Her Fierce Wolf (Marked By The Moon Book 2) Read online

  MARKED BY THE MOON BOOK TWO

  KESTRA PINGREE

  Copyright

  Copyright © 2017 Kestra Pingree

  All Rights Reserved

  No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. Any unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal.

  This is a work of fiction.

  kestrapingree.com

  Summary

  She’s a hopeless romantic.

  Willow Sipe had her heart broken by the wolf who was supposed to be her mate. He wouldn’t have left if he was her Fated Mate. Destiny wouldn’t allow that.

  She’ll stop at nothing to find the man made for her. He’ll be everything she ever dreamed of, sexy, sweet, and devoted. She’s going to get her happy ending no matter what it takes.

  He doesn’t do romance.

  Derek Myers is a lone wolf. He does what he wants when he wants. He doesn’t know a thing about this Fated Mate stuff, but he knows he doesn’t want anything to do with it.

  What’s a guy to do when an irresistible she-wolf shows up and keeps hounding him about destiny finally bringing them together?

  Fated Mates. Forever Love.

  Table of Contents

  Copyright

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Epilogue

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  Chapter 1

  DEREK MYERS SCORED BIG tonight. Erin Smith was totally loaded.

  The naked brunette crawled toward him on the expensive, plush hotel bed like the vixen she was. She made sure to draw attention to her ample breasts with each movement. Her lips were painted a deep red, an entrancing color that seemed too red to be a real color. It contrasted with the harsh white of her teeth, barely visible in her softly parted mouth. She had practically drowned herself in a white lily perfume that made Derek feel like sneezing, but it was only because his nose was hyper sensitive. It was a normal and acceptable human amount of perfume. She paid attention to every inch of her body and worked to make herself as enticing as possible. She was a pro in bed and at ensnaring men. She was hungry for him.

  He was hungry for her money.

  She held out one of those tight as fuck role play costumes some women got off on. This one was supposedly a cop uniform, but it was really nothing more than a spandex thong, a police cap, and a damn tie. It was all jet black like Derek’s cropped hair. Aside from the handcuffs. Those could be useful.

  “Put this on,” she said in a smoky voice she probably meant to be sexy. She likely used it on a nightly basis with whatever men she managed to catch after attending another lavish party. She was hot, but there was no guarantee Derek was going to get laid tonight. He really wanted her money, and he was going to take it as soon as the time was right. If he was allowed to fulfill his physical need along with this woman’s before then, that would be a plus. But he wasn’t counting on it.

  “You got it, babe,” Derek replied as he kissed her aggressively before jumping off the bed to discard the stolen suit he was wearing in order to put on the dumb costume. He had to keep reminding himself to be patient and to play the part.

  “The safe word is ‘gold.’ Have you done this before?” she asked as she lay on her stomach. Her hands framed her face, her electric blue nails a splash of color against her pale skin, as she watched him strip and put on the costume. He was sure she was enjoying every inch of his rippling muscles. Ladies always appreciated a ripped man.

  Instead of answering her, he snapped the handcuffs, causing her to flinch. Good. They were real metal and held together by heavy chains. This woman had a serious fetish. He would have called her careless, but she had two buff bodyguards waiting outside of the Crystal Cavern suite. Not just any bodyguards either. They were like him. Shifters. Though, his nose told him they weren’t wolves. It didn’t surprise him that a woman like her would attract shifters. She had money, and shifter men seemed to have an endless supply of ripped bodies. He was sure she didn’t know what they really were. Shifters were quiet about that kind of thing. It was common sense. Self-preservation.

  “You’re under arrest,” Derek told the brunette in his “cop” voice. Deep. Husky. He knew what women liked. The scent of her arousal wafting in the air confirmed that.

  He didn’t give Erin time to react as he pounced on top of her. She feigned struggling underneath him. Her arousal was heady. It was useful having such a sensitive nose. Heightened senses in general. It made it easy to tailor how he acted in bed to each individual woman he seduced.

