

### SHADOWS OF THE ANCIENTS

The Ancients Vol. 1

Christine M. Butler

***
Copyright © 2014 Christine M. Butler

Moonlit Dreams Publications

All rights reserved.

Smashwords Edition

Cover Design © 2014 Christine M. Butler

All rights reserved.

***

### DEDICATION

For Stacey – my best friend for 27 years and counting!

And for my mom , because she's awesome!

***

### CHOSEN

"You should be rejoicing! Your mate has been chosen for you." My mother's voice was grating on my last nerve. I could already hear the speech that she had prepared for this very occasion, only I didn't have to wait for it to play out in my mind. She was already taking a break and gearing up for the next part.

"But..."

"Zachariah is the best match you could possibly hope for. He's handsome," Oh, boy, here it goes, she's about to extol his virtues to me... again! "Smart. And he's an alpha. He'll be our pack leader one day if anything ever happens to Marcus."

"Yeah, and he knows all those things too, mom!"

"He should! Confidence comes with being Alpha, Jess. You know that."

I grumbled something about there being a difference between confidence and conceit, but she chose to ignore it. "I just need some time to think, and get used to the idea."

"To think?" My mother asked in surprise. "About what, Jess? Zach has already accepted. An official announcement will be made at the next full moon cycle."

"What? Just like that? I don't even get a say in my own future?"

"Of course you do, don't be silly. You could refuse, but why would you? You two would be perfect for one another. We've thought so since you were younger. It's why we petitioned so long ago for this to happen."

"Don't remind me," I snapped.

"Besides," she continued, ignoring me again, "who would you choose? Your choices only go downhill from Zach."

"Well," I started in stubbornly, knowing she was righ. "There's Tyler. I like him, he's always been nice to me."

"Tyler! Ha!" My mom laughed. "He's barely even Alpha. You'd have that boy paws up by the end of the week, and quaking in his boots when he was in human form. Then what? You'd get bored. What you need, my darling daughter, is a challenge."

"I'm being challenged alright," I grumbled.

"Ugghh," My mom was exasperated with me, as usual. She threw her hands up in the air, in mock defeat. "Fine! Take a few days to mull it over. Go out, have some fun with Ashley. Get a little bit of that restless spirit out of your system. And then, do your duty for your pack. There are worse fates than this one, Jessica Marie!"

I turned to walk away from the conversation. The moment she broke out my middle name I knew what was coming next.

"This is your father's doing. He's spoiled you. How many other wolves do you see going off to human college? That's right, none. You're special, and now you think you're too good for the best match there is for you. Ay, ay, ay, Jessica. What is it going to take for you to understand, you are a wolf? You are not human."

"Funny, I always thought I was both."

"That's where you keep going wrong. You can't be one anymore, if you're the other. It doesn't work that way, Jess. The wolf will always call to you, especially your wolf."

"I know."

"Do you? Because you seem to think it's just going to stop."

"I do not, and I don't want it to. I just... I just wish I didn't feel so damn trapped in this life. I actually hate Zach! He stopped being a decent person when he went through the final transition. How am I supposed to get over the fact that I can't stand being around him? We mate for life! That will suck!"

"Jessica," my mom whispered to me, pulling us closer together. Her arms wrapped comfortingly around me. "I know it seems like the worst thing ever right now, but I promise you will grow to love him. When you are mated, and your wolves have accepted each other, you won't even want to go back. Things will change. I understand being nervous. I wasn't sure I liked your father when we were paired either."

That surprised me.

"He was a jerk. He was much like Zach is now, and you know what?" I just looked up at her, waiting for the rest without saying anything. "He stole my heart, and I like to think I helped change him just a little. He's not so much of a jerk now." She winked at me, kissed the top of my head, and then sent me on my way. "Go, have fun for tonight. Think about everything in the morning, when you have a clearer head. And at least consider what I've said. This is a smart match. Things will fall into place, I promise."

I wanted to have faith in my mom, in the fact that she had been in a very similar position once upon a time, but it still all rubbed me the wrong way. I decided to call Ashley, she'd understand. She could commiserate with me, and she'd probably come up with a brilliant plan to take my mind off of everything.

"I need you," I said as Ashley picked up the phone.

"Oh, boy. Let me guess, the whole mating thing came up again?"

"Things have definitely gotten a little more complicated. Zach has already agreed to the union. What the hell do I do now?"

"You pack an overnight bag, and make sure you have something black and sexy in there, because by the time we finish out the night, you're not even going to remember your name, let alone that you're supposed to be mated to some jerk-off."

"I was so hoping you'd say something like that. What would I do without you, Ashley?"

"Be miserable, of course! By the way, how's my big brother? Tell him to call home if you see him. My parents aren't exactly happy with the fact that he seems to have forgotten about his human family."

"Ouch! Okay, packing a bag, running by Jack's to smack him upside the head, and then I will be on my way to your place to pick you up."

"Perfect, see you soon, hon!"

It took me no time to get a bag together to go stay with Ashley. I had been given leave by the pack to attend the local university, so I often stuck around and hung out with Ashley when classes were done. Technically, I was overstepping the bounds of the permissions granted to me, but the pack tended to be lax where I was concerned. I wasn't even entirely sure why. They had some great hope and aspiration that I would be the liaison between them and the human world should things ever come to that. As it was, Ashley was my only human friend, and she just so happened to also be my best friend.

We met five years ago, when I first went through the change. I was born into a werewolf pack, but that didn't mean I was born werewolf. No one really was. The werewolf gene triggered in several stages. The first is what's known as an Awakening. It happens anywhere between 12 and 14 years old. Our senses are heightened, our hearing is amplified, our sense of smell is tipped to an almost unbearable level, and we can see better too. The boys start developing some crazy facial hair around that time as well. Both sexes start developing muscle that normal humans would die for.

After the Awakening, we get a few years to adjust before the next phase in the were-gene kicks in. That's known as the Calling. Although, most people just refer to it as turning or changing. When we hit 16 or 17, our wolves are finally restless enough to want out. One spectacular day, out of the blue, our blood starts to boil. A raging fever ensues, our sense flair out of control again, and usually with the help of a super emotional moment our wolf frees themselves from our bodies. The wolf is called forth for the first time, and we bond with it, becoming

one. From then on, we are able to shift at will. It is much harder to resist the urge to change during a full moon, but any other time is completely voluntary for us. We still aren't considered full-fledged werewolves at that point though. We're still pups until we hit our early 20s, and go through the last stage.

The third, and final, stage of transformation takes place is Ebullience, and it is a far more subtle stage. Our aging process nearly stalls out, and we are able to breed and produce werewolf offspring. This is the time when we may choose a mate. The only noticeable, physical aspect we get from the third stage is the ring around our eyes. My eyes were bright green before I reached Ebullience, and now they are rimmed in a circle of darkest green. When I am in wolf form that same dark green ring exudes a special luminescence. There's an illumination from within that appears magical in nature. I've seen it in others and often wondered what it looked like on me, but I hadn't yet been put in front of a reflective surface in wolf form to find out. Once a werewolf has ringed eyes, they are no longer pups. The elders like to encourage us to find our mates as soon as possible. While we live an exceptionally long time, females have a relatively small window to be able to breed. From the time of Ebullience we get about 20 years of viable egg production. After that, Mother Nature turns us off somehow, and we can no longer become pregnant. Some think it's because we have greater control over our inner wolf while we're fresh out of the changes. Females who are pregnant are not allowed to phase. It takes a great deal of control, not to mention help from your partner or a surrogate, to keep from changing on a full moon. That's why it's a rare thing to see a werewolf family unit with more than one child. It's a very difficult process, and wears the female out.

Ashley and I met each other during the height of my second transition. The calling came to me amidst tragedy. Ashley was new to our area, and wasn't aware that she was trespassing on private property owned by my pack. She had been hunting there with her two brothers. After waking with what felt like a lava field burning through my veins I snuck out of my house, and wandered off into the woods, trying to get some solitude for what I knew was coming. I had no problem with nudity, but I knew as soon as I changed in front of the pack, they would celebrate by changing to run with me. The unfortunate part of that was I would then have to phase back to my human form in front of all of them. Which meant being naked, which meant the boys would tease me relentlessly in class. It happened every time a female phased for the first time.

Rather than deal with that, I decided to run off before the phase overtook me. I wasn't as slick as I thought I was apparently, because Sierra saw me. She was a year older than me, and had phased a few months ago. Sierra was rather curvy for a werewolf, and it was all the guys could talk about for a full two months after it happened. I didn't want that for myself, especially since my body hadn't yet decided I should be graced with curves.

Sierra also happened to be the lead contender to be mated to Zachariah Brighton when the time came. My family had apparently already put in a bid to have us considered for union when we were old enough, but so had Sierra's. The only difference between Sierra and I was that she wanted it, and I didn't. I don't think she understood that at all though. I was competition to her, plain and simple.

Sierra following me into the woods that day was no accident. She went there trying to push my buttons and assert her dominance on me. What she ended up doing was pushing me to my first shift faster than it should have happened instead, because she was not dominant to me. My wolf slipped over me in a wave of heat, confusion, pain, and anger that amplified everything I was feeling as she took over. And she did not like Sierra's proximity to us at all. The shock that registered on Sierra's face was priceless, and she immediately dropped to all fours, as she fell into her wolf form, to crawl on her belly towards me. Her whimpers are no doubt what caught the attention of Ashley's brother.

Jack had us trained in his sites. I jumped, and ran for the safety of our pack's inner sanctuary, and whined for Sierra to follow suit, but she had herself prostrated to me, and it took her a split second longer to right herself and start into her run. I heard a girl's voice shout, "WAIT!" Then the crack of the gun reverberated through the forest. Out of the corner of my eye I watched as Sierra, the wolf, went down, and Sierra the girl sprouted from her, blood leaking from the gaping wound in her abdomen.

I shifted back, as easily as just standing up, with a scream on my lips. "NOooo! Sierra!"

The boy stood over Sierra, shock evident on his face. He knew what he had aimed for, and now he stood over a bleeding and naked girl.

I stalked over to where they were, naked as the day I was born, and told him to back off. His sister Ashley hadn't been far off from him, and was now standing there, staring at me like I had two heads. It took her a minute to process what was going on, but then she yelled at her brother to give me his sweatshirt. He did, without hesitation, as he mumbled about shooting at a wolf and not seeing us there.

I was angry and didn't have it in me to keep my tongue. So I yelled, "Of course you shot at a wolf, that's why she's bleeding to death, you idiot. RUN!" I pointed in the direction of the pack. "Go get my family. Tell them Sierra's been shot, HURRY. She won't last much longer, and I can't fix this all by myself."

Ashley, surprisingly pulled herself together, and asked what she could do to help. I had her apply pressure to Sierra's wounds on her abdomen as I rolled her up slightly to check the exit wound, that I knew would be there. It was a mess. These weren't the kinds of bullets that a person should use for hunting. These were the bullets that killers used. They made a mess on the way out. "Shit!" I hissed through my teeth. I made sure to apply pressure to the wound on Sierra's back too, trying to keep the bleeding under control. It would be best if Sierra could phase back into her wolf form, she'd heal quicker that way, but she was out cold, and today was the first time, I'd been through the third phase of our transformations, so I didn't have the power to force a shift on another person.

Once my pack came and collected Sierra, they had no choice but to take Ashley and her two brothers back to the sanctuary, and explain things to them. They were sworn to secrecy, and Ashley became my best friend, my very human best friend. My only human friend. Her older brother Jack was actually indoctrinated into our clan two years after that. He was one of the lucky ones and survived the process, although our leader Marcus wouldn't have agreed to it if he thought Jack wouldn't make it. Of course, I think Marcus had a soft spot for Jack's reasons for wanting to become pack.

Jack had spent the next two years at the beck and call of a little wolf girl named Sierra. He felt responsible for what happened to her, especially after Sierra got the devastating news that she'd never be able to have children. Something in the bullets that were used, wouldn't allow for proper healing, and when the bullet broke apart inside her, a fragment or two was left behind. They ended up having to surgically remove her uterus since it was rotting away from the inside thanks to the fragment. That immediately killed any hopes of her finding a mate anywhere near her age. Those who didn't already have children would not want her. Jack did though. He begged our pack leader, Marcus, to let him become wolf so that he could take care of Sierra. He promised that he would be her mate, and that he didn't care about having kids. I still tear up when I think about the sacrifices Jack ended up making for Sierra.

I had been walking the whole time I was thinking about them, so it didn't surprise me that I ended up in front of the cottage belonging to Jack and Sierra. I still wasn't Sierra's biggest fan, but I loved Jack like my own brother. There was a part of me that wished he could convince Ashley to join our pack, but I knew well enough that female humans rarely survived the change, and I wouldn't risk losing her like that.

"Hey, Jessie," Jack said to me as he opened the door before I had the chance to knock. "Sorry, I heard you coming up. Too many fall leaves around here to sneak up on anyone."

"Yeah, I guess so," I said, noticing the leaves for the first time since I started out.

"Sierra's with her parents right now. Is there something I can do for you?"

"Yes," I smiled at him, and then I shot forward and popped him in the head with the palm of my hand.

"Ouch! What the hell was that for?" He took it good naturedly enough, laughing the initial shock away.

"That was from your sister. She said your parents are worried again, it's been months since they've heard from you. Really, Jack? I see your parents on a semi-regular basis. The least you can do is call once a week and go see them once a month, maybe closer to the new moon than the full one, so there's a low chance of phasing."

He groaned, but added, "I know. I understand they worry about the choice I made, but I just don't want to get there and lose control when they start giving me the fifth degree about it, you know?"

"I know. I can always go with you, if you need me to."

"Thanks, Jessie. I'll give them a call, I promise."

"Good, because next time, I'm not gonna go easy on you."

He smiled an all too attractive smile at me then, "Really?" He started dancing around gracefully on the balls of his feet, fists up in a fighter's stance. I think I can take you."

"You think?" I sighed, and gave him a playful push, realizing for the first time in our conversation that he wasn't wearing a shirt. Oh dear lord, my hormones needed to be put in check, because Ashley's brother was something to look at! "You're a werewolf, you have to be more convincing than just 'thinking' you can take someone." I had never really been interested in guys much. Since I had gone through my final transition, my hormones seemed bound and determined to change that though.

"You're right! How about this," the grin that graced his face turned into a thousand watt smile, and he winked at me as he said, "I can take you, because you're too distracted by my lack of a shirt to put up a fight."

"Ugghh," My face immediately went red! "You wish," I threw over my shoulder as I turned to leave.

"I can smell your excitement, remember?"

"You need to learn some wolfy manners, Jack!" I laughed at him. We could smell the chemical changes in the body that were indicative of overexcited hormones, just like we could sniff out fear, and anger. He wasn't wrong, but usually we tried not to call each other out on it. It was like an unwritten rule, unless you were in the middle of vying for a mate, then everything was fair game. Jack already had a mate, and he was just tormenting me. "See you later, Jack. Call your mommy!"

"Yeah, yeah." He shut the door, then reopened it quickly, "tell my annoying sister hi for me to, will you?"

"She has a phone too, you know?" He didn't answer, just shut the door.

I walked back to my house, and grabbed my car keys and my overnight bag. When I came back out of the house Zach was there, leaning against my car. I dropped my bag onto the porch, figuring this might take a few minutes.

"Going somewhere, Jess?"

"As a matter of fact, I am." I looked him up and down. He wasn't wearing much, just a pair of board shorts and flip flops. His golden tan made all those abs look really good though. I couldn't deny that he was yummy to look at. The grin that lit his face up then, said I'd been caught with my hormones showing again. Damn.

"Like what you see? It can all be yours, you know? All you need to do is say yes. It's really not that hard. Y-E-S." He smirked at me when I rolled my eyes. "See, it was really easy, you should try it."

"Can you move your ass off my car? I have places to be."

He stalked over to me in that regal way that only Alphas could move. "I came over to invite you to the lake." His arms snaked around my waist and started to pull me towards him until I threw my hand up in between us.

"Hold up there, lover boy." I felt the wave of anger that rolled over him then. And that was just one of the many reminders of the things I didn't like about Zach. Sure, he was good looking, confident, sexy, hot... um, smart, and in line to be the next pack leader, but he also had a temper and a dark side I couldn't get behind. I'd seen his cruelty first hand when he had tormented Sierra. Back when she thought he'd still accept her offer to be her mate one day, he had destroyed her publicly, calling her tainted, and unusable. Sure, he'd been younger, and had been firmly admonished by his Uncle Marcus for his behavior. I didn't believe he'd changed though. He was just a lot more careful about what he said and did in front of witnesses. "I already had plans, I'm headed out to hang with Ashley for the day."

I saw as anger rippled across his body in a physical manifestation. He wasn't used to not getting his way. "You can change your plans. I've already said yes to Marcus. It wouldn't kill you to spend some time with me."

"How about tomorrow?"

"I don't want you tomorrow. I want you now." There was a demanding quality to his tone. He was trying to force my hand in this with the power of suggestion. If a wolf was alpha to you, they could bend you to their will by forcing power into their words. Zach was trying to do that to me, only he was failing, and it was pissing me off.

"How fucking dare you!" I was yelling so loud that my mom ran out of the house. Zach's eyes got big then. Rage flared through my very essence. "I will not be forced to do anything with you! Do you understand me? You ever try that shit again, and I promise you that 'YES' is the last fucking word you will ever hear me utter." I pushed him away from me then, and tossed the door of my Jeep open, slid in, slammed the door shut, and got the engine started so I could take off before I did something truly stupid.

I heard my mom apologizing to him as I started to take off, and I shot her a warning look, but she didn't back down. She kept staring after me as I pulled away. Fury still ate away at my insides. I couldn't even think clearly. I saw red all the way to Ashley's apartment. It probably wasn't the best idea for me to wander around the human world when I was this angry, but if I had stayed with the pack, I would have lost my shit on Zach. That would have consequences I didn't want to think about, especially since I knew in my heart that even though Zach was an alpha, he was not alpha to me.

Some asshole had the audacity to cut me off while I was angry driving. The growl that escaped my lips followed by a curiously hairy middle finger was my cue to settle my ass down. My wolf was close, and she was just as furious as I was. She was pacing, just under the surface, fueled by the anger. Zach had just basically tried to werewolf roofie me into a date with him. He was trying to compel me with alpha power. What a douchebag. Clearly, he wasn't as smart as I once thought he was.

***

### STRANGE FATES

Once I got to Ashley's I realized I never grabbed my overnight bag. "Damn it. I dropped the bag on my porch when I saw Zach. I was so angry I didn't even think to pick it back up."

"It's okay. I think you've left half of your wardrobe over here anyway. At least the good half," she whispered conspiratorially. I had to keep my more questionable clothing at Ashley's house, because my pack didn't approve of any of our single females going out looking indecent around humans. It didn't matter if the whole pack saw us naked. Our pack leader, Marcus, didn't want us drawing attention to ourselves. I wasn't entirely sure why we had to hide our cleavage from the humans, but Marcus was always adamant. When I complained about it at home, my father had told me once that it had nothing to do with humans and more to do with the possibility of other weres spotting us out and about. That made sense since the balance between males and females in each generation was always off a bit. The fear of our females being courted by someone out of the pack was all too real, according to my dad. Not that I had ever heard of that happening. Ever.

"It just makes me so angry. He tried to basically roofie me. Like, he couldn't get me to go out with him, so he was going to force it with a werewolf version of a date-rape drug. He was trying to pull alpha power over me..."

"Yeah, I knew what you meant when you said roofie, hon. Also, I think you should calm down a little before I have to explain to my neighbors why I've got a large dog here when I haven't paid a pet deposit."

I looked down at my fingernails that were currently turning into claws. "Damn it. I hate what he did, and I hate that it leaves me in this kind of mood too. Sorry, Ash." I sat down for a minute, and started working on calming myself. I closed my eyes, breathed in slowly, and then letting it out. Each time I exhaled another breath, I was expelling the negative feelings too. Hanging onto them was drawing my wolf out. Ashley knew how to deal with it. We'd been here before. She sat quietly waiting until I had myself under control again.

"Sorry you didn't get out before he stopped by." She handed me a shot of liquor. I knocked it back like it was Kool-Aid. Ashley smiled. "That's my girl. Feel better now?"

"I'm better. Now, let's figure out what I'm going to wear." A smile spread across my face, and I'm sure my eyes were lit up from the inside. "I'm going to torment the shit out of the human male population tonight."

"Yes! There's my favorite wingman! You draw them in with that unnatural wolf beauty of yours, and I will keep them enthralled with my crazy awkward social skills." She laughed at herself as I side-eyed her from where I was sitting. Ashley was gorgeous. She didn't need any help from a wingman, and she knew it. Her naturally vibrant red hair was all the rage whenever we went out, and her long curling locks only caused her bright blue eyes to stand out even more on her face.

"What would we ever do without each other, Ash?"

"No clue, so let's not find out." She smiled at me, then bounced up onto her feet and took off for the closet. "Now, time to get you dressed. What's it going to be tonight? Leather? Lace? Little black dress?" She held up a too die for dress that I bought a few weeks ago. I'd left it here, because I didn't want any of my family to find it and start in on lectures about inappropriate dresses. At 5'10" tall, and most of that being legs, I was stretching the limits of how short a dress could be before you had to consider it a shirt. It wasn't really my style to wear something so revealing, even when I went out for a night of mayhem with Ashley, but I was in full on rebellion mode. I took my shower, and slipped into the dress. It came about an inch and a half below my ass. Luckily for me, at some point after puberty and the calling hit, Mother Nature decided I deserved a few curves along with some of the muscle I had packed on. I had a nice, firm body, but I definitely had a defined ass, and some smallish, but perky boobs. Staring in the mirror, I couldn't help but saying out loud, "damn, I make this dress look good!"

Ashley laughed at me. "You freaking werewolves and your egos, I swear. I wish I could be that confident with myself."

"I don't know why you're not. You're gorgeous. Besides, don't guys usually have a thing for redheads anyway?"

"Well, of course they do. You know us gingers... we have no soul. That's sexy, because they think we're up for anything. Sometimes, they'd be right." I laughed as Ashley sauntered over to her vanity, hips swishing suggestively the whole way. She was definitely in one of her moods that said, we were either getting into a whole lot of fun or a shit load of trouble tonight, maybe a good bit of both. "Come here, let me do your makeup tonight. You need some seriously smoky eyes to go with that dress."

"Yes ma'am." I sat down in front of her and let Ash work her magic. She didn't just stop with my makeup either. Ashley also had her way with my hair, curling it into soft chocolate waves that looked silky smooth to the touch. I dared not touch it though, afraid to break the spell of perfection she had cast upon me. My eyes were indeed smoky with the use of charcoals and a subtle undertone of purples that made my bright green eyes pop all the brighter. "Ashley, you are a genius. I look..."

"Amazing." She tried to stifle a giggle so she wouldn't poke her own eye out with her mascara brush, "I am so getting laid tonight."

"Oh boy! And here I am stuck on your couch for the night. The last time we went out, you even had my hormones on overload." She was giving me a knowing look, "Hell, I nearly barged in and demanded to be part of the shenanigans."

"Oh, well... the last time was with Troy. He so would not have minded that." We both laughed. "Seriously, I know your pack mates for life, but it's not like those guys aren't out sowing their wild oats and shit before they settle down. Why is it any different for you? You're 21, you should be living a little before you get sucked into that life for good."

"Believe me, there are moments where I've been close to giving in, but..."

"But..." she came over and gave me a hug then. "You're just too adorable, and you've read one too many romance novels, hon!" She kissed the top of my head before stepping away and making sure she didn't damage all the work she'd done to my hair earlier. "I love you for it, but for tonight... we're tucking the virgin in you away and raising hell instead. Come on, let's go break some hearts!"

I walked into Club Hypnotic just behind Ashley. It seemed like all eyes were on her as she made her entrance. I couldn't blame them. If I swung that way, I'd totally snatch Ash up for my own. She was sex incarnate. Her red curls bounced around her shoulders as she laughed at the joke I'd made about the bouncer on the way in. Her bright blue eyes sparkled enchantingly under the neon lighting in the bar, and her perfect porcelain skin made her look every bit the goddess that the men always thought she was. While I knew my werewolf energy could affect the people in the room and make them sit up and take notice, I didn't think that's what had all the heads turning tonight. I was a full head taller than Ashley, but her curves, in that body hugging dress were definitely on display and being appreciated.

Ashley took my hand in hers and started guiding us through the crowd. I let her. Being an alpha meant I didn't let too many people push or order me around, but there was a different air to what Ashley did. She wasn't demanding my attention, she was pulling us into a partnership, if that made sense. It was the same feeling I'd always gotten around Ash. She saw us as equals, and everything I did reflected that. I let go of my wolf side in order to not offend her, long ago. Now, it was second nature. There was no top dog between us, we were just Ashley and Jessie.

We maneuvered our way toward the middle of the crowded bar, and found a little table off on the side. Ashley tossed her clutch up on the table, and I took a stool, waiting to see when the waitress would notice us. She noticed us alright, but she was going to make us wait. Jealousy was an ugly bitch.

"Well, looks like we're gonna play hell with the service in here again. I'll go grab the first round, you sit tight. I want at least one shot down before you up and leave me for all that!" I pointed out the myriad of hot bodies gyrating on the floor in front of us.

"Mmmhhmm," she said as she licked her lips. "I'll be waiting, but you really need to hurry. I haven't had any since Troy took off on his trip, and my body is missing all the fun of being touched!"

"Dirty slut!" I laughed as I walked off toward the bar.

"You know it, hon!" She answered back. If I were a normal person, there's no way I would have heard her over the din, but since I wasn't normal, I just chuckled at her answer.

Once I got up to the bar, I leaned in a little, weary of leaning too far and letting my ass fall out of the dress, but pushing my boobs far enough forward that the male bartender would take notice and come serve me. I was a virgin, but I absolutely knew that womanly wiles would get me served faster than standing around with a stick up my ass. Sure enough, the two guys he was serving started pointing down the bar to me, huge grins plastered across their already inebriated faces. The bartender tossed me a smile, and let me know he was on his way to me. The two guys he was serving said something to him before he came over.

"What can I do for you, beautiful?" I raised my eyebrow up at the endearment, but just smiled.

"Vodka cranberry and a Captain and Coke. Make the Captain a double." I smiled back at him, nothing that meant more than, 'please hurry with my drinks,' but he seemed to take it more as a flirtation. He winked at me and started pulling the necessary glasses. When he finished making the drinks, with a little more liquor than called for, he pushed them forward and smiled again.

I started to hand him a twenty dollar bill, and he waved it off. "Your fan club paid for those."

"Well, in that case," I slipped a five out and dropped it in his tip jar. He thanked me, and I held the drinks up to acknowledge the guys who had paid for them, and I walked back to Ashley. "Heads up chica, we're about to get company in 4, 3, 2..."

"Hey ladies!" The taller of the drunk guys from down the bar were right behind me as I slid Ashley her vodka cranberry.

"Drinks were on these guys," I said to her as she took a sip, and gave me a questioning look.

"Ah, I see. Well thank you..." her southern draw was always a little bit thicker when she was using her manners, or flirting, but she paused waiting for them to give their names.

"Adrian," the taller one said, then hit his friend in the chest, "and this is Bobby."

"And this seems to be our lucky night," Bobby interjected, looking back and forth between Ashley and I like he'd just won the lottery.

With that, I spit some of my Captain and Coke back into my glass. Ashley, on the other hand was the picture of poise and perfection. "Well, fellas, we just got here. So, why don't you give us just a bit to unwind and have some girly downtime before we work on anything else, m'kay?"

They both looked confused, but nodded their heads and started to walk off when the couple next to us left their table. "What'd I tell ya? Lucky night!" Bobby shouted at his friend as they slipped into the stools at the table next to ours. They were being rather obvious with the ogling they were doing too.

"Oh God, leave it to you to make one little trip to the bar, and end up with stage 5 clingers!" Ashley laughed, her deep sultry laugh, and I joined her.

"What can I say, it's a talent. All the douchebags want a piece of this!"

"Yeah, well... maybe we can at least find you a tall bit of sexy trouble for the night, because you would make whimpering idiots out of either of them."

I heard laughter from over by the bar that didn't sound entirely human. I looked up and caught the eyes of a guy in some faded blue jeans and a black t-shirt that was straining so hard against his muscular physique that it almost appeared to be a second skin. His hair was so dark it could have been black, but it was hard to tell in the club's low level of lighting, even with wolf-vision enhancements. Some shorter pieces of hair fell out of the leather thong he had tying it all back in a ponytail. Those stray pieces framed his jaw to perfection, and I knew by the gleam in his eye, and the prickling sensation wrapping around my skin, that he was a Were and he was going to be my kind of trouble tonight.

"Oh my God! Holy sex on a bar stool, that is just the yummiest piece of man I have ever laid eyes on!" Ash spewed that little bit out before I gave her a warning shake of the head. Then I pointed to my ears to let her know he could hear her. She had the presence of mind to blush to the roots of her red hair. "Damn, seriously?"

"Seriously," I said, without giving away what we were talking about. Another man, putting off just as much power strode up to the sexy thing that was still watching us, and after a moment of me pretending I wasn't keeping an eye on him through my lowered lashes, he moved along to the back of the bar with his buddy. They must have been here to shoot some pool.

"So, looks like Zach has some competition after all. You couldn't take your slutty little eyes off of him! I could almost see your thoughts, and there was nothing virginal going on up in there." When I looked at her funny she kept going. "Oh, yeah, you had that look on your face. You know, the one where you're ready to throw down right here, right now, in front of everyone and just not give a fuck. I guess giving a fuck would be more the point, actually." Ashley was giggling into! her drink as she took a sip.

"Ha ha ha, I swear Ash, sometimes I don't know where you get this shit. Maybe you need to read more real romance novels instead of the smut you prefer. Also, stop trying to pawn your dirty thoughts off on me like you weren't thinking about it yourself!"

"Sometimes, romance is overrated. That's the kind of man, who's gonna take charge, throw your ass down, and fuck you stupid." She started fanning herself at that. "Mmm, mmm, mmm. Well, if you don't want him, maybe you can convince him that my kind isn't so bad. Hell that friend of his was all kinds of walking hotness too! I'd take either of them."

"You're horrible, Ash, and I need to stay clear of those two. I never believed for a minute that my dad was being serious about other wolves prowling around to snatch up females from other packs, but with the power rolling off of those two, they'd be able to do it."

"Well, they disappeared in back, and didn't bother coming back. I guess they weren't interested in stealing your virtue away." She thought for a minute, "I wonder if they can sniff out the fact that you're still a virgin? Is that a thing?"

"Um, no." I said, and suddenly I wasn't so certain. That would be embarrassing.

We made it through two more rounds of drinks and a bunch of 'get my mind off of Zach' small talk before Ash let me know that if she didn't start dancing off her buzz, I was going to be holding her hair for her later. I sometimes forgot what alcohol did to humans. Three drinks in didn't even get me close to a buzz. I would have to slam shot after shot for that to happen, and even then, I wouldn't stay drunk long. Werewolf metabolism burned off the alcohol too quickly. I followed Ashley out to the dance floor, and we started moving to the music. Ashley was a good dancer, if a little off balance thanks to the alcohol. I was an amazing dancer, because I was a werewolf. We had rhythm like no other. Ashley and I played off of each other. We were gyrating and swaying with the best of them. We were making a spectacle of ourselves, especially when as Ash started rolling her head, and flinging those wonderful read curls everywhere. I knew she was lost in the moment when she started doing that, and I just rolled with it, needing to get just as lost.

She grabbed my hand and pulled me close, spun around until she was behind me, back to back, and then she dropped inch by inch as she ground her butt into mine, and down my legs. I couldn't see her facial expressions, but whatever she was doing back there was making more than a few guys on the dance floor drool like idiots. Just as suddenly as she started that, she rose right back up, spun around, and smacked the hell out of my ass. I let out a low growl that would have embarrassed me if we were around pack members, but there wasn't anyone here who would have heard it, or paid attention. At least, that's what I thought in the moment. I spun to face Ashley, and pulled her close, grinding down her body. She put her hands right on top of my head, as if to push me lower. By the time my head was level with her waist she threw her head back and yelped, as if she were in ecstasy.

I popped up quickly, and spun around her, giving her the smack back on her ass that she deserved for the pop she gave me moments ago. She actually squeaked when I did it. Looking around, I noticed we were definitely making a spectacle of ourselves. All the guys were thinking they were getting a freaky hot lesbian love show, and hoping they could be a part of it later. What they didn't know was this was just playful dancing for Ash and I. As I wound back around to face Ashley, I felt that familiar tingle of power ripple over my body. I tried to ignore it, and snatched Ash up, and pulled her into a mock tango position. I scooted us three steps to the left, dipped her, and as she came back up I spun her toward the bar, "Your turn to buy," I yelled at her. She flipped me off, as I turned to head back to our table.

Unfortunately, when I turned I ran right smack into a brick wall, or at least a chest that felt an awful lot like a brick wall. "Oh sorry, excuse me." I said as I waited for him to back up a bit and let me pass. When he didn't, I put my arm out, hand flat against the craziest set of abs I'd ever felt, and tried to push him back just a hair. He still didn't move, but power trickled from those abs straight into my hand. I pulled back, feeling as though I'd been shocked. I retreated a step, something I would normally never do, just to be able to look up and see what I was dealing with. It was the guy from earlier at the bar. He still had loose hairs falling to frame his face. This close, I could see the scruff of a five o'clock shadow that adorned his jawline. When I finally made it past his scruffy jaw, and those lusciously thick, kissable lips, I thought I would drown in the cobalt blue depths of his eyes. I was feeling all kinds of week in the knees right about then. A feeling I certainly had never been familiar with before. His lips turned up at the corners as he reached forward to touch me, but I sidestepped him at the last minute, trying to get my distance. Something wasn't right. I felt light headed, and damn near drunk, which was impossible. I started to the right of him, getting ready to head back to my table. He cut me off stepping in my way, still not saying a word to me. So, frustrated, I stepped back, huffed, and tried moving around the left side of him. Again, he was there before I could get passed him.

"Seriously?" I questioned.

He leaned in, so close to my ear I could feel his breath as he whispered, "seriously." His voice had a strange accent that I was unfamiliar with. Between the accent, his breath tickling my neck and ear, and the superbly, manly, spicy, woodsy scent emanating from him, I was having a hard time controlling my breathing. This was not normal, even for werewolves. I felt completely drawn to him, and power drunk. I hadn't felt this heady since my awakening when all my heightened senses kicked in at once. He was still there, by my ear, and I simply could not move. My damn feet were traitors. I couldn't convince them there might be danger, and we had to go now. Hell, I was having a hard time convincing my brain of that, especially when he leaned even further in, putting his nose right against my neck, just behind my ear. He inhaled deeply, and as he did, his arm snaked around my waist, pulling me into him. My stupid damn hands didn't listen to me either. One of them immediately tried to slip around to his back to pull us even closer together, while the other went straight to those luscious pecks that were at chin level for me now.

The low growl that slipped from somewhere in the back of his throat made my knees go week in the most literal sense. Thankfully, his grasp didn't fail me, because I would have hit the floor hard had he not held me steady. Not to mention the slightly embarrassing whimper that came from my own body in response to his growl. That's all the approval he needed apparently, because from there his lips trailed little kisses up my ear, and back down my neck, all the while he rubbed his face across my skin, scenting me. Shit, he was scenting me. Alarm bells were ringing like a motherfucker in my head, but my body would not respond. Actually, my fingers were kneading themselves into the muscles of his back and chest. Oh, God, Ashley had been right, I was ready for him to take me right here, and I didn't even care who was watching.

That growl came again, louder this time. I was sure people standing near us had to notice by now. Not only were we both erupting with growl laden moans, but we had to look like we were full on making out by now. In fact, his left hand was heading due south towards my ass, while his other one had threaded through my hair and pulled me closer as he continued to mark me with his scent.

Another man slipped up behind him, whispered one word in his ear, and pointed to the back of the bar. The new guy looked me up and down once, huffing into the air, and then stalked off. The man, whose arms were suddenly disentangling from my body, had a shit-eating grin plastered across his face. "I will find you again soon, little wolf." The deep timbre of his voice melted me a little bit further, and as his hand finally left my body, and he turned to leave, I stumbled. I fucking stumbled. Completely thrown off balance. I never stumbled.

Ashley was suddenly beside me, grabbing my elbow, and pulling me at a quick pace over to our table. "Holy fucking hell, Jess, what was that?"

"Oh my God, I don't even know what just happened."

"That shit looked serious. Hell, I was about to climax just watching the two of you, and you were both fully clothed."

"Ash, seriously... it wasn't..."

"Oh, the hell it wasn't! Crap, I didn't even order the drinks, because I was so wrapped up in what was going down with the two of you, in front of everyone!" A smile grew on Ashley's face and her eyes lit up as she continued. "Well, since you've already claimed that one, maybe you can still hook me up with his dead sexy friend."

"Who?"

"What do you mean who? The other God in the room. You know, the one who took lover boy away from you."

"Oh, I didn't really see him." I was still in a bit of a daze, and I was trying to come out of it. I also needed a big drink, and probably the world's coldest shower right about now.

"Yeah, no kidding, because you were too busy trying to implant yourself into the other dude. So, what's his name anyway?"

"No clue," I said, still dazed. I managed to get up and walk a few paces away to snag the waitresses arm. I may have done it a little harder than necessary since she winced. "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to grab you so hard."

"Yeah, whatever," she responded. "Can I help you?" She looked pointedly at her arm, in specific where my hand was still clasped around it.

"Shit, sorry." I dropped my hand to my side. We need 3 rounds of Irish car bombs for the two of us." The waitress looked back and forth between Ashley and I, like it would be impossible for us to drink that much, but she ended up shrugging her shoulders and wandered off to the bar to place my order.

I went back to my table, where Ashley was currently being groped by the tall guy from earlier in the night. I knew Ash was drunk and horny so I just ignored it. I knew her limits, and if she hit them I would take care of the guy. What was his name? Adrian, I think. I plopped my ass down on my stool and Adrian's buddy came over and stood beside me. I guess he was expecting the same attention Ash was now giving his buddy.

"So, who was that dude you were all over out on the dance floor? Was that your boyfriend, or are you just that friendly with any guy that doesn't move out of your way?"

I felt the ripple of energy before I saw him, and I knew he was coming for this little asshole. It didn't matter. He'd be too late. I hauled off and punched the fuck out of Adrian's friend's face. I heard the crack of bone as his nose broke when my hand made contact. Then I heard that otherworldly laughter coming from my mystery man. I smiled up at him, and he tipped his fingers up to his head, bending forward with a bow, as if he were tipping his hat – had he been wearing one – and bowing at the same time. Oh, but he was sexy. It took a moment to register that Ashley was tugging on my arm.

"Come on slugger, we need to get you out of here. Jesus, when I said we'd find some trouble tonight, I was thinking sexcapades, not bar room brawl." That laughter echoed out behind me again, trailing off as he walked towards the back room of the bar again. We were intercepted by our waitress who was brining all six Irish car bombs to us.

"Hey, you ordered these, you need to pay for them before you leave." I pointed over to the bar, and she turned to head in that direction. I threw down a wad of cash for her, dropped the shots into each of the glasses of beer, and then one after another I started chugging them. A roar from the crowd blew up behind us, as the guys close enough to see what I was doing started chanting, "Chug! Chug! Chug" For about two minutes I felt like I was in a bad frat house movie. Then the bouncer was making his way over to us, with a bloody nosed guy that was going to need some serious plastic surgery to fix his face.

I grabbed Ash's hand and weaved through the crowd with her in tow, avoiding the bouncer, and hitting the front door at a near run. Ash was breathless as we hit the street, and I was exhilarated.

"Holy shit, that was insane!" I yelled.

"Yeah, no kidding." She eyed me funnily, "also, I can't believe you just sucked down four out of six Irish car bombs and you're still on your feet."

"Mmhmm, but I really have to pee now, though." I staggered a little as we started walking away from the club. Normally, I would play designated driver, but it would take a little while to burn off all the alcohol I just consumed, so we were going to have to hoof it back to Ashley's apartment. We were only a few blocks away, giggling and stumbling a little as Ashley joked about how bad-ass I was when I broke the guy's nose.

"Why did you do it anyway? I missed that part."

"I know you did, because you had your tongue stuffed down his friend's throat. He basically asked me if I was a whore. He asked if he had to get in my way to get the same treatment my mystery man got on the dance floor."

"No fucking way? I'm so glad you punched him, then. I might not be getting any now, but it's totally justified."

We were both laughing when I felt power ripple across my skin. I turned, almost expecting my mystery man to be making another appearance, but to my surprise it wasn't him. Ashley stopped and spun around a moment later, trying to see what caught my attention. "Oh, hey!" She said, and then quieter to me she added, "that's your friend's buddy that you were too busy to notice earlier."

"What?" I looked from her to the man who was oozing power in front of me. "Oh... okay, gotcha."

He watched us for a moment like a complete creeper, and then spoke up in a booming deep voice, even though he was only talking slightly above a whisper. "You need to understand, this is just an experiment. Don't go falling in love, planning mating parties, and pups. Do you understand?"

I felt my own eyes grow wide as the man before me punctuated his statement with a bit of a menacing growl for good measure. "What the fuck?" Ashley spewed out.

He looked her up and down, almost appreciatively for a moment, then turned back to me. "Do your friend a favor, and either make her one of us or ditch her. She's in dangerous territory now that the Ancients have moved in."

"Wait, What?" My brain felt all kinds of fuzzy, and I knew I was missing something really important, but I drank a truck load of alcohol before leaving the bar and it was affecting me in a serious way. He was gone before I could get anything else out.

"What the hell was that all about?" Ash asked as we turned back around and marched off in the direction of her apartment.

"Who the hell knows? This has been one strange freaking night."

"You can say that again!"

"This has been one strange freaking night!" Giggles erupted from me.

"Ha! Smartass!" She threw my arm over her shoulder to help me balance a little better, and we walked on. "Now, I see what you have to go through all the time when you take me out."

"Not all the time," I laughed, "sometimes you actually get lucky and I have some random dude there to help me carry you home!"

"We can't all be virtuous virgins, like you, hon!" She winked at me. I felt another ripple of power blow over me. It was there and gone again in an instant.

By the time we got back to Ashley's apartment, I was mostly sobered up, and beyond tired. I crashed on the couch as Ashley made her way to her bedroom to sleep. I hadn't been resting well since I came into my full power. I wasn't sure why. Maybe, unmated females always felt unsettled or something. Not many stayed mate free after the age of 20. Those that did, well, there was usually something wrong with them. It wasn't that I didn't have prospects. I was paired with Zach, I just didn't want him. I knew he was wrong for me, more importantly my wolf knew it too. Actually, there was no one within my pack I felt right about. I had blossomed a little later than other females. I was already 21 and just completed my final transition two months ago.

I stopped thinking about Zach and everything else that went on that day. Instead, a stranger's face was now clouding my mind. His scent lingered all over me, and it was intoxicating still. I knew I'd be in trouble when my family smelled it tomorrow, but I'd deal with it then. Tonight, I reveled in it. I rolled on the couch, marking his scent all over it as I twisted and turned, and then I finally passed out into a blissful sleep wrapped in the scent of a stranger. Mom told me to find a challenge, I wonder how she'd take the fact that I actually did.

***

### CONSEQUENCES

"Are you sure you want to go home smelling like that? I mean, even I can smell his musk on you." Ashley sniffed my shoulder, on the side where my mystery man had snuggled in and made himself at home with my neck. "Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't turn him away. Hell, I'm half ass tempted to roll around with you for smelling like that."

I laughed at Ashley then, at least she was making things lighter than they were really were. In less than an hour, when I returned home, everything was going to be ramped up a notch or 200. "Admit it, you want my body!" I joked.

"Damn straight I do. You smell like the promise of damn good sex." I gasped at her, "Jesus, listen to me, I'm not even a werewolf. Your family is going to flip the fuck out!"

