Chapter 14

“You want something to eat?” Eric asked, tossing his keys on the table inside the door of his apartment.

Jayna started to say no, then stopped. She’d eaten a huge breakfast just a few hours ago, so she shouldn’t be hungry, but she was famished again. She’d been eating like a bear since yesterday. Eric and Cooper said it was because she needed the extra energy to heal the damage her body had sustained during the fight with Brandon. She supposed that made sense, considering Trey had told her she’d broken four ribs and fractured several bones in her back bouncing off that column. What didn’t make sense was how fast she’d healed. As a beta, it should have taken days to recover, but she was feeling almost back to normal already.

Eric must have taken her silence for consent and jerked his head at the couch as he headed toward the kitchen. “I’ll dig us up something to eat. You can turn on the TV if you want.”

She curled up on his big, comfy couch, but ignored the TV remote. She didn’t feel like watching television, and she definitely had no interest in what the news channels were saying about yesterday’s shoot-out at the loft. So instead, she leaned back into the cushions, trying furiously to figure out what she should do with the pack she had become responsible for overnight.

She barely felt capable of taking care of herself on most days, much less four other werewolves. For one horrible minute back in the SWAT operations vehicle yesterday, she’d almost considered walking away from Eric. She hadn’t wanted to do it, but being responsible for the rest of her pack meant she had to put other people’s needs ahead of her own, especially if it meant keeping them safe from Liam.

But fortunately, Sergeant Dixon, the very large and very intimidating alpha of Eric’s pack, had come up with a solution—staying with his future in-laws, Ethan and Kathryn Stone. Jayna still couldn’t believe the couple had opened up their beautiful home to people they didn’t know, but they had, and for that, she was extremely grateful.

She and Eric had talked about her pack staying at the compound instead, but quickly decided against it. Living in close proximity to seventeen extremely alpha werewolves would have made her pack jumpy as hell. And if Liam and Kos were still in Dallas, there was no way they’d find them down near College Station.

Jayna didn’t realize she’d zoned out until Eric walked into the living room carrying two plates piled high with sandwiches. He set them on the coffee table, then went back to the kitchen to grab a monster-sized bag of Doritos and two sodas. She was about to tell him that a single sandwich would have been enough, but then her stomach growled and she decided that maybe she could eat the entire plate of sandwiches.

They didn’t talk much as they ate, but that just gave Jayna more time to worry. Was Chris resting like he was supposed to? Were Megan, Moe, and Joseph sticking close to the Stones’ place like she’d asked them to? Did she have to worry about Liam or Kos finding them?

God, had her former alpha agonized over everything like this? Something told her he probably hadn’t.

Eric must have picked up on her anxiety because he frowned as he reached into the bag for another handful of Doritos. “Still worried about your pack?”

“My pack? Do you have any idea how ridiculous that sounds? I’m not even an alpha.”

“Aren’t you?”

“No,” she said quickly. “I’m a beta like the rest of them.”

“I wouldn’t be too sure of that. You’re eating like an alpha. You’re healing like an alpha. Your claws and fangs are longer and sharper than anyone else’s in your pack, and all of them naturally turn to you for answers when anything goes wrong.” He grinned. “Sounds like an alpha to me.”

Jayna placed her empty plate on the coffee table, then stared hard at it as she considered that. “But if I’m an alpha, why don’t I know what to do? They’re worried and scared, and they’re looking to me to tell them what we should do next, and I don’t know what to tell them.”

Eric set his plate on the table beside hers, then moved closer and put his arm around her shoulders. She leaned her weight into him, resting her head on his muscular chest and letting herself be weak for just a little while.

“You’re going to figure this out,” he said softly, kissing the top of her head and pulling her even closer. “We’re going to figure this out. We just need to find a place for you and your pack to live and work you’ll enjoy doing.”

