“What are you doing back so early?” Lily asked when he walked in through the kitchen door. She was standing on the step stool, putting away some dishes onto a high cupboard shelf.

Shit. Jackson was hoping not to run into anyone before he had the chance to run upstairs and get showered. Especially not another Lycan, who would be able to smell sex all over him. Hopefully, his mother was far away enough. “Nothing!” Jesus Christ, he sounded like Austin. “I have to … grab my phone charger. Left it by the bed.” He quickly dashed upstairs to his room, whipping his clothes off before he even got to the shower. With a violent twist, he turned the tap on, letting the water sluice all over him. God, the smell of sex and Jordan all over him was intoxicating, and his inner wolf protested at the loss of the delicious scent on them. Even now, thinking about how he fucked her against that wall was making him hard again.

He pushed those thoughts away and twisted the tap to the other side, and the water suddenly turned freezing. There. That should take care of that horndog.

He slapped a palm against the wet tile. He should be glad that Jordan was a responsible adult—God knows one of them had to be—and took care of birth control, but he couldn’t help but feel irrationally angry. At what? He didn’t know.

The thing that annoyed him the most was that he hadn’t even gone into the barn for her. He had seen Samuel walking in that direction. So far, Garland hadn’t told him if Samuel was acting suspicious, nor did they have any more dead animals turn up. But having him lurking around made the alarm bells in his head go off. And when he found out that he had gone after Jordan, his protective instincts went into overdrive, and he had to make sure Jordan was safe.

Idiot, he lashed at himself. He was a damned fool. It was best he just forgot the whole thing ever happened.

After he finished showering, he grabbed the towel from the rack and dried himself off. He changed into some clean clothes, then padded down the stairs.

It was time to stop fucking around. He needed to know if Liz would be a suitable mate, and to do that he had to really buckle down and get to know her. Austin was also going to have to get to know her because she would be his mother. His wolf growled at him at that thought, but he ignored it. The animal had always been a part of him, but recently, he’d been wishing he could just shut it off, if only to get some peace.

“Momma,” he called to Lily as he walked into the kitchen. She looked him up and down, but he didn’t give her a chance to ask any questions. “I think you’ve been working enough. If this retreat thing is going to work, we can’t have you cooking meals day and night for everyone.”

“I don’t mind,” Lily said. “But I have neglected some of my other duties.”

“Why don’t you take a rest? Put in an order at Dottie’s Cafe for everyone and let’s have a picnic out back instead. Have Jesse pick it up. He’s running into town anyway to pick up supplies for tomorrow.”

“Tomo—oh, my, time really does fly fast.” She put the tea towel in her hand down and walked over to him. “So,” she began, placing a hand on his arm. “Tomorrow’s the big camping trip, which means the retreaters leave in two nights. Have you made any progress with Liz?”

“Working on it,” he said.

“She seems like a really good fit,” Lily said. “She told me their family had horses, and she competed when she was younger. I heard you guys had a good ride this afternoon.”

There was only one ride he was thinking of, and he mentally groaned. “Yeah. Well, you can’t rush these things. And then there’s Austin.”

“Ah, so that’s why you suggested the picnic?” Lily said. “So he’s not always stuck at the end of the table?”

“Yeah, something like that.”

“That sounds like a great idea, Jackson.” His mother gave him a mysterious smile. “I’m sure you’ll make the right decision. Whoever you choose.” Before he could ask her what she meant, she let go of his arm. “Well, I’ll go put that order together and call up Dottie. I hope you had a good shower.”

Jackson stood there, his mouth hanging open as she left. His mother was a sly woman; did she suspect what had happened between him and Jordan?

“Nah,” he said aloud. That was silly. No one knew. Pushing those thoughts aside, he headed back outside to finish work before dinner.

“Jackson, this is such a lovely idea,” Liz said as they got their food from the buffet table. “And this set up! Lily, you’ve truly outdone yourself.”

“Why, thank you, Liz.”

