Greyson - Part 3: An Alpha Billionaire Shifter Romance (The Silver Moon Pack) (6 page)

Greyson watched as Juno let out a piercing scream, her face contorted with pain as she dropped to the ground on all fours. But something was wrong… The fear in her eyes…the panic…but then she was shifting, transforming into his beautiful silver wolf before she took off in a panicked run.

Fuck.
Greyson shifted and bolted after her. She was crazy fast, but it didn’t take him long to catch up and tackle her to the ground, pinning her below him even as she growled and snapped at him.

He tried to soothe and calm her, tried to get her to quiet down, but something was still definitely wrong. He shifted back even as she snarled at him and he tried to talk her down. “Easy there, love… Can you shift back for me? Just think about becoming a human again.”

Except that she wasn’t shifting back—and she showed no signs of recognizing him. When she went to bolt, he tackled her, pinning her to the ground as she snapped at him, her body thrashing below him with growls of frustration until, just like that, she shifted back into her human form, her cries piercing and mournful as her naked body struggled against his—and then she jolted him. He was hit with a heart-piercing pulse of energy that threw him back against the forest floor, his pulse skittering as a darkness threatened to consume him.

His head swam as he tried to get his bearings, the pain in his chest like nothing he’d ever felt before. But then Juno was at his side, her tears spilling onto his face as he forced himself to focus on her, trying to clear his head. “I’m so sorry, Greyson…I could have killed you…”

“I’m fine, love. It’s okay.” He sat up and knelt before her, giving himself a moment more to regain his bearings. “Juno…what happened when you shifted?”

“I don’t know—
I don’t remember
.” She shook her head, pulling away from him when he reached out to her, looking terrified. “
Don’t
. Don’t touch me.”

“Juno…you’ve been through a lot—and maybe it was too soon to have you try shifting after all you’ve been through.” Even if not shifting for too long a period would start to overwhelm her. And yet…what happened to her was disconcerting and unexpected. He’d never seen anyone react that way to shifting—not that she was just anyone.

He got to his feet and then offered her his hand, willing her to take hold of it, his soul wrecked to know that she was once more scared to touch him. Finally, she tentatively placed her hand in his and let him pull her up into his arms, relieved to be able to hold her once again. “After my curse when dormant with Flint, I didn’t know if it’d ever come back. I really am so sorry, Greyson.”

Yet after a moment, she was pulling out of his arms, still looking shaken and scared of accidentally hurting him again.

“It’s okay, love. It won’t happen again. It was only because you were still in the process of getting your bearings after you’d shifted back. And don’t forget…if it hadn’t been for your curse—
your gift
—I’d be dead right now. It’s only because you were able to heal me that I managed to survive that attack.”

“Except that you would never have been in danger if it hadn’t been for me. I never should have married you. It was a selfish thing for me to do.” Her tears ran down her cheeks, but as Greyson tried to reach out to her, she turned away from him, trying to put some distance between them, though he’d be damned if he was going to let her go.

He grabbed her arm, and hauled her naked body to his with an intensity that left him wondering if he might get zapped again. Not that he cared. Not when Juno was in his arms once more. “Do you love me, Juno?”

“You know I do.” Her bottom lip trembled, though at least she was no longer trying to pull away from him.

“Then getting married wasn’t selfish or some sort of mistake. It’s what two people do when they love each other and want a life together. Marrying you is the best thing that’s ever happened to me—and I need you to stop fighting what’s between us…to stop trying to run away from me.” With her face cupped in his hands, he tilted her head back, forcing her to look at him, before he plundered her mouth, a barely controlled desire that she was quick to return.

His hands ran down the curve of her back to her plump ass, gripping a cheek in each hand as he hauled her up off her feet and onto his hard length, catching her needy gasp with his kiss as she hooked her legs around his waist. Tangling her fingers in his hair, she tugged at it and kissed him harder, their tongues in a heated battle as their bodies clashed in a primal war, holding nothing back as he thrust into her, taking her hard and deep, claiming her as his once more.

