Greyson - Part 2: An Alpha Billionaire Shifter Romance (The Silver Moon Pack) (5 page)

The smell of fresh coffee brewing and bacon frying filled the air as Juno sat at the kitchen island, watching Greyson move around the kitchen as he made them breakfast. She couldn’t help but look at the engagement ring and wedding band on her finger, still finding it all surreal.

She was
married
—to a
shifter
.

Her reality was no longer her own, just as her old life no longer existed. And yet…Greyson was the only thing keeping her sane. She couldn’t imagine trying to deal with any of this on her own, and she knew if it hadn’t been for him, there was a good chance she’d be dead by now.

Greyson was now her constant—something her body refused to let her forget. As often as he took her, and with such intensity, she could still feel him even now—his touch, his hands, his cock—like a ghostly whisper on her skin and a wanton ache in her soul. She was pleasantly sore, and even the slightest movement reminded her of all the things he’d done to her. She felt most thoroughly used, and the truth was that she loved the feeling of being his, of him claiming her as his own, of being wanted with a primal hunger that couldn’t be denied.

That said, she didn’t know if she could keep up with him. Greyson seemed to sleep no more than a few hours a day, and he’d be happy to fuck the entire day and night away. And though it might be overwhelming, she now found that she craved him, his touch, how it felt when her body was stretched tight around his huge cock.

As if reading her thoughts, he leaned in and kissed her temple, his gold eyes lighting up with his sexy smile. “Thought we could get out of the house for a bit. I’ve got some business I need to take care of, but that won’t take long. I could show you the area, maybe grab some supplies while we’re out.”

She hated to worry, but it’s not as if she didn’t have a reason to be paranoid. “And you think it’ll be safe?”

“We’d spend most of the day in pack territory, and for supplies, we’d be heading into the town of Wild Creek. It’s neutral territory for all the shifters in the area—and Ryder will be joining us at Wild Creek as a precaution.” He stole a sweet, lingering kiss that had her wanting more. “You’ll always be safe with me, June bug. And we can’t show any fear.”

Of course. This was a pack. There was a hierarchy to maintain, and territories to defend. Fear was
not
an option—especially not for those at the top of the hierarchy. “I know. It’s just that I don’t want to be stirring up trouble you could easily avoid.”

“Now where would be the fun in that, sweetheart?” He stole another kiss, and then grabbed the pan off the fire, sliding enough bacon and eggs onto her plate to keep her fed for the week, before adding a few slices of buttered toast to the pile.

“So…what sort of business did you need to take care of?” She wasn’t sure if he’d tell her, but figured this was now her world, and she should know what was going on.

Greyson sat down by her side with his plate piled high, devouring a slice of bacon before moving on to another. “Our territory borders with that of the Broken Ash wolf pack. Things have always been a bit tense between our packs, but I have a decent relationship with their alpha. Cullen thought it’d do some good to let them know I’m back so I can reestablish my relationship with them and make it easier to keep the peace.”

“How tense? Because it sort of felt like things within the pack already seemed to be a bit on edge. And I don’t know if you noticed but it looked like people were turning to you to sort it out, since Cullen’s stepping down.” She couldn’t help but wonder if things would always be so complicated.

Greyson shrugged while devouring half of his breakfast in just a few bites. “I’m hoping that once Kiernan steps up as alpha, things will settle down with the pack. You don’t need to worry about things, love.”

Except that it really didn’t feel like it was that simple a matter. Something in her gut told her it was a hell of a lot more complicated, though the truth of the matter was that she hadn’t a clue about any of this. “I don’t want you to feel like you need to keep things from me to somehow protect me. I don’t like being kept in the dark, okay?”

“Juno…you just need to trust me.” Tangling his fingers in her hair, he cupped her face, forcing her to look at him. “I’ll always do what’s best for us. I hope you know that.”

“I do. It’s just that there’s a lot going on, especially with pack politics, and…I don’t want to screw up and have it reflect poorly on you. I get that things are complicated and I don’t know my ass from my elbow when it comes to this stuff, but that’s how it’ll stay if you don’t tell me what’s going on.” And being left clueless would guarantee she’d eventually make a mess of things by either saying or doing the wrong thing.

