SHADOW
“Penny for the thoughts?” I felt like my body was always burning and yearning for his touch. What we did last night was not part of the plan. It just happened, and I didn’t have the will to stop him. In fact, I thought I was losing my mind if he left me unsated.
“I’m thinking of something.” His mouth was on the side of my neck where a mate bit his mate, but I wasn’t worried if he forced himself on me. It would be painful, though, if he bit me without my permission. His hand went on my tummy, tracing up between the valley of my breasts.
“Like what?” I tried to focus on letting him talk, but what he did was a huge distraction, making my wolf purr in delight. I bit my bottom lip when he cupped my breast with his hand.
“I could use Marcus’ expertise.” He ran his tongue across the back of my neck while twisting my nipple between his fingers, breaking out a moan from my throat.
“Califf,” I called his name, but it came out as a beg.
“Take your top off.” He pushed his rigid length against my butt. My sex ached to feel his mouth on me again. I felt wet and needed his touch more than anything, but we had more pressing matter than fueling my inner need with satisfaction.
“No.”
He stiffened behind me. “What do you mean no?”
I turned to face him. “You know your scent is all over me. Even if I took a long shower, I could still sniff it.”
“Because we shared everything, bed, blanket, we-”
I pressed a finger on his lips when blood rushed through my neck and face. “You don’t have to remind me. I have a good memory of what happened last night.”
“I know you’re aroused.” I watched him take my finger, shoved it to his mouth, licked and sucked it before he let it go.
My mind went sideways, thinking it was me and his long and mammoth cock in my mouth. What he just did was erotic and madness that had me squirming. And I didn’t notice he was also watching my reaction, making my cheek hotter. I was awfully embarrassed by my lack of experience in that area.
I snorted. “Jeez, Alpha.”
“What? You’re denying it?”
“No. And you can smell me.”
“Yes. So let me give relief to that, then we can talk.”
“No. I want a clear head, not a lust-filled brain, Califf. We need a plan. When Keane didn’t get me, he planned to ask for all the packs’ support. He wasn’t rich when I was with them. How did he manage to convince packs to join him? Where did he get his confidence and finances to pay his expenses? Who are his allies now?”
“We will talk later when-”
“No. I said no. You have to see me as your equal, Califf.”
“Baby, I do see you as my future Luna, but in bed, I can be bossy, controlling-”
“You want dominance in bed, but no. I want dominance, too, once I learn something from you.”
His lips curved up to smirk.
“Shut it off. My presence is starting to affect your ability to think about what matters at hand. I won’t let that happen. If you are distracted and sexually preoccupied, I may have to return to my room.”
“I am not,” of course, he denied, but I saw what was going on. He wanted to spend more time with me than working in his office for hours.
“You are, big guy. And do something with that.” I looked down. “Do you like a blowjob?”
He groaned. His eyes darkened, narrowing. “How could you ask me that while I’m having a hard-on?”
“I don’t know.” I played innocent. I never tried going down or allowing someone to go down on me, but girls talked while I was in college, and we watched porn together. I felt something, but not as intense as man’s touch-Califf’s touch.
“I would love your mouth on my cock, but not right now.”
“Oh, I wasn’t suggesting, Alpha. Get your head out of the gutter.” I got away from his arms and sat on the bed. “Did you find anything about the family? Can you trust him?”
“You tell me.”
“I’m not a good judge of character either, Califf. How I like you, despite your aggressiveness, arrogance, brooding, and control freak, is still a mystery to me. And don’t ever tell me it’s Moon Goddess doing.”
“You were able to walk away from men. I’m sure there’s a long list of them who wanted you in bed, but you managed to resist it, but you didn’t with me. It’s the Moon Goddess we should blame. And I’m awesome. You can’t deny that. You can’t resist our mate’s pull and my handsome face.”
“Goddess. This man is impossible!” I rolled my eyes. “I only want a good and loyal man in my life, not this overbearing Alphasshole.”
“You mean, boring guy?” He laughed out loud. Despite calling him an asshole, he lifted me and put me on his lap. I could still feel the hardness between his thighs. “I really want to tell my pack that you’re my mate and that you are mine.”
“See how possessive you are,” I said, unimpressed.
“It’s in our nature, baby. You can’t change that.”
“But we can control it.”
“You haven’t fallen for me. Wait until you do and see if you allow a woman near me without thinking of ripping her throat out.”
“I guess not. Maybe I just want you between my legs.” I rolled my eyes again.
“I would love to do that.”
“Oh, Goddess.” I dragged myself out of bed.
“Where are you going?”
“I need to see Jonas and Santi.”
“Why?” He also got out of bed to change his clothes. “When are your things gonna arrive?”
“I thought you know. Tomorrow.” I put comfortable clothes on before I walked out of his room.
“I didn’t check the delivery updates. Sorry, baby.”
“It’s fine. You have a lot on your plates right now than thinking of my things.” We walked downstairs and found Lyon and Zack.
“We’re about to see you, Alpha.”
“Link and text don’t work?”
