Excerpt from Pack Security

Cassandra Wilson pushed open the bedroom balcony doors and stepped out into the cool morning air. She was still reeling from the events of the night before. Someone had actually broken into her studio and destroyed…everything. It had been like a bad dream, really.

After she’d eaten dinner with her brothers, sister-in-law and nephews, they’d taken the horses for a ride. The journey through the canyon had been freeing and she’d enjoyed the time with her family.

The glorious sunset and warm sensations she’d had after their ride had vanished when she’d opened her studio door and had seen the destruction. Her canvases had been torn and ripped, paint scattered over the floor and walls and every brush had been broken in half.

She had a security system and cameras, but had forgotten to set them that evening. Everything that had been ruined was really her fault. It wasn’t just the loss of months of work that bothered her. She felt violated. And scared.

A knock on her bedroom door interrupted her, but she ignored it. She just wanted to be alone. Was that too much to ask? She didn’t want to go to her workspace nor did she want to talk to anyone.

The police, her family, her assistant, even some of the pack had shown up the night before. While she appreciated their support and concern, they just didn’t understand.

 Someone had been in her house. Since her studio was located in her residence, there was no place that seemed untouched. A stranger could have gone through her things before tearing apart her creations.

She just didn’t know what to do. Her first instinct was to hide, covers over her head, and cry, but she knew that wouldn’t solve anything. So she’d gotten up and showered. But that was as far as she’d made it. She just couldn’t force herself to go into her studio yet.

The rapping on her door grew louder and more persistent. She suspected it was her older brother. When the door opened and Alex called her name, she sighed.

“Hey,” he said as he joined her on the balcony.

Cassie glanced over her shoulder. “Hi.”

“You okay?”

She nodded, turning back to look at the sun rising above the canyon. They were lucky. The Wilson ranch was one of the few privately owned properties that shared the public canyon land. The estate had belonged to their family long before the government had come in and sectioned off acreage for a national park.

The government had tried to claim their property too, but years of legal battles had insured that theWilson land would stay in the family.

So Cassie got to rouse every morning to one of the most beautiful views in the world. Even after the night of heartbreak she’d experienced, there was nothing like standing outside and watching the earth wake up.

“I just got off the phone with the Alpha,” Alex told her. “We have a meeting with him this morning about how to handle this situation.”

Knowing that she couldn’t avoid the issue any longer, she turned and gave her brother her full attention. He stood at the sliding glass door with two mugs in his hand.

She smiled and relieved him of one of the cups. The scent of fresh, strong coffee drifted up and she was grateful. She was extremely dependent on coffee and having caffeine to carry her through long days.

“What time?” she asked before taking a long drink. Flavor burst over her tongue—she knew her sister-in-law must have made the coffee that morning. Alex tended to make his more sludge.

“An hour,” he replied. He walked toward and tilted his head. “Are you really okay?”

To have time to phrase her answer correctly, she took another long drink. Her brother always worried. He said it was because as the eldest he was responsible for her and their younger brother Jacob. Cassie just thought he was a worry wart.

“I’ll be fine,” she assured him. “I just don’t understand why someone would break in and destroy my stuff.”

“Hopefully we’ll find out. Alpha Shawn is concerned about the publicity you’ve gotten lately. That’s one of the reasons he wants to meet.”

Publicity? She snorted. All artists wanted to receive credit for their work. All Cassie had ever needed was to paint. Her parents had supported her through the beginning stages and after their death, Alex had continued with encouragement. She’d made a good living, then the shifters had announced their presence and became public. There had been a surprising demand for her work after that.

Excerpt from Pack Beta

Kayla Webb raced past another alleyway without slowing down. She could hear her best friend Randy at her heels breathing heavily and fighting to stay with her.

She wasn’t sure how they’d ended up running for their lives through the deserted streets of Lubbock, Texas. All she was certain of was that they had to get away.

Ahead she saw what she was looking for. Slowing only slightly, she motioned Randy to the right. Together they made the turn, bringing them to the opening of an old, abandoned building. Kayla slipped through the small gap first before reaching out to grab Randy’s hand.

Her friend clutched her as they collapsed on the cold, dirty concrete floor.

“Do you think we lost them?” Randy managed, panting.

Kayla held up her right hand to have Randy quieten down as she strained to pick up any sound of their pursuers. Taking a chance, she peeked around the opening to look out into the night. “I think so,” she whispered.

Wiping the sweat from her face as she leaned her head back, Kayla tried to calm her breathing. She wouldn’t have thought she was so out of shape but a chase for over a dozen blocks had her feeling sick. Plus she wasn’t sure she could stand if need be. Her legs shook, as well as her muscles cramped

“What the hell was that all about?” Randy asked as he twisted to try to look out into the alley.

“I don’t know, but they sure know who we are,” she said. “That wasn’t a random mugging. Did you see how they immediately zeroed in on the two of us? How they expected us to run?”

Leaving a restaurant together, Kayla and Randy had been headed to her truck when three men stepped out of the shadows and advanced on them.

