The Bucklin Wolves Next Generation: Revelations Read online

  Table of Contents

  Read More Jessica Ryan

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Read More Jessica Ryan

  A Note from Jessica

  THE BUCKLIN WOLVES NEXT GENERATION: REVELATIONS

  By Jessica Ryan

  Copyright © 2015 Jessica Ryan

  All Rights Reserved.

  Published by Jessica Ryan Books

  Cover Art By Yoly Cortez of Cormar Covers

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  CONTENT WARNING: This short story contains adult material with explicit sexual situations and language. All sexually active characters in this work are 19 years of age or older.

  PLEASE NOTE: This book is for sale to ADULT AUDIENCES ONLY. It contains sexually explicit scenes, graphic language and may be considered offensive by some readers. Please store your files where they cannot be accessed by minors.

  Read More Jessica Ryan

  Want to read more books by Jessica Ryan?

  CLICK HERE to be taken to a full list of Jessica Ryan books including a schedule of future release.

  ***All my serials are sold as individual entries and as collections. It would cost you MORE to buy each individual entry than it would to purchase a collection.***

  Chapter 1

  What the hell do you pack for a trip into the deepest, darkest wilderness? Maribel wondered. Then again, it’s not like I’m going on safari. It’s just a national park, in Oklahoma of all places.

  Surely she wouldn’t need to be overly prepared. Then again, her cousin had been a Boy Scout back in Houston when she was young and he’d always told her to be prepared. But what was the worst that could happen?

  Werewolves, werebears, something else even worse? No, she needed to be prepared for something bad. This was going to be worse than an African safari would be. She’d take her chances with a rampaging elephant over the cunning and dangerously intelligent alpha wolf.

  “Is there such a thing as were-elephants?” she wondered aloud. “God, I hope not.”

  It was times like this she wished she’d followed in her father’s footsteps and joined the NRA and gotten her concealed carry permit. Everyone else in Texas and Oklahoma had a gun, but she sure as hell didn’t. Then again, she had something better than a gun: an alpha wolf—even if she didn’t want him.

  Who are you kidding? You want him more than you can admit. He’s smart, sexy and funny. He’s got charisma for days, along with a body that won’t quit. What the hell is wrong with you?

  “Enough, brain!” she commanded. “Stop trying to rule me!”

  It wasn’t normal for Maribel to talk to herself like this and argue with her own thoughts, but this had been anything but a normal business trip. What started as a simple open-and-shut risk analysis for a new casino had turned into a dangerous military mission in the middle of nowhere Oklahoma surrounded by nothing but shifters. Luckily the king of the shifters had quite a crush on her, but he hated her coworkers. She wasn’t sure she liked them either, but they were her ticket back home when all was said and done. There was no future with the alpha. Seth had nothing to offer her except wild, animalistic sex. No emotional connection. No future as husband and wife, or mates as he called it.

  “Who are you trying to convince, Maribel?” she asked.

  She glanced down at her phone, considering using it to call Seth and open up. She had been so strong in the conference room when it was just him and her. She had stood up and put her career above all else and kept him at arm’s distance. It was the only way she could be sure she wouldn’t get hurt and lose the future of her career all at once. Still, he was on her mind, dancing in her thoughts like a lurid exotic dancer who only had eyes for her while he worked the stage.

  A phone call would be innocent. She would just ask him a few fact-finding questions to better prepare herself. How long would they be gone? How long would they have to hike? Did Rowan have a house, or did he live in a cave? Would she have anywhere to shower? Would she have her own bed? Did she need to bring her own pillow? They were innocent questions. Right? So why couldn’t she bring herself to lift the phone and call him?

  Telling him that their relationship would remain purely platonic and their physical interaction was a mistake had been one of the hardest conversations she had ever had. She had rehearsed it several times the night before in hopes that she wouldn’t stumble. She had to appear absolutely sure while she laid it all out for him. But when she told him, she thought she was going to pass out. If he had dragged the conversation on any longer, she would have probably fallen face-first on the desk.

  Of course Mr. Sokolov had thrown the biggest wrench in her plans by volunteering her to go with Seth. But there had been a silver lining in all of that too. He had picked her, not Ms. Wilson. His trusted lieutenant was left by the wayside while she stepped to the forefront to analyze the risk.

  Maribel couldn’t help but smile as she thought about it. He had put his trust in her and had been unwavering in his decision. Things were moving forward for her in her career and that was just fine. It was what she had always wanted—to be the most successful one in her family.

  A sharp knock at the front door drew her away from her thoughts and empty suitcase. Who the hell was it? She glanced up at the grandfather clock sitting in one corner of the room. Whoever had left it there had good taste—it was beautiful, except for the gonging at random intervals. It had been forever since she had had to read a traditional clock, but she was pretty sure that if that was Seth at the door, he was two hours early. The meeting at City Hall had been at ten a.m. and they weren’t supposed to leave until close to four.

