Page 13 of Ruthless Wolf

Screams fill the air. I run for my life, but they grow louder, reaching toward me and trying to consume every fiber of my being, trying to claw their way out of the bloodbath they’re being swallowed by.

I wake with a start, realizing I’d been dreaming. I sit forward, jamming my hands in my hair. The nightmares are back, reminding me it’s impossible to forget the night I lost my family.

When I glance at the alarm clock on my bedside drawer, it reads five am. A few hours ago, I was in bed with the enemy. Adeline. The thought of her washes over me, banishing the memories of my dying family from my mind. It’s surprising how I want to think about her. Her own family ruined my life, robbing me of everything good that exists. But somehow, Adeline got me in bed with her. As much as I feel uncomfortable remembering myself fucking her till she gasped my name, I close my eyes and embrace the memory, wishing it hadn’t come to an end.

Then her brother’s snarling face crawls into my mind. Adeline called him Lawrence. His warning had been simple and clear. Not that I’m planning to listen to the wolf and stay away from his sister, but I have to admit that his confrontation unnerved me a little. Staring into Lawrence’s unwelcoming face and sensing his barely leashed violence, I knew I need to be careful around these people. Including Adeline. My lust for her can’t cloud my reasoning. Her family is dangerous, and any misstep on my part will end any possibility of justice

When the fuck did you start caring about a woman you had a one-night stand with, Luke?I ask myself as I get out of bed, walking into my bathroom. I turn on the tap, scoop some water and splash it on my face. The cold soothes my skin and I splash more on my face. I grab my towel, looking back at myself in the mirror. These eyes that have seen pain. This face that’s the reflection of disaster.

My phone buzzes on the bedside drawer where I’d placed it last night. When I go back to my room and check the screen, I see that it is a call from Adeline. Her number isn’t saved on my phone but I learned the last digits of her phone number from the text she sent me. I don’t want to talk to her. Not yet.

I need to get myself back under control first.

The phone beeps and Adeline’s name vanishes from the phone’s screen. My thumb lingers on the dial button, tempting me to return the call and hear her voice again. Her moans from last night slither into my thoughts again, tightening my crotch. I want to hear her call my name again. I want to hear Adeline scream my name until she collapses in my arms, overwhelmed by what exploded between us last night.

I am about to toss my phone to the bed when a text message comes in.

Hey, Luke. I want to apologize for my brother's behavior yesterday. He's always been protective of me.

There’s a pause, and another text arrives.

I want to make it up to you. I know a friend who is one of the organizers of the Strawberry Festival and I can get you and your grandmother front row tickets. Just text me back if you’re up to it.

Although the text message is light and friendly, my cock is already hard. It’s certainly up for it. My hand tightens around the cell phone. My cock is the issue. Especially when it thinks it’s connected to my heart. My lips flatline. It’s a good thing Addy’s found a man who’s triggered her fascination and made her come last night. It’s a fucking great thing it’s me.

Especially when the thought it could be someone else jolts green fire through my veins.

I push away the thoughts. Adeline's desire to have me in bed with her again is exactly what I planned. Having to go to a festival with a grandmother I don’t have is the actual issue. I only came up with the lie so she’d think I'm living a normal life.

“Shit!” I exclaim, remembering there is more I have to do to make sure Adeline remains ignorant of my lies. Especially when I need that second date.

Where the hell am I going to find a grandmother? Who would be willing to pretend to be an old woman and consistently lie to a lady who just wants to get into my pants a second time?

I scroll through the contacts on my phone and find a number. It is the only person who’s capable of pulling me out of this mess. The call picks up on the third ring.

"Oh, there you are! You haven't called me in days," her high-pitched voice says over the phone.

"Sorry, Jacqueline. I've been busy," I tell her.

Honestly, I feel guilty about not calling her or checking up on her. Jacqueline Jones took me in after my pack got slaughtered. I owe her enough to care about her, even though I’m no longer living with her. In fact, she didn’t want me to leave, but my unrepentant wish to make Adeline's family pay was enough to pull me away from Jacqueline. I don't want her caught up in the ugly aftermath of my vengeance. She deserves better than that.

"Busy? Are you avoiding me, Luke?"

I chuckle and sit on my bed. "Is that even possible? No, I'm not avoiding you, Jacqueline. I just have a lot of things on my plate right now."

"Does that include preparations for my birthday?"

I facepalm. Damn! Jacqueline's birthday is this month and I’d completely forgotten about it.

"Yes," I lie. "It includes preparations for your birthday. What do you want this year?"

Jacqueline doesn't reply immediately. I can hear her humming over the phone, an indication that she’s thinking about an answer. This is the woman I’m about to beg to pretend to be my grandmother? Jacqueline is in her fifties but she loves behaving like a teenager. She inputs emojis in her texts, uses slang she thinks is still current and isn't fully dressed without studs in her nose and rings on her fingers.

"I'll think about it and text you," she finally replies. "But you have to get me whatever I tell you I want. You didn't get me anything last year."

Actually, Jacqueline didn't celebrate her birthday last year. She’d gone through a horrible break-up on the morning of her birthday and I didn't buy her anything because she kept crying all day. Jacqueline’s been single all her life and the only man, Mark Slater, whom she thought was the right person for her turned out to be an absolute douchebag. Love does nothing but wreck a person. It weakens them and turns them into a shadow of themselves.

"Sure," I respond. "I'll get you anything you want as long as it is not above my paycheck."

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