by Treva Harte
“I like being able to frighten you. Almost.” Lin felt the warmth soaking into her.
Chapter Seven
Believe it. Believe it.
The three remaining pack members didn’t visibly react to their alphas after the announcement. Mia stared out the window. The two beta males looked at each other.
Believe. Believe.
“And? So?” Oscar’s shoulders were set, his growl a clear threat.
“I intend to remain alpha.” Lin spoke over the jittering echoes of her stomach. “But I can’t promise you any future. Any children.”
“We’re not stupid. We got that.” Oscar’s partner—Enrique—snapped.
“Hell, if it were just about him—” Oscar jerked his chin toward Lowell. “—I’d vote to toss him. Stupid asshole.”
“Now wait a minute—” Lin stopped. “You mean, you don’t mind?”
“Of course we mind. We’re a pack. We want children around. But you’re all right. You make the asshole laugh. We’d probably never find another female able to do that.”
“You stood up for me despite what my mother and brother did to you.” Mia’s voice was soft, but it carried far enough.
“You’re one of us. We’ll wait it out and see what happens.” Enrique shrugged. “And we’ll stick together. Stick with you.”
Believe.
“Thank you.” What else could she say without getting teary and stupid? Oh. One other thing. “Lowell isn’t an asshole. I just need to get him to mellow out with you folks. That is, if you mellow a little back.”
“Don’t try, Lin. What do I care what they think of me, as long as they keep their tails between their legs and their heads down when they see me?” Lowell’s harsh voice suddenly softened. “Besides, they’re smart. They know I’m a mean asshole and they know what they’ve got in you. That’s all they need to know.”
“Yeah. Don’t push it too far, boss lady. Some things are just impossible to accept.” Oscar almost smiled.
He’s wrong. They’re both wrong. But she’d fix it. Nothing was impossible right now.
“I have time to work on it. It’ll be a piece of cake.” Lin kissed Lowell and then reached out and squeezed Oscar’s hand.
Oscar looked almost as shocked as if she’d set fire to his fur. But he gave the slightest of squeezes in return.
* * * *
“If he wants to do this shit, why isn’t he saying anything?”
“He wants it, all right. Bad. Look at his fly.” Lin gestured to where it tented. “But he knows he’s supposed to say just two things during all this. Please when he wants it harder and thank you when you’re done.”
Lowell’s pants weren’t the only one sporting a hard on. Even in the darkness of the alley they all could see it. The guy laughed, a little uncertainly, but there was definitely eagerness in his tone when he said, “And stop isn’t one of his words?”
“Not tonight. I’ll be the one who says that, if it needs saying.” Lin dug her nails into her mate’s shoulder. “But I’m betting there won’t be any need.”
The man’s eyes shifted from Lowell’s cock to her. Eagerness was definitely overtaking the hesitation he’d had just moments before. “You’re staying?”
“I’m the reason for the show, buddy. You just bet I’m staying.” Lin cupped Lowell’s balls, and he shifted his weight under the pressure.
“Hell, why not?” The stranger was already pulling at the fastenings of his pants.
Lowell pushed down his own, baring his ass to view.
“Nice. You have any lube?” The man paused a minute.
“Yeah. But don’t use too much. He wants to feel it.” Lin licked her lips.
Their temporary partner left all hesitation behind with those words. There was a small spurt as the man snatched the lube and spread it on his rising shaft and reddening head.
He was big. Trust Lowell to pick out someone big. He would feel it. So would she.
Lowell lifted her and braced them both against the wall.
Things blurred for a moment as she absorbed the gasps and groans before her and then the jolt of a cock entering Lowell. She could feel the push and pull of the third person’s frantic jolts inside Lowell when Lowell entered her.
It was too much. It was perfect. She gripped him hard, his hands under her ass, her legs over his shoulders. Every harsh beat, every stroke he absorbed, she could feel ripple through her.
When Lowell shuddered, she did too—and felt reciprocal movement in the other man. Lowell panted like a dog over her, holding her tight.
“Please.”
Harder.
“Please!”
