by Ava Walsh
"You'll get dressed now and come to breakfast," Tamara responded. "I don't want my little angels exposed to your fornication."
Jackie gasped, but Myles only laughed, and there was an answering giggle from outside the door before Tamara’s footsteps retreated. The Alpha looked more relaxed than he had been in a long, long time, and Jackie wanted nothing more than to ignore Tamara's warning. Just looking at Myles with his arms stretched above his head and that lazy grin on his face made her want to mount him again.
To her embarrassment she felt blood rushing into her face and she slipped out of bed, reaching for her clothes. "We'd better get going, then."
"Tamara wasn't being serious. She was just warning us that the girls will be up soon and we don't have much time if we want to have more fun."
Myles reached for her again, but Jackie shook her head and slipped from his grasp as she imagined the four little girls bursting in on them while they were making love. The conversation about her pregnancy had been awkward enough, even though Myles had been matter-of-fact about the whole thing. The last thing she wanted was to tell the girls about the birds and the bees!
"I'm not going to be naked in bed when your nieces decide to come wake us up," she said flatly.
"You don't have to be naked. I'll just pull your underwear out of the way like I did last night." Myles grinned at her glare, but he swung out of bed as well. "You're probably right. We do need to get dressed. We only have two hours until the trial."
"An hour and a half," Jackie corrected. "It's at nine-thirty, not ten. And at nine you have Christina Ericson coming to see you about getting an irrigation system for her fields."
"I don't know why you have to pack everything in so close together while we're here," she continued, yanking on a pair of clean socks. "Why not just stay a couple of extra days and take time with this trial, rather than having a meeting half an hour before it starts and then planning on taking a trip to the school at two… how do you know the trial will be over by then?"
Myles flashed a grin that exposed his long canines. "Oh, it'll be over by then."
"How do you know?" she insisted.
"Werewolf trials are different to human ones."
Jackie didn't press for more information. Shrieks rang through the house, indicating that the girls were awake. She hurriedly finished dressing, yanking on a shirt and pants. They weren't her usual business suit, but that was okay. Among the pack she felt more at ease in comfy clothes, rather than keeping her body in control with the highly structured pencil skirts and jackets.
All throughout breakfast, people kept popping in. Some of them had requests to make of Myles, others had small gifts for Jackie. All of them rubbed her belly, and if the baby kicked at any of them they laughed and said they were blessed by the Alpha's child. Getting touched by strangers wasn't exactly Jackie's idea of a good time, but somehow with the pack it felt normal, and she was soon offering her belly for pats.
By the time Harley arrived, it seemed like the whole pack was hanging around the house. Myles stood at Harley's approach. The Alpha snarled under his breath, and the whole house grew still.
"I see that you managed to avoid jail, even though you mated a human female without human governmental permission," Harley said, his hands clenched so tightly that his tendons popped. "Is that what you spend your money on? Instead of helping your own pack, you waste money on private jets and this slut?"
Angry cries burst from many of the gathered people, and Jackie gasped. So giving checks left and right wasn't helping his own pack? She felt a well of defensiveness rising in her. She wanted to attack the man, not because of what he had called her, but for what he had insinuated about Myles. If she could, she would have snarled.
"You think attacking my brother will make me come back to you?" Tamara shouted, and several of the werewolves around them nodded in agreement. "You have no right to me or my daughters!"
A snarl from Myles silenced everyone. He straightened, shoulders back, and it hit Jackie suddenly that he was the tallest werewolf in the room. Harley didn't back away from him, though.
"Did you attack my reputation by telling the humans that I mated a female without their permission?"
"I did. You are not worthy of being our Alpha. And more than that, you have kept me from my mate for years. I will fight for her until I see you destroyed!"
Myles's expression didn't change. He turned to Tamara. "Do you wish for him to keep fighting for you?"
"No," she spat. "I wish to be free of him, once and for all."
Harley snarled, looking furious. "You are mine, woman!"
"I am my own!"
"You have admitted to attacking me," Myles growled. "Therefore you either challenge me for the leadership of this pack, or you leave our packlands and never return."
Jackie gasped, but she was the only one who seemed surprised. The werewolves all nodded in agreement with Myles. Surely without their support Harley wouldn't go against him?
Harley's canines grew as he pulled his lips back. "Then I challenge you."
Chapter Ten
"What's going on?" Jackie asked Tamara as Myles pushed past Harley, headed outside. Everybody poured out after him and Jackie wrapped her arms around her stomach, her heart pounding. Myles's mother stepped up next to her.
"They're going to fight," Tamara replied.
Jackie's eyes widened. "Are they going to kill each other?"
Her voice was so loud that Myles glanced back, but he didn't stop. Harley smirked as he met her gaze.
"Of course not," Tamara said quickly. "Fights to the death were outlawed hundreds of years ago. But the basic tenants are still intact."
Jackie twisted her hands, her heart slamming against her ribs as the werewolves formed a circle around the two men. They faced each other, low growls filling the air. The werewolves all cheered Myles on, shouting insults towards Harley.
"If he wins, will Harley be the Alpha?" Jackie asked Tamara.
