Page 23 of New Blood (Werewolf Alliance #1)

J ude walked into the dining room, where a breakfast buffet was set up.

Judging by the half-empty serving dishes and the dirty plates on the table, most of the house’s inhabitants had already eaten their breakfast. He’d overslept.

Not a surprise. After all, he’d slept better than he had in a long time.

Making love to Danielle out there in the woods had satisfied his inner wolf, allowing him to truly rest and relax for a few hours.

“There you are,” Ransom said, looking up from his plate.

“Morning,” Jude replied while loading up his plate with eggs and bacon.

He took his full plate and placed it opposite Ransom, then took a seat. He poured himself a cup of strong black coffee.

“I forgot to ask you: how was your day with the horses yesterday?”

Jude shoved a forkful of food into his mouth and chewed. Damn, he was hungry.

“The horses were fine. The company?” Ransom grimaced. “Not so much.”

“Can’t have been that bad. At least you don’t have to mate with her.”

The words were out before he could stop himself. What the fuck was wrong with him? He normally kept his feelings to himself.

Ransom stared at him in disbelief. “So you don’t like her either, huh?”

“Forget what I said. It’s immaterial.”

Ransom huffed, sarcasm dripping off him. “Yeah, right. I mean, nothing against her body, but her attitude? Yeah, she can shove that where the sun doesn’t shine.”

“Ransom! Shut it! When I said forget it, I meant it.”

He shrugged. “As you wish. But just a word of advice from one man to another: you don’t always have to go with the obvious choice.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Eve’s not the only Gallagher female of childbearing age.”

“So you’re saying I should take Violet instead?” Jude shook his head. “She’s practically a child.”

“She’s twenty-seven, according to the file.”

“You’re proving my point: she’s way too young. I prefer women with more experience.”

In general, that statement was correct; however, when it came to Danielle, he didn’t care how old she was or how experienced or inexperienced.

Last night, she’d shown him that all he truly needed from a woman was her love.

And while Danielle had never said the words—nor had he—, he had felt them in her actions.

“Excuse me, please.”

Jude spun his head toward the door, from where Danielle entered with a tray of more bacon and eggs. He stared at her as she walked to the buffet.

“Good morning,” Ransom said cheerfully. “Yay, more bacon. Thanks, Danielle.”

Had Danielle heard his conversation with Ransom? Fuck, if she’d heard his last words, she would probably find him callous, when all he’d wanted was to get Ransom off his back.

“Good morning, Danielle,” Jude finally said, forcing himself to sound casual.

He couldn’t afford for Ransom to notice how her presence affected him. Luckily, a large napkin lay across his lap so nobody could see that his cock was swelling. And why wouldn’t it? Danielle’s natural scent filled the dining room, and with every breath he took, his desire for her grew.

“Good morning, both of you,” Danielle said, her voice even as if she didn’t sense what she was doing to him.

She turned away from the buffet, two empty serving dishes in her hands.

“If you need anything else, please let me know.”

“Thank you, Danielle. That’s very kind of you,” Ransom said pleasantly, smiling at her.

She smiled back. Fuck! Was Ransom flirting with her?

“Yes, thank you, Danielle,” Jude said quickly as she exited the room.

When they were alone again, Ransom leaned across the table and pointed toward the door. “Now, she is nice. Welcoming, no bad attitude, not like others in this household.”

“You’d better not be thinking of hooking up with her,” Jude ground out.

Ransom shrugged. “And why not? It’s not like I want anything serious. I mean, we both know that I need to remain free so the Alliance can send me to another pack when it’s time. Nothing wrong with having a little fun in the meantime.”

Jude narrowed his eyes. He couldn’t allow Ransom to go down that road. “If you want fun, you should pick one of the women who was at the oath ceremony last night. Danielle is far too shy for you to have fun with in bed. You can do better. Handsome guy like you.”

He hoped that was enough to deter him from going after Danielle.

“You’re probably right. I do have certain standards to maintain,” Ransom said with a smirk.

Just like he’d thought. Ransom wouldn’t become a problem.

Danielle pressed a hand over her mouth in order not to react to what she’d heard.

She’d returned the serving dishes to the kitchen when she’d realized that she’d forgotten to put the glass lid on the eggs that prevented them from getting cold.

A few steps away from the door to the dining room, she’d heard Jude’s cruel words.

Danielle is far too shy for you to have fun with in bed. You can do better.

The words hurt as if he’d stabbed her in the heart with a dagger.

How could she have been so stupid not to realize that Jude had only used her?

That he’d come after her just for sex while he was waiting to mate with Eve.

And then to tell Ransom that she was no fun in bed!

Had Jude perhaps also told him that he’d slept with her and had been disappointed?

And clearly, he hadn’t even wanted to penetrate her, because—God forbid—she could become pregnant by him, and what a catastrophe that would be for him to have a child with her.

She’d totally misread him. How stupid, how na?ve she was!

She’d recognized him as her mate and assumed he’d recognized the same in her.

Yet, she’d not considered that sometimes fate was cruel, and the feelings weren’t mutual.

It happened in a small number of cases of fated mates, where the male or the female didn’t recognize the other as their mate, didn’t get that special feeling of certainty.

Goddamn it!

Jude had played her in the cruelest way. She was in the process of making the same mistake her mother had made. History was repeating itself. But she wouldn’t let it happen. She wouldn’t end up like her mother. Instead, she would take charge of her own life and do what she needed to do.

Danielle pivoted and marched back across the hallway in the direction of the kitchen.

“Danielle.”

The voice startled her more than it should. Taking a deep breath, she calmed her thundering heart and turned her head. “Violet? Do you need anything?”

Violet was dressed in a pretty skirt and a flattering top that accentuated her slim figure. She held several thick files to her chest.

“Have you seen Jude? I’m supposed to present the finances to him, but he’s not in Dad’s office… I mean his office.”

“Yeah, he’s still in the dining room.”

“Thanks.”

As Violet walked to the dining room, Danielle went back into the kitchen and began to stack dishes into the dishwasher. It was a monotonous task, and her mind began to wander. She had to make a decision about her future, and she had to make it fast.

“Uhm… Danielle, is it?”

At the hesitating question, Danielle turned around and saw one of Jude’s men standing in the doorway.

“Yes?”

“I’m Parker in case you don’t remember my name.”

While she’d tried to memorize the newcomers’ names, she hadn’t quite managed to put a name to the man who looked like a surfer with his dark-blond tousled hair, the wide grin, and the southern drawl.

He seemed less intense than the rest of the Werewolf Alliance team, despite being just as tall and muscular as his colleagues—or perhaps friends.

From the few interactions she’d seen, it was clear that they’d known each other for a long time and were a tight-knit team.

It wasn’t a surprise. A man who deposed an alpha to take over a pack needed people whom he could trust and who had his back.

“Good morning, Parker. Is there anything I can do for you?”

“Just wanted to let you know, in case anybody asks for me, I’m driving to the airport now to get Austin and Francisco. Their plane’s touching down in about a half hour.”

“Thanks, I’ll let the others know.”

He made a step into the kitchen. “While I’m out: do you need me to get anything from the store?”

Surprised that he would offer to help out with household tasks, she shook her head.

In the six years she’d been with the Gallaghers, Cameron and Byron had never asked if they could help out with household chores.

Only Thaddeus had occasionally offered his help, and each time it had looked like he only did it because he needed an excuse to leave the house.

Danielle gave him a smile. “Flora and Priscilla are on a Costco run right now. But thanks for asking.”

Parker nodded. “Righty-oh. See ya later.”

And like a whirlwind, he was gone, leaving her alone with her thoughts.