Finding My Breaking Point

by C. C. Masters

  “Sounds good,” I said brightly.

  Austin led me out of the room, but I couldn’t help but glance back at Blaze. He stared right back at me with a calculating look in his eye. I wasn’t sure if Blaze was honestly trying to protect his pack from a perceived threat or if he might have a more sinister motivation behind his words. Either way, I knew that he wouldn’t just let this go. I was going to have to figure out how best to handle him.

  “Is there anything I need to be concerned about?” Austin asked with our bond.

  “He somehow knew what I was,” I answered cautiously. “He’s met fae before.”

  “Did he threaten you?” Austin asked sharply.

  “No,” I answered with a shake of my head as we climbed the stairs. “He just told me he was suspicious of my intentions towards you and suggested that the timing of recent events might not be a coincidence.”

  “He and I will have to have a discussion,” Austin said thoughtfully. “I’d like to know exactly how he’s met the fae before.”

  “Do you think he’s testing me?” I asked Austin. “He had to have known I would tell you what he said.”

  “Maybe,” Austin mused. “If you hadn’t told me, it may have indicated that you were trying to hide something.”

  I sighed. I hated politics and wished we could have a simple, yet boring, life instead of being thrust into danger and drama all the time.

  Chapter 10

  Caleb

  I trotted back to the patio and leapt up before shaking the snow out of my coat and sitting next to one of the fire pits to warm up. Anna was still tearing around in the snow and teasing the other guys. She nipped at Cody to get him to keep chasing her but was able to keep artfully dodging him every time he would get close. The twins joined in on the chase, but Anna was quick and agile enough to avoid being caught by all three of them and was always one step ahead. If I had been in my human form, I would have laughed out loud at the sight of the three of them chasing her around.

  It was clear than Anna was in her element right now. Her white coat blended into the couple inches of snow that were covering the ground and she didn’t mind the snow that was still steadily falling from the sky. Her tail was held high and her eyes bright with happiness. I was glad that she could take an hour or so away from the stress and grief that she had been tormenting herself with.

  I would have normally retired to the peace and quiet of my room by now, but I couldn’t tell Anna no when she asked me to come out and play in the snow with her. I was glad that she had pushed me tonight, I had more fun than I would have expected.

  Once I was warm enough, I decided to leave Anna to her fun and head back inside. Maybe I could surprise her with a new lead on Christmas morning. I ducked into the shadowed alcove where I had left my clothes so that I could shift back into my human form. But the murmured voices coming from the left side of the house made me hesitate. I flicked my ears in their direction when I heard Anna’s name mentioned.

  “Must be nice to have a purebred wolf like that to warm your bed at night,” the first voice grumbled.

  “What makes you think she’s purebred?” The second man asked.

  “The white coat, doesn’t that mean she’s some kind of special wolf?” I recognized this voice as belonging to Derek, one of the guys who had just returned from the Middle East.

  I heard a snort. “Maybe she’s special, but that doesn’t make her more of a wolf than the rest of us. I think it means she has a fae ancestor closer than she wants to admit,” I heard Blaze tell them. Now that I recognized Derek and Blaze, I was able to identify the second man as Pete. All three of them were on the same team together.

  “Fae?” Pete said in disgust. “Our world would be better off without any of them here. We don’t need that shit.”

  “Good luck convincing Austin of that,” Blaze said angrily. “He’s not willing to listen to reason where she’s involved.”

  “You think she’s like that Gemma chick the guys were telling us about?” Derek asked.

  Austin had been honest with the pack about what Gemma truly was, but he hadn’t told everyone the whole story. He had merely said that a fae had disguised herself as Gemma and attacked Sam and the twins while Talen had given his life to protect Anna. There had been widespread panic in the pack when the guys had realized that anyone could disguise themselves as one of their buddies. To calm everyone’s nerves, Austin had Anna examine each member of the pack to make sure they weren’t a fae in disguise. Anna had assured them that now that she knew what she was looking for, another fae wouldn’t be able to pull the same trick. That had settled most of the guys down that day, but many were still on edge about the fae coming for them and their teammates at any time. Every team had come up with secret questions and codes so that if there was any doubt about them not being themselves, they would be able to flush out the imposter.

