Married to the Wolf Read online

  Married to the Wolf

  Tressie Lockwood

  Married to the Wolf

  Copyright © August 2017, Tressie Lockwood

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  No part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, distributed, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, without express written permission from the author, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages for review purposes.

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  This book is a work of fiction, and any resemblance to any person, living or dead, or any events or occurrences, is purely coincidental. The characters and story line are created from the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously.

  Contents

  Also by Tressie Lockwood

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Also by Tressie Lockwood

  Also by Tressie Lockwood

  The Marquette Family Series

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  Creed

  Damen

  Stefan

  Duke

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  www.tressielockwood.com

  Chapter 1

  “Sophia!”

  She let out a small cry and jerked awake. For a minute she wasn’t sure where she was. The room lay in darkness, and the maple scent confused her. Memories returned as she grew more alert. She sat upright, her heart pounding. It wasn’t a dream. She had run here with wolves chasing her.

  Wolves. The situation was something out a bad movie rather than real life—her life. Worse yet, the man she married, Sebastian St. James, wasn’t human. Another moan escaped her, and she rubbed her forehead. How could she not have known in the two years they dated? But then how could she? No woman in her right mind would think, “I wonder if he’s some kind of animal.”

  She almost laughed at the notion. Instead she had to suppress a small sob. If she cried again, she might not stop. No, she had gotten away, and she needed to get her mind together and think about what she needed to do next. A divorce, definitely that much, but what about tonight?

  “Sophia?”

  She jumped at the female voice and sighed, trying to calm down. “Harper. Thank you so much for letting me stay.”

  The woman she had met recently, at her engagement party of all places, held a mug out to her. Sophia received it with thanks and found it was hot chocolate. She sipped it and let the warm liquid ease some of the shaking.

  “Don’t you worry none about it,” Harper said. “Getting here must have been tough, but I’m glad you trusted me and Jack enough to come to us.”

  She nodded and sipped her chocolate, but it wasn’t about trust. Jack’s offer to come to them if she ever needed help had seemed weird at the time he said it, but the words made an impact. Now she knew why he spoke to her that way. He had known.

  “Think we can turn on a light?” Sophia asked. Her eyes still hadn’t adjusted to the darkness, but it didn’t seem to bother Harper. Then again the biggest wolves in existence hadn’t chased her through the woods.

  “Of course. I’m sorry.” Harper flipped on a switch, and the room came into focus.

  Jack and Harper lived in a small home in the middle of nowhere, and Sophia considered it a miracle that she actually found the place—especially after she had to abandon her car a few miles down the road.

  The living room where Sophia crouched on the sofa was designed with rustic, heavy-wooded furniture with a stone fireplace and way too much wood paneling on the walls.

  “Jack will be back soon,” Harper told her. “Then we can talk.”

  “It’s dangerous out there. The wolves…” Something snapped outside the door, and she popped up from the couch, almost spilling the chocolate.

  Harper patted her shoulder. “That will be him. Relax, Sophia. No one is going to hurt you here. Jack will make sure of it.”

  Sophia didn’t want to remind her about how big her husband was and how strong. She shut her eyes and redirected her thoughts. Despite everything that had happened, there was something deep inside that still craved him.

  He must have bewitched me.

  A pounding started on the door. She froze, and so did Harper. Jack wouldn’t knock at his own house.

  “Open up,” came the deep-voiced command. “Now.”

  Harper started for the door, but Sophia grabbed her arm. “Don’t!”

  “I have to.” Harper looked nervous but not scared. “They know you’re here, Sophia. They can smell you.”

  She blinked. “Smell?” Of course. Like dogs. She felt sick.

  Harper opened the door, and two men and a woman strode into the house as if they owned it. What seemed like a comfortable space before they arrived quickly shrank. The men were over six feet with wide shoulders, and the woman was almost as tall but much more feminine in appearance. Sophia would classify her as an Amazon, a beautiful and powerful one by the look of her.

  One of them flared his nostrils in a harsh frown at Harper. “You know you’re going to—”

  “She came here because she was afraid of Sebastian,” Harper interrupted. “She came on her own because he didn’t tell her what he was until after they were married!”

  “Shut up!” The statuesque woman with vibrant red hair jumped ahead of the two men to get into Harper’s face. “Don’t open your mouth to say anything against Sebastian.”

  Harper shivered a little at the woman’s aggression, but she raised her chin in defiance. “When Jack gets back, he’ll—”

  “He’ll what?” The woman sneered. “You both know better than to cross Sebastian.”

  “We didn’t cross him. Like I said she came to us for help. You’re saying Sebastian wanted me to turn her away in the middle of the night?”

  “You should have called him,” the woman snapped.

  “Enough.” Sophia found her voice at last. “I’m not going back, so you can get out of here. You can tell Sebastian that for me.”

