Stealing Sloane (Lone Wolf Generations #5)

Chapter 1

K idnapping had never been on the list of crimes Sloane had committed over the years, but she supposed there was always a first time for everything.

Besides, it wasn’t like she was doing this for bad reasons.

In fact, this was for the right reasons, because she was going to kidnap her twin sister to keep her safe from the Boston clan.

It may even make up for the fact that Ronan Forte was still breathing to this day.

Finding out she still had family—a twin sister no less—had shaken her to the core. She cycled through a myriad of emotions—shock, anger, relief—the moment she saw the viral video of her own face staring back at her from her phone.

First she thought it was a fake—but as she continued to watch, it all fell into place.

“Hi, my name is Stella, and I’m an adoptee. Recently, I found out that I have a twin sister, so I was hoping someone out there could help me find her …”

Sloane didn’t know how her twin sister escaped Ronan’s clutches or how she’d been adopted by human parents. Perhaps they had been separated to keep them safe? Anyway, it didn’t matter. At that moment, she decided she had to get to Stella before the Boston clan did. If she had seen the video, then Ronan would have too, and he’d find a way to take Stella back, by force if necessary, if only to lure Sloane into coming out from hiding.

Since her botched attempt to kill Ronan, Sloane had managed to evade the Boston clan, moving around constantly, never staying in one place too long. She had no choice but to turn Lone Wolf, a special status for Lycans that had no Alpha and no territory to claim. It was the only way she could move through different territories having to seek permission from whatever clan ruled over a particular place.

It had been a difficult year, but she was still alive, and she had not given up on her mission. And Ronan, for sure, hadn’t given up on finding her either.

So, she came up with a plan—find Stella and take her into hiding, then she would get rid of Ronan once and for all.

Of course, things weren’t that simple. Though she had left the clan, she still had some contacts on the inside, who told her that Ronan had already attempted to kidnap Stella twice. She had to act quick, so last night, she had planned to approach Stella and tell her everything. To her surprise, Stella wasn’t home. Sloane had staked out her house, but when dawn came and there was no sign of Stella returning, she had feared the worst. She had broken into the house and found the invitation to some awards ceremony for the previous night at a hotel on the Strip. Her gut told her Ronan didn’t have her yet. Perhaps Stella had drunk too much alcohol and decided to stay the night, and that’s why she didn’t come home. So, she made her way down to Las Vegas Boulevard.

And so here she was, roaming the lobby and gaming floor, hoping to catch a glimpse of Stella. Like everything on the Strip, the Panorama Hotel and Casino was massive, and she didn’t know where to start. She’d been here for hours, and there was still no sign of her.

Maybe she’s not here.

Her wolf lay down and let out a whine.

There could be a million other places she ? —

She stopped short when a whiff of something familiar tickled her nose. Her she-wolf perked up, its nose in the air, trying to identify the scent.

It was the same lavender and sage scent that permeated Stella’s home. Even if she didn’t know it, her wolf did, yipping loudly as if telling her that was their sister’s scent. Sure enough, when she looked ahead, she saw a flash of blonde hair.

But she wasn’t alone. There was a tall, broad-shouldered figure walking alongside her and though Sloane hadn’t sensed his wolf or inhaled his scent, something about his confident and arrogant swagger told her he had to be Lycan. It wasn’t anyone she recognized, but then again, Ronan oftentimes hired Lone Wolves to do his dirty jobs especially outside his territory.

Alarm bells immediately rang in her head, and that’s when she reached the conclusion that she had to get Stella out of that Lycan’s reach—even if it meant kidnapping her own sister.

Good thing I’m always prepared, she thought as she fished a couple of zip ties and a fabric bag from her backpack. Stealthily, she followed the pair as they wound through the maze-like casino gaming floor.

Are they going around in circles? They must be lost. The pair had passed the same roulette table twice. An idea popped into her head.

As she passed by a craps table, she snagged a phone from a player’s back pocket, then opened the camera app. She walked in the parallel row to Stella and the man, then crossed over to their side, crossing in between them. She activated the flash so it blinded her sister, sending her staggering back as her companion continued walking forward.