"Don't suppose you want to come with me?" I asked sheepishly. It was a cowardly thing to do, but if I could be cowardly with anyone, it was Ashley.

"Um, no hon! That's one thing I do not want to be in the middle of. No offense, but if I decide to let one of you turn me later on, like you did Jack... that's one thing. To get accidently turned in the middle of a family drama – nope, I'm good right here."

"I don't blame you." My cell phone beeped in my pocket again. I took it out and looked, sighing as I read the message. "Well, there's really no more delaying. She's pissed about something. Zach probably threw a hissy fit after I left yesterday. If he thinks I'm going anywhere with him today after what he did, he's lost his damn mind! Too bad he doesn't understand that me not falling under his power grip means that I am alpha to him."

She stifled a laugh, "yeah, I don't think he can see past his own arrogance on this one."

"Okay, well, come give me a hug." I threw my arms out dramatically, "you never know, I may never see you again after this blow up."

"Or.... Maybe they'll just kick you out of the pack, and you can come be my roomy!"

"Ah, the wishful thinking..." I said, trying to look wistful, even though the thought of being kicked out of the pack sent chills all the way to my bones. If I were ever excommunicated, I would be cut off, from the pack, my parents, everything and everyone. I would be a lone wolf. It was dangerous enough for males to be lone wolves, for a female it was unheard of. They would be claimed by the first male who held enough power to snare them. Sometimes, the werewolf world could be brutal. I wasn't naïve enough to disregard that fact.

"I'm not sure I want to hug you when you're smelling all like that, but um, good luck!"

"Yeah, I'm gonna need it!"

It took 45 minutes, and a sea of honking, irate drivers later, for me to get home. I was going beyond slow, in no hurry to greet my fate. My cell had gone off four more times before I pulled into our driveway. I was sure they were all my mom, and I was just planning on telling her there was traffic, and it's not safe to text and drive.

I had changed into sweats, and washed all the leftover makeup from my face before I left Ashley's house, but I felt like last night was still clinging to me somehow. I guess it was the scent of my mystery wolf. It sure did suck, not knowing his name. I didn't have a bag with me, since I had left it on the front porch yesterday when I took off so fast. So, I pocketed my keys, in case I needed a quick getaway, and strode into the house to meet my fate.

"Where the hell have you..." My mom's nose scrunched up, catching the unfamiliar scent on the air. It stopped her short, in the middle of a tirade I'm sure she had practiced repeatedly in the past 45 minutes it took me to drive home.

"I was with Ashley, you know that."

"What am I smelling?" My mom's eyes were wide, too wide to be natural. "What in God's name did you do, Jess?" Then she called out over her shoulder for my dad. "James!" She threw power behind the call. Not good.

"Was that really necessary?" My dad asked a second before the smell hit him. "What the hell?" He sniffed, and again a little harder as he passed my mom. Knowing the unfamiliar aroma wasn't coming from her, he locked his gaze on me, and strode forward on a cloud of power. I felt the hairs on my arms stand on end. "JESSICA MARIE ST. MARKS!" I stood taller, facing him, pretty sure my eyes were as wide as my mom's now. "Have you been marked?"

"Um," The one syllable stumbled out of my mouth all the other words getting lodged somewhere deep in my throat.

"I ASKED YOU A QUESTION. ANSWER ME!" Power was pushing off my dad and slamming straight into me, I bowed over, and found myself on my knees, then on all fours. My dad towered over me. "WHO MARKED YOU?"

"I don't know." It came out as a whimper.

"How could you not know?" My mom's voice was less powerful, at least it didn't hurt when she spoke.

"WHO MARKED YOU?" My dad's voice crushed me, and I was damn near crawling across the floor to his feet on my belly. As soon as I reached him, he backed up. Tears stung my eyes. My dad denied me. Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. Things just got real.

"I don't know," I tried again. "I didn't get a name."

"You allowed someone to mark you, and you can't even tell us his name?" My dad's fury rolled across me, causing my bones to ache. I was about two seconds from him causing me to turn. That's when my mom stepped in. "Did they see your wolf? Is that why someone did this to you? You know you are not supposed to show anyone your wolf!"

"Maybe, I should talk to her first." At the harsh look and power that rolled off of him, my mom backed up, but she didn't give in. It had to hurt. "You're going to make her turn, and she can't very well explain herself if her wolf is at the forefront.

"Get her to talk, and do it quickly." He turned his back on me, even though I whimpered. "Zach and Marcus are already on their way here. How in the hell are we supposed to explain this?"

"We'll figure it out. She doesn't know who did this to her, maybe he won't know where to find her either." My mom said hopefully.

"Do you really think with a scenting that strong, he won't be able to find her?"

"Okay, then maybe he'll just realize his mistake and leave her be."

I really hoped that wasn't the case, but I was not going to say that out loud. I was just now able to start sitting up. My dad's power trip was starting to settle. "Talk to your daughter. Find out what the hell possessed her to go get herself marked by a freaking super-alpha. I've never felt power like that before from just a scent." He turned and shook his head. "I have a feeling all hell's about to break loose." He was walking out the front door when he added, "I'm going to sit outside and wait for Marcus."

My dad left the house, and my mom came over, and gathered me in her arms. "It's going to be okay, baby. We'll figure it out. And don't you worry. Your dad's just... well, his anger is coming from a place of concern right now."

"That felt a whole lot like straight anger, not worry."

"Yes, well, one day when you become a parent, you'll understand that." She smiled at me, "Now, tell me what happened, everything." Even though she was asking nicely, I heard the demand, and felt the weight of her power behind it. I could stand up to my mom's power if I wanted to. I knew that deep down inside, my wolf kept telling me, but I wasn't ready to stop being her baby just yet.

I spilled, telling her the story in super-heated painful detail. Shock was written all over my mom's face as I relayed the encounter I had with the strange werewolf. I knew my dad was listening from the porch too. It was just much easier to say with him not staring me down and forcing his will on me. By the time I got to the end of the story, and how everything happened, my mom looked too shell-shocked to talk. We sat there in awkward silence for a few minutes before the door opened. When I was finishing the story, I'd heard my dad walk off the porch and address Marcus. "We need to talk before you go in there."

That did not stop Zach from just barging into my house, thinking he owned the place and me. So, it was rather humorous for me when I watched his face react to the scent that was enveloping me.

"Hey Zach, you probably should have waited out front with Marcus and my dad."

"What Is THAT SMELL?" Power was washing off of him in waves, as he tried to demand the answer from me. I was a little nervous about the situation after my parents' reaction, but this part... this was going to be fun.

"None of your business." I said. My mom turned to Zach to see his reaction, and while her head was turned I stuck my tongue out at him. Childish, I know, but I couldn't help myself. I was having visions of punching him in the nose the way I had punched the guy in the bar last night.

"WHAT?" He staggered back when it was clear his power play hadn't affected me. He didn't get to say anymore, and neither did I, because Marcus threw the front door open and stalked over to me, sniffing the air around us.

"What have you done, girl?" He smacked me across the face with the back of his hand. It wasn't a light tap either. I flew into the sofa, and was trying to pick myself up when my dad yelled at him. Oh God, I so didn't want my dad challenging Marcus. The last fool who did ended up dead.

"Know your place, wolf." Marcus said as he rounded on my father. My dad stood tall for a solid minute, before something passed between he and my mom, and then he backed down as Marcus's power washed over him. In a normal situation, I would have given the fight to my dad, but with Marcus having pack Alpha status, he packed a bigger supernatural punch. "I blame you for this. You should have gotten your bitch under control long before now."

Oh hell no! I was not going to lay here, on my back with my face throbbing, while he talked to my dad like that, and referred to me as a common breeding stock dog. "Leave. Him." I was fighting through the power he was blowing off. It was threatening to sweep the air directly from my lungs and leave me for dead. "ALONE." I finished, and then I fell to my knees.

"Do you DARE, challenge me?" He roared, and I swear it shook the damn house down to its foundation. I didn't like him one bit, but Marcus was a bad-ass. I sometimes forgot why he was the alpha.

"Sorry," I said meekly. He was coming towards me when his phone started blaring a God-awful noise. It sounded like an alarm, and judging by the look on his face, that's exactly what it was. He stopped midstride, half way to me, and answered the damn thing. I said a silent prayer of thanks for the reprieve, because no doubt, he had been about to come put me in my place again, physically.

"What?" He screamed into the phone. He listened for the length of three heartbeats. Okay, maybe five, since my heart was about to hammer right out of my chest. "No, stay there, I am on my way." There was a pause, and I could see his temper flaring up again. I could really see it, there was a tangible cloud of power gathering around him, and the air smelled of ozone. "I said I will be there, and unless they want trouble they will wait for me to get there." He hung up the phone, and looked down into my eyes. "We are not done here. I will be right back. You will go up to your room, and stay there until I get back." Power rolled over me, and I was moving before I even thought about it. I clawed my way up from my position on the floor as he stormed out of our house.

"Guess that didn't go like you expected, huh?" Zach was stupid enough to speak to me like that in front of my dad. Things were about to not go his way too.

"ZACHARIAH, SIT!" I laughed, because he didn't even move to a piece of furniture, he literally plopped right down in the same spot he already occupied on the floor.

"Good dog!" I whispered to him as I sauntered by, and headed up the stairs to my bedroom, like I was told to do. The irony was not lost on me. Inwardly, I told myself I was a good dog too. Damn it.

I paced my room. My wolf paced inside me. She was anxious, it was a reflection of how I felt. I knew I needed to pull myself together. It wasn't a good thing when my wolf and I felt like separate entities. We worked best as a species when we were one with our wolves. I breathed through the anxiety, and thought about the night before. His face came to me, and I inhaled his scent again, letting it wrap me up, and comfort me. My wolf was happy with that, and so was I. Funny that a stranger could make me feel that way when no one in our pack ever could. Maybe I was a pack reject after all. I had felt that way since my changing. When my parents first saw my wolf, they forbid me from changing in front of the rest of the pack. They told me my wolf wasn't normal, and that I needed to be protected. They never made it sound like a bad thing, just that I was different, and some people wouldn't understand. I had seen many of my pack in their wolf form. None of them were solid colored. I always assumed that was the difference. My coat was solid, with no markings at all. As I half-assed contemplated that, the conversation I had with Ashley before I left her apartment this morning, came back to me again.

I guess living among the humans wouldn't be too bad. Surely, by the time this wolf that marked me ever tracked me down, he'd see I was too much trouble. Maybe once he saw my odd wolf, he would turn away and run. Judging by his friend's comments last night, it was all some sort of game to them anyway. Okay, probably not the best thought process. My wolf was pacing and on edge once again.

It took fifteen, very long minutes before Marcus came back to the house. He didn't bother knocking. He let himself in, and there were others with him. It took only a moment for the smell to hit me, and the familiar bite of his power to ripple through the house and tug at me. There was almost a tangible line of energy pulling me to him, and I was going to follow it.

I had already begun walking out of my room when I finally tuned into the conversation that was happening downstairs. I didn't get a chance to catch what was said, before I felt Marcus's power pull me too as he said my name, "JESSICA MARIE ST. MARKS, COME." I rolled my eyes, but I obeyed, and started down the steps, pulling my hair from the ponytail it had been in. I could still feel the sting of the slap Marcus placed across my face earlier, and I wasn't about to let my mystery wolf see it. He might think me too weak and leave me here to my punishment.

As I clamored down the steps, holding onto the banister, I felt Marcus's anger crash over me, but there was something else mixed with it, an undercurrent of fear. Oh shit. Marcus didn't fear anything. That wasn't good. As soon as I hit the bottom step, Marcus's powers over me slipped away completely, and I felt a calm wash through me. My eyes locked with the one who had marked me, and he smiled. Good lord, that smile nearly undid me right there in front of my parents, Marcus, God, and whoever else cared to watch. A small whimper escaped me, but it was not from fear. Oh no, it was the good kind of whimper. My dad had the presence of mind to look away. Marcus, on the other hand, pierced me with a death stare.

"What the hell is going on here?" Zach was stupid enough to speak up. Someone had to tell that kid his ego was seriously too big for his abilities. My mystery wolf cocked his head to Zach, then turned to face him before speaking.

"And who are you?"

"I'm her mate," he pointed over at me. I was pretty sure that wasn't going to go over well. Now, it was my turn to give a death stare. My wolf's friend started snickering, and my death stare transferred from Zach to him.

"Is this true?" My mystery wolf asked me.

"We were paired in an arrangement, but I have not agreed to it." I said, surprising myself with how calmly it came out.

"But you were going to." Zach said, trying to throw power on me to get me to submit to him. I laughed his attempt off, and then I got angry again.

"You sorry ass piece of shit..." The words were out of my mouth before I could think about how this would look. I flew from the steps, heading for him. "You think you can roofie me with your power? I told you never to try it again..." Before I could get much further from the steps, a very strong arm caught me around the waist.

"It doesn't appear that she agrees with the pairing. I can't say that I blame her. Who approved such a thing?"

Marcus's hackles went up as he responded. "He's the strongest unpaired male we have. They're a perfect fit."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk." My mystery wolf started, as he continued to hold me. I stopped struggling to get to Zach, but he didn't relinquish his hold on me. Part of me was melting inside, and I definitely didn't want him to let go. I was over the struggle, and now I found myself leaning further into him, my back pressed up against his hard chest. "He's beneath her. Any fool could see that. If he's the strongest in their generation, then you have bigger problems here than I thought."

"We've all got problems, brother." My wolf's friend spoke quietly.

"That we do." He said, the vibrations from his deep voice seemed to travel right through me, sending the hairs on my arms to stand on end. I tipped my head up to look at my wolf. I suddenly had a need to see if his eyes were still that deep cobalt that entranced me last night. When I moved, my hair fell free of my face, and he got a front row seat to my shameful mark. The hand print that had turned into a swollen bruise, would probably remain there, getting uglier and uglier until I was able to shift to my wolf form and heal. My mystery wolf sucked in a breath when he noticed the mark. His fingers came up, and gently stroked over the mark. Then he leaned down, bringing his face so close to mine I thought he was going to kiss me. To my disappointment he sniffed me instead. Getting the scent of the one who'd left the mark. Then, he did kiss me. His lips brushed lightly over the mark, and he slowly removed his hand from my waist, passing me off to my father, who had come up behind us.

"You dared hit the woman I marked as my mate?" His fury was palpable. He turned to Marcus, and it was the first time I'd ever seen the man scared. "You will pay for this." He raised his hand and let it fly, right into Marcus's face, leaving behind the same mark that currently marred my own cheek. Then he grasped Marcus's chin and forced him to meet his gaze. "You will not shift again until this heals naturally. You will wear this mark for as long as it takes until it sinks in that you do not ever touch that which is mine."

He looked around for Zach, who was cowering over on my couch. "You will leave now. Run on home, and never come back to this house again, or face my wrath. We are the Ancients. You all bow to us." The power that rippled over him caused every single person in the room, including his friend, to bow down on the ground before him. I was in the process of doing just that when he caught me with one finger under my chin, and lifted my gaze to his. "Everyone except you. You are my chosen, you bow to no one." Holy shit! I had no clue what all this meant right now, but I was sure I stepped pretty damn deep in shit last night. I was equal parts awed, thankful, delighted, and scared shitless. My wolf was ignoring the scared shitless part, and working real hard at trying to get closer to this man. That's when it crossed my mind, once more, that I didn't even know his name. "You look like you want to ask me something."

It was a statement, as if he could read my mind. I supposed he was just reading the look on my face. "I still don't know your damn name." His friend, who was no longer bowing down, and now stood next to us, started laughing again.

"Go on, tell her your name, Majesty." The snicker continued.

"I am Evan De'Lune."

A gasp escaped my mouth before I could even stop it. Holy shit. Holy fucking shit. This couldn't be happening. He had to be joking. There were two races of werewolves. There were the Ancients, the ones whose bloodlines were pure by birthright, and never tainted with human blood. Then there was the one I belonged to, we were made one of two ways, either by a male Ancient breeding with a human woman, or by one biting and turning a human. Both of those ways to create a werewolf were rare. The chances of a human surviving either instance were slim. The chances of an Ancient leaving them alive long enough to change or birth a baby made it damn near improbable. If it weren't for the fact that we were used as a slave race for a while, a millennia or so ago, the vast majority of us wouldn't even exist. And here, this man that stood before me - claiming me as his own - was not only an Ancient, but one of their princes.

"Impossible," my mom whispered.

"I assure you, it is entirely possible." Evan's friend answered, although he didn't appear overly thrilled with divulging that information.

"How is it..." I stopped myself. I wasn't sure how to word what I wanted to ask. My wolf was nipping at my insides, begging me to shut my damn mouth. She liked the powerful man before her, she keened inside me, trying to get closer to his wolf spirit. "I mean," I took a breath and looked up at those eyes, so blue. "Why me?"

"Do you question my judgment in choosing you?" He asked, with a smirk on his face, then he continued, "You do seem to be quite a bit of trouble. Maybe, I should reconsider." The smirk never left his face as he said this, but I still narrowed my eyes at him.

"That's not what I meant." I spoke softly, and seriously disappointed my wolf when I tacked on, "but I understand if you're having second thoughts on the matter."

"Leave us." Evan gave the command, and everyone took off for the front door without question. "Asi, make sure they are back far enough that they don't hear." Evan's buddy nodded, and left the house behind the others.

My hands were shaking, and Evan took them in his own. "Do you fear me?" He asked.

"Not in the way you're thinking." I whispered.

"Oh?" He looked way too interested in my response. "Do tell, what shape does your fear take when you look upon me?"

"I don't fear you in the way that I fear for my life or harm coming to me. I, um, well, you are very powerful. My fear is in losing myself somewhere in the middle of all that." I swished my hand around in front of Evan, to show that I meant everything that he was.

He laughed, that startling, hauntingly inhuman laugh I'd heard in the club last night. "All this, hmmm?" He continued laughing for a minute and then motioned for me to come sit with him on the couch. He sat first, and then as I was attempting to sit beside him, he grabbed me and pulled me down into his lap. "If you don't mind, I prefer you close."

"And if I did mind?"

"Then you would be free to choose whichever seat you'd like."

"I'm fine." His smile melted me somewhere inside.

"Let me clear a few things up for you." He was quiet for a minute, thinking, and I sat there patiently, which was not an easy thing for me. "First, I am not some boy who thinks too highly of his power. I know exactly what I am capable of, and I also know that if I need to force something to happen, it's not worth having. I felt what that boy tried to do, and were you a lesser wolf, he would have succeeded. You have my word, that I will never do that to you."

I understood, he was telling me nothing would ever happen against my own will. That was a relief, although, just being near him had enough of an effect on me to tell me I still had valid concerns to work through. It wasn't just his hotness I was attracted to. His scent called to me, his wolf was calling to mine, and she was all kinds of trying to respond.

"Second," he continued on, "Do not underestimate yourself in this equation. I am a terrific judge of power levels. Yours is blowing the roof off this backwoods little clan. Once you found a mate worthy of you, the bond would have heightened your natural abilities, and made you more powerful than your pack leader, Marcus."

"What?" I questioned him, because he had to be full of shit.

"I think that perhaps you haven't been thoroughly trained, because a certain leader didn't want to be shown up by a girl, but the natural energy rolling off of you, is an addictive thing. That's probably why he thought the match between you and that boy was such a good thing. Pairing you with an inferior would temper the kind of power you'll have a year or so from now. Whereas, pairing you with someone like myself will amplify it exponentially."

Surprise hit me. I knew paired couples could draw strength from each other, but I never knew it went quite that far. Hell, I nearly crippled myself. If I had given in to my parents about Zach, I could have... I didn't want to think about it.

"And thirdly, I need you." He took a deep breath before he continued on. "Our race is dying."

"What? No. That can't be right. There are more werewolves out there than I can count."

"Your breed, is flourishing, although weakening at the same time, thanks to diluted blood. Mine is incapable of continuing on any further. I am 28 years old, and I have never even had a chance at a mate. The last two females of our kind were gifted to my older brothers."

I had so many questions rolling through my head from that one statement, but I kept my mouth shut, because I honestly wasn't sure how he'd react to some of them.

"There are no more. I have searched. You would not believe how far and wide I have searched for one that has enough power to make a match. On the same damn night I resigned myself to give up the quest to find a suitable mate, I sensed you in that bar." The look of wonder that crossed his face made my insides pull tight, and sent heat flashing all the way down my body. I wasn't stupid, I knew he could sense the change in me, but he didn't let it show. Instead, he reached over to place me down on my feet in front of him as he stood. "Now, you know why I am here, and why I chose you. You know it was not a choice I made light of, and hopefully that brings some comfort to you. As I said earlier, I will not force anything, you are free to make the decision."

"It didn't seem that way when you marked me last night." I spoke, wanting to kick myself in my own teeth for saying what I did. Sometimes, I just wished I could teach my mouth to stay shut.

He chuckled anyway. "Yes, well, I got a little carried away. The power, rolling off of you unchecked as it was, proved to be my undoing."

"Wait, you're saying you were unable to stop yourself from marking me, because I made you power drunk?"

"That is exactly what I am saying, though I wouldn't admit to that in front of anyone else." He winked at me.

"There's no way, because that's definitely how I felt last night. I mean, I don't normally let a man walk up to me and sniff, or scent me, or anything else for that matter."

"I remember. I was coming to take care of the guy who tried last night, but you beat me to it." A growl rumbled deep in the back of his throat. "I have never wanted a woman more than I did right at that moment."

I was not the blushing type. I left that to Ashley, since her pale complexion and red hair made her especially prone to it, but I was definitely full on blushing now. Evan inched a bit closer, placing my chin between his thumb and index fingers, lifting my reddened face back up towards his. Another growl came from the back of his throat, and an excited whimper escaped mine in response. Oh shit, I was completely done for where this man was concerned.

He grabbed me then, and pulled me close, doing the same thing he had the night before. His face was buried in the line of my neck, just behind my ear, rubbing his cheek against me there, scenting me, again. This time he was doing it on the opposite side as he had the night before. Then the rain of tiny kisses started, all along my hair line, traveling to the lobe of my ear, and down the line of my jaw, until his lips hovered over mine. He was hesitating, waiting for permission. I didn't even realize my hands had gone to is chest, pulling what little give there was in his shirt into my clenched fists. I brought him in closer, and made myself a little taller, standing on my tip toes, to make sure he didn't stop there.

And boy, he did not disappoint. His lips trailed feather light kisses across mine. Each one sent a tingle of pleasure from where they landed down an invisible rope that ended somewhere in the middle of me. Everything was on fire. I was on fire. I burned on the inside for more. He stopped, pulling away slowly, and holding me out at arm's length. "Not yet, little wolf." My face must have crumpled with the disappointment I felt, because a soft laugh escaped his lips, before he planted them on the top of my head. "Soon," he whispered, and that definitely sounded like a promise.

***

### A NEW ORDER

"What exactly is going on here?" I had to hand it to my father, he had a lot of balls to even presume to ask a Prince of the Ancients for explanations. Technically, the guy could have just snatched me up and run off with me straight from the bar. The Ancients were different from us, at least that was the theory. None of my pack had ever met one of them, until now. We were always told about their deeds though. They were the things horror movies were made of.

"I have chosen your daughter as my mate, and she has accepted."

"It's not that simple." My dad huffed.

"Actually, while I'd like to think it is that simple, you are correct." He was silent for a moment, thinking his next words over carefully. "My family will not like this anymore than yours does."

"What?" My father was on his feet now, pacing the living room. "She's my daughter," my dad said as his voice slipped, and caught on a ball of emotion. "You need to explain further." He ran his hands through his hair, a gesture I rarely saw from him. It was a calming gesture that was meant to settle his wolf. I'd only seen him do it a handful of times since I was little, but I knew it well.

"What do you mean, your family won't like it?" I added.

"Our last two females were each given to my older brothers, and with that, a decree was handed down that if they did not successfully produce any female offspring our breed would be forced to die out with our generation being the last." No one said anything. Evan had already told me about his brothers and the last two females, but he'd left out the part about the decree.

"Wait, doesn't that mean you'd be going against your father's decree by taking me as a mate?"

"Yes, and no."

"It's complicated," Evan's buddy, Asi, stated.

"Well, how about we uncomplicate it, because this is my daughter we're talking about, and if you're dragging her into a mess that could get her hurt or killed..." Asi bulked up at the implied threat behind my dad's words, but Evan threw his arm out, palm down, in front of him to calm everyone.

"I understand your concern..." Evan started.

"No! I don't think you do. Clearly, your kind hasn't been able to produce any young for quite some time, so how could you understand?"

Anger was stirring under the surface of Evan's cool mask. I could feel it, since I was sitting right beside him, every inch of our sides touching from my shoulders all the way down to my feet. If I could curl up in his lap without further offending my parents' sensibilities, I would. Hell, my wolf was telling me to just do it anyway. The funny thing is, I'd seen females attracted to males like this before, and I always thought that meant they were weak. What girl in her right mind goes completely bat-shit, gaga, crazy over a guy? Well, I guess everyone could add my name to the list now.

Evan patted his hand down on my knee. I'm not sure what he was sensing from me, but he was definitely telling my wolf to reign herself in. Damn.

"I am not like my brothers," Evan began. Asi was shaking his head no, but Evan continued on. "I owe it to them, if I'm to take their daughter away, Asriel."

"Take our daughter away?" My mom tripped over the words as they came out of her mouth.

"No more interruptions." Evan wrapped the words in power, so that he would get his way, and then he continued. "My father was mated to a woman from his own childhood. Together their union blessed them with two sons, Malachi and Mikael. Their mother, Anya, was emotionally touched after the birth of Mikael. She was never the same. It was late in her time when she conceived him, and avoiding the turn took its toll on her. My father couldn't stand it. She begged to be put to death, but as a bonded pair, that would have meant terrible pain for him too, possibly even his own demise. I'm sure you understand how these things sometimes go. Anya tried numerous times to kill herself, and had to be kept as a prisoner, under constant guard for a time. Our people have never been fond of the witches, but my father sought Estella out. I don't know what that witch did to make it happen, but she was able to break the bond between my father's wolf and that of his mate's."

I was not alone in my surprise, judging from the nearly synchronized gasp coming from my family.

"The bond breaking did its job, it took Anya's life to complete it, but left my father intact. Father took a new mate soon after that, a younger woman whose likeness was so close to Anya's that no one questioned her as a replacement. Some don't even realize that she is my father's second mate. She is however, and that means I am the child of a second union. That is unheard of amongst our kind. And in having that designation, I am not bound as tightly as my brothers would be to the creeds that are handed down to our people." With a nod of Evan's head, I suddenly felt free to speak. For once in my life, my mouth stayed shut though. It had to be from the shock of everything.

"You are unbound?" My father asked. At that, my head perked up, because I wasn't sure what he meant. The first thing that came to me was that perhaps I was going to be wife number two for Evan. Did he already have a mate?

"I am." Sensing my question, Evan turned to me, "What your father asks is if I am able to disregard the King's wishes. I am." With a heavy laugh that held no humor, Evan continued. "The child of a second union cannot be compelled by anyone We are unnatural already. Truthfully, I should have been put to death upon birth, but my father's arrogance wouldn't allow for it. He thought having another son proved his virility."

"So, what does this mean where my daughter is concerned?"

"It means, my family may not like it, but there's not a damn thing they can do about it."

"I beg to differ," my mom said. "You may be untouchable, but my daughter certainly isn't."

"As my mate, she will be protected. You have my word."

To my complete surprise my father tipped his head in agreement. I hadn't realized my jaw fell slack the way it did until Evan reached over and put two fingers under my chin, pushing my mouth shut for me. Embarrassing!

"As I was telling your daughter before I called you back in the house, I have been searching for a few years now for my other half. I had given up, and chosen to settle here in obscurity. I was at the club last night, because I was in the middle of signing papers to purchase it."

My mother was the first to speak. "You won't be taking her away then?"

"No, not any time soon. You are aware that my family resides on the outskirts of Romania?" That was the accent I picked up in Evan's speech. Evan's hand found mine and squeezed gently. He twined his fingers through mine, and didn't bother removing them afterward. "Eventually, I will take Jessica there to meet with them, but not until they've had plenty of time to adjust, and we will not stay there."

"Will you be taking over the pack?" My father asked.

"No, hopefully, you will." He let go of my hand and sat forward. "I do not understand why you bowed down before Marcus. He is clearly your inferior." Again, to my astonishment, my father nodded. "Explain." Evan commanded.

"I made a promise to my mate."

"I see, and was the promise to always refuse your rightful position as Alpha, or was it conditional?"

"It was conditional," my mother spoke. "We agreed that he would leave pack politics to others until Jess was mated." Sadness swept across my mother's features. "There was an incident with my sister, and my parents were gone before..."

Evan stopped her from having to relive her pain further. "I understand," he said softly to her. Then he looked to my father. "Well, I would prefer that you take your place as pack leader now, if you are in agreement? Your previous leader seems to have done your pack no justice, if that boy is the strongest among his generation."

"The only way for that to happen is through a challenge."

"I don't see that as a problem." Evan added, and my father agreed, again. I felt as though I had just stepped through the twilight zone. One night out, and my life was somehow completely different when I woke up. How the hell does that happen? I looked down, and started pulling little lint balls from my sweat pants, tuning out the rest of their conversation about Marcus. These sweats were completely worn out, I definitely needed to trade them in for a new favorite pair.

"Shit!" I could not believe I had been sitting here this whole time with a rat's nest for a head, and wearing my favorite worn out sweats. Evan was looking at me curiously now, and so was everyone else. Damn. I said that out loud. "Um, I need a shower." It came out as no more than a whisper, and then I was biting down on my lower lip. I moved to stand, and Evan stood with me, putting his back to my family and giving me all of his attention for the moment.

"And do you need a hand with that?"

"What?" YES! Yes, I did want a hand with that. "Um, No," a giggle erupted from somewhere in the back of my throat. "I think I've got it covered."

He leaned in and whispered in my ear, "too bad," and I swear my blood was suddenly lava-hot flowing through my veins. I wasn't a prude, and werewolves as a whole were pretty open about things, but my cheeks flushed immediately when I thought of the fact that my parents heard every word of our exchange. Sure, I was an adult, I had already completed my full transformation, and I was ready for a mate; yet I so wasn't ready for my parents to hear a guy offer to shower with me. As I slunk off I noticed the smirk on Asi's face, and decided I would do my best to try to embarrass him somehow in the future. My mom was offering to make some food for everyone by the time I got to my room, so I figured they were all occupied for the time being. I had just turned the water on in the shower when I heard my phone going off in my room. I threw a towel around me, and ran for it.

"Hello?"

"Hey, hon. I have been dying to hear from you! So, how much trouble are you in with the family and the pack?"

"Oh God, Ashley, you just wouldn't even believe what's happened, even if I told you."

"Well, tell me, so I can judge that for myself!" I laughed at her as she said it.

"Well, first my parents nearly nose-dived into crazyville, then Marcus and Zach both blue a freaking gasket."

"Wait, they were at your house?"

"Yeah, they showed up after I talked to my parents about it. Apparently, that's why my mom was on my ass to get home this morning. Marcus scheduled a visit to help force my hand in the whole pairing thing."

"Well, he didn't force it, did he? Zach's a fucking douchebag! If you tell me you're being forced to bond with him, I swear, I will come get you right now. I will fight my way through all the werewolves, including my brother to get you out of there." My heart caught somewhere between my chest and my throat with her words, because I knew she meant them one hundred percent.

"You are so amazing! It's not necessary though, because the mystery wolf who marked me in the club showed up."

"WHAT?" She screamed into the phone. "Did he still look just as yummy? Oh, even better, was his friend tagging along with him too? Was he as fabulous as I remember?"

"Yes," I answered.

"Wait, yes to which part?"

"All of it. Anyway, listen, I need to get a shower and get my ass presentable. We're about to call a pack meeting. I promise you, as soon as it's over I will fill you in on everything."

"Fine!" I could hear the pout in her voice, and I pictured her bottom lip sticking out like a little kid being told no they couldn't eat candy before dinner. "BUT... you have to promise to call right away, and..." I was about to cut her off as she took a breath, but I let her finish instead. "Are you okay? Promise me you're okay, and that I shouldn't be worried, or I'm getting in my car and coming to visit my brother, as an excuse to see for myself."

"I promise, everything is fine. I'm okay. There's no need for concern right now. I love you for worrying though!"

"Love ya too, chica! Now go get clean, I can smell you from here." Her laughter broke free about two seconds before the phone went dead. I set it down to head back across the hall to the bathroom, and the steamy shower that was using all the hot water up without me in it. As soon as I walked out my bedroom door I ran into a solid mass of body. Arms immediately encircled my waist, and heat flared through me from the tips of my toes straight up to the roots of my hair. The pressure Evan was applying with his hands around my hips was making the towel I was wearing dip dangerously low across my chest. That sudden intake of breath he took told me he noticed too.

"I heard you talking up here. I figured I would come check on you, and make sure everything was okay. I know it's a lot to take in all at once. This is really not how I would have imagined doing things, you must understand that. I would give anything to turn that clock back and do it all the right way, so you wouldn't have to be nervous about things."

I smiled up at him, "I'm not nervous." It was the truth. I don't know why it was the truth. He was a Prince, and he was one of the Ancients. Those two things alone should have had me quaking in my boots. Ancients weren't known to be pillars of the community. They were more of the rape, pillage, and murder crowd. Of course, it could be that everything I had been taught to believe about the Ancients was wrong, because here was Evan, and all he was trying to do was put me at ease. He could have easily taken me last night, and no one would have ever known what happened to me.

"I can't tell you what it means to me that you say that." He brought his lips down to my forehead and planted a tiny kiss there. Now, go, get your shower. Your dad has already made the necessary calls. The pack will be convening within the hour. As I pulled away and started out for the bathroom, my towel's battle to stay firmly planted around my body was lost, and the damn thing fell all the way to my abdomen before I caught it. I could feel the blush that burst across my skin. I could also hear the animal sound coming from Evan. I pulled the towel up around me and hauled ass into the bathroom, not daring to look back until I was shutting the door. He had turned his back. What man turns their back when a woman is exposed by accident? I was contemplating that as I shut the door. When I did, I heard him move across the hall to stand on the other side.

"I'll be downstairs when you're done, Jess." The strain was evident in his voice. The handle of the door had turned a bit, and then his footsteps were the only proof that he had indeed left to go downstairs. I turned the shower nozzle from the hot steamy setting I had it on, to a much cooler temperature. I had been wishing he was going to ignore decorum, and come help me clean up after all. I had hoped for it. I threw myself under the stream of cold water before I did something stupid like call out to him, tell him to scrub my back, or make me dirtier. The minute the icy water hit me, all those thoughts departed, and I literally squeaked.

I made the shower a quick one, especially since it was so freaking uncomfortable. I dressed in a pair of faded, and well worn, boot cut jeans. I put a white camisole on underneath it and topped it with a fitted black and white flannel shirt that I only buttoned the bottom three buttons on. I paired the outfit with my black pointed toe boots, and then I tossed my hair up in a ponytail, applied a little bit of eyeliner and mascara, and brushed my teeth. This was as good as it was going to get, considering I was about to have to go face the gauntlet that was my pack. They were not going to like the fact that one of their females had found a mate outside of our close community. Part of me wanted to just sit this one out and stay home, but my wolf nipped at my insides telling me that wasn't an option in her world. I was going to go face my pack, and be at one with the mess I had gotten myself in last night.

As we were leaving the house Asi bent low on the way by me and whispered in my ear, "That squeak of yours was very telling. Cold water always does the trick, doesn't it?"

I growled at him. He laughed, and hopped off the porch like he'd never heard of steps. He was going to be in for it one of these days. Evan clearly heard every bit of the exchange, because he was still laughing when he came up and put his arm around my shoulders, pulling me close. "Don't worry about Asi, little wolf, he'll get what's coming to him in the end." I heard Asriel laugh up ahead.

"Don't count on it, brother, I am untouchable."

"We'll see about that," I mumbled.

Evan laughed again, and his laugh eased my nerves. He dropped his head lower, to hover just above mine. "At least you had the luxury of the shower. I had to go outside and beat up on some trees for a minute. I am sorry I missed your little squeak as the water hit you though." There was a rumble to his voice that told me he was picturing me in that shower.

"You're going to have to stop there, because I am so not dousing myself with cold water again today."

"There are other cures for what ails you, besides a cold shower!" Evan added with a chuckle, and Asi joined him. My parents were hanging back, giving us space, and I wasn't sure how much of this they were overhearing. I was sure they'd heard enough, and I couldn't help feeling the tiniest bit embarrassed by that. Sure, I was an adult, but up until last night, I didn't even have an interest in anyone in that way. Now, all of a sudden, sexual innuendoes were easy banter as we walked to a pack meeting. I had definitely left my life behind somewhere and planted myself firmly into the middle of the damn Twilight Zone. It was an odd feeling as I stepped into the pack meeting area.

Unless there was severe weather, our pack meetings were always held outside in a cleared area in the woods just beyond all the living quarters. As we approached the area a friendly face came walking over to me. "Jessie!" He snatched me up in the air, giving me a huge hug. Evan stood off to the side, not intervening, but not looking happy either. "Damn, are you what all this fuss is about, because that is definitely not Zach's scent all over you?"

"You'll find out soon enough. What's with the super emphatic hello with a hug?"

"Oh, yeah, I just wanted to thank you for putting a foot up my ass yesterday. I talked to my mom, and after she cried and stuff, we had a really good chat. We're doing a family weekend starting this Saturday. Ashley already agreed, and Jeff is coming in from college for a few days. It's going to be like old times. Of course, mom said to tell you that you are more than welcome to tag along too, since you're family and all."

"I'm not sure what's going on with me for next weekend, but I will let you know as soon as I can." I returned his hug this time, truly happy that he'd finally worked things out with his parents. They weren't really too thrilled about him running off to be a werewolf. "Now, who's your favorite sister? That's right, this girl!" I said pointing to myself.

"I'm going to agree with you today, but just don't tell Ashley. She'd kick my ass, my new found werewolf strength be damned."

"You're right about that!" I agreed with a laugh.

"So, seriously, what's going on? People are starting to stare at you."

"Can't I just be that amazing?"

"I think you are," Evan said as his head popped down by my shoulder. "I'm pretty sure we're going to be needed momentarily, so we might as well make our way closer to the front now."

"Yeah, okay." I agreed. When I turned to wave goodbye to Jack his eyebrows shot up in a questioning look.

At the last pack meeting it had been announced that Zach and I were chosen to be paired. Which probably explained all the funny looks I was getting for marching, with the arm of a strange wolf wrapped around me, up to the front of the stage that the pack had set up in the clearing.

"She smells like the stranger."

"I knew nothing good would come from her always traipsing off with that human of hers."

"Do you think Zach will challenge him for her?"

"She's not worth it, if she'd throw away a pairing from our pack like this."

Evan was standing behind me when we reached the front of the crowd. He wrapped both his arms around my waist and pulled me back into his chest. Then he whispered in my ear. "Ignore the comments for now, my sweet. They're about to get a bigger shock." He pressed a kiss to my temple, and at the shocked gasps from two of the female wolves nearest us, he leaned in and started marking me with his scent again. The feel of his slightly stubbly face rubbing all up and down my neck was starting to cause my body to tingle in places that shouldn't be tingling during a pack meeting.

My father had taken the stage, and looked pointedly at Evan as he cleared his throat. Evan chuckled, but stopped trying to shock the women around us.

"You're terrible," I whispered. He gave me an appreciative squeeze. He may be trouble, but I was loving every minute of it so far.

"I thank you all for coming out on such short notice today. We have a few important things to discuss that involve the pack. If you'll bear with me, and hold your comments until the end, we'll try to get through this as smoothly as possible."

"Where's Marcus?" David, one of the older wolves in the pack asked.

"He'll be along shortly, but I am the one calling this meeting." He made a gesture towards me, "Jess, come on up and join me for a minute." I walked forward, and went to stand beside my dad. "At our last meeting Marcus announced that my daughter, Jessica, would be paired with Zachariah Brighton. As a family, we have decided that is not a wise decision for her." There were some angry shouts, and a few nasty comments thrown my way about how I smelled. "ENOUGH!" My dad shouted, and he threw all his power behind that one word. Even I wanted to crawl beneath his feet momentarily. Everyone stopped what they were doing and started paying closer attention now. "Now, I did say, no interruptions, and I meant it. Jess would have eaten poor little Zach alive if they were a mated pair. She has far too much power to be bonded with him equally. It wouldn't have been fair to either of them."

I heard Zach mumble under his breath. "This is such bullshit. Like she could ever overpower me." It took every ounce of willpower I possessed not to show him just how wrong he was. My dad was about to announce the fact that he was challenging Marcus for pack leader though, so I wouldn't dare dishonor him in this moment. Not any more than I probably already had by showing up marked by another wolf. Besides, there were murmurs of disbelief already rolling across my pack family. One, in particular stung. "She's always thought she was better than us. You know, I've never even seen her wolf. I bet she never fully completed transition."

My father had to have heard her, but chose to ignore the comment. "We had no eligible males that would make a good pairing with my daughter, and rather than see her mated for life in a catastrophic union, she has found one who was strong enough to lay claim to her, and will make the best match possible. Evan," My dad gestured for him to join us on the stage. As he came to stand by me, and placed a hand possessively at the small of my back, my father continued on. "As some of you have pointed out already, Evan has claimed Jess by scenting her. Jess did not object to this being done. She finds him a suitable mate, and there will be nothing more to say on this matter."

"That is for the pack leader to decide, not you. Father or not." Dave interjected.

"And on that matter," my father started, standing straighter as he spoke, "I put forth challenge for the position of pack leader. I will concede that Marcus can willingly step down, or he can fight me for it. After that is settled, if there are any others who feel they deserve this position, your challenges will be dealt with. Marcus has been breeding the strength right out of our pack for generations with his ridiculous pairings. We can't stand by any longer and keep allowing this to happen."

There were a great many whispered comments at that point. Some were definitely in favor of my dad taking his place in the pack that should have been his when his father passed on. Others were just confused. But one stood out from the crowd.

Sierra stood apart from a very unhappy looking Jack and shouted above the din, "Who is this man, Evan, that he can come into our pack and lay claim to one of ours? Marcus decreed that our females would not breed outside of the pack. Even Jack had to be accepted as pack before we could be a mated pair."

"Man, she's never going to stop being a pain in my ass, is she?" I mumbled under my breath. I didn't get a chance to respond though, and neither did my father.

"Jessica is too powerful for any of you to mate with, and I am counting those who have already bonded too. I understand pack law, and normally I would not go against it, but for this, I must." Evan stepped back and let the shudder of power he threw out into the crowd speak for itself.

"Prince Evan is one of the Ancient. You will respect this pairing. There will be no further questions about this topic," my father informed them all. The whispers on the wind from the pack changed their tone at that point to one of shock and awe. I'm sure they could sense his power, but they hadn't expected an Ancient, let alone a prince. The looks on some of the women's faces were priceless now. Especially the ones who only moments ago had been all but saying I was a whore.

"Well, that shut them right up didn't it?" Evan teased into my ear. I turned my face, to snuggle into his chest, scenting him back for the first time, even if not in the proper place. I wanted him marked with a piece of me, and I wanted it done in front of my pack. They needed to know this was serious. My wolf needed them to know, because she was tired of us being underestimated. Just because I had chosen on numerous occasions not to make waves, didn't mean I hadn't been capable of doing so. "If you keep that up, we're going to have to leave this party early." He had whispered it so low I doubted anyone but maybe my dad heard it. I laughed out loud. "Come on," he grabbed my hand and started pulling me along with him as we left the stage. We didn't go as far as I thought he was intending though, just to the edge of the crowd to stand beside my mother and Asi. "This is your dad's moment now."

"Marcus Dupris, I challenge you!" My dad shouted above the small roar of conversation that had begun to fill the meeting area. I looked around, trying to find Marcus. "Come forth and answer your challenger."

