First Chapter Reveal: Burn (Westside Wolf Pack 2)

This book was harder to write than I thought it'd be. I wanted to move the characters forward while staying true to them at the same time. Plus, I've got two new wolves with a sorted history who needed to come together durning the book. They were a pain in the ass to write, especially Quinton. But I like them.

I think it's a lot darker than Crash (because Crash was a happy, fluffy sort of book ^_^), but I guess that's what I do. Angst and bathroom sex. That should be my author tag line or something. . . .

I also had to set up the third book in the series. Guess who's gonna join their pack next? You'll have to read it to find out ^_^

Anyway, here's a look at the first chapter of Burn (Westside Wolf Pack Book Two) as a Halloween treat. I promise it won't give you cavities.

It'll be out on November 5th. Enjoy!

1

Axel Cross was a nobody.

Back in Pittsburgh, he had a bad reputation. A criminal reputation. Around Santa Cruz, he looked like any other tattooed beach bum. That wasn’t enough to scare the wolf following him, obviously.

Axel turned the corner, frowning as he neared the Blue Bird tavern. His black Converse slapped the sidewalk. The brightly painted shops contrasted his dark mood. Well, it hadn’t been dark before the wolf started trailing him. He spent the day at the beach taking photos of sea lions for a new client. He even caught a couple sea otters holding hands while they napped on the waves.

Ben, his mate, would like those.

The wolf was a good block behind Axel, but the bastard could smell him. That was the problem with keen senses. Axel couldn’t escape other were-creatures.

Especially wolves.

He was supposed to be an alpha. Run his own pack someday, and he couldn’t even avoid one measly werewolf.

Axel’s heart pounded, little flames licking the side of his face. He should confront the other were-creature, but he’d be breaking his promise to Ben. They were supposed to discuss what to do if they ran into another wolf. Axel was not supposed to jump into a fight headfirst and hope for the best.

Even though he knew for damn sure he’d win. Or, in the least, cause major damage. He’d break the other wolf’s ribs. Maybe the guy’s nose. If he learned anything from his father it was how to inflict pain.

Axel balled his hands into fists and swallowed the urge to punch someone. It churned into a sick pit in his stomach, and he shoved it aside. That was the reason he couldn’t confront the other wolf now. Unbridling the pent up frustration on someone else wasn’t going to change anything. It wasn’t going to make him a better alpha than his father. And he had to be better than his father for Ben’s sake – for his own sake.

Sighing, Axel stepped into the Blue Bird. A few heads turned in his direction, and Jack, the bartender, nodded. None of the people in the bar knew Axel was a wolf save Jack, who was a were-lion himself. The first night Axel came in, Jack gave him the once over and snorted but he was friendly enough. For a cat.

Everyone in Santa Cruz was friendly.

Even after a whole year in sunny California, Axel wasn’t used to random people smiling at him. Or the neighbors in the little apartment complex greeting him as he brought in groceries. He most definitely was not used to being able to hold hands with Ben without getting dirty looks.

He wouldn’t have tried that back home.

But this was his home now – their home. And no wolf would drive them out.

Axel sighed and leaned against the bar, casting a look at the door. The wolf didn’t come in. Maybe the bastard wanted to wait outside and jump Axel when he walked out. Or worse – the wolf would attack Ben when Axel’s mate eventually wandered in.

Well, that wouldn’t be for an hour or more. Which meant Axel needed to approach the wolf before that. Maybe he’d be lucky and the bastard would wander away and leave them alone. But Axel didn’t count on it. He’d never been lucky.

Some metal band from the eighties hummed over the speakers, but it wasn’t as loud or obnoxious as the music at the Den, the bar he frequented back in Pittsburgh.

The scents of the room, alcohol, sweat and the vague tinge of cleaning product met his nose. Jack kept the place clean, for a bar. The bar was typically crowded for a Thursday night, a handful of regulars and some tourists looking for a taste of the real Santa Cruz, whatever that meant.

Jack slid him a beer without a word. “Tony’s is looking for a partner at the table, if you’re up to a game.”

Axel glanced at the corner.

Tony racked a set of balls. His tan face was lined and his black hair slicked back. When he noticed Axel, he put up his hand and leaned against his pool cue.

He owned a mechanic shop down the street and usually reeked of grease. But he did repair Ben’s old car for free on one occasion. Plus, Tony was the closest thing to a human friend Axel ever had.

