Sassy Ever After: Bite My Sass (Kindle Worlds Novella) (4 page)

W
e stop
to eat lunch when we reach an open area. The rock ledge where we sit overlooks the valley, and as I gaze from the height, I notice the cars on the road that weaves through the forest appear to be the size of toys. Chelsea pulls out her map, and the paper rustles as she flattens it out on her lap. She asks, “Where exactly are we going?”

Alex leans over her shoulder and points. “We’re going to a meadow right about here.”

“The one that’s by the trail to Chimney Peak?” Chelsea glances at me with concern.

“Yes.”

“Chimney Peak?” I ask. I recall the clerk at the RV park office telling me to stay away because that’s the direction of the scenting ceremony.

Alisha says, “Wait. I thought we weren’t supposed to go on that trail.”

I stand up as the situation becomes clearer. I think these guys are bringing my friends along to the scenting ceremony so they can be offered up as potential mates.
Without their knowledge!
My skin prickles with the urge to shift as my anger intensifies. “We’re not. Pack up, girls. This hike is over.”

Jayden stands up. “I don’t understand. Juliet?” She shakes her head in confusion.

I turn to glare at Roman. My nails dig into my palms as I clench my hands to control my rage. He gets up to tower over me, but I’m not intimidated as I look up and say, “This is wrong on so many levels. I can’t believe you—”

He grabs my hand and tugs on me as he begins to walk, and I stumble as he moves with a speed I didn’t expect. He says, “We’ll talk about this somewhere more private, please.”

I let out a huff of annoyance but follow him because he’s gripping my hand and leaves me no choice. But he’s also right. This isn’t a conversation to have in front of two women who don’t know what we are. I turn back to my friends and call out, “Don’t you go anywhere until I get back.”

When we get far enough that the girls can’t hear, Roman stops and releases my fingers as he turns to face me. I put my hands on my hips. “You think it’s okay to offer up my friends as human mates at your scenting ceremony?”

“No.” He shakes his head as if I’m a small child who is too naïve to know better. “That’s not what’s happening here.”

His calm tone makes me angrier. “No? Then why are we going to that meadow?”

“Alex wants to ask Jayden to be his mate. Our pack requires the scenting ceremony to happen before he can do that.”

He wants to mate her already?
“But she doesn’t even know what he is! Don’t you think he might want to tell her what she’s getting into?”

“He will tell her when he’s sure she ready to accept it.”

“Are you freaking kidding me? You don’t think the sniffing thing might be a little strange for her?”

“We’ll explain it.”

I squint at him in disbelief. “This is crazy. I can’t let you do that to her, and what if other wolves find Chelsea and Alisha and decide they want them too? Did you think about that?”

“So they sniff them. Big deal. Nobody’s bonding with anyone today.”

I shake my head. He still doesn’t get it. Not every wolf is capable of self-control in the heat of mating. And if one decides he wants one of my friends and can’t keep his desires at bay, she could be in danger. Humans can’t shift and fight back. “You can’t know that. No.” My blood is hot, and my gums tingle as my wolf hovers at the surface. “I won’t allow you to do this to the humans I love like sisters. It’s not right.”

Roman’s eyes flash with what I think is simmering rage as he says, “What’s not right is you keeping true mates apart.”

Now my chest is heaving as my anger races through my veins. I spit out, “True mates? What the hell do you know about true mates?”

“Juliet—”

I hold up my hand. “Save it.”

I turn away and stomp back to the clearing, and when I get there, I say, “We’re going back.” I look at Jayden and notice her eyes are shiny with tears she’s fighting to hold in. “I’m sorry. I know you don’t understand, but something that is very dangerous for you is happening in the meadow.”

Alex says, “Jayden, I’d never do anything to hurt you. You have to know that.”

I say, “Alex, I’m sure that’s what you feel in your heart, but I can’t allow it.” I look at my friend. “Please, Jay, this doesn’t mean you can’t see him again. You have to trust me on this.”

She nods quickly and gets up. She says to Alex, “I’ll text you. I’m sorry, but I haven’t even known you for a day. Please understand.”

“I do, Jayden.” He stands up and kisses her lightly. Alex glances at me as if I’m the bad guy. “This won’t keep us apart.”

Dean says, “Wait. We have a—”

Roman’s voice reverberates through me when he barks out, “No. Let them go.”

I turn to look at him, and his nostrils flare as if he’s trying to control a shift. I think he’s hanging on by a thread. I’m so mad I’m tempted to challenge him just so I can fight, but I won’t shift in front of my friends to satisfy my anger. I imagine that watching Roman and me snarling and biting would scar them for life. I get the words out through clenched teeth when I say, “Thank you.”

Chelsea and Alisha are already on the trail when I take Jayden by the hand to lead her away from Alex. She’s trembling, and the bones in her fingers feel fragile in my powerful grip as I say, “Let’s go.”

