Authors: Jana Leigh
Quin and Jaden walked through the door and went directly to their mate. “I was told that your friend here was causing some problems with the guards.”
“Please, Mr. Serious here would not let me leave the apartment until he checked and rechecked everything. All I did was get his attention when he was ignoring me. I told him I hate being late.” Jo laughed and pulled a long thin whistle from under her shirt.
“So I blew this and got his attention real quick.”
Tey stepped forward and growled when Quin took his mate's necklace in his hand. His Alpha looked at him in surprise and frowned. Jaden caught on quicker and laughed out loud.
“Dude, the mighty man has fallen!” Jaden crowed. It had been a standing joke between the Enforcers that when Tey found his mate it was going to be a special kind of woman to handle the hard man.
Cami looked at Tey in surprise and then smiled. “Jo?” She asked him and looked between the two of them.
Tey could not say anything, so he just nodded. Jo, on the other hand, looked at the group and frowned. “Why do I think I walked into the middle of something? Did you need me to go? The personality King can show me around if you need time.”
“NO!” They all yelled and made her jump.
“Well okay then, let me ask this another way. Do you need me to step over there so you can talk?” She laughed and pointed to the counter.
Quin laughed and grabbed Tey"s arm. “Come on big guy.” Cami laughed and clapped, when her mates had to practically drag him kicking and screaming away from where Jo went to stand with Levi next to her. His wolf did not like the close proximity the young guard was standing next to his mate. Thank goodness, his Alphas were there to keep him calm. He would have hated it if he went after his Pack mate; Levi was one of the younger guards whom he had personally trained. Cami would also hate to have to explain to her friend the crazy man was her future husband. As it was, Jo looked at Tey with interest, but still a little wary of Tey"s actions.
“I am assuming that Jo is your mate?” Cami said quietly to her bodyguard.
Tey nodded and looked at his friends who were grinning at him. “What?”
“You need to tone it down a little. Jo just found out about werewolves.” Cami hissed.
Her childhood friend came to her a few weeks ago after she was attacked. It took several days for her friend to tell her what attacked her, and even then, Jo tired to make excuses for what she had seen. Humans loved to read and fantasize about shape shifters.
However, when given the proof of their existence, most humans explained it away. They just could not believe that they existed.
Cami felt the same way a few months ago. The difference was when she had been told about werewolves, she was in the throes of passion. Quin had literally swept her off her feet, then she met Jaden and the rest as they say was history.
Jo was attacked when she was walking home from work a month ago, this after being beaten by her lousy ex-boyfriend just six months before. So much pain in such a short period of time, Cami was completely surprised her friend had not given up and become a hermit. Thankfully, she had retained her sense of humor, although it may be a little more sarcastic.
After a brief screaming fit, Jo had taken the news very well, and then opened up to Cami about what had really happened the night she was attacked. She described the wolf, and how he bit her in detail, which helped Quin and Jaden try and figure out if she had been changed. There are two different types of bites, one for mating, and one for changing.
When a wolf bites his mate, he releases endorphins, which make them orgasm. If a wolf bites to change someone then he releases a serum that will change a person at the full moon. Not all wolves can release the serum, only those who were born a wolf can do it.
That is why they did not know if Jo would change or not. They had not been able to find the wolf in question.
When they arrived, her wounds had healed pretty much and until the next full moon, they could not tell. Quin explained that when it drew closer to the full moon, Jo"s scent would change if she had been changed. Hearing that had produced the same response that Cami had given when she had been told that shifter could smell arousal, and other things such as ovulation. Jo had been horrified, but agreed that she needed to be with Quin and Jaden in case. Jo was worried she would turn into a wolf at an inopportune time, like a book signing.
Therefore, they made plans for Jo to come and have a book signing at Cami"s new book store, and agreed she would stay in the Pack guest apartment until after the full moon next week. It had not been a hardship for Cami, she wanted her best friend to love it in Denver, and she hoped her friend would find the city so enthralling she would move there. Cami had not had many friends growing up, she had a terrible childhood, and it was one of the things the women shared in common. Cami"s mates knew about her past, but they had yet to learn everything about Jo"s past.