  He ran his hands down her body. Touching her smooth skin forcefully, grabbing her breasts, pinching her nipples. Cupping her sex. Fingering her pussy. She was moaning and groaning, pleading and saying things like, “No, I’m a good girl, officer,” and, “Please, not there.” To women like Erin, it was all part of the fun.

  It was time. Derek had her senses going haywire in mere seconds with all the stimulation he was forcing on her. He caught her wrists in one hand and held the handcuffs in his other. He cuffed one of her wrists to one of the silvery headboard bars.

  “Now you be a good girl,” he whispered.

  She whimpered underneath him, completely unaware of what was about to happen next. He yanked her handkerchief from her purse sitting on the crystalline headboard and shoved it into her mouth. She thought it was all part of the role play at first, apparently not worried she wouldn’t be able to say the safe word, until Derek got off her and grabbed his pants and shoes on the silver carpet. He put them on and grabbed her purse in a flash. She tried to say something, but the gag effectively made her words nothing more than a garble.

  He saluted her with a smirk. He knew her bodyguards would be in here at any moment. That was why he was intentionally being quiet. He was sure they’d be able to hear anything he said. He went to the window and slid it open in one smooth motion. He moved quickly, refusing to take any chances. He didn’t know all the contents of Erin’s purse, but the expensive jewelry she put inside after getting undressed earlier meant this was definitely worth it. He’d be able to pawn it all off for a pretty price. Hell, the purse itself was a hot designer brand.

  Just as he was climbing through the window, the door to the suite slammed open. Derek didn’t look back. He grabbed the window ledge and dropped down the bejeweled walls decorating the Crystal Cavern. He steadied himself by jamming his feet into the glittering gems. Then he started descending like a pro rock climber. The hotel was pretty damn impressive. It was like no other. It was one of those places that could only be afforded by people with shit tons of cash. Right now, he was damn grateful for all the crystal-y architecture because he was climbing down from the seventh floor.

  It was late at night, making the flash of neon all throughout Las Vegas as impressive as ever. Derek was so busy watching the next gemstone he placed his foot or hand on that he startled when a bullet ricocheted off one just above his head. Of course her bodyguards had guns, but Derek had made it far enough. He jumped, latching onto a palm tree, and sliding the rest of the way down the abrasive tree trunk. It was worth all the sc
ratches. And they’d heal soon enough. That was one of the perks of being a shifter.

  Looking like a royal douche in nothing more than dress pants, shoes, and a tie, he ran through the dark, using the foliage around the Crystal Cavern to hide him from any oncoming bullets and the hoity-toity butlers that were like fucking soldiers stationed all around the hotel, treating the place like a castle. He didn’t hear another shot fired, but that didn’t mean he was in the clear. He kept running, keeping his cool. This wasn’t his first time getting shot at. He did glance behind his shoulder one last time, but it wasn’t to check if he was being followed. He didn’t sense anyone around. He was taking one last look at the impressive building.

  He had heard of the Crystal Caverns, pricey hotels scattered throughout the United States, but he had never been inside of one before tonight because they were way out of his league. There had been big talk on the news about them recently since Cedric Snow had gone missing—or had run away. He was the eldest son of Tonya and Arthur Snow, the owners of the Crystal Caverns. The news speculated the latter, that Cedric had run away. Apparently, the guy was an irresponsible piece of shit who didn’t live up to his big-name bloodline. He even had a family, but he must not have cared about them since he hadn’t stuck around. It was probably an arranged marriage anyway. Derek wondered what it must have been like to be born into a family with money like that, but as Cedric Snow’s actions would suggest, that life wasn’t perfect either. He supposed even rich bastards flew the coop every now and then.

