One

 

Pain arched across her skull, piercing every nerve ending. Dana growled, holding her head in her hands. With deep, calming breaths, she gathered the built-up magic that ran in her veins, the power that grew stronger every day.

Dreams of destruction and loss had interrupted her sleep over the last month. With only a few hours of rest a day, she feared the control she tried desperately to maintain would slip. She could kill her brother, then the Pack.

Ross did this to us. Her wolf’s words cut through the hammering ache in her skull.

Ross wasn’t their true mate. The mating had been a political arrangement between his Pack and hers, to merge two small groups of wolves together. The first few years had been good, and she’d actually believed she could grow to love him. She’d trusted him to be the strong Alpha that her father was.

However, when the Alpha power transferred to Ross from her father, everything changed. As Ross’s mate, the Pack magic mixed with the power Dana been born with. The power the witch’s Coven, her great-aunt’s Coven, believed was a gift from the goddess, Diana.

Ross became drunk on the magic and wanted more. He went from a compassionate wolf to a power-hungry, abusive mate. He distorted her Pack, and broke her in ways she wasn’t sure could be fixed.

She’d learned to hide the witch’s power from him, containing it deep within her soul. But that power had only grown, and now, it wanted out.

“You don’t have to go.”

Dana squeezed her eyes shut and willed away the ache in her head and her chest. Her twin brother’s soft plea hurt on so many levels. In all of their hundred years of life, they’d never been separated. Never needed to be. They were linked through a familial bond, as well as psychically.

Since Darin had taken over Whiskey Hollow as the Pack Alpha, his power was now hers. And her agony was his. She couldn’t stay, knowing that she caused him pain and may one day hurt him physically. “Dare, we both know I can’t stay. Our link is too strong, and I’m not sure how much longer I can hold my wolf back from challenging you. She grows more aggressive as the poison inside me grows. A healthy Pack can’t survive with two Alphas.”

“You are not poisoned. I took Ross’s Alpha power when I killed him.” Darin stepped closer, his hand extended to her.

Involuntarily, Dana growled and jerked back. “Don’t touch me!”

He let out a soft sigh and lowered his hand. Disappointment and sadness flowed along the link that bound them as twins. Dana hugged her waist. She wanted nothing more than to embrace her brother and believe that everything would be okay. But she couldn’t.

“Where will you go?”

Dana shrugged. “Not sure. North, maybe.”

Darin shoved his hands into his pockets. “I can call a few Packs and ask if you can stay in their territory.”

She sighed and shook her head. “I’m not going to put any other Pack in jeopardy. I know where the neutral zones are, and I plan to stay within them.”

The truth was, she had a place about twenty miles west of Whiskey Hollow. However, she didn’t want to tell her brother that was where she planned to go. Although, he’d find her anyway. And he would, just to keep tabs on her.

She needed the time to get control of her wolf and the growing power within her.

“Take an enforcer with you.”

Dana whirled on her twin and snarled. “I am not taking anyone with me. I’m not helpless, and I don’t need a fucking babysitter.”

His wolf flashed in his blue eyes, and he curled his upper lip. “I know you don’t need a babysitter, but shit happens.”

She strode to him, placed a hand on the center of his chest, and felt the beating of his heart through the thin cotton T-shirt he wore. Instantly, she calmed. That was Darin’s gift as a charmed one—a shifter with magic in their bloodline. “The time has come where I need to search for my own Pack.”

There, she’d said it. Up until then, she’d let her brother believe that her leaving was temporary, that she’d return. However, she didn’t plan on coming back. “Look. You may be fine with lying to yourself, but I have to face reality. The Alpha blood runs thick in my veins, just as it does in yours. Being mated to Ross only added a shit ton of fuel to the fire.”

She stepped back and turned away from him. The unspoken words lingered between them. Her guilt for mating the former Alpha had further distorted the Pack and left her bitter. Especially after she’d watched the bastard kill her parents. When Darin had killed the asshole and claimed the Pack, Dana was no longer responsible for protecting it against her mate.

Yet, the hurt, the anger, and the power she’d gained from Ross had damaged something inside her. Had broken her on a level she hadn’t thought possible. She feared she’d go rogue, mindless and bloodthirsty.

