Bound to the Wolf Read online

  A dark cloud descended over his eyes and he nodded, “You’re right. All the more reason you should consider my offer.”

  Sonya took a long look around her destroyed home and sucked in a deep shuddering breath.

  “Your son will be safer with others of his own kind. He can learn to control his wolf urges and not turn out like his father. We’ll protect you too,” he said, a little more softly this time.

  As much as she hated to admit it, Sonya had to concede that José had a point. Manuel would be better off with others of his own kind. She would feel safer with other wolves protecting him. She just didn’t know if she could handle being around so many shifters; it would be so much harder to keep her magic a secret with so many curious noses around.

  Still, no matter how she sliced it, the best option for Manuel was José’s pack.

  She nibbled her bottom lip and pondered his words, hoping she wasn’t making the biggest mistake of her life as she nodded.

  “I need to pack a few things… and Manuel’s at my mother’s. Oh god, I should make sure Diego didn’t find them,” her voice shook with renewed panic and José seemed at a loss.

  “Do what you need to, I’ll start cleaning this up, okay?”

  Sonya nodded, tears springing to her eyes as she dialed her mother’s house with shaking fingers.

  “Hola?” Estrella answered and Sonya heaved the biggest sigh of her life.

  “Hi Mama, I’m so sorry I got tied up with the new job. Is it okay if I come get Manuel in about fifteen minutes?”

  “He’s already sleeping,” Estrella said with a biting edge to her voice.

  “That’s okay, I won’t wake him,” Sonya answered, thanking the powers that be for the small miracle of not having to answer her son’s questions tonight.

  And that was how she found herself in the Wolves’ Den.

  José drove Sonya and a sleeping Manuel to the edge of town, a forested area set back from the road with a long private drive that ended at a massive lake, surrounded by a village of sorts.

  Sonya had no idea that something like this even existed in Palm Haven. Summer Springs certainly didn’t have anything like this. Wolves there lived in hovels, trailers, under overpasses — Diego didn’t take care of his pack like José clearly did.

  “Is everyone here… I mean… are you all…?”

  José put his rugged SUV into park and leveled Sonya with a serious gaze, something warm and comforting shining back at her.

  “We’re all wolves, yes.”

  He must have seen her cringe just a little because he took her hand in his, not letting her snatch it away this time, and squeezed it gently. Reassuringly.

  “I promise you, no one here will give you any trouble and if they do, they’ll answer to me, do you understand?” José asked her.

  Sonya nodded, ignoring the quiver in her womb as his dark hooded eyes bored straight into her. Manuel gave a yawn from the backseat before clutching his stuffed rabbit and drifting back to sleep.

  “I don’t know how to thank you,” she whispered, eyeing their joined hands. Why did it feel so natural? So right?

  “How about you come see the place I’ve got set up for you?”

  Sonya didn’t know why his prospect surprised her. She hadn’t really thought about where they’d be staying past ‘in the midst of a pack of wolves’. She hoped José didn’t want them to stay with him. Didn’t expect her to…

  He opened the door of the vehicle and gently scooped Manuel into his arms, cradling him without rousing him as if he’d done it a hundred times. That sight alone was enough to make Sonya’s insides quiver with desire.

  But she couldn’t go there. She needed to focus on Manuel. On keeping him safe. On helping him adjust to this new home — hopefully their last new home for a while.

  “That over there is the clubhouse,” José said in a low husky tone that sent shivers down her spine. He was only trying to keep from waking Manuel up, but the rasp in his voice made her magic stand up at attention. “You’re welcome to use it any time. There’s a pool, a playground, offices, whatever you need. It’s at your disposal.”

  She didn’t know what to say, so Sonya simply nodded and followed José around the perimeter of the lake. Every so often he’d introduce her to a passer-by and she was actually pretty impressed to see how civilized most of the pack members seemed to be. Before too long, her worst fears started to subside. Maybe this wouldn’t be such a terrible thing. Maybe all wolves weren’t as bad as Diego.