Harder.
“Oh my God,” Lin whimpered.
She shattered, pinned against the wall, pressed by the weight of two male bodies. Ignoring her release, their frantic coupling continued. Dear Lord, it was stoking her again. She shifted, trying not to cry out.
Lowell’s head dropped into the space between her shoulder and neck. He bit, hard, as he rocked and ground his hips against her—against the other.
“T-thank you.” She wasn’t even sure if Lowell said the words or she did.
“Oh, yeah. Oh fuck, yeah.” The man screamed in turn.
And then the hot roller coaster ride was over. The stranger didn’t meet her eyes as he backed away. Lowell still gasped for air.
There was nothing more. No sounds except for the steps their former partner made as he walked away from them, the noise growing fainter and then disappearing, leaving just the two of them together again. Just the two of them in the darkness of a warm night. The moon had just started to rise.
The faintest of breezes cooled her skin.
“Lowell?” Had it been wrong? Was he angry with her for making his fantasy real?
Maybe that was all she was good for now. Being part of a fantasy. If it was, and that was what he wanted, she was going to give it to him. They’d enjoy what they could have together and not regret—not ever regret—what they didn’t have.
Lowell’s eyes were wide, unfocused for a moment as he caught his breath. Then he squinted at her. Really saw her there, standing under the moon’s rays. The sweat beaded his face as he smiled.
Her beautiful Lowell. There was nothing wrong with being his fantasy.
“Damn, baby. That was good. You’re good.” He bent, kissed her hand. “All good. Perfect. I don’t deserve you.”
“Lowell—” Her breath caught. She couldn’t bear him to start that now. Not when she was trying so hard to feel worthy herself. His insecurity was so ridiculous when he was everything a were was meant to be. It was her. For her, perfection was too far away.
But maybe it wasn’t so hard to keep believing. Especially when Lowell kept coming up with new ways to show how much she meant to him.
His voice roughened as he continued, just as if she hadn’t interrupted. “I don’t deserve you, but I’m damned well making sure you stay. Forever.”
When she had dreamed of being top dog, she’d never thought of how complicated it might become.
Her head drooped and then she raised it up. Stared straight at her mate. Complicated was one thing. Weak was another. She had to be strong when she told him the truth he needed to hear. “I’ll stay. I have to. I’m yours.”
~ * ~
Prologue
Bright-eyed, Rome crouched lower, waiting for the next yahoo who might crawl out his hole and try something new. He could use the exercise. He wasn’t afraid of a bar brawl, even with the odds against him. Except for The Change. A little too much excitement and he might give the cretins in this place a real surprise with his transformation. Then he’d be both bright-eyed and bushy-tailed—and have good sharp teeth and claws to top things off. So be it. They’d started the fight, after all.
He didn’t listen to the catcalls and noise. Instead he kept his eyes and ears open for whoever moved next. Someone threw a beer bottle and the light on the ceiling swayed, the electric glow giving a weirdly strobe-like effect.<
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A split second later the outer door opened and everyone’s attention turned to the newcomer. For just a moment the waves of light played over his face, as if it was a theater marquee.
“What the hell—?” The gravelly voice at the doorway was cool, despite the words.
Rome tried to stay alert, tried not to stare at anything but the crowd in front of him. But prickles rippled over his skin and the hair on the back of his neck rose.
The face had been revealed clearly in the eerie light. He knew that voice very well. He’d lived with that face and voice, night and day, in his dreams and wide awake.
He’d vowed when he left that he was never going to listen or dream about that voice again.
He’d lied to himself.
“Stay out of this, Grey.” Rome jammed his elbow, hard, into the fool who thought he had a chance to take him off guard. The man crumpled to the floor, whimpering. “Stay out or take me on.”
“Shit, boy.” The new man took a step forward.
Rome whirled, adrenaline surging, and grabbed Grey by the collar.
“Didn’t you hear me?”