Then, she’d started going against Darin’s word and began to question his judgment. It was only a matter of time before her wolf pushed her to challenge him for the Alpha position. And in so doing, her brother would force her to kill him.

A tear rolled down her cheek. Yeah, she was out.

Darin came up behind her and hugged her. “I hate the thought of not having you here to vent about Pack politics.”

She laughed. “You love the politics.”

Stepping out of the embrace and then swinging her pack onto her back, she faced Darin. His white-blond hair cascaded around his shoulders like thick strands of silk. Blue eyes that matched hers watched her, the wolf peeking out. She sighed and went to him. Wrapping her arms around him, she hugged him tightly. “I’ll call and keep you posted.”

His kissed her forehead and stepped out of the embrace. “Be safe.”

“I will. Love you.”

“Love you, too, sister mine.”

With a heavy heart, she left, leaving behind her childhood home, her Pack, and the only male she would ever trust with her life.

On her way out of town, she spotted Edwin Bass headed toward the Pack. As their vehicles passed each other, their eyes locked for a moment. His dark gaze narrowed on her, and she swore he snarled. A chill skittered up her spine. The Alpha of Bloodrose Creek was Ross’s uncle, and he hated her with the passion of the devil himself. She mind-linked with her twin and asked, “What the hell is Edwin doing in Whiskey Hollow?’

“Alpha business. You know, politics.”

She huffed and fought the urge to turn her car around. “You know he wants me dead.”

“So he has said. Yet you weren’t the one who killed his nephew, and there is nothing Edwin can do. At least not legally. The council will be on him tenfold if he attempts to go after you. I need to play nice. For now. I’ll call you if I need backup.”

She white-knuckled the steering wheel. Her wolf pushed at her skin, wanting out to deal with Edwin. So far, the Alpha hadn’t made any public threats and had played by the rules. Yet she couldn’t shake the feeling that he had a master plan of some kind.

But she had bigger issues to deal with at the moment. Darin was Alpha of Whiskey Hollow. He’d protect them. And she’d just officially left the Pack. The dull ache in her chest returned. Even though she hadn’t cut the connection to the Pack, she began to feel a sense of loss and emptiness inside. She was on her own for the first time in her life.

 

* * *

It took her less than twenty minutes to reach the small one-bedroom cottage she owned in the middle of nowhere on a fifty-acre plot of neutral zone land. She parked her car in front of the cabin and sighed. The peaceful sounds of the forest wrapped around her, both calming and nerve-wracking at the same time. She guessed it would take her three days tops to go mad from the seclusion.

Emerging from her car, she sniffed the air and stilled. There was another wolf nearby. A male. His soft, woodsy scent called to her, alluring. She growled and followed the scent. Each step closer to the male put her wolf further on edge.

She knew she should just let it go, but he was on her property. He needed to leave.

She jogged ahead, not even trying to be stealthy. If she could smell him, then he could smell her. His scent threw her off and fueled her annoyance even more. Spice and mint mixed together in an intoxicating aroma that made her wolf stand at attention, eager to be closer to the male. No. He couldn’t be their mate. A sudden wave of desire hit her, knocking her off balance and pissing her off. She didn’t want a mate. She didn’t want to put her trust in any male besides her brother.

Her arranged mating with Ross had been lesson enough to teach her that a mate could poison the bond and betray her.

Been there, done that stupid shit.

After rounding a large oak, she skidded to a stop. Pale green eyes locked with hers. The muscles in the male’s strong jaw flexed. His brown hair hung in his face. Fuck, he was gorgeous. A black tee stretched tautly across his muscular chest, leaving nothing to the imagination.

She growled. “What are you doing here?”

One corner of his sensual mouth lifted in a crooked smile. “It’s a neutral zone.”

“You have to leave.”

The other side of his kissable lips lifted, and he stalked toward her. The heat in his stare was almost too much for her. His voice seemed to caress her as he replied. “I don’t think so.”

Damn. His arousal slammed into her, fueling her own as he continued forward. Straightening her spine, she stood her ground. Besides, her wolf wanted him. How could one male make her body ache all over? Fucking hell. This wasn’t happening. She held out a hand and let out another warning growl. “Don’t come any closer.”

One dark brow rose, and the wicked half-smile remained. There was a seductive challenge in his green depths. “Or what?”