  Derek kept up the pace, dodging around the people engaged in the endless nightlife the Las Vegas Strip had to offer. Even with the way he was dressed, he didn’t draw much attention. It was another perk of being in this particular city. One woman in a glittery dress purred at him as he squeezed by her. He winked in response, but he didn’t stop running until he got to the parking lot he had left his old Harley-Davidson FLSTF Fat Boy in. The old and prized motorcycle was the one possession he held on to. It had seen better days, but he kept it. Even someone like him needed something to claim as his own. Amazingly enough, the thing seemed to be pretty lucky too. No one ever touched it. He often left his leather jacket on the seat when he was out someplace he couldn’t wear it. No one ever took it. He considered his Fat Boy a lucky charm.

  After donning his leather jacket, he hopped on his bike and revved up the engine. He loved the growl it made. It was a sound that spoke to his inner wolf and made him want to growl with it.

  “Let’s ride, baby,” he said.

  The Fat Boy’s tires screeched as it jumped a curb and landed on the road right in front of a truck. The truck honked and the driver shouted profanities out his window. Derek only grinned. He urged his bike faster as he weaved in and out of the cars in front of him and headed on down the busy, lit up road.

  It was time to abandon this city. He needed a break from it all. He was thinking about going somewhere quiet for once. He could afford to after pawning off Erin Smith’s jewelry. Yeah, somewhere quiet sounded nice. He’d pick a state he had never stayed in. Idaho sounded good. Nothing happened in Idaho. He could lie low for a while.

  Chapter 2

  “HEY, MAX.”

  “Hey, Willow.”

  “You ready for today’s lesson?”

  Maxim Goulding, an Awakened Wolf and damn handsome shifter, looked up at his Beta sheepishly as he sat on the porch steps of the newly constructed motel room he was living in.

  “I thought Nick, er, the Alpha was the only one who was giving me lessons now,” Max said quietly.

  Willow shrugged. Nickolas Sipe may have been the Alpha of Blue Pack, but she was his Beta. That gave her some leeway. She had a leadership position in the pack. She also took advantage of being his baby sister.

  “Nick’s busy today, so I’m going to be your teacher,” Willow established.

  Max looked uncertain. He brushed his golden blond hair out of his blue eyes and cast his gaze to the ground. “I mean, you’re the Beta,” he said. “Whatever you say. The sooner I can get this wolf stuff under control, the sooner I can get back to Lizbeth.”

  Max had been a guest in Moonwatch for about a month now. Ever since Nick found his Fated Mate, things started changing for Blue Pack and wolf shifters in general it seemed. Everyone thought wolf shifters were dying out. Everyone thought Nick’s Fated Mate was a human. Turned out neither of those things were true. Gwendolyn Laney, the love of Nick’s life, was, in fact, a Sleeping Wolf. On the Full Moon night Nick claimed her as his own, her wolf awakened. Other Awakened Wolves started showing up at the same time, but it wasn’t until a month later, on the next Full Moon, that Blue Pack became aware. Nick ordered the pack to spread the word that all new wolves were welcome and that Blue Pack would help them if they came to Moonwatch.

  Plenty of Awakened Wolves had a hard time coming to terms with the change they experienced. They didn’t know how to play nice with the wolf that had been sleeping inside of them all this time they thought they were human. But Max was by far the worst. He was borderline Berserker. If he couldn’t learn how to play nice with his wolf, his wolf would eventually take him over. He’d never be able to shift into a human again and would become a rabid, mindless animal. Instead of being chosen by the Moon, he would become cursed.

  Willow was determined to make sure that didn’t happen. That meant going behind her brother’s back today to do some one-on-one training with Max herself since her brother had his hands full with the new members of Blue Pack, former Storm Wolves. They were located in Eastbrook and were in the process of moving over to Moonwatch. Understandably, they wanted to be closer to their Alpha. Moonwatch had grown exponentially in the past few months between Nick taking over Storm Pack and all of these Awakened Wolves showing up.

