Saved by Her Wolves

The Willow Creek Pack 3

 

 

 

Cynthia Knoble

 

 

 

 

 

 

Knoble Passions Publishing

 

 

Copyright © 2018 Cynthia Knoble

All rights reserved.

 

 

 

 

Paranormal Erotic Romance

 

Knoble

 

Copyright © 2018 by Cynthia Knoble

 

First E-book Publication: January 2018

First Print Edition: January 2018

Printed by CreateSpace

 

Copyediting by Sherri Good

Cover design by Knoble Passions

Image used under license agreement

© canstockphoto/meggj

Cover art copyright © 2018 C.A. Knoble

 

 

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole, or in part, without express written permission from the author.

 

All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Letter to Readers

 

Dear Readers,

 

If you have purchased this copy of Saved by Her Wolves by Cynthia Knoble, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

 

If you are reading a copy that is watermarked and not provided to you by the author for the purpose of providing a review, you are in possession of an illegal copy of this book.

 

 

 

 

Regarding E-book Piracy

 

This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book.

 

The author works very hard to provide entertaining stories for your reading pleasure. This is her livelihood. Please respect her right to earn a living from her work.

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer

 

This story may contain words or language that are considered profane, vulgar, or offensive by some readers. Some scenes may be considered objectionable or offensive. For example, some scenes may contain graphic depictions of violence, sexual acts, and human anatomy, and as such may contain triggers for some readers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dedication

 

 

To my beta and ARC readers, Mary McCormack-Ward,

Kathleen Banks, Carmen Alicia, Kymberly Holland,

Patti Hesington, Mary Ann Boehm, Rhonda Butterbaugh,

and Danaille Harton, you ladies are incredible,

and I adore you all. Your feedback is invaluable to me,

and I am forever grateful for the reviews you post.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Acknowledgments

 

 

Many people have helped this book along the way, some without knowing they have. To everyone who supports my work, listens to my woes, and encourages me when I’m floundering, I thank you.

 

A few people should be personally acknowledged for their help. I extend special thanks to Rakel DeFreitas, who bounces ideas around with me and brings me Timmies, Rebecka Alves for providing me with company and the most engaging conversations, and Samantha Alves for letting me read to her. Sara Anderson, Jacqueline Anne, Gayle Cranfield, Susan Fisher-Davis, and Sherri Good are fellow authors whose support is invaluable to me. I adore you ladies. I also would like to acknowledge my mom. I suppose it goes without saying that none of this would have happened without her. Thanks for having me Mom, and for being so awesome.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Contents:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After bringing the SUV to a screeching stop before the diner, Jason leapt from the vehicle, Kyle and Alex behind him as he rushed to David who stood outside waiting for them. He wasn’t sure if he was actually shaking or if it just felt as if he was. He and his constables had been enjoying their poker game, sharing laughs, enjoying a perfect afternoon brought to a jarring halt by David’s frantic call informing Jason that a group of men had abducted Naomi, Emily, Nathan, and Ashlynn from the diner’s parking lot. He couldn’t recall how he got to the SUV, nor if he’d actually said anything to Alex and Kyle. Now, he didn’t know if he’d driven there but he must have as he’d gotten out of the driver’s seat, hadn’t he?

Perfume strongly assaulted his nostrils as David, his face pale and drawn, shook his head slowly. “I’m sorry, Jason. If I’d seen anything, I would have come out here to help. You know that, don’t you?”

The remorse in David’s voice cut through Jason’s fuzzy thoughts. He had to get a grip. “Yeah, I do know that. Where are my girls? Tell me they didn’t witness it.”

“They didn’t,” David assured him. “They were already inside, Shawn brought them in. We were all together, everyone was talking, and then I heard Sabrina screaming for help as she ran to the door. I looked out the window, saw a bunch of vans and cars tearing out of the lot, and then saw Sabrina outside running to Sylvia. She was on the ground and I thought that maybe she fell. I ran out with Shawn. I couldn’t believe it when I got close to Sylvia and saw her. She was covered in blood and I thought maybe she’d been hit by one of those cars but then she told us what happened. That’s when I called you.”

“Where’s Sylvia now?”

“Inside. Shawn called Doc Cobb. I’m sure he’ll be here soon.”

Wrinkling his nose with the strength of the perfume’s smell, he wished it would dissipate. He couldn’t think clearly as that damn stench threatened to bring on a pounding headache, and why did it smell so familiar? Gasping when the recollection shook him, he stepped back.

“Jason?” David’s brow furrowed. “Are you okay?”

Feeling like every ounce of breath within him had left his body with that small gasp he’d released, he was certain he’d pass out. He had to keep it together though, and be strong. Naomi and the others depended on him to be a cop now, not a shifter with a missing mate. He managed a quick nod for David as he forced himself to draw in a deep breath. Nerves frazzled, his heart beating so ferociously he was certain it would burst through his chest, he slowly released his breath before drawing another, this one even deeper. Assured he could keep his tone level and not reveal the crushing panic he felt, he put a hand on David’s shoulder.

“Go back in. Make sure my girls are okay, I’ll be in there soon to see them. Just tell them Daddy’s working but I’ll see them soon. Tell Sabrina we need her statement and find out if anyone else saw anything.”

“Okay,” David responded softly and entered the diner.

When Jason turned to the stricken looks on the faces of his constables, he knew they too had recognized the scent, one that signalled much more than the rogue shifters’ attempt to prevent Kyle, Alex, and him from following their trail. It was also a ‘fuck you’ gesture and they all knew it.

The trio turned at the sound of squealing tires and Jason swore as Ryan’s truck came to an abrupt stop. The Tremblay brothers leapt from the truck and bore down upon Jason who focused on the mix of worry and fury that lined Scott’s face.

“What the fuck happened? And why aren’t you after them?”

Jason held his hands up slightly. “We just arrived. We’re going to do everything we can to find them, you know that.”

“Peel off the fucking kid gloves,” Scott snarled nastily. “I fucking know how bad this is. What I want to know is what you three are doing standing here with your thumbs up your asses. They have my mate, my sister, and my brother!”

“They have my mate too,” Jason shot back tensely, struggling to control his temper. The last thing he needed at the moment was Scott’s hostility. “We are going after them but we need a plan. In case you can’t smell it, they covered their tracks with perfume. We can’t follow their trail. We need help. I’m going to call Ryder.”

“Because SASS has been so effective so far, haven’t they?”

“We need them and you know it,” he hissed through clenched teeth. “Now, go inside and see to your mother. Doc Cobb is on the way. If your dad doesn’t already know, call him, and get him here.”

Scott’s nostrils flared and Jason tensed, prepared to take the big shifter down if he made a move. He didn’t need this shit and wouldn’t tolerate it. Ryan pushed Scott’s shoulder.

“Come on. Let Jason do his job. Let’s go see Mom.”

Relieved when Scott left with Ryan, Jason pulled his cellphone out to call Ryder. As his eyes scanned over the broken perfume bottles, his heart rate kicked up yet again. The rogue pack had been his enemy for far longer than he’d realized and, despite his current stymied situation, he would put an end to the fuckers once and for all.

 

***

 

Amazed they’d arrived without causing an accident, Ryder pulled the SUV into the parking lot of the Willow Creek RCMP division, cut the engine and scrambled out of the vehicle. Wayne on his heels, the pair hurried to the front door. After receiving Jason’s call, he and Wayne had rushed to the vehicle, and Ryder had shaved considerable time off the drive from Calgary, hitting speeds he shouldn’t have attempted, not needing Wayne’s encouragement to do so but understanding his friend’s need to voice it. Wayne was as crushed by Jason’s news as Ryder who, entering the building, swore his stomach dropped even lower at the sight of the corporal who stood with his constables, all three men wearing devastated expressions.

Nodding curtly to the pair, Jason then met Wayne’s eyes. “Kyle and Alex will fill you in. I need to speak to Ryder alone.”

Wayne visibly stiffened at the request but didn’t question it and turned his attention on Alex and Kyle. Jason cocked his head toward his office as his eyes locked on Ryder.

“Let’s talk in there.”

After closing the office door, Jason quickly outlined what he’d learned since calling Ryder, which sadly wasn’t much. The few witnesses inside the diner had been able to estimate the attackers as roughly a dozen men but couldn’t describe the vehicles they drove, nor provide detailed descriptions of the shifters due to their vantage points in the diner. Sylvia Tremblay had provided an account of the abduction but due to the stressful encounter, couldn’t recall what the men who’d attacked her looked like. Jason then sighed deeply.

“There’s one other thing. I already told you they used perfume to cover their tracks but not that I recognized the scent.”

“From?”

“Trina’s murder scene.”

“What?”

Jason sat on the edge of his desk as he nodded solemnly. “When I arrived on scene that day, there was an overpowering smell of perfume and a shattered bottle on the ground, along with a small bag from a department store. There was no receipt but at the time, I’d assumed Trina had bought the perfume and it had been broken in the struggle with the perpetrator. But now, knowing it was the same perfume ...”

“You don’t think it was a carjacking at all. You think the rogue shifters tried to abduct her and she was killed when she resisted.”

“Yes.”

Although convinced his stomach had already shrivelled to the size of a walnut, Ryder’s gut wrenched brutally. “Shit. If it was that pack then ... fuck, we thought they’ve been operating for a year and a half, but now, that would be five years. At least. This changes everything.”

“Yeah, but in telling you, I don’t want to be pulled off this because someone in SASS thinks I’m too close.”

“I want you on this.”

“But brass will be involved. They have to get this information.” He slipped a hand through his hair. “Ryder, I can’t be pulled from this. I have to get Naomi back. The others too, of course, but please, I have to be a part of this.”

Ryder’s phone rang. Glancing at the screen, he was surprised to see it was Hank, his former commander, calling and, despite the situation, he answered the call.

“Hank, this is a shitty time. Can I call you back?”

“No, I need to speak with you. This is SASS business.”

“I’m not alone.”

“Who’s with you?”

“Jason Gagnon, a RCMP corporal and—”

“I know who he is,” Hank interrupted. “That’s fine. You’ll have to inform your team of much of what I’m going to tell you anyway. Gagnon can hear it all. I know he’ll keep info to himself, if need be. Put me on speaker.”

Ryder did, and then laid the phone on the desk. “Okay, you’re on speaker.”

“Corporal Gagnon,” Hank’s voice issued briskly, “I’m Hank Snow, Ryder’s former commander. The official story is I’m retired from SASS but unofficially I’m part of a little-know group of agents working off grid, unknown to most everyone, including SASS. May I call you Jason, for ease of conversing?”

“Sure, but Ryder’s face tells me he didn’t know you were doing this. My curiosity is piqued but we have a crisis here. Can this not wait?”

“No, it can’t. I know what’s going on, that both your mate and Ryder and Wayne’s mate have been taken and you’ll need my team.”

Jason looked to Ryder inquisitively and Ryder shrugged slightly, not previously aware of anything that Hank related and truly shocked by it.

“So your team is working on the rogue shifter case then?” Jason asked.

“In part. SASS is working on that and getting nowhere. My team is investigating why.”

“You’re searching for leaks in SASS,” Ryder concluded.

“Yes.”

“And?”

“Our best guess is this goes high up the chain of command. Very high. Which is exactly why we’re working off the books.”

“How is that even possible?” Jason asked. “Who sanctioned you? Who’s funding you? How can you operate without SASS support?”

“Have you ever heard of the SIA?” came Hank’s response.

“As a myth,” Ryder said, his heart rate kicking up with Hank’s words. Even as there had never been proof of the existence of the Shifter Intelligence Agency, the thought alone inspired fear in most shifters.

“Oh, it’s no myth. That’s whom I work for now, well truthfully have been for many years, even while in SASS. That’s how we operate, infiltrated into SASS, the Alliance, corporations, and government agencies even, hiding in plain sight as it were.”

“Well, I’ll be.” Ryder shook his head in a vain attempt to clear it. Hank was adding more intrigue to an already confusing situation and Ryder was uncertain how much more he could deal with. “I guess that makes sense though. I never had a clue what you were doing.”

“There aren’t many of us but we’re everywhere. Unfortunately, we’ve got our own mole, which is why I’m contacting you. I trust you, Ryder, and Wayne. You too, Jason. Although I’ve never worked with you, a colleague of mine has, and he vouched for your credibility. That’s good enough for me.”

“This is a shitstorm,” Jason responded, “truly. So SIA is looking for moles in SASS but you have a mole. Which means you could have more. How the hell can you determine if you do?”

“That’s what we’re working on doing. Coming up with a way to flush more out, if they exist, and where you in particular come in, Ryder. I need you to talk with the known mole and convince him to tell you what he knows.”

Ryder couldn’t contain his surprise and felt the dramatic scrunch of his forehead. “What? How? How can I talk to an SIA mole? Why would he tell me anything?”

“Because the mole is Mark.”

 

***

 

Emily strained to push her arm through the bars of the cell, not able to reach Nathan but desperate to get as close to him as she could. Pulling on the chains that bound his ankles and led to the wall behind him, then ran to his shackled wrists, he could barely lift his hands past his waist. At least three feet still distanced them and yet she pushed harder, the steel bars biting into her shoulder, trying in vain to reach her injured mate. She wasn’t even sure how he had the strength to stand, but he was on his feet, trying to get closer to her.

Tears streamed down her cheeks as her eyes roved over his ravaged face, his left eye swollen shut, his nose obviously broken, lips so swollen they barely resembled a mouth and then rested on the multiple Taser burns on his neck and upper chest. Cut, bruised, bleeding, he had to feel tremendous pain but his open eye reflected nothing but love as he stared at her.

“Don’t cry,” he said softly, “I’m okay.”

His words sounded as mangled as his lips and she hitched out a sob. “You’re not,” she cried out, “You’re hurt. What if they hurt you more?”

“Emmy, I’m okay. We’re safe for now, well as safe as we can be, I guess. The others will find us. You just have to stay strong.”

“What if they don’t? You know what these shifters do. I know what they’re going to do to me, to the rest of us, but they don’t keep men. Nathan, I’m terrified for you.”

“I know, but remember they said they kept me for ransom. That’s good news. It’ll buy us time until the others find us. You know Ryder, Wayne, and Jason are doing all they can. Same as Jason’s men. SASS will be all over this, and Scott and Ryan will be right in the thick of it. They’ll find us.”

“What if they don’t?” Her question shakily exited her lips on a terrified breath.

“They will,” he insisted, his voice steady. “Maybe SASS hasn’t got close before, but Ryder and Wayne are now searching for their mate, same as Jason, Scott, and Ryan, and they’ll find us. They won’t give up until they do. You can’t give up either.”

“He’s right,” Ashlynn’s voice sounded from behind her as she felt the shifter’s hand alight on her back. “They’re coming. It’s hard, I know it is, but you have to keep faith they’re coming because they are.”

Emily wanted to be strong and have faith but her fear overrode every bit of reason her mind possessed. Scared for Naomi, Ashlynn and herself, knowing what their captors would soon do to them, even those atrocities paled to the abject terror the shifters would kill Nathan before help arrived. As she ignored Ashlynn’s suggestion to let Nathan rest, she also ignored the pain in her arm and pushed against the bars harder, futilely trying to touch her doomed mate.

 

***

 

Just finished his phone calls to Brady and Garrett, coordinating efforts with them, Ryder entered the living room of his house, the apparent headquarters of his Willow Creek ‘team’. Consisting of Wayne, Jason, and his constables Kyle and Alex, it also included Scott, Ryan, and Jack Tremblay, and he was less than thrilled with their presence. Time had allowed him to calm somewhat and adopt his commander role once more and now, determined to set ground rules, he dipped his head brusquely to the gathered men before his eyes sought out Jack.

“How’s Sylvia?”

“Fine. Shaken up of course but, thankfully, she only received a black eye and a couple of bruised ribs.”

Visibly upset by his relation of his mate’s condition, Ryder knew the devastation and anger Jack felt, even if he hadn’t voiced it. Greatly anguished over Ashlynn’s kidnapping himself, Ryder could only imagine what Jack felt at the abuse of his mate of forty years and the kidnapping of his daughter and son. He thought Jack surprisingly composed considering the situation and figured his role as Alpha was responsible for that.

“I’m glad her injuries weren’t worse,” he offered, “and hope she recovers swiftly.”

“Thank you,” Jack responded.

“What is SASS doing about this?” Scott broke in loudly.

Mildly surprised he’d kept quiet this long, Ryder locked eyes with him. “We’re coordinating efforts, and gathering information. I’ve spoken to someone involved in the investigation. He and another agent are flying in today. Then we’ll proceed to Saskatoon to question Mark again.”

“Isn’t that a waste of time?” Ryan questioned. “He hasn’t divulged anything so far.”

“No he hasn’t,” Ryder agreed, “but now Ashlynn is in peril. I’m hoping that will loosen his tongue.”

“Give me five minutes with him,” Scott snarled. “I’ll find out what he knows.”

“I appreciate your concern Scott, but you, Ryan, and your father are here as a courtesy. I want to keep you abreast of our investigation and any action we take, but you won’t be a part of it.”

“Like hell!” came the response.

Scott practically spat it out as he leapt to his feet and stormed toward Ryder. Wayne moved to intercede as Jack and Ryan got to their feet.

“Stick your official way of handling people up your ass!” Scott bellowed in Ryder’s face. “My mate, my sister, and my brother were taken. On your watch. SASS has dropped the ball too many times. I say to hell with the lot of you!” So close their chests almost touched, Scott’s angry face inches from his, Ryder held the furious gaze the shifter unloaded on him. “Jason and his men would do better and, hell, Ryan and I could do a better job than you have so far. Maybe we should be handling this.” Scott shook off Wayne’s hand as he turned his vicious glare on him. “Back off!”

Ryder held his hands up. “This isn’t helping, Scott. I know it’s hard but you have to trust us to do our jobs and bring everyone home safely.”

“Trust you? Oh, that’s rich. After what Mark did? You seriously expect us to trust SASS?”

Knowing how furious Scott would be if he learned of SASS’s further compromised state, Ryder wondered how he’d keep that information from him. He knew despite his best efforts, the Tremblays would insert themselves into this mission. Imagining the chaos that would ensue if they learned the entire story, he unleashed a steely look upon Scott.

“Yes I do. Who else is going to rectify this if not SASS and The Alliance? What’s your plan? Wander around aimlessly hoping to bump into the pack? There’s a reason they’ve eluded capture. They’re organized, and they cover their tracks. They don’t leave a trail. They’re smart and we need the Alliance’s resources to find them. That’s just the way it is, and you arguing about it is wasting time. Now, either calmly contribute to this discussion, or leave.”

Scott’s eyes narrowed dangerously and Ryder stiffened, prepared to counter his attack. Amazingly, fury seemed to bleed out of Scott before Ryder’s eyes. His rigid posture relaxed and, with a loud kissing of his teeth and one last glare, he returned to his place on the couch.

After the others retook their seats, Ryder continued to address them. “We need to guard against another attack, as unlikely as it seems. The rogue pack is nothing if not unpredictable and, as their last act has shown, they’re also brazen. Again, I doubt they’d attack here once more any time soon, but we need to be prepared in case they do.”

His eyes moved to Jack. “We also need to protect the Moon Valley pack. It seems to me they’re a prime target, being a little larger than our pack and it’s questionable why they haven’t suffered an attack, considering we’ve been hit twice.”

“Twice?” Jack echoed, the curious look on his face also on those of his sons.

“Yes. We’re certain the killing of Jason’s late mate Trina was the work of this pack and not a botched carjacking as was believed at the time. It appears she may have fought back and was killed in an attempt to abduct her.”

“Fuck,” Ryan said, his eyes wide. “That would mean they’ve been operating far longer than anyone thought then.”

“Correct,” Ryder confirmed. “Which is troublesome but also good news as far as our loved ones are concerned. With only Trina and Tiffany Ward killed, there’s every reason to believe the other females they’ve taken are all still alive. At least we know we’re not racing against the clock to save their lives.”

“No, just to prevent them being raped and impregnated,” Scott snapped bitterly.

His heart racing with the horrors of what Ashlynn might face, Ryder sighed sadly. “We all fear that, Scott, but as horrible as that would be, they’ll live through it.”

Seemingly unable to argue that, Scott remained quiet as Jack’s wet eyes sought out Ryder. “What about Nathan? Sylvia heard them say they took him to ransom him but I haven’t received a demand. And I don’t have the wealth those women taken with Naomi did. They didn’t ransom those women. So why take Nathan?”

The Alpha’s voice cracked as he uttered his son’s name and Ryder couldn’t express his thoughts. Truly believing Nathan wouldn’t survive this ordeal—if he was even still alive—he strained for words to soothe Jack without giving him false hope.

“Jack, I’m not going to deny that Nathan’s plight is more worrisome than the others. You’re right. They haven’t ransomed anyone yet. However, perhaps our recovery mission with Naomi and Justine cost them financially. Maybe they need a cash influx. All we can do is assume that’s their goal with Nathan. They’ve never taken a man before, and had every opportunity to kill him when they abducted the others. They wanted him alive then and we have to operate on the thought that will continue to be the case.”

At Jack’s slow nod, Ryder felt great empathy for the Alpha, having two pups in peril. His own stomach churned with the risks to his unborn pups and he couldn’t fathom the worry that consumed Jack. Focusing on Jason again, he continued. “We’ll plan patrols of Willow Creek and Moon Valley, coordinating with Julian Grayson. Get him to gather shifters able and willing to patrol and we’ll develop a roster.”

“You got it,” Jason responded.

Ryder was impressed with Jason’s control and professionalism under the circumstances. He was as worried as anyone in the room was and had suffered great heartbreak at the hands of the rogue pack. Yet he seemed the most focused and Ryder marvelled at his fortitude before turning his attention back to Jack, eager to give the Alpha something to focus on.

“Jack, I want you to connect with your Alliance Pack Coordinator and work with them to contact as many Alphas as you can in the province to apprise them of the situation and encourage them to beef up their security. Any pack is a potential target and should prepare for a possible attack. I know your brother’s pack is quite far from anything that’s occurred, but please ensure he knows what’s going on, if you haven’t done so already.”

“He knows,” Jack confirmed. “My nephews are on their way here to help out.”

About to suggest those men should stay put in case they were needed at home, Ryder remained quiet. More young shifters on patrol here was greatly needed and he couldn’t help but be more concerned for his pack than for one he’d never encountered before. Pleased to have the group before him on task in order to occupy their minds, his own wandered to the imminent arrival of his friend and mentor, wondering what Hank’s appearance would bring, and hoping the answer was some clarity.

 

***

 

Raising a hand in greeting as Hank Snow spotted him, Levi Simmons made his way to the man he hadn’t seen in fifteen years, not since the mission that drew them together and, through its horrors, created a deep bond between the men. Speaking rarely by phone, Levi still considered Hank his closest friend, someone he knew he could always depend on. After exchanging a manly hug, followed up with hearty slaps upon one another’s backs, Hank lifted his chin.

“How was your flight?”

“Long.”

“Yeah well this one’ll be nice and short, less than an hour. Lee and Gagnon will pick us up in Lake Louise and drive us to Willow Creek.”

“And you’re certain we can trust them. With everything?”

“Absolutely. Ryder’s been like a brother to me, I trust him with my life. I’d trust him with my mate and pups’ lives. Wayne is just as trustworthy.”

“And Gagnon?”

“From what I’ve gathered, Jason too is beyond suspicion. Besides, he worked undercover intelligence operations for the RCMP in the past. Those skills can only benefit us.”

Agreeing with that, Levi still thought it prudent to withhold some information from the men Hank seemed to trust emphatically. He himself didn’t know Lee, Reynolds, or Gagnon and wasn’t about to put so much faith in them. Having survived this long by being wary of others, he decided he’d make his own decisions about the men when afforded the opportunity to spend time with them and scrutinize their behaviour.

“How are Myra and the pups?” he questioned, eager to change conversation topics.

“Great. She’s as amazing as ever and the twins are three months old now. They’re really starting to respond to things, it’s amazing. They smile and coo and ...” His voice trailed off at what must has been an astounded look upon Levi’s face, listening to the toughest man he knew gushing about pups. “Wait until you have pups,” Hank said with a knowing smile, “it changes you in ways you can’t begin to imagine.”

“No thanks. You change all the diapers you want. I’m perfectly content being single.”

“For now,” Hank said and then turned to walk to the gate.

Undoubtedly, he’d intended his words to sound prophetic but to Levi they sounded ominous. While most shifters dreamed of finding their intended mate, the thought terrified him. With hope the horrors of mated life never found him, Levi shifted his backpack on his beefy shoulder and straightened his huge frame. Embarking on a new mission, anxious over what he’d face but determined to return the kidnapping victims to their families, he followed Hank.

 

***

 

“Dad!” Hannah Grayson exclaimed as she rushed into the room and the waiting arms of her father. The Alpha embraced her tightly and then, with a warm kiss to her cheek, released her to hold her at arm’s length.

“You’re as beautiful as ever,” he remarked with a smile. “I’m glad you’re home sweetheart. It’s time you returned to begin your training.”

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, instead she shook her head slightly. “I’m just here for a visit, not moving back permanently.”

Her father was referring to preparing her to become Alpha someday, an act she dreaded. She had no interest in ruling the pack but, knowing how her thoughts would upset him, she never voiced them. She’d only confided her unwillingness to embrace her destiny to Ashlynn, her closest friend. While Ashlynn couldn’t truly empathize with Hannah’s plight as, barring a horrid tragedy in her family, she’d never be Alpha of her pack, she did understand what it was like to be the Alpha’s daughter. The two bonded over that, among many other shared interests, and had been close friends since childhood.

“I wish you would reconsider,” her father pushed. “There’s so much going on with that rogue pack and I want you here, where you’ll be safe.”

Concern gripped her at the sudden change in his demeanour, his voice losing the joy it had at her arrival, and the brightness in his eyes faded. “Dad, did something happen?”

“Yes, but, come honey. Let’s sit down. I’ll make us some coffee. I have much to tell you but I don’t want to bombard you the second you walk through the door.”

Looking around the empty and quiet foyer of the grand house her family owned, anxiety mounted within her. “Where’s Mom? Is she okay? Did something happen to her? What about Taylor and Keegan? Where are they?”

Realizing she hadn’t spotted her mother’s SUV nor her brothers’ trucks in the driveway, she turned questioning eyes on her father, but her attention diverted to the door when it opened and her mother entered.

“Oh you’re here!” Her mother announced in a voice that seemed a mixture of joy and disappointment. “I was trying to get home before you arrived. Why are you driving that car? What happened to the one your father bought you?”

Hannah shook her head. “Never mind that right now. Where are Keegan and Taylor?”

“They’re not back yet?”

“No Mom, they’re not. Is everything okay?”

“Of course. They went to the gym, I just thought they’d be back by now, that’s all. I wanted them to bring the groceries in.” Her mother crossed the floor and embraced her in the limp way she always did, as if concerned she’d rumple her clothes or smudge her flawless makeup. “I’m so happy you’re home, darling.” Pulling back, she smiled warmly at Hannah. “I wanted to make you a nice lunch to welcome you home but I lost track of time, I guess. With everything that’s going on, I’m a little frazzled.” She looked to her husband and scowled. “You need to call a pack meeting. Everyone is upset. I got stuck listening to Martha at the grocery store. She’s convinced her pups are in imminent danger, despite the fact they’re boys.”

Hannah’s brow furrowed. “What are you talking about? What’s going on?”

Her mother frowned. “Your father hasn’t filled you in yet?”

“No,” he replied before Hannah could. “I was going to. She’s just arrived, Karen. I didn’t get a chance to tell her yet. I was about to make coffee and tell her.”

“Tell me what?” Hannah demanded as both her curiosity and her apprehension raged.

“Come to the kitchen,” her mother responded firmly. “I’ll make coffee while your father brings in the groceries. Then he’ll tell you everything.”

“Enough,” Hannah snapped, “with the coffee, the groceries. Obviously, something big is going on. I’m not twelve, I don’t need to be eased into a conversation. Just tell me what’s going on.” After exchanging a knowing glance, both her parents looked to her with sympathy and she fidgeted under their gazes.

“The Willow Creek pack was attacked by the rogue shifter pack,” her father said quietly.

“What? Is everyone there okay?” When neither replied to her, her heart raced with worry. “Tell me Ashlynn is okay.”

“She was taken,” her father admitted. “Along with Nathan, his mate, and Jason’s new mate.”

Taking a step back under the revelation, she looked from him to her mother and then back again, hoping to see they were pulling a prank on her, even as she knew they could never be so cruel. Unable to respond, her heart thudding almost painfully with worry for Ashlynn and Nathan, she didn’t turn when the door opened again and she heard her brothers call out her name. When the twins embraced her tightly, she still couldn’t move, not even to hug them back. She stood still, pulled toward first Taylor and then Keegan, feeling as if she wasn’t quite there, as if everything around her transpired at a distance. She’d heard of the rogue pack and their heinous acts, and now they had their filthy claws on her best friend.

 

***

 

Sipping from the takeout cup of coffee, Levi took in his first sight of Willow Creek. Smaller than Moon Valley that they’d driven through in order for he and Hank to see it and stop to get the coffees, he sighed inwardly. He detested small towns, his hatred of them proportional to their size, and Willow Creek was tiny. It was impossible to keep secrets in a small town, something that could further their investigation but also hamper it if people couldn’t keep uncovered information to themselves. Big cities contained people desperate to keep to themselves and for that reason alone, Levi always welcomed the opportunity to work in them. Knowing he’d be swamped by friendly and well-meaning but unwanted attention, unable to hide his six foot, eight inch self here, he fought to keep a dour look from descending on his face, reminding himself he wouldn’t be in Willow Creek for long.

Jason pulled the SUV into the parking lot of the smallest RCMP division Levi had ever seen and killed the engine. As the corporal exited the vehicle, grabbing the boxes of coffee and doughnuts from Ryder who’d held them during the journey, Levi shook his head again. He’d never seen a box of brewed coffee before, thinking it genius if someone had to take multiple cups of takeout coffee somewhere and, here in Canada, that happened a lot. Never getting over how much Canadians loved their coffee, he did admit he loved the brew from this chain, the country’s largest.

As he followed the men into the building, an older female shifter stood and moved out from behind her desk to welcome them. He couldn’t help but notice the hungry look upon the woman’s face as her eyes ate up the sight of first Hank and then him. Jason introduced her as Kat, his dispatcher and Levi held back a chuckle at her name for, even as she was a wolf-shifter, she was certainly also a cougar. Escaping from her ravenous look while he could, he closely followed Jason into his office. When all four men were within it, Ryder closed the door as Jason leaned against his desk to address the group.

“We’ll leave for Saskatoon tomorrow morning. Ryder wanted to update the two of you on all we’ve done so far and you can stay at his place tonight, or stay at the B&B here in town if you prefer.”

Levi didn’t know which option sounded worse to him and didn’t respond. Hank however, seemed in his element in this teeny town and smiled warmly at Ryder. “Thanks, that’s an awesome offer. Staying at your place will enable us to get even more work done. As long as Wayne isn’t in charge of meals, of course.”

As Hank laughed and Ryder grinned slightly, Levi observed the closeness between the men. He knew, of course, that the pair had worked together for years, but he’d never seen Hank as affable as he was with Ryder. While Hank had assured him that Ryder and Wayne were trustworthy, Levi couldn’t help but think Hank had also trusted Mark, the fourth member of their previous SASS unit and clearly shouldn’t have. Looking over Ryder, he drew two quick conclusions about the auburn-haired shifter. First, that he was professional and seemed to possess great respect for protocol, traits Levi admired. His second conclusion was far less favourable. Ryder also seemed overwhelmed with the kidnapping of his mate and that distraction could prove fatal to him or others when they took down the rogue pack.

 

***

 

Ryan opened the door when the bell rang, knowing his expected cousins had arrived. While he was eager to see them again as he hadn’t in some time, and was appreciative of more help to protect the pack, he couldn’t rid his mind of the constant agonizing worry for Emily, Ashlynn, and Nathan. Fear for them crushed his brain slowly, and had already destroyed his heart, presently a small lump in his chest, one that kept beating somehow even as he knew it was dead.

Inviting them in, he looked them over as they passed him, thinking they looked the same as they had the last time he’d seen them, even as he was sure Dustin sported new tattoos, certain he hadn’t had any on his neck before. Their faces told him he looked vastly different. As they removed their coats and boots, they exchanged worried expressions and Ryan knew his appearance spawned them. He hadn’t bothered to look in a mirror today, knowing his reflection would be as it was yesterday, if not worse now. Lines he’d never before seen outlined the corners of his lips and eyes and deeper ones ran across his forehead.

Zack was the first to speak and, while the more talkative of the twins, he seemed hesitant to do so. “It’s good to see you, Ryan, you know, despite the circumstances.”

“Thanks,” Ryan mumbled in response. “It’s good to see you two as well. It’s been a long time.”

“Where’s Scott?”

“Showering, he’ll be done soon. Oh yeah, you guys are staying here. I mean you could stay with Mom and Dad but we thought it best you be here. That way, in case we hear something we can mobilize quickly.”

“Sounds good,” Zack conceded with a small nod. “We’ll go visit Uncle Jack and Aunt Sylvia later. How’s she doing? Any better?”

“Physically, yes. Luckily she wasn’t hurt too badly but she’s a mess, you know, with Nathan and ...” When his voice cracked, he averted his eyes, struggling to keep a lid on his raging emotions. The feel of Zack’s hand on his shoulder caused him to look back to his cousin.

“I still can’t believe they could do that, hit an older woman. I mean, I guess it’s not that shocking considering what they do to women but ...” His eyes widened. “Oh, um, shit. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”

“It’s okay,” Ryan responded and then released a deep sigh, forcing down a fresh wave of terror for his mate and sister. “We all know what they do.”

“Maybe we’ll find them before anything like that happens.”

He sounded about as hopeful as Ryan felt. Trying to drive away the subsequent horrid images that flooded his mind, Ryan pulled his cellphone from his pocket, eager to change subjects. Quickly finding a photo of Emily, he held the phone out to Dustin as Zack shifted his position to peer over his brother’s shoulder.

“That’s Emily.”

“She’s so pretty,” Zack said quickly.

“Gorgeous,” Dustin concurred, adding a small smile as he handed the phone back.

Ryan released another heavy sigh as he pocketed the phone. “That was dumb of me, wasn’t it? Nathan must’ve shown you guys a picture of her when he was there.”

“He did,” Zack confirmed, “but it’s okay. We know you’re upset and you need to talk about her, Ashlynn, and Nathan.”

“I do, but it hurts to.”

Stinging tears flooded his eyes and he looked away again. Zack embraced him and he tried to pull back but his cousin tightened his hold. “She’s your mate, and they’re your siblings,” Zack said softly, his voice filled with sympathy. “Of course you’re upset, and it’s okay to show it.”

As a sob escaped his lips, Ryan stopped fighting. He’d tried to be as strong as Scott, but he couldn’t do it any longer. Emily and Ashlynn could possibly be enduring rape this minute and Nathan was probably dead. Tears flowed from his eyes as his throat closed, making the sobs he released sound choked. Weeping, he clung to Zack as he howled in anguish for his mate and siblings.

 

***

 

Hannah smiled at the departing men as they left and then closed the front door. Wayne, Kyle, and Alex had been patient with her as she struggled to develop a security roster with them. She’d had the names of all the Moon Valley pack members who’d volunteered for patrolling duties but found organizing them an arduous task. Thankfully, the law enforcement officers had helped and now, with a secure roster in place, she breathed a bit easier. She hated all this, even as she knew how necessary it was, but she’d never wanted the responsibility of being an Alpha in the past and hated these duties now, only taking them on to help her father who appeared overwhelmed by recent happenings.

Returning to her room, she pulled out her cellphone to make the call she dreaded. She had to inform her fiancé, Adam, she’d be staying in Moon Valley for an indefinite period of time, and not the few days she’d planned. Listening to the call ringing, she sighed. This would cause yet another argument and the couple had had too many recently. So many that she’d begun questioning if she wanted to remain engaged to him. As neither had come across their intended mate and their relationship had deepened through the years of medical school they attended together, and then continued after, they’d thought remaining together to be a good idea. Dedicated to their careers, the likelihood of their intended mates showing up at the hospitals they worked in seemed nominal and neither had the time or desire to travel. It had seemed a good arrangement at the time, but long work hours and the resulting constant increase in responsibility took its toll on their union. Where Adam had once been loving, understanding, indeed almost doting, he was now short with her often, and annoyed when she wanted to discuss their relationship or plan their wedding.

“Yeah?” came Adam’s impatient voice and she resisted an urge to unload on him. What kind of way was that to address his fiancée, especially when she was out of town?

“I’m not coming back for awhile. So much is going on here. Ashlynn’s been taken by the rogue pack, along with a few others from the Willow Creek pack. I want to help get her back in any way I can, so I’m staying here to help my dad.”

A harsh snort met her words. “Seriously? Hannah, I’m not keen on you staying there. They were taken from there, it’s not safe for you. Let SASS deal with the kidnappings, and your father can deal with the pack. He’s been Alpha long enough to be able to handle this. You should come back. Besides, you could jeopardize your career by missing so much work.”

Fuming, she could hardly believe what he’d said. Was work all he cared about? He knew how close she and Ashlynn were and that was his response? Forget the situation and come back home to him? His disinterest in the situation pissed her off.

“It’s Ashlynn. I have to help. In fact, you should be heading here, to help too. This is my family, Adam, my friends, my pack.”

“I don’t have time to discuss this now,” he shot back angrily. “I’m due in surgery. We’ll talk about it later, but if you were smart, you’d be heading back this way.”

He disconnected the call and she pulled the phone from her ear to stare at it incredulously, hardly believing he’d just blown her off. While she’d called him to inform him of her intentions, she’d also wanted some support. In fact, she’d needed his support, unsure of how to deal with what was transpiring, and even more uncertain of what she was doing, unclear as to how much she was actually helping. How much longer are you going to stay with a man who doesn’t care about you? Not much longer, she couldn’t. She’d had enough. It was time to end things with Adam but not over the phone. She had to return home to her job, one she loved and had worked hard for, and she’d end her relationship with him then. Until she could see him face to face though, she had to concentrate on doing all she could to help here. With a resigned sigh, she tapped her phone screen, intent on calling the hospital to inform them that she needed more time off. Ashlynn needed her help, so did her father, and work and Adam could wait.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Logan walked into the room housing the pack’s newest captives, having left them alone for some time, knowing the effects of doing so. Worried about what would happen to them, they’d be so anxious they’d most likely comply with anything he demanded. Although it didn’t matter if they didn’t for then he’d have what he wanted beaten out of them. Either way they were his to do with as he pleased and, his mind swirling with the delicious possibilities of how he could torture them, he readied himself for his first glimpse of his recovered mate. Naomi was his, stolen by those SASS assholes but he’d gotten her back as he knew he would. While he had zero belief in destiny, he wholeheartedly believed in his abilities to accomplish his goals.

Stopping before the cell that held the women, ignoring Nathan Tremblay in the adjoining cell for the moment, his eyes roved over first Ashlynn Tremblay and then Emily Dunne. He focused on the fear in her eyes and a small part of him wanted to tell her the truth to alleviate her anxiety, to assure her she would never face the fate of the others here. He couldn’t though, it would ruin any progress he’d made, or would make, with her fellow captives, and so he refrained from conversing with her. For now.

As his eyes took in Naomi, he could smell her fear and frowned inwardly. He’d wanted her to worry about what he’d do to her, but she’d never been this afraid of him. While he did want her submission, he couldn’t deny he loved how she resisted him but doubted she would now. He was fairly certain she’d even kneel before him if he requested it. Not liking that any more than the new claim mark he saw on her throat, his anger reared. His spy had informed him of her mate, that fucking RCMP prick, and he’d been furious hearing of it. Seeing it wasn’t helping. He’d left a message for Gagnon in the form of perfume, informing him he knew exactly who he was, knowing well full the corporal hadn’t a clue as to his identity. Known only as Bossman to SASS, he was relatively certain the organization had no knowledge of his actual name nor his present location. Mark could have revealed much about Logan to SASS but hadn’t for Logan knew just how much was at stake for Mark if he did. No, he was certain Mark would remain silent. It truly was the best course of action for his own good.

While he’d wanted to taunt Naomi, her present state confounded him and, not sure how to deal with her now, he decided to ignore her for longer. As his eyes returned to Emily, he bemoaned the fact Corey Peterson had fucked up the arrangement Logan had carefully planned. Having Emily as a human would have been easier to deal with and she would have been more receptive to his plans for her. He knew she’d fight him on it now if he told her what he wanted of her and so he decided a little psychological warfare was in order. While he’d never lay a finger on her or allow his men to, it was time to break her will to facilitate him taking control of her. His gaze drifted to Nathan again. He debated slaying the shifter, but worried Emily would never bend to him if he killed her mate. However, he could still use Nathan.

