Cole’s Redemption (8 page)

This was going to be a bumpy ride for everyone. And Selene was now his responsibility.

It was enough to make him wish he’d never returned from vacation. In fact, if he bought
a ticket to the Caribbean right this second, he doubted anyone would blame him.

Zan had been ready to leave the Pack for good until she showed up loaded for bear.

And now he was just as tethered as he’d been to the Pack—for the rest of his life.

•   •   •

Selene’s mind whirled in confusion as Zander ushered her through the hallways toward
what he called his quarters.

All of her life, she was told her father had murdered her mother.

Is there another explanation?

She was told he had run away rather than face execution.

Yet Nick doesn’t seem like a criminal on the run. He’s built a life here.

She was ordered by Uncle Damien never to seek out her father. Warned that Nick would
kill her on sight.

Instead he’s been . . . kind. His men respect him, even like him.

What was the truth? Who was lying and why?

“Have you heard anything I’ve said?” Zan asked, interrupting her musings.

“No. I’m sorry.” She gave him an apologetic look. “This is all a lot to take in.”

Reaching a door with a keypad, he stopped and turned to fully face her. “I know it
is, but you’ll get used to it. Everyone here will be very welcoming if you’ll give
them a chance. We’re like a big family.”

She started to retort that she had a family, thanks, but something stopped her. Maybe
it was the kindness in his eyes, his sincerity. He’d gone out on a limb for her when
he didn’t have to. He was trying. She could at least meet him halfway.

“I have no quarrel with you or your Pack. Just Nick.”

“That’s where your thinking is wrong. If you intend one of us harm, you’ll have to
fight everyone. Not worth it—trust me.”

With that, he punched a code into the keypad and opened the door, gesturing for her
to go first. Stepping inside, she took in his apartment. It was more spacious than
she’d thought it would be, with masculine furnishings and tasteful landscapes on the
walls.

There was a kitchen that was open to the living room and a hallway beyond, which she
assumed led to the bedroom. The curtains were pulled back, letting in the sunshine
and revealing the gorgeous forest not far away.

“Like the rest of this place, this isn’t what I expected,” she said.

He shrugged. “It’s home. Has been for six years.”

“That’s when you joined the Alpha Pack?” She faced him, curious in spite of herself.
Having information was not a bad thing.

“Yes. I’ve been here since the Pack was formed and we opened the compound.” Leading
her over to the sofa, he took a seat and gestured for her to do the same.

Taking a spot next to him, she asked carefully, “So my father helped to build this
place?”

“Actually, no. Our first commander was a man named Terry Noble. You met Dr. Mallory—she
was his mate. He and some of our other Pack members were killed in an ambush last
year, and Nick took over.”

The sorrow on his face touched even her jaded heart. She hated her father, but she
could relate to Zan because of what she’d been through herself. “I’m so sorry. Losing
family is hard.”

He nodded. “Thank you. There was one bright spot in recent months—two of our team
we thought to be dead were rescued from those lab facilities we were talking about.
Micah and Phoenix were found in separate locations, leaving us at least some slim
hope that the others are out there somewhere, alive.”

“Anything is possible, so don’t give up hope.”

“You’d do well to take your own advice.” The words were gentle, compassionate, not
intended to hurt or belittle.

But they struck a nerve all the same. “You know nothing about me or my situation,”
she snapped. “The only hope I have is to make my father pay for what he did, and beyond
that I don’t care.”

Disappointment edged out his compassion. “I don’t believe that.”

“I don’t give a shit
what
you believe.”

“I doubt that’s true, either.” His eyes pierced to the core of her. “We’re mates,
and I can already feel your inner pain. Your longing for love and acceptance.”

Too close to the bull’s-eye. Much too close.

She looked away from that knowing gaze. “Think what you want. It’s not like I’m going
to hang around after I settle my business with my father.”

“You’d just leave without giving our mating a chance?”

That question surprised her, deflating some of her anger for the moment. “I don’t
know what you expect me to say. Finding a mate wasn’t exactly in my plans when I arrived.”

He gave a laugh tinged with bitterness. “And you think it was in mine to discover
that my fated Bondmate is a cold, bitter woman who’s more comfortable wearing blinders
than facing the truth?”

His accusation sent a hot flush of shame surging through her, and she reacted defensively.
“Well, since I don’t measure up, it shouldn’t be too hard for you to let me go so
you can find someone else,” she said coolly. Inside, her wolf growled in displeasure
at the idea, startling her. “Maybe we should just change the subject.”

