Chapter 1: Zoey

I should've called out. I really should've. But that's not how my luck goes. And I needed the money damnnit. I would never have guessed that working the event tonight would change my life forever. 

I'd been living in a town called Silver Falls and working for a catering company that had been hired to provide the food and service for a special event thrown by the local pack Alpha, Asher Monroe. I did my best to mask my scent since I didn't want to be discovered and stayed in the kitchen as much as possible. Things had been going well until my boss Emily called me over. My heart sank when she told me to circle the room with trays of hors d'oeuvres. 

"I know you didn't want to have to really go out to deal with all the guests, but I don't have much of a choice. Maria had to home cause her daughter was sick, and the sitter wouldn't stay."

I nodded. Maria was such a sweetheart, and we all adored her daughter.

"Is Danielle going to be ok? Is it something serious?"

Emily shook her head. "Nah, it just seems to be a stomach bug and the sitter's a teen. And you know just how much teens love to deal with sick and puking kids."

"Yeah… about as much as I want to take these pigs-in-a-blanket things around the room on a tray for overdressed rich folk with more money than sense, or manners."

Emily laughed and patted my shoulder. 

"Sorry girlfriend. But to make it up to you, drinks on me after we're done."

"I'm gonna to hold you to that."

I grabbed the tray and stepped out the kitchen door and moved to the side to not block the door as I surveyed the room. The last thing I needed was to be knocked over by someone else coming out and draw attention to myself. The amount of people that attended the event was insane. I'd never seen so many rich snobs in one place. The room was full of men in black tuxedos, some even had tails. The women were in expensive designer evening gowns that sparkled and shimmered as they moved. And let's not forget the small fortune in jewels on their necks, ears, wrists, and fingers. Just one of those pretty baubles was worth more than I made in a year and that was on a good year.

I had no choice but to follow instructions. I shook my head and sighed in resignation as I started to work my way through the room. It seemed these sausage snack things were pretty popular, and my spirits rose as I saw how quickly the tray was emptying. Maybe I could get out of the room before anyone even noticed I was there. And by anyone, I meant the Alpha, Beta, and Gamma of the Silver Moon pack.  I was hoping that the scent of so many people and perfumes would help keep my scent from reaching them. I knew the scent blocker only went so far. 

I kept a polite smile on my face as I mingled through the guests but inside, I was furious. Stupid event. I loved my job but because of having to work the room, tonight I would probably have to pack up and leave… again. There's no way my scent would go completely unnoticed since I was having to circle the main room. Since I went rogue several years ago, I haven't stayed in one place for long, but I'd hoped to stay longer than the seven months I had been here. I'd started to make some friends this time and Silver Falls was such a beautiful and peaceful town. I know I shouldn't have fallen in love with a town owned by another shifter pack and a completely human town would have been better, but I was so tired. Tired of moving, tired of running, tired of being scared. Tired of hurting all the damn time. 

I shook my dark thoughts away and focused on the room and my job. I was almost done with the tray and so far, I hadn't been noticed by the wrong people. The very last hors d'oeuvre was taken from my tray and I gave a small sigh of relief and I turned to go back to the kitchen. And managed to run smack into a very solid and well-muscled chest. The chest of one of the people I was hoping to avoid. My heart stopped as I raised my eyes slowly up to his. His eyes were the color of molten gold and they were studying me closely. I shivered as they ran down my body and back again. A confused look crossed his face.

"Hello. I don't think we've met… but that can't be possible, now can it. As by law all newcomers must interview and petition for entrance to the pack territory. So why don't I recognize you? When did you get here?"

Fuck. I swallowed hard as I thought of something to say to get my ass of this mess. His voice wasn't helping anything either. It was deep and gravelly, and it sent shivers down my spine that had nothing to do with fear. I could feel the heat of his body as we were standing close to each other. I quickly hugged my tray to my chest, almost like a shield. All I had to do was make it to the kitchen and I was outta here. I knew Emily would be upset about me leaving in the middle of the event, but I wanted to not become wolf tartare more than I wanted to not hurt her or collect my next paycheck. I opened my mouth having no idea what I was to say.