  I hope he’s not here to try to get some more. It would be just like a stubborn, pigheaded alpha to think with his cock and show up to try to get some afternoon delight after she’d just rejected him.

  She put her hand on the doorknob and looked at the ground, barely able to make out the figure standing behind the dark curtains on the half-light door. She could do this. She could be strong and she could stand up to Seth and tell him that she’d meant what she said earlier—hopefully he wasn’t wearing the t-shirt he had worn on their first date. It had accented his abs in an almost cartoonish way. He looked like he’d been airbrushed in a magazine.

  “Look, Seth,” she said, opening the door and looking up. Her words hung in her throat as she looked up, expecting to see the tall figure of Seth, and then scanned down to find a much shorter man standing on the front porch. He was a shorter man, but he was more dangerous than Seth or any werewolf she had ever met. It had been in the back of her head the entire time she had known him, and Seth’s reactions to him had just confirmed the fears she had.

  “Expecting someone else?” Jacko asked, pushing past her into the kitchen.

  Jacko was the leader of Blue Moon Security, the private firm that Mr. Sokolov
had hired to keep an eye on his investments. Jacko had repeatedly told them no shifter could beat him in a fight and for some reason she believed him.

  She turned to look at his lean frame. He was nearly eye-to-eye with her and she was barely five foot eight. In a world of werewolves with full heads of beautiful, luscious hair, Jacko kept his cut close to his head, immediately setting himself apart from everyone else.

  She never would have expected that in a town filled with werewolves she would feel the most uncomfortable and the most unsafe around the human man she had brought with her. The werewolves looked cute and cuddly next to this guy.

  “What do you want, Jacko?” she asked, trying not to let her voice quiver.

  She failed. “Is that fear I hear in your voice?” he asked, moving closer to her and sniffing the air. “Or do I smell it in the air?”

  “You don’t smell anything,” Maribel said, clenching her fists more to keep herself steady than anything else.

  “Good,” he said, walking around behind her like a snake slithering over her shoulder. “You won’t be afraid of me, now would you?”

  “No,” she said, looking at the ground.

  “I wouldn’t think so,” he hissed, coming back around in front of her. He was standing so close she could smell his musk. It wasn’t like anything she had ever smelled before. It wasn’t chemical like a modern man nor was it earthy and rugged like the wolves. It almost burned her nostrils. The only word that came to her mind was ancient. He smelled like a dusty old tomb or a musty book.

  “You’re right,” she said.

  “I am,” he said, putting his thumb and forefinger under her chin to lift her eyes towards his. They almost looked yellow in the mid-afternoon light. “We’re friends. We’re on the same side. Right?”

  “Of course we are,” she said.

  “You aren’t lying are you?” he asked.

  “Why would I lie?”

  “I know you shared an intimate moment with Seth last night.”

  “How do you know that?”

  He smiled and shook his head. “Don’t ask questions, dear. It’s my job to know.”

  She could feel her skin crawling as he got closer. “So what?”

  “I wouldn’t want you catching feelings for this guy that could cloud your judgment. You know what you’re going into the forest for, right?”

  “To analyze the risk for Mr. Sokolov.”

  Jacko shook his head and made a “tsk tsk” sound with his mouth. “That’s not what you’re doing, dear. Read between the lines, honey. You just need to give me an excuse.”

  “An excuse for what?” She already knew the answer. He was a bloodthirsty psycho who obviously had a problem with wolves. She should have known after he had easily dispatched the werewolf that had been terrorizing a prior investment. He had dispatched the poor creature with brutal efficiency.

  “An excuse to do my job,” he whispered. “Know your place, dear, and do the right thing. If you do the right thing, then nothing will happen to the boy you’ve caught feelings for. I can handle it after you get back. He’ll never have to know. It’s not like he has any contact with those wolves, anyway.”

  “This is insane,” she said, trying to hide her disgust.

  “Now, there’s something I didn’t want to hear,” he said with a growl in his voice. “Maybe you have caught feelings. Maybe you’ve caught feelings for all of these mongrels.”

  “I haven’t caught shit,” Maribel said.

  “So you’re on my side?”

  “I’m on Mr. Sokolov’s side,” Maribel said. “If that’s your side, then I guess we are.”

  “Good girl,” he said, with a smile that looked more hungry than happy.

  “It’s your job to know?” she asked. “Did you also know I broke it off with Seth today?”

  “What’s that?”

  “After the meeting I told him we weren’t going to see each other in that way anymore. I told him last night was a mistake. I’m here to do a job, dammit.” She had to say anything to convince him she wasn’t against him. She didn’t want to be on the wrong side of his fury and anger.

  “You may have made a big mistake, girl,” he said.

  His demeanor changed to one of concern in a split second. His hands shot up and gripped her shoulders as his forehead wrinkled with concern and his eyes softened. She didn’t trust it for one second—it was another tactic to throw her off her game. If she didn’t know better, she would open up completely to the psycho.