“I don’t know if that will be enough,” she said softly. “We’ve never lived in one place more than three or four months, less if there was trouble of any kind. And even though Moe is new to the pack, running from problems is already what he’s used to doing. It’s what all of us are used to doing.”

“But it doesn’t have to be that way this time. You can stop running and let me help. We can make this work. We just have to try.”

Jayna closed her eyes for a moment, listening to the strong beat of his heart under her cheek. She wanted to believe him, but she was terrified at the thought of what would happen if he was wrong.

“But what if we can’t?” she asked. “What if we can’t find jobs or a place to live? What if the guys don’t want to stay here? You just said it. I’m supposed to be their alpha now. I’m supposed to take care of them. What if I have to leave…for them?”

He gently pulled her away from his chest so he could look at her. “If we can’t find something for your pack in Dallas, something that really works for them, or if they’re not happy here, then I’ll leave with you.”

Jayna was speechless. She knew Eric cared for her, but she hadn’t realized just how deep those feelings really were until now.

“You’d really leave your pack to be with me?” she finally managed.

Saying the words out loud made the whole idea seem even more ridiculous. Why on earth would a guy like Eric give up a job he obviously loved, a fantastic apartment, and a pack that was amazing to live like a nomad with a screwed-up werewolf like her and her band of equally screwed-up pack mates?

“Of course I would,” he said as if he was surprised she was even asking. “I don’t know how many different ways I can say this for you to believe it, but you’re the person I want to spend the rest of my life with. And if that means I have to leave Dallas to do that, I’ll do it without a second thought. I love you, Jayna.”

Jayna was so floored, she was speechless. She knew she should say she loved him too, but she couldn’t. Not that she wasn’t crazy about him—she was. It was just that she didn’t know if she believed in love, not the way he did.

But at the same time, she had to admit hearing him say those words to her made her feel warm all over. Tears suddenly welled in her eyes, but before she could reach up to wipe the embarrassing things from her cheeks, Eric’s lips were there, kissing them away. His mouth quickly moved from her cheeks to her lips, and soon enough, she was having a hard time remembering why she’d been crying in the first place. It was amazing the way he could make her forget her problems with a simple touch. She had about a hundred critical decisions to make, but right then, she couldn’t think of a single thing that couldn’t wait until later…much later.

Pushing him back on the couch, she climbed onto his lap and kissed him with the same abandon he was kissing her with. Eric rested his hands on her hips, letting her take charge, though she could tell from the bulge in his pants that he was more than a little aroused.

He wasn’t the only one. Knowing how excited Eric was got her going too. Dragging her mouth away from his, she sat back and slowly pulled her shirt over her head, then did the same with her bra. Eyes molten, Eric cupped her breasts in his big hands and leaned forward to take one stiff nipple into his mouth. Oh God, he could drive her insane with that mouth of his.

Jayna gasped as his slightly extended canines grazed her sensitive nipple when he sucked it into his mouth and feasted on it. The crazy combination of warm, soft tongue and hard, sharp fangs was unbelievable, and she wondered if it was possible for him to make her come just from teasing her breasts.

She didn’t get to find out because Eric picked her up with a growl and carried her to the bedroom. After setting her gently on the bed, he slowly worked off her jeans, then her panties. It was funny, but she wasn’t self-conscious at all in front of him, not even when she was completely naked and he was completely clothed. In fact, she rather enjoyed being naked in front of him. And she could tell that he enjoyed it too. He looked hard as a rock in those jeans of his.

Eric grabbed his T-shirt and ripped it over his head, exposing his delicious pecs and sexy abs. But when he reached to unbuckle his belt, she sat up and stopped him.

“I’m an alpha now too, remember?” she said with a smile. “That’s my job.”

Eric looked surprised for a minute, then returned her grin, letting her undo his belt and yank open his jeans. She shoved them down his legs, then slid off the bed and dropped down to her knees to help him step out of them, a position that left her face-to-face with the object of her affection, so to speak.