"Um… I'm not sure what you're talking about. Sir. Um… I'm with the catering company, you know, just doing my job. Serving food. Just... just making the rounds with the sausage snacks. In fact, I should get back to work. My boss will have more food for me to serve. Lots of hungry guests ya know. Well, umm, I guess you would know since it's your party. Um… yeah…. I will just go…. get more food."

I could have smacked myself in the head with my tray. What the fuck was that babbling junk coming out of my mouth?  Of all the insane things to say and I knew it didn't fool him one bit as his eyes narrowed at me. Asher Monroe, THE Asher Monroe, the Alpha of the Silver Moon pack, leaned forward, and with his face near my neck, took a long inhale. I heard his low growl in my ear as he caught my scent even through the scent blocker I had applied earlier. Heat flooded my body as that growl just did it for me. I'd never mated before and from the wetness between my thighs, my body was all for that first time being with Asher. His scent was delicious and unlike anything I'd smelled before. Like musk and danger.

"Let's not play games. We both know you aren't human, and we both know you're not part of my pack. Nor did you get permission to be here. I want to know what you're doing here and how you got here. Go finish your job for the night but don't even think about leaving. We're going to be having a little chat in my office when this party is over."

He straightened up and his gold eyes were glowing as his beast tried to come forward. I gave a small gasp at the hunger in his gaze, and he closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, his eyes were back to normal and regarding me suspiciously. I edged sideways around him and walked quickly to the kitchen. I was almost sprinting. I felt his eyes watching me as I disappeared through the swinging doors. After the doors swung shut behind me, blocking me from his sight, I started to hyperventilate. Of all the people to have run into. I swear if I didn't have shit for luck, I wouldn't have any at all. And to top it all off, now I wouldn't be able to leave and join Emily for those drinks before skipping town. I knew Asher would've already alerted the security at the doors to watch out for me. Even the "servants" entrance to the kitchen from the courtyard was guarded. Shit on a fucking stick. How do I get out of here? I knew if I went to that chat… it was going to hurt if not get me killed. But I knew I was stuck. Asher was known to be thorough. 

"Hey Zoey… you ok girl? You look really pale."

  I jumped about a mile in the air when I heard Sasha's voice right next to me. I put on a smile and gave her a thumbs up. I didn't trust my voice since I knew it would be shaky and I didn't need her asking too many questions. She gave me a disbelieving look, but she didn't push it and left through the doors to carry her tray around the room. Sighing, I set my empty tray down and grabbed a full one, this time loaded with stuffed mushrooms. With a deep breath, I walked back into the party room. Yay brave me. Or stupid me. I couldn't decide which. I looked up and locked eyes with Asher. He was still standing where I'd left him, and it looked like he had been watching and waiting for me to come back out. I paled a little more and looked away. 

I could feel his eyes following me as I went around the room again. I decided to show him that he couldn't bully me, despite my stupid babbling earlier. If I was gonna die tonight, I was gonna go out with a bang. Besides, it wouldn't do any good to hide now. I held my head high and put a bright smile on my face. I started to interact with the guests and several men stopped me to talk and flirt. I would laugh at their lame jokes and just pocket the numbers they gave me. They were all going in the trash when I got back to the kitchen, but HE didn't know that. I happened to glace Asher's way after a particularly good-looking man but dumb as a box of rocks (sorry for the insult to the rocks) made me laugh and my cheeks turned slightly pink at the lewd things he was saying. I was surprised at how Asher was glaring my way. There was anger and something else in his eyes as I looked at him curiously. I arched an eye, gave him an impish grin, stuck my tongue out, and turned away from him. I swear I could hear him growl all the way across the room. I smiled. I was gonna have fun tonight and party like it was my last, since it probably was. 