They shared a look before Zack spoke, “We didn’t want to disturb you?”
“Disturb me?”
“And her?” Zack hesitated.
“If it’s urgent, you know that drill.”
“It’s not really urgent. It can wait until morning.” Lyon gave the folded papers to Califf.
“What’s this?”
“Jonas and Santi’s statement and things they can do.”
“Does it go with Marcus’?”
“Yes, Alpha.”
I got the paper from Califf and was surprised by what they could do. I asked in shock. “They can do this?”
“Yeah.”
I looked at Califf. “I wanna see them.”
“They’re in solitary,” Zack said.
“Let’s go.”
I stayed behind as I read through the two pages of paper Santi’s statement. “Why did they never use his skill?”
“Some packs choose to live in the forest, away from hassles and technology, like our ancestors because they didn’t want to harm humans. And keeping a low profile about our nature can protect both kinds,” Zack said.
“Do I smell him?” I muttered under my breath.
Zack smiled as he whispered back. “And what’s wrong with that?”
“Do you realize we have super-smelling ability?” Great. Lyon just heard us.
“Thanks for telling me, Mr. Obvious,” I told Lyon.
“Your secrets are safe with us, Shadow.”
I wrinkled my nose while Califf was amused to see my reaction. “I feel like using the link is invading privacy. And I wanna be like human when not in my wolf form.”
“I haven’t seen you shift. Is your wolf awesome?”
“Not really.”
Zack chuckled at how I answered Lyon. He probably thought I was kidding.
The door to the solitary slid open, reminding me of my first days in this room. The father and son were still up.
“Alpha.” They bowed.
“Take a seat, both of you.”
They went back to the bed they shared. They were healed and wearing some clean clothes.
Kindra and I collected some old clothes for the family earlier since we didn’t have time to shop for them. The Coleman family was happy to share their used clothes. Thankfully, there was a big convenience store in the compound, and I was surprised to see it.
“A convenience store in the compound accepts visas and other cards. You can also pay via QR codes,” I said aloud.
“You didn’t know?” Zack looked at me weirdly. “What do you think of us? Primitives.”
“Well, I just got my money and the prize for winning the challenge and haven’t explored the compound. Nobody volunteers to tour me around except treats me like a piece of- never mind.”
“This is as big as the penitentiary in Louisiana,” Lyon said proudly.
“Wow. No wonder you need more enforcers.”
“Yes.”
“Are you three done?”
“Yes, Alpha,” we said in unison.
“Are these true?” Califf asked Jonas and Santi.
“Yes, to the best of our ability, Alpha.”
“He’s a computer expert?” Califf pointed at Santi.
“Better than you?” I asked Zack.
“Way better.”
“Yes, Alpha. I’m a computer engineer specializing in software and digital programming.”
“So you can hack this solitary or unlock it from inside?”
“I can.” Santi stood up and looked at all corners and the ceiling. “Your architect is good, but your security system needs an upgrade.”
“Ouch,” Zack reacted, making me chuckle. And I just received a glare from our Alpha for misbehavior.
“Why didn’t you try to escape?”
“Because we didn’t come here to escape after you saved up. We are grateful. In fact, we want to join your pack, Alpha,” Jonas said. “And I doubt we can make it out of the compound.”
“That’s right. Our system may need an upgrade, but our men don’t. You won’t make it out of this building. “You’re in a construction company?”
“Yes, sir. Assistant project engineer.”
“Come with us.” Califf walked out of the solitary.
Zack, Lyon, and I followed suit.
He stopped once we were all out, and the confinement door locked closed. “But if you sabotage us, betray us, I’m not good at threats because I don’t make threats. I show no mercy and kill every last one who betrays me.”
“We understood, Alpha,” Santi said.
“Your freedom is temporary. If you fail me, you both go back, or I will kill one of you. But if you’ve proven your loyalty, I will give you a chance to live and join our pack.”
“I already owed you my life for saving us. I won’t let you down.”
“Where’s your mate?”
“He’s a human, Alpha. She was supposed to come with us on the weekend.”
“Tomorrow, you mean?” I turned to him.
“Y-yeah.” Fear filled his eyes.
“Do you know her number? Call her.” I gave him my phone. “She could be in danger.”
“T-thank you.” He took my phone with his shaky hand and typed the number messily.
“Hey. Relax. Take your time.”
“That’s what I’ve been so worried about,” he said. “I asked your enforcer, but he said he couldn’t do it. He was following orders.”
“That’s true,” Lyon affirmed.
After he dialed the number, he pressed my phone onto his ear. “Santa? Honey?”
“Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Where the hell are you? I’d been calling you for hours.”
“Where are you? Don’t go to the pack. We were attacked, honey. Stay at home. I will come to you soon.”
“Is your house far from your pack community?” I asked Santi.
“Yes. Our house is in town.”
“Good.”
“What’s going on?” the woman, Santa, asked.
“Stay in the house. Santi and I are safe. I love you, honey. I will see you soon.” He ended the call.
“Let’s go to my office.”