A Were Story Ch. 02

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Gayle glared at him, her large green eyes literally smoldering with barely held in anger, she had greatly underestimated how petty Rinaldi could be, she approached him till she was standing mere inches away, her nose just barely grazing his strong chin, "Just because you couldn't have me, doesn't mean you get to groan about who I choose to be with." She spoke darkly.

He maintained his smug grin, "Just because my friend was lonely enough to settle for my sloppy seconds, doesn't mean you were ever worth shit."

His words stung more than she let her expression show, yes, Gayle did do some dirty things to get to where she was, but she was still a proud woman and she only bent to the will of the most powerful men. The fact that Rinaldi never regarded her even while she had Caleb hooked disturbed her greatly and she had always planned to turn Caleb against him when they did mate, by doing so, Rinaldi would eventually be out of the compound and she wouldn't have to face his taunts, but the presence of this woman had changed the dynamics of things. If truly she was who they said she was, Gayle knew she would have to take drastic measures and in a short amount of time. She wouldn't stand for this show of disrespect from Rinaldi.

"Gloat while you can Rinaldi, but I can assure you that this impostor will only last for a brief period, and then I'll take back my place next to your Alpha."

Rinaldi's face dropped and he lost his smile, Gayle couldn't help but smile at his reaction, yes, this was a much better look on him. she turned her back on him, but before she could move, he grasped her by the neck and slammed her back to his front, "Listen here, you calculating little bitch, if anything happens to Caleb's mate, I can assure you that you will not live to see even two hours after her death. I will hunt you down and end you like the despicable dog you are, comprende?" he asked as he tightened his hold on her neck.

Gayle clawed at his fingers, but her efforts were futile as Rinaldi maintained his hold on her neck, choking her till she could only gasp for air, "You're ki..lling me." She choked out.

He flung her to the floor, "Know your place." He warned and walked past her without a final glance.

Gayle massaged her neck as she watched her ex-lover walk away, she had almost forgotten how violent Rinaldi could get. If she didn't do something fast, he was going to get even more daring with his blatant disrespect and humiliation. She wouldn't be able to survive in this compound much longer if she didn't find a way to curb his audaciousness. It didn't matter what he said, she was going to get that woman out of this house and out of Caleb's life, even if she had to call in some old friends to do the dirty work for her.

****

This was ridiculous.

The entire bedroom was littered with everything from books to memorabilia, maps and journals all on the supernatural. Suffice it to say, Kennedy didn't believe in any of these things, as far as she was concerned, all of these were products of some people's overactive imaginations and there was nothing solid to prove the existence of any of these things. Sure, a few people claimed to have witnessed these things, but no one had pictures, they had never brought forward anything substantial to back up their claims, so yes, Kennedy thought she had the right to not believe any of these jargons.

But Kylie believed them.

Her sister had been upbeat since she agreed to follow her lead, her mood had been the brightest she had seen of her since Cassandra went missing and Kennedy simply didn't have it in her to kill such excitement. She would go along with it for now, she would let Kylie take the lead and hopefully, her little sister would come to the realization that none of these things; werewolves, vampires, elves, witches, none of them existed. Sure, it would take some time to convince her, but Kennedy would make sure she didn't force her opinion on her sister. Kylie would learn.

Speaking of Kylie...

She had gone to the library a couple of hours ago to get more of this junk, why she needed more information on things that were just about as real as aliens baffled Kennedy. Didn't they have enough of this crap to kill the average person's brain? She picked up her phone and dialed Kylie's number, it rang a couple of times before Kylie answered

"What's up?" she asked in a chirpy voice.

"Are you still at the library?"

"Nope, I'm actually on our street already, just a couple of houses away, what do you..."

Kylie's voice trailed off causing Kennedy to raise her brows, "Kylie?" there was no response from the other line, "Kylie, are you there?" she could still hear her breathing, so she was there, but Kennedy couldn't figure out why her sister wasn't responding.

"Kenny, why are three black cars parking in front of our house?" Kylie asked.

