SIGNED PAPERBACK - Direct from Author
Into the MeadowChapter 1
Cade Branham’s shoes
clicked through the lobby in a distinct direction. His mood was volatile
stemming from the phone call that brought him to the hotel on his day off. A
glance indicated that the staff was casually avoiding being noticed which suited
him fine. He had no desire to chastise anyone but the main source of his
frustration. As the Alpha of the Branham pack, his justice had to be swift or
else someone could choose to challenge him. The only person stupid enough was
his younger sister and the source of his recent problems.
Stepping into the elevator, he waited as patiently as he could
for the doors to shut. His mind drifted to the frustration of his sister. Gwyn
was going to be the death of him. As the door shut, a slender woman slipped
through and clicked the ninth-floor button. Quirking his eyebrow, he took a
deep sniff and felt himself harden at the smell of her, vanilla and sandalwood.
Deep below that scent was the earthy hint of Were that brought his intrigue up
a notch. Curiosity got the better of him. He shifted so he could see as much of
her as he could without arousing suspicion.
Her hair fell around her face with a gentle flow spiced with
honey, caramel, and chestnut matching her honey-tinted skin. She glowed with a
radiance that threatened to blind him. Her body was slender with muscle tone
that hinted at a wolf held in restraint. His gaze drifted down from the curve
of her neck, down her back, and landed on her rear, pert and round. His hands
itched to cup her breasts as he imagined leaning forward and nipping her flesh.
The ding of the elevator brought his attention back to the matter at hand.
The woman turned as she stepped out of the elevator and gave
him a quick smirk, but what stopped him in mid-step was the pair of amethyst
eyes full of suspicion and weariness. The wolf inside him became curious at the
weariness but shook it off as he quickened his step in the opposite direction.
There were only two reasons for a woman he has never met to be on the ninth
floor. Either she was someone’s lover, or she was here for a job interview.
Both of which made her off-limits. Every part of him hoped that it was the
second option.
A crash sounded down the hall. He quickened his step further as
he jerked open the door to face the problem. A lamp slammed against the wall
next to him. Raising his voice, he shouted, “Enough.”
Gwyn immediately dropped the book she held in her hand and
faced Cade. Her eyes, dark with rage, were spitting fire at him. Gesturing
rudely, she demanded, "I want my money."
Stepping into the room, Cade pulled the door closed behind him.
Debris from a broken and splintered chair littered his path. Stepping around it
carefully, he kept his eyes on Gwyn never showing his back. His body hummed
with energy with the wolf simmering beneath the surface to be let out. Gwyn had
become a thorn in his side since he became Alpha. Without taking his gaze off
of her, Cade asked the accountant who was shivering in a corner “Chadwick, have
we given Gwyn her monthly stipend?”
“Yes, sir. She requested the full amount at the beginning of
the month,” Chadwick squeaked out in submission to the more powerful wolves in
the room.
Cade had recently found out that his little sister had a taste
for hard drugs. The draw of modern life made her an unpredictable wolf with no
care for the safety of others. What bothered him most is that she displayed a
lack of care for herself. This problem was one in a long string of unresolved
issues his father passed down. Becoming Alpha had not been an easy task despite
his belief by Gwyn of the opposite. Cade leaned against the wall, tense and
poised to react if she felt inclined to launch herself at him. “Gwyn, you have
had your money for this month. It has only been two weeks. What could you have
possibly spent all that money on?”
Her eyes immediately left his, unable to maintain the gaze. The
movement alone would have admitted her defeat if she weren't so dangerous.
Shrugging her shoulders, Gwyn answered “Just stuff. I need money, Cade. I can’t
live with the amount you have given me. Under daddy’s rule, I got more.”
“Father spoiled you. We all took a pay cut so we could fix the
problems within the pack and build a better future. You know this and agreed.”
He stood and squared his shoulders, attempting to look larger. “I think it is
high time you get back to the compound. Living here at the hotel has given you
too much freedom. You can have a nice run in the woods and enjoy dinner with your
parents. It will be relaxing.”
