by Maia Starr
Sam blushed but sighed. “Okay, but first I need to check on the other two shifters...to make sure neither were hurt in any way.”
Brendan agreed, rising with her. “I’ll help.”
“No, just make sure no one else comes in announced,” Sam said, motion for Brendan to stay seated. He grunted, but did as he was told, watching her hips as she sauntered into the hallway.
Of all the women Brendan was attracted to, the one woman that finally caught his interest had a past with his rival alpha shifter. Brendan concluded that his luck was incredibly strange, like the world was mocking him.
This wasn’t just any old war anymore; this fight was incredibly personal. He would be fighting Dean over Sam; there were no buts about it.↡¶
Chapter Thirteen
Sam
The teen girl had woken up during Brendan and Dean’s battle outside the clinic. Sam had had to calm her down, at first trying to deny the existence of the shifters...but then remembering the girl was a shifter herself. Sam simply sat by her side, telling her that her alpha had won the battle. She was safe, and once the girl finally understood that, she quietly hugged her legs to her chest and nuzzled her face in between her knees.
“That other shifter won’t be coming back for a while,” Sam said, rubbing the girl’s shoulder. The girl peeked out at her, her glistening eyes wet from her recent, frightened tears. “And neither will the others that attacked you. If their alpha can’t beat ours, then the rest don’t stand a chance.”
“Ours?” she said suddenly, startling Sam. She hadn’t spoken in ten minutes, so Sam had just assumed that was how the girl began to cope with her whole situation. “I’ve never seen a female shifter like you around before today...aren’t you new?”
Sam chuckled. “No, no, I’m not a shifter...you’re right though, I am new around here. The newest doctor in town. I’m just a regular old human.”
“So there are people who know about us then?” the girl asked, sighing. “We’ve always been taught that no one is supposed to know...I suppose you get special treatment, huh?” The girl gazed at Sam with curious eyes, neither frowning nor happy. Sam didn’t know what to make of her peculiar expression, but instead, Sam thought back to Dean, like always, but only for the briefest of moments. She found herself relatively calm, though, after bringing up some of those old memories, which was a milestone for her.
“Special treatment...I wouldn’t say that,” Sam said, smiling at the girl. “It’s more...well, I had an odd relationship with the alpha of your rival pack, out on the mainland, and let’s just it wasn’t built on love, unfortunately.” The girl’s eyes widened at Sam’s revelation, and suddenly she was twirling a lock of her hair, glancing away and flushing her cheeks, though she grimaced at the pain in her shoulders. “Sorry about the pain, but my assistant will hopefully be back soon with something to help. Herbal stuff.”
“No, I’m sorry…” the girl said. “I was, um, a little jealous. Of you and Brendan, I mean.”
Now it was Sam’s turn to widen her eyes. “Really? What do you mean?”
The girl rolled her eyes easily. “I mean, like, Brendan is gorgeous...he’s not only our alpha but the star of the Bedrock. A lot of my friends and I...are interested in him.” Sam smiled knowingly, nodding her head; now that didn’t surprise her. Brendan was unnaturally gifted in his physical attraction, and his ability in other areas was above par as well. Memories of her first night with Brendan in bed entered her mind. She could practically feel his body meld with hers again and began to press her thighs together. “And you,” the girl continued, “you’re, like, just as gorgeous. When I first opened my eyes in here and saw you, I thought you were some sort of angel.” The girl’s cheeks really inflamed now, as if she’d just shared one of her deepest secrets.
Sam laughed casually, causing the girl to frown, though Sam waved her misconception off. “I’m not that pretty, sweetheart.”
“You are!” the girl pressed. Rising from her chair, Sam winked at the girl. “Well, I’d say that when you’re old enough, you can try and bump me out of his line of sight, yeah?” The girl glanced away, continuing to twirl and play with her hair furiously. “Look, just rest here for the time being, okay? I’m going to check on your father.”