Lily had set up a table in the backyard with some specialties from Dottie’s Cafe—shrimp and grits, country fried chicken, biscuits, gravy, and portions of all their sides. However, instead of having everyone seated around the table, she had placed blankets and pillows on the grass so everyone could eat picnic style. It was a good idea because she had set up each blanket so only two or three people could fit. Liz had arrived first after today’s activities and immediately steered them to the one furthest away from the others.

“It’s been amazing, being here, Jackson.” Liz placed her plate on the blanket. “I feel like I’m really getting in touch with my inner wolf. I’ve forgotten how nice it was to have all this private space. Back home at my daddy’s estate, we could always roam whenever we wanted to.”

“Why did you move to New York?” he asked.

“Well, I’m a big girl with big dreams,” she said coyly, pushing her potatoes around her plate with her fork. “I loved being around horses and stuff, but I also wanted to pursue the exciting, big city life.”

“And now?”

Her cherry red lips turned up into a smile and her gaze lifted to meet his. “I think I’m all done with that. Ready to settle down as they say.” Her hand landed on his leg, rubbing it gently back and forth.

He cleared his throat, trying to ignore the visceral reaction to her touch. It was all he could do not to shove her hand away. Liz stared at him expectantly, waiting for him to make the next move. Before he could decide what to do, he saw Austin walk up to Lily, who gave him a plate piled with food.

“Austin!” he called. “Come here.”

“But I wanted to sit—”

“Just come here, please,” he said. Austin was going to spend time with Liz whether he wanted to or not.

“Fine.” He stomped over to them.

“Why don’t you sit there?” He gestured to the empty spot by Liz.

“Do I gotta? I wanna sit with—”

“Austin.”

“C’mon now,” Liz said, scooting closer to Jackson. Austin plopped down beside her. “Now, isn’t this nice?”

Austin grabbed a piece of chicken with his hand and shoved it into his mouth.

“Austin, manners, please.” Jackson’s teeth gritted. “Use your fork, for crying out loud.”

“It’s all right,” Liz said. “It’s a picnic, after all.” She took a large, but delicate bite of her biscuit. “See?”

Austin rolled his eyes and continued to chew on his chicken.

“So, Austin.” Liz put her biscuit back on her plate. “Are you enjoying having those lessons at home?”

He swallowed the food down. “Oh boy, yeah! Jordan’s a great teacher.” He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “I didn’t think learnin’ could be fun.”

“Oh, so you like to learn?” Liz inquired. “You know, there are many types of schools everywhere. With different ways of teaching. I went to this special school myself. It was a lot of fun.”

“Oh yeah? What kind of school?”

She smiled at him. “It was a boarding school.”

He raised a blond brow “A what school?”

“A boarding school,” she said. “It’s a school where you get to live on campus for most of the year, and you get to go home for holidays. I loved it because I got to spend all my time with my bestest friends. It was like having a sleepover every night.”

“But then you weren’t home to see your Pa? Or get to leave anytime you wanted?” Austin frowned. “That doesn’t sound like fun.”

She clapped her hands together. “Oh, it was. I assure you it was.”

“Oh, look!” Austin pointed toward the table. “Jordan’s here.” He got up. “I should—”

“Stay here, Austin,” Jackson said in an irritated tone.

“Pa!”

“Oh, come now, Jackson,” Liz said. “Let the boy go to his little friend. He finished his plate, he can go play with her.”

“I—fine.”

But Austin had already taken off toward Jordan who was looking over the food choices on the buffet table. From where she was standing, the sun hit her face and bathed it in a golden light that seemed to make her skin glow. It was mesmerizing, and the smile that lit up her face when her eyes landed on Austin as he approached her made something in his chest ache.

“Jackson. Jackson.” The hand clawing at his forearm got his attention. Liz’s mouth was twisted into a scowl a split second before it became another one of her coy smiles. “Did you hear what I said?”

“Huh? About what?”

“About what?” She chuckled as she patted his shoulder. “About that exclusive all-boys academy in upstate New York. St. Johns. The headmaster and my father went to Harvard together, I’m sure I could put you in touch with him.”

“What for?”

“For Austin, of course,” she said. “What are you going to do in the fall when school starts? You can’t possibly let him stay at home. It’s nice that Jordan’s filling in, but she’s not going to be here forever.”

