Cutthroat City Wolves Volume 1: BBW Werewolf Shifter Paranormal Romance

by Lyra Valentine

  “There’s some wolf in you yet!” Tiana clinked her bottle neck with his. “You need to take control of your pack, not just accept the laurels given to you."

  Cameron brooded, and Tiana wondered if she had gone too far. She didn’t know when she was poking a bear, everyone told her. But Cameron should embrace who he was at his core, especially if he was the new pack leader. Soft city wolf or no, his werewolves would rebel and tear him apart if he was too weak to control them. He could be fair, as was Xander, but he had to tap into his wolf for power.

  “Come on.” She stood and faced him. She bit her lip to hold back a smile. She could tease the poor man a bit before they went out and ease any pain she caused. “It’s time to run."

  She began to strip down slowly. His eyes were locked on her, and she smiled just as slowly as her clothes came off. She could practically feel his thoughts and what he wanted to do with her. His eyes caressed where he wanted his hands on her body, and she savored every second of it.

  The tossed shirt landed on his head and he hastily snatched it off. Swayed hips and shuffled steps turned her backside to him as she teased her pants down to reveal the hint of a thong. His groan made her grin even bigger. A city wolf was undone by a little black strip of cloth.

  Maybe she’d take him to bed again before the night was over, maybe not. Right then, she wanted to run.

  The transformation took over. Her inner wolf strained to shed the human skin of Tiana. She felt her bones and muscles cracking and shifting. For a split second, she felt her wolf slipping into her limbs almost like slipping her foot into a sock, and then there was darkness.

  When she was aware again, she eyed everything from lower to the ground. Her vision was different, and her sense of smell much clearer. She stretched her front legs out and lifted her back end to the sky. One firm shake set her fur where it should lie and she sat back on her haunches. Her tongue lolled out and she cocked her head at Cameron.

  Chapter Eight

  Cameron watched Tiana shift. It was wild to witness from an outsider’s perspective. One moment there was a woman standing in front of him, and the next a large wolf eyed him almost like a steak.

  He couldn’t remember the last time he shifted in the open and without bars of a cage surrounding him. He hated to admit it, but he was scared. What would happen if they encountered someone out there? Could he control himself enough to not attack? He could remember his nights as the caged wolf, and he had embraced its sense of danger for the business, but that could change in the open. He didn’t want the wild thing to take him over.

  The great red wolf that was Tiana snapped her jaws. She was growing impatient.

  Cameron stood, and hurriedly undressed. The night air was cool on his skin, but he ignored the goose bumps that pebbled his skin. He looked up at the sliver of moon that peaked over the earth, and let his wolf take hold.

  Tiana turned and ran toward the trees. Her tail streamed low behind her, and he used that as his guiding point. His paws skidded over leaves and still he dashed after her. Her scent dominated the earthy scent of the forest, and both filled his world.

  They splashed through a stream he didn’t know existed, but the cold water rolled off his coat. He would have been shivering if he were still in his human form.

  Finally, they entered a small clearing and Tiana slowed to a trot. She stuck her nose to the ground and smelled all around before lying on the ground in front of a small cave. Her head rested on her paws and she watched him explore.

  He followed her footsteps and scented the clearing. Small animals came here; he could smell their paths crossing all over. Lots of wolf scents, but they were old. Tiana’s scent was bold in his nose where the others were faint. This far into the forest, and with so much brush around the trees, he wondered if any human made it there on their own or if they needed to shift into something else to reach the place.

  The natural scent of trees and leaves and dirt were beautiful and intoxicating, and he questioned why his pack had lost their freedom. This was where wolves were supposed to be. There was a freedom in being surrounded by nature instead of thick bars.

  He moved closer to Tiana, who still watched him. He licked one of her pointed ears and curled up next to her. There were thick blankets on the ground, protected by an overhanging rock. A few steps away came the cold smell of ash where fire had previously burned. The cave was used by somebody, and he guessed Tiana came here often.