"What?" Kennedy asked as she got off the couch. Three cars? There was no way in hell any car was even parking at their house. Maybe someone had the wrong address or something, "Kylie, just stay where you are, okay? You can come home when I get rid of them." Kennedy said. She didn't want to take any chances, just in case the people in these cars were dangerous, no harm would come to Kylie. Since the disappearance of Cassandra, Kennedy had admittedly become a little paranoid in her ways. If someone out there had somehow gotten to their cousin, there was no telling if this person or people were aware of their existence and coming for them as well. if she couldn't save herself, she would make damn sure Kylie was safe.

"Are you sure Kenny? I should be with you..."

"Don't argue with me Kylie, stay put!" she ordered as she neared the window and opened up the curtain to look outside. Sure enough, there were three cars parked outside, three really expensive looking cars. Kennedy wasn't really a car person- Cassandra was their car connoisseur, but she could tell just by the look when something was expensive, and those sleek rides parked in front of their house were most certainly worth more than her annual salary.

She watched two huge men dressed in dark suits and shades emerge from the first car, they looked like bodyguards with their mean faces. They had to be in the wrong house, either that or these were some pretty bad men and she needed to get to her shotgun before they got to her door.

The men moved to the second car and opened the back door. She supposed whoever was in that car was their boss, well, she might as well see who this person was before going for her gun, at least she would know who to aim for if she had to shoot. No one emerged from the car immediately, causing her to wonder if anyone was even in there, and if yes, why was he taking so much time to get out? Was he paralyzed? It seemed he finally made his decision, because he placed a booted foot on the ground after almost five minutes, when Kennedy finally caught her first glimpse of the man, she lost all train of thought, he was gorgeous.

****

Something was off about this place and Rinaldi didn't like it. The moment they drove into this town, he had been very unsettled and the closer they got to their destination, the more his unease grew. He couldn't remember a time he was this nervous, but for some reason, his wolf was in frenzy and giving him reason to worry. He had managed to keep his cool though, knowing he was amongst his subordinates and he need not disturb them with his issues. Nervousness wasn't a trait a leader should have and these men didn't need to see him all shaken up.

They got to the house without any incident, it was a quaint, little building situated in a quiet neighborhood. The buildings were sparse here, a reflection of its status as a small town. The house sat in the middle of an equally small, but well-proportioned land, surrounded by flowers and a small garden.

This was the address Caleb had given them, his mate's cousins were supposed to live here. All he had gotten were their names and Caleb had said they did look like his mate, he hadn't asked for any pictures because he didn't think them necessary. Maybe he should have, what if they weren't home?

The door to his side of the car was opened and Rinaldi was hit with a scent that shook him to his core. In the name of Luna, no! This couldn't be happening to him, not now. His wolf started a raucous in his head, wanting to come out.

She's here! She's here!

it kept ringing the same words in his head, but the human side of him didn't want to admit it. it had to be a mistake, she couldn't be here, she wasn't even supposed to be born. He remained seated in his car, trying his best to reason with his wolf, even if she really was here, he didn't need to morph here. He spoke to his wolf, quelling its excitement. The animal snickered when it detected his thoughts of not wanting to meet their mate, he supposed he couldn't avoid it now.

"Sir?" Damian, the theta who had opened his door, called tentatively.

He could only imagine the picture he presented, sitting here all stiff and unmoving. He growled low in his throat and ran his hand through his hair roughly, with one last pep talk and a quick breathing exercise, he steeled himself for what was coming his way, "Let's go." He spoke firmly.

He stepped into the open and looked around, outwardly, he was the definition of cool and calm, but inside, his wolf was stirring up once again as wisps of their mate's scent wafted in the air, calling out to him in a way he was greatly unfamiliar with.

Damian and Joel- another theta, walked ahead of him, while they left the others behind to keep watch for any danger. Caleb had hammered on alertness, fearing that enemies could be lurking around. That was all the more reason for Rinaldi to insist on that as well, he was usually very alert and Caleb was well aware of that, so the fact that he repeated such an instruction to him made him determined to miss nothing.