Nodding to John, or ‘Fucktard’ as Naomi had amusingly dubbed him, Logan observed Emily carefully as his peripheral vision caught John and a few other men enter Nathan’s cell. As sounds of fists on skin reached his ears, Emily wailed and clutched at Ashlynn who cried for her brother. None of it affected Logan. Nathan and Ashlynn were disposable in his eyes and Emily’s emotions were irrelevant. He only wanted her allegiance, her willing compliance, and he would have it. When Emily’s streaming eyes turned on him and begged him to stop, he held her terrified gaze as he issued his men a command.

“Enough.”

The beating ceased and, in his side vision, Nathan sank to the floor as the men released him. Weeping, Emily looked to her mate and then back to Logan.

“Why are you doing this?” she demanded in a shaky, horrified voice.

“He hasn’t told me what I want to know,” he replied simply.

“That’s because he doesn’t know anything. Please, just leave him alone!” she screeched, the fear for her mate soaking her desperate plea.

“I don’t believe that,” he returned. “His sister has SASS agents for mates. She knows something, she’d have to, and if she knows, then he does. Probably you too, being his mate. While I really don’t have a problem with my men beating women, I’d rather see how far I can get with your mate first. Consider it a courtesy extended toward you and Ashlynn, for now. Naomi knows full well what a beating feels like. I’m sure you’d like to spare yourself and your pregnant sister-in-law such treatment, so talk. Tell me what I want to know.”

“We don’t know anything!”

With how they reacted to the beating on Nathan, he believed they didn’t know anything for they surely would’ve stopped the abuse if they could have. He couldn’t be as sure about Nathan though, and needed to know if the shifter had any information about Logan or his pack’s whereabouts. Relocating the pack would be a huge problem and if he needed to, he’d have to start preparations now. Unable to stop the smile that took hold of his lips, he knew exactly how to loosen Nathan’s tongue. Turning to his men, he nodded and a few left the room, returning in a moment’s time with a large metal box. As they placed it before the women’s cell, Logan observed Nathan’s reaction. His swollen eyes widened and the scent of his fear, even from the distance between them, invigorated Logan.

“A little birdie told me you don’t like confined spaces,” he informed Nathan, “so I figured a few hours in the box might make you more compliant.”

As the men told hold of Nathan, Logan watched, unaffected by Emily’s pleading. Held tightly by several men as one unshackled him from the wall, brown fur surfaced on Nathan’s arms and he snapped his jaws at the man closest to him.

“You are scared, aren’t you?” Logan chortled. “This should prove quite entertaining.”

The men carried Nathan, swearing, squirming, and sweating profusely, out of the cell and past Logan who could clearly hear the terrified staccato beating of the shifter’s heart. Logan sucked up the sight, never tiring of it. Fear was exhilarating, truly a drug to savour, and he was addicted. As Emily and Ashlynn begged the men not to, they lowered Nathan’s wriggling and protesting form into the box, roughly the size of a coffin. Even unshackled he wouldn’t have had room to move in it. Deeply breathing in the scent of Nathan’s terror, Logan smiled again as the shifter pleaded for release. He’d never been big on mercy. Soon, Nathan was secured in the box, the box was chained shut, and, his ears filled with the horrified howls of Nathan and the anguished pleading of Emily and Ashlynn, Logan left the room, the knowledge of how the shifters behind him suffered filling his steely heart with glee. Fuck did he love this shit!

 

***

 

“Nathan! Nathan, please answer me,” Emily pleaded.

His terrified cries rang in her ears, and she couldn’t stand his suffering. Cruelly, the shifters had left the metal box just out of her reach, her fingertips a mere centimeter from touching it.

“I’m here,” she assured him, speaking loudly so he’d hear her over his cries. “I’m right here, Nathan. You’re safe. Nothing’s going to happen to you. Just, please, try to calm down. You’re okay. You’re safe. I’m right here.”

Nothing but a choking sound answered her and then he wailed again, louder than before. As his crying descended into the sounds of him sucking in breaths harshly, her fear mounted. He was hyperventilating and she could do nothing to help him.

A sharp gasp from Ashlynn caused her to turn her head. “His heart rate is scary fast,” Ashlynn informed her.

She and Ashlynn both loudly told Nathan they were right there, that he was safe, and they begged him to try to calm somewhat. After several minutes, he seemed to quiet, at least she couldn’t hear him hyperventilating any longer. Ashlynn nodded to her, informing her his heart rate had improved. As she continued her litany of calming phrases, Emily glanced at Naomi who’d been silent through the entire ordeal. Her friend sat with her back to the wall, staring straight ahead as if nothing was going on.

 

***

 

Dreading this encounter, but knowing it had to transpire, Jason knocked on the door of Jack and Sylvia Tremblay’s house, Levi, Hank, and Ryder with him. With plans to head to Saskatoon tomorrow morning to take another crack at Mark, the group had agreed it was time to address unanswered questions, in particular the ones surrounding Jack’s hiring of Emily. Levi and Hank had been extremely interested when Ryder related the information, and while Jason still believed adamantly that there was a reasonable explanation for Jack’s actions, insisting he couldn’t be involved with the rogue pack, especially considering his son and daughter were in peril from them, he agreed it was high time those questions were answered.

Jack opened the door. His pleasantly surprised expression at seeing Jason quickly morphed into one of concern when his eyes took in the group behind the corporal. When questioning eyes met his, Jason dipped his head.

“Jack,” he began, motioning to Hank and Levi in turn, “this is Hank Snow, and Levi Simmons, the agents Ryder mentioned. We’d like to discuss something with you.”

“Of course,” Jack responded, his voice holding an edge of apprehension, “come in, all of you.” They did and, after they shed their boots and heavy coats, Jack cocked his head to the side. “Please, come in the kitchen. I’ll make some coffee and we can talk.”

Once the men settled in chairs at the table, Jason watched Jack as he filled the coffee maker with water. The Alpha’s motions were nervous but not guilty, at least not by his conclusions. Scanning the other men at the table, he couldn’t be as sure of their assessments and he decided to ease Jack into the process, allowing him to relax somewhat.

“How’s Sylvia doing?”

“Much better, thank you,” Jack responded. He poured ground coffee into the machine, started it, and then turned to meet Jason’s eyes. “Well, physically anyway. Doc Cobb was here a little while ago. He said she needs plenty of rest to heal and she’s so worried about everyone. He gave her a mild sedative. She’s sleeping now.”

Jason again marvelled at how well Jack was coping with the dire situation, considering how evident his worry for his mate was. Consumed with fear for Naomi, he felt as if he could barely control his own body, and fought to keep his mind on task, using it as a coping mechanism. Perhaps Jack did the same, holding onto the case as an anchor, the one thing that prevented him from drowning in worry over his pups. Jack eased himself onto a chair and then looked to Levi and Hank who sat side by side.

“SASS sent you two in to help then?”

In the ensuing silence, Jason realized the group hadn’t discussed how they should introduce Hank and Levi, or what they should tell others of the pair’s involvement. They weren’t in SASS but the SIA was effective by being secretive. At least he didn’t think Levi was also in SASS. Really, he didn’t know anything about the huge shifter. Before he could confirm their SASS status, even as he hated lying to Jack, Levi spoke up.

“Yes, they did. We’re here to take control of the investigation, given its escalation and the personal involvement of the agents here. Tonight, we need answers from you.”

“Of course. I’ll help you in any way I can.”

“That’s good to hear,” Levi responded, a bit harshly Jason thought. He doubted the shifter possessed Ryder’s smooth way of dealing with people. “I’d like you to tell me why you hired Emily Dunne.”

Visibly shocked by Levi’s request, Jack’s brow scrunched severely. “Emily? I don’t understand what my hiring of Emily has to do with what’s going on.”

“Just answer the question,” Levi snapped. “Why did you hire her?”

Jack’s confused expression slowly morphed into an annoyed one. “What exactly are you accusing me of?” When Levi didn’t respond, Jack stared at him angrily. “You think I’m involved in this?” he asked incredulously. “What exactly do you think I did? Arrange to have my daughter and son kidnapped?”

“I don’t know what you’ve done. That’s why we’re here.”

Jack jumped to his feet. “Get out of my house! How dare you accuse me of that?” His anger-slit eyes swept over the men. “All of you, out now!”

Jason slowly rose to his feet, holding his hands up slightly. “Jack, no one is accusing you of anything but we do have some questions about how Emily came into your employ. Please, let’s all just calm down and discuss this rationally. I’m sure Levi didn’t intend his question to sound like an accusation.”

While he wasn’t so sure about his last statement, his words seemed to diffuse Jack who retook his seat. Jason looked to the others and saw the harsh look Hank delivered to Levi, a warning no doubt. Levi merely stared at Jack, his expression unreadable. Jason sat down again and met Jack’s cautious eyes.

“I’m sorry we’ve upset you, that wasn’t our intention. However, there are some questionable things surrounding your hiring of Emily and we’d like you to clear them up for us.”

“Fine,” Jack replied flatly. “What do you want to know?”

The coffeemaker beeped and, as Jack made to stand up, Jason shook his head. “I’ll get it. Please, just relax. Ryder can ask the questions.”

Relieved when neither Levi nor Hank protested, he got up and moved to prepare coffee for the group, keeping his ears trained on the men as he did so.

“Again, we don’t mean this to sound accusatory,” Ryder began softly, “but we would like you to clear up a few things for us. So, please, walk us through your hiring of Emily. Your personal assistant, Margaret Daly, left your company just before delivering her twins. You needed to replace her. You found Emily on a corporate job site, correct?”

“Yes. Well, actually, no. Julian suggested her to me. He sent me a link to the job site.”

Pulling mugs from the cupboard, Jason paused, having no idea of that. Turning back to the group, he saw Ryder’s eyes move to Levi and Hank.

“He’s referring to Julian Grayson, the Alpha of the Moon Valley pack.” He then lifted his chin to Jack. “Go on, so Julian suggested her. Why? One of the questions we have is why you decided to hire a human for a position that could have easily been filled by a shifter.”

“It could have,” Jack agreed. “I mean, it doesn’t matter to me if I have humans or shifters working for me, but yes, in such a small community, I can see how you could question my decision to hire a human. Julian suggested her. She’s the daughter of a business associate of his, and a close friend, a man whose name escapes me right now but Julian said the man’s relationship with Emily was strained. Nonexistent, actually, from what he said, but he’d promised the man that he’d look out for Emily when his friend died. Given their poor relationship, he didn’t want her to discover he knew her father, so he didn’t want to hire her when she was looking to relocate. He’d said she had a problem with her ex-fiancé, and he wanted her to be somewhere safe and close by so he could ensure she was okay.”

Pushing himself to prepare the coffees as Jack had spoken, Jason placed full mugs of coffee before the men. Uneasy with the relation that Julian Grayson had recommended Emily, something about it not sitting well with him, his mind spun with more questions. As he grabbed the sugar bowl from the counter, he spoke over his shoulder.

“Emily’s relationship with her father was extremely strained. He had an affair with her mother, unbeknownst to the woman until he announced he was married, and then didn’t spend time with Emily, even as he financially supported her. When he passed, he willed her a considerable amount of money she then donated to charity. That’s how insistent she was about not having a connection with her father,” he explained as he placed the sugar bowl, a container of milk, and spoons on the table.

Hank cocked his head questioningly. “What’s a considerable amount of money?”

“Two million dollars,” Jason answered and then watched the surprised reactions of both Hank and Levi.

“Well, I didn’t know any of that at the time,” Jack announced, “but that’s what started the trouble between Emily and her ex-fiancé. She was desperate to get away from him, which was why she was so eager to relocate.”

“Okay,” Ryder broke in, bobbing his head. “That makes sense, her willingness to move halfway across the country to get away from Peterson. It also makes sense that you did your friend Julian a favour by hiring her to have her close by so he could keep an eye on her. But it doesn’t explain the incentives you offered her.” When Jack frowned slightly, as if confused, Ryder elaborated. “The sharp increase in her wage, and the house to live in rent-free. Paying for her moving expenses makes sense to me, but not the rest of it.”

“I offered the house. It was donated to the pack by its previous occupant when she died, an elderly unmated shifter who didn’t have family. I didn’t want to add having to find a place to live to Emily’s plate, not after she had to relocate. I also didn’t want her commuting from Moon Valley or somewhere else. As you all know, the weather in winter can be horrible here. I wanted her in town where she was safe and didn’t have a commute. And, as she was a human, I wanted her close at all times, in case I did have to deal with a shifter exposure to her. I mean, yeah, part of me hoped she’d find a mate here, there are plenty of unmated shifters in town. Of course I couldn’t have known she’d be the intended of my sons, but ...” He prepared his coffee as the others waited and then met Ryder’s eyes again. “The increase in her wage was provided by Julian. I couldn’t afford to pay her as much as she was earning in Toronto, let alone offer an increase. He’s been forwarding that money to me to pay her.”

“And you didn’t find that strange?” Ryder demanded.

“Yes, I did. I questioned him because his being close to Emily’s father didn’t seem a good enough reason to do all that. He said he’d explain it all to me later and then, well, with everything that happened, from Emily’s kidnapping by Peterson, to you, Wayne, and Mark arriving and being Ashlynn’s mates, and everything else ... well, it slipped my mind.”

Jason thought there was certainly more to Julian’s reasons for his actions than loyalty to a deceased friend and could see the other men thought so too. Jack took a sip of coffee and then turned to Jason.

“I’m sorry, I should have gotten to the bottom of this before now. I found it odd but again with everything that happened ...” His voice trailed off and he released a deep sigh. “Jason, is Julian involved in this? I need to know. Do you think my best friend is involved in the kidnapping of my pups?”

“I don’t know,” he replied truthfully. He thought it more than possible but didn’t want to incite any animosity until the group knew for sure. Turning to Hank, he motioned to the cups on the table. “I don’t want to leave a mess for Sylvia, so I’m going to clean this up, and then we’re going to Julian’s.”

“Fine,” Hank agreed.

Jack placed a hand on Jason’s arm to command his attention. “I’m coming with you.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Levi spoke up.

“I do,” Jason countered. “They’re both Alphas and have been friends for years. If Julian isn’t complicit in all this, then Jack’s presence will have a calming effect on him. If he is, then perhaps Jack’s presence will appeal to his honour and make him forthcoming about his involvement.”

The men all bobbed their heads in assent and Jason breathed a little easier, despite the continued tenseness of the situation. At least this group was all on the same page. That was a great benefit heading into a potentially volatile situation. For, if Julian was as involved with the rogue pack as Jason suspected he was, a huge shitstorm was about to go down.

 

***

 

Hours later, Logan and a few men returned to the room. He reasoned Nathan had suffered enough. After all, it wasn’t his intention to drive the shifter mad, only to loosen his tongue. Ignoring the curses Emily flung at him, he watched as his men undid the chains and opened the box. The subtle scents of sweat and urine he’d detected before were strong now. Nathan had peed himself in fear.

Logan watched intently as the men pulled Nathan from the box and set him on his feet. Wide-eyed and bathed in sweat, his breath issued in harsh gusts. He wobbled, obviously unwell and highly stressed. As the men mocked him for pissing on himself, Logan studied him. He looked defeated as he swayed slightly, his eyes downcast, the defiance he’d displayed before long gone, and Logan gave himself an inward pat on the back. He’d done it again, broken a shifter’s spirit. Nathan was the first man he’d broken though, and he was damn proud of himself. His eyes strayed to Emily who raged over the men humiliating Nathan. White fur arose on her arms, shoulders, and thighs. She was furious and should have changed fully, and he reasoned she couldn’t, not that the realization surprised him. He longed to speak with her, it was something he’d looked forward to for a long time, but it would have to wait.

“What does SASS know about us?” he demanded as his eyes fell on Nathan again.

“I don’t know,” came the quiet response.

“What did Ryder and Wayne say about the case?”

“That they’d dead in the water and don’t have leads.”

Nathan’s answers were quiet, succinct, and bore not a trace of resistance. He really hadn’t known anything after all. John lifted a brow, silently asking permission to kill Nathan. Useless to them, he was an unneeded mouth to feed if they kept him, but Logan found Nathan’s reaction to the box amusing and wanted to do it again. Maybe everyday, in fact. It was probably stupid to keep him around but then again, he did see how he could use the shifter to force compliance from Emily. He tired of the physical violence and much preferred psychological abuse. He shook his head at John who, with another man, returned Nathan to his cell, where they shackled him to the wall once more. When they released their hold on him, he sank to his knees and hung his head.

After turning to the sound of Emily’s sobbing, Logan visually examined her again. Full-figured, he knew John would love to have a go at her but, like Naomi, she was strictly off-limits albeit for entirely different reasons. He couldn’t help his eyes from locking on his prize, Naomi. He stewed at the sight of her claim bite, clearly seeing that RCMP asshole Jason Gagnon had delivered a bite atop the one Logan had. Considering Naomi’s state at the time of her ‘rescue’, he could only deduce she and Gagnon were intended. Hoping Gagnon suffered horribly with her absence, he was determined to reclaim her as his, but not now. Other issues pressed and while he should restart his efforts to break her now, he hadn’t done anything to her yet, allowing her to worry over what he’d do as a punishment. Actually, aside from stripping them and limiting food, he hadn’t done a damn thing to any of the women in this room.

His eyes roved back to Ashley, no Ashlynn. It was hard to remember all their names but he did. It was essential they knew he knew them. Eventually they believed he knew them intimately, it helped to break them. Despite his time constraints, he knew it was prudent to do something to this group, to assure them they were far from safe.

“Ashlynn,” he called out, lacing his voice with authority.

When she looked to him, he clearly saw the fear in her eyes. That was good, but it wasn’t enough. He nodded to John who stepped forward to unlock the cell as a few men gathered behind him, poised to force her compliance if required. Logan’s spy had told him all about the Tremblays, including the fact Ashlynn was pregnant. He was appreciative of that knowledge, as her pregnancy hadn’t progressed far enough for the pups to be scented by other shifters yet, and he would never bring harm to pups. Still, he reasoned a small lesson was in order.

 

***

 

Emily could hear little over the rush of blood in her ears. She shook slightly, her body vibrating with the emotions that pummeled it. Furious over what Bossman had done to Nathan, devastated over its effect on her poor mate, and filled with fear for Ashlynn, she stood for a moment after the door closed. Only the sound of Nathan’s ragged breathing spurred movement, scaring her much more than Ashlynn’s plight. Curled into a fetal position on the floor of his cell, his back to her, his body trembled with the harsh sobs he released. The sight of him so broken tore her heart asunder. He’d given up. Bossman had broken him and terror crept up her spine. He hadn’t reacted at all when the shifters dragged his sister from the room and that frightened her the most.

“Nathan,” she called softly as she forced herself to take the few steps to stand before the bars that separated their cells. He didn’t respond. “Nathan, please look at me.” Nothing. He either couldn’t hear her over his sobbing or lacked the ability to respond. She suspected the latter. Her heart skipped a beat, her breath left her in an agonizing rush, and, her head spinning wildly, she sank to the cold concrete floor and shakily reached a hand through the bars. As always, he was far beyond her reach but the distance seemed farther now. It felt like he was miles away.

Speaking softly, wanting to soothe him, she told him how sorry she was over what Bossman had done to him. She assured him he was safe now, back where he could see her and she him, so they could draw on one another’s strength and see each other through this. Again, there was zero reaction to her words. Her breath hitched in her throat as a single tear coursed down her cheek.

Turning to Naomi, she wasn’t sure what to make of her friend’s expression. Naomi hadn’t said much since their kidnapping and, like Nathan, hadn’t reacted when the shifters took Ashlynn from the cell. While not wanting to upset Nathan more, Emily needed to ask her next question.

“Will they do what I think they’ll do to her?”

Naomi shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe they’ll just beat her. Maybe Bossman wants to psychologically torture her. It’s hard to say.”

White fur broke the surface of Emily’s forearms yet again. Naomi observed it with the same indifference with which she’d answered Emily’s question. As she sucked in a huge breath, Emily fought to calm herself. Erupting in anger at Naomi wouldn’t help but she was pissed at her friend’s reaction. She wanted to ask her friend what was wrong with her, why she was so damn calm, and how she could possible just stand there so impassively after witnessing Nathan’s torture, but she bit her tongue. After a moment passed in which Naomi calmly held her harsh gaze, Emily turned her attention back to Nathan.

Her body thrummed with the want to ask Naomi what the fuck was going on her, but she didn’t want to cause Nathan any more stress. As she delivered gentle reassurances to him, that she was with him and always would be, that rescue was coming, and that soon they could return to their happy lives, more fur surfaced, on her back. It spread over her shoulders and buttocks and itched where it popped up on her thighs. Sporting more fur than she ever had, she fought the fury that surged through her. While she longed to unload on Naomi, to rage over Bossman’s cruel actions, to tear the shifters that supported him to bits, her anger wouldn’t help Nathan. The fur retreated quickly, causing a little rippling shiver to run through her. Resting her head against the bars, she once again reached for him as she resumed relating comforting phrases. She didn’t believe any of the words she sent his way but they were the only ones she could utter. The other words, the ones that outlined their predicament, ones laced with her fear that help would arrive too late, stuck in her throat. Much like her ability to show fur but no fangs, the words would do no good and so she smothered them.

 

***

 

Her stomach twisted with fear, Ashlynn took a seat when Bossman motioned to the single wooden chair in the room. The other shifters had remained outside the room, only Bossman and Fucktard accompanied her inside. Sitting on the only piece of furniture in the room, she took small comfort in the smooth wood surface beneath her. Although it far surpassed the concrete floor of her cell, she knew exactly what this room was, an interrogation space, and feared how far Bossman’s questioning would go.

As she twisted her fingers together in her lap, she tried to ignore the sick feeling in her gut. It had begun during the kidnapping and she’d thought it stress at first but the feeling had persisted, growing in intensity and she feared something was wrong with her unborn pups. With her head bowed, Bossman’s booted feet entered her field of vision and she cringed when he spoke.

“Do you know why I wanted you in this room?”

Of course she did. He wanted her away from the others and the comfort they provided. Already naked, isolation exposed her further. He’d interrogate her, certain she knew more than she did, and, when she didn’t provide the answers he sought, he’d beat her, probably rape her. Perhaps Fucktard would do all the dirty work or maybe they both would. Her heart hammering, she nodded slowly.

“Then tell me what you know,” he demanded gruffly.

Stammering at first, her fear causing her words to catch in her dry throat, she related what she knew about the rogue pack. It wasn’t much and, her eyes glued to Bossman’s boots, she felt his energy change. He didn’t believe her.

“Look at me,” he demanded sternly. As she lifted her head and met his eyes, terror slashed up her spine. The authoritative look he’d worn during each of his appearances had fled in the face of the predatory mask he now wore. “Do I look stupid to you?”

“N-no,” she squeaked out.

His sightline shot to Fucktard who was behind her in an instant. After pulling her arms behind her roughly, he held them in place with one hand, and his other wrapped around her throat. He didn’t squeeze but the feel of his hand repulsed her as much as it scared her. Bossman drew closer and then leaned forward to bring his face level with hers.

“None of us want to see harm come to your pups and, while they’re in your belly, you’re off-limits. Well, at least when it comes to beatings. You deserve one, you know, for lying, for withholding information. You can resist all you please but I will win here. This is my pack and every shifter within it knows their place. You know what’s expected of you and you will comply. Normally I’d have your resistance beaten out of you but, again, I wouldn’t want to hurt those precious pups within you. While I would’ve preferred them to be fathered by shifters loyal to me, they’ll grow up in this pack and be a part of it, so their paternity truly matters little. You, along with several females here, are carrying the future, a generation of pups born into the ideals that will make us the greatest pack to have ever existed. It’s an honour to be a part of this. If you can’t accept that on your own, then you present me with no choice but to employ methods to force your acceptance.”

When his eyes moved to Fucktard again, the shifter’s hand left her throat. It snaked down her chest to a breast, raising a trail of repulsion-laden gooseflesh in its wake. He pinched her nipple hard and bile rose to burn her throat. She gagged, loudly, and then shook her head, fighting the nausea that gripped her. It was no use. A stream of sick left her lips and hit the floor where Bossman had stood a moment before, having just jumped back from the torrent. She felt small drops of vomit hit her feet and legs as Fucktard released his hold on her breast.

“Fuck,” he snarled behind her, “that took the wind out of my sails.”

“I’ll bet,” Bossman returned before locking eyes with her again. “Well, it appears you’ve dodged your fate for a bit, but we’re hardly done with you. If you barf every time he touches you, we’ll just withhold food until your stomach’s too empty to unload like that.”

Her nostrils filled with the stench of vomit, the arid taste of it burning her mouth, she fought another slap of nausea. “My babies,” she whispered on a ragged breath.

“Oh, don’t worry, I’d never allow any harm to come to them. You’d be fine without food for a few days, your body would merely divert all energies to keeping them alive, leaving you weak. Mind you, my right hand here does prefer when females fight him, but I’m sure he’d make an exception for you.”

Gagging again, she could do nothing more than shake her head. The stories of how Bossman had tormented Naomi and the other captive women filled her mind and tears rose in her eyes. She had to stay strong. Ryder and Wayne would rescue her and the others. Her mates were coming, soon, she just had to hang in there until they could find this place. Blinking at the stinging tears, she willed her rescuers to come faster, unsure how long the small group could endure Bossman’s tortures.

She gasped when Bossman delivered a resounding slap to her cheek. It stung badly but seemed to knock some fear out of her and she stared at him intently. “You have two mates in SASS and a third detained by SASS.” At the widening of her eyes, he sneered. “Yeah, I know all about that. What do you know about what Mark’s said since he’s been held by them? What did your other mates tell you about that?”

Shocked by what he’d said, she quickly pieced together a troubling truth. Someone who knew her well had related that information to Bossman. It had to be someone in her pack, but who? When he raised his hand again, she glared at him.

“They didn’t tell me anything, they can’t. Yeah, they work for SASS but they’re sworn to secrecy. You seem to know a lot about them, so you should know that. I don’t know anything else and you can slap me all you want, I can’t tell you what I don’t know.”

His eyes narrowed. Avoiding the puddle of vomit, he bent closer to her again. “What did Mark say?”

“I don’t know,” she said through clenched teeth. “I just told you that Wayne and Ryder can’t talk about what goes on in SASS. All I know is he executed one of your men. That’s it. I’m glad he did, even if he is locked up because of it. I hope SASS kills every last one of you.”

When he smiled in response, it sent another fearful chill through her. What should be a pleasant gesture looked menacing on his lips. His monstrous behaviour was such a contrast to his good looks. In fact, he was extremely handsome, and she could understand how he could sway others with his looks. The fact he resorted to heavy-handed techniques was proof of his black heart and made him all the more frightening. As her eyes roved over his features and the mop of blond curls that adorned his head, she sucked in a startled breath. She knew exactly who Bossman really was.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As the twins entered the Joe K. Corral, Dustin felt eyes on them. Of course, he and Zack, as identical twins, drew stares in most human settings and there were a few humans in the predominately-shifter bar. When only amongst shifters though, the pair still commanded attention, due to their stature and good looks and, in no small part, to the tattoos that covered Dustin. Although it was cold tonight and he wore a jacket, the tats on his hands were visible, as were the ones that painted his entire neck. Little of his body save his face didn’t sport tattoos. Indeed, only his genitals and buttocks were completely bare and, while his legs didn’t hold the ink of his upper body, he was working on filling them in. Bitten bad by the ink bug, he was determined to become a living canvas that displayed the striking, intricate work of the only artist he’d ever allowed to tat him.

Nodding to a shifter he recognized from his last visit to the area years ago, he then followed Zack to a table. They’d just settled into their seats when his nostrils filled with the enticing scent of a female shifter and he turned to see her approach. Tall, thin, and beautiful, the shifter’s long, blonde hair swirled around her shoulders as she arrived at the table, smiling broadly. She was stunning, sexy as hell, but even the tempting sight of her couldn’t draw him from his dour mood.

“Hey there,” she said, maintaining her smile. While friendly, now that she was closer, he could detect the sadness in her eyes and wondered fleetingly if more than the troubles of the Willow Creek pack caused it. Having never seen her before, he was sure she was a part of the Moon Valley pack, a notion conceived due to the fact they were presently in Moon Valley. “I’m Jess, and I’ll be your server tonight. Would you like to see menus?”

“Yes, thank you,” Zack responded, his voice lacking its usual geniality. Dustin profoundly felt his brother’s frustration with how unsuccessful they’d been at helping their family since arriving in Willow Creek. While it ate at him, he knew it devastated Zack, always the more compassionate twin.

“I’ll be right back with them. In the meantime, can I start you off with a drink?”

“Sure,” Zack said with a quick nod. “What do you have on draught?”

After Jess rattled off the impressive choices the bar offered, Zack and Dustin made their selections. Jess issued another smile and then turned away from them. As he watched her walk to the bar to place their drink order, Dustin heard the deep sigh Zack released. It could be in response to the situation with their family, or because Zack had caught him checking out Jess. Instantly, the enticing prospect of hooking up with Jess to blow off some steam blew up and Dustin couldn’t help the shake of his head. He knew why Zack wouldn’t go for Jess and he found the reason ridiculous.

“You’d really do it, wouldn’t you?” Zack questioned. More than a little perturbed with his brother’s tone, Dustin turned his head to lock eyes with Zack. “Sleep with that shifter,” his twin clarified. “Shit, we’ve been here for two days and you’re already on the prowl? What about Gabrielle? You know damn well she’s not going to fuck anyone while we’re gone.”

He did know that, but the reason she wouldn’t had nothing to do with him. She and Zack carried on like loves-truck teens and it sickened Dustin. Gabrielle wasn’t their mate. She’d been a convenient fuck-buddy, living in their hometown of Whispering Pines and part of their pack, but that’s where the appeal ended for him. Zack however treated her like an actual mate and she’d been pressuring the twins to mate her for months now. Dustin didn’t want any part of that arrangement. He didn’t know if his intended mate was out there somewhere and didn’t care. The thought of mating a shifter who wasn’t his intended wasn’t off-putting to him, Gabrielle was.

Although she hated it, he insisted on calling her Gabby, for she certainly was. The single most talkative shifter he’d ever encountered, her high voice grated on his nerves and, quite frankly, unless he had his dick buried in her, he saw no further reason to interact with her. He found her dull, and exceedingly irritating, not to mention dumb. It was hardly his checklist for a lifelong mate but Zack apparently saw virtues that were invisible to Dustin. If Dustin had his way, the twins would move to a large city, earn much more money than they currently did, considering the engineering degrees they both possessed, and live a thrilling life. However, he’d never leave his brother and as Zack would never leave their pack, not to mention Gabrielle, he was stuck in his unfulfilling life with Zack as his only consolation.

Consequently, he was morose most of the time, quick to anger with little provocation and, upon occasion, downright miserable. He supposed if he and Zack were fraternal twins he might feel differently but, not only were they identical, they’d been born conjoined. Luckily, only flesh joined them and they were easily separated, but their caesarian section delivery did more than bring them into the world at the same instant. As the only pups of their Alpha father, they would be co-Alphas one day, ruling the pack in tandem and deepening their birth-bond. While the twins differed greatly in personality, their identical appearance led most shifters to view them as a unit. That often pissed Dustin off, but he couldn’t deny his brother felt like an extension of himself, their bond too significant for him to consider leaving Zack behind to pursue an existence that appealed to him more than the one he lived.

He shrugged stiffly, unwilling to argue with Zack. “I was just looking.” It was a lie as he’d instantly pictured exactly what he’d do with Jess, given the opportunity, but, with any luck, Zack would drop the subject.

After staring at Dustin a moment, Zack blew out a breath. “Sorry. I’m a little testy, you know, with everything that’s going on. Or not going on, actually. I want to go after those shifters, patrol, do something and we’ve done nothing since we’ve been here. I don’t even feel like we’re providing any kind of solace for Uncle Jack and Aunt Sylvia. Scott seems pissed that we’re here and Ryan’s a mess. He doesn’t even seem to know we’re around.”

Dustin agreed with Zack’s sentiments, aside from his observations about Ryan. To him, Ryan seemed pleased with their presence, although he really couldn’t be sure. Zack’s assessment of Ryan being a mess was spot-on. As far as Dustin was concerned, Scott’s behaviour was expected. Like Dustin, Scott had always been quick to anger and his present heated mood was hardly surprising. He wanted to take actions, as the twins did, and felt the same oppressive frustration of spinning their wheels, waiting for Jason and the SASS agents to come up with something to go on.

“You’ve helped Ryan a lot,” Dustin assured his brother. “Yeah, he’s messed up, big time, he’s a wreck, but I know he appreciates you being there for him. You’re better at that than me, talking to people, soothing them. Much better than me, actually, but you already know that.”

Zack tilted his head a bit. “I don’t know. Sometimes I feel like I fuck up when I say things and that shifters respond to you more, because you can just be with them, without having to say anything. I can’t. I feel compelled to say something, to tell him everything will be okay. You don’t. You can read people better and know when to stay quiet.” At the rise of Dustin’s eyebrow, Zack grinned slightly. “You know what I mean. You can remain quiet in tense situations like this. I wasn’t talking about staying quiet when you’re pissed off. We all know you can’t shut up then.”

After thanking Jess who’d returned with their drinks and menus, Zack waited until the server was well out of earshot before speaking again. He seemed eager to say something and Dustin tensed, hoping it wouldn’t be about Gabrielle.

“How does Uncle Jack seem to you?”

His question threw Dustin for a loop for he distinctly heard the suggestive tone in his brother’s question. “Fucked up,” he answered, “but how can he not be?”

“Right. But it’s more. He’s ... distant, not truly there. I wanted us to come here, away from him and Aunt Sylvia, and away from Ryan and Scott, so we could talk about this. I don’t think he’s coping well. I called Dad earlier and after I told him what I saw, he agreed.” He folded his hands and Dustin knew he wouldn’t like his twin’s next words. That authoritative gesture always preceded an idea that turned into a huge hassle or a ton of work. “I want to offer Uncle Jack some time away from his Alpha duties. Just temporarily, but while we’re here, feeling useless because we have nothing to do, I want to suggest he step back a bit and allow us to take over some of his duties.”

Fighting his chin’s desire to drop to the floor, Dustin stared at his brother. “You’ve got to be shitting me.”

“Why would you say that?”

“Because you just said you wanted to take over your uncle’s pack, that’s why.”

“I said nothing of the sort,” Zack replied as his brow scrunched up tightly. “I said I wanted to help him out by taking over some of his duties for him, to allow him some rest that he obviously needs.”

“It sounds like you and Dad want to put him out to pasture. I can’t believe Dad agreed with you.”

Zack snorted as he leaned back in his chair. “I want to help Uncle Jack, not ‘put him out to pasture’. What’s with you? Normally you’d jump at the chance to do something. You hate sitting around.”

“I do but I’d rather sit around Scott and Ryan’s place with my thumb up my ass than undermine Uncle Jack.”

“For the last time, it’s not undermining, it’s helping.”

“And you’re positive he’s going to see it that way, are you? It seems to me he’s lost too much recently and there you are, practically drooling at the prospect of taking more from him. Fuck, Zack, governing the pack is all he has right now. You see it as too much work for him, but maybe it’s all that’s keeping him sane. Maybe he needs to work, to lead, to do something to keep busy. Did you and Dad ever think of that?”

He watched as Zack, eyeing Jess’s approach, snapped his mouth shut. Knowing he was in for a scathing response when left alone once more, Dustin turned his attention to Jess.

“Ready to order?” she asked airily.

Oh, honey! If only I could get you to go. I’d take you to the B&B in town and fuck you any which way you pleased. Smiling, he answered. “Yeah, a burger with the works and some fries please.” He hadn’t even opened the menu but figured the bar had to serve burgers.

“Sure thing,” she replied and then turned to Zack.

“The same,” he said simply.

“Coming right up,” she announced and, after gathering their menus, left them once again.

Zack shook his head slightly. “You know I was about to tell you that you were being an asshole before she came back but you’re right. Uncle Jack could see the offer as us not thinking he’s capable, or feel that he’s losing even more than he already has.” He cocked his head. “When did you become the thoughtful twin?”

“Not sure.” Dustin flashed his cheekiest grin. “But it feels great to be right for once.”

“Don’t gloat,” Zack shot back with a chuckle. “You are right, though. I can see how he could view the offer as an attack. So, when we see him tomorrow, we’ll just make the offer to help him out with anything he might need help with, okay?”

Nodding his agreement, Dustin was glad Zack had come around in his thinking. While not big on family visits, he did love his extended family and wouldn’t want to see any of them suffer any more than they already had. He knew Zack felt the same way and had only wanted to help their uncle, even if he had conceived a misguided way of going about doing so. As Zack changed the subject to Gabrielle, Dustin allowed his mind to wander to tomorrow when they’d take their first shift patrolling Willow Creek. He was glad to have something to do finally and couldn’t wait for Jason to come up with a lead. His entire body itched to get at the rogue shifters, the cause of so much torment for so many shifters, and an absolute plague on his family.

 

***

 

Almost at the meeting spot, Brady concentrated on his driving as he employed dangerous speeds and presently did so within Willow Creek. Spotting the diner, he roared into the parking lot and parked by the group of vehicles there. As he exited his SUV, he saw the others do likewise and he recognized all the men present save one. An incredibly tall shifter stood beside Hank, and Brady concluded he must be Levi Simmons. Ryder had told him about the arrival of the agents, there to help them track the rogue pack, and then asked him to keep the knowledge to himself. While finding that strange, especially in his current capacity of liaison between agents in Willow Creek and Saskatoon, Brady had followed Ryder’s instruction. Though confused by the order, he trusted Ryder with his life.

As he approached the group that included the SASS agents and Jason, he noticed Jack Tremblay was with them. He smiled slightly at Hank who he hadn’t seen in months and then turned to Levi when he spoke.

“So, what’s this information we need to hear? It better be good, considering how long we’ve waited for you.”

Knowing he’d arrived as fast as he possibly could have, Brady ignored Levi’s harsh tone. Many agents were abrupt, usually because they were so driven, occasionally because they were just assholes. It hardly mattered which Levi was, Brady would continue to operate in a professional manner. Since he was a cub, all he’d ever wanted was to be a SASS agent. Now that he’d achieved his dream, he found issues like forceful agents easy to endure. Sure, it would be simpler if everyone was pleasant, however they all worked toward the same goal, and that was all that truly mattered.

“Ryder told me you were about to question Julian Grayson.” At Levi’s brusque nod, Brady continued. “Then you’ll definitely want this information. Grayson has issued huge cheques, made to cash, in the past five years, on a regular basis. The last one was the biggest, not in the time pattern, and issued right after we stormed that building and freed Naomi.”

Although none of the SASS agents appeared shocked to hear the news, Jason and Jack paled considerably. Jack shook his head slowly. “The timing ... I mean, am I wrong? That means he’s...”

“Paying off the rogue pack,” Jason finished. “We just found another leak, this one from inside our packs.” He angrily kicked the tire of his vehicle. “That’s how the pack knew to target them here, at the diner, on Evelyn’s Presentation Day. It’s how they knew to target Trina. Fuck! Grayson’s been feeding them info for a long time.” He snorted as he looked to Ryder. “Well, I guess we know why Moon Valley hasn’t been hit by the pack.”

When he kicked the tire again, Ryder stepped forward. Brady watched intently, always amazed at how effectively Ryder calmed people, a skill Brady struggled with. Just one of the many virtues Ryder embodied, Brady hoped to emulate them all some day. Ryder clamped a hand on Jason’s shoulder and then looked between the corporal and Jack as he spoke, his voice calm.

“This is a huge game-changer. One of our own is involved, an Alpha, and I don’t need to tell you two how delicate this situation is. We need information from Grayson, and we won’t get it if we rush in there accusing him of being a traitor. So, we’re going to head over there now but any questioning will be done by me, Hank, or Levi. I want you there, Jack, again as I think your presence could be calming, and, in light of this, maybe your presence will trigger guilt in him and get him talking. Either way, it’ll still be best if you don’t speak directly to him. And you, Jason, you’ve done an amazing job of remaining calm so far and you have to continue to do so, for just a little while longer. If you need to step back from this meeting, then do so. Nobody will think any less of you, considering how directly you’ve been affected by Grayson’s actions.”

“No, I’m good, really. I want to be there. You said Jack’s presence might trigger guilt in Julian. Well, then my presence should too.”

Brady thought it should cause more, considering Jason’s first mate died at the hands of the pack. Knowing the Moon Valley pack Alpha was involved would have prompted any shifter to act rashly and Jason’s control astounded him. The pack’s influence ran deeper than any of them had suspected, and it was time they received some answers as to just how deep it was.

 

***

 

The instant the front door of the Grayson residence opened and Julian laid eyes on the group of shifters on his porch, Jason knew the Alpha was guilty of everything they suspected him of doing. He could see it in the shifter’s eyes and used all his restraint to not leap upon Julian and pummel him. Grayson had been feeding info to the rogue pack, funding their efforts to kidnap and torture women and Jason fought to keep his features impassive, not wanting to spur the Alpha into an attempt to flee, nor cause him to clam up. For as much as he desired to punch Grayson as hard as he could, he needed answers more. He needed to know how Julian could possible betray an entire pack of shifters, especially one led by his best friend.