Swallowing her cries, he pushed her closer toward her orgasm, lowering her to the forest floor, thick with leaves, his cock never leaving her tight cunt, and then rolled them over, so she was now on top, straddling him. Sitting up, he wrapped his arm around her slender waist as he nipped his way down her throat, still thrusting up into her as he sucked on her nipples and she rolled her hips down his length, the intensity between them pushing him toward that razor’s edge.

“
Greyson
…I’m going to come…” She clawed at his back as his mouth pillaged hers once more, swallowing her cries as her body quivered in his arms as his own orgasm chased hers with just a few more thrusts, his cock pulsing his cum deep inside her.

“June bug…” Their breathing was still heavy, though his cock was already hardening once more—when it occurred to him that Flint would have also been able to take her time and again, her torture and torment never ending. “Tell me you’re okay.”

“I’m fine.” Except that it was clear she wasn’t. “And if I manage not to kill you, it’ll be even better.”

“It wasn’t your fault, love. And I know you are sorry. But I don’t want you worrying about this. We’ll figure it out, okay?” Even if it meant dealing with Thayer to get answers. “Come on… Let’s get you home.”

As they headed back to where they’d left their clothes, Juno took one deep breath after another, though whether it was because she was picking up on all the new scents of the forest that she could now detect, or because she was panicking on the inside and trying to calm herself down, he hadn’t a fucking clue. And what was worse was that he didn’t trust her not to do something stupid in the name of “keeping him safe.”

He knew she was still adjusting to all the changes in her life, but he swore, if she tried pulling another runner, he’d spank her ass so red, she wouldn’t be able to sit for a week. Yet by the time they got home, her mood had yet to improve and she was looking all the more withdrawn.

Once more he debated telling her all the secrets he was keeping, but in the mood she was in, he worried that it would just push her away. So he decided, instead, that the best thing to do would be to distract her from her problems by giving her the information she so desperately wanted—if they could find it. He just hoped he didn’t regret it.

With his decision made, dealing with Thayer became unavoidable. Juno needed answers and he needed to make her happy and keep her safe. She was far more important than his pride or his jealousy—and he knew that she truly loved him, her heart and her soul already his—just as she was the only one he’d ever loved. And with luck, she might be less skittish about shifting if she had the information and answers she was looking for.

Not wanting to drag Juno into Broken Ash territory, especially when it might unnerve her, Greyson opted instead to invite Thayer to come and visit them—which he was more than happy to do that evening, despite the short notice.

Greyson caught his scent in the air. “Thayer’s nearly here, Juno. Are you sure you’re up for meeting with him? I can speak to him on your behalf if you’d rather.”

She ran a hand down his arm as he pulled her close and kissed her temple, her mood still somber and her eyes looking troubled. “I know Thayer doesn’t mean me any harm—and I need to try to move past what happened to me. Because if I don’t, then that fucking asshole will still be tormenting me, even if he’s not here.”

“I get that, love. But if it gets to be too much, don’t think twice about excusing yourself or simply slipping away. It’s been mere hours since you shifted in the woods, and it’s only been a week since the attack—and you were unconscious for most of that time.” Greyson knew she wanted answers, but he also didn’t want her to have any setbacks, when things felt so fragile and tenuous.

She’d been through a world of hurt, emotionally and physically, and needed time to sort through it all and come to terms with what was done to her. Not to mention, she also had to deal with the fact that she was now a shifter. That alone would be more than most people could handle. And it all proved to him just how special she was. She was also stronger than he was giving her credit for, even if he was desperate to keep her safe—not that he’d done a decent job of it so far.

“You’re sweet to worry, but I’m okay.” She leaned into him and went up onto her toes to kiss his cheek, managing a small smile. “Come on. He’ll be wondering why the door isn’t already open, since I don’t think anyone’s ever gotten to ring a doorbell around here.”

They pulled the door open to find Thayer standing there, his gaze immediately falling on Juno, though his eyes darkened as he took her in, no doubt fully comprehending just how greatly she’d been affected by all she’d been put through. “Juno…you have my sincerest apologies that members of my pack were involved in what happened to you, and I need you to know that
everyone
involved has been dealt with. You should have been treated with nothing but the utmost respect. And Greyson… We’ve been friends a long time, to the benefit of both our packs, and I’m hoping we can set aside the recent tension between us and get back to the friendship we once had.”