As they neared the house, the scent grew stronger, further rattling Rinaldi so much that he feared for his self-control. A small part of him wished they were at the wrong house. It would be so much easier to walk away if his mate wasn't in any way related to Cassandra, he would be fine just knowing she existed somewhere while he worked hard to get back his land and his people before returning for her. Claiming her would put her in harm's way definitely and he didn't want to have to keep worrying while he was away on important business. A mate was a complication he didn't need right now, if only Luna would grant his request.

When they got to the porch Rinaldi had to hold on to the banister to force his wolf down as the smell of lavender seized his entire being. He noticed the dark fur begin to grow out of his skin and his claws scrape the rail. His wolf wanted out. A warning growl left his throat, as much as he didn't want to find their mate now, he surely didn't need her running for the hills because this damned animal couldn't stay in its place.

I want her! Our mate is in there.

The wolf chanted in his head, refusing to be ignored.

If you don't stay down, you'll never meet her! You think she'd open the door to a damned wolf!

Rinaldi's irritation at his wolf's unusual stubbornness seeped into his words as he spoke to the beast. The animal seemed to take heed as he felt it hide in the recesses his mind without any further argument, his last warning was that Rinaldi not ruin their chances with their mate, he didn't know if he could keep to such an agreement, but better him ruining it than an uncontrollable wolf scaring the crap out of their mate.

He just barely heard the sharp knock Damian gave the door as he watched the claws and fur recede. There was no initial reply at the first knock, so Damian knocked again, this time harder. Rinaldi knew she was inside that house, there was no way her scent would be this strong if she wasn't around here somewhere.

"Step away from the door and state your business." A sultry female voice coming from inside the house spoke in a commanding tone, brooking no arguments.

He wished greatly that wasn't his mate, why did she have such a sexy voice? It was doing things to his psyche he simply didn't need right now if he was to just walk away after meeting her. Damian and Joel turned to him for further instructions and he nodded at them, so they did as she asked. He was impressed that she was at least security conscious.

"Miss Howard? We're not here to cause any trouble, we're just here for Kennedy and Kylie Howard" Rinaldi replied in an authoritative voice, he had long realized that women generally responded to authority, especially powerful women and if his mate was truly his, she would be even more responsive to him.

She didn't reply for a brief period. The next time she spoke, he could hear the caution in her voice, "What do you need them for?"

"Well, I'm going to need some incentive on your part to divulge such sensitive information." He replied, she hadn't even opened the door and she expected him to sing like a canary? She must not know a lot of how negotiations went.

"How does a bullet in your head sound for an incentive?" she shot back at him.

This time, he couldn't stop the grin that arose from her retort, oh, she was a feisty one. Even better, there was nothing he found sexier than a woman threatening him with violence, now he was doubly eager to set his eyes upon this little tigress who thought she could take on three giants.

He took a couple of steps forward, walking past Damian and Joel, he could feel her right behind that door, her aura was strong, hitting him like a tsunami, how he hadn't ripped the door off its hinges to get to her, he didn't understand.

"Stay the hell away from my door!" she ordered.

He paid no mind to her. She wouldn't shoot, she didn't have it in her. If she was serious, the nozzle of a gun would have been stuck to his head already, "If you shoot me, you'll never find out where Cassandra is." He said softly.

Rinaldi swore he had never witnessed a door open so fast as he watched it finally being flung open, "You know where Cassie is?"

As soon as the door was opened, Rinaldi lost all sense of his surroundings as his gaze finally fell upon his mate. Heaven help him, she was a sight! Large brown eyes framed by thick lashes and set upon an oval face stared up at him, captivating his attention at first, before the rest of her make-up free face registered upon his sub-conscious; a small, upturned nose gave her an air of arrogance, leading down to full, succulent lips that seized a good portion of his appraisal. Imageries of sucking on those lips flooded his thoughts so that he had to shove his hands into his pockets to stop himself from grabbing her. Her body was sin personified; soft and curvy, the outfit she had on barely hid her delectable silhouette, it was a tiny tank top that strained against her full bust and a pair of gym shorts that clung to full hips and exposed even more of those hips and legs that told of long jogs. All of this barely restrained sexiness covered in beautiful, dark skin that reminded him of just how he loved his coffee; strong and dark.