  Her magic was certainly enjoying all of the raw masculinity and sex exuding from the wolves. Shifters, both male and female, had incredible sex drives and her powers couldn’t help but reach out in an attempt to tap into the sex magic in the air.

  Sonya had to rein it in. If she couldn’t keep a handle on her magic her cover would be blown. The wolves would never allow a witch to stay in their midst.

  It wouldn’t matter that she wasn’t Coven. It wouldn’t matter that she hadn’t practiced in years. Pack mentality would take over and she would be a goner. Where would that leave Manuel?

  She shoved her hands in her jeans pockets to hide the electricity that sparked from her fingertips as José headed up the walkway to a cozy little ranch-style house.

  He pulled out a set of keys and unlocked the door without ever jostling Manuel.

  “I’ve had the kitchen stocked for you and there should be everything you need, but if you find something I’ve missed, don’t hesitate to find me,” he said.

  His tone was all business, but that didn’t stop Sonya’s thoughts from conjuring images of him naked. She thought about what those mischievous lips could do to her nipples and her insides melted.

  She shook her head. Being around all of these shifters was going to be way harder than she thought.

  He followed her as she went into the smaller bedroom and laid Manuel in the toddler-size bed they’d managed to provide. She didn’t know how they got all of this furniture on such short notice, but maybe that was one of the benefits of pack life. Did the Coven do things like this for one another?

  She felt his presence so close to her as she tucked her son in. Sonya thought at any minute she would feel José press his body against hers. She wanted to feel his desire against her needy flesh, she craved his touch and her lips itched with the desire to kiss him.

  She shook her head again, closing her eyes tight for a moment. Alpha sex magic was even stronger than everyone else’s. She wanted it. But she didn’t want it for those reasons. The witch side of her wanted it, but she couldn’t risk messing this up for them.

  She turned to José, ready to tell him that she wasn’t interested when she realized that he was on the other side of the room, just watching her, not nearly pressed against her as she’d imagined.

  They left Manuel’s room and Sonya closed the door quietly.

  “Thank you for your generosity,” she said, tears welling in her eyes again, “I don’t know what we would have done if you hadn’t…”

  José placed a finger on her lips, shushing her. His hand dropped.

  “That’s what wolves do. We protect our kind.”

  She stepped nearer to him, looking up through her lashes. Her eyes half-closed with desire and her hip cocked to the side seductively.

  “If there’s anything I could do to repay you,” she heard herself purr.

  Had she really just said that? Her blood felt molten in her veins. She couldn’t turn off the insistent burn of lust coursing through her.

  José’s eyes widened and he took a step back.

  “No need to repay me,” he said.

  Her heart ached at the rejection and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. She was practically throwing herself at him, for what? Because her magic wanted it?

  Thankfully, he left the apartment before she could do something she’d regret.

  Sonya sighed and slumped against the door, cursing herself. Her nipples were hard and sensitive against the scratchy fabric of her bra. Her inside
s quaked with need and liquid warmth pooled in her center. She was all kinds of hot and bothered and there was nothing to be done about it. She wanted José, but was it for any of the right reasons? She guessed not with the way he’d turned her down. He probably thought she was some random slut throwing herself at him that way.

  She nibbled her lip as she tried to figure out how she was going to rectify the situation.

  It took her far too long to realize that she shouldn’t be trying to rectify it. Any attempt she made at fixing it would only make her look more desperate. It was best to just let it go and forget it happened. José clearly wasn’t interested and, Sonya reminded herself, she was in no position to get involved with someone.

  She peeked in on Manuel once more before heading off to bed herself. Time to start adjusting to this new life.

  And stop thinking about the sexy Alpha that she should have absolutely nothing to do with.

  Chapter 6

  JOSÉ

  He left Sonya and Manuel after waiting to hear her lock the door behind him. Diego would have a hell of a time getting into the Den undetected, but locks were still a good idea.

