Chapter 2

Zander

The shadows of the night lurked over me, darkening each step I took further into the swampy forest by the bayou. My nightly stroll, the first moments the beast felt the humid Louisiana air, always felt like breaking free from an ongoing cage.

He shook his fur, a shiver racing down my spine—our spine. Because my body hadn"t been my own in decades. In reality, it"d never been my own. Being born a werewolf, even as a pup, I shared my body with another conscience.

Another being.

A wolf.

An alpha.

However, things changed for the worse when I turned eighteen and was crowned alpha of our pack. I"d stumbled across the wrong voodoo queen. One that didn"t like my kind. One that rubbed my wolf the wrong way. And ...

I tried not to think of it, because it caused my hair to stand on end, and put my beast in a bad mood, not that he was ever in a good one.

Now I was damned to the night, unable to step outside in the daylight. The night was my cover. My curse.

Slicing through the brush of the overhanging trees, I made my way into the night, giving the beast what it needed. He dropped to all fours, lapping up the stale bayou water, and the pungent slime that came with it.

Closing my eyes, I avoided my reflection in the murk, unable to come to terms with what I knew to be. The beast growled, his gaze lifted toward the opposite side of the bayou. I expected to see a curious animal, or a spot lighter drift onto our land.

This wasn"t anything I could see. It was a smell. A smell I knew all too well, and I wasn"t sure I"d ever be blessed enough to find it. My mate.

I figured the witch that took my wolf and transformed him into this hideous beast had taken her away. But she hadn"t. My beast recognized this smell. Before I could stop him, he howled, long and deep and into the forest.

Why was a woman out at night?

Why here?

The beast began a determined crawl over the forest floor full of dead leaves, and debris, toward her.

I couldn't let him get there.

He"d hurt my mate.

I did my best, digging my feet into the ground, trying to take control, but the beast was stronger. The fight was desperate and made me irate. Wildflowers brushed my soul, what was left of it, and lit me on fire.

The mate bond was strong.

Tears brimmed my eyes knowing the witch couldn't take that away from me.

Fighting the beast was a battle I wouldn"t win. I"d tried too many times. But I had to try.

Another howl lurched from deep within, and the beast"s strides grew in width, and intensity, taking me closer and closer to Heaven.

The worn-down CR-V backed down the closest dirt road this side of the bayou. Her heartbeat fluttered with nerves and irritation. She was lost.

Too bad she found herself here of all places.

The beast began to move forward, but I fought, finding myself in the process, while I struggled to keep on the surface.

I didn"t want her to see the beast.

I wanted her to see me. Zander. Her mate.

But it wasn"t, and the next half hour felt like a hellish struggle to beat a monster within—a monster that I had no chance of surviving.

William pulled me from between her legs, the beast roaring, shaking the stained-glass windows of my bedroom. Her scent, the glaze of fear on her face, it all crowded my mind; sent me over the line of rationality.

The beast wanted her in every way possible.

I wanted her in every way.

When she spoke.

The way she smelled.

I needed her. To breathe her. To touch her.

William"s strong hands pulled me back as I fought to take over, watching her stare at me as if I was a demon conjured from hell. She wasn"t too far off.

Her dark hair haloed around her, a beautiful nest of soft curls, I wanted to sink my fingertips into them and pull. Make her cry in pleasure.

My gaze snapped up at the stained-glass window, and I froze at the devilish sight of myself. Moving from beast to human. Scary to even scarier. How could a decent man rest within the walls of this beast?

William dragged me from the room, while the beast demanded to be front and center to claim his prize.

"Dammit, Zander, you"ve done it this time, haven"t you?" my brother growled into my ear.

I chuckled, unable to stop myself. "I want her."

"What is the matter with you?" he shouted, shoving me into the nearest spare bedroom, and locking the door.

The beast roared, pounding his chest like a deranged ape. My brother looked feral himself, but fear rested in his eyes. I"d brought a human woman back to the castle where we lived, which was forbidden. I knew better, but William didn"t realize.

"She"s my mate, brother," I said, the beast finally taking a backseat due to exhaustion.

William"s mouth opened as he stared at me naked in front of him. "You"re sure?" he asked after several minutes of silence.

I chuckled, pushing my fingers into my auburn hair, knowing I needed to relish in the silence before he greeted me again.

