As Olivia padded up a small hill, she had the distinct feeling of being watched. She slowed at the top and quickly glanced over her shoulder. There was another jogger a bit behind her on the path. She continued on, but mentally took note of what he was wearing.Jeans and a blackhoodie . Who went jogging in jeans?
Olivia quickened her pace. She was definitely being followed and wondered if Garrick was angry enough to send someone after her. Almost immediately, she dismissed that thought. If Garrick was that angry, he would come himself.
Rounding a small clump of bushes, she glanced back again. He was still behind her and had picked up his pace, closing the distance between them. If he wanted to run, she would give him a race. Olivia had been jogging for many years, even before she had been changed. Now that she was different, her speed was tenfold.
Rounding another corner, she put on the speed and quickly lost him. Coming to a stop behind some thick foliage, she took in some much-needed air. Angry at being followed, at having her privacy invaded, Olivia decided not to run any longer.
Crouching down on all fours, she closed her eyes and concentrated on her animal. When the guy came around the corner, he’d have more than an irate woman on his hands.Pain, immediate and sharp, stabbed through every part of her body as she shifted. The sound of bones cracking and rearranging reverberated in her head like fingernails on a blackboard. Finally, after several seconds of excruciating agony, Olivia shook her form and stretched out the kinks in her lean body. Her fur glinted in the rising sun like burnt leaves on a beautiful autumn day. She raised her muzzle into the air and took in the rich, clear smells of the park and of the man coming into view. He stunk of bacon and eggs, hot, bitter coffee, and arrogance.
As he came around the corner, Olivia opened her mouth and bared her teeth. A growl, low and guttural, sounded from her belly and grew in pitch and fervor as it roared out of her mouth. The man’s acrid scent of arrogance quickly turned to the tangy but delicious smell of fear.
Before he could make a move, Olivia sprang. She landed solidly on his chest and brought him down to the ground with a firm, painful impact. He expelled the air from his lungs with a loud grunt. She immediately planted her feet around his body to prevent him from moving and bent her muzzle down to his face. Hot, thick saliva dribbled from her lips and dropped onto his cheek as he turned his head and closed his eyes in fear.
“Who sent you?” She growled.
“I don’t know what you mean,” he stuttered.
Inching closer to his neck, she flicked out her tongue and lathed his flesh. “I don’t believe you. If you truly didn’t know what I was, you’d have pissed in your pants by now.” She sniffed at him. “I don’t smell any ammonia. I smell lies.”
Opening his eyes, he turned his head to look at her. She saw the color of his irises start to yellow.
“Don’t even think of shifting. I’ll rip out your throat.” She brushed her teeth against the sensitive flesh of his neck just beneath his chin. He cringed and closed his eyes in resignation.
“Now, who sent you?”
He shook his head, refusing to answer.
Olivia lifted her back foot and, using her full strength, brought it down on his crotch.
He yelped and tried to roll onto his side, but her strategically placed paws allowed him no movement.
“Who?”
He mewled under his breath from the pain she imagined must be radiating up from his balls, but did not answer her question.
“Next time, I won’t retract my claws.”
“Fisher,” he blurted.
She’d suspected as much. Was he suspicious of her?
“Why?”
“For protection.He wanted you protected from anything Garrick might pull.”
Bullshit, she thought. Fisher wanted to control her. This was just his way of showing her his intentions.
“By the look of things, I’m not the one who needs protection.” She moved off of him and snorted.
“Which I’m sure will be quite evident by the color of your bruised balls.”
She crouched down and growled. “Now, I suggest you leave before I decide to take a bite out of your ass.”
He rolled onto his knees and staggered to his feet, holding his balls. Without another glance at her, he ran back down the path he’d come up from.
Olivia closed her eyes to prepare for her shift back. As soon as she got back her strength, she was going to pay Fisher a visit. She understood the politics of the pack, but she didn’t have to like it. It was time the man knew just who he was playing with.
Chapter Nine
Fisher’s estate was heavily guarded, like a mob-boss’s fortress. As Olivia passed by the second set of beefy guards who insisted on manhandling her, she was very near an uncontrollable inferno of rage. The man ran his pack like it was the mafia and he was the godfather. She would have thought it laughable if it wasn’t for the fact that he did deal in illegal activities, like drug running and prostitution. Werewolves made great drug carriers. Drug-sniffing dogs were always afraid and never barked at them.
