!’ I bellow. Brad flinches but does as I ask. Howard comes into the room and stands over my right shoulder while Brad plays and replays the footage. A black van, with a fake plate, parks up in the small car park and four guys get out, all dressed in black garb. Not one of them shows their face. They fucking know where the cameras are. Then Brad fast-forwards about ten minutes, and we watch all four of them walk out, one carrying what looks to be a black sack. A fucking full sack with a dead weight inside. Jesus fucking Christ. I make him run over the footage again and again. There is no movement from that sack. Meaning she is either unconscious or dead. I refused to believe the latter.

  ‘I need an ID on that van, and I need eyes on where it went. Now.’ I clench my fists and try to focus. I let out a roar of frustration. Some bastards have my woman, and I have nothing. Not one fucking piece of information on who has her or where she is. I’m sinking, drowning in my head. Everything is meaningless without her. I have to fucking find her. I heave into the sink bringing nothing but bile up. What the fuck are they doing to her? Zoe hands me a glass of water. I swill my mouth, but I’m overwhelmed with emotion. I launch the glass and fall to the floor, and I cry like a fucking baby.

  ‘Hey!’ Howard shouts as he toe-prods me, ‘Get the fuck up and sort yourself out.’

  I stand and shove him away hard. ‘Fuck you!’ I yell at him.

  ‘No. FUCK you! You’ve given up already! We’re in there working our fucking asses off to find your female, and you’re in here falling apart in a snotty mess. Wake the fuck up, brother.’ He gets in my face, and I don’t even care. He’s right. What good am I doing her?

  I find Brad in the study. He has every angle of the dorm and street cameras hacked and on the multiple screens in front of him. I star
t pacing. Our noses came up blank in the first instance, whoever took her wasn’t a wolf, but they weren’t human either. My guess was the fucking kitsunes. Had to be. They covered their hides, rendering all our usual ways of seek and rescue useless. So here we were, desperately searching in ways we weren’t used to. How humans ever found anyone was beyond me. I feel myself slipping again when Brad suddenly points at the screen like an excited child.

  ‘Gotcha, you bastards.’

  I stop pacing and stare at the screen over his shoulder. He has the van—it moves along and then pops up on another camera, and then another. He has their direction and is now trying to narrow it down.

  ‘I’m gonna get on the road and head in that direction. I’m taking my bike—it’ll be quicker. I want you,’ I point to Howard, ‘to follow me up with the pickup. Bring Zoe—we may need her.’ He nodded his agreement and beat feet to get organised. ‘Brad, keep doing what you’re doing, brother. I’m fucking hanging on by a thread here, and I’m relying on you.’

  He doesn’t stop what he is doing but gives me a dismissive wave over his shoulder. ‘Go. I’ll keep you posted. Wear your Bluetooth.’

  I’m already out of the door and on my bike before I hear the garage door creak. With Brad in my ear, giving me directions, I full throttle my bike the whole time. I pull into a fuel station when Brad tells me this is as far as he could track them. I fuel up and grab an energy drink, and then I go for a walk around the place. They’d stopped here, so I wanted to try and catch a scent—something. Anything. All I could get was the same shitty fucking scent I got at her dorm. My ear bleeped.

  ‘Tell me you have something brother?’

  ‘Oh, I have something.’