As I walked to the edge of the room to head back to the kitchen for another tray, I felt someone come up behind me. My jaw dropped and I stopped in shock as I felt someone grab my ass hard. I whirled and it was Mr. "I paid for my dazzling smile with daddy's money" that I had just walked away from after he had suggested we duck into an empty room for some fun. Fuck, that hurt like a bitch. I rubbed the new sore spot on my ass and my hand itched to slap the shit out of him. 

"Excuse me! Just what the hell do you think you're doing?" I glared at him.

"Come on, you know you want it. Meet me after the party and I can show you how a real man can make you feel." He rubbed his hand over his crotch and smiled. 

I snorted. "Real man? Yeah right. You gotta be able to find your dick first. And that just takes too much time that I don't have to help spoiled little rich boys like you use a magnifying glass to find their pitifully small dicks. So go hit up one of the Bimbo Barbie's here tonight that have the lower expectations that match what equipment you got and leave me the hell alone."

I turned to walk away from him, but he grabbed my arm and spun me back towards him. He pushed me backwards and slammed my back against the wall. His arms were on either side of my head, caging me in. He crowded in close to me and my nose wrinkled at the smell of bourbon on his breath.

"Look here you little bitch. No one tells me no. I'm gonna fuck your pussy tonight whether you want it or not. In fact, I like when they fight back, and I bet that ass of yours is plenty tight. Now we're going into that room right next to you and I'm gonna fuck you until you bleed. And there isn't anything you can do to stop me."

I felt a bolt of fear as I saw the sadistic glint in his eyes. He was enjoying my fear and I had never felt so frustrated. I couldn't risk disrupting the party and drawing more attention to myself just to get away. I wasn't worried about my reputation as I probably wasn't going to live through the night anyway, but I couldn't risk making Emily look bad. She took a chance on me and hired me with no experience. If I disrupted the party, it'd look bad for her. Plus, he was strong, very strong. I knew how to fight but I wasn't sure I could get away from him if I tried doing it quietly.

Dickhead grabbed my arm again and started to drag me to the closed door next to us. I tried pulling my arm away and struggling to get free without alerting the other guests. I desperately tried to pry his hand off my arm. Yeah, that really didn't work. I was gonna have to wait until he had me in the room to get away. Because I'd be damned if this shithead was the one that took my virginity. 

"Excuse me. I think you should let the lady go now." 

The guy jerked to a stop at the voice behind us and yanked me against his side, his fingers digging into my arm and leaving a fuck ton of bruises. I flinched and tried to pull away again and just ended up with more bruises. I looked at the man the voice belonged to and stopped breathing. Jericho Williams, the Beta of the pack. Fuck, this just wasn't my night. Caught by the Alpha, assaulted by this asshole, and now caught by the Beta. A bad case of out of the frying pan and into the fucking fire. As usual, my typical bad luck. I swear the Moon Goddess hates me.

I saw Jericho's eyes narrow as he took in the bruises forming quickly on my arm. He gave a low growl, and the sound made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and a shiver ran down my spine. What the fuck was going on? Why am I getting the same attraction sensations from both the Alpha and the Beta?  Focus Zoey. Need to get out alive first then we can evaluate my non-existent sex life. 

"This is none of your business. Now fuck off. I have a new toy that I'm impatient to break in."

"Oh, but I do think it's my business as I am sure the lady is unwilling?" 

His eyes met mine and I shook my head no. His face was hard as he looked back at the guy holding my arm. 

"You're harming an employee and someone who is very important to us tonight. So, I suggest you let go of her and leave… NOW… while you still can in one piece."

