by Sam Crescent
“You know if you hurt her, I’ll kill you, right? War or no war,” Lewis, the oldest brother, said.
“Got it.” He wasn’t afraid of the Lucas. Never had been. There was a reason they called him the Alpha Beast, and it wasn’t for his humor. One day soon, he would take over from his father, and when that time arrived, he was going to be ready for it.
Being close to Jenny awakened something inside of him. For many years, he’d been in control of his beast, being the one to dictate when he could come out. He didn’t have much control.
He felt his wolf close, wanting to get near the perfection that was Jenny.
Running fingers through his hair, he waited, but he didn’t have to be patient for too long. She appeared at the top of the stairs. Dressed in jeans and a long plaid shirt, she gripped the railing. Then he noticed a red cut across her cheek and frowned.
The moment she was within touching distance, he reached out, but Danny, her other brother, was there to grab his hand. “Don’t.”
“What happened to your face?” he asked.
“Nothing. Why are you here?”
“We’re going to get married, Jenny. I think it’s only fair that we get to know each other first. I’m taking you out to dinner.”
“And you’ll be going,” Lionel said, coming out of his office. He wore a pair of glasses, which he pulled off. “Why are you dressed like that?”
“Because I was told someone had called for me. We’re going out?”
“Yes.”
“Jenny,” Lewis said. “You don’t have to go.”
“She does,” Lionel said.
Liam watched the exchange as Lionel took dominance and made his boys do exactly as he wanted them to do. There was no effect on him for the simple fact Lionel wasn’t his Alpha and would never be.
He waited for this battle of wills to be done.
“I’ll grab my coat unless you think I need to, er, you know, completely change?” she asked.
“You look beautiful.” He intended to take her to an Italian restaurant. As far as he was concerned, no one could fail when it came to pasta. He knew there was far more to Italy than pasta, but it was a damn good start.
“Jenny?” Lewis asked.
“It’s fine. I’m fine. It’ll be nice to go out to dinner, and besides, Dad said I’m marrying him no matter what.”
The proposal was leaving a lot to be desired, and he hated to be responsible for that in any way. He wanted her to like him, and that was news to him. He was used to taking what he wanted, when he wanted it.
She grabbed her coat and offered him a smile. “Are you ready?”
“Yes.”
Her long white hair fell around her in waves. She looked so beautiful, so pure, so innocent. He didn’t know if he should feel guilty for the need rampaging in his blood. His cock had been hard from the first moment he saw her at the top of the stairs.
He was a red-blooded male and a wolf. Sex was something he needed in order to keep control of his beast. If there was no willing female, he often took matters into his own hands. He felt her brothers’ anger. They weren’t happy about letting her go out with him, but he’d protect her.
Liam had no desire to hurt this woman. If anything, he wanted to get to know her. All he cared about was making her his. That was all he wanted more than anything.
He led the way to his car, opening the door. She went to get in as suddenly, the door was slammed shut without any reason for it.
She pressed her lips together.
Liam looked at her as he grabbed the door again. He waited but it didn’t move until Jenny tried to get into the car.
“Someone’s here,” he said.
She took a deep breath and nodded.
“Then talk to them.”
“I’m not allowed to.”
“Why not?”
“It’s my grandmother,” she said.
This surprised him. Her grandmother had died years ago. He remembered reading the headline. It had been a natural death, not one caused by them. The death had struck the Lucas hard.
“She doesn’t want you going out with me?” Liam asked.
Jenny pushed some of her hair off her face.
“Did she cause the cut?”
“What? No? Of course not. Grandma wouldn’t hurt me.”
“No? You could have fooled me. Getting trapped between the doors of a car is incredibly dangerous.” He was pissed now at how annoying a family member who wasn’t even living could be. “Look, Grandma Luca, I get it. You don’t like me. You probably can’t stand any of my family, but I’m going to be marrying your daughter. I want to get to know her. I promise she will have a good time. I will not hurt her. You have my word.”
“She wants to know what good is your word,” Jenny said.
“I have never broken a promise. If your grandma remembers me, she will know that I always keep my promise.”
Jenny looked to the left of his shoulder. “She says if you hurt me, then you are never going to know a peaceful moment.”
“Good. It’s nice to know someone is taking care of you, even if they are dead.”
At the last word, Jenny flinched.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. I know … no one else can see her. It’s just hard to accept that she’s … dead. I love her so much.” Tears filled her eyes.
“Is she still here?”
“No, she made her point and she’s happy with you.” She took a deep breath. “You’re not looking at me like I’m a weirdo.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because you’ve just had a ghost threatening your life.”
He laughed. “It won’t be the last time. I’m sure I’ve got a lot of enemies.”
“Were you able to fix the Bordaux problem?”
“Yes. It has all been handled. Kenrick’s family has been taken care of. Nothing will happen to them.”
“Good. I’m glad.” She smiled. “I’m sorry, I’m waiting for you to freak out or something.”
