Page 5 of Clash of Kings

Wendy tried to give Jolee part of hers since she’d been late, but Jolee waved her off. “It’s not your fault you got a flat tire.”

Wendy threw her arms around Jolee. “You’re the best.”

Jolee hugged her back, and the two women swayed back and forth. Being wolf shifters, they were all generous with affection. They were tactile creatures, and even Dakota needed physical touch. It was one reason she visited her mom most days for lunch. Diana gave the best hugs.

Vernon’s son, Wade, came through the back door, ready to finish the rest of the cleaning. The only area he didn’t touch was the kitchen. Dakota took her tips from her boss, patted him on the shoulder, then walked outside with her coworkers. The hair on Dakota’s arms bristled, and it wasn’t because she was wearing a tank top. No, someone was watching her, but she ignored him. One day, King would get the message.

As with every night, Malone escorted Dakota and her coworkers to their vehicles parked at the edge of the lot. He was an unmated male, but he never hit on them even though his eyes tracked every move Jolee made during her shift. To Dakota and Wendy, Malone was more the big brother type, and they appreciated his protection. After getting hugs from Jolee and Wendy, Dakota shone the flashlight from her phone into the back seat of her little SUV. She’d watched too many scary movies not to check for strangers hiding in the dark. When she deemed it safe, she got in and locked the doors before starting the motor. Dakota checked her rearview mirror as she drove home. Most nights, King followed at a distance, but only as far as her driveway, then he continued to the pack house where he lived. If he wasn’t a pain in her ass, she would find it charming. Tonight wasn’t one of those nights. There were no headlights behind her. Dakota wondered if it had to do with the conversation King had with Sloane. She was curious as to what else they had discussed, but like she told him, she would find out when everyone else did.

More than once, Dakota had imagined what life as the Alpha Mate would be like. She couldn’t help but wonder because whoever it was would have a place of honor in the pack. They would be revered and have all the privileges Kingston had. If things were different, if there wasn’t a stranger from her past, Dakota could see herself in the role. That was the one thing that made dealing with King difficult. He was handsome, charming, and a good leader. Being with him would be easy. Maybe not easy since he could be challenged at any moment, but it wouldn’t be a hardship other than worrying about his safety. Being with the human stranger? Nothing about that would be easy, at least not for him. Pack members only mated with those of their kind. It was too dangerous to mate with a human who could tell others about the wolves. Those who couldn’t find a suitable mate within the pack were allowed to travel and look elsewhere. None of the females she knew refused a male if she was chosen. None except her.

No one outside her family and Jolee knew Dakota’s reason. She heard the whispers. She was aware that everyone thought there was something wrong with Dakota. Hell, she’d even been accused of being a lesbian. Not that there was anything wrong with wanting someone of your own gender. There were a handful of same sex couples in their pack. That was another thing she admired about King; he didn’t care who paired up with whom as long as they were loyal to the pack. There were plenty of mated couples having pups and growing their numbers. Being twenty-five, Dakota was considered old for an unmated female. Jolee was twenty-three, and she was only single because she kept waiting for Sloane to claim her. Those vying for King’s attention were younger than Dakota, and they were the worst when it came to talking smack. She didn’t listen to their harsh words though. Why would she when the Alpha wanted her? They were jealous, and that did nothing but boost Dakota’s self-esteem.

After entering the cabin, she hung her cowboy hat on the hook by the door, then went about her nightly ritual. She strode to the bathroom and undressed, dumping her clothes in the hamper. She then removed her silver rings. Dakota had several she rotated, and the ones she didn’t wear were kept in a case in one of the drawers.

Most nights, she could keep her mind off the stranger from her past. If she wasn’t going to return to Utah to search for him, she might as well forget about him. She understood her father’s disappointment in holding onto a fantasy because after ten years, that’s all it was. A silly dream that she would have a miraculous meeting with someone she had no idea what he looked like. For all Dakota knew, if he were alive, he could be married with a houseful of kids, not giving a moment’s thought to her, especially considering he had only seen her wolf. He had no idea Dakota was a person too.

Fuck. Maybe she should finally give up and bow to King’s wishes. She waited for her Wolf to argue, but it was suspiciously quiet. She should be thankful, but Dakota wanted her beast to argue with her. At least then she wouldn’t feel guilty about considering letting go of the notion of one day finding the man. There was only one thing that would help in this situation. Dakota went to the freezer and grabbed both the chocolate-cherry ice cream and the bottle of vodka she kept stashed there. She didn’t bother with a bowl or a glass. Instead, she took both to her sofa where she ate the ice cream from the carton and swigged the alcohol from the bottle. Yes, she would hate herself in the morning, but in that moment, she let the booze cloud her mind. By the time she had polished off both, Dakota was numb. She didn’t bother climbing to her loft. Instead, she slid down on the sofa, pulled her fuzzy blanket over her legs, and closed her eyes.

Her claws dug into the mucky earth as she tried to put distance between her and King. His Wolf was faster, but she didn’t give up. Dakota pushed her beast harder. Their heart beat double time, and it felt as though it were going to burst from her chest. She slipped in the mud, and that was all he needed to overtake her. They rolled on the ground, and when they came to a stop, his larger animal had one massive paw on her chest. His beast snarled as his golden eyes flashed in the dark.

“Submit to me, Kody,” King said in her mind.