Axel only came to the bar on Thursday nights when Ben did inventory in Cloud Nine, his clothing boutique a few blocks down the street. It was Ben’s dream store, and even if Axel didn’t get it (fashion was not his thing), it was nice to see his mate so happy.

Real estate in Santa Cruz was no joke, money wise. The little shop was on Pacific Avenue and got plenty of business. Enough to pay the rent and earn a meager profit. Ben said first year businesses never made much money, and Axel didn’t bother arguing. He never went to college. Hell, he barely finished high school.

Axel didn’t bother trying to help Ben on nights like this either; he’d just get in the way. Instead, Axel took the time to have a drink and relax. But he kept his camera in the trunk of the car, just in case.

“You wanna break?” Tony asked as Axel approached.

It was a weekly ritual by now, but it was different from Pittsburgh. Axel only went to the Den because he needed to keep up appearances. He had to make everyone think he was a no-good loser with a gambling habit. Years of practice meant he was good at pool and, at some point, he realized he enjoyed playing.

“How about we make this interesting,” Tony asked and flashed a smile.

“How interesting?” Axel said, his eyes flitting around the room. It took months for the fear of attack to wear off. Even now, he stayed on edge in public places, though Axel knew his uncle was dead and his dad was in prison on the other side of the country.

The mystery wolf waiting outside didn’t make it better.

Tony laid a twenty on the edge of the table. “That work?”

Axel raised an eyebrow. “Forty bucks?”

It would’ve been a lot to him, back in the day. Now that he lived in the real world – the real California world – forty bucks didn’t even buy a week’s worth of groceries. Not the way wolves ate.

“You wanna press your luck, Axel?” Tony said with a dangerous glint in his eyes.

Axel shrugged. He’d lost to Tony before, even though he could win the man’s paycheck if he wanted. He pulled out a twenty and set it on top of Tony’s bill. “That’ll do. I’ll break.”

Hustling pool, just like the old days. Ben would be so proud.

Tony stood back, still smiling.

As each ball found a pocket, one after the other in perfect order, Tony’s smile faded. Axel took the final shot and the eight ball rolled into the corner, smooth as butter. He grabbed the cash and flicked his tongue over the lip ring. It was times like this he craved the taste of a cigarette, but he hadn’t had one in a year.

He promised Ben he’d quit.

Tony laughed and patted Axel’s back.

Axel flinched, but he fought the urge to twist the guy’s arm behind his back. Tony was just a normal human. Not a were-creature. Not a threat.

Violent urges died hard, if seemed.

“You son-of-a-bitch! You owe me a beer,” Tony said, grinning.

Axel nodded. “Yeah. Sure.”

The other wolf’s presence hung over Axel as he walked back to the bar. Why did that asshole have to follow him tonight of all nights?

 “Another one,” Axel said and pushed the money toward Jack.

Jack set a beer on the bar, but he didn’t let it go. “You should be careful. There’s another pack in town.”

The words were hardly a grumble, but Axel heard them clearly. His shoulders tensed, and he looked Jack in the eye. “New pack or old pack?”

“Maybe both. I don’t get involved with wolf politics,” he said and released the glass. “But I can smell one out there, sure as you can.”

If a pack ran this territory, why hadn’t they approached yet? Ben and Axel had been in Santa Cruz long enough for someone to notice. Hopefully, the bastard outside was a lone wolf and nothing more.

Axel sure as hell didn’t want this turning into Pittsburgh. The endless territory battles between the Westside and Eastside packs – it’s part of the reason they left in the first place. That and finding a safe place for Ben. A safe place for both of them.

For once, their lives were almost totally normal.

Safe.

Another wolf pack didn’t fit into the equation.

Scowling, Axel carried the beer back to Tony.

Axel was supposed to be the alpha. He was supposed to protect Ben, but he failed nearly every time he tried. Well, Ben hardly got hurt physically, but that didn’t account for the years of mental torture Axel inflicted on the man he loved.

And that fucking wolf sitting outside could destroy all of it.

The happiness.

The peace.

Axel couldn’t just sit around and wait for that to happen.

“I’ve gotta go,” he grumbled and downed the rest of his beer.

Tony sipped his own. “Was that just a lucky streak, and you’re afraid you’ll ruin it? There isn’t any money on the line this time. Get on with it.”

