Forbidden Wolf

by KD Jones

  “Well, you’ve done your duty. You can leave.”

  He smiled at her spunk. “Am I not welcome here? This is the home of my master.”

  She glared at him for reminding her that this was no longer just her family home; it belonged equally to her stepfather since he’d paid for it to be rebuilt. This really wasn’t her home. “Why did you come? The truth this time.”

  “I wanted a chance to talk to you and to apologize for what happened.”

  Sam crossed her arms over her chest and faced him directly. “You’re sorry? Are you sorry that you fucked my brains out or that you ran away like a pussy?”

  He deserved that. He wanted to say so much to her but he felt his master’s presence. Brock looked over her shoulder and saw Adrian standing there watching them. He couldn’t say what he needed to say with so many people there, and certainly not with Adrian there. Adrian had forbidden him from seeing Samantha, and he knew he was breaking the rules tonight but he had to see her.

  “I didn’t mean to upset you. I only meant to welcome you home.” Brock turned and moved quickly into the shadows. He could hear her sigh of frustration. He felt frustrated, too. He would have to find another time and place to speak with her. Now that she was home he would have plenty of opportunity to make amends.

  *****

  Sam watched was Brock disappeared into the night. For such a big man he moved silently and quickly. It didn’t surprise her that he would bail out on her when Sam started questioning him. It still disappointed her that he would leave her feeling so betrayed. His retreating back was becoming a regular thing. It was a relief that she had a boyfriend she could count on. Except when she thought about Ben he didn’t make her feel happy or excited.

  “Are you all right, little one?”

  She turned at the sound of her stepfather’s voice. She smiled up at him as he approached her. Hard to believe someone so young looking was over one thousand years old. “I guess jet lag is starting to affect me. I suddenly feel tired.”

  Adrian opened his arms for her, and Sam hugged him. He was more a father to her than her own father, which was really sad considering her father was only two miles away. Adrian was there for her and over the last few years had been to every event in her life, whether it was small or big. She loved him and was thrilled that her mother had found someone so wonderful. He kissed the top of her head.

  “If you want to sneak up to your bedroom, I’ll cover for you with everyone. They should be leaving soon.”

  Sam snorted. “Come on, Adrian. Whenever we’ve had parties here, people stay almost until dawn.”

  He chuckled. “It’s mostly the wolf pack that refuses to leave. They are literally party animals.”

  He released her from his hug and moved a stray hair behind her ear. He always made her feel like a little girl when he did that.

  “So are you ready to have me work for you?”

  He smiled broadly. “Absolutely. It’s going to be nice having you take care of the day-to-day business so I can focus more on Jacqueline and Aiden.”

  She’d got her degree from business school and had been planning for a while to work for Adrian, helping him manage his nightclub. “I can’t wait.”

  They walked toward the French doors. “Your mother is over the moon crazy about you being back home. Sam went on a shopping spree to have all new linens for your room, so be prepared to be spoiled.”

  “I’m glad to be home.” She didn’t mention yet that she didn’t plan to live with them but was hoping to find a little apartment Sam could call her own. There was no need to spoil their good spirits. She would tell them after she found a place she liked.

  For the next few hours she talked to friends she hadn’t seen in years. Her pack mates wanted to take her out for a run soon and Sam was looking forward to that. Finally, she had to say good night and head up to her old bedroom. All she wanted to do was crash and get some sleep. Tomorrow was going to be the start of her new life.

  *****

  He stood outside in the wooded area far enough away that no one would sense him. The female was inside, the one who belonged to him. He hated having to bide his time. Sam had made him wait for her way too long.

  Movement to the far left of the woods drew his attention. It was a vampire, one that would guard Sam. She’d had plenty of guards over the last few years, but this one got too close. He would pay for that. Once he had Sam, he would make them all pay for keeping her from him.

  “Soon, mate, we’ll be together.”

  Chapter 4

  The next morning

  Sam smiled as she smelled the delicious food being cooked in the kitchen. She knew who was cooking. “Good morning, Mary.”

  Her mom’s best friend smiled at her. “Oh, honey, you could have slept later if you wanted.”

  “Not with food smelling that good.” Her mom wasn’t much of a cook and since she had turned into a vampire, Jackie hadn’t got the hang of getting up in the daytime. It was a good thing that Aiden kept the same hours; he slept most of the day and got up in the afternoon. That would soon have to change, though, when he started school.

  “Where are the babies?”

  “Connor and his mate, Roxanne, are watching them for me. Ric has a meeting with the new council. They want him to have a seat on the council but he would have to give up his primary alpha position. Alpha Lucas would take over. If Ric refuses the council position then they want Lucas to fill it. Either way things will be changing, hopefully for the better.”

  “Does that mean that the council will back off putting pressure on the female werewolves to find a werewolf mate?”

  Mary looked at her with sympathy. “You’ve felt the pressure, huh? Ric tried to keep that from you the best he could. Their numbers are just so low.”

