Reese’s POV
Reese groaned and stretched her arms over her head. She was deliciously sore and her eyes snapped open as her phone rang again. That’s what had woken her from the most amazing dream she’d ever had. She groaned again, the man even had a dimple. Damn phone!
“Hello,” Reese grumbled into the phone when she finally located it under her pillow. How had that happened?
“Girl, where are you?” Cleo sounded exasperated and Reese felt guilty for all of five seconds.
“Where were you last night? One moment you were on the dance floor and then poof, gone, nothing,” Reese said.
“Oh, right, I kind of ended up at this dorm house,” Cleo said and laughed.
Reese looked around at the unfamiliar room and gasped loudly. “I … uhm … I had way too much to drink last night so I came to a motel. Where are you?” Fuck, that was no dream, was it?
“Out looking for you. Your dad even phoned me because apparently some little hussy has to get home for a very important meeting!”
“I didn’t forget.” Reese looked at her phone and groaned again. “It’s ten thirty am, Cleo. I’ll talk to you later.”
“So you just went to a motel by yourself?”
Reese took a breath and felt her cheeks heat as a certain memory popped into her head. “Yeah, of course. We’ll talk later okay?”
Reese ended the call and let her phone fall to the bed. She closed her eyes and then winced as she pulled the covers back. There was a bitemark on her hip! What the fuck! More images slammed into her mind and her face flushed as she remembered exactly what she did the previous night.
Oh, goddess. She rode his face last night! Reese closed her eyes and turned onto her stomach as she remembered herself getting off while he tongue fucked her. He never did tell her his name and she realized suddenly that he was gone, he’d left at some point.
She’d gotten exactly what she’d wanted, sex with a hot stranger. So why did she feel slightly jilted that he had left? Wasn’t that what one night stands did? Would this qualify as the walk of shame when she left the motel room?
Reese finally got up and took a quick shower. She felt naked as she pulled the ruffled skirt back on and found her bra and shirt. Her panties were nowhere in sight. She remembered him ripping them off but she’d searched everywhere. Did he fucking steal her panties? There was probably worse things that he could’ve stolen than her underwear.
She’d set out to have a one night stand and she had. It had been a great one night stand but nevertheless still a one night stand. She’d file it away in her file of ‘Why Reese shouldn’t drink’.
Thirty minutes later Reese opened the front door to find her fuming father standing in the foyer with his arms crossed over his chest. Reese swallowed nervously, glad she’d showered the scent of Mr Knight off her body.
“Where the hell have you been?”
“At a motel,” Reese answered and crossed her own arms over her chest.
“You went to a motel. You know how important today is! You look like you slept in your clothes and I can still smell the booze coming out of your pores!”
“Perhaps Troy Madden will realize I’m not Luna material and run away as far as possible,” Reese countered.
Her father, the former Beta, sighed and his stance relaxed. “Reese. Go get changed please.”
Reese stalked up the stairs to her bedroom and slammed her door closed. She had half an hour before the Madden family would arrive. She scrubbed her body with her favourite body wash and brushed her teeth twice after her shower.
She stood in her bathroom and looked at herself. The bite mark on her hip had started to heal and she wondered why Mr Knight would bite her like that. Sure, he was a werewolf just like she was, but that didn’t mean you could just go around biting people’s hips. It was an extreme love bite that werewolves gave each other in the throes of passion, usually between mated couples! The jerk!
She snapped back to reality and focused on herself. Her green eyes had always sparkled, they were wide and slightly tilted upwards at the edges giving her an almost exotic look. Her brown hair was a mass of unruly curls coming to the middle of her back.
She had an athlete’s body that she kept in shape by jogging, doing yoga and more jogging. She loved to run. She trained with her age group three times a week for pack training and no matter what she did to her hair, she could never control it.
She touched her full, pouty lips and suddenly she remembered his lips crashing against hers. She closed her eyes and willed the memory away. There was no point in even thinking about Mr Knight, she was sure she’d never see him again.
When she was dressed again, smelling like a little flower and her wild curls were somewhat under control, she headed back downstairs, by no means finished with her earlier conversation with her father.
“I don’t get why I have to marry someone I don’t know. I’m not doing it and you can’t force me!”
Her father took her hand and led her to the living room where he pulled her down onto the couch and sat facing her. “I sat with you for three days as you struggled through your rejection. I saw the heartbreak on your face every time you opened your eyes and remembered that pain. You’re twenty years old, Reese, and this will benefit the pack as well as yourself. There is no such thing as second chance mates, but this marriage to an Alpha’s son will happen.”