Marcus came forth alright, head hung low. If he'd been in wolf form his tail would have been between his legs. Audible sighs rippled through the crowd. Marcus was a man defeated. The stench of fear clung to him like a second skin, and the sheen of sweat gracing his brow was just one more physical manifestation of it. When Marcus got all the way to the stage my dad started again, as was the way of things.

"Marcus Dupris, I challenge you for the title of Alpha, and the leadership of this pack. What say you?"

"You can have it." It was nothing more than a whisper, but he knew we all heard it. There were gasps among those present. Zach looked like he wanted to punch my dad in the throat, but he wouldn't dare attempt it.

My mother jumped up and stood in front of the stage, "Unless any others bring challenge, let the pack recognize its new master, Jameson St. Marks." Everyone went down on one knee before my father, paying him the respect he was due as their new leader. There would be no other challengers.

"I have offered mercy, in not making Marcus fight this battle, but he has dishonored himself, his family, and this pack with his cowardly display. Marcus Dupris, I shun thee." My father turned his back to Marcus.

"We shun thee." The pack replied in unison. Every one of them turned their backs on him. Marcus shifted into his wolf form and took off at a dead run into the forest beyond the meeting area. He would not be welcomed back. This was the first shunning I had ever seen or taken part in. It was a very rare occurrence.

My father turned to face the crowd again, calling them back to attention once more. "One more point of business now that I am pack leader. Zachariah Brighton, come forth."

Zach looked shocked, but he moved forward to the stage and stood tall by my father. I gave him a point for that, at least he hadn't run off behind his shamed uncle.

"Zachariah Brighton, you are hereby charged with trying to bend a potential mate to your will. Our pack law states our females are free to choose without influence of power. This morning, before witnesses, you attempted to make Jessica Marie St. Marks submit to your will, to be your mate, by use of power." He looked out over the shocked faces in the crowd. "Do you admit to the charges brought against you?"

Zach said nothing he simply nodded and hung his head.

"You will speak when spoken to. Do you admit to the charges brought against you before this pack?"

"I am in agreement." Zach finally answered.

"Since you met this inquiry with honesty, you shall not be shunned with your Uncle. If you choose to stay you will follow these rules. You may not request or seek out another mate for a full year from this date. You may not leave pack territory without escort for the next year, from this date. And you will do your best to steer clear of Jessica St. Marks when she is in residence with the pack." My father looked out at the rest of the people gathered, to make sure everyone heard and understood the conditions. "Are these terms agreeable to you?"

"We are in agreement." The pack said as one.

"Zachariah Brighton, are these terms agreeable to you?"

"I am in agreement." He offered, before bending to one knee in front of my father, and then the pack.

"You are dismissed, Zach." My father said, some of the edge in his voice now relaxing. "As I've already alluded to, we have guests amongst the pack. Prince Evan is here with his second, Asriel. You will treat them with respect, and while they are within our territory, they have agreed to adhere to our pack rules."

"There will be a bonding ceremony for my daughter, Jess, and her chosen mate during the full moon. Anyone not happy with the pairings already made by Marcus, and requesting changes, should come see me on Tuesday. If you are happy with your pairings, then you still need to see me to discuss when your bonding ceremony will take place." My father, once again, gazed over the gathered wolves from our pack. "If there is nothing further, you may all be dismissed."

"Well, that went better than I thought it would." I said as we stood waiting for my parents to finish up their conversations with some of the older pack members.

"It would not have gone badly, no matter what. We would have seen to it if we needed to." I believed he would have, though I had no idea what I'd done to earn the loyalty Evan was already showing me. I watched as my mother moved up beside my father, snuggling into his side, as he pulled her closer. If I was honest with myself, they were the reason I hadn't wanted to accept Zach. It had nothing to do with power, looks, status, or even his douchebaggery. I couldn't see myself as an equal with Zach. My parents had always shared everything on a level that I couldn't even fully comprehend. I had always hoped that when I found a mate, it would at least come close to comparing to what my parents have. "I like the way they are together." Evan spoke softly, as he pulled me closer to him. "There's an equality there that makes them stronger. It is an enviable trait in a bonded pair."

"Sometimes, it's like you're reading my mind." My eyes narrowed as I looked up at him. "You don't have a certain special talent do you?"

"I have many special talents, little wolf. I'd be glad to show them all to you, in depth." The teasing smile that spread across his face only added to his attractiveness, as it brought out the dimple in his left cheek. "But alas, I don't have the ability to read your mind." Asi stepped forward, still snickering over the first comment.

"Evan, will we be staying in the pack territory tonight, or heading back to the club?" I saw the indecision playing over Evan's face. He needed to be at the club, since it was a newly acquired business, but he did not want to leave me behind just yet.

"I can always stay with Ashley again. Then we'd be closer."

"Ah, little wolf, so now you're reading minds?"

***

### POSSIBILITIES

"Ashley, are you sure it's not a problem for me to stay here tonight?"

"Seriously? I can't believe you're even second guessing that. Mi casa es your casa."

"Um, I'm pretty sure that's not how it's said."

"Well, I'm never going to be a linguist, so sue me!" She opened her closet up and started tossing things out. "Now, the real question is, what are you wearing tonight?"

"Hmm, well, Evan didn't seem to mind me in old sweatpants and bed head, so I'm thinking it really doesn't matter." I joked, stopping Ashley dead in her tracks, as she was about to toss another outfit out on the bed. Her normally pouty full lips were hanging agape.

"You cannot be serious!"

"What?" I questioned innocently.

"Get over here, and find yourself something to wear."

"I brought some of my own jeans, since you're short. I just need a top that's going to look classy, yet flatter my figure." I sorted through a few, and while they would have fit the bill on Ashley, they would have draped over my thin, barely-there-boob frame like a potato sack.

"No! Not more boring, Jess clothes!" Ashley whined as I grabbed a t-shirt out of my bag instead. "What about hot, sultry Jess from last night? You know the one that rocked that dress like there was no tomorrow? I liked her style!"

"Mmmhmm, her style got me in trouble, remember?"

"Pssh, trouble my ass. You're going to be mated to a Prince now instead of douchebag Zach. I'd say that dress got you out of trouble!"

I sat down for a minute, taking it all in again. "I can't believe that was last night. I mean, what the hell? I feel like my life is not my own all of a sudden."

"Good, because aside from me being in it, your life was pretty boring and lame. You needed something to shake things up, and you definitely needed a special someone to do the shaking." She thought for a minute as she pulled out a beautiful blue silk shirt that had a ribbon closure on the top, leaving a teardrop opening that would dip almost down to the middle of my breasts. "This is the one! He'll love it. It's flirty, sexy, and still modest enough for you, Jess." She shrugged as she added, "besides, my boobs don't really fit in it."

I rolled my eyes at her, but secretly I was jumping for joy. I'd always wanted to try that blouse on for size. "So, what do you think of Evan?"

"Um, I never got to talk to him yet, remember? I just saw how he tried to become one with you at the bar, but I have to say, I approved of that. Lord knows, it's about time someone got you all hot and bothered!"

I groaned. I know she meant well, but I always felt like a kid next to Ashley, even though I was technically a few months older than her. "I keep forgetting you weren't there today for pack business."

"Not yet." She said offhandedly. "Maybe one of these days soon though." I took note of the glazed look that crossed her face. "I wonder if I'd transition as smoothly as Jack?"

"You never know, Ashley." I tried to sound positive when I said it, because there was a huge part of me that wanted it to be true. I needed Ashley to be by my side in this life, for my whole, unnaturally extended life.

"I just worry. What if I try, and I don't make it? What if I didn't live enough and it's all for nothing, and I just cease to exist?"

"Oh, Ashley, let's not think about that right now. If and when you are ready, we will try. I think your chances of becoming a wolf are phenomenal after watching Jack go through it."

My phone went off indicating that I had an incoming text. "Later isn't soon enough. I want to see you now!" A stupid grin broke out across my face. Ashley noticed, and smiled at me.

"I take it that was lover boy?"

"Ash, I've been swept away by how I feel around him." The grin slowly seeped away, replaced by the worry that creased across my brow.

"How is that a bad thing?"

"It's literally been a day, and when he says this," I turned the phone to show her my text. "I want to leap up and run down to the club to see him too."

"Again, I'm not seeing the downside here."

"You know, I've always worried about losing myself like some of the women I've seen, where all they live for is the wolf they mated. They cook and clean, they have his babies, but they have no identity of their own anymore. I don't want to be swallowed up whole by someone who's larger than life."

"Jess," Ashley came over to wrap her arms around me, "you could never be swallowed up by anyone else's presence, your own is way too big for that." She pushed the blue blouse into my hand again, "Now, go get dressed. It is okay to be excited, and invigorated by something new. You've never really been interested in someone before. It's okay to get carried away in the feeling of it, Jess. I promise. I will be here to reign you in if I see you start to look like a Stepford Wife or something, okay?"

"I'm going to hold you to that." I stood and walked to the bathroom with my outfit in hand.

Fifteen minutes later I was still standing there awestruck by the way the shirt looked on me. It was like the damn thing had been custom designed to highlight everything I needed it to. There was the added bonus that the shirt was almost the identical cobalt blue color of Evan's eyes. I had to mentally make myself pull it together when the thought of Evan's eyes led me to think about being back in his arms, and how it felt when I had been leaning against his solid chest, feeling his arms around me. I imagined the spicy scent of him wrapping around and...

"JESS!" Ashley yelled for me. "Come on, the anticipation is killing me. Did you forget how to tie the ribbon, or what?"

I opened the bathroom door and stood there without going any further. Ashley's jaw literally dropped. "Oh my God!" She said as she moved closer. "Why did I not give you that shirt sooner? Never mind, forget that question. You got it at the perfect time, your man is going to shit himself when he sees you tonight."

"Um, let's hope not literally."

Ashley smacked me lightly on the arm, but laughed. "Jesus, this fits you so well. Turn around, let me see. Thank God you didn't pack your mom jeans."

"My what?"

"You know, your comfy jeans that are baggy and don't really flatter your shape?" She waved me off when I looked mystified. "Seriously, between the skinny jeans, that shirt, and oh..." she stopped there. Your boots are going to look great with that. Here," she said putting them in my hands. "Put them on, so I can see the complete package." I slipped into the boots after I put some socks on my feet too, and Ashley literally clapped at me when I stood back up. "Perfect!"

I did my own makeup tonight, going a little lighter than what Jess had done for me the previous night. I added in a little blue highlighting around my eyes to match the shirt, but otherwise it was mostly dark liner, mascara, and a lip stain for effect. I kept my hair down straight too. It fell stick straight to the middle of my back in long layers. Once I was done, I only had to wait on Ashley to finish up. She came striding out of the bathroom in a black mini dress with a royal blue cardigan layered overtop, because this was not going to be a warm fall night. The temperatures had already dropped into the 30s over the past few hours.

She stalked over to me, hopping on one foot as she slipped a black, five inch heel onto her right foot. The minute she was in it, she was almost as tall as I was. After she slipped the second one on, she came over to stand beside me, both of us facing the full length mirror on the back of her door. "Oh, we look amazing!" Her red curls were draped over her shoulders, while the blue in the cardigan made her eyes stand out even more than they already did. "Let's get going, because it's a waste for us to be the only two people seeing this magnificence."

"I don't know why you bother waiting to become a werewolf. You already have the ego of one!" I was laughing with her as we walked out the door.

"Well, that should just make the transition that much easier when I do!"

"Ah! That's different. You said, 'when' not 'if' this time."

"I guess the idea is growing on me more and more. Especially now that I have seen there are such fine specimens of werewolves outside of your pack. Tonight, you will introduce me to that hulking man-beast that your Evan was with last night."

I smiled, "Asriel. Evan calls him Asi though."

"Asi, I can live with that, especially if those tanks he calls arms are perched around me." Ash attempted a throaty growl to make her point, but it came out all wrong, and she ended up in the midst of a coughing fit as a result.

Of course, I laughed at her. "Maybe, try not to growl at him though. We don't want him to think you have some incurable disease!" Ashley smacked me across the shoulder as I continued laughing at her.

"Damn it, did my mascara run?" She asked, while rubbing her fingers gently under her eyes.

"No, you're good, Ash."

"At least I got that out before we got there. That could have been really embarrassing. So, no growling at the wolves for me tonight."

"You don't need to growl, just flip that flaming red hair of yours around, and bat those beautiful blue eyes. He'll be eating out of your hand in no time."

"Hmmm, I wonder what I have to do to get him to eat out..."

"Ashley Leanne Reynolds!" I gasped, pretending to be shocked by her dirty mouth.

"What?" She grinned at me. "If you weren't such a prude, you'd be thinking the same damn thing. As a matter of fact, weren't you telling me earlier about an ice cold shower you had to take? Maybe we're two perverted peas in a pod, sister!"

"I'm beginning to think that's very likely, Ash!" We were walking up to the front of the club when I turned to Ashley, "remember, they're werewolves. They can hear everything when we're in there. Even a whisper. If you have something really embarrassing to say, just text it to me."

"Aw, you take all the fun out of everything!" Ashley laughed as I gave her a knowing look. We both knew Ashley ran her mouth a lot when she got drunk.

"You're not welcome here." The bouncer from last night said to us as we walked up to the entrance of Hypnotic, the club Evan had just purchased.

"Excuse me?" Ashley said as her hand went to her hip.

"Why not?" I asked.

"After last night, you really have to ask?" He smirked. "We're lucky that little punk isn't suing us for a new nose." He shook his head. "I'm not even sure how such a skinny little thing could manage that kind of damage, but I do know I'm not letting you through these doors again." The bald man exuded confidence that any werewolf might possess, but he was definitely just human. I would have sniffed him out, even if he had been a different type of shifter. He wasn't. His bald head was reflecting the light of the neon sign above, as I texted Evan.

"I think you're about to change your mind," I said to him with a wink.

"I don't think so, sweetheart!"

A text buzzed back on my phone, and my face lit up as I waited for someone to come deliver the message to this bouncer that he was overstepping his bounds. "Do you know the new owner?" I asked innocently.

"Haven't been introduced yet, and it doesn't change a thing."

"I see," I stepped back as the door to the bar opened from the inside, and Evan stepped out, looking like a million bucks in a tailored, black suit jacket, that fit him to perfection. He was wearing it over a blue button down shirt, paired with dark blue jeans, and shiny black boots. His cobalt eyes sparkled above the whole package when he looked at me, and the smile on his face made my insides melt.

"We haven't been introduced yet," Evan said to the man as he held out his hand. "I am Evan De'Lune, the new owner of this establishment."

"Yes sir, good to meet you. Name's Pete Fontaine." He pumped his hand in greeting a couple good times before letting go.

Evan looked back over his shoulder at Ashley and I then. "What seems to be the problem with these two ladies?"

"This one," Pete nodded in my direction, "broke a guy's nose in here last night. I talked him out of suing, but only just barely. He didn't want people to know he got his ass beat down by a girl." Pete had the good sense to laugh a little at that. "I banned her from the establishment, so that it wouldn't happen again."

"Ah, I see." Evan turned to me and looked me up and down long enough that goose bumps erupted across my skin under the scrutiny before he turned back to Pete. "Well, Pete, I was here last night, and heard what that punk ass said to Miss St. Marks before she punched him. I have to tell you, had she not been able to handle herself, I would have done it for her." His smile was starting to light up the entire street, or maybe it just felt that way to me. Pete looked a little confused, and a tad bit of worry was starting to creep in around the edges of his own smile. "Now, neither of these girls deserves to be placed on a banned list, nor do I wish it. They will always have access, no matter the time of day or night. Am I understood?"

"Yes, sir." Pete said, and then he turned to me and added, "sorry for the misunderstanding, Miss St. Marks."

"Not a problem, Pete. It happens." I gave him a wink before I slipped inside behind Evan.

We were only a few steps in when Evan reached back and grabbed a hold of my hand, pulling me up beside him. He leaned down and whispered in my ear, "you should be right here by my side, not walking behind me." My heart was fluttering to its own rhythm now, and I maneuvered myself closer to Evan so I could catch his scent better. I couldn't quite pinpoint what he smelled like to me, except to say it was manly, intoxicating, and had my stomach pulling tight with the thoughts that were flowing through my mind now. "What are you drinking tonight?"

"Captain and Coke."

"Vodka Cranberry," Ashley added. "Hey, where's your buddy tonight?"

Evan ordered our drinks, and then turned back to Ashley with a knowing look on his face. "Asi has some business to attend, but he'll be along a little later."

"M'kay." Ashley said as she took the drink she was being offered.

"Come on, it's quieter in the back." Evan walked us back to the room with the pool tables, but skirted us around the outside of it as we went. There was an alcove back there that led to a semi-hidden little lounge area with a couple couches and tables.

"Seriously, how many times have we been here, and I never knew this existed?" Ashley asked as she plopped down on a couch, nearly spilling her drink with the momentum.

"Yeah, I didn't either. Then again, we don't play pool, so neither of us ever came back this far."

"Ladies, you have to be a little more adventurous!" Evan sat down on the opposite corner of the couch Ash had just took up residence on, and he pulled me down into his lap.

"You look absolutely stunning tonight!" He whispered into my ear.

"Thank you, I could say the same of you!" I tugged on his blue dress shirt with my fingers, "this is a really good color on you. It brings out your amazing eyes." The smile that bloomed across his face then, made me warm all over, but the noise he made in the back of his throat built a fire inside me.

"This is just..." Ashley was shaking her head, then she downed the rest of her drink. "Well, it's interesting."

"Why do you say that?" Evan asked her.

"I honestly never thought anyone would catch Jessie's eye."

"Ah," he looked at me then, "so you're picky?"

"Um, picky would mean she's ever even cared to glance at anyone."

"Hey, now! I've glanced." I was turning red, thanks to the heaping spoonful of embarrassment my friend was helping me to.

"Okay, I'll give you that. You definitely look, but no one has ever been worthy." She looked between Evan and I then. "So, tell me something, what in the world made you rub all up on my friend yesterday? Surely, that's not how you greet all the girls that you decide to sit in your lap is it?"?

My eyes were saucers in my head. "Ash," I whispered.

"It's okay." Evan patted his hand on my thigh. I really didn't want him to stop, when he went to move it back, I put my own hand down on top of his, and threaded my fingers through his. He didn't seem to object so I kept it there like that. "I could hear your conversation throughout the night, you know?"

"So, you were stalking our convo? That's a bit extreme."

Evan laughed. "Not like that. I saw the two of you when Asriel and I came in. I knew right away that Jess was a wolf, but there was also something else about her that drew my attention. I just couldn't put my finger on it besides to say, she has a unique flavor about her."

"Mmmhhmmm, so you've had a taste?" Ashley looked at me like I'd left her out of a huge secret.

"That is so not what he means, Ash."

Again, that deep chuckle bubbled forth from Evan, and the sound put me completely at ease. "Scent. She has a very unique scent, distinctly her own. Not all wolves can scent out power to the extent that I can. It's a good thing, or someone else would have snatched her up a long time ago, I'm sure. I knew she'd be a viable match."

"That's just weird, but whatever. So, she smelled good, and you started eavesdropping?"

"She smelled delicious, and I didn't start eavesdropping right away. I was here to take care of business. I saw her again later, when the two of you saw my friend and I walk by. I heard you talking about us, Ashley, and that's when I started paying attention, because I wanted to know what she thought."

"Okay, I get that, so how did the whole nearly shagging each other on the dance floor thing come about?"

"Mmm" The sound that came from him was low and possessive. As if to make me fully understand the impact, he also pulled me closer. I was pulled right up along his side, my legs thrown over his, feeling the vibrations of his voice as he spoke. "You two stopped talking. I picked up on some giggling and grunting, and decided to see what I was missing. I walked back out there, and saw the two of you lost in your own little game with the dancing. Did you know that everyone circled you like sharks, watching, waiting, giving you space to perform?"

"I did." Ashley admitted. "She's never understood what it does to people when we dance together like that though. She loses herself out there.

My face reddened. Clearly, I had missed a little something all those times we were dancing together.

"Yes, well. I watched, and found myself moving closer. You smacked Jess on the ass, and the little noise she made, drove me insane." His fingers were digging into my thigh a little bit, but I really didn't care. I could smell a change in him, and my own body was responding to the subtle shift in hormone levels. He cleared his throat before continuing. "Before I could get all the way there to join in, you two parted ways and this one was running into me. The physical contact just ramped up what was already there. I couldn't even begin to explain the connection I felt in that moment, but I knew I couldn't let her just walk away from me that easily. Not after I'd searched for so long. When I leaned in closer, and she didn't pull away," he moaned audibly this time.

"Okay, maybe we should change the subject for a minute, because I am so not down for watching you two grinding on each other." Ashley pointed out the fact that I was literally starting to move back and forth on his lap while his fingers dug in my thighs, pulling me closer. It was a very subtle movement, but embarrassing to be caught when you weren't even aware you were doing it.

"Maybe," I said getting up off his lap, "it's safer if I just sit next to you for now." I had never in my life blushed so much as I had in the past two days. I could feel the heat in my face. He actually didn't seem all that happy with the new seating arrangement, but he nodded in agreement and let me slip in beside him instead. His arm instantly went around my shoulders, and stayed there.

"Well, there's definitely a physical/chemical thing going on there with you two." Ashley scrutinized Evan for a few minutes. "You said you'd been searching for a long time for someone? Why?"

"There are things I really can't discuss with a human, no matter how close they are to Jess. Let's just say there weren't any females who could measure up to my abilities."

"Oh, well, if you are anything like Jess, then that makes you a bad ass!"

Evan seemed taken by surprise with that statement.

"What?" Ashley asked. "I don't have to be a werewolf to know she outshines her whole pack."

"It's funny that the human could see it, but an entire pack couldn't."

"People, werewolves included, see what they want. And no offense, but werewolves aren't exactly pillars of equality. The most chauvinistic men on Earth are werewolves... truly! None of them would want to admit that a young female was worth all of them combined."

Now, it was my turn to be shocked. Ashley never told me she thought I was more powerful than all the men in my pack. "Ashley..." I started.

"Seriously, I never mentioned it, because you seemed happy with your obscurity, but I was not going to let you go through with that pairing though. There was no way you would have been happy with that level of mediocrity. He would have always been trying to out power you, and he wouldn't have been able to do it. I seriously have no clue what the hell Marcus was thinking."

"He wasn't." Evan responded. "I knew immediately. A pack Alpha should have known better."

At the look on my face, Ashley decided to change topics. "So, tell me about your friend. How long have you two been joined at the hip?"

Evan eyed her wearily. "We are not joined at the hip."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, how long have you been bromancing with your boo?"

I laughed, Ashley always did have a way with words. Evan stifled a smile, and responded. "Asi and I came up together. We've known each other since we were children. My position in life has not always been a popular one," he gave me a knowing look. "Asriel was there when an attempt on my life was made as a child. He got me to safety, even though he was only two years older. We've been inseparable since. I owe him a life debt."

"You owe me nothing," came a booming voice from the entrance to the room. "You look thankful that I've returned. Not so easy entertaining the ladies on your own, is it?" Asi laughed a full throated laugh, and then literally flopped down into one of the chairs facing the couch we were all parked on. He looked us all over, and noted the possessive arm thrown across my shoulders, and then his gaze drifted to Ashley. A curious look formed on his face, "how is it that you know so much?"

"I owe her a life debt," I said without thinking.

The curious look on Asi's face grew, but Evan shifted so that he could see my face as well, now. "Do tell." He said.

"She doesn't owe me anything." Ashley said, head down, to avoid showing everyone how red her face had become.

I told them the story of how Ashley saved me from her brother's gun, and how she helped with Sierra after the fact. It led to the explanation about her brother Jack becoming a wolf too. "She's been my best friend ever since. Her family knows about us, and they've been sworn to secrecy. Ashley's dad is the country sheriff here, so when he sees anything odd that might point to wolves, he works with the pack to figure things out. We've had lone wolves wonder through from time to time causing trouble."

"I see. It sounds like your meeting was very fortuitous. Especially since I was destined to meet you." Evan whispered in my ear in a sultry, low voice that did funny things to my insides.

Asi cleared his throat, "so what do you do, human?"

"Ashley. My name is Ashley, not Human. Got it, wolf?"

He smiled, and nodded. "Point taken."

"I am studying to be a nurse. I have one more semester after this, and I graduate."

"Hmm," Asi was lost in thought, "that's a lucky guy to wake up from tragedy to see you as their nurse."

Suddenly, Ashley was speechless. I think it was a first for her. As everyone sat around in awkward silence after that, I went to take a drink of my rum and coke only to find I was at the bottom of my glass. "Damn," I whispered at the ice in the cup.

"I'll be back," Evan said to me, as he kissed the top of my head, stood, and took my empty cup from me. "Same thing, Ashley?"

"Yes, please."

Evan took off toward the bar, and I sat there watching until he rounded the corner and I couldn't see him anymore. Ashley and Asi were still staring at each other, as if they were making out from across the room, with their eyeballs.

"So, the other night, what did you mean about this being an experiment?"

Asriel actually flushed a little, and looked ashamed. "I misspoke." He said simply.

I quirked up my eyebrow at him, but let it go, because he didn't look like he was willing to talk about it without threat of torture. "What do you think Evan's family will say about his claim on me?"

"I'm not sure I'm the right person to be speculating about that."

"It seems to me you're the perfect person. You've been around him since you were young, which means you've been around the family."

"I can't say. It could really go either way, Jessica."

"Jess, please." I laughed, "Jessica sounds so formal."

He smiled and nodded again. It was a thing with him apparently.

"So, what do you do, for a living, I mean?" Ashley asked.

"I am a bodyguard." He said without thought, as he continued to pick apart the label on his bottled beer.

"Whose body are you guarding?"

The look on Asriel's face said he wished it was her body he was guarding. Evan walked back in the room, followed closely by a waitress who was being very obvious about checking him out. Evan sat next to me again, adjusting me so that his arm slung right back around my shoulder. He handed me another rum and coke while the waitress distributed another round for Ashley and Asi.

"I'll be back to check on y'all shortly," she said giving Evan a wink and me the stink eye as she skirted back out of the room.

I have never been truly interested in anyone before, so the feeling that overwhelmed me then was one I have never been familiar with. I wanted to grab that bitch by the hair and slam her head into a wall just for having the audacity to look at my man, let alone wink at him while I was sitting here. I hadn't even realized I had been making a move to get up and follow through with my thoughts, until Evan's hand pulled me back down. "Now, now, little wolf, she meant no harm."

I had the presence of mind to be embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I don't know what the hell..." I just cut myself off, before I started babbling and made it all worse.

"I'd be worried if you hadn't reacted, as it is I'm turned on. Stop worrying, sweetheart." Those words whispered in my ear were both calming and invigorating. All at once, I wished we were somewhere else, and not in a bar. I really just wanted to be alone with Evan. Who was I kidding, I wanted to get naked with Evan, and that's the thought that stopped me from going anywhere else for the moment. I still had no clue who he was. I knew I had this completely foreign, intense attraction to him, but beyond that... he was a stranger.

"I saw books in your room when we were there, are you going to school too?"

"Yeah, I haven't declared a major yet though. I'm just getting all my basic courses out of the way, and exploring my options. Honestly, I'd need to switch to a bigger school for a real degree, and I wasn't sure my pack would allow that. Especially since they were so hell bent on my pairing with Zach. There's no way he would have let me go to a University. The closest one is about an hour away." I shrugged, and took a sip of my drink.

"Well, that's not an issue anymore. If you could go to a university, what would you study?"

"I like psychology, actually. I think human nature is fascinating. I would love to be able to learn all I can there, and then carry it over into my own studies of our kind. You know, I think it's interesting what our instincts lead us to do. For instance, this immense attraction I feel for you..." I almost stopped there, but he seemed genuinely interested, so I continued. "Well, I know some humans believe in love at first sight, and soul mates, but the majority really don't. There's hormones, attraction, need, and want. They all play a part, and then there's just behavior and how you react to all those stimuli. With us, we have our wolves too. They have a completely different criteria for picking a mate. It affects how we feel, whether we want it to or not. Even if our human halves chose a mate, it wouldn't work unless our wolf half agreed. I find the duality inside us fascinating."

"You're absolutely right, I've often wondered about that myself."

"So, what did you do before you bought the bar?"

"I have several businesses around the world. I usually pick up a new interest here and there in my travels. I get them off the ground and move on again."

"I see." Somewhere inside, that worried me. I didn't want to get involved with someone who was just going to get bored and move along at a moment's notice. I wondered what would happen if he got bored with me. Our kind didn't really care about promiscuity, so long as it ended when you were bonded to your mate. It had been very obviously pointed out that there were no matches for me within my pack though.

"Why the worried face all of a sudden?" I ignored him momentarily, lost in my thoughts. When I looked up again it was because Ashley had gotten up off the couch to go sit beside Asi. They were chatting idly with one another when I turned back to face Evan.

"So, you get bored a lot and move on then?" I questioned.

"It's not like that, Jess. Remember, I told you I was looking for a suitable mate."

"I know. I just... I guess I'm not one hundred percent comfortable with what's happening here." He looked startled, and I began to stumble over my words. "I'm sorry, that didn't come out right. I just... I've never really found anyone that interested me before. Suddenly, there you are, and I am completely out of my element. I feel so out of control. One minute I want to learn more about you, another I'm scared out of my mind, but that's because of the part of me that just wants to rip your clothes off and get naked with you!" Oh shit! I really just said that out loud.

Asi was staring at me now, and laughing, hard. Yup, I said it out loud.

"Well, I can definitely get behind that last part!" Evan said to me while waggling his eyebrows up and down. I sat forward, planting my overly warm face down into the palms of my hands. "Hey, come here." Evan stood up, and peeled my hands from my face, pulling me up with him. He looked at Ashley and said, "we'll be right back, I promise." She simply shook her head in acknowledgment and Evan pulled me along behind him until we were walking through yet another door I had never noticed.

Once we walked through the door, he turned and shut it behind us. We were in an office, and the sounds from the club were completely cut off in here. "This is your office?" He nodded. "And it's sound proofed. Nice. I always wondered how bar managers got any work done."

"The secret's out!" He smiled at me, and pointed to the couch on the far wall. "I thought we could use some privacy for this conversation. I know it's not the easiest of things. We've known each other all of 24 hours, and it's well, intense. You were on the money with your theories about how different humans and werewolves are when it comes to matters of mating and the heart. Please, let me put some of your worries at ease." He sat beside me, facing me this time. Our knees touched, and he grabbed a hold of my hands, placing them in his.

"I know this is strange, especially for someone like yourself. You've said that you've never really been interested in anyone. So, you haven't dated before, which makes this all the more odd for you, I'm sure. But I promise you, I have never in all my years had a reaction to someone the way I have with you. It was instantaneous. I'd like to say it was just my human side, that was completely attracted to you, but that's not the case. Your wolf calls to mine, and I know you feel it too. They want to be together."

"I'm not denying that. It's part of what scares me. I'm not used to my wolf being so vocal with me. Normally, we're on the same page."

"So, you're not on the same page about me?"

"Oh, no, I'm sorry. I really am having a hard time articulating everything. I like you. I am incredibly attracted to you. Seriously, you've seen yourself, right?" Yes, I was about to embarrass myself further. "Everything about you is calling to my senses. The way you look. Your smell. There's almost a magnetic quality pulling me in closer. I don't know how to accurately describe it. I want to crawl into you sometimes." My face reddened a bit on that one. "Okay, that sounded creepier than I meant it."

Evan laughed, "I get it. I know. I feel the same way around you, and then throw in the wolf. He knows exactly what he wants, no second guessing at all."

"Exactly. That scares me. I don't know you. You're an Ancient, and I can't even tell you the horror stories we're told about you guys. I mean, I'm sure there are some embellishments, but there's always truth to a story too."

"It's true. We're not as cautious or as human as your breed appears to be." He sighed deeply. "My brethren are definitely not what you would call refined. I would like for you to understand that we are not all like that. And I understand your worries. I'm not saying we need to be mated overnight. We have a few weeks before the bonding ceremony. Let's just get to know one another. I promise you, if you find any reason to deny me between now and then, I will walk away. I won't like it, but I will respect your wishes."

"Honestly?"

"You have my oath."

I moved closer to him, wanting more of us touching. I was aware that my wolf was demanding the contact. She really wanted to run with Evan's wolf. I could feel her just beneath the surface, demanding that I give in. "You are going to make it very hard to say no."

"I'm hoping you won't want to say no, at all." He was moving closer to me too.

One of his hands disentangled from my own, and swept up to my side, tucking a stray strand of hair back behind my ear with the rest. I closed my eyes as his fingers brushed the tip of my ear, then smoothly traced down my jaw line. His finger ran, feather light, over my bottom lip, and when I opened my eyes, he was right there. His cobalt eyes were even with mine, searching for something. His full lips were mere inches from my own, and I wanted them on me in the worst kind of way. He didn't move, just hovered there, a breath away. My arm snaked up around his neck, my hand buried itself in the hair there, knocking lose the band that had been holding his dark locks back off his shoulders. It spilled over my arm, and his scent hit me even harder, filling my nostrils with his manly spice. I was undone then, and pulled him forward until our lips touched. I had always thought kisses in new relationships were supposed to be awkward things that you had to overcome, but this wasn't even remotely in that realm.

His soft, warm lips were on mine, gently at first, and then as my lips parted for him, we were caught up in a passionate embrace. Tongues met and danced around each other, as one of his hands wound through the hair at the base of my neck, as mine was doing through his. My other hand was tucked up under his arm, and behind him perched on his shoulder blade. His other hand was moving down along my waist, tugging on me, pulling me into his lap before I even realized what was happening. I didn't stop it when I did though. Mostly, because I didn't want that kiss to end. It was as if we were two halves to one whole. An involuntary noise escaped from somewhere in the back of my throat, and that seemed to do Evan in. He picked me up at that point, flipped me over so that my back was flat against the couch with my legs wrapped firmly around his hips. His lips left my mouth, and trailed hot, wonderful kisses down my jaw, my neck, and further until he was at the part in my blouse that left my cleavage open for view. He planted a gentle kiss there, before he stopped, and leaned up on his arms. Evan looked down at me through hooded eyes, his hand trembling slightly over my belly, then up my side, and back to my neck. He leaned in and kissed me again before standing, and pulling me up with him.

"Believe it or not, I didn't bring you in here for that kind of privacy." Evan said to me, while pulling me close and wrapping his arms around me.

"I wasn't complaining," I whispered into his chest.

"I know. I just want you to be comfortable, and okay with things first. Besides, I'm sure Asi, is probably boring your friend to death by now."

"Um, I'm pretty sure you don't know Ashley at all!" I laughed. Poor Asi was probably falling prey to her womanly wiles. "That girl could seduce a God! Asi better watch himself."

Sure enough, as we exited the office, Ashley was standing in front of Asi, hands clasped around his, trying to pull him to his feet as she swayed her hips back and forth to the music that was playing. Asriel had a goofy smitten-guy look on his face until he noticed us watching.

"Ah, you're back," he said clearing his throat. Then he noticed my hand tracing across my kiss-swollen lips, and smirked. "I figured it would take longer!" He tossed out, trying to embarrass me.

I stuck my tongue out at him, as Ashley gave up trying to convince him to dance with her, and snatched my hand instead. "I'll bring her back in a bit," Ashley said to Evan.

By the time we got to the middle of the dance floor, where we caused a spectacle the night before, Ashley was asking for details. "Do I even need to tell you what your face looked like when you came out of that office? If it hadn't been for the fact that there simply wasn't enough time, I'd think you got your cherry popped."

"Ash!" I pinched her side as we started dancing together. "We'll talk later."

"I want to know now!" Ashley must have had another drink while I was in the office with Evan, because she was just this side of trashed. "Okay fine, since mystical ears are around you can wait until later, but you're going to spill everything, because I'm jealous of your lips right now."

I couldn't help the laughter that followed her comment. I could still feel him on my lips, as if the ghost of Evan clung to me while we were separated. Feeling this way was scary and exhilarating all at the same time. My heartbeat picked up a step as I remembered how it felt to have him pressed against me. Heat flowed through my body, as I got lost in not only that recent memory, but the music that was guiding my spirit. Music and dancing had always been good for my soul, allowing me an outlet to just leave everything behind. I think it was the same for Ashley, which is why we always had an audience when we took to the dance floor in the local clubs and bars. My body moved and gyrated to the rhythm and every now and then there was a little bit of flirty undertone between Ashley and I, but nothing like our usual antics. Tonight was different. I felt his power spilling out around him before I looked up and took notice of Evan, standing off to the side, watching with a smile on his face.

I raised my hand, crooked my finger at him, and beckoned him over to me. There was not a single moment of hesitation as he obeyed. He was on me in a minute, grabbing hold of my hips, and moving along with me as I wrapped my arms around his neck. "I don't know what's better, watching or dancing with you." He said to me, knowing I would hear him just fine without him needing to yell above of the music and din of the crowd. "There's passion in the way you move out here."

"I love to dance. I just feel the music, and" I spun around slowly, gyrating my hips slightly as I went. With my back turned to him now, I looked over my shoulder, and smiled. Evan's arm that had circled around me pulled me tighter to him. The tempo in the music picked up, as did our movements.

Ashley was just a little off to my right, and she had grabbed some random guy to grind on from the sea of bodies. She was teasing the hell out of the poor man, because I could tell by her body language she had no interest. Her eyes never left a certain spot on the wall. When I looked over to check out what she was looking at, I saw Asriel standing there, watching all of us. "Doesn't he dance at all?"

"Not if I'm out here. Asi is on duty tonight. He thinks it's best to stay where he can see the bigger picture."

"Doesn't that suck on your friendship? Missing moments like this together?"

"I assure you, neither Asi or I have any desire to come out here and grind all over each other the way you and Ashley do." He was laughing, so I knew it was a joke.

"Totally not what I meant, but hey, I'd pay to see that!" His hand smacked the hell out of my ass at that point. Ashley saw, and joined him laughing.

We spent the next couple hours between the dance floor and the lounge in back, all of us getting to know each other. By the end of the night, we were making plans for the following day.

"I have to work on a paper for class on Monday, but that should only take a couple hours." I pulled my phone out to double check my schedule.

"How about dinner then?" Evan asked me, but he looked up at Ashley at the last minute and added, "is that good for everyone?"

"It is for her, and you should stick to that plan. I have work tomorrow, and I won't be off until nine."

"We could wait and do a late dinner," Evan suggested.

"Seriously," Ashley said as she looked over at Asi. "I wish I could, but I have school work to finish up that needs to be turned in later this week too. This is what procrastination has gotten me... the inability to accept dinner plans."

"Sorry, Ash."

"No worries, next time. You guys should enjoy your time together though. I'm sure it will be easier to get to know one another without an audience hanging over your shoulder."

"Pick you up at seven then?" Evan asked me.

"Absolutely," I agreed.

***

### BROTHERS

"We were both so wrapped up in things yesterday, you didn't get to tell me about your dinner date. Where'd you end up going?"

"Are you really going to wear that?" I couldn't stop staring at Ashley's cleavage. "Do you have those things taped in or what? From here, it looks like you're going to be falling out tonight, at some point."

"You think so?" Ashley adjusted her shirt, and realized what I said was true as she fell half way out of her own shirt. "Damn it. I really liked that shirt on the rack too. I guess, maybe you'll inherit another one."

"How about this?" I handed Ashley a sweater. "It's at least form fitting for you."

"It covers everything up! When you have a body like this, you show it off, sweetie!"

I just shook my head. "Well, you can freeze then, because it is not summer time anymore, Ash." I grabbed the sweater I had been trying to hand her and decided I'd wear it instead. It was black and fit tight to my body, dipping low at the neck. "I think this would have shown off plenty for you, but you snooze you lose!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I'm going to go with this one, and some jeans." She pulled out a purple top with an open back, black jeans, and boots. "So, about that date you went on? Come on, time to spill. How'd it go? Did you guys get down and dirty like you did in Evan's office the other night?"

I threw a pillow at Ashley, but I was smiling like a lunatic at the same time, so she knew something had happened. "Spit it out, wolf-girl!"

"We went to Angelique's and had dinner at one of those corner tables, you know the ones where the couples always sit for the atmosphere. We talked, ate, and then went for a walk in the park across the street." It had truly been a perfect date. "He held my hand as we walked. There was a moment..." My voice trailed off as I remembered. "One minute we were standing beside this giant magnolia tree. The next, he was pulling me inside its branches. It was like we were in our own little cave there. He pulled me close, and kissed me. It was like the perfect stolen kiss, something straight out of a movie..."

"Awww..." Ashley pretended to swoon and fell over on her bed. "He seems too good to be true. If this works out with the two of you, I may just have to get you to turn me, so that I can snatch Asi up, and we can double date!"

"Don't tease me, sister! You know I'd love for you to join the furry ranks."

"Eh, well, not when you put it like that! I've seen how often you have to shave those legs of yours!"

"Ugghh, Ash!"

"So, what happened next?"

My phone beeped, letting me know I had a text waiting. "Damn, I didn't realize it was that late already. We need to get going since we're walking there, Ash."

"Fine. Let me grab my wallet, but you're definitely dishing on the rest of the date while we walk."

"Yes Ma'am."

Club Hypnotic, the one Evan just purchased, was about 5 blocks from Ashley's house. This wasn't the first time we'd walked there, but it was something we didn't do often, especially when it got colder outside. The weather didn't bother me as much, but I could see Ashley starting to shiver as we walked.

"We should have driven." I told her.

"It's okay, seriously, a shot of whiskey and some dancing will warm me right up when we get there!"

"You're too much, Ash!"

"So, tell me how the date went. You were practically glowing earlier when I asked."

"He's amazing, Ash. If we were kissing, and our lips got stuck together, I don't think I'd mind so much."

"Okay, you're just weird."

"That's why you love me."

"You're right! So, where did you go again?"

"We went to Angelique's and had some Cajun food."

"Cajun? Really? That's an odd choice for a first date." Ashley was pulling on her shirt, something she did when she was nervous.

"Well, it was my choice. He asked what the best restaurant in town was, and that's what popped out of my mouth." I thought about it for a minute, and realized maybe I was weird after all. Most girls would have picked Italian or some other cliché date-worthy place. "Oh, do you think he thought less of me for my choice? I am weird, aren't I?"

"No, you're perfect. I should have known it was your choice. You love that place. What did he think?"

"Now that you mention it, he was surprised, but he seemed to enjoy it once we were there. I guess that's something, right?"

"Yep, and the hot, spicy breath apparently didn't keep the two of you from kissing at the end of the night, since you wanted to get all stuck together and shit."

"Yeah," I laughed at her. "I'm a dork, so sue me. It's just, when he kisses me..." Heat crept into my face as I started telling Ashely about the way Evan made me feel. "My insides turn to molten lava. I literally want to crawl out of my own skin. Wait, that sounds weird. I just... I have no words."

Ashley sighed. "I don't know that I've ever felt that after a kiss. I mean, I've been turned on by kissing a guy before, but never the body melting, falling in love, kind of twisty-turny stomach feeling you keep describing to me. Maybe it's a werewolf thing. Maybe, he's the one for you. I never believed in that soul mate business some girls at school used to talk about, but maybe for werewolves it's true. I mean, you guys mate for life, and you live very long lives."

"I don't know. I guess we'll see. So far, I'm not opposed to being bound to him, although I think we both still have a lot to learn about each..." I stopped short as a chill ran up my spine. We were midway between Ashley's apartment and the club. I was sensing someone's power, it felt an awful lot like Evan's, but I didn't think it was his. He knew we were walking tonight to have some girlfriend alone time.

"You stink of my brother, little bitch." A man's voice said as he stepped out of the shadows of the building off to our right. He was tall, and the power of an Alpha dripped from his pores. His dark brown hair was worn just a little long, giving him an edgy look as it fell just into his eyes in the front. Despite the length there, it appeared to be cropped much closer in the back. His eyes, what I could see of them through his hair at first, as he came out of the shadows, were a bright and vibrant green. They were actually very similar to my own eye color. His features were chiseled in a way that you only saw in magazines. He was beautiful, but the look was immediately diminished since the first thing he had to say was to call me a bitch.