"Certainly not. He might have some followers, but not enough. There is a danger, though, that Harley will try to claim the position of Alpha, and the pack will split between the two of them." Tamara glanced over her shoulder and cursed softly. "Stay here. Myles will want you here. I need to get the girls away. I don't want them to see this."
Jackie nodded, and Tamara slipped away through the crowd. She was replaced by Myles's mother. When Jackie turned back, both Myles and Harley had stripped down to their boxers. Both shifted their weight to the balls of their feet and their muscles roped as they stood tense and ready to spring. Jackie bit down hard on her lip, her eyes wide.
The two werewolves charged at each other. Both shifted in the blink of an eye. Jackie gasped, drawing back. She had never seen Myles’s werewolf form before. In all appearances he looked like any regular werewolf–only much, much bigger. His shoulder would reach the top of her head, and his thick, powerful body was covered in gray fur with paws the size of a school desk. Harley was almost as big, though his fur was brown.
Snarling filled the air as they clashed. Myles slammed into Harley's chest, mouth open, teeth slashing at his face. Harley whipped around, biting at Myles's neck. A yell went up from the Alpha, causing Jackie to shriek as well. She thought her heart might burst right out of her chest, but she couldn’t tear her eyes from the sight.
Myles locked his teeth around Harley's leg and yanked back. The other werewolf yelped, snarled and bit at the Alpha's side. Myles danced around him, dragging the limb with him until Harley flipped onto his back. The Alpha lunged, paws beating against the other werewolf's belly, but Harley kicked out, curling upwards so his back paws managed to hit Myles full in the throat. Myles jerked back, gasping.
The brown werewolf flipped over, springing at Myles again. Teeth closed around Myles's throat and Jackie screamed. She started forward, fists clenched, as though she could do anything, but Myles's mother caught her and held her back.
"Whoa, there!" she said. "You'll get yourself hurt and Myles won't like
that one bit."
"But he's going to—"
Even as Jackie shrieked, Myles reared onto his back legs, kicking and clawing at Harley until the brown werewolf released him with a yelp. Myles dove back in, his teeth closing in around the back of Harley's neck. With a powerful shake of his shoulders, he had the other werewolf on his back again, and this time he did not release him, except to adjust his hold on the brown werewolf's throat.
Harley's eyes rolled and he gasped, lips pulled back as he kicked and bucked. Myles did not loosen his hold, dragging the other werewolf across the field. The gathered crowd parted as the Alpha dragged Harley to the road. By that time, Harley's movements were jerky, uncoordinated, and when Myles released him he melted back into his human form, a hand going to his bleeding throat. Pure hatred shone from his eyes as Myles stood over him, snarling.
Faster than Jackie could register, Myles had also shifted. Though blood trickled from various wounds on his naked body, he stood tall and strong, his eyes like fire as he glared down at Harley.
"You will be financially compensated for your lands so you can't claim they were stolen, but the title of ownership will be transferred to Tamara. And then you will leave. You are no longer welcome in this pack or on these lands. Leave now, and never come back."
Harley snarled, but he slowly stood and slunk to his car. Myles stared after him until he was gone, then he turned. He seemed unfazed by his nakedness, as did the werewolves that surged forward, congratulating him. Myles worked his way to Jackie and his mother and spoke over the noise of the crowd.
"I thank you for your support," he called. "And now I would like to rest with my family. Please return to your homes. Now."
Despite being worded as a request it most certainly wasn't, and the gathered werewolves slowly trickled away, though many couldn't seem to stop themselves from further congratulating Myles for his victory. He nodded tensely at them all and led Jackie back into the house while his mother made sure everyone left.
"Are you okay?" she asked, once they were away from the other werewolves.
Myles leaned against her, closing his eyes. "I will be soon. But I need to shower. I don't want Tamara's girls seeing me covered in blood like this."
Jackie nodded and helped him up the stairs to the bathroom attached to his room. There she turned the water on and stripped off her own clothing to stand with him in the shower. Myles sighed, his muscles relaxing, as she grabbed a washcloth and started dabbing at his wounds. The water turned pink as it ran over his body.
"I can't believe you did that. You could have at least told me you were going to fight!"
"I didn't want you to worry."
Jackie glared at him. "Because waiting until you were actually in a fight made me so much less worried."
"Sorry."
Jackie huffed.
Myles gave her a crooked grin. "Does this mean I can start the application for us to become mates?"
Jackie stared at him. "Are you for real? You want to talk about that now?"
"I have wanted to talk about it every second of every day for the past month. I want you, Jacqueline Smith. Not just as a girlfriend and mother of my child. I want you for my mate, for the rest of my life."
His arms wrapped around her waist, bringing her as close as he could. Their bodies slipped against each other, the water heating between them.
Jackie didn't know what to say.
"I haven't said it because I didn't want to scare you away. Maybe it's the adrenaline, but I need you to know right here, right now. You are mine and I want the world to know it."
Jackie's heart fluttered. The water ran down her face, tasting sweet on her lips, and she stared back at the cool, confident gray eyes. A hundred reasons why she should say no flitted through her mind. She wanted this, whatever logic said. But was it a good idea?