“Fine. What do you want to talk about?”

“I noticed that your voice is . . . different, and you’re always looking at the speaker.
Are you hearing impaired?”

“Why? Is that another strike against me?”

Now who was being defensive?

“Not at all. I was just asking because I was curious to know more about you.”

He gave her a long look, then settled down, apparently deciding the question wasn’t
meant to be rude or demeaning. “I was injured a few weeks ago during a battle with
an Unseelie that came close to killing all of us. His name was Malik, and he was Kalen’s
and Sariel’s father. You haven’t met Sariel yet.”

She digested that. “Malik is the one Ryon mentioned, who had labs that were experimenting
on people.”

“Yeah. He was a mean fucking sonofabitch and almost turned Kalen to his side. His
goal was to combine human and shifter DNA to try to create super-soldiers, sort of
mass produce them and take over the world. And he damned near succeeded.”

“God, that’s horrible!” She tried to imagine her clan dealing with such evil, and
wondered if they would be prepared to fight it if the situation ever arose.

“What’s worse is we now know Malik wasn’t the top of the food chain on the rule-the-world
deal. Someone in the US government has been behind it all along, and even though Malik
is dead and the labs have been destroyed, whoever is pulling the strings has created
a huge problem with the rogue vampires.”

“I can’t imagine anyone being so stupid as to think they could control the rogues,”
she scoffed. “They no longer possess morals, loyalty, honesty, or any quality that
would make them respect another’s rule. They want nothing but to feed their lust for
blood and sex, and they can acquire those two things without any help.”

“Well, someone in Washington didn’t get that memo before they royally fucked up. Now
we have to find out who that someone is and stop not only him but the latest mess
he created.”

She shook her head. “I don’t envy any of you on that job.” Except her father. He deserved
that task and all the dangers that came with it.

“It won’t be easy. As for me, my fighting days are over unless my hearing improves
a lot more.” He looked away, out the window. “I almost got Nix killed earlier. That’s
why I was out for a run when I came across you and Nick. I was trying to decide whether
to leave here for good.”

For some reason, the idea caused her stomach to twist. “I get the sense that saying
good-bye to your team isn’t what you want at all.”

“It’s not.” With a start, he looked at her, whiskey-colored eyes wide. “I heard you
say that! It sounded faint, as though you were far away, but I still heard!”

“That’s great,” she said, smiling as she grabbed one of his hands.

“I heard a little when I was talking to Nick, too.” He appeared excited about the
development.

“I’m happy for you. Do you think it has something to do with our mating?”

“Could be. A strong bond between mates can work wonders, so maybe it can heal as well.”

“I hope so.” Even if they didn’t remain together, she found herself caring whether
he could heal.

“What if it doesn’t? How will you feel about being saddled with a defective mate?”

“First of all, you’re not defective,” she said firmly. “You’ve been injured in battle
while fighting evil, and that’s something you—and your mate—should always be proud
of.”

“Thanks,” he said hoarsely.

“I think the better question is how we both feel about being mated, period, and whether
we want to give this a real shot. I know what I said before about leaving, but I know
from my clan that being mated complicates things.”

He was silent for a long moment before answering. “Speaking for myself, I’ve wanted
a mate for a long time. Someone special who was meant to be only mine, as I would
be only hers. Even before I was turned into a shifter, I didn’t date much. And after
six years in the compound, life has gotten more than a little lonely.” He sighed.
“I don’t want to be alone anymore, and I’d like to see if we can work it out.”

She fell silent for a long moment before answering carefully.

“Among my clan, to find our true Bondmate is a cause for celebration. It’s considered
one of the greatest events that can befall a born wolf. Not everyone is blessed in
that way, and part of me is grateful that it happened, in spite of how I came across
before.”

“But the other part?”

“I’ll be honest, Zan. Even if a miracle should occur and I don’t end up killing my
father, I’m just not sure I could ever fit in here.”

“Fair enough. But would you do us both a favor and keep an open mind?”

She looked away, torn. Finding a mate
was
a gift. But could she put aside revenge for her mate?

“I’ll try. That’s all I can promise.” And that wasn’t much.

“Then you’ll stay here for a while?”

“Yes. I don’t think the commander would let me leave even if I tried, which I won’t
just yet.” Her uncle was going to shit monkeys when he found out. Not about Zander,
but about her being around Nick for any length of time.

