Queen Bitch of the Callowwood Pack (Siren Publishing Classic) (42 page)

“I’m neither a pretender nor a runaway, Ms. Winthrop. I’ve never pretended to be anything but what I am.”

“Really?” Cameron’s sneer ripped through the room. “You pretended to be human for all those years growing up. I don’t know how you did it. You even smelled human. But now you show up just as he needs a Luna? How convenient for you.”

To Jeff’s surprise, Julianna laughed. “Do you think I orchestrated my father’s death to coincide with the candidacy party? I’ve been away for eighteen years, Ms. Winthrop. I didn’t know anything about Jeff’s ascendency until I returned to Callowwood.”

Jeff bit back a snarl. “You need to go back downstairs to the party and leave us alone, Cameron.”

“Oh, I’ll leave as soon as I get what I came for.”

Shrieking in rage, Cameron leapt forward, swiping at Julianna’s chest with one hand. Jeff pivoted to stop her, but she ducked under him. Julianna snarled as Cameron’s fingers raked across her bare chest before the younger female shot out the door, crowing her triumph.

“Give that back!” Julianna launched herself after Cameron.

Jeff tried to catch her, but she flew out the door before he could stop her.

Dammit, what the hell is wrong with me tonight?

He grabbed his pants and shoved his legs into them before he snagged his shirt and tore after them. He’d be damned if every male in the pack would enjoy the naked glory of his lovely Luna!

Jeff reached the ground floor just as Cameron’s voice carried from the backyard, shrieking her right to be Luna and the proof in the form of the previous Luna’s pendant. Julianna demanded its return as he bolted down the hall.
Dammit, I have to get the shirt on her!
He gritted his teeth and raced for the doors.

What greeted his eyes when he arrived alternately fueled his fury and set his blood alight with arousal. Cameron paced in the center of the space before the podium with her hand in the air, his mother’s pendant dangling from it. Wild eyes filled with righteous anger swept the crowd, and her whole body vibrated as she fixated on her rival.

Julianna stood at the edge of the circle of packmembers closest to the house, her own body regal and calm. Jeff sensed her dampened anger as if she’d placed it inside a glass box. His pride for his True Mate surged, and he strode toward her, intent on wrapping his shirt over her glorious beauty.

“You selfish, blind, stupid son of a bitch!” Cameron’s face twisted up into a hideous scowl when she saw him. Julianna stiffened, and Jeff threw the shirt over her shoulders.

“I’ve been here the whole time. Right here!” Cameron jabbed herself between her breasts with a hard finger. “I know how the pack needs to be run. I know the families, the problems, our goals, and needs. I know what’s happened with the pack for the last eighteen years while
she’s
been absent!” The hard finger flung itself at Julianna. “But who did you choose? The rookie. And who did you bring in as part of the candidates? An outsider from LA. You never once looked at me. I was right here the whole time. A local and better than all the others. Hell, I even passed all the tests without a blip. But did you notice? No-O-ooo. You were too busy sniffing after Ms. Morris’ tail to notice that I was the best choice!”

Jeff raised a disdainful eyebrow at Cameron in disbelief.
The
best
choice?

“Who did you choose? The little girl who dogged your footsteps for years. The newbie who just showed up in time for you to start looking for a Luna. The one bitch who knew nothing about the Callowwood Pack, not even how to shift shape!”

Gasps echoed around the clearing, and Julianna tilted her head curiously.

“Oh, yes,
Miss Morris
, I was there!” Cameron’s lip curled with disdain. “I was there when you learned how to shift into your Sister form from Sebrina. I watched you struggle to become what you were supposed to be. You didn’t even know how to do the simplest things our people know. You’re not worthy of being Luna.

“I was the best candidate, and I still am!” She brandished the pendant, her eyes blazing. “I passed all the tests.
I
should be Luna.” Her zealous gaze fixed on Jeff once more. “But
you
never saw me!

“All
she
does is attract trouble, Jeff.” Cameron’s voice filled with a wheedling whine. “You saw what those thugs from LA did to her. You know that whore from LA hired them to take her out.
She
brings trouble to our pack and our town.”