  A hand stroked his ear, and he turned his head to see Tiana had shifted back to her human skin. He concentrated and let the shift take himself back to his normal form. His wolf didn’t protest as it did when in the cage. It was as if the forest brought them closer to understanding one another.

  Chapter Nine

  Tiana could see the stress and tension leaving Cam. He relaxed into his other shape, and the padding footfalls become less stiff, quieter. He needed a trip to the forest. His wolf, the glorious black creature, needed to be loose. He needed to embrace his wolf to be a pack leader.

  She sniffed. Not that she cared what happened to any Cutthroat City Wolf, but he deserved to at least stand a chance.

  No, what she cared about was the hunk of man sprawled across her blankets. She’d left them there the last time she visited the clearing. She found it was too big a hassle to drag a pack along with her when she wanted to camp out overnight, and the overhang gave perfect cover in case a storm came through. She went there often enough to clear her head. Not that she was going rogue, she reminded herself. She was too embroiled in pack politics to give up her human form.

  Cameron turned his head into her palm. His hair had fallen into his eyes and she brushed the dark locks out of the way. The blue of his eyes looked like two deep pools in the low light.

  Tiana straddled him, and he groaned. He almost instantly felt hard and she giggled softly. “That’s what I want,” she whispered in his ear. “Your wolf is beautiful."

  Cameron clamped his hand to Tiana’s neck and brought her face to his. His lips were made for kissing, and he sucked the breath from her lungs. He explored her mouth with his tongue, and delicately traced the inside of her lips.

  She opened to him willingly, and melted into him. Her body pressed his, and his hands molded her to him. She wanted to taste more of him. No, she thought. She needed to taste more. The ache deep in her belly demanded more of her.

  She wiggled out of his grasp, but the movements startled her inexperienced wolf. He rose to his knees as she dropped to her elbows in from of him.

  With her bottom lip caught between her teeth, Tiana turned eyes up to meet Cameron’s starkly heated look. She used both hands and wrapped her fingers around his hard cock.

  “Don’t you agree it’s better to give in to your urges?” She stoked down his shaft at the end of her sentence and he twitched like he would explode.

  She brought her mouth to him. She tongued his crown and the salty bead of his manly desire before he thrust into her mouth. Her laugh vibrated against him and he fisted a hand in her hair. His second thrust cut off her sound, but still she laughed. She enjoyed unraveling him far too much.

  He snaked his other hand to her breast. He cupped her closely for a moment, then pinched his fingers around her nipple. Her laugh turned to a choked moan. He listened to what she liked, and rubbed his thumb over the sensitive skin until she felt the night air cooling against her hot, inner thighs.

  When she thought she couldn’t take it any longer, Cameron pulled her away from himself. He turned her around and easily plunged deep into her, wet from her mouth and her own desire. She lowered her shoulders to the ground and raised her ass to meet him. She took every inch of him in stride, and pushed back for more.

  A quick study, he reached between them and stroked her pulsing clit. His breath sounded harsh and animalistic in her ears, and she knew she sounded the same with each pant that was pounded from her lungs. Her inner muscles quivered against him in her depths. She could feel his thighs shaking against her.

>   Her eyes closed as she felt his gush of release. Tiana rested her cheek on the blankets to catch her breath. Cameron gently lowered them to their sides, still entwined together. His lips kissed hot marks along the nape of her neck, and she shivered against him.

  His hand lazily stroked her breast, and another shiver ran through her. A sigh breathed past her lips when his cock slipped from her. She didn’t think she would stop wanting him, but she was sated for the time being.

  “Tiana,” he started.

  “Shh, let’s just watch the stars,” she told him. She didn’t want to ruin the magic. All too easy, she could see Cameron fitting into all aspects of her life. She couldn’t think of that while taking what she wanted and leaving him in the dust. She didn’t want to admit to herself that she couldn’t let him go.

