Slade, Book 1 in Team Greywolf Series Page 6

  Ugh. Alphas! Her cheeks heated in freakin humiliation.

  During their meal, Slade nodded at Rylee as she detailed the role of the LIA’s Team Greywolf. Yet, the little wolf distracted him. He should have sent her back to her quarters or at least, asked her to move to the other end of the table. The other end of the earth. Her sweet honeyed rose-like aroma overpowered the scent of the steak and other delicious food. Why had she dressed so evocatively sexy for dinner? Every time she squirmed, his wolf wanted to clasp onto her soft round rump and mount her, if only to keep her still. His.

  Her blush on mention of other females confirmed how possessive she was of him. Impossible for a runt to feel this way, or was it? Only alphas and betas had strong mating emotions. He, or at least his wolf, played a risky game. His royal status, alpha strength and looks drove women to him. He’d fucked many she-wolves with gusto and pleasure, but never, ever with the raw emotions of wanting to possess any of them. Not the way he wanted this low-ranking female. He couldn’t help but watch her ruby red lips as she chewed a piece of steak. His cock thickened, imagining what her mouth would do to it.

  Rylee cleared her throat. “Slade, do you agree?”

  He turned to her, recalling something about being on call, no matter the time and place. “Yes, of course.”

  “Good. This is something your future mate must understand and accept.” Rylee sipped her wine. “Which is why, I recommend an alpha female who might consider being part of the team, until you both decide to breed.”

  Breeding sounded so unromantic. “I promise as part of…”

  Cricket suddenly stood, her chair crashing to the floor.

  Her eyes widened in panic, and she gripped both hands to her throat. Her mouth gaped open, and no sound escaped.

  Shit! She was choking.

  Before Rylee reacted, he grabbed Cricket from behind, applying the Heimlich maneuver.

  She spit out a big chunk of meat and began coughing. Breathing.

  Rylee was at her side. “Cricket, are you okay?”

  She nodded and rasped. “Yes.”

  Slade held her wrapped in his arms, supporting her as she gasped quick breaths. His nose buried in her floral shampoo scented curls.

  Cricket turned and croaked, “I’m okay. You can let go.”

  He didn’t want to. The sound of her heart calming reassured him. Not yet. Mine.

  Dr. Warner offered her a glass. “Drink water.”

  She nodded.

  Slade sat, with her on his lap. She took the glass, but he held her hand so she wouldn’t spill the water and for hell’s sake, choke again.

  Cricket drank and then as if she sat on a hot oven leapt off. “I’m fine.”

  Slade narrowed his eyes at her. “You almost choked to death.”

  “I don’t need to be coddled.” Her blue color returned to a bright red flush.

  No doubt embarrassed, and yet, not showing the least bit of gratitude he just saved her life. No fucking manners. He growled. “I did not give you permission to get up.”

  Despite his status, she glared at him. “You can’t…”

  Rylee intervened. “Silence!”

  Cricket sighed. “Yes, ma’am.”

  Slade’s fangs emerged. He wanted to put her over his lap and spank her sassy ass to teach her proper manners. This pack had allowed the runt to get away with murder. Worse, to fuck human men.

  “Jesper, take Cricket back to her studio.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Rylee gripped him by the sleeve. “Then return and escort Prince Slade back to his guesthouse.”

  Jesper nodded and left with Cricket who beat him to the door.

  Slade clenched his jaw. He wanted to protest. The little wolf must come back with him. Stay where he could monitor her. When the door shut, he felt alone.

  “Are you okay, Prince Slade?” asked Dr. Warner.

  Despite the separation, he reined in the powerful urge to go wolf and drag her back to his side. His den. He passed a hand through his hair and sat. “Yes, but what about Cricket?”

  Rylee narrowed her eyes at him. “What about her?”

  “Should she be seen by a medic?”

  Rylee laughed. “Trust me. If she was well enough to challenge a powerful alpha, she’ll live.”

  Dr. Warner shook his head. “I think the runt is too defiant to offer her companionship to the prince.”

  Rylee sat and sighed. “Cricket’s ability to pass as human has been a great asset to our team. I’m afraid I’ve been lenient for far too long about her stubborn willfulness.” She turned to the prince. “Perhaps, you will re-consider Jesper as your full-time companion.”

