Soul Mates Box Set 1 Read online

“Lucien! You are the only Alpha to honor us by attending this celebration. Come, sit with me,” requested Ethan, the Alpha of the Second Chances pack. Lucien turned to Lanie.

  “Shall we?” he asked.

  She stared at him with wide eyes and shook her head.

  Have dinner with two Alphas? I couldn’t handle one Alpha, much less two.

  Lucien turned to Ethan and declined with a smile, “I would be honored to dine with you, Ethan, but Lanie is much easier on the eyes than you are.”

  Ethan laughed and nodded in understanding.

  “Even my mate would agree with you, Lucien. Enjoy your dinner.”

  His name was Lucien and he wants to dine with me.

  She was both elated and terrified at the same time. He guided her to an intimate table for two.

  I’m more important than making nice with another Alpha?

  She wasn’t sure that was such a good idea. She didn’t know much about werewolf politics, but politics was politics.

  “Um….are you sure that was wise? Turning him down, I mean.” Lucien raised an eyebrow.

  “Are you questioning my decision as an Alpha?”

  Shit. Not even two minutes in his company and already I offended him.

  “I just meant that….um…you know…politics?”

  Why can’t I form a coherent sentence when he is around?

  “You’re absolutely right. I came here to celebrate the birth of your nieces as well as for… political reasons,” Lucien amended. “But then I met you, and you are far more important than pack politics.”

  She saw the way he looked at her and her body responded. She felt a sudden tightness in her belly. He scented her arousal and smiled, knowing he was the cause.

  “Um.…”

  “Are you going to run away again?” Lucien asked softly. “My wolf loves the thrill of a chase.”

  “Are…are you talking about…is this a separate wolf…or…a—”

  “My wolf and I are one and the same. Sometimes I am more like a man in terms of thinking, and other times, I am more like a wolf, in both thoughts and actions.”

  “So…what are you most like now?” Lanie asked, genuinely curious.

  Lucien leaned close. “The man wants to seduce you with words. The wolf wants to throw you over my shoulder, take you to my bed and pleasure you until you say you are mine.”

  “Oh?”

  Lucien leaned in closer and spoke in a soft, seductive voice. “My wolf is impatient and curious. I’m dying to know Lanie, lace panties, thong or nothing at all?”

  “What?” This is a highly inappropriate conversation. I should put a stop to it.

  “Or perhaps you would like me to check?” He leaned in, placed a hand on her knee and Lanie shook her head.

  “White cotton.”

  What is wrong with me? This man is beyond rude, inquiring about my underwear and I’m describing it to him! Only to stop him from checking, she told herself.

  “My wolf is pleased. Do you want to know what my wolf would do to you, Lanie?” Not really, she thought as she nodded. Why is my body not listening to my head?

  “He would have me rip off your dress and your panties, so that I could suck on your nipples. I would push you onto my bed, spread your legs wide so I could lick your sweet spot. Would you spread your legs for me, Lanie? Hold them open while I lick you?”

  Though she was speechless, her body reacted to his words. She was surprised at the sudden sharp stab of ‘pain’ she felt in her middle. Only the sensation wasn’t painful, it was intense.

  Was this desire? Did my womb contract?

  She became wet, felt an unfamiliar ache begin to form between her legs.

  “I’m dying to taste you, to bury my tongue deep inside of you. I could spend hours tasting you, fucking you with just my tongue. Then I would use my fingers. Would you like to feel my fingers inside of you? Or would you prefer that I spread your legs and fuck you until you screamed my name and begged me to take you again?”

  “Jesus,” Lanie said as she felt her womb tighten more as flashes of pleasure/pain ran through her body. Lanie felt a sudden flood of wetness between her legs. Her mouth went dry and she licked her lips.

  “Lanie…,” he said in a gruff voice. Desire darkened his eyes and his erection throbbed painfully. His hand moved up her thigh, pushing her dress up.

  The way he said her name made her even more aroused. Her womb clenched and unclenched.