Quin and Jaden took their jobs as Alphas very seriously. They had gone to the Pack leader in Chicago and talked to them about her attack. They had no knowledge of any Rogues in the area, but had promised to investigate it. Jo learned then how well her friend had chosen when it came to men. Both had explained things to her and been very patient, even when she freaked out about being bitten by a werewolf. Jo was grateful that she had a friend who knew what was going on. If she had turned into a dog at the full moon all by herself, she would have thought she was crazy.
Chapter 2
Tey had taken a few of the younger Pack members into the mountains to their retreat and worked on their training, when the Alphas had been in Chicago. He returned just last night, and this morning he was back on duty with the little female Alpha. Cami had asked her friend months ago to bring her book to Denver for her Grand Opening. They had planned this party for a long time. Tey was just sorry he had missed finding his mate sooner. If he had gone to Chicago with them, he would have found her then. At the time, the Alphas asked that he remain here to help guard the Pack, and make sure the new trainees would be ready for duty when they returned. Tey had done his job and now it seemed like wasted time, time that he could have been spending with his mate.
Now his mate was here, and he had no idea what to do. He was an Enforcer, a guard to the Pack and the Alphas, a trained fighting machine. Never had he thought he would be given a mate by the Gods this soon. He assumed he would be fated to live his life alone, with his fellow Enforcers, until he fulfilled his destiny of protecting the Pack. The thought that he had a mate was a little overwhelming. He was not all that good with people. He liked things simple, people tended to complicate things.
Tey looked over to where his mate was standing with Cami and growled again. He needed to get her alone and talk to her. He needed to find out everything about her and then claim her. Jaden chuckled and patted him on the back. “Dude, you need to chill. I will go talk to Cami and Jo and see what they are talking about. Hopefully, Cami tells her everything, and then you can be on your merry way.” Quin stood next to him and watched as his mates talked to the woman who was shaking her head and looking at them and frowning.
“Shit, there could be a small problem.” Quin muttered.
“What?” Tey growled and looked at the group in front of them.
“Jo is going to start having a panic attack in a few seconds. It would be best if you just take her back to the office and talk to her.” Quin said and nodded to Jaden.
Cami was trying to calm her friend down, but it was quickly becoming clear that she was in a panic. Her voice began to rise, and she was starting to gesture around wildly. Tey could hear what she was saying when he drew closer, but soon everyone would be able to hear because she was starting to raise her voice.
“What the hell does that mean? Mate? It sounds like something a Pirate would say. I cannot be someone"s mate anyway. You know why, Cami. I can"t go through that again!” She shrilled.
Cami leaned forward, hugged her friend, and then whispered in her ear. “It will be different this time. I can feel it. You cannot let everything in the past keep you from getting what you want now. Look at you, you are a successful author, you don"t have to answer to anyone. I just want you to keep one thing in mind. Tey is the best guy, besides my mates of course, I know. He would never hurt you.” Jo took a deep breath and calmed down a little. Her heart was racing and she looked over her friend's shoulder to see the tall, imposing man approach them. He was too handsome. Long black hair and blue eyes with etched cheek bones and a full mouth, any woman would think he was drop dead gorgeous. He stood at least a head taller than her, and was all muscle. If she saw him in a dark alley, she would run for her life. Hell, she was thinking of running for her life now, and they were in a fully lit store with people surrounding her. People - that was a relative term she decided. When her best friend came to help her after a dog had attacked her. She had discovered that not only was she not attacked by a dog, but a werewolf, and there were hundreds of them around, blending with humans.
She had always had an open mind, and prided herself on her „live and let live"
philosophy, but people who changed into animals? That may be a little far reaching even for her. She did not think she was ready to become a part of their little clan, kennel, whatever they called it.
Jo thought about her upbringing with her alcoholic father and absent mother. She had leaned on Cami for most of her youth. When her friend left, she had been alone and looked for someone to fill the gap. Jo chose badly of course, Tim turned out to be a first class asshole. He used her for her money and sex. Now she was broke and had since figured out the sex was not really that great. It seemed like a relationship at the time, but she learned after a while, that love does not mean you have to be a punching bag for anyone.
