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“Why …” I want to ask why we pulled over since we seem to be in the middle of nowhere, but the words are stuck in my throat. Lev opens his door and gets out first, allowing a gust of cool air to filter into the car. My body starts to shake. Bracing his hands on the roof, he leans his head into the car and smiles at me.
“Relax, Grace, we’re just switching people around. We’re only a few minutes away, but Devin thinks it’s best that you see him now.”
I don’t move. I don’t say anything as the heavy footsteps come quicker than I’m prepared for.
Devin’s faster than I can imagine. There wasn’t a moment for me to will my body to move or to run. The car tilts slightly as he climbs into the seat next to me. His masculine, woodsy scent drifts into my lungs and suffocates every thought. He’s tall, his jaw sharp and every inch of his corded muscles are showing with his sleeves rolled up. My chest rises and falls chaotically.
“You’ll be quiet until we get home.”
It’s all he says, the words spoken in a deep low tone and anger pulses inside of me, but something else takes over with a force I can’t describe.
“I’m scared,” I say, whispering the truth although it’s not for the same reasons I’ve been terrified throughout the day … this is something completely different. As if my body, even my soul, knows my life has been irrevocably changed simply because this man looked my way.
“Don’t be,” he responds and that’s when his gaze meets mine for the first time. It’s sharp and silver and all-consuming.
Devin
Shove what I want up my ass? I kept my face emotionless in front of my pack, but I couldn’t help smiling on my way over to her car. I’m glad she’s feisty. My mate, my Grace. I love the way her name sounds on my tongue.
I stare at my mate from the corner of my eye. My mate is Alpha as fuck; the powerful force is rolling off of her gorgeous body in waves. If I was a lesser wolf, I’d feel the need to bow to her. It’s unbelievably sexy and entirely unexpected from a human. She’s subdued, though. At the realization, my grin vanishes and the impassive mask returns. Something’s beaten down her Alpha, and I’m going to find out exactly what happened.
At least she’s better off than her friend. Calmer, more in control. Something’s very wrong with Elizabeth. I was two seconds away from putting her friend in the trunk. It really would’ve been for the best. She won’t stop calling out for my mate and fighting, which is only causing her to hurt herself. But Dom wouldn’t have enjoyed that. Caleb wouldn’t have liked it either. I feel so fucking sorry for my betas. Having to share your mate … that’s a problem I’m not sure how to solve. Dom’s already fighting an uphill battle. Liz denied him. Screamed at him, pushed him away and beat him repeatedly. It’s unheard of for a mate to react that way. She didn’t gentle in his arms like my mate did for me. Grace only pushed away from me to get to her friend, her pack. That’s what an Alpha does. A chill runs down my spine; that better have been the only reason she pushed away.
Dom shouldn’t worry, though. Liz’s heat will come soon enough and she’ll be begging for him … or Caleb. It’s a damn mess. I’m going to have to figure something out before they kill each other.
The headaches don’t stop there. Vince felt his mate in the stadium, just like I felt Grace last year. It’s going to be hell keeping him off human territory. I should know.
In the meantime, I can’t even tell Grace she’s my mate. If I did, then Dom and Caleb would have to come up with a way to tell Elizabeth, or Lizzie rather, that she belongs to both of them. And that can’t happen until they figure out their shit.
With the strongest members of my pack distracted over their mates, I should be concerned about us being prepared for the inevitable fallout from my old pack, but all I can think about is Grace. She’ll be going into heat soon; I can smell it coming on and I can see it in the flush of her skin. All I need to do is get her alone.
Part II
The Alpha
Grace
“What do you know about werewolves?” Devin, the Alpha, looks at me expectantly, his sharp silver eyes penetrating mine. His intense stare makes my heart beat chaotically. There’s an overwhelming feeling of power radiating off of him. His elbow is planted on his large maple desk with his chin resting on his fist. Devin’s dark brunette hair has a messy look to it that’s sexy as fuck and his five o’clock shadow is begging me to rub against it. I imagine how his stubble would feel against my inner thighs while he laps at my clit, sucking it into his mouth and letting it go with a pop. I clench my thighs and swallow thickly in an attempt to suppress these sudden urges. What the fuck is going on with me? Devin’s gaze heats as a knowing grin pulls at the corners of his mouth. I purse my lips in response to his arrogance.
He brought me in here to his office as soon as the car stopped, practically dragging me away before Lizzie was allowed out of the car. I was only permitted to see her from a distance, her red-rimmed eyes staring back at me with her palm pressed against the window. My heart is a shattered mess.
I didn’t want to be separated from her; she’s a complete wreck. She shouldn’t be on her own. Or left alone with them. Devin promised that if I behave and listen, we’ll be reunited and left alone to process everything. It killed me to turn my back to her, to obey this werewolf.
But I pray I’m doing the right thing. Minding what he has to say, following his commands.
And that’s how I ended up here.
The size of this “office” is ridiculous. It’s larger than our entire apartment. I’m in awe of the sheer size and luxury of the werewolves’ estate. I assumed werewolves lived in the woods, hunting down animals in their wolf form and basically behaving like savages. If it wasn’t for their large frames and silver eyes, I’d have had no idea that these men were anything other than human. Not that I’d ever met a werewolf before. But I’d always imagined them to be … primitive. And nothing about them or this place is primitive.
If what Jude and Lev said is true, we’re going to be fine. I keep reminding myself of that. But their version of fine and my version may be very different and I still don’t know why they took us. The thought makes my eyes narrow. I don’t like being kept in the dark.
“Why are we here?” My grip tightens on the armrests of the freshly oiled leather wingback chair. Every inch of my body is tight with worry and something else … something I cannot control. It’s him. He’s doing it to me and I hate him for it.
“I asked you a question first. Please answer it.” I lift my head and square my shoulders, speaking calmly and politely, but with authority. His expressionless face gives nothing away. He sits back in his seat, letting his hand fall to the desk and taps rhythmically with his deft fingers as if he’s waiting for something.
What do I know of werewolves? “Very little.”
“Your tone leaves much to be desired.” He slowly rises from his seat and stalks over to me. Standing directly in front of my chair, he leans against the desk as if it’s a casual gesture but this close, his presence is suffocating. “That’s something we need to work on, Grace.” Just being this close to him is overwhelming and I shift in my seat as he crosses his arms. I love the way my name rolls off his tongue, although the fact that I love it makes me feel anxious.