As soon as the girls think we’re out of earshot Jayden begins to cry, and Chelsea puts her arm around Jayden’s shoulders as she says, “You better explain what the hell that was all about.”

This is not how I wanted my friends to find out about werewolves, but I’d much rather be the one to tell them than have them find out in the midst of a scenting ceremony. I walk faster. “I will, but we need to get far away from those guys before I do. Once we’re back at camp, I promise you’ll learn everything.”

Bless Alisha, because she says, “You guys really need to trust Juliet right now. She’s always had our backs, and I don’t know what just happened, but when we find out, I’m sure we’ll be glad she stopped it.”

Jayden says, “I do believe you, Juliet. I’m sorry.”

I halt and turn back to her. “Oh, honey, no. I’m the one’s that’s sorry. It’s all going to work out. I promise.” I think about how Roman’s order for Dean to be silent rushed through me like something I couldn’t disobey.
Roman’s an alpha.
I recall that the Silver Lake wolf clan I belong to needs human females for us to continue on with the next generation. Does his pack have the same problem? I understand the desperation, but it’s always the woman’s choice.
Always.
We’d never stoop low enough to trick them into something like a scenting ceremony. I say, “Alex isn’t the bad guy here. It’s Roman.”

I
gaze
at my three friends sitting on the couch of our RV. I thought it was hard to tell Alisha what I am, but this is harder. The counter behind me is firm as I push off of it to stand tall. “I’m about to tell you something that might be difficult to believe, and it’s going to be scary too. Please remember the Juliet you know when I do.”

Chelsea and Jayden stare at me with big eyes as they clutch each other’s hands. Alisha says, “They’ll be fine, Juliet. They love you like I do. Tell them.” Her legs are crossed, and she bounces her foot.

I let out the breath I was holding. “I’m a werewolf.”

Jayden blinks. Chelsea laughs and then says, “A werewolf. Good one.”

I shake my head. “This isn’t a joke.”

Jayden still doesn’t speak as she stares in shock, and Alisha says, “It’s true. Juliet can become a wolf when she wants to.”

Chelsea gets up, and her feet thud as she moves toward the front of the RV. She turns and scans my body with her gaze. “Can you prove it?”

Jayden squeaks out, “No!” She scrambles back on the couch as if I’m going to hurt her, and my stomach knots up.

Alisha wraps her arm around her. “Juliet would never hurt us, Jay.”

Jayden nods as she gazes at me.

I say, “I wouldn’t. Alex wouldn’t either.”

“He’s—“

“Yes. And so are the rest of the firemen. Today we were hiking toward something called a scenting ceremony where wolves from other clans meet and find mates. Alex wants you to be his mate, and the plan was to go through the ceremony, which is one of his clan’s requirements for him to bond with you.”

“Bond?”

“Claim you as his,” I say. “I think the two of you might be true mates, which means you belong together for life.”

“Whoa,” says Chelsea.

“Yeah,” I say, but I keep my attention on Jayden. “Alex was acting today as a wolf and would never intentionally do something to hurt you. Werewolves grow up knowing that true mates are forever, and it’s easy for our kind to jump in right away. But you’re going to need time to figure out if being a werewolf is right for you, Jayden. Roman didn’t respect your humanity, and that’s why I put a stop to it.”

“Roman?” asks Alisha.

“He’s the alpha of their pack and calling the shots.” I gaze at Jayden. “I know every ounce of you can’t help but want to be with Alex, and being apart from him right now might be upsetting in a way you don’t understand. But do you get why I couldn’t let you go to the ceremony?”

She lowers her feet back to the floor. “You want me to have a choice.”

“Yes. Alex wants nothing more than to mark you as his. But that means you become a werewolf if you want to stay together.”

Chelsea asks, “Was he going to bite her or something?”

I shake my head. “Roman says they were going to go through with the ritual, which would have been Alex as a wolf sniffing Jayden to confirm she’s his. If it’s two wolves, the girl sniffs right back. When you’re true mates, you want it, and there’s no question.”

Alisha says, “That’s what the wolf in the woods did to you!” She sighs with satisfaction. “He totally likes you.”

I recall kissing Roman, and even though I’m mad at him I can’t help the flutter of desire low in my belly.
Yes, he does.
Chelsea scowls at me, and I think it’s because we lied to them the other night about our adventure with a big dog. “Hold on a minute,” she says. “Back up to you being a werewolf. How does that work? Do you change into one with the full moon?”

I shake my head. “No. I can shift back and forth at will.”

She says, “Well, that’s barbaric.” She crosses her arms as she asks, “Don’t the females have any say?”

“We do,” I say.

Jayden leans forward. “What’s it like to be a werewolf?”

I smile at her because I think she’s considering it to be with Alex. “It’s awesome.”

I spend time fielding questions about being a shifter and even show them my wolf when I realize Alisha was right—my friends love me and are willing to accept what I am. Which is why I take the opportunity to let my wolf out and go for a run.

