Challenged (14 page)

doing, keep doing it.”

Whatever she was doing?

Ali sighed. “He’s not letting me do anything,” she confessed, except fuck him.

“When he comes around, he just wants one thing.”

“Well, he could get that anywhere. So it’s a start.” Pamela giggled, and then bit into

her burger again.

Ali tried to enjoy her burger. It was damn good. Cook always made good food. The

pretty and friendly bitch sitting next to her had enjoyed Stone. More than likely he’d

made her scream just like he had with Ali. Pamela knew what it was like to be filled by

Stone, pounded with that rock-hard cock.

But then, more than likely, Stone had mounted many bitches.

That did it. There was no way she could take another bite. Dropping the burger on

her plate she let out a sigh.

Pamela looked at her, frowning. Even as her forehead wrinkled, she was still a

stunning bitch. Stone had to enjoy the hell out of fucking her.

Damn it. If she didn’t stop this, she would go nuts.

“Pamela,” she said, her muscles cramping throughout her body as a wave of

nervousness consumed her. “There’s something I need to ask you.”

“Sure. What is it?” Pamela continued frowning, slowly putting what was left of her

burger down. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” She bit her lip. There was no turning back now. She had Pamela’s complete

attention and if she didn’t talk to her about this, it would make her nuts. “Stone told me

something…about you…and him.”

Pamela’s frown disappeared. Her expression went completely blank and then she

looked down before returning her attention to Ali. A rush of emotions filled the air, too

many to identify. Ali’s stomach lurched, her food suddenly not sitting well at all.

Pamela licked her lips. “Then I guess we have something we need to talk about.”

The door opened behind Pamela and Mickey rushed in, his urgent expression

grabbing Ali’s attention.

“Ali.” He hurried over to her, the smell of the mountains lingering on him. “You

should probably go to your den now.”

“You aren’t my keeper,” she snapped, but then her annoyance faded when she

remembered what her mother had said, and smelled worry on him. “What is it?”

He didn’t answer her but turned his attention to Pamela. “Your mate sent me to

find you. They are all over at the pack doctor’s. There’s been some trouble.”

“What?” Both women said at the same time.

“Up in the mountains. Some of them broke out into a fight. Gabe asked me to find

you and tell you to go to him.” He then turned to Ali, taking her arm. “I can give you a

ride to your den.”

Pamela was already jumping up. But Ali pulled away from Mickey. She grabbed

both of their plates and was hurrying around the counter with them. Stone had been

with them. She was sure he would be working with his twin. If there had been fights,

and they were at the pack doctor, then he could be hurt. There was no way she was

going back to her den.

“Pamela. Can I go with you?” she asked, placing the plates up for the dishwasher to

take.

“Sure.” Pamela pulled money out of her purse, throwing it down on the counter. “I

figured you probably would.”

“You really should go to your den,” Mickey intervened, standing in front of

Pamela.

“Mickey. Who all is at the pack doctor’s?” If Stone was hurt… Her heart started

racing. She couldn’t bear the thought of him being attacked by anyone in her pack.

“Your sire is fine. I’ll take you home.”

She ignored him and hurried past him to Pamela. “You go to my den, Mickey. Tell

them I’m helping out at the pack doctor’s.”

And with that she hurried out the front door, her own worry matching the smells

that came from Pamela as they hurried to her car.

“Do you know how to get to Renee’s?” Ali asked Pamela.

“Yes.” Pamela was all business.

Mickey came up behind them. “I don’t want you going over there, Ali.”

Pamela reached a small silver car, dirty from climbing up back-mountain roads,

and pulled open the driver’s side door. Ali reached for the passenger door, her irritation

toward Mickey growing by the moment.

“I’ve been to Renee’s before, Mickey. You’re being ridiculous.”

Mickey’s anger filled the chilly air with its spicy scent. “Fine. But I know what

you’re doing. Go chase after that Cariboo. You wind up carrying his cub, don’t come

crying to me.”

Ali blinked. “Don’t worry. I won’t.”

She was shaking when she climbed into the car, outrage consuming her.

Pamela’s cell phone rang and she glanced down at it. “It’s about time,” she

mumbled, and grabbed the phone. “Are you hurt?” she demanded when she answered

the phone.

At the same time, she started her car, shifting quickly and heading out of the

parking lot.

Banff wasn’t a large town, and the area the werewolves populated was even

smaller. Within blocks, Pamela turned the wheel hard and then slowed onto a side

street.