“Most things aren’t worth worrying about.” Yet she saw how his brow furrowed and his eyes shifted to his food, and knew he was holding something back.

She tried not to let her frustration get the better of her. He was likely holding back because things were complicated, and it’d take him an eternity to explain it all. So she’d let it go—for now. It’s not like she’d asked for this marriage, but now that they were married, she didn’t want him keeping things from her, especially since those were important parts of his life and would likely affect her too.

“If you’d rather I stay here while you take care of whatever business you need to deal with, just let me know. I get that I’m still a stranger—and a
duine
, no less—which could be problematic.” Juno glanced around the room, mulling things over. “I can manage here at the house just fine on my own.”

“Juno…I want you with me—by my side. And you’re right. You should know what’s going on, and the best way for you to figure it out is to have you experience it all firsthand.” The smile he gave her had her heart skipping a beat. “Besides, now that we’re married, I want to show you off. It’ll be good for people to see us together.”

Why did the mere thought of it make her want to groan? “You know, I’m sort of an introvert.”

“Said the girl with the purple hair.” He cupped the back of her neck and pulled her close, stealing a kiss as humor danced in his gold eyes, setting them alight. “You’ll be fine. I promise, it won’t get too crazy.”

***

Crazy didn’t even begin to sum things up—and it’d been a bald-faced lie. Holding onto Greyson as he maneuvered his dirt bike through the rugged terrain and dense trees, they wandered north, the feel of the place just a little different. But the moment they wandered into rival pack territory, they were surrounded by a half-dozen members of the Broken Ash pack, some of the wolves shifting to human form as Greyson pulled to a stop.

Two men and one woman stood before them naked, and she swore, she’d never get used to the lack of clothes. Yet given a choice, she’d take the naked humans over the massive growling wolves any day.

One of the men stepped forward as she and Greyson removed their helmets. Once again, just like all the shifters Juno had met, the man was tall, muscular, and gorgeous in a dangerous and feral way—his hair dark, thick and worn just a little long, with his beard thick, but well groomed. And fairly young—about Greyson’s age or just a little older, if she had to guess. And when he spoke, his voice was deep and velvety. “Greyson. Been a long time.”

“Thayer. It’s definitely been too long. Thought I’d remedy that by paying you a visit.” Greyson then tilted his head toward her as Thayer approached them. “Also wanted to introduce you to my mate and wife, Juno.”

“Juno…” Thayer breathed in deeply as if catching her scent, his eyes going wide with surprise before he took her hand in his and lowered his head to it, with something of a half bow. “You do us a great honor.”

“The honor is mine.” Juno didn’t know what the hell to make of Thayer’s greeting, but when she glanced at Greyson in question, wondering if this was the norm, he discreetly shook his head no. He didn’t know what was up either.

Thayer straightened and took a step back to address them, as Juno tried to ignore the man’s erection—
always with the frigging erections.
She swore she’d never get used to it. “I hope you’ll come back to my place so we can celebrate your union and catch up on things.”

Greyson nodded. “Of course.”

It was another fifteen-minute ride through the woods, though by the time they got to Thayer’s home, he was the only wolf. She watched as he shifted from a massive smoky black wolf back into his human form, showed them into his home and then excused himself, returning just a minute later, dressed in jeans and a flannel shirt, but still barefoot.

The guys chatted as Thayer got out some beers and hard cider, and then they settled in in the living room of the massive home, though she swore, Thayer’s gaze kept drifting back to her. Based on first impressions, she liked him, but…the way he was acting had her feeling just a little unsure of what was going on. And based on how tense Greyson was starting to get, he wasn’t too happy about it either.

“So…” Thayer gave her a charming smile that made her feel like Little Red Riding Hood about to get devoured by the Big Bad Wolf. “How long have you been married?”