  Chapter Ten

  “Are you ready to do this?” Gabe asked.

  Cameron nodded and straightened his tie. This was the moment he had been stewing about for a week in between visits with Tiana. Unbidden, memories of her smell and how she looked and felt took over. His mind settled on the image of taking her from behind like some wild animal in the woods.

  Cameron shook his head to clear his mind. He needed to focus on the task at hand. Gabriel, his new director of marketing, would be declared his beta and second in command of the pack. It was a move that would likely illicit many complaints. He expected new seats would open on the executive committee to make way for Gabriel.

  Tiana had given the idea, to be fair. She had told him to take control of the pack. He shouldn’t accept the pack leader position like a promotion. He needed to be the pack leader and demand respect.

  Gabe’s induction wasn’t the only announcement he had to make. The other would be more of a private affair with his parents that he hoped would come later. They were prepared to let the others know beforehand, if push came to shove.

  Cameron and Gabe entered the boardroom connected to his office. The others on the committee were already gathered and seated around the long conference table. These were the most senior pack members, though they didn’t account for all the werewolves employed by the Ross firm. Junior partners weren’t welcome in these meetings, but had opportunities to work their way up in the firm and the pack.

  The bank of windows were partially covered by lowered shades to keep the majority of light and heat out, but still offer views of the city. The view inside the room wasn’t close to matching the beauty of the slowly setting sun outside. These were all hard men, with not one woman in sight. Cameron made a note to change that. His brother had followed his father’s strict patriarchy, but he saw things in a modern light. If Tiana could be a successful beta, there was no harm in bringing equality to the boardroom.

  Cameron took a seat at the head of the table, and Gabriel took a seat next to him. Cam cleared his throat and began. There was no use waiting. “Thank you all for taking the time out of your busy day to meet with me. I know we’ve reached an all-time high number of clients, and I thank you all for the work you’ve put in to get us to this point.

  “I know there’s also been uncertainty within the pack, as well as here in the boardroom. I know there were many upset at the events that took Colin away from this position, and I again want to thank you for your patience during the transition.”

  Cameron glanced around the table. Each expected to be named to the beta position, though some considered themselves closer to the prize than others. He wanted none of them to be his confidant, or to run the pack in his absence.

  “I’m naming Gabriel Drago as my beta. He has stepped into the role of heading our marketing department, and I don’t think he will have any trouble filling the role as second to the pack."

  The announcement was met with stunned silence. Gabriel was a newcomer, someone not known very well to the others. He has slipped into the pack during Colin’s reign, and was quickly forgotten by everyone. Cameron first considered him precisely for that reason.

  “How is he qualified?” demanded one of the shifters.

  “I trust him. Trust is needed in a second. I mean no disrespect, but I don’t know where your loyalty lies. With my parents? With my brother? I aim to bring this pack to new heights, and I won’t have a beta that’s secretly working behind my back.” Cameron leaned back in his seat and scrutinized each face around the table.

  Claude, the most grizzled of the men surrounding the table, growled low in his throat. He eyed the others next to him, and Cameron felt the sizzle in the air that meant a shift about to happen.

  “Enough,” Cam snapped. He slapped his hand on the table and brought the attention back to himself. “You will hold yourselves in check. I will not have a wolf in the boardroom. We are humans here. Act like it."

  That brought more rumbling from around the table. Claude’s eyes slit, and Cameron could see his ears starting to elongate. “You will be cast out, Claude,” he warned.

  “To hell with you!” The werewolf shouted. He shoved back from the table and stood. “You’re just a silly boy. You don’t understand the legacy that was passed to you. You have no idea what you’re doing, and I won’t stand for this."

  “Then I accept your resignation from the firm and the pack,” Cameron said quietly. The rest of the men at the table stilled. Challenges in this pack were met with words, not banishment. Another thing Cameron meant to change. He wouldn’t stand for infighting. Better to get rid of the problem than allow it to fester.