“Don’t do this to me, Cade," her voice becomes pleading.
"Don't send me away to stay with them. The compound is so boring. There
isn't much to do out there in the country. Besides, my friends are here in
Stoney Brook."
“Gwyn, this is an order. I have my hands full with business and
cannot continue to keep you out of trouble. If you do not have any money left
over, you would be stuck in your room.” Cade pulled out his cell phone and
dialed one of the exclusive pack drivers. Giving his order to pick her up in
five minutes, he gestured toward the door. “Let me walk you out.” Part of him
hoped that the gesture was the final word.
“Cade, I had high expectations of you, and you are
disappointing me. I thought you would be fun like you were when we were
children.” She walked to the door and jerked it open. Without waiting, she
advanced toward the elevator.
The anger inside him rose in tandem amounts next to the
undercurrent of lust he felt for the woman in the elevator. Sighing, he sent a
sympathetic look toward the accountant. He didn’t pay the man enough to deal
with her temper tantrums. “I am sorry this happened, Chadwick. Hopefully, she
will remain at the compound until further notice. Bill the hotel for any damage
you incurred to your office.”
“She is pretty scary when she is angry,” Chadwick said as he
bent to pick up a piece of broken glass that looked ancient.
“I know, and I apologize on behalf of my family. Have a good
day.” Cade stepped gingerly around a broken lamp and out into the hallway. With
a few steps, he caught up with his sister before the elevator opened. Both of
them stepped inside. He held his tongue until the doors closed. “Really Gwyn. I
have enough to do than clean up after you all the time.”
Laughing with a quick burst, Gwyn leaned against the elevator
wall and said, “I thought that was what brothers were for.”
“When will you grow up?” His voice was terse as his head began
to pound.
“When you stop treating me like a child,” she responded. The
anger she held was still simmering beneath the surface. “I am twenty-three.”
Cade had to prevent
himself from rolling his eyes at the exclamation of her age. Gwyn would remain
a girl until she was old. “Your age has nothing to do with this. For the
record, I am not treating you like a child. I am treating you in a manner that
fits how you act as a member of this pack. Now, I expect you to stay at the
compound for the next six weeks.”
“Six weeks?” Her voice began to whine as she spoke, betraying
the anger. “This isn’t about the money, is it? You just don’t want me here.”
“You are more than welcome to stay here after the six weeks are
up, but right now I need you at the compound and out of trouble. There is too
much riding on this red wolf deal,” he said as the elevator slowed to a stop.
The doors opened in the lobby. Several guests were standing in line waiting to
be checked in.
“Cade,” her tone changed to one of sisterly charm. “Don’t you
remember those times when we use to run and play together in the woods? You use
to tell me that you would always love me.”
Attempting to not strangle her at the ploy she was crafting, he
grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the entrance of the hotel. “This is not
an indication of whether I love you or not Gwyn. One day you will realize that
I am doing this because I love you.”
She stopped talking as they stepped through the revolving doors
and onto the sidewalk. The Audi A5 Sportback was sitting idle waiting for them.
The driver hopped out and ran around to open the door. “Cade,” she attempted
one more time.
Holding up a hand, he stopped her from speaking. He felt the
need to shake her until her teeth rattled to help her understand but pushed the
desire away. “Stop this. Gwyn, as your brother and as the Alpha, you will
remain at the compound until I say you can come back.” Cade pushed her into the
car seat.
Gwyn immediately turned toward him and balked. “You said six
weeks.”
“You keep protesting.” Cade ignored the flash of anger she
threw at him as he pulled the door from the driver’s hand. Slamming it, he
turned toward the driver and said, “Keep an eye on her. Do not stop until you
get to the compound. I will call ahead to have the gates open.”
“Yes sir,” said the driver before skirting the car and hopping
into the driver's seat.
