The day after Christmas, my phone rings. It’s Ruby. I decline the call. She immediately rings back. After four rounds of it, I finally pick up. I have no reason to dodge her calls, after all. Talking to her won’t cause more physical pain in my chest. It’s already there every breathing second.
“Hi Ruby.”
“Madi!” She sounds frantic. Like emergency-level frantic.
I suck in a sharp breath.
“Madi, listen. This is a life or death situation. Where are you?”
My heart revs up to Olympic speeds. “Is it Brick? Is he okay?”
“No!” She sounds hysterical-like she’s holding in a sob. “He’s going to die, Madi, and only you can save him. I’m on my way to your apartment right now. Are you there?”
I may or may not have stayed in bed all day again. I throw the covers off and climb out. “Yes, I’m here.”
“Can I pick you up in twenty minutes? Please, Madi. After tonight, you never have to see him again, but we really need you right now. Brick needs you.”
Oh, God. What could it be? How can I save Brick from death? I run for the shower. “Yeah, I’ll be ready. I’ll wait outside.” I end the call and turn on the water for the shower, stepping in before it’s even warm.
My hands tremble. What could it be? Car accident? No. Why would they need me for that? Besides, he told me they had superhuman healing abilities.
Something with the Adalwulfs, then?
It still doesn’t make sense. I rush through a quick shower, then dress and dash downstairs.
A limo pulls up to the curb, and I climb in the back with a tearful Ruby.
“What’s going on?”
“Oh, Madi, thank you so much for coming.” She throws her arms around me.
I have to fight my own tears back because I know once I start, they won’t stop. “What happened? What is it?”
“Brick has gone feral. It can happen to alpha males who don’t claim their mates by middle age.”
I blink, trembling. Not understanding but waiting for more.
“His wolf chose you as his mate. He waited too long to claim you, and now he’s succumbed to moon madness.” Tears stream down her face. “It may be too late, already, but I’m hoping you can bring him back.”
Dammit, now my own tears leak from the corners of my wide eyes. “Bring him back from what?”
“From his wolf state. He’s gone feral,” she repeats, and it starts to come together for me. Goosebumps raise on my arms.
“So he can’t change back? Or won’t? Is that what feral means?”
“Yes. Exactly.”
I draw in a measured breath, trying to get control of my panic. Trying to find the Madi who’s great in an emergency. The one who thinks on her feet.
But she’s freaking out, right with Ruby. Brick can’t die. He can’t.
“Where are we going? To the Berkshires?”
Ruby shakes her head. “No, he shifted at Moon Co again. They locked him in the conference room, but he’s tearing the walls down to get out. If he does…” Her eyes are wide and horrified.
“If he does, what?” Alarm clangs through me.
“He’ll have to be put down.”
My empty stomach heaves. I feel like bursting into full-on sobs, too, but I keep it together. Brick needs me. I’m his mate. I’m not sure what that means, but if I can save Brick, I will.
“It’s okay,” I promise, even though I have no idea if that’s true. “We’ll save him.”
When we get to MoonCo, I forget to feel awkward or stiff about getting fired and returning now. All I can think about is Brick being put down. We get off the elevator on the top floor, and I’m shocked by what I see.
My desk has been thrown to the far side of the room. Trash litters the floor. The ferocious snarls of a wolf, terrible scratching sounds and the thud and clang of heavy objects being thrown emanate from the conference room.
The executive team lingers in the main area, and they appear relieved to see me.
“Good work, baby.” Eagle pulls Ruby into his arms.
“This way, Madi,” Nickel clips in his crisp English. “Thank you for coming.”
“Of course I came,” I say hotly, but then I realize with a sick feeling that Brick was trying to talk to me about this. He needed my help, and I turned him away. Refused his calls. Shut him out.
Oh, God.
Hot tears threaten again. I’m responsible for this situation.
Nickel leads me to the conference room where Sully stands outside the door, loading a gun.
My eyes fly wide. “What are you doing with that?”
“These are silver bullets,” Sully says grimly. He screws a silencer on the muzzle. “They will take him down if necessary. It’s a last resort, obviously.”
My fear level ratchets up to atomic levels. The door shudders with the impact of a very large animal hitting it, followed by an unearthly howl.
“He hears you,” Nickel says.
“Brick?” I call out.
“Don’t,” Sully cuts in. “Don’t rile him up. He’ll think we’re keeping you from him.” He cracks the door. “She’s coming in,” he calls through the door. “Back the fuck up, bro.” He opens the door and peers through before stepping in and making room for me to follow. He folds his arm across his chest, the gun resting on his heart.
“What are you doing with that?”
“I’m going to protect you.” His jaw clenches, but when he looks at the giant wolf growling at us, his eyes take on a sheen. He means kill Brick.
“The hell you are,” I snap and point at the door. “Get out of here.”