The quiet threat in his voice both scared me and aroused me. My panties were already wet from my encounter with Asher, but now they were soaked from hearing Jericho, not to mention his addictive scent. He smelled like things tasty and forbidden. I saw him give a small sniff and his eyes whipped over to mine. His eyes widened and a small smirk played across his face. Shit… he could smell my arousal and I saw he knew it wasn't there when he first walked up. I was so screwed. He focused back on the asshole who STILL hadn't let me go.

"Excuse me!?! don't think you know who you're talking to. My father is a very influential man, and he can make your career vanish just like that." He snapped his fingers. "Now, be a good boy and run along. I have some fun planned for this little bitch. She needs to be put in her place and to be taught a lesson on listening to her betters."

I paled and I ground my teeth and tried yanking on my arm again. Little bitch? Put in my place? What a dick! Just who did he think he was? Did he not know who he was talking to? I glared at him and then I spotted two very big men coming our way over the jerk's shoulder and really started to panic and yank on my arm harder. I just wanted to get away from this night. Jericho's eyes narrowed at me. He must have smelt my panic and fear.

Asher and his Gamma, Deacon Fisher, were on their way over and they were moving quickly. Jericho must've used their pack bond to let them know what was going on and called them over. This dumbshit holding me had no idea how much danger he was in right now. All this fuss over little ol' me? My brain just couldn't handle it. I knew I wasn't much of a catch. If I was, I wouldn't be here in this situation right now but back in my old pack with a few pups.

Asher and Deacon got to us, and Asher moved to stand beside Jericho. I couldn't read Deacon's expression, but Asher looked pissed. I could see his teeth were clenched as he spoke.

"I think you've done quite enough damage here tonight, Mr. Wilmington. I do know who your father is, and I know exactly who's helping keep his company afloat. Sadly, because of your disrespectful behavior here tonight by threatening and harming someone in my protection, I'll be canceling my contracts with him. And I'll be happy to explain why when I personally go speak to him in just a moment."

Asher had a dark evil glint in his eyes as the guy turned his head to look at him. Mr. Dumbass here had zero sense of self-preservation. He didn't even realize that Deacon had shifted around to stand behind him as he gave Asher a disgusted look. 

"You think you're such hot shit. You're a pathetic nobody and you'll always be a pathetic nobody. Go ahead. Pull your worthless contracts. We have other contracts, and we don't need you and your paltry company. Now leave me and this tasty morsel alone. I have so many plans for her. You can certainly have your turn when I'm done, but she's going to be a little broken by the time I'm finished with her."

I tried hard to pull my arm free and gave a yelp as he dug his fingers in so hard his manicured nails cut into my skin and I started to bleed. I gave a small whimper and tears spilled down my face as he kept digging in more and more, pulling the cuts open wider and blood began flowing down my arm. It felt like the dude was going to break my arm soon. I almost dropped to my knees as the pressure on my arm increased even more. He was stronger than he looked, and I realized there was no way I would've gotten away from him on my own.

I heard three growls very clearly as they scented my blood. It started to drip from my elbow and onto the white marble floor. I saw Asher and Jericho's faces turn red as they saw my tears and I knew their wolves were close to the surface. I could feel the anger emanating from behind me and I didn't have to look to know Deacon was just as mad. Even with as much pain as I was in and how dangerous the situation had become, I felt a curl of desire that throbbed between my legs. Like, what the hell, body? Now was so not the time for this. 

"You've worn out your welcome, Wilmington. Deacon, please remove his hand from this young lady by any means necessary and send him out the door… as far as you can."

My eyes widened as I gazed at Asher in shock. He just gave permission for a freaking shifter to throw a human! Not that I was complaining too much. This douche deserved it. But wow… it was something that just didn't happen every day.

I looked over and saw Deacon's hand drop onto the guy's shoulder. He turned his head to say something scathing and froze. I didn't blame him. Deacon was quite a sight to see. He was gorgeous and stood 6'3" and was solid muscle. He looked like he could bench press a truck one handed. And right now he was pissed and it showed. His already dark eyes got even darker. I shivered. Why was I so attracted to all three of these dangerous men and why was seeing their dominant side such a turn on? I should be running away in fear but instead, I very much wanted to curl up between all three of them. 