“He has a reputation, Daddy. I really don’t see the point of this marriage,” Reese complained.
“Tell me the name of the man that rejected you and I can speak to Alpha Victor.”
Reese shook her head. “It doesn’t matter who it was, it’s over and he’s moved on.”
“Exactly. Now you’ll be moving on too and this marriage will make you a Luna of a strong pack and with a strong Alpha for a husband,” her father said.
Reese threw her hands up in the air and stomped her foot on the carpeted floor. It only made a dull thud and her father pursed his lips. Okay, that was a bit childish but she really didn’t understand why her father was pushing this.
“Is that an order, Daddy?”
“From Alpha Victor, yes. You will marry this man and you will behave. Being rejected is shameful but with this marriage to a prominent young Alpha will quell any and all rumours that you’re not good enough,” he said.
The doorbell rang and Reese’s head snapped towards the living room doorway. Oh shit. It was go time. This was really happening. Her heart rate increased dramatically and her palms felt sweaty. Why did Troy Madden want to marry some rejected Beta daughter? Surely he could do better than her. With that thought in mind, she felt a little better and stood up when her father did.
Reese stood slightly behind her father as her mother appeared as if from nowhere, smiled at her and opened the door. She could feel the Alpha power from the man that stood next to a beautiful woman that also radiated her Luna aura.
“Alpha Madden, Luna Madden, welcome to our home,” Lucy, her mother said with a bright smile on her face.
“Thank you for inviting us.” Alpha Madden then walked into the house and turned as Reese tried to swallow but felt her throat closing up. “This is my son, Troy Madden.”
“Welcome, Alpha Troy, please come inside and make yourselves at home. Lunch will be served shortly.”
‘Fuck me!’ Reese thought. Mr Shining knight with no armour was Troy Madden! How the fuck did that happen? He stood on her porch and grinned at her. That damn dimple was in full display and she blinked and masked the shock evident on her face.
Reese’s POVThe Alpha family was herded inside and led to the living room. Reese felt like she was on display as Troy kept staring at her. She felt almost naked, remembering the things he’d done to her, the things she’d done with him. Oh, goddess, could it get any worse? Her cheeks felt on fire.“Reese,” her father hissed and she snapped out of it once again. What the hell was wrong with her today? Was she still drunk? She could only wish.“Good afternoon, Alpha Madden and Luna Madden, it’s a pleasure to meet you both,” Reese said and bowed her head respectfully.Troy looked at her unashamedly and she gritted her teeth. “Alpha Troy, welcome.” Her eyes blazed into his and she quickly looked away as she saw the amusement etched there. Bastard.“It’s so nice to meet you, Reese. I’ve heard wonderful things about you,” Luna Madden said with a smile.“Oh, like what?” Reese asked.Her mother laughed then and stepped in front of Reese. “How about we sort out drinks. Any preferences?”Her fath
Troy’s POVTroy watched the house disappear in his rearview mirror as he drove away from the Willowby house. Her father was a typical former Beta and her mother seemed genuine, caring and warm. He smiled as he thought about Reese’s reaction when she first saw him on the porch.“Call Drake,” Troy said as he drove towards the territory border. His parents would return after they’d made copies of the contract which he’d already signed. and met with the sitting Alpha.The phone rang over the car speakers and Drake’s voice filled the interior. “Is it a done deal? Was she swooning at the sight of the mighty Troy Madden? Did she slip down her seat in want?”Troy laughed loudly. “Don’t be an idiot. She doesn’t want to marry me.”“Hmm, she’s a smart girl.”Troy chuckled again. “Woman. She’s a smart woman.”“You didn’t tell her the real reason you asked for this arranged marriage, did you?”“Nope and I’m not going to. You’d like her actually. She’s feisty and witty and very nice to look at.”“S
Reese’s POV“So it’s a done deal?” Reese asked as she leaned against the doorway of her father’s study. The Alpha family had left twenty minutes earlier and she had only now come down from the patio.“The contract’s signed. You will marry Troy Madden in seven days,” he said.“Seven days! Why the hell so soon?”Her father quirked a brow and sighed. “That’s what he wanted. Troy insisted on it being as soon as possible. You and your mother will work with Luna Madden and on Tuesday we will travel to the Black Claw territory and you will complete the ceremony on Sunday.”‘Fuck my life,’ Reese thought to herself.“Why did Alpha Victor order this? I mean was it sanctioned by the Elder Council or just Alpha Victor?” Reese needed to know, sure, her father kept telling her the same thing but she still didn’t understand it.“Reese, you said yourself that your mate moved on, that means he won’t change his mind and retract his rejection, right?” Reese nodded her head, he’d already marked Michelle
