Dark Werewolf Pack (closed for CasaSuperNova)

[DarkWarrioress]

“You want me to WHAT?”

Her voice raised louder at that last word as she faced her father with an incredulous look on her face.

“How could you do this to me, Father?”

The man standing before her, facing her ire, flinched. He could tell she was thoroughly pissed off when she chose to use “Father” instead of her usual fond address of "Da". When Cassandra Murphy’s temper flared, it was no small thing. It was a bonfire and everyone wise enough either scurried for cover or got the hell out.

“Now Cassandra. You knew this was coming. We have to do something to protect us from the Bratva.”

The Bratva was nothing to mess with there in Chicago. They were taking over everywhere and Liam Murphy first thought was to protect his family and then his Clan and this man came highly recommended. The cost of his protection was something Liam hadn’t counted on, but the last few days had pushed him to not only consider it but agree to it.

Cassandra was his only daughter and a beauty she was with her shoulder length red hair, eyes greener than any meadow in the Springtime and a body that men often dreamed of having. Included in that package was a temper that matched her hair. There was little doubt that the girl, nay, the young woman standing in front of him, was Irish and the daughter of Liam Murphy, Alpha of the Clan Murphy, who have held their own against the Bratva that was trying to own the city.

Cassandra sputtered. She could not deny that she had been told from a young age that she would be married off. It was the way of their world. Her father doted on her, especially since he had lost his beloved Maeve. His wife had been everything to him and losing her was like losing a part of himself. To be honest, it was more than a part, but he had stood fast to protect his daughter and his Clan, both of which were his life. However, Cassandra was not going to be agreeable. Not by a long shot.

Cass folded her arms across her chest, glaring at her father. Her jaw was stubbornly set. All defiance and fire.

“You’ll do as you’re told Cassandra. There is more at stake here than you realize.”

Even with the stern tone and growl her father’s voice took on, Cass was unwavering. Why should she be made the sacrifice for her Clan and family? There had to be another way. She didn’t want to be forced into a marriage that she didn’t want and to a stranger. Someone she knew nothing about. She loved her family. She loved her Clan. Sacrificing herself for them was asking too much of her.

Liam, when he realized what the Bratva was planning, had made some discreet inquiries. The enforcer was a lone wolf, but his accomplishments were unbelievable. Between his own Clan and this man, maybe, just maybe, they would survive the oncoming fight for takeover. The cost? The hand of his only daughter in marriage. Liam had agonized over this for a fortnight. The answer was always the same. The Murphy Clan needed this man’s help. It was the only way. The man was unconventional and exactly what they needed to survive.

 

[CasaSuperNova]

The Chicago warehouse was a cavern of shadows, the air thick with the scent of steel and impending conflict. Nicholas, the lone werewolf enforcer, stood in the dim light, his six-foot-four frame a wall of muscle clad in a dark leather jacket.

His black hair fell in unruly waves over silver eyes that glinted with predatory focus. His reputation as a relentless force—having dismantled a vampire coven in New York, crushed a Miami cartel, and recently eliminated a Bratva lieutenant in a single night—made him the Murphy Clan’s last hope against the Russian mafia’s takeover.

The cost of his protection: marriage to Cassandra Murphy.As the heavy door creaked open, Nicholas’s wolf stirred, senses sharpening.

He stepped forward, boots heavy on the concrete, his presence commanding the space.

“Cassandra Murphy,” he said, his voice low and rough, like gravel under moonlight. His gaze locked onto her, slow and deliberate, drinking in her presence without a flicker of hesitation. “I’m Nicholas. Your father’s told you why I’m here.”

He took a measured step closer, his silver eyes unwavering, exuding calm dominance. “Call me what you want—savior, monster, dog. Doesn’t change the truth.” His tone was even, edged with a warning wrapped in velvet.

“I’m the only thing standing between your clan and the Bratva’s blades.”He stopped just close enough for his heat to radiate, his wolf catching a faint trace of her scent—jasmine and steel—making it pace restlessly in his mind.

“Your father hired me because I deliver. Ivan Korsakov, the Bratva’s top dog? Dead by my hand. Their southside operations? Crippled. I don’t play by rules, and I don’t lose.

” His voice hardened, a growl simmering beneath. “This marriage sends a message: you’re untouchable, because you’re mine.”Nicholas’s lips twitched into a faint smirk, his eyes darkening as he leaned in, his breath brushing her ear.