"What did you just call her?" I tried to stop Ashley as she put herself between the stranger and myself. He was quick though, and had her held up in the air, dangling by the hand he had wrapped around her throat. I couldn't even blink. Claws were forming on his hands, just missing the artery in Ashley's neck.

"Ash..." I whispered, but the warning look in the man's eyes kept me from moving forward.

"No one questions my word choices, you vile little human. You need to learn your place in this world." He looked back at me then. I was still standing in the exact spot, paralyzed by fear for my friend. "You need to learn that human lives are fleeting, and not worth our kind's time. Although, at least this one was brave. Stupid, but brave to stand up for you." I heard Ashley's sharp intake of breath after one of the stranger's hands disappeared behind her back, and then I smelled the hot coppery scent of blood on the air. Drips of blood were coming down Ashley's neck now too, where the man's fingers gripped her tighter. I stepped forward, and he let her go. Ashley's body collapsed to the ground on the cement sidewalk. I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket as I tried to go to her. I didn't make it to Ashley, because the stranger caught me and held me back.

"No, she's not your problem right now. We are going to talk about why you smell as though you've been claimed by my brother. You are a Lesser. Surely, even he would not stoop so low. That's almost as bad as seeing a wolf paling around with a human." The disdain in his voice as he spoke was evident. He may as well have been spitting the words at me. All I could see was Ashley lying on the ground bleeding. The stranger shook me to get my attention back on him. When that didn't work he snatched my face around with his right hand, while he continued holding me in place by my arm with his left. "I asked you a question girl, I expect an answer."

"How in the hell should I know? I don't know who you are, let alone who your brother is. Please, she's in pain. Let me help her. You know her chances of survival."

"I don't care about that girl, she's probably too far gone to help now anyway. There's not a damn thing you can do for her." My phone was buzzing in my pocket again, and I was secretly hoping it was Evan, and that he would come looking for us. I had sent him a message letting him know when we left. Ashley was writhing on the ground in pain, horrible sounds were coming from her. I clued in to the fact that this stranger was still talking after a moment when I heard Evan's name. "...my baby brother, Evan. His scent is all over you,and I came to this town to find him. Now, you do know who Evan is, right?"

I shook my head in the affirmative. This was the kind of behavior I had been expecting from an Ancient. I had been pleasantly surprised by Evan and Asi, and wrongfully thought all Ancients would be like them. I silently promised myself never to make those kinds of assumptions again if I got out of this situation. More importantly, I was hoping Ashley would be able to hang in there long enough for me to get her some help. There really wasn't much we could do, but she shouldn't be going through the change out here in the open with people walking by. She could end up killing someone if the change took hold, and Ashley would never be able to live with that, no matter how tough she seemed on the outside.

"Tell me," he spoke again, "what is going on with you and my brother?"

"Maybe this is a conversation you should be having with your brother," I stated plainly.

"But he's not here, and you are, so I am asking you. I will only do so one more time. If you decide to play coy and not answer me again I will snap your little friend's neck, and put her out of her misery."

I felt the charge in the air before I saw him, but I knew Evan was coming. I heard footsteps running up behind us, but I was still being held in place by the stranger in front of me. "Ah, that didn't take long at all." He said to me. "Hello, brother." He called out over my shoulder. I still couldn't see Evan, but Asi walked around us and leaned down to check on Ashley. When he looked back up at me his face was grim.

"Mikael, what are you doing with your hands on my intended mate?"

"So, it is true then?" He looked from Evan back to my face and then pushed me away from him. Evan caught me and held on, as Asi picked Ashley up in his arms. "I was on my way to check out your new place of business when I smelled you on the wind. I figured I'd wait and catch you by surprise if I could. When she passed me, I realized my mistake, and yours."

"It's okay, you're going to make it Red," Asi was chanting to Ashley over and over again as she made sad little whimpering noises. "I'm taking her to the pack." Asi didn't wait for permission, he was gone in a flash.

I tried to follow behind him, but an arm snaked out and caught me too quickly. "Not so fast little bitch, we're still having a conversation."

Power rolled through Mikael, and some of it transferred to me as a result. I couldn't stifle the sound I made in response to the tingling sting of the power that flowed through us. "Brother, you are going to remove your hand from Jess before things get ugly." Evan commanded.

"Is that so?" Defiance was woven into his words.

"It is." Evan looked around. "You are already drawing too much attention to us." There were people lurking on the fringes, some were pulling out cell phones and getting their cameras ready.

Mikael released his hold, and I flew right back into Evan's arms. "We'll go back to my club," Evan said. "I can't wait to find out what brought you to town." His voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"Oh, well now, that is a lovely story indeed." Mikael responded as the three of us turned and walked at human speeds the next two and a half blocks to Hypnotic.

***

### REUNIONS

As we walked into the club, I realized Evan had been a busy man when we weren't out on our little dates this week. Hypnotic was changing. It would be closed for the next couple days, and he had a crew in doing some remodeling. The smell of fresh paint burned my nostrils a bit, but underneath that, the odor of stale beer and sweat still lingered throughout. Hypnotic was a popular club, and that kind of popularity left its lingering scent on the air.

I was cataloguing the changes as I noticed them, in an effort to keep my mind off of everything else that was going on. The most noticeable change was the fact that a balcony area was in the process of being built. It would be an awesome place to sit and look out over the bar. I looked around, seeing different spaces that were being updated, and I found myself wondering where Asriel was. He always stopped by to greet us when we came in now. It only took a moment to remind myself that Asi was with Ashley, and that she might not make it. So much for distracting myself.

"I should be with Ashley." I whispered to Evan as we walked to the back of the bar, heading for his office.

"You're just going to have to wait on that little girl." Mikael said.

"Don't address her. Your business is with me. Jess will stay by my side as long as I am here speaking with you, but I promise you, we won't remain here long, so let's get this over with." Evan opened the door and held out his hand for his brother to enter the office. Evan's other hand was firmly wrapped around my own. He leaned in close as his brother walked by and went to sit in Evan's desk chair. "I'll get you to Ashley as soon as I can. I'm sorry for all this, Jess."

"I know." It was the only response that would come out. If Mikael thought sitting in Evan's desk chair would piss him off, he was about to be severely disappointed. Evan walked us over to the couch that we had made out on only a few nights ago, and sat down, pulling me with him. I sat beside him, but so close that the entire length of our bodies touched along the side from shoulder to feet. I put my head down on his shoulder, and he continued to hold on to my hand.

Mikael sat straighter in the desk chair, and cleared his throat. It was evident now that he had expected his brother to have an issue with his seating choice. "Father sent me to check on you."

"I figured as much. This is a little far for you to come out of your comfort zone, brother." Hearing Evan address Mikael as brother caused me to pay more attention. It was only now sinking in that this man, one who may have killed my best friend, was related to my intended mate. My head was spinning. This man didn't seem to be anything like Evan, but something in the back of my mind was questioning if that was true or not. Had I just seen the best of this man, and the worst of the other? A headache was beginning to form at the back of my skull.

"Well, he received a call letting him know a few things that were going on in this area. One of those things was that his son was taking on a Lesser for a mate." He watched us curiously, noting the way Evan held my hand, tracing circles across the top of it. "He was intrigued enough by that prospect to send me to check on things."

"And did he send you with orders to stop it from happening?" I stiffened next to Evan as he asked his question. When he first revealed who he was, I asked him what his family would think about him being with a Lesser wolf. Now, it seemed I might get a real answer to this question. Perhaps his family would end up killing me for daring to be with their son and brother. I wondered briefly if Evan would protect me if it came down to it. The throbbing in my head grew exponentially as Mikael answered him.

"Not yet. I was supposed to observe only, which is what I was heading to do when fate stepped in and put your little bitc..."

"You do not want to finish that sentence." Evan warned, while letting go of my hand, and readying himself to spring forward. I was at least a little reassured all of a sudden. He was ready to put himself between me and his brother. That was something, especially since we still didn't know each other that well.

"Fine. Your little wolf was thrown in front of me by fate. I smelled you on her from a mile away." He snickered. "Maybe the Lesser females like to test drive the merchandise before bonding." He eyed me curiously then. "Must have been something special to snare my brother here. He's very picky."

Evan chose to ignore the comments. "Well, now you know. She is my intended. Is your business concluded here? We have places to be."

"No, my business has not concluded. That was only one of the reasons I was sent here. You actually have bigger problems than just this." Mikael pointed to me with disgust written all over his face. "Father is never happy when a Lesser openly complains about his boys, especially when part of the claim is that you helped usurp rule of a local wolf pack."

"Marcus!" I growled. I knew he was a coward, but adding rat to the list of his attributes never crossed my mind. I couldn't believe he'd go above my father after being ousted from the pack in disgrace. "My father should have killed him," I hissed.

"Now, I see it, a little. She has some fire inside her. I'm sure it flares up outside the temper tantrums too. That explains the fact that you're wearing each other's scent as if you were already bonded." A low growl emanating from Evan's throat stopped Mikael from saying any more about that, and I was not going to rise to his baiting either. If he wanted to think we were sleeping together, then let him. "Marcus. That was the fool's name. You know we have an edict barring us from interfering with Lesser pack hierarchy."

"I did nothing to interfere." Evan stated. He had most certainly implied my dad should take his rightful place, but he never put any of his own power behind the suggestion, or in the removal of Marcus.

"I see. Well, I will need to speak with the new pack leader at any rate." Mikael looked me up and down again before he continued, "so this new pack alpha is your father, then?"

"Yes."

"And you say Evan had nothing to do with this transfer of power?" I wished I could knock that smirk off his smug little face.

"I promise you, my father is not easily influenced. He was also not happy about Evan and me. I had already been promised to another when I met Evan."

"I see," he said. "Well, I think we better get going. It sounds like we're headed to the same place now. Your friend was taken to the pack lands, was she not? That means she will have to be presented to the pack master to be accepted, if he so chooses. If she survives." He smiled again as he stood and walked to the door. "Let's go see daddy."

Suddenly, I feared for my dad, but after Evan was willing to jump to my defense in front of his brother earlier, I was trusting he would keep us all safe. I couldn't stop thinking about Ashley as we got in Evan's car with his brother.

Mikael asked me something as we drove, but I hadn't been paying attention, because I was lost in thought. He snapped his fingers in front of my face, and Evan spoke up for me.

"She is concerned for her friend, whom you mangled earlier. Leaver her be."

"A wolf has no business being friends with a human anyway. Let this be a lesson to you!"

A growl rose up from deep within me, and it was matched by the one coming from Evan. He was the one who spoke though. "Jess owed a life debt to that human."

"What?"

"Yes, that particular human saved her life when she was going through the calling. Then the same human stuck around to assist with another wounded wolf. Just that alone could have gotten her killed."

"I did not realize."

"No, because you act hastily, as always, Mikael." A life debt wasn't an easily dismissed thing among the werewolves. It was a thing of power in and of itself. That's why Ashley was able to know about the pack, and why her brother was able to become one of us and go through the transformation when he requested to.

"Evan, if Ashley..." I couldn't bring myself to finish that statement. If my friend died, I would be lost without her. We may not have had anything like a mated wolf bond, but we had the next closest thing possible. Ashley was my sister in all things.

"Her brother made it through the change, right?"

"Yes, a few years ago."

"She'll pull through. Usually, if one in a family does, then they are all capable to an extent. If Ashley's sibling made it, then she should too."

"I hope so," was all the answer I could get out in response. When we pulled up every light in my house was on.

***

### CHANGES

I saw someone watching from the front door that was cracked open just a bit, but no one came out until I stepped out of Evan's car. All at once, the door flew open and Jack, Ashley's brother, came running out to me. He threw his arms around me and squeezed tight. "Thank God, you're okay." He whispered in my ear.

"What about Ashley?" I asked breathlessly.

"She'll be okay, Jess. She's made it through this far. The wolf that brought her, is that who did this? He wouldn't answer anyone's questions. I couldn't exactly confront him with Ash in his arms."

"No, I'm the one that did it." Mikael answered smugly. "You can thank me for it momentarily."

Jack didn't hold back. He let me go, and stormed straight for Mikael, hitting him right in the jaw. Evan had to stop Mikael from retaliating. "Relax brother, if you couldn't tell, he is the girl's true sibling. You should expect nothing less, and you deserved far worse."

"It may have been a well-deserved hit, but it's the only one you will be getting." Mikael spouted off as he spit blood free from his mouth, and touched his jaw. Power rolled off Mikael in waves, forcing Jack to his knees. Mikael looked surprisingly at Evan and me when neither of us were forced to bow to his power. It hurt like hell not to do it, but I refused to give in to the man who just shredded my best friend. "Interesting," he said as he reigned his power back in.

Jack spoke to Evan once he righted himself again, "your friend, Asi, seems to be doing something to lessen her pain."

"It's a talent of his. He can swallow another's agony, but since he feels it for them, he doesn't do it very often." Evan considered something for a moment, and then added, "He enjoys your sister's company though."

I didn't say anything about that, but gave Evan a questioning look which he returned with a shrug and a smile. "I want to see her," I said as I stepped closer to the porch.

"Wait," Jack said, looking past me at Evan. "You know she won't be ready for anything like that right away!" The worry in his eyes made me wonder what he meant.

"Asriel won't push it. Your sister will be fine."

"Wait, won't push what?" I asked looking back and forth between the two of them, willing either of them to answer the damn question.

"He's taking her pain from her because he likes Ashley. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what he's going to want next." Jack said venomously.

"Um, apparently it does, because I'm slightly clueless. Asi has been hanging out with Ash a lot because of Evan and I seeing each other. Of course he would help her."

"He'll want to mate with her too, Jess."

"What? Seriously, she isn't even a wolf yet! That's ridiculous, Jack!"

As we stood there debating it, a tandem scream ripped through the walls of my house and out into the night from Ashley and Asi. The sound filled me with terror. What if it was her rejecting the change? I started forward, trying to run to them, but the moment my foot hit the bottom step Evan's arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me back out of the way.

A beautiful red wolf came barreling out of my house, followed by a black and silver wolf. Had Evan not pulled me off the porch when he did, the red wolf would have smacked right into me.

"Holy shit! That was close. Was that Ashley?" I asked, and Evan nodded.

"That was definitely Asriel following her," he confirmed.

"She's gorgeous!" I watched as she and Asi ran off into the forest beside my house. "Maybe we should shift and go after them?"

"No, you shouldn't. They're fine, and we have business here still." Mikael was already up the porch steps and heading for the front door as we caught up to him. Evan walked around his brother, and held the door out for me first. A gesture that Mikael was huffing over, and secretly made me incredibly happy.

We all went inside, and I called out for my parents to come join us in the living room. Mikael stood there, looking at me as though I'd lost my damn mind when my parents came into the room.

"What?" I choked out.

"Were you raised with any manners at all?" He asked.

"Apparently not," I said as I looked between Mikael and my parents.

"I am Jameson St. Marks, this is my mate, Eileen." My dad stated it clearly, and gave me a look that said I should have known better. Damn, I did hate embarrassing them in front of a jerk like Mikael.

"Mom, dad, this is Mikael De'Lune. He's one of Evan's brothers." I tossed out the introduction about as enthusiastically as I would the trash, and my mother's mortified look told me I was going to be in trouble for that later. "What? He's a jerk. He's the one who hurt Ashley."

"You did what?" My dad's chest puffed up as the words left his mouth. Ashley may not have been a blood relation, but she was family none the less.

"I'm going to need for everyone to stop being shocked and pissed off already. The girl had a temper and came between a conversation I was having with your daughter. I was well within my right to punish her for the intrusion. I won't apologize for it. Anyway, the girl survived the transition, and is off running the woods with a friend. All's well that ends well. That being said, I am here on business." Mikael walked over and helped himself to a seat on our couch, holding out his hand, indicating he expected all of us to come take our seats in the living room as well.

"You're still an ass." I said as I followed Evan into the living room. He sat in a chair and pulled me down on his lap. It didn't matter what else was going on around us, Evan never failed to have an effect on me physically. My heart picked up its pace as I sat with my legs draped over his. "Sorry for being a bitch to your brother," I whispered into his ear.

"Never apologize for that, sweetheart." He said to me, pulling me closer to him. I took advantage of everyone getting settled in, and the waterfall curtain my hair created. I nipped at his earlobe, eliciting a response from him. "Mmm, if you continue to do that we will not be sitting through this meeting." He warned me quietly.

"I'm okay with that," I said as I did it again.

"If you two don't stop, I will separate you!" My father said and then turned his attention back to Mikael. "Now, what business did you have that brought you to our home?"

"My father is curious about the circumstances that led to you becoming pack leader."

"It's really nothing to be curious over. I was the intended pack leader to begin with."

"Explain." Mikael said, as he sat forward, feigning rapt attention.

"When my own father passed on in an accident, I did not chose to step up and take over. I had a young family at the time, and felt I was needed at home instead. Marcus stepped up and offered to take over, no one challenged this, and that's how he came to power." My father took in a deep breath and sighed it back out. "Marcus had plans for my daughter to be bound with a young wolf from our pack."

"Did you agree with this match?" Mikael interrupted to ask.

"Yes, at the time, I did. Zach was the strongest male of their generation. I thought he was the best match my daughter was going to be able to have."

"Until she met my brother," he interrupted again.

"Yes, she came home with his scent on her, and all hell broke loose."

Mikael looked at Evan. "Really? Do tell!"

My parents explained the chain of events to Mikael, and I didn't feel up to listening to them rehash it all, so I got up and asked Evan if he wanted something to drink.

"I'll help you," he said as he followed me to the kitchen.

"Sorry, I just didn't feel like sitting through that little story again. I feel like I should be ashamed of myself for what happened, but I'm not." He grabbed me and pulled me around to face him, backing me up to the kitchen counter. Evan leaned down and kissed me, lightly at first, and then a more powerful kiss. His arms had me caged in so I couldn't go anywhere, but I certainly didn't want to be anywhere else. I melted into his embrace, and let myself be swept away in the feel of him all over me. In his spicy scent that would linger on me long after he pulled away.

He stepped back long enough to look down at me with those beautiful cobalt eyes of his. "I don't want you to ever feel ashamed of being with me. I don't want anyone else, Jess. I marked you because we had some kind of amazing connection that night. I've never in my life felt something like that, and I don't want you to ever think this was something I took on lightly. I don't just want you in my life, I need you with me. I have hope for the first time in a long while, and you gave it to me."

"Evan..." I whispered his name on my lips, but his mouth was back on mine before I could reassure him that I felt the same way. Since I couldn't say it in words, I put everything into that kiss, into him. I let myself go, as we drowned in each other.

"I'm rather parched in here," Mikael's annoying voice pierced through our little bubble of love from the other room. "I thought you went to fetch us drinks?"

"Ugghh, seriously, how is he your brother?" Evan smiled down at me, placed one more quick kiss on my lips, and pulled a jug of ice tea out of the refrigerator.

"We better go ahead and get this over with. He'll just get more annoying the longer we stay in here." Evan looked around the kitchen, trying to decide which cabinet might hold the glasses. "Which one?"

"Over here," I said, moving away from him, completely frustrated. I wanted to dive right into Evan and not come up for air, but everyone around me seemed determined to get in the way of that. Well, not everyone, just a certain annoying brother of his. I pulled five glasses out of the cabinet, and set two more aside in case Asriel and Ashley came back.

Evan carried the tea and a couple glasses while I took the rest. I was all ready to settle back into the same chair Evan and I had occupied before, but Jack was sitting in it now. I had forgotten about him when Ashley ran out of the house in wolf form.

"Here," I said handing him the glass I had brought out for myself. "I didn't know if you had gone home or what earlier. Where were you?"

"I was going to follow them, to be with Ashley, but Asriel growled at me." Jack was pouting, and it looked adorable on him.

"I'm sure the last thing she will need if she accidentally shifts back is for her brother to be there to see her naked."

"Uggh, not that I'd want to," Jack complained. "But, Asi's there, and I really don't want him seeing her naked either."

"She's a big girl, Jack." I reminded him.

"I know." He took a huge gulp of the sweet tea after I filled his glass. "She's my sister though," he said finally.

"We were having a private conversation here, you know." Mikael tossed out snottily.

"So, what's your point?" I questioned him, as Evan sat down on the ground beside the chair, and pulled me to sit between his legs. I almost lost my train of thought.

"He should leave." Mikael tipped his head toward Jack.

"Jack is family, and he's not going anywhere unless he wants to."

"Brother, you need to get your bi..."

"I warned you once, let that word come out of your mouth in reference to Jess just once, and see what happens." There was absolutely nothing sexier than Evan when he was standing up for me. I leaned into him further, to show my appreciation. It was a hug from behind.

"FINE! You need to get your girl under control. I don't know who she thinks she is challenging every damn thing I say, but I am not you. She can't just spread her legs, and have me melt to her whims."

"ENOUGH!" My dad was on his feet yelling, and he wasn't alone. Evan was behind me one moment, and standing in front of his brother, holding him by the collar of his Navy Blue button down shirt.

"You're going to learn to hold your vulgar tongue when you speak of Jess. If you do not, Brother, we are going to hav a serious problem. It's going to be one daddy can't get you out of. Do you understand me?"

Mikael looked up at Evan from where he continued to sit calmly, but the venom that spilled out with his words was hard to miss. "I'm not sure why you suddenly feel you can challenge me either, but we're about to find out who the better brother is if you don't calm down and get the fuck off of me!"

"Boys, there will be no more displays of violence in my house." My mom jumped in. My heart was screaming for her to shut up and sit down. She seriously had no clue who she was confronting, and I was starting to realize I was going to have to learn to shut my own damn mouth too. Just when I was about to jump up and grab my mother, a wave of calm energy washed over me, and made me too complacent to care. "We will have a peaceful talk while you are here. What you choose to do when you leave my home is entirely up to you."

"Oh, you are a fine specimen, aren't you Eileen?" Mikael was smiling at my mother, and I'd be damned if he wasn't a bit awed by her too. "I haven't seen someone with your gift in a long time. I'm told my own mother was a calmer. Too bad it only worked on others and she couldn't use it on herself." Mikael stared off wistfully into his tea.

Evan came back to sit behind me without another word. I knew what my mother's talent was, but I had never seen her blatantly use it on others. I could always tell when she tried to use it on me, so she stopped even attempting it years ago. "Well, thank you for the appreciation. Now, if you could extend some courtesy to my daughter when you're in my house as well, we will all get along just fine."

"My apologies, she antagonizes me, and I haven't met many people who will do so openly." Mikael actually looked somewhat embarrassed. My mom's magic mojo must have been stronger than I ever imagined. Even my father was gaping at her open mouthed. Mikael took notice of our reactions. "You can't tell me you two weren't aware of her abilities, or the extent of them."

"Oh no, we were aware, but..."

"My wife has little need to use them in our house. She only uses them in times of great strife, because she doesn't feel the need to intrude on another's emotions." My father had purposely cut me off, and I wasn't sure why. He didn't want Mikael to know that my mother's charm didn't work on me anymore. I was beginning to think my parents were still keeping secrets from me about myself. I was done with secrets, but I would at least wait until Mikael left to address them.

"I see." Mikael stood and placed his now empty sweet tea glass on the coffee table. "Well, now that I know how Marcus came to fall from power, I think I have enough to report back to my father. Just to clarify though, you stated that Evan never stood beside you on the stage as you declared your leadership?"

"Correct." My father added.

"I think I missed something in the story earlier, you mentioned him being there for something."

"I was there, brother. I was introduced to the pack as Jessica's new match."

"And is this how non-pack matches are made known to the others?"

"It is." My father chimed in. "It is rare that we have a match outside of the pack, thanks to Marcus enforcing a pack only mating decree. There were several loopholes to that decree that Jess easily fit into to allow her to mate outside the pack. Marcus would have fought it though, since the match he had chosen for my daughter was with his nephew."

"Nepotism is alive and well in most packs, I'm afraid." Mikael added.

"Yes, well, it would have ended up destroying ours. I wish we had been thinking with a clearer head when it came to our daughter. There is no way that she could have made a viable match in our pack. There's no one here to match her abilities."

"I see." Again, with the short cryptic answers. I was beginning to worry that everyone was saying too much in front of Mikael.

"Listen, Evan was introduced to the pack as my intended mate, and then he and I left the stage before further business was conducted. He was not up there. He wasn't influencing anyone in any way. He was there with me."

"Yes, well, what you have to say on the matter doesn't really count, now does it?"

"And why not?"

"Jess, no." Evan grabbed a hold of me, pulling me nearer to him as he whispered in my ear. "Don't let him goad you into another fight."

"You're sleeping with my brother. That means you have every reason to lie for him."

"I'm not sleeping with anyone, jerk!" His eyebrows quirked up, and I suddenly wished I hadn't said that out loud. I'd almost rather him think me the whore than deal with the virgin jokes I could see brewing beneath the surface.

"What a rarity these days. Brother, wherever did you find this one?" He laughed, as he walked to the front door. As it is, I am tired, and I would like to get back to the city to get some sleep. Brother, if you please, I'll be taking your car. I'm sure you and Asriel can find your own way back later."

Evan threw him the car keys. "There better not be a single scratch on it when I retrieve it tomorrow."

"I'm a wonderful driver, brother. No need to worry." He took his hand off the door knob and turned back one last time. "Oh, I almost forgot, I assume there will be a bonding ceremony?"

"Yes, at the next full moon celebration," my father stated.

"Ah, good. I will inform the family. You might want to be prepared for guests."

"Son of a..." Evan started to say under his breath.

"What's the matter, Evan? Did you think you could get away with a bonding ceremony, and not have your family invited? I'm sure your mother would have been hurt to think you left her out." He smiled, "to be sure you didn't think they'd opt not to come."

"I had hoped for it."

"Hope's a nasty little bitch, isn't she?" I didn't like the way Mikael eyed me as he said that.

With that, Mikael left, and I helped my mom clean up the glasses that were laying around now. As we were leaving the kitchen my mom called back over her shoulder to Jack. "You're more than welcome to stay and wait for her, Jack. I know you're worried, but your sister will be fine."

"I know she's strong. I just don't know how she'll cope with the transition, and all that comes with it, you know?"

"She has Asi with her, she will be fine. He will get her through anything that overwhelms her, I promise. It is his gift, and he has chosen to help her. Rest assured that Asi is like me, and not my brother. He will not take advantage of the situation. Ashley is in good hands."

Jack narrowed his eyes at Evan. Nothing was going to convince him that Asi was a good guy when he was the only one out with his sister the day she turned into a werewolf. "I think I will stay here on the couch, if you don't mind, Eileen."

"I'll go and get you a pillow and some sheets." My mom took off again, to the linen closet, leaving me with the rest of the tea-time cleanup. I rinsed all the glasses and put them in our dishwasher, and sat down for a minute at the kitchen table.

"I know Asi's with her, but I'm still worried about Ash. How long do you think they'll be out there?"

"Well, how long was your first run, after the changing?"

"Um, like two minutes, if that. I didn't even get to run. Remember, we told you about Jack almost shooting me, Ashley distracting him, and he missed and hit Sierra instead."

"Oh, yeah, I forgot about that for a minute. You definitely have the most unique experiences possible, don't you?"

"I guess so. I couldn't do my first run right, couldn't be paired to my mate correctly. I'm just a big mess." I laughed. "I'm a walking disaster." I got up from the table and grabbed Evan's hand, "come on. I want to go wait outside for Ash to come back. It's a nice night. We aren't going to get too many more like it. Before long it's going to be too cold to enjoy sitting on the porch swing without a blanket, even for werewolves."

Evan smiled at me, and agreed as he followed along behind me. We sat down, and I slowly kicked the swing out with my foot, sending us in a back and forth motion. "I often wonder what my life would have been like if I hadn't met Ashley. She's the reason I got to go to college, you know." I stared off at the stars dotting the sky beyond the porch. They were exceptionally bright out, now that most of the house lights had been turned out. Werewolves could see well at night, so we kept the light pollution to a minimum throughout the night. "She convinced my parents that I needed to tag along with her at first, to do the nursing thing. Ashley explained to them that I could help as a healer if I had knowledge of human physiology, and worked on combining that with what the elder healers knew of the werewolf side. Not that we get injured beyond our ability to heal a lot, but it does happen. Just like what happened with Sierra. If she had been able to go to human doctors, they probably could have kept her from being barren. The people we had here at the time just didn't know enough."

"Is that what you started studying in school, nursing?"

"Yes and no. I started out wanting to join Ashley, but I soon realized that I preferred healing the mind to the body. I think most people, and especially werewolves, hide their emotions away and never really acknowledge the mind body connection. I want to one day show why that is important."

"Sounds reasonable. Had someone like you been around when my brother's mom was still alive, you may have been able to help her out."

"But then you wouldn't be here."

"True. Life is funny like that. Maybe you were just meant to save someone else from the same fate."

"Maybe," I agreed as I watched the stars twinkling above us. "What about you? When we talked about you buying the bar, you said you owned businesses around the world. Are they all bars?"

"No, they're not. I have lots of different interests. Each of them tells a little something about my passions though, I guess. The last business I opened was actually a book store. I have a thing for comic books, but an aversion to comic book shops. I prefer the quiet library feel of a book store."

"I can understand that. I went in a comic book shop with my friend, Tyler once. The guys in the shop were being so loud. Apparently, they were having a gaming night during the time he took me in there. There was a Magic the Gathering tournament going on, and some guy was yelling about how his Black Devotion Deck would slaughter everyone in there. I didn't even know there was more than one deck in that game. Actually, I didn't even know it was a game. I always thought they were trading cards. It was like an alternate universe in there though."

Evan was laughing at me. "Yes, well, that would be why I prefer book stores for the most part." I leaned into him further, his arm immediately wrapped around my shoulder. "I think your schooling is already working."

"Oh? How so?"

"When you're in my arms, I'm at peace." He leaned down enough to kiss the top of my head, and I knew I felt the same way when I was with him.

"Thank you," I whispered to him.

"For what?"

"Everything. All the small things. For this. Just sitting out here under the stars with you is wonderful. For calming me without controlling me. You could over power me any time and just take what you want, but you treat me the way my dad treats my mom, like an equal. Thank you."

"I think you are entirely unaware of your power over me, Jess. You don't have to thank me for any of it. I do it gladly, because I enjoy being close to you, and I want to make you happy." I stayed there, head against his chest, for a few minutes enjoying the quiet sounds of the night as he squeezed me a little tighter. I was falling for Evan, but I was still a little confused about how everything was playing out. I never imagined being with a person could be so easy and effortless. I thought if it wasn't difficult, then it wasn't real. Here I sat in Evan's arms, wanting nothing more than to make it permanent. My wolf was in full agreement. She didn't know what we were waiting for. She was ready to run with his wolf, and be free together. That started me thinking about Ashley again. It had been a while since they bounded out of the house as wolves. "Do you think we should go after them yet? I'm worried, Evan."

"How about we give her two more hours, and then I promise if they aren't back yet, we'll follow their trail. Let's just sit out here and enjoy the night together until then."

"Okay. I'm sorry. I'm trying to be patient, but I never really got that first running experience, so I don't know."

"Well, think about how you feel when you run with the pack. Isn't it exhilarating?"

"I've never run with my pack. I got out with my family sometimes, but I don't think I've ever been around anyone other than Jack, Sierra, and my parents as a wolf."

Evan stiffened. "Why wouldn't you run with your pack?"

"I don't know." I said half-heartedly. "My parents didn't think the rest of the pack would like my lack of markings. They always said there was nothing wrong with it, but they showed me that all the wolves had some sort of markings on their coat, except me. I guess they didn't want me to be ostracized because of it."

"Hmm," Evan was quiet beyond that noise, and it made me nervous.

"What if you don't like the way I look as a wolf?"

"I don't think that will ever be an issue, although, now I'm curious, and I'm kind of hoping we have to go looking for Ashley." He was smiling at me when I looked up. It was a smile that stretched all the way to his eyes, crinkling them ever so slightly at the corners. I could see a little of his brother in him. They had the same nose and jawline. Mikael didn't have Evan's full lips though, or the vibrant blue eyes. I wondered what I would see if Evan's other brother showed up, or his father.

"Evan, what is your family going to think of all this? Be honest. Your brother was pretty nasty when I first met him. I mean, look at what he did to Ashley, and that was mostly because I smelled like you and she dared to stick up for me." I looked up at him again, and couldn't stop the flow of worried questions. "The only time Mikael has been somewhat nice was with my mom. What if the rest of your family shows up and doesn't like you being with a Lesser? What if they blame me, and hurt the people I love? What if they take you away from me?"

"Jess, I wish I had more reassurances for you where my family is concerned. I can tell you that I will be here to protect you. I won't let anything happen to you or your family as a result of my being here. I'm the son born of a second mate. It makes me different. I'm both revered and tainted depending on who you ask in my clan. I play to whichever sentiment will get me what I want. I don't think my father will object. He's not the type to see his own child lonely. He knows there are no other Ancients out there that aren't taken. I don't think he'd deny me this." Evan pulled me down further, until my head was laying in his lap. "Let's just enjoy the night, and worry about everything else tomorrow." I yawned, these eventful days were starting to catch up with me. "Just rest for a bit, while we wait."

Evan massaged his fingers ever so gently in my hair. With each stroke across my scalp, I was melting further and further into oblivion. The back and forth motion of the swing as Evan gently kicked off the porch floor wasn't helping matters either. Despite my worry for Ashley, I was being lulled into a deeply relaxed state. I knew I was in trouble when my eyelids started growing heavy, and the rest of the world became slow, background noise to the dream that was taking flight inside my mind. So much for waiting up for Ashley to return. I dropped off into a peaceful sleep there on Evan's lap without meaning to.

***

### DIRTY LITTLE WOLF

I was lying naked in a field near the lake, basking in the warmth of the sun after swimming in the cool waters. Droplets still trickled down my neck as they escaped the wet tangles of my hair. His voice was velvety smoothness, breaking the beautiful silence. "Wake up, love." His hands were on me then, moving up my arms, to my shoulders, and I was a little disappointed, because I wanted those hands elsewhere. I was naked, everything laid out in front of Evan, why was he not on me, kissing me, in me?

Everything was shimmering and lost in a haze as I felt a tongue lick up the side of my face. "Evan, what are you doing?" I mumbled. The tongue licked my face again, only this time an incessant whining followed the gesture, along with a nudge from a nose in my shoulder. I wiped my hand across my face to remove the slobbery trail that was left behind, and I opened my eyes. It took a minute to get my bearings because I had been dreaming. I wasn't in a sunny field. It was dark, and I was laying on a porch swing with my head still in Evan's lap. Two wolves stared at me, one red and one black. "Jess? Are you awake now?" Evan called from above me.

"Um, yeah, I didn't even realize I'd fallen asleep."

"Apparently I'm dull, we were in the middle of a conversation and next thing I knew, you were out like a light."

The big red wolf leaned forward and licked up my face again, bringing me further out of my sleepy stupor. She sat back on her haunches and looked at me with giant blue eyes, and the dopiest look I've ever seen plastered on a wolf's face.

"Oh my God! Ashley?" I sat up then, as reality fell back around my shoulders. I grabbed hold of her fur, and hugged her to me. The black wolf stalked off to the side of the porch and shifted back to the form of a very naked man. I made sure to keep my eyes averted, but Ashley did not. Her wolf was watching Asriel as he entered my house, and she apparently liked what she saw.

"I'll bring her a robe so she can change," he said to me. Ashley's whines grew louder.

"You dirty little wolf!" I said to her, and I swore I almost heard her laughing back. "I was so worried about you!" Ashley came and put her head down in my lap, and I obligingly scratched behind her ears a little. "Ash, I'm so sorry this happened. If I could... I'm just... sorry." I whispered into her fur as I put my head down on hers. She nudged me up, and licked my face again. Then she looked at me like she was trying to convey a thought with her eyes, but I couldn't understand it. I just knew I was thankful to have here, safe and sound. "The good news is, you're a wolf. So, I guess we don't have to debate over whether to turn you anymore." The noise coming from her was definitely a laugh. "Oh, and now I'll have you to run with too, since I don't go with the pack."

"Here," Asi said as he came through the door and back out to the porch. He must have borrowed a pair of my dad's sweatpants, because that's all he was wearing when he came out. I may have been dating his friend, but I could certainly appreciate the view. Asriel had a set of abs that were chiseled by the gods themselves. They had to be, because even the werewolves of my pack would be jealous of that body. They were simply amazing, and his arms were perfection too. Judging by the whine coming from Ashley, she was thinking the same thing. He placed a sheet over Ashley, so she could transform underneath of it. She did, and rose up on two feet tucking the sheet in here and there, making a damn dress out of the thing.

I sniffed as Ashley got closer, "Jesus, Ash, I can barely catch your scent at all. You smell like Asi. You REALLY smell like Asi!" I looked up at the man in front of me who suddenly couldn't meet my gaze.

"Seriously? Five minutes! She was a wolf for five damn minutes and you pounced in and made your claim?"

I don't know if it was my raised voice or the fact that so much was going on now, but Jack came walking out onto the porch, wiping the sleep from his eyes. "What the hell is going on out here?" He asked before he caught sight of Ashley standing there next to me.

Asriel looked horrified when he realized how much power was rolling off of me. He looked from me to Evan, silently begging him to intervene.

Evan laughed at him. "No way am I getting in the middle of this one. You need to explain yourself. Preferably before she blows up."

"Yeah, and before I blow up," Jack had closed the distance between himself and his sister. He too had tried to catch her scent, so he would be familiar with how her wolf smelled too. "You have got to be kidding me!" He roared.

"Okay, cool it Jess, Jack..." Ashley said, stepping between us and Asriel. "It's my fault anyway, not his."

"What do you mean? Ashley, you haven't even been a wolf for a full day. You don't know what this means." Jack all but whined at her.

"Jack, just listen..." she started and then turned to me too. "Jess, I've been your friend, and hanging around here long enough to know exactly what it means. I'm not stupid. But, as it turns out I'm even more of a horn dog as a wolf. When I was a human I had an insatiable appetite for hamburger." She leaned over and whispered to me, "you know, human guys." Then she kept going. "But when I became a wolf all of a sudden I had this craving for steak, and there he was. A giant, juicy, steak..."Ash had turned and flung herself into Asi's welcoming arms in the blink of an eye. The look that passed between those two left no doubt about what they'd done while they were gone. They were bonded.

"Jesus Ashley, what can I even say to that?" Jack ran his hand through his strawberry blond hair. "I'm going to leave you guys to figure all this out. I'm sure Sierra is waiting up for news still." As soon as he dropped off the last step Jack looked back at his sister. "I'm really glad you made it through." He turned to Asi then. "I thank you for helping her get past all that pain, but I promise you this, if you do anything to ever hurt my sister, and I will find a way to bring you down!"

"I would expect no less." Asi answered him. Jack nodded at him and stalked off toward the other side of the pack lands where his cottage was located.

The shock of everything that had gone on the past couple days was catching up to me, as was my lack of good sleep. "Of course it would be one big ball of easy for you!" I said to Ashley. "Turn wolf painlessly – check. Find a suitable life mate – check. Make out in front of friends and family – double check." They had intertwined again as soon as Jack walked off, and I was pretty sure I knew what Ashley saw between Evan and I that first night at the club now. Wow, for the first time I understood what people must have seen that night. I definitely had looked like a slut! "Hey! Come on now, not on my porch!"

Evan was full-on laughing at my tirade. "Let's give them some privacy." He stood, and grabbed my hands pulling me along with him. I followed him into my house, and right up the stairs to my bedroom. We entered the room, and he closed the door behind us. "You're tired. You fell asleep on me out there in less than 30 minutes. I never realized I was so boring."

"You are anything but dull. I've just had a really long week, and it all caught up to me. If anything, you should blame those magic fingers of yours." The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. I was referencing the fact that he was massaging my head when I fell asleep, but the grin on his face said he was thinking other things. "Oh, no, that is so not what I meant."

"Mmmhmm, and what did you mean? I think we should put these magic fingers to the test again, and see if they wake you up or cause you to pass out this time. It's all in how I use them, I promise." I had turned my back, starting to walk away from him, to hide the grin on my face, when his hands wrapped around me, pulling me into him. It was obvious that the talk of what he'd like to do with his fingers was turning him on. One hand splayed out across my abdomen, while the other slid down my thigh, dangerously close to that sensitive area that was currently heating up between my legs. A low growl came from Evan as he drug that hand back up my thigh, past my waist, and then further up, hiking my shirt up with it as he went.

I didn't want it to stop. His hands on me, left a trail of fire burning in their wake everywhere they went. My breaths were coming out in shallow pants, as he turned me around to face him, pulling my shirt over my head in the same movement. A sigh escaped my lips as one of his hands caught at the latch of my bra, and the other one pulled on the button of my jeans. His mouth captured mine as the back of my bra sprang open and he stopped tugging at my jeans long enough to use both hands to slide the bra down my arms and off of me. He tossed it to the side of the room, his lips having never left my own. I was completely lost in the moment, enjoying him undressing me, kissing me so passionately, and all I wanted was more. I grabbed his waist, and pulled him closer, feeling his hardness against me as I gripped the bottom of his shirt and pulled it up. He helped out and slid his arms free, letting me pull it the rest of the way over his head, and discard it in the growing pile of clothes on my floor.

There we stood, skin to skin, scorching each other everywhere we touched. "Evan" I whispered as he trailed hot kisses down my neck, finding that spot that caused my knees to buckle as he nuzzled in further, scraping teeth across the sensitive area, then leaving a lingering kiss there before moving on.

Evan pushed me away ever so slightly, so he could take me in with his eyes, "so beautiful," he managed before his mouth was back on me, trailing kisses further down my neck, then landing on my breast. He cupped one in each hand, and placed feather light kisses down around my nipples, stopping a moment to suck first one in his mouth, and then the other. I threw my head back, moaning as the feel of his suckling my nipple into his mouth sent a tight thread of heat to pull all the way down into the core of me. I wanted him so bad in that moment that I no longer cared about the promises I had made my parents long ago about making sure I went through with the proper bonding ceremonies. I wanted to be one with Evan, and I wanted that now, as his hand dipped lower, and he finally got my pants unbuttoned and started slipping them down my thighs.

As they too made their way into the pile of clothes at the side of my bed, Evan guided me closer and pushed me down on top of it. The moment my ass hit, his hands were grabbing at my panties, and pulling them off too. He continued trailing kisses down me from my breasts, to my abdomen, and lower. I was frustrated when he bypassed the one place I wanted him to go, and instead continued trailing kisses down my left thigh to my knee, and then from my right knee up the thigh, and his hands came to rest over my hips. As his kisses trailed further up, he slipped his hands down underneath my ass and pulled my hips forward just as his mouth found my center. My hands clawed into his shoulder as his hot, wet tongue touched me there for the first time. Suddenly, I understood what all the fuss had been about, when Ashley went out on the prowl for a new lover. If I had known what I was missing out on, I would have been prowling right along with her.

Evan showed me repeatedly what his magic fingers could do, and the inexplicable pleasure his mouth was able to carve out all over my body until I couldn't take it anymore. There were no more nerves or first time jitters on my part, I wanted to feel him inside me, my body was throbbing with the need of a different kind or release, and while I didn't exactly understand it yet, I knew in a primal way that I had to have him. I pulled him up to me, kissing him slowly, relishing in every inch of his body that my hands trailed over. He still wore his pants, and I was about to remedy that situation, when we heard a loud thump from downstairs, followed by a shriek.

Evan growled, and then whispered to me, "stay here, I will check it out." He tossed the blanket at the end of my bed over me, and looked back longing at me once more before he tore off out my bedroom door and down the stairs. I covered up, and plopped back on the pillow reliving everything that he'd just done to me. My entire body tingled. I fought the sleepiness that took over me, but my exhaustion and complete relaxation won out instead.