  “No.”

  Warner raised a suspicious brow. “Every male in this entire compound must be attracted to the petite sexy runt. However, if that’s the case with you, it’s best you listen to Rylee.”

  His pulse elevated. Not on my watch. If they act on their attraction to her, they’ll feel my sharp fangs.

  Rylee turned to Slade. “I too sense your desire for her, and unfortunately, hers for you. It is in our nature to be overly sexual, so I’m not surprised. That said, I don’t want you to make her think that it’s more than alpha lust.”

  “I admit she’s alluring, attractive, but my duty is to the team and to my future mate.” Why did that sound like a fucking lie?

  “So you are okay with accepting Jesper?” asked Dr. Warner.

  He glowered at the shrink, and his tone deepened. “I accepted Rylee’s conditions. However, if Cricket is not brought to my headquarters by tomorrow, I will report to King Conan, that my needs are not being met.” He hated playing the royal card, but if he didn’t have his little wolf soon, he’d screw lycan society by escaping with her. Not knowing where, but far away, and away from danger and horny werewolves.

  “Yes, of course, my liege,” said Warner.

  Chapter 6

  Cricket wore red silk pajamas and sat on her sofa, snacking on dark chocolate covered pretzels, while watching some cry baby love story. The twenty-something guy with a fatal brain tumor lay on his death bed with his college fiancée at his side. Cricket sniffled and reached for another tissue. Stupid sappy movie.

  A knock on her door snapped her out of her gloom. Cricket quickly turned off the TV. She sniffed toward the door. Shit. What did Rylee want? She grabbed a handful of tissue and wiped her tear-stained face and then stuffed them beneath the cushion.

  “One moment.” Cricket threw the bag of pretzels on the kitchen counter and opened the door. “Ma’am?”

  Rylee walked in. “We need to talk.”

  Now? It’s almost midnight. “Yes, of course. Would you like something to drink or eat?”

  Rylee smiled. “You know you’re the only one around here who can eat chocolate.”

  No one understood why, but because she had more human than wolf energy, Cricket could eat chocolate and other foods most canines couldn’t tolerate. Werewolves only served imitation chocolate. If only they knew how crappy imitation was compared to real chocolate. “I have other things.”

  “I didn’t come up here to raid your kitchen. We need to talk about Slade.”

  “Oh, right. Please sit.” Rylee came to lecture her on pack protocol. Couldn’t she wait until the morning?

  Rylee sat on the couch and cocked her head. “Is he why you’ve been crying?”

  As if. “No, of course not. I was watching a love story.” She waved the DVD cover of the two star-crossed lovers. “The guy died of a brain tumor…”

  “I see.” She smiled. “You are so refreshingly human.”

  Cricket wished she’d instead said she was refreshingly wolfish. What did she have to do, besides kill a grizzly bear, to prove she was more wolf than human? Impossible. A runt had more human liabilities than wolf strengths. Including, a bout of sentimentality and a tendency toward defiance of pack rules. “Not a good thing, I suppose.”

  “No, I never meant that. You can pass as human better than anyone on the ent
ire team, which I have said countless times makes you invaluable.” She sighed. “This brings me to my next point.”

  “Which is?” asked Cricket.

  “I don’t want you getting your hopes up about Slade.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Your wolf knows your limitations amongst the packs, but I worry your human heart does not.” Rylee shot her a condescending gaze. “Like it or not, Mia, the only human to take an alpha as a mate, is the exception to the rule. Slade can never have you…as a mate.”

  Lucky Mia. Her new BFF had Stallo’s blood and in essence was a human with the ability to produce offspring with a werewolf. “Duh. Just because he’s good looking and yeah, I’m sort of in-lust, doesn’t mean I’ll take him seriously as anything, but a team member.”

  Rylee sighed. “Good. Lust all you want. I just want to make sure you don’t confuse his need to have you around as anything, but his need to protect a pack member.”

  At least she hadn’t said “weak” pack member. “Got it.” Still hurt like hell, he was unattainable.