He held the door open for her. “Why would I do that?”
“You accept me talking to the dead?” she asked.
“I have to admit I didn’t believe the rumors. I figured you liked talking to yourself, but I believe you. There’s no way anyone could have known what you did about Kenrick. I also happened to see the fork fly across the room, and then of course there was the force of the car door.”
She licked her lips and smiled.
“What?” he asked.
“You’re … I mean, my family loves me. I know they do. They’re freaked out more than anything, but it’s nice, you know, you’re not running away screaming, calling me a witch, or wishing death upon me. It’s really, really, nice.” She tucked some hair behind her ear. “I like it.”
“Good.”
She climbed into the car and he rounded the vehicle, getting behind the wheel.
“Do you ever find it strange that our grandparents originally started out in the forest and came to the city to dominate it?” she asked.
“I … don’t think of it.”
“Oh.”
“I’ve always been trained to accept city life, and it means controlling the wolf.”
“Until the wolf controls you,” she said.
“Do you turn into a wolf?”
She shook her head.
He looked away, focusing on the road.
“I will understand if you don’t want to see me again. To many, I’m faulty, and that’s not even without the ability to talk to open spaces, and with the hair.”
He grabbed her hand, locking their fingers together.
Mine!
“You’re not faulty, and all those fuckers who didn’t give you a chance, it’s on them. Not on you. There’s nothing wrong with you. You’re absolutely perfect.”
Glancing over at her, he saw her gentle smile again.
“Have you been on many dates?” he asked.
“No. No one wants to be … around me.
The car door thing would freak a lot of people out. I’ve never been on a date. I don’t need to ask you about your life, Liam Wolf. Your reputation precedes you.”
“All who came before you mean nothing.”
****
Once they arrived at the restaurant, Jenny knew she was completely underdressed. It was a nice place, one her father had tried to get a table at many times. Clearly, this restaurant was on the Wolfs’ payroll. She’d never liked the war that waged between their families. Often, when there had been a bloodbath between them, her life had gotten chaotic.
Whenever that happened, with how angry her father got about her abilities, she’d often shut herself away in her room, claiming a headache.
She didn’t get headaches, she was trying to reason with the people who came to visit her. Most of the dead were rather selfish and sometimes cruel. They only cared about their own needs. Her grandmother and mother had told her many times to always be patient, that they were afraid. Having your family scared of you or hating you hurt more than anything else.
No one stopped Liam as he led her to a small booth. He was tall, muscular, and completely filled the booth. It was odd to see such a large man in tight spaces, but it was even stranger that he actually seemed to fit. The suits, the lifestyle; Liam had clearly been raised with the intention of taking over completely.
She pushed some hair out of her eyes and offered him a smile. This was her first date and already, Liam had surprised her. She knew of his reputation with the ladies. Women talked and certainly when there was a rare gathering beneath the full moon out in the forest, his name came up often. Not once did she join in, but she listened.
At twenty-one years old, she had to be the oldest virgin wolf in the pack. More often than not, during the full moon, it was a full-on fuck fest. She didn’t turn into a wolf but she had needs similar to one. Most of the time, she could control them. None of the wolves within her father’s pack appealed to her. Her talents certainly helped her to find the good and the bad in all.
“This is a nice place,” she said.
“I see you’re evading my statement.”
“I don’t know what to say to it.” She licked her lips. “What’s good here?”
“Everything.”
She nodded but continued to look at the menu. Her appetite was long gone. Her grandmother’s visits always left her a little unnerved. She’d been reminded again not to tell Liam about her curse. It was the curse her mother had fallen to, as well as her grandmother. The line of being able to see and speak to the dead ran deep. They hadn’t been able to turn into wolves either. Before her grandmother, it was an uncle who had the gift, but he hadn’t lasted too long with it.
To some, seeing spirits that were not there was too difficult to comprehend.
“Would you like me to order for you?” he asked.
She nodded and smiled, grateful for the help. She closed her menu and watched as he clicked his fingers, taking complete and utter control. It was rather sexy. When it came to her father and brothers, she hated it, but Liam had a way about himself that called power.
The fact he was also an Alpha probably played a giant role in it. The waiter took their menus and seconds later, he came back with wine, but she covered her glass.
“Just water for me, please.”
“You don’t want to drink?”
“I … I can’t lose control. I know that doesn’t sound sophisticated.”
“Don’t worry about the way it sounds, babe, I don’t mind at all.” He reached across the table and she liked the way he called her babe.
She wasn’t used to being anything other than … Jenny, the weird one, and plenty of other names besides that. This was nice. This was new.
Smiling at him, she had no idea what else to talk about.
“Do you see spirits now?” he asked.
“What? No.”
“I just … with how quiet you’ve gone, I didn’t know if you were listening to other people.”
This was so incredibly odd. “I … there’s no one here, but, er, I don’t talk about it.”
