Big Game (The V V Inn, Book 3) (26 page)
I knew all along how I wanted this book to unfold. Getting the vision down on paper proved to be more challenging than I bargained for! Some writers churn out a book a month, others finish one a year, and still more—one every few years. I’d eventually like to be in between the monthly and yearly bunch, producing a few novellas and one or two novels per year, but I’m not there yet.
My health has always been my Achilles’ heel, but it is also what brought me to this new career, so I can’t complain.
Above and beyond the dedication on the previous page, my readers need to be acknowledged here as well. The emails, Facebook comments, status updates, and reviews… gosh, I could go on and on… it has all been truly awe-inspiring. Thank you!
When I had a set back (again) with my health this year, I was in a funk for months, unable to get my mind focused on writing. But as the deadline approached, the energy from my readers carried me through ‘til the very end.
I had a fabulous group of alpha readers on Facebook, who tuned in every few days to read my unedited pages while I created
Big Game
. Thank you, each and every one of you, who made it to the end. Your support and desire to see the story unfold made all the difference in the world!
I had a new editor on this book,
Tina Winograd
. Damned if she wasn’t the best editor I’ve worked with to date. She tightened my prose, made the story pop, and really pushed my writing abilities to the limit, demanding quality work from me no matter what. Thank you for the hours you poured into the manuscript, it wouldn’t be where it is today without you.
A big thank you to my supportive children and family.
Justin Monson
, my nephew, read the first two books and had nothing but great things to say -- thanks, Justin!
Asa Monson
is still on my shit list for not reading them...perhaps I’ll torture his character in a later book.
Last, but never least, the biggest thanks of all goes to my husband for his continued support. Pete, I know we’re no where near that dream of a lake house, but maybe one day soon, after the medical bills end. Love you, hon
Chapter One
“Jon!” Romeo’s deep voice follows me down the hall. “Get back here.”
I round the top of the stairs and race down full speed, skipping steps in my haste to leave. Rage pulses like a living beast beneath my skin. If I don’t get the hell out of there, my alpha and I will finally come to blows.
The urge to give in and answer the call of my wolf colors my vision, tinting the werewolf pack’s large home in a wash of red haze. Claws itch to descend through my clenched fists, and the brush of fur waiting to erupt tingles my skin.
“This is not over.” Romeo’s booming shout carries after me. “Get back here now or don’t ever come back.”
This time he’s going to get what he’s threatened. What is so crazy about suggesting a support network for wolves? Why am I suddenly the object of scorn and ridicule? Is organization of packs somehow threatening to our way of life?
A tiny voice inside whispers,
To suggest the change goes against everything a werewolf pack stands for.
Could that be true? Should I listen to the gossip that I’ve evolved to an alpha faster than they expected? There is only one male alpha per pack, not two. One mated pair deciding the fate of their wolves, and those who don’t agree must leave. Or fight for supremacy.
I barrel out the front door and sprint toward the detached garage, where a few of the single wolves have bedrooms in the space above. I throw open the door, nearly tearing it off its hinges in my unchecked rage. I need to talk to Lori, to let her know I’m ready to leave and she can come with me if she wants.
My inner beast gnashes its teeth, ready for the challenge, eager to return and face the man who saved me less than a year ago. I rush the inner stairs three at a time, the scent of wolves lies heavy in the confined space, confusing the rational part of my mind struggling to remain in control.
Romeo found me lost and confused, when I was uncertain of what I’d become. Elsa, his wife, knew immediately I was too strong, discouraging her mate when she saw my lightning quick shift to wolf form. Romeo didn’t care. He recognized me for what I truly was—a scared college kid who didn’t know what the fuck had happened to his well ordered life.
Sounds of passion greet me at the top of the stairs, cooling my inner beast for a spilt second. I smile, wondering who Kotsana has lured to his water bed now.
“That’s it, baby,” a familiar female voice coos softly. “You know I like it good and deep.”
The anger near the surface threatens to overwhelm me. I stop cold, panting to catch my breath, while my packmate screws my girlfriend beyond his shut bedroom door. I close my eyes for a moment, trying to block the images conjured by the sound of the big wolf making waves on his water mattress.
A soft panting noise reaches my ears and I know what’s next—Lori’s about to peak and scream to the high heavens. I wasn’t sure if I loved her or if my feelings were caught up in the passion of our relationship, but all I feel is a white hot fury and a desire to tear someone apart limb from limb.
