Pack Mates (Were Chronicles) Read Online Free Page A

over a year.”
    As casually as he could, RJ leant back in his chair. “And?”
    “You don’t think it’s funny that the ceremony and maybe challenge are only days away and she is suddenly back here?”
    Now that he thought about it, yes, it was a little strange, but he didn’t want to admit it to his brother. “What? You think she’s part of the challenge?”
    Ben shook his head. “No, of course not, but it doesn’t mean they’re not up to something.”
    RJ thought about it, but really, what could the young woman do? Besides she had flirted with him the night before. Plus she hadn’t even blinked at his name when he had told her he was a Cross. He would almost guarantee she hadn’t a clue about his family.
    Almost guarantee. He was pretty good at reading people but he had been distracted by her.
    “I’ll see what I can find out,” he promised. He had already planned on it.
    Ben’s shoulders relaxed and he felt guilt turn his stomach. He should tell Ben about meeting Nikki Stratton. But instead he watched his brother pick up his briefcase and waved goodbye.
    “Where to start?” he asked the empty room. He would treat it like any other investigation as an Enforcer. He picked up his coffee cup, topped it off and made his way to his laptop. He would run some basic searches on Nikki Stratton.
    He would know where to go from there once he knew more about the woman. Stepping into his bedroom, he couldn’t help but remember the fantasies he’d had about her. He’d woken hard and needing and had had to jerk off again before he’d gone in search of his morning caffeine.
    One way or another, he needed to decide what to do about her. He couldn’t keep her from his family for much longer.

    * * * *

    Nikki had slept like the dead. She’d meant to be awake when Brandon had got off shift but she hadn’t heard a thing once she’d passed out in bed. Upon waking, she had been thrown for a minute before she could place where she was. Then the memory of the trouble they could be in had her stomach in knots as she had dressed for the day.
    She looked forward to seeing her friend again but she now wished she hadn’t invited her to breakfast. She needed to have a conversation with her brother.
    She moved quietly around the house, starting the coffee pot and turning on the television before she started breakfast.
    She was just placing the cinnamon rolls in the oven when Brandon appeared in the doorway. She poured him a cup and set it on the bar between them.
    He grunted his thanks and took a seat.
    Gently placing the spatula she was holding onto the counter, she leaned against the bar.
    Brandon drank half the coffee before he glanced up at her.
    “Justin told you?”
    Nikki nodded. Guess it was going to happen now. “How could you even consider it?” she asked softly.
    He looked down and rubbed the side of his mug. “I hadn’t really. Some of the older members approached me and I figured they were just upset and would get over it.”
    “But they didn’t,” she guessed.
    “No, as the ceremony gets closer they are getting more desperate. Word is that Dylan Cross will fill his inner circle with his own wolves. Cameron had discussed that some of our Pack would be involved, but I guess Dylan is backing out on that. So we would be losing the Pack and that scares people. Especially if the shifters do go public soon as planned. If I don’t do it, then someone else will.”
    “Someone not as strong as you,” she filled in.
    He didn’t answer so she just watched him, the man who had been her mother and father for the last twenty years.
    “Do you even want to be Alpha?” she asked when he remained silent.
    He looked up and she read the answer in his eyes. He didn’t but he felt trapped.
    She walked around the counter and wrapped an arm around his neck. “I don’t want to lose you,” she whispered into his ear.
    He hugged her tight and they just held each other. Nikki couldn’t believe this was happening. She had