Dani insisted that he put her down, despite his protests and then she hobbled on one leg over to the living room couch where her mother had been laying since she left at a little before eleven that morning. The TV was blaring, and Dani turned it down, as she surveyed the dimly lit room, feeling the heat rising in her cheeks and refusing to look back over her shoulder at Alpha West.
The room was neat, Dani made sure of that. There was a couch that was threadbare and worn. It had come out west with her father when he had moved out from Texas, which meant that it was quite a bit older than Dani. On either side of the couch was a chair, and each of those had an afghan thrown over it to cover how worn they had been after decades of use.The coffee table in front of the couch was littered with bottles of medication. There was a plate with a half eaten piece of pizza remaining on it, and a half filled glass of water next to it. Dani had also left a full pitcher or water on the coffee table, hoping her mom would drink more water during the day, even though Dani knew that she wouldn't."Momma, I'm home. I'm sorry I'm late. You need to wake up." Dani's voice was soft as she hopped across the room, kneeling down next to her mother, and gently rubbing her shoulder until she woke up. There you go, sit up. You didn't even finish that piece of pizza today. And I left the dinner that I'd gotten for you in the fridge at work. Let me get you something from the kitchen after you take these."Clara Beth shook her head and Dani frowned in response. "Andraste Daniella Marie. Your Mama can take care of herself. Burnell was over here earlier and he brought me take out and visited with me for a while.""Mama, no." Dani began to search around the couch frantically."Dani Mae. You are not my mother." Clara Beth sat up, swaying gently, her dark hair a cloud around her face. The sharp odor of whiskey finally hit Dani, who was surprised she hadn't noticed it sooner."Mama, you know you can't drink that with your medicine. Burnell doesn't understand. None of your friends do. But I am trying to help you get better.""I am fine Dani Mae." The words came out slurred and Dani sighed, pushing a stray strand of hair back from her Mama's forehead. This night felt like it would never end."Mama. Here." She was already sorting pills into the palm of her hand with a practiced air. She could feel Luca's eyes on her from where he was standing on the other side of the room. "Take these.""I don't need pills Dani Mae." Dani reached out her arm and steadied her mother when it seemed like she might fall over."Mama, if you don't take these tomorrow you're going to feel really sick. Remember last time you missed them? You were throwing up for half the day and you had the worst headache. These aren't the sort of pills you can just stop taking like nothing. So here. Please Mama. For me?" She met her mother's eyes and breathed a sigh of relief when she took them and swallowed them quickly, with a gulp of water before collapsing back into the couch."You bringing men home now, Dani Mae?" Her mother said in a loud voice, as Dani reached under her pillow and found the bottle that Burnell had left with her, quickly slipping it away. "I thought you only fucked around, around town. Isthat Kent? You reach high baby girl, fucking the Alpha's third in comma-""Mama." Dani cut her off, as she heard a low growl come from Luca where he was still standing near the door. She supposed she should invite him and introduce him to her mother, but she really didn't want to. She kept hoping that if she ignored it long enough the entire situation would just cease to exist.Couldn't this all be a bad dream?"Mama. I met my mate tonight. I will introduce you to him in the morning, after you sleep off everything you had tonight with Burnell. No more talking. You need rest. In the morning I have big news for you." Limping over to a basket of quilts that was tucked away off one side of the couch Dani scooped one up and carefully tucked it around her mother's legs and waist.She watched as her mother rolled so her back was towards Dani and the living room, and finally Dani rose and hobbled back over towards Alpha West, taking a deep breath as she avoided meeting his eyes."You sure you want to stay here?" He whispered when she finally reached him."I am. But you really don't have to stay. Go back to your hotel. I'll still be here in the morning." She motioned to her leg. "I'm not going anywhere."He trailed his finger tips down her arm, smiling as he watched her bite her lip in response. "No. I just found you.I'm not going anywhere. Lead the way to your bedroom, Andraste."She stopped and turned towards him. "No. No one calls me that except my mom. Yes, it's my full name, but it's Dani for everyone else. Including you, Alpha West.""Yes, ma'am." He said with a smile. Slipping one arm around her waist, he took on the bulk of her weight so that she wasn't using her leg nearly as much. She could see in his eyes that he had been worrying about her as she hopped around the living room, taking care of her mom.Self consciously she led him through the tiny kitchen that led to her bedroom near the back of the house.It was small. Her double bed, with it's sky blue sheets and comforter, took up almost the entire room. There was a small desk in the corner, where she had studied before she finished high school, and a fan on the ceiling, because the house wasn't air