Authors: AJ Hampton
She heard Peter speak, but couldn
’
t fully process the words.
Pain blossomed inside her chest and expanded to her lungs.
Greg
had a son.
Why had he never told her? So many things made sense now. The locke
d bedroom Gr
e
g
visited almost every night after he thought she was asleep. The draw
er in his office he casually checked to make sure it was secure
when she walked into his study
.
James stepped forward, pulled her back when she might have done something stupid
. She wanted to kill him, didn
’
t care she
’
d have to do it
in front of a dozen people.
“
Leave her alone, Peter. You
’
ve made your point.
”
Peter bared his teeth, a ferocious sound erupting from his chest. Power danced in the air, a hot roiling energy
that had those around her dropping to their knees
.
One finger at a time, James
’
hold on her arm loosened, and then fell away. Her uncle
bowed his head.
The strain of his
submission showed in his tightly held shoulders and balled fists.
She turned hot, angry eyes on Peter, the man she
’
d let into her body.
“
What point
is he talking about
?
”
An emotion she recognized flashed in his abnormally dark eyes. He belonged no more than she did.
“
I
’
m Alpha. This Pard, and everything in it, is mine.
You
’
re mine.
”
He brushed a knuckle down the side of her cheek,
a caress she slapped
away. He caught her wrist, pulled her into his body.
Her
stomach dipped.
Pressing
his lips to her ear,
he
drew the lobe into the heat of his mouth, sucked.
She fought, and failed to hide a tremor.
“
Did you really think a shower would erase my claim over you? Everyone here can smell that you belong to me, that it
’
s my seed inside you. I fucked you. Bled you.
Hell, it
’
s possible I could have knocked you up
.
”
Her hand moved with deliberate speed and strength. The slap rang out, the force of the blow throwing his face to the side. Around them, the group gasped in horror.
Her sting of regret was immediate.
S
he woul
d have done more damage if she had balled her fist.
* * * * *
Peter
thrust his hand into Eva
’
s golden curls, tightened until she cried out. The sound hit him hard. This was the only way to protect her. The sight of her standing apart from everyone else in the Pard got to him. It made him think of the bar. While they
’
d garnered some curious looks, no one had tried to stop him, a stranger, from leaving with her. He
’
d asked the around at the cabin, found out all kinds of useful information.
Greg had done everything he could, including schooling her himself until she
’
d been sixteen, to keep her separated from everyone else. Her isolation was proof of Greg
’
s selfishness. Copper trickled into his mouth, brought him back to the here and now. He turned his head, spit, the red saliva staining the crusty snow. Eva packed one hell of a punch, even with her palm.
A growl rumbled through his chest, half anger, half appreciation. Pushing on his shoulder, Eva steeled her spine and stood stubbornly straight. He narrowed his eyes, moved his hand to the front of her throat.
Pushing, he forced her onto her knees in
the wet snow, her coat gaping open. Full, firm breasts pressed against her dark blue sweater, tempting him.
Delicate f
ingers dug into his wrist, a poor attempt to free herself.
Against his strength, she was helpless. She looked up at him, murder in her gaze.
Out from the circle, someone
rose and
stepped forward.
“
Let
her
go
.
”
Peter looked up, smiled, a sardonic twist of the lips
.
Well, well.
How time changed people.
The last time he
’
d seen Mark
Gra
y
s
on, they
’
d been fifteen
. H
e
’
d given the
snobby
blond a bloody nose. No longer a boy, Mark held hi
s chin high and his gaze level.
He
’
d gained some weight, mostly muscle through the chest and arms, but he was still scrawny, still short compared to Peter
’
s hulking frame
.
Uncurling his free hand, Peter flashed five razor-
sharp claws. He glanced down at
the sound of
Eva
’
s whimper, remembered the feel of those claws against her hips, the bite of pleasure they
’
d brought her in the midst of a powerful orgasm. No one would take her from him. No one. Wasn
’
t
that
what this little show was all about? He wanted to be Alpha as much he wanted a root canal. But, if he wanted to protect the wom
a
n at his feet, everyone in front of him n
eeded to know he was in charge. That included Eva.
“
Step back in line or I
’
ll take your threat as challenge. Eva deserves her punishment. No one strikes an Alpha without reprimand. She is either in this Pard, or out of it.
”
The Pard shifted in agitation, their
disappointment
and betrayal a black fog roiling overhead. Within, their leopards paced, too restless to cower as Peter had hoped.
James had obviously primed the group before he gotten there. Why would the elder, someone who seemed to care so deeply for her, set Eva up for an ambush?
In front of him, Mark
’
s hands balled into fists and hatred fil
led his eyes. Possession surged from
the lesser cat, spoke of a claim Peter had
not known about.
Was this asshole Eva
’
s boyfriend?
Had Greg
’
s death marked Eva as fair game?
He
r scent didn
’
t linger on his skin. He hadn
’
t picked up any other feline on
Eva besides James
.
The leopard inside Peter curled his teet
h, merged itself with him until feline canines
lengthen
ed
.
His thoughts festered and r
age built. Just how many men were pissing in Eva
’
s pool?
A growl left his chest, the sound echoing
across the clearing
. Mark cast eyes to the ground, but didn
’
t step back
, didn
’
t kneel
.
His annoying resistance earned him a point.
“
She isn
’
t a shifter, you
’
ll kill her. I don
’
t challenge your dominance,
”
Mark said.