“Good evening, Alpha,” Ryder said cordially. “May we please come in? We have something to discuss with you.”

Grayson paused before answering. It was only an instant but long enough to solidify Jason’s belief in his guilt. “Of course, please come in, all of you. We can talk in my office.”

As the group entered the house, Karen Grayson walked into the foyer from an adjacent room. She smiled at Jack, but her smile faded as her eyes took in the others.

“What’s going on?” Her voice was high and sounded frightened.

“Nothing,” Julian answered smoothly. “These men are investigating the kidnappings and here to update me on the search.”

“So late?” she questioned in the same tone as before, apparently not calmed by Julian’s composed response.

“We apologize for the lateness of the hour, ma’am,” Ryder broke in, “but this is a time-sensitive matter and we need your husband’s help with it.”

Ryder’s words diffused her greatly as evidenced by the dramatic change in her posture. Smiling again, she dipped her head slightly at Ryder. “Of course. I’ll leave you men to it. Would any of you care for some refreshments?”

“No, thank you,” Hank answered, his polite tone equal to the one Ryder had employed. “We won’t be here very long.”

With a quick nod, Karen then left the foyer and Julian motioned to a hallway.

“Gentlemen, please, follow me.”

Jason held the end of the line that followed Julian to his office. He’d been in the Grayson house numerous times over the years, but never for a matter even approaching the seriousness of tonight’s discussion. Always having considered Grayson pompous, he’d never suspected the Alpha of any wrongdoing before. In the office, Julian took a seat behind his desk and invited the men to sit. Hank and Ryder sat in the two chairs before the desk, and Levi stood to the side of Hank’s chair. Brady, Wayne, and Jack sat on the sofa in the room and Jason decided to remain standing as well. He figured Levi had chosen his stance to silently intimidate Julian with his size. While he lacked Levi’s formidable stature, Jason figured a little extra intimidation couldn’t hurt.

“What is this about?” Julian asked.

His voice was authoritative and confident and Jason wondered if he’d misread the Alpha’s eyes when he’d opened the front door. At the moment, he didn’t seem guilty at all, merely curious. Hank leaned forward, a knowing smirk on his face, easily read by Jason from his vantage point. The SIA agent wasn’t going to pussyfoot around. No, he seemed keen on going straight for the kill.

“You know exactly why we’re here,” Hank said, his voice accusatory. “We know what you did, now we want to know why.”

Julian checked his watch, and then met Hank’s harsh stare. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Sure you do,” Hank shot back. “You’ve been paying the rogue pack and providing them with information that led to the kidnapping of four members of the Willow Creek pack. You’re in serious trouble here, Julian, and your best course of action would be to fully cooperate with us. If you do, I’ll see to it that you face lesser charges than the ones I can take you into custody for now.”

“I’m an Alpha,” Julian snapped, “address me with the respect I deserve.”

“Alphas do deserve respect, but only when displaying the best qualities of an Alpha. Your behaviour has been an affront to other Alphas and so I’ll address you by your name. You don’t deserve any more than that.”

Grayson stiffened at Hank’s words and seemed about to stand. His eyes shot to Levi and the warning look upon the huge shifter’s face, and he relaxed his rigid posture. With another glance at his watch, he then turned his attention back to Hank.

“What exactly is it you think I’ve done?”

“Know,” Hank corrected. “We know you did it. You’ve been working with the rogue pack, as I said, and you will tell us how you communicate with them and what you’ve related to them. Again, if you cooperate, we can make this an easier process for you. If you don’t, we will ensure you spend the rest of your life in custody. Your co-operation will mean the difference between getting out of jail in time to meet your grandchildren, and never seeing any of your family ever again. It’s your choice.”

With a resigned sigh, Julian leaned back in his chair. His eyes drifted to Jack and then returned to Hank. “I’m not saying a word until I know what you have on me.”

Hank issued a mirthless smile. “Not eager to incriminate yourself in case you’ve done something we don’t know about, huh? Whatever, even if you have, we’ll find out about it. And if we never did, it wouldn’t matter. We’ve got enough on you to put you away for life.” Leaning forward more, Hank placed his folded hands on the edge of the immense desk. The invasion of the Alpha’s territory wasn’t lost on him as Grayson eyed Hank’s hands with contempt. “Okay, you want to lay cards on the table? Fine. We know you fed information to the rogue pack. As I already said, that information led to the kidnapping of four Willow Creek pack members, Nathan Tremblay, Ashlynn Tremblay, Emily Dunne, and Naomi Crawford. It also resulted in the assault of Sylvia Tremblay, and, I suspect, led to a much earlier crime, that of the murder of Trina Gagnon. You’ve also funded the pack, through cheques paid out to cash. You’re done, Grayson. Caught. There’s no way out of this for you except to cooperate to reduce your sentence.”

Julian’s eyes had widened during Hank’s speech and now they rested on Jason. “Trina’s death was a murder?”

“Yeah,” Jason replied bitterly, “one that you helped orchestrate.”

“No,” Julian said slowly, shaking his head, “I didn’t know ... I thought that was a carjacking.” He sighed, looked to Jack, and then back to Hank. “They threatened my pack, my daughter. They demanded money and information. I didn’t know what to do.”

“You should have contacted SASS at the beginning,” Ryder broke in, “instead of serving up Jack’s pack on a plate.”

After shooting Ryder a silencing glare, Hank turned his eyes back on Julian. “Okay, while agent Lee is correct in that you should have contacted SASS, I can understand you feeling threatened, and wanting to protect your pack, especially your daughter. You’re going to tell us everything you know, from how you stay in contact with the pack, to how you delivered those cheques to them. But first, how does Emily Dunne figure into this?”

“What do you mean?”

Taking in the scrunch of Grayson’s brow, Jason thought he appeared genuinely confused by Hank’s question.

“Emily Dunne,” Hank repeated. “You asked Jack to hire her, supposedly as a favour to her deceased father. You arranged for her to come to Willow Creek and now the rogue pack has her.”

“No, I didn’t—yes, I did ask Jack to hire her, and yes, it was a favour, but I didn’t know she’d be kidnapped. I didn’t know any of them would.”

The Alpha’s voice held an edge of desperation and Jason believed he hadn’t purposely served up Emily, Nathan, Ashlynn, or Naomi to their captors. Julian glanced at his watch again and then sighed deeply. “Look, I know ...” His voice faded as he visibly blanched and then drew himself up rigidly in his seat. “Logan.” He looked sick. “Logan,” he repeated. “How could I not see it before? It’s Logan. By the Universe, I wondered why they targeted me, how they knew I had money, and information. It’s Logan. He knew. He knows all about me.”

“You’ve lost me,” Hank said, his eyes narrowing in apparent confusion. “Who’s Logan?”

Julian shook his head. “I’ll tell you, everything, I give you my word I will, but you have to promise you’ll protect my family, and my pack. If it is Logan running this pack, he knows a lot about my family and I fear he’ll target them.”

“We’ll protect them,” Hank assured him as he rose to his feet. “Please stand. You’re being placed under arrest. We’ll take you to the division where you’ll clear all of this up for us.”

Julian slowly got to his feet and held his hands up slightly. “I’ll comply with all your demands, Agent Snow, but first, please allow me to say goodbye to my family and tell them what’s going on. You and I both know it’ll be some time before I see them again.” When Hank hesitated in answering, Grayson sighed. “Please. As a nod toward my position as Alpha, as a personal courtesy, whatever you want to label it as. No matter how you view me, right now I’m just a husband and father who has a lot of explaining to do to his family. Please allow me to tell them the truth, so they hear it and not the rumours that will certainly circulate once news of my arrest reaches the packs.”

“Fine,” Hank replied sharply, “but make it quick. We have a lot of ground to cover tonight and it’s already getting late.”

“Thank you,” Julian said on a relieved-sounding breath. “I promise I’ll be quick.”

He left the room and the men followed to the foyer and then watched him ascend the staircase to the upper floor of the house. After a few moments passed in silence, tension spread throughout the group, felt strongly by Jason. The house was huge but their shifter ears should have picked up the shocked reactions of the Graysons upon hearing Julian’s confession. No noise reached them at all.

“I’m going to check on him,” Jason called over his shoulder as he began to scale the massive staircase.

On the top level of the house, several closed doors met his perusal and he strained to hear any noise coming from the rooms behind them. Soft music issued from the double doors at the end of the hallway and he assumed the room must be the master bedroom. He rapped on the door, not surprised when Karen Grayson answered wearing a surprised expression.

“Yes, Jason?”

“Has Julian come up here at all?”

“No. I thought he was still in his office with you and the other men.”

“I’m going to search the rooms on this level.”

“Excuse me?” The indignation in her voice grated on his frayed nerves. He didn’t have the time or the patience to deal with Karen’s insufferable sense of entitlement.

“You heard me,” he retorted sharply. “I’m going to search the rooms on this level of the house. Julian came up the staircase so he must be up here. Seeing as he didn’t come straight to you and the boys as he said he would, he’s already lied to me. I’m going to find him before he does something even stupider.”

“How dare you talk about your Alpha like that?” she challenged.

“Karen, he’s not my Alpha, Jack is. I’m going to assume he kept you in the dark and I hope for your sake he did, but Julian is in serious trouble. As of tonight, he’s no longer Alpha of your pack. He’s under arrest and, trust me, the charges are significant enough to warrant your pack demanding his resignation. So, drop your high and mighty attitude and don’t interfere. I informed you of my intent to search your house as a courtesy, not to ask your permission.”

After turning his back on Karen’s shocked expression, he proceeded to search the upper level, apologizing to Taylor when he scared the young man by entering his room without knocking. When he opened one of the bathrooms he encountered and spotted the open window, he swore loudly before running down the hall and quickly descending the staircase.

“He’s running,” he announced.

The group ran outside and Jason spotted taillights at the end of the long drive that ran to the house. Almost leaving Jack behind when the Alpha was slower to jump into his squad car, he then sped after the SASS vehicles already in pursuit of Julian’s fleeing car.

 

***

 

Driving back from Ashlynn, Ryder, and Wayne’s house, Hannah felt an odd mix of having been helpful and useless while there. Earlier, she’d asked Ashlynn’s mates if she could spend time in her workshop, to feel closer to her friend who she was sick with worry over. She’d been pleasantly surprised when Wayne told her how often Ashlynn spoke of her and then grateful when the two busy agents gave her a key to the house, informing her the workshop was located in the basement. Pleased with how much the agents trusted her, she was glad her friend had found such amazing mates, even as it drove home what a contrast Adam was. Ashlynn seemed to enjoy a perfect union while Hannah had yet to speak to Adam today as he didn’t answer the phone when she tried twice to reach him.

While in the workshop, she’d felt invasive but also closer to her missing friend and she cursed herself for not keeping in closer contact with Ashlynn. They exchanged periodic phone calls, the last one placed by Ashlynn to inform Hannah of her pregnancy, but she hadn’t returned that call. Always tired by the long hours she worked, she continually put off calling Ashlynn despite how much she missed her and how often she thought of her.

As she’d run her hands over the handmade personal care products that Ashlynn crafted, a thought had struck her. When Ashlynn came home, she’d undoubted have orders backed up and would struggle to fill them. A few moments of snooping yielded the location of packaging supplies and, when the laptop wasn’t password protected, Hannah quickly found a few outstanding orders. It seemed silly, but she felt as if she was helping Ashlynn, and so she packaged up the orders, labeled the boxes, and left a note to inform her friend of her actions.

Almost home now, thoughts of what Ashlynn and the others might be going through filled her, and she couldn’t help but worry for Nathan’s safety in particular. She’d always had a soft spot for the shifter, and had even had a crush on him when she was younger. As she’d grown to adulthood, the attraction to Nathan had waned although she’d always considered all three Tremblay brothers to be extremely attractive. However, they seemed more like family after growing up with their parents enjoying such a close friendship and she just couldn’t look at any of them in a sexual way. Not that it mattered now, considering they were mated. That thought brought Emily to mind and then Nathan’s predicament all over again.

Desperate to think of anything else, the only other thoughts her muddled brain would allow were thoughts of her failing relationship. She’d already decided to break up with Adam upon her return home and supposed she shouldn’t be upset at his lack of support now. It stung though, badly, for things had once been amazing between the pair and his current coldness was hard to endure.

The distant sounds of screeching sirens reached her ears and she worried about some tragic accident having occurred. Both Willow Creek and Moon Valley were small, peaceful towns that were rarely jarred by the sounds of emergency vehicles. As she realized the sounds were coming from the direction the Joe K. Corral resided in, she relaxed somewhat, hoping it was merely a bar fight that commanded police attention and not something more serious.

With a sudden thought that it might be a nice idea to bring a late dessert home to her family, she turned her car at the next intersection, intent on heading for the grocery store, thoughts of pound cake and ice cream filling her head. After all, sweets always seemed to soothe a wounded heart. Her mother’s warnings of overindulgence in carbs rang through her mind, but she pushed them aside. Let her mom eschew the dessert. She, her father and her brothers would love it and, smiling slightly to herself, looked forward to spending time with them.  

 

***

 

Negotiating the dark and winding small highway with caution, Ryder kept Grayson’s vehicle in sight. He could hardly believe the shifter was fleeing. Running would only lead to more charges and the Alpha was too intelligent to believe he could make a clean getaway, not when SASS agents across the country searched for fugitives. So what the hell was he doing? As the thought Grayson could be contemplating suicide struck him, Ryder increased his speed slightly, not wanting to scare the shifter but also wanting to arrive as quickly as possible should Grayson cause an accident.

The Alpha’s next act confused Ryder further. Grayson turned off the road into the parking lot of the Joe K. Corral, a strange destination to be sure. As Ryder parked the SUV, he caught sight of Grayson rushing around the building to its rear. In pursuit, he ran around the corner of the building, drawing his weapon, and then he, Levi, and Hank slowly approached the corner to draw around the back. Hair stood up on the nape of his neck at the sound of raised voices, one Grayson’s, the other two ones he didn’t recognize. Julian was no longer alone and the possibility of his takedown turning dangerous had just raised exponentially. He heard Jason, Brady, Wayne, and, unfortunately, Jack approaching behind him. With any luck, Jack would keep his head down. The last thing the packs needed was to lose a second Alpha tonight.

Inching around the corner, drawing closer to the now-raised voices, he clearly heard Julian tell someone to back off and abandon their plan. A man’s snide response followed, informing Julian that he didn’t call the shots, they did. As Ryder cleared the corner, training his pistol on the three men before him, Levi and Hank flanked him, their weapons at the ready.

“SASS! Hands where I can see them now!”

Both men drew weapons and one leapt behind Julian. Holding him roughly by the nape of his neck, the man pushed his pistol into Julian’s side.

“You can’t get away,” Ryder shouted gruffly, “so put your weapons down and surrender.”

The men held their ground and Ryder fought the tension in his muscles, not wanting to be too stiff to move quickly if he needed too, and he suspected he’d have to soon. These shifters wouldn’t surrender. Their posture made that clear.

“Hold your fire,” Hank growled out beside him, no doubt addressing all the shifters on their side, “we need them alive.”

As he hoped that would be the outcome, knowing they needed information from not just the shifters but also still from Julian, Ryder sensed Jack drawing closer. He wished the Alpha would stay back from this volatile situation.

“Jack,” Grayson called out as he looked past Ryder, to where Jack stood. “I’m so sorry. I never wanted anyone to get hurt. I’m so sorry about Sylvia and your pups. I never thought that could happen. They made me do it. They threatened my family. I’m so sorry.”

“Shut up,” the shifter holding Julian spat.

Ryder knew this standoff would end badly. The determination on Julian’s face promised he wouldn’t comply with his captors and, undoubtedly still staring at Jack, he ignored the command as he continued speaking. “I didn’t want you lot to follow me here. They demanded a woman from my pack and, the Universe help me, I told them to take Jess. I tried to stop them.”

“Stop talking!” the shifter yelled. It was evident to Ryder that he’d tightened his grip on Julian’s neck when Grayson winced.

“Jack,” Julian called, his voice sounding strained, “please forgive me. Tell my family I’m sorry, I’m so sorry for everything I did.”

“I will,” Jack promised, “and I forgive you, Julian.”

Julian’s eyes filled with tears and Ryder couldn’t help the tense of his muscles. He knew what would happen. So did Hank, evidenced when Hank repeated his command for the team to hold their fire.

“Bossman’s true identity is Logan—”

A gunshot cut off his words. Julian’s eyes widened and, when the shifter released him, he crumpled to the ground.

“No!” Jack cried out.

“Hold your fire!” Hank commanded loudly.

The two men exchanged a glance and then dropped their weapons. In unison they shifted, their clothes shredding to reveal their wolf-forms. Both silver, the wolves dipped their heads and growled lowly. As they drew apart from one another, Ryder knew what their plan was, to flank the group of shifters before them and attack from two sides. It was a suicide mission, with the amount of men and weapons trained on them, but he’d known the rogue shifters wouldn’t surrender.

“Don’t do it,” Hank warned. “We will put you down if you attack. Surrender, it’s your only option.”

The wolves continued slowly drawing apart, causing Ryder to shuffle to follow one, Hank and Levi following his movements. He heard Jason, Wayne, and Brady moving to track the second wolf. They were going to attack, forcing the men to shoot them. Ryder’s gut twisted. They needed information from these shifters but he knew it wouldn’t come. Like the one who’d taken his own life in custody months ago, these wolves wouldn’t talk.

With a snarl, the wolf leapt. Ryder pulled the trigger and heard several shots ring out beside and behind him, confirming his knowledge the wolves had attacked in unison. The shifter he, Levi, and Hank had shot was in human-form, with several bullet wounds in his torso. As Levi moved forward to check him, Ryder knew it was a move born of protocol only for the shifter was visibly dead.

He turned to see Jason checking the other shifter. Jack rushed past them all to the place where Julian Grayson lay. Drawing closer to the site, Ryder could detect no life in Grayson. Seeing the devastation on Jack’s face, he backed off, allowing the Alpha privacy to mourn his friend.

Hank shook his head. “Fuck, just fuck.”

Levi rejoined them. “Back to square one,” he announced in a disappointed voice.

Ryder nodded to the giant shifter but didn’t agree with his statement. They weren’t where they’d started. After receiving a little information and vague clues from Grayson, they’d then lost him, maybe their best shot yet at some true clarity. He felt as if they’d taken one step forward and then been sucker-punched, forcing them to stagger back two steps.

 

***

 

Brady sucked in a deep breath, rattled by the gunfire around him. He, too, had shot the shifter who attacked him, Wayne, and Jason, and knew his round had pierced the wolf’s heart. His marksmanship had won him his position on a SASS team far faster than most shifters would have accomplished. Unfortunately, his shooting skills hadn’t prepared him for events like this. Taking a life, even that of a heinous shifter like this one, shook him to his core. The fact it had happened twice in the few months since he’d first joined the team wasn’t helping. It hadn’t hardened him. Not one bit.

“You okay?” Wayne’s voice sounded.

“Yeah, I’m good,” he replied as he met Wayne’s eyes, hoping his teammate wouldn’t see the uncertainty in his.

Wayne seemed to buy his lie and turned his attention to Jason who stood from his kneeling position by the fallen shifter.

“He’s dead,” Jason announced.

Brady had known as much, and knew Jason and Wayne had too. Forcing his eyes away from the shifter he’d slain, he discretely drew in another huge breath, unwilling to let the others see how shaken he was. He turned his thoughts to all that needed to be accomplished tonight still, before this group could even think of heading to Saskatoon to question Mark again. Grayson’s family needed to be notified of his death. His body needed to be returned to the family for the funeral and the bodies of the rogue shifters needed to be transported to Edmonton where a team would work to identify them. Witness statements needed to be taken and each SASS agent here needed to submit a written account of the events. Although only just past nine, he suspected he’d get precious little sleep tonight and he needed rest.

Ever since his team had rescued Naomi, his duties, and life, had changed considerably. Presently stationed in Saskatoon, he missed Wayne and Ryder as he found it difficult to get to know the Saskatoon unit. Whether because they’d been under the command of the less-than-pleasant Commander Morrow for so long, or if they were just aloof, he couldn’t know. He thought they resented Ryder’s temporary appointment as commander of their unit and resented Brady more, perhaps seeing him as a spy that would report any tiny indiscretion to Ryder. It had been challenging and he’d often wished he could have spoken to Ryder about the situation. However, at first he hesitated approaching Ryder as he and Wayne were dealing with the fallout of Mark’s actions on both their unit and their mating to Ashlynn. Then the kidnappings occurred and Brady didn’t dare add anything to Ryder’s overflowing plate.

Therefore, reminding himself he was a SASS agent as he’d always dreamed of being, he trudged through the duties he detested, ignored the hateful glares of the Saskatoon agents, and continued to wish the entire process would end soon. Perhaps Mark would talk finally and offer them something to go on, a way to find the missing shifters.

Ryder’s voice calling him broke through his thoughts and he turned his attention to his commander. “Keep those witnesses back.”

Focusing on the small group of approaching forms, he figured they’d been in the bar and heard the gunfire. As he walked toward them, Wayne on his heels, he appreciated Wayne accompanying him. He could handle the crowd himself but had always enjoyed spending time with Wayne and missed him as much as he missed Ryder, although for different reasons. Wayne was boisterous, gregarious, and fun to be with, always telling jokes and lightening the mood. While he was a competent agent, he lacked the leadership skills Ryder possessed, the ones Brady missed and wanted to embody someday.

“Fuck of a night,” Wayne commented.

“It was,” he agreed.

Drawing closer to the group, he could see a pair of identical twin men standing amongst the crowd of shifters, a blonde woman with them. Another few steps revealed her beauty and, as he drew closer still, her enchanting scent filled his nostrils, quickly dampening all the other scents around him. She was the most beautiful shifter he’d ever laid eyes on and she smelled so damn good. Two more steps, and he stopped dead. She stared at him, her eyes widening, and he knew she’d comprehended what he just had, impossible as it was.

“What’s wrong?” He heard the concern in Wayne’s voice but he couldn’t turn to his friend.

“She’s my mate,” he managed to squeak out. She couldn’t be, but she was, and he couldn’t tear his eyes from her.

“What?” Wayne asked, his voice raising an octave, obviously unsure he’d heard Brady correctly. “But she can’t be. She’s a wolf-shifter.”

That she was, and yet Brady knew she was his mate. She took a tentative step forward. It spawned movement in him and he closed the rest of the distance, his peripheral vision picking up the shocked looks on the faces of the twins that stood beside her. He should be telling the crowd to stay back but he couldn’t function. None of them were moving anyway, all seemed focused on him and the gorgeous shifter before him. Wolf-shifter. He should have cared, but he didn’t.

“You’re not a wolf,” she said in a small voice.

While her voice sounded hesitant, it was also the most enchanting sound he’d ever heard. Her large blue eyes held swirling emotions, awe, arousal, confusion, and, he was certain, love. His muscles hummed with the effort of holding himself back as he longed to kiss her. Her lips were as inviting as her eyes and, clad in a short skirt and T-shirt, her body promised to be sensational.

“I’m a cat-shifter,” he confirmed.

Her mouth fell open a little. He could only assume she’d never encountered a shifter who wasn’t a wolf. Moon Valley was only slightly larger than Willow Creek and, as both towns housed wolf packs, the likelihood of other shifters residing in either place was minimal.

“Then how can ...?” Her voice faded and she looked to the shifters beside her.

The twins shrugged in unison. “I’ve never heard of such a thing,” one said.

“Neither have I,” Wayne broke in as he stepped to Brady’s side, no doubt to get his attention. “Brady, are you sure? Are you certain she’s your mate?” He bobbed his head, still staring at her, and heard Wayne’s sigh. “Shit. I mean, no, it’s great, good for you, but, well, how is that going to work?”

He didn’t have a clue and couldn’t focus on anything but her. Holding a hand out, he smiled. “What’s your name?”

“Jess,” she answered as she placed her hand in his.

As their hands connected a jolt of pure bliss shot through him. Jess smiled and he knew she’d felt it too. They were mates, destined to be together. When her smile faltered, he frowned.

“How is this possible?” she asked.

“I don’t know, but I feel it. You’re my mate. I know you are. Don’t you feel it?”

His heart strummed. Was he wrong? Did he feel the connection but she didn’t? When she nodded, a surge of relief almost buckled his knees. “I do feel it. I don’t understand it, but I know you’re my mate.”

Wayne pulled his cellphone out and Brady was certain he was calling Ryder but he could focus on nothing but Jess. She shivered and he came to his senses. It was freezing out and she, having rushed out from the bar, wasn’t dressed for the frigid temperature. Quickly, he slipped out of his heavy jacket, wrapped it around her shoulders, and then pulled her toward him, desperate to warm her up, more desperate to feel her in his arms. She leaned against him and he thought he’d never been as happy as he was at this moment. This felt too right to be anything but meant to be.

“Jess?”

She pulled back from him and he followed her sightline to see a man standing a distance away. Dressed in a chef’s uniform, he assumed the man was another employee of the bar.

“Are you okay?” the man questioned.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Uh, Joe, well, I don’t know how to say this but this is my mate, Brady.”

Joe’s eyes scanned him as he drew closer. “But you’re a cat-shifter,” he said with a scowl.

“Yes, I am.”

“Then how...?” Joe looked to Jess. “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.”

He shook his head. “I don’t know what to say. Well, congratulations on finding your mate. I just ... wow, how is that going to work?”

It seemed everyone had the same question. Jess shook her head. “I don’t know but he’s my mate. I can feel it.”

Joe smiled. “Then be with him. Take a few days off, hon. Spend time together.”

“Thanks,” she replied.

Brady also thanked Joe who smiled again, and then turned to the group gathered around them. Holding his hands up, he commanded their attention before he spoke.

“C’mon folks, give them some space. Let’s head back in. It’s cold out. I’m sure Jason will pop in and tell us all what happened soon enough.”

The crowd dispersed, leaving Brady, Jess, and Wayne behind. Brady noticed the twins had stayed as well and was about to asked them why when the others rushed up. As Ryder joined him and Jess, Jack approached the twins.

“Uncle Jack, are you okay?” one of them asked.

“I’m fine. Julian’s dead though.” Both shifters appeared shocked. “I’m going with Jason to the house to tell Karen and the kids. Could you two tell Scott and Ryan?”

“Sure,” the same twin responded. “I’ll call them, but we’ll come with you. I know we haven’t seen the Graysons in a while but maybe we can help. If not, at least we can be there for you.”

Jack clamped a hand on the shifter’s shoulder. “Thanks, Zack. You too, Dustin.”

Then he turned and introduced his nephews to all present. As Jason led the Alpha, Zack, and Dustin away, Ryder turned to Brady and Jess.

“Wayne told us what happened. Listen, I know there’s a lot for you two to figure out but for right now, just take some time off. Be with one another, claim each other.” He shrugged. “I guess you’d still claim one another, right?” He blew out a breath. “This really is a strange situation but if you both feel it, then it’s real. The Universe has a reason for this.” He extended his hand. “Congratulations.”

Brady shook his hand and then watched as Jess did. Ryder smiled again, warmly.

“Okay you two, get out of here.”

“You’re sure?” Brady questioned. “What about the Saskatoon unit?”

“I’ll handle everything,” Ryder assured him. “Go, be with your mate. I’ll call to update you after we talk to Mark tomorrow.”

“Thanks, Ryder.”

With a nod, Ryder bid them goodbye. After exchanging farewells with the other agents, he and Jess remained quiet until they were alone.

“I live nearby,” Jess said softly. “Come home with me. I guess it’s your home now, too.” Her brow furrowed. “Oh, um, where do you live?”

“Lately in Saskatoon, but normally in Calgary.”

She sighed. “How is this going to work?”

“I don’t know,” he replied truthfully. “All I do know is I want to be with you. We’ll figure everything else out later.”

“Okay,” she agreed.

Embracing her again, many questions walloped his mind but he tried to ignore them. His mate was in his arms and the rest could wait. Ryder was right, for the Universe intended his and Jess’s union, no matter how weird it seemed to everyone else. To him it felt right and she’d said it did to her, too. Figuring that’s all that mattered, at least for the time being, he kissed her forehead and tightened his hug, hardly believing how perfect she felt in his arms.

 

***

 

Dustin’s stomach felt like a lead ball. While he’d agreed to accompany the small group to the Grayson residence to deliver the news of Julian’s death, he questioned that decision now. Zack had volunteered their help, of course. He always spoke up and committed them to help, but Dustin could have backed out. Considering the circumstances, no one would have thought less of him had he not wanted to be present and he knew as much. However, wanting to support Zack during the certain-to-be-uncomfortable event incited his decision much more than the want to assist the Graysons. Although he and Zack had met with Julian a few years ago, they hadn’t seen Karen or the Grayson pups in years. The last time he’d seen any of the Graysons pups, he’d be thirteen. Hannah was ten years old, and the twins, Taylor and Keegan, about four or so. Shit, that was twenty years ago. Due to their age differences, he’d never really had a relationship with the Grayson pups and didn’t know what to expect from them now.

Standing on the porch with Zack, Jason, Ryder, and Uncle Jack, his heart strummed. While he hadn’t known if he’d see any of the Graysons during his visit, he dreaded the occurrence now, as serving a death notification was the last thing he thought he’d be doing tonight. The door swung open and Karen Grayson filled the small space she’d exposed, her face a mix of annoyance and worry. Dustin thought she looked the same as he remembered her, the passage of time barely noticeable on her heavily made-up face. She always had behaved like a beauty pageant contestant, from overdone makeup to the prancing walk she employed, like a model on a runway. He briefly wondered if Hannah had turned out like her mother and hoped not, for the sake of all single male shifters. Of course, he couldn’t speak for the tastes of his entire gender but he hated Karen’s look and mannerisms, and knew Zack did as well.

“Where’s Julian?” she questioned. As her eyes swept over the group, they registered surprise at the appearance of Dustin and Zack and then settled on Jack. Slowly, she shook her head as she looked to Jason.

“No, no, no, no.” She gasped the words out as tears brimmed in her eyes. “Jason, no, please don’t tell me ... No, he can’t be.”

“Can we please come in?” Jason asked gently. “I’ll explain everything.”

“Just tell me if he’s dead.”

“Karen, please, let’s go in. Are your children home?”

With a loud wail, she staggered, her knees buckling, and Jason leapt forward to take hold of her arms. Then, holding her against his side, an arm around her shoulders, he led her into the foyer. Dustin followed the group of men as Karen’s sobs cut through the silence of the house. At the sound of footfalls, he looked up to see Keegan and Taylor racing down the stairs. The last time he’d seen them, they were tiny pups and he was stunned at their appearance now. Young men, they rushed into the foyer and though fraternal twins, they wore identical worried expressions.

“Mom!” Taylor called. “What happened?”

“Your father ...” she sobbed loudly and almost collapsed.

Jason tightened his hold on her as the Grayson twins rushed past the others to her. As Jason released her, the boys each took an arm to support her and then turned matching questioning looks on Jason.

“Please, let’s move into the lounge. Your mom needs to sit,” he said gently, but authoritatively.

Soon the group had settled in the room, the Graysons on a divan, Karen in between her sons. Jason and Jack took the chairs that faced the divan while Zack and Dustin remained standing. Dustin could clearly see his uncle, Jason, and the Graysons from his vantage point by his uncle’s chair, and nodded to the twins when they finally noticed him and Zack. He couldn’t imagine how confused they must have felt and could see, based on the appearance of Jason and Jack, and their mother’s reaction, that they suspected they’d hear bad news. Karen was sobbing and, as Taylor rubbed her back comfortingly, Keegan looked at first Jack and then Jason.

“Did something bad happen to my dad?”

His voice was tremulous and Dustin felt horrible for him. Although at odds with his own father constantly, he did love him, and couldn’t imagine being in the situation the Grayson brothers currently found themselves in.

Jason leaned forward slightly. “Yes, I’m sorry to have to tell you this but your father died tonight.”

Karen wailed aloud and grabbed at Taylor who embraced her tightly. Keegan’s tear-filled eyes moved from them to Jason.

“What happened?”

Jason opened his mouth to answer when all present heard the front door close and Hannah call out to her mother in a panicked voice. Dustin’s heart pounded knowing he’d have to witness poor Hannah receiving the death notification too.

“In here, Hannah,” Jason called loudly.

Hannah rushed into the room. “Jason, what’s happening? I saw your car, and some others, and—” Her voice cut off abruptly as she gasped loudly, her eyes widening when they fell on Dustin.

Her scent hit him like a punch. He felt Zack draw nearer to him, the unmistakeable scent of his brother’s arousal mixing with Hannah’s intoxicating one. As he felt drawn to the woman he hadn’t laid eyes on since she was a pup, a startling truth slapped him with a staggering intensity. Hannah was his mate.

 

***

 

Entering Jess’s apartment, Brady looked around the small space. It was tidy and not nearly as girly as he’d expected. Unlike most women’s living spaces, hers was quite sparse, with functional furniture and a marked absence of decorative items. Painted in rich colours, the space still felt warm and cozy and he liked it.

Jess removed her coat and he repeated her movements, hanging his coat on a hook beside hers in the entranceway and then ensured his shed boots rested on the small mat there. She placed her hands on his chest and smiled warmly. As his hands rested on her hips, he flashed her an encouraging grin as she seemed nervous.

“This is kinda weird,” she said as her nose crinkled up in an endearing way. He loved it. He loved her. As odd at it seemed to him, he did love her. Wholeheartedly, and with an intensity that frightened him.

“The different shifter thing you mean?” He hoped that was what she meant, and not that being with him felt weird. It felt so natural and right to be with her that, if she didn’t feel the same way it would crush him.

“Yeah, that,” she clarified.

The relief that spread through him was almost knee-buckling. “Well, it certainly seemed to freak out everyone else. It feels right though, to me.” It pained him to voice his next question but he had to. “Does this feel right to you?”

“Absolutely,” she replied softly. Her answer had his heart soaring. “I’ve never felt anything like this. I know we’re destined for one another. We’re intended, I feel it.” Her teeth grazed along her bottom lip. “But how will this work? I mean, how does claiming work when you’re a cat and I’m a wolf?”

“I guess the same way,” he replied with a shrug. “All shifter species bite their mates when their mates are in human-form so it really shouldn’t be that different, right?”

“No, I guess you’re right. It would be the same, even if we’re different.” She paused and visibly swallowed. “What about pups? Or cubs? That’s what cat-shifters call their children, right?”

“Yes, cubs, and I don’t know how that would happen. I mean, I don’t think we could have children, could we?” He’d never given a thought to having cubs, not ever, and was worried she wanted pups, something he was certain he wouldn’t be able to give her.

“I, uh ...” She stepped back from him, breaking their connection. His heart sank at the look upon her face. She was upset. Clearly, she wanted pups. She sighed softly. “I probably shouldn’t say anything. We don’t know how this will work, but, well, I want to have pups. Someday.” Her eyes darted to the wall, back to him, and then to the floor before her. “I guess we just won’t.”

The sorrow in her voice cut through him like a hot knife through butter. Desperate to alleviate her worry, he chanced a suggestion. “Maybe we could adopt? There are lots of orphaned shifters out there. I was an orphan and, well, maybe we could adopt one. Or a few. If you wanted to, that is.” She met his eyes and he couldn’t read the look in them. He shuffled his feet nervously. “I don’t know if that’s something you’d want. I guess you want to actually have pups, like give birth to them. That’s important to you, isn’t it?” He blew out a breath and fought the sting of tears. He was a disappointment to her, a mate incapable of impregnating her. “I’m sorry,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

“For what?” she questioned.

“For not being what you wanted.”

Stepping closer to him, she took his hand in hers. He locked eyes with her, certain he’d see disappointment there, a confirmation that he wasn’t what she wanted, that the Universe had screwed up and saddled her with a useless mate. Amazingly, he saw nothing but warmth.

“Why would you say that?” she questioned with true bewilderment in her voice. “Yeah, this is confusing, and we have a lot to work through, but I want to work through everything, with you. It doesn’t matter to me that you’re a cat-shifter. You’re my mate. I’m sorry if I made it sound like I was disappointed in you. I’m not. I’m just rattled by this, that’s all.”

The sweet ache in his heart at her words matched the insistent ache in his loins. Touching his forehead to hers, his hands grasped her hips once more. “Jess, all I want is to be with you. The way I feel ... well, I know we’re intended. You’re right, we have a lot to work through, and yes, together we’ll get through it.”

He kissed her, longingly, lovingly and she parted her lips for him. As he eagerly explored her mouth, he grasped her hips to lift her. When she wrapped her legs around him, he slid his hands to her ass, taking hold of the delectable globes. Squeezing them, he loved the firmness of them. She was apparently athletic, and his dick shot up at the thought he’d soon see all of her. With lips locked to hers, he spotted the short hallway that undoubtedly led to her bedroom.

Finding the room, he entered it and, with a lingering soft bite to her lower lip, gently placed her on her feet. Cupping one of her breasts, he snagged her nipple between his finger and thumb, expertly rolling and tweaking it, frustrated by the clothes she still wore but determined to feel her. Small, but firm, her breast felt perfect in his hand, not that it surprised him. She was perfect, all of her, and she was his. She moaned, her arms encircling his neck, her fingers raking through his hair, as she pressed herself against his erection. He grinded against her, exciting her further, eager to stimulate her, as he snaked his other hand down her body, skimming over her belly to cover her pussy and rub firmly. Her head lolled back, and she moaned. The sounds she made at what he did to her through her clothing had his dick twitching. He’d make her scream naked, and he couldn’t wait to hear it.

After kissing her neck, he teased the tender flesh there with his teeth as he reached under the hem of her skirt, and then slid up her thigh to the apex of her legs. Here, he nimbly slithered his hand past the thin material and stroked his fingers over her bare flesh. She spread her legs, yielding to him, allowing him full access to her. A low moan escaped his lips at her surrender. Inhibited in social situations, hesitant to be forceful at work, the bedroom always brought out his primal nature, raised his confidence, and inspired him to take charge. Always eager to find submissive partners, Jess’s easy acceptance of his dominance turned him on so greatly he felt pre-cum leak from his dick.

When he slid a finger into her, she pushed forward, sinking his finger in deeper, and shuddered slightly with noticeable pleasure. As he circled his hand, he revelled in the increasing wetness within her. A soft sigh exited her lips as her fingertips dug into his shoulders and the sound of it shot through him like a lightning bolt.

He pulled his hand from her, caught the edge of her panties, and yanked them down her legs to her ankles. When she stepped out of the undergarment, she smiled so sexily he swore his heart skipped a beat. Locking her eyes with his, she reached behind her, he guessed to undo the fastening on her skirt, for she then shimmied it down her legs. After kicking it away, she quickly shed and discarded her t-shirt then stood unabashedly before him, clad only in a bra, a pair of high heels, and an inviting smile.

Her legs were lean and tightly muscled, her stomach flat with a slight outline of taut abdominals under her creamy skin. Slim-hipped, her waist dipped in slightly before swelling out to broader shoulders. Her body was just as he’d imagined it, tight and toned. Perfect. Silently thanking the Universe for bestowing her upon him, he watched her deliberately slow movements. She was teasing him, he knew it, and he loved every second of it. After shedding her bra, she stilled again, welcoming his appreciation of his view. He visually caressed her breasts before meeting her eyes again.

Taking a step forward, her hands rested on his chest, and then enticingly moved down, over his stomach to rub his erection through his restrictive trousers. He bit back a moan, hoping he wouldn’t unload in his clothes, amazed at how she excited him when he was fully clothed. Her fingers went to work on his belt but he seized her wrists in a firm grip. She looked to him, confusion lining her features and he shook his head slightly.

“You first.”

Then, still clenching her wrists, he gently turned her and guided her back toward the bed until her calves made contact with the mattress. He lightly pushed her down onto the mattress, as he raised her hands above her head. She laid back on the bed, her heart racing in anticipation, a thundering, rushing noise that was music to his shifter ears. He spread her legs with a knee then knelt over her. Holding both her wrists tightly with one hand, he kissed her again, aggressively now, as his free hand found a breast and then plucked and pulled her nipple. She writhed under him, seemingly desperate for more contact. Moving his head to her other breast, his mouth mimicked the motions of his hand. She bucked against him, moaning shamelessly. Releasing her hands to use both of his on her breasts, his mouth moved down her body, kissing, licking, sucking, his teeth grazing her sensitive skin. When she reached for him, he again shook his head as the licentious look in his eye related to her that tonight was only about her. With a delectable sigh, she raised her arms over her head and let them fall on the bed, turning herself over to him utterly.

Her surrender turned him on fiercely, calling to his cat but, while overwhelmed by a desire to claim her, he intended to completely satisfy her first. He rained tiny kisses down her belly, smiling when it grew taut under his lips, and then repeated the action around her pussy, teasing the sensitive flesh of her inner thighs. The intoxicating scent of her arousal filled his nostrils and he gently ran his tongue the length of her, dipping just the tip of it in. Her moan was as delicious as her taste and he rammed his tongue forth, swirling it to collect her juices, desperate to taste more.