  “What are you talking about?” she asked.

  “You’re in danger going with him,” Jacko said. “I saw the way that alpha looked at you, Maribel. He claimed you as his own.”

  “He didn’t claim me,” she protested.

  “Maybe not physically, but mentally you’re all his. His wolf has imprinted on you, and it’ll never let you go. You have to understand, these monsters rely on instinct more than anything else. The beast sees you as his now and he won’t let you go. By rejecting him you’ve angered him and challenged his authority as alpha. By god, Maribel, do you know the situation you’re in? This isn’t a man who’s used to being told no.”

  He was full of shit. Wasn’t he? He had to be. There was no way Seth would hurt her. He had promised to protect her—no man had ever done that before. It meant so much to Maribel.

  “Let me give you this,” he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out what looked like a small pager.

  “What’s a pager going to do for me in the forest?” she asked.

  “It’s a GPS locater,” he said. “If you press the button, it’ll send a signal to me showing me exactly where you are. If you turn it on, I’ll know you’re in distress and I’ll bring the fucking thunder with me.”

  “So you’re going to track me the whole time?” she asked.

  “No,” he said, shaking his head and stepping away from her. “It only works when you press the distress button. Only use it if you’re in trouble. If the signal goes off, I’m coming and I’m coming hard with no questions asked.”

  “Okay,” Maribel said. She should press it right now. He’d said to use it when she was in trouble and she’d never felt like she was in more trouble than she was right now.

  “We’re on the same side, remember?” he asked, winking at her.

  “The same side,” she said, nodding uneasily.

  “Good,” he said, leaning in to her. She tried to move out of the way but he was too quick. His lips were planted firmly on her cheek before he moved to her neck, his nose nuzzling it as he sniffed her. “I wouldn’t let him hurt you, Maribel. You’re too special.”

  When Seth had said the words they had meant everything to her, when Jacko said them she felt dirty and wrong. He was more animal than any wolf. But she knew he could fight and she knew he could protect her if it came down to it. She’d keep the pager—just in case his lies turned out to be the truth.

  “I…I have to get ready,” she said, still looking at the ground.

  “Of course you do,” he said, pulling away from her with the predatory smile returning to his face. “I’ll be there for you, Maribel. Just press the button and I’ll end Seth along with the other werewolves. They’re already dead as far as I’m concerned, but Seth can hold on to his life if he keeps his hands to himself.”

  “I’ll remember that,” she said, moving away from him.

  He didn’t say another word as he left, pulling the door behind him with enough strength to rattle the cabinet doors in the kitchen. As soon as the door shut she grabbed on to the table to steady herself, but it wasn’t enough. She collapsed to her knees right there on the kitchen floor and began to hyperventilate. Her life had taken a dangerous turn she had never expected. Would she make it out of this weekend alive?

  Chapter 2

  She turned me down, Seth thought as he drove his King Ranch pickup across town to grab Maribel and drive to the spot where they would enter the woods. It was an old spot, down an empty road that was closed off to the ge
neral public. The old cranky bear Beorn used to use it to go back and forth between Bucklin and his territory.

  However, the old bear, who was long gone from his territory these days, was the least of Seth’s worries. After Maribel had so boldly stomped on his heart, he had been confident and calm. It was a game of hard to get, that’s all. She still wanted him, but she wanted to keep up her good girl image. It was all just a big misunderstanding that they would figure out on the trip. But his wolf had smelled something else afoot and had warned him of it the moment she left the room. It smelled sincerity on her person. She meant it. She really did think the passionate moments they’d shared together were just one big mistake.

  Now Seth was crushed and gripping the steering wheel so hard he thought he would leave indentions in it. This couldn’t be happening—not to him. He was alpha of the Bucklin pack. He was mayor of the City of Bucklin. Women didn’t reject him, women fought to get into his bed. Where did she get off?

  You claimed her, his wolf growled. Your scent is all over her. She is yours. Take her.

  He knew the wolf was just an animal, an animal that didn’t know right from wrong. He couldn’t just take her and have his way with her—that was rape. Rape was wrong. Maybe in the old days, before Bucklin, human females would be kidnapped and all but forced into a relationship. Some had volunteered for it, but for the most part they were taken and used. Seth didn’t roll like that and neither did the mayors who came before him. Sure, his father and Aster got around, but dammit, the sex was always consensual.

  Now Seth’s mind was a mess as he slowly drove through Bucklin, afraid to arrive and face the woman who had ended the happiness he had been feeling. Did she not know what she had? Did she not feel what they had? It was meant to be. Seth was surer of that fact than anything else. She was his mate—it was their destiny.

  Don’t act weird, he told himself. Don’t say anything that would upset her. Just keep it strictly professional. Maybe if she sees it doesn’t bother you, she’ll let her guard down. Then she’ll realize her feelings for you and come running to your arms.