They were almost mouth to mouth. Shit. Yeah, it was Grey all right. The same scars criss-crossing his face. The same scowl. Grey said people were put off by his scars. He’d even seriously thought Rome should be put off because Grey was older. But there was a hell of a lot more to him than some old wounds or grizzled hair. Ah, hell. Grey’s scent was just as sexy as ever. His body was just as muscular, tough and potent. Rome swallowed, his throat suddenly going dry.
Grey barked out a short laugh. “You’re getting mighty close for a fighting man. Do you want to fight me or fuck me?”
Both. Holy God, he wanted both.
“Why’re you here?” Pushing Grey away, Rome kicked out, landing a blow right under the chin of the bartender, who had been inching toward his nightstick.
“To fetch you back, boy. We need you.”
“Why?”
We need you, wasn’t I need you. But then Grey wasn’t much for telling folks what he wanted. Hadn’t that been the problem? Grey’s dumb ass, “I don’t feel anything” act was why Rome had vowed he wasn’t ever going back. And he wasn’t.
Grey slammed the next would-be brawler onto the bar and then slid the unconscious man onto a bar stool, where he slumped, completely out for the count. “Well, like they said in another family, we’ve got a little proposition we don’t think you can refuse.”
He wasn’t doing what Grey or the rest told him to do any more. But somehow Rome found himself inching out of the bar, when a few minutes ago all he’d wanted was to stay and fight. Grey was at his back—protecting him? Herding him?—both were possible. But neither of them bothered to say anything until they stepped out into the night air.
Then it seemed Grey had plenty to say.
“Shit, boy, haven’t I told you to keep out of stupid damn brawls? I don’t care if your wolf is up and you want to go howl. Fighting like that just isn’t smart. Non-weres can get the best of us if there are enough of them. I’m proof of that. If it hadn’t been for your Daddy—”
“I know the lecture. How Dad saved you from death when you got into a fight where you were outnumbered. How I’m just a stupid pup with no sense. How you should never try to mess with anyone when the odds are bad. I’ve got it memorized.” Rome threw his hand up in the air. “Now you need to ask me if I care.”
“You’re an idiot, Rome.”
“I’m on my own now. All grown up and not listening to what my elders tell me. I’m not going back.”
“You fucking well are. I promised.”
“Ohh, because you promised. That’s why. Be honest. You wouldn’t give a damn if I did die in some damn fight. Good riddance, I’d finally stop bothering you. Right?”
Before he got his answer, lightning struck—lights danced in front of his eyes before darkness slid, peacefully but inevitably, around him.
Grey spat once, flexed the fist that had knocked Rome out and looked down at the huddled heap in front of him. Damn, the boy had turned out handsome. Handsome as his daddy, but with his mama’s pretty eyes.
Pretty boy. He’d never gone for pretty boys before. Non-weres would call Rome a twinkie. Weres didn’t like things that sweet. They went for meat. Preferably raw. But damned if this twinkie wasn’t tempting. Rome had been tempting him for years, in fact. When he wasn’t getting Grey mad enough to do something like hit him.
Ah, hell. There was no way around it, no way to make little of Rome or ignore him. Rome wasn’t just a pretty boy, even though he had the face of an angel. If he had been, Grey would never have looked twice. What he was remained to be seen.
The kid had a tongue on him, though. He could hone right in and make a man’s head buzz.
You don’t give a damn. Right?
Ask me if I care. Do I?
“Yup. I guess I forgot to ask if you cared.” Grey hoisted Rome’s dead weight over his shoulder and headed for his truck. “But then again, boy, you forgot the part about even when it looks safe, you still gotta keep your eyes open.”
Chapter One
“I’m getting tired of stalling. If we have to play nice much longer, I’m going to forget myself and bite them.”
Lin grinned at Leila. “Sorry, Mom. You wouldn’t be all that effective seeing as you can’t change. Maybe you should ask one of the pack.”
“Oh, shush, smart mouth.” Leila began to pace. “I can’t help it if the rest of you get hairy and toothy during the full moon.”
“Weres rule, humans drool.”
Lin’s mother swatted her after that response. The rest of the group didn’t crack a smile.