  “I know that.” She sighed. There were more male than female werewolves and fewer natural born. A lone wolf gone crazy wanting to make her his mate had turned Sam. That kind of turning was frowned upon. Usually the council only allowed turning of humans for someone who had proven to be a mate or to save a life to pay a life debt. Turning was restricted because not everyone survived the turn and there were repercussions from the grieving families.

  Her alpha, Ric, had turned Mary because she was his true mate. The council had wanted him to mate with Roxanne since she was one of the few natural-born females. Ric was already hopelessly in love with Mary, though. Anyone who saw them together could see that the two were made for one another. Roxanne ended up mated with Sam’s best friend, Connor, who was also Mary’s son. Talk about a blended family.

  “Is there a werewolf that you could see yourself mated to?” Mary asked conversationally.

  “All the werewolves I know are from my pack and they are more like family. I couldn’t mate either of the twins when I think of them like brothers.”

  Mary put a plate of food down in front of her. “So, this human you met in college, is he the one for you?”

  Sam paused before taking a bite. “Sometimes there isn’t the one, but someone who comes close enough to being the one. Do you ever really know until you take the chance?”

  Mary sat down across from her and smiled. “My Christopher, God rest his soul, was close to being the one. While married to him I couldn’t imagine my life with anyone else. Losing him was like losing a piece of myself.”

  “Then you met Ric.”

  She smiled wide. “Then I met Ric. He filled up places in me that I didn’t even know were empty. I knew I had my one and only. I don’t regret mating him.”

  Sam chewed her food while thinking about what Mary had said. “What if you met someone that you thought could be the one, but they didn’t feel the same way about you?”

  “You can’t force people to feel something for you. You should know that better than anyone.”

  Yeah. After being turned against her will by Carter, she understood that you couldn’t force someone to be something they’re not. Unfortunately, Carter didn’t understand that.

>   Sam felt Mary’s hand cover hers.

  “Honey, there have been no sightings of Carter for a while now. He’s most likely cut his losses and left the country.”

  “We can only hope for that, right?” Sam didn’t think Carter would leave. There had been a few run-ins with him and her bodyguards over the past few years and he had always left her a blood red tulip so she knew he was still watching her. It was a year since his last tulip delivery and she’d relaxed enough to start dating someone. Yet she always had this fear that he would show up and ruin her happiness.

  “Eat up. As soon as your mom wakes we want to take you shopping for work clothes.”

  “Ugh. That is going to be dreadful. Mom will pick out the longest skirts and button-up shirts that show no skin. I’ll look like a nun.”

  Mary laughed. “I promise to intercede if she picks anything nunnery-like.”

  “Thanks, Mary, for breakfast and for always being there for me and Mom.”

  Mary wiped a stray tear from her face. “You’re family to me so you never have to thank me for anything. I love you both so much.”

  “I’m hungry!” Aiden called out from the doorway.

  They looked over at the little boy still in his pajamas. Sam opened her arms and he flew into them, knocking her back a little in the chair. Good thing she was a werewolf otherwise they might have ended up on the floor.

  “What do you feel like eating?”

  “Anything as long as Momma didn’t cook it.”

  Sam and Mary laughed. “We hear you, little buddy. Mom has never been a good cook.”

  “Daddy says not to tell her but she should know, right?”

  “Yes, but it might hurt her feelings. She likes cooking for you so eat it and tell her thanks. It will make her feel good.”

  He sighed. “Yeah, I do that already. I’m happy that whenever Aunt Mary comes by she always brings good things to eat like cookies.” He turned to look at Mary with hopeful eyes.

  Mary burst out laughing. “Of course I brought cookies, but you can’t have any until after you eat breakfast.”

  “Fine.” He made a cute little pouting face. Sam was tempted to sneak him a cookie anyway.

  “So what are you going to do today while I go shopping with Mom and Mary?” she asked, sitting him down in the chair next to her.

  “Daddy says we’re going to do man shopping.”

  Sam looked at Mary, who was equally confused. “What’s man shopping?”

  “We go to the gaming shop, play games, and buy nothing.”

  Sam laughed and ruffled his hair. “That sounds better than what I have to do. Mom’s going to pick out my outfit.”

  Aiden looked at her with a worried expression. “You should hide so she doesn’t put you in a bow tie like she did me. Bow ties suck!”

  “Well, I think you look handsome in a bow tie, and don’t say suck,” Mary said and put a plate down in front of him.

  When Mary’s back was turned, he looked at Sam and mouthed the word “suck.” Sam laughed. God, it was good to be home.

  Chapter 5

  Later that afternoon

  Brock walked into the nightclub. It wasn’t open yet and the sun wasn’t due to go down for another hour. Luckily, he was an older vampire and could handle being out in the daylight. He normally didn’t get up this early but he got a call from his boss, Adrian, wanting him to come by the club before it opened. He knew already what this was going to be about—Samantha.

  The delivery guy was bringing in crates of alcohol and the bar manager was checking over the order. They greeted him as he passed them by. He found Adrian in the office laying little Aiden down on the small leather sofa. Adrian raised a finger to his lips to get Brock to stay quiet and motioned for him to go out into the hallway. Adrian came out and closed the door behind him.

