Chapter Nine
Erik breathed in deeply as he stepped into the basement. The metallic scent of fresh blood filled the air. Something about the smell of it invigorated him. Made the wolf in him come alive.
They had waited until the office was well past closing, and Dave, the door man, had gone home. The main office area had been totally clear when he’d made his way out of his office, sparing a glance at Lillian’s desk as he did so.
He cursed himself for even looking. No matter how hard he tried, his thoughts always lingered on Lillian. He couldn’t help but wonder if she got home okay and how she would handle what happened. She had shown a strength that he hadn’t expected, but he still didn’t quite know what to make of it all.
What to make of her especially.
Clearly she had been in shock that morning, but he couldn’t be sure that was all there was to it, especially with the strange light and feather. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, Leif was likely right. He was far too invested in her to be able to see if she was up to something or not.
As it was, Erik had to fight to keep himself away from her, something he’d never had to do with a woman before. Usually they came to him.
He wasn’t above a one-night stand. In fact, that was how he’d lived his life thus far. Just a night of burning passion that ended as soon as the condom came off.
Though things had been a bit dry for him recently. The women were still there, but he wasn’t interested like he had been. His body still burned for a release, but it was like there was only one person whom it burned for.
He’d dreamed of Lillian many nights now. Dreamed of sinking into her sweet body as she wrapped her firm legs around him. How she would feel riding on top of him until they both found their release. Her inside squeezing him in all the right ways.
Every night he woke up with a raging hard-on and had to finish himself off like some sort of horny teen. It was embarrassing, a man his age getting so hot and bothered.
It was also surprising how often he had to do it. Just thinking of it now made him half hard with need. His body pulsed with the release that he could never seem to achieve.
Erik couldn’t even say that she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Lillian was pretty, no question, but he’d dated models for crying out loud. Women who had legs who went on forever. Lillian was short. She was clumsy and awkward in all the ways that he wasn’t used to.
Still there was something about her he couldn’t get enough of. As if all the traits that he thought were negative only made him want her more. She was awkward, but he loved how she nibbled her lip when she’d done something she wasn’t supposed to. Like she was doing it just for him.
It made him imagine what she would look like nibbling on something else.
But it was more than that. He’d watched her in the office. She wasn’t loud or bossy, and yet everyone worked hard to help her how they could when Margaret was hard on her. Something he’d never seen them do with other temps.
No, there was something special about Lillian, and it was clear he wasn’t the only one to see it.
He briefly wondered if any of the men in the office had been secretly checking her out. A low rumbled filled him but was masked by the sound of the men fighting.
He’d kill them for looking at her.
Okay, maybe not kill them, but he would have them scrubbing every trashcan in the building before he let that happen. He couldn’t have her, but he wasn’t willing to let her go. Not to any man. Werewolf or not.
It had gotten so bad for Erik that he couldn’t pass the hot chocolate stand on the corner without getting hard in the process. She’d turned him into a fucking deviant, and it was driving him insane.
He’d thought about just bedding her. She was a temp after all. Her contract was up in a few weeks anyways. So even if she did get the idea that there might be something long-term, her job there would be finished soon.
Despite what his lower half wished, Erik couldn’t bring himself to even think it. The very idea of hurting her made his insides twist. It wasn’t a feeling he was fond of, and one he’d rather not deal with. Instead, he would keep his distance. That was best until they figured out everything about her anyway.
He could do this. Erik had tamed his wolf. Surely, he could tame his other needs as well.
Erik breathed in deeply, letting the smell of sweat and blood fill him up. This was better. Being with Lillian would be trouble. She wasn’t a one-night stand sort of person, and he couldn’t give anyone more than that. Couldn’t take that risk.
The dog fight would have to be the answer to his problem. Letting his wolf have the chance to let loose in the ring would allow him to release some pressure and regain control over his instincts.
He stepped into the crowd of men, all surrounding two shirtless men trading blows.
"Been a while," he said to Leif. "These younger ones have only fought one another. They have no idea what a real fight is like."
He watched as the smaller of two men swung out with a mean right hook, slamming into the other man’s jaw. A low rumble filled the room as several of the men shouted in excitement.
It really had been far too long for many of them. Growing the business was key. They spent many nights making sure to get in the inventory they needed and didn’t think of how it would affect them or their wolves.
They were werewolves. They needed the fight. The chance to prove themselves in the right. Hell, the chance to beat the living hell out of one another. It was their way. The way of their people. Always had been. The blood of their Viking ancestors still coursed through their veins.
“You getting in the ring after all?” Leif asked.
They called it a ring, but really it was just a taped-off circle the crowd surrounded during the fight.
The two men in the ring still pummeled each other in human form. They’d shift soon, but the dog fight worked best when they waited as long as possible.
Erik glanced over at his friend. “Thought about it.”
Leif nodded. "I wasn’t sure, but I thought maybe you might need to blow off a little steam from Ms. Cocoa.”
Erik’s shoulders tensed at the mention of Lillian. They hadn’t talked further after Leif had said he was too close. His friend might be right, but Erik was the leader. He would show he had the willpower to do what needed to be done. That was his fucking job.
He could feel the beast within him pacing. Desperate for the chance to be free. It been a long time since he'd let him loose.
Erik stepped forward, and the men moved to make room for him. When he’d reached the edge of the ring, he watched as the two men grew weary of their human forms. With ease they shifted into wolf forms, the change almost instant. One second, a man was there, a second later, his body contorted, his face elongated, fur appeared, and a massive wolf was there instead.
Their remaining clothing dropped to the ground, and they leapt across the space. It would have been an odd sight for an outsider, two unusually large wolves attacking each other with surprising cunning.
The smaller wolf clearly had the advantage. He was fast. So fast he was able to avoid the other wolf as he snapped at him. Two quick bites on the hind legs and the small wolf had the other pinned to the floor.
The crowd shouted their approval. After a moment, the small wolf leapt off his victim. Both fighters shifted and rose in their human forms. They shook hands.
Erik could already see the bruising starting to fade, by morning the two men would be good as new.
He stepped out into the ring and stared around the space at the men. His pack.
It wasn’t often he referred to them as that, but it was exactly what they were. He’d been so focused on making sure they were building an empire he’d neglected something equally important. Their nature.
It couldn’t be avoided. Lord knew he tried. They had to find some sort of balance, or his men were going to lose their edge in a dangerous world. And if his recent meeting with Corso taught him anything, it was that they needed to be at the top of their game.
Something was happening with the bloodsuckers, and his men needed to be able to deal with it when shit went down. That was his duty.
That was what he needed to be focusing on. Not a woman, even an unusual one.
It grew so quiet, he likely could have heard a pin drop.
He gripped his shirt hard and yanked it open, buttons flying everywhere as he did so.
"Next fight is mine," he shouted.
The men around him roared back with excitement, glad to have their leader in the thick of it with them.
They needed to know what the pack meant and that he was still in charge.
His eyes spotted a blond man standing across the circle, his eyes down as he tapped away on his phone. Clearly more interested in that than the fight going on around him.
Several men nudged the younger man. Erik pointed directly to the man and grinned.
"You and me, Hall," he said. "Time to face off, pup."