  “You know I’m loose about inappropriate rank love affairs, but Slade is not just any alpha. He’s the only surviving alpha of the Yukon pack. A prince.”

  Yeah, yeah. Coming from Rylee, good advice. After all, she had a long distance love affair with the packs’ Enforcer Dominic’s second, beta Carson. Not that an alpha couldn’t mate a beta, but for the pack leader of Lycan Intelligence, an unsuitable mating. Of all the alphas, Rylee was the most open-minded about mixed-rank mating. Though Cricket shouldn’t bed humans, Rylee never reproached her about it. A normal pack would have disciplined her or worse sent her to the enforcer for re-training.

  Cricket shrugged. “I’m sure his royal highness will warm up to Jesper.”

  “Dr. Warner will work with Slade for a few more days, before he returns to his clinic and then we’ll see how it goes.”

  “I take it you want me to meet the prince at his guest quarters tomorrow?”

  “No. I need to update you on the missing werewolf cases.”

  “What’s new?”

  “Besides the three missing betas in the States, we now have a missing German were. An alpha, Raulf, in his mid-twenties, went missing from his pack in Germany. His older brother, Alrik, the pack’s alpha reported it to us. Raulf might have travelled to America. They lost his scent in Europe and feared he might have gotten on a plane or boat. Raulf disappeared about a day after Slade arrived here.”

  Cricket’s curiosity piqued. “Do you think it’s related or a coincidence?”

  “At first I thought it was a coincidence, except for the fact the alpha named Raulf suffered from morphopsychosis and was being treated in Berlin.”

  Two wolves with the same affliction? “That’s weird. Any idea what happened to cause it?”

  “His alpha mate died in a car accident.”

  No wonder poor Raulf was so vulnerable. “Maybe Dr. Warner and his shrink should compare notes.”

  “Not possible. A couple days after Raulf went missing, they found his psychiatrist, Dr. Ivo Strom, in his office, shot and decapitated.”

  “Holy crap. Did Raulf do it?”

  “No. His scent and DNA was absent from the murder scene. Still a possibility. The murderer or murderers cleaned up all DNA evidence except for a cigarette butt in the hallway.”

  “Human?” Their inner wolf never allowed smoking.

  “Yep. An unknown human visitor. Only his human assistant was allowed in the building and she, a non-smoker, found the body.” Humans, who took a blood contract to never reveal about their kind, were the only ones trusted to work with werewolves. Why would a human help murder a werewolf?

  “Our missing stateside werewolves do not suffer from morphopsychosis or the milder morphogenesis, so it might have been a coincidence Raulf was. On this side of the pond, two lone wolf betas were reported missing by the lycan warden. The third was a beta, who tended to rebel against his alpha masters.”

  I can see his point. “In other words, weres who for whatever reason don’t do well with packs.” Cricket straightened. Concern for her now lone wolf charge filled her thoughts. “Slade!”

  “He’s fine. We have him on webcam, and I assigned four betas to guard his guesthouse. Dr. Warner and Jesper are with him as well.”

  “Like they’re a big help,” she snarked.

  “Tomorrow morning, you’ll fly to King Conan’s territory and talk to Warden Cody. Interview the warden about the last time he talked to each missing werewolf.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Good. Get some rest. The helicopter will take off at 5:00 a.m.”

  The thrill of the hunt excited her. “I’ll be there.”

  Rylee stood and walked to the door and then turned. “One more thing.”

  “Yes?”

  “The king and all pack alphas, enforcers and wardens have been informed, but nonetheless, we want to keep this quiet. For all we know, the missing werewolf cases might not necessarily be related, but if it is, we don't want to cause panic.”

  Yeah, right. I smell a rat or two. Cricket sensed, like Rylee, the missing werewolves were related and involved humans. Humans who might have discovered their secret society. Werewolf hunters from the Middle Ages had long died out, but who knew if a modern version had sprung up?

  Slade met with Dr. Warner for the last time before he returned to his clinic in Maine.

  “I assure you, Prince Slade, the nightmares should subside over time.” He took out a vial of little white tablets. “This should aid you in returning to restive sleep.”

  Going insane or being sedated and vulnerable? “I don’t like being medicated, but I’ll take one if the need arises.”

