Summer of the Beast

Violet Vanworth stared out the window of her new home, boxes behind her left unpacked. “I miss you, Momma,” she whispered to herself. It was hard to believe she was in a new town. Just two months ago Violet’s world had turned upside down when her mother, Ashley Vanworth, had been attacked and beaten coming home from work, and left for dead.

She’d had only had one hour with her mother before she had died, and in that hour, Violet’s life took a nosedive. Not only had her mother lied to her about her father, but she had known where he was for the past twenty-five years and hadn’t told her a thing.

The town of Wonder, her father’s last known address, was where she now resided. After settling all her mother’s affairs, Violet had found her mother owned a home in Wonder. She’d taken a deep breath before asking her, “Why would you purchase a home here, Mom, and never live in it?”

Now, turning on the stereo and the light, Violet started unpacking her belongings, adding pictures and knickknacks to the ones she’d already set out in the home. The house had been fully decorated and ready for her, as if her mother had known she would come here one day. Violet shook her head, knowing her mother’s gift of sight most likely had made her purchase this place for her.

Tomorrow Violet would start getting acquainted with the town while looking for a part-time job. It was purely to keep herself busy; it wasn’t as if she needed the money. Her mother had left her well off.

“Damn, forgot to go to the store,” Violet mumbled, then grabbed her purse and keys.

Ten minutes later, Violet pushed the grocery cart down the aisle of the small town store. She had received a few stares as soon when she walked into the store, but she ignored them, knowing she was new to their town.

As Violet reached for a can of coffee, a large hand from behind her grabbed it off the top shelf and handed it to her. “Here you go. I haven’t seen you around town. Are you visiting?”

She turned with the coffee in her hand and glanced up and up until she finally stared into the face of the most gorgeous man she had ever seen. His black hair was pulled back into a braid down his back, and he had dark green eyes and a mustache. He stood at least six feet or more, and a body that weightlifters could appreciate.

Um, do you think so?” She immediately slapped her hand over her mouth and rolled her eyes. “I’m so sorry. It’s just growing up in New York, you don’t trust anyone.” She smiled and glanced down at the floor when his laugh filled the room.

“Don’t worry about it. My name is Landon Drews and I’m kind of like the mayor of this small town. I usually hear about new people moving in, so I was just surprised, that’s all.” He brushed a lock of her red hair behind her ear.

“Actually, my mother bought the house more than ten years ago, but just had it furnished six months ago. If you’ll excuse me, I must get going.” She turned to leave, but he gently put his hand on her arm.

“I’m sorry if I dragged up painful memories. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask. We’re a very close-knit and friendly town.”

The scent of his aftershave or cologne had her taking a deep breath and sighing. “Thank you, and no, you didn’t do anything.” She glanced over her shoulder. “But there is something you can help me with. I’m looking for a Castor Bloodstone. Would you know how I can get a hold of him?”

Landon frowned. “He’s a friend. How do you know him?”

Violet glanced back at her cart. “He was a friend of my mother’s a long time ago. I have some personal matters to discuss with him. If you could inform him where I live, and give him my phone number, I would appreciate it.” She grabbed a pen and small piece of paper out of her purse and wrote down her new address, her mother’s name, and her own name and cell phone number. “I’m sure he’ll recognize her name.”

Landon took the card and glanced at it. “I’ll give this to him, but you could meet him tomorrow night, if you’d like. The town is having our Fourth of July cookout at the high school and everyone will be there. I would be happy to introduce you to him and his wife, Grace. I could pick you up around four?” Something about this red-headed woman called to his inner wolf, but for some reason he had a bad feeling her appearance would cause trouble in his town.

“I don’t know if I’m up for a party, but it would be nice to meet a few people. Okay, four it is. Do I need to bring a dish or something?” She smiled up at him, but her dark brown eyes were sad, the smile not reaching them.

“No, there will be plenty of food. Bring a light jacket because it gets cool after dark, though. I’ll see you tomorrow, Violet.” He took her small hand and kissed her knuckles.

Her face turned a light shade of pink and she once more glanced down at the floor. “Goodnight, Landon.”

Carefully, she pulled her hand out of his and he watched as she made her way down the aisle. Her round hips swayed back and forth in her navy skirt.

His beta, Kelvin, stepped up next to him. “So what do you think of our new lady? Is she one of us?”

Landon tucked the card into his pocket. “Weird thing is I couldn’t tell. It was as if her scent was masked somehow, and I believe she has no idea about it either. You and Salvador find out what you can about her mother, Ashley Vanworth. I don’t like surprises in my town and I have a feeling we’re all going to be in for one. We’re going to have to watch her, but let the pack know no one is to harm her, or they’ll answer to me.” The thought of any harm coming to her almost drove him to his knees. “Damn, this isn’t good. My wolf is going crazy.”

Kelvin nodded. “I’m afraid yours isn’t the only one. When I walked into the store and saw you talking to her, it was all I could do not to join you. Do you think she’s the one for us?”

Landon turned and slapped Kelvin on the back. “I don’t know, but we need to see how Salvador reacts to her tomorrow, too. And I want to know how she knows the King’s son. Ever since he moved here fifty years ago, we’ve had to tighten security. I’ll have to inform Norris about Violet so they won’t be shocked when we show up tomorrow.” He walked out into the night air and took a deep breath.

“That’s another reason why I was searching for you. It seems the King will be at tomorrow night’s festival. We already have some of his guards showing up at the hotel.” Kelvin slipped his arm around him and nipped his neck.

“Damn, I wish they would give us more notice. Okay, inform the Dog squad they’ll be needed tomorrow for security. I want you and Salvador with me tomorrow when we pick up Violet. If she is our fourth, then I want her to get used to us all right from the start.” He grinned. “Let’s take the bikes out tomorrow and see how she handles riding.”

Kelvin laughed at Landon’s double entendre as they both got into the SUV. “That was bad, but I like the idea. It’s been a while since we’ve been on them.”

Even at fifty, Landon was still youthful-looking, but that hadn’t stopped him from challenging the last alpha for his position when he’d walked into a meeting with the alpha and two rogue males. Landon growled, remembering the alpha’s plan to slowly bring the rogues into their town. No one would have been safe if he hadn’t challenged him and won. To this day, his pack might still see him as a youngster, but they knew all too well that when he was pushed into a corner, Landon was deadly. He took his responsibilities seriously and expected those who worked under him to do so also.

He glanced at Kelvin and grinned, remembering the day he had met him and Salvador at a conference for alphas. One meeting and all three knew they belonged together. After many months Kelvin and Salvador had moved their packs to Wonder, creating one of the largest packs in the United States. All three of them ruled with iron fists.

Kelvin turned in his seat and stared at him. “Have you talked to Norris, the security guy for the king?”

Landon shook his head. “Nope, he just got into town last week and has been out at Caser’s since then. Why?”

“Make sure you talk to him tomorrow. Both Salvador and I have already met him.”

“Spit it out, Kelvin. You never keep anything from me.” Landon glanced at him quickly, then back at the road.

“When I first met him, it was like meeting you all over. The feelings and the signs were there. Salvador had the same reaction.” He ran his hand through his brown wavy hair. “Our family pack might be bigger than the four of us if Norris and Violet are part of it.”

He parked the car in the garage next to the three Harleys and stared at him. “Five of us? I’ve heard of it happening, but it’s been rare to have a family unit so big. In most cases, it was because of royalty or power.” He tapped his fingers on the dashboard and sighed. “Well, it seems tomorrow is going to be a long day. Come on, let’s get something to eat and wait for Salvador to come home so we can plan for tomorrow.”