“Got married last night.” Greyson draped his arm possessively over her shoulder, claiming her as his. “Figured since I’m now living at my parents’ cabin, I should pay you a visit.”

“I’m glad you did, since I haven’t seen you in what…three years? Four? And I’m glad you brought Juno. I’d heard about the trouble she’d had with the Black Ridge clan. Fucking bears…” He tilted his head in her direction, and once more it felt like his eyes were locked on hers, giving her a charming smile that had her shifting deeper into Greyson’s embrace. “I hope you weren’t injured too badly in the attack, Juno.”

“I think it was shock more than anything. Greyson came to my rescue before I got seriously hurt.” She somehow found her words, even though her thoughts were racing and her heart was pounding. The last thing she wanted to do was say the wrong thing, but this whole situation, especially the way Thayer constantly looked at her as if Greyson weren’t even there, had her on edge.

“I can only imagine how scared you must have been. I’m relieved to know that Greyson got to you in time.” Once more, Thayer’s eyes were locked on hers, taking her in with an intensity that had her squirming in her seat.

Thayer took a long draw from his beer, looking comfortable even though he had a shifter from a different pack in his home. Greyson had said they were on good terms, and though they seemed to be friendly enough with each other, it was clear Thayer was pushing Greyson’s buttons—especially when Thayer’s gaze kept straying to her.

And then, it was clear, Greyson had had enough. “Fuck, Thayer…you and I go way back—and you know I like you. But if you keep looking at my wife like that, we’re going to have a fucking problem.”

Greyson didn’t know what the fuck was going on with Thayer, but the man was trying his patience.

Thayer’s gaze was still on Juno, when he issued his challenge. “I’ll fight you for her.”

Sitting forward, Greyson’s hands tightened into fists as he let out a deadly growl. “Have you lost your fucking mind?
She’s my wife
.”

“That’s not all she is, and you fucking well know it.” Thayer waved away Greyson’s protests as if the fact that he and Juno were married was nothing more than a small inconvenience. “Besides, you know the marriage can be undone within a year and a day.”

Juno looked at them both, with fire and venom in her eyes. “You know…I’m starting to get damn fucking tired of people deciding my fate for me. No fighting, no undoing of marriages, no more of this asinine bullshit. I’ve had it up to here with the whole lot of you.”

“Juno…” Thayer’s gaze softened as he turned toward her to explain, ignoring the little fact that Greyson was still ready to murder him. “Your kind belongs with our pack. It’s always been that way—from the days when the moon first rode up into the sky. The Broken Ash and the
Laighir
. Except…
your kind vanished lifetimes ago
. It left our pack missing a part of its soul. But now…here you are.”

Greyson wasn’t fucking buying it—nor did he care. Not when Thayer was using it as some sort of excuse to steal Juno away from him. “I don’t give a flying fuck what she is to your pack, Thayer. She’s my wife—and she stays with me.”

“And I’ve challenged you for her.” Thayer gave him an easy shrug, as if the whole thing was an entirely sane idea. “It might be an ancient law that’s seldom called on these days, but it still holds. You can either fight to keep her, or you forfeit her if you choose to walk away.”

“Well, I’m glad I get a say in all this.” Juno sat forward and glared at Thayer, looking ready to zap him with a thousand volts. “I don’t know what the hell a
Laighir
is, but you welcomed us into your home, and as your guest, I’m asking you to put an end to this nonsense and stop disrespecting my marriage.”

Thayer shook his head, as if she didn’t quite understand—which was understandable since not even Greyson had heard of a
Laighir
, though that wasn’t necessarily all that unusual. Each pack, each clan, had its own history and mythologies, though some things did overlap. “The
Laighirs
were powerful healers—and warriors. And you’re not just a guest in my home, Juno. As a
Laighir
, you’re also part of my pack. You belong with us, just as your kind always has. It’s not just about the pack either. It’s what’s needed for you to reach your full potential. Since I like Greyson, I’m happy to have him join our pack as well, if that’ll help set your mind at ease. If not, we can go back to fighting for you.”