“
B
ut I won
’
t let you hurt her, not any
more than you already have. The smell of her blood lingers on your skin.
”
“
What
’
s a little blood between lovers? She is tougher than she looks, but I suppose none of you would know that
,
would you? G
reg kept her off-limits
.
”
Mark
’
s nostrils flared, puffs of hot air melting into the air.
Peter had hit a hot spot. The blond stepped forward.
“
She was promised to me.
”
Peter threw his head back and laughed.
“
Not on your fucking life.
”
He looked
down at Eva, smoothed the hair he
’
d fisted and pulled her up to h
er feet. Sliding a hand around her waist, he
pressed
their hips together.
She pushed at his chest, tried to stomp the inside of his heel. He felt none of it.
“
You
’
ve been keeping secrets.
”
“
Unlike you?
”
she hissed.
His cock hardened. A primal response
.
Maybe he should fuck her here, show Mark and
everyone else who she really belonged to
. He pressed his mouth against her ear.
“
You
’
re mine, Eva, admit it.
”
“
No.
”
H
e stroked her throat, a subtle reminder of last night when she
’
d been on her knees swallowing his seed.
“
Shall I tell them about last night? How you begged me to—
”
“
Stop,
”
she demanded.
He bared his teeth at her order, had to forcefully shove his leopard back into the depths of his soul.
“
You, along with everyone else in this Pard
,
will submit.
”
He
forced her head to the side,
lowered his mouth
to the vulnerable flesh of her throat. His mark was visible on her skin, a comfort he drew on. She was his.
He licked the bite, made sure to suck and then nip the flesh so the action couldn
’
t be construed as affectionate. She shuddered against him. However much she hated him, and he was sure she did, her body craved his. He spoke against her throat,
low enough so no one else
could hear the raw desire in his voice. Lust was a weakness so easily exploited
.
“
I can flip you onto all fours, turn your sweet little ass up in the air and show you what it really means to be dominated by your Alpha. Would you like that? Your tight
pussy stretched full of cock
in front of all these people? My dick is getting hard just thinking about it.
”
“
I hate you,
”
she gritted.
He laughed
, the sound pure evil.
“
I told you you would
.
”
“
Alpha.
”
This voice was deeper, older than Mark
’
s. Jeffry Priddy. Like so many of the people he recognized, the man had aged, filled out, started a family.
“
Eva might not be a leopard, but she is Pard.
She
’
s earned her place here. She doesn
’
t know all the rules. Greg kept her well protected, but we don
’
t see anything wrong with you requesting blood payment, as long as she
’
s unharmed.
”
One of his eyebrows rose in question. We? Since when had Pard life become a democracy?
“
We? Do you speak for the group now, Jeff?
”
He dipped his head farther,
“
No. Yes. What I
’
m trying to say is that none of us will see her hurt, but she shouldn
’
t have hit you either. In the Pard we value respect above all else.
”
Mark sneered, turned to his friends and family behind him.
“
Peter never respected anybody in his entire life. He didn
’
t even bother to tell Eva he was Greg
’
s son.
”
The idiot never saw him move. Peter let go of Eva and was across the clearing, Mark flat on his back staring up at the thinning, gray clouds. He pressed the heavy sole of his boot against Mark
’
s neck, applied just enough pressure to cut off the airflow. Looking down at the person who
’
d once been his closest friend, he sneered.
“
I could teach you a thing or two about respect, asshole. You
’
re forgetting something. I
’
m Alpha, always have been. I don
’
t owe anybody, Greg, Eva, or this Pard, a God damned thing. You want respect, than earn it. In the meantime, shut your fucking mouth, or stand up and fight me.
”
“
I accept the punishment, only if you
’
ll leave Mark alone,
”
Eva said from behind him.
Peter didn
’
t dare break Mark
’
s gaze, no matter how badly he wanted to glare at her. She had no idea what she was agreeing to. He wanted to protect her, fuck her a few more times, and figure out who killed Greg so Eva would be safe. Then he could go home. It took seventy-three seconds for Mark to lower his eyes.
Only then did Peter look at Eva. She stood proudly with that sexy lift of her chin he admired; it could even have been his favorite thing about her. That and her ass. Maybe her tits.
He shook his head,
removed his boot from Mark
’
s throat, and went to her. She didn
’
t back down, but stood straighter as if somehow that would gain her a few inches.
“
When you speak, you
will address me as Alpha. Say,
‘
Fine, Alpha.
’”
Swallowing, she spoke again
, her gaze telling him she would kick him in the balls the first chance she could.
“
Fine,
Alpha
, I accept the punishment.
”
“
Hostile
.
”
He leaned in close, added,
“
But I like it.
”
She lifted the hair from her neck and leaned her head back, exposing
her throat to him,
her
Alpha. He made a low sound of appreciation in his
chest. She knew the price for blood payment.
He stroked the remnants of a
bite on her neck
, just one of many that lingered to remind
him
of the passion between them only hours before.
He circled behin
d her, gave her plenty of time
to wonder when he
’
d strike.
The longer she stood, exposed, the more she trembled. Fear rolled off her. Fear and excitement. She drew in a deep breath, and the line of her shoulders softened ever so slightly.
He struck.
Canines pierced flesh, penetrating her. She cried out. When she pulled away from the pain, he clamped a hand on her waist, drew her back against his chest, his cock a hard steel ridge at her spine.