  As he walked back towards the clubhouse, José wondered if he’d made a colossal mistake in bringing Sonya and her son here. His wolf felt calmed that they were so close, soothed by their safety, but also restless.

  Restless because all he wanted to do was mate with her. To claim her, mark her, and be with her forever.

  That last part scared the hell out of José, but the wolf within him seemed unruffled by the prospect of eternity.

  Though he didn’t know what he was going to do with her yet, José was glad to have Sonya here. When he’d found her place destroyed beyond recognition, he’d feared for the worst. The stench of fear cloaked the air in her tiny house, but there hadn’t been any blood.

  If he’d smelled Sonya’s blood, José didn’t know if he’d be able to resist shifting right then and there. For some unknown reason, the wolf seemed convinced that they were meant to be together.

  At first, he headed toward the clubhouse, but as his thoughts wandered, so did José’s feet. Soon, he found himself off the beaten path, deep in the woods, with damp soil underfoot, just begging for him to shift, to run through the trees, to howl at the moon and chase rabbits in the night.

  He’d have given in to his animalistic urges, too, if she hadn’t interrupted him.

  Not Sonya — Esther.

  The elderly witch appeared to him again in a shimmery apparition and José froze in his tracks, wondering how the hell she did that. Did she have to know his precise location to project to him?

  A low growl ripped from his throat before he could rein it in and Esther gave a short breathy laugh that sounded completely devoid of any joy.

  “Now, now, is that any way to greet an old friend?”

  “We’re not friends,” José snarled, his top lip drawing back in canine-like sneer.

  Esther sighed and clasped her hands in front of her, “After I gave you that little hint about our mutual friend, this is how you treat me?”

  José’s hands balled into fists so tight that his nails dug into his palms until he felt a trickle of sticky blood. He couldn’t strike the witch directly, so he’d might as well listen to her crazy-ass plans. Use that knowledge to fight her and Diego both.

  “What do you want?”

  She pulled a face, her wrinkles nearly hiding her eyes, “Well, you see, I seem to have run into a snag.”

  José perked up, that certainly sounded like good news to him.

  “You failed to take care of my problem and now you’ve prevented me from enlisting the help of another.”

  “I haven’t done anything. And I want you to leave me and my pack out of whatever nonsense you’re conjuring, do you hear me, witch?”

  Esther laughed that hollow tinkling sound again that made José’s hair bristle and stand on end.

  “You haven’t done anything?” She chuckled, “That’s rich. It really is. If you wanted to stay out of it, you shouldn’t have brought another Alpha’s cub into your pack. He’s looking for his son and… I don’t know,” she feigned a thoughtful look, “I just can’t stand to see happy families separated.”

  “You manipulative hag,” he cursed, forgetting himself and lunging at her, running into a thick oak instead, knocking the wind out of himself.

  All pretenses faded from her expression and Esther looked at José with all the contempt and seriousness in the world, “You know what I expect of you. Take care of it or I’ll get someone else that will… by any means necessary.”

  He growled another curse and Esther dissipated into the air once more, leaving José with a sick sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

  Maybe the old witch was right. Maybe he never should have gotten involved in all of this. Maybe he shouldn’t have brought Sonya here.

  He should’ve stayed out of it. Left Sonya and Manuel to fend for themselves. His wolf growled at that, clearly saying coward.

  No. That was never an option. They were innocents and Diego was a sadistic bastard. He never could have left them to that madman’s whims, no matter how much trouble he was bringing upon his pack to help them.

  His pack was healthy. Competent. They could take care of themselves… he hoped. Sonya on the other hand…

  Damn if that woman didn’t light him on fire from the inside out. Made him burn with this intense need he didn’t even know possible.

  The whole night he’d been close to her. She’d been broken, vulnerable, available — hell, she’d basically thrown herself at him.

  But as bad as José wanted her, as much as he dreamed about tasting her, teasing her, touching her and hearing her cry out as he made her come undone, he couldn’t bring himself to take advantage of her in this unguarded state.