  “You wanted to see me, boss?”

  “Brock, you know I hate to be called that.”

  “Sorry, master.”

  Adrian sighed. “We’ve known each other long enough to call each other by first names. You’re being defensive.”

  Brock knew he was right—he was being defensive and there was no call for it. “My apologies.”

  Adrian nodded his acceptance. “You know why I called you in, don’t you? You gave your word to keep your distance from Samantha.”

  “Until she was older, and I have.”

  “I did not put a statute of limitations on that separation.”

  “I mean no disrespect to you, but what happens between Samantha and me is our business. You no longer have a say in it.”

  “Sam doesn’t want to be with you, Brock. She has a boyfriend who will be coming to visit soon.”

  “A human. He would never be able to accept her for who she really is.”

  “A human fits in better with her than a vampire. Sam can at least turn him.”

  “You’re a vampire, her mother is a vampire, and her brother is a vampire. Basically half the people she loves are vampires. Why not one more?”

  “Damn it, Brock! You’re not available to mate her and you know it!”

  Brock turned his back on him and looked out at the empty club. “Samantha is mine, Adrian, my true mate, and you are asking me to not claim her. I tried; I really did try to do the right thing. Sam was determined to push me to my limits and I broke. I had to have her.”

  “I don’t want to hear this, Brock. I still want to kill you for taking her innocence.”

  “It was mine to take, Adrian. She’s mine!”

  “You belong to someone else. You’re mated!”

  The silence between them was just as loud as their raised voices had been. Finally Brock spoke again.

  “Regina took advantage of the fact that I was a vampire youngling and convinced me to agree to mate her. She claimed me before I knew what was what.”

  Adrian sighed. “I know and it’s my fault. I allowed Regina to help you through your transition and I will forever regret that decision.”

  “Then end my mating with her so that I can finally claim Samantha.”

  “A mating is not something that can be easily broken. A mating usually ends if one partner dies. It’s very rare that a mating is called off while both parties are still living; one will always refuse to release the other. I notified Regina two years ago that you wished to terminate your mating. She refused.”

  “Master vampires can end those relationships. I’ve done my research, too, Adrian.”

  “I didn’t want Samantha caught up in the middle of you and Regina. She has a mean streak and I don’t want my daughter caught up in it only to get hurt.”

  “If you won’t help me, I’ll beg Mistress Lila for her help.”

  “Don’t threaten me with my maker. We both know who’ll come out on top.”

  “What would you do, Adrian, if this was Jackie and you couldn’t mate her because you were tied to someone who only wanted to use you and didn’t care about your well-being? What if you could never claim your true love?”

  Adrian took a moment to think about his answer. “I would do anything to have my Jacqueline. She’s my heart.”

  “That’s how I feel about Samantha.”

  “I’ll speak with Mistress Lila on the best way to end your mating with Regina. You can’t claim Samantha until you have been released, and she may still choose the human over you.”

  He felt a surge of hope, something he hadn’t felt in a long time. “She won’t choose him.”

  Adrian rolled his eyes at his cockiness. “Remember she cares about this man, so hurting him is off limits.”

  “I don’t need to beat a human to win Sam. She’s always wanted me, so now it’s a matter of letting her know she can have me.”

  “Let’s change the subject. This is too uncomfortable to discuss. What news do we have of Carter Johnson?”

  Brock growled at the mention of the dreadful male who had bitten Sam, hoping to make her his mate. Sam could have died during the change. That thought was like a punch to his
gut. He couldn’t imagine life without her in it.

  “The last report was of him attacking two young females in Vancouver. I went to check it out but he escaped me.”

  “The females?”

  “One is in a coma and the other didn’t make it through the change.”

  “That male needs to be made to pay for every foul deed he has committed. How is he evading our attempts to capture him?”

  “I don’t know. It’s like he has inside information. He’s always one step ahead of us. Either it’s an instinct he has, or perhaps he had a witch give him a charm to warn him of danger.”

  “A witch? That’s possible. I can talk to Diana and see if she can get a reading on him.”

  “If she needs something personal of his, I may have something that will work. He left a pocket watch behind that had his scent on it,” Brock said.

  “I’ll have her come to the club tonight if you’ll bring the pocket watch. Samantha’s starting her training for running the club and I want to be here in case she needs me.”

  “We’ll find this guy and make him pay for what he’s done.”

  Adrian nodded. That was the one thing they agreed upon since Adrian found out that he and Samantha had feelings for one another. Both of them wanted to keep her happy and safe.

  Chapter 6

  Sam smiled as she listened to her mother and stepfather argue. Oh, they weren’t really fighting. Her mother was simply insistent that she wanted Sam to take a break after finishing school before she started working. Poor Adrian was caught up in the middle. She stood and came around the side of the desk in Adrian’s office on the top level of the club. She would be sharing the office with him at first but he promised to build her an office of her own.

  “Mom, it’s my choice to get started learning my new job as soon as possible. This is all so very exciting for me. Please don’t ruin it.”

  Her mother sighed. “I just wanted to spend more time with you.”