10. Mike

TEN

Mike started the investigation into the designer drug the moment he left Tristan and Barbara's estate. He was razor-focused, shoving away any and every tempting and seductive thought of Beatriz and their sexual escapades with a valiant effort. His conviction was solid, his meaning ironclad. He had wolves to save, and time was running out.

Over the next three days, Mike scoured the community and town for anyone who was willing to talk. He found a sketchy bar on the edge of the forest where he spoke to two other wolves who had tried the drug and knew about Alex and his tragic loss.

"That's a cautionary tale that serves as a warning," a shifter with long, stringy blonde hair said, shaking his head. "It can take you over. But Alex was doing far too much of it. That's why it sent him over the edge. A really sad story, honestly."

"Is that why you two stopped?"

Their names were Doris and Danny … not lovers or siblings, just friendly users who were susceptible to manipulation. They ran around with Alex before the fateful day when he ingested far more than was necessary.

To answer Mike's question, they both nodded gravely. The enforcer picked up on their discomfort easily.

"It helped with strength and gaining muscle if you tempered the amount you took," Doris said, staring off into space. "But beyond that, it was toxic. We thought Alex knew that. But the man was so damn desperate."

The story grew even more dreadful as the investigation went on. Doris and Danny pointed Mike in the direction of the supposed dealers, ones who went by pseudonyms like Trick and Dice, but the enforcer could not locate them. Locals seemed to clam up when Alex's name was mentioned. Mike figured that the dealers either caught wind of his inquiries or booked it out of town when he arrived from Vegas.

Despite the claim made by Doris and Danny that Alex's death was enough to scare shifters off the drug, Mike didn't stop. Alex's archetype was not an uncommon one among his kind. He was a man who was born with deficiencies and tried to make up for it with bluster. In Alex's case, the approach was lethal.

He knew that it was only a matter of time before another overzealous shifter got their hands on the drug. Then they, too, would overdo it, become enslaved by it, and ultimately perish.

Mike carried the weight of the responsibility that he saw in Tristan's eyes. He clearly didn't want to have to do what he did to Alex. Mike meant it when he said no one would fall victim to the disastrous poison again.

But around the third day of investigation, the trail started to run cold. No one was talking. There was no trace of the dealers, or at least, that was what the town folk relayed. The weather grew rainy with a chill in the air, so the enforcer decided to give himself a little break by visiting one of the many clubs run by the Wolfe family.

He dropped by the Sassy Wolfe, owned by Karla and Nate. He wanted to see if they needed any help at The Horney Wolfe or The Naked Wolfe. It would be a combination of relaxing and being on duty for the Wolfe family, an aspect of Mike that he could rarely turn off.

Unless he was with Beatriz, it seemed. Beatriz soothed his mind and relaxed him from his constant need to always perform. He loved that about his mate, but it also worried him a little. He had a job to do, and that was a fact that was hard to let go of.

But if Beatriz was a distraction, she was the most beautiful one he had ever known.

Mike pulled up to the club, emerald-green paint shimmering under the neon blinking sign of a howling wolf. It was busy for a Wednesday night, but he was let in without a word as the bouncers were aware of who he was.

House music thumped through the venue while a sea of bubblegum pink and mighty blue flashed over the spirited and entangled patrons. Mike glided through the crowd, which consisted mostly of shifters, until he got to the main bar. A woman he recognized, a bartender named Shirley, was serving drinks. She was a tall, dark-haired, tattoo-covered, motorcycle-riding badass.

"Hey, Mike!" she shouted over the music, her eyes lighting up. "I'm so glad you're back in town!"

Mike leaned on the bar among the crowd. The music was louder than he remembered, and Shirley craned her neck to hear him.

"I'm glad to see you, too! Do you know where Nate is? I wanted to speak with him for a minute."

Shirley gave him a naughty look, then gazed briefly over her shoulder. Mike followed her eyeline and realized what she was looking at.

"He might be a little preoccupied at the moment," she jested.

Much to Mike's surprise, Karla was there with her husband at the club, straddling him in one of the VIP booths on the other side of the bar. They were hot and heavy, running their hands up and down each other. It made Mike jealous, wishing that he had Beatriz on top of him, grinding on his hard cock.

"Oh, Lord," Mike muttered, turning away to be civil. "I didn't think Karla would be here tonight."

Shirley yanked on the bar tap and poured a long stream of amber liquid into a pint glass, then slid it over to Mike. He caught it and gave her a nod of gratitude.

"Have one on the house. Wait for them to cool down a minute."

Shirley got back to work serving customers while Mike turned away more, facing the shifters tearing up the dance floor. They, too, were hot and heavy, lost in the heated darkness of their desires. It revved Mike's hormones, triggering a rush of thoughts about what he'd much rather be doing.

He wanted Beatriz on top of him, riding him hard as his name dripped from her lips like honey. He wanted her bent over for him. Mike could feel his breathing rate increasing and his heart hammering between his ribs. Warm tingles crawled up his legs as her taste rose on his tongue. God, he needed her.

A hand clapped down onto his shoulder, shaking him from his reverie.

"Mike, how are you doing, man?"

It was Nate. Even under the dark lights, Mike could see that his skin was flushed. In his peripheral vision, he could see Karla waiting in the wings, standing like a predator waiting rather impatiently for her meal to be served.

"Nothing important," he said, licking his lips and trying to keep Beatriz out of his mind. "I can see that you're both busy. I will come back tomorrow."

Nate wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, both to shield his horny grin and to rub off the cherry-red smear of lipstick.

"Trust me, when you get married and have kids of your own, you are going to want to take any chance you get with your mate."

Mike told him that he understood. He then disappeared into the shadows, taking his wife by the hand, and led her upstairs into his office.

There was no point in waiting around. Who knew how long they would be up there? Shifters were known for record-breaking sexcapades. And Mike couldn't really blame them. His own hormones had returned with a fiery vengeance, and all he could think about was pushing his head between Beatriz's legs.

He downed the rest of his beer, thanked Shirley, then headed out. He knew Beatriz might be busy since she was the one watching the triplets while Karla and Nate had sex, but he would wait until the end of time to get his hands on her.

Mike parked at her cabin and flicked his headlights off. His wolf was mad inside him, his cock already hard from the mere thought of Beatriz. He didn't know how long he waited, but the second her car pulled up, he jumped out of his own like he was leaping out of a plane.

Beatriz was at the cabin door when he caught up to her. He walked boldly, feeling the inferno of his yearning throbbing like a deep ache.

"Hi," she whispered. "I was hoping you'd come back again."

Mike stopped in his tracks. She was pressed against the door, her breasts heaving up and down with anticipation. And those eyes. Like flares in the night, they blazed into him. She was wearing a V-neck that revealed ample cleavage, the sight of her velvety brown skin nearly sending him over the edge.

"I couldn't help myself," he growled, pushing his forehead against hers. "You are on my mind, dear Beatriz."

Her eyes flickered with elation. Her smile was sneaky and devilish. And he couldn't get enough.

"Then what are you waiting for?"

Mike pressed his lips onto hers, wet and eager. Rain began to fall as their kiss heated. He pushed the door open and then smoothly lifted Beatriz into his arms. She dug her nails into the back of his head as he carried her to the couch, stripping her in a miraculous few seconds.

She moaned his name as he spread her legs, her dewy center ready and waiting.