The soft light of early morning was creeping in through the cracks of my curtains when I finally woke up again. It didn't hit me that I was sleeping naked on my bed, until someone giggled, and slapped my completely exposed ass. "Well if you aren't the pot calling the kettle black! Nothing puts a girl into a coma quite like a solid orgasm or four." Ashley was laughing, as I tucked the sheet back around my backside.

"What the hell? When did you get in here, and where is Evan?"

"Damn, not even happy to see your friend after the transformative night I had?"

"I'm always happy to see you Ash, I'm just waking up a bit confused. Last night, Evan and I were... um, anyway, there was a loud thumping sound downstairs, he went to check it out, and now I'm waking up naked with you smacking my ass. So, yeah, I'm a little stumped."

Ashley was laughing at me, "well, I'm not sure exactly what you and lover boy got up to here last night, but clearly it involved a lack of clothing on your part. The noise he came to check on last night was Asi and I rolling around having fun on the porch. I think between that scene and the fact that Evan was shirtless and smelling like sex, kind of threw your dad into a tizzy, and he tossed Asi and Evan out on their asses last night. He did at least give them the keys to your Jeep so they could get back to town without having to run as wolves and risk being seen by someone."

Okay, I was officially mortified. "You said he smelled like sex?" She nodded, the smirk on her face showing how much she was enjoying this.

"So, are you going to tell me all about it or are you going to make me guess what happened? Your dad seemed relieved that you two weren't bonded yet, so I guess that means no sex, because as into each other as you guys are, you know it will seal the deal."

"I know, and if you hadn't been knocking around downstairs yourself, it probably would have gone too far. I'm not sure whether to thank you or hate you at this point." I looked down at my sheet covered body, and then sat up, holding the sheet tight around me. "Let me get dressed first. I love you and all, but I feel weird sitting here talking about this with you while I'm nude."

"Yeah, no kidding! Get dressed, and then we can swap stories." She winked at me, as I nearly fell getting off the bed, thanks to the tangle of bedding that was twined around my legs. I snatched up some clothes from my drawer, just a t-shirt and yoga pants, and headed to the bathroom to change. Looking in the mirror was no different today than it had been the day before, but I suddenly felt different. Even though I was still a virgin, I felt one hundred percent like a woman now, after what Evan did to me the night before. I've heard women, even wolves complain about not knowing what the big deal was. I could only imagine that I was somehow lucky in having Evan as my intended mate.

"So?" Ashley asked as I entered the room. She was bouncing up and down on the bed like an excited little kid.

"So, I never knew..."

"Never knew what, sweets?" Ashley took up a spot right behind me, starting to braid the length of my hair for me.

"We didn't even have actual sex, but I felt like I died and went to heaven so many times last night. If I had known it was like that..."

"It's not always. Some guys have zero clue as to what they're doing, and then when you add in feelings and the whole new and exciting relationship thing, it just makes everything better. Plus, something I realized last night, a wolf's power enhances things too." She was thoughtful for a minute. "So, how far did things go last night, then?"

"Well, I made a comment about his magic fingers, because while we were waiting for you on the porch, I fell asleep with him massaging my head. So, I guess he had to show me what other magical uses they had." I told Ashley all about what happened, and she seemed a bit shocked.

"So, wait, you mean to tell me, he had you going off like that repeatedly, and he never got to..."

"Nope, he could have and would have, I'm sure, but he wanted to make sure everything was safe when we heard the noise downstairs. And then, well, I guess my dad kicked him out, and I fell asleep."

Ashley laughed, "girl, you owe that man a good time!"

"Do you think he's mad at me?" I asked, not sure what to think after Ashley said that.

"Oh, no, that's not what I meant."

"Do you think he will be when I tell him it can't happen again until the bonding ceremony? I know you said my dad was pissed. Ashley, I made a promise to them that I would do things the right way, after my mom watched her sister go through what she did when she was bound without permission and ceremony."

"But your dad is pack leader, surely he can sanction it if it happens?"

"Yeah, he can, but Evan couldn't even tell me if his family would allow it to happen last night. I mean, what if they get here, and we've already bonded, then they tell us we can't be together? It killed my aunt when that happened to her."

Ashley reached over and hugged me. "I'm sure it will all be okay, and knowing Evan, he will be fine with the wait. He's just going to need to learn to keep his magic fingers to himself!"

""Ugggh, on second thought, I'm not sure I'll be okay with that. Jesus, if only I had known what I was missing out on all this time." I looked over at Ashley then, and smiled. "Speaking of, you owe me a story. What exactly happened when you changed and ran off with Asi?"

"Well, you know, he was taking away my pain during the transition. I don't think I would have made it if it weren't for him, Jess." She looked down, twirling the bottom of her shirt in her fingers. "He never left my side, even when the pain was so great it was ripping screams from his own throat. I could still feel some of it. He couldn't take it all, and every once in a while he'd lose focus in the middle of the pain, and I would have to endure it for a minute while he got it back under control. There's no way I could have made it through all that. I owe Asriel my life. When I finally hit the last stage of transition, the pain ripped through us both, and we shifted together. It was the most amazing thing I've ever experienced. I can't tell you what it means to me that he was there, and a part of that with me. Especially knowing how things turned out afterwards. We ran together. We hit the woods, and kept on going until we came to the lake, and I was able to see my own wolf in the reflection there. I'm a beautiful wolf!"

"Yes, you are. I don't think I've ever seen such a vibrant red wolf before. Your brother is a dulled down copper color. You are amazing!"

"Well, Asi thought so too. His wolf kept nudging me, and wanting to play, and we did. One of the times we rolled over each other I hit the lake, and came up from the water as a human."

"It happens when we're shocked by something. It usually only takes us by surprise like that for the first year or so, as we learn to control our shifts."

"That's good to know. I really still want to see my mom this weekend, but I was worried about whether or not I should go. I mean, I don't want to accidentally wolf out, and eat her or anything."

"Ashley, I promise you, we won't let that happen."

"Good, I'm going to hold you to that!" She was still fiddling with her shirt, and a blush crept across her cheeks as she was lost in the memory of her and Asi. "So, there I was a soaking wet, naked woman, and he shifted to ask if I was alright, and he was standing before me ALL man! Being the bad girl I am, I walked right over to him, put my hand on his chest, tracing his pec muscles with my fingertips, and wanting more. He reached out and grabbed my hand..."

~*~

"Ashley, this is probably not the best idea. You have a lot of adjusting to do."

"Don't you like me, Asi?"

"I do, but I also won't take advantage." He offered, as he continued to hold my hand still against his chest.

"What if I'm the one taking advantage?" Asi sucked in a breath as the words left my mouth, and my other hand reached around him to cup his fine ass and pull him forward to me. When our bodies collided, I could tell how much he really wanted me. He was as hard as I have ever felt a man get before. Our mouths met in a hot, wet, tangle of tongues. Our hands were everywhere exploring, squeezing, touching, and once I grabbed hold of him, Asi was undone. There was no denying where things would go from there. We made love out by the lake, and neither of us had a care in the world aside from what we were doing to each other. I'm experienced, but being with Asriel was an entirely different thing from what I was used to with the men I picked up here and there. He was so attentive, and knew just where to touch, kiss, and how to move. Oh god, does that man know how to move. I knew, when we were in the middle of everything that I didn't want to ever be with someone else again, and that's when it happened. This pulse of warmth wrapped around me. I'm guessing it was the same for Asi, because of the look on his face. It was pure rapture. Seriously, I don't know exactly how to describe it, but I do know the moment we bonded was beyond magical.

~*~

"So, it's something more then?"

"Yes, Asriel said we had to both want it in that moment for the bond to take hold. If either of us had been unsure, it would not have happened."

"Good to know, I guess." I stood up, and slipped my shoes on my feet. "How the hell do I go out there and face my parents after last night?"

"I would say just play it cool like nothing happened, and you know you can always stay at my place if you need a little privacy with Evan to... you know... talk."

"Evan has his own place, if we needed to... you know... talk." I mocked Ashley. "I think we're better off staying in crowded spaces together for now though. Clearly, my self-control is nonexistent when he is around."

"Okay, now we just have to figure out how we're getting back to town. Do we run as wolves? If so, where do we put our clothes?"

"No, we don't because someone might see us and shoot us." I sighed and stood to leave my room. "I guess I have to go face the parents. With any luck, my dad is out for the day conducting pack business."

"Yep, I'd love to say I've got your back, but if he starts yelling, I'll meet you outside."

"Thanks, you're such a terrific friend." I laughed at Ashley.

"Hey, I turned furry for your ass. I think that's enough bravery for one week!" Ashley joked.

"Ash," I said suddenly serious. "I'm so..."

"Don't. Don't you dare say you're sorry for what happened, because I'm not. Things work out the way they're supposed to, Jess. If we had done it any other time, maybe Asi wouldn't have been there to help me. I wish it had been a bit different, but I don't regret it, and I don't want you to either."

We walked downstairs, to find my mom in the kitchen. Ashley sat at the table, and mom handed us both steaming mugs of coffee. "I kept the pot on for you guys, I figured you'd be down sooner or later." She caught me looking around nervously. "Your father isn't here. He went into town to have a chat with Evan, now that his head is a little clearer."

"What? Oh my God! He does realize I'm an adult, right?"

"Yes, and you could be fifty, and you'd still be his daughter."

"Aww, that's sweet!" Ashley chimed in, and I threw her a dirty look. "Okay, shutting up."

"Mom..."

"Jess, it's not my business, but you know about my sister, and what happened to her. She bound herself to a wolf that wasn't chosen by the pack, and she was shunned. Worse, it ended up getting her killed in the long run. I don't want that for you. Your father doesn't want that for you either."

"I'm not. We're not bound. We didn't... uggghh" My face was flushed, and I am sure it was probably as red as Ashley's hair. "I'm a virgin still anyway, so dad didn't need to go jumping the gun."

My mother eyed me suspiciously. "Well, your dad just went to clear some things up. He's worried, you know? We don't know anything about Evan's family, except the fact that his brother was okay with torturing your best friend. He had no clue when he did that to her that she stood a decent chance at turning." Mom sighed, and came to hug me. "I worry for you, Jess. We don't know what theses Ancients are capable of. I see how Evan is around you, and that makes me happy, but he doesn't seem to be cut from the same cloth as the rest of his family. Just be careful and wait until after his family gets here to do anything."

"Okay, I haven't broken my promise!" I chugged the rest of my coffee down, and then looked back up at her. "Can you take us to town? Ashley and I both have classes later, and you sent Evan with my Jeep."

"Yes, let me grab my purse, and we'll go."

***

### NOTHING

We were half way to school when Ashley caught me glancing down at my phone again.

"What's up, Jess?"

"Just nervous. I haven't heard from Evan. I would have thought he would have called or texted or something. I mean, at the very least to get my Jeep back to me."

"Relax, he had some trouble with that brother of his being an asshole again. He and Asi are straightening it out. Asi says they'll bring the Jeep to my place and drop it off in a bit."

"Oh, okay." I stared down at my phone and ended up just stuffing it back in my pocket as my mom dropped us off outside of the school. We had already gone to pick up our books from Ashley's apartment earlier.

"Jess?" Ashley called to me when I bailed out of the car and started heading directly to the building where my women's studies class was. I didn't even turn around to say anything to Ashley because I was so lost in my own thoughts. Why wouldn't Evan call or at least text me to let me know? My heart sank. I was definitely not used to the whole relationship thing, but I'd seen my fair share of women dumped after a night in the sack with a guy. Ashley included. My heart hammered in my chest. Some of those women and girls had thought they were in love with the guy too. "JESS!" Ashley yelled as she snatched a hold of my arm.

"What?" I yelped as I took a step back from her sudden and harsh grab at my arm.

"What's going on in there?" She pointed to my head.

"Nothing, I just... I have things on my mind, and I think I have a quiz today I forgot about."

"Well, see, now I know that is a lie."

"I really just need to get to class, Ash. I'll see you later." Ashley's phone went off, and I saw her smile down at it before she replied. I turned to head to class, but she grabbed my arm again.

"Seriously, Jess. I can't help if you don't talk to me. Your mood shifted like 180 degrees from when we were in the car." Ashley's phone dinged again, letting her know she had an incoming text.

"Nothing." I glanced down at her phone. "You have a message, and I need to get to class."

"Oh," she looked down at her phone and back up to me. "He hasn't sent you a message or called at all has he?"

"No," hot tears were starting to form, and I refused to let them fall in front of anyone, especially another wolf. Even if that wolf was Ashley. I walked away, and this time I didn't stop.

"Jess..."

"I'll see you later," I called back over my shoulder.

Five minutes after I sat down in class a text came in on my phone. It was from Evan, "Hey, Ash said something was up, and I should check on you." My heart dropped even further, and I ignored the message. I definitely didn't need him doing a pity check because his buddy's mate told him to. My insides were tossing and turning as my teacher droned on about some women's lib movement or other. I normally enjoyed the class, but today I was a woman who's hopes and dreams about a guy had been kicked all to shit, and I wasn't really for cheering on women's rights, or anyone else's for that matter. Really, I just wanted to go home and hide under my covers for like a week. I felt stupid, and while I loved my best friend to death, I was jealous of her. She had her mate all picked out. There was no going back, they'd already bonded. He didn't seem to want to go back anyway. I was happy for her. There was no doubt about that. I just wished my life could have gone as easily. When class was over, I sulked out. I honestly didn't know what to do with myself, because it was the only class I had, my car was with a man who couldn't even bring himself to talk to me the day after we were so intimate, and Ashley had two more classes before she'd be done.

I wandered to the student center and aimlessly scanned the boards for anything remotely entertaining that I could do with myself for a few hours. Of course, I ended up seeing a flier for the Grand Opening of De'Lune's, to be held this Friday. "Ugghh," I moaned out loud.

"What's a matter, don't like getting trashed with the rest of the student body in the local clubs?" I turned to see a guy I remembered from one of my psych courses.

"No, it's just, well... the owner's kind of a douche."

"Oh, I see." He tipped his head to the side, checking me out for a minute, "well, he's a dumb bastard if he let you slip through his fingers."

"Thanks," I said halfheartedly. "Anyway, I need to get going." I pointed over my shoulder at nothing in particular, like I had a destination in mind. I didn't.

"Sure, see you in class tomorrow?"

I shuffled away, not knowing what to do with myself now, and I ended up finding myself near the fountain in the middle of campus. A guy was there playing his violin, and I parked my ass in the grass and let myself drift away with the music for a while. The sun was shining down through the trees, warming my body, and relaxing me a little bit more with every note the violinist played. I closed my eyes, and let the rest of my senses take over. I heard every note as they were played, and mixed into the melody were little bits of conversation and chatter from students who were passing by. The air smelled like rain, and while the sun was still shining I knew the precipitation I could smell wouldn't be far behind today. The scent of the fallen leaves on the ground, slowly rotting was mixed making for a uniquely heady mix that further lulled my senses.

I lie back on the grass, and continued listening, one foot propped up on my knee, letting my troubles bleed out of me and into the ground beneath. The music took me away to someplace better, safer, a place where I didn't have to worry about mates, love, or anything else. I could just be myself. I knew my body was swaying in time to the music being played. I had been there about 30 minutes when I heard a familiar voice.

"Well, since you're able to skip your next class, why don't we find Jess and get out of here. I dropped her Jeep off at your apartment earlier. The key is where you told me to put it. We can go drop her off, and then find somewhere to be alone."

"You know I do not disagree with the alone part, but what's going on with Evan? When we went our separate ways to class earlier, she still hadn't heard from him."

"I don't know, Ash. I think between the shit his brother is pulling, the conversation he had with his family this morning, and the visit from Jess's dad, he just figured he'd put some space there. I'm not saying he's going about things the right way at all, but there's really no talking to him. Honestly, I can't blame him either. It's probably safer for her if he does."

"Hey, I think that's Jess over there in the grass."

Once I realized they saw me, I tuned out of their conversation, stood up as if it was what I had been planning all along, and started walking in the opposite direction. I just had to hope it didn't look like I was running away from them. I spotted the guy from my psych class, and walked up to him, putting my hand around his back to tap his shoulder. I laughed when he looked the wrong way, and then turned to me with a huge smile on his face. "Hey, I don't have my car here today. Someone borrowed it last night, and left it at my friend's apartment. Could I trouble you for a ride? It's not far, and I can give you gas money."

"Sure, Jess, and no need to give me anything. I don't mind, really." I hated that he knew my name, and I didn't know his. We were already in his car, and pulling out before Ashley and Asi caught up to us.

A text came in on my phone from Ash. "What are you doing, Jess? We were coming to take you to the apartment."

"No worries, I got a ride. Enjoy your alone time with Asi." I realized after I hit send that she would know I had overheard them. For a minute, I regretted sending the text, but then I figured it was Ashley, and hopefully would stay between us.

"You okay?" The guy driving me to my car asked.

"Yeah, sorry, my friend was trying to get up with me. Apparently, I just missed her."

"No, I mean, earlier too. You seemed sad when you were at the student center."

"I'm okay, it's just been a weird a few days, and I am still processing. No head shrinking me either, mister. You're not a professional, yet!" I gave a quick laugh, and he joined me. "Turn right up at the next light." She lives about 6 blocks up from the turnoff in Winter Springs."

"Oh, that condo complex near the bakery?"

"That's the one." As soon as we turned, we were driving past Hypnotic, which now had a new name, De 'Lune's. Evan was standing outside with his brother, as we drove by. I didn't make myself known, and even tried to pull back the normal amount of power that tended to just leak out, but his head snatched up and watched the car pass until we were out of sight a few blocks away. He'd probably felt my energy, as I had his and Mikael's. My phone stayed silent though.

When we got close to Ashley's apartment complex, I pointed out my yellow Jeep. "There's my baby!" A genuine smile lit up my face, as Psych boy whistled.

"So, that big ball of sunshiny fun is yours, huh?" I looked at him oddly. "Sorry, it's just that I've always admired that Jeep. I'm stuck with my crap car for now while I have tuition to pay, but a Jeep is on my to do list as soon as I'm raking in all the therapy bucks."

"Ha! Therapy bucks huh? Well, she's mine, and I love her. I worked my ass off for her, and my dad helped me fix it up along the way. I love my Jeep!" I smiled at him. "Maybe, one day soon I will give you a ride so you can see how she handles. I know a guy who deals in used Jeeps, and parts. So, when you're ready..."

"That'd be awesome." He leaned in closer to me, like he was going to lean in for a kiss, and I took that as my cue to get the hell out of the car. I had enough man issues to deal with.

"Thanks again for the ride," I said as I got out and shut the door behind me. I got in my Jeep, adjusted the seats and mirrors to my frame again, and then searched the little hidden compartment in my dashboard for the keys. They were right where Ashley had told Asi to hide them, thankfully. I put them in the ignition and just sat back, leaning my head against the seat for a minute. My world was a strange place all of a sudden. For a minute, I wondered what the rest of the pack would think of me when I came back during the full moon meeting, and had no mate to speak of. I'd, no doubt, be the laughing stock of the pack. Part of me already felt like that anyway, since my parents would never let me run with the others. I felt like an outsider, and now once I actually had someone I thought I was connecting with, he had just walked away from me too. Life was definitely not fair.

A knock on my Jeep door startled me out of my thoughts, "Hey, I'm glad you were just sitting here staring off into space still. You forgot this in my car." The guy from class was smiling brightly, and holding my backpack up so I could see it.

"Oh my God, thank you. I don't even know where my head is today. Somehow shoved incredibly far up my ass, I think." He laughed at my joke.

"I'm not so sure about that, but hey, when you're not so preoccupied with whatever it is, maybe I could take you out to dinner. I insist that you drive though, because your car is way cooler than mine." He made it sound so effortless, and I found myself wondering why now, out of the blue, someone finally wanted to ask me out. He was a human, so I would tell him no anyway, but at least it stroked my broken ego a little.

"I would love to, but..."

"Ahh, not the dreaded but. How about we just say maybe another time, when things aren't so complicated." My shoulders slumped at that. "I'm not blind. I saw the way you were looking at that flier earlier. You looked heartbroken. The timing is off. I get that."

"Another time..." I said, because it was easier than the 'no' that I had to give him.

"Alright, see you in class, Jess."

"See ya," I said, still not able to remember his name. I watched him in my rear view walking back to his car, and before I looked ahead again, I felt a familiar tingle creep over my body. I wasn't surprised to see Evan standing in front of my Jeep then.

"May I?" He asked as he pointed to my passenger seat. I didn't even answer, I simply shrugged, and he helped himself to the spot in my Jeep.

"Look," I sighed. "I was about to head home." He tossed my backpack in the back seat, and turned to face me.

"Jess, you didn't answer me back this morning."

"You only texted me because someone told to you too. I didn't think that warranted a response." I would never be a good poker player. I was no good at holding my hand, and easing into the game. I put everything out there all up front. I always had, and sometimes I hated that about myself. This was definitely one of those times. I wish I could be one of the girls who didn't let the guy see that something bothered them.

"Jess, things are..."

"Complicated?" I let my hair fall free around my face, sheltering me with my own little curtain of chestnut colored privacy. "I don't need explanations. I'm a big girl. I get it. Too much trouble. There, our talk is done. You can get out now, so I can leave." I turned the key in the ignition, until the engine caught, and then I sat back waiting for him to leave.

"Jess, please, look at me." He leaned over to move my hair out of my face, but I slipped sideways, out of his reach. "You know, part of what I like about you is that stubborn streak I saw you had with Marcus and Zach, but it's not really endearing when it's aimed at me."

"Oh?" He did it, my inner bitch was unleashed. "Do tell... you don't like when my stubborn side is aimed at you? It's not endearing? I'm not being, what, pushover enough for you? SCREW YOU! You are the one that got me all kinds of naked last night, only to sneak off in my damn Jeep, and then not say one damn word to me all day, until my friend told you to. Now, you sit here, expecting me to open up, and let you touch me in any way? Seriously? In what universe did you think I would be okay with this? I don't know what kind of girls you normally use up and toss aside, but I promise you, I am not the same! Get out of my car!"

I looked up in time to see Ashley and Asi standing on the sidewalk, about to head into Ashley's apartment. Her eyes were huge. I don't think Ashley had ever heard me talk to someone like that before. She knew I had it in me, but I usually found a better way. I was too hurt to reign my temper in this time though. I could see Ash struggling with wanting to come to comfort me, and wanting to give me space. I just shook my head at her, so she wouldn't come.

"Jessica, you need to stop, and listen to me. You are taking everything way out of context, seriously."

"I'm taking things out of context?" I was beyond frustrated at this point. "You know what?" I threw my hands up in the air. "You're right. I'm that girl."

"I don't understand what you mean."

"Uh oh," I heard Ashley say from her spot on the front stoop of her apartment, where she parked her ass and refused to leave.

"I'm that girl. I'm the one who takes everything wrong. I'm the one who shouldn't have expected a call to begin with. The girl who should have known better to begin with, but since I didn't, it's my job to swallow it all down and play nice in the end." My eyes were angry slants with flashes of green by the time I looked at Evan. "I'm the girl who just told you to get the fuck out of her car, because she doesn't want this kind of wishy-washy drama. I thought you were different. I thought you were genuine and real, but I was wrong. I am not going to sit here and have you try to tell me I'm taking things out of context, when I know exactly what's up. You left last night, without even saying good bye, because my dad told you too. My dad, who is a lesser wolf to you. You could have told him you were going to say goodbye first. Actually, knowing my dad, he would have respected that more. You didn't though, you just hauled ass and ran. This morning, not a single fucking word either. I had to overhear a conversation to know that you had issues with your brother, and your family, and words with my dad today. All of which apparently made you too cowardly to even call me and tell me you didn't want to see me again. Then you follow me here, get in my Jeep, and insult my intelligence. BUT I'm THAT girl. The one who's misconstruing things?" I did not drop my eyes from his the whole time I was ranting. "No, sir, I don't think I took anything the wrong way. I think your actions speak pretty clearly, and I was just some fucking joke to you. You marked me and sent me home not even knowing your name. You stood up there in front of my pack, and told them you were my intended. You told my parents that you wanted to be bound. And it was all a joke at my expense." My words were starting to get choked up on my emotion, as I inwardly chastised my tears for trying to fall. "The worst thing is I don't care if any of them believed you. I don't care what they'll all think of me now. I'm angry because I was stupid enough to believe it."

"No, they need to work this out for themselves, Ash." I looked over to see Asi holding Ashley back from coming to me.

"Jess?" She was asking permission to come comfort me, but I didn't want anyone's comfort. I just wanted to go home, become one with my wolf, and run this all away. I shook my head no again, so she wouldn't keep trying to come to me.

"What can I say to make this better?" Evan asked me.

"Not a damn thing. You can get out though, instead of continuing to embarrass me in front of my friend."

"Jess, I'm not..."

"Seriously, just get out."

This time, he actually listened and got out of my Jeep. I didn't hesitate, as soon as he shut the door I took off, and headed home. I had about thirty minutes worth of driving to get my shit together before I got home and had to face my parents, and tell them that I no longer had a mate.

The ride home didn't help. I was just as keyed up when I pulled into the drive as I had been in front of Ashley's apartment. My hands were shaking, and tears were continuing to spill down my face. The ache in my chest burned, and at the same time it felt like there wasn't enough room to hold all the pieces of my shattering heart. Everything felt tight inside me, and all I wanted to do was collapse in my bed, and cry until the pressure released, because it had to release at some point. I couldn't even imagine the heartache a wolf must go through when their long time mate died. I understood now, to an extent, why many of them didn't survive their mate's passing. It hurt too much. I hadn't even known Evan long, and it hurt already. My wolf was wounded inside. She already knew he was what she wanted, and she sat still deep inside me, wounded by the rejection as I climbed the stairs in my house, headed for my room.

"Jess?" My mom called out from the kitchen. I ignored her, and was already half way up the stairs when she finally caught up with me. She had been calling me the whole time, not just once. "Jessica Marie, what is the matter with you?"

"Mom..." My resolve broke, the pieces I was trying really hard to keep together, shattered. "I don't understand." The tears fell, and big ugly sobs pulled me down until I collapsed on the stair I had been standing on.

"Oh, Jess, what happened? Is it Ashley? Is she alright?" By now, my dad was coming up the steps to meet us too, and I was in my mother's arms like I had been so many times as a child when I was hurt. She cradled me to her chest, rocking back and forth, hand gently running over the top of my head, in a soothing motion.

"Jess, what's the matter?" My dad asked.

"What did you say?" I kept repeating it to him for a minute as my face contorted in anger and hurt. "What did you say to him, that he doesn't even want me anymore?" My dad reached out to touch my shoulder. "Don't touch me!" I yelled at him. "You did this! You sent him away, and then you made sure he stayed away! How could you? I was happy, for once. You're never happy for me though. You tried to force the wrong person on me for so long, and when the right one comes along, you did... what? I don't even know. You drove him away." I was yelling, taking it all out on my dad, because he was an easy target. It was easier to believe he had caused Evan's change of heart, rather than to believe Evan played me for a fool.

"What did you say to him, Jameson?" There was an edge of anger in my mother's voice as she questioned him. My dad's eyes were too large for his face, which told me he was at least partly to blame for this mess. He hadn't gone easy on Evan. It was no excuse for him to just walk away from me, but it was apparently one of the things that made it easy for him to do so.

I kept flashing back to the look on his face when I was yelling at him in the Jeep. He never flinched, never showed any outward emotion, other than annoyance. "Please, just leave me alone for a while." I whispered, and I was on my feet, unsteadily making my way to my room. I shut and locked the door, and fell face first into my bed. The phone in my pocket was vibrating, repeatedly, but I ignored it. Actually, I took it out of my pocket, and threw it across the room. I'd pull myself together and take this all in stride tomorrow, but for now, I just wanted a moment to wallow in my fucked up life, without interruptions.

I couldn't get beyond the fact that I thought last night was so magical, and yet it apparently meant nothing at all. Evan acted as if nothing ever happened by morning. I lie there, on my bed, face down in my pillow, crying my eyes out over the loss of something I never really had to begin with. It didn't matter how stupid a part of me felt I was being. I needed the release, and when I was spent, I slept.

I woke up sometime later to dark skies, and rain beating down on my window. There were voices raising downstairs, and for once I didn't care what was going on. I tuned them out, threw a pillow over my head, and tried to go back to sleep. It didn't work out that way when Ashley burst through my bedroom door, "Jessica? Are you okay in here?"

"So much for that lock I used to have on my door." I grumped from under the pillow.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry." She said, and she meant it. "I'm a strong bitch now!" That was Ashley, taking a moment to marvel in her own awesomeness. "Jess," she shut the door behind her. "No wonder you didn't answer your phone." She walked across the room and picked it up off the floor where I had thrown it. "What the hell did your phone do to you?"

"It kept buzzing when I was trying to feel sorry for myself." I said with absolutely no enthusiasm whatsoever.

"You're funny, even when you're not trying to be, you know!"

"No offense Ash, but can we get this over with. I'm tired, and I just want to go back to bed so I can wake up tomorrow, and go back to being the Jess that doesn't care about this kind of stuff."

"Jessie," she sat down beside me and put my phone on the bedside table. "My heart broke for you earlier. Do you really think that all of this was a joke to Evan?"

Oh boy, just those few words tightened my chest again, and suddenly there was no room for my heart to beat in there anymore. "Ash, I don't really want to talk about it now. I'm done, with all of it. I just want to finish school, and not have to worry about anything else okay? Can I do that? Can I just sleep it off, cry it out, and forget?"

"I don't know, can you?" Ashley pushed me so that I slid over on the bed to make room for her to lie down next to me. "Jess, how did we go from the talk we were having this morning to this in a day?"

"I wish I knew. I was kind of left out of the equation today, Ash. What am I supposed to say? While you were busy with your happy morning after conversations I had a stranger ask me if I was okay. No one else, just a stranger. I didn't even know there was anything wrong, or to be worried about." I hadn't even realized the tears started flowing again until I went to adjust the pillow beneath my head, and realized it was wet. "Do you remember two weeks ago, when I didn't give two shits about dating?"

"I remember two weeks ago when you were promised to Douchebag Zach!"

"Yeah, well, somehow that almost seems better in hindsight. He might have been a douche, but at least he actually wanted me."

"Jess, seriously, do you really think Evan didn't, doesn't want you?"

"Of course I think that. Why wouldn't I?"

"He came to talk to you today, but you yelled at him and sent him on his way, Jess."

"Seriously? He blamed me for misunderstanding things. He only texted because you told him to, and I overheard you and Asi talking before I got up and left to go get my Jeep. He wasn't planning on sticking around. So, what good would talking to me about it do?" I punched my pillow, as I sat up. "You know me. I've never been one of those girls who goes out and falls in love with every guy who pays her a compliment. I'm the opposite of them. I had a guy hitting on me today, granted he was human, but he was at least nice to me. I wasn't interested in the least. I don't know what it was about Evan, but I really liked him. Call it chemistry, or fate, or wolf magic, I don't know. But there was something there – for me anyway."

"Maybe there is for him too, and he's just trying to protect you from the mess his family is going to cause?"

"Really, because that's a cowardly move."

"What? How so?" Ashley actually sounded angry now, which just fueled my anger in turn.

"He marked me out of the blue, and I had to come home and face my family, my pack master, and my intended bond mate with his scent all over me. I had to do that alone, until he showed up. I stuck by it though. I stood with him in front of my pack, and allowed his claim on me to stand. I didn't know how my father challenging Marcus was going to play out. Honestly, Marcus could have won, and I could have lost my father, and been punished, and shunned from the pack." I had to tone down my voice, because I was getting a bit shrill and loud. "I did all those things, despite not knowing him that long, and then I stuck it out, and made sure we were taking the time to get to know one another and make sure it was going to work out. Hell, I was so caught up last night, I would have..." I sighed. "I guess that would have been one way to find out the feeling wasn't really mutual, when the bond didn't take. Maybe he saved me from that hurt by doing it this way." I moved over further, toward the wall, and curled back up, lying face down on my stomach, with my face turned away from Ashley now.

"Jess, maybe you should try talking to him. I saw you two together. I don't know what all happened today, but it has to be fixable."

"Ash, I appreciate you coming all the way out here, but I'm tired. And I don't want to think about it anymore." I heard the front door open, and wondered who could be leaving this late at night.

"Just answer me one thing."

"What?"

"If today hadn't happened the way it did... if you had woken up next to Evan, or he had called you after he left, would you be ready to give up?"

"That's just it, Ash, I didn't have a chance to give anything up. It was decided for me. I wanted him." I all but whispered the last four words. "He didn't want me."

Ashley rubbed her hand over my back a few times while she said, "I'm sorry, Jess." She got up and left the room. I heard her walk down the stairs, speak quietly to someone, and then leave the house. I fell asleep again shortly after that.

Later that night, I felt the edge of my bed depress as someone sat down on it. I didn't bother moving, or looking. I figured it was my mom or Ashley, and if I pretended to still be asleep, I might get away with not having to talk or cry anymore. So, I stayed still, and kept my breathing even. Before long whoever it was simply laid down beside me, and didn't move much either. I started to drift off to sleep again until I felt an arm circle around my waist, and that was definitely not Ashley or my mother. It was a masculine arm, and I had a moment of panic flair up inside me, before I allowed my wolf to taste his power and tell me who it was.

"Evan?" I whispered as my wolf pushed closer to the surface.

"Shhh, it's me. Don't freak out." Evan said hastily.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, keeping my voice down. I turned my body so that I was facing him instead of with my back to him. It was the first time since the car that I'd seen his face. He looked as bad as I felt. I wasn't sure what that meant though.

"I'm sorry, Jess. You were right, earlier."

"About?"

"When you said that you did all those things, knowing that you could lose everything, and I walked away at the first sign of trouble." He sighed heavily. "It wasn't me I was worried about though. It was you. I needed time to think things through, because I couldn't drag you into my family's crazy world and have you hurt by them. But I can't do this. I can't have you thinking that I never cared, or that it was all a game to me, Jess. I've never felt like this with anyone before. That connection you feel isn't just one way. It's here, inside me." He held my hand up to his chest, to sit right over his heart when he said that. I was taken aback. Thrown for a loop would be an understatement.

"What are you doing here? In my bed?"

He let go and got up immediately, taking a seat in my desk chair instead. "I'm sorry, I just..." He was leaned over, elbows on his knees, and let his head dip down into his hands. He slid them back through his hair, which was hanging loose around his face tonight. "I'm sorry."

"For what exactly?" I sat there, watching him with conflicted eyes. Part of me wanted to go climb into his lap, be close, and hold onto him. The other part wanted to throw things at him.

"Jess, I got scared."

"Great. You got scared. Not like I wasn't scared when I thought I might lose everything, because of you marking me, but I stuck by it. So, you saying you got scared just doesn't cut it."

"That's just it, you don't understand. I wasn't afraid for me. I was, I still am afraid of what will happen to you. I'm not the only one. The talk your dad had with me, it wasn't about anything that happened in here the other night, it was about my family. He wanted to know what would happen if they told us no to our bonding. What would happen to the Lesser girl who dared to fall for the Ancient? He had a lot of good points. My family, the Ancients, they're all a bit more animal than human, Jess. They let their wolves lead, and that's not always a good thing. And they are powerful. The Ancients could swoop in and swallow your pack whole, just because they're in a bad mood."

"I understand all that, but you didn't even have the common courtesy to tell me. Not to my face, not over the phone, hell I didn't even get a fuck off text from you. I got nothing. Hell, I got more compassion from some dude in my class whose name I can't even remember."

"It took everything I had not to rip that boy to shreds when I saw you with him." I slid to the edge of the bed, and threw my legs over it.

"I don't understand that. You are willing to toss me away like yesterday's garbage, yet you say you were jealous." My posture suddenly mirrored his, head in my hands, frustration seeping through my pores.

"Not like garbage, Jess. And I wasn't willing to toss you away. I was willing to save you, even if it was at my expense."

"It was most definitely at my expense."

"Jess," he moved forward so fast I almost didn't see it happen. Evan was on his knees in front of me with my hands in his, calling out my name. "Jess, please, look at me." I did. His black hair formed a frame around both sides of his face as those deep cobalt eyes penetrated right into my soul. "I'm sorry. I was wrong, and I can't do it. I can't walk away from you." He leaned forward, wrapping his arms around me, and snuggling his head into my lap. "Please, forgive me for being stupid, and let's go back to getting to know one another."

"And what about when your family comes?"

"We'll deal with it then. If we need to run, we will."

"Right now, I just want to sleep." I had never been so tired in all my life, and a quick glance at the clock on my desk said it was three in the morning. Evan scooted me backwards on the bed, and climbed in right beside me. I wasn't sure how I felt about everything, but there was a part of me that just wanted the comfort of being curled up with him. So, that's what I did. I curled up with him behind me, and fell asleep like that.

***

### THE WHITE

"Jess, we need to get you to class today." Ashley was saying as she burst through my bedroom door. I looked up at her, and when she realized I wasn't alone in the bed, a surprised, "oh," escaped her lips. That's when Evan threw his pillow at her.

"She'll be down in a few minutes."

"Right," Ashley turned and left the room, shutting the door behind her. I hid the smile that was on my face, because I didn't want him to know he amused me. I was still angry about how completely stupid he had been. I wasn't the type to forgive easily, and Evan had hurt me yesterday, even if he thought he had good reason to do it. I started to slide to the bottom of the bed, so I wouldn't have to crawl over him to go get some clean clothes.

Evan reached out and caught me, pulling me back to him. "We need to talk, Jess."

"Fine, but it's going to have to be later. I didn't set an alarm. I have literally 15 minutes to get dressed and get my ass out that door or I will end up late for class. Professor Tanner will lock me out."

"Okay, when are you done with classes today?"

"I'll be done around three."

Evan let go of me so that I could get up and grab some clothes. "Can you meet me at the club afterwards? I have some things to finish up there before we reopen, but I should have it all under control by then."

"Yeah, I will swing by around 5ish."

His eyebrow crooked up in question, probably wondering what the delay was, but if I wasn't getting a shower right now, I was definitely going to grab one before I went to see him. I grabbed a fresh pair of jeans and a t-shirt, and slipped out to the bathroom.

Ten minutes later I was dressed, teeth brushed, hair sort of taken care of, and heading down the stairs. I had only been mildly disappointed when Evan wasn't in my room still when I was done, but I figured he had to get his day started too, and we had plans to talk later.

"So," Ashley said as I hit the bottom step, "you want to tell me what that was all about?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, last night, you had a hate-on for Evan, and today I find him curled up with you in your bed."

"We were fully clothed." I said, as if that was as defense for something. "I don't know, Ash. We're going to talk later. I don't like what he did, and I'd be lying if I said it didn't worry me a little about what kind of future I could have with him, if he's so willing to just drop me like that the first time he's afraid of something."

"He wasn't just afraid of something though, Jess. He was afraid for you."

"We need to get to class, can we have this talk on the way?" She smiled at me, and started heading for the front door. "Did you sleep here last night too?"

"No, we stayed at Jack's place last night." I didn't have to ask who the "we" in her statement was.

"How did he react to you and Asriel showing up together?"

"There was a small scuffle, and then they made up. I think all's good now."

"Small scuffle?" When we got outside Asi was there on the porch, speaking in hushed tones with Evan. I thought he had already left, so I was a little surprised to see them both there. Asi had a ?black eye. I snickered when he looked my way, and he shot me a dirty look. "Black and blue looks good on you!"

"Yeah, well puffy hot mess looks fantastic on you." He got me right in the gut on that one. My hand immediately flew up to my face, as I turned to go get in my Jeep.

"Damn it," I mumbled under my breath.

"You don't look bad, Jess. He's just trying to get you back." Asi came over and gave Ashley a hug, and a lingering kiss goodbye. "You're going to be in trouble for that later, mister." She threatened, but it didn't really sound like she meant it in a way that he would mind. That was somewhat annoying. Evan didn't bother to come over, he waved to me as he got in the car, and I turned to start the Jeep.

"Okay, you two need to break it up, we have to go or I will be late." Ashley got in, and we took off for town.

"So..."

"So, what?" I asked.

"Are you going to tell me what happened after I left last night?"

"Yeah, I fell asleep, and I woke up to a man's arms wrapped around me."

"You're kidding? He just climbed in bed with you, and didn't say a word?"

"Yeah, then he apologized, and tried to explain himself." I sighed. "I was just too tired to hash it all out last night, so he curled up with me and we fell asleep. There's really nothing to tell."

"Well, that's a start. Jess, he cares about you. Asi admitted that much to me. He said that he's never seen Evan care for someone before like he does for you. So, keep that in mind when you have your talk later."

"Yeah, okay. So, Asi's eye..." I smiled. "Good for Jack."

"That's just mean."

"Aw, come on, he deserved it a little bit."

"Yeah, he probably did. So, what do you think is going to happen when you talk to Evan later? I mean, you didn't turn him away when he came back last night, so that's something, right?"

"I'm conflicted, Ash. If it weren't for yesterday... I was falling so hard for him. He's been a gentleman with me. He's fun, and oh God is he sexy! He's intelligent, when I talked to him about what I wanted to study psychology for, he actually understood, and thought it was a good idea. He holds me, and I feel like I am literally the only woman on the planet, and that he's there to protect me. He kisses me, and I just melt from the inside out."

"But?"

"But, then yesterday happened. How can he be there to protect me, and make me feel safe and secure if his reaction at the first sign of trouble was to run away from me instead. Even if he thought he was keeping me from being hurt, he turned out to be the one hurting me."

"Aw, Jess, I wish I had advice to make it all better. It doesn't help that this is the first real relationship you were ever in. A part of me wishes you'd taken my advice a couple years ago and just dated a few people here and there. I know it's not the way your pack does things, but Asi was telling me the other day that other Lesser packs actually allow it, more as a rite of passage before bonding type thing."

"Yeah, well, I never really was interested in anyone though. I didn't even like the guys in my pack. Maybe, I'm just weird. I mean, I am the one wolf who has to stay hidden from the others because I don't look right, remember?" I shook my head, as I drove us into the parking lot behind the school's theater. "We'll talk later, okay? I need to run by your place after class and grab a shower and change, is that okay?"

Ashley gave me a knowing smile. "You know it's always okay, and Jess.."

"Yeah?"

"There must still be hope if you want to clean up and smell good!" I laughed as she gave me a suggestive look and then we went our separate ways.

I was rounding the corner down the hallway where my class was, completely lost in thought, when someone put their arm out in my way to stop me. I looked up to see Zach standing there. I had two minutes to get through the doors before my professor shut them. I tried shoving past him. "You aren't supposed to be around me."

"Actually I was told to stay clear of you when you are on pack lands. They said nothing about seeing you out in town." As I tried to shove past Zach again, he put his whole body in front of me. "I just want a quick conversation, Jess."

"I don't have time for a quick conversation, my professor is going to lock me out if I'm late."

"This psychology thing is dumb anyway, our kind don't need their heads shrunk." The clank of the door behind Zach told me I was too late.

"AGghhh! Seriously, you're an asshole! I only get one day to miss in that class. ONE! And you just wasted it."

"Good, that means you have time to talk now." He tried to put his arm around my hips, and turn me in the opposite direction, but I stood firm.

"Get your hands off of me, Zach." I let my power roll out just a little with my words.

"Fine!" He said, holding his hands up in the air, "but I don't think the teachers around here are going to like us having a conversation out in the hallway, especially since you like to get all loud and passionate when you think you're right."

I threw the most hateful glare I could muster his way, and stalked off to the fountain in the quad. I didn't say a word until we got there, but I definitely knew I wasn't going anywhere with him that wasn't completely in the public eye. "Here we are, a place to talk."

"I was hoping for a more intimate setting, Jess."

"That's just too damn bad. And you know, you may not be breaking the rule about coming around me, but you aren't supposed to be off pack lands either."

"Come on Jess, like you never broke a rule! Give me a break."

"Whatever, what did you want, Zach?"