Suddenly, thoughts of leaving her for any reason whatsoever escaped his mind. All he could think of was claiming her and doing all sorts of dirty things to this beautiful body.

Kennedy had gotten more than her share of lustful stares from men, but the carnal way this stranger looked at her did things to her body no one else had been able to do. She tried to ignore his stare, but she couldn't even look away long enough to do that. It was so much easier to look at him through the protective lens of the small hole in her door, now, standing in his presence, she felt so unprotected, so...naked.

He towered over her, if she were to make a wild guess, she would put him no lower than 6ft.4", sleek dark hair that just scraped the nape of his neck enticed her to run her hand through them, his face was a work of art, raised straight off the cover of a romance novel; a strong, sharp jaw covered in light stubble formed the base for a firm mouth with a thin upper lip, but a full bottom lip, a roman nose that flared repeatedly came below dark, deep-set eyes that seemed to swallow her ravenously. He was dressed in a pristine white shirt and a navy suit that clung to his form like a second skin, showing off broad shoulders and impressive biceps. He made such a stark contrast, so suave and classy in the midst of this quiet, rural town.

Something jerked in her thoughts. This man had mentioned Cassie, he knew where her cousin was. Once that registered in her mind, she resumed her cautious stand and raised her shotgun just a little higher, so these men could know she wasn't in the mood for pranks, "Talk. What do you know of my cousin?" she glared at all three of them until her eyes fell on the one in front of her- the one she assumed to be their boss.

"Can't we come in first?" he asked when his roving eyes finally came up to her face.

She regarded him for a brief moment, a small side of her wanted to acquiesce to his request. She couldn't understand why she felt this need to please this man, she barely even knew him. Thankfully, her more logical side muscled down that annoying need, "No, I don't even know you. Why would I let you in my house?"

The Adonis in the blue suit gave her a charming smile that caught her off guard. His smile was beautiful, "Well then, I suppose you don't want to know about your cousin." He replied.

He turned around as if leaving and Kennedy felt panic rising in her chest, if this man truly knew where Cassandra was, she couldn't let him leave just like that. Whatever reservations she had about them, they had vital information she couldn't allow slip away due to her silly pride. "Wait!" she said as she desperately reached out and grabbed the man by his wrist. A sharp current zipped through her at the contact and she let go of him like he burnt her. The man turned to her but said nothing. For some reason, Kennedy couldn't bring herself to look him in the eye, so she just spoke to the floor, "I'm sorry, please, come in." she said under her breath.

She shuffled aside and gave them room to enter the house. For a brief moment, no one made another move, were they mad? Kennedy raised unsure eyes at the men, especially the one who had her so shaken up. She found his gaze on her, causing her to once again drop hers. He made her feel funny, for someone who was usually in control of her feelings, it unnerved her that someone whose name she didn't even know was stirring up such feelings in her. Even worse, she couldn't explain the origin.

Finally, he moved. He took steady steps towards the entrance, when he neared her, she held her breath, just waiting for him to pass. He stopped in front of her, his body was just a few inches away so that if she leaned just a little closer, they would be touching. Kennedy molded herself to the door, to avoid any form of contact, but the man wouldn't move away. irritated by his lack of movement, she looked up at him, but lost whatever biting words she was set to say.

They gazed at each other for what felt like forever, until he spoke, "By the way, I'm Rinaldi Soldado."

Kennedy had to gulp to wet her parched throat before speaking, "Kennedy." She said, as though she were in a trance.

He gave her a megawatt smile, exposing gleaming white teeth that she swore had to have been worked on, nobody had such perfectly white teeth without going through some form of procedure, "Pleasure to meet you Kennedy."

The carnal undertones she registered in his voice when he said the word 'pleasure' caused Kennedy to clench her thighs involuntarily as she questioned the sense in inviting someone whose entire aura screamed danger in all the delicious ways at her senses. Yes, she hadn't been in a relationship of any sorts in almost four years, but she wasn't so desperate for male attention that she was nearly panting like a dog in heat at this man's slight show of interest- if she could even call it that. Hell, she barely registered the fact that her sex life had been in comatose for that long until tall, dark and sexy swaggered onto her porch.