by Crissy Smith
Table of Contents
Legal Page
Title Page
Book Description
Dedication
Trademarks Acknowledgement
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
New Excerpt
About the Author
Publisher Page
A Totally Bound Publication
Pack Security
ISBN # 978-1-78430-068-5
©Copyright Crissy Smith 2014
Cover Art by Posh Gosh ©Copyright June 2014
Edited by Faith Bicknell-Brown
Totally Bound Publishing
This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Totally Bound Publishing.
Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Totally Bound Publishing. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.
The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.
Published in 2014 by Totally Bound Publishing, Newland House, The Point, Weaver Road, Lincoln, LN6 3QN
Warning:
This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature readers. This story has a heat rating of Totally Simmering and a Sexometer of 1.
Were Chronicles
PACK SECURITY
Crissy Smith
Book ten in the Were Chronicles series
A shy, sexy artist and a man tormented by his past are thrown together for protection and security. It may be up to the two of them to save the Pack…if they can save each other first.
Cassandra Wilson’s world was just turned upside down. Someone broke into her studio and destroyed the art she’d put her heart and soul into. Pressure from her older brother and her Alpha has her accepting protection from the Beta’s brother Max. She finds the ex-military, non-shifter a sexy distraction. But when reality breaks through and reminds Cass that someone is after her, will Max be able to save her?
Max Lawson knows he needs to get his act together. The last mission that forced him from the military still haunts him. When he’s asked to help guard one of the women in the Pack, Max isn’t sure he’s the right man for the job. Since he is the only non-shifter around, he’s never really felt like he belongs with the others. However, he owes his brother and accepts the job. Cassandra isn’t anything like he imagined. She’s strong and stubborn and he finds himself falling for her.
Max needs to fix himself before he can even think about being the kind of man that Cassandra deserves. Resisting the sweet, sexy artist is easier said than done. When danger threatens to take her away before Max can prove himself to her, he must use everything within himself to fight. Whether he can shift…or not.
Dedication
For my girl—always believe.
Trademarks Acknowledgement
The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:
Harley Davidson: H-D U.S.A., LLC
.45 Desert Eagle: Magnum Research, Inc.
Styrofoam: The Dow Chemical Company
Legos: Lego Juris A/S
Jeep: Chrysler Group LLC
Chapter One
Cassandra Wilson pushed open the bedroom balcony doors and stepped out into the cool morning air. She was still reeling from the events of the night before. Someone had actually broken into her studio and destroyed…everything. It had been like a bad dream, really.
After she’d eaten dinner with her brothers, sister-in-law and nephews, they’d taken the horses for a ride. The journey through the canyon had been freeing and she’d enjoyed the time with her family.
The glorious sunset and warm sensations she’d had after their ride had vanished when she’d opened her studio door and had seen the destruction. Her canvases had been torn and ripped, paint scattered over the floor and walls and every brush had been broken in half.
She had a security system and cameras, but had forgotten to set them that evening. Everything that had been ruined was really her fault. It wasn’t just the loss of months of work that bothered her. She felt violated. And scared.
A knock on her bedroom door interrupted her, but she ignored it. She just wanted to be alone. Was that too much to ask? She didn’t want to go to her workspace nor did she want to talk to anyone.
The police, her family, her assistant, even some of the Pack had shown up the night before. While she appreciated their support and concern, they just didn’t understand.
Someone had been in her house. Since her studio was located in her residence, there was no place that seemed untouched. A stranger could have gone through her things before tearing apart her creations.
She just didn’t know what to do. Her first instinct had been to hide, covers over her head, and cry, but she knew that wouldn’t solve anything. So she’d gotten up and showered. But that was as far as she’d made it. She just couldn’t force herself to go into her studio yet.
The rapping on her door grew louder and more persistent. She suspected it was her older brother. When the door opened and Alex called her name, she sighed.
“Hey,” he said as he joined her on the balcony.
Cassie glanced over her shoulder. “Hi.”
“You okay?”
She nodded, turning back to look at the sun rising above the canyon. They were lucky. The Wilson ranch was one of the few privately owned properties that shared the public canyon land. The estate had belonged to their family long before the government had come in and sectioned off acreage for a national park.
The government had tried to claim their property too, but years of legal battles had insured that the Wilson land would stay in the family.
So Cassie got to rouse every morning to one of the most beautiful views in the world. Even after the night of heartbreak she’d experienced, there was nothing like standing outside and watching the earth wake up.
“I just got off the phone with the Alpha,” Alex told her. “We have a meeting with him this morning about how to handle this situation.”