  Am I having an orgasm? With just his words? Then what could he do with his body, she wondered.

  Lucien could smell how aroused she had become. Saw the way her breathing changed, the way she bit her bottom lip, the way her brown eyes dilated. It took everything in his power not to hoist her over his shoulder and carry her off to his bed, cave man style.

  “You don’t play fair, do you?”

  “I’m not playing, Lanie. I want you and you want me too. I can see the desire in your eyes. Give me a chance to win you, Lanie. I will cherish and protect you. I will satisfy you as no other could.”

  Geez, is this guy a mind reader? I’m going to melt into a puddle if he doesn’t stop. It has to be bullshit. No way does he mean it. Why does he have to look so good and smell so divine? And say all the right things… how am I ever going to say no?

  Suddenly, she remembered the warning bells that rang in her head when she first met him. She sat up straight and decided she would run.

  Wolf be damned. I can’t handle a man like this. He is just too…intense.

  “The girls! I…I better go check on them.”

  She stood and practically ran into their room. Lucien watched her go. His wolf was pleased. Let the chase begin.…

  Chapter Three

  The next day, Lanie stared at the dozen red roses in his hand. She was stunned.

  “For me? No one’s ever given me flowers before.…”

  The roses were blood red and had a light sweet scent. Lanie closed her eyes and inhaled, delighted at the scent. She took the roses to the kitchen and placed them in a vase. She turned and smiled at him.

  “Thank you, they are lovely.”

  “So are you.”

  She swallowed.

  He thinks I’m lovely? How am I going to resist Lucien? Where the hell were those warning bells, anyway? Maybe I didn’t really hear them. After all, that day I was so sleep deprived…. And last night at the restaurant? I’m sure I read more into his seductive words than he intended. Surely he didn’t really mean he would do those things to me?

  “My mother is looking for a house. I found one a couple of hours away. I was wondering if you would like to check it out with me. I could really use a woman’s perspective. Will you help me, Lanie?” How could she resist? He obviously needed her help, so she agreed. It’s not like it was a date or anything, she reminded herself.

  Lanie sat next to him in his pickup truck and he smiled contentedly as he drove towards his home town of Last Hope. So far, it had been a pleasant ride. He learned that she was a science teacher so she had the entire summer off. Luckily for Devon, she was due shortly after school ended, so Lanie was able to be there to help. Her love for her nieces was evident.

  Lucien told her about how another pack, the Lost Souls, had threatened his pack when their Alpha became sick. The elders had reached out to him, convinced him to come back and fight to keep his pack and his family safe. He fought and killed several Lost Souls wolves in the battle to protect his pack. When the fight was over, the Lost Souls pack had retreated in fear of him. He had been named Alpha, the leader of Lost Hope two years ago.

  “Is that how you got your scars?”

  “Yes. Do they repulse you?” He tensed as he awaited her answer.

  “Not at all.”

  She thought his scars were sexy. Hell, everything about him was attractive. She thought about running her fingers through his thick hair and tracing the scars on his face. She looked at his biceps, aching to touch them, squeeze them. She wondered how it would feel if he wrapped his ar
ms around her. Her nipples hardened and she shook her head to clear her thoughts.

  Lucien smiled when the distinct aroma of her arousal hit his nose. She wanted him, despite his scars. Most people flinched and looked away in fear when they saw him, even when he wasn’t angry. Even female wolves avoided him after his battle with the Lost Souls. He had been brutal. He had to be. Lanie didn’t fear him the way others did. She had only run away from him because he had been too blatant in his desire for her. He had let his wolf take the lead and it scared her. He planned on being much more subtle, allowing the man to seduce her.

  He pulled the truck into the driveway. The real estate agent came out to greet them, and gave them a tour of the house. It was a lovely five bedroom house, complete with pool. It was situated on three acres of land, most of which was part of the forest. There was plenty of wild area for his wolf to run.

  It had a large open floor plan with many updated amenities. As they walked through the house, Lanie commented on all the things she liked. She seemed especially fond of the large stone fireplace in the living room. The living room was already furnished with comfortable sofas and chairs. She sat in one and noted the kitchen beyond.

