Chapter 26

OLIVE

As Dinah, Daisy, Amber, and Alice make their entrance, I fill everyone’s glass with wine.

We lift our glasses in a toast to friendship before taking a generous “sip.” No judgment here, we’ve had a rough couple of days!

“How are you holding up?” I ask Dinah.

“I’m actually feeling better than I have in a ~long~ time.” Dinah chuckles before turning to Daisy.

“Daisy, remember, if you ever need anything, I owe you a life debt.” She grins.

“Dinah, how many times do I have to say it? You don’t owe me anything! I did what anyone else would’ve done.” She nudges Dinah playfully.

“Alright! But one day, even if it’s a decade from now, you better come to me first so I can at least ~feel~ like I’ve repaid you in some way.”

“Okay, it’s a deal.” Daisy nods.

“So, how does it feel to be a mated nymph?” Dinah asks.

Daisy’s cheeks turn a bright red against her pale skin. “It’s all so new and confusing, but I’m excited about my future with Max and having… What do wolves call their babies?”

I chuckle at Daisy’s innocence. “We call them our pups.” I smile at her.

“Ugh, I, for one, do ~not~ want to think about my brother mating, ever.” Amber makes a face.

Dinah laughs. “What do you think your mate will be like, Amber?”

Amber blanches, her usual sassiness replaced with shyness. “Ohhh, I don’t know, probably some alpha hunk from a powerful pack I haven’t met yet.” She pretends to swoon.

I have to admit, she’s good at hiding her true feelings. She could be a great actress. Dinah doesn’t seem to notice her inner turmoil.

Amber turns to Dinah. “What about you, Dee?”

“Ha! I doubt I’ll ever find my mate,” she says, trying to pass it off as a joke. But in her eyes, I can see she truly believes her words.

“Why?” I ask.

“I’ve traveled the world. I’ve been to almost every pack and still no sign of him.” She sighs and pouts.

“Maybe you just missed each other. I’m sure he’s out there somewhere. He’ll show up when you least expect it, trust me. I certainly wasn’t expecting Zeke to be my mate!” I joke.

Dinah nods slowly, then takes a deep breath and claps her hands together.

“Anyway! Let’s not get all gloomy. Let’s get this party started!” she says, cueing up some music.

Amber is whooping and hollering while Daisy looks bewildered. Alice looks like an excited schoolgirl.

I look at my friends and realize something. We’re a mix of personalities, but we’ve all bonded and become close—like family.

We all understand and accept each other’s flaws.

Amber jumps up and grabs some shot glasses, pouring us all a shot of tequila and handing them out.

“Ready? Go!” Amber shouts.

We all shudder at the taste, but that doesn’t stop Amber from pouring us another four rounds of shots.

“Ugh, gross! Not another one!” Alice waves her hands in disgust.

“Come on, Alice. You can do better than that!” Amber chuckles, amused by her polar opposite twin.

Dinah cranks up the music and we all start dancing, swaying our hips to the beat.

I can’t remember the last time I had this much fun and really let loose.

We laugh, drink, and dance for the next three hours. Suddenly, Zeke’s deep voice enters my mind.

~“Hello, Little Wolf, are you having fun?”~ he asks in a sensual tone.

~“Hey, you!”~ I slur. ~“I’m having the best time, with my best girls! Are you having fun torturing and what not?”~

Zeke chuckles through the mind-link.

~“I’m glad you’re having fun, my queen. Now...I know you’ve been drinking, but I need you to focus on what I’m about to say. Can you do that for me, Little Wolf?”~

I nod and say, ~“Mhm,”~ through the link.

~“That’s my girl. We’ve had a breakthrough with the demon. There’s a traitor among us.~

~“Someone in the pack. I need you to warn your friends to stay on guard, but this information mustn’t leave the pack house, okay?”~ he says seriously.

~“Oh my goddess. Okay, okay, I got it. I will warn the girls now,”~ I say, sobering up a bit.

~“I’ll see you in the morning, my love,”~ he says before closing the mind-link.

I look at my friends as they laugh and dance, completely unaware of the traitor hiding in our pack.

I clear my throat. “Girls...Zeke just gave me some news.”

They all stop dancing, their smiles replaced with worried frowns.

“Is everything okay, Olive?” Alice asks, looking at me with concern.

“The demon has revealed there’s a traitor in our pack.”

Alice and Daisy gasp, Amber covers her mouth in shock, and Daisy clutches her heart. Dinah, the warrior, puts on her battle face.

“We can’t trust anyone in the pack and must stay on guard until this is resolved,” I say.

They all nod.

“Another shot to take the edge off?” Amber grins, raising an eyebrow.

“Sure! Why not!” Dinah laughs.

Amber heads off to whip up another round of drinks while Dinah cranks up the music.

Daisy’s dancing, but she’s stiff with worry.

“Loosen up, Daisy. Let it go!” Dinah teases.

“Do you think they’re okay?” Daisy asks.

“Absolutely! Max is an alpha, remember? He’s got a lot of power packed into those muscles,” Dinah replies with a playful grin.

Daisy chuckles, and I can see some of the tension drain from her.

“You’re right! He’s got this. Why am I even worried?” she wonders aloud.

“Who’s ready for SHOTS!?” Amber hollers, strutting over with a tray full of shots.

We each grab one and knock it back.

We keep the party going, dancing for another hour until sleep starts to tug at us. Our beds are beckoning.

We quickly arrange our makeshift bed on the floor, crawl in, and surrender to sleep.