  She had no idea where she would go because she had given up her apartment, and the landlord had already arranged for someone else to move in there from the second she gave him notice. She had no family left, and money was tight. Maybe she could find a reasonable motel to stay in for a few nights.

  “You don’t have a choice,” the second man said. “No one leaves Sebastian.”

  Sophia swallowed. “Is he the mafia?”

  She tried to be her usual smart-mouthed self, sarcastic and not taking crap from anyone, but further words stuck in her throat. These people terrified her more than Sebastian. When she looked at Sebastian, even as she saw the horror of what he was, she recognized the emotion in his gaze. He loved her.

  He’s not human. He has no right to feel that way about me.

  The second man was about to speak again, but he paused and tilted his head to the side as if he listened to something. The other two stilled as well like they picked up sound she couldn’t hear. Dread washed over her, and on cue the three stepped out of the doorway. There stood her husband, and her legs gave out.

  She would have hit the floor, but Sebastian moved like lightning to catch her. A scream bubbled in her throat. She fought against his hold, but he refused to let go. With little effort, he raised her into his arms and carried her to the couch. She punched his chest as hard as she could.

  “Let me go!” She hit him
again, this time catching his chin. He didn’t flinch.

  Sebastian deposited her onto the couch with gentle hands, and to her surprise he backed off, returning to stand near the door. She let out a breath in relief. At least he didn’t hover over her. Whatever space was left between the three big visitors was snuffed out with the arrival of her husband.

  Sebastian stood at six foot four inches and was built like a Mack truck. From the first time she met him in the mall of all places, she was sucked in by his looks. Hazel eyes that held a mixture of danger and seduction, a long straight nose, and dark curls she loved to run her fingers through, he grabbed her attention and later stole her heart. What had sealed the deal for her during the time they dated was that she never had to fight off Sebastian’s advances. He wanted to wait until they were married to make love, and it blew her away. She thought he was old school, but it turned out, the bastard knew once he gave in to his sexual desires, the beast would rise up.

  “I’m not going back, so you can just get out of here!” She shouted because something changed inside from the second he arrived. She could only describe it as a craving, an actual craving for him, and it wasn’t just sexual.

  Did he poison me?

  “You don’t have a choice, baby.” His voice was gentle but firm.

  She glared at him and struggled up to her feet. “Are you trying to tell me you’re going to force me to stay with you? Because I’m going to tell you right now, I’ll call the police, and if they won’t believe me I’ll... I’ll… Kill you in your sleep!”

  The two men and the woman’s eyes widened in shock. Harper snorted in amusement. Sebastian didn’t appear to be fazed by her declaration. He spread his hands out to the sides as if to plead with her to be reasonable.

  “Baby, I’m not—”

  “Don’t you dare call me baby after what I found out about you! Do they know?” She referred to his men but thought since the fact that he was a beast wasn’t a surprise to Harper, it must not be to the people that worked for Sebastian.

  “If you’ll calm down, I’ll explain everything.”

  She folded her arms over her chest, mostly to hide the trembling. “I don’t want to hear anything you have to say.”

  Sebastian took a step toward her. She stumbled backward, almost falling over the couch. When he advanced again, she darted behind it. For a fleeting instant, she saw something in his gaze as if he got a thrill out of her running away from him. Then it was gone, and all she saw was sympathy. She didn’t need his pity.

  “Listen to me closely, Sophia.”

  “I said I don’t—”

  “Be quiet!”

  She gasped. He had never raised his voice.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, but she didn’t think he was. “I don’t want to ever be harsh with you, but I must first think of your protection. More than that, my wolf demands it as the number one reason for my existence.”

  She blinked. “Your wolf?”

  He touched a hand to his chest as if that explained it. “You’re right. I am half beast—a wolf to be exact. I was wrong to keep it from you, but a human has never been a wolf shifter’s mate before.”

  To stem the rising panic, she wanted to put her hands over her ears and block out his voice. Instead, she listened, dazed. Sebastian noticed her weakness and strode over to rub her arms. She didn’t have the energy or the desire to push him away. Something inside still wanted to be with him. No, it was worse than that. There was something driving her to be with him, and it was stronger than simple love or desire.

  “You poisoned me,” she accused him.

  Sebastian flushed. She had never seen him do so, and it was interesting seeing him at a loss. The people behind him all turned their heads away, equally embarrassed. She wondered how they knew Sebastian’s reaction with his back to them, but then figured they must have guessed what she meant. Sebastian released inside her when they were making love, and now she accused him of poisoning her. What else was she to think?

  After some moments, her husband found his voice. “I would prefer to have this conversation with you in private.”

  “Not happening.”

  He sighed and looked over his shoulder. “Everyone outside.”