  Anna had been nervous about demonstrating to the rest of the pack that she was different from other wolves, but Austin had assured her that they would pass it off as a magical talent that was common to the white wolves. It looked like not everyone had accepted the explanation. But these guys hadn’t been here for any of those events, they were merely hearing the stories second hand. Once they got to know Anna, they’d realize how wrong they were, but would they even give her a chance?

  “What’s the plan?” Pete asked quietly.

  There was a moment of silence before Blaze spoke. “We need to separate them to give Austin time to clear his head.”

  “He loves her,” Derek interrupted. “He won’t forgive us interfering and he definitely won’t be understanding about us taking his mate when she’s at the tail end of her heat cycle. I’m surprised he even let the rest of us get within fifty feet of her this week. If she were my bitch, I wouldn’t have.”

  “James would rip you apart without waiting for an explanation,” Pete added. “He doesn’t fuck around.”

  “How did she get to him?” Blaze asked in frustration. “He’s the coldest motherfucker I know.”

  I wanted to interrupt and tell them just how wrong they were, but I wouldn’t be able to change their minds so easily. I needed to know what they were planning so that I could keep Anna safe and give us time to convince these guys that Anna wasn’t the enemy.

  Raucous laughter drifted to us as another group of guys came out onto the patio. I stayed still for another moment until I realized that Blaze and his crew had also heard the newcomers and were now coming around the house to the patio. I huffed in frustration but shifted back into my human form. I hated to even think this way, but we were going to have to keep a close eye on the teams who had just returned to the states. Our pack couldn’t afford to be torn apart on the inside when we needed to pull together and band against our true enemies.

  I gave the guys a polite nod and a wave as I passed by them into the house in an attempt to avoid the awkwardness of them trying to draw me into the drinking games. I’d never been comfortable at parties and social events, and while I might be getting better at tolerating it, this wasn’t how I wanted to spend my night. I needed to find something concrete to help Anna and the rest of the pack.

  Chapter 11

  Anna

  My cheeks were still flushed from the excitement of the snow outside, and I was a little tipsy from the shots that the twins had convinced me to do along with them and Cody. I had bowed out once they started singing the Marine’s Hymn with a bunch of other guys. But as I passed down the hallway to my room, I’d realized that Austin was alone in his. It was close to three o’clock in the morning, so it wasn’t unreasonable for him to head to bed. But there was something about tonight that had me feeling bolder than ever before. I slipped into an outfit that I had sworn to Quinn I would never wear and before I could chicken out, I threw on a coat and walked to Austin’s room.

  I stepped into Austin’s room and closed the door behind me. He looked up from where he was sitting at his desk with a pleased smile but raised an eyebrow at the
coat I was wearing. “I hope you weren’t planning on going back out this late?”

  “No,” I answered with what I hoped was a sultry look. “I wanted this to be just for you.” Austin’s jaw dropped when I let my coat fall to the floor. I was wearing thigh high stockings and a corset that perked up my breasts but didn’t cover them. I was also without panties.

  Austin’s eyes roved over me greedily and he licked his lips. “This is certainly a welcome surprise.” He raised his eyes to mine as I gracefully walked over to him in my sky-high heels. I had been practicing so that I didn’t fall flat on my face and ruin what was supposed to be a sexy moment.

  Austin pushed his chair back from the desk, but I placed my hands on his shoulders before he could stand. I liked having the powerful pack master surprised and being in control of the situation. I opened up our bond and felt his desire crash into me, stroking my own to even higher heights. Our emotions were even more heightened when combined.

  I straddled him on the chair, my bare flesh pressing against the bulge in his pants. He grasped my hips to pull me closer and I groaned as I lowered my mouth to his. “You are so fucking sexy,” he murmured.