Yes!

Unfortunately, Sloane celebrated too early as someone bumped her from behind, and she lost her chance to take Stella. However, she had succeeded in separating her twin from that other Lycan, which would make it easier to take her away.

She continued to follow Stella as she wandered around the gaming floor. When she turned toward a relatively empty row of slot machines, Sloane knew that was her chance.

Springing into action, she rushed toward Stella, raising the bag high as her sister whirled around.

“No!”

But Sloane was faster, and in one swoop, she zip-tied Stella’s hands and feet, then hoisted her up, fireman style.

“Let me go!”

“Shush!” Sloane hissed, though she doubted Stella could hear her as she continued to thrash about. Shuffling her around into a more comfortable position, she made a beeline for the exit.

A low growl emanated from the figure over her shoulder, and her inner wolf let out a yip of recognition. Did Stella know she was a Lycan? Why didn’t she try to shift and escape?

“Put her down, asshole!” growled a voice from behind.

Sloane stopped in her tracks. The low, dominant voice made a shiver run up her spine.

“I said put her down!”

No way she was going to give up now, not when she had her prize. “Sorry, Stella,” she murmured as she unceremoniously dumped her sister on the floor. The hairs on the back of her neck rose as she felt the stranger inches behind her.

“Who the hell?—”

He didn’t get to finish the sentence as Sloane spun around and delivered a roundhouse kick to his face, sending him falling to the ground.

“Ha!” she shouted in triumph. Not bothering to look at him, she picked up Stella once more and quickly escaped toward the garage, to the sporty Ford Mustang parked near the rear. She shoved Stella into the backseat, wishing she had time to explain everything to her, but first, they needed to get far away.

Slipping into the driver’s seat, she started the car and maneuvered out of the spot. She had barely made it toward the boom gates when a low growl, followed by the audible popping of plastic zip ties made her entire body go on alert.

“What the—holy fuck!” She slammed on the brakes, sending a large, furry figure hurtling to the front of the car. Massive white paws clawed at the cloth bag as the wolf tried to get itself upright.

“Shit!”

Her flight or fight response decided with the former, and she scrambled out of the car. As she ran away, she could hear growls and claws scraping on concrete growing louder as the very large and very angry wolf chased after her.

Crap!

As if things weren’t bad enough, the feeling of being hunted down did not sit well with her own animal, and before she could think, Sloane’s wolf ripped out of her.

Once fully transformed, the wolf spun around, facing its attacker. The blonde wolf was its mirror in every way, from the bright blue eyes to the bushy tail tipped with white. Well, if Stella didn’t know she was Lycan, she sure did now.

Stella! she screamed from inside her wolf, but it was no use. The other wolf was enraged. It snarled and growled as it closed the distance between them, stopping a few feet away.

The two wolves circled each other, waiting for who would attack first. It wouldn’t be her, but if she were attacked, her wolf would not hesitate to defend them.

Please, take it easy on her—shit!

The other wolf lunged forward, sending them both to the concrete floor. Sloane’s wolf tried to pin her down, but they ended up rolling around instead. She managed to get herself upright on all fours, her wolf swiping a paw at Stella.

Stop!

The force of her wolf’s paw sent Stella’s wolf flying back, hitting the wall behind her. The stench of blood tickled her nose, and her stomach dropped as she saw the crimson stain on her wolf’s claws and fur.

No!

Sloane urged her wolf to check on Stella, but it would not move. A strange chill swept over their body, but before she could figure out what was wrong, a powerful force slammed into her side.

Oh God …

They crashed into something solid, the sickening crunch of metal telling her it was probably one of the parked cars. The pain was unbearable, and she could hardly move. Or even breathe. Must have broken a rib . Her eyes remained closed as she waited for the attacker to finish her off. Was it Ronan? Had his goons been here the entire time, waiting for a chance to kill her?

If so, she prayed for a painless death.

A heartbeat later, arms wrapped around her wolf’s neck, and she knew this was the end. The limbs tightened, though strangely, the hold was gentle and reassuring.

