“You weren’t insulting in the least.” I grabbed two small glasses, filling them with my favorite choice of liquor. As soon as I walked toward her, she stiffened. “Taste this.”

  “I keep forgetting you’re a vodka man.” She took it tentatively, ensuring our fingers didn’t touch. Just being able to watch her as she brought the glass to her lips was far too enticing for a man like me.

  “Yes, don’t hold that against me.”

  At least I was able to make her laugh. “You have incredible artwork here as well. And the fireplaces are so inviting.”

  “There’s one in the master bedroom as well.”

  I allowed her to walk around, exploring the house for herself. Meanwhile, I tried to figure out how to handle the meeting. Being faced with an enemy wasn’t necessarily new except for the younger wolves who’d never known any concept of bloody battles. At least a solid number of the Alpha males did. I was hesitant to provide Sedona with too many stories of the ancient past.

  Including the fact we’d fought to the death with claws and sharp teeth. It seemed surreal even to me at this point.

  The battles had always been bloody, dozens of lives lost. In the end, we’d been victorious every time, but the price had taken a toll on all of us. For those who hadn’t participated, my mother and other Elders had provided their children with enough stories about the past to help with the comprehension our kind wasn’t appreciated.

  The warning had gone unheeded with the newer generation.

  I couldn’t blame all humans for the massacres from years before. Fear was a powerful instigator.

  Now the Wolfen could have something to fear.

  I started a fire in the main fireplace, sensing her return a few minutes later.

  “A spectacular place. Every inch,” she said in a quiet voice.

  “I’m glad you feel comfortable here.”

  “I’m curious. Do werewolves only come out at night?”

  Answering her meant perpetuating the terror she felt, but there was no other choice. She wouldn’t allow me to get by with her not hearing everything possible.

  “As I mentioned before, werewolves are entirely different than depicted in movies. Does the full moon affect them? My mother would tell you that their rage increases. Other than that, no. They don’t automatically shift. As far as I know, darkness doesn’t affect them either, but that’s a question for the Elders.”

  “Elders of the Wolfen?”

  “Yes.”

  “How old are you?”

  How could I not laugh? “Older than you think. Let’s go with that and no, we do not live forever. Our metabolisms are simply different. We are immune to most human diseases, but we have some of our own.” The information was repetitive, but at least I was offering her some details.

  “Why do you think I’m your mate?” Sedona was seriously asking me. Telling her now could be disastrous, especially without any proof. “How would you know? A sense of smell, a heavier desire? Better sex?”

  “Why don’t we discuss that later?”

  “I need to know, Jax. You’re aware I can’t tolerate being kept in the dark.”

  My exhale sounded exaggerated even to me. “There is a sense of knowing deep inside every wolf, a hunger that burns so deeply within that the beast can barely function because of the raging desire. There is also an innate need to protect against every evil, including mankind. Scents are different. The touch more powerful. But our senses are dull from lack of use. I wasn’t certain the first night I met you, but my entire being required keeping you protected.”

  Sedona sighed. “That’s almost romantic. But how can a human be considered a mate? You’re required to build a family with a wolf to strengthen your numbers and your senses. If we had a child, he or she wouldn’t be a wolf.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong.” She was getting too close to the truth and I was not eager for her to discover something that would rock her entire world. Perhaps even sending her spiraling to the point she ran far away. But she had no idea that she could never get away from me. Once discovered, she belonged to me.

  “Answer me, Jax. What else? I can feel you’re holding back and I can’t stand it. Tell me.”

  I closed my eyes. There was no perfect way of sharing the news. There was nothing I could say that would soften the blow.

  Not. One. Thing.

  A deep growl erupted from my core.

  “Because you have some wolf in you.”

  CHAPTER 24

  Jax

  Sedona took a deep breath and held it. As she’d done so many times before, she searched my eyes for the truth.

  Was it her version of the truth? I wasn’t certain.

  However, she wasn’t as stunned as I thought she’d be.

  “Part wolf,” she repeated.

  I nodded. There was nothing else to say at this point. I felt a part of her going numb, but another part, the brilliant side of her mind, was calculating and forming questions, making rationalizations that her psyche could handle.

  A few seconds later, she turned toward the fire. “That’s why the wolf experience I had as a child really happened. You save your kind. The wolf was required to save one of his own.”

  “Likely. Female wolves are fewer in numbers. But I wasn’t there when you were saved. What I can tell you is that we do save the lives of humans. Often, the possible victim never knows. We have doctors and dentists within our packs. Surgeons and scientists. There are men so strong they can lift a car before a human is crushed.”

  “Saving humans as well.” She was making a statement, but I felt a moment of panic building inside of her.

  “Of course. I don’t know why you think we wouldn’t try and care about mankind since we’ve done everything in our power to lose our heritage, shoving aside what we were born as. What do you think I do in a day, Sedona? Powerful businessman in the light, hunter of humans at night? I might be dangerous to most, but that’s usually because of my abilities in the boardroom. Destroying competition is more my style.”

