AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Good morning, Mrs. Hearn." Caprice was at the wedding last night.
"I'm late, I know, can you tell me where to find Jeremy?"
Clucking her tongue, Caprice smiled. "You should be on your honeymoon, not working. Everyone can forgive a new bride for being late the day after her wedding. Jeremy is in the closed studio for private shoots. It's two floors down and to the right when you come out of the elevator. There will be a sign on the door."
"Thanks, Caprice." Pressing the elevator button, I gnawed my lip. What on earth made me think I could handle a real job in a company?
"Mrs. Hearn, would you like me to put your bag in your husband's office?" Coming to my side, Caprice held out her hand for my overnight case.
Passing her the handle, I sighed in relief that she was so lovely. "Thanks, Caprice."
Two floors down, I found the door marked 'closed shoot' and knocked. No one answered, so I opened the door and let myself in before closing it again. The room was dark, but there was some light coming from further into the room. Loud music was playing further back in the studio, drowning out all other sounds. Considering the shoot yesterday, there was more than likely a reason for that.
"Jeremy?"
"He's on the other side of the screen." Appearing out of the darkness next to me, Howard was shirtless; a pair of jeans riding low. If I didn't already dislike him, I'd have appreciated the view of his v pack. But the personality in his eyes made it worth nothing.
"You're okay near me now, right?"
Howard's eyes grew angry. "I'm never going to be alright around a bitch like you."
Sucking in a breath, I backed up into the door as he stepped closer, getting in my face.
"I know what you did to your last alpha. Bitches like you are only good for one thing." Setting an arm each side of my shoulders, Howard trapped me. "I get you alone, I'm going to show you exactly what that is. Then, I'm going to break that pretty neck of yours, so you don't destroy this pack like you did your own."
Tears running down my cheeks, I met his dark eyes.
"You tell my alpha, and I'll tell him you're making it up to get rid of me, that you are trying to poison our pack like you did yours. Who do you think he's going to believe? His pack mate he's known decades, or the piece of ass he's spent a night getting his balls off in?"
Hating the proximity of this man, I recoiled from his onion breath suffocating my space. I wanted to stand firm, but the doubt still lingered, choking me with fear and uncertainty. "I'm his mate."
"You must be stupid to believe that cock and bull. Dale told you that to get in your pants. You think that the wedding was real yesterday?" Dropping one hand, he groped my breast intending to cause pain. "You can be my mate too if that makes you feel better?"
Knocking his hand away, I shoved him back from me, but he didn't budge.
"When Dale's finished with you, Jeremy will be your mate for a while too. Then Bob. We can pass you around, and all have a go being your mate."
When Howard tried to touch me again, I knocked his hand away, getting angrier by the minute.
"Hell, if you're a good fuck, we'll keep you around like a party favorite."
My eyes itched, jaw throbbing too. My fingers were cramping as I stepped into Howard. Doing as Jeremy taught me, I swiped my fingernails across his abdomen to back him away from me. Smile dropping, Howard stumbled back, confusion clouding his face.
"You'll never touch me. If you try, I'll rip your throat out."
The lights came on as Jeremy strode toward us, his eyes hard and suspicious. "What's going on here? I told you to bring Vera to me."
Bottom lip trembling, Howard choked, his eyes wide. "The bitch can shift."
Glancing at me, Jeremy shoved Howard's shoulder, forcing him further away from me. "Are you high? She's standing there entirely human."
That's when Howard stared at something, his face pale. Jeremy and I followed his gaze and saw the blood. Five large gouges across his abdomen, and a hell of a lot of blood.
Chapter 22
Years ago, I read a scene in a book about a detective puking all over the mutilated body, destroying evidence. At the time, I thought, 'as if that would happen?'You'd turn your head and vomit elsewhere. Now, I understood. As soon as I saw the bloody gashes in Howard's abdomen, I threw up all over his feet and the pool of blood beneath him.
"Shit, Vera!" Grabbing my shoulders, Jeremy moved me away from Howard, across the room to an open window. "Stay here and breathe."
