Pack Security (Were Chronicles)
A Totally Bound Publication
Pack Security
ISBN #
978-1-78430-068-5
©Copyright Crissy Smith 2014
Cover Art by Posh Gosh ©Copyright June 2014
Edited by Faith Bicknell-Brown
Totally Bound Publishing
This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Totally Bound Publishing.
Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Totally Bound Publishing. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.
The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.
Published in 2014 by Totally Bound Publishing,
Newland House, The Point, Weaver Road, Lincoln, LN6 3QN
Warning:
This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature readers. This story has a
heat rating
of
Totally Simmering
and a
Sexometer
of
1.
Were Chronicles
PACK SECURITY
Crissy Smith
Book ten in the Were Chronicles series
A shy, sexy artist and a man tormented by his past are thrown together for protection and security. It may be up to the two of them to save the Pack…if they can save each other first.
Cassandra Wilson’s world was just turned upside down. Someone broke into her studio and destroyed the art she’d put her heart and soul into. Pressure from her older brother and her Alpha has her accepting protection from the Beta’s brother Max. She finds the ex-military, non-shifter a sexy distraction. But when reality breaks through and reminds Cass that someone is after her, will Max be able to save her?
Max Lawson knows he needs to get his act together. The last mission that forced him from the military still haunts him. When he’s asked to help guard one of the women in the Pack, Max isn’t sure he’s the right man for the job. Since he is the only non-shifter around, he’s never really felt like he belongs with the others. However, he owes his brother and accepts the job. Cassandra isn’t anything like he imagined. She’s strong and stubborn and he finds himself falling for her.
Max needs to fix himself before he can even think about being the kind of man that Cassandra deserves. Resisting the sweet, sexy artist is easier said than done. When danger threatens to take her away before Max can prove himself to her, he must use everything within himself to fight. Whether he can shift…or not.
Dedication
For my girl—always believe.
Trademarks Acknowledgement
The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:
Harley Davidson: H-D U.S.A., LLC
.45 Desert Eagle: Magnum Research, Inc.
Styrofoam: The Dow Chemical Company
Legos: Lego Juris A/S
Jeep: Chrysler Group LLC
Chapter One
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 had been 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 the Wilson 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 her 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.
The strangest part to her was that the Pack hadn’t gone public with the others. Alpha Shawn had decided to remain in secret. So the fact that her art was being considered as an authentic representative of the shifter world, by both the human and shifters, was surprising.
And a little uncomfortable.
The press constantly pressured her about her knowledge of shifters. She’d gotten to where she didn’t even do interviews anymore. She just wanted to paint. She didn’t really care about the rest of it.
“I never meant to draw attention to us,” she told Alex.
“Ah, honey”—he hugged her—“there’s nothing to be done about it. I’m proud of you. We’ll get to the bottom of this and it’ll all work out. I promise.”
She wanted to believe him, but the wound was too fresh. She hoped Alpha Shawn had some ideas. He was one of the smartest men she knew and just a tad devious.
“I spoke to James also,” Alex said. “He’s going to bring over everything we have in storage and order more supplies for you. We’ll have you back to work before you know it.”
Cassie always had back-up supplies. She lived in the guesthouse and her studio was one of the rooms. But in the main house, where Alex lived, he kept a supply room for her.
“I’m almost ready for the show anyway.” She was supposed to having a showing in less than a month. “If we even still have it.”
“We’ll have it,” Alex said. “I told you not to worry about it.”
She nodded and stopped herself from telling him she was going to worry anyway. The threat they’d received in the mail to stop the show or else, still weighed on her mind. Even though everyone told her it wasn’t her fault, she knew it was. The crazy church that had been after the shifters for months now had narrowed in on her town.
“We’ll talk about it with Alpha Shawn. He is aware of the threat and has Chase looking into it.”
“Okay,” she relented. It was never worth arguing with Alex. He would eventually get his way, by wearing her down. Hopefully Shawn could talk some sense into him. He was one of the few people Alex listened to.
“Let’s go then.” Her brother motioned her back inside.
Cassie followed him through her bedroom and into the hallway. Her house consisted of four bedrooms, a living room, kitchen and a small fenced in area for a backyard. The guesthouse was just yards away from the main residence where Alex lived. She loved her place.
Jacob and Peyton resided a couple of miles down the hill in their own home. They had a nice six-bedroom dwelling that fit their family perfectly. Jacob worked for the Parks and Wildlife Department stationed in the canyon. Peyton stayed home and took care of their boys, one four and one six. Cassie enjoyed having her family so close to her most of the time. However, she would’ve preferred a little more distance right then. Alex strolled through her place like he belonged there. She didn’t comment as she followed him. Normally Alex tried to show her that he respected her space, although every once in a while he went overprotective on her.
Since she’d found the destruction the night before, Alex was in full Alpha male mode. She would never admit it to him, but his protectiveness was easing some of her fear.