“Brady,” she gasped out breathlessly. Her fingers raked through his hair and then her fingertips dug into his scalp. Her breath came in quick gusts and, though he’d just begun, he knew she was close to her release. He turned her on as much as she did him and all remaining doubt about their odd union fled from his mind.

As he slid a finger into her, stifling a moan at how wet she was, he lapped at her vigorously. With her delicious loud moans filling his ears, he sucked on her clit hard. Her grip on his head tightened and her back arched as her hips thrust up. He struggled to continue licking her as she ground herself against his mouth, loving every second of her orgasm. Its powerful scent had fur surfacing on his shoulders and chest and he fought to quell his cat. She jerked and shuddered as she released a loud groan and he could fight his desire no more.

Roughly, he grabbed her upper thighs and pushed her knees back, spreading her legs wide. “Grab your ankles,” he demanded gruffly.

As he suspected, she appeared to like his command and took hold of her ankles. He stripped as quickly as he could then, grasping his dick, he rubbed the head over her swollen lips and couldn’t hold back his moan. Skin-on-skin, the feel was too overwhelming. It was pure bliss and he needed more. He slid into her and bit his lip as he tensed, just catching himself from coming. Wet, hot, and tight, her pussy felt so perfect, as if she were embracing him in the most intimate way possible. When he locked his eyes with hers, he saw nothing but love within them, and bit his lip harder.

“Are you okay?” she whispered.

“Yeah, I just don’t want to come so soon and I’m so close. You feel so good, too good, and, well ...”

“So come,” she replied, with a lascivious smile. “We have the rest of our lives to be together.”

He chanced withdrawing slightly, then surged forward, and they both groaned. Picking up speed, he thrust into her, fighting the tight feeling in his balls, and the pressure in his lower abdomen. He was about to come but he wanted to feel her as long as he could first, desperate to prolong their first encounter, despite acknowledging the truth of her words. They did have the rest of their lives, to please one another in every imaginable way, but he still wanted to ensure this time was optimal.

“Brady ... Brady ...” she grunted out in time with his thrusts. “Harder ... please ... harder.”

Snapping his hips forcibly, he drove into her, his breath coming in quick, hard puffs, straining hard to keep his climax at bay, eager to please her. The scent of her approaching orgasm had him digging his fingertips into her hips, and mashing his lips together harshly. She released a soft cry each time he hit home, and it was too much to bear. With a loud growl, he came, his entire body stiffening dramatically and it triggered another orgasm for Jess. She screamed loudly and writhed beneath him, her pussy clenching his cock tightly. His head spun with the force of his release, and he moved within her again, gently, circling his hips, drawing soft moans from her and extending his pleasure.

As they quieted, he gently covered her with his body, kissed her tenderly and then stroked her flushed cheeks. Her eyes were bright and shone with such excitement and adoration, his cock bobbed at the sight. As short silver hairs surfaced on her cheeks, he felt the slight prickle of them against his chest.

“I want to claim you.”

Her voice, though soft, was determined. Sharing her feelings, wanting nothing more than to claim her and solidify their mate-bond, he withdrew from her to sit on the bed. In an instant, she stood before him as wolf, her silver coat thick, especially her tail, the bushiest one he’d ever seen. After spending so much time with wolf-shifters, he found them oddly small and almost weak-looking even while acknowledging how much larger and stronger they were then actual wolves. Jess however was glorious, magnificent in fact.

He turned his head slightly, offering her his throat. When her fangs broke through his skin, he gasped loudly. Her essence hit him like a tidal wave, strong and tender at once. No matter how many times he’d had the feeling explained to him, it hadn’t come close to capturing what he felt at the moment, as a wave of sublime love washed over him, causing tears to prick his eyes. She pulled back, and he grunted with the force of the climax that hit him, a transcendent feeling of desire and serenity that became one, an indescribable force that was their mate-bond.

As his cock twitched contentedly, she shifted to human-form and regarded him with an expression that appeared eager and apprehensive. He knew she was nervous about him claiming her as a cat, a shifter form far larger than hers.

“Are you ready?” he asked gently.

“Yes.”

Hoping he wouldn’t disappoint her, imagining she probably pictured her intended mate for years and her fantasies always featured a wolf-shifter, he shifted. Her eyes scanned over his reddish-brown cougar-form. In amazement, he witnessed her apprehension melt away.

“Oh, by the Universe, you are absolutely gorgeous,” she gushed. “I saw an actual cougar once but you, oh Brady! You’re so much more beautiful.”

Without any hesitation, she knelt to stroke his head, both hands running over his coat, as she cupped his cat-face. “You’re absolutely gorgeous, and I can’t believe you’re mine.” He purred and she giggled. “I love that! I didn’t know you’d be able to purr.”

She had much to learn about cat-shifters but, as she’d pointed out, they had their entire mated life before them. After delivering a gentle peck to his broad nose, she reclined back. He took a step to stand over her, his large paws on either side of her.

“I’m ready,” she assured him as she closed her eyes.

He opened his jaws and encircled her throat. Applying slightly increasing pressure, he stopped the instant his fangs pierced her skin. He felt his essence move into her, a presence he hadn’t realized existed in him. It felt like a physical embodiment of all the love he contained, and while the experience drained him, he felt much stay within him, mingling with the energy he’d received from her. Perhaps it was only a romantic notion, but he swore their spirits now co-existed in equal parts within them both. Her loud gasp turned into a sexy-sounding moan, and he released his hold.

Shifting, he sat back on his heels and drank in the sight of what appeared to be a tremendous orgasm take hold of Jess. She writhed as she cried out, her features holding the pleasure-pain mix of ultimate sexual release, and the aroma of her fierce climax had his cock swelling all over again. Calming, her body descended into softer, rhythmic spasms and the sight of tears leaking from the outer corners of her eyes alarmed him.

“Jess? Are you okay?”

His strumming heart ached and his stomach clenched tightly as his erection drooped with the fear, as a large cat to her much-smaller wolf, he’d inadvertently hurt her somehow. Her eyelids fluttered open and she focused on him, as her lips twitched and then turned up in an inviting smile. The look in her eyes was unmistakeable love, and all the tension in him bled out at the sight.

“They’re happy tears,” she assured him as she sat and wiped them away. “I’m just overwhelmed by my love for you. How did I get so lucky to get you for a mate? The Universe blessed me so greatly, and it’s almost too much to bear.” As more tears ran in rivulets down her cheeks, her lips quivered. “I love you so much.”

“I love you,” he responded, his throat tightening. She felt everything he did. They were mates and joined, for life. Joyous tears filled his eyes as he held his arms out to her, needing her within them again.

She scrambled closer to straddle his lap as she flung her arms around his neck and hugged him ferociously. Her still-wet pussy seemed to caress his hardening dick and he held her tighter. Wiping tears from her cheek with his, he then whispered in her ear.

“I love you so much it kinda hurts, but I love that, too. Oh, Jess, I can’t believe you’re mine. You’re so perfect.”

“Take me again,” she rasped back. “I need to feel you inside me. I always want you in me. Take me, however you want. I’m yours.”

Reaching between them, he slipped his cock head inside her and then pulled her down on him. Both moaning with abandon, he thought he’d reached nirvana. Anything that felt this glorious could only be destined to be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Hannah?”

Hannah looked to Ryder, and, realizing her thoughts had drifted while he was speaking, shook her head. “I’m so sorry, what did you say?”

She could hardly believe all that had happened since she’d returned to her parents’ house earlier. Her father was dead, and according to not only Jason, Wayne, and Ryder, but also Jack Tremblay, he’d been involved with the rogue pack. If that wasn’t unbelievable enough, Dustin and Zack were her mates. That was still baffling, as she never suspected her intended mates would be shifters she already knew. She supposed that, as she hadn’t seen them since she was a pup and they’d been barely teens, it made sense for them not to have known then, but the situation was still unbelievable to her. She had mates, two, and identical twins at that. However, she also had a fiancé. What was she supposed to do about Adam, dump him over the phone, the very thing she hadn’t wanted to do? Did she have a choice now? She, Zack, and Dustin would have to claim one another soon, lest the pull become an issue, and she didn’t see any other recourse but to end things with Adam on the phone. It seemed callous but there was no way she’d have sex with her mates while still engaged to another shifter. Her mates. She had mates. How did all this occur so quickly?

Dustin squeezed her hand encouragingly, as if silently telling her she was strong enough to deal with all this. Was she? She was Alpha now, something she’d never wanted, and never believed she’d need to deal with so soon. Her father was young and should’ve lived longer, much longer. How could he have handed Ashlynn and Nathan over to the rogue pack? Maybe everyone here was wrong, and he didn’t do it. The expression on Ryder and Wayne’s faces told her differently. As Ashlynn’s mates, they wouldn’t lie to her or do anything to hurt her. The look worn by the other agent present, Hank Snow, solidified their words. Her father had done it all. He’d betrayed his best friend, served up her best friend to atrocious shifters, and had also apparently diverted Moon Valley pack funds to the rogue pack.

Zack was quiet, sitting close to her on the sofa, their thighs touching, and wasn’t as supportive as his brother was. The energy from Zack was entirely different from the one that flowed from Dustin. Both were aroused, she could smell that as well as feel it, but Dustin seemed more emotionally connected to her. She couldn’t be sure, of course, as she didn’t know them. In fact, she’d barely known them when she was younger, and yet she felt closer to Dustin. Was that normal? To be more connected to one mate than the other? And how could her father have done that? His actions were traitorous, sneaky, and detestable. They weren’t the actions of an Alpha and she’d always thought he was the penultimate Alpha. With an internal reprimand, she tried to tame her chaotic thoughts and concentrate on Ryder as he spoke again.

“I said I’m sorry you have to deal with pack business now, when you’re grieving and have just discovered you have mates. It’s too much for anyone to deal with, and I really am sorry, but I have to ask you to focus on this. The lives of Ashlynn and the others are in peril, and we have to get through this as quickly as possible.”

“I understand,” she replied. She did. They were racing against the clock and she had to do all she could to help. “What do you need from me?”

Relief clearly spread across Ryder’s face, and she figured that he might have thought she’d be too messed up to focus. “We need full transparency from you. We need access to your father’s records. All of them, financial, personal, and pack files, everything.”

She hesitated. As much as she wanted to help, and had no issue with turning over official pack records, part of her balked at the idea of exposing her father’s personal papers. It felt wrong. He wasn’t there to agree or disagree with Ryder’s request.

“Please,” Ryder continued. “We need to know how involved your father was, and how much he knew about the rogue pack. He’d agreed to disclose everything to us before ...” He sighed heavily. “I realize what I’m asking here. It’s intrusive, there’s no denying that, but if we could find something that would lead us to the others ...”

“Of course,” she replied with a nod. She knew her mother would be furious with her but it was her decision to make. She was Alpha now, like it or not, and any decisions she made had to be to the benefit of the pack. Her mother would just have to accept her decision. “I’ll grant you access to all his information. As far as I know, he kept everything in his office. If things are password protected, it could be an issue as I don’t know any of his passwords.”

“That’s fine,” Ryder replied, “we’ll figure it out. Thank you so much. This will help more than you could possibly imagine.”

Wishing any information in her father’s office would help them, she stood, and all the men present did as well. Of course, if they uncovered something of value to their investigation that would mean her father was deeply involved with the pack. She tried not to think about that as she forced a small smile onto her face.

“I’ll leave you to it. Take all the time you need. I’ll tell my mom what’s going on and to expect you men to be in Dad’s office. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I want to check on my mom and my brothers.”

Ryder, Wayne, and Hank thanked her and left the den. She turned to her mates and forced another smile. They were gorgeous, sexy as all hell, and hers. While she felt the stirrings of the pull, her mind wasn’t in sync with her body. There was much to do before she could think of being with Zack and Dustin. Hardly believing they were her intended mates, she looked them over again. The once scrawny teens were men now, gloriously filled out with hard bodies promising a rocking good time in bed. Her nipples tightened and a slight tingling in her pussy signalled her awakening arousal.

“Um, could you two please wait for me in my bedroom? It’s up the stairs and to the right. I need to talk to my mom, Keegan, and Taylor. I also have to make a phone call and then I’ll join you. I know we need to claim one another, but I need to do this first.”

Both nodded to her and Dustin took one of her hands in his. He lifted it to his lips and planted a soft, lingering kiss on her knuckles that shot through her deliciously.

“Take your time. We’ll wait as long as you need us to.”

“Thanks. Is it okay to be in my bedroom? I mean, we could go to wherever you’re staying.” She frowned. “Actually, maybe we should. I’m not sure I want to do that here. Tonight, I mean. You know, because ...”

Tears overtook her. As she released a sob, Dustin pulled her into an embrace. He kissed the top of her head and made a gentle shushing noise. “If this is too much for you right now, we’ll wait. It’s okay. You need to be ready and if you’re not, we understand.”

“But the pull ...”

“We’ll deal with it. You need to be with your family right now.”

“I do, but I also want to be with you and Zack. It’s just that it doesn’t feel right to do that here. With Mom and ... ugh, I’m so confused. I don’t want to wait though, I want to be with you two. I want to claim you both. I want to feel your bites.” She sobbed. “Why did this happen all at once? It’s too much.”

Dustin tightened his hold as harsh sobs wracked her body. She felt Zack’s hands on her head and arm and heard his soothing words. Her mates would do all they could to support her. It was evident in their motions now, even with not being bonded through claiming. They were already committed to her. She could feel it as surely as she could Dustin’s arms around her and Zack’s hands upon her. Despite tonight’s horrors, she wanted to show her commitment to them. They may be starting their mated lives together under terrible circumstances, but she didn’t want that to taint their relationship. With a newfound determination to start their union properly, she pulled back from them and wiped under her eyes. No more tears. It was time to be strong, be the Alpha her pack needed, and the mate Dustin and Zack deserved.

“Where are you two staying?”

“With Ryan and Scott,” Zack responded.

“Crap. Well, that’s no better than here then. Maybe we could get a room at the B&B.”

Dustin and Zack exchanged a glance and then Zack shook his head slowly. “Hannah, really, there’s no rush. We’ll be here for you when you’re ready.”

She smiled, feeling it spread across her lips. Not the small one she forced earlier, a real smile, one that was broad and held the love for them that surged within her. Timing aside, the Universe got it right once again. Dustin and Zack were her mates, and she was blessed to have them.

“I’m ready,” she told them. “I want to do this.” When they still looked doubtful, she placed one hand on each of their chests. The beating of their hearts, in unison, confirmed how connected they were. Now, she was part of that connection. “We’re intended, and all I want is to begin our lives together properly. I don’t want to wait, I want this to happen. Tonight was been so awful. Being with you two, claiming you and being claimed by you, will help me. How could it not? I want this, and I want it to happen tonight.”

After planting a soft kiss on first Dustin’s and then Zack’s cheek, she smiled again. She longed to kiss their lips, but wanted their first kiss to be special, in a better place, and unhindered by her engagement. “Just give me a little while to tell my mom and brothers what’s going on, make sure they’re okay, and then make that call. In the meantime, why don’t you two rent a room at the B&B and text the room number to me? I’ll join you there as soon as I can.”

They agreed and, after bestowing warm hugs on her, they left, making her promise to call if she needed any help at all. She knew she’d be fine. No matter how hard the conversations with her mother and Adam may be, she had her mates. With their support, she felt as if she could do anything that needed to be done, and thanked the Universe for Zack and Dustin, knowing she’d need their help soon, for being an Alpha, especially when she didn’t want to be, would be daunting.

 

***

 

Levi tossed the two dead shifter bodies into the back of the SUV, and slammed the door. Tonight had seen a nightmare in this small town, and he could hardly believe what he’d witnessed. An Alpha betraying another, offering up his best friend’s pups to the rogue pack, and then almost serving up one of his own pack members, was madness. Since he’d first heard of the rogue pack’s actions, he’d been amazed at their callousness and astounded by the influence they had over others. He and Hank hadn’t discussed it with Ryder’s team or Jason, but the SIA had uncovered high-ranking SASS members who were involved with the rogue pack. Now it was a matter of collecting enough evidence against these shifters in order to prosecute them. Part of him was glad he was on the front lines and not a pencil pusher for the SIA, but nights like tonight had him second-guessing his desire to be part of the action.

As he recovered shell casings, he couldn’t help but think of the additional messes tonight, those of the surprise intended shifters. Brady and the waitress confounded him the most. How the hell could a wolf-shifter be mated to a cat-shifter? That craziness had him again thankful he’d never met his mate. He didn’t need trouble like that and, in his eyes, all matings were trouble. Tied to one shifter for life seemed a death sentence.

At least the second pairing only concerned wolf-shifters, but the timing couldn’t be worse. Grayson’s daughter—Hannah? Yeah, he was certain he’d heard Hannah—needed to govern her pack now, not be distracted by her two mates. Not privy to the exact duties of an Alpha, he knew enough to be certain she’d need all her energies now. Diverting energy to mating was ridiculous, and yet she’d be compelled to do so. Inwardly, he shook his head at the entire mating thing, something he knew occurred to further shifter species but also something that caused ludicrous situations like the one Hannah currently faced. He hadn’t liked her mates on sight. Something about the tattooed one in particular hadn’t sat well with him, even as he had no idea why. As Jack Tremblay’s nephews, he supposed they were a good match to Hannah and yet something about them still bothered him.

When Ryder received Jason’s call earlier, he, Wayne, and Hank had left for the Grayson residence, leaving Levi to handle the cleanup on his own. He didn’t mind. Used to working by himself, after hearing why they departed, he was glad not to be included. The worst part of his job was interacting with grieving families. He hated it, and was pleased to be spared that tonight. Jason had called Ryder to inform him of Hannah’s discovery that the Tremblay twins were her mates, and to ask for Ryder’s help in addressing that while he and Jack tried to calm Karen Grayson who, according to Jason was still hysterical. Therefore, Hank, Wayne, and Ryder had departed to deal with Hannah, the new Alpha of the Moon Valley pack. They needed to see Julian Grayson’s finances and Alpha records and would have to convince Hannah to allow them access. The alternative, obtaining an order from the Alliance, would take time, and time wasn’t exactly on their side where the kidnapped shifters were concerned.

As his large fingers ran over the seal of the plastic evidence bag, his phone rang. He quickly opened the passenger’s door of the vehicle, tossed the bag onto the seat, and then fished his phone from his coat pocket. The display informed him the caller was someone from the SIA head office and he answered, curious as to what they’d discovered. A few moments later, he slipped the phone back into his pocket, and couldn’t help but sigh aloud. The agent on the phone had informed him that they’d traced the cheques Julian Grayson had written, and had video footage from the banks where the cheques were cashed. In each video, Jennifer Morrow had cashed the cheques. His mind swirled with more questions than ever. Jennifer Morrow had been missing for five years, possibly the first victim of the rogue pack. Now she’d surfaced, but her actions implied she was working with the pack. Did they coerce her to help them? Brainwash her? The thought of the pack not just forcing women to breed for them but also brainwashing them to their cause was beyond abhorrent.

He was antsier to leave for Saskatoon after receiving the information, and tomorrow morning seemed a century away. He wanted to go this moment, but knew the others would be hours still, dealing with the Graysons and the fallout of Julian’s actions. Besides, he still had to delivery the bodies to the SASS unit in Edmonton. It was roughly a nine-hour round trip. He checked the time. Just past ten. Well, that meant no sleep tonight, and plenty of coffee to get through tomorrow, but it would be worth it, especially if they did get information out of Mark. As he slid his tall frame into the driver’s seat, he figured the others would be finished their tasks by the time he arrived back in Willow Creek tomorrow morning. Thankful they were flying to Saskatoon, as he’d have his fill of driving for a while after tonight’s journey, he started up the SUV, eager to put the horror-filled night to rest. With any luck, tomorrow would bring answers to why Mark was working with the rogue shifters, clarity as to the pack’s true intentions, and, hopefully, the pack’s location.

 

***

 

After securing a room at the B&B, Dustin looked for Zack, having not noticed his brother wasn’t with him any longer. Zack must have wandered off sometime during the process, and what a process it had been. Well past the time the establishment was closed for the night, he’d read the sign on the door and rung the bell for assistance. When a pissed-off looking elderly woman answered the door, he knew the situation would be problematic. Her eyes roved over him, taking in his tats, and he clearly saw the scorn in her eyes. She glanced at Zack then met Dustin’s eyes again. He’d politely asked for a room for the night, and she’d allowed them in.

As she’d begun typing at the reception computer, Dustin apologized for the late hour and for disturbing her. He went on to explain how he and his twin had just met their mate and needed a place to be together. Instantly her mood brightened, she’d smiled at him as she congratulated him, and then had gone on to tell him all about the early days of her relationship with her two mates. It was no wonder Zack had escaped, for the woman had droned on for some time. Only the observable love she embodied for her mates kept Dustin from interrupting her, and he found that, despite how long it took her to tell the tale, embellishing it with much unneeded detail, he’d loved hearing her story.

After receiving the key from the woman, he’d realized Zack wasn’t still with him and figured he was with the truck, perhaps sitting in it to keep warm while avoiding the B&B’s proprietor. However, as he exited the establishment, he found his twin sitting on the front steps. The disturbing energy flowing from Zack hit Dustin ten feet from his brother and, quickly closing the distance between them, he passed Zack to stand on the ground facing the stairs, eye level to his seated twin.

“I just got off the phone with Gabrielle,” Zack said wearily. “I had to tell her what happened.”

The regret in Zack’s voice felt like a slap. Dustin hadn’t given Gabby a thought, not at all. Overwhelmed with meeting Hannah, his thoughts had been consumed by nothing but her. He couldn’t wait to see her again, and had assumed Zack felt the same way.

“Sorry,” he offered, with an awkward shrug, “I know you and she were close.”

“More than close. I wanted to mate her.”

“I know, but she wasn’t intended for you. Hannah is.”

“She is.”

His brother’s continued morose tone prompted Dustin to squat before him. Looking up to him, he placed a hand on Zack’s forearm. “I know it’s hard for you, and I can imagine Gabby was upset.”

“She was heartbroken.”

The remorse in Zack’s voice hurt Dustin, and again he wished he could force his feelings upon his brother. He felt bad for Gabrielle, knowing she loved Zack and he her, but Hannah was their mate. She was intended for them and being with her felt so damn perfect he wondered how Zack couldn’t feel it too. Maybe he did, and the breakup with Gabrielle was just overshadowing it right now.

“Look, I don’t want to sound insensitive here, but you and Gabby will get over this. I know you love each other but you were never intended to be mates. Hannah is our mate. She’s chosen for us, and she’ll be perfect for us because of that.” Dustin patted his arm. “Come on. Let’s get our stuff in the room, and then try to set something nice up for Hannah.”

“What do you mean?”

“Ryan gave me some candles and some other stuff from the house. It’s not much and maybe won’t be as romantic as Hannah has probably envisioned her mating night, but after the day she’s had, I just wanted to do something for her.”

A tiny smile crept across Zack’s lips. “You’re not nearly the badass you want people to think you are.”

“Yeah well, don’t go blabbing that around.”

Dustin was pleased when Zack laughed softly at that. His brother then got to his feet. “Okay, let’s do this. You’re right, she deserves a great night and we do too. Despite everything that’s happened, it’s still our claiming night. Let’s make it as special as we can.”

They made their way to the truck and Dustin stole a sideways glance at his twin. Zack was still visibly upset and he guessed he would be for a while. However, he was certain claiming Hannah would go a long way to dispel Gabrielle from Zack’s mind, considering she hadn’t belonged there in the first place. For the first time in ages, Dustin felt invigorated and hopeful. It would be easy to focus on the awful things that had transpired today, but he chose to think only about the best thing that had occurred. He and his brother had found their mate.

 

***

 

Holding in the deep sigh he longed to release, Ryder entered the house with Wayne and Hank. Feeling Ashlynn’s absence more profoundly there, he hated being in it, but wouldn’t voice his thoughts. Wayne knew exactly how he felt and Hank had the case to focus on. With tonight’s devastating events, the group had enough to deal with. Ignoring how cold the house felt without his mate in it, he peeled off his coat and boots and then took Hank’s coat from him to hang in the closet. After Wayne hung his coat, he turned to the pair.

“I’m beat. I’m turning in.”

Without waiting for an answer, the big shifter then headed upstairs. Ryder’s heart sank knowing how much Wayne, too, suffered with Ashlynn’s absence but, like Ryder, he wasn’t one to voice his emotions. Hank’s presence didn’t help in that regard as neither Ryder nor Wayne would do anything to lead their former commander to believe they weren’t able to work this case. Not that Hank would think less of them if he did suspect their inability to be objective, but duty would cause Hank to pull them from it. There was no way either would allow that, and so they squashed their emotions, even around one another.

“Are you turning in too?” Hank asked.

“No. I should, but I’m too wired.”

“You need rest, you’ve been going non-stop since this all started.”

“Yeah, but I can’t sleep. I’m making coffee. You want some?”

“Sure,” Hank said and then followed him into the kitchen.

After starting the machine, Ryder felt Hank’s eyes on him and turned to face him. “What is it?”

“Let’s wait for the coffee, and then sit down to talk.”

Hank’s tone had Ryder suppressing another sigh. The shifter’s ‘talks’ consisted of him frankly delivering criticism. Ryder had been on the receiving end of Hank’s talks before and knew what he was in store for.

Shortly after, cups of steaming coffee before each one, the pair sat at the table. Ryder sipped from his mug and waited. Hank always eased the recipient into the full brunt of his rebukes and Ryder fully expected that pattern to transpire now. He was shocked when Hank delivered an alarming opening line.

“You shouldn’t be on this case.”

“Why?”

“You know why.”

“I’ve been nothing but professional,” he hissed, unable to quell his anger. He didn’t understand where Hank’s opinion was coming from but there was no way he’d allow the shifter to pull him from this case.

“And that’s the problem.”

“Excuse me?”

Hank turned the mug in his hands and Ryder thought he looked uncomfortable. His former commander had never had a problem expressing his views, no matter how harsh. He wasn’t one to pull punches and his hesitancy to speak was worrisome. “Ryder, your mate was taken. Wayne’s out of it. He’s functioning, but he’s on auto-pilot. I know he’ll react in accordance to his training so I’m not worried about him. You though, well, it’s a different story with you. You’re too focused. You appear completely normal and that scares the shit out of me.”

Having no idea what to say in response, Ryder remained quiet and stewed. Hank sure sounded like he was about to pull rank and Ryder prepared to argue his case, even as he had no idea what Hank would say next. This conversation was taking place on new ground, with Hank acting out of character and his words so far completely baffled Ryder. He thought he’d been distant and closed off and was truly stunned by Hank’s observations.

“Just so you know, Levi noticed first and pointed it out to me.”

“So I have him to thank for this?”

“I just wanted you to know that I’m not the only one who sees it. I’m sure if we asked Brady he’d agree as well.”

“Don’t count on it. He’s loyal to the team.”

Hank cocked his head. “Is that what you think this is? Disloyalty on my behalf?”

“I don’t know. You tell me. All I do know is Wayne and I worked for years with you and Mark and didn’t have a clue the pair of you were also SIA agents. We shared everything, or at least I thought we did. ‘Closer than brothers.’ Do you remember saying that? Repeatedly? I believed it, and so did Wayne. But it turns out we aren’t. Not even remotely. Mark’s made it clear that we never knew who he truly was.”

“And you think the same of me?”

“How can I not? You deceived us for years and now you want to pull me from this case.”

“Did I say that?”

“You didn’t have to,” he snapped. He noisily pushed his chair back as he leapt to his feet. Stomping blindly, not sure where he was headed, Hank’s next words stopped him dead in his tracks.

“I don’t want to pull you from the case.”

He turned to see Hank and frowned. “But you made it sound like ...”

Hank shrugged. “I should pull rank and order you off the case but I don’t want to.” He gestured to the chair Ryder had vacated. “Please, let’s talk. You can stay on the case but you can’t continue to bottle up your emotions.”

“I can’t sit. I have to do something.”

Without waiting for a response, Ryder moved to the dishwasher, intent on washing the plates and mugs in the sink. There weren’t many dirty items but he needed to do something. While grateful Hank wasn’t ordering him off the case, he still didn’t want to converse with him further, and no way in hell was he going to discuss his feelings. He opened the dishwasher to find it full of clean dishes. As he started putting them away in cupboards, Hank rose from his chair and slowly approached him.

“It’s not healthy to shut down like this.” His tone was fatherly now. It called to a place in Ryder that held fond memories of his former commander, yet he still wouldn’t confide in him. He wondered if he ever should have. Like Mark, Hank wasn’t the person Ryder had believed him to be. “I’m trying to help. I’m on your side.”

“Are you?” Concentrating a little too hard on putting away cutlery, he still hadn’t met Hank’s eyes. He couldn’t.

“What you view as disloyalty is anything but. I never told you I was in the SIA in order to protect you.” When all Ryder did was scoff in response, Hank continued. “I never lied to you or Wayne. Ever. Everything I disclosed to you was the truth.”

“I’m not sure I can take you at your word.” He started loading the dishwasher and stole a sideways glance at Hank. The shifter appeared upset with his statement but he couldn’t be sure. How could he trust anything that came out of Hank’s mouth? Despite Hank’s assertion that omission wasn’t the same as lying, he saw it differently. He’d always considered Hank a combination of brother, father figure, and mentor, even if the shifter was only a few years older than he was. He’d idolized Hank and couldn’t help but feel betrayed by the shifter’s actions. For seven years he’d followed Hank’s orders, heeded his advice, and practically hung on his every word. Now, running his eyes over him, Ryder wasn’t sure he knew anything about the man he’d stopped just shy of worshipping.

“Okay, enough,” Hank spit out through clenched teeth. “I’ve tried to be patient but I’ve had enough. You’re being petulant. Sit the fuck down and let’s discuss this rationally.”

“Fuck you, and no,” Ryder shot back. “You’re not my commander anymore. I don’t have to listen to orders from you, especially not in my house. In fact, I rescind my offer for you and that asshole to stay here.”

Hank shook his head. “If you weren’t as emotionally battered as you are, I’d split your fucking lip for talking to me like that.”

“Do it,” Ryder taunted. “Give me I reason to swing at you because I sure as shit want to.”

Jumping forward, Hank delivered a sharp jab to Ryder’s nose that sent him reeling, tears stinging his eyes. With a primal roar, he leapt upon Hank, blindly raining blows. In a flash, he found himself belly-down on the floor, Hank atop him, the shifter’s arm under his throat, with his right arm wrenched behind his back. His other arm was pinned by Hank’s knee and he struggled even as he knew he was helpless. In his rage, he’d disregarded the first lesson Hank had taught him, to ensure he engaged the enemy with a clear head.

“You gonna calm down and talk like a normal shifter?” Hank asked as he pulled on Ryder’s arm a little more, causing him to wince.

“No. Fuck you. Get the fuck off me and out of my fucking house!”

“What the hell is going on in here?” Wayne’s voice sounded from behind them.

“It’s okay,” Hank said calmly, “Ryder’s just blowing off some steam. Sorry we woke you.”

“Ryder?” Wayne questioned.

After a split-second debate about whether or not to recruit Wayne to gang up on Hank, Ryder grunted. “I’m fine. Go back to bed.”

A moment of silence followed and then he heard Wayne’s snort. “Whatever, man. Just keep it down.”

He heard Wayne leave and Hank tugged on his arm again causing him to bite his lip hard. It hurt like hell but he wasn’t going to give Hank the satisfaction of knowing he was inflicting pain. The weight upon him shifted as he felt Hank’s breath at his ear.

“If we didn’t need your shooting arm intact, I’d snap it right now. I’ll ask you one last time, are you ready to calm down and discuss this rationally?”

Hank shifted his weight again and Ryder felt a knee press into his back. The pain was substantial, but the pressure it put on his chest was immense. Unable to fight in his prone position, he knew his only recourse was to give up, even as he had no intention of speaking with Hank.

“Fine,” he grunted out. The relief that spread through his body upon his release was immeasurable. His mood, however, hadn’t improved at all. As he regained his feet, he shot Hank a resentful glare. “Dick move,” he grumbled. 

“You’d better be talking about yourself, Lee,” Hank barked. He was visibly irritated and Ryder decided not to push him lest he himself end up facedown on the floor again. Instead he angrily crossed his arms and resumed his glare.

Hank motioned to the table. “Wanna sit?” Receiving nothing but a curt headshake in response, Hank released a small sigh before speaking again. “We’re going to talk about this. You don’t want to, I know that, but you have to. Depending on what Mark tells us tomorrow, we could face Bossman and his forces soon. You need to be clear-headed going into that.”

“I am. Even you said I was functioning fine so I don’t know what the fuck you’re going on about right now.”

“I said you were too focused and too calm, and that it scared Levi and me.”

“Whatever. Calm and focused is what I need to be, what all of us need to be, so shove your fucking pep talk up your ass. I’m good.”

When Hank crossed his arms, Ryder knew he was pushing the shifter again but couldn’t help it. He was purposely being antagonistic and rude but had to be. The alternative, actually speaking with Hank, maybe confiding in him, was something he refused to do. Gone were the days of sharing his dreams and fears with his mentor. Hank had never been truthful, not since day one, and Ryder would be damned if he would confide in his former commander again.

“That’s the last bit of disrespect I’ll allow you to utter tonight. If you can’t keep a civil tongue then keep your damn mouth shut and listen.” Back to silently glaring, Ryder waited to hear whatever bullshit Hank would spout next, furious with the situation but eager to let Hank say his piece and then leave the house. “I told you we were going to discuss this. Well, maybe that’s not going to happen but I will say what I intended to say before your childish outburst. Levi did bring your behaviour to my attention and I’m glad he did. He’s right. You’re not as in control as you appear to be and his worry over that is justified. We can’t have any weak links in our chain going forward from here. Too much has happened and not being a united front will result in someone getting killed when we go up against the pack. We all want to put an end to them but we have to do so professionally, without making mistakes.”

His blood boiling, he narrowed his eyes, as he didn’t need this chastisement and longed to unload another insult or two on Hank. Realizing he’d agreed to be civil toward Hank and didn’t agree to extend that civility to Levi, he arched a brow, intent on pissing Hank off in a different manner.

“What makes Levi such a fucking expert? Aside from being the biggest target I’ve ever seen, what exactly has he contributed to this investigation? From what I’ve seen, he’s nothing but a giant asshole.”

Hank’s answer surprised him. “He is an asshole.” Uncrossing his arms, Hank took a step closer to Ryder. “Maybe he always has been, I really don’t know, but I will tell you this: He’s the most dedicated and focused shifter I’ve ever worked with. He’s definitely a little short on social skills, but he’s the best agent I’ve come across. Maybe not having a mate accounts for that in part, I don’t know. What I do know is that I wouldn’t be alive if not for him. He saved my life and almost lost his in the process. That’s the type of shifter he is. He’s protective over others to the point of self-sacrifice. I owe him my life and those of my pups. If he hadn’t saved me, I never would have been a father.”

As he unfolded his tightly crossed arms, Ryder felt like a dick. While may he have questioned Hank’s allegiance to Wayne and himself, he didn’t doubt Hank’s love for his mate and pups. The tone of Hank’s voice as he spoke of Levi, the thankfulness for his friend’s actions, the loyalty he felt for the shifter, was clearly heard by Ryder. Being honest with himself, he knew that loyalty extended to him and Wayne, too. He cast his eyes to the floor as guilt crept through him.

“She could die, and your pups.” His head snapped up at Hank’s words, his eyes wide. “It’s a possibility,” Hank continued, “after what we learned about Jason’s first mate. Before that, the only confirmed death was that of Tiffany Ward who didn’t survive the change. We thought that ensured the survival of female shifters taken by the pack but we know differently now. Your mate might not be alive when we locate the pack.”

“No. She’ll be fine, we’ll rescue them all in time.”

Shaking his head, Hank took another step closer to him. “What have we always tried to make shifters with missing loved ones understand when we speak to them?” Ryder couldn’t answer the question, his heart pounding too ferociously. “We try to make them see we might not be able to recover kidnapping victims alive. That sometimes, despite our best efforts to reach them in time, the victim is already dead when we locate them. We tell them that to prepare them for the worst case scenario because that’s usually what transpires. You’ve worked kidnappings, you know they rarely have happy outcomes.”

Hank’s hand descended on his shoulder. “Ryder, you’re an excellent agent and your skills can only help us recover Ashlynn and the others. But you have to accept they might already be dead. You need to go into this with a rational mind and a heart that’s acknowledged this could end up being a body recovery mission and not a rescue.” Tears stung his eyes, and he blinked rapidly. Hank’s words felt like knives, each puncturing his heart with their truth. “Even if they are still alive, it’s been days since their capture, long enough for the rogue shifters to have done horrible things to them. Early pregnancy is a delicate time and any trauma can lead to trouble for a pregnant shifter and her pups. That’s the added worry you need to accept. Ashlynn’s chances of surviving are akin to her brother’s. It isn’t a hopeful situation for either of them. You know it, but you have to accept it. You have to expect it. If you don’t, you’ll jeopardize us all. I can’t allow that, and if you’re not fully prepared to find your mate dead then I will pull you from this case.”

A sob escaped his lips. He was certain his heart would split in two under the onslaught of the terrible things Hank said. Every word was true though, and he knew it. Ashlynn could be lost, along with his pups.

“I hate to be the one to do this to you but you have to see the truth. If this situation was Myra in the hands of the rogue shifters, I’d need you to tell me this and I know I’d fight you as hard as you’re fighting me.” He squeezed Ryder’s shoulder. “I love you, and I hate doing this, but I have to.”

This related truth drew a low whine from Ryder’s lips. Hank did love him, enough to hurt him because he had to, for Ryder’s sake, and for all the shifters involved in the rescue attempt. As Hank’s arms encircled him, he tried to pull away only to find Hank’s hold had become vice-like.

“Let it out, Ryder, all of it. Rage, scream, cry, punch me if you need to, but get it out. Clear your head and accept the truth.”

Wrenching his body as hard as he could, he broke Hank’s clutch and, with a deep roar, shifted. His clothes fell from him in ragged shreds as he instantly achieved his wolf-form. Rattled by the awful feel of rage mixed with sorrow that barrelled through him, he set his sights on the table before him. He attacked it with a ferociousness that scared him, nothing more than gnashing teeth and tearing claws. Wood splinters punctured his toes and his gums but he continued to decimate the table before turning on the chairs. When the entire set was reduced to a pile of rubble, he threw his head back and howled in anguish and fury. A second howl followed, then a third.

Returning to human-form, he stood and locked eyes with Hank. The apprehension in the shifter’s eyes morphed to an understanding of the words Ryder uttered next.

“I’m ready.”

 

***

 

As she rapped on the door, Hannah forced a smile. Her earlier confidence, that of being able to handle anything that came her way, had faltered in the short time since she’d last seen her mates. The conversation with her mother hadn’t gone well. After finding out Hannah had granted SASS access to all her father’s files, her mother had flown into a rage, and accused her of betraying her father. As Keegan had tried to calm their mother, Taylor had walked Hannah to her room. He’d assured her he and Keegan would take care of their mother and told her she was doing the right thing, something he knew his twin also believed. The pack had to do their part to recover Ashlynn, Nathan, and the others, and this was Hannah’s contribution, allowing SASS whatever they needed. He’d then told her to spend as much time as she needed with her mates for she deserved no less. Taylor’s words had lifted her spirits but her call to Adam had crushed them again. Tears threatened to erupt as she recalled Adam’s callousness. Like the one with her mother, her conversation with Adam hadn’t gone the way she’d intended.

The door swung open and, at the sight of Dustin and Zack’s expressions, her forming tears fled. Both looked concerned, but the unmistakeable joy in their eyes at her arrival banished her worries. She’d deal with her problems later. Right now, she needed her mates. Leaping forward, she wrapped one arm around Zack’s shoulders, the other around Dustin’s, and squeezed them tightly. As their scents filled her nostrils, she knew they were all she’d ever need to cope.

“Hey, are you okay?” Zack asked.

“I am now,” she answered. “I need you two. Now.”

As she cupped their stiff erections, one in each hand, she felt their energy change. In unison, they stepped back, breaking their contact with her. Both wore identical concerned expressions. They could already read her and the realization saddened her as much as it elated her. Still feeling more connected to Dustin, she wasn’t sure she could read him as well, didn’t feel she could read Zack much at all, and uncertainty caused tears to surface.

Dustin took her hand and squeezed it. “We want to be with you but you’re upset, we can tell. Come on, let’s sit down. Tell us what happened.”

She looked around the room, as Dustin led her to the bed, Zack following closely as he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Candles were burning on the dresser and nightstands and her throat felt thick. They’d put those candles out, she knew it, and their attempt to make this first union romantic warmed her aching heart. Dustin sat, pulling her toward him and slipping an arm around her shoulders as she sat closely beside him. Zack sat on her other side, his thigh brushing hers, and rested a hand on her knee. Their closeness was invigorating and a little intimidating. Unlike a lot of shifters, she’d never experienced a multiple-partner sexual encounter and while turned on by the prospect of being with both Zack and Dustin at the same time, it also scared her a little.