“You can fight this all you want, princess, but you’ll feel it—the pull. The moon’s coming, and it’ll make things… clearer.” His words carried a primal promise, his wolf’s hunger bleeding through. He straightened, giving her space but holding her gaze.

“We’ll be close—safehouses, shadows, nights under the sky. I’m here to keep you alive, and I will. Plan starts now. Step up or step aside.

 

[DarkWarrioress]

The sound of heavy footsteps on the concrete had Cass turning her head toward the intruder. Some instinct told her that this man only made his footfall known when he wanted them known. Her eyes scanned him, taking in every inch of him as he came closer. His voice when he said her name reminded her of darkness, intrigue, sinful temptation and yes, the soft whisper of death. It made the wolf inside of her purr.

“Oh hush you. What do you know?”

Cass’ voice whispered in their head. Just because her wolf was interested, didn’t mean she was. He stopped just shy of her and her father. His eyes raked over her. There wasn’t a part of her his silver eyes missed and that, sent a shiver down her spine. Cass didn’t acknowledge the man. He was the one her father wanted her to marry? Why? Why did this man want to marry her? What need was there? As he stepped forward, she instinctively took a step back.

“You can fight this all you want, princess, but you’ll feel it—the pull. The moon’s coming, and it’ll make things… clearer.”

His eyes never wavered from hers. The fire in hers combusted, her hands clenched into fists at her sides.

“Like hell I will and the moon will make little to no difference, Nicholas.”

She spat out his name like it was poison on her tongue. A side eye glance showed her that her father wasn’t jumping into this conversation.

“Let me be extremely clear here. You were hired to keep my clan safe. I’m sure your credentials are impeccable,” her eyes narrowed on him, “Being your wife, if anything, puts a target on my back. So, why are you really doing this? What’s in it for you?”

The way he carried himself, the way he spoke, it all wreaked of dominance and it made her instinctively bristle. Her own eyes moved from the top of his head and slowly made its way down to his booted feet. He was danger and death in walking form. She could smell him. Then again, he smelled like sin. He was far too sure of himself.

“He’s just what you need, Cassie.”

Star whispered in her head. Cassie ignored her. She wasn’t going to hush Star yet again.

“I’m not yours and I don’t ever plan to be.”

Cass turned toward her father.

“You undo this, Father because I refuse.”

She was stepping up all right, just not how Nicholas intended her to.

 

[CasaSuperNova]

Nicholas stood unmoving, his silver eyes glinting in the warehouse’s dim light, a predator assessing his prey—or his equal.

The air crackled with her defiance, but he didn’t flinch, his presence a wall of unyielding strength. Her words, sharp and venomous, only deepened the faint smirk tugging at his lips. His wolf stirred, intrigued by the fire in her, but he kept it leashed, his control ironclad despite the moon’s distant pull.

He took a slow, deliberate step closer, closing the gap she’d tried to create, his boots echoing softly on the concrete. His scent—dark leather, cedar, and something wild—filled the space between them.“Cassandra,” he said, his voice a low rumble, steady but laced with a dangerous edge.

“You think this is about what I want?”

He tilted his head, his gaze piercing, unblinking.

“I don’t need a wife to stroke my ego or warm my bed. This is about survival—yours, your clan’s, your father’s.”

He gestured faintly toward Liam without breaking eye contact. “The Bratva’s got their claws in every corner of this city.

I’ve already gutted their operations—Korsakov’s dead, their southside’s in chaos. But they’re not done. They’ll come for you to break your clan’s spine.”He leaned in slightly, his voice dropping to a near-growl, intimate and commanding.

“You’re not a target because you’re my wife. You’re a target because you’re a Murphy. This marriage makes you a fortress, not a bullseye. It tells every bastard in Chicago that touching you means facing me.”

His eyes flashed, a flicker of his wolf’s primal hunger breaking through. “And I don’t lose.”Nicholas straightened, his broad frame towering but his posture relaxed, exuding confidence that bordered on arrogance.

“You don’t want to be mine? Fine. Hate me. Fight me. Call me every name you can think of.”

His smirk widened, a glint of challenge in his eyes. “But you’ll stand by my side, because I’m the one keeping the wolves—human and otherwise—from tearing your world apart.”He turned slightly, as if to walk away, then paused, glancing back at her over his shoulder. “Refuse all you want, princess. Run, even. I’ll find you.