  “You wait until your father hears of this!” Claude yelled.

  Cameron eyed Gabriel. They knew this was expected. It was time for his final announcement. “They no longer have controlling shares of the firm.”

  The table erupted in loud, shocked curses. Cameron waited until the noise died down. More than half of the men looked ready to bolt out the door, no doubt to place a speedy call of loyalty to his parents. They would need to learn who was in charge now.

  “Any who choose to go will have a severance package. Any who choose to stay will be more than welcome, but only on the condition that they are my pack members. They do not belong to my parents. They do not belong to my brother. They belong to me. Any found disobeying this will be cast out. Good luck finding a place with the Inferno Wolves.”

  The protesting howls were louder than before. Cameron remained quiet. Gabe tensed next to him, ready to spring into action should any try to take their complaints to a physical level.

  Maybe the decades of denying their wolves had paid off, Cam mused. None were ready to battle it out in their other skins. They were men first, and wolves second. Their fighting would be done through other means. He almost wished one would shift right then so he could be done with the challengers.

  “You have until the end of the day to decide.” He stood, and left the boardroom. He had someone waiting for him upstairs, and he wouldn’t put her off a moment longer.

  Chapter Eleven

  The elevator’s quiet ding alerted Tiana to Cameron’s arrival. She’d agreed to meet him there, and dressed to impress. Boots with a heel encased her calves, and tight jeans hugged the curves of her ass and thighs. She’d even dug out an old corset and laced herself until her breasts almost spilled over the top.

  She wanted to look in control, and then give him everything he wanted. He deserved whatever he wanted. She knew he was making some changes to the law firm today, something to do with whatever he and his beta had their heads together about all week. She knew only the barest of details, and was happy to keep it that way. Pack business was pack business, and she didn’t belong to them.

  A part of her twinged with jealousy, though. She was good enough to bed, but not good enough to share secrets. She was encouraging of his empowerment within his pack, but she still wanted to know how it was going.

  Tiana shook her head. She couldn’t let herself divide her loyalty. The Inferno Wolves were still her pack, not those cutthroat lawyers.

  “Did everything go well?” She asked when he walked close enough to see her. She
stretched out on the couch, and lazily brushed her hair away from her head. The red looked like a comet streaking toward her face. She took a deep breath and swelled the plumped tops of her breasts.

  She grinned when Cameron licked his lips and struggled to take his eyes away from her body.

  “Glass of wine to celebrate?”

  She swayed her hips to the kitchen, and threw a look over her shoulder at him. Her red hair trailed down her back. She knew she must look irresistible to him in that moment, because he stood and followed after her.

  She stopped at one of the generous counters, and reached high above her head for the bottle of wine they were planning to share. He caught up to her, ad placed one large palm on her hip. The other hand he trailed up her side and her arm and grabbed the bottle before she could touch it.

  Tiana arched her backside into him and wanted to purr. He ignited something inside her with the smallest of touches.

  “Let me,” he said.

  The breath blew past her ear and into her hair, sending a shiver straight down her spine. Her nipples tightened against the silky inside of her corset. She swayed her hips again, and a low rumbled sounded in Cam’s chest.

  His lips were on the back of her neck, and she tilted her head to the side. She wanted to submit to him. She curved into him, meeting his mouth on her neck and his waist on her ass.

  His hands found her breasts, and pulled the corset down to spill her over the top. His fingers rubbed in tight circles on her nipples until she moaned.

  He pushed his hips into her backside, and she could feel the hard length of his cock. His hand reached around and dug into her jeans. His fingers cupped her heat, and his palm roughly pressed into her clit. She gasped at the sensation, and rocked harder into his hand.

  “Naughty girl,” Cameron breathed into her ear again. He put his foot between her booted feet and nudged them wider. His hand pressed into her again, and he slipped a finger inside. “So hot for me already."