  I just smiled and wound a hand through his hair, tugging his head back so that I could access his lips. His mouth pressed against mine and we devoured each other, lost in the sensations of the flesh and the need that pounded through our blood.

  I was so lost that I didn’t notice the door had opened until I heard Cody’s voice. “Hey, Aus-” I looked up to see Cody with wide eyes. “Sorry, I wasn’t expecting…” He waved a hand at us and I held in my smile. I don’t think that either of the guys were expecting me to do something like this.

  “Come in and shut the door,” Austin told Cody in a husky voice. I looked at Austin in surprise. “If that’s alright with you, Anna?” he murmured, watching my eyes carefully.

  I nodded. I had been with Mason and Jason together, but it surprised me that Austin would be willing to share this experience tonight. Cody’s eyes roved over my barely clothed body and rested on the curve of my ass, which was showcased by the way I was straddling Austin’s lap.

  Austin surprised me when he slid his hands under my thighs and stood, lifting me with him. He nipped at my neck as he sat me down on the bed and ran his hands along the inside of my thighs, leaving me exposed to him. “I think Anna came here with naughty intentions.” He ripped his gaze away from my body to grin at Cody. “I think I might need your assistance with this.”

  Cody smiled with heat in his eyes. “My pleasure, boss.”

  “Lean back,” Austin ordered me. I did as he asked as he pulled my hips forward and raised my knees to leave me completely exposed to him. If I had been wearing panties they would have been soaked through by now. I trembled as he spread my legs wider and Cody walked towards the bed. My curiosity and anticipation of what was about to happen was driving me crazy.

  “I like Anna in red,” Austin murmured. “What do you think?”

  Cody cleared his throat. “Everything looks good on her.”

  “And nothing,” Austin added as he ran his eyes over my body. “Put your hands above your head,” he ordered. I licked my lips in anticipation as I crossed my wrists above my head. “Cody, I think Anna would like a kiss,” he said with a smile.

  Cody crawled onto the bed next to me and I started to turn to him, but Austin asked me to hold still. I held Austin’s gaze as Cody ran his fingers slowly up my thigh, across the corset and between my breasts. My breath started to come faster, and Cody turned my chin so that he could capture my mouth with his.

  I could hear Austin undressing as we kissed, and Cody cupped one of my breasts in his hand. I moaned as he rubbed my nipple with his thumb and I writhed in pleasure. As Cody kissed his way down my neck, my eyes met Austin’s. He was now completely naked and definitely enjoying the view. Cody lowered his mouth to my nipple and sucked it in his mouth before flashing Austin a grin. “Did you want to taste her first, or should I?”

  Austin stood at the side of the bed in front of my open legs and ran two fingers along the outside of my slit. “Is that something you’d like, Anna?” he teased me.

  “Yes,” I gasped out.

  Instead of leaning down to put his mouth where I most wanted it, Austin circled his finger around my clit and then slid it inside of me. I moaned at the sensation, but he withdrew before I could fully enjoy it. To my surprise, Austin brought his finger up to his mouth and sucked my juices off. “Sweet, but not quite ready,” he murmured. “Cody, why don’t you get comfortable?”

  Austin knelt by the side of the bed and gripped my thighs to move me into position for him. My eyes rolled back in my head at the first lick of his tongue and I opened the bond between us so that he could feel my enjoyment. Austin used his tongue and fingers to drive me into a lustful frenzy and I struggled to stay in place while he tormented me with pleasure, not letting me cum. After Cody undressed, he added to the sensations with kissing and caresses.

  My entire body was throbbing for them when Austin pulled back. “Not yet,” he murmured. “You’re going to have to earn your orgasms tonight and Cody needs some attention.”

  We switched positions so that Cody was lying down in front of me as I crawled between his legs. I admired his muscular form as I raised my eyes to his and kissed the tip of his cock. I arched my back and raised my ass up in the air as I swirled my tongue around the head. “Perfect,” Austin commented from behind me. “Please him with your mouth.”

