Midnight Moonrising (Moonrising #2)(53)

He growled in frustration as he slammed the door of his chamber and headed for the shower. "Maybe Rhodes was right," he said to himself. "If you aren't in love with her, it's definitely something close." Then he chuckled as he shook his head, refusing to believe such absurdity could happen to him. "It's just a crush, Phoenix. It is only a silly crush. Nothing more."





Chapter 30



The Wolf





If Phoenix thought she was dumb or that she was going to let that shit fly, the cute little vampire clearly underestimated her.

"You deal with your man and let me deal with mine, Wolf," Mena said through her mind, causing a broad smile to creep across her face.

"As long as your man doesn't keep me from getting what I want, I won't have to deal with him," the wolf said.

"Well, if your intention is to screw Alex with my body later today, you're going to have a lot more to deal with than my boyfriend. It's not going to happen."

The wolf sighed and theatrically rolled her eyes as she pushed the button for the elevator. She didn't miss that Brad was sitting in the front lobby with a magazine hiding his face.

Since when did Phoenix take it upon himself to start giving her pack orders? Hmmm…

"Good morning, Brad," she said, and the magazine fell away as he shot to his feet.

"Mena!" He gave her a surprised and embarrassed expression. She frowned. "What are you doing here?"

"Save it. I know Phoenix contacted you and ordered you to come here and watch over me. I assume I will bump into Heath and Roel on my way to Jack's office, as well. Am I correct?"

Brad looked at the floor. She approached him slowly, and it appeared as though he was smart enough not to back away. "Yes, ma'am. Phoenix didn't want anything—"


"The next time Phoenix gives you an order, you'd better clear it with me before you obey him," she said, just a little above a whisper. "He isn't your Alpha. Am I making myself clear?"

He nodded once. "Yes—yes, ma'am."

She huffed in annoyance. "Very well… I suppose there is no point in sending the three of you away, now that you are already here. Man the lobby and text me if you see anything out of the ordinary."

"Yes, ma'am," Brad said as she turned around and headed for the elevator doors that were just beginning to part.

"And Brad?"

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Don't call me ma'am."

"Yes, ma'am—I mean, no… Mena, I won't do that anymore."

Grinning as she stepped into the elevator car, she decided to use the short amount of time it took the elevator to get to the third floor to powder her nose and apply red lipstick.

"Stop putting all that gunk on me," Mena snapped. "You're making me look like a two-dollar whore!"

"A little color never hurt anybody, Mena. It brings out our eyes. Relax," the wolf said as she put yet another coat of mascara on Mena's thick lashes.

"Give me back control during the meetings. I don't want you coming on to my late husband's lawyer or the insurance guy."

The wolf giggled. "Oh, please, I'm not going to do anything to jeopardize our reputation."

"MY reputation! Nobody even knows about you!"

"Ugh!" The wolf massaged Mena's temples. "Will you please stop shouting? Honestly, it's not like I'm your enemy."

"The jury is still out on that one," Mena said, and the wolf could tell she had crossed her arms over her non-literal chest and was now pouting.

She grinned as the elevator doors opened, but just as she took a step forward, she was quickly shoved back into the box, spun around and thrown up against the far wall by someone very strong. Only seeing that the person was clothed in jeans and a black hoodie, the wolf couldn't identify the person without them speaking, but she was almost certain the person was a female.

Mena's wolf laughed lightly. "And here I thought it was going to be a boring day. I don't know whether to kick your ass or thank you."

The forearm of the person pressed into the back of Mena's neck, causing the side of her face to squish against the elevator wall. She was almost certain the culprit was of the wolf variety; he or she was too strong to be human, and any of Phoenix's clan couldn't come out in the daylight, so it must be one of the eight who had receded from her pack or a spy on the inside. Either way, this person was no ally.

"Fight back!" Mena shouted. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I'm sure he or she has some sort of silver-coated weapon pointed at your back, Mena. Believe me when I say that you do not want me to move just yet."

Loud pounding sounded from the doors just after they closed.

"Mena!" Roel's voice shouted as the elevator car began to move up. "Christ, Mena, answer me!"

"What do you want?" Mena's wolf said in a low, steady voice.

A girl laughed wickedly from behind her. "What do I want? You once offered to challenge me. I'm just accepting the offer."

"It's Dana!" Mena shouted. "She was screwing Marc. I challenged her the night I accepted the moon. She cowered—"