The Fire Inside (2 page)

There couldn’t be any regrets. She’d chosen to live a normal
life, and he didn’t fit into it.

Konrad watched Tyra’s car disappear around the corner.
Desire rode him hard and had his cock twitching. The beauty stirred him like
none other. He pulled his clothes off in a hurry, not wanting to lose sight of
her. A shimmering light penetrated the darkness around him as his joints
rearranged themselves and fur began to cover his skin. If his stubborn mate
wouldn’t tell him who her alpha was, he would find out on his own.
Transformation complete, he set off after her.

The meeting with Thanasis had left him irritated and edgy.
When business with the other alpha had been concluded, Konrad had no idea his
night was about to get a ray of sunshine he’d never expected. Finding Tyra had
been well worth putting up with Thanasis. He couldn’t stand the other alpha,
but they both had something that the other wanted. Konrad needed more land and
he didn’t want to buy up human property. If he did, he would have to divide his
pack, and that was a security risk he didn’t want to take. Thanasis had lots of
land that bordered Konrad’s. Granted, most of the land Thanasis held came from
running over other packs. But something Thanasis didn’t have was money.

As much as Konrad hated to do business with the asshole, he
had to put his pack’s safety above his own feelings. His pack had grown in
larger numbers over the past ten years. They were running out of places for
people to live. After an hour of them labeling out what they would like to see
from the business dealing, they decided to meet again in two weeks after they
had a chance to consider the terms.

Konrad spotted Tyra’s car up ahead and he steadied his pace.
He didn’t want her to know that he’d followed. Fate couldn’t have picked a
better mate for him. He’d caught her scent when he’d exited the meeting with
Thanasis. Sweet blossoms tinged with fear. Both had caused him to run through
the brush in search of her. But while her scent had been alluring, he hadn’t
realized she was his mate until her desire for him had flared.

His lips pulled back, revealing his teeth in happiness at
the memory. Emerald-green eyes had stared at him from beneath long lashes. Her
small, pert nose had twitched slightly as she’d taken in his scent. Full lips
had parted as she’d studied his face, making him want to nip lightly at them.
Her long dark hair had been pulled back in a high ponytail, exposing the creamy
skin of her neck. Skin so smooth it had felt like satin as he’d run the tip of
his nose up that slim column he wanted so much to mark.

An angry snarl pushed past his lips as he remembered the
sight of Xabier so close to her. Xabier had better stay the hell away from him.
The thought of the other wolf’s hand on his mate made him want blood.

But his mate hadn’t been totally defenseless. The gouges
she’d put across Xabier’s face made him swell with pride. She was a fighter and
that made him very happy. He never could see himself settling down with a
completely submissive mate. He liked a challenge and this dark-haired beauty
promised to be just that.

He’d come to the conclusion that arguing with her would get
him nowhere. She had to go home—there weren’t many other places she could go at
one in the morning—and home would be in the area of her alpha. And at this
point he didn’t care if her alpha was asleep, he would wake him up and discuss
the conditions of her release from his pack.

There were only four packs in this area and she didn’t
belong to his or Thanasis’ pack, so that left the other two. One sat north of
their position and the other sat to the east. Brock, a surly son of a bitch,
ran the pack to the north. Konrad ground his teeth, hoping he wouldn’t have to
deal with the grouchy shit of a wolf at this hour. Tyson ran the pack to the
east. His pack was smaller than the surrounding ones, but no one let that fool
them. He ran a tight ship, and his pack members were loyal and fierce. Konrad
had been toying with the idea of an alliance with the smaller pack, and what a
way to broach the subject. Happiness rose inside as he thought of the prospect
of making an alliance sealed by a mating. Hopefully Tyson was her alpha.

When Tyra took a turn that had her going west, he started to
wonder what in the hell was going on. His own pack lay far west of this
position. While his pack had gotten large, he knew the chances of him missing
her within his own group were nil to none. He knew his pack mates and
maintained close ties to each of them. He wanted them to know that their leader
was not unobtainable. If they needed something, they all knew they could come
to him.

The street she drove down now didn’t lead to the road that
would take them to his den. They were entering a human neighborhood. A very
rundown and crime-riddled neighborhood.
What in the hell is she up to?