"I heard you and your Ancient friend are on the outs. I wanted to tell you there weren't any hard feelings and I'm here for you if you changed your mind."

"If I changed my mind?"

"Yeah, even though you humiliated me in front of the entire pack, I am willing to take you back, Jess." I was flabbergasted. My jaw quite literally fell as far as it was possible, and I just stared, open mouthed at Zach. "I just figured... look, we can tell everyone how he bowled you over with all that power the Ancients have, and made you think you were in love with him. I mean, everyone is pretty much saying that's what had to have happened anyway. You've never really cared about guys before, aside from me, a little bit."

"Wait, so you and the rest of the pack think that I was mind-raped into a relationship with an Ancient, and that now that it looks like I've somehow gotten myself free from his evil powers, I will want you back?"

"Well, yeah, that sounds like the running theory."

I laughed. I laughed hard. Tears came to my eyes, and I even snorted a little before I was able to get the words out. "I was never bowled over by power, our energies matched. Our wolves actually liked one another, and he didn't think my ideas about werewolf psychology were stupid. He never once tried to use his abilities to mind-rape me the way you attempted to, twice!" I stood up, preparing to walk away. "Even if I were never going to see Evan again, I can promise you this, it would never be you!"

"You don't know what you're saying!" Zach was on his feet, hand wrapped in a firm grip around my arm, just above my elbow, trying to tug me off toward the trees.

"Stop, and get your hands off me, Zach!"

"NO! I'm done playing the nice guy, you're coming with me, and we are going to get down to the business of bonding."

"Um, no we are most certainly not!" I was pulling away from him now, even as his grip was getting tighter on my arm. "LET GO!" I shrieked. My temper was starting to flair, and my wolf was ready to rip him to shreds. A warning growl came from deep within me, and I knew when he looked at my face he could see my bright green eyes glowing with the unnatural luminescence that all wolves eyes glowed with.

"Calm it down, Jess. You're going to change in front of everyone if you don't."

"Get off of me!" I shouted again.

"No!" He shouted back, pulling harder on my arm.

My hands were starting to change, and claws were beginning to form. I stopped trying to pull Zach's hand free of my arm, and the second claws erupted from my fingertips, I swatted the side of Zach's face with them. He hadn't been expecting it, and he dropped my arm when the shock and pain of what I had done hit him. "You can go to hell!" I yelled as I ran off in the opposite direction, across campus to where my Jeep was parked. He didn't follow. Considering things had just gone to shit, I was about to blow off the rest of the day. I took off in the direction of Ashley's apartment, and on the way, I had a chat with my dad about Zach.

"No, dad, I'm fine. I'm heading to Ashley's for a while, and I'm supposed to meet Evan later to work things out. I refuse to allow Zach to stop me from living my life."

"Be careful, Jess. He knows where Ashley lives."

"Don't worry, I have more than just the locks thrown on the doors. I'm getting a shower, so don't freak out if I don't answer the phone right away or anything, okay?"

"Jessica, please, just come home where you'll be safe."

"No offense dad, but you didn't even know Zach wasn't on pack lands, how safe am I going to be there?"

"Damn it! I will deal with Zach soon enough."

"Okay, well in the meantime, I will be taking a shower, and grabbing something to eat. I'll check in with you soon, I promise."

I hung up with my dad and found my stash of clothes I kept at Ashley's house. Once I got an outfit together that I thought would at least look decent for my meeting with Evan later, I went to the bathroom and got the shower started up. I had just taken every last stitch of my clothing off, and put one damn foot into the shower when someone came slamming in the door. Evan and his brother stood there, getting an eye full of every piece of me. I jumped in the shower and pulled the curtain across the front of me. "Seriously?"

Evan was pushing Mikael out of the bathroom, but not before Mikael let out a wolf whistle. "Sorry Jess, you're dad called and we rushed right over here."

"And you thought, what? The shower was killing me? Jesus, it's one thing for you to see me naked, since that's already happened, but your brother too?"

"We'll just wait out here for you to finish up, and..." his voice tapered off as he caught sight of the finger marks that were bruising my arm just above my elbow. There was no denying the angry growl that came out of that man's throat as he came closer to inspect the damage. "Did he touch you anywhere else?"

"No."

Evan reached out and placed his hand on my arm gently, tracing over the finger marks that were turning purple there. "Are you sure, Jess?"

"I'm sure, and he got a face full of my claws for this."

He smiled a little at that, and backed up a step. "I'll be out here," he said quietly as he left. "When you're done, we're going to head back to the club. I don't want to have to worry about you."

"I haven't eaten anything today, I was going to go grab some food."

"I'll order you something. You're dad has people out looking for Zach. When I get my hands on him, a couple scratches on his face are going to be the least of his problems." He left me alone in the bathroom then, and it was the first time I really thought to look down at my arm. I was suddenly glad that I really took the time to dig my claws into his cheek. I hoped he wasn't able to find a spot to shift and heal. I wanted him to wear them for a while.

I washed, and got dressed, only taking the time to towel dry my hair a little bit before I walked out into Ashley's living room. Asi and Ashley were sitting there too. "Wow, sorry, I didn't realize I took that long in there."

Ashley laughed. "You didn't, Asi came and got me when your dad called Evan. I can't believe that bastard." She was moving toward me, and it took me a minute to see that she was looking at my arm. "What the hell happened? When I left you, you were on your way to class."

"I never made it. I was right outside when he stopped me from going in. When my professor locked me out I walked down to the fountain in the quad, to see what the asshole wanted because he wouldn't leave me alone, and I wanted to be in as public a place as possible."

"Okay, but what did he want?" Ashley asked again.

"Apparently word's out with the pack that Evan didn't really want me after all, and Zach came to make his claim on me again. He told me he would forgive me, because everyone believed I was just power drunk, or mind raped anyway." The glass of water in Evan's hand shattered as he listened to what I told Ashley.

"Well, there you go making a fine mess of this girl's life, brother." Mikael added a little insult to injury with that comment, and Evan huffed out an angry, animal sound that I hoped to never hear again.

"Don't!" He seethed at Mikael.

"Look, why don't we get her back to the club, while everyone figures out what's going on, it's safer there. And you can be mad at me all day long, but after the shit you pulled yesterday, what did you expect to happen?"

I wondered exactly how much Mikael knew about what had happened yesterday, possibly more than I knew myself since he was around his brother when Evan talked to their family. Maybe later I could convince one of them to shed some light on things for me. I sat down and put my shoes on, and then grabbed my bag, ready to go.

Asi and Ashley took Evan's car, and Mikael and Evan piled in my Jeep with me on the way there. It was only five blocks, but they wanted me to have my car nearby in case I needed to get home. We were two blocks away from the club when my stomach decided to try to eat itself, growling louder than even my wolf was possible. Mikael snickered from the back seat.

"Shut it!" I snipped. "I haven't eaten anything since coffee yesterday morning. I'm starving."

Mikael eyed me through the rear view mirror. "What's your favorite food?"

"Cajun." I said at the same time as Evan.

"Interesting, okay." He pulled out his phone, started playing around with it for a minute, and then he was talking to someone from Angelique's. He ordered just about everything on the menu, asking them to bring it over to De 'Lune's. "Yes, sweetheart, that is the old Hypnotic, and hopefully, we'll see you there for the grand re-opening!" I quirked my brow up at him. "What? He's going to get the bill, I just ordered."

"Whatever," I said as I parked the Jeep out front. "I'd appreciate it

if you didn't have me towed." I said to Evan as we got out. He smiled, but his sense of humor was missing tonight, and every time he caught sight of the bruise on my arm, his mood seemed to worsen.

I noticed the new sign outside, where the old neon blue Hypnotic used to be there was now a cobalt blue lit sign with De' Lune's on it in fancy lettering. It did not prepare me for what I saw when we moved through the front door though. I was amazed at how much a place could change in such little time. "Oh my God! It's like bar fairies came in at night, and transformed everything. How did you get this done so quickly?"

"Money talks, sweetheart!" Mikael answered as he swept past me heading for the bar. "We're expecting a rather large order of food from Angelique's, please see to it that it's brought to us in the back room." Mikael ordered the bartender around, before heading in back.

"Well, he's made himself right at home, I see."

Annoyance glazed Evan's words as he answered, "yes, he has." He turned to me, "are you okay with the food he ordered? I can get you something else if you want."

"It's fine. You know I love their food, and right now, I wouldn't turn down a peanut butter and jelly sandwich."

"How is it possible for you to forget to eat for a full day anyway?" He asked, and when he saw the look on my face, I am sure he was mentally kicking himself.

"Stress. Some people over eat when they're stressed. I forget to. It's whatever."

"It's not whatever, Jess. I'm truly sorry for yesterday. I wish I could go back and undo it, especially since your pack thinks..."

"That you don't want me anymore?"

"It's not true. I probably want you too much, enough that I'm willing to ignore all the dangers, and just try to protect you as they pop up. I didn't think we'd have to worry about problems within your pack though. Your dad assured me he's handling it though."

"I have no doubt." The loft area that was built to overlook the bar was finished, and complete with lush looking blue couches, and chrome railings to keep the drunks from plummeting to their deaths. "This place looks amazing, Evan!"

"Thank you. When I first came here, I saw Hypnotic, and this is what I envisioned it looking like when I came in. Not the run down, worn out look it had before. I'm not knocking it at all, because they did a mean business, but the owner wasn't interested in putting any money back into upkeep. It wouldn't have been long before it started losing clientele."

"How did you ever convince him to sell the place?"

"As my brother would say, money talks." He smiled at me. "And old Harvey wanted to retire on a nice beach somewhere with his new wife. She was twenty three years younger than him, and very insistent. I owe the sale mostly to her."

"I see. Well, you and Mikael seem to be getting along better."

"Mikael and I are capable of being good to one another. As with any sibling relationship though, we have our moments of disagreement."

"Mmmhmmm." I turned the corner from the area where the fancy new pool tables took the place of the old shabby ones, and I was floored by the changes to the back room. Everything was polished dark wood, and dark blue cushions. There were new lounges, tables, and mirrors along the walls that opened the space up and made it appear larger than the area truly was. It was immaculate, homey, and inviting while being a damn classy place to slouch around with a drink in your hand. It was actually what my ideal vision of a personal library would be if the walls were covered in books. I loved this room instantly, and I'm sure it showed on my face.

"Ah, she definitely approves of this room, look at that face!" Mikael said from his seat on one of the lounges near the corner.

"This is... wow!" I managed to spit out, as I spun around slowly, taking in all the detail. The molding and trim work around the edges of the walls and doorways appeared to be hand carved with intricate designs that looked suspiciously like the lunar stages. "It's gorgeous! I never want to leave this room again!"

"I know, right? I told him this would be your favorite. It reminds me of that magazine you showed me once."

"Mmm, the theater room that I said would make a wonderful library."

"Yeah, only you would want to turn a theater room that exquisite into a library, Jess." Ashley laughed at me. She was beyond smart, but reading for fun was not her thing.

Evan was beaming at me, but it was Mikael that spoke up. "Didn't you model this after a theater you saw somewhere?"

"I did." He said, and then he came over to take the seat beside me.

"No way," I countered.

"I assure you, I did."

"You two were made for one another." Ashley chimed in.

I stiffened, and then slid out of my seat, all of a sudden uncomfortable. "I need to go use the bathroom." I said by way of apology, and I took off in the direction we had just come.

"I'm sorry, Jess." Ashley said as she caught up with me. "I thought maybe you two had already straightened everything out."

"When would we have had the chance to do that?" I questioned as I pushed the bathroom door open and walked over to the sink. My hair was a hot mess. "Oh shit! You are a horrible friend. Why didn't you tell me my hair was a giant ball of freaky frizz?"

"I figured you knew." She shrugged. I threw a glance her way that said I most definitely didn't.

I ran my hands under the water in the new, very posh, polished sink and started wetting my hair down. Luckily I still had my bag attached to my shoulder when I got up to walk off, so I dug around in it for my brush, and slicked my hair down a little.

"So, what's going on? Why the panic face, and run to the bathroom?"

"Ash, the past two days have been a damn roller coaster. Every time I think I've got my feet under me someone comes and kicks them back out again. What the hell am I supposed to do?"

"For starters, let the man apologize, and then let him love you, because honestly, I can see it in everything he does. He really wants that. And I know you do too. And maybe it's not love yet, but I think it's headed there for both of you." She came over and pulled me into a tight hug, and whispered in my ear. "It's okay to be happy, Jess." I let out the world's biggest sigh, and hugged her back before we left the bathroom, and started heading back to my favorite room in the place. "Oh, and Jess," she stopped us right there. "Watch that brother of his. I don't like the way he looks at you."

"What do you mean?" I was asking, but the bar tender was walking back towards us with some strange guy, and they were loaded down with food. I walked over, and offered my help. The four of us entered the newly remodeled lounge area, and started loading up the various tables with food. It smelled so good my stomach was growling loudly again.

"Sit, and let me get you something together for you." Evan said, smiling at me.

"Okay."

"What would you like to drink?" He asked as he turned back to me.

"Just a coke."

"Grab us two cokes, and whatever everyone else is having, Dave."

"Yes sir," the bartender said as he left the room. I watched as Evan handed over a large wad of bills, and then came to join me on the lounge. He slid in with plenty of room between us, and part of me felt badly about that, so when he handed me my food, I slid closer in order to get it. I didn't miss the smile that crossed his face when I made the gesture. It was a gorgeous smile. I was still worried about what the future held for me, I had to face the fact that he had at least pushed me away thinking he was keeping me safe; and he was being punished enough now that it all but backfired on him.

After I shoveled several forkfuls of food into my mouth, like I had zero table manners, I stopped and went for the phone in my pocket. I hadn't realized it was vibrating at first. "Crap," I said as it slipped out of my fingers. Mikael reached down and caught it before it hit the floor.

"Maybe, you should wipe your hands off first."

"Mmm mmm" I managed around the mouthful of food I still had to swallow. By the time I reached for a napkin, Evan's phone was ringing instead. He answered it, and then handed it to me. I swallowed and said "hello?"

"Jess, I tried calling your phone." It was my dad.

"I know, I dropped it. I was in the middle of eating some food."

"Okay, well I just wanted you to know we found Zach. He walked right back into the pack lands, like he wouldn't be in trouble. I guess he didn't think you'd tell anyone what happened."

"He's an idiot."

"He tried to say you two were establishing your pairing again since things didn't work out between you and Evan."

"Yeah, well tell him he heard wrong, and that nothing ever ended with me and Evan. Then lock his ass up!"

"I'm glad to hear that, and he's already locked up. And Jess... I'm sorry about my part in that mess yesterday."

"Yeah, I get it, dad. Everyone's sorry. It's done. Let's not talk about it. I have to go for now, because I'm starving, was there anything else?"

"No, I just wanted to let you know you didn't have to worry about him anymore tonight."

"Thanks." I said as I hung up, and handed Evan his phone back. He was staring at me with a smirk on his face. "What?" I asked.

"Does that mean I'm forgiven?"

"It's not polite to eavesdrop on other people's conversations, Evan."

"Well, you were using my phone..." His smile grew wider, and I loved seeing it there, but the noises of other people eating drew my attention away from him momentarily. Everyone was watching, without trying to be obvious about it.

"We'll talk later, in private, okay?"

"Yeah." He seemed a little disappointed by that, but I was hungry, and needed to get more food on my stomach before I dealt with anything else.

"So, is this place really ready to open again tonight?"

"Everything's done, we had some staffing changes, but nothing that can't accommodate a large crowd. I don't see why not." Evan answered.

"I still can't believe you got all this done so fast. This is like a different place. I love it!"

"Hopefully everyone else will love it too."

"I'm sure they will." I smiled.

Asi cleared his throat, and stood holding out his hand to Ashely. "I'm going to take Ash back to her place to change before tonight." He looked at me then, "your father said they have Zach held, right?"

"Yes, they have him."

"Did you want to come along?" He looked at my jeans and t-shirt as if to say I wasn't exactly dressed for opening night. Asi could definitely be a jerk sometimes.

"I don't have anything better than this at the apartment. My clothing supply there is tapped out."

"You could borrow something from Ashley." He suggested.

"You're such a man! Look at us," I said as I stood. "I've got 8 inches of height on her, and she's got three times the boobs. Do you really think that's going to work out?" Mikael snickered from somewhere behind me, and Evan stood up and came to my rescue.

"I'll take her shopping, Asi. You and Ashley can go ahead, I have this covered."

"Buying my forgiveness with gifts?" I said with a completely straight face. When his face contorted into one of shock, I laughed. "Don't worry, I'm okay with that, let's go shopping."

Mikael was laughing right along with me. "You have your hands full there, brother!"

In all honesty, I had been kidding when I told Evan that. I am not a shopper. I go with Ashley on occasion, because she asks, and sometimes I even buy things that I think are pretty. When it comes to shopping for myself though, if something doesn't catch my eye right off the bat when I walk into a store and scan over the displays and racks, chances are, I will never see it. I don't dig, I don't go blow for blow with another woman over the last pair of size 7s. Mostly, because my size ten and a half shoes are never fought over, if they ever even existed in the first place. If I were ever to be a shopper, or a passionate fashionista about anything, it would be shoes. That is if there were ever more than 3 pairs of shoes in my size in any given store to choose from. Since the world in which my shoe fetish dreams could play out didn't exist, I did not enjoy shopping. I grab what's necessary and I go. This is something that apparently Evan couldn't grasp.

"You're a woman, aren't you guys built to shop? I thought I might not make it back in time for the opening, and you're telling me that you are already done. We've been in here five minutes. You walked over to that rack, and literally picked up an entire outfit, and now you're done? No changing your mind, trying on three different sets that you know are too small for you?" He seemed astounded, and the cashier was getting her flirt on with Evan through laughter.

"Seriously, this is how I shop. Ashley hates it, because I'm always so impatient when she does all those things you mentioned. I see it, I want it, I get it. I know my size, and I'm not changing my mind. Are you happy now?" I turned to look at him, and gave him my cutest smile possible.

"That will be $53.66." The cashier said, also giving Evan her cutest smile. I handed her the credit card my father gave me. The one that was paid off every month with the money my grandfather had left for me. Evan frowned when the woman took the card and swiped it before he had a chance to take his own out.

"When I said I was taking you shopping, I meant it. That was supposed to be on me."

"I don't need you to buy my outfit for me, I have money."

"Did it ever occur to you that I wanted to do it?"

"Well, honey, if you're buying... there's plenty of other girls in here," the clerk pointed to herself, "who would be more than happy to let you."

"Uggh," I said out loud as I sneered her way. I grabbed my credit card, and my bag back from her, and stalked off. Evan followed behind me, ignoring her comment.

"Women like that are why men think they can buy us off."

"I wasn't trying to buy you."

I turned to see the disappointment on his face. "I didn't mean you, Evan. Thank you. It was a really nice gesture, but I'm just not comfortable with people buying things for me. Maybe, one day I will be, but for now, can I just thank you for bringing me here. You had no clue what kind of shopper I was when we started out. That makes you super brave, or a little dumb. Either way, it was sweet, because tonight's your big night." I leaned in closer and put my arms around his waist, hugging him close to me. It only took a moment for him to return the gesture, and I could literally feel the stress drop away from him. It was the first real touch I had initiated since we fought. He kissed the top of my head.

"Let's get back to my place so we can get ready." He started to move, which made me have to turn, but I kept one of my arms locked around his hip, and his remained around my shoulder as we walked. When we got back to the car, he did the gentlemanly thing, and opened my door for me, but I turned to face him instead of climbing in and sitting down. I kissed him, bringing my hand up around his neck to cup the back of his head and bring him in closer to me. He happily kissed me back.

When I finally pulled away I whispered, "I missed your kisses. I didn't know it was possible to miss a person's kisses in just one day."

"It's definitely possible. I really don't know what I was thinking. I've never craved someone so much in my life, Jess."

"I understand. I don't like what you did, but I get it. Let's get back to the house, before you're late to your own party!" I turned and got in the car.

When he got in the car, I automatically felt like I had to fill up the space with talking because the last 24 hours had just been too awkward. "So, what do you think they're going to do with Zach?"

"Are you worried about him?" I couldn't quite place Evan's tone as he asked the question.

"I'm not worried about him, just curious as to what they're going to do with him. Listen, I grew up with Zach. He turned into a douche sometime after he went through his last transition, and I really didn't like the guy anymore after that, but we still grew up together. I don't wish him harm, I just wish him out of my life. I think part of his bad behavior is to do with the way Marcus brought him up."

"Isn't Marcus his Uncle?"

"Yes, but Zach's dad died when he was young, and his mom... well, she wasn't the best mom, or wolf for that matter. No one ever talked about it in front of him, but rumor was she's the one the unmated men in the pack went to for a good time when they were lonely. It's not like she really tried to hide it either. That's why Zach was always with Marcus. There was a time I felt bad for him, because even though we never talked about it in front of him, he knew."

"Well, I didn't grow up with him or form any kind of childhood bonds, so trust me when I say, I don't wish him well." Evan looked down at my arm then. "Maybe you should shift to wolf for a while when we get back to my place, just long enough to speed up the healing on that."

"Yeah, I didn't even think about the bruises when I bought that top. It'll show, then people will wonder who did it to me." I was pretty sure Evan wouldn't want me on his arm for the opening of his club if it looked like he was beating me behind the scenes.

We got back to Evan's house, and went inside to get ready. I immediately went to the guest bathroom, while he went to go get his clothes out of his closet. I dropped my clothes, so I could shift into my wolf form, and when I did I just lie down on the cool tile of the bathroom for a minute. My wolf knew that I was indoors, and she didn't stand a chance of being let out, so she was okay with just chilling out for a little while. I heard Evan's footsteps getting closer, he was coming to check on me. I looked up just as he rounded the corner to the bathroom, and watched him stop, suck in a breath, and have to pick his jaw up off the floor all at once.

"Holy..." he started and couldn't get any more words out. He took a very tentative two steps closer, then leaned down and reached his hand out so my wolf could smell him. I had already picked up his scent, and my wolf was okay with him. She nuzzled her nose into his hand, and he slowly slid his hand up and over my head, back behind my ears, and down my back. "This is what you meant when you said you didn't have markings?" The awe in his voice was unmistakable. I whined, a small noise from the back of my throat. I wasn't sure why he was looking at me the way he was, and it made my wolf a little nervous. "Jesus, you're beautiful Jess." His words were whispered in reverence. "Now, I understand your dad's talk. He must have thought I'd seen your wolf already." Okay, that did it. I couldn't ask questions when I was the wolf, and I desperately needed to now, so I shifted back, and found myself lying naked in front of Evan.

"You need to explain yourself." He seemed startled by my sudden shift, and backed up a little. "Can you hand me that towel? I had left the towel on the rack back behind him fully prepared to be human again already when I needed it. He got up and grabbed it for me, but he never took his eyes off me. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Seriously, Jess? Do you not know?"

"Do I not know what?" I stood up, wrapping the towel around my body, and then sitting on the edge of the tub. "You're looking at me like I just grew two heads. I know you've seen people in their wolf form before, what's the big deal?"

"Jess, you're a white wolf!"

"Yeah, I know, been that way since my calling."

"You said before that your parents wouldn't let you shift around the others. Did they not explain why?"

"Just because I didn't have any markings, and that was rare, so they didn't want me to be shunned for being different. Wolves can be cruel to one another sometimes."

"You're a white wolf, Jess. They are incredibly rare. There's one born maybe every couple hundred years. How long ago did you complete your full transition?"

"A couple months, why?"

"No wonder they were still able to hide it. Jess, you're going to come into a lot of power very soon. It happens within a year of the last phase of transition."

"Maybe you need to start from the beginning, because I have no clue what you're talking about."

"Jess, I think you need to get dressed. We'll go do this club opening, and then have this talk with your parents. They should have already told you, but I guess it's possible they don't really understand. I've never heard of a Lesser being a white wolf."

"Okay, well now that you've freaked me out, that sounds like a good plan, because I need a drink or six to get over the past 24 hours already. And it sounds like something my parents need to be there for."

***

### DE' LUNE

The opening night of De' Lune's Nightclub went off without a hitch. It was a phenomenal success. On a personal level, it meant a lot to me too. Evan didn't move five feet from me the whole night. When we got too far apart, he would make sure to come and check on me, get me a new drink, or just come give me a very public kiss. At one point in the night he whispered to me, "so there's no mistaking my feelings for you again," and then planted a deep, hot, steamy kiss on me that literally buckled my knees. His arms were there to catch me and keep me upright, and while no one else saw the impact that kiss had on me, he knew.

I found Ashley before we left, "Ash, I'd like for you and Asi to come home with me tonight."

Asi overheard my request and piped up first. "Sounds like a lot of fun Jess, but I'm pretty sure Evan would kick my ass if we took you up on that party of three."

I punched him in his very solid chest. "You're a jerk, and that is so not what I meant." I turned from him to Ash. "Evan saw my wolf earlier, and he said he needs to speak to me about it, with my parents."

"Wait, what do you mean?" That caught Asi's attention, without a wisecracking remark.

"Oh, because you're different." Ashley finally remembered. "I almost forgot about you never running with the pack, or anything. Does he know something about why you don't have any markings?"

"No markings? That's what this is about? It's rare, but not unheard of for a wolf to be solid color. I don't see what the big deal is."

Evan walked up then and shushed us. "There are still people present that can overhear us. How about we all get in our cars and drive out to Jess's house. We're still going to your family's cabin tomorrow, right Ashley?"

"Yeah, we are."

"Then we'll just leave from there. You wanted to arrive with Jack to spring the news about you being a wolf on your parents anyway."

"Oh God, I feel so left out, what's going on now?" I asked.

"Remember, we're supposed to go see my family this weekend. Only I wasn't a wolf yet when we made the plans, and you made Jack call mom, so he's going too, finally. He only agreed for us to go if we brought along muscle in case things went bad though. You know, bigger wolves that could talk Jack and I down if we got upset and started to shift."

"Oh, yeah, I get it now. I can't believe Jack's still worried about that. It's been two years for him."

"Do you remember my parents? They can piss a butterfly off when they're in a mood!"

"Yeah, okay, I get it. Can we get going? I've had a lot of fun tonight, but something tells me I'm in for a world of strange when we get to my house."

I damn near fell asleep on the way to my house. We took my Jeep, and Asi and Ashley took Evan's car. When we pulled up the lights were on in the house, which struck me as odd, because it was going on three in the morning, and my parents would normally be sleeping.

"I talked to them earlier, and told them to be expecting us, Jess."

"Oh." I side-eyed him from my position in the passenger seat. "Sometimes, it's like you can read my mind."

"No, I just pay attention." He threw the Jeep in park, and got out, coming around to meet me by the door, and together we walked into the house. Asi and Ash had gone to her apartment to get a few things for our stay at Ashley's family's house, so they hadn't arrived with us.

As soon as we got to the door, my mom was there, throwing her arms around me. "Your father told me what happened with Zach today. I'm so sorry, Jess. I feel like you just keep getting stuck in a mess we've made for you."

"No, it's not your fault, mom. Zach's fucking nuts, and you didn't make him that way."

"Jess, language!"

"Mom, I'm an adult."

"So!"

"Fine." I relented. It was her house, after all.

My father greeted us at the door, and stepped aside so we could come in. Once we were all settled in the living room he was ready to get things started. "Okay, I've had a long damn day, and truth be told, I am ready for some sleep. So, what was so important it couldn't wait until tomorrow?"

"Jess is the white wolf." Evan said, and my parents both blanched. "Since she seemed at a loss as to why that is important, I wondered if it was just because you guys didn't understand fully what it meant."

I was stumped, looking back and forth between my parents and Evan like I was watching the ball flying over the net in a tennis game.

"We knew she was different. It wasn't until recently that we discovered how different. It wasn't until you marked her, that she was strong enough to resist the will of her elders here. Until then everything seemed normal, and we thought she was a white wolf in coloring only."

"So, for the past two weeks, you've known that she was more, and you didn't think it was important to tell her?"

"Um, guys, I am sitting right here. When is someone going to fill me in?

"We still don't understand ourselves," my mother interrupted everyone. "How can this be? We've always been told that the white wolf only ever presents in the Ancient clans, those with pure blood lines."

"Are you so sure you're blood line isn't pure?" Evan asked.

"I'm aware that I am of Ancient origin, but Eileen is not. Her grandfather was a human who was turned."

"Dad? You're an Ancient?"

"Believe it or not, some Ancients didn't hold to the beliefs that our lines were better without humans in them. Yes, both of my parents were Ancients. They wanted a simpler life though. They came to find this pack, and by sheer accident, my father wound up being the pack master. No one would have been able to beat him in a challenge, because he was an Ancient Alpha. It wasn't something he meant to put to the test though. Anyway, it's a long story, and not important to what's going on with Jess right now.

"I don't mean to be indecent in any way, but are you certain that your grandfather was your biological grandfather, Eileen?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"The kind I'm asking because your daughter is a white wolf, one that hasn't been seen in over three hundred years, and that have only presented to direct bloodline of Ancients."

"STOP!" I shouted at all of them. "No more asking if Gam Gam was a whore. No more talk of 'holy shit my dad's an Ancient.' I need for someone to fill me in on this white wolf stuff, and what it means for me."

"Jess," my mom shrunk in on herself. "We really didn't think it was possible, or we would have told you sooner."

"Sooner? You still haven't told me anything."

"The white wolf is revered among the Ancient, Jess. She is always female, and only seen once in every few generations and we live long lives unless something unnatural happens to us, so you have to understand it could be a couple to a few hundred years before another presents itself. The last white wolf died nearly two centuries ago, and my people thought it was a sign. The end of our people that the white wolf hasn't been around to rule her kind."

"To rule her kind?" I questioned.

"When a white wolf is born, she's normal, aside from her wolf's coloring when she goes through the changing. Within a year after transitioning completely though, she comes into a great amount of power. Over the next few years she will grow into even more, until the white wolf is the most powerful of our kind. She is our natural ruler. People like my father, the King of the Ancients, only rule when no white wolf has taken the place of the last. You haven't heard of a white wolf ruler, because there hasn't been one in so long."

"What the fuck?" I stood up and started pacing. "Mom? Did your family lie about who your grandfather was?"

"Jessica Marie!"

"No seriously, I think this is important. I need to know if this is possible? Am I going to turn into some white wolf freak? What if her grandfather really was a human who turned? Does that mean there's no way I can be this white wolf you're talking about?"

"Jess, we'll figure it out, but I am going to caution you, as your parents already have. Do not shift in front of others just yet. Has anyone other than Ashley and Jack ever seen your wolf?"

"Marcus has."

"What?" My dad asked.!

"He saw me once when I was alone out by the lake. He never said anything, but I knew he was there, watching from the tree line. I didn't think anything of it at the time, because I thought he was just out running, and saw an unfamiliar wolf, and stopped to see who it was. He saw me though, and he followed me home. He stayed far enough behind that it didn't spook me. And like I said, I thought he was just making sure he knew who it was, or that I got home safely. It wasn't long after the accident with Ashley, Jack, and Sierra."

"SHIT!" My dad yelled. "No wonder he was always so adamant about the union with Zach."

"We need to find him." Evan said.

"Don't worry, I will get my men on it first thing. I'll just tell them that he's been helping Zach try to stalk Jessica down to get back at me. They already hate his cowardice, and it will get them all riled up that much more."

"Maybe we should cancel the trip to see Ashley's family?"

"What? No! We can't do that. The cabin isn't far from here, it's just on the other side of pack lands. Marcus won't come that close. We'll be fine."

Ashley walked in then, having heard the last little bit of our conversation. "Why would you cancel coming to my family's cabin? Did you two have another tiff?"

"No, Ash. Apparently I really am a mutant, and Marcus is probably plotting to get me as a result."

"Oh, so... anyone want to fill us in?" Asi popped his head around the corner then, hands filled with bags.

"Where should I put all of this?" I pointed to the corner of the room. "A weekend, and she's packed for a month long excursion." He was mumbling under his breath, but we could all hear him.

"A girl always has to be prepared, Asi!" Ashley said to him. Then she turned back to me. I got up from the loveseat I had been sitting in, and went to sit on Evan's lap. The gesture surprised him, but I saw that smile streak across his face again, so it had been totally worth it.

"You can tell them. I'm tired, and I'm just going to sit here, in your lap, and listen. Maybe if I hear it again it will all sink in." Evan pulled me closer, so that my head was resting on his chest, near his shoulder, and he kissed the top of it, while he waited for Asriel and Ashley to settle in.

"So, what's up this time?" Ashley asked.

Evan started from the beginning with the white wolf history, all the way up to seeing me in his apartment earlier, and then explained that Marcus knows, and he's a danger. Ashley's face was priceless. She was literally looking at me like I had grown two heads. Asriel, meanwhile, looked like he was about to get sick.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't realize sooner." His eyes were bugging out of his head.

"Asi, she's still Jess. It's okay." Evan was laughing a little. I loved the feel of the vibration through his chest as he laughed.

"But, I've been so disrespectful. I bonded with her best friend without permission too..."

"Oh, I could have so much fun with this. I am suddenly seeing the perks!" I squealed and clapped my hands.

"Be nice!" Evan said, still laughing.

"Asriel," I stated in my most official sounding voice. I nearly lost it when he sat up straighter. "Don't ever change man, I will be pissed if you suddenly start acting like a little pansy ass twat around me."

"Jessica!" My mom started again, then just threw her hands up in the air, in her typical frustrated pose. "I'm going to bed, we can figure everything out in the morning." My father followed her to the back of the house. They had an entire master sweet on the lower level of the house. The upstairs was mine complete with my own bedroom, bathroom, and even another room that my mom let me turn into a little library when it was clear that I wasn't going to have any siblings.

"So, where are we to sleep tonight, your highness?" Asi started in on me. I was so happy that his usual sarcastic tone was back in his voice.

"The couch folds out, Ash knows where everything is." I got up off of Evan's lap, and pulled him forward with me, heading for the stairs. I was also thinking, it was really time to get my own place. I hadn't needed one before, but now every time I thought about bringing a man to my room in my parents' house, I was a little weirded out. Not that I had plans to get busy with him or anything, but still.

When we got upstairs I grabbed a pair of sleep shorts and a tank top to sleep in and went to the bathroom to change. Evan had already seen me completely nude a few times now, but I really didn't need the temptation. I promised my parents I would wait for our bonding. Actually, if I was being honest with myself, it wasn't even that holding me back. It was the fact that the last time we were intimate I had to face losing him the next day. When I finished changing and got back in my room I was surprised to see Evan had changed into sweats and a t-shirt. It was actually the first time I'd ever seen him dressed down, and honestly the look suited him just as well as his usual sleek casual style. "Hey," I said quietly.

"One of those bags Asi brought was mine."

"Oh, I was wondering." I walked over and climbed up on my bed, sliding over closer to the wall so Evan could get in behind me. We were lying face to face as his arm slipped around my waist, fingers rubbing little circles into my lower back. "Mmmm," the low moan was unintentional. "That feels good. I can't remember the last time someone scratched my back."

"Roll over."

I hesitated only briefly, but then when I turned facing away from him, he pulled the bottom of my tank top up far enough that he could reach under, and scratch long lines up and down the length of my back unhindered. If I had been part cat instead of wolf, I would have been purring. Hell, I think I may have been purring anyway. It felt that good. "Does this change things between us?" I asked, now that thoughts of my wolf had surfaced.

"Scratching your back? Maybe. You know the saying, I scratch your back, you scratch mine." I could hear the laughter in his voice.

"I have no problem with that, but that's not what I meant."

"We never did really get our talk in, did we?"

"No, we didn't."

"Okay, how about you tell me what worries you, and I address those things first."

"Okay." Now I felt slightly put on the spot, but any tension that built up seemed to slip right back away as he continued those long strokes up and down my back with his fingertips. "Me being a white wolf, does that change anything between us?"

"Other than me being more concerned about you, no."

"Why the worry? I mean, I guess I don't get it. If I am going to be the most powerful wolf or whatever, wouldn't that... doesn't that make me a bad ass that you shouldn't have to worry over so much?"

"Jess, the white wolf is revered and loved, but more than that, when she appears she's coveted. She's also feared by those in power. If anything, this makes my family more dangerous to you. Mikael can't know what you are. Just as Markus tried to bond you to his flesh and blood, others would too, because they think it will allow them sway in your decision making later. They think by being linked to you, they will achieve greater power as well. Then there are the others who think that by taking out the white wolf, men can continue to rule, as they are destined to."

"Our werewolf society was one of the few who accepted the supreme rule of a woman, and we flourished under the white wolf's rule before. Think about the world you live in, males are in charge of your pack and tell the females who they will bond with. In the human world, it's no different really. Males run things for the most part."

"Yeah, that's why the world's so screwed." I laughed, trying to lighten the subject. I didn't want to think about people wanting me dead just because I was a woman who would one day rule things. "Won't this make things easier with your family though? I mean, if we bond, then you'll be by my side."

"Jess, I'm not sure my father will want to relinquish his power, and certainly not to a woman and his third born son from a second mate."

"Oh." I turned over to face him again, effectively ending the back rub. "But even with all of this hanging over my shoulders, that doesn't change anything for you?"

"No. I've felt a pull to you since that first night, Jess. Like we were meant to be, and to be honest, I'm not one to play into the whole fate thing. When I left here the other night, it was out of respect for your father. He was more than a little pissed. I smelled like you, and in more than a scent exchange kind of way."

"Yeah, I remember." I felt the warmth that crept into my cheeks as images of what he had done to me that night danced around in my head.

"Well, I left, with every intention of coming back in the morning. Only when I got home, I had a call from my father to deal with, and he was not happy to hear that was possible bonding myself to a Lesser."

"I don't get that."

"I know. It's an old way of thinking. It actually stems from the white wolf. If there aren't any ancients around to produce one, then we will never see her rule again. You have to understand that under the white wolf's rule, we have known great prosperity. So, our laws were made up to ensure that we would always be guaranteed her return."

"There hasn't been one in a long time though. Surely that train of thought has to cease at some point."

"Yes and no. My father is stubborn in his ways. He doesn't like interbreeding, for his own reasons. He thinks we'll be diluting our pure blood if we mingle with the Lesser."

"And you? Do you think that?"

"I'm here, right now, aren't I?"

"Yeah, but there's a chance I might not be Lesser."

"True, but I liked you before we knew that." He reached up and gently brushed a stray piece of hair back from my face. "After I spoke with my father, who was none too happy with me, yours showed up. Don't be mad at him, Jess. He has your best interest at heart, and he was worried about the King coming down on you for daring to be with his son. He was right to worry. Between our two fathers, I started to see things from a different perspective. I had to think about whether or not I was putting you in harm's way by trying to be with you, no matter how much I wanted to be. I couldn't be the reason you were hurt, killed, or had to say goodbye to your family when we had to run. It killed me not to talk to you. I worked those poor contractors like slaves in the club to keep my mind off of you, off of everything. It didn't really work, and then Ashley texted me that I needed to talk to you..." The look that crossed his face was so sad. "I thought if I sent a cold message, you'd think I was just a jerk who took advantage of you and moved on. It would have been safer for you." He pulled me closer, as if just talking about it now was pushing us too far from each other. "When you drove by with that human, I thought I was going to rip the town apart. I wanted to rip him apart. I tore off after the car the moment you passed by, and I would have caught you had Mikael not tackled me, and tried to talk some sense into me." He sighed into my hair as he pulled me even closer. "Then you yelled at me, and wouldn't talk to me anymore, and I knew I had blown everything, and that I couldn't... I didn't want to be without you, Jess. I wasn't sure how to fix the stupid thing I'd done either. I came here, and you still wouldn't talk to me. I waited until Ashely had a chat with you, I wasn't sure she would help, but she understood what I had done. So, I was hopeful. Then I came up to try one more time, and you were sleeping. I curled up beside you, because I couldn't stand never being able to be that close to you again."

"Evan?"

"Yeah, Jess?"

"Don't ever do anything that stupid again."

"I won't. I promise."

"Good." I snuggled into him a little more, and kissed his neck, just under his chin, eliciting a soft moan from him. It made me smile as I inhaled his familiar spicy scent. "I'm so tired," I said through the middle of a yawn.

"Go to sleep, Jess. We can talk more tomorrow."

***

### MEETING THE FAMILY

In the morning, I awoke to the smell of bacon cooking downstairs. Bacon and coffee.

"Bless my momma. She's going to feed us all before we go!" I said as I sat up in the bed and stretched. Evan pulled me back down beside him, wrapping his arms around me, and snuggling his head into my chest. Just that one simple gesture warmed me all over, and in my mind I was suddenly reliving the night that Evan had his hands and mouth all over me.

Evan stiffened beside me, obviously able to scent the shift in my hormones, and in seconds his body was hovering over my own. We were barely touching. He was holding himself just an inch above me and he leaned down, kissing my lips lightly. I reached up, wrapping my arms around his neck to pull him in closer for a deeper kiss, but he took each of my arms in his hands and plastered them down to the bed. "Be still." His voice was thick, and the look in his eyes said he was hungry for more than just the breakfast we could smell cooking downstairs. He dipped his head back down, kissing me again, and then he let his body drop enough so that I could feel every bit of him against me. I groaned, loudly, and that's when he hopped up off of me, and was across the room before I knew what happened.

"Evan?"

"I am not going toe to toe with your dad this morning, love. I'm grabbing a cold shower while you get dressed, and then we're going to have a distance rule until we leave here." I stalked over to him, backing him up until he couldn't go any further, thanks to the wall behind him.

My fingers were tracing the line of his pectorals through his shirt, and down the length of his abdomen until I got to the waistband of his sweats. "I could help you out of these, before you go." I started tugging them down inch by inch when his hands stopped me.

"Jess..." he hissed as he looked down at me through hooded eyes. "I only have so much self-control when it comes to you, please, don't push me or I will help you break that promise you made your family."

That did it. He was right, if we continued, we'd be bonded, and have to face the wrath of both of our families. "Uggh," I grunted out as I turned away from him. "You better go then, and save me some cold water." He laughed at that.

Jack and Sierra were sitting around the kitchen table when I got downstairs too, along with Ashley, Asriel, my parents, and Evan. He gave me a knowing look when my eyes landed on him, and I turned to grab a cup of coffee before anyone could see me blushing.

"Morning Jess!" Jack had come up behind me, almost causing me to spill my filled to the brim cup of coffee.

"Jesus, Jack. A little personal space!" I set my cup down on the counter, and turned for the hug that I knew was coming. He picked me up in a giant bear hug, and elicited squeals from me.

"He already got me this morning." Ashley was laughing. "I swear he should have been a bear and not a wolf, with the way he likes to hug everyone. Seriously, it's a dysfunction, Jack!"

"You know you love it, Ashley."

"Jack, come sit down, Jess needs her coffee in the morning, otherwise she's a bitch."

I turned to look at Sierra, "always a pleasure, Si."

"I know," she said to me, and she meant it. Sierra and I had become something akin to friends over the years after what happened the day of my changing, but we were never going to have an easy relationship. I think a huge part of her still blamed me for her getting shot and not being able to have children. Not that it was my fault she followed me to threaten me about Zach, but she didn't see it that way.

I sat down next to Evan and sipped my coffee while I grabbed a piece of bacon from the pile in the middle of the table. "There are eggs over on the stove, Jess." My mom said as she turned to grab something out of the refrigerator.

"Thanks mom." I got ready to get back up, but Evan put his hand on my shoulder to keep me in place and stood instead. He walked over and grabbed a plate, piling some eggs on it for me.

"Isn't that sweet," Sierra said. "It's funny how things turn out, isn't it, Jess?"

"How so, Sierra?"

"Well, that day in the woods, we were fighting over Zach, and here we are, neither of us with him."

"We weren't fighting over Zach. You were telling me he'd be yours, and I was trying not to care while I went through the calling, and my shift for the first time."

"Yeah, whatever. It's just funny how things turned out." She was picking at the food in front of her. "Did he really attack you yesterday?"

I nodded, my hand involuntarily going to my arm just above my elbow where he'd grabbed me.