Greyson got to his feet, the energy of his shift coursing through him as he held it back, no doubt fueled by his anger, though Thayer stood right there with them. “I came here to keep the peace between our packs, but if you don’t back the fuck off, blood will be spilt.”

Juno stepped between them, and he swore he’d never seen her more angry. “No.
It won’t be spilt
. Because if the two of you don’t stop this fucking nonsense, I’m going to hand myself over to Sawyer and the bears, and let them put me out of my damn misery. Am I making myself clear? Now both of you, sit your furry asses down, and do whatever it is we were supposed to be doing here in the first place.
Now
.”

Thayer was the first to sit down, clearly trying to stay on Juno’s good side. And yet trying to discuss pack politics now felt absurd.

Juno linked her hand with his and nestled against his side, sending Thayer a clear message that they were together and had every intention of staying that way, even if she took over the conversation. “I want to know more about what you think I am—since I’ve never heard of it before, and I’m tired of being clueless.”

Greyson couldn’t blame her for wanting more information—and if Thayer could tell her what she needed to know, then he’d deal with it. She needed to know what she was capable of and how to control it, and though he was happy to help her any way he could, he was taking stabs in the dark, whereas Thayer might actually know how to help her. And if it meant getting Juno the help she needed, then he’d rein in his jealousy, since she was all that mattered.

Thayer shifted in his seat, his gaze once more fully focused on Juno. “What do you know so far, darling?” When Greyson growled at him, Thayer looked at him in apology. “Juno.”

“You said they were healers, but…my experiences have been quite different.” When Greyson tensed at her side, Juno must have sensed it, because she didn’t elaborate any further. The last thing they needed was for Thayer to know she was responsible for the deaths of three men.

And yet, Thayer wasn’t stupid.

“Atticus, right?” When Juno blanched and Greyson glared at him, Thayer waved away their concerns. “No worries. Your secret’s safe with me.”

“There is no secret to keep safe, Thayer. Atticus attacked her, and while she was defending herself, he dropped dead. Nothing more.” Even if it was a lie, he wouldn’t give Thayer any ammunition. “Just tell her what you know about the
Laighir
.”

Thayer sat back and casually took a long swig of his beer, before propping it on his knee, his focus still entirely too much on Juno. “I don’t know a ton—just the stories we grew up with as kids. But what I do know is that their magic was powerful. They could gather the energy from the air around them into their own body and redirect it with purpose. They could heal the injured or take a life.”

Juno shook her head, as if trying to comprehend it all. “So how does that tie into your pack? I don’t get it.”

“The
Laighir
were somehow tied to the land and needed it to keep them grounded. Honestly, I’m not sure of the details, but it’s my understanding that it was only certain locations. My pack’s territory was one of those locations, which is why the
Laighir
were linked to our pack. Not really sure why it’s this area and not another. Maybe the ley lines?” Thayer shrugged and took another sip. “Didn’t you know what you are?”

She looked over at Greyson with worry darkening her eyes as she linked her hand with his. All he wanted was to keep her safe, to give her a life where she didn’t have to constantly stress and worry about things—and he’d been doing a miserable job of it.

With a shake of her head, she answered Thayer. “No. I didn’t. Or rather, I’ve had the energy flare up from time to time, but never knew about the
Laighir
—or that this curse could be used for good.”

“It’s not a curse, Juno. It’s an amazing gift—and a rare one at that.” Thayer let out a long sigh and glanced over at Greyson, before focusing back on Juno. “Look… You’d be a valued member of our pack, and would hold an esteemed position, given that your mere presence among us would have a greater effect than you can ever know. We’d give you your own place, take care of you, give you whatever it is you need.”

Greyson was ready to fucking lose it, his words spoken through gritted teeth—especially when he knew that things between him and Juno were still uneasy. “She has a pack, has a place, and as my wife, she’ll never want for anything. I don’t mean to negate the importance of a
Laighir
to your pack, but Juno stays with me.”

Thayer sat back and pinned Greyson with a matter-of-fact stare. “I don’t think that’s your decision to make. It’s Juno’s.”