  “Wow! This is the most amazing kitchen I have ever seen. Talk about Gourmet! A gas stove. And double ovens. I would kill to have a kitchen like this… Did you see the herb garden outside? I’ve always wanted an herb garden….”

  Lanie opened the door and went outside, identifying most of the herbs.

  “Your wife seems taken with this house. There’s plenty of room for you and any future children you might have.” Mrs. Raymond smiled.

  Lanie heard what she said and blushed.

  “It’s not for us… I mean, it’s for his mother.”

  Mrs. Raymond turned to him with a puzzled expression on her face.

  “But I thought you said—”

  “Lanie, what do you think? Would you like living here?” She thought about it for a minute and said, “It’s a bit large for just your mom and step dad, but the extra guest rooms will come in handy for when you and your brothers visit. I’m sure she’ll love it. I do!”

  “Then we’ll take it,” Lucien told the real estate agent.

  He drove her into town for a late lunch. Billy Rae’s Bar and Grill was the local pack meeting place. Like most restaurants, Billy Rae’s had booths along the glass at the front, tables and chairs in the middle, making it easy to reconfigure during pack meetings and gatherings. The bar lined the wall along the back of the restaurant and next to it stood a raised dance floor. Next to the dance floor was a hallway that led to the bathrooms. It was early in the afternoon, so the restaurant was fairly empty. A few men sat on the bar stools at the bar. Lucien guided them to a table and Lanie excused herself, heading to the bathroom near the dance floor. Lucien greeted his two pack members at the bar and then headed to the bathroom as well.

  When Lanie came out of the bathroom, she noticed three young men gathered around a young woman, pressed against the wall in the hallway.

  “Please stop it…Don’t touch me!”

  “Leave her alone,” Lanie demanded.

  They turned and looked at her. Lanie pushed past them and grabbed the young woman’s hand. She looked relieved. Lanie pulled her away from the wall and they began walking back toward the table. One of the men grabbed Lanie’s arm, pulling her to a stop.

  “Get your hand off me!” Lanie demanded as she tried to pull away from him.

  “I’m going to teach you to mind your own business, Cunt!”

  His friends moved to either side of her, holding her arms so she couldn’t move. He pulled out a knife and moved towards her.

  Lanie was livid. She kicked him as hard as she could in the crotch and when he doubled over in pain, she kneed him in the face. He fell down, grabbing his groin, bleeding from where she hit his nose. His friends released her and moved toward the young man on the floor.

  “Holy Fuck! She kicked your ass! A human!”

  They laughed as they taunted him.

  Lucien came out of the bathroom and his heart stopped when he saw Lanie being held by two young men. His shock quickly wore off and rage filled him. Lanie looked up in relief when she saw Lucien behind the young men. She was shocked at the look of pure rage on his face. The two men who were standing turned around, their laughter dying immediately when they saw Lucien.

  “Did they hurt you, Lanie?”

  She moved past the men to touch him on the chest and he slipped his hands around her waist.

  “I’m fine, Lucien. Really.”

  Her touch and her words seemed to calm him considerably.

  “Why are you in my territory?” he growled at the three men.

  “Www...we were just looking for some tail.”

  “Some tail?” Lanie said angrily.

  She turned, about to walk over to them, but Lucien held her tightly around her waist, pulling her towards him.

  “I don’t know how you treat your females in the Lost Souls pack, but here, we treat them with respect. To attack a female is to court death. You are lucky she is unharmed.”

  All three gulped and paled even further. Lucien wanted nothing more than to kill them slowly for touching his Lanie. He feared she would despise his brutal nature. Not wanting to scare her away, he decided to spare the young men.

  “Get out of my territory. If any of your pack dares to come here again, without my permission, they do so at the risk of death.”

  They couldn’t get out of Rae’s fast enough.

  He turned Lanie and pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly. After a few minutes, he released her enough to look at her eyes.

  “Promise me you will never put yourself at risk again.”