“Please be okay,” a soft voice said. “I don’t know why you wanted to hurt me, but I don’t want to hurt you. Not anymore.”

What the ? —?

Sloane’s wolf relinquished its hold on their body. Once she was fully human, she looked up as soft fingers brushed her blonde hair away, and she found a familiar face staring back at her—her own.

“What the fuck?” Sloane blinked. “Who—oh shit.”

“Oh shit, is right.” Stella beamed at her, then whispered. “It’s you.”

Sloan disentangled herself from her sister. “Yeah, it’s me,” she sighed. “So, uh, sorry about swiping at you and knocking you out like that. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“I know.”

“How?”

“You’d have finished me off or run away while I was unconscious. And?—”

“Cliff! What the fuck?—”

Sloane’s head whipped around toward the intruder. Her eyes were taking longer to focus at distant objects thanks to the knock to her head, so she could only see a large, fuzzy figure.

“There’s … you … two …”

“We’re naked, pervert!” Sloane screamed. “Turn the fuck around!”

The blur spun around. “Cliff?”

Cliff? Who the fuck was Cliff? Blinking several times, her eyesight finally cleared, and Sloane followed her sister’s head as it turned toward another hulking figure a few feet away.

“What are you doing here?” Stella said, her tone chilly.

“Stella … sweetheart …” He walked over to them, then handed something—a shirt—to Stella, who gave him a murmur of thanks.

As he came closer, Sloane couldn’t help but think he looked familiar. Her gaze dropped lower, and she couldn’t help but whistle at the sight of his chiseled chest and rock-hard eight-pack. “Hey now.”

A soft growl emanated from Stella and she did a double take. Despite her sister’s earlier cold reception, it was obvious this hunk meant something to her. “Whoops, sorry. Didn’t mean to encroach.”

“You’re not,” Stella denied.

“You probably have questions,” the hunk—Cliff said. “And so do I, obviously.”

“Me too,” piped in the blur—man—from earlier.

Sloane’s head snapped back toward the man, whose back was still turned to them. While he wasn’t as tall or bulky as Cliff, he was still quite large, and she could confirm he was definitely a Lycan.

“Jacob, give the lady your shirt,” Cliff interrupted.

“Mine? Why?”

Heat crept up her neck and face as she remembered how naked and vulnerable she was. “Because there’s no one else here, and I’m showing my hoo-ha and tatas to the world,” she grumbled.

Before she could say anything else, a shirt dropped over her head. She was going to protest but took a whiff, inhaling the most delicious scent she’d ever smelled in her entire life—clean, fresh-cut grass. But there was also a strange note to the scent—like a burnt edge. Whatever it was, it made her knees weak, and all she wanted to do was roll around in that scent forever.

“Do you need help?” Stella asked.

“Uh, yeah, I’m fine.” She dressed in the shirt, which thankfully covered all her bits and bobs.

“So …” Stella began as she helped her up. “Uh …”

“Sloane,” she introduced herself. “My name is Sloane.”

“Sloane? Sloane what?” Stella asked. “I mean, what’s your last name?”

“Don’t got one.” She pulled the neck of the shirt aside, revealing a wolf head tattoo.

“You’re a Lone Wolf,” the man—Jacob said.

“ Ding, ding, ding !” Sloane clapped. “Give the man a prize.” Now that her vision had returned to normal, she turned her head back toward him, curious as to what he looked like.

A soft growl rumbled across her chest as green eyes the color of jade locked onto hers. Despite the disdain on his face, she couldn’t help but notice how good-looking he was, with his dark blond hair, high cheekbones, and patrician nose, not to mention a jaw that could cut glass. The rest of him wasn’t so bad either—wide shoulders and a muscled chest that tapered down to a set of well-firmed abs and a trim waist, the hint of the deep V-cut of his hips peeking from under the waistband of his jeans. Her mouth went dry as a shot of heat bolted down to her lower belly.

“What’s a Lone Wolf?” Stella asked, thankfully interrupting Sloane’s train of thought before it went somewhere she didn’t want it to go.