“I guess that really depends on you.” Greyson shrugged, managing a smile. “I’m happy to put this behind us—but if you start acting like a pushy asshole, we’re going to have problems.”

“How about a drink then? And you have my word, I’ll try my best to keep my inner asshole locked away.” Thayer returned his smile, his eyes lighting up with mischief and humor—reminding Greyson of why they’d been friends in the first place. And they really had been good friends, with the only constraints on their relationship being that they were from different packs.

“Whiskey?” Greyson held up the bottle in question as they settled in the living room. “Or would you prefer a beer? I’ve got cider too. Tequila, gin…”

“I’ll never say no to whiskey, especially since you always stock some impressive bottles.” Thayer sat down across from Juno, and as always—
Thayer’s focus was almost entirely on her.

Juno wasn’t sure how smart an idea it’d been to invite Thayer over, when things were still tense between the men. And yet, she knew that Thayer, or someone in his pack, could give her the information she needed on being a
Laighir
, and what that might entail now that she was also a shifter. After all, it was only because of the information he’d given her that she’d even known to try to heal Greyson during the attack.

But as Thayer sat there, looking at her, she found she couldn’t bear the intensity of his gaze, couldn’t bear his handsome good looks and his easy smile, especially when she had so little control over her emotions and her body. She still felt like she was going crazy on the inside, her thoughts, her moods, her fears, all battling some primal hunger and need—and if she didn’t find a way to rein it all in, she swore it’d leave her fractured and crazy, no longer the person she once was.

Greyson put their drinks down on the coffee table between them, grabbing one of the whiskeys and sitting down by her side as she curled up against him, a bit surprised he’d only gotten her cider, leaving her wishing it’d been something harder since she was hoping for a bit of fortification for what she was about to do. “I need to ask—and I hope you guys won’t take this the wrong way—but…is there any way for me to stop being a shifter? I was thinking that maybe, because I’m a
Laighir
, there might be more options…or a way to undo this.”

Thayer’s eyes flicked to Greyson in question, before settling back on her. “Not that I’m aware of. I’m sorry. I’ve never heard of anyone who underwent the
Change
and managed to revert back. And I get that this can’t be easy on you with all that’s happened, but…I think if you just give it time, you’ll find that being a shifter is pretty fucking fantastic.”

“Except that when I tried to shift earlier today, it was…
not
good.” She couldn’t remember much of what happened when she’d been in wolf form, but she remembered exactly what happened afterwards. How could she forget blasting Greyson with her energy, his face contorting with pain? It sent an uncontrollable shudder through her body as she nestled in deeper against his side and he held her tightly in his arms. “It’s not that I don’t find shifters amazing, but…none of this has been easy. I had moved to the mountains so I could get away from people and live a quiet life. And it’s been anything but.”

“Things will quiet down, love.” Greyson kissed the top of her head, each gentle touch erasing a little more of what had been done to her. “And the more you shift, the more your body will get used to it. We’ll sort out the issues you’re having—which brings us to why you’re here, Thayer. We need more information on the
Laighir
, and how it might affect Juno, now that she’s a shifter.”

Thayer leaned back with a shrug, taking a slow sip from his glass before giving them a smile that didn’t bode well for how this conversation was going to go. “I’d love to help. But to be honest, I’m not the one with the knowledge. We do, however, have a few elders who would know a whole lot more. Juno…why don’t you come by for a visit tomorrow?”

“That would be great.”
Finally.
She might get some answers to her questions. Except that she may have been too quick to answer, since Greyson stiffened at her side. “Unless, of course, we have plans tomorrow.”

“You’ve been through a whole lot as of late, and I don’t want you having to deal with things that might upset you further.” Greyson’s brow furrowed, leaving her to wonder if it was just because of Thayer or if there was something more to it. “I’m not saying not to go, but it wouldn’t hurt to give it a few days.”

“Years won’t make one bit of a difference after what was done to me, let alone days. There’s no point in waiting—and what’s going to upset me is not having answers.” She knew Greyson only wanted to protect her, but she was finally so close to getting the answers she needed, and she wasn’t going to back away from this opportunity—nor could she let him stop her. “You know I love you, but if you’re not comfortable joining me, I can go on my own. I’m sure Thayer won’t let anything happen to me.”