Konrad had to step into an alley to keep himself shielded
from her view as he kept pace with her. The flash of red brake lights had him
peering between two ramshackle houses. Her car pulled into a small parking lot
beside a rundown apartment building. He had to repress the urge to growl as he
watched her exit the car and walk toward the rickety metal stairs. Her
sensitive hearing would no doubt pick up any noise he made. The wind began to
shift directions and he moved accordingly, making sure to stay downwind of her.

Desire still rode her, although not as powerfully as it had
earlier. It added a sweetness to her scent that he could nearly taste. When she
inserted a key into a doorknob on the third floor, his temper spiked and he had
to fight to keep from giving it voice. What the hell was her alpha thinking,
letting her live in a rundown human area without protection? If they found out
what she was, a mob would come after her. Their kind tried as best they could
to live in secret, but over the years they had earned several brandings.
Chimera, Lycanthrope, Loup-garou, and in modern times, Wolfman or Werewolf. No
matter the label, all of them lent to human fear and irrational behavior.
Hell
no
. Stubborn or not, he wasn’t going to allow her to stay here alone.

Tyra opened the door of her small one-bedroom apartment and
stepped across the threshold onto the dark-brown threadbare carpet. As she
turned to close the door, she heard the couple in the unit above her begin to
shout at each other. Teeth clenched, she shut the door.
Really? Could
tonight get any worse?
It took a lot of will power not to go upstairs and
kick the living shit out of that man. She knew what he did. She’d seen the
bruises his girlfriend, Sylvia, tried to hide under heavy makeup and behind the
lenses of dark sunglasses. She’d even offered Sylvia her couch if she wanted to
leave him, but the woman professed to be in love with the asshole. Things
quieted above her and she hoped that would be the end of the couple’s
fighting—at least for tonight.

She turned the locks on the door and walked into the small
space she considered her living room. This was what she wanted. A normal life,
without attachments. She surveyed her meager furnishings with pride. A lot of
people might look down on her brown thrift-store sofa and scarred wooden
garage-sale end-table, but after living in the woods for fourteen years, she
was happy to have a roof over her head and hot water to bathe with. The
secondhand furniture seemed more like a bonus.

The message light on her answering machine blinked
bright-red. She crossed the room and hit the play button. A loud beep sounded
and then the familiar male voice drifted up from the black machine. “Hey, Tyra.
It’s Steve. I just wanted to make sure we’re still on for Friday night. I’ll
pick you up at six. Bye.” The machine issued another beep before going silent.

Steve Hanson had come into the bar a few times and flirted
with her in the past, but last week he’d finally asked her out on a date. Tall
with dirty-blond hair, he reminded her more of a guy you would see near the
coast. She could definitely picture him in a wet suit, top pulled down,
carrying a surfboard. Best of all, she knew she would never be able to keep
him. When it came time to part ways, she wouldn’t feel loss, because she knew
he would never accept her, or for that matter could ever even know what she
was. His presence would be temporary—no emotional ties. Yes. This is what she
wanted. So why didn’t she feel relieved?

Her eyelids slid closed as she leaned against the textured
beige wall. Immediately her mind threw up images of a dark and sexy stranger
with amber eyes that had her body heating.
No
. She opened her eyes and
pushed away from the wall with a frustrated sigh. Konrad wasn’t for her. That
life wasn’t for her. It wasn’t safe. And it sure as hell wasn’t fair that he
could ignite a response from her body that damned easy.

A loud banging brought her out of her wool-gathering
session. She turned as she heard a deep voice from the other side of the door.

“Tyra, open the door.”

Her irritation from earlier resurfaced.
Konrad
. He
didn’t even ask, he commanded her to open the door. Definitely not a
complication she needed in her life. She’d been taking care of herself for some
time now and didn’t need anyone else, human
or
were, telling her how to
live her life. And this male would definitely be the type to try to push her
around. He expected to be obeyed as any other alpha expected it. She stomped
across the small space, ready to open the door long enough to give him
directions to hell. She flipped the locks, twisted the knob and sucked a breath
into her lungs as she pulled open the door. “You…”

Her words died away as she stared at the very large and
naked male on the other side of her door. All that tan, hard body exposed for
her viewing pleasure. A whistle from downstairs caught her attention and
brought her out of her dumbstruck state long enough for her to grab his arm and
pull him inside, slamming the door behind him. “Have you lost your damn mind?”

“Tyra, I—”

She yelled over the top of him. “You can’t run around in
this area buck-ass naked.
Hello
, it might draw attention.”