“A very long story,” Cliff said with a sigh. “We should probably get out of here before hotel security or the cops come.”

“We can go to my house,” Stella offered, “and get everything cleared up.”

“Like why you tried to kidnap your own sister,” Jacob scoffed.

The scorn in his voice stabbed her like a knife in the chest. “I have my reasons,” she replied, applying an equal amount of contempt to her tone.

“I hope they’re good ones,” he retorted.

“As good as that roundhouse kick to the face that knocked you out.”

He opened his mouth to speak but snapped it shut, and his entire face turned bright red.

She flashed him a smirk. Now that shut his smart, sexy mouth.

“Come on, children,” Cliff said. “Jacob, let’s go get your car.”

Sloane turned back to her sister, gently placing a hand on her arm where her wolf had slashed her. “I’m really sorry about—wow.” That was strange. She could have sworn her claws tore right down Stella’s wolf’s left front leg, but her sister didn’t even flinch. “Huh.”

“What?”

Sloane pushed up the sleeve, then twisted her arm around. “You sure heal quick.” The skin was clean and unbroken, as if she’d never been hurt at all.

“Huh?” Stella checked out her arm. “Lycan healing, I guess.”

Sloane lifted a blonde eyebrow. “Not that quick.” While Lycans did recover from wounds without any medical intervention, at this point the wound should still be open. She glanced at her hand, which was still stained with blood, so she definitely had not imagined clawing Stella.

“Holy shit!” Jacob exclaimed as his head ping-ponged between Cliff and Stella. “You’re?—”

“Not now,” Cliff barked.

“But—”

“I said, not now , Jacob.”

What the hell was going on? “Aw, fuck, man!” Sloane groaned as they passed the wreckage of the sports car. “I really liked that car.”

Stella turned back to what remained of the flashy vehicle. “Was it new?”

“New for the owners, I guess,” Sloane said with a shrug. “I guess now they can report it wrecked and stolen.”

“Stolen?” Jacob exclaimed. “You stole a car?”

There it was again—that look of pure derision on his face. She stiffened, her stomach clenching as she told herself his opinion of her did not matter at all. “What? You think I can afford somethin’ like that?”

Cliff sighed. “Move it, guys. I think I hear security coming.”

They all piled into Stella’s car, managing to leave the garage unnoticed before security or anyone else arrived. Even as she sat in the back with Stella beside her, Sloane still could not believe this was happening. Neither she nor her sister said a word, but once in a while, they would find themselves glancing at each other at the same time. She could only imagine Stella had the same surreal feeling from seeing her own face reflected back at her from a stranger.

Once they arrived at Stella’s house, they all headed inside and settled around the kitchen table.

“How did you find me?” Stella asked.

“Your video, duh,” Sloane explained, taking a sip of the coffee she accepted from her twin.

“Then why didn’t you just call her like a normal person?” Jacob asked, exasperated.

“Because I couldn’t risk it.” She glared at him. Did he have to make his loathing so obvious? “Damn, girl, you have no idea how much trouble that video of yours caused.”

“I have an inkling,” Stella replied. “Someone tried to kidnap me—before you did today.”

“Yeah about that …” Her lips twisted ruefully. “I might know who tried to kidnap you—I mean, don’t know the exact person, but I know who ordered it.”

“Who?” Cliff asked through gritted teeth.

“Ronan Forte, Alpha of the Boston Clan.”

Cliff gnashed his teeth. “And why the hell would the Alpha of the Boston clan want to kidnap Stella?”

“He’s not after her ,” Sloane began. “He’s after me. Either he thought Stella was me or that she could lead him to me.”

“And why does this Alpha want you?” Jacob asked in a tight voice.

“Because I tried to kill him.”

Three sets of eyes zeroed in on her.

“What?” Cliff roared. “Why?”

“Because he killed my— our parents.” Ignoring the two men, she turned to face Stella. “Everything … my whole life … has been false.” Her throat tightened. “T-that he was the r-reason …”

“It’s okay.” Stella reached out and covered her hand. “You don’t have to say anything now.”