He smiled, his relief plain. “That’s all I can ask. I guess we start by introducing
you around.”

“I’m sure everyone will welcome me with hugs and kisses,” she said sarcastically.

“Yeah, you did try to kill our commander, who’s respected and adored by everybody
in the compound. So, doing that again is pretty much a deal breaker.”

“I’ll try to refrain—but only because of you and our mating bond.” Her tone made it
clear that it wouldn’t be easy.

“You won’t be sorry.”

She wasn’t so sure. But for this kind, gentle man she’d mated, she felt compelled
to make an effort. She wondered if she really was vindictive or stupid enough to ruin
something as cherished as finding her Bondmate in favor of getting revenge.

But she wanted answers. Had to have them or she’d go crazy. She’d been nursing her
hatred for so many years, it was damned difficult to let it go. However, even she
could see that things were not what she’d always believed where Nick was concerned.

She’d bide her time. And eventually she’d get what she wanted—her mate
and
the truth.

U
ncomfortable talking about her father, Selene changed the subject.

“Do you have two bedrooms?”

“Just one, but I’ll take the sofa. No argument,” he said when she opened her mouth
to protest.

“All right.”

“Do you have clothes somewhere?”

“I’ve been staying at a motel in town. My bags are there.”

“We’ll go for a drive later and pick them up.”

“That’s fine. What do we do now?”

“Want to go for a run, let our wolves out for a bit? Mine is ready to let off some
tension, and I’m betting yours is going stir crazy from being cooped up in that cell.
Besides, we’ve got a while before dinner and nothing better to do.”

She shrugged. “Okay.”

In truth, her she-wolf was dying to see him in action again, with his big, sleek form
covered in ebony fur. The grace of his limbs and his incredible wolf scent. She recalled
how he’d placed himself between her and his Pack, fangs bared, and a shiver of delight
traveled unbidden down her spine.

That had been sexy as hell. She could deny a lot of things about this new mating,
but one that defied any sort of denial whatsoever was the simple fact that she wanted
him.

She wanted his body on top of her. Inside her, taking what only her mate had the right
to. And she wanted to be on top of him, too, grinding her hips and ass into him—

“Hey, where’d you go?”

Shaking her head, she looked at him and grinned. “Just thinking about that run. I’m
ready when you are.”

Following him through the hallways, she made direct eye contact with each person she
encountered, not willing to show the slightest weakness. These shifters needed to
know that she didn’t fear them, or care about their scorn. She didn’t crave their
acceptance. The only thing she cared about was finding the truth and making her father
own up to his part in the destruction of her life.

As she watched her mate’s fine ass swaying in his jeans, she was forced to admit perhaps
revenge wasn’t
all
she was looking forward to. Since it was her right to take it, why not enjoy?

Outside, he led her to the edge of the forest, then a few yards down the path into
the undergrowth. There, he began to shed his clothing, and she took another long look
at the man who was now hers. He was absolutely gorgeous.

Having no modesty, she got rid of her clothes as well and laid them over a log. Zan
studied her in kind, and she couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride at the flare
of heat in his eyes. He obviously liked what he saw, and her wolf practically whined
at the attention.

“How fast is your wolf?”

“Pretty fast,” she answered. “Yours?”

“Why don’t you find out?” He threw it out as a challenge, a twinkle in his brown eyes,
then shifted. In seconds his gorgeous black wolf stood before her, waiting eagerly.

Not about to start out behind, she let the change flow over herself also. It always
happened fast, and in moments she was next to him, a white wolf next to his ebony.
She thought they must make a striking visual.

Zan took off with a bark, paws churning the earth. She dashed off after him. Stretching
her muscles felt damned good after being cooped up in that stupid cell. She was glad
he’d suggested this, because her wolf needed it.

She tore across the forest floor, jumping dead trees and dodging rocks, hot on his
heels. He was fast; she’d give him that. But she was holding back a bit. He’d challenged
a born wolf to a race, and she was determined to win.

But he’d been holding back as well. Just as she started to pass him, he put on a burst
of speed that left her eating his dust again. Crap! He pulled several yards ahead,
jumped a small creek, then skidded to a halt on the other side and spun, his wolf
panting, tongue lolling, his expression looking like a big smile.

Jumping the creek, she barreled into him, taking him to the ground with a playful
growl. Together they rolled over and over, nipping and yapping, and it was . . . fun.
When was the last time she’d experienced this with one of her clan? Specifically,
a lover? Never.