  “No taste of blood? No need to rip a man’s face off?”

  “Don’t insult me.”

  “Then don’t patronize me.”

  I’ll be damned if she didn’t flinch when I moved closer. I shook my head, loathing the building emotions. “Be careful about the questions you choose to ask unless you want to learn all the dirty, ugly truth about the Wolfen.”

  “Maybe I do. And not just because I’m a scientist and doctor. Not just because I don’t believe in such things as werewolves. And not because… Because of what we’ve shared.”

  She had no idea what her challenges were doing to me. Yes, my wolf was just below the surface. That wasn’t a lie, but I wasn’t going to let her know how close he’d come to rising from the depths of hell. “Like the fact we were extreme predators three generations ago, enjoying the hunt as much as you believe I do now. We killed because it was a necessity. While we were considered hunters, so were certain humans.”

  Her lovely face was pinched, her jaw clenched so tightly I was certain her teeth were grinding. “Yet you’re more dangerous than any human could ever be. And I’m not talking about nuclear bombs either.”

  “In our distant past, there was a group of men, all very human who’d developed a nationwide group. They did nothing but hunt wolves. They thrilled in the kills, cutting off our heads and planting them on walls much like humans do with deer. They existed well into the nineteen seventies and were damn good at what they did given their organizational level that rivaled our own. We lost many females during that time, the fear so intense that many of the Alpha wolves required to fight in what we considered the Great War hid their mates and pups. Only to return home finding they’d been slaughtered. Tell me again that humans aren’t nearly as dangerous as wolves.”

  “Oh, my God.” Sedona pressed her hand against her mouth. “I had no idea.”

  “Do you really think those stories would linger generations later on depicted on the front page of a newspaper? No, they just became a dirty little secret.”

  She moved closer to me, the apprehension still there. “Your numbers never rebounded.”

  “No. Not in the way that our lives had been. We were almost driven to extinction. So were the gray wolves who have nothing to do with what you might call a curse. After that, we were disallowed hunting rights so we could blend in. Choosing mates wasn’t something anyone wanted a part of. Maybe now, you can see why. But that doesn’t mean as young men and women we weren’t required to take training, to learn skills that could become necessary to use again. That all but stopped twenty plus years ago. I assure you that from what I’ve seen out of mankind, the brutality and savagery far outweighs anything wolves have done. Either in the past or what might occur in order to keep our kind alive.”

  She took a deep breath, holding it for a few seconds. “You’re right.”

  I wasn’t so certain what I was right about. I was still angry, more so than I should be. I had to remind myself that woman had had no reason to believe her world could be turned upside down until recently.

  The tension was awkward, biting.

  And I hated it.

  The look she was giving me was understandable, but yanked at everything I had inside of me.

  Being a man.

  Being a wolf.

  Being her protector.

  When I moved closer, I was certain she was going to run away out of fear and repulsion, but she remained where she was. Yet her body language indicated she had no trust. The hunger inside was burning every cell and molecule, the need to protect her just as potent. There would be those who stopped at nothing to take her from me and I simply couldn’t allow that to happen.

  I would rip apart anyone who dared to try.

  My wolf was just under the surface, scratching at my skin in a desperate plea to be freed. There was no chance I could allow him from his lair.

  The moment I touched her face, she started to recoil, but I refused to allow her to walk away from me. Not now. Not when our coupling and our need to trust each other had become so vital. I wrapped my hand around the back of her neck, bringing her closer. While she didn’t fight me, she didn’t want to touch me either.

  “Look into my eyes, Sedona. What do you see?”

  She purposely kept her face turned away.

  I forced her to do what I’d commanded. “Look at me. I want you to tell me that you truly believe I’d ever hurt you.”

  Her mouth twisted and her glare was hate filled. At least at first. I knew the instant she softened, longing to believe. Longing to feel the same desire that could possibly consume us both.

  “Don’t fight me,” I whispered and lowered my head.

  “I… I don’t think I can do this.”

  “Trust in your instinct. Trust in me.” I didn’t give her another option, capturing her mouth.

  Her struggle was real and poignant, but her wolf won out, the yearning we both felt as painful as it was enthralling.

  We were meant to be together.

  I thrust my tongue inside, dragging her onto her toes as I jerked her into the heat of my body. The need to wrap myself around her was stronger than before. The hunger to drive my cock deep into her sweet pussy almost the only thing I could think about.

  She pounded on my chest at first, her body undulating in my hold.

  When she finally relaxed, she moaned into the kiss.

  The taste and feel of having her in my arms was powerful. The connection was even stronger. As the kiss became more passionate, she wrapped her arms around my neck. The arch of her back and the scent of her arousal collided with my own. Devouring her was my intention.

  “Ahem,” the deep voice said from behind us. Riker walked in, interrupting our heated conversation.

  Sedona immediately pushed me away, turning slightly and wiping her mouth.

  “Perfect timing.” I was agitated as hell, shaking my head as I watched the two men heading toward me.