In my dream, the demon with the cold green eyes appears. ~“Couldn’t just let the mutt die, could you?”~ he hisses with venom. ~“You’re weak, like your father.~

~“But don’t worry, I’ll grind you down until your will is nothing but a reflection of mine.”~

I wish I could stop these dream visits. I know what he’s up to. He’s trying to break me, make me feel worthless so he can control me easier.

But I can’t figure out how to keep him out of my dreams.

So, I just let him rant and rave, and I stay silent. This seems to infuriate him more, which brings a smile to my face.

~“You insolent little girl! I hope you’re ready for what’s coming,”~ he sneers before fading from my dream.

***

We’re jolted awake in the morning when the door slams open, shaking the whole room. Zeke and Max burst in, ready for a fight.

We rub the sleep from our eyes, sitting up in our makeshift bed.

“What’s happening?” I ask.

In a flash, the two alpha males are at Daisy’s and my side.

“Oh, thank the Goddess you’re okay,” Zeke says, pulling me into a tight hug and breathing in my scent. I glance at Daisy, who’s caught in a similar bone-crushing embrace.

“Of course we are. What’s going on?” I ask, my voice muffled by Zeke’s bicep.

“The demon—he was killed last night. Someone got past the guards and killed him.”

“What? How? I thought you guys were there last night?” I ask, confused.

He sighs, running a hand through his golden waves.

“There were demons on the edge of our territory. We shifted and chased them off. When we got back, he was already dead.”

I turn to Max. “What about the security cameras? Did they catch anything?”

He shakes his head. “The footage from last night was wiped. Whoever did this knew exactly what they were doing.”

“Did the guards see anyone? Anyone at all?” Daisy asks.

“Unfortunately, no. Whoever it was managed to get past the guards without being seen.” Max sighs.

I sigh, frustrated by the lack of clues and leads.

Zeke cups my face in his hands. “Don’t worry, Little Wolf. We’ll catch them,” he says, kissing the top of my head.

“I know you will.” I smile at my mate.

Alice is huddled close to Amber, looking scared. Amber’s eyes lock onto Daisy. “Did you leave the room last night, Daisy?” she asks.

“What? Me? No, of course not!” Daisy responds, clearly uncomfortable.

“What are you implying?” Max asks through gritted teeth.

“I’m just saying, our little nymph here can teleport and knows her way around the pack house security systems,” Amber says, her tone icy.

“Amber, seriously! This is ~Daisy~ we’re talking about!” I interject. Daisy looks more and more upset.

Just then, Eddie walks into the room. “Sorry to interrupt. I just wanted to make sure everyone was okay,” he says politely, his gaze lingering on Amber.

Amber throws her hands up in the air. “So we’re just supposed to take the nymph’s word for it when we barely know her?”

“ENOUGH! You’re disrespecting your luna! You may be my sister, Amber, but I won’t stand for it,” Max growls, his threat clear.

“Ugh! Screw this,” Amber shrieks, storming past Eddie with Alice clinging to her arm. “And ~you~ can ~fuck off~ too!” she screams in Eddie’s face.

My heart aches for him. He looks so hurt, so broken. His mouth hangs open as if he was about to say something, his hands reaching out as if he was trying to hold her.

~Why is Amber acting like this?!~

Zeke sees my expression and asks everyone to leave. Once they’re gone, he turns back to me.

“What’s on your mind?” he asks sincerely. “And don’t say ‘nothing’ or that you’re ‘fine.’ I can tell something’s bothering you.”

I can’t help but smile. He knows me too well for me to lie.

“It’s happening again. Asmodeus visited me again last night... He’s planning something. I don’t know what or when. I’m on edge, and I’m worried about the pack.

“All this demon stuff is getting to everyone. Amber’s lashing out at the people who care about her. I don’t know what to do.”

“We’ll stay on high alert. He might just be trying to mess with your head—but we need to be ready in case he’s planning something else.

“As for Amber, maybe she just needs some time to cool down.”

I snuggle into Zeke’s broad chest, feeling safe and at home. Whatever Asmodeus throws at us, we’ll face it together, as a team.

“Let’s get you cleaned up,” Zeke suggests, his voice a low rumble. He peels off our clothes, his eyes gleaming with a wolfish grin. He scoops me up in his arms and carries me to the shower.

He gently lowers me down his naked body until my feet touch the cool tile floor. The simple contact sends a jolt of excitement through me, my nipples hardening and my body buzzing with anticipation.

Ezekiel’s eyes darken with desire, his gaze intense. Without warning, his lips crash into mine.

In a whirlwind of movement, we stumble backward into the shower. Our hands explore each other, grabbing and squeezing, our tongues dancing in a passionate tango.

Suddenly, my back is pressed against the cold, hard tile of the shower wall. The water must have been turned on because warm droplets begin to cascade down our bodies.

Our moans mingle as the water washes over us, our passion and arousal escalating.

Zeke’s hand cups my ass, lifting me up. Instinctively, my legs wrap around his waist and my arms encircle his neck. One hand reaches up to tug at his hair.

A low groan escapes Zeke’s lips.

I can feel the tip of his cock at my entrance before he thrusts into me. A cry of pleasure-pain escapes my lips as he moves inside me, relentless.

The pressure builds within me, growing and growing until I can’t hold back any longer. I scream out his name as my climax hits, my body shuddering.

Zeke moans, burying himself deep inside me as he releases his seed.

“You’re amazing,” I whisper to him, my voice barely audible over the sound of the shower.

His response is a devilish smile. “Good, because I’m just getting started.” He steps out of the shower, lifting me in his arms and carrying me to the bed for another round of passion.