  She deserved a gentler touch, more patience, time to heal and trust again. That would never happen if he just bent to the will of his horny wolf.

  She needed time to adjust and he needed time to figure out this Diego Rivera thing. Without killing an innocent Coven witch.

  With his mind running a million miles a minute, unable to focus on any one thought longer than a few moments, José knew he needed to clear his head and shake off some of his aggression.

  Instead of dwelling on his problems any longer or debating his next course of action for the next handful of hours, he shifted, taking the form of his great white wolf. He shook happily, ridding himself of stray hairs and generally getting settled back into this body.

  And then, he trotted off into the forest for some blissfully thoughtless wolf-time.

  Chapter 7

  SONYA

  Sleep was nowhere to be found for Sonya; between the new place, the excitement and worry of the day, and her still-crackling magic, she didn’t stand a chance.

  By the time morning came Sonya’s nerves were frayed to their breaking point. She listened to the voicemail too many times to count and each time felt a lead ball of worry settle deep in her stomach. José seemed to think they’d be safe here, but Sonya knew better than to underestimate her ex. Diego was capable of some truly terrible things.

  A knock on her door was enough to draw a death glare from her. Hadn’t there been enough knocking going on in her life lately? Who even knew she was here amongst wolves?

  Maybe it was José. That thought perked her up enough to get her out of bed with a groan and a stretch. It was going to be a long day at work with no sleep, but she was excited to have a job to go to.

  She opened the door to find a fresh-faced girl, only a few years younger than herself, smiling on the other side and she instantly felt guilty for being angry. Long black pigtails framed the girl’s freckled smiling face.

  “Hi! I run the daycare for all the little cubs around here and I heard that we had a new addition recently,” the girl said with enough enthusiasm to launch a rocket.

  The announcement took Sonya by surprise. She’d heard? From who? José?

 
“I… I didn’t know there was a daycare here,” she answered, trying to keep her tone neutral. She didn’t like the idea of strangers looking after her child, but it could do him some good to be around other kids like him. She was always afraid that Manuel might mix wolf and boy play-styles and end up biting an unsuspecting toddler.

  She glanced back at his door; could she set her paranoia aside to let him have a normal childhood experience?

  “Of course we do! There are three other care-givers plus myself. We all understand what a handful little cubs can be and have tons of experience in tiring them out before Mom and Dad pick them up,” she said, wrinkling her nose as she smiled.

  Sonya nibbled her bottom lip thoughtfully for a moment.

  “Mom, can I go? Pleeeeeease?” Manuel said, peeking his head through the crack in his door. He didn’t ask where they were or why they’d moved in the middle of the night. Poor kid was used to it. Guilt gnawed at her insides as she looked from Manuel’s hopeful expression to the cheery wolf girl in her doorway.

  She sighed, “Well, okay, I’ll get him dressed,” she answered finally, letting the girl inside.

  By the time she got him dressed and ready to go to daycare, Manuel was pretty much jumping out of his skin. It wasn’t often that he got to play with others his age and he was such a social kid. He needed this kind of experience. Even if it meant she’d be worried about him all day.

  Once she got to work, Sonya settled into a groove of cleaning and organizing things for Emily and made them both a lunch of sandwiches and salad, carrying a plate into Emily’s office.

  “Knock knock,” she said.

  Emily looked up from her cluttered desk, startled, eyes wide, “Oh, hey! I almost forgot you were here.”

  Sonya smiled, “I don’t know how, I’ve been making a racket all day. I brought you something to eat.”

  Emily grinned, “Looks awesome, but I can’t eat it in here. If I eat in my office I might as well just live in here. Let’s go to the kitchen. We’ll chat,” she said brightly.

  Sonya shrugged and led the way back into the kitchen. They made idle chit-chat while eating their lunches and afterwards, Emily put on a pot of tea. Sonya was starting to really like her new boss, even with her frenetic energy.