“Of course not,” he said through clenched teeth. “Thanks for your suggestion. I’ll think about it.”

“You’ve been so amazing this week.” She leaned toward him, the curve of her breasts brushing his arm. “I’d be happy to return the favor. Any time.”

“Uh, that’s nice.” Her scent was syrupy sweet, and he moved away to get some fresh air into his nostrils.

“Hey, Pa! Liz!” Austin came running at them, his palms pressed together. “Guess what?”

“What is it?” he asked.

“I found something! Something cool!”

“Oh really?” Liz asked. “What is it?”

“Look!” He opened his hands. “Isn’t it awesome?”

Liz peered at Austin’s hand. All of a sudden, something small and green leapt out and plastered itself to Liz’s nose.

“AAAIYYYYYEEEE!” Liz screeched. “Get it off!” The small tree frog clung to Liz’s face like its life depended on it. “I don’t wanna touch it! Help!” She stood up and began jumping up and down.

Austin cackled like a madman, and frankly, Jackson couldn’t blame him. Liz’s eyes had crossed as she stared at the poor amphibian, her hands waving around as she tried to avoid touching the creature while trying to shake it off. He supposed he should take pity on her, but it was just too damned funny.

“Liiiiiiiz!” came Karen’s high-pitched squeal as she ran toward them. She slapped a hand at Liz’s face, making a resounding crack as her palm hit a cheek. The frog went flying through the air and, much to Jackson’s relief, landed on the soft grass before hopping away.

“Jackson!” Liz cried. “Oh my God! I was so scared.”

“Of a frog?” Austin said. “I think it was more scared of you than you of it.”

Liz’s eyes narrowed at Austin. “Why you—”

“Alpha! Alpha!”

The frantic shouts made icy fear twist in Jackson’s gut. “What is it?” he asked the two ranch hands approaching them.

“It’s Marsden, Alpha,” Jacob, one of the more senior members of the clan, said. “He’s been hurt bad.”

“Shit! Let’s go!”

He looked to Lily, sending her a silent signal to take care of things while he was gone, then followed the two men. They hopped into one of the work trucks, and it sped away, heading west.

“Where are we going?” he asked.

“To the bullpens, Alpha,” Jacob replied. “One of the bulls got out and then chased Marsden. Gouged out his shoulder and chest.”

“Shit.” It was a good thing Marsden was a Lycan which was why he didn’t die instantly. But at his advanced age, a wound like that could be fatal. “How’s he doing?”

The younger of the two, Allen, paled. “Not good. His arm was half hanging off.”

“Fuck. Did you call the doctor?”

“Already on his way.”

“Good.”

A few minutes later, they arrived by the bullpens. There was a group of people surrounding a figure lying on the ground. Jackson jumped out of the back of the truck the moment it stopped. The men shuffled aside to make way for him.

“Marsden,” he said, kneeling beside the older man. He was pale and his face was drawn in pain. “Hey, old man, you aren’t quitting on me, are ya?”

He wheezed and coughed, blood spitting out from his lips. “No way, Alpha,” he said with a weak smile. “I ain’t no quitter.”

“Good.” He wasn’t 100 percent out of the woods, but Marsden was a stubborn old man. He’ll probably want to go back to work the moment the doctor sewed him up. “You hang in there.”

Jackson stood up, wiping the blood that had gotten on his fingers on his jeans. Mustering all his alpha dominance, he turned to face the other men. “Someone tell me what happened.”

“We was working on the posts over there.” Jesse nodded to the half-finished fencing a few feet away from them. “Then all of a sudden, we saw one of the bulls runnin’ out toward us. It headed straight for Marsden.”

“And how the hell did it get out?” His question was met with silence.

He stretched up to full height, allowing his alpha wolf to come to the surface. “I won’t ask a second time. How did the bull get out?” He looked at his men one by one. No one said a word, but he could feel each of their wolves cower to him and show their necks. It was a natural instinct for Lycans when an Alpha showed his or her power. He looked each one of them in the eye, daring them to look away. When his gaze landed on the last man, the young ranch hand blinked as sweat poured down his forehead. “You.”

“Alpha, please!” The man got to his knees. “Don’t.”

