Free The Captain's Challenge: Alpha Werewolf Erotica (Smut-Shorties Book 10) by Mina Carter Page A

her spine and she kept up with Jacob. She had no idea where he was taking her. He’d done this before though, yanked her from sleep and dragged her somewhere for one of his little lessons. Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself for a couple of miserable hours before he’d let her sleep again. It seemed odd he’d brought her to the palace, but she’d realized years ago that Jacob was madder than a sack of ferrets.
    He stopped in front of another doorway, pausing to listen for movement in the room beyond, and she breathed in. If there was someone in there, perhaps she could cry for help? Any of Jace’s men would help her, surely? Even if it was just to get away, to escape somewhere Jacob couldn’t find her.
    But the scent that reached her was striking in its familiarity. It belonged to Veyr, the Master of the City. Jacob grinned in triumph and opened the door, a plain servant’s entrance hidden behind a drape, to reveal a bedchamber.
    It was empty at the moment, but the rumpled bedclothes and warm scent of man and wolf told her that the occupant had only just left. Her eyes widened in surprise. Frozen with shock, she didn’t fight back when Jacob bundled her into the room. But then her instincts kicked in.
    “No!” She struggled like a wildcat against his hold, her heart pounding. “These are Veyr’s rooms…he’ll kill us both!”
    “Oh, I don’t think so…I really don’t think so.”
    She couldn’t break Jacob’s grip and found herself marched to the bed. Twisting, she looked around the room in panic. By the moon, she hoped Cyan wasn’t in here. Jacob was ruthless, he’d lose no sleep over killing her to put Vanessa in her place at the Master’s side. And since Cyan couldn’t shift, she would be easy prey.
    Something clicked in her brain. Cyan couldn’t shift, but she could. Reaching down, she let her wolf loose, the creature slipping its leash to race up to under her skin. She turned, the growl already forming in her throat.
    Jacob’s fist crashed down, the right hook impacting the side of Vanessa’s face. For a moment her vision went white, then numb as she swayed on her feet. She blinked, but Jacob was as insubstantial as a ghost in front of her.
    She thought he smiled. Heard the amusement in his voice as he spoke. “See what he’s done to you…don’t worry, dear. The Master will pay.”
    A hand on her shoulder sent her backward, toppled her onto the soft surface of the bed and the darkness and pain overwhelmed her.
     
    ***
     
    Jace had been on duty for a few hours when the palace alarms went off. Instantly, he set off at a run, leaving the kitchen and his coffee behind.
    “Bryce, talk to me,” he ordered, his finger on his earpiece.
    Bryce, the wolf in charge of the security control room and in front of all the camera feeds, replied. “It’s the Master’s suite, boss. Looks like half the council are trying to break in there.”
    Crap. That was so not good. Jace dug deep and increased his speed, yelling at two guards he passed in the main hall to follow him. He wasn’t stupid. Any security chief worth his salt had his ear to the ground and a finger on the pulse of the gossip, whatever phrase you wanted to use… So he knew that the rumor Veyr had mated Cyan had rattled cages in all quarters.
    If the entire council were out for blood, then he would need more muscle. They were all alphas, and dangerous even if they didn’t have the same level of training as he and Veyr did. Together, they’d be able to take them on, but it would be a bloodbath, and slaughtering all the pack alphas could start a turf war…something Jace knew Veyr would want to avoid.
    He reached the corridor outside Veyr’s suite just as Jacob McCauley broke down the door.
    “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he bellowed, putting on a last spurt of speed to reach the massed alphas and put himself between them and the door. “These are the Master’s rooms.”
    A quick glance told him that nearly all