Before I can think through my actions, the doorknob to Kotsana’s room is in my hand and I’m tearing the door off the frame. The sound of splintered wood rips through the air and freezes them both on the bed. Lori’s mouth opens in a silent
O
of shock.
I lunge into the room and loom over their naked, sweating bodies. “Two-timing bitch!”
Lori grabs a sheet to cover herself and Kotsana looks at me with cool, calm eyes.
The Were leverages himself off of her pliant body to lean against the headboard. “Be careful, Jon.” His deep voice rumbles across the space between us as he raises his hands in a placating gesture. “She’s not your mate and she wanted this.”
I look at the silky dark hair framing Lori’s slim face. Her huge cornflower blue eyes shimmer with excitement. My heart hardens when I see her reach a hand down to fondle her own nipple.
“Are you sure you don’t want to join us, Jon?” Her other hand snakes down to stroke Kotsana’s still erect cock. “I bet the three of us could have some fun.” She tilts her head to the side and looks at her lover, perhaps trying to see if he’s game.
I knew she was a randy bitch, and she’s certainly been pouring off sexual pheromones every waking hour of the freakin’ day, but I honestly thought I satisfied her and we were building something.
Kotsana looks my way, recognizes my slow burn of barely controlled rage, and moves her hand away from his shaft.
The second she’s no longer touching him, I lunge forward across the bed, and drag her off the mattress by her arms. “You think it’s funny to play more than one guy, don’t you?” I shake her hard, hoping her brain rattles around in that pretty little head of hers. “Just because you can fuck every unattached wolf you meet, doesn’t mean you should.”
I toss her in the direction of the door and advance on Kotsana. “You knew she was with me.”
His dark brown eyes flit away and to the floor, not meeting mine. “She just smelled so damn good.”
My hands curl over the large man’s biceps and in a move I’m sure I’ll regret in a few minutes, I haul his naked ass up from the bed and carry him toward the closed window. “Maybe the next time you go to bed a horny werewolf, you’ll make sure she’s not sleeping with someone above you in your own freakin pack.” Kotsana’s face changes to fear as he looks over his shoulder, working out what I plan to do. Panic pours off his larger frame, goading me to savagery. “You’ll have time to think about the wisdom of bed-hopping while you heal.”
And with that, the muscles bunch in my thighs and across my back as I heave the heavier man out the window through the glass. I turn back to Lori as she’s shrugging on her discarded clothing. The tinkle of glass and a dull thud reaches my ears, followed quickly by loud screams of pain. The big man lies shrieking on the asphalt driveway below, and I couldn’t care less.
“Jon, please.” Her earlier seductive look changed to one of fright the moment I laid hands on her. “Let me explain.”
I push past her, refusing the urge to pick her up and toss her cheating ass out with Kotsana. “What is there to explain? That the sex we had this morning wasn’t enough for you? That the three orgasms I gave you while you screamed your love for me left you wanting?” I storm down the short hall, past the other two bedrooms to the one we started sharing together.
“Wait, Jon, please!”
My fists clench at my side, anger boiling within me as I spin around to face her. “We’re through! I’m done with this pack and the sex free-for-all you take as the status quo.” Moisture gathers in my eyes, blurring my vision. “And to think, I came here hoping to bring you with me. What a fucking joke.”
Lori’s face collapses and she starts to bawl. “Jon, no, don’t go like this. We can work it out.”
I slam my fist into the wall near her head, destroying the dry wall and the two-by-four beneath it. “How can we possibly move past this when I can still envision you reaching for his dick and inviting me to join you?” I pull my hand from the hole, staring at the dry wall dust while ragged breaths steal past my lips. “Who the hell does that?” I whisper while looking into her clear blue eyes. “Who would twist what we had the way you did?”
She turns her face away, unable to meet my gaze any longer. Leaving her behind is for the best. I can’t imagine how in the hell I thought she was a good choice, in any sense of the word.
Lori hugs her arms around her slim torso and sinks to the floor in the hall. I leave her to wallow in tears and quickly pack my bags, grabbing anything of personal value and a few changes of clothes.
The whole encounter, from tossing Kotsana out the window to making my way down to my jeep in the driveway takes less than five minutes. One of the other female Weres, Deneishia, is crouched over the injured man on the asphalt.
Uncaring, I ignore his moans of pain and her calls for assistance. I stalk past them, climb inside my jeep, start it and peel out of the Manitoba pack compound as fast as I can.
Romeo will get his wish.
I’ll never come back here, no matter what.