She couldn’t stop herself from reaching out and wrapping her hand around the base of his perfect cock. Right then, she decided to do something she hadn’t done in a long time. She leaned forward and dragged her tongue across the broad head of his shaft. The sexy growl he let loose as she did made her pulse beat that much faster.

One little taste wasn’t enough though, and she scooted closer and licked him like a lollipop. He was so scrumptious, it was all she could do to keep herself from shifting out of pure pleasure.

In between those long, lazy licks, Jayna took his shaft in her mouth and moved up and down as slowly and sensually as she knew how. Eric growled even louder when she did, which only made her want to do it faster. She’d never gotten a chance to repay him for the oral pleasure he’d given her the other day, and now seemed like a very good time to do it.

She’d just added a little hand massage into the equation, falling into a nice, easy rhythm, when Eric weaved his fingers in her hair and gently guided her away from his cock. She tried to stay where she was, suddenly feeling very possessive about what she wanted. But he was insistent, and soon enough, he had her mouth off his shaft and had pulled her to her feet.

“What’s the deal?” she demanded. “I was enjoying myself down there.”

The look Eric gave her was hot and hungry. “I was enjoying myself as well—a little bit too much. A few more minutes of that and I don’t think I would have been able to stay in control.”

She looped her arms around his neck and raised a brow. “Who says I wanted you to stay in control?”

Eric chuckled and nudged her back onto the bed. “You’re an alpha, all right. No doubt about it.”

Jayna laughed and scooted higher on the bed. “I guess you’d better watch out then, or the next thing you know, I might just want to be on top during sex.”

Eric climbed into bed with her, a look of faux horror fixed on his face. “Anything but that.”

She tackled him back onto the blankets, laughing as she scrambled on top of him. She straddled his hips, enjoying his expression as her very excited pussy came into contact with his very hard cock. She moved back and forth on him a few times, just to give him an idea of what it would be like with her on top; then she leaned forward and slowed things down a bit by kissing and nibbling his chest. She paid careful attention to the fresh scars there, reverently pressing her lips to them, knowing he’d gotten them for her.

His hand glided over her hair, caressing her softly as she kissed her way back and forth across his pecs and shoulders, sometimes moving lower to pay attention to his abs. She knew Eric enjoyed what she was doing because he let out the sexiest growls as she did it, but she wondered if she enjoyed it even more. Being able to do something for Eric after everything he’d done for her made her whole body come alive in ways it never had before.

Jayna would have been happy to spend the next few hours kissing every inch of his glorious body, but Eric apparently had other ideas because he suddenly rolled over and pinned her to the bed under his weight. His position left his cock pressing against her clit, and she gasped as he slid the long length of his shaft up and down her clit.

“Who’s being the alpha now?” she groaned, looking up into his golden, hunger-filled eyes.

He chuckled. “We can take turns, if you want.”

She tried to laugh with him, but it turned into another long moan as he slid his cock across her clit again, making stars explode in her head and her whole body shake.

“That’s okay,” she finally panted. “I’m good with you taking the lead for a while.”

Eric growled and buried his face in her neck, his fangs nipping her there as he continued to torture her clit in the best way possible.

It didn’t take long before Jayna felt her orgasm approaching. When she came, it was slow and drawn out, just like the movement of Eric’s cock against her clit. She shook and moaned beneath him, digging her nails into his shoulders so deep she was sure she’d drawn blood.

“Best. Orgasm. Ever,” she said.

The bed dipped beneath her, and she looked over to see Eric beside her, a condom covering his shaft. He lay beside her and slowly traced a single fingertip over her stomach, breasts, neck, and lips until she was moaning. And when she decided he’d teased her enough, Eric was right there to lift her up and gently sit her right down on his cock.

Jayna growled long and low as Eric’s thick cock spread her wide and she felt him slide deep inside her. She leaned forward and placed her hands on his chest, smiling at him and the way he made her feel so good.

“Look at you,” he said with a grin. “Riding on top now.”