Faster than she’d anticipated, he closed the distance between them, snaked an arm around her waist, and meshed their bodies together. Heat infused her body, and her pussy ached. He nuzzled her neck, inhaling deeply. The wildfire within her roared to life, and a soft groan escaped her.

Annoyance fueled the desire this male ignited. Confusion moved in next as she inhaled, catching his scent once again.

Mine. Her wolf growled and clawed at her, wanting to get at the male. You are crazy if you think I’m allowing us to mate. Not again. She’d never allow another male to control her and destroy everything and everyone she loved. Not like Ross had.

Flattening her hands on the male’s chest, she shoved. He stumbled back several feet, then stared at her, meeting her gaze. His eyes narrowed, and he cocked his head as if confused. The urge to go to him, to chase away all the confusion seemingly stirring inside him was almost too strong to ignore. Almost.

However, it was the desire and the ache between her thighs that was her undoing. No male had ever sparked a need so raw, so deep within her core like the one standing in front of her now. And the asshole knew it, too.

His lips lifted again in a cocky, sensual smile, and he prowled toward her once more. Damn it to hell. She didn’t move. Just watched as the so-sexy-it-should-be-illegal male closed the distance with wild passion burning in his eyes.

Her own need uncoiled inside her. It’d been far too long since she’d sought out a male. And this one promised the release she longed for.

Why was she so weak?

No, she wasn’t weak. Far from it. She needed to expend energy, to tamp down the aggression and the surge of power building inside her. Yes, sex with the hottie wolf was exactly what she needed.

And that was all it would be. Sex. Nothing else.

He stopped inches from her. The heat from his body wrapped around her, and his scent teased her senses like a love spell. Enticing, enthralling, and deadly. He was definitely an alpha male, but not an Alpha. The Pack magic that ran in the veins of an Alpha didn’t exist in this male’s scent. Interesting.

However, he did belong to a Pack. And one she knew. Bloodrose Creek. Edwin’s pack. The realization hit her like an ice bath. The asshat thought to send a male to seduce her into revealing her secrets? Well, tough shit. Edwin, along with everyone else in the free world, could kiss her ass if they thought she’d divulge her deepest and darkest secrets.

With speed she gained from being an Alpha’s twin, she gripped the male standing inches from her by the throat. “Who are you, and what the fuck do you want?”

His eyes grew round as if he’d not expected the amount of power she possessed. Yeah. It was always a surprise. The petite yet curvy, blonde alpha female had the strength and magic of ten Alphas.

A slow, lazy smile formed on the male’s lips before he spoke. “I’m Cooper.”

Like that explained everything. “Why are you here? I can smell the Bloodrose Creek Pack on you, so don’t lie to me.”

One dark brow rose. “Again, this is a neutral zone.” With a quick jerk, he broke her hold on him, then gripped her forearm and twisted it behind her back, pressing their bodies together once more. The wildfire inside her flared to life and grew as he growled out, “I never thought I’d run into an alpha female. And without guards at that.”

His lips came down on hers in a fierce, possessing kiss. Need burned in her sex, igniting a passion so hot she feared she’d burn from the inside out. When he pushed his tongue into her mouth, all sense of why she should push him away dissolved into a need so raw, she couldn’t leave without a taste of him.

Everywhere he touched sizzled like cool water on hot coals. She hated her body’s response to him, hated the way she longed for a male’s touch.

He broke the kiss and skimmed his lips over her jaw to her throat. A groan escaped her when his teeth grazed her skin. Desire clouded her mind, making it hard to focus and remember why she should push him away.

Suddenly, he froze and then lifted his head. The hairs on the back of her neck rose as the faint scent of other wolves reached her. Even better, Edwin’s enforcers. She’d know the bastards’ scents anywhere. The fog in her brain cleared, and she shoved Cooper away from her. “You brought them here.”

Cooper stumbled back a few steps before gaining ground and lifted his nose in the air as if scenting the newcomers. “Fuck.” He stared back at her, his green eyes fixed on hers. “This isn’t done between us.”

Then he took off, disappearing into the woods.

Oh, yes it is, Cooper. There was a better chance of it snowing in hell before she’d mate again. She just had to make sure to stay clear of him.