Conquering Theana by LeTeisha Newton, Lillian MacKenzie Rhine

that ran loops around
her brain was the issue of being ready to be mated. There was so much of
herself that she had yet to discover, and being tied down in Seurri would not
help her live out her dreams. Theana backed out of
her spot thinking that those dreams would have to pause for a few days, while
she tried her damndest to keep her paws to herself.
    The
drive was a short one given that the Ulric grounds
were directly across the overpass. Funny how she’d never ventured onto the
territory in the past. Never looked in their direction. When she was younger, she would run like the wind all over Dolphus lands, but once she was old enough to venture outside of the main gates, Theana left willingly. Seurri was her home and her pack was
her heart, but being closed away was not how she wanted to live. The freedom of
a run was the best thing in the world to a shifter, so why not run the world over was her sentiment.
    Once
she drove under the highway, she pulled onto Ulric Drive. They had a few banners up like the rest of the clans that showcased the
coming attractions for the city. New movies, sporting events,
important conferences. The next thing scheduled for Seurri was the
soccer tournament. A curl hit her lip as she remembered frequenting all of the
Dolphins’ games with her father as a child. Yes, a tomboy was what she had
been, which gave reason to her hardened exterior. She had so many fond memories
of her past, but it seemed that everything turned to rot when Camden wanted to
claim her. Sure she didn’t help the situation by stopping his advances from the
first signs, but how could she mate with someone as close to her as her own
family? With her mother being gone, all she had was her father, Sonja, and
Camden to look out for her best interest. And his mate claim had destroyed a
relationship and friendship that had meant the world to her. Resentment ran
deep about that situation, but there was something different about the Ulric alpha. She hadn’t stuck around Seurri long enough to
witness his leadership, but he seemed to have an ease about him that she found
intriguing. He had bite to his bark, but his eyes had a kindness to them that
showed he could be trusted. The fact that he was the supreme alpha was sexy as
hell, too.
    Theana made her way up the stone drive of Ulric’s main house. There were several gardeners who looked up from their work of
meticulous beautification to the grounds to nod their heads at her. The mansion
itself was shaded in clay earth tones constructed out of the stucco that was
commonplace for the area. Theana was in complete awe
to see the ornate iron walkways extending from the arched openings of the rooms
on the second level. It was by far the largest residential structure in Seurri.
She was imagining how breathtaking the home would look under the moonlight when
she almost ran into the same guy who had taken her suitcase moments earlier.
She quickly slammed onto her brakes and rolled down her window.
    "Do
you have a death wish or something?" she barked at him.
    "Actually,
no, I do not, but I’m here to park your vehicle for you. Rafael and Gregori are
waiting for you inside," he stated offering another winning smile. The way
he smiled at her was infectious. Theana was not one
to show joy or be overzealous, but there was something about the coolness in
the wolf's eyes that made her want to join in on his happiness.
    Theana grabbed her purse and stepped out of the vehicle. She could not
believe that she was allowing a stranger to sit behind the wheel of her baby,
but for some strange reason she trusted him. Before he drove off, she leaned
inside of the driver side window.
    "Hey,
what's your name, wolf?"
    "Tim,"
he offered, grinning at her, almost blushing that she was petting his wolf. He
was a man with responsibility, but no wolf could resist a good muzzling.
    She
rubbed him on the shoulder, then stated with a
straight face, "If I find one scratch on my car, I am going to put a
scratch in your