My muscles burn with exertion as I race through the woods to release my pent-up energy. The idea that Roman thought it was okay to bring human women to a scenting ceremony when they have no idea what it means is either stupid or proof he doesn’t see them as equals. Either way, it’s upsetting because I have a sinking feeling we’re true mates. That means being apart is going to be almost too painful to bear.

I stop to walk, and the spongy earth of the forest floor is cool under my feet. The rustling of branches and crack of twigs tells me someone else is out here. I guess it’s another werewolf, considering so many are in the area for the ceremony. I turn toward the noise when it gets closer, and I recognize the scent that comes to me instantly.
Roman.

I wait for him to approach me as I inhale his intoxicating musk. My wolf doesn’t care about what happened today, because she has a one-track mind.
Mate.
And apparently his does too, because he nuzzles me, and I return the gesture as if we’re exchanging a hello kiss. Roman walks around me, and while a piece of me wants to object, I don’t when he begins to sniff my genitals. While the act can be cordial like a greeting, it can also be intimate when true mates are involved. Once he gets his fill, I sniff him back, and as the warmth of our connection fills my heart, I know I’m meant to be with Roman, and it’s going to be too much to fight. But I can’t let what happened earlier go. I refuse to be with someone who won’t respect humans.

I shift out of wolf form so I can talk to Roman. It’s playing with fire because when he shifts too, we’re naked, and a quick glance lets me know he’s as aroused as I am.

“Are you still mad at me?” he asks.

I nod as I step close enough to touch him. “You were going to put my friends in danger. You have to understand I can’t allow that.”

Roman chuckles. “You do know I’m an alpha.”

“I do now.” Which means he’s used to getting his way. If there is one thing I hate, it’s being told what to do. I frown because even though he’s an alpha, I won’t back down when something is important. I step back. “This isn’t going to work. I don’t take orders well.”

“Do you know what it takes to be the mate of an alpha like me?”

I shrug. The alpha’s wife in my clan used to be human, and she’s as sweet as can be.

“I need a strong, stubborn mate whose loyalty can’t be broken. I need a woman who’ll call me on things when I’m not thinking clearly.” He reaches out to brush his thumb lightly across my lower lip, and I blink to regain my focus. “But most of all, I need a partner to help me lead my clan.”

Partner?
I smile as I place my hand on his chest. He inhales sharply at my touch before he covers my fingers with his, and I say, “
Partner
I can do. You need to know it’s important to me you treat humans like equals.”

“I already do. I wasn’t going to let your friends loose in a field full of wolves looking for a mate.” He moves my hand down his stomach slowly, and his abdominal muscles quiver beneath my fingers.

“No?” I reach out with my other hand to hold onto his arm, and I brace myself as my knees get weak.

“It was going to be a private ceremony with just Alex in wolf form. I was going to ask you to explain it to Jayden after Alex made his intentions clear to me. I brought Dean and Byron in case we had trouble from other clans.”

He holds my fingers still at the patch of hair just below his navel as I ask, “Why didn’t you tell me that?”

His voice is husky now. “You didn’t give me a chance.” He lets go of my hand, and the nest of hair on his groin is coarse on my skin.

I want to touch more of him, to feel what can be mine. I continue my descent before I grip his long, thick length. It fills my palm with his fertile heat as I stroke it, and I recall how earlier I did do most of the talking and cut him off when he tried to explain. “Oh.”

Roman tips my chin up with his finger and leans down to kiss me. It’s gentle at first, but when his hands roam to my breasts and he teases my nipples, I deepen it with the hunger of my feral side. This alpha is
mine
. But I’m also his, because Roman lets out a low growl and pushes me against a tree. He grabs my arms and turns me around before he presses on my back for me to bend. The bark of the large oak is rough on my palms as I grab on and thrust my bottom out toward him.

“Yes.” Roman slides two fingers along my moist seam and thrusts them inside me as he kisses his way down my spine. He drops to his knees and growls again before he tastes me. He may have kissed me awkwardly the first time, but there’s nothing about what he’s doing now that isn’t right. I squirm as he laves me with his tongue until I begin to quake with the orgasm that rushes to the surface.

Roman stops as I’m on the brink and nips my bottom. It makes me yelp, but I barely get the noise out before he rams himself into me and leans down to whisper in my ear, “I’ve wanted to be here since the first time I saw you.”

I let out a small sound because his cock inside me triggers my climax, and I shatter beneath him as he pumps in and out. I begin to fall back when another surge of passion rushes through me, and this time when I quake around Roman, he tenses and splashes his hot essence inside me as he comes.

His teeth scrape along my neck as we pant to catch our breath in the aftermath. He whispers, “You belong to me, Juliet.”

I straighten and turn to face him. I need to know we really are equals and he wasn’t telling me what he thought I wanted to hear. Placing my hand on his cheek, I say, “
You
belong to me.”

Roman nods before he brushes his lips against mine and says, “I do.”