Asher.
Despite having woken up moments prior, Asha looks radiant beside the truck. Her platinum blonde hair captures the sun, like a crown of light. Her lithe figure draws one’s attention to its subtle and sultry curves, while the honey-brown eyes bewitch. At a distance, through the diner’s dirty window, these traits unite in the portrait of a beautiful young woman. Crass and casual, a smokescreen for a deeper emotional intelligence.
It takes all my willpower to drag my gaze away from her, but I have a rare moment alone with Jake I don’t want to squander. As the controller of my fate, it behooves me to learn the way his mind thinks. He sits square-shouldered in the booth, alert, despite little hints of exhaustion peeking through. For example, the way he blinks with such intention, refusing his eyelids the opportunity to remind him how splendid a moment’s rest would feel.
“Where are we headed?” I ask.
His eyes snap to mine, and in them I find my answer. Confidential. Need-to-know basis. Shut up and do what I tell you.
It was evident the moment we met, I didn’t have his trust. Which I suppose is understandable, His eyes wander back to the window, where they find Anna. And yet, both brothers have allowed themselves to become involved with the so-called asset, as Michael called her — whatever that means. I smelled her on them like a pungent cologne. By the strength of the scent, I can only imagine what the three of them got up to in the past forty-eight hours. And without showering since.
oks back at me, leaning forward on the table. “For murder?”
I steel myself against physical response, which I know he’s fishing for. Cracks in my facade. “That’s correct.” I smile softly, but behind this genial mask play memories of my crime. Flashes, tiny soundbites, clipped recollections flitter across the stage of my mind. My mother’s shriek. The fury in my father’s eyes fading into eternal darkness. The blood staining my coat, dripping from my wolf’s teeth, bared in an open maw. The flight, endless running, days on end, switching between forms whenever my legs tired. “Would you like me to talk about it?”
He inspects me with wary curiosity. Another flash, mom’s death, dad’s taken away, mom. Tears on Mom’s cheeks catching moonlight, glittering like diamonds. Snapshots imprinted on my brain like photos in a grim family album. “You seem to be at peace with it.”
Smell of blood mixed into the crisp night air. “Does the subject interest you, Jake?”
I notice a slight constriction in the muscles around his left eye, though I don’t know how to interpret. Disgust? Anger? Incredulity? Jake holds his cards close to the chest. Living that way must be exhausting. Keeps the muscles all tight, makes you aggravated, always a background anger rumbling within. I suppose men like Jake use that to his owjjtheir advantage, as well, but at what cost?
“Remarkable shift,” he says.
I raise my eyebrows. “What’s that?”
“ You must have gone through hell, no mother , your dad taken away for a crime he never committed and your daughter stollen away.”
I smile, the subject far easier than the last. “Well,I am this naive girl who believed my mate will marry me before sex, My mom was killed by God , Dad taken away for a crime he never committed and my baby taken away, I cried so much but no one was there to help me.”
Jake nods. “Uh, huh. Those moments must be hard for you…sensitivenature?”
The server appears, unfazed by the mention of prison. She wears a stained apron over a teal dress and a cloak of nonchalance that must buffer her against the riffraff that filters through this diner. “Hello,” I greet cheerily.
It’s my affability that gives her pause. Her eyes lift from the notepad on which she scribbles her customers’ orders. A smile tugs up the corners of her mouth when she sees me. “Hi.”
“We’re waiting on two more,” says Max, shooing her.
“I’ll come back in five,” she says, passing me one more glance before receding behind the counter again.
“Smooth operator,” says Jake . “I hope you don’t intend getting in between her legs?
“ If you are this jealous what will you do when I start training her to use her magic?Asher changes gears. “Well, don’t hold out hope for her. She’s off limits.”
His eyes bore into me, waiting for my response. I simply nod. As stunning and intriguing as I find Asha, I’m not looking for trouble.
Sure, I weathered my time in prison, but I’m not looking to do any more. This is my one shot to stay out. Freedom. Something I never really tasted in my life, not even during those years on the lam, at school, under a false identity. Watching over your shoulder isn’t freedom. It’s just another form of imprisonment.
So, despite a history of mistakes, I don’t intend to make one here. I’ll abide by Max’s rules, serve the Enforcers, and keep myself out of that godforsaken Hell I left behind. No matter how intriguing the pretty asset is.
"I'm only here to help," I offer simply.
"I hope so," Max says, and there's a hint of a threat in his voice.
