The Gray Pack 2

  Reflections of the Wolf

  After being rescued from a crazy werewolf with murderous intent, Tina Jameson has a scorching night with Liam Gray, local firefighter and Beta Wolf of the Gray Pack. When he announces that she is predestined to be his mate, she is fast to push him away.

  Suddenly she finds herself in a whirlwind of conflicting emotions and rioting desires. Having been a victim of a senseless act of violence in her past, Tina has given up on a forever kind of love, even if that man turns her on like no one else has.

  Liam didn’t think he wanted a mate, but his wolf wants Tina in his bed and his life for good. In order to have her he must let go of the guilt he has from his daughter’s death and then help Tina to let go of her own tragic past. Can one night determine their destiny, or will fear drive them apart?

  Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal, Vampires/Werewolves

  Length: 63,272 words

  REFLECTIONS OF THE WOLF

  The Gray Pack 2

  Lori King

  EROTIC ROMANCE

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  ABOUT THE E-BOOK YOU HAVE PURCHASED: Your non-refundable purchase of this e-book allows you to only ONE LEGAL copy for your own personal reading on your own personal computer or device. You do not have resell or distribution rights without the prior written permission of both the publisher and the copyright owner of this book. This book cannot be copied in any format, sold, or otherwise transferred from your computer to another through upload to a file sharing peer to peer program, for free or for a fee, or as a prize in any contest. Such action is illegal and in violation of the U.S. Copyright Law. Distribution of this e-book, in whole or in part, online, offline, in print or in any way or any other method currently known or yet to be invented, is forbidden. If you do not want this book anymore, you must delete it from your computer.

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  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  IMPRINT: Erotic Romance

  REFLECTIONS OF THE WOLF

  Copyright © 2012 by Lori King

  E-book ISBN: 978-1-62241-658-5

  First E-book Publication: November 2012

  Cover design by Christine Kirchoff

  All cover art and logo copyright © 2012 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  PUBLISHER

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  Letter to Readers

  Dear Readers,

  If you have purchased this copy of Reflections of the Wolf by Lori King from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

  Regarding E-book Piracy

  This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book.

  The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment.

  This is Lori King’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Ms. King’s right to earn a living from her work.

  Amanda Hilton, Publisher

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  www.BookStrand.com

  DEDICATION

  For my select group of pre-readers: Jessicca, Denise, and Misty. You three have read multiple versions of every story I write, and you continue to encourage, advise, and critique me with love and honesty. I couldn’t ask for a better group to surround myself with. Thank you for all that you have done and all that you continue to do for me.

  For my readers, thank you for returning to me, encouraging me, and blessing me with your loyalty.

  And as always, for my husband, who is my knight in shining armor. You will always be my favorite hero.

  And for my children, who remind me that life is short and you must grab it with both hands.

  I hope to always Live, Laugh, and Love like today is my only chance.

  Always~Lori

  REFLECTIONS OF THE WOLF

  The Gray Pack 2

  LORI KING

  Copyright © 2012

  Prologue:

  The First Impression

  Ring… Ring… Ring…

  “Battalion One, Liam Gray here.”

  “Hello, umm…is this the fire station on Rock Road?”

  “Sure is, honey. Do you have a fire you need put out?”

  “Is Damon Gray there?”

  “Who’s calling?”

  “It’s personal. Is Damon there?”

  “That depends on who’s calling. You sound too sweet for Damon’s tastes. How’d he manage to find you?”

  “He didn’t find me. He found my friend, and then he met me. Are you going to help me or not?”

  “A friend or a friend, doll? Because there’s a hell of a difference.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me? Look, hotshot, I’m a friend of Caroline Trainor’s, and since he left the hospital with her, I’m hoping he knows how I can get ahold of her. Now stopping fucking around and put him on the damn phone.”

  “Holy hell, girl, you’ve got a mouth on you. Your voice is too sexy to use words like that.”

  “Lord have mercy. Never mind, just put your supervisor on the phone.”

  “Now, hold on a minute. I didn’t say I wouldn’t help you. But before I ask a girl out, I need to know how much competition I have.”

  “Ask me out? Is this really the fire station? Are you insane?”

  “I’ve been called crazy before, but definitely not insane. This is the fire station, and Damon isn’t on shift tonight, but I will pass on your message to him…if you agree to go out with me.”

  “I am not going out with a complete stranger. I’m not stupid.”

  “Hey, I introduced myself already, so if anyone would be dating a stranger it would be me. What’s your name, sweetheart?”

  “Listen, Caroline is my best friend, and I let her walk out of the hospital with Damon and his brother, because she trusted them. I should have known better than to trust men that look that good. If he turns out to be some sort of freak…”

  “Trust me, Damon and Devin Gray are the least freaky of this bunch, and not even the best looking. Now, if you won’t tell me your name, how am I supposed to tell him who to call?”