  “Yeah, well, the wolves are on their way,” Riker said sheepishly. He shifted his attention toward Sedona and offered a weighted smile. Of course he felt my wolf, sensing I was hungry to lose control.

  At least he had Chase trailing behind. I scowled at him when he stopped in his tracks, shooting a hateful look toward Sedona.

  “I’m here,” he stated gruffly as he threw out his arms. “What do you want from me, acknowledgment that you’re trying to be the patriarch of the family?”

  “What the hell are you getting at?” I growled.

  “Well, you are the big Alpha wolf. Right? Ready to take your place, making history?”

  Jealousy.

  I’d had blinders on years, not noticing my own brother was envious of my accomplishments. As a kid, he’d seemed enthralled by his two older brothers, but things changed. I sensed he felt he was the forgotten one. The expendable one.

  “I don’t think it’s the right time to get into that bullshit now,” Riker chastised.

  I walked closer, instantly making Chase uncomfortable. We were the same height, but today, I also gathered a feeling of his guilt. When I was only inches away, I held out my hand for a typical shake. An extension of our family. Or for some, an olive branch.

  He glared at me, his entire body remaining tense.

  “There is nothing like the power and love of a family. It’s the most important group of relationships you’ll ever have in your life and the most rewarding. Family can be trying, attitudes and desires entirely different. But don’t lose what you have. In the time of tragedy and being challenged, a family must come together. That is the ultimate in strength and power.”

  Hearing Sedona’s words honestly didn’t surprise me. She was all about family, missing her mother and father and clinging to the love of her daughter.

  For Chase, it was a slap in the face and I was certain he’d let his begrudging manners stand in the way of the meaning hidden in every word.

  Fortunately, I was wrong.

  Unless he’d gotten very good at hiding and harboring his feelings.

  “We are wolves. And who the fuck are you?” he demanded.

  “Someone thrown into this fray who didn’t want to be.” She was defiant in her answer, something I admired about her.

  “She is important to our group whether you like it or not,” I told him. “You’re right. We are wolves. We have an enemy we must defeat. You may not like the Wolfen politics or even agree with my methods of leadership, but I won’t take anything less than your full support. Either accept we have a fight ahead of us and be willing to lay down your life to protect our world and everyone involved or leave now. It’s your choice.”

  “You don’t give me one,” he said mostly under his breath.

  I extended my arm further. It was past time to draw a line in the sand.

  As he shook my hand less than a minute later, his body relaxed. This wasn’t some instant rekindling of our relationship, but it was a decent start.

  “The love fest must end, but your woman is correct,” Riker told us. “We must stick together. The pack will not be as interested in saving our ancestry if it means possibly destroying the lives that have become important to them. However, it would seem we have no choice.” He moved toward the stairs to handle the arrival of the members.

  “I’m not his woman,” Sedona threw out.

  I backed away, giving my brother the nod of respect I knew he needed. It would do for now. But he remained a loose cannon and would need to be watched.

  Chase headed for the bar and I walked toward Sedona, now standing in front of her. There was soulful need in her eyes, a contemplation of everything she’d learned and fear unlike anything she’d ever experienced.

  It wasn’t so much because of the people she would be meeting, a scientist’s dream. Or because the nightmare she’d maybe had as a child could be reality. Her apprehension was because she was questioning who she was.

  And if she was a wolf.

  CHAPTER 25

  “The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest fear is fear of the unknown.”

  —H.P. Lovecraft

  Jax

  Fear.

  Perhaps the emotion had been something I’d experienced as a child, but by the time I’d reached manhood, I’d been afraid of nothing. Sensing the strong and powerful draw of terror racing through Sedona was alarming.

  As well as eye opening.

  The Wolfen had become arrogant, set in their ways of finding happiness in pretending to be something they weren’t. We’d lost our edge when we’d allowed ourselves to step in the shoes of mankind completely.

  Money.

  Clout.

  Power.

  We’d found it in other ways, now expecting our desires and needs would be met until the end of time. If it was true that werewolves were attempting to claim a solid place in this world, we’d lost our way. We’d become complacent. That would be our undoing, our walk into the realm of fear.

  Of the known.

  Maybe this was our punishment, one that was long overdue.

  My mother had once cautioned our entire pack that we must be fastidious in our training of our youth. And that we must protect our own.

  Her wise words hadn’t been heeded, many moving away from the area just to be free of the Wolfen rules.

  In my opinion, that had been the beginning of the end.

  Already that had been proven, although sharing that Riker and I had eliminated four werewolves prior to their full transformation would be met with anger. No Alpha would ever have been allowed to challenge the wolf marked for leadership even twenty years ago. But with our push toward leaving our heritage came an entirely different and dangerous set of rules.

  They couldn’t give a shit who and what I was.

  Wolves were contentious beasts. They loved to act as if they weren’t interested in obtaining more power, being top dog in our world. It was a lie and one that had festered and grown through the years. Male wolves were born with extra testosterone.