ANNA
This diner is a rundown way station for truckers and other less discerning travelers to fill their bellies without worry of judgment. It belongs to the men and women of the road, a restaurant at the edge of the world, living in the margin, outside society’s reach.So why do I feel so comfortable here?I guess I’m becoming one of their kind, fallen through the cracks into a demimonde of misfits, alike only in their distaste of the norm.
The wafting scent of grease and sizzling meat patties cuts my philosophizing short. My stomach grumbles and I realize how hungry I actually am. Ravenous, as it turns out.
Our talented server arrives with a half dozen plates balancing on her arms, and still manages to place each before us without spilling so much as a single fry. “Enjoy,” she says flatly, before flashing a smile at the other side of the table, one to share between Asher and Lucas.
Jake and I both take notice, sharing a moment of mutual eye-rolling before we dig in. I mean, I know the waitress is only looking at them because Jake radiates a leave me the fuck alone air, one of the few things we have in common, but I don't think Jake is the least bit worried about his sexual prowess.
Even if her ogling the guys irritates me a little.
We tear into the meal with the ferocity of our inner wolves, but none as much as Asher. He’s shoveling his country-fried steak and mashed potatoes into his mouth like it’ll run away if he gives it the chance. I pause to watch and after a few seconds of my fascinated observation, he catches my eye.
His cheeks redden, and he smiles back at me. “How did you learn to eat so fast?.”
“eat fast?” I repeat, unsure I got that right. The Lucas and Jake shift uncomfortably in the booths, eliciting awkward squeaks from the ancient vinyl upholstery.
Asher, on the other hand, seems unabashed by his past. “I learn that at work, I had just liittle hours to rest to eat so I hard to learn to eat fast. At the end I loose the job”
Perhaps propriety would dictate I not ask the question at the forefront of my thoughts, but instead it slips right off the tongue. “What was your dad accused of?”
“Murder.”
”Did he committed the murder?Asher asked.
“ No,my dad can’t hurt a housefly”
I looked at Asher who was sitted accross me while Max and Lucas were not done with their food yet.I look around the restaurant admiring the beauty of the restaurant when my eyes landed on some cute couple and their pups,my mind immediately think back to my daughter. “it must have been tough for her seeing happy family like this” Then Max spoke about the food ,my attention returned to our table and as I look up, I found Asher staring at me,I could also look away but his face were tempted to stare at, I began to study his beautiful face, he looks so handsome and I was tempted to want him at that moment. He furrows his brow and shakes his head. “Because you’ve got spunk. And wit. And something gleams in your eye. I’m not sure what it is, hope, optimism, life, but it’s missing from everyone else.”“You never knew you had magic right?” Asher asks wryly.I smile. “yeah, my first time was in lucas’s house, you won’t believe I almost ...... killed Lucas” I said in a sad tone.Asher places hi
. “Anna, your pack is under attack, The Ethan men did” I feel like a tea kettle point five seconds before it sings. Anger, fear, sadness, panic boil inside me in one terrible concoction so perfectly blended I don’t know which to focus on. I freeze on the mattress, but it feels like my insides are screaming and chasing one another in rapid circles. Thoughts zip through my mind at the speed of light. Lucas and Asher listen in and for them it’s all new information, but Max nods like he already knows. “They’ve taken some of your pack.” I sit upright. “What do you mean, they have taken of my pack? Hostage? Who do they expect to solicit a ransom from?” He shakes his head with a look of consternation.That’s not good. I don’t like the way he looks back at me, like he pities me. It’s worse than fear or suspicion. Those I can handle. “Not hostages,” he says. “Slaves.” “ Why couldn’t the Alpha do something? I asked. “He got killed while he was trying to save the kingdom and the next Alpha
He guides me to the bed where I lay down. He sits up against the headboard and I use his lap as a pillow. My attention homes in on the light touch of his fingertips against my back.Time passes, but not enough. He starts to get up, but I latch my arm around his waist. With a furrowed brow, he looks down at me.“Stay,” I request.For a second I'm terrified he'll still go, but he nods, then loosens his collar. Without removing the hand from my back, he unbuttons his shirt and strips it from his body. He slips down onto the mattress with me and wraps his arm around me. I snuggle close and wait for sleep.And wait, and wait, and wait...JAKEDawn breaks gently,shafting pristine morning light through the blinds of the motel room. Anna lies still beside me, her breathing slow and deep. The breath of untroubled slumber.Finally.It took nearly all night for her to accept sleep’s grace. Little twitches against my arm informed me that she kept startling awake every time she began drifting off.