After a year of being on the run and not having any kind of contact with anyone else, Sloane flinched unconsciously, but didn’t pull away this time.

“I do. You need to know this.” Pausing, she allowed the warmth of her sister’s touch to soothe her. “I grew up in the Boston clan. They told me my parents had been killed in some kind of scuffle with another clan, and I was taken in by my ‘aunt.’ About two years ago when she died, I found out that wasn’t true. On her deathbed, she told me the real story.”

“What happened?” Stella gasped.

“Do you know anything about the Boston clan?”

Stella shook her head.

“They’ve got links to organized crime,” Jacob supplied.

Sloane laughed bitterly. “Honey, they are organized crime. Aside from being Alpha, Ronan Forte is the biggest mob boss in Massachusetts. Our parents were part of his clan, and our dad was one of his enforcers. But he wanted to turn straight and threatened to rat on Ronan if he didn’t let them—us—go. Ronan agreed, and they left. Our parents thought that they had gotten away, but that sick sonofabitch was only playing with them. The other enforcers caught up to them on the West Coast.”

“Los Angeles,” Stella muttered. “That’s where we were found. Have you seen the article?”

“What article?”

Stella squeezed her hand. “There’s an article about us being found at the LA Union Station, abandoned by our parents. But please, go on, what else did your aunt tell you?”

“Ronan’s goons followed our parents, and they … they got rid of them. Afterward, they brought me back, then concocted that bullshit story. When I found out, I tried to kill Ronan. Been on the run ever since.” She scratched at her head. “One thing, though—I still don’t understand how we were separated if our parents left us together at that train station. And I didn’t even know I had a twin until I saw that video. Scared the shit out of me when I saw my face. You said you were adopted?”

“By a couple here in Nevada.” Stella’s lips pursed tightly. “The county doesn’t have records of you at all, possibly because you went back to Boston before they could put you up for adoption. Maybe … our parents left us at the train station to keep us safe in the first place, but Ronan saw the article.”

“And sent his enforcers to California to take us back to the clan, but only got me?” She finished.

“Kids go missing all the time, so that’s what I’m thinking.” Stella concluded. “There’s something else.”

“What?”

“We have a brother, Sloane. An older brother. He found me, and that’s why I made the video. So we could find you.”

Her stomach tied up into knots. “I’m so sorry. For bringing this all on you.”

“No.” Tears welled in Stella’s eyes. “I don’t regret anything. Not now, when you’re here with me. Can I … can I hug you?”

Without hesitation, she nodded. And as Stella’s arms wound around her, she inhaled the scent of lavender and sage, similar to her own. Tension seeped away from her body, and her own wolf let out a growl of happiness.

Sloane didn’t want to let go, wished she could just stay like this for the whole day and hoped this wasn’t a dream that she would wake up from. Stella, too, seemed determined to make the hug last as long as possible. But, they weren’t out of danger yet, and there was still much to be done to keep Stella—and now their brother—safe from Ronan.

“I was kidnapping you to keep you safe,” Sloane said when they let go of each other. “I knew they’d be after you. They just got to you first, after all. I heard about the first kidnap attempt. When that didn’t work out, they tried again at your school.”

“I was right,” Cliff said. “I did smell another Lycan in that building.”

“Garret McCall, Ronan’s Beta and a mean motherfucker,” Sloane spat. “You scared him though, Cliff Forrest.”

“You know who Cliff is?” Stella asked.

It took her a while, but during the car ride, she had managed to take a really good look at his face, and she remembered why he was so familiar. “Aside from the guy hanging around you, preventing me from kidnapping you?” Sloane chuckled. “Sure do. We had sports and MMA playing on the TVs back at the Boston compound all the time. But, now that we’ve sorted this all out, you can come with me.”

Stella blinked. “Come with you?”

“Yeah. After I failed to off Ronan, I went on the run. Turning Lone Wolf made it easy to move around, and I’ve been working odd jobs here and there, saving up enough money to leave the country. I have a place set up somewhere safe and fake IDs, passports, bank accounts, the works. You’ve actually saved me a lot of trouble, being my twin and all, so you can use one of my identities. We can go anytime.”