"I love you," he said softly. "You know that, don't you?"
And just like that, all her doubt disappeared. He did love her. He would hold her through thick and thin, and he'd fight for her, even if he had to fight against her to make sure she knew how he felt. Emotion welled in her heart and she nodded.
"I love you, too. Let's start the application."
Epilogue
Five years later, their application had finally been approved.
After a busy day of planning for the mating ceremony, Jackie kissed her five-year-old son's forehead, pulling the blankets up to his chin while Myles put away the book they had been reading. Tim smiled in his sleep, and Myles took Jackie's hand, leading her from their son's room to their own.
"Did you watch the news?" he asked, his eyes sparkling.
Today was the day that the Supreme Court was going to rule on whether the laws surrounding werewolf mating were constitutional or not. "I wanted to, but I was too nervous. Besides, I was planning for our wedding next month."
Myles grinned and pulled her closer. "We won."
"We won?"
Myles kissed her fiercely, bringing her body flush against his. Jackie slung a leg over his hip, excitement coursing between them. Even if their mating application had already been approved, this was still a major victory for werewolves across the country. After five years of long legal battles, finally, finally, it was recognized that werewolves didn't pose any danger to the humans they wanted to mate.
"We won," Myles whispered again, stroking Jackie's hair from her face. "We won."
"We did," Jackie whispered back, and she knew Myles wasn't just referring to the legal battles they had fought for free matings. He clutched her tighter. This was also about the two of them. In spite of the odds, they had been brought together, they had fallen in love and they had a beautiful little boy who had his mother's blonde curls and his father's steely determination.
Myles pulled her in for another kiss, a kiss that marked the start of a new world, a new life, for all of them.
*****
THE END
Bonus Book 29: The Shifting Billionaire's Bride
By: Eliza Moon
Description
An event planner with a lonely heart PLUS a billionaire alpha too hot to touch PLUS a dark secret burried in the past!
When you have been burned in love too many times to count, you eventually make a promise to yourself that you will never let yourself be hurt again. Next time you will be more careful. You will protect your heart with everything you have, just to keep it from getting broken again.
Melissa Cleary was one of the many women around the world that had made this promise to herself. For years she kept this promise, never letting herself get close enough to the fire to get burned. That is, until she met Clayton Masters.
Somehow Clayton charged through all the barriers, even the ones he had created for himself. The only problem was that Clayton had a secret. A secret that could kill someone if they got too close. Clayton has distanced himself from the opposite sex, not to spare his own heart, but to keep them from meeting the same fate as his mother.
Without realizing what is happening the two of them find themselves, not only close enough to the fire to be burned, but standing inside of the burning flames. Will the fire they ignite in each other consume them in love or will their hearts be burned to ash?
Chapter One
Melissa stood in the corner of the banquet hall watching her catering event unfold. She kept a constant eye on the food levels, monitored the servers and listened intently to the voices of her prep cooks and chef in her earpiece, as they updated her on what was going on in the kitchen. She scanned the room, not a thing was out of place, everything was perfect.
This is why I am one of the most sought after event planners in The Valley. She smiled proudly. Then something caught her eye. One of the women hanging off of the event benefactor’s arm was waving her over. Melissa made her way over to the small group, offering an obligated smile to the other guests as she passed by.
“How can I help you today, Miss?” Melissa lifted her chin and straightened her back. She kept a smile
on her face in spite of the fact that these rich, superficial women made her guts whirl. The tall, dark featured one looked down her nose at her, plastering on the fakest smile of the century.
“Yes, I was just curious as to whether you were the event planner or not?” The woman spoke down to her in a fake Brazilian accent.
“Yes, Miss, I am the event planner.”
The woman laughed a loud obnoxious laugh, joined in by a chorus of giggles from the other women in the group. Melissa ignored their judgemental laughter and smiled in spite of her loathing. She squared her shoulders and glowered at the fake Brazilian woman.
“I told you, Louisa,” one of the women said, “If you want to find the event planner, just look for the pathetic, chunky blob standing alone in the corner creeping on everyone.”
Another wave of giggles started among the woman and her friends.
Melissa ran her tongue over her top teeth and folded her hands neatly in front of her. She looked up at the man that was surrounded by these materialistic wenches. His face was composed, as if he wasn’t listening to a single word the women on his arms were saying. He just watched her. He was studying her reactions to the snide remarks of the women around her. All the more reason to keep her cool.
“I’m sorry, Miss, was there something that I can help you with?” Melissa bit back a string of curse words. Louisa smiled sweetly at her.
“Yes, I had a question,” Louisa looked around at the other women before continuing.
“I just wanted to say that the halibut was way over-cooked. You need to find a new cook.”
Melissa could hear the low snickers of the women behind her. She let out a long sigh and looked Louisa straight in the eyes.
“Well, I am sorry to hear that, but we served salmon tonight, not halibut. Second, I’m not sure it really matters how well your food is cooked since the toilet eats it for you.” Melissa clenched her jaw tightly and gave a short nod.