The Pack Rules Boxed Set: The Complete Series of Wolf, Bear, and Dragon Shifter Romances

by Michele Bardsley

  Kade sipped the coffee, deemed it too hot, and took another longer look at the woman. She wore her blonde hair long. It was obviously dyed, with multi-toned highlights and loose curls that flirted with her shoulders. She was rounder, more fulsome, than so many of the stick-thin human females who tied personal worth to numbers on a scale. For him, beauty did not come in bony packages. Most werewolves preferred women with curves, with substance—women who would not break during mating.

  Her concession to summer was a pair of khaki Capri pants, and a filmy patterned shirt with three-quarter sleeves. Yes, she was beautiful, but he recognized camouflage when he saw it. She was tall, too, her long legs stretched out under the table, her ankles crossed, her feet shucked from cork wedge heels. He noticed the pretty red toenails and the little yellow moon tattoo above her ankle. He had the insane image of him flicking his tongue there. What would she taste like? His cock was already half-hard.

  It was time.

  He got up, taking his coffee with him, and sauntered to her table. “May I sit?”

  She flicked her gaze from her laptop to him, and frowned. He was nearly struck dumb by the intense blue of her eyes. He smiled to hide his discombobulation. She was softer in the face, too, but her beauty wasn’t faded and her make-up wasn’t applied in desperation. That’s what he enjoyed so much about older women—they had grown into themselves, comfortable with their bodies and what they could do with them.

  He wondered what she could do to him.

  Her gaze revealed nothing, and then she smiled. The impact of her curving lips was nearly as devastating as her eyes—especially with the dimple that appeared like an exclamation point on the left side of her mouth. She closed the laptop and gestured for him to take the seat opposite of her. “Kade Stonewell. New alpha of the Moon Pack. It’s been a long time.”

  “Too long, Lilly.”

  She eyed him, gauging his youth. “You were what the last time I saw you? Nineteen?”

  “Twenty. The last time I saw you we were at Saul’s internment ceremony—seven years ago.”

  “Seven years.” She shook her head. “I still miss him.”

  “I do, too.”

  Lilly had once been a member of the Moon Pack—the mate of one of its most respected betas. When Saul had died, Lilly had left and returned to the human world. Kade wondered what kind life she’d had since then, what had shaped her to become the woman she was now. As much as he liked Saul, he didn’t want the memory of her dead husband floating around in her thoughts while they discussed their own mating. Some ghosts needed to be exorcised.

  “You’ve considered my offer?” He’d sent Lilly an email at first, and when she’d responded, he’d called her directly and asked the question: Will you be my mate? She’d asked for twenty-four hours to think about it, and made arrangements for them to meet here just before midnight. It had less to do with the howling hour and more to do with Lilly’s schedule as the owner of this bookstore.

  “Yes, I’ve considered your offer,” she said. “Why do you want to mate with me?”

  “Because you’re still respected in the pack. And Saul is still honored for his contributions. He was a great man.” It was the truth, but not all of it. He could hardly admit he’d crushed on her. No. He couldn’t reveal the secret longings of a college boy who’d lusted after his own mentor’s wife. He still felt ashamed.

  “I’ll give you some street cred, huh?”

  “Yes.” He hesitated and then added, “It helps that you’re still young enough to have children.”

  “That’s the only reason he couldn’t be alpha, you know.”

  “I know.” Saul Addison had the mind and the heart of an alpha, but a genetic mutation had robbed him of the ability to have children. An alpha had to breed, had to create the next generation of leaders. Saul formally renounced his claim and became a historian and archivist not only for the Moon Pack, but for the entire werewolf culture. He became a well regarded scholar in both human and werewolf circles, and taught ancient history at a local university. He’d chosen not to mate and spent nearly his entire life alone—at least until he met Lilly.

  “I admit that I miss the pack. The life I had there.” She shook her head, bemused. “But I can’t go back to the past.”

  “Then come with me into the future.”

  SHE STARED AT him for a long moment. Then she nodded. “Okay, Kade. I’ll be yours.”

  “And I’ll be yours,” he said.