Her wolf had sensed the threat, making it difficult to stop from shifting. She managed to hold her wolf back and grabbed Randy’s arm, pulling him to a stop. They had been too far from her vehicle. She would have chanced a sprint across the parking lot until she had spotted movement in that direction too.

Three more men blocked her and Randy from their escape. They’d had no choice but to run—and run fast.

There was no way that anyone, even six large men, should have been able to keep up with two shifters. It should have been an easy escape. Instead, Kayla had barely been able to lead Randy to safety.

If she could call an old building that was about to collapse safe. She’d attended a party—an illegal party—there almost ten years ago. The structure hadn’t been stable then. It was in even worse shape now.

“We can’t stay here long,” she said.

“We can’t go back to the restaurant.”

Randy had a point.

“I have a friend who lives a couple blocks from here.”

“We’re in the middle of an industrial zone,” Randy argued.

“He’s a metal artist,” she explained. “He converted one of these old warehouses into a studio with a loft. If we can get to him, we can at least think about our next move.”

“Okay, let’s do it.”

Standing, she reached down to help Randy to his feet. “Is your leg okay?”

He shrugged. Damn, she hoped he could make it as far as Justin’s place. She would carry him if she had to, but that would slow them way down.

“I’ll make it,” he said.

She wanted to hug him, promising that everything was going to be all right, but she couldn’t. Also, just because Randy had an old injury and limped a little didn’t mean he would put up with her coddling him.

“Stay close,” Kayla warned.

Stepping through the opening, she paused long enough to insure no one was around. She picked up on the scents of trash, rotted food and vomit. Those were the only smells, though. No humans around.

Excerpt from Pack Secrets

The strong fresh aroma of high-dollar coffee filled the kitchen as Alex Wilson went about brewing a pot. The last few days of having a house full of guests worrying over his best friend and other Pack mates had started taking a toll on him.

When his Alpha had first asked him to house their out-of-town company, Alex had figured it wouldn’t be too bad. Since his sister had recently mated with Max Lawson, the two spent most of their time in the guest house, leaving Alex alone. Even his younger brother was already married and had two boys.

Alex was alone.

Although he wasn’t opposed to the solitary existence, he’d found himself looking forward to socializing with others outside his immediate family.

He should have been more careful in what he wished for.

Not only were complete strangers staying in his spare bedrooms, but they’d also had to add guards to the property after Marcus Webb had been shot.

It was just the night before that the Alpha and others had found the man responsible for the attempted murder. They’d also found out that Emilio, the man accountable, worked for the same organization as Angelica Salvatore. Emilio was being held by the Guardians in one of his rooms, but his Alpha had assured Alex that Emilio posed no threat to his family.

Thinking about Angel reminded Alex why he needed to brew the coffee extra strong.

Ever since Angel had shown up on his doorstep with her brother and his closest friends, Alex hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her. He shouldn’t have been so damn hung up on some woman he didn’t know, who was obviously keeping many secrets.

Alex didn’t like drama and Angel appeared to be full of complications. She was also gorgeous, funny and mysterious. Fuck, he wanted to grab a handful of her black silky hair to yank her head back and plunder her mouth.

Cock more than half hard, Alex needed to calm down quickly before someone walked in.

Finally the beep indicating his morning beverage was ready sounded from the machine. Knowing everyone else would soon be up, he transferred the contents into a stainless-steel carafe before beginning another pot to brew.

As he picked up his favorite mug, the kitchen door swung open with a soft wisp of air. Alex didn’t even need to turn around to know who had joined him.

“Coffee?” he asked, already reaching for another cup.

“Please.”

Angel’s voice sent a shudder through his body. Fighting against the temptation for doing all the things he’d been dreaming about, Alex went about making her drink. “One sugar and a dash of creamer, right?”

“You noticed.”

Damn, damn, damn. He shrugged his shoulders. “I try to pay attention to my guests’ preferences,” he responded.

Her soft laughter came from right behind him. No longer was he only half hard. His erection now pushed against the zipper of his jeans.

Finishing stirring in the condiments, he turned to offer her the cup.

Angel was indeed close. She had Alex trapped against the counter, leaving him no way of moving without brushing against her.

“What are you doing?” he asked with suspicion.

“Accepting my coffee?”

He didn’t miss the sparkle in her eyes. Breathing in deep, he tried his best not to let her know how she affected him. Since he couldn’t get a handle on his emotions he really didn’t feel up to battling wits with her right then. “Excuse me.” He waved for her to back up.

“Anytime we’re in a room alone together you have an excuse to leave. When are we going to talk about what this is between us?” she questioned as she raised a beautiful eyebrow.

“I don’t play games,” he told her. “If you need something just tell me.”

Sighing, she shook her head before reaching down to place her mug back on the counter next to his. “I’m not trying to play games. I’ve been trying to get you to talk to me.”

That sounded like a really bad idea to him. He didn’t even know the woman in front of him yet was more entranced by her presence than he had ever felt about anyone else. It made him uneasy not knowing exactly what Angel was. He relied on his shifter senses so much that it was strange Angel was different from anyone he’d ever met.