Troy’s POVTroy stood in his office and looked out of the window at the glittering lake that sparkled as the sun rose over the horizon. His pack lands were the largest in the continental US and in a few days he would have the added strength of a Luna.He’d been the sitting Alpha for five years minus the two years he’d spent at the Royal Pack when his father had stepped in as acting Alpha with Drake by his side. He’d never regretted the time spent with the King and it wasn’t public knowledge what he’d done there but warriors talked among themselves and word got out about his exploits, the battles he’d fought and the warriors he’d trained there.The door opened and Troy turned around. Drake, his Beta, closed the door behind him and leaned against it, crossing his arms over his chest. Troy’s broken hand hung down his side, the dried blood still coating his knuckles.“I thought you wanted this whole arranged marriage.” Amusement tinted Drake’s words and Troy cracked a grin.“My fist ran i
Reese’s POV“Are you really wearing that?” Lucy, her mother asked her when she finally emerged from her room. All her worldly possessions had been packed, her clothes, photos, mementos, her whole life.“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” Reese looked down at her black Doc Martens, another ruffled skirt, this one grey and her black AC/DC tank top.“You’re their future Luna! Go put on a dress or something,” her mother said with horror in her eyes.“Sorry, everything’s packed. I could always go naked,” Reese said and twirled one of her curls around her finger.“You’ll be the death of me,” Lucy muttered as the two men from Troy’s pack carried her boxes down the stairs. Both of them had overheard their conversation and they chuckled as they walked past them.Reese smiled victoriously and she watched the two warriors come downstairs again with the last of her things. It was a four hour trip to their pack and they’d arrive just after lunch. Her parents would drive their car and Reese would
Reese’s POVReese was shocked, to say the least. Black Claw territory was beautiful. The town where they resided was much larger than White Moon land. The houses were beautiful, gardens were maintained, quaint little shops were scattered throughout. She could see fields of wheat, rolling green hills, a lake in the distance and playgrounds.The two men sitting in the front of the SUV seemed more relaxed now that they were in their own territory. The packhouse was twice the size of the one back home and it stood almost alone. She could see an infirmary that looked more like a small hospital on one side and the pack hall on the other side.The front door of the packhouse stood open as the SUV slowed to a stop and then a man appeared. Yep, he definitely had that werewolf gene thing going for him. His eyes were lighter than Troy’s but stunning nonetheless, he had the werewolf warrior build, tall and muscled.His smile seemed friendly as he opened the rear door and offered Reese his hand. “
Troy’s POV“You were right, she’s reluctant as all hell,” Drake said as he leaned back against the couch and placed his feet on the coffee table.Troy only grinned. “It’ll be fine.”“She did ask me how many women have spent the night in your quarters.” Drake’s mischievous smile made his eyes twinkle.“I should’ve beat the living shit out of Justin for starting that shit.”“Your fist could always meet his face again. You know, shit like that does happen in real life,” Drake said with a grin.“I’m still waiting for his father to call me about that.”Drake left again just as Troy’s phone rang and he brought the conference call up on the big screen across from his desk. He plugged the translator earpiece into his ear and accepted the call. The ten men bowed their heads and Troy bowed his head as was the respected custom in Japan.It took almost three hours for them to conclude their business talks and at the end of the meeting, Troy was satisfied that rogue attacks in Japan were decreasin
Reese’s POVOmegas made two lines and Reese instantly felt like a deer trapped in spotlights. Troy, next to her, squeezed her hand and stepped forward, nodding his head at his people. They smiled and bowed their heads as Reese and Troy made their way to the front door of the packhouse and outside to where the warriors also made two human walls.Troy led Reese to the pack hall situated a few yards away from the packhouse. Lights blinked against the dark sky and the music softened as Troy smiled and stopped right in the doorway. “I give you Alpha Troy Madden and future Luna Reese Willowby!”The applause was loud but more controlled than the Omegas’ had been. Reese saw her parents up ahead where they stood next to Troy’s parents. Troy was stopped every few seconds to shake someone’s hand and make small talk.The pack hall was decorated in black and silver with an occasional slash of green. The tables were scattered around a makeshift dance floor with the Alpha table set up on a dais. She