  She canted her head. “I suppose that’s true as well.” Her mouth lifted into a crooked half-smile. “You need to scent me, right?”

  “The sooner, the better.”

  “Come with me,” she said, standing up. She held out her hand, and he rose to take it. He flicked his gaze at the laptop, and she said, “It’ll be fine.”

  He noticed she’d also forgone her shoes.

  She led him across the gleaming marble floor of the coffee shop, past the glass counter with offerings of pastries and chilled drinks, and into the ladies bathroom.

  He locked the door behind them.

  Now, that she’d obviously committed to his scenting of her by taking him to a private location, she seemed to run out of steam. While she gathered her nerve, or so he suspected, he took stock of the small bathroom. It was painted mauve and had framed pictures of flowers with swooping lines of poetry bleeding over the edge of the petals. There were two stalls; the doors were open and revealed typical white toilets. The counter was a marbled pink and gold with two sinks. It smelled nice for a bathroom, probably due to the air freshener occasionally hissing from the discreet devices placed on the walls.

  She placed a hand on her cocked hip and looked him over. “Well?”

  He smiled. Then he enchained her wrists and backed her against the only wall without a dryer or paper dispenser. He liked the way her breath hitched and her eyes went wide. She wet her lips and looked at him, those blue, blue eyes sparking with desire.

  God, she was sexy.

  “Keep your arms above your head pressed against the wall, crossed at the wrists.”

  He could see the debate raging behind those blue, blue eyes. How far would she let him push her? The alpha ruled all, including his woman. But if his woman wasn’t strong, if she didn’t chafe a little at the constraints put on her—well, she wasn’t as strong as he needed or as challenging as he wanted.

  Another minute crawled by before he saw her capitulation, but knew she’d drawn a boundary. If he crossed it, tried more than the scenting, he’d find her knee in his crotch, her manicured nails in his eyes. The very idea she might well hand him his ass just made him harder, made him want her more. She was tough, and he appreciated that iron core as much as the softness surrounding it.

  He let go of her arms, and she left them above her head, lazily crossing the wrists as though she wanted to do it, instead of conceding to obedience. She even looked amused, as if she were indulging him.

  Yeah, honey, keeping looking at me like that. He wasn’t blind. He saw the way her chest rose and fell erratically, as if she couldn’t catch her breath. Her eyes were dilated, and her tongue flicked against that plump lower lip. Every fantasy he’d ever had about her came to the forefront, and tested his control. His wolf struggled for dominance. Take her. Take her all.

  No.

  Scenting her let other werewolves know she belonged to him. They wouldn’t dare make a move on his intended mate, not unless they wanted a full out werewolf battle with the alpha.

  He unbuttoned the top of her Capri pants and lowered the zipper. Then he pushed the material off her hips. She watched him through hooded eyes, and he could smell the musk of her arousal. He resisted the urge to play with the nipples poking against her gauzy blouse. He allowed himself a moment to think about her breasts, about their soft weight cupped in his hands. What color were those peaks? Dusky or coral?

  He sucked in a breath and tried to induce some calm. He sank to his knees and pressed a kiss against her rounded belly, flicking his tongu
e along velvet skin. Her hips were round, too, but perfect. Sexy. Here were the curves of a real woman who knew her worth and not an emancipated girl still searching for hers within calorie counts and yogurt containers.

  She wore black silk panties—the kind a woman bought for herself because she wanted to feel beautiful.

  And she was.

  He drew the panties down, his own breathing unsteady as he revealed the treasure underneath. The trimmed, narrow strip of hair was naturally blonde. It looked as soft and fine like peach fuzz, and there … oh, yes, the juicy center of his favorite kind of fruit. His fingers trembled as he peeled back that delectable skin and looked at the glistening pink.

  He leaned forward and breathed her in, her womanly musk offered a more glorious scent than any perfume. He kissed those glossy folds and reveled in the moan she graced him with. He would please her, and later, when they mated, they would please each other.

  His slid his tongue over her flesh, gently lapping the evidence of her desire. His cock was so hard it felt as though it might burst from the tight confines of his jeans. The urge to take her, to slam her against the wall, and fill her with his cock was damned near overwhelming.

