You can’t win with these idiots.
The low, rumbling chug from a beat-up Cadillac sedan catches my attention as it pulls into the gas station across the street, and I’m distracted when a stunning blonde steps out of the car. Despite the distance between us, my fox perks up in interest. Her hair is down to her waist, a small breeze flirting with the straight strands, and I inhale reflexively, hoping to catch her scent.
There is something ethereal about her that draws the eye and leaves you wondering if she’s real. The liquid way her muscles move as she prowls around the station to fill her tank is like witnessing a predator in human form, her sleek body pure sex in motion, and I’m completely transfixed.
I’m so distracted by the beauty that I forget about Simon and his lackeys—a rookie mistake.
Nothing pisses off a bully more than being ignored.
A growl is the only warning I receive before I’m pummeled, and I curse when a startled yip escapes my fox before I can bite it back. Any sign of weakness only encourages them. I grit my teeth, tuck my arms close to my chest, and duck my head. Nothing I do or say will stop Simon and his assholes. I can only endure it until they get bored.
Magic crackles like static under my skin, the need to lash out and defend myself almost impossible to resist, and I clench my fists in an effort to hold it back. While some shifters can harness magic, it’s taboo, something normally reserved for the ancients we call mythicals.
I’m as far from one of those fabled creatures of legends as possible, many claiming they died out centuries ago, if they even existed at all. Unfortunately, if these jokers discover I have magic, I’ll be dragged before the alpha and killed.
No one is allowed power but him.
Some packs may consider me special, but these backassward fuckers are not them.
“What the fuck are you doing?” A husky voice causes everyone to pause, the girl’s question so low and dangerous that a shiver of lust travels straight to my balls. I don’t even have to glance up to know it’s the woman who distracted me in the first place.
I inhale instinctively, uncaring about the pain it causes my abused ribs, the need to scent her an imperative impossible to resist.
Citrus and sunshine fill my senses, the evocative smell so potent that I feel high and desperate for another hit. I’m so distracted that it’s not until the wolves snarl at the interruption that I shake off the effect she has on me.
Magic gathers under my skin, swirling through my veins, as if eager to defend the girl. I refuse to allow anything to happen to her, even if it exposes my secret.
The wolves are pissed at the interruption, their fangs lengthening as they whirl toward the woman. The instant they catch sight of her, they pause, their heads cocked like they’re unable to understand what they’re seeing.
Their snarls disappear, their fangs shrink, but nothing can hide the way their eyes shimmer as their wolves peer out at the delectable morsel before them. The only thing that remains is the stench of their aggression burning the air. They hastily straighten, goon one and two fidgeting with their clothes, while goon three smooths out his hair.
Simon puffs out his chest and swaggers forward, a cocky expression on his face. “Don’t worry, darling. Let us finish our business, then you can have my full attention.”
The girl is apathetic to his posturing. She crosses her arms and raises an unimpressed brow, scanning each of the wolves from head to toe. “Eww, no. Do you honestly think I would be dazzled that it takes four” —she sniffs the air delicately, a cute little furrow appearing across the bridge of her nose— “wolves to beat up one opponent?”
A tiny snarl curls her lips, her disdain filling the air like pepper.
Any amicability from the alpha and his cronies vanishes. “Listen here, you little bitch.” Simon stalks forward, pointing a finger at her, a black claw lengthening threateningly. “The only opinion I want from you is what my cock tastes like in your mouth.”
The pack laughs, their fangs on full display, flashing her menacing smirks as they advance. My fox snarls, pouncing on the underside of my skin, the urge to shift and tear into the fuckers almost impossible to ignore.
I’m a good fighter, fast and mean, but I won’t be able to take on four wolves.
Instead of running like any sane person, the goddess lifts her chin and narrows her eyes. “Beating up those weaker than you doesn’t make you stronger, it makes you look pathetic. I can already tell what your limp worm will taste like in my mouth—small and bloody when I bite it off.”
The boysoohandaahat the bold claim, but Simon doesn’t take being challenged well, especially from a woman. To him, females only serve one purpose—to fuck. If they have an opinion, it’s one that he gives them.
“On. Your. Knees.” His alpha bark is so potent that my own legs quiver. If he were a stronger alpha, I might have dropped. Two of his own men wobble. One even falls to his knees.
But the girl?
Despite the command being directed at her, she doesn’t buckle. Standing strong and proud, she is like a goddess come to life. Little sparks of gold shimmer in her eyes. Her smile is slow to come, revealing a double set of top and bottom fangs. A wave of energy blasts from her, enough to send the wolves stumbling back a step, their beasts retreating from the raw power.
“Be smart,” she murmurs in a silky voice, despite her fangs. “Run while you still have the chance.”
His cronies back away at the silent menace. The only reason they don’t scramble away like scared rabbits is that they know Simon would punish them for it later.
Unlike the others, Simon isn’t smart.