She pressed her breasts against his chest, burying her face in his neck. “I guess that means I’m an alpha for sure, huh?”

“I guess so.” Eric’s hands moved lower until he grabbed her ass, urging her up and down on him. “Hope you don’t mind if I help you out a little bit?”

He was only plunging in and out a few inches at a time, but it felt so good that she was having a hard time thinking of a snappy comeback.

“Help is good,” she breathed.

It was the best of both worlds, actually—getting to be on top, she could control exactly how deep he went, and was also able to enjoy the sensation of him thrusting up into her, slow and steady.

She was almost certain that after the huge orgasm she’d had earlier, there was no way she’d be able to come that hard again so soon. But she discovered she was wrong. Once Eric began to take her fast and hard, she felt that crazy tingling sensation deep inside her, and had no choice but to close her eyes and scream into Eric’s neck as he roared and came with her. She bucked and ground down on him, loving how coming in this position felt so completely different. Maybe it was simply because Eric knew how to make love to her—a woman could definitely get used to this.

Later, she snuggled close to him, her head pillowed on his chest as she basked in the afterglow of what they’d just shared. For now at least, she didn’t want to think about anything else but being with Eric. She only hoped he was right about finding a way for her pack to stay in Dallas, because the thought of leaving him hurt too much to even think about—and taking him away from his pack didn’t make her feel any better.

* * *

“So what kind of work are Jayna and her pack looking for?” Mac asked.

She was sitting cross-legged on the couch in the dayroom of the SWAT compound’s training building, Gage on one side, Cooper on the other. Becker had dropped Jayna off at Mac’s parents’ house an hour ago, then came here. The rest of the Pack was gathered around the room, every one of them eager to help, and Becker appreciated their willingness to come up with a solution to Jayna’s problem, especially after he’d lied to them.

“Something that doesn’t necessarily require a high school diploma,” he said in answer to Mac’s question. “I think Joseph and Chris have one, but Jayna ran away when she was seventeen. And while both Moe and Megan were close to graduating when they turned, I don’t think either one of them actually did. We can worry about them taking the GED later though. Right now, let’s limit our search to jobs that don’t require a high school degree. When I talked to Jayna and her pack about it last night, they said they’re open to pretty much anything. But I don’t think bagging groceries at the local supermarket is going to cut it. They need jobs that let them spend as much time together as possible. They don’t like to be away from each other for very long.”

“Damn,” Xander muttered. “I thought our pack was tight.”

“It’s not really that strange if you think about it,” Gage said. “As betas, they’re closer to a real wolf pack than we are, so it makes sense for them to live together and work together. I’d be surprised if they didn’t like to sleep together too.”

“Huh.” Cooper looked at Becker, his mouth twitching. “So, when you and Jayna are together, does the rest of her pack watch?”

Becker growled as Alex and Max both stepped forward to fist-bump Cooper. Not that it mattered. The sound was barely audible above all the laughter.

Mac smacked Cooper on the arm. “Behave,” she admonished. Digging her cell phone out of a purse that could have done double duty as an overnight bag, she turned to Becker. “Okay. Let me make some calls.”

One by one, the rest of the Pack did the same, calling friends, contacts, and anyone who owed the SWAT team a favor. As they came up with possibilities, they posted them on the extra whiteboard Trey had rolled out of the conference room. If a job had potential, it went on the board.

In between, they fielded calls from other cops and law enforcement agencies in the Dallas area who’d heard what Becker and the rest of the SWAT team were up to. They didn’t just call with job opportunities either, but about apartments for rent and a few cars for sale that didn’t cost too much. Before long, the whiteboard was full on both sides. If Mac, Khaki, and the guys hadn’t been there, Becker might have teared up. Hell, even with them there, he got a little misty.

By the time he left to head out to the Stones’ place a few hours later, Becker had four pages of solid job possibilities and some apartments for Jayna and her pack to consider. He only hoped it was enough.