  The thought of other opportunities to touch and kiss and explore this amazing woman was the incentive he needed to ignore his more primitive urges. Well, as much as was possible given his face was buried in her sweetness.

  He took his time and went as slow as he could. He learned her clitoris was more sensitive on the left side and that she got more excited when he rapidly flicked his tongue over that juicy pearl of flesh than when he suckled it.

  He made her pant, made her moan, and still she kept her arms pressed against the wall forming the X he’d commanded from her. Yet, he was her prisoner. Her worshiper. Her mate.

  His fingers dug into her hips as he focused his full attention on pleasuring her. Scenting her with his musk. Her orgasm would release her juices, and his pheromones would be drawn into her, mixing her with cells, letting other werewolves know she was taken.

  Her body went still, her gasp turning into a long, low moan. He spent delicious seconds licking her, enjoying the pulsations that throbbed against his tongue.

  He licked and kissed her very center until he’d memorized the scent of her, the taste of her. It wasn’t enough, and he suspected, it never would be.

  I’m in love with her.

  The thought snapped him out of his sexual revelry. He’d wanted Lilly since the first time Saul had introduced her into the Moon Pack. He’d made himself believe that she was the perfect solution to his problem. But the truth was, he wanted her, body and soul.

  A true mating.

  How she felt, however, was another matter entirely.

  He pulled up her underwear and pants. He got to his feet, and then zipped the pants and did up the button. She looked shell-shocked, and he loved that he’d made her feel that way, that her satiation was owed to him.

  He grasped her arms and pulled them down. He wondered if she’d even remembered they were still there, invisibly pinned like pale butterfly wings against the mauve background.

  “Meet me at Donovan’s tomorrow night. Six p.m. Wear a dress, a short one. And no panties.”

  “Already doing the alpha thing, are you?” The whiskey sound of her voice made his cock throb.

  He licked her bottom lip, giving her a taste of her own essence, and stepped back. He couldn’t resist leaning in to sniff her neck. He wondered, just for a second, if he should visibly mark her. Just a little bite, a little suck, and both human and werewolf would know she belonged to him.

  “I’m not Saul. He had enough beta to control his alpha tendencies. But I don’t. I’ll never be a beta—in heart or mind. You understand, don’t you?”

  “I understand the alpha mentality. All or nothing.”

  “Good.” He turned on his heel, then stopped and looked over his shoulder. “If you’re late, I’m gonna spank you.”

  “Is that a threat to be on time or an incentive to be late?” she asked.

  Kade grinned. “Up to you now, isn’t it?”

  DONOVAN’S WAS AN upscale steakhouse tucked into one of the nooks and crannies of downtown. At five minutes to six, Nic waited in the elegant lobby with its overstuffed chairs, abstract paintings, and low lighting. He’d dressed for her, for his sweet, delicious Lilly, even though he knew the Armani suit and the tailored Eton shirt with its gold cuff links, not to mention the Italian leather shoes, would be the same as wearing a sandwich board that screamed: I’M WEALTHY.

  He realized now that he’d had his own shiny pride dented, just a little. I know the alpha mentality. All or nothing. Why had he chafed at her accurate verbalization of who he was? Though he would never admit this to another living soul, he had inside him a dangerous yearning: He wanted Lilly to ache for him, to desire him. Just him alone. Screw being the alpha. It was wrong-head thinking. Still. He knew now that Lilly’s body was receptive to an experienced lover—that much had been made clear during the scenting. He had to wonder, though, if she felt something, anything, for him. Even the smallest emotional connection could give them something to build on.

  Choosing Donovan’s for their first date was a show-off move. He wasn’t some lovesick boy, damn it. He wished now that he’d stuck to the T-shirt and jeans and sneakers that he’d seduced her in, maybe asked her to meet at a burger joint. He wondered if she would’ve enjoyed that more.

  “Kade. Well, well.”