The girl nodded, and Sam left, shutting the door with a click. Sighing on the other side, Sam pressed her forehead to the door and stared down at her palms, her mind losing itself in images of Brendan and what the girl had said. Had the girl sensed the mutual attraction between her and Brendan? She’d barely been conscious, and yet that teen girl had spelled it out for Sam as clear as day. Despite Sam’s desire to never get wrapped up with another shifter again, here she was, surrounded by shifters on all sides, besieged by a psychotic shifter that she used to be in a relationship with. Sam wasn’t naive; not all shifter’s were monsters or murderers or girlfriend-beaters. Brendan was beyond perfect in that sense; his ability to shift forms actually calmed her. He might have been the one person able to protect her, and after their romp in the sheets, Sam couldn’t deny how he made her heart beat like crazy, for a wide variety of reasons. Warm sweat began to dot her palms as she thought, and so she closed her fist and trudged into the kitchen.
The girl’s father still rested on her wooden kitchen table, asleep, though looking back. What she thought had been the onset of an infection was now receding, his skin becoming its natural color. Sam was thankful for it, went on to wash her hands and simply checked the man’s wounds in the meantime, doing her best not to wake him up. Once done, she stepped back only to feel her neck hair stand at a presence behind her.
“Tell me they’re both okay,” Brendan asked, his hulking body standing behind her. Turning, she saw him cross-armed, and shirtless, though now he wore a pair of jeans.
“Where did you get those jeans?” she asked, looking up into his striking amber eyes. He cocked his head, a small smile appearing on his smooth lips.
“Found them under one of the broken couches. I think Connor left them behind for me.” He scratched his head thoughtfully. “About all that...we can make new couches and furniture for you for free. My pack, that is. Or maybe I should do it since I actually had a hand in destroying part of your home...and the door too.”
Sam smiled. “I would appreciate that...but for now we focus on the present. We can worry about fixing my home later. Dean is the immediate threat.”
“Right, and you still need to tell me about your relationship with him,” Brendan said, motioning to the hallway. “Come on; I think the best place to talk is the living room, even if it’s a little wet at the moment.”
Sam nodded, at Brendan’s heels as they left the father in her kitchen and made for her living room. The destruction was hard to miss, and yet Sam found herself mesmerized by it all: the broken furniture, the caved in holes in the walls, the partly destroyed door frame and the actual wooden door snapped in half and laying in the mud just outside. The rain subsided for the most part, but her floorboards were still soaked and slippery near the door, so the duo did their best not to get too close to that side of the room. Instead, Sam returned to her loveseat and Brendan pulled over a slightly chipped small wooden table to plop himself down on. It was now that Sam looked down to notice his bare feet.
Leaning forward, Brendan forced her to lock eyes with him. “So, how about we get to the point? What happened between you and Dean Mondego?”
Sam laced her fingers together in her lap, playing with her thumbs while she thought about how to start her tale. “Well, I guess I can spare you the less gratifying details, but my relationship with Dean started almost two years ago.” Brendan sat perfectly still, clasping his own hands together as he listened to Sam speak. He hung on her every word, causing Sam to instantly become rather self-conscious of her appearance. “I was simply receiving patients, just like any other day, when Dean came in bruised and cut up. I had no idea what happened, but I treated him. He took my breath away, and he immediately asked me out. At first I was re
luctant, but eventually, I gave in, and we went out. We got to know each other...he was so different back then, but I suppose that’s how deceit works. After a few months of dating, we moved in together. It wasn’t until then that Dean began to show signs of his more unsavory side. He slowly began to slap me and beat me, ridicule my mistakes and actions, screw me whether I wanted to or not. A year after, I finally came to the realization that my relationship with him was toxic...but it wasn’t until almost a month ago now that I finally worked up the courage to get up and leave one night after he came home drunk. I assumed that, even with his shifter abilities, if I were careful enough, he’d never find me.”
Sam rubbed her face and closed her eyes. “What an idiot I’ve become.”
Brendan reached out to grasp her hand in his. Opening her eyes, her heart nearly melted at the saddened expression Brendan gave her. Her fingers sucked in the heat from his and relaxed. His smooth skin comforted her beyond words, and this simple act caught her voice in her throat. Tears welled in her eyes suddenly, without warning, and she touched her cheeks with her free hand absently, coming away with salty, glistening fingertips.