"Positive," I replied.

William rested his back against the door, his mouth set into a hard frown. "That"s not good, Zan."

"Really?" I asked sarcastically, walking toward the chest-of-drawer to retrieve some clothes. "I can"t imagine why you"d think that."

"Don't be an ass," he hissed. "We can"t let her go now. If she gets away, she"ll call the police, and they"ll come after you. Not to mention if we kill her—,"

My stomach ached at the thought of hurting my mate. I stalked forward, pointing my index finger at his face. "If you hurt her, I"ll kill you myself."

William put both hands up in surrender, bowing his head in respect to his alpha. "Noted. We have to—,"

The sound of footsteps falling against the stairs caught our attention. She was making a run for it, not that I blamed her. William cleared his throat and rushed out the door with me on his heels. She fiddled with the giant doorknob when William made it to her.

She shrieked, kicking and screaming in a tornado of fear and resentment. Who did she resent? There was heartache resting in her eyes, pain resting beneath her skin. The beast could smell it, as he could smell fear. "Please. Please. Please," she begged, turning in William"s arms, I felt myself grow irritated and jealous that he was touching her. "Just let me go. I won"t tell anyone about ..." she stopped and glanced over at me.

Another round of warmth flooded my veins, driving my insides into chaos. "About him."

"We just need to speak with you," William said, and a tear escaped her cheek.

"What"s your name?" I blurted out, unable to stop the question.

Her bottom lip quivered, her arms latched onto William"s biceps, while she almost sunk into herself at the sound and sight of me. "Piper," she whispered.

Piper. Like the Pied Piper luring me in with melodic charm.

"You don"t need to be afraid."

Her beautiful eyes rounded in shock, and anger washed over her. "You"re serious?" she snapped. "You just turned into a ... a ... I don"t know what you call that ... and I shouldn"t be afraid? Well, guess what? I"m afraid. I think I pissed myself somewhere back there. I want to go. Please, I won"t tell anyone, and they won"t come searching for you with a pitchfork. I just need to get to my grandmother"s house. She is expecting me."

I watched her plead her case, knowing I wouldn"t let her go. William cleared his throat after several minutes of me memorizing the shape of her eyes and the softness of her curves.

"Brother, perhaps we should invite her to dinner?"

I swallowed, knowing the beast would make an appearance to eat. His dominance irritated the alpha in me, but maybe, perhaps, we would strike a bargain. "Would you like to come to eat with us?" I asked.

She gave me the craziest look before snarling my way. "No, I wouldn"t. I want to go home."

Irritation hit me. "Well, you"re not going home now," I snapped, watching her flinch. "Take your ass to the table and sit down," I demanded.

William sat her up straight, and she followed him, refusing eye contact as she passed me, I simply shrugged. There would be plenty of time for that later.

She sat in the seat next to mine when I walked inside the dining hall. Our cook, who was once the cook at our pack house, looked scared to death. She clutched a tray of tea, her brown gaze settled on Piper who gave her a pleading look.

"Alph—Mr. Zander," she corrected herself, not wanting to give too much away.

I chuckled, realizing that I"d shifted into a beast in front of Piper. Being called Alpha wouldn"t be too far off, but I decided not to push it.

"Thank you for dinner, Vivian. It smells delicious."

She bowed her head, giving Piper a quick glance, she scurried toward the kitchen, the door swinging on her way out.

"So," William cleared his throat. "Where are you from Piper? What brings you to town?"

She stared at the steak on her plate, her shoulders hunched in defeat. "I told you I"m visiting my grandmother in Abita. Can I leave after dinner?"

William ignored her. "Abita is just a short way," he said, slicing off a piece of steak. "You almost made it."

She glanced up across the table at William, and then over to me. "Do you do this to every woman that gets stranded on this road? Or am I the lucky one?" she asked, clutching her hands into fists on the table.

"You"re definitely the lucky one, Little One."

Piper narrowed her hazel gaze at me, fire hidden behind those beautiful eyes. "Why? Why am I here? Please just let me go—,"

The beast shuddered through me, rattling the silverware as he slammed my hands against the wooden table. "You"re not going anywhere," I said softly, though malice laced my tone. "You"re here because you"re mine, Piper. Now eat your food. We have a lot to talk about."