  Dr. Warner looked up from his tablet. “Anything else still bothering you?”

  Slade omitted telling the doctor about his obsession with Cricket. He figured it was just lust from lack of sexual activity and his need to protect the defenseless. First, she was almost mauled by a bear and then nearly choked to death. Hell, she should be chained up to keep her out of trouble. He was just concerned. Nothing more. Still. When he heard she’d left for three days, he mustered every fiber of his being to contain his wolf and follow her or demand she return.

  “My liege? Do you remember the nightmare that awakens you?”

  “Only that I arrive to my territory, find my dead pack and then fall into a dark pit.”

  “This is the same one you think is involved with the memory loss you experienced after my assistant Henri gave you the wrong dose?”

  “Yes. Last night I had the falling in the dark pit nightmare again, but this time I remember your assistant.”

  “Do you remember biting his ear off?”

  “No, but his face…then nothing.”

  “Describe him.”

  “Tall for an omega, almost my height, crew cut, no facial hair.”

  “Why yes. That’s Henri.”

  Regret tore at his heart. To bite off an ear, forever disfiguring the wolf disgusted him. Henri may never attract a mate. “I’m sure that’s why he left your employment.”

  “He may come back, but for now wants to go solo. To tell you the truth, Henri only worked for me for a month. Prior to my clinic, he worked as an assistant to the East Coast Warden. That is until the warden retired. He’s more of a free agent. Most unusual for an omega.”

  “Until I fucked up his life.”

  “Blame me. As the alpha, I should have been there to monitor your injection.”

  Slade pulled out his wallet and took out a check. “I want to compensate him for the damage I did.” Lycans couldn’t have reconstructive surgery because of the shift. If Henri was rich, he might interest a mate. Even female omegas had standards.

  “Not necessary, Prince Slade. You were not yourself.”

  “Still. I wish I could remember what happened prior to my attack on Henri.”

  “You were beside yourself and for whatever reason your wolf keeps that memory blank.” />
  “True.”

  “If you wish, I can try hypnosis. Trust me, you will remain in control.”

  On my back with my eyes closed? Not a chance. His wolf refused such susceptibility. “No. I just need to get busy. Do what I’ve been trained to do, combat.”

  “Well done. I’ll return in two weeks to re-evaluate you, but in my opinion, you’re over the worse. I don’t see why you can’t acclimate to Team Greywolf life. I recommend you shift to wolf form once a day and go on runs with the betas. As a wolf, you might better remember details of your missing memory.” He stood and bowed. “Prince Slade.”

  Slade, in wolf form swam back as Jesper and the betas waited for him at the lake’s shore. He stepped out and shook his fur. The cold water cooled his bad mood, since Cricket had not returned. She’d be back tomorrow. No need to worry. She was a few hours away at the king’s castle. How much trouble could she get into while under the king's protection? For one, she could choke again or decide killing another bear might feed her ego. She survived the change, maybe she was born under a lucky moon.

  Damn it. He had come to terms with his new reality. His pack and kinsmen were dead. Nothing could bring them back. Dr. Warner agreed that his choice to honor his dead pack by serving the LIA was the best course of action. Although, he gently encouraged him to reconsider returning to the Yukon, with his future mate and rule his territory. Slade told him he’d revisit the idea in a year.

  As the richest warrior, Slade would rather put his wealth to better use such as purchasing the latest in tech equipment and a new jet for the LIA. He put Jesper in charge of his holdings and gave him a substantial salary to do so. The gentle accountant and pack historian asked for Rylee’s permission and she agreed. Of course, she would. She looked forward to a newer jet.

  Jesper lowered his body. “Prince Slade, do you wish to go on a hunt?”

  The betas waited for his command.

  “No. Let’s go back and you can return to selling some of my gold.”

  “Yes, my liege.”

  Slade dashed back to his guesthouse, but slow enough to allow the four betas and Jesper to keep up with him. He must convince Team Greywolf, he was well. The only residual symptoms of his illness appeared to be his nightmares and his fixation with the attractive runt. If only he could help Cricket on her current assignment. Damn. He missed his little wolf.