“What’s this? I’m crying?” Sam said. “Well, I suppose that isn’t new.” She looked up into his eyes again, seeing a new flame behind them. “I thought I was getting away from shifter kind by coming to Silverwood Island. Funny, isn’t it? Here I am, thinking I’m just mingling with everyday, normal people, and then I find out today that nearly everyone here is like Dean. My god, I think I might go insane!”
“Nobody here is like Dean,” Brendan said softly. His fingers squeezed her hand slightly, an act Sam greatly appreciated. “Dean is a one-of-a-kind monster. You weren’t wrong to call him that. And you weren’t wrong to be afraid of shifters either, especially after what you went through for so long.” Sam got caught his growing smile, wiping her cheeks and sniffling as he knelt on the ground and embraced her. “If anything, I’m here for you, Sam.”
The strength of his arms wrapped around her put Sam at ease like nothing else had ever done before. He was cozy, and his broad back blocked the cold autumn winds blowing in from the open door. It was easy to rest her head on his chest, let his thudding heart lead hers in a spastic rhythm. Soon enough, Sam wanted more than just a simple embrace. Everything that had happened that day, she wanted to forget about it all, even if only temporarily. And there was no one else she wanted she’d rather be with than Brendan.
Slipping from his grasp, Sam rose to her feet and took hold of Brendan’s hand. He blinked, allowing her to pull him up and lead him down the hallway to her bedroom. Quietly, she brought him inside, the room a paradise compared to the living room. The shades on her windows blocked the gray sunlight trying to filter in, causing the room to go almost pitch black once she closed her bedroom door.
Brendan grabbed her once the door was closed, pulling her to his lips and searching her hips with his hands. His touch was gentle, serene, exhilarating. Sam’s pulse skyrocketed as she kissed him once again, his carved cheeks hot beneath her hands.
They stumbled towards her bed, shuffling while they made out, Sam’s worries being blown away in an instant.
This is different from the first time, Sam thought, recognizing the new energy sparking between them both. Both their pairs of hands worked fast, trying to strip each other before they reached the foot of the bed; neither paid much attention to how close they got, though, and tripped backward as they hit the bed. Crashing into the sheets with the most subtle thud Sam had ever heard, both were tangled in their clothes. Rolling around to slip their limbs free, their bare skin touched each other all over and bounced away. Sam felt like a young girl again when she was still awkward and strained at a man’s touch.
Her whole body trembled in anticipation of Brendan’s hands caressing her again, and so frantically she tried to unhook herself, succeeding before her partner and climbing on top of him. Brendan’s arms were caught underneath him, and with Sam’s added weight, he couldn’t seem to move.
“You know, this is a little exciting,” Brendan cooed, struggling with to free his hands. “I have no idea how I got stuck like this, but to see you sitting on me, wondering what you’re about to do to me...well, let’s just say I’m liking it.”
Sam smiled and put a hand up to her lips and shushed him while her free hand dragged down his chest, tapping his abs with her fingers gently. “Quiet,” she said, leaning down to kiss him. “We can’t wake up my patients now, can we?”
Pulling his jeans down just a ways, Sam saw it really was the only article of clothing he wore. Moving back slightly and positioning herself, Sam didn’t wait and connected her body with his. Both Brendan and Sam groaned in unison, their heads thrown back as Sam began to move. Pure, skin-tingling ecstasy filled Sam’s veins, causing her libido to go into overdrive. The outside world vanished from her thoughts and vision, her only focus the glowing amber eyes beneath her, and the jerking of her bed. As Brendan groaned, she threw a hand over his mouth to silence his voice, but soon Brendan unhooked himself and sat up, swathed her in his bulging arms, causing her to arch her back as a torrent of heat poured into her.
Brendan hardened his body as he Sam let out a muffled wail of pleasure, shuddering in his arms. They held each other a moment, and then Brendan took the initiative, his face wild with the intent to wring every stress-inducing worry out of her. Despite her worries already drifting away, she wholeheartedly allowed him to flip her over, pull her to the edge, and continue to melt her mind while he thrusted.
They continued for so long that day soon turned to night, time becoming a strange concept to them both as they became entrapped in each other’s bodies.
