Leila POVWhen I wake up, I can’t believe I’ve slept through till morning. It’s a year since I’ve had an unbroken night’s sleep, and I’m pretty sure the cause of and the solution to that particular problem is lying sprawled on his stomach beside me. Marcus’s thick dark hair is a rumpled mess, and his tan glows against the crisp white bed linen. The sheets are tangled around his waist, and I can’t help trailing my fingertips along the long taut muscles on his back. He’s just so handsome he takes my breath away. And he’s here. For however long, he’s here and I’m going to enjoy every second of it.I tiptoe across the room to the ensuite and freshen up. My dark hair is the very definition of bed hair. It’s a fluffy mess that I can’t even face taming right now, so I pull it up into a high ponytail instead and brush my teeth before climbing back into bed. I’m admiring his full lips and
“Oh my god, Marcus. What the hell?!” She shakes her head at me and tries to stop the smile threatening to break onto her face, before giving up and laughing along with me, splashing me, and dunking me back under for a second before swimming back over to the pier. As climbs out, I place my two hands on her rear to give her a boost and she turns back to roll her eyes at me. “Gee thanks.” Leila wrings the water out of the end of her ponytail as I clamber out of the freezing water. The cold has made her perfect rosy nipples stand to attention and they strain against the thin wet material. No bra, goddamn. I can’t help but stare. I want to lick them; I want to lick her. Her gaze meets mine, and it’s like a current of electricity passes between us. There is silence for a second before we both move, pulling and groping at each other, trying to get as close as possible. I lift her and she instantly wraps those long legs around my waist. I grab at her top but
Leila POVI come to in the shower, shivering with the cold as water pours down over me where I lie curled up in a pitiful ball, still wrapped up in my now soaking wet dressing gown. How the hell did I get in here? I gasp and sit up, shrinking to the back of the stall, away from the icy spray. I look up to see Kim standing there watching me, with a grim but steely look in her cool blue eyes.“Kim! What the actual fuck?!” I shriek, mortified at the state that she must have found me in and indignant that her version of helping me seems to involve trying to drown me.“Leila, I am sorry, but you called me here for crisis management. I am assuming you don’t want anyone to know about…. this.” Her eyes soften a bit as she gestures back out towards the guest bedroom, where the sheets are a crumpled mess, and the smell of sex stills hangs heavy in the air. Kim has met Marcus many times. There is no way she doesn’t know who was he
Leila POV The weekend goes by in a blur. Almost as if she knows I need it, Hayley entertains me left, right and centre. Poor Cooper is tortured by hot outfit after hot outfit, with a little help in the selection department from yours truly. She pisses off a future Alpha by ruining some nasty plan he had to screw over my father, who looks proud as punch to have her along with us. She then stuns them all by proving impervious to alpha commands and making besties with the two most intimidating wolves around. The scary new alpha of our neighbouring pack, Dean Reynolds, whose father was a tyrant, and the alpha of all Alphas on the east coast, Alpha Steel. Steel rarely talks to anyone, but apparently turns into a puppy dog in Hayley’s presence, who now calls him Blake. Go figure. I watch her with amusement during the ball as she continues to wreak havoc with charm and poise as only she can. A tiny little human, with long caramel waves and golden-brown eyes, who seems to hav
Marcus POVMy palms are sweaty, and my heart is racing as I pull up in front of the pack house for Hayley and Cooper's mating celebration. He has finally marked her and now they have bonded for life, but she is human and doesn’t know the pack well yet, so this is like a big welcome to the family now that it’s all official.Everyone knew there was something going on between them. It’s impossible to keep something like that quiet in a small town like Grey Ridge, but I think they were stunned to find out they were fated mates. It’s a genuine cause for celebration for their future Alpha to find his true mate. Finding them is not guaranteed by any means and will strengthen the pack and Cooper’s position within it.Wolves can go mad if they remain unmated, so most pair off before they reach their late thirties. At 34, Cooper was probably feeling the pressure to choose someone rather than continue to wait for his fated love. I’m glad
Marcus POV“Jesus Christ,” Ethan mutters, shaking his head as I come to stand beside him outside the new coffee shop on the main street. Or I should say, it was supposed to be the new coffee shop, due to open in the next couple of weeks. It’s not looking likely now.“They made a right mess.” I nod in agreement as we peer through the shattered front window and spot the large cement block sitting on the ground just inside.“I wasn’t talking about the shop, dude. You look like shit.” He gives me a blatant once over and I bristle at his scrutiny. He’s not wrong, but I don’t need a damn wolf scrutinising me. Grunting at him, I return my attention to the crime scene in front of us. I’ve been working all hours to keep myself busy during the day and wandering the forest at night because my bear won’t let me sleep. I can’t concentrate and I can’t eat.“What happened?” I ask, pushing the front door open wide with the toe of my boot. It was left swinging in
Marcus POVTap, tap, tap. Ethan is tapping his pen against the top of the large wooden conference table in the Jones’s packhouse where we hold our monthly security meeting. I grab the pen out of his hand and snap it in two, before firing it into the bin which sits against the wall. Ethan raises an eyebrow at me, while Hayley just looks at me, horrified.“Well, ok then.” She clears her throat. “Marcus, you already have the budget to hire an office admin to assist you, but I think given the increasing number of incidents around the pack, we also need to give you the resources to hire a deputy.”“Since Hayley’s attack, we have had a continuous stream of minor incidents, vandalism and robberies, all directed at pack properties and businesses. The break-in at the coffee shop was the worst yet. We need to understand what is going on before it escalates. Toby is our number one suspect, but he can’t be working alone.” Cooper chimes in, “And you can’t do that on yo
Leila POV To celebrate wrapping up the build of the new pack hospital, Blake and Max are bringing the project team out for dinner and dancing. I step out of my room and bump straight into Max, who looks very dapper in a navy shirt and dark grey blazer. “Well, look at you,” I tease, giving him a whistle as he twirls around in the hallway, letting me get a good look at those muscular legs and firm ass. He really is a fine specimen of manhood. “I try,” he says cheekily, before slinging his arm over my shoulder and steering me down the stairs towards the front door. “And… I suppose, you look ok,” he says begrudgingly, before flashing me a megawatt smile that I’m sure has women throwing themselves at him all the time. “Can I ask you something?” I stop and tug him back to face me before we step out into the cool night air, and his grin disappears as he frowns down at me. “Of course, Lei Lei. What’s going on?” He holds one of my hands in his giant on