  I wrapped my hand around the base of Cody’s cock and slid my mouth down his length, taking as much of him as I could without choking. “Good girl,” Austin murmured as Cody threaded his fingers through my hair. I used my hand and my mouth to please Cody as Austin smoothed his hands over my ass and then slid a hand between my legs. I tried to keep focused on Cody, but I was quickly losing coordination as Austin drove me to distraction with the way he teased my clit. My arousal mixed with Cody’s pleasure caused my aching body to beg for more attention.

  Cody’s hand gripped my hair tighter to guide my pace and I felt Austin get into place behind me. The moment Austin slid inside, my body was straining with the need to release the pressure building inside. Ecstasy overwhelmed every other thought in my mind as our emotions combined in the bond. Austin set a hard and fast pace but kept one hand in between my legs to stroke my clit, sending waves of pleasure to radiate throughout my body. Just when I thought I couldn’t take one more moment of exquisite pleasure, an orgasm crashed through me. Austin groaned, but he picked up his pace as my body convulsed around him. Cody’s body jerked as my orgasm triggered his own, and our collective bliss rose to new heights. Austin couldn’t hold back for long after the two of us had let go, and he joined us in absolute rapture.

  Our limp bodies tangled together afterwards, and I floated in a blissful stupor. I don’t know how long the three of us laid there until Cody spoke. “Best Christmas Eve ever.”

  Chapter 12

  Tony

  I looked down at the body, acid burning the back of my throat. When Justin had approached me with news of a miracle cure for Alex, I never would have thought it would lead to something like this.

  Madness shone in Justin’s eyes as he absorbed the power that Jade gave him. “Almost,” He crooned when the transfer was complete. “I’m so close.”

  “And my son?” I asked hesitantly.

  Justin’s eyes focused on me and I shivered at the darkness that I saw within. “He’ll get what he deserves, I promise you that.”

  “This is the second of my pack members,” I stuttered “Austin is-”

  “Austin is what?” Justin snarled as he grabbed me by the throat and squeezed.

  “Going to be suspicious,” I managed to get out. Justin released me, and I rubbed my bruised throat.

  “He has no idea what he’s up against,” Justin sneered. “Let him be suspicious.”

  I lowered my head. It was becoming clear that Justin never had any intention of giving Alex t
he ability to shift. Nausea rose up inside me and I struggled not to vomit. All I had wanted was for my son to be able to live a full life as a wolf. I had already lost my wife, and the thought of watching my son age like a human right in front of me was too painful to bear. It was already difficult enough to watch him heal so slowly after scraping his knee or spraining his wrist. I couldn’t watch him turn into an old man while I stayed healthy. But how had things gotten so far out of control?

  Justin flexed his arms and stretched out his back. “You’ve been making it clear to the other wolves that Austin had a vendetta against Blendel for the way he challenged Austin in front of the entire pack?”

  I nodded reluctantly. “Blendel talked enough shit behind Austin’s back that I didn’t have to say much. Everyone knew he was on thin ice.”

  Justin nodded and the gleam in his eye grew brighter. “And what does the pack know about Anna’s ability to do magic?”

  “Not much,” I admitted. “They know she’s special somehow, but no one really believes she can do magic like a witch.”

  Justin snarled. “Then force a demonstration out of her. I want your pack to turn on her and blame Austin for bringing her to Seaside and letting her get out of control. Show them that she’s a power-hungry bitch that’s going to suck the life out of every last wolf in that pack.”

  I nodded in acceptance of his request, but my mind was frantically racing. There had to be a way out of this mess somehow. At first, the things Justin asked for had seemed so benign that I thought it was a small price to pay for giving my son the life that he deserved. Then Justin started to demand more and when I hesitated to obey, he had threatened to turn me over to Austin as a traitor. I had considered turning myself in and asking for mercy, but then Justin killed Blendel and I knew that the moment for forgiveness was long past. Austin would forgive me for reporting everything I saw while I stood duty at the gate, but being involved in the murder of one of our pack mates? That was something that I deserved death for.