The window rolled down in a squeak. “You will regret this Cade.”
Without answering her challenge, he knocked on the roof of the
car and watched as it pulled off carrying one of his worries away. His
shoulders slumped, draining his energy. What he wanted to do was go up to his
suite, climb into his king-sized bed, and fall asleep. Knowing that would not
help his situation, he sighed and rolled his shoulders before moving toward the
hotel. There was much work to be done before he would be able to relax.
As he entered the lobby and made his way back to the elevators,
his mind drifted to the woman his wolf wanted him to take. Without speaking to
her, there was something about her that beckoned him. As one of the only Were
establishments in the south, young Weres came here looking for employment and a
sense of belonging they couldn’t find in their pack. That side of the business
was kept well hidden from the flocks of tourists that came to Stoney Brook. It
also presented a deeper need for establishing the Branham pack within the area.
That left Cade without the ability or the time to delve into finding a mate, no
matter how much his wolf was demanding it.
The tourists came for the peace and solace of the mountains and
didn’t leave disappointed. The view he sold to the tourists was not the only
reason he chose to move the Branham pack here. It was the solitude of the
mountains and the sparse population that called to him. It was one of the last
places on the East coast that could boast a sparse population and wide-open
mountainous terrain, perfect for a red wolf population. What it meant for the
Were community that moved with him was the ability to shift without
interference. The desire to be one with nature was so innate that it was a
struggle to keep it in check on a good day.
Since the pack moved
here, many had questioned his sanity and drive. His goals were numerous, but he
was close enough to achieve the most important goal. A researcher and a
government official were flying in to discuss the release of red wolves back
into the Great Smokies – a species that no longer traversed these hills and
valleys. If he were successful, the occasional howl of a wolf wouldn’t raise
suspicion. That meant his pack would be safer.
As Alpha, he had to enact
a law that prevented any pack member from howling while shifted. That meant
that most of his pack didn’t want to shift for fear of breaking it. In
Washington, this wouldn’t be a problem. Here, the pack members had to follow
orders. With the majority of tourists enjoying the mountainous terrain, this
was a monumental and difficult accomplishment; however, it was necessary to
prevent human interest where it shouldn’t be.
When the elevator stopped
on the ninth floor, he walked to the left and away from the original goal of
his office. Following her scent of vanilla and sandalwood, he stopped in front
of the hiring director's office. The blinds were open, allowing him to view her
profile against the mountains. She was exotically beautiful with high
cheekbones and luscious lips. Part of him wished she would turn those amethyst
eyes his way again. Instead, he focused on the way her body accentuated her
speech.
The sound of footsteps brought his attention, begrudgingly, to
his secretary. “I saw you come off the elevator. You have a call on line 2.”
“Is it important?” he asked hoping that the caller was not
Gwyn. Her relentless troublemaking meant it was unlikely that she would accept
his orders without having to bother him every hour.
“Yes, sir. Mr. Newburn and Mr. Brent have called.”
“Conference?”
“Yes, sir. What should I tell them?”
Cade pulled his eyes away from the beauty and moved down the
hallway with a gait of a frustrated man and a wolf screaming out to transition
and mark her. He had wanted to barge into that office to be close to her and
have her eyes on him. He wanted to display his power, which was the last thing
he needed right now. Love would ruin his concentration on building his pack’s
success.
His secretary stopped at her desk as he walked into the doorway
of his office. “Don’t interrupt me for twenty minutes.”
“Yes, sir.”
Cade walked in and shut the door behind him. The view out of
his office was the best in the building except for the penthouse one floor
above which had a 360 view of the mountains. Ever since he became Alpha, he
felt there was no possible way for him to relax. There was such a huge weight
on his shoulders, but the view had the surprising ability to take the edge off.
Striding to the desk, he sank into the chair and picked up the phone. Clicking
the line 2 button, he answered swiftly. “Carl and Doug, I was waiting for your
call.”
No comments:
Post a Comment