After their play, they lay panting, side by side. Gradually, the high of their tussle
began to settle into an awareness of each other she’d never felt with anyone else.
The feeling was heat and fire. Arousal.

And not just any arousal, but the kind that took that fire and melted her bones. Pulsed
inside with every beat of her heart. Her blood pounded in her veins, and she shifted
smoothly to human form, rolling to crouch on her knees. She was aware of him staring
at her naked form. Lust shone in his eyes.

“I want you,” she said simply.

He shifted too and sat back with one leg straight on the ground, one leg cocked with
his knee up, arm resting on it. His cock jutted proudly to the sky, and his smile
was feral.

“Then come and get me.”

She crawled to him and pounced. Their mouths met with a clash of lips and teeth, and
she tasted a bit of blood. This wouldn’t be a gentle mating, but a coming together
of two primal souls. Two wolf mates, taking what belonged to them.

That was fine by her.

Their tongues dueled, tasted. His fingers found her nipples, plucked and twisted,
sending her need through the treetops. Placing a palm in the center of his chest,
she shoved him onto his back and straddled his erection.

“Oh, yeah,” he groaned. “Fuck me, beautiful.”

She lowered herself onto his rod. Already so aroused, she was wet and ready. She slid
onto him, loving how he stretched her. Giving in to the moment, she let the wild side
of her nature take over—and she did a partial shift.

He gasped as his fingers at her waist buried themselves in soft fur. “You—you’re shifted!”

“Half,” she corrected him with the throaty voice of her partial form. “Feels good,
doesn’t it?”

“Yeah. You’re beautiful this way.”

She knew he was seeing her elongated fangs, the soft white fur. Her claws. “You can
do it too, and it’ll feel so good to me. Have you had it this way before?”

“No. Is it better for you?”

“Not better, just different. Sort of wild.” She grinned. “Did you know your cock will
swell even bigger inside me in half form?”

“God! I want to try it.”

“It’s easy. Just start the change, but let it go only until you have fur and claws,
like me.”

As she moved on him, fur sprouted under her fingers, soft and silky. Fangs grew to
overlap his bottom lip, and his eyes were that of his wolf peeking through. His claws
dug into her hips as he thrust. And best of all, his cock grew, filling her almost
too much. He was huge inside her.

“Fuck yes!” she cried. “Do me!”

With a snarl, he flipped them. Suddenly, she was scrambling to get on her hands and
knees, and he was behind her, poised at her entrance. Then he plunged deep, filling
her so full, she thought he’d impale her all the way to her throat.

She screamed her pleasure as he fucked her hard, like a wolf mate should. His hips
pistoned into her, his cock stroking her walls with increasing speed, balls slapping
against her sex. It was so good, so damned fine.

Then he stiffened and began to come with a shout. His orgasm triggered her own explosion,
and she rode out wave after wave of intense pleasure until she collapsed to the ground,
limp and sated.

Zan joined her, lying close so that their bodies were touching, but stopping short
of pulling her into his arms. It would’ve been okay with her, but she wasn’t going
to mention it and sound needy.

“I’ve never felt anything like that,” he said in awe. “Is it always like that in half
form? Wait. Don’t answer that. My wolf doesn’t like the idea of you having done that
before.”

“I wish I could tell you I haven’t,” she said, and meant it. “But with born wolves,
it’s quite natural to give in to our feral nature once in a while. Especially with
mates, though you
are
my first in that area. And I’ll tell you, nothing that came before came close to being
as good as that!”

He puffed up a little. “Yeah? That’s because I’m awesome.”

She snorted, secretly thinking he was pretty cute. “Come on, Mr. Awesome. Let’s splash
off in the creek and then see if you can keep up with me this time.”

“Hey!”

Shifting back to her wolf, she sprinted, and was gratified to hear his yip sound behind
her as he gave chase. They washed off some, then shook their coats on the bank and
ran again. They bounded through the forest, letting their wolves play until well after
dark. Until her stomach was snarling in anger at having been neglected.

As if sensing her hunger, he turned them toward the compound. Within the hour, they
were at the edge of the forest, shifting to collect their clothes and dress again.

“I’m starving,” he said, pulling on his T-shirt. “You?”

“I could eat.”

“We’ve missed dinner in the dining room with everyone, but I’ve got stuff for sandwiches
and chips in my quarters.”