At the sound of my raised voice and anger with Sully, the wolf goes mad, snarling and barking, lunging at him.
“Easy, easy, easy.” He holds his hands out. Thankfully, he doesn’t point the gun at him. Yet.
“Get out!” I yell.
Sully backs toward the door but presses the gun into my hands. “Take this.”
“I’m not using that.” I try to push it back.
“Take it. Don’t put it down. Keep it pointed at him. If he lunges at you, shoot him straight between the eyes.”
“Get out!” I scream.
The wolf leaps at Sully, but he slams the door just in time, and the great beast hits the wood, his claws scraping down it.
I’m shaking all over. How much of the Brick I know is still in there? Has he gone totally mad?
“Brick?”
He makes a grumbling sound, trotting around the room in agitation. He’s like one of those caged animals at the zoo that make you wish zoos and cages never existed.
The room is destroyed-claw marks everywhere, cracked windows. The chairs look like they’ve been through a trash compactor. It’s utter devastation. There’s blood on the floor and table. I’m not sure who it belonged to.
I am completely out of my depth here. How do I calm a wolf? How do I appeal to the man inside? This isn’t some graphic novel where I sing him a lullaby, and he calms down enough to change back.
Tears fill my eyes. My back hits the door, and I slide down. “Brick, please.”
The wolf stops pacing and stares at me. There’s nothing about the giant animal that reminds me of Brick. Nothing to make me feel safe here.
The hairs on the back of my neck stand up at his continued stare. Does he recognize me? Is he going to attack?
“You’re scaring me.” I hold the gun with shaking hands, sloppily pointing at him.
He lowers his head, trots over and whines.
I let out a shaky exhale. “Yeah, it’s me. Do you recognize me?”
He sinks to his belly and inches forward, into my personal space. When he gets close enough for me to touch him, he rolls to his back and whines.
“Brick.” Tears of relief streak down my cheeks. I set the gun down and gingerly reach out to rub his belly.
He licks my hand.
“You need to change back now. Can you hear me, Brick? Your friends and your sister are terrified. You really went on a rampage this time.”
He shivers and leaps to his feet again, his fur ruffling across his neck and shoulders like he’s angry.
“What did I say?” I eye the pistol on the floor, but don’t pick it up. “Come on, you have to shift back.”
He comes back to me, but is more aggressive this time. He bites my pants and pulls, ripping a hole in my leggings, then lunges toward my throat but only licks my ear. It’s not an attack. At least…I don’t think it is. It’s more… an aggressive show of affection.
Then suddenly, he’s a man, pushing me onto my back, his hand at my throat.
“Brick!” I’m alarmed again. His eyes are still golden, his canines seem longer than human teeth. The weight of his body pins me to the floor.
“Please, please, please, Madi.” He sounds hoarse. “I need you.” He rips my leggings and panties off.
Oh. Um. Okaaaay.
“Please… my control is… ” He pushes my knees up and licks into me. His fingers join his tongue, and he rubs roughly. “I need inside of you. Please, Madi.”
“Brick.” I’m still more than half-scared of him. He’s panting. His eyes are wild. He’s definitely not himself. Probably still dangerous.
“Life or death,” he manages to choke out as he rises above me, his fingers already penetrating me, stroking. “You’re wet for me. Please, Madi. I don’t know if I can hold off the change much longer.”
Life or death. Having sex with me will save this man’s life. Truly, I have a magic pussy. Now I suddenly understand why Brick was so passionate before. How he needed to have sex the moment he walked into the building.
I grip his shoulders. Reach for his dick to guide him in.
He lets out a roar when he sinks into me and starts moving with a frenzy.
It’s terrifying but also delicious. To be so desired, so wanted by a man is a heady experience. “Mark… I have to mark…
Madi.” He shakes his head like he’s trying to get control. “I’m going to bite you.”
“Wait… what?” I don’t know what he’s talking about.
“Please don’t freak out. I promise I will make it up to you. I’ll be careful. Won’t go too deep.” He’s already lowering his head to my shoulder, those gleaming canines definitely longer than man-teeth. “It’s the only thing…save my life.”
He has to bite me to save his life.
How can I refuse? “Okay. I understand.” My voice quavers with fear. “Do it.”
He shudders and his teeth sink into the place where neck meets shoulder. I gasp. It burns and throbs like a mo-fo, and for a second I go into shock. But then I realize Brick is in the throes of pleasure. He shakes and shudders, orgasming.
The pain instantly morphs into pleasure. I buck against him, my own unexpected orgasm crashing over me. I wrap my legs behind his back and hold him in against me, my inner muscles squeezing and contracting around his cock. A hoarse cry flies from my lips.
The door behind us flies open, and I hear several people invade the room with cries of alarm.
Brick extricates his teeth from my trapezius muscle.
“Get out.”
* * *
Brick
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