“Mate, I don’t give a damn about those humans down there,”
he ground out between clenched teeth. “I won’t allow you to stay here
unprotected. I can’t believe your alpha would allow it either.”

“Where I stay…is none of your business.” She couldn’t keep
her gaze from roaming over his bare flesh. Fine dark hair covered his chest and
continued in a trail down his rock-hard abs.

“The hell. It’s every bit my business.”

Her gaze snapped up to meet his. “No, it’s not.”

He stalked toward her. “I appreciate the fight in you, mate,
but I’ll not bend when it comes to your safety.”

Her back came up against the wall. She hadn’t even realized
she’d been retreating. He stood in front of her and she had to tilt her head
back to hold his gaze. “I’m perfectly safe here.”

“Who’s your alpha?”

“It’s none of your business.”

“Mate, either tell me who your alpha is or I will just say
fuck it, and risk the coming fight with him when I take you into my territory.”

Her body shook as anger rose in her, warring against the
lust his proximity created. She wouldn’t have her life dictated to her. “I’m my
own alpha. I’m a lone wolf. So what do you think about that? Are you going to
try to drag me, caveman-style, back to your den now? Because if you try, you
better be ready for one hell of a fight.”

He placed his hands on the wall, caging her in. “Get one
thing straight, mate. I will never take you unwilling. When I do take you, it
will be because you ask me to.”

Liquid heat gathered between her legs. What would it be
like? No. She couldn’t think like that. She closed her eyes and raised a hand
to push him away. When it came into contact with his chest, it became more of a
caress though. The fine hairs tickled her palm as the heat of his body warmed
her hand.

“Tyra,” he said in a husky whisper.

Her breasts felt full and her nipples hardened. Warm breath
fanned her lips as his mouth hovered above her own. His body seemed to whisper
promises of hidden delights beyond her wildest dreams. She just had to give in
to the temptation. One word and she would know what it felt like to be pressed
up against him, filled by him. All she had to do was say yes.

A loud bang above them had her eyelids popping open, and her
head tilting further up. The fight upstairs had picked up a notch. She looked
back at Konrad, who hadn’t taken his gaze from her. This time she did push,
with both hands, and he backed up a few steps, dropping his arms to his sides.

A deep breath filled her lungs. She’d been close to making a
huge mistake. Her gaze met his once more. “You need to leave.”

“Tyra, why are you fighting this? I know you want this.”

“My body wants this, not my mind.”

“Then let me ease your body.”

“I don’t need you to
ease
me.” Another quiver of
desire rolled through her, her body’s rebuttal to her words. It would be so
easy to say yes. Her gaze roamed over his face, taking in the stubborn set of
his jaw, then continued lower, noticing the powerful set of his wide shoulders.
She fought the desire that had her wanting to look lower, her teeth sinking
into her lower lip. She squeezed her eyes shut and balled her hands into fists.
“For the love of God, put a towel on or something.”

She heard his sigh followed by his footsteps going toward
her small bathroom. When she heard him return, she opened her eyes and looked
at him again. Even with the pink bath sheet wrapped around his lean hips he
looked every bit the alpha male. She opened her mouth to tell him to leave
again, but the very feminine shriek above them followed by a crash had her
looking toward the ceiling again. Anger rose inside her, snuffing out the low
heat of desire.

“Is she your friend?” he asked in a low growl.

“Yes.” Before she could say anything else, he was opening
the front door. “Wait!” She hurried after him. When she ran through her
doorway, she watched as he jumped up, grabbing the landing above them, before
climbing over the railing as if it were nothing.

“Shit!” She rushed around to use the stairs. Clearly he
didn’t understand low profile. He banged one large fist on the door as she came
up beside him.

The door swung open, Sylvia’s boyfriend filling the space
created. “What the hell do you want?”

Tyra winced as Konrad grabbed the jerk by his dingy flannel
shirt and tossed him on his ass inside the apartment. Wood splintered and
cracked as Konrad prowled inside after his prey. Tyra marched in behind him,
catching a glimpse or Sylvia cowering in the corner, a fresh bruise rising to
color her cheek.

Konrad looked down at the man on the floor, lying on top of
pieces of the broken coffee table. “You want to hit someone? Hit me, because I
hit back.”

“You better leave before I call the cops, asshole,” the man
yelled up at Konrad as he swiped a hand across his forehead, pushing his long
brown hair away from his eyes.