conditioned. Going to the window she pushed it open, and he noticed the black steel bars on the outside, before she pulled the blinds down to meet the top of the box window fan that was set up against the bottom of the window frame.Dani disappeared into the small walk in closet and pulled a string to illuminate the bare lightbulb that was attached to the wall just inside of the door. "Make yourself comfortable I guess," she said with a shrug, as if what she was suggesting was not actually possible. "I need to get changed." She squeezed into the tiny closet and shut the door behind her, shimmying out of her uniform and putting it back on its hanger before grabbing a pair of blue basketball shorts and a black tank top. She let her bra fall to the ground, too tired to bother picking it back up.Finally she turned and limped back out into the room.Luca had taken off his shirt and was laying back on her bed, his shoes kicked off and his arms behind his head like a pillow. She raised her eyebrows, he had certainly taken the invitation to make himself comfortable literally.And of course, he was every bit as deliciously perfect as she could have wished him to be. He had abs she could have washed her laundry on, and a perfectly chiseled chest. His shoulders were broad, and as muscular as just about every other part of his body.I bet women throw themselves at him constantly, she thought to herself, a frown tugging at the corners of her mouth. The idea did cause a pang of jealousy to shoot through her, but she pushed it away. No. She was not going to be like that. She wasn't going to get sucked in to having feelings for him. She needed to keep her head in the game if she was really going to make an escape, eventually."This bed would be a lot more comfortable with you in it." Even his voice affected her in ways that she couldn't control. Stepping carefully back into the room as she pulled the light string to turn the closet light off, put her directly next to the bed. There was a light outside near enough to her window that her room was never truly dark, and so she could still see him clearly.Dani slid onto the bed uneasily as she slowly let her hair down, shaking it free of the elastic that had been holding it up all day at work, so that it fell around her shoulders in gentle waves. If he wasn't her mate she realized, glancing over at him, she would have been all over him. The realization, and the absurdity of the entire situation, of having this Alpha in her tiny bedroom, on her tiny uncomfortable bed, struck her quite suddenly, and as Dani lay back, careful to keep as much distance between Luca and herself as she possibly could, she felt laughter erupt from her chest."What's so funny," he said with a smile, turning onto his side to face her and moving a bit closer to her in the process.She shook her head and sighed, but was too tired to think of a lie. "I was just thinking that if you weren't my mate, I would already be fucking you."Dani didn't have to look at him to know that he was staring at her, and that he was probably shocked. She knew that she must not be like anything that he had expected, or maybe even wanted. He'd probably been expecting someone like Emery, who was graceful and classy, but also especially ready to throw herself into his arms. He had expected a Luna. And Dani didn't see herself as a Luna. "We could change that pretty quickly, Dani." His voice was teasing and he reached out and ran a finger across the gap between her shorts and the bottom of her tank top, where the fabric had crept up. Quickly she tugged the fabric down and pulled away from him, half gasping in pleasure at the way his finger tip had felt when it trailed sparks across her skin. "We are not having sex!" She said quickly."Because I'm your mate?" She was facing him now, staring up at his wide green eyes, watching as he ran a hand through his golden brown hair. "That makes absolutely no sense Dani. What is it that you'
The sound of someone banging on the door woke Dani with a start, and she opened her eyes to find herself pressed against Luca's chest, his strong arms encircling her waist. It was the best sleep she could remember having in years. She felt him tense beside her, and she quickly held onto his hands, panic rising in her chest. "No, Luca. It's okay. Really." He could hear her pulse rising rapidly, and the scent of fear was clearly radiating from his little mate. "Who the fuck is banging on your door like this at six a.m?""It's probably just one of my mom's friends. Ignore him. He'll go away.""Why the fuck is he banging on your door?" Luca growled the words, his canines lengthening."People get drunk and-" Dani voice trailed off for a moment. Pausing she took a deep breath, "lost, they get lost in the house. So I have locks. Lots of locks. To make sure no one comes in here that I don't want in here." She shook her head as if clearing it of the absurdity of the situation. He bega
"Kitten?" He dropped his phone down onto the floor next to the bed, his eyes turning dark as he stared at her. "Let's not start anything that you don't want to finish just yet." Luca's voice was playful, but Dani heard the warning in it. "Or what, Alpha?" She climbed up the bed towards him, knowing exactly how good she looked, while he mulled over her insistence on using his title in such a blasphemous way. He was definitely going to have to nip that in the bud before she tried it in front of another pack member. Teasing in private was one thing. In public she needed to at least maintain a facade of respectfulness. He rolled his eyes in response and lay back, ignoring her and putting his arms behind his head. "Andraste. We need to get you and your mother packed, and if you want to take a shower you should probably do it now. My people are getting ready to move north at the moment and I have business I need to take care of as soon as possible." "Do you, Alpha?" Luca watched her slin