The hackles on the back of Axel’s neck rose. Humans wouldn’t understand. “Bathroom,” he muttered.

Guitar rifts floated through the air, some cheesy song about love. They got it all wrong. Real love wasn’t all pretty words – hollow and meaningless. It was about sticking with someone through the worst times and doing anything you could for him. That’s what Axel’d done for Ben. What he still did for Ben.

Axel stalked toward the door and stepped outside.

The wolf stood on the corner.

Back in Pittsburgh, he’d confront the bastard and make a play for his territory. But was this his territory? They hadn’t started a new pack yet and two wolves could hardly defend all of Santa Cruz.

Scratch that – one wolf. Ben wasn’t going to fight if he didn’t have to. Not after what happened with Magnus.

Even if that bastard deserved it, Axel still caught the pain in Ben’s eye from time to time. Ben would never say anything about it, but he didn’t like killing their former alpha. He was too gentle for his own good.

And Axel’s job was to protect Ben from that – protect Ben from everything.

Old habits really died hard.

Taking a deep breath, he marched up to the wolf.

The guy was shorter than Axel, probably about five ten or eleven. Solidly built with strong arms and a stocky build. Short black peach fuzz covered his head. When Axel got close enough, he noticed the wolf’s eyes were hazel. They narrowed as Axel approached.

The wolf also had a faint scar across the curve of his chin. It was the only imperfection on his otherwise handsome face.

“You didn’t bring me a beer,” the wolf said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

“We need to talk. Privately,” Axel growled, twisting one of the rings on his finger. Back in the day, he wore them because it was a nice advantage in a fight. Slipping them on every morning was just part of his routine now, even if he hadn’t punched anyone in over a year.

That might change with this asshole.

The wolf smiled, his teeth white and straight. A black wife beater hugged his muscular frame.

Without a word, the wolf stepped into the alley next to the bar. The brightly painted blue exterior didn’t suit the tension rolling through Axel’s veins.

The air smelled like the sea, with the heavy scent of the new wolf’s musk marring it. Axel didn’t catch the hint of any other were-creatures. Good. Waltzing into a trap wasn’t how he planned his evening.

Axel flicked his tongue over his lip ring. “What the hell do you want?”

“You asked me to talk, esé, not the other way around.”

Damn. Axel wasn't good at shit like this. Asking questions wasn’t in his nature. He was used to his fists doing the talking. Ben was the diplomatic one, sort of, anyway. If his mate’s big mouth didn’t get him into trouble first.

“You got a pack?” Axel asked, squaring his shoulders and parting his legs. It was always best to be prepared for an attack. Actually, it was best to make the first move, but this wolf hadn’t done anything to deserve it.

Yet.

The wolf’s eyes flashed, and he glanced toward the ocean. They were several blocks from the beach, but the cool breeze rustled Axel’s red hair all the same. “You could say that. Are you moving in on our territory?”

Axel snorted. “Your territory? We’ve been here a year.”

The wolf jutted out his chin. “And we’ve been here over a hundred.”

Axel frowned. If that was the case, why hadn’t they noticed a whole other wolf pack in town? Better yet, why hadn’t that pack approached them? Most of the time a pack absorbed new wolves, if they could afford to, or the new wolves had to find another place to live.

The only other wolves Ben and Axel met in the area were packs farther north toward Santa Clara and San Jose. That’s why they stayed in Santa Cruz. After their old pack, Axel wasn’t going to be under another alpha’s thumb ever again.

“Then send your alpha to have a word with me,” Axel said.

No way in hell this wolf was an alpha. All the alphas Axel knew oozed over-confidence. Hell, Ben was more like an alpha than this wolf. This guy might be cocky, but that wasn’t the same thing.

The wolf’s eyes narrowed, and he gritted his teeth. “And you’re the alpha?”

Axel tried not to flinch. He never thought anyone would call him alpha, not after he cast off that mantle as a teenager. Now he had to wear it again and all the responsibility that went with it. What if he fucked up again?

Deep breath. “Yeah. I’m the alpha.”

To his surprise, the wolf smiled and stuck out his hand. “Gage Varela. Westside pack.”

Axel hesitated. “Westside pack?”

Gage nodded. “Yeah, the west side of Santa Cruz – we’ve got the coast up until Highway One.” He trilled the ‘r’ when he said ‘Santa Cruz,’ although his accent was very much west coast.