  “It’s Tina Jameson. I work with Caroline at the hospital, and I really need to talk to her. Do you have a phone number for him?”

  “Tina, yeah, that suits your voice. I like Tina. Let me make you a deal, Sweet Tina. I will pass the message on to Damon later today if you will meet me for drinks tomorrow night.”

  “Ugh! This is ridiculous. I am not going out for drinks with you, Liam. I just need you to give him the message.”

  “I like hearing you say my name, Sweet Tina. I will give him the message, and maybe soon you and I can have that drink.”

  “Don’t hold your breath.”

  The phone disconnected, and Liam hung his end up with a smile on his face. Well, that was fun, he thought to himself. I definitely have to meet this woman. Chuckling to himself, he pulled his personal cell phone from his pocket and started dialing Damon Gray’s number.

  Chapter 1

  Tucking her legs underneath her, Tina settled comfortably into the couch to watch a movie. After three days of twelve-hour shifts at the hospital, she was beat, and her muscles were practically screaming with tension. She would have to take a hot bath and soak the pain away before she went to bed, or she would be miserable tomorrow. Resting her head on the softly cushioned back of the couch, she let herself get absorbed into the storyline of her favorite movie, The Sound of Music.

  She jumped when the phone rang and realized she had been sleeping for a while. The movie was almost over, and the sun was starting to set outside. She stood, carefully stretching the now atrophied muscles of her legs, and grabbed the phone from the table by the front door. Smiling when she saw the caller ID, she ran her fingers through her short black hair and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

  “Caroline! I’m surprised to hear from you! I figured it would be days before those two sexy men let you out of the bed,” she answered without even saying hello.

  “Tina? Hey, I’m on my way into town, and I need a place to stay for just a bit. Can I come to your place?” Caroline’s voice quivered, and Tina knew something was wrong. Caroline was not an emotional person, but now she sounded like she was about to break down in tears.

  “What? What’s happened, Caroline? Where are the twins?” Perching on the edge of the couch, Tina shut the sound off on the TV using the remote control.

  “I can�

��t explain right now. Can I please just come to your place?” Caroline was practically begging, and Tina didn’t hesitate. Caroline had listened to too many of Tina’s own emotional breakdowns for her to ignore her friend when she asked for help.

  “Of course, come on over. I’ll get out the ice cream, and we can talk.” Tina rolled her eyes toward the ceiling with a deep sigh, wondering what the heck the two men could have done to upset her friend so much. It was a good thing she had just stocked the freezer with a half-gallon of her favorite chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. It sounded like she and Caroline would need it tonight.

  “That sounds great. I should be there in the next half an hour. I’m having a friend drop me off. See you soon.” The phone clicked in Tina’s ear, and she sat staring at it in her hand for a few moments, completely perplexed by Caroline’s unusual behavior. It was so unlike her to lean on anyone, even Tina.

  Caroline Trainor was more like her sister than her best friend, and she had been through a hell of a lot in the last few days. First her apartment caught fire while she was still in it, and Caroline had bravely rescued her next door neighbor Molly along with her young son Tyler. The fireman that pulled them all from the burning building had fallen in love at first sight with the pretty, but skittish, young woman. Damon Gray and his twin brother Devin had spent the entire night at the hospital by Caroline’s bedside, and then they had taken her home with them when she was released. Tina was insanely jealous of her friend’s good fortune.

  The Gray twins were just about the sexiest men Tina had ever seen in her life. They looked like Native American warriors, and they treated Caroline like she was their princess. Or at least they had been treating her like that for the last few days. Tina couldn’t figure out what would bring on the abrupt change in Caroline’s attitude. Just this morning on the phone Caroline was raving about how in love with them she was. It just didn’t make any sense.

  Thinking back over her conversation with Caroline from the morning drew thoughts of Devin and Damon’s cocky fireman friend Liam. She had been desperate to get ahold of Caroline after she left the hospital and hadn’t even tried to call anyone to tell them she was okay. Tina had tried to reach the brothers at the firehouse in a last-ditch effort to locate her best friend. The man who answered, Liam, was arrogant and flirted shamelessly with her. Since that phone call, all Tina could think about was his sexy deep voice. Maybe she should have just agreed to go out for drinks with Liam Gray, just to get him out of her system.

  God! What am I doing? she thought to herself. He could be ugly as sin or married, and I’m sitting home alone drooling over his voice. I need to get laid, bad.

  Tina put the phone back on the charger and shut the movie off. Rolling her neck to ease the tension that knotted there, she headed for the kitchen to get out the ice cream and grab some aspirin before Caroline arrived. Whatever had happened between the lovebirds, Tina knew that her role as the shoulder to cry on and the ear to listen was going to be tested tonight. As she passed the hallway to the bedroom, she caught a slight movement out of the corner of her eye, and then a sharp pain blossomed in her head and everything went black.