  To be fair, Willow did try to get her brother’s approval to coach Max, but he told her no way, saying Max was too dangerous and too much for her to handle when his wolf was called out. There were even times when Max was dangerous just being around everyone else. He ripped a wolf up pretty good a couple weeks ago. To the most part, he seemed calm, but that was partly because he had been isolating himself. His wolf didn’t fight him so hard when he wasn’t around other wolf shifters. It was all very peculiar to Willow. How the wolf and human side of a wolf shifter could be so at odds with each other was unusual as far as she knew. Her human and wolf sides were the two parts that made her who she was. She couldn’t be one without the other.

  Whatever. She was going to do this. Max needed help. He didn’t need to know that she hadn’t gotten permission from the Alpha.

  “L-look,” Max said, “I don’t want to shift in front of you.”

  “Still not used to the naked thing?” Willow asked, cocking her head as she fastened a piece of her curly white-blond hair behind her ear. Nudity was another reservation many Awakened Wolves had but most got over it fast. It wasn’t weird for a wolf to be naked. They realized that and it became a natural thing that stopped bothering most of them after a few shifts. It was the human side of them, the society they grew up in, that told them public nudity was a no no.

  “I don’t want to hurt you,” Max clarified.

  Willow laughed. “You’re not going to hurt me.” She wasn’t afraid of him.

  Max stared down at his hands in his lap. “My track record says otherwise.”

  Well, he did have a point there. That was why Nick kind of put him in isolation.

  “You and your wolf need to learn how to play nice someday,” she said. “You want to get back to your girlfriend, right? Lizbeth is waiting for you.”

  “Yeah, right. She hasn’t been returning my calls lately. She knows something’s wrong and that I’ve been lying to her,” he said, utterly dejected. “Good thing I chickened out and didn’t ask her to marry me that night. The only real thing I have going for me is the fact that I can do my job remotely from anywhere as long as there’s Wi-Fi and I have my laptop.”

  “Don’t say things like that.” Willow frowned. “When you have y
our wolf under control, you can tell her the truth.”

  Max shook his head. “I don’t know.”

  “Did you already buy her a ring and everything?”

  “Yeah. Left it at my apartment that night. She told me her dream wedding ring once. I wrote down all the details to make sure I wouldn’t forget a single thing and ordered a custom ring just like it.”

  “Ugh.” Willow sat down beside him on the porch stairs and gave him a big hug. “You’re so damn cute. You know that? I’d kill for a mate like you.”

  “Thanks. I think,” he said uncertainly as he gave her a little squeeze back.

  Mates. Fated Mates. Love. It was all a bit of a sore topic for Willow. She had a wolf she wanted to call her mate when she was eighteen. He was her best friend. He was a wolf her father had picked out for her, thinking it would save the wolf shifters from disappearing. Wolves weren’t having pups or even conceiving back then. Females weren’t going into heat, their most fertile time, either. When they did manage to conceive, more often than not, their offspring appeared to be wolfless. Those were dark times in Blue Pack. Many wolves, not just those in Blue Pack, gave up their children because they were such purists, anti-human and all that. Turned out they gave up pups. Sleeping Wolves. At least wolves were opening up to the rest of the world now. Nick claimed Gwen when he thought she was a human. Prejudice was slowly leaving the pack. As a whole, things had never been better.

  But Willow was still sore. She never got that wolf she loved, the one her father picked for her, because he ran away the night he was supposed to claim her. He didn’t like the way Blue Pack lived, or he just didn’t like Willow. She wondered about that sometimes. Thinking about him, thinking about Casey Hunt, hurt even to this day, and she had just turned twenty-five. Ever since Casey left, she had hoped that Fated Mates were real, that she would find someone someday made for her. Someone who would love her unconditionally and never leave her. If Nick and Gwen were anything to go by, she knew, at the very least, that Fated Mates existed in this world. It wasn’t impossible. But Casey wasn’t her Fated Mate, and she would never see him again. He was as good as dead. Just like her parents.