As the Harley’s engine vibrated under him, he tried to tell himself it was all going to work out. It had to. Now that he’d found The One, there was no way in hell he was letting her get away. If that meant he had to move heaven and earth to find a good life for her and her pack mates here in the city, he’d do it. If being with Jayna meant he had to empty out his bank account and sell everything he owned, he was okay with that too.

He had friends in other places he could turn to. Family too. His parents owned a huge house and a lot of land outside of Denver. If he showed up with Jayna, her pack, and no job, his family would welcome them with open arms. Okay, maybe his mom would be a little shocked when she found out his girlfriend came with an extended family, but she’d overlook it if there was a possibility of a grandchild in the near future.

Becker was still daydreaming about kids with Jayna someday when headlights suddenly appeared in his rearview mirror. He glanced over, swearing when he saw two vehicles speeding up behind him and closing fast.

* * *

“Kathryn and Ethan are being really cool about us staying with them,” Megan said as she set down another plate on the big dining room table.

Jayna followed her, placing a knife and fork on either side of each dish. “Yeah, they are.”

Actually, they were amazing. College professors in their sixties, the couple had taken Jayna and the rest of the pack into their home simply because their future son-in-law had asked. But as kind as the woman and her husband had been, Jayna didn’t want to overstay their welcome. The modest ranch-style home with its four bedrooms was never meant to house five adult werewolves. But finding a place of their own when none of them had jobs was going to be difficult.

Laughter coming from the kitchen was a welcome interruption from the dark place her thoughts were headed. When she’d gotten back to the Stones’ house a few hours ago, Megan had told her the guys were in the barn with Ethan, helping him clean out the stalls. Even though Kathryn and Ethan were full-time professors at Texas A&M, they both loved horses and had four beautiful ones.

Now the guys were in the adjoining kitchen, giving the older couple a hand with dinner. Jayna couldn’t remember when she’d last had a home-cooked meal, and the aroma of lasagna and garlic bread made her mouth water.

She glanced at Megan as she placed a fork on another napkin. “Eric said he’d leave his pack and come with us if we leave Dallas.”

Megan paused, the plate in her hand halfway to the table. “Wow. That’s a big deal.”

“Yeah,” Jayna agreed.

A frown creased Megan’s brow. “You don’t seem happy about that. Don’t you want him to come with us?”

“Yeah, of course I want him to. It’s just…” Jayna hesitated. “I know Eric thinks that’s what he wants to do now, but what if he changes his mind years from now and resents me for making him leave his pack? I’m not sure I could handle that.”

Megan set down the plate she’d been holding and moved on to the next. “Maybe we won’t have to leave Dallas.”

Jayna gave her a sidelong glance. “Would you be okay with that?”

Megan nodded. “It’d be nice not moving around every few weeks.”

That was one more vote in favor of staying. “What about the guys? Do you think they’d be all right with staying here? So close to another pack of werewolves, I mean?”

“Why not?” Megan shrugged. “They already have a serious case of hero worship where Eric is concerned.”

Jayna smiled. Yeah, she’d noticed that too.

“And Eric would do anything for you,” Megan continued. “You should have seen the way he stood up to his alpha yesterday. Eric told him he’d walk away from the pack to keep you safe. You’ve seen Sergeant Dixon, so you know how scary he can be. But Eric was willing to fight him and as many of his pack mates as he had to if that’s what it took. He’d do anything for you.”

“I know.” Jayna swallowed hard, emotions welling up all of a sudden. “That’s why I can’t let him walk away from his pack.”

Megan stared at her. “That makes no sense. If it’s what Eric wants to do, then why not?”

Jayna looked away.

“It’s because you’re scared to death of letting Eric get too close, isn’t it?”

Jayna looked up sharply. “Too close? I think it’s a little late for that since we’re already sleeping together.”