“Sounds great.” Truthfully, she wasn’t eager to face his Pack just yet.

Back in his apartment, he fixed them turkey sandwiches on crusty hoagie rolls, with
Swiss and spicy brown mustard. She ate like a starving wolf and then yawned, sleepy.

“It’s been a big day for you,” he said gently. “Why don’t you turn in, get some rest?”

“All right. And thank you for tonight. I really needed the run, and the company wasn’t
so bad, either.”

He laughed, as she’d hoped he would. “Same here. Get some sleep.”

Padding into his bedroom, she stripped and slid under the sheets with a tired sigh.
Again, she thought of their run. And the extremely satisfying sex.

She hadn’t felt that alive in a very, very long time.

•   •   •

Selene awoke the next morning, rolled over, and peered at the clock.

Almost noon? She’d slept damn near the whole morning away. Stretching, she tried to
get rid of the cobwebs and realized the shower was running. What would Zan look like
standing under the spray, stark naked? Even better than he’d looked last night by
the stream, she’d bet.

A few minutes later, he emerged from the connecting bathroom, a towel slung around
his waist. Glancing toward the bed, he smiled.

“Good morning, Sleeping Beauty.”

“Morning,” she grumbled. “I guess.”

“Well, it’s nearly noon, so it’s technically morning for a few more minutes. Hungry?”

“Not right now. I just need a shower.”

“Help yourself.” He pointed to the foot of the bed. “Rowan sent over some more clothes.
I figured after you get cleaned up and dressed, we can head to your motel and gather
your stuff.”

“All right.”

It was nice of the other woman to loan her more clothes, but Selene couldn’t wait
to fetch her own things. She made short work of showering, then toweled off and blew
her hair dry with a dryer she found under his sink. Being short, her hair dried fast,
and she was soon dressed.

“I’m ready.”

He ushered her out. In the hallways, they encountered only a couple of his friends,
who clapped Zan on the back and shot her knowing smirks. That pissed her off, and
she wanted to rip open their faces. But she refrained. She could be reasonable when
she tried. When they reached the garage, her thoughts were diverted by the sight of
the vehicle Zan was leading them toward. Unable to help herself, she snickered.

“What?” He shot her a curious look.

“Men are all the same. Their ride has to be an extension of their cock.”

She thought he’d get pissed, but unexpectedly, he grinned. “Then I must have a damned
big one.”

That surprised a laugh out of her, in spite of herself. “I’ll be the judge of that.”

A sudden realization smacked her in the head as they climbed into the monstrous truck—she
was now the only one with the right to know just how big Zan was, all over. And the
idea of any other female having that knowledge made her she-wolf growl in anger. It
was a strange feeling.

As she pondered this, Zan’s voice interrupted her musings. “For the record, Nick didn’t
do what you’re accusing him of. I’ve known him for almost a year now, and he’s as
honorable as anyone I’ve met.”

“You’re going to tell me there’s an explanation, as your friend Ryon suggested?”

“There are good people at the compound. You might want to listen to what they have
to say.” He glanced at her as he pulled the truck out of the hangar. “You seem like
a sharp, intelligent woman who can make her own decisions. All I ask is that you go
by what you
observe
for yourself, not by what you’ve been
told
for years.”

His words angered her—probably because he made sense. Before she’d entered the compound,
the issue had been black-and-white. Now her belief was being colored by shades of
gray, and she didn’t want to change her thinking. It was too painful otherwise. Still . . .

She wasn’t one to condemn unjustly. Damn.

He drove them into Cody, and as the vehicle rumbled along, she took the opportunity
to sneak glances at the man who was her mate. He seemed to get more handsome the more
she studied him, and he had integrity to boot. He was brave. Kind. Most of the males
of her clan were extremely stern and unbending, but not so this man.

“What’s it like to be a born shifter?” His question might have been plucked from her
thoughts.

“I’ve never known any other way, so I’m not sure how to answer that.” She thought
for a few moments. “I grew up differently from human kids. We weren’t totally sequestered
from the outside world, but we were a bit sheltered. We have our own community, schools,
and clan law that’s enforced by the Alpha’s men.”

“No humans live there at all?”

“There are some, but most of them don’t know what we are. The Alpha is very selective
about who’s told.”

“Your uncle is the Alpha, I assume.”

“Yes.” He looked like he was chewing on something, but whatever was on his mind, he
kept silent. “Anyway, other than that, there’s the immortality thing.”