Knowing that she couldn’t avoid the issue any longer, she turned and gave her brother her full attention. He stood at the sliding glass door with two mugs in his hand.
She smiled and relieved him of one of the cups. The scent of fresh, strong coffee drifted up and she was grateful. She was extremely dependent on coffee and having caffeine to carry her through long days.
“What time?” she asked before taking a long drink. Flavor burst over her tongue—she knew her sister-in-law must have made the coffee that morning. Alex tended to make his more sludge.
“An hour,” he replied. He walked toward her and tilted his head. “Are you really okay?”
To have time to phrase her answer correctly, she took another long drink. Her brother always worried. He said it was because as the eldest he was responsible for her and their younger brother Jacob. Cassie just thought he was a worry wart.
“I’ll be fine,” she assured him. “I just don’t understand why someone would break in and destroy my stuff.”
“Hopefully we’ll find out. Alpha Shawn is concerned about the publicity you’ve gotten lately. That’s one of the reasons he wants to meet.”
Publicity? She snorted. All artists wanted to receive credit for their work. All Cassie had ever needed was to paint. Her parents had supported her through the beginning stages and after their death, Alex had continued with encouragement. She’d made a good living, then the shifters had announced their presence and became public. There had been a surprising demand for her work after that.
The strangest part to her was that the Pack hadn’t gone public with the others. Alpha Shawn had decided to remain in secret. So the fact that her art was being considered as an authentic representative of the shifter world, by both the human and shifters, was surprising.
And a little uncomfortable.
The press constantly pressured her about her knowledge of shifters. She’d gotten to where she didn’t even do interviews anymore. She just wanted to paint. She didn’t really care about the rest of it.
“I never meant to draw attention to us,” she told Alex.
“Ah, honey”—he hugged her—“there’s nothing to be done about it. I’m proud of you. We’ll get to the bottom of this and it’ll all work out. I promise.”
She wanted to believe him, but the wound was too fresh. She hoped Alpha Shawn had some ideas. He was one of the smartest men she knew and just a tad devious.
“I spoke to James also,” Alex said. “He’s going to bring over everything we have in storage and order more supplies for you. We’ll have you back to work before you know it.”
Cassie always had back-up supplies. She lived in the guesthouse and her studio was one of the rooms. But in the main house, where Alex lived, he kept a supply room for her.
“I’m almost ready for the show anyway.” She was supposed to having a showing in less than a month. “If we even still have it.”
“We’ll have it,” Alex said. “I told you not to worry about it.”
She nodded and stopped herself from telling him she was going to worry anyway. The threat they’d received in the mail to stop the show or else, still weighed on her mind. Even though everyone told her it wasn’t her fault, she knew it was. The crazy church that had been after the shifters for months now had narrowed in on her town.
“We’ll talk about it with Alpha Shawn. He is aware of the threat and has Chase looking into it.”
“Okay,” she relented. It was never worth arguing with Alex. He would eventually get his way, by wearing her down. Hopefully Shawn could talk some sense into him. He was one of the few people Alex listened to.
“Let’s go then.” Her brother motioned her back inside.
Cassie followed him through her bedroom and into the hallway. Her house consisted of four bedrooms, a living room, kitchen and a small fenced in area for a backyard. The guesthouse was just yards away from the main residence where Alex lived. She loved her place.
Jacob and Peyton resided a couple of miles down the hill in their own home. They had a nice six-bedroom dwelling that fit their family perfectly. Jacob worked for the Parks and Wildlife Department stationed in the canyon. Peyton stayed home and took care of their boys, one four and one six. Cassie enjoyed having her family so close to her most of the time. However, she would’ve preferred a little more distance right then. Alex strolled through her place like he belonged there. She didn’t comment as she followed him. Normally Alex tried to show her that he respected her space, although every once in a while he went overprotective on her.
Since she’d found the destruction the night before, Alex was in full Alpha male mode. She would never admit it to him, but his protectiveness was easing some of her fear.
His truck was parked in front of the entrance and she climbed into the passenger seat. Alex opened the driver’s door and took his seat. He started the vehicle and drove off once she had her seatbelt fastened.
The drive to the Alpha compound took thirty minutes. Shawn lived deeper in the canyon. If they’d taken the horses, it would have only been ten minutes.
Not all of the pack lived inside the canyon. Most had houses and businesses in town. Only the oldest families had claim to any canyon land.
As he drove, Alex talked about the horses and his upcoming plans for the ranch. Cassie had heard it all before, so she was able to tune him out and respond with some sounds.