” His voice softened, but the intensity remained. “We’re tied now—by your father’s deal, by the moon, by the blood I’ll spill to keep you safe. Get used to it. First safehouse is ready. We move tonight.”His final words were a command, not a request, and he strode toward the warehouse door, his movements fluid and predatory, expecting her to follow—or daring her not to.

 

[DarkWarrioress]

Cass had never felt so disrespected or unheard in her entire life. Who was this man who walked in here as if he owned the place and told her what she was going to do? Hell would freeze over before she stood by his side as his bride. Screw that!

She watched him walk away from them. Turning to her father.

“That is the person you want your daughter tied to? Seriously Father, what has gotten into you? I know the Bratva is a strong clan and getting stronger every day, but what about us? We have held this side of the city for decades. DECADES. Yet you bring this, this person in here, a stranger, you give him your daughter to keep your clan safe and you trust him to to keep us all safe? “

Cass stomped away toward the door then whirled back to face her father again, pointing directly at him.

“I won’t do it, I’m telling you. I don‘t give a damn how strong or how good he is. You. Fix. This.”

Stalking to the door, her hand on the door handle, she stopped when her father’s voice reached her.

“You are going to marry him and you will, Daughter. There is no time for your temper tantrums. Go pack your bag. You heard Nicholas. We travel light. I’ll send Connally with you.”

Connally was Liam Murphy’s Beta and though the words didn’t leave her lips, she cussed up a storm in her mind as she slammed out of the warehouse and into the night. Liam nodded toward the door, looking at his Beta.

“Don’t let her out of your sight. We leave within the hour.”

Connally nodded his head and silently followed the Alpha’s daughter out the door. When he finally caught up to her, she was getting into her car. He went around to the passenger side and got in.

“Get out, Connally. “

“Not a chance Princess,” was his reply as he fastened his seatbelt.

She glared at the man even as she pressed the button for the ignition. The car roared to life and the rear wheels spun out, the rear of her car fish tailed in the parking lot of the warehouse, slewing gravel all over the place. She was muttering about men with too much testosterone and how they should be castrated. All of them. A dark, low, amused chuckle came from the passenger side of the car.

“Shut up, Connally,” she muttered.

The man who smelled of leather, dominance, sin and a host of other things she didn’t wish to think about, could just go fuck himself.

 

[CasaSuperNova]

Nicholas leaned against the shadowed wall of the warehouse exterior, his silver eyes tracking Cassandra’s car as it roared out of the lot, gravel spraying in her wake. The night air carried her scent—jasmine, steel, and raw fury—lingering like a challenge.

His wolf paced restlessly, drawn to her fire, but he kept it caged, his expression unreadable save for the faint curve of his lips. He’d heard her outburst through the warehouse walls, her defiance ringing clear, and it only sharpened his focus.

She was a storm, but he was the kind of man who walked through storms without blinking.As her car disappeared into the Chicago night, Nicholas pushed off the wall, his movements fluid and predatory. He knew where she was headed—her apartment, likely to pack or to make a point. Connally was with her, but Nicholas didn’t rely on anyone else to handle what was his to protect.

He slid into his black SUV, the engine purring to life, and followed at a distance, his senses attuned to her trail.Within twenty minutes, he was outside her apartment building, a nondescript brick structure in a Murphy-controlled district. He didn’t bother knocking. Instead, he slipped through a side entrance, his steps silent, and made his way to her floor.

Her scent grew stronger, mingling with the faint hum of her anger. He paused outside her door, hearing the rustle of movement inside—her packing, or perhaps throwing things in defiance. His lips twitched into a smirk.

Without preamble, he rapped sharply on the door, the sound cutting through the quiet.When the door opened, he didn’t wait for an invitation. He stepped inside, his tall frame filling the doorway, his leather jacket creaking softly.

His silver eyes locked onto her, unwavering, as he closed the door behind him with a deliberate click. “Cassandra,” he said, his voice low and steady, carrying that same gravelly edge that promised danger and control.