Megan set down the last plate, then came around the table to take Jayna’s hand in hers. “Sleeping with a guy isn’t the same thing as opening your heart to him. It’s about being willing to open yourself up and risk getting hurt for a chance at finding something real. That’s not you, Jayna. You’re really good at keeping people at a distance, you always have been. But I’m guessing Eric makes you feel things you’ve never felt for a guy, and it’s freaking you out. And when you get freaked, you run.”

“I’m not running from Eric,” she said stubbornly.

“Aren’t you? Can you honestly look me in the eye and tell me the only reason you don’t want Eric to come with us if we leave is because you don’t want to make him choose between you and his pack?”

Jayna opened her mouth to tell her friend exactly that, but the words wouldn’t come—because they would have been a lie, and she didn’t want to lie to the only person in the world who really knew her and liked her anyway. Well, the only person besides Eric.

“Okay,” she admitted. “Maybe I am running. But I’m just so scared of getting hurt.”

Megan put an arm around her shoulders. “I know you’re scared. But why? I mean, I know your mom and stepdad weren’t the poster couple for happily ever after, but you and Eric aren’t your mom and stepdad.”

Thank God for that. “I know. But, Megan, Eric believes I’m this mythical soul mate that werewolf legends talk about. That we’re destined to be together. That he loved me the moment we met.”

“So?” Megan said. “I still don’t see what the problem is. You fell for Eric the second you met too.”

Jayna started to deny it but couldn’t. “Maybe. Probably. The first time we met in that warehouse full of werewolves shooting at each other, I couldn’t think about anything because I was too lost in those beautiful blue eyes of his.”

Megan shook her head with a laugh. “People are trying to kill each other all around you, and you’re losing yourself in some guy’s beautiful blue eyes. Sounds like a magical power at work to me. Again, what’s the problem? If you and Eric are magically destined to be together, what are you worried about?”

Jayna gave her a small smile. “I’m worried that there really isn’t any magical power pulling us together, that it’s all in our heads. What if I’m not nearly as wonderful as he seems to think I am and he figures it out a few weeks after he’s run off with us? What if he wakes up one morning and realizes he doesn’t love me at all and that he screwed up his whole life for nothing?”

“Okay, I’m going to say this as gently as I can—you’re an idiot.”

“Thanks a lot.”

“Jayna, I can promise you one thing for sure: Eric is never going to stop loving you. I’ve seen it in his eyes. He can no more stop loving you than he can breathe underwater. It’s impossible. You’ll never lose his love, but you can screw around and abandon it because you’re too stuck in the past to see what’s right in front of you.”

Jayna could only stare at her friend in awe. “When did you become so smart?”

Megan laughed. “I’m no smarter than I ever was. I’m just bright enough to know something good when I see it. The question is—do you?”

For once, Jayna decided not to overthink a simple question. She was just going to say what her heart told her to say.

But before she could, a sound from outside caught her attention. The horses were stirring in their stalls and neighing, like they had when they’d first gotten a whiff of her and her pack of werewolves. She glanced at the doorway to the kitchen, checking to see if the guys had gone out to the barn again. After Moe, Joseph, and Chris had spent most of the afternoon in there helping Ethan, she didn’t think the horses would still be afraid, but it was possible. All three guys were in the kitchen though, helping make dinner and laughing at some joke Ethan had just told them.

She headed for the kitchen before she even realized what she was doing.

“Jayna, what’s wrong?” Megan asked.

She didn’t know what was wrong. Something just…was.

Then, a scent she never thought she’d smell again hit her.

Crap.

Jayna ran the last few steps into the spacious country kitchen. “Ethan, do you keep a gun in the house?”

Everyone turned to look at her in confusion. She opened her mouth to ask again when the back door suddenly burst open. She whirled around with a growl to see Liam come sauntering in. He was followed by Kostandin and a whole bunch of nasty Albanians. They were all carrying weapons.

Liam didn’t say a word as he aimed his pistol at her chest and squeezed the trigger.