By the time they arrived at the large Alpha cabin, she’d almost fallen asleep. She’d barely slept at all the previous night and was bone-tired. The winding roads that led to the house had just about put her down for the night.
Her brother stopped the truck and patted her knee. “Let’s get this over with, then you can get some real sleep. I can tell you didn’t get a wink.”
“Yeah, okay,” she agreed and pushed her door open.
There were other vehicles parked nearby, but that wasn’t a surprise. She’d never been to Alpha Shawn’s when the house didn’t have several guests. All those Pack members around would drive her crazy. She couldn’t stand to have people constantly around. It was one of the reasons she lived in the guesthouse instead of the main home. Alex worked from home, and Cassie couldn’t handle all the people who came in and out to do business with Alex.
The door opened before they reached it and her Alpha stepped out. Shawn Mathewson stood on the porch and opened his arms. He was an attractive man, dark skin and hair, his eyes and smile dazzling her. The power that rolled off him could be quite intimidating, but he was truly a good man. A great leader.
She grinned and walked up the stairs where her Alpha engulfed her. He held her tightly then patted her shoulder.
Taking a step back, she peered up at the impressive man in front of her. Just being in his presence helped calm the wolf inside her which had been agitated since she’d found the break-in.
“Let’s go inside,” he said, placing his arm around her shoulder.
They entered his home and traveled through the entry to the living room. Cassie saw the Beta of the pack, Chase Lawson. She inclined her head toward him in respect.
“Hey, sweetie,” he greeted. “You doing okay?”
Cassie nodded. “As well as can be expected.”
“We’ll find out who did this.”
A promise that she knew Chase would do his best to keep. The Lawson family had been part of the Pack as long as hers had. Chase owned the local diner and was one of the best cooks in the area. She made a point of stopping by for some home-cooked meals as often as possible.
He always greeted her with a smile and a kind word. He was Alex’s age and the two had grown up together as the best of friends since they’d started school.
Chase welcomed Alex with a hug and a manly slap on the back while Alpha Shawn moved Cassie to the couch, taking a seat with her. Alex sat across from her in one of the chairs and, after making four mugs of coffee, Chase passed them around before he joined them.
Cassie placed both hands on the large cup as she settled back in the corner of the couch. She felt protected and secure with the three men. If she closed her eyes, she had no doubt she would be fine.
Their voices flowed over her as they discussed who could have been responsible and why. Cassie just couldn’t imagine anyone who would have wanted to destroy her work. Even with the shifter controversy, she was only an artist.
“We’re just guessing here,” Alpha Shawn’s words drew her out of her thoughts. “And until we get to the bottom of this, the entire Pack will be on high alert. I don’t want anyone alone. I’ll double the guards around town and here.”
“Cassie can stay at the main house,” Alex added.
“Wait!” She sat up straight. “I’m not moving out of my house.”
Three sets of eyes turned to her.
“No.” She shook her head. “I have to work hard to make up for the canvases that I lost.”
&nbs
p; “It’s just temporary,” Alex assured her.
“I’ll set the alarm. I’m sorry I forget. And we have the cameras.”
“Cass.” Alex leaned forward and braced his forearms on his knees. “It’s more than that. We don’t know who or why someone did this. Luckily, you weren’t home but…”
Cassie saw the struggle on his face. He was concerned about her.
She set her mug down and spoke directly to him. “But if I just move to the main house, then they win.”
“This isn’t about winning! This is about keeping you safe!”
Cassie ignored the rise of Alex’s voice. “I’m not giving up my house.”
“Yes, you are!”
“Hold on!” Alpha Shawn tried to interrupt.
“No, I’m not. I’m a big girl and I can take care of myself.”
Alex rose and towered over her. “You…are…staying in the main house.” Each word was clipped.
She seldom argued with him. But she just couldn’t give in this time. She’d worked hard to gain her independence after their parent’s death. She was thirty years old and refused to be treated like she was five.
“No.”
Alex stepped forward, but Chase stood and got between them. “How about a compromise?”
Both she and Alex turned to him.
Chase motioned Alex back down and waited until he had settled again before taking his own seat.
“What’s your idea?” Alpha Shawn asked.
“Well, you know Max is back. He’s working in the diner right now, but we can use him as Cassie’s personal security.”
Max Lawson, Cassie mused. She hadn’t seen Chase’s elder brother in a long time. He was older than both Alex and Chase so Cassie had never really been around him much growing up. By the time Max had left the Pack at seventeen to join the Navy, she was only seven. She knew about him because he was the Pack’s only non-shifter.