Filed to story: Luna Lovette and Alpha Kodak Story
“We’re planning to tell them later,” explained Tao.
“Good decision.” Nick nodded approvingly. “She can’t battle to come to a meeting that’s already taken place. So how’s she getting along with the pregnancy?” Dante smiled. “She’s not impressed about the waddling or the swollen belly, and she has a mood swing about every eight minutes, but other than that she’s fine.”
“Is she in touch with her dad, or has he disowned her again?”
“She’s talked to him a few times over the past month, but that was mainly because she was negotiating Shaya moving to our pack.”
“And, um, how’s Shaya doing?” The casualness with which Nick had spoken was forced, Dante knew.
The guy was genuinely interested in Shaya, Dante was sure of that. Whenever Nick was in their territory, he watched her with the same naked voracity that he had at Lovette and Kodak’s mating ceremony. Oddly, though, he never spoke to her, and the bubbly female never made any attempts to speak to him-as if by mutual agreement they were each pretending the other didn’t exist. It was weird, to say the least. “She’s fine.”
A tall, slim blonde suddenly passed by, wiggling her ass provocatively…which was most likely why the guys at his table were practically drooling. Dante probably would have reacted the same way if he hadn’t felt…distracted. There was a trace of a familiar scent in the air that made his nerve endings come alive.
He scanned the diner slowly, confused and curious…and his mouth fixed into a hard line as his gaze landed on a particular table. Motherfucker. Dante’s wolf leaped to attention as he recognized that plush mouth, long sable hair, and pair of smoky-blue eyes that had a mischievous twinkle. But even as his cock was jerking and hardening, his mood was swiftly changing from relaxed to agitated.
Because she wasn’t alone. No, she was sitting opposite some guy, giving him that beaming smile that never failed to affect Dante. Whereas usually that smile shot straight to his groin, it was now twisting his gut, because it wasn’t directed at him.
He’d felt the same way this morning after witnessing Jaime joking around with Dominic.
What, you’d expected her to sit with you even though you give her no encouragement whatsoever?
Well, yeah, he had, actually. It was what she normally did each morning.
He was conscious that conversation was continuing around him, and he was even occasionally contributing to it, but his attention was mainly on Jaime as he willed her to look at him. Willed her to move her focus from that asshole, whoever he was, for just one fucking minute. Then, suddenly, she did and her eyes found his. He could have sworn she shuddered slightly, but then she gave him a cool, polite smile and returned her attention to the guy at her table.
Dante’s wolf growled at her aloofness, pushing at him to go to her. So this was the reason she was no longer interested in him. What was so damn special about that guy? He just looked like some pretty boy. Not that Dante truly cared or anything. His ego cared, but that was different-Jaime’s abrupt indifference was a blow, and no dominant wolf reacted well to an ego blow. That was all it was.
Swallowing back a growl, Dante forced his gaze away from Jaime. He should be relieved that she had gotten the message that he wasn’t interested. Instead, he was annoyed. And he was annoyed that he was annoyed. He hadn’t realized until now that although her crush had made him feel uncomfortable, he’d liked it. He’d liked that there was someone around who wanted him that much, someone who would give him her undivided attention. His ego had liked it. And now he was battling the urge to go over there and drag her away from the other guy. With her attention suddenly gone, it felt…cold.
When the sound of her husky laugh met his ears, arousal shot through Dante in spite of his irritated state. Clearly, the guys had also heard it, because their heads all swerved around.
“Hey, it’s Jaime,” drawled Trick, smirking at Dante. “Looks really good today, doesn’t she?” Tao strained to look. “Who’s that guy she’s with?”
“No idea,” said Trick before turning back to Dante. “Well, it seems like you’ve been officially replaced.”
Dante ground his teeth so hard that it was audible, which made Trick’s smile widen.
Nick didn’t even have the decency to hide his amusement. “I think that concludes the meeting.
If I hear any more about Glory’s brothers, I’ll let you know.” Dante nodded as they all stood and headed for the door. Behind him he heard that husky laugh again, and it took everything he had not to turn around. His wolf growled his disapproval, not understanding why Dante hadn’t gone over there to warn off the other male, which served to remind Dante exactly why he was staying clear of this female.
Only once before now had his wolf ever been so incited by a female. Naturally, Dante hadn’t had a problem with answering that craving-over and over again, in fact-because he hadn’t suspected that things would get as complicated and painful as they later did. Never would he chance that happening again. Never.
Gathered with the pack in the living area after dinner, Jaime pretended that she couldn’t feel Dante’s eyes on her. His gaze had been drilling into her since she came home-and not in a good way. It wasn’t the kind of look that would heat a girl’s blood; it was a piercing scowl that sent a shiver down her spine. He had shot Jaime the same look in the diner, but rather than making her nervous, a bolt of heat had lanced through her the second her gaze met his. But then, Jaime had never responded appropriately to danger. She didn’t seem to have a “flight” response. That had gotten her into all kinds of shit.
Unable to think of a reason Dante suddenly found her scowl-worthy, she paid no attention to him. Instead, she allowed herself to be distracted by the blond pervert beside her on the gigantic sectional sofa who could always make her laugh.
“Look at you,” drawled Greta from a black leather armchair. “One minute you’re chasing Dante, and the next minute you’re all over Dominic like a rash.” Hunk, who was snuggled on Jaime’s lap, hissed loudly, but Jaime simply smiled at the fuzzy-haired old woman. Her face was twisted into a scowl that wasn’t all that different from the decorative swirls carved into the sandstone of the main wall. Greta had always terrified Jaime as a kid, just as she’d terrified every kid other than Kodak, Dante, Tao, Marcus, Trick, Ryan, and Dominic
-her boys.
“At one point, you practically stalked poor Dante.”
“Stalked?” echoed Jaime. “No, I just watched him. At night. From behind a bush. Using night-vision goggles.”
To her surprise, Dante’s frown melted into a smile. No one ever stepped in to defend the old woman, because they all knew that the only way to deal with her was tit for tat. If the unmated females couldn’t handle Greta, they’d never survive in the pack.
Greta sneered at her. “You shouldn’t be surprised that he isn’t interested. What would he want with a big-breasted, fat-assed slut like you?”
Jaime sighed dramatically. “I wish the wizard had lived up to his promise and given you a heart.” In some ways, Jaime found her amusing. Her wolf didn’t, however. The cranky animal wanted to lunge at Greta and take a bite out of her. No surprise there. Her wolf’s answer to everything was, sadly, “attack.” Once again, Jaime found herself grieving the patient, nurturing, playful wolf that had once lived within her until that fucked-up night all those years ago.
“I suppose you look a tiny bit better nowadays. You’d always been a fat child.”
“I prefer the term ‘charitably shaped.'”
“If you thought being thinner would bag you one of my boys, you’re very wrong. They can see right through power-hungry sluts like you. You wanted to be Beta female, and when that didn’t work you moved on to one of the enforcers, didn’t you? I told them that that’s the only reason you’d applied to switch packs. I told them not to accept you. But did they listen to me? Noooo. Don’t think that means you’ve won. I’ve got my eye on you. I always look out for my boys. Dante and Dominic are just as much my grandsons as Kodak.”
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?