  The three people with him didn’t think twice. They marched onto the porch as one.

  Harper didn’t budge. “This is my house, and I won’t be put out of it.”

  Sebastian had already turned back to Sophia. “I won’t repeat myself, Harper.”

  The threat gave Sophia chills, and Harper must have felt the impact as she scooted to the door and slammed it as she left. Sebastian took Sophia’s hand and led her to the couch. She was helpless to do anything but sink onto the cushions before she fell down.

  He stroked her hand, watching her face intently. “You are my wife and my mate, Sophia.”

  “Not for long.”

  “You can’t leave me.”

  “Like I said, I’ll do what I have to.”

  “Sweetheart, I’m sorry I delayed telling you about what it means to be married to me.”

  “You mean lied.”

  He winced. “No matter what, you are my mate. I sensed it from the first time we met. However, I had to hold back from making love to you because it would mean sealing our bond.”

  “Come again?”

  He hesitated. She knew he was going to say something she wished she never heard.

  “My love, our bond makes it so you can leave me, but you will always be driven back to me. You will never find happiness or fulfillment without me.”

  “That’s a lie!” Her head screamed no, but her heart agreed. This wasn’t happening. She couldn’t love this monster, this beast, this… Tears sprung to her eyes, and her head started to swim. “You did something to me. You’re controlling me. That’s why I feel…um…something.”

  She didn’t want to admit that it felt like relief when he showed up, and the feelings continued to stir inside her. Confusion won out as the dominating emotion. She had dumped men before who turned out to be jerks and liars, even when she loved them still. Granted, she had never gone so far as to marry one, but this wasn’t like her.

  “The bond isn’t like that, sweetheart. It doesn’t control you. There’s just an unbroken link.”

  She moved away from him before she lost her mind. “I don’t believe you. If monsters exist, then maybe magic does. You did something.”

  His voice was low and dangerous. “Please stop calling me a monster. I’m your husband.”

  “You’re not human!”

  “Agreed, and that’s not an insult to my people.”

  She blinked at him. “There are others like you?”

  He started to rise and approach her, but when she flinched, he settled down on the couch again. The anger in his tone a second ago melted away. “My three men outside are like me.”

  She felt sick. On some level it struck her as interesting that he called that Amazon goddess one of his men, but there were more important matters to consider. “And the wolves that chased me are your pets I guess?”

  “My men.”

  The shock refused to cease. “M-men? You mean they ch-change?”

  “We do.”

  She swayed. “I can’t handle this. I just can’t. There’s no way. I must have been in an accident and bumped my head. That’s the only explanation. There’s no such thing as people who can change into wolves, and I didn’t wait thirty-four years to get married only to marry an animal. Not possible!”

  As she spoke, her voice rose higher and higher until she began to shriek. Sebastian surged to his feet and grabbed her arms. She screamed and tried to claw his face. He caught her hands and shook her once hard. The impact of having her head bobble on her neck snapped her out of the hysteria, and she clamped her lips together.

  “Sophia.”

  He paused as a commotion started outside. She couldn’t figure out what was going on, but something told her he knew. Hopefully, those beasts didn’t eat Harper. The
woman was on her own because Sophia didn’t have the energy to fight off her husband let alone his men.

  Energy. Yeah, right. Like that’s all I need to fight them.

  “I have to take care of something outside, but before I go, tell me something.”

  She moved out of his hold and hugged herself. The shaking died down, but she didn’t feel like she was in control. “What?”

  “Why did you come here to my half brother’s house?”

  She frowned at him. “Because he warned me on our wedding day.”

  Sebastian’s face turned stoney. “What did he say exactly?”

  On several occasions over the time they dated, she had seen Sebastian angry. His voice would get all deep and his eyes so intense, it wouldn’t have surprised her if he shot lasers. None of that anger had ever been directed at her, and as far as she knew he was never physical with whoever pissed him off. What she had noticed was he’d fuss at his men and give an order, and they hopped to it like trained soldiers. Just like that woman’s attitude had been earlier, they were loyal to him. What he said was law. Now she realized it must be some extreme inhuman thing or whatever.

  “He told me if I ever needed him and Harper, they would be here for me. He knew what you were before, didn’t he?”

  “Of course, but I don’t appreciate him offering my mate refuge.”

  “Will you stop with the mate crap? I’m not an animal. Wait, I’m not an animal, am I? I’m not going to start sprouting hair?” Sickness threatened to overwhelm her.

  “No, you’re human. We cannot change humans into shifters despite the folklore about werewolves.”

  Her eyes widened. “Werewolves?”

  “Sophia, I said most of that stuff isn’t true. We do not change with the full moon, and we certainly don’t lose the human side to us when we change. How I think now is how I am when I’m shifted. Only my body changes.”