“This strange pack isn’t going to wait forever. I’ve been doing some investigating. They’re not known for playing nice but apparently they’re willing to try because they badly want a breeding female.” Lowell tapped his finger on the chair’s arm rest. “If we cross them, however, I wonder how long they’ll stay pleasant?”
“Maybe they know your rep as well and don’t want to challenge you.” Lin hopped onto the arm of Lowell’s chair to hug her mate.
Lowell shrugged. “Whatever. I appreciate your support, Dek and Leila, but this is about an offer for someone within my pack. You may boss your own pack but neither of you are Alpha here. It’s my problem. My pack and my problem.”
Mia froze.
And it’s about me. Not that anyone has checked for my opinion lately. Then again, I’m just the omega. The omega who happens to be a breeding female. And we have a pack desperate enough to consider having a non-alpha for breeding. A pack desperate enough to make a formal offer for me.
She glanced over at the alphas in the room and reminded herself to keep her mouth shut. Over the years Mia had come to like and respect not only her alphas, but also the alphas of the neighboring pack, who happened to be her mistress’ parents. That didn’t mean she felt comfortable speaking up when they were meeting.
“It’s not necessarily all your problem.” Leila looked at Dek, who nodded agreement. “We have a proposition to make. One that might solve both our problems.”
“What problem?”
“Our own breeding issues. What if you tell the outsider weres that you’ve already accepted an offer from our pack for Mia?”
Mia let out a small, surprised yelp.
“Who do you have to mate—?” Lowell glanced at Dek and hastily turned his eyes back to Leila. Definitely not Dek. Everyone knew that Dek and Leila were thoroughly bound to each other.
“Rome left you months ago. No one knows where he is. Besides, I thought he had the same—uh, fertility problems—that I have. He is my brother, after all.” Lin spoke calmly, but her jaw was clenched.
Mia had figured out that Lin wasn’t going to be having any children for their pack. Everyone knew it wasn’t for lack of trying on Lowell and Lin’s part—good Lord, trying wasn’t the term for what the two of them had been up to for the past six years. But six years was a long time.
“No, not Rome.” Leila shook her head.
Lin continued, “We would have accepted a formal offer from you years ago but you have the same problem that we do. There’s no one. Our pack has Lowell—”
“—who would rather not have his balls removed for trying anything with anyone but his mate, thank you—” Lowell smiled, briefly.
“—and Oscar and his mate, who are just as bound as Lowell and I are.”
And just as infertile. Two beta males who bonded with each other didn’t upset pack dynamics, but they’d never produce children.
Mia swallowed. Both their packs were so small. Too small. Lowell and Lin had Oscar, his bondmate, Enrique, and her. Leila and Dek once had Rome in their pack but he left after the fight with Grey—
Mia, probably because she had the most at stake, saw it first. The idea was so stunning that she actually spoke up without permission before all four of them. “Grey? You’re offering Grey?”
* * * *
“Grey, you fucking asshole.” The words might have sounded more forceful if they hadn’t ended in a hiss. “What the hell was that sucker punch for?”
Grey handed him some aspirin and a glass of water. “Just a love tap, boy, to remind you I still care.”
There was a brief pang of relief when the younger man swung his body up from the bed and grabbed for what Gray held out. Rome had been lying so still on the motel bed, breathing so heavily…
“Bull.” Rome gulped the medicine and the liquid with his eyes shut. “You never gave a damn about me. Do you think I’m going to forget about the last night we were together?”
Gray sure as hell hadn’t.
“We were never together, Rome.”
“We might not have had sex—well, technically—but we damn well were together.”
“You were too fucking young. And you’re still too fucking young for me. You’re not even twenty, for God’s sake!” Grey heard himself yelling. Damn it! He was known for keeping calm. When did all that half-concerned, cool amusement vanish? How the hell did this pup get under his skin? No one had done that for years.
No one but Rome. Shit, the boy had inherited some gene that let him zero right in and gnaw at a man. Got it from both his parents, most likely. Damn Rome’s whole family. I’m an idiot for putting up with the pack of them all these years.