"I'm sorry, Jess. He used to be a different person way back then. I don't know what the hell is wrong with him anymore."

"Yeah, he did." I took the plate Evan offered me.

"Your new guy is way cuter though," she offered, staring openly at Evan. When she noticed that Ashley was giving her the stink eye, she added, "what?" Your brother hugs anything with heartbeat, I'm allowed to appreciate the eye candy." Jack was laughing, and Sierra grabbed his hand and squeezed it. Things may not have turned out the way she had hoped when we were younger, but Jack made her happy. It was probably more than she would have gotten if things had worked out with her and Zach.

"Are you nervous?" I asked her.

"About what?"

"It's been two years, and this will be the first time you get to meet Jack's family."

"Oh, that. No, they can love me or hate me, but Jack's mine either way." I had to smile at that, because honestly, his family would probably hate her, and she was at least smart enough to know it. Not only did their son change into a werewolf for her, but he'd never have children either. There was bound to be some residual resentment, especially since Jack had refused to see them for the past two years. Granted, he did so out of fear that he might turn in front of them and get violent involuntarily, but they couldn't understand that.

"I make no promises for my family," Jack added. "Which is why you two will be there. I'm worried enough about my own self-control, but Ashley just turned and they don't know that yet." He looked at Ashley, "good luck dropping that bomb in person."

"Yeah, thanks, Jack." Suddenly Ashley didn't look like her breakfast was agreeing with her. I reached over and patted her leg.

"It'll be okay, Ash. I'll be there, and really they can't be too surprised. You've talked to them about it before."

"Yeah, now Jeff gets to be their favorite, since he's the only normal one left."

"He's attending an art college, and I think his last girlfriend's name was Bob. I don't think mom and dad have a hope in hell at a normal kid." Jack said with a hint of laughter.

"Oh yeah, they're going to be pissed. If ever there was a time for Jeff to come out of the closet to them, this would be it. You know, while they're in shock about another wolf in the family."

"Don't forget the fact that you're already a bonded wolf, and dad didn't get to walk you down an aisle or anything."

"Shit!" Ashley said. My parents were standing off to the side, laughing. They'd met Ashley's parents, and they had always wondered out loud how Jack and Ashley had been a product of that union. Ashley had once told them it was a testament to their rebel nature.

Everyone pretty much quit talking at that point, and finished eating so we could get the trip to do a family reunion over with.

Everyone else already had a bag packed for the night, except me, so I ran upstairs to do that while things were cleaned up in the kitchen. I was grabbing some underwear out of my drawer when Evan walked in my room. "I like those," he said with a smile.

"I bet you do." I put them back and pulled out a pair of boy shorts instead.

"I like those too," he insisted. "I'm pretty much going to like anything I can imagine pulling off of you," he hesitated as he closed the distance between us, "with my teeth!" I sucked in a breath just as he nipped the back of my neck for effect. Goosebumps immediately broke out all over my body, and his hand snaked up and around me, rubbing his fingers lightly over my now hardened nipples. "I see you like that idea too."

"You are not making this easy, you know." I was mentally slapping myself silly, because what I really wanted to do was strip the man naked and have my way with him right here, in a house full of my friends and family. I didn't really care, but at least my statement had some sort of impact on him, because he backed up a couple steps.

"You're right. I'm sorry. Sometimes, I just... it's difficult. Is it really two more weeks until the full moon?"

"Don't remind me," I grumbled. "Maybe we can talk my family into doing the bonding ceremony privately, when we get back from Ashley's family trip?"

"You know why they're going to want you to wait."

"Your family."

"Yes, your dad told me what happened with your Aunt, and why you made them the promise to wait. I understand. I will stop tempting fate."

I groaned inwardly again, "but I like when you're tempting fate."

A low growl rumbled from his chest, and he had to turn around and walk a few more paces away. "I wonder if we have time for me to hit another cold shower."

Ashley popped her head in the door, "Do I have to separate the two of you so we can get out of here?"

"No, we're coming."

"No, you're not, and that seems to be the problem." Her double meaning did not pass me by, and I laughed as I threw the rest of my clothes into my bag.

"Fine! I'm done, let's go."

"Don't forget your toothbrush, hon!" Ashley reminded me.

"Thanks."

We took two vehicles to the cabin. Really, we could have just run through the woods a few miles as wolves and been there quicker, but Ashley insisted we do things the human way so we didn't upset her family any more than were about to. Sierra and Jack piled in my Jeep with Evan and me. Ashley and Asriel took Evan's car.

"Does Asriel have a car of his own?" I asked, remembering that I'd never seen him drive anything other than Evan's vehicle.

"He has a truck. Now that I think about it, I'm not sure why he didn't bring that. Seems like a better option than a sports car for a visit to a cabin in the woods."

"You think?" I questioned sarcastically.

"I think he likes driving my car." I laughed at him.

"Speaking of cars, I can't believe you still have this big yellow monstrosity." Sierra's distaste was evident in her voice.

"She's too prissy for your wheels, Jess." Jack laughed.

"She's always been too prissy," I added.

"I'm sitting right here, and I just think, this is a man's vehicle that you threw a sunshiny color on."

"This is so not a man's vehicle. It's perfect. I can take my Jeep anywhere. You drive a cutesy little Jetta when we live in a forest that gets muddy a lot. How many times have you been stuck, Sierra?"

"That doesn't matter."

"How many?"

"Four."

"Mmmhmm, guess how many times I've been stuck in the mud!"

"Let me guess," her sarcasm laced voice was showing signs of strain. She was getting pissed with me. "None."

"That's right, none."

"Well, that just goes to show you know nothing. When I get stuck, someone has to come rescue me," she patted Jack's leg, "and then I have to thank him for it." Jack leaned over and kissed her like he was trying to rescue her right there in my back seat.

"Get a room!" I snipped back. Evan was laughing at me. "Seriously, you two better not stain my seats back there."

When they came back up for air, Jack looked at the two of us, and asked, "so what are you two waiting for? It seems like you're on track to be bound, why not just take the leap."

Sierra actually punched him in the arm. "Her aunt. I told you what happened." She looked up at me then in the rear view, "sorry, Jess. He's a dumb man sometimes."

"I forgot." Jack said. Luckily, we were rolling up to the cabin then, so I was going to be able to get some air. I knew that unlike my Aunt, I had my parents' blessing. That was at least more than she had. We did not, however, have the blessing of Evan's family yet. Knowing that my family wouldn't turn us away from the pack was a giant relief, but according to Evan we didn't just have to worry about that with his family. We had to worry about physical harm coming to me, my family, or maybe all of us if we went against whatever they wanted. I had to hope that me being the white wolf would convince them that I could be with Evan.

Ashley's mom, Evelyn was coming out the door of the cabin to greet us. "I'm so glad you could make it, Jessica." She said as she came over and wrapped her arms around me in a warm hug.

"It's been awhile, I missed you Mrs. Reynolds."

"We missed you too, dear." Ashley's mom may not have been happy about Jack becoming a wolf, but she loved me. She thought I would be a good influence on her daughter. I wondered how she'd feel when she found out I'd gotten her baby girl turned into a wolf. I suddenly felt very guilty.

"Mom," Jack called out from somewhere over my shoulder.

"Oh, Jack!" She ran to her son and threw her arms around him in a powerful, crushing hug. Now, I knew where Jack got it from. "I've missed you so much. You look the same." She pulled back, scrutinizing him even further. "I can't even tell. Are you sure you're a... you know..." she cleared her throat and whispered like we wouldn't be able to hear her. "wolf?"

"It's not a dirty word, mom." He whispered back at her, "and they can all hear you, even when you whisper."

"Oh." Mrs. Reynolds flushed, as her hand went up to her mouth. She was a stickler for manners, and she'd just been rude.

"It's okay," I said as I tossed my arm around her shoulders. "We won't bite."

"Jessica Marie, I'm afraid the influence went backwards, my daughter has tainted you!" She looked entirely serious for a minute and then she let a bubble of laughter slip out.

"Why, Mrs. Reynolds, I do not believe this... you just made a joke!" She gave me a quick hug again, before Jack drew her attention back.

"Mom, I need to introduce you to my mate, err, my wife, Sierra."

"Oh, my manners are just inexcusable today." Evelyn rushed over to the blond standing partially hidden behind Jack. I guess she was more nervous than she originally let on. "Hello, dear. It's good to finally meet you. I don't know why Jack has kept you hidden away from us all this time." She reached around Jack and grabbed a very startled Sierra up in her arms, and hugged her tightly.

Ashley had finally gotten out of Evan's car, and started on her way over to us when she was literally tackled to the ground by her other brother, Jeff. "Ashley-poo!"

"I really should have seen that coming!" Ashley grumbled from her place on the ground. Asriel didn't look at all at ease. In fact, he looked as though he was about to snap on the newcomer. I caught his eye, and smiled at him to let him know it was okay.

"JEFF!" I yelled to defuse the situation.

"Sunshine? Is that you?"

"No one actually calls me sunshine, Jeff." I grumbled.

"Oh, but I do, because you're like a ray of friggin sunshine on our gloomy family!" He released Ashley and came over to me, picking me up in a hug that rivaled Jack's and twirling me around. "When are you going to marry me, Sunshine?"

A growl rose up from Evan that took everyone by surprise, and earned a startled yelp from Ashley's mom.

He leaned in conspiratorially, and whispered to me, "Oh never mind. I see tall, dark, and sexy over there already has a claim. You were the only woman I would have ever gone straight for, my family is going to be so disappointed." He whispered teasingly, but he put me down before he could upset Evan any further.

Jack had walked over to Evan's side, and threw his arm around him, walking him to the back of the Jeep. "I thought you were here in case I lost my shit. My brother's a wise ass, but you don't have to worry about him, he's gay." There was laughter in Jack's voice, and I saw the tension fall out of Evan's shoulders.

"Sorry," he murmured.

"Don't be. If you think you had to impress Jessica's family, you haven't seen anything yet. This is the family you're going to get the third degree from. She's the only wolf my parents ever really accepted, and I'm including myself in that. She's a daughter to them."

"Great, and I just growled at their son."

"Yeah, good first impression!" Jack laughed as he clapped Evan on the back, and grabbed his and Sierra's bags out of my Jeep. I left Jeff's side, and went to get my own bag, but Evan already had it. I leaned up on my toes, and kissed him on those luscious full lips of his.

"My first impression of you was phenomenal. That's all you have to worry about."

"Well, look at that!" Jeff exclaimed. "The girl does like boys after all. I was seriously beginning to wonder, Jess."

"Shoosh." I yelled after him. "Where's David?" I asked.

"Oh, he went to chop down some firewood for later, like the big strong man he thinks he is." Evelyn teased.

"I'll go help him." Jack offered as he handed off his bags to his brother. "Why don't you go do something with these for me?"

"Girls, I think a couple more introductions are in order," Mrs. Reynolds saying looking back and forth between Ashley and me.

"Yes, ma'am." I agreed. "Can we put our bags up and then do the introductions? I think it would be best if David were here too."

"Of course, come on, I'll show you to your rooms." She thought about it for a minute, and then started worrying at the edges of her sweater with her fingertips. "Actually, I'm not sure at all about the sleeping arrangements now. Ashley didn't tell me there would be extra guests."

"Okay, we'll drop the bags, and go find David." I offered.

We put our bags down just inside the cabin's front door, and wandered through until we ended up out on the back porch, watching David and Jack going at it in a competition to see who could chop through the most firewood.

"David, Jack, why don't you hold off on your little competition, and come here. There are introductions to be made. And David, you haven't met Jack's lovely wife yet." Sierra perked up at her mother in law saying she was lovely. I just rolled my eyes, and stood waiting while the two men approached the porch.

"Who are all these other people?" David said, eyeing Evan and Asriel.

"First," Evelyn said, "this is Jack's wife, Sierra."

David held out his hand, and Sierra placed hers in it. He shook it, and smiled at her. "You are a pretty thing, aren't you? Is my son treating you well?"

"He is," she said almost shyly.

"Good. He better, and if he ever doesn't you let me know, and I'll throw a whopping on his tail. I raised my kids to do right by their spouses." He smiled up at Evelyn then.

"Yes, sir." Sierra said with a laugh.

"Jessica," he came closer and brought me into a hug, "it's been a while, girl. You still being good?" He asked me as he pulled away eyeing Evan.

"Yes, sir." I answered. "This is Evan," I offered by way of introduction. "He's my... well, we're going to be bound on the full moon."

"That's like your wolf marriage thing, right?" He asked, looking back over at Jack and Sierra.

"Yes, it is."

David smiled then, "Well, welcome to the family then, boy." He clapped his hand into Evan's and shook it hard, judging Evan's character by how he shook back. He must have liked what happened in that shake, because David grinned harder, then pulled Evan in close. "You hurt my girl, and you'll deal with me, you hear?"

"Yes, sir." Evan said as their hands parted. I had to hold in the laugh that wanted to bubble up. Tears were in my eyes. I knew Ashley's parents loved and accepted me for who I was, but that just made me feel good. Well, it did for about five minutes, until David turned his sights on his daughter and Asi. I saw the fear in her eyes.

"Ashley," he said, holding his arms out. She immediately flung herself forward to hug her dad. "You want to introduce me to your..." he stopped dead, backed up, and took a good hard look at his daughter, then he glanced at me, and Jack. "You want to tell me when this happened?"

"When what happened, dear?" Evelyn piped up.

"When our daughter became a wolf." I was actually quite astounded that he realized, but then again, Ashley's hugs had gotten a lot tighter, since she was learning her own strength.

"There was an accident a few days ago." I offered, Ashley nodded her head, begging with her eyes that I be the one to tell the story. "A wolf, not from my pack, came to town, and he scratched Ashley. This wasn't planned. We promised to tell you beforehand if she ever chose this. She didn't get to choose. I'm sorry for that."

David eyed Evan and Asriel wearily now. "They don't look familiar, was it one of them?"

"No, it wasn't. Asi actually helped Ashley through the transitioning. If it weren't for him, she might not have made it."

Evelyn's startled yelp drew me up short. "She could have died?"

"I made sure she did not," Asriel spoke for the first time. David glared at him, sizing him up.

"What kind of a name is Asi, anyway?"

Asriel smiled, "It is short for Asriel." I love the way he pronounced his name, it was very regal sounding. Oz-ree il. "My mother named me after her great-grandfather. Legend says he was an angel brought down from heaven to save our people. He was not, but I think she hoped I would be."

"Well, you most certainly are an angel for saving our baby's life." Evelyn interjected.

"Mom, he's also my mate." Ashley choked out, leaving her father's arms, and going back to Asriel's. David seemed to already have sensed this, and just nodded.

"What?" Evelyn sat in the deck chair behind her. "You're married? Bonded? Whatever you wolf people do..." I didn't take that the wrong way. Evelyn meant well.

"I guess now is as good a time as any to tell you all I'm gay." Jeff blurted out. David just stood there looking at his son. Evelyn turned white as a sheet.

"My children are trying to kill me." She looked at me then, "how are you the only one of my children who does it the right way?" I laughed, and went over to hug her.

"Oh, Momma Reynolds, when I'm your last hope, all is lost." She swatted at me playfully, and I just continued hugging her, because she was most certainly not fully recovered from all the shocking news yet. She was shaking like a leaf in my arms.

David had walked over to Jeff while I was playfully bantering with Evelyn, and he put his arms around his son, and said, "we've always known, boy." He looked at his wife then, and added, "we were just waiting on you to tell us." Tears started streaming from Jeff's face. It clearly was not the reaction he had anticipated. "Now that everyone has cleared the air, maybe we can get back to some normal family stuff." He looked at Jack, "let's get back to it, boy. I'm gonna have you beat in no time, werewolf strength or not, your skills are lacking." Jack smiled and moved forward to join his father again. On his way by, he clapped Jeff on the back one good time in solidarity.

We spent the rest of the day with everyone catching up on each other's lives while we prepared for the huge dinner Evelyn had planned. Even though both Jack and Ashley had dreaded his moment, no doubt Jeff too, it turned out to be an amazing day. They were all surprised by their parents, and I was reassured that there was still good to be had in the world. This was what pack life should have been like for me, but I missed out on a lot of the comradery, because I couldn't shift into my wolf in front of them. I was lucky to have my half human pack to fall back on.

As the night waned on, and dinner wound down later, we all sat around the large fireplace talking. David was giving Asi and Evan the third degree about their intentions to stick around the area for a while. He reminded them that both himself and Evelyn were human, and how that wasn't going to change before they died, so they were going to need to spend a lot of time with their daughters before that happened. Evan and I were seated on the floor, me sitting between his legs, in front of the fire, and he held me tight as he listened to David recount the night I had met his family. It brought tears to my eyes, knowing how much he cared for me from the start.

David's story was interrupted when both Asriel and Evan's phones started blaring loudly. "I'm so sorry," Evan stated, as he jumped up and walked out of the room to answer the phone. He came back looking a little stricken, and leaned down to kiss me. "I have to go. Mikael is up to no good again," he whispered to me. "I'm sorry, Asriel and I will have to go for a little while. I just opened a club in town, and there's been an accident. Someone was hurt. We really need to be there when the authorities arrive."

"Go, handle your business," David told him. "If you need any assistance, give us a call and I'll head out to assist. Technically, I'm on vacation right now though. We'll see you both in the morning?"

"Yes, sir. We'll be back as soon as we can. Thank you both for your hospitality." He said as he clasped David's hand, and smiled over at Evelyn.

I walked them to the door, as did Ashley. I kissed Evan goodbye. "Be safe," He said to me before he left. Then he looked over my shoulder at Jack, "you keep her safe!"

"I will." Jack said, a look of confusion crossing his face.

When the guys finally left, I turned with Ashley, to her family, and filled them in on everything that had been happening with Zach, Marcus, and the fact that I was the legendary white wolf. Sierra was the only who really grasped the importance of the white wolf.

"Oh God! That can't be. My mom used to tell me stories about when the white wolf used to rule. She said the white wolf brought good tidings to our people, prosperity, and peace." She was awestruck now as she looked at me. "Can I see?"

"You've seen me before," I said, thinking back to the day when Jack had accidently shot her.

"I honestly don't remember anything about that day, Jess, aside from the fact that I followed you out into the woods to give you a talking to about Zach."

"Oh, I thought you knew all this time."

"If I did, do you think I would have been so damn snotty to you?" I looked at her funny then. "Okay, I probably would have, but I would have at least thought better about it first."

"I'd like to see too," Evelyn said calmly. "Two of my children are now wolves, and I've never seen any of you turn."

I stood up, and moved back away from where everyone was sitting. I noticed Evelyn flinch, and it hurt me inside to think she was afraid of me. "I won't hurt you, so don't be afraid. I will need something to cover up with once I change back though.

"Oh, you're clothes don't just... I don't know, magically appear and reappear with you?" I smiled at Evelyn's suggestion.

"I really do wish it worked that way. It would have saved me the loss of a few favorite shirts over the years."

"Wait," Evelyn said, "what about the clothes you're wearing now?"

I looked down at my t-shirt and jeans with a sigh. "They'll most likely be ruined, but I'd rather that than having to get naked in front of you all first."

"Go ahead, get naked! We won't mind!" Jeff said with a laugh. David popped him in the back of the head with the comment, "aren't you supposed to be gay?"

I laughed, and with that, I didn't wait any further, I shifted to my wolf, ending up tangled a little in my clothes as they fell around me. I shook out of what was left of the shirt, and stepped out of the ends of the jeans that were still cupped around my back paws.

"Oh my..." Sierra came closer, reaching out a tentative hand to touch my fur, "it's true."

"Oh dear lord," Evelyn's awestruck comment was for an entirely different reason. I don't think she understood the importance of the fact that my coat was pure white. She was just awed by the fact that where Jessica the girl was standing seconds ago, a large white wolf now stood before her. Tears were in her eyes as she took in the sight of me. "I knew, but I never really knew." Even David looked awestruck, sitting forward more on the couch, taking me in with his saucer-wide eyes.

"Jess, can I touch you!" Jeff asked, and I let out a small howl of laughter, which the other wolves in the room understood, but the humans thought I was growling at him. Instead I shook my muzzle carefully up and down.

"Go ahead, Jeff. She was laughing at you. I'm sure she was having impure thoughts about you touching her." Ashley was smirking, and Jeff joined in the fun as he moved forward.

"Don't worry, I'll stay away from the danger zones, Jess. I've seen your boyfriend." He inched forward at a painfully slow pace, clearly a little scared, even if he was trying to joke his way through it. I lowered myself to my belly, and inched forward slowly to meet him half way. When his hand reached out and connected with the top of my head a small whimper escaped me. "Wow, you're so soft." The surprise was evident in his voice. "You're eyes are the same green though, well, aside from the crazy glow you have going on. Wow, it's really you. You're really a wolf. I mean, Wow."

"Is that what you look like?" David finally spoke, looking at Ashley.

"No, my fur is red with little patches of black here and there." She looked down at me, and smiled, as her brother scratched behind my ear. "I can show you, but not until Jess changes back. It's harder for me to control my wolf instincts, because it's so new. I'd feel more comfortable if she was here to knock me down if I needed it."

"Does that mean you'd attack?" Her dad asked.

"It means, if you spooked me, I might run or..." her head hung down a bit.

"It's okay, Ashley, we understand it's new to you. Jack didn't come around us for two years. The fact that you're here, now..." David blinked hard and tucked his head behind his hand for a minute. He was from a generation that didn't believe men should cry in front of people.

I whined a little and nudged a blanket that was on the chair beside me. Jeff caught the hint, and tossed it over me. I shifted back, and tucked the blanket in around me, as I stood up. "Give me just a minute to toss some clothes on, okay?"

I picked up my bag and walked back to the bathroom to change. I put another pair of jeans on, and thought I felt the familiar sprinkling of power that usually accompanied a wolf shifting nearby. I thought maybe Ashley had changed to her wolf form without waiting for me to get out there, so I hurried to get my tank top down over my head. I Was sliding my arms into my cardigan sweater as I heard a thump in the living room. Something wasn't right about that, and at first I thought maybe Jack had to tackle Ashley or something, but then it struck me how quiet the house was. The laughter, and banter that had been there moments before was gone now. I pulled open the bathroom door, and stuck my head out looking around for whatever had caused the silence and thumping. Everyone was still there, but they were too still. Evelyn and David were slumped closer together on the couch, as if they had passed out while waiting for me to change. Jeff was lying on the floor, looking like he was sleeping, or dead. Sierra was in her wolf form, but she looked like she had fallen asleep in mid-jump and had splatted down on the living room floor. Jack and Ashley were also knocked out. I tried processing each aspect of the picture before me, and things just wouldn't click together right away. By the time I realized they could all possibly be hurt, I felt the sharp sting of a needle in my neck. I reached up and the tips of my fingers brushed against the cold steel that protruded from my skin. My hand swiped it away as I lost balance and toppled forward into darkness.

***

### HOSTAGE

My world was made up of the throbbing pain in my head. It felt like a freight train was running through it at the moment that I started waking up. I couldn't even open my eyes. It hurt to even attempt the action. Instead I focused on what I could. The ground was cold and hard beneath me. The lemony scent of floor polish told me I was indoors somewhere, and not outside. Underneath the scent of lemon, was a floral smell I couldn't place. It stung my nose a bit, but I chose to focus on more important matters first. I listened to see if I could pick up on any signs of others in the house. I didn't know what had happened to Ashley, and everyone else, but I hoped they were okay.

I didn't hear anyone else in the room with me, but I could feel ripples of power washing over every now and again. Someone was definitely here, and they weren't human. The fuzzy ache in my head didn't clear right away, but I struggled anyway to open my eyes. They felt gritty like sand paper had been lining my eyelids. I realized then that I was dehydrated. My tongue felt too thick for my dry mouth, and fear rose up with bile in the back of my throat, as I began to question what the hell had happened. I had no clue how long I had been knocked out.

When I finally pried my eyes open, I looked up into the midst of a small, dull room. I could make out curtains on a far window, and the darkness beyond them told me it was nighttime. A thermos sat in front of me, promising relief from the aching thirst I realized was contributing to my headache. But that wasn't what held my focus, no matter how desperate for a drink I was. The bars that surrounded me had all my attention now. I began to move, taking in the fact that bars surrounded me, and I was not going to be able to do much more than sit up straight, because the bars hung low over my head too. I reached out with a tentative hand, intent on testing their strength, but as soon as I touched them, a sharp burning pierced my flesh. My fingertips were still sizzling when I drew them back away from the bars. "Ahhh," I yelped.

"The bars have all been treated with Aconitum Vulparia, my dear, you won't want to touch them again." I recognized the voice, and turned to see Marcus standing on the other side of the room behind my cage.

"Marcus!" I hissed at him.

"Yes, of course it's me. Who did you expect? Perhaps your new boyfriend's family? I hear they aren't too keen on welcoming a Lesser into their ranks. Maybe, if they had known what you really are, they wouldn't have been so quick to rush to judgment." Even in the dim lighting I could see the smirk that graced his face. "It's funny, because for someone who vowed to protect you, that boyfriend of yours sure was ready to run off and save his brother instead. Not that his brother even needed saving, we just got him all riled up until he lost it in front of a few other people at the club."

Marcus's plan was becoming clearer by the moment. "Where are the others? Did you hurt them?"

"They're all fine, and they'll stay that way so long as you cooperate. We left them as they were, simply tranquilized. They'll wake up, be pissed off, and look for us everywhere. I've covered our tracks well though, and I'm positive our scent can't be followed. We've got a little while before part two of my plan falls into place, so I'm going to ask you to be patient. You may also want to drink up some of that water. You look absolutely parched." He snickered. "I hear the tranq darts do that to you."

"FUCK YOU!" I yelled at him. Power flared across the room and hit me full force as he got closer.

"You are going to learn some manners while you're here, wolf." He looked down on me with disdain evident in his eyes. "Now, drink!"

I opened the thermos that was lying beside me, and the same floral smell I scented on the air got stronger. I closed the thermos back up without taking a drink. "No," I said. His power slammed into me again. It was painful, but not something I couldn't withstand.

"I am giving you an order," he sneered in my general direction, "now drink up."

"No," I said again. It occurred to me that the water was most likely laced with whatever was coating the bars. He had said the name of an herb, and a memory was tickling at the back of my mind, but I didn't have time to think it all the way through. I just knew if the bars burned me, then a thermos full of the stuff was going to be a good weapon to use later. First I needed a plan to get past the bars. Maybe, he'd let me out to pee or something.

"You think you're clever? You may be resisting me now, but later on, when it matters, you won't have the strength to resist anymore." Marcus pulled a gun from the waistband of his jeans. I thought he was about to hit me with another tranquilizer, and he was right, too many of those and nothing to hydrate with was going to hurt my resolve for sure. "We're waiting on some friends of mine to set Zach free. So, while we wait on him, we're going to play a little game, Jessica." I was eyeing him suspiciously as he turned suddenly and pointed the gun right at me. "We're going to see how long you can survive." With that, he pulled the trigger and pain immediately burned a hole through my left shoulder, in the pocket of muscle that lies between arm pit and clavicle. I felt the bullet rip through my flesh. It was a slow burn going in, but an explosion of excruciating pain as it ripped out the back side of my shoulder.

I'd like to say I was a champ and didn't let him see how much it hurt, but that was a trick for people in movies to play, because there was no way a real person could ignore that kind of pain. I cried out, falling backwards seconds after the bullet tore its way free of my body. "AHHHHHHGGGGG!" I screamed the pain away.

"I bet that hurts like a bitch. Remember when you stood by and watched your boyfriend belittle me in front of my subjects?" He was pacing now, in front of the cage, and I secretly wished he'd come just a little closer so I could get my hands on him. I could endure the burning from my flesh touching the bars if I thought I had a chance of ripping him to shreds. "I'm going to make you feel every ounce of humiliation I had to endure. You're going to wear yours as pain though. For every hour it takes to get Zach here, I am going to put another bullet in you." He was happy with himself now, smiling as he continued, "and when you get weak enough that I am able to influence you, I will force your change, make you heal, and then start all over again."

I was trying to breathe through the pain in my shoulder. It hurt like hell, but I reached up and probably did more damage trying to get my cardigan free of the arm he had shot. Once I managed it, I used my teeth and other hand to rip a piece of the sweater off, and make myself a bandage. I tied it around my shoulder, which caused me a lot more pain, since it took the use of both hands. The left was almost completely useless, but I got a chunk of the fabric tied up to help stop the bleeding. In all the ways I had ever imagined dying, bleeding to death in a cage was not one of the ways I thought I would go.

"Suddenly, little miss smart mouth has nothing to say." He paced across the room, taking a moment to glance at his phone every few minutes as he went back and forth. I couldn't stop the tears from falling down my face, but I wasn't giving him the satisfaction of hearing me beg, plead, or anything else. I had 45 more minutes now before I knew I was going to get shot again. It was time to come up with a plan.

"Do you know why your Aunt was excommunicated from the pack?"

I looked at him as though he were stupid. Everyone knew why. I wasn't about to answer him.

"I don't think you know the whole story. She didn't just fail to get permission for bonding with that backstabbing bastard, Lucas. She was already promised to another. To me." He growled out angrily.

I laughed. I laughed so hard that each jerking movement threw my shoulder into more painful spasms, but I couldn't help myself. It also didn't hurt that my laughter was pissing Marcus off that much further.

"You think it's funny, do you? We'll see how funny you think it is when I shoot you again." He looked down at the watch on his right arm, "in about 30 more minutes." His pacing resumed. "Your Aunt was supposed to be mine. It was a match made by Drew, your grandfather. I had asked for your mother's hand the year prior, but he informed me that she was already spoken for by your father. Eileen didn't even like your father. It pains me seeing how well they bonded after all these years, because she hated him initially." My mom had told me that much. She thought my dad was an arrogant bastard. She'd told me that when I explained why I didn't want to be paired with Zach. And now here was Marcus confirming the same thing. "She and I got on so well back then. I just knew it would be a great match.

Drew had other plans though. He promised me her younger sister instead. There weren't enough females in our generation for each of us to get a mate. Some of the males opted out, saying they'd wait for another female to come of age, or go searching outside of the pack. It was down to Lucas and I for your Aunt's hand. The day it was to be announced that she was to be paired with me, she didn't show up for the pack meeting. I worried for her safety at first, but then when I looked around, I saw that Lucas was also missing."

I was listening to his story. I never knew all the details. My mom never told me that Marcus even factored into her and her sister's lives so closely before. As much as I wanted to hear the rest of the story, I was having trouble focusing through my pain, and the dehydration wasn't helping matters any either. I blinked, several long blinks, shaking my head to make the cobwebs inside it relinquish their hold.

Marcus tapped on the side of the cage with his gun, brining my attention back around to him. "Listen, this is an important story for you." He paced away from the cage again, and it hit me that I had just missed the prime opportunity I'd been hoping for, to get him close enough to grab him. "When they were found, it was too late, of course. They were a mated, bonded pair. I rallied that Lucas be put to death for the dishonor, but Drew wouldn't hear of it. Had he lain down a death sentence for one he would have had to do it for both, and he refused. He told them that going against the pack bonding decree meant they were on their own. The entire pack, including your mother and father, were forced to shun the two. They took off on their own, and I followed." That got my attention, and he noticed. "That's right, I followed them. I found where they built a cozy little love shack out in the middle of nowhere wilderness, and I waited. I would check in on them once a week after that. I let them live out a little bit of their happiness. And they were happy. It ate a hole in my gut to see it. She was supposed to be mine." He went back to pacing angry steps just out of reach of the cage. "I waited, planning my revenge for a year. Finally, the week before their one year anniversary, I went out with a hunting rifle, and I hid in the trees. As soon as Lucas was in sight of your aunt, I shot him. I wanted her to see it happen. I needed her to see how weak he was. They hadn't been bonded long. I didn't think there was any danger of her not making it." His face was a tortured mess now. "I thought she'd come crawling back to the pack then, that I would have my chance, and convince Drew to allow me to have her. I didn't even care what the others in the pack would say about how she'd betrayed me to begin with. It wouldn't matter, you see, because I had won in the end."

"But she didn't come back," I spit at him.

"No she didn't. She stayed there, mourning over his body. A storm was brewing on the horizon that morning, and she sat out there, in the field, clinging to him. It was as if she thought she could bring him back with her love alone. Hours, she sat there, clinging to him. Hours. She never even bothered to look to see who had shot him. I think she knew it was me. I think she hoped I would shoot her too. I didn't. When your aunt finally got up, she went to get the shovel from the side of their little cottage, and she started digging a damn hole in the ground. The sky had already opened up and started pouring cold rain all over her, but she never stopped until she had a grave dug for him." Marcus wandered over to the window and stood there looking out into the field beyond. "I watched her, from my place in the trees, as she drug his body over to the hole she'd dug. Your aunt placed him in it, and took a necklace off her neck to put in there with him. Then she stood there and covered it all over with dirt again. She got some wood from the pile near the house and made a marker for his grave. She sat there, in the thunder and lighting, rain pouring down, carving out his name on that wood." He hadn't moved from his place by the window. "I left at that point. I went back to the pack lands, and prepared for her homecoming. I knew she'd come to see her sister, and so I watched your parents' house until one day your mom took off in the direction of her sister's cabin. In all the times I had gone to check on your aunt, I had never seen Eileen there visiting her, but I think it must have happened before now, because she knew exactly where to go.

"I followed Eileen out there to see if she'd convince your aunt to come back with her." Marcus's breath hitched in his throat for a minute. "Eileen came running out of the cabin, screaming. She nearly ran past Lucas's grave, but tripped over the headstone that her sister had made him. When she looked down and saw what it was, she just sat there and cried."

"I almost went to her, to console her. But I stayed where I was, hidden in the trees."

"In other words, you've always been a coward," I muttered under my breath, knowing he could hear me.

Marcus moved away from the window now, and started pacing the room again. "Your mom did the same damn thing her sister had done a week before. She grabbed that shovel, and started digging a grave. The only difference was this time the sun was shining down on the field, painfully bright. I watched in horrifying detail as your mother went back into the cabin, and drug her sister's body out."

A strangled gasp freed itself from my mouth as he confirmed something my mother never would. She had been the one to find my Aunt Anna dead. It occurred to me then that Marcus hadn't said Anna's name, not even once through his terrible story. I wonder if guilt caused him to swallow her name each time, if that were the case, I wish he'd choke on it. Considering I was sitting in a cage, God knows where, with a bullet hole in me, I didn't think guilt was a thing he was familiar with.

"I watched as she pulled the body from the cottage, and placed her in that hole in the ground, right next to Lucas's grave. She had just as much determination as her sister did, as she filled it back in with dirt. Then I watched as she sat to carve a headstone out for her sister too." He stopped pacing right in front of the cage, just out of reach, and looked down at me. He wasn't seeing me there, though, he was lost in the memory. "I waited until she left, and then I went to the graveside. Your mom hadn't just carved her sister's name on that piece of wood. She carved, 'Loved forever in life and death.'"

Marcus's eyes were clouded over with unshed tears as it became clear that he was aware of me again. Then he raised the gun up and shot me in my right thigh without so much as a warning. "The clock starts again now." He said calmly as he walked away.

I definitely passed out that time. When I came to, he was staring at me. "Are you ready to change into your wolf and heal yet?" I ignored him, and the flaming hot pain that seared through my right thigh. I grabbed the rest of my cardigan, and knew I wouldn't have the strength to pull another piece off, so I took the rest of it and tied it around my leg, as tight as I could get it, since my left arm was damn near useless.

"So, what?" I gritted out through my teeth as I pulled a little tighter on the sweater material. "This is all about get-backsies? You're still gunning for revenge because my mother was spoken for, and Anna followed her heart instead of going off with you? Hell, maybe she knew."

"Knew what?" he spewed out in mixture of venomous words and a spray of spittle.

"She knew you were rotten and wrong deep down inside, and she chose to be shunned with Lucas because that really was the better option. She knew you were nothing. Anna was smart. It's kind of like how I refused Zach isn't it? This is like history on repeat for you. You see Anna running off with Lucas. Guess what, I know exactly what she was thinking! I knew from the beginning that Zach was a horrible excuse for a wolf. I knew he'd never be able to have power even equal to my own. Weakness runs in your blood. You're a pathetic, impotent murderer, your sister's a whore, and your nephew is a worthless, would be date rapist. Anna should have been commended for seeing through you."

"You. Vile. Little. Bitch!"

"You are fucking insane! Look at you! You killed the woman you were pining for. You didn't have to pull the trigger and put the bullet in her, but by putting one in her mate, you sealed her fate just the same. And now, you're too much of a coward to even face a young wolf girl down by yourself. You've drugged me, trapped me, and shot me twice, and you still can't impose your will on me. You're pathetic!"

He held the gun up to me again, fully prepared to shoot when the door opened. I hadn't even realized there was a door off to the side there. It was Zach. I decided I wouldn't stop taunting him, and now I had a two for one special. I knew in my heart, that I'd rather be dead than to be a pawn for either of them to use in their sick and twisted games.

"So, you couldn't have my mom. Then my aunt rejected you by running off with Lucas. I'm sure it must have felt like Deja vu when you came to my house that day and learned I'd done the same damn thing Aunt Anna did. I went against pack rule. I came home claimed by a male who was actually strong enough to be with me. Not some pathetic prick of a nephew of yours whose only hope in hell of getting with me was if he had been strong enough to force my will." I spit at them, "You're just a like. Neither of you deserves a woman. Neither of you deserves to breathe the same air as the rest of us. I will make it my mission to see you buried in an unmarked grave, far from my Aunt's so your memory will never mar her good name again."

"Her good name?" Marcus roared in a furious sound. He stepped closer to the cage.

"That's right, because she did the right thing. She saw how vile YOU were, and she chose another mate."

"She chose wrong. That's why she's dead." Zach's eyes were wide, apparently he didn't know everything his uncle had been up to over the years.

"She chose right! She chose sanity and love over your pathetic, weak display. I bet she knew you were just as impotent as a wolf as you were pathetic as a man." That did it, he charged the cage, and pulled the trigger of the gun that he had been clutching angrily in his hand, but I was faster. I slipped to the side, spraying him with the bottle of tainted water as another bullet tore through my right shoulder. I tried to shift, but my wolf was too worn out to come. I managed teeth and claws, and proceeded to rip and tear at the man who lay dangling over the cage. I had gone for the throat out of instinct, and felt the hot flow of coppery blood between my teeth and into my mouth. Strings of muscle, and other parts erupted from my mouth as I spit them free into the cage. Marcus tried, at first, to back off the cage, by my hand had him pinned. My claw was wrist deep in his guts, and I had no intention of letting go without pulling pieces of him out on the way.

I watched as a milky stillness slid into his gaze, the adrenaline that had me moving moments ago began to sap as I became aware of the pain once more, and I dropped. It was a wonder I had been able to use my right hand, because he'd shot me in the other shoulder as he had come close enough for me to grab him. I had three bullet holes in me now, and I was fading fast as Marcus's body dripped blood and other parts out onto me.

The gun had fallen through the cage, and was lying beside me, but I couldn't move. I couldn't get out of the way of the ick as it flowed down over me. I wanted to pick that gun up, and aim it at Zach, to pull the trigger, and at least make him hurt before I faded out completely. As much as I wanted that, my body wouldn't cooperate any longer. What little bit of light there was had begun to diminish in the room, and the small amount of movement I had managed towards the gun was lost as the darkness started swallowing me hole. In the distance, I heard voices shouting, but there was no more holding on for me, I was lost to oblivion.

***

### BLOOD RAIN

The world came back to me in a haze of red, everything was fuzzy. Images were blurred and distorted around the edges as I tried to make out what was going on. The world spun around me, dipping, and twisting, turning and rolling like a horrible amusement ride I never wanted to get on. My skin felt wet and sticky, and I wasn't sure why.

"Where is the damn key?" Someone was yelling angrily. The sound hurt my ears, that were ringing wildly.

I hurt all over. I tried to move, and bile rose up, coating my throat in burning acid. Every piece of me was on fire. Woozy blackness overtook me again. I'm not sure how long I succumbed to the darkness that time, but the sound of my name brought me back from the edge.

"Jess," the strangled sound came again. I knew I needed to answer it, but I couldn't get my mouth to form the words. I think I may have moaned, but that was questionable. Everything I was hearing sounded like it was in a tunnel with bells. Not bells. Ringing. Whooshing. Things felt upside down, and inside out, and still on fire. I was burning, everywhere. I had to be on fire. Surely the sticky liquid raining down on me was poison, because it burned, everywhere.

"Jess, I'm here. You're going to be okay. You have to be okay." The voice came through loud and clear, but I still couldn't see, and I knew deep down inside that I wasn't okay. Okay didn't feel like you were burning alive. There was a clanking sound and more bells were ringing. I whimpered as I was suddenly lifted into the air, floating. No, I was being carried, and... I moaned again. Sick, I was going to be sick. Someone was leaning me over, and more burning acid was coming out of my throat, out of my mouth. Pain wreaked havoc on my entire body. I couldn't swallow it down. I couldn't get it under control. I was done. Blackness took me again, and I welcomed its embrace.

~*~

I woke on a cloud of fluff. Everything beneath me was soft and wonderful. The smell was of home, fresh sheets on laundry day, mom, dad, and Evan. All their scents mingled with my own, and wrapped me in a feeling of comfort and tranquility. I tried rolling over, and ended up regretting that decision. Pain shot through my shoulder, and my eyes shot open.

"Jess, are you okay?"

My response came out as a series of grunts and groans. "Shoulder hurts," I finally managed.

"Now that you're somewhat awake, you could always try to shift. It will help with the healing. We couldn't force it on you while you were knocked out." His face looked sad, "you'll probably have some scarring as a result."

Scarring meant I had done a considerable amount of healing as a human. "How long?"

"It's been three days since we got you back. You were gone for a full day before that. We didn't have a scent to follow. I don't know how, but he covered your tracks well. Jess, I am so sorry. We had to wait for Zach to make his escape. It took that little coward forever to attempt it." Evan was speaking through gritted teeth.

"Marcus?"

"You don't remember?"

I almost shrugged, but the pull on my shoulders from the slight movement I did attempt stopped me short. "After Zach got there, I pissed Marcus off enough to come close to the cage. I remember..." It came back to me as I thought about it. "Oh, I ripped his throat out."

"Yes, you did." He smiled at me. "The bars to the cage were treated with wolfsbane, but was also dripping off of both you and Marcus."

"He tried to make me drink it, thought it would weaken me. I kept it, so that I could use it as a weapon."

"Good thinking, although it backfired a little when it rolled off of him and onto you." He winced.

"Ahh, that explains all the burning. I wasn't exactly thinking clearly at that point. He shot me, a lot." I tried sitting forward again, and I'm not sure that I even made any forward progress because Evan hadn't seemed to notice.

"I know, Jess." He leaned in closer to me and nuzzled my neck. "I'm so sorry we didn't get there sooner."

"What about Zach?" I had to say. I wish I could have told him it was okay, and that I know they all did their best, but honestly, I couldn't. I wish they had done better too, then maybe I wouldn't still be in pain. Hell, if Mikael hadn't fallen for Marcus's set up to begin with Evan and Asriel would never have left. I can't imagine with both of them there, that Marcus would have stood a chance.

Evan growled. "He slipped away in the chaos, but don't worry we'll get him."

"I am not worried about him..." I whispered. In a way I wasn't, but then I thought about Marcus, and how long he waited, and watched my Aunt Anna before he came back and shot Lucas. Maybe, I should be worried about Zach. Especially since he'd watched me kill his uncle. "Evan, I need my mom, and..." I tried clearing my throat, "some water."

"I'll go get her." He winced when I tried to move, and stopped because of the pain. "Jess, stay still. I'll get you into a more comfortable position when I bring your mom back, okay?"

"Yeah, okay." I tried again while he was gone, but I couldn't move without shooting pain causing more nausea to rise up. I stopped making the attempts after that because I needed my strength for a shift when I was done telling my mom about Aunt Anna.