My eyes open. I hadn’t even realized they’d closed, and I stare down at her. Head thrown back. Hair spread out behind her. An expression of ecstasy on her face.She’s perfect.Her muscles squeeze me tighter. She gasps, and her eyes fly open. Her orgasm hits her so hard that she begins chanting my name, her voice shocked and husky all at the same time.My cock takes her deeper with every thrust, and as her muscles continue squeezing around me, I come. Hard. So hard it’s almost painful. So hard that my brain can’t seem to process just how good it feels.And I watch her.Feelher. Her orgasm, the knowledge of her pleasure, building my own.Each pump is pleasure so intense that she’ll be dripping with my cum when she’d done.It’s so good that I’m groaning, lost to the sensation of her around me. Coming with her… it’s unlike coming with anyone else.I collapse, feeling content, body and soul.She holds me close. “Jake, that was…”“Yeah,” I stroke her hair, kiss her lightly.We shift on the bed
“We came out for some peace and quiet,” Lucas tells him, throwing the ball for Trouble again a little harder than he had been, his gaze bordering on a glare.“Peace and quiet, what a novel idea, but one that should be appreciated more.” He seems oddly content, gazing out at the world as if it’s something wondrous.“Aren’t you cold?” Lucas asks, his voice a little chilly.Asher looks down at himself and shrugs. “My wolf and I always prefer the cold to the heat.”He and I are alike in that regard.“So, when will Anna start feeding on me?”My jaw drops, but I have to recover quickly, because Lucas looks like he’s ready for a fight. “That’s only one of the reasons we allow you to come with us is your magical powers. From what we’ve seen so far, I don’t think it’ll be necessary for Anna to feed on you.”And we’ll kill you before we let that happen.“I am her third mate anyways I don’t have to argue with you guys”“It’s not any of your business since she’ll never feed off ofyou,” Lucas snap
Trying to pretend like I'm not mortified, I say, “I’ll admit, I’m a little curious what you’ve been up to on here.”He grins. "Come hang out," then heads for his laptop.Dragging a second chair up beside him, I hesitate, unsure of what he’s invited me to do exactly. I look down at him and he looks back at me and a glint in his eye glimmers like Venus in the evening blue sky.“You want to see it?”I grin.You bet I do. Whatever it is. “Sure.”My gaze lingers on his face a moment longer before turning back to the computer screen, on which a satellite image of a forest appears. “This,” he says with a hint of pride, “is the Ethan’s Pack’s home.”What the fuck?I lean closer and realize it’s not a picture, it’s a video feed. Tiny figures like black dots traverse roadways that cut through the woods. They pass between structures tucked in amongst the trees. “Whoa, is that—”“Live? Mhm. Just hacked a few satellite systems to gain access to their feeds.”I cut my eyes to his again, appreciating
“Will we be killing the perpetrators, or is this a stealth extraction of my pack members?”“We’re not executioners,” says Jake.It’s another three hours’drive until we finally approach our destination. The terrain breaks, mountains rise from the desert waste, their slopes robed in green pines. The road slithers up the grade. The sleepy miles of empty, tan expanse give way to vigilance. Yet everyone watches the trees, expecting something to leap out from behind them.“What’s the plan exactly here?” I ask, breaking the silence.All eyes focus on Jake.He stays staring straight ahead when he answers. “We go in as Enforcers under the cover of just checking things out. We find your pack members. We make it clear that they’re coming with us and that if there’s a problem, all hell will break loose with the Enforcers. They won’t want that, and we’ll remove your pack members. Then, with the victims as proof, the Enforcers will come in and handle the Ethan Pack.”“Or?” Lucas asks, lifting a bro
“That’s what I’m talking about,” says Lucas with a hand pump and a grin. He’s first in line for a weapon, both my mates brings out their guns, they had two guns each , I look up to Asher, he had no gun.“ You should get a gun? Lucas says to Asher.“ I don’t ave one but I have the one bigger than a gun” he replied with confidence.“Luca looked at his two guns then he walk up to me and handed me one.“ Do you know how to use that? He asked.I shake my head to reply.“ Okay, I think you should return to the SUV, I can’t stand to see anything happen to you, it’s dangerous out here” Lucas says.“ Nevermind about me, I will try to use my Magic” I replied in a low voice. He stare at me for a while , he ad fears written all over his face.“ Listen, you should sta in the car, you don’t even know how to control that magic yet, I might never have you but our daughter needs you and Jake will make a perfect mate in as much as I want to be your mate, your hapiness matters” He look at Jake.“ He wo