“I take it your conversation with your mother didn’t go well?” Zack questioned as he squeezed her knee.

She released a deep sigh. “How could it, really? I mean, she’s devastated, how couldn’t she be? So am I, and my brothers. I can tell they realize that Dad was complicit in what happened, that he deceived us all. Mom refuses to see it though. She was ...” Another shrug, this one stiff, and she leaned into Dustin more. “She was mean to me. Really cruel, in fact.”

“She’s lashing out,” Zack said, drawing her attention to him.

“Yeah, I get that,” she replied with a nod.

“But it still hurts.”

His words and the understanding tone he employed triggered the tears she’d suppressed all evening. As her chin trembled, he wiped her tears with his thumbs. The love in his eyes overwhelmed her and she sobbed loudly. She was elated with her mates, devastated over her father, hurt by her mother and by Adam, and pissed everything had occurred at once. The conflicting emotions clawed at her heart. She didn’t want to feel anything but the warmth of her mates’ bodies and here she was crying, an act certain to prolong their claiming, the one thing she was certain would help the most.

Pulling away from both men, she stood and viciously swiped at her tears. She heard them regain their feet and knew they’d attempt to comfort her again. If one of them hugged her, she was certain she’d start wailing and so she dashed to the washroom, entered it, and closed the door. After kicking off her heels, she turned on the tap and splashed cold water on her face, trying to calm herself, to drive away the tears. The tight, aching feeling in her chest persisted and she sobbed again, unable to help it. All this was too much and she was unable to control her emotions as she’d always been able to. A knock sounded on the door and she could faintly smell Dustin’s scent. It was inviting but the tangible tension that accompanied it had her sobbing again. Her mood affected them. She was ruining their claiming night and didn’t know what to do about it.

“Hannah, can I come in?”

Tell him no, get a grip on yourself first. If he comes in here, you’re gonna fall apart. Is that how you want to start mated life? As a weeping, weak shifter who’s totally dependant on her mates for support? Tell him to give you space to pull yourself together. Cry if you need to, but not in front of them. You’re stronger than this. Except she wasn’t. She wasn’t sure where she went, the strong, independent doctor, the woman who balanced long work hours while maintaining a close relationship with her fiancé. Did that shifter ever exist? She excelled at work, there was no question about that. All the hard work in school had paid off and her surgical residency was a dream come true. She’d been commended often and more than one surgeon had informed her they were certain she’d be offered a permanent job by the hospital. It was everything she’d ever desired and was within her grasp. Her relationship with Adam however, although over, was a different story. She wondered if he’d merely proposed to keep her quiet, even as she hadn’t been pressuring him for a commitment. She’d grossly misread Adam and his intentions, and the career she coveted, the one she’d worked so hard for and desired for so long, was probably lost too. After all, she was expected to remain here and be Alpha.

She wanted to fix it all somehow and do it on her own. Dustin and Zack didn’t need a clingy, dependent mate. They needed one as capable as they were, being future Alphas themselves. The only way to start this union was to prove she was that adept, independent shifter.

“Hannah?” he called again. “Please, let me in. I’m worried about you.”

She should send him away and get a grip on herself but she didn’t want to. All she wanted was to be with him. Zack, too, but the need for Dustin was still stronger. She wanted the comfort and help they offered, but she also didn’t want to face her problems tonight, even with their involvement. She just wanted to be claimed and to claim them, to lose herself in their bodies and ignore everything else, if only for tonight. But her Alpha status seemed to hang over them ominously, threatening to ruin a night that should be nothing but loving, one that should be perfect.

“Come in,” she said quickly before she could change her mind.

Dustin did, drawing up closely behind her, and Zack shadowed the doorway. As he locked eyes with her reflected self, Dustin’s arms wrapped around her waist.

“Talk to me,” he encouraged. “You need to get all this out. Don’t bottle it up, it’ll only get worse.”

“I don’t want to talk about it. I want to ignore it all, just for tonight. We should be together right now, claiming one another.” She looked to Zack to ensure he knew she was including him, and then met Dustin’s eyes again. “I’m ruining tonight for all of us, and I don’t want to.”

He kissed her cheek and then nuzzled his chin into the crook of her neck as he looked at the mirror again. “You’re not ruining anything. You’ve been through a horrible ordeal tonight and you need to deal with it. We told you before, we’ll wait for you, as long as it takes.”

“But the pull ...”

“It doesn’t matter,” he insisted. “We’ll deal with it.”

The sincerity in his voice, matched by the honesty in his eyes had her blinking at fresh tears. She wasn’t sure what she’d done right to deserve him and Zack but she had them, and they wanted to help. While she still felt she was ruining their claiming night, holding back from discussing her issues would only push it back further. With a nod, she turned to him and then sat on the counter, facing him. Zack drew closer to stand beside his brother and, glancing back and forth between the pair, she related her arduous night. She told them of her mother’s accusations and the callous way she’d delivered them. They remained quiet, allowing her to get the whole story out without interruption and she appreciated that. Once she started speaking, she found it easy to keep going, truly feeling unburdened by relating it, and realized why. They were her mates, the two beings best suited to understand her. She then related how, until a short time ago, she’d had a fiancé. While skimming over most of the relationship, she did relate how things had been shaky between her and Adam for some time. Then she told them of the phone call she’d placed to Adam to break up with him. He’d been a jerk, angry over her decision to remain there to be Alpha, and incensed over her meeting her mates. While she’d hardly expected him to congratulate her on her mating, he hadn’t even expressed condolences for her father. Quickly, they’d descended into arguing, especially when he seemed more concerned over losing the car he drove than her. It was a car her father had given her, and Adam drove it far more often than she did, to the point where she’d rented one to drive home for a visit. Furious, she’d ended up telling him to shove the car up his ass. Sideways.

Dustin grinned when she related that part and she sighed. “It was already over, I just needed to make it official before coming here. And, so you know, I am over him emotionally. He’s an asshole.”

“Certainly sounds like one,” Dustin agreed. “Still, you were with him for so long. I get it if there’s some emotion left there. It’s not like I think that would take away from this union, just know I do understand. You can’t just shut off your emotions like a tap or something.”

Zack looked away and she felt his energy change again. She was certain he was sad but before she could question him, Dustin planted a sweet kiss on her forehead. “I’m happy you confided in us. We need to be open with one another.”

When she agreed, the understanding look in his eyes turned amorous and she felt the stirrings of arousal again. Turning a sexy look on him, she spread her knees invitingly and, after grasping his hips, pulled him closer to her to mash her lips against his. As his arms encircled her, his tongue pushed into her mouth. Slightly startled when a second pair of lips nibbled on her ear, she realized Zack had joined them. She’d have to get used to being with two shifters at once. Just the thought of what they had in store for her excited her greatly, and she rubbed against Dustin’s bulging erection as she grasped an ass cheek of his in one hand, and snaked her other around the back of Zack’s neck.

Dustin’s hands slid over her hips to her ass, and he lifted her. Turning with her in his arms, she wrapped her legs around him and then felt Zack’s stiffness against her ass. With a moan, she deepened her kiss and sucked on Dustin’s tongue. Zack rotated his hips as he pushed her tightly against his brother. Two rock-hard erections pressed against her was so tantalizing she arched her back and reached to caress Zack’s head as she groaned loudly. Dustin bit her clothed nipple and she thrust her hips forward.

“Let’s get naked,” Zack whispered.

She unlocked her ankles and Dustin slowly lowered her until her feet touched the floor. The first time she’d been with them without heels, she noted the vast difference in their heights. Her mates were a good six-two, Dustin perhaps being an inch taller than Zack. At five-three, she was tiny for a shifter, and her head barely came up to their shoulders. When she reached for the buttons on her blouse, Dustin covered her hands with his.

“Let us do that,” he said, his voice so low it seemed to reverberate within her. She let her arms fall to her sides. He slowly unbuttoned her blouse, staring into her eyes the entire time, and then pushed the two opened sides over her shoulders.

Zack took hold of it and pulled it from her to lay it on the counter. He then kissed the side of her neck as his hands enveloped her breasts. She closed her eyes under his touch, gentler than Dustin’s, and every bit as hot. As he gently squeezed her breasts and nipped playfully at her neck, she opened her eyes to see Dustin still staring at her. Positive they’d shared a woman before, they seemed to indulge in a kind of tag-team effort, although not one that felt practiced. In fact, everything they did felt brand-new to her, kissing her as she’d never been kissed before, touching her in a manner that felt fresh and new. Zack’s hands slid around her sides and she felt him unhook her bra. Dustin pulled it from her, dropped it on the floor, and then bent his head deeply to cover a nipple as he reached around her waist. She felt him undo the fastening on her skirt and then his hands cupped her breasts as he continued manipulating her nipple. It was stiff and when he sucked on it, a lightning bolt of pleasure shot to her pussy. Her skirt slid over her hips and down her legs and she knew Zack had pulled it down. When his hands ran over her legs, up over her thighs to firmly massage her ass, she moaned softly. Feeling wetness between her legs, they were exciting her quickly and she wanted them. Never being a fan of anal intercourse, she figured she’d take one in her pussy and one in her mouth, certain she could pull that off. When she reached for Dustin’s cock, he jerked his hips back. Breaking contact with her breast to address her, he turned a panty-soaking sexy look on her as he spoke.

“Not yet. We’re going to eat you out first.”

He turned his attention to her other nipple and, as Zack’s fingers slid into the crevice between her ass cheeks, she bit her lip. They were going to go down on her. Together. The salaciousness of the thought had her panting softly, her arousal soaring. Zack’s finger’s slipped under the waistband of her panties and he tugged them down her legs. Just when she expected him to lift one of her legs to remove the garment, she felt his lips on her ass cheek. He kissed her gently and then teased her flesh with his teeth.

As his hands glided to her hips, Dustin trailed his lips from the space between her breasts down over her belly and mons. The first flick of his tongue over her swelling clit had her gasping and grabbing fistfuls of his dark hair. When she felt something warm and wet against her back entrance, she knew it was Zack’s tongue. Never expecting to be so turned on by what she’d normally consider a dirty act, a tremendously loud moan broke free from her lips. Writhing, she squeezed her fingers tightly together, certain she was pulling Dustin’s hair harshly but unable to stop.

“Hannah,” he called softly, his fingers replacing his tongue, “you taste so fucking good. I could do this all night.” Then his tongue was back upon her, thrusting deeply into her, and she lost all hope of responding to him. Maybe he could eat her out all night but she couldn’t take it if he could. Already she crested an orgasm, and it promised to be spectacular.

When she felt Zack’s lips and tongue on an ass cheek, his finger pressed against her tight opening. As it entered her, she tensed, expecting pain, but it felt good, great in fact. The slight burn she experienced faded quickly and she felt more of his finger dip into her. The twin’s tandem act continued as, with Zack’s finger firmly implanted in her, Dustin increased his efforts, roughly tonguing her, as he pushed a finger into her slick channel. He sucked on her clit as Zack twisted his finger and she exploded. Screaming throatily, she convulsed with the force of her orgasm, grabbing Dustin’s shoulders, certain she’d pitch right over his head and her fingertips bit into his flesh. His hands gripped her hips tightly as he continued to suck. Zack added thrusting to the twisting of his finger, extracting it partway before surging forth again. Their combined movements ripped a second orgasm from her that had her screeching again as she writhed madly. Just as she thought she was calming, another one tore through her, making her legs shake as if she’d been shocked by an electrical current.

“Enough,” she panted.

They stopped and then held her, Dustin’s hands on her hips still, his cheek pressed against her belly, Zack kissing her neck as he massaged her ass. She thought she’d just had her first multiple orgasm but couldn’t be sure as she’d never had one, uncertain if they hit when the first subsided or all ran into one another. Feeling as if she wasn’t able to process thoughts properly, she also wondered about their ability to work her as they did. It could be practised, developed over several occasions on which they’d shared a woman, or just an innate twin ability. It hardly mattered. The sharing thing didn’t concern her as they’d only be with her now, and if it was always going to be like this, she had one heck of a bright future ahead of her.

She stroked Dustin’s head lovingly as Zack continued to kiss the sides of her neck, nibbling occasionally, drawing contented moans and the odd shiver from her. After a few moments, just when she was certain she could stand without wobbling, Dustin rose to his feet. He kissed her deeply. The scent of herself on his skin drove her wild again and she fiercely returned his kiss, biting at his lips. His erection poked into her lower belly as he bent his neck severely to facilitate their kiss. With a delicate lick of her upper lip, he stepped back from her. Grasping the bottom hem of his T-shirt, he pulled it up and over his head and then tossed it on the floor. Her first glimpse of him bare-chested had her biting her lip. His build was sensational, all muscles, rippling tendons, and roping veins. She’d seen the numerous tattoos on his arms and neck, but hadn’t realized they covered most of his body. Beautifully executed portraits of wolves abounded, some howling, others running, single wolves, and a few pairs, all interspersed by trees and ivy, combining into a rippling canvas that covered his upper body, seamlessly running over his shoulders and sides, undoubtedly continuing on his back. Eager to see it, she moved around him and wasn’t disappointed. The wolf scenes continued onto his back and circled a huge and stunning portrait of two wolves, heads up, howling as they stood shoulder to shoulder. Certain she was staring at a portrait of Dustin and Zack in wolf-form, she reached out to touch it, running her fingers over their inked images, a tattooed testament of their close bond.

“Is it too much for you?” Dustin questioned, his tone tentative.

“Your tats, you mean?”

“Yeah.”

She rounded him to face him and smiled brightly, eager to soothe what sounded to her like worry she’d be off-put by the amount of ink on him. “Absolutely not. It’s all so lovely. It was the same artist who did it all, wasn’t it?”

“Yes. Good eye.”

“Well,” Zack broke in, “our mate isn’t exactly an ink virgin herself.”

When Dustin rose an inquisitive brow, she giggled, and then spun her backside to him, realizing only Zack had seen her ass so far. She felt Dustin’s fingers on the spot that housed the single tattoo she possessed, and heard his soft chuckle.

“A pair of lips. A ‘kiss my ass’ statement?”

Zack smiled at her and she returned it before turning back to Dustin. “Yep. It seemed a better choice than a middle finger on my butt.” Dustin’s eyes burned with curiosity and she decided to lay his questions to rest. He looked like he suspected she was a closeted party-girl, but it just wasn’t the case. “I got it on a dare when I was eighteen. It’s the only one I have.”

“It’s cute,” he assured her, “and I can’t wait to kiss that ass, it’s gloriously perfect.”

Thinking her body quite average, she darted her eyes to the floor and heard his slight sigh. “Hannah, look at me.” She did, although uncertain why she complied immediately. “You have a stunning body. You’re gorgeous, from head to toe.”

“Look who’s talking,” she shot back with a grin. “How much time do you spend at the gym?”

“A bit,” he admitted in a tone that told her it was a whole lot more time than a bit.

Keeping her eyes locked with his, she turned slightly and stepped back, her back against the wall now. There wasn’t much room in the bathroom but she wanted to see both her mates at once. Looking to Zack, she smiled. “Strip.”

He did, as Dustin removed his jeans and boxer-briefs. She thought she might suffer whiplash as she tried to watch them both at once, her head whizzing back and forth between them. Zack’s body as every bit as glorious as Dustin’s, tattoo-free aside from one that covered his left shoulder, a duplicate of the portrait on his brother’s back. She loved him for having it, his body proving he wasn’t the tattoo aficionado Dustin was, yet still bearing a tribute to his twin. Both brothers had well-muscled thighs and each sported stiff erections. They seemed to share an identical state of arousal as well, with each cock poking the same amount of pink glans from their foreskins. It had her wondering if they did everything at the same rate, and the thought of them orgasming simultaneously, one in her pussy and one in her mouth, had her getting wet all over again. She heard twin deep inhales as they scented her building arousal.

“Let’s move to the bedroom,” Dustin suggested.

“Now,” Zack added.

Her assenting nod was cut off when Zack scooped her up and carried her out of the bathroom. It was an exhilarating and romantic gesture, and she smiled sexily at him before he gently sat her on the bed. Standing shoulder to shoulder before her, they wore identical hungry expressions that had her pressing her thighs together.

“Let us have you at the same time,” Zack said, purring out the request in a manner that sounded more like a command. She could clearly sense their dominance and was a little wary. They were huge, she was tiny, and the thought of them losing control frightened her. Not enough to say no to them, of course, she wanted them, desperately so, but wanted to ensure her notion of having them simultaneously coincided with theirs.

“You mean one of you in my mouth and one of you in my pussy, right?”

They exchanged a look and then regarded her again. Dustin tilted his head questioningly. “Or one of us in your pussy and one in your ass. Wouldn’t you prefer that?”

Nope. Not at all. Unwilling to ruin the mood, however, she shrugged. “I’d prefer to blow one of you. Well, I want to blow you both, actually, eventually, but I really want to be with you both right now, so can we just do that?” They exchanged another look that had her squirming a little. “I, uh, I don’t really care for anal.”

The fear she’d disappointed them fled as Zack knelt before her and placed a hand on her cheek. His eyes were so loving she believed herself incapable of disappointing him, no matter what she said. “Sweetheart, if you don’t want us like that so be it. We’ve just found over the years that women love having us like that and just figured you would too. But this is new ground for all of us, being with our mates, so we’ll do whatever you want to do. It’s really not important how we’re together, only that we are.”

“Okay. I mean, I’d try it again, if you two really like it. It’s just that I’ve done it in the past and I didn’t like it. At all.”

Dustin knelt beside Zack and placed a hand on her knee. “We don’t want you to do anything you don’t like, just to please us.”

“But you wanted to do it because you thought I’d prefer that over having one of you in my mouth.”

“Trust me,” Dustin replied with a grin, “we’re happy no matter what. As long as my dick’s in something of yours, I’m good.”

“That was crude.” Zack snapped disdainfully.

“It’s true,” he shot back.

She might have been offended by what he’d said if it wasn’t him saying it. Clearly feeling the love her mates had for her, she knew he hadn’t meant anything untoward by voicing what he had. Another shifter might have had that sounding like she was merely a collection of holes to fuck, but she knew Dustin hadn’t meant that, only that he was happy no matter which way he took her. They both were, and she knew it, but their willingness to please her had her wanting to please them fully in return.

“Okay, truth time,” she ventured, eager to draw them into an open dialogue. “We need to learn one another’s preferences, so let’s discuss it frankly. I loved it when you guys went down on me together. I didn’t think I’d like having my ass licked but I freaking loved it.” Zack smiled broadly and she had to return it for he looked proud of himself. “You two have already shown me that I might like anything you want to do. While we’re being truthful, I’ve never been with more than one shifter at a time. I’m really turned on by being with you both at the same time, but also a little intimidated by it. Please believe me though, I really want to do it.”

“Great,” Dustin enthused, “and thanks for being so honest. I’m sure you’ve figured out we’ve enjoyed plenty of multiple-partner unions. We both love anal, but, really, you’d be hard-pressed to find a man who didn’t like that. Of course, we both love receiving head too. Again, we’re guys. Anything we do with a partner turns us on. That’s why we’re focused on ensuring we please you. We just figured you’d enjoy having us both at once, one in your pussy and one in your ass because so many women we’ve been with have loved it.”

“While we’re on the topic,” Zack interjected, “you told us you didn’t like anal, but we’re having a frank discussion here so tell us, what didn’t you like about it?”

“It hurt.”

“A-ha,” Zack said thoughtfully, nodding a little. “I’ll bet he didn’t prepare you enough.”

“Prepare me? You mean like stick a finger in there first, like you did? I liked that, but your cock is way bigger than your finger.”

“Thank the Universe for that,” he replied and then chuckled. “But that’s why I’m asking about preparation. Not just ass-play with tongue and fingers, but also toys. Did he use lots of lube and take his time warming you up, getting you used to the feel of bigger and bigger things in there?”

“No. He, well, he spit on his finger and then rammed it in there, and then right after stuck his dick in.”

They both pulled a face and Dustin shook his head. “Adam?”

“Yeah.”

“I like him even less now.” He patted her knee. “Seeing as you didn’t have the best introduction to anal sex, we’ll forget about it for now. My bet is with proper preparation you’ll love it. We’ll address that later. Maybe we’ll get you some butt plugs and work at it. If you wanted to give it another try that is.”

“I would.” Their honest discussion had done much to alleviate her worries and she appreciated not only their explanations, but their willingness to start slowly, or abandon the idea altogether. This was the compassionate and sharing experience a mating should be and again drove home the point she’d endured a bad relationship with Adam for far too long. Unwilling to devote another second of her time with her mates to Adam, she pushed him from her mind, roughly, and smiled at each of her mates in turn. “Honestly, it hurt but not so bad it turned me off the idea of trying again, just not with him. I’d be game to try again, tonight even. The more we talk about it, the more I like the idea of having you both inside me at once.”

Their eyelids drooped in unison and she tried not to laugh at how damn cute that looked. Dustin squeezed her knee as Zack let out a soft growl.

“Baby, we’d love to take you both at once, but only if you’re truly ready. We can wait. Right now, I want to taste your sweet pussy again.”

“No way,” Zack broke in, “you already did. I haven’t. It’s my turn.”

Now she did laugh. “No fighting, boys. Yes, my pussy’s pretty damn awesome, but you’ll have to find a way to share.” They both grinned. “How about if you lick me, Zack, while I blow you, Dustin.” Their eyes lit up and she laughed softly again. “Then you two can switch position so I can have Zack’s cock in my mouth, too.” Again, both their eyelids drooped with her carnal words. She loved the heady feeling of turning them on, teasing about what she’d do. Knowing how her next words would affect them, she smiled wickedly before delivering them. “And after that, I want you both at once. One of you in my pussy, and one in my ass. I guess to be fair, you should switch positions partway through that, too.”

“Fuck ...” Dustin rasped on a sharp exhalation.

“Me,” Zack finished, just as raspy.

Laughing delightedly at their reaction, she rose to her feet and they followed. Her laugh died at the hungry look in their eyes. More than hungry actually, it looked primal, something that frightened her a little but turned her on greatly. Maybe the onslaught of conflicting emotions was to be expected when a shifter found their intended mate. She didn’t know for sure but the thrill of what was in store for her in their hands had her so wet her inner thighs felt damp.

“Are you sure?” Dustin asked.

“Absolutely. Oh, I forgot to ask, you have condoms, right? I mean, I know we didn’t discuss having pups. I’d like to, just not right away and, at the risk of putting a damper on our moods, my cycles are really erratic, I have no idea when I might ovulate.”

“That’s not a mood ruiner by any means,” Zack assured her, “and yes, we have condoms. A giant box full as a matter of fact.”

That elicited a giggle from her and, as Zack moved away, presumably to get the condoms, she looked to Dustin’s smiling face. “You won’t regret this,” he promised.

She knew she wouldn’t. Trusting them both emphatically, she was willing to turn over complete control to them, something she’d never done before. Again, the thought scared her a little but aroused her much more. Zack returned with a strip of condoms and a bottle of lube.

“I know you offered to blow us and while I want to feel your mouth around me, I can’t wait to be inside your sweet ass. I promise I’ll be gentle, and do everything I can to excite you fully before even trying. But baby, the pull’s getting fucking bad. I need the contact with you, actual penetration, to drive it away. I’m sure Dustin does too.”

Considering she was beginning to feel achy again, even after the orgasms they’d delivered, she knew it must be way worse for them, not having received any sexual contact directly from her yet. “Of course, let’s do this. I’m getting a little sore myself.”

“Okay. Well, you liked it when I licked your hole so I’ll do that again, and build you up slowly. Really, we should do the butt plug thing to get you used to the feeling but ...”

“The pull is demanding a quicker course of action,” she finished. “It’s okay, really. I’ll try. If I can’t, then we’ll figure something else out.”

“Agreed.” Zack kissed her so sensually she moaned against his lips. His kisses were softer than Dustin’s, exciting her with a different but equal intensity. Pulling back, there was a new look in his eye, one she hadn’t seen before. “Get on your hands and knees on the bed.”

His command was gentle, yet still an order. She never would’ve stood for a man ordering her around in the bedroom before this moment, but Zack’s command had her pussy throbbing. Her mates were so different from other shifters she’d been with and she felt as if she’d do anything to please them. Assuming his desired position, she took in a big breath when the mattress dipped severely with his weight.

Dustin knelt before her and then dipped his head to kiss her. Then, locking eyes with her, he spoke, his voice low and so sexy, she bit her lip again. “You’re going to have the most intense orgasm you’ve ever experienced with both our dicks in you. I’m going to talk you through it while Zack does his magic back there.”

His attempt at trying to ease her into the process failed. At the touch of Zack’s hands on her ass, she stiffened and then inwardly cursed herself for doing so, knowing they’d notice. “Hannah?” Zack called from behind her. “Are you sure you want to try this?”

“Yes.” Her heart was thrumming and she knew they’d hear it. Stupid shifter senses! What brought mates so close together was a thorn in her side right now. She was frightened but determined to please her mates. Noticing the concerned look on Dustin’s face, she smiled. “I’m sure. I want to do this, or at least give it a try.”

He mashed his lips against hers, his need evident. She loved the close-to-brutal way he kissed, hard and passionate. As his tongue pushed into her mouth, his fingers found her nipples and he tweaked them gently. When she sucked on his tongue, he firmed his grip and pulled a little harder on her nipples. A lightning rod of pleasure shot to her aching pussy just as she felt Zack’s tongue upon her most sensitive flesh. He tongued the opening, pushing what felt like just the tip of his tongue in and she squirmed, even as he held her still, his hands firmly grasping her spread ass cheeks. There was nothing invasive about how it felt, in fact it felt great.

As Dustin continued kissing her and pulling at her nipples, Zack’s hands left her. An instant later he spread warm liquid on her ass cheeks, lube she knew, and then massaged them, his fingertips dipping between them periodically, brushing over her awakened rosette. It felt like it had gone into mourning, wanting his contact again and that surprised her as much as it elated her. Now certain she could go through with the double penetration, she rocked her hips back, trying to force more contact. He rubbed her opening firmly and she pushed back against him again. She recognized the feel of his finger sliding into her, more easily this time thanks to the lube and her aroused state. Shortly, his finger was imbedded in her and she moaned contentedly. He began to move his finger in small circles, stretching her, and she loved it.

Dustin broke their kiss, and his lips ghosted over her cheek to her ear. “Arch your back, babe.” She did as told and was rewarded with an approving grunt from him. “Fuck your ass looks delectable like that, with Zack’s finger in it.”

His words had her arching deeper and pushing back against Zack’s hand. She almost complained when he extracted his finger, but then felt him enter her again. This time it felt a bit intrusive and burned, causing her to hiss lightly.

“He added a finger,” Dustin told her as he tweaked her nipples hard. “The burning will pass in a second, just wait.”

Feeling fingers stroke her pussy, she wriggled against them. Zack pinched her clit and she instinctually rocked her hips back, sinking his fingers deeper. Both she and Zack groaned.

“You’re beautiful,” Zack said silkily. “You’re doing great, Hannah.” He moved his fingers and she bit her lip hard.

“Does it hurt?” Dustin asked, his voice laden with concern.

“No, it feels good, really good.”

He smiled at her before bending his neck to kiss her again. As he continued pulling at her nipples and rolling them, they hardened further even though she would’ve thought it impossible. They felt swollen but deliciously so, and she wondered if she’d ever been so aroused. When Zack’s fingers left her again she was hungry for their return, pushing back against air, silently begging him to enter her again. He did, and the stretch she felt told her he’d added another finger. It felt glorious and she moaned against Dustin’s lips.

“That’s so, so, so good,” she exclaimed as she rocked her hips, first back on Zack’s fingers in her ass, and then forward to mash her clit against his fingers in her pussy. He didn’t move now, allowing her to control the depth of penetration. Her movements grew more pronounced as she adjusted to the feel of his fingers. The stretching feeling was sensational and she groaned loudly. “Ah! I’m going to come.”

When she thrust back on his fingers, he pinched her clit again, and she jerked with her forceful climax, crying out loudly, his arm across her hip the only thing preventing her from moving enough to unseat his fingers. She didn’t want that either, but couldn’t control her movements as her hips bucked erratically and she grabbed fistfuls of the coverlet on the bed. He kept his imbedded fingers still but stroked her pussy gently until she calmed. Breathing heavily, she looked up to Dustin’s beaming face. Only then realizing he’d let go of her breasts, she glanced down to see him stroking his cock.

“You’re so fucking beautiful when you come,” he told her.

She couldn’t take her eyes off his hand moving slowly on his cock. His foreskin was completely retracted now, exposing the entire pink head and, staring at it, she licked her lips. His growl shot to her pussy and she thrust against Zack’s fingers.

“Are you ready, babe? Ready to take us both?”

“Yes,” she answered in a rasp.

Slowly, Zack’s fingers left her and she groaned softly. Her ass throbbed slightly but she wanted more, she wanted his cock in there. Sitting back on her heels, she watched Zack leave the bed, get the condoms, tear two off, and hand one to Dustin. When they were both sheathed, Zack motioned to the bed.

“I’m going to lie on my back. I want you to straddle me, your back to me, and bring your ass down on my dick. That way, your pussy will be available to Dustin, and you’ll completely control how deep I go. Sound good?”

She blinked lazily at his words, the frank way he spoke such carnal words spiking her arousal. Her mates had unleashed her inner bad girl who nodded to him, more than ready to proceed. He reclined on the bed and she moved to comply with his suggestion. As she squatted over him, he grasped her hips tightly, and she moved down slowly as she reached between them to take hold of his thick cock and guide it into her. The head slipped in easily but as she descended further, the burning sensation was back, stronger now. She rubbed her clit, eager to dispel the burn so they could really get going, and heard Dustin’s soft growl.

“Fuck baby, that’s so hot.”

Smiling, she locked eyes with him as she continued to finger herself, dipping a finger deep inside for his viewing pleasure. He growled again, louder this time, and fisted his cock. Certain she’d come if she kept touching herself while he stroked himself, she pulled her fingers away and then, keeping her eyes glued to his, licked them slowly. His movements grew faster and harder as he grunted. Smiling lasciviously, she then placed her hands on Zack’s thighs. Opened wider, she slipped down on him more, causing the pair to moan simultaneously. Little by little, she pushed down until her ass met his pelvis. With a contented sigh, she rotated her hips slightly and heard Zack’s appreciative groan.

“Dustin, get over here,” he grunted out, “I’m not gonna last.”

His admission of how much she was turning him on had her pussy throbbing again. Dustin climbed onto the bed and, as he lined up his cock with her, kissed her again. Deeply passionate, it consumed her, body and soul. As he slowly slid into her, she gasped. She’d never felt so full, so complete, and never wanted the feeling to end. Sucking hard on Dustin’s tongue, she rocked her hips, causing all three to moan. Dustin’s hands grabbed her waist and he broke their kiss to press his forehead to hers. His gaze burned into her as he spoke.

“Let us move you. Just give up control and enjoy the ride.”

Placing her hands on his forearms, she was ready to surrender to them. Everything they’d done to her had been phenomenal and she emphatically trusted them. Without speaking, the twins employed a strategy that had her crying out with each thrust. Dustin pulled her against his cock as Zack pushed her up his, then they switched, Zack pulling her down on him as Dustin withdrew from her. Neither fully exited her, but came close enough to inflict the most wondrous sensations when they thrust into her again.

Despite Zack’s warning he wouldn’t last long, she knew she’d climax first. Warmth built in her belly, and her legs began to tremble, always a sign of an intense orgasm. Somehow she knew this one would surpass any she’d ever experienced. Dustin was still staring into her eyes and she bit her lip.

“I’m going to come,” she whispered.

“Come baby,” he whispered back, “come hard. Come all over my cock and squeeze it hard as your sweet ass squeezes Zack’s cock.”

Her orgasm tore through her with the force of a hurricane. Screaming loudly, she dug her fingernails into Dustin’s forearms as she pressed her head tightly against his. She opened her eyes to find him still staring at her, his breath issued in hard puffs against her mouth. As she writhed and cried out, she tried to maintain their eye contact, knowing it turned him on as much as it did her. Zack stilled within her as he growled loudly. She saw the small smile Dustin flashed and knew the twins indulged in some kind of contest to see who’d last longer. Dustin continued to thrust into her, drawing a sharp cry from her with each impalement. Then he tensed, biting his lip and grunting loudly. He kissed her deeply and then withdrew from her. Still holding her hips, he eased her off Zack and then, as his brother left the bed, helped her lie back. Zack pulled her legs straight and then began to massage them as Dustin left them.

She heard water running in the bathroom and then Dustin returned with a wet washcloth. He gently washed between her legs and then, as Zack gently lifted her legs, Dustin wiped her backside, ridding her of the clinging feel of the lube. She loved them more for their pampering. Sitting up, she crooked a finger, inviting them closer. Shoulder to shoulder, they knelt on the bed before her. They were so handsome, and they were hers. Reaching out to place a hand on the outer cheek of each brother, she pushed gently until they got the idea and brought their heads closer together. Cheek-to-cheek, sandwiched between her hands, it was the closest she could come to looking them both in the eyes at the same time.

Smiling deeply, hardly believing her good fortune in having such amazing mates, she issued her own command. “Claim me, both of you, at the same time.”

 

***

 

Jason entered the dark and quiet house and sighed. Evelyn and her mates were watching the triplets for him and he hated being away from them this long. While they understood his job had erratic work hours upon occasion, it had been the case too often of late and now, with the missing pack members, he’d barely seen them in days. There was no alternative, as he had to get Naomi back as much for their sake as his own, but they were so young and he doubted they grasped how dire the situation was. What if they didn’t recover Naomi and the others in time? How could he ever tell Ella, Lily, and Avery they’d lost Naomi?

After shedding his boots and coat, he entered the kitchen and opened the fridge. His stomach was churning and he couldn’t remember the last time he’d eaten. He closed the fridge and left the kitchen. Fuck it. What he needed was a few hours sleep. The group would leave early the following morning and, like eating, he wasn’t sure when he’d last slept. A quick glance in the bathroom mirror told him he needed both sleep and food, and much of both. He looked gaunt, thick stubble covered his cheeks and jaw, and dark circles shadowed his eyes. Thinking he looked like absolute shit, he shaved and then stripped, trusting a shower would relax him. Although exhausted he was wired and needed something to calm him. With a scowl, he saw his belt was fastened on a hole smaller than his usual one. He’d lost weight and more than a pound or two. Funny, he hadn’t realized he’d tightened his belt. Then again, not much other than the case caught his attention these past few days.

The hot spray loosened his tense shoulder muscles, and he released a deep sigh. He washed his body and hair and then stood under the running water, hunching slightly to allow it to hit his tight lower back muscles.  The memory of his first shower with Naomi, the morning after her rescue from the waystation, clawed through his mind. He tried to push it aside, not because he didn’t want to think of her, but because he knew what would occur next. Unable to prevent it, memories of the time he’d spent with her battered his brain and crushed his heart. He swore he could smell the delicate scent of her skin, and his hands ached with the want to touch her.

As his breath hitched with a mighty sob, he leaned against the cool tiles. Bitter tears flooded his eyes as a wretched pain tore through his heart. No one should be made to endure what he presently did, stripped of two mates, both times by the hand of the same shifter. It wasn’t just unfair, it was cruel. His daughter’s voices rang in his ears, shaking with worry as they asked when Naomi was coming home. They’d asked so many times and he kept assuring them she’d be back soon, even as he couldn’t know if he was lying to them. Yet he couldn’t destroy the hope he saw in their eyes and so he continued to lie, despite how every occurrence crushed his spirit further. Sliding down the wall until he sat, he allowed the tears to break forth, unable to suppress them a moment longer. Hot, even in the steamy shower, they ran down his cheeks, burning his skin with what they carried, the possibility Naomi was already dead. As the horrid thought of having to lay a second mate to rest assaulted his mind, he sobbed roughly, his chest heaving.

Stop this! You’re stronger than this. Naomi’s voice echoed in his head, and he stopped crying abruptly. He wasn’t sure how strong he was, but he had endured the heartbreak of losing Trina and being on his own with the triplets for years. He’d gotten through it because he had to, for the sake of his girls. Even as the mere thought of losing Naomi near killed him, he’d endure it if it did occur because he’d have to, again, for his daughters.

After pulling himself to his feet, he turned his face under the water flow. It washed more than his tears away. Naomi was strong and had endured Bossman before. She’d do it again. She knew he was coming and she’d hang on. He had to, too.

 

***

 

In the aftermath of their claiming, Dustin, Zack, and Hannah remained in bed as their bodies calmed. Dustin thought Hannah’s cream-coloured wolf was the most beautiful he’d ever seen, amazed at how her light brown eyes hauntingly complimented her fur. She was snuggled against his chest with Zack pressed behind her. The brothers had shared women before but Hannah surpassed them all. Intensely erotic and emotionally moving, possessing her had been the most sexually gratifying experience he’d ever had. If he’d questioned their union, which he didn’t, the sex alone would have proved the Universe’s wisdom in pairing them, and her claim bite would’ve driven away any remaining doubt. He glanced at Zack and wondered where his brother’s thoughts lay. Certainly experiencing the same amazing sex and claim bite as Dustin must have proven to Zack that Hannah, and not Gabrielle, was his true mate. A rare occurrence to be sure, he couldn’t read his brother’s expression as he lay on his side spooned behind Hannah. Her voice drew his full attention, her tone sombre.

“What are we going to do about living arrangements? We can stay here for a short while, but we need a permanent solution. We can find an apartment or a house here in Moon Valley, but what happens when you two need to take over your pack?”

Her last question was valid but not one that worried him. His father was strong and healthy and would govern their pack for some time to come. Yes, someday in the future they’d have to address the issue but he didn’t see the point of devoting much energy to it now. “That won’t happen for a long time yet, so I don’t think you should worry about it now. However, we both work for our dad and uncle and we’ll have to figure that out. I’m sure we can mostly work from here, maybe share office space with Uncle Jack and Nathan ...” His voice trailed off. It was possible that would never occur if Nathan and the others weren’t found. Desperate not to turn their conversation into one that was too wrought with emotion, he decided to ignore his reference to his missing cousin. “And I’d think that with regular visits back home when we need to physically deal with something at the drill site, we should be able to manage.”

“That sounds feasible,” Zack agreed. “I mean unless there’s some huge problem with machinery, mostly we deal with paperwork. We can do that here.”

“Exactly. As far as the rest, yeah, let’s look for a place. Our own place in town, our home.” When Hannah smiled, he kissed her nose affectionately causing her to laugh softly. By the Universe he loved the sound! He loved absolutely everything about her. While active worship of the Universe by shifters had ended long ago, he felt like hunting for a deer and offering it in sheer gratitude for the bestowment of such a wondrous mate. “You know,” he added, “I was thinking you should rent office space, for your Alpha duties and record-keeping. I know your dad worked from the house but I think it makes more sense to keep pack affairs separate from home life.”

It was how his father governed and he thought it prudent. “It does make sense,” she agreed. “I never could understand how Dad wanted to run everything from the house. I mean some days were hectic there with people in and out of the house. Even as a child I found it intrusive, and I wouldn’t want to subject our pups to that, you know, when we’re ready to have them. You two do want pups, right?”

Bending his elbow, he propped his head on his hand, not surprised when Zack mirrored his movements. Hannah however looked between them and raised a brow. “Do you two do everything in unison?”

“No,” Zack replied, “but we do share a few mannerisms.”

“Hmm. Well, back to pups. What are your thoughts on them? Do you want them right away? In a few years when things are more settled in our lives?” She’d looked between the twins as she asked her questions but settled her eyes on Dustin as she finished.

“I don’t know,” he responded truthfully. “Really, I’d never given pups much of a thought. I guess I just assumed we’d have some when we found our mate. Can’t we just see how things go and then decide? I mean, we don’t need a firm date as to when we want to expand our family, do we?”

“No. I’m just an obsessive planner. I like to have a path before me. I’m not a wait-and-see or wing-it type of shifter.”

When he smiled deeply and heard his twin’s chuckle, she blushed. “You guys think I’m a control freak, don’t you?”  

“With any luck, you’ll turn out to a kinky freak,” Zack said seductively.

Her blush deepened as she smiled. Hot damn, she was sexy. “I wouldn’t say control freak, per se,” Dustin said. “Really, we don’t know you well although I can’t wait to learn everything about you. Tonight’s been a nightmare for you but here you are, discussing this calmly, and you certainly relinquished control earlier. So, do I think you’re a control freak? No. Have you had to be in control to achieve all you have? Absolutely. You’re a surgeon, that’s amazing, and you worked so hard to be that.” He blew a breath out. “You’re probably going to miss that, won’t you? I hadn’t thought about it before now, but you can’t be an Alpha and a surgeon.”