When she was finally allowed access to the main part of the house, she stormed through the foyer and toward the back of the house where she knew Fisher was working out. He was religious about his workouts. He liked to keep his body lean and streamlined. Olivia admitted that he had a fabulous physique. It was the rest of him that she was starting to despise.
She reached the solid oak door of his gym and pushed it open with all her strength. It bounced against the wall with a loud, reverberating bang. Fisher glanced up briefly from the stair climber he was on as she marched into the room.
“Good morning, darling.”
“Cram it, a**hole,” she said through clenched teeth while she stood in front of his machine.
Fisher sighed heavily, wiped his forehead with his towel, and powered down his stepper. He grabbed the bottle of water sitting on top of the machine and chugged down half of it before he faced her.
“In a bad mood today?”
“Why did you have me followed?” She put up her hand to stop him before he could speak. “And don’t bother denying it. I nearly took a chunk out of your errand boy.”
Chuckling, he said, “Yes, I heard.” He moved past her and toward the adjacent bathroom.
Olivia followed him into the room, anger swirling dangerously around her. “Why?”
Fisher set the bottle of water on the counter and stripped off his sodden tank top. Tossing it into the laundry basket, he looked at her. The smell of his male sweat and blossoming desire was interfering with her righteous anger.
“I thought you might be in danger.”
“Bullshit.”
He blinked in shock. “You don’t think you could be?”
“No.”
“I noticed Garrick was quite taken with you the other night at the club. You don’t think he’d come after you?”
She hesitated. He was baiting her. He knew of their past relationship and was obviously unsure if they had taken it up again. He was testing her loyalties.
“No. He’d have nothing to gain coming after me. I’m nobody to him.”
Stepping closer, Fisher touched her shoulder with his fingertips. The wound from Garrick’s bite had all but healed, but the scars remained. They ached every so often to remind her of their presence.
“Are you sure?”
Olivia met his gaze and kept it as she stepped into his touch. “Yes, I’m sure.”
For a moment as Fisher ran his fingertips up to her cheek and over her lips, she forgot what kind of man he was. She could only feel the gentleness of his touch and see the honest, raw emotion on his face.
Lifting her chin, she parted her lips in invitation.
He smiled, and the moment was lost. Arrogance and selfishness swiftly came back into his eyes before he bent down to kiss her.
At the last moment, she turned her head, and his lips brushed her cheek.
“Good. The last thing I need is my lead bitch sniffing in that prick’s direction.” He straightened and took another swig from the bottle of water. “I mean, how would that look to the rest of the pack?”
Olivia smirked.“Yeah, right.”
“Don’t worry, Olivia, I wasn’t that concerned. Since I heard that he was f**king someone else, I’ve lessened my suspicions.”
With his last words, her head snapped up, and she glared at him. She tried to rein in her feelings, but she knew by the smug look on his face that she had reacted exactly like he’d hoped she would. Clamping down on her emotions, Olivia straightened her shoulders and tried to salvage the situation. She still needed the security of his pack, if not his collaboration in her plans.
“Of course he’s f**king around. He’s put the word out that he’s looking for a mate. I imagine women all over the city are taking a number.” She smiled. She hoped the last little barb dented his ego somewhat.
Fisher had to know that Garrick was every bitch’s wet dream.
As if she had a psychic ability to choose the perfect time to enter,Malina strolled into the bathroom. She smiled coyly at Olivia,then jumped up onto the counter as if she owned the place. Fisher patted her on the leg, like a child, or a pet.
“Malinawas telling me all about her time with Garrick.”
Olivia swallowed down the words that threatened to explode out of her mouth. Of all the bitches in the city, whyMalina ? She hated the conniving, manipulative woman. Since the moment Olivia had integrated into Fisher’s pack,Malina had been sniffing around her. She supposed that her quick ascension up the ranks had putMalina’s back up. She had been next in line to be Fisher’s mate. But Olivia’s determination and physical strength had pushed her aside. Olivia could still remember the fight they’d had a few months back.Malina had conceded to her, but not before she had broken two of Olivia’s ribs and almost tore off her hand. Her wrist still throbbed when she exerted herself. Olivia rubbed a hand over the wrist that even now tingled just from thinking about it.
Malinagrinned when she noticed Olivia’s actions.
Olivia dropped her hand to her side and glanced at Fisher. He was watching her, a smug smile on his face. “Did she tell you how good he was, Fisher?”