A snarl ripped from the crowd, and Brenda Solaris pushed into view, her face an icy mask of fury.

“Watch what you say, little bitch. I never hired anyone from LA while I was here. I have family here, who invited me to come and be a candidate for Luna. I had nothing to do with any attacks on the future Luna.”

“
I’m
the future Luna!” Cameron raged, her face flushing. “And it’s so obvious you hired those thugs. They were from LA, and we all know it pays to have friends in low places. Hell, they even smelled like your apricot perfume. It doesn’t take a genius to figure that out.”

As Brenda bristled, suspicion wound through Jeff.
How does Cameron know all the details of the men who attacked Julianna?
They hadn’t been publicized. No one knew about the apricot perfume until the morning after the attack in the bar. Where did Cameron learn about it?

Anger coalesced inside him once more.
Has Cameron been endangering my Luna from the beginning?
She’d admitted to spying on Julianna when Sebrina trained her. What else had she been up to? He’d taken a step toward the younger female to beat her into submission when a hot, feminine hand pressed against his chest and he turned his furious gaze to his True Mate.

Julianna wore his shirt buttoned over her chest, and it hung low enough to just cover the tops of her thighs. Snarled tendrils of hair draped around her face, appropriate for a sexually satisfied female, but her expression showed only serenity. Pride and awe stilled his fury, and he halted at her command.

In that moment, Jeff realized he loved her far deeper than just the lustful pull of the mating bond. Julianna represented the perfect female for him, strong, calm, and femininely powerful. He wanted to shout out his love for her, but she turned her attention back to the raving bitch still pacing, and he had to swallow the words.

His cadre wove through the crowd, and Jeff caught Zach’s eye as his First moved into position behind Brenda. Jeff nodded in acknowledgement, and Zach replied in kind, signaling that he and the others would keep everyone else from interfering. Kyle and Thomas already stood behind the Winthrops, and Leo shadowed the Alpha as Richard stepped to the edge of the circle.

Jeff tested the air, drawing in the scents of the pack around him. Most felt a mixture of surprise and excitement for the conflict approaching. He sensed his father’s unease, and righteous anger from the Winthrops, but the rest broadcast anticipation.

Gary and Woody appeared at the edges of the circle, their expressions wary and angry. He sensed their protective instincts and their intent to defend their Luna. They weren’t alone. Tawny and the Grayhound sisters stood there as well. Jeff had never seen his sister look so ferocious, but her stance showed her as a warrior, strong and deadly. Gratitude for his sister’s intent fired through him, and he returned his attention to the tableau before him.

The stage was set. They only awaited the play.

* * * *

Julianna faced her rival with fury and disgust swirling inside her like a tempest. She sensed Jeff’s presence behind her and the blast of his anger as he shifted to one side. She wanted to fling herself at Ms. Winthrop and claw her until her face showed nothing but ribbons of torn flesh.
Ease up there, Sister. This is yet another test of our poise as Luna.
She reined in her emotions and raised her chin in challenge.

“I don’t wear perfume,” Brenda said. Julianna’s gaze returned to the ad exec’s face. “No true Moon Singer would. I
do
wash with apricot-scented soap, but I haven’t been in contact with anyone from LA other than the members of my staff. I’ll give you my phone to prove it.” Brenda’s eyes met Julianna’s, and the other woman managed to look submissive as she dropped her head. “I swear, Luna, that I know nothing about the attack on you.”

“Oh, please.” Cameron sneered as she gestured with the pendant. Julianna gritted her teeth with each flash of the aquamarine eyes in the lights of the tent.
I want that back.
“Why should we believe your lies? You’d say anything to save yourself.”

Brenda reached into her purse and pulled out her BlackBerry. She tossed it to Tawny, who caught it deftly. “Go ahead, check it. I’ve got nothing to hide.” Her gaze returned to Cameron with a look of pity. “The Successor was wise to choose Ms. Morris. You think you’re entitled, and that makes you weak.”