How did Sam find another shifter to share her bed with? How did she find another shifter to fall for? Was the world mocking her? Was this some kind of ironic game? Honestly, Sam didn’t care. All she wanted at the moment, was to feel more of Brendan, to have him take her all night long. After all, if she truly fell in love with another shifter, would that be such a bad idea?↡¶
Chapter Fourteen
Brendan
Sam was like no other woman Brendan had ever met. If Brendan had any doubts as to his feelings for Sam, then they were all washed away with yesterday’s excursion into her bed. His inner wolf had been going wild when he showed up to find Dean marching his way inside Sam’s home. Red was the one color he saw and wanted to see, but Sam quickly brought him out of that dangerous and dark mood, her sparkling eyes capturing his attention, overriding his desire to hunt Dean down.
There was time for Dean later, but Sam was his priority now. Even as he now stood in her kitchen the next morning, naked save for the lone pair of jeans still loosely clinging to his body. The zipper had broken in their mad dash to her room the day before, and now the only reason they still clung to his body was because they were a size smaller than usual.
He wondered, while he stirred a fresh cup of cappuccino, what it would be like for the male shifter still sleeping behind him, on the table, to wake up and be greeted by Brendan. He mused on that thought, almost chuckling as he pictured the man’s bug-eyes at the sight of him. Maybe Brendan’s vanity was becoming too much for himself to handle, or maybe Sam’s attention was lifting his spirits beyond usual. It wasn’t every day an angel like her appeared in this lonely island.
Brendan eyed a second cup and the jar of cappuccino mix resting on the counter to his left. Did Sam like a cappuccino in the morning? Ah, what was he saying? Of course she would, or else she wouldn’t have the mix. Finding himself mumbling to himself, Brendan went ahead and poured a second cup. With two cups in his hand, sipping the first, he made his way out into the hallway again.
Before he could angle his elbow to open the doorknob, though, a voice resounded from the front living room.
“What in the hell happened here?” Connor said, loud enough to rouse the whole house.
Brendan stepped into the living room, still holding the cups of cappuccino and eyeing Connor with a frown.
Connor didn’t appear bothered by Brendan’s annoyed stare, instead rushing over to him and beginning with a barrage of questions. While he spoke, Brendan noticed a bruise on his lower chin, a fresh blue and black circle. Behind his friend stood several of his packmates, peering through and at the ruined doorway.
“What happened? Is Sam okay? Did Dean and his lackeys attack? Why are you holding two cups of cappuccino like nothing is wrong? Don’t you see the front door, and all the furniture?” Connor squeaked.
“Yes!” Brendan growled. “Now be quiet, and I’ll explain outside, okay?”
Connor nodded, staring at one of the cups in Brendan’s hands. “You wouldn’t be drinking both of those, would you? I’m a little parched…”
Brendan grunted and rolled his eyes, backtracking to place Sam’s cup on the long hallway table, hoping she’d see it when she woke up. Coming back, Brendan noticed even more bruises along Connor’s forearm. Signs of a recent fight, if Brendan could say.
Motioning to Connor to follow him outside, Brendan eyed his friend. “What happened to you? I thought you were going to arrive yesterday.”
“We were, but we got caught up,” Connor said grimly, his shoulder hunching over. As they drifted outside, the other shifters eyed Brendan, looking him up and down and wrinkling their noses at his outfit.
“This wasn’t my choice, by the way,” Brendan said, leaning against the front of Sam’s Clinic. Looking around, he saw similar bruises and wounds on the rest of his packmates, with torn clothes here and there. Scowling, he asked more loudly this time. “What happened? And hurry up, because I’m in a pretty good mood today, and being forced to wait for answers will certainly sour it.”
“The Bedrock was attacked,” one shifter quickly said, her eyes darkened and furrowed. She clasped her hands, unsure of how to take Brendan’s alarmed eyes. “Just as we were leaving, Dean showed up with maybe twenty members of his pack. He was wounded, and shouting in anger, and decided to level a few houses and buildings. There’s a whole lot of injured, and a few dead...though he only managed to bring down two homes and one store.”