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
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
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