Konrad gave the man a menacing smile. “You’ll find it hard
to do that without the use of your hands. Because if you ever hit a woman
again, I’m going to rip them off.”

“Please, don’t hurt him,” Sylvia sobbed from the corner,
tears tracking down her tan cheeks.

Tyra reached out and gripped Konrad’s forearm, hoping she
could keep him from kicking the shit out of this man. The tightness in his
muscles eased only slightly as she tried to convey a calmness she didn’t feel
through her touch. They sure as hell didn’t need to have a run-in with the cops
tonight.

“For some crazy reason that woman loves you enough not to
want to see you hurt. You might think about looking at her the same way.”
Konrad turned to leave.

Tyra released her hold and followed him out, casting a quick
look of apology at Sylvia. This time he took the stairs and she followed.
Neither of them said another word until they were both back in her apartment.

Konrad closed the door. “I can’t leave you here
unprotected.”

She let out a growl of frustration. “So we’re back to this
again?”

“I just tossed that human on his ass. What if he comes here
seeking retribution?”

She huffed out a laugh. “One, do you really think he’s that
dumb? And two, I could chew him up and spit him out. The only reason I haven’t
yet is because Sylvia didn’t want someone to hurt him.”

“I know that you feel the need to protect yourself, but you
don’t have to anymore. That’s my job now.”

“I don’t remember giving you the job, Konrad. You need to
leave.”

“Why?”

“Because, I can’t think with you walking around my apartment
half-naked.” She watched as something in his gaze changed. He now looked at her
like he had back in the parking lot before she left.

“Fine.”

She stared back at him. “Fine?”

He gave her a nod and walked toward the door.

She followed close behind him, and when he opened the door
and walked outside, she continued to stare at his retreating form with her
mouth open. When he disappeared around the side of the building, she closed the
door and locked it. It couldn’t be that easy. She waited for a few seconds,
expecting him to knock on the door again when she didn’t stop him from leaving.
When it didn’t happen, she backed away from the door and entered the living
area, trying to ignore the feeling of longing creeping up inside her.

This night had been crazy. And she wasn’t fooled. Konrad may
have backed off for now, but more than likely it would only be to regroup. A
distant memory came to her unbidden.

“Mommy, why do we always travel with Daddy when he meets
with other packs?”

The dark-haired beauty smoothed her hand over the little
girl’s back. “Because, sweetie, mates don’t like being apart.”

A faint noise outside her door brought her back to the
present. She sighed.
Knew it couldn’t be that easy.
She crossed back over
to the door, unlocked it and pulled it open. Her gaze roamed, not seeing Konrad
until she looked down. A large wolf with dark fur lay at her feet. “Oh, you
have got to be kidding me,” she whispered, pinching the bridge of her nose with
her forefinger and thumb. “Please don’t tell me you shifted in the open.” If
looks could talk, his definitely said, “
Do I look that stupid to you
?”

She rubbed her forehead with her hand. “You’re going to
drive me crazy.”

He just continued to look up at her.

“Fine. You want to sleep on the hard ground outside instead
of going home, then that’s your deal.” She closed the door and engaged the lock
again. He had to be the most stubborn man she’d ever known. She stomped off
toward the bathroom, hoping a hot shower would help ease the tension in her
shoulders.

She stripped out of her clothes with rushed, brisk
movements, her temper still fuming. That wonderful smell still lingered in her
home and it didn’t help to dampen the arousal she still felt. Mixed emotions
didn’t cover it. Never had she been so aggravated and turned on by a male in
her life. Her breasts still ached with the familiar fullness of desire as her
sex swelled and throbbed. A frustrated sigh parted her lips as she reached
inside the shower to turn on the water.

As she waited for the water to get warm, her thoughts stayed
on the male outside her door. One thing she hadn’t thought about in her pursuit
of a mostly human life was how hot werewolves were. While Xabier had given her
the creeps, she had to say there weren’t many flaws in his appearance. But
Konrad, on the other hand—hotness incarnate. Recalling the memory of all that
tight flesh covering that yummy body had her squeezing her thighs together and
repressing a moan.

Teeth clenched, she stepped under the warm spray and closed
the frosted glass shower door. The water teased against her sensitive skin as
it cascaded down her. She grabbed the pink puff and applied body wash to it in
a hurry, deciding it would be best to be quick, lest she go invite Konrad back
inside to take care of this fire he’d created in her.