“Okay. We’ll be there in a minute.” Pamela hung up the phone and glanced over at

Ali. “Gabe wouldn’t give me the details. But apparently there was a fight and a few of

them got scratched up. Stone was one of them.”

Ali looked at her, desperately needing more information. Werewolves could take

quite a beating and mend quickly. But Stone wasn’t part of the pack. And if the pack

didn’t approve of the fight…

“Who’d he fight?” If he took on someone with clout in the pack, Stone would be

chased off.

They drove halfway down the street and Ali quickly recognized several cars parked

in front of Renee’s house. Gabe’s light blue truck was parked across the street. Her heart

tightened in her chest when she spotted her sire’s work truck, and the brown Bronco

that their pack leader, Tip Rochester, drove.

“Everyone’s here,” she whispered, unnecessarily.

“It’ll be okay.” Pamela squeezed her hand and then got out of the car.

They hurried up the path and inside the small house where Renee lived. Blood and

sweat and the strong smell of male adrenaline hit Ali hard when she entered the living

room.

She didn’t notice anyone other than Stone, who sat at a chair at the oval-shaped

dining room table in the adjoining room. Pamela said something to Gabe, who greeted

them at the door. But Ali didn’t pay attention. She walked up to Stone, who had two

bitches hovering around him.

He didn’t wear a shirt, and there were some deep scratches going down his chest

and on his neck. The bitches, who were a bit older than she was, and whom she’d seen

around but didn’t know that well, were touching Stone a bit too much for her tastes.

“I’ll take care of him now,” she told both of them, stepping in front of one of them

so she faced Stone.

He looked up at her with sharp blue eyes. She smelled his pain, and his frustration.

The bitch behind him caressed his shoulder. Her aroused look pissed Ali off.

Hands off. He’s mine. She let her gaze drop to the sultry way the woman ran her

fingernails over his shoulder, and then met her gaze.

The bitch’s smile was anything but friendly. “I don’t see your mark on him. Besides,

you’re just a cub. Let a grown bitch take care of this Cariboo.”

“You don’t see my mark on him?” Ali glared at the bitch, and then bent over and

kissed Stone.

Dear God. What had come over her? In front of God and practically everyone in the

pack, she leaned over Stone, and pressed her lips to his. Stone’s mouth was hot, his

tongue so wet as he returned the kiss, opening his mouth while a growl rose from deep

inside him, vibrating through his body.

He grabbed the back of her head, turning her so that he could deepen the kiss.

Taking what she offered, he demanded more, obviously not caring any more than she

did that they were surrounded by so much of the pack.

Ali could smell when the bitches who’d been tending to him left in disgust. She

broke off the kiss, but remained bent over him, staring into those deep blue eyes, which

were streaked with silver. The smell of his pain was still there but it was the raw energy

that coursed through him that grabbed her attention.

“Where does it hurt most?” she whispered, not wanting to straighten.

More than anything she didn’t want to acknowledge anyone else in the room. Her

sire was here somewhere. If he made a scene, lunged forward because his cub had just

made a public spectacle of herself, she would die.

She didn’t smell anyone but Stone now. For all she knew or cared at that moment,

they could have been alone in the pack doctor’s house.

“The only pain I’m feeling at the moment, you’re going to take care of later,” Stone

whispered, and then pulled her face closer and nipped at her lip.

The sharp pain from his quick bite sent a rush of excitement through her. His words

tortured her. Suddenly she couldn’t breathe, wanted nothing else than to drag him out

of there, demand that he fuck her now.

She sucked in a breath, finally straightening. A quick glance told her that Gabe and

Pamela stood right next to them. They’d offered a shield preventing others from having

seen her bold actions.

Ali licked her lip, returning her attention to Stone.

“You should see what the other werewolf looks like,” Gabe teased, walking behind

his twin and frowning as he looked at the claw marks going down Stone’s back.

Ali took the ointment off the table that the other bitches had been using. Stone

didn’t move when she rubbed it into his torn flesh.

“He got everything he deserved,” Stone said through gritted teeth.

“You going to tell me what happened?” Ali asked.

“I’d like to hear your version too.” Tip Rochester had walked up to them, Renee

right next to him.

“Rub that ointment in really well,” Renee instructed Ali. She placed some large

bandages on the table. “Put these over the deep ones. He’ll be sore tonight but my guess

is he’ll be fine in the morning.”