Series: Werewolves of Wall Street Series by Renee Rose
Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 59360 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 297(@200wpm)___ 237(@250wpm)___ 198(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59360 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 297(@200wpm)___ 237(@250wpm)___ 198(@300wpm)
No one can know I've claimed the human as my mate.
The enemies are at the gates–one wrong move and I’ll lose it all. My world will never be safe for her.
If my pack finds out that I’ve mated a human, they’ll revolt. The fractures will grow deeper than ever and we'll be picked apart one by one.
The lives of everyone I love hang in the balance.
Madison may bear my mark, but she isn’t content to remain my dirty little secret.
Now I must choose–love or my pack.
Either way, one will die.
Marked is book three in the Big Bad Boss trilogy. The books must be read in order. It features a billionaire boss-hole wolf shifter and his freakishly smart assistant.
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
Prologue
The Blackthroat king has a new weakness. She will destroy everything he desires.
–The Adalwulf Seeress
Aster
I gaze out the window at the crystalline lake. The Adalwulf mansion sits nestled at the foot of a mountain, in the crook of an old-growth pine forest. To most, this beautiful behemoth of a building is a historic wonder set in an evergreen paradise.
To me, it’s a prison.
Behind me, Oma sits bent in her chair, her eyes fixed on the crackling fire.
“Snow’s coming tonight,” she croaks.
Great. Snow is just what this giant, echo-y mansion needs. By this time tomorrow morning, this whole place will turn into a setting for The Shining.
Naw, Stephen King would think this place is too creepy. If I listen closely, I can hear the furious howls of the Adalwulf ancestors echoing off the mountains. Even someone not prone to visions would pick up on the creepy vibe.
I sense my soon-to-be Alpha’s approach before I hear his thundering footfalls on the ancient wood floors. Not even the priceless rugs can dampen Aiden’s stomps. The Adalwulf prince can move as soundlessly as a wolf when he wants to. He doesn’t want to today.
Something’s pissed him off.
Oma tilts her head, and I rise and open the door before Aiden can batter it down. “Welcome, Aiden.” I greet him with my eyes fixed on the floor. I've learned not to look the dominant wolf in the eye. I know the consequences of standing up to an alpha.
Whether or not my second cousin will be as cruel an alpha as my uncle remains to be seen.
Aiden sweeps by me without acknowledging my presence and heads to the window to overlook the lake, surveying the territory that will soon be his.
“He’s plotting something,” Aiden mutters to the glass, “I know he is.”
I don’t have to ask who Aiden is talking about. Brick Blackthroat is his nemesis. Our family, the Adalwulfs, struck a blow to the Blackthroat family business years ago. But Brick has defied the odds and built back everything they lost. And more.
I’d admire it if thinking well of a Blackthroat wasn’t treason here.
“How is my grandnephew?” Oma asks.
Aiden turns. “Father is doing well this morning.”
We can all hear the lie in his voice. But we don’t comment on it. When Odin dies, Aiden will lose his father, and we will lose our alpha. The driving force behind our pack.
“I need a vision,” Aiden says.
Oma cackles, showing her sharp incisors. “If only, great-grandnephew. Visions don’t come at my beck and call.”
“Insight, then.” Aiden paces in front of the window.
“I have seen nothing, but perhaps Aster can help you,” Oma says. Throwing me to the wolves as I knew she would. “She’s been having visions of the Blackthroat pack.”
Aiden turns the full force of his silver gaze on me. “Is this true?”
I swallow and take my place in the center of the carpet, head bowed. Aiden’s alpha presence is a power that thickens the air, making it hard for me to breathe.
“Yes, Aiden,” I murmur. “I’ve had a few dreams. A few blurred images and impressions. Not much.”
“Tell me.” His voice echoes with power. The command hooks into my belly, and the vision vomits forth.
“I’ve seen the Blackthroat alpha. He’s standing tall and proud, a captain at the helm of his ship.” I swallow, waiting for Aiden to start raging. Odin doesn’t believe in the phrase “don’t shoot the messenger.” The alpha wouldn’t hurt Oma, but I often wind up confined to my room with nothing but bread and water for weeks as punishment for the visions not showing me what Odin wanted to see.
Aiden is calmer than his father. Colder. He’s a patient hunter, standing perfectly still until his prey feels safe coming near. But once your guard is down, he rips out your throat.
“His pack is crumbling around him. Even his second in command stands to oppose him.”
“Do you know why?” Aiden sounds smug. He knows something.
I screw my eyes shut. Washed-out images appear in my mind’s eye, too fuzzy for me to see any details. I sense the powerful energy surrounding Brick Blackthroat and the top wolves in his pack. “There’s a change coming to his inner circle.” I tilt my head. There’s a light in the corner of my vision, a bright glow. It pulses, growing stronger. “A newcomer.” My voice takes on a new urgency. “Someone unexpected. Someone who will upset the balance of the pack–forever.”
My head buzzes as I let the images fade.
Oma sits back in her cozy armchair, a satisfied smile on her wrinkled face. “It’s as I foretold. The Blackthroat has a weakness. A female.”
“A mate?” Aiden’s eyes flash brighter.
“I believe so,” Oma says.
“Anything else you can tell me?”
“She’s not from the Blackthroat pack,” I offer.
“Are you sure?” Aiden snaps.
I touch my head where a throbbing pain has blossomed, filling my eye socket. “I’m sure.”