“You can burn this city down with that temper, but it won’t change a damn thing.”He took a slow step forward, his boots heavy on her hardwood floor, his presence dominating the small space. “You think I’m the enemy? I’m not. The Bratva’s got eyes on you right now—scouts, hitmen, maybe even a sniper lining up a shot.” His tone was calm, but his words carried weight, each one measured to drive home the stakes. “I’ve already taken out three of their men tailing your clan this week. You’re alive because I’m here. You’ll stay alive because I’m not leaving.

”He stopped just short of her, close enough for his scent—leather, cedar, and something primal—to envelop her. His gaze dropped briefly to her clenched fists, then back to her face, his expression unyielding but tinged with a flicker of something softer, almost amused. “Run, fight, curse me to hell. I don’t care.” His voice dipped, a low growl threading through it. “But you’re coming with me to the safehouse. Tonight. Pack light, or I’ll carry you out with nothing but that fire in your eyes.

”Nicholas turned, moving to the window and pulling the curtain aside to scan the street below, his posture alert, every muscle coiled for action. “Connally’s outside, but he’s not me. You want to test my patience, go ahead.

” He glanced back at her, his silver eyes glinting with challenge. “But when the Bratva comes—and they will—you’ll want me between you and their knives. Move, princess. Clock’s ticking.”He didn’t wait for her response, striding to the door and holding it open, his stance making it clear he expected her to follow. His wolf growled softly in his mind, eager for the chase, but Nicholas kept his focus razor-sharp, ready to shadow her every move.

 

[DarkWarrioress]

Cass was angry and upset. She didn’t like decisions being made for her. Drawers opened and closed as she shoved things into the duffle bag on her bag. Everyone thought she was just this spoilt Mafia princess and she was more than that. She knew it. Her wolf knew it. This… this… man she had been given to, this stranger came into their lives and has, so far, turned it upside down. What else had her father promised him? Because it couldn’t just be this purposed marriage. Despite what the world saw, Cass believed in marriage. She didn’t see it as a merger, something to keep her safe. She needed to do something. Anything than being married off to a man she didn’t know a single thing about. If he was as deadly as her father and even Connally spoke of, if his reputation was to be believed, why did he agree to marry her? He could simply deal with the threat and be done with it….

The hard rap to her front door had her leaving her bedroom and going to answer it. Why was Connally knocking? She opened the door to find not her father’s Beta but HIM. Nicholas. She instinctively took a step or two back to put some space between them as her eyes met his and held. The way he said her name sent tingles down her spine. Her wolf was melting and purring to his dominance. She begged Star to go to sleep. Star, she felt, pouted and retreated to quieter part of Cass’ mind.

“Run, fight, curse me to hell. I don’t care.” His voice dipped, a low growl threading through it. But you’re coming with me to the safehouse. Tonight. Pack light, or I’ll carry you out with nothing but that fire in your eyes.”

For whatever reason there may be, she couldn’t look away from him. His scent of leather, cedar and something else she couldn’t define, filled her nostrils as he stepped closer to her. Her eyes watched him as he moved to the window, his hand moving the curtain aside to look out below.

“Connally’s outside, but he’s not me. You want to test my patience, go ahead.”

Oh, she was going to do just that, to be sure. Now, was not the moment, she sensed. He turned back to her. In his eyes held a primitive challenge, one her soul was willing to accept. She held her silence. For the moment.

“But when the Bratva comes—and they will—you’ll want me between you and their knives. Move, princess. Clock’s ticking.”

Turning on her heel, she marched back into her bedroom, pausing to open her nightstand drawer and removed a couple of things from it. Things that caught the light from her room and dangerously glinted. One she slipped into her boot and the other, into the back waistband of her jeans before she slung the duffle bag over her shoulder and made her way back into the room that contained her future husband. She stopped a few feet from him.

They all thought she was useless. All of them. Her own clan and even this man who didn’t know her. The time would come when they would realize otherwise. This she vowed. Her chin notched upward as she glared into his eyes.

“I’m not afraid of the shadows or the Bratva. I grew up in this world. I know what they’re like. How ruthless they can be. I know what’s at stake here.”

Her eyes moved up and down his body, fire in their depths as she spoke and moved right up to his body where she could feel his warm breath on her skin.

“And I’m certainly not afraid of you.”

Her arm reached around him and she opened her apartment door before she herself stepped around him and out of the door. Cass stopped, turning on her toes to face him.

“Are you coming, hot shot? According to you, we don’t have all day.”

Her own eyes spit out a challenge to the enigmatic man just behind her.