  Waking up tied to a chair was surprisingly not the worst moment in Tina’s life, but she couldn’t hold back her yelp of fear when a pale, sour-smelling man jerked her head backward by her hair. Looking into angry black eyes, she racked her brain for clues as to who he might be. She whimpered as his hand pressed against the lump now forming on the back of her skull.

  “Keep quiet, girl, or else I’ll give you a reason to scream.”

  “Who are you?” Tina’s voice cracked, but sounded much stronger than her nerves felt. Her hands were sweating as she twisted against the rope holding her to the dining room chair. The bonds were fairly loose, but she couldn’t pull too hard on them with the man standing over her. He let out a grunt in her face, and her stomach rolled at the stench of his breath.

  “It doesn’t matter. Now shut up. I’ve got plans for your pretty little friend.” The evil grin on his face made her blood run ice cold. Caroline would walk through the door any second, and they would both be at the mercy of this disgusting man. She would be walking into an ambush, and Tina was powerless to stop it.

  “Why shouldn’t I start screaming right now and warn her away?” she pushed.

  He stood glaring at her for a moment before he answered by backhanding her. The slap was so hard that it threw her head sideways, and she saw stars behind her eyelids. The chair she was tied to tipped, wobbling on two legs for a brief second before settling back to four, and she wiggled her bottom jaw to make sure it wasn’t broken.

  “Do it, and I will make sure that your last few moments alive are more painful than you’ve ever imagined.” The man let out a sharp bark of laughter before jerking his head back toward the front room. Apparently he heard something she couldn’t, because he slipped behind the front door out of sight and lifted a baseball bat above his shoulder. She must be in shock to have not even noticed he was carrying around a bat. That had to have been what he hit her with, because the back of her head was throbbing now.

  Tina’s mind was screaming, but she resisted making noise. She didn’t want to antagonize her attacker before she had her arms free from the ropes. If she could just get herself loose, she could get to the loaded pistol she kept on top of the coat rack. She would make sure this disgusting creature didn’t live long enough to regret attacking her. He would be enjoying a face full of hot lead shortly if she could just get the damn ropes unfastened.

  Caroline burst through the door, and Tina caught a glimpse of her tear-stained face and look of confusion before the man hit her over the head with his bat. Caroline’s eyes rolled up into her head, and her petite body slumped to the floor without any resistance.

  The stranger chuckled to himself as he looked over Caroline’s prone form on the floor. “Damn, she is perfect.” Tina could have sworn she heard him growling like an animal as he scooped up his new victim and dropped her onto another dining room chair opposite Tina’s.

  “Oh my God, what is wrong with you? Why are you doing this? What did she ever do to you?” Tina yelled, hoping to distract him as he began to tie Caroline to the chair.

  “Shut up! Just shut your damn mouth or I’ll shut it for you.” The man’s eyes were so cold Tina felt a shiver race up her spine. He was going to kill them both. There was no doubt in her mind.

  As he walked back to the front window and pulled the curtains closed, Tina struggled in vain to release her hands from the rope. The bat he was carrying in his loose grip had a streak of Caroline’s blood on it, and the pallor of her skin worried Tina. She may already be dead, Tina thought to herself. Panic hit her gut, and her hands became sweaty. The ropes slid just a little bit further over her wrists, and she knew she was close. A gasp and moan drew her attention back to Caroline.

  “Well, well, well, you’re back with us again,” the man taunted. Tina watched Caroline’s face go from pale to bloodless white in a flash. Caroline’s nose wrinkled, and Tina knew she caught the overwhelming scent of unwashed body, too. By the clenching of Caroline’s jaw, Tina figured she was struggling to keep control of her gag reflex, too.

  “He will find you, Barton, and when he does he will kill you.” Caroline’s voice was strong and even, but Tina’s stomach clenched with fear. They knew each other. Caroline knew their attacker, and somehow Tina was in the wrong place at the wrong time. How? Who was he? This had to be some crazy-ass nightmare.

  The man’s repulsive smile was enough to make Tina heave as he responded. “So, you know who I am, huh? Good, at least you will know my name well enough to scream it when I fuck their smell off of you. Nasty smell of Gray all over you. Wonder how he will feel when he finds the leftover pieces of you with my scent all over them.”

  All of the air in Tina’s lungs left her body in a whoosh. Not only was he going to kill them both, he was probably going to rape them, too. Those nasty, grubby hands of his were going to strip her clothes off to touch her. This can’t be happening, she thought to herself.

  She forced herself to really evaluate their attacker for a moment. He was middle aged and average height, but a little bit husky. It looked like he had been living rough for a while because his clothing was dirty and wrinkled. He had probably slept in them for more than a day or two. His body was thick but more soft than muscular, and his brown hair was lightly graying. He moved with the grace of someone much leaner and with an animallike speed that didn’t correlate with his exterior appearance. Looks were deceiving apparently, and she wondered again how Caroline knew him. He moved restlessly back to the front window and peeked out like he was waiting for someone.

 

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