Jackson reined in his wolf, but not his anger. “What’s your name?”

“B-b-Billy, Alpha. Billy Solverson.”

“You’re Gordon’s kid, right?”

He nodded.

“Did you unlock the bullpen?”

“No! I mean, it wasn’t me.” He raised his hands in self-defense. “Please. He told me not to tell anyone.”

“Who told you what?”

Billy swallowed a gulp. “Carter. He … he was inside the bullpen, Alpha.”

“Inside? By himself?”

The younger man nodded.

“You know no one should be around the bulls by themselves. What was he doing there?”

“I went up and asked him, and he said he just wanted to see them up close. I … he don’t know how the gates work, so … it could be possible he didn’t close them proper.”

“Why didn’t you tell me right away?”

“It’s—Alpha, he’s my friend. He begged me not to t-t-tell anyone. He didn’t want to be sent away and have to be a Lone Wolf.”

Jackson rubbed a hand down his face. “Well, I don’t have a choice now.” Goddammit, he hated this part of being Alpha. “Hunt him down and bring him to me.”

It didn’t take too long to locate Carter, and soon, two men were escorting him toward Jackson. He crossed his arms over his chest. “What have you got to say for yourself?”

Carter looked at him innocently. “What’s going on, Alpha?”

“I’m no fool, Carter,” he said. “You were the one working in the pen right before the bull got out. Tell me the truth. Did you leave it unlocked?”

“I didn’t do it,” Carter denied. “Who said I did? Was it Billy, that lying sonofabitch?”

“Jesus, you motherfucker,” Jackson spat. “You’re going to throw your friend under the bus the first chance you get?”

Realizing that Jackson was not going to believe his word over Billy’s, the expression on Carter’s face turned from outrage to cold, dead hate. “Well, what are you going to do now?”

“Carter, you endangered one of our own because of your carelessness and then hid the fact by asking another to lie.” He really didn’t want to do this. The worst part is that he knew what Carter had been through. Just like Connor, he had been taken from his family. Then, those bastard mages had used some kind of magic to force him to fight in a war against his own kind. He didn’t have an easy life, but Jackson had to think of those under his protection. “The Shenandoah clan will not be accepting you as one of us, Carter. I rescind your invitation to my territory. By Lycan law, you must either return to your own clan or live the rest of your days as a Lone Wolf.”

He expected begging, pleading, or even anger from Carter. He did not expect the other man to smile at him. “Very well, Alpha,” he said, venom dripping from his voice. “I’ll leave your precious Shenandoah Valley.”

“Escort him back to the bunks and make sure he leaves,” Jackson ordered. Two men grabbed Carter by the arms and dragged him back. As he was getting into the truck that would take him away, Carter turned to Jackson, his mouth turning up into another smile.

A strange chill blasted across his skin. He hoped his instincts were wrong, but why did he have a feeling this was not over?

Jackson waited for the doctor from town to arrive to work on Marsden. He patched up the old man, and said he would have to stay in bed until he was completely healed, which could be in a couple days. Marsden was not happy, but Jackson ordered him to rest.

Since he was already out anyway, he took care of a few more things that needed his attention. Of course, “a few things” turned into a couple more errands, and it was already dark by the time he headed back into the house. He missed dinner, but he wasn’t hungry. Just bone-deep tired. He wanted to sleep forever, but that wasn’t possible as they had to leave early the next day for the big camping trip.

He trudged up the stairs and made a beeline for his room. His gaze was involuntarily drawn to the door that led to the attic room. He wondered if Jordan was asleep in her bed now. Probably.

He walked past his bedroom door and stood outside hers. There was a deep need inside him, to smell her sweet flowery scent and touch her smooth skin. He wasn’t even thinking of the mind-blowing sex. He just wanted to hold her, to help ease that heavy burden on his shoulders. His inner wolf yowled, urging him to just open the door and go to her.

Stupid. He spun around and headed to his door. Go to her? She’d probably kick him out on his ass. She made it pretty clear she was not sleeping with him again. Besides, in two days, she’d be heading back to New York. Shenandoah was no place for a brilliant city girl like her.