He saw the sadness in her eyes. More than that, he felt the change in her, as surely as if he himself had lost something. Inwardly, he gasped. He was truly connected to her, to not only her body but her emotions. He could feel her disappointment and it hurt him. As he reached out to her, Zack did too, and their hands rested on each of her thighs simultaneously.

“Maybe you could still see patients,” Zack suggested. “Doc Cobb has his hands full with both towns. Maybe you could go into practice with him. He’s getting on in his years and could probably use the help. I mean, it’s not what you’d planned but ...”

“No, it isn’t but it’s still helping people and now it would be helping shifters and members of my pack.” She sighed deeply. “I don’t know. I’m still not keen on being Alpha. I never wanted to be one, you know. Ever.”

Dustin sat up at the same time Zack did, and felt his brother’s shared shock. “Really?” he questioned. Even as he knew he had a long time before having to shoulder the responsibility, he’d always known he’d be co-Alpha of his pack with Zack and had never questioned it. Not that he looked forward to it and truthfully didn’t think about it much, but it was something he’d accepted long ago and hadn’t ever not wanted to become an Alpha.

“Yes, really. My dad was always pushing me to learn all I could about his duties but I was never interested. I listened to his instruction because he wanted me to, but never truly trained for it. He wanted me to, in fact it was one of the last things he said to me. He was happy I was accepting some responsibility by organizing patrols and he told me he was proud I was showing interest in my future and that he wanted me to stay here indefinitely and begin actually training for it.” Tears surfaced in her eyes. His heart ached in response, feeling her grief and regret. “And I told him the time wasn’t right, that I was only staying until Ashlynn and the others were found. He was disappointed, I could tell, and ...” She caught her bottom lip between her teeth. “I think I broke his heart. I think during the last conversation I had with my father, I failed him.”

Dustin cupped her face as he shook his head. “No, you didn’t. Don’t think that, please. He loved you. The last time we were here, a few years back, we ran into your Dad and had a coffee with him. All he did was talk about the high grades you graduated with, how you’d easily found a residency and although only in the first year of it, had already been offered a surgical fellowship. He was so damn proud of you and all you’d accomplished.”

“Then why do I feel like I betrayed him?”

As her chin quivered, the achiness in his chest intensified. He could feel Zack’s upset too, and knew his brother was just as attuned to their mate as he was. Pulling Hannah into an embrace, he caught Zack’s eye and imparted a look he knew his twin would decipher. He wasn’t hogging Hannah, merely eager to soothe her. Zack dipped his head in understanding as he began stroking her back gently.

“You didn’t,” Dustin assured her, “and he would never think that. You heard what Jason and the SASS agents said. That Bossman guy threatened to take you if your dad didn’t comply. What shifter wouldn’t do all he could to protect his pup?”

“But he shouldn’t have done it. He put me before the whole pack. He never should have done that.”

“He was your father first, and then an Alpha.”

He believed his words, even as he still struggled to accept what Julian had done. Hannah hadn’t betrayed her father but Julian most definitely had betrayed his pack. While he understood the want to protect Hannah, he couldn’t grasp why Julian hadn’t enlisted the help of Jason and SASS when first contacted by Bossman. That’s the part that didn’t sit well with him.

As his poor mate cried harshly, he held her firmly. He’d hold her all night like this if he needed to, desperate to soothe her, hopeful he could, and determined to, with Zack’s help, make her see she’d done nothing wrong.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“What is with you?” Emily snapped nastily.

Naomi knew her friend couldn’t understand. It had only been a few days and, despite seeing what Bossman had done to Nathan, and the haunted look in Ashlynn’s eyes since her meeting with Bossman, Emily still had fight in her. Naomi knew it was only a matter of time until Emily was as empty inside as she was. Clearly, Nathan already was and Ashlynn didn’t look too far off from that point. Emily just didn’t understand what was in store for her, for them all. Naomi knew. She’d been Bossman’s prisoner before and she knew. Unsure how she survived the first time, Jason had brought her back from the horrible dark and empty place she’d resided in. This time, robbed of him and his undying love and limitless support, she couldn’t bear Bossman’s tortures.

Jason would do anything he could to find her and the others, but she feared it wouldn’t be enough. He’d told her how elusive the pack was, how, if not for a SASS agent happening to overhear a conversation in a shifter bar, they might never have found her the first time. How would they find this place? After her rescue, she had no doubt Bossman would be more guarded, too careful to allow for further slip-ups.

Sitting cross-legged on the concrete floor, she turned her head to stare at the wall, ignoring Emily. She didn’t have the energy to try to explain how she felt and didn’t want to dash Emily’s hopes of a rescue, as futile as they were. Mainly, she didn’t want to see her friend as defeated as she was. Bossman would kill her over what he would undoubtedly view as her betrayal. After all, he’d told her repeatedly she was his mate, chosen by him to bear his pups. She’d not only been taken from him, she’d found her true mate, something that would infuriate him further. Her fingers traced over her bite scars, the act of love Jason bestowed, his attempt at erasing all the damage inflicted by Bossman. All she’d found with Jason—love, devotion, family—was cruelly ripped away in an instant by Bossman’s shifters. She’d known when they took her that she’d never see Jason or his daughters again. Her perfect existence, what she’d believed to be her reward for enduring Bossman’s torments, was no more. There was no going back.

It was so unfair it should have sparked fury within her but all she felt was hopelessness. She had little time left. Hours, perhaps days, but eventually Bossman would deal with her perceived betrayal. Upon hearing Emily’s annoyed scoff, she bowed her head, hurt by her friend’s anger but unwilling to devote any of her waning energy to her. In the little time she had left, she’d do what she’d done since the abduction. She would replay every moment she spent with Jason and the triplets in her mind. She’d dwell on every loving act she’d experienced, remember each affectionate smile she’d received, and recapture every second in which she felt safe and treasured.

 

***

 

Ashlynn looked up when Emily huffed loudly as she knelt beside her. She tried to smile when Emily gently wiped her heated brow but couldn’t quite manage it. Feeling extremely ill now, she was terrified for her pups, but, trapped in this cage, she could do nothing more than silently beg the Universe to protect them, and guide her mates to her in time to save them. Emily’s face was a mask of annoyance and concern. She was angry with Naomi and seemingly unable to understand why her friend was so complacent. Ashlynn knew it wasn’t complacency. Naomi had given up.

As Emily’s fingers gently roved over the bruises on Ashlynn’s cheek, her harsh look softened. “I’m so sorry he did that to you,” she told her. “Are you feeling any better at all?”

“No.” She wasn’t. In fact, she felt worse by the moment, feverish yet freezing, her stomach clenching, her head throbbing mercilessly. Worse was the cramping she felt lower in her abdomen. She was certain her uterus was contracting.

“They’ll find us,” Emily said firmly, but Ashlynn could hear the lack of resolve in her voice. The fierce determination with which she’d uttered those words before was gone.

Ashlynn nodded but didn’t reply. The cramping was bleeding her strength from her and she wanted to conserve as much energy as she could. When her mates came, she might have to move fast, run even, and she was determined to be ready when they found her.

With another gentle wipe of her brow and a small smile, Emily left her to stand by the bars that ran between their cell and Nathan’s. As she heard Emily gently speaking to Nathan, her heart ached at the love her sister-in-law had for her brother. Nathan’s condition tore at her. She’d never seen her brother so crushed and it scared her. He was as broken as Naomi was, and she feared there would be little left of him mentally when help did arrive.

Desperate to think of anything but Nathan’s dire state, she tried to focus on thoughts of Ryder and Wayne but her mind kept drifting to the epiphany she’d had about Bossman. She’d considered telling Emily and Naomi what she’d figured out but didn’t see how it would help them. In fact, if Bossman knew that she knew, it could cause him to lash out at them. The thought of him placing Nathan back in the box was enough for her to keep the information to herself. Perhaps if Wayne and Ryder put the pieces together and came to the same conclusion she had, it might give them something to go on, a way to find her location.

Her eyes shot to the door as it opened and Fucktard strutted in, a Taser in hand. The memory of his filthy paws on her had her stomach coiling nastily. Don’t take me again, please, please, don’t take me again. He stopped before the cell and she held her breath as his eyes roved over her. After his lascivious gaze passed over Emily, it settled on Naomi.

“He wants to see you, bitch. It’s time to face the music.”

She released her held breath. Tears pricked her eyes at the guilt that crept up her spine at her relief. Bossman had told her none of the shifters would beat her because of the pups she carried. Naomi wasn’t pregnant and neither was Emily but, the Universe help her, she was glad Fucktard hadn’t selected her, certain she couldn’t endure any more time with him and Bossman.

Naomi slowly rose to her feet and approached the cell’s door. Fucktard held the Taser in one hand as he unlocked the door with the other, but Ashlynn could see how unnecessary the weapon was. Naomi wouldn’t fight him. Her defeated posture spoke volumes, even if Fucktard couldn’t decipher it. With a blank look upon her face, as though resigned to her fate, Naomi appeared ready to face it.

 

***

 

Naomi fought her panic as Fucktard led her into the room with chains suspended from the ceiling, shackles hanging from them. It was a torture chamber. Bossman stood by the window in the room, facing it, his back to her. Morning light flooded the room, the first light she’d seen in days. Its appearance should have soothed her, but the ominous shadows it cast as it hit the shackles unnerved her.

“Leave her.”

Fucktard left and Naomi stood where she was, her heart racing. She could smell her own sweat, sour with her fear. This was it. Bossman would kill her. As resentful tears burned her eyes, her chest tightened with the knowledge she’d never see Jason again. She tried to find solace in the time she’d had with him but couldn’t. As amazing as it had been, it wasn’t long enough, not nearly long enough. Bossman had robbed her of so much and now had taken her from Jason, her mate, the man she was destined to be with for the rest of her life, which he was about to take, too.

He turned slowly and his expression caused her breath to catch in her throat. The haughty, authoritative look he’d always possessed was gone. Anger lined his face, his eyes were hard, his posture rigid. He swiftly closed the distance between them until he stood a foot from her, glaring menacingly at her.

“I bet you thought you were safe, didn’t you? That you could so easily be done with me? I told you before, Naomi, you’re mine. I chose you as my mate.” He snorted irritably as his eyes rested on her claim bite. “How dare you offer yourself to him? A fucking cop!” He pushed his face forward until it was so close to her that she could feel his hot, furious breath on her skin. “You threw away my gift to you. I claimed you as mine. Mine. You had no right to take another mate. You’re mine.”

The predatory look in his eyes unnerved her. She cringed when his hand covered her throat, over her bite mark. “How could you do that to me?” When she didn’t answer him, his look grew dangerous. “I guess we’ll have to start all over again, won’t we? You ungrateful whore. You’re lucky I’m willing to put the work into making you worthy of me again. I could just kill you and then pick another woman, one who’ll appreciate the honour of being my mate.” He tightened his grip, for emphasis she guessed, and supposed he was trying to scare her into an apology, an acceptance perhaps. All it did was confirm what she’d known. She would die in this room and by his hand.

“Do it,” she said, her voice sounding small and strained under the force of his grip. Maybe she shouldn’t chance talking back but he’d kill her anyway, so what did it matter? Suddenly, she wanted her last words to be a condemnation. “Kill me.” He held his furious look but his head tilted slightly, as if confused by her reaction. “Do it,” she repeated. “Then find someone who’ll ‘appreciate the honour’ of being your mate. Good luck to you. You’ll never find a woman who’ll appreciate something that doesn’t exist. You can’t force that on someone, especially someone like me who knows for a fact that you’re wrong. So wrong. I had a mate I honoured, and who honoured me. You took that away because you can’t have it. You can’t force someone to love you, to respect you. You can make women fear you, but that’s all you’ll ever have.”

His eyes squinted angrily as his hand squeezed hard, so hard she couldn’t draw a breath. She didn’t fight him. Instead, she held his furious glare and waited for death. If she couldn’t have Jason, at least she wouldn’t be kept by Bossman. That was a fate worse than death. She hadn’t known it the first time around but, after experiencing Jason’s love, she knew it definitively now. Dark motes swam in her vision, as her lungs burned and her ears buzzed loudly. With an enraged roar, Bossman pushed her roughly, sending her tumbling back. She crashed heavily on the floor, pain shooting through her back, as what little air remained in her rushed out. Her head spinning, she had time to suck in a breath before he was upon her. Roughly dragging her to her feet, he then held her by her upper arms, so forcefully his fingertips dug into her painfully. Bringing his face menacingly close to hers, he sneered.

“Do you think I’d let you go? After all I’ve put into this? You think you can escape me by dying? Do you really think I’d allow you to throw my gift in my face like that?”

Wrapping his hand around her throat again, he dragged her to the chains. She didn’t protest when he shackled her, didn’t fight him, she didn’t react at all. When he’d secured her wrists, he stepped back, his face an enraged mask.

“I will beat submission into you,” he roared. “You will kneel before me, call me Master, kiss my feet, and do anything I demand. You’re mine to do with as I please.” She held his furious gaze and still didn’t react. He scoffed. “Do you still think your so-called mate will save you? Do you view him as some sort of hero? He’s nothing and he can’t do anything to stop me. He couldn’t save his first mate, so what makes you think he’ll save you? I took her from him and now I took you.”

Sucking in a startled breath, she gaped at him in disbelief. “That’s right,” he continued, “I killed his first mate. Of course, back then I didn’t know anything about him, or her for that matter. Dan, the shifter Mark killed, was with me. He spotted her and wanted her. It was in the early days of all this, and I figured sure, what the fuck. Neither one of us expected her to fight the way she did. She attacked Dan and got some good shots in. I grabbed her and slammed her head against the car door. Then did it again and again.” He grasped her chin roughly, his fingertips brutally biting into her cheeks. “I killed her so don’t think for a minute I can’t kill you. The difference here is I don’t want to kill you. I want you on your knees before me, where you belong.”

After shoving her roughly, he stomped a few feet away. She swung with the force of his push, the shackles digging into her wrists, her shoulders burning with the pull on them. Hardly believing what she’d heard, she wondered if Jason knew what Bossman had done. Had he somehow uncovered that information while looking for her? If he had, she didn’t think anything could deter him from tracking down Bossman, no matter how long it took. Suddenly her death didn’t seem as meaningless as it had. Jason would find Bossman and he’d kill him. It didn’t matter if it happened a day from now, a week, a year, or ten years. It would happen. Jason would avenge Trina’s death. He’d avenge Naomi’s death. He’d rain all that fury down upon Bossman and tear him to bits. The only thing she resented was that she wouldn’t witness Bossman’s death. A small smile crept over her lips as she pictured her mate as his striking white wolf-self, sinking his huge fangs into Bossman’s throat, snarling with years of pent-up rage. He’d make Bossman suffer.

Bossman saw her smile, and his already furious expression deepened. With a vicious snarl, he shifted, his clothes shredding and falling from him as his wolf grew. In an instant, a silver and black wolf stood before her, growling. With the belief that having her throat torn out was better than being beaten to death, she closed her eyes. She sensed his quick approach, his pounce, and tensed when she felt his teeth on her throat. Pain tore through her as his fangs pierced her skin but then the teeth were gone. She opened her eyes to see him standing before her in human-form again, his chest heaving as he breathed heavily.

“I erased his mark. I’ll beat every thought of him out of you. Soon, he won’t exist in your mind at all. Then, when you’re where you belong, unquestioningly loyal, kneeling before me and loving every minute of it, I’ll track him down. I’ll destroy him for daring to touch you. I’ll erase him as easily as I did his bite.”

Fury built inside her. It filled her so quickly and with such force, she was certain she’d burst. The abhorrent thought of Bossman targeting Jason, after everything he’d taken from him, tore through her brain. Jason had already lost too much and so had Avery, Lily, and Ella. Bossman would kill her, but no fucking way would he break her first. She wouldn’t allow Jason to lose her love, her loyalty, her allegiance. Those belonged to him and they would never fall into Bossman’s hands.

A derisive laugh left her lips before she narrowed her eyes. “You’ve erased nothing. I’m his and will never be yours, no matter what you do to me. He’s ten times the shifter you are, a hundred times, a thousand. That’s why I love him and why I’ll never show you a speck of loyal. He will rescue us, and if you kill us before he can, then he’ll tear you to pieces while you beg him for mercy.”

His shocked expression turned nasty in a split-second. “Say what you will, bitch, you will kneel before me. I told you before, I don’t care if I have to start your training all over again.”

“Bring it on,” she taunted. “You might have come close to breaking me before but you won’t get that far this time. I know now, what you are. You’re a fucking coward. I’m not afraid of you, or what you’ll do to me.”

Silver fur sprang up on his arms and shoulders as he menacingly stomped toward her, his hands balled into tight fists.

“Go ahead,” she spat. “Show me what a man you are, beating on a bound woman.”

The enraged roar he unleashed might have frightened the Naomi who entered this room but not the one who watched his approach. She was unbreakable, even in the face of the horror that descended upon her.

 

***

 

Nodding to Director Garrett as he led the group of men into the hallway outside the interrogation room Mark was within, Ryder watched the shifter’s eyes bulge at their arrival. Hank, Levi, Wayne, and Jason were present and undoubtedly expected by the director. The addition of Ryan and Scott Tremblay had visually thrown him for a loop though. Ryder still doubted Scott’s ability to keep his temper in check but didn’t care anymore. Too much had happened, his mate had been missing for too long and, he didn’t care about anything but recovering Ashlynn safely.

“Who are those shifters?” Garrett demanded.

“Ashlynn’s brothers,” he responded, his voice deep and authoritative. “Before you ask, no they don’t have law enforcement training but they’re able-bodied, strong, and determined to get their sister, brother, and mate back. They have more at stake here than Wayne, Jason, or I do. You may not think that makes them suitable additions to this team, but I do. This,” he swept an arm at the shifters behind him, “is the rescue team. We’re all committed to recovering our loved ones and, together, we’ll do it.”

Garrett’s tense posture relaxed and he released a sigh. “Fine. This situation is already out of control, but I’m cautioning you right now, Lee, keep them in line. Thomas may be our prisoner but he has rights and I won’t see them infringed on, no matter what’s at stake here.”

Ryder stifled a desire to tell Garrett to shove Mark’s rights. “I assure you, sir, they’ll act professionally.” He didn’t care if they didn’t. Hell, he didn’t even care about his job anymore, but he needed Garrett on his side, at least until he could get information from Mark.

“They’d better,” Garrett cautioned. After sweeping a stern look over the group, he then nodded. “Okay, let’s go in.”

Not pleased that Garrett had included himself, Ryder followed Garrett as he entered the room, the others filing in behind him. Mark’s face registered surprise at the large group but then instantly returned to the impassive mask he’d worn since executing the shifter. Ryder wasn’t having it any longer and, using what little remained of his patience, crossed the floor, and took a seat opposite Mark.

“You’ve refused to say anything since being taken into custody. As Garrett just reminded me, you have rights, and remaining silent is one of them. You can continue to clam up, again that’s your right, but you’re going to listen to me.” As he suspected, Mark had no reaction to his words. After speaking with Garrett on the phone to arrange this interrogation, he learned Mark hadn’t been informed of anything that had happened. That was good. Perhaps the shock of what he was about to relate would slam a chink in Mark’s armour. It was all he needed, a small way in, the ability to break through Mark’s imposed wall and connect with the shifter he hoped still resided in there somewhere, his one-time teammate, confidante, and friend. Locking eyes with Mark, he leaned forward slightly.

“Ashlynn’s been taken by the rogue pack.” Mark’s eyes widened. “They kidnapped her, Nathan, Emily, and Naomi Crawford. She’s Jason’s mate, by the way.” Mark blinked slowly and pressed his lips into a thin line. Cocking his head a little, Ryder went in for the kill, delivering the information he hoped would tear down the wall for good. “Ashlynn’s pregnant.”

As his head dropped, Mark’s hands came up, as far as his bounds would allow, and covered his face. The silence in the room was weighty as Ryder stared at Mark, waiting to see if the knowledge his pregnant mate was in danger would garner the reaction he expected. Slowly, Mark’s head lifted to reveal his devastated face and tear-filled eyes.

“I’ll tell you everything I know,” he informed Ryder, “but I want to be there when you move against the pack. I want to help rescue her.”

“Just tell me what you know,” Ryder returned forcibly. “You’re in no position to make demands.”

With a slow nod, Mark spoke again. “The man I killed was Daniel Richie. He was Bossman’s lieutenant and yes, he recognized me. He’d been working with Bossman for years, building the pack, taking female shifters.” His guilty eyes held much and Ryder, while anxious to hear everything, began to feel sorry for him. Mark was once like a brother to him and those emotions flooded him now, not realizing until this moment just how much he’d missed him. “Taking human women is new for them and is undoubtedly Bossman’s idea. Well, everything is, really.”

He visibly swallowed and then sought out Garrett in the group. “Could I please have some water?”

In an instant, an agent entered the room with a water bottle and handed it to Mark. The quickness confirmed what Ryder already knew, that SASS agents were observing and recording this interview from the neighbouring room, behind the two-way mirror. It was exactly why he’d cautioned Ryan and especially Scott, imploring the shifters not to act out and find themselves in cuffs. As the agent departed, Ryder turned his attention back to Mark, impatiently waiting while he opened the bottle and drained half its contents. As he turned the bottle in his hands, Mark looked back to Ryder.

“Bossman’s real name is Logan Witt, and he’s my brother.”

 

***

 

In the awed silence that followed his revelation, Mark regarded the water bottle in his hands. His throat still felt dry and weird, and he struggled to remember how long it was since he’d last spoken. While it felt odd to speak, finally revealing the secret he’d kept for so long felt sensational. He hadn’t realized how much it had physically weighed him down until this moment.

“Your brother?” Ryder sounded bewildered.

As he nodded in response to Ryder’s question, Mark mourned all he’d put his mate and friends through. It had to end. While he’d kept quiet so far, unwilling to incriminate himself further, now Ashlynn was in danger. He had to do everything he could to help her. Before he could disclose anything further, Jason’s voice rang out.

“Wait, Witt? As in Harrison Witt? Emily’s father?”

“Yeah.” Reluctantly, Mark looked to Scott and Ryan. “Emily is my half-sister.”

Ryan appeared shocked, but Scott’s face pulled into an angry scowl. “And you allowed her to be taken?”

“No,” Mark replied quickly. While Scott seemed close to losing it and attacking him, he knew the others wouldn’t allow it. However, he was quick to defend himself anyway. “No, I had no idea Logan would kidnap her.” He blew out a breath. “Please. I would never have done anything to endanger her, she’s my sister.”

“Why didn’t you say something before?” Ryder demanded. “We could have protected her.”

“Because I didn’t think she was in danger. Even had Logan found her, I never thought he’d kidnap her. It doesn’t make any sense to me.”

“None of this makes any sense to me,” Ryder returned. “Why don’t you start clearing some things up for us? Okay, you’re Logan’s brother, and Emily is your half-sister. How is that possible? You’re a shifter. She was human until a short time ago.”

“Our father was a halfling.” He saw the understanding spread across the faces of the others as all grasped that, as Emily’s mother was a human and her father apparently hadn’t claimed her mother, the offspring would be human. “It always caused problems. My mother hated his being a halfling, and was angry the Universe had paired them. It embarrassed her and, when we were old enough to understand, it embarrassed Logan, too. He resented my father and fought him over everything. I never felt like less of a shifter with a halfling father but Logan did. He claimed it made him and me weaker than other shifters, not full-blooded shifters as we should be, as all shifters should be. He said halflings should never exist. When I pointed out that some humans weren’t willing to be claimed, he told me they should be forced to.”

He finished off the water and, holding the empty bottle in his hands still, locked eyes with Ryder again. “I asked him what shifter would do such a thing. The Universe picked mates, and due to our fertility issues, sometimes they were human. No shifter would force the mate they loved to become a shifter. He hated the entire idea of the Universe picking mates, especially if they were human. His answer to our fertility issues was that female shifters should have more offspring than they did. Most had a single litter. It wasn’t enough. They should be made to breed as much as possible. I couldn’t believe his warped thoughts and they just got worse. He thought much more should be done to further shifter numbers, to turn the tide of their declining numbers and get to a point where humans wouldn’t have to be claimed. After all, even turned into shifters, were they truly shifters? They weren’t born that way. He envisioned a day when all shifters were as they once were, born as shifters, strong, whole, and full-blooded, the way they were meant to be, not watered down with human blood.”

He shrugged. “I told him it was madness and that other shifters would never accept his views. He said ‘Then I’ll create a pack so strong we’ll conquer any wolf pack that resists us. Eventually we’ll be one pack, and the strongest shifter species.’ I told him his thoughts were immoral and he flew into a rage. He told me I was either with him or against him. I was definitely against him.

“A few years went by and we hadn’t spoken at all. When our father fell ill, we put aside our feud in order to say goodbye. Just before he died, he admitted to having an affair, and fathering a daughter with a human. He told us that he’d financially provided for our sister but that there was plenty of money left for us. Logan pushed for details about her, but Dad refused to provide any past her name being Emily. He died shortly after, never revealing any more about her despite how angry my mom and Logan were with him.”

Pausing, he turned the bottle in his hands. He didn’t like relating the story, the testament of how fucked up both his brother and mother were, but knew the group in the room needed this background information in order to understand his entire story and, especially, his actions. “Logan was furious and wanted to track Emily down. He thought she should be forced into the family and said he’d bite her to turn her into a shifter. I couldn’t believe what I’d heard, that he’d consider doing do to our sister, turning her against her will. He didn’t see anything wrong with it. He said once she was a shifter she’d thank him for bettering her. I knew then he was crazy and I warned him to keep his distance from Emily. She didn’t know about us and that was probably for the best. She could live out her life as most humans did, without ever knowing about shifters. Logan said it was high time shifters stepped out of the shadows, and stopped hiding from humans because we were stronger, better, and should be ruling humans.” He exhaled loudly. “We got into a fistfight, a bad one. I managed to overpower him and warned him to cut the shit. I told him that if I ever found out he acted on his crazed beliefs, I’d report him to the Shifter Alliance. I thought that was the end, and that I’d never hear from him again.”

After placing the empty bottle on the table, he looked around at the gathered shifters, trying to ascertain their mood. They all looked pissed and he reasoned they should be. Maybe he should have said something before now. “It wasn’t too long after that the SIA approached me with a plan. They knew of Logan but not his whereabouts. Apparently, word had reached them of his extreme thoughts and his manifestos that circulated in some wolf-shifter circles. They gave me a new surname, and then planted me in SASS. They wanted to use me to flush out SASS agents working with the rogue pack. I was to pretend to be on Logan’s side, infiltrated in SASS, a place where he already had allies. I hated it but when they showed me the influence Logan was having on other shifters, I had to stop him. So, I went through SASS training, became an agent, and sought out Logan. I told him that after working with humans through SASS I realized he’d been right and wanted to be part of his plan. Unfortunately, due to the bad blood between us, he never fully trusted me and constantly demanded information. I was sick to death of it, giving him info I knew resulted in the kidnapping of females and I didn’t feel I was getting anywhere with him.

“When we moved on the waystation, my SIA handler told me to leak the info to Logan. I didn’t. I was tired of playing both sides, and just wanted to put an end to it all. I wanted to save some females instead of condemning them.” He sighed deeply. “When we stormed the place, Dan recognized me. I hadn’t seen him in years but he’d been Logan’s best friend since they were pups. He would’ve spilled the beans that I was working with the rogue pack but hadn’t provided the info I should have, a traitor to both the pack and to SASS. That couldn’t get back to Logan, so I shot Dan. I just reacted, not really thinking. I saw all those years of work blowing up, all that info I shared, all those women who suffered, all of it being meaningless. I guess I thought that if word didn’t get back to Logan, maybe I could still end the pack.”

He couldn’t help but emit another huge sigh. “I thought my handler would sort all this out but I guess I’ve been abandoned by the SIA, as I haven’t heard from him. So, here I am, looking like a traitor to all parties involved here, SASS, the rogue pack, and the SIA.”

After a short pause, Hank’s voice sounded. “Who’s your handler?”

Locking eyes with his former commander, Mark saw more interest than condemnation and breathed an inward sigh of relief. Maybe they bought his story after all. “Jeffrey Roche.”

He watched the knowing glance Hank exchanged with the tall shifter that stood beside him. Assuming the man was SIA too, he thought they knew something about Roche that he didn’t. The tall shifter hunched up his shoulders, as if informing Hank he didn’t care if Hank revealed information, for Hank then looked back to Mark.

“Roche was loyal to the rogue pack. He was taken into custody weeks ago.”

Mark shook his head. Well, that certainly explained why he’d been left to rot here.

Director Garrett spoke, drawing everyone’s attention. “None of this changes the fact you shot an unarmed man.”

“I know,” Mark replied, “and I’m prepared to answer to that. Look, Logan knows I’m in SASS but doesn’t know I’m in the SIA. That’s why I killed Dan, so that couldn’t make its way back to Logan. I know I executed a shifter, I went against both SASS protocol and the wishes of my handler, and I’m willing to suffer the ramifications of that. I’ll go to prison, even be executed by the Alliance if that’s the sentence handed to me. I don’t care, I just want to rescue Ashlynn.” Surprised no one rebuked him, he continued, hoping he could plead his case well enough to be included in the rescue mission. “If I’m right about where Logan’s pack is, I want to go in there on my own to take him down. To cut off the head of the snake, and defeat the pack that way, without further bloodshed.” He looked to each shifter in the room in turn. “I know I can do it.”

Garrett looked to Hank who in turn looked to the tall shifter. “Levi?”

“I think it’s a good idea. He’s Witt’s brother and the only one here with a rapport with him. It’s possible he can get close enough to kill Witt and end this. We all know the body count will rise if we go in there with guns blazing.”

“I agree,” Hank said and turned back to Garrett.

“I agree as well,” the director chimed in.

“I don’t,” Ryder snapped. As Mark met the condemning look in the commander’s eyes, he elaborated. “I understand you wanting to silence Dan, but I have a problem with the rest of it. You’re in the SIA, so you must have known Hank was too. When you didn’t hear from your handler, why didn’t you ask to speak with Hank?” Mark withheld his response, and Ryder shook his head. “I want nothing more than to rescue them, but I don’t trust you anymore.”

“I don’t either,” Wayne said, speaking for the first time. “Ryder’s right, you could have contacted Hank. Fuck, for that matter, you could have trusted us. You didn’t. I’m with Ryder on this, I don’t trust you and I don’t want you with us.”

“I’m with you guys,” Ryan added.

With a heavy heart, Mark looked to Scott, certain he’d side with his brother. The big shifter blew out a noisy breath. “I’m on the fence. I don’t trust you either, but if you can get close to that fucker and take him out then I think it’s worth a shot. I just want them back.”

All eyes turned on Jason, the only one yet to offer his opinion. He sighed loudly. “I’m so out of my mind with worry for them, I’m willing to take a chance on Mark. For the record, I don’t trust him, but too much time has gone by and every minute that passes increases the chance of harm to our loved ones. At this point, I’m willing to try anything.”

Mark looked between Wayne and Ryder as he pled his case. “Please, just trust me one last time. As soon as everyone is safe, I’ll willingly go to prison, but I need to fix this. If you really question my loyalty to you over the years, fine, but please trust that I love my mate as much as you do, and I’ll do anything to rescue her.”

Wayne’s head was the first to bob, closely followed by Ryder’s sharp nod. Relief slammed into Mark. Good. He needed out of this place. 

 

***

 

Barely believing her eyes, Emily emitted a horrified gasp at Naomi’s condition as Fucktard practically threw her into the cell. She took a few stumbling steps and then crumpled to the floor. He left, but not before shooting a nasty remark at Nathan. Emily knelt beside Naomi and placed a trembling hand on her shoulder, one of few places she didn’t see mars. Naomi’s body was covered in blood, bite marks, scratches, and surfacing bruises.

“Naomi! Oh! Are you okay?”

Surprised when Naomi shrugged off her hand, she was thoroughly shocked when her friend met her concerned eyes. Gone was the dull, lifeless look that had inhabited Naomi’s eyes since their capture. Her eyes burned with palpable fury.

“That fucker beat me for the last time,” Naomi snarled. “Em, I know I’ve been out of it but I’m better now. We have to put a stop to him before this happens to you.”

Then she looked to Ashlynn who regarded her from where she was curled on her side, her arms wrapped around her belly. Naomi’s eyes took on a softer look but still held fierce determination. “Ashlynn, I know you’re worried about your pups, but you need to fight back, too. If you die, your babies won’t survive either. All that matters is trying to get out of here and back to our mates. I know they’re looking for us. They’re doing their part. We have to do ours.”

As she slowly got to her feet, her eyes fell on Nathan in the adjacent cell. “Nathan.”

Emily cringed a little with the forcefulness of her tone. Nathan didn’t respond, his back turned to their cell, sitting cross-legged on the floor. Another pang tore through her heart at his broken posture, his head bowed so severely she could barely see it, but Naomi seemed eager to ignore his evident defeated pose.

“I know what it’s like to be scared, Nathan. What he did to you was monstrous, preying on your phobia like that, but you have to suck it up.”

Gasping, Emily stared at Naomi incredulously, hardly believing she was speaking to Nathan like that. She didn’t know how much of Nathan remained in the shell he resembled now, but doubted Naomi antagonizing him would help him. However, there appeared to be no stopping Naomi.

“He needs to be stopped. Look at what he did to you. Ashlynn’s next and then you know he’s going to target Emily. Save your sister, and your mate. Get up. Fight back.”

Tears stung Emily’s eyes as Nathan slowly rose to his feet. He turned just as languidly, his head remaining in its severely bowed position. Then he lifted his head. His eyes were haunted but Emily swore she could see a spark within them, a hint of acceptance, maybe even of anger. Naomi had too, for she continued, her voice stronger than ever.

“We can do this, we can fight back. We have to. We owe it to them to do just as much for ourselves as they’re doing for us. Maybe we can’t escape here but we have to try. Yeah, the consequences will be severe if Bossman’s shifters catch us. I’m not going to lie about that. They could put you back in that box. They could beat or rape the rest of us. But you know what? They’ll do all of that anyway, just for fun. Just because they can. So we can either sit back and take it or do something to try to get away, to prevent any of that from happening to any of us.”

Nathan dipped his head slightly. It wasn’t much movement but Emily read it as a clear acceptance of Naomi’s suggestion. When Naomi turned to her, she bit her bottom lip nervously.

“I agree with you, I do, but I’m scared. Ashlynn’s so sick and, really, what am I supposed to do to them? I can’t even shift fully.”

Naomi took Emily’s hands in hers and squeezed them encouragingly, apparently undaunted by Emily’s voiced insecurities. “You’ll do whatever it takes. If you can’t shift, then you punch, you kick, you bite. You fly into a rage and do as much damage to them as you can. I know you know how to fight, I taught you.” She smiled then, slightly, and Emily couldn’t help but smile back. Naomi was right, she did know how to fight. It was time to stop allowing her fear of the shifters to rule her.

After delivering another quick squeeze, Naomi let go of her hands. Then her eyes moved to rest on Ashlynn a moment before repeating the sequence with Nathan. The most fiercely determined look Emily had ever seen descended on her next, and Naomi’s accompanying words solidified her resolve.

“We’re going to stop being victims.”

 

***

 

As soon as the front door closed, Hannah’s mother spun toward her with a hateful glare upon her face. Hannah had known it was coming. All through her father’s funeral service she’d felt the animosity from her mother, even as she’d been sandwiched between Dustin and Zack. Whenever her mother wasn’t weeping, Hannah had physically felt her wrath, especially the harsh stares she’d unleashed.

“You’re a disgrace to this family,” her mother hissed as she pushed Zack out of her way to stand directly in front of Hannah. “While we laid your father to rest, you allowed SASS to snoop through his home, through his things. His personal things! How could you?”

SASS agents were still in the house, going through everything. They’d expanded their search from her father’s office to the entire house. While conscious to not leave a mess, it was intrusive and it bothered Hannah, too. However, she stuck to her initial decision to help SASS in any way she could. To her, the invasion of the family’s privacy was a small price to pay to get Ashlynn, Nathan, and the others back. Her mother felt differently and only respect kept Hannah from retaliating verbally.

“You’re a disgusting shifter,” her mother spat. She eyed the supportive hand Dustin placed on Hannah’s shoulder and then sneered nastily as her eyes fell upon Hannah again. “Do you not care about anything but your mates now? Yes, Hannah, you’re mated. Big deal. Most of us are. We still have loyalty to our family and our packs though. It’s time you left. I don’t want you in this house a moment longer. Thank the Universe your brothers aren’t like you!”

“Mom,” Keegan said softly, “please calm down. I know you’re upset, we all are, but don’t blame Hannah for everything. She’s only doing what she needs to do.”

Her mother’s hateful glare shot to Keegan, and her eyes narrowed. “Whose side are you on?”

“There aren’t sides here,” Zack said with more restraint than Hannah would have thought possible considering how out of control her mother was. “You’re upset, you’re grieving your mate. We all understand what you’re going through but taking out your frustrations on Hannah isn’t fair. She’s grieving too.”

“Is she?” Her mother turned on her heel to face Zack, and scowled. “It seems to me she’s too busy playing house with you and your brother to be concerned with anything else, including her father’s funeral. Keegan and Taylor planned the service. Where was she? Wrapping her lips around your dick while her brothers did her Alpha duty?”

“That’s enough,” Dustin snapped. “I can only imagine how hard it is to lose a mate, but you’re being purposely cruel and there’s no need for it. Back off.”

“Or what?” her mother challenged. “What will you do? Toss me out of my own home?” She looked back to Hannah. “Is that your new plan? Move your mates in here and kick me and your brothers out? Becoming Alpha has gone to your head. You’ll never be half the Alpha your father was.”

“That’s it!” His face pinched with observable fury, Dustin grasped her hand. “Let’s go. You don’t deserve this, and we need to go before I lose it.”

Hannah thought he might just unload on her mother soon. Sure, her mother would deserve it, but she wouldn’t see it happen. Grief did awful things to shifters and she understood that. She also knew she didn’t have to endure it any longer though, and squeezed Dustin’s hand. She longed to set her mother straight, to tell her she never wanted to be Alpha and wasn’t happy being one now. It would feel great to inform her mother that her father obviously wasn’t a good Alpha. He was the disgrace, not her. It took resolve to keep quiet but she did.

Taking Zack’s hand in her free one, she then followed Dustin out the door, squeezing her mates’ hands, silently thanking them for their support and their restraint when it came to her mother. After they’d crossed the threshold, her mother delivered a parting shot.

“Don’t come back. You and your mangy mates aren’t welcome here.”

The door slammed and Hannah stopped dead in her tracks, in the middle of the staircase, causing Zack to bang into her. At the pull on his hand, Dustin looked back to her with concern.

“Hannah?”

“What am I doing?” she questioned.

As Zack drew up beside her, Dustin cocked his head questioningly. She’d confused them, she knew she had and, at the rise of tears in her eyes, she felt their energy change. During the funeral service, her sorrow had hurt them, and right now her indecisiveness effected them.

“You’re leaving your mother’s house while she’s being hurtful. It’s the right thing to do,” Dustin told her resolutely.

“No, I mean, what am I doing? I can’t be Alpha.”

Her mates exchanged a knowing glance before Zack placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “You are Alpha, Hannah. I know you didn’t want it, but you are your pack’s Alpha. You can do it. Dustin and I already told you we’ll do anything we can to help you.”

“I know but that’s just it. I don’t need help. I need someone else to be Alpha. I’m not equipped for it, and I don’t want the responsibility.” She blew a deep breath through her nostrils. “I’m going to step down. Keegan will be Alpha. He’ll be better at it.”

“He’s, like, what, twenty-four?” Zack asked.

His tone made it sound like an accusation, and she frowned. “So? He’s capable, you know, and smart. Same as Taylor, and Taylor will help him.”

Zack held up his hands. “I didn’t mean to imply he wasn’t capable, only that he’s young. Besides, you’re firstborn. It’s your birthright to be Alpha.”

“I don’t want it!” she shrieked, far louder than she’d intended.

Zack stepped back, now two steps above her. His face was stony. She wasn’t sure if he was pissed at her outburst or merely thrown off by it and didn’t care. This was bullshit. Being Alpha was horrible, and her own mother was mad at her because of it. How the hell had her father done it for so long? At the feel of Dustin’s hand on the small of her back, she turned to him.

“It’s okay,” he said gently, “you’re overwhelmed right now. It’s too much to have thrust on you all at once. Just breathe. We’ll help you figure out what to do, and we’ll support any decision you make.” His sightline shot to his brother. “Right, Zack?” he questioned harshly.

It was clear he disapproved of Zack’s insistence on her remaining Alpha due to birthright. While greatly comforted that Dustin understood her feelings on the matter, she wouldn’t see him argue with Zack over it. Their bond was one of the most beautiful she’d ever witnessed and she refused to come between them. There were enough wounded feelings and battered relationships in her family. She wouldn’t be the cause of any in theirs.