  “Lucien—”

  “Promise me, Lanie! You could have been seriously hurt or even killed.”

  Knowing he only worried about her safety, she conceded, “I won’t go looking for any fights, but I’m not going to stand around and do nothing while they—”

  “Next time, get reinforcements, then you can come back and kick their asses.”

  Lanie nodded in agreement as she laughed and he joined her. The pack members at the bar stared in shock. Their Alpha was laughing.

  Back at the table, Lucien listened as Anya and Lanie explained and couldn’t fault her for intervening. He didn’t notice his pack members busily texting on their cell phones.

  “What are you doing here, Anya? Shouldn’t you be in school? And why didn’t you call for help?”

  Anya hung her head in shame.

  “I’m sorry, Alpha. I cut class. I didn’t want to draw attention because then my parents would know I cut class.”

  “Why? Isn’t it summer time? Why are you in school?” asked Lanie. Anya looked at Lucien, who nodded.

  “We have school year round. It keeps us out of trouble… I cut class because I hate sewing!”

  “Sewing? Why did you take it then? Graduation requirements or are you stuck in a rotation?”

  “They make us take it, so that when our mates get into fights, we can fix their ripped clothing.”

  “WHAT?” Lanie turned to Lucien, eyes flashing angrily. He held up both hands in an attempt to pacify her.

  “Now wait a minute, I had no idea they were required to do this. It must have been something the previous Alpha required. He was a bit old fashioned. Let me guess, men should take sewing as well, so they can fix their own shirts?”

  She nodded.

  “I’ll make sure we change that immediately.”

  Her smile was rewarding. He wondered what other outdated pack practices were still in place. He would have to assign someone to look into that. He smiled when he realized it would be the perfect project for his mate. It would be a good way for her to learn about his pack.

  “I understand why you hate sewing class, but think of the benefits. You can make things for yourself. My aunts are avid sewers and they can make just about anything. I envy them those skills. If you really hate
it that much, you can always switch classes. But you should check with your guidance counselor and make sure you are meeting all of your graduation requirements.”

  “Thanks. I’ll think about it. I guess I should be heading back to class.”

  “Next time, if you are in trouble, call for help. Getting into trouble with your parents is nothing compared to what could have happened.”

  Anya nodded in agreement. Although she had been dismissed, Anya hesitated. Lanie didn’t know much about wolves but she knew how she would feel. She turned to Lucien.

  “Lucien, there might be more of those idiots out there. I would feel much better if someone took Anya back to school.”

  Lucien agreed and noted that Anya visibly relaxed.

  Lucien turned to the bar and called out to a one of his pack members.

  “Harley, can you take Anya back to school?”

  Harley nodded from his bar stool. He stood up and walked over to the table.

  “Ever been on a bike before, kid?” When Anya shook her head, he said, “Then you’re in for a real treat, let’s go.”

  Anya turned to leave, then on impulse turned around and hugged Lanie. Lanie hugged her tightly and Anya left with a smile on her face. Her belly rumbled and Lanie blushed with embarrassment.

  Why does this always happen to me?

  “It’s late and I’m famished,” Lucien said with an amused smile.

  “What’s their specialty?”

  “They make the best Philly Cheese Steak in the state.”

  “Then that’s what I’ll have.”

  As they enjoyed their lunch, more and more pack members came in. They laughed and teased each other throughout lunch, neither one noticing that pack members stared at them openly and exchanged knowing smiles.

  Word had spread like wildfire. The Alpha had a woman at Rae’s. One that made him smile and laugh. One he touched at every opportunity. Everyone wanted to see the woman who had kicked some major ass, saving the life of a young woman. As the story was passed on, more details were added and the story was embellished. By the end of the day, everyone was talking about how the Alpha’s woman had singlehandedly taken on ten Lost Souls pack members, beaten them bloody and saved four young women from being viciously raped. The Lost Souls pack had pleaded for mercy before she finally let them go, tails between their legs. They were honored to have such a brave woman at their Alpha’s side.