Free Midnight Dare (A Paranormal Romance) (Golden Pack Alphas) by Laurel Cremant Page B

whine reverberated through her head, but the tension holding her tight loosened its hold in a slow slide. She let out deep sigh, welcoming the relief. Her agitated wolf had kept the worst of her heat at a roaring boil. Once calmed her heat reduced to a slow simmer.
    She leaned over, placed her elbows on her knees and held her head in her hands.
    How many more times would she have to endure this before the cycle was done?
    She needed a plan—a way to keep Marcus from pursuing her and wrecking her chances at belonging.
    Shaking her head she stood and walked into the large en-suite bathroom. Leaning over onto the vanity she peered into the mirror and let out a snort.
    She looked like shit.
    Her hair was a matted and tangled mess around her head and puffy circles smudged deep beneath her eyes. For a brief moment she wondered how much she'd be charged in hotel fees if she picked up the mirror and tossed it out of the big picture window in her room.
    It might be worth it.
    Turning from the mirror she stepped into the large walk-in shower and flipped open the rain drop shower head. Leaning against the cold stone tile, she thought about her mother's note.
    Merry Christmas Baby-Doll, now get your ass home. Your Daddy's gone crazy.
    Georgia had to agree.
    Something serious must have happened for her father to decide to choose his successor so early.
    She pulled up a list of possible candidates, thinking of all the pack members that may be contenders. Three topped the list and seemed fit for the honor. There was Justus, brother to her father's original Beta, Kaleb. Justus was both strong and incredibly smart. Another possibility was Adrianna. At thirty-three the she-wolf was a few years older than Georgia, and had developed a reputation amongst the pack as being a keen negotiator and cunning foe during a hunt.
    Her mind skittered away from the last possibility—Marcus.
    He already held the respect of the pact for his elimination of the rogues. And every day he seemed to ingratiate himself more and more with her father.
    Shaking her head, she refused to believe that her father would choose Marcus above Justus or Adrianna.
    Whoever, he chose didn't automatically gain the title. Being named heir meant that they were considered strongest of their pack after the current alpha—the one most capable of leading them when her father stepped aside. And to make the whole matter even more complicated, the successor would still have to survive any challenges from other pack members who disagreed with the choice. Basically, announcing a new alpha was a call for in-fighting, which was both tedious and dangerous.
    Alpha challenges were one of the few fights where the Council sanctioned death as an outcome. Death was a rare occurrence. However, depending on the circumstances, and in most cases, the loser was exiled from the pack.
    Her father was still young and as Alpha to the Golden Pack, he was well liked and respected by other packs in the region. So what could have caused him to want to choose now? The rogue attacks a year ago had put a lot within the werewolf world on edge, but things had been quiet since then.
    Reaching for the soap she began to bathe while analyzing the events of the last few months. There must be a clue to this sudden decision somewhere. Her mother had always taught her that, answers were always present, they just had to be found.
    Wrinkling her brow she paused—her mother.
    Marcus had claimed nothing was wrong with her mother, which she didn't doubt, but that didn't mean the root of the issue wasn't her mom either.
    Her parents had met when her mother came to the valley to act as seer for the pack. And unlike Georgia, she could control her visions at will. She'd never officially stepped down from her role as seer, but insisted that Georgia be present during meetings, insisting that it would help Georgia gain more control over her gift. Which it did, but it was no secret that she was still the alphas most trusted