  Shit. He turned from staring blindly at the wall to face the one person he didn’t want to see tonight, or any other night: Nicole Mills. She’d introduced him to Donovan’s, and it had quickly become one of his favorite places to dine. He should’ve realized the odds of running into her at the dining establishment, especially on a Saturday evening. Nicole was definitely an advocate of “see and be seen” at the right places. He found her vanity useless and stupid. Kade perused Nicole coldly, but she still preened under the attention. She was two years younger than him, beautiful in a plastic sort of way, and the bony side of thin. She wore a red mini with black calf boots. An oversized designer purse dangled off her scarecrow arm. Nicole liked the human standards of beauty.

  “Did you miss me?”

  He blinked at her. “What?”

  “You’re here—at our favorite place. Obviously, you’re waiting for me.” She pouted at him and put a hand on his arm. Her red nails looked like spots of blood against the black of his suit. “I wondered how long it would take for you to come to your senses.”

  He was dumbstruck. She knew that he’d refused her as mate. She knew, too, that he’d been searching for someone else. How arrogant did the woman have to be to assume he would have no choice but her? Irritation flared.

  “We’re not mating.”

  “Don’t play coy. Time’s up, Kade. The pack’s vote is in less than a week. I’m the only one nominated. Why do we have to go through this drama?”

  “There’s no drama, Nicole. We’re not mating.” He plucked her hand off him and looked at his watch. One minute past six. Had Lilly changed her mind? He’d never considered that she wouldn’t show up. His heart dove to his toes.

  “Am I interrupting?” Lilly’s voice made relief jitter through him.

  He turned toward her, smiling, and nearly swallowed his tongue. She wore a flirty black dress with a plunging neckline; its rippling edges ended mid-thigh. Her simple, elegant high heels were as black as her dress and clutch. The only color in her outfit was a gold pendant necklace—its large yellow stone rested at the top of her cleavage. Her hair had been arranged in an up-do with ribbons of hair framing her face and touching those creamy shoulders. She wore a pair of small gold hoop earrings, but no baubles on her fingers. Here was a woman who knew how to let herself shine.

  “Lilly,” he said. “You’re late.” He flicked the warning into the last word.

  She smiled, flashing that dimple, and said, “I know.”

  His balls tightened and blood rushed to his
cock. Smacking the flat of his palm against her quivering buttocks was a sexy enough image that he wanted to ditch dinner, and take her to the nearest hotel. His inner wolf scrabbled. Growled. Yearned.

  Nicole, who paled in comparison to sweet, gorgeous Lilly, inserted herself between them. She wrapped an arm around his bicep and said, “My goodness, Lilly! It’s been forever. You have grandkids yet?”

  Her voice dripped innocence, but the mean curve of her lips bespoke the true intent of her question. Lilly flicked her gaze to Nicole, who was unprepared for the pitying look she received. While she sucked in an affronted breath, Lilly stretched up and cupped Kade’s face with one hand.

  Then she kissed him.

  It was a full-on assault with her succulent lips pressed against his, and the lazy sweep of her tongue drawing his own into a delicious duel. She took her time, stamped him with her own brand of possession until his body hummed with need. When she pulled away, her eyes as bright as sapphires, he thought he might fall to her feet and kiss those pretty ankles of hers. He felt as though he was a supplicant chosen by a goddess.

  She turned to Nicole, who gaped at them in outrage, and said, “Keep your hands off my mate.”

  Nicole’s eyes widened and she snatched her hand off Nic’s arm. “Mate! That’s impossible!” Her nostrils flared, and she leaned in, sniffing at Lilly. “You scented her, Kade?”

  “That’s what an alpha does when he chooses his mate.”

  “Shall we go, Kade?” Lilly arched a brow at Nicole. “By the way, honey, if you touch him again, you’ll need a plastic surgeon.” She looked at the younger, stick-thin girl in a drawn-out, insulting way. “Better than the one you use now.”

  Nicole’s mouth dropped open. But Lilly was done with the silly tart. She offered Kade a sultry look and sashayed away. He stared at her backside, his cock as hard as a fucking steel rod and grinned broadly. Damn, she was definitely an alpha’s mate. His mate.