“
You’re not going without me
. No fucking way, Juno. Or have you forgotten that Flint and the men who attacked you were from Broken Ash?” Greyson glared at Thayer, as if this was all somehow his fault.

“And whoever was involved has been dealt with. You know that.” Thayer leaned forward, putting his glass down on the table before propping his elbows on his knees, though he looked like he could leap out of his seat to attack in just a fraction of a second. “So if you think I’d let anything at all happen to Juno, you can guess again. And it’s not exactly like you’ve kept her safe.”

Greyson lunged for Thayer before she’d even had a chance to stop him—and Thayer was waiting for him, the two of them rolling and crashing to the floor as she screamed at them to stop. She swore, she’d blast the two of them if they didn’t stop. But as she screamed herself raw and they continued to pummel each other, she realized that they needed to do this. They’d needed to get this out of their systems since she first met Thayer. But she also realized that she couldn’t stop them without running the risk of killing them both—and at this point, she just couldn’t deal with it anymore.

She was exhausted and fed up, battered and broken. If they wanted to kill themselves, then they could have at it.
She was done
. Wiping her tears away, she shook her head in disgust and walked off, leaving them behind and heading for their bedroom after dismissing the thought of just hiking back to her own cabin.

Hating the tears that kept falling, she cursed herself for being an emotional mess, and turned on the hot water in the shower, hoping that the water washing over her would allow her to pretend her tears didn’t exist. And with luck, she wouldn’t go back out there to find a bloodbath.

She’d barely gotten her hair fully wet when Greyson burst into the bathroom, calling out her name—as Thayer followed right behind him, the glass of the shower stall offering her no privacy whatsoever.
“What the hell?”

Greyson shoved Thayer out of the bathroom, and slammed the door before turning back to her. “Juno…”

“Shouldn’t you be off pummeling each other or something?” Yet even as she took in his bloody lip and the gash on his cheekbone, her heart ached and a fresh wave of tears fell.

“I’m not going to fucking apologize to him when he was the one being an ass—although it’s fucking killing me that we upset you, when it was really nothing more than a bit of testosterone-fueled venting. Because the truth is, we both feel horrible about what happened to you, and…we both feel responsible. But the last thing we want is to upset you.” He stripped himself naked in a matter of seconds, stepping into the shower, clearly not caring if Thayer was still around. With a strong hand gripping her hip, he pulled her close, covering her mouth in a kiss that eased some of her anger. “Please forgive me?”

“I don’t blame you for what happened to me—nor do I blame Thayer. But I refuse to just stand there watching you guys beat the crap out of each other. And I know he pushes your buttons—but you let him get to you, instead of remembering that you guys used to be friends.” And the last thing she wanted was to get in the way of their friendship and cause problems with a pack who were their allies.

“You get that he wants to fuck you, right?” Anger and jealousy flashed in Greyson’s gold eyes and his jaw set in a hard line.

“And?
What does it matter? Unless you don’t trust me not to fuck his brains out?” Juno ignored the fact that Greyson looked like he was going to have an aneurism—right after he tore Thayer to shreds.

“You know I trust you—and if you say you won’t, then I believe you.” He cursed under his breath with a shake of his head. “But just because you won’t fuck him doesn’t mean you don’t want to.”

“I love
you
, Greyson.
No one else
. And after everything that’s happened, I consider myself damn lucky that I can deal with even your touch, let alone another man’s. So whether he wants me or not doesn’t matter one bit, unless you think he, too, is going to force me into something I don’t want.” She had to suppress a shudder, even though she doubted Thayer would ever harm her in that way.

“No…I don’t think he would. He might be a pain in the ass, but he’s not like that.” Greyson let out a weary breath, and pulled her close, his muscular body brushing against hers, so his ever-present erection was trapped between them. “It’s just that the thought of another man’s hands on you…it’s making me fucking crazy.”

“It’s not like I had a choice in the matter.” That was the worst part about this nightmare. Even though Flint was long gone, she was still dealing with the consequences of what had been done to her—and she wasn’t the only one struggling with it.

“Of course not, love…and what happened to you—that’s on me. I was supposed to keep you safe, and I didn’t.”