Her Wolf itched to bare its neck. Their Alpha had commanded it. She was tired. Tired of running. Tired of fighting it. Tired of— A massive form flew out of nowhere, knocking King off Dakota. She pushed to her paws, searching for whatever had saved her. Shifting to her skin, she called out, “Nix?” Her brother didn’t answer. Then again, he wouldn’t have attacked their Alpha. No one in the pack would without risking retribution. So who was it? King rolled to his feet, fangs dripping saliva as he growled low in his chest. Dakota took advantage of his attention being elsewhere and shifted to her fur once again. As she ran, a shadow covered her from above. The downdraft from a set of powerful wings caused her to stumble, but she found her balance and continued on. Dakota didn’t dare stop to see what followed from above. She should be scared, but she wasn’t. Her intuition told her the creature was safe. She was safe. She ran until she reached her cabin. Dakota didn’t shift, just in case. Her Wolf rolled to its back, exposing their belly. This creature, whatever it was,hewas their true Alpha.

Dakota gasped, sitting up quickly. Too quickly. Her head pounded. Whether it was from the vodka or the dream, she didn’t know. She leaned against the back of the sofa and closed her eyes, letting her heart settle. It wasn’t odd for her to dream about Kingston since he was a pain in her ass, but never had she dreamed about some type of flying creature. That had to be from the booze because as far as she knew, dragons weren’t real, and Dakota didn’t know of anything else with wings. No, that wasn’t right. There were other types of mythical creatures that could fly.

Wolf shifters are real so why not dragons?

It could as easily have been a gryphon or a demon or a bird shifter.

His wings were leathery, so I’m going with dragon.

How the hell do you know what I dreamed?

Because I am you.

That made Dakota’s head hurt worse. Shoving to her feet, she stumbled to the kitchen cabinet where she kept pain relievers. She popped four in her mouth, swallowing them with a handful of water from the faucet. Dakota walked the short distance to her bathroom to pee and brush her teeth. She’d still wake up with cotton mouth, but this way it wouldn’t be as bad. After flipping the light switch, Dakota crossed the cabin and climbed up to her loft. As she slid under the covers, she prayed to her goddess for a peaceful sleep.

Chapter 4

Sebastian hated dreaming. His nighttime escapades haunted him. He often saw snippets of things he couldn’t explain. It could be days, weeks, or even months later when those images would manifest in the real world. He wouldn’t call his ability a gift like Connor’s visions. Bas would call it a pain in the ass. If he hadn’t experienced his dreams coming true, he would consider last night’s afigment of his imagination. Wasn’t that what dreams were? The brain taking bits and pieces of real-life events and twisting them into bizarre scenarios one wouldn’t think about while awake? Last night’s dream was similar to the reality of the wolf attacking him as a teen. In this dream, though, Sebastian was the one doing the attacking. He knocked a black panther off a small wolf, and when the she-wolf ran, Bas followed, keeping her safe. He’d woken before she could shift into her human form, but that made sense considering he had no idea what she looked like.

It wasn’t the first time he’d seen the female during his sleep. After his initial transition, Sebastian had nightmares about the incident for months. It had gotten so bad that his papa insisted he see a therapist. Bas eventually outgrew them. Or maybe his therapist had gotten through to him in their sessions. Either way, the nightmares eased, and in their place were fewer traumatizing situations where Bas was in control.

Scrubbing a hand down his face, he rose from the bed and got ready for his day. There was too much on his plate to dwell on something he had no control over. He was due at the office for a meeting with a client. Being King didn’t mean Bas gave up his other job. Where his father had built commercial structures, Bas designed homes. He specialized in rustic cabins made of log and stone like many of those the Clan lived in. Stone, Inc. was one of the largest architectural firms in the US, and Sebastian was proud he contributed to his family’s business. Rafael had turned the commercial side over to Travis McKenzie, who was a brilliant designer. Travis was human, but he was mated to Brynna Holgersen, a full-blooded Norwegian Gargoyle princess. Her older brother, Banyan, was the Norwegian King. All their kids had dual citizenship, and if he were honest, Bas was a little jealous. He had traveled with his parents, but to have a home in the stunning Scandinavian country? That would be spectacular.

When he arrived at the Walnut Street Towers where the office was located and had been for over fifty years, Bas pulled through the secured gate to the company’s private parking lot. He and Rafael had discussed opening a secondary office away from Atlanta. Being Gargoyles, they didn’t age, and with their Clan having been in the area so long, it was time to find a new home base. His parents had decided to relocate to New York so they could be close to Anthony’s parents. Bas was looking for somewhere between Georgia and New York, and when he studied a map of the country, he was drawn to West Virginia. He visited the state a couple months back, scouting out a location for the office as well as property where he could build his new home. Something about the area called to his soul, and when he and Anthony made the trip, Bas knew he’d found the right place. Now if he could convince some of his Clan to move with him, all would be right in his world. Well, maybe not all…

Grace was already at her desk when Bas walked through the office door. She had taken over for Willow, his papa’s administrative assistant, who decided to stay home when she had her kids. Both females were human, but they were part of the Clan.

“You look like crap, Bossman,” Grace greeted. That was one thing about his assistant; she didn’t pull punches.

“Gee thanks. I didn’t sleep well, so I’m going to my office and down some coffee. Let me know when Jefferson arrives, please.”

“You got it.” Bas was almost to his office when the phone rang. Grace’s chiding voice switched to professional when she answered, “Stone, Incorporated. How may I assist you?”

Sebastian continued down the hall, knowing Grace had it handled. He appreciated the hot cup of coffee and the danish waiting on his desk. Bas hung up his sport coat before he sat down and devoured the hot drink and treat, needing the caffeine and sugar. He was wiping his hands when his phone buzzed. Grace knew he would hear her if she spoke aloud, but she insisted on using the phone. Bas pressed the button for the intercom. “Yes, ma’am?”

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