Series: Werewolves of Wall Street Series by Renee Rose
Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 94820 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 474(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94820 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 474(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
The biggest danger is the King himself. And he’s drinking. It takes a lot of alcohol for a shifter to maintain a buzz, but he seems determined to accomplish it. He also insists on giving us the full tour, including the cinema, gym, spa, and ice room. The ladies love it.
“Instead of the spa, we could’ve come here,” Scarlett giggles.
“You are welcome anytime, my lady,” Luka captures her hand and bows over it.
I don’t like watching him flirt with Scarlett, who I think of as a little sister, but she’s a she-wolf who can handle her own. Brick makes her train daily in self defense.
We’re mingling on the party deck, next to the glass bottomed pool.
The other wolves stand back, murmuring politely. Everyone’s behaving themselves.
I don’t know how I ended up next to Luka, but he’s talking to me, and it’d be rude to rebuff him.
I’d rather be with Aubrey. After a day at the spa, she is glowing. Right now, she and Madi are on the top deck, taking in the view.
“Your luna is lovely, for a human,” Luka murmurs.
I give him a nod although I want to grill him on what he meant by ‘for a human.’ Is he a shifter supremacist like my father? Like I was raised to be?
“You’re also here with a human,” Luka says. He raises his head and sniffs the air. “The one with the delectable scent. Spiced oranges?”
Talking about scents is super personal. I tense, my wolf hating that he’s speaking of Aubrey so intimately and so casually. But maybe it’s an American thing.
Luka swirls his drink. He’s drinking ouzo, and the strong anise smell hides his own scent.
“I, too, enjoy a human now and then. They are so weak. Dominate them a little, and they become eager to please. Easily kept as pets.”
I have a gift for staying unemotional. Controlling my reactions, so I can manipulate situations with the correct angle, but anger explodes in my brain. Did this dickhead really compare Aubrey to a pet? Like she’s a dog like Pepper?
I want to kill him. Right here, right now. It’d be so easy. He’d never see it coming, I could just jump on him, tear out his eyes, and strangle him before he knew what was happening.
My wolf is howling, all for it. No one talks about Aubrey like that and lives.
Except…I can’t. This is the Alpha King of Monaco. We’re in his territory.
This is another example of how much Aubrey disturbs my ability to function. Fuck.
Nickel notices my tension and signs the equivalent of “Easy, tiger.” I signal back, “Fuck off.” I’m not going to lose control of my wolf in the middle of a foreign country.
I smile at the king, showing my canines. “Our pack treats humans like equals. We share their world, after all. And I don’t know about other packs’ practices, but we don’t fuck our pets.” I hide my sneer, but I don’t need to. My derision comes through.
The king hears it loud and clear. His eyes flare amber–the same color as Brick’s–and then he gets his wolf under control. “You misunderstand me. I was merely curious why the alpha of such a strong pack would stoop to mating a weak human. He will dilute his bloodline. His pups will be duds.”
That’s it.
I know he’s just saying out loud what many older wolves in our own pack think. But this insult cannot stand.
“Our luna is not weak,” I say loud enough that everyone on the deck can hear me. “She provides strength to our pack.”
Luka’s lip curls, but he seems to realize he’s crossed a line. “I mean nothing by this, of course. I am just curious.”
“See that your curiosity doesn’t make you less courteous,” I say. His eyes flash–I’ve just given the king of this territory an order. On his own yacht, no less.
Nickel must sense danger because he heads our way to intercede. “Luka, I’m glad to meet you, at last. I believe our families are connected by marriage. Our cousins in Gibraltar?”
Luka ignores Nickel. His gaze locks on mine. I tense, expecting a challenge.
Instead, he laughs and downs his drink. “Indulge me one more curiosity. Your human?” He gestures towards Aubrey, who’s laughing and leaning into the wind on the upper deck. She lifts her braids away from her neck, and a fresh bloom of scent hits the breeze. “What does she provide? Other than a few holes to please you–”
I don’t think, I just act. The king usually stands with both feet planted, like a ship captain used to stormy seas. But he’s made the mistake of leaning back on the railing to point Aubrey out.
I drop and grab his leg then heave. He isn’t expecting an attack, certainly not one that involves me dropping to my knees in front of him. In a split second, I get him off balance, and gravity does the rest.