Evan came back with my mom, water, and a whole entourage of people. "Sorry, they all insisted on making sure you were okay."

I managed a small smile. "I need to talk to my mom first," I said looking at all the faces around me. "Please, it's important." Everyone turned to leave, including Evan. "Not you." He turned to face me again. "You promised to help me sit up, that means you get to be my pillow."

"Anything you need," he said as he carefully climbed on the bed, and helped move me to a sitting position, sliding in behind me. The moving part hurt like hell, but I was excited to be sitting up.

"Ew, I really stink. You guys never heard of sponge baths?" Both Evan and my mom laughed.

"When you're good enough to shift, we'll go for a swim in the lake, and bring you home for a shower."

"Deal." I said, then I took a sip of the water my mom held out in front of me. I'd never been so thankful for bendy straws. "Mom, I needed to tell you what Marcus said."

"Baby, this can wait until you're feeling better."

"No, it's already waited too long." I started recounting everything that Marcus told me whe I was locked in the cage. She listened intently, crying as I talked about how Lucas died, and how her sister had tended to him all by herself. I was sure she was remembering doing the same for her sister, and then I told her the rest, about how Marcus followed her there that day, and watched from the woods as she did the same thing. By the time I was done, my mom was speechless. She leaned her head over on my good leg, and just cried. I didn't care how much it hurt to move, I ran my fingers through her hair, offering the only comfort I could. "I'm so sorry mom, I didn't know." I whispered. "I wish I had known. I can't even begin to imagine having to go through that."

"Anna would be so proud of you," she finally said through her sobs. "Thank you for avenging her." She was silent for a minute before she went on. "I thought maybe he'd just stumbled on the cottage out there after he'd been shunned, but apparently, Marcus knew it was there all along."

"What do you mean?"

"He was holding you in Anna's cottage."

"Eileen!" Evan's voice was full of sympathy. "You should have said something, you didn't need to be there."

"She's my daughter, of course I needed to be there." My heart bled for my mom. The last time she'd been to that cottage she had found her sister dead in it. Then to have to go rescue me from the same place, and I can only imagine the sight I was to behold when they pulled me out of there. "You saying he had hoped to make Lucas's death look like a hunting accident makes me wonder what really happened to Drew."

"I wondered that too, but I didn't get to ask him. Sorry."

"Don't be sorry about any of it, baby. Ever. What he did... If I could bring him back so I could kill him again myself, I would." She rose up, maybe strengthened some by her fury, and she turned to leave. "I have to go tell your father. He'll want to know. Will you be okay?"

"Yes, I'll get Evan to bring me down soon. Maybe if I'm already downstairs, shifting won't be so bad. I worry about how well I'll be able to use my legs at first though, because my arms feel like dead weight right now."

"Take your time baby. You don't need to rush things." She looked over my shoulder at Evan, "call out if either of you needs anything."

"I will." He said, and my mom was out the door and shutting it. "I'm sorry you had to learn about your Aunt that way, Jess."

"I'm named for her, you know?"

"I thought your mom said her name was Anna?"

"Anna Marie. She gave me her middle name. Anna was shunned, my mom couldn't just name me after her completely, but she never stopped loving her sister."

"Jess, there's something else you need to know." Evan did not sound particularly happy for some reason, so I braced myself for more bad news.

"What?"

"My family is here." I stiffened in his arms, panic rose up from my gut and brought with it that now too familiar taste of bile.

"Ughh," I groaned, and swallowed my fears down. "What do we do?"

"They've been demanding to meet with you. We've been stalling." He ran his hands down the lower part of my arms in a gesture that was meant to comfort me. "They're not having it anymore. When I was downstairs, I got a text from Mikael saying they were on their way. My brother Malachi, his wife, my father and mother, they're all on the way here."

"Do they know what happened to me?"

"Mikael told them a little bit, and that you were gravely injured. After three days, they're wondering why you are still unable to wake and heal yourself. They're coming to see for themselves why I would chose to stick by such a weak person. Those are their words, not mine Jess." He added the last part when he felt me try to pull away. "They don't understand. They haven't been told you're a white wolf. So, they can't understand why we haven't forced the change on you so you can heal."

"You guys tried?" Shock colored my words. It had been Marcus's plan to weaken my body enough to make my mind susceptible to his suggestion. Maybe if he had known it wouldn't work he would have spared some of the gunshot wounds. Actually, scratch that thought. I probably would have had only one, if he had known, and it would have been right between the eyes.

"We did." I nodded, already expecting that answer. Of course they would have tried.

"Okay, well, give me just a minute to let this settle in, and then maybe help me downstairs? Maybe I can shift and we can run before they get here? That way, they don't see the white wolf, and when we get back to the house, I'll be good as new."

"That sounds like a terrific plan, Jess." I leaned back into Evan, and closed my eyes for a minute. His arms were lying down by his sides, as I think he was afraid to touch me, in case it hurt.

"Evan, can you just wrap your arms around me for a minute. I miss feeling them."

"I've been here the whole time with you, Jess, but it might hurt you if I tried."

"I don't care. He took so much out of me already. I just want to feel somewhat normal for a minute. I need to be able to close my eyes for just a minute, and have your arms wrapped around me so I feel safe again." He didn't say another word. He slid his hands beneath mine, across my abdomen, and held me like that. "Thank you," I said as let my eyes close for a minute.

***

### NO REST FOR THE WEARY

I must have nodded off for just a minute. I awoke to the sound of some banging downstairs, and a loud booming voice demanding Evan's presence.

"Hey, I have to get down there." He said, as he shifted out from behind me. He stacked a bunch of pillows and blankets up behind me so that I would be comfortable. "It looks like we both took too long of a nap. My family is here." There was a sadness to his voice that broke me inside. "I'll be right back for you, okay?"

"Okay," I whispered after him as he left my room.

"If this girl is fit for any of my sons, then she should prove it by coming down here and facing our family."

"She's been through a great ordeal," I heard my mother say.

"So I've heard, and a better wolf would have healed by now." He insisted.

"Father," Evan's voice carried back up the stairs to me.

"Ah, there he is, my wayward son." There was a bit of shuffling around, and then I heard him say, "what the hell have you gotten yourself mixed up in now? And when were you planning on telling me about that Lesser being you allowed Asriel to take as his mate?"

"Father, how about we make proper introductions, and get comfortable first."

"Or, how about we meet this woman that has you so enamored you're willing to face my wrath?"

That was my cue. I couldn't let Evan be punished for my weakness. I was going to have to pull my big girl panties up, and haul my broken ass down those stairs to face the music with him. I leaned forward, both of my shoulders blazing fire with the effort. Immediately, I sat back and had to catch my breath. "Oh, God that hurts." I tried one more time, sitting forward quickly this time, I manage to scoot up close enough to throw my feet down on the floor. The forward movement on the bed had my thigh screaming in protest along with the burning in my shoulders. "Oh boy, this is going to be so much fun," I mumbled to myself. I leaned forward a bit further, clasping my hands onto the desk chair in front of me that my mother had been sitting in a short time ago, and I tried to use it to help leverage myself to a standing position. I failed miserably. As soon as I put weight on both of my arms, my shoulders burned, and the muscles gave underneath me. I damn near face planted into the back of the chair, and then I ripped something open in my right shoulder as I caught myself before momentum had me rolling with the chair to the floor. I managed to right myself at the last minute, and stopped all movement long enough to catch my breath.

Once I was standing upright again, I tried taking a small step forward onto my wounded leg. It hurt like hell, but it was doable. One baby step after another got me closer to the door. Evan had left it open when he went downstairs to try to hold his father off. I finally listened again, hoping to catch a snippet of conversation that said all my efforts weren't necessary, and that I could haul my ass back to bed. Instead I heard loud and clear as Evan's father yelled at everyone downstairs. "I don't care what you think her condition is, if someone doesn't get that girl down here right now, I am going to go up there, and see to her health myself." While it sounded like he cared in theory, his words were more threatening than they were nurturing.

I took a page out of his book, and yelled back myself, "I'm on my way down!" Sweat was beading up across my forehead with the effort it was taking to move to the top of the stairs, but when I got there, I saw Evan, at the bottom and he looked scared. I think it may have been because it appeared I was going to topple straight down the stairs at any moment. That was still very much a possibility, I realized, as I took the first downward step, and lost my footing. When Evan took that first step to come help me, I shook him off. "I got it." I stopped, breathing heavily with my efforts, and then took the next step. It took every ounce of energy, and effort I had in me to get my ass down those stairs. I did it slowly, but I did it. Evan was wincing the whole time. He could see my face as I traversed the steps.

By the time I got to the bottom his father walked over in front of him, and looked up at me. "This is what all the fuss is about?"

"Well, if I had known you were coming, I would have at least hopped in a shower." I said, deadpan. I stuck my hand out in greeting, waiting for him to shake it, "I am Jessica Marie St. Marks, daughter of Jameson St. Marks and Eileen Stewart St. Marks." Contrary to Marcus's statements, I did actually know proper etiquette. I just didn't use it around him because he'd always rubbed me the wrong way. Now, I knew that feeling was because he had been a psycho.

"You look wounded still," he said as he took my hand gingerly, and shook it. I watched as his nose scrunched up a little at my scent. I was well aware that I had to smell super funky by now.

"Yes, well, I'm pretty sure I lost the vast majority of my blood to a psychopath who poisoned me and locked me in a cage then shot me several times. Oh, and doused me with wolfsbane. I've been a little out of it, and couldn't shift to heal. I realize I may not be recovering at a rate which your kind would, but I should be right as rain tomorrow." I looked over at Evan, and then towards the door. "I was going to shift and run, but since we have company, I suppose that can wait for a little bit."

He actually smiled at me, and it wasn't a bad smile. I don't know why I thought he would look old, but he did not. He looked to be in his early thirties, tops. Although, because he was a wolf, I knew that could mean he was far older. Judging from the ages of Evan and his brother, the man standing before me was probably in his 70s. "I am Antoine De'Lune, my dear, and I do believe my son has been silly enough to think that I would let a bond to a Lesser stand." He looked me up and down keenly aware of everything going on around him as he did. "It appears you are not yet bonded though, just marked. Is that true?"

"Yes."

"May I ask why?"

"I promised my parents that when the day came I would do the bonding ceremony the right way. My mother lost her sister when she was young, because my aunt did not."

"I see. Respect for family, pack, and rules. Perhaps something you could have taught my son while you were in his company." He moved out of my way so I could maneuver off the last step. "It appears you are freshly bleeding again." He said pointing to my right shoulder.

I just nodded. I knew. I felt it when I ripped it back open. I was panting slightly as I started moving for the door, and sweet salvation that was calling to me. My wolf wasn't going to wait much longer. She was chomping at the bit to get out, because to her this pain was insanity. "If you'll excuse me, I hate to be rude, but I'm in need of some wolftastic healing that I can't do in this form."

Antoine didn't bother hiding the smirk that blossomed across his face. He simply nodded and moved out of my direct line to the door. Evan was there by my side in an instant. "No," I told him. "I can do this myself." I didn't want him helping me in front of his dad, and making me look any more helpless than I really was in that moment. I knew that I was already bending over with the agony I was putting myself through. Pain. It's all I felt. It had become my world over the past few days, and the only thing that was keeping me going now was the promise that I would feel immensely better even if I could only manage five minutes in my wolf form.

I was on the verge of collapse when I finally made it almost to the door, and I knew if I didn't shift then I wasn't going to be able to stay conscious. I looked up at Evan with dread written all over my face.

"A few more steps?" He asked, the questioning look he was giving me was practically begging me to make it.

"Evan, I can't." I screeched, just as the shift hit me. The screech became a growl, and my wolf was calling the shots now, tired of the pain I was putting her through needlessly. The change came over me quickly, but with it came a pulse of blinding pain. I heard the intakes of breath as my wolf's form appeared in the doorway of my parents' house. They all knew now.

"The white wolf," I heard a woman's shocked, and heavily accented voice say behind me. My wolf didn't care, she took two tentative steps, testing out her shoulders' ability to maneuver, and then she was off at a quick trot. It was the best I could do at first, because the healing I had done as a human had left everything stiff.

I was heading into the forest beside my house when I noticed a large black wolf with a silver starburst on each shoulder flank. They were the only markings on his otherwise flawless black coat. The cobalt blue in his eyes gave him away though. Evan was with me, and we were definitely a pair to behold.

We ran until the only thing I saw was the tree line passing us by. I stayed near Evan's side, my wolf wanting to keep close to him. As we neared the lake, I nudged him playfully, and he bumped me back. Even his wolf knew to be gentle with me as I continued to heal though. I put my muzzle down into the lake and started lapping greedily at the cool water. I never wanted to stop drinking. I had been so thirsty. Evan came up and nudged me away though and tossed his head, indicating we should go back. Part of me didn't want to.

The larger part of me wanted to stay right there, and secure my bond with Evan before anyone could do anything about it, but that made me think of my Aunt Anna, and I didn't want to live out her fate. I followed behind Evan, eventually catching up to him. When we got back to the house, there were robes waiting for us on the porch. Evan shifted first, and I did not politely turn away as I should have. Instead I stood boldly, checking out all he had to offer. He grinned at me as he put his robe on came over and scratched behind my ear. "You're a naughty girl!" Then he held the robe up for me so I could shift, and dress without him being able to peek. Now, that was chivalry.

"And apparently, you're not naughty enough." I said. "Evan, maybe we should have just kept running back there."

"If you had, I would have followed," he confirmed what I already knew. He was letting me call the shots here, because he heard the story I told my mom about her sister, and he had already known the promise I made to my parents before we found out just how important that promise was. I leaned up on my tip toes, and kissed him before we headed into the unknown.

"So glad you two could join us again. I was just having a talk with your parents about how it could be possible for a Lesser to be a white wolf. It would seem you aren't so much of a Lesser, but more a hidden Ancient that we weren't aware of. That makes me wonder how many other times the white wolf has come forth, only to be hidden away by small packs, or killed."

"Well, since you seem convinced that I am an Ancient that means that you shouldn't have a problem with me bonding with Evan then, right?"

"Wrong." He said plainly.

"What? But..." Antoine held his hand up in front of him in a gesture meant to shut me up. It worked. I was speechless.

"Antoine?" A tall woman who was sitting to the left side of Evan's father called out.

"No, Eleanna. You know the rules." Antoine said, and then turned back to look at Evan and I. "The oldest son is the one set to inherit rule. The eldest gets first crack at his choice of mate. If he denies an eligible female, then the younger brother may pursue her. That is how it has always been."

"But, Malachai is already bonded with someone." I said, looking at the woman beside him who held his hand anxiously.

"This is true, but Mikael is not."

"Father, you can't possibly..."

Antoine cut Evan off. "I can. I am. You do not have permission to be with this woman, this white wolf. Your brother will make an attempt at wooing her, if he discards you may have her."

"Excuse me?" I said. He was talking about me like I was meat to be passed around at a barbeque.

"What part did you not understand, sweetheart?" Antoine sounded just like Mikael in that moment.

"I understood everything perfectly, but I do not agree with it." I looked at my parents hoping they could make this man understand, but their faces seemed as hopeless as Evan's did in that moment. "I don't even like Mikael. He was a jerk when we first met, and he hasn't changed at all in the time he's been here."

"I'm not sure I understand either, father. Mikael was given an option to mate, and he waited until I was far gone to say he didn't want her."

"Yes, well, that was a wise decision on his part, as it turns out because he now has a chance to be with the white wolf. I decree it so. She may continue to see you both, if she so chooses, but your brother will get equal opportunity until the Summer Solstice. On that day, a final choice will be made, and a bond will be sealed."

"You can't make me adhere to anything, father." Evan said defiantly.

"No, but I can make her, for now." He turned to me then and repeated his terms, throwing the weight of his power as King of the Ancients behind his words. I would be forced to follow them to the letter, until I rose to my power as the white wolf, or until a choice was made during Summer Solstice. I felt the power in his words wrapping around me and binding me like a tight cloak that I couldn't take off.

"No!" I yelled then, and nearly ran for Evan's father, because I had never wanted to hurt someone so much in my whole life, and that included what I had already done to Marcus. "You can't do this to me."

"It is done," he said as Evan caught me around the waist to kept me from doing what I wanted. I turned into Evan, and allowed the tears to fall into his chest as I tried to reign in my anger. Antoine had just done to me what Zach and Marcus had tried numerous times. He had mind-raped me into dating his son. He may not have a say in who I chose at the end, but he could most definitely make me date Mikael right alongside Evan. The thought turned my stomach, and made me wonder if Evan would stand by me as I had to date his brother too.

"Sorry, I'm late. I actually had to go and borrow a car from one of Evan's workers to get out here, because I don't have one. Asriel was supposed to come pick me up. Where is that fool?" Mikael finally shut up and took stock of everyone's moods as he looked around for Asriel. "What's going on?"

"You son of a bitch," Evan started, as he let go of me, and ran after his brother. "You planned this, didn't you?"

"Planned what, brother?" Mikael asked as he jumped out of the way at the last minute when his brother lunged at him. My father jumped in between the two, and grabbed hold of Evan as Mikael stepped off to the side. "What the hell is this about?" Mikael looked from Evan to me, and back again. I'm not sure what he saw when he noticed me, but his face immediately changed, becoming softer, but with a puzzled expression.

***

### FINALLY

I sat down on the only empty chair in the living room. My mouth was hanging open, all the color had drained from my face again, and I couldn't think straight. Evan had just torn after Mikael, but my dad beat him there. Asriel went to help my father. Mikael still looked completely confused when he sought out his father, who had been watching everything with a modest amount of curiosity.

Everyone was slightly taken aback when the person Mikael chose to address was me. "Jess, what's wrong?" The fact that I was the first person he spoke to managed to piss Evan off further, and he began struggling in Asi, and my dad's arms.

"Brilliant!" Evan railed at him, "Ask her what's wrong. You are what's wrong! You've already had a woman handed to you. Who knows what happened with her, really. So, now, you come and take my chance at happiness out from under me!"

"I think you need to take a moment and explain. I don't have a damn clue what you're talking about." Evan was fuming, and wasn't going to give him a clear answer. Antoine just shrugged his shoulders and pointed at me. The disgust that had to be clearly written on my face just made him chuckle. Arrogant bastard that he was. So I turned to Mikael to tell him myself.

"Apparently, you've got dibs on me, because I'm just a soulless puzzle piece to maneuver among the Ancients. Your kind seem to think it's okay to mind rape my choices away!" I was screaming the words at Antoine now, not even trying to hide my disdain for him.

"Jess, don't!" Evan warned me when he saw the look on his father's face.

"What did you do, father?" Mikael asked, now looking almost as pale and stricken as I felt.

"I did you a favor, Mikael. She is the white wolf, and you are my eldest son who has not been bound. She should be with you, and now you will get your chance."

"What?" There was no way Mikael could fake the shocked look on his face. "What the hell did you do? A true bond cannot form through force, and you know that!"

"She has a choice, son. I simply made sure you had a shot. By Summer Solstice we will know who the better man is."

"Certainly not you!" I spat at him.

"Jess!" Evan threw out another verbal warning. My dad and Asriel were still standing near him, though they had been able to let go. I assumed that Evan came to his senses when he saw Mikael's response. He couldn't have known about this ahead of time. Hell, it didn't even make sense that he would. Mikael didn't even know I was the white wolf.

"Jess, please," Mikael said at the same time Evan had spoken.

The moment the words left Mikael's mouth with the slightest hint of concern in them, Evan's temper flared again. It threw him over the edge, and it no longer mattered who was holding his human arms again, because Evan shifted into his beautiful black wolf and took off running. He didn't come after Mikael this time though. Instead he was gone, out the front door, and beyond before I could even think about what to do. For a moment, I thought to follow him, but I needed to be here to see how the rest of this conversation played out first. I had hoped that when Mikael understood what his father had done that he would relinquish any claim to me.

Mikael moved closer. "You can't talk to my father that way. He's killed men for less, Jess." The concern for my well-being was evident, and puzzling to me. My anger was still at the forefront though, and I didn't hold back.

"Too bad! My white wolf is apparently precious to him. Let him kill me then he loses her too." I had already been through plenty with Marcus, and survived. At this point, I was just done with all the power plays that were being put in front of me. I was tired of being subjected to men's rule.

"There are far worse fates than death, my white wolf." Antoine said to me, then he turned to his son. "School your bitch on how to properly address us or you'll be courting her from a cage over the next seven months. I hear she's been recently acquainted with what the inside of one feels like." With that, Antoine turned and snapped his fingers, his entire entourage got up and followed him out of my parents' house. The woman who spoke in a thick accent, I could only assume she was Evan's mother, gave me a look that promised we would talk later. She mouthed, "sorry" to me as she walked by, and held out her hand to touch mine briefly.

The gesture wasn't enough, and yet it was probably all she could manage without bringing forth her husband's ire. I wasn't sure how anyone's wolf could agree to be bound to someone like Antoine. Maybe he had been different long ago? I didn't know. I just knew I was getting tired of all the shit that the men around me kept tossing my way.

Mikael took a step to come closer to me, but stalled when I gave him the evil eye. "Hate the situation all you want, but don't hate me. You knew before I did, sweetheart."

"Don't call me that!"

"You know what? It wasn't an endearment. I call lots of women sweetheart. It doesn't make you special or mean that I want to be your mate, so get over yourself already. I am not my brother."

"You know what? I can't get over myself because your dad won't allow it. He's forced his will on me. I had to give you a chance. I don't get a choice in that, Mikael."

"Am I so bad? Jesus, you'd think you were told to go have dinner with Jeffery Dahmer or something." He moved in much closer, lifting my chin with his fingers until my tear-filled eyes looked up at him. "Christ, Jess, don't cry." He swore under his breath. "I'm not a damn monster, you know!" With that, he turned and left the house too. He did so as a human though.

Sometime during that little exchange Asriel had gone out to search for Evan, leaving me there in the house alone with my parents and Ashley now. "How does everything keep getting so messed up?" I stood and went up to my room, where I could sulk in peace.

"Jess," Ashley said as she knocked on my bedroom door.

"Ashley..." I called out wistfully. I could deny a lot of people entrance to my room, but not her. I needed my best friend right now, more than anyone. "What am I going to do?" I said as she sat down on the edge of my bed.

"You're going to stop moping, and make the most of this situation."

"Easier said than done." I looked down at the quilt that I tossed across my legs. "I don't have a choice now. Every time I think of going after Evan, I feel the pull to go after Mikael too. Unless those dumb asses ever thing to run off to the same place, that kind of leaves me feeling split apart."

"Yuk. I can't believe Antoine did that to you, especially after everything you just went through. I guess Evan was right when he said the rest of his family wasn't like him."

"Exactly, Ashe. And the rest of his family includes Mikael."

"Jess, there's something you should know though."

"Really? Is it how screwed I am? Because I already know that." Ashley laughed a bit, but then she leaned over and put her arms around my shoulders and squeezed. A couple hours ago, and that would have hurt like hell, now that I'd spent some time in my wolf form, it simply ached a bit.

"When you were missing..." she started, sounding a little unsure of herself as she spoke. "Mikael was out there, trying just as hard to find you. He's a better tracker, Jess, and he actually followed your scent for quite a while. It's ridiculously crazy, because when we got about ten miles out from the cottage, while following Zach, we saw Mikael. He had almost found you before we did."

"Seriously?" I asked, honestly surprised by that turn of events.

"Yeah, he was actually the one who ended up pulling the bars apart. Burned the crap out of his hands too, and then Evan swooped in and snatched you out of there. Not that Evan wasn't doing his part, Jess. I'm just telling you that they both did."

"Why?"

"I don't know why men do what they do," she said.

"No, I mean why are you telling me this? Ash, you of all people should be completely against this. He turned you, he tried to kill you."

"Yeah, he did, and I can't be mad at him for it either. Look what it's gotten me. I will be able to spend multiple lifetimes with my best friend, and I found my soul mate, my bonded half. Jess, aside from the drama that Marcus caused for you, this has been the happiest I've ever been in my life. I feel like I owe Mikael a thank you for nearly killing me."

"I wouldn't go that far." I announced.

"You know he's been looking for Zach too, while Evan's been here taking care of you."

"He has?"

"Yes. He has."

"Ash, I want to be with Evan."

"So, then be with Evan. He can't force you to choose the other brother, only to give him a chance. So, go out on some dates with him, become friends, while you love Evan. What's the big deal? Either way you're still going to get what you want in the end, right?"

I flopped over on my bed, and threw the quilt up over my head, groaning all the while.

"Talk to me, Jess. What's the problem?"

"Ashley, why did you tell me that Mikael was tracking me, and trying to find Zach?"

"I thought you should know."

"But why?"

"Jess, you've never dated anyone before Evan. Not a single soul. You're still a virgin, and now you have to remain that way until summer. Bless your poor little soul," she added with a laugh. "I like Evan for you, I do. But a few days ago even you had your doubts about him. He walked away from you without so much as a word. Believe me when I say that's been on my mind. Tonight, he turned wolf and ran because his brother spoke to you. Who's to say he won't do it later on too?"

Ashley sighed before she continued, "On the flip side, he was torn apart when he came looking for you. He was a broken man when he saw how badly you were hurt. He's been by your side ever since. Until today, he hasn't left." She curled up beside me on the bed then and threw her arms around me. "If the person you want, beyond a shadow of a doubt is Evan, then there's no problem. He's just going to have to learn to deal with you going out with his brother once in a while." She cringed, "Okay, that's a little awkward, but you can get through it."

"And what about Mikael in all of this, am I supposed to go through all this just to hurt him in the end?"

"I think he knows what his chances are, Jess. Besides, Mikael has some power in this too. And here's some food for thought, he could end it all right now, just bow out, and say he doesn't want you. He didn't do that though."

"That's what concerns me." I pulled the blanket down off my head, and looked into Ashley's big blue eyes. "What if he wants this? What if he makes me stick it out until the very last day?"

"What if? The choice will be yours."

"I choose Evan," I said, leaving no doubt in my mind where my heart was.

"Okay, then you just have to make it through the next seven months of dealing with his brother too."

"Maybe you can chaperone all of our dates?"

"Yeah, no. I love you and all, but I am not up for that amount of awkwardness on a regular basis." Ashley hugged me hard, and then wiped the tears away from my cheeks. "You want to hear the good news, sweets?"

"Lay it on me, Ash."

"You killed the shit out of Marcus!"

"Yeah, I did!"

***

### PREVIEW

Falling into the White

The Ancients Vol. 2

Jessica St. Marks has come to grips with being the stuff of legends. She is destined to be the leader of her kind, the werewolves.

While she dreams of uniting the two breeds of werewolves, the Ancients and the Lesser, she must first put a stop to the tyrannical rule of the current werewolf king, Antoine De' Lune.

Jessica must first come into her full power in order to take her rightful place as the white wolf ruler. She cannot do that without first accepting a mate.

A choice must be made between Evan, the wolf whose claim she has already accepted once; and his brother, Mikael, whom she was forced to get to know. One will help her embrace her destiny, while the other is fated to destroy her.

Turn the page to read the first chapter of _Falling into the White_!

***

### Falling Into the White

The Ancients Vol. 2

### Not Quite a Double

"Which guy are you with today? I saw your Jeep parked outside Angelique's. You are on a date, right?" I looked down at the text from Ashley, but I didn't respond right away. When I got here I slid into my favorite booth near the back, but now I was second guessing my choice of seating.

"Excuse me, may I switch to the table over there?" I asked the waitress who came to take my drink order.

"Sure thing, sweetie. Is it just you today?"

"No, I'm meeting someone. Can I get a water with lemon and some of those Louisiana chips too, please?"

"Yes, ma'am! I'll be right back."

I stared at my phone while I waited. I was a few minutes early, as I had planned to be. I wanted to make sure I got to pick my seat out first, and work out what I planned to say beforehand. As I was contemplating that a text came in and I looked at my cell again.

Finally, I decided to stop thinking so much, and responded to Ashley's text instead. "Yes, Ash. I will tell you all about it later, I promise."

"In full detail!" She responded, and then another text came in. "Wait, which one?" I smiled, and was going to tell her, but I felt a tingle of power wash over me that had me looking up into the most gorgeous smile I'd ever seen. He was wearing dark blue jeans, a black polo shirt that was stretching the limits of indecent as it highlighted every ripple of muscle in his upper arms and torso, and black boots. He strutted over to the table, leaning down to place a quick kiss on my cheek. As he did a few strands of his black hair came loose to frame his chiseled jawline. Cobalt blue eyes stared down into my own, sending tingles through my whole body. Evan took the seat directly to my right, pulling his chair just a bit closer as he scooted it back in.

"Jess, I'm sorry if I'm running a little late. I was caught up with a delivery issue at the bar."

"It's okay, Evan. The waitress hasn't even brought my water and chips yet." As if on cue, she came walking up and placed them down on the table, not really paying attention to us at all. She was preoccupied with someone who had just walked in up front.

Evan cleared his throat, "I'll take a glass of sweet tea and a menu too, please."

"Yes sir," she started, and when she looked down and saw who she was talking to, I swear her jaw nearly hit the table. "Um, I will..." apparently the sheer sight of Evan left her speechless. I couldn't blame her for that. "I'll be right back, hon."

"Funny," I said, "she didn't seem to have that problem when she was taking my drink order." I was laughing at him, until I spied the reason the woman had been so preoccupied to begin with. A tall, very handsome man with short brown hair, that was threatening to finally flop over into his eyes if he didn't get it cut soon, was sauntering toward our table like he owned the place. The smile on his face exuded confidence, as if he were comfortable anywhere he went, and those bright emerald eyes of his were shining like the jewels they mimicked.

"Sorry, I got hung up in the parking lot. The new bike sure does get people talking." Mikael said as he came in around the opposite side of the table that Evan had. He proceeded to park his ass in the chair to my left. We were not now, nor had we ever been on kissing terms, so he never attempted to greet me the way Evan had, thankfully.

Evan's chair slid back, as if he were preparing to jump across the table at his brother. "What is he doing here?" He breathed through clenched teeth.

"Please, calm down, I thought we could all talk this out like adults."

Evan noticed that Mikael was not the least surprised to be sitting here with the two of us. I had already warned Mikael about the fact that this was going to be a group date so we could get a few things understood between the three of us, before I officially started dating both of them. Not that I wanted to date them both. Their father, Antoine King of the werewolves, couldn't order me to bond with his older son; but he did order me to at least date and try getting to know him between now and the summer solstice. I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Dating Mikael meant pissing off Evan, but not doing it meant facing untold pain in order to defy Antoine. I know, because I tried.

I called them both here to try to figure out a way to do this with some kind of rules, so that I wasn't forced to endure more lectures from Evan, disappointment when I turned Mikael down, or pain when as I disobeyed Antoine. I hadn't told Evan about the fact that Mikael would be here though. I may be the fated white wolf ruler one day, when I come into my full power, but for now I was still a woman new to the dating scene, and wishing it weren't this complicated.

"You knew I'd be here?" Evan asked his brother.

"Of course I did. Jess told me she wanted to talk to both of us, to get some things straight so that there were no hard feelings or problems down the road."

Evan was looking at me in an accusatory manner then. "You never told me about that." He snapped at me.

"Because every time I tried to suggest it all last week you just got angry and ended the conversation or walked away. I figured if we all just showed up at the same place you would..." I wasn't quite sure how to phrase the rest of what I wanted to say to him, and I tripped over my words as I desperately attempted to come up with a polite way of telling him to just cooperate and stop being an ass.

"That I'd what?" He snapped again, impatiently.

"Have to deal with it. Be an adult. Get over yourself." Mikael offered helpfully. Well, he did it a little more sarcastically than helpful.

I sighed heavily. "I definitely underestimated your reaction. Please this is hard enough on me, must you make it worse?" I asked Evan. When Mikael snickered I rounded on him too. "That was meant for you too. You're both making this beyond difficult for me."

Evan looked pointedly at Mikael, "it doesn't have to be. He could be a real man, respect your wishes, and end this madness now."

"If I thought you were best for Jess, I would, but you're not. So, I won't." Silence greeted his comment. I was staring open mouthed at Mikael, and Evan looked like he was ready to commit murder right here in my favorite restaurant. As if we couldn't get better timing the waitress came back, nearly drooling all over herself, trying to take Mikael's order.

"Can I get a..." he paused for a minute eyeing the two of us first, "aw, hell, what do you have on tap?"

The waitress smiled sweetly at him and listed off five different beers they had on tap, including one from a Louisiana brewery.

"I'll take the Parade Ground, when in a fake Louisiana restaurant might as well drink like it's the real thing." I was seriously contemplating ordering one too, or maybe ten. The waitress smiled sweetly, saying, "anytime you want a little bit of Louisiana, you just let me know."

"Are you from there?"

"Born and breed, sweetheart!" She said with a wink. Then she looked at me, and I'm not quite sure what she saw on my face, but she added, "I'll be right back with that beer," and scurried off to another table.

Mikael didn't miss a beat. "No fair, sweetheart! You brought us together to tell me I don't have a snowball's chance in hell with you, and then you go scaring off the flirty wait staff. Tsk, tsk."

Of course he would have to call me out. I don't even know why Mikael flirting with the waitress bothered me at all. Actually, it wasn't really me it bothered, but my wolf. She liked Evan, but she also found something appealing about Mikael. Apparently, she was keeping her options open even if I wasn't. I needed to have a serious talk with my wolf. "Whatever." My not so clever response was lame, but it was the best I had at the moment. "Listen, this is..."

I stopped because Evan was scooting his chair out and getting up. He stood there and threw a few twenty dollar bills out onto the table. "Lunch is on me, but I'm not sitting here with him through any discussion." He leaned down, kissed the top of my head, and turned to leave.

"Evan De' Lune! If you leave me sitting here alone with your brother, he will be the only one I discuss things with from now on!" I was angry. More than that, I was tired of his shit, and thinking he could keep walking away from me and that I'd be there when he pulled his head out of his ass.

"See you later, Ev!" Mikael added through a snicker. I tossed him a look that I was sure would shut him up, but it only made him break out into full blown laughter. Jerk.

Evan was not happy. He sat back down in a huff. "Fine! Can we get this over with? I have a business to go run."

"I have abso-fucking-lutely no clue where to start. You two are so freaking difficult to deal with that I completely forgot everything I wanted to say. What is it with your family?"

"I love when you talk dirty." Mikael had his chin planted firmly on a fist that rode up from the elbow he had on the table. My mom would have smacked my arm out from underneath me for sitting like that at a table. I rolled my eyes at Mikael. Evan growled.

"I am so not talking dirty to you!" Evan was fiddling with his now empty sweet tea glass, and I went to put my hand on his, but he pulled away. I threw my hands up in the air, blew out a giant sigh, and got ready to leave myself. "You know what? Fuck you!" I said to Mikael, because he was a dick I didn't want to deal with. "And fuck you too!" I said to Evan, because he was being a jerk and treating me like this was all my choice, my fault, when his father was the one who put us all in this situation. "I'm done with all this! I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner. If I am not dating one of you, I don't have to date the other. I can just go live my happy little life without any of you." I bent to grab my bag that I had put on the floor beside me, and the look of sheer panic on Mikael's face when I did stopped me cold in my tracks. "What?"

"You can't." He said softly.

"I can, and I will."

"Did you forget the part where my father threatened to lock you up in a cage. I make light of this situation, because I'm trying to make the best of a bad one. Make no mistake though, Jess, my father will do whatever it takes to make sure his family stays in power. You can't simply choose to walk away from both of us."

"You would do that?" Evan looked hurt, not worried. He ignored everything his brother just said, and focused on the fact that I had rejected him too.

"Yes, I would because you're being an ass! And he's already an ass." I nodded to Mikael. "I can't do this with you blaming me every few minutes for what has to happen, and him antagonizing everyone. I can't. I won't. I don't even care, at this point, if your father does try to lock me up in a cage. The fact is, he can't force me to bond with anyone." Tears were in my eyes. I wasn't on the verge of crying because I was sad, I was angry. "I'm the one your father tossed in the center of the ring for you to fight over, but guess what? I'm coming out with more wounds than either of you. If you keep this up, there won't be anything left to think about fighting over, because I will hate you both." That seemed to do the trick, because they both calmed down and promised to be on their best behavior for the rest of the meal. Our waitress came back and took our orders, not that I was hungry anymore, so I asked her to just have a to go plate made for me. Mikael ordered a steak, rare.

"I'll have that right out for you, doll."

"Do you not see me sitting here?" I snipped at her.

"Excuse me?" She asked, startled by my tone.

"I'm sitting right here, and you're flirting openly with someone I'm having lunch with. Do you even expect a tip?"

"I thought you were with that one," she pointed at Evan.

"I'm with both." When she looked at me funny, I smiled sweetly, "yeah, both!"

"I'll get your food out to you soon." She said and walked off without another word. Mikael looked amused, and Evan was back to looking pissed.

"You didn't have to take everything out on the poor girl, how was she to know?"

"Well, I'm in a mood, and she rubbed me the wrong way."

"I think she was offering to rub me the right way, though!" He waggled his brows at me, and I just glared at him. "Tough crowd." He took a sip of the beer the waitress had finally brought out to him. "So, where do we start? What are your ground rules?"

"No more togetherness. I don't want to be in the same room with both of you at the same time anymore if I can help it."

"Easy enough," Mikael offered.

"Done." Evan added.

"No questions. I don't want either of you asking what I did on a date with the other." I thought for a moment and added, "If there is something major that you need to know, I will tell you." They both nodded in agreement. "Sundays are off limits, for both of you. It's my personal day where I don't have to deal with anything if I don't want. My class schedule is also not to be interrupted unless it's life or death. Thankfully, Ashley's dad was able to get me an excuse for the time I missed when Marcus..." My gut clenched at his name, and I paused to swallow down the bile. Evan's hand came up to hold mine, and Mikael offered me a sympathetic smile I didn't want. I hated looking weak. I couldn't help my reaction though. The scar I looked at on my shoulder when I dressed every day was a constant reminder of just how out of control my life had gotten. I was trying to take some of that control back for myself. "Anyway, I don't want to miss anymore, because I would really like to graduate one day. It's my personal goal for myself, and I don't want it fucked with. It's something I had before any of you came along. It's mine. I want it."

"Point taken," Mikael said softly, while Evan just squeezed the hand he was still holding.

I couldn't think of anything else to add in that moment, so we sat for a while in an uncomfortable silence. When our food came, the bus boy and the manager brought it over. Our waitress was nowhere to be seen. "Shelly had an emergency, and took off for the rest of the day," the manager explained. "I'll take care of anything you need for the rest of the time you're here."

"Thank you," I all but whispered. Great, now I got to feel bad for running a woman out of work. I was just a giant ray of sunshine! Mikael held up his empty beer glass and before the manager, Geoff, could walk away, he also held up two fingers. Geoff just nodded at him and turned for the bar.

I nibbled on my chips as the two of them ate their food. I wasn't really sure where to go from here. Did we set up a date night schedule, or would I be forever trapped in an endless fight about who got dibs on a certain day. I groaned inwardly at the thought. Both Evan and Mikael stopped eating to look at me. Apparently, I had groaned outwardly too. I looked back and forth between them, and noticed a surprisingly astute look cross Mikael's face.

"Thinking about how we're going to schedule things?"

The shock that registered in body language was apparent, and I was about to ask him how he read my damn mind, but he started in telling me before I could.

"I was thinking the same thing, when you groaned I figured it dawned on you too."

"Why not first come first serve?" Evan said sarcastically.

"Yes, that way you can claim every day until the solstice." Mikael shot back.

"Well, I already did, when I claimed her publically, but apparently that doesn't matter when daddy steps in and carves out a few days for you on her calendar." For the first time in all of this I finally got to see Mikael peeved. He growled, but held his position at the table, unlike Evan who had already come half out of his seat.

"And this is why I groaned in frustration. How do you want to do this? Every other day? Tuesdays and Thursdays for one Monday's and Wednesdays for the other? I mean, seriously, what are the two of you going to be okay with?"

"I'll be okay with him taking a hike, and not coming back. Beyond that, I'm not okay with any of this. Not at all." Evan wiped his mouth and hands with his napkin, and looked down at his phone again. "Our distributors brought the wrong fucking beer to the bar this morning. I need to go make sure everything was corrected. How about the two of you figure out the scheduling issue, and get back to me. I'm not going to be happy with whatever is decided, so there's no need for my input." With that, he got up and left.

"Jess," Mikael started and then paused momentarily. "I..." he sighed. I watched an internal struggle playing out on his face. "There's a part of me that wants to let you off the hook, and let you go. And then there's the part of me that likes you. The part that doesn't like the choices my brother is making where you're concerned, is the one that's keeping me here. I hope you don't hate me for it, but I can't just walk away."

I nodded, not knowing what to say to any of it. It never even occurred to me that Mikael might actually be interested in me as anything other than the miraculous white wolf of power, but then Ashley's speech from a few days ago was nagging at the back of my head. Mikael had cared enough to come looking for me, before he knew what I was. I had to at least respect that. Mikael downed the rest of his beer that the manager had slipped on the table just as Evan was leaving.

"How about we alternate Saturdays, and the rest of the days of the week are a free for all." I smiled at that, but then he added, "I do at least want a fair shake, Jess."

"I can promise you an equal amount of time, but beyond that, I'm not sure what I can..."

"I understand. You had my brother before I ever came along, and I didn't exactly make the best first impression. I'll work on changing your mind, if you keep it open."

I couldn't say anything to that. Saying okay would mean a part of me was giving up on what I had with Evan, and even though he was being a royal pain in my ass about all this, I couldn't fault him for it. I certainly wasn't ready to give up on him. I gave Mikael a tight smile, and reached down for my bag.

"I'll do what I can," I finally said to him as I stood to go. He got up and placed another bill on the table, I wasn't sure the denomination, because I was already walking away. I was pretty sure the staff at Angelique's were about to get a healthy tip for their troubles today though. As I reached the door I realized Mikael had stopped to talk to the manager momentarily, but before I could push the door all the way open, he was there by my side holding it for me. Mikael walked me to my Jeep, closed the door for me, and leaned in quickly to kiss my cheek. I didn't try to stop him, but that mostly because he was there and gone so fast I barely had time to register the gesture for what it was. As he walked away, I took the time to zip the window back up in my Jeep before I took off. I suddenly felt chilled to the bone, and it had nothing to do with the cooler air temperatures.

"Ashley, are you busy?" I texted into my phone.

"Nope. How was the date? You never even told me which one you were with!"

"Both of them," I texted back. "Can I come over?"

"Holy shit! The door's open, and Asi's working, get over here and spill!"

Keep up with release information for _Falling_ _Into the White_ on the website:

authorchristinembutler.moonlitdreams.org

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### Acknowledgments

As always, I'd like to thank my family.

My parents, Linda and Frank, for always believing in me, and pushing me to follow my dreams.

My children, (Bella, Devlin, Alex, and Lexy) who are all simply amazing! They sacrifice a lot of time with me when I'm in my writing zone. I wish there were two of me some days. They are also the first to hug me, and tell me how proud they are when a new book is done. Their love is an awesome thing!

A very special thank you goes out to the wonderful women who helped make this book what it is.

Thank you to my Beta readers for this book:

Rhe'a Roland, Sara Kaley, Marion Sparzak, Jennie Gammon Speck, Stacey White, Corrine Riforgiate, and Patria Dunn Harris

Your enthusiasm is contagious! Thank you for making sure I was staying on track, and making good use of my words!

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### ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Christine M. Butler was born into the life a military brat a long, long time ago. Okay, maybe not that long ago. She's been a soldier, military police officer, corrections officer, store manager, and worked in the newspaper industry. She has a wide range of interests, and all of it has been fodder for her creative mind.

Christine currently resides in the middle of South Carolina with three of her four children. The fourth ran away to be a pirate!

An East Carolina University Pirate!

Find out more about Christine and her books:

www.moonlitdreams.org

authorchristinembutler.moonlitdreams.org

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