Page 32 of New Blood (Werewolf Alliance #1)

I n the laundry room on the first floor, Danielle folded the remaining towels and put them back into the laundry basket.

With so many more people living on the estate now, several loads of laundry had to be done daily.

She didn’t mind the work because it allowed her to let her mind wander back to the previous night.

Her body was still humming with pleasure, and her skin tingled whenever she thought of Jude.

She’d never felt like this before. Of course, she’d had boyfriends, or rather one-night-stands with strangers she would never see again, but those sexual adventures had been few and far between.

Since she’d come to live with the Gallagher pack, she’d rarely gone out to bars to hook up with somebody.

In bars, she’d always felt comfortable, because she’d worked in one when her mother was still alive.

She’d always dressed in a way that accentuated her physical attributes, her slim waist and ample breasts.

She knew that the male customers liked looking at her, because it had increased the tips she earned.

And it had given her a boost in confidence.

Besides, she’d loved flirting with men. She’d loved having fun, being carefree—until one night she’d found Carl beating her mother. Everything had changed that night.

When they’d found a pack that took them in, she’d thought that she could resume her normal life.

But when they’d planned to force her to mate with one of their vilest members, she’d realized that she had to change.

She had to make sure that men weren’t attracted to her, so she wouldn’t become prey to them.

Out of necessity, she’d become more introverted.

And she’d used this shy, introverted persona as a protective shield so nobody would take any notice of her and leave her alone, rather than try to find a mate for her.

It had worked. Until now. Jude had noticed her anyway.

Now they belonged to each other, and that thought was exhilarating and frightening at the same time.

In his arms, she’d felt safe for the first time in many years, but the thought of having to confront the Gallagher family with a fait accompli sent a shiver down her spine.

Knowing Eve, she would accuse her of stealing Jude away from her, and even Flora, who’d often been kind to her, would feel betrayed.

She felt like a usurper, even though she knew that Jude would protect her, and the Gallaghers would have to accept her as the alpha female of the pack.

However, no matter how long she thought about this, one problem remained: by having taken her as his mate, Jude couldn’t unite the pack through a union between him and Eve.

The Gallaghers had no reason to accept him.

He was an outsider who’d mated with another outsider. It would fracture the pack even more.

“Hey…”

The whispered word made her whirl around and let out a startled gasp.

“Jude,” she murmured and looked past him to the open door of the laundry room, checking if anybody was in the hallway.

But Jude filled almost the entire doorframe, making it impossible for her to see much. He took a step closer, leaving the door cracked open.

“I was disappointed that you weren’t there when I woke up.”

Her heart fluttered, because she, too, would have liked to wake up with him. “I couldn’t stay, or somebody might have seen me leave your bedroom.”

“It doesn’t have to be that way.” He leaned in. “Just say the word, and I’ll announce our union to the pack.”

His masculine scent wrapped around her, drugging her.

She felt the magnetic pull he had on her, filling her with the need to touch him.

Or rub herself all over him. Damn, now that he’d made love to her, she wanted him even more, knowing how her body reacted to him and what kind of pleasure they could give each other.

“Fuck, baby,” he whispered. “I wish I could take you right here.”

Before she could even respond, Jude touched her lips with his and kissed her passionately.

Her back touched the wall, while he pressed his body to hers, making her aware of his arousal.

He was just as hard and as big as the night before.

Instinctively, she molded to him, giving in to his demand.

Her mate’s demand. She knew it was their bond that made her feel like putty in his arms.

It was common knowledge that when one partner initiated intimacy, their mate was powerless, unable to resist because of the magical connection between them.

But she knew it was more than that, more than just fate that connected them.

She felt it in her heart, felt the love that was growing there.

She didn’t just need him; she wanted him.

Feeling the hunger with which he kissed her, she melted into him, her hands caressing him, one sliding to his ass to yank him even closer.

As she rubbed herself against his erection, Jude moaned into her mouth.

A deep feeling of satisfaction settled in her as she recognized the power she had over him, the power to make him lose control, the same power he had over her.

She understood now that being with a powerful man, an alpha, was something she’d secretly always dreamed of, because he was teasing something out of her that she never thought she had: strength.

She wasn’t weak like everybody always assumed, but had merely hidden her nature to fit in, to not make any waves. Until now.

With every stroke of his tongue against hers, her body heated more until a massive bonfire seemed to rage inside her, consuming her with need and desire.

When she suddenly felt cool air waft against her lips, she realized that Jude had severed the kiss.

She stared at him and noticed him breathing raggedly.

His eyes were blazing, not quite human anymore.

The wolf inside him was simmering just below the surface, still hidden from everyone but her.

She could see the wolf. A low growl escaped from her throat, a sign that her own wolf wanted to be unleashed.

“Damn, Danielle, I don’t know how long I can pretend in front of the rest of the pack that there’s nothing between us,” he said, his voice colored with a tinge of frustration. “Don’t you see what you’re doing to me?”

She saw it only too well, because the same was happening to her. She put a hand on his chest and felt his strong heartbeat drum against her palm.

“I…,” she said, hesitating.

She didn’t know why she was still holding on to the belief that she needed more time to prepare herself for the fallout from the Gallagher family. No matter how long they waited, the Gallaghers’ wrath would descend on her and Jude.

“We’ll talk about it tonight, after everybody is asleep,” she suggested.

“Alright,” he conceded and leaned in again.

Knowing another kiss would only lead to them making love in the laundry room, she pressed both hands against his chest.

“Don’t, please,” she begged.

He inhaled a long breath. “Okay, tonight then.” He turned halfway, before he turned back again. “Oh, before I forget: there’ll be a big dinner tonight. Heath found a deer that was bleeding out in the woods.”

Shocked, she gasped. “What happened?”

“It looks like a wolf took it down last night or early this morning. Ripped out its throat, then went for the heart.”

“And the heart was gone?” she asked, even though she guessed the answer.

“Yeah. It must have been somebody from the pack. Has that happened here before, when William was still in charge?”

For a moment, she contemplated her answer. “Not a deer, no. But something smaller.”

“What do you mean?”

She hesitated, not wanting to talk badly about anyone, but she couldn’t keep it to herself now.

“Byron… whenever he fought with his father, he’d go into the woods and hunt. You know, rabbits or coyotes, and rip their hearts out to eat them. But never a deer.”

“You’re saying that whenever he’s angry, that’s what he does?”

“I don’t know if it’s happening every time, but I’ve seen that when he’s frustrated with something or really angry, he’ll take it out on something.”

She’d seen it herself once when she’d come across him in the woods. She’d made a wide berth around him at the time, not wanting him to know what she’d seen.

She shrugged. “It’s not that unusual though,” she added. “I mean, we all hunt on occasion when the wolf inside us demands it. Surely, you and your men aren’t any different.”

“No, we’re not. You’re right.” He sighed. “But it’s different when somebody does it out of anger. That’s something that can escalate quickly. First it’s a rabbit, then a coyote, then a deer.”

She understood where he was going. “And then a human. Like what Cameron did.”

Jude nodded. “I’m afraid so. Keep an eye out, okay, baby?”

He pulled her closer, and she didn’t stop him when he kissed her again.