Julianna scented Cameron’s rage flood over the pack and thanked the Goddess she stood across the clearing. It smelled like a combination of burnt hair and sewage. She idly wondered if her own anger reeked as bad.

“I am
not
weak!” Cameron’s lips drew back from her teeth in a menacing snarl. “I’m perfect!” She focused her wild eyes on Jeff again. “I never stepped out of line. I never drew more attention to myself than was necessary. I wasn’t as flashy as those California whores. I was here, I was perfect, and I love you. I’m your perfect mate. How could you pick
her
?”

“Because she’s my
True
Mate, Ms. Winthrop,” he said with his customary half-smile. Julianna read the fury burning beneath his golden irises. “Love can’t trump nature. The Goddess chose Ms. Morris as my True Mate long before you were groomed as a candidate for Luna.”

“That’s just a myth! This isn’t about the Goddess.” Julianna tensed, reading the subtle shift in the other female’s body language. “It’s about who’s the best candidate. And that’s me. I should be Luna!”

“There’s no precedent for this, Ms. Winthrop.” The Alpha’s voice cut through the echoes of Cameron’s tirade. “The tests and the choosing ceremony prove who’s the best for the Successor, and none of our rules have been broken by the chosen candidate. You can’t claim the right to be Luna simply because of a pendant and a story of inexperience. Ms. Morris passed the tests and was chosen by the Successor. His decision stands.”

“Then he chose wrong.” She dropped the pendant into the grass. “And I’ll prove it.”

The change overcame Cameron’s body almost too swiftly to track, and a black wolf hurtled toward Julianna without warning.

Julianna’s Sister wasn’t as slow in reaction.

She met her rival in a crash of claws and teeth, her fury finally unleashed. Cameron jerked aside to avoid her gleaming canines, but Julianna scored the black wolf’s shoulder as her forepaws wrapped around Cameron’s torso. She came down on top of the other female, but Cameron twisted and broke free, surging to her feet to leap at Julianna again.

Julianna reared up on her hind legs, snapping at her rival’s throat. Cameron ducked, and Julianna’s teeth caught her ear, tearing through the flesh. Cameron snarled and rolled, pulling her head away as she scrambled to her feet. The ear drooped a little, and blood stained her cheek while her eyes gleamed with feral rage.

Cameron charged her again, her teeth raking at Julianna’s chest where she’d grabbed the pendant earlier. Julianna tried to pull aside at the last moment, but Cameron’s rage overpowered her, and the sharp fangs tore through the fur, blooding Julianna. Pain shrieked through her awareness, demanding attention, and she yelped involuntarily.

Her anger flared, and her Sister shot forward in a new attack, but Julianna managed to pull her back. The wolf was better at fighting, but Sebrina’s advice flickered through Julianna’s awareness. She had to think to protect them both.

Taking a deep breath, she tried to center her mind as she’d been taught in tai chi. Her Sister’s wrath prowled just outside her calm, but she sharpened her focus and steadied her body until the calm soothed the fury. She watched how Cameron moved, noting any weaknesses or unsteadiness.

She’s running on rage and adrenaline. She probably doesn’t feel anything. That will make her strong but thoughtless. No strategy, only brute strength.

Cameron reminded Julianna of tracking coyotes to their dens. The wily predators had underestimated her intelligence and thought themselves too smart for her abilities.
I have to make her think she’s won. What kind of ruse would sucker her in?
Cameron wasn’t thinking, but she had enough intelligence to take victory when she saw it.

The other female growled low in her throat and darted toward Julianna’s flank. Julianna spun away, but Cameron’s claws raked her hip and tore furrows in the fur. Julianna snarled and snapped at her opponent, but Cameron had already bolted out of reach.

Pain buzzed at the back of her mind as she turned to watch the other wolf circle around her. The eyes of her opponent filled with a killing rage, rolling white with insanity.
How do I lure her into overconfidence?

Her memory served up a vision of watching killdeer birds teasing her neighbor’s dogs each time they went for a run. The birds would feign a broken wing to lure the predators away from their hidden nests, only staying a few steps ahead.
I’ll feign an injury, then take her down.
Who says I’m not related to Ho’a’tote?