That meant there was a pack in Santa Cruz, and Axel and Ben lived within its territory. Shit!

“Axel Cross,” he said and took Gage’s hand. It was calloused and firm. “So what do you want?”

“Maybe I’m just welcoming you to the neighborhood,” Gage said with a smile.

Axel crossed his arms, frowning. “Bullshit. Your alpha have a problem with us?”

The smile slipped from Gage’s lips, and his face hardened. “I don’t know yet. I guess that depends on a few things.”

The hair on the back of Axel’s neck bristled. “On what?”

“You going to join that other pack?” Gage asked. His hazel eyes picked up hints of light and shone in the shadows of the alley.

Axel flicked his lip ring and tried not to let the surprise show on his face. He didn’t even know there was another pack of wolves in town until tonight, but he wasn’t going to admit that to Gage. Showing his hand would put him at a disadvantage.

“The only pack I’m a member of is my own,” Axel said.

“You’d fight them?” Gage asked. “You’d fight us?”

“I’d fight anyone to protect my mate,” Axel growled, and his chest stung. Even if he fought them, it didn’t mean he’d win. He didn’t beat Magnus or Cross senior. Who says he could beat two different packs of wolves? Especially when he had no idea how large or dangerous they were.

A smirk tugged at the corner of Gage’s mouth. “Determination. That’s good in an alpha.”

Axel shrugged, his ears perked. “If you’re part of the Westside pack is there an Eastside pack?”

A shadow fell over Gage’s face. Before he answered, the steady clack of footsteps interrupted them.

Ben’s footsteps.

Axel froze. This was the last thing he needed tonight — Ben getting in trouble.

Gage glanced at the mouth of the alley, and Axel grabbed him by the front of his shirt and slammed him against the wall.

The wolf sneered.

“If your alpha wants to fight, I’ll fight. If that other pack wants to fight, I’ll fight. Until then, you leave us the hell alone, got it?”

Ben stopped at the corner, but Axel heard the slight intake of breath and the steady pounding of his mate’s heart. He silently hoped Ben stayed put.

Of course, Ben didn’t.

“A party and I wasn’t invited,” Ben said, almost breathless. He stood at the end of the alley, his blue eyes wide, even if they were lined and weary. It’d been a long day for both of them, it seemed.

Axel dropped Gage, who dusted the front of his wife beater and scowled. “He’s a member of your pack?”

“His mate,” Ben said, before Axel could respond. “Who are you?”

Gage stared, his eyes wide. His face cleared, then he snorted with laughter. “Mates? You’re queer?”

Axel swung his fist, catching Gage in the jaw. Another old habit he couldn’t let go.

The wolf stumbled back, his eyes wide and dazed.

“Don’t,” Axel growled and stood in front of Ben. It was like stepping back into high school. Name calling bullshit. He wasn’t going to have any part of it.

Not now.

Gage rattled off a series of words in a language Axel didn’t understand. A drop of blood ran down his chin. “No offense, esé. I was surprised. Never met two mates like that before. In our pack. . . .” He shook his head as his words trailed off.

Ben sighed. “We don’t want trouble with your pack–”

The wolf stepped forward, and it took every ounce of Axel’s self-control not to grab the bastard by the shoulders and throw him out of the alley.

“Gage Varela. No trouble. No trouble at all,” he said and lunged right at Axel.

The punch caught Axel in the stomach, knocking the breath from his lungs. From the grin on Gage’s lips, it’s just what he intended.

Axel narrowed his eyes and leaned forward, but Ben’s fingers dug into his arm.

“Can we not do this macho bullshit right now?” Ben asked.

Gage put his hands up, and Axel straightened. It hurt less than the countless times Cross senior hit him. It’d bruise but none of his bones broke.

“Fine. Let’s go,” Axel grumbled.

Gage sighed and gritted his teeth. “Wait. Sorry I hit you. I’ve got a reputation to maintain, you know?”

Axel knew, but he wasn’t going to admit that to a wolf he just met. “What?”

Ben stood stiff and straight next to him, and Axel frowned. Ben hadn’t been on edge in ages, and it was this bastard’s fault. If Ben weren’t there, Axel might’ve pummeled Gage into a bloody pulp.

Then Gage’s hazel eyes met Axel’s golden ones, pleading. “My pack needs your help.”