"What did you mean about expanding your territory?" She was holding up a blue bikini and trying to decide whether it should go or stay, while purposefully not looking at him. "Just that. My territory has gotten bigger over the years." Dani dropped the bikini into the suitcase and turned to look at him. "How?" She asked seriously. "What do you mean how?" His lips curved upwards in a half smile. "Exactly that. How did your territory 'get bigger?'" She said the last two words in a mocking tone, making it clear that she wanted him to lay the explanation out in simple terms. "Well, when I see something that I want, I take it." He pushed her back against the bed as he said the words, leaning over her slowly and breathing in the clean, delicious scent of her skin. His body ached for her, and his wolf paced inside of him, begging to take her, but he refused, instead only reaching out and tracing her cheek lightly with his finger tip. "I've wanted a great many packs that I have come acro
She saw Luca's shoulders tense. He turned, his eyes entirely black. "I told you to wait with Lars." He growled the words. "And you should know that I don't do what I'm told. Even by you Alpha." "Oh she's perfect for you, Luca." An absolutely gorgeous blonde, in a tiny blue satin teddy appeared in the doorway next to Luca. She ran her hand across his chest and he flinched away, a growl escaping his lips."Enough Lyra." "You must be the famous Dani. I am Lyra Harding of the Bear Moon Pack." She smiled sweetly, looking at Dani with enormous blue eyes through her long dark lashes. "Lyra." Dani said her name in the exact tone that she usually reserved for Luca's title and Luca laughed, meeting his little mates eyes. "Now that you're here Dani," he said, holding out his hand to indicate that she should come to him, let me show you our quarters for the flight, if we want privacy. I'm going to have to get one of the flight attendants to change the sheets," he frowned at Lyra and turn
"Don't call me that." Dani snapped, keeping her voice low and pushing her hands further down into the soft lining of her jacket."What, Kitten? You don't like that name that now?" He reached up and touched a strand of hair that had fallen free when she was struggling in the arms of his third in command and he didn't miss the small, involuntary movement when she winced away from his touch. "No. I don't. I think Lyra does though." Luca's eyebrows jumped up a fraction. "She used it when she was mocking me earlier. I don't need a second hand pet name." "Don't let Lyra play mind games with you, Baby." He drew in a deep breath and frowned. "Are you hurt? Did Teo do something to you?" Dani turned away, looking out the window as Luca's eyes turned black.She shook her head. "No. He just kept me from going out after you." "I can smell blood. Please, Dani, let me help. Show me what happened." Slowly she pulled her hands from the smooth lining of her jacket, exposing the cuts were her
Dani woke up to find Luca's arm wrapped tightly around her waist, clasping her against his chest as he snored lightly near her ear. He was snuggled up to her back and as she squirmed trying to move away from him he didn't loosen his grip. Instead he pulled her closer and she felt the bulge in his boxers growing hard against her ass with every tiny movement that she made. "Luca," she whispered, not wanting anyone in the front of the jet to hear her. "Luca, wake up." He took a deep breath, pressing against her again, harder, his hands running up under her shirt, leaving a trail of sparks in their wake as they found their way to her breasts. "You aren't wearing a bra?" He murmured sleepily, his lips brushing lightly against her ear. "I'm surprised you didn't notice earlier." She replied as he tweaked her nipples lightly before running his hands back down over her smooth, hard stomach, enjoying the feeling of her tiny waist. "I guess I'm just a gentleman." He bit her earlobe gently as
"Someone did that to you?" He settled next to her, pulling her close and nuzzling his face against the back of her neck. He felt her nod slightly. "I'm sorry. And I'm sorry I had to pull away. I was close to shifting." "I know." She whispered the words. "I probably shouldn't have mentioned it while we were on an airplane. It's probably not the best time to get into it." She untangled herself from his arms so that she could turn, looking up at him through her long dark lashes. Luca saw fear, real fear, reflected in her eyes for the first time. "You know Dani, there's nothing that you can tell me that's going to make me stop loving you. I'm not going to reject you. You are mine. And I am the luckiest man, and the luckiest wolf, on the planet." She smiled weakly, but the smile didn't reach all the way to her eyes. "You wanted to know why I don't heal like a normal wolf?" She asked abruptly, her brow creasing, her eyes dropping to stare at her hands, which she brought up between them