Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 65066 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 325(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65066 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 325(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
“Grizz?” Her voice greets me, breathy and worried. “Is everything okay?”
My body unclenches. “Fine. What’s going on? Why do you sound scared? Did they hurt you?” I shake, ending on a roar.
“No, Grizz.” I relax as she sounds relieved. “I’m fine, really. The guys are great. I’m just worried about you.”
“Me? I’m fine. Nothing’s wrong.” I lie. The two bikes have stopped behind me.
“Declan says Augustine will be mad at you for taking me. He’ll hurt you.”
“It’s okay, Kit. No one’s gonna hurt me.” Damn those Stooges for scaring her.
Behind me, the two bikers haven’t moved. Their orders must be to scout and report back. I wave at them.
“Come back soon,” Jordy says.
“Soon, Kit. I got one more stop, but it’ll be after dark, okay? Be good.”
“I will. You want me to put Parker back on?”
“Yeah.” I wait until Parker says my name and order, “Take Jordy to the movies. Watch two in a row and buy her anything she wants. I’ll pay you back.” I hang up on him before he can agree.
Behind me, a distant roaring is getting closer. I turn on my bike but it’s too late. A bunch of motorcycles tear up the road behind me. In seconds my bike is surrounded. I’m hemmed in, three riders deep. They’ve all got their knuckles tattooed with the phases of the moon. Wolves.
I reach in my jacket for my flask before I remember it’s empty.
On either side of me, the riders draw aside their leather vests, showing guns.
“Bring a gun to a claw fight?” I scoff. “Not fair.”
“All’s fair in war,” the biker mutters back.
“This war?” I ask.
In front of me, Trey turns bright eyes on me. “It’s whatever you want it to be, grizzly. Our alpha wants you to come in for a little chat. We can do this easy or do it the hard way. It’s up to you.”
I rebalance my bike. Shifters all around three deep. Twelve, at least. Better odds than the cat pack, but these guys aren’t a bunch of pussies.
“Well?” Trey demands.
“What’s it gonna be?”
I look left and right, calculating.
“Oh please,” the biker to my right mutters. “Please choose the hard way.”
Fucking wolves. Always spoiling for a fight, especially when they’re in a pack. I could take them, I know I could, especially if I had the juice. But I’m all out.
“I guess I have time for a chat,” I tell Trey. I wanted to talk to Garrett, anyway.
The big wolf nods. “All right then. Ride out.”
I follow them to their pack’s headquarters, a nightclub on Congress Street called Eclipse. It’s not open to the public yet, which means the wolves can use it as their clubhouse. I park my bike with the rest of them and follow Trey inside. As my eyes adjust to the dimmer light, some wolf fuck takes a swing at me, knocking me in the ribs.
“What the hell?” I bark. I expected a meet with their pack leader, Garrett, not a fucking ambush.
Another wolf swings at me, and then another.
I punch back, defending myself, jogging in a loose circle.
They’re not serious about hurting me. I can tell because the attacks are slow, measured. One by one. It feels more like sport fighting. Roughing me up.
Fine. They can rough me up if that’s what they need to do. Piss all over me to measure the lengths of our dicks.
I catch the whiff of a scent that makes my hackles rise but I can’t see where it’s coming from because I’m too busy defending myself.
“He doesn’t look that big to me.” The stomp of heavy boots on the floor makes me turn toward the scent.
Bear.
A huge dark-haired man clomps toward me—bigger than me with a full on mountain man beard. My bear bristles because his eyes are animal-bright. Like he’s having a hard time keeping his animal under control. Like he’s half feral.
I catch a couple more fists to the ribs.
“Enough.” Garrett’s growl comes from the front door. He eyes the other bear warily and gives a single nod. “Caleb.”
“Garrett.” The bear appears equally wary.
“This is pack business.”
Caleb shrugs. “I wasn’t asking to be involved.” He gives me one more look and leaves through the same door he came in.
“They brought that crazy bear in special for you, Grizz.”
I stare after the strange bear. “The fuck?” I don’t have a clue what he’s talking about.
Garrett tips his head. “That’s who you’re fighting Friday night.”
Of course it is.
I shrug. “He got his rabies shots?”
Garrett folds his arms over his chest. “What’s going on, Grizz?”
I match his pose. “I got no beef with wolves.”
“You’re working for the leeches. You infiltrated our pack as their spy. I definitely have a beef with you.”
I stay calm, but keep my muscles loose, ready for an attack. The wolves are itching for a fight, but I know Garrett’s a reasonable guy. And I haven’t taken any steps against his pack, no matter what he thinks. “Not a spy. I never spied. I worked for both of you—that’s it.”