“Is that because you don’t want to, or because your dad has instructed you not to?” he asked.
“You really do think you know everything, don’t you?” She was uncomfortable by just how accurate he actually was. It was crazy for him to be so … aware of her.
“I make it my mission to know everything about everyone I have dinner with.”
She chuckled. “That’s so not romantic. My father has issues with what I can do. He doesn’t like to know about it.”
“Why?”
“That’s not something I can talk about.” What went on between her parents was between them.
“Do you ever see your mother?” he asked.
An overwhelming sadness rushed through her. “No. Out of all of my relatives, she seems to be the one who doesn’t like to talk to me.” She licked her lips that were suddenly dry. “Are you still wanting to marry me?” She needed to change the subject or go crazy. In the back of her mind, she knew she had to turn him off to the idea.
“It’s not just a matter of want, Jenny. It’s a matter of our families making the necessary arrangements.”
“Right. We all have to do what our parents want, no matter what.” She wasn’t going to get angry. “Not many men want me. I’m not exactly a desirable mate, Liam.”
“How so?”
“First of all, my uncanny way of talking to dead people, that should be an indication. I cannot turn into a wolf. There is a chance at least one of your sons or daughters, if we were to get married, would be exactly like me.”
He smiled at her. “And yet, I’m sitting here, still wondering how and why that could be a bad thing.”
“Stop it,” she said.
“No, I don’t want to stop it. Jenny, you see yourself as completely undesirable and I can’t … I don’t believe for a single second that you are. You’re beautiful. I can tell that you’re kind. If anything, I do believe you’re cursed. You’ve been completely forgotten about. I can see you and I like what I see. I want to get to know you. Is that so hard for you to accept?”
She pressed her lips together and looked down at her hands. “There are so many eligible women who would give you normal kids and an easier life. This … the dead, they don’t sleep. Sometimes they seek me out. It’s not all fun and games.” She couldn’t tell him her biggest secret. The one her father should have told him. “You do know that I’ve never been allowed to date. I’m rarely allowed out in public, and that’s if I’ve had a spirit-free few weeks. Did you know that? Did you know I’ve never been on a single date? I’ve never been allowed around anyone.”
“Are you trying to tell me that you’re a virgin?”
This made her pause and she laughed. “Wow, I’m trying to save you from being married to me and all you can think about is sex.”
“Jenny, we’re not like humans. We don’t have to save ourselves for our mate. In fact, our body, come the full moon, always needs some release.” He locked their fingers together, and the pleasure of his touch consumed her. She looked at him as she felt everything. “You see. I can feel it. I know you can, and you’ve been denied all this time. That is the greatest curse of all.”
She pulled away as the waiter came back and lowered their plates in front of them. “Have a wonderful dinner.”
Her body was on fire and it wasn’t for food. No, it was for something else. Glancing over at Liam, his gaze was on hers.
No man had touched her.
She couldn’t turn into a wolf, but she craved the full moon, and there were times she would go half-mad with needing some physical touch. It was hard, though. No one would touch her, and in the loneliness of nights, the only person to keep her company was her grandmother, who would spend her time promising everything would be okay.
She speared her pasta and held it to her lips, biting on it. Flavors exploded on her tongue, but nothing came close to what Liam had done to her.
/> Wanting him was selfish. She shouldn’t marry him.
Her father was an awful man for even suggesting it, but if she got him to agree to the marriage with a few conditions, it might work.
Chapter Three
Liam didn’t care about what other people said. All he could see was the future in front of him, and he wanted to spend it with Jenny. She was so sweet, so kind, so loving. Even though they’d been on one date, he knew he wanted to spend as much time with her as he physically could. She was everything to him.
Running fingers through his hair, he waited on the doorstep. Her brother Danny had already given him glares for daring to call round for her. It was stupid, seeing as they were getting married in less than a week.
The preparations had been fast. Neither family wanted to wait too long. They were all trying to stop a bloodbath. Liam just wanted to spend time with Jenny. She was all he could think about.
In the mornings, he woke up wanting her beside him. He’d always been a man who loved sex and the epitome of control, but without Jenny, he felt he was going insane. He had to take matters into his own hands and give himself a release at least six times a day.
He wanted to fuck.
What was more, so did his wolf. The need to claim her was so strong. He’d never felt anything like it before. It was all completely foreign to him.
He was about to knock again when the door opened and Jenny appeared. She offered him a smile.
“You didn’t call,” she said.
“I needed to see you.”
“Is everything okay? I will understand if you wish to call the whole thing off. I know I’m not exactly the kind of woman you might like.”
He closed the distance between them, sinking his fingers into her hair and tilting her head back with the firm grip he had. “You have no idea what I feel.” Pressing his face against her neck, he breathed her in, groaning as her scent surrounded him. Vanilla and spice, a heady combination. He flicked his tongue across her neck, and hearing her gasp made him fucking melt.