The first time he hit her, he sent flowers. The second time he sent chocolate. The third was more stupid gifts in order to make her feel like she needed to be a little more understanding of his feelings. She had fallen for it hook, line and sinker, just so she would not have to return home to her father. Jo quietly got her degree in English after she left home, her ex thought school was a waste of time; basically he did not want her to be smarter than him. Working two jobs to pay for the tuition and for their bills, she still completed her degree. Tim refused to help her out with money. Tim drank most of his paychecks away, and she never thought to stand up to him and demand that he pay his share. The one time that she did, she had lost something precious to her.
Shaking off the bad thoughts, Jo looked at Tey and smiled. Maybe she could use a little distraction. It had been a long time for her. Jo did not think she could ever be anyone"s mate. When they learned the truth, they would not want her anyway.
Jaden stepped forward and gently smiled at her. “Honey, would it be ok if you and Tey went to talk for a few minutes? We have everything ready for tomorrow already.”
“Uh, sure, let me get my things.” She muttered.
“I got them.” Cami called and smiled at her friend.
“Fine.” She grumbled and turned toward the hulking man. “Well let"s get this over with so I can get back to what I am supposed to be doing here.” Tey grimaced and looked at his friends. This was not looking like it was going to be fun.
Finding one"s mate was supposed to be one of the greatest days of a wolf"s life. This was turning out to be as painful as going to the dentist. In fact, that may be more fun, now that he thought about it.
Tey grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the store. Walking across the street, and into the office building that housed the Pack offices, Tey tried to plan out what he was going to say to his mate. He had a small apartment in the building, but he thought if he took her there, they would never get to have the discussion they needed to. Tey was holding on to his urge to claim her by a small thread, and he knew that it would take very little to set him off. He wanted to claim his mate and fuck her into submission.
Jo pulled back against his hand and said, “Whoa there big boy, you are going to pull my arm out of its socket.”
“Sorry.” He mumbled and slowed down his pace. He wanted her in a safe room where he could talk to her and explain what was happening.
Finally, he reached a small unoccupied conference room. He pulled her in and shut the door, locking it, so they would not have any interruptions.
“So now that you have me here, what are you going to do with me?” She asked sarcastically.
“My name is Tey Fare. I am from France and have lived here for the last ten years. I am the Enforcer of the Gevaudan/Denver Pack; I am Cami"s personal guard.” He said gruffly. “I take my job very seriously and work long hours. I don"t date very much. In fact, I have not had any type of relationship since we came here, never seemed to find the right girl. I guess I was waiting for my mate. My favorite color is red, and I hate vegetables, and I really want to kiss you right now.” Jo laughed in delight at the serious man in front of her. He had said that all in one breath. This was surprising enough, because he looked like a man who spoke few words and she figured that this was the most he had told anyone about himself in a long time.
“Ok, my name is Jo Grand. I live in Chicago, have never been married, but I have dated and was in a very serious relationship that ended badly. I work long hours also, but the good part is that I am my own boss and set my own hours. I like the color red also and do not like vegetables much either, but I do love broccoli. For some reason, standing here and not knowing you doesn"t matter to me much, because I would love nothing more than for you to kiss me. For the record, I don"t think that this is the wisest idea I have had. I think we need to discuss what the hell is going on here. Cami and her husbands, mates, whatever you call them, just told me about the whole wolf thing. I am not quite sure what to make of it in the first place. They said that I was attacked by a werewolf and until that moment, I had no idea they even existed. They said they had no clue if I would change into one of you or not, because it would take until the full moon in a few weeks for me to find out. Personally, I hope he did change me, because I want to kick his ass. So what is the deal here?” She said and took a deep breath. Jo had a lot of questions and needed some answers, before kissing. When Cami and her boy toys had come to her house and announced a werewolf bit her, she had shut down. She refused to listen or believe what they were telling her, until Jaden had changed in front of her.