“She’s not leaving with you.” Cliff’s tone was dead serious. “Over my dead body is she going on the run with you.”

“The fuck she isn’t!” Sloane shot to her feet and slammed her palm on the table. Who did he think he was? “She’s in danger now. I put a target on her back, and so I’m going to protect her from now on.”

“No.” Cliff bared his teeth and planted his hands on the table, then leaned over menacingly at her. “ I’m going to protect her from now on. Her and?—”

“Aren’t I just a job to you, Cliff?” Stella interjected. “What if I did want to run off with Sloane?”

“Well, you can’t,” he roared.

“And why the heck not?”

“Because you’re having my baby, that’s why!”

Dead silence filled the room.

Sloane’s gaze ping-ponged from her sister to Cliff. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to high-five her sister for banging such a hot specimen or deliver a roundhouse kick to his face for knocking up her sister and ruining her plans.

“E-excuse me?” Stella sputtered. “How can you be sure?”

“ Oookay .” Sloane held her hands up. God, this was so awkward. “I’m sensing this isn’t a conversation I should be in the middle of. Hey, Stella, mind if I use your shower and borrow some clothes?”

“Sure, go ahead,” she said, her eyes never leaving Cliff.

“I’ll join you,” Jacob said.

A vision of their naked, wet bodies in the shower appeared in her head.

For fuck’s sake, get a grip, Sloane!

“You’re not showering with me!” she cried.

“I mean , I’ll join you in leaving this conversation.” He rolled his eyes. “I wasn’t asking to shower with you.”

“Good, because I’m not offering.” Snorting at him, she tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder, then marched out.

“Give me back my shirt!” Jacob called.

Sloane smirked to herself as she sauntered off with him following. Still, the image of them together danced around in her head.

Would it be so bad?

She was no prude and enjoyed one-night stands every now and then. Jacob was damn hot, and sure, he obviously didn’t like her, but when did that stop any man from getting laid?

But she couldn’t possibly …

“Ahem.” She spun around, just outside the last door at the end of the hallway. “I thought you weren’t asking to shower with me?”

Jacob put his hands up. “This ain’t exactly a mansion, and I got nowhere else to go to avoid”—he gestured back toward the kitchen—“ that .”

“You could go to the living room,” she pointed out. “Unless …”

He cocked his head to the side. “Unless what?”

Clearing her throat, she took a step toward him, closing the gap between them. “You really do want to join me in the shower?”

“Huh?” He frowned, but then his expression changed from bewilderment to realization. “Like, join you, join you ?”

“Uh-huh.” Rising to her tiptoes, she got as close as she could to whisper in his ear. This close, she noticed his hair wasn’t completely dark blond but had shots of red through it, like flickering flames tempting an unsuspecting insect.

And she wanted to be burned.

“So, what do you say, Hot Stuff? You wanna fuck ?”

He swallowed audibly, then inhaled sharply. Arousal blew up his pupils. She gasped when his hand seized her arm, the bare skin of his palm branding her like a hot iron as his head lowered. Slowly, she closed her eyes, anticipation building in her as he drew closer, their lips almost touching.

Then he let go.

Her lids snapped open, her gaze crashing into his stormy green eyes. She watched the conflict on his face, as if he struggled with himself. Lips thinning, he took a step back and snorted. “This is a bad idea.”

The rejection hurt much more than she thought it would, but she would survive it. Because that’s what she did—survive. She reminded herself why she was here, to keep her sister safe. Stella only had to say the word, and she would take her away. And if things worked out with Cliff Forrest, there was no better person to protect her. Either way, she was never going to see this man again after today.

She shrugged nonchalantly. “Suit yourself.” Grabbing the bottom of the shirt, she whipped it off. “Here you go—your shirt back, as per your request.” She held it toward him, but he didn’t take it. No, he was too busy ogling her tits.

A small part of her celebrated the victory. Dropping the shirt on the floor, she spun around, entered Stella’s bedroom, and shut the door behind her.