"Let her go. You will not be asked again." 

Fuck me. Deacon's voice was just as deep as Asher's, if not just an octave deeper. A distant part of my mind wondered how that voice felt rumbling through his chest. My hand twitched as I struggled against placeing my hand on his chest to find out. 

The guy holding me swallowed and went pale. He let my arm go and I tried, and failed, to smother a cry as his fingernails left my arm. Blood flowed faster and Jericho stepped in front of me and wrapped a handkerchief around my arm to stop the bleeding. His eyes were softly glowing green as he stared daggers at the jerk that started this clusterfuck. I saw Asher's hands fist at his sides like he wanted to hit the guy when I cried out. I looked up from where Jericho was bandaging my arm and met Deacon's eyes as more tears slid down my cheeks. He was watching me closely and his face was showing no emotion. But his eyes were blazing as they scanned my body for any other damage and a vein was popping out on his neck. I knew he was holding onto his rage by just a hair. I blanched and stepped back, pulling my arm away from Jericho, afraid that his rage was directed at me for being here when I shouldn't be. His eyes softened a little and he shook his head at me to indicate he wasn't mad at me. When he looked at the man he was holding onto, his eyes went black as his wolf simmered just under the surface.

"Come on. You're outta here. You can come willingly, or I can knock your ass out and toss you outside. Your choice. Either way works but personally I prefer getting to knock your ass out."

"How dare you! This isn't the end. Not by a long shot. I always get what I want." 

He glared at me, and I stepped back again and partially hid behind Jericho. That look terrified me and chilled me to the bone. It didn't bode well for me. 

"And I want that bitch. She needs a lesson in listening to her betters and when I say spread your legs she better fucking spread them. I'm going to fuck her as rough and as often as I can until she submits like a good little slut. And then I'm going to break her."

I knew my fear was scenting the air, but I couldn't help it. This man was dangerous and demented and now was fixated on me. Just fucking lovely. Why does my life always go to shit? Seriously, Moon Goddess? What did I ever do to you?

I saw Deacon tighten his grip and the man winced. 

"Wrong thing to say. Looks like I get my preference after all. Plus, we need to have a little talk about how to properly treat a woman."

I watched wide-eyed as Deacon forcefully led the guy out the door. I felt no sympathy for the guy but damn if Deacon wasn't hot when he went all badass. Swallowing my desire, I looked around and was surprised to see most of the guests had left and the crew was cleaning up and packing the used serving dishes into the carts. 

"Are you ok?"

I jumped a little and looked up into Jericho's eyes. He had turned around and set his hand gently on my uninjured arm. His hand was hot against my skin. His voice was deep but held a soft note that soothed my fear. I nodded and looked down.

"Yeah. Thanks for helping. I'm sorry to have caused so much trouble. Please don't blame Emily for it." I glanced back up at him. "And thanks for the handkerchief. I'll get it back to you. I have a secret recipe for getting blood out of cloth. I've had a lot of practice." I gave a small trembling smile. I normally wasn't this meek, but that guy had really shaken me up. "I'd better go help clean up." I glanced at Asher and gave a small, defeated sigh. "Where do you want me to meet you once we're done cleaning?"

"Wait here in the party room. One of will be staying and can escort you to my office. It seems we have a lot to talk about tonight."

I nodded in defeat and walked away from the Asher and Jericho with a slight slump to my shoulders. One thing was for sure. The Alpha, Beta, and Gamma of the Silver Moon pack were not how I imagined them to be. They were far scarier and yet not. Something about them excited me and called to me in a way I just didn't understand. They were a sexy, dangerous combination. I shivered and got to work cleaning. Hopefully they'd go easy on me, and I could disappear without too much fuss. Fingers crossed. I gotta catch a break sometime. Right?