She forced a small smile for Dustin. “Thank you.” Holding the smile, she glanced at Zack. “You, too.” Then she sighed deeply as her eyes moved back to Dustin, still feeling more connected to him. At the intense devotion in his eyes, tears stung hers. “I just want to go back to the B&B. I need to be with you two and away from here.”

Wordlessly, Dustin slipped an arm around her shoulders and then guided her to the car, Zack trailing slightly behind them. She wasn’t surprised when Dustin then slid into the backseat with her while Zack drove. As she laid her head on Dustin’s shoulder, she vowed to bottle up her insecurities before they caused a rift between her mates. It wasn’t healthy for her to do so, and it wouldn’t help solve her problems, but her mates’ happiness meant more to her than her own.

 

***

 

Grateful that Ryan was driving, Scott sighed loudly and heard the dismayed click of his father’s tongue. He was conversing with his father on the phone, and the Alpha was furious over Scott’s announcement that he and Ryan were on their way to rescue Emily, Nathan, and Ashlynn.

“I understand your concerns, but Ryan and I have to do this. We have to do everything we can to get them back.”

“But to put yourselves in such danger isn’t necessary,” his father countered. “SASS is trained for such things, you two aren’t. Please, just let Ryder, Wayne, and Jason handle this. Come home. Your mother had been through enough. Don’t put this worry on her.”

Closing his eyes against his father’s emotional blackmail, he rubbed his forehead with his free hand. Bringing Mom into this was unfair. He knew how devastated his mother was as he’d had a similar conversation with her before he and Ryan left for Saskatoon. There hadn’t been any danger to that trip and yet she’d begged them not to go. Worrying her was cruel, both he and Ryan knew it, but they had to do this. Ryan was as sick as he was of sitting around waiting for word. Now that they knew where the pack was holding their mate, brother, and sister, they had to be involved. His heart ached relentlessly since their kidnapping. He’d give his life just to see Emily’s face again, so shouldn’t he do everything he could to facilitate her rescue?

“Dad, please. We have to do this.”

“No, you don’t. I already have two missing pups. I don’t want you and your brother to endanger yourselves like this. Let the others handle it and come home. You know they’ll call with news as soon as they can.” When he didn’t reply, his father’s voice took on an added urgency as he spoke again. “I don’t want to argue about this but you being so reckless is a pack issue as well. You’re next Alpha. Behaving in this manner is foolish. I know you’re worried, I do. We all are.”

“I know, I get that, but just try to see this from my standpoint. We know where they are, we’re already on the way there. Jason, Ryder, Wayne, and their men are going in there, not us. We just want to be there when they rescue them. Try to understand that.”

“I do understand that, but you and Ryan could still be in danger just being there. Scott, please, don’t make me pull the Alpha card here and order you to come home. Do it on your own. I don’t want to issue a command to do so.”

“Then don’t,” Scott snapped. He’d tried to explain why he and Ryan needed to be there but the Alpha wasn’t listening. While his temper had been getting better since Emily had come into his life, it had been building ever since her kidnapping. It was miraculous he hadn’t exploded before now. Still, he didn’t want to upset his father any further and reigned in his wolf before he said anything harsher. “We’ll call when it’s over. Bye.”

He disconnected the call and then shut his phone off. Seeing the turn of Ryan’s head, he looked to his brother and the pair locked eyes for an instant before Ryan’s view returned to the road before them. In the quick exchange, he saw everything he felt reflected back at him.

“Dad has a point,” Ryan said flatly. Undoubtedly, his shifter ears had heard every word, even as Scott hadn’t put the call on speaker. “We could still be in danger and you are next in line for Alpha. Maybe you should go home.”

“Fuck you,” Scott snarled. “Don’t you dare start that shit up, too. There’s no fucking way I’m backing down. You’re going and so am I. To fuck with being the next Alpha, who gives a shit? All that matters is getting them back and that’s what we’re going to do.”

Ryan didn’t reply but Scott caught the tiny upturn at the corner of his mouth. “And what’s so fucking funny about what I just said?” he demanded gruffly.

“Nothing,” Ryan replied. “It’s just I’m amazed you stayed calm for as long as you did.” A moment passed in silence, with Scott staring at Ryan whose eyes remained glued to the snow-covered highway. He knew Ryan had more to say and impatiently waited to hear it, hoping it wouldn’t piss him off further. Ryan shot him a quick sideways glance before he spoke again. “You’ve changed, you know, since Em’s been with us.”

“I think we all have.”

“Sure, but not as much as you. She’s softened you.”

It was his turn to glance sideways at his brother, only his look was accompanied by narrowed eyes. Ryan caught it out of the corner of his eye and waved a hand.

“Don’t get your panties in a bunch. I’m not calling you soft. I said she softened you. Tempered you. Made you less of an asshole.”

“Thanks,” he shot back sardonically.

“I don’t say it much but you know I love you. You are an asshole though, and you know that, too. What I’m trying to say is she changed you in a good way. You’re not angry all the time like you used to be. It’s certainly easier to work with you now.” He sighed slightly. “Not that we’ve been working much lately, or doing much of anything, really.”

Ryan wasn’t complaining about not working. Like Scott, he’d been too worried to even think about opening the bakery. The pair had also been so lost in their concerns for Emily, Ashlynn, and Nathan that they hadn’t even spoken to each other much. Realizing how much he’d missed spending time with Ryan, Scott clamped a hand on his shoulder. Yeah, they’d been fucked up but Ryan had spent time with their parents and with Zack and Dustin. Scott hadn’t. After ensuring his mother was okay, he’d wrapped himself in a self-pity bubble and hadn’t let anyone in, not even his family. He was an asshole.

“Listen, I’m sorry I’ve been so cut-off, it wasn’t right and, yeah, I’m an asshole. I do know it. But I shouldn’t have shut you out. We should’ve been there for each other. We’re both going through this. I guess ... I don’t know, I guess Emily binds us, but it’s not just that. We’ve always been close. I don’t know why I’ve been the way I have.”

“Because you’re not complete without her. Same as me.” Ryan blew out a harsh breath. “Do you want to hear the craziest thing? We’re out of our minds with worry, right? I mean, of course we are. Just thinking about what might have happened to them, fuck, I haven’t slept much, and the nightmares ...” Scott felt the slight tremble under his hand and felt worse about ignoring Ryan. “But the fucked-up part is I actually envy Nathan. I mean, I know they’re all going through hell, but at least they’re together. At least he and Em have each other.” He shook his head. “Told you it was fucked up.”

“Yeah, but I get it.” Scott squeezed Ryan’s shoulder before letting go. “This has been a messed up time but we’re going to get them back.” He looked out his window to the passing scenery.

“Are we?”

His head whipped back to see Ryan’s tear-filled eyes. “Fuck, I hate saying that but, well, nobody’s talking about it but they might not still be alive. Especially Nathan,” his brother added. “They have no use for men. And what if Emily fights back?” He sniffled. “Fuck. I don’t want to think it, but what if we get there and they’re dead?”

“No. They’re alive. We’d know if they weren’t.”

“How?” Ryan asked, barely above a whisper.

“With our bond to Emily we’d feel it, we’d know. And Nathan is our littermate, so again, we’d know it. We’d feel it.”

After wiping at his leaking eyes, Ryan focused on the road again and nodded slightly. Scott didn’t think his brother believed his words but didn’t push him. Hell, he didn’t quite believe his words either. He couldn’t count how many times he’d begged the Universe to protect his mate and siblings. So many times, he’d tossed the same concerns Ryan had just brought up around and around in his mind and each time he’d try to convince himself that if one of them had died, he’d know. Could he though, really? Was that just his frazzled mind trying to convince him that this horrible situation would have a happy outcome? That somehow he was entitled to that happiness, that it wasn’t fair to lose his loved ones. Well, it hadn’t been fair for Jason to lose Trina and then have Naomi taken from him. It hadn’t been fair for any of the women taken by the rogue pack or their families. What was so damn special about him that he deserved a happy ending?

As tears stung the back of his eyes, and a sharp pang tore through his heart for the hundredth time in the past few days, he again looked out the window. Maybe he wasn’t entitled to a happy ending and wouldn’t get it. Perhaps the others were all dead and he and Ryan were actually on a recovery mission and not a rescue one. It could happen. He dug his fingertips into his thighs and clenched his jaw tightly, desperate to keep the tears at bay. Losing it wouldn’t help Ryan any and certainly wouldn’t change anything. The harsh reality was they had a fifty-fifty chance of finding their mate and siblings alive. Closing his eyes against the increasing painful pressure in his chest, he once again silently begged the Universe to spare his loved ones.

 

***

 

 “I’ll be fine,” Brady assured Jess for at least the tenth time since Ryder had called him. He’d quickly donned his uniform and arranged a rendezvous point with both the Edmonton and Saskatoon teams that were providing backup. Garrett had insisted Ryder’s team wait for the backup before engaging the rogue pack and Brady, based on Ryder’s tone over the phone, wasn’t certain his commander would do so. The thought of those men being in peril had him wanting to race there himself but he had strict orders to arrive with the two SASS units.

Surrounded by thick forest, the location disclosed by Mark was close enough for Ryder and the others to drive to. Brady and the Edmonton SASS unit were to fly as close as possible, meet with the Saskatoon team, and then go to the site en masse. While not thrilled with having to leave Jess so soon after their mating, he was eager to end the rogue pack and rescue the kidnapped shifters. She, however, appeared devastated by his imminent departure.

“But it’s so dangerous,” she insisted, her eyes misting.

He had to leave, but drew closer to her and kissed her lips tenderly. She pressed against him and, as he thought each time she did, her body seemed moulded especially for his. When she trembled slightly under his arms, he tightened his hug.

“My job is dangerous,” he said softly, “and you have to get used to it. Just remember, I’m careful and I’ll do anything to return to you.”

“I know.” Her voice was barely audible, even to his sensitive ears.

“We’re together forever now,” he said as he stroked her head, his fingers gliding over her golden locks. Even in the dimness of the bedroom, her hair shone, almost as if it echoed the brightness inside her. She’d said she’d felt empty before they met and while he believed her, he couldn’t think of her as anything less than the perfection he held. His arms itched to hold her forever, his heart begged him to listen to his arms, but his mind informed him time was tight and he had a rendezvous to make. The lives of so many depended on a united strike and he had to do his part to facilitate it. He kissed the top of her head and then stepped back, sliding his hands down her arms to hold her hands.

“I promise I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“Call me when you can. I know you don’t want me to worry but I will. Maybe in time I’ll get used to this but please, this time, call me.”

“I will,” he vowed. “As soon as I can, I’ll call you.”

With a smile and a quick squeeze of her hands, he then left the bedroom, grabbing his bag as he did, and then hurried from the apartment, for if he slowed, he’d change his mind and rush pack to his mate’s arms. He expelled a resigned breath as the elevator door closed. Jess was worried but she herself had encouraged him to keep his job, to have something that was his, that, as close as they were, they shouldn’t get lost in one another as they needed to retain their individuality. As the elevator slowly descended, he acknowledged the wisdom of her advice. Leaving her still hurt like a bitch though, and he wondered if it would ever get easier.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“He’s almost there,” Ryder announced to the group behind him. Levi and Hank had driven Mark to the rogue pack’s compound with Wayne and Ryder following behind in a vehicle, Scott and Ryan behind them. Mark had explained it was a plot of secluded land willed to him and Logan years before, when their grandfather died. Upon arrival, the sight of several newly built structures on the land indicated Mark had been correct about the location. The drive had been excruciatingly long to Ryder, with too much time to think about what they might find here. Wayne had been uncharacteristically quiet but then had been since the kidnappings. Ryder supposed they should’ve talked about the mission but really, there hadn’t been much point in doing so. Wayne knew as well as he did that they could be entering a horrid situation. He only hoped the Tremblay brothers had prepared for the worst.

With Brady on the way, after rendezvousing with both the Edmonton and Saskatoon SASS units, backup was close but not close enough for Ryder. He’d wanted to wait for backup before Mark went in, but the others had outvoted him. While he shared their worry over those held by Logan, and was just as eager to end the rogue pack, Mark’s plan didn’t sit well with him. No matter how many times he attempted to convince himself it was a solid plan, he couldn’t shake the feeling that Mark was still being deceitful, and with the group of men he comprised grossly outnumbered by the pack, the situation was much too unclear for his liking. If Mark was setting them up, they’d be dead long before backup arrived.

“Do you think he’ll stick to the plan?” Ryan questioned.

“He’d better,” Scott growled in response.

Ryder listened while Hank assured the brothers that Mark had a mate in peril and wouldn’t do anything to endanger her further. That was true, but Ryder couldn’t be sure Mark would be as concerned for the other kidnapped shifters. No matter how Mark had attempted to justify his shooting of the suspect, Ryder could only see him gunning down an unarmed shifter. At this point, he couldn’t trust Mark, and put little stock in his former teammate’s word.

He glanced to his side at the sound of someone shuffling in snow and spotted Wayne crawling closer to him. Hank and the others were standing behind him, in a grove of trees, hidden from the view of anyone at the compound. Ryder was belly-down in the snow, wearing the same white camouflage as all the men present. As Wayne settled his huge frame beside Ryder’s, he sighed deeply.

“How long do we give Mark before we head in?”

Ryder paused before answering Wayne’s whispered question and, despite his mood, felt like smiling slightly at it. Wayne thought exactly the way he did. Hank had already stated that this group would trust Mark to take out Logan on his own and then move in with the SASS teams when they arrived. Wayne’s query was for Ryder’s ears only. He wanted to know at what point he and Ryder would disregard Hank’s plan and act on their own, that of storming in, shooting any rogue shifter they spotted, and rescuing the captives, to hell with waiting for back-up. All they wanted was to recover the others safely. After that, neither cared whether the rogue shifters ended up as prisoners or corpses. While disregarding protocol would undoubtedly result in their dismissal from SASS, that wasn’t what caused Ryder’s hesitancy. They’d already planned to leave the service so even if his pension was at sake, he really couldn’t care less. No, his reluctance lay in an undeniable truth. Wayne and Ryder had inherently devised the same plan. Therefore, so would Mark. If he was setting them up, they’d storm into an ambush, die, and Logan and Mark would escape with their captives.

“We don’t,” he lowly responded. “We can’t trust that Mark won’t serve us up. We have to wait for backup.”

He felt Wayne tense beside him but the big shifter didn’t say anything. Ryder knew how hard it was to wait but saw little choice. If he and Wayne died in vain, it wouldn’t help Ashlynn.

Through his binoculars, he watched Mark move closer to the compound’s gates. A small group of armed men rushed out of a building and toward Mark.

“He’s at the gates,” Ryder announced to the group. “Five armed men just engaged him.”

Mark held up his hands and spoke to one of the men. The shifter nodded to another who opened the gate. The small group then led Mark into the compound and locked the gate behind them.

“Okay, he’s in,” Ryder informed the others. There was nothing more to do but wait. While Ryder had hoped that his observation of Mark would yield some clue as to where Mark’s mind was at, it hadn’t panned out. He was still uncertain if Mark was on their side or not, but could do little about it now. Mark would either follow the plan, kill Logan and help rescue the others, or betray them, side with Logan, and inform his brother of the imminent arrival of SASS. Hoping that Mark’s status as Ashlynn’s mate and his years of being close to Ryder and Wayne accounted for something, Ryder could do nothing more than watch until Mark was led into a building, and out of his sight.

 

***

 

At the sound of the door opening, Emily moved closer to Ashlynn, waiting to shield her if something went down. She, Nathan, Ashlynn, and Naomi had agreed to attack if an opportunity presented itself, but she still feared for Ashlynn. Her sister-in-law had become paler by the hour and she was certain Ashlynn was seriously ill.

Fucktard and two other shifters entered the room. As he stood back, the other two passed Nathan’s cell to draw closer to the women. One of them glanced at Nathan.

“Hey pussy, pissed yourself lately?”

The second shifter joined the first in laughter. Emily scowled and fur rose on her arms and shoulders. Assholes. She’d had enough of them, especially Fucktard, and just wanted it all to end. If only she could shift when close to one of those bastards. She’d tear them to bits. She could practically feel flesh ripping under her claws, hot blood filling her mouth as her fangs sank into a throat. A pain tore through her and she heard Nathan’s gasp as her back bowed and wolf paws rested on the floor. Her wolf paws. She’d shifted.

She shook out her coat, feeling itchy with all the fur that had sprouted instantaneously, and then took a tentative step, certain she’d feel awkward on four legs. That wasn’t the case, in fact she felt great, strong, agile, and in control. Her wolf-form felt natural. Oblivious to her shift, still laughing with his eyes locked on Nathan, the shifter who’d spoken grasped a bar of the cell and, holding keys, reached for the lock. His taunts echoed in her ears. Along with Fucktard, he’d been one of the worst for mocking Nathan. Growling, she leapt.

She heard his surprised yelp as her teeth closed around his hand and she bit down as she thrust her forepaws through the bars to scratch him. At the feel of steel against her teeth, she reared her head back, and her chest crashed against a bar as her legs shot through the bars when the shifter fell back. He screamed as he clutched his mangled hand against his chest. Snarling loudly, she surveyed the damage she’d done. His hand appeared pulverized, and long, deep scratches covered his chest and abdomen. Naomi joined her and, as her friend reached through the bars to pick up the keyring the shifter had dropped, Emily snapped at the second shifter’s hand as he too reached for them.

“Fuck!” he exclaimed as he jumped back and looked to Fucktard.

“For shit’s sake,” Fucktard boomed as he stomped toward them, raising the Taser in his hand. As he fished his own keyring out of his pocket, he glared at the second shifter. “Get ready.” Then his hateful stare settled on Emily. “I’m going to toast your ass, bitch.”

She snarled, exposing her fangs. Black fur surfaced on Fucktard’s cheeks, neck, and hands. “You’re going to be licking your wounds for a week,” he promised chillingly, his voice deeper than normal. She thought she’d glimpsed fangs in his mouth when he spoke. He was close to shifting but she couldn’t care less. Let him shock her with the Taser. With the adrenaline rushing through her, she knew it wouldn’t stop her.

After taking a few steps back, she stood before Ashlynn protectively, and then coiled her muscles, ready to spring when she needed to. Her peripheral vision caught Naomi, keys in hand, moving away from her. She knew the plan, to cause the men to separate, and she waited for her chance to strike, eager to taste the blood she’d soon spill.

“Stop moving cunt,” Fucktard snarled at Naomi, undoubtedly reading her intentions.

Naomi ignored him and continued slowly moving sideways. Closer to her than to Emily, Fucktard grunted angrily as he held the Taser out and rushed her. The shifter before Emily narrowed his eyes as fur rose on his forearms. She leapt, eager to reach him before he shifted. He caught her and shoved an elbow under her chin, trying to keep her jaws at bay. Her forward momentum knocked him back and, lacking free arms to break his fall, he landed heavily, his head connecting with the floor with a loud smack. He released a soft oof as she heard breath rush from him and his tight hold on her loosened. In an instant, she closed her open jaws over his throat and bit down as hard as she could. He struggled, his fists pummeling her sides. It hurt but not nearly as much as if she’d been in human-form and she shook her head angrily. Blood sprayed in all directions and he stopped moving.

Cautiously, she released him and stepped back to observe him. He stared upward vacantly as blood continued to flow from his torn throat. Realizing she could smell the death that clung to him, she also registered she couldn’t hear his heart but could detect the heartbeats of everyone else around her. Hearing the two escalated beats to her side, she turned to see Naomi struggling with Fucktard, attempting to hold the hand brandishing the Taser away from her. She surged forward but stopped herself, knowing Naomi needed to face Fucktard on her own.

Naomi head-butt him hard as her knee came up and connected with his groin. He gasped in evident pain as he doubled up and Naomi delivered another head-butt. As he stumbled back, he shifted. Before Emily could worry, Naomi instantly attained her wolf-form and leapt at Fucktard as he rushed her. They collided with a furious snapping of their jaws, and Fucktard’s heavier weight knocked Naomi back. She twisted to avoid his bite and bit into his shoulder then shook her head wildly, tearing a gaping wound. He snarled and wrenched away from her, blood flowing from the injury Naomi had inflicted. It was severe, Fucktard’s coat torn open to reveal flesh, and the sight turned Emily’s stomach. The scent of blood however invigorated her, filling her with a desire to bite again. She tensed her body, ready to enter the fray if Naomi needed her help.

Fucktard growled menacingly as he faced Naomi, the pair slowly circling one another, hackles raised. It was as if Emily was watching a wildlife documentary, surreally taking place in a prison cell. As the two snarled viciously, Emily knew they’d attack again. They did, in unison, their bodies colliding. This time Naomi bore the weight of Fucktard, as the pair fought on their hind legs, their upper bodies locked in battle, wide-eyed, their jaws snapping at one another. Naomi got a hold on Fucktard’s throat and he yelped before snarling again, his lips pulled back so severely Emily could see all his pointy teeth. He struggled mightily but seemed unable to break Naomi’s hold. His eyes widened further, and Emily could see the fear in them. She could also smell it, fetid and welcoming at once, inviting her to attack him, too.  

While it took restraint to merely watch, she held her place, for it was Naomi’s battle to finish. With a sharp yip, Fucktard fell back, Naomi atop him. Emily still couldn’t see Naomi’s face nor witness the damage she inflicted, but it was apparent her friend had a deadly hold on Fucktard. His struggling lost its vigour and he whined softly. Naomi’s growls continued as she straddled him, the shake of her head intensifying. With a barely audible yelp, Fucktard’s eyes closed.

A shocked gasp had Emily spinning to see the first shifter she bit staring at Fucktard’s body, still holding his crushed and bleeding hand against his chest. When she growled, his sightline moved to her. He looked terrified before he turned and ran, and the thought she’d scared him called to some primal place within her. Without thinking about it, she rushed him, eager to bring him down. He didn’t come close to making it to the door before she rammed him mightily, her head connecting with the back of his thighs to send him sprawling. He cried out when he landed belly-down on the floor, pinning his injured hand under his body. As her jaws closed over the back of his neck, she thought of nothing, filled only with the desire to spill his blood. Her hard bite resulted in blood filling her mouth. Hot and aromatic, it spurred her to shake her head, tearing the wound brutally. As blood drenched her coat, she bit down again and felt bones splinter in her jaws. Only the smell of death caused her to release the man, knowing she’d killed him. The knowledge had zero effect on her. It needed to be done, end of story.

Turning back to the others, her wolf-eyes perused the carnage. Fucktard had reverted to human-form upon his death. Naomi dipped her head and wagged her tail, relating the message she was unharmed. Ashlynn’s expression seemed a combination of awe and worry. Emily’s eyes fell on Nathan to take in his shocked look.

“Emmy. Are you okay? Are you hurt?” Figuring the amount of blood on her prevented Nathan from visually determining her welfare, she shook her head. He released a relieved sigh. “Great. Okay, you and Naomi stay in wolf-form. I’m going to remain in human-form to help Ashlynn. I’ll shift if I need to.”

He turned to address his sister in the adjoining cell. “Can you unlock my cell or should they shift back?”

“No, I can do it,” Ashlynn assured him.

A few moments later, the small group stood together. Nathan, after carefully scrutinizing Naomi and Emily for injuries, looked to Ashlynn. “I’m going to carry you. You don’t look well.”

“I can walk. Carrying me will slow you down if you need to shift quickly. I can do it.”

He didn’t look convinced but nodded nonetheless. “Okay, let’s get out of this damn place.”

 

***

 

Taking in the first sight of his brother in years, Mark fought not to react outwardly. He had to calm his racing heart before Logan detected it, for his brother already wore a condemning look. Logan had changed, dramatically, and Mark knew he wouldn’t believe his story. Discretely, he sucked in a deep breath and willed his body to quiet as he approached Logan. His brother stood in the middle of a room devoid of furnishings save one single chair. Undoubtedly an interrogation room, it unnerved Mark as much as the unsettled look in Logan’s eyes. Logan dipped his head toward the door and the two shifters who’d led Mark into the room left and closed the door. Then those disturbed eyes fell on him. 

“This story should be entertaining,” Logan began, his voice deep and threatening, “considering you’re supposed to be in custody.”

Hardly surprised Logan had dispensed with small talk, Mark shrugged as nonchalantly as he could. “I’m sure you figured out I cut a deal with SASS, just as you’ve figured out why I’m here. I’m supposed to come in here and convince you that I’m on your side, and get you to drop your guard so SASS can swoop in here. I don’t care about that, or even the captives here, aside from Ashlynn. SASS will raid soon, so you have to get out, now, as quickly as you can. There are only a few agents outside but two units are coming as backup. When they arrive, they’ll all storm this place.”

Logan audibly blew out a breath. “And you’re telling me this in exchange for your mate I suppose.”

“Yes. She’s all I want. I don’t give a fuck about the rest.”

“Bullshit. You’ve been a SASS agent for years. As I see it, all of this is a ruse. Everything, from the day you contacted me offering me inside information from SASS. You’ve been a plant from day one. You never wanted to join SASS in the past and suddenly not only were you an agent, but a disgruntled one, willing to provide me with information. It’s smart, I’ll give you that, but I don’t buy it.”

“You’re wrong, but I don’t care if you don’t believe me. I joined SASS to put an end to you, I admit that. What I told you when I contacted you was the truth. After what I’ve seen, how SASS runs shit, how the Alliance does, I’m done. If the Alliance has their way, we’ll all be halflings in another few generations.” He spread his arms slightly, consciously trying to present an open posture. “I still don’t believe wholeheartedly in what you’re doing and I don’t approve of how you’re doing it. Seriously, though, I just don’t care. I’m done. With the Alliance, SASS, and you. I just want Ashlynn.”

“And I’m supposed to take you at your word? You’ve betrayed SASS. Why should I trust you?”

“You probably shouldn’t, just like I don’t trust you. Look, I was going to work with you from inside SASS. You’re my brother and, again, I don’t believe in what you’re doing but I still don’t want to see you executed for it. Then Dan made me in front of the others and that ruined my career. I’ve already been in jail and I’m not eager to go back. I convinced them to let me infiltrate your camp as I’m your brother and could get close to you. They jumped at it and think I’m going to take you out and that way, they’ll have an easier time with your shifters. All I want is my mate. She’s carrying my pups. I want to live in the wild with her and our pups, away from all of this.”

Logan’s eyes narrowed slightly. He wasn’t buying the story. Mark sighed as he crossed his arms. “Look. You’re not mated, you don’t understand. All I want is to be with her. That’s all. The rest of this is meaningless to me. Be the king of your castle, I don’t care. Just give me Ashlynn.”

Logan walked a few steps to the window and turned his back to look out it. Mark couldn’t ascertain his mood, and waited. When his brother turned back to face him, his expression had softened. He resembled the old Logan, the one Mark had once loved. “What about Emily? You didn’t ask about her.”

“That’s because I don’t know her. But I do know you won’t hurt her and that’s the extent of my caring for her.”

Taking a step forward, Logan spread his arms. “Join me. Be my brother again. Together we can build the strongest wolf pack that ever existed. You can help facilitate a new dawn for our species, build a better future for all of us.”

Mark shook his head at his brother’s obvious test. Sharing power had never been his thing. “No. That was your dream, not mine. I gave you the heads up on SASS coming, give me Ashlynn, and we’ll call it even.”

Logan’s shoulders hitched up and he sighed deeply. “Fine, you can have her. I’ll get away with as many woman as I can and start over again. You know, I really wish you hadn’t killed Dan. He was my lieutenant. I could have used him right now.”

Remaining quiet, Mark watched his brother carefully. He appeared to have let his guard down, as, while not quite defeated, he looked accepting of the situation. He snatched a walkie-talkie from the windowsill and spoke into it.

“Gord. Get half of the girls into the truck and get them out of here. John can drive them to the location we discussed. Don’t forget Naomi and Emily. I’ll take care of the Tremblay woman myself. Kill her brother. SASS is arriving soon so get the men ready.”

After he’d received a concurring response, Logan tossed the walkie on the floor and then met Mark’s eyes again as his hands rested on his hips. “Last chance. You’re sure you won’t join me? Have a family reunion with Emily?”

“I’m sure.”

“Yeah, I thought you’d say that.”

Before Mark could react, Logan’s hand snaked around his back and returned holding a gun. A shot sounded as pain ripped through Mark’s shoulder, spinning him. He hit the floor hard but jumped up in a flash, snarling as he shifted. Tensing his wolf legs, he then leapt at his brother who shifted in response.

 

***

 

Shocked by both Emily’s shift and her brutal killing of two shifters, Nathan held Ashlynn tightly as the quartet made their way through the building. He’d heard a single distant shot a moment ago and wondered if SASS had found them but couldn’t see any signs the rogue pack was under attack. As he looked around warily, he tightened his hold on Ashlynn, not liking how pale she was or how heavily she leaned on him. She didn’t smell right either, and he was certain she was sicker than she admitted to. Following Emily and Naomi, both still in wolf-form, he hoped a rescue team had arrived. Ashlynn needed medical assistance and he didn’t want to see Emily engaged in any further altercations.

The pair rounded a corner and snarled in unison, as hackles rose on both. He cautiously brought Ashlynn around the corner to see three shifters facing them, appearing shocked at their presence. Gently, he eased Ashlynn into a sitting position against the wall as he heard a shifter speak.

“What the fuck? Get back to your cells, now!”

Turning back, he saw the shifter begin to draw a gun from a holster at his side but then apparently thought better of it. Undoubtedly, the pack had strict orders to not kill the captives unless absolutely necessarily. That was an advantage to his small group and he intended to exploit it. These shifters would hesitate to kill him, Emily, Ashlynn, and Naomi, but he wouldn’t hesitate to end them if he could. Knowing Emily and Naomi felt the same way, he shifted and joined his mate and her friend, sliding in between the pair, brushing past Emily. The brief contact warmed his frightened heart. It was their first touch in wolf-form and he savoured the feel of her furry body beside his.

The three rogue shifters scrambled to rid themselves of their weapons and Nathan surged forward to attack before they could shift. Blurred movement in his peripheral vision told him Naomi and Emily had followed his lead and the three descended on the trio of shifters. A shot sounded and, as he leapt upon the shifter who’d spoken, he hoped the bullet had gone astray. He hadn’t heard a yelp and both women had attacked their targets so that seemed likely.

His ears filled with many snarls, he bit into the throat of the shifter beneath him, feeling the swell of the man’s flesh. He was shifting but as blood filled Nathan’s mouth, he felt the shifter’s neck return to human size. Fists beat against his sides but they had no effect on him. He shook his head violently, keeping his jaws clenched tightly, to tear the shifter’s throat. Blood rained on his coat and the shifter stopped moving.

As he pulled back, he looked to his side to see Emily repeating his motions. Undoubtedly instinct had set in when she shifted to wolf for she moved like a born-shifter. He turned to see Naomi had already killed the shifter she’d attacked. Emily finished off the shifter and then butt her head against Nathan’s. He whined softly and she returned the sentiment. They were capable of fighting and would continue to do so. Ashlynn joined them and placed a trembling hand on his back.

“Go,” she coaxed. “I’ll follow. It’s safer for you to remain as wolf.”

Trusting she was strong enough to do so, he began to walk slowly, sandwiched between Emily and Naomi, with Ashlynn close behind him. It was safest to proceed as wolf, able to attack quickly, stronger and more agile in wolf-form. He could only imagine Ashlynn believed she wasn’t capable of shifting and his heart sank. She was definitely more ill than he’d thought at first. He wanted to shift back and carry her, but Naomi’s words ran through his head. They had to get out of this building. It was the only way Ashlynn would get the help she needed and so he continued, training his ears on Ashlynn’s shallow breathing as he cautiously darted his eyes around, looking for dangers. He’d do anything he could to ensure the women with him made it out of the building safely.

 

***

 

Rejoicing in the blood trickling from the gunshot wound in Mark’s shoulder, Logan targeted his brother’s foreleg. Moving much faster than the obviously shocked Mark, he clamped his jaw on the leg, just above the ankle. Biting down viciously, splintered bones poked his palate, tongue and gums but the pained howl Mark issued was well worth it. He released his hold and Mark pulled away from him. Taking several steps back as he evaluated the injury he inflicted, Logan revelled in how Mark struggled to balance his weight on three legs, as he held his ravaged foreleg tight to his body. His paw dangled uselessly and Logan didn’t think he’d seen a sweeter sight. There was no time to gloat though. The only part of Mark’s story he believed was that SASS’s arrival was imminent.

Lowering his head, he charged Mark, rammed his head forcibly into his brother’s side and slammed him against a wall. As Mark slumped to the floor, he shifted. Hearing a heartbeat, Logan knew Mark was still alive, just unconscious. He debated finishing his brother off and then decided against it. Dying while knocked out was too good a death for him, betraying asshole that he was. It was better to leave him for SASS to deal with. He’d undoubtedly be executed for his deceit and would have plenty of time before the execution to pine for Ashlynn who Logan intended to take with him.

Satisfied with the death he foresaw for Mark, Logan ran from the room. While intent to take Ashlynn with him, he had to ensure Naomi and Emily were also among the females being loaded into vehicles.

 

***

 

Ryder kept a wary eye out as Wayne snipped the chain link fence that ran around the compound. He itched to shift and tear into any rogue shifter he spotted but kept his wolf in check. Thanks to Hank, his newfound determination had him ultra-focused, and filled with confidence to handle anything Logan and the rogue shifters threw his way. While Hank had facilitated his present mood, it hadn’t occurred with his acceptance of Ashlynn’s possible death. He hadn’t told Hank but that was the one thing he hadn’t accepted. His raging last night had released the emotions he shouldn’t have pent up but he refused to believe he’d already lost Ashlynn and the pups. They were safe. He merely needed to get to them.

After passing through the hole Wayne had made, the small team of Hank, Levi, Wayne, and Ryder crept stealthily across the yard leading to the door Ryder had seen Mark enter. Believing backup would arrive momentarily, they’d collectively decided on this pre-emptive strike, much to Ryder’s surprise. He’d been certain Hank would stick to his guns about waiting for backup before broaching the compound, but a short, private discussion between Hank and Levi had resulted in the decision to move in now. There were several vehicles in the space, providing some cover and, close to a truck, the four ducked behind it when gunfire rang out. Ryder felt a tap on his shoulder as he saw Hank tap Wayne’s shoulder. He and Wayne moved to one side of the truck as Levi and Hank repeated their motions on the other side. The two pairs took turns returning fire but to no avail. They were pinned.

The shots came from a concrete barricade to the side of the door. Small holes had been cut into it, just large enough for a gun barrel and a sightline, resulting in an almost impossible target to hit from the distance Ryder’s team remained from it. Still, they had to take out those snipers somehow.

Ryder looked to Wayne and watched his friend’s apprehensive look darken. “Don’t do it,” Wayne cautioned.

Seeing little choice, Ryder had already decided to embark on a move so dangerous Hank would undoubtedly tag it a suicide mission. While not accepting the possibility of Ashlynn’s death, Ryder had accepted his own. It seemed to him a small price to pay to rescue his mate and pups. With Mark’s role still unclear, leaving Wayne as Ashlynn’s sole mate suited Ryder just fine.

“Cover me,” he yelled loudly enough for Hank and Levi to hear and then surged forward, leaving the cover of the truck. Running as quickly as he could to a car about halfway between the truck and the barrier, dirt kicked up behind his heels, undoubtedly caused by bullets meant for him, as the air filled with the sound of shots. Diving behind the car, he breathed a sigh of relief. Some of those shots had been close, but he’d made it. At least to the car.

Taking a moment to catch his breath as the gunfire continued, he cautiously peered over the car’s hood, being careful to keep his torso in line with the car’s engine. The wheel provided questionable protection but a bullet to the leg probably wouldn’t kill him. At an approximate forty-five degree angle to the barrier, he quickly calculated how far he’d have to run to ensure the snipers behind the barrier couldn’t target him without leaving the safety of it. This was the riskiest part of his plan. If he wasn’t fast enough, or misjudged the angle, he’d certainly die. He sucked in a deep breath and crept to the backside of the car, hoping the rogue shifters didn’t notice his movement and believed he remained at the safer front end. It was his only hope to pull off his next move.

Breaking cover, he ran as fast as he could, focused on nothing but the location he’d determined was a blind spot to the rogue shifters. A bullet whizzed by his head, close enough to raise hairs on the nape of his neck but he maintained his speed. When certain he’d cleared the firing line of the shifters, he spun to see three of them crouched behind the barrier. Drawing his pistol, he took aim. As one sensed his presence and turned to him, he picked the shifter off with a head shot. Quickly shooting the second in the head and the third in the throat, he paused, ensuring they were neutralized.

As Wayne, Hank, and Levi joined him, Hank shot him a condemning look that had zero effect on him. Sure, he’d been reckless, but the snipers were eliminated. As the quartet stole into the building, Ryder gave himself a mental pat on the back. He’d taken out the shifters with an accuracy that would’ve put Brady to shame.

 

***

 

Much time had gone by since Scott had watched Ryder’s heroics through binoculars. His agitation was shared by Ryan who paced beside him. Although under strict orders to remain where they were until they received word it was safe to approach the building, he’d had enough. Ryan and he weren’t in SASS and he failed to see why they should follow orders. If they shifted, they’d be upon any threat before the rogue shifters could deduce they weren’t on their side.

Turning to Ryan, he saw his thoughts echoed on his brother’s face. Ryan, too, wanted to throw caution to the wind and be an active part of the rescue team. They both recognized how foolhardy their plan was, unarmed and lacking SASS training, but neither cared. They’d come this far and only a short distance stood between them and their endangered loved ones.

“Let’s do this.”

Ryan dipped his head in agreement and the two surged forth.

“Scott! Ryan!”

Cursing Brady’s voice, Scott stopped, as did Ryan and the pair turned back. Brady stood with a large group of shifters in SASS uniforms. Backup had arrived and Scott’s heart beat with a more hopeful rhythm.

“You’re not going in there,” Brady said sharply. “Stay here. Medical staff is arriving momentarily. We’ll access the building and bring Nathan, Emily, and the others to you.”

“No way,” Scott shot back, “we’re coming with you.”

As all the SASS agents’ eyes fell on Brady, he flushed. Scott felt some guilt for challenging him in front of his colleagues, but not much. At this point, he thought it might take all agents present to prevent him and Ryan from going in. Brady’s expression told him the young shifter resented being challenged but recognized time was wasting and arguing was futile. Brady issued orders for the agents to split into four teams to broach the building from all directions. The shifters immediately complied and, as they left, Brady turned a resigned look on Scott.

“Fine. You two are with me. We’ll follow one of the groups, but stay behind me at all times.”

Eyeing the impressive-looking rifle in Brady’s hands, Scott couldn’t argue the logic of Brady’s plan. After issuing an accepting nod of his head, he followed Brady, Ryan close behind him.

 

***

 

Clutching to Emily and Nathan, Ashlynn winced as they neared the heavy double doors they’d spotted at the end of the hallway. Sunbeams shot through the glass panes in them. All back in human-form as she required assistance to walk now, they were almost out of the building. Just a little farther and they’d be outside. They’d be free. You still need to get off this compound, or whatever it is. There could be more shifters out there, armed ones. Yeah, there could be, but she’d deal with that if it happened. They were too close to freedom for her to give up now. She felt a trickle between her legs and looked down to herself. She couldn’t see blood, nor smell any and tried to ignore the increased cramping that almost had her doubling over. Naomi had told her a heartbreaking truth. Her actions might hurt her pups but, if she died, the pups most certainly would die too. She had to do everything she could to escape. It was the only hope her pups had.

Gunfire sounded from outside the building and she knew Ryder, Wayne, and Jason had arrived with SASS units. Many rounds sounded and she could only imagine a huge battle was raging outside. The sound didn’t scare her though. She had faith her mates would make it through the firefight and her heart soared with the knowledge she’d see them soon.

Hearing Emily’s startled gasp, she jerked her head up to see a huge silver and black wolf in the hallway, its coat wet with blood. In an instant, the wolf shifted and Bossman stood before them. Bites and scratches covered him and her heart hitched. She was certain he’d fought with Mark, even as there had been no indication any of her mates were present. Bossman was different though, and not just with the events transpiring. He looked changed and she was sure Mark was the reason for it. But her mate was nowhere in sight and that could only mean one thing.

Bossman’s livid eyes rested on Naomi. “If I’m going down, I’m taking my mate with me.”

“I have a mate,” she snarled.

She shifted and growled loudly, her hackles raised. Bossman shifted and took one menacing step toward her. A blur of brown fur crashed into him and knocked him to the floor. As Ashlynn’s eyes took in Mark in wolf-form, they filled with tears. One front foreleg hung uselessly, and blood matted his fur in so many places. Obviously gravely injured, he was still trying to save her. Amid deep snarls and snapping jaws, the two wolves fought viciously. She cried out when Bossman bit into Mark’s injured leg and Mark yelped loudly. Bossman then had hold of Mark’s throat. Mark’s wolf eyes locked with hers and she knew he would die. She could only hope he’d read her eyes and the forgiveness within them. Mark wrenched out of Bossman’s jaws with an audible tearing of his flesh, and then twisted his body to take hold of his brother’s throat. He tore into it with a flash of teeth and then collapsed onto his side.

Bossman shifted, his lifeless eyes focused on nothing. He was dead. Mark shifted and emitted a strangled cry. Her knees buckled when she tried to rush to him and Nathan helped her to Mark’s side. After assisting her in kneeling beside him, Nathan placed his hands on Mark’s bleeding neck, trying to stop the flowing blood. Shakily, she reached out and pressed her palm over the bleeding gunshot wound in his shoulder. He grunted in pain as his eyes met hers.

“I’m so sorry, Ash. I never intended for you to be hurt, for any of you to be. I didn’t want any of this to happen. I tried to lie to Logan to get to you but he didn’t buy it.”

“Shh, it’s okay, just rest. I understand. Ryder and Wayne are here aren’t they?”

“Yeah.”

“Then you just need to hold on. Help is on the way.”

“It’s too late.”

His voice sounded even weaker and she panicked. “No, it isn’t. Just hang on.” She leaned down to kiss his cheek. “Please, stay with me.” She then pressed her face against his and felt him smile.

“You’re going to be a great mom to our pups.”

His words were barely audible and she heard him exhale deeply. He didn’t take another breath. Rearing her head back, she cupped his face tightly. His eyes were closed and he looked so pale.

“Mark?”

The double doors swung open and her heart leapt when she saw a group of SASS agents storm in, Ryder and Wayne with them.

“He needs help!” she screeched loudly, and then winced with the pain that ripped through her midsection.

Ryder, Wayne, and two other agents rushed to her. Nathan backed off and Wayne placed his hands over Mark’s throat as one of the other agents began chest compressions. She heard another agent call for medics as Ryder gently pulled her to her feet and embraced her.

“Oh, baby,” he gasped out breathlessly. “I’ve missed you.”

“Mark ...” Her head spun and she clutched at Ryder, certain she’d faint.

“Medics will be here in a minute. They’ll do everything they can for him.” She tried to nod but then swooned. Ryder held her tighter. “Ash? Are you okay?”

Unable to answer him, she cried out as a horrible cramp tore through her belly. She tried to cover it but couldn’t seem to move her arms. Hot prickles enveloped her and Ryder’s panicked face seem to float in her darkening vision.

“Ash? Ash, what it is?”

She thought Nathan answered Ryder but couldn’t be sure. Everything sounded so distant and muffled, as if she were underwater. The dark edges of her vision pulled in abruptly and she knew she was losing consciousness. In the instant before she could think no more, she silently begged The Universe to save Mark and her pups.

 

***

 

“Where the fuck are the medics?” Ryder bellowed loudly. He gently eased Ashlynn down to the floor, saw the blood smeared on her inner thighs, and then looked back to Nathan. The shifter had told him Ashlynn had been ill but she’d just passed out. She was more than sick, it was serious, gravely so, and he knew it.

“How long has she been like this?” he demanded loudly.

“She got sick right after we got here,” Nathan replied. His worry-filled eyes scanned his sister.  When they rested on her bloodied thighs, he sobbed. “I couldn’t tell how bad it was. I was ... I didn’t know ...”

Nathan looked like shit and Ryder felt horrible for yelling at him. As he looked back to Ashlynn, he saw blood trickling down her inner thighs and his chest tightened. His sightline moved to Wayne and could only imagine what his face looked like by Wayne’s reaction. The other shifter’s eyes filled with tears and Ryder tore his eyes from his friend. He had to keep it together. Ashlynn needed him to be strong.

Relieved when medics entered the hallway and split into two groups, one rushing to Mark while the second headed to Ashlynn, he shuffled his body to kneel behind her head, holding it in his hands, allowing the medics plenty of room to work.

“She’s pregnant,” he informed them, “about five weeks. Apparently she’s felt sick for a few days. Please, she’s my mate.”

The medics exchanged a glance and then one looked to Ryder. “There’s too much blood for it to be normal early pregnancy bleeding. It could be an ectopic pregnancy, or a miscarriage.”

“Just, tell me she’s going to be okay,” Ryder pleaded. His heart felt as if it was in a vice and he struggled to breathe normally.

“We’ll do everything we can. Her vitals are strong. I can’t promise anything but I think she’ll be fine.”

Ryder wasn’t aware of anything that transpired around him after hearing the medic’s words. As long as Ashlynn would live, nothing else mattered. The Universe forgive him for not caring about the pups at this moment, but he didn’t. He just wanted his mate to be safe.

 

***

 

Tightly sandwiched between Scott and Ryan, Emily craned her neck to see where Nathan was. The space was chaotic with SASS agents and medics, and she could hear distant gunfire. Was it even safe to be here? Bossman was dead, thankfully, but Mark might have given his life to stop him. If only the others had arrived a few moments earlier ... No, she couldn’t think about that. Maybe it wouldn’t have improved things at all. Locking eyes with Nathan, she wriggled a hand free and held it out in his direction. She needed all three mates with her.

As Nathan joined them, taking hold of Emily’s hand, Scott spotted him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders to pull him into the group embrace, and Ryan nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck.

“Em, oh, Em.”

She felt his tears on her skin but felt nothing but emptiness. Unsure why the emotions of her mates weren’t affecting her as they should, she clung to the brothers tightly.

 

***

 

After embracing Naomi fiercely, Jason forced himself to let go. He had to ascertain her condition. Stepping back, holding her shoulders firmly, he scanned her body, his throat thickening at the sight of her wounds. She’d obviously been beaten but he choked down his fury as he strained to dispel his building tears. Neither response would help her. Fearful of what he might see in her eyes, he forced them to lock with hers.

The love he saw had tears stinging his eyes again. None of the emotions he’d feared seeing in her eyes were present. He’d expected to see the terror, distrust, and hurt he’d seen when they met but he didn’t. His heart thumped with relief as it swelled with his love for her. He had the most extraordinary mate.

Nodding his thanks to a SASS agent who handed him a blanket, he wrapped it around her shoulders and then held her tightly. “I was so scared,” he whispered.

“I was too, but I knew you’d come for me.”

“Always, my love, always.”

Her arms wrapped around his waist and she squeezed him. “I want to go home. I want to see the girls.”

“We will,” he assured her, “soon.”

He should be telling her how amazing she was, so incredibly strong, and how her strength impressed him, as did her faith in him, but the words wouldn’t come and he supposed she knew all that anyway. Besides, they could talk later. Right now, he didn’t want to do anything other than hold her.

 

***

 

Medics had taken Ashlynn and Mark out on stretchers and Emily had felt the sorrow in her mates as their sister had passed them. Ashlynn didn’t look well, at all, and the stricken looks on Wayne and Ryder as they followed told Emily that Ashlynn’s condition was worse than she’d realized.

Now, a medic was with her, examining her and asking questions. She answered them calmly and saw the worried expressions her mates exchanged. They were wondering why she was so collected, and she didn’t have an answer. Everything seemed to be transpiring at a distance from her, even as her mates were only a few feet away. Nothing seemed real, not truly real. Shouldn’t she be overjoyed at her rescue? She wasn’t. She didn’t feel much of anything, other than a want to go home.

“Did you shift at any point?” the medic asked.

“Yes. A little while ago.”

“And the shift was normal? No extra pain? Was it slower than normal? Did it feel stalled at any point?”

“No, I mean, I don’t know. It was the first time I shifted so I don’t have anything to compare it to.”

The medic cocked his head questioningly and then looked to Scott when he spoke. “She went through the change recently and wasn’t able to shift fully before now. I didn’t even know she’d fully shifted until just now.” He turned to Nathan. “Did you see it?”

“Yeah, it looked normal to me. It surprised me, of course, but she shifted fast. I think it was a normal shift.”

“Good,” the medic responded and then smiled slightly at her. “You’re fine. Slightly dehydrated and obviously in need of proper rest and nutrition but physically you’re fine.” He glanced around at the brothers and then met her eyes again. “But I’m a little concerned about your emotional state.”

“So am I,” Scott said. “She’s too quiet. Abnormally so.”

“What’s normal in this situation?” the medic asked. “It was traumatic and shifters process traumas in all different ways.” He regarded her seriously. “The good news is you weren’t physically or sexually assaulted but you were still kidnapped and held against your will. That kind of trauma can be difficult to deal with and can take some time to recover from.”

“I feel fine,” she told him. “Well, kind of empty actually.”

“Yeah, that’s to be expected. Again, shifters process trauma in different ways and you’re so overwhelmed by everything that’s happened that your brain is distancing itself until ready to deal with what you’ve been through. It’ll take time.” He smiled again, deeper this time. “You have three loving mates to help you through that though.” With a friendly pat on her forearm, the medic then turned to Nathan. “Okay, your turn.”

Ryan held a hand out to Emily and she vacated her seat for Nathan. After pulling a blanket around her shoulders, he led her a few feet from Nathan and the medic. Scott stood between the two pairs, looking back and forth between them. Ryan cupped her face as he locked eyes with her.

“You’re going to get through this. We’ll help you, all of us. Don’t forget that. Mom and Dad will, everyone else at home. Doc Cobb. Everyone who’s here right now. We’ll all be there for you whenever you need anything. Anything at all.”

“I know.”

She did and despite how numb she felt at the moment she was grateful for the amazing support system she had. It made her wonder about the other shifters the pack had taken and how they’d cope with their sudden freedom. Those poor women had gone through hell, and faced way worse than she had. She was lucky in comparison, physically unscathed by her experience, and had loving mates to return to. The other women didn’t.

Tears pricked her eyes and Ryan sighed. “Em, oh baby, I want to take all that away. I don’t know how but it’s all I want to do.”

His words triggered something deep within her and the tears came. They struck hard, buckling her knees. Ryan embraced her tightly and she was aware of Scott joining them but she couldn’t see anything in her tear-bleared vision. As sobs viciously wracked her body, she heard her mates’ soothing voices but wasn’t able to answer them. Her throat burned and her chest felt so heavy under the onslaught of her crying but she couldn’t stop. Scott kissed her temple and whispered something in her ear and she wondered if she’d ever stop crying.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Ashlynn? Sweetheart, can you hear me?”

Blinking slowly, she forced her eyelids to part and her blurry vision cleared to reveal Ryder and Wayne sitting together at her side. Awareness dawned. She was in a hospital, evidenced by the whiteness around her and the antiseptic smell that filled her nostrils. The pups. When she tried to sit up nothing happened and she looked between her mates wildly.

“Are the pups okay? Please, tell me they’re okay.” Her voice cracked and sounded weak. Head pounding, she felt weak and wanted to sleep. She struggled to fight the feeling, needing to know about her babies.

Ryder gently placed his hand on her cheek as Wayne pressed her hand. They both looked upset and her heart raced with the fear she’d lost the pups. She’d been bleeding, she remembered that and the lump that formed in her throat threatened to cut off her air supply.

“They did an ultrasound,” Ryder began slowly, his voice low. She thought he sounded remorseful and tried to swallow but couldn’t. “There are three pups, fraternal triplets, and they’re fine. The amniotic sacs are intact and the doctor says they look perfectly fine.” He stroked her cheek tenderly, and the sad look in his eyes persisted. “There was a fourth pup that didn’t make it. I’m so sorry.”

Relief and sorrow tumbled through her in equal measure. Her throat relaxed somewhat as tears pricked her eyes. Wayne squeezed her hand. “I’m sorry too. But the other three are healthy and the doctor says he doubts you’ll have any further problems as long as you take it easy for the rest of the pregnancy.”

It was good news, it truly was. She mourned the lost pup and knew she always would. However, three healthy pups remained and she’d do all she could to ensure they stayed safe. Blinking at tears, not wanting her mates to be sad, she tried to force them away. Too many horrific things had happened. It was time to focus on the positive. She had three pups to look forward to, and two loving mates by her side. Only one uncertainty persisted and, while reluctant to voice the question that plagued her, she needed an answer.

“What about Mark?”

“He needed surgery and a ton of blood transfusions. The surgeon said it was touch-and-go for a bit but he pulled through. He’s going to be okay but he’s in for a long recovery.”

“Can I see him?”

Wayne didn’t seem eager to answer and looked to Ryder, who bowed his head before meeting her eyes and then, as he caressed her cheek, released a deep sigh.

“No one seems to know what’s going on. Hank has been talking with Garrett and there’s still confusion as to whether it’s a SASS or SIA matter.” When she frowned, he shook his head a little. “Damn, I forgot. So much happened while you were gone. Mark’s an SIA agent, in addition to a SASS agent.” She imagined her face held an utterly disbelieving look as Ryder shrugged. “Yeah, it threw us for a loop, too. We’ll explain everything to you when you’re up to it, but for now all I can tell you is that nobody seems to know what’s going on where Mark’s concerned. He’ll undoubtedly return to prison but we don’t know for how long. Hank is advocating for him.”

She had the impression both Ryder and Wayne weren’t as pleased as she was that Hank was fighting for Mark. While she hadn’t forgotten what Mark had done, she didn’t care about it any longer. Not after all she’d been through. Although it seemed unlikely to occur, all she wanted was all three of her mates with her as they anticipated the arrival of their pups. Tears stung her eyes again as a pang flipped her stomach. If Mark returned to jail, as Ryder seemed to believe he would, how would he see his pups? Ryder grasped the hand she reached out to him, and Wayne pressed the one he held. Sorrow at not being able to be with all three mates squeezed her heart and she clung to the two mates she could touch.

 

***

 

“I just can’t believe it. Mark and Logan are my brothers?”

“Yes,” Scott confirmed.

He sat closely beside Emily on the sofa, holding her hands, Nathan sat on her other side, his hand on her knee, with Ryan sitting on the coffee table, facing her, his hand on her other knee. They’d just arrived home, she insisting on making the drive as soon as the medics cleared both her and Nathan. She’d been unharmed during their encounter, truly just a little dehydrated and had only sustained a few minor scratches and abrasions during her battles with the rogue shifters. Nathan’s injuries were more intense yet not serious. He needed rest, they both did, and a few good meals to recoup the weight they’d lost, but neither had required hospitalization and they’d both wanted to return home as soon as possible.

As Ryan drove, Scott had called Jack and filled him in on what had happened, assuring him that although Ashlynn would need to spend a few days in hospital she was going to be okay. Emily had sat beside Nathan, holding his hand the entire way, even as she’d nodded off a few times. Exhaustion plagued her but she felt fine physically and was grateful she’d stopped crying. She felt as if she’d never cry again, as if she’d used up all the tears allotted for the rest of her life earlier at the compound. Her throat still hurt from all that crying though it had been soothed somewhat when the quartet had stopped in Moon Valley for coffee. Then Ryan had pulled into the diner and while the others waited, had gone in and purchased meals for them. Upon arriving home, he and Scott had insisted they all eat before discussing everything that had transpired since their kidnapping.

She’d heard of their cousins, Dustin and Zack, arriving to help out, about the deceit of Julian Grayson and how he was connected to Bossman, or Logan as they now knew. Scott had told her of Zack and Dustin finding out Hannah Grayson was their mate, and how Brady had found his mate, Jess, the server from the bar. Then Ryan related the starling news of Mark, how he was Logan’s brother, and how he provided the location where she, Nathan, and the others had been held. She’d seen how Mark fought Logan despite his injuries and understood more now. However, when, after exchanging an odd look with Scott, Ryan had then revealed that Emily’s father was also Mark and Logan’s father, she’d been shocked.

“I don’t understand. My father wasn’t a shifter.”

“No, not a shifter, a halfling,” Ryan explained, “and because he was a halfling that impregnated a human he didn’t claim, you were born human. We don’t know for certain but maybe that’s why you had such a hard time with the change and shifting for the first time.”

“But ...” She bit her bottom lip. Confused, shocked, she had so many questions and wasn’t sure what to ask first. “When Mark, Ryder, Wayne, and Brady first came to the house, Mark knew I was his sister, didn’t he?”

“Yeah, he did.”

“Why didn’t he say anything? Didn’t he care? I mean, yeah, I knew I had half-siblings out there, but I didn’t know who they were. He did.”  She sucked in a huge breath as something else occurred to her. “Corey. Shit, when Corey took me, he was going to deliver me to Logan, wasn’t he? Mark must have known that. So when he came here ...” Bitter tears stung her eyes and she wiped at them furiously. “He knew, and he didn’t say a damn thing!”

“Lamby,” Scott said softly, “we don’t know for sure about any of that.”

“But you said he’d been in contact with Logan. He would have known then.” She clenched her jaw tightly as fur sprang up on her forearms. It tickled her cheeks, too, as she fought the rage that threatened to take hold of her. “My own brother did nothing to protect me from my other crazy brother who kidnapped me.”

“Again, we don’t have all the answers. Until we can speak to Mark, we can’t know anything for sure, and we shouldn’t be drawing conclusions,” Scott cautioned.

“You’re taking his side? What the serious fuck, Scott!”

“I’m not taking his side. All I’m saying is we don’t have all the answers and should wait for them. You’re getting really worked up over this and we don’t know that Mark was aware of any of that before it happened. We were there when Ryder told him Logan had kidnapped Ashlynn and the rest of you. He didn’t know and his reaction told me he was shocked by his brother’s actions. It didn’t look like he knew just how out-of-control his brother was.”

“He was shocked by it,” Ryan agreed. “Scott’s right, we need more information before drawing conclusions. Everything’s a mess where Mark’s concerned right now. We’ll have to wait for an opportunity to speak to him, or to get some information from Ryder and Wayne.”

Fuck that. She didn’t need any further information. Her father had never wanted to be an actual father to her, and now her brother hadn’t acted like a brother. Apples certainly didn’t fall far from trees, did they? As more fur surfaced on her chest and back, rage pummelled her. She was done with Mark, brother or not, shifter or not, Ashlynn’s mate or not. He could rot in jail for all she cared.

Jumping to her feet, she almost banged into Ryan and quickly scooched sideways to clear her mates. All three looked to her with almost identical worried expressions. She had to get out of the house. A run. That was the answer. She’d never run as a wolf and needed to now. She was a wolf-shifter after all, and now that she could shift it was all she wanted to do.

“I need to go for a run.” Her declaration drew deeper worried expressions and she wondered why. It was normal for shifters to blow off steam in such a manner, so why the looks? She met Nathan’s eyes. “You should stay here and rest up. We’ll have plenty of time to all run together but you still need to recuperate.” Then, flipping her gaze between her other two mates, she tilted her head questioningly. “Are you two coming with me?”

Not waiting for their response as she didn’t care if they did accompany her, she headed to the door, unbuttoning her jeans as she did. Her clothes felt restrictive and she was desperate to rid herself of them. As Ryan and Scott joined her by the front door, she paused to regard them.

“All our neighbours are shifters, right?”

“Yes, but let’s wait until we get to the woods before stripping, okay? Just in case. You never know when a human might be around,” Scott replied.

Disappointed but understanding the need to limit interactions with humans, she slipped her arms through the coat Ryan held open for her. Not without shock, she realized she hadn’t reacted to Scott’s comment on humans. She really was a shifter, no longer considering herself human. Despite her desire to shift as soon as possible, a small smile crept across her lips. She’d been so scared of becoming a shifter but realized how silly those fears had been. Becoming a shifter was the best decision she’d ever made, one that gave her so much, a deeper relationship with her mates but also this ability, a way to dispel the anger that consumed her. Breaking plates or punching walls were paltry outlets compared to the ability to race through the woods as a wolf.

Some time later, safely out of sight in the wooded area that ran behind their house, the trio stripped down. It was chilly out and the snow bit into her exposed feet and ankles. Shifting in a split-second, her furry paws provided protection against the snow and she didn’t feel the cold at all. Shifting hurt but was over so quickly it wasn’t a concern, and well worth this ability, to be one with the natural space around her. Scott and Ryan hadn’t shifted yet and stood naked in the snow. She looked up at them, curious as to why they hadn’t shifted and saw something that drove away the rage in her. Both were teary-eyed and wore loving expressions.

“You are so beautiful, Em,” Ryan said, his voice filled with pride.

“The most gorgeous wolf I’ve ever seen,” Scott added, his tone matching his brother’s.

She remembered they’d never seen her wolf-form and barked happily as she wagged her tail. Four hands ran over her head and back and she wagged her tail in great looping circles.

“All right, lamby, let’s do this,” Scott said. “Let’s take your first run as wolf. Don’t go too deeply into the woods, and stay as close to us as possible, just in case.”

In her haste to get to them, she’d forgotten the woods could be a dangerous place, even for a wolf-shifter. Although the town prohibited hunting on its land, there was always a chance some hunter would ignore the posted signs. Wolves could be nearby, not to mention cougars, or bears. Then again, her mates were present to protect her and, for the first time in her life, she felt as if she could truly protect herself.

Ryan and Scott shifted and she found their wolf selves more glorious than ever. Scott released a howl, echoed by Ryan and the pair looked to her. She’d never howled before but felt the desire to deeply, a need to answer her mates. She threw her head back and howled loudly. The sound echoed through the woods, coming back to her, allowing her to hear its rejoicing quality. It was blissful, being with her mates as wolves, and now she regretted Nathan’s absence. He should have been part of this. As another howl pricked her ears, she recognized the sound as Nathan’s wolf voice. Turning her body, she saw his slow approach and hoped he wasn’t over-exerting himself, even as she was overjoyed he’d decided to join them. Reaching them, he nuzzled against her, licked her muzzle and then sniffed her exposed vulva as she held her tail up for him. Ryan and Scott repeated his motions and desire rose within her as she wondered what sex in wolf-form would be like. She was certainly eager to find out, but needed to expend some energy first. Intent on keeping close to her mates, and not wanting Nathan to push himself, she tore off a short distance then quickly turned and ran back. She circled her mates closely, then whizzed away only to return again, blazing past them as quickly as she could. All three yipped loudly and it sounded like laughter to her.

As she ran she knew all she and Nathan had endured at the hands of Logan wasn’t truly done with. They had much to work through but tonight’s events proved a truth she’d always known and one that made the tough road ahead bearable. Her mates would do anything to help her through. They were an amazing group and together the four of them could do anything. Stopping abruptly when she rejoined her mates, she released a joyous howl. Nathan, Scott, and Ryan joined in and four strong, clear wolf voices rang out loudly in the still night air. Swirling together, they created a sound that spoke of union, devotion, and hope.

 

***

 

Naomi smiled when Avery, Lily, and Ella squealed in glee as she and Jason placed the girls’ breakfasts before them. She’d made pancakes, carefully pouring the batter into shapes that, when assembled, resembled a bunny hopping away. Banana slices and blueberries formed cute paw pads, and a small pile of sweetened shredded coconut formed a fluffy tail. Strawberry slices that resembled hearts decorated the plates alongside the bunnies. They’d turned out perfectly and were adorable.

Jason kissed her temple as his arm slid around her shoulders. “You did great,” he whispered in her ear, “they love them.”

Smiling, she watched the girls chatter excitedly about their pancake bunnies, comparing them to decide who’d received the one with the cutest tail, and whose bunny had the longest ears. She’d been home for three days, and today was the first day that felt normal once more. The girls had been quiet around her, undoubtedly cautioned by their well-meaning Aunt Evelyn to not overwhelm her. She doubted they could have even if they’d tried to. The second she’d seen Jason at the rogue pack’s compound, all she’d wanted was to return to her life with him and the triplets. Apparently, her repeated assurances that she was okay had finally gotten through to the girls who’d returned to their bubbly and talkative selves. 

Jason had been cautious with her too, so much so she’d resorted to chastising him during their return journey. He’d been uncomfortable and she knew he hadn’t known what state she’d be in upon her rescue, but she was quick to prove she was fine, for she was. She’d had a few anxiety-spawned episodes where she’d fought the sudden panic that enveloped her, but she recognized those incidents as her body’s reaction to the stress of being kidnapped. Mentally, she felt sound, whole, and wanted nothing more than for her, Jason, and the girls to return to the happy existence Bossman had cruelly torn her from.

As she rested her head on Jason’s shoulder, she sucked in the warmth of his body and the comfort he presented. He would also be there, physically by her side, and emotionally present to support and guide her through anything. She tightened the hold of her arms, wrapped around his waist. He was the most amazing man and he was her mate, her partner, the companion who would accompany her through the rest of her life. Snug in his arms, knowing all the horrors they’d faced were firmly behind them, she looked forward to the rest of her life as Jason’s mate and as mother to the three beautiful, chatty, and loving girls before her.

 

***

 

In anticipation, Ashlynn waited to hear Doc Cobb’s assessment of her condition. She, Wayne, and Ryder had arrived home just this morning, after the doctor in Edmonton had finally deemed her well enough to travel. Her mates had doted on her upon their arrival, practically spoon feeding her the food they’d picked up at the diner on the way, and hadn’t left her side. Having missed them so greatly while gone, she soaked up their babying of her, even as it was unnecessary.

While, she’d been desperate to leave the hospital and return home, she regretted leaving before being able to see Mark. He remained in stable condition, but under SASS guard, and denied any visitors beyond medical staff. Although saddened by that, knowing Mark would have welcomed the opportunity to see her as much as she’d wanted to see him, there was little point in remaining so far away from her family when she couldn’t spend time with him. She knew her parents were eager to see her, and she desperately wanted to visit with them, but she’d insisted on seeing Doc Cobb first, wanting to be certain she could truthfully assure her parents she and the pups would be fine.

“I agree with everything the doctor who treated you said,” Doc Cobb announced. “You and the pups will be fine. You need much rest to recover and, when you’re feeling yourself again, you’ll need to continue to take it easy. No strenuous activity, absolutely no heavy lifting, and do your best to avoid stressful situations.” He patted her hand affectionately. “I’m not trying to scare you. What I’ve suggested is probably overly-cautious but I believe it’s prudent to avoid anything that could potentially cause a problem, no matter how unlikely it seems.”

“I agree,” Ryder piped up, “and don’t worry, we won’t let her over-exert herself.”

She forgave his speaking for her, and even his implied control over her. If they all hadn’t just endured what they had, she might have called him out for caveman behaviour. As it stood she appreciated his protectiveness and desire to care for her, sentiments echoed by Wayne who bobbed his head in agreement. Besides, she intended to enjoy their pampering.

Engaging Doc Cobb again, she cocked her head slightly. “What about sex?”

“Again, nothing too strenuous.” He smiled deeply. “I don’t need to know what you three intend to do, just keep it under control.”

She could sense how uncomfortable her mates were with the discussion and found it amusing. Doc Cobb had been her doctor her entire life and she knew nothing they discussed could faze him. Her mates, however, were a different story. Unable to stop herself, she grinned mischievously. “So, only vanilla sex then?”

Wayne uttered an awkward cough and Ryder’s eyes widened slightly. Laughing softly she turned back to see the doctor shaking his head as he smiled.

“Restrained sexual activity,” he said, maintaining his smile, “I already told you I don’t want details.” He then stood. “I’m heading out now. Take care of yourself and allow your mates to care for you. Call me if you have any questions. I’ll check back in a few days.”

She bid him goodbye and then waited while Wayne and Ryder walked him to the door. When they returned to her, she was surprised when both knelt on the floor before the couch. They each placed a hand on her belly and looked to her with earnest faces.

“We’ve discussed something we’d like to do,” Ryder said softly, his eyes shining. “Wayne and I want to formally mate you, now. Your parents will be over soon and we want to ask your father to mate us. I know it’s not the big ceremony you probably wanted, but, with what happened, and with the pups on the way, we want to make this official.”

“We also wanted something that was intimate, just us and your parents,” Wayne added, and then tilted his head slightly. “So, what do you say?”

Her heart soared as it simultaneously thudded with sadness. Of course she wanted to formally join with her mates and make their union official, but she wanted to do that with all her mates. Ryder and Wayne’s offer was so endearing, she loved them for proposing it, and she struggled with how to turn them down without hurting them. She placed one hand on Ryder’s cheek, the other on Wayne’s and smiled sweetly.

“There is no way I could ever express how much I love you two. Of course I want to mate with you, but ...”

Ryder sighed. “But?”

“But I want my whole family to be involved, my brothers, and Emily. I’m still in rough shape and Nathan and Emily need more time to recuperate. And ... well, it wouldn’t feel right if Mark wasn’t here, too.”

She’d blurted the last part out and waited to see their reaction. They appeared disappointed but not angry. She hoped that meant they were coming to terms with Mark’s actions and didn’t view them as a betrayal. While it would clearly take time for them to arrive where she stood, having forgiven Mark entirely, she was certain they’d get there eventually. Unlike her, they’d been close to Mark for years and she knew only time would heal their wounds.

“I don’t need a big ceremony,” she continued, eager to smooth things over entirely, “but I do want all my family there and that includes Mark.”

“I can’t possibly be angry with your loyalty to him,” Ryder responded. “Okay, we’ll wait.”

“But for how long?” Wayne questioned. “We still don’t know what’s going on with him, and let’s face it, a decision could be made to incarcerate him for years, or the rest of his life even.”

They were possibilities but not ones she’d entertain, along with the one Wayne hadn’t voiced. Execution was still a possibility too. Ryder glanced at Wayne and then back to her.

“We’ll wait to hear word on Mark. You’re right, he’s your mate too. And we do understood you wanting to have all your family there. We forget sometimes, you know, because we don’t have families.”

“You’re part of my family now,” she assured them both as she looked between them, “and soon our family will be three pups bigger.”

They both smiled so happily she knew her insistence on Mark being included wouldn’t cause issues. Ryder laid his head on one thigh, Wayne on the other. As she raked her fingertips through their hair, she tried to focus on nothing but them, even as her heart still ached for Mark’s uncertain future.

 

***

 

Levi flashed a half-hearted grin to a female shifter he passed on the sidewalk. She was obviously flirting with him but he was in no mood to reciprocate, no matter how attractive she was. Petite for a shifter, and blonde, she was definitely his type but he had no intention of hooking up with any woman in either Willow Creek or Moon Valley, where he currently was, on his way to a meeting with Hannah Grayson. It was the last thing he needed to accomplish before he could leave the area and he was more than ready to move on.

While always hating small towns, he had to admit the two teeny ones that buffered one another here held more appeal than most. Both were picturesque, surrounded by forest, with the Rocky Mountains soaring in the near distance. It was truly a lovely area but he’d had his fill, his never-ending wanderlust raging, and his inherent dislike of building relationships with others rearing. He enjoyed the company of some shifters, especially those in Willow Creek, but not enough to want to spend any further time there.

Despite the flirtatious shifter he’d just passed, he felt a distinct difference in the towns. Easily spotted due to his towering height, he was constantly stopped while trying to accomplish his duties. When it happened in Willow Creek, the shifters always thanked him for helping in the rescue of their pack members. In Moon Valley, however, he was besieged with questions about how involved Julian Grayson had been, and questions in regards to Brady, most pack members not knowing what to think of a cat-shifter in their midst. He supposed that, as they believed him a SASS agent, they thought he had more knowledge of Brady than he possessed. Truthfully, he barely knew the shifter, and couldn’t care less what Brady did in his spare time. He’d been a competent addition to the rescue team and that’s all Levi cared about. The tension in Moon Valley was palpable, trouble was brewing, and he intended to be far away before it occurred.

Hank had already departed town and Levi would tomorrow. He’d left Ryder’s place as soon as he and Hank had returned from the rogue shifter’s compound, and rented a room at the B&B in Moon Valley. The old shifter who’d served him told him how fortunate he was to receive the room recently vacated by Hannah Grayson and her mates. Their claiming night had taken place in the room which, according to the wizened female, imbibed it with good fortune. He’d immediately demanded another room and had almost laughed aloud at the look on the shifter’s face. While not believing for a moment that mate-pairing was contagious, he wasn’t keen on spending time in a bed he knew those Tremblay twins had been in. He still couldn’t account for his dislike of the pair, but heeded his instincts. Something about them was off, he just didn’t know what. Soon it wouldn’t be a concern. He’d put both towns in his figurative rear view mirror and move on.

As he opened the door that led to the interior of the building Hannah Grayson’s office resided in, he hoped she wouldn’t talk about her mates during his meeting with her. His recent encounter with Brady had been nauseating. Speaking with the shifter to hear what, if anything, had been discovered about Jennifer Morrow’s whereabouts, Brady had gushed about his new mate. It got so bad that Levi had resorted to rudely telling Brady to shut up about Jess and to stick to SASS business only. The Morrow woman was still missing, lending the possibility she could be downright complicit in everything that happened. The few rogue pack members they were able to take into custody refused to say anything and the situation was as frustrating as ever. They had however, rescued not just the Willow Creek pack members but also many other shifters who’d been held for quite some time. He had to admit that felt pretty damn fantastic, and had even warmed his normally crusty heart.

Approaching the glass front of Hannah Grayson’s office, he saw her working at her desk. Like the shifter he’d just encounter on the street, she was petite and blonde, but way more attractive. Also mated. It quashed any thoughts he might have entertained about possessing her had she been single. She was stunning though and he wondered once more about how the Universe paired shifters. What on earth did this beautiful shifter have in common with the Tremblay twins? Inwardly shaking his head, he raised his hand to rap on the door, pushing all thoughts of mating and the Tremblays from his mind. One last meeting, and he could leave this place and all its confusion behind.

 

***

 

As she slid the bottom drawer of the desk closed, Hannah let out a resigned breath. She still hated her numerous Alpha duties. Dustin and Zack helped as much as they could and she could have used their help today, as she wasn’t looking forward to her next meeting, with Levi Simmons. A few shifters had warned her of his less-than-pleasant mannerisms and she wasn’t in a diplomatic mood. Her mates had returned to their pack, needing to catch up at work. The plan was for them to spend a few days there and set up a system that afforded them the opportunity to perform their jobs almost entirely from Moon Valley. It was a great idea, and a way for the trio to spend the most time together, but she still missed them, even as they had only left this morning.

While her Alpha duties still plagued her, the relationship she shared with her mates was perfect. They were amazing, helpful, loving, and so damn sexy. Each union she shared with them exceeded the one before. The three were incredible together. The Universe had certainly got it right. Her mates were the sole thing in her life that was perfect, untainted by the commotion in the pack. They anchored her, soothed her troubles and filled her with confidence she could face anything life threw at her, as long as they were at her side.

Her office was finally set up to her liking and above a storefront in town. She was happy with the decision to keep Alpha duties separate from home life. Her mates and she had a pact to discuss all pack affairs in this space, reserving their home for a harmonious mating existence only, and she couldn’t be more pleased with the arrangement.

Now, if only pack matters could run as harmoniously. Her mother still harboured anger toward her. If that wasn’t enough, so did the pack. They directed that animosity at her mother and brothers too and that was something she intended to put an end to. She understood their ire over her father’s actions but she and her family weren’t responsible for what he’d done and shouldn’t suffer the consequences. Keegan and Taylor had taken on some minor Alpha duties, most notably some public appearances, and had been outright shunned at some. It was a shitty situation and no one seemed to have any ideas on how to rectify it. Added to it all, word had reached her that most of the pack was also upset with Jess and Brady’s mating, opposed to having a cat-shifter among them. With no clue on how to address that problem, she supposed the old adage of time healing all wounds might transpire and hoped it would. So far, being an Alpha sucked.

Also always on her mind was Ashlynn. She’d seen her friend yesterday, in the evening, allowing Ashlynn time to visit with family before Hannah headed there, despite how desperate she was to see the shifter. They embraced each other fiercely, having not seen one another in some time, cried over the loss of Ashlynn’s pup, and then enjoyed a long discussion. Sitting in the living room of the house Ashlynn shared with her mates, Hannah had been amused by how often Ryder and Wayne had popped their heads in, inquiring if Ashlynn needed anything, and twice had prepared tea for the women. She’d found their fawning over Ashlynn adorable. Before heading over, she’d called Doc Cobb to ensure Ashlynn was truly up for a visit, knowing her friend would insist on seeing her, even if she’d been cautioned to rest instead. Her discussion with the doctor had eased her mind and, after hearing all Ashlynn had endured medically, Hannah knew her friend, provided she followed Doc Cobb’s instructions, would be fine. Truly, there was no need of the extreme babying Wayne and Ryder insisted on imparting on Ashlynn but, after spending only a few days mated, Hannah understood their desire to do it, knowing, if her mates ever suffered an injury or illness, that she’d dote on them that excessively.

At a tap on the glass of her office door, she looked up and couldn’t help the rise of her eyebrows. Levi Simmons was quite the shifter. Extremely tall, and well muscled, he sported a ruggedly handsome face, the bottom half of which was dotted with stubble. Sexy stubble. Knock it off, she chastised herself, you’re mated. An inner voice answered her: Yeah, mated, but not blind. Nobody said anything about fucking him, just look at him, he’s hot! Mentally fanning herself, she waved him into the office, then stood and moved around her desk to greet him properly.

The instant he set foot inside her office, she sucked in a breath. His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck! The litany repeated in her head and, although he hadn’t said anything, she was certain Levi’s brain was uttering the same damn thing as hers. For the pull of her loins in response to the delicious smell of him could mean only one thing. He was her mate.

 

THE END

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Sneak Peek at

 

Torn Between Her Wolves

The Willow Creek Pack 4

 

 

“What the fuck!”

The harsh way he’d snarled out the words told Hannah that Levi was more than shocked that she and he were mates. He hated it. His expression was scornful and he looked like he’d rather eat shit than be in her presence.

As her mind spun, her body responded to him. Asshole or not, he was her mate. While her brain questioned it, her pussy throbbed greedily, begging her to strip and offer herself to him. She could have done without Levi’s harsh reaction, but his sentiment was dead-on. What the fuck was going on here? She had mates. When she took a step toward him, he held up his hands in apparent alarm.

“Stay right there! Don’t come a step closer. Maybe if we keep our distance that damn pull bullshit won’t kick in.”

He was furious and, as he took two steps back, her heart dropped. Perhaps he hadn’t felt the pull but she certainly had and it was way stronger than it had been with Dustin and Zack.

“But we’re mates,” she finally managed to squeak out. “We have to claim each other.”

“No fucking way,” he snarled. “I don’t know what this is, but you are not my mate. Fuck this, I’m gone.”

He turned to leave and she panicked. She needed him as much as she needed her other mates. There was no way he couldn’t feel it, the same need that consumed her, threatening to overtake her entirely. He was her mate.

“But we’re mates,” she repeated, unable to come up with anything else to stall him.

“Not if I can prevent it,” he shot back over his shoulder as he left.

Shakily, she rounded her desk and flopped down in her chair. She had a third mate and he didn’t want anything to do with her. While she supposed it was possible he hadn’t felt the pull, she certainly did. Her entire body mourned his absence and screamed for his touch. Could he really not feel the same way? She was flushed, her skin fiery, her pussy more so. With tight nipples and aching loins, she needed him to come back. They had to claim one another. Her hands trembled as she picked up her cellphone. While her first instinct was to call Dustin, she needed to speak with someone who might be able to shed light on this situation, and explain how she could possibly have a third mate, one who wasn’t connected to her other two, and also one who appeared to detest her. Perhaps Jack Tremblay could help but she thought Doc Cobb a better choice and hit the icon beside his name. As the call rang, she hoped he could assist her, she certainly needed help and a lot of it.

 

 

Coming in spring 2018.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also by Cynthia Knoble

 

Night’s Companion

 

Rescue Me

Find Me

 

Chefree

 

Ravages of Spirit

Retribution

Atonement

Deference

 

The Willow Creek Pack

Claimed by Her Wolves

Bound to Her Wolves

Saved by Her Wolves

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Driven, creative, and with a fondness for supernatural themes, I write paranormal and contemporary romance, horror, and dark fantasy. I've been writing professionally since 2014, although I've written stories my entire life. It's always been my release, but life always got in the way of my pursuit of writing as my dream career. Six years ago, as the single mom of two boys, and at the age of forty-one, I attended college, eager to pursue a career in culinary arts. Unfortunately I became ill in my last semester of school, and while I did graduate, I've never been physically able to work as a chef.

Sidelined, I decided to take the plunge, to pursue my first dream, that of being a published author. It was the best decision I could have made. While not lucrative, the joy of sharing my stories with others has made up for the devastation of being unable to work. I may not be wealthy, or famous, but I'm happy and that's a huge accomplishment in my eyes.

2018 promises to be a great year for me and my readers. Saved by Her Wolves, book three in The Willow Creek Pack series is the first of many new offerings from me. Torn Between Her Wolves will release in the spring, and at least one more book after that will be added to the series. Also, I’ll be returning to contemporary romance with Done a Runner, scheduled for release in February. It's the first book in a new series, Wanted Men of Bison Bluffs, and I'm thrilled at the challenge of completing the planned ten books in the series. In addition to those series, a third one will debut, The Path of Thorns. A dark fantasy/horror series, it’s a bit of a departure from my usual fare but I hope at least some of my readers will enjoy it and that it’ll appeal to new ones.

I have big plans for Knoble Passions and hope to see some of them come to fruition in the next few years. Thank you so much for your interest in my work and, please, feel free to reach out to me. I love